Late at night, Xilutaiya could finally lie quietly on the bed, while Taliel slept on the wooden boards laid on the floor of the same room. Because it was the warm Rising Wind Season, even autumn was not cold; there was even a bit of heat that had not yet faded.
What a day it had been. Xilutaiya found it hard to sleep; whenever she closed her eyes, memories and images swept across her mind.
What exactly was attribute power? How big was this world? How would she make a living from now on, and where would she go in the future? All sorts of thoughts and questions tangled in her head.
In the end she was tired, and in less than half an hour she had fallen asleep, her breathing gradually growing steady.
...
The night passed peacefully.
At dawn, the clear birdsong beneath the eaves woke Xilutaiya. She rubbed her eyes; strands of snow-white hair stuck up and lay scattered over her shoulders and neck. Shaking her head, the girl got ready to stand and go to the toilet, but her foot came down on the uneven, hard-packed dirt floor. Only then did she realize something was wrong, and her eyes flew open.
"This place is..." Right, this was no longer Earth. Her cornflower-blue eyes narrowed slightly, and there was feeling in her voice too.
Forget it, forget it. No point dwelling on memories. What was she supposed to do today? She groped her way up, put on those small leather shoes, and fastened the laces.
The light-colored little leather shoes paired with snow-white socks showed off the soft curves of her ankles and calves; even without further adornment, there was a natural beauty to it. After tidying her dress and hair, Xilutaiya turned a few circles around the room but found nothing like a mirror.
There was probably no mirror here. She wondered what the villagers usually used to wash and comb themselves. Speaking of which, she was very curious what she actually looked like now.
Taliel was not there, though she had clearly slept in the same room last night. Had she gotten up early and gone out? Xilutaiya wondered as she walked to the closed wooden door.
She pushed the door open and stepped out. The bright sunlight was rather warm, and some villagers were already up and moving about the village. Compared with the dangerous, fierce battle of the night before, today was especially easy and calm.
The village square in the distance had already been swept clean, with only a few traces left to show what had happened the night before. Smoke rose from some chimneys—probably people cooking. Following the pebble path down the hillside, Xilutaiya descended with light, skipping steps.
After last night, quite a few people in the village knew that a noble girl was staying here, but today was the first time they actually saw what she looked like.
Out of curiosity and awe toward her noble status, most villagers only watched from a distance as she came down the slope. It was not until Xilutaiya reached the square again that the auntie who had given her a pie last night came over.
"Miss Tiya, you're up. Would you like something to eat?" She greeted the girl; it seemed she was preparing today's breakfast as well.
"Yes, please." Xilutaiya nodded, and then received the roasted bread the auntie handed her.
The bread was a little bigger than her hand and still warm. It tasted faintly sweet, with somewhat coarse bran—black bread, but of better quality than ordinary black bread.
"How is it? Is it to your taste?"
"Mm, it's very tasty." Under the circumstances, this had to count as good food, and Xilutaiya was easily satisfied.
"I'm glad you like it, Miss Tiya, hehehe." At that the auntie broke into a broad smile, probably proud and happy that her cooking had been approved by this noble girl.
Eating bread, the two talked about the current situation.
"Taliel has probably gone to help with the wounded. I'll call her for you later."
...
"We were busy all last night, and plenty of people are still asleep and resting. We don't have much to entertain you with."
...
"Captain Frien is resting in that stone tower at the edge of the village. He probably won't wake until noon."
...
"Old Pang De is probably still arranging the aftermath. How about I take you over to the caravan? They should have quite a few interesting things."
Worried that the noble girl would be bored, the auntie took her to an open patch of ground at the back of the village, where the caravan had camped for the night. It was currently enclosed by a simple fence.
"Henry—"
The auntie waved and called a young man over from a distance.
"What is it, Auntie?" The rather simple, honest-looking young man came over. He was a head taller than Xilutaiya and fairly sturdy, wearing a linen shirt.
"You go with Miss Tiya to look around the caravan, help carry things, and when those crafty merchants are selling, don't let them fool Miss Tiya."
"Oh, I got it, Auntie." He rubbed the back of his head, stole a few glances at the silver-haired girl in front of him, then lowered his head again—probably a little shy and embarrassed.
"All right, off you go. Remember to bring Miss Tiya back for lunch at noon."
"Got it."
