Days of Peace

Akes walked over and came to a stop beside Linley. He watched the five brothers in the courtyard for a silent moment before suddenly saying, "They have good luck."

Linley nodded. "Indeed. They met Mr. Hise and obtained the manual passed down by their ancestors. From this day on, their lives will be different."

Akes shook his head. "That is not what I meant. I meant that they met you."

Linley was stunned for a moment, then laughed. "Akes, since when did you learn to say such things?"

Akes remained expressionless. "I am merely stating the truth."

The two shared a smile and said nothing more.

Over the next few days, the group began to truly settle in. This manor, hidden away in a mountain hollow, gradually began to show signs of life.

Sessler cleared out the abandoned woodshed next to the side room. Calling it "clearing out" was an understatement; it was practically a demolition and reconstruction. The old man tinkered inside for three days, the sounds of hammering and clattering never ceasing.

Akes went to take a look on the second day and saw Sessler squatting in a corner, coating the walls with a certain grey mud. Akes recognized it as a material used to isolate energy signatures—something necromancers often used when setting up laboratories to prevent energy leakage and avoid unnecessary "trouble."

On the evening of the third day, Sessler emerged, covered in grey dust but wearing a look of triumph. He stood in the doorway, brushed the dust off his hands, and tilted his chin at the people in the courtyard, his voice filled with undisguised self-satisfaction: "Everything will be convenient from now on."

The five Barker brothers had also quieted down during this time. Every day, they huddled together with the Necropolis of the Gods Manual, their five heads pressed close as they whispered and argued incessantly. However, they were not very literate, and the text in the manual was written in an archaic style with complex strokes and obscure characters, leaving them completely bewildered. Barker, the eldest, frowned as he pointed his finger at the characters on the scroll, identifying them one by one and asking his brothers when he couldn't recognize one. Gates, the second brother, scratched his head until his face turned red, unable to squeeze out a single word for a long time. The third brother recognized a few characters, but couldn't grasp the meaning when they were strung together. The fourth and fifth brothers were even worse off, left only to stare blankly.

In the end, Sessler couldn't bear to watch any longer. One evening, he called them over and explained the manual page by page. Although the old man specialized in necromancy, he was knowledgeable and experienced; he broke down the cultivation terminology and explained it clearly.

The five Barker brothers nodded repeatedly, and the eldest even took out a charcoal pencil to scribble crooked notes on a wooden board. The notes were messy, with characters of varying sizes, some crossed out and rewritten, but every stroke was made with great effort, showing their genuine desire to learn.

"The core of the Undying Warriors," Sessler said, pointing to a line in the manual with a low, firm voice, "lies in using battle qi to temper the flesh, rather than releasing it externally like ordinary warriors. Remember, from today on, your bodies are your weapons and your armor. When practiced to a high level, your flesh will be harder than dragon scales."

Gates' eyes lit up at these words, and he spent half the night practicing horse stance in the courtyard. Bare-chested under the moonlight, he kept his legs slightly bent and his arms extended, motionless. The moonlight illuminated his sturdy muscles and the fine beads of sweat on his forehead.

Linley continued to leave before dawn every day to cultivate in the back mountains, only returning after dark. His movements were elusive; sometimes when Akes woke up in the morning, he would see Linley's door open and the man already gone. Sometimes at dusk, Akes could feel energy fluctuations coming from the back mountains—it was the aura of the earth, thick and heavy, like the breathing of the mountains themselves.

Akes was not idle either.

His early-stage level nine magic power needed to be stabilized, the Fallen Heart Flame required further control, and his Molten Heart staff needed to be broken in. Aside from necessary rest, he spent every day cultivating. In the morning, he meditated facing the dawn—sitting by the window, letting the first rays of sunlight fall upon him while sensing the flow of magic power within his body. He spent the mornings practicing magic control. In the evenings, he used the Soul-Fixing Bead to nourish his mental energy—holding the ghostly blue bead in his palm, letting its cool aura seep deep into his soul.

The days passed in a regular and fulfilling manner.

Occasionally, when he paused, he would stand in the courtyard and look at the distant mountains.

That evening, Akes opened his eyes from his cultivation and heard movement in the courtyard. He pushed the door open and stepped out to see the five Barker brothers gathered in a circle, with Gates standing in the middle, bare-chested and looking excited.

"What's going on?" he asked, walking over.

Barker turned to see him, an irrepressible smile on his face. "Brother Akes, you've come just in time. This kid Gates seems to have found the knack. Let him show you."

