Myriad Rivers to the Sea

Chapter 1017: You Can’t Go

Just moments ago, Inside the medical pavilion the air was warm and quiet. Four elite guards stood at the corners of the silk bed keeping a vigilant watch over the sleeping golden chimera. The peace was broken when the space near the ceiling suddenly distorted. A jagged tear opened in the fabric of reality and the edges burned with a bright silver light. A figure cloaked in dark garments stepped through the breach holding a crumbling jade crystal that had just expended its rare void piercing energy.

The guards reacted instantly and drew their cold steel spears to defend the room. The thief did not hesitate or offer any warning. The intruder moved like a shadow slipping through the candlelight and struck the pressure points on the necks of the guards with precise palm strikes. The guards collapsed to the floor with their Qi flow forcibly disrupted before they could even shout an alarm.

The thief stepped over the fallen men and snatched the small chimera from the silk sheets as the frail beast let out a weak cry of distress.

Before the thief could step back through the silver tear, the defensive arrays of the Ye family estate activated. Glowing blue runes crawled rapidly across the walls and ceiling of the pavilion. The spatial laws of the room solidified like freezing water and snapped the silver rift shut with a loud crack of displaced energy. The tool the thief had used to break through in the first place was a one time use artifact and the escape route was now gone.

The thief cursed softly under his breath and kicked the heavy wooden window frame outward. He launched himself into the freezing night air and began sprinting across the frosted rooftops with blistering speed.

Outside the pavilion, Li Yu watched the dark shadow disappear over the high stone wall of the inner courtyard. Elder Ye Ming had already drawn his short sword and was chasing after the fleeing figure. Li Yu circulated his Qi and prepared to follow the elder into the freezing swamp to assist.

Before he could take a single step forward, the doors of the main building burst open with explosive force. Patriarch Ye Lin and a dozen high ranking elders stormed out into the courtyard. Their auras flared with furious intensity as they launched themselves into the night sky to pursue the thief as the speed of their departure left a violent trail of wind in their wake.

Li Yu adjusted his stance to follow the group but a sharp voice cut through the courtyard and stopped him in his tracks.

"Stay exactly where you are!"

A stern elder wearing heavy blue robes stepped in front of Li Yu. The man held a glowing array compass in his left hand and a drawn longsword in his right. Two more guards rushed over to flank the elder and they pointed their sharp spears directly at Li Yu.

"I was about to assist in the pursuit." Li Yu explained calmly while keeping his hands visible and unthreatening.

"You will not take another step toward the perimeter." The stern elder commanded while his eyes narrowed with deep suspicion. "You will remain right here until the patriarch returns."

Li Yu looked at the pointed spears and then met the gaze of the elder. He felt a spark of annoyance ignite in his chest. "Do you suspect me of orchestrating this theft?"

"The timing is far too convenient." The elder stated firmly. "Our spiritual guardian has rested safely in that pavilion all this time. Yet, the very night a stranger arrives to examine the beast, it is suddenly stolen right from under our noses. This breach happened mere minutes after your visit concluded."

"I was just trying to help your family." Li Yu argued while keeping his voice level and reasonable. "Your patriarch were standing right beside me the entire time. They watched my every move and verified that my energy was pure. I did not plant any tracking markers or signal anyone waiting outside."

"We need to consider all possibilities." The elder replied without lowering his longsword. "A distraction from the inside makes an external infiltration much easier. We do not know you, Li Yu and we do not know your true intentions."

Li Yu took a slow breath and let his initial frustration settle. He understood their panic and their logic. The sudden loss of their prized possession was a heavy blow to their morale. However, them questioning his character and treating him like a common criminal annoyed him greatly.

"I understand your fear." Li Yu said as his tone shifted from polite to a sharp warning. "But ask yourself if you truly want to offend the Zhan Clan over a baseless assumption. If you detain me by force and I am found innocent, I promise you I will not let this matter go."

The mention of the Zhan Clan caused the stern elder to hesitate. The man glanced at the guards and his grip on the longsword loosened just a fraction. The Zhan Clan was a behemoth that could flatten the entire Frostmire realm if provoked. Yet the elder still stood his ground and refused to clear the path. His loyalty to his family outweighed his fear of political fallout.

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"We will just wait here then." Li Yu offered as he provided the elder with a way out of the standoff. "I have nothing to hide and nowhere else to be tonight. We can stand in this courtyard until your patriarch returns with the truth."

The elder nodded slowly and lowered his sword but he did not sheathe it. The guards kept their spears at the ready and the tense standoff stretched into a long and agonizing wait.

The crisp winter air bit at their faces while the blue braziers flickered in the strong wind. One hour passed and then two. The silence of the surrounding swamp felt heavy and oppressive. The stern elder began to pace back and forth across the stone tiles. The initial suspicion in his eyes was slowly replaced by worry for his kin.

