"Huh?" was Yu Feng's intelligent response.

  Taking a few seconds, his mind finally caught up to Li Qian's words, and his face went through a range of emotions, going from confusion to amazement to finally settling on shock. Still not believing his hearing, he managed to ask, "W-wait a minute! Are you saying that I am an Immortal? Like you, and like h-him over there?" He gestured to the Eternal Willow Sect's disciple he had killed.

  "Cultivator, not Immortal," Li Qian corrected. "That is a rumor among the mortals that is not entirely... untrue, but there is a lot more to it than you can imagine right now. But you will hopefully learn in time. As for being like me, I certainly hope you can be. I believe humbleness is a virtue, but I would be being falsely modest if I didn't say I was one of the better cultivators out there. And if you ever become anything like him over there," he glances at the slain man with a hint of apathy, "I will personally kill you myself."

  Yu Feng swallowed visibly. The man before him seemed pretty calm and nice, but he was reminded that it wouldn't take more than a flick of Li Qian's finger to end his life. Hoping that curiosity would not kill the cat, he gave voice to his doubts. "But how can I be a-a cultivator like you say? I'm just the son of a farmer."

  Li Qian tapped his foot against the ground, and glanced outside again. Giving almost an imperceptible sigh, he said, "Tell you what, why don't we walk back to the village? I'll try to answer your questions along the way."

  Thinking for a second, Yu Feng nodded his agreement. Li Qian did not seem like a bad guy, and if he had wanted to kill Yu Feng, he already would have. So Yu Feng thought it was safe enough to accompany him.

  Seeing him nod, Li Qian moved towards the body that was lying on the barn floor. He walked with a sort of fluidity, yet stillness that sent a shiver up Yu Feng's spine. It seemed as if he was there and not at the same time. Rifling through the body, Li Qian produced a bag from within its robes.

  Glancing inside, he nodded in satisfaction before tossing it to Yu Feng. "That's a thank you and a reward for killing him. I would hold on to it until we enter the sect. You will understand their benefit then." He then proceeded to take the dead man's sword and cut off his head, which disappeared into nothingness along with the sword.

  Yu Feng eyes grew wide as saucers at the display of magic. Opening the pouch, he saw what looked like twenty white stones the size of his thumb, all glowing slightly. Closing the pouch, he secured it tightly to his belt, and also picked in his sickle that was lying on the floor. Grimacing at the blood that covered it, he wiped it in the dead man's robes, and slipped that too into his belt.

  Li Qian was by now waiting at the door, the moonlight reflecting slightly off the gold embroidery on his clothes. Seeing that Yu Feng was done, he walked out of the barn, Yu Feng hurrying slightly to catch up to him.

  Now that they were in the night clearly, Yu Feng could make out more of this man's features. Li Qian was handsome, there was no doubt about that. He certainly would not leave any lady wanting. But there was also a sense of... distance in his face that Yu Feng could see. His hair was jet black and hung to his shoulders, but was tied up in a small bun at the top, with a single jade needle running through. He looked like a noble.

  While Yu Feng was scrutinizing him, Li Qian started, "You wanted to know how you could be a cultivator, correct?" Yu Feng nodded, breaking himself out of his reverie and paying rapt attention.

  Seeing that he was listening, Li Qian continued, "Us cultivators possess a sort of energy that only we are able to absorb. We call it Qi. It is what separates us from the mortals, and what allows to be what you term as 'Immortal', though that is incorrect in reality. We just live a lot longer than mortals, so much that we might as well be 'immortal'. It also allows us to be stronger than what is possible."

  Yu Feng was fascinated. He had always thought that Immortals were these untouchable beings that should never be crossed, and hearing about what makes them different actually pulled away some of the mystique. He interrupted Li Qian excitedly, asking, "So you're saying that I too possess this... Qi inside me?"

  Li Qian curved his lips slightly. "Yes you do. Or at least have the ability to absorb it. What's more interesting is the fact that it seems that you already have quite a lot inside you. Why you haven't exploded into smithereens intrigues me, but I'm sure the Elders at the sect can give us some answers."

