The Wandering God

12 Wear Out Iron Shoes in Fruitless Searching... 1/2

踏破鐵鞋無覓處...
Tà pò tiě xié wú mì chù...
Wear out iron shoes in fruitless searching...
To travel far and wide searching for something...

The burning season had finally come.

The sun beat down, so forceful it seemed you could reach out and touch the light as it fell. It was still early morning, but already Sanli could feel sweat running down his neck, between his shoulder blades and down his spine, soaking into the waist of his trousers near where Tenzetsuto was sheathed.

He turned to the sea. The breeze coming off it ran around his neck and down the collar of his shirt, causing the fabric to billow like a balloon. The air felt cool on his wet skin.

Little Light shifted under Sanli eagerly, sensing they were near their destination. They had stopped at the top of the last hill and now looked down at the city of Zhanghai spread before them.

The city was vast, one of the largest in the Inner Kingdom, and the largest in the Green King's lands in both area and population. Originally the city had been primarily on the north bank of the estuary that spanned the mouth of the Great Zhang river, but over time it had spread, to the south bank, and then to the little islands of the estuary. When those islands had been used up, the city had spread inland, and finally, further out to sea, land being reclaimed from the sea using an impressive mix of engineering and magic.

Now the city was a maze of streets and waterways, bridges and islands, that made for a metropolis both convenient and complex. The labyrinth of waterways could support transport, but also lead to additional dangers such as flooding, and were often used to dispose of refuse. They stank terribly in the summer.

Many of the wealthier had moved out to peninsulas or islands in the bay, far away from the crowd and stink of the estuary. Most of the islands were connected to each other and the mainland with long, floating bridges, but some could only be reached by ship, so as to keep 'undesirable' elements out.

Sanli's eyes searched across the haze of the city and found the old palace on the north bank, built on an outcrop of rock overlooking the estuary. It loomed like a rocky guardian beast, more fortress than palace. Even from a distance, the high, thick walls topped with towers were oppressive. He was thankful that wasn't where they were headed.

Sanli's eyes swung to the south side of the river, down the hill and to his right. He found one small peninsula among the others jutting out into the bay. It was a nicer area of the city, that part of the south bank, and unlike the estuary below, which was had buildings growing in every available space, the peninsula and the area around it still maintained a carefully manicured mantel of greenery. A number of the more wealthy and powerful families had estates on the peninsula.

On the very tip of the peninsula, protected on three sides by water and on the fourth by a gated causeway watched by guards, was Chuanfang, one of the royal family's residences. The 'Boat House', as it was called among the family.

Hoof falls sounded behind him as Sho Sensei caught up, reigning Makabe beside Little Light.

Kageyama sighed as he shielded his eyes from the sun to look at the city below. "It'll be good to sleep under a roof again," Kageyama said, as his eyes also searched and found the peninsula to which they headed.

Sanli laughed, brushing strands of windswept hair out of his eyes. "Two months ago when we left you said how good it would be to sleep under the stars."

"Men, like all things, change," Kageyama quoted tritely from some epic Sanli hadn't yet read. Then the mu'ren turned to his charge, smile wide. "I can't wait to eat a whole duck. And drink some Well Cloud Wine. Ahhhh, the comforts of humanity."