Torsten Hewson

V2C20 Part 2: Knock off

We settled in with tea, and after a brief moment of silence, Xiulan began to speak.

It was then when I realised that I was probably in over my head.

I wasn’t very good at this. Well, is anyone? Probably Meimei, considering she got Xiulan to talk in the first place.

I had no real frame of reference for the things Xiulan was telling me.

I had lost people. In both lives. But I had never been a warrior. None of those losses could ever really be said to be my fault.

v2c20: Knock-off

Xiulan rose from her blessedly dreamless sleep with the early morning sun, as she always did. It was still a strange contrast. In the Verdant Blade Sect, the mornings were completely silent as the members of the sect performed their morning meditations. In the wetter months, the still and unmoving forms of the disciples were often covered in drops of dew, like the Blades  of Grass they contemplated. It was only once the sun was well and truly risen that some activity began. It started sl...

Chapter 19: Pig and Cat

Again, not sure if this resolves things how I hope, for now. but its a start.

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Tigu could not classify what she was feeling at the moment. It was not the white hot rage, that familiar friend.

No, this was a sucking pit. There was some anger, but it was mired in other emotions. Shame, frustration, disappointment.

She stalked through the forest. Away from the stupid rat, and the stupid ‘lady’.

The day had started off annoying. She was cap...

Notice: No chapter April 23.

I'm terribly sorry to announce this, but there will be no chapter on Friday

A medical procedure that I was waiting on was suddenly moved up to this week, instead of in late may, and I might be too out of it to write afterwards. Its nothing major, but they do need to put me out for it. 

I'm sorry to suddenly spring this on everybody, but I just got the phone call like 5 min ago myself. 

I should be able to resume monday, and will notify you again if I cannot, though...

Sidestory: Heart of the Swarm

I don't know if things came across how I wanted them to in this one.

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She had once been a part of an empire. A princess, in a palace of gold, serving well under her Empress. The Queen who stood above them all. Their numbers were without limit. Their armies, without peer. None of their lessers could dare stand against them. They either bowed their heads, or were exterminated utterly. The captured males were reviewed for their pleasing shapes, and the ones that were ke...

v2c18: Rat and Cat

Bi De watched over the little ones with serene grace. The young cows bucked and gamboled around the field, chasing and being chased in equal measure. It was a sight he was incredibly fond of. The young ones knew absolutely nothing of danger. To them, all of Fa Ram was safe and pristine, untouched by anything that could harm them.

This was truly the pride of a protector. One who knew his charges were safe, as the result of his direct actions. Indeed, after the births, many of Basi Bu Shi...

Chapter 17: Stillv2

Again, sorry for doing this, but this is the second version of the chapter "Still" with some major changes. Now instead of everything being available in Hong Yaowu, the pipes and copper are something that would have to be sourced elsewhere. The ending is also changed a lot, incorporating another scene. This one is the one most likely to be posted, as I like it a lot more. In any case, I'll see everybody tomorrow, hopefully at the usual time.

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“I think I ha...

v2 C17: Still

“So, you think you can handle something like this?” I asked Yao Che, and the blacksmith stared long and hard at my drawings.

He considered them in great depth, a frown affixed to his face, until he nodded. “I’ll be able to do the pipes, even if they’re that small, and the spiral in it shouldn’t be too hard either. But this much copper and fiddly work is gonna be a bit expensive Jin, especially at the purities you want.”

I nodded. Made sense, really. The copper still ...

v2c16: Secret Spot.

Okay, First, I would like to apologies for the delay. My google docs messed up big time, which tilted me off the face of the planet, and took entirely too long to fix, as well as the fact that some of the writing was lost.

Secondly, there has been some changes. The previous chapter has been changed a bit and extended, and the Xiulan portion, which to me felt tacked on, has been moved to this chapter, and also expanded. Maybe this works better, maybe it doesn't.

Thank you everybod...

Collected Image Teasers

A collection of Teasers for all of the coloured images that are going to be used in the final light novel, as well as some other black and white images of Jin and Meiling.

Thank you everybody for your support. We're still a ways from the official release, but I hope you enjoy these!

All of the Art is done by Tsuu, as always!

V2 C15: The Lady

A prim and proper lady sat at a table, surrounded by papers. Her head was held high, her bearing was one of exacting poise. She observed the pieces of paper, and the half-unrolled scrolls before her with a critical eye, observing numbers and expenses and receipts.

A gentle breeze took the sweet scent of spring to her nose, and the sounds of pastoral bliss entered her ears, through the soft crackling of the chickens and the soft moans of the cows.

She turned her attention to her as...

v2 C14: Jin Rou

“Thanks, Brother Jin!”

“Hey Jin, play with us!”

“Jin, tonight, come have a drink!”

It was no trouble. Come on, you little brats! Of course! I wouldn't miss it!

Maybe I was just fooling myself. Maybe they didn’t really like me, or maybe they just liked me because I was useful. But seeing people brighten up as I came rolling into town, calling out to me with grins on their faces? The kids following me around like little duckies?

That was one hell of a...

v2c13: Hong Xian

Her Master was in her element. She strode around the house, checking and re-checking everything.

“Ri Zu, remember to take in the Hairroot fungus if it finishes drying before we return, we won’t want anything trying to eat it.”

Her Master’s voice was exciting in tone and even as she gave command to her disciple. Her amethyst eyes were lost, deep in thought as she went over a mental checklist of everything that she could think needed to be done.

Ri Zu nodded with her l...

Interlude 3: Q=V/T

Twisting streamers of water flowed through the air. Droplets shone like gems, suspended motionless, floating without any visible support.