Gates grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth. He settled into a horse stance and took a deep breath, his chest visibly expanding.

Akes noticed a faint bronze luster shimmering on the surface of his skin.

Gates threw a punch, striking a millstone-sized rock in the courtyard.

Bang!

The rock shattered upon impact, sending debris flying everywhere. A few pieces bounced to Akes' feet and struck his boots with a dull thud.

"Good!" the other four cheered in unison, their voices filled with irrepressible excitement. Welin, the fourth brother, jumped up, nearly dropping the spatula in his hand. Rex, the fifth, ran straight over and grabbed Gates' arm, shaking it.

Gates retracted his fist; there wasn't even a white mark on his knuckles. He was so excited his face turned red, the veins on his forehead slightly bulging, and his breathing grew heavy. "Big Brother, did you see that?" His voice trembled with uncontrollable agitation.

Barker was excited too, but he maintained his role as the eldest, nodding and trying to appear composed. "Not bad, not bad. Keep working hard." Yet, the smile at the corners of his eyes could not be hidden, and his voice was a few octaves higher than usual, the ends of his sentences trailing upward.

Akes looked at the shattered rock and understood. The cross-section of the stone was fresh, and the cracks radiated from the center of the fist mark, as if it had been burst from within by a brute force. It wasn't just surface damage; it had completely disintegrated from the inside out.

This method of cultivation was indeed different from that of ordinary warriors. Ordinary warriors cultivated battle qi; the stronger the qi, the stronger the battle skills, and the greater the power. The path of the Undying Warriors was different—the stronger the battle qi, the stronger the flesh, turning the body itself into the most powerful weapon.

"Well done," he said.

Gates chuckled, scratching the back of his head, his honest face full of pride. He looked down at his fist, turning it over and over as if examining a rare treasure. He clenched it, relaxed it, and clenched it again, feeling that newfound power.

Sessler poked his head out of the laboratory, took one look, and curled his lip. "Only just started, what are you so happy about?" The old man held a glass rod stained with some kind of green liquid that glowed faintly in the setting sun. "If an Undying Warrior is truly trained to completion, their flesh is harder than that of the dragon race. You are still a long way off. Kid Gates, that skin of yours is at most thicker than cowhide."

Gates wasn't annoyed, laughing happily. "We'll practice slowly; we have plenty of time anyway." He patted his stomach, making a thump-thump sound. "Being thicker than cowhide is already pretty good; we didn't even have that before."

Linley returned from outside just in time to see this scene. He walked into the courtyard, his gaze sweeping over the rubble before looking at the five Barker brothers and nodding. "Not bad."

Receiving this "not bad" from Linley made the five of them even happier. Welin jumped up again, nearly throwing his spatula for real, only to be grabbed by Benson. Rex ran over and shook Gates' arm. "Second Brother, Second Brother, let me touch it, let me touch it!"

Gates generously extended his arm for his brother to touch. Rex poked it for a long time and said suspiciously, "It doesn't feel any different, it's just flesh."

"Stupid!" Gates tapped him on the head with a dull thud. "The power is retracted, of course you can't feel it. It only comes out when I'm hitting someone."

Rex rubbed his head and gave a wronged "oh," but couldn't help but poke his brother's arm again.

Dinner was cooked by Welin. The youngest of the brothers, he had a knack for cooking—it was said he learned it by helping out in a restaurant kitchen when he was a child. Back then, he was too small to reach the stove, so he would stand on a stool and watch the head chef stir-fry. When the chef was in a good mood, he would let him help pass the scallions, ginger, or garlic; when he was in a bad mood, he would kick him away. That was how he slowly picked up the craft of cooking.

A large pot of meat soup, accompanied by coarse bread, left the dozen or so people sweating as they ate. The soup was made from wild rabbit stewed with unknown mountain mushrooms, so savory it made one want to swallow their own tongue. Welin also baked a few flatbreads, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside; torn apart and soaked in the soup, they absorbed the broth, leaving a lingering fragrance with every bite. The bread was made from coarse wheat flour, a bit rough, but after soaking in the meat soup, it became soft and chewy, growing more fragrant the more one chewed.

Bebe also received a large piece of meat, and the little creature carried it to a corner, eating with great relish. It held the meat down with its paws, then lowered its head to tear into it, a satisfied wuu-wuu sound coming from its throat. Halu lay nearby, occasionally reaching out to lick Bebe's fur, only to be impatiently pushed away by Bebe's paw. Halu wasn't annoyed, simply changing positions to continue lying down, though its ears remained pricked, listening to the sounds around them.

