BUTTERFLIES (Arc 2&3; The Undefeatable Class 192)

Chapter 75: Arriving at the Blazing Sun City

  Little Wolfy was still a Transient Mortal realm pinnacle stage beast, and was quite swift, but just half as fast as the current Roy. Still, I had all the time to myself... not like the copper-fur wolf was slow or anything. In comparison to a horse, it was ten times faster. Roy's rein that Dorothy had purchased for me was modified and strapped around Little Wolfy, so the ride was quite easier for me.
  Of course, I didn't have an experience in riding beasts, but with our connected minds, I could even appear to have been an expert. On the way, however, Little Wolfy was all fun. It taught me how to ride a beast properly, and the reactions to beasts when certain gestures were made. It was like learning from a specialist in the field of horse riding.
  Little Wolfy also did lots of fishing for itself, and sometimes I gave Roy the opportunity to enjoy the feeling of being a predator, when I was sure the host was clear. Roy learnt rapidly from the copper-fur wolf.
  Seven days later, I'd already become an expert in horse riding. Due to cultivation and the circulation of true essence around the cells and meridians, cultivators had awesomazing memories and adaptability skills.
  So far, I'd spent fifteen days travelling.
  At the dawn of that day, we suddenly saw from over a mountain, a great city wall with a very large gate in front. The following words were boldly written in a fiery calligraphy: BLAZING SUN CITY.
  I gave off a sigh of relief. For the past few days, I hadn't slept properly, due to the fear of an ambush. When I was sure no one was watching, I would sleep with both my beasts guarding me.
  Previously, the reason I was snuck on was because I'd made the mistake of reining my cultivation in, just before bathing. Right now, even in my sleep, my Meditation realm cultivation was alert, pricking at even the slightest change in the atmosphere.
  From the mountain as I sat on Little Wolfy's back and watched the city I'd been travelling to for over a week now, I couldn't help but suddenly feel extremely tired.
  The sun was setting over the horizon, and the evening wind that was normally chilly cold, suddenly felt warm. I raised my head towards the city and, after a thought, nodded.
  ‘It could have something to do with the name of this city. There must most definitely be a formation over it that keeps it always warm.’
  ‘Gidiya!’
  I kicked the side of the copper-fur wolf and it suddenly sprinted towards the gate of the city.
  As Little Wolfy approached the gate, I'd already swapped my appearance into that of a mid-twenty lady. There was tighter security here, so I wouldn't want to start getting questioned on where my parents were, and how a sixteen year-old was riding on the untameable copper-fur wolf of a cultivation level of Transient Mortal realm pinnacle stage!
  My cultivation was also reined in so that I wouldn't draw the attention of people. Cultivators normally stood out in public. Before, I'd thought that in the Arerat Planet, all people were cultivators. However, I was totally wrong. With what I'd even seen so far, it was only one out of twenty people who were cultivators. And such people were really known for their strength. Some were wonderful “superheros”... so to speak. While others... menaces!
  “Stop!” A man who had walked out to the front of the city gate was holding onto a spear. He blocked me in alarm, due to the speed he'd noticed from Little Wolfy's approach. There were several other people on the wall of the city gate, aiming arrows at us.
  “I didn't mean to startle you. I'm going into the city,” I said with a warm smile. I was disguised the same way I was during Madman Fei's public talk. However, the difference was that there was not a single true essence fluctuation within my body. This man was a cultivator, so he noticed this and took me for just an ordinary Gifted. Only on looking at Little Wolfy did he become sceptical, screwing his eyes at me.
  Laughing dryly, I said, “Oh, him, he's my pet since I was little, so we grew up together. Anywhere I go, he goes.” It was a split-second kind of thing, but it should be quite convincing.
  “Welcome to Blazing Sun City, you just might want to pull off your heatwarmer,” he finally said, smiling all of the sudden as he saw my winter dressing.
  I chuckled and looked into the city curiously. I'd earlier sensed the thick heatwave from before I'd reined in my cultivation.
  “Thank you.”
  I was wearing a gown and legging underneath the heatwarmer, so I didn't need a private place to change. I simply pulled off the heatwarmer from my body and tied the sleeves around my waist. I'd hidden my recluse ring in my storage ring so that he wouldn't notice I was a beast tamer... after all, only cultivators could be beast tamers. While my storage ring, on the other hand, looked like a normal ring, so most people wouldn't suspect anything.
  “Let's go boy!” I cried, kicking the side of Little Wolfy's stomach. At this moment, I felt so lucky I'd recently learnt to horse ride! How'd I have been able to fool that man? At one glance, I could tell he was a Meditation realm cultivator like me.
  I laughed as I rode into the extremely warm city with my arms spread across the sky.
  As the man turned around and watched my parting silhouette, he couldn't help but smile and shake his head.
  “When was the last time I saw a mature lady laugh aloud like a teenager and feel so happy? It seems she's just arrived her haven or probably returned to visit her distant husband or even long separated family! Sighs, I really should make time one of these days and visit the Desolate Grounds City! I wonder how my cutie is doing...”

