Chapter 128 - 107: The Nether Monarch’s Connections

Chapter 128: Chapter 107: The Nether Monarch’s Connections

She had no idea what sort of festival was going on.

Qiu Yuehan found a spot to descend from the sky. She stepped furtively onto the street, glancing left and right. With her excellent eyesight, she quickly spotted a clothier’s shop.

She stepped into the clothier’s shop.

The shop’s proprietress sat up straight. "This... Fairy, is this your first time here? I don’t recognize you. What kind of fabric are you looking for?"

Before Qiu Yuehan could even speak, the proprietress added, "Oh, I know, I know. You’re down from the mountain on a mission, right? The Immortals from the Daoist Sect are all like this. They stop by every now and then."

"Er... yes, on a mission."

"Fairy, do you have a style in mind? I have not just fabric, but ready-made clothes as well. The Fairies from the Daoist Sect almost always buy their outfits from my shop."

Qiu Yuehan couldn’t help but ask, "They all buy them from you?"

"Yes. Fairy, aren’t you here to buy clothes?" the proprietress asked, puzzled.

"I... I am here to buy clothes."

The proprietress said matter-of-factly, "I thought as much. What style and color are you looking for, Fairy? While I don’t really understand the intricacies of Cultivation, I’ve always believed that even Cultivators should take the time to dress up. Oh, by the way, there’s a shop that sells cosmetics not far from here. You should check it out later, Fairy."

Qiu Yuehan shook her head. ’No wonder,’ she thought, ’the female disciples of the Daoist Sect have such varied and colorful clothes. It’s nothing like Miao Yu Palace, where we all wear uniform, snow-white robes.’

So Qiu Yuehan pointed to a bolt of fabric nearby. "That one will do."

She paid the silver and picked up the fabric, only to hear the proprietress ask, "Don’t you want me to make the outfit for you here?"

Qiu Yuehan didn’t understand what this entailed.

The proprietress gave a mysterious smile. "My humble shop has a tailor who is also a Cultivator. He can have your outfit sewn for you in just half an hour. It’s just..."

Qiu Yuehan said flatly, "How much extra will it be?"

The proprietress made a gesture with her hand to indicate a number. "It’s almost dark. Once your outfit is done, we’ll be closing up for the night."

"Fine," Qiu Yuehan said. "Make it in the same style as the one I’m wearing. I’ll be back in half an hour to pick it up."

Most Cultivators didn’t care for money. Qiu Yuehan had saved up a fair amount from missions over the years but had never had an opportunity to spend it. And now, on her first trip down the mountain to pick out clothes for herself, she was getting completely ripped off.

She didn’t really care, though.

"Is today some kind of festival?"

"Oh!" the proprietress exclaimed in a celebratory tone. "It’s almost the Winter Solstice. It’s a local custom to hold the river lantern festival a bit early."

As Qiu Yuehan stepped back onto the street, she suddenly felt her Red Dust Sword Dao stir.

Slowly, she walked to the riverbank. People had already begun to light orange, lotus-shaped lanterns and set them afloat on the water. Tiny flames flickered to life, drifting farther and farther away down the current.

’It’s so beautiful.’

The sounds of children’s laughter and lovers’ whispers filled the air around her.

’This tranquility is wonderful.’

’This is the Dao of the Red Dust.’

Qiu Yuehan was captivated by the lively scene, and something long dormant began to stir deep within her heart.

A long-forgotten memory surged into her mind.

~~~~~~~~~~

"We of the Human Race... we’ve all known suffering. That’s why we can appreciate the beauty of life."

The old woman’s name was Long. She was called Granny Long, supposedly because she had been born on Long Mountain.

Granny Long’s parents had died at the hands of another race, leaving her as the sole survivor. From that day forward, she dedicated herself to Cultivation, eventually becoming the strongest of her Human Race tribe.

She was a powerful Cultivator at the Peak of the Second Realm, approaching the Third Realm.

Granny Long continued, "Life is a wonderful thing. As long as you’re alive, there’s hope. By the way, what kind of clothes do you like? I’ll find a beautiful outfit for you at the next Human Race gathering."

The Human Race was renowned among the Ten Thousand Races for their skill in farming and weaving.

Granny Long had no husband and thus no children of her own. After finding Qiu Yuehan, she raised the girl as her own daughter.

At first, the young girl worried that she would be badly bullied upon returning to the Human Race tribe. After all, she was not of the Human Race, and the divide between different races was immense.

But that didn’t happen. The members of the Human Race, who were almost excessively kind, not only didn’t bully her but even brought her delicious sweet fruit.

Perhaps it was because the Spirit Race generally didn’t bully the Human Race.

Qiu Yuehan asked softly, "Granny, what kind of clothes do you think would suit me?"

Granny Long smiled. "You should be the one to choose."

"A plain black dress would be fine."

She no longer desired beautiful clothes. The Spirit Race liked to wear garments of blue, white, and green, but she had no desire to wear such conspicuous colors anymore. Black would be fine; hidden in the night, no one would be able to see her.

Granny Long stroked her head. "We can decide then. For now, we need to bring food back."

They were out hunting.

Winter was approaching, and this particular Human Race tribe was running low on food, so Qiu Yuehan had accompanied Granny Long to hunt for their people.

"Hmm?" Granny Long murmured, her expression puzzled.

A sudden noise erupted from the distant forest. The roar of some manner of exotic beast was exceptionally clear.

As the two of them drew closer, Granny Long put a finger to her lips, signaling for Qiu Yuehan to be quiet.

Qiu Yuehan nodded and parted the tall grass to peer through.

It was a pack of white-furred foxes, disdainfully snarling as they surrounded a single Red Fox.

The Red Fox had an injured leg, but it held its head high, glaring at the other foxes with hostility.

’The Fox Race?’

Qiu Yuehan was aware of the pecking order within the Fox Race. Those with pure white fur were considered the most noble, while common Red Foxes who had not yet gained sentience were at the very bottom.

The scene before them was likely a case of bullying within the clan.

This particular Red Fox had likely gained sentience, but was still ostracized by the White Foxes. That was why it was being bullied and its leg had been injured.

The leader, a three-tailed White Fox, barked disdainfully at the Red Fox a few times before turning away. Head held high, it led the other foxes away.

"Do you know what that was about?"

Qiu Yuehan could only whisper, "The Fox Race has a strict hierarchy. That Red Fox must have angered the three-tailed White Fox and been exiled from the clan."

After a long moment, once the pack of White Foxes was out of sight, the Red Fox finally gave out, collapsing to the ground with a soft THUD.

Qiu Yuehan glanced at Granny Long. "I’m going to check on it."

She thought of herself—she, too, had been cast out of her clan.

The Red Fox looked up warily. When it saw Qiu Yuehan approaching, it tensed, arching its back and letting out another hiss, as if preparing to attack.

But it was too gravely injured. Besides, it was just a cub and couldn’t even get to its feet.

"It’s a vixen," Granny Long observed.

Qiu Yuehan walked right up and gave the Red Fox two sharp smacks, leaving it stunned. "Don’t you dare make another sound."

She turned to Granny Long. "Granny, the Fox Race is incredibly skilled at finding prey. Let’s take her back and heal her wounds. She’s gained sentience, so I can communicate with her. With her help this winter, our tribe’s food supply should be secure."