Myriad Rivers to the Sea

Chapter 878: The Open Border and the Shadow Cicada

The morning suns pierced through the thick canopy of the ancient woodland, casting long shafts of golden light across the forest floor. The remnants of their campfire had burned down to a pile of glowing red embers. The air was crisp and carried the faint, lingering scent of ozone from the distant battle the night before but the immediate surroundings were quiet and peaceful.Li Yu stood up and stretched his arms as he was feeling the ambient Qi rush through his meridians. He looked over at Zhan and the Heaven Severing Mantis was already awake and standing in a patch of sunlight. Zhan was running the serrated edge of his scythe-like arm against a smooth stone, maintaining the sharpness of his biological weapons out of pure habit.

"The energies have settled." Zhan noted but he did not look away from his blade. "Whoever won that dispute last night has claimed the territory. We should move before the victor decides to sweep their new borders for scavengers."

Li Yu nodded in agreement as the harsh lesson from the previous night was still fresh in his mind. He had chosen to ignore his doctor instincts and walk away from the injured Weaver Fox, accepting the brutal Dao of the wild. It was however a necessary adjustment to his mindset.

They gathered their meager belongings, ensured the fire was smothered with dirt and resumed their journey eastward.

For the first few hours, the travel remained identical to the previous days. Zhan navigated the in between paths with flawless instinct, guiding them through the narrow and unclaimed corridors of the forest. However, as they pressed deeper toward the east, the landscape began to undergo a noticeable transformation.

The trees grew significantly larger. Their trunks expanded to the width of watchtowers and their roots broke through the soil like massive wooden serpents. The ambient Qi in the air shifted from a wild energy to a dense and localized wood attribute. The pressure of an ancient and towering authority hung over the forest, pressing down on their shoulders with a silent weight.

Zhan slowed his pace as his multifaceted eyes scanned the massive trees ahead.

"We are here." Zhan announced while coming to a halt. "The neutral corridor ends. The domain of Elder Mu begins just beyond that ridge."

Li Yu stepped up beside his guide. He extended his senses but felt no immediate killing intent. In the other areas of the Ferine Realm, approaching a claimed border usually resulted in a warning roar or a sudden ambush. Here, there was only the quiet rustling of leaves and the immense pressure of the wood Qi.

They walked up the gentle incline of the ridge and as they crested the top, the ground beneath their feet trembled slightly. Four massive trees located at the base of the ridge suddenly shifted. The thick bark groaned and splintered as the trunks twisted and reshaped themselves. Heavy, branch-like arms pulled free from the canopy and root covered legs stepped out of the deep soil.

Within moments, four towering figures of living wood stood blocking the path. They were ent like guards, standing over twenty feet tall. Their bodies were composed of dense, dark timber woven together with thick vines. Glowing green light pulsed from deep within the hollow crevices of their wooden faces and was serving as their eyes. They carried no weapons as their massive, club-like fists were more than enough to crush a people into dust.

The ent guards spread out fairly quickly for their size, forming a solid wall of timber across the path. They did not attack immediately but their heavy gazes locked onto the human and the mantis. Li Yu stepped forward and was taking the lead in talking. He adopted a polite and neutral stance, treating the encounter like a formal meeting at the gates of a cultivation sect.

"Greetings." Li Yu said while projecting his voice clearly so it would carry over the rustling leaves. "We are travelers passing through the area. We are looking to enter the territory of Elder Mu. We wish to speak with him, or at least with someone who possesses deep knowledge of this realm. We are seeking answers and information."

A heavy silence followed his declaration while the four ent like guards stared down at Li Yu. The glowing green light in their eyes flickered. Then, a deep, rumbling sound erupted from their wooden chests. It sounded like the grinding of wooden wheels. It took Li Yu a moment to realize that the massive creatures were laughing at him.

"Speak with Elder Mu?" The lead guard rumbled. His voice was slow and echoed with the resonance of old timber. "A hairless fleshling and a sharp bug walk up to the border and demand an audience with the Ancient One. Your arrogance is vast, little traveler."

"I am not demanding anything." Li Yu clarified patiently. "I am simply stating our goal. If he is unavailable, someone else with knowledge will suffice."

The lead guard stopped laughing and leaned forward as he was casting a large shadow over Li Yu.

"Elder Mu does not see random wanderers." The ent stated with absolute finality. "He is the ruler of this domain. He does not concern himself with the questions of minor beings. If your only goal is to stand before his roots and waste his time, then you should turn around and walk back into the wild."

