Or been let off. Thankfully, the higher-level spirit beasts were happy to do the calculation of damage and survivability. As they gained greater strength, they also gained greater sentience and understanding. Trading his death for damage that might leave them prey for other spirit beasts was a bad trade, and so after testing him, most left.
Having finished skinning the snake, Wu Ying cut off a large portion of the meat, placed it in the skin, and tied off the ends to form a bundle. Wu Ying glanced once more at the beast before pulling out the fangs. The green snake wasn’t venomous, but its fangs would make a nice tip for a new spear. Wu Ying briefly debated then resolved the debate by placing down the meat and lashing together a makeshift spear, one tipped with the snake’s fang. Having finished his hasty construction, Wu Ying replaced his broken sword in its scabbard and took up the bundle before jogging away. Better to leave before any scavenger decided to fight him for the remains.
It was a good thing that most powerful spirit beasts had little interest in humanity and were, naturally, cautious. Wu Ying could imagine the kind of calamity a spirit beast that had developed a core could bring to a small village like his. In fact, the occasional story that surfaced of such a tragedy, of near total destruction of entire villages before the local army or lord put a stop to it, was enough. Whether it was a five-starred brown bear or a blood-mist red deer, those animals were generally content to grow and seek enlightenment in the depths of the forest. After all, their road to enlightenment and cultivation was different from humanity’s. Their dao, at the end, was constrained by their nature. And while some might find enlightenment and grow to be like humanity, few would transcend if they followed that path. As such, it was safer and better to follow the dao of nature.
Of course, that did not necessarily hold true for demon spirits. Among the many lectures that Wu Ying had managed to attend in the sect, one had discussed the classification of demon beasts. At the simplest—and most common—level, demon beasts were spirit beasts that attacked humans. Of course, that inadvertently lumped predator spirit beasts in with “demon beasts,” though those beasts were not necessarily directly antagonistic against humans. They would hunt and eat humans if they were sufficiently weak, but no more than any other predator would.
Real demon beasts were different. There were two major kinds. The first were native demon beasts, creatures whose core had been tainted by poisons or toxins or had acquired demonic characteristics due to influence from the demon plane. In rare cases, the most powerful spirit- and dao-seeking monsters might even have followed a demonic dao. The second kind were actual demons from the demon planes. Those were much rarer, since breaches between the planes were major incidences and something the sects and the government watched out for.
As such, while attacks in the deep backcountry happened, the attacks were less frequent—though more dangerous.
Nearly three days. Two of which were spent in the backcountry and half of the other traveling on the blessed road Wu Ying had finally stumbled upon. That he even managed to trade one of the smaller demon cores he had collected for clothing and a bag was fortunate, in his view. Of course, on a pure value basis, he had been cheated to the high heavens, but when you were wandering around the countryside with nothing but a pair of ragged shorts, a sword, a coin purse, and a roll of snakeskin filled with spirit beast meat, well, value changed.
Perhaps that was the truth of things, Wu Ying mused. The world that each person saw was but a shadow of the truth, one that changed as the illumination cast by their enlightenment changed. Each individual was a seer of shadows, a blind man groping his way through a fully lit room.
And if so, what was enlightenment? Was his own understanding of the world but a candle in the darkness, an insensitive fist wrapped around a cornerstone of the world? Perhaps that was why no one grasped the Greater Dao of the universe and looked for the smaller daos when seeking enlightenment. Because it was impossible for the human soul to understand anything but a small portion of the universe. And so, cultivators sought the smaller daos of the sword, of fire or water, or the virtues.
Thoughts like this were in some ways too early for a cultivator like him, having just left the starting line with the marathon finishing line of cultivation so many li away. But at the next stage, when he started cultivating an energy-gathering method, he would need to consider this deeply. He’d heard a few apocryphal stories of those who had found themselves following an elemental dao then learned, too late, they were unable to progress further due to their cultivation. Some shattered their cultivation, devolving to the start, to begin again. Most such unfortunate souls found themselves stymied, unable to truly ascend.
No. If he were to search for a dao that would suit him, he should start thinking now, Wu Ying determined. At the very least, he should consult a sage or two if possible, and at the worse, an Elder. Their guidance could help forestall any issues in his cultivation.
All that, of course, was dependent on Wu Ying actually avoiding being thrown out of the sect. Which, considering he was now two days late to the sale of the plum blossom wine, was not looking good. Staring at the city gates, Wu Ying sighed. Dressed in peasant clothing, with his cultivation suppressed, he had been waiting in line for the last hour in an attempt to enter the city.
Hinma was one of the larger cities Wu Ying had ever visited, the town walls that surrounded the city four times his height. From idle conversations with those waiting with him, Wu Ying had learned that these were the outer walls. A set of inner, older walls separated the old city from the new. And of course, in the center of the city, the magistrate’s administrative center and mansion was located. At each barrier, another set of security checks were conducted. And of course, the entrance fee was taken.
Even so, as a city established at the confluence of a pair of rivers, Hinma had more than sufficient traffic. It was why Wu Ying was still waiting for his turn to enter. He knew that if he showed off his sect stamp, he would likely be able to bypass the queue, but he still found it a bit strange to do so. Never mind the fact that he was actually enjoying his conversations with the commoners around him. Talk about the city interspersed with gossip about locals brought a nostalgic pang. But eventually, all good things had to come to an end.
“Number in the party?” the guard asked, his voice laced with boredom.
“Just one, sir,” Wu Ying said.
“Five coins.”
“Of course.” Wu Ying bobbed his head and handed over the round coins with their centers cut out in squires.
When the guard gestured him through, Wu Ying walked in blithely.
“Wait!”
Wu Ying stopped, frowning as he turned toward the speaker. Standing just inside, overseeing the group, the guard lieutenant raked his eyes over Wu Ying’s form before stopping at the bag slung over the cultivator’s shoulder.
“What’s in that bag?”
“My bag? An extra set of clothing, my provisions, and a bedroll.” At the lieutenant’s loud harrumph, Wu Ying swung the bag around toward the guard. As he did so, he noticed that the flaps had fallen open, showcasing his major treasure as well. “Ah, some snakeskin from a green spirit snake I encountered.”
“I thought that was what it was,” the guard lieutenant said with a sniff. His voice was filled with haughty disdain as he walked forward to tug open Wu Ying’s bag without asking. “I want this.”