Aimless Ascension

Never leave anything unfinished that you started, his mother had told him. Yet here he was, abandoning his pledged duty to the people of this land.

Gale's only consolation was that he didn't really start it. He was merely pulled into it, like many others.

Considering the circumstances, even Mother would approve of abandoning something that may kill him the next day. Besides, Gale owed these people nothing, except a specific few, but they would unlikely want him to give his life for them.

So, goodbye my spear, goodbye my dream of immortality, and goodbye my squabbling subordinates, my senior brother and sisters. Your boss is getting out of here.

Six years–compared with Earth time, that would be over eight years–Gale was summoned to this bloody xianxia land for no particular reason at all. No chosen-by-fate horseshit, it's nothing but mere happenstance that an insane practitioner accidentally summoned him from a good life to thrust him into the brutality of this horseshit xianxia.

I swear on my mother, if I ever get hold of that shithead summoner, I'll make him regret his every living moment.

Sadly, that ship had sailed years ago. Gale wasn't even sure if that asshat summoner was alive, and he didn't want to run around all over this great treacherous world looking for trouble. He had enough of that already, no point in borrowing more if he could live the rest of his life peacefully.

"Come on, boy," Gale called Vale, staring at the landscape with a sparkle of hope in his eyes. Vale—the huge furry mutt, almost reaching Gale's waist—woofed, lunging ahead of him. "We'll be there in an hour or two."

Thick green forest spread in the surroundings, as rows of old oaks and maples marked the way. The sun hovered low, escaping between the mountains with white cliffs on the horizon, brushing the sky in an abstract canvas of dreamy utopia. Perhaps it had more to do with him being weary of life that this life before him seemed far more appealing even before he started.

Vale moved ahead, woofing to call Gale as if wanting him to see something. Gale indulged, as soon a valley came into view with green grass and yellow fields ready for reaping. A river wound its way through the valley to the woods and vanished somewhere far that his sight couldn't follow.

They would reach the valley by sundown if he used some Qi to augment movement speed, but that would call for unwanted attention, which he would strongly want to stay away from.

As he was musing, a horse carriage trotted behind, aiming for the same destination. Gale thought nothing further and halted on the path, holding his right arm to get a lift. Most people weren't really that accommodating to a stranger in this horseshit xianxia world, or even any world, for that matter. But Gale had nothing to lose.

What worse could they do to him other than ignoring requests? Well, if it were some shithead young master, they could try something, just because they can. But there was a zero chance for a Young Master to travel to a rural area such as this. Anyway, I will find out soon if the wagon stops.

And it did, lifting his spirit. The mares came to a halt as the wagoner stared at him questioningly.

"Good evening, gentleman." Gale approached, bowing slightly. "If it isn't too much to ask, would you be kind enough to take this brother to the town?"

For an extended moment, there was no reply. The wagoner waited just as he did. Looks like much of it depended on who he was carrying. Well, if it were for the wagoner—a copper rank practitioner—he would jeer Gale away, without even considering. But the Wagoner had to reconsider with the furry Vale standing next to the odd-looking stranger.

"I can pay for the ride," Gale added, finding the wagoner dismayed.

The wagoner remained silent and stony-faced when a thin layer of spiritual aura brushed against Gale, perking his eyebrows in alarm. Gale fought to keep an impassive front, with his power hidden inside, only giving the aura of a Copper Ranker. He didn't expect to see an expert so soon, not to mention in this place.

Was this an imbecile Young Master being rude? Nah, the delicate control of aura wasn't something an imbecile could muster. As Gale was musing inwardly, a reply came from inside, "Hop in."

"Much appreciated," Gale said and turned towards Vale, who looked at him with puppy eyes. "Come on, buddy. You hardly have any trouble chasing, and you won't fit."

Vale woofed in a slightly grudging tone, but Gale left him to his devices, knowing Vale was merely being dramatic.

"Thank you for the ride." He hopped in to find a man a couple of years older and multiple times more handsome sitting, reading a leather-bound book, while also looking at him in the corner of his eyes.

Gale had to reassess his view of this man. Indeed, this guy had the look of a proud young master, but with silvery hair grazed to his scalp, a handsome look and manners with the fine white robe, he didn't seem like a resident of this area. Well, he didn't appear useless, which was the biggest giveaway through the firm control of his aura.

