《Forge of Destiny》


 Prologue-Smelting

    The carriage was impossibly fast, Ling Qi thought, as she stared out the tiny window at a landscape that was little more than a green and brown blur. She knew she should be excited, maybe awed; she was witnessing the power of Immortals after all. It wasn¡¯t something a girl like her could have ever expected to see.


    Instead, she simply felt numb. Absently, she brushed a strand of unruly black hair out of her eyes. She had let it get too long again, hanging down below her ears as it was. She was being taken to the Wall, the impassable mountains that formed the southern border of the Emerald Seas province. The carriage was bound for the Argent Sect that resided there, and it was all because a terrifying man in a porcelain mask had said that she had the talent to become an Immortal.


    It was why she sometimes heard voices no one else could hear, why she could feel strange presences when she ventured out to the outskirts of the city where the wards against the spirit beasts were porous and weak. She had always assumed she had been born a bit crazy.


    Boyish, inelegant, crazy Ling Qi, who ran away rather than play doll for her mother.


    It had grated when she was younger, listening to her mother¡¯s complaints about her appearance and demeanor, hearing the frustration in the woman¡¯s voice when she talked about her. Ling Qi was too tall, too thick of limb, her skin too dark, and her features too long and lacking refinement.


    She couldn¡¯t say she regretted leaving. It wasn¡¯t as if Mother had tried very hard to find her in the four years since she had run off. Ling Qi blew the stubborn strand of hair out of her eyes again and turned her thoughts away from the past. It was pointless now; she would never grow up to be like her Mother, and so, she had left. She was free, even if it meant facing hunger and cold. Even if it meant she had often been hurt or frightened. She might be ugly, be poor, but she was herself, did as she wanted, which to her was all that mattered. It had to be.


    Which was why this grated on her.


    She should have been ecstatic, the only commoner from her city that had the talent... Would any other denizen of Tonghou be able to raise their heads in front of her by the time she was done training? Would even Mother be able to criticize her? No, of course not.


    She still wasn¡¯t happy though, because once again she found herself without a choice. She had no money, no resources. Even if she had gone back to Mother, the woman wouldn¡¯t have been able to pay the fees described by the recruiter, and if she had refused to go along to the sect, her talent would be removed. She hated the idea of something that was hers being taken away even more.


    So once she was done training, she would owe the Empire eight years of military service instead. Not very long at all in an Immortal¡¯s lifespan, she had been assured. Really she couldn¡¯t say that the idea of facing off against the wind riding mountain barbarians like a figure out of a story didn¡¯t excite her.


    She just hated not having a choice.


    Ling Qi shook her head and turned away from the blurring landscape outside the carriage window. The carriage was eerily quiet. More magic, she supposed, and despite her misgivings, she couldn¡¯t help the spark of excitement she felt at the thought.


    Still, it had been hours since they left, and she was bored. Even at this speed, it would still be some time until she arrived. So rather than continuing to mope about the past, she decided to turn her attention to the leather satchel sitting on the bench across from her. It contained her meager possessions: a few coins, some clothing, and an old wooden flute that she had liked to play on occasion. Mother¡¯s music lessons had been one of her happier memories.


    It also contained what she had been provided by the recruiter. Reaching over, Ling Qi picked up the bag and flipped it open. Peering inside, she ran her fingers over the bundle of grey cloth that sat on top. She once again marveled at the smooth softness of the material. Her disciple¡¯s uniform, the man had said. Something provided to less well off disciples, since normal clothing would have difficulty holding up to the rigors of training.


    There were a few other things too: a hand mirror, a comb, and a sewing kit, among a few other miscellaneous items. She supposed the implication was that she should make herself presentable before she arrived. She glanced down at her rather ragged brown shirt, pants, and muddy sandals. Not exactly the most impressive outfit.


    This was the first time in a long time that it might matter though. She hadn¡¯t had much time before she had been shuffled into the carriage. If she was going to make an effort, she should do it now. Ling Qi glanced toward the locked door on the other side of the carriage, then back toward the window. There was enough space at least; it really seemed like the carriage was meant for several people. After another moment contemplating the contents of the satchel, she drew the shutter down over the window and got to work changing.


    Some time later, Ling Qi sat back down with a frown on her face, idly smoothing the wrinkles out of the amazingly soft gray fabric of the outfit she now wore. It was¡­ nice, but she hadn¡¯t worn a dress in years. At least it didn¡¯t pinch and cling like the ones Mother used to try and make her wear.


    It was layered and cut on the bottom half to allow for easy movement, but annoyingly loose around her hips. She had had to bunch up the sash and tie it twice. At least the wide, billowy sleeves would be good for concealing her hands. She could also hide things inside them pretty easily with a bit of work. The embroidery of clouds and stylized wind currents were kind of nice too.


    She still felt uncomfortable though. It felt strange to wear something that probably cost more than a month of a laborer¡¯s wages. Well, maybe whatever this was made of was the Immortal equivalent of sack cloth? She glanced down at the mirror in her hands. There weren¡¯t any cosmetics provided thankfully, so apparently they didn¡¯t expect her to dress up that much.


    There had been a few hairpins though, made of some kind of painted bone. She thought they went well with her bright blue eyes. That was her best feature in her own opinion. No one else in her hometown had eyes that shade. Not that her effort at pinning up her hair in some resemblance of order had prevented the strands from falling back into her eyes. Maybe she could learn some kind of magic to manage that, she thought idly.


    As she put the mirror away and reached for the clean sandals that had been under the uniform, the carriage suddenly jerked, almost sending her tumbling headfirst into her bag. Snapping a hand up to grab the frame of the window, she managed to steady herself.


    ¡°Be ready. We¡¯re nearly at the entrance plaza,¡± sounded the voice of the man who was driving the carriage. He had seemed¡­ less formal than she would imagine an Immortal to be, greeting her kindly as she had passed the two adults to enter the carriage.


    Curiously, she lifted the shutter that she had pulled down over the window. They were now moving along at a much more normal pace while traveling up a meandering mountain path. Somehow, the inside of the carriage remained level despite the slope.


    ¡°I will be ready shortly,¡± Ling Qi called back after a moment¡¯s hesitation. Whatever had been blocking the sounds from outside was gone, she noticed with a start. She could hear birdsong and the sound of the horse¡¯s hooves again as well.


    ¡°H-how long do I have?¡± she asked tentatively a moment later, frowning at the hesitant stutter that had come out despite her best efforts. She was nervous, but she couldn¡¯t let them see that. One thing she had learned quite well by now was that the appearance of confidence was important.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve got a few more minutes more,¡± the man called back in a lackadaisical tone. ¡°The Sect doesn¡¯t like us speeding on the mountain, at least for those of us stuck on the ground anyway.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked. Was he implying that some would be arriving by flight? She had heard stories¡­ but had thought that mostly the domain of the mountain barbarians.


    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll just be a moment.¡± It felt strange to revert to the speech Mother had taught rather than the more relaxed kind she had gotten used to in the last few years, but it felt like a good idea. If there was one thing Mother had been right about, it was that first impressions mattered.


    Shaking off such thoughts for the moment, she reached down for the sandals, a determined expression on her face. She would need to be ready.


    When the carriage finally came to a stop, Ling Qi felt she was as prepared as she could be, given that she didn¡¯t precisely know what was coming next. The driver hadn¡¯t said anything else, and neither had she, preoccupied as she had been with trying to focus and keeping the nervous thoughts that kept flitting through her head from showing.


    There was a thud from outside and the sound of footsteps walking around the carriage as she stood, self-consciously smoothing the wrinkles in her new uniform. Shortly thereafter, there was another click and the door opened, revealing the driver.


    It was difficult to read his face, or anything really, given how well covered he was. He wore a strange, wide brimmed hat from which hung paper slips covered in odd symbols. It left his eyes barely visible in the gaps between the slips. The high collar of his deep blue robe rose to meet the hangings, concealing the rest of his face. Somehow, he managed to give the impression that he was smiling.


    ¡°Need a hand getting down?¡± he asked pleasantly offering a gloved hand to her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, thank you,¡± Ling Qi responded with confidence she didn¡¯t quite feel, hesitating only a moment before picking up the now lightened satchel and stepping down slowly to avoid tripping on the hem of her dress.


    As she reached the bottom of the steps, she finally got a look at her surroundings. The two of them stood on a wide stone plaza built upon a plateau carved into the mountainside. She could see the steep road they had traveled to get here wind past the ornate gate that broke the stone fence encircling the plaza and vanishing into the mist below.


    There was only a single building here, a large two story structure with a high peaked roof that reminded her both of a temple and the scholars¡¯ testing hall in Tonghou City. The plaza was dotted with small, tastefully arranged gardens centered around tall peach trees. There was still a trickle of people going into the building dressed in similar uniforms, as well as several other similar carriages, each with their own eclectically dressed driver.


    ¡°Hey, might not want to stand around staring too long.¡± She startled as the driver¡¯s amused voice jolted her from her thoughts. Ling Qi glanced over at him and then back to the central building. He was facing away from her, working to free the odd, blue furred horses from their harness.


    ¡°You¡¯re in the last group of arrivals so one of the elders will be down soon to lay out the rules. You¡¯re assigned to hall one by the way.¡± He patted one of the horses on the neck, drawing a snort from the beast, as he turned back to face her.


    Ling Qi still hadn¡¯t gotten a proper look at his face, but somehow, the tilt of his head gave the impression that he was examining her, making her straighten her posture unconsciously.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she responded after a moment. ¡°And¡­ where is hall one? And is there anything else I should know?¡±


    ¡°In the front door. Just follow the signs,¡± he responded dismissively, crossing his arms. The act tugged the long sleeves of his robe up, showing that his gloves extended to at least his elbows. He paused, once again giving her the feeling of being appraised.


    ¡°The Elders will lay out the rules. Just be respectful,¡± he added in a lazy tone. ¡°But¡­ find some friends and be quick about it. Loners tend to have trouble. You can¡¯t watch your back all the time, you know?¡± His monstrosity of a hat tilted to the side, and she got the impression that he was smiling again. ¡°Call it advice from a senior who was in a similar spot.¡±


    She¡­ had never been particularly good at making friends, much less keeping them, but she could take friendly advice with good grace.


    ¡°Thank you again. I should be on my way though.¡± Her voice was more hesitant than she would have liked. She turned to head toward the building then stopped.


    ¡°Might I know your name?¡± she asked. It seemed silly to not at least introduce herself to someone who seemed helpful.


    ¡°Dong Fu,¡± he responded easily. ¡°You¡¯re right. Get going. You don¡¯t want to be late, and I already know your name.¡±


    Ling Qi dipped her head in his direction and set off, hurrying along as fast as she could manage in her new clothes.


    The Sect¡¯s central building loomed ahead. Somehow, she knew, things would never be quite the same again once she crossed that threshold.

 Smelting 2

    As it turned out, Dong Fu was correct. The signs were quite clear. Only a handful of other silver robed youths remained in the wide open entrance hall as she entered, and none of them paid her any more than a passing glance.


    The rear wall of the entrance hall was taken up by a massive board of ebony wood. A banner was strung up on the board, clearly delineating directions for new disciples. The spotlessly clean wooden interior of the building was honestly a little unsettling. It was unnatural; the floor was so polished that it was practically a mirror, and she couldn¡¯t see a single scuff or mark anywhere, let alone a speck of dust.


    She couldn¡¯t give that too much thought, however, because she was one of the last ones in. As she arrived at the sliding doors marking the entrance to hall one, she could hear the murmur of a large number of people speaking quietly within.


    Peering inside, she could see that the large room was built with a series of long desks placed on descending tiers, broken up by shallow steps going down to the pit where the lecturer¡¯s podium stood. The desks were almost completely full, and as she stepped inside, Ling Qi caught more than one curious, dismissive, or assessing look from the crowd of chattering fourteen year olds already present. It made her hackles rise; the feeling of condescending dismissal was an almost physical thing.


    Giving herself a shake, she forced herself to ignore it and search for empty seats.


    The most obvious and first to draw her eye was a whole section which lay empty centered on a pale girl. The girl had snow white hair that fell freely down to the middle of her back and was everything Ling Qi was not: petite and dainty with almost supernaturally pale skin. She was whispering into the sleeve of her uniform, which had been personalized with a scale-like pattern in the embroidery. She seemed to be paying very little attention to her surroundings, yet she sat alone in an otherwise packed room.


    The girl raised her head then, looking toward Ling Qi. Ling Qi felt her blood run cold for as she saw the other girl¡¯s eyes, golden and slit pupiled. A shudder of animalistic fear rippled up her spine. The moment ended when the other girl broke eye contact and returned her attention to a bright green snake which had just poked its head out of her sleeve.


    What was that? She had felt like a mouse in front of a serpent, yet the girl¡¯s expression hadn¡¯t even been hostile nor condescending, just indifferent.


    Ling Qi quickly turned her attention to the other possible seats. There was another girl who had a seat open next to her. She was leanly muscled with sun-darkened skin and bright red hair woven into a single braid. The splash of color stood out amidst the rest of the room.


    Strangely, she was wearing a partial boys uniform: a pair of baggy pants rather than a robe and a silken sleeveless shirt. Ling Qi might have thought her a feminine boy if not for how¡­ stretched the shirt she wore was. Unlike the others, who were seated with meticulous posture, she sat with her feet propped on the desk in front of her and a bored expression on her face. Her gaze briefly flickered Ling Qi''s way before the laid back girl seemed to dismiss her as unimportant. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    Further down, there was an open seat adjacent to the steps next to a tall boy, tall enough that she wouldn¡¯t be looking down at him if they stood face to face. He was¡­ well, a little handsome Ling Qi could admit, in the classical way, with noble features and good proportions. But not girlish, the way some nobles and wealthy sorts could get.


    Mainly, her attention was drawn by the gold furred tiger cub curled up on top of his head. She stared for a moment, but no one else seemed to think it odd. When he noticed her look, the boy gave her a friendly smile and a slight nod that made the cub on his head growl unhappily.


    The last available seat was in the room¡¯s far corner next to a short young man with with shaggy brown hair and a rather nasty burn scar extending across his right cheek, down his neck, and under his shirt. It was quite ugly, and it took a moment to pull her eyes from the scar to look at the rest of him. He was of middling height and compact build. Just from a glance, she would guess him to be one of the few others in this room to be of the same¡­ social class as her. He certainly looked as out of place and uncomfortable as she felt.


    When he met her eyes, his gaze was measuring and wary. Her eyes skittered away immediately. He reminded her too much of Tonghou, and wasn¡¯t she going to leave that behind?


    Ling Qi glanced between the open seats, but in the end, the choice was obvious. Dong Fu¡¯s advice still echoed in her ears, and¡­ if she was honest with herself, she wanted to follow it.


    It came down to loneliness in the end. If there was one thing Ling Qi¡¯s effort to remain unconstrained had failed to give her, it was friends. Given Mother¡¯s occupation, that pool had always been limited to begin with and living as she had for the last four years had not allowed her to spend a long time in anyone¡¯s company.


    With that in mind, she chose the option that at least seemed friendly. She began to make her way down the stairs toward the handsome boy with the tiger cub at a sedate pace. Even if his friendliness was a facade, it was better than indifference or hostility.


    That seemed to trigger most of those who had been looking at her askance to go back to their own conversations. Now that she had the opportunity to study them, Ling Qi could see that there seemed to be several cliques among those seated here. She was no socialialite, but she could see that there was no room for someone like her there.


    As she came to a stop next to the desk where the boy was seated, she did her best to put her doubts and worries aside, but it was a difficult thing.


    ¡°D¡¯you mind if I sit here?¡± The words escaped her before she could really think about it, and she clenched her fists under her sleeves. She had been trying to remember to speak formally, but it wasn¡¯t something that came naturally to her anymore. Now he was going to think she was¡­


    ¡°Sure thing.¡± His laid back words cut off her internal panic. The boy shifted in his seat, moving over a bit to give her more room. The easy smile he gave her absolutely did not make her heartbeat speed up.


    ¡°You were kinda cutting it close though, weren¡¯t you?¡± He had a slight accent that she couldn¡¯t place, which combined with his laid back attitude, seemed to draw his words out oddly.


    Ling Qi hastily seated herself before too much attention could be drawn to her embarrassed flush. Not that most were likely to care, her more reasonable side would point out. She glanced up to find him regarding her with something like amusement.


    The tiger cub curled up atop his head seemed to be sleeping again, and she briefly wondered how it hadn¡¯t fallen when he¡¯d turned his head to look at her.


    ¡°My carriage only just arrived,¡± she responded, more defensively than she would have liked. She suddenly remembered that she hadn¡¯t introduced herself yet.


    ¡°I am Ling Qi by the way,¡± she said quickly. ¡°If.. ah, you were wondering, I¡­¡± She hated the way her voice trailed off into awkward uncertainty. Let her slip through a busy street dipping her hands into pockets or stand up to a fence trying to swindle her, and she could be confident. Apparently, friendly conversation could make her composure crumble in moments.


    Worst of all, her damn hair was working its way loose again. She already had a few unruly strands drifting in front of her eyes.


    For his part, the boy gave her an odd look out of the corner of his eye as she hunched her shoulders, feeling stupid.


    ¡°Han Jian,¡± he said after a moment. ¡°Nice to meet you. Can¡¯t say I recognize the name. If your carriage just got here, you must be local so that makes sense. My tutors always complained about me not paying enough attention.¡± He says the last with a self-deprecating smile.


    His easy acceptance eased the tension Ling Qi felt and allowed her to sit up straighter. Doing so made her notice that aside from Han Jian, she just might be the tallest person in the room. So much for standing out less.


    Still, the implied question made her feel awkward. Was he only being polite because he thought she might be someone of noble birth like him? He seemed almost too casual to be a noble though.


    ¡°My family isn¡¯t very important,¡± she decided to hedge. ¡°Where are you from? I¡¯m, I mean, I am not familiar with yours either.¡± She stumbled over the words more than she would have liked, but she felt that it was still a decent deflection.


    He laughed, and Ling Qi felt the corners of her lips quirk up. It was hard to stay tense around him.


    ¡°Guess we¡¯re both a couple of slackers then,¡± he responded, sounding amused. ¡°The Han family is from the Golden Fields province.¡± He seemed really amused but also¡­ almost relieved?


    Golden Fields¡­ the name was vaguely familiar as if she had heard it once a long time ago. It came to her then. Golden Fields was the easternmost province of the empire, and more importantly...


    ¡°Oh, the Grave of the Sun. I didn¡¯t think someone would come from so far away.¡± She trailed off as she noticed that his smile had gone rather stiff.


    Did she say something rude? The story of Lu Guanxi and his final stand was famous. He was one of the Empire¡¯s greatest heroes. She couldn¡¯t really think of a reason why mentioning the hero would offend him. Maybe his family had sent him away and he didn¡¯t like being reminded of how far away he was?


    He gave a slightly forced laugh. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the one. I guess most people only remember us for that old story these days.¡±


    Ling Qi looked away awkwardly, pursing her lips. What had she said? She cast around for a change of subject to hopefully end the uncomfortable silence. Eventually, her eyes settled back on his pet, which she noticed had now opened its eyes and was staring down at her with the sort of imperious disdain that only a feline could manage.


    ¡°So¡­ where did you get your pet? I¡¯ve never seen one like that.¡± Truly, she was a master of conversation and that wasn¡¯t stilted at all.


    Why did it feel like the little tiger cub was glaring at her now?


    He blinked, but accepted the subject change. ¡°I was introduced to Heijin by my Grandmother a few years back when I managed to awaken my qi. He¡¯s not really a pet though, more like a little cousin.¡±


    What was that supposed to mean? Ling Qi had heard of some people treating their animals like family, so maybe he was just one of those. She was about to ask for clarification when a muffled boom cut through the buzz of conversation in the room.


    Like the others in the room, her attention was drawn to the source of the sound. It came from below where a tall, thin man had appeared at the lecturer¡¯s podium. He was even now lowering his hands back to his side as if he had simply clapped for their attention.


    Ling Qi frowned as she studied the man. There was something about him which set her on edge. Perhaps it was his almost unnaturally bland and thin features, clean shaven down to the eyebrows, or the slightly gray tone of his skin. If she didn¡¯t know better, she would think him ill.


    ...Or maybe it was the eye searing shades of pink and lilac he was garbed in. It was bizarre seeing what looked like the robes of a high minister in such an undignified shade. How had someone wearing such loud colors gotten past her like that? There was no door down there, so he must have come through the same entrance she had.


    She glanced over at Han Jian, but he didn¡¯t seem particularly surprised. She forced herself to relax a bit. It was some form of magic obviously, and not something which anyone else seemed concerned about though a few of the students had been startled out of their seats.


    ¡°Welcome to the Argent Peak Sect, children,¡± the strange, bald man said as he clasped his hands behind his back. His expression was one of careful neutrality, but she thought she could see amusement twinkling in his grey¡­ no, green, no¡­ in his eyes, which seemed to rapidly change colors.


    ¡°I am Sect Elder Sima Jiao, Head of the Talisman Department, and it seems that it is my turn to greet our new arrivals.¡± So this man was the one in charge of creating talismans like the spirit repelling totems placed around villages and cities? He must be incredibly wealthy. No wonder he could get away with dressing so outlandishly.


    Then she remembered the ridiculous hat her driver had worn. Perhaps becoming Immortal compelled one to dress strangely? While Ling Qi pondered the fashion sense of cultivators, Elder Jiao had clasped his hands behind his back and was giving her and the other students an assessing look.


    ¡°I am terribly busy on the best of days so I will not ramble on. To be honest, it is likely that the majority of you will never amount to anything beyond the outer sect where you stand now, and are thus... not particularly worthy of my time.¡± His blithe dismissal drew a grumble from the gathered students, Ling Qi among them. Han Jian¡¯s serene expression didn¡¯t change though. Perhaps he was simply that confident. Seeing that, Ling Qi let out a breath, reigning in her irritation.


    ¡°It is simply reality. Nothing to be ashamed of,¡± the Elder continued, not unkindly. ¡°In any case, your first years here will serve the purpose of separating those with only minor potential from those with true talent. This is why no one will be allowed to leave the sect grounds during the first year, nor will any correspondence be allowed in or out in the first three months.¡±


    That seemed to surprise some of the other disciples, setting off a wave of whispers, though no one dared to openly question the elder. It didn¡¯t bother Ling Qi though. What did she have outside this place? Perhaps she would enjoy a stroll through her original home when she had made something of herself, but until then, why bother?


    ¡°Be silent,¡± Elder Jiao said then, pulling her attention back to him. ¡°You will have time enough for mortal concerns later. Today and in the future, you are disciples of the Argent Peak. The foundation you lay in the first steps of your path will shape the rest of your lives. There is no need for distractions from the outside world.¡± His odd, color-shifting eyes swept over the room as his stern expression softened back into the same easy amusement he showed at the beginning of his speech.


    ¡°The only other rule is that you may not kill or permanently maim your fellow disciples nor may you damage or steal sect property. In addition, there is to be absolutely no violence between you newcomers for the first three months. Conflict is important for your growth, but it would not do to allow potential to be cut off before it can even begin to bloom.¡±


    His words, delivered in a light tone still sent a chill down Ling Qi¡¯s spine. It seemed things wouldn¡¯t be so different from home after all. She found herself eyeing her fellows in a new light, as possible enemies and obstacles.


    Ling Qi was brought up short only when she saw Han Jian giving her a reassuring smile. Only then did she noticed that her hands resting on the desk in front of her had clenched nervously. She did her best to return her current companion¡¯s smile, but the expression was a little wan.


    It was unlikely that she could rely on someone whom she had only shared a brief conversation with. She managed to calm herself after another few moments; worrying for her safety was nothing new. Besides, the Elder was speaking again, and she needed to pay attention.


    ¡°Each of you will be granted an allowance of five red spirit stones per month and access to the Argent Soul Art,¡± he continued, confusing her. She had no idea what either of those things were.


    ¡°For those of you not aware,¡± he added, ¡°spirit stones are the currency of the Immortals, more valuable than gold or silver.¡± Ling Qi was suddenly all too aware of the way his unsettling gaze rested on her before passing to a handful of other students in the room.


    ¡°Cultivation requires the consumption of the energy in said stones, at least until one masters certain other arts. I would suggest frugality. As for the Argent Soul Art, it is the beginners form of the Sect¡¯s cultivation art. It is exceptional for early growth, if somewhat less effective for mature cultivators.¡± The older man rolled his shoulders then and glanced toward the door.


    ¡°All of your mortal necessities will be provided in the Sect at no further cost. Behind this building are two paths leading to the residential areas. You will be segregated by gender, of course.¡± He smiled as if amused by some private joke. ¡°I would not suggest trespassing in the wrong zone. Rooming arrangements will be up to you, but expect to room with at least one other disciple. For the first three months, two Elders will be on the mountain to provide beginner¡¯s training in, the physical and spiritual aspects of our arts respectively. I suggest you seek them out because you will need to earn such elder attention later.


    "All else will be up to you, your skill, and your talent.¡± He unclasped his hands and brought them back up to rest on the podium, but they were no longer empty. Instead, he held a large jewelry box made of dark green jade. ¡°Now, if you would file up in an orderly fashion, I will be handing out your first month¡¯s allowance.¡±


    As she stood, preparing to join the forming line below, Han Jian spoke up quietly from beside her. He was now standing as well, and Ling Qi noted that she had been right. He was actually taller than her; it felt strange to look up at someone her own age. Heijin, his tiger cub had migrated from his head to his shoulder, clinging to the fabric with his¡­? little kitten claws. The tiger cub was still giving the impression of glaring at her.


    ¡°Do you need a couple of pointers on getting started?,¡± he asked, sounding a bit awkward. ¡°I couldn¡¯t help but notice you aren¡¯t actually awakened yet. You just seemed a little on edge, you know?¡± He followed Ling Qi as she stepped out into the aisle to join the line.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ling Qi responded after a moment. He had seemed friendly enough, and it wasn¡¯t as if she had anything he could possibly want.


    ¡°How would I contact you though?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    He hummed thoughtfully as the line shuffled forward. ¡°Hm, I¡¯ll wait out in the front plaza here around noon tomorrow. That sound good? I¡¯d rather not end up with last pick of the housing today.¡±


    She supposed she didn¡¯t have much choice in the matter. She nodded her assent and fell silent. Making conversation was more tiring than she thought.


    She soon received her allowance of spirit stones and a scroll case containing her new ¡®cultivation art¡¯. No one had come out and said it, but she thought it likely that it was necessary for ¡®awakening¡¯ since they were giving it out to everyone. She would have to read it later, and practice. Perhaps she could surprise Han Jian come tomorrow? The thought was oddly pleasing.


    For now though, Ling Qi thought as the line moved forward, she had to make sure that she would be able to keep these ¡®gifts¡¯. The first step to that would be seeing to her housing.

 Smelting 3

    The glittering red stones were almost entrancing to look at, Ling Qi thought. Each one was the size of her thumb and had an odd warmth that was very pleasant. She stowed them away almost immediately.


    Having what felt like such valuable precious stones on her person made her nervous. She really wished the gown she had been given had hidden pockets to it. Still, the Elder had forbidden all violence for the next three months, and while that normally wouldn¡¯t be enough to make her relax, in this case, she had a feeling that it would actually be enforced.


    Filing outside, their group was quickly joined by the disciples from the other two lecture halls. The disciples moved toward the two mountain paths that lay behind the main hall. Each path was flanked by a pair of large stone pillars carved with many symbols centered around a single large character. The right hand set had the character for man; the left hand set had the character for woman. The meaning was rather obvious, and it seemed that no one had a desire to test the elders¡¯ words today.


    Walking between the pillars gave Ling Qi an odd tingling sensation, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. It was unpleasantly like being watched, but thankfully faded as they moved further from the pillars. For now, she walked silently somewhere in the middle of the crowd of quietly chattering girls, clutching the strap of her satchel tightly and feeling terribly out of place. There were a bit over a hundred people in the group here. That meant that she had quite a few people to compete with if the implications of Elder Jiao¡¯s statements were true.


    She recognized a handful of the girls from her own lecture hall, mostly the two she had considered sitting with. The red haired girl strolled along at the head of the group, hands behind her head and looking for all the world like she was leading them despite simply walking in the same direction. The white haired girl was noticeable simply because of the ¡®bubble¡¯ of clear space around her as she walked with her head down toward the rear of the group. Many of the other girls had grouped into little chattering cliques already.


    Reaching the crest of the hill, Ling Qi caught her first glimpse of the residences. Built at the bottom of a small ravine in the mountainside, the homes were set out in a neat grid with wide clean streets between them. At the far end was a veritable mansion, like something she would glimpse over the wall that separated the inner city from the outer back home. Smaller, but still nearly palatial homes with flowering gardens came next. Then came the stone homes that lacked gardens but looked like something a successful craftsman might own. Past that, there were tiny round hovels with straw roofs, barely big enough for two people.


    Ling Qi peered over the residences with a determined look. To be frank, having a home at all was a luxury beyond her means so the quality didn¡¯t necessarily concern her. However, given Elder Jiao¡¯s words that she would likely end up rooming with someone, it meant there simply weren¡¯t enough free homes.


    Ling Qi took a calming breath as they began to make their way down the steep path that led to the residences. She was going to be in danger here once the brief period of enforced nonviolence ended. She would need to make an effort to keep herself safe.


    One way was to gain strength herself, which was strange to think of as it had never really been an option before. A second method was following her driver¡¯s advice and finding ¡®someone to watch her back¡¯. Han Jian¡­ well, while she hoped he would turn out to be genuine, even if he was only pitying her, he couldn¡¯t help her here on the girl¡¯s side.


    She really wasn¡¯t good at this sort of thing. She had never joined any of the street gangs at home; she had no illusions about what her ¡®role¡¯ in such a group would have been. If she wanted that, she would have just stayed with Mother and at least made a living out of it.


    At the same time, she didn¡¯t really have anything to offer at the moment though. Casting a surreptitious glance around at the other girls, she found it doubtful that she would be able to involve herself in any of their cliques. There were a few who seemed like they came from less wealthy backgrounds, including a strange girl with dirty smudges on her and wearing some kind of odd fluffy belt of fur around her waist. They wouldn¡¯t be able to help keep her safe though because they had the same problem of having nothing to offer yet.


    So her gaze went back to the two girls she had shared a lecture hall with. The white haired girl was a better choice to approach first she thought. A look around at the others showed that she was ostracized for some reason whereas the distance kept by the others around the red headed girl seemed more¡­ respectful? Fearful might be a better word.


    Another glance at the white haired girl solidified her resolve to approach. She had no real position so any approach was a gamble. She may as well try for someone who clearly had some kind of power but who wouldn¡¯t have other options.


    ... And honestly she felt a little bad watching the girl trudge along with her head down. She could recognize the defensiveness in the set of her shoulders.


    Ling Qi began to drift closer to the girl, sidling through the gaps until she reached the empty space around the other girl. As she ¡®broke¡¯ the bubble, she noticed several of the girls nearby go quiet and one or two look her way.


    Ignoring the nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach, she pressed on until the girl she was approaching noticed her presence and looked up. She got a better look at the other girl¡¯s face then.


    She was unnaturally pale and had the fine features of a porcelain doll framed by silky white hair that fell down to the middle of her back. However, her thin lips were unpainted and bloodless, barely standing out from the rest of her skin, nor did she appear to be wearing any other cosmetics.


    Mostly, it was her eyes that drew Ling Qi¡¯s attention. The slit pupils and wide golden irises were unnerving, but despite the thrill of terror when their eyes met, Ling Qi did not look away or retreat as the fear made her want to do. It helped that the top of the girl¡¯s head didn¡¯t even reach Ling¡¯s Qi¡¯s shoulder. Instead, she nodded to the other girl and fell in beside her a few polite steps away.


    ¡°Hello, I am Ling Qi.¡± Her voice was stiffer than she would have liked. Several beats of awkward silence followed as the white-haired girl stared at her expressionlessly without blinking. It was very off putting.


    When the girl didn¡¯t respond, she asked, ¡°May I have your name?¡±


    That seemed to prompt the other girl to blink thankfully, though her expression was unchanged. It was difficult to read her, but she didn¡¯t think the other girl was wary of her so much as¡­ nonplussed at her presence.


    ¡°Bai Meizhen of the Thousand Lakes province,¡± the girl responded by rotely. ¡°Why did you not finish introducing yourself?¡±


    Ling Qi glanced to the side, aware that she and the other girl were being surreptitiously watched. ¡°I did,¡± she responded awkwardly. ¡°I mean, I suppose I am from the Emerald Seas province,¡± she added hastily.


    It seemed like trying to maintain formal speech patterns really was a lost cause. She doubted she could deceive the girl for any length of time anyway given her lack of knowledge about noble families. Was there a noble Ling clan?


    Her response ended in another painfully awkward silence, and Ling Qi shifted from foot to foot as the other girl stared at her. She really wished the other girl would blink more often.


    Finally, Bai Meizhen spoke again, a hint of confusion coloring her mostly toneless voice. ¡°I¡­ see. What is it you require then? I am afraid I have not been granted allowance to hire a maidservant.¡±


    Ling Qi could not help but grit her teeth at the dismissal and the soft titter she caught from one of the closer girls¡­ but she managed to calm herself. She had been insulted before and after the initial wave of irritation, she could see that there was no malice in the other girl¡¯s words. It was more like she was just¡­ completely lost on why else Ling Qi would be talking to her. So she pushed down her anger and put on a smile. She would just be blunt then.


    ¡°I was actually thinking we could be friends. We¡¯re both cultivators, right?¡± Cultivation was supposed to supersede bloodline and such, even if it seemed that might not be how it worked in practice. ¡°You seem like you could use a friend, and we have to pair off for housing anyway.¡±


    The odd girl tilted her head to the side slightly, her pace slowing as she observed Ling Qi with an odd intensity. Then her eyes shifted to the side as she frowned, pursing her lips as if listening to something. No one was talking to them as far as Ling Qi could tell.


    ¡°I suppose that is acceptable,¡± Bai Meizhen responded after a moment longer. She didn¡¯t seem particularly pleased or displeased with Ling Qi¡¯s assertion of friendship, but that might have been the unsettling lack of emotional cues the girl gave.


    ¡°I will warn you however. Do not approach me while I sleep. It is likely that you would die.¡± The white haired girl delivered that line in the same cold, even tone as the rest of her speech.


    Ling Qi stared at Bai Meizhen trying to work out if that was meant as a threat, a warning, both or something else entirely. After a moment¡¯s consideration, she forced herself to laugh. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind. That would be pretty unfortunate, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    The other girl just dipped her head very slightly in acknowledgement. ¡°It would be unpleasant to lose my first friend to something so avoidable,¡± she responded agreeably.


    Ling Qi narrowed her eyes at the other girl, trying to work out if she was mocking her, but quickly gave up. Turning her eyes ahead as they resumed walking, she saw that they were a bit over halfway down the path.


    ¡°I was thinking we might talk someone else into joining us. Safety in numbers, you know? Would you have a problem with that?¡±


    Bai Meizhen seemed to consider that before briefly glancing down at her left arm. ¡°It would likely be difficult to convince another to share a space with me. I do not object in principle though. Did you have someone in mind?¡±


    Ling Qi glanced at the nearby girls, noting with a somewhat heavy heart, the disdainful looks she received in return. Cozying up to Bai Meizhen had earned her some residual dislike. Keeping her voice low so as not to carry, she nodded toward the front of the group. ¡°That girl, the one with red hair, She¡¯s alone too.¡±


    For the first time, she saw something like actual emotion surface on Bai Meizhen¡¯s face as her perfect eyebrows drew together in a look of bafflement. ¡°You¡­ wish to share a roof with her?¡± she asked, sounding somewhat incredulous.


    She looked back and forth between Ling Qi and the redhead before something seemed to occur to her and make her consternation disappear. ¡°That is the eldest great-granddaughter of Sun Shao, Sun Liling¡± she explained patiently, as if to a child.


    Ling Qi bristled at the condescension, but she was fairly certain that Bai Meizhen meant well by it. She was hardly going to jeopardize her success at this juncture.


    ¡°...Who?¡± she asked as politely as she could.


    The other girl frowned at her, irritation flashing in her eyes. ¡°The Butcher of the West.¡± Her frown only deepened at Ling Qi¡¯s lack of recognition. ¡°The Scarlet General. King of the Western Territories.¡±


    Well, that wasn¡¯t ominous at all. She was at least aware of the Western Territories. It was a swathe of land on the western border of the Celestial Empire that had been conquered under the reign of the previous Emperor. As far as she knew, it was barely civilized and constantly under siege by barbarians.


    ¡°What is someone like that doing here?¡± Ling Qi asked cautiously. Han Jian was from a far flung province as well, but he wasn¡¯t a direct relation of the province¡¯s ruler either.


    ...He wasn¡¯t, right? She might have to start learning more about this kind of thing.


    ¡°I do not know. Her presence here is bizarre,¡± Meizhen replied simply.


    Ling Qi felt oddly gratified to know her first thought on the matter was not entirely off base. ¡°Still, is there a particular reason not to approach her?¡± If she were to approach her, she would need to do so soon as the group was nearing the entrance to the residential area.


    Bai Meizhen shook her head. ¡°Yes,¡± she replied flatly. ¡°However, I will not stop you if you wish to go to her.¡± The pale girl gave her a measuring look, and something she couldn¡¯t quite manage to read flashed through Bai Meizhen¡¯s eyes. ¡°You may have a chance, I suppose,¡± Bai Meizhen added impassively before turning her attention back to the path ahead.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m at least going to try and talk her into it,¡± Ling Qi said stubbornly. She stole another look at her companion, but the girl just nodded, her expression blank again. Ling Qi dipped her head to the other girl and strode forward, picking up her pace to move through the crowd.


    It was a bit harder than before as she found herself blocked by seemingly oblivious girls, even jostled once or twice ¡®accidentally¡¯. She refused to rise to such bait for the moment. More uncomfortable was the way she could feel Bai Meizhen¡¯s unwavering gaze on her back. Still, they weren¡¯t walking particularly fast so even with such distractions, it didn¡¯t take more than a minute to get up to the front of the group. She soon broke through the crowd, and after a moment¡¯s hesitation, she continued forward toward the red haired girl.


    ¡°You can stop right there.¡± Sun Liling¡¯s voice brought her up short several steps away. The tanned girl had a pronounced rough accent, though thankfully, it didn¡¯t make her words too difficult to understand.


    ¡°Whaddaya want?¡± The other girl hadn¡¯t even looked at her yet.


    Up close, Ling Qi could see the corded muscle in the other girl¡¯s bare arms and the torn cloth where the redhead had ripped off the sleeves of her uniform. The girl was taller than most, only a few centimeters shorter than Ling Qi.


    More importantly, Ling Qi got a better look at the way the girl moved, and it reminded her of the most dangerous people on the streets back home, the murderers and gang enforcers. Sun Liling had a grace that even they lacked however.


    ¡°I was going to ask if you had decided who you were pairing up with for housing,¡± Ling Qi responded tentatively.


    Finally, Sun Liling deigned to turn her head slightly, not lowering the arms held behind her head. The pose made it difficult to ignore the fabric strained to near breaking across across her chest. Ling Qi managed it with only a minor spike of irritation, returning her attention to the other girl¡¯s face.


    It was disturbing to note that the other girl¡¯s eyes were the color of freshly spilt blood. The most attention grabbing feature was the three, thin white lines that traced down across her nose and lips. It looked like something had raked it¡¯s claws down her face.


    ¡°The snake blow you off then?¡± She asked abruptly.


    The other girl was making no effort to keep her voice down, and Ling Qi just managed not to squirm at the silence from the girls closest to them.


    ¡°I¡­ no.¡± She still stumbled over the words though. ¡°How did you¡­¡±


    ¡°I wanted to see what had the geese back there squawking,¡± Sun Liling drawled lazily. ¡°I guess I gotta give you points for ambition if nothing else.¡± Ling Qi felt uncomfortable at the other girl¡¯s intent study of her.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look completely soft. You might be worth something if you work at it.¡±


    Indignant, Ling Qi¡¯s next words slipped out before she could think about it. ¡°Don¡¯t say that as if it¡¯s praise,¡± she snapped.


    ¡°I was...¡± Ling Qi¡¯s eyes flew wide open wide as a scar nicked fist suddenly stopped a hair¡¯s breadth from her nose, the blowback enough to make Ling Qi¡¯s flyaway strands flutter from her face. The others behind them stopped dead in their tracks as well. She hadn¡¯t even seen Sun Liling move into position. Sun Liling¡¯s crimson eyes were hard and cold.


    Then, Sun Liling withdrew her fist and chuckled. ¡°Made ya flinch,¡± she said in a voice laced with amusement. ¡°But seriously, if you survive the inevitable backstab from the snake, I¡¯ll still be around.¡±


    As the girl turned away and kept walking, Ling Qi glared at her back, hating the flush of embarrassment that she knew was rising on her face. This time, she managed to control herself. Her heart was still pounding in her ears from the fear she had felt in that bare second when she had thought the other girl was going to strike her. She wasn¡¯t an experienced fighter, but¡­ she was quite certain she would be in no condition to walk anywhere if the girl had followed through.


    Ling Qi fell back through the crowd, ignoring the looks she was getting and returned to Bai Meizhen¡¯s side. There was a trace of¡­ concern, maybe, on the pale girl¡¯s face before vanishing.


    ¡°Are you well?¡± the other girl asked evenly.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Ling Qi responded tersely. With an effort, she fought down the indignation and anger she felt and let out a long breath. There was no point in it right now.


    ¡°So,¡± she began with false cheer, ¡°what kind of residence do you want to take?¡±


    Bai Meizhen stared at her unblinking before dipping her head slightly, apparently acknowledging Ling Qi¡¯s desire not to talk about it.


    ¡°I do not feel the need to enter conflict over the more luxurious housing. However, the outer hovels are unacceptable.¡±


    At least that was one thing she didn¡¯t have to worry about. Ling Qi would have been happy enough to take one of the smallest homes if she were alone, but given the other girl¡¯s words regarding the consequences of disturbing her rest, Ling Qi wouldn¡¯t want to risk being in such close proximity when sleeping.


    ¡°Somewhere in the second block then? That¡¯s more than enough for me,¡± she replied, keeping her voice cheerful.


    Ling Qi had suffered far worse than a threatened fist, and she had been foolish to let her emotions get the better of her. She couldn¡¯t allow herself to forget the caution that had kept her alive for the past four years, no matter where she was now.

 Smelting 4

    Things grew rather more hectic as they reached the bottom of the path and the group splintered, various groups rushing off to secure their claims.


    For Bai Meizhen and Ling Qi, things went rather smoothly though. For all that the other girls seemed to dislike Bai Meizhen, they also seemed reluctant to confront her directly and certainly not over one of the homes in the second section. So it was with some ease that the two of them managed to secure a fairly luxurious space for themselves, or so Ling Qi felt.


    The second worst homes in the Sect were still a step above any accommodation Ling Qi had ever lived in. The squat stone building was only a single story, but in addition to a fairly spacious front room with a well kept hearth, there were also a pair of bedrooms, a tiny kitchen, and a third empty room laid out with thick mats. It wasn¡¯t furnished with any particular luxury: simple pallets and roughly carven chests for their belongings were the only contents of the bedrooms. It did have a small backyard filled with freshly trimmed grass.


    Ling Qi separated from her new roommate to head into her bedroom and luxuriate in the fact that she had a personal bedroom. While she feared what might come in the days ahead, for the moment, she let herself enjoy the feeling of luxury.


    It did not take long to put her things away. The chest in one corner of the room was big enough to hold all of her meagre possessions - but she took the time to put it all away neatly and give herself a chance to process everything that had happened today.


    Eventually, she found herself in the front room of the house with the sun setting outside. Ling Qi had discovered a sheet of paper on the kitchen¡¯s countertop, which stated that food and drink would be provided from a storehouse at the center of the district. Having retrieved and cooked a simple meal, she was sitting in front of the fire while Bai Meizhen quietly tended to the tea she was brewing in the clay pot they had found in one of the kitchen cubbies.


    With her now empty bowl set on the floor beside her, Ling Qi had the scroll for the Argent Soul technique open in her lap. She tried to decipher the odd diagram and the text around it, but it seemed no more than a collection of breathing exercises interspersed with flowery philosophical nonsense. It didn¡¯t help that her ability to read was... rusty. She was beginning to feel irritated; she knew she was missing something, but couldn¡¯t quite understand what.


    She was pulled from her thoughts by the whistle of the tea kettle. As much as she wanted to figure this out on her own¡­ she should probably ask.


    Bai Meizhen had made no indication that she was willing to help her, but after spending most of the afternoon together to collect necessities for their home, Ling Qi felt that she was beginning to get a feel for the taciturn girl. Asking for help was probably against Bai Meizhen¡¯s nature, as was offering help on her own initiative, but Ling Qi could ask.


    ¡°Bai Meizhen, do you know what this part means?¡± she asked, pointing to a block of characters next to a line pointing toward the navel of the human figure covered in lines and squiggles in the diagram.


    The other girl took a moment to look up from the brewing tea, looking faintly surprised that Ling Qi was speaking to her. She didn¡¯t really engage verbally unless prompted. She did lean forward, narrowing her creepy golden eyes to study the scroll, which Ling Qi helpfully turned to make easier for her.


    ¡°It is describing the state of mind one must reach to begin absorbing spiritual energy into one¡¯s dantian,¡± she responded a bit condescendingly. ¡°It is the initial step in the simple exercises for the first stage of the technique once you have mastered the first breathing method.¡±


    Ling Qi let out a breath, not letting the other girl¡¯s tone bother her. The other girl didn¡¯t mean any harm and was being helpful.


    ¡°What is a dantian exactly?¡± Ling Qi asked, keeping her tone even. She hated even more that she felt she earned the condescension with her ignorance.


    Bai Meizhen frowned, pausing as she poured herself a cup of the newly brewed tea. ¡°It is the seat of a cultivator¡¯s power, the core from which you channel energies through the meridians in your body. Filling the dantian is required to awaken and begin production of your own Qi.¡± She paused for a beat to stare at Ling Qi. ¡°Qi is the energy which allows us to do¡­ everything beyond the ability of mortals.¡±


    ¡°I know that much,¡± Ling Qi responded defensively. ¡°But how am I supposed to feel something inside of me like it says? It¡¯s not like I can sense any of my other organs.¡±


    The pale girl pursed her lips in consideration. ¡°Give me your hand,¡± she said brusquely, holding out her own left hand.


    ¡°Why?¡± Ling Qi glanced at the girl¡¯s hand suspiciously. She could see the movement of the small snake she had glimpsed in the girl¡¯s sleeve a few times by now.


    ¡°I will inject a spark of Qi into you,¡± Bai Meizhen responded impatiently. ¡°It will hurt, but it will allow you to feel your dantian until it fades. You will need to practice in the future to avoid the need for such crutches though.¡±


    ¡°How much pain are we talking about?¡± Ling Qi asked warily, even as she raised her hand. She knew everything depended on her being able to gain enough strength to defend herself by the end of three months. She was still suspicious and some part of her railed against so easily trusting the girl in front of her not to hurt her¡­ but could she afford that right now? Leaps of faith were all she had.


    As her housemate took her hand, Bai Meizhen answered, ¡°It is painful, but my Aunt did this for me when I was eight years old. It should be no trouble for you.¡±


    Ling Qi was about to respond when she felt a sudden heat in her palm, followed by an explosion of pain in her gut. It felt as if a burning knife had stabbed into her and then violently twisted, and she couldn¡¯t help but double over clutching her stomach. A slight whimper escaped her lips as she felt her eyes beginning to water. She didn¡¯t know how long it was until the burning pain faded to a knot of heat behind her navel, throbbing like a second heartbeat. Was this the ¡®dantian¡¯ the other girl had mentioned?


    Speaking of Bai Meizhen, she was observing Ling Qi quizzically over the lip of her teacup, and Ling Qi noted absently that a second cup had been placed before her. Letting out a shuddering breath, Ling Qi sat up, one hand still held over her stomach.


    ¡°That¡­ that was more than painful,¡± she rasped, glaring at the other girl.


    ¡°Was it?¡± the pale girl asked, seeming genuinely surprised. Ling Qi didn¡¯t know if she was misreading the other girl¡¯s cues though.


    ¡°My apologies. You can feel the dantian now though, correct?¡±


    ¡°I can,¡± Ling Qi admitted grudgingly.


    ¡°You should drink your tea then meditate while it lasts,¡± Bai Meizhen said evenly. ¡°Otherwise, it will have been for nothing.¡±


    Ling Qi slugged back the tea in her cup, grimacing at the gross, bitter flavor of it then moved to stand, loosely clutching the scroll in her hand. She was still irritated and wary that she was being messed with. Sun Liling¡¯s words echoed in her thoughts. For now, she was determined to at least try and reach this ¡®awakening¡¯.


    It had been strange.


    Ling Qi had never liked sitting still for too long before, but after she had shut the thick door to the meditation room and sat down to practice breathing as the scroll instructed, she found that her mind did not wander nearly as much as she expected it would. Rather, she seemed to fall into the pattern that the scroll described with ease as if she had been doing it for years.


    When she felt she had it down, she removed one of the glimmering red stones from her pocket and held it in her hands clasped in front of her stomach. She focused on the warmth of the stone and the throbbing pain in her abdomen and cast away her thoughts.


    The heat was all that mattered. Her body, the cold stone room - none of it mattered. Just the pulse of pain in her belly and the heat in her hands.


    She was still empty.


    Painfully so. The heat of the stone was her only hope for filling the void she could now feel.


    She focused on her breathing and began to pull in time with her breath. The energy in the stone began to move, cresting and ebbing in time with her breath, until finally, it began to flow inwards. It trickled into the slowly fading knot of pain Bai Meizhen had given her.


    Slowly, she replaced that unpleasant sensation with a comfortable warmth. It was frustrating; something was blocking the energy from entering her body and much of the energy dispersed into the air instead of being absorbed.


    When she opened her eyes and found the room dark, she felt oddly refreshed. She didn¡¯t think she had ¡®awakened¡¯ yet, but she could feel the warm steady pulse of the spiritual energy now. In contrast, the stone in her hand had turned gray and lifeless. Rubbing it between her fingers thoughtfully, she watched as it crumbled into dust.


    She stood and stretched then quietly left the room. She felt better than she had in years, and despite some initial setbacks¡­ she felt like she could do this.

 Bonus 1: Commencement Day

    The streets of the town below seemed almost like rivers of fog from the balcony Minister Xiao stood upon. The damp mist which tended to engulf everything at this time of year was certainly not the best feature of this far-flung province of the empire; it had a certain aesthetic beauty. A rustic charm to make such an isolated place feel worth it, he supposed.


    ...As long as one could quickly return to the dry warmth of their hearth and the comforts therein. He doubted those who had the misfortune of needing to be out and about today could appreciate the beauty. The weather would certainly not help shake off the current lull in trade, either. The Argent Peak Sect would be holding its introduction for new disciples today after all, as well as the advancement tests for the older ones, which meant the the shops and stalls run by the Sect¡¯s more business-minded disciples would be closed. As a silver lining, at least it meant the various ruffians would be out of town as well. Half the inhabitants would likely be out gawking at the new arrivals and guests. He had heard there were several high born candidates this year, and his people did certainly buy into the propaganda of the heroism and virtue of the nobility. He supposed that was as it should be, but as the one who interacted with them directly¡­


    Minister Xiao only hoped that those children would remain in the Sect and leave the troubles of the Imperial court back at their homes. He was quite pleased to have been given the opportunity to leave that viper¡¯s nest behind, despite the greater physical danger he faced here on the frontier. He¡¯d take the simpler and more easily understood threats of the frontier over the deceptively polite plotting back home, thank you very much.


    Shaking off sour memories, the Minister sighed and returned his thoughts to the likely low revenues for the day. Running his fingers through the luxurious, if greying, strands of his beard amidst his musings, he turned away from the view of the city to go back inside. He supposed he could not begrudge the Sect its ostentatious behavior. After all, it was due to their efforts that his town could even exist so close to the border. That said, the younger disciples had a terrible habit of breaking things at times. At least the Sect Elders were dependable in regards to paying restitution¡­ though they were often irritatingly condescending in doing so.


    He had greater concerns in any case. His gaze flicked to the side as he re-entered his manor, where one of his attendants stood with a stack of ledgers in his arms a few steps away from the balcony door, and silently gestured for the younger man to follow him. No, the real concern was that this day would also bring an inspection from an agent of the Ministry of Integrity. Their agents were¡­ unsettling at the best of times, and could not be offended at any cost. The previous week had been spent going over his records, double and triple checking the accuracy of his accounts. He had never allowed truly large indiscretions in the decade since he had been appointed to this post, and he would not allow that to change this year.


    Still, there was always some young fool of a clerk who thought it possible to get away with skimming from the coffers meant for the Imperial Court. Xiao had one such unfortunate young man in the towns cells now, ready to hand over to the Agent when they arrived. It was unfortunate for such a talented young man to meet his end over such a trifle, but corruption was not tolerated in the slightest by the current Imperial Court. It was certainly a far thing from the light hand disciples received for all but the most serious crimes. He was assured by the Elders that punishments for such things were a serious matter, but he sometimes doubted that given some of the repeat offenders over the years. Of course, there were things even a Great Sect could not protect a disciple from, such as the assault or murder of an official like himself, or other serious crimes.


    Hopefully there was nothing which had escaped his notice and the Agent could quickly be on their way without any other members of his bureaucracy needing to disappear.


    Zhu Qing strode down the misty street, hands clasped behind her back, never needing to so much as slow her steps to avoid the early morning foot traffic. The sight of her plain black and silver gown, white streaked hair fluttering in a nonexistent breeze, and the featureless white jade mask was enough to cause all those before her to give way with a hasty bow and a murmured apology. All was as it should be.


    She was fairly pleased with this town. Since she had been assigned as its inspector by the Ministry, not once had she been forced to take any truly drastic action. The mortal bureaucrats were hard working, honest, and obedient to the edicts of the Imperial Court, and its governing minister was a virtuous man.


    Meanwhile, the nobles and ministers of the more central provinces assumed far too often their prosperity and position granted them the right to defy Imperial law. Perhaps the difficult life on the border did not afford the time for such indiscretions, or perhaps the policies of the new ruling clan could be credited.


    The Agent smiled behind her mask. Not that the Cai were without flaw. No one was, mortal or otherwise.


    She knew the minister had caught a thief already, due to the informants she had in his manor, and she was pleased to know that Minister Xiao was as proactive as ever. She would still need to inspect everything personally, of course. The man was only mortal, and he would miss things. She was confident that he need never feel the touch of her Reaper though. The man was too sensible for that.


    The thought caused the spirit bound within her to stir, its icy qi pulsing through her spinal meridians for a moment and intensifying the phantom breeze that blew around her person. A man who had the misfortune to be passing by her at that moment shuddered, face paling. He took one look at the frost forming in the wake of her footsteps before quickly hurrying away from the Agent. For her part, she did not spare the mortal laborer a glance, quickly quelling her spirit with ease of long practice. Death aspected spirits were nearly always the most difficult to control, and binding the Reaper had been among the most difficult tests for entry into the Ministry.


    Zhu Qing¡¯s gaze drifted to the mountains that towered over the town as she recalled her own days as a disciple of the Argent Peak Sect. It had been an enjoyable time, full of youthful indiscretion, and she still thought fondly of it even now. It was one reason she was glad for the sensibility of the local minister. She would hate for her yearly return to be stained by anything truly¡­ unpleasant. The accountings required for major purges were terribly tedious and time consuming after all.


    As it was, she looked forward to completing her inspection so that she could visit her junior sister for tea. It had been too long since she had seen the other woman, who was often out at the more far-flung border forts fighting barbarians. She had been assured in their last correspondence that her friend would be home this year though.


    After that would come the meeting with the Sect Head, which she was looking forward to substantially less. He would likely be less than pleased with the response to his funding request, but sadly as much as Zhu Qing wished to see her old home prosper, she knew that the Empress¡¯ opinion differed on this matter.


    The Argent Peak was a major sect in this region, but at court, it was considered to be one of the less crucial points in the empire¡¯s defense. With the stirring of the barbarians in the north and west, and the difficulty in reining in the western lords themselves, it simply was not the top priority. Perhaps if the Sect had managed to produce a good crop of Ministry or Imperial Guard candidates, she could have spoken to her superiors on the matter.


    There was little to do about it for the moment, though. Zhu Qing knew her duty must as always come before personal feelings.

 Chapter 1-First Steps 1

    Ling Qi began her first morning as a disciple of the Sect blearily rummaging through the tiny kitchen for something simple to eat. She was quite happy that they had stocked up the previous night; she would hate to have to trudge out to the storehouse before she had a chance to properly wake up.


    Honestly, it still felt a little bizarre to think that she no longer had to worry about where her food would come from. Her musings served as ample distraction while she finished preparing breakfast. She was a bit surprised to note that Meizhen¡¯s door was still closed, and there was no sign of the other girl waking up yet. Ling Qi hadn¡¯t really read the girl as being the type to sleep in like this.


    A quick glance out the window as she sat down to eat showed that it was a good hour past sunrise. Even after she had finished eating and gone back to her room to make a futile effort at taming her hair and cleaning up for the day ahead, her roommate¡¯s door remained closed. Ling Qi considered knocking, or even cracking the door open to check on her, but the other girl¡¯s warning lingered in her mind.


    Instead, she decided to spend her morning continuing to work on the exercises given for the Argent Soul technique until it was closer to noon. Sitting cross legged in the darkened meditation room simply breathing was oddly relaxing once she had managed to still her thoughts, and Ling Qi quickly found her tiredness fading.


    Without using a spirit stone, she didn¡¯t feel any increase in the fragile flicker of warmth remaining from last night¡¯s meditation, but it still felt good to sense it ¡®breathing¡¯ along with her. For the first time in recent memory, she felt like she was genuinely good at something. She knew it was probably just wishful thinking on her part, but she allowed the thought to linger anyway.


    When she emerged from the meditation room, she found that Bai Meizhen had finally awakened. The girl was seated by the hearth sipping from a cup of water, looking just as immaculate as she had the day before. Ling Qi felt a twinge of jealousy at the seeming ease with which the other girl maintained her appearance. She had long since resigned herself to her own peculiarities.


    More importantly, the pale girl was different in one major way; the snake she had seen hints of was now fully visible, looped loosely around Bai Meizhen¡¯s neck. It was an eye catching thing with bright green scales that reminded her of expensive jade. It was also quite small, only being about as wide as two fingers held together.


    The snake and girl looked up with eerie synchronicity as Ling Qi emerged, and she couldn¡¯t help but notice that the little snake¡¯s eyes were the exact same shade as Meizhen¡¯s. Before the silence could become awkward, Ling Qi looked back up to her roommate¡¯s face.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re up then. Good morning.¡± She didn¡¯t feel the need to try and speak better around the other girl, who seemed to have no reaction to it either way.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± Bai Meizhen responded evenly, not breaking eye contact¡­ or blinking. Ling Qi really wished she would blink more often. ¡°Did your cultivation go well?¡± (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    Ling Qi shrugged, feeling a bit self conscious. She liked to think so, but she had nothing to compare it too. ¡°I think so. I mean¡­ I don¡¯t think I managed to ¡®awaken¡¯ but I think I can feel something in my ¡®dantian¡¯ now?¡± Ling Qi stumbled over her words more than she would have liked.


    The pale girl simply nodded slightly in response, setting down her now empty cup. ¡°That is expected. It would be highly unusual for you to have broken through to the Red Soul stage in a single night of cultivation without significantly greater resources.¡± She reached up to idly stroke the tiny spade shaped head of her serpent with one finger as she spoke and the reptile pressed itself against her touch.


    ¡°I cannot imagine you will fail to achieve it by the end of the week should you put the effort in,¡± she added. Her tone was as bland as ever, but Ling Qi thought she was going for encouraging. Maybe. She also might be putting an ultimatum down; it was hard to tell.


    Despite that, Ling Qi had a feeling that this girl¡¯s views on natural progression speeds might be a bit skewed. ¡°I know I¡¯ll manage it,¡± she responded with more confidence than she actually felt. ¡°I have to go out though so I¡¯ll see you later.¡± She¡¯d like to ask more about some of the things the other girl touched on, but she¡¯d be late if she did.


    Bai Meizhen responded with a small nod as Ling Qi turned to go, turning her full attention back to the serpent around her neck. The last sight she had of them was the bright green snake raising its head and hissing in Bai Meizhen¡¯s ear, almost as if whispering to her.


    It was a clear, bright day, though the autumn chill was quite strong. Ling Qi was relieved to find that her disciple¡¯s uniform was warm despite the fact that it was hardly winter wear. It really was the nicest set of clothing she had ever owned. She still wanted to modify it a bit, if only because of the poor fit. Perhaps she could see about breaking in the sewing kit she had been provided.


    Such thoughts were kept to the back of her head as most of Ling Qi¡¯s focus was on ensuring that she didn¡¯t run across trouble on the way to the plaza. She didn¡¯t know if her ¡®friendship¡¯ with Bai Meizhen would be enough to invite real reprisal, but she didn¡¯t feel the need to take chances.


    With no one actively looking for her and the lack of real crowds, it wasn¡¯t difficult to simply take a circuitous route to the edge of the area. Once there, she skirted around the perimeter until she reached the entrance path carved into the mountainside. She kept her head down and slouched subtly to hide her height, making it out without trouble.


    It would get harder as time went on, but for now, her little tricks for avoiding notice were sufficient. Luckily, there were few people on the path to the plaza, and those that were traveling it were fairly scattered and too occupied with their own thoughts to pay her any mind. The plaza itself was more populated, and it was here that she first saw older disciples. There were even more of them than students her own age. Where had they come from?


    She stuck to the edge of the plaza for a time to observe but eventually relaxed. None of the older disciples seemed to have any interest in those from her group. In fact, they seemed to be almost pointedly ignoring them as they went about their business. Most headed into the large lecture building, but others simply stood around in groups chatting or heading off down the other¡­


    Those hadn¡¯t been there yesterday. There were now four other gates - two on the eastern side and two on the western side - marking paths that wound up or down the mountain. Ling Qi shook her head at the sight. More magic. She really was out of her league. The confidence she had felt last night and this morning was ebbing quickly. Eventually, she moved out of the shade of the gates and begin searching for Han Jian.


    She knew it was foolish, but between her embarrassment with Sun Liling and her roommate¡¯s¡­ taciturn nature, she really was looking forward to some simple, friendly interaction. She couldn¡¯t really bring herself to be suspicious of the handsome boy.


    This was the only reason she paused rather than leave entirely when she caught sight of him already having a conversation with another disciple. It was another boy, shorter by a head than the two of them, but significantly broader at the shoulder and wider at the waist. If anything, he seemed almost Han Jian¡¯s opposite: squat and brawny with fierce features and spiky black hair.


    She wasn¡¯t close enough to hear them over the low murmur of sound from the rest of the plaza, but she did see that the shorter boy was doing most of the talking, gesturing wildly. He seemed to have a rather bombastic personality at first glance.


    Han Jian¡¯s smile seemed pretty fixed. Han Jian met her eyes then, noticing her where she had stopped in the shade of one of the scattered peach trees. For an instant, Ling Qi saw something like relief in his eyes. That was enough to get her moving again. Once she had gotten closer, Han Jian raised a hand, interrupting the other boy.


    ¡°Ling Qi! Over here! Glad you could make it.¡± That was one way to excuse oneself from a conversation though she wasn¡¯t too pleased about the attention it drew to her. For his part, the shorter boy turned quickly in the direction of Han Jian¡¯s gaze, an eager expression on his face¡­ only for it to fade as soon as his eyes landed on her.


    Ling Qi suppressed her frown and instead nodded politely to Han Jian as she closed the distance.


    ¡°Good morning, Han Jian. I¡¯m sorry if I was late.¡± With him, she felt she should at least make an effort at politeness.


    Ling Qi glanced at his companion. He was frowning unhappily at her. What was his problem? ¡°Who might your-¡±


    ¡°Really, Jian?¡± the shorter boy interrupted, giving the other boy an incredulous look. ¡°When I heard a heartbreaker like you was coming out to meet a girl, I thought I would have a chance to meet a beauty, not a stick with pretensions!¡±


    His words were loud and coarse, even discounting their content. Ling Qi felt her expression freeze on her face even as Han Jian winced almost imperceptibly. If she hadn¡¯t already noticed his discomfort with the other boy, she might have done or said something unfortunate. As it was, she held back, but only just, by clenching her teeth. In the silence that followed, Han Jian managed to rally.


    ¡°...Yu, isn¡¯t that a bit much? There¡¯s no call to be rude to another practitioner. Besides, I told you that it wasn¡¯t anything like that.¡±


    ¡°That was definitely more than a bit much,¡± Ling Qi interjected sourly, glaring at the shorter boy, and ignoring the unpleasant twinge that Han Jian¡¯s words brought for no reason that she would acknowledge.


    ¡®Yu¡¯ simply waved a dismissive hand at her words, making her temper flare further. He didn¡¯t even look at her. ¡°She¡¯s just a commoner, Jian. You can tell by looking. Are you really going to waste time on this?¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t bother saying anything this time though her expression grew darker. She couldn¡¯t do anything about this now, but she would certainly remember the insult. Han Jian¡¯s expression was wary as he responded.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to break a promise, Yu.¡± It was probably the least friendly thing she had ever heard him say.


    The shorter boy snorted in response. ¡°Fine. I suppose I won¡¯t begrudge you your tastes, Jian. Just try not to waste too much time. I won¡¯t stand for a brother of mine falling behind!¡± He stomped off on his own as his words faded into the morning air, leaving the two of them standing in awkward silence. Well, Han Jian seemed awkward. Ling Qi was seething internally.


    ¡°So¡­ brother?¡± she asked dully, fixing Han Jian with an unimpressed expression.


    He winced, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. It was only then that she noticed the tiger cub was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Not by blood. It¡¯s just¡­¡± he trailed off, seemingly searching for words. ¡°Have you ever had a peer that your parents pretty much ordered you to make nice with? It¡¯s like that.¡±


    Ling Qi hadn¡¯t ever had that experience, but she could understand what he meant. She had ¡®made nice¡¯ with less pleasant people during her time living in the streets. She felt her temper cooling. It wasn¡¯t Han Jian¡¯s fault.


    ¡°Heartbreaker?¡± She quirked an eyebrow.


    Now, the handsome boy just looked tired and exasperated.


    ¡°It¡¯s a stupid joke that started a few years back because of a friend¡¯s sisters. Yu just takes it too seriously because...¡± He trailed off and gestured helplessly at his handsome face.


    Ling Qi thought he sounded sincere, but she couldn¡¯t help but be a bit more wary now. Although if she were being more reasonable, it was a little silly for a fourteen year old boy to be considered a ¡®heartbreaker¡¯. ¡°So, what happens now?¡±


    He sighed. ¡°I can give you a few tips on starting your cultivation, and if you would like, and I can help you practice a bit like I said I would,¡± he responded sincerely. ¡°I¡¯ll be going to the classes the Elders are holding in the afternoon though.¡±


    ¡°So will I,¡± Ling Qi said, feeling a bit relieved. ¡°Will this be a one time thing then?¡±


    ¡°I figure I can spare an hour or two every few days if you¡¯d like.¡± Han Jian really did seem almost too nice. His ass of a friend did have a point though. She was just a commoner; why was he willing to spend time on her? She would like the answer to be that he simply liked her, but she wasn¡¯t sure she could believe that.


    ¡°I would like that.¡± Linq Qi considered just asking him, but she couldn¡¯t risk offending him and losing his aid. She needed every resource she could get right now. She felt a little sad that the encounter with the other boy had made her suspicious, but it was for the best.


    ¡°Where should we start?¡± she asked. ¡°My roommate helped me get a feel for my dantian, and I think I have the first breathing exercise down.¡±


    ¡°Oh? That was fast,¡± Han Jian said, eyebrows rising. ¡°I assume you mean the Argent Soul exercises,¡± he continued, to which she nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll leave finishing that to the Elder later. If you understand your dantian¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I do,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°She kind of¡­ brute forced it. I get that it¡¯s your spiritual center and where you store qi, but¡­¡± She trailed off, spreading her hands in a gesture of helplessness.


    He gave her strange look, leaning back against the trunk of the peach tree they were standing under.


    ¡°...Right, that is the gist of it. The dantian¡¯s not a physical organ like your heart or your stomach, but exercising and expanding it is at the core of improving your ability to hold and use qi. Think of it as the heart of your spirit.¡±


    Ling Qi was aware vaguely of the body¡¯s organs, from a half remembered diagram in a physician¡¯s text that she had stolen and pawned off last year. She wracked her thoughts for information from a text she had only flipped through in a moment of idleness while waiting for a fence.


    ¡°Does that mean that once I awaken it, it will start moving qi through the rest of my body?¡±


    He smiled, and despite herself, she felt a little warmer.


    ¡°Yeah. But unlike your physical veins, you will have to open your meridians manually. It¡¯s... pretty difficult and painful, but you¡¯ll need to bear with it because your qi won¡¯t be able to affect the world without any open channels.¡±


    Cultivation wasn¡¯t easy it seemed. Ling Qi took a seat on the bench beneath the tree as they continued to talk, discussing the basics of cultivation.


    There were a very large number of potential meridians in the human body and which ones she chose to open would affect which techniques and arts she could learn. Arts were what cultivators called their magic, and techniques were individual spells within an art. Much of it went over her head, but she thought she understood the basic idea.


    Han Jian had wind-aligned meridians open in his legs, as well as fire-aligned meridians through his heart and spine. A practitioner essentially had a limited amount of space in their body to use for channeling qi, which allowed the use of arts. A meridian could only channel a single type of qi at a time, limiting the number of arts a cultivator could use. As one grew in power, their body could withstand the opening of more meridians, allowing them a greater breadth of techniques.


    It did mean that Ling Qi, who was just starting out, would be limited to a single art at first. That was troubling. If the classes turned up nothing on the matter, she might have to ask Bai Meizhen for advice.


    For all that she did enjoy the time she spent with Han Jian, it couldn¡¯t last forever. After an hour or so, she had a slightly better handle on things, and he had corrected some mistakes she was making with the Argent Soul exercises. It was with somewhat restored confidence that she walked alongside him to the lecture hall as the sun dipped past its zenith and the time for the afternoon lessons began.

 Chapter 2-First Steps 2

    The lecture hall was much busier than it had been yesterday. The large board which had held the welcoming banner was now covered with notices written on its polished surface. Even as Han Jian and Ling Qi searched the board for the information on the Elders¡¯ lessons, some notices vanished while others seemed to write themselves. It was an impressive bit of magic.


    It seemed that the two Elders who had made themselves available had scheduled their lessons such that it was impossible to attend both on the same day. It was a bit frustrating to Ling Qi, but she supposed they must have a reason for it.


    For now, she chose to head to the spiritual cultivation course. Han Jian had mentioned during their chat that physical cultivation could not be properly started until a potential cultivator¡¯s qi had been unlocked. Presumably, the spiritual lesson would teach her how to unlock her qi.


    The lecture hall they were directed to had perhaps thirty students in it, a far cry than the number in the one she had entered on her first day. Another difference made itself apparent when a sharp female voice stopped her dead in the doorway.


    ¡°Unawakened disciples on the left. Awakened on the right.¡±


    It seemed the instructor was already here. The Elder was a short woman with gray hair done up in a simple and utilitarian bun. She stood behind the lecturer¡¯s podium with her arms crossed over her chest, a no nonsense expression on her severe features. Her tone brooked no disagreement so Ling Qi split from Han Jian there with the boy mouthing a silent ¡®good luck¡¯ to her as they did. She appreciated the sentiment as she found a seat with her back to the wall and no immediate neighbors.


    Once she was settled in, she studied the instructor. The Elder¡¯s appearance was a bit strange. She seemed like an old woman in demeanor, and her barked orders and severe expression would fit right in with the elderly women from her hometown. Yet, despite her grey hair, her face had an ageless quality to it - not unlined, but certainly not old either - and her full figured body did not give the impression of being withered with age.


    Considering what stories she had heard about Immortals, that would make sense, she supposed. It was a bit exciting to see proof of the slowed aging that awaited her with success as a cultivator.


    A few more students trickled in over the next few minutes until at last, the matronly elder made a sharp gesture with her right hand and the door snapped shut.


    ¡°Consider this my first lesson. Lateness will not be tolerated,¡± she said crisply, sweeping the room with an intimidating stare. ¡°If you are late, you will not receive my instruction that day. There will be no exceptions. Nor will I allow interruptions. Any purposeful disruption of my lesson will result in your immediate expulsion from this room. You will not be allowed back.¡±


    The few whispers and sounds from the students presented ended immediately. The Elder regarded them silently for a beat. ¡°Good. You can follow instructions,¡± she said with a small amount of satisfaction.


    ¡°I am Elder Hua Su. I am the Head of our Medicinal department. You will refer to me as Elder Su, Physician Su, or Instructor, and nothing else. You are here because you have had no instruction in the spiritual arts for whatever reason.¡± There was no judgement in the Elder¡¯s words, only a statement of fact.


    ¡°Or because you desire expert advice in setting your foundation. In that case, I applaud your humility. All cultivation is rooted in the spiritual. One cannot begin to improve the body with qi before that qi itself is unlocked, and the concepts necessary for all cultivation are by their nature, ephemeral.¡± Ling Qi leaned forward slightly in her seat, not wanting to miss a single word.


    ¡°But before we begin, it would be best to split the class as I Intended.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked in confusion as the Elder flicked her wrist, drawing forth a silver needle and pricking the thumb of her opposite hand. She didn¡¯t understand what the older woman was doing until the bright droplet of blood that fell from her thumb swelled and grew on its way to the floor. It shifted through a kaleidoscope of colors as it did and seemed to pull in heat from the room going by the sudden chill. Within seconds, an identical copy of the Elder stood at her side.


    ¡°And now, to avoid distraction.¡±


    It was odd hearing two identical people speak in perfect unison as both raised their left hands and gestured again. The room filled with cloying mist which quickly congealed into a barrier right through the center of the room that blocked Ling Qi¡¯s sight of the other side. It also left them once again with only one instructor. The original, she thought, though she wasn¡¯t certain.


    ¡°Qi is the root of a cultivator¡¯s power,¡± Elder Su began immediately, easily pulling Ling Qi¡¯s attention back to her.


    ¡°When you awaken it, you will begin the path to shucking mortal concerns. Food, drink, sleep... All of these can be replaced with qi given sufficient cultivation,¡± she said evenly, panning her gaze over those left in their half of the room. ¡°And a good thing it is. Walking the path of cultivation does not afford us the time to spend on such things every day.¡±


    ¡°That is not to say that mortal pleasures should be abandoned entirely,¡± she continued. ¡°That is a common misconception and a foolish one. Your qi is colored and shaped by your experiences and personality. Those who abandon everything in the pursuit of power will find their path to be a narrow one indeed.¡± Her lip curled slightly, a display of contempt that seemed out of place on the woman¡¯s stern face.


    ¡°Of course, such narrowness does not mean a lack of power, and I expect some of you will fall to the temptation.¡±


    She paused then as a thin girl with light blue hair raised a trembling hand near the front of the room. Ling Qi was surprised at the girl¡¯s boldness. Elder Su regarded the girl silently for several moments, but the girl¡¯s hand did not lower. The Elder¡¯s stern expression cracked and she smiled. ¡°Yes? What is your question?¡±


    The girl lowered her hand, the line of her back shoulders suggesting startlement.


    ¡°Ah¡­ I just wondered if you could expand on what you meant? I never - I mean - Your instruction is¡­ different than what I have heard before,¡± the girl stammered.


    ¡°What is your name, girl?¡± Elder Su asked neutrally


    The girl shifted uncomfortably but answered. ¡°Li Suyin, Instructor.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Elder Su responded thoughtfully. ¡°I had intended to expand on the point regardless, but as Miss Li has shown, I am willing to allow questions¡­ should you not be disruptive in the asking.


    ¡°There are distinct elements to qi and how easily one can channel a given type is largely dependant on the individual and their mindset. It is all too easy to say that a clear and emotionless mind is for the best as it provides a fair baseline for many elements, but one loses something in this practice.


    ¡°Heaven, lake, fire, thunder, wind, water, mountain, and earth... These are but a few of the many aspects qi can conform to. Each element is associated with several concepts, emotions, and effects.


    ¡°Those who devote themselves to the well being of others find the qi of the earth flowing more easily. Forget joy or pleasure, and your lake qi will grow sluggish. ¡°Such things are beyond the scope of this introductory lesson. Should you wish to learn more, I strongly suggest you continue attending,¡± she said sternly.


    ¡°More importantly, those who forget the mortal world entirely too often hole themselves up in caves. This does no good for anyone; hermits are hardly a boon to the Empire.¡± There was a touch of humor in Elder Su¡¯s voice, but while Ling Qi laughed politely along with the others, she had the feeling there was more to the older woman¡¯s words than the light explanation given.


    ¡°Now, more relevant to newcomers are the stages of cultivation. All of you are, in effect, still mortals although I see that some of you have begun to awaken your qi.¡± Ling Qi fidgeted in her seat as the instructor¡¯s gaze briefly rested on her.


    ¡°The first stage of spiritual cultivation is the Red Soul realm. This realm is then divided into early, middle, and late stages. The next two realms beyond are the Yellow and Green realms. For most cultivators, the Green realm is the limit of what they can achieve. Advancing beyond it requires a great deal of talent and dedication, as well as significant physical cultivation to survive the strain such large amounts of qi put on the body.¡±


    The lesson went on like that with the older woman helping greatly in expanding Ling Qi¡¯s understanding of just what she was doing when she filled her dantian and how to more efficiently guide the energy from a spirit stone to her dantian.


    With her eyes closed and concentrating on her internal energy, Ling Qi could almost feel what she thought were her meridians. It was as if her dantian had dozens of veins branching out from it, but every single one was clogged by... something. The weak energy within her couldn¡¯t even begin to shift the blockage in the meridians.


    She still felt refreshed, her energy bolstered, by the time the lesson let out. She felt thoughtful as she returned to the little stone home she shared with Bai Meizhen and settled in to cultivate for the evening. Thinking of how much of the previous stone she had wasted turned her stomach.


    This time, when she clasped the stone in her hands and closed her eyes, she settled her breathing into the correct pattern and drew only tiny threads of the stone¡¯s warm natural qi with each breath to trickle into her slowly filling dantian. Time faded away until only the flickering warmth in her hands, her breathing, and the growing seed of power within her existed.


    Her candle burned out and Ling Qi did not notice.


    The sun set and Ling Qi did not notice.


    The moment she broke through, Ling Qi did notice.


    As the energy circulating within her dantian pulsed unaided for the first time, everything changed. Her breath was the wind, her bones were the earth, her blood was fire, and she felt like her thoughts could expand to cover the heavens.


    She felt complete like she never had before. Her dantian burned with energy, and although the stubborn obstructions prevented her from drawing the energy out, the warmth and comfort she felt from simply having it was all too real.


    Then the exhaustion hit, a bone deep tiredness that nearly made her fall asleep where she sat as her dantian hungrily drew on her body¡¯s energy. She staggered to bed and blacked out.

 Chapter 3: First Steps 3

    Linq Qi awoke the next morning feeling full of energy despite her exhaustion the night before. She did need a change of clothing as she had fallen asleep in her uniform. She had a few additional sets so she didn¡¯t have to worry about laundry just yet. She would have to find a place to bathe soon though.


    ...Was it strange to be concerned about something so mundane when she had just taken her first step into the world of Immortals? Ling Qi thought so, but hadn¡¯t Elder Su said yesterday that neglecting mortal concerns entirely was a bad idea? Ling Qi finished changing and left her room. Bai Meizhen was awake and already seated cross-legged by the hearth, sipping from a cup of water again. There was no sign of a breakfast tray or any other food.


    In retrospect, Ling Qi had never actually seen Bai Meizhen eat. Perhaps the other girl was using her qi to suppress her appetite? Elder Su had explained that it was possible to expend qi to suppress or even satisfy the body¡¯s need for food and water. Ling Qi didn¡¯t think she could manage to do so for very long yet. She didn¡¯t want to stand there staring so she stepped out and nodded to the girl.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± she greeted cautiously.


    Both Meizhen and her pet looked up in unison, and the pale girl dipped her head in response. ¡°Good morning, and congratulations on your awakening. I take it your lesson was fruitful?¡±


    Ling Qi seated herself across from the other girl. ¡°It was. I guess you didn¡¯t need the lesson? I didn¡¯t see you there,¡± Ling Qi responded, idly smoothing the fabric of her uniform as she got comfortable.


    ¡°I attended Instructor Zhou¡¯s lesson,¡± Bai Meizhen said calmly. ¡°It was¡­ intense, but I feel I benefited from it.¡± The little snake coiled loosely around Meizhen¡¯s neck twisted its head to look up at its owner, flicking its tongue out several times. Bai Meizhen glanced at it with a slight frown.


    Zhou¡­ that was the name of the instructor for physical cultivation, Ling Qi recalled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s rude to ask but¡­ what stage are you at?¡± Ling Qi asked after a few moments of companionable silence. The question had occurred to her later in Elder Su¡¯s lesson, and it hadn¡¯t quite left her mind.


    ¡°Second Sin Shedding,¡± Bai Meizhen immediately answered. She must have noticed Ling Qi¡¯s confusion because an expression of chagrin crossed her face. ¡°... Middle Yellow stage spirit cultivation,¡± she amended. ¡°I am not yet used to using the¡­ standardized terms.¡± (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    Bai Meizhen was very far ahead then. Ling Qi was a little discouraged to know she was so far behind.


    ¡°Are most of the other disciples that advanced?¡± Ling Qi asked, somewhat dreading the answer. ¡°And what do you mean by standardized?¡±


    ¡°No. Those in the Yellow stage can be counted on the fingers of one hand,¡± the pale girl responded dismissively. ¡°Most of our peers are no higher than the middle of the Red Soul Stage.


    ¡°Old families such as mine have their own traditions and terms for cultivation. The terms disciples are taught to use here are only a handful of millenia old. The standard terms were coined during the establishment of the current imperial dynasty.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, feeling relieved that she wasn¡¯t trailing quite as far behind as she had feared. Her roommate was simply¡­ unusual. It seemed strange that someone as strong as her would be ostracized. She would think that everyone would want to be friends with the most powerful people. She didn¡¯t want to press the other girl for information on something that might be personal though.


    ¡°Is that why you came here with a spirit beast already?¡± Ling Qi asked, searching for a thread to keep the conversation going. She could sense the qi in the little snake now. ¡°I¡¯ve seen a couple others who have them too. Do your families give them out?¡±


    Bai Meizhen frowned harshly at her, and the snake¡¯s head twitched toward her as well, leaving Ling Qi subject to two baleful and unblinking stares. What did she say? After a moment, the other girl sighed, glanced at her pet, and made a brief, soft hissing sound, reaching up to stroke the serpent¡¯s bright green scales.


    ¡°I will forgive the insinuation since you are not aware. It is partially my fault as well for not introducing her properly.¡± Bai Meizhen fixed Ling Qi with a serious look.


    ¡°This is my cousin, Bai Cui. Please do not refer to her as if she was a pet.¡±


    Ling Qi stared blankly at her.


    ¡°How does that even -t - She¡¯s a snake. How is she your cousin?¡± Ling Qi asked incredulously.


    The snake - Cui, Ling Qi reminded herself - hissed softly in what could almost be mistaken for laughter.


    ¡°I know it is not an approved practice anymore, but really, how can you not know such things?¡± Bai Meizhen huffed in annoyance. ¡°She is my cousin because our Sublime Ancestor is the White Serpent of Lake Hei. We are from two branches of the same family.¡±


    Ling Qi closed her eyes, trying very hard not to picture the¡­ mechanics of such an arrangement. Did that mean that Han Jian too¡­ she couldn''t help but picture the tall boy with a pair of fuzzy cat ears atop his head.


    ¡°I¡­ right, sorry?¡± Ling Qi eventually managed. ¡°You just don¡¯t really hear about that kind of thing in the little city I came from,¡± she finished a touch lamely.


    Bai Meizhen simply nodded, not appearing to hold it against her.


    ¡°I think,¡± Bai Meizhen began slowly, ¡°I should attempt to educate you on a few matters if only to ensure you do not offend someone unintentionally in the future.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked in surprise, even as she felt a hint of dread at having to learn a bunch of information not even related to her cultivation. Still, she had been intending to spend time with the other girl this week. Despite her unsettling presence, Bai Meizhen had already helped Ling Qi once.


    ¡°That could be useful,¡± Ling Qi hedged. ¡°What did you have in mind?¡± Ling Qi did not have the luxury of being choosy when it came to friendly contacts.


    ¡°Nothing complex,¡± the other girl assured her. ¡°Just a bit of history and some knowledge about the nobility. Enough to prevent you from making a fool of yourself.¡± Ling Qi did not trust the way Cui appeared to be doing the serpentine equivalent of laughing aloud.


    ¡°That sounds fine¡­¡± she responded despite her better judgement.


    Really, how bad could it be?


    Quite bad, she thought gloomily as she trudged across the plaza to her first lesson on physical cultivation. Bai Meizhen was not a gifted teacher. Her diction was dry, and her dispassionate tone made it all too easy to nod off. Still, she couldn¡¯t say the information was useless. Despite the dryness of the lessons, Ling Qi found herself remembering most of it, which was strange. She had never been particularly great at academic learning before.


    Maybe it was a side effect of her awakening? Her thoughts had felt clearer since she had broken through, and it felt much easier to recall information. She could ask Elder Su tomorrow. For now, she had a lesson to get to and she had no intention of being late.


    Once again, she was walking alone. Bai Meizhen had declined to come along, citing the need to perform some kind of personal meditation. Ling Qi slipped through the crowds with practiced ease and soon found herself on a new path. It spiralled up the east side of the mountain and ended on a smaller plateau with a number of wide fields divided by posts and rope barriers. Each field was equipped with racks full of practice weapons, weights, and other equipment reminiscent of the guardsmen¡¯s drilling yard back home writ large.


    She saw various older disciples scattered about, performing exercises, running, and other slightly incomprehensible things. Was that boy balancing himself on the point of one finger? Why? Shaking her head, she hurried past to the field at the end where a crowd of disciples her age were waiting. There, she saw the boy with the burn scar she had noticed the first day, as well as that loathsome ¡®Yu¡¯ fellow.


    Peering into the morning fog as she got closer, she searched for the instructor. She saw the silhouette of a taller figure standing beyond the crowd. She stopped dead as she got a good look at him. The first thought and indeed the only thought that came to Ling Qi was¡­ muscles. The man standing with his arms clasped behind his back was shirtless and looked like he had been carved from a block of solid bronze. His biceps were easily as thick as another man¡¯s thighs, and she had no idea that it was even possible to have that many clearly defined abdominal muscles.


    Ling Qi flushed scarlet and averted her eyes when she noticed that she had been staring in a rather undignified manner at her instructor. Luckily, no one seemed to have noticed her losing her composure. When she looked back, she focused on his face. He looked as she would expect: stern expression, a wide square jaw, and short, evenly cropped hair tied back in a top knot. Still feeling slightly ashamed of her initial break in composure, Ling Qi did her best to fade into the crowd and not draw attention to herself until the lesson started.


    She did not have to wait too long. Only a few other students filtered in to join the murmuring crowd standing before the utterly silent instructor. She might have thought the man a statue were it not for the rise and fall of his chest. She wasn¡¯t staring. She wasn¡¯t.


    Then he spoke, and the disciples quieted immediately.


    ¡°Those who were here yesterday. Begin running.¡± His voice held an authoritative tone that brooked no argument and set Ling Qi¡¯s instincts on edge. A good two thirds of the students immediately began to move away, toward the well beaten dirt track around the edge of the field.


    ¡°Those of you who remain,¡± he continued without once looking their way. ¡°I expect your full effort for the length of every session. Disciples consistently giving less than that in tasks I assign will be expelled from the lesson. I will not provide second chances.¡±


    Ling Qi was feeling a bit of deja vu at the similarity to the other Elder¡¯s speech.


    ¡°I will not mince words. I am only here at the direct request of Master Yuan, the Sect Head. Most of you will never serve in my unit on the border. Most of you do not have the resolve to be a part of the Empire¡¯s Bulwark. I train those who act as the wall which keeps the Cloud Tribes from our towns and cities. A single failure of attention can bring ruin to entire settlements.


    ¡°I am not in the habit of training those who only intend to be here long enough to gain some piddling strength to establish themselves in court or clan.¡±


    Several disciples shifted on their feet, and Ling Qi saw some angry and indignant expressions, as well as worry and other emotions. The Instructor pushed on, as implacable as a glacier.


    ¡°I am Zhou the Indomitable, commander of the Sect military, and for some reason, the Sect Head thinks you have the potential to be taught by me,¡± he barked, voice carrying over the field. ¡°I expect most of you will disappoint him.¡±


    One or two of the crowd were looking rather mutinous, but Ling Qi noticed that those who had been here the day before had their eyes firmly fixed ahead, not reacting to his words as they ran. She caught a mutter from one of the boys in front of her, one of a handful of young men standing in a loose group near that bastard Yu.


    Of course, if she heard it, she was not surprised that the Elder heard it as well.


    ¡°Repeat what you just said, boy,¡± the instructor commanded, moving for the first time to point an accusing finger at the speaker. The boy immediately went pale, looking around for support only to find his companions conspicuously turning their faces away. He swallowed, but seemed to find his spine a moment later.


    ¡°I said¡­ I said that fighting nomads was not so impressive,¡± he said miserably. ¡°They are just¡­ just barbarians, you know. Any decent imperial soldier should be able to crush them.¡±


    ¡°Is that so,¡± Zhou responded blandly. Pivoting on one foot, he reached over to a nearby weapon rack and tossed one of the blunted practice spears on it at the boy. To his credit, the boy caught it with barely a fumble.


    ¡°You have a mid-gold rank physique. As I understand it, that is roughly average for most interior cities¡¯ guard officers. Correct?¡±


    The boy nodded with a hint of pride.


    ¡°Very well. Strike me.¡±


    The boy blinked. ¡°Sir¡­?¡±


    ¡°Did I stutter, boy?¡± Zhou asked coldly, taking a step forward. ¡°I said: strike me. Strike as if you were trying to kill.¡± The boy continued to hesitate and Elder Zhou took another step forward.


    ¡°Strike. Now. Or I will have you expelled from the sect.¡±


    That seemed to break the boy¡¯s hesitation, and he stabbed forward toward the instructor¡¯s throat. It appeared like a skilled strike to Ling Qi¡¯s inexperienced eye. Zhou made no effort to dodge, stepping forward to meet it. The iron tip of the spear struck against Instructor Zhou¡¯s neck and bent for an instant before the pressure snapped the wood haft, and the instructor¡¯s hand swept out in a blur.


    The next thing she knew, the boy was rolling across the field a half dozen feet away, whimpering and clutching a rapidly swelling cheek. Zhou looked as impassive as ever as he withdrew his extended hand.


    ¡°I did not use my qi in any active way,¡± he explained clinically. ¡°Nor did I strike with even a fraction of my strength.¡± He fixed a glare on each of them in turn as he continued.


    ¡°I have met several nomad Khans who could match me in combat. I have met more still who could at least put up a fight. To underestimate the Empire¡¯s enemies is to invite death to our people. Am I understood?¡±


    Ling Qi found herself nodding, along with the other disciples present. Not a single one hesitated when he commanded them to run and to not stop until he commanded it. What followed were the most miserable and grueling hours of exertion that Ling Qi could recall. Instructor Zhou was utterly without pity for any of them, but at the same time, he seemed to have a preternatural sense for when they genuinely couldn¡¯t be pushed any further.


    Those that had reached their limits with more conventional exercise were set to meditating under his watch, while being instructed to¡­ ¡®diffuse¡¯ their qi throughout their bodies. This would allow the qi to soak into their flesh and bones rather than gathering in their dantian. They were to practice the qi exercises until the instructor decided they had recovered enough to resume the more physical exercises.


    Unlike her earlier efforts at cultivation, Ling Qi felt that her progress was quite slow. She could definitely feel something happening, but it was frustrating feeling most of the qi she attempted to diffuse simply wasting away into the air. Her mood wasn¡¯t helped by the soreness of her muscles as she trudged back home for the evening. Yet despite her exhaustion, Ling Qi found herself feeling a bit of wonder.


    By cycling her qi according to the freshly mastered first stage of the Argent Soul Art, she had been able to run faster and longer than she could have managed even just days ago. When she stumbled and fell, her qi flared instinctively to shield her palms against the scrapes she would have normally received. If she was already capable of this after only two days of cultivation, just what wonders would the future hold?

 Chapter 4-First Steps 4

    It was very easy to fall into a routine. Wake up, cultivate, share a few words with Meizhen, attend lessons, and spend time with Han Jian here and there. After just a week, it felt like she had been doing this forever.


    Her newfound ability to retain information really was a boon. She could not imagine actually remembering most of the minutiae Bai Meizhen discussed with her or the dense lectures of Elder Su without the clarity of thought cultivation had brought her. She shouldn¡¯t have been surprised; Immortals were supposed to be superior to mortals in every way.


    Her rapid awakening had actually brought a brief smile to the strict Elder Su¡¯s lips. It was the first time in years that Ling Qi had felt genuinely proud of herself.


    Now Awakened, she was able to join the other half of the class. Han Jian was a great help in getting her through the material she had missed; most of it was an expansion on what he had been teaching her in their brief meetings.


    The second half of the spiritual class was focused on the opening of meridians.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I understand,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°What exactly is an impurity?¡± she asked Han Jian as they rested on the bench beneath one of the plaza¡¯s trees after a lesson. Despite her earlier resolve, she still lacked the confidence to ask questions in the lesson itself.


    ¡°You could probably debate a scholar about that for weeks,¡± Han Jian said with a chuckle. ¡°Basically, it¡¯s all the toxins and impure materials that poison our bodies and spirits. We¡¯re born with them, and they only get worse with age. Everything in the world has impurities in it, but the closer you come to the peak of cultivation, the less you have.¡±


    That explained why she felt like she had been crawling through a sewer pipe after a long afternoon trying to work a meridian open, Ling Qi thought sourly.


    ¡°So meridians are actually in the body?¡± She asked. ¡°Because last week, we learned that our dantians were wholly spiritual.¡±


    ¡°Your meridians are what bring your qi into the physical world so they exist both physically and spiritually. But you can¡¯t physically interact with the channels themselves except with the aid of certain arts or talismans. Where you carve the channels in your body also decides what type of energies they can carry.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that makes sense.¡± Ling Qi sighed.


    As they parted ways, his words echoed in her thoughts. Ling Qi had advanced to the point where she would have to choose what kind of meridian to work on opening, and that would affect what arts she would be able to use at first.


    Meridians were defined by the part of the body their exit points manifested in. Meridians in the legs were primarily used for movement techniques, while arm meridians were best for energy projection and techniques focused on direct harm. Spinal meridians were primarily used for techniques which enhanced or modified the self, and the heart meridians were best used for techniques which created various effects in a field around the user.


    One could also open meridians which emerged from the head and affected the senses or those from the throat, which were associated with the lungs, and allowed the creation of qi constructs. However, Elder Su had warned the disciples that head or lung meridians were poor choices for their first because a misstep in opening those could cause major harm.


    It was just one more concern among the others that were piling up.


    Even with her quick advancement, Ling Qi was still among the weakest people on the mountain. She had never really been strong, but in her home town, that hadn¡¯t mattered much. There were enough people that she could always slip away and vanish into a crowd, and few people - aside from the owner - really cared if several loaves of bread or a bag of rice went missing. Here, there was just over a thousand people on the outer sect mountain.


    Only one resource, the spirit stones, mattered. Ling Qi herself was beginning to feel the pinch of their limited supply. True, if she didn¡¯t foolishly glut on the energy held within like she had the first night, a single stone could provide for a week of cultivation¡­ but she knew instinctively that she could advance faster with a greater supply. More than once, she had found herself considering if she could acquire more, at her peers expense.


    Of course, she wouldn¡¯t consider doing that to Bai Meizhen. Despite the taciturn girl¡¯s ¡®friendliness¡¯ toward her, there was always a feeling of danger around the other girl. No, she wouldn¡¯t even dare to place herself within Bai Meizhen¡¯s personal space without a direct invitation.


    On the other hand, some of the other girls she passed on her circuitous route out of the residential area were sloppy and inattentive in the same way that the wealthier inhabitants of her home town could be. She was fairly certain she could filch from them without being noticed.


    However, it wasn¡¯t a step she wanted to take without thought. If she did get caught, the consequences would probably be unpleasant. At the very least, it would earn her a bad reputation, and her standing wasn¡¯t exactly very high to begin with.


    Her standing was something else that did little for her mood. Even here, she was mostly sneered at and ignored by so-called peers; only Han Jian and Bai Meizhen treated her politely. It was beginning to bother her in a way that she had a hard time articulating.


    Those thoughts returned to her again the next day as she sat beside Han Jian in the plaza gardens. She had been working on stabilizing her cultivation, smoothing out the few imbalances that her rapid growth had left in her energy.


    As the two of them meditated under the eaves of one of the entry plaza¡¯s scattered trees, she found her thoughts bubbling with a simple question. Why was he doing this? She couldn¡¯t really offer him anything, and yet he was helping her anyway. It was suspicious. He hadn¡¯t even alluded to her owing him, which only increased her wariness.


    She glanced over at where he sat cross-legged in the grass, hands on his knees and eyes closed. The tiger cub Heijin was with him today although the lazy feline was asleep in his lap as Heijin was most times they did this. Finally, she could stand her own distraction no more.


    ¡°Why are you still meeting me?¡± Her voice broke the tranquil silence. She wasn¡¯t good at subtlety when it came to this kind of thing. ¡°I appreciate the help, but it doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±


    Her words pulled Han Jian out of his mediation, and he cracked open an eye to regard her curiously. ¡°What brought this on?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen you around. You never lack someone to talk to or to partner with in exercises,¡± Ling Qi responded, doing her best to avoid sounding accusatory. ¡°You have higher cultivation than me as well. So - why are you helping me?¡±


    She didn¡¯t exactly stalk him, but she had¡­ hung around after their meetings a few times and kept a surreptitious eye on him during lessons. It seemed Han Jian knew many people, and most of them were if not friendly, then at least accepting of his presence.


    He relaxed from his stiff mediation and leaned back against the tree trunk behind him.


    ¡°Do I need a reason?¡± he asked lightly, reaching down to scratch Heijin behind the ears. ¡°You aren¡¯t totally unpleasant to be around, you know?¡± he added with a hint of teasing.


    Ling Qi frowned, watching him out of the corner of his eye. There was something slightly off about his expression.


    ¡°No one does something without a reason,¡± she replied stubbornly. ¡°I know I am not¡­ popular, and I lack the power to make up for that. Spending time with me must degrade your own reputation too.¡±


    Ling Qi saw a flicker of something angry in Han Jian¡¯s expression, a crack in his friendly demeanor, but it disappeared too fast for her to be sure she had even seen it.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re underestimating yourself. You broke through to the first stage in less than a week. That earned you some positive attention,¡± he said. Ling Qi didn¡¯t miss the deflection in his words. ¡°Besides, everyone can use a little down time, you know?¡±


    She considered his words for a few moments. ¡°So, I¡¯m an excuse to get away from others?¡± She might not be the best at social interactions, but she liked to think she was reasonably perceptive.


    He sighed, glancing up at the sky. ¡°Don¡¯t read too much into things, Ling Qi,¡± he responded tiredly. ¡°It doesn¡¯t do any good to get hung up on the little stuff.¡±


    He was right on that much, and she was better than this. She hadn¡¯t lived as long as she had by moping about silly things even if she wished that he had said that he enjoyed spending time with her.


    ¡°Right,¡± she said, not quite agreeing but unwilling to argue with him over it. ¡°Ah, I had almost forgotten. There was something I wanted to ask you about that Instructor Zhou seemed to leave out of his lectures.¡±


    Han Jian smiled, relaxing now that she had changed the subject. ¡°What¡¯s that? He¡¯s pretty thorough.¡±


    ¡°He never explained what the levels of physical cultivation are,¡± Ling Qi responded with a frown. ¡°There was some mention of a Gold rank, but I don¡¯t know what that means.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I suppose that makes sense. He probably mentioned it the first day and simply didn¡¯t bother repeating it the second,¡± Han Jian responded reasonably, eyeing Heijin as the tiger cub bounded off of his lap to chase after a passing butterfly.


    ¡°The progression is Gold, Silver, and then Bronze. There are realms after Bronze but like the spiritual realms after Green, we don¡¯t need to worry about that for awhile.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that backward? Why is Gold the lowest realm?¡±


    ¡°Let me see if I can remember how my tutor put it,¡± Han Jian said, humming thoughtfully to himself.


    ¡°Gold is a malleable metal, easily shaped, just like a young cultivator. Yet it is also soft and easily damaged.¡± He put on a slightly mocking ¡®serious¡¯ voice as he recited the words, causing Ling Qi to smile slightly.


    Returning to his normal voice, he added, ¡°It¡¯s also the least valuable metal for Immortals. It isn¡¯t particularly good for talismans, and accumulating a mortal fortune is pretty trivial for any Immortal with decent skills. It just isn¡¯t important to us in the same way as it is for mortals.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded thoughtfully, her smile fading. It made sense she supposed. She still couldn¡¯t see herself turning down a pile of gold coins. She had other things she needed to ask though.


    ¡°Thank you. On another note, would you mind if I asked you for advice on clearing a heart meridian as well? Now that I¡¯ve reached the first stage, I want to be able to actually use my qi.¡±


    Surprised, Han Jian raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re going for heart? Most people go for an arm or the spine for the first meridian.¡±


    Ling Qi gave him an unsure look. ¡°Is there something wrong with opening the heart first? You have heart meridians open too.¡±


    ¡°Well yeah, but I¡¯m expected to lead,¡± he responded easily, wincing as Heijin returned to nip at his fingers. He glared down at the kitten before continuing.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t take you for the leader type.¡±


    Ling Qi hunched her shoulders a bit. She didn¡¯t really feel like she was a leader either, but she was not going to catch up in raw strength any time soon. Increasing her value as a support-type would make it easier to keep Bai Meizhen¡¯s goodwill - or some other group¡¯s if it came down to it.


    ¡°I have my reasons,¡± she responded stubbornly.


    Han Jian regarded her quietly for a moment but then shrugged slightly. ¡°Well, alright. First thing to keep in mind is that you need to time the qi pulses to your heartbeat. If you don¡¯t, you¡¯ll risk making your heart seize up. The more precise the timing, the better off you¡¯ll be¡­¡±


    Ling Qi leaned forward, listening intently. She would do this, and she wouldn¡¯t fail.

 Chapter 5-First Steps 5

    Ling Qi¡¯s next few days were marred by long periods of exhausting meditation interspersed with frightening brushes with mortality when control of her qi slipped and sent her heart beating erratically. Carving open a channel for her qi was a painstaking task.


    Completing it meant that she could begin learning to attune it to an element and practice the simplest arts. Time spent in lessons and in private cultivation blurred together as she focused on her goal.


    Her breakthrough finally came during the last of Elder Su¡¯s lessons that week. With the lecture over, the class was allowed to cultivate under the Elder¡¯s watchful eye. In her seat at the back of the room, Ling Qi slowed her breathing and continued to push her qi through the slowly opening spiritual channel.


    At first, things proceeded as normal, her qi pulsing in time with her heartbeat. Suddenly, her breathing hitched as she felt something within her crumble. With no more spiritual detritus blocking its way, her qi gushed outward. Engrossed in the sudden feeling of soaring freedom, she was only vaguely aware of startled gasps and the sound of rushing wind from around her.


    Ling Qi opened her eyes, blinking in wonder at the new feelings. She suddenly felt so¡­ aware. She could feel the smooth material of her uniform on her skin and the tiny motions of the air around her. She could hear the sound of rustling cloth as the person on her right side shifted away from her and her own clothes flapping in an invisible breeze.


    ¡°Please settle yourself, Disciple Qi.¡±


    She was startled from her contemplation by the sudden presence of Elder Su in the aisle to her left. Even with her new awareness, she hadn¡¯t been able to feel the Elder approaching. Her cheeks coloring slightly at the mild reprimand, she did her best to follow the instruction, trying to reign in the flow of her qi. The phantom breeze weakened but did not die as she worked to regain control.


    The Elder continued up the steps of the aisle, stopping as she came to stand beside Ling Qi¡¯s seat.


    ¡°It seems your natural qi has a tinge of wind to it,¡± the older woman said quietly. In the silence of the room, her words rang out clearly. ¡°Do you require a moment outside to compose yourself?¡±


    Ling Qi felt uncomfortable as she felt the attention of the other disciples settle on her. At the same time, she felt pride from the fact that Elder Su was addressing her directly and unprompted at that.


    ¡°No, Elder Su.¡±


    The matronly woman fixed Ling Qi with a gaze that seemed to peer through her.


    ¡°I see. You have been doing quite well so far.¡± The older woman flicked her sleeve, and Ling Qi blinked as an odd jade token appeared on the desk in front of her.


    ¡°Take this to the archive. The supervisor there will allow you to take a copy of one of the arts from the first floor.¡±


    Archive? She had no idea where that was. She had no idea there even was an archive, but Elder Su was already moving away. She didn¡¯t want to make herself appear foolish by having to ask so she remained silent. As pleased as she was to be given this, she was well aware that any chance she had of muddling along beneath notice had just vanished.


    ¡°Thank you Elder,¡± she managed to say, lowering her head in respect, even as she carefully hid away the jade token she had been given. It looked mundane, but she wasn¡¯t about to risk losing it.


    The rest of lesson proceeded normally. Ling Qi used her remaining time to practice getting used to the feeling of qi flowing through her open meridian. As Ling Qi hurried to disappear into the crowd of disciples leaving the lessons, she was brought up short.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Miss Ling! Miss Ling, can you please wait a moment?¡± An out of breath female voice called from behind her.


    Ling Qi glanced behind herself warily and slowed down. She had made it out to the plaza and there were many people around so it was unlikely that someone was going to try something. What she saw when she turned her head was a girl she recognized from her lessons with Elder Su. Li Suyin, if she recalled correctly.


    Li Suyin had long, light blue hair and the sort of slim, petite figure that most of the female disciples did. She was rather plain though, much like Ling Qi herself. The girl lacked the obvious cosmetics or accessories that the wealthier girls used to show off, but Li Suyin was still too pale and unblemished to be a commoner.


    She was also red faced from exertion. It looked like she had run to catch up with Ling Qi, and she didn¡¯t seem very fit physically.


    ¡°What do you need?¡± Ling Qi asked. The other girl had never been rude to her or jostled her in the halls so she could afford to be polite.


