Ancestral Elder Xie Ke was most eager for the Divine Passway to open.
In truth, the Passway was perpetually operating, but on most days it was barely two fathoms wide. This day was different to most days.
Every tenth year, the way between this world and the broader universe would widen for a whole lunar month. From a handful of metres to wider than a palace.
In the final week of this widening, the passage would welcome the Ten-Year Star Festival.
This festival was the greatest one of its kind in this secluded corner of the greater Milky-Way Empire. And to attend the celebrations, a city had erected itself around the Divine Passway.
Much of the Festival City was an obviously improvised affair, but some regulation on the part of the Qi Families had played its part in maintaining order.
The streets were simple enough, having been paved centuries ago solely to accommodate the festival.
Built from cobble and well-maintained by the Families and The Blue-Green Merchants, they expanded outwards for several Li from the central point of the Passway.
Much of central Festival City was perennially occupied by the traders and merchant companies who had turned the city into a budding economic hub. The wilder outer portions of the city were occupied only for the festival, as such, a good portion of the buildings there were haphazardly organised.
A few buildings in this 'outer city' were tents, yurts, and other local materials. More than a few were made from sleek, minimalist metal. Like seamless boxes forged out of silverish steel. These buildings were the belongings of the offworlders.
Off-worlders who currently occupied most of Festival city.
The offworlders were characterised by their prodigious height and dreadfully odd fashion. The offworld women dressed like the men and the men dressed like the women. They did not seem to find any oddness in their wanton attitudes to conformity. Which was one of the things that outlined them most.
For them, rank held very little weight. A junior spoke casually to his senior, a pupil disagreed with his master, and even those one took to be their slaves often interrupted their masters publicly to correct them.
Were not Ancestral Elder Xie used to their shameful predilections, he would have found himself deeply offended.
His descendant was not so similarly accustomed; in fact, he was frozen, staring at the Passway as the foreigners drank and participated in shameless displays of impropriety.
"Honoured Ancestor, this disciple wonders if these offworlders know no shame?" Asked Xie Lin incredulously. "They dare to act in such ways publicly. This descendant has seen that their women are loud, foul-mouthed and… manly."
Ancestral Elder Xie found it in himself to laugh. " Sect Master tells me that the offworlders who arrive for the festival are the tamer ones. As he tells it, they are most often academics who study the plants and animals of our world. Several of them are masters of language, historians, and cultural observers. The most refined and enlightened of their kind."
"Great Ancestor, this descendant truly fears to set foot upon a world where such indecency is considered refinement."
Elder Xie tutted. "Is this what our Xie family has become? You say you are to let fear keep you bound in place?" He shook his head reproachfully. "We cannot let fear of the new be what dictates our lives. Yes, these offworlders do not follow our way, but they are of only one world in a universe filled with worlds. Their way is a long, skewed dao, but it is a path all the same. And that is precisely why we are here."
Ancestral Elder Xie paused and surveyed his surroundings calmly. He and Xie Lin were standing in the central square of Festival City.
The noonday square was bustling with humanity as people milled around the pulsating beam of blue-silver light that was the Divine Passway. It rose tens of metres into the sky and was half as wide. Soon, the last incoming party would come, and the passway would reverse.
The Lone Mountain Heavenly Sect's stall was anchored beside Ancestral Elder Xie and his descendant. Besides their post was the Seven-Colour Crystal Sect, and beside them, the Bloodfyre Pavilion.
In total there were over two dozen local sects and forces in the Lone Mountain Heavenly Sect's row of posts.
In the only row in front of them were assembled the seven great families of The Blue-Green Star. They ruled over much of the world and controlled much of the world's resources. They were mingling with numerous merchants from the Blue-Green Chamber of Commerce and alchemists from the local branch of the Galactic Alchemists' Guild.
A few people in that large group wore deep reds and muted, almost black, greens. They were the financiers behind the festival. They were the Two-Point Lotus Bank, and they owned Blue-Green Star and several other worlds in the Starhold.
"Forging connections with the rest of the galaxy." Elder Xie said to Xie Lin. "This is one of the most important duties of any Blue-Green Star sect, and this festival is our first step. When the Founder began accepting offworld disciples, he was mocked and ridiculed, but he was certain that our world would need to step forth into the light. Now, five centuries later, every sect in the world has followed his wisdom and come here to accept disciples from distant worlds. Do you know why?"
"No, great Ancestor, this descendant is ignorant."
