It had been a few days since she invited her family to the capital to await the repair of their home, and on this night, as with those before, she found she had an excess of time to herself.
Being a decently advanced Cultivator, Jun Li didn’t need quite as much sleep as her family, and so would often find herself awake alone in the dark hours of the night.
Jun Li truly enjoyed being able to relax in the company of her family, especially when she had so much to share with them, and yet… She found herself still wearing the robe of the Outer Sect, and struggled to stop herself from Cultivating during the quiet hours of her ‘vacation,’ held back only by the thought that she would somehow be wasting it if she slipped back into her habits.
With these thoughts preventing her from Cultivating, she couldn’t do much but sink into her own memories when alone. And not just her own memories, but also the memories she inherited.
In these memories, Jun Li learned that the immortal from whom they originated was once a common farm boy, driven to desperation by the passing of his family, he infiltrated a local sect, stealing the identity of an Outer Sect disciple.
Daydreaming through these early memories, Jun Li was deeply affected by the determination that the young man displayed, devoting himself to achieving immortality with a frenzied opportunism that Jun Li could only balk at.
Yet despite how graceless he seemed in these memories, this man did indeed come to be a powerful immortal, so Jun Li couldn’t help but contemplate his methods.
On one hand, he acted in a cruel and willful manner to achieve his goals, stooping to depravity to gain any advantage possible, making Jun Li disinclined to follow in his example.
But on the other hand, Jun Li realized how many times she had brushed up against failure in the Glass Cloud Sect, and how any one of those encounters could have set her back weeks if not months, had she been a bit less lucky.
If she had been more shrewd and refused to fight Ren Liwei, she would have been able to peacefully prepare for the future, instead of losing precious days bedridden from injury.
If she had been more cruel and stolen cores from other disciples at her second Outer Sect Trial, she wouldn’t have had to rely on Zhao Xiaoli’s charity.
If she had been more patient and set her duel with Yang Chen back for a few weeks, then she would have been able to refine all three Stoneshell Ginger Pills and consolidate her Cultivation in the Peak Qi Condensation stage to win more handily.
Jun Li feared that one of these days, the honesty and fairness with which she faced the world would return to her as a misfortune she would not be able to withstand.
She believed in karma, but even so, that belief was not faith, and she was unwilling to base her actions on it as though it were fact. ‘To seek advantage wherever one can find it, no matter the cost…’
Jun Li let out a sigh, thinking of her family resting in the hotel below her. Somehow, even when the comfort she strived for was right next to her, Jun Li’s mind only drifted to matters of further ambition.
“…Big Sis Li?” Surprised by hearing her name called, Jun Li slowly crept over to the edge of the roof.
Crawling down, Jun Li hung onto the edge of the roof and looked down to the source of the voice.
“Ah, Little Shu.” Below, peeking out from a window of the hotel, was a young boy with fluffy hair, no older than ten or twelve years of age.
“Big Sis! Heh, I thought you’d be out there.” Seeing her younger brother, Jun Li’s expression softened. “Are you okay? I hope I didn’t wake you up somehow.”
“Nuh-uh, I just noticed your door was open and you weren’t inside...” Duan Shu looked towards Jun Li with his concern plainly written on his face. “Are you okay? Are you not having fun…?”
Jun Li was a bit baffled by Duan Shu’s words. “…Fun?”
Seeing Jun Li’s expression, Duan Shu became confused. “Auntie said you were working really hard at the Sect before we came here, so I thought you really wanted to go to this ‘hotel’ place…”
Hearing Duan Shu’s thoughts, Jun Li couldn’t help but laugh. “Ha! That’s… well… I suppose you’re right. But more than that, I wanted everyone else to be able to come here.”
Duan Shu eagerly nodded along with Jun Li’s explanation. “Yeah! It’s been really cool here! And the food is super nice!” Jun Li smiled warmly, listening to Duan Shu. Hearing those words from family was more gratifying than any breakthrough in her Cultivation.
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“Ah, but…” Duan Shu looked to the floor in embarrassment. “I kinda wanna go home soon…” Hearing this, Jun Li couldn’t suppress her surprise. “What’s wrong with the hotel?”
Duan Shu shook his head. “It’s just that I don’t really have much space to kick around the cuju ball here, the yard is too small, and I’m not allowed to play in the building…”
Jun Li felt a bit dismayed hearing Duan Shu. “You’d rather be back at the old orphanage than be in the city like this?”
“Uh, well…” Duan Shu furrowed his brow as though he hadn’t given Jun Li’s question any thought before. “I like the food here, and the rooms are really warm… Oh! But our house is being fixed while we’re here…”
Duan Shu nodded to himself. “The food probably won’t be as nice, but our house should be just as cool as the hotel when it’s fixed up! Even more so with the yard and forest there!”
Hearing Duan Shu rationalize life outside the city as better, Jun Li was at a loss. “I’ve been Cultivating at the Sect for over half a year now, and I’ve not even gotten into the Inner Sect, but you don’t even want to move out?”
