Shackles of Humanity

Before they knew it, the sky had begun to lighten. Luo Kai felt fine, but Li Gui looked exhausted. He sighed. "I can’t go on. Time really catches up with you. I need to get some rest. Second Brother, you’ll stay here for today. Tomorrow at noon, I’ll take you to meet someone."

"Who are we meeting?"

"In our line of work, we can’t show our real faces. We need to change our appearance."

...

Luo Kai sat cross-legged on the large, soft bed. It was a guest room with a thick carpet on the floor and a soft, smooth nylon quilt on the bed. Clearly, Li Gui was a man who appreciated the finer things in life.

Just as he was about to quiet his mind and study his heart rate, he caught a whiff of a strange odor. He sniffed carefully. A faint, fishy smell seemed to permeate the air, but when he tried to place it, the scent vanished. ’It’s probably from Li Gui,’ he mused. ’He must have spent so much time with pirates that the heavy smell of fish has seeped into his clothes and even his home. It’ll be hard to get rid of a smell like that.’

Meeting Li Gui again today, Luo Kai felt the man was even more mysterious than before. He acted as if he was being completely open, but Luo Kai always had the feeling that he was hiding too many secrets. He was too calculating, and Luo Kai didn’t much care for it.

At noon, the two of them went out to find a place to eat. The streets were filled with bizarrely shaped, deformed vendors. Some had massive tumors, others had malformed limbs, and some were even covered in long hair.

Any ordinary person would have gotten goosebumps, but Luo Kai and Li Gui were completely unfazed. They found a crepe stall. The owner was a man whose skin was covered in fish scales. He looked a bit unsettling, but he was incredibly enthusiastic—no different from any normal human vendor.

Most of the deformed people here wore shabby clothes and had the sallow complexions of the malnourished; life was clearly not easy for them. Like any other human, they had to struggle daily to make a living, and they also married and had children. But the children of the deformed were, with near-certainty, also deformed. They couldn’t attend school or find work like ordinary children, forced to spend their entire lives in this community built specifically for them.

Luo Kai felt a pang of emotion, but he was powerless to change anything. After a simple meal, they set out again. Li Gui was clearly very familiar with the city; he didn’t hail a cab, instead taking shortcuts through a series of small alleys. They gradually arrived at a dilapidated-looking neighborhood that turned out to be Lobster Lane, the very place Luo Kai was staying.

The two walked up to a small courtyard filled with the fragrance of flowers. Li Gui stepped forward and knocked on the door. An old, hoarse woman’s voice came from within. "Who is it?"

"Granny Hua, an old friend is visiting!"

The sound of shuffling footsteps followed, and an ancient-looking woman opened the gate. She glanced at the two of them and said frostily, "I don’t know you. You must be mistaken."

"Granny Hua, you don’t recognize me?" Li Gui asked with a beaming smile.

The old woman’s cloudy eyes glanced at him, her voice growing even colder. "You stinking rat, you’re not dead yet? It’s true what they say: only the good die young, but a scourge like you will live for a thousand years."

"Granny, I’m a guest. Is this any way to treat one?"

Li Gui paid her no mind, walking around the old woman and pushing the gate open. A unique fragrance immediately assailed his nostrils. The courtyard was filled with all sorts of flowers and plants, all growing with incredible lushness despite the winter season. The most striking of all was a strange flower with a purple blossom. Unlike the low-lying plants around it, this purple flower was as tall as a man. It had no branches or leaves—only the single purple blossom at its peak. Sunlight glinted off it, creating a purple halo. It was quite beautiful.

The old woman glanced at Luo Kai, who was still standing at the entrance. Her cloudy eyes shifted, staring at him for a long moment before she turned her head away. Addressing Li Gui, she said coldly, "Hmph. My prices are clearly marked."

"Of course. This time, I’d like to ask you to make two Disguise Masks, Granny. They need to be very realistic. Price is no object."

The old woman ignored them both and went straight back into her house. A long time passed with no sign of her, and they couldn’t tell if she had agreed to the request or not.

Li Gui smiled wryly and explained to Luo Kai, "Second Brother, this Granny Hua is a master of the art of disguise. I accidentally offended her some years ago."

Luo Kai nodded, his gaze drawn to the strange purple flower. He couldn’t resist walking up to it and reaching out for a touch. To his surprise, the flower seemed to sense his approach; the blossom tilted slightly to the side, actually dodging his hand!

Amazed, Luo Kai reached out again. This time, the strange flower couldn’t evade him and he caught it in his hand. It felt exactly like a young woman’s skin—soft, delicate, and smooth. Once he touched it, the flower stopped resisting. It even rubbed gently against his palm like a pet nuzzling its owner. At the same time, a unique fragrance wafted out, sweet and orchid-like, instantly intoxicating.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed before the old woman’s surprised voice reached his ears. "Young man, it seems Zilan likes you. It’s been a long time since she’s released her fragrance."

Luo Kai snapped back to reality. Li Gui and the old woman were standing nearby, watching him with odd expressions. He reluctantly let go of the purple flower and said sheepishly, "I’m sorry, Granny. The flower was so beautiful, I couldn’t resist touching it."

The old woman stared at him with her deep, cloudy eyes for a long while before speaking. "You have a strong connection to the Natural Path. You should come visit more often, if you have the time."

Before Luo Kai could say a word, Li Gui exclaimed joyfully, "My brother here will definitely be visiting often."

The old woman produced two items that looked like facial masks and handed them to Li Gui. "They’ll fade in ten days," she said coldly.

Li Gui quickly took them, overjoyed. "Thank you, Granny!" Then, he pulled a few glittering Gold Coins from his pocket and said with a smile, "Granny always has her set prices, and I wouldn’t dream of breaking the rules!"

The old woman took the Gold Coins and rubbed them gently, her expression softening. "Rat," she asked Li Gui, "you hear things. Have you heard of any strange movements in the Mist Mountain Range recently?"

Li Gui thought for a moment, then said with confusion, "I haven’t heard about anything unusual, no."

The old woman gestured to the plants around her and sighed. "Plants are the most sensitive to changes in the outside world. For the past two years, they’ve been ignoring the seasons, blooming and spreading their seeds day and night. It completely violates the laws of nature. I’m afraid they’ve already sensed something."

Li Gui’s face fell. "Granny," he asked, shocked, "are you saying the climate is about to change drastically again?"

The old woman didn’t answer. Her cloudy eyes turned to Luo Kai as she said softly, "Young man, I can see a heavy Evil Qi about you. In the future, you must not give in to the urge to kill, or the Natural Path will abandon you."

Luo Kai was completely bewildered. He was about to ask what she meant, but the old woman just waved her hand. "You should go now. I’m tired."

As the two left the small courtyard, Li Gui seemed preoccupied, and Luo Kai found himself wondering just what this "Natural Path" was.

"Second Brother, do you know what the Natural Path is?"

Li Gui shook his head. "I’m not sure. But Granny Hua is no ordinary person. You were asking about Elemental Masters, weren’t you? I’d wager she’s one of them—an Elemental Master who can control plants. She looked exactly the same ten years ago as she does today!"