"False modesty will work on those young fools you call elders, but us old men see through you children," he smiled at his great-great-great-grandson. "Regardless. We accept offworld disciples because when these disciples leave the Blue-Green Star, they take the prestige of our sects with them. When the prestige of our sects grows, so too does the prestige of our humble world. This drives up trade and brings wealth to this world. As do the disciples. Most of whom are the children of powerful families and have the influence and wealth we need to prosper in the greater galaxy."
"This disciple was blind, great-ancestor. Next time, this foolish descendant shall use his eyes to see before he uses his tongue to speak."
"No matter now, boy. You are young; it is your nature to be ignorant and arrogant. Look, the passage is opening, and your future martial peers are arriving. Be silent and mindful, one of them is the son of the Two-Point Lotus Bank's Second Elder Nsingo."
Xie Lin bowed slightly to convey his understanding, and the two of them fell silent as they watched the last incoming party exit the Divine Passway. Once they had, the silver and blue Passway changed to a purple and orange light scheme.
Immediately, the sects began moving to intercept their newest disciples. Elder Xie chose to stay where he was and let the future disciples come to them. After several minutes, the first arrived.
She was black-haired and tall, bearing a martial artist's physique. Although she was not ugly, beautiful was an ill-fitting word to describe her appearance. It was, however, an apt word to use when describing the way she moved.
She walked like she was a prowling tiger that was somehow about to begin dancing. The simple act of her bowing had the grace of a swan over water and all the ferocity of a lioness in pursuit.
"Kira Xiao greets the elder." She raised her eyes, and for the first time, the Ancestral Elder saw that they were yellow and slitted, like the focused eyes of a cat.
"Ohoho!" exclaimed the old ancestor, "The Spirit Tiger Bloodline. This little Xiao Kira must be the daughter of this old man's martial brother, Xiao Leo. How fares the Master of the Four-Paws Mercenary Company? Last time he and I spoke was decades ago, during a past Festival."
"This Kira Xiao apologises for not recognising her martial uncle." She bowed once more, evoking the image of an eagle skimming water and the river itself, idly flowing. "As for the matter of this one's father, Kira apologises, elder, but Leo Xiao is currently suppressing rebels across the galaxy and has not been on the Wild-Jungle World for nearly two decades. In fact, this Kira is amazed he managed to be present in the previous Star Festival."
Elder Xie knew his martial brother well. If ever a man lived for the revelry of war, it was Xiao Leo.
Born the son of a simple soldier, he had grown into a figure of legend, near synonymous with war itself. Ancestral Elder Xie was exchanging anecdotes with Xiao Kira about her father when the second disciple arrived.
He was dreadfully skinny and of a height with Xiao Kira, that is to say, taller than Blue-Green Star's average. His skin was the colour of oiled dark wood and his head was shaved bald. At first glance, he appeared to be from the Mountain-River continent of Blue-Green Star, but the broadness of his nose and the peculiar shape of his mouth pointed Elder Xie to the Rising Tree continent.
Both of the old ancestor's theories were proven incorrect when the boy bowed whilst extending his hand. A distinctly offworld habit, from the Two-Point Planetary Holdings to be more precise.
"This Nsingo Han extends his greetings to Ancestral Elder Xie." Han Nsingo's eyes were a shocking bright blue. They also seemed deeply shy and reserved, to match the smile that the boy offered to the elder. Ancestral Elder Xie reciprocated it and clasped Nsingo Han's hand warmly and watched the boy visibly relax before releasing it.
"This Ancestral Elder is pleased to welcome this new disciple. In truth, I have heard much of your intelligence and exploits across the starhold and the greater galaxy. This elder is not ashamed to admit he was most excited to meet you."
His skin was too dark to confirm, but Xie Ke was certain the boy was blushing. He lowered his stunning eyes and looked at the elder's feet. "This junior is both pleased and embarrassed by Ancestral Elder's praise. This disciple was only performing his duty to his father, bank, and Emperor, and filial piety needs little praise beyond its own rewards."
Ancestral Elder Xie chuckled. "The journey from here to the Sect is over a month long, junior, best be prepared to be pestered without end by this shameless old man."
Nsingo Han nodded silently and was fortunate enough to have the attention drawn away from him by the arrival of two disciples.
They were siblings, evidently twins, by their similarity in appearance. They looked so much alike that it took Ancestral Elder Xie a few seconds to discern that one was male and the other female.
The twins both had short orange hair and practised smiles. The brother's smile was the less genuine of the two, but the sister's was far more unnerving in its half-mad intensity. They were far shorter than Nsingo Han and Xiao Kira. In fact they were an inch or two shorter than Elder Xie himself.
Also unlike the other pair, they still wore their original sect's robes, instead of the traditional brown and white of an unsworn disciple.
Their gold, red, and white robes coupled with their orange hair and eyes, made it blatantly clear that they were from the Primordial Sun Sect. They bowed to Ancestral Elder Xie, and the brother spoke.
"This one is Yang Yang and the one beside him is his sister Yang Ruo, we greet the Ancestral Elder Xie Ke, and beseech him to care for us in this coming journey to the sect."
Ancestral Elder Xie ignored the boy and bowed to the sister, as custom dictated. "This elder greets the Burning People." The boy seemed impressed by the elder's knowledge and smiled again. "This one is humbled by the elder's knowledge. And if the elder may forgive him, wishes to know when the elder may be departing, this foolish one seems to have lost his and his sister's luggage on the way to the Blue-Green Star Passway. He hopes the elder will allow him to purchase the clothing and other necessities before he leaves."
"You may procure what you need to procure without worrying, this old master will be patient. But, be hasty." The old ancestor said to the sister, ignoring the boy. "There is one more disciple who shall be joining us, when he arrives, we will be in our full number. After he arrives, there is still the matter of the Festival feast, which is traditionally held an hour after the Passway reverses, and requires our presence, so be certain to return before that time."
The twins bowed deeply and hastily departed.
Ancestral Elder Xie Ke now found himself waiting for the last and most important of his disciples. And he waited for half an hour before panic began to set in. He began searching the meandering collection of humanity, his descendant and disciples left behind beneath the Lone Mountain Heavenly Sect's post, with orders to await both the last disciple and the twins.
The last half hour came and went as Ancestral Elder Xie frantically searched and eventually dejectedly returned to the stall.
The twins had returned and were properly attired, as was another young man the elder had not seen before. All six youths rose to their feet and bowed to the ancestor when they saw him.
"This disciple Luo Han greets the Ancestral Elder." said the young cultivator with the silver-blue eyes and raven black hair.
For a second the elder felt his spirits elate. Perhaps the sect master had been mistaken in his description of the boy. Perhaps he changed his name halfway through the journey. After another second of deliberation, the thought was quickly discarded.
Such an assumption relied too much on supposition,
"Elder welcomes the disciple Luo Han." He said, tiredly. "This Elder, in his great age, has unfortunately forgotten to be aware of Disciple Luo Han's admittance into the Lone Mountain Heavenly Sect, and has otherwise neglected to account for your presence. May this elder ask as to how this junior gained entry?"
The young man Luo Han bowed. "This junior wishes for the elder's forgiveness; this Luo Han is bound to secrecy on this matter. The sect master insisted my father compel me to tell you, however, that this matter 'touches the sunset edge of a green tree-leaf'; he made my father know that this would give you enough of a grasp on the situation as well authenticate what I have said."
Elder Xie Ke nodded thoughtfully. So the boy came from some large force and had shouldered his way into the sect. He was interested in what the boy's backing could be, but he knew it was pointless to ask. When such forces chose anonymity, it was best to comply with such a simple request.
The elder made introductions and then stood watching the throng around the Passway thin. After several minutes a servant arrived in the emerald green and ocean blue of the Blue-Green Merchants.
"Servant greets the Ancestral Elder." he dipped his head. "This servant has been sent to accompany the representatives of the Lone Mountain Heavenly Sect to the foot of the White River Mountains for the Festival Feast."
Elder Xie looked to the west and watched the setting sun dominate the distant White River Mountains.
"This elder would be pleased to accept the servant's honoured master's invitation."
The servant smiled and bowed at the praise. Afterwards, he removed a bronze token from the sleeve of his robe.
The servant moved a trickle of his Immortal Qi into the bronze token. A metre before him, a wide gateway through space opened. Within the gateway one could see a richly ornamented feasting table and various other furnishings.
The gateway was different to the Divine Passway. Not only was the other side visible, meaning it was a rip in space rather than the Passway's compressing, the distances it could cover were also relatively short, cutting down the price greatly.
Still, it must have been incredibly expensive to operate the array that powered the token. In fact, it likely dwarfed any amount of money that the Lone Mountain Heavenly Sect could produce in a year.
"This old elder is humbled by Old Luong's generosity." Elder Xie said, dipping his head.
The servant shook his head meekly and said, "Venerate Luong has provided only five of these tokens to the Merchants' most honoured guests, and he made this servant aware that he counts Ancestral Elder Xie as one of his oldest friends and hopes to see you sometime during the feast."
Elder Xie Ke nodded. "Then this old man will not hold us back. Lead the way."
The servant entered, and Elder Xie led the youths in ahead of him. Then, with one final searching look at the orange Passway, Ancestral Elder Xie Ke entered the gateway and stepped onto the White River Mountain, one hundred miles away from the Festival City and the Divine Passway.