Beyond the Timescape

Chapter 51: A Boat for Life

The evening sun cast its light on a small path that ran up the mountain. The sunlight looked like a fine, golden gauze laid over little stone steps, and made everything seem holy. Walking up the steps was like walking on sunshine and heading into gloriousness. On either side of the path were leafy, flowering plants. The mountain wind carried the aroma of flowers and soil, which combined with damp sea air to fill a person’s heart and mind. There were also many trees, within which echoed the melodious sound of singing birds, as if they had specifically composed music for anyone who walked this path, including the current group of people.

There were five people, including the round-faced cultivator in the lead, his hands clasped behind his back as he introduced the sect to Xu Qing and the others.

“Since all of you have successfully become members of Seven Blood Eyes, allow me to explain a bit about the sect. Actually, from my perspective, Seven Blood Eyes isn’t even a sect. It just calls itself a sect, when in fact, it’s a very profitable business!”

The four new disciples were all shocked to hear this.

Including Xu Qing, the group was made up of Zhou Qingpeng, Li Zimei, and another young woman named Xu Xiaohui. She wore her hair in a ponytail, and had ordinary clothes. Obviously she wasn’t from a rich family, but neither was she a scavenger. She was probably from a small city somewhere. [1]

She’d tried to make some conversation with Xu Qing, but that wasn’t his forte, and besides, he didn’t like people getting too close to him, so he just nodded in response to her. Eventually, she’d shifted to trying to cozy up to Zhou Qingpeng.

Zhou Qingpeng had a warm, affable smile, quite the opposite of the taciturn Xu Qing. Because of that, he and Xu Xiaohui got along well immediately, and conversed in low tones here and there as they walked along.

Li Zimei seemed reserved and cautious, perhaps to the point of feeling inferior, so she brought up the rear, and also kept her distance from everyone else.

Zhou Qingpeng took the initiative to include both Xu Qing and Li Zimei in the conversation, and was very friendly with them. As a result, Li Zimei soon warmed up to everyone else.

The mountain breeze stirred everyone’s hair as they walked along and the round-faced cultivator continued to introduce the sect.

“Seven Blood Eyes is divided into two parts that we call Onpeak and Offpeak. They’re really two completely different worlds. As for you four, you’re… Offpeak disciples. Only Foundation Establishment cultivators qualify for Onpeak life. They also get a split of the profit generated by Seven Blood Eyes.

“Offpeak disciples live in a world of cruelty and bitterness. They have to struggle to survive. Because of that, Offpeak disciples long to eventually be promoted to the Onpeak world. Do you know how many people live in the Offpeak capital city?”

The round-faced cultivator looked at the young men and women following him. None of them volunteered an answer.

“3,000,000 people!” he said, holding up three fingers. “Most of the population is made up of ordinary citizens, but it also includes the low-ranking disciples from the various peaks. As of now, that includes you.

“Like everyone else, you need to abide by the rules of Seven Blood Eyes. Those rules are actually simple. All Offpeak people, including common citizens and disciples, have to pay thirty merit points per day to live in the city. Thirty spirit coins are also acceptable. They’ll be deducted from your identity medallion every day, as you already experienced earlier. If your balance is ever negative, you’ll be expelled from Seven Blood Eyes. That goes for both ordinary citizens and disciples. If you refuse to leave, then within two hours, you’ll be killed by the spell formation.”

Xu Qing looked just as surprised as everyone else to learn this. Even Zhou Qingpeng looked a bit fearful.

“Of course, that’s just the base fee. You have to figure out your own food and lodging. It’s survival of the fittest. Things in our capital city are very expensive, and most expensive of all are the cultivation resources.”

Xu Qing didn’t say anything in response to this information, and the other three new disciples seemed shaken.

After a moment, Xu Xiaohui hesitantly asked, “Since that’s the case, why do so many ordinary citizens want to live here? Thirty spirit coins a day is… one spirit stone a month. That’s too expensive. Furthermore, if we as disciples have to pay the same merit point fee, then what exactly is the benefit of being a disciple?”

