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This is my first time leaving the sect! I’m excited and nervous at the same time. I wonder what the outside world is like. I’ve read many, many books and seen a lot of images, but I’ve never experienced it for myself. My grandfather always kept an eye on me and never let me take any tasks that’d bring me outside. Since my parents died before I could even remember them during a skirmish against the White Crane Sect, my grandfather pays extra care towards me. I was shocked when my grandfather said I’d be accompanying Lucia. But it’s not like he left me alone without any protection. “Elder Sky, you don’t have to watch over me when I’m in my room….”
Elder Sky didn’t respond. He was cultivating in the corner of my room on the flying airship that Lucia was driving towards the Little Clam Sect. Was he even paying attention? What if I left right now? I stood up, and Elder Sky’s eyes instantly snapped open. “Did Junior Moonlight need something?”
“I wanted to stand on the deck….” If it’s my first time leaving the sect, it doesn’t mean anything if I’m stuck inside the airship the whole time!
“The sect leader sent me to guard over you, Junior Moonlight. I can’t guarantee your protection on the deck, but this room is reinforced with many defensive formations. You’re safe here. It’d take three earth-realm experts to force their way—”
Bang! The door flew off its hinges and crashed into the wall beside me. A corner of the door was firmly embedded in the hardwood next to my head. If the door had flew a little more to the right, I would’ve died. “Softie!”
“H-how did you break through the defensive formations!?” Elder Sky staggered to his feet and pointed at Lucia, the culprit who barged into a girl’s room without knocking.
“Eh? You’re not Softie. Did I get the wrong room?” Lucia blinked twice before her gaze landed on me. “Ah! There you are! Help! I followed Durandal’s instructions and now we’re lost.”
But I was the one who told Durandal which way to go…. How are we lost?
“C-Chosen Lucia! The defensive formation!” Elder Sky looked like he wanted to strangle Lucia. I used to feel that way about her, but then I realized how hopeless it was. Besides, she’s a little cool and valiant when she kicks open doors like that. Though I’d appreciate it if the doors would stop ending up so close to my head.
“Defensive formation….” Lucia tilted her head to the side. Her tail twitched a few times, and the qi that was powering the formation crackled around her fur like lightning. “Are we under attack?”
“Why are you asking me!?”
“Cause you’re the one who brought up defense!” Lucia’s ears perked up as her shoulders inched upwards. “Why are you yelling at me!?”
Lucia doesn’t like being yelled at. She told me it reminds her of the times when she’d be whipped for not following directions properly…. At first, I didn’t believe her because, well, who in their right mind would offend Lucia? But then I saw some scars on her back when she was changing. …It’s not like I was watching her strip! S-she just took off her clothes in front of me without warning! Nothing happened between us! She just changed clothes and that’s it!
“Mm. That’s what I thought.” Lucia nodded at Elder Sky, who seemed to be paralyzed out of shock. Then she ran up to me and lifted me by my waist. Before I could even scream, wind was blowing my hair into my face, and I was on the deck of the airship. And it wasn’t like Grandfather’s instant teleportation. Lucia just ran really, really fast. My stomach’s nauseous. Lucia dropped me onto the floor without warning, and I had to channel some qi to land on my feet properly. “Okay. I brought her, Durandal! Get off the steering wheel!”
This is what it’s like outside the sect! It’s … the same exact sky as inside the sect. And the people on the airship outside of the sect are the same people that I’d see inside the sect. I think my expectations may have been too high. Well, I’ll figure out where we are since that’s what Lucia requested of me. Judging by the position of the sun, clouds, and endless sea of green beneath us…, I have no clue where we are. If the stars were out, I would know, but it’s not nighttime yet. But Lucia’s counting on me! And shuffling me towards the steering wheel….
“Alright, Softie. Do your stuff.” Lucia’s eyes were like brilliant dewdrops: so clear, so enticing…. If she puts on such an expectant face, I can’t tell her I don’t know where we’re going!
I took in a deep breath and looked behind myself. There were nine hundred ninety-nine other airships following ours. We should’ve arrived at the Little Clam Sect by now if we were heading the right way. But since we haven’t and we haven’t run into any other sects, that can only mean we’ve gone the complete opposite direction and headed towards Hong County instead. Then to get to where we want to go, we have to do a complete about-face. That’s a massive loss of face for us as leaders…. The first hour of the expedition and we completely reverse directions? I, I guess it can’t be helped.
After making a giant loop around, it took around two hours for us to reach the first sect. Thankfully, it was also the Little Clam Sect. I managed to salvage Lucia’s mistake…. Phew. I didn’t betray her expectations. “Lucia, we’re here.”
“Whoa!” Lucia ran to the edge of the airship and leaned over the side. I sincerely thought she was going to fall off, but she—did!? Oh, she caught the railing with her tail. I thought she was going to die. “Ilya, look! It’s a giant testicle!”
…A what?
“That’s a clam, Lucia.”
“Which mortal dares insult this great clam!?” Well, that’s the guardian beast of the Little Clam Sect. The Little Clam Sect was founded by the offspring of a sky-realm clam. It’s still not fully mature, so it’s only a high-high-ranked saint-realm expert. With Lucia’s nonsensical physical strength and Elder Sky’s cultivation, there’s no way the guardian beast can defeat us. Unless it decides to sacrifice its lifeblood and boost itself to the earth realm.
“Clam…. That’s seafood, right? That means it’s edible?” Drool was starting to pool in the corner of Lucia’s mouth.
“I will not stand for such disrespect!” The guardian beast of the Little Clam Sect was glowing. It seemed to be gathering qi. Does it not see the fleet of a thousand ships in the air? Why is it acting so rashly? Could it be the, the tes…, test…, the insult that Lucia called the clam caused…? Oh! Lucia must’ve planted a heart devil in it since she’s already cultivating the tenth layer of the Heart Devil Cultivation Technique.