    The other girl seemed relieved that Ling Qi had stopped. ¡°I am glad I caught you today. You always disappear so quickly after lessons,¡± Li Suyin said between breaths, smoothing her gown nervously with her hands. ¡°I¡­ well. I was hoping you might consider helping me?¡±


    Ling Qi stared at her. What could Li Suyin want help with? The other girl had awakened earlier this week so Ling Qi wasn¡¯t exactly far ahead of her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see how I could help,¡± Ling Qi replied bluntly.


    Li Suyin fidgeted under her gaze. ¡°W-well... You have advanced so quickly. It took me a month to reach this point. I was hoping that we could discuss the differences in our methods, and that I could observe your cultivation in private.¡± Her voice seemed to get smaller and smaller as she went on. By the end, Li Suyin wasn¡¯t even looking her in the eye anymore.


    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m aware that that is a very rude request.¡±


    Ling Qi felt awkward about being asked for help. She was also more than a little suspicious. She couldn¡¯t imagine that she would be much help to the other girl either.


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± she said. ¡°Give me a few days to consider.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± the other girl said hurriedly. ¡°Um - well, if you want to, we can meet after lessons.¡± She glanced back up at Ling Qi¡¯s skeptical face for a moment before her shoulders slumped a little. ¡°I will¡­ stop bothering you. It¡¯s obvious that you are very busy.¡±


    Li Suyin began to hurry away, leaving Ling Qi to wonder if the girl¡¯s nerves were truly genuine. It didn¡¯t feel like a deception. She couldn¡¯t see herself benefitting from the discussions either, but¡­ her thoughts returned to Han Jian, where the situation was reversed.


    ¡°Li Suyin,¡± she called out. ¡°I¡¯ll make some time in a few days, alright?¡±


    The nervous girl, having stopped at her call, beamed at her, offering a hasty but grateful bow. ¡°Thank you very much!¡±


    When Ling Qi returned home, she was surprised to see the light of a lit hearth in the window. Bai Meizhen kept erratic hours. Sometimes, Ling Qi would never even see her arrive at their shared home in the evening.


    Bai Meizhen also had strange habits. Ling Qi had never once seen the girl eat a single grain of rice or so much as sip from a bowl of soup for example. Even when Ling Qi offered to share her meals, they were refused.


    ...She had seen the other girl with a trickle of blood on her chin on one late morning, but Bai Meizhen had wiped it away moments after meeting Ling Qi¡¯s stare. Ling Qi had not felt brave enough to ask about it given the other girl¡¯s frosty expression.


    Oddities aside, Bai Meizhen was¡­ helpful in her taciturn and condescending way. As Ling Qi settled in for the evening and finished her simple dinner, she ended up speaking with the girl, resuming their ¡®lessons¡¯ on the boring minutiae of noble etiquette.


    ¡°I¡¯m still not really sure I understand, but¡­ are you saying all noble families have a ¡®Sublime Ancestor¡¯? Is that some kind of tradition? That someone has to¡­ marry a spirit to make their line noble?¡± Ling Qi¡¯s expression was strange as she tried to parse Bai Meizhen¡¯s explanation on how ranking and position among noble clans worked.


    ¡°All of the truly well-established families have or had such a non-human ancestor. Only an exalted few can claim to have a Sublime Ancestor,¡± the pale girl explained with a hint of impatience.


    ¡°I do not understand why you have such trouble with the idea,¡± Bai Meizhen added irritably. ¡°A few Sublime Ancestors have died or disappeared, but this should still be common knowledge. The relationship between a powerful cultivator and their bound spirits has always been close.¡±


    Ling Qi had found that Bai Meizhen had strange ideas on what constituted common knowledge.


    ¡°What do you mean by bound spirits?¡± Ling Qi asked, eyeing the green scales visible just under the neckline of Bai Meizhen¡¯s gown. ¡°Is that why Cui seems like she shares your qi?¡± She still wasn¡¯t very good at feeling other people¡¯s energy but she was around the two of them often enough to feel the oddity.


    ¡°When a cultivator reaches the second stratum¡­ the Yellow realm, it becomes possible to bond with a spirit whether beast or pure. This serves to strengthen both parties, allowing them to cultivate together and share growth to a degree. It also serves to humanize the spirit, making it easier for the spirit to interact with and understand us.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded thoughtfully, reaching out to warm her hands at the hearth. It was beginning to get cold in the evenings. She didn¡¯t follow everything Bai Meizhen had just said, but the gist was simple.


    ¡°Oh. So he¡¯s at that point¡­¡± she murmured to herself, thinking about Han Jian. She hadn¡¯t thought he was that advanced.


    ¡°That boy is not yet bonded with his familial partner,¡± Bai Meizhen¡¯s voice shook her out of her contemplation. ¡°He yet remains at the peak of the Red realm.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, turning back to Meizhen. ¡°How did you know who I was thinking of?¡±


    The other girl¡¯s unsettling gaze slipped to the side. The silence quickly became awkward.


    ¡°... I have observed you with him once. It seemed obvious who you were thinking of,¡± Bai Meizhen replied eventually.


    Well, it wasn¡¯t like she had cause to complain. She had done some shadowing too.


    ¡°Right¡­ Anyway, you were telling me about how noble families rank against each other? Is it just who has the strongest ancestors or is it determined by Heavenly Mandate like the Imperial Seat?¡± She might be an uneducated peasant but even she was aware of some things.


    Bai Meizhen¡¯s lips curled in disdain. ¡°I forget sometimes the prevalence of imperial propaganda,¡± she muttered more to herself than Ling Qi.


    ¡°The clan holding the Imperial Seat is chosen by who can hold it against their rivals. The current dynasty''s hold is maintained by their control of the supply of spirit stones in the great mines of Mount Tai, as well as the web of alliances the mines have given them.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes widened at the casual and disdainful description. It was uncomfortable to hear someone speak of the Imperial throne that way. It just¡­ wasn¡¯t done.


    ¡°But¡­ doesn¡¯t the Dragon Throne incinerate false claimants?¡± There were all sorts of stories of wicked schemers destroyed for daring to touch the throne.


    ¡°Certainly,¡± Bai Meizhen responded, her irritation showing in the sibilant undertone that colored her words. ¡°However, the first emperor and creator of the throne was a very promiscuous man. Almost every noble family of any pedigree is descended from him.¡±


    Feeling rather uncomfortable with the subject matter, Ling Qi soon changed it, but she now felt she had an inkling of why Meizhen might be isolated. Was her family out of favor with the Imperial Court?


    The thought was unsettling enough to cut into her sleep that night.


    This was very unhelpful the next day as she trudged toward the training grounds before sunrise for another lesson with Elder Zhou. If she were honest, these lessons were probably her least favorite times on the mountain. The man was a merciless taskmaster and every time she attended, she went home exhausted, sore, and filthy with sweat and dirt. She wasn¡¯t afraid of getting dirty, but Ling Qi had never imagined she could be that tired.


    She felt some pride in that she was one of only a score or so of the girls who regularly showed up and kept up. She saw Meizhen once or twice, as well as Sun Liling, both of whom were irritating in different ways. Meizhen because the snow white girl never seemed to tire properly and never sweated at all, no matter how hard she worked Sun Liling because whenever she showed up, she got the instructor¡¯s personal attention.


    There were no more incidents like the first day. No student spoke back or interrupted Instructor Zhou again, not even the boy still nursing a bruise from last week.


    Their instructor spoke little. When he did, Zhou¡¯s lectures were oddly mundane, in that he spoke little of cultivation matters but more on fitness. Actual exercise was needed alongside meditation to allow qi to properly seep into the muscles and bones, and he constantly reminded them that keeping their bodies in the peak of mundane health was necessary for laying the foundation of their physical cultivation.


    A cultivator¡¯s body degraded slower than a mortal¡¯s, much slower as they grew stronger. Once she reached the peak, it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to stay there, but here, at the beginning, she could not afford to slack at all.


    Not that she intended to.


    Ling Qi was all too aware of how much she would benefit from having an Immortal¡¯s body. Sickness, disease, starvation. All the ugly things she had spent her life worrying about could be cast aside and forgotten if she just exercised hard enough. How could she not put her full effort into it?


    So despite her difficulties, Ling Qi stubbornly pushed on with her cultivation, doing her utmost to focus her qi into her exhausted muscles during her periods of meditation. Today, despite its miserable beginnings, her cultivation paid off.


    It happened as she was in the midst of a set of push ups, a cool down from the more intense exercises. It was as if she had been straining against a great weight tied to her back, only for it to suddenly vanish. Vitality flooded her tired limbs, banishing her fatigue and lingering tiredness like morning mist before the sun. Her body felt lighter than it ever had before, and aches she had forgotten she even had faded away.


    ¡°Good. Get up and join the third group,¡± Ling Qi¡¯s gaze snapped up as she found herself staring at the veritable mountain of muscle that was Instructor Zhou. How did Elders do that?


    Hastily nodding, she stood, not trusting herself to respond without stuttering something embarrassing. No matter how harsh he was, the older man was very¡­ distracting up close.


    Moving toward the group of students who had reached the Early Gold stage, she paused as Elder Zhou spoke again.


    ¡°Do not slow down. You are still far behind your peers.¡±


    His words stung but¡­ they were true. Gritting her teeth in determination, Ling Qi set herself to driving her body to exhaustion once again.


    After Elder Zhou¡¯s lesson, Ling Qi dragged her tired body up the narrow path which lead to the archive. She had learned its location by listening in on the other groups of disciples coming and going. Although her muscles ached and her lungs burned with exertion, she did not want to put this off any longer.


    She wished the location was more convenient. The archive was a rounded tower rising from the top of a cliff, and the path she walked was a narrow switchback carved into the face of it, steep and dangerous. Even as tired as she was though, Ling Qi felt no concern. Though her limbs dragged, her balance was more perfect than ever.


    Reaching the top, she took a moment to catch her breath and then proceeded forward. It took a moment for her to figure out the door. Apparently, she needed to slot the token Elder Su had given her into it, but once slotted, the door swung open, opening the archive to her.


    Soon, she would have an art of her own.

 Chapter 6-Exam Prep 1

    Ling Qi rubbed her eyes, trying to banish the blur of exhaustion. Scattered on the table before her were a half dozen opened scrolls, dense with text and diagrams. The archive supervisor had been able to explain the Archive¡¯s organization, but even limiting her search to arts which only needed a single heart meridian for the initial level, the number she had to sift through had been vast.


    There were no windows in the archive, only hanging lanterns that burned without flame, but Ling Qi suspected that it was nearing sunrise. There were simply so many options, and she could only take a single one. Each art would allow her to perform feats that she could not have imagined a scarce few weeks ago.


    The Burning Heart Art would allow her to inspire courage and banish fear, as well as project blazing heat in the wake of her movements. The Earthroot Art would fill her limbs with strength and slow enemies with the weighty energies of the earth. The Crimson Flowing Art would allow her to sense the flow of blood in things around her and staunch her own wounds with a thought.


    And these were only a few of the available arts!


    Ling Qi¡¯s gaze drifted to another scroll on the table. Zephyr¡¯s Breath Art was a set of techniques for manipulating the currents of air around the user to speed allies and impede foes. It was an art for making projectiles fly true and for avoiding direct confrontation.


    In other words, it fit her well. But did she want it? She was a cultivator now, she could¡­ should do whatever she wanted. Did she want to keep running away?


    Ling Qi let out an explosive sigh. She was being silly; looking at her peers, she had no business being able to simply do as she pleased. Elder Su had mentioned that her qi had a natural wind nature so Zephyr¡¯s Breath really was her best choice for being able to quickly defend herself.


    It was only a first choice after all, and meridians could be re-attuned. Ling Qi decisively snatched up the scroll. She wavered as she stood up but shook her head, took control of her breathing, and cycled her qi to push the exhaustion back for the moment.


    Once she cleaned up and traded the scroll for the jade slip encoded with its contents, she could get some sleep. She just hoped that she didn¡¯t end up missing Elder Su¡¯s lesson by oversleeping.


    Days passed, and Ling Qi found limited success in getting her new art to work. The finesse required to create more than directionless bursts of wind eluded her yet, and channeling the flows of qi left her feeling exhausted, her single meridian burning with discomfort. It seemed that her body needed more tempering yet.


    She was not yet ready to make use of her art, but that day would come soon if she kept working hard. She was sure of it. Elder Su¡¯s lessons were slowly improving her ability to cycle and manipulate qi. Mastering the next stage of Argent Soul also promised great improvements to her stamina, and in a few days, she was going to be meeting that girl, Li Suyin, to share cultivation ideas.


    As for Elder Zhou... Well, his lessons continued to be both blessing and trial.


    Ling Qi¡¯s limbs trembled with exhaustion, her muscles burning from the strain of holding herself in the difficult pose Instructor Zhou had forced them to take up for meditation this week. The meditation had begun with simple stretches but had quickly progressed to difficult and highly uncomfortable exercises.


    Muscles she didn''t even know she had were sore, and the sweat trickling down her forehead despite the mountain chill kept stinging her eyes. Ling Qi doggedly kept her attention on Instructor Zhou as he paced between the rows of disciples, muscular arms clasped behind his back.


    ¡°As a cultivator, you cannot afford to neglect any part of your body. Physical cultivation is, at its core, an endless exercise in balance and unity. Lose that balance or cultivate some part out of sync and you will tear your own body apart,¡± the elder lectured, pausing now and then to not so gently nudge a disciple back into proper position.


    ¡°At this low stage of cultivation, you may suffer torn muscles, broken bones, and other minor injuries.¡±


    One of the boys on the elder¡¯s left collapsed mid-movement, his leg giving out beneath him. The elder waved the boy off to cool down.


    ¡°The repercussions for failure only grow with your cultivation. You do not wish to make such mistakes when you begin reinforcement of the major organs.¡±


    Ling Qi gritted her teeth as the muscles in her back cried out from being extended for so long.


    ¡°One¡¯s foundation of understanding is vital to cultivation. This is the sole reason that Elders such as I are spending our time teaching you.


    ¡°The key to physical cultivation is Unity!¡± His voice boomed out over the field, and another person collapsed in a heap.


    ¡°The body requires Unity and Balance.¡± Even in her current state, Ling Qi could hear the odd emphasis that he put on those words.


    ¡°Flesh, bone, muscle, blood, the organs major and minor. No part of the body functions well without the others supporting it! And so all must be cultivated to achieve true strength.¡±


    He rounded the end of the row and began to walk down the one occupied by Ling Qi.


    ¡°The same can be said for the Sect and the Empire. No province would find the same prosperity or the same safety on its own.¡± Ling Qi¡¯s breath hitched as she felt her body begging to be allowed to collapse.


    ¡°No soldier survives a battle on his own. He survives with the support of his squad, which survives with the support of its battalion. A General without his men is no better than a head without a body. An army without a general is no better than a body without a head!


    ¡°But all the same, cultivation is also about removing the impurities from the body. It is about ejecting weakness.¡± He stopped a scant dozen steps from Ling Qi¡¯s position to survey the field, towering over the hunched and bent students.


    ¡°I have said it before; I am not here to train court cultivators, who sit in their clan homes and play the games of politics. I train the soldiers who will stand as the bulwark of the Empire. This is your warning. In two weeks, the lessons I give freely will end.¡±


    Murmurs of alarm sounded at that, but none dared anything more.


    ¡°The week after next, I will oversee a test. It will not be one that solely tests personal strength. You will be organized into squads and set against one another in various tasks. I intend to accept no more than thirty disciples into the remaining lessons.¡±


    He resumed walking then, and Ling Qi bit her lip as she concentrated on not falling. Not now. She didn¡¯t want to fail just as the Elder walked by¡­


    As the Elder moved toward her, she let out a breath and closed her eyes.


    No. She would not let herself fail.


    She felt her qi blaze in her dantian and resonate with the Argent Soul Art, the steady outward flow dispersing into her bones and muscles briefly increased and dulled the ache of exhaustion. When she opened her eyes, she found herself meeting the instructor¡¯s eyes, if only for a second, as he swept his gaze over her.


    ¡°We will see which of you has the potential to be worth more of my time then.


    ¡°At ease, disciples,¡± Elder Zhou said as he reached the end of the line.


    ¡°Perform your cooldowns and go. Prepare yourselves well.¡±


    The tension in the air as he left the field was palpable. Ling Qi eyed her fellow disciples with new wariness. Their competition was no longer implicit. In two weeks time, they would be enemies.


    Ling Qi left the day¡¯s lessons in a daze. With this new deadline hanging over her head, all of her progress seemed paltry. It wasn¡¯t fair. How was she supposed to compete in something like this when she had only just begun?


    She reminded herself that life was not fair and had never been fair. She would just have to find a way to succeed.


    It was a group exercise at least, and Elder Zhou had never said that it would be direct combat. Perhaps she could group with Meizhen? It felt unpleasant to have to rely on someone else¡¯s strength, but pride was a luxury of the strong.


    In the wake of Instructor Zhou¡¯s announcement, Ling Qi had been tempted to discard her current plans for cultivating the Argent Soul Art in favor of spending more time on the Zephyr¡¯s Breath Art. In the end, she decided against it. Had the instructor not said that the foundation was the most important? Right now, the Argent Soul was her foundation so she would improve it no matter what.


    She did come much closer to canceling her meeting with Li Suyin. However, she had already set the date, and there was no point in alienating one of her tiny handful of friendly contacts. Certainly not for a few hours of fumbling solo cultivation.


    So unlike most days, instead of ducking out the moment Elder Su opened the door, she hung back. She watched Li Suyin carefully pack up the various writing tools the girl always brought to the lessons.


    Ling Qi had started paying attention to the other girl since the day Li Suyin had approached her. The girl never seemed to be without her implements and carried them in an expensive looking case at her side. It was the only real proof that the girl had any wealth.


    Ling Qi could see the appeal of taking notes. More than once, she had wished she could better recall Elder Su¡¯s instruction even with her improved memory. Sadly, such things were laughably out of her reach financially. And while she could read, her writing ability was far too slow to keep up with the Elder¡¯s lecture.


    When Li Suyin finally noticed her looking, her eyes widened momentarily before she hurried up, the shiny wooden case holding her notes and implements clutched against her chest.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! Were you waiting for me? It¡¯s just - I needed to blot the ink and -¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Ling Qi cut her off a bit rudely. There was already attention being directed at the two of them, and this wasn¡¯t the place for idle chatter.


    ¡°Let¡¯s walk while we talk,¡± she added, turning away to head for the door.


    She heard Li Suyin murmur a response and hurry to catch up with her. Apologizing as she moved around and between other students.


    ¡°W-why are you always in such a hurry to leave class?¡± the blue-haired girl asked as she finally fell in beside Ling Qi. Li Suyin was even shorter than Bai Meizhen, the other girl¡¯s head barely came up to Ling Qi¡¯s chest. Just another reason to feel awkward and out of place.


    ¡°I like staying in practice,¡± Ling Qi responded. ¡°The truce the Elders put down will only last less than two and a half months longer, and I am not popular.¡± Left unsaid was that Ling Qi didn¡¯t have any family reputation to act as a buffer either.


    ¡°Oh, well, um¡­¡± The answer seemed to have surprised Li Suyin.


    ¡°I¡­ surely no one will do anything excessive, right?¡± At Ling Qi¡¯s incredulous look, the shorter girl hurried on. ¡°I mean, there will be¡­ duels and such obviously, but we are all disciples of the same sect.¡±


    ¡°... Maybe,¡± Ling Qi allowed, but she doubted it would be so civilized. If one dumped a few scraps of meat into a pen of starving dogs, they wouldn¡¯t nicely share it either, and in her view, that was a pretty close approximation of the trickle of resources supplied to the outer disciples.


    ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡±


    Li Suyin blinked at the sudden change in subject as the two of them hurried out of the lecture building.


    ¡°I was thinking that you could come to my home, and I could ask you a few questions before observing you while you cultivate,¡± Li Suyin responded nervously. ¡°I¡­ I have been told my senses are quite good. It is hard to discern anything in the lecture hall when there is so much interference,¡± she said while gesturing vaguely to the other disciples around the two of them.


    Was Ling Qi getting set up for a trap? Even if Li Suyin seemed genuine, she didn¡¯t like putting herself in the other girl¡¯s space.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we do it at my place instead?¡± Ling Qi asked challengingly to see how the other girl would respond.


    The blue-haired girl¡¯s eyes widened almost comically, and Li Suyin hunched her shoulders. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not sure¡­. Would your housemate really allow that?¡± she asked, reminding Ling Qi of a frightened rabbit.


    ¡°It¡¯s my home too,¡± Ling Qi responded stubbornly. She honestly wasn¡¯t sure how Meizhen would react to someone else in their home.


    ¡°Besides, why is everyone so afraid or disdainful of Bai Meizhen?¡±


    Now Li Suyin was the one looking at her incredulously. ¡°She¡­ does her aura not affect you?¡± Li Suyin asked before frowning.


    ¡°No, it must not. How else would you live in the same home,¡± Li Suyin mumbled to herself. ¡°Is it just acclimation though or¡­¡±


    Ling Qi shifted uncomfortably. Her heart still sped up sometimes when she was startled by Bai Meizhen¡¯s presence, but it was mostly something that she had almost forgotten about given her constant proximity to the girl.


    ¡°It can¡¯t just be that,¡± Ling Qi said, cutting off the other girl¡¯s inquisitive mumbling. ¡°I mean- it¡¯s a little unnerving, but we¡¯re all cultivators here.¡±


    Li Suyin grimaced slightly, turning her attention back to Ling Qi.


    ¡°I do not fully understand the matter myself¡­ Father is only a regional minister of finance and was elevated in the exams. I¡¯m not - not really a noble,¡± Li Suyin admitted uncomfortably.


    ¡°The Bai family is¡­ They frighten people and upset things with their disagreements with the Imperial Court. There are only a handful of ancient bloodlines left in the Empire, you know?¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t know, but she supposed she would have to take the other girl¡¯s word for it.


    ¡°...We¡¯ll do this at your place then,¡± she decided. In the end, her instincts told her Li Suyin wasn¡¯t leading her on. She supposed it was a poor idea to invite someone over without asking Bai Meizhen. Her housemate could be prickly at the best of times.


    Ling Qi followed Li Suyin to her home, a tiny stone hut on the edge of the residential area. It was¡­ cramped. A single room with a hearth in the center and thin pallets laid out on either side.


    One side clearly belonged to Li Suyin. It was neatly made and surrounded by paper and books. The other side was a mess of balled up blankets and discarded clothing, as well as a few other random knick knacks: a battered belt knife, a few stone dishes, and implements for grinding and mixing herbs. There were also fine, silky strands of hair on everything. Did the girl Li Suyin was rooming with have a cat or a dog?


    In any case, Li Suyin mumbled apologies for the mess her housemate left and ushered Ling Qi into the only other room, which was essentially the equivalent of the meditation room at Ling Qi¡¯s home but¡­ downsized.


    Once the two were seated in the dim and cramped room, things started off simple enough. Li Suyin asked various questions about Ling Qi¡¯s cultivation and how Ling Qi felt while performing different exercises. Li Suyin scribbled down the answers on the paper spread across the wooden board she had laid out across her lap.


    Ling Qi found herself relaxing as time passed and nothing untoward happened even as the other girl¡¯s questions grew increasingly difficult. Things like the number of qi circulations in each ¡®push¡¯ on her meridian or the exact number of breaths she took per minute when meditating¡­ Ling Qi couldn¡¯t answer many of them since she didn¡¯t really pay attention to such issues herself. It was frustrating to be unable to answer again and again.


    ¡°Does any of this actually matter?¡± Ling Qi finally asked, cutting off Li Suyin¡¯s latest inquiry about whether Ling Qi circulated her qi clockwise or counterclockwise or some mix of both when clearing her meridian.


    The other girl paused in writing and shifted uncomfortably where she was seated only a short distance away.


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know,¡± Li Suyin admitted.


    ¡°I ask questions in the lessons, but there is never enough time for everything I want to ask,¡± she added with a hint of frustration. ¡°There is just so much that I do not know.¡±


    ¡°Why ask me then?¡± Ling Qi asked, leaning back against the wall. ¡°There are probably other girls who actually know these answers.¡±


    Li Suyin looked aside, twiddling nervously with her ink brush. ¡°But would they answer me?¡± she asked, expression bitter.


    ¡°At least you are willing to sit down and answer questions instead of calling me foolish.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ fair,¡± Ling Qi admitted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know that I¡¯ll be able to do this often. I need to cultivate, and the Argent Soul isn¡¯t going to master itself.¡± Ling Qi didn¡¯t dislike the other girl, but she was also finding it difficult to think of reasons why she should continue.


    Li Suyin¡¯s face fell, but then her expression settled into one of determination. ¡°Would - would you care for a look at my notes? I¡¯ve done a fair amount of work on studying how the Argent Soul art works, as well as deciphering the meanings behind the koans and more opaque instructions.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned but eventually nodded. She was already here, and it couldn¡¯t hurt.


    Li Suyin¡¯s notes were densely packed, but at the same time¡­ they were pretty insightful. Li Suyin had ideas for achieving the improved qi generation of the second stage of the Argent Soul art that Ling Qi hadn''t even considered.


    Now that Ling Qi had been presented with them, it made all too much sense. With the new insight in mind, she barely gave Li Suyin a thought before closing her eyes to cultivate. If Li Suyin was right about the last step of the second stage, then it was more than worth a little observation from Li Suyin.


    When Ling Qi opened her eyes, the sun had fallen beneath the the horizon. She felt incredibly refreshed. She could not yet maintain the second stage with any stability, but she had advanced in leaps and bounds compared to the muddled attempts she had made previously on her own.


    She still jerked back in shock at the first sight she saw. Li Suyin had leaned in far closer than Ling Qi was comfortable with, hands hovering a hair¡¯s breadth over Ling Qi¡¯s stomach. Just how out of touch was Ling Qi when cultivating?


    ¡°Back up,¡± Ling Qi commanded in a voice that was definitely not an embarrassed yelp.


    Li Suyin startled at the sound of Ling Qi¡¯s voice and flushed a deep red when she met Ling Qi¡¯s eyes. Li Suyin hastily jerked back with wide eyes as her hands flew up to cover her mouth.


    ¡°I - I¡¯m sorry!¡± Li Suyin squeaked out. ¡°I just lost track of things while observing your qi and I think I¡¯ve nearly managed to open the meridian in my arm and I got better results when I was closer and...¡± she rambled defensively.


    ¡°Just - just don¡¯t do that again,¡± Ling Qi interrupted shakily. She didn¡¯t care for having her personal space invaded.


    ¡°... I don¡¯t mind coming by again sometime,¡± Ling Qi said in the awkward silence that followed. ¡°As long as you keep sharing your notes,¡± she added hastily.


    Ling Qi couldn¡¯t but feel a little pleased at the bright smile that overtook the mousy girl¡¯s expression. How long had it been since someone had been genuinely happy to see her?

 Chapter 7-Exam Prep 2

    The qi that now thrummed through Ling Qi¡¯s dantian filled her body with energy. Her muscles tingled and her heartbeat thundered in her ears, making it difficult to remain still. The qi washed away the fatigue and thinly stretched feeling that followed a day spent in intensive effort.


    She had mastered the second stage of the Argent Soul Art and the depth of her well of qi had grown by nearly half. Letting out a breath, she performed another cycling of her energy and felt wonder at how smoothly it flowed and how swiftly it responded to her thoughts.


    This¡­ This had been worth it. She would need to dedicate herself to training hard, but she could instinctively feel that she now had enough qi to put into practice Elder Su¡¯s lessons on using qi to reduce the need for sleep. It would leave her drained of energy, but she could train longer and harder if need be. With her increased stamina, she might even be able to begin seriously mastering the first techniques of the Zephyr¡¯s Breath Art.


    With her success buoying her, Ling Qi left the meditation room feeling ready to take a well-earned break. When she found that her oft absent roommate had returned home during her cultivation, she was even more pleased. She hadn¡¯t had a chance to speak to Bai Meizhen in a couple of days, and she wanted to discuss the possibility of teaming up for Elder Zhou¡¯s test.


    ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t intend to participate?¡± Ling Qi asked in distress as she looked across the fire at Bai Meizhen.


    The pale girl sipped quietly from a steaming cup of tea as Cui lazily slithered up from the collar of her gown, coiling around her neck in a loose loop.


    ¡°Just as I said. I have no intention of joining the Sect military beyond training exercises. Elder Zhou¡¯s instruction is valuable, but in the end, it is not the path I wish to take. My own physical cultivation is sufficient for my needs.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. So much for the hope that she could succeed by relying on Bai Meizhen. There was still the possibility of trying to join Han Jian¡­ but she felt less sure of her chances of successfully doing so. The boy had quite a few other friends from her observations.


    ¡°Do you at least have an idea of what the Elder¡¯s test will be?¡± Surely Bai Meizhen knew more of the various elders¡¯ reputations than Ling Qi did.


    Bai Meizhen¡¯s thoughtful hum had a slightly unnerving hissing quality to it, but Ling Qi was used to it by now.


    ¡°Guan Zhou is a man dedicated to the Empire through and through. It is likely he will test for cooperation, coordination, and ability to synergize one¡¯s skills with others. I expect the test will take the form of achieving various military objectives. Other elders may have input into the test however, which may change the form the test takes.¡±


    Ling Qi clutched her knees in worry as her thoughts spun through the possibilities. She might not have much combat ability¡­ but she was fairly good at sneaking and survival. Scouting was an important part of army operations, right? She hoped so. Her only experience with soldiering was listening to drunk city guards bemoan their superior officers.


    ¡°Ugh. I wish I had more time and resources to cultivate with,¡± Ling Qi lamented. ¡°There are so many things to do, and I¡¯m still so far behind. I can¡¯t afford to lose out on an Elder¡¯s lessons.¡±


    Bai Meizhen regarded her emotionlessly over the rim of her tea cup as Ling Qi spoke to herself. Cui was staring at her too, tongue flickering in and out.


    ¡°I had noticed that your cultivation has stopped progressing. Have you reached a block?¡±


    Ling Qi shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯ve been cultivating the Argent Soul Art instead. It¡¯s my¡­ foundation, right? If I strengthen it, everything that comes after will be stronger.¡± The explanation sounded better in her head, especially now that she was regretting the lack of immediate combat gains.


    Bai Meizhen nodded, a hint of approval flickering in her golden eyes. ¡°That is a good way to think, but I can understand why you are distressed. Building a foundation is important, but it lacks immediate returns.¡± She glanced downward thoughtfully, meeting the eyes of her ¡®cousin¡¯, who merely flicked her tongue lazily in response as far as Ling Qi could tell.


    ¡°Would you like some tea?¡± The question was bizarre and made Ling Qi blink in surprise as Bai Meizhen looked back up to meet her gaze.


    ¡°¡­ Sure?¡± Ling Qi responded a bit awkwardly. Was the other girl trying to comfort her?


    ¡°What does that have to do with what we were talking about?¡±


    Bai Meizhen pursed her lips. ¡°I am no herbalist, but I do have some small supply of spirit herbs. Several of the herbs are no longer useful to me.¡± She said this as if it explained everything. Bai Meizhen frowned at Ling Qi¡¯s lack of understanding and expanded on her previous statement.


    ¡°The tea will allow you to cultivate longer and more efficiently. It cannot be used too often though. Once a month at most, lest you risk poisoning.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes widened. Even with the limitation, the tea would be an amazing boon. She hurriedly ducked her head thankfully to the other girl.


    ¡°Oh! Then yes, please. Thank you very much.¡±


    Bai Meizhen waved her hand dismissively. ¡°It is nothing. As I said, the herbs in question are not useful to one above the Red Soul realm.¡± She sounded pleased at Ling Qi¡¯s acceptance.


    Later that night, Ling Qi was not regretting her choice even if the tea had been so bitter she had nearly spat it out. As horrible as it had tasted, it had left her qi practically crackling within her dantian, straining at its confines as if to expand her capacity by itself. In a single night, she felt as if she had made up for at least a few of the days lost struggling with art cultivation.


    When the tea¡¯s effect faded and exhaustion set in, Ling Qi found herself toying with her flute for the first time since she had come to the Sect.


    Everything was changing so quickly. Ling Qi might not have true strength yet, but she was achieving something. It hadn¡¯t really sunk in how different things were now. She had friends, if tentative and eccentric ones. She knew things that she could never have imagined having the time or energy to care about. She was seriously considering competing in a military exercise!


    As she brought the flute to her lips and closed her eyes, she could only think of one thing. She wouldn¡¯t fail. She wouldn¡¯t fall behind¡­ and she wouldn¡¯t be a burden on her housemate forever.


    The other girl had helped her greatly tonight and in the past weeks. Their conversations had given her the basic understanding she would need to get by among the other disciples.


    She would pay Bai Meizhen back for her kindness.


    She played until tiredness finally stole her skill and laid down to sleep.


    Days passed. Ling Qi found herself spending more and more time on cultivation and using her qi to avoid the need to sleep. Every time she found her eyes drooping or her thoughts becoming clouded with exhaustion, she would breathe deep and cycle the qi in her dantian. The tiredness would fade, and she would resume cultivating.


    She could feel that she would not be able to keep this up forever. Every day that passed without sleep increased the slight feeling of strain and emptiness that she had begun to feel behind her navel as her efforts sapped the internal well of energy she was carefully cultivating. But for now, it would have to be enough.


    Not all of her time could be spent in solitary meditation. She still had lessons to attend and¡­ meetings with her friends for one reason or another.


    Things were also beginning to change in the lessons. Instructor Zhou grew harsher and more demanding, and the class began to slowly shrink as individual disciples gave up in the face of his harsh criticisms.


    Elder Su did not allow things to remain routine either.


    ¡°I am glad to see there are none left who remain unawakened at the end of our first month together.¡± The matron opened the class on the second day of the week with an unusual statement. With the exception of her speech on the first day, she had always moved directly into her lecture the moment the the door closed.


    ¡°It would have been unfortunate to have to expel such layabouts from my course,¡± she continued pleasantly, eyes scanning the room.


    Ling Qi noticed several of her classmates shifting uncomfortably, likely those who had only recently reached their awakening. She wasn¡¯t sure; she had been so focused on her cultivation that she hadn¡¯t paid them much mind. The only ones whose names she knew in Elder Su¡¯s lessons were Li Suyin and Han Jian.


    ¡°Going forward, I will have to be somewhat more strict in my requirements.¡± Ling Qi¡¯s attention snapped back to the Elder, who handed out her ultimatum with a pleasant expression.


    ¡°First, after this week, if you do not have at least one of your meridians cleared, you will not be welcome in this class. The exercises we will be performing next week require that you be able to affect the world around you.¡±


    Ling Qi caught Li Suyin shooting her a look of gratitude to which she responded with a weak smile. She was glad she had focused on clearing a meridian so early.


    ¡°Similarly,¡± the Elder continued, unperturbed by the unhappy looks on a few disciples¡¯ faces, ¡°if you have not achieved the mid-Red Soul stage by the end of the next month, I will ask that you not return.¡± She paused to give a moment for that requirement to sink in.


    ¡°I am confident that there are no slackers who will fail to achieve such a simple thing.¡± Ling Qi¡¯s spirits sank a bit at that. It was something else she also had to worry over. At least this task seemed doable. With her meridian open and her Argent Soul Art improved to the second stage, she could now focus on raising her cultivation base.


    ¡°Demands are not all I have for you,¡± the Elder continued.


    ¡°Beginning next week, I intend to reward those who I feel are working the hardest and improving the most.¡± That drew an excited murmur.


    ¡°Each week, I will provide those five students with a medicinal pill from my department.¡± She flicked her sleeve and held up a softly glowing blue sphere the size of a thumbnail between her fingers.


    ¡°This is the Qi Foundation pill. For cultivators of the Red Soul realm, it provides a significant boon toward cultivation, greatly increasing the rate and efficiency of your qi absorption and meridian opening.¡±


    Ling Qi fixed her eyes on the pill before it disappeared back up the Elder¡¯s sleeve. She¡­ didn¡¯t really know how impressive her growth rate was. Li Suyin had seemed to imply that it was high, but the other girl was likely flattering her so that she would continue with their study sessions. Ling Qi would have to think about how she could acquire one of those pills; she needed every advantage she could get.


    For now, she needed to pay attention to Elder Su¡¯s lecture. The Elder had moved on to outlining the day¡¯s topic. The class would be studying the various effects environment could have on qi and how to identify sites which had a strong energy and were thus helpful for cultivation.


    Apparently, this entire mountain was selected as a training ground for this reason. The spirit stones it had once contained were long mined out, but the lingering energy still provided an ideal environment for new cultivators.


    Ling Qi made a note to look into the mines at some point. Even if the mines had been stripped bare, they might still hold something of value. Finding even just a handful of extra spirit stones could be really useful.


    It was doubtful that she was the only one with that thought.


    ... A darkened mineshaft was also almost as good as a cluttered alley for the purposes of getting the jump on someone. Perhaps seeking out more trouble wasn¡¯t the best idea with Elder Zhou¡¯s upcoming test, but it was something to consider.

 Chapter 8-Exam Prep 3

    After the lecture ended, she walked back to the residential area with Li Suyin. Ling Qi brought up the idea of trying for the pills when they became available, but so far, she was having trouble convincing the other girl that it was even a real possibility.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see what the problem is,¡± Ling Qi said with a frown as they entered the narrow valley where the first year disciples lived.


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying we should at least try to find a better cultivation spot. Your notes were pretty helpful, and I¡¯m pretty sure your cultivation speed has gotten better too. You have a second meridian open now, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Ling Qi kept her voice down and an eye on their fellow disciples. She still didn¡¯t trust them not to try anything, and the relative peace of her first month here was only feeding her paranoia.


    ¡°If we can actually find a a qi locus¡­¡±


    Li Suyin fidgeted with the hems of her sleeves, hunching her shoulders nervously.


    ¡°It is not too difficult to open another once you manage your first,¡± Li Suyin mumbled evasively.


    ¡°I do not compare to the other disciples though. You... um- might manage it. I think.¡± She offered Ling Qi a weak smile.


    ¡°I¡­ I am going to put my full effort into cultivation, but I am not sure going out looking for something potentially dangerous is a good idea.¡±


    Ling Qi held back on rolling her eyes at the other girl¡¯s self-deprecation as they turned into the ¡®street¡¯ leading to the scholarly girl¡¯s home. From what she had observed Li Suyin was actually a pretty hard worker, and her talent wasn¡¯t awful. Li Suyin just got hung up on the details of¡­ everything and tended to second guess herself too much. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    Well, Li Suyin was apparently awful at physical cultivation, and Instructor Zhou had scared her off in a matter of days. Ling Qi supposed everyone had their weak points.


    Ling Qi paused as she noticed that Li Suyin¡¯s door was open already. ¡°Is your housemate home today?¡± she asked carefully.


    Li Suyin glanced at her house and paled slightly, clutching her writing case to her chest.


    ¡°Oh! I¡­ Maybe? She doesn¡¯t come back very often, but¡­¡± Li Suyin seemed nervous.


    ¡°I¡­ Will you give me a moment please? I haven¡¯t actually told her that I¡¯ve been bringing someone over. I haven¡¯t seen her since last week¡­¡±


    Ling Qi was about to respond when a voice from just behind her nearly made her jump.


    ¡°Damn right you didn¡¯t. I was wondering why the house smelled like a stranger.¡±


    Ling Qi instinctively spun on her heel to face the speaker, her hands balling into loose fists. She found herself face to face with another disciple. It was alarming that someone had managed to get so close without her notice.


    The girl¡¯s features were narrow and a bit gaunt with a slight feral cast to them. The impression was not helped by the way her her lips were drawn back, exposing sharp teeth. Sticking out of of her bushy, tangled mass of shoulder length dark brown hair were a pair of large vulpine ears, fuzzy and twitching in agitation. Even more bizarrely, the girl appeared to have a tail the same color as her hair with a white tip wrapped loosely around her waist. Ling Qi would have thought it a weird accessory if it hadn¡¯t been moving.


    ¡°You better not have touched any of my shit,¡± the girl added threateningly, poking Ling Qi in the chest with one bony, sharp nailed finger.


    Ling Qi barely noticed Li Suyin wringing her hands and stammering out an apology out of the corner of her eyes as she met the new girl¡¯s intense green eyes unflinchingly. She wasn¡¯t going to back down from this girl.


    Ling Qi could see what she was dealing with, inhuman features or no. The other girl was skinny to the point of unhealthiness and more than a bit dirty besides. The girl also had twigs in her hair and dirt smudged on her gown. Given the way she held herself¡­ Ling Qi wasn¡¯t dealing with some noble girl trying to throw her weight around but a fellow citizen of the gutter. She was sure of it.


    Ling Qi brushed the feral girl¡¯s finger away from her chest.


    ¡°If you¡¯re that worried about it, then don¡¯t leave things you care about lying around, but I¡¯m not that poor a guest,¡± Ling Qi responded coldly.


    ¡°It¡¯s Li Suyin¡¯s place too. If she wants to invite me over, she can. It¡¯s not her fault that you apparently sleep outside.¡±


    The other girl scowled at Ling Qi, holding her gaze, but at least the girl wasn¡¯t exposing her weirdly sharp teeth anymore.


    ¡°I have too much to do to coop myself up in some tiny hut.¡± The other girl huffed irritably, but she did take a step back, her fuzzy ears still twitching on either side of her head.


    ¡±Whatever. I guess it doesn¡¯t really matter. If I find something missing, I¡¯ll take it out of your hide.¡±


    ¡°You can try,¡± Ling Qi responded with a snort, crossing her arms. It was almost a relief to deal with someone simple again. She could never tell what Bai Meizhen was thinking and even Han Jian and Li Suyin could be more complicated than she liked. This girl¡¯s actions were pretty clear¡­ if overly confrontational.


    Ling Qi glanced over at Li Suyin, who was looking back and forth between Ling Qi and the other girl as if half expecting them to come to blows.


    ¡°Anyway, we going to study or what?¡±


    Li Suyin glanced at her housemate nervously. ¡°Ah, yes. If you don¡¯t need the meditation room, Su Ling?¡±


    The other girl shook her head.


    ¡°Go ahead. I only came back because I needed my tools. My skinning knife broke.¡± Su Ling bared a bit of fang in irritation. ¡°Fucking rabbits shouldn¡¯t have hides that tough, spirit or no,¡± she added with a grumble.


    Li Suyin smiled in a slightly strained manner. ¡°Oh¡­ you were hunting again. I¡­ You didn¡¯t leave it out again, did you?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s bagged, you big baby,¡± the vulpine girl said, rolling her eyes as she brushed past Ling Qi with one last suspicious glance.


    Ling Qi raised an eyebrow and glanced at Li Suyin, who flushed and mumbled an apology before ushering her into the house for their study session.


    By the time the two had finished dissecting the day¡¯s spiritual cultivation lesson and putting it into practice, Su Ling had disappeared again. She left behind some recently cleaned processing tools and a silver furred rabbit hide being stretched and dried on a makeshift rack.


    Li Suyin had begun to come around to the idea of searching out a better cultivation spot with Ling Qi. Li Suyin¡¯s sensitivity to qi would likely make finding such a place much easier than Ling Qi searching on her own. Hopefully, they could start searching after Elder Zhou¡¯s test.


    After returning home, Ling Qi set about beginning the last major preparation for Elder Zhou¡¯s test: mastering the first level of Zephyr¡¯s Breath. Sitting down in the meditation room, she held the jade slip encoded with the art in her hands. Channeling a trickle of qi into the carved jade, words and diagrams bloomed in her thoughts, laying out the exercises needed to use the art¡¯s first two techniques. Taking a deep breath, she began the difficult process of refining her energy into pure wind-natured qi.


    Over the course of the next few days, Ling Qi refined her first faltering steps into something approaching mastery. With her stamina reinforced by the Argent Soul Art, she could practice for hours instead of minutes, and she found herself progressing quickly through the theory and preparatory exercises.


    When it came to practice, however, Ling Qi found herself stymied. The simplest application of the art was the Guiding Zephyr technique, but it required either an arrow from a bow or a thrown projectile to enhance. She tried using pebbles at first, but that didn¡¯t seem to work well.


    While the training fields were full of weapons, Ling Qi was nervous about doing her practice out in the open. Bai Meizhen had assured her that the Sect wouldn¡¯t begrudge a disciple for taking a few ¡®training toys¡¯, but Ling Qi could not help but feel dubious of her housemate¡¯s words as she examined the fine steel throwing knives plucked from a training rack.


    Even she could see the masterful quality of the knives¡¯ forging and balance. At home, any one of these knives would likely be sold for two or maybe three silver coins, enough to buy quality food for a week. Then again, her disciple¡¯s gown was spun from silk fine enough to clothe a wealthy merchant¡¯s wife. She supposed cultivators valued things differently.


    With real weapons, Ling Qi found herself advancing more quickly despite her lack of prior experience in handling knives. In the past, if a situation escalated to the use of weapons, Ling Qi would have already escaped; fighting had never been an option. It surprised her when using throwing knives felt natural.


    After only a single night, she found her knives striking the straw targets more often than not. By the end of the next, she could reliably hit within the first two rings. When she channeled her qi, guiding the sliver of steel after it left her hands, she struck the bull¡¯s eye almost every time.


    When her throw buried a blade halfway to the hilt in a solid wooden fencepost, she felt she had mastered the Guiding Zephyr technique.

 Chapter 9-Exam Prep 4

    That was as far as she could take the training alone. The second technique, Against the Wind, didn¡¯t simply enhance her throws; rather, it used the connection formed by a successful attack to hinder the opponent, battering them with gusts of wind that could slow and throw off their movements. To make progress, she would require someone to practice with.


    ... She also needed a team.


    There was less than a week left until Instructor Zhou¡¯s exam, and while she could simply wait and fall in with some random stragglers, it seemed more prudent to group up with someone she knew. With how busy she had been, meetings with Han Jian had fallen by the wayside. She wouldn¡¯t be able to speak with him after he returned to the boys¡¯ residences so she would simply have to do it now at the end of training.


    Unfortunately, he was standing with two other disciples, one of which was that irritating Yu.


    The other disciple was a girl with pale skin and delicate features subtly painted to accentuate her beauty. Her long, straight black hair gleamed like silk in its simple braid. She was also rather obviously gifted in all the ways that Ling Qi was not, and the sweat worked up by today¡¯s lesson was doing little to hide that fact.


    A splash of color drew Ling Qi out of her envious study. On her right hand, the other girl wore a red leather glove.The glove¡¯s bright, crimson shade caught the light as the girl waved a hand dismissively at something said by the boys. Dozens of black characters were embroidered on its surface.


    Much like that Yu, she seemed friendly toward Han Jian. And if Ling Qi were to judge, the girl was also standing closer to his side than was strictly necessary. She found herself scowling at the girl¡¯s back. Just what she needed. Another complication.


    The crowd was thinning out. Ling Qi would need to either approach or leave. As much as she wanted to wait until Han Jian was alone¡­ she didn¡¯t want to put this off either. Every day that passed brought the test closer.


    Ling Qi took a fortifying breath and began to walk briskly toward them, doing her best to put on a friendly expression despite the churning in her stomach. She did make sure to adjust her approach so that Han Jian would likely be the one to notice her first. Sure enough, she saw his eyes shift to hers as she raised a hand to wave to him. His attention made the other two look at her as well. Yu¡¯s look was brief and dismissive, but the girl regarded her with narrowed eyes for a moment before the expression smoothed out into a welcoming smile.


    ¡°Ling Qi. I haven¡¯t had a chance to talk to you lately,¡± Han Jian said in greeting as she came into earshot.


    ¡°How¡¯d things go with¡­ ah, Li Suyin, was it?¡± Ling Qi had let him know why she was going to be busy.


    Ling Qi dipped her head slightly in greeting, giving the other two a polite nod despite her irritation with Yu.


    ¡°We have both made some good gains from our cooperation. I reached the second stage of Argent Soul. I¡¯ve also been able to reach the first level of mastery with the art I received from the Archive.¡±


    Ling Qi left out her lack of practice on live targets. She wasn¡¯t certain how to feel about the considering look this earned her from Yu, but she was glad Han Jian had given her an opening to talk herself up without it seeming awkward. She wondered if he had done it on purpose.


    At this point, the other girl cleared her throat politely and spoke up. ¡°Jian, are you going to introduce us?¡±


    Han Jian laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.


    ¡°Oh, right. I suppose I forgot that. Ling Qi, you¡¯ve already met Yu¡­ Fan Yu, even if the introduction wasn¡¯t the smoothest.¡±


    ¡°I have,¡± Ling Qi said sourly, unable to keep her dislike from her tone. The short, muscular boy seemed unbothered by her dirty look.


    ¡°I said nothing untrue,¡± Fan Yu responded with a snort, ¡°even if it turns out you have a little talent. At least Jian was not totally wasting his time. I suppose everyone must have a good point.¡± Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure if Fan Yu expected her to be infuriated by his bluntly unapologetic statement or flattered by his compliment.


    ... Definitely infuriated. Han Jian¡¯s smile grew strained as she glared at Fan Yu, a slight breeze coincidentally kicking up and sending the hem of her gown fluttering.


    ¡°¡­ This is Gu Xiulan, Yu¡¯s fiancee, and one of my other friends from home,¡± Han Jian said.


    ¡°My condolences,¡± Ling Qi said dryly, drawing a scowl from Fan Yu.


    Gu Xiulan just laughed lightly, covering her mouth with the back of her sleeve.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t necessary,¡± Gu Xiulan responded sweetly. ¡°My Yu is just a little too blunt for his own good at times.¡± There was an edge of something in her tone as she looked Ling Qi up and down before turning her gaze back to Han Jian.


    ¡°Where did you meet her, Han Jian?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we just had a chat during orientation and I thought I¡¯d help out,¡± Han Jian said cheerfully. ¡°Turns out she didn¡¯t really need much help to get going,¡± he added kindly, smiling at Ling Qi.


    Gu Xiulan sighed. ¡°You are so kind, Jian. It is lucky that it paid off this time. I suppose you do have an eye for talent.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Ling Qi cut in, feeling slightly irritated at being talked over. Dealing with Fan Yu and Gu Xiulan was making her less comfortable by the moment, and she wanted to get this over with.


    ¡°I wanted to ask if you wanted to group up for the test, Han Jian. My art is good for support and ranged fighting and defense, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, at least she knows how to make herself useful,¡± Fan Yu interrupted.


    ¡°But you shouldn¡¯t bother wasting the instructor¡¯s time. Just be content with getting a month of his training. It¡¯s already more luck than someone like you should expect.¡±


    Ling Qi bristled, scowling at the other boy, but Han Jian managed to speak up before she could.


    ¡°No need for that,¡± he said warningly. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not a bad idea. You¡¯re a close up fighter and so is Fang, and Xiulan is not much on defense. We could use another supporting fighter to round things out.¡±


    ¡°But a barely trained peasant? I know you¡¯re enamored, Han Jian, but this is ridiculous.¡± Fan Yu threw up his hands.


    ¡°Have you ever even been in a fight, girl? I refuse to lose my place because we took on an amateur.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been in a few fights,¡± Ling Qi responded defensively, glaring at him. She left out that it hadn¡¯t so much been fair fights as taking advantage of drunks or tripping up angry marks to get away.


    ¡°Now, now. Let¡¯s not get too worked up,¡± Gu Xiulan said placatingly, glancing at Ling Qi out of the corner of her eye. ¡°Han Jian¡¯s judgement is good, is it not? Why not trust him?¡±


    Fan Yu looked rebellious but eventually dropped his gaze, grumbling under his breath.


    Ling Qi gritted her teeth but refrained from speaking. Instead, she looked to Han Jian, whose expression was neutral.


    ¡°I think we could use a fifth person. Weren¡¯t we talking about that before Ling Qi came over?¡± Han Jian asked lightly.


    ¡°That is the standard squad size. She fits the bill of what we need, if not perfectly. It¡¯s not like any first year disciple will have a healing art at this point.


    ¡°Unless you want to go try and chat up Sun Liling again?¡± Han Jian asked Fan Yu.


    The other boy shuddered, rubbing his chest as if remembering a phantom pain. ¡°...No, not again, I think,¡± Fan Yu grumbled.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯m outvoted since Fang will go along with whatever you say, Jian. It¡¯s on your head if she ruins this for us.¡±


    ¡°I can pull my own weight,¡± Ling Qi responded irritably. ¡°Thank you, Han Jian,¡± she added in a softer tone. That was one less worry she had to deal with.


    ¡°Who is Fang though?¡±


    ¡°Ah. That would be my cousin, Han Fang,¡± Han Jian replied. ¡°He¡¯s gone into closed door for a few days to finish breaking through to Mid Gold.¡± He must have spotted her confusion at the term ¡°closed door¡± immediately because he continued, ¡°Fang¡¯s cultivating non-stop.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded in understanding. She had been doing something similar, but now she had a name for it. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll meet him soon then,¡± she said.


    ¡°... Is there a time where the group trains together or¡­¡± Ling Qi trailed off.


    ¡°Afternoons on the days after Jian¡¯s spiritual lessons,¡± Gu Xiulan said. ¡°We¡¯ll have to make sure you¡¯re up to standard after all.¡±


    Fan Yu snorted, and Han Jian cast a suspicious look at Gu Xiulan, whose expression was the picture of innocence.


    ¡°Yeah. We meet up at a field at the mountain¡¯s base. Let me give you directions¡­¡±


    With her worst worry resolved, Ling Qi found her thoughts turning back to Bai Meizhen as she trudged home that night. She wanted to pay the girl back for the tea, which had already helped her and would only help more in the future.


    Ling Qi had not seen even a glimpse of Bai Meizhen in days though. It struck her just how little she actually knew about the odd girl despite nearly a month of semi-regular interaction. Bai Meizhen simply didn¡¯t talk about herself or even emote much. She had no idea of the girl¡¯s likes and dislikes beyond the fact that she got irritated when Ling Qi didn¡¯t pick things up quickly. Well, Ling Qi could probably say that she knew the other girl had a great deal of affection for her ¡®cousin¡¯.


    This was why when she opened the door to her house, she was brought up short at the sight of the little green serpent curled up by the hearth alone.


    ¡°...Bai Meizhen?¡± Ling Qi called out. She didn¡¯t hear her housemate moving about, but the girl could be disturbingly silent at times. Closing the door behind her, she continued to peer around. ¡°Are you here?¡±


    Her only answer was silence so despite the oddity, Ling Qi sat down to get the fire going so that she could fix herself dinner. As she busied herself with those tasks, her eyes drifted to Cui again and again. It was so weird seeing them separate.


    She was careful not to tread on Cui, and the little snake didn¡¯t pay her any mind. As she was boiling water for the tea, an idea occurred. Bai Meizhen had assured her once or twice that Cui understood them and was capable of speech even if Ling Qi had never heard the snake do so.


    Who would know what the pale girl liked more than her constant companion? Ling Qi still felt a bit foolish when she cleared her throat and spoke up. She couldn¡¯t quite get over the impression that she was talking to an animal.


    ¡°Bai Cui, do you know where Bai Meizhen has been?¡± she asked awkwardly, deciding to be respectful. ¡°And why aren¡¯t you with her?¡±


    The thin green coils didn¡¯t even twitch at her words, and as the seconds stretched on, Ling Qi¡¯s feeling of foolishness only grew. Finally, she sighed and looked away, preparing to set the pot containing the water out over the fire.


    ¡®Cultivation. Winter. Dark. Fear.¡¯


    Ling Qi jerked in place, looking back at the little green snake. That¡­ hadn¡¯t been words. It was more like¡­ a foreign thought directly pushed into her head.


    ¡°¡­ Was that you?¡± Ling Qi asked, feeling even more foolish as the words slipped out.


    The snake raised her head from her coils to flick her forked tongue irritably up at Ling Qi. She got the impression that Bai Cui thought her question silly. Still it was¡­ garbled, and the feeling stopped.


    ¡®Not Understand. Not Speaker.¡¯


    That was a little clearer. It seemed like simple concepts were easier to convey. Cui was lowering her head again, apparently intending to go back to ignoring Ling Qi.


    Ling Qi felt rather out of her depth but decided to push on anyway. She had already embroiled herself in this bizarre situation.


    ¡°Wait, please. I¡­ want to do something for your cousin, but I don¡¯t know what she would appreciate. Could you tell me something she might like?¡± She felt rather awkward asking this, but she was out of ideas.


    It still seemed to catch Bai Cui¡¯s interest, and the tiny snake stared at her, tongue periodically flicking out.


    ''Weak. Nothing.¡¯


    Ling Qi scowled at the spirit beast¡¯s disparagement, but the snake wasn¡¯t done. What came next was hard to understand, but she thought Cui was suggesting that she just keep doing what she was currently doing.


    ¡°That¡¯s not enough,¡± Ling Qi disagreed vehemently. ¡°There has to be something.¡±


    The little serpent stared at her until Ling Qi began to fidget. Finally, Cui sent an image of a necklace. It was made of fine silver links with a dark green jade pendant in the shape of a coiled dragon. The pendant hung from a girl¡¯s chest, bouncing as she walked. Along with the image came a feeling of covetousness.


    ¡°Bai Meizhen wants jewelry?¡± Ling Qi asked, bewildered. Why hadn¡¯t the other girl just purchased the piece then? It was pretty, but she was sure that Bai Meizhen¡¯s family was absurdly wealthy.


    Her comment earned her what she was fairly certain was a look of supreme irritation from Bai Cui.


    Was it something Bai Meizhen was actively trying to get or had Cui simply noticed her wanting it? It was so frustrating that she couldn¡¯t properly communicate with the spirit beast.


    Said spirit beast laid her head back down, and all further attempts at speaking to Bai Cui were ignored. Ling Qi wasn¡¯t quite certain she wanted to start thieving at the Sect yet if only because she wasn¡¯t sure if she could pull it off without getting caught. She was also a little dubious that she was interpreting Cui correctly.


    She would just have to explore other options for now. She couldn¡¯t afford to get distracted with Elder Zhou¡¯s exam looming.

 Bonus 2: Lessons and Lore

    The Paths of Cultivation are numberless, and the names for the steps along the Path are nearly as numerous.


    At its core, cultivation is the art of taking in the qi of the world and awakening one¡¯s dormant potential. There is much debate as to why humans in particular require external sources to do so when plants, beasts, and even portions of the ground and sky can achieve this state naturally, but there are no concrete answers to be had.


    What is known is that given time, resources, and talent, a human being can achieve far more than any other on the Path. Spirits are born with power but rarely exceed the limitations of their forms. Those that do can only achieve that ascension with human aid, willing or otherwise. It is speculated that part of the reason for this is the elasticity of a human¡¯s dantian. Unlike a spirit¡¯s core, the dantian is able to expand far beyond its initial limits with significantly less effort.


    Another possible factor is the multitude of meridians or spiritual veins which the human body contains. A spirit¡¯s meridians are fixed and open from the moment of their creation, and carving out new ones is a matter of great difficulty for them. In contrast, a human being need only clear the spiritual detritus from one of the scores of veins twisting through their body.


    Few but the most dedicated scholars bother with attempting to catalogue and label each meridian as the difference is largely down to the individual. However, modern cultivators have begun the practice of grouping them via broad categories of use¡­


    - Lectures on Cultivation by Elder Su


    The first realm of cultivation, the Red Realm as it is called today, is in truth merely a preparatory step for the far more difficult path ahead. While cultivators at even the middle stages of Red realm surpass all but the most skilled and gifted mortals, it cannot truly be said that they yet walk the path of the Immortal.


    It is possible to reach the peak of Red Soul and of Gold Physique with even the meanest talent given time and dedication. The Empire holds hundreds of thousands of such cultivators. They serve as soldiers in her armies or as city or town guards protecting the mortals of the Empire. Their protection allows mortals to go about their lives as productive citizens rather than fearing the predations of spirit beasts and petty banditry.


    In the past, this initial realm was often referred to as the realm of awakening or some similar moniker. Although that terminology has faded from common use, it remains accurate. To achieve it is to awaken, to see the world that lies beyond the veil of mundanity. Yet having managed to awaken is not an achievement to be truly proud of, not for those with potential such as yours. The common soldier serves an important role, but you, who have been chosen to join the Sect, have the potential to accomplish so much more.


    Do not squander the opportunity you have been given. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    - Preface to a Lesson by Elder Su


    Spirits are simultaneously one of the greatest troubles facing the Empire and one of its greatest assets. As bound spirits, they can serve as powerful companions and multipliers of a cultivator¡¯s power. In other cases, they serve as a final and terrible warning against infighting amongst clans lest the losing party¡¯s ancestors, Sublime or otherwise, decide that there is no longer anything left to lose.


    However, these civilized spirits are sadly far in the minority. Spirit beasts stalk the wilds between our carefully warded cities and roads. Even the weakest of them are a dire threat to any mortal who catches their attention.


    Every moment, another Lesser Spirit, an ephemeral creature of raw element, emotion, or concept, is born and dies, their motivations largely incomprehensible for the short time it is alive unless bound. It is these creatures that the peasant whispers of, warning his children against the calls in the dark for many of these creatures are all too eager to possess humans in a twisted mockery of a cultivator¡¯s bond.


    Yet those are only the most common


    Hundred year spirits - the slumbering intelligences of mountains, forests, and battlefields, and even minor objects - are also among their number. The worthiest among the spirits are, of course, the Great Spirits, the most powerful of their kind who bless our Empire and are blessed in turn by our reverence. The focus of this treatise are the first two types. They remain the greatest internal obstacle and threat to the safety of our citizens, as well as the most likely source for companions for our cultivators.


    In this book, the categories, habits, and natures of many common spirits and spirit beasts will be discussed, as well as their weaknesses and the most effective formations for curtailing their activities.


    - Excerpt from A Novice¡¯s Primer on the World of Spirits


    I have spoken before of the elements of qi but only in passing. Today, I shall take the time to educate you properly on this matter.


    As I have previously mentioned, the true number of qi elements are as innumerable as the paths of cultivation. Ultimately, an element is simply a particular method and resonance to the flow of one¡¯s qi. It is entirely possible to ¡®create¡¯ a new element when developing an art, although given the length of history, most such creations merely come upon something which had already existed independently.


    Many elements also overlap each other in function. This makes a cataloguing of various elements problematic.


    The elements which the Sage Emperor used many millennia ago to unite the warring kingdoms and clans that now compose the Empire are what is now known as the Imperial Eight, along with the Traditional Five. These elements see the most common use today, and there is some overlap between the two sets in Earth, Water, and Fire.


    The Imperial Eight is composed of the following elements: Heaven, Earth, Mountain, Lake, Water, Fire, Wind, and Thunder.


    The Traditional Five is composed of: Earth, Water, Fire, Wood, and Metal.


    Heaven, the creative force, separates and ultimately elevates man over beast. It is ingenuity and inventiveness and manifests as lightning when channeled into the world, thought made force. Earth is the element of devotion and plenty, the strong foundation which allows us to stand together in the face of our many foes. Its neighbor under the Emperor¡¯s system is the Mountain, representing steadfastness, immovability, and endurance of hardship. Lake is the element of joy and delight in material pleasures but also of content and tranquility.


    Water and Fire are next. Water represents resourcefulness, wit, and the ability to adapt. In contrast, Fire drives one forward; aggression and passion are the hallmarks of fire. Wind is similar but not equivalent to Water. Where Water will wear a path through obstacles given time, Wind will flow over and through without conflict. Wind is the element of freedom, representing wanderlust and curiosity. Thunder is the element of conflict, ambition, and new beginnings. Those who seek the initiative in all things will be drawn to such element.


    The Traditional Five incorporate Wood and Metal as primary elements. Wood is an element of life and spontaneity and overlaps with both Heaven and Wind in many ways. Metal maps well to the Imperial Eight¡¯s Mountain, although it exemplifies calm rationality rather than steadfast determination.


    The subject of elemental qi is much deeper, but this will do for an introduction.


    - Lesson on Common Elements by Elder Su

 Chapter 10: Exam Prep 5

    There were only two months remaining before the truce ran out.


    If Ling Qi had not gained the ability to defend herself by then, things would go poorly for her. She needed every single advantage she could get. Passing Elder Zhou¡¯s test was her best hope for advancing quickly, but that did not mean that she had to place all of her hopes on it. Ling Qi was sure that Elder Su¡¯s lesson on qi loci was meant as a hint that the mountain held sites of power that could enhance cultivation. The trouble was that she couldn¡¯t afford to waste time wandering around the mountain at random. Time was a precious resource even with her new ability to cut her sleep time in half.


    But did she need to do it alone? No. Thinking about the problem, Ling Qi quickly came up with an alternative. She would need to get Li Suyin and her roomate to agree to help her. After receiving her monthly supply of spirit stones, Ling Qi hunted down Li Suyin in the crowd.


    ¡°Li Suyin,¡± she called out, raising a hand to get the other girls attention.


    The smaller girl stopped walking, turning in surprise to face Ling Qi. ¡°Ling Qi?¡± Li Suyin asked, glancing nervously at the crowd. ¡°Did you need something?¡± She sounded befuddled; Ling Qi was not the one who approached typically.


    ¡°I have an idea,¡± Ling Qi said as she stopped near the other girl, scanning the crowd for a messy mop of bushy hair. ¡°I need to talk to your roommate too¡­ Su Ling, right?¡±


    Li Suyin¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°What? Why?¡± she asked, even as she followed Ling Qi back into the crowd.


    ¡°You remember the lesson we were talking about before and finding something for ourselves?¡± Ling Qi replied vaguely, not wanting to be exact with so many people around. ¡°I think Su Ling can help give us a good lead.¡±


    Li Suyin was falling behind, too polite to weave through the crowd properly. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, Ling Qi caught the girl¡¯s hand in her own to keep them from being slowed down. ¡°... I do not think that is the best idea,¡± the blue-haired girl hedged uncomfortably, glancing down at their hands. ¡°Su Ling is very¡­ private. I am not sure she will take well to the idea of being a guide.¡±


    Ling Qi was glad Li Suyin was sharp enough to pick up on her intentions so easily. ¡°Maybe, but it can¡¯t hurt to ask,¡± Ling Qi responded impatiently. Spotting Su Ling¡¯s bushy head through the crowd, she gave Li Suyin¡¯s hand a tug. Their target was quickly moving away. ¡°We all stand to benefit here. She didn¡¯t seem that unreasonable.¡± (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    Ling Qi barely registered the scholarly girl¡¯s incredulous look. Li Suyin followed anyway, clearly resigned to being pulled by Ling Qi. Given their hurry, the two girls¡¯ passage was anything but subtle. It came as no surprise to Ling Qi that the animalistic girl noticed their approach.


    Su Ling¡¯s pointed, furry ears twitched in agitation as she glanced back and scowled. ¡°Oh. It¡¯s you again. What do you want?¡± She turned to face Ling Qi and Li Suyin with her arms crossed, ignoring the people forced to go around her.


    ¡°I wanted to offer a deal we can both benefit from,¡± Ling Qi responded carefully, keeping her eyes fixed on the feral girl¡¯s to avoid appearing weak. ¡°It¡¯d be better to talk away from the crowd,¡± she added. No one seemed to be paying attention to them, but Ling Qi knew better than to take that at face value.


    Su Ling narrowed her eyes, looking from Ling Qi to Li Suyin then agreed. ¡°Fine. Come on then. I know a good place.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced back at Li Suyin, who smiled nervously.


    ¡°Sure. Lead the way,¡± Ling Qi responded confidently. She wasn¡¯t worried about conflict yet; not while the Elder¡¯s decree was still in effect. They followed Su Ling out of the plaza and toward the training fields. Si Ling¡¯s ¡®place¡¯ turned out to be a small clearing in the lightly wooded cliffs that surrounded the path further up the mountain, a decent distance from the actual road.


    ¡°So?¡± Su Ling asked archly as she came to a stop in the middle of the clearing. ¡°If this is just some dumb trick to get me alone, you¡¯re gonna regret it.¡± Su Ling flexed her bony fingers, drawing attention to her sharp black nails.


    ¡°I would not help someone trick you like that,¡± Li Suyin mumbled from behind Ling Qi, sounding hurt.


    Su Ling glanced at the short girl with a complicated expression and then huffed. ¡°Not on your own, but I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯d cave in real quick to a threat,¡± she said mercilessly before turning her attention back to Ling Qi. ¡°So what do you want?¡±


    Ling Qi frowned as Li Suyin stared at the ground, shoulders hunched. Su Ling was even blunter than Ling Qi was. While it was true that Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure that Li Suyin could be trusted in the face of pressure, there was no point in saying it straight to the girl¡¯s face. ¡°The two of us are going to search the mountain for a qi locus,¡± Ling Qi said. It was a little gratifying to see someone else wearing a blank look of incomprehension for once.


    ¡°It¡¯s a location filled with potent qi that lets you cultivate faster.¡± Ling Qi figured Li Suyin could explain in more detail later if Su Ling wanted to know more.


    Su Ling continued to regard Ling Qi suspiciously. ¡°Yeah? Good for you. What does that have to do with me?¡±


    This would be the hard part, Ling Qi knew. She took a deep breath, drawing on her experience convincing fellow gutter urchins to play patsy for more complicated thefts. It shouldn¡¯t be hard, right? She was even intending to treat honestly this time. ¡°The first thing you should know is that we aren¡¯t just searching around at random. Elder Su all but said there would be places like that on the mountain.¡± Ling Qi felt confident that this was true. ¡°And Li Suyin has a really good feel for qi. It¡¯s why we¡¯re cultivating together.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still not hearing a reason why this should involve me,¡± Su Ling said dryly, but Ling Qi could see that she understood where this was going. The girl wasn¡¯t dim. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in letting Li Suyin paw at me like you do. I like men.¡±


    Despite her focus, Ling Qi stuttered for a moment and flushed slightly. The absurd accusation simply came out of nowhere.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that at all!¡± This was enough to finally break Li Suyin¡¯s shell of meekness. A glance confirmed that Li Suyin had gone red with embarrassment. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so rude and to imply something vulgar about our study sessions, you¡­ you ruffian!¡± Li Suyin angrily pointed a trembling finger at Su Ling. ¡°Is it really so difficult to just be polite!¡±


    Su Ling and Ling Qi blinked almost in unison at the other girl¡¯s outburst. Su Ling seemed slightly bewildered.


    ¡°Whatever,¡± Su Ling finally huffed. ¡°It was just a joke. Make your pitch, will you?¡± she added, sounding troubled.


    ¡°... Right,¡± Ling Qi cleared her throat, deciding to ignore the awkward atmosphere. ¡°The point is spirit beasts supposedly congregate around these places. We were hoping you would show us where you¡¯ve been hunting. In return, you can use the place too when we find it. You might stumble on it on your own, but we¡¯ll all waste less time looking together.¡±


    Su Ling bared her teeth, but as she glanced between Ling Qi and Li Suyin again, a low uncertain growl escaped her throat. After a moment, she scuffed her foot against the grass, looking frustrated. ¡°... Fine. Beast cores and elixirs aren¡¯t letting me keep up alone anyway,¡± Su Ling grumbled. Jabbing a finger at Ling Qi, she added, ¡°You aren¡¯t allowed to talk about my hunting spot with anyone else though. Swear it.¡±


    Ling Qi shared a look with Li Suyin.


    ¡°I swear I won¡¯t mention your grounds to anyone else,¡± Ling Qi said. It was an easy enough thing to promise. She even meant it.


    ¡°I swear as well,¡± Li Suyin said. ¡°Um, sticking together will benefit all of us, right?¡±


    Su Ling grimaced, her tail flicking back and forth. ¡°When are we doing this?¡±


    Ling Qi sighed. Now came the really hard part. Scheduling.


    Once they had hashed things out, they agreed to meet again a few days after the Elder¡¯s test. Ling Qi and Li Suyin headed off to their spiritual lesson, and then afterward, back to Li Suyin¡¯s hut. There, sitting in silence save for the breathing of the other girl in front of her, Ling Qi found herself losing track of time as she cultivated. The energy of a fresh spirit stone pulsed in her hands, filling her dantian with warmth.


    Cycle and Expand.


    The core of spiritual cultivation was the expansion of one¡¯s dantian. It was an oddly relaxing exercise. The feeling of rough stone beneath her faded, the whistling of the wind through cracks in the stone faded, the warmth of Suyin¡¯s hands on hers faded, and even her nagging worry about the coming test faded. All that remained was her heartbeat and the pulse of her qi, slowly rising in tempo as she circulated the stone¡¯s qi and assimilated it into her own.


    Today, there was a feeling of constriction, like being forced into a pair of shoes a size too small. It only grew worse as she continued to cultivate. Ling Qi felt her breathing hitch and her heartbeat grow erratic as a great weight seemed to press down on her from every direction. She knew somehow that if she just ended her circulation, the feeling would end. She almost did¡­ But something in her rebelled at the idea of giving up and at allowing herself to be restricted.


    Hadn¡¯t she suffered worse to do what she wanted? Endured freezing nights and an empty belly for years on end? Risked death or worse as a young girl living on the street? Would she really give up and be held down by just a little pressure? No. Ling Qi would be free in the end, no matter the trial, no matter what she had to sacrifice to obtain it.


    The pressure vanished like a dam burst by floodwater.


    Awareness returned to her, along with all of her doubts and thoughts, shattering the moment of utter clarity she had just experienced. Even as she opened her eyes and smiled weakly at her excited partner, accepting Li Suyin¡¯s praise and congratulations at breaking through to the Middle stage of the Red Realm, that final thought lingered.


    Was that really who she was when everything else was stripped away?


    Somehow, it made her feel a little hollow.

 Chapter 11: Exam Prep 6

    The following day, Ling Qi set out early to meet Han Jian and his friends as they had discussed. She could not say she was looking forward to it, but it made sense to spend more time with the people she would be taking the test with even if Fan Yu was an ass and Gu Xiulan put her on edge. So despite her misgivings, Ling Qi descended through the morning mist, self-consciously adjusting the wrist sheath holding her knives.


    She didn¡¯t think Han Jian would attempt anything untoward but¡­ she had been wrong about people before. She still felt frighteningly vulnerable.


    Regardless, she didn¡¯t allow her doubts to slow her pace. Soon, she came to the field and found the group waiting for her. The fourth member of their cadre was here today, and Ling Qi could not help but pause and stare as the last of their number came into view through the mist.


    He was¡­ big. There was no other way to describe him. He was a head taller than even her and twice as broad at the shoulder. She briefly wondered if he was related to Instructor Zhou somehow. He was thankfully fully clothed, unlike said shirtless instructor, even if his disciple''s robe was stretched distractingly over a great deal of muscle for a boy who was presumably her age.


    She pulled her eyes upward at that point and resumed walking. The new disciple, who must be the Han Fang discussed last time, had a clean-shaven head and rough, blocky features with sun-darkened skin. As he turned to look at her along with the others, she noticed one final detail. He had a massive ropey scar stretching all the way across his throat like an ugly grin.


    ¡°Ling Qi. Glad you could make it,¡± Han Jian said with an easy smile. He nodded to the new boy, who was examining her in a way that left her feeling defensive. ¡°This is my cousin, Han Fang. Unlike my lazy cat, he¡¯ll actually be helping us out. Don¡¯t be fooled by his looks. This guy is still a first year disciple like us.¡± He added the last while clapping the other boy on the back.


    Ling Qi glanced between the two Hans doubtfully. The two looked nothing alike. She was aware of how little that meant when a golden tiger cub was also related to Han Jian, but she thought it strange anyway. She bowed in greeting to Han Fang. ¡°It is nice to meet you. It seems I will be in your care.¡± She did her best to speak politely as she usually did around Han Jian.


    Ending his examination, Han Fang met her eyes, only to scratch his cheek awkwardly. He ducked his head politely but remained silent before glancing at his cousin.


    ¡°Fang can¡¯t really speak much so don¡¯t mind him. We¡¯ll show you some of the signals we use for communication later,¡± Han Jian explained patiently.


    Ling Qi¡¯s cheeks heated slightly, and she shot the other boy an apologetic glance. That really should have been obvious given the scar.


    ¡°Ah, of course,¡± she responded awkwardly, casting about for a change in subject. ¡°Why¡­¡±


    ¡°If the introductions are over, then shouldn¡¯t we move on to practice?¡± Fan Yu asked gruffly from behind the two boys. ¡°We don¡¯t even know if she can fight without freezing up.¡±


    Ling Qi shot him an irritated look, but Han Jian nodded, looking apologetic.


    ¡°Yu¡¯s right. Sorry, Ling Qi, but we really do need to get to work. Do you mind having a spar with Xiulan first so I can see where you stand? I need to know what you can do to plan around it.¡±


    Ling Qi felt as if the bottom of her stomach had dropped out. The other girl was smiling sweetly in a way that didn¡¯t make Ling Qi comfortable at all.


    ¡°I¡­ Yes, I can do that,¡± Ling Qi responded hesitantly.


    ¡°Try not to worry too much,¡± the other girl said sweetly as she moved toward an open part of the field and gestured for Ling Qi to follow. ¡°I¡¯ll just test your reflexes a bit. I need to make sure that you¡¯re able to properly watch Jian¡¯s back beside me, you know?¡±


    Ling Qi nodded stiffly as she took up a position a good eight meters distant from the other girl, all too conscious of the three boys watching them. There were no obstacles in the grassy meadow the group had chosen for practice so she would have no choice but to face the other girl openly.


    Ling Qi did her best to ignore the instincts that screamed at her to run, instead sinking into the low, defensive stance she had learned from the Zephyr¡¯s Breath Art. She stared at Gu Xiulan, who bounced energetically on the balls of her feet, gloved right hand extended forward with her palm out.


    Han Jian took up a position about halfway between them but out of the way. Ling Qi couldn¡¯t embarrass herself here if she wanted to work well with this group. Even if she couldn¡¯t win, she could at at least give a good showing.


    That was the last thought she had before Han Jian chopped his hand down.


    ¡°Begin!¡±


    Gu Xiulan was moving before Ling Qi could so much as blink. Her left hand blurred forward, curled into a fist before the echo of Han Jian¡¯s words could fade. Sparks erupted from her knuckles and the air distorted with heat as Gu Xiulan launched a bolt of superheated air that screamed like an overheated kettle.


    Ling Qi barely had time to widen her eyes before her instincts and feel for the currents of wind howled at her to dodge. Desperately, she rolled to the side, barely fast enough to avoid the missile.


    Then, she was forced to dodge again, this time beneath a fan of heated air as the other girl danced backward and swiped her gloved hand through the air in Ling Qi¡¯s direction. Ling Qi could smell the tips her hair charring as she rolled under it and sprang back to her feet. Her every instinct cried out to flee and escape danger, but she forced herself to ignore them. She had to stay close in this fight, or she would have no chance at all.


    The third attack came in the form of a rising wave of heat kicked up by a sweep of the other girl¡¯s leg, carrying grit that stung and burned whatever it touched. Ling Qi jumped, forcing wind qi out into the air around her to boost her leap and carry her over the worst of it. She landed hard, wincing at the jarring feeling in her knees as her legs bent to absorb the impact.


    A flick of her wrist brought one of the blunted training knives to her hand, and she flung it, the wind carrying it unerringly at her smirking target. Surprise flickered in Gu Xiulan¡¯s eyes, and her gloved hand rose to deflect the knife. Ling Qi saw a wince cross the girl¡¯s expression at the impact before the blade bounced away. All told, it had only been a handful of seconds since the fight had begun. Ling Qi locked eyes with the other girl, tensing as she planned her next move.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s enough to get started on,¡± Gu Xiulan said with a smile, relaxing her stance. ¡°You¡¯re pretty rough, but we can polish you up a little,¡± the pretty girl added cheerfully. ¡°You would have been in quite the trouble if I had been using real fire.¡±


    There was an edge of warning in the other girl¡¯s tone. Gu Xiulan was right though. Even now. Ling Qi¡¯s legs stung from the painfully hot grit that had gotten under the hem of her gown.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Ling Qi responded slowly as the other girl crouched to pick up her knife. She toyed with the idea of shooting back a quip about the other girl being wounded too if her knives had been sharpened, but she decided that it was better not to push things. ¡°You were almost too fast to follow,¡± Ling Qi added after mulling it over.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to work on that then,¡± the other girl said sweetly as she handed Ling Qi¡¯s knife back to her. Han Jian had a satisfied look on his face as he observed the two of them, Han Fang was unreadable, and Fan Yu was scowling at her, ass that he was.


    ¡°A little dodge training is just the thing for you, I think,¡± Gu Xiulan continued, her smile taking on a sharp edge.


    Ling Qi felt a shiver go up her spine at the girl¡¯s words and expression. Why did she have this strange impending feeling of doom?


    As it turned out, it was because Gu Xiulan was absolutely brutal in her teaching. Ling Qi lost count of the number of times that she caught a dainty fist with her short ribs or was laid out by a jab to the jaw. Gu Xiulan hit like a full-grown man twice her size. Ling Qi was just surprised at how few bruises she had by the time she parted ways with the group that afternoon.


    Although Gu Xiulan seemed to take a personal and sadistic pleasure in putting Ling Qi in the dirt over and over again, Ling Qi decided that she didn¡¯t care. She was getting stronger and whatever else she could say about Gu Xiulan, the girl¡¯s advice was sound. Ling Qi had been able to block or at least avoid some of Gu Xiulan¡¯s hits by the end.


    Despite that resolution, she could not quite decide if she was grateful or hated the other girl. She would decide after the test.


    However, Ling Qi had not spent the day just being beaten by a girl several centimeters shorter than her. She had also taken part in a few drills with Han Jian and the others and learned something of their own styles.


    Han Jian was a swordsman, perhaps unsurprisingly, but he preferred to stay behind the other two boys and direct their actions, flickering about with preternatural speed on bursts of heated wind to avoid being entangled in melee. Fan Yu wielded a a short-hafted spear and fought defensively using earth qi to harden his skin and bull through opponents and obstacles with brute force. Han Fang had a very large hammer and a talent for thunder qi. Fighting near him often left Ling Qi with a ringing headache, but Han Jian had assured her that she would become acclimated to the boom of his strikes.


    The week blurred by between cultivation, training, and lessons. Focusing on improving her fitness, Ling Qi found herself advancing impossibly fast. The qi she gently disseminated throughout her body seemed to multiply the effects of her exercise a hundredfold. She hardly had any fat to lose, of course, but her muscles grew more solid by the day.


    On the last day of Elder Zhou¡¯s lessons before the coming test, Ling Qi felt a change as she meditated. The daily exercise of working qi into flesh and muscles began to grow more difficult as if she were trying to pack more loot into a bag already bursting at the seams.


    Growing excited as she recognized the feeling from the Elder¡¯s instruction, Ling Qi eagerly pressed forward, even as a painful ache started taking root deep in her bones. She could feel her fingers clenching on her knees as she powered through the pain to surpass her own limitations.


    After a moment of blinding pain, she trembled as she felt something snap - and the pain vanished, taking with it all the aches of the day¡¯s training.


    Then the stench struck her.


    Looking down at herself in dawning disgust, she nearly retched. She had somehow become covered in some kind of disgusting black gunk. It clung to her skin and soaked through her clothes. Her eyes watered at both the smell and the stinging feeling of the gunk getting into her eyes.


    ¡°Good work disciple,¡± Elder Zhou¡¯s deep voice shook her out of her horrified fascination. He loomed over her, his stern expression approving for once.


    ¡°You are dismissed for the day. Go and cleanse yourself. You have expelled a great deal of impurities.¡±


    Nodding shakily, she stood. This was what Elder Zhou had meant when he said that the Mid Gold breakthrough would begin removing the body¡¯s impurities? Her cheeks burned with humiliation, but¡­ looking around, she did not see the smirks and mocking looks she had expected. Instead, there were looks of sour envy or wary appraisal.


    ¡°Thank you very much, Elder Zhou,¡± she said hastily. ¡°Ah¡­ is there anything I should do specifically or¡­¡± She still wanted to run and get this filth off of her quickly, but she did not want to make a mistake.


    The older man simply raised an eyebrow, a twinkle of amusement in his dark eyes.


    ¡°I would suggest burning that gown. The smell will never leave it. Be off with you, disciple.¡±


    Not needing any further encouragement, Ling Qi rushed from the field to seek a long and well earned bath.

 Chapter 12: -Zhous Trial 1

    The day of Elder Zhou¡¯s test had come.


    Sunrise saw Ling Qi at the field where pockets of mist clung sullenly to the ground, mirroring the groups of disciples that awaited the start of the test. There were nearly a hundred people here, many of whom she had never seen before. They must have been taking lessons on the days she was attending spiritual class.


    To avoid exacerbating her nerves, Ling Qi ignored them and moved to join Han Jian and the others. Han Jian greeted her with a confident smile and Han Fang a nod, doing much to dispel her fretting. Fan Yu still glanced at her with disdain, but Gu Xiulan at least seemed to grudgingly accept her presence, moving over to give her room to join their little circle.


    When Elder Zhou appeared, he gestured for the test takers to follow him further up the mountain. They walked a steep cliffside path, eventually reaching a paved plaza overlooked by a stone pagoda. In the center of the plaza was a ring of black tiles surrounded by a complex arrangement of narrow stone pillars. Every tile and pillar carried a single unreadable character carved into its surface that glowed with a ghostly blue light.


    ¡°Once you pass through the ring, the test will begin. Each squad will be transported to one of the Sect¡¯s training sites. There, you will find tasks laid out for you. You will pass the first test when you have fulfilled all the tasks given.¡± Elder Zhou barked as he looked out over the crowd sternly, muscular arms crossed over his chest. ¡°I will not lie. There is some danger of death should you overreach yourselves. If you fear that, do not enter! Once you begin the test, you will not be able to return to this plaza until the test is complete or you fail.¡±


    Although a few squads were called before them, Han Jian¡¯s group was among the first to be transported to the test site. While Ling Qi didn¡¯t manage to stride in as confidently as the others in her group, she liked to think her hesitation wasn¡¯t obvious. The groups that entered before them had vanished between one blink of the eye and the next, stolen away by the magic of the circle. As she stepped past the innermost circle of pillars, vertigo and blackness hit her. Ling Qi stumbled as the ground seemed to tilt beneath her, only to catch herself on something hard.


    She blinked and then flushed, pushing herself upright and off of Han Fang¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Sorry. I just¡­¡± Ling Qi lost track of her words as she peered around. The group was at the base of a steep stone path leading up a mountain of black stone. More alarmingly, just a half dozen feet behind them, the path crumbled away, revealing that the mountain was suspended in air over a yawning void of mist with no apparent bottom.


    She was shaken out of her stupor by the mute boy clapping a hand on her shoulder. He offered her a crooked smile as she looked back up to his face and then nodded to Han Jian and the others, who were looking unsettled as well.


    Han Jian cleared his throat. ¡°Right. Well, ignoring the bottomless pit... It looks like I have the instructions for the first part of the test.¡± He waved a sheet of paper.


    ¡°There¡¯s a small fort at the top of this¡­ island. We¡¯re to occupy and hold it for the next two hours. There are two other groups on the island with us, and only one group is allowed to hold the fort at a time. We can also win if we¡¯re the last ones standing but only if we¡¯re within the fort. ¡°Thoughts?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s simple enough. Just eliminate the other groups before they reach it then proceed to the fort,¡± Gu Xiulan said cheerfully. ¡°There will be no trouble holding it then.¡±


    Han Jian hummed thoughtfully. ¡°We could do that, but defending the fort might be easier if we can get there first.¡±


    ¡°I would rather not hole up and let others dictate the pace,¡± Fan Yu grumbled. Fang gestured to indicate that he agreed with Han Jian.


    Ling Qi glanced around nervously before tentatively offering her opinion. ¡°I think... We should listen to Han Jian. He¡¯s supposed to be the leader, right? And I don¡¯t know if we, um, have any good ways of searching for the other groups...¡± Ling Qi relaxed somewhat when her words didn¡¯t spark hostility.


    ¡°I doubt the other disciples will be hard to find. But -¡± Gu Xiulan huffed, crossing her arms under her chest, and glanced at her frowning fiancee. ¡°Could you feel them through the ground, Yu?¡±


    ¡°... Not at any real distance. I have not yet mastered that part of the Yellow Mountain arts.¡± Fan Yu shot Ling Qi an irritated look, missing the flicker of contempt in his fiancee¡¯s eyes at the response. Ling Qi just glared back. That was not her fault.


    ¡°Which is why I figured defense was our best bet,¡± Han Jian cut in firmly. ¡°We don¡¯t have anyone with extended senses yet.¡±


    ¡°Then why ask at all?¡± Ling Qi asked curiously as the group began to climb the steep stone path, keeping a wary eye on the cliffs above.


    ¡°A leader needs to hear his subordinates even if he thinks he knows best,¡± Han Jian responded as if by rote. ¡°Otherwise he might miss something. We should quiet down and get marching. We¡¯ll be moving double time so that I can survey the area around the target and set things up in our favor.¡±


    Han Jian¡¯s words seemed to ease Fan Yu¡¯s tension and drew an admiring sigh from Gu Xiulan. Han Fang simply shook his head and made a sound like a rasping cough that Ling Qi was fairly certain meant laughter from the mute boy.


    As they picked up the pace, Ling Qi worked to slot into the formation they had practiced. The pace Han Jian set was a punishing one, enough to leave her red-faced and out of breath by the time they finally reached the first plateau a quarter of an hour later. She was glad that she had gained so much endurance in the past month. Some part of her still felt wonder that she was only winded after practically sprinting for nearly a quarter of an hour. Thanks to the qi that had seeped into, and empowered her body, the march was merely tiring and not exhausting.


    Their advantages as one of the first groups seemed to be holding as they pushed on, slowed only slightly by the lightly forested terrain. Despite the obstruction, a banner bearing the sable dragon and violet phoenix of the Empire was visible far ahead, flapping from the top of a watchtower of the fort they were aiming to reach. The banner made navigation an easy task but also increased the urgency of their march since the other groups would easily see it as well.


    Han Jian gave them a minute or two to catch their breath before signalling everyone to spread out slightly and continue. Ling Qi was a moment behind the others in following the silent order, and it made her wish that she had been able to take more time to sync herself with the group. Despite the fact that she was keeping up, it still felt like those few awkward times that she had fallen in with other street urchins. Like she didn¡¯t really belong here.


    Ling Qi ruthlessly shut down that niggling self doubt and focused her attention on the scraggly trees and underbrush around them, straining her ears for any sound that was out of place. The woods were eerily silent, lacking even the faint buzz of insects. The only sound came from the wind blowing through the branches and the rumbling of thunder from the dark and bloated clouds roiling overhead.


    The fast pace Han Jian and the others set was all the more difficult here on the uneven ground. It was far more tense as well. At least on the path, the number of directions she had to watch was limited, more like watching a street; here, an enemy could come from any direction.


    The others didn¡¯t seem happy with the terrain either. She noticed Gu Xiulan grimacing as her gown was caught now and again on passing branches, and Han Jian nearly stumbled once or twice on a well-hidden tree root. Was this kind of terrain not common in the eastern provinces?


    In the end, they burst from the treeline less than ten minutes later. The fort lay ahead, set at the top of what looked to have once been a shallow hill. On three sides, stone and dirt had been sheared away, leaving unnaturally smooth cliffs some five meters high that seemed to flow into the utilitarian gray masonry of the fort¡¯s walls.


    The final side was a shallow slope with a rough stairway carved into its center, leading upward to the fort¡¯s only entrance: a gateway wide enough for three men to pass through side by side. The gate itself currently stood open, revealing that the walls were only perhaps a meter thick. This really was a small fort; even Tonghou¡¯s outermost walls were thicker than that.


    The two forward corners held rounded fortifications raised on stubby towers rising half again the height of the walls above the rest. They were covered by wooden canopies, with the center of each dominated by an odd wooden device. It looked a bit like a crossbow the size of a horse cart. Ling Qi recognized it as a net thrower. She had seen Tonghou¡¯s city guard take down flying spirit beasts with it once or twice. A third tower with another net thrower overlooked the fort¡¯s rear.


    As they came to a halt at the bottom of the steps, Ling Qi did her best to catch her breath without being obvious about it. The others were winded as well but none to the same extent as her. Ling Qi¡¯s disciple¡¯s gown clung uncomfortably to her skin and was darkened by sweat in places. She felt even more out of place than usual next to Gu Xiulan, who, at worst, had a few brambles caught on the hem of her gown.


    ¡°Weapons out. Stay spread out but within range of our support techniques,¡± Han Jian said quietly as Han Fang mounted the first of the steps followed by Fan Yu. ¡°We don¡¯t know if someone else made it first and is trying to lure us in so stay alert until we¡¯ve scoped it out.¡±


    Ling Qi flicked one of her sharpened knives into her right hand, pausing to scan the treeline behind them as she did. She didn¡¯t want to be snuck up on either.


    They reached the gate without incident, and after a brief scan of the courtyard, Han Jian waved his cousin forward. The larger boy stepped cautiously between the gates, hammer held at the ready. When nothing happened even after Han Fang took several steps inside, Han Jian gestured for Fan Yu and Gu Xiulan to watch the approach to the fort as he and Ling Qi stepped inside.


    The courtyard was a field of packed dirt with a set of steps on each wall leading up to the battlements. In the center stood a stone square of a building with a single door and only a handful of narrow arrow slits for windows. It looked far too small to hold more than a handful of people at a time.


    ¡°If I remember correctly, the fortifications in this region usually have their barracks and support buildings underground because Imperial Earth arts are superior to those of the barbarians and flat space is at a premium in the mountains,¡± Han Jian said from beside her. ¡°But I doubt that shutting ourselves in a hole for a couple hours will satisfy the instructor.¡±


    ¡°Probably not,¡± Ling Qi responded distractedly as they moved further inside. It might fulfill the letter of the order, but it wasn¡¯t in keeping with the spirit, which might be part of the test. ¡°We could probably retreat to it if we need to,¡± she added in an unsure tone. ¡°Falling back if you¡¯re overwhelmed is good sense, right?¡±


    Han Jian chuckled. ¡°Depends who you ask. There¡¯s more than one person who would say that any retreat from barbarians is shameful and a dereliction of duty besides.¡±


    ¡°Well, of course,¡± Gu Xiulan¡¯s voice came from behind her along with the creaking sound of the gates closing.


    Ling Qi glanced back to see Fan Yu turning the mechanism to close the heavy gates.


    ¡°Retreating in the face of barbarian trash means allowing them in to ravage the poor defenseless little mortals, shame in one¡¯s cowardice aside,¡± the annoyingly pretty girl said in a chipper voice.


    ¡°Sometimes, needs must, but it certainly should not be the first option in mind,¡± Gu Xiulan added with an irritating smile that made Ling Qi bristle at the implied insult.


    Han Jian raised a hand to cut off Ling Qi¡¯s retort and glanced at Han Fang, who was standing beside the door leading into the central building.


    ¡°Fang, check inside.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked. That gave her an idea. Maybe they could hide in the barracks and attack whoever came next? Or even wait until the other groups were fighting and attack the winner? She probably would have done that if she were on her own.


    ¡°We need to hurry. I doubt we have more than a quarter hour at most before someone reaches us. Less if they¡¯re being impatient,¡± Han Jian continued, moving purposefully toward his cousin.


    ¡°Then we need to find our positions quickly,¡± Fan Yu grunted as he strode up. ¡°What do you intend, Jian?¡±


    ¡°I think¡­¡± Han Jian mused, glancing at the gates. ¡°I think Fang and I should move to the battlements over the gates. His art will be fine for harassing approaching enemies, and even if I¡¯m not great at archery, I can handle a bow.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have one though?¡± Ling Qi pointed out slowly.


    Han Jian glanced at her in confusion and then seemed to understand. ¡°Oh, right. I have it on me; it¡¯s just in storage. Father gave me a small dimensional ring before I left home.¡±


    Ling Qi had no idea what that was, but she didn¡¯t feel like exposing her ignorance further to her companions.


    ¡°Yu, I want you down there to hold the gate. It¡¯s going to be broken so we need someone resilient down there to hold any enemies off," Han Jian continued


    ¡°And what of us?¡± Gu Xiulan asked, idly shifting her weight from foot to foot. Han Fang had re-emerged from the central building at this point and nodded to Han Jian, signalling all clear.


    ¡°You¡­ should be on one of the watchtowers. Your arts have the best range, and I need someone to keep an eye on the other approaches. I need you to use some tokens to set up alarm formations on the other walls too. I don¡¯t think many disciples could make it over the rear walls, but I could be wrong. I don¡¯t know the arts of every disciple we¡¯re competing against.¡±


    ¡°Ling Qi,¡± Han Jian looked over at her with a frown. ¡°I¡¯d say that you should go with Xiulan. Leaving someone alone is usually not the best strategy.¡± He scrubbed a hand through his hair. ¡°Defending a fort with so few people¡­ We¡¯re almost certain to have to retreat to the courtyard if the others are reasonably well-organized,¡± he muttered in annoyance.


    Ling Qi considered, glancing at the still-smiling Gu Xiulan. She didn¡¯t really like the other girl and wasn¡¯t certain she trusted her. Would the other girl really have her back if they were alone?


    The whole plan seemed excessively dangerous to her because of how spread out and isolated each person would be. Ling Qi could not help but think that it would be better to hide and ambush the enemy disciples rather than face them head on.


    Would it be possible to convince her teammates to listen to her?

 Chapter 13-Zhous Trial 2

    Trying to convince a bunch of nobles to use what she was sure they would think of as dishonorable tactics¡­ Ling Qi wasn¡¯t confident of her chances. Nor was she sure Instructor Zhou would find such a course of action acceptable.


    At the same time, hadn¡¯t Han Jian said it himself? Holding a location like this with only five people was next to impossible. They didn¡¯t have to hold out against an army or anything, but it still felt like a bad idea, especially with another stage of testing after this.


    Ling Qi was stronger now, but all the same¡­ it went against her instincts to stand out in the open and fight. And Han Jian had said a leader should listen to his subordinates...


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure trying to hold the walls directly is the best idea,¡± Ling Qi began before she could lose her nerve.


    ¡°Not that I do not think we could,¡± she hurried to add. ¡°It¡¯s just that we would probably get worn down and there¡¯s still another test after this.¡±


    Han Jian frowned at her words. ¡°We have to hold this place if we want to fulfill the objective. It¡¯s true that we have too few people to be effective, but the other students won¡¯t have the numbers to fully take advantage either.¡± He grimaced then. ¡°Unless they team up temporarily.¡±


    ¡°The objective only said that we had to be the ones in control at the end of two hours,¡± Ling Qi pointed out with a bit more confidence. Han Jian hadn¡¯t gotten angry at her for criticizing, even if Fan Yu was scowling at her and Gu Xiulan was giving her a strange look. Han Fang seemed unconcerned, keeping an eye on the gates.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we leave the gates open and just hide ourselves in the barracks? We can let the other two groups fight things out until we¡¯re near the time limit then attack whoever is still standing. If they send someone down to scout the barracks, it should still be easy to take them out. And that¡¯s one or two less people we need to fight.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think Elder Zhou would be impressed by such a cowardly approach?¡± Fan Yu responded angrily. ¡°Han Jian, now do you see why bringing a peasant into this was foolish?¡±


    ¡°I think that Instructor Zhou cares more about results than methods,¡± Ling Qi answered stubbornly. ¡°I mean, didn¡¯t Gu Xiulan say that just a little bit ago? If we fail at holding back the barbarians, it means settlements burn. Why shouldn¡¯t we do whatever we need to? Instructor Zhou would have made the instructions more specific if he wanted us to limit our tactics. When has he ever failed to tell us exactly what he wants us to do?¡± Ling Qi found her words spilling out in a rush as she glared at the stout boy across from her. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    Fan Yu looked furious at being talked back to, when Han Jian held up a hand, looking both thoughtful and irritated. She could only hope he wasn¡¯t irritated at her.


    ¡°... Was it cowardly when Father lured that Ash Walker vanguard into the walls of the Falling Sun temple so they could be burned with minimal casualties?¡± Han Jian asked Fan Yu.


    ¡°It¡¯s hardly the same thing, Jian!¡± Fan Yu blustered. ¡°You cannot seriously be thinking of taking some inexperienced girl¡¯s battle plan over your own, Where is your pride?!¡±


    ¡°Pride has no place on a battlefield,¡± Han Jian responded glibly with the air of one repeating someone else¡¯s words. ¡°And she¡¯s right. I got caught up planning for a battle that doesn¡¯t even need to happen. I¡¯m lucky Father isn¡¯t here to cuff me for it.¡±


    He looked back to Fan Yu, who was still staring at him angrily. ¡°Yu, don¡¯t think of this as a duel or a contest between peers, you know? The purpose of the sects is to combat barbarians. Since we¡¯re training, doesn¡¯t it make sense to treat our enemies the same way?¡±


    Ling Qi shifted uncomfortably while Han Jian tried to calm the other boy. Instead of trying to butt in and possibly ruin the more diplomatic boy¡¯s efforts, she found herself meeting Gu Xiulan¡¯s deliberately neutral gaze. Ling Qi raised her chin, refusing to look down or away from the other girl. A few tense seconds passed with the boys arguing back and forth in the background before the other shrugged her shoulders slightly and glanced over at Fan Yu, a smile playing on her lips.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t think it was a very nice smile. Nonetheless, the other girl soon joined the effort to convince her fiancee, and Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help but mentally compare the process to an ornery bull being guided to its pen. She was still a bit bewildered that her plan had been accepted so easily. Did that mean Han Jian had been thinking something similar and just didn¡¯t want to suggest it himself?


    ... That was perhaps a touch too paranoid.


    The interior of the central building was little more than an empty stone box though the door had a sturdy iron bar that could be laid across the inside. The stairwell itself was only wide enough for two people to walk shoulder to shoulder and was lit by faint blue crystals embedded in the wall. Each crystal was only as bright as a weak candle, but combined, it provided as much light as a moonlit night.


    The actual barracks was bare and mostly unfurnished. It consisted of a handful of roughly carved rooms filled with empty weapon racks and various storage containers. Whoever had created this place had not bothered to fill the fort with the necessities an actual military fortification would have.


    Ling Qi hung back as Han Jian directed the others around, only speaking up to point out better locations for them to hide while maintaining sight on the stairway. Han Fang took a spot inside the first door on the right, ready to step out and block potential escape. The rest would conceal themselves in the next set of rooms: Fan Yu and Gu Xiulan on the right and Han Jian and Ling Qi on the left.


    ¡°We wait one hour,¡± Han Jian explained quietly. ¡°If no one comes in that time, we¡¯ll consider moving out to hunt down the other groups. In that case, Ling Qi, you and Han Fang will be the first up the stairs,¡± he continued, meeting her eyes. ¡°It looks like you have some experience with scouting duties.¡±


    ¡°...Yeah,¡± Ling Qi agreed uncomfortably. She supposed she had made it obvious that sneaking was one of her skills. ¡°Han Fang is my backup then?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s your partner,¡± Han Jian replied with a smile. ¡°He¡¯s quieter than he looks.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. She should have said that she was a scout to begin with,¡± Fan Yu grumbled. ¡°Are we going to¡­ hide or not?¡±


    Han Jian nodded, and they moved into position.


    The wait was nerve wracking. Ling Qi had been in similar situations before, but somehow, hiding in a barrel alone was less stress inducing than standing ready for an ambush with four other people. No sound from above reached them as the remainder of the first hour ticked by with agonizing slowness.


    The next hour began without fanfare, the first quarter passing at a crawl. As Ling Qi began to wonder if they would have to move to the back-up plan, the sound of the gate mechanism activating echoed down the stairs.


    Ling Qi tensed, meeting Han Jian¡¯s eyes where he crouched in the shadow of an empty crate. Footsteps on the stairs preceded the emergence of two people from the stairwell.


    The first was a boy of middling height with short dark hair and sharp features. There were tears in his robe and a wound on his right arm that darkened the silvery cloth with blood. He was armed with a paired set of silver sabers held at the ready.


    Behind him was a slight girl with long, unbound brown hair and soft features that made her look younger than she was. She held a short bo staff close to her chest and peered around with far less confidence than the boy in front of her.


    The enemies¡¯ stances were wary but not alarmed, their eyes darting from one vague shadow to the next. One step and then another carried them further inside, away from their only escape route. Ling Qi held her breath as she waited for her moment. She met Han Jian¡¯s eyes again. He shook his head, signalling her to hold.


    The duo took another step, carrying them past Han Fang¡¯s position. As the girl squinted into the shadows where they hid, the armor rack that Han Fang had been behind flew across the hall and smashed into the boy with a thunderous bang, exploding into splinters from the power of the qi forced into it.


    The boy skidded back, hitting the opposite wall with a grunt as he shielded his eyes from the debris. The girl who had been behind him whimpered and clapped a hand over her now bleeding ears. In their moment of distraction, Han Fang darted out, placing himself between them and the exit.


    ¡°Put them down quickly! Do not allow them to escape!¡± Han Jian¡¯s voice echoed unnaturally as he smoothly rose to his feet, sword pointed like a commander¡¯s fan. It sounded strange to hear the normally laid-back boy speak in such a domineering voice, but she knew it was part of his art. She felt her doubts and fears washed away in an instant, replaced with a swelling confidence.


    Ling Qi circulated her qi, feeling the stagnant flows of the dry air in the basement barracks. She twisted them to guide and protect herself and her companions. She didn¡¯t know which one Gu Xiulan would target, but for Ling Qi, it was the reeling girl. She focused her will on the knife in her hand and felt the wind converge on it draining qi from her dantian with the effort.


    It happened almost too fast to process. She stood and threw, and the blade seemed to directly sprout from the other girl¡¯s stomach, embedded to the hilt. The already reeling girl let out a scream of pain as she finally dropped her staff, blood already staining her gown.


    The sight caused Ling Qi to freeze. She had just attacked someone with intent to kill, and the only reason she hadn¡¯t aimed for the throat was because she didn¡¯t have confidence that she could hit it. Instructor Zhou had said there was a chance of death, but they couldn¡¯t seriously be intending to have the disciples slaughter each other, right? There should be¡­ should be some kind of magic removing the defeated and the chance of death was just from it not activating in time, or¡­


    A bright orange lance of flame seared a line in her vision as it slammed into the girl Ling Qi had just wounded. It hit the girl and speared through her¡­ and then the girl vanished in a burst of twinkling starlight, leaving only a scorch mark on the wall behind.


    ... At least she was right in her suppositions, Ling Qi thought numbly as the boy cried out something that was lost in the din of his engagement with the charging Fan Yu. Moments later, a second burst of thunder followed as the opposing disciple took a heavy blow to the back from Han Fang¡¯s hammer. He too vanished even as the sound of cracking bone reached her ears.


    ¡°Hey. Don¡¯t freeze up.¡± Ling Qi was startled out of her thoughts as Han Jian gently nudged her with his elbow, his voice too low to carry. The heat haze from his art was already fading. ¡°Everyone coming in was aware of the danger.¡±


    ¡°Are battles always that fast?¡± Ling Qi asked quietly as she watched a grinning Fan Yu clap Han Fang on the back. Fan Yu¡¯s previous foul mood had been displaced by the cheer of victory. It had only been a matter of seconds from start to finish; not even a minute had passed.