"I'm new here," the handsome fellow said, resting his book on his knees, "but you hardly look from this region."

The statement contained no questions, but it asked one. Not only from this region, but Gale also hardly looked like the people of this domain.

"First time here," he admitted. "Heard the Wayshire Valley is good for the restless heart and people can live a carefree life, forgetting the worldly danger."

"So they say." The man neither admitted nor denied it. "I'm Sun Ziang, glad to make your acquaintance."

"Gale," he said, bowing slightly again. "Likewise."

"Gale," Sun Ziang repeated. "That's not an eastern domain name."

"Nor am I from the eastern domain," Gale said, sighing. "I came all the way from the south, not really a pleasant journey, but here I am."

"That's almost half the world away, dangerous water to tread. Mr Gale, you must have some particular place and stuff in mind. I don't suppose Wayshire has that much of an appeal to tread half a world."

"I didn't come in specifically thinking of this place," Gale answered. "I was travelling the world and came across some trouble, and decided some pleasant place to rest wasn't bad."

Sun Ziang arched an eyebrow, but didn't follow the line as Gale was dismissive about continuing on the topic. "I suppose that's one reason people look for Wayshire. You're new here, Mr Gale. I'm sure you have prepared all the legal documents. If you have not, I would strongly advise against causing any trouble here."

"Thank you for your concern," Gale said briskly. "I have enough legal documents to get by."

Sun Ziang nodded in solemn silence for a while, opening his book again. "Folks can get away with many things here," he added, staring at the pages of the book. "Law enforcement isn't the strong suit of this region, but that's about to change soon."

He stated as if it was a matter of fact and unlikely directed at Gale. Well, not completely. People hardly like anything different at first glance, and Gale was probably the most foreign thing a place like Wayshire saw in years. Still, compared to Sun Ziang, with his ridiculously handsome appearance, grazed silver hair and firm presence, Gale seemed like an unremarkable fellow, just some guy who found his way into another unremarkable valley.

They exchanged a little more words and Gale found Sun Ziang was more of a private fellow than he thought, not letting out anything about himself. But Gale was gratified to find Sun Ziang not prying too much about him either.

It was pretty clear that Sun Ziang was a man of principle. It's not just how he presented himself, but the aura too was upstanding, something that could only be cultivated through a virtuous path. He was a young fellow at the Silver Rank, which spoke volumes of his talent. Well, the rank wasn't anything rare, but there were plenty of other things that were just as important as the rank.

"Mr Gale, I don't suppose you have any place to stay?" Sun Ziang brought up, peeking at the window.

"Nah," Gale replied. "I'm thinking of crashing into an inn for a couple of days before getting on other business."

"Inn. One is coming right up with fairly decent service, with most of the features an inn can provide in the valley. There are a couple more nearby with similar qualities, but this one is known for fairness in business. You can check them out if you like."

"Fantastic," Gale said. "I guess this is goodbye then. Thank you for the ride. If you want, I can pay for--"

"No." Sun Ziang shook his head. "That will be unnecessary."

"Well, thanks again then."

A couple of minutes later, the wagon halted on the side. Gale came out before the gate of a fairly sized two-storey lodge, called the Wang's Inn. A woof sounded from behind as Vale joined shortly, nudging his leg. Gale ruffled the dog's furry head as the carriage trotted away on the path, moving deeper into the town.

The sun sat beyond the roof of the inn and Gale peered around, inhaling a deep fresh breath of air. A few people on standby gave curious glances towards Gale and his huge furry hound. However, their attention soon diverted towards a louder company, scurrying down the path.

"Han Xiao, this is the last time I'm speaking politely," said a young girl with some reservations. Her eyes darted towards the bystanders and came back to the fellow, pulling her arm again. "Let go."

"And what if I don't?" Han Xiao hardly had any reservations about the folks watching. "Come on, Little Xiaolin, there's no need to shy away. It's me."

The young woman gritted her teeth and lurched her arm, trying to break free, but young master Han's grip was firm on the prize—which was, of course, the young woman.

"Let go, people are watching," Xiaolin said through gritted teeth.

"So what?" Han Xiao spoke like a true young master. "I waited too long. Don't make it more difficult than it already is, Xiaolin."

Oh, that's definitely a brain-dead young master, Gale thought inwardly. He had spent almost eight years in this world. He wasn't someone to mistake that.