Li Yu frowned slightly. The rejection was expected given the usual hierarchy of rulers but he needed a way to understand this realm better.

"However," The ent guard continued while standing back up to his full height. "Elder Mu is a generous sovereign. His laws are different from the other bloodthirsty tyrants. His orders are to allow travelers to come and go in peace, provided they do not hunt for sport or damage the ancient wood. You may enter the territory."

Li Yu felt a wave of relief. "Thank you. If we cannot see the ruler, is there someone else you recommend we speak to? Someone who deals in information?"

The guard raised a thick wooden arm and pointed deeper into the forest.

"If it is answers you seek, you must find the Shadow Cicada." The ent advised. "He is an information seller. He maintains a vast network of eyes and ears across the Ferine Realm. If a secret exists, the cicada knows it."

"The Shadow Cicada..." Li Yu repeated the name and was committing it to memory. "We appreciate the guidance."

The four ent guards stepped aside, parting like a pair of massive wooden doors. They allowed Li Yu and Zhan to walk through the invisible border and officially enter the domain of Elder Mu. As they walked past the towering wooden figures, Zhan shook his head in disbelief.

"That was incredibly strange." Zhan noted as his voice was carrying a tone of mild shock. "They did not demand a toll and they did not test our strength with a skirmish. They just warned us and let us pass. The easy going nature of these guards is jarring compared to every other place in this realm."

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"I agree." Li Yu said while looking around the quiet forest. "I was attacked everywhere I went before I met you. Seeing such an open and relaxed approach to border control is surprising. It feels much more common to the other realms I have traveled through. It is like walking up to the gates of a mortal empire or a large merchant city."

In the human cultivation worlds, massive cities thrived on trade and movement. Guards only stopped obvious threats or collected minor entry fees. The open border policy of Elder Mu mirrored that civilized structure, standing in stark contrast to the aggressive, closed off territories of the other beast rulers.

They walked for another ten minutes and were moving deeper into the dense woodland. The tension in Li Yu's shoulders slowly began to fade. The prospect of finding a proper information broker felt like a massive step forward. Then, Li Yu stopped walking. He looked to his left, then to his right and then straight ahead.

"Wait." Li Yu said as a sudden realization dawned on him.

"Is there a threat?" Zhan asked with his scythes snapping up into a guard position.

"No." Li Yu sighed as he was rubbing his temples. "There is no threat. There is just... nothing."

Zhan looked around the forest and was clearly confused. "I see trees. I see rocks. I smell minor beasts. What is missing?"

"A city." Li Yu explained while feeling incredibly foolish. "When you walk past the border guards of an empire, there is a city behind them. There are roads, buildings, taverns and people you can ask for directions. You can ask a shopkeeper where the local information broker lives."

Li Yu gestured to the endless expanse of ancient pine trees and thick bushes surrounding them.

"There is no city here." Li Yu continued. "It is just more empty forest. The domain of a beast ruler is just a massive tract of wild land. There are no streets. How are we supposed to find one specific cicada in a forest that spans such a huge area?"

Zhan lowered his scythes and the mantis tilted his head, processing the logical gap. "That is a very good point. We have no idea where to go."

Li Yu turned around and began marching back the way they came as Zhan followed close behind. A few minutes later, they arrived back at the border ridge. The four ent like guards were still standing in their positions, blending back into the surrounding timber. They shifted their glowing green eyes toward the returning travelers.

"Did you get lost already, fleshling?" The lead guard rumbled.

"I have a follow up question." Li Yu said while ignoring the mild insult. "You told us to find the Shadow Cicada. Where exactly is he located within this territory?"

The four ent guards looked at each other. Then, a chorus of deep, grinding laughter erupted from their wooden chests once again. It was louder this time and it was shaking the loose leaves from the nearby branches.

"We do not know." The lead guard answered as he was clearly amused by the human's predicament.

"You do not know?" Li Yu repeated. "He is an information seller living in your territory. How can you not know where his shop is?"

"He does not have a shop." The ent guard explained, still chuckling. "He is a cicada. He has wings. He moves from place to place, staying in the shadows and gathering whispers. He might be resting in the high canopy of the northern ridge or he might be drinking from the eastern streams. He goes where the secrets flow."

"So how do I find him?" Li Yu pressed.

"You walk." The guard replied simply. "You explore the domain. If your fortune is good and your destiny is aligned, you will cross his path. If not, you will just enjoy a very long walk through Elder Mu's beautiful woods. Now move along, traveler. We have a border to watch."