    Han Jian shook his head. ¡°Not always, but an ambush with low ranked cultivators like us? It¡¯ll be fast. Things change past a certain level,¡± he said before placing a hand on the crates in front of the two of them and vaulting over it.


    ¡°Alright. Good work everyone, but we need to form up. Someone probably heard that. Fan Yu, we need you up front with your defensive art active...¡±


    Ling Qi stared at Han Jian¡¯s back and took a deep breath before following him over, only to be surprised when she was forced to snap a hand up and catch something blurring toward her. It turned out to be the bo staff of the girl she had attacked. Now that she got a better look at it, it was clearly valuable, a perfectly round and smooth length of dark brown wood with a dark green jade cap on either end and odd characters painted along its length.


    The one who had thrown it was Gu Xiulan. The other girl met her questioning gaze with a smile.


    ¡°Spoils of battle, you know? I am not suited to wood-natured qi so you may as well have it. She took your knife with her after all.¡±


    As the two girls fell in behind Han Jian, Ling Qi gave the other girl a suspicious look. ¡°Even so, why give it to me? I¡¯m sure you could find something to do with it.¡±


    Gu Xiulan simply smiled mysteriously. ¡°Perhaps I think you might be worth a little generosity?¡± she quipped, not bothering to look back as she regrouped with the rest. ¡°We should focus on the rest of the test. There will be time enough to talk later.¡±


    Ling Qi wanted to press her further, but Gu Xiulan had a point. With an annoyed huff, she glanced at the thing. She would have to carry it for the moment since she had no way of storing it. It wasn¡¯t as if she needed her off hand to throw knives. Maybe she could block an attack with the staff.


    ¡°This will be the more difficult part. I doubt simply staying down here will count as fulfilling the objective. Yu was right in that.¡± Han Jian had started to speak again as they began to mount the stairs.


    ¡°Even if no one heard that, it¡¯s only a matter of time before they notice these two missing. There should only be three of their teammates left so we¡¯re going to come out hard and fast. Focus your attacks on one target at a time when possible. Don¡¯t hesitate to take a shot if you have it. No one walks the path of cultivation without making enemies.¡±


    Han Jian didn¡¯t look at her when he said that, but Ling Qi still shifted uncomfortably. Were those two dead? Neither had been in good condition before they vanished.


    Han Jian didn¡¯t pause in speaking, and his next words carried the weight of command even as the temperature around him began to rise again. ¡°Yu, can you feel anyone nearby?¡±


    The stout boy grunted and crouched down at the top of the stairs, fingers brushing the stone. ¡°You know I¡¯m not good at this, Jian,¡± he grumbled quietly. ¡°One, in the courtyard ahead, at the edge of what I can feel, ten¡­ perhaps fifteen meters.¡±


    Han Jian nodded once sharply. ¡°Then we hit him. The others are likely on the walls. We¡¯ll suffer attacks, but it¡¯s better than allowing them to group up. If we¡¯re lucky, they¡¯ll be sensible and surrender once their third member is down. Otherwise, we¡¯ll have to chase them down. Stick to the basic formation. Fang and Yu are the vanguard; you two stay with me.¡± He explained, gesturing to Ling Qi and Gu Xiulan.


    There were no objections to that, so the second part of their plan began. Fan Yu led the charge, skin darkening to the color of granite, closely followed by Han Fang. The three of them followed the two boys out of the building.


    There was barely a moment to catch sight of another tall, noble-featured boy in the center of the courtyard before a lance of fire snapped out from Gu Xiulan¡¯s porcelain pale hand, cutting between her allies to strike him in the back. The boy was surprisingly unharmed by that, but he was knocked off balance and sent stumbling forward with a scorched hole in his robe. Then the two boys reached him.


    The haft of the spear he raised to defend himself was driven into his chest by a thundering blow from Han Fang¡¯s warhammer followed by Fan Yu¡¯s spear slipping under his broken guard.


    Of course, to keep those two in range of Ling Qi and Han Jian¡¯s arts, the three of them had to leave the safety of the central building. Ling Qi caught a glimpse of of one of the other two enemies up on the wall above the gate raising a bow and releasing an arrow that transformed into a streak of reddish purple light. It struck Fan Yu in the shoulder and punched through his stony flesh.


    Ling Qi had her own problems to deal with: the girl further down the wall whose gesture in their direction had drawn a hasty ¡°Scatter!¡± from Han Jian.


    She was too slow to dodge completely as razor sharp shards of ice pelted the area they had been standing in. One cut a painful gash across her upper thigh and a second buried itself in her shoulder, making her choke off a scream.


    ¡°Xiulan, take Ling Qi and return fire!¡± Han Jian shouted as he dodged in the opposite direction from them and moved toward the other boys.


    Caught up in dodging the assault by the ice wielding girl, Ling Qi had no attention to give to the boys¡¯ battle. The sound of thunder and breaking stone reached her ears, but it was a distant thing compared to her heartbeat pounding in her ears and the pain in her shoulder.


    Gu Xiulan roughly seized her by the arm and took off, looking furious as blood ran down her face from a cut on her cheek. ¡°Focus on dodging and guiding my attacks,¡± the other girl snapped, all pretense of playfulness gone.


    Ling Qi gritted her teeth and nodded, breaking from her pained daze to run alongside her teammate. Throwing herself aside, she avoided the next shard of ice, and a wild flail of the staff in her hand managed to deflect another, the characters along its length flaring to life.


    She hated that she had no way of responding to the other cultivator¡¯s attacks directly, but feeling the buildup of heat around Gu Xiulan¡¯s hands, she pulled deep from her well of qi and twisted the wind into guiding channels for the bolts of searing flames.


    The conflicting temperatures threw the wind flows into chaos, and the girls traded fire for what felt like an eternity. Sizzling flame and shards of ice filled the space between them. Suddenly the girl attacking them yelped in pain, the sleeve of her gown catching fire and disrupting the pattern of her own attacks. The next instant she stumbled, an arrow sprouting from her side.


    It was her undoing.


    Ling Qi glimpsed her teammate out of the corner of her eye as Gu Xiulan raised her hands overhead. Her beautiful features were twisted in fury, and her carefully combed hair was wild. Flames bloomed between her hands, quickly expanding into a ball of fire larger than her head with a core of brilliant blue. The orb flew and struck the staggering girl with a deafening blast like a firework going off at close range.


    As the smoke cleared from the charred ramparts, Ling Qi shuddered. If she had been uncertain about the others... the stench of burning flesh on the breeze filled her with even more doubt. She met Gu Xiulan¡¯s eyes, noting the triumph burning there as she turned to look at Ling Qi, opening her mouth to speak¡­


    But Ling Qi never heard what Gu Xiulan was going to say, because the world went black.

 Chapter 14-Zhous Trial 3

    She was blind, she couldn¡¯t feel her limbs, and the only sound was the rushing of wind in her ears. Even her grasp of air currents told her nothing. Panic rose in her chest, and yet, Ling Qi could not so much as scream.


    Then she impacted the ground in a heap, and feeling and sight returned. Ling Qi scrambled to her feet, her fingers scrabbling at cold, packed earth. She was surrounded by trees and a thick mist that cloaked everything beyond a handful of meters from sight. Ling Qi let out a hiss of pain as the wound in her shoulder and the lesser cuts strewn across her body throbbed in pain.


    She was alone.


    ¡­ Where was she?


    Ling Qi blinked as a single piece of paper fluttered down in front of her eyes as if to answer her panicked internal train of thought. She snatched it out of the air despite the twinge of pain from the rapid motion. The shard of ice in her shoulder had melted, but the wound was still bleeding badly.


    Grimacing, Ling Qi glanced at the neat lettering on the page, but she put it aside for the moment, weighting the page down with the looted staff. Flipping one of her remaining knives into her good hand, she cut the bloodied sleeve from her gown then carefully trimmed it into strips with which to bind the wound. Ling Qi was no first aid expert but she could manage this much. Once the bleeding had been stanched, she turned her attention to the note.


    Congratulations, lucky disciple!


    Having defeated your competition early, you have been granted a head start on the second test. Do not waste this advantage. Unlike the previous test, your personal resourcefulness and character is to be judged, and as such, you will begin alone. Do not expect to find your previous allies here.


    Your task is to reach the Celestial Dragon Temple at the end of the path. All roads lead to the temple, but not all roads are equal. Each contains different challenges, opportunities, and for the astute disciple, rewards. The final selection will begin at sundown within the walls of the temple. Do not lose the token included with this document. It must be presented to gain entry to the temple. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    Well, wasn¡¯t that great, Ling Qi thought darkly. This didn''t really seem like something Instructor Zhou would set up either, which meant there were other elders involved. Now she couldn''t even count on her spotty knowledge of what the burly man would be looking for. Well... the other option was that she simply had not judged Instructor Zhou as well as she had thought.


    Before her eyes, the paper disintegrated and deposited a smooth circle of silver engraved with the character for moon in her hands. The moment that the token came to rest in her palm, a chill wind picked up. Ling Qi shivered, looking up to see the mist had begun to lift, extending the range of her vision.


    On the left, the peaked rooftops of a town could be seen in the distance, and to the right, the path sloped downward toward the glimmering surface of a lake, barely visible through the trees. The center path lead toward the dark shape of a mountain in the distance.


    As the sun was already on its way toward the horizon, her time was limited. It was hardly a choice. Ling Qi was a city girl, and she would much rather navigate the streets than a mountain path or a lake.


    After checking her makeshift bandages one more time, Ling Qi straightened her shoulders and began to walk toward the city. As she did, the brief gust that had dispelled the mist passed, and her vision once again shrunk down to a few meters. The path she found herself walking was narrow and unpaved with tall trees looming on either side. All around lay darkness and mist twisting into unpleasant shapes. Ling Qi found herself tensing at every rustle, clutching the wooden staff she still carried in her left hand tightly. She could hear whispers, like bugs crawling on her brain, murmuring unintelligible words and enticements directly into her thoughts.


    Ling Qi had always avoided the outskirts of Tonghou for exactly that reason. No one she had talked to when she was younger could hear the same sounds she could. She now knew that they were the whispers of lesser spirits, and although her ability to hear them was a result of her talent, it was still uncomfortable.


    She would be safe as long as she didn¡¯t leave the road. Ling Qi had just passed a pair of the stone lanterns that served to ward the road against spirits; she just had to ignore them and press on. It was in being lured off the road that people died.


    She did wonder what it would be like to step from the road once she could understand and contend with spirits properly. Would it be better to know what was being said or worse?


    Ling Qi shook off such ponderings and focused on the path ahead of her, keeping up a good jogging pace. Her strides ate up ground quickly, the shadowy mist-filled forest and the twisting faces and ghost lights under its boughs beginning to blur by as she found her pace. Still, every footfall jarred her wounded shoulder slightly. Ling Qi was glad when she saw the high stone walls looming ahead in the mist.


    ... It was a little odd though. She hadn¡¯t thought the city was so close given how far away it had looked from the intersection. She had probably just misjudged the distance or how quickly she could cover ground now.


    As the walls grew solid in the mist ahead, Ling Qi slowed down to a sedate walk. As was expected, there were guards at the gate, looking just as imposing as she remembered from her childhood. They wore heavy, banded armor and held the sturdy spears traditional for those assigned to guard the outermost walls. It was strange to think that according to her lessons, she was probably as strong or stronger than most of them in cultivation now.


    It still wouldn¡¯t do to start trouble or get cocky. Even if she could match a city guard in cultivation, they were probably better than her at actually fighting. Ling Qi did her best to look confident and unworried as she approached them. The guards had no reason to stop or impede her, and besides, not looking suspicious was half of the solution to avoid getting caught or questioned.


    She felt disquieted by the absence of anyone else on the road, or immediately inside the gate. Even this late in the afternoon, there would usually be some traffic.


    Ling Qi passed the guards without a word, and although she felt their eyes follow her, none of them moved to stop her, which was strange in and of itself. Travelers usually had to pay a gate tax and give an accounting of their purpose, didn¡¯t they? Maybe the guards had been informed that disciples would be coming through today?


    As Ling Qi proceeded farther past the gate, she looked furtively at the lightless buildings on either side of the street. There were a handful of people in the street here, but they walked quickly and with their heads down. Ling Qi had a disquieting feeling in her gut; the oddities that were stacking up were getting on her nerves.


    She had to focus on her goal. Big temples were usually in the central district of the cities, along with mansions of the ministers and lords. The Celestial Dragon was one of the monikers for the great spirit that had accompanied the Sage Emperor in his crusade to unite the Empire, so her temple would be quite grand.


    Normally, she would worry about gaining passage into the inner sections of the city, but she was a Sect disciple now. She probably wouldn¡¯t be turned away like she would have a month ago. The number of people in the streets slowly increased as she moved away from the gate, but the city still felt empty. It didn¡¯t help that everyone she passed seemed¡­ slightly off, eyes sunken as if they hadn¡¯t slept in days, a certain listless hopelessness. The only exception was the city guards who stood watch at at the street corners, sharp eyed and straight backed.


    Ling Qi¡¯s shoulder twinged again, and the cut on her leg throbbed, reminding her of one of the reasons she had chosen the city. A physician would be able to dress and bind her wounds.


    However, she didn¡¯t want to spend any more time here than necessary. She doubted it would be so easy, but going straight to the temple would be for the best if it were possible. To that end, she did something that she never would have in her pre-Sect life.


    ¡°Excuse me, but do you know where the Celestial Dragon¡¯s temple is?¡± Ling Qi asked politely as she stopped in front of the next guard she came across. She was all too aware of her missing sleeve and bare arm, not to mention the hanging flap caused by the cut in the lower part of her gown, but she did her best to appear confident.


    The stern faced man glanced over her with practiced disinterest. ¡°It is in the center of the city. The tallest building. You can see the roof from here,¡± he responded with slow, measured words, eyes flicking away from her to watch the street.


    That was¡­ simpler than she had thought. ¡°Oh, thank you,¡± Ling Qi belatedly remembered to say. ¡°I¡¯m not from around here so I wasn¡¯t sure.¡±


    As she was about to walk away, the man spoke up in the same unhurried tone. ¡°You will not be able to enter as you are. Only those bearing tokens of the Sun, Moon, and Star are to be allowed into the central city tonight.¡±


    ¡°Wait, there are three tokens? ¡­ Of course there are,¡± she began loudly and ended in a frustrated mutter.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you know where I can acquire the other tokens, do you?¡± she asked, losing a bit of her polite veneer.


    ¡°The Sun and Moon are held by your fellow disciples. The five stars are hidden in the city, guarded by spirit and marked by light.¡± The man¡¯s calm and toneless voice was beginning to irritate her.


    The implications also worried her. This meant that she would definitely be targeted by the other disciples and that she would need to target them in turn. She gave the man a curt nod when it was clear that he was finished speaking and left, turning her thoughts to how she would handle this. She would have to keep an eye out for her fellow disciples, as well as for the locations of the Star tokens as well. ¡°Marked by light¡± sounded fairly obvious. ¡°Guarded by Spirit¡± sounded troubling. The only spirit she had ever faced was Bai Cui hogging the hearth, and she had a feeling that whatever guarded the tokens wouldn¡¯t be a lazy little serpent.


    Was it possible that the whole thing was a trick? It didn¡¯t seem like the kind of thing Elder Zhou would do, but neither did this test. Her instincts told her the guard had been holding something back. She had no doubt she wouldn''t be able to walk right up to the temple without the three tokens, but if she could arrive without them, would she be turned away? The message at the beginning had only said she would need her moon token.


    One thing was for certain: she needed to get her wounds taken care of.


    A light touch on her makeshift bandage was enough to feel the stickiness of the blood soaking through the thin fabric. Tough as the disciple uniforms were, they didn¡¯t seem very absorbent. However, that was not the real problem. Money was. The services of a real physician were expensive, and even if she resorted to a street peddler hawking poultices and salves, she would need something to pay him with.


    Her first thought was to simply steal some funds. It wouldn¡¯t be hard. She had lived for years on pickpocketing and other larceny¡­ but what if she was being observed? This was a test after all. It was possible, even likely, that she was being watched right now by whoever who was supervising the exam. She still knew so little about what more powerful cultivators could actually do so she had to rely on the sort of whispered hearsay that one heard about them. Ling Qi mulled over the problem in her head as she asked passersby about where she could find a physician.


    It shouldn¡¯t be a problem, she eventually decided. The Sect had taken her, knowing who and what she was. Besides, she had a suspicion that this wasn¡¯t entirely real anyway. Otherwise, how could the temple be at the end of all three paths, and why was this city so eerily quiet?


    Stealing was even easier than she remembered and not just because she actually had a proper knife to cut purse strings with. Her marks never noticed a thing as her fingers found their pockets and purses. Were people always so easy to read and predict in motion? It startled her, how much more quickly her hands and fingers could move and how quickly she could adjust for her targets¡¯ reactions.


    She quickly acclimated and soon had a fairly healthy purse of coin. This was more than she would have managed in a month when she was a mortal. It was too bad that coins were of limited value to her now. She had nothing to spend them on back at the mountain.


    While that was a bit of a dampener on her good mood, she didn¡¯t let it distract her. Even with the disturbingly listless nature of the citizens of this city, it wasn¡¯t really too difficult to get directions to a physician¡¯s practice.


    However, following the directions was more problematic. As Ling Qi moved deeper into the city, the streets grew more cramped, buildings huddling tightly on every side. Debris and obstacles appeared on some streets, blocking her path and forcing her to detour. The roads seemed to twist back on themselves. Several times, she had to stop herself when she noticed that she had gotten turned around. She was beginning to suspect some cultivator magic at work, especially as the last vestiges of human presence outside her own disappeared.


    Just as she was about to turn back and escape the labyrinthine streets, she found her destination. A sign bearing the mark of a physician¡¯s practice hung creaking from the overhang which shadowed the doorway. The small building was well cared for, unlike some of its more shabby neighbors, with bright blue tiles on its roof.


    Ling Qi approached warily, catching the scent of herbs and incense. Peering through the window, she saw that the front room was empty of other people. Strings of drying herbs hung from the ceiling, swaying slowly with the slight breeze from the open door.


    After a moment of hesitation, Ling Qi entered, squinting in the darkened building. The walls were obscured by shelves laden with pots and jars, each with their own neatly written label identifying them as the cure to some ailment or another. The floor was mostly bare, save for a space off to one side where a number of cushions were arranged artfully around a polished table.


    A wooden placard on the table read: ¡°Please Wait Warmly¡±. The odd phrasing made Ling Qi glare suspiciously at it before she approached the apparent waiting area. There was a door on the rear wall with a light shining from underneath it so the physician was probably here.


    ¡°Hello? I¡¯m sorry for the intrusion, but are you still open?¡± she called out, doing her best to sound both polite and friendly. Ling Qi had asked for the best public physician. With her sudden windfall, she thought she could afford better care than usual. After the eerie journey, she was less sure if this had been a good idea.


    She received no immediate answer to her call, but she did catch a few sounds from beyond the door. Maybe they were busy? From her limited understanding of medicine, Ling Qi was aware that mixing and creating cures could be delicate and volatile. It was one of legitimate professions she had daydreamed of back before it became clear she didn¡¯t have such choices.


    Ling Qi decided she would wait a bit before moving on. It definitely wasn¡¯t an excuse to rest her feet. Her calves still twinged unpleasantly from the hour crouched uncomfortably in the dark of the barracks. It wasn¡¯t anything she couldn¡¯t handle, but it wasn¡¯t pleasant either. She settled herself down on one of the soft cushions in a position where she could keep an eye on both doors.


    Ling Qi did her best to relax while remaining alert as the minutes ticked by. As she was considering leaving, the door finally cracked open, and a woman stepped out.


    At first, Ling Qi thought the physician was an old woman due to the silver hair done up in an elaborate bun. Another glance showed that assumption to be wrong. The physician looked to be middle aged at most with a motherly air about her despite the odd youthfulness of her features.


    The physician wore a blue and red gown of simple cut with scandalously short sleeves. A second look showed that they were simply rolled up. The woman glanced around searchingly before her eyes fell upon Ling Qi.


    ¡°Oh, there you are.¡± The physician¡¯s voice was warm and maternal, much like her appearance. ¡°I apologize for the wait. With all my sisters and assistants out tonight, I haven¡¯t been able to keep up with things,¡± she said with a sigh as she approached with measured, graceful steps.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Ling Qi said awkwardly. ¡°Is there something special happening tonight?¡± she asked. It couldn¡¯t hurt to start gathering more information.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you know? You are one of the disciples we¡¯re expecting, aren¡¯t¡­¡± she trailed off then, her eyes shifting away from Ling Qi¡¯s face. ¡°Oh! That is a nasty wound. It¡¯s so dark in here that I almost didn¡¯t notice. I suppose you¡¯re here to get that dressed then?¡±


    Ling Qi almost asked her why the physician kept her building so poorly lit but thought better of it as the woman glided forward to examine her. ¡°Yes. I ah¡­ had a little trouble on the way in,¡± she admitted.


    ¡°I hope you gave whatever ruffians attacked a polite young girl what for then.¡± The physician huffed as she kneeled in front of Ling Qi, fingers plucking at the amateur dressing on her shoulder. ¡°Miss¡­¡±


    Ling Qi remembered the ice wielding girl¡¯s expression in the instant before the fire consumed her. ¡°... It was taken care of,¡± she responded quietly. ¡°My name is Ling Qi. How much will this treatment cost and how long will it take?¡± She almost winced as the words tumbled out of her mouth. She was supposed to chat more before getting down to business, wasn¡¯t she? Hopefully, the woman wouldn¡¯t feel slighted.


    ¡°Physician Xin at your service,¡± the older woman responded politely. ¡°A mere fifteen silver should be fine, I think, for a Sect disciple,¡± she added as she placed a pair of clay pots on the table beside them. Ling Qi almost winced at the price, but she had more than enough to pay for the treatment. It just¡­ went against her ingrained instincts to spend so much at once. She had gotten by for entire weeks on less before.


    ¡°And it will take no more than a quarter hour. Could you turn this way, please?¡± Physician Xin said, patiently waiting for Ling Qi to comply. Physician Xin began to gently but deftly pick apart Ling Qi¡¯s work.


    ¡°We - I mean, the Sect disciples - were expected then?¡± Ling Qi asked carefully, trying not to grimace as the doctor peeled away the bloodstained cloth she had wrapped around her shoulder.


    Physician Xin glanced away from Ling Qi¡¯s shoulder to meet her eyes, a pleasant smile on her pale face. ¡°You do seem to be a bit early, but the disciples were expected.¡±


    The doctor took a pinch of off-white powder from one of the vessels and sprinkled it into a small cup of steaming water. Ling Qi¡¯s eyes stung briefly. When had Physician Xin gotten that? It¡­ Oh, she had been carrying it when she came out of the back.


    Ling Qi really was tired if she was missing details like that.


    ¡°Things will get much more exciting once more of your peers arrive. My nieces are quite looking forward to the chance to meet young, handsome cultivators.¡±


    Ling Qi grit her teeth as Physician Xin dipped a cloth in the now cloudy white liquid in the cup and began to carefully clean her wound. It was less painful than she thought it would be. Whatever was in the water dulled the pain and made her skin tingle pleasantly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if my fellow disciples will be able to focus on anything but the test, but with boys, who knows.¡± It was a weak joke, but Ling Qi really wasn¡¯t good at small talk. It didn¡¯t help that she felt incredibly nervous for some reason.


    ¡°Are you a cultivator too?¡± Ling Qi asked, voicing the suspicion she had since she had seen the woman¡¯s too young face.


    ¡°I suppose I am in a sense,¡± Physician Xin replied, dabbing at the wound to clear the last of the blood. The doctor set the cloth down and opened the other vessel, revealing it to be full of some thick bone white paste. ¡°I leave that sort of thing to my husband these days, even if I do try to keep in practice,¡± she continued pleasantly. The doctor dipped a flat metal implement into the paste to scoop some up before beginning to spread it over the wound.


    ¡°Why, now that I think about it, I do believe we met on a night much like this.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded absently, still feeling inexplicably on edge. She glanced around the room, but she couldn¡¯t find a source for her unease.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s good to know that you can move on from the army stuff,¡± she murmured under her breath. ¡°Do you know anything about the test and these tokens we¡¯re supposed to find?¡±


    ¡°Nothing you couldn¡¯t figure out on your own, although I would suggest you not take things at face value,¡± the doctor responded mysteriously as she moved on to bandaging Ling Qi¡¯s shoulder.


    The soreness was gone now, and Ling Qi felt almost invigorated. The medicinal paste Physician Xin had used must have been good quality.


    ¡°You¡¯re a smart girl. My sister, Tsan, has high hopes for you.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked as the woman continued to expertly bandage her shoulder, her unease doubling.


    ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯ve never met your sister.¡± Something was at the edge of her thoughts, screaming for attention, but she couldn¡¯t quite grasp it.


    Physician Xin made a sound of satisfaction as she finished her work and smiled. ¡°Oh my, you noticed that? Perceptive given how clouded your thoughts are. Think about it, dear. I¡¯m certain you¡¯ll figure it out.¡± She patted Ling Qi¡¯s hand.


    Ling Qi met the woman¡¯s eyes and stiffened. They were black, deep and infinite as the night sky and radiant with the light of a thousand stars.


    A spirit - she had wandered into a spirit¡¯s domain! Ling Qi felt her panic begin to rise then...


    She was kneeling in the street. There was no sign of the building she had just been in.


    All at once, it hit her. Ling Qi had been nervous because the woman kept pulling things out of nowhere: the water, the bandages, the tools. Not to mention those eyes. Had she just had a pleasant conversation with a spirit?


    It was at that moment she noticed she was holding something in the hand that Physician Xin¡­ the spirit had patted. It was a small clay vessel sealed with a cork.


    Even as she stood up, hurrying out of the middle of the street, curiosity drove her to open it. Inside, Ling Qi found three shimmering silver pills and a stick of jade so dark green that it appeared black. The scent that wafted out on a cloud of silver mist made her think of dark, moonless nights.


    The scent finally flushed the lingering fog from her thoughts and she realized what seemed now to be an obvious conclusion.


    Xin and Tsan. New and Crescent.


    Xin had said that her sister had high hopes for her¡­ The Grinning Moon was supposed to smile on those who did their work out of sight and out of mind. Ling Qi had burned incense for the Grinning Moon before when she had been afraid of failing at a particularly difficult theft.


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure how she felt about having the direct attention of a Great Spirit, even if it was a relatively minor one not often included in official rolls. She glanced down at her shoulder. It was expertly bandaged and didn¡¯t hurt any longer. At least that had been real¡­ probably. How real was anything right now?

 Chapter 15-Zhous Trial 4

    In the end, Ling Qi put aside such useless thoughts. She could panic about her possible encounter with a Great Spirit later. For now, she had an exam to pass and a plan to follow.


    Her plan was simple, as good ones usually were. She would disguise herself as a commoner and gather information while watching out for her fellow disciples. Cultivators paid little attention to mortals so if she could still pass for one¡­ she was sure she could find advantage there.


    It didn¡¯t take very long to find what she was looking for. The entertainment district was full of gaudy storefronts and colorful signs, although it was quieter and less crowded than she was used to. Ling Qi grimaced as she passed in front of seedy business after seedy business, full of women with empty smiles and men who stunk of alcohol and other things. The cloying scents of cheap perfumes and incense was ever-present.


    She hated these kind of places. Whatever difficulty and pain she had suffered after leaving her mother and whatever troubles being a cultivator would bring, at least she would never have to serve in a place like this.


    Still, it had its uses for her present need. She bought a set of cheap clothing and some cosmetics to disguise herself. She was even able to purchase some rawhide and canvas to wrap her new staff in and hang it over her back. If she were to ambush a fellow disciple, it wouldn¡¯t do to alert them by carrying an obvious talisman.


    She used her time purchasing her supplies to slip in innocuous questions about any odd happenings in recent days. It didn¡¯t go as well as she had hoped. The citizens of this city were tight lipped and often apathetic, and getting straight answers from anyone was irritatingly difficult.


    Still, she did manage to pick up a few leads, even if the details were lacking. The first was that the city¡¯s sealed catacombs had been opened the day before and not for any funerary rights. A group of city guards had been seen carrying in a large clay urn with something shining from within but leaving empty-handed. The second was that the primary well in the southeastern section of the city had been shut down. Someone had been seen lowering an object that glimmered like starlight into it a few nights ago. In the morning, the guards had removed the bucket and crank that normally adorned the well. Ling Qi didn¡¯t particularly look forward to entering a tomb or climbing down a well, but it seemed these were her best leads.


    As she was mulling over which one to follow up on, she heard a commotion further down the street. Voices were raised followed by a crash from something falling to the ground.


    Ling Qi spotted the distinctive silver robes of one of her fellow disciples. She vaguely recognized the boy from her lessons though she didn¡¯t recall ever hearing his name. He was thin and gangly with somewhat pinched features and a proud set to his shoulders and demeanor. The impression was reinforced by the way he was berating the owner of one of the many dingy street stalls that lined the narrow streets.


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t close enough to properly overhear, but she could piece together the situation well enough from the wet stain on the front of the boy¡¯s robes and the broken gourd on the ground at his feet. The stall looked to be selling cheap drink, probably brewed in one basement or another, but something had caused a spill. She couldn¡¯t really say who was at fault, but she couldn¡¯t help but pity the merchant. No one else was going to help him. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    This was an opportunity. If she could lead that disciple to one of the star tokens, she could wait and take it from him after he had braved whatever dangers there were. She could also just try to rob the other boy for a chance at a sun token and maybe take a competitor out.


    For a moment, Ling Qi lost herself in thought, nervously plucking at the sleeves of her new and much drabber clothing. The obvious thing, in her opinion, would be to strike out of the crowd while the boy was distracted with the merchant, but starting a fight in the middle of the street would endanger civilians. Even if the civilians weren¡¯t real, she couldn¡¯t help but think that the Elders would disapprove of a plan that unnecessarily endangered them.


    No, that wouldn¡¯t be the best option. But what other options did she have?


    While she had never particularly focused on being a scam artist, she had played the role once or twice when more direct methods were off the table. Of course, she had been younger then, and people were less suspicious of being tricked by a child.


    She would just have to try. If she continued to stand here agonizing over it, her opportunity would pass. Taking one last moment to steel herself, Ling Qi began to move towards the disciple and the merchant, shifting her posture to a more subservient and fearful one, as was appropriate for a mortal approaching an angry cultivator. She was fairly confident that the boy wouldn¡¯t recognize her under her disguise and hopefully he wouldn¡¯t sense her qi.


    As she drew near, she noticed the splotch of red on the left side of the other disciple¡¯s robe and the way he favored his right leg. He was wounded at least as badly as she had been, and perhaps worse given the location of the wound. His robe stuck wetly to him, soaked through, but the lack of dripping indicated the wound was sealed by some means. The sight made her more confident.


    ¡°Ah - Excuse me, honored sir,¡± Ling Qi spoke up as the proud boy wound down from berating the scrawny merchant for poorly securing his goods. She couldn¡¯t see a weapon on him anywhere, but unfortunately, that didn¡¯t necessarily mean anything given the existence of dimensional rings.


    The boy didn¡¯t seem too startled so he had been keeping an eye on the people around him. He still snapped his head around to glare down at her¡­ only to fail due to their relative heights. Ling Qi managed to conceal her wince at the flash of irritation in his eyes. Why did she have to be so tall?


    ¡°What do you want, girl?¡± he asked haughtily, crossing his arms over his chest. ¡°I have no business with the rest of you, only this clumsy fool.¡± He gestured with irritation at the merchant, who was eying her warily over the disciple¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°I am very, very sorry for interrupting you, sir,¡± Ling Qi continued hurriedly, catching the merchant¡¯s eye as she bowed deeply to the disciple. ¡°Please spare my uncle. I beg your mercy in this matter.¡± It was a gamble involving the vendor in her lie, but she could probably rely on the man¡¯s survival instincts to have him play along. Besides, someone entirely unrelated choosing to involve themselves in the dispute would be too unbelievable.


    She saw the merchant¡¯s eyes widen a fraction before his expression returned to one of abject gratitude and contriteness.


    ¡°Oh, Yue. No, please do not involve yourself in your uncle¡¯s foolishness. Sir, this is entirely my fault. Please do not take offense at this girl¡¯s interruption. I will, of course, remunerate you for my carelessness...¡± Even in this weird city she could rely on people knowing how to act in their self-interest.


    The boy scowled, glancing back and forth at the two of them before glancing up at the sky. His expression darkened further at the sight of the steadily sinking sun. ¡°I will dismiss this for the moment as I have other business. You will surrender whatever funds you have in this mangy stall of yours and act as my guide.¡±


    So that¡¯s what he was doing. It was rather ham-handed of him but about what she would expect from a wealthy boy trying to find information in the scummier parts of town.


    ¡°Sir?¡± she spoke up meekly, doing her best to tremble in fear as he turned his glare back to her. ¡°If it is a guide you need, I can serve that role. Disciples such as yourself are here for the tokens hidden in the city, are you not? I saw where the guards placed one of them. I can lead you there, but please, spare my Uncle¡¯s stall. We have so little as it is.¡±


    Ling Qi could see that she had succeeded by the look in the other boy¡¯s eye. ¡°Hmph. You should be thankful to have a niece so filial, old fool,¡± he said haughtily, eyeing the merchant. Ling Qi suspected that the merchant¡¯s expression of gratitude was not faked at all.


    ¡°However,¡± he added, jabbing a finger toward Ling Qi. ¡°If this is some trick or a waste of my time, I will ensure that your entire family regrets it.¡±


    ¡°Of course, sir.¡± Ling Qi bobbed her head in another bow. ¡°I would never dream of lying to a lord such as yourself. Would you like me to take you there now?¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much for your mercy, sir,¡± the merchant added quickly. ¡°Truly, I do not deserve such a dutiful niece.¡±


    The old man barely got another cold glance before the boy¡¯s attention focused on Ling Qi. ¡°I do not have time to waste. Lead me there now, girl.¡±


    Ling Qi restrained the twitch of irritation at his condescension. It meant that her disguise was working. She kept her expression meek and her head bowed. ¡°It¡¯s right this way, sir.¡±


    She only had rather vague directions to the well, which she had decided was better for the sake of her plan, so she would have to bluff and hope he didn¡¯t notice any uncertainty on her part. Thankfully, her fellow disciple was - not foolish, because that could lead to underestimating him, but - less than attentive. Although he kept an eye on his surroundings as he marched stiffly along, concealing the occasional pained hitch in his step, he seemed to have entirely dismissed her as a threat.


    It took another quarter of an hour to cross the city and reach the the well she had learned of, partially because she wasn¡¯t familiar with the street layout. The most difficult bit was when she had to convince him to stop and purchase a coil of rope with an explanation of what he would need it for.


    Eventually, they reached the square where the well was located, only to find it dark and empty. A few wooden barricades surrounded the squat, knee-high stone ring of the well. It was uncapped with the rope and bucket missing from the bar suspended above it, yet a faint glittering light seemed to shine from the darkness within.


    As they wove through the signs along the squares perimeter warning civilians to keep away, she glanced at her temporary companion. He had a certain desperate eagerness to his expression, which she hoped meant she could manage the second part of her plan. She paused a few steps from the well, leaving him to continue on and peer down into it, leaving his back to her.


    ¡°Sir? Should I tie the rope for you?¡± Ling Qi asked quietly, hefting the coil of rope carried on her good shoulder. ¡°Will you need me to look after anything for you while you descend?¡±


    He glanced over his shoulder at her, a frown on his pinched features. ¡°Do not be foolish. I am not going to leave any of my things behind.¡± He gave a haughty sniff as he turned to fully face her.


    ¡°Besides, you will be descending first. I refuse to give you the chance to run off while I am occupied. I don''t even know if this place yet contains a token, and I will need a servant to carry a torch.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked. This wasn¡¯t part of the plan.


    ¡°Sir?¡± she asked, injecting a bit of fear into her tone. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not sure - I mean - aren¡¯t there s-spirits and other things down there? Please, I led you here, didn¡¯t I? Please don¡¯t make me go into such a place!¡± With practiced ease, she squeezed a bit of moisture out of the corners of her eyes, doing her best to look frightened and pathetic.


    For a moment, Ling Qi thought she had managed to convince him, but then the boy¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°Stop your whining, girl!¡± he snapped. ¡°You should be thankful to be assisting me like this. You will just have to stay close and¡­¡±


    She couldn¡¯t do as he asked. If this were the location of a token, there was no way she would get through whatever defenses lay down there without revealing herself as a cultivator. Nor could she realistically refuse him without blowing her cover. It was fairly obvious he intended to use her as a canary given that he intended to make her go down first and play torchbearer.


    No. Playing along wasn¡¯t an option.


    Ling Qi¡¯s cultivation of Zephyr¡¯s Breath had trained her in the use of throwing knives. This included simple melee forms, but it was nothing so refined that she struck with. It was simple experience in the street that formed most of her response, combined with reflexes honed by ¡®training¡¯ with Gu Xiulan. Her shoulder hit the boy¡¯s chest at the same moment a knife dug into his injured side and twisted.


    He let out a yelp of pain and surprise¡­ and to Ling Qi¡¯s shock, he was easily shoved backward by her shoulder check. Why was he so weak? She had expected it to be like striking a wall, but instead, his arms windmilled as the back of his knees hit the lip of the well. She ducked under his grasping hand with ease and instinctively kicked out, striking his stomach even as she pulled out of reach.


    Ling Qi winced at the meaty thwack of flesh striking stone as his head cracked against the back lip of the well, dulled by a flare of blue-white qi. Had he used qi to absorb the damage? Whatever he did, it didn¡¯t stop the boy from falling. His expression was locked into one of fury, pain, and surprise as the well¡¯s mouth expanded before her eyes like the maw of a hungry beast, leaving him nothing to grasp onto as he disappeared down the shaft.


    Ling Qi stood there, dumbfounded by how easy it had been, only to wince as a much louder thump resounded from far below, echoing hollowly up the shaft. The distended black void that he had fallen into seemed to wobble for a moment before snapping back down to the size of a normal well. As time resumed its normal pace, she became all too aware of the sticky wetness staining her right hand. A single thought dominated her thoughts.


    ... That had not been a splash.

 Chapter 16-Zhous Trial 5

    Ling Qi stared at the now innocuous well that the boy had disappeared into. She wasn¡¯t certain what she had expected to happen, but it wasn¡¯t that. Was that boy dead? Did the Elders retrieve him? She didn¡¯t know. Despite having lived in the streets, she had never killed anyone before, not like this.


    Her thoughts flashed back to a memory of a disheveled Gu Xiulan¡¯s expression of satisfaction as the ice-flinging girl was consumed by fire. Would she become like that? Someone who could smile while trying to kill another person? She had known that she would have to fight and kill from the moment she was recruited, but she had thought it would only be barbarians. That was different than having to fight and kill a person - even if that person had been an unrepentant ass.


    Ling Qi shook herself and straightened her shoulders. She didn¡¯t have time to stand here doing nothing. Her plan to rob the other boy after he completed the trial was useless now. If she wanted the star token, she was going to have to do it herself. And if the boy was still alive and present down there, she could at least make sure he didn''t drown in a puddle or bleed out. She couldn''t afford to regret her chosen course of action, but neither did she have to be completely callous.


    Ling Qi let out the breath she had been holding and stepped forward, eyeing the well warily as she secured the rope. She soon had it looped over the high bar that would have once held the well¡¯s actual rope and bucket, with an additional length pulled out several feet away from the well. Sadly, she lacked any proper tools so she broke off one of the ¡®legs¡¯ allowing the barricades to stand upright. The wood had splintered with a bit of effort and some leverage on her part. Using one of her knives to scrape the broken end down to a point had taken a little longer, but eventually, she had something with which she could stake the end of the rope to the ground.


    It was surprising how little it hurt when she had used her hand as a makeshift hammer. The force necessary to drive the stake firmly into the hard packed dirt of the street had only made her hand sting but not bruise. Once she had given the rope a few experimental tugs to ensure it was actually secure, she returned to the side of the well and looked down the dark shaft, steeling her nerves.


    The climb down was nerve wracking. Bracing herself against the damp stone wall, Ling Qi half-expected to find it pulling away or for a gust of wind or some other strange magic to drag her down.


    The descent went on longer than she expected. She was certain that the rope hadn¡¯t been long enough for her to be climbing down the well for nearly ten minutes. The tiny circle of light from the surface seemed terribly far away.


    As she descended, some illumination appeared below, looking like dim candles burning in the dark. The wide dark chamber that greeted her was just barely high enough in places for her to stand upright. Its walls were dotted with odd crystalline growths that glowed with the faint illumination of a moonlit night and its floor was a field of mud with the occasional standing pool of water.


    Reaching the end of her rope, Ling Qi dropped the remaining meter to the floor, grimacing at the feeling of mud squishing up under her sandals. Spotting the still figure of her fellow disciple lying in the mud, she felt her stomach drop. The boy really was still down here. His right arm and leg were unpleasantly twisted and the nearby mud and water were stained by red. Despite his injuries, his chest still rose and fell shallowly.


    Maybe he hadn¡¯t been removed because the fall hadn¡¯t killed him? Elder Su had mentioned in a lesson that a cultivator would instinctively use qi to blunt harm, even if it was only minimally useful without a proper defensive art and training. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    ... Maybe this was why Gu Xiulan had seemed so blas¨¦ about throwing lethal attacks during the first test?


    She considered the boy as she peered down at him in the dark. She was glad that he hadn¡¯t been faking, but as much as he had been an ass, she also hadn¡¯t really intended to seriously injure him outside the heat of the moment.


    Ling Qi dragged the other disciple out of the slowly filling muddy crater his impact had dug. Although the movement made the boy twitch and groan in pain, thankfully, he didn¡¯t wake up. Ling Qi looked him over, tearing off a bit of his sleeve to rebind the stab wound she had inflicted. He¡­ should be fine, and with his limbs like that, he shouldn¡¯t be a threat even if he woke up. The Elders would still retrieve him at the end of the test, right?


    She hoped so, but having bandaged him, she paused. She - perhaps not fairly - had beaten him. She had even taken some time to make sure he wouldn¡¯t die at the bottom of the well. ¡­ She had earned her spoils, right? Besides, this would all be pointless if she failed to get the tokens she needed.


    Nodding at her own reasoning, Ling Qi quickly searched the other boy. She checked his belt pouch first, the strings securing it deftly sliced by one of her knives. Ling Qi found herself grinning with relief when the first item she pulled out was a golden disk with the character for sun carved into it.


    Lucky. She was very lucky.


    Thinking of the strange pills resting in her own pouch, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder. Maybe it had nothing to do with the spirit that was apparently interested in her, but she could afford to take some incense from the storehouse and make up an offering. It certainly couldn¡¯t hurt.


    The pouch didn¡¯t have much aside from the token, but she was glad for what it did contain: three red spirit stones and a clay bottle with two dark blue pills of some kind. She was going to have to find someone who could identify medicines.


    The rest of her search turned up frustratingly little. The boy didn¡¯t even have a weapon or any talismans. Ling Qi was beginning to think that maybe he hadn¡¯t been quite as much of a wealthy young lord as his behavior had suggested. However, she did find something tucked under the collar of his robe, between the underlayer and the upper one. The three odd bronze cards shined with a mirror finish on one side and stylized swirls on the other. Turning them over in her hands, she couldn¡¯t begin to guess at their purpose.


    Tucking the items into her bag, Ling Qi stood up. Now that she had a sun token, there was only one other that she needed to acquire to pass. She began to search along the walls, squinting in the dim light. At first, it seemed that this small muddy chamber was all that lay down here, but eventually she found a point of egress: a low, muddy tunnel set near the floor of the chamber.


    After a moment¡¯s hesitation, Ling Qi sighed and kneeled in the mud to peer through the exit. Thankfully, the tunnel retained the dim lighting from the strange crystals, but the crawl was still going to be uncomfortable. She scowled as she leaned forward, hands sinking into the mud with a wet splorch as she began to shuffle forward on her hands an knees. She hated tight spaces like this. Absolutely hated them.


    Ling Qi kept moving as quickly as she could manage, alternating her gaze between the tunnel ahead and the ground below. Several times, she nearly slipped, but she managed to avoid face planting into the deepening muck. The cheap clothing she had bought was less lucky. By the time she could see the end of the tunnel, her sleeves and top were sporting several rips where they had caught on the crystals.


    For all that she felt relief as she poked her head out of the narrow tunnel and into the open space beyond, she was still brought up short by the sight that met her eyes. Not only did the tunnel drop off into clear, knee-deep water, but the temperature had suddenly dropped as well, enough that her breath was coming out in puffs of steam.


    Warily climbing to her feet, Ling Qi peered around, confirming what she had hoped was a trick of the light. The chamber had three other passages leading out from it, and every wall was coated in a solid layer of ice from which her reflection stared back at her in the dim light.


    It made her skin crawl to have her gaze reflected from multiple directions like that. She looked positively filthy: her hair was askew, her arms coated in mud up to the elbows, and her clothing tattered from the passage. Grimacing, she took care of at least one of those things, washing the silt and mud on her hands away in the icy water.


    Ling Qi shivered and not just from the chill. She didn¡¯t like this place. Glancing between the three identical-seeming passages, she chose the leftmost one and flipped a knife out of her sleeve to mark the ice that made up the wall. It failed, the knife¡¯s edge only grinding uselessly against the reflective plane.


    Gritting her teeth Ling Qi instead crouched down, shivering as the water further soaked into her clothes. She picked up a handful of mud and smeared it over the mirror. She was going to mark her path one way or the other.


    Navigating the icy passages proved difficult. At first, when the tunnel was straight, it was easy enough, but the tunnel quickly began to curve, twist, and split. The reflective walls only made it worse. Gradually, they began to distort, showing off twisted reflections that made her head spin as she tried to make her way through the labyrinthine passages. It didn¡¯t help that all the while, even with her efforts to mark the walls, she was feeling less and less sure of whether she could find her way back out. She couldn¡¯t afford to turn back...


    ¡°Why were you so concerned about killing him?¡± Ling Qi whipped around, a knife already in hand as an echoing voice sounded just behind her. However, instead of a person, she found her own distorted reflection looking back at her from the curved mirror of the wall behind her. As she stared into her own shadowed eyes, she thought she may have simply imagined it.


    Then, the image cocked its head to the side and crossed its mud-stained arms over its chest.


    Ling Qi hadn¡¯t moved at all.


    ¡°Why?¡± her reflection asked, its eyes narrowed and pitiless. ¡°He was a threat. You heard the Elder. If he died, it would have been his own fault.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I should be trying to kill people.¡± The words slipped out even as she inched backwards, away from the unsettling doppelganger. ¡°I don¡¯t need to make more enemies.¡± She didn¡¯t quite know why she was explaining herself to the thing wearing her face, but if it wanted to talk that gave her time to find an exit. There was another split behind her, but she was pretty sure the left path wasn¡¯t real, just another twisted reflection.


    Unfortunately, inching backwards did not prevent the mirror thing from stepping forward through the plane of the mirror as if it were merely water.


    ¡°Ah. So you were just being a coward again. That¡¯s not really surprising,¡± it said condescendingly.


    ¡°What the hell is that supposed to mean?¡± Ling Qi snapped. The thing¡¯s attitude irked her as condescension usually did, but it seemed worse to hear it in her own voice. ¡°There¡¯s nothing cowardly about showing restraint.¡±


    ¡°What restraint?¡± the thing asked, its expression warping into an ugly sneer. ¡°You don¡¯t give a damn about that idiot. You tipped him into the well with barely a thought. So why feel guilty afterward? Or do you really believe that you¡¯ve never killed anyone before? How delusional are you?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t,¡± Ling Qi responded, her uneasiness increasing. Should she just run? This was obviously some kind of spirit trick. ¡°I - I¡¯m a just a thief, not a murderer.¡± She was babbling. Was this part of the trick - something making her want to keep talking?


    ¡°Liar, liar, Ling Qi¡¯s such a liar.¡±


    Ling Qi stiffened as a second voice, high pitched and childish, sounded from behind her. A careful look over her shoulder made her silently curse. The path behind her had gone dark, all of the crystals beyond a half dozen meters extinguished. Sitting in front of the inky cloud, seemingly in mid-air, was another reflection of sorts. It was her as she had been right after running away from home. Ling Qi felt a stab of regret as her eyes caught on the flower shaped ornament keeping the little girl¡¯s unruly hair in check. That had been her last birthday gift, and it had broken a few months after she had run away.


    The child reflection grinned, seemingly noticing where her eyes had gone. ¡°Did you already forget Wei? He really thought you were gonna pull him up after you, you know? How about old man Shen? Even after he gave you bread, you still stole his blankets when winter came.¡±


    The thing leaned forward on its invisible seat and added in a conspiratorial whisper, ¡°But you don¡¯t even remember, do you? I guess there were so many...¡±


    Ling Qi felt colder than before even as she tried to keep both spirits in sight. This¡­ What was¡­ Were these spirits plucking things from her mind? While she didn¡¯t have more than a vague inkling of recognition at the names it spoke, she could not say that she didn¡¯t recall events that were at least¡­ similar.


    ¡°Kids - People who join a heist know what they¡¯re getting into,¡± she said defensively, memories of the first person she had ever partnered up with bubbling up.¡°I didn¡¯t pull him up because I would have gotten caught too. I didn¡¯t kill him. I mean - the guards caught him, but¡­¡±


    The older reflection let out a derisive snort. ¡°Idiot! Do you think that scrawny little dumbass survived long after the beating you¡¯d get for theft?¡± It rolled its eyes as she fell silent from the interruption. ¡°And he said he¡¯d protect us. As if anyone could do that.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even try to say anything about the old man,¡± the child added with a giggle. ¡°I could bring up some more, but we both know you¡¯d just make more excuses!¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap,¡± Ling Qi responded roughly, her hand tightening on the grip of the knife. ¡°What do you want? This¡­ this is some kind of test, right? Get to the point.¡±


    She had to hope it was part of the test, because the lights were winking out one by one around her, steadily shrinking the circle of light she had to see by. If she needed to, she could break through in the child thing¡¯s direction, but...


    ¡°If it is, then you¡¯ve already failed,¡± the older reflection sneered. ¡°Do you really think the Sect wants a disloyal coward like us anywhere in their upper ranks? Especially if we can¡¯t even bring ourselves to dirty our hands? We¡¯re meant to be a warm body on the front line at best.¡±


    ¡°Stop calling me that!¡± Ling Qi snapped. ¡°If you¡¯re really me, then you know damn well that I just¡­ I just did what I needed to do!¡± The justification sounded lame even to her. ¡°Besides, I can be better now, right? I¡¯m a cultivator. Improving myself is what it¡¯s all about!¡± Ling Qi straightened her shoulders and glared at them defiantly. Was it just her, or had a few of the crystals flickered back on?


    ¡°If you weren¡¯t a coward, you would have talked to Mama when you saw her in the market last year,¡± the child reflection¡¯s voice cut in, sounding subdued instead of gleeful like it had before. The phantom idly kicked her feet, sending the painstakingly stitched hem of her dress flapping. ¡°We saw how thin she was.¡±


    ¡°If you weren¡¯t disloyal, you wouldn¡¯t have left mom to rot just because you were scared,¡± the older one growled.


    Ling Qi flinched.


    ¡°Oh, it looks like you remember Mama at least,¡± the child taunted.


    Ling Qi¡¯s free hand balled into a fist even as the circle of light shrank. ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to let her make me like her,¡± she snapped. ¡°I couldn¡¯t be what she wanted. So why not run away! It saved us both pain.¡±


    ¡°Liar.¡±


    ¡°Coward.¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t what you were thinking when you ran,¡± the older reflection said, her voice dripping with contempt.


    ¡°You were scared of that gross man,¡± the child added with a shiver. ¡°And you didn¡¯t trust Mama to protect you anymore.¡±


    ¡°You just kept telling yourself that stupid lie until you believed it,¡± the older one sneered


    ¡°Ling Qi runs, Ling Qi hides, and Ling Qi only loves herself. This is who we are,¡± they both continued with eerie synchronicity. There was something wrong with their voices; they were distorted as if speaking through water. The last of the lights were flickering out. She could barely see either of them, save for their eerily glowing eyes, staring at her with derision and pity.


    She didn¡¯t¡­ She wasn¡¯t really like that, was she? Was that the kind of person she was?


    Why was she so tired? Why were these words affecting her so much? She had been called worse things before. Suffered worse things before. So why did she feel so hopeless?


    It was¡­


    Why was it so cold?

 Chapter 17-Zhous Trial 6

    No!


    She wasn¡¯t going to give up. She couldn¡¯t afford to be weak, and she couldn¡¯t afford to doubt herself. Not in the middle of a dangerous test. Even if what the reflections said was true.


    ¡°It¡¯s true that I have lied. People have probably died because of things I did¡­ and Mom¡­¡± Her voice, despite being little louder than a whisper, resounded in the utter darkness she was in.


    ¡°You should stop,¡± the childish voice responded with resignation. ¡°More excuses won¡¯t help.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Ling Qi snapped, straightening her sagging shoulders. ¡°Do you really think you¡¯ve said anything I haven¡¯t thought of before?¡± More than anything, Ling Qi felt angry: angry at these stupid spirits playing with her mind; angry at herself for stopping to listen to them; and angry at their reminder of things she had so deliberately forgotten. The spirit wasn¡¯t wrong.


    She knew she had hurt people with her actions. It wasn¡¯t possible to live at the bottom without doing that.


    She knew she was selfish.


    She knew she wasn¡¯t a virtuous person.


    ... She knew that mother hadn¡¯t really wanted the same life for her. Her education was proof of that, even if it hurt to admit it.


    Ling Qi barely noticed the flickering of the lights overhead, allowing her to see the dim outline of her hand as she pointed accusingly at the thing wearing her face.


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong. I¡¯ve stolen things, left people behind, and made plenty of other shitty decisions I can¡¯t even remember, but¡­ I know that. I know I¡¯m not a good person. I never said I was. Just because I¡¯m not a saint doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m a monster,¡± Ling Qi snapped angrily.


    ¡°I¡¯d make those decisions again if the situation was the same,¡± she admitted in a more subdued voice. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯d do the same if I had more choices.¡±


    As the light grew, she could once again see the child, now staring at her skeptically. ¡°Words like that won¡¯t do you any good, you know. Saying that you didn¡¯t have any good choices is just an excuse.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s vision swam, and she found herself wobbling on her feet as the creeping fatigue sapped the energy her anger had given her. the little girl¡¯s voice and tone had changed somehow.


    ¡°... That¡¯s bullshit, and it pisses me off to see someone wearing my face say it.¡± Ling Qi frowned, forcing herself to continue speaking. ¡°There¡¯s a reason I stopped thinking that way.¡± She shook her head, trying to shake off the fuzziness of her thoughts. ¡°Because - I¡¯ve thought about it - what it means to be free. I¡­ I left mom just for that after all, even if it started because I was scared. It doesn¡¯t matter if it wasn¡¯t what she wanted¡­ If I¡¯d stayed, then...¡± Her words were a bit slurred, but she managed to keep her focus on thing¡¯s face.


    ¡°¡­ As long as you¡¯re poor¡­ as long as you¡¯re weak¡­ you aren¡¯t really free. I¡¯ve seen that. There aren¡¯t any real choices there. You¡¯re bound by all kinds of things.¡± It was getting hard to concentrate.


    ¡°Point is - I¡­ Things can be different once I change that.¡±


    ¡°Does that really make it better though? You¡¯re still the same person in the end.¡± The not-child sighed.


    ¡°Won¡¯t you make the same excuse when Li Suyin needs your help? Or when your fellow disciples finally manage to find their spines and gang up on Bai Meizhen?¡± The voice was different now, lower and more mature. In the corner of her vision, something shimmered.


    That shimmer seemed to break through the clouds filling her head, and for a moment, she found clarity.


    ¡°...Maybe,¡± Ling Qi admitted quietly. ¡°But that¡¯s something to work out for myself in the future, not something to discuss with a damn parasite messing with my head.¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡± the illusion began, its childish features drawing down in a pout.


    Ling Qi¡¯s hand snapped out in a blur, launching a sliver of metal upward toward the sight that had flickered in her vision. A shrill squeal shattered the silence, and with it, the world. Everything around her wavered: the reflections, the darkness, even the sense of fatigue that had been creeping up on her again.


    A glittering web, beautiful in its intricacy, hung across the ceiling of the tunnel in front of her. Its occupant, a spider the size of a small cat with glittering silver chitin, fell from it, spasming around the knife buried dead center in its abdomen. It kicked up a splash as it hit the ankle-deep water. Ling Qi moved forward without hesitation, renewed anger burning in her veins, and brought her foot down as hard as she could manage, again and again, until the damned thing finally stopped twitching.


    ¡°Stay out of my head,¡± she hissed under her breath. She reached down and jerked her knife out of the corpse.


    She was left staring at the milky-white, oblong shape stuck on the end of her knife. She could feel qi in it. She recalled Li Suyin¡¯s roommate had mentioned something called a ¡°beast core.¡± Maybe this was it?


    She gingerly prodded the thing. It felt like warm stone, not fleshy at all, so after a moment¡¯s hesitation, she tucked it into her belt pouch.


    As her anger and adrenaline faded, Ling Qi found her thoughts turning back to her recent ordeal. She knew now that it hadn¡¯t been real, just another illusion twisting her own thoughts and blaring the distorted results back in her face. The last thing she wanted was to think about her old life, but that stupid spider had pulled it all back to the forefront. Now, she couldn¡¯t stop thinking about it.


    She glared darkly at the tunnel ahead, carefully studying it for more webs or any other sign of a trap. She even strained the vague sense for qi she had managed to cultivate as she advanced. But despite her best efforts, she remained distracted.


    Ling Qi hadn¡¯t lied. She didn¡¯t like hurting people or abandoning them¡­ but she had to put herself first, and in her previous position, that hadn¡¯t left much room at all to care for others. She still believed leaving Mother had been for the best - for both of them. Even now, knowing that she had misread the situation due to her fears, she still held on to that belief.


    ... Still, maybe she could send out a letter along with some of the coin she had recently acquired once the Sect restrictions on communication ended. She hadn¡¯t wanted to chance getting entangled in things again back in the city, but she was beyond that now.


    Mother had done her best for her daughter, even if Ling Qi had rejected it at the end. Ling Qi could afford to give¡­ something back. It wasn¡¯t as if she had much use for silver anymore after all. Assuming the silver was real anyway, she thought irritably. After this day, she wished that she had some ability to sense that kind of thing.


    The path ahead was still a maze, although she wasn¡¯t knee-deep in water anymore. Perhaps that was the trick? She needed to follow the decreasing water level?


    The last trap had left her feeling tense, but perhaps that was a good thing because it allowed her to maintain focus and keep her sense of direction in the maze. Ling Qi kept working toward a single direction even when the twisting paths didn¡¯t allow her to proceed directly. Several times, she found herself stopping and backtracking to avoid more glittering webs or places where the darkness grew unnatural.


    Gradually, the water grew shallower, first to lap around her toes then to simply leave the ground wet and muddy. The number of turns, twists, and splits in the path began to taper off as well until finally, the tunnel opened up into a small chamber dimly lit by a single crystal growth on the ceiling.


    Ling Qi peered inside warily, easily spotting the stone plinth that lay directly under the light with a glittering black jade token shot through with veins of white laying atop it. If that wasn¡¯t the star token, she would eat her sandals.


    Unfortunately, the plinth rose from a pool of crystal clear water. Stepping into the chamber, Ling Qi could not help but stare suspiciously at the pool. She strongly doubted that it was so simple as simply walking up and taking the token. If the rest of this spirit-infested city was any indication, the token would be guarded by some kind of water spirit.


    Perhaps she didn¡¯t need to confront it? Spirits could be placated, and Ling Qi recalled a few things about water spirits that had slipped in among her etiquette lessons with Bai Meizhen when conversation turned to the girl¡¯s home province. Ling Qi didn¡¯t have incense or offerings, but¡­ maybe she could talk the spirit into just handing the token over or at least explaining what it wanted before she went and stuck her foot in the thing¡¯s pool?


    After deliberating, she decided that it couldn¡¯t hurt. Ling Qi stepped into the chamber, straightened her posture as best she could, and then bowed, pulling on dim memories of priestly ceremony and hearthside conversation. She then clapped her hands together, once and then twice before holding them apart.


    ¡°Scion of waters, child of the the Eternal Ocean from which all life rises, this one would treat with you. Will you appear?¡± Ugh. Ling Qi had nearly stumbled over the odd and formal words, but she thought she had gotten it right. Ling Qi almost grimaced, feeling increasingly ridiculous as she held her pose in the silence that followed.


    Then, she heard the sloshing of water and witnessed the calm surface of the pool growing frothy with motion, lapping at the shore. The water bubbled and rose, an indistinct face forming from the waters. Its eyes were two unsettling dark holes, and its other features were little more than outlines, like an amateur sculpture of a person¡¯s head. She could feel a weight in the air which had been absent as those pits focused on her.


    Rootbound Fledgling, what words/meanings/communication do you have for [Earthwater/Bringer of Health/Shadowsea/*****]?


    Its words, if the sudden barrage of meaning that struck her mind could be called that, made her body tremble in discomfort. Ling Qi did her best to ignore the pressure that she felt weighing down on her. For all that this was no great spirit, she had a feeling that the New Moon had been distinctly taking it easy on her, body and mind, if something like this could make her feel so pressured.


    ¡°This one requests the knowledge of what must be done to acquire the token at the center of your pool,¡± she pressed on, knowing that it was too late to back out now. ¡°This one has no wish to unnecessarily defile your waters.¡±


    The face in the water regarded her silently, and she found herself dearly wishing that it was more expressive, less flat and alien.


    Blood and flesh has been offered, yet the life was denied. Were we true/real/original, we would take of yours. Here, we are but a shadow/reflection/memory so there is no purpose/meaning/nourishment.


    A thread was cut. Return it and begone with our burden, disciple of the Blood-Drenched Moon.


    Ling Qi concentrated on keeping her limbs from trembling. The spirit¡¯s words were difficult to parse, but she thought she understood what it wanted. Loathe as she was to give up her prize for having killed that damn spider, it was probably a¡­ part of this spirit? She knew vaguely that spirits were often interconnected in weird ways.


    Hoping she was right, she slipped a hand into her pouch and brought out the core she had torn from the dead spider and held it out. Sure enough, the thing vibrated in her hand and shot from it the moment she opened her fingers, hitting the surface of the pool with barely a ripple and dissolving.


    Ling Qi stumbled back as the star token hit her chest, having been flung with significant force. She managed to catch it before it hit the ground though despite the throbbing where it had struck her. She would probably have a nasty bruise on her chest later.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ling Qi said, bowing her head a fraction lower. ¡°I apologize for disturbing your rest.¡±


    Wings too stunted to fly, and roots too damaged by frost to flourish. It is not for your sake that we grant our burden. Begone.


    Ling Qi stiffened as the world seemed to twist and distort around her, squeezing down on all sides. She was just beginning to panic as she found herself unable to move, but before she could even get going, she found herself blinking as the light of sunset stung her eyes.


    Carefully peering around, Ling Qi found herself standing at the edge of the square which contained the well, hidden in shadow behind several haphazardly stacked crates. She frowned as she saw another disciple, a girl she didn¡¯t recognize, watching the well intently with a fine saber in hand. Ling Qi¡¯s rope was still there, and from the way the girl stood, her intentions were clear. Ling Qi supposed she owed the water spirit thanks, even if it had been irritatingly cryptic and condescending.


    Ling Qi crept away with the girl none the wiser, eyeing the sky. She still had some time, but the sooner she got to the temple, the better. At this point, every moment she spent in the city was a risk with no reward.


    Luckily, she doubted any of her fellow disciples would identify her at a glance; she was wet, muddy, and wearing cheap, torn clothing. Unless they could sense her qi or they recognized her personally, she could pass for a commoner, unless the wrapped staff on her back drew attention.


    ... At least until she got to the wealthier part of the city. There, her appearance would start to stand out.


    However, that concern could wait for the moment. Ling Qi focused on making her way further into the city at the quickest pace she could manage while sticking to back streets and alleys. As she traveled, it became more and more clear that the city had quite a few disciples in it now. Smoke rose in the distance, and people were hurrying away from that location with frightened looks on their faces. These signs and other little things caused Ling Qi to pick up her pace even more.


    Once she moved out of the poorer, outer districts, Ling Qi made a small detour to clean up and dry off. A stop at a pawn shop afterward bought her a cloak to throw over her tattered clothes. Leaving the shop, she worked to blend in with the street traffic as she approached the inner walls around the wealthy districts. She could see a huge tower, carved to appear as a tightly coiled dragon rising over those walls. Going by the guard¡¯s words, that was her destination.


    That just meant she needed to be even more cautious.


    She saw some of her peers on the way. Some loitered on street corners, scanning the crowd. A tiny number had even gotten the same idea as she had and dressed down, making themselves less obvious. Ling Qi focused on remaining in the background and kept a tight leash on her qi.


    As she neared the inner districts, Ling Qi slowed her pace even more. She no longer weaved through the street traffic for maximum speed without compromising her anonymity. Instead, she walked normally. She even stopped periodically at street stalls or entered shops, making sure she didn¡¯t appear to be in a hurry to reach a particular destination.


    It seemed to work. Her fellow disciples took no notice of her as she worked her way closer. There were at least a dozen guards in plain sight at the intricate bronze gates that separated the outer city from the inner, including two who wore marks of rank. Here, there were no disciples that she could see. Perhaps they assumed that the guards would intervene in violence that occured right in front of them.


    A handful of bloody footprints that had yet to be smeared away by passing foot traffic seemed to give credence to that, as did the fact that several of the guards had blades drawn. As much as it went against every instinct she had to openly approach such a group, Ling Qi finally broke her casual pace as she reached the open square in front of the gate. As she expected, the two men flanking the gate raised their halberds to block her way, staring at her with cold disinterest. She glanced at one of the two officers in their ranks, digging into her pouch to reveal her tokens. She hoped that what she had really was a star token. The guard officer stepped forward to examine the offered tokens. Ling Qi held her breath until he silently gestured for the two men to lower their weapons. This was it! She had managed to pass! She felt almost giddy at the realization.


    She murmured a breathless thanks to the guard officer and darted through the gates, hurrying through the opulent buildings of the inner city. Even the confused disdain on the wealthy citizens she passed couldn¡¯t bring her mood down. Soon, she stood before the wide open gates of the temple with fires burning merrily in the braziers that flanked it.


    Ling Qi forced herself to pause and examine the temple¡¯s grand interior for potential traps, but there were none. Smiling triumphantly, Ling Qi stepped through the doorway.

 Bonus 3: Faculty Meeting

    Warm afternoon sunlight played across the polished black surface of the table which took up the majority of the space in the meeting hall. The tall windows that lined the east and west walls were left open, allowing the cool breeze to blow inside. It was, Dong Feng supposed, much like the quieting of the winds that came before the breaking of a storm.


    Looking back down to his desk in the corner of the room, Dong Feng resumed arranging his tools to his liking. It was an honor for a Sect Clerk only a bit past his centennial to be selected to take minutes for a meeting of Elders. He would certainly have to buy his senior another bottle of Blossoming Dream Nectar in thanks for the opportunity.


    As Dong Feng placed the last strip of jade down and checked the nib of his etching tool for sharpness, the doors at the far end of the brightly lit hall opened, and the first of the Elders swept in with a small rustle of cloth. Elder Hua Su was among the youngest of her rank, he thought idly. Only two hundred and fifty years or so older than himself. Truly a talent and credit to the Sect. He did not raise his eyes as she passed him. Normally, it would be quite rude to not acknowledge an Elder, but as a record keeper, his role was to be a silent pair of hands.


    His ears caught heavy footfalls echoing from the hallway a moment later, and he felt a thrill of fear go up his spine as Commander Zhou marched past, barefoot and bare chested. Dong Feng still remembered well his days serving in the Sect military, training under sergeants who had in turn learned directly from the Indomitable himself. His muscles ached at the memory.


    ¡°Sect Sister Su,¡± the man greeted shortly, dipping his head briefly to the other Elder. ¡°Your courses are going well?¡±


    Elder Su gave the taller man a soft smile as she pulled out her seat. ¡°As well as can be expected. Our disciples are an interesting bunch this year, are they not?¡±


    Elder Zhou scowled, and Dong Feng felt himself break out in sweat as the shadow of a vast mountain fell over him, crushing his shoulders with its weight. It passed then, a mere flicker in the Commander¡¯s iron discipline. ¡°I dislike this¡­ circus,¡± he said with distaste. ¡°There is nothing that I can teach such neophytes that a lesser officer could not. I look forward to weeding out the worst.¡±


    ¡°You underestimate your insight,¡± the younger woman replied, taking her seat. ¡°Still, it is not often that the Sect is host to such names. Have any yet made an impression?¡±


    ¡°The Bai lives up to her name. She will be a terror in a century or so,¡± Commander Zhou replied, a touch of irritation in his voice even as he sat down. His seat creaked from his unnatural weight, but the spiritually reinforced wood held. ¡°The Sun is hot-headed and talented but bored by the basic lessons. I have no other insights to share.¡±


    ¡°Neither is much interested in my basic primers either,¡± Elder Su admitted. ¡°The other though¡­¡±


    Commander Zhou grimaced. ¡°I have no complaints at her performance,¡± he replied neutrally.


    ¡°Of course you don¡¯t.¡± The light drained from the room as another voice echoed as if from the bottom of the well, and Dong Feng felt a violent shiver go up his spine as staring, judging eyes formed in his shadow and all across the room. Watching and grading and¡­ He took hold of himself before he could make a mistake in the etching recording the Elders¡¯ words.


    Across from the other two Elders, a pillar of liquid darkness arose, frothing and bubbling until it resolved into the gray skinned form of Elder Jiao, lounging in his seat and wearing a robe of eye-searing yellow and a jauntily tilted cap on his bald head.


    ¡°Our Glorious Duchess would hardly fail to prepare her heir,¡± he drawled. ¡°But really, must we talk of this again? Is there nothing more interesting to speak of?¡±


    Dong Feng was quite sure he saw Elder Su roll her eyes during Elder Jiao¡¯s extravagant entrance, but that was obviously a mistake of perception on his part, he told himself. At least the eyes in his shadow were fading away.


    ¡°If you have any insights to offer, they are obviously welcome, Sect Brother Jiao,¡± Commander Zhou replied in a voice drier than any desert. ¡°You have, after all, been so involved in the running of the Outer Sect.¡±


    "Oh, nothing of my work would interest you, Sect Brother,¡± Elder Jiao replied in amusement. ¡°Just scribblings and such, you know. Nothing for a man of your stature to be concerned over.¡±


    The room shook, and the stone floor rippled as another arrived. The figure of Elder Ying was not an impressive one visually. The stooped figure, wrinkled face, and tightly bound bun of gray hair would be common on any street. All the same, she had emerged from solid rock, and her plain brown gown drawing ripples in the flagstones as she shuffled toward the table and her seat at a deceptively slow pace.


    ¡°Do let it rest, you two,¡± she chided. ¡°We will be discussing our high status guests enough, I think. Why not speak of the other gems we have been given to polish?¡±


    ¡°There are a few,¡± Commander Zhou grunted. ¡°It is too soon to know if there is anything but potential among the charity cases.¡±


    ¡°And potential hardly guarantees ability,¡± Elder Su added. ¡°Yet there are two that have the drive to make something of it, I think.¡±


    Commander Zhou grunted in agreement. ¡°Agreed. I am disappointed in the Golden Fields group. I never imagined that Han would coddle his son so.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Not everything is cultivation,¡± Elder Jiao replied. ¡°That one is at least well adjusted. There is a reason that the common age for beginning cultivation has risen.¡±


    Commander Zhou scoffed. ¡°We are growing soft.¡±


    Elder Su gave the commander a brief look which Dong Feng could not read, but it was Elder Ying who spoke, her reedy voice nonetheless carrying a great weight to it. The air began to tingle with thickened qi as wills clashed through narrowed eyes. ¡°You know as well as any that beginning before the age of twelve is near pointless. A child so young cannot properly form even the first steps of a Way. You may as well attempt to sculpt a wall from dry sand.¡±


    ¡°But we have an exemplar of such early cultivation this very year!¡± Elder Jiao said brightly. ¡°And they have such an interesting mind, do they not?¡±


    Elder Ying¡¯s wrinkled face drew into a scowl, and Elder Su frowned. Elder Zhou merely closed his eyes. ¡°I am aware that there is a point which is too early,¡± the commander said. ¡°That does not change the truth of my words.¡±


    For Dong Feng, things were far more intense. He shivered violently, goosebumps forming on his skin as the qi in the room thickened with raised emotion. Where before he had looked upon a brightly lit meeting hall and four seniors and superiors, now he drowned in a lake of darkness filled by mocking, judging eyes while twin mountains, one a peak of barren gray stone and the other a riot of greenery and life, that both stretched into the sky rumbled and shook at one another.


    He felt relief when thunder clapped, rattling the very frame of the building, and the tension in the air dissolved along with the figments of power. Dong Feng gasped for air as the crushing weight fell from his shoulders and chest.


    ¡°Hoh, he¡¯s finally here. I am surprised that the Sect Head was so late,¡± Elder Ying said, sounding curious.


    ¡°Must he limit himself so with mortal affectations? He could very well have just entered the room directly,¡± Elder Jiao complained, a flick of his voluminous sleeve producing a sheaf of densely written papers.


    ¡°Not all are interested in abandoning their bodies so, Sect Brother,¡± Commander Zhou snorted. ¡°You will survive waiting another minute for the Sect Head to traverse the halls.¡±


    Dong Feng almost sighed as the serious atmosphere that had formed dissolved back into the casual one-upmanship and bickering of a normal office meeting. It was always frightening to be reminded of just how far an Elder was above a mere clerk.

 Chapter 18-Zhous Trial 7

    It was like having cold water splashed in her face.


    Ling Qi blinked as her vision swam and the opulent temple interior she had glimpsed was replaced with a plain stone room with a bright bonfire burning in the center. The doors she had just passed were closed, and beneath her, the lines and characters of a formation flickered.


    ¡°You have passed the second stage. Calm yourself and rest.¡± Instructor Zhou¡¯s deep voice rang out from the raised stage at the other end of the room. He stood there, arms crossed, his expression just as hard and stern as ever as he looked down at her from over the bonfire, and yet, she couldn¡¯t help but feel that there was the tiniest hint of approval in the man¡¯s steely eyes.


    Ling Qi did her best to ignore the warmth she felt on her cheeks as she hurried away from the door. She didn¡¯t want to end up getting bowled over by another entrant from behind, certainly not in front of Instructor Zhou or the¡­ another person on the stage? She squinted. There was a man lounging against the wall on the left side of the stage.


    It was the Elder from her very first day in the Sect, only this time, the odd man was wearing a minister¡¯s robe that was a horribly eye-searing shade of orange. As she looked at him, he raised his head, apparently awakening from the light doze he had been in and looked back at her. Ling Qi felt pinned by his gaze, but the thin-faced man smiled as if at some private joke and glanced to the side, freeing her from his regard.


    Ling Qi quickly averted her eyes, taking in the other occupants of the room. There were surprisingly few of them. There were only six¡­ no, seven disciples here already. She had been the eighth to make it to the temple. Among them, she recognized only three.


    Gu Xiulan and Han Jian stood near the fire, and Han Jian raised his hand to wave to her when he saw her. He looked a bit crispy around the edges, his robe blackened at the hems and an ugly burn marred his cheek. In contrast, Gu Xiulan looked like a waterlogged cat, irritable and miserable. It made Ling Qi feel somewhat better about her own state.


    The last person she recognized was no surprise. Sun Liling sat cross-legged in a secluded corner of the room with a scowl on her face, otherwise looking none the worse for the wear. The room was quiet. Even those speaking were keeping their voices down to a low murmur. It seemed she would have to wait a while yet.


    With the glow of victory fading, Ling Qi felt rather wrung out. The encounter with that damn spider had been mentally exhausting, and the stress of sneaking through the outer city had not been restful either. Frankly, she could see the appeal of doing as Sun Liling had and just finding a quiet corner to sit down and meditate in. Who knew what the Elders would have them doing next?


    It might seem rude though. Han Jian and Gu Xiulan were both present, and if both she and they passed, they would be the only ones in the class that would be friendly to her. She had a feeling that her efforts to stay unnoticed would be for naught after this.


    It wasn¡¯t as if she disliked them either. Well, she liked Han Jian; her feelings about Gu Xiulan were more complicated. The other girl intimidated her if she were honest, and Ling Qi didn¡¯t quite know what to think about the girl¡¯s actions toward her.


    She found herself recalling the mocking words of her reflections. It would be better to have allies. The Sect wasn¡¯t like the city. The rules were different, and so was she, and even if she was still weak¡­ well, she had proven that she had some value, right? Making it here had to prove that.


    Ling Qi walked toward her two teammates, attempting to appear unfazed by the appraising looks she was receiving from the other disciples in the room. For better or worse, she had done something to stand out, and people would be paying attention to her. She couldn¡¯t just run to another district this time. She would have to be much more careful in the future.


    ¡°Ling Qi. Looks like you made it. Great job,¡± Han Jian greeted her warmly, smiling despite the burn on his cheek. She gave him a tentative smile in return, allowing herself to relax.


    ¡°Congratulations,¡± Gu Xiulan added. Ling Qi thought she detected a bit of surprise in the other girl¡¯s demeanor, but she wasn¡¯t sure. The way the other girl¡¯s cosmetics had begun to run and smear made it harder to read her expression. ¡°And you made it through unmarked as well. How did you manage that?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ managed to surprise the boy who had my sun token,¡± Ling Qi admitted sheepishly. ¡°He thought I was just a mortal.¡± She plucked at the frayed cloth of her new clothing for emphasis. ¡°It¡¯s how I got past the others circling the inner city gates too. No one pays attention to commoners,¡± she added wryly.


    Han Jian chuckled, and Gu Xiulan looked thoughtful.


    ¡°I had wondered why you changed into such dreary rags,¡± the other girl said, looking Ling Qi up and down contemplatively. ¡°I cannot say that I would employ such methods myself, but I can see the use in them.¡±


    ¡°Of course you wouldn¡¯t,¡± Han Jian interjected dryly. ¡°You could never avoid the spotlight for that long.¡±


    Gu Xiulan pouted prettily at the taller boy, crossing her arms under her chest as she turned back to face him. ¡°And what is wrong with that? No one should ever forget encountering me.¡±


    Ling Qi let out a small sigh. It was a little irritating that even with her make-up running and her clothing in disarray, Gu Xiulan was still so much more attractive than her. She didn¡¯t miss that Han Jian¡¯s gaze had flickered down, let alone the way Gu Xiulan drew attention from the other boys in the room.


    ... Not that she wanted that sort of attention. It was just annoying that some people had all the luck when it came to appearance, talent, and wealth.


    ¡°So, what happened with you two?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°Why did you end up taking the lake path, Gu Xiulan?¡±


    ¡°Hm? I did not have much choice in the matter. I was forced to travel between a number of small islands,¡± Gu Xiulan responded, turning her attention back to Ling Qi.


    ¡°That miserable excuse for a watercraft I was provided with capsized several times,¡± she added darkly. ¡°I do believe I hate the ocean. It is going to take ages to fix the damage done by the saltwater.¡±


    ¡°Oh, have you managed to learn how to swim in the last couple years, Xiulan?¡± Han Jian asked, sounding amused. ¡°I seem to remember¡­¡±


    ¡°Hold your tongue, you terrible man. What of you then? I suppose you managed to trip into a campfire?¡± Gu Xiulan said hastily, looking genuinely embarrassed. Ling Qi had a feeling that it was only because the one poking fun at Gu Xiulan was Han Jian. Anyone else would probably have gotten a less pleasant response.


    Han Jian laughed, sheepishly rubbing his hand on the back of his neck. ¡°Well, something like that. I got¡­ entangled with a flame spirit while searching for my star token.¡± His smile faded, and he seemed a bit distant.


    Ling Qi was distracted then by the arrival of another disciple. It was a broad-shouldered boy with short-cropped golden hair and darkly tanned skin. By the time Elder Zhou greeted him he had left the entryway to join a sharp-featured girl with luxurious waist-length black hair and a disproportionately long sword sheathed in a blue scabbard on her shoulder.


    ¡°So, Ling Qi.¡± She blinked in surprise as Gu Xiulan turned to address her, pulling her from her observation of the other disciples. ¡°I do believe we have earned ourselves some luxury. There is a hidden mineral spring on the mountain that my Elder Sister deigned to inform me of. Would you care to join me after this is all said and done? I am not the only one who looks like she could use a warm soak.¡±


    Ling Qi stopped herself from frowning. She supposed she was still a bit muddy and damp, but the other girl¡¯s little offers and gifts were starting to bother her. She didn¡¯t know why Gu Xiulan was being so amiable.


    ¡°Maybe. Why?¡± She asked, almost wincing at how bluntly it came out.


    Gu Xiulan gave her a slightly exasperated look. ¡°It is hardly a good idea for a lady to bathe alone in such a setting. Who knows what might happen? Besides, it only makes sense for us to get to know one another better, does it not? Unless you intend for this to be the last time we work together.¡±


    Ah, did Gu Xiulan just decide to be blunt right back? Ling Qi wasn¡¯t really sure how to respond.


    ¡°Well, no. I - I think we made a good team.¡± Ling Qi hated the way she managed to stumble on her response. ¡°I think I need to cultivate tonight, however¡­ Maybe another day?¡±


    Gu Xiulan pursed her lips but eventually nodded. ¡°Very well. I suppose we all likely have some things to meditate on after today.¡± Thankfully, Gu Xiulan didn¡¯t seem to be angry at Ling Qi¡¯s refusal.


    Ling Qi noticed Han Jian giving Gu Xiulan an unreadable look while the girl was focused on her, but when Gu Xiulan¡¯s eyes shifted to him, his expression had relaxed back into a smile.


    ¡°Ling Qi probably has the right idea,¡± he added supportively before glancing toward the entrance.


    ¡°I hope Yu and Fang make it through as well, but I admit I¡¯m worried that we¡¯ll have another test if too many people succeed.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned at the thought. She had hoped that maybe enough people would fail that a third test wouldn¡¯t be necessary. As if to mock that hope, the entrance formation flashed then, and another disciple entered.


    This time, it was a short and rather effeminate boy with long, silky hair. Half of the upper part of his robe was missing, leaving his shoulder and part of his chest exposed. There were a series of wounds across his torso that made it look like he had been clawed by some huge beast.


    Ling Qi frowned at the newcomer as he stumbled his way across the room¡­ to Sun Liling. Huh. Ling Qi hadn¡¯t thought much of it, but the red-haired girl hadn¡¯t gone into the test alone. Sun Liling¡¯s dark expression lightened a tad when she saw the boy enter, and he smiled weakly at her. Ling Qi couldn¡¯t hear whatever was said between them, but it ended with the redhead cuffing him lightly on the back of the head and evidently ordering him to sit down and clean up.


    She shook her head and turned her attention back to her own group.


    ¡°We¡¯ll make it through even if there¡¯s another test. I didn¡¯t go through all that for nothing,¡± Ling Qi said with more conviction than she really felt.


    ¡°A good attitude to have,¡± Gu Xiulan said absently, shifting closer to the fire. ¡°Obviously, we aren¡¯t going to fail at this point,¡± she added with a more genuine confidence.


    The three of them continued to chat idly while Ling Qi sat down to rest her feet. She stayed quiet for the most part as disciples continued to trickle in. She didn¡¯t have context for a lot of the things her two teammates spoke of, but it was nice regardless. She almost felt like she actually belonged.


    Ling Qi did manage to pick up a few things about her companions from context. Han Jian was an only child, but Gu Xiulan had a number of older sisters. Han Jian¡¯s father was a general, and the relation Gu Xiulan¡¯s family had to his was unclear but subordinate. Gu Xiulan¡¯s family were also apparently very, very wealthy.


    Han Jian did his best to include her in the conversation when he could, which she was thankful for, but in the end there simply wasn¡¯t much for her to say. The room steadily filled up as the remaining time ticked away, and Han Fang finally emerged from the formation some thirty minutes into the wait, making him¡­ the seventeenth in if her count was correct. The tall boy looked significantly worse for wear with both sleeves reduced to tattered shreds and his muscular forearms looking as if they had been scoured bloody with sandpaper.


    He came over to them without hesitation and sat down heavily, letting out a raspy sigh as he gave her a nod of acknowledgement. His presence didn¡¯t do much to change the conversation; Han Fang seemed content with Han Jian¡¯s initial congratulations and little else. She hadn¡¯t really noticed it before, but Gu Xiulan seemed almost dismissive of the large boy, offering him a polite greeting and then largely ignoring him. Ling Qi wasn¡¯t quite sure what to make of the attitude. It didn¡¯t seem malicious, but it was strange. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t really have a polite way of asking about it so she let it go.. The rate of disciples finishing began to increase steadily after Han Fang¡¯s arrival though those who came in at this point were in rather poor condition.


    By the time Elder Zhou clapped his hands together to draw everyone¡¯s attention, there were more than forty disciples in the room. Fan Yu was not among them.


    ¡°The second phase has now come to an end.¡± Elder Zhou¡¯s voice overrode any lingering noise from the crowd of disciples, and those sitting down moved to stand at attention. ¡°Through wit or strength, you have succeeded at the trials placed before you. I have no doubt that every one of you has gained something of value in this test. However, I have one final task for all of you. In the first test, I saw which of you could lead and how well you could function in groups of your own devising. In the second, with help from Elder Jiao, I saw what you could accomplish with your own power.¡±


    The gray-skinned man in the hideous robes smiled lazily in acknowledgment of Elder Zhou¡¯s words.


    ¡°In this final test, I will see how well you are able to cooperate with those who are not friends or allies. A soldier of the Empire must put aside personal grievances and rivalries when in service. This will be the final test.¡± Elder Zhou scanned the room, meeting each disciple¡¯s gaze in turn.


    ¡°Now¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm. Hold on a moment, will you, Sect Brother Zhou?¡± Ling Qi blinked as the moment was broken by the other man speaking up. Elder Jiao pushed himself up from the wall, an amused expression on his face.


    ¡°Since I so graciously provided my expertise for your second test, I¡¯d like to make a suggestion.¡±

 Chapter 19-Zhous Trial 8

    For just a fraction of an instant, Ling Qi was certain that she saw an expression of irritation cross the implacable Elder Zhou¡¯s face.


    ¡°... Yes, Sect Brother Jiao? As you will be providing the opposition for the coming exam, it would be rude to refuse your input. Could you not have done so earlier however?¡± There was a distinct note of exasperation in Elder Zhou¡¯s tone.


    As Elder Jiao chuckled merrily, moving to stand next to Elder Zhou, Ling Qi frowned at the implication in Elder Zhou¡¯s words. They weren¡¯t going to have to fight an Elder, were they?


    ¡°No, not really. It only came up recently,¡± Elder Jiao said, maintaining the same unconcerned demeanor despite the look Elder Zhou was leveling at him. ¡°It¡¯s only a minor thing anyway. I simply suggest that you pass that one immediately instead of putting her through another test.¡± Elder Jiao raised his hand as he spoke, pointing down into the crowd of disciples.


    ... Right at her.


    Ling Qi blinked and swallowed nervously as she felt everyone in the room look at her. She very much wanted to sink into the floor and disappear. Gu Xiulan¡¯s expression was calculating, and Han Jian¡¯s surprise quickly faded into curiosity and contemplation. Even Han Fang was eyeing her with interest. Many of the other gazes were less friendly.


    ¡°Sect Brother Jiao,¡± Elder Zhou spoke up after a short, uncomfortable silence. ¡°I will not refuse you if you desire to select one of the disciples for your personal tutelage, but that does not seem to be your intention.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re as perceptive as always, Sect Brother,¡± Elder Jaio said, folding his arms behind his back. ¡°She¡¯s not quite ready for that. I suppose that depends on how well she manages to take advantage of the good fortune she encountered in my Hidden Soul''s History Formation.¡± Ling Qi¡¯s eyes widened as gazes on her grew greedy.


    As she stared at Elder Jiao, she glimpsed something strange. It was only the briefest flicker, but she was sure she saw the face of the moon spirit, Xin, appear over Elder Jiao¡¯s shoulder, giving Ling Qi an apologetic look before shooting Elder Jiao an exasperated one.


    Elder Zhou stared at his fellow Elder hard, having either not seen or not reacted to the image. A surreptitious glance around showed that no one else seemed to have seen Xin either. Elder Zhou turned his eyes back to her, and Ling Qi straightened her shoulders, swallowing nervously.


    ¡°... Ling Qi.¡± He actually knew her name, which was shocking in its own right. ¡°This is unusual, but as poor as his sense of timing can be, Elder Jiao is one whose opinion I respect. I will leave it to you. You may participate normally in the third exam or pass on his word. Make your choice.¡±


    Ling Qi felt that if she let her eyes grow any wider, they would roll out of her head. She should have been overjoyed to pass, but the feeling was drowned by the avaricious atmosphere that had come over the room. What was she going to do? Everyone would¡­ Ling Qi felt a hand on her shoulder and glanced back to see Han Jian giving her an encouraging smile. To her left, she saw the huge shadow of Han Fang shifting to stand behind her as well. Even Gu Xiulan, for all that her gaze was cold and calculating, hadn¡¯t moved away from her.


    Right¡­ This... She would still be fine, but she had to make a choice. Taking the pass guaranteed her a position in Elder Zhou¡¯s class, which she would need to get ahead, but it would also raise the ire of disciples who might otherwise be willing to leave her alone. And even if he said he would respect the other Elder¡¯s words, would Elder Zhou really be impressed with someone who coasted by on a recommendation?


    More than anything else, Ling Qi felt frustrated. That encounter had been the first real glimmer of good luck she had in years, and it was getting flung back in her face, causing her more problems. The resentment she felt for the loudly dressed elder up on the stage was difficult to keep off her face. After everything she had dealt with today, she absolutely didn¡¯t want to have to fend off other thieves during or after the test.


    That was going to happen regardless now so she would accept the silver lining and take her pass. Rejecting a free victory would be an absurd and pointless show of pride.


    Despite the anxiety she could feel at being the center of attention, she straightened her shoulders and back and bowed politely to Elder Zhou and Elder Jiao.


    ¡°Thank you very much for your recommendation, Elder Jiao. I humbly accept your offer, Elder Zhou.¡± Her voice sounded stiff and unnatural to her own ears, tight with ill-restrained nerves, but she managed to avoid making a fool of herself.


    Her words brought more than a few discontented murmurs from her fellow disciples, but she saw no recriminations on the faces of her team¡­ and for the moment, that was enough. Elder Zhou silenced the murmurs with a single stern glance before looking back at her, expression neutral.


    ¡°Very well. Come up to the stage. Elder Jiao will release you from the formation.¡±


    Ling Qi let out a low breath but managed to keep her posture straight and unworried. She nodded politely to Han Jian and the others, murmuring a quiet wish for their good luck before proceeding up to the stage where the Elders stood. She saw plenty of resentment along with greed on the faces of the disciples around her, but to her surprise, it wasn¡¯t omnipresent. A few of her fellows seemed ambivalent or looked at her with interest and calculation instead.


    The most obvious was the girl she had noticed earlier when the first disciple to arrive after Ling Qi had gone to her side. The immaculately dressed girl stared at her with furrowed brows, studying Ling Qi with uncomfortable intensity as if the girl was committing every detail of her face to memory. At least the girl¡¯s face was easy to remember as well, completely unadorned by the cosmetics the other obviously wealthy girls wore with thin lips and sharp features that made her more handsome than pretty.


    As Ling Qi ascended the shallow stairs to stand beside Elder Zhou, she dipped her head respectfully to the older man. She resolved to work twice as hard as before to make sure she was ready when the truce came to an end. So focused was she, she almost startled when she heard the instructor¡¯s voice, pitched low so as not to carry down from the stage.


    ¡°Retreat is not always cowardice but can become it if relied on overmuch. Think hard on what stands to be lost before choosing to cede ground.¡± Ling Qi nodded rapidly, relief bleeding away some small part of the tension she felt. Elder Zhou didn¡¯t think she was a coward for taking the pass or resent her for the decision.


    As she moved past Elder Zhou, Elder Jiao gestured for her to follow him and walked toward the far end of the stage. It made her nervous to follow someone who clearly didn¡¯t have her best interests at heart out of sight of everyone else, but there wasn¡¯t much choice.


    ¡°You chose wisely,¡± the amused elder commented as the two of them reached the rear wall where a single silver character was emblazoned on the stone. ¡°Do try not to get trampled in the coming days. It will be ages before I hear the end of this as it is.¡±


    Ling Qi kept her expression carefully neutral, but she had a feeling the Elder could detect the resentment she was doing her best to hide going by the merry twinkle in his color-shifting eyes.


    ¡°... Why?¡± she asked quietly, drawing on her last bit of courage.


    The spindly man hummed thoughtfully to himself as he traced the character on the wall with his finger, leaving a dull glow in its wake.


    ¡°Because it amused me, girl,¡± he said lightly, shooting her a warning look. ¡°And perhaps because you caused my companion the discomfort of being subsumed by her greater self, if only for a short time.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned, not understanding what he was talking about. Did he mean the moon spirit? What did he mean by greater self?


    ¡°... I¡¯m sorry?¡± she tried, not really feeling sorry at all. She could tell he was lying, which probably meant he wasn¡¯t even trying.


    Elder Jiao chuckled quietly as he finished tracing the character. The wall in front of her warped, becoming a doorway filled with shifting fog.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry yourself. I¡¯m not the sort to hold a grudge.¡± He looked her way once more, the same infuriatingly lax expression on his pallid face. ¡°Well, as long as you do not slack on your studies. I would be most offended if you manage to be merely average.¡±


    Ling Qi set her lips in a thin line but nodded The older man wasn¡¯t going to give her any further answers. Elders were beyond her. Being angry at one was as pointless as raging at a thunderstorm and about ten times as likely to get her struck by lightning. All she could do now was to deal with the fallout.


    As she stepped through the fog filling the gate, his voice reached her one last time.


    ¡°Oh, young lady. Neither those garments nor the silver in your pockets are real. I suggest you find a change of clothes before they fade away.¡± Her eyes widened. She tried to turn back, but it was too late.


    Ling Qi found herself being quickly drawn forward as if an invisible rope had been fastened around her waist and pulled by a team of horses. Phantom wind roared in her ears, and she felt her eyes watering from the sensation of being pulled rapidly through space, only to stumble as she came to a sudden stop. Her vision swam as she regained her balance.


    Ling Qi stiffened immediately as she took in her surroundings. She was back at the site of the formation that they had begun the test at, with the sun sinking under the horizon. All around her were other disciples, presumably the ones who hadn¡¯t made it through the test. Thankfully, she didn¡¯t see anyone she had directly confronted.


    However, she was once again the center of attention, and she was getting very tired of that indeed. She glanced back at the formation she had emerged from to find it still lit and active. Ling Qi hurried to step away, hoping she could merge with the crowd of failed students and observers, but even that was denied to her.


    ¡°You! Peasant girl. The third test has already begun. Did you see Xiulan? Was she well?¡± Ling Qi found herself confronted by Fan Yu, who had pushed through the crowd to approach her. One side of his face was swollen with bruises, and she could see more such wounds under the collar of his robe. He resembled those poor souls who managed to draw the ire of an entire gang and survive, beaten black and blue.


    The way he referred to her was irritating, but she was too tired to argue with the lout. He did seem genuinely worried about Gu Xiulan. Maybe she could just answer quickly and move on.


    ¡°Gu Xiulan was fine. She wasn¡¯t wounded as far as I could tell. The others are still taking the test,¡± she said while glancing over his shoulder, trying to find a path through the crowd that she could take.


    ¡°Han Jian and Han Fang were fine too, just a little banged up,¡± she added as an afterthought.


    The squat boy¡¯s shoulders sagged in what she thought was relief. It was hard to read the expression on his swollen face, but she thought that she saw some bitterness briefly flash in his eyes.


    ¡°That is¡­ good. If she¡¯s fine then¡­¡± he muttered, seemingly to himself. As she began to try and edge around him, his eyes snapped back up.


    ¡°So what of you? Did it simply take a bit longer for them to fish you out of the second?¡±


    Ugh. Why did he want to talk to her now? And to just assume she failed like he had when she had done the opposite and been one of the first to make it through... She could feel her already frayed temper slipping her control.


    ¡°No. I¡¯m the first to pass the third,¡± she found herself snapping. ¡°Elder Jiao let me out of the formation early.¡± She almost immediately regretted saying it as a few of the disciples nearby looked to her in surprise, and whispering began to quickly spread. Fan Yu looked poleaxed for a moment, but his expression quickly twisted into a sneer.


    ¡°What a ridiculous lie. A commoner like you who can barely fight being the first one to pass Instructor Zhou¡¯s test? The test that I failed?¡± His voice gradually rose, growing angrier with each word.


    Ling Qi grimaced. She was done with this. No longer attempting to be subtle about it, she sidestepped Fan Yu and made to pass him without saying another word. It wasn¡¯t to be. Maybe it was her mental exhaustion or maybe she had just been too surprised by his action, but when he reached out and seized her wrist, she didn¡¯t avoid it.


    ¡°I did not say you could leave yet,¡± the battered boy growled. ¡°Apologize for lying to my face right now.¡±


    Ling Qi tried to pull herself free but found his grip on her wrist inescapable. Her struggling only caused him to tighten it. She could still get away, but it would involve hitting or tripping him up. Would that count as attacking another disciple?


    ¡°I¡¯m not lying,¡± she responded angrily. ¡°Now let me go. That hurts, you oaf.¡± Ling Qi knew she shouldn¡¯t insult him further, but her temper was up at this point.


    ¡°I won¡¯t just¡­¡± he began, expression darkening. Ling Qi prepared to do what she needed to in order to escape, but then the disciples around them, who had been watching their argument with interest, went pale and silent. Ling Qi¡¯s eyes met a pair of gleaming gold ones over Fan Yu¡¯s shoulder. Fan Yu went pale when a dainty white hand clamped down on his shoulder, quite painfully from the way he winced.


    ¡°Ling Qi has asked you to release her. Do so this instant,¡± Bai Meizhen said frostily. ¡°And think, the next time you choose to be so boorish.¡±


    Fan Yu let her go as if she were suddenly aflame, stumbling back and clutching his arm. Resentment stewed on his features. Bai Meizhen did not even look at him, stepping past with a swish of cloth to gesture for Ling Qi to follow.


    ¡°Shall we walk home then? I completed my meditation somewhat early so I thought that I would come observe your success,¡± she said as Ling Qi quickly fell in beside her. Bai Meizhen ignored the disciples clearing the path around them.


    Ling Qi almost laughed, although she suspected the sound would have been closer to a sob. Just like that, she was safe to reach their home. It really was that easy when you were strong, wasn¡¯t it?


    There was something different about Bai Meizhen now; she managed to seem even more casually ominous than before.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Ling Qi managed. ¡°I guess your cultivation was a success?¡±


    Bai Meizhen¡¯s eyes flicked up to meet hers before she nodded shallowly, returning her gaze to the path leading out of the formation plaza.


    ¡°Somewhat. I have broken through to the next stage of the Imperious Serpent art. Unfortunately, I have not yet reached the next level of cultivation. It seems something yet holds me back. What of you? I imagine the Elder¡¯s exam was not easy.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°But¡­ I think I did well, and I have many things to meditate on.¡± Everything she had experienced recently swirled in her mind¡¯s eye. She really needed to get her thoughts in order. ¡°I should thank you. Knowing how to beseech a water spirit properly really saved me in the second test.¡±


    Bai Meizhen raised one perfect eyebrow questioningly. ¡°Is that so? Well, I am glad that some part of my words remained with you. I had worried that you were not truly listening at points.¡±


    Ling Qi flushed. She knew her attention had wandered a bit during some of those conversations, but she hadn¡¯t thought that Bai Meizhen had noticed.


    ¡°I was,¡± she responded quickly. ¡°So thank you¡­ and not just for that.¡±


    The other girl simply nodded slightly. ¡°It was a trifling thing. A man should know better than to lay hands on a lady outside of combat,¡± Bai Meizhen responded with a dismissive gesture.


    ¡°I¡¯m hardly a lady,¡± Ling Qi responded wryly, rolling her shoulders only to wince as her damaged one twinged slightly.


    Her housemate shook her head. ¡°Nonsense. You walk the Way. You are as much a lady as any of those back there - if a somewhat crude one for the moment.¡±


    Now, Ling Qi really did laugh, drawing a questioning look from the girl beside her. ¡°Sorry, I guess I¡¯ll just have to work on my manners then when I¡¯m not cultivating.¡± Was it really that simple in Bai Meizhen¡¯s view?


    The two of them returned home in comfortable silence, and by the time Ling Qi retired to the meditation room, she felt much more settled. Finally, she would get to see what all this trouble had been for. Sitting down, she carefully withdrew the narrow jade slip from inside the moon-scented bottle and let her qi flow into it.


    As the world around her faded, she found the meanings held within the tiny piece of jade impressing themselves on her mind. It still felt strange to her. She had only done this once before with the Zephyr¡¯s Breath art. However, if Zephyr¡¯s Breath had been a pamphlet filled with exercises and diagrams, this jade slip was a tome big enough to brain someone with.


    She felt instinctively that only the the most basic surface understanding of its contents was open to her. There were depths of knowledge hidden far beyond her reach. Yet even what content she did have access to was enough to shock her. The slip contained not one art but three: a movement art; a cultivation art; and a combat art.


    The movement art, Sable Crescent Step, exemplified elegance and subtlety, allowing the user to step through shadow and moonlight as a blur barely visible to mortal eyes. It required an open leg meridian to begin practicing and cultivated a ¡®darkness¡¯ element. Curious, Ling Qi pressed further, trying to understand this new concept. From the depths of the jade slip, words churned up to meet her questing thoughts.


    ¡®Darkness has no form nor presence. Those who master it learn to cast these things aside and embrace the absence and silence of the empty night.¡¯


    Even this idea felt incomplete, like seeing only a single facet of a gem. However, she put it aside for the moment. She still had two other arts to review.


    The cultivation art, Eight Phase Ceremony, allowed the user to absorb the light of the moon and stars into their dantian. It granted great speed to cultivation performed at night and improved the cultivation of Yin-aspected arts. There was a deep well of further meaning there, but Ling Qi could not comprehend it. She understood then that her spirit and body were not yet ready for this art. As she was, stellar and lunar qi would only poison and sicken her.


    The final art was Forgotten Vale Melody. It was part of the chronicle of a long dead wanderer, composed into music and offered to the moon. It spoke of mist-covered valleys hidden deep in the mountains, the mischievous and hungry spirits that waited in the dark, and of the loneliness of the wanderer¡¯s path. It brought to mind images of wild, untouched places where spirits roamed free in the damp mist under the light of the moon. The art worked to obscure and confuse the senses of those who could hear the melody. It required the opening of both heart and lung meridians to channel the darkness and water-natured qi the technique required.


    The last bit of information she was able to extract from the slip was the use of the pills. Each of the Sable Light pills would not only greatly increase her ability to open new meridians or cultivate Yin-aligned arts, but it would simultaneously expand her qi pool. It was a little overwhelming. Was this what it was like for wealthier cultivators? Why someone like Bai Meizhen was so far beyond her?


    She put that thought aside for the moment and returned the slip to its bottle. Right now, she needed to meditate on what had happened to her during the test.


    By the time she opened her eyes, it was late at night, and Ling Qi felt refreshed. She was still worried and still nervous, but... she would survive, just as she always had before. The bundle of clothing and coin she had acquired had all vanished. The only things that remained from the test were the staff, the moon spirit¡¯s gifts, the things she had taken from the boy, and strangely, the tokens.


    Ling Qi gathered it all up and stood to go to bed. She had passed her first obstacle, but things were still just beginning.

 Chapter 20-Foundations 1

    Ling Qi awoke to a faint fluttering sound and the feeling of something slapping against her face. Letting out a surprised yelp, she thrashed in her bed, bolting upright. Her right hand was already on the hilt of the knife she had slipped under her bedding. Then, the thin sheet of paper that had covered her face fell away, leaving her blinking and confused in the faint pre-dawn light filtering in through the tiny window of her room.


    Yawning groggily, Ling Qi plucked the page from her lap and squinted down at the words written there. It first informed her that Elder Zhou¡¯s lessons would begin in one hour¡¯s time. Second, it said that Elder Su¡¯s lessons would be moved to the afternoons so that lesson times would no longer conflict.


    Grumbling, Ling Qi sleepily climbed out of bed and began to prepare for the day. She had gone through too much trouble to be late for her first day. The first thing she did was check her shoulder, discarding the bandages when she found that only a thin white scar remained of the wound. Nothing was left of her more minor injuries.


    Slipping outside, Ling Qi supposed that the one benefit of being up so early was the small number of her fellow disciples who were out and about. It allowed her to quietly leave the residential area without any unfortunate encounters. All the same, every small sound and flickering shadow was making her second-guess herself.


    Arriving at the training field, Ling Qi spied her much reduced class, now numbering just over twenty. Han Jian, his cousin, and Gu Xiulan were all present, as were Sun Liling and the boy who had approached the red-haired girl after the second test. Of the others, the only ones she recognized were the long-haired girl who had stared her down during her walk to the stage, the girl¡¯s looming male companion, and the scarred boy. She could also feel the unfriendly looks of at least a half-dozen others.


    Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, given the atmosphere, she had no time to greet her¡­ friends - if they could still be called that after her encounter with Fan Yu. After her arrival with the last few stragglers, Elder Zhou barked out an order to follow him as he turned and began to run.


    What followed was the single most grueling half hour of running Ling Qi had experienced yet. Elder Zhou lead them on a run at a punishing pace even as the narrow road carved into the side of the mountain grew steeper and colder until her breath was coming out in puffs of steam. Straining to keep up, she used the sight of Gu Xiulan¡¯s back to motivate herself to not slow down. As the exercise went on, she was gratified to see that she was neither the only one struggling nor at the rear of the pack, managing to stay near the middle of the group until the very end.


    The run ended in the middle of a wide, grassy field, strewn with pale blue flowers that she didn¡¯t recognize. When Elder Zhou finally stopped and called for a halt, she nearly stumbled but managed to stay upright. She wasn¡¯t the only one gasping for breath or swaying on her feet, and even Han Jian and Gu Xiulan were red-faced and breathing heavily.


    ¡°With this, the days warm up run is complete!¡± Elder Zhou announced, looking as if he had not exerted himself in the slightest.


    ¡°It is now time for me to speak to you of my expectations and the differences that will exist between this class and the lesser one for those who failed the third test.¡± (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    Ling Qi frowned. Those who failed the third were still receiving lessons of some kind? That was¡­ remarkably generous. She doubted Elder Zhou was teaching them though.