Although this fellow had a fairly handsome feature, the heaven-defying pride—which could only be provided by a wealthy father and family—and complete disdain for others rendered him a bottom contender in the list of all the young masters Gale met over the years.

Gale looked around at the people, waiting for someone to stand up for the young maiden. Well, she's fairly pretty, so there's a fair chance of some hotheaded youth standing up for her, but there didn't seem to be any.

The two bickered as Gale considered getting involved. He wasn't looking for trouble—well, truth be told, Gale never looked for trouble—troubles just presented themselves before him. Should I? He mused. Believe it or not, young masters are the worst possible way to stir trouble.

These little fucks are like cosmic butterflies. A little flap of wings in some unremarkable town, and a great disaster strikes half a world away. One moment you're standing up against them, the next moment a dozen old coots chasing after you.

"Woof!"

As Gale was considering, his pal, Vale, took the matter in his own paws, growling furiously at the young master. That caught most people's attention, including Han Xiao and Xiaolin.

And here I thought I could avoid getting into trouble.

Shaking his head in dejection, Gale crept towards the conflict, ruffling his buddy a little, which calmed Vale down, though he stared at Han Xiao fiercely.

"Easy buddy," Gale told Vale, quietly. "No need to get worked up about this little shit."

Even though Gale spoke softly, the entitled little lord detected it wasn't anything nice about him. "Who are you?" he barked. "Do you have any problems?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Gale said, pointing at how indignantly the boy was gripping the girl and hurting her. "This is a highly indignant way to treat a woman. Didn't your mum teach you better?"

An angry scowl crawled on Han Xiao's face as his nostrils flared. "How dare you? Do you know who my father is?"

Yep, that's the line I'm waiting for. It warms my heart no matter how many times I hear it. Another thing about Young Masters, they are hardly innovative in their dialogues.

"What?" Han Xiao smirked chillingly. "You have nothing more to say? Go back to the way you came from--" he frowned at the furry hound. "--Take your beast with you, and I might consider not going after you."

Gale had the urge to kick this guy in the ass until he cried his daddy's name, but he refrained from making a spectacle of himself on the very first day. Something about these entitled little shits always gets on his nerves.

"Sir," the young girl, Xiaolin, said, sounding shameful. "I thank you for standing up for me, but you should go back before--"

"Before I made you regret standing up," Han Xiao said, Qi flared around him. It seemed he took Gale's silence as compliance. Well, that was hardly surprising.

"I take that as a failure from your parents' end," Gale said and stepped forward. He tilted his head, staring at the fellow unblinkingly.

"What are you looking at?" Han Xiao yelled. "Do you want--"

Air froze between Gale and Young Master Han abruptly. All the Qi Han Xiao mustered around him, went out of his control. They stilled before dissolving into thin air as if they weren't even there. It was as if time stilled for an extended moment.

Han Xiao's face went red and not just from anger, but from losing the air needed in his respiratory. His grip on the young lady's arm loosened. He attempted to bark again, but nothing came out of his mouth as he staggered behind.

"Woof!"

All things turned to normal. Well, all except Young Master Han, who staggered on the ground. Gale sighed, shaking his head. He looked towards his buddy, who gave him a sympathetic look. Yeah, I know. It seems I will need more introspection on my mental health.

"You!" Han Xiao shouted, gasping. His voice was a mixture of unbridled anger, fury, and terror. "You don't know who my father is! My--"

"You're right," Gale agreed. "I don't know your father, but I do know you. You're just another petty, entitled Young Lord, so insecure that you either don't care or are utterly oblivious to the people you're hurting. The reason these people put up with you so much has nothing to do with you, but you're aware of that. Aren't you? Deep down, you know, without your father, you're nothing."

Han Xiao's face looked disgusted, and the young lady was horrified. Gale gazed around the stillness that dawned among the bystanders.

"My father . . ." Han Xiao barked like a broken record player.

"Go home," Gale told him sternly. "And think twice before pulling such a stunt again." He then turned towards the young lady, who stood glued to her spot, clutching her arms together. "You should go home too, Young Lady."

Xiaolin nodded heavily, unsure of what else to do.

"Sorry." Gale sighed unknowingly. "My temper got the better of me. Now, if you excuse me."

___________

VOLUME ONE: THE LEFT HAND OF CALAMITY

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