AIR Chapter 181

Chapter 181

Rin Wi hugged her sister with the full force of her being. This would crush anyone below the immortal rank, but Yai Mien handled it with little discomfort and a smiling face. 

“It was about time someone caught up with me,” Rin commented. 

“I’m sorry to have made you wait,” Yai replied. 

All the other girls came around and hugged her. They all gathered around her happily. There was no envy there, just love and happiness. 

“Excuse me,” someone spoke. 

Rin turned to the man and inspected him. 

The first thing she noticed was that he was fat. His belly gave him a rotund look. This man ate a lot. Maybe he knew a few interesting recipes?

The second thing she noticed was the clothing. It was interesting, better than anything she had seen here, but nothing amazing. 

The third was that he was an immortal. She didn’t learn too much about this world from Mei Shan, even though she would pester her about it every now and then. But she did recognize that symbol on her back and she had heard what the Lin lady had said to him. 

“Yes?”

“You’re an immortal?”

Rin looked to Bill who shrugged in annoyance. 

“Yes.”

“I did not know we had another immortal taking occupancy within this region. When did you arrive?”

“A while back, but I faced tribulation here.”

“You-- you did?”

“Under the guidance of Mister Bill.”

“Ah-- indeed?” Mo Whe said.

“Yes, and this is my sister, Yai Mien. She just ascended today. Hopefully the rest of us will have faced tribulation before the next rainy season. Mei Shan?”

“I will face tribulation if the dao wills it,” Mei Shan replied.

“Ah, she’s too humble. She’s always been the strongest of us all, she’s just taking her time.”

“Ye--yes,” the big man said. His mouth hung slightly open as his gaze traveled from one girl to another, and then to Mister Bill.

“Your wives--”

“Nope,” Mister Bill cut in. “Not my wives. My pupils maybe, friends, acquaintances, intrepid guests, but not wives.”

“Your…pupils are impressive,” Mo Whe commented. 

“Yup,” Mister Bill replied. “Can you do me a favor and not mention any of that in the report you’ll file? Just say we’re a small immortal sect who has settled down in the region. We won’t cause any problems, good sir, I promise you that.”

Mo Whe nodded in consideration. 

“Fortunately the rules governing immorals are fairly relaxed. They aren’t nearly as tight as most people would imagine them to be, but they must be followed. A sudden increase in homegrown immortals is bound to upset the empire particularly with their increased qi consumption and the sinkholes a tribulation tends to make. Speaking of which I didn’t notice much qi fluctuation, why is that?”

“Oh I dabble in arrays and such. I can concentrate enough ambient qi over time while also nurturing the area with my own so that there would be no major qi fluctuations. And we won’t be noticed by the empire, I guarantee it.”

“Is that so?” Mo Whe asked. 

Qi was important. Ambient qi was what allowed for easier cultivation. Within the Void Blade Sect, as you traveled closer to the center of the empire you would find that the qi density rose significantly. 

And that was due to the empire’s enchantments. All of the high rank qi was held tightly within a smaller land.  While people themselves created qi, only ambient qi could be taken in for cultivation, unless one practiced dual cultivation. So all the usage of the ambient qi was something to be monitored, and that could be interrupted if too many immortals started spawning in some backwoods land and cultivating there. 

It was called the Cultivator’s Garden. If the world was seen as a garden and all the cultivators fed from that garden, eventually, that garden would run out of fruit. Of course every cultivator left something in that garden, their excess qi became fertilizer for the next season. But oftentimes, all the useful qi, all the fruit, was hoarded by the more powerful people of the realm. And all that was left would be inedible plants and mulch. 

That was why the Ten Great Sects kept such a careful eye on the immortals. 

But if the man could guarantee that he wouldn’t interpret the qi flow, then he could make an allowance. This wouldn’t be against the rule but rather a purposeful usage of them. The central sect and the clan as a whole did not like receiving frivolous reports, though Mo Whe believed they had their uses.

A group of four immortals was nothing to them logistically, a group of one hundred immortals might gain their notice, but if neither interacted with the qi flow of the realm then they were practically nonexistent. 

And even if they were to interrupt the qi flow, at worst they would be asked to pay taxes of ten immortal rank stones for every immortal they had once every one hundred years. Or their group would be intermarried within the sect, Mo Whe couldn’t say. 

But he knew if he mentioned these women, some old foggy from headquarters would send down a man to nag them, and if he was trying to earn favor, that might be a good thing for him.

But Mo Whe was a man who hated power and loved his current station. He liked where he was and even more than that, he didn’t like the idea of calling over men to hound these people. 

He thought of Fey Lin Fo, and nodded. 

“Very well. I will keep the reports to a minimum. But I feel that I must warn you, sir. These tribulations need to be better hidden. Your friends can hide their true powers just fine but tribulations of this quality might attract someone from the main sect.”

“I’ll keep it in mind,” the man called Bill said. 

Then Mo Whe felt something approaching from the horizon. 

The bandits had arrived.