    ¡°These lessons will not be easy. I will not coddle you as I have done in the last month.¡± That was ominous. ¡°You will report to the field at the same time every day until the end of the course. I will not tolerate tardiness. If you fail to arrive for the lesson without clearing the matter with me, do not bother coming back.


    ¡°However,¡± he added, his stern gaze scanning over the recovering disciples, ¡°you have earned the right to further resources to aid your training in addition to my teachings.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked as Elder Zhou made a sweeping motion with his left hand. An entire table laid out with cups filled with steaming black liquid appeared on the grass in front of him, settling in with barely a clink or a ripple. How...?


    She squinted then noticed a pale gray ring on the Elder¡¯s finger. Han Jian had mentioned something about dimensional rings before, but she had not fully considered the breadth of their utility. Ling Qi eyed the piece of jewelry with fascination and greed. The things she could do with something like that¡­


    ¡°This is Bear Marrow Elixir,¡± Instructor Zhou continued, unaware of Ling Qi¡¯s longing thoughts. ¡°Each of you will be granted one cup each morning after the warm up run. It will fortify your body for the trials ahead and enhance your cultivation of qi to build the foundation necessary to break through to higher ranks. Be thankful to our Medicine Department for their kindness!¡±


    ¡°Sun Liling, Cai Renxiang, Kang Zihao.¡± He announced three names, raising a finger to point at each disciple in turn. The first Ling Qi obviously recognized. The second was the girl with the intense eyes from before. The third was a boy of middling height with a proud bearing, handsome features, and shoulder length dark brown hair.


    ¡°A higher ranked elixir, more appropriate to your cultivation, has been prepared for you three. Come forward first.¡±


    She supposed that she now knew who was at the top of the class. Lining up with the rest, Ling Qi came to be thankful that she had not been at the front. Even with the disgust of her fellow disciples as a warning, she was barely able to restrain herself from gagging as she chugged down the viscous, incredibly bitter liquid.


    She could not complain at the effect. Her fatigue vanished within seconds, and she felt her body burning with energy. Her muscles quivered as if in anticipation of being used.


    The lesson that followed was much more in-depth than what Instructor Zhou had provided before. Many of the exercises were the same, but he now combined them with more detailed and interactive explanations and corrections on how to control and diffuse one¡¯s qi to strengthen the bones and tissues. It was more in line with Elder Su¡¯s educational lectures than the taciturn Instructor Zhou¡¯s previous lessons.


    The exercises themselves took on a more martial bent. In the latter half of the lesson, the group was divided in two. Ling Qi found herself among a group comprised of roughly one third of the class, none of whom she recognized. It became clear why they had been separated from the others when Elder Zhou began their instruction.


    While the other students were paired off for sparring, their teacher began to harshly drill Ling Qi and the others in basic unarmed combat techniques. Again and again, Ling Qi was put through her paces, learning simple blocks, footwork, and other foundational exercises.


    When the lesson finally wound down hours later, Ling Qi felt wrung out physically and mentally. The constant exertion and the focus required to keep her qi circulating and diffusing during those exercises was tiring, but she didn¡¯t allow her exhaustion to distract her from her goals.


    Knowing that she had made a mistake the previous day with Fan Yu, Ling Qi knew she had to approach the others and offer an explanation. She would have to hope that she had not burned this bridge; she had so few people willing to consider taking her side as it was. So as the other disciples sat down in the field to rest and meditate, she hurried over to where the three Golden Fields disciples stood.


    ¡°Han Jian, Gu Xiulan, Han Fang,¡± she greeted them as she approached, doing her best to sound cheerful, despite her tiredness and the worry stewing in her gut. ¡°I¡¯m glad all of you made it through.¡±


    Han Jian smiled at her, but she thought it looked just a bit strained. ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy, but yeah, we made it.¡± He scratched the back of his head. ¡°I don¡¯t blame you for not waiting for us. I heard things were a little hectic outside.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did hear about a bit of a scene,¡± Gu Xiulan drawled, studying Ling Qi.


    ¡°I am sorry for my fiance''s temper. His failure was not easy on him,¡± she continued apologetically, although the words didn¡¯t sound genuine. ¡°Luckily, things were broken up before they got too far. I admit, I was surprised when I heard what had happened.¡±


    Han Fang¡¯s response was simply to shoot Ling Qi a concerned look before continuing to idly scan the rest of the field. Ling Qi was glad that she had been given a chance to explain herself even if some part of her had foolishly hoped the issue would be dismissed.


    ¡°Yes. I¡­ guess I lost my temper too.¡± She didn¡¯t like admitting any fault for the situation. ¡°Is he alright?¡± she asked carefully. While she had only seen him go pale and silent, it couldn¡¯t hurt to ask.


    Han Jian grimaced, looking distinctly uncomfortable, and even Han Fang looked briefly troubled. It was Gu Xiulan who answered though.


    ¡°His right arm was still useless when we emerged.¡± She sounded somber when she spoke, but Ling Qi was sure she saw a flicker of some other emotion in the other girl¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were an ally of the Bai family,¡± she added in a lighter tone. ¡°Do you know if he will recover? I¡¯m afraid that after we saw him and confirmed your story, he stormed off somewhere. I have not seen him since.¡±


    Ling Qi felt her eyes widen even as she tried to mask her reaction.


    ¡°I - Ah - We¡¯re just housemates and¡­ kind of friends? She didn¡¯t mention doing anything. I thought that he had just frozen up like everyone else usually does around her.¡± Ling Qi responded in a rush. Had Bai Meizhen actually crippled someone for laying hands on her? She wasn¡¯t sure if she should feel horrified at that or not.


    Things were quiet between them as the group digested that until Han Jian spoke up.


    ¡°I¡­ think he should recover fine. The Bai family¡¯s toxin arts are very precise in their effects. I doubt she would openly break the Elders¡¯ truce. ¡°I¡¯ve met members of her clan once or twice. They aren¡¯t really the type to do something excessive out of passion.¡± There was a hint of doubt in his voice. Ling Qi wasn¡¯t exactly sure what he was doubting though.


    ¡°Father did entertain Bai Suzhen during the last great expedition into the Solar Wastes,¡± Gu Xiulan mused, studying Ling Qi with a hooded gaze.


    ¡°It was quite an extravagant event, but that woman was the picture of control and moderation,¡± she continued thoughtfully. ¡°I am certain it is nothing serious. I will have to console my poor Yu whenever he rejoins us.¡±


    Ling Qi caught Han Fang glancing at the other girl with a hint of disapproval as she dismissed the possibility of her fiance¡¯s injury, but it was gone so fast she couldn¡¯t be sure if she had imagined it. Ugh. She really didn¡¯t know what to make of this group¡¯s internal politics.


    ¡°I will apologize to him the next time we meet.¡± Despite the awkwardness, Ling Qi forced herself to press forward. She needed all the allies she could get.¡°In any case, I was wondering if your invitation was still open, Gu Xiulan? This first day was pretty difficult so I thought¡­¡± Ling Qi cursed the way she had bumbled awkwardly through that sentence.


    The other girl¡¯s eyes brightened and she smiled, seeming genuinely pleased. ¡°Oh? I admit I had been a bit disappointed when you refused before. I have not had a chance to relax and chat with another girl since I came here. It¡¯s so difficult, you know, keeping these three focused and civilized.¡± Her tone was light and teasing as she gestured at Han Jian and his cousin.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Ling Qi responded with well-masked doubt. She found the idea that Gu Xiulan didn¡¯t already have other friends among the female disciples¡­ unlikely.


    ¡°I thought it might be fun myself,¡± she added, not quite lying through her teeth. She was still too suspicious of the other girl¡¯s motives to really consider letting her guard down around her. ¡°I haven¡¯t really done anything relaxing since I got here.¡± Unless one counted playing her flute at night.


    ¡°Well, you girls try to have some fun then,¡± Han Jian said. ¡°I guess Fang and I will finally have a chance to get up to some proper manly things since you won¡¯t be tagging along, Xiulan.¡± Ling Qi really wished she was better at reading people. He had seemed annoyed before, but now, he was friendly and playful again. ¡°What do you say, cousin? Want to go find a few bears to wrestle?¡±


    Han Fang shot Han Jian a bemused look and shook his head, gesturing up toward the mountain peak, before following it up with some odd gestures.


    ¡°I guess climbing up there would be a pain. Doing some grilling does sound like a better idea,¡± Han Jian responded cheerfully, clearly understanding what the other boy ¡®said¡¯.


    ¡°Really. Just try not to get into any trouble, you two,¡± Gu Xiulan said with a theatrical sigh. ¡°And do not follow us. Lechery will be punished with execution,¡± she added with a queenly air.


    It really did make Ling Qi feel like even more of an outsider when Han Jian brushed off the ¡®threat¡¯ with rolled eyes and a laugh. As much as she liked to think they were allies and Han Jian a friend, she still didn¡¯t really understand them.


    Gu Xiulan glanced at her then and smiled, gesturing for her to follow along as Han Jian and Han Fang set off back toward the residential area.


    ¡°You really are too tense, you know,¡± she commented lightly once they had set foot on one of the paths leading further up the mountain. ¡°You are going to give yourself wrinkles that even cultivation won¡¯t fix.¡±


    ¡°I think I have a good reason to be on edge,¡± Ling Qi pointed out peevishly. ¡°Given how things have been going.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps so,¡± Gu Xiulan allowed. ¡°But a lady should do her best to smile and be charming. It is one of our most valuable tools.¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe for you. Not all of us have the talents for that kind of thing.¡± She knew perfectly well where she stood in that regard. She was not going to start messing about with ¡®charm¡¯ now.


    Gu Xiulan arched an eyebrow at her. ¡°Talent is but one part of the result. A little work can go quite a long way. I still believe you may wish to relax. Things are likely not as bad as they seem.¡±


    ¡°How do you figure?¡± Ling Qi responded dubiously as the two of them rounded a corner and passed by a pair of male disciples. She could feel their greedy, calculating gazes on her back as they left them behind.


    ¡°Half the mountain is going to be looking to stab me in the back,¡± she added dejectedly. She still half expected Gu Xiulan to be one of them.


    The other girl pursed her lips as she took them down a weedy side path.


    ¡°You are not exactly alone. Bai Meizhen is a powerful ally. I am hardly someone to be ignored either.¡± She gave Ling Qi a look of playful reproach.


    It was Ling Qi¡¯s turn to fall silent while studying the other girl intently. She didn¡¯t understand her.


    ¡°Why would you side with me? I humiliated your fiance, nobody else seems to like Meizhen, and it would just get you a lot of enemies. And don¡¯t tell me you aren¡¯t interested in what Elder Jiao said.¡±


    ¡°Less than you might think,¡± Gu Xiulan responded with a haughty sniff. ¡°Besides, Jian is hardly the type to approve of betrayal.¡± That sounded more believable to Ling Qi.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t answer the rest,¡± Ling Qi replied.


    ¡°Fan Yu is¡­ headstrong and prone to fits of temper,¡± Gu Xiulan began carefully. ¡°But he values the opinions of Han Jian and I. He can be brought to see reason. After all, it was merely a small matter of two tempers getting the better of their owners, was it not?¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t quite believe that, but she gave a grudging nod anyway.


    ¡°As for the rest... I think you have the potential to complement me quite well, and I do feel a certain excitement at the idea of being in the center of the little storm that our esteemed Elder has kicked up.¡±


    Gu Xiulan flashed that same vicious, predatory expression she had right before she immolated the girl who had flung ice shards at them. Strangely, Ling Qi found that frightening expression relieving. It seemed more honest than any of the girl¡¯s other faces.


    Conversation quieted down as Gu Xiulan lead her on a circuitous path that passed through a small wood full of brambles and undergrowth. They soon arrived at a narrow crack in the mountainside from which the bubbling sounds of a spring issued.


    Actually soaking in the spring with the other girl was a mixed experience. With no obstructions, it was even clearer how much Gu Xiulan exceeded Ling Qi in the realms of femininity. At the same time, the other girl seemed content to just chat with her about nothing of any particular relevance.


    The warm water tingled nicely on her skin, sapping away her fatigue and fortifying her qi. Gu Xiulan seemed content to carry the conversation with only minimal input from her, going from minor gripes about their male teammates to prodding her about things she hadn¡¯t thought of in years like hair care and the sort of cut and colors she liked in her clothes.


    It was a little disheartening not to have much in the way of answers, but it was nice even if she had a sinking feeling that she wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid Gu Xiulan sitting her down to style her hair ¡®properly¡¯ if she continued going out with her. Gu Xiulan seemed like a pushy girl.


    She could put up with that if it meant having another ally on this mountain.

 Chapter 21-Foundations 2

    The days that followed were a blur of training and cultivation, and for the first time, Ling Qi had some room to experiment with her resources. Lessons with Elder Su had indicated that a cultivator could begin using more than one spirit stone at a time as they advanced through the stages. Each stone added after the first up to the number equivalent to one¡¯s stage gave a more potent boost to the user¡¯s cultivation.


    Although the increased flow of energy was uncomfortable at first, Ling Qi found herself acclimating quickly. She was careful to follow the Elder¡¯s instruction and was cautious with the intake lest she rupture and damage her single channel or dantian. At only the Mid Red Soul stage, two Spirit Stones remained her limit.


    Her mornings were consumed by Elder Zhou¡¯s instruction and her evenings by Elder Su¡¯s class. This left her only a few hours of the afternoon and the length of the night to herself, forcing her to put off her planned exploration with Li Suyin and Su Ling until she could adjust to her new schedule.


    In those days of adjustment, Elder Su made her first announcement of those who had won her reward pill for the week before. Ling Qi was not among them. The award went to the boy with the burn scar on his face from the first day, Cai Renxiang, the girl who had stared at her during Elder Zhou¡¯s test, and a tall, whip-thin boy with silver hair and a slightly unsettling mien.


    Ling Qi did not allow her failure to bother her too much. She was confident that she would be able to earn Elder Su¡¯s reward once she began using the pills given to her by the moon spirit, Xin.


    The trouble was that unlike her other lesson, she had the unwelcome attention of many of her fellow disciples. It made sense in a way. Those who had made it into Elder Zhou¡¯s class had less need to be greedy since they had already gained quite an advantage. Everyone else? Well, she wasn¡¯t surprised that she had come under scrutiny.


    It didn¡¯t make it any less irritating when she found herself swatting away the third amateurish attempt at filching her belt pouch. She didn¡¯t even have the jade slip or pills stored in it anymore, having hastily stitched a pocket into the underlayer of her gown using the scraps of her ruined one. It was still frustrating.


    ¡°Keep your hands to yourself!¡± Ling Qi snapped at the boy who had ¡®accidentally¡¯ bumped into her while they were leaving Elder Su¡¯s classroom.


    The boy flushed in shame at being called out but quickly rallied and sneered at her.


    ¡°Do not flatter yourself, peasant. A servant should be more polite,¡± he huffed, sweeping past her into the hall.


    Ling Qi clenched her hands before she did something unfortunate, like slapping the pride out of his obnoxious face. It seemed that was her reputation now. The snake¡¯s maid. Of course she only had any success because she was playing handmaiden to Bai Meizhen. How that worked when Bai Meizhen hadn¡¯t even been involved in Elder Zhou¡¯s exam was beyond her, and frankly, she didn¡¯t really care about whatever stupid logic they were using. She was going to surpass these petty idiots.


    Going by the worried look Li Suyin gave her, she must have looked to be in a foul mood when she met the other girl at the gates.


    ¡°Um - Congratulations on entering Elder Zhou¡¯s advanced class.¡± Li Suyin sounded nervous as if her words might irritate Ling Qi. ¡°I am sorry for not saying it earlier. You have just been so busy¡­¡±


    On the contrary, after dealing with the implied deprecations and exhausting lessons over the past few days, Ling Qi was pleased to hear something positive.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she responded quietly as they set off down the path toward the residences to meet up with Su Ling.


    ¡°Has anyone been giving you trouble since then?¡± It wasn¡¯t something Ling Qi would have thought to ask before the test, but the words of the spider¡¯s illusions were stuck in her ear like an irritating melody. She could easily see someone like Li Suyin being bullied for associating with her. The girl was probably the easiest target outside of herself.


    Li Suyin shook her head, and Ling Qi didn¡¯t think she was being insincere. ¡°No, not really. I mean¡­ It¡¯s not as if most of the other girls were very friendly to begin with, b-but nothing important. May I ask why so many people seem upset with you?¡±


    Ling Qi noticed that the other girl was practically jogging to keep up with her longer strides, but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to slow down. She didn¡¯t ever really feel safe or relaxed except when Bai Meizhen was home or when she was in a lesson.


    ¡°I had a bit of good luck, and Elder Jiao decided to announce it to everyone. I figure they¡¯re also embarrassed to have lost to a commoner.¡±


    ¡°O-oh, I see,¡± Li Suyin said, growing a little red-faced from the effort of keeping up with the taller girl. ¡°Um¡­ Mother said that Father had to deal with some resentment for his lower status when he entered the ministry as well... It got better with time.¡±


    Ling Qi appreciated the sentiment and nodded in acknowledgement. They fell into comfortable silence as they approached the residential area.


    ¡°I actually wanted to ask you for something,¡± Li Suyin broke the silence as they turned down the street her hovel sat on. At this time of day, there were few people around, but she sounded nervous.


    ¡°I know it is presumptuous, but¡­ Willyoupleaseinstructmeinphysicalcultivation!¡±


    Ling Qi blinked as the other girl halted in front of her and bowed her head, words coming out in a near unintelligible rush.


    ¡°I¡¯m not exactly a teacher,¡± Ling Qi responded dubiously after she had deciphered the other girls request.


    ¡°N-not for free!¡± Li Suyin hurried to add. Ling Qi could tell that the other girl was flustered from the way the usually polite girl had interrupted her.


    ¡°I-I acquired these pills from a production disciple.¡± Li Suyin said, rummaged in her bag, removing a small clay bottle and offering it to Ling Qi. ¡°It¡¯s only a small thing, but the pills are supposed to aid students in cultivating the Argent Soul¡­¡±


    Ling Qi took the bottle in bewilderment. She plucked the cork out, and sure enough, there were four shiny silver pills gleaming like droplets of metal inside.


    ¡°How did you even pay for these?¡± she asked somewhat incredulously, glancing around to ensure no one was nearby.


    ¡°I sold a few copies of the treatises on herbal lore that father bought for me,¡± Li Suyin responded self-consciously. ¡°I am not a real scribe, but, um, I suppose the other disciples found my paltry copies sufficient? I was a little surprised. I do not even have the resources to bind them properly, let alone¡­¡±


    Ling Qi shook her head, feeling self-conscious herself. This was where a better person would probably try to hand back the gift and to tell their friend that she didn¡¯t need to pay them just to get a few pointers¡­ Ling Qi quietly tucked the pill bottle into her sleeve instead.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can try to teach you a little. Just keep in mind that I¡¯m not really a teacher.¡± Ling Qi glanced away from the other girl.


    ¡°And raise your head, will you?¡±


    Li Suyin straightened up immediately, smiling with relief. ¡°Of course! Thank you so much, Ling Qi!¡±


    ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s find Su Ling though. We don¡¯t want to be out all night,¡± Ling Qi replied uncomfortably. Li Suyin¡¯s earnest gratitude gave her an odd feeling.


    Ling Qi caught motion out of the corner of her eye and looked up in time to see Su Ling approaching.


    ¡°Then you¡¯re probably gonna be disappointed.¡± The bushy-haired girl stalked toward them, irritation clear in her demeanor. ¡°We¡¯ve got a long hike ahead if you wanna do this.¡±


    Ling Qi sighed. It looked like she would be burning qi to replace her sleep tonight. There was little more to say as the three of them set out. The trip up the mountain left Li Suyin huffing for breath, and neither Ling Qi nor Su Ling were inclined toward unnecessary speech.


    The physical cultivation and training Ling Qi had gone through since her arrival at the Sect paid dividends here. The difficult hike barely winded her, and she found herself able to scramble up even sheer rock faces with little trouble. It made her smile.


    Li Suyin was another matter. As much as she was coming to like the girl, Li Suyin was not very athletic, and her performance showed how much she really needed the lessons she had asked for. They were slowed greatly by having to help the blue haired girl keep up.


    Eventually, the three of them reached their destination, a thickly forested plateau halfway up the mountain. They paused at the the edge of the plateau, mostly to let Li Suyin catch her breath. In the awkward silence that followed, Ling Qi voiced a question that she had been mulling over as she climbed the mountain beside Su Ling.


    ¡°So¡­ Why did you decide to go so far out of your way instead of just attending the lessons with everyone else?¡± Ling Qi asked, crossing her arms to tuck her hands into her armpits. It was chilly up here.


    Su Ling shot Ling Qi a sour look over her shoulder as she peered deeper into the woods. ¡°Because I don¡¯t want the attention, and I don¡¯t want the crowds. Besides, my cultivation is different.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned as she kept a wary eye on the trees beyond the frost-coated meadow.


    ¡°My roommate is¡­. different too,¡± she said haltingly, glancing at the girl¡¯s bushy tail. ¡°She still goes to the lessons occasionally. What¡¯s the difference?¡±


    Su Ling snorted incredulously even as Li Suyin looked uncomfortable.


    ¡°Snake girl?¡± Su Ling said. ¡°She exists ¡®cause some ancient cultivator decided he¡¯d rather stick it in a snake instead of marrying a human and got his descendants to do it too.


    ¡°Me? I exist ¡®cause a hungry fox decided to play with her food. At least people are too afraid of the snake¡¯s family and power to try shit with her. I don¡¯t have that advantage.¡±


    That was¡­ explicit. Li Suyin chose that moment to speak up in a halting voice.


    ¡°W - well, it¡¯s true that there¡¯s some stigma against spirit born individuals, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s quite as bad as you say - at least among cultivators.¡± It was difficult to tell how much of Li Suyin¡¯s stuttering was from hesitance and how much was from her teeth chattering.


    ¡°But¡­ um, I don¡¯t mind sharing my notes with you. If you¡¯d like.¡±


    Su Ling shot the blue-haired girl an unreadable look and mumbled something unintelligible before turning away.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get moving,¡± she grunted, heading toward the woods.


    ¡°What?¡± Li Suyin asked, hurrying to follow. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t hear you!¡±


    Su Ling¡¯s shoulders stiffened, her agitation clear.


    ¡°I said I can¡¯t read. So just drop it,¡± she said harshly. ¡°We¡¯re here anyway.¡± Su Ling gestured toward a pair of tall evergreen trees that had grown together high above their heads, forming a ¡®natural¡¯ arch. ¡°If we pass through here, we¡¯ll access a pocket of woods with a bunch of spirit beasts. There¡¯s a few stronger ones as we go deeper in, but if we stick to the outskirts, the worst we should run into is some territorial Azure Hawks.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced at Suyin, trying to silently convey to Li Suyin that she should drop the other line of inquiry for now. Li Suyin seemed to take the hint and nodded, but she seemed sad.


    ¡°Well¡­ I can feel veins of qi flowing from these two trees so if we follow them, we might find something.¡±


    Trudging through the forest with only the light of the mostly full moon was a tense experience. Though the whispers Ling Qi had expected were absent, the darkness felt like it could be hiding any number of dangers. She glimpsed eyes in the underbrush and pale shapes fluttering among the canopy, their soft cries echoing in the dark.


    Ling Qi and Su Ling kept Li Suyin between them, and their presence seemed enough to deter any hostility. Hours passed in their search.


    Ling Qi had just begun to wonder if they should start heading back when Li Suyin stopped, her head turning toward a hill rising to their right.


    ¡°Ah! There is something there!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± Ling Qi asked, fingering her knives and keeping her eyes on the shadows around them.


    ¡°Yes, the mountain¡¯s qi is much closer to the surface here.¡± Li Suyin replied.


    ¡°Better not be another false alarm,¡± Su Ling grumbled. She followed the blue-haired girl without any resistance though.


    Searching around the perimeter of the hill, they soon found a root-choked crevice in one side, just barely wide enough for them to shimmy through. The sound of bubbling water reached them as the passage opened up, revealing a softly lit chamber under the earth.


    ¡°Looks like you were right, Li Suyin,¡± Ling Qi breathed as she observed the clear spring bubbling in the center of the chamber. The water glittered with the light of the dull crystal growths emerging from its banks. She could feel the potent qi in the air and earth. Standing this close, it tingled on her skin.


    ¡°Guess this was worth it after all,¡± Su Ling added grudgingly. ¡°Woulda never found this place on my own. Couldn¡¯t scent a bit of this till I was already inside.¡±


    Despite their success, Li Suyin was frowning.


    ¡°Yes, this is definitely a locus, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Ling Qi asked warily, peering around. ¡°Was there a spirit here?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just¡­ I can definitely sense a connection to a more potent site. It¡¯s ¡­ somewhere in the deeper forest,¡± Li Suyin replied.


    Ling Qi and Su Ling shared a look.


    ¡°I think this is enough for tonight,¡± Ling Qi said gently. ¡°We can come back another day, right?¡± She should probably give Li Suyin the physical cultivation lessons before they did.


    It was another goal to work toward.

 Chapter 22-Foundations 3

    Perhaps it was the influence of the qi locus they had found, or the burning of medicinal energy in her dantian from the pills and notes Li Suyin had gifted her, or simply her determination to succeed, but Ling Qi found the cultivation of the third stage of the Argent Soul Art coming to her easily.


    In the third stage, Ling Qi had to compress the qi she cultivated, carefully pressing it against the surface of her dantian until it began to congeal into a flexible layer reinforcing her dantian against rupture and damage. This thick qi could then be drawn away in strands and woven into muscle and bone, further fortifying her body.


    Ling Qi spent her afternoons between lessons on this process, gradually accumulating the Argent Qi in more potent quantities as she mastered the third stage.


    In the evenings, Ling Qi tutored Li Suyin in physical cultivation. Li Suyin¡¯s own efforts had taken her close to a breakthrough. Once she had grasped Elder Zhou¡¯s initial lessons as relayed by Ling Qi, Li Suyin reached the first level of the Gold Physique.


    Elder Su¡¯s lessons continued to be trying due to Ling Q¡¯s other classmates, but they were fruitful as well. The Elder was beginning to delve into more complex aspects of qi, which included something that had confused Ling Qi. Namely, she got an explanation for what a ¡®Yin Aspected¡¯ art was. Despite there being dozens of qi types beyond the basic elements of earth, wind, water, fire, mountain, lake, thunder, and sky, all arts fell into one of three categories.


    Yin, Yang, and Balanced.


    As the basis for everything which existed, the study of these concepts was a deep and complex subject, and even Elder Su¡¯s lessons were only a beginner¡¯s primer. Yin was reactive, passive, or absorbent and was more used in internal and support arts. Yang was active, aggressive, or impenetrable and was more used in the ¡®flashy¡¯ external arts typically associated with immortals.


    There were many details and many exceptions due to the sheer number of arts and the unconventional ways in which qi could be expressed. Ultimately, the most important thing was that Elder Su taught them how to feel the difference between Yin qi and Yang qi.


    Argent Soul, the Sect-given cultivation art, was an example of the third option, Balanced. Balanced was neutral with Yin and Yang equally present.


    Her other arts were exclusively yin. That wasn¡¯t particularly surprising for the moon arts she had gained - given the moon¡¯s traditional association with yin - but she had been unsure about Zephyr¡¯s Breath. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    Ling Qi thought she had caught Elder Su eyeing her and Li Suyin speculatively once or twice over the course of the week. She had a good feeling about placing in the top five for the prize. She needed to keep striving for excellence. Despite how busy she was, Ling Qi had not forgotten the other task which she had set for herself in the lead up to Elder Zhou¡¯s test. She was more determined than ever to find a way to give back to Bai Meizhen.


    One cold and windy evening when their schedules had coincided in both of them being home, she found her opportunity to ask.


    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want any?¡± Ling Qi asked as she loaded her plate with the meal - extravagant for her - she had cooked. A few months ago, the idea of roasting an entire chicken for herself would have been ridiculous. Even if she had managed to steal and strangle one of the vicious, feathery little monsters, she certainly wouldn¡¯t have eaten the whole thing. Now, she found that even if she didn¡¯t eat often, when she did, she tended to be voracious.


    Bai Meizhen eyed the well-cooked poultry on Ling Qi¡¯s plate with ill-concealed disgust from across the fire. It was a little insulting. Ling Qi didn¡¯t think her cooking was that bad, especially since she had access to decent seasoning.


    ¡°I am sure. Thank you,¡± the pale girl responded politely, belying her expression.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Ling Qi wasn¡¯t going to push, even if it was a bit depressing that she couldn¡¯t even give the other girl back something as simple as a meal.


    ¡°So¡­ About those two from my physical cultivation lessons¡­?¡±


    They had already spoken earlier on Fan Yu¡¯s¡­ injury. While the poison Bai Meizhen had inflicted would permanently cripple a mortal, someone with qi could apparently clear the paralysis after a time spent circulating their energy and meditating. The other girl had seemed baffled at the implication that even that might have been excessive.


    ¡°Kang Zihao, I have not personally heard of,¡± Bai Meizhen said, nursing a cup of tea as she usually did, Cui coiled loosely around her neck like a jade choker. ¡°The Kang family is prominent in the capital and well favored by the Imperial court. I believe Kang Guanzhi is the current head of the Palace Guard, although that is a position with a high rate of turnover. I¡¯m afraid I could not say if he is one of the man¡¯s younger sons or merely a cousin however. As for Cai Renxiang, I am somewhat shocked that you do not know of her.¡± Going by Bai Meizhen¡¯s raised eyebrows and stern expression, Ling Qi felt like she was being scolded for ignorance again.


    ¡°Why would I know of her?¡± Ling Qi asked defensively after she finished swallowing her current mouthful of food.


    ¡°One should at least maintain basic civic awareness,¡± Bai Meizhen responded with disappointment. ¡°Really, if this is the state of education in these southern cities¡­¡± Ling Qi shifted uncomfortably, suddenly reminded that she had never really clarified exactly how low her birth was.


    ¡°Cai Renxiang is the daughter and heiress to the Duchess of this province,¡± Bai Meizhen said. ¡°The Cai family is very new, of course, at a mere three generations from their first cultivator, but Cai Shenhua is the youngest White cultivator in the Empire. It is not surprising that the Cai seized the governorship of a province.¡±


    Ling Qi really hoped that the girl¡¯s interest in her wasn¡¯t malicious then. ¡°Er¡­ I think I can guess, but what exactly does being a ¡®White¡¯ cultivator denote?¡±


    Bai Meizhen sighed.


    ¡°It is the eighth and highest realm of spiritual cultivation one can achieve in the mortal plane. To go beyond it or the physical equivalent is to become a great spirit. There are typically around ten such cultivators in the Empire at any given time.¡±


    Ling Qi had thought it was something like that, but the idea still boggled her mind. A person could become a great spirit? ¡°Has that ever actually happened before?¡±


    ¡°Of course. In fact, the last ascension was quite recent. The previous Emperor ascended to become an aspect of Death and is now the Great Spirit Inexorable Justice.¡± Bai Meizhen¡¯s tone was grudgingly respectful even as she spoke of something absurd.


    Things like that were way too far beyond Ling Qi for her to worry about. She needed to bring the conversation back to the real reason she wanted to speak with her housemate


    ¡°Right. That¡¯s¡­ Thank you for the lesson. Putting that aside, if you don¡¯t mind, I wanted to ask you about something else.¡±


    Bai Meizhen nodded, seemingly content with the change in subject, although she wrinkled her nose as Ling Qi continued eating.


    ¡°Go ahead. Is there someone else you feel concerned over? I noticed that you seem to have stirred up the rabble of lesser nobles somehow.¡±


    ¡°Nothing like that,¡± Ling Qi responded.


    ¡°Actually¡­ I talked with Cui a couple weeks ago because I wanted to do something for you since you¡¯ve been helping me so much, you know?¡± The little serpent flicked her tongue at Ling Qi as she awkwardly stumbled through her statement.


    Bai Meizhen glanced down at her companion, who flicked her tongue a few more times and twisted her head to the side.


    ¡°That is unnecessary, but I suppose I thank you all the same. I am somewhat surprised that you managed to speak with Cui. She is impatient and lazy after all.¡± Ling Qi didn¡¯t think she had ever seen a snake manage to look affronted before.


    ¡°I really do want to do something,¡± Ling Qi responded quietly. ¡°Cui mentioned that you had your eye on a talisman? A jade dragon pendant some girl was wearing? I can get it for you if you want. I¡¯m sure it wouldn¡¯t be too hard.¡±


    Bai Meizhen blinked, then blinked again, apparently trying to remember the girl in question. This didn¡¯t do much for Ling Qi¡¯s confidence that Bai Meizhen actually wanted the talisman.


    Then, something strange happened. Bai Meizhen¡¯s golden eyes widened, and she¡­ blushed? Her unnaturally pale cheeks went pink, and she glared down at Cui.


    ¡°T-that won¡¯t be necessary. Cui was simply exaggerating a passing interest.¡± The last words came out almost as a hiss and seemed to be directed more at her serpent companion than Ling Qi. It was odd to hear Bai Meizhen sounding almost flustered.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t really understand what was going on between Bai Meizhen and Cui, but surely, there had to be something she could do.


    ¡°Alright. So you don¡¯t want the necklace. Is there something you do want?¡±


    The flush was already fading from Bai Meizhen¡¯s cheeks as she considered Ling Qi¡¯s question.


    ¡°... I am sorry, but there is nothing at the moment.¡± Ling Qi¡¯s shoulders slumped slightly. Was she really that useless? ¡°Once you break through into the Yellow Soul or Silver Physique however¡­ There is something you can assist me with then.¡± Bai Meizhen seemed slightly uncomfortable with making the request.


    ¡°... Alright,¡± Ling Qi responded, looking down at her half-finished meal. ¡°I won¡¯t take too long.¡±


    Ling Qi felt surprisingly warm when Bai Meizhen nodded as if she really believed her.

 Chapter 23-Foundations 4

    As Ling Qi stood and walked to the front of the lecture hall, she wondered how she had forgotten the part where the ones who earned the prize were called down to receive it in front of everyone. She supposed even more attention couldn¡¯t exactly hurt at this point, but she could do without the feeling of multiple hostile looks burning a hole in her back.


    At least she wasn¡¯t alone down here. She fell in beside the first person to be called down, Ji Rong, the shaggy-haired boy with the burn scar on the side of his face.


    As the Elder called out Li Suyin¡¯s name, Ling Qi studied the boy. She had first noticed Ji Rong in the hall on the first day at the Sect as a fellow ¡°street¡± kid. Since then, Ji Rong had been called down the previous week in Elder Su¡¯s class. He stood with a slouched posture, hands tucked into the pockets of his robe, looking for all the world like he didn¡¯t want to be there. It was a sentiment that she could share.


    He glanced her way as Li Suyin stuttered out a thanks and began to come down the same stairs Ling Qi had. He didn¡¯t look for long, simply rolling his shoulders and going back to looking ahead.


    Ling Qi could interpret the gesture well enough. ¡®Keep to your own business. I¡¯ll keep to mine.¡¯ He didn¡¯t want to catch any residual attention, which was fair.


    She turned her attention to Li Suyin, doing her best to smile encouragingly as the other girl, looking flushed and nervous, sidled up to stand next to her. Ling Qi was pretty sure her own expression was a little anemic.


    The next name Elder Su called was Huang Da. Ling Qi didn¡¯t recognize it, but she had never been great at keeping track of names. The name¡¯s bearer turned out to be the boy with short silver hair and an unsettling air who had received a pill last week. She was fairly certain he didn¡¯t even blink once on his way down from the back row of seats. Now that she got a closer look, she could see that his eyes were oddly misted over. Was he blind?


    His blank eyes swept over her without pause, narrowed at Ji Rong, and stopped on Li Suyin as he reached the bottom of the lecture hall. It was the closest thing Ling Qi had seen to a real reaction from the boy. He took up a place next to the fidgeting, blue-haired girl.


    ¡°You have lovely hands,¡± Huang Da commented quietly in a perfectly toneless voice.


    ¡°E-eh?!¡± Li Suyin looked befuddled and embarrassed, quickly slipping her hands behind her back. Ling Qi shot the boy a suspicious look as well. What kind of comment was that? (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    She almost missed Ji Rong glancing their way and muttering under his breath. ¡°Fucking creeper.¡±


    Whatever else might have been said was silenced at a glance from Elder Su as she called down the last of the winners, Gan Guangli. It was the tall, broad shouldered, and tanned blond boy who she had grown used to seeing in Cai Renxiang¡¯s company. He marched down the stairs with military precision and stood ramrod straight, hands clasped behind his back, beside the strange blind boy. His gaze was fixed firmly on Cai Renxiang, who sat regally in the back row, her hands in her lap.


    Ling Qi shook her head slightly as Elder Su removed a small jade case from her sleeve and began to hand out the pills. Was every notable cultivator weird in some way?


    Ling Qi tucked away the pill she received, using sleight of hand to make it appear as if she had put it into her belt pouch when she had actually placed it in one of the increasing number of hidden pockets in her sleeves. She returned to her seat along with the others.


    Li Suyin was still fidgety and nervous, probably because the weirdo was staring fixedly at her even after he had sat back down in his own seat. She hoped her friend hadn¡¯t picked up a stalker. The girl¡¯s nerves wouldn¡¯t handle it well, and Ling Qi was hardly in a position to be helping out others with their problems given her own.


    ¡°You are all progressing acceptably well,¡± Elder Su began. ¡°Some much better than others, of course. I do not find myself too disappointed with the progress you have all exhibited so far.¡±


    A handful of students squirmed uncomfortably under the Elder¡¯s gaze. Ling Qi felt a stab of vindication when she noted that one of them was the boy who had tried to steal her pouch the other day.


    ¡°I imagine a fair number of you will be reaching your breakthrough into the Yellow Soul Realm in a matter of months.¡±


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure she numbered among those. She had so many things to cultivate that she didn¡¯t know when she would be ready. According to previous lectures, breaking through to a new realm was an intense and time-consuming endeavor.


    ¡°You have all mastered the basic exercises I have provided so I believe it is time that we moved on to other subjects.


    ¡°Today, we will be discussing spirits and their binding.¡± As Elder Su lectured, she gestured with one voluminous sleeve. A dull red mist began to seep out of her garment, gradually solidifying into a crimson-furred ape. Even seated on the floor and hunched at her side, the ape towered over the Elder by nearly a meter. The thing was big enough that Ling Qi thought it could probably wrap one of its leathery hands around her waist and touch finger to thumb.


    It bared its teeth at the disciples staring at it and let out a low, threatening growl, causing several of the closest students to lean back nervously. It ceased the moment Elder Su gave it a quelling look.


    ¡°This is one of my spirits, a fifth grade beast from the western jungles. Her species, as listed in the imperial bestiary based on her natural abilities, is Heart-Rending Ape.¡± Elder Su didn¡¯t seem to feel the need to elaborate on that. ¡°As you can see, despite being a spirit beast, the most physical of their kind, I am still able to store her essence within my dantian when it would be inconvenient to walk about with her at my side.¡±


    The ape gave an irritable grunt at her words but calmed down when Elder Su rested her hand on its massive forearm.


    ¡°The ability to store a spiritual essence in one¡¯s dantian is the key to spirit binding. A cultivator below Yellow Realm simply lacks the capacity to bind even the weakest spirit. Without sufficient cultivating foundation, even a Yellow Soul cultivator might fail.


    ¡°In truth, one¡¯s cultivation art is a large factor in the type and strength of spirit one is able to bind. For example, Argent Soul, when mastered to the fourth layer, will allow for the binding of most first grade spirits once the cultivator has reached Yellow Soul Realm.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, leaning forward in interest. This was another reason to keep mastering Argent Soul. It made her wonder what kind of spirits she could bind with the Eight Phase Ceremony cultivation art in the jade slip from Xin. The idea of being able to materialize a displeased spirit bear out of thin air would do a lot to ease her paranoia about getting trapped alone and away from potential allies.


    ¡°The best method for binding a spirit is one where both parties enter into the contract willingly,¡± Elder Su continued. ¡°Binding an unwilling spirit or beast is possible with the correct formations and sometimes necessary when dealing with entities below human intelligence, but a struggling spirit will tax your qi considerably more than a quiescent one. A bond of genuine respect and partnership will produce the least strain of all.¡±


    Ling Qi felt frustrated. Why did things keep coming back to her social abilities?!


    ¡°I have prepared a number of tame Root Tunneler Rats for today¡¯s lesson.¡± As the Elder spoke, a cage full of bright green rodents appeared atop the lectern. The massive ape beside the Elder eyed the cage hungrily. ¡°Though many of you cannot yet form a binding, you may still practice the qi exercise necessary to form a bond¡­¡±


    Ling Qi listened carefully as Elder Su continued to discuss the finer points of binding spirits and the technique involved in doing so. It seemed Elder Su was focusing only on willing bindings for this lesson, and she would discuss the basics of formations and spirit traps in the following lessons.


    It was a good thing that she was used to the presence of rodents, Ling Qi mused as Elder Su began to call them up to get their ¡®practice spirit¡¯. Some of the girls, and even some boys, looked positively distressed at the idea of handling rats.


    Slipping out of the lecture building at the end of the lesson, Ling Qi¡¯s thoughts turned to a troubling matter. Having gained the Qi Foundation pill, she now had a bounty of medicinal aids and other resources, most of which she wasn¡¯t even sure how to use. The other disciples were currently stymied due to the ban on physical confrontation, but she had no illusions of what would happen if she was still sitting on her resources when the end of the truce came.


    Luckily, she did have someone who could give her some advice on the matter.


    Opening the door to their home, Ling Qi searched for signs of Bai Meizhen. There was a fire burning in the hearth, but she couldn¡¯t see her housemate anywhere.


    ¡°It¡¯s just me!¡± she called, not wanting to alarm the other girl if she was in the kitchen or her room. After shutting the door, she collapsed next to the fire with a groan. Between Elder Zhou¡¯s lessons in the morning and the impromptu rock climbing sessions to avoid her fellow disciples in the afternoon, she was quite tired.


    Ling Qi allowed herself to relax while she contemplated if she wanted to bother cooking or if she wished to simply eat some of the fresh fruit she had picked up from the storehouse the other day. Just as she was considering standing back up, Bai Meizhen emerged from her room, looking as pristine as ever.


    ¡°Good evening, Ling Qi,¡± she said with a slight nod as she began to move toward the kitchen. ¡°You should not sit in such an undignified manner.¡± The pale girl wasn¡¯t even looking at her.


    Ling Qi looked down at herself and grimaced. Her gown had ended up hiked almost to her knees due to the lazy sprawl she had collapsed into. She supposed it was a little indecent, but it wasn¡¯t like there was anyone but Bai Meizhen here to see it. She drew her legs in and tugged the cloth down anyway.


    ¡°Good evening, Bai Meizhen.¡± Ling Qi returned the girl¡¯s greeting politely, mindful of her housemate¡¯s position on manners.


    ¡°Hey, do you think I could ask you to take a look at a couple of things? I have some pills and a couple of talismans I picked up during the test that I¡¯m not sure about.¡±


    ¡°I am no apothecary, but I will look them over. You would be better served going to the market for this, however,¡± Bai Meizhen called back from the kitchen.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t even know that such a place existed. She hadn¡¯t exactly ranged very far on the mountain, sticking to only the necessary areas. ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t really want to go out too much. It¡¯s kind of related to what I wanted advice on.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Are the other disciples still troubling you? They cannot do any harm for another month yet. Such trash is better ignored.¡± The pale girl returned with her tea set in hand and gracefully knelt down across the fire from Ling Qi.


    Ling Qi thought Bai Meizhen¡¯s views were a little skewed. She might be able to ignore the other disciples, but Ling Qi couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°I know they can¡¯t. I¡¯d rather not deal with confronting them though. Wouldn¡¯t it just be a waste of time?¡± she asked as she fished around inside of her gown for the hidden pocket containing the pills. The cards were tucked under her sash between the outer and under layers of her gown.


    Bai Meizhen eyed her critically as she removed the loot from her hiding places then pursed her lips and averted her eyes until Ling Qi finished laying out the items.


    ¡°I suppose you are not wrong,¡± she mused as Ling Qi handed her the container holding the blue pills. Bai Meizhen took a moment to tap one out into her palm, studying it carefully before raising it closer to her face to sniff. She lowered her hand to let Cui study it as well. After holding a silent conversation with the snake, she nodded.


    ¡°These are common pills. The quality is a bit amateurish, but they are serviceable enough,¡± Bai Meizhen said dismissively.


    Catching Ling Qi¡¯s raised eyebrow, she added, ¡°Gushing Spring Pills. They are primarily used by beginners to aid in the cultivation of water arts.¡±


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure how useful the pills would be. It would help with Forgotten Vale Melody but nothing else. It wasn¡¯t really surprising that the random pills she had looted weren¡¯t a perfect match for her arts.


    ¡°How about the cards?¡±


    ¡°Qi Cards, if somewhat ornate ones,¡± Bai Meizhen responded immediately.


    ¡°They can be charged with simple techniques to be used at a later time. They are empty at the moment, but they are of decent quality. ¡°Do you mind?¡±


    So she could store a technique and use it later? That could be useful.


    Ling Qi shrugged and gestured for Bai Meizhen to go ahead. Bai Meizhen picked up one of the cards and stared at its reflective surface. Ling Qi felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up as Bai Meizhen¡¯s intimidating aura seemed to flare, making her breath catch.


    ¡°Hm. It seems these cards can hold techniques of reasonable power. But the cards were quite heavily used before you acquired them. Each card will crumble after another activation.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked as Bai Meizhen handed her the card. She could feel the power from the stored technique humming in the metal, and a simple understanding of the effect entered her mind. Imperious Serpent¡¯s Majesty focused the user¡¯s will upon an enemy, freezing them like a mouse before a snake.


    ¡°H-hey, are you sure it¡¯s fine to give me this?¡±


    ¡°It is a trifle. I will have recovered the qi spent in a matter of hours,¡± Bai Meizhen responded dismissively, already moving on to the staff. Bai Meizhen turned it over in her hands, studying it with considerably more interest.


    ¡°Now, this¡­ is definitely of acceptable quality as a talisman. It is quite old as well. A few more years of use and it will likely develop a heirloom spirit.¡±


    Ling Qi thought back to her lessons with Elder Su.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ when an object or a building develops a mind of its own through continuous exposure to human qi, right? ¡°Doesn¡¯t that take a really long time though?¡±


    Bai Meizhen nodded and Ling Qi was glad to not disappoint her with ignorance once again.


    ¡°Typically, it takes a century or so to begin the process and much longer to achieve real power. In any case, the staff¡¯s use is simple enough. It empowers wood techniques and provides some of the energy required for them through its own internal stores. It is also rather sturdy. I doubt a cultivator below the Third Realm could break it through brute force given the durability enhancing formations etched into the wood.¡±


    Ling Qi let out the breath she had been holding. That pretty much confirmed her worry. It was unlikely that the girl who had lost this would just let it go. If she held onto it, she was going to have to prepare herself for the inevitable attempt to retrieve it. Pawning it off for something useful before that would probably be for the best.


    ¡°Thank you very much,¡± she said as the other girl put the staff down with a clunk and busied herself with preparing tea.


    ¡°I feel like I have had so much more to worry about since the end of that test. It¡¯s good to have one less. Maybe now I can finally make use of my good fortune.¡±


    ¡°I am interested to see what has the worms so agitated,¡± Bai Meizhen admitted, looking up from her tea. ¡°Envy for another¡¯s success and fortune are powerful motivators for that sort. Just what did you gain in that test?¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. Even now, she couldn¡¯t quite bring herself to show off her prize. Still, Bai Meizhen deserved an explanation.


    ¡°I¡­ acquired a jade slip with some arts. The problem started because Elder Jiao announced it. He convinced Elder Zhou to give me a pass on the third part of the test and implied that I could become his personal disciple if I took advantage of it.¡±


    Bai Meizhen¡¯s eyes widened slightly as the words spilled out of Ling Qi¡¯s mouth in a rush. She stared at Ling Qi as Ling Qi fidgeted as if she were Li Suyin.


    Was this it?


    Was Bai Meizhen going to reach out and disable her then search her for the jade slip? Ling Qi would try to get away, but she knew she didn¡¯t have a chance.


    ¡°I see,¡± Bai Meizhen finally said.


    ¡°I suppose I can understand their envy somewhat. Sima Jiao was a venerable and respected director of the Ministry of Integrity before his retirement. A position as his apprentice would be much sought after.¡±


    Ling Qi thought Bai Meizhen sounded rather unhappy.


    ¡°It¡­¡± Bai Meizhen pursed her lips in a displeased manner as she broke off and went silent.


    ¡°I hope you will not allow yourself to focus over much on that. You are young, and I am sure you will have many other, better opportunities,¡± she finally said.


    That wasn¡¯t really what Ling Qi was expecting at all. Bai Meizhen didn¡¯t seem jealous or envious of the chance. If anything, she seemed frustrated and unhappy.


    ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t know about any apprenticeships or anything like that. I was just going to focus on learning the techniques on the jade slip that I received.¡±


    ¡°That is for the best,¡± Bai Meizhen replied, seeming slightly relieved.


    Ling Qi nodded, glad to have headed off whatever that was. ¡°Thank you for all your help.¡±


    ¡°It was no trouble. Perhaps once you master these arts, you might share an insight or two with me.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Um¡­. sure,¡± Ling Qi responded with surprise and warmth. She had no idea where the other girl¡¯s confidence in her came from, but she was glad for it.

 Chapter 24-Foundations 5

    The exhausting routine of Elder Zhou¡¯s training the next day passed by in a blur. The Elder worked them to the bone, drilling the basics of unarmed combat into her and the other students unfamiliar with it on top of the usual physical conditioning and qi diffusing.


    The training was rewarding. Ling Qi could feel herself gradually growing stronger and tougher with every day even as her dantian continued to grow as well.


    That didn¡¯t mean she wasn¡¯t relieved to finally settle into the mineral spring with Gu Xiulan afterward. The water felt amazing as the warmth seeped in and sapped the aches and fatigue from her limbs.


    She almost felt a little bad for kind of tuning out on what Gu Xiulan was actually talking about. Gu Xiulan had gone off on a tangent about some kind of skin cleansing and protecting oils from her home province, how she wished she had brought more to the sect with her, and how she was worried she might begin to tan. Ling Qi wasn¡¯t foolish enough to actually ignore the other girl, but it could be hard to keep her attention on Gu Xiulan¡¯s inane ramblings.


    ¡°That aside, I hear you managed to receive a prize from Elder Su yesterday afternoon. Congratulations. It¡¯s good to see that you aren¡¯t satisfied with only excelling in one branch of cultivation.¡±


    Ling Qi forced herself to focus on the blurred form of her companion through the steam rising from the gently bubbling spring.


    ¡°Ah, yeah. I need all of the advantages I can get, right?


    ¡°Thank you. I just wish I hadn¡¯t had to stand up in front of everyone and make even more of a target of myself.¡± Ling Qi sank further down into the water with a gloomy expression.


    ¡°I will never understand your aversion to attention.¡± Gu Xiulan responded with a sigh, resting her cheek in her hand as she looked at Ling Qi through the steam. ¡°But I suppose that is a different kind of charm. Perhaps it is for the best anyway.¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t want the other girl to start rambling again so she quickly changed the subject. ¡°Why don¡¯t you attend Elder Su¡¯s lessons anyway? I¡¯ve seen Han Jian there a couple times and now that I think about it, Fan Yu and Han Fang as well never you though. How come?¡± (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    ¡°Well as much as an Elder¡¯s teaching is useful, I know the majority of what she is teaching already.¡± Gu Xiulan shrugged, idly brushing a few damp strands of her loose hair out of her eyes.


    ¡°My family has a strong focus on the spiritual arts so I have quite a lot to practice as it is. I intend to master the second technique of my clan¡¯s movement art soon. I have been preparing to open another channel for it this week.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Ling Qi responded, leaning back against the wall of the chamber. ¡°Should I be focusing more on arts instead of the lessons?¡±


    ¡°No. For one of your station, they are quite necessary. I imagine I could learn quite a lot about the theory if I took the time to attend. I admit, I have no talent for such things, and I have little use for academic minutiae,¡± Gu Xiulan said. Ling Qi had a sneaking suspicion that Li Suyin and Gu Xiulan wouldn¡¯t get along.


    ¡°Spiritual cultivation should be a thing of passion and instinct, not rote memorization and repetition. I could hardly master my clan¡¯s arts with such a mindset.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned, feeling a little offended on Elder Su¡¯s behalf, but she knew Gu Xiulan probably had more reasons than she was sharing. ¡°Alright. Do you know if Han Jian has any free time?¡±


    Gu Xiulan gave her a sharp, dangerous look, and Ling Qi winced.


    ¡°I was wondering if you and the others were getting together for any training is all,¡± Ling Qi hastily clarified. ¡°I - I thought that we could try to share some insights and work on our group tactics or¡­ something?¡±


    Gu Xiulan¡¯s expression softened, and she nodded.


    ¡°Hm. Now that Yu has come back out from seclusion, I believe Jian was considering something like that for this afternoon. I suppose you can come along.¡±


    Later, when descending the mountain with Gu Xiulan, they met up with Han Jian and Han Fang.


    ¡°Oh, Ling Qi?¡± Han Jian greeted politely. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were coming.¡± Han Jian¡¯s cousin merely gave her a curious look from where he stood behind Han Jian.


    ¡°I shall have to take responsibility,¡± Gu Xiulan replied airily. ¡°I thought I might like another sparring partner.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine,¡± Han Jian said with a pleasant nod.


    ¡°Congratulations on winning Elder Su¡¯s contest this week,¡± the tall boy said sincerely.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ling Qi replied with a small bow.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to join us, you should know that I¡¯m going to be absent for most of next week,¡± Han Jian said with a wry smile. ¡°So this will be the only session for a little while.¡±


    Ling Qi fell in beside Han Fang as they began to leave the training field, returning the mute boy¡¯s friendly nod as she did so. ¡°What do you mean? Did something happen?¡±


    Han Jian¡¯s smile grew proud. ¡°I plan to break through to the Yellow Soul Realm soon. I¡¯ll have to inform Elder Zhou just in case the breakthrough stretches on a bit,¡± he responded cheerfully. ¡°Maybe once I do, I can get that so-called tiger of mine to actually join me instead of lazing around the house like a big furry lump.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Heijin is adorable and you should not speak of him so,¡± Gu Xiulan replied playfully. ¡°Still, I am happy for you, Jian,¡± she added with a genuinely affectionate smile. ¡°I will not be far behind you.¡±


    It looked like Ling Qi couldn¡¯t get complacent. Even if she was advancing, everyone else was too. She watched quietly as Han Fang clapped his cousin on the back.


    ¡°Congratulations, Han Jian,¡± she said afterward. ¡°Where are we going though?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s another training field further down the mountain that¡¯s a little more private. It has a view sealing formation and everything. I managed to reserve it,¡± Han Jian explained.


    ¡°A sealing formation means nobody can watch the field from outside, at least not with the sort of arts young cultivators like us have access to. It¡¯s better not to show off all your tricks in public, you know?¡±


    Ling Qi nodded in understanding. That was a good thing. She certainly couldn¡¯t trust random observers to have benevolent intentions. She glanced at Gu Xiulan, wondering what the other girl thought of it. She preferred showing off, didn¡¯t she?


    Gu Xiulan caught her look and pouted at her. ¡°Come now. It¡¯s not as if I cannot understand the importance of timing and presentation. New moves should be revealed when properly mastered, not when they are half finished.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Ling Qi responded, not quite joining in as Han Fang cracked a smile and Han Jian chuckled.


    ¡°Will Fan Yu be joining us?¡± she asked. It was probably better to get this out of the way.


    ¡°... He¡¯s probably already there,¡± Han Jian responded, smile fading. ¡°Yu¡¯s been going a little nuts with training since the test.¡± She thought he looked conflicted.


    ¡°Look¡­ We talked to him so try to keep calm, alright?¡±


    She nodded, but she would be lying to herself if she said that she didn¡¯t dread this a bit. The rest of the walk went by quickly enough, their chatter turning to idle things until they reached a set of high gray gates that opened onto an empty grassy field.


    It was surprising watching Han Jian vanish as he stepped between them, but she had already decided to trust the group, so she didn¡¯t hesitate to follow. She felt an odd tingling on her skin as she passed through the gate and entered the field, bringing the others back in sight.


    That included Fan Yu.


    The broad shouldered boy stood opposite Han Jian, a heavily weighted training spear on his shoulder. He was positively drenched with sweat, and she briefly wondered just how long he had been here. It only took a moment after she entered the field for his eyes to shift to her.


    Ling Qi found herself growing tense as his expression soured. She clenched her fists, but nonetheless, she spoke up, keeping any quaver out of her voice. She didn¡¯t want to let this jerk ruin things between her and the others.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for snapping at you,¡± she said flatly. ¡°And I¡¯m sorry that Bai Meizhen went too far.¡± She did her best to sound sincere despite not really feeling it.


    Fan Yu¡¯s nostrils flared and he scowled, his own fists clenching. ¡°It is nothing,¡± he ground out. ¡°I apologize for my accusations.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Gu Xiulan cut in, voice light. ¡°Let us not dwell on such minor things. We are all friends here.¡± She gave her fiance a pleading look.


    Ling Qi had to hold back a snort of laughter as the other boy¡¯s expression immediately softened. Gu Xiulan had the boy wrapped around her fingers.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Han Jian spoke up.


    ¡°So, this training thing¡­ I was thinking that we¡¯d work on our coordination and response times and get used to working with everyone¡¯s arts running at the same time. Between Ling Qi and I, the increase in everyone¡¯s ability is pretty significant, and that can throw us off if we¡¯re not used to it.¡±


    Ling Qi let out a breath and relaxed. Fan Yu obviously still disliked her, but he was willing to hold his peace for Gu Xiulan¡¯s sake. She almost felt a moment of pity for the boy. It was becoming clear that he had actual feelings for the other girl, which she was almost certain were not returned by Gu Xiulan.


    She put such thoughts aside as Han Jian began to direct them to different positions. She spent the rest of the afternoon with Han Jian and the others practicing her marksmanship with Gu Xiulan¡¯s help and improving her ability to act in concert with others while following Han Jian¡¯s commands.


    It helped to simply get more combat experience as well. Despite the other girl¡¯s statement, she found herself sparring mostly with Han Fang. Han Jian, perhaps wisely, put Gu Xiulan and Fan Yu together while switching in and out of the pairs himself when someone needed a breather.


    For all that he easily faded into the background, Ling Qi found that she enjoyed Han Fang¡¯s company. The mute boy was patient and good natured about her occasional blunders in their spars and partner work. She could appreciate the quiet, which allowed her to concentrate on her own efforts.


    She really felt that she was improving.

 Chapter 25-Foundations 6

    Ling Qi found it hard not to be distracted.


    Those two were glowing for goodness sake! She glanced nervously again at the wide section of the field reserved for the two strongest girls in class.


    Sun Liling had a savage grin on her face as she faced Cai Renxiang. For once, her stance wasn¡¯t lax and loose but taut and ready, her hands splayed out like the claws of a beast. Red mist seeped from the girl¡¯s pores, lazily twining around her limbs.


    Her opponent stood straight and tall, the hilt of her long, curved saber clasped in a ready stance. Cai Renxiang looked as if she were standing in a shaft of bright sunlight, which formed a white corona behind her head and cast a long, ominous shadow across the field in front of her.


    ¡°Miss Ling!¡± She twitched as a booming voice called her attention back to her immediate surroundings. She refrained from grimacing as she turned back to meet the reproving gaze of Gan Guangli, her partner in this sparring exercise.


    ¡°While I understand the desire to gaze upon Lady Cai¡¯s resplendence, I must ask that you not allow your attention to wander so!¡±


    The boy¡¯s voice was loud, and she winced when she saw gazes flicking their way. Still, she was glad that Instructor Zhou had taken their abilities into account when setting up spars. Now, if only her melee partner wasn¡¯t so¡­ bombastic.


    ¡°Hmph. Don¡¯t you have it backwards there, big guy?¡± A relaxed voice called from across the field where their opponents stood.


    The one who spoke was Lu Feng, the effeminate boy she had seen with Sun Liling before. She found him kind of irritating, partially because despite being a boy, he managed to be significantly prettier than her. His shoulder length black hair was shinier than Gu Xiulan¡¯s, and that was just unfair.


    ¡°She was obviously captivated by the princess, not that ice sculpture you call a lady.¡± (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    Gan Guangli swelled with fury, and she meant that literally. She had thought she was imagining things the first few times it had happened, but seeing it up close confirmed her thoughts. When the blond boy became emotional, he literally grew. He was normally the same height as her, but he was now several centimeters taller. It seemed there were some strange arts out there.


    ¡°Still your forked tongue, western devil, else I make your beating all the worse!¡±


    Spirits, did he have any volume below shout?


    Ling Qi looked to the other girl present, a noble armed with short, paired guai made out of pale white stone. Hong Lin was short and petite with streaks of cherry blossom pink in her dark hair. Given the way she turned up her nose at Ling Qi, Hong Lin was uninterested in providing any solidarity in response to their bickering male comrades.


    That was fine, Ling Qi thought. Gan Guangli might be obnoxiously loud, but at least he was unfailingly polite. He hadn¡¯t once referred to her as anything but Miss Ling although that felt more strange than good. When had she ever been called something like that?


    She put that out of her thoughts, focusing on the upcoming spar. The scenario was simple. They were to fight until the other team was disabled while staying within the confines of the painted box on the field they had been assigned.


    Instructor Zhou¡¯s voice rang out, signalling the beginning of the match.


    Gan Guangli barreled forward with a shout, the heavy iron gauntlets on his hands shimmering with metallic qi, and Hong Lin darted forward to meet him. His swinging fist passed over her head as she ducked, and her stone guai rose to strike him in the ribs. He merely laughed at the blow, swelling up another centimeter in height and bulk.


    Ling Qi caught movement in the corner of her eyes and flicked a knife into her hand as she turned her attention to her own task. Lu Feng was circling the battle in the center, eyeing the two combatants as he raised his black gloved hands. Ling Qi caught the barely visible shimmer of the wires which extended from the tips of his gloves and threw her knife at him.


    She grimaced as Lu Feng leaned lazily out of the way as her wind-coated knife flew by him. His right hand gestured, and Gan Guangli let out a shout of frustration as gleaming wires wrapped around his forearm, preventing him from bringing his fist down on his much smaller opponent.


    Ling Qi let another knife fall into her hand as Hong Lin executed a rapid combination on her bound partner. The other girl¡¯s stone weapons drove Gan Guangli back as they cracked repeatedly against his ribs and free arm, drawing a grunt of pain from Gan Guangli even as he continued to grow bigger.


    Another knife flew as she dashed toward Lu Feng, but he again swayed to the side, easily avoiding her technique, and danced backwards, not giving her more than a glance.


    Ling Qi¡¯s only warning of what came next was Gan Guangli¡¯s shout as his leg was yanked to one side, and the towering boy fell to the ground with a crash. She glimpsed a blur of black and pink, and then, her world exploded in pain.


    Everything spun as she felt herself flung backwards to land in the dirt, reflexively clutching her ribs as she wheezed in pain from the blow the other girl had landed. At least one of her ribs was broken, Ling Qi thought dizzily, probably more. Looking through eyes tearing up from the throbbing pain, she saw her opponent looking down at her before turning away with a haughty sniff to show Ling Qi her back.


    Ling Qi struggled to reach for one of her knives, to sit up, to do anything, but it simply hurt too much. She could feel something wet bubbling in her throat, and a groan escaped her lips.


    She was helpless again, and she hated it!


    They lost after that, of course. Gan Guangli struggled, but with his limbs bound, he couldn¡¯t really fight back.


    Luckily, Instructor Zhou had called an older disciple from the Medicine Department down to provide healing after the spars. Instead of three broken ribs, Ling Qi merely had to deal with some incredibly painful bruises across her chest.


    The lengthy spars broke up the physical training now, and despite her feelings about her loss, she knew they were helping, Her reflexes and handling of her weapons was improving. It grew easier to draw her knives and she found the blades fitting much more easily in her hands. She began to notice the little tells that told how a person was going to move, both in herself and others. She did better in other bouts, but never great.


    Elder Su¡¯s lessons were less painful but all the more crucial. If Ling Qi was to avoid being humiliated like that again, she would need to be able to use her new arts.


    She had begun feeling out the channels she would need to open during the lessons¡¯ meditation sessions, slowly tracing their paths with her mind¡¯s eye. The channel she had already opened wove a lazy course around and through her heart, shining brightly in her perception. Picking out the path of the three channels she planned to open was far more arduous. However, she had not used her medicines yet so she did not begin carving.


    Besides, before she threw herself fully into cultivation, she had a question to ask. Ling Qi didn¡¯t feel comfortable derailing the class with an unrelated question, but Elder Su typically remained behind for a few minutes after the lessons ended on the first and second days of the week.


    As the other students filed out, she murmured a goodbye to Li Suyin and slipped down the stairs to approach the Elder, who was watching the others leave with a small smile, hands clasped loosely behind her. Her expression didn¡¯t change when Ling Qi reached the bottom of the stairs, doing her best to ignore the looks from the remaining students. Ling Qi stopped a respectful distance from the older woman and bowed politely, drawing on half remembered lessons from Bai Meizhen on proper etiquette.


    ¡°Did you have a question about what we covered today, Ling Qi?¡± Elder Su asked kindly. She had been lecturing on the nature of environmental qi and its effects on cultivation. Ling Qi actually felt she understood it pretty well; she had to be careful if she cultivated in areas with strong environmental qi to avoid having it warp and unbalance her own. She had mostly grasped the exercises Elder Su had given for that too. ¡°I am afraid you should have asked during the lesson. I have many tasks to see to.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry for delaying you, Elder.¡± Ling Qi internally cheered as she managed to avoid stumbling on the formal words.


    ¡°I actually have a question regarding my personal cultivation,¡± she continued, keeping her voice steady. She could feel the eyes of others on her back, but there was nothing she could do about that.


    Elder Su regarded her quietly, her expression still friendly and open, but Ling Qi felt an unsettling pressure as if the matronly woman was looking through her.


    ¡°You have not advanced much of late despite your diligence. Have you found yourself in a bottleneck then? I suppose I can spare a moment to aid a promising student, particularly one willing to provide teaching to another.¡± Elder Su sounded approving. Ling Qi didn¡¯t even bother wondering how the woman knew about her tutoring Li Suyin in her physical cultivation, just relief that she wasn¡¯t being dismissed out of hand.


    ¡°Not... exactly?¡± Ling Qi said unsurely. ¡°I slowed down this past week to prepare. I had some things to take care of before I could really focus.¡±


    Elder Su raised an eyebrow curiously. ¡°Oh? Well, I will not say cultivating in such a way is wrong. I did encourage other pursuits. I will have to ask that you speak your question though, young lady. I was not jesting when I said that I still have many tasks to see to.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ling Qi hurried, keeping her head bowed. ¡°I just wanted to know if there were any drawbacks to reaching the Yellow Soul stage before fully mastering Argent Soul or the reverse. The scroll does not specify so I wanted to make sure I was cultivating it properly.¡±


    Elder Su¡¯s smile grew slightly warmer, and Ling Qi thought she sensed more approval. ¡°That is a good question,¡± Elder Su began. ¡°And an ambitious one. Not that there¡¯s anything wrong with that. It is advisable that you reach the late stage of the Red Soul before attempting to form the next layer of that art - if only so that you do not fall behind your peers. The Argent Soul and its more advanced forms are one of the foundations of our Sect, but it is important not to forget practical matters.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded in understanding. ¡°So I should try to complete the next layer before breaking through?¡±


    ¡°It will improve such attempts,¡± Elder Su concurred. ¡°While even cultivators of extremely low talent can expect to break through to the Yellow realm in time given sufficient resources, it is still no easy thing.


    ¡°Certain benefits will be lost if you choose to break through first, but it is a matter of weighing your desires and needs. To go beyond the fourth layer will not provide benefits at the Red Soul realm.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Elder Su,¡± Ling Qi murmured, finally raising her head and straightening her back.


    ¡°It was no trouble. Go on, now. I will be observing what your preparations accomplish this week,¡± Elder Su answered simply, stepping gracefully past Ling Qi with a whisper of silk.


    Ling Qi nodded and turned around to find the older woman already gone. She really wished she could do that. Hopefully, the Sable Crescent Step art would be the start.

 Bonus 4: Growing Unease

    Han Jian restrained the urge to put his head into his hands as Yu stomped away from the table of their shared abode, a glower on his face.


    Why had he volunteered to be sent to the Sect again? He had promised himself that he would be more dedicated in the future of course, but couldn¡¯t he have done that at the training yards and meditation halls of his home? Surely coming out here where his only points of familiarity were a boy who regularly got on his nerves and a girl who he really, really should have been keeping his distance from.


    He knew perfectly well that the situation between the three of them was untenable, even if Yu was outwardly oblivious to it. Xiulan¡­ he still remembered their first meeting, and the mutual childish affection that had bloomed there. They were past the point of putting such things aside though. He just wished she could see that. He doubted Yu was so dull that he would miss the way Xiulan looked at him forever. Their families had made the arrangement and that was that. Han Jian was still unengaged, but that was only because Father bucked tradition a bit, and saw no reason to finalize arrangements that wouldn¡¯t be resolved for decades yet. Han Jian would probably end up betrothed to a nice woman a few decades his senior when the time came, or perhaps someone with a good political connection or two at a younger age if they could be found.


    Of course, that wasn¡¯t even the only problem anymore. Fan Yu had failed Elder Zhou¡¯s test, and it felt like oil had been poured on the fire. Xiulan had never exactly been¡­ friendly, toward her fiance, but the fit of self pity Fan Yu had sunk into afterward, with his arm crippled by a confrontation with a Bai of all things, had magnified her dislike into outright contempt.


    Then of course there was Ling Qi. She was a nice enough girl, in her own odd way, but something about her irked him. He didn¡¯t regret his kindness, not the least because an excuse to spend a few precious hours away from Yu were welcome in those early weeks. Yet¡­ she had asked after him less and less. In the wake of Elder Zhou¡¯s test, he saw her only at training, she was apparently in the sphere of that Bai. He was a scion of the Han family, marquess¡¯ of the Ashen Wastens. He was not as far below the great ducal families as most¡­ but it left him feeling useless, knowing that even his charity could be one upped so effortlessly.


    Han Jian blinked as a calloused hand fell on his shoulder, shaking him from his thoughts. He looked up, and met the steady gaze of his ¡®cousin¡¯ Han Fang. The taller boy offered him a crooked smile, and made a few signs.


    Han Jian let out a short bark of laughter, straightening up his shoulders. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, beating up some targets on the training field might help.¡±


    Han Fang just nodded amiably, stepping back to give Han Jian room to push out his chair and stand up. He made another sign.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing you need to worry about,¡± Han Jian assured him. Han Fang was the one person from home who he could rely on implicitly. The good feeling soured as Han Jian¡¯s eyes traced the scar on his cousins throat. Of course, he didn¡¯t deserve even that.


    Han Fang gave him a curious look, and Han Jian shook his head. ¡°Sorry, woolgathering again. It¡¯s just one of those days.¡± He deliberately turned his thoughts away from the memory of the boy lying still in a pool of blood, and the screams of the assassin as his father tore apart the room and scoured the flesh from the man¡¯s bones in a howling dervish of sand and ash.


    Even if it seemed useless, with all these talents standing above him, he couldn¡¯t let himself backslide. He¡¯d made a promise to himself that he¡¯d pay back that devotion by being someone worthy of it. He was putting everything he had into improving and cultivating. He was behind, that was true, but surely that effort had to count for something?


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we go hunting afterward?¡± He suggested as he headed for the door, not betraying his thoughts on his face with the ease of long practice. A consequence of his lacklustre efforts in past meant that his allowance was¡­ less than optimal. It stung that his Father didn¡¯t trust him to wisely use more expensive resources. He would have to supplement it in these last few weeks before the mail opened back up.


    Han Fang nodded enthusiastically as they left the house, signing animatedly.


    ¡°...What is with you and bears,¡± Han Jian laughed. ¡°I know we don¡¯t have them at home, but you¡¯re being a little silly now,¡± he knew the other boy was mostly trying to lighten the mood, but he didn¡¯t see any reason not to play along.


    As they walked toward the exit though, Han Jian found his smile once again becoming strained as he saw what lay ahead of them in the street. There was a small crowd around the entrance, at the center of which stood Kang Zihao. Who stood chatting with several other boys, with a smile on his handsome face.


    Han Jian felt a stab of envy, Kang Zihao was in a lot of ways everything he wanted to be. A dedicated and talented cultivator, and a leader who attracted followers easily. Something about the other boy pissed him off though, even if he couldn¡¯t quite put the finger on why. It wasn¡¯t purely a matter of envy, or so he hoped.


    Kang Zihao, looking over the heads of the other boys met his eyes then. ¡°Sect Brother Han, I hope the day finds you well. Did you catch word of the gathering I was planning?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, Sect Brother Kang,¡± Han Jian replied back smoothly as the group around Kang parted seamlessly to allow him to step forward. ¡°I have been focusing on my cultivation, I was just about to go on a little hunting trip with my cousin is all.¡±


    ¡°Admirable dedication Sect Brother,¡± Kang replied, a slight patronizing edge to his tone that set Han Jian¡¯s teeth on edge. ¡°I was just instructing some of our less well off brothers, before we took a trip of our own. It is important that everyone remain on guard for the ne''er do wells in our midst after all. You are welcome to join us.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your offer,¡± Han Jian replied evenly. ¡°It is admirable that Sect Brother Kang would take the time to help our other brothers so,¡± it was a fairly standard tactic, find the somewhat talented commoners, offer them scraps and build a sense of loyalty. Not too dissimilar from what he had done, now that he thought about it.


    ...That was different though, he hadn¡¯t helped Ling Qi for that reason. No one wanted to come back to Golden Fields anyway.


    ¡°I will have to decline however, my cousin and I are looking into more dangerous game,¡± the lie came easily. Han Jian just didn¡¯t want to deal with other people right now, and Kang Zihao even less.


    ¡°A shame, Brother Han,¡± Kang Zihao comisserated, though it didn¡¯t sound very genuine to Han Jian¡¯s ear. ¡°Perhaps another time then.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Han Jian replied, offering a small bow before resuming his walk. Han Fang remained behind him like a silent shadow. Han Jian envied his cousins ability to fade into the background during social situations sometimes.


    Though that wasn¡¯t really an option for him, Han Jian supposed. In any case, they would soon be away from people and their troubles. Han Jian looked forward to the more straightforward challenges the wilderness brought.


    Who knew, perhaps Han Fang really would get to wrestle a bear this time.

 Chapter 26-Foundations 7

    The Gushing Spring pill tasted of clear fresh water, the Qi Foundation pill of some spicy herb she didn¡¯t recognize, and the Sable Light pill tasted of fresh cream¡­ but the flavors were quickly forgotten in what followed immediately after. A painful surge of energy filled her dantian, straining its confines, even as her limbs jumped with sudden energy, her nerves sang, and her senses almost overloaded. She felt like she was aflame from the inside, the light from the candles in the meditation room lanced painfully into her eyes, and the sound of her own heart was almost deafening in her ears.


    Letting out a trembling breath, Ling Qi closed her eyes and slowly forced her breathing back under control. She needed to cultivate.


    The next few days were a blur in her mind.


    Ling Qi vaguely remembered showing up for her lessons. Sneaking in and out of the residential area. Stumbling on the steep cliffs. The worried expression on Li Suyin¡¯s face and a curious glance from Bai Meizhen as they passed one another in the hall leading to their rooms. The feeling of the pool of energy at her core deepening, expanding, and stretching the limits of her dantian, making her ache in a way that she hadn¡¯t since her first growth spurt.


    What she truly remembered, however, was the sharp feeling of carving new channels for the surging qi within her, one coiling through her lungs and out through her throat and the second spiralling down her right leg.


    The days following the opening of her first and second channels released some of the pressure clouding her body and mind, and Ling Qi found herself growing coherent once more. A cup of Bai Meizhen¡¯s herbal tea, left out for her on the table one evening, soothed the raging energies surging through her body even further, and its flavor seemed to be less bitter to her tongue than before. Opening the final channel, another winding meridian extending outward from her heart, reduced the burning in her core to manageable levels.


    It allowed her to remember her obligation to Li Suyin. She was coherent enough to feel guilty about the concerned looks the other girl had given her throughout Elder Su¡¯s lesson that evening.


    ¡°Are you feeling better today, Ling Qi?¡± Li Suyin asked as she caught up with her in the hall, glancing at her nervously. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ um, you kind of¡­ growled at me yesterday when I tried to talk with you. I couldn¡¯t really understand what you were saying. Are you feeling ill?¡±


    Ling Qi winced internally. Li Suyin had tried to talk to her yesterday? She didn¡¯t remember that all.


    ¡°I guess I am,¡± she responded neutrally as they exited the building. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Li Suyin,¡± she apologized after a moment. ¡°I used some medicines to help my cultivation, but it looks like I might have taken a little too much at once.¡±


    She would definitely space out her dosage in the future. That or do the whole ¡®closed door¡¯ cultivation she had heard about. Was that why people shut themselves in meditation rooms for days at a time? To work through the drug-induced haze in peace and quiet?


    ¡°O-oh, I see,¡± Li Suyin replied, seeming relieved. ¡°I was a little worried that I had done something to make you angry. Did it work?¡± she asked, drawing a confused look from Ling Qi. ¡°I-I mean, did you accomplish what you were trying to do?¡±


    Ling Qi glanced around, noting that there were still plenty of others in earshot. She then decided that she didn¡¯t care, at least when it came to this.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she said with only partially false confidence. ¡°I got the three meridians I was working on open, and I even managed to almost double the size of my qi pool.¡± She deliberately pitched her voice to carry. Let the assholes eyeing her like prey chew on that.


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s amazing! I¡¯ve only recently gotten my fourth channel open. And you¡¯ve done so much else besides,¡± she added under her breath, almost too low for Ling Qi to hear. ¡°I haven¡¯t even properly mastered an art yet.¡±


    ¡°Why is that anyway? Why open so many channels without even learning an art?¡±


    Li Suyin looked glanced around the plaza at the other people present, some of whom were occasionally looking their way.


    Ling Qi got the picture.


    ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s none of my business,¡± she said instead. ¡°We can get back to practicing together if you want.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Li Suyin replied hurriedly before clamming up, fidgeting with her bag and keeping her eyes on the path ahead.


    Ling Qi eyed her for a moment and shrugged, falling silent as well as they proceeded back to the residential area. As the two of them entered Li Suyin¡¯s home, the other girl finally spoke up.


    ¡°I¡­ do have a good reason,¡± Li Suyin murmured as she shut the door behind them. It looked like Su Ling was out again today.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to say anything. If you don¡¯t want to talk about it, you don¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I trust you,¡± Li Suyin said looking down and shuffling her feet. ¡°It¡¯s just - I don¡¯t like fighting,¡± Li Suyin admitted, looking back up at Ling Qi. ¡°So I know I don¡¯t really¡­ fit here. I wanted to be a scribe or maybe a physician¡¯s assistant.¡±


    Ling Qi shifted from foot to foot. She probably wasn¡¯t the best person to trust, and she had a feeling Li Suyin was going to reveal something personal.


    ¡°I can understand that. I don¡¯t really like fighting either, but I¡¯d rather not get pushed around, you know?¡±


    Li Suyin nodded unhappily.


    ¡°Yes, I understand. That¡¯s why I asked you to help me cultivate my body.¡± She sighed before straightening her shoulders and visibly steeling herself.


    ¡°Mother is from a cultivating clan that was eliminated some time ago. They lost all cultivation resources¡­ but great-grandfather managed to hold onto one of the family arts even after his dantian was broken,¡± Li Suyin said in a rush.


    Ling Qi looked at her blankly. She wasn¡¯t sure what kind of reaction the girl expected.


    ¡°Alright. I guess you need a lot of channels open to practice it then? It must be a pretty complex art.¡±


    Li Suyin seemed nonplussed at her lack of reaction, but then, she smiled weakly.


    ¡°R-right. I also, um¡­ need someone to practice on. It¡¯s a medical art.¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°Just the diagnostic part though! I asked Su Ling to capture a few animals to practice the other parts on.¡±


    Ling Qi felt like she was missing something.


    ¡°That sounds fine. It¡¯ll pretty much just be what we normally do then, right?¡±


    The other girl nodded in relief, and the two of them got started with their practice.


    However, despite the fact that Li Suyin had revealed that she had her own valuable art - which, on reflection, was probably why she had been nervous - Ling Qi couldn¡¯t bring herself to share knowledge of her own ¡®secret¡¯ techniques. Instead, she waited until the dead of night, her newly expanded reserves burning away her fatigue, and practiced then.


    The first part of Sable Crescent Step, she came to understand, was a manual on leg movements and techniques for moving silently as well as qi exercises for drawing the cool, calm qi of night and shadows around herself like a cloak. Darkness was absence, and by becoming one with it, she could be wherever she wanted. What were barriers and obstacles to something which had no form?


    Simply mastering the movements quickened her steps and sharpened her reactions, and the night sky overhead only made her feel more alert and energetic. Of the actual techniques she mastered in secret, the Trackless Step allowed her to move without trace, her footsteps bending not so much as a blade of grass in her path. Crescent¡¯s Grace let the cool, comforting dark qi she had cultivated flood through the channel in her legs, blurring the edges of her form and allowing her to move short distances in bursts of great speed.


    Ling Qi knew she was far from the understanding that which would allow her to truly become immaterial as she moved, but even the occasional glimpse allowed her to simply flicker from one position to the next with no intervening motion when she executed the qi flows perfectly.


    It felt very strange.


    Forgotten Vale Melody came easier to her but was strange in its own way. Sneaking out to the mineral spring she had shared with Gu Xiulan with her flute tucked into her sleeve was odd enough on its own. Actually playing on her flute once she was there, sitting on one of the flat rocks that jutted from the water, was stranger. She was no great musician, and she had only grown rustier over the years since she left Mother, but the music sheet laid out in her mind by the jade slip seemed to come to her naturally.


    Perhaps it was misplaced pride, but she found the song she played as she worked through the internal exercises eerily beautiful - at least when she wasn¡¯t making mistakes. The feeling of the icy qi flowing through the channel in her lungs to charge the air around her mingled with the water qi drawn from the pool. It allowed her to flood the cave with a thick and cloying mist that moved with her as she played.


    With some effort, she could charge the mist with further power, confusing the senses of those within such that they would find themselves unable to leave it.


    With her qi flowing through her channeles, old and new, and the knowledge of her techniques in the back of her mind, Ling Qi found herself looking out over the deep night of the mountain wilderness and found it as bright as if it were lit by the noonday sun. The colors were washed out, but darkness no longer hindered her sight.


    Was this what it felt like to be a real cultivator, she wondered?

 Chapter 27-Foundations 8

    Ling Qi once again found herself standing at the front of the lecture hall. The line up was rather different this week. She supposed it had been last week too; she had learned from Li Suyin later that Li Suyin and Ji Rong had managed to get it again the past week.


    This week, it was Ling Qi, Ji Rong, that creepy and possibly blind boy, another girl she vaguely recognized from Zhou¡¯s lessons, and Han Jian, who offered her a friendly nod over the others¡¯ heads as she took up a place at the far end of the line.


    He had probably broken through to the Yellow Soul realm then. She eyed him out of the corner of her eyes He didn¡¯t really seem different, maybe a little more confident? She turned attention back to Elder Su, bowing her head and murmuring a thanks as the older woman passed her the reward for her hard work.


    Returning to her seat next to Li Suyin, she acknowledged the girl¡¯s quiet congratulations with a nod. Anything else that might have been said was silenced as Elder Su began to speak.


    ¡°Today begins the final month of the lessons offered to new students. My colleague has already winnowed away much of his class as is his wont.¡± Her words caused a slight stir that might have turned to grumbling in another situation. Ling Qi certainly saw a lot of unhappy looks, some of them directed at her and the other students who were in Elder Zhou¡¯s class.


    ¡°As I am sure you have concluded by this point, I am not quite so harsh in my standards or prone to dramatic shows as he.¡± Elder Su paused, seeming to briefly lose herself in thought before sighing wistfully as if from a pleasant memory.


    ¡°But, all the same,¡± she continued, ¡°I also believe that the drive to improve oneself is the most important factor in a cultivator¡¯s success, and thus, for some of you, this will be your last day in my lessons.¡±


    That stirred up some murmurs that were swiftly silenced by a look from the Elder. Ling Qi was suddenly glad that she had won a pill this week, and Li Suyin began to nibble her lower lip nervously. She was¡­ pretty sure she was safe from the upcoming expulsion.


    ¡°While I have encouraged your success with rewards, I prefer to see how my students can motivate themselves. How far they will push themselves even when crises do not loom.¡± The older woman¡¯s gaze grew cold, and the strict tone she had taken in the early lessons returned.


    ¡°Some of you have disappointed me greatly, meandering along your path with little ambition, almost idle in your cultivation. Compared to others in this lesson - to those who have put their full effort into improving themselves in some way every day - you do not deserve my teachings any longer. Perhaps in the future, when you have reflected upon and corrected your flaws, we will speak again.¡± (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    Ling Qi wouldn¡¯t lie to herself and say that she didn¡¯t feel satisfaction as the Elder began to list off names, one after another. She did glance at Li Suyin and bump their shoulders to draw the other girl¡¯s attention and give her a reassuring smile. Ling Qi felt the blue-haired girl was being a little ridiculous to worry about her own position; she strongly doubted that anyone who had earned a pill would be among those kicked out.


    Sure enough, she was right. The room was emptied by half when the Elder was done. Elder Su¡¯s pleasant countenance returned as the last of the disciples she had named slumped dejectedly out of the room.


    ¡°Now that we have resolved that unpleasantness, allow me to describe the curriculum for our final month together.¡±


    ¡°First, I intend to ensure that each of you becomes grounded in the knowledge of the three thousand common characters of the formation arts as a cultivator should always be able to perform at least basic identification of talismans and wards in the field.¡±


    Ling Qi felt some dread along with anticipation. It would be one more thing she didn¡¯t need to rely on Bai Meizhen for, but on the other hand, she was only barely literate as it was. Even if her time here had dusted off the rust that had accumulated on those skills, learning three thousand more characters was daunting.


    ¡°Secondly, we will be reviewing the necessities and difficulties of breakthrough to new realms of cultivation and the basic structure of the eight realms which comprise the Path of Cultivation,¡± Elder Su continued.


    ¡°Much of our effort shall be spent on your cultivation of the Argent Soul Art. All of you have progressed well in forming an understanding of the foundations of the art, but as a master of our school¡¯s techniques, I do have certain insights that you will find of use.¡±


    Ling Qi felt excited about that. The next stage of the technique had seemed quite daunting, and she was worried about how long it would take her to ¡®mold the foundation of her World¡¯, particularly since she hadn¡¯t yet been able to puzzle out what that meant.


    ¡°Lastly, to further encourage you, in addition to the weekly prize of a Qi Foundation pill, a permanent pass to the first floor of the Outer Mountain¡¯s archive shall be given to the three students who have impressed me the most at the end of this month. Do work hard.¡±


    Did that mean they could go in and use the jade slips in the archive whenever they wanted? That sounded really good. Ling Qi glanced at Li Suyin, and sure enough, the scholarly girl¡¯s eyes were burning with determination.


    ... It was honestly kind of weird seeing that kind of expression on Li Suyin¡¯s face.


    When the lesson was over, Ling Qi left with Li Suyin. Walking openly as she did with the other girl made her nervous and twitchy, but at the same time, it was nice to not have to skulk. The other disciples had ceased much of the open hostility by this point, and she hadn¡¯t had to fend off a pickpocketing attempt in some time. Still, she could feel the dislike in their gazes and could hear the disparaging comments directed her way.


    It seemed they were simply holding off until the end of the truce when they could put some actual force behind their attempts to bully her.


    She put it out of her mind for the moment. While the end of truce was fast approaching, right now, she needed to focus on preparing.


    Li Suyin seemed to be of the same mind. She agreed far more easily than Ling Qi expected to another forest expedition later this week.


    Ling Qi would need to finish up the other girl¡¯s physical cultivation lessons first though. Hopefully, the practice with the other girl would also help her figure out what was holding her back from achieving the next level of Zephyr¡¯s Breath. As Ling Qi was not quite ready to openly show off her new arts from Elder Zhou¡¯s test, she needed to further polish the one which everyone knew she had.


    While training Li Suyin, something finally clicked, and the part of Zephyr¡¯s Breath that had been out of her grasp came to her. She understood the corrections she needed to make to her stance, breathing, and qi circulation, perfecting the timing of the pulses of qi to guide the wind around her. Zephyr¡¯s Breath was much less limited now with the doubling of her control range.


    While she liked the sound of the ¡®Shielding Gale¡¯ technique left in the art, Zephyr¡¯s Breath, even with the improvement, wasn¡¯t as impressive as the new arts she had gained from the moon spirit. There did seem to be more advanced arts that built on it though.


    Feeling that her combat arts were polished enough, Ling Qi threw herself into her lessons and the cultivation of her foundation. She was close to the late stage of the first realm in both body and spirit. If she was going to make it through the coming storm, that was the least she needed to achieve to be able to stand up in the face of her fellow disciples without having to constantly rely on Bai Meizhen or Han Jian and his friends.


    Her efforts were rewarded soon enough. Surging qi and the feeling of broken barriers filled her as she finished her weeks meditations. Reaching the late Red Soul and Gold Physique stages were not as dramatic as previous breakthroughs. Instead, it felt as if she had simply reached the end of a path well paved¡­ and now stared up at a sheer cliff. The true difficulty and change would lie ahead when she prepared to breakthrough to the next realm.


    She wasn¡¯t going to have to run and hide forever.

 Chapter 28-Foundations 9

    Amidst her preparations, there was one thing Ling Qi was chagrined to think she had forgotten about as the end of the week approached. She had not spoken to Gu Xiulan for almost two weeks now, and she needed to make sure that the haughty girl did not think she was being snubbed. She couldn¡¯t afford to alienate one of her tiny number of allies.


    Ling Qi suspected she would have to finally go along with Gu Xiulan¡¯s not-so-subtle prodding to clean herself up further to earn forgiveness. At least she would finally get a chance to see the outer sect market. She really hadn¡¯t had time to explore the mountain¡¯s amenities in the past two months. This was why she found herself making her way over to Gu Xiulan after Instructor Zhou¡¯s lesson ended.


    One thing she had noticed while spending time with the girl and observing her during lessons was that Gu Xiulan seemed to genuinely lack any other close female friends. She chatted and mingled with the others far better than Ling Qi ever could, of course, but there weren¡¯t any other girls she invited along to their soaks at the mineral spring, for example. Ling Qi wasn¡¯t too surprised to catch the other girl alone as the sparring groups broke up.


    Ling Qi had been paired with Gan Guangli again today, which she generally liked. He was still very loud, but she appreciated his politeness and good nature. Their arts worked reasonably well together too, and he didn¡¯t seem to resent her when they lost, bidding her farewell at the end of the sessions with the same booming enthusiasm he greeted her with.


    ¡°Gu Xiulan,¡± Ling Qi called out as she approached the other girl. Gu Xiulan somehow managed to look as pretty as ever, even glistening with the sweat of their recent workout.


    ¡°Are you busy today?¡±


    Gu Xiulan glanced up, having paused at the edge of the training field to adjust the laces on her elbow-length glove talisman.


    ¡°Oh, Ling Qi? Have you joined the rest of us in the land of the living then? I had worried that you had been replaced with a corpse doll,¡± Gu Xiulan said reproachfully.


    Ling Qi hunched her shoulders defensively.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that,¡± she mumbled, looking away. ¡°I underestimated how strong the pills I was using were. And I¡¯m also sorry I haven¡¯t talked to you in a while. I didn¡¯t mean to be rude.¡± (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    Gu Xiulan hummed thoughtfully as she gave the laces one last tug. Satisfied, she stopped toying with the glove and faced Ling Qi properly.


    ¡°I was a bit put out,¡± she admitted, meeting Ling Qi¡¯s eyes and resting her hands on her hips. ¡°Really, if one is going to perform heavy cultivation, it is only polite to inform your friends first. You are such a difficult girl sometimes.¡±


    Ling Qi thought that was a pretty unfair assessment coming from Gu Xiulan, but she chose not to say so.


    ¡°I¡¯ll remember next time,¡± she assured the other girl. ¡°I¡¯ve just been really focused. I really am sorry.¡± She wasn¡¯t used to apologizing, but it seemed the right thing to do.


    ¡°I will forgive you this time. I suppose allowances can be made given the situation.¡± Gu Xiulan waved her hand, already seeming to have dismissed her irritation.


    ¡°Did you wish to accompany me to the mineral spring today? I did notice you had been using it in the last week. Have you gained a preference for late night baths?¡±


    Ling Qi glanced around. There were still a few people in earshot so she decided to keep her answer vague.


    ¡°It¡¯s been helpful with what I¡¯ve been cultivating lately. Thank you for showing me the place. I wouldn¡¯t mind a dip, but I actually wanted to see if you wanted to do something else today.¡±


    Gu Xiulan raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Water, then? I suppose that does suit you,¡± she mused quietly. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mind doing something else although I hope you will show me the fruits of your labor at some point. I am quite curious as to what has caused you to be so driven.


    ¡°What did you have in mind then?¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced internally as she steeled herself to say the words that would bring her doom.


    ¡°I was thinking about what we¡¯ve talked about, and¡­ I wanted to ask for your help.¡± She clasped her hands in front of her stomach and bowed, remembering Bai Meizhen¡¯s chiding lessons on etiquette.


    ¡°Do you think you could help me¡­ ah, clean up a little?¡± she continued awkwardly, raising her head and gesturing vaguely to her hair.


    She didn¡¯t like the way Gu Xiulan¡¯s eyes lit up or the teasing grin that appeared on her features.


    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Xiulan drew the word out as amusement danced in her eyes. ¡°And what brought this on? Ah, is it that Gan fellow? Or maybe the Zhang boy?


    ¡°I had noticed the way you stare at Instructor Zhou on occasion. I had thought your attention seemed unusually rapt. Is that your type then? I personally prefer a more refined kind of man, but I suppose the rough and burly look isn¡¯t bad.¡±


    Ling Qi let out a strangled sound even as she flushed darkly. Who even was this Zhang person Gu Xiulan mentioned? If Gu Xiulan had noticed her looking at Elder Zhou, did that mean other people had seen her looking at Elder Zhou? Had he noticed? Damn her nonexistent ancestors, of course he had; he was an Elder.


    ¡°N-no, I mean, I¡¯m not really. I just get distracted sometimes and focus too much on the lesson-¡± She found herself gesturing uselessly with her hands.


    ¡°And this is really nothing like that! I just thought it would be-¡± She couldn¡¯t exactly say she was just doing it to appease Gu Xiulan, which lead to her trailing off rather pathetically.


    ¡°No worries now. There¡¯s nothing wrong with appreciating fine sights. It¡¯s not as if you are the only one,¡± Gu Xiulan said comfortingly. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go clean up, and I shall see what I can do to help afterward? It¡¯ll be fun.¡±


    Gu Xiulan seemed pretty pleased so Ling Qi supposed that was mission accomplished.


    She wasn¡¯t a fan of the teasing though. Even if she could get¡­ distracted sometimes, she shouldn¡¯t even think about things like that given who she was. It was the same reason why she was reluctant to do this outing with Gu Xiulan in the first place. The last thing she wanted was to give the impression that she was willing or interested in being someone¡¯s accessory or even worse.


    Even a noble like Gu Xiulan couldn¡¯t escape it. Gu Xiulan was engaged to that jackass Fan Yu after all. In comparison, Ling Qi wouldn¡¯t even have the advantage of getting any respect due to her family name.


    Still, Ling Qi had set herself on this course so she endured Gu Xiulan¡¯s teasing, eventually steering the conversation to other things while they took the time to soak a bit. Once she had been deflected to other topics, chatting with Gu Xiulan was more pleasant and allowed her to catch up on what she had missed in recent days.


    Han Jian had advanced to Yellow Soul, and was preparing himself to begin working to advance into Silver Physique. He was actually off with Han Fang working on that now. The mute boy¡¯s spiritual cultivation lagged, but it seemed he too was ready to begin the physical breakthrough.


    It wasn¡¯t too hard to detect that Gu Xiulan was a little miffed to be left out of that. She would need a little more time to ready herself for Yellow though.


    As for Fan Yu¡­ he had thrown himself into training hard. Gu Xiulan didn¡¯t seem interested in talking about him.


    It wasn¡¯t too hard to convince Gu Xiulan to show Ling Qi around the mountain¡¯s market area under the excuse that she wouldn¡¯t want to always have to borrow things from the fiery girl. It did unfortunately steer things back to the topics she had been avoiding as they walked the wide path that wound around to the south side of the mountain¡¯s base.


    ¡°...The price is a tad much, but I really would suggest the rose petal oil I mentioned. You¡¯ve let yourself grow so unkempt. You really need something with rejuvenating qualities to fix those split ends before we worry about straightening.¡± Gu Xiulan chatted cheerfully at Ling Qi¡¯s side as they approached the large stone gate that marked the beginning of the market.


    Ling Qi could see a number of other disciples, many older than her, moving through the neatly laid out streets beyond the gate. A waft of strange scents reached her, along with a mixture of perfume, medicine, spice, and other things that often plagued open markets.


    ¡°I suppose,¡± Ling Qi responded noncommittally. ¡°How much are we talking about? I have no idea how much a spirit stone is worth as money,¡± she added with more interest since that was more useful information.


    Gu Xiulan paused, giving Ling Qi a look of slight frustration. Ling Qi winced. She really needed to work on appearing more interested in what the girl was talking about.


    ¡°Well, you should not worry. I can spare a few stones to allow you to have the necessities,¡± Gu Xiulan said dismissively. ¡°The ban on communication will be ending along with the truce soon after all.


    ¡°But to answer your question¡­ I think it¡¯s about one hundred silver to a red spirit stone? That sounds right if I recall my lessons correctly.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eye twitched at that blithe statement. One hundred silver¡­ she had felt rich after stealing close to thirty. She was pretty sure you could feed a family of six or seven on one hundred, or rent a room on a nice street for a year.


    ¡°Oh,¡± she responded faintly. ¡°How much do the things you were talking about cost?¡±


    They had passed under the gates now and were among the crowd. For once, Ling Qi didn¡¯t feel nervous. It seemed the older disciples either didn¡¯t know or didn¡¯t care about her.


    Or they were better at hiding it.


    ¡°All together? Perhaps two or three spirit stones once we haggle them down a bit. No more than a trifle. I still have a good supply of the allowance Mother and Father gave me.¡±


    It was hard for Ling Qi to not let out a frustrated sigh at that answer. Even now, with the value of hundreds of silver in her pockets, she was still poor.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to buy me anything,¡± Ling Qi said as they passed a stone hut advertising ¡®Fatty¡¯s Medicine Feasthall¡¯. What kind of name was that for a shop?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll be able to pay you back.¡±


    Gu Xiulan gave her one of those measuring looks out of the corner of her eye.


    ¡°And I have said that you need not worry about it,¡± she replied lightly. ¡°Something as small as this is not worth quibbling over. Of course I want you to look your best - and not just so you can catch the eye of those rugged fellows you like so much.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s cheeks colored again even as she hunched her shoulders.


    ¡°I told you it¡¯s not like that. But fine. I won¡¯t keep refusing,¡± she relented, knowing that the other girl would probably feel insulted if she kept refusing. ¡°Anyway, do you know if they buy talismans here?¡±


    The noble girl blinked at the sudden change in subject as the two of them turned a corner, moving away from the smaller shops near the entrance to enter a street lined with signs advertising less practical and more feminine products.


    ¡°I suppose so. If at a price much reduced from the value. Have you made an acquisition recently?¡± Gu Xiulan asked curiously.


    ¡°Well¡­ I was thinking about that staff I got during the test. I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s really suited for me, you know? I thought maybe I could trade it for something that fits me better.¡± Ling Qi really hoped the other girl wasn¡¯t going to take offense. There were other reasons to get rid of it too, but she didn¡¯t want to say them aloud for fear her companion labeling her a coward.


    Gu Xiulan tilted her head to the side as she continued to lead Ling Qi through the street.


    ¡°Is that so? I suppose I can understand now that I know you better. You are rather unsuited to Wood techniques.


    ¡°Still, you will lose most of the value of an item like that by simply selling it. A direct trade might be better if you could manage it. Perhaps a Water enhancing talisman? That would be appropriate for someone in your position as that element contains many useful support arts.¡±


    Ling Qi was relieved that Gu Xiulan hadn¡¯t taken offense.


    ¡°That would probably work better,¡± she replied. ¡°So I¡¯ll just have to try and find someone willing to trade?¡±


    Stopping in front of a particularly flowery shop, Gu Xiulan smiled.


    ¡°Yes, that would likely be for best, but let us leave that aside for now. We are here,¡± she continued cheerfully, heading for the door. Ling Qi sighed as she followed her. At least she knew where the market was and could come back on her own.


    The next couple of hours were spent pretty unproductively. Ling Qi did her best to remain interested and invested as Gu Xiulan showed her a dizzying array of scents and oils and other cosmetics, chattering happily about their effects and which ones would suit her best. In the end, she ended up with a small leather case containing a number of little clay bottles, application brushes, and other things she wasn¡¯t quite sure what she was meant to do with.


    That didn¡¯t mean she was done. Gu Xiulan insisted on at least helping her get her hair in order, which was a nerve-wracking hour where she had to sit still with another person¡¯s hands on her scalp. The ¡®rejuvenating¡¯ hair oil Gu Xiulan had bought her was applied, followed by her recalcitrant locks being braided in a manner similar to the other girl¡¯s style. It didn¡¯t really look bad, she supposed, after looking into the other girl¡¯s mirror. Her normally frizzy hair was shinier and less flyaway.


    Ling Qi begged off of using the rest of the stuff, citing the need to get to her lessons. She was not going to be able to avoid it forever though. She was pretty sure Gu Xiulan would feel unhappy and insulted if she ignored her gift entirely. Honestly, she would feel guilty for spitting on the other girl¡¯s generosity. She would just have to try and keep it simple.

 Bonus 5: The Great Sects

    The History of the Great Sects is a long and honorable one, stretching back to the first dynasty. Though their rise to prominence and prestige is much more recent, the Sect system is one almost as old as the empire itself. However it is only the infinite wisdom of his divine eminence, Emperor An, that has allowed the Sects to become as important and productive as they are in the modern day.


    However, it remains important to study and understand the Sects'' more humble origins, which provide the foundation for the system which brings such glory to the Empire today. The first sects were humble things founded amidst the misty valleys of Celestial peaks province during the First Dynasty, in the wake of the strife that followed the death of the inimitable Sage Emperor. The Sects were born from the remnants of scattered families and settlements as places to preserve their knowledge and arts against the dissolution of time. More powerful clans allowed these groups a degree of succor in exchange for tribute, and for many millenia, the sects existed as just that, a minor matter beneath the notice of the imperial throne.


    Some wise clan heads came to use the Sects as testing grounds, providing them funding, or reducing their tribute in exchange for research into arts and formations, the fruits of which went were delivered the sects ruling clan. The risks inherent in such research were thus passed on to the much less valuable folk who made up much of a Sect¡¯s numbers, rather than talented scions of high bloodlines. Some even came to rely upon their sects to train their militaries, in an echo of the things to come. However, those of the first dynasty lacked the superlative wisdom of Emperor An in organizing such matters, and as such the practice fell out of favor due to several unfortunate insurrections brought on by poor management.


    Throughout the First and Second dynasties, as well as the modern third, the practice of allowing sects spread throughout the empire, though they remained but a footnote in the annals of the Empire¡¯s great clans, toiling ever to study and improve upon arts for their patrons, and taking in those of lesser blood who were beneath the eyes of the great clans, but whose talents might otherwise have gone to banditry or other unvirtuous pursuits.


    However, that came to change in the last millenia. The ruling dukes of the Emerald Seas province had grown decadent and foolish, neglecting their duties to the land and its peoples, and as is expected, the perfidious and greedy tribes of the Wall, the great mountain range which marks the southern border of the Empire saw this weakness clearly. Under the Great Khan Ogodei, the barbarians laid waste to the province, riding swiftly through the skies to sack villages, towns and cities alike.


    The clans of Emerald Seas scrambled to keep up with the barbarian, without any effective central leadership, their defenses floundered, and the wily barbarians slipped easily through their disorganized defenses. Of course, our wise Emperor Si, father of the illustrious An, was aware of the plight of his people, but the ancient pacts which bind the Empire together held his hands. The foolish dukes of emerald seas insisted that the problem was under control and refused his generous aid, allowing only a a trickle of soldiers and men in to ¡®assist¡¯ their poorly led and disorganized forces.


    Emperor An, then only Fourth Prince was selected to lead these forces. Our wise future emperor found himself horrified by the waste and hedonism he found in the south. In their nigh unassailable capital, the Hui of Emerald Seas still behaved as if this were but a minor raid!


    It is here that Emperor An made a decision for which many unable to see the virtue of his actions criticized him for at the time. Refusing the accept the orders that he remain at the disposal of the duke, the Prince struck out into more contested lands, unilaterally invoking Imperial authority.


    There in the south, which had largely fallen to the barbarian Khan, he found the bastion of imperial strength and resistance. It was not the clans, who had remained embroiled in their squabbles even as they were overrun, but rather, a collection of Sects, who had banded together for survival.


    We will not go further into the history of the war with Ogodei in this work. Suffice to say that under the prince¡¯s superlative leadership, and the core of strength arising from the Sect¡¯s the barbarians were defeated. In the wake of the Khan¡¯s death the Great Sect¡¯s were born.


    When the prince returned to his father¡¯s side, even gentle and merciful Emperor Si was horrified by the poor stewardship of servants in emerald seas, and even their ducal peers scorned their cowardice and inaction. So when the emperor decreed that certain lands and privileges would be granted to three sects on the southern border, the complaints of the Hui clan were ignored.


    Such is the Great Sect System. Answering directly to the Imperial Throne, these bastions train warriors and research arts as they always did, but now, they also serve the purpose as rallying points from which the Imperial Throne can reach out in times of need. Though the lands of course, remain property of the provinces they stand in, in times of emergency an Emperor or Empress can take direct control in order to organize defenses more effectively, without breaking old agreements.


    However, the rise of these sects did not go unnoticed by the clans of the empire, with the backing of the imperial seat, their prestige was now such that many clans wished to enroll their second sons and daughters in the sects programs, in order to expand the clans knowledge and garner favor. This influx of noble applicants multiplied the Sects funding many times over from their humble beginnings.


    In the centuries that followed under Emperor An, the concept has since spread far and wide and now each province holds at least one Great Sect, save for Ebon Rivers, Golden Fields, and the recently settled Western Territories.


    -Excerpt from the introduction of a scholarly treatise extolling the virtues of the Sect System.

