"Who are you? What do you want?" Li San demanded. His body tense. Ready to fight or flee along with Yang.
"Li San," Yang interrupted quickly. "Calm down. I know him."
Li San turned to Yang. Confused. "What? Since when?"
"He's the painter," Yang said.
Li San's eyes widened. He looked at Cheng Mo with shock. "The painter?"
"Indeed I am the painter," Cheng Mo said dismissively to Li San. He waved his hand in a relaxed manner in front of him.
A boat floating about a foot off the ground suddenly appeared in the alley.
"Climb on," Cheng Mo said.
Li San sputtered. Yang turned to convince him to climb the boat but Cheng Mo flicked his finger and both Li San and Yang were dragged seamlessly toward the boat. As if caught by a strong current. Giving them no ability or opportunity to resist. Their feet left the ground. Bodies moving against their will.
They landed in the boat. Yang caught himself on the side. Li San nearly fell.
The boat looked to be made of a translucent material in a light blue color. A bit like some kind of stone or quartz maybe.
Both Li San and even Yang were bewildered. Yang realized that he had found something far more powerful than what he was looking for. Far beyond what he'd been aware existed.
He would be terrified beyond belief if his instincts weren't thrumming with excitement like they had never before. Yang thought that even if he were to try to refuse to go, his inner instincts would drag and force him to go.
Cheng Mo climbed in after them. It looked like he had to make no effort. He climbed into the boat by stepping on air as if he willed the air solid with his will alone.
As Cheng Mo stepped in, his clothes transformed. From the clothes that fit into Sun City to something that would have attracted all eyes.
Instead of tunic and trousers along with an over robe in a grey color, he now wore floor-length dark blue robes with many inner robes that could be seen at his collar. His hair elongated to below his waist with a top knot held up by a silver crown.
It was like he grew a decade younger in the span of a few seconds. If Yang hadn't seen him transform, he would have looked him in the face and wouldn't have recognized him as the painter despite searching for him for weeks.
His features were the same but there was something off about them. His eyes had a certain glow. His skin was unnaturally clear, smooth and one-toned. Yang knew that no one had skin like this. Even in his previous world, people spent fortunes and even then they needed the help of cosmetics and filters to even achieve one tenth of this effect.
His hair was glossy and reflective in its shine. He may look like a man, but apart from making the boat appear from thin air and all the magic Yang had seen, even his appearance differentiated him from normal humans.
Li San's eyes were about to pop out of his head. The only thing keeping him from lunging out of the boat was Yang's hand on his arm restraining him.
"What are you?" Li San asked Cheng Mo.
"I am a painter," he replied.
"Painters can't do this," Li San said. Gesturing toward the boat and Cheng Mo's changed appearance.
"Can't they?" Cheng Mo asked. "I believe it can be said that a painter doesn't depict the world but brings it into existence."
Cheng Mo just turned to the front and the boat levitated quickly above. They ascended rapidly, within seconds they were above Sun City.
Li San was slack-jawed. Even Yang was a bit shocked. Seeing the city from a bird's eye view. The walls that had seemed so massive were tiny. The streets like lines drawn in dirt. People like ants.
They kept ascending until they were up in the clouds. Too far away from ground to see it anymore.
Yang was aware that they should have been feeling wind. Strong wind this far above. But there was nothing. The boat also had something that made it extremely stable. They didn't move with the speed or swerves of the boat.
After reaching a certain height, it started moving faster and faster. Until neither Yang nor Li San could comprehend what they were seeing. The speed at which they were moving was faster than their brains could process.
It was too much. Both Li San and Yang dropped into sitting positions on the boat. Not because of the speed but because their heads hurt trying to understand what they were looking at.
Cheng Mo slightly tilted his head to look at them. "Keep your eyes closed."
Yang and Li San both instantly closed their eyes. They held each other's hands to assure themselves of the other's safety.
Yang knew Li San was taking a huge chance trusting Yang in this. After Grandpa's death, Yang never thought he would have any family ever. But Yunxi Village was the culmination of all he never even hoped for. And Li San was the brother Yang didn't think he even deserved.
Yang didn't know what he did to deserve someone like this in his life. But he made a promise to himself to never let Li San regret becoming brothers with him.
Yang didn't know how long it took them to reach their destination. He felt them stopping and peeked open one eye when he felt they had slowed down enough.
True enough, he could see a rocky mountain. A huge mountain standing in front. It was red and devoid of any plants and greenery.
Yang indicated to Li San to open his eyes and Li San was shocked when he saw the mountain.
It was clear they were far from Sun City. These types of mountains did not exist around that area. Li San had never come across anything like this. Yang knew he had seen similar mountains before in his previous life.
As they got closer, the boat descended until it was a foot above the floor. Both Li San and Yang jumped out before Cheng Mo could drag them out. Not willing to feel so out of control again.
Cheng Mo looked amused at their action but refrained from saying anything. The boat disappeared with the wave of his hand just as it had appeared.
Cheng Mo led them to an opening. A cave that went in deeper and deeper. Cheng Mo refused to answer anything. So Li San and Yang kept quiet. Only sharing looks. Neither willing to anger someone like Cheng Mo.
After walking for what felt like hours they finally reached a large dark cavern. It was difficult for either Li San or Yang to see since it was too dark. A few times they almost fell down but Cheng Mo's magic prevented them from face planting. So they braved the path in darkness.
Cheng Mo led them to an open area. "Don't move," he told them.
All three of them were standing within a few feet of each other. Cheng Mo threw his arms out and numerous glowing stones were thrown out that lit the cavern and attached themselves into the ground.
Now due to the light of the stones, Yang could see the intricate pattern carved in the floor. There were almost thirteen pillars surrounding the design on the floor in a circular pattern.
The stones' light bled into the design in the floor. It all lit up and finally crawled up to the pillars which gathered the light up at the tops.
Suddenly all thirteen pillars sent a surge of light toward the center of the circle, right above where the three of them were standing. Hitting and joining together. The white light after joining in the air above from the thirteen pillars expanded vertically. Creating a cylindrical light pillar.
Li San let out a yelp. Cheng Mo stood motionless. But between the two, Yang looked at everything with a yearning unknown to him before.
His eyes lit up with more than the light that glowed. He looked at each lit up etching with hunger. Didn't take his eyes off as if willing to commit as much of it in his memory as possible.
He saw how the light pillar pierced through his and Li San's and Cheng Mo's body. But it didn't hurt at all.
Suddenly Yang could neither feel nor hear either Cheng Mo or Li San. He was alone as he saw multiple colors and flashes. It was as if the white color was breaking into all and every shade.
And even in this place, Yang let a smile on his face.
Knowing he may have found something better than the martial path he was originally searching for.