Henry walked in front, leading Xilutaiya toward the caravan. Along the way, people occasionally greeted Henry, but their attention was mostly on the rare noble girl behind him, astonished by her looks and bearing; some even stared blankly.
Faced with this, Xilutaiya could only lower her head slightly and avoid the overly rude gazes, her fingers occasionally brushing the hair at her temple as a small cover.
It would be nice if she could buy something to cover her head, like the raincoat she had seen in her past life.
Now she grew eager to see where the caravan was.
Cutting across most of the village, the two arrived at the caravan's camp, where a few villagers were already bargaining and shopping.
"I still have two sacks of white windroot at home. Do you buy that?"
"As long as the white windroot isn't rotten, we buy it. You want to trade for this spearhead?" A caravan member took out a spearhead forged from pig iron.
"That one, then. I'll throw in another sack of black millet; that should be enough, right?"
"Enough, enough. Go get the white windroot."
After finishing the negotiation, the middle-aged villager left the caravan camp, presumably to go home and fetch the goods.
Having overheard their conversation, the girl now entered the caravan camp and looked over the goods laid out there. Quite a lot of it was piled up in bags and wooden crates in a jumble, while the more valuable portion was placed inside tents: ironware, honey, spices, cloth, and various small items for daily life such as candlesticks, needles and thread, bath towels, and soap.
Walking among the piled goods, Xilutaiya's gaze was curious, her eyes blinking from time to time as bits of information surfaced in her mind.
[Purple Turnip] (Quality: Common), a common vegetable, easy to store.
[Iron Spearhead] (Quality: Common), forged of pig iron, can be fitted onto a wooden shaft.
...
[Coarse Salt] (Quality: Poor), contains many impurities; poor taste.
...
After a round, Xilutaiya had not found the hooded coat she wanted, so she spoke to one of the caravan members.
"Do you sell coats here? Ones that can cover your hair." She gestured simply with her hands.
"You mean hooded cloaks. Let me look." After a while he dug out several, but their style and quality really did not bear praise.
[Linen Cloak] (Quality: Poor), cuffs of uneven length, crude stitching; probably some apprentice's practice piece.
"This won't do." Henry, who had been at Xilutaiya's side all this while, finally spoke up, stepping in front of the girl to stop the clerk's sales pitch.
Xilutaiya tilted her head slightly and studied the clothes through the gap beside Henry's shoulder. Most of them were of poor quality and ugly style—no wonder they could not be sold and had been left at the bottom of the box.
Besides, she compared the size of the hoods. It looked like she would have to squeeze one tightly onto her head, till it bulged into a ball, just to cover her hair, and wearing it would be extremely uncomfortable.
"Isn't there anything better?"
"No, sorry, miss. This is all we have." The other party was helpless too; there had been a shortage of goods lately.
Xilutaiya turned her gaze to the other goods around, to see whether she could find a substitute.
"Do you have hats?"
"Hats? Only straw hats."
After searching for a while, the straw hat they dug out was already dented and covered with burrs. Just as the girl was about to take it and see whether it would do in a pinch, a familiar voice came.
"Is that Miss Tiya? I'm Fandexi, the head of this caravan." A big-bearded merchant in a felt hat walked over, two bodyguards behind him.
"Hello." Xilutaiya put down the hat and turned to nod in return.
He looked around; the clerk who had been pitching to Xilutaiya told Fandexi the situation, and he quickly understood. He nodded and smiled at the girl.
"So you want clothes and a hat, Miss Tiya? These things truly don't befit your status. Please, come with me." He made a gesture of invitation, inviting the girl toward the inner part of the caravan, where a relatively fine wooden carriage was parked, with glass windows—it had a certain air of grandeur.
He opened the carriage door, invited Xilutaiya to sit opposite him, and had tea prepared before talking with the girl.
"I still have a few decent garments here. They were originally ordered by a household in the city, but it's no problem to pass them on to you; I can go back to the city and replenish them through other channels, at the cost of a little more effort." He displayed his generosity.
"Thank you." Xilutaiya nodded slightly, knowing the merchant certainly had more to say; otherwise he would not have gone out of his way to invite her here.
"...If I may ask, where does Miss Tiya plan to go next? If it's on the way, I could be of some help." Seeing the girl did not respond, he stroked his beard and went on.