 Chapter 29-Mountainside Clash

    That evening, after Elder Su¡¯s lesson, she met up with Li Suyin to begin their mountain expedition. To avoid being followed, they had agreed to meet on a small plateau that was well off the beaten path but also on the way to their destination.


    Ling Qi was surprised when it wasn¡¯t just Li Suyin who arrived on the windy cliffside. On reflection, she shouldn¡¯t have been. The two of them only knew about the icy woods because of Su Ling. Why would Li Suyin leave her roommate out of things?


    ¡°Why the fuck do you smell like that?¡± the surly fox girl said by way of greeting as she reached the top, Li Suyin arrived behind her, red-faced but not breathing as heavily as she had in the previous expedition.


    ¡°Do you really think it¡¯s a great idea to be wearing perfume for something like this?¡±


    Ling Qi blinked. The oils Gu Xiulan had applied to her hair had a faint floral scent. Was it really that strong? She couldn¡¯t even smell it anymore herself.


    ¡°I¡¯ll wash up in that stream we have to cross on the way. Excuse me for being busy,¡± she replied defensively.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know why you¡¯re using that crap in the first place. Thought you were one of the halfway sensible ones,¡± Su Ling grumbled.


    ¡°You need a breather, Li Suyin?¡± Su Ling asked over her shoulder as the blue-haired girl straightened up with a determined look.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m fine,¡± Li Suyin insisted as she caught her breath.


    ¡°A-and, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a problem that you look¡­ nice? I don¡¯t think perfume will be much more noticeable than a natural scent to spirit beasts. Don¡¯t most of them have qi enhanced senses?¡± Li Suyin¡¯s voice shrank until she was barely audible by the end under Su Ling¡¯s glare. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    Su Ling¡¯s tail twitched in agitation.


    ¡°Whatever. None of my business if you want to smear crap on yourself. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re hunting,¡± Su Ling huffed. ¡°And Li Suyin¡¯s right that the dangerous stuff is gonna be able to scent us anyway. You sure you want to do this?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ling Qi responded tightly. ¡°We all need whatever advantages we can get, right?¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Li Suyin added seriously. ¡°I have things I need to accomplish.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Not gonna argue about it. Let¡¯s get climbing,¡± Su Ling replied brusquely, eyeing the steep path leading further up the mountain.


    Ling Qi found herself climbing the steep path with ease, and even on occasion, outpacing Su Ling. She could already feel the soothing rush of being immersed in darkness, and it made it easier to move quickly. Su Ling gave her a few suspicious looks, sniffing uncertainly at the air when Ling Qi passed her.


    Li Suyin still proved to be the limit on their pace. Even with her improved physical cultivation, the scholarly girl simply couldn¡¯t keep up with them. However, she was not nearly as slow as she had been before.


    Still, Ling Qi didn¡¯t begrudge slowing down. It was only with Li Suyin¡¯s help that they¡¯d have any real hope of finding a better qi locus.


    Night had fallen by the time they reached the woods. As the weather was clear and the nearly full moon was bright, the others didn¡¯t seem to have too much trouble.


    For Ling Qi, the night vision was still strange. Without light, color was washed out, but she had no trouble seeing just as well as she could during the day. Glancing up at the moon, she dipped her head briefly. Even if it wasn¡¯t the right phase, she could say a silent thanks.


    The three of them fell silent once they reached the part of the woods that they had refrained from entering before. The only sound came from Li Suyin¡¯s painfully loud footsteps and the rustling cloth of their gowns. Ling Qi couldn¡¯t do anything but keep a sharp eye out for beasts attracted by the noise.


    Being able to see perfectly well at night was useful but also disquieting. It let her clearly see the shapes of the crows perched high in the trees and the dark shapes of predators lurking at the edges of her vision. It wasn¡¯t perfect; several times Su Ling had to stop them with a hissed warning, pointing out patches of creeper vines that were carnivorous or leading them away from places marked by the scent of a mountain bear or other predator.


    For Ling Qi¡¯s part, she stopped the fox girl from putting her foot into the burrow of something hidden in the underbrush, as well as helping the group as a whole avoid a few other blunders.


    All the while, Li Suyin squinted into the dark. Ling Qi could tell that Li Suyin wasn¡¯t searching with her eyes. This went on for the better part of two hours as they searched the woods. Several times, Ling Qi saw a predator in the dark - a mountain lion, an owl big enough to have claws the size and length of her fingers, and once, something that looked like a scrawny wolf - but none of them attacked, perhaps deciding that their group was not easy prey.


    She had an odd itching feeling on the back of her neck though, as if she were being watched.


    Eventually, Li Suyin¡¯s senses lead them to an open cliff on the far side of the woods that looked out over the southern mountain side and the peaks beyond. The landscape visible was beautiful even at night with seemingly endless peaks extending as far as the eye could see. The cliff was surrounded by high ridges on either side with the thick woods they had traveled through blocking off its rear.


    None of that was what drew Ling Qi¡¯s eye. Rather, what drew it was the broad crack in the stone cliff from which a faint silver mist wafted. The edges of the cleft were lined with glittering red and yellow crystal that were all too familiar. They were obviously spirit stones, if more than she had seen in one place before and not carved into uniformity.


    ¡°A natural spirit stone deposit,¡± Li Suyin breathed out softly, looking at it in wonder. ¡°And¡­ ah, that mist! Can you feel it resonating with your Argent Foundation?¡±


    Ling Qi could feel an odd quivering in the ¡®skin¡¯ that had formed around her dantian when she advanced to the third stage of Argent Soul. Was that what Li Suyin was talking about?


    While she was thinking, Su Ling had reached out to grab the blue-haired girl¡¯s shoulder, her body language tense.


    ¡°Stop. There¡¯s something here,¡± she said harshly. ¡°I can¡¯t smell anything, but¡­ we aren¡¯t alone.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded. She could feel it now that she was looking, a strange stillness in the air. A moment later, her instincts screamed at her to move, and she did so, qi surging as she felt the edges of herself blurring into the darkness around her. She landed from her sideways dive in a controlled roll as a thunderous crash broke the silence of the night.


    The ridge beside her seemed to have come to life. What she had taken for a large rock formation now rose on two trunk-like limbs, even as it withdrew the ¡®arm¡¯ that it had just tried to crush her with. It was vaguely humanoid and stood nearly four meters tall. Its ¡®head¡¯ was little more than a vague lump with two glittering crystal growths where eyes would normally be.


    ¡°What the fuck is that?¡± Su Ling hissed, backing away with wide eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Sediment Guardian! T-they often appear around such deposits, seemingly spontaneously generated from the natural qi expelled by the stones. They come in several¡­¡± Li Suyin was backing up as well, panic in her eyes. She appeared to be reciting a book passage from memory.


    ¡°Can we kill it?¡± Ling Qi cut her off in a tight voice as she rose back to her feet, backing up as well.


    This wasn¡¯t a great arena to fight in. The area was barely eight meters from the start of the woods to the edge of the cliff and only twenty across from ridge to ridge. There wouldn¡¯t be a lot of room to dodge. At least the spirit didn¡¯t seem to be a hurry as it rose to its full height and took a single lumbering step forward.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have anything that can hurt a damn rock,¡± Su Ling said as she eyed the slowly approaching thing warily. ¡°I might be able to confuse it though, but hell if I know how that thing senses stuff.¡±


    ¡°Vibration and sound,¡± Li Suyin replied immediately. It seemed when Li Suyin panicked, she became an encyclopedia. ¡°Ah¡­ Supposedly, the crystal ¡®eyes¡¯ are a weakness, as well as the nodes on its back, but¡­¡±


    Ling Qi fought down her own fear as she continued to back away to stay out of the range of the thing¡¯s limbs. She was the closest, and Su Ling and Li Suyin were about four meters behind her near the woods. They could probably escape, but then, this expedition would have been all for nothing.


    Ling Qi doubted her ability to hurt the thing, ¡®eyes¡¯ or no, but¡­ She glanced toward the cliff. Would it survive falling off? Could she manage to lure it over the edge with Forgotten Vale Melody? Su Ling said she could confuse it too. Maybe if the two of them worked together¡­


    Unlike the bo staff, which Ling Qi had taken to leaving tucked under her bed, wrapped in cloth, Ling Qi had begun carrying her flute with her at all times since she mastered the first measure of Forgotten Vale Melody. She had even taken some effort to design a holder for the instrument in her sleeve so it was as simple as flicking her wrist to get the flute in her hand.


    ... Well, it was simple now. Practicing and adjusting the holder until she could do it without fail had taken more time than she would care to admit.


    ¡°Do it, Su Ling!¡± she snapped, her nerves vanishing the hesitation she would normally have felt at giving someone else an order. ¡°Buy me a few seconds at least. Li Suyin, stay back, alright?¡±


    ¡°Tch.¡± The fox-eared girl didn¡¯t otherwise protest although she gave the flute in Ling Qi¡¯s hand a curious glance as Li Suyin retreated further. Su Ling¡¯s long fluffy tail uncoiled from around her waist to wave behind her as she glared at the Guardian. She extended her hand, a single finger pointing at the towering mountain of rock. A single wavering ball of ghostly blue-grey fire flickered into view behind her head as she did.


    ¡°Get lost!¡± she growled at the spirit.


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure at first what the girl meant to accomplish, but then, fire the same color as the orb behind her flared up around the creature¡¯s crystal eyes and the Guardian jerked in place as if struck. It let out a furious rumble like an avalanche in the making and swiped its arm at the empty air to its left, smashing into the cliff with enough force that Ling Qi felt the vibration under her feet. It stamped one trunk-like leg to much the same effect.


    ¡°What did you do?!¡± Li Suyin asked in panic from somewhere behind as Ling Qi raised her flute to her lips, trying not to let her hands shake. The thing¡¯s furious bellows were intimidating as it flailed its limbs, particularly since it was still moving slowly in their direction even if it paused every few steps to swing at nothing.


    ¡°You said it used sound!¡± Su Ling snapped, her hand shaking as she kept a finger pointed steadily at the thing¡¯s head. Her fire cast her face in pallid light.


    ¡°I figured the sound of a few dozen miners pounding on it would keep it distracted!¡±


    ¡°Just try to help me lead it off the cliff! Can you adjust the direction?¡± Ling Qi called out, ignoring the byplay. It was the last chance she was going to get to talk for a bit because she finally began to play.


    As the first soft and almost whimsical notes of the Melody rang out over the cliff, Ling Qi began to circle, moving closer to the cliffside as the mist began to pour from every hole in her flute. The mist rapidly spread in a shadowy cloud to consume much of the cliffside. It took concentration to expand the musician¡¯s protection over to Su Ling. She would just have to hope that Li Suyin would hold still. Thankfully, the creature turned towards her almost immediately as she played.


    Perhaps it was the qi-charged sound of the song, or perhaps it had to do with the second ball of fire appearing behind Su Ling¡¯s head, but Ling Qi definitely had the thing¡¯s attention. Now, she just had to hope she could affect the thing with the second technique of her Forgotten Vale Melody. She doubted she could get it to walk off the cliff on its own if its senses weren¡¯t further clouded still.


    By now, Ling Qi was feeling more confident. The shaking in her hands had subsided, lending the music a clearer pitch as she began playing the next portion of the song. She continued steadily backing toward the edge of the cliff as the Guardian stomped toward her, no longer doing so at a leisurely pace. Although there were no visible effects, she felt her qi sink in through the thing¡¯s hide and soak in through its rigid, inflexible channels to mingle with the wild qi of Su Ling¡¯s technique.


    This seemed to infuriate the spirit even more. Its rumbling voice rose in a roar like a stone being split in twain by a hammer. It suddenly lunged at her with frightening speed, its arms raised to crush the apparent source of its irritation.


    Ling Qi jumped backwards on instinct, nearly fumbling the melody as the thing¡¯s massive fists smashed into the ground where she had just been. She stood at the very edge of the cliff now.


    The rock spirit let out another furious rumble and shook its head like a bull being pestered by flies. Its limbs hammered the ground, apparently uselessly, although the crack of stone worried her. If she could just get it to lunge again, she could do this.


    Ling Qi considered fully activating her movement technique, but in the end, she decided against it. The creature wasn¡¯t too difficult to dodge, and she wasn¡¯t yet at the point where she could afford to spend qi so freely.


    Driven to fury by whatever Su Ling was inflicting on its senses along with her song, it wasn¡¯t long before the creature lunged again, swinging wildly with its huge club fists. Ling Qi dodged desperately to the side as its rage seemed to have lent it further speed. She winced as she felt the wind of its attack¡¯s passage. The close call made her fumble her flute, the song fading away.


    The Sediment Guardian teetered on the edge of the cliff, having managed to stop itself just in time. Ling Qi felt dread pooling in her stomach as it began to turn toward her.


    ¡°Will you just fall already?!¡± Su Ling¡¯s voice snapped from deeper inside the dissipating mist. Ling Qi glanced at her in time to see the twin balls of pale fire behind Su Ling¡¯s head shoot forward like tiny falling stars.


    Instincts screaming at her to move, she dove away as far as she could from the guardian. The fires struck the ground and exploded.


    The fires failed to do more than scorch the guardian, but the ground was not so sturdy. Dirt and rock crumbled, and the spirit fell as the weakened cliffside collapsed under its weight. Ling Qi held her breath before the creature¡¯s landing resolved with a mighty crash some fifty or sixty meters below.


    ¡°Is it dead?¡± Li Suyin asked nervously as the mist finished clearing, daring to move up beside Su Ling once more. She was wringing her hands, looking decidedly pale.


    ¡°I fucking hope so,¡± Su Ling muttered. ¡°I can¡¯t do too many more blasts like that.¡±


    Su Ling had the same irritable expression as usual, but she seemed tired. The glance she shot Ling Qi held some respect now though.


    For her part, Ling Qi was the closest to the edge of the cliff and thus, the one who peered over it¡­ carefully. Sure enough, the remains of the guardian were scattered across the base of the cliff.


    Ling Qi kind of wanted to climb down and look through its remains. She could see something glittering in its shattered corpse. It was shiny, and she wanted it.


    ¡°It looks like we¡¯re clear,¡± she called back as she straightened. She could climb down later after they had figured out what the deal with this deposit was. ¡°So, Li Suyin, do you think¡­¡±


    ¡°What a beautiful melody that was.¡±


    Ling Qi stiffened as she heard a soft, masculine voice speak up from behind her. She whipped around and saw Su Ling doing the same. It took a moment for her to spot the source of the voice because he was seated in the upper branches of a tree. It was the odd boy from spiritual cultivation who had commented on Li Suyin¡¯s hands. Huang Da, if she remembered correctly.


    The thin, lanky boy dropped down gracefully to the ground as she spotted him. He seemed different, more energetic than he was in class. The unsettling lopsided grin on his normally expressionless face didn¡¯t help, nor did the sickle clasped loosely in his right hand.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Ling Qi asked flatly, already falling back into a defensive stance. She could see Su Ling doing the same, one of her curved knives having found its way into her hand. Li Suyin was pale-faced and had slipped behind the fox girl.


    ¡°That is a bit of a difficult question,¡± Huang Da responded thoughtfully, lingering at the treeline as he cast his sightless gaze over them. ¡°Had you asked me when I set out tonight, I would have said that I merely wished to observe my lovely scholar for the evening.¡±


    Li Suyin made a strangled sound that Ling Qi found entirely appropriate for the situation, even as Su Ling shifted in front of the blue-haired girl, baring her sharp teeth in an unfriendly fashion.


    ¡°But then, I saw you,¡± Huang Da continued, gesturing toward Ling Qi with his sickle. ¡°The way you bloomed in the Dark. I had not paid you much mind before. To think there was another such vision of loveliness right under my nose¡­¡±


    Ling Qi felt the hairs on the back of her neck prickling. She preferred this guy better when he didn¡¯t talk and seemed half-asleep. She also didn¡¯t miss his emphasis on the word Dark; he must be able to sense the element she was using somehow.


    ¡°Thank you. I think,¡± Ling Qi managed, mostly masking her real feelings. She held back from saying what she actually wanted to say due to her interest in not starting a fight.


    ¡°Just spit it out already, ya creep.¡± Su Ling was apparently unable to do the same. ¡°If you just wanted to do your shitty flirting, you wouldn¡¯t have popped up here.¡±


    ¡°Mongrels like you should know better than to bark at your betters. You should control your pet better, Li Suyin,¡± Huang Da responded irritably. ¡°But yes, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t let this chance pass by. There are only three spots at the top, and that Ji Rong is all but certain to get one. To have to choose between two such beauties¡­ How unfortunate.¡±


    Ling QI bristled. She hated this guy¡¯s attitude and the implication that he would just¡­ choose which one of them was allowed to use it. Her emotions were tempered by the fact that he was apparently confident enough to appear before all three of them like this. There was also the fact that he had managed to follow them without being noticed.


    ¡°You know you can¡¯t attack us, right? The truce is still in effect. You can¡¯t make any of us stay away from this place.¡±


    ¡°Rules and laws are relative,¡± Huang Da replied with a shrug of his shoulders. ¡°And all things are not as they seem. You should know that well enough, Ling Qi. Did not Bai Meizhen harm someone on your behalf only a few weeks ago? The truce is not nearly so ironclad out here in the wild. So I really am afraid that I can only let one of you stay here with me, how sad¡­¡±


    Li Suyin was trembling behind Su Ling, who looked ready to outright assault the boy physically if her body language was any indication. This was a problem. Ling Qi needed every advantage she could get, but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to play along with this asshole to get it. That didn¡¯t even take into consideration that she would have to betray Li Suyin and Su Ling to do so.


    He had to be confident to confront them all like this, but if they all attacked together...

 Chapter 30-Mountainside Clash 2

    It was probably telling that the first guy to ever compliment her looks was both a complete creep and also physically blind, Ling Qi thought irritably. It was an irrelevant thought but one that crossed her mind nonetheless as she thought furiously on how to resolve this situation in her - their - favor.


    If she kept him talking, it would give her more time to think. She was wary of being the first one to attack; he could be bluffing about the laxness in the Elders¡¯ enforcement of the rules, trying to trick them into breaking truce first..


    ¡°So¡­ I¡¯m thinking that I see a few flaws with your plan,¡± Ling Qi pointed out politely, if dryly.


    Huang Da cocked his head to the side. Ling Qi¡¯s instincts, honed from years in the street and perhaps a little from observing her mother and her clients, told her this guy was bad news. He was the kind of guy who wouldn¡¯t just hurt someone because he had something to gain but because he enjoyed it.


    ¡°Is that so? I suppose I could explain some of my reasoning if it would gain your favor,¡± he mused, not seeming perturbed by Ling Qi¡¯s observation.


    It was difficult to keep a straight face, particularly with Su Ling shooting her a suspicious look.


    ¡°How do you figure that you¡¯re going to keep this to yourself? Whatever you say, I doubt the Elders are going to just ignore two or three people disappearing before the truce is even over. Especially since two of us are in the advanced courses.¡± Ling Qi suppressed a wince at the fox girl¡¯s scowl but pressed on. ¡°But if we don¡¯t¡­ disappear, we can just share the location, you know. This is assuming I don¡¯t just give it to Bai Meizhen.¡±


    Huang Da hummed thoughtfully to himself, the sickle in his hand twitching with the tightening and loosening of his grip.


    ¡°That is a pretty good point,¡± he admitted. ¡°For all that you lack my lovely scholar¡¯s refinement, you have a bit of wit to go with your resplendent qi and grace. I think you may overestimate the Elder¡¯s interest in such things. But I may be wrong. Some may cleave closely to the supposed spirit of the rules. Suffice to say, I am confident that whoever leaves this place will not speak of it, even without such permanent solutions,¡± Huang Da finished pleasantly.


    Ling Qi swallowed. That wasn¡¯t ominous at all. Su Ling certainly thought so given the way the tension in her stance ratcheted up.


    ¡°Well, call me convinced,¡± Ling Qi said flatly. ¡°But there¡¯s no way that I¡¯m going to willingly stay with you alone or let you take advantage of Li Suyin. You¡¯d probably just slit our throats afterward anyway.¡±


    ¡°That kind of accusation is just uncalled for. I¡¯m hardly some barbarian brute,¡± Huang Da replied, sounding affronted.


    ¡°U-um, can we please¡­ please not fight? I-I understand that you want to win the competition. I-I don¡¯t know why you want access to the archives so badly, but it can¡¯t be worth hurting your fellow disciples like this. Couldn¡¯t we come to an agreement instead?¡± Li Suyin asked plaintively. ¡°I would¡­ I would really appreciate that, and¡­¡±


    Li Suyin trailed off as Huang Da shook his head.


    ¡°Your naivety is sweet. A lovely trait for a lovely girl. But no, that is a request I cannot fulfill. I will not be the loser in this competition,¡± he said regretfully. ¡°Now, I think that is enough chatter. Sadly, it seems neither of you seem interested in joining me. I imagine you will be pliable enough once we have some time alone, Li Suyin.¡±


    Su Ling began to snarl something, no longer able to keep a leash on her temper, but Ling Qi didn¡¯t have time to listen. Her time in Elder Zhou¡¯s lessons had not been for nothing; she saw the minute twitch in his shoulders and the change in his stance so she was ready when he moved, rushing her in a shadowy blur.


    Even with dark qi flooding her legs and blurring her shape, she was unable to completely avoid what came next. She ducked the initial swing of the straight edged sickle but was unprepared when his other hand clenched and moved. She felt something heavy and spiked smash against her ribs. Although she managed to move with the impact, it left a heavy bruise.


    Ling Qi could see a glittering black chain extending from the bottom of the sickle now, and the malevolent-looking spiked weight at its end was now a spinning blur as Huang Da adjusted his footing to face her. Her ribs felt cold and numb where he had struck her, but she didn¡¯t have time to think about that or the excited and admiring look she saw on his face. He hadn¡¯t been expecting her to dodge even that well.


    Ling Qi flicked a knife into her free hand and plucked at the threads of the wind around her before flinging the knife at center mass. She didn¡¯t need a perfect hit; even a nick would be enough to trigger the Zephyr¡¯s Breath technique and slow him down. She would be essentially tapped out on qi, but she couldn¡¯t afford to hold back at this point.


    Her first throw was merely a feint, but it did its job of drawing the spinning chain and weight up and out of position as she dropped her flute and flicked a second knife into her other hand. This one flew true, and she had the pleasure of seeing the boy¡¯s blank eyes widen as the knife passed under the sickle blade he¡¯d tried to use to bat the knife out of the way. It struck true on his side but bounced away in a flare of black qi rather than dig into his flesh.


    This didn¡¯t matter to her though. She felt the currents of air take hold around him just in time for Su Ling to charge into the fray, ghostly fire glittering on her fingers and knife in her hand.


    Huang Da dodged to the side to avoid Su Ling¡¯s knife, but his movements, hindered by Ling Qi¡¯s technique, were a hair too slow to avoid the wispy burst of fire from her other hand. He came out of it with only a few embers burning on his robes and hair and a burn on the hand holding the swinging chain, which seemed to have blocked the brunt of the fire. He looked thoroughly displeased.


    ¡°Get out of my way,¡± he snapped, a twitch of his hand sending the glittering black chain darting out. Su Ling avoided it, but she was unprepared as it changed direction mid-air to coil around her arm, leaving her unable to dodge as he brought the sickle blade down, The blade slashed down from her shoulder to her waist with a spray of blood.


    Ling Qi went pale at the sight, but instinct drilled into her during training with Instructor Zhou prevented her from freezing at the sight. She stumbled as she felt the bruise on her ribs throb painfully, and the numbness spread from it, making her right arm tremble violently.


    Some kind of poison?


    This just made it all the more urgent to finish this fight quickly. Huang Da¡¯s weapon was still tangled up with Su Ling, and she took the opportunity to fish out the Qi card imbued with Bai Meizhen¡¯s technique from where it was tucked under the collar of her gown. She pushed her qi into it, focusing fully on the dangerous boy as she did so.


    The brush of Bai Meizhen¡¯s qi against her own was like ice in her veins, the numbing, deadly cold of impossibly deep waters. It was a heady rush. For a moment, she felt as if she were a giant staring down at a pathetic insect from on high, his fate entirely hers to decide. It passed quickly enough, but it was clear that it had struck the boy successfully. He was pale-faced and trembling, not even looking at Su Ling as she slumped to her knees in front of him.


    Despite his seeming paralysis, his chain seemed to have a will of its own, uncoiling without a single motion from him. There was still an unsettling intensity in his blind gaze, an undercurrent of excitement and want beneath the supernatural fear she had inflicted on him.


    The disturbing moment passed when Su Ling let out a snarl and raised her head.


    ¡°D¡¯n¡¯t you fuckin¡¯ ign¡¯re me,¡± she slurred, clearly in a great deal of pain. ¡°Burn.¡±


    Her final word was very clear, and Huang Da barely had a moment to tear his eyes away from Ling Qi before the tiny embers still smoldering on his robes erupted into blazing blue-grey fires.


    Huang Da cried out in pain, stumbling back as Su Ling collapsed to the ground, having expended herself with that last move. The Huang Da that emerged from the flames was decidedly worse for the wear, his robe burnt away to expose his thin physique and angry red burns covering his skin.


    ¡°I really did not imagine you were this beautiful. To reduce me enough that a beast could do this. To make me feel this way...¡± His voice was manic as he stared at Ling Qi. ¡°But it¡¯s time to end this.¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked in surprise as she heard Li Suyin speak. She had lost track of the other girl entirely during the fight, so focused she had been on her opponent. So it was shocking to see her standing behind Huang Da, having just laid a hand on his back. The boy arched his back and retched, coughing up blood and bits of flesh, losing his grip on the sickle half of his weapon as he did so.


    The boy spun instinctively, backhanding Li Suyin across the face, causing the girl to crumple to the ground with a cry of pain. Whatever poison Huang Da had inflicted on Ling Qi seemed to be fading thankfully as the numbness in her side seemed to subside after another painful pulse that left most of her right side and arm numb and useless.


    Huang Da¡¯s breathing came out ragged and wet, trickles of blood running down his chin. Though he was still standing Ling Qi could read body language well enough. He was going to run. Whatever Li Suyin had done had pushed him over the line from thinking he could win.


    The question was if she wanted to allow that or not. He had stalked them, tried to intimidate them, and hurt them. She wasn¡¯t feeling very merciful, but she wasn¡¯t feeling very strong either. She was out of qi, wounded, and surrounded by potential hostages if she couldn¡¯t put him down right away.


    The decision was taken from her Her moment of indecision gave Huang Da time to stumble backwards a few steps and rip something off of his wrist with his free hand, vanishing in a burst of starlight.


    ¡°...Damn it,¡± Ling Qi cursed under her breath, hands clenching into fists as she stared at the spot he had been.


    Ling Qi hurried over to Li Suyin and Su Ling. Li Suyin was already sitting up, moaning weakly. She had tears in her her eyes as she cradled her cheek, which was already swelling and bruising purple. Her lips were bloody where her teeth had cut them.


    ¡°M fine,¡± Li Suyin murmured at at Ling Qi¡¯s concerned look. ¡°Check Su Ling.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded distractedly, turning the fox girl over so that she was lying on her back.


    ¡°What did you do to him?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°And how did you get so close?¡±


    Su Ling was breathing shallowly, blood flowing sluggishly from the wound that extended from her shoulder to her hip. Fortunately, she had been wearing something like a vest of cured leather under her robe, and although the piece of equipment was ruined, it had prevented the cut from being fatal. Ling Qi guessed that Su Ling had been knocked out by the same spreading numbness that had been inflicted on her.


    ¡°I-I studied a movement technique¡­ after¡­ things got hard for you. It lets me avoid others when I¡­ when I need to,¡± Li Suyin explained haltingly. ¡°And...it¡¯s easier to break things.¡± Li Suyin¡¯s shoulders were shaking and further tears welling in her eyes even as she pulled herself over to help with Su Ling. ¡°I can¡¯t heal. I don¡¯t have the control¡­ but if I just reach in and twist¡­¡±


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure what to say. She wished that the girl could have just made the bastard¡¯s heart explode, but she doubted Li Suyin would want to hear that. Whatever Li Suyin had done seemed to have really bothered her. Ling Qi had a feeling that her friend was only holding it together out of a need to make sure Su Ling was okay.


    Instead, she just patted Li Suyin¡¯s shoulder silently and helped her get Su Ling bandaged up. Su Ling soon stirred to wakefulness.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Su Ling cursed as she cracked her eyes open, taking a moment to focus on their faces. ¡°...I get him?¡±


    ¡°No, but we drove him off in the end,¡± Ling Qi said.


    Su Ling glanced from Ling Qi¡¯s somber face over to Li Suyin, who had her head down with tears still running down her cheeks, and let out a huff.


    ¡°Sucks he got away,¡± Su Ling murmured uncertainty. ¡°Guess we¡¯re gonna have to come up here together from now on.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, probably,¡± Ling Qi muttered. ¡°We should probably head down by way of the cliff once we figure this place out. It¡¯ll be shorter, less beasts. We¡¯re not in any shape for another fight.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sounds good. I have some rope in my pack,¡± Su Ling responded with a bit more confidence before glancing at Li Suyin and losing it. ¡°...You still gonna be okay to identify stuff?¡±


    ¡°O-of course,¡± Li Suyin responded, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for that. I-I¡¯ll just be a moment.¡±


    The site really was amazing. Just sitting around it for an hour or so while everyone caught their breath was enough for Ling Qi to feel her dantian beginning to refill. She could feel the ¡®skin¡¯ she had created with Argent Soul pulsing in time with the mist rising from the vent, growing infinitesimally thicker with each passing moment. It was worth making enemies over, she thought.


    Once they could manage to move, they headed down the cliffside and took a look through the remains of the guardian as well. The shiny crystals she had seen turned out to be spirit stones, which a still-distressed Li Suyin had murmured was normal for such things. They divided the jagged natural spirit stones as evenly as they could by weight.


    The expedition could only be called a success, but it was only the beginning. The truce, dubious as she now felt it was, would be over soon, and Ling Qi had a feeling that Huang Da wouldn¡¯t be content with just licking his wounds and backing down.

 Bonus 6: Charity

    ¡°Will you cease your fidgeting?¡± Gu Xiulan chided irritably, working her hairbrush through the veritable bird¡¯s nest that the other girls hair had become.


    Ling Qi grimaced and stilled herself, clutching the arms of the chair she was seated in with a white knuckled grip. ¡°Sorry, not used to this,¡± she replied stiffly.


    ¡°So I gathered,¡± Gu Xiulan replied haughtily. At least the other girl was less tense than she had been earlier, while Gu Xiulan had been applying the rejuvenating elixir. She supposed that it was good to know that Ling Qi was so weak to physical contact. It was important to know the flaws in allies as well as enemies after all.


    That was rather the point after all. From what she had observed, Ling Qi was rather easy to manipulate. A small show of equitable treatment and a few stones spent on charity were enough to cement a positive relationship. She was rather glad that she had restrained her more aggressive instincts in that regard.


    Mother would be proud of her, she was sure, Gu Xiulan thought smugly as she fought the mess the other girl had made of her hair. It was just good sense to acquire those of good talent. Gu Xiulan had always wanted a handmaiden of her own after all.


    ¡°Are you sure we can¡¯t leave it at this for today?¡± Ling Qi asked, squirming a bit in her seat.


    ¡°What did I just say?¡± Gu Xiulan replied. ¡°This will be for naught if we leave things half done.¡±


    Besides, there was a certain amusement to this. Gu Xiulan had no younger sisters, but doing this did remind her of time spent with younger cousins. She smirked at the memory of little Xu-Xu complaining while she put ribbons in his hair and used him as a dummy for testing her cosmetics.


    Ling Qi was certainly oddly childish about this kind of thing, for all that she had proved a competent cultivator. Gu Xiulan chalked it up to the pride of the deprived. Many lesser clans in Golden Fields that had not recovered as well as the Gu still refused the trappings of civilization, as if they were somehow better for choosing to act like filthy sand diggers, barely better than roving beggers and bandits.


    Well Ling Qi was sensible enough not to be stubborn about it, which was one thing that she liked about the other girl. Though she came across as a bit of a cringing coward at times, Gu Xiulan had seen the ruthless pragmatism that lay at the core of her. Though her father had taught her the methods to strike at the body to inflict maximum pain, and her mother had taught her the art of honing word and gesture into weapons, their lessons agreed on one thing. Once one had decided what they wanted, achieving that goal came before everything else.


    Honor, face, and prestige were useful tools, but that was all that they were. She suspected that Ling Qi knew that lesson well, even if she hadn¡¯t the skill with the tools Gu Xiulan¡¯s parents had given her.


    Gu Xiulan pursed her lips as she at last pulled the brush free, eyeing Ling Qi¡¯s still curled locks with a critical eye. This was probably as good as could be achieved today. It would take more applications of elixir to straighten her hair entirely. ¡°Well, I suppose that will have to do.¡±


    She did not comment at the way Ling Qi brightened up. Really the girl could be such an open book. They would have to work on that. Gu Xiulan would just have to keep heckling her she supposed. ¡°Really? Ah, thank you for your help Xiulan,¡± she hurriedly amended her excited declaration.


    ¡°Now, now, I did not say we were done,¡± she replied sweetly, laying her hands on Ling Qi¡¯s shoulders. ¡°There are a few braiding techniques you should learn first. You need to be able to take care of your own appearance after all.¡±


    Ling Qi pressed her lips together, clearly restraining a grimace. ¡°Alright, well that doesn¡¯t sound like a bad idea, friends are supposed to do that kind of thing for each other sometimes, right?¡±


    ¡°Why of course,¡± Gu Xiulan replied smoothly. Ones immediate retainers and maids were often the ones a noble was closest with after all. She knew that she cared more for Mother¡¯s head maid than she did for her actual aunts after all. She would have to work on Ling Qi¡¯s vocabulary though.


    ¡°I wonder if Bai Meizhen would let me help her,¡± Ling Qi muttered.


    Gu Xiulan felt her smile freeze for a moment. That was the biggest problem with her plan. Ling Qi was tied to the Bai scion, and if it came down to opposing her or allowing her plan to fail there was only one choice. Pursuing a goal with ones full abilities did not mean being willing to dive into a poisonous oasis for it. Still she thought her chances good. The Bai were an insular bunch, they rarely recruited their households from those outside their branch clans. ¡°Perhaps,¡± Xiulan said, not letting her concern enter her voice. ¡°In any case, are you ready to begin?¡±


    Ling Qi nodded firmly, and Gu Xiulan grinned, plucking thoughtfully at Ling Qi¡¯s hair. ¡°Hmm where shall we begin then¡­¡±


    ¡°Nothing too complex I hope,¡± Ling Qi replied looking back over her shoulder.


    ¡°Of course not, there is no use in moving directly to advanced forms when the student doesn¡¯t even have the stances down,¡± Gu Xiulan replied haughtily. ¡°Well, perhaps the swordmaiden¡¯s braid would be the simplest starting point, Neither of us has the art or skill for maintaining the more complex patterns in a fight¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it,¡± Ling Qi replied dryly, and Gu Xiulan narrowed her eyes at the slight jibe. Yes, Ling Qi was one to keep.


    ¡°As you should,¡± she replied with a sniff. ¡°Well to begin with, gather your hair at the nape of your neck¡­¡± Gu Xiulan began, keeping her motions slow so that Ling Qi could follow.


    It was good to have a subordinate one could unwind with.

 Chapter 31-Mountainside Clash 3

    Ling Qi¡¯s lesson with Elder Zhou that morning was a bit of a disaster. Seeing as she had only had a few hours to rest after their battle with Huang Da, she was still sore, tired, and numb from his poison. She had recovered some motion in her right arm, but it still made the exercises she was expected to perform incredibly painful and awkward.


    She powered through, gritting her teeth and forcing herself to keep up with the rear of the pack on the morning run. She avoided being reprimanded by Elder Zhou, and that was all that mattered. She didn¡¯t care about the assholes who sneered at her struggles.


    The spars were pretty brutal that day, and with how many times she ended upon on her back in the dirt, she wanted to scream by the time they were done. She had not had the time to recover her qi so she could not use her techniques. Soon, she promised herself, she would wipe the smug off of a few faces.


    Ling Qi was interrupted from her brooding thoughts in the aftermath of the lesson by Han Jian¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Ling Qi. Hey, Ling Qi.¡± She startled as she looked up from the weapon rack she had been leaning against as class dispersed for the day to find Han Jian and Han Fang looking down at her with concern. Gu Xiulan stood a short distance behind them with her arms crossed, studying her intently.


    ¡°You doing alright? I saw you favoring your left side,¡± Han Jian continued when he saw that he actually had her attention.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Ling Qi responded instinctively, forcing herself to straighten up despite the pain in her ribs. ¡°Just¡­ had a couple rough encounters while I was out exploring last night. I didn¡¯t get back till a few hours before training.¡±


    She didn¡¯t explain the Huang Da encounter because it would almost certainly involve mentioning the vent, and she hadn¡¯t run that by Li Suyin and Su Ling yet. This was mostly because Su Ling had almost collapsed when they got to the bottom of the cliff, and Li Suyin had to support her for the rest of the trip back to the residential area.


    Han Jian peered at her with a frown on his face, and she squirmed under the inspection. He could probably tell that she was hiding something.


    ¡°Alright, if you think you¡¯ll be fine. I was going to ask if you wanted to come train with us. I wanted to work on my Dawn¡¯s Courage technique now that I¡¯ve broken through and opened some more meridians, but if you aren¡¯t up for it¡­¡± (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    That was his heart technique if she remembered correctly.


    ¡°Thanks for offering,¡± Ling Qi said regretfully. ¡°I¡¯m going to be really busy for awhile though. I¡¯m aiming to win a spot in the top three in Elder Su¡¯s lessons for the Archive prize so I¡¯ll be studying and cultivating with Li Suyin a lot this week.¡± Ling Qi paused, feeling awkward as she recalled an issue. ¡°Ah. Have I introduced you to Li Suyin? She¡¯s my friend in the spiritual lessons.¡±


    Gu Xiulan gave Ling Qi a reproachful look.


    ¡°You have not nor have you even mentioned her previously,¡± Gu Xiulan said irritably. ¡°I believe I have seen her around. Is it that waifish girl with the blue hair? I had noticed you speaking to her, but I did not know you were so close.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen her,¡± Han Jian said, shooting Gu Xiulan a quelling look. ¡°That¡¯s fine. Just make sure you¡¯re careful with what you¡¯re doing. If you hurt yourself badly, it can set you back a lot more than moderating your pace will.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded and gave Han Jian and Gu Xiulan an apologetic look.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be careful,¡± she said to Han Jian then turned to Gu Xiulan. ¡°Sorry. Studying with Li Suyin just never came up. I just¡­ I really need all the advantages I can get, you know?¡±


    That seemed to mollify Gu Xiulan, who sighed theatrically.


    ¡°I suppose it would be hypocritical for me to tell you not to strive for high rewards, but you must stop being so reticent.¡± The reproach returned to her tone. ¡°Really. You hardly say a thing about yourself.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Ling Qi muttered, lowering her head. ¡°I¡¯ll try to be a little more open.¡± It felt wrong to say that given what she was currently hiding from them, but what else could she do?


    They parted ways after that, and Ling Qi began the trek back to the residential area. She needed to speak with Su Ling and Li Suyin about the possibility of bringing Bai Meizhen to the vent. It would make cultivating there much safer.


    Ling Qi¡¯s trudge back to the disciple housing was less than pleasant. She still felt sore and sluggish, and more than one of her fellow disciples seemed to take that as a sign that it was fine to ¡®accidentally¡¯ bump into her or otherwise cause her trouble. One asshole even knocked her down as he pushed past her without a word in the plaza.


    She committed his ratty face to memory along with the faces of the girls off to the side tittering at her plight. Nothing truly concerning happened beyond that, but Ling Qi still had a scowl fixed firmly on her face by the time she was rapping her knuckles on Suyin¡¯s door.


    ¡°Li Suyin! It¡¯s Ling Qi. Can you let me in?¡±


    There were some shuffling sounds from the other side of the door and a clattering of clay bottles before the door cracked open a notch, revealing a scowling Su Ling. Her expression eased up a little when she saw Ling Qi¡¯s face.


    ¡°Come in,¡± she grunted grudgingly, opening the door a little wider and stepping aside.


    Now that Ling Qi got a better look at the feral girl, she could see the bandages swathing her upper body. They were easily visible under the girl¡¯s gown. Su Ling¡¯s hand kept twitching as if she wanted to scratch at it before the girl would stop herself.


    The interior was messier than usual with a pile of bloody bandages in one corner that Ling Qi recognized as the field dressing Li Suyin had done on the mountain. There was also a scattering of clay bottles on the floor around Li Suyin, who sat in the middle of the room with her head down. Li Suyin looked like she was about to pass out where she sat.


    ¡°So what is it?¡± Su Ling asked bluntly as she kicked the door shut behind Ling Qi. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re getting back up there today unless you want to carry her.¡± Su Ling, jabbed a thumb in Li Suyin¡¯s direction. The blue-haired girl jerked slightly as if startled by Su Ling¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Hm? Yes¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I just¡­ I only just finished cleaning and dressing her wounds properly,¡± Li Suyin murmured tiredly. ¡°Getting the salves and medicines from the market took some time.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced over at Su Ling as she leaned against the door, arms crossed. The other girl simply shrugged, looking uncomfortable.


    ¡°I figured cashing in some savings to make sure I healed up right was worth it. I needed Li Suyin to come along so I didn¡¯t get cheated.¡±


    ¡°I kind of assumed we all needed a bit of rest,¡± Ling Qi responded neutrally, eyeing Li Suyin with some concern. ¡°I actually wanted to talk to you two about what we¡¯re going to do about Huang Da though. He isn¡¯t going to drop this.¡±


    Li Suyin¡¯s face fell and she hugged herself.


    ¡°Are you certain? I¡­ we beat him. That should be enough, right? The damage I did shouldn¡¯t heal easily. I-I targeted his lungs...¡± Her voice was barely audible, even in the tiny room.


    Ling Qi saw Su Ling¡¯s hands clench into fists and heard a low growl escape the girl¡¯s throat.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he can get medicine too,¡± Su Ling said bluntly. ¡°You did good. But Ling Qi¡¯s right. We can¡¯t assume he¡¯s gonna stay down. We don¡¯t go up there alone, I assume. Gonna be a pain in the ass for my hunting.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking something a little more,¡± Ling Qi admitted carefully. She liked to think that she had gotten slightly better at talking to people since she had come here. ¡°I think we should tell my housemate, Bai Meizhen, about the vent. If she cultivates up there too, we should be safe from Huang Da.¡±


    Su Ling looked distinctly unhappy, but Li Suyin simply continued staring at her lap.


    ¡°Yeah, fine, snake girl is strong, I¡¯ll give you that. We can¡¯t just go handing our prize out like that though. She didn¡¯t do anything to help us, and who is going to stop her from just sharing it around with whoever she wants?¡± Su Ling said angrily. Ling Qi noted that Su Ling didn¡¯t completely reject the idea though.


    ¡°That card I used to make him freeze was something she gave me,¡± Ling Qi admitted quietly. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t have run if not for that.¡±


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t dumb. She had been one good hit from falling over. If he had continued fighting, there were good odds she would have also gone down. Ling Qi shuddered to think of what might have happened. ¡°And I don¡¯t think she would share the vent¡¯s location. As far as I know, I¡¯m the only one she really talks to.¡±


    ¡°I am fine with telling her,¡± Li Suyin muttered. ¡°If¡­ if it means we don¡¯t have to fight over it again, isn¡¯t that better?¡±


    Su Ling tensed, her knuckles going white before she let out a long breath, forcibly relaxing herself. ¡°Fine. If you want to trust her, we will. Whatever happens is on you.¡±


    ¡°Right. We should probably head over to my place then,¡± Ling Qi replied, relieved that they had agreed to it. Ling Qi did her best to conceal the wobble in her stance. The numbness was still fading slowly.


    ¡°I figured you two should be there when we talk to her about it.¡±


    The two of them agreed easily enough, reluctantly in Su Ling¡¯s case and listlessly in Li Suyin¡¯s. Ling Qi really hoped that the other girl would be in better shape once she got some sleep. A short time thereafter, the three of them arrived at Ling Qi¡¯s home. Ling Qi knocked twice on the door before opening it.


    ¡°Bai Meizhen, I¡¯m home, and I have a couple guests. Is it ok to let them in?¡± she called as she opened the door a crack and peered in.


    ¡°Guests?¡± her housemate called back as she exited her room, a slight frown on her fine features. Her hair was still slightly damp, even if she was otherwise as impeccable as always, so she must have been washing up. Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure how Bai Meizhen bathed in her room given that she¡¯s never seen a basin or a tub in the few times she¡¯s glimpsed the inside.


    ¡°I suppose that is fine. I must ask that you refrain from using our meditation chamber. I currently have some effects in place for my own cultivation,¡± Bai Meizhen said as she shut the door to her bedroom.


    Ling Qi stepped inside, leaving the door open for her other friends.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± she replied. ¡°We actually wanted to talk to you about something. Well, more like, I wanted to offer you something, and it wouldn¡¯t be fair for them to not be here.¡±


    Bai Meizhen cocked her head to the side curiously as she regarded the two girls Ling Qi had brought. Su Ling looked both tense and uncomfortable, her pointed furry ears laid back flat against the side of her head as she stubbornly met Bai Meizhen¡¯s slit-pupiled gaze. Li Suyin looked to be doing her best impression of a frightened mouse although she, at least, made the effort to bow her head respectfully and mumble an unintelligible greeting.


    ¡°...I see,¡± Bai Meizhen replied neutrally. ¡°Do close the door,¡± she added in the same tone, moving off toward the merrily burning fire in the hearth. ¡°I suppose this has to do with why you are wounded, Ling Qi?¡±


    ¡°It does,¡± Ling Qi admitted as she followed her roommate. She gestured for Su Ling and Li Suyin to follow them once the duo had shut the door behind them. ¡°We were doing a little exploring last night and searching for better places to cultivate.¡±


    ¡°A worthy pursuit,¡± Bai Meizhen said. ¡°You came into conflict with another disciple over it then?¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± Su Ling snapped. ¡°What, you get some divination in the package too?¡±


    Bai Meizhen gave Su Ling a reproachful look, which stopped her in her tracks.


    ¡°The poisonous qi clinging to the two of you is artificial in design. Obviously, it did not come from a spirit beast. It is beginning to fade already. It will not linger for more than perhaps another half-day.¡±


    ¡°T-thank you. I had thought so as well, but I wasn¡¯t sure if I had made a mistake or not.¡± Li Suyin flinched when Bai Meizhen¡¯s gaze landed on her but continued, ¡°U-um¡­ may I ask, do you think we should go to the Elders about this? I¡­ he attacked us. Isn¡¯t that supposed to be against the rules?¡±


    Bai Meizhen¡¯s expression was unreadable. ¡°I would not expect much, no. I assume this happened well off the primary paths?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it did,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°He even said that he doubted the Elders would do anything about it.¡±


    ¡°He is somewhat correct,¡± Bai Meizhen replied as she gracefully sat down by the fire, folding her hands in her lap. ¡°The ¡®truce¡¯ is not ironclad. The Elders of the Sect are far too busy to watch every part of the mountain at once. They would investigate a killing, of course, or perhaps even serious and permanent injuries if the disciple in question held their interest. But no, the Empire¡¯s justice is far from absolute, whatever its proponents might say.¡±


    Li Suyin¡¯s shoulders sunk further and she stared down at the floor from where she stood behind Su Ling.


    ¡°That sounds about right,¡± Su Ling grumbled, her tail wriggling in an agitated manner around her waist. ¡°You gonna tell her or what?¡± she asked, shooting Ling Qi a look.


    Ling Qi nodded and took a deep breath. She was going to feel really foolish if Bai Meizhen didn¡¯t agree to come.


    ¡°We found a natural spirit stone deposit. It had both yellow and red veins of crystal and was venting some kind of mist that reacted to our Argent Foundations. I was hoping that you might be interested in cultivating with us when we go there.¡±


    Ling Qi was treated to the sight of Bai Meizhen¡¯s snowy white eyebrows climbing high as the other girl stared at her.


    ¡°The three of you found one of the mountains vents? I had been¡­¡± Bai Meizhen trailed off, shaking her head. ¡°Your fortune is rather amazing¡­ but I suppose one with a fox¡¯s blood would be useful in penetrating illusions.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ling Qi asked before Su Ling could say something rude.


    ¡°There are a handful of such sites on every one of the Sect¡¯s mountains. This mountain has the smallest and least potent deposits. It is why the Outer Sect is located here. On this mountain, they are hidden as prizes for enterprising disciples,¡± Bai Meizhen explained. ¡°I had thought I was on the path to one of them, but I was not been able to penetrate the illusory formation around it.¡±


    That would explain the ease of the cliffside path, Ling Qi thought. She had wondered why no one had found it from that side, but she had been too distracted to really think about it. She glanced to Su Ling, who shrugged irritably.


    ¡°I could smell a bunch of qi in the air meant to lead us off track. Figured it was some beast marking its territory,¡± Su Ling mumbled self consciously.


    ¡°I believe I will find the time to join you,¡± Bai Meizhen mused. ¡°It would prove a boon in allowing me to complete the Argent Soul and move on to other tasks.¡± She seemed pretty pleased to Ling Qi.


    The four of them spent some time afterward discussing when the best time to cultivate at the vent would be, and in the end, they agreed to meet after Ling Qi¡¯s morning lessons. That decided, they broke up and went their separate ways.


    Ling Qi went to bed. She needed to rest lest she risk nodding off during Elder Su¡¯s lecture.

 Chapter 32-Mountainside Clash 4

    Sleep left Ling Qi feeling refreshed. Her side was still numb, but the motion had largely returned to her arm. She took just a bit of vicious satisfaction in the fact that Huang Da wasn¡¯t present at Elder Su¡¯s lecture.


    She didn¡¯t allow herself to dwell though. Instead, she focused on Elder Su¡¯s lecture on the function and meaning of the Argent Soul technique. It was interesting if a little hard to follow at times. The Argent Soul technique and its more advanced forms functioned on the principle that every individual was unique and held the potential to find a perfect balance among the imperial elements.


    Few ever achieved this potential, but balance remained the core of the technique. It was essentially the reinforcement of the self. The exercises the Argent Soul technique was based on had the purpose of purifying the qi the cultivator absorbed of all elemental essence, leaving only the pure and unadulterated qi of the World. In principle.


    What they were actually doing was nowhere near that purity, and their bodies would not be able to handle it if it were. The Argent Soul was designed to allow its users to slowly spread a foundational layer of ¡®pure¡¯ qi throughout their bodies beginning with the dantian then spreading to the bones and organs, reinforcing them to handle larger and denser quantities of qi.


    What exactly balance meant differed from person to person as every individual was unique. It was implied, Ling Qi thought, that the strong personalities of certain elders was a result of mastering the Argent Soul line of cultivation arts because it magnified the unique quirks of the individual who used it.


    As the lesson ended, Ling Qi once again lingered behind to ask a question of the Elder, this time about her recent experience with cultivation pills. The Elder informed her that as someone of simple background, Ling Qi¡¯s body was simply not acclimated to large amounts of medicinal energy. Given her cultivation and her continued use of pills, she should now be essentially fine to use them as she willed although the Elder warned her that some medicines should not be used until certain realms were reached. Ignoring such warnings could have dire consequences.


    Ling Qi fell heavily into cultivation as the rest of the week passed. She barely ate or slept as she concentrated on mastering the next exercises of the Argent Soul cultivation art. It was a heady feeling, having the pure qi in her body slowly expand and soak into her bones starting from her spine outward.


    With every breath that she spent cultivating, the energy flowed more smoothly and with less loss. It felt like she had been congested her entire life and could only now breathe freely as her Argent Foundation expanded from bone to organ, soaking into and weaving through flesh. It was strange to be so aware of her body and somewhat disorienting at first.


    She was glad enough to receive another Qi Foundation pill although it confused her. She didn''t think she had advanced enough the previous week to earn it.


    Perhaps the Elders were aware of the altercation at the vent after all.


    Her lessons with Elder Zhou continued apace as well. She was growing faster and stronger every day, the qi reinforcing her body allowing her to improve faster than a mortal could hope to. She was also beginning to do reasonably well in the spars. She couldn¡¯t claim that she was winning even close to a majority of them except when the team matchups favored her, but she was getting better and better at making her foes work to put her out of the fight.


    She could match them if she worked hard enough. That was the real joy of cultivation for Ling Qi: the fact that it was truly possible to claw your way up from the bottom of the heap with luck and dedication. Huang Da was a good stick to measure herself against; he was strong but she could see his level within reach, unlike Bai Meizhen or Sun Liling, who both lay far beyond her ability to even think about matching. In contrast, Huang Da was someone she felt she could beat if she worked hard enough.


    He was fast though, and even one hit could be crippling. So in addition to working on the penultimate layer of her Argent Soul, she channeled some of the energy she had absorbed from her Qi Foundation pill toward opening a second channel in her legs. This would enable her to begin learning the next set of exercises for her Sable Crescent Step art.


    If there was one thing that hadn¡¯t changed from her mortal life, it was the simple axiom that speed was life. Ling Qi couldn¡¯t get beaten, caught, or killed if her pursuers and enemies couldn¡¯t keep up with her to begin with.


    However, Ling Qi did not focus entirely on training. She was aware enough of those around her to see that Li Suyin was not improving with rest. Li Suyin remained downcast and listless as days went by. Although she continued to improve, breaking through to the fourth layer of Argent Soul during their cooperative cultivation. Ling Qi saw the growing bags under the girl¡¯s eyes and the way she fumbled even basic physical exercises Ling Qi had shown her a dozen times.


    Honestly, it pissed Ling Qi off although her temper wasn¡¯t directed at Li Suyin. No, she was pissed at that lanky creep who had affected her friend so badly. At least he had been out of Elder Su¡¯s class for a few days now, even if his absence was starting to set off her paranoia.


    Li Suyin was only growing more withdrawn by the day so Ling Qi found herself in the unenviable position of needing to start an uncomfortable conversation. She chose to wait until after they had finished cultivating at the vent for the day, leaving Su Ling and Bai Meizhen behind to continue.


    After they had descended the cliff face and began to walk the winding path back to the plaza, Ling Qi gathered her resolve to speak.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to keep worrying, you know? We have the vent. We¡¯re going to get those passes and rub his face in it.¡± Ling Qi intended to do more than that, but there was no reason to alarm the pacifistic girl with violent promises.


    Li Suyin startled at her sudden words, glancing at her in askance as they walked down the sun-dappled mountain path. The bruise on her cheek was fading though it still made for an ugly mark.


    ¡°I¡­ yes, of course we will,¡± Li Suyin responded quietly before lowering her head and returning to staring at the ground ahead.


    Ling Qi frowned and crossed her arms, leaving her hands hidden in her sleeves, a gesture she had copied from Bai Meizhen. Having one¡¯s hands hidden was a useful thing. She supposed that was why they gave everyone these billowy sleeves. Finally, she sighed explosively.


    ¡°Look, I know that isn¡¯t your real problem. But I¡¯m not sure what to say. You did what you had to do. If you hadn¡¯t, he would have put me down next and then done¡­ whatever he wanted to us afterward.¡± Even if his intentions were probably not vulgar given his insulted reaction, she still felt disgust at the idea of being at the creep¡¯s mercy.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you did it, but I¡¯m not happy that it¡¯s making you so depressed. So help me understand, will you?¡±


    Li Suyin clutched the front of her gown in her hands and didn¡¯t look up.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t right to use my art that way. It is not what it is meant for. I shouldn¡¯t have felt satisfied when I felt his pain. I shouldn¡¯t have felt happy when I saw his blood. I-I don¡¯t want to be like that. Things shouldn¡¯t be like that. We shouldn¡¯t be willing to hurt each other so much over things like this. We¡¯re all imperial citizens. Cultivators are supposed to be virtuous!¡± Her voice started out quiet, gradually growing louder and more distressed until her last words, which were practically shouted as she came to a stop on the path.


    ¡°The law isn¡¯t meant to be to be ignored or circumvented, or...¡± She gestured helplessly. ¡°Papa¡­ Father always read me to me from the classics, and I thought¡­ I thought cultivators were supposed to embody the Virtues, but¡­ Maybe that¡¯s why Mother never read from those.¡±


    Ling Qi was silent. She didn¡¯t really have any base to understand what the other girl was saying.


    ¡°Before I came here, I already knew things weren¡¯t like that,¡± she began tightly. ¡°The world isn¡¯t fair, and people will trample on others the second they feel like it will benefit them.¡± Ling Qi kept the guilt out of her voice. She had done the same after all.


    ¡°To me, cultivators were just people strong enough to do whatever they want. I remember the first time I saw a cultivator. It was when a couple of guards from the outer gates came by the brothel where my mom worked when I was young. I saw the bruises on her and the other women the day after, saw the shit the guards broke, and saw that the one new girl lost half her teeth when a guard slapped her. No one ever called them on it.¡±


    Li Suyin had looked up and was staring at her in horror. Ling Qi wasn¡¯t surprised. The other girl was pretty sheltered.


    ¡°Such excesses are supposed to be... That is¡­ I mean...¡± Li Suyin trailed off into incoherency. She wrung her hands, clearly having no idea what to say.


    Ling Qi let out a slightly bitter laugh. ¡°Yeah. Lots of things aren¡¯t supposed to be the way they are.¡± Even if Li Suyin didn¡¯t want to talk to her after this, it was fine. Li Suyin couldn¡¯t afford to keep believing in fairy tales.


    ¡°The point is: you can wring your hands and complain about it, live with it, or try to do something about it. I¡¯m not the type to try and change things, but maybe you are. You won¡¯t ever be able to do anything about it if you break down the first time you run into trouble. Isn¡¯t facing evil supposed to be virtuous too?¡±


    Ling Qi walked on, grimacing now that Li Suyin could no longer see her face. What the hell was she even saying? She was a bit surprised when she heard the other girl¡¯s footsteps, hurrying to catch up to her.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry for making you mention something like¡­ that,¡± Li Suyin apologized as she caught up. She still looked downcast, but the horror had faded from her expression. She also looked uncomfortable as she peered up at Ling Qi, and that hurt more than Ling Qi thought it would.


    ¡°You are right though,¡± Li Suyin added. ¡°Turning my face away from corruption is hardly better than being a part of it. Father would be disappointed in me if I came home now. I will just need to be careful not to allow myself to grow complacent.¡±


    Ling Qi shot her a surprised look. Li Suyin had been thinking of leaving? That was more extreme than she expected. Shaking her head, Ling Qi bumped her shoulder against Li Suyin¡¯s, feeling relieved when the other girl didn¡¯t flinch away.


    ¡°Glad to hear it. Now let¡¯s get going. We don¡¯t want to be late.¡±


    Li Suyin made a sound of agreement and picked up her pace, practically jogging to keep up with Ling Qi¡¯s longer stride.


    Although Li Suyin¡¯s demeanor improved after their conversation, the week did not end on such a positive note. On the last day of the week, Ling Qi entered Elder Su¡¯s lecture hall early, only to find herself face-to-face with Huang Da. Li Suyin had split with her earlier in order to retrieve some notes before the lesson so she was alone. Well, they were in a reasonably crowded room, but it didn¡¯t help her feeling of isolation.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Huang Da said in a remarkably friendly manner given how their last meeting ended. He looked rather exhausted as he leaned against the rearmost row of benches, studying her intently. ¡°You are looking more lovely than ever.¡±


    She scowled at him, itching to draw one of her knives. ¡°Go to hell,¡± she hissed quietly. ¡°I have nothing to say to you.¡±


    The corners of his lips quirked up in amusement, and she had to restrain the urge to punch him. ¡°No need to be rude. I underestimated you far too much. Li Suyin as well, I suppose,¡± he mused.


    ¡°You cost me quite a bit,¡± he added in a more dangerous tone. ¡°My escape talisman, two dozen red stones worth of treatment¡­ It was really an expensive night.¡±


    ¡°You forgot denying you the prize,¡± Ling Qi replied vindictively, crossing her arms.


    ¡°Why yes, I suppose I did never get the chance to hold you, my sweet night flower.¡± Ling Qi flushed as he raised his voice just enough for others nearby to hear, drawing looks their way.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I have been making use of the other thing though,¡± Huang Da said more quietly. ¡°It¡¯s not as if you and your companions use it all day.¡±


    Ling Qi glared at him. She hadn¡¯t thought of that, and it really pissed her off. ¡°We offered that in the first place, you¡­¡±


    Huang Da waved a hand dismissively. ¡°What reason did I have to allow myself more competition than necessary?¡± he asked rhetorically. ¡°In any case, I would rather put that behind us. Would you like to come to dinner with me tonight?¡±


    She gaped at him, poleaxed by his sheer arrogance and delusion. ¡°No, you creep. Why the hell would you even ask?¡±


    Huang Da frowned, managing to look truly put out. ¡°I wanted to celebrate my breakthrough, and as the muse that finally drove me to break through the peak, I thought it only fitting¡±


    Ling Qi stiffened, backing up a step from the boy, suddenly leery. ¡°You¡¯re bluffing.¡±


    Huang Da pushed himself up to stand straight, ¡®looking¡¯ her directly in the eye. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. I achieved Yellow Soul just yesterday. It¡¯s all thanks to you, which is why I¡¯m willing to waive past debts,¡± he said, a smile playing on his lips.


    ¡°Li Suyin was more dangerous than I expected, but you¡­ The two of them could not have even touched me without you. I have decided that I want you,¡± he continued, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up as he raised his hand as if to cradle her cheek.


    She swatted his hand away, ignoring the increasing number of stares they were receiving. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me,¡± she hissed. ¡°And I don¡¯t care what you want.¡± She turned away deliberately, trusting that he wouldn¡¯t attack her in the middle of the lecture hall.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I knew you wouldn¡¯t submit easily,¡± he said, making her flush further. ¡°I hope we can both enjoy the chase.¡±


    It was pretty hard to concentrate on the lesson after that.

 Chapter 33: Dwindling Peace 1

    ¡°Is that offer of training with you all still open?¡± Ling Qi asked after Elder Zhou¡¯s lesson had ended for the day. She had drifted over to where Han Jian and the others stood at the base of the cliff that formed one of the borders of the training field.


    She wanted to work on strengthening her arts this week, and practicing with Han Jian and his group was her best option for that. She wasn¡¯t quite ready to begin using the new techniques in the class spars, but she wanted to start by the end of the week, which meant polishing her skills beforehand.


    Han Jian paused in signing something to Han Fang and looked over to her with a smile. ¡°It is. Got things polished enough that you¡¯re willing to show off a bit?¡± he added, making her flush slightly in embarrassment. Of course Han Jian would be perceptive enough to tell that she had learned a few new tricks.


    ¡°Something interesting, I hope. You will need it to keep up,¡± Gu Xiulan interjected from where she sat on one of the benches nearby. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want you to be left behind. I intend to complete my breakthrough to Yellow Soul by this time next week.¡±


    ¡°And Fang and I should both be reaching Silver by the time the truce ends or soon after,¡± Han Jian said. Han Fang grinned widely at this, straightening his shoulders proudly.


    ¡°With your new techniques, I figure you¡¯ll be fine as well,¡± Han Jian added reassuringly.


    ¡°I do have some pretty good options that I haven¡¯t shown off,¡± Ling Qi admitted, feeling some worry. The ranks of those who had reached the second realm in one or both forms of cultivation was growing, but she still felt like she wasn¡¯t quite ready to break through. ¡°They do need some polishing in real combat though.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s what these sessions are for,¡± Han Jian said, studying her carefully. ¡°That said, everything going well for you? I heard you had an argument in Elder Su¡¯s lecture hall the other day.¡±


    Ling Qi scowled at the reminder of that encounter. Every time she thought of it it just made her angrier. Huang Da didn¡¯t have any right to talk to her like that or act like they were anything other than enemies.


    ¡°Yeah. I actually wanted to warn you about that. That Huang Da guy and I had a disagreement over some resources, and that somehow turned into him deciding that he¡­¡± Ling Qi trailed off, expression screwing up in disgust.


    ¡°He decided that he¡¯s going to¡­ pursue me. He¡¯s a creep. He was stalking my other friend, Li Suyin, before he switched to me. You might want to watch out for him. I don¡¯t really know what he¡¯s going to do.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not interested then?¡± Gu Xiulan asked curiously. ¡°I suppose he is hardly your type. And pushy men are so boorish.


    ¡°Still, the Huang family is quite wealthy and prestigious as I recall, if a little odd. You could do worse.¡± Gu Xiulan paused thoughtfully then amended, ¡°Perhaps not if he really changed his mind so quickly.¡±


    Ling Qi stared blankly at the other girl. ¡°No. I¡¯m not interested at all. He tried to get Li Suyin and I to split up and choose him over each other and Su Ling like the arrogant jackass was someone we should have fought over. He then attacked us when we didn¡¯t oblige.¡±


    ¡°Ugh.¡± That seemed to convince her, going by the way Gu Xiulan made a face.


    ¡°Even so, you should try not to dip into vulgarity like that,¡± she chided. ¡°No one will respect a lady who speaks like that.¡±


    Han Jian coughed to draw their attention. Both he and his cousin had awkward expressions, likely at the direction that the conversation seemed to be heading. ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye out for him. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve started working on my family¡¯s sword art, and I¡¯m not exactly helpless in a fight. None of us are.¡±


    ¡°I know. He¡¯s just a sneaky bast¡­¡± Ling Qi glanced at Gu Xiulan¡¯s raised eyebrow and huffed irritably. It wasn¡¯t like the girl was wrong about talking like a commoner; it made other people look down on her. ¡°He¡¯s stealthy and has some kind of poison effect on his weapon. That might be a technique. Just keep your eyes open.¡±


    ¡°We will,¡± Han Jian replied. ¡°If you want to join us, head down to the training field we met at before in about two hours. We start around then and go until Elder Su¡¯s lessons start.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded. That would give her some time to cultivate at the vent with the others and talk to Li Suyin and Su Ling about possibly joining Han Jian¡¯s group to train. She wanted to make sure they were interested before trying to convince Han Jian and the others. If the joint training session went well, maybe she could convince Li Suyin and Su Ling to let Han Jian¡¯s group share the vent in return for further training sessions.


    There were so many things she still needed to do.


    Ling Qi¡¯s stress levels were not helped by the atmosphere on the mountain. Everywhere she looked, there were the signs that her fellow disciples were training furiously and otherwise preparing for the end of truce. The greedy looks she had gotten in the immediate aftermath of Elder Zhou¡¯s test were returning. More and more, she felt hemmed in and surrounded by enemies.


    It didn¡¯t help that her ears caught the word going around. That stupid conversation with Huang Da in Elder Su¡¯s hall had apparently fueled all sorts of rumors, most of which painted her as the spirit stone-digger for leading on a wealthy scion for her own gain. It looked like the bastard even had fans among the other girls, going by the cold looks she got and the muttered words she heard in her passing.


    By the time she joined up with Bai Meizhen and the others to head up to the vent, Ling Qi was definitely in the mood to hit something despite having just been in Elder Zhou¡¯s lesson.


    Ling Qi ended up leading an impromptu lesson in physical cultivation for Li Suyin and Su Ling, who were both looking to make improvements in that regard. Bai Meizhen was content to simply sit beside the vent meditating, the silvery mist swirling about her in a wide spiral.


    Su Ling took to it more; while Li Suyin listened in, it seemed she was focusing on reaching Late Red Soul for the moment. It seemed that Li Suyin had been neglecting her base cultivation in favor of expanding her qi, opening meridians, and learning arts.


    Ling Qi raised the idea of group training during her time at the vent. Li Suyin had been receptive to the idea, but Su Ling had been more reluctant. Between the two of them and Su Ling¡¯s own worries, Su Ling eventually agreed to give it a try.


    Despite feeling a bit better, Ling Qi was still feeling high-strung and agitated as she descended the mountain afterward. When she arrived at the concealed training field and passed through the barrier, she was surprised to find that she was early. The only one there was Han Jian, who was crouched in the middle of the field, talking to the tiger cub she had seen with him a few times during their initial meetings.


    ¡°Heijin, we¡¯re really partners now, aren¡¯t we? You have to start working with me here. I need to be able to work you into my tactics.¡± The handsome boy pleaded with the cub, who was curled up at his feet, apparently ignoring him.


    Ling Qi cleared her throat awkwardly. ¡°Hello, Han Jian. Am I¡­ interrupting something?¡±


    Han Jian blinked and looked up, hands resting on his knees.


    ¡°Ah, Ling Qi, No, you¡¯re not. I¡¯m just trying to get this lazy bones to work with me,¡± he said with a note of frustration. ¡°I already had to carry him here, and now¡­¡± Han Jian stopped as the tiger cub stood up, still with his back to the boy, and padded over to Ling Qi.


    Ling Qi looked curiously down at the cub, which had paused at her feet, looking up at her with feline arrogance. The cub stared her down before sitting down again and brushing a paw against his ear before beginning to groom it.


    ¡®The female may pet me now.¡¯


    Ling Qi twitched as a voice that sounded like an arrogant young boy seemed to echo in her ears. Having ¡®spoken¡¯ to Cui before, she wasn¡¯t completely taken off guard, but she was surprised at how clear his voice was. Was it perhaps because she had grown closer to Yellow realm and had mastered the fourth layer of Argent Soul?


    ¡°Why should I? You¡¯re giving Han Jian trouble, aren¡¯t you?¡± Even knowing that bound spirit beasts understood her, she still felt rather silly talking to an animal.


    Heijin seemed nonplussed. ¡®Pet me. The slacker has naught to do with it.¡¯


    The little feline was definitely demanding.


    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Han Jian said as he approached, shooting his ¡®cousin¡¯ a dirty look. ¡°He always was spoiled along with the other cubs at home so¡­¡±


    ¡®The slacker is merely jealous, and wishes his fur was silky enough to be petted,¡¯ the cub cut in haughtily. ¡®Now, pet me, Cold One. It is hot.¡¯


    Ling Qi bit her lip, holding in a laugh at Han Jian¡¯s expression, but attempted to look sternly down at the cub.


    ¡°If I pet you, will you listen to what Han Jian is saying?¡± Ling Qi asked. She felt like she should be more annoyed by the spirit¡¯s demanding and haughty tone, but she couldn¡¯t quite bring herself to be. He was only a kitten after all.


    Ling Qi got the impression that the tiger cub was pouting at her despite the limited expressiveness of his face. ¡®...That is acceptable,¡¯ he replied with great dignity.


    She sighed and crouched down to scratch behind the cub¡¯s ears before giving Han Jian a pointed look. Heijin¡¯s fur really was amazingly soft and silky, and the cub pushed his head up against her hand as she petted him.


    Han Jian roughly scrubbed a hand through his hair.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± he said, glancing to Ling Qi before focusing on Heijin. ¡°Now, look. I get that you don¡¯t really respect me, but this has to stop. I need you to work with me. Do you really just want to laze around all day without getting stronger?¡±


    ¡®The slacker cannot say such things,¡¯ the tiger cub replied, peering up from under Ling Qi¡¯s hand with disdain. ¡®Where were those words when you wasted away your time under your Father and mine?¡¯


    Ling Qi felt uncomfortable as Han Jian¡¯s expression contorted into a frown.


    ¡°...Yeah, I wasted some opportunities,¡± he replied evasively. Ling Qi didn¡¯t miss the way he looked briefly at her. ¡°But I told you I wanted to start making up for that, didn¡¯t I? How am I supposed to catch up if you won¡¯t even give me a chance to try? I¡¯m responsible for the ones around me: Xiulan, Fang, Yu, and others too once I get back. I need your help with that.¡±


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t entirely sure how she felt to be left out of that list so she concentrated on the soothing feeling of soft fur as she brushed her hand down the cub¡¯s back.


    Heijin did not reply immediately, nuzzling at her hand. ¡®I suppose I have been bored. Very well. I will grace you with my presence,¡¯ he answered imperiously. ¡®Besides, it would not do to deny the others my magnificent presence.¡¯


    Han Jian rested his face in his palm briefly, giving the tiger cub another frustrated look, before looking back at Ling Qi. ¡°Sorry you had to hear that, but thanks for getting him to hear me out.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem,¡± Ling Qi replied awkwardly. ¡°That said¡­ do you think I could ask you for a favor?¡±


    Han Jian nodded easily. ¡°I suppose I owe you one. go ahead,¡± he replied, gesturing for her to continue even as Heijin butted his head against her hand to remind her to keep petting.


    ¡°I was hoping I could bring by Li Suyin and Su Ling, my other friends, to train here too sometimes. We could all use a little work on our fighting skills.¡± That was an understatement, particularly in Li Suyin¡¯s case.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mind you using the field. But I assume you mean training with us.¡± Han Jian grimaced, scratching the back of his neck as he often did when thinking. ¡°Let me talk to the others about it. Give me a day or two, alright?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Ling Qi responded, scratching Heijin behind the ears one last time as she heard the sound of others entering through the barrier. It was time to get started on the actual training.


    It was a little nerve-wracking to be at the center of attention. Facing them, Ling Qi could see Han Jian¡¯s and Han Fang¡¯s curiosity, Gu Xiulan¡¯s calculated interest, and Fan Yu¡¯s dour dislike.


    ¡°So, this first art is¡­¡± Ling Qi began nervously, letting her flute drop into her hand. ¡°Area control, I guess? It makes me harder to hit and confuses people¡¯s senses. I can include others in it, but it¡¯s more tiring.¡±


    Han Jian hummed thoughtfully, giving her flute a curious look. ¡°Don¡¯t tire yourself out. Fang, you want to try and tag her?¡±


    The bald boy nodded amicably, stepping forward and adjusting the practice wraps across his knuckles. As the others retreated, he fell into a neutral stance, fists raised in guard.


    Ling Qi studied him, Elder Zhou¡¯s lessons allowing her to pick up the nuances of his starting stance. It leaned defensive, but he could snap into a more offensive mode quickly if he got the opportunity. Ling Qi held back a self-deprecating laugh as she raised her flute. It felt strange to know even that much.


    Mist billowed from the gaps in her flute as the first melancholy note of the Forgotten Vale Melody rang out. In mere moments, the field around them grew as dark as an overcast spring morning, the light mist swirling outward to engulf them both. Han Fang¡¯s expression grew tight with concentration as the mist rolled over him. Ling Qi began to circle him as she continued to play, and Han Fang¡¯s narrowed gaze hesitated before flicking to follow her.


    Cautiously, he advanced on Ling Qi, quickly eating up the short distance between them. The faint sound of thunder rumbled in her ears as a shimmering heat haze began to arise from his bare scalp, pushing away the cloying mist. When he seamlessly shifted to an offensive stance and lunged, she was ready.


    Cool, dark qi flooded through the meridians in her legs, and the edges of her being grew fuzzy as she flowed around his opening strike and the one that followed it, gracefully dodging with barely a stutter in her song. As she leaned out of the way of his third punch, she dodged to the side, disengaging from melee range impossibly fast as her limbs blurred and wavering shadows trailed from the hems of her gown.


    As Han Fang spun to face her new direction, already moving to close the distance she had made, she began the second technique of the Forgotten Vale Melody. The mist grew dark and thick. Han Fang jerked, glancing around in bewilderment as the shifting shapes in the mist drew his eye and allowed Ling Qi to slip away even further, fading into the misty shadows. Her song echoed, seemingly from everywhere now, and gave little indication of her position.


    Still, she found herself at an impasse. Han Fang advanced cautiously through her mist, searching for her, but she had little in the way of offensive options if she wanted to attack while maintaining her mist. In a real fight, that would be a problem, but in a simple demonstration spar¡­


    Her song cut off, and Han Fang immediately fell into a defensive crouch. It was not enough as a blunted training knife struck between his shoulder blades with a thump.


    ¡°That¡¯s my hit,¡± Ling Qi said impishly as the mists began to dissolve under the light of day, revealing her position.


    Han Fang gave her a chagrined grin as he bent down, picking up her knife. He gave her a friendly bow as she approached and took it back.


    ¡°Looks like we need to get you started on a perception art, Fang,¡± Han Jian¡¯s voice rang out from outside the clearing mist. ¡°That¡¯s a good art,¡± he added, complimenting Ling Qi


    Ling Qi smiled, warmth budding in her stomach. Fan Yu was still glowering at her, of course, but both Han Jian and Gu Xiulan looked mildly impressed.


    ¡°Shall I provide her with some power then?¡± Gu Xiulan asked lightly, glancing at Han Jian.


    ¡°If Ling Qi¡¯s ready for a full match,¡± Han Jian agreed.


    Ling Qi nodded decisively as Gu Xiulan sauntered over, a slightly cruel smile blooming on her lips.


    She almost felt a little bad for the boys in the coming spar.

 Chapter 34-Dwindling Peace 2

    Between Elder Zhou¡¯s lesson, continuing to cultivate her physique at the vent, and practicing with Han Jian and the others, Ling Qi was feeling quite bedraggled by the time she slumped into Elder Su¡¯s lecture hall. She suspected she looked it too given the sweat-darkened spots on her gown and the scuffs, dirt, and other marks of heavy exercise she had picked up. Ling Qi was thankful that the rose scent that Gu Xiulan had bought her was strong enough that she didn¡¯t smell completely terrible on top of that.


    Ling Qi was relieved to be called down at the start of class despite the disdainful looks she received from the other disciples. They could look down on her all they wanted; she was the one getting the prize. Both she and Li Suyin had made the cut again, along with the seemingly undefeatable Ji Rong, who shot her a pitying look as she moved down to stand beside him.


    Ji Rong¡¯s reason became clear when Huang Da joined them at the bottom of the hall and shouldered his way between her and Li Suyin. She scowled at him, but he just smiled back and brushed his hand against hers. She snatched it away before he could do anything more. The last of their number was Gan Guangli, who was apparently working hard in these final weeks.


    Once the actual lesson had started, Ling Qi was able to relax and actually focus. They were finishing the formation characters today and moving on to the meanings of basic character chains and combinations. Ling Qi was glad Elder Su had decided to teach this. Now that she had some basic understanding of formations, she wouldn¡¯t have to rely on Bai Meizhen to identify any talismans she found.


    Perhaps if she got the archive pass reward, Ling Qi would consider looking into the art more. At the very least, being able to set up alarms around her home seemed like a good idea¡­ and she might need to know how to disable such things if her half-formed plans for revenge on her detractors were to bear fruit.


    The next few days passed in much the same manner, a constant blur of cultivation, training, and practice. She could feel her body continuing to grow stronger, absorbing the qi she dispersed into her skin and muscles. She was growing closer to some sort of limit, qi starting to press against the outer bounds of her body.


    When she was too tired to practice any further, usually well after nightfall, she would sit and practice with her flute, slowly mastering the next measure of her Melody. It was hard, but she felt she was progressing quickly. She could see and feel it in her mind¡¯s eye, the trials and travails of a new traveler, lost in the dark, surrounded by hungry eyes. It seemed the second measure was meant to show that anxiety and fear and bring it into the world within her mist.


    Ling Qi decided then that she would begin using Forgotten Vale Melody in Elder Zhou¡¯s class when she fully mastered this new verse of the song. Until then though, she had other concerns.


    Han Jian had said that it would be alright to bring her friends along to training today. She really hoped things went well, but it was starting to look unlikely given the increasing reluctance and tension Su Ling was showing as they approached the field.


    ¡°Will you just relax already,¡± Ling Qi said irritably, glancing at the girl on her right. Su Ling¡¯s ears twitched violently at the sound, and the fluffy tail waving agitatedly behind her stiffened. ¡°Even if this doesn¡¯t work out, no one is going to hurt either of you. Han Jian wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    ¡°Says you,¡± Su Ling snorted. ¡°You think you¡¯re the first girl to believe a pretty noble was a nice guy? The only reason I¡¯m here is because you two kept badgering me about it.¡±


    Li Suyin also looked nervous, wringing her hands as she peered at the formations on the gate. ¡°If Ling Qi says it¡¯s fine, I¡¯m willing to trust her, and we really do need some more practice with ¡­ this kind of thing.¡±


    Ling Qi was glad she had talked to Li Suyin last week. The other girl still didn¡¯t want to hurt anyone, but Li Suyin was at least willing to learn to better defend herself.


    ¡°Like I keep saying, it will be fine. This is just training, and the field doesn¡¯t lock or anything. You can leave whenever you want.¡±


    Su Ling still looked reluctant, her ears falling flat against her head as she glared at the gate, but she didn¡¯t continue to object as Ling Qi lead them onto the field. This time, everyone was already present and waiting. Han Jian and the other boys were in the midst of chatting about something, and Gu Xiulan was seated on a wide stone, meditating. They all looked up when she and her friends entered.


    It took all of her willpower not to hunch her shoulders defensively, but she managed it. The reactions were largely what she expected: a scowl of dislike from Fan Yu with a healthy helping of disdain; neutral friendliness from Han Jian and Han Fang with a hint of wariness in the mute boy¡¯s narrowed eyes as he regarded Su Ling; and Gu Xiulan studied both of the new girls with sharp eyes, her painted lips set in a thin line. Ling Qi held in a sigh as she heard the low growl coming from Su Ling¡¯s throat behind her.


    ¡°Good afternoon, Ling Qi.¡± Han Jian was the first one to break the silence, his tone upbeat. ¡°Same to you¡­ Su Ling and Li Suyin, was it?¡±


    ¡°U-um, thank you very much for your invitation,¡± Li Suyin responded, dipping into a hasty and somewhat clumsy bow.


    ¡°What she said, I guess,¡± Su Ling grunted, crossing her arms and looking anything but grateful.


    ¡°Tch. Well, at least one of them is polite,¡± Fan Yu snorted as he glared at Su Ling. ¡°Expecting more from a beast was probably futile.¡±


    ¡°Go fuck yourself,¡± Su Ling snapped. ¡°I¡¯m no more a beast than you are.¡±


    As Fan Yu puffed up furiously, Gu Xiulan spoke up. ¡°As vulgar and unnecessary as her words were, there was no need to get worked up over it, Yu dear.¡± Gu Xiulan stood up, brushing off her gown.


    ¡°Right. No need for things to get heated,¡± Han Jian replied, his tone slightly strained. ¡°Why don¡¯t you two tell us what you do? We can figure out how to work you into our exercises.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s friends were both silent until she looked back at them with a pleading expression. ¡°Guys, please. We aren¡¯t going to get anywhere if they don¡¯t even know what you want to work on.¡±


    ¡°I intend to focus on healing arts,¡± Li Suyin replied in a small voice. ¡°I haven¡¯t quite mastered it well enough to fix anything more than minor scrapes yet. I have been practicing a water-based movement technique as well. It, um, is rather simplistic though.¡±


    Han Fang looked interested and even Fan Yu nodded in her direction, although he continued scowling at Su Ling. Gu Xiulan simply smiled enigmatically.


    ¡°Illusions and foxfire,¡± Su Ling said shortly. ¡°The fire¡¯s stronger if I have the target under my illusion.¡±


    ¡°As expected of a fox,¡± Fan Yu sneered. ¡°Little use except for leading men astray and playing trickster.¡±


    ¡°You wanna try it, fatty?¡± Su Ling replied darkly. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯d make a good meal.¡±


    ¡°As if I would even be tempted,¡± he scoffed, turning to Han Jian. ¡°Must we waste our time with this? The other girl I can understand - healers are useful and require much talent - but is this rude creature to join us?¡±


    ¡°S-she¡¯s my friend. Please don¡¯t speak of her like that,¡± Li Suyin said with only a bit of a tremor.


    ¡°I can see Yu¡¯s point. Between Ling Qi and I, she has little to offer that we do not do better,¡± Gu Xiulan said clinically. ¡°I¡¯m not certain about the other either.


    ¡°Are you certain you even have the nerve to stand on a battlefield?¡± Gu Xiulan asked, turning to Li Suyin. ¡°I understand you have been leaning on Ling Qi to advance as far as you have and wish to remain with her, but perhaps you would be better suited to a role in the background.¡±


    Li Suyin¡¯s shoulders slumped, but before she could reply, Ling Qi cut in.


    ¡°Gu Xiulan, please don¡¯t be rude to my friends,¡± she said flatly. ¡°Li Suyin stood with me when we fought Huang Da. She¡¯ll do just fine with some practice. Su Ling too.


    ¡°I¡¯m not asking you guys to let them join your group permanently. I¡¯m not even asking you to be friends with them. I just want to help them practice and polish their skills.¡±


    Gu Xiulan¡¯s sharp gaze met hers, but Ling Qi didn¡¯t waver, staring straight back at the other girl.


    ¡°I suppose I can trust your judgement on this,¡± Gu Xiulan replied slowly. ¡°Really though. The girl is shaking like a leaf. You will have to let her stand on her own at some point.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded once, getting the picture. She was going to have to talk to Gu Xiulan later. She had expected the other girl to not like her other friends, but there might be something more to her dislike.


    ¡°Fan Yu, I understand your objections, but I ask you to trust my judgement in this. As Ling Qi said, they are only temporary sparring partners. There is no need to get so worked up about this,¡± Han Jian said soothingly to the other boy. ¡°The more opponents we practice against, the stronger we¡¯ll be, right?¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Fan Yu ground out in defeat. ¡°As you say, Han Jian. It is not as if I have any right to contradict you,¡± The boys shoulders slumped, but his blustery scowl was back a moment later.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Han Jian said, seeming relieved. ¡°Anyway, for the first round, let¡¯s split up like this¡­¡±


    The following training session was awkward and difficult, but she felt like Li Suyin and Su Ling at least got something from it. Between her and Gu Xiulan¡¯s coaching as well as some advice from Han Jian, Li Suyin began to incrementally improve at avoiding attacks, and Su Ling seemed interested in the way Han Jian wielded his sword. By the time she left, Su Ling was glancing down at her sheathed knives thoughtfully.


    When they showed up to train the next day, Su Ling had acquired a sword and set to practicing with it, studiously ignoring Fan Yu and the others in favor of prodding Han Jian for advice. The fox girl¡¯s close attention to Han Jian put Gu Xiulan in a poor mood, and when the two were on opposite sides of a spar, things got heated rather quickly. Su Ling¡¯s tail ended up on fire that day, and Gu Xiulan lost one of her sleeves to the other girl¡¯s embers.


    Li Suyin suffered from more than one waspish comment about her lack of confidence and physical fitness. Although she improved, Ling Qi noticed her becoming more withdrawn as the week went on.


    The results were mixed at best, but Ling Qi believed the joint training sessions to have been worthwhile. However, she couldn¡¯t in good conscience try to set up another session


    With how much training and cultivating Ling Qi was doing, it was late in the week by the time she got around to the final thing on her to-do list for the week, namely, heading down to the market to take a longer look around and finally offload the staff. Her time was cut down even more when she decided to try and find out the status of the original owner. She had no doubt that the girl was going to want the thing back, but she had had so many other things to worry about that investigating the matter had slipped her mind until now.


    It took some poking around but eventually she learned a few things. The girl who was the owner of the staff had survived their encounter and was named Zhu Mei, and the boy who had been with her down there was Zhu Fong, her twin brother. The both of them had disappeared into near isolation in the wake of the test, which was why she had not seen either of them out and about.


    The new information didn¡¯t change her calculation so she simply brought the staff to market to sell. Ling Qi had spent the entire afternoon dithering back and forth on the possibility of trading the staff in for a single expensive talisman or as collateral for a custom item, but in the end, she chose to simply shore up her immediate weaknesses with the proceeds from the sale of the staff: a set of fine steel knives inscribed with formations for sharpness and durability; a protective vest similar to what Su Ling had worn under her gown; and a defensive talisman. Ling Qi spent the rest of that afternoon trading for various pills to help her with her planned training in the coming week.


    Finally, as the week was coming to a close, Ling Qi mastered the second measure of the Forgotten Vale Melody, which enabled her to use two new techniques, Diapason of the Lost Traveler and Dissonance in the Night. Her first match the day afterward found her in familiar company. She and Gu Xiulan were paired as the support and range for Gan Guangli. They were facing Lu Feng, Hong Lin, and a third boy whose name she didn¡¯t know. The unknown boy was armed with a bow and hung behind the other two.


    ¡°Did you really have to pick up such a plain piece of equipment?¡± Ling Qi sighed as Gu Xiulan spoke, looking her over with frustration. ¡°I understand that you think they are useful, but plain brown leather? And the feather patterns are so uneven - clearly amateur work - not mention how thick they make your wrists look...¡±


    ¡°I told you they¡¯re just temporary until I can afford better stuff,¡± Ling Qi replied, fingering the flute in her hand as she eyed their enemies across the field. ¡°Besides, you wear a glove too.¡±


    Gu Xiulan sniffed haughtily. ¡°My glove is the finest of Ashwinder skin, cut to be perfectly form-fitting and not impede my range of motion in any way. It does not compare at all,¡± she replied, sounding affronted.


    ¡°Miss Ling, Miss Gu,¡± the tall blond boy standing in front of them rumbled. ¡°This is not the time to converse about such things. While it is true that the importance of good accessorization and coordination of equipment cannot be understated, now is the time to focus. I will require your full attention to watch my back while we battle that devious western devil and his vicious compatriots.¡±


    Gan Guangli¡¯s stern and serious expression were the same as ever. He was actually serious.


    ¡°Oh, I am certain that Ling Qi will be keeping a very close eye on your back,¡± Gu Xiulan replied brightly, shooting Ling Qi an amused look.


    Ling Qi flushed, glaring at the other girl. Gu Xiulan just would not drop that idea.


    ¡°We won¡¯t lose today,¡± Ling Qi confirmed, pointedly turning away from the other girl. ¡°I have some new techniques to try. They won¡¯t know what hit them.¡±


    Gan Guangli eyed her curiously but nodded as he turned back to face the other team. ¡°As you say, Miss Ling, Miss Gu. I shall entrust the rear of the field to you! None shall pass nor touch a hair upon your heads while I yet stand today!¡±


    Ling Qi winced. There he went getting loud again.


    The match started soon after, and Ling Qi began to play. An arrow was sidestepped, pushed aside by her refined control of the currents of air around her, and her music rose in volume, carried on that same wind to overcome even Gan Guangli¡¯s battle cry. The mist rolled forth, and she grimaced as she felt the qi drain from excluding both Gu Xiulan and Gan Guangli from her mist¡¯s effect.


    She heard the rumbling crack of Gan Guangli¡¯s oversized fist cratering the ground, and the the metallic clangs as Hong Lin struck him a half dozen times in turn. Gu Xiulan¡¯s lances of flame cut burning lines through the mist as Ling Qi moved for a better vantage to control Lu Feng¡¯s movements.


    Steadily circling away from her starting position, Ling Qi shifted into the next verse and let herself flow with the mist. This time she wouldn¡¯t be taken out so easily. Completing the second technique, Diapason, and darkening the mist, she felt a jolt of satisfaction as she saw the archer boy try to retreat from the mist only to find himself running in circles.


    Then, for the first time in true battle, she began the third technique of the Forgotten Vale Melody, Dissonance in the Night. A high, sharp note heralded its beginning, and the mist came alive. Clumps of roiling fog darkened, forming frightening beastly visages and tearing claws. The shadowy phantoms swarmed her enemies, eyes aglow with a dull red light.


    Their immaterial claws and fangs were weak yet, barely doing more than tearing cloth and scratching skin, but the distraction of being mobbed by shadowy foes was more than enough to give her team the advantage.


    Hong Lin fell first, grabbed bodily in a gigantic hand and spiked into the ground like a child¡¯s ball. Lu Feng and the other boy fell thereafter, weathering withering bolts and bursts of flame from the laughing Gu Xiulan, and unable to do more than annoy the juggernaut that Gan Guangli had become by the end of the fight.


    Ling Qi hadn¡¯t noticed before, but it seemed that his art grew stronger the longer the battle went on with corresponding effect on his height and mass. Gan Guangli had been nearly four meters tall by the end of things.


    It was one of her new knives though that had ended the battle. She sent Lu Feng spinning to the ground with a blade buried in his shoulder.


    Ling Qi felt exhilarated with the victory. She could do this. She might not be the strongest¡­ but she wasn¡¯t weak anymore either.

 Bonus 7: Spite

    That damn scar still itched.


    Su Ling clenched and unclenched her hands, resisting the urge to scratch as she picked her way through up the collapsed cliff face. She had to be careful not to dislodge the loose rock and dirt under her feet, or she¡¯d be in for a nasty slide. Her ears twitched then catching a sound, and Su Ling stopped dead, pale blue flame blooming at her fingertips as she whipped her head around.


    Only to see a little brown rabbit escaping into the underbrush. Su Ling let out a ragged sigh, scrubbing her hand through her hair. She had to get her nerves under control, it wasn¡¯t helping her. She knew all to well that if you reacted to every little thing, you¡¯d end up missing the real danger, out of exhaustion if nothing else. So, letting out a shallow huff, she forced herself to relax a little and get back to climbing.


    She didn¡¯t know why she was surprised. Of course the truce was a bunch of bullshit, meant to give the ones who were already strong cover. That was all rules and laws ever were. The rules hadn¡¯t stopped that creep anymore than it had stopped those shitheads from taking everything after Gran died.


    She could practically hear the creaky old bats voice in her ears reminding her of what she already knew.


    ¡°Want to be left in peace girl? Then you make yourself too big a bone to swallow. Someone wants to do you wrong? Make them choke on it. And If you can¡¯t manage, than you keep your head down and stay outta sight, you hear?¡±


    So when some shithead kid stomped on her tail, she sent them home crying with a bloody nose and chipped tooth, and when their parents came to whine, Gran would tell them to piss off or suffer a price hike. The advantage of being the only halfway decent apothecary in the village. Being too big a bone to swallow.


    ¡®Course it broke down after she died, but then you got to the second piece of advice, didn¡¯t you? Stay on the edges, keep your head down. Scavenge, fight, live. Make sure you were too much trouble to come after.


    That wasn¡¯t enough though, not here. The people around her were too strong, and resources too few. She could probably get by in the short term, finding a hole and hiding in it, but she¡¯d always stay small, always stay weak if she did that. She didn¡¯t have any illusions about the limits of her ability. She¡¯d never be one of the folks lording over things from on high, that wasn¡¯t her goal. No, she just needed a solid core of strength, enough to survive getting thrown at barbarians for half a decade and change. Then she could go off and ¡®retire¡¯ like that old drunk of a militia captain back home.


    The problem, Su Ling mused darkly, was Li Suyin. Narrowing her eyes, Su Ling bent her knees and jumped, leaping up to catch a handhold on the cliff above. That girl¡­ sometimes Su Ling felt like she was like a dumb puppy. All stupid innocent grins and eagerness, like the world wasn¡¯t just waiting to bring the boot down. Yet now, she couldn¡¯t help but be pissed off, now that the other girls illusions had been broken.


    Su Ling knew perfectly well that she¡¯d been half feral when she¡¯d gotten here, she¡¯d been a shitty housemate, and all around unpleasant, but Li Suyin¡­ That dumb girl had just kept on being nice anyway. It was the first time she¡¯d had a real conversation that wasn¡¯t just mockery and threats since Gran had died. With a grunt, Su Ling dragged herself up over the lip of the cliff and peered around.


    There was some scrub left, the trees that had been up here had gone down in the rockslide, but this place would still work. As she began to head toward the tiny box canyon that she had come here for however, her thoughts turned back to Li Suyin¡­ her friend. The other girl had been doing better, something that Ling Qi had said she assumed. She still had some mistrust for that one, she recognized another scavenger after all, but¡­


    Su Ling shook her head. If Ling Qi had wanted to betray them, she¡¯d have sided with that Huang creep and then gone to the snake princess to give him the boot, take the prize all for herself. No, she was pretty confident that the girl wouldn¡¯t act against them. Still, she thought grimly, things were only going to get worse from here, those pretend rules, weak as they were would be falling soon.


    Back in the housing zone, Su Ling could practically smell the resentment and envy that Li Suyin attracted. The girl was always showing off in those elder lessons, though from the way she spoke of it, she didn¡¯t see it that way. Yet Su Ling knew that was the way a lot of their ¡®sect sisters¡¯ saw it. Preening little shits, getting mad at being shown up, at getting passed over for praise. Ling Qi was the same, but in regards to the near freakish speed of her cultivation, and the growth of her qi.


    Ling Qi had the snake princess though, and in the end Li Suyin had only humble Su Ling. She smiled in bitter amusement at the thought as she reached the back of the canyon, and the narrow crevasse that waited there, leading back into a small cave system that she¡¯d found in her first week. She had some supplies cached here, but it was going to need to be more. She, no, they needed a bolthole, something the cave back here would serve nicely for.. She¡¯d just have to do some work trapping the place.


    Winter was coming, and the wolves were out to prowl. Hopefully she could make Li Suyin see that.

 Chapter 35-Dwindling Peace 3

    ¡°I am sorry if the question is presumptuous, but how do I go about earning knowledge of the successor to the Argent Soul cultivation art?¡± Ling Qi asked with her head bowed. She had considered how to word this question all day, nervous that it would be viewed rude. Although it was easier for her to approach Elder Su - the woman was not nearly as intimidating as Elder Zhou - she still worried.


    The medicinal energy surging in her veins, nerves, and channels didn¡¯t help. She had gone all out with medicines, even going to far as to use one of her precious Sable Light Pills. Her fingers and toes tingled almost painfully, and her skin sang with sensation at the brush of even the slightest breeze. It was incredibly hard to stand still like this without fidgeting when she felt as if her bones were trying to vibrate their way free of her flesh. Even her thoughts were filled with a low, irritating buzz as her dantian stormed and churned, making her feel uncomfortably stretched.


    Elder Su regarded her with a slight smile. She didn¡¯t seem perturbed by the question. If anything, there was a hint of amusement in the older woman¡¯s eyes. Ling Qi flinched when she felt the Elder¡¯s soft, cool hand on her forehead.


    ¡°I am surprised you managed to concentrate as well as you did in my lecture. You are burning up, young lady.¡±


    Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help but fidget uncomfortably as Elder Su removed her hand from her forehead and then pressed two of her fingers to Ling Qi¡¯s throat. It was useless to be nervous. If Elder Su wanted to do something to her, she would, and there was nothing Ling Qi could do to stop her.


    ¡°I think it is important that I learn all I can about formations while I have the opportunity to do so,¡± Ling Qi replied, swallowing anxiously as Elder Su hummed softly and cupped her chin. Elder Su raised Ling Qi¡¯s head so that she could look directly into her eyes.


    ¡°... Is something wrong?¡± Ling Qi asked, unable to hold back the question. None of the pills she had purchased from the market had any warnings to them¡­


    ¡°I am always glad to have a student with a passion for what I am teaching,¡± Elder Su replied, withdrawing her hand. ¡°I had not taken you for the type to focus on that sort of thing to be honest.¡± Ling Qi squirmed under Elder Su¡¯s gaze, glancing to the side. She just wanted to make sure she was ready for the end of the truce period.


    ¡°Do not worry,¡± Elder Su continued, ceasing her examination. ¡°I was merely confirming a suspicion. You truly did have good fortune during Elder Zhou¡¯s exam to have acquired such a pill. It is no wonder you can barely hold still.¡±


    Ling Qi stiffened, hoping there was no one in earshot. Which of course there were; others had questions for the Elder too.


    ¡°I¡­ won¡¯t deny that,¡± she admitted carefully.


    ¡°No one will overhear you, child,¡± Elder Su replied kindly. ¡°To expand your qi as much as you have since arriving while rising so quickly in other areas as well? It is rather obvious to one with knowledge of such things. That friend of yours, the Bai girl, would likely consider herself lucky to have such a pill. Do be careful should you have any left.¡±


    Ling Qi swallowed, her mouth feeling dry. The Sable Light Pill was that valuable? She knew it had helped her greatly, but¡­


    ¡°Thank you, Elder Su,¡± Ling Qi said. She still hadn¡¯t gotten her answer though. ¡°About the successor art¡­¡±


    ¡°More advanced arts are typically on the second floor of the archive. Like the first, it can be accessed with sufficient Sect Points or an Elder¡¯s pass.¡±


    ¡°Sect Points?¡± Ling Qi asked. She thought she had seen something like that on the paper slips stuck to the notice board in the building¡¯s main hall.


    ¡°The pay for performing duties for the Sect,¡± Elder Su explained. ¡°The system will be explained at the end of the week, but to put it simply, disciples may perform tasks for the Sect. In turn, they will be rewarded with points, which may be traded for various privileges or simply for spirit stones. I will leave the more detailed explanation to Elder Jiao.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded in understanding. She wouldn¡¯t bother Elder Su about that if it was going to be explained soon anyway.


    ¡°So I just have to do some work then,¡± Ling Qi murmured under her breath. That was simpler than she expected.


    ¡°The Argent Genesis cultivation art, the successor art to Argent Soul, is only provided to those who are chosen to become disciples of the inner peaks,¡± Elder Su continued. ¡°That selection will not occur until the end of the year, so do not worry about it over much for the moment.


    ¡°Now, run along, young lady. You look to be dearly in need of a bit of cultivation.¡±


    Ling Qi hastily nodded and stepped aside, ducking her head again and murmuring a thanks. Elder Su was right; she really needed to burn off some of this energy.


    By the afternoon of the next day, she felt significantly better even if she found herself jittering and fidgeting whenever she was still. She could feel the pool of her qi expanding again, the foundation formed by her practice of the Argent Soul stretching and warping to contain the deep, calm lake that her qi was beginning to form. She had chosen to focus on her arts this week, diligently practicing with her knives in Elder Zhou¡¯s training while playing the soothing notes of the Forgotten Vale Melody at the vent with her friends.


    Actual solid improvement of either yet eluded her. The next measure of the Melody was more complex than anything she had ever attempted to play, and she could not quite understand the full meaning and feeling in the words that went along with it.


    Ling Qi faced a more physical challenge with Zephyr¡¯s Breath. She simply couldn¡¯t manage the flow of the wind well enough to master the spiralling motion necessary for its final technique, Gale Shield - at least not well enough to do more than to kick up dust and send everyone¡¯s clothes fluttering.


    Everyone was preparing for the end of truce in their own way... Gu Xiulan intended to break through to Yellow. Su Ling had taken her poor reception at the joint training session in stride, focusing hard on practicing with her new weapon, the sword. She also cultivated physically, occasionally prodding Ling Qi for advice or pestering her to spar.


    Bai Meizhen was inscrutable, simply sitting in absolute stillness by the vent. She intended to complete the Argent Soul technique this week. Li Suyin, though, for all that she had broken through to Late Red Soul and Mid Gold Physique, seemed to have withdrawn again. As they strolled to the lecture hall from the vent, Ling Qi breached the subject.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I pushed you into that training session last week,¡± Ling Qi began awkwardly. ¡°I didn¡¯t think Gu Xiulan would be like that.¡±


    Gu Xiulan had always been pushy and domineering, but the disdain for Li Suyin had been unexpected.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t apologize. Even if it was a little hard, I benefited from it,¡± Li Suyin replied before murmuring, ¡°After all, she wasn¡¯t wrong.¡±


    Ling Qi looked worriedly at her friend. ¡°She was. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re taking advantage of me. We¡¯re helping each other.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel like that,¡± Li Suyin said glumly. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I am not a strong person. I don¡¯t want to be a burden on my friends.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not,¡± Ling Qi said stubbornly. ¡°You¡¯ve helped me just as much as I helped you. You¡¯re keeping up just fine.¡±


    Li Suyin looked like she wanted to protest more, but in the end, she smiled weakly. ¡°Of course. Thank you, Ling Qi,¡± she said softly.


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem,¡± Ling Qi huffed. Worry about the truce¡¯s end clouded her thoughts. She had only a few days left to prepare herself, but she could not help but wonder, how well would Li Suyin weather the mess that was coming?

 Chapter 36-Dwindling Peace 4

    The rest of the week passed in a blur of training and cultivation. Ling Qi¡¯s meditations opened one channel after another, her surging qi burning new paths outward through her body. With the opening of the channel in her head, her eyes and ears burned with new sensation. Even the taste of food seemed to grow stronger, and her thoughts seemed clearer than ever.


    The new meridians in her spine and heart also had noticeable impacts. Her body tingled every time qi flowed through the new channel in her spine, and the beat of her heart was ever stronger and steadier.


    With Han Jian¡¯s help, she mastered the second level of the Sable Crescent Step, learning the trick of activating its full power in an instant while channeling other techniques. This, in turn, helped her complete her mastery of Zephyr¡¯s Breath, allowing her to reactively pulse her qi and kick up furious winds to push foes and missiles alike away.


    All the while, she could feel the still lake of her qi growing deeper and wider, filling her body with more power even as the excess medicinal energy soaked into her flesh and bones, leaving her feeling strained and¡­ full in a way she couldn¡¯t quite explain. She had felt something similar when breaking through to the higher levels of gold, but now she felt a strain as if any more qi would cause her veins to burst apart and her bones to break.


    Ling Qi felt awkward as she explained the feeling to Han Jian at the tail end of their training session. His expression was hard to read like he was carefully keeping his reaction in check.


    ¡°Have I run into a problem with my cultivation?¡± Ling Qi asked carefully. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt myself this close to the end of the truce.¡±


    She shifted nervously as she noticed Fan Yu¡¯s dark expression and the way he clenched his fists until the knuckles turned white. Han Fang gave her an encouraging smile from where he sat, pausing in polishing his warhammer. Han Jian smiled as well, but the smile was strained.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s the opposite really,¡± Han JIan said jokingly. ¡°You¡¯ve reached the peak of this realm. You¡¯re ready to work on advancing your physique to Silver.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Ling Qi asked in surprise. She hadn¡¯t even really put much focus on cultivating her body outside of lessons. She had thought it would take much longer to reach the peak given how everyone else seemed to regard it. She knew many people had retreated from public this week to attempt breakthroughs to Yellow Soul or Silver Physique, but they had all been cultivating for years. She couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± Ling Qi added, feeling a little giddy and no longer worried about the odd reactions of the others. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    ¡°It is,¡± Han Jian replied, his smile a touch more genuine as he chuckled, seemingly amused by her good humor. ¡°Anyway, want to help me finish up advancing my Dust Devil technique? The wind resistance you can cause really helps. I¡¯d like to have the next step mastered before I start my own breakthrough to Silver.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, shaking herself out of her thoughts. ¡°Of course. Just give me a second to prepare.¡±


    The final day of the truce came all too quickly. Ling Qi trained alone as Han Jian and Han Fang followed Gu Xiulan¡¯s example and retreated for their breakthroughs, only emerging for Elder Zhou¡¯s lessons.


    On the last day of Elder lessons, Elder Zhou stood before the assembled class in his signature pose, straight-backed and with his arms clasped behind him. The difference between today and the first day Ling Qi had seen him was in his expression. That first day, he had been disdainful, giving them neither regard nor respect. Today, his face did not exactly show pride, but it did hold a certain satisfaction.


