Beyond the Timescape

Chapter 5: Scavenger Basecamp

The forbidden region on this eastern part of South Phoenix wasn’t a very large place. The city ruins Xu Qing and the scavengers left behind were just on the periphery.

That was why the scavengers had entered the place the same day the sun finally came out. It was also why they left the ruins at sunset. They ran into a few mutant beasts, but the scavengers dispatched them quickly.

Xu Qing watched them at work, and was able to determine a bit about them. For instance, he was certain that he could stand toe-to-toe with any individual scavenger other than Sergeant Thunder.

They’re not cultivators, but they fight with confidence and ferocity. And they’re the kind of people who fight fearlessly in the face of death. That makes them very dangerous.

He might have a hard time fighting two at a time, and if it was three-on-one, then he would lose. With that knowledge in mind, he reminded himself to be very careful.

As they got closer and closer to the outside world, he noticed that the scavengers looked more and more at ease. They even started bantering a bit.

The only one who didn’t participate was Sergeant Thunder. The others didn’t mind, and in fact, they seemed to revere him. That, of course, made Xu Qing very curious about who exactly he was.

That curiosity didn’t reduce his vigilance, though, not even as they were about to leave the forbidden region. The entire time, he followed the scavengers but didn’t get too close to any of them. That said, he did remain close enough to listen to them talking.

It was around the time the sky was starting to get dark when Xu Qing felt warmth in the breeze. Stopping in place, he looked at the wilderness behind them, then peered at what was ahead.

It was like there was some sort of invisible barrier stretching from the sky down to the land. Inside the barrier was the forbidden region, where everything was frigid and gloomy. Outside the barrier was the ordinary world, where the weather was like springtime.

They left the forbidden region.

It was night outside, but there was a scintillating starry sky overhead, along with a brilliant moon.

The lands were still desolate, but they weren’t sinister like the forbidden region. You could even hear the sounds of ordinary birds and beasts. In a distant thicket, Xu Qing spotted a rabbit looking at them cautiously as they walked along. He stared at everything absent-mindedly.

The other scavengers looked more relaxed than ever, and even Sergeant Thunder seemed less tense than before.

Once outside the forbidden region, the scavengers were completely at ease, and started conversing casually.

“We finally made it out. Things went well this time, but even so, this is probably the last time I step into one of those damn forbidden regions.”

“Not go back in? If you want to stay alive in this damn world, and if you want to live a better life, then you have to risk your life in forbidden regions. Sooner or later I’m going to buy some property in one of the Seven Blood Eyes’ cities!”

Xu Qing still maintained his silence, but he listened to everything carefully. So far, he had already learned quite a bit using that method.

For example, he had heard them mention Seven Blood Eyes several times, and gathered it was some sort of powerful organization. He had also heard them mention the Violet Lands on multiple occasions.

“That’s what you’re after? Seven Blood Eyes has a lot of cities. For example, Antlerville. Except, you don’t have enough spirit coins to buy resources there, and also, you need a recommendation from a Seven Blood Eyes disciple to get in the door. In any case, who wants to just buy property? I want to actually join the Seven Blood Eyes as a disciple!”

“You wouldn’t last three days in Seven Blood Eyes, so stop bragging. You might as well say you plan to cross the ocean and settle down in the Revered Ancient mainland. That’s where humans originate, isn’t it?”

Hearing this, Xu Qing’s ears perked up, as he’d seen this Revered Ancient mentioned in his bamboo slip.

“Revered Ancient mainland? If I was so badass I didn’t have to worry about all the dangerous stuff in the sea, you think I wouldn’t go?”

The two scavengers continued their conversation for a time until it started to turn into a somewhat heated argument.

Xu Qing listened the whole time, hoping to catch some new information. Eventually, Sergeant Thunder cut in.

“Getting to the Revered Ancient mainland isn’t impossible, if you really want to do it. There are four ways. You just have to decide which one is the best for you.

“First, get to Foundation Establishment by the time you’re fifteen years old, and thus be named as ‘chosen.’ Second, pay a fee of 300,000 spirit coins to the Violet Lands or Seven Blood Eyes. Or even the Church of Departure.

“Third, make significant contributions in pill concocting to humankind. Fourth, be named a successor apprentice by one of the following: a great clan from the Violet Lands; a peaklord of the Seven Blood Eyes; the leader of the Church of Departure.

“Oh right, there’s actually a fifth way. Become a living treasure. So, think about it. Which one makes the most sense for you?”

The scavengers muttered and mumbled throughout Sergeant Thunder’s monologue. And when he got to the fifth method, strange, terrified looks appeared in their eyes.

Xu Qing saw all of this, especially the part about the ‘living treasure.’ Back in the slums, some of his buddies had been taken away by rich folks in nice clothing. He remembered people saying they were taken to become living treasures, and a lot of the youngsters in the slums had been jealous.

Now more than ever he wondered what that was all about. Looking at old Sergeant Thunder, he quietly asked, “Excuse me… what are living treasures?”

Sergeant Thunder looked at him for a moment before responding.

“They’re people whose bodies have been linked with magical treasures. Their flesh and blood absorbs the polluted mutagen from the treasures, thus making it possible to use the treasures safely. However, because of that, their bodies quickly wither up, and they die.”

Xu Qing’s pupils constricted, but he said nothing further.