The round-faced cultivator looked at Xu Xiaohui.

“It’s not cheap to teleport here. So, by default, the people who do come here are skilled and resourceful. They come because they want the best. In the capital city, we keep everyone safe. Disciples are not allowed to wantonly slaughter innocent people, and what’s more… the spell formation keeps out mutagen and extends one’s lifespan.

“Compared to life outside, where the mutagen is everywhere, and beasts and outlaws run amok, our capital city is naturally a place most people only dream of coming to.

“As for the benefit of being a disciple?

“First, only disciples get access to cultivation resources. Other people aren’t allowed to buy them. Furthermore, it’s against the rules to resell cultivation resources outside. Do that, and you’ll be executed.

“Second, only disciples who cultivate Seven Blood Eyes techniques can, after reaching Foundation Establishment, get the right to live Onpeak and also get a split of the profits. You four need to work hard going forward. By the way, though the sect prohibits disciples from killing each other, every month… there are a lot of disciples who mysteriously go missing. The sect basically turns a blind eye to it. They figure it’s like putting venomous bugs in a jar and letting them fight it out. Casualties are to be expected.

“If a Foundation Establishment cultivator from outside the sect comes to cause problems for our Qi Condensation disciples, that person will be immediately punished for violating the rules. That said, Seven Blood Eyes doesn’t pay attention to outside Qi Condensation cultivators.”

The round-faced cultivator gave them a meaningful smile.

Hearing this, Xu Qing breathed a sigh of relief, as that was one of the main reasons he’d come to Seven Blood Eyes.

Off to the side, Li Zimei hesitantly asked another question. “Given all of this, how does the sect create a sense of belonging among the disciples here? What’s the unifying force?”

The round-faced cultivator laughed heartily.

“Unifying force? What exactly do you mean by unifying force? Friendship is a type of unity. As is gratefulness. And reverence. But none of those are very reliable. In the brutal, chaotic world we live in, the only thing that provides a true sense of belonging, and the only true unifying force, is profit!

“Only Seven Blood Eyes disciples can use our techniques to break through to Foundation Establishment, and get the right to be Onpeak disciples. Once they do, they get a share of the sect’s profits.

“By the way, Seven Blood Eyes’ monthly profit is public information. It comes from residency fees, the sale of cultivation resources, and commerce in the port. Daily income amounts to about 500,000,000 spirit coins. Convert that, and it comes out to 500,000 spirit stones. Do the math, and you can see that the monthly profit comes out to 15,000,000 spirit stones.

“The profit is split between members based on the level of their cultivation base. Of course, some is withheld for sect expenditures, but the rest is given out to the Foundation Establishment disciples and any with a higher cultivation base than that. The higher your cultivation base, the bigger the split you get. An early Foundation Establishment disciple will get about 5,000 spirit stones a month. If you’re in Gold Core, you’ll get about 10,000.

“That’s why I said that Seven Blood Eyes is more like a business. Onpeak disciples in the Foundation Establishment level are like investors in a business. For every day they’re around, they earn a day of profit!

“Now let me ask you. If you had a business out in the world, and someone came along and tried to rob you, wouldn’t you fight back?”

The round-faced cultivator’s words caused Xu Qing’s eyes to shine with profound light. At this point, he had a good understanding of how Seven Blood Eyes worked.

And maybe it was true that in a chaotic world, the only true unifying force… was as this man said. Profit.

Li Zimei didn’t have any further questions.

The round-faced cultivator chuckled, then continued to walk, while basically repeating the same general information, that they lived in a chaotic world, and that profit was the only thing that remained constant. At one point, he pointed down the mountain peak.

“Let me explain a bit about the prosperity of Seven Blood Eyes. See that over there? That’s the biggest port in South Phoenix. Ships come and go through it every day. That includes trading vessels from the outside and sect disciples from the Seventh Peak, heading out to the sea to go on missions. Of course, our peak controls the port.