    ¡°Each of you who stands here today is one who has a chance to truly make something of yourselves in the Sect,¡± Elder Zhou began without preamble. ¡°You have worked hard and diligently, keeping up even as I have pushed you to your limits day after day.¡±


    Ling Qi straightened up, feeling pride from the instructor¡¯s words. It had been hard; the long runs through the mountain paths, climbing sheer cliff faces weighted down by heavy packs, and numerous other difficult physical exercises flashed through her memory. The spars might have been the most memorable part of the training, but the rest was certainly just as grueling.


    ¡°Yet today is still the last I will see of many of you,¡± he continued on evenly. ¡°I am not unaware of the internal workings of the Sect. Some of you will fall at each other¡¯s hands. Some will give up, and still others will end their Path due to the numerous dangers one runs across while training.


    ¡°I have been away from the front for too long, and I no longer have the time to guide you. I remain confident that one day, I will see at least a few of you again. Perhaps, at that time,we may strike down barbarian scum together as the fist of the Empire.¡± Ling Qi liked to think his panning gaze had paused on her for a moment, but she knew well enough that it was simple wishful thinking.


    ¡°You are dismissed, disciples. Good luck to you.¡±


    Ling Qi took a deep breath as the instructor turned away and vanished in a plume of kicked-up dirt.


    She wouldn¡¯t be one of the ones who fell.


    She might not look forward to having to fight, but she thought it would be nice to meet the older man again as a grown woman and a cultivator worthy of his respect.


    There was absolutely no need for Gu Xiulan to smirk at her like that. For all her good breeding and status, that girl¡¯s mind was a gutter.


    Only a few short hours later, she was seated in Elder Su¡¯s class, awaiting the arrival of the second of her teachers for the final lesson. She felt more nervous here as today, she would find out if all of her hard work had been enough to satisfy Elder Su.


    The archive pass represented a vast resource. For one such as her, who had nothing but what she could scrounge together and who often simply didn¡¯t know things that her fellow disciples took for granted¡­ She wanted it.


    It wouldn¡¯t be the end of the world if she failed to do so, but it would be a disappointment, particularly if that creepy ass Huang Da won and she didn¡¯t. She would also be much more reliant on whatever she could ¡°acquire¡± in the coming weeks.


    ¡°Good afternoon, my students,¡± Elder Su greeted them as she appeared in the lecturer¡¯s pulpit. Her expression was somewhat wistful today. ¡°I shall not tarry overmuch on introductions as I know what you are waiting for.


    ¡°First, I would like to state that each one of you who has managed to stay in this class is a diligent cultivator deserving of respect. However, the world is not fair. Whether it is talent, good fortune, or simply an unusual drive, some will always advance leaps and bounds above their peers. Today, I will be awarding those whose performance has impressed me most of all.¡±


    Ling Qi held her breath, clutching her knees with her hands as Li Suyin beside her chewed on her lower lip. The whole room was silent as the gathered disciples waited on the Elder¡¯s word.


    ¡°Ji Rong, your growth has been truly phenomenal. Reaching the peak of both Red and Gold from nothing within three months time, mastering three separate arts to their fullest extent, as well as your other accomplishments¡­ You have earned a pass to the archives,¡± Elder Su announced. ¡°I would suggest that you take some time to settle yourself. A prodigy who burns out does nobody any good, particularly themselves.¡±


    The scarred boy¡¯s lips twitched into a scowl, but he bowed his head from where he sat in the front row anyway.


    ¡°Thank you, Elder Su. I will heed your advice.¡± The formal words seemed awkward coming from Ji Rong¡¯s lips. The older woman¡¯s gaze flashed a trace of pity.


    ¡°The second pass belongs to one who has been just as inspiring in her growth, if a bit differently so. Ling Qi, you have earned your pass. Though you have not mastered as many arts as Ji Rong, you have grown the base of your qi more than any student I have seen in years while still rising nearly as quickly as Ji Rong in other areas.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s breath caught in her throat, and she had to fight down a silly grin as she bowed her head. ¡°Thank you, Elder Su,¡± she quickly replied, wincing at the sound of her too loud voice.


    ¡°Of course, young lady,¡± Elder Su replied cordially.


    ¡°For the last pass, I found myself deliberating over the decision for quite some time. Many of you have done very well, but in the end¡­¡± Li Suyin was trembling beside her, her grip on the desk in front of her turning her hands white. ¡°I believe Huang Da has earned it.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s stomach dropped as she saw the proud smirk light up the silver-haired boy¡¯s face. Li Suyin slumped beside her with a pained expression.


    ¡°Through mastery of several difficult and esoteric arts, as well as reaching the Yellow Soul realm with such a solid foundation and fully mastering the Argent Soul, I have found you to be deserving of a pass.


    ¡°However, one¡¯s attitude reflects on their cultivation.¡± Elder Su shot the boy a stern look. ¡°It is important to learn to temper one¡¯s pride as well.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Elder Su,¡± Huang Da replied smoothly, bowing his head. ¡°Thank you very much for this opportunity.¡±


    Ling Qi patted Li Suyin¡¯s shoulder, scowling as Huang Da shot her a bright smile. Great. Now he would be even more insufferable.


    ¡°All three of you will receive one final Qi Foundation Pill,¡± Elder Su continued. ¡°Li Suyin and Hong Lin have earned the remaining two pills.¡±


    That announcement hardly seemed to comfort her friend. Her own happiness at winning was damped by Li Suyin¡¯s failure and the looming knowledge that the truce would end the following morning.


    Ling Qi was dreading the day and wondering just how she should handle the inevitable outbreak of violence. She did not want to stay around Li Suyin and Su Ling since she would only draw more ire on them. Similarly, she did not want to get in Bai Meizhen¡¯s way if - or when - the most powerful disciples came calling to challenge her.


    This left her with very few options.


    So, when she was caught up in the wake of an exultant Gu Xiulan on her return to the residential district and dragged off to celebrate the proud girl¡¯s breakthrough to the Yellow realm, Ling Qi was pleasantly surprised.


    It seemed like her luck just might hold out - at least for awhile longer.

 Chapter 37-Truce End 1

    Ling Qi startled, nearly dropping the cup in her hand when the sound of a warhorn blared violently, rattling the window panes in Gu Xiulan¡¯s home. The first rays of dawn were just beginning to shine through the panes.


    Elder Jiao¡¯s voice followed, magnified to an ear-splitting volume.


    ¡°GOOD MORNING, OUTER DISCIPLES OF THE ARGENT PEAK,¡± the man¡¯s obnoxiously cheery voice announced, practically vibrating the air. ¡°TODAY, I SHALL EXPLAIN THE CHANGES IN THE RULES FOR NEW DISCIPLES! DO PAY ATTENTION.


    ¡°FIRSTLY, NEW DISCIPLES ARE NOW ALLOWED TO LEAVE THE MOUNTAIN AND MAY GO AS FAR AS THE TOWN AT THE BASE AND THE SURROUNDING FOREST. GOING BEYOND SECT BOUNDARIES REMAINS PROHIBITED. YOU WILL KNOW THE BOUNDARIES WHEN YOU SEE THEM.¡± Ling Qi groaned as the voice pounded on her ears.


    ¡°IN A RELATED MATTER, NEW DISCIPLES... WHAT. Xin, stop that. Tch. Ruin my fun, will you.¡± The voice suddenly decreased in volume to a more normal one, taking on a petulant tone.


    ¡°Hmph. In any case, new disciples may now make use of the Request Board in the primary lecture hall. Simply take the request note from the board and bring it to the disciple in charge of the Payment Hall once the request maker has stamped it complete for you.¡±


    The Elder¡¯s voice took on a slyer tone as he continued, ¡°But that is all rather minor, is it not? Allow me to explain the more important changes. While killing or maiming your fellow disciples remains prohibited, you are now allowed and even encouraged to challenge one another. The only exceptions as to where you may do so are inside the Sect buildings, such as the main hall, the archive, and the market. All violence remains against the rules in such areas.


    ¡°While a victor does deserve some spoils, it is highly frowned upon for violence or other untoward harm to be laid upon your fellow disciples after they have been defeated. We are not barbarians after all.¡± Elder Jiao¡¯s voice was amused despite the dire subject matter. ¡°Now, please report to the plaza to pick up your spirit stone allowance. As of today, stones will only be handed out from dawn until noon. Do not miss yours.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced as the Elder¡¯s voice died down, staring into the cup in her hand. Gu Xiulan had acquired some kind of strange fruity wine from somewhere for her ¡®celebration¡¯ and cajoled Ling Qi into drinking it. Ling Qi didn¡¯t care for the overly sweet drink much, and the announcement only made the aftertaste sour in her mouth.


    ¡°Why so glum?¡± Gu Xiulan asked brightly, swirling the liquid remaining in her own cup from across the polished table the two of them were seated at. Gu Xiulan occupied one of the larger homes, and as such, she had a separate dining room appointed with comfortable cushioned benches.


    They had stayed up through the night chatting and eating sweets. Well, Gu Xiulan had done a lot of chatting. Ling Qi had just been doing her best not to think about the following morning and Li Suyin¡¯s disappointment.


    ¡°We can finally stop restraining ourselves. Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t wish to have a few of those ruffians who have hassled you at your feet.¡±


    Ling Qi gave Gu Xiulan a sour look, setting down her cup to instead pick up her mostly finished bowl of grass jelly.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind a humbling a few of them, but I don¡¯t care much for the idea of everyone being allowed to attack me,¡± Ling Qi said flatly, downing the last of her portion of the night¡¯s sweets. The sticky, syrupy drink was more to her taste. It had gotten a little warm, but she still enjoyed the soothing flavor. She wondered if it would be rude to use her fingers to scrape up the last traces from the bottom of the bowl.


    ¡°You really do worry too much,¡± Gu Xiulan replied. ¡°Once you have proven yourself strong, most of the yapping dogs will fall silent. It is the way of things. Now is the time to stand out and gain glory.¡± Gu Xiulan nibbled daintily on her last piece of crystal cake.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather just stick to the shadows until the worst of it blows over,¡± Ling Qi said dryly. ¡°I¡¯ve never had much use for glory.¡±


    After deliberating, she decided that being a little uncouth was fine. She scraped a finger along the bottom of the bowl and popped the resulting dollop of jelly into her mouth. Gu Xiulan gave her an amused but long suffering look as Ling Qi licked her finger clean.


    ¡°Well, that was when you were a mortal, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Gu Xiulan responded chidingly. ¡°Mortals have a use for obscurity, and I will not lie and say that there isn¡¯t a time for your talents in that regard. One cannot expect to go everywhere in the world in obscurity though. You cannot mean to tell me that you wish to languish at the bottom forever. I refuse to believe that I have misjudged you so badly.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced to the side, not quite meeting the other girl¡¯s eyes. It was true that she had a temper, and these last few months had made her more prone to indulging it than her previous years. The other girl¡­ wasn¡¯t wrong. What was the point of gaining strength if you were just going to cringe away and let yourself be bullied anyway?


    While she didn¡¯t dare compare herself to the top disciples, why should she just allow people who weren¡¯t any stronger than her to do as they liked to her? To talk about her like she was still just gutter trash?


    Hadn¡¯t she been in the Elders¡¯ advanced classes? Hadn¡¯t Elder Su acknowledged her specifically?


    ¡°There it is.¡± Gu Xiulan smiled savagely. ¡°You like to play at being reserved, but there is a fire inside you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m mostly worried about getting ganged up on,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°What¡¯s to stop a dozen people from getting together and deciding to put me in my place?¡±


    ¡°I will do my part to help, of course,¡± the other girl preened. ¡°I have reached the Yellow realm and have mastered the next technique of my family arts.¡±


    ¡°As you¡¯ve said a few times already today,¡± Ling Qi replied dryly.


    ¡°Must you? Allow me my pride, you cruel girl.¡± Gu Xiulan pouted at her and huffed. ¡°In truth, I doubt such a large group would form unless a stronger disciple instigated it. Who would get the spoils from such a thing? Who would get the glory? That is another reason you should stand out and accept challenges from your peers. It will deter such scavengers.¡±


    Ling Qi sighed. It went against years of instinct, but Gu Xiulan knew more about cultivator culture than she did. It also helped that after weeks of being whispered about and snubbed, she dearly wanted to slap a few people around. She could use their spirit stones better than they could.


    ¡°Fine. So what do we do?¡±


    ¡°We walk down to the lecture hall with our heads held high,¡± Gu Xiulan said cheerfully as she stood up. ¡°I doubt we will have to wait overlong for a challenge. But if their courage fails them, I¡¯m sure I can arrange something.¡±


    Ling Qi stood up herself, expression set in one of determination. She had to face a fight some time.


    When the two of them left Gu Xiulan¡¯s home and set out into the street, the other female disciples were already out in force, clustered in groups of three or four. Each group eyed each other warily. It was an ominous atmosphere, charged with tension and anticipation.


    Then the earth rocked under their feet and a boiling hiss like a thousand teakettles screaming at once sounded from further out. Ling Qi startled as a wave of icy cold and familiar qi washed over her, and a bright red figure shot from the dust cloud now roiling over the rooftops.


    Squinting, she could see that the figure was Sun Liling. Malevolent and spiked crimson armor was forming over her torso even as the red mist she emitted in sparring fights erupted and spiralled into her hands, forming a thorny, twisted black and red monstrosity of a spear. It was the first time she had seen the girl with a weapon.


    ¡°Someone is starting early,¡± Gu Xiulan mused beside her, squinting upward as the red-haired girl slammed back to earth with a thunderous crash and kicked up another plume of dust, passing back out of sight. ¡°Did you want to go see?¡± she asked, eyeing Ling Qi.


    They both knew who Sun Liling¡¯s opponent was. Ling Qi swallowed and shook her head. A fight between Bai Meizhen and Sun Liling? She would just get in the way.


    ¡°No, Bai Meizhen can handle herself. I need to deal with my own problems first.¡± Even if Bai Meizhen was wounded in this fight with Sun Liling, she couldn¡¯t see her housemate having any other challengers today. Bai Meizhen would be fine.


    ¡°Very well. Playing spectator has never been my preference,¡± Gu Xiulan replied with a shrug. ¡°Shall we be off then?¡±


    Ling Qi nodded as another icy cold breeze washed over them and the other nervously chattering disciples. The terrifying hissing sound erupted again.


    The two of them set off down the path, leaving the battle in the distance. Ling Qi was glad that she kept all of her important things on her person. She wasn¡¯t certain how intact her house was going to be by evening.


    The plaza was much the same as the residential area save that the clumped groups were not exclusively female. A great number of disciples were streaming in and out of the lecture hall. Gu Xiulan and Ling Qi passed several other duels in progress, none as flashy as the fight that had broken out between the two top ranked girls. They were able to reach the lecture hall and collect their spirit stones with little trouble.


    Ling Qi had her suspicions about that, and they were born out when they left the hall.


    ¡°Ling Qi and Gu Xiulan. A beggar and a desert rat. I suppose I should not be surprised to find the ¡®nobility¡¯ of the east keeping such poor company.¡±


    The two of them were halted by a loud voice cutting over the chatter of the surrounding crowd. The speaker was Hong Lin, the girl with the pink-streaked hair who had crushed Ling Qi in her first sparring match. Hong Lin stepped out of the crowd, her arms crossed under her modest chest. Stepping out behind her were two faces Ling Qi vaguely recalled. The staff in the hands of the scowling girl was rather more familiar.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t expect scum to keep good company, no,¡± the boy said tightly, his twinned swords already in hands and a scowl on his handsome face.


    ¡°You will both pay for humiliating us and blinding Lei Qing,¡± the girl with the staff added quietly, determination on her face.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Who are all of you?¡± Gu Xiulan asked blithely, making the two bristle and Ling Qi shuffle nervously. This scene screamed of being staged to Ling Qi. In the open plaza, the two of them were surrounded by enough watchers to make retreating difficult.


    ¡°No, my apologies. I believe I have seen you in Instructor Zhou¡¯s training. Fong, was it?¡± Gu Xiulan added in a sweet and entirely insincere voice.


    The pink-haired girl scowled at them. ¡°I see poor memory is among your flaws,¡± Hong Lin replied tartly.


    ¡°Trash like her never should have wasted the Instructor¡¯s time merely due to a little good luck,¡± Hong Lin added, glowering at Ling Qi. ¡°Nor should she even be in the Sect making pretensions at things she does not deserve. Now that the truce has ended, I no longer need tolerate it.¡±


    Hong Lin seemed to have a personal grudge with Ling Qi. This was strange given that Ling Qi had hardly given the girl a thought outside of sparring.


    ¡°And you picked up a couple of failures with a grudge to distract me while you fight my friend, Ling Qi? I suppose that is what I would expect of a girl from the core provinces. Your kind have never been much good at fighting your own battles,¡± Gu Xiulan sniffed.


    This was what Ling Qi had been afraid of. She couldn¡¯t run without leaving Gu Xiulan behind, and she couldn¡¯t be certain that some members of their audience wouldn¡¯t jump in given the chance.


    Still¡­ this was an opportunity too, wasn¡¯t it? If she fought off another member of Elder Zhou¡¯s class in public, that would warn off weaker disciples.


    The other two¡­ She had put them out of her mind after her initial check-up on their status post-Elder Zhou¡¯s test. While the girl¡¯s speech had relieved her assuming ¡®Lei Qing¡¯ was the girl she thought Gu Xiulan had killed, she couldn¡¯t really afford sentiment here.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what has you so angry, but I¡¯ve beaten you before in training,¡± Ling Qi stated flatly, doing her best to sound confident. ¡°I don¡¯t have any quarrel with you, but I won¡¯t hold back if you start this.¡± That sounded suitably threatening, didn¡¯t it?


    The twins were too busy glaring at Gu Xiulan to look her way, but Hong Lin bristled.


    ¡°You¡­ You wretched little gutter rat. Do not pretend that we have no quarrel even ignoring that you have no place here,¡± Hong Lin snapped.


    ¡°I genuinely have no idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Ling Qi snapped back. ¡°What - are you that angry that Gan Guangli put you in a crater last week?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Hong Lin said coldly. ¡°I am furious that an ungrateful little harlot of a commoner has been leading my fianc¨¦ along.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked. She blinked again as the other girl¡¯s guai appeared in her hands.


    Hong Lin couldn¡¯t mean¡­ No...


    Dammit, Huang Da.

 Chapter 38-Truce End 2

    Ling Qi scowled. That guy¡­ He was just causing her one problem after another.


    Bad enough that he was a creep who switched ¡®targets¡¯ at the drop of a hat. That people thought badly of her for his interest. And now, that someone was actually going to attack her over it.


    ¡°The creep? Do me a favor and leash him.¡±


    The other girl¡¯s eyes were just beginning to narrow in outrage when Ling Qi¡¯s right hand blurred, and a white streak shot out. She flung one of her new knives at the Zhu girl. Even as she was doing so, she darted backwards, the wind stirring around her frame and making her gown billow around her feet.


    Throwing without looking at her target had cost her some accuracy, and the Zhu girl nearly escaped her attack, spinning her staff to deflect the knife. A slight tug on the projectile with a current of wind was enough to alter its trajectory, scoring a shallow cut across the back of the girl¡¯s hand. It was enough for her qi to take hold.


    ¡°Ha ha. Is there anything more pathetic than a woman who cannot even keep her man¡¯s eyes upon her?¡± Gu Xiulan laughed as she paced away to the right to reduce their vulnerability to a group attack.


    An arc of flame burned through the air, a wide crescent with a core of flickering blue that forced the sword wielding boy to sidestep in front of his sister and disperse it with a twinned cut of his blades. Ling Qi felt her control of the wind contested in that moment the fire was blown away, but she could also see a grimace on the boy¡¯s face as qi flickered around his body where the flames had licked at him.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t have time to pay the twins attention though because a furiously scowling Hong Lin had appeared in front of her with a muffled boom. The bar of Hong Lin¡¯s guai was coated in a solid shell of grey qi as it swung upward to strike her across the ribs. Ling Qi¡¯s eyes widened as she tried to call up a heavy burst of wind to push the other girl back and out of range. She remembered this attack. It was the one which had laid her out in a single strike in her first spar against Hong Lin.


    Her Gale Shield wasn¡¯t enough as Hong Lin simply bulled through the rushing wind currents with a snarl on her lips. The air flew from Ling Qi¡¯s lungs even as her qi drained precipitously to cushion the worst of the blow, and she knew she would be sore after this.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know anything, you wretched little strumpet!¡± Hong Lin shouted as Ling Qi desperately ducked under a follow-up strike from the girl¡¯s second guai that would have cracked her across the temple.


    ¡°Do you think I enjoy watching that boy flit about from one girl to another?¡± Hong Lin muttered, low enough that Ling Qi doubted anyone else had heard it.


    Ling Qi couldn¡¯t spare a glance for Gu Xiulan, but she could hear the girl laughing even as a green glow lit up in the corner of her vision and the flagstones were carved open by sharpened wind currents. With Gu Xiulan¡¯s greater cultivation and speed and the hobbling that Ling Qi had inflicted, Gu Xiulan seemed to be doing well.


    ¡°That sounds like your problem. I don¡¯t want the asshole,¡± Ling Qi snapped as she managed to open the distance. She felt so slow under the bright light of dawn, and it irked her that her Sable Crescent Step was so limited without low light. She would have to fix that.


    Her flute appeared in her hand. Even as Hong Lin narrowed her eyes and tried to close the distance again, Ling Qi raised the instrument to her lips and began to play the first haunting notes of her Melody. There was a susurrus of surprised and disappointed noises from those watching as thick, cloying mist spilled forth from her flute. The battlefield was quickly consumed by a thick bank of fog.


    Ling Qi suppressed a wince at the off tone of her first few notes; she was still short of breath and the aching bruise throbbing on her lower ribs didn¡¯t make things any easier. Despite the distraction, she remembered to include Gu Xiulan in the mist¡¯s protection. Ling Qi could feel her friend like a cheerfully blazing hearthfire off to her right.


    ¡°Of course you would use this cowardly thing,¡± Hong Lin said darkly as she peered through the mist, eyes darting about as she tried to locate Ling Qi. Ling Qi, who had started moving the moment the fog rolled out, was nowhere near the place where the girl¡¯s weapons struck. She winced as she felt the furious wind of their passage.


    The breathing room she had gained did afford her the opportunity to give the other battle going on a look, and she was pleased to see her earlier assessment was correct. The boy¡¯s robes were tattered, revealing that his skin had taken on a bark-like texture that seemed to be protecting him from Gu Xiulan¡¯s flames. The girl¡¯s eyes were verdant green lanterns in the mist though, and she was surrounded by a circle of viridian light. The Zhu girl¡¯s shoulders were trembling from exhaustion, but she was preparing something. However Ling Qi had to focus back on her enemy because Hong Lin wasn¡¯t taking her inability to find Ling Qi well.


    ¡°If he will not respect me and if I cannot strike him, I can at least break his toys. I cannot be reproached for that.¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t like the way Hong Lin had paused, fists clenched. Hong Ling¡¯s muttering was weird and nonsensical, which worried her. Ling Qi¡¯s fears were confirmed when Hong Lin¡¯s skin flushed red, qi streaming up visibly around her as her hair and gown fluttered in a phantom wind.


    Instincts screaming at her to move, Ling Qi leaped backward with all of her strength, flickering through the mist as soothing dark qi rushed through her veins. She just barely avoided the other girl¡¯s paired guai slamming downward in an overhand strike at where Ling Qi had just been standing. The plaza flagstones shattered, chips of stone flying outward from the impact.


    Ling Qi only grew more concerned a moment later. The circle of green around the staff girl had pulsed and expanded outward, washing over everyone. As it did, she felt her grip on the twin¡¯s qi through her Against the Wind technique disrupted. That girl had to go.


    She didn¡¯t want to stop playing the Melody, but her qi was rapidly draining away through the rapid-fire use of her techniques. Her only comfort was that if she was draining her qi quickly, the others must be nearly running on fumes too. This gave her one good solution. If the twins were suffering so much fighting Gu Xiulan alone, she would just have to give them more foes.


    Avoiding another thunderous strike from her own opponent. Ling Qi played first dissonant note of the new verse, the shadows grew darker and hungry eyes appeared in the mist. All three of her enemies stiffened, moving to dodge the shadowy claws and fangs now nipping at their heels. Hong Lin shrugged off her attacker with a snarl, the mist failing to do more than scratch uselessly at her flushed skin, but the other two were not so lucky.


    A trio of bloody cuts slashed across Zhu Mei¡¯s forehead, causing her to stumble and cry out in pain as blood began to pour down into her eyes. Zhu Fong was similarly unlucky, except his misfortune was the jagged cut across his knee that caused him to stumble when a burning, many tongued whip blazed into existence in Gu Xiulan¡¯s gloved hand and coiled around his limbs with a flick of the laughing girl¡¯s wrist. He screamed as it burned through his clothing and slammed him bodily into his sister, sending them both to the ground in a tumble.


    Ling Qi winced as she heard the crack of breaking bone, but she had no time to worry about that. The qi aura around Hong Lin was beginning to fade, and she could see the girl breathing heavily. Whatever Hong Lin had done clearly strained her. However, it didn¡¯t stop her from raising her hands and weapons, her hands and forearms darkening to the color of steel as qi infused them.


    This time, when Ling Qi flew backward, it wasn¡¯t entirely of her own will. When Hong Lin struck the ground, the earth rocked, and a rippling burst of dark, iron-colored qi erupted from around her like a shimmering wall. It struck Ling Qi like a speeding carriage, and Ling Qi could feel bruises forming all across her body even as she did her best to move with the motion of the blow as Elder Zhou had taught her. It was her movement art, Sable Crescent Step, that saved her the worst of it. Ling Qi could feel some of the force of Hong Lin¡¯s attack passing through her harmlessly in places as she melded with the mist.


    The blast still disrupted her song and blew the mist away with a thunderous crash, leaving her standing exposed in the middle of the damaged plaza. Hong Lin was hardly in the best shape either; the flush was fading from her skin as she panted for breath, shoulders slumping tiredly as she stared incredulously at Ling Qi.


    ¡°How! How are you still standing after¡­¡±


    Whatever else Hong Lin was going to say was cut off as she screamed in pain. The lance of white hot fire seared across her lower legs and sent her tumbling to the ground, her badly burned legs apparent among the burning tatters of her gown.


    ¡°Because she is simply better than you, you whining child,¡± Gu Xiulan said coldly as she strode over. Gu Xiulan looked somewhat battered. A thin stream of blood flowed from the corner of her lip, and she looked furious.


    Ling Qi surreptitiously popped one of her qi restoring pills while Gu Xiulan spoke, choosing not to comment on just how close the fight had been. She was all too aware that they still had an audience with nearly a dozen other disciples watching them. She absolutely could not afford to appear tired right now so she did her best to stand straight and keep her expression confident despite the pounding in her ears. Thankfully, Gu Xiulan was fully willing to take the attention for herself.


    ¡°Let that be a lesson to you,¡± Gu Xiulan said haughtily, voice cracking through the air like the whip she had been wielding as sparks danced in the air around her. ¡°Do you truly think that I, a daughter of the Gu family, last descendants of the Purifying Sun, would extend my friendship to a weakling? That Elder Guan Zhou, the great Bulwark of the South, would accept an unworthy student? Check your pride and delusions. We will happily break them for you should you find yourself unable to do so.¡±


    The murmuring around them grew briefly louder and angrier, and Ling Qi tensed as she scowled at her fellow disciples. Then, the tension broke, and the first of their audience turned away, a pair of boys who inclined their heads slightly to Gu Xiulan before leaving. The other disciples drifted away as well, some with more reluctance and unfriendliness in their expressions than others. Gu Xiulan continued to glare before hmphing and reaching into her pouch for a restoration pill herself.


    ¡°Shall we take our spoils then?¡± Gu Xiulan asked brightly after swallowing the pill, turning to Ling Qi with an expectant look. ¡°I believe an even split is fair in this case.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded slowly, looking at their opponents. Hong Lin was struggling to sit up, a grimace on her face, and Zhu Mei was slumped at her brother¡¯s side, tears crawling down her face as she frantically worked to heal her brother¡¯s burns. As for the boy himself, he was unconscious, bleeding from a shallow cut on his head where it had struck the flagstones.


    She had¡­ won?

 Chapter 39-Truce End 3

    ¡°Yeah, I guess we should collect our due,¡± Ling Qi replied absently to Gu Xiulan, glaring at Hong Lin. Despite her words, she still felt ambivalent when she glanced at the other two. It wasn¡¯t precisely guilt because in the end, they had attacked her and her... friend. She couldn¡¯t really think of Gu Xiulan any other way after her words to the crowd although she was still wary of the other girl¡¯s temper and inclinations.


    ¡°Zhu Mei, right?¡± Ling Qi called, studiously ignoring the handful of people still lurking within ear shot. The girl¡¯s shoulders stiffened and her head shot up even as the green glow around her hands continued unabated. ¡°You have till we¡¯re done with Hong Lin to finish up healing your brother. Then you drop the staff.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced to Gu Xiulan for approval even as she spoke. It was a little presumptuous to take the lead, but hopefully, the other girl would be fine with it. Gu Xiulan simply cocked her head to the side slightly, an amused smile on her lips.


    ¡°There is no rush. I will keep an eye on her,¡± she said simply, turning to face down the twin cultivators with her arms crossed in that slightly irritating bust-emphasizing way she had.


    Zhu Mei¡¯s face twisted with helpless frustration, but after a moment, she meekly nodded and returned to her work, dropping her gaze from Gu Xiulan¡¯s unimpressed stare. Ling Qi strode toward Hong Lin where the girl had finally managed to sit up. Hong Lin¡¯s legs were burnt badly, and Ling Qi¡¯s stomach churned at the scent of cooked flesh. All the same, she kept her glare unwavering as she flicked a knife into her hand.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want anything to do with you or that creep,¡± Ling Qi said quietly. ¡°But you attacked me, and I won¡¯t just forgive that. I figure you know what comes next.¡±


    Hong Lin sneered up at Ling Qi, but Ling Qi could see the weakness in Hong Lin¡¯s expression and the trembling in the hands keeping her upright. ¡°Of course. Now you rob me, correct? It isn¡¯t as if I would expect anything else from a beggar.¡±


    ¡°Oh, do stop that,¡± Gu Xiulan said dryly, not turning around. ¡°You soft central cultivators do so love your pretensions, but let us not seriously entertain the notion that you would not be taking spoils in our place.¡±


    Hong Lin sniffed, somehow managing to sound haughty despite the obvious pain she was in. ¡°A token of victory is hardly the same as the robbery you sand-dwelling bandits engage in. Get on with it.¡±


    Ling Qi rolled her eyes, having no further desire to engage with the girl. Hong Lin sat stiffly as Ling Qi scooped up her weapons, only barely managing to avoid lurching under their tremendous weight. Her expression darkened when Ling Qi spotted a familiar grey ring on her right hand and reached down to take it. The last thing that caught Ling Qi¡¯s eye was a pair of glittering silver anklets that Hong Lin wore, shimmering and unburnt despite the state of the girl¡¯s leggings and shoes. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    Ling Qi felt bad at the restrained sob of pain that the other girl let out when she removed them, but she crushed the feeling ruthlessly. Just because she had resolved to be a better ally to her friends didn¡¯t mean she had to be kind to enemies. A quick scan showed her nothing else of value, and Ling Qi wasn¡¯t about to escalate to strip searching the other girl.


    ¡°Don¡¯t come near me again,¡± Ling Qi said flatly as she stood up. ¡°I don¡¯t want any further conflict with you. Deal with your own problems.¡±


    Ling Qi could see that her words were futile from the hatred in the other girl¡¯s eyes. Hong Lin rose unsteadily to her feet and turned away, slowly limping off in the direction of the market and the medicine pavilion. Ling Qi would just have to get strong enough that the other girl and her lunatic fiance couldn¡¯t threaten her.


    ¡°I will show you how to attune the storage ring when we are done,¡± Gu Xiulan said conversationally as Ling Qi turned around to face the same way as her. Ling Qi grunted in response, arms trembling as she continued to support Hong Lin¡¯s paired guai.


    ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t want it?¡± Ling Qi asked carefully. She had gotten the impression that storage rings were pretty valuable.


    ¡°Father will be sending me a similar one now that I have reached the second realm,¡± Gu Xiulan said with a shrug. ¡°Now, allow me to take care of this since your hands are full.¡±


    Zhu Fong had stirred to consciousness while Ling Qi had been relieving Hong Lin of her items, and he glared up at Gu Xiulan from the ground. ¡°This won¡¯t be the end of this,¡± he vowed stiffly as the glow faded from his sister¡¯s hands.


    ¡°It should be,¡± Ling Qi replied tiredly. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to help anyone like this.¡±


    Gu Xiulan smirked, idly brushing a few strands of hair that had come loose from her braid out of her eyes.


    ¡°Ling Qi is right. You¡¯ll only waste your time on this nonsense. It is hardly my fault your families lack the expertise to aid her,¡± Gu Xiulan said dismissively, causing Zhu Mei to flush in shame and Zhu Fong¡¯s scowl to deepen. ¡°Now, place your talismans and pouches on the ground, or would you prefer to be crude like that Hong girl?¡±


    ¡°Bandit,¡± the boy spat, even as he kicked the sword still lying at his side toward them and began to remove his belt pouch. Ling Qi uncomfortably shifted from foot to foot as she watched the girl set her staff down with a pained look and remove a rather pretty white jade hairpin in the shape of a lotus flower from her hair. Her brother merely unwound his sash and threw it atop his sword. Gu Xiulan collected it all while humming cheerfully to herself, along with the boy¡¯s other sword and Ling Qi¡¯s knife that she had thrown at the start of the fight.


    Gu Xiulan dismissed the Zhu twins with a wave of her hand after that, and Ling Qi fell in beside her as they walked away. They were heading back toward the lecture hall to organize and go through their winnings. Ling Qi took the time to take another of her qi recovery pills.


    In the first empty room they found, Ling Qi dumped their newfound treasures on an empty desk before turning to Gu Xiulan. ¡°How does this work?¡± she asked, holding up the little grey ring.


    Gu Xiulan looked up from the paired sabers she had been examining. ¡°Ah. Just apply a drop of blood, and channel your qi into the ring. It will attune easily enough.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned dubiously, but there was no point in doubting Gu Xiulan now. She grimaced as she pricked her finger on the tip of one of her knives and let the resulting drop of blood fall onto the dull ring.


    The drop was immediately absorbed, and Ling Qi hurried to push a thread of qi in after it. The moment she did, she stiffened when a ¡®window¡¯ seemed to open in her mind. It was disorienting at first, like looking out of a third eye, but the disorientation soon faded to the point where it felt more like something hovering just on the edge of her vision.


    If she focused on it, she found that she could see the inside of a small hollow stone cube in which pills and spirit stones were piled. Excited, Ling Qi tried to reach for them¡­ only for a dozen pills and a two score or more of stones to rain down on the floor in a noisy clatter and go rolling wildly away.


    Gu Xiulan raised an eyebrow, and Ling Qi gave her a sheepish grin. It looked like she would need some practice in using storage rings.


    Once they had recovered their spoils from under the desks and benches and piled them up, Ling Qi remained amazed. On the desk before them was more spirit stones than she had seen in her life up to that point, including a few glittering yellow ones. Yellow stones were worth ten red ones, according to Gu Xiulan, but the exchange rate for higher tier stones apparently grew steeply with each level to the point that a single green stone was worth fifty yellow ones.


    The pills, which were meant to help someone cultivate metal, mountain, and wood arts, were sadly not much use directly. The two of them agreed to simply split the proceeds on the pills rather than bother dividing them up. Gu Xiulan would get the larger split since Ling Qi had taken the storage ring.


    The talismans were another matter


    ¡°Do you want to go to the market before we decide what to do with them?¡± Ling Qi asked tentatively as they considered the small pile of gear. Ling Qi was reluctant to suggest it - and not just because the idea of spending the next several hours being dragged around by Gu Xiulan on a shopping trip was pretty unappealing. She was worried about everyone else. Bai Meizhen had been fighting Sun Liling, and who knew what was happening with Li Suyin and Su Ling or even Han Jian and the others.


    Gu Xiulan contemplated her proposal. ¡°I had considered going to see how Jian was faring,¡± she said thoughtfully. ¡°Or at least find a few of our more insulting peers to put in their place¡­¡±


    ¡°What was up with that anyway?¡± Ling Qi asked, idly twisting the new ring on her finger. She couldn''t do anything for Bai Meizhen, and her other friends were probably hiding out at this point if she knew them at all.


    ¡°I understand why they were insulting me, but what was that ¡®desert rat¡¯ stuff? And what were you talking about at the end there when you were scaring them off?¡± It had slipped her mind at the time, but she was curious now that they had a moment¡¯s peace.


    Gu Xiulan sniffed disdainfully., drumming her fingers against the desk she was leaning on. ¡°Childish and outdated insults about my home and nothing more. You are familiar with the tale of Lu Guanxi?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. He was a hero who saved the Empire¡­¡± Ling Qi wracked her brain for more details, but she hadn¡¯t exactly had time for bedtime stories after leaving Mother behind. She had recalled parts of this story when she first met Han Jian though.


    ¡°From¡­ some huge army of walking corpses,¡± Ling Qi finished a little lamely, unable to remember the rest of the story. ¡°The King of¡­ Something?¡±


    ¡°The Twilight King,¡± Gu Xiulan corrected gently. ¡°A pretender to the imperial throne who used forbidden arts to craft abominations of his slain foes. In any case, the Gu family is a surviving branch house of the extinct Lu family. Hence, we are descended from the Purifying Sun.¡±


    Ling Qi was pretty sure she was missing something. Her understanding was that Gu Xiulan¡¯s family was lower status than Han Jian¡¯s. But if they were related to a Founding Family, shouldn¡¯t the Gu be higher ranked?


    ¡°Alright,¡± she replied slowly. ¡°So that explains the speech. What about the insults?¡±


    Gu Xiulan scowled, and the air warmed slightly. ¡°My esteemed ancestor¡¯s actions were necessary, but they were hardly without ill effect. Much of Golden Fields remains an ashen wasteland to this day, and in the first millennia after the Scouring, the surviving houses of the province¡­ struggled to stay competitive with the rest of the Empire.


    ¡°Of course, my family has worked long and hard to ensure that we are no longer poor vagrants scrabbling among ruins. Such words betray the speaker¡¯s lack of knowledge and poor education.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded slowly, considering that. Was that why Gu Xiulan liked flaunting her wealth so much? She doubted that was the entire reason, but she suspected this common misconception about Golden Fields might be part of it.


    ¡°That¡¯s interesting¡­¡± Ling Qi considered how to gracefully segue back into the other subject, and upon failing to think of a way to do so, she just bluntly raised it. ¡°So, the market?¡±


    Gu Xiulan raised her hand to cover her mouth and laughed lightly. ¡°Ling Qi, if you really wish for me to help you get yourself well appointed, you only had to ask,¡± she said cheerfully. ¡°That gown of yours is so ill fitting. I know. Why don¡¯t we both get ourselves fitted for new gowns? I have had about enough of these dowdy grey things.¡±


    Ling Qi felt a creeping sense of dread as she glanced down at her wrinkled gown with its twice-wrapped sash and too short hems. ¡°This is fine. Really,¡± she said hurriedly. ¡°Besides, isn¡¯t this the Sect uniform?¡±


    ¡°It really isn¡¯t,¡± Gu Xiulan replied chidingly. ¡°You aren¡¯t presenting yourself strongly with such things. The soft color works for you in a way that does not for me, but I think you might be better with black and shades of blue instead. You will want to stick the high cut to avoid drawing attention to your more... deficient attributes. Do you have anything against veils?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to hide my face. I don¡¯t look that bad,¡± Ling Qi snapped.


    ¡°No, no.¡± Gu Xiulan rolled her eyes. ¡°I wasn¡¯t implying anything of the sort. That said, you could do with making a bit more use of your cosmetics. But your hair is coming along very nicely.¡±


    Ling Qi fingered one of the stray strands that always hung in her face. It¡¯s true that her hair wasn¡¯t quite as lank and stringy anymore, but that wasn¡¯t the point. Ling Qi hadn¡¯t missed that comment about her ¡°deficiencies¡± either. ¡°Then what did you mean?¡±


    ¡°I mean that you could very well manage the mysterious look with a bit of work, silly girl,¡± Gu Xiulan said in exasperation. ¡°You know the sort - the ones with veils and trailing lengths of silk that billow with their movements. It would certainly fit with that movement technique of yours.


    ¡°Besides, a proper cultivator¡¯s gown will do you better in protection than that ugly thing you are currently wearing under your garments. Did you go out of your way to select the least appealing gear at the market?¡±


    ¡°I got what I could afford,¡± Ling Qi replied defensively, but her anger had simmered down. Gu Xiulan wouldn¡¯t get her something explicitly worse than what she was already using, even if she¡¯d probably insist on a bunch of silly aesthetic stuff. And Ling Qi did have a lot of stones right now and could have more from her share of the proceeds if they sold a few of the talismans...


    Besides, keeping so much money on her felt like asking for trouble. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to get useful things?

 Chapter 40-Truce End 4

    ¡°I¡¯m not dressing up like some dancer,¡± Ling Qi said stubbornly as she walked beside Gu Xiulan down one of the streets in the market. ¡°I just want something practical.¡±


    Gu Xiulan gave a put upon sigh as she led them around a corner; she apparently knew where she wanted to go for this so Ling Qi simply followed her.


    ¡°You are such a difficult girl,¡± Gu Xiulan grumbled. ¡°I do not think I have ever met another young lady so stubbornly opposed to improving her appearance.¡±


    ¡°Probably because I¡¯m not a ¡®lady,¡¯¡± Ling Qi replied waspishly. ¡°There¡¯s no point in trying to pretend to be something I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there though?¡± Gu Xiulan shot back immediately, seeming frustrated. ¡°No one will respect you if you choose to continue behaving and appearing the way you do.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned at the other girl. ¡°If I get strong enough, they will. That¡¯s the point of cultivation, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°And mastering one¡¯s appearance and its effects on others is a form of strength,¡± Gu Xiulan argued passionately. ¡°When a lady can halt aggression or guide those around her with a smile and a few honeyed words, that, too, is strength. Similarly, the ability for a man such as Han Jian to inspire loyalty and awe with his words and presence is also strength.¡±


    ¡°I suppose,¡± Ling Qi grudgingly replied. ¡°I don¡¯t like it though. I¡¯ll just follow your lead. I¡¯m not wearing something that¡¯s going to take an hour to put on though.¡±


    Gu Xiulan smirked at her victory, and Ling Qi hunched her shoulders in irritation. She knew the other girl was right. Choosing to refuse the trappings of culture and wealth wasn¡¯t going to do her any favors in the long run. Was that what Mother had been trying to do? Ling Qi had thought Mother was just grooming her to follow in her footsteps at the brothel, but¡­ If she was honest with herself, Mother had never mentioned anything of the sort.


    ¡°Gu Xiulan, the Sect said we could communicate with those outside the Sect now, right? Do you know where I would have to go to send a letter, even if I¡¯m... not sure where the recipient is?¡± (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    Her companion blinked at the change in subject but recovered quickly. ¡°I suppose there should be an office of the Ministry of Communication in the town at the base of the mountain. They rarely fail to deliver their messages to the intended recipient,¡± Gu Xiulan replied slowly, eyeing Ling Qi curiously.


    ¡°And is there a way to trade a red stone or two for silver?¡± Ling Qi asked tentatively. It hurt to spend her scant resources on something that didn¡¯t immediately help her, but she remembered her conversation with the spider spirit in the well. She also remembered how thin and listless Mother had looked the last time she had seen her. There hadn¡¯t been that much grey in Mother¡¯s hair when Ling Qi had left home. Mother¡¯s profession wasn¡¯t exactly one kind to aging, even if, or indeed because, looking back, the¡­ establishment Mother worked at was pretty high class as those things went.


    Gu Xiulan pursed her lips thoughtfully. ¡°I suppose you would be able to do that in the same place. The Ministry typically handles such things as part of their business dealings. Why would you wish to waste your stones so though?¡±


    ¡°Why do you think?¡± Ling Qi asked irritably, giving Gu Xiulan an unimpressed look. ¡°You know I am a commoner. I just¡­ I didn¡¯t part on great terms with my Mother, and I thought I could help her out a little.¡± She had to be careful. Too much money at once would just make Mother a target¡­ Maybe she could set up something to mail her a little every month?


    Gu Xiulan paused in the street. ¡°Ah. That is rather obvious in hindsight. How obtuse of me. Well, I don¡¯t see that being a problem. Interfering overmuch in mortal affairs is frowned upon, but no one would rebuke you for seeing to the care of family.¡± Gi Xiulan furrowed her brows. ¡°Why would you not know the location of your own mother?¡±


    Ling Qi shifted uncomfortably, barely avoiding bumping into one of the passerby. ¡°I¡­ kind of ran away from home when I was¡­ ten,¡± she replied slowly. ¡°Yeah, I had just recently turned ten. I¡¯ve only seen her once or twice since so I¡¯m not sure if she still lives in the same place.¡±


    Ling Qi saw a flicker of genuine surprise on the other girl¡¯s face. ¡°I¡­ see. Yes, that would be a problem,¡± Gu Xiulan replied neutrally while giving Ling Qi an appraising look. ¡°No wonder you act like a ruffian. You will apologize, of course. I know not your circumstances, but to abandon family in such a way is shameful.¡±


    Ling Qi scowled defensively, but then looked away, shoulders drooping. ¡°...Yeah, I know. That¡¯s the idea.¡± How does one go about apologizing for that kind of thing?


    ¡®Hi Mother. It¡¯s me, Ling Qi, the daughter you probably assumed was dead in a gutter years ago! Turns out I¡¯m an immortal now so you shouldn¡¯t worry. Here¡¯s some money because giving it to you hardly costs me a thing. Sorry for being a selfish and disobedient daughter!¡¯


    As Ling Qi held back a snort of laughter at her own musings, Gu Xiulan came to a stop. ¡°Leaving that aside for now, we are here. I am going to make a lady of you yet,¡± Gu Xiulan said with cheerful determination.


    Ling Qi felt a spike of regret that had nothing to do with her lack of filial piety.


    The next few hours were a drag of poking, prodding, needles and cloth, and more than a couple of fairly heated disagreements with Gu Xiulan over the exact specifications of what Ling Qi wanted. In the end, Ling Qi managed to avoid all the gauzy scarves Gu Xiulan wanted to dress her in and came out of the whole mess with something she could actually feel comfortable wearing.


    Her new gown was high-necked and covered everything below her collarbones. It had the same long and billowy sleeves she had gotten used to. The outer layer was dark blue, nearly black silk with embroidered patterns of silver flower petals being blown in the wind across the chest. The hems were silver embroidery as well, but they were arranged in patterns of formation characters rather than flower petals. The sash and underlayer of the gown were a lighter blue.


    Most importantly, the new gown fit her perfectly, which was nice from a comfort perspective even if Ling Qi felt awkward about the way the cloth tightly hugged her hips, and while it helped that the formations woven into the gown meant that right now, she was better armored than most guardsman, there were still a couple features she wasn¡¯t very happy about.


    ¡°Was it really necessary to have it slit so high?¡± Ling Qi said self-consciously as they strolled out of the dress shop, clutching the silky cloth closed in her hands. The slit nearly came up to her knees!


    ¡°Do stop that. You¡¯re going to wrinkle the dress,¡± Gu Xiulan chided. Her own gown was all reds and golds and cut significantly lower than Ling Qi¡¯s to boot on top of having tighter and less open sleeves. ¡°You said you wanted practicality, did you not? It will not hinder your movement at all.¡±


    ¡°I feel like the second I really start moving or a breeze kicks up, I¡¯m going to be flashing my legs like some kind of deviant,¡± Ling Qi grumbled. ¡°...Thank you though.¡± For all her complaining, this thing was worth it from what the tailor had told her of its abilities. On top of the base level toughness it would enhance the effects of techniques using water qi, like her Forgotten Vale Melody.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing you have some command of the wind then,¡± Gu Xiulan replied dryly. ¡°So that you may ensure that you only flash your legs when you wish to. You¡¯re welcome. I suppose this is a good start, but one dress hardly makes a wardrobe.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, feeling sheepish as she smoothed the wrinkles in her dress and instead took hold of the currents of air around her.


    ¡°Right. Forgot about that,¡± Ling Qi mumbled, feeling foolish. She would have to practice to avoid doing anything embarrassing. ¡°I¡¯m not going to do it on purpose.¡±


    ¡°If you say so,¡± Gu Xiulan replied dubiously. ¡°Now, shall we go about ridding ourselves of our remaining load?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s. I¡¯d rather have some space in my new ring,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°I actually want a couple of the talismans so I was thinking¡­¡±


    The two of them chatted about the details as they shopped around for good prices on the talismans Ling Qi wasn¡¯t interested in keeping.


    Despite being tempted by some of the more expensive pills and elixirs, Ling Qi spent only a small amount of her stones on them given that she planned to attempt breakthrough in the near future. She did, however, stock up on qi recovery pills and healing salves.


    The majority of her take went to the purchase of the only dark qi-enhancing talisman she had found in the entire market. It was an innocuous thing, a ribbon of black silk meant to be worn around the neck like a choker. Merely putting it on let her feel the qi in her dark-aligned meridians flowing more smoothly.


    Still, despite the shopping trip with Gu Xiulan being surprisingly enjoyable, her other concerns niggled at her mind more and more as the day wore on. Were her friends alright? Had Bai Meizhen won her battle? Ling Qi began to feel guilty for spending so much time on something like this.Gu Xiulan seemed to pick up on her growing disquiet and so with the last of the spoils they intended to sell gone and their purchases made, the two of them left the market and headed back toward the female residences.


    The bad feeling in the pit of her stomach only grew as they drew close enough to see the smoke rising from the residential area.

 Chapter 41-Truce End 5

    Ling Qi and Gu Xiulan parted ways at the entrance to the female residences, and Ling Qi hurried along toward the center where her home lay.


    Things had changed since this morning. There were signs of battle in the streets from scorched or cracked stonework to deep gouges and craters in the earth. Ling Qi wondered who would be repairing the damage or if they would at all. Maybe the Elders only repaired infrastructure when a new class was incoming, and the disciples would just have to deal with the damage they had inflicted on the residential area themselves. That seemed like the sort of thing the Elders might do for several reasons.


    Such thoughts fled her mind as she approached the house she had been living in for the last few months. Her stomach dropped when it came into sight. Maybe it was because it had been the first real home she had had since she left Mother, but seeing it in ruins was disheartening.


    Much of the front wall had collapsed, and it had taken a chunk of the roof with it. Pieces of the wall were scattered across the street, which, along with other nearby buildings, was scarred by deep pits. It almost seemed like great chunks of earth and stone had simply melted.


    Amid the wreckage, Bai Meizhen sat silently in a meditative pose, pristine and pale, atop a flat slab of rock that looked to have previously been a part of the their roof. The image was somewhat ruined by the blood staining both the bottom of her silver robes and her shredded sleeves. It left much of her snow white arms bare, but Bai Meizhen seemed unbothered by the nearly indecent exposure.


    The other thing that broke the image of serenity was the great, poisonous green serpent coiled around the meditating girl. From the pattern on the serpent¡¯s scales, Ling Qi could tell it was Cui, but Cui was far from the tiny, finger-thick snake she usually was. Bai Meizhen¡¯s cousin was now currently as thick as one of her thighs and several times longer than Ling Qi was tall if her estimation was correct.


    Cui twitched at her approach, raising her head and letting out a threatening hiss as her eyes locked onto Ling Qi. Ling Qi stopped immediately, raising her hands in a carefully non-threatening manner. The serpent regarded her silently, tongue flicking in and out as she tasted the air.


    ¡®Cousin Meizhen, your little mouse has returned.¡¯


    Ling Qi blinked in surprise; Cui had avoided talking to her since that first time when Ling Qi had asked about repaying Bai Meizhen. Cui¡¯s voice was no longer garbled and sounded like the voice of an arrogant girl a few years younger than her. Ling Qi frowned almost immediately when the words processed. What was with spirit beasts and not using her name?


    Bai Meizhen opened her eyes then, her expression weary and somber. ¡°Ling Qi, I am glad you are doing well,¡± she greeted, studying Ling Qi as she turned her head to look at her. ¡°I see your day has been profitable.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ling Qi replied, picking through the rubble field around her friend as she approached and studied the other girl in return. That was¡­ a lot of blood on her gown. Ling Qi felt guilty at the contrast between the two of them.


    ¡°I got in a fight when I went to pick up my stone allowance. I didn¡¯t get too badly hurt so I went to the market to offload my spoils.¡± She paused, and the awkward silence stretched between them. ¡°Are you alright? If you¡¯re hurt, I picked up some healing salves while I was there.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, but I am afraid it would do little good,¡± Bai Meizhen replied, looking up from her study of Ling Qi¡¯s gown. ¡°Wounds dealt by that wretched girl¡¯s blood do not heal easily. Common medicines will have little effect.¡±


    ¡°... Oh,¡± Ling Qi said, feeling even worse. She fidgeted with her gown as she came to a stop a short distance from the barrier that Cui formed around Bai Meizhen. ¡°Did you beat her? And what do you mean by her blood? I saw she had that spear, but-¡± Ling Qi immediately shut her mouth, horrified that she had just let slip that she had seen the fight and done nothing. What would the other girl think of her?


    Bai Meizhen furrowed her brows, and Ling Qi saw her hands clench atop her knees. The temperature around the girl dropped, and Ling Qi felt a stirring of fear in her gut.


    ¡°It was a draw,¡± the serpentine girl said grudgingly, her normally even and controlled voice simmering with a hint of worrying anger. It didn¡¯t seem directed at Ling Qi, which stung a little if she was honest. She almost wished the other girl was angry. As it was, her friend simply had no expectation that Ling Qi could have meaningfully helped her in the fight against Sun Liling.


    ¡°The Scarlet Devil¡¯s Raiment is a foreign technique, twisting and manipulating the user¡¯s blood into superlative armaments. It works particularly well with that wretched girl¡¯s potent lineage. Her family has truly gone native,¡± Bai Meizhen added with disgust.


    Ling Qi honestly had no idea how to respond to that. The weapon and armor she had seen Sun Liling summon were made of her blood? How in the world had she not simply bled herself dry? Why would someone from such a wealthy family not simply have talisman armor and weapons?


    ¡°Are your legs going to be fine?¡± Ling Qi asked. Now that she was closer, she could see that Bai Meizhen¡¯s legs were swathed in bloody bandages under her tattered gown.


    Bai Meizhen pursed her lips, her intense yellow gaze drifting to the side awkwardly as she tugged at the tattered portion of her gown to better cover herself. ¡°I will heal in time. We chose to stop before either of us could harm one another permanently,¡± she said. ¡°I am afraid we will require a new residence though.¡±


    ¡°Nevermind that. We can look for another house later. Let me help you to the Medicine Hall,¡± Ling Qi said firmly. She felt a twinge of fear as she stepped over Cui¡¯s emerald coils andoffered Bai Meizhen her hand. Ling Qi hadn¡¯t been there for her in the fight. Maybe she couldn¡¯t have affected it, but she could do this.


    Bai Meizhen blinked at her, nonplussed.


    ¡°That will not be necessary. My constitution is hardly so fragile. A few wounds like these are not worth bothering the healers over. Grandfather has inflicted far worse in the course of training,¡± she replied coolly. Ling Qi caught the tiny bit of discomfort in her voice. ¡°Besides, I do not wish to sully your new gown. I am aware that you cannot afford many like it.¡±


    It was Ling Qi¡¯s turn to frown. ¡°Are you really going to worry about something dumb like that?¡± she asked incredulously. She couldn¡¯t say anything about what had just been revealed about her housemate¡¯s family situation and couldn¡¯t rightfully comment on it besides, but she was honestly thrown by the last comment.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a dress. I can wash it,¡± she said flatly. ¡°And I¡¯m not going to let you sit there wounded because you want to be tough. There¡¯s no reason not to visit the Medicine Hall. Or are you really going to tell me that you can¡¯t afford it?¡±


    Ling Qi was uncomfortably aware of Cui¡¯s head hovering behind her back within easy striking distance as she finished speaking. That¡­ might have been presumptuous and rude now that she thought about it, but it was too late to take the words back. So instead of apologizing and backing away, she simply firmed her expression and continued to hold out her hand.


    Her housemate stared at her silently, making Ling Qi begin to sweat. Finally, she reached up and took Ling Qi¡¯s hand. Her skin was oddly cool and felt very soft against the rough calluses that persisted on Ling Qi¡¯s hands despite her cultivation. Bai Meizhen let out a soft and prolonged hiss of pain as she moved to stand with Ling Qi¡¯s help and stumbled as her legs buckled beneath her.


    Ling Qi managed to catch her, slipping an arm under the other girl¡¯s shoulders to help support her. The pale girl leaning against her chest straightened up almost immediately, her snow white cheeks pinked from the exertion. There was a faint look of embarrassment on the stoic girl¡¯s features though so Ling Qi kept her eyes straight ahead as she supported the other girl. Bai Meizhen was obviously not used to accepting help.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, just take it one step at a time. Once we take care of you, we can see about picking out a nicer house,¡± Ling Qi said brightly, trying to break the awkward silence.


    ¡®Hmph. Cousin Meizhen will listen to the mouse over I, Cui. How insulting,¡¯ the huge serpent sulked as she uncoiled to get out of their way and follow. Her voice still made Ling Qi twitch.


    Bai Meizhen was silent as she limped along, leaning heavily against Ling Qi¡¯s side, expression wooden. Ling Qi worriedly snuck a glance at her now and then. She figured the other girl was concentrating on simply moving given the trembling she could detect in her steps. It was during one of those glances as they made their way down the street that Bai Meizhen looked up to meet her gaze.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said quietly before looking back down.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I can¡¯t do much more than this anyway,¡± Ling Qi said bitterly. She still wasn¡¯t strong enough. Not to help Meizhen, not to take care of herself.


    She needed to break through. That was the first step toward real strength.


    The trip was difficult. Despite her obvious effort, Bai Meizhen was unable to move faster than a slow walk. Ling Qi grew more tense as they moved through the residences; out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the other girls murmuring to each other and shooting unfriendly glances their way. It looked like between her stunt in the plaza earlier and Bai Meizhen¡¯s current weakness, they were attracting even more hostility than usual.


    Ling Qi simply set her shoulders and kept walking, refusing to let herself be slowed down. Besides, Cui was still slithering at their side, and she thought the serpent made for a potent deterrent.


    For a time, she was right. They made it out of the residential area and were well on their way toward the market when they found themselves approaching a crowd in the middle of the road. Nearly a dozen people, boys and girls, blocked the path. Ling Qi recognized a handful of them from Elder Zhou¡¯s lessons, although not enough to remember their names. She was fairly certain they were all people she had beaten after she revealed her techniques though.


    ¡°Stop,¡± the boy at the front of the group called to them as they came within earshot some twenty meters away. ¡°I apologize, Miss Bai, but my associates and I require words with your maid.¡± He sounded arrogant to Ling Qi, but she could detect nervousness in his tone.


    ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± Bai Meizhen asked coldly, standing up straighter as Cui let out a threatening hiss from beside Ling Qi.


    ¡°She has insulted all of us deeply with her conduct,¡± the boy replied stiffly. ¡°Elevating herself above her station, being rude to her betters, and now beating and robbing Hong Lin and the Zhu siblings? If you cannot discipline your servants, it falls to us, your peers, to do it for you.¡±


    ¡°They attacked me,¡± Ling Qi replied flatly. ¡°I only returned the favor. Aren¡¯t you being a little too arrogant?¡± She tried to project confidence, but she really was worried. There were too many people here. Eight to be exact, five girls and three boys.


    ¡°He is. You all are. What do you intend to do exactly, should I not stand aside and allow this farce?¡± Bai Meizhen said with a scowl.


    The boy scowled back. ¡°It is the two of you who are being too arrogant. If you will not stand aside, Bai Meizhen, then you will find yourself our enemy as well. Many of us have older siblings and relatives in the Sect. Do you think you can simply bully everyone and get away with it? You are hardly in the sort of shape to contest us all.¡±


    Ling Qi almost wanted to cry at the sheer unfairness of that statement. In contrast, Bai Meizhen¡¯s expression only grew darker. ¡°Cowardly trash. Do you think I fear your petty retribution? That your pathetic families, scrabbling in the dirt, having existed for only a bare few millennia, concern me? Truly, things have fallen far that so many would forget their place so. It shows only the rot that has been allowed to set in.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t disagree,¡± Ling Qi replied quietly out of the corner of her mouth, looking for good escape routes. She saw several, but she wasn¡¯t sure Bai Meizhen could make it up those cliffs as she was. This felt more and more like she and her ''indiscretions'' were just an excuse to take a shot at a wounded Bai Meizhen. ¡°But should we really be antagonizing them this much? We should retreat.¡±


    ¡°The Bai clan has always been too proud.¡± The boy drew the straight sword that had been sheathed on his belt. ¡°Its history is indeed mighty, but the rot you speak of lies within your own house. While the Empire grows strong, you turn on yourselves and devour your own. The days in which your clan could do whatever it wished have passed. Or has your family forgotten the execution of Bai Meilien so quickly?¡±


    Ling Qi could hear the tremble of fear in his voice despite his brash words.


    ¡°Real pretty words from a guy who needs eight people to face two. You all are just oh so brave,¡± Ling Qi snapped, preparing herself to run. She could probably pick up Bai Meizhen and dash for it if it came down to it. It would probably be better to take the upward¡­


    Her thoughts cut off as she felt her skin crawl and a wave of paralyzing terror rippled out, nearly making her scream despite the fact that she could feel that it wasn¡¯t directed at her. She looked down and found Bai Meizhen¡¯s expression to be absolutely livid. The pale girl stood, no longer leaning on her.


    ¡°It seems you wish for pain.¡± Bai Meizhen hissed. Ling Qi had never heard the girl sound so cold. Even Cui had reared up, baring fangs coated with clear venom that melted smoking pits in the dirt where it dripped.


    Ling Qi¡¯s face fell. She wasn¡¯t the best at reading people¡­ but she really didn¡¯t think Bai Meizhen was going to run now - if she ever would have in the first place. Ling Qi could probably still scoop the other girl up and dash for it - she was good at hiding, and Sable Crescent Step only made her better - but she didn¡¯t know if the furious girl would allow herself to be carried away.


    All of her instincts told her this was a terrible idea. Fighting against four times their number was suicidal, even if almost half of them were trembling and white-faced from the feeling of Bai Meizhen¡¯s qi.


    A quick glance showed that four, including the asshole doing the talking, held swords. The melee fighters moved forward in a staggered line. The remaining four were more eclectic in their weapon choices. There were a couple of archers, a girl who was unarmed save for a pair of faintly glowing blue gloves, and a boy with a heavy pike who was murmuring something under his breath.


    Bai Meizhen was still badly injured and nearly immobile. Even if Bai Meizhen were stronger, could she and Cui really stand up to them all? Ling Qi felt a chill of her old fear, urging her to flee and leave this all behind.

 Chapter 42-Truce End 6

    No.


    She couldn¡¯t - wouldn¡¯t - act like that anymore. It would mean abandoning one of her few friends, and it wouldn¡¯t even solve the problem. This wasn¡¯t like before where she could count on her own obscurity to make the aggressors forget about her if she escaped the initial conflict. She had made herself stand out, and now, all she could do was deal with the consequences.


    ... She was tired of running anyway, and these people pissed her off. Maybe becoming a cultivator had worsened her control on her temper, but she really just wanted to beat these people down. Bai Meizhen was worth ten of these hypocritical assholes. She would just have to trust that the girl¡¯s reputation was true to life.


    Her flute appeared in her hand, drawn directly from her new ring, and she blew the first note of her Melody, calling on the mists once again. She would see just how brave this bunch was.


    ¡°Xu Lian, help the others pin the peasant down,¡± the apparent leader snapped as the mist engulfed them. ¡°Du Xi, activate your formation now!¡±


    Ling Qi felt a bit of dread in her gut as the blue glow on the rearmost girl¡¯s hands expanded outwards in a bubble, washing over their enemies. It set their eyes ablaze, causing the fearful trembling in their hands to cease.


    At the same time, the murmuring boy with the pike rapped the butt of his weapon on the ground, and a circle of golden characters flared into existence around him. In response, ephemeral chains burst from the ground around Cui, whipping around blindingly fast to coil around and slam the rearing serpent to the ground.


    Even as Ling Qi quietly crept away from her original position to get a better vantage, she felt the fear in her gut intensifying again. Had she made a mistake? What was she thinking, fighting this many people at once? She was already down an ally¡­


    ¡°Arrogance,¡± Bai Meizhen¡¯s voice cut through her music and the other sounds like a frozen whip. ¡°To think such a paltry spell could hold a daughter of Bai. Is this truly your best?¡± There was no fear, nor even concern, in her friend¡¯s voice, just furious contempt.


    Even as the terrifying pressure the other girl exuded redoubled, Ling Qi felt her own fear lessen. Bai Meizhen¡¯s eyes glowed like golden fire even in the darkness induced by her mist, and a weapon had appeared in her hand. It had a handle like a sword, but rather than a blade, there were four long shining strips of paper-thin metal hanging from it. Her shadow had grown into a dark pool at her feet, and Ling Qi could feel Bai Meizhen¡¯s qi pulling hungrily at her mist, drawing moisture from the air. A mantle of dark waters cascaded down her shoulders and rose up, casting her face in shadow as it formed a flared hood.


    At the same time, Cui let out an enraged hiss, and Ling Qi felt a pulsing ripple of qi in her bones as a loud sizzling reached her ears. The shining chains holding the serpent corroded rapidly along with the dirt and grass around her until the serpent¡¯s flexing coils shattered what remained in a hail of rapidly dissolving fragments.


    However, Cui¡¯s escape took time, precious seconds that gave the four armed for melee time to close the distance with Bai Meizhen and the archers to draw back their bows. Ling Qi could tell that her attempt to hide herself had failed when she saw the arrowheads train on her position.


    Dark qi flooded her limbs as Ling Qi smoothly dodged the first arrow, which crackled with fiery qi, and the second, which felt oddly heavy as it passed over her shoulder when she ducked. If her mouth wasn¡¯t occupied with playing her Melody, she would have grinned savagely when she heard one of the archers curse her in the mist.


    The other four had converged on Bai Meizhen. They seemed relatively confident despite the failure of their companion¡¯s spell on Cui. Had it only been meant as a momentary distraction to keep Cui occupied while they ganged up on Bai Meizhen? Worry still churned in her gut. Ling Qi hoped Bai Meizhen would be fine for a few seconds until she could start the next part of the song and distract them.


    The leader let out an encouraging war cry that seemed to steady his companions¡¯ hands even as two of them split apart to flank Bai Meizhen The flankers¡¯ bodies blurred under the effects of their movement arts. The last of them dashed forward, the spear in his hands outstretched in a thrust.


    It passed by Bai Meizhen without touching her as she swayed to the side, a contemptuous expression on her face. A twitch of her weapon hand brought out a nerve-wracking scream of metal on metal as the strands of her weapon snapped out, guided unnaturally by the unseen force of her qi. The boy hurried to pull back his spear, spinning the haft up to deflect the snapping metal strands, and though he knocked three aside, the fourth twisted through his guard with a metallic hiss. He cried out in pain as the whip-like blade slashed across his chest. Bai Meizhen¡¯s strange weapon shredded straight through his robe and the armor beneath even as the spearman¡¯s dark earthy qi flared, preventing the wound from being more than skin deep.


    However, the two enemies who had moved to flank Bai Meizhen were still there, and as they brought their swords to bear, one cutting high and one cutting low, Bai Meizhen¡¯s knee buckled slightly, disrupting her graceful swaying dodge enough that one sword scoured across her shoulder. It sheared off a few more tattered shreds of her sleeve and sent up a splash of cold water as it scoured her mantle, but it failed to so much as draw a drop of blood. It was, however, enough to make the lingering feeling of fear from her friend¡¯s initial technique fade, and Ling Qi saw Bai Meizhen¡¯s expression of disdainful fury grow darker.


    Ling Qi hesitated on what to do next. Should she continue her song or shackle their enemies with the wind? The mist would fade in a short time if she stopped, but something told her that this battle would be decided one way or the other before the Melody fully faded. Ling Qi flicked her wrist and threw, a streak of white flying from her sleeve toward the back of the girl that had almost struck Bai Meizhen..


    The girl jerked and arched her back, gasping in pain as the knife cut a bloody line across her side. Ling Qi took hold of her qi, and the wind kicked up around the four, growing fierce and blowing back against their movements. It was almost enough to distract them from the scream that erupted ahead of her as the boy with the pike fell to the ground, frantically tearing at his burning and sizzling robe with his qi flaring wildly and quickly beginning to fade. Going by the sizzling dirt and grass around him, Ling Qi blamed Cui, who had reared up angrily and was slithering closer to the ranged foes.


    ... Cui was still over ten meters away from the boy with the pike. Could the serpent spit her venom that far? That was terrifying.


    She did not have any more time to consider it as she wove out of the path of incoming projectiles, relishing the looks of increasing panic on the archers¡¯ faces as the arrows thudded into the dirt behind her. A shudder went up her spine as one of the arrows exploded into a violent fireball when it passed through where she had been a moment ago. That would have hurt.


    A glance behind her showed that Bai Meizhen was going on the offensive. She swayed through their attacks, her liquid mantle springing to life to deflect what blows could not be fully avoided, and then struck out. Her weapon¡¯s strands snapped out with a metallic hiss and coiled around the sword of one her attackers to rip it from her hands even as her free hand struck the girl across the cheek with a simple open-handed slap. Ling Qi didn¡¯t have time to be bemused by her friend¡¯s choice of attack as the force of the blow sent the girl tumbling to the ground. Then, she screamed and thrashed in pain. Ling Qi could see the inflamed red of the handprint on her cheek and the way tendrils of red spread further under her skin.


    Ling Qi hoped Bai Meizhen remembered not to go too far. The girl who had been hit by her dagger fell next as the watery mantle over Bai Meizhen¡¯s shoulders exploded outward in a rain of icy needles. The needles peppered the area around her, making the two remaining enemies flinch. Their counterattack gained them little except another painful repudiative slash from Bai Meizhen¡¯s blades that sent one of the two boys stumbling back with much reduced qi.


    Ling Qi smiled to see the archers and the girl with the gloves falling back, looking ready to run. She would have to see if she could put a stop to that; they didn¡¯t deserve to run after this stunt. Going by Cui¡¯s path, the serpent agreed with her. Still, her instincts whispered to her that this had been too easy.


    Then the area around Bai Meizhen exploded in a plume of dust and grit, blasting her mist away from the girl¡¯s position. Ling Qi¡¯s eyes widened in alarm when she saw Bai Meizhen flung backward to sprawl on the ground. In the midst of the rising plume of dust, Ling Qi spied a tall figure and the gleam of metal. When the dust cleared, she saw a boy that she recognized from Elder Zhou¡¯s lessons. Kang Zihao, the only boy to be given advanced elixirs. He stood in the center of a small crater, tall and serene of expression. In one hand, he held a shining steel shield embossed with the imperial dragon crest in gold, and in the other, he held a tall, straight spear with a red tassel just below the blade.


    Her dread returned at the sight of of one of the top ranked cultivators in Elder Zhou¡¯s lessons. Ling Qi suddenly had a feeling she knew why these eight had the courage to insult Bai Meizhen so.


    ¡°How pitiful for one of such status to abuse their lessers.¡± The handsome boy¡¯s calm voice echoed out over the sound of falling grit. ¡°Have you no shame, serpent of the lakes?¡±


    ¡°Do not speak to me of shame,¡± Bai Meizhen spat in response, struggling to her feet. Ling Qi felt a spark of fury when she saw how badly her friend¡¯s legs were bleeding again. ¡°Do you think me a fool? I had wondered why these curs had elected to bare their teeth so.¡±


    ¡°It is my duty to protect the people of the Empire from traitorous vermin,¡± Kang Zihao responded smoothly. ¡°Much as it is father¡¯s duty to protect Our Holy Empress. I can no more ignore their plight than he would an assassin¡¯s knife, and is that not what your entire clan truly is, serpent?¡±


    Bai Meizhen drew herself up, imperiously staring down at Kang Zihao despite the difference in their height. ¡°Do not speak as if your family holds a position of pride, fool. The Empress will tire of your father in time, just as she has her other playthings. Do you truly think you are something special, Kang Zihao?¡±


    Ling wondered why her friend was wasting time talking, but she saw then a creeping shadow in the grass behind the boy and felt a thrill of hope.


    Kang Zihao narrowed his eyes and spun, deflecting Cui¡¯s fangs with his shield and throwing the furious serpent back. ¡°I will bandy no further words with you, serpent. Let us see how well you do without your servant blinding the opposition.¡±


    Bai Meizhen¡¯s eyes widened in alarm at the same time that Ling Qi¡¯s did. Ling Qi pushed off the ground, willing the mist to darken further and hide her as she leaped back, but it wasn¡¯t enough. She felt the pulse of qi as the spear-wielding boy appeared in front of her, weapon drawn back to strike. His spear blurred through the air, and although Ling Qi did her best to track it and dodge, she wasn¡¯t going to be fast enough.


    Her vision exploded into whiteness as a muffled boom sounded, but there was no pain. Instead, there was a familiar and very loud voice, tinged with strain.


    ¡°VILLAIN! SUFFER THE WRATH OF LADY CAI!¡± Ling Qi opened her eyes in time to see Gan Guangli, towering over her attacker with Kang Zihao¡¯s spear clutched in a fist the size of a small keg. Blood trickled from between his fingers, and blazing white light shone from his skin. More importantly, she opened her eyes in time to see Gan Guangli¡¯s other gigantic fist slam directly into Kang Zihao¡¯s face.


    Kang Zihao skidded backward a full five meters, heels digging furrows in the dirt. Blood trickled down from a split lip twisted into a furious scowl. ¡°What is the meaning of-¡±


    ¡°What is the meaning indeed,¡± a cold and measured voice rang out, cutting him off. Ling Qi craned her neck to see the source. There she saw one of the other stars of Elder Zhou¡¯s lessons. She found herself looking up at Cai Renxiang, standing atop the ridge on the far side of the path, arms crossed over her chest.


    The Cai heiress was illuminated from behind by a blazing corona of white light, casting a long shadow across the path. The girl had discarded her disciple¡¯s robe as well in favor of a shining white gown with gold hems and embroidery. The image of a red and gold butterfly¡¯s wings splayed across the bosom of the garment, the top of its wings stretching up to her shoulders. ¡°Is this the honor of the capital, Kang Zihao? The use of a flimsy pretense to strike at a wounded peer?¡± she asked in a voice filled with scorn.


    Ling Qi fought down the panic she felt at being around so many who were out of her league. Her feeling looked to be one shared by the two young men who had engaged Bai Meizhen but were left standing; they looked distinctly regretful as they slowly tried to creep away. The ranged attackers had fled long ago at this point.


    Bai Meizhen¡¯s venomous gaze was fixed on Kang Zihao¡¯s back, and Ling Qi felt a stab of concern at how coldly murderous her friend¡¯s expression was. She had seen looks like that before; usually, there would be a body for the guards to clean up the next day.


    ¡°It is good to see that there is at least some civility in this place,¡± Bai Meizhen said softly, glancing up at Cai Renxiang and studying the other girl¡¯s angular features briefly before returning her gaze to Kang Zihao¡¯s back. ¡°I had begun to think all the Empire outside of the Thousand Lakes had degenerated into barbarism.¡±


    ¡°You cannot mean to side with this snake,¡± Kang Zihao said, looking a bit nervous. ¡°Lady Cai, please understand the statement you are making. I struck only for the good of the Sect, and of course, the province of Duchess Cai. The presence of one of the Bai¡­¡±


    ¡°I care not for your petty excuses, and her presence is one of imperial mandate,¡± Cai Renxiang cut him off flatly. ¡°I am in no mood for this. I have witnessed so much cowardice and dishonor this day that my stomach was turned, and now, upon seeking out one of the few who I expected to be worthwhile for a duel of honor, I find you engaging in a pathetic display of banditry? Attempting to strike down a citizen of my Emerald Seas without mercy? Begone from this place, and reflect on the shame of your actions.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked. Was the shining girl referring to her? Gan Guangli still stood in front of her like a gigantic shield, glowering at Kang Zihao. This situation worried her; she felt like she was intruding into something she had no business being involved in. Something was happening here, and it irked her that it was going over her head.


    Kang Zihao squared his shoulders defiantly, but she could see his eyes tracking from Bai Meizhen to Cai Renxiang and then over Guangli and herself and his own quivering ¡®allies¡¯.


    ¡°I see,¡± he said finally. ¡°You make an error, Lady Cai. I will, however, respect your will in this. If I may collect my followers¡­¡±


    ¡°You may take those who still stand,¡± Cai Renxiang¡¯s domineering voice cut him off again. ¡°The others will pay the price of loss for their shameful ambush.¡±


    Kang Zihao¡¯s expression darkened, and Ling Qi saw the grip on his spear grow white-knuckled. In the end, he nodded once curtly and gestured for the two boys who still stood to follow him. Ling Qi disliked the idea of them getting away, but if Bai Meizhen wasn¡¯t going to speak up in this situation, then neither would she.


    ¡°I thank you for your assistance, Lady Cai,¡± Bai Meizhen replied somewhat stiffly, her eyes still fixed on the rapidly retreating back of Kang Zihao.


    ¡°It is no more than my duty,¡± the other girl said dismissively, turning her gaze to the two of them. Ling Qi dipped her head respectfully as Cai Renxiang¡¯s intense gaze passed over her.


    ¡°Guangli, help them gather the belongings of this trash and move it from the road. Bai Meizhen recover well. I will challenge you when you have healed.¡±


    ¡°It will be my honor, Lady Cai,¡± Bai Meizhen said politely, with more respect than Ling Qi had seen her give another person before.


    ¡°Are you well, Ling Qi?¡± Bai Meizhen asked in a quieter tone, scanning Ling Qi for injuries. Ling Qi fidgeted awkwardly as she found herself studied by both her friend and the steadily shrinking young man in front of her. It didn¡¯t help that Cai Renxiang¡¯s gaze was burning a hole in her back either.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. They weren¡¯t able to land a hit on me,¡± Ling Qi replied with a touch of pride. ¡°Gan Guangli¡­ Lady Cai, thank you very much,¡± she added, remembering Bai Meizhen¡¯s lessons and giving each an appropriate bow.


    Cai Renxiang simply nodded seriously in her direction while Gan Guangli¡¯s stern expression turned cheerful. Ling Qi glanced away, flushing slightly at the sight of Gan Guangli¡¯s smile. Why did Gu Xiulan have to put such thoughts in her head?!


    They turned to practical matters after that. Between her efficiency and Gan Guangli¡¯s ability to carry everything, stripping the losers of their valuables took only a short time. Bai Meizhen sat down and caught her breath while they did so. Meanwhile, Cai Renxiang exited in a flare of light to do whatever it was intimidating glowing people did.


    The ambushers didn¡¯t have anything near as interesting as her previous opponents. It seemed that because of the planned ambush, they had chosen not to carry most of their valuables so it was really only their talismans that could be looted. She would likely sell off the talismans for red stones because none of the talismans were of particular interest to her. Bai Meizhen didn¡¯t appear to have any preference on the matter.


    Gan Guangli seemed to have taken his lady¡¯s command to mean to follow them to the market, carrying the goods as they went. This allowed Ling Qi to feel a little bit safer as she helped her friend limp along.


    Once she and Bai Meizhen had gotten to the medicine hall, Ling Qi found herself in an awkward position. Bai Meizhen insisted on paying for Ling Qi¡¯s wounds to be healed despite the fact that the girl''s own healing was going to cost over a hundred spirit stones. Apparently, Sun Liling¡¯s techniques were incredibly difficult to heal from. Ling Qi could do little but accept, even as she promised herself to pay the other girl back for the twenty odd stones spent healing her completely from her earlier duel.


    By the time they were released, it was getting late. The sale of the talismans afterward did not take long though. With her newfound wealth tucked firmly into her storage ring, Ling Qi thought she had quite enough of this day and only hoped those following would be a little less stressful.

 Bonus 8: Observation

    Sima Jiao tapped his foot to the beat of the music echoing through his chambers. It was all horns and drums, full of a frenetic energy. The recording tablet stood upright on the stand to the right of his plush chair. It was an older model, but he found the faint scratchy distortion to the original sound to be superior to the ones made by that upstart Master Ren. The old model changed the images and emotions that it impressed on his thoughts just enough to make something different of the piece. It really was too bad that the musician had been executed so early in his career, he would have liked to see how his style developed.


    Putting aside idle musings on music, he inhaled deeply from the pipe between his lips and then breathed out, blowing out a complex symbol of sparkling smoke and squinted up at it, guiding it to join the growing array that hung in the air in front of him. The feedback issue that had been plaguing his latest attempts to improve upon Grandmaster Wu¡¯s work on steering arrays was truly vexing.


    ¡°Perhaps you should focus on your toys at a later date dear. You are on duty at the moment,¡± Xin said from behind him.


    Sima Jiao did not do anything so base and mundane as turning his head. Instead, the vast shadow cast by his chair rippled and a single additional eye opened in it¡¯s depths. His presence suffused the entire back half of the room, dozens of eyes gazing upon each of the clairvoyance arrays set up throughout the viewing chamber, showing scenes of battle and petty teenage rivalry that were playing out on the mountain below. In truth, there was no need to make an additional viewpoint at all, but it paid to give his wife direct attention. Especially when she took on that sly tone, the vexatious vixen.


    Xin¡¯s avatar lounged distractingly atop a couch of silvery lunar mist, bobbing her head absently to the music as she looked down on the most advanced array, which tracked the overall chances of lethal injury among the barbaric little urchins they were overseeing.


    ¡°You know perfectly well that I can do both,¡± he replied dryly, not bothering to move the lips on his own avatar, his voice rang out instead from multiple sources in the shadow around her.


    ¡°But you are not really paying attention,¡± she chided, giving his newly formed eye an impish smile. ¡°Oh, no one is going to die, but you¡¯re hardly enjoying the show with me.¡±


    ¡°It was entertaining for perhaps the first quarter hour,¡± he scoffed. ¡°Then it just began to remind me why strict law is such a necessity,¡± he knew they were taking a lighter touch this year, but the little beasts were going to reduce the mountain to smoking rubble and be forced to live like barbarians in the ruins at this rate. It had almost been enough to make his old instincts stir from slumber.


    ¡°It is not so bad as that. Structure rises from anarchy. I am sure the children will manage to find an equilibrium in the coming days,¡± his wife replied musingly. ¡°I can feel the first ripples propagating into the future already.¡±


    ¡°I shall take your word for it,¡± Sima Jiao replied. For his part, he expected that the path was rather clear, given the pieces in play, but teasing the details of approaching events out had always been her talent. He began to turn the greater part of his attention back to his developing array. His wife was clearly up to something, but if she wished to draw him into her meddlesome plotting she would have to try a bit harder.


    ¡°That Ling girl is doing well so far,¡± Xin interrupted again. ¡°She¡¯s begun to master both of her arts and won a duel. She was out shopping with a friend using her spoils while the rest were scrabbling. It was quite adorable.¡°


    He grunted in response. That one was talented, but so were all the commoners brought in, the ministry wouldn¡¯t have bothered otherwise. Heavens knew that was one policy he had supported whole heartedly. Left to fester in squalor those sorts inevitably became trouble, shaping themselves into engines of ever greater destruction and chaos the longer they survived. Much better to nip it in the bud and bring them into the system early, before one needed an entire squad of Ministry Agents to bring the boot down on some power mad would be neo-sage emperor. With the conscription program they could get suppressed, snapped up by a clan, or made new nobility.


    ¡°Nothing particularly special about that one. If she doesn¡¯t end up a retainer to the Bai, she¡¯ll spend her life building up a village somewhere in the back end of the province,¡± he added, knowing that his wordless reply wouldn¡¯t be sufficient.


    ¡°That is hardly fair,¡± Xin protested. ¡°She has the potential to be a core disciple in the future with a little good fortune.¡±


    She got like this sometimes, attaching her attention to a disciple. They always ended up a disappointment.


    ¡°I heard that,¡± Xin replied with narrowed eyes, and Jiao cursed silently at his lack of care with his thoughts. ¡°Really, you impossible man, just get over here and watch things with me.¡±


    Sima Jiao silently raised his eyes to the ceiling, stopping short of offering a plea to the great spirits. It would hardly do him any good, given his wife¡¯s lineage. She was obviously going somewhere with this, and wouldn''t allow him his peace until he humored her. Instead the man in the chair and the chair itself dissolved into smoke and shadow, and he reformed a body atop the couch next to Xin, who sat up to make room.


    He was reminded why he bothered with his body at all as she leaned against his shoulder and slipped an arm around his waist. A glance down at her slyly grinning face told him that she knew perfectly well what he was thinking, even if he had shrouded his thoughts properly. Sima Jiao simply rolled his eyes at her antics, even as he loosed his hold on his spirit and allowed it to mesh with her own spiritual self, tinging the rooms shadows with silver.


    ¡°Show me what I¡¯ve missed then,¡± Sima Jiao said, gesturing at the array.


    ¡°It is not so much what you have missed, but what you would have missed. Someone is about to drop a stone in the stream,¡± Xin laughed, resting her cheek against his shoulder. She gestured toward the array, and Jiao eyes, all of them, widened as information began to pour through their connection. Future paths, some dying, never to be, and others blooming into new possibility. White hair and mist, radiance and blood.


    Sima Jiao, esteemed Elder of the Argent Sect, Head of the Talisman department, dropped his face into his hands and let out the groan of a man who had just seen his workload double.


    Xin just laughed and laughed.

 Chapter 43: Brewing Chaos 1

    Despite having to rest in the ruins of her home, searching for a new one was not Ling Qi, nor Bai Meizhen¡¯s top priority. Instead, the next day, with her energy restored, Ling Qi immediately went to look into what, if anything, had happened to her friend, Li Suyin and her roommate, Su Ling. It began rather poorly with Ling Qi¡¯s arrival at their house finding the door broken in and what little inside ransacked. The shattered inkwells and torn pages scattered on the floor painted a grim picture, one that lit worry and anger in Ling Qi¡¯s heart.


    It wasn¡¯t as if it was an uncommon sight either. Now that she had time to look, the entire residential area looked worse for the wear. Walls and roofs were damaged, windows were broken, and craters pocked the streets. Fighting was still ongoing with Ling Qi passing several open duels in the streets on her way to Li Suyin¡¯s house. The only place completely free of damage was the storehouse where everyone got their food and household supplies; she supposed the storehouse counted as ¡®Sect Property¡¯ in a way the rest didn¡¯t.


    The atmosphere was tense and the air clouded by smoke from the occasional uncontrolled fire. To Ling Qi, the sight resembled the half-remembered spirit tales she had heard of when she was very young. After all, naughty and disobedient children brought misfortune or were snatched by spirits or monsters.


    Linq Qi didn¡¯t bother to hide as she exited her friend¡¯s ruined house. Perhaps she was feeling overconfident from the day before, but she just couldn¡¯t muster the desire to slink away into the shadows as she usually did. She met the stares from a pair of girls across the street who were watching her with difficult expressions and scowled, her fingers itching for her knives. If someone here wanted to start something, they were welcome to try.


    To her surprise, there was no snide comment or disdainful whispers from them or the other scattered passersby. The girls she scowled at simply lowered their heads and scurried on, hurrying away from her with a flapping of soot-stained gowns.


    Ling Qi huffed irritably. Thankfully, her clothing seemed to take care of its own cleanliness, and for all that she still felt awkward and out of place in the shimmering, smooth fabric, she couldn¡¯t help but be grateful to Gu Xiulan for it.


    The ensuing investigation into her friend¡¯s whereabouts quickly became frustrating. She couldn¡¯t track them given her lack of expertise in that area, and for all that the open hostility directed her way had toned down, no one was interested in talking to her or answering questions. Her search took her from the residential area out to the main plaza where she continued trying to get more than terse non-answers out of her fellow disciples. This attempt proved fruitless, and after a few hours, she was feeling frustrated and irritable on top of increasingly worried.


    Perhaps unsurprisingly, she reacted poorly when she saw an all-too-familiar head of gray hair approaching her with his hand waving in greeting. She had been standing in one of the plaza¡¯s miniature gardens, trying to calm herself.


    ¡°Go away, Huang Da,¡± Ling Qi snapped, one of her knives appearing in her hand as she turned to face the approaching boy. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to deal with your obnoxious, unwanted advances today. I had enough trouble with the damn fianc¨¦e you apparently have yesterday.¡± Her voice was harsh, and her more vulgar words slipped through without notice.


    He came to a stop a few meters away, that irritating, creepy little half-smile still firmly in place.


    ¡°I apologize for the trouble that ogress gave you, my lovely night lily,¡± Huang Da replied smoothly, making Ling Qi¡¯s eyebrows twitch in irritation. ¡°Let me first assure you that I have no feelings for that brutish girl. It is merely a business arrangement. I wish I could have seen you dancing circles around her that day.¡±


    Ling Qi continued to scowl at him, fingering the blade of her knife, as he leaned against the cherry tree he had stopped next to.


    ¡°Because that¡¯s so much better,¡± she said peevishly. ¡°Seriously. I don¡¯t have time for you today. And stop making up weird nicknames. I¡¯m not your anything.¡± She deliberately turned and began to march away, hoping he wouldn¡¯t follow.


    ¡°Are you not interested in the well-being of your followers?¡± Huang Da asked to her back. ¡°I had heard you were looking into Li Suyin¡¯s whereabouts.¡±


    Ling Qi stopped, her qi churning in time with her anger as she turned around.


    ¡°If you hurt her, I won¡¯t forgive it, you creep,¡± Ling Qi said coldly. ¡°If you think you can use her as some kind of hostage¡­¡± She didn¡¯t know what she would do exactly, but he wouldn¡¯t like it.


    Huang Da frowned, looking hurt.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± he said dismissively. ¡°Truly, if it were not for the fact that it is what allowed me to see your beauty in the first place, I would regret my first impression if that is what you think of me. No, I simply helped them escape their pursuers as they fled. A bit of misdirection allowed me to guide the pursuers away from the cave that the beast girl led them to hide in.¡± He cocked his head to the side slightly at Ling Qi¡¯s dubious expression. ¡°Come now. Why would I lie about something so easily disproved? I can tell you where they hid away, and you may ask them.¡±


    ¡°And what are you going to want for that?¡± she asked suspiciously, even as her heart pounded. Were they really alright?


    ¡°Well, a kiss for the heroic one wouldn¡¯t be amiss,¡± Huang Da said hopefully with a slight widening of his smile.


    ¡°Go drown,¡± Ling Qi responded instantly. She knew they were out in the wilderness now; she would track them down herself.


    ¡°I thought not,¡± he said in disappointment. ¡°But no, I require nothing of you, lovely Ling Qi. Nothing but a word of gratitude from your lips.¡±


    Ling Qi scowled at him, but she couldn¡¯t sense any duplicity. As he said, his story would be easy to confirm, and if he lied about where they were hiding¡­ Well, she might not be able to hit him now, but she could certainly do it later.


    ¡°... Thank you, Huang Da.¡± The words left a bad taste in her mouth, but it was too small a thing to refuse.


    Huang Da closed his blind eyes, seeming pleased with himself. ¡°Ah, how wonderful,¡± he mused.


    ¡°You¡¯re still a creep,¡± Ling Qi said darkly.


    Huang Da¡¯s expression fell, but he didn¡¯t stop smiling.


    ¡°As you say,¡± he said. ¡°Now, I took the liberty of writing down the location. Wouldn¡¯t want anyone overhearing us after all, and I suspect that you would not appreciate me leading you there.¡± He pulled a crumpled scrap of paper from the pocket of his robe and held it out to her. Ling Qi took a few short steps closer, eyeing him warily as she took the note and glanced over it. It did indeed contain directions to a location deeper in the mountains.


    It could be a trap, but she was too worried about her friend to not check up on the location. Ling Qi still despised him, but she thought that the obnoxious boy was probably sincere in his creepy, flirtatious way. She knew better than to let her guard down though; she had seen enough of guys like that to know that playing nice after the violence ended was just an attempt at manipulation. She scoffed under her breath. Like she would let herself fall for the simplest trick in the book.


    Ling Qi found the place about an hour later after winding her way to a particularly maze-like ravine at the top of a rock slide that ended in a narrow crack in the mountainside. She had scouted it out, climbing the cliffs to get a better look and make sure it wasn¡¯t a trap, so she was reasonably confident when she approached the crevice and called out. Hopefully, the two girls hadn¡¯t left yet.


    ¡°Li Suyin?¡± Ling Qi called, coming to a stop a few meters from the cave entrance. ¡°Su Ling? It¡¯s me, Ling Qi. Can I come in?¡±


    Her voice echoed in the ravine. There was no response save for her own words calling back to her. Should she just go in anyway?


    Then, she caught a sound from inside, the scuff of a shoe on stone, and she saw a shadow in the entrance. It soon resolved itself into Su Ling, peering warily out of the cave.


    Su Ling didn¡¯t look great. Her gown and her skin were filthy and bloodstained, and her right hand was badly swollen, fingers wrapped with makeshift splints and bandages. Ling Qi was fairly certain the girl¡¯s fingers were broken. The only other obvious damage was a chunk of hair missing from the right side of Su Ling¡¯s head, making the vulpine girl¡¯s profile uneven.


    Su Ling regarded Ling Qi tiredly, dark circles obvious under her eyes.


    ¡°Huh. It is you. Guess jackass decided to tell you where we were,¡± Su Ling said without energy. She narrowed her eyes, studying Ling Qi, who was suddenly all too aware of her new garments; the new dress felt more out of place than ever. ¡°You managed to come out on top if you can afford stuff like that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a pretty powerful talisman,¡± Ling Qi murmured, feeling guilty and awkward. ¡°After yesterday, I figured I¡¯d need every advantage I can get.¡± It sounded like a rationalization to her own ears.


    ¡°Tch. You won¡¯t hear me argue that,¡± Su Ling replied gruffly, stiffly straightening up and spitting on the ground. ¡°I guess you want to see Suyin, right? She¡¯s further inside.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded and stepped after the girl into the narrow ¡®room¡¯ beyond the entrance to the cave. ¡°What happened?¡± she asked quietly.


    ¡°A bunch of girls decided they could use our stuff more than we could, and that we¡¯d been too uppity,¡± Su Ling growled. ¡°Not much more to it. They busted down the door barely an hour after that stupid announcement. I had told Suyin that we should just camp out that night.¡±


    Ling Qi clenched her fists and looked down. She had been so worried about getting her stones and getting out and then later, cashing in her winnings. Some friend she had been.


    ¡°You were right.¡± Ling Qi heard Li Suyin¡¯s voice before they rounded the corner into a larger chamber. ¡°Trusting in civility was a mistake.¡±


    Her friend¡¯s voice sounded dull and tired, and when Ling Qi saw her, she understood why. Li Suyin was seated on a flat stone platform, her shoulders sagging. The whole right side of her face was still streaked with blood, and more was crusted in her unkempt blue hair. The shoulder of her gown was torn and hanging loose, exposing a new scar on her upper arm. What really drew her eye was the makeshift patch tied over her friend¡¯s right eye and the four jagged scars emerging from beneath it to cross her cheek and neck.


    ¡°Shit, Li Suyin.¡± The girl¡¯s name escaped from her lips unbidden as Ling Qi stepped past Su Ling and into the small chamber, which contained a scattering of things: Li Suyin¡¯s writing case, looking cracked and battered but intact; a small stack of texts wrapped in beast hide; and some of Su Ling¡¯s hunting gear. Ling Qi fell to her knees in front of the seated girl, checking her over for further wounds.


    ¡°What the hell! No one is supposed to be crippling people,¡± Ling Qi snarled angrily.


    ¡°It was my own fault. Or I¡¯m sure that¡¯s what that girl would tell anyone,¡± Li Suyin said bitterly. ¡°I should have just held still while my friend was being kicked in the dirt.¡±


    ¡°I coulda handled it. Wouldn¡¯t have been the first time I¡¯ve been stomped on a bit,¡± Su Ling said sullenly. ¡°But you made the witch pay for it, didn¡¯t you,¡± Su Ling added with a bit more cheer. ¡°I even managed to light up the other two bitches¡¯ hairs before they ran off for their friends.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did,¡± Li Suyin acknowledged absently, looking off into nothing. ¡°I wonder how long it will take to fix that many burst veins¡­¡±


    Ling Qi clenched her hands so hard that she could feel her nails biting into her palms.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± The words escaped her lips before she could think about it. ¡°I¡­ I should have checked in on you guys. I¡¯ll talk to Bai Meizhen. I¡¯ll owe her, but I can ask her to pay for you to get your eye fixed and Su Ling¡¯s hand¡­¡± Ling Qi was babbling as sadness and fury warred for dominance in her heart.


    ¡°No,¡± Li Suyin said sharply. ¡°I will fix it myself. I broke through in my understanding of my technique so it¡¯s not impossible in the future. And it¡¯s not your fault. I am not a child you need to care for - and neither is Su Ling.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I got this covered,¡± Su Ling grunted, waving her wrapped hand. ¡°Suyin fixed up the rest and did a good job on this. I can sell some cores and get the healing finished up.¡±


    Ling Qi lowered her head, anger slowly winning out over her other emotions.


    ¡°Fine,¡± she ground out. ¡°I won¡¯t involve Bai Meizhen. But I still want to help you. You¡¯re my friend, Li Suyin. At least let me¡­¡± She suddenly recalled the talismans she had kept from the fight with Hong Lin and the twins. She had been intending to give them to Li Suyin and Su Ling. A thought brought the hairpin and the anklet talismans into her hands.


    ¡°I was going to give you these anyway. They¡¯re from my fights yesterday. I thought you two could use some talismans of your own. I wanted to thank you for helping me as much as you have so far.¡±


    The gifts felt kind of lame now, but as Ling Qi began to calm herself with a well-ingrained breathing exercise, she could admit that Li Suyin was right. While she might have been able to help, she wasn¡¯t responsible for the other girl. She still wanted to stick a knife in the gut of whoever had hurt Li Suyin so much.


    For her part, Li Suyin looked conflicted as Ling Qi pressed the gift into her hands. ¡°I - I don¡¯t really deserve this. It¡­ Wouldn¡¯t it be better if you¡­¡±


    ¡°Just take it,¡± Su Ling said gruffly from over Ling Qi¡¯s shoulders as she plucked the offered anklets, looking them over with a critical eye. ¡°I¡¯m done playing nice, and I can use whatever advantage I can get. ...Unless we¡¯re gonna all tie ourselves together and never go out alone, shit like this is gonna happen. I don¡¯t blame ya for not bein¡¯ around.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Still, thanks. You need help with something, let me know.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll accept it then. Thank you, Ling Qi. It¡¯s lovely,¡± Li Suyin relented as she toyed with the hairpin in her hands, staring at it intently with her uncovered eye. ¡°Thank you very much for being my friend,¡± she added, her voice trembling. ¡°I don¡¯t think I could have stayed here after this if you hadn¡¯t¡­¡±


    As her voice choked off, Ling Qi spotted Su Ling retreating from the cave looking intensely uncomfortable. She understood why when she felt Li Suyin¡¯s arms close around her shoulders and the girl¡¯s tears soak into her gown. Ling Qi stiffened awkwardly as her friend hugged her and cried, not really knowing what to do beyond patting Li Suyin comfortingly on the back.


    Several awkward minutes passed that way until finally, Li Suyin¡¯s shoulders stopped shaking and her tears stopped flowing. Voice muffled by her face pressing against Ling Qi¡¯s chest, Li Suyin vowed, ¡°I - I won¡¯t be weak anymore. I¡¯m going to destroy that girl, Xu Jia, and her friends. I won¡¯t let them get away with this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll help as much as you want me to,¡± Ling Qi replied quietly, rubbing a circle on the girl¡¯s back. She added the name to the list of people who were going to regret crossing her, but she would let Li Suyin have this if she wanted it; in the end, this was her grudge far more than Ling Qi¡¯s.

 Chapter 44: Brewing Chaos 2

    The three of them left the cave some time later when Li Suyin had cleaned up. They stopped first at the medicine hall for the supplies they could afford, then headed up to the vent. There, Bai Meizhen was meditating. She no longer wore the customized disciple¡¯s uniform she had previously worn. Instead, she wore a conservative snowy white gown with a deep blue sash and embroidered wave patterns along its hems.


    Ling Qi spent less time on her own cultivation that day than she probably should have, but Li Suyin was determined to learn more unarmed fighting from her. Ling Qi taught Li Suyin the basics that Ling Qi had learned in Elder Zhou¡¯s class, and helped her work through the problems her wound caused.


    Once Li Suyin had exhausted herself physically, Ling Qi entered a deep meditation, focusing on the qi cycling exercises detailed in her Argent Soul Art. She knew she was coming close to mastery. The penultimate level of the cultivation art was within her reach. Yet, for all that, the exercises were growing more difficult and complex.


    Ling Qi found the argent qi soaking into her body growing more solid and complete, and her production of the potent energy growing quicker. On top of that, she soon felt her spiritual cultivation reach the same blocking point that her physical had. By the time the sun was falling, she felt like she was ready to attempt breakthrough to the Yellow realm. But before she could do that, she and Bai Meizhen needed to secure a new residence. She wanted to get her other friends a place to stay as well, but¡­ It seemed Su Ling and Li Suyin intended to stay where they were. Su Ling was already planning ways to make anyone who approached the cavern uninvited regret it dearly. So with some reluctance, Ling Qi went her separate ways with them.


    Which lead her to where she was now, walking alongside Bai Meizhen as the sun sunk below the horizon and re-entering the residential area. Ling Qi found herself glaring at other girls, wondering if one of the ¡®ladies¡¯ walking around in the streets had been among those who had hurt Li Suyin. It wasn¡¯t a productive thought so she sought something to talk about with her silent friend to take her mind off of it.


    ¡°So what should I know about what happened yesterday?¡± Ling Qi asked, turning to more immediate matters.


    Bai Meizhen pursed her lips, glancing at Ling Qi as the other disciples parted before them.


    ¡°It did not involve you, but I suppose that man has made it your business when he chose to strike at you,¡± she responded slowly and thoughtfully. ¡°I am going to kill him, of course,¡± she added as if she were merely commenting on the weather.


    Ling Qi almost came up short, blinking rapidly.


    ¡°Are you sure you want to commit to something like that?¡± she asked. Even Li Suyin didn¡¯t want to kill her target as far as Ling Qi could tell. Murder as a response seemed¡­ excessive. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    Bai Meizhen regarded her silently until Ling Qi began to feel uncomfortable under her slit-pupiled gaze.


    ¡°It is not excessive at all. But do not be mistaken. I am in no hurry. A Bai must always have patience,¡± she said serenely. Cui slithered out of the collar of her robe to coil loosely around her neck, once more shrunk to her tiny size. ¡°As for yesterday¡¯s situation, what do you know of the inner provinces?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s where the tax carts go after they hit our capital, and it¡¯s where the Imperial Court is.¡± Ling Qi shrugged. ¡°You know I don¡¯t exactly have much education about this kind of thing.¡± It felt easier to admit ignorance to Bai Meizhen now.


    Bai Meizhen arched an eyebrow.


    ¡°Quite,¡± she replied dryly, ignoring the duel going on in the street to their left. ¡°There are three ¡®core¡¯ provinces, which have no foreign border. My family¡¯s province, Thousand Lakes, is one; the Imperial homeland of Heavenly Peaks is the second; and the third is the Ebon Rivers province. That Huang fellow you have grumbled about is from a prominent family there.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s expression soured. She would put that one last on any hypothetical list of places to visit then. ¡°Okay. So all of those people were from the other core provinces?¡±


    ¡°Yes. As you are no doubt aware, my family is not well liked for a number of reasons. Suffice to say, many look upon the rich fields and lakes of my homeland with greedy eyes, in addition to¡­¡± Bai Meizhen narrowed her eyes at a girl who had been slow to move out of their way. "... other reasons best not spoken in a public street.


    ¡°My presence here is actually a concession made by my clan in order to increase unity between the provinces.¡± The sneer on her lips told what Bai Meizhen thought of that. ¡°Obviously, the disciples from the scavenger clans around us have taken it as a chance to strike at us. I doubt my cousins are faring better in the sects that they have been sent to.¡±


    ¡°I should avoid people from the inner provinces then,¡± Ling Qi said simply, scratching her cheek. ¡°Why are you so hostile to Sun Liling and she to you then? The Western Territories aren¡¯t core.¡±


    ¡°Sun Shao is a large part of the reason these problems exist at all. This is not the appropriate venue for such a history lesson. Do you have a preference for what residence we seek out?¡± Meizhen deflected.


    ¡°One of the nicer homes, I think,¡± Ling Qi replied, feeling a stab of loss at the memory of their first house. ¡°I don¡¯t think staying humble is going to help. Not at this point with so many people after us. We should make a statement.¡±


    Bai Meizhen¡¯s lips quirked upward slightly, her expression almost warm as she nodded at Ling Qi¡¯s words. ¡°Well said. While I have little use for frivolous luxuries, it seems that I must remind these scavengers of the truth of our positions,¡± Bai Meizhen said. ¡°I had intended to find something similar to our previous domicile, but perhaps this is better.¡±


    ¡°How about a house near Gu Xiulan¡¯s home? She¡¯s a friend, and it can¡¯t hurt to have another ally close by, right?¡± Gu Xiulan lived in one of the houses in the second best tier, the ones with multiple rooms and full yards. The only nicer house was the mansion in the center occupied by Sun Liling.


    ¡°Gu¡­ from the Golden Fields?¡± Bai Meizhen asked curiously. At Ling Qi¡¯s nod, she made a considering sound. ¡°That is a good family, if one that has regressed somewhat into mercantilism. Acceptable. Do you know where she resides then?¡±


    Ling Qi nodded again and took them down the street. Once they had reached the inner street, it was simply an issue of selecting a target. The acquisition didn¡¯t quite go down as she had imagined it would. In reality, Bai Meizhen simply had a very calm discussion with the current owners, who turned over the home in exchange for a pouch full of spirit stones for their inconvenience.


    Even Ling Qi picked up on the unspoken threat of what would happen if the two girls they evicted didn¡¯t take the payment and clear out though. That aside, for all that the two girls left white-faced and trembling with their things packed on their backs, they didn¡¯t seem too upset. That had been a pretty large pouch. It seemed her concern that Bai Meizhen would do something excessive was unfounded.


    This left the two of them to settle into the well-appointed home and allowed Ling Qi to finally retire to a proper meditation room. She had already told Li Suyin and Su Ling what she would be attempting back at the vent and had asked Bai Meizhen to convey her intentions to Gu Xiulan should she see her. With those final worries out of the way, Ling Qi had little to do but begin working on her breakthrough.


