Cultivation is Creation-Chapter 177: The Floating Reed Village

The rest of our journey passed without incident, which might seem boring to some people. But in a cultivation world, boring usually meant you got to keep all your limbs attached to your body, so I wasn't complaining.

Of course, Azure had other ideas about how to spend the "peaceful" travel time.

"You're still telegraphing the energy buildup," he critiqued as I practiced the new Dreamshade Miasma technique in my inner world. "The whole point is subtlety. If a stage five beast can sense it coming, it defeats the purpose."

"I'm trying," I thought back, adjusting the qi flow patterns for what felt like the hundredth time. "But it's like trying to whisper and shout at the same time. The pollen needs enough power to affect enough beasts without being obvious enough to be detected."

"Perhaps a metaphor would help. Think of it like..."

"If you compare it to cooking again, I'm going to start ignoring you."

"I was going to say like spreading gossip, actually. The information needs to reach enough people without alerting those in power."

I had to admit, that was a pretty good metaphor. I adjusted my approach, trying to think of the qi-infused pollen as rumors spreading through a crowd rather than as an attack.

The technique still wasn't perfect, but it was progress. And given how the original Three-Leaf Clover cultivators had probably spent years developing their version, getting even a workable variant in a few hours wasn't bad.

The sun was low in the sky by the time we reached the outskirts of Floating Reed Village. The familiar sight hit me like a physical blow: memories that weren't quite mine and were usually vague came flooding back with crystal clarity.

There was the old willow tree where children would gather to play games of "Immortal and Devil," using sticks as makeshift spirit swords. The creek where women would gather to wash clothes and trade the latest gossip about which young man was courting which young woman. The worn-out stone bridge that the original Ke Yin had helped repair one summer, learning more about hard work and patience from that experience than from any cultivation manual.

"Master, your heart rate has increased again," Azure noted.

"I'm fine," I replied automatically, though we both knew that was a lie.

How could I be fine when every familiar sight brought with it memories that felt real but weren't mine? When I could remember the taste of Mother's cooking but had never actually eaten it? When I knew exactly how Father would furrow his brow while concentrating on a particularly difficult piece of tailoring, but had never actually seen him do it?

"Liu Chang is approaching," Azure's warning snapped me out of my thoughts.

Sure enough, our team leader had dropped back to walk beside me. "We should scout the perimeter before entering the village," he said. "Get a feel for the terrain and identify the best locations for defensive formations."

I nodded, grateful for the distraction. "The river to the east would make a good anchor point for barrier formations," I said, falling into the familiar patterns of tactical discussion. "Though we'll need to account for the seasonal water level changes."

"Agreed. Su Yue, take the riverside. Check for any areas where the current might be too strong for your steam barriers. Chu Feng, survey the higher ground: we'll need good vantage points for early warning systems."

They moved off to their assigned tasks while Liu Chang turned to me. "You know the area best. What should we be watching for?"

I closed my eyes, sorting through the original Ke Yin's memories as Azure provided more details about our surroundings. "There's an old quarry about half a mile north of the village. It's been abandoned for years, but the pit is deep enough that it could be a problem if any burrowing beasts decide to use it."

"Show me."

We spent the next hour systematically checking every potential weakness in the village's natural defenses. The quarry was exactly where I remembered it, though the vegetation had grown thicker around its edges. Several large spirit beasts could easily hide in its depths, and the surrounding stone would make it difficult for normal detection methods to spot them.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

"We'll need specialized formations here," I said, crouching to examine the ground. "Something that can detect movement through stone... maybe modify a basic tremor-sensing array with some earth-attribute components..."

Liu Chang nodded approvingly. "Good thinking. What about the western approach?"

"Mostly farmland," I replied, consulting more borrowed memories. "Good visibility, but minimal natural barriers. We'll need to create our own defensive lines there."

R𝑒ad latest chapt𝒆rs at freewebnovёl.ƈom Only.

"The farms will need to be evacuated," he noted. "Any crops left in the fields will just attract beasts."

I winced, thinking of the families who depended on those crops. But he was right: better to lose a harvest than lose lives.

Su Yue rejoined us as we were finishing our survey of the western fields. "River looks good," she reported. "Current's strong but steady. I can work with it. Found a few spots where the bank's unstable though: we'll need to shore those up before I start any major techniques."

"I can help with that," I offered. "The Symphony Shield formation can be modified to reinforce existing structures. It won't be as strong as its normal barrier form, but it should prevent the banks from collapsing under pressure."