“Because of that, ships… are very important to the cultivation of Seventh Peak disciples. We call them dharmaboats.”

Following the line of the round-faced cultivator’s finger, he looked down into the port, which was currently bathed in the evening sunlight. Within the port were numerous horseshoe shaped harbors, each with a sluice gate and a towering lighthouse. There were over a hundred of them, and they were huge, with each one having room for many, many ships.

From this distance, Xu Qing could see that different harbors were different colors. About half of them were white, and were filled mostly with huge trading ships. The other part of the port had violet harbors. From what he could see, the ships in the violet section were small and numerous.

“The white part is for outsiders,” explained the round-faced cultivator. “The violet part is where Seventh Peak disciples live. All of the ships there are the dharmaboats I mentioned!

“Our dharmaboats are famous throughout South Phoenix. They’re like the heart and soul of Seventh Peak cultivation.

“Your dharmaboat is essentially your mansion grotto and your mount, all at the same time. More than that, they’re like your fighting partner, and also something you absolutely need to acquire the resources you require. You can treat your dharmaboat like… a magical treasure!” [2]

In response to his words, Li Zimei and Xu Xiaohui’s eyes went wide. Obviously, they knew all about magical treasures. Zhou Qingpeng also looked down at the ships below, his eyes shining with anticipation.

Xu Qing reacted similarly. He knew how rare and expensive magical treasures were. Then he looked down at the densely packed ships in the violet section of the port, and suddenly wondered if calling them ‘rare’ was accurate.

“Of course, they’re not really magical treasures,” the round-faced cultivator continued. “But Seventh Peak dharmaboats can be upgraded. As your cultivation base increases, you can refine them, and eventually, you really could turn yours into a magical treasure.

“In any case, all new Seventh Peak disciples long to have a dharmaboat. Unfortunately, even a brand new dharmaboat costs 100,000 merit points, or a hundred spirit stones.

“Furthermore, only disciples with dharmaboats are allowed to work and live in the port. As for disciples who don’t have a dharmaboat, they have to earn enough money to buy one. If they can’t save up enough to pay for a dharmaboat within three years, then they’ll have their cultivation base crippled, and they’ll be expelled..𝙘𝒐𝒎

“The reason for this is that the techniques of the Seventh Peak are all related to the sea, and require a dharmaboat to cultivate. They have spirit convergence formations built into them that saves effort and leads to better results in cultivation. Oh, by the way, the techniques are free for disciples.”

The round-faced cultivator’s explanation filled Xu Qing not only with the strong desire to get a dharmaboat, but also helped him understand what the Seventh Peak was all about.

Only by focusing on the dharmaboat and the cultivation base can someone on the Seventh Peak reach Foundation Establishment. That’s the key to survival! I absolutely have to get a dharmaboat!

By this point in the introduction, the group was about halfway up the mountain. This was where their identity medallions would be fully activated, and they would get their cultivation technique and daoist robe. There was only one type of daoist robe, and it was gray. That was the uniform all Offpeak disciples in Seven Blood Eyes wore, regardless of which peak they were from.

Activating the identity medallion cost 1,000 merit points. After that, the identity medallion would keep track of a disciple’s information, including their merit points. It could also be used for communication.

When Xu Qing got his daoist robe, he sensed spirit power fluctuations coming from it, which was when he realized it was definitely an extraordinary item. The fabric was soft, but wouldn’t wrinkle easily. If a daoist robe like this were sold outside the sect, it would be very expensive.

Li Zimei and Xu Qing both seemed equally impressed with the daoist robe. As for Xu Xiaohui, she seemed to want to follow Zhou Qingpeng’s lead.

Zhou Qingpeng looked at the round-faced cultivator and the senior members of the sect distributing the items, and quietly said, “Seniors, I want to buy a dharmaboat.”

The round-faced cultivator smiled. As for the individual distributing their new items, he was an emaciated old man who looked at Zhou Qingpeng and coolly said, “100,000 merit points. Or a hundred spirit stones.”