"I don't know where my family is right now either. I may have to go to a larger city first to find channels and means." The girl answered while twirling a strand of hair around her finger.
"In that case, I suggest Burnt Stone City, the nearest one. It's fairly prosperous, with all sorts of trades, and I'm heading there this time as well." Fandexi intended to use this journey together to get closer to the noble girl. As for why he believed she was a noble, such bearing, clothes, looks, and skin could not be imitated by commoners at all.
"Thank you for your kindness, but I don't have any money with me at the moment; I'm afraid I can't repay you for now." Xilutaiya answered politely.
"That's all right. Consider it making a friend—wouldn't you say?" That was exactly the result Fandexi wanted. If the girl really gave him money, he would do his best to refuse; otherwise it would be hard to use this to get closer.
"Many thanks." At that, Xilutaiya set aside some of her worries.
If she could get to a larger city, she should be able to find suitable work, then pay back the money; as for establishing herself afterward, that would depend on other opportunities.
Just then a caravan member came over carrying brewed tea on a wooden tray, set it on the small table inside the carriage, and bowed out.
"Please, help yourself. This is Musk Mountain Souchong I purchased from the Afila Estate in the north—a rare fine tea in these parts." With that, he first picked up his cup and took a small sip.
Xilutaiya picked hers up as well. Her eyes shifted slightly, and information surfaced.
[Black Tea (Musk Mountain Souchong)] (Quality: Good): a summer-picked tea, 82% fermented, accompanied by honey; mellow, thick aroma, sweet, with a slight astringency, and a faint vitality-restoring effect (affected by the Rising Wind Season's 'Blazing Sun' attribute).
Seeing nothing wrong with the tea, she took a small sip. The hot liquid flowed between her teeth, bringing a little sweetness and fragrance.
She breathed out softly and set the tea down—it was a bit hot.
Across from her, Fandexi did not mind the heat. He savored the black tea with great satisfaction, also pleased by the honey mixed into it, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Taking the opportunity, Xilutaiya asked Fandexi about the surrounding villages and towns.
"Besides Linden Village, there's Bee Village about twenty kilometers away; the honey produced there is good. Then farther off are Tieyan Village and Changsuo Village."
"The nearest town is Riverstone Town. Go thirty li west along the road to Riverstone Town and you reach Burnt Stone City. It's a city against the mountains. It burned in a great fire once, and a lot of the stone went black, so it's called Burnt Stone City. It's the domain of Viscount Xuefeng."
"About how many people live in Burnt Stone City?" the girl asked again.
"Around 40,000, I'd guess. No one has actually counted." As a merchant, Fandexi knew this sort of thing; a city's population directly determined the size of its market and the demand for goods.
Afterward Xilutaiya learned a good deal more about the local situation from him, and finally gained a general understanding of this world.
The Regas Duchy where she currently was had a population of a bit more than three million, located in the south of the continent. Around it were several small duchies scattered across the broken mountain plains, each of differing strength.
From Fandexi's words she also roughly deduced some information about attributes.
This world had many kinds of extraordinary 'attributes,' which could be understood as a certain special conceptual magic. They could transform into one another in particular ways, and they could weaken and strengthen. When an attribute strengthened, the secret arts and abilities that used it would be strengthened in step.
An ordinary person could choose at most one attribute to focus on practicing and gain that attribute's power. Because of race and birth, the 'Blood Law' attribute was a hidden attribute inscribed in the bloodline of all living things: as long as red blood flowed in the body, even practicing another attribute class did not prevent one from gaining the power of the 'Blood Law' attribute—techniques such as the 'Breathing Method,' for example.
However, this compatibility existed only at low ranks. If the 'Blood Law' attribute abilities one gained became stronger and stronger, they would interfere with and affect the practice of the main attribute's power.
By the same principle, the 'Beast Fang' attribute was the hidden attribute inherited through the bloodlines of many beasts; 'Dragon Eye' was the attribute inherited through the bloodlines of dragon-kind; 'Conch Fish' was the inheritance of aquatic and amphibious creatures; 'Insect Moth' was the inheritance of insects; and 'Emerald Honey' was the hidden attribute contained in all plants.
Mastering attribute power was not restricted—given suitable conditions, humans could likewise gain the power of attributes such as 'Conch Fish' and 'Dragon Eye,' though compared with creatures born with that inheritance, it required more skill and resources to practice.
