Chapter 55: Chapter 53 - Arriving at the Academy
Walking through the city, several people bowed and made way for the passing cultivators. Someone in the crowd knew enough to recognize the significance of Ao Wen's robes calling out loudly. "A Celestial Fairy has come to save us! Make way for the Celestial Fairy!"
Moments later people stepped aside, completely clearing the streets for Ao Wen and her party to pass. Some people, mostly mortals, knelt or kowtowed as they passed. Others held up children, sometimes pointing and explaining in awed voices what made a Celestial Fairy so special. Other times they held out infants, pleading for a blessing that would turn their children into cultivators.
Finally, as they approached the docks and the boat that Alchemist Chu had obtained for them, Ao Wen turned to address the crowd.
"Everyone," she said loudly, instantly gathering attention. "My name is Cong Daiyu, I'm the adopted daughter of Medical Saintess Cong Houzi," she said simply, sparking another wave of reverent bows. "Please," she said, "you don't need to do that. Before I was Cong Daiyu, I was just Little Yu of Salt Flats City Orphanage. I know the Yin Fiend sickness looks terrifying but Champion Bo and I have both survived this sickness personally. We know it's frightening," she said, allowing her memories of numerous infected cities to color her voice. "We know it because we've lived it. I promise you all now, we won't let the sickness spread to the common people. This I swear to you, not just as Cong Daiyu the Celestial Fairy but as Little Yu of Salt Flats City Orphanage!" At the end she let her voice roll over the crowd, thick with memories and heavy with commitment to the common people.
Leaving the crowd behind, Alchemist Chu threw Ao Wen a curious glance. "Why?" If she had headed to the palace to reassure the current reigning monarch, he could understand, but these were just common folk. What did they matter?
"Because the rulers fear the common folk," Ao Wen said with a nod to Shi Tan. "The common folk have the most to lose here. They might have thought we were coming just to save the wealthy children in the academy but the truth is that those people are most likely dead already. The people we're really here to save are the common folks. Now let's get to the island," Ao Wen finished explaining.
After the group boarded a small flat-bottomed river boat Alchemist Chu took a seat by the boat's tiller and began to steer the boat towards the barrier surrounding the island academy, his dark eyes seeming to pierce the dark Yin fog as he guided the boat in the direction of a place to come ashore. As they drew closer both Ao Wen and Champion Bo frowned. The glances they exchanged showed clear recognition of the thick Yin Aura hanging over the island. If either of them held any doubts about what they were facing those doubts melted like lard in a hot wok as they approached the barrier.
The flat bottom river boat creaked ominously as they approached the barrier, the light from the clear blue sky seeming to dim even before they encountered the deadly Yin fog. In the water, bloated fish floated along the surface with dead glassy eyes and grotesquely twisted bodies. Here and there fish could be seen that had begun to transform into something monstrous, sprouting toxic spines or massively overgrown teeth before whatever transformation the fish had undergone progressed too rapidly and tore its flesh apart.
"Everyone take one of these and swallow it," Ao Wen said, pulling several small bottles from her spacial ring and distributing the valuable elixirs to her companions. "This will prevent the Yin vapors from seeping into your lungs and viscera but the more Yin vapors you inhale, the more rapidly it wears off. Avoid places where you see the fog collecting thickly if you can. Master Shi Tan," Ao Wen said, gesturing to the other woman in their group. "If you would be so kind as to open a door for us?"
"Of course," the white-haired Formation Master said. Moving quickly she produced nearly a dozen small flags, each one a strip of azure blue cloth fifteen centimeters in length on a chopstick-sized pole and bearing a single character painted in white on the surface of the flag. Moving slowly on the rocking boat, she placed flags at each of the corners of the boat and then set the remainder in a simple pattern at the stern of the boat by the boat's tiller. Summoning an icy wind felt only by the flags and their master, the sleeves of Shi Tan's pale robes billowed as her hands formed intricate seals, each one corresponding to one of the flags of the formation and increasing the feeling of cold wind around the boat. Minutes later, a pale blue aura formed on the boat like a thin blanket of icy fog. "We can enter now," she said, traces of icy power fading from her crystalline eyes as she spoke.