    As Ling Qi meditated, turning her perception inward, her sense of time faded away. The little aches and pains leftover from yesterday¡¯s exertions slowly vanished. Even niggling things like hunger and thirst, reduced as they were, disappeared. All that existed was her spirit, embodied by the shining silver skinned orb that was her dantian, and the narrow branching channels that flowed from it. Blacks, blues, and soft, nearly translucent greens flowed through her being, mingling and separating in time with her heartbeat.


    As Ling Qi cycled her qi, feeling it strain against the invisible barrier that prevented her from growing further, she contemplated her experiences as a cultivator so far. The initial wonder, what little there had been, had faded quickly. She had been thrust into a hostile environment, where she had many enemies and few friends. And yet, that number of friends was still more than she had before.


    She was more free now, despite the restrictions that remained, than she had ever been on the streets. The shackles of base need had fallen away but had been replaced by new ones: the desperation for resources; and the driving need to grow stronger so that she would not be pushed around by her peers. The friends Ling Qi had made were a shackle in a way, if one she wore willingly. Her guilt about leaving Mother alone was another. Her thoughts churned on that.


    She desired freedom, the ability to choose as she willed, and the ability to go where she wished, drifting on wind. Yet¡­ there were limits to that. True, complete freedom was an impossible ideal and one that she could not truly decide whether she even wished to achieve. What would it really even mean? She couldn¡¯t really comprehend such an existence. For all that her spirit yearned for the endless open sky, the thought of abandoning the things that bound her to those around her was something she feared, but so was allowing them to truly bind her. Was this what the well spirit had referred to when it spoke of her broken wings and damaged roots?


    Ling Qi breathed out as she contemplated these thoughts and began to cycle her qi and expand her dantian.


    Ten cycles.


    The strain she felt grew greater with each cycle, pain blossoming somewhere in the body she could barely feel. The contradiction in her own nature occupied her thoughts. Here in this state, she could think clearly in a way she could never manage while conscious, and she wondered if she could truly have both. Her Wings and her Roots. Freedom and Connections. Would trying to hold onto both hinder her Path?


    Ling Qi did not know, but she wanted to try. Total freedom was a useless and empty thing. The sky was empty without any perch on which to land. She needed power to ensure that her wings could carry as much weight as she wished.


    With the answer came a distant feeling of chains broken and spread wings. Her qi surged, and Ling Qi opened her eyes to a world that felt richer than ever before.


    But thoughts in deeper meditation were as dreams to the waking mind. Only time would tell if her feet could continue to carry her on that Path.

 Chapter 45-Second Realm

    When Ling Qi emerged from her meditation, she found that three days had passed. She would never admit afterward that her first thought was the simple, overwhelming hunger that struck her. Bai Meizhen had congratulated Ling Qi on her breakthrough to Yellow Soul and then politely ignored the way Ling Qi had wolfed down every edible thing in the house. Despite the slightly vulgar start, Ling Qi could not help but feel that she had only taken her first real step on her Path of Cultivation.


    Still, practically floating with excitement, Ling Qi could not help but want to visit her other friends and give them the good news. Gu Xiulan was closest, and Ling Qi was soon at her door.


    ¡°Can you believe it, Gu Xiulan? I did it! I had been worried I would be stuck for weeks trying to breakthrough, but I managed on my first try!¡± Ling Qi exclaimed happily. ¡°Everything feels so much more now.¡±


    Gu Xiulan smiled up at her, but Ling Qi thought her expression seemed a little stiff.


    ¡°How wonderful for you,¡± Gu Xiulan said brightly. ¡°Do come in. You have gone and caught me by surprise, but I believe I have some sweets left from our last celebration.¡±


    Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help the feeling of elation that had her practically bouncing on her feet as she stepped past Gu Xiulan. When was the last time she had really felt so accomplished?


    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Ling Qi said, turning back to face her friend as the shorter girl eased the door shut. ¡°Did Bai Meizhen get a chance to let you know what I was up to?¡±


    Gu Xiulan¡¯s expression screwed up oddly.


    ¡°... She did. I admit, that was somewhat surprising. Bai Meizhen informed me that the two of you had taken the house three doors down?¡± Gu Xiulan asked.


    ¡°Our old one got wrecked in her duel with Sun Liling.¡± Ling Qi frowned, peering around the open sitting room. ¡°I guess I should have asked. Is your roommate around? I don¡¯t want to bother her.¡± (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    ¡°It is no bother,¡± Gu Xiulan replied, seeming to recover her poise. ¡°That girl spends little time here. Don¡¯t concern yourself over it.¡±


    ¡°If you say so.¡± Ling Qi thought it a little odd, but ultimately, it was Gu Xiulan¡¯s business. Ling Qi followed Gu Xiulan into the dining room. ¡°How have you been holding up? Things have been a mess since the truce ended. I hope it dies down soon. If things keep going like they are now, the whole residential area is going to be wrecked.¡±


    ¡°That is a concern,¡± Gu Xiulan agreed as she led Ling Qi to the table. ¡°I suspect the Cai heiress¡¯ call for a meeting between the more important parties may have something to do with that.¡± As Ling Qi sat down, she continued on her way toward the pantry. ¡°As for myself, I have had a few scuffles, but nothing worth speaking of.¡±


    Ling Qi let out a relieved sigh. Although she had partially broken through to the second realm in spirit, she really didn¡¯t want to have to jump into any major conflicts yet. At the same time, she wouldn¡¯t just let one of her friends be hurt.


    That turned her thoughts to her other reason for coming here. She wasn¡¯t exactly sure how to bring it up though. Once Gu Xiulan returned with a few plates with rice cakes and sweets, Ling Qi allowed the topics to drift to lighter and simpler things, like ways Ling Qi could style her hair as it grew out and other such frivolities.


    Eventually, conversation turned to Han Jian and the others, who were doing well. Han Jian and his cousin, Han Fang, had broken through to Silver Physique. In addition, Fan Yu had finally reached the peak in physical cultivation for Gold Physique.


    From there, conversation turned to their own current cultivation goals.


    ¡°I will be ready to begin my breakthrough to Silver in two weeks at most, I think,¡± Gu Xiulan mused, daintily nibbling at the edge of a rice cake. ¡°Elder Zhou¡¯s lessons were helpful in that regard. After that, I think I shall seek out a spirit to bind.¡±


    ¡°Your family isn¡¯t going to send you one?¡± Ling Qi asked, fiddling with her cup of well-watered plum wine. Perhaps it was her dearth of examples, but she had assumed most noble families kept to a theme.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m afraid not. I shall have to find something to suit me. I should ask my Elder Sister where she found her own spirit. My storage ring and a few other gifts from Father should arrive by the end of the week though,¡± Gu Xiulan said, sounding pleased. ¡°He had only praise for my progress.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy for you,¡± Ling Qi said sincerely. ¡°How will that work by the way?¡± Her question drew a questioning look from Gu Xiulan as she finished her cake. ¡°Talking to your older sister, I mean,¡± Ling Qi clarified. ¡°I know you can use sect points to get lessons, but is there some restriction on travel? There are older disciples on the mountain but I don¡¯t think those are inner disciples?¡±


    ¡°Outer Disciples like the two of us require a pass to go to the Inner Peaks,¡± Gu Xiulan explained easily, taking a sip of her own drink. ¡°Inner Disciples are not allowed onto the Outer Peak except in special circumstances to avoid... undue suppression. If I meet with my sister Yanmei, it will have to be in town.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned briefly, staring into the rippling liquid in her cup. If she read between the lines correctly, that meant that once she left the Outer Sect mountain, she wouldn¡¯t necessarily be safe from meddling via Inner Disciple. It was something to remember.


    ¡°Well, that makes sense.¡± Ling Qi sipped her drink and cast a considering eye over the array of sweets before selecting a pastry she didn¡¯t know the name of; it had some kind of delicious fruit paste filling though. ¡°Do you have any advice on breaking through to Silver Physique?¡± Ling Qi asked absently.


    A flicker of surprise crossed Gu Xiulan¡¯s expression.


    ¡°Oh? Are you approaching that point yourself?¡± she asked. ¡°My, you are quick about things.¡±


    Ling Qi gave her a confused look.


    ¡°I reached the peak of Gold before the end of the truce. Didn¡¯t Han Jian or one of the others tell you?¡±


    Her friend paused in the middle of raising her cup to her lips.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m afraid it never came up,¡± Gu Xiulan said faintly, something unidentifiable in her tone. Ling Qi shifted uncomfortably as Gu Xiulan studied her; the other girl¡¯s gaze was sharp and calculating, the way it had been when Ling Qi first met her. ¡°You would be quite offended if I attempted to introduce you to one of my male cousins, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± she asked grumpily.


    Ling Qi stared at her, thrown by the apparent non-sequitur.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why I¡­¡± Ling Qi blinked and then frowned as understanding of what Gu Xiulan was implying reached her. ¡°Oh. You mean¡­ No, I don¡¯t want to get involved in anything like that.¡± She shot the other girl a dirty look. ¡°Why would you even ask?¡±


    ¡°Hmph,¡± Gu Xiulan replied glumly. ¡°I am quite cross that you do not even understand the extent of your good fortune. Rising rapidly through the first stage of cultivation is one thing. Even breaking through in one aspect after such a short time might be dismissed as luck. But both? That is rare talent. I suppose you did not notice the sudden number of girls chatting excitedly over that Ji Rong fellow after his dual breakthrough last week,¡± she continued tartly. ¡°Even at a slightly slower pace, you will likely need to fend off suitors with a stick once mention of your ability slips out in correspondence.¡± Gu Xiulan seemed to grow more irritated as she spoke.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t actually broken through yet,¡± Ling Qi pointed out, alarmed at the scenario Gu Xiulan painted. ¡°I mean, it might take me a few more weeks or even a month or two.¡±


    Gu Xiulan laughed humorlessly, shaking her head.


    ¡°You really do not understand, do you?¡± she asked, the jealous anger fading from her tone. ¡°Even if it took you another month, such breakthrough speed would be attention catching, if less so. To think I would be outshone by you so¡­¡±


    Ling Qi felt more than a bit of worry at the way the other girl¡¯s hand tightened around her cup.


    ¡°Gu Xiulan,¡± she began awkwardly. ¡°It¡¯s not like I did it all on my own. Bai Meizhen has helped me, you and Han Jian have helped me, and so have Li Suyin and Su Ling. Do you think I would have made it into Elder Zhou¡¯s class without your help? I barely knew how to dodge an attack until you taught me.¡±


    ¡°You were quite hopeless for all your fire,¡± Gu Xiulan muttered, peering up at her with narrow eyes. ¡°... My apologies. That was unsightly.¡± Her dark expression seemed to clear as fast as the clouds of a summer rain shower. ¡°I suppose I shall simply have to increase my efforts.¡±


    ¡°Right. It never happened,¡± Ling Qi agreed quickly. She knew Gu Xiulan¡¯s temper flared easily, and the last thing she wanted was to alienate one of her friends. ¡°That actually leads in pretty well to the other thing I wanted to talk to you about.¡±


    ¡°About breaking through?¡± Gu Xiulan asked. ¡°It is different for every person. I would strongly suggest having several buckets of soapy water on hand before you begin though.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Ling Qi said, recalling when she had reached mid gold and found herself covered head to toe in oily grime. ¡°I actually wanted to talk to you about Li Suyin.¡±


    Gu Xiulan wrinkled her nose.


    ¡°That meek little creature? I do not understand what you see in her. She is a weight dragging you down,¡± Gu Xiulan said hotly before the heat faded. ¡°Or perhaps not, given your progress.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. She had suspected that Gu Xiulan¡¯s hostility was something like that, which made it harder to be angry at her. The other girl thought she was doing Ling Qi a favor by driving off ¡®hangers-on¡¯. Well, Ling Qi also suspected a large part of it was simply possessive jealousy. ¡°Can you give her another chance? I really think Li Suyin¡¯s going to do better; she had a¡­ wake-up call at the end of the truce.¡±


    Gu Xiulan huffed, looking unconvinced. ¡°Very well. I will trust your judgement in this.¡± Ling Qi thought she was telling the truth. ¡°In exchange, may I ask that you at least be polite in letting down any members of my family that Father sets to court you?¡± Gu Xiulan¡¯s voice turned back to teasing; the other girl¡¯s moods really were mercurial.


    Ling Qi spluttered. ¡°You aren¡¯t actually serious about that. I refuse to believe it. Anyway, let¡¯s stop messing around. I was hoping I could keep training with you and the others. Are you doing that today?¡±


    ¡°In the afternoons,¡± Gu Xiulan answered, giving Ling Qi an amused look. ¡°I doubt anyone will object. Even my Fan Yu is not foolish enough to deny that you deserve a place if you wish it.¡±


    Ling Qi spent much of the next few days in the company of Han Jian and the others, training and practicing combat skills in spars, as well as refining her use of Forgotten Vale Melody. She would then spend each evening with Gu Xiulan soaking in the bubbling qi of the mineral spring and chatting with the other girl. She spent some time playing her flute as well. She found it awkward to do so while bathing with Gu Xiulan, but it was relaxing and even serene. A good way to round out a day of hard training.


    She idly wondered if Gu Xiulan would mind if she invited Bai Meizhen. The pale girl had been looking somewhat harried lately. A good soak would probably be good for her.


    Ling Qi was sad about the growing distance between her and Han Jian. Han Jian was throwing himself into training more and more, and she suspected it was partially her fault. More and more, he seemed frustrated and angry with himself and his progress in cultivation. Han Jian still put in a show of good cheer, but Ling Qi couldn¡¯t miss the strain in his smile and the occasional looks of envy she caught him giving her. Despite that, her training with her other friend was still far more stressful.


    ¡°Li Suyin, we really should take a breather,¡± Ling Qi sighed, having just swept Li Suyin¡¯s feet out from under her and knocking her to the ground.


    ¡°I can keep going,¡± the blue-haired girl panted out, her face red from exertion as she struggled to rise back to her feet. Li Suyin had changed, having shorn her hair short so that it ended just below her ears and having acquired a proper, if plain, eye patch that covered much of the right side of her face with dark grey silk.


    ¡°But you shouldn¡¯t,¡± Ling Qi said, crossing her arms. She cast a glance at Su Ling, who sat in quiet meditation with twin fires behind her head with a third struggling to form between them, and Bai Meizhen, whose surging qi sent a thrill of fear up her spine as the girl stood stock still, her shadow churning in a dark pool at her feet. ¡°You have to cool down and meditate on your actions or your qi won¡¯t be able to imprint the experiences on your body properly. And that¡¯s ignoring that you¡¯ll just hurt yourself if you push too far all at once. You should know that.¡±


    Li Suyin looked down while trying to catch her breath. They had been sparring hard with pure unarmed combat for the last hour and a half, and although Ling Qi felt fine, she could tell that Li Suyin was on the edge of collapsing. Elder Zhou had always made sure disciples who reached that state sat down to meditate and dispersed their qi properly into their bones and muscles. He had said that doing so was how they were able to learn and master weapons so much more quickly than mortals.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Li Suyin said, shoulders slumping. ¡°I¡¯ve asked you to teach me, and here I am, acting as if I know better. How ungrateful of me.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced, looking down herself. The other girl had been like this all week, swinging from determination to depression like a pendulum. Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure what to do about it. Li Suyin was advancing quickly enough - she knew how to throw a punch, the basic tells necessary to dodge simple attacks, and even a few throws and counters - but Ling Qi was concerned about the girl¡¯s mental state.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal,¡± Ling Qi assured her friend. ¡°Just remember that if you don¡¯t take care of yourself, all the training in the world won¡¯t help, alright?¡±


    Li Suyin nodded, and to Ling Qi¡¯s relief, she sat down to rest and meditate.


    ¡°I think I might be able to decrease my recovery time with the next layer of my art mastered,¡± Li Suyin murmured to herself as Ling Qi sat down across from her.


    ¡°That would be good,¡± Ling Qi said, even if she wasn¡¯t certain whether something like that would be healthy in the long term. ¡°How is your cultivation going anyway?¡±


    ¡°I think I should reach late gold within a few more weeks,¡± Li Suyin replied as she calmed her breathing and closed her eyes. ¡°I need to open a spine meridian though before I begin working toward the peaks. It¡¯s difficult to decipher, but I think grandfather¡¯s art contains more combative techniques¡­ It¡¯s just so difficult to piece everything together.¡±


    Not for the first time, Ling Qi wondered at just what kind of art Li Suyin was using. It sounded more like several arts all mashed together to her. Maybe it was; who knew. It would make sense for a clan to have a whole tree of related arts, she supposed. Maybe what Li Suyin had inherited were all the fragments that were left?


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get it,¡± Ling Qi replied confidently, which made Li Suyin smile just a little as she meditated.


    Ling Qi needed to get her own cultivation in so she closed her eyes and focused on absorbing the qi-infused mist of the vent to strengthen her argent foundation. If she kept working at it, she would master the technique within the month and finally be able to learn just what the Eight Phase Ceremony cultivation art in the jade slip she received from Xin did.

 Chapter 46-Restoring Order 1

    The meeting Cai called took place near noon on the fourth day of the week and was the last thing Ling Qi intended to do before secluding herself for her breakthrough attempt to Silver Physique. As she and Bai Meizhen walked the path to the pavilion Cai Renxiang¡¯s message had indicated, she continued to pepper Bai Meizhen with questions, which the pale girl took in stride.


    ¡°Do you know what the test is for becoming an Inner Disciple?¡± Ling Qi asked. Elder Su had mentioned that there was a test, but she didn¡¯t really know what the test consisted of. Presumably the older disciples on this mountain were the ones who failed.


    ¡°A tournament,¡± Bai Meizhen said evenly. ¡°As is traditional. The top eight performers are accepted into the Inner Sect with their tournament placing determining their initial Inner Sect rank. There is also a production contest with similar rules.¡±


    ¡°So sixteen people total,¡± Ling Qi mused. It would almost certainly have to be the combat tournament for her. Even if she did find formations interesting, she doubted she would get good enough at them to become a top talisman crafter by the end of the year. ¡°Is it just our year or¡­?¡±


    ¡°The older Outer Disciples may join either test, although typically those more than a year or two older than us have reached the plateau of their potential in the Sect,¡± Bai Meizhen answered as they reached the top of the path. Ling Qi peered ahead, seeing perhaps a half-dozen people already present, but they were too far away for her to make out any features.


    Ling Qi frowned; the entry of older Outer Sect disciples would make the competition stiffer.


    ¡°What would it mean?¡± Ling Qi asked, drawing a glance and a raised eyebrow from her companion. ¡°For me, I mean,¡± she clarified. ¡°Since I have to serve in the army for eight years.¡±


    ¡°A higher placing in the tournament may mean a higher and better starting position within the Sect¡¯s military branch,¡± Bai Meizhen replied thoughtfully. ¡°I would not assume too much however. While it is true that you must serve, it need not necessarily be with the Sect.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced curiously at Bai Meizhen, but there was no time for further questions because they had arrived at the perimeter of the pavilion. The building itself featured a wide stone platform with several steps carved into the sides. Thick wooden columns painted silver had been slotted into the corners to hold up a tiered and tiled roof overhead. The platform was well furnished, but it now centered on a set of four tables pushed together and surrounded by chairs.


    At the head of the table sat Cai Renxiang, serious and severe as ever. Gan Guangli stood to her right, carefully pouring his lady a cup of tea.


    Seated further down on the left was the crimson-haired Sun Liling, slouched with her elbow on the tabletop and her cheek in her hand. Lu Feng sat beside her in a still casual but less rude slouch wearing a bright red robe embroidered with gold thread. His sharp gaze swept over Ling Qi and Bai Meizhen, evaluating them before returning to the others.


    Unfortunately, Kang Zihao was also present, sitting stiffly across from Sun Liling and regarding everyone else present with an aloof expression, his arms crossed over his chest. Two boys she didn¡¯t recognize flanked him.


    Ling Qi was surprised to see Han Jian sitting at the far end of the table flanked by Han Fang and Gu Xiulan with Heijin asleep in his lap. He raised a hand in greeting as he caught her eye, and Gu Xiulan gave her a sharp-edged smile.


    Other surprises were less pleasant. Huang Da was seated a short way down from Kang Zihao. For once, he wasn¡¯t paying her any mind. His usual grin was twisted into a glower at Ji Rong, who sat across from him. The scarred boy was idly polishing the thick iron plate of the cestus on his right hand with the sleeve of his left while staring down Huang Da.


    She didn¡¯t recognize the last person present. He sat between Kang Zihao and Cai Renxiang, and at first glance, he seemed to be asleep. His arms were crossed over his broad chest and his face concealed under a wide brimmed conical hat painted with a tortoise shell pattern.


    ¡°Tch. Just like a Bai. Makin¡¯ everyone wait without a care in the world,¡± Sun Liling drawled as the two of them approached the remaining empty seats.


    ¡°Our method is certainly superior to one which leads to rushing heedless into the jaws of ruin,¡± Bai Meizhen said coolly. Bai Meizhen drew a few surprised looks when she pulled out a chair for herself. Ling Qi wondered if they were expecting her to do it.


    ¡°Is that so,¡± the redhead said glibly. ¡°Not seein¡¯ it, personally. Which one of us is a princess?¡±


    Bai Meizhen gave her a look of condescending pity as she sat down, turning up her nose slightly as if to say that this conversation was beneath her. ¡°A matter of debate. I suppose even barbarians enjoy pretensions of class in their huts of mud.¡±


    ¡°And snakes like playin¡¯ at strength while hiding in their burrows,¡± Sun Liling responded heatedly before glancing at Cai Renxiang, who had turned her attention to the two of them. ¡°But this ain¡¯t the time for this grudge. S¡¯pose I can give Miss Cai some face and leave it till later.¡±


    Ling Qi sat down carefully and quietly, doing her best not to draw any further attention to herself.


    ¡°Thank you, Princess Sun,¡± Cai Renxiang said calmly as Gan Guangli took up a position looming behind her with his arms crossed over his muscular chest. ¡°As worthwhile as it might be to witness such a battle, I do not wish for this meeting to devolve into a brawl.¡±


    ¡°Lady Cai, might I interject before we begin?¡± Kang Zihao asked, dipping his head respectfully in her direction.


    Cai Renxiang turned her severe gaze to him, staring him down for a full three count before inclining her head slightly. ¡°You may. What is your objection, Kang Zihao?¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Lady Cai,¡± he replied. Ling Qi might have even thought him sincere if she didn¡¯t know better. ¡°While I can understand an exemption for that one as we all have our seconds¡± - he glanced pointedly at Ling Qi before directing his gaze to Ji Rong - ¡°but what is that doing here?¡±


    Ji Rong fixed Kang Zihao with an unimpressed look; he seemed much more confident than the last time Ling Qi had seen him. ¡°You wanna have a go, pretty boy? If you¡¯re talking to me like that, then you know damn well that I killed a Mid Red Realm when I was a mortal. You really want to try your luck?¡±


    Huang Da¡¯s expression grew more sour. ¡°Do not brag as if it were some achievement, scum. Only luck saved your miserable hide.¡±


    ¡°That so,¡± Ji Rong said, cracking the knuckles on his uncovered hand. ¡°The way I hear it, luck is just another kinda strength. The creepy fuck shoulda been more alert while he was going around playin¡¯ vampire.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Huang Da looked ready to lunge over the table at Ji Rong when Cai Renxiang rapped her knuckles once on the surface of the table.


    ¡°He has been invited because this is a matter of strength, as all things are.¡± Her voice cut through the echoes of her thunderous knock. ¡°I will not comment on whatever personal disputes you might have, but the criteria for an invitation was simple. If one reached the second realm, they were to be invited, provided they were not vassal to another,¡± she announced evenly. ¡°I am glad, in this instance, that you came regardless, Miss Ling. I had not been informed of your breakthrough.¡±


    Ling Qi froze as the girl¡¯s eyes turned to her, along with everyone else¡¯s. She fought down the urge to squirm under the attention, doing her best to imitate Gu Xiulan and Bai Meizhen by sitting as straight as she could and keeping her expression serene.


    ¡°It is no trouble,¡± Ling Qi said distantly as her heart pounded in her ears.


    ¡°The Bai have sharp eyes at least,¡± Sun Liling grumbled. ¡°Can we get on with this then, Miss Cai? I gotta feed my spirit soon. She¡¯s getting testy.¡±


    Ling Qi eyed Sun Liling curiously. She didn¡¯t see any kind of spirit beast in the girl¡¯s presence. It must be hidden away.


    ¡°Of course, Princess Sun,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°I have brought you together in order to discuss matters of the chaos unfolding around us. Property is being destroyed en masse, and banditry is becoming common. It is frankly unacceptable.¡±


    Ling Qi felt a stab of vindictive pleasure as she caught a scowl on Kang Zihao¡¯s normally serene face. ¡°Is such not the will of the Elders?¡± he asked. ¡°It is, after all, meant to winnow the chaff away.¡±


    ¡°I agree. It does make things rather more exciting,¡± Huang Da added, having apparently gotten a hold on his temper. To Ling Qi¡¯s eyes though, there was still an edge to his normal expression.


    ¡°Yeah, not gonna say I haven¡¯t enjoyed the time since the gloves have come off,¡± Sun Liling added with a shrug. ¡°Guessing you¡¯re not exactly complaining about that though.¡±


    No one else seemed inclined to speak up. Han Jian looked a bit uncomfortable just being at the table with the rest, Bai Meizhen seemed content to keep her peace, and the ¡®sleeping¡¯ boy had barely stirred.


    ¡°You are correct,¡± Cai Renxiang replied. ¡°I have no objection to tests of martial valor. However, some limit need be applied to the venue lest we find ourselves crouching amidst rubble by the year¡¯s end. Personally, I believe that this is yet another test to see if we disciples will allow ourselves to descend into barbarity if left unchecked.¡±


    ¡°That does seem pretty accurate, I think,¡± Han Jian spoke up lowly, glancing around the table. ¡°Everything I¡¯ve seen says the Sect takes a pretty hands-off approach, but they¡¯re paying attention to what we do with our freedom.¡±


    ¡°The moon has eyes, and the clouds stand vigil. Even the mountain lives and breathes,¡± an unfamiliar voice said slowly as if choosing his words carefully. Ling Qi followed the sound of the voice to see that the boy who had been ¡®asleep¡¯ had raised his head. She could see his somewhat blocky features now, but most disconcerting were his eyes. The whites were dark grey, almost black, and his irises were an odd grey-green shade. She could also see a few patches of dark green, nearly black, scales peeking out from under the neck of his robe. ¡°We are judged.¡±


    ¡°Exactly so, Sir Han, Sir Xuan,¡± Cai Renxiang replied, setting her cup down soundlessly. ¡°I propose that we impose a penalty on those who begin battles within the residential areas. It would be a fine of some significant sum of spirit stones or if need be, confinement for repeat offenders.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not gonna apologize for my own actions.¡± Sun Liling smirked challengingly at Cai Renxiang. ¡°And I don¡¯t really think it¡¯s an issue. What d¡¯you have to fear about camping? Not like the grass ann the trees are gonna eat you here.¡±


    ¡°It is hardly anyone else¡¯s fault that you reside in a demon haunted jungle and have no standards,¡± Bai Meizhen cut in. ¡°I second this proposal. There has been far too much noise as of late.¡±


    Kang Zihao scowled before nodding. ¡°That seems reasonable. Any who attempt to use such a ruling to hide from the winnowing will find their cultivation stunted regardless.¡±


    Ling Qi scowled as she caught Huang Da ¡®looking¡¯ in her direction. ¡°Agreed. We all deserve to sleep peacefully,¡± Huang Da said smugly.


    Ugh. Was he watching her sleep at night? No, boys were still barred from the female residences and vice versa, but the idea was still unsettling.


    ¡°Who¡¯da thunk that I¡¯d find myself agreeing with a Huang?¡± Ji Rong drawled. ¡°Sure. I guess you want us to smack around anyone who breaks the rules?¡±


    ¡°It would be best to give them a warning to cease first,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°But yes. If need be, perpetrators are to be subdued.¡± Her expression then grew cold. ¡°However, should I find any of you abusing such privilege, I will see it as an assault upon my person.¡±


    Ling Qi relaxed a little as the conversation continued. It seemed that things were actually going to stay civilized. Cai Renxiang was focused on curbing the most obvious chaos first and foremost. Ling Qi thought that was to her credit, even if she was obviously angling to expand her authority and control from there. It was refreshingly honest, all things considered.


    There was a lot of dickering over what exactly the punishments would entail and how they would be enforced. It was eventually decided that the initial fine would be thirty five spirit stones, doubling on each subsequent offense until the fourth when the perpetrator would find themselves confined for two weeks.


    Confinement would be handled by the Xuan since formation barriers were apparently his focus. It was agreed that the actual fines would be in Cai Renxiang¡¯s care to avoid the temptation to abuse the authority being granted. The only other thing agreed to was that there would be another meeting in a month¡¯s time.


    Until then, everyone at the meeting would have the authority to levy fines. It was a strange feeling, having potential authority over others.


    However, Ling Qi didn¡¯t test whether that authority actually granted any respect. Instead, in the wake of the council meeting, she rushed home for one purpose. She needed to breakthrough to Silver Physique now more than ever with others¡¯ attentions on her as a cultivator herself, rather than an extension of her roommate.


    Ling Qi sealed the door to the meditation room and began to cultivate.

 Chapter 47-Restoring Order 2

    Ling Qi found that unlike her previous breakthrough to Yellow Soul, this one was an intensely material experience. There were no fuzzy dreams or vague thoughts, only an awareness of every inch of her own body. It had suffered much in her time in the streets, from poor nutrition to ill-healed wounds from old beatings. She could feel the effects of all these things as her qi circulated through her flesh and bones. Layer upon layer of qi, carefully soaked into her tissues through months of physical cultivation, pulsated in time with her heartbeat. The muscles were at the limit of what they could accept, mortal flesh unable to hold a single drop more of enhancing qi.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t often think about it, but she knew that she was far beyond what she was three months ago. She could now dash as fast as a horse, lift her own weight or more with a single hand, and suffer blows that would crack stone and merely be wounded. She could, she thought, as she felt her awareness soaking into her every vein and tendon, probably shatter a grown man¡¯s sternum with a simple palm strike.


    And Ling Qi had just begun to walk her Path of Cultivation.


    She could almost understand why cultivators looked down on mortals so for all their talk of protecting them. Mortals were so easily broken and withered so quickly. The spans of years Bai Meizhen had mentioned in her lessons came to her. It hadn¡¯t sunk in properly until now, but she knew if she avoided a violent death, she would live more than a hundred years. That lifespan would only increase if she continued cultivating.


    How old was Elder Su? Two hundred? Three? The woman had a matronly air, but she was still young and beautiful. All but her eyes and demeanor were largely untouched by time. What did it even mean to live for so long? Ling Qi could hardly even wrap her mind around the idea.


    Crack.


    She felt something change within her. A poorly healed fracture in the bone of her upper arm shifted, sending a knife of pain through her body as it realigned, and the bone grew smooth and straight once more. Another needle of pain followed, then a thousand more, as the effects of years of malnutrition began to reverse. The qi in her body began to surge riotously, sending painful shudders through her frame.


    Ling Qi almost screamed as the barrage of sensation crowded out all conscious thought. The qi she had built up was draining away precipitously, no longer simply layered within her bones and muscles, but instead fusing and becoming part of them, forcing out mortal impurities as it did. She felt like she was baking beneath a high summer sun, drowning in her own sweat.


    When she came to herself, the first thing that struck her was the smell. It nearly made her gag; it reminded her of a middenheap in summer, and it was coming from her. She struggled to open her eyes, gummed as they were. When she managed to do so, she found herself covered from head to toe in something sticky and black like smelly tar. It was so much worse than her previous realm breakthrough. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    Gu Xiulan had warned her of something like this, she remembered. She had even prepared washing water for it. That preparation seemed woefully inadequate now. Her eyes watering from the smell, Ling Qi hurried to clean herself as best she could.


    Thankfully, the gunk covering her came away easily despite its stickiness. It was almost as if the stuff was repelled from her skin. As she cleaned herself up and the smell began to fade, she began to wonder at how light she felt and how easily she breathed, the absence of a thousand little aches and pains that had been with her so long that she didn¡¯t even notice them save by their current absence.


    Of course, she still found herself disappointed. Her skin was clear and smooth, but it was still dark. Her limbs were not slender and graceful as Gu Xiulan and Bai Meizhen¡¯s were but instead showed well-defined and sleek muscle. Her ankles were still too thick, and her feet too large, and if anything, she was even taller now. She didn¡¯t often think of her appearance but some part of her had hoped that she might at least become a little prettier like the immortal ladies in stories. The lack of anyone truly unattractive among her fellow disciples had buoyed that hope.


    It wasn¡¯t to be though. She was still the same plain and boyish girl she had been before her breakthrough. Ling Qi scowled at her reflection in the mirror as she brushed her fingers through her long hair. It had grown out greatly during her breakthrough, hanging almost to the middle of her back in a wavy, curly curtain. At least the breakthrough had finished the job Gu Xiulan¡¯s efforts had started.


    Her fingernails were a few centimeters long now too, and her toenails weren¡¯t much better, which was more annoying. She would have to cut them along with her hair.


    Ling Qi paused, looking into her own bright blue eyes in the mirror. Did she need to cut her hair? She had kept it short before out of practicality. She had no time on the streets to care for longer hair or put it up with pretty ribbons and ornaments like Mother had enjoyed doing to it. She idly fingered a few of the lengthened strands ¡­ Maybe she could do something with it. Arrange it in one of the ways Mother had shown her when she was young.


    She turned away from the mirror. Something to consider later. She still had to dispose of the buckets of filthy water and at least trim her toenails so that she didn¡¯t trip.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t like the attention she drew when she finally went out to dispose of the buckets and her old clothes. She had been shut in for days again. The fighting had died down, but that just meant that there were more people in the streets. More girls whispering behind their hands as she passed, even if most of them lowered their eyes when she glared at them.


    It was unsettling. She had grown used to spiteful looks and disdain. The lack of it made her nervous.


    In the wake of her breakthrough came less exciting things. Organizing her time and resources came first. The storage ring she had acquired had swiftly grown full, carrying everything. She did not forget Elder Zhou¡¯s words. She was progressing quickly, but she still had so much ground to make up. Going through her things brought Ling Qi a surprise however. While she was sifting through the jumbled contents of her storage ring and deciding which of her meager possessions she wanted to leave at their new home, she came across the tokens from Elder Zhou¡¯s test.


    She had forgotten about them, those three symbol inscribed discs. She found herself idly turning them over in her hands as she recalled the test.


    The light caught on a scratch in the smooth metal of the sun token as she did, and she paused. That wasn¡¯t a single scratch.


    Squinting at it, she found that the token was covered in dozens of tiny characters, some of which she recognized from Elder Su¡¯s lessons. Bemused, she recalled the only real practical part of formations the Elder had covered, that being the activation of dormant symbols. She fed a bit of qi into the token and watched as the character lit up faintly.


    Nothing else happened though, and after a moment, the character faded. A second attempt showed that she could light up as many as five characters at a time to seemingly no effect. She spent a bit of time trying different combinations but eventually stopped. She only recognized perhaps half of the characters. This seemed like a good use for her archive pass, she supposed.


    With that in mind, she left the residential area, shifting uncomfortably as she found people getting out of her way. It wasn¡¯t like Bai Meizhen where the street ahead would clear entirely, but Ling Qi didn¡¯t have to weave through the people in the streets as much. Many of her fellow disciples would simply take a step to the side or turn to give her more room.


    It was weird.


    Ling Qi pondered her different reception by her fellow disciples as she made the trip up the winding path that lead to the archive. It had to be her participation in that meeting. Nothing else really made sense. Remembering Gu Xiulan¡¯s words, it could also be a result of her breakthrough. She supposed it would be difficult to miss her suddenly lengthened hair or even more unwieldy height.


    Halfway up the path to the archives, she heard a massive crash and and a rumble as a plume of dust rose from the path ahead. Ling Qi stopped, craning her neck to see further up the switchback, but all she was able to catch sight of were several flashes of dark green light and a sudden burst of silver.


    Was someone having a duel on the path to the archive? She had been desensitized to such things since the end of the truce, but the next rumble and the rain of stones and dirt falling from the higher path seemed a little more intense than the usual violence. Ling Qi mostly felt only curiosity as it was unlikely to have anything to do with her. She continued up the path at a slightly faster pace, hoping the duelists wouldn¡¯t put the path out. Having to climb the cliffs to reach the archive would be annoying.


    Ling Qi was almost blinded by the brightest flash yet as she reached the same level, and when her vision cleared, it was to a disquieting sight. In the middle of the now badly pockmarked path were two figures, both male. One, Ji Rong, stood frozen in absolute stillness, one foot off the ground and his fist extended for a punch. Burning stakes of viridian light seemed to puncture straight through his limbs and torso, but she saw no blood or wounds.


    The other figure slowly straightening up was the Xuan boy she had first seen at Cai¡¯s meeting. He was dressed much the same as then in a thick, dark green robe patterned with geometric shapes. His shell-patterned conical hat still concealed much of his face. He held a weapon now, a tall xizhang capped with a silver hoop cut in half by the continuation of the staff¡¯s haft. A half dozen rings of varying metals jangled musically as Xuan removed the hoop from Ji Rong¡¯s forehead.


    Ling Qi eyed the scene cautiously as the odd boy turned to look at her in an unhurried way. She could tell that he was at least somewhat winded from the way his shoulders rose and fell. Meanwhile, Ji Rong was eerily still, the glow of the stakes thrust through him casting his frozen face in sickly relief.


    ¡°Sister Ling,¡± the Xuan boy greeted her. What little she could see of his expression was even as he nodded in her direction once before looking back to Ji Rong. Xuan reached into the collar of Ji Rong¡¯s robe and plucked out what she recognized as the archive pass granted to Ji Rong.


    Ling Qi eyed Xuan warily. At this distance, she was confident she could have her mist up before Xuan could reach her if it came down to a fight.


    ¡°Brother Xuan.¡± Ling Qi mirrored his polite greeting. Xuan¡¯s choice of address was odd as few others used the formal terms. It also occurred to her how strange it was to be holding a normally pitched conversation with someone over thirty meters away. It was times like this that made her wonder at the enhancement of her senses.


    ¡°Might I ask what happened?¡± Ling Qi asked cautiously. She would like to know if the other boy was in Kang Zihao¡¯s camp or if this was something unrelated. Ji Rong had been pretty antagonistic to both Kang Zihao and Huang Da after all.


    The pass vanished from Xuan¡¯s hand, presumably into a storage ring.


    ¡°The untamed wolf bites all hands, knowing no loyalty nor gratitude. The cur¡¯s insult to Lady Cai could not be brooked.¡± Xuan replied, turning away from the frozen boy to begin walking toward Ling Qi at an unhurried pace. ¡°A lesson was administered.¡±


    Ling Qi stepped to the side of the path, ready to draw her flute or her knives at a moment¡¯s notice. ¡°How long is he going to be stuck like that?¡±


    Xuan cocked his head to the side slightly, pausing in front of her.


    ¡°A season perhaps?¡± he answered, sending a chill down her spine at his casual coldness. His strange eyes flicked back in the frozen boy¡¯s direction. ¡°Nay. Without intervention, a full cycle of the moon more like. Does Sister Ling object?¡±


    His way of speaking was a little grating. ¡°Isn¡¯t a month a bit much? He¡¯s helpless like that, isn¡¯t he?¡± Ling Qi hated to think what would happen to her if she were to be frozen in place for a month.


    Xuan¡¯s wide shoulders rose and fell in a dismissive shrug. ¡°No touch can reach but mine. A lesson - not an execution.¡± Xuan resumed his walk, the top of the xizhang jangling as he moved past her. ¡°Good fortune, Sister Ling. Convey my greeting to Sister Bai.¡±


    Ling Qi watched his back as he walked away, perturbed by the encounter, before testing Xuan¡¯s claim. Sure enough, when she cautiously poked at Ji Rong, her finger was stopped a half meter away. It felt as if she were prodding smooth stone rather than air. Ling Qi could see faint viridian characters glowing in the dirt in a circle around Ji Rong, and a single black character meaning punishment on the frozen boy¡¯s forehead.


    She grimaced and withdrew her hand. She supposed she would find out more at the next meeting... if there was one. There was little she could do either way. Casting one more cautious look around to search for any hidden characters on the ground, she hurried on to the archive.


    Thus began her routine for the first part of the week. In the mornings, she would go to the archive, studying formations and attempting to decipher the symbols on the tokens. In the afternoons, she would head to the vent to cultivate and train with Li Suyin and Su Ling. They were both doing relatively well as far as she could tell although Su Ling was absent more and more often, citing a need to gather materials for some kind of arrangement she had with a crafting disciple.


    Ling Qi¡¯s training with Han Jian would then continue in the afternoons. The boy seemed to have shaken off his gloom, and he apologized for how short he had been with her the previous week. But¡­ Ling Qi felt that he was still growing more distant to her. It wasn¡¯t out of any malice, she thought, but he had an ever increasing focus on the others in his group. Han Jian spent more time drilling and encouraging Fan Yu than he had ever done before.


    She caught Gu Xiulan giving Han Jian the occasional worried look, and the other girl¡¯s interactions with her had become¡­ awkward. When she had shown up at the first training session, Gu Xiulan¡¯s expression had been greatly conflicted. Fan Yu avoided even looking at her.


    It seemed that even her successes could have negatives.

 Chapter 48-Restoring Order 3

    Ling Qi forged on, determined to keep improving as the days passed. Soon enough, her efforts began to bear fruit. Her study in the archive had allowed her to recognize more of the symbols and allowed her to puzzle out the combination for the star token. The token itself had pulsed with soft light and then disintegrated, leaving behind three wax stoppered bottles. A hurried check of the bottles¡¯ properties revealed the liquid inside to be a potent elixir for the enhancement of physical cultivation.


    So too did her training advance in other areas. Ling Qi was growing closer to a complete Argent Foundation, and every day, the air she breathed and the qi she circulated seemed to become a little clearer and a little fresher. Another week, or perhaps two, of effort and she would have it.


    Her skill with the mystical melody of her arts grew as well. The mist spread further and lasted longer, the weave of qi holding it together growing more potent. She had also found the trick to weaving the the first two melodies together in order to activate both techniques at once. As her understanding grew, a new tune was revealed to her. Starlight Elegy was a slow, sad piece of music that left those lost in the mist exhausted and lethargic, sapping their vitality and qi.


    All her training and study could not keep her mind off the past though. Ever since the issue had been shoved in her face during Elder Zhou¡¯s test, she found her thoughts occasionally turning back to her mother. Ling Qi¡¯s feelings toward the woman were mixed. Mother had been strict and often highly critical, only rarely having a word of praise. Yet despite her profession, Mother had done everything she could for Ling Qi. In hindsight, it was easy to see that her mother had obviously spent most of what she had on Ling Qi¡¯s education, such as it was, despite Ling Qi¡¯s failure to absorb most of it.


    Ling Qi had had good reasons for staying on the mountain these past few weeks. Her breakthroughs were critical to her continued safety, and there was just so much to do¡­ but could she honestly say that her mother didn¡¯t at least deserve to know that her daughter was alive? Perhaps it was insight granted by long hours of cultivation, but her past assumption that her mother¡¯s continued fretting over Ling Qi¡¯s manners and appearance were due to wanting Ling Qi to follow in her footsteps seemed foolish.


    After all, an escort didn¡¯t have much use for literacy. It made her wonder where Mother herself had learned.


    That night, she resolved to write a letter and go into town the next day. It was no easy thing to complete. What did one say to a family member that she had abandoned years ago? The candle she was using for light burned down twice as she wrote a few lines only to hastily scribble them out again and again. Finally, she was able to compose something passable.


    Mother,


    This is from Ling Qi, your daughter. It seems a little silly to write that, but I would not blame you for forgetting me. You will be surprised to see this letter, I am sure.


    I am sorry. You did not deserve to be left alone without a word. I know it cannot make up for leaving you to believe me dead for years on end, but I hope you can accept this small gift as an apology.


    I will not ask that you write me back. I do not deserve that, but know that I will continue sending similar gifts when I can.


    Thank you for taking care of me.


    It seemed stiff and formal to her, but Ling Qi didn¡¯t know what else to write. What could she do but apologize? Ling Qi stared at the letter for a long time before she finally went to sleep. She just hoped it was possible to send it; she would feel awfully stupid if she couldn¡¯t have it delivered after spending so much time on it.


    The next day, she left bright and early, departing through the front entrance of the sect. Ling Qi chose to head down the path at a jog, her command of the air currents keeping her gown from flapping unnecessarily. It was a good, light workout.


    Just another strange thing since becoming a cultivator. A jog of several kilometers on a steep path barely left her breathing hard. There were a handful of other disciples going back and forth, but none paid her much mind. The town at the base of the mountain soon came into sight, an island of stone and cleared land in the midst of a sea of trees. The air was cool and crisp from the early spring, and a light mist hung over the sprawling farmland that surrounded the shining stone walls that encircled the hub of the town. The walls bristled with towers and their accompanying war machines, net casters and other more deadly things for fending off barbarian and beast incursions, and the sun gleamed off the helms of the guardsmen atop them.


    Ling Qi slowed down to an energetic walk as she approached and passed the gate without issue, her head held high. It was a lesson from her old life that still held true. The appearance of confidence and self-assurance quelled many suspicions. She had to pause to give her name at the gate and get directions to the local Ministry of Communications building, but there was no further hold up.


    Her walk through the tidy streets was enlightening. It was strange to walk among mortals again. The projections in the test had not been real people, and besides, she had barely begun to cultivate at that point. Had¡­ everyone she knew really been so slow and graceless? It wasn¡¯t as if the mortals were moving in slow motion precisely, but to her perception, their every motion was obvious and telegraphed. That man would stumble on his way through the door. That woman would shift the basket in her hands to adjust for the weight in three more steps.


    The obvious respect in the eyes of the townsfolk as they parted to make way for her was unsettling. She hid her unease and soon made it to the office of the Ministry of Communications. The easy part was changing a spirit stone for silver, ninety five coins for a single stone with the remaining five being the office¡¯s fee.


    It had taken longer to set up the delivery because even though she only had to wait in line behind other cultivators, the Ministry was busy. It had been awkward to explain to the Ministry worker that she needed her letter and package delivered to a Ling Qingge in Tonghou city and that no, she didn¡¯t have an address.


    Somewhat alarmingly, once she made it clear the recipient was her mother, the whole process was smoothed over. Apparently, the Sect had records on such things. Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure how she felt about that. In the end, she sent the letter and a pouch of thirty silver off. Now that she knew what to do, it wouldn¡¯t take nearly as long to accomplish in the future.


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure whether she wanted her mother to respond to her letter or not.


    With the lingering weight of worry over her mother¡¯s condition lifted for the moment, Ling Qi recalled the other obligation still waiting for her to fulfill, namely, her promise to Bai Meizhen. The taciturn girl had helped her a lot since she had begun here, and now, she should be strong enough to actually help Bai Meizhen in return.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t get a chance to speak with Bai Meizhen until later in the week though as her housemate had secluded herself to cultivate. When Bai Meizhen finally emerged from the house¡¯s meditation room, it was late at night on the fifth day. Ling Qi had fixed herself a small dinner of rice and fish and had been eating in the dining room when Bai Meizhen entered, swaying tiredly on her feet. She looked wearier than Ling Qi had ever seen her before.


    ¡°Welcome back to the world of the living,¡± Ling Qi greeted the other girl wryly as she paused in eating her meal. ¡°How did your cultivation go?¡± She knew the proud girl wouldn¡¯t appreciate an offer of help when Bai Meizhen was merely tired.


    ¡°Well enough. I will be ready to begin the breakthrough to the Green Soul Realm within the month,¡± Bai Meizhen replied as she sat down at the table across from Ling Qi, expression drawn and tired. ¡°Has anything of interest occurred while I was secluded?¡±


    Ling Qi considered the last few days, thoughtfully chewing on a bite of well-roasted fish.


    ¡°Well¡­ Ji Rong apparently got in a fight with that Xuan guy. He ended up frozen in place up by the archives. He¡¯s still up there.¡± Ling Qi actually felt a little bad passing him every day. Was he aware when he was like that? ¡°Xuan asked me to say hello actually,¡± she added. That request was kind of strange in hindsight.


    Bai Meizhen¡¯s expression grew puzzled. ¡°Odd. Xuan Shi has never been particularly aggressive.¡±


    ¡°Do you know him?¡± Ling Qi asked curiously.


    Bai Meizhen made a dismissive gesture. ¡°Not as such. I met him a few times as a child. There were some talks of a betrothal, but it never bore fruit. Neither the Bai nor the Xuan could agree on the details,¡± she explained matter-of-factly.


    Ling Qi¡¯s eye twitched, and her threat estimation of Xuan Shi rose a notch given that the Xuan family could apparently bargain at least somewhat equally with her housemate¡¯s family. Sometimes, she wished she had better knowledge of her peers, but she didn¡¯t have time for that sort of comprehensive education right now.


    ¡°Right. Why don¡¯t I get you some tea? You look like you need it.¡± Bai Meizhen¡¯s eyelids were drooping, but Ling Qi still wanted to talk to her.


    Bai Meizhen blinked in surprise. ¡°Would you? That would be most appreciated.¡± Her cool voice was touched with gratitude. ¡°Thank you, Ling Qi.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, pushing the scraps of her meal aside to head to the kitchen. She would make enough for both of them. Even if the tea didn¡¯t benefit her anymore, she had come to enjoy the taste of it. It had a certain spice that just perked her right back up even when she was tired. Several minutes later, she returned with a pair of steaming cups in hand and set one in front of Bai Meizhen, who offered her a tiny smile before taking a sip.


    Bai Meizhen didn¡¯t quite sigh in relief, but Ling Qi nonetheless saw the way her stiff, tired posture eased slightly. Ling Qi took a tiny sip herself, enjoying the warmth of the tea.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m strong enough to help you yet?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°I¡¯d like to think that I kept my promise on not taking too long,¡± Ling Qi added with her best try at a teasing smile. It probably wasn¡¯t very good; she wasn¡¯t Gu Xiulan after all.


    Bai Meizhen looked up from her cup as Cui peeked out of the collar of her gown to steal a sip of her tea. The pale girl shot her cousin a reproving look and shifted the cup out of reach in response.


    ¡°I think so, yes,¡± Bai Meizhen responded slowly, the fatigue she had shown fading. ¡°You held up well enough against those ruffians, and that was before your breakthroughs. You have become quite strong.¡±


    Ling Qi looked away, feeling awkward at the praise, and fidgeted with a strand of her lengthened hair. ¡°I still have a long way to go.¡±


    ¡°As we all do,¡± Bai Meizhen said with a hint of amusement. ¡°Very well. In my initial survey of the mountain, I discovered a curious chamber deep in a hidden cavern. It was sealed by a pair of bronze doors engraved with fortifying formations. Sadly, even the surrounding walls proved to be fortified as well.¡±


    ¡®Rocks should not resist my venom,¡¯ Cui interjected sulkily while staring at Bai Meizhen¡¯s cup.


    ¡°So it¡¯s probably another thing like the vent. A miniature test set up by the Elders?¡± Ling Qi asked thoughtfully. ¡°What do you need my help with then?¡±


    ¡°The formations upon the door require the cooperation of two second realm cultivators to open,¡± Bai Meizhen explained. She met Cui¡¯s longing gaze with her own and lowered the cup with a soft sigh, letting the tiny snake drink. ¡°I expect whatever trials beyond the door to reflect that.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded in agreement. She had been curious what Bai Meizhen had wanted her help with. She was glad it wasn¡¯t something more violent. ¡°When do you want to go then?¡±


    Bai Meizhen pursed her lips. ¡°Nearer to dawn, I think, to preserve secrecy and give me some time to rest.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I had meant¡­¡± Ling Qi floundered. ¡°You wanted to do it tonight?¡±


    ¡°Yes, if you are ready.¡± Bai Meizhen peered at her with slight curiosity. ¡°Do you already have plans for the evening?¡±


    ¡°No, I was just surprised,¡± Ling Qi replied quickly. She had made the offer. She wasn¡¯t going to back down now.

 Bonus 9: On Cultivation

    The core of all cultivation is the transference and refinement of the fundamental energies of the world. To advance, a cultivator must take in external qi and through various methods purify or otherwise transform the energies to be compatible with their own bodies and spirits. Once this initial infusion of external qi has activated the cultivators own spiritual organs, it becomes possible to generate internal qi in small amounts. However, internal generation is useful only for replenishing and expanding the internal reservoir. In order to refine the body and spirit, or practice arts and techniques requires additional infusions of external qi.


    Early cultivation methods, and indeed the ways practiced by the barbaric peoples outside of the empire, achieved this in various unpleasant fashions. The Cloud Tribes of the southern mountains for example, perform a barbaric rite in which young men and women have their souls fully merged with a partner beast, trading away some portion of their humanity identity to catalyze their internal energies with the strength of beasts. This self mutilation is among the more tame non-imperial methods.


    The barbarians of the western jungle are much more foul. Ritually excising their own blood and flesh, these veritable beasts would invite evil spirits to inhabit the gaps left behind, and merge these entities with themselves, cultivating through further blood sacrifice and rites most vile. Distant tales of barbarians across the northern seas speak of men who devour one another for power, becoming soulless abominations of mutable flesh. There are more terrible ways such as these than even this scholar can count.


    Pre-Imperial methods, the methods of our ancestors, were not typically so unpleasant, however they remain inferior. Most require entering into pacts with spirits and beasts through any number of methods, both exotic and mundane, but almost universally do so from a position of weakness rather than strength, placing them always under the thumb of non human entities. Even those who bargained from strength were forced into an unseemly reliance upon capricious forces.


    These ways are inevitably deadly and unstable. They offer a route to power, this is true, and our most esteemed ancestors cannot be blamed for using them in the face of our deadly world when no better methods existed, but they cannot be condoned in the modern day. Though the occasional throwback might arise, swiftly accumulating power in these primitive methods on the back of great luck, one must not forget that for every success there will be a thousand dead or crippled in the attempt, and that is this scholar being somewhat generous with the numbers.


    It is a hallmark of civilization that the imperial method, if practiced properly will never cripple or kill the user. The untalented may find themselves progressing slowly or not at all, but they will never find themselves choking on their own blood as their own qi turns against them and poisons their organs.


    The core of the imperial method lies in the use of spirit stones. First discovered and put into use by the peoples of Celestial Peaks, the exact nature of spirit stones remain somewhat mysterious to this day. Unlike other minerals, there seems to be no logic to where veins of spirit stones appear. They are most prevalent in Celestial Peaks, but smaller veins occur throughout the empire and indeed expeditions into barbarian lands have turned up signs of their presence even there. Also, unlike other minerals, if not over harvested, spirit stone veins will replenish themselves over the course of decades.


    There are many competing theories as to their origin; that they are the remains of the fallen Dragon Gods, that they are the milk of the Nameless Mother, rising from the earth to nourish her children, that they are the last vestiges of ascended beasts so ancient that they have become one with the land, etc. Speculating on the origins is not the purpose of this document however.


    Spirit Stones contain a qi that was unique in all of nature at the time of their discovery. ¡®Pure¡¯ or ¡®Blank¡¯ qi which contains no trace of elemental or spiritual nature. Perfectly mutable, this qi may be used by any person, no matter their temperment or descent, no matter which elements they favor. Pure qi is able to transform into any other type, making it perfect for cultivation whether one is at the very beginning of their way, or nearing its peak. The use of pure qi to cultivate outstrips all other methods in both reliability and efficiency.


    That is not to say that the cultivation of other types of qi is useless. Clans the empire over practice cultivation arts which refine environmental qi as a supplement. The more impressive arts even allow for the refinement of various types of qi back down into pure qi for use in cultivation, bypassing the need for spirit stones somewhat. However, it was only the use of spirit stones and generation upon generation of imperial study that allowed such arts to come into existence. In addition such arts are universally difficult to cultivate.


    A certain degree of spiritual potency must be achieved before such refinement even becomes possible, let alone efficient. For the vast majority of the empire¡¯s cultivators, spirit stones remain the source of self improvement.


    It should be warned however that attempting to cultivate pure qi itself is a mistake. It is largely impossible for those of lesser cultivation and attempting to maintain the purity of the qi after absorption will only slow and hinder if one is capable. However, over the millenia some have performed trials in forcing the cultivation of pure qi. The results of these efforts have never been positive. For those who are already well advanced on the path of cultivation, the results are a damaged foundation and domain, or even losses in cultivation. For those in the lower realms, the results are more dire, typically involving mental degradation or even permanent catatonia.


    This resulted in these efforts being banned by imperial decree under the reign of Emperor Wu of the Second dynasty¡­


    -Excerpt from On Cultivation

 Chapter 49-Serpents Treasure 1

    A little more preparation for the potential trial might not go awry however.


    Once Ling Qi finished her meal and her tea, she slipped out to pick up an extra dosage of healing salve and stored it away in her ring. The spatial ring remained her favorite talisman. The ability to simply store things away without care was incredibly useful.


    Ling Qi was careful to keep from the main roads and to keep an eye out for any potential watchers. She didn¡¯t much care for the idea of being followed by Huang Da again. She didn¡¯t see so much as a hair of him though. Eventually, she snuck off the beaten path, cutting through the scrubby woods on the lower mountain slope to reach the crossroads Bai Meizhen had asked her to meet at.


    ¡°Did anyone follow you?¡± Ling Qi asked as she stepped out from beneath the darkened eaves of the trees on the right side of the path. Bai Meizhen stood near the lone marker placed at the path¡¯s splitting point, her arms folded over her chest.


    ¡°Not that I am aware of.¡± Bai Meizhen seemed to have no more trouble seeing in the dark than Ling Qi did going by the way her golden eyes tracked Ling Qi¡¯s movement. ¡°There are few who would dare, and of those, fewer still who would opt for such tactics.¡±


    Ling Qi cast a wary gaze around. ¡°Where are we going then?¡±


    ¡°The chamber lies near the base on the south side of the mountain,¡± Bai Meizhen answered, turning to set off on the path leading in that direction.


    ¡°Opposite the entrance, huh,¡± Ling Qi mused. She hadn¡¯t had any reason to look at that part of the mountain before. All the facilities were higher up; even the vent was closer to the peak. She followed Meizhen in companionable silence. She thought they made a visually interesting pair. Bai Meizhen¡¯s snowy white hair and skin along with her bone-colored robes made her stand out in the dark whereas Ling Qi was very much the opposite, a dark figure blending into the night¡¯s shadow.


    Given that they were still on the path, it seemed like Bai Meizhen had no intention of actively sneaking anywhere. ¡°Bai Meizhen, do you mind giving me some advice?¡±


    Her friend glanced over at her without slowing her pace. ¡°I suppose not. What troubles you?¡± (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ Now that I¡¯ve broken through to the second realm, I¡¯m unsure as to how I should proceed with my cultivation going into the third,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°Do you have any tips? Anything in particular I should do?¡±


    Bai Meizhen hummed thoughtfully, hands clasped loosely behind her back as they began to descend the increasingly steep and rough path. ¡°Each person¡¯s Path is different, of course, but I suppose there are a handful of commonalities. Your qi pool is impressive given your current level, but I would suggest expanding it significantly before entering the third. Half again as large as what you have now - at the very least.¡±


    ¡°How do you know how much qi I have?¡± Ling Qi asked, filing away the information. ¡°Is it something to do with how Cai Renxiang could tell I had broken through?¡±


    Bai Meizhen gave her an unhappy look, and Ling Qi abruptly realized that she had interrupted the other girl. She still felt a thread of fear at the powerful girl¡¯s disapproval, but it didn¡¯t reach her face. She dipped her head in apology.


    ¡°My perception art grants me such sight. You have seven meridians in use, two of which are devoted to wind, one to water, and the rest to darkness. You should be careful not to unbalance yourself toward a single element so much,¡± Bai Meizhen answered Ling Qi¡¯s query. ¡°I assume Cai Renxiang has a similar art. Such things are hardly unknown.¡±


    ¡°Guess I won¡¯t be able to do the same then,¡± Ling Qi responded, feeling put out. She would have liked to be able to get such detail about her enemies.


    ¡°Returning to the original query,¡± Bai Meizhen continued with a disapproving huff. ¡°I can only suggest that you diversify your arts further. I have mastered four arts to the limit of my cultivation and four others to a lesser extent in the interest of utility and a well rounded skill set.¡±


    Ling Qi had been thinking much the same. Her current techniques were good, but she could do to have more options than simply playing her flute or throwing knives.


    ¡°What do you mean about unbalancing? Gu Xiulan uses nothing but fire, and she seems fine.¡±


    ¡°Does she now?¡± Bai Meizhen asked tartly, a hint of arrogant condescension returning to her tone. ¡°Tell me, does she lose her temper easily? Pursue her passions with far more than appropriate intensity?¡±


    Ling Qi fiddled with a strand of her hair. ¡°Sometimes,¡± she admitted. ¡°But she is not as bad as you make it sound.¡± Ling Qi felt the need to defend her other friend.


    ¡°I did not say that she was. Some clans choose to accept the¡­ quirks that come with such specialization. For the Bai, we focus our arts around water, darkness, and the more yin-aligned aspects of wood. It is best to use at least three elements in abundance in order to keep a degree of personal balance.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Ling Qi murmured. ¡°Is that¡­?¡±


    Bai Meizhen raised her hand for silence as they reached the end of the path proper. There was only a narrow, crumbling cliffside ahead and dark trees below.


    ¡°We may continue this discussion later,¡± Bai Meizhen said. ¡°For now, let us concentrate on the path. The way ahead is treacherous.¡±


    Ling Qi straightened up and nodded. Time to focus on the task at hand; she could consider the advice Bai Meizhen had given later. The two of them descended the cliff carefully via a narrow ledge barely wide enough to walk one at a time. Ling Qi was certain that were she still a mortal, she would have slipped several times or fallen when a bit of stone crumbled under her feet, but as she was, descending was easy enough.


    What came after was far more difficult. Despite the fact that the darkness was no hindrance to her, the paths through the thick trees and undergrowth seemed to shift slightly each time she blinked, and the hairs on the back of her neck rose with the feeling of being watched. Bai Meizhen lead on confidently, unaffected by the twisting of perceptions. Several times, Ling Qi almost lost sight of her companion only to be guided back by Meizhen taking her hand in her own, seeming to simply melt out of the twisted landscape from nowhere.


    She needed to work on her ability to resist such illusions, Ling Qi thought. She wouldn¡¯t always have Bai Meizhen with her. Perhaps she could ask later what a good method for training her perception would be.


    In any case, that was what lead her to walk hand in hand with the pale girl by the time they reached the wide mouth of the cave her companion had mentioned. Unlike the crevices that she had seen up to now, this opening was a yawning hole in the side of the mountain twice her height and nearly eight meters across. Ling Qi took one last glance over her shoulder at the twisted forest but now, it only showed a normal nighttime scene.


    Wordlessly, the two of them descended into the cave, following the shallow, sloping tunnel down into the lightless underground. She could hear the distant dripping of water, and her breath came out in wisps of steam as the air grew cool and moist.


    Her grip on Meizhen¡¯s hand tightened as they reached another chamber, the simple beauty of it stealing her breath away. Her night vision was colorless, but the elegant natural artistry of growing stone was a sight to see. The ceiling was a honeycomb of free hanging and joined stone growths, and many twisting and smooth pillars of rock rose from the damp floor. This place was alive, and the qi in the air was thick and cloying.


    Meizhen didn¡¯t pause save to cast a brief look Ling Qi¡¯s way before tugging on her hand. She thought she saw the other girl¡¯s lips quirk upward in amusement though. Ling Qi flushed; she must have been gaping like a fool. She hurried to follow her companion across the rounded stones that formed a path across the small, still lake in the center of the cavern.


    They left the beautiful cavern behind, taking another exit down a narrower and steeper tunnel, which soon opened into a much more unassuming round chamber. A pair of great bronze gates were set in the far wall, coiling dragons carved along the edges. There were four indents, two on each door in the shape of spread human hands, each pair surrounded by a complex circle of characters.


    She supposed that explained why Cui couldn¡¯t do this for Meizhen.


    ¡°I do not know what lies beyond,¡± Bai Meizhen said, finally breaking the silence between them as she released Ling Qi¡¯s hand and stepped toward the door. She saw Cui slither down to the floor from under the hem of Meizhen¡¯s gown, growing larger with each passing second. ¡°The door requires that we activate each pair at the same moment. It is simple enough, but be prepared for the unexpected.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded cautiously, stepping up to the door alongside Bai Meizhen. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do this.¡± This would be easier with arm meridians, but presumably Meizhen would have mentioned if that was needed. She could still direct qi into the structure in front of her. She hoped she was ready for this.


    ¡°So, on a three count?¡± Ling Qi asked, placing her hands in the cold metal indentations.


    Bai Meizhen nodded, Cui now at full size and coiled around her feet. ¡°That would be appropriate, I think.¡± Ling Qi could see the eagerness in the girl¡¯s golden eyes, their glow making them the sole spots of color in her vision.


    ¡°Three¡­¡±


    ¡°Two,¡± Ling Qi murmured in time with her, steeling her nerves.


    ¡°One,¡± they said together, and as one, they pushed their qi outward, the vast, cold pressure of Meizhen¡¯s energy erupting beside her as her own less obtrusive qi awoke. As Ling Qi exhaled, a thin stream of blue-black misty energy enveloped her hands.


    The doors lit up, a dozen characters then a hundred and then two hundred making themselves known on the mirror sheen of the doors. Ling Qi shuddered as she felt her qi connect to something vast and aware. She felt the crushing, impossible weight of its attention, a mountain pressing down on her shoulders, bowing her knees from the weight.


    She had an instant to see Bai Meizhen¡¯s shoulders shaking from the pressure, expression drawn into one of defiant determination, before darkness consumed Ling Qi¡¯s vision.

 Chapter 50-Serpents Treasure 2

    There was a brief, strange floating sensation, and then, Ling Qi found herself swaying on her feet and standing on uneven stone. She blinked blearily, catching her balance on the nearby wall. She felt a surge of panic as she realized that Meizhen was no longer beside her and a further one when she peered down at the floor below from the ledge she stood on.


    The floor writhed.


    Ling Qi was on a narrow ledge halfway up the wall of a narrow cavern, although the cavern was more like a small chasm given its length and width. Below her, there was a veritable swarm of squirming life. Centipedes and other vermin crawled over one another, a susurrus of creeping legs. Some were as small as the ones she had seen as a mortal while others were as wide as her wrist and as long as her arm with wickedly sharp mandibles. The creeping things swarmed over the remains of some massive beast that lay at the bottom. She could see four limbs and a long body, including a sinuous tail, but little else under the carpet of insects. At the far end of the chasm, beyond what she thought to be the creature''s head, was a wide cave mouth leading out and down.


    Her eyes were drawn upward then to the loud sizzling that had caught her ear over the sound of the vermin below. There was another opening on the ceiling, rough and circular but wide enough for her to climb through. It dripped wetly with some kind of viscous substance.


    Ling Qi fought to keep her breathing and nerves under control and consider what she should do. This¡­ The elders were aware of most things on the mountain. Even if this were real, it was likely another test. She should try to find Meizhen obviously, but she had no leads on how to do that. What now?


    Meizhen had a real sensory art after all. If she stayed in one place, the other girl would probably find her. But Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure she was comfortable passively waiting for Meizhen to discover her. She had come to help, not to be rescued.


    There were two exits, one going up and the other going down. On the one hand, despite her revulsion at the sheer number of insects below, the corpse they were swarming over was very large. A spirit beast that huge¡­ Wouldn¡¯t its core be incredibly valuable if it still existed? On the other hand, wading through tens of thousands of hungry biting insects didn¡¯t appeal. Ling Qi might not be afraid of such things precisely, but well, who wanted to do that?


    Ling Qi took a deep breath and stepped to the side, making sure she was well out of the way of anything dripping from above. It would be foolish to ignore good fortune like this. Even if the core was gone, other parts of a spirit beast were valuable too, and with her storage ring, she didn¡¯t have to worry about the weight as much as she otherwise might. To that end, she did a little rearranging of her storage ring to free up space. She tucked her qi cards under her sash and put a handful of spirit stones into her pockets.


    Finally, she drew her flute and prepared to play. Hopefully, she only had to handle the vermin she could see down there and not anything larger. Ling Qi began to play, and the mist rolled out, spilling down over the edge of the ledge in a cloudy waterfall, expanding to fill the chasm around her. At first, the insects did not even react as they were engulfed, paying little mind to the noise and increase in moisture, so focused were they on their feast. That was fine. Ling Qi was glad that she could get right on to the second part.


    She played the first high haunting notes of Dissonance, and her lungs burned with qi as the mist below became a veritable sea of black. The sheer number of targets left her feeling strained, but it didn¡¯t stop her. Taking the shape of a plague of insubstantial rats, the teeth and claws of her mist constructs tore into the swarm. Thousands of the insects died instantly, and the sound of crunching chitin almost overwhelmed the high-pitched shrieks of the larger insects, the biggest of which lashed out mindlessly, biting and clawing at the mist even as her qi-fueled attacks sparked uselessly off of their thick chitin. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    That, however, wasn¡¯t a problem. There were only a handful that could withstand her mist constructs like that. The other larger insects thrashed around with cracked shells and chittering hisses. Time would take care of most of them. Ling Qi felt no real worry as she bounded down from the ledge. The corpses of insects crunched under her feet, she would have grimaced if her flute wasn¡¯t in the way. She was confident she could stay hidden in the mist and away from the attention of the still-living creatures.


    Sure enough, her footsteps grew silent, even as she rushed over the carpet of dead bugs. More died every moment as she brought them within range of her mist. With many of the vermin covering the reptilian corpse dying, she was finally able to get a better look at the creature the vermin had been devouring.


    It wasn''t a pretty sight. The scent of rot nearly made her gag up close, and she could see great piles of sloughed off gray scales. The corpse was perhaps twenty meters long, not including the tail curled up well outside of her mist, with stretches of rotting muscle and exposed bone. It had four clawed limbs and a thick, squat body. Ahead of her in the mist, she could see its almost skinless skull, an unsettling reptilian thing with a boxy snout and fangs half as long as her forearm.


    Most unsettling though was the way the creature¡¯s corpse pulsed with scabrous life. Even as she watched, more of the biting, snapping insects emerged from its rotting flesh, only to turn and begin devouring that same muscle and sinew in the moments before her mist constructs tore them apart. After the initial surprise, even the bigger ones had returned to feasting, ignoring the shadows nipping at their shells.


    Ling Qi needed to figure out where its core would be. A core was essentially a spirit beast¡¯s dantian, so it should be¡­ somewhere in the abdomen? She was going to have to stop playing to grab the core so she really hoped rotting spirit gunk was washable too. There was little to do but store her flute away, find a patch of exposed rib, and start digging. It was difficult to hold down her dinner as she drew a knife and began cutting her way in, releasing some kind of smelly gas as she punctured something or another. It was made worse by the way the carcass continued to birth more vermin. She tried very hard not to look too closely at what she was digging through. The flesh seemed to writhe under her hands, fighting back at her efforts to dig through it, almost as if the rotting meat was regenerating somehow.


    Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, whatever had killed the beast had torn its belly open, thus making her job easier. Otherwise, she would never have been able to finish her search before the mist fully faded. Unfortunately, this also meant that her aspirations of a full beast core were unfulfilled. Whatever had slain the spirit had broken the crystalline sphere in its gut into pieces; she had to settle for fragments of warm, dull gray tissue. It felt like soft clay, but she could still feel fairly strong qi even from the fragments.


    Hastily stowing away the bloody and viscera-coated chunks of material in her ring, Ling Qi rushed toward the exit and away from the much reduced swarm of vermin. She slowed briefly when she passed the creature¡¯s skull, reaching down to scoop a handful of fallen fangs and scales into her ring as she ran out of the dissipating mist.


    It seemed her caution was unnecessary. The screeching swarm did not follow her or even seem to notice her passing as it turned back to its feast. She had an unsettling feeling that the corpse had been there for a very long time given the way the rot-slick guts and muscle had seemed to slowly recover in the wake of her digging.


    Ling Qi slowed from a dash to a quick walk, sticking close to the wall in the downsloping tunnel. Slowly, the pounding of her heart returned to more normal levels. That had gone as well as she had any right to expect.


    She passed several minutes steadily walking down the round tunnel; it seemed strangely symmetrical to her eye, more like a tube than a tunnel. The rock on all sides was smooth and rippled as if it had melted and then been left to harden again. At least it wasn¡¯t cramped. She kept alert as she walked, wishing that there was some form of cover for her to sneak behind.


    Eventually, the tunnel flattened out and opened up into a much larger space. Here, the ceiling was dozens of meters above her head, and the walls extended a good fifty or sixty meters across. Ahead of her lay a great pit as wide as the tunnel she was in now. She couldn¡¯t see the bottom from where she stood.


    Gingerly working her way around the lip of the pit, she peered further into the room. It was shaped vaguely like a huge bowl with a pool of what looked like liquid silver in the center. Its perfectly still surface gleamed in her vision. The walls of the pit were riddled with small tunnels, some a few meters across and others barely wide enough for Ling Qi to fit an arm into, and thick veins of what she thought were some kind of metallic ore. The floor was uneven, seemingly carved through by a thousand channels like irrigation ditches in the stone.


    Most importantly though, Ling Qi saw Bai Meizhen sitting beside the odd pool.

 Chapter 51-Serpents Treasure 3

    Bai Meizhen looked somewhat scuffed, her snow white gown dirtied at the hem, but otherwise, none the worse for the wear. She looked up as Ling Qi began to pick her way across the room.


    ¡°Ling Qi,¡± she greeted, rising to her feet in a single graceful movement. ¡°I am glad to see you well. I did not expect to be separated.¡±


    Ling Qi felt relief as she approached her friend. She had been hoping that they hadn¡¯t been sent to entirely separate places. She glanced at her hands, which were still covered in filth, and grimaced.


    ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t end up in the best situation.¡± She came to a stop a short distance away from her friend and the shore. ¡°Where is Cui? Is she alright?¡±


    Meizhen paused before responding. ¡°She was wounded in my initial encounter; I am letting her rest in my dantian. It is of no concern,¡± she replied dismissively, turning her eyes away to peer around the cavern. ¡°There is a door on the other side, but I believe this pool holds something of use. I suggest we investigate it first.¡± Meizhen gestured for Ling Qi to come examine it.


    Ling Qi took a few steps forward then stopped. ¡°Do you need some healing salve for her?¡± she asked, eyeing Bai Meizhen in confusion. ¡°I would have thought you had some, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Perhaps later,¡± the pale girl replied. ¡°For now, it is more important that we puzzle this pool out so that we may leave this place. I fear the creatures that dug these tunnels may return.¡±


    The idea made sense, but something wasn¡¯t right. If it were anyone else, even Ling Qi or herself, she could imagine Bai Meizhen dismissing a bit of hurt in favor of pursuing a goal¡­ but not for Cui and not so easily. Bai Meizhen was not very expressive, but she couldn¡¯t imagine the girl would truly look so unconcerned about her cousin being hurt.


    A knife slipped surreptitiously into her hand. ¡°I think it¡¯s more important that we help Cui first. Why don¡¯t you bring her out?¡±


    Bai Meizhen scowled at her, studying her face as if deliberating on something. Then she lunged. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes widened and she backpedaled. Her face paled as Bai Meizhen¡¯s face tore in half like it was made of wet paper with a terrible ripping sound. It exposed a maw filled with sharp twitching mandibles, overshadowed by the much larger ones that erupted from where Meizhen¡¯s cheeks had been. Ling Qi ducked under the snapping sword-length mandibles and leapt back, gaining distance from the Meizhen thing.


    The lake rippled as thrashing, chitinous coils emerged carried on dozens of clattering legs. The thing¡¯s mask - and she hoped to every great spirit she could name that a mask was all it was - now hung in two limp halves from either side of its wide upper body. The ¡®hood¡¯ of chitin formed something that looked like a half-melted human face above its chittering mouth, and dark eye sockets burned with emerald fire.


    ¡®The little ape just had to have its questions,¡¯ the thing¡¯s voice hissed in her mind, making her feel as if bugs were crawling over her skin. ¡°Can¡¯t it see how hungry we are? Hold still, little ape, and it will be over quickly as it was for the other.¡¯ The thing¡¯s statement was punctuated by half of ¡®Meizhen¡¯ falling to the shore with a meaty thud and slowly dissolving into black sludge.


    ¡°Like I¡¯d buy that,¡± Ling Qi snapped. ¡°Meizhen would destroy you.¡± Ling Qi was confident in her assessment despite the thing¡¯s horrifying appearance. The thing¡¯s body was thicker than her torso and several times longer, and she had a feeling it was very fast for its size. Even as she backed up, a wicked spike of a stinger at the end of its body was emerging from the pool.


    ¡°How about this? You leave me alone and I won¡¯t kill you like I did the rest of the bugs down here!¡± Ling Qi bluffed.


    The thing hissed, and Ling Qi shuddered at the fury in its mental voice. ¡®So that is the scent¡­¡¯ It raised its body higher, towering over her. ¡°You will replace them soon enough. We will offer your bones and skin to the Father-Mother!¡¯ Some kind of disgusting, sticky black fluid dripped from its maw to sizzle on the stone.


    Well, she didn¡¯t really think that would work. Ling Qi needed to figure out what her plan was though. She had fifteen meters of starting distance from the thing, which left her a good twenty five meters from any of the walls.


    Ling Qi¡¯s flute appeared in her hand, and she began to play as she kicked off the ground, jumping backwards and away from the monster as the mists began to roll forth. Ling Qi mingled the melodies and strengthened the outflow of her qi, thickening the mist around the grotesque spirit to confuse its senses.


    ¡®We will not let the little ape run!¡¯ The thing¡¯s chittering voice scratched at her mind as it surged forward, dozens of legs clattering on the stone, her qi sliding off it like water from a duck¡¯s feathers. Rather than charge into melee though, it reared its head back, that awful maw gaping wide and spraying a gush of inky black gunk that stunk of rot at her.


    Time seemed to slow as she traced the arc of the spray and determined that she wouldn¡¯t be able to move in time, even with her darkness-enhanced speed. Her qi surged, cool sable energy flooding her limbs, and she flickered, the gunk passing through where she had been standing, then dodged to the right to avoid the slick. It was still close. Her foot caught the edge of the gooey liquid, and she nearly tripped as she felt the thong of her sandal tear under the pressure of her continued movement, leaving her footwear behind, glued to the floor.


    She turned the stumble into a graceful spin away from the spirit as she continued to play, making another attempt at entrapping the thing in her mist. This time, she felt her qi take hold, and the worm let out a chittering screech of frustration as the mist thickened around it, muffling its senses and causing the music to seem to echo from seemingly everywhere at once.


    ¡®Wretched, darting creature,¡¯ it hissed, coiling in place and peering into the mist. Emerald eyes flared with fell light. ¡®No escape from us!¡¯


    The entire, monstrous thing crouched and then leapt toward her, mandibles extended. Ling Qi wove out of the way as the creature crashed down against the floor with stone-cracking force, her melody never faltering. Despite being close enough for the wind of its passage to send her dress and hair fluttering, she remained calm thanks to the weekly combat practice with Han Jian¡¯s group. She knew that interrupting her song would likely spell the end for her. She could not afford that so she ran, darting away to hide in the mist.


    The skittering horror righted itself as she vanished into the mist, its mandibles snapping together in frustration. It raised its head, scenting the air as it scuttled in a circle, searching for her while its chittering took on a higher pitch. Ling Qi was hidden for the moment though, which meant she was free to change her song, adding the threatening notes of Dissonance to the melody.


    The creature shrieked in surprise and fury as shapes formed in the mist around it and struck, phantom claws scoring lines across its chitin. The worm¡¯s retaliation struck only air and mist, dispersing the construct, but it was useless as other phantoms continued to form and attack. Ling Qi felt a savage satisfaction as she watched the thing thrash and suffer. It curled in on itself as she circled it at a distance, protecting its more vulnerable parts from attack, but it seemed that the creature wasn¡¯t out of tricks yet.


    ¡®We can feel you, ape,¡¯ the thing hissed. ¡®Its steps on stone, the beats of its heart, the rush of its blood. No more HIDING!¡¯ Ling Qi winced as the voice in her head rose to an ear-splitting screech. The worm¡¯s eyes burned, giving off a haze of qi as it swung its upper body around and fixated on her, charging headlong toward her.


    Still, she had given herself space, enough for one more melody to add to her song. Her fingers danced over the holes in her flute, and she began to play its elegy. Ling Qi had been hoping to conserve qi, but she would rather ensure that this thing bled out with as little chance of harming her as was possible. Ling Qi avoided the shower of disgusting fluid that sprayed from its maw with near contemptuous ease even as Crescent¡¯s Grace faded entirely. She circled away, still playing as her constructs continued their assault, cracking and scoring chitin where they struck.


    The fight entered a death spiral from there, the increasingly incoherent worm spasming under the constant assaults as she continued to play keep away with it. Its limbs began to grow sluggish in their movements, and its attacks slowed while greenish-yellow ichor began to leak from cracks in its joints and shell. It cursed and railed against her, but even when she began to hear fear in its mental voice, she didn¡¯t let up and she didn¡¯t let it escape. This thing had worn her friend¡¯s face and threatened to eat her; she had no mercy for it.


    As it finally collapsed to the ground with a crash, she kept playing, allowing her constructs to continue striking it as it twitched and spasmed on the ground, letting out gurgling cries as its ichor pooled beneath it. Even when it stopped moving entirely, she didn¡¯t stop for nearly a minute. Eventually, she lowered her flute, allowing the melody to fade as she flicked a knife into her hand and cautiously approached.


    She wasn¡¯t a fool. The knife flew before she closed within ten meters, burying itself in one of the creature¡¯s now dull eye sockets. It didn¡¯t so much as twitch. Ling Qi finally allowed herself to relax, approaching and ripping her knife free. She studied the thing¡¯s corpse, and soon saw what she was looking for, a wide crack on its lower body, torn wide by a dozen attacks, glittered with light.


    She grimaced as she used her knife to pry its exoskeleton open further and rolled up her sleeve before plunging her hand into its foul innards. Her hand came back clutching a core the size of a child¡¯s fist but also covered in truly foul-smelling goo.


    Disgusted, she slipped the core into storage, keeping her flute in her hand for the moment. She glanced at the still, silver pool in the dissipating mist. Ling Qi wanted to wash her hand clean, but she was leery of touching the silver liquid. She was also miffed to find that her sandal was irrecoverable, leaving her with one foot bare.


    On the one hand, the pool might have something useful within it or was useful in and of itself. On the other hand, the worm had been trying to get her to examine it so it could be a trap. On further investigation, the face-stealing creature¡¯s claim of a door did turn out to be true. It was a blocky, ominous-looking thing of black stone with sharp, seemingly dangerous characters carved on it that she didn¡¯t recognize.


    Ling Qi let out a weary breath. She¡¯d have to choose which one to investigate first.

 Chapter 52-Serpents Treasure 4

    Ling Qi glanced at the door set in the far wall and then to the silvery pool. While the pool might be a trap, she thought it more likely that the worm had simply been trying to get her close enough to strike by surprise. Leaving behind the increasingly smelly corpse of her foe, she walked back toward the pool to examine it, trying to ignore the warm, sticky chunks of bug viscera stuck to her right hand.


    The pool was perfectly still again like the surface of a mirror. Her reflection stared back at her from the pool, expression wary and hair frizzy and wild. The faintly ridiculous thought that she really needed to figure out what she was going to do with it crossed her mind. She slowly paced around the pool, examining the shore because whatever liquid filled it was opaque, preventing her from seeing the bottom. As she studied it, she idly popped a qi restoring pill into her mouth, enjoying the feeling of relief as she bit down and her reduced qi pool began to refill.


    Reaching down, she scooped up a pebble from the ground and tossed it in, watching as the liquid rippled once before stilling again. There was no other reaction. Ling Qi was still wary of touching the liquid herself though. She had a feeling that there was something more to this pool so she continued circling, looking for anything of interest.


    After a few more rotations of the pool, something caught her eye. What she had first taken to be simply indentations in the stone where the edge of the pool lapped seemed a little too uniform. She crouched down, keeping a wary eye on the water, to examine the indentations more closely. Sure enough, she found that the marks were actually characters scratched shallowly into the rock. This one meant something like¡­ ¡°Obscure,¡± or perhaps ¡°Blind,¡± depending on how it was interpreted in context. There were characters ninety degrees to the left and right, as well as one directly across from the first character and linking characters in between the cardinal characters. The others were ¡°Sleep,¡± ¡°Human,¡± and ¡°Stillness¡± from what she could tell.


    Well, she definitely didn¡¯t want to touch the pool now - at least not until she figured out how to disable the formation. Ling Qi wracked her memory for Elder Su¡¯s lessons. There had been something in there about removing formations without activating them.


    If she recalled correctly, there were certain parts of the connecting characters she could safely break. She bit her lip and hesitantly scratched out one of the characters with her knife. There was a spark of qi and the water rippled, but no other sign appeared. Feeling a little more confident, she moved on to the next character that should be safe to remove and then the next. The air gradually filled with an odd static that put her hair on end.


    She had to finish at this point, the energy in the broken array was started to go wild. However, it seemed she still had more to learn about disabling formation traps. When she moved to the section between the third and fourth characters and began to hurriedly scratch out another linking character, the whole section lit up fiercely. A painful buzzing filled her ears and it flashed blindingly bright.


    Ling Qi fell back with a pained yelp, shielding her face with her hands as she was shoved along the stone nearly a meter by the force of the qi shockwave. Luckily, she had enough presence of mind to let her own qi absorb the explosive pummeling. There was something else to the blast though; she felt oddly lethargic, as if she had weights strapped to her limbs, dragging her down. It only lasted for a moment however.


    Ling Qi grimaced and sat back up, rubbing the back of her head and giving the pool a wary look. The knife she had been using was little more than a hilt with a jagged bit of metal sticking out of it now. Explosion aside, it looked like she had accomplished her goal. The pool was now no more than an unusually uniform pool of water rippling naturally with the aftereffects of the wave that had struck her. She could see something shining at the bottom.


    Grumbling, Ling Qi peered around the room to see if the concussive sound had drawn anything to her, but the cavern was quiet. She returned to the edge of the pool and peered in once she was confident that she was still alone. At the bottom was a small silver box, the size of a lady¡¯s jewelry case, its sides and lid plain and unadorned. She glanced at the formation circle, but the characters were gone, vanished with the outburst of energy. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    A tentative finger poke revealed cool water and nothing more. After a moment of indecision, Ling Qi waded into the hip-deep water to get her prize, pausing only to clean her hands. The attempt at breaking the formation hadn¡¯t been ideal, but hopefully, this prize would be worth it. Examining the box revealed no further formations so she carefully picked it up and returned to the shore, scowling a bit as the fabric of her dress clung wetly to her legs. Her eyes lit up when she opened the case, revealing a single jade slip lying in the somehow perfectly dry velvet lining of the box. She hastily plucked it out and pushed a spark of qi into the jade to read the contents.


    Ling Qi blinked as information regarding an Argent Mirror art flowed into her mind. A Sect technique. She supposed that confirmed her thoughts that this was a deliberate trial. The jade slip had definitely been worth braving the trap, even if it had been a little rough at the end.


    As the sound of stone grinding against stone and draining water reached her ears and vibrations rumbled through her feet, she tensed and looked up from the jade slip. The pool was draining down a steadily opening gap in the bottom and rushing down a slowly revealed stone stairwell. Another glance showed the stone on either side of the basalt door pushing outward to cover it.


    She cursed under her breath and rushed toward the door, but by the time she reached it, there was only a smooth expanse of stone. It seemed that she could only take one path. She hadn¡¯t even considered that the pool would be a path of its own. It was too late to regret things now. Best to keep moving forward.


    She put the jade slip into her storage ring, drawing out her remaining restorative pills to put in a pocket for easier use. Ling Qi shook her head. Just a few weeks ago, she had been so excited by the idea of a storage ring and what could be done with it, and already, she was wishing for one with more space.


    She could be a pretty greedy girl, Ling Qi thought ruefully as she turned back to the newly opened stairwell. As she reached the edge of the damp bowl where the pool had been, she glanced down at her feet and with an irritated sigh, kicked her remaining sandal off. She would just have to get some actual shoes when she got out of here, but for now, her partial footwear would mess with her balance. Besides, it wasn¡¯t like a pair of flimsy mundane sandals protected her feet from anything at this point.


    The stairwell was damp and unpleasant, water dripping on her head from above and cold air making her breath come out in puffs of frost, but Ling Qi continued on, keeping a hand on the wall for balance as she traversed the water-slicked stairs. She wasn¡¯t sure how long she spent traveling downward, but eventually, the narrow path opened up into another huge chamber.


    Ling Qi winced as the light from the new cavern stung her eyes. The ceiling was lower here, a mere twenty meters overhead, and the chamber was filled with pillars of stone, making it difficult to see how large the place was. It was, however, well-lit with glowing veins that pulsed like the beating of a heart. The veins wound through the pillars and ceiling, coming together in nodes of crystalline growth where three or more of them intersected.


    The cavern was also inhabited. Overhead, she saw scores of grey-winged moths fluttering about, each one with wings as wide as a pair of spread hands. Glitter floated in the air in the wake of their wings. They had odd, faintly luminescent dark blue markings on their wings, as well as prominent feathery antennae and seemed to be congregating on the crystal growth.


    They weren¡¯t the only creatures here. Even as she examined her surroundings, she caught sight of a dark shape the size of a large dog swooping out of the darkness to snatch a moth that had strayed too far out of the light. It was a rather massive bat with jet black fur and prominent bony ridges growing along its spine and ribs.


    Ling Qi considered her best path while keeping an eye out warily and eventually decided to head toward the sound of falling water she heard from further ahead. The denizens of this cavern didn¡¯t seem hostile; the moths paid her no mind, and although she caught the sounds of bats fluttering overhead, they didn¡¯t seem interested in her either. She continued to walk under the faint light of the glowing veins, and the sound of running water grew louder and louder until she finally emerged from the forest of pillars. She found herself looking up at a ten meter high cliff from which a wide waterfall poured into a churning pool below, which, in turn, flowed into a narrow stream that curved off into the distance to her right.


    There was a figure in white crouched in front of the waterfall, partially concealed by the rising mist. She appeared to be in the process of washing some rather familiar-looking black gunk from her hair. Ling Qi came up short, stopping at the side of a pillar to examine the scene critically. She hadn¡¯t forgotten the mimic worm and its abilities. Her eyes caught on the gleam of emerald scales though as Cui slithered out of the water to coil up at the figure¡¯s side.


    That made it more likely it was the real Meizhen, but Ling Qi still hesitated. It didn¡¯t do her much good though as Meizhen turned around, white hair clinging to her neck and shoulders. Ling Qi shivered at the girl¡¯s cold and expressionless face, feeling the telltale wave of unease that her friend¡¯s attention brought.


    They stared at each other from across the expanse of the cavern, and Ling Qi shifted from foot to foot nervously. Bai Meizhen, if it really was her, did not look friendly.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing you ran into a mimic worm too? Mine was pretty bad at pretending to be you,¡± Ling Qi said, breaking the silence. Her voice trailed off weakly by the end.


    Looking more closely, Bai Meizhen¡¯s eyes seemed slightly red. Had her mimic worm have some kind of blinding attack? Ling Qi felt uneasy at the continued silence.


    ¡°How am I to know if you are truly Ling Qi?¡± Bai Meizhen¡¯s cold voice asked, her tone clipped and unfriendly. ¡°I have no time for further petty deceptions.¡±


    Ling Qi paused. She was almost certain this was the real Meizhen, but how to prove her own identity? Remembering that the worm had lacked Meizhen¡¯s particular aura gave her an idea of how to prove her identity.


    ¡°I could play for you,¡± Ling Qi proposed carefully. ¡°If I call my mist, will that set you at ease?¡± Apparently, the worm''s mimicry was able to fool even her friend¡¯s superior senses. If the worm¡¯s abilities were so focused on deception, that might explain why it was relatively weak in direct combat.


    Bai Meizhen considered this even as Cui slithered into a loose coil around her feet, head raised to stare down Ling Qi.


    ¡°Very well. Do so,¡± Meizhen commanded, staring at her with hard eyes.


    Ling Qi nodded and let out a quiet breath she hadn¡¯t noticed she was holding. She raised her flute to her lips, keeping her eyes on Meizhen as she began to play the melody of the vale. As her qi flowed into the music and the mist billowed outward, she tentatively included Meizhen in it as well. Despite the additional cost to include someone in the mist as an ally, Ling Qi didn¡¯t want to alarm Meizhen into thinking it was an attack given how on edge the pale girl was.


    As the mist engulfed them, dulling the sound of the outside world, she thought she saw Meizhen relax fractionally, some tension leaving her expression although the girl remained mostly closed off.


    ¡°... I see,¡± Meizhen said quietly, finally shifting her gaze from Ling Qi to glance at the mist around them. ¡°It seems that you are real this time. That is a relief. Putting down more vermin would have been tiresome.¡±


    Ling Qi lowered her flute, letting the mist began to dissipate. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to expend the qi to kill another one,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°Are you alright? It didn¡¯t hurt you, did it?¡±


    Meizhen¡¯s lips twitched, but her expression remained unreadable.


    ¡°No, I suffered no significant wounds,¡± Meizhen answered evenly, crossing her arms as she examined Ling Qi before looking away toward the waterfall. ¡°I see you did not either. We should proceed. The passage above leads to the lair of an Elder Mountainroot Bat and its brood. It is the only way forward, assuming you came from the tunnel that I imagine you did.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned. Bai Meizhen was still not acting quite right. She didn¡¯t suspect Meizhen to be a mimic, especially since she could hear Cui¡¯s mumbled hissing about flying rats in her head, but she strongly suspected the other girl was agitated about something even with Meizhen¡¯s usually muted emotional cues. Normally, she wouldn¡¯t consider prying, but something in her friend¡¯s studied non-expression and the redness in the girl¡¯s eyes worried her. Her first thought was that her friend had gotten an irritant in her eyes, but¡­ as bizarre as it was to contemplate, had the other girl been crying?


    Ling Qi was uncomfortable at trying to push the other girl into talking about it. She didn¡¯t exactly enjoy social confrontation, even if she had found herself slowly growing more perceptive about such things as she cultivated, picking up cues she would not have noticed a few months prior.


    ¡°Are you certain you are well?¡± Meizhen asked impatiently, turning back to her. Ling Qi realized she had been staring for some time.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine,¡± Ling Qi said slowly, mind racing as she tried to think of a feasible-sounding excuse to spin out. ¡°It¡¯s just - I was thinking that maybe we should talk about what we encountered before in case we get separated and it comes up again.¡±


    Bai Meizhen¡¯s expression soured, and Ling Qi caught Cui sneaking a glance up at Meizhen.


    ¡°I doubt it will be an issue,¡± Meizhen said tightly. ¡°It seems unlikely that these trials will use the same trick twice.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but it can¡¯t hurt, right?¡± Ling Qi pointed out, nervously forging on despite Meizhen¡¯s unhappy expression. ¡°The worm mimicking you tried to get me to approach by asking me to examine a pool it was standing beside and hiding in. It didn¡¯t have Cui with it though, and it dismissed my questions about her by saying she was hurt. I knew it wasn¡¯t you because you wouldn¡¯t be so dismissive about your cousin being wounded.¡±


    Meizhen¡¯s lips were pressed together in a thin line, and her arms were crossed in front of her, concealing her hands in her sleeves.


    ¡°I see. The worm had, like yours, elected to set its trap near a body of water.¡± Meizhen spoke in a clipped and clinical tone. ¡°It chose to appear as your corpse and attacked when I approached to examine the scene.¡±


    Ling Qi winced. It seemed like Bai Meizhen¡¯s mimic had been smarter in its deception.


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t suppose it talked about having killed me?¡± Ling Qi asked, piecing together the events in her head. ¡°Mine said it had killed you, but that was too ridiculous to believe,¡± she added wryly. It would be much more believable that someone weak like her had fallen.


    ¡°Stupid bug had too many words,¡± Cui grumbled, ¡°until Sister Meizhen made it scream.¡± The snake exuded smugness.


    Bai Meizhen turned a frown to Cui, but Ling Qi thought there had been a flicker of something else in her expression before she had looked away from Ling Qi.


    ¡°The creature was quite talkative, yes,¡± Meizhen agreed sourly. ¡°And eager to gloat. Shall we move on?¡±


    Ling Qi nodded absently, stalling for time as she tried to work out how to approach the next part carefully.


    ¡°Is that why you are so upset? Because you thought I was dead?¡± The words tumbled out before she could think too hard on them. Bai Meizhen usually appreciated her relative forthrightness so it seemed like the best path to getting her to talk.


    Her friend stiffened in the process of turning away.


    ¡°No. A Bai does not lose composure over something as minor as the death of an ally. Do not inflate your own importance so,¡± Meizhen said coldly without turning back around. ¡°Now, are you coming or need I complete this challenge on my own?¡±


    The air felt heavier, stained by the girl¡¯s abyssal qi. Ling Qi felt uncertain at how to proceed. It hurt to hear someone she regarded as her closest friend say something so cold. At the same time¡­ the words felt false to her.


    ¡°I don''t buy that. Don''t just push me away and avoid the question,¡± Ling Qi said bluntly to the girl¡¯s back. ¡°I don¡¯t really get what the problem is. There¡¯s nothing wrong with being a little distraught when-¡±


    She flinched as Bai Meizhen whirled back to glare at her.


    ¡°I am not so weak as that! Do not imply such a thing again.¡±


    Ling Qi very nearly took a step back, but at the last moment, she set her shoulders and refused to back away from her friend despite the weight of qi pressing down on her and the thrill of fear that went down her spine. Instead, she glared right back, pushing back the oppressive feeling of the other girl¡¯s qi with her own lighter energy, sending the hem of her gown fluttering in a phantom breeze.


    ¡°And I¡¯d appreciate it if you didn¡¯t imply I was blind,¡± Ling Qi snapped. ¡°Do you really have so little respect for me, Bai Meizhen? I am your friend, not your servant. You¡¯ve said that yourself. I¡¯m not just going to stand here meekly and ignore it when I can tell that you¡¯re upset!¡±


    The pale girl¡¯s golden eyes flashed, anger entering her blank expression. Before Meizhen could respond further though, the emerald coils at her feet shifted, and Cui let out a low, irritated hiss.


    "Sister Meizhen is being ridiculous. This is not the time for the mouse to bare her fangs either. Do they both forget where we are?"


    Ling Qi saw Meizhen flinch slightly at Cui¡¯s words, a flicker of something like self-loathing passing through her eyes so fast Ling Qi couldn¡¯t be sure she hadn¡¯t imagined it.


    ¡°Cui is right. This is not the time for this,¡± Meizhen said stiffly, the oppressive feeling of her qi fading.


    Ling Qi let out the breath she had been holding and nodded unhappily.


    ¡°...Yeah. I was being too pushy,¡± Ling Qi replied quietly. ¡°But I won¡¯t apologize for worrying about you.¡±


    Bai Meizhen was silent, expression unreadable, before turning back around, damp hair fluttering with the motion. ¡°Let us move on,¡± was her only reply, a clear shutdown of the topic.

 Chapter 53-Serpents Treasure 5

    After their argument, Ling Qi followed Bai Meizhen silently up the steep path that lead to the top of the ridge, stewing on her thoughts. She had a feeling that she had poked something raw with her words, something that had been dredged up by the ambush the other girl had suffered and whatever words her mimic had spoken.


    ¡°Mountainroot Bats are known for their resilience and their habit of nesting in large broods.¡± Bai Meizhen¡¯s calm and even voice reached her as they climbed the ridge. ¡°They lack many of the more esoteric abilities that many species of bat spirits possess, but instead, they have very high physical power and durability for grade one beasts in addition to the agility and perceptive capability. The more powerful second grade specimens are capable of shattering stone with directed bursts of thunder qi.¡±


    Ling Qi allowed her worries over the other girl¡¯s state of mind to fade for now to focus on the upcoming fight.


    ¡°That sounds dangerous,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Do you know how many are ahead?¡±


    ¡°At least a dozen lesser beasts,¡± Bai Meizhen replied as they reached the top of the waterfall. A wide gallery lay ahead, stretching hundreds of meters into the distance. ¡°I am uncertain, however, if we are meant to simply bypass the creatures and find an exit or slay them all. I do not know the minds of the elders in this, but I imagine some hidden prize lies in the cavern ahead given the previous tests.¡±


    Ling Qi eyed the cavern thoughtfully. There were many pillars and stalactites in the gallery ahead, and she could see a few fluttering shapes among them. There was also an eye-watering scent arising from the thick layer of whitish gray gunk splattered in patches on the floor. She could not see the far wall or any exits from where they stood.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just head in then. It shouldn¡¯t be any trouble for the two of us, right?¡± Ling Qi said with confidence she didn¡¯t fully feel. Her flute was still in her hand, and she found herself toying with it as she observed the fluttering shapes in the distance. ¡°Do we even know if they¡¯ll attack us?¡±


    ¡°It is likely. Look at the droppings on the ground,¡± Meizhen replied with some distaste. ¡°This is their lair, and they are territorial beasts.¡± She flicked her wrist and her weapon, that odd collection of metal ribbons attached to a hilt, appeared in her hand. She still sounded stiff to Ling Qi, but the other girl was focused on the task ahead now.


    ¡®Disgusting things,¡¯ Cui grumbled. ¡®Leaving stinking messes everywhere. Sister Meizhen had better repay Cui for this.¡¯ Despite the serpent¡¯s irritable words, Cui didn''t hesitate to follow Bai Meizhen into the cave alongside Ling Qi.


    ¡°I¡¯ll catch you a rabbit or something myself if we get through this alright,¡± Ling Qi muttered, drawing an approving hiss from the serpent. ¡°Should I start playing? No reason to make it easy for them to target us.¡± (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    Bai Meizhen paused then nodded sharply. ¡°You can include me in the effect if I recall so please do so - unless your mist dissipates with time?¡±


    ¡°Not unless I stop playing,¡± Ling Qi replied before raising her flute to her lips. ¡°Do we have a plan?¡±


    ¡°We comb the chamber for exits and potential points of interest,¡± Bai Meizhen said simply. ¡°I will counter attacks upon us while you conceal our exact location. Grade one beasts are not particularly intelligent. Be wary if you spy the approach of a larger bat with lighter markings.¡±


    Bai Meizhen wasn¡¯t one for complicated plans, it seemed. It was interesting that for all of her friend¡¯s apparently high rank¡­ Meizhen was a pretty blunt girl. Ling Qi began to play as they walked, the haunting melody rolling out along with the mist and echoing from the distant walls.


    Beside her, streamers of moisture began to condense out of her mist, shaping the beginnings of Meizhen¡¯s mantle of dark water. Above and ahead, Ling Qi heard high, angry screeches that made her ears ring uncomfortably. She tensed, readying her qi to activate her defensive shadow technique at a moment¡¯s notice.


    They began with a simple crisscross search of the cavern, and at first, they found themselves unmolested as they investigated. The peace was broken when a shadow dived toward them from the ceiling, encased in a faint glow of gray qi.


    Ling Qi quickly stepped aside, dancing away from Meizhen¡¯s side. The other girl did the same, seemingly flowing to the side on a carpet of shadow. The bat completely missed her, and Meizhen¡¯s coiling weapon rose, carving through the creature¡¯s shell of qi and drawing a spray of blood. The diving bat let out a pained shriek as it beat its wings, trying to regain altitude, but the sound was cut off near instantly as Cui struck, fangs digging deeply into its side.


    The flying beast spasmed violently and dropped to the ground with a meaty thump, no longer able to stay airborne with the serpent¡¯s venom pumped into its veins. Ling Qi shared a brief look with her companion before turning her eyes skyward where dark shapes were gathering. There were more than the dozen Meizhen had predicted, although how many more, Ling Qi could not say.


    Ling Qi switched tunes as more bats began to dive, drawing on the darker song of Dissonance to cause the mist to roil with dark constructs. She was loath to hide and allow Meizhen to suffer all of the attacks so she would focus on evading and continuing to play her song.


    The next few seconds were chaotic. High-pitched squeaks that made her ears ring blasted away any other sound, and her mist was full of black furred bodies and flapping wings. She twisted her body, spinning out of the way of one clawing, biting creature after another, the wind of their passage ruffling her gown. She barely managed to avoid all the attacks and even felt several strands of her hair violently yanked out when her trailing locks were caught by the claws of one of the beasts.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t falter though, keeping up her tune as her constructs manifested as misty twins to her attackers, clawing and biting at the bats as they worked their wings to ascend back up for another dive. Some ten meters away, Bai Meizhen made her dodges look clumsy, seeming to barely move to avoid the enraged spirit beasts¡¯ attacks and punishing their failure to hit her with counterattacks from the coiling metal ribbons of her weapon. Another bat fell, screaming as Cui¡¯s caustic venom burned through the webbing of its wing.


    Ling Qi felt the vibrations in the air and immediately leapt backward, trailing streamers of mist and shadow as she felt her body vanish between one place and the next. The stone she had been standing on exploded, shards of stone blasting outward as the stone spiderwebbed under the force of the attack; she felt pebbles pelt her and a few sharper ones ripped the sleeves of her gown, but she had escaped unharmed.


    ¡°There is a second elder enhancing the other beasts!¡± Meizhen¡¯s words cut through the noise and music like the crack of a whip, and Ling Qi found that there were indeed two, much larger shadows circling the ceiling, well above her mist. She looked back down in time to see Meizhen¡¯s mantle of water drop away, and for a moment, she wondered if the girl had been hit, disrupting her technique.


    That proved wrong, of course, as the water seemed to merge with Meizhen¡¯s shadow and flow up her legs and gown, turning her lower body inky black. She saw her friend¡¯s legs flex, bending as if preparing for a leap¡­ and then the gathered inky liquid exploded, launching Meizhen upward and trailing the suddenly ascending girl like the tail of a serpent.


    Lesser bats scattered in her wake. Bai Meizhen¡¯s glittering silver weapon snapped out, glowing with sickly green qi to rake across the face of one of the Elder Bats. Ling Qi had no time to further focus on that fight because an agitated swarm of bats were still flying through her mist, their tough hides ignoring the claws of her shadowy constructs. Still, the mist seemed to be making them slower, and she managed to avoid their claws and teeth for the most part, suffering only a single bloody scratch along her arm that she felt loath to expend the qi to deflect.


    Honestly, Ling Qi was reluctant to expend any further qi at all. She caught the second of the elder bats chasing Meizhen down into her mist as the girl fell back to earth though so she used the opportunity to strike, binding its senses with confusion to prevent it from flying out of range again.