Those who focused on a particular attribute path gathered together, exchanged ideas, and learned from one another—and thus the first schools came into being.
Today all royal authority in this land rested on the 'Castle' attribute. Wherever there were villages and towns, arrays of the 'Castle' attribute were laid out; their main bodies were constructions of piled cornerstone—pillars, towers, castles, walls. These constructions faintly formed a mysterious ritual that caused the 'Castle' attribute's barrier to cover villages and towns, protecting the residents within from the influence of other attribute powers.
If wild beasts gained attribute power, they would feel a wave of oppression and discomfort when approaching a town, and so they would take the initiative to avoid such places—unless—
"Unless a high-ranking leader drives them, they have the courage to break into a village." A deep voice cut in, making the two talking look up.
"Captain Frien, you've come." Fandexi rose first to greet him. The other man bent to enter the fine carriage against the sunlight and sat down beside him.
Ignoring Fandexi's greeting, Frien nodded slightly to Xilutaiya. "About last night—thank you, Miss Tiya."
Thanks to Xilutaiya's rescue, a good number of cavalrymen had survived, which let him breathe easier, and he felt grateful; he had come looking for Xilutaiya especially.
"I only did my small part," the girl answered modestly. But there was indeed something she wanted to ask the cavalry captain.
"I saw you use the Breathing Method in the fight last night, is that right?"
"That's right. It's one of my abilities now." Apart from the Destiny Card, every living being also had three [Ability Card] slots.
"I want to learn the Breathing Method, to protect myself. Could you teach me?" Xilutaiya asked earnestly.
"That... isn't hard. In fact, I often teach it to the soldiers, and to the village militia. It's nothing rare; plenty of people know it."
"But Miss Tiya, are you sure you want to learn this? First- and second-order supernaturals only have three ability card slots. If you take one up, you squeeze out room for practicing other techniques."
"Once you gain the [Breathing Method] ability, can't you give it up?" Hearing this, Xilutaiya hesitated too.
"You can give it up, but it takes time, and probably some potions to help ease the side effects of the removal process."
"I see. Then I have nothing to worry about." Xilutaiya breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing this, Frien no longer tried to stop her, though he did not say something: the potions needed to remove the [Breathing Method] were usually quite expensive. But for a noble, that should be a small matter.
"It happens that I'll be staying in the village to recover for a while, to keep that crimson wolf from coming back. During this week, I'll do my best to teach Miss Tiya."
Over the following days, Xilutaiya stayed in Linden Village, helping tend the wounded cavalrymen—changing gauze and treating wounds—and then following Frien to learn the 'Breathing Method.'
...
The next day.
In the open ground at the back of the village, several people stood under the trees listening to Frien explain how the 'Breathing Method' was trained. Besides Xilutaiya, there were several other young villagers, among them Henry and Taliel.
Because of the battle a few days before, many people had felt a sense of danger, and they listened particularly intently as Frien described the use of the 'Breathing Method.'
"Although the 'Breathing Method' that strengthens the body is much simpler than something like a 'Meditation Method' that trains the spirit, it's already good if one in ten can learn it. If you can't grasp it, don't be too discouraged." He warned them beforehand. From his past experience, on average only one out of twenty young people could learn it.
"All right, now follow the rhythm I just described. Close your eyes and gradually adjust your breathing."
...
Xilutaiya stood in the back row, where she was more at ease and it was also shadier. She too began to adjust her breathing, closing her eyes to search for that rhythm, that strange cadence hidden deep in her heartbeat.
The open ground fell quiet as eight young people carefully felt their own heartbeats and breathing, slowly following the steps and adjusting their breath to gradually synchronize it with the rhythm of their hearts. Some kept frowning the whole time, aware of no change at all; some seemed to sense a faint difference but still could not grasp it, only repeating in vain; others could not even keep their breathing steady, growing fretful.
Looking at the several people before him, Frien shook his head inwardly. He felt none of them had any hope of learning it. If they truly had talent, it would have been discovered long ago. He remembered that the village chief had been an adventurer in his youth and knew the Breathing Method already, so he surely would have tried to teach these children in daily life.
In Baron Holin's domain there were eleven villages, each with about three hundred people. In each village, about ten people could master the 'Breathing Method'; once you set aside the old and those who had gone off to make their way in the world, only four or five remained in the village.
