Yu Di wrapped himself with the sky raft. Although at this point calling it that had no meaning. It wasn’t going to fly again. He hit the roof first, smashing against the hard packed roof. He bounced after the initial impact and then spun like a top across the roof until he smacked into the wall of the next building. When he unwrapped himself from the rattan mat, he noticed a large dent in the wall.

  Yu Di felt his arms and legs then his torso. No damage. He looked over for Vimala.

  Vimala was standing on the roof beside the carnage that Yu Di made with his sky raft. The shield he gave her before crashing allowed her to gently float back down to the ground.

  Sure Yu Di unlocked more of his curse, but it was also the major limiting factor that stopped him from putting the shield on him as well. Being in the second realm was far and away stronger than when he started on this journey with his daughter, but it was still not enough. He still had to choose to protect others or himself. He can’t keep living like this.

  “Are you alright?” Vimala asked.

  “I’m fine,” Yu Di said. He felt a twinge of pain in his lower back. It was a cluster of muscles on the right side of his body. “More importantly are you alright?”

  Vimala nodded.

  “We might want to get out of here before the owners of this building send the high priests after us,” Yu Di said.

  Vimala looked down the side of the building. “Small problem. We’re three stories up. How do we get down?”

  Yu Di took a deep breath and felt for the Qi in his body. That one technique he used on Vimala drained him. It would take him cultivating for days before he would have enough to cast it again. “I don’t know. I don’t have any more Qi to do anything.”

  “That’s it? One spell and you’re done?”

  “I had to use a high level one on you. We fell from a great height.”

  Vimala looked down again. “Maybe we can slide down from here? The buildings are close enough.”

  Yu Di peered down. “You’re right, we could, but we might get stuck. I think that would be worse than being taken in by Kutan and his—”

  Vimala had begun her own descent. She used the opposite wall to slowly lower herself down through the use of her legs propped against either side. She practically flew down the side in no time at all.

  Yu Di picked up his rattan mat. The flying arrays were broken, but not the ones that protected him while on the raft. At least that’s what he was hoping. He wrapped it around him just as he had in midair. He pushed what little Qi he had left into the mat, feeling for the protective arrays. They were there, barely functioning.

  The roof’s entrance popped open from below. Two men with beards longer than their faces glared at Yu Di’s direction.

  Time to go. Yu Di jumped off the roof. He didn’t have time to position himself better so he slammed against the roof next door while then slamming back against the roof he was just on. Over and over again like a ball kicked between many people until he hit the ground. Somehow he dropped onto his back with the mat taking most of the hit. His back pain flared up, along with all the other injured parts of him.

  For some odd reason, he felt sorry for the balls of the world. Then again, they did fulfill their purpose in life so why feel sorry?

  Vimala hauled him by the armpits and dragged him away in the alleyway. He could see her green eyes for a moment filled with concern. That disappeared quick when from the loud banging of doors.

  Yu Di shook off the disorientation. “I’m alright, let me up.” He got up in one go, but wobbled on his feet.

  “I got you.” Vimala supported him.

  Together they hobbled down a different alleyway. When they didn’t hear anyone else chasing them, they stopped in front of an abandoned shop.

  Yu Di carefully sat down on the stoop while Vimala looked around nervously. She wasn’t even out of breath. Meanwhile it hurt him to breathe.

  “If that was what you call flying, I think I’m going to stick to walking from now on,” Vimala said. She sat down next to him.

  Yu Di felt for his sides, making sure there were no cracked ribs. He shouldn’t have, as he was now in the Immortal realm, but that fall was nasty. Nothing aside from maybe a bruised rib or two.

  “Sorry,” Yu Di said. “That was not a good first impression. I don’t know what happened.”

  “It’s alright. I’m fine. A little bruising here or there.” Vimala rubbed at her arms and legs. She fixed her face mask and head scarf.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “Actually, I do know what happened. The barrier Shah al-Rahman put up prevented people from flying. It makes it easier to invade a city without people throwing bombs or techniques overhead.”

  “That makes sense. But that barrier has been up for so long. How can they keep operating it?”

  “They share the burden with all their cultivators. Everyone contributes a little bit every day. I had the unfortunate chance to discover that when they captured me.” Yu Di leaned his head against the door.

  “Can you walk?” Vimala asked.

  “Yes, but barely. If I can have just an hour or two to cultivate, I should be better.”

  “I don’t think we’re going to get the chance.” Vimala pointed at two soldiers walking over to them. They wore the same green as the soldiers from the Pavilion. “Let’s go before they—”

  Two other guards came from the other side, blocking them off.

  “You two, what are you doing here?” one soldier asked. He wore a medal on his chest the others didn’t have.

  “We were attacked, officer,” Yu Di said. He suppressed his Qi levels as much as possible to appear mortal. “Some thugs dared to threaten my master and beat me all over for my troubles.”

  “Why are you here?”

  “I’m sorry, but I was looking for my lost dog,” Vimala said. She teared up. “It’s a small little pug, tiny as a baby. My late father gave me her. It’s the only thing I have to remember him.”