Li Zimei and Xu Xiaohui inhaled sharply upon hearing this. To both of them, a hundred spirit stones was a level of wealth they could only dream of right now.

As for Zhou Qingpeng, he hurried forward and pulled out a golden piece of paper currency which he offered respectfully with both hands.

“A spirit note from the Second Peak? That’ll work.” The old man took the note, then handed Zhou Qingpeng a violet brocade box. He looked at the other three new disciples. “Anyone else want to buy anything?” [3]

Li Zimei and Xu Xiaohui looked down. As for Xu Qing, he thought for a moment, then steeled himself, stepped forward, and took a hundred spirit stones out of his sack.

The old man didn’t say anything in particular. As he took out another brocade box, Li Zimei and Xu Xiaohui looked on enviously. Zhou Qingpeng merely glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.

Xu Qing took the box and opened it. Inside were two items: a jade slip and a transparent bottle.

The bottle was unusual. It could fit in his palm, and contained a liquid that seemed like it might be seawater. Floating on that water was a small boat with a black canopy! [4]

It was completely black, and simplistic in its design. However, all of the planks that made up the boat were covered in magical symbols. And despite being inside the bottle, the boat exuded an extraordinary pressure. In fact, whether it was the bottle itself or the little boat inside, both seemed to be worth a lot more than a hundred spirit stones. As for the jade slip, it contained all the information about the boat.

“Alright,” said the round-faced cultivator, “you can head back down the peak now. Remember, neither our techniques nor dharmaboats can be distributed to outsiders. Do that… and the consequences will be severe.

“Xu Xiaohui and Li Zimei, I hope the two of you can work hard going forward, and eventually save up enough to get a dharmaboat. Zhou Qingpeng and Xu Qing, your identity medallions contain all the information about your current assignments. You can see yourselves down the mountain.”

The four new disciples clasped hands to the round-faced cultivator, then turned to leave. However, before Xu Qing could even take a step, the round-faced cultivator called out to him.

“Xu Qing.”

As the others left, Xu Qing turned back around respectfully.

“You’re strong for a low-level cultivator,” the round-faced cultivator continued. “You’re obviously in the seventh level of body refinement, yet can produce energy and blood projections like someone in the great circle. It’s clear you’re talented, and are probably toward the top of the pack amongst low-level cultivators. I wouldn’t be surprised if you could easily kill rogue cultivators in the ninth or even tenth level.

“However, body cultivation is simplistic. It gives you speed, strength, and recovery power. But it’s not considered a great dao.

“To cultivators, the true great dao is the cultivation of magic! I suggest that, going forward, you focus more on magical cultivation. Your spirit power and magical techniques are too weak. If you encounter rogue cultivators, you’ll be fine. But face a disciple from one of the great sects, and you’ll be in trouble!”

Hearing this, Xu Qing felt shaken.

“Furthermore, I’m not sure where you come from, but I bet you lived in constant danger. Because of that, you’ve developed some instinctual habits.”

“Habits?” Xu Qing asked, not sure what he meant.

“Given how well you performed in the assessment, I’m going to give you some advice. When you were walking up the peak just now, you rarely moved your right hand. And your right index and middle finger seemed to be in a constant state of readiness. I’m willing to bet that, in your sack, you have some hidden weapons ready to throw out at any time. Maybe some needles or flying daggers.”

Xu Qing’s expression turned serious. This was the first time someone had ever seen through him so easily.

Smiling broadly, the man continued, “I suggest that you don’t let this habit become so second-nature. If you do, people will notice, and you’ll end up in trouble. Don’t give off clues. Hide your ruthlessness behind a gentle appearance, like a needle concealed in silk.”

The man’s smile didn’t seem to contain anything threatening. It seemed like he was doing nothing more than offering a bit of advice to a new disciple. Maybe he even considered it a small investment in the future.

