Chapter 5: Arrival in Texas

By the time they arrived in Texas, three days had already passed. Breathing in the air fragrant with the scent of grass and trees, Long Yin couldn’t help but take out his new identity card and hold it up to the blazing sun. While Yunzhou was still blanketed with snow, Texas basked in brilliant sunshine, the heat constantly rising from the ground. In no time at all, his eldest sister, Long Qin, had shed everything but a pink camisole and a pair of tight denim shorts, her fair, slender legs exposed, dazzling the eyes of countless men. Tossing her wavy, dark hair and fluttering her bewitching eyes, her shapely figure swayed with every step, and Long Yin saw more than a few men with nosebleeds.

Ah, men—what creatures so easily swayed by temptation!

Long Yin felt a surge of excitement. Texas—the source of ninety percent of card-making materials. Here, forests stretched as far as the eye could see, filled with every kind of tree. Beneath the forests lay thickets, and under those, the precious medicinal herbs. The soil was rich, the sunshine abundant, and the land’s perpetual summer bestowed upon its woods a unique layered growth. This was the marketplace for card-making materials: low prices, a complete array of types. Save for a few special materials, this was a paradise for novice card artisans! With ninety percent of card-making materials produced here, Texas also boasted the highest number of card artisans—at least compared to other states. The Card Artisan Guild of Texas was the largest in all the states, second only to the mighty Federal Card Artisan Guild itself.

Which faction was strongest in Texas? Without a doubt, the Card Artisan Guild. Here, card artisans were held above all others; even among those of the same rank, a card artisan’s status clearly surpassed that of a card repairer. This was one of the reasons Long Yin had chosen Texas.

Texas! I’m here! Long Yin couldn’t help but shout in his heart.

Long Qi emerged, still carrying a mountain of belongings, her formidable presence astonishing a crowd of bare-chested Texans. Was this really a woman?

“Where are we headed?” Long Qi asked, her tone light, showing that the heavy load caused her not the slightest strain.

Long Qin glanced over, and Long Yin nearly blurted out their old address out of habit—then caught himself. He was no longer that person. Now he was Long Yin; that grand villa was no longer his. With a sigh, he lowered his head. “We’ll have to take out a loan and rent a low-grade apartment for now.”

“Zone A?” Long Qin looked toward the luxurious apartments. Even the low-end rentals in Zone A were extravagant.

Long Yin’s head drooped even further. “Zone D.”

Long Qin tossed her voluminous curls in resignation. “When will I ever own a villa in Zone A?”

“Sis, if we sell everything I’m carrying, we could buy three luxury villas!” Long Qi suddenly blurted.

“Let’s catch the free cloud-car!” Long Qin, face abruptly serious, swayed her hips and strode off, pointedly ignoring Long Qi’s suggestion.

“Big Sister… Big Sister…” Long Qi hurried after her. “Did you hear what I said?”

Long Qin shot her a glare. “Don’t even think about it. Move!”

Long Yin, trailing behind, rubbed his nose and shrugged helplessly. When it came to making money, his elder sister could put most men to shame—if not for her collector’s obsession, which so often left her in the red.

Long Qi stuck out her tongue at Long Yin, winking as if to say, I tried my best.

Long Yin answered with a look of deep understanding. To challenge Big Sister’s collecting habit and escape unscathed—Second Sister, you truly did your best!

Riding the cloud-car, the three once more attracted stares. Long Yin had long grown used to such looks of surprise and admiration.

When they reached Zone D, Long Yin blinked in disbelief. An endless stretch of forest—was this really where they were to live? He loved nature, yes, but not to this extent. He was crestfallen. That loan application had been a trap, hadn’t it? If only he hadn’t written “love” under “Do you enjoy forests?” He should have been more circumspect. The feeling only intensified when he saw the house itself—damn this love of forests! A house built right in the midst of the trees—was this a tree hollow? Was land so scarce that every inch had to be planted with medicinal herbs? And what were those hanging vines—did they think he was Tarzan, meant to swing in and out every time? Long Yin’s enthusiasm for Texas was immediately cut in half. Living in this wretched place, there was nothing to love.

“Woohoo!” This was Second Sister Long Qi, gleefully swinging back and forth on a vine, her enormous load still on her back. Cold sweat beaded instantly on Long Yin’s forehead—those vines were not as sturdy as she thought!

“Long! Qi!” Big Sister snapped. “If you drop even one thing from your back, I’ll skin you alive. If you drop two, I’ll break your bones! Try swinging one more time!”

Long Qi instantly quieted and nimbly returned to her spot, obediently calling out, “Big Sister.”

“Hmph!” With a snort, Long Qin seized the vine that Long Qi had just used, pushed off with her legs, and tried to swing into the house. Who could have expected that before she even reached the house, the vine began to snap with a loud “crack,” and with a scream, Long Qin, in Long Yin and Long Qi’s eyes, plummeted to the ground like a pink butterfly stripped of its wings.

Long Qi turned away, unable to watch.

Long Yin’s mouth fell open. This was bad!

It was bad indeed. Long Qin shrieked, “Long Qi!”

“Yes!” Long Qi responded loudly, turning to her sister lying on the ground. To keep from laughing, she pinched herself so hard that tears came to her eyes. “Big Sister!”

“No meals for you for three days!”

Three days without food! Long Qi’s pretty face twisted in anguish—she’d be starving! Though she wanted to protest, under the tyrannical glare of Big Sister, she could only mumble, “Yes.”