In the center of the tangled web, the formation of water, there was a fish. It was an ugly, drab brown carp. The most common sort of creature, his only redeeming qualities being the length of his whiskers.

The fish’s eyes were closed, and he spiraled in the nucleus of water. It was as if he was one half of the taijitu, circling endlessly as he...

Small Break Coming Soon

Okay, Just letting everybody know, but I will be taking another small break, from APRIL 5th to APRIL 9th. 

Sorry about this small break, and the fact that you don't quite have a full weeks notice, but I do need a small break for rest and planning at this juncture.

 Thank you for your consideration.

V2 C12: I Scream

Jin hadn’t been lying when he said the way he did things took a lot more work with the rice. Separating the seed, growing it in the little patches, and then transplanting it. Transplanting it at the correct distance too. Jin had made a little device for him out of wood. You rolled it across the field, forming little squares an exact width apart. You then planted the rice in the intersection between the squares, which Jin said would make the yield the best. Something to do with root crowding...

V2c11: Sister, I'm Here

Meditate. Train. Do the things Master Jin asked her to.

Meditate. Train. Do the things Master Jin asked her to.

Try to sleep. Dream.

She was in the valley, again.

Wake up feeling horrible.

Observe the earth spirit’s scornful glances. Stop her Qi from approaching disrespectfully.

Deflect Master Jin’s questions. Feel guilty for deflecting Master Jin’s questions.

Make no progress.

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Two forms blurred through the n...

C2v10 Update.

Routine Will be Updated with this section added to the bottom, and slightly more dialogue in the first section. For those who do not wish to reread the entire chapter to get to the end part, This is here. I honestly couldn't find a satisfactory place to put this as a whole chapter, so this is getting added to c10, and then the next chapter will go up as scheduled at 2 PM.

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An instrument twanged. It was inexpertly played, but improving with each repetition....

v2c10: Routine

Routine. Structure.

When I had first arrived, it had been a necessary thing. Self-Discipline did not come naturally to me. It had to be focused on, and worked at every day. Things needed to get done, and I was the only one who could do them. It was a desperate sort of drive, at first.

But quickly, that changed. I enjoyed my work. The reason why I was able to get off my ass and start everyday was because it was fun. Because it was interesting. Because I could see the tangible effec...

V2C9: A Dream

Xiulan took another bite of rice and exhaled in pleasure. It was… well, it was perfect. Her back felt so good. Senior Sister’s Medicinal Qi had worked out knots she didn’t know she had, and it felt absolutely amazing. She had avoided any of Xiulan’s meridians, and focused merely upon her more mortal aspects, but it had done wonders.

She glanced around the table. Senior Sister was gesticulating at a medicinal scroll excitedly, and mentioning technical details of acupunct...

The Arrival Teaser

Finally we have a teaser for the vey large image of "The Arrival". There still is some texture work to be done, but this is the representation of the great Fa Ram, when Jin arrives.

ANNOUNCEMENT ON ART AND POSTING TIMES

After some deliberation, this is how I will be handling art going forwards. The Magnificent Rooster Tier will receive all of the art at the full resolution, as well as the design process.

The Hen tier will get all of the art, at a smaller resolution, as well as the Design process. 

Finally, the Chick Tier will receive the coloured pieces, one month after the release date of the Light Novel.

Finally, The posting time will change each morning from 11 AM to 2 PM. sorry ab...

v2c8: A Needle

Edited to make the first part less explicit as to what they were doing.

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There were some things about life as a farmer that Meiling didn’t particularly enjoy. One might think, as the headsman’s daughter, she would be exempted from the difficult, or disgusting, tasks. That she merely tended to herb gardens and made medicine. But that was not how Hong Yaowu did things. Hong Xian was just as ready to lend his aid in toiling in the fields as he was i...

V2 C7: Meeting

It was always fascinating, watching another’s cultivation style at work. She watched, interested as Master Jin moved through his fields, and beehives deep in meditation. It was odd to use moving meditation so heavily. She knew not of a single Sect in the Azure Hills who used it to this extent, as Disciple Gou Ren was deeply cultivating as well. He carefully planted the rice seen in the barrels, so that he could continue upon the path that he was given by Master Jin.

She knew of the te...

The Wedding Full Res/Lineart

A coloured image from the LN, and the lineart.

As always art is by the amazing Tsurot

V2 C6: The Bee

Bi De stood at the head of the disciples. His countenance was calm, and his Qi was as still as a lake. The others, save Wa Shi, who had disappeared to places unknown, had been called to assembly.  He supposed that was rather appropriate. Wa Shi would likely be more a hindrance than an aid in this task.

Indeed. A task. A mission, a charge, a directive from the Great Master! One given to him this morning. Bi De was overjoyed at the trust, and the order. So he had given the o...

Interlude 2: The Twilight

To the direct east of the Azure Hills lay the Howling Fang Mountains. They were a stark contrast to gentle hills and rolling grass, standing tall and proud, stabbing up into the heavens defiantly, and biting directly into the Sea of Snow. The northern rangers were wind-blown and barren. Slashing winds could tear a man’s skin from his bones, or have him impaled on whirling ice shards the size of spears. Many Spirit Beasts and dangerous, savage tribes lurked in the veil of snow and icy Qi. It...

The March

Fa Ram goes to war.

V2 C5: But One Flaw

She was in the middle of a field. The sun was high in the sky, and the world was warm and pleasant. There was a little girl, who seemed achingly familiar, and yet was a total stranger. A tiny, emaciated, broken slip of a thing, her body marred by gold cracks. She was missing an eye, had a split lip, and her smile was full of holes, teeth that looked like they had been knocked out. She should have been sobbing in agony. But instead, she smiled.

Meiling felt her heart rend in...