But his words caused chills to run down Xu Qing’s spine. Taking a deep breath, he clasped hands and bowed deeply.

As he left, he thought about what he’d just heard, and then looked down at his right hand. Flexing his fingers, he tried to make himself look more natural. It took some effort to keep his fingers less rigid, but it started to work. However, if someone looked closely enough, they would see that, within the seemingly natural position of his fingers, was hidden something deeply threatening.

He kept practicing as he walked down the mountain.

***

Far away from Seven Blood Eyes, in a random scavenger basecamp in the wilderness, Master Seventh crouched on a rooftop, looking down at a young man fighting a stray dog. The young man had dog blood all over his mouth, and a vicious expression on his face.

Master Seventh looked on approvingly. Next to him was his servant, who was currently looking at a jade slip.

“Master Seventh,” the servant said quietly, “the Kid reached Seven Blood Eyes.”

“The Kid?” Master Seventh said. “Who?”

The servant smiled wryly. “The young man who didn’t want to get his new clothes dirty when killing people. You put in a good word for him with Grandmaster Bai, and he started learning the dao of plants and vegetation. Later, I gave him a white identity medallion.”

Master Seventh nodded, and as he thought back to Xu Qing, his eyes gleamed with approval. “I remember now. He was that affectionate and faithful child.”

“Should I take any special measures to watch over him?” the servant asked.

Master Seventh waved his hand dismissively. “There’s no need. In this chaotic world, people who want to survive need to rely on their own strength. If he can get by on his own, then when he finally comes to me, I’ll reward him with some good fortune.” Master Seventh pointed down at the young man fighting the dog. “Between this young man and the Kid, which do you think more resembles a wolf pup?”

The servant looked down at the fighting young man, and smiled wryly. He had answered questions like this many, many times on their journey. Since encountering the Kid, they had found nine other children that Master Seventh took a liking to.

“They’re about the same,” the servant said.

Master Seventh looked over at the servant and laughed. “It was a kindness for me to recommend him to Grandmaster Bai, and then give him a white identity medallion. But that doesn’t mean I’ve picked him to be my apprentice. I don’t owe him anything. I gave him an opportunity, that’s all.

“I really do want a fourth apprentice. But remember, to get my third apprentice, I sent out over fifty white identity medallions. He was the only one who succeeded. You haven’t been with me for long, so you’re not used to my style.

“In fact, I have the feeling that giving out fifty medallions won’t be enough to find my fourth apprentice. It’ll probably take a hundred.

“Go give that child down there a white medallion. As before, keep the explanations to a minimum.” With that, Master Seventh turned and left.

1. Xu Xiaohui: This surname is a different Xu than Xu Qing’s. This one is #11 on the list of 100 common Chinese surnames. It means “slow, gentle.” Xiao means “small, little” and Hui means “intelligent, rational.” Madam Deathblade says that this sounds like the name of an ordinary girl. Forgetting the tones, her surname is pronounced the same as Xu Qing’s. Xiao starts with an SH sound and rhymes with cow, with a little bit of a Y sound after the SH. Hui rhymes with “say.” So her given name is sort of like “shyow-hway.” ☜

2. In my previous Er Gen translations, I translated ‘mansion grotto’ as ‘immortal’s cave.’ I later came to realize that ‘immortal’s cave’ is not accurate, and also causes a lot of problems with term continuity. In this novel, I’ll use the term ‘mansion grotto’ instead. ☜

3. For those unfamiliar with Chinese “brocade boxes,” they’re basically boxes with brocade fabric exteriors and a soft fabric interior. They’re generally used to put valuable or fancy items in (or used to make things seem valuable or fancy.) Here’s what they look like. ☜

4. Based on the description, the type of boat described is like an ancient Chinese vessel like this. ☜

Deathblade’s Thoughts

This chapter is extra long. Considering this is the first chapter after the initial release… I can’t bear to split it in half. However, future chapters that are this long will be usually be split in two, as they take upwards of twice as long for me to translate.