The Floating Islands of the West did not obey the laws of physics.
Massive chunks of verdant land drifted in the sky, connected by waterfalls that poured into the endless blue void below. Some islands moved fast, crashing into each other with the sound of thunder. Others spun lazily, defying gravity.
On the deck of the Sky-Whale Airship, Empress Zhao Ling sat in her wheelchair, gripping the armrests.
"We can't land," Gu Ling announced, her sensors spinning wildy. "The gravity anomalies are too erratic. If the ship touches a magnetic island, the hull will crumple. We have to park here and cross the gap manually."
Zhao Ling looked over the edge.
The "gap" was a thousand feet of empty air between the ship and the nearest town, which clung to the side of a vertical cliff face.
"I can't cross that," Zhao Ling whispered.
In the Capital, she had her tank. She had ramps. She had flat ground.
Here? It was a world of wind and chasms. Her wheelchair was a cage. Her paralyzed legs were an anchor.
"I'll stay on the ship," she said, her voice hollow. "You all go. I'll... monitor the sensors."
"Don't be stupid," Yun Xi said, tightening the straps on her backpack. "We aren't leaving you."
"I can't jump, Yun Xi! And you can't carry me while fighting the wind shear!"
"She's right," Gu Ling noted. "The wind is 80 knots. Holding her in your arms is dangerous. If you drop her..."
She didn't finish. They all looked at the endless drop.
"Who said anything about arms?"
Jiang Fan walked onto the deck. He wasn't wearing his robes. He was wearing a strange, heavy-duty harness made of leather and spirit-webbing strapped to his chest and back.
He held a matching set of straps in his hand.
"Stand up, Ling," Jiang Fan said. "Well, you know what I mean. Let's get you suited up."
THE HARNESS
"What is this?" The Empress asked as Jiang Fan lifted her out of her chair.
"It's a Tandem Flight Harness," Jiang Fan explained, spinning her around so her back was to his chest. "I saw a mother kangaroo do this once. Seemed efficient."
He began to buckle her onto his front.
This wasn't like being carried bridal-style. This was intimate in a mechanical, survivalist way.
He strapped her legs to his thighs, securing her paralyzed knees so they wouldn't flail in the wind. He wrapped a thick, padded belt around her waist, locking her hips to his. Finally, he secured her shoulders to his chest.
She was essentially fused to him. Her head rested just under his chin. Her feet dangled on top of his feet.
"I feel like a baby in a carrier," she mumbled, her face burning red.
"You're a tactical backpack," Jiang Fan corrected. He pulled the straps tight. "Can you breathe?"
"Yes."
"Can you feel me?"
She could feel every muscle in his chest. She could feel the steady thump of his heart against her back.
"Yes."
"Good. Don't let go."
Jiang Fan walked to the edge of the ship.
"Yun Xi, grab Su Qing. Gu Ling, try not to crash."
"Initiating thrusters," Gu Ling droned, her chair transforming into flight mode.
Jiang Fan looked down at the abyss.
"Ready to fly, Empress?"
She closed her eyes and buried her face in his tunic. "Just don't drop me."
"Never."
Jiang Fan stepped off the edge.
THE FREEFALL
For the first three seconds, it was terrifying. The stomach-dropping sensation of falling made the Empress gasp. Her legs, devoid of feeling, swung heavily against Jiang Fan's legs.
Then, the wind caught them.
[ Active Skill: Sky-Walk ]
Jiang Fan didn't use wings. He stepped on the air. Condensed platforms of Qi formed under his boots.
Thump. Thump. Whoosh.
He began to run across the sky.
The Empress opened her eyes.
The world was spinning around them. Waterfalls turned into mist as they passed through them. Flocks of spirit-birds scattered.
"Open your arms," Jiang Fan shouted over the wind.
"I can't! I'll fall!"
"You can't fall! You're literally tied to me! Trust the knots, Ling! Open them!"
Slowly, hesitantly, she released her grip on his harness. She extended her arms out to the sides.
The wind roared through her fingers.
Because she was strapped to him—her legs secured to his moving legs, her torso locked to his solid core—she borrowed his stability. She didn't feel broken. She felt like she was the one flying.