  Each revelation about this world of cultivators made Yu Feng's heart thump with fear. It seemed like everything was surrounded by death. Hearing about the sect though, Yu Feng's heart grew a little unsure. "What about my family?" he asked Li Qian. "I can't just leave without telling them. They would think I died in the attack. And what about the villagers? There was more than one attacker!"

  "You can leave a letter to them," was Li Qian's reply. "It is urgent that we get back to the sect as quickly as possible, and your village is so far away that you would not survive the road if you tried to make it on foot. Its better to leave with us now, and you can come back when you are a little stronger. As for the villagers, I did not come alone. Juniors from the sect accompanied me, and should be done cleaning up everything by now."

  Sighing in relief at the safety of the villagers, Yu Feng considered his offer. While he did not want to leave his family, he would be a fool not to recognize the opportunity that he was being provided. Being an Immortal had all that he had thought about when he was a child, and while that dream had been snuffed into his teenage years, it had popped right back up again. Making up his mind Yu Feng agreed to Li Qian's words. "I understand. I'll need some materials to write with though."

  Li Qian nodded. With a wave of his hand, a small book and a quill appeared into existence. Yu Feng, having seen this ability before, thought of all the magics he could learn once he joined the sect. His decision was seeming more and more worth it with every odd thing Li Qian did.

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  He had walked this path up to town enough times in his life that he did not have to pay attention to where he was stepping. Taking a moment to admire the self-inking quill, he gathered his thoughts before starting to write on a blank page in the book.

  Dear Father, Mother and Chen-er,

  I know this is sudden and completely unexpected. Immortals above, it was the same for me. But I have been given an opportunity to pursue a path that I never thought would be available to me. I'm sure you would have heard from the villagers about the attack by now. I do not know if they realized, but the ones who attacked the village were Immortals, or cultivators as they call themselves. One of them came after me, and while I almost died, I managed to take his life in the process! I know you must be in disbelief right now, but I swear my words are true. I survived, and was found by another cultivator. But Li Qian is part of the Thundering Crane Sect, the Great Sect that governs us. And he told me that I have the talent to become a cultivator! I can imagine the expression on your faces, because I too had it.

  But Li Qian told me that to be a cultivator, I must go to the sect and learn their ways there. And that means that I have to leave home. I know that it is unfilial of me to not wait for your return, but this is a chance that may never come by me again. I hope that you understand my intentions, and do not blame me too much. And Chen-er, do not cry, all right? I will visit once I'm strong enough to make the journey back on my own, I promise you. It may take time, but I swear I will be back. Just wait for my return.

  Your unfilial son,

  Yu Feng

  By the time Yu Feng was done writing, tears were prickling the corners of his eyes. It hurt to say goodbye, even more when they were not here. But he knew it must be done. Looking up from the book, he noticed that they had finally arrived back at the village proper. There was an eerie silence hanging over the place, as if it was haunted by some ghosts. Which may very well be true, Yu Feng shuddered, thinking of the deaths that had occurred today.

  Within a minute, him and Li Qian had reached the market. They were preceded by a trail of destruction and bodies, all lying in various states of dismemberment. Yu Feng's retched slightly in his mouth as he saw the head of the butcher sitting in the dirt, its eyes lifelessly staring into the night sky. He thought of his daughter, who used to run around the town with her little gaggle of misfits, chasing dogs and causing mayhem. A wave of sadness passed over him.

  In front of them, they could hear a small commotion. It sounded like arguing, whose source soon became clear. In the market's center stood a group of people, dressed similarly to Li Qian but not completely. They did not wear the intricate vest that was part of Li Qian's attire, instead opting to just wear the white undershirt, along with the long flowy skirt. From what he could make out, it looked like there were five of them, three men and two women. The two women and one of the men seemed to be arguing.

  "We have to go look for Senior Brother. What if he was injured?" one of the women was saying in what looked like close to hysteria.

  The second woman backed her up, "Yeah, it's been too long. It should not take this much time to care of some Qi Condensation weaklings."