* * *
   Unknowingly to this man, I was indeed a teenager who was disguised as a mature lady. And of course, I didn't hear the words he'd said after my departure, I was busy smiling as I passed several old houses.
  This city was far larger than the Jade City, though nothing to compare with Arerat City.
  I still had enough food in my storage ring covered with true essence to avoid its decaying or perishing. As a result of this, I didn't need to break to eat dinner. What I actually needed to do was to search for a cheap place to rent for the night.
  As I looked around in frustration, I suddenly noticed a demi-human. To be precise, it was a half horse, half man; a centaur. The dude had dreadlocks dangling over his nose and a bottle of jarred wine. I couldn't help but roll my eyes, ‘Why were they always holding wine? Was that how they cultivated or something?’ Funny thing was, none of the centaurs I'd come across was ever a cultivator... or without a drink in hand.
  I waved it over, after discreetly stowing Little Wolfy away.
  “Hi, umm, Mr. Centaur. I'm a passing visitor of the Blazing Sun City—”
  “And I'm a passing drunkard who's not named ‘Centaur’ by birth name.”
  I smiled geekily, rubbing my left hand on my right arm, not knowing if I'd just made a conversation with a warm aura, or if the joke had just fallen on me.
  “Do you know where I could rent a room for the night?” I asked.
  “Two options. Option one, follow me to my house where you could rent a room... hehe... or, option two, go to that smelly brothel five blocks from here.”
  “Hehe...” I laughed dryly, taking two steps backwards. “Thank you for the information.”
  Seeing my reaction, it turned some wine into its mouth and galloped away saying, “Then that's option two, I believe.”
  I shook my head as to how that was the most awkward conversation I'd ever had since my birth. ‘Such a carefree race...’

* * *
  The centaur wasn't exaggerating when he said “smelly brothel”. It was smelly in all sense. The air had fowl smell of vomits, here and there. A segment of the brothel had a strip bar where girls danced naked to entertain men... gross! And of course, that was the immoral part of the word “smelly”.
  The rooms were quite cheap, and payment was per day. I'd changed all my JAG points to money before leaving the Arerat City, so I didn't worry about money at the moment. What had really eaten my money was all those food I'd purchased before. As for the moment, I still had enough on me because I hadn't spent for anything more.
  I was taken to a room upstairs that had an outside view, as I'd demanded. It was a single one-storey building with the ground floor for pub, while the top rooms for rent were normally reserved for...
  ‘Cough cough.’
  With the music blaring from beneath, I'd have been a fool to think I could sleep here. I immediately sat onto the single bed in the small room and filtered all the noise away by clearing my mind, entering into the meditative state. I slowly drew in the spiritual energy from the sky and cultivated with Old Ancestor's cultivation method. This continued for five hours, before I opened my eyes once more, in revitalisation. It'd taken me just five hours to recuperate from my formerly weakened state and true essence loss. My dantian was full again. Having nothing more to do at the moment, I placed my hand on the book of the Coalition of Animal and Spirit, merging both worlds into my spiritual world and bringing to life the Channel of Ancient Reality. Time to practice some more! Tomorrow would be beast hunting! Hahaha!