  The leading soldier looked them both up and down. His face went from suspicion to concern. “You two better get going to where you’re supposed to be. Don’t come into these alleys again.”

  “Sir, should we take them in for questioning?” another soldier asked.

  “No, we have bigger problems. You heard the high priest’s orders to find the merchant. There was a loud explosion west from here.” The leader pointed down an alleyway. “You two, go down that way. We’ve searched that area already so you should be safe. Girl, don’t go looking for trouble anymore. Go home to your father.”

  Vimala bowed her head and nodded. She kept staring at the ground until the soldiers left.

  “Let’s go home, my lady,” Yu Di said. He winced as he forced himself to walk away from the soldiers.

  Vimala followed along, but more in supporting Yu Di than anything else. They finally made it out of the alleyway and into the main street.

  “That was close,” Yu Di said. He hobbled over off to the side of the street, in front of another abandoned shop.

  “Are we stopping here?” Vimala asked.

  “No, I recognize this place.” Yu Di saw a large temple off in the distance. Its dome a resplendent gold, reflecting the sunlight. “We’re close to the artists’ sector of the city. I know of a place where we can go.”

  “As long as we’re not flying there, then sure.” Vimala helped Yu Di hobble along, with a few wary looks but no one stopped them.

  Yu Di cultivated as they walked. He focused on bringing in the turbid Qi from the big city into his dantian and then filter it through his core. This wasn’t ideal, but he used the Qi he refined to heal his legs and other ailments.

  By the time they reached the artists’ sector, Yu Di could walk on his own again. He was wrong, he did have a broken rib. A week or so ago, that might have been life threatening. Now he simply pushed it back into the correct position and healed it.

  The artists’ sector was as vibrant as Yu Di remembered. Merchants set up stalls at the front of the sector where the main streets collided with the workshops. They became the literal middle men who brought the goods made by these artisans to be sold to the people. This was why the Celestial Jade Empire considered merchants the lowest class of people. They made nothing of their own and contributed nothing to society.

  Yu Di walked past them with Vimala. He didn’t care for merchants except as useful tools. The greedier the better.

  Once past the merchants, the entire sector had a colorful flare to it. At least it did in Yu Di’s memories.

  Instead of the colorful archways built around, there was now a large metal gate barring the way. The rusted chains hung like they’ve always been there. The streets were littered with paper. Not the artistic kind, but funeral money for the dead.

  The buildings past the gate were ransacked and destroyed. There were only a few standing with their windows boarded up. A few eyes glanced at Yu Di from the other side and quickly disappearing.

  “What happened?” Yu Di asked. “This isn’t just a sector for artists, but major manufacturing too. The last time I was here, they were ahead of everyone else in the east and the west. Imperial scholars and artists came here to learn from them.”

  “How long ago was that?” a merchant asked. “This place was locked down over twenty years ago. I was a child then. It was the first and only sector to be closed so violently after the Menace of Miryana’s battle with our Goddess.”

  “Why would that be the case?”

  “They knew of his connection with the artists. Since they couldn’t vent their anger on the Menace, they chose to do so on the people he was close with.”

  “But they did nothing wrong.”

  The merchant laughed. “Human nature is funny that way. I’ve seen all manner of people since doing business in this city and people will behave like children. Coincidentally, would you be interested in purchasing a pot? Since you can’t buy a new one anymore, they are in short supply. Your master behind you could certainly benefit from your home cooking.”

  Yu Di reached into his storage ring and pulled out a small nugget of silver. “This is for the information. I don’t need a pot.”

  The merchant grabbed it greedily and walked away fast as if afraid Yu Di would change his mind. He was right about one thing, they were truly like children.

  “I hope you that the place you wanted to go to wasn’t in there,” Vimala said. “I don’t think even you have the strength to fight all the crazies in there.”

  “What do you mean by crazies?” Yu Di asked.

  “When the outer city became a war zone, they housed as many people there as possible. Abbot Lokenatha was kind, at first. Fed them. Gave them some jobs. But then the siege happened and the barrier went up. They were sold off to the highest bidder. The only ones that weren’t were the ones who were too crazy to move or find. They’ve formed their own little feral city inside where no one goes in.”

  Yu Di felt sick to his stomach. He was going to show Vimala one of the crowning achievements he did while in this city. With all his mortal wealth, he funded the largest school for artists and provided so many business opportunities to all the artisans within. This place was booming with progress that he helped usher forth.

  Now it was a ghost town filled with pain and contempt. Yu Di could feel the anger radiating from certain members within the sector. It washed over him in waves.

  “Are we still heading in?” Vimala asked.

  Yu Di shook his head. “No, the place I wanted to show you is probably no longer there.”

  Vimala shrugged. “That’s what happens when you take away the city’s guardians. They tend to turn into monsters.”

  Yu Di wanted to argue, but there was no point.

  “How about I show you a little place of my own making since our fight.” Vimala walked off toward the poorer district in the general direction of her inn.