The ent guards turned their backs and settled into their stationary positions. They looked like they were refusing to offer any more help.

Li Yu let out a long and slow breath. He had made it through the border but he had made no real progress in finding his answers. Relying on random fortune to bump into a moving insect in a massive forest was a terrible strategy but it seemed he had no other choice.

"Let us go." Li Yu said to Zhan as he turned eastward once more. "We will just have to keep moving toward the center of the territory. Perhaps the ambient Qi is denser there and the stronger beasts gather near it."

They resumed their journey. As they traveled deeper into Elder Mu's domain, Li Yu noticed a strange pattern. Every few hours, they would pass another cluster of ent like guards. These checkpoints seemed entirely random. There were no natural choke points or visible markers, just groups of towering wooden soldiers standing in the middle of the dense forest.

Yet, Zhan navigated them with incredible ease. The mantis never seemed surprised when a group of guards appeared over a ridge or behind a thick grove of trees. He naturally adjusted their path to pass through the checkpoints without causing alarm.

"How do you know where they are?" Li Yu asked after they passed their fourth group of ents. "They look exactly like normal trees until you get close. I cannot sense their Qi until we are almost on top of them."

"Instincts." Zhan answered in his usual straightforward manner. "I cannot smell a wooden guard but I can smell the concentration of authority. The air feels heavier where the ruler's enforcers stand. It is a subtle shift in the domain's pressure. I just follow the scent of the heavy air."

Li Yu marveled at the biological adaptations of the beasts. Zhan's sensitivity to auras and intent made him the ultimate guide in a world governed by such primal forces.

As they walked, Li Yu also noted the distinct lack of violence. In the neutral corridors, they had been forced to fight off armored rhinos and avoid aggressive shadow panthers. But inside Elder Mu's territory, the minor beasts they passed were remarkably calm. Herds of deer grazed openly. Large predatory birds nested in the lower branches without fear of ambush. It seemed that fighting was genuinely uncommon here, a testament to the strict rules enforced by the ancient tree.

Later that afternoon, the scent of fresh blood and cooked meat drifted through the pine trees. Li Yu and Zhan slowed their pace and stepped quietly into a wide clearing. A massive oak tree dominated the center of the space with its wide branches providing a thick canopy of shade.

Sitting under the oak tree was a familiar figure.

It was the hybrid bear beast they had encountered the night before. The Brutal Iron Bear hybrid was resting against the massive trunk and was chewing lazily on a large piece of roasted meat. His spiked iron club rested on the grass beside him.

A few yards away from the bear, tied securely to the exposed roots of the oak tree, was the Weaver Fox.

She was still in her natural form. Heavy, dark iron chains were wrapped around her neck and her remaining two tails. The jagged wound on her flank had stopped bleeding but it looked raw and untreated. She was lying in the dirt, her ethereal silver fur coated in dust and dried blood. Her eyes were dull and staring blankly at the grass in front of her. She looked utterly defeated.

The hybrid bear beast heard their footsteps and stopped chewing. He looked up, his small and cruel eyes recognizing the human and the mantis immediately.

The bear did not reach for his spiked club or do anything else. He remembered that they had respected his hunt the night before and had backed down without causing trouble. Instead of showing aggression, the bear beast offered a slow but stiff nod of acknowledgement toward Li Yu and Zhan.

Then, he went back to eating his meat but was keeping a casual eye on them. Li Yu stood at the edge of the clearing and he looked at the heavy iron chains cutting into the fox's neck. He saw the way her body trembled slightly with every breath.

The silent doctor within his soul flared to life. It was a familiar, heroic impulse that had guided some of his actions countless times in the past. He took a half step forward. Zhan did not say a word and only kept watch. He wasn’t afraid of the bear and if things were heading towards that direction, he would fight but he was more curious on what Li Yu would do. The Heaven Severing Mantis simply stood beside him and was watching the scene with cold eyes.

Li Yu stopped his forward momentum almost instantly. He took a slow, deep breath, letting the cool forest air fill his lungs. She was a captive in a brutal realm and the bear had claimed her through the established laws of the wild. To interfere now would be to break the very rules he had just promised himself he would respect.

Li Yu met the gaze of the hybrid bear beast. He offered a small and neutral nod in return.

Then, he turned away from the clearing and walked back into the dense trees, leaving the captive fox and the hunter behind. He controlled his curiosity, choosing to leave well enough alone as he continued his search for the Shadow Cicada.