  The man sighed, running a hand down his face, "And that's why I'm saying we should stay here and prepare our defenses. If there was someone out there strong enough to hold up Senior Brother, we would have to give everything just to survive."

  At this point, one of the other men who were standing back watching this argument unfold spotted Yu Feng and Li Qian coming into the market. With a soft whistle, he grabbed the attention of the others, and jerked his head over to them.

  The women's eyes grew wide, and so fast that Yu Feng missed it, they rushed over to Li Qian, with simultaneous cries of, "Senior Brother, you're safe."

  "I mean, why would you not be. There's no one stronger than you here."

  "Yeah, we didn't mean to cast doubt on your abilities. You just took too long, and we were concerned for your safety is all. Please forgive us."

  The man who was arguing with them, just looked up into the night sky, as if asking the heavens what he had done to be in this situation, while Li Qian watched with the same still face. Suddenly, as if just noticing his presence, the women's sights fell on Yu Feng.

  "And who is this puny mortal?"

  Putting a hand on Yu Feng's shoulder, Li Qian gave them a hard stare. "This, here, is Yu Feng. He's going to be your Junior Brother from today onwards. He managed to kill one of the Eternal Willow disciples on his own and also has the potential to cultivate, so he deserves a chance to be taught by the Sect."

  The demeanor of the two women shifted instantly. The suspicious frown were replaced by sweet smiles so fast Yu Feng got whiplash. "So you're a new Junior Brother? It's nice to see new blood coming into the Sect. "

  Yu Feng just nodded dumbly, not daring to speak around these Immor-cultivators that were definitely more powerful than him. The men in the back looked over at him appraisingly, then nodded in satisfaction, as if he had just passed a test. Yu Feng was suddenly very conscious of his body. While he was of average height, his toned body cultivated by working endlessly in the fields looked to be bursting with power. Quite unlike these... Senior Brothers? who were thinner, and had skin fairer than anyone he had seen in the village have. The same could be said for the Senior Sisters. They were almost too fair, but had an ethereal beauty about them that made their jet black hair fall in glossy waves. Yu Feng felt incredibly out of place with these individuals.

  Glancing at Yu Feng, Li Qian stated, "We shall be leaving now. You can give your letter to Junior Brother Tian here, who shall be staying back taking care of some logistical issues." The Senior Brother who had been arguing with the Senior Sisters winced slightly, but stepped forward and gave him a small smile, hand outstretched. Placing the last word his family would have of him in this unknown man's hands, Yu Feng was left with a sudden feeling of emptiness in his gut.

  Perhaps sensing Yu Feng's emotions, Li Qian gestured at the others, and they quickly gathered together. With another wave of his hand, a large, elaborate carriage materialized in front of them.

  Yu Feng's eyes almost popped out of his sockets with how wide they went. This was the most blatant display of the magics the cultivators wielded till now. The carriage was larger and more beautifully constructed than anything he had ever seen before. Almost the size of a small house, it was made with sparkling wood that swirled in intricate patters all over the framework, and the decoration on the outside made it seem like something a king would ride in. The strangest part about it was that there was no place to rig the horses.

  As he was staring at the carriage in disbelief, the other Senior Brothers and Sisters all climbed into it one by one, until only Li Qian was left standing at the door.

  "Aren't you going to come in?"

  Shaking off his wonder, he slowly climbed inside the carriage, where rich upholstery greeted him. He sat down in one of the various free seats near one of the windows, as Li Qian climbed in and shut the door behind him.

  Li Qian then made a weird sign with his hands, and the whole carriage started shaking, as if it had suddenly come to life. Yu Feng, through the window, watched in amazement as the carriage slowly lifted off the ground, floating higher and higher above Outer Reed Village. He was able to cast one last glance at his home, before there was a small jerk and the landscape beneath them started tearing past at incredible speeds, those inside the carriage not feeling an inch of it. As he watched the valleys and rivers stream past, Yu Feng thought of just how long it would be before he was able to return.