She looked down at her feet. They were moving in sync with his, stepping on the clouds.
"I'm walking," she laughed, the sound whipped away by the gale. "Jiang Fan! Look! I'm walking on the sky!"
"I know!" he yelled back, his chin resting on the top of her head. "You have a very heavy stride!"
She laughed again, a pure, euphoric sound. For a moment, there was no wheelchair. No pressure sores. No spasms. Just the blue sky and the man who gave her wings.
THE LANDING
They landed on the Main Island with a heavy thud.
Jiang Fan stumbled slightly, compensating for the extra weight, but he regained his balance instantly.
"Touchdown," he panted.
He didn't unbuckle her immediately. The town of High-Roost was built vertically into the rock. There were no streets, only stairs and ladders.
"Looks like I'm keeping the backpack on," Jiang Fan noted, looking at the thousand steps leading to the inn.
"I can wait here," the Empress said, the euphoria fading as she saw the stairs. "I'm heavy."
"You're lighter than my guilt for leaving you behind," Jiang Fan started climbing.
The locals stared. They saw a man climbing the stairs with a woman strapped to his chest.
"Is she sick?" a child whispered.
"No," Jiang Fan answered without stopping. "She's the Empress. She's just recharging."
THE INN AND THE SPASM
They reached the Cloud-Rest Inn. It was a cozy, wooden structure perched on a cliff edge.
They got to their room. It had a tatami mat floor and a balcony overlooking the sea of clouds.
"Unload," Jiang Fan groaned, dropping to his knees on the soft mats.
He unbuckled the leg straps first, then the waist.
As soon as the pressure was released, the Empress's body reacted. The change in blood flow triggered a massive spasm.
Her legs, which had been peaceful during the flight, suddenly kicked out violently. Her back arched off the floor.
"Ah!" She cried out, grabbing her thighs. "Jiang Fan! It's a bad one!"
It was the price of the flight. Her nervous system, confused by the stimulation and the pressure of the harness, was misfiring.
Jiang Fan didn't complain about his sore back. He moved instantly.
He pinned her legs to the mat with his body weight, using his forearms to apply deep, rolling pressure to her hamstrings.
"I got it," he soothed. "Just breathe. The nerves are just excited. They liked the view too."
She gritted her teeth, tears leaking from her eyes. It wasn't pain—it was the loss of control. One minute she was flying; the next she was a convulsing mess on the floor.
"I'm sorry," she gasped. "I'm sorry I'm so broken."
"Hey," Jiang Fan stopped massaging for a second to cup her face. "Look at me."
She looked at him.
"You flew today. You conquered gravity. A little leg-shake is a small tax to pay for that view, right?"
He wiped her tears.
"Now, let me finish stretching you out. Then... hot springs."
THE HOT SPRINGS
The private spring was carved into the rock behind the inn. The water was milky white and smelled of sulfur.
Jiang Fan carried her into the water. The moment her paralyzed body hit the heat, the spasms stopped. The buoyancy took the weight off her spine.
She floated, supported by his arms.
"Better?" he asked.
"Much," she sighed, her head resting on the edge of the pool. Her legs floated in front of her, pale and still in the water.
Jiang Fan sat beside her, letting the heat soak into his tired muscles. Carrying a full-grown woman up a mountain was a workout, even for a cultivator.
"Jiang Fan," she said softly, watching the steam rise.
"Yeah?"
"When we go back... I want to keep the harness."
"You like being a backpack?"
"I like being close to you," she admitted, reaching out to find his hand under the water. "And... I like seeing the world from your height. The wheelchair is always so low. People look down on me. But up there... on your back... I felt tall."
Jiang Fan squeezed her hand.
"Then we keep it. I'll have Gu Ling add some padding. Maybe a snack pouch."
She smiled, closing her eyes.
"You are the best furniture I've ever owned."
"I aim to please," Jiang Fan yawned, leaning his head back. "Now hush. The water is warm, and I have a date with a nap."
[ System Alert: New Location Discovered. ] [ The Sky-Islands. ] [ Threat Level: Low (Unless you fall). ] [ Current Status: Recharging. ]