    One bat after another was falling to Cui, whether from suffering a fatal bite or from their flesh running like wax from her caustic spit. Ling Qi began to lose track of individual actions after that, acting on instinct to continue her song and dodge attacks. She could recall flashes of the battle - Meizhen¡¯s hair flying out in a fan behind her as an elder bat¡¯s screech erupted point blank in her face and the way blood had erupted from the beast¡¯s mouth moments later as Cui¡¯s jaw clamped on its throat. She remembered suffering a half-dozen close calls from snapping teeth and grasping claws and crushing the skull of a wounded bat under her heel when the bat had snapped at her foot in passing.


    Eventually, the scrum ended; the bats which still lived scattered to the far reaches of the cavern. Around Ling Qi, over a dozen dead spirit bats lay on the ground, bleeding sluggishly from many wounds. They had won, and it hadn¡¯t even been that hard.


    Bai Meizhen looked regal and untouched, save for the blood staining her sleeves, as she peered into the air for further targets.


    ¡®They flee us. Sister, shall we feast in victory?¡¯ Cui crowed, wound into a tight coil to the Meizhen¡¯s left, her mental voice smug and arrogant.


    Meizhen glanced at Ling Qi, relaxing from her combat stance, and then back to Cui. ¡°You may snack later, Cui. We are not done yet,¡± she said evenly, even as she gestured with her free hand. A handful of the corpses vanished, dissolving into mist and draining into a narrow platinum band that adorned the pale girl¡¯s finger. ¡°Ling Qi, are you prepared to continue?¡±


    Ling Qi looked around. Reasonably satisfied that the bats would not return, she allowed her melody to cease and lowered her flute.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Nothing more than a scratch,¡± she answered. Ling Qi grimaced at the feeling of something warm and sticky coating her bare foot and the sweat matting her hair to her neck. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll need a bath, but that can come later. Do you have room to store all of these? My ring is full, and I don¡¯t think we want to stand here and harvest cores.¡± Particularly since she wasn¡¯t much good at it. She was lucky the worm¡¯s core had been obvious.


    ¡°The mouse presumes too much, thinking to steal the best bites of Cui¡¯s feast,¡± the serpent grumbled at her, giving her a reproachful flick of the tongue. Meizhen, on the other hand, regarded her with pursed lips but nodded.


    ¡°Do not be greedy, cousin. If I let you eat all of this, you would grow fat and sluggish for months,¡± she teased. The serpent whipped around to stare at her relative with affronted outrage. Meizhen extended her hand, and soon, the ground was clear of all but streaks of blood and cracked stone. ¡°Come. We may count our spoils later. I tire of this place.¡±


    Ling Qi sighed and hurried to follow her. Meizhen seemed less tense now, but her tone was still cold and distant. She kept her thoughts to herself, ignoring the slight stinging of the cut on her arm as they resumed searching the cavern. Frustratingly, they found nothing but bat droppings and other refuse despite scouring the cavern from end to end. No formations, no doors, not even a stray red stone.


    They had only one portion of the cave remaining to explore. At the far end, it narrowed considerably, the ceiling rapidly sloping down until it was barely fifteen meters above the ground. The path ahead split around a massive outcropping of black stone, blocking sight of whatever lay beyond. Ling Qi glanced from one path to the other, but neither appeared to have any prize. It looked like both paths lead to the same place, but¡­


    ¡°Stop,¡± Bai Meizhen said from beside her, halting as she narrowed her eyes at the path ahead. ¡°It seems I was in error. The bats were merely a distraction. Show yourself.¡±


    Ling Qi spared a look at the serious expression on her friend¡¯s face before she turned her full attention to the path ahead, clutching her flute tightly. What did Meizhen mean? Ling Qi squinted, trying to see what had alerted Meizhen¡­ and then, she saw. The great mass of rock in the middle of the path was not completely still, and its edges not perfectly lined up with the floor. The movement was almost imperceptible, but it rose and fell slightly as she watched.


    ¡®The meals will not deliver themselves this year.¡¯ Ling Qi startled as a deep rumbling voice that reminded her of fires churning deep under the earth sounded in her thoughts. The entire rock formation, some fifteen meters across, shifted, rising upward to scrape the low ceiling. A blunt, reptilian head emerged from the darkness, pushing out of a recess in the stone. Veins of dull red pulsed between black scales, and eyes that were little more than balls of white hot fire peered out from deeply recessed sockets. On each of its four trunk-like legs, Ling Qi could see gleaming shackles of red hot steel, rooted into the stone below by metal spikes covered from end to end in fiercely glowing formation characters.


    It was a massive tortoise with a shell of volcanic stone. Steam puffed steadily from its beaked mouth with each breath. Ling Qi only grew more worried when saw a flicker of hesitation on Meizhen¡¯s features.


    As the silence stretched on, the massive beast let out a rumbling snort that sent their gowns and hair fluttering out behind them. ¡®This damned binding¡­¡¯ it growled. ¡®You have a choice, children. One may pass, and the other may return to the entrance. Choose.¡¯


    Bai Meizhen¡¯s expression tightened, but it was Ling Qi who spoke up first. ¡°How do we know this isn¡¯t just another test? Or a trick to split us up?¡±


    The massive tortoise exhaled, and Ling Qi¡¯s hair billowed backward, her eyes watering as she was engulfed in a cloud of steam. ¡®If I could kill you, you would be dead, child. The child of deep waters understands.¡¯


    ¡°That is a fifth grade beast,¡± Meizhen said quietly. ¡°A Volcanic Tyrant Tortoise. I am surprised that such a thing would be left in this place. Yet its Qi feels far too weak.¡± Meizhen directed her next words at the tortoise, ¡°You are the source of energy for the mountain¡¯s formations, are you not?¡±


    ¡®If you think me weak, you may both try to pass.¡¯ The tortoise¡¯s veins of fire flared brightly. ¡®I have no patience to prattle. Make your choice.¡¯


    Ling Qi eyed the monstrous beast warily. This didn¡¯t seem right. ¡°I don¡¯t trust it. Why would the elders set up a test that requires two people working together just to turn them against each other at the end?¡±


    ¡®I know not why you apes do what you do. Know that I will eat you both should you both attempt to pass or attack. I am bound to return the remaining disciple safely otherwise.¡¯


    ¡°...I do not believe he is lying,¡± Meizhen said slowly. "You see, those arrays? They bind against treachery?"


    Ling Qi squinted at the white hot characters her friend was pointing too... she couldn''t decipher them. Though she didn¡¯t trust it, if Meizhen believed its words, then the decision was easy. She had come to this place for Meizhen after all.


    ¡°If you think this isn¡¯t a trap, I¡¯ll go back then, Bai Meizhen,¡± Ling Qi said easily, turning slightly to face her friend while keeping a wary eye on the shackled spirit.


    Bai Meizhen blinked, shaken from her thoughts. ¡°As quickly and simply as that?¡± Meizhen asked, a little bemused. ¡°You give up advantage far too easily, Ling Qi.¡± The pale girl gave Ling Qi a look tinged with frustration.


    Ling Qi rolled her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t start with that. I came here for you. You¡¯re the only reason I¡¯m here, and you¡¯ve helped me out since day one. What sort of worthless friend would I be if I didn¡¯t help you now that I can?¡± The kind of ¡®friend¡¯ she was when she lived in the gutter, scrabbling for scraps. She didn¡¯t want to be that kind of person anymore. There was no real freedom in that, just mindless survival.


    ¡°I am sorry for upsetting you earlier,¡± Ling Qi added in a quieter voice. ¡°But I don¡¯t want that to change anything between us.¡±


    Meizhen stared silently at her before pulling her eyes away. ¡°...Your gratitude is noted,¡± she said with a hint of awkwardness. ¡°I should not have reacted in such a vulgar fashion either. Thank you, Ling Qi.¡±


    ¡®How wonderful,¡¯ the massive tortoise rumbled dryly. ¡°How touching. Get on with it, will you? I have no desire to watch you apes act out a drama before my eyes.¡¯


    Ling Qi shot the beast a dirty look but huffed in agreement. ¡°He¡¯s got a point. We can talk over tea later if you would like. I picked up an art earlier in the cave that I can show you.¡± The jade slip hadn''t had the fragile, temporary feel that the archive ones had.


    Meizhen made a quiet sound that might have been mistaken for a laugh if she hadn¡¯t covered her mouth with her sleeve. ¡°Of course. I retrieved some rather potent medicines. We can work out the details of exchange after the task is finished.¡± She turned to face the tortoise. ¡°I will proceed then, Spirit, with your permission. What need I do?¡±


    The glowing reptile let out another burst of steam from its maw and made a gesture remarkably like a shrug with its limited mobility. ¡°Walk past me, child. I will send the other one back when you have passed the formation line at the back of the cave.¡±


    Bai Meizhen nodded sharply and stepped forward, Cui slithering along in her wake. Ling Qi only now noticed the silent awe the serpent was regarding the larger beast with. Ling Qi tensed as she watched her friend walk closer to the spirit, ready to fling a knife and at least distract the thing if she needed to, but her worry was for naught. Meizhen disappeared around the thing¡¯s shell, pausing only to give her one final look.


    Some time later, Ling Qi was shifting awkwardly from foot to foot, waiting for the tortoise to stop staring at her. She was beginning to feel unnerved under its unblinking, fiery gaze. ¡°So¡­ when do I go back?¡± she finally asked, screwing up her courage to speak.


    ¡®When I feel like it,¡¯ the tortoise grumbled. ¡®Ape, what reason did you really have for coming here? I have been chained in this pit for a hundred years, since you lot trapped us. I¡¯ve seen plenty of you Empire apes pass me by. You¡¯re not that serpent child¡¯s lackey.¡¯


    Ling Qi blinked, surprised at the thing¡¯s questioning. She crossed her arms, frowning at it. ¡°You heard me. She¡¯s my friend; I¡¯m repaying her earlier kindness.¡± She hunched her shoulders at the pressure of the thing¡¯s attention, its clear dissatisfaction with her response forcing her next words past her lips. ¡°... I¡¯m not lying. I came here for her. I¡¯m glad I benefited as well, but I want to be a little less selfish. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡±


    ¡®Naive,¡¯ the tortoise scoffed. ¡®The Empire will crush that out of you if it doesn¡¯t crush you. You¡¯ll die forgotten with that kind of attitude.¡¯


    ¡°Everyone dies, and I''m not sure if I care about being forgotten,¡± Ling Qi responded quietly. ¡°I¡¯d rather not die for a long time¡­ but I won¡¯t let fear chain me down anymore either.¡± She knew what it was like to be on the edge of death; she had spent half of her admittedly short life making decisions solely based on survival. She didn¡¯t want to do that anymore.


    ¡®Fool,¡¯ the tortoise repeated. ¡®Ape, show me the fragments of Kohatu¡¯s core.¡¯


    ¡°Who?¡± Ling Qi asked carefully. She didn¡¯t recognize the word it had impressed on her mind, but it had the feel of a name. She didn¡¯t want to admit to anything, although she could guess what the beast was referring to. ¡°Please send me back now.¡±


    The tortoise blasted her with uncomfortably hot steam. ¡®Do not try my patience. You know what I speak of. Show them to me!¡¯


    Ling Qi shuddered under the weight of its ire. Hastily, she pulled the core fragments from her ring even as the shackles around the tortoise¡¯s legs flared with icy light, sending frost crawling over its scales. It hurt to think of losing some of her gains, but her life was more valuable.


    ¡°H-here!¡± Ling Qi held out the faintly pulsing lumps of organic crystal, still wet with the fluids of the corpse she had wrenched it from.


    The crushing weight on her shoulders lessened, and the tortoise eyed her with irritation. ¡®Impudent child,¡¯ it grumbled. ¡°This is as much for your benefit as mine.¡¯


    The tortoise¡¯s fiery gaze turned to the fragments in her hand. Its eyes dimmed, the light from between its scales almost fading entirely. The creature pushed its head further out of its shell, closing the distance even as Ling Qi found herself unable to move, legs locked in place. She distantly heard a sound like stone shattering and saw ice begin to crawl up over the tortoise''s shell and cracks appear in its frozen legs, seeping sluggish black blood. Unfathomable heat from its breath bathed her face before the point of its beak touched the fragments in her hands. A bright flash burned away her sight.


    When her vision returned, watery and full of spots, she saw the tortoise settling back into its pit, the frost on its body slowly retreating. In her hands lay a stretched oval shape, pitch black like a lump of obsidian shot through with veins of dark green. Its surface felt like tough old leather, and its size equal to both of her fists held together. She looked back up from the egg to the now wounded spirit beast, still blinking the spots from her vision.


    ¡®Something of us will leave this damned place,¡¯ the tortoise rumbled tiredly. ¡®Begone, child.¡¯


    Ling Qi had no time to respond before characters flared brightly into existence around her, and the cave vanished.


    When her senses returned, Ling Qi found herself standing before the great bronze doors in the cavern, holding an uncomfortably hot egg in her hands. She stared blankly down at it. Why had it¡­? She didn¡¯t really understand everything that had just transpired, but she thought that this was probably a good thing. She had been thinking about binding a spirit for some time now.


    Well. Assuming that whatever came out of this egg was within her ability to bind anyway or that the egg hatched in any kind of reasonable time frame. For all she knew, it would stay an egg for the next decade.


    Given that the doors were still firmly shut though and there was no sign of Meizhen, it seemed that she was going to be waiting here for awhile. Ling Qi carefully held the egg against her chest. She didn¡¯t want to risk dropping it after all. Cradling the egg, Ling Qi found a dry place to sit down and meditate while she waited.


    She spent the better part of an hour in quiet contemplation of her experiences down in the bowels of the mountain until the sound of the doors behind her slowly opening roused her from her reverie. She turned her head to see Meizhen walking out, a thoughtful expression on her face. Cui was back in her smaller form, coiled around the girl¡¯s neck like an emerald choker.


    ¡°How did it go?¡± Ling Qi asked, drawing her friend¡¯s attention. ¡°No trouble I hope?¡±


    ¡°It was¡­ thought provoking,¡± Bai Meizhen responded quietly, sounding a little drained and looking it too with the way her gaze rested on the floor. ¡°It would seem that I have acquired one month of personal lessons from Elder Ying.¡±


    Ling Qi furrowed her brows. ¡°Who?¡±


    Bai Meizhen¡¯s expression grew faintly exasperated as she continued to contemplate the floor. ¡°... Of course. How foolish of me.¡± Meizhen sighed, shaking her head, but she didn¡¯t seem particularly put out. ¡°There are other elders beyond the three who have interacted with us this year, Ling Qi. Elder Ying is charged with overseeing the defenses of the Outer Sect and the mortal region below. She is an¡­ interesting woman,¡± Meizhen explained, sounding a little unsure at the end.


    Ling Qi hummed thoughtfully. Lessons with an Elder were a real prize. She supposed it also made sense that there were more than three elders in a sect. ¡°Well, remind me to ask about the rest of them later. Ready to go home then?¡± she asked cheerfully, standing up carefully with the egg cradled under one arm.


    ¡°Yes, I think-¡± Bai Meizhen finally turned to actually look at her. ¡°... Ling Qi, is that what I think it is?¡± she asked, her eyebrows rising, a note of bewilderment in her voice.


    Ling Qi rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. ¡°Look. I don¡¯t understand why the turtle got chatty and gave me an egg,¡± she said defensively.


    ¡°The¡­¡± Bai Meizhen rubbed her forehead, a pained expression crossing her face. ¡°I am glad you did not call it that to its face,¡± she said faintly. ¡°But still, only you, Ling Qi. Your fortune is inexplicable.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a compliment,¡± Ling Qi murmured uncomfortably.


    ¡°Let us¡­ simply go home.¡± Meizhen sighed, shaking her head again. Ling Qi was glad to see the coldness the girl had been showing earlier had faded - at least for the moment. She followed her friend out of the cave, ready to face a new day.

 Chapter 54-Cooperation 1

    ¡°Let¡¯s take a break, Li Suyin,¡± Ling Qi said, releasing her friend from the hold she had pulled her into when Suyin overextended. The two of them had been training for a couple hours at this point, and even Ling Qi had begun to sweat a bit.


    Li Suyin panted for breath, red-faced from exertion as she rubbed her throat, likely sore from Ling Qi¡¯s grab. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I should be better by now,¡± she said as she tried to catch her breath.


    ¡°You¡¯re doing fine.¡± Ling Qi sighed. It was just the two of them at the vent. Bai Meizhen was at her new lessons with Elder Ying, and Su Ling was off gathering materials for some project of hers. ¡°You surprised me with that wood art. When did you get that?¡±


    ¡°I-I did a few missions for the sect last week.¡± Li Suyin stumbled over her words as she caught her breath, dropping to the ground to begin meditating and recovering her qi. ¡°I thought if I could take an attack, I could counter afterward.¡±


    Ling Qi rubbed the knuckles on her right hand; she had scraped them pretty raw against the ridges of bark that the wood art¡¯s technique had formed over her friend¡¯s forearm. That had been the only time that Suyin had any success in jabbing her with those steel needles she had begun playing with too.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea. Are you planning to use poison with those little things? I don¡¯t really see them being much use otherwise.¡± Ling Qi left unsaid that in a real fight, Suyin only needed to land a touch to do some real damage with her family¡¯s art.


    The blue-haired girl cast a frustrated look at the gleaming needles in the new pouch at her belt. ¡°No, not poison.¡± She narrowed her single eye at the implements. ¡°I just¡­ need to improve my precision.¡±


    Ling Qi furrowed her brow as she sat down in the grass across from the other girl. She had to be careful not to have her dress ride up, but she was getting good at that. She still needed new shoes though.


    ¡°Like acupuncture or something?¡± Ling Qi asked, suddenly remembering why the needles had looked familiar. She had stolen a set to fence when she was ten.


    ¡°In a way,¡± Li Suyin said uncomfortably. ¡°If I use my qi correctly and hit the right place, I can disrupt your qi flow. It would have caused minor muscle spasms in your arm for half a minute or so if it had worked.¡± She let out a tired breath. ¡°I¡¯m still not good enough though.¡± (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    ¡°You¡¯re doing fine,¡± Ling Qi replied firmly. ¡°Don¡¯t give yourself unreasonable expectations.¡± She winced as Li Suyin¡¯s shoulders slumped. Ling Qi supposed that was a pretty rude thing for her to say.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± Ling Qi bulled forward, coughing into her hand. ¡°Do you know anything about formations? Beyond what Elder Su taught us in class, I mean.¡±


    Li Suyin¡¯s expression grew briefly bewildered at the sudden change in subject. ¡°Um, a little. I have not really had the time to study them beyond a few basic alarm and spirit wards for home.¡±


    ¡°I might have to ask you about those,¡± Ling Qi mused, briefly diverted at the idea. ¡°I was hoping you could help me study some formations I have on hand. I thought working on them together would be a good use of our downtime. You¡¯re better at this kind of thing than I am.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Of course. I will be happy to help you with anything you need, Ling Qi,¡± Li Suyin said brightly. Ling Qi silently congratulated herself; Suyin hadn¡¯t looked so happy in weeks. ¡°I mean - I hope I can help you¡­ I have not had time to study much of late.¡± And just like that, her friend had started to beat herself up again.


    ¡°No time like the present,¡± Ling Qi hurried to add, drawing the tokens out of her storage ring where she had placed them in preparation. ¡°So. The tokens are kind of like puzzles so I need your help in figuring out the solution.¡±


    The two of them ended up heading back to Su Ling and Li Suyin¡¯s hidey hole to study the tokens; Li Suyin apparently had a couple of basic primers on formations among her now somewhat tattered library. Ling Qi wondered how much the primers had cost her mortal family or if Suyin had purchased them herself since coming to the Sect.


    Ling Qi probably could have gotten better primers by going to the archive, but that wasn¡¯t the point. It was nice to just sit down at Su Ling and Li Suyin¡¯s makeshift table in their cave home and study with Li Suyin again, working out the surprisingly complex puzzle on the formation tokens and trading questions with the academic. The fact that between the two of them, they managed to open both remaining tokens and receive the medicinal prizes within was just a bonus really.


    Ling Qi was glad to see Li Suyin smiling again by the time they were done. ¡°Thanks for the help, Li Suyin,¡± she said, feeling pretty pleased with herself. ¡°I was worried that was going to take another few weeks to crack open.¡±


    ¡°It was no trouble,¡± the blue-haired girl replied happily, sliding the pill bottle she had unlocked over to Ling Qi. ¡°I am glad to have been able to help you with something.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad I asked,¡± Ling Qi said, glancing around the little cave. It was still pretty rough, but it looked like the two were beginning to make it comfortable. ¡°How long are you two going to stay out here anyway?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°This place is starting to look nicer, but wouldn¡¯t a real house be better?¡±


    Li Suyin¡¯s smile faded, and she reached up to toy nervously with her eyepatch. ¡°I¡­ do not know. I think Su Ling might actually prefer staying out here, and I am not certain I disagree,¡± she admitted. ¡°At the very least, I want to challenge that girl before I even consider moving back. Just a few more weeks and I will break through to Yellow Soul. I know it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to celebrating your success,¡± Ling Qi said confidently, gathering up her new resources. She might just take the time to ensure Li Suyin got herself a fair fight too. It couldn¡¯t hurt to keep an eye on the girl¡¯s challenge to make sure no one pulled anything untoward.


    With the tokens taken care of, Ling Qi began to focus on cultivation and training; she had broken through to the second realm, but it wasn¡¯t enough. If she slowed down, she knew it would make her a target and drag Meizhen down too.


    Ling Qi spent much of her mornings with the pale girl, sharing the slip for the Argent Mirror art and practicing the art herself. She enjoyed cultivating it, if only because her stresses and worries seemed less urgent while she was cultivating the tranquil qi of lake and mountain. It put things a little more in perspective. As the days passed and she continued to practice, she felt more sure of herself, more confident in her growing abilities. Constant self-reflection was not entirely positive though as she found herself thinking more and more about her goals¡­ or lack thereof.


    Strength and freedom were something to strive toward, but the more she thought about it, the more they seemed empty to her when considered alone. What did she want to achieve with the strength she was gaining? Protecting the handful of people she had become close to, of course, as well as surviving, but these goals were short-term and reactionary. What did she want to do with her life?


    LIng Qi couldn¡¯t answer that question yet, but somehow, she thought that was fine. She had time now to think and decide for herself. She would train hard at the Sect, fulfill her service to the Empire, and figure things out along the way. She wasn¡¯t a mortal anymore, doomed to die after a mere few decades. She had time.


    The thought and qi exercises that made up the first level of the art she had found, Argent Mirror, were simple and intuitive. The techniques bolstered spiritual defenses and defended against illusions. Yet when she felt the serene qi of mountain and lake flow through the channels she had opened in her head and spine, Ling Qi was amazed. Her senses were clearer, and the world around her more vibrant than ever. It was as if she had worn a dirty veil over her eyes for all her life, only to finally remove it. With her new senses came a sense for qi and the capability to see the cultivation stage of living things within her range.


    Even with spending time on the cultivation of other arts, she soon felt her Argent Foundation settle fully into place as well. Mastery of the last exercise in the Argent Soul scroll opened her further to cultivation, qi seeping into her flesh and bones like a strengthening elixir and thickening the layer of pure energy around her dantian. She had taken the art as far as she could given the information she had.


    This, of course, simply meant that it was time to begin working on Eight Phase Ceremony, which proved difficult. The initial exercises required that she practice at night and find a high, isolated place to meditate. Even with the clarity granted by Argent Soul, she found herself unable to even sense the qi of the stars and moon, let alone draw it in and absorb it. She was going to need more time to figure it out.


    Luckily, Ling Qi had grown better at managing her time; she now knew just how much time she actually needed to sleep over the course of a week and how much she should cultivate before doing so grew inefficient. She spent a significant amount of her freed-up time to browse the archives for information on Spirit Beasts and how to take care of the young ones.


    She had a bit of frustration at first due to her failure to figure out the archive¡¯s organization system. Ling Qi ended up poking through all sorts of only tangentially related texts before noticing the helpful - if tiny - signs indicating sections plated to the shelves. Thankfully, the archive was not busy in the dead of night so the only ones who witnessed her awkward wanderings were the bored older disciple reshelving and cleaning and Xuan Shi.


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure Xuan Shi even noticed. The boy had a table in the corner stacked with dozens of books and scrolls and barely looked up from his manuscripts even when she passed through the nearby shelves. It was weird; the pile wasn¡¯t even comprised of formation texts or technique scrolls. She saw a couple of history texts and scholarly treatises, but some of the titles looked like fiction.


    She supposed Xuan Shi could do whatever he wanted with Ji Rong¡¯s pass so she didn¡¯t pay the odd boy any further attention, finding her own table to sit at with a stack of bestiaries and other such texts she had pulled down from the shelves. It was a daunting task, particularly since she wasn¡¯t a speed reader, but she wanted to make sure she knew what she was doing before she attempted to hatch the egg.


    She spent a few nights like that, studying up on animal care and tortoise species in particular. The Volcanic Tyrant Tortoise was apparently native to the fiery islands of the northern ocean. It only rarely appeared on the mainland so the Sect¡¯s information was limited. They were classified as spirits of fire and mountain under the imperial system and were noted as a temperamental and destructive species, prone to a great deal of collateral damage when angered. There was even less information on the care for their young as the creatures rarely bred outside of their home islands, but she did find out that they usually made their nests in lava fields and calderas.


    Ling Qi had never imagined that the earth could bleed fire, but apparently, that was possible in those distant lands. She didn¡¯t think she could acquire a volcanic vent anywhere though. Thankfully, one particularly musty tome suggested that its writer had found some success with placing an egg in a firing kiln for incubation. A large bonfire was also a possible solution, although this method was slower.


    Ling Qi considered using the kilns in the production halls, but she had a feeling that would cost far too many sect points in the long run. Plus, it might not be safe to broadcast her fortune in public yet. A quick run to a different part of the archive revealed some simple methods for constructing crude kilns and forges in the treatises on historical engineering. It might take a few tries, but she thought she could rig together something that would work.


    On actual care, there wasn¡¯t much of anything specific to tortoises so she would have to wing it there. In general, the cores of other beasts and heavily qi-infused materials seemed to be the best food for young spirit beasts. She would probably have to hunt more once the egg hatched.


    For now, although she had a few ideas for hatching the egg, it would take time to set up, and she still had many things to do this week. She settled for leaving it in the hearth of their home for now The first was to try to patch things up with Han Jian. Hopefully, revealing the tokens¡¯ prizes would be a good way to get herself involved with them on a level past the superficial. Ling Qi waited until the day¡¯s session was winding down before approaching Han Jian, who had sat down to clean and sharpen his blade in the wake of the sparring.


    ¡°Han Jian, do you mind if I ask you something?¡± she asked, stopping at a respectful distance away. The others were all doing their own various cool down activities.


    Han Jian looked up from his blade, his usual friendly expression in place. ¡°Sure. Did you want to ask about a different weapon? You seem to be getting the hang of a bow pretty quickly,¡± he said, tactfully not pointing out the number of times she had overbalanced and fell over while learning to swing around the heavy guandao she had taken to practicing with.


    She wouldn¡¯t have been able to lift such a thing as a mortal, but as a cultivator, the weight wasn¡¯t an issue. It was just hard to keep her balance when swinging the weapon around. She wasn¡¯t really sure why she had chosen it beyond a whim and a brief imagining of standing atop the shell of her tortoise companion, laughing and crushing all comers like a warrior queen of old. ... Well, okay, she did know the reason. It was a little childish, but it wasn¡¯t like she was doing any harm.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that,¡± she answered. ¡°Thank you for the instruction though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no trouble,¡± Han Jian said, laying his sword across his knees. ¡°It¡¯s good to have a varied base of weapon skills. I¡¯m pretty good with a spear and saber too, even if I prefer the sword. I¡¯d suggest taking the time to learn at least a little bit of the sword or spear at some point. It¡¯s expected that a noble have some grounding with the four noble weapons.¡±


    ¡°Bai Meizhen has said some stuff like that too, but what do you mean? I¡¯m not a noble. I know not all cultivators can be a noble else every city guard would be one too.¡±


    Han Jian gave a strained smile, but it was Fan Yu who answered from where he had sat down to meditate. ¡°Don¡¯t play the fool,¡± he said sourly, giving her an unfriendly look. ¡°At your rate of growth, you will end up with an imperial writ.¡±


    Ling Qi stared at him blankly before turning back to Han Jian with a questioning look. He, in turn, scrubbed a hand through his hair and explained, ¡°If you do not already have a clan affiliation, achieving Green Soul or Bronze Physique before the age of seventeen will earn you a writ granting the right to own a manor and start a clan once your service is over. It¡¯s essentially the lowest title. You¡¯ll have to negotiate with the province governor of wherever you settle to finalize the status. I don¡¯t think you¡¯re going to have any trouble with the requirements.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Ling Qi said awkwardly. She hadn¡¯t even considered that there were already rules for determining how a common cultivator became a noble.


    ¡°Really, Ling Qi. You may want to sit down and study such things for a time,¡± Gu Xiulan chipped in from her own seated position across the field. ¡°Especially if you are going to be so stubborn about staying unwed,¡± she added teasingly.


    Ling Qi flushed and shot the girl a glare. ¡°Anyway, I was just wondering if you guys still had your tokens from Elder Zhou¡¯s test.¡±


    It was Han Jian¡¯s turn to look bewildered. ¡°I¡­ suppose?¡± he replied questioningly. ¡°I saw no reason to throw them away.¡±


    Ling Qi grinned. It was probably a little bad to be glad that they hadn¡¯t gained the benefits of the tokens already, but it did mean that she could help. ¡°Well, you should all bring them along next time. Li Suyin and I managed to unlock the formation puzzles on them. They have some pretty good elixirs and pills hidden inside.¡±


    Han Fang looked up at that, and Han Jian blinked once, then twice, before slapping his forehead. ¡°... Of course they would do something like that. I¡¯ve been so busy I didn¡¯t even think of that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, do not trouble yourself, Jian,¡± Gu Xiulan piped up. ¡°None of us have exactly been studious in regards to that kind of thing.¡±


    ¡°I can unlock them for you,¡± Ling Qi cut back in. ¡°I owe you all that much. I know I¡¯ve been absent lately, but I was hoping to make sure you know how grateful I am for your help.¡±


    Han Jian shook his head, a slightly bitter chuckle escaping his lips. ¡°I¡¯ll thankfully accept your assistance then,¡± he said, looking back up with renewed confidence. ¡°Sorry if I¡¯ve been a little short myself. Things have been stressful since the end of the truce.¡±


    She didn¡¯t miss the way Fan Yu¡¯s shoulders hunched at those words or the slight tightness in Han Fang¡¯s expression. ¡°It¡¯s no trouble,¡± she assured them. She might not know the exact reasons for their stress, but she had an inkling. She was just glad her offer had been well received.


    ¡°I suppose not,¡± Han Jian mused. ¡°In any case, thank you.¡±


    Ling Qi unlocked their tokens at the next day¡¯s training, feeling quite pleased at the gratitude from Han Jian and the others. Even Fan Yu simply remained silent and sullen rather than snappish. She felt like the atmosphere in the training field had somewhat normalized, despite the remaining undercurrent of tension. She didn¡¯t really make any progress in regards to trying to insinuate herself into the group outside of training, but Han Jian did mention inviting her along if they went hunting in the forest. Apparently, he wanted to give everyone more actual combat experience.


    For now, she would have to be satisfied with that and Gu Xiulan¡¯s slightly nervous agreement to accompany her and Meizhen to the market at the end of the week.

 Chapter 55-Cooperation 2

    ¡°Thank you for agreeing to come along,¡± Ling Qi said to Meizhen as they left the house, heading for Xiulan¡¯s home.


    ¡°It is no trouble,¡± Bai Meizhen replied, briefly glancing up and down the street before turning to follow Ling Qi, her hands hidden by the voluminous sleeves of the white and blue gown she was wearing today. ¡°I require a number of items from the market myself. I do not mind advising you on appropriate footwear along the way.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. Even if she could stamp her foot on a sharp stone and not feel much more than a bit of pressure, she could admit that she looked a little silly walking around barefoot. ¡°I¡¯m more worried about all this hair,¡± she grumbled, blowing a few stray strands of her curly hair out of her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s always a pain to deal with, but I¡¯m not sure I want to cut it short again.¡±


    ¡°You should not,¡± Meizhen agreed, sending a few girls scurrying out of their way as they continued up the street. ¡°It is inappropriate for a lady. I am afraid I cannot offer much advice however. I have never cut or altered my hairstyle. It is against tradition to do so before marriage or achieving the Green Soul realm.¡±


    Ling Qi gave Meizhen a surprised look, eyeing Meizhen¡¯s snowy white locks. Meizhen¡¯s hair was long, almost to the middle of her back, but that still didn¡¯t make sense. ¡°You have to have had it cut at some point. Your hair would be down at your feet otherwise.¡±


    She tried to ignore that Meizhen wasn¡¯t the only one receiving looks of wary respect, concern, and other not entirely negative expressions as they walked down the street. It still made her feel awkward.


    Bai Meizhen offered a tiny shrug. ¡°Our hair grows very slowly. That¡¯s why it is traditional to refrain from making hasty changes before one can be considered an adult.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed thoughtfully as they approached Gu Xiulan¡¯s door. She supposed that made sense; she¡¯d be kind of reluctant to do anything to her hair either if it would take years to grow back.


    Ling Qi knocked twice on the door and then stepped back to wait beside Meizhen. Gu Xiulan answered the door quickly, opening the door to reveal herself dressed in the gown she had picked out when she had last gone shopping with Ling Qi.


    ¡°Ling Qi, good morning,¡± Gu Xiulan said brightly. Ling Qi thought there was a hint of something nervous in Xiulan¡¯s tone and expression though. The other girl turned to Bai Meizhen and clasped her hands together, bowing her head. Ling Qi vaguely recognized the posture as one of deference to a social superior, although the precise degree of deference eluded her. It looked weird coming from Gu Xiulan. ¡°Miss Bai, it is a pleasure to meet you.¡± (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    Bai Meizhen dipped her head in acknowledgement. ¡°Gu Xiulan, I am pleased to make your acquaintance as well,¡± Bai Meizhen replied formally before glancing at Ling Qi. ¡°But please, refer to me by name. This is an informal gathering for the benefit of our mutual friend.¡±


    Gu Xiulan looked pleased, a slight smile curving her painted lips as she straightened up. ¡°Of course. Thank you for the courtesy, Bai Meizhen,¡± she said just as formally, but some tension had drained out of her. ¡°Ling Qi can be somewhat of a handful, can she not?¡± Gu Xiulan asked, a bit of her normal teasing entering her tone. Despite that, Ling Qi thought she still sounded wary. ¡°She can be so stubborn about such basic things at times. I cannot believe it has taken her this long to stop wearing those ratty sandals.¡±


    Bai Meizhen pursed her lips. ¡°Quite. I suppose I have you to thank for her no longer dressing like a vagrant,¡± she said, allowing her tone to grow less stiff as well.


    ¡°I¡¯m standing right here,¡± Ling Qi grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest and frowning at the two of them. ¡°And there was nothing wrong with my needlework. Those disciple uniforms needed more pockets.¡±


    The two of them paused and looked at her, Gu Xiulan¡¯s smile regaining its sharp edge while Bai Meizhen simply regarded Ling Qi with her usual coolness.


    ¡°She is rather stubborn, isn¡¯t she?¡± Gu Xiulan said conversationally, seeming to ignore Ling Qi¡¯s interjection. ¡°I cannot tell you how much of a fight it was to get her to clean up a little in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Willfulness is hardly a negative trait,¡± Bai Meizhen conceded. ¡°But in this case, I find it misplaced. I believe her capable of learning.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m going to regret introducing you two, aren¡¯t I?¡± Ling Qi sighed. ¡°Can we just get going?¡±


    Despite the teasing, this was going better than she had feared given the last time she had attempted to introduce her friends. She suspected Bai Meizhen was making an earnest attempt to be friendly by her measure, and Gu Xiulan was afraid of offending Meizhen. The three of them set off toward the market, quietly chatting as they went. Ling Qi mostly listened to the two of them as the two made polite inquiries about the wellbeing of each other¡¯s family.


    Most of it went over her head beyond a vague understanding that Gu Xiulan¡¯s father was overseeing a major expansion into ¡®lost lands¡¯. Bai Meizhen only spoke a little of her own home. There was something about pearl exports and new island outposts and a need for good steel¡­


    By the time they had left the residential area, their chatter had turned to more immediate things, both of them seemingly coming to an unspoken agreement to let more serious matters lie. Ling Qi was glad. She had been feeling lost so even if the new topic wasn¡¯t her preferred subject, debating about needlework and embroidery with Xiulan or cuts of clothing with Meizhen was still better than the odd back and forth they had begun with.


    Their shopping trip took up a fair portion of the afternoon, but Ling Qi didn¡¯t mind the time spent. She was able to pick up a few comfortable pairs of shoes, mostly the soft-soled slippers that both of her friends insisted were proper wear for a young lady. She could admit that she liked them, particularly the pair with the silver flower embroidery, but she still insisted on picking up a nice pair of hardier boots too.


    Her hair was more difficult, as it always was, frustrating the hair stylist with its unmanageable nature. In the end, she settled for simply having it gathered and pulled back, pinned with a few understated ornaments, including a silver crescent moon that she had taken a liking to, with the main length into a neat braid that hung down to the middle of her back. It would be somewhat of a pain to redo it herself later on, but she was growing used to the idea that presenting herself well was important.


    Ling Qi idly toyed with the loose hair at the end of her new braid, which was currently hanging over her shoulder and down across her chest. ¡°Does it really look alright?¡± she asked for what was probably the fifth time, still feeling self-conscious. For all that she knew it was important, it still felt frivolous and a little silly. It had taken nearly an hour for the braiding to be finished, mostly because her hair kept trying to escape it, so the stylist had to use some kind of straightening oil on her hair to stop the incessant flyaway strands from springing free.


    ¡°It is significantly more elegant. Be at ease, Ling Qi,¡± Bai Meizhen said with just a touch of exasperation.


    ¡°Indeed. Do you doubt my judgement so?¡± Gu Xiulan sniffed dramatically, a small bag of purchases swinging from one hand. ¡°Really, if I did not know you better, I would be offended. I am sure with a bit of effort, you will begin catching eyes everywhere.¡±


    ¡°Who says I want to?¡± Ling Qi replied with a playful snap. She knew the other girl wasn¡¯t being serious so it was easier to keep down her offense at the implication.


    ¡°There is obviously no need to consider courting at this age,¡± Bai Meizhen added coolly. ¡°Your prospects will only grow with your cultivation.¡± Gu Xiulan¡¯s smile faltered at that.


    Ling Qi rolled her eyes, choosing not to comment on Xiulan¡¯s reaction. ¡°Yeah, I think I can stand to wait for a good, long¡­¡±


    ¡°Miss Ling?¡± A male voice, sounding slightly out of breath, called from her right. She blinked in surprise, looking over to where a rather plain-faced boy of middling height was approaching nervously. He ended up standing in front of them, a letter clasped in his hand. No. There was no way.


    ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± Bai Meizhen asked, disdain on her features. The boy was only a red soul so it was unsurprising that he shuddered, paling under her regard.


    ¡°I am sorry to interrupt your conversation,¡± he said quickly, bowing low, far lower than Xiulan had to Meizhen. ¡°I am only a lowly messenger with a letter of invitation for Miss Ling from Lady Cai.¡±


    Meizhen¡¯s expression darkened while Xiulan looked thoughtful, but they both ceded the next response to Ling Qi. She felt awkward under her friends¡¯ stares, even if she also felt relieved that it wasn¡¯t a courting letter. Straightening her shoulders, she stepped forward and held out her hand.


    ¡°Give me the letter and be on your way,¡± Ling Qi said, doing her best to sound dignified.


    The boy nodded hastily, looking more than a little relieved himself as he pressed the clean, white paper into her hand and backed away, bowing several more times. He did not quite run away once he had gained some distance.


    ¡°Well, what does it say?¡± Gu Xiulan said impatiently, peering over her shoulder. Bai Meizhen stood with arms crossed, waiting with apparent patience.


    Ling Qi flipped open the letter and scanned the contents, feeling nonplussed. ¡°Cai¡¯s inviting me to join her for tea at the pavilion on the west side of the mountain in two days. It doesn¡¯t say for what though, and the invitation is just for me,¡± she answered. She would suspect a trap, but Cai Renxiang really didn¡¯t seem the type.


    Gu Xiulan¡¯s eyebrows climbed high on her forehead. ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t refuse such an invitation unless¡­¡± She trailed off, glancing at Bai Meizhen.


    ¡°Ling Qi has no obligation to me. Who she chooses to associate with is her own choice,¡± Meizhen said precisely.


    Ling Qi frowned. Meizhen sounded unhappy. She felt like she might be missing something, but she didn¡¯t want to sound foolish by asking. ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll think about it,¡± she decided. ¡°Let¡¯s go home for now. I want to put away my things.¡± She raised the bag full of shoes hanging off her arm.


    The walk back was quieter but pleasant enough. Even with the surprise at the end, the afternoon had gone well. Maybe she could make a habit of bringing the two girls together? They could invite Meizhen along the next time they used the springs?

 Chapter 56: Cooperation 3

    Ling Qi¡¯s next week began with a paper crane fluttering through her window to deposit a letter on the desk in the corner of the room, startling her from her early morning meditation. She stared blankly after the paper construct as it darted back out of the window. It hit her a moment later, and she immediately felt terrible for forgetting.


    She had sent a letter to Mother, hadn¡¯t she? Between the egg, the upcoming meeting with Cai Renxiang, and all of her training, she hadn¡¯t even really given it any thought since then. She eyed the neatly folded paper resting on her desk with trepidation. She wasn¡¯t even sure how to feel about the fact that her mother had responded.


    She assumed that was what the letter was anyway. Who else would be sending her a letter? Ling Qi padded over, scanning the characters neatly written on the coarse paper of the envelope, but it was just her name and location. She supposed it was possible this was something else entirely.


    She hesitated again before plucking the letter from her desk and breaking the plain wax seal. She wouldn¡¯t get anywhere from staring at it all day. Ling Qi felt a twinge of melancholy as she carefully unfolded the cheap paper, revealing meticulously neat handwriting.


    Ling Qi,


    I too am somewhat at a loss. What does one say to a daughter I thought long dead or worse? What does one say to a daughter who found me so poor a parent that she preferred the gutter to my hearth? How many months did I search and seek, hoping to find you again, hoping you had not met some awful fate?


    Ling Qi stared down at the paper with warring feelings. She felt guilt and sadness at the melancholy that seemed to have infected her mother in the intervening years, but at the same time, she felt happiness at the simple fact that her mother was still alive and able to write back to her.


    Carefully folding the letter, she placed it back on her desk and sat down on her bed. Breathing in and out, she returned to her meditation, turning over what had been written in her mind. What were the circumstances that lead her mother to accept the silver? Had she simply lost her ¡®job¡¯? What had she meant about it being fitting that Ling Qi ran away? Her mother¡¯s habit of making indirect statements hadn¡¯t changed since last they talked.


    Was the indirectness purposeful? Her memories of the woman had somewhat faded at this point, but she recalled that her mother had not been unskilled at wordplay. She didn¡¯t like to think badly of Mother, but was she being vague to encourage Ling Qi to continue writing and sending silver? Would Ling Qi be upset if she was? Ling Qi thought the depression exuded in the letter was genuine at least.


    Ling Qi continued to cycle her qi and breath in time with the pulsations of her internal energies. She would continue sending the silver regardless, but she needed to think of what she wanted to say before sending another letter.


    She left her house a few hours later. Han Jian and the others were going to make their first attempt at hunting today, and she wanted to get to the training field early so that she could ask Han Jian some questions. Of all her friends and friendly acquaintances, she felt that Han Jian would be able to give her the most unbiased view of her situation in regards to Cai Renxiang. She had no doubt Meizhen would answer her questions, but the other girl had some rather skewed views in certain areas.


    Thankfully, Han Jian was present at the field early as was his wont. He seemed to be engaged in a silent debate with Heijin, staring down at the gold-furred tiger cub with a frustrated look as she entered the field.


    ¡°- do you think I am doing? What more do you want from me?¡± Ling Qi caught the tail end of his words as she passed through the barrier around the field and paused as she heard the uncharacteristic heat in them.


    Han Jian stiffened as he met Ling Qi¡¯s eyes, but before he could say something, Heijin turned away from the boy to pad toward Ling Qi.


    ¡®The slacker should cease shaming the Han and show his decisiveness,¡¯ the cub¡¯s arrogant little boy voice chimed in her head. ¡®I will say no more. Songstress! I require head scratches.¡¯


    Ling Qi gave the cub a consternated look as he flopped down at her feet, but nonetheless, she crouched down to scratch him behind the ears. It was simpler just to acquiesce in this case lest the cub turn the full force of his sad kitty face upon her or decide to side with Gu Xiulan when the inevitable sparring began.


    ¡°Good morning, Han Jian,¡± she said carefully, looking up from Heijin.


    ¡°Good morning, Ling Qi,¡± Han Jian replied tiredly, the frustration and stress that she had seen on his face smoothed away. ¡°You¡¯re here early today.¡± Ling Qi could sense the slight undercurrent of gratitude in his tone that she chose not to pursue whatever he and Heijin had been talking about.


    ¡°I was hoping to talk to you and get some advice and information,¡± Ling Qi admitted as Heijin butted his head up against her hand, prompting her to get back to pampering the little feline. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind. Bai Meizhen has a ¡®unique¡¯ view, and Gu Xiulan is ¡­ a little aggressive. You seem like you have a more balanced view.¡±


    She flushed a bit as Han Jian chuckled, giving her an amused look as he crossed his arms. She was trying to be diplomatic, damnit. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t speak on the first, but I can understand the second,¡± he said. ¡°What¡¯s troubling you, Ling Qi?¡±


    ¡°Everything really. It seems like I¡¯m stumbling blindly through a fog some days,¡± she admitted. ¡°At that meeting with Cai Renxiang, I kept noticing little cues from Bai Meizhen or Gu Xiulan, but I didn¡¯t understand what they meant and I just feel lost!¡± Her feelings - frustration, concern about her ignorance - burst out in her words like a flood from a dam. ¡°Bai Meizhen taught me a bit of etiquette, but I feel like I still don¡¯t know anything. Now, Lady Cai has invited me to tea, Bai Meizhen seems unhappy about it, and I don¡¯t even know why she¡¯s unhappy or why everyone seems to dislike Bai Meizhen so much!¡±


    Han Jian¡¯s expression grew more serious and contemplative as he regarded her sympathetically. ¡°You know, sometimes, it¡¯s easy to forget that you¡¯re totally in the dark on a lot of things,¡± he mused. ¡°Let me ask you bluntly. What IS your relationship with Bai Meizhen?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s my friend,¡± Ling Qi said simply, idly stroking the purring kitten at her feet as she looked up at Han Jian. ¡°She¡¯s helped me a lot, and she¡¯s had my back against others. I want to be able to do the same for her.¡±


    He nodded, bemused. ¡°It¡¯s really that simple, huh?¡± he asked, seemingly rhetorically. ¡°If it makes you feel any better, as far as I know, there¡¯s no particular enmity between the Bai family and Cai family. I can¡¯t speak for anything personal between the two of them, but I don¡¯t believe there¡¯s any more pressure there than Lady Cai¡¯s insistence on being the leader of the council.¡±


    That was relieving, but it cast Bai Meizhen¡¯s reaction to the letter in a more confusing light. Did Meizhen think she was going to leave her behind for Cai or something?


    ¡°Alright. So why is Bai Meizhen so disliked? I know her aura is a little unnerving and that her family is not in favor right now, but is it really that bad?¡± One way or another, her own situation was tied to Meizhen, unless she wanted to break away from the other girl.


    Han Jian¡¯s expression tightened at her question. ¡°It¡­ kind of is,¡± he responded slowly. ¡°I feel like you need some history for context if you¡¯re asking that question though. Are you fine with listening to me ramble on this? We should have some time before the others arrive.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s fine.¡± Ling Qi really needed to become more knowledgeable; her ignorance wasn¡¯t doing her any favors.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Han Jian said, scrubbing a hand through his hair. ¡°You¡¯re familiar with Sun Liling and her status? Well, her great-grandfather, Sun Shao, is at the root of the Bai¡¯s disfavor. This was around four hundred years ago, several decades after Ogodei¡¯s invasion and the formation of the Ministry of Integrity. Things were pretty chaotic at the tail end of Emperor Si¡¯s reign.¡± Han Jian paused to consider his next words. ¡°I won¡¯t go into the details, but Emperor Si was a very¡­ generous and permissive man. He allowed the noble families a lot of leeway in how they handled things.¡±


    Ling Qi gestured for him to continue while placating Heijin, who had rolled over for belly rubs. She wasn¡¯t sure what this had to do with Bai Meizhen yet.


    ¡°Right,¡± Han Jian said, gaining confidence. ¡°So. At that time, Sun Shao was a highly ranked vassal of the Bai clan with lands at the border between Thousand Lakes and the Garden of the Red Sun. The Garden was a nasty place. The barbarians of the jungles were vicious and cruel, and the great spirit they venerated demanded constant blood sacrifice. Sun Shao was - and still is - a peerless general though so he kept their raids and invasions from touching the province interior for over a century in that role. But one day, he returned from putting down an incursion to find his castle aflame.¡± Han Jian grimaced. ¡°The people of the Red Sun weren¡¯t kind to captives. Sun Shao lost his wife and all of his children save the two adult sons that had been with him on campaign.¡±


    ¡°That sounds awful,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°But what does that have to do with Bai Meizhen?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m getting there,¡± Han Jian reassured her. ¡°Sun Shao was understandably furious. He went to his liege, the patriarch of the Bai clan and the great-grandfather of Bai Meizhen. He asked leave to raise an army to punish the barbarians. Now, Bai Fuxi wasn¡¯t unsympathetic. He granted leave to raise a hundred thousand men and burn every Red Sun settlement east of the River Tiesha.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked. Han Jian said that as if a hundred thousand men wasn¡¯t a ridiculous number of people. That was more than the population of her hometown. Han Jian wasn¡¯t finished speaking though.


    ¡°Sun Shao wasn¡¯t satisfied with that. He wanted to push into the interior and raze their temple city of Ramu¡­ Rammad... Ramadh¡­?¡± Han Jian shook his head after stumbling over the word several times. ¡°Eh, I can never get those names right,¡± he grumbled, ignoring the disdainful look from the cub at Ling Qi¡¯s feet. ¡°Point is, he wanted to invade further than the River Tiesha and hold the territory too.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing Meizhen¡¯s great-grandfather refused?¡± Ling Qi could see how that would play into the enmity between her and Liling, but she wasn¡¯t sure how it tied into the general disdain for the Bai family.


    Han Jian gave her a searching look, and Ling Qi¡¯s eyes widened. She¡¯d slipped and referred to Meizhen with more familiarity than was appropriate. She might have done that once or twice before too, now that she thought about it.


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t a fan. The Bai had always refused to send anyone over the river at all, let alone try to hold it,¡± Han Jian continued after an awkward pause. ¡°Long story short, Sun Shao acted like he accepted the refusal, but he was a charismatic and popular man. After he gathered up the army he was allowed to and went on campaign¡­ he just didn¡¯t come back. In fact, he drew on a lot of the Bai¡¯s more dissatisfied vassals - which was most of them - and increased the army he had fivefold by the time he crossed the river. You have to understand, people of the West really, really hated the people of the Red Sun.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s basically open rebellion, isn¡¯t it?¡± Ling Qi asked, confused. She didn¡¯t know much about politics, but she was pretty sure that was some kind of treason. ¡°How does that lead to everyone disliking the Bai?¡±


    ¡°They were never all that popular to begin with,¡± Han Jian said. ¡°But suffice to say, while the casualties of that campaign were pretty ruinous, when the dust settled, Sun Shao had won and come out of the campaign with a stronger army than any individual province in the Empire could easily muster. His weakest soldiers were third realm at that time. Emperor Si had passed away in the ten years or so that the campaign had gone on. When Bai Fuxi went to Emperor An to have Sun Shao punished in the aftermath, the new Emperor declared that Sun Shao¡¯s actions were just and that it was the Bai who had failed in their stewardship by allowing the Red Suns to do as they pleased for so long, instead of punishing the barbarian scum properly.¡±


    ¡°That didn¡¯t go over well, did it?¡± Ling Qi asked, starting to see the shape of things.


    ¡°Yeah, Bai Fuxi was furious and humiliated,¡± Han Jian confirmed. ¡°He defied the imperial decree declaring Sun Shao¡¯s pardon and new rank and went after the man himself, along with the clan¡¯s best warriors. But Sun Shao had ascended into White during the campaign, and despite being at the same level himself, Bai Fuxi was killed. That was the start of a lot of Emperor An¡¯s crackdowns on noble power and the expansion of the Ministry and the Sects. There¡¯s been more modern incidents involving the Bai too, but going any further would take us all day. The Bai didn¡¯t have many friends in the first place, and a lot of people who would have been afraid to be their enemies weren¡¯t anymore after the loss of a lot of their top warriors. It doesn¡¯t help that since then, the Bai have been pretty cold with the Throne and the West, on top of losing a lot of influence and power.¡±


    Ling Qi shook her head. It sounded like a real mess already, even with Han Jian skipping a lot of details, but she thought she understood better now.


    ¡°Alright,¡± she said. ¡°What about Cai Renxiang then? Why would she invite me to have tea with her, and how should I handle that?¡±


    ¡°At a guess, the same thing she wanted from me,¡± Han Jian said dryly. ¡°That girl is ambitious, and she wants a solid hold on authority in the Outer Sect. She¡¯ll likely be probing you to see where you stand in that regard. I made sure she understood that I wasn¡¯t interested in contesting her, but you¡­¡±


    After a pause for thought, Han Jian continued, ¡°Lady Cai¡¯s pretty likely to try and draw you into her own group, I think. You¡¯re a native of her province and show a lot of talent. She and her Mother are pretty big on snapping up new talents. For example, rumor says that Gan Guangli was a commoner too before Cai Renxiang picked him up, and Duchess Cai has been pretty ¡®proactive¡¯ in changing the face of her court with new clans beholden to her.¡±


    The two of them continued chatting until the others arrived, mostly about appropriate behavior and etiquette, filling in the gaps in Ling Qi¡¯s knowledge about how to behave properly in formal situations. Han Jian still seemed distracted and stressed, but she was glad to see some of the tension that had been rising between them fading.


    However, the hunting trip that afternoon didn¡¯t go well. No one was particularly familiar with the terrain of the forest, and they ended up getting turned around several times, losing track of the trails they did pick up. Ling Qi wasn¡¯t a great help in that regard, having relied on Su Ling for her previous forays into the wilderness. Without any real success and the bickering that followed, Ling Qi could not help but feel that things weren¡¯t really improving.

 Chapter 57-Cooperation 4

    Ling Qi found herself struggling to push through to the next plateau of physical ability. She had gone rather light on medicines this week, which she suspected might be part of the reason for her struggle. Her dwindling supply of red stones was beginning to limit what she could do, and the pittance of an allowance from the Sect hardly helped in that regard, only barely covering her expenses for this week alone.


    She did not let it bother her too much. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure how to resolve the issue, but she wouldn¡¯t let herself fall behind. Her early morning training with Li Suyin continued apace, and the other girl continued to slowly improve, pushing toward late gold and improving her skill with the needles she had picked up as a weapon.


    After a bit of thought, Ling Qi offered Li Suyin and Su Ling a chance to learn Argent Mirror as well. She was unsure about the implications of doing so, but Bai Meizhen didn¡¯t seem to disapprove, despite being present at the vent during her offer. Given her conversation with Han Jian, she suspected that Meizhen thought of those two as people Ling Qi was cultivating as subordinates.


    It made sense, considering the aloof but not impolite way Bai Meizhen treated the two of them as compared to Meizhen¡¯s slightly more casual and respectful manner around Gu Xiulan. The idea also wasn''t really correct, but she wasn''t sure how to go about changing the pale girl¡¯s mind on the subject. She supposed the misconception wasn¡¯t harming anything for the moment.


    It had been a little difficult getting them to accept though. Well, it had been difficult getting Su Ling to accept; Li Suyin had simply thanked her with her head down, which was a little concerning¡­ but hopefully, the art itself would help with that. Ling Qi had managed to smooth over Su Ling¡¯s suspicions by asking for help and advice with a few things in return. Bai Meizhen had left some time ago, and Li Suyin was currently meditating, working to clear the channels for Argent Mirror.


    ¡°The hells do you want with a kiln?¡± Su Ling asked in confusion, slouched against a tree at the edge of the clearing. ¡°I never took you for a potter.¡± The fox tailed girl had filled out a bit over the past months, no longer seeming as gaunt as she had when Ling Qi had first met her, although she remained rather untidy with dirty robe hems and unkempt hair.


    ¡°It¡¯s weird, I know, but I need it for a¡­ project,¡± she answered. ¡°I copied down some notes from the archive. The archive texts mentioned some special materials, and I can¡¯t use the ones in the production hall for my project.¡± Ling Qi spread her hands helplessly. That was the real problem. She didn¡¯t want to bring the egg to the production hall, and she wasn¡¯t sure the mortal town at the mountain¡¯s base would be able to sell her something that could handle the heat she needed.


    Su Ling narrowed her eyes, giving Ling Qi a searching look. ¡°Well, it¡¯s none of my business,¡± she decided bluntly. ¡°But sure, I can help.¡± She scowled. ¡°Fatty owes me a couple favors anyway,¡± she grumbled under her breath.


    Ling Qi considered this. She didn¡¯t necessarily know Su Ling very well; ultimately, their only real connection was mutual friendship with Li Suyin. Still, the other girl knew a lot more about beasts than she did; it was the whole reason she had approached her after all.


    ¡°It¡¯s an egg,¡± Ling Qi said, drawing a blank look from the beastial girl. ¡°My project. I got my hands on a spirit beast egg, and the books in the archive say it needs really high, sustained heat to hatch.¡± (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    Su Ling blinked, straightening. ¡°Huh, is that so? Yeah, I can see why you can¡¯t use the production hall, even if you had the stones.¡±


    Ling Qi watched Su Ling¡¯s reaction carefully but didn¡¯t notice any signs of greed or envy. Of course, Ling Qi hadn¡¯t mentioned how rare a beast it likely was.


    ¡°Speaking of, what can you tell me about beast cores?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°You seem to know what you¡¯re doing with them.¡± She had seen the other girl grinding cores down into pastes and powders before when she stopped by their cave to walk with the two of them to the vent.


    Su Ling shrugged. ¡°I have to be. If you¡¯re looking into beast rearing, you should know that cores are the best food for young spirit beasts, right?¡± She paused a beat for Ling Qi to give an acknowledging nod. ¡°Same goes for people like me. I can get by on mortal food, but only barely. Least I¡¯m lucky enough that I can handle greens if they have a bit of qi in ¡®em,¡± she said with a tinge of bitterness.


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Ling Qi said. Was that why Meizhen never ate anything she made? ¡°So, for you, preparing cores was pretty much learning to cook?¡±


    ¡°Kinda,¡± the other girl replied. ¡°Beast Cores are full of energy, but unless you¡¯re like me or the snake princess, the energy is toxic to humans.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t call her that if she¡¯s around,¡± Ling Qi said, glancing to the side and half-expecting Bai Meizhen to be standing there looking displeased. She didn¡¯t think Meizhen would approve of an epithet that sounded similar to Sun Liling¡¯s.


    Su Ling snorted but didn¡¯t disagree. ¡°Right. Anyway, I can eat the cores and get some benefit, but the main thing you use beast cores for is as the primary ingredient in elixirs. You can¡¯t make an elixir without a beast core, and all the preparation and side ingredients pretty much exist to refine the energy and let a human body take in the beast qi safely,¡± she explained. ¡°That was my big problem: learnin¡¯ to make elixirs that won¡¯t leave other people throwing up blood.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced, glad that she hadn¡¯t tried to use any of her beast cores like pills. ¡°How do you know what each core is good for though?¡± Ling Qi asked. She had several, and she wanted to know what she could do with them.


    ¡°Take ¡®em to get appraised,¡± the other girl replied bluntly. ¡°Unless you wanna invest the time in memorizing bestiaries, leave it to the hall staff. I can generally pick stuff out by smell, but that¡¯s not really an option for you. You have something you want me to take a look at?¡±


    Ling Qi flicked her wrist, drawing the core of the mimic worm out of her storage ring. It had lost some luster, and once she had cleaned it off, she had come to see that in ripping it out of the corpse, she had cracked it a little.


    ¡°How about this?¡± Ling Qi asked, holding out the small orb.


    Su Ling leaned forward to get a better look and sniffed before wrinkling her nose and gagging.


    ¡°Ugh, what the hells,¡± Su Ling gagged, shoving Ling Qi¡¯s hand away, and scrubbed her nose with the back of her hand. ¡°Fucking gross,¡± she grumbled, giving Ling Qi a dirty look, which quickly faded into simple irritation. ¡°Wood and water. Reeks like a carcass full of maggots though. I wouldn¡¯t touch the thing, but it¡¯s grade two so even if it¡¯s damaged, you could probably sell it for maybe thirty or forty stones.¡±


    Ling Qi gave her an apologetic look as she placed the core back in storage. ¡°Sorry about that. I should have known that thing''s core would be gross too. Do you think you can give me some tips on harvesting cores better?¡±


    Su Ling shrugged. ¡°Yeah, sure. You¡¯re the one handing out arts. I can take the time to give you a few tips.¡±


    Between taking the time to learn from Su Ling, her continued training with Li Suyin, and the slowly improving hunting practice with Han Jian and his group, time passed quickly. Ling Qi soon found herself heading out to the pavilion that Cai Renxiang had requested she come to. Being cautious, she didn¡¯t immediately approach, but as far as she could tell, no one was present except the heiress herself, who sat out in the open on a chair in the center of the stone pavilion, facing the entrance of the area. Cai Renxiang showed no sign of concern or notice as Ling Qi lingered behind one of the stone pillars that marked the edge of the field.


    Recalling Han Jian¡¯s words, she doubted that Cai Renxiang would begrudge her a bit of wary scouting before she approached since Cai¡¯s mother was said to favor practicality, but that didn¡¯t mean she wanted to push her luck by being late. So after checking the surroundings, Ling Qi slipped away and came back, this time taking the actual path toward the pavilion.


    Ling Qi kept her gait even and her head held high as she approached, doing her best to appear confident despite the jittery feeling in her stomach. She took a deep breath as the girl¡¯s dark eyes fell on her but didn¡¯t flinch or pause. Instead, she came to a stop at the base of the short stairs leading up into the pavillion and bowed low as her quick refresher with Han Jian had reminded her to do.


    ¡°Lady Cai, I was honored to receive your invitation.¡± Ling Qi had been getting more practice with speaking formally lately so the words came easier than she expected.


    Cai Renxiang, for her part, remained seated, looking imperiously down at Ling Qi. She sat with one leg crossed over the other, which lead to her shimmering white gown riding up slightly to expose the jewel-studded golden shoes she wore. The small wooden table beside her held a fine porcelain tea set with faint wisps of steam escaping the pot.


    ¡°I am glad you chose to accept. I trust you found nothing untoward in your inspection, Ling Qi?¡± Cai Renxiang asked, a hint of reproval in her commanding voice.


    Ling Qi raised her head slightly but didn¡¯t otherwise react. She was reasonably confident the other girl was just testing her reaction and making sure that she knew Cai Renxiang had not been fooled by her sneaking.


    ¡°I have no objections,¡± Ling Qi responded carefully. ¡°I thought it appropriate to make sure that the invitation was not a trap by one abusing your name, Lady Cai.¡±


    ¡°A reasonable concern,¡± the long-haired girl allowed, one hand resting on her knee. ¡°The chaos of the Outer Sect has not yet settled after all. I would not put such foolishness past the petty, small-minded grudges of your lesser peers. Seat yourself. You are my guest, and I would not leave you standing. I am afraid you will have to pour your own tea; Guangli has more pressing tasks than to play manservant today.¡±


    Ling Qi straightened up and inclined her head gratefully, carefully ascending the steps to sit down at the seat prepared for her.


    ¡°It is no trouble,¡± Ling Qi said, knowing that refusing the other girl¡¯s refreshments would be an insult. Besides, if someone like Cai Renxiang wanted to do something untoward, she would hardly need to resort to something like poisoned tea.


    ¡°Would you like me to pour your cup as well, Lady Cai?¡± Ling Qi asked. It seemed like the polite thing to do, and it didn¡¯t cost her anything to offer.


    ¡°It would be appreciated,¡± Cai Renxiang replied, studying Ling Qi intensely. ¡°I am glad to see that you have some knowledge of how to conduct yourself,¡± she added in what Ling Qi took as an attempt at a complimentary tone.


    ¡°It¡¯s best not to offend others unnecessarily,¡± Ling Qi said in turn, lifting the teapot gingerly to pour the steaming liquid within into the two cups set out. She blinked as Cai Renxiang leaned forward to take a cup, her eyes drawn down to the bright red butterfly wings splashed across the bosom of the other girl¡¯s gown. Had the embroidery just moved on its own?


    ¡°My honored Mother¡¯s work is impeccable, is it not?¡± Cai Renxiang¡¯s voice shook her out of her contemplation, and Ling Qi flushed as she realized that she had been staring at Cai Renxiang¡¯s chest. The gown¡¯s pattern had definitely shifted just then too.


    Ling Qi brought her eyes back to the other girl¡¯s face and took a brief sip from her cup to cover her embarrassment. ¡°It is a very fine gown,¡± she said hastily. ¡°I did not know your Mother did such work. I would think her too busy.¡±


    ¡°You would be correct for the most part,¡± Cai Renxiang admitted. ¡°Her work is largely reserved for Empress Xiang and a handful of other clients these days. I am honored beyond words that she would bestow such a gift upon me. But we are not here to speak of such things,¡± she continued, meeting Ling Qi¡¯s eyes unwaveringly. ¡°Tell me, Ling Qi. What do you see when you look upon the Outer Sect? Do not mind your words, and speak from your heart.¡±


    Ling Qi had a hard time not hunching her shoulders at the sudden inflection of absolute command in the other girl¡¯s voice. She regarded the resplendent girl silently, noting the faint corona of light shining around Cai Renxiang¡¯s head even now. Despite their disparity in status, Ling Qi thought the heiress was speaking earnestly about her desire for plain words.


    ¡°For the most part, a bunch of desperate opportunists,¡± Ling Qi found herself saying bluntly. She thought of Li Suyin¡¯s shattered expectations. ¡°I can¡¯t really criticize, but I can¡¯t say it¡¯s very admirable either. It¡¯s not what people think of when they imagine cultivators, that¡¯s for sure.¡± . Ling Qi was pretty sure she had caught a slight upward quirk of the severe girl¡¯s lips before it was quickly hidden behind a tea cup.


    ¡°An interesting statement. You are right that you cannot criticize. Your background hardly allows for that, bereft of virtue as it is.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned at the other girl, who simply raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Lady Cai, I do not think you would invite me here just to insult me,¡± Ling Qi said, doing her best to keep the irritation out of her voice but not entirely succeeding. ¡°I won¡¯t apologize for my background. I survived as I could and made the best of the situation. Virtue is a luxury for those not living on the edge of starvation or worse.¡±


    She winced, fearing she might have gone too far there, letting her temper get the better of her. When she raised her eyes from the tabletop though, she found the girl across from her regarding her without disapproval.


    ¡°Virtue cannot exist without order, and there is little of that to be found in a city¡¯s gutters,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed coolly. ¡°I will not dispute that. Do you resent those who rule then? For leaving mortals to suffer in squalor?¡±


    Ling Qi stared down the heiress. She could just reply with some platitude, but she felt like she was doing better for being honest with Cai Renxiang.


    ¡°Maybe a little,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°But in the end, that¡¯s childish. There will never be enough resources for everyone. That¡¯s just the way the world is. Complaining about it is useless.¡± Ling Qi had thought of such things before, but in the end, she didn¡¯t really feel much resentment toward nobles as a group. Why would she? It was like blaming water for being wet. That was just the nature of power. ¡°I¡¯ll keep my grudges to individuals.¡±


    ¡°Interesting - and rather different from Ji Rong¡¯s answer,¡± Cai Renxiang said thoughtfully.


    ¡°Is that why you had him punished?¡± Ling Qi asked warily.


    The heiress shook her head, sending her long black hair swaying. ¡°No. I asked Xuan Shi to punish him for seizing additional funds on top of his enforcement efforts,¡± she said flatly. ¡°It is unacceptable for a government officer to profit directly from the fines he assigns. Tolerance of such behavior encourages untoward behavior.¡±


    Ling Qi thought that sounded off. "So... what do you do with the funds then?" she asked dubiously. "I mean, no offense, but not many people on this... council even need red stones."


    "At the moment, they are being placed into a fund to take care of expenses that may be incurred in the course of our business," Cai Renxiang replied without pause. "This includes expenses like medical care for those injured while enforcing our rules or the cost of purchasing equipment and hiring other personnel as we expand the scope of our duties. I can supplement such things with my own income, but it is only sensible to use the punitive funds for this purpose."


    Ling Qi still wasn''t sure she was satisfied with that but decided to let it pass for now. ¡°May I ask, what is it you wished to ask me here for, Lady Cai?¡± She could feel her patience wearing thin because so far it seemed like the girl was just needling her to get her to answer largely pointless questions.


    Cai Renxiang took another small sip of her tea before answering. ¡°I desire order. As you have noted, most cultivators are, without a well enforced structure of expectation and punishment, little more than savages and opportunists, hardly better than the beasts we bind.¡±


    Ling Qi found herself fixed under the other girl¡¯s intense gaze as a bit of passion began to make its way into her stern voice.


    ¡°If I cannot even command the obedience and respect of such a small number of cultivators, I have no doubt that Mother will remove me as her heir, and I would not blame her. I wish to bring the remaining dissidents and malcontents among us to heel, and I require your aid in doing so.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked. She couldn¡¯t imagine what she could do that the heiress could not. ¡°I¡¯d like to know what exactly you have in mind and why you would choose me to do it,¡± Ling Qi replied, choosing her words with care. ¡°And I¡¯d like to note that I won¡¯t do anything against Bai Meizhen. She is my friend, and I owe her too much.¡± Ling Qi wanted to make her limits clear.


    ¡°I have no ill intentions toward Miss Bai,¡± Cai Renxiang said, inclining her head slightly. ¡°Things are not as they were in past centuries. Change is coming, and grudges are washed away with the tides of time.¡± Ling Qi narrowed her eyes at the vague wording. ¡°Rather, there have been a number of incidents involving attacks upon female disciples in the outer sections of the residential area. The disciples have been beaten and humiliated, robbed down to their smallclothes.¡±


    Ling Qi thought ruefully that she really needed to pay more attention to things going on outside her immediate sphere. Understanding quickly dawned as she considered the other female cultivators that had attended the council meeting. If someone was attacking from ambush at night, they probably weren¡¯t going to come out if Cai Renxiang was around, glowing like a lamp. Ling Qi doubted Sun Liling or Bai Meizhen would be interested in trying to deal with it either.


    ¡°Do you know anything about the attacker?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°They seem to have an art which allows them to avoid my sight,¡± Cai Renxiang said a touch sourly. ¡°But I will admit, I have little use for subtlety in my personal doings. Other than that, the only confirmed information is that they inflict paralysis with their attacks. They have not struck at any capable of fighting back beyond their initial blow as of yet.¡± She paused to study Ling Qi. ¡°I am aware that cultivation time is valuable. Should you bring this person to me, I am willing to offer you recompense for your time, as well as my gratitude. Ten yellow spirit stones seems an appropriate compensation.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the offer,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I hope you will not be offended if I need to consider it for a time?¡± Ten yellow stones would go quite a long way, especially once she broke through to Mid Silver. But if she could not find and capture this ambusher, she¡¯d waste time she could have been cultivating for no gain.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Cai Renxiang answered, setting her teacup down. ¡°Know that if you do not undertake and complete the job by the end of next week, I will be forced to entertain other measures. Defiance such as this cannot be brooked.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded absently. This might just be a real opportunity for her.

 Chapter 58-Tag 1

    Over the course of the next few days, she continued training hard.


    Her efforts pushed her through to Mid Silver Physique, further strengthening and tempering her body, as well as clearing a meridian to channel qi through her arms. Between her increased physical ability, Su Ling¡¯s advice, and the passing of the initial awkwardness, her hunts with Han Jian and his group began to bear fruit. They weren¡¯t hunting anything difficult, mostly just the white deer native to the surrounding forest which provided the ingredients for many basic pills and elixirs. It was still nice to profit, if barely, even after splitting the proceeds with everyone. She was even able to get that rabbit she had promised Cui.


    Su Ling came through for her as well, delivering a stack of fragrant, qi-infused, pre-cut wood for use as fuel and earth qi-infused clay to use for her hatching kiln. Lacking any safer place to do so, she set up the construction in the little garden that lay in the center of the home she shared with Meizhen.


    She had had to spend a lot of time pouring over the books in the archive about building kilns, but she managed to construct something approximating the illustrations she was using for reference. It took a long day¡¯s labor in her old disciple¡¯s robes that left her covered in mud and clay up to her forearms, but in the end, it was complete, and she was able to light it. She had been nervous about actually putting the egg into the flame, but she had tested the egg¡¯s safety with a smaller fire first, and the egg¡¯s qi did seem to react favorably to the heat.


    She even managed her first real formation, a simple string of characters inscribed around the base of the kiln to keep it heated for several hours after the fire had gone out. This should mean she would not need to constantly attend to the fire.


    It was in the aftermath of setting up the kiln that she finally got the chance to talk to Bai Meizhen again. The other girl had been incredibly busy between her lessons with Elder Ying and preparations for breakthrough.


    ¡°You are filthy, Ling Qi, and tracking mud on the carpets.¡± Bai Meizhen¡¯s first words to her this week were hardly welcoming, nor was her expression. ¡°You will not come any further inside until you have cleaned yourself,¡± she added flatly, pointing back outside.


    Ling Qi grinned sheepishly, still riding the high from seeing the egg¡¯s qi flare up, drinking in the energy from the flames and wood like a hungry whirlpool. She was pretty filthy, she could admit, and her disciple¡¯s gown hung heavily with the mud caking the lower hem. ¡°I suppose I could go rinse off in the pond first.¡± She sighed. She really wanted a good soak in the bath.


    ¡°You will not use our garden pond to wash either,¡± Bai Meizhen continued. ¡°There is a public well. Use it.¡±


    Ling Qi raised a hand to brush through her hair but managed to stop herself before she smeared more dirt on herself. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you aren¡¯t against me doing something so plebeian as washing my feet in public,¡± she said wryly. ¡°Haven¡¯t you and Gu Xiulan been trying to get me to act more ladylike?¡± (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});


    ¡°A futile effort indeed,¡± Bai Meizhen said, not budging an inch. ¡°However, your current state is your own fault. No one forced you to do such peasant work yourself. I would have lent you a few stones to hire a craftsperson if you needed it.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to do this myself,¡± Ling Qi said firmly. ¡°This egg was entrusted to me, you know? I don¡¯t want to risk some random guy from the crafting hall knowing what I¡¯m doing, and the spirit deserves my personal attention and care.¡±


    Her friend¡¯s expression softened, and she thought she heard an approving murmur from Cui brushing her thoughts. ¡°You will clean everything you touch, including the bath,¡± she said flatly, stepping aside. ¡°And it will not be ¡®later¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Ling Qi said a bit nervously, remembering the one and only time she had left dirty dishes out in the kitchen. She paused as she began to move past her housemate though, recalling that she had wanted to ask Meizhen something. ¡°Before I go though, do you want to try training together some time? I could use the practice against mental stuff from someone friendly now that I have Argent Mirror worked out. Ah - I¡¯m not sure how it would help you though,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°I guess I could demonstrate my movement art for you. I remember you mentioning some interest awhile back.¡±


    ¡°I suppose I can consider it. Now that I think about it, I never had the chance to ask. Did your meeting with Lady Cai go well?¡± Bai Meizhen asked.


    ¡°It went¡­ pretty well, I think?¡± Ling Qi responded with uncertainty. ¡°She asked me some weird questions and requested that I take care of somebody breaking the rules at night. She seems fair, I guess. She even mentioned that she didn¡¯t have any enmity toward you.¡±


    ¡°I see. Perhaps I shall have to speak with her about that spar after all,¡± Bai Meizhen mused. ¡°I owe her that much, and I really should speak with her again.¡±


    ¡°Let me know if you do. I think I¡¯d like to see that,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Now, I¡¯m pretty sure I should move before I drip any more.¡±


    Bai Meizhen blinked and glanced down, wrinkling her nose at the sight of the mud on the floor. ¡°...Yes, quite.¡±


    Ling Qi passed her friend by, only briefly noting the thoughtful expression on her face as she headed off to clean up. She wasn¡¯t done for the day after all. With the sun falling, she needed to continue cultivating the Eight Phase Ceremony.


    Unfortunately, it remained slow going. Even perched on a high cliff under a clear sky, it was incredibly difficult to sense stellar and lunar qi and parse it from the other energies in the environment. Actually trying to absorb it was even more difficult; it was like trying to grasp a cloud.


    She hadn¡¯t entirely failed though. By the time the end of the week neared, she had felt a few precious, tiny drops of qi seeping into her dantian. With just a little more work, she would master the first phase and finally learn some portion of the last of her arts from the Moon.


    However, earlier this week, she had taken down the notice for the ¡®Moonfill¡¯ mission and accepted it. She would need to start working her way up to the mountain peak if she wanted to make it in good time.


    According to the instructions she had been given, there was an artificial tunnel that started two thirds of the way up the mountain that would allow her to reach the glade where she could gather nectar from the moon lily. Ling Qi was wary about using it. She had noticed a few other disciples lingering in her peripheral vision when she had taken down the notice and gotten it stamped, and she was pretty sure one of the lingering disciples had been with Kang Zihao at the meeting.


    She could just choose to climb the mountain. It would be more difficult and tiring than the tunnel, but it would also be harder to track her through the winding cliffs and crevices. She would probably need to deal with spirit beasts though, and the higher up she went, the stronger they would be.


    In the end, Ling Qi decided that avoiding the tunnel was a better choice. Climbing the mountain would likely be safer. Just because she had managed to avoid serious trouble in fights so far didn¡¯t mean she should get cocky. She wouldn¡¯t have any allies with her this time, and while her fight with the worm had gone well enough, Ling Qi also knew that her fellow cultivators would be prepared for her if they were choosing to attack.


    Besides, she had been meaning to explore the mountain more, and she had all night to climb. It might even be refreshing to have some time to herself to clear her head. With that in mind, Ling Qi prepared herself for the trip ahead, first by borrowing a few harvesting tools from Su Ling and secondly, by rearranging the contents of her storage ring for more space.


    She left her qi cards at home since she could never seem to decide what technique was worth putting in them, and they didn¡¯t do her much good when empty. Likewise, her spirit stones and archive pass followed them out. Bai Meizhen would be home tonight so it was pretty unlikely that their home would be robbed. The chances of running into misfortune herself seemed higher.


    That done, she dropped by the market to acquire a training bow and a quiver of arrows. While her knives were better for actual fights, her growing archery skills had proved invaluable for hunting, and she figured it couldn¡¯t hurt. It wasn¡¯t as if the bow weighed anything significant.


    Feeling more prepared, Ling Qi set out as the colors of sunset began to paint the sky, circling the mountain to approach the peak from an entirely different angle than where the tunnel would lead.


    Ling Qi often had trouble recognizing just how much she had changed. It was easy to forget the newfound power in her body when she was surrounded by peers, but here, alone with her thoughts, Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help but think about it. It was perhaps the first time she had lightly jumped across a ten meter gap to proceed. She found herself scrambling up a sheer cliff without any trouble at all, her hands digging easily into cracks in the stone to haul herself up. As a mortal, she would expect to be aching and probably nursing cuts and torn fingernails, but now, she just had to dust her hands off before she continued up the mountain.


    It was still tiring, but even as she entered her second hour of climbing, she felt only a slight fatigue, easily dispelled by a few minutes rest. Even periodically cycling her qi to activate trackless escape to break her trail did not tire her much.


    Things began to grow more difficult as she ascended. The wind around her took on a frigid chill, and she left the last scraggly bits of plant life behind. The cliffs grew higher and sheerer, and yet, the peak still lay ahead of her. She was no longer alone; dark shapes flapped in the blackening sky above her, only to be scattered by well aimed shots from her bow when they grew too close or bold. It got her a handful of low grade beast cores too.


    Soon, the mountain slope grew slippery with ice and snow, slowing her even further, and winds whipped violently around her as it began to snow. She found herself forging upward, her vision obscured by falling sheets of white. The sudden fierceness of it all surprised her. For so long as she had been in the sect, the weather had been calm; the worst weather she had previously seen on the mountain had been a few light rain showers.


    Still, she didn¡¯t worry too much. Even with snow crusting her hair and soaking her dress, she only felt mildly uncomfortable. The poor light didn¡¯t affect her either, only the opacity of the driving snow. She continued her progress, careful not to slip.


    As Ling Qi trudged and climbed on, she began to get a suspicious prickling sensation on the back of her neck. Something was wrong about this sudden snowstorm. It took more time to figure out just exactly what was happening. She was being guided, an unnatural tint of qi in the wind that kicked up now and then, forcing her to choose different paths.


    Likewise, the ice slicks seemed to be growing in frequency and not always in positions that made sense. Ling Qi was becoming increasingly sure that someone was messing with her. This suspicion was only confirmed when she caught the sound of someone laughing under the howling of the wind and caught a shadow out of the corner of her eye on a cliff above.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t waste any time responding appropriately.


    A white flash flew from her sleeve, blending with the falling snow as the dagger streaked toward the shadow on the cliff above her. Ling Qi¡¯s eyes narrowed as she summoned her flute to her hand, preparing to dance backward and throw up her mist, only to come up short as the figure gave a high-pitched yelp of surprise. As the knife struck, a dazzling burst of icy blue-white qi appeared¡­ right before the figure tumbled from the ledge it had been on, flailing and landing headfirst in a snowbank.


    ¡°Owie, owie,¡± the short, slight figure moaned, further throwing her off at its childish voice. She didn¡¯t allow her guard to go down entirely. Even if she couldn¡¯t quite bring herself to attack what she could now clearly see looked like a small child of eight or nine years, the ¡®child¡¯ was a second realm like her.


    The ¡®little girl¡¯ pouted as she pulled herself out of the snow, snowflakes seeming to avoid her entirely. She had short, messy silver hair and unsettling white eyes, devoid of iris or pupil; her unnaturally pale skin was nearly blue in places. She wore a dark blue child¡¯s dress that came down to her knees but was entirely barefoot.


    ¡°Such a mean big sister! You threw a knife at Hanyi!¡± The child stamped her foot angrily in the snow, pointing an accusing finger at Ling Qi.


    Ling Qi glared right back, despite the slightly foolish way it made her feel despite herself. This child was pretty clearly a spirit given the way she ignored the weather around her entirely.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to be attacked, you shouldn¡¯t lurk around dangerous paths,¡± Ling Qi said unapologetically. ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing. I can feel your qi in the wind and the ice.¡± Ling Qi couldn¡¯t read qi so accurately yet, but her gut told her she was right.


    ¡®Hanyi¡¯ scowled, crossing her arms. ¡°I was just playing,¡± she said petulantly. ¡°Mama said to go play in the storm ¡®cause she had things to do so I did! This place belongs to Mama anyway. Mean and ugly humans shouldn¡¯t be here!¡± She stamped her foot again, kicking up a burst of icy wind.


    Ling Qi could not help but feel a spike of irritation at the childish insults, but she wasn¡¯t foolish enough to snap back. She didn¡¯t think the spirit was lying about having a parent or that this area was its territory.


    ¡°Well, your mother should mark her property then,¡± Ling Qi said, not backing down. ¡°I just need to pass through here.¡± Ling Qi wished she could share whatever effect was letting the spirit ignore the weather to converse clearly; her eyes stung from the driving snow. Still, she had to be the mature one here. ¡°... I¡¯m sorry for attacking you, but I do need to be on my way. Can you please stop interfering?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Ling Qi¡¯s eye twitched at the defiant reply. ¡°Even if Big Sister has good eyes, I won¡¯t make it easy. You¡¯ll pay for being mean!¡± the child spirit yelled.


    Ling Qi grit her teeth, considering whether she should just knock the obnoxious little spirit out. That ran the risk of drawing the ire of her ¡®Mother¡¯ though, and Ling Qi didn¡¯t know how strong that spirit would be.


    ¡°I said that I was sorry,¡± she said with all the patience that she could muster. ¡°What can I do to make it up to you?¡± Maybe Ling Qi could bribe the spirit with sweets or something; she had packed some food for the trip. Or maybe the cores would work better?


    Hanyi¡¯s angry expression faded, and her round face screwed up in thought. ¡°Since you ruined my first game, you gotta play a different one with me!¡± she decided, seemingly pleased with her conclusion. ¡°I wanna play tag! If you can catch me twice, I¡¯ll let you go through mama¡¯s yard.¡±


    Ling Qi did her best to disguise her disgruntlement. It was already fairly late, and if she wanted to fulfill the mission, she needed to be at the glade at midnight. Despite Hanyi¡¯s game, Ling Qi was still roughly aware of where she was on the mountain and how far she had to go. Would she make it in time if she stopped to play a game with this annoying child?


    Ling Qi sighed. She had a feeling the spirit would become a much bigger problem if ignored or snubbed; she still had several hours before the collection deadline would pass so it seemed like playing along was her best option. Ling Qi briefly considered countering Hanyi¡¯s offer with one of her own, such as to play the little spirit some songs instead, but decided that Hanyi probably wouldn¡¯t agree.


    That didn¡¯t mean she would just go off blindly though. While spirits weren¡¯t always malicious, they were still often tricky, and she expected that in this case, her opponent was probably fickle too.


    ¡°I¡¯ll play with you,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°But I want to know the rules first. I¡¯m going to be mad if I catch you and you call it cheating or something.¡±


    Hanyi crossed her arms and pouted. ¡°It¡¯s tag! I run away and you chase me, silly human. Are you dumb too?¡±


    Ling restrained her urge to glare at the child. ¡°So you won¡¯t complain if I use arts?¡± she asked in a sickly-sweet voice. ¡°I won¡¯t go easy on you just because you¡¯re small.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d better use them or you¡¯ll never catch me on those skinny crane legs, big sister.¡± The snow child stuck out her tongue rudely. ¡°Are you gonna play or just complain all night?¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eye twitched, and she dashed forward at full speed, drawing on the dark around her. She felt gratified as the spirit¡¯s milky white eyes widened in surprise as she crossed the distance between them in an eyeblink. Ling Qi was less enthused when her hands closed on the girl¡¯s shoulders and went right through, Hanyi¡¯s figure exploding in a shower of snow, leaving her holding nothing but quickly melting slush.


    ¡°Haha! This will be fun! Big Sister is fast!¡± She heard the girl¡¯s childish, mocking laughter from atop the ridge and looked up in time to see a shadow vanishing into the snowstorm. Ling Qi leaped upward, landing on the ridge, only to feel the the hidden ice slick beneath the snow at the last moment. She kept herself from falling off the cliff, but she couldn¡¯t avoid tumbling through the snow, leaving her already damp dress soaked.


    ... This was going to be a long game.

 Chapter 59-Tag 2

    Ling Qi thanked the moon above for Sable Crescent Step. It was only by drawing on the speed granted by the art that made keeping up with the laughing child remotely possible. Hanyi was little more than a blue blur between snowflakes at times, and it didn¡¯t help that she clearly knew this area like the back of her hand, leading Ling Qi on a merry chase through the often vertical terrain. Ling Qi¡¯s irritation grew when it became clear the girl could run straight up a cliff as easily as Ling Qi could down a flat path.


    The task was made worse by the way Hanyi seemed to be able to vanish in a flurry of snowflakes when Ling Qi got close or the way Hanyi would trip her up with ice. Ling Qi took more than one nasty tumble that might have been fatal if she were a mortal. Once, the girl had even given her a shove after Ling Qi had barely steadied herself at the top of a ridge.


    The little spirit either had no concept of the idea that Ling Qi might be hurt by falling or simply didn¡¯t care. Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure which she hoped it was. She was not an amateur when it came to chases though; although she hadn¡¯t taken the role of the chaser before, she knew well the various tricks one could use to escape and good tricks for countering them.


    She could also tell after a good half hour of ¡®tag¡¯ that the little snow spirit needed a moment¡¯s concentration to do her vanishing trick. So after she chased Hanyi into a ravine, she broke off and changed direction, silently dashing up the angled slope while activating Crescent¡¯s Grace.


    Ling Qi blurred into the dark of the snowstorm, barely a black streak as she rushed suddenly unimpeded along the difficult slope. This time, Hanyi didn¡¯t even have a chance to notice her before she dove down from above and tackled the spirit into the snow, snaking her arms around the little girl¡¯s waist.


    ¡°That¡¯s one!¡± Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help but crow as she felt Hanyi squirming and trying to escape her grip.


    The girl was as cold as a block of ice, and her hands and arms burned where she touched the girl. But Ling Qi had caught her; the child in her grip was solid. She sat up from the bank the two of them had landed in, shaking off the snow, and grinned victoriously at the obnoxious child pouting up at her. After that annoying chase, she didn¡¯t care if gloating was childish.


    ¡°Ah, no fair! Big Sister is way too fast,¡± Hanyi grumbled, squirming free of Ling Qi¡¯s grip and dancing away, her bare feet not even leaving a mark in the snow. ¡°It must be because she¡¯s so tall, just like a mountain ogre! Hanyi will have to play more seriously now!¡±


    What followed was probably the most miserable hour in Ling Qi¡¯s recent memory. If chasing Hanyi down had been irritating before, it was infuriating now. She found herself buffeted by heavy winds, tripped by ice, and scrabbling up high rock faces; all the while, she had to deal with the little brat laughing at her every time she made a misstep.


    Several times, she went for a tag only to end up with nothing but snow in her hands, and she found her nerves beginning to fray. She didn¡¯t want to spend all of her qi chasing Hanyi down, which meant she didn¡¯t want to simply chain together Crescent¡¯s Grace, but the girl was too canny to be caught out the same way twice.


    Ling Qi had other options though. She allowed her pace to flag and deliberately began breathing harder, playing at being tired. Sure enough, the snow spirit picked up on this, and after a time, Hanyi began to play around instead of keeping as much distance as she could. Ling Qi had to wait a little, but soon, the girl got close enough in the process of pelting Ling Qi with snowballs that she could strike.


    Her flute, palmed in the time that she had spent waiting for Hanyi to lower her guard, was whipped up as she began to play, interlacing the first two melodies she had learned. Mist rolled out rapidly, mingling with the snowstorm to white out all vision.


    ¡°Eh¡­ Mama!?¡± Hanyi¡¯s head jerked back and forth as she was engulfed in mist on her snowbank perch, an expression of childish panic on her face. Ling Qi, being able to see through the mist, saw Hanyi¡¯s expression of panic morph into a pout. ¡°Hey! What do you think you¡¯re doing, Big Sister? Trying to trick me won¡¯t work!¡±


    Ling Qi would have smiled if she wasn¡¯t busy playing. A few graceful steps had carried her behind a boulder and out of the girl¡¯s immediate sight. She could hear the snow child whining in frustration as Hanyi found herself getting turned around in the mist.


    With her movement so limited and Ling Qi¡¯s ability to hide, it was almost too simple to find a higher place and leap down in ambush, landing feet first on the annoying girl¡¯s back and leaving her facedown in the snow. Normally, Ling Qi would feel terrible about sitting on the back of a child, but the chase had not inclined her fondly toward the spirit.


    ¡°Got you,¡± Ling Qi said a trifle smugly as she lowered her flute. ¡°That makes two.¡±


    She clamped a hand on the little girl¡¯s shoulder even as she moved to let her up. Unsurprisingly, Hanyi didn¡¯t look very happy. A dark blue, nearly purple flush of exertion and anger colored her childish face.


    ¡°No fair! You cheated! How could I run away like that? You¡¯re just being mean cause you don¡¯t want to play anymore!¡±


    ¡°You said there weren¡¯t any rules,¡± Ling Qi replied unsympathetically, not releasing the girl¡¯s shoulder despite the way her fingers were starting to feel numb. ¡°I played with you. Now you have to do what you promised and let me through.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna!¡± Hanyi said, stamping her foot. ¡°I want Big Sister to stay and keep playing. It was fun until you cheated!¡±


    If she hadn¡¯t just spent an hour and a half chasing down the little hellion, Ling Qi might have been affected by the little spirit¡¯s quivering lower lip and wide eyes. As the snow child opened her mouth to speak again though, a frigid burst of wind screamed over them, blasting away Ling Qi¡¯s mist and leaving the air briefly free of snow.


    ¡°Enough, Hanyi.¡±


    Ling Qi looked up and paled as she caught sight of the figure standing atop a half-buried boulder. She had heard the term ¡°fatal beauty¡± bandied about in stories and poems, but this was the first time she had seen it. The spirit stood more than two meters tall and yet retained the sort of graceful, feminine look that Ling Qi often envied. Long, unbound silver hair fluttered in the wind like a cloak of silk, partially obscuring deathly pale and sharp features. Unlike Hanyi, the older spirit¡¯s eyes seemed lit from within by a frigid light, and her full lips were the color of fresh blood.


    Hanyi¡¯s mother wore a gown of stark black, fully concealing her below her neck. Ling Qi wasn¡¯t even certain that there was a full body under the gown given the unnatural way the lower part rippled as the spirit moved. Most importantly, Ling Qi could perceive the weight and power of her qi. The spirit was fourth grade.


    ¡°Cease troubling this disciple,¡± the older spirit chastised, making the little girl lower her head, pout still present. Then Hanyi¡¯s mother turned her frigid gaze to Ling Qi. ¡°Disciple of Argent Sect, release my daughter.¡± Her voice was as harsh as a winter gale.


    Ling Qi released the younger spirit as if burned and hastily stood up to offer a respectful bow, scrabbling for memory of talks with Bai Meizhen.


    ¡°Of course, honored guardian of the peak.¡± She nearly tripped over the words. ¡°I apologize for the trespass and meant no offense.¡±


    The older spirit made a sharp gesture, briefly revealing the formless void of cold darkness beneath her sleeve, and Hanyi scurried to her side looking¡­ Well - she looked like she was trying to look contrite.


    ¡°These passes are free for your kind. My home does not lie here. My daughter was simply playing mischief while out of bounds.¡± The older spirit turned her stern expression on her daughter, causing the young spirit to wilt under her judgement.


    ¡°Sorry, mama. The yard was boring,¡± Hanyi mumbled, scuffing her bare foot through the snow.


    ¡°Thank you for your patience, Disciple,¡± the mother said, and Ling Qi noticed now that her lips weren¡¯t even really moving when she spoke. ¡°I will clear the storm in your path. I assume your destination is the glade of the moon lily?¡±


    ¡°Yes, honored spirit,¡± Ling Qi replied, clasping her hands in front of her, relief coloring her thoughts as she offered another bow. ¡°It was¡­ no trouble at all.¡± She wasn¡¯t sure how sincere that had sounded. Going by the slight twitch of the older spirit¡¯s lips, the answer was not very.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± the spirit said, managing to sound dubious without changing her tone at all. ¡°Regardless, you have my thanks for entertaining my daughter. Be on your way, and perhaps we will speak again when your melody has matured.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, throwing up her hands to shield her eyes as the snowstorm intensified. When she lowered them, the spirits were gone, and the snowfall had begun to slow. As she looked down, she saw at her feet something bright and glittering. Picking it up, she found a fine silver hairpin, the attached ornament in the shape of a snowflake. If she squinted, she could make out the tiny characters etched into the metal.


    Ling Qi called out a few times, offering to return the pin in case it had been left behind by mistake but received no response. Eventually, she stored it away and moved on, taking a few moments to get her bearings. The way was now largely clear of snow, swept clean as if by a giant¡¯s brush.


    With that help, it only took another half hour to reach the glade, especially since the other denizens of the mountain seemed to be avoiding her. Every beast she spotted scampered away as soon as she spotted it.


    The glade itself was almost anticlimactic. It was a simple hollow behind a narrow crack in the rock, unnaturally warm compared to the outside. A clear pond filled most of the space, but it was surrounded by out of place greenery. The moon Iily was a faintly glowing white flower that grew from the center of the pond. Silver nectar pooled in the cup formed by its petals.


    Ling Qi followed the instruction provided in the mission packet carefully so as not to tear the delicate petals, draining the nectar into the provided container before sealing it.


    It was at that point that she noticed the dozens of eyes peering at her from the darkness of the cranny-ridden walls of the glade. She didn¡¯t know how she had missed them coming in, but she was certainly aware now of the many, many white furred, red-eyed rabbits watching her from their rocky burrows, noses twitching and eyes glowing. Thankfully, they seemed content to just watch as she backed out of the glade, sweating under their regard. She was pretty sure at least one of those rabbits had been grade three too.


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure of the reason behind their behavior, but she was glad the rabbits hadn¡¯t been hostile. She had the nectar, and now, it was time to head back. The snowstorm was already beginning to fill in her cleared path though. Should she return the same way, brave the tunnel, or pick a new path down?


    Well, she didn¡¯t really feel like dealing with a possible ambush from her fellow disciples tonight. So after sending the nectar into her ring, Ling Qi began to pick her way down the cliffs in the opposite direction of her original path. She had to assume any potential attackers weren¡¯t incompetent; it was likely that they would at least find the start of her trail. The tunnel was out for obvious reasons as well. Besides, the new path would allow her to poke around the mountain for interesting things.


    Ling Qi began her meandering descent, her sense of urgency having faded with the acquisition of the nectar. As long as she delivered it by noon, she would be fine. The walk was actually rather relaxing now that the snow was no longer coming down so hard and the wind no longer so driven. That wasn¡¯t to say she found her path completely unimpeded, but there was nothing that troubled her too much. She managed to shoot down a few more minor buzzards and once found herself standing off with a silvery white mountain lion, who eventually seemed to decide that she was too tough a bone to chew.


    She noted a few interesting things like a herd of shaggy, grade one mountain goats that might make for good hunting with Han Jian and the others and a few places where plants she vaguely remembered hearing Su Ling talk about grew. She didn¡¯t bother collecting them. Even if she managed to harvest them correctly, she would probably just forget about them before she could make use of them.


    She really was a greedy girl, feeling put out that she hadn¡¯t managed to find anything of real interest when she had already had a fortuitous encounter tonight. Ling Qi shook her head in bemusement at her thoughts as she carefully hopped across another ravine, her dress fluttering in the mountain winds.


    It was beginning to warm up a little as she worked her way back down toward the treeline, and Ling Qi was glad for it. Even if she wasn¡¯t harmed by the temperature, she was still soaked and cold and was looking forward to a nice warm bath when she got home. However, as she descended back into the frosted conifers that grew in this part of the mountain, she found that she still had some luck after all.


    Working her way through the trees, she found a wide clearing atop a raised plateau where soft grass and hardy wildflowers grew. The light of the moon and stars seemed especially bright here. It might make for a good place to cultivate her Eight Phase Ceremony.


    Unfortunately, it also seemed she wasn¡¯t the only one here. While she was exploring the meadow, her instincts and senses picked up the approach of heavy and numerous footfalls, allowing her to slip away and hide in time. What she saw chilled her joy at the find.


    It seemed the meadow was home to a rather large pack of Rimefur wolves. She counted at least fifteen of them, all grade two, in the group that entered the clearing. There was also a rather large pair, closer to the size of a horse than a wolf, among them. One was a heavily scarred and thickly muscled beast with blue white fur, and the other was a slightly smaller and sleeker wolf with black fur flecked with white. Her art could not read the exact stage of their cultivation, but she got the impression that they were not far from grade three.


    She didn¡¯t think she could take this group - not alone - and that was only confirmed when she found herself locking eyes with the smaller of the alpha pair. She fled at top speed, blending with the darkness as the incensed howls of the wolfpack followed her down the mountain. Thankfully, Ling Qi was as fleet as a mountain wind, and she was able to escape successfully with the aid of her Sable Crescent Step art, even if it was rather taxing on her qi.


    It was the better part of an hour before they finally stopped chasing her, and her legs burned from the exertion. She had definitely been put through her paces when it came to speed tonight.


    She was glad to return to the more civilized part of the mountain and head home for that bath. She exchanged greetings with Bai Meizhen, who was seated at their table staring at a block of clay as if it had personally offended her somehow, and then settled in for what remained of the night.


    In the morning, she took the time to cash in the common cores she had picked up. They were fairly low quality, and she still wasn''t great at harvesting so she only managed to get five stones for each. Better than nothing.


    Strangely, there seemed to be a rumor going around that a dozen odd disciples had come limping into the Medicine Hall in the early morning with nasty, badly bleeding wounds. What was up with that, she wondered with a slight smirk.


    Well, it had nothing to do with her anymore. It was time to start preparing for the next week.

 Interlude: Bai Meizhen

    ¡®This is boring, Sister Meizhen.¡¯ Cui complained. ¡®Why do we need to do such a thing?¡¯


    ¡°We are hardly doing anything,¡± Bai Meizhen replied sourly. ¡°I am the only one capable of performing this task. You need not stay for this.¡± She stared hard at the block of grayish brown clay in front of her, mocking her with its mundane and inert nature.


    ¡®Where else would I go?¡¯ Cui grumbled childishly, and Bai Meizhen felt her coils shifting around her neck. ¡®It is cold outside, and Sister Meizhen has forbidden me from doing anything fun.¡¯


    ¡°I have forbidden you from playing tricks or eating pets and familiars, yes,¡± Bai Meizhen said dryly. ¡°Now hush. I must concentrate.¡±


    ¡®Hmph. If Sister Meizhen wants to play in the mud so much, Cui will just be silent then,¡¯ Cui said in a tone that Meizhen knew meant she would have to placate her with something tasty later.


    Bai Meizhen returned her attention to the clay, narrowing her eyes. She did not even disagree with her cousin. She felt that this was a pointless waste of time, but it was also a task assigned by an Elder. She just wasn¡¯t certain whether the insufferably cheerful woman was mocking her by giving out meaningless tasks instead of real training.


    Elder Ying confused her, and it was not a feeling she enjoyed. The woman was far too informal and behaved more familiarly with her than was appropriate. She had certainly not been condescended to so blatantly in¡­ ever, really.


    Cool, dry hands brushed affectionately through the soft fuzz of hair that had just begun to grow out, and a cold voice was tinged with rare warmth as Mother chided her for some childish misdeed.


    Bai Meizhen pushed away that fragment of memory; such sentimentality was pointless. Even if it was mere pettiness, she would not fail her lessons. She had been given a block of qi-absorbing clay and told to tease out the true shape hidden within it as she meditated on her relationships and connections with the world. Bai Meizhen had never learned to sculpt as it was not among the artistic endeavors considered necessary for her station. As a cultivator, her work would outstrip all but the best mortal craftsmen, even without tools, but that was hardly the point.


    What did the woman even mean? What did she want her to shape from the clay? Bai Meizhen was aware that earth was the element of acceptance and community, but she already knew her place in the world. What did she have to consider here? Was she meant to create some pro-Empire image then? An offer of loyalty and solidarity from a treacherous Bai to prove that their program was working?


    She felt her lips curling in disdain and Cui¡¯s coils tightening in response to her emotions but calmed herself. It was beneath her to react so. She would simply perform the task as instructed.


    Closing her eyes, she considered where to begin. Family was the single most important connection a cultivator had. So who among her clan did she feel connection and ¡®affection¡¯ for?


    Her thoughts turned first to her grandfather, and his cold and pitiless eyes flashed through her thoughts, disapproving as they always were. Grandfather had trained her - as he had the rest of the youngest generation of the Bai in the hopes of teasing out outstanding talent. No, that was simply the bond of familial duty; instinctively, she felt that it wasn¡¯t what Elder Ying was looking for. Grandfather had rarely ever even spoken to her directly, save for an occasional correction or word of grudging praise at success.


    Should she consider Father then? She felt a twist of bitterness at even considering the thought. Father was an embarrassment to the clan, a rabbit in the den of serpents and a concession in the name of financial concerns.


    Bai Meizhen breathed out, clearing her thoughts of such unfilial musings. That was unfair. Father was an outsider, married into the clan. It was unreasonable to expect more of him. She wished he could manage a simple family dinner without looking as if he were going to faint though.


    Should she consider her cousins then? She allowed memories of familiar faces and rivalries to pass through her thoughts one at a time. No, they were rivals for position in the clan. There might be a degree of polite cordiality and the acknowledgement that they would back one another against outsiders but little else. She had been too busy with her cultivation to engage with the little cliques that had formed among them, and she was aware of the various minor resentments many in the clan held toward her for one reason or another.


    Aunt Suzhen then, the hope of the clan, said to have the greatest chance of breaking through to White and restoring a degree of the Bai¡¯s honor. It was thanks to her Aunt that she had Cui, had been awakened, and had mastered the Abyssal Mantle art so well. It had disappointed her in her earliest days that she had little talent for the metal arts which her Aunt made such prominent use of. Despite that Aunt Suzhen, of all her family, had shown her the most kindness and consideration, but her aunt was incredibly busy with the business of the clan and her provincial government duties. Meizhen could count the times she had spoken to her aunt on the fingers of one hand.


    Cui was the obvious answer, and she unconsciously raised her hand to run her fingers along her cousin¡¯s cool emerald scales. Cui, for all her gluttony and sloth, was a good sister. Her lips quirked up in amusement as she felt Cui¡¯s tongue flick against her throat irritably. It seemed she had been thinking a little too loudly there.


    Meizhen traced her fingers over the clay thoughtfully. Was that the answer then? She scowled at the block, feeling like she was still missing something.


    Her hands jerked slightly as the door banged open, and she quickly raised her head, ready to stare down an intruder. Likely, it was that vulgar Sun witch, back for another round. She had been focused too hard on her task if she had failed to notice the approach of a rival. Her gathering qi scattered a moment later when she found herself looking upon Ling Qi instead.


    Her housemate currently resembled a wet cat, soaked to the bone as she was. Meizhen pursed her lips as she examined the skinny girl. Really, it had taken long enough for Ling Qi to start dressing properly, but the other girl still showed little care for her dignity, appearing with brambles caught on her dress and twigs in her flyaway hair. It was frustrating.


    ¡°What happened to you?¡± Meizhen found herself asking, distracted from her task.


    ¡°Played tag with a snow spirit, then had to run from a pack of wolves,¡± Ling Qi muttered tiredly, absently kicking the door closed behind her.


    Bai Meizhen glanced away, not wishing to take advantage of the girl¡¯s slovenly state to stare. Ling Qi was practically indecent right now. Meizhen hoped that Ling Qi at least had the presence of mind to stay out of sight and avoid scandal on the way back. The other girl was so oblivious to the importance of appearance and presentation.


    ¡°... I see,¡± she said, returning her gaze to her project. ¡°Were you able