He remembered that in Linden Village those who currently knew the Breathing Method were only two hunters, two watch patrolmen, a butcher, and then the old village chief. That was more than ten years' accumulation for the village. Seen that way, if Taliel's generation could produce two who knew the Breathing Method, they would count as having successors.
While Frien was sunk in thought and memory, Xilutaiya's consciousness gradually sank into a peculiar state. The wind and birdsong of the outside world vanished; only the sound of her own heartbeat grew clearer and clearer.
A hazy feeling surfaced. Though she could not see her own heart, the formless sensation of something swelling and then contracting gradually emerged. Following that blurred, leaping shape, her breathing slowly grew longer and longer, her heartbeat slower and slower.
Each heartbeat became regular, gradually matching the rhythm of her breathing. Formless, hidden crimson threads appeared in her mind; on those threads seemed to cling an exceedingly faint crimson attribute, flowing with the blood, circulating without end.
Little by little the threads spread, reaching deep into unknown distances, winding in and out, flowing soundlessly within her body, until at last they completed a circuit and returned to the starting point.
('Breathing Method' completion +12)
...
When Xilutaiya opened her eyes again, there were no other students left on the open ground; only Frien sat under the tree. Seeing her open her eyes, he stood and walked over.
"I dismissed them all first so they wouldn't disturb you." There was a certain delight and surprise in the way he looked at Xilutaiya.
"Have you learned the 'Breathing Method' before? I've never seen anyone master it so fast." In his memory, completing the first breathing cycle within three days made someone a rare genius; in all these years he had known only one.
Yet this girl had completed her first breathing cycle in only half an hour, and the process had been exceptionally steady, without any accidental interruption.
"I don't know. I don't remember things from when I was little. But I really don't know the 'Breathing Method' now." Hearing Frien say this, she too wondered whether this body had learned it before.
"However that may be, over the next few days, practice and repeat it more, and you'll gradually master the first stage of the Breathing Method." Frien told her with expectation.
"There are also some precautions I need to tell you. The first stage of the Breathing Method puts a great load of stress on the body. If you use it, at the beginning you must never sustain it for more than ten seconds, and after using it you would best rest and recover at once. In total, you must not use it for more than one minute a day."
"That short?" Xilutaiya was astonished.
"Heh, of course. What do you think this is? It's the means to decide a fight—at the most crucial moment, being just that little bit faster can settle life and death at once."
"Here, take this wooden sword." He handed the girl a wooden sword, then pointed at himself.
"Try a slash at me."
Gripping the wooden sword, Xilutaiya tried to attack Frien. As she stepped in and swung, his figure flickered; he dodged the edge of the blade at a speed the girl could not react to, then his hand chopped like a blade toward her neck, finally stopping two centimeters away, stirring a few strands of hair.
"You see? Just a little faster, and I can take your life—and what was the cost? Two seconds of the Breathing Method. Do you still think it's weak and not enough?" Frien grinned as he said it.
Only then did Xilutaiya truly realize how powerful and practical attribute power was. A mere ordinary attribute ability was enough to make an individual far surpass ordinary people, to the point of one against ten—and mastering such an ability was still a long way from being a true first-order supernatural.
That giant crimson wolf was even more terrifying than she had imagined. Even Captain Frien could only barely hold his own against it with the help of the village's 'Castle' array.
[Breathing Method lv.0] (Blood Law): an ability not yet formed; current progress (12/100)
Seeing the information surface in her mind, Xilutaiya again felt waves of anticipation and motivation, eager to know what she would be like once she fully learned the [Breathing Method].
"Hahaha, excited, aren't you? I also have a few sets of sword and spear techniques. I happen to have time these days, so I'll teach you all of them."
"Knowing only the Breathing Method won't do. You need suitable techniques to go with it, and in the end, the courage and will to dare to fight. You'll understand later—only when all these are combined will you have a chance to truly set foot on the path of pursuing attribute power." As he spoke, something surfaced deep in his eyes too, and his voice was full of feeling.
"I understand. Thank you, teacher." Xilutaiya bowed respectfully.
—
Attribute [Blood Law]: the pulse-rhythm of blood and life, the first sound and surging flow of the world, the beginning of all flesh-and-blood life, and the proof of being alive.
Chapter 4