NOVEL WEB 175: Hand-In-Hand, For The Future Together (End of Volume II)
Getting their impromptu dinner party on the road, Lin Songmei and Yan Mingqing took a few minutes to wake themselves up. With the food being some classic, unhealthy takeout, everyone began loading their plates. With everyone tired to the bone—albeit for different reasons—talking was pushed aside for a couple minutes of silent devouring to get some food in the stomach.
As cultivators, skipping a few meals, or a few days worth of meals, wasn’t a big issue. A steady stream of food intake, though, did help with a few more of the intangible factors. For Songmei and Mingqing, healing would take less Qi and less time if they supplemented their body with more resources to work with.
For everyone, mood and morale could be kept at higher levels with the regular consumption of food. A couple more pleasures in an otherwise dull cultivator’s life could be the difference between settling down with a family—at peace with the cultivation they had achieved—and suffering from cultivation deviation.
Even heaven-sent, talent-saturated cultivators like Liu Xueli weren't exempt from the benefits of food. Granted, the other benefits would lose their value as they climbed the steps towards heaven, but there was a certain rhythm towards life food helped them to attune towards.
Ancient philosophers—which meant cultivators struggling in the ancient times with mail being their best form of communication—had exhumed every facet of a common person’s life to see if it could help.
Food, they posited, allowed cultivators to stay grounded in the world. To strike their gazes from getting lost, mesmerized, and obsessed with the heavens.
Well, digging into some flaky, glazed pastries stuffed to the brim with juicy meat dripping, oozing even, with cheese, Songmei had to admit the philosophers were digging a bit. The benefits existed, of course, but modern research showed they weren’t as impactful as past generations believed. Yet, the reason trumping all others was simple: the gorgeous taste of food reigned above all. If eating wasn’t a detriment, why give it up?
Devouring a rare meal of epic proportions—healthwise that was—Songmei and Mingqing kept munching along as Han Youhong, Wang Taigang, and Zhao Liying satisfied their burning urges to eat.
“Heavens... we’ve been busy today,” Liying patted her stomach, grabbing some more food off the plates for a second serving. “Let’s start with you two, though, how are you two? Recovering from the fight?”
Swallowing her food, Songmei coughed a few times as Mingqing continued her best ravenous wolf impression. “We’re doing okay! Hungry, sore, and tired, that kind of sums up how we’re doing. Xueli said to just hang out and rest for the rest of the week, then we’ll head back to the sect and stuff.”
“Ahh, I remember Xueli mentioning that to us as well.” Youhong nodded as he began supplanting his meal with lychee jelly. “You two will be leaving at the end of this week, right?”
With a couple glum nods from Songmei and Mingqing confirming his words, Youhong fell silent as the rest of the table came to a standstill as well. Deciding—as a collective—to push the topic aside, conversation started back up as Taigang wiped his hands.
“Well, we can give a few updates from our side.” Taigang counted on his now cheese-free fingers. “Our jobs at this point are a little multi-pronged. We’re doing a public information campaign to expose the mayor, working with the remaining non-corrupt bureaucrats to fix the system and elect a ton of new people for the vacant offices, and clean up the remaining forces of Pride, Avarice, and Envy.”
“So I’m taking care of the information campaign, Liying is talking to the bureaucrats, and Taigang is leading some strike forces with our disciples to aid the underworld forces.” Youhong motioned outside the window with his hands. “We’re the heavy-hitters of the city now. With you two out of commission for a bit and all of the underworld leaders incapacitated, there’s almost no one left to content with us.”
“Unsurprising.” Mingqing nodded with her usual brevity before giving a look and hand motion for the three to continue with whatever other information they wanted to share.
Making eye contact between each other, Taigang motioned for Youhong and Liying to take the floor only for Youhong to give a shrug before continuing his life-long goal of consuming all the lychee jelly in the world.
Saddled with the burden of telling their plans to Songmei and Mingqing, Liying gathered her thoughts. Putting down her food and her utensils, Liying leaned back in her chair as everyone looked towards her.
Listening to Liying’s explanation, Songmei thought it wouldn’t be too much work. The masters and sects were doing most of the heavy lifting. For the most part, they’d just aid in the reconstruction and revitalization of the city while focusing on their own cultivation.
Once they broke through into foundation establishment, they’d go through a similar process as Songmei and Mingqing. They’d have a week to just rest, enjoy the city a bit, and bid their farewells before returning to the sect.
Something of note, though, was mentioned by Liying as an off-hand comment. Grinning like a little kid given cotton candy—not that Songmei had ever gotten cotton candy as a child—Songmei laughed as Liying talked about the election prospects.
“We’re going to make it fair, of course. The city already had a robust democracy and a pretty active voter base. Therefore, part of the informational campaign is partnering with the various people who want to run for mayoral or other bureaucratic positions.” Liying pointed out the window, towards a billboard shining in the darkness.
“We did, however, take into consideration all the materials you sent us earlier, so we really encouraged Wrath to run, you know?” Liying laughed as Mingqing and Songmei’s eyes widened, “Turns out she’s the favorite! Odds on favorite to win and become the next mayor. So no need to worry!”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if it's a landslide victory,” Youhong murmured with a few assenting nods. “She’s got a lot of experience. She’s a cultivator, which voters seem to prefer. She’s got a sob backstory... well and current story. And she’s become quite the target of fame after it was publicized that we worked under her our entire time at the city.”
Raising her arms and giving a short cheer, Songmei grinned and giggled as she turned towards Mingqing and gave a high-five.
“ALSO!” Taigang bolted back up in his seat. “Your fight was recorded! Rumors are spreading like wildfire how you all broke through into the foundation establishment realm! You two are practically celebrities, well... we all kind of are. But unlike before, its not low-key, you two are the hot topic right now! The cultivation world is on fire! Yan Mingliang’s unbreakable record didn’t even last two decades!”
With Mingqing having the most smug-expression in the world, everyone laughed at her out-of-character uncontrollable grin. Hugging Mingqing, Songmei laughed until tears began to run as Mingqing began patting her chest while looking around and blowing kisses to imaginary fans.
With their conversation pacing back towards light-hearted topics, Songmei and the others enjoyed one of their last few nights of fun. Their food boxes were emptied, a second round of takeout was ordered, and the five young cultivators partied their hearts out.
Tender secret revealing, high-octane cheering—and cussing—while gaming, deep philosophical pondering, and more all transpired as the five let go of their worries. Their party, unburdened by the rising sun and passing days, kept rising like gentle waves over the week.
The five, having decided to spend their last days in Westriver the best they could, hugged out all their affection, gamed out all their expletives, and lived like the teenagers they were.
Before they knew it, the week drew to a close as Songmei and Mingqing spent a couple days packing, organizing, and cleaning their apartment before the ultimate summons back to Starlight Lake came.
With teary goodbyes, bittersweet smiles, and promises to call and meet up once more, the two girls mounted the Xueli’s plane with one last look towards the life-shaping plateau they had resided on for the past year-and-a-half.
Waving their last waves, Songmei and Mingqing gave their last hugs to Youhong, Taigang, and Liying.
And together, Songmei and Mingqing smiled with a tease and a laugh as they boarded the plane. Hand-in-hand, ready to face whatever came next, together.