The mention of living treasures seemed to cast a bit of a pall over the group, and nobody said anything else as they continued to walk through the night.

Some distance away from the forbidden region, they reached a sprawling plain where Sergeant Thunder decided to set up camp. This camp was set up differently than the one in the forbidden region. They still set up all the tents, but this time, they also started a big bonfire.

As the flames crept higher, they warmed the area, and provided a place to cook food. The scavengers sat around cooking their meal, and a fragrant aroma soon filled the area. The sight of their food made Xu Qing salivate, but all he had to eat in his sack was some tough jerky.

After a while, Sergeant Thunder looked at him, walked over, and pulled a few steamed buns out of his sack. He handed them to Xu Qing.

Xu Qing’s eyes went wide, and he had to resist the urge to wolf them all down in one bite.

“Thank you,” he said quietly.

Sergeant Thunder didn’t say anything in response. He just walked back to the fire and sat down.

“Why are you treating the kid so well, Sergeant Thunder?”𝒷𝓭ℴ𝓋𝓵.𝒸ℴ𝓶

“We’re all losers, right?” the old sergeant answered. “I think it’s fate that we met him. Why not help him out?”

There were three steamed buns, and they were still warm.

Xu Qing hesitated and looked over at the scavengers at the fire, eating their own steamed buns. Finally, he pretended to take a bite, while simultaneously keeping his eyes on the scavengers. When he saw nothing unusual happening, he finally opened his mouth and took a real bite. However, he didn’t swallow, but instead kept the food in his mouth for a time.

When he was certain it wasn’t some sort of trick, he chewed and swallowed.

Then he waited for a bit to make sure there wasn’t some sort of reaction. When there wasn’t, he breathed a sigh of relief, waited again, then wolfed down the rest of the bun. After that, he didn’t hesitate at all to devour the second bun. He was still hungry, but instead of eating, he put the final bun into his sack, handling it as gingerly as if it were a precious treasure.

Soon, it was late. The scavengers all got into their tents, while Sergeant Thunder again gave Xu Qing a sleeping bag. Before walking off, he said, “Keep it.”

Xu Qing looked up at him in surprise. “Why?”

“What do you mean ‘why?’ Three steamed buns and a sleeping bag aren’t worth anything. If you want, you can treat me to something later on.“ Sergeant Thunder turned and walked toward his tent.

“What do you like to eat?” Xu Qing asked.

“Me?” Sergeant Thunder stopped and thought about the question. “Snakes. Those things are great.”

With that, he ducked into his tent.

Xu Qing clutched the sleeping bag and watched him disappear. Then he nodded, spread out the sleeping bag, and got inside. However, despite closing his eyes, he didn’t sleep. Instead, he began cultivating the Sea and Mountain Incantation, as was his custom.

When practicing cultivation, he felt incredibly cold, but that didn’t make him give up. In fact, he wanted to take every opportunity he could to work hard at it.

That was especially true considering what Sergeant Thunder had mentioned earlier about reaching Foundation Establishment by fifteen years of age. Although he wasn’t sure how he measured up to the ‘chosen’ Sergeant Thunder had mentioned, he had at least had a bit of an idea.

I’m fourteen already, he thought.

Time slipped by slowly but surely, until five days had gone by.

Xu Qing traveled with the scavengers as they crossed a mountain and walked across a prairie.

Along the way, three of the scavengers went different ways. Just as Xu Qing had guessed earlier, the group had been working together out of convenience.

On the seventh day, the two scavengers with sabers bid farewell, leaving behind only Xu Qing and Sergeant Thunder.

That night, at the foot of a mountain, they built a fire, and Sergeant Thunder sat across from Xu Qing, watching him eating. Xu Qing nibbled away at half of a steamed bun, then put the other half in his sack.

“Kid, we’ll reach our destination tomorrow. It’s the place I call home, and it’s also one of the main basecamps for scavengers around here.”

Xu Qing didn’t say anything.

Gazing off into the distance, Sergeant Thunder continued, “Scavenger basecamps are usually built near forbidden regions. And that’s why, on the other side of these mountains, there’s just one such region.

“The place you were in is a new one, while this one has been around for a long time. There are fierce beasts that live inside, and other dangerous things. The mutagen there is so strong that an ordinary person who went in for more than one day would die. Even I couldn’t last a full week inside.

“However, seven-leaf clover grows there, which is one of the key ingredients in white boluses.

“White boluses are one of the most common pills cultivators use to purge themselves of mutagen. That’s why a lot of people come here. However, being not fond of dying, and unfamiliar with the area, they usually don’t get the seven-leaf clover themselves. They pay good spirit coin to hire scavengers to do it for them.”

Sergeant Thunder looked at Xu Qing. “Do you get what I mean?”

Having heard what white boluses were good for, Xu Qing narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment before answering, “Scavengers are outlaws willing to do anything for money?”

Sergeant Thunder’s eyes widened in surprise, and then he laughed.

“One hundred percent correct. In scavenger basecamps, there’s one rule: the weak are the prey of the strong. Strength is more important than anything else.

“That said, our basecamp is a good place to live. There are markets where you can buy anything you need, and caravans come through sometimes, so there are usually nice things to buy wherever you go.

“Therefore, not just anybody gets to live there. Newbies who want to settle down first have to pass a beast trial to get a residence permit. Those are the rules set by the camp owner.

“If you pass that test, then you can stay with me if you want.”