Li Yu stood still and analyzed the situation. His annoyance faded and was replaced by a growing curiosity. He wondered how a single thief could possibly escape the combined might of Patriarch Ye Lin and a dozen seasoned elders for this long. The patriarch possessed a formidable cultivation base and knew the surrounding wetlands intimately.

"They should have caught him by now." Li Yu broke the long silence. "Your patriarch is strong. For the pursuit to last a full three hours means the thief has exceptional techniques or they ran into a bigger problem."

The elder stopped pacing and looked toward the eastern horizon. The dark fog revealed nothing but shadows. "The patriarch knows this territory better than anyone. They would not lose a single runner in the open marsh."

"Should you not go check on them at this point?" Li Yu suggested while gesturing toward the main hall. "Clearly something is very wrong out there. Do you have a way to verify their status from here?"

The elder frowned and weighed his options. He looked at Li Yu and then gestured for one of the guards to take over his position.

"I will check the ancestral hall." The elder agreed with a tight voice. "Do not move from this spot."

The elder rushed into the main reception hall and disappeared down a long corridor. Li Yu waited patiently with the remaining guards and he hoped the outcome was positive. The prospect of seeing so many people die over a stolen spiritual beast felt tragic and unnecessary. Several minutes later the elder returned to the courtyard. A visible wave of relief had washed over his wrinkled face and his posture was much less rigid.

"The soul lamps are all burning brightly." The elder announced as he rejoined the group. "Every elder and the patriarch are still alive."

"That is good news." Li Yu said with a nod.

Another hour passed before the sound of approaching footsteps broke the quiet night. The heavy wooden gates of the estate groaned open and Patriarch Ye Lin walked into the courtyard with his group of elders.

The pristine elegance of the Ye family was entirely gone. The patriarch wore torn robes and his shoulder was bleeding from a deep laceration. Several elders leaned heavily on their weapons for support while others carried their unconscious peers on their backs. It was a grim and bloody procession.

Despite their injuries, they looked victorious. Ye Lin held the small golden chimera tightly against his chest. The guardian beast was trembling but safe. Two uninjured elders dragged three figures bound in glowing Qi chains into the center of the courtyard. One of the captives was the younger looking man who had fled across the rooftops earlier. The other two were mercenaries with no identifying markers.

"It was an ambush." Ye Lin coughed as a healer rushed forward to tend to his shoulder wound. "The thief led us straight into a killing formation hidden deep within the cypress groves. They had an entire unit waiting for us but we managed to fight through the trap and break their lines."

The patriarch looked down at the bound captives with cold fury. "We captured these three to interrogate. We will find out exactly who hired them to steal from us and also attack us."

Ye Lin handed the frail guardian to the head healer and took a deep breath to steady his internal energy. He turned his attention to Li Yu who was standing near the stone pillar. The patriarch saw the guards surrounding the young physician and let out a tired sigh.

"Stand down." Ye Lin commanded his men. The guards quickly lowered their spears and stepped away.

The patriarch walked over to Li Yu and offered a weary bow. "I apologize for my men detaining you, Li Yu. The situation was chaotic and they acted out of fear. You are innocent of this crime and you are free to go."

Li Yu noted the shift in tone from the man. The warm hospitality from earlier in the evening was gone. The patriarch did not invite him to stay the night in a guest manor despite the late hour and the freezing temperatures outside.

The Ye family had their own problems to deal with now and they needed to interrogate the prisoners as well as tend to their wounded elders. They no longer had the energy or the desire to play host to a stranger.

"I accept your apology, Patriarch." Li Yu replied with just a nod. "I am glad you recovered your guardian and that your elders survived the ambush. I will take my leave now."

"Safe travels." Ye Lin said before turning his back to coordinate the medical efforts for his family.

Li Yu walked out of the heavy stone gates and stepped back into the freezing fog of the Frostmire realm. He navigated the frozen river and put several miles between himself and the sprawling estate.

Li Yu found a dry patch of elevated land sheltered by a cluster of thick cypress trees and decided to set up camp for the night. He gathered some fallen branches and sparked his natal fire to start a warm blaze to ward off the damp chill. He pulled a few ingredients from his spatial ring and began cooking a simple meal over the flames.

As he sat by the warmth, he reflected on the events of the evening. The sudden dismissal left a bitter taste in his mouth. He had tried to help them and in return he was held at spear point and then cast out into the freezing swamp.

However, he was not too bothered by it. The cultivation world was filled with paranoia and sudden violence. He understood their situation and preferred the quiet solitude of his own camp over the tense atmosphere of a paranoid estate anyways. Li Yu watched the orange flames dance and prepared to spend a peaceful night alone in the wild, something he hasn’t gotten to truly do in a very long time.