By the time they finished eating, it was completely dark. A bonfire was lit in the courtyard, the flames casting flickering light on everyone's faces.

Welin cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks with nimble movements, stacking them together and carrying them to the well to wash. Benson added a few logs to the fire, causing the flames to crackle and sparks to fly. Rex sat hugging his knees, lost in thought, the firelight reflecting on his young face, making it appear bright and dim by turns.

Sessler rarely stayed out of his laboratory, sitting by the fire with a ceramic cup in his hand, filled with medicinal tea he had brewed himself. The old man squinted at the dancing flames, his expression rarely so relaxed. The aroma of the medicinal tea mingled with the smoke of the bonfire, creating an indescribable sense of peace. He would occasionally take a sip of tea, smack his lips, and then squint his eyes again to continue watching the flames.

Linley had also come out, sitting a little further away, his back against a tree.

Akes leaned against the window of his room, watching the night outside. The window was half-open, and the night breeze blew in with the chill of the mountain forest, feeling very comfortable on his face. In the coolness, there was the scent of grass and trees, the smell of earth, and the faint, ethereal fragrance of flowers drifting from afar.

The moon rose, very bright. Moonlight spilled into the courtyard, plating everything in a layer of silver-white. Halu's fur shimmered with a faint luster, as if draped in a layer of frost. Bebe crawled out from somewhere, leaped onto Halu's back, and lay still. The little creature curled into a ball, tail covering its nose, and soon began to emit faint, soft snores.

From the distance came the cries of night birds, intermittent, as if echoing one another. One would call, another would respond, and then a third would join in, rising and falling to compose a simple nocturne. Mountain winds brushed through the treetops, creating a rustling sound as if something were walking stealthily. The sound was louder when the wind passed through the bamboo grove; the bamboo leaves rubbed against each other like countless tiny bells being shaken.

Akes withdrew his gaze and took the Soul-Fixing Bead from his bosom.

The bead glowed with a deep blue light under the moonlight, and holding it in his palm felt like a gentle, soothing coolness. This chill was not biting or frigid; it was like holding a piece of jade just pulled from a stream—a perfectly refreshing sensation. He had been using this item for the past few days, and he truly felt his spiritual energy had become much more stable than before. The restlessness that occasionally surfaced during his cultivation had vanished, and his thoughts were clearer.

He tucked the bead back into his bosom and began to cultivate.

The Nuwa Diagram emerged in his mind, the figure with a human head and snake body becoming increasingly distinct. The surrounding galaxy rotated slowly, every star appearing like a living thing, flickering with a faint light.

His spiritual energy was growing at a speed invisible to the naked eye. It was very slow, so slow it was almost imperceptible, yet it was indeed growing. It was like a mountain stream, day after day, year after year, eventually destined to converge into a river.

The night deepened.

The campfire gradually died out, leaving only a few dark red sparks that flickered in the night wind.

Sessler had also returned to his laboratory. A faint light shone from that room, and occasionally, the soft clinking of glassware could be heard, along with the old man's low muttering—as if he were talking to himself, or perhaps to something invisible. Linley had disappeared at some point, likely returning to his room to cultivate. His door was tightly shut, with no light or sound, as if the room were empty.

The courtyard fell silent.

Only Halu and Bebe remained. Halu lay prone, ears twitching occasionally to listen to the surroundings. Its eyes glowed with a faint green light in the darkness, like two small gemstones. Bebe slept soundly, its small body rising and falling with its breath, its belly moving in rhythm, its tail twitching occasionally—likely dreaming of something.

Akes opened his eyes and looked out the window.

The moonlight remained bright, illuminating everything in the courtyard with perfect clarity. The patterns on the bluestone slabs, the weeds in the corner, and the clothes left out on the line all stood out in sharp relief under the moon. The overlapping shadows of the distant mountains looked as if they had been outlined in thick ink, layered and distinct.

The night wind blew in, carrying a hint of chill and the unique stillness of the deep night. The coolness was heavier than it had been at dusk, carrying the dampness of dew and the crispness of an autumn night. In a few more days, autumn would arrive. Autumn in the mountains came early and left quickly, followed by the long winter.

Akes pulled back his thoughts, closed his eyes again, and continued his cultivation.

With the help of the Soul-Fixing Bead, his spiritual energy grew slowly, and the Nuwa Diagram became ever clearer in his mind. The galaxy rotated, a cool aura flowed, and everything was moving in a better direction.

Outside the window, the moonlight was like water.