Chapter 151

  Festival of Sins (III)

  The dining hall was... well, it was shoddy, to say the least.

  It was barely bigger than my bathroom was back on Earth; it was stuffy yet also had a draft at the same time (somehow?), and the chairs were uncomfortable. Like, I suddenly understood that those seats back in the sect were actually considered at least partially comfortable.

  Nonetheless, none of us said anything as we sat down around in a circle while the old man ushered some of the younger kids to have the 'wives' fetch us some food and mead.

  The kids started talking between themselves while I looked over at the awkward-seeming old man who was shuffling in place, appearing uncertain.

  "Just speak," I said. "If we can help, we will."

  "A-ah, thank you, Venerable One!" I almost rolled my eyes, to be honest. I don't like being looked at with such... zealotry. I don't like it in my disciples, and even less so in random strangers. "This humble one's name is Zhong Du, and I've been the village chief for the better part of my life--since I turned thirty, in fact. Our village is a small, nameless place, but over the years, we've managed to turn a wild orchard that we found here into a small business. Nobles from the nearby come over and purchase our grapes and plums, saying that our fruits make for the tastiest wines." Oh, right. I suppose this place does have nobles.

  I've noted a few 'Kingdoms' and even 'Empires' in the few books that I read, but, supposedly, those were mostly mortal matters, and there were scant few times where the cultivators and the mortal kingdoms ever intersected.

  "This year, however... something is strange," the man said, his voice dropping. "We usually have our first harvest by late spring, but it's already almost fall, and not one tree has borne even one fruit." Uhm, alright, that's bad, I guess. But I'm not that kind of a cultivator... "Ah, no, no, Venerable One--I would never dare bore you with such mundane problems. No. Another thing is happening alongside the lack of harvest--people in the village... are falling asleep. And never waking up."

  Oh?

  I didn't react as such to the man's words, but actually Long Tao--his apathetic face suddenly showed a trace of interest.

  "Our healer has tried everything, but he cannot wake any of them up. He first suspected it was a disease, so we pooled together almost all our coins to invite a Noble Healer over. After examining them, he confirmed that it wasn't a disease--according to him, something was consuming their life force. But as we didn't have any more money, he just... left."

  Long Tao seemed interested, which meant that it was potentially an opportunity.

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  "I know I have no right to ask, and though we don't have much of anything to offer you, but I beseech you, o' Venerable One, please... help us!" The man fell down to his knees and pressed his forehead into the ground.

  I mean, I was going to help, regardless, but he reminded me a bit of my grandfather.

  That man nearly broke his back standing up for me, yet all I ever did was be mean to him until he died. It wasn't until my twenties that I reflected on what a humongous piece of shit I was to him when all he wanted to do was help.

  Haah.

  Goddammit.

  "Do you mind letting me talk with my disciples for a little while?"

  "O-of course, Venerable One! I will ensure nobody disturbs you!" He quickly hurried out as I turned toward them.

  "It's probably a spirit," Wan Lan offered up an explanation. "If their life force is being consumed. But a Noble Healer... what even is that?"

  "It's a mortal title," Xi Zhao explained. "My father mentioned it a few times. Though nowhere near as renowned as Alchemists, of course, when it comes to mortal healers, they are definitely the best."

  "So, how do we confirm if it's a spirit?" Dai Xiu asked.

  "We can just check up on the sleeping people. If there's invasive Qi energy, it's a spirit." Wan Lan said.

  "And if not?" Long Tao chimed in, which probably meant it wasn't a spirit.

  "Uhm..."

  "What do you think it is, Senior Brother?" Dai Xiu asked curiously.

  "How would I know?" he shrugged. "I just got here, too."

  "Humph. Meanie!"

  "Alright, alright," I interjected. "Bottom line is: you don't mind helping them?"

  "Of course not," they all turned toward me as Xi Zhao spoke. "Master is kind and would never let others suffer."

  Right.

  So, they're doing this for my sake and not just because it's the right thing to do. I mean, it's a start, I guess? But still, sheesh.

  "Should we examine one of the sleeping people first?" Wan Lan asked.

  "No," I said. "I'm actually curious about the orchard."

  "Hm? Why?"

  "It could be a coincidence," I said. "But the entire orchard not bearing one fruit all summer long while people in its proximity start falling into a permanent state of sleep? I don't know. In my experience, while coincidences are the most common thing in the world, they usually don't line up this perfectly."

  "Oh."

  They all seemed quite thoughtful, though it was me that didn't really put much thought into it. We were shooting blind here anyway, and regardless of what it turned out to be, I just want to see how well my perception of things stacks up.

  I'm not the smartest guy in the world, but these kids trust me. Even Long Tao, I've noticed, trusts me. Now, I do have a lot to offer in terms of ideas--not philosophical ones, no, but more along the lines of 'Hey, what about if I started the very first soul-sucking global corporation with the singular goal of making so much money we bankrupt the world'. The issue, though, is that my modern sensibilities, or even inventions, really, might be applicable to the mortals here, but I'm pretty sure cultivators won't give a single shit about them.

  All that's left is four decades of cynicism being beaten into my bones by the modern world and all the experience accrued noting the stealth ads for literally everything. No, seriously, it got so bad for me that even while watching random cat videos I'd find myself just looking for food bags or feeders, as I was part-convinced it was a stealth ad.

  ... yeah. I was not that well-adjusted towards the end there.

  I stepped out and immediately saw the old man standing there, with a row of women behind him carrying trays of food. Though I was interested, there'd be time to eat after.

  "A-ah, Venerable One, you're leaving?"

  "Take us to the orchard."

  "H-uh?"

  "To the orchard," I said. "The food can wait."

  "Ah, of course, of course! Please, it's this way!"

  Alright. Let's see if my intuition is any good.