Beware Of Chicken-Novel

“Commander, the last set of reports,” a dry voice intoned.

“You’re a bastard, Huyi,” Rags groaned.

Hi Huyi, one of Xiulan’s students, simply shrugged apologetically, his dead-fish eyes filled with both commiseration and amusement. The other two people in the office, Khaliyun from the Grand Ravine Sect and sectless Ze Xi, both let out little snickers at the tone of Rags’s voice.

“And you two! Get back to work instead of laughing!” Rags ordered in annoyance at them.

“Yes, Commander,” the tribal woman and handsome-looking man both replied, both faking at sounding innocent. Huyi’s smile widened.

Rags glanced down at the intelligence reports and sighed before opening up the first.

There were a lot of them, but most of them were just going to be tests of their new system. Bland reports about the weather, for nothing of note would be happening. Most of these were to see how the back and forth worked.

“Good luck, Commander of the Grass Sea,” Huyi said, making a grand bow… before going off to assist Rags’ two other subordinates.

Rags… well, not to brag, but he was good at this kind of thing. He knew how to keep his finger on the pulse of what was going on, and it had saved his ass more times than he cared to count. It was how he had known to get his people out of harm’s way before the Face-Snatchers went on their “merry” night. Chou had saved nearly a hundred lives that night. And while that was a small number… he had only been mortal then.

But this job needed more than Rags being another guy on the street. Xiulan was the boss of bosses… but he was also a boss. Boss Tanhui didn’t go around getting the goods on his lonesome, he had people for that.

Naturally, Rags had found out who the best people were at information gathering and then shamelessly stole what he could from them.

Xiulan was still a bit wary of their mysterious benefactor. Rags, however, had some suspicions on who the benefactor might be. Just suspicions, but… well, it was something he had overheard one Plum Blossom lady telling another.

It had been said in a light tone, but strangely, it was something Rags had recognised— because it was something he had heard before.

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He shook his head and read through the reports. He marked more things down that they needed looking over, and filed others away for tomorrow.

Finally, he put down his inkbrush as he finished the last report and let out a sigh as he finished his work for the day. He shook out his hand and then grabbed the cold cup of tea that was sitting on his desk. Taking a sip, he took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

He glanced up and took in the rest of his office, its interior cast in gold from the setting sun. His three subordinates were still working.

“Khali, Huyi, Xi, that's enough for today,” Rags said, and when they all glanced up he smiled. “Now go out and have a drink on me.”

His subordinates grinned as Rags tossed them all a coin— a silver coin that was more money than he had ever had in the first twenty years of his life. To think that now he could toss such an amount to somebody on a whim and tell them to have fun.

“We’ll take our leave then, Commander,” Xi and Huyi intoned respectfully.

“Boss,” Khali said, and somehow the simple word sounded just as respectful.

They left the room.

And then Rags was alone. He looked again at his office. The nice chair. The nicer desk. It was solid oak, and had been crafted by a master carpenter. He liked running his hand across the smooth surface.Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on Novᴇ(l)ꜰɪre .ɴᴇt

It was nice. It still felt a bit strange that it was his… but it was proof of how far he’d come.

And a reminder not to let the opulence go to his head.

And now he was here. Now, he had the power to change the world.

Not for the bastards who sat in ivory towers. But for the people like him, those who couldn’t— He couldn’t forget his people. The Underbridgers, who had a shitty enough hand in life that they didn’t need cultivators dumping on them either.

Rags took a breath as he remembered the thing that had started it all. The pictograms on the side of the long abandoned fortress. The pictograms that had ignited his dantian and had sent him to the Dueling Peaks, where he had met those he could call friends and comrades.

He still didn't know its name. He didn’t know if he was practising it right. But it was evolving all the same, changing as he grew in power… and dedicated himself to a cause he knew was just.

Rags chuckled at the memory. It was a good one. He clenched his hand into a fist and brought it to eye level. Rags opened his hand, and a single golden Ginkgo leaf, ethereal and not quite all there, swam into existence. It was a thing of life, and of protection.

It was a good power.

[Preserving Ginkgo Leaves]

Rags blinked as the name swam around in his head. Yeah, that sounded right.

His musings were interrupted when there was a slamming on the door. Rags sighed.

“Whaddya want?!” he demanded and the door opened, revealing Loud Boy and Yin.

“Oi! We’re gonna have a party tonight! Tigu said to spread the word!” Loud Boy declared, his voice booming off the walls.

Rags brightened up. “No shit?”

It was pretty appropriate, and pretty cool… but there was no way Rags was telling him that.

Yin laughed at Loud Boy’s face going a bit red.

Yin just laughed harder.

As they pushed and shoved each other, it felt no different from being kids again, playing and pretending to be great cultivator heroes.

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For the first time in a long time… they could all just have fun.

Even the Grand Marshal.

They partied into the night, and the next morning Rags got to see something amazing.

Rags couldn’t help but smile.