She gave me an appraising look. "You know, when Chu Feng complained about having an outer disciple on the team, I thought he might have a point. But you actually seem to know what you're doing."

"Thanks... I think?"

"Speaking of Chu Feng," Liu Chang looked around with a slight frown. "Where is he?"

As if summoned by the question, a gust of wind announced our teammate's return. He landed lightly beside us, looking unusually serious.

"Found something?" Liu Chang asked.

"Maybe." Chu Feng's normal nervous energy was completely absent. "There's an old shrine in the hills to the northeast. Looks abandoned, but..."

"But what?"

"The qi patterns around it are weird. Like something's been deliberately disrupting the natural energy flows."

That... wasn't good. Beast waves didn't just happen randomly: something had to drive normally solitary creatures to move in such large numbers. And qi disruption patterns were often a sign of whatever was causing that movement. It was likely what attracted the Dreamwalker to the village.

"We need to check it out now," Chu Feng insisted. "The qi disruption patterns - they're not natural. If something there is affecting the beast wave..."

"We'll investigate after meeting with the village elder," Liu Chang replied. "Protocol requires us to check in first."

"Protocol?" Chu Feng's laugh had an edge to it. "When there's something actively messing with local qi patterns? For all we know, whatever's up there could be the reason these beasts are gathering in the first place!"

I watched this exchange with growing suspicion. Chu Feng's behavior was... off. Way off. The nervousness he usually projected was completely gone, replaced by an intensity that felt more genuine - and more concerning. Plus, his knowledge of qi disruption patterns seemed surprisingly sophisticated for someone who'd been playing the role of a straightforward wind cultivator.

"He has a point," Su Yue said thoughtfully. "If there is something up there affecting the beasts..."

"All the more reason to coordinate with other teams first," Liu Chang countered. "If we're dealing with something that can disrupt qi patterns across this large an area, we'll want backup."

"We don't need backup; we need to move fast!" Chu Feng's fist clenched at his side. "Every minute we waste on formalities is another minute whatever's up there has to grow stronger!"

That... was not how qi disruptions typically worked. They didn't just "grow stronger" on their own. Either Chu Feng knew something he wasn't sharing, or he was trying to manipulate us into rushing in without proper preparation. Either way, I didn’t trust him.

"Master," Azure's voice held a note of concern, "his qi patterns are fluctuating erratically. More than simple agitation would explain."

Before I could reply, we were interrupted by the sound of the village's warning bell. Not the rapid series of rings that would indicate an immediate threat, but the slower pattern used to announce the arrival of important visitors.

"That's settled then," Liu Chang's tone left no room for argument. "We check in first, coordinate with other teams, then investigate the shrine with proper backup."

Chu Feng looked like he wanted to argue more, but something in Liu Chang's expression made him back down. Still, I caught him glancing toward the hills with an expression that seemed almost... desperate?

"Whatever's up there has waited this long - it can wait a little longer," Liu Chang continued.

I wasn't so sure about that. But I was even less sure about Chu Feng's sudden urgent interest in the shrine. Something wasn't adding up here, and my cultivation novels-trained instincts were screaming that this was exactly the kind of situation that turned "simple" missions into tragic cultivation stories.

We made our way back down from the hills, approaching the village's main gate. It wasn't much of a gate really: just two wooden posts with a crossbeam, more symbolic than defensive. But seeing it brought back another flood of memories.

How many times had the original Ke Yin passed through this gate? How many times had he returned from gathering herbs in the forest, or from trading trips to nearby villages? How many times had he stood here, watching travelers come and go, dreaming of the wider world beyond?

The village itself hadn't changed much in the months since the original Ke Yin had left. The same neat rows of houses with the same well-worn paths between them.

A small crowd had gathered near the gate, led by Village Elder Wu. He was exactly as I remembered him: or rather, as the original Ke Yin remembered him. White-haired and seemingly frail, but with sharp eyes that missed nothing and the subtle qi fluctuations of someone who had at least reached the early stages of cultivation before choosing to focus on administrative duties instead.

"Welcome, honored cultivators," he greeted us with a formal bow. "You would be the fifth team to arrive?"

"We are," Liu Chang confirmed, returning the bow with perfect political courtesy. "I am Liu Chang, leader of—" he broke off as Elder Wu’s eyes widened in recognition.

"Young Ke Yin?" the elder's voice was soft with surprise. "Is that…is that really you?"