Some of what Jun Li said went over Duan Shu’s head, but he understood enough to know what she meant. “Don’t worry too much about us! We might not all be cool Cultivators like you, but you’ve already done more than enough to help around the house.”
Duan Shu tried to reassure Jun Li. “We don’t really need much more, you know? Especially with all the repairs and stuff you got us.”
“Isn’t it hard work at the Sect? If you wanna stay, then it should be for yourself, right?” Duan Shu smiled. “Just buy me a new cuju ball or something the next time you come visit!”
Listening to Duan Shu, Jun Li felt lightheaded. “‘For yourself?’ That’s…” Jun Li thought that Duan Shu’s poor understanding of obligation was childish, but even so, she couldn’t help but contemplate his perspective.
Jun Li realized that she didn’t really have any plans for herself.
Almost everything she’s done at the sect was in order to support her family, and if some simple home repairs and medicine were enough for them, she wouldn’t even need to enter the Inner Sect.
She didn’t believe that it was enough, however. There was undoubtedly more she could do to provide for her family and secure their future, but…
‘…A comfortable life might not be as far away for us as I thought…’ Jun Li realized that if all she wanted was money, she had already succeeded in part.
What she had already gathered was more than enough for the rest of the year, and she easily had what it takes to earn more than that every few months, either through a lucky duel or potentially even from selling her skills as an Alchemist.
“Big Sis Li?” Duan Shu tried to get Jun Li’s attention, seeing her trail off in thought. “Aren’t you cold out there? Are you alright?” Snapping back to attention, Jun Li realized that she had been hanging off the side of the roof all this time, cauldrons' worth of cold rain pouring over her head each minute.
“…Yeah. I guess I am alright.” Wringing some rain out of her disheveled hair, Jun Li crept under the roof of the building and in through the window.
Ruffling Duan Shu’s hair, Jun Li smiled. “Thanks, Little Shu, I really appreciate you talking with me.”
Though not quite sure how he helped, Duan Shu happily nodded his head on hearing praise from his sister. “Mm! I’m happy to talk whenever you need Big Sis Li!”
Feeling her worries fade to the back of her mind, Jun Li suddenly felt much more tired. “Sorry I kept you up, Little Shu, let’s head to bed…”
…
For a few more days, Jun Li was able to fully set aside her concerns for the future and fully enjoy spending some time with her family.
Being away from the Sect, Jun Li could shed the robe of the Outer Sect disciples, and no longer in the austere conditions of the Outer Sect, she could practice more thorough hygiene, even completely fixing her ragged and knotted hair with the help of her Auntie and some hotel amenities.
It had been six days since Jun Li brought her family to stay in the city, and she had just gotten word back from the Merchant’s Guild about the completion of their home repairs, noting that it was more ‘rebuilding’ than ‘repairing,’ but complete either way.
Gathering her family outside the hotel, Jun Li was in a visibly good mood, having been clean, happy, and free of strain for the past few days.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come back with us for a day or two?” Jun Li’s Auntie spoke up, a bit saddened that Jun Li decided not to come back to their newly refurbished home.
“I’ve had more than enough comfort these last few days.” Jun Li did some stretches while she spoke, preparing to head back to the Glass Cloud Sect.
Unlike usual, Jun Li wasn’t wearing the robe of the Outer Sect, and instead was wearing a tailored silk tangzhuang with a brocade design featuring the image of a phoenix over the left half of the suit.
Although it was lavishly expensive to most, it was just the thing for Jun Li to spend the rest of her excess money on. “Don’t worry! I’ll come back home a lot more frequently after I enter the Inner Sect.”
Seeing Jun Li in good spirits and eager to devote her effort into something, her Auntie could only be happy for her. “…Alright then, come here.” Stepping forward, Jun Li’s Auntie tightly hugged her for a moment.
Eagerly leaning into the hug, Jun Li tempered her heart with this new memory of her family.
“Ah! I forgot one last thing.” Slowly pulling herself away from the hug, Jun Li turned to one of the older children. “Little Shu!”
Stepping over to Duan Shu, Jun Li pulled the patchwork hat off her head and placed it down onto his.
“I’ll be at the sect for a while, this time, for myself. Take care of everyone at home while I’m gone!” With a mix of sadness that Jun Li was going away again and pride that she trusted him to take care of their family, Duan Shu only nodded deeply, pulling the hat more tightly over his head.
Turning to walk back to the Sect, Jun Li heard the younger children’s goodbyes. “See you, Big Sis Li!” “Come back home soon!” “Make sure to bring Little Yun!” “And cool new food!”
? Ashford: Awakening (Redefined) ?
by budideal
What happens when what you throw away comes back stronger?
- Lots of Progression: Ashen transforms from a man with no memory into "the Weapon," a powerful and violent persona he was created to be.
- Earned Victories: Ashen's wins are brutal and come at a high cost, forcing him to embrace his new powers to survive.
- Dark Humour: The story's grim tone is created by the cruel, sarcastic voice that mocks Ashen's attempts to hold onto his old life.
Thanks for sticking with the story so far—your support means the world. More chapters, more heart, and more chaos ahead!