"Well done," Ao Wen praised quietly, pulling a small black silk fan from her own spacial ring as she moved to stand behind the boat's square sail. While she mostly drew on wind energies to fuel her Soul Flames, something as simple as propelling a boat forward posed little challenge after two years of Qi Yue's tutelage. Slowly at first, the boat slid forward under the gentle pressure of the wind conjured by Ao Wen's fan, steadily increasing in speed as the boat's wide prow slid across the invisible barrier surrounding the island without so much as a ripple of energy.
Once inside the barrier, Ao Wen's group became much more alert. The dark Yin Fog blocked much of the sunlight that should have reached the island, shrouding everything in near-twilight dimness. The twisted forms of sickly trees, now missing their once vibrant leaves, reached like claws toward the boat as it approached the shore.
Stepping off of the boat onto the soft loamy earth of the island, Champion Bo extended a strong hand to first Ao Wen, then Shi Tan, helping both women from the boat to the shore. Feng Hou leaped from the boat to the shore, drawing the golden-hilted sword at his waist as soon as his feet touched solid ground. Drawing two fingers along the flat of the blade, soft yellow-gold flames spilled from his hand, wreathing the blade in a glow that pushed back the dark fog like the warm light of the sun.
"Flames of the Golden Crow?" Ao Wen asked, not expecting the sword cultivator to possess such impressive flames.
"A gift from my wife," he explained simply.
Ao Wen nodded, smiling despite the gloomy atmosphere of the island. Her adoptive mother the True Dragon wasn't the only powerful existence within the sect. In fact, many inner and core disciples were spirits or beasts of legendary status, capable of taking human form and living seamlessly alongside their entirely human fellow disciples. Knowing that Feng Hou ignored taboos about mixing with other races intimately raised her estimation of the flashy sword cultivator as someone who could see past what people expected and cut to the heart of what truly mattered. Perhaps that was to be expected of a sword cultivator but given Ao Wen's own tumultuous emotions regarding her loved ones, she couldn't help but admire Feng Hou for cutting through the many barriers that could get in the way of such an unconventional relationship.
Finally, bringing up the rear of the group, Alchemist Chu splashed through the water to pull the small boat ashore. His eyes darted around the island and the fog, searching as though afraid that a Yin Fiend would charge towards them at any moment.
"Over there," Ao Wen said, pointing in the direction of a small building that stood out from among the trees. Several bodies lay piled at the entrance to the squat stone structure, most of them appearing to have died from sword wounds and even a few arrorws that still protruded from the decomposing bodies. "There may be survivors in the building who resisted attacks from infected people outside. Champion Feng," she said looking towards the man with the burning blade. "Please lead the way. Master Shi, stay close to me, Champion Bo will bring up the rear." Ao Wen's commands completely ignored Alchemist Chu, allowing him to find his own place within the group.
When the group reached the entrance of the squat stone building, Shi Tan nearly gagged on the thick smell of rotting flesh coming from the pile of corpses. Ao Wen on the other hand became increasingly alarmed. Turning around her eyes flitted from dark tree to dark tree, looking for signs that something lurked in the previously well tended forest. Both Champions had done the same, the golden flames on Feng Hou's sword burning even more brightly as everyone peered into the dark fog.
"What's wrong?" Alchemist Chu said, looking at the strange actions of others in the group. "Shouldn't we be going inside to find survivors?"
"There are no survivors here," Ao Wen said sternly. "These people weren't killed by defenders keeping out the infected. There's no sign that they carried any Yin poison when they died."
"They weren't killed trying to break in," Champion Bo said gravely. "They were killed trying to escape to safety."
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