The moment Long Qin landed on the medicinal herbs, Long Yin’s identity card immediately registered a fine for damaging private property, with a maximum penalty of two thousand gold coins.

This was not the time to mention it to Big Sister. Long Yin watched, mortified, as Long Qin vented her anger by stomping several more times, which earned him an additional malicious damage fine—maximum five thousand gold coins.

Big Sister, please come up already! Long Yin wanted to cry out, but seeing her expression, he swallowed the words, watching as the fines climbed absurdly to fifteen thousand gold coins before they’d even moved in. He could already envision his future—when his debts increased again, it wouldn’t even surprise him. Texas, perhaps your prosperity isn’t due to medicinal herbs, but to your bizarre and countless fines, making you the unrivaled leader among the states?

Gold coins! Gold coins! Gold coins! Once inside the novel tree hollow, all Long Yin could think about was money. Because he’d entered the wrong way, he’d fallen three times before finally getting the hang of it and tumbling inside. Long Qi, worried, massaged his backside while scolding, “Didn’t I say I’d fly you in, Sis? You’re so stubborn—hurt yourself, didn’t you?” Long Yin was ready to claw at the walls. He didn’t even want to know how much more debt he’d racked up in just a few minutes. Damn the fines! Soon he’d be rich—just wait, when he had money, he’d pay people to trample this place into a field of blooming peach blossoms!

“Second Sister, stop, I’m not hurt!” Long Yin dodged Long Qi’s hands, but she shook her head. “No, let me see—maybe there’s a bruise. I’ll put medicine on it!” She moved to pull down his pants, sending him into a panic. “Second Sister… I’m fine, really… don’t… Big Sister!”

“All right, all right! If Little Yin says he’s fine, he’s fine. Look at his face—it’s red enough to steam an egg. Stop teasing him!” Long Qin came out from freshening up, toweling her damp hair and coming to his rescue.

“Big Sister, are you sure he’s all right after falling so many times?”

“It wasn’t that many—just three! Second Sister, I’m really fine!” Long Yin clung to his pants, retreating as he scanned the room. The house was built into the trunk of a tree, its spaces divided by bark partitions, the air tinged with the scent of resin. Everything felt natural—far better than the shabby rentals in Yunzhou. Innovative lodging with actual doors! Long Yin opened one at random, then slammed it shut, calling through the panel, “Second Sister, I’m really fine. I need to tidy up. You should too!”

“Big Sister!” Long Qi, blocked outside, looked at Long Qin, aggrieved.

Long Qin took out her nail polish and began painting her nails, half-reclining on the only sofa not made of wood. Without looking up, she blew on her nails and, with lazy affection, said, “Little Yin’s always been easily embarrassed. Couldn’t you wait ’til he’s asleep to put on the medicine?”

“Oh, good idea! I’ll sneak it on him tonight.”

The tree hollow was large but only divided into a few spaces, so Long Yin had no trouble hearing his sisters’ conversation. He nearly fell over—he really didn’t need anyone sneaking in to treat him at night… The thought of having his pants pulled down made him want to bash his head against the wall. He couldn’t help it as a child, but now he was four, for heaven’s sake! Fully capable of taking care of himself. He’d protested many times for the sake of his dignity, but it always fell on deaf ears.

There wasn’t much to tidy up. Long Yin unfolded the delicate cot and saw a pink scarf drifting in the air. He felt a pang of despair. He really wouldn’t have minded sleeping on a pile of energy cards! But as Big Sister Long Qin had said, to heal his young, wounded heart, she’d specially prepared a “therapeutic” folding bed. Gazing at the now pastel-pink room, Long Yin sighed—he truly had been cured.

Leaving his room, he went to the living room. The original sofa was gone, replaced by Big Sister’s chaise longue, Second Sister’s tree stump, and a little table and chair obviously meant for him. Long Yin scrambled onto the tree stump and sat, chin in hand, staring at the little table. He really didn’t need something so regulation—what he wanted was a set of card-making pens…

Glancing out the window, his mouth dropped open. In just a few minutes, the area outside the door looked as if a herd of elephants had stampeded through. Reflexively, he pulled out his identity card, only to watch in horror as the fines scrolled upward at breakneck speed. The card slipped from his fingers. Disillusioned with the world, he climbed down, picked up the card, and trudged back to his room. He needed a good sleep—maybe he was dreaming all this.

Outside the tree hollow, Big Sister Long Qin was directing Long Qi, who was hauling stones and chopping trees, working up a sweat with a damp cloth tied around her head, one hand holding a parasol and the other fanning herself, but still feeling the heat.

“Long Qi, move that stone over here—yes, right there. What? The ground’s full of herbs? Just cover them! There’s plenty more, a few lost won’t matter. Chop down that tree too. What? We’re not supposed to? I don’t want to either, but it’s in the way—cut it. Fill here, chop there. What? It’s not blocking anything? Maybe not, but we need it for this spot. Helping me build a path is the greatest virtue it could accumulate in hundreds of years. Quick, chop it…”

A bridge of stone and wood stretched fifteen meters, with wooden railings entwined in vines and dotted with bright blossoms. A cool breeze blew, filling the air with summer’s charm. Long Qin, twirling her parasol and fanning herself, walked across with a satisfied, graceful air.

In such a good mood, she spared Long Qi’s punishment for the evening—she could eat dinner!

Long Qi, shouldering an axe borrowed from the neighbors, was equally pleased. With this sky bridge, surely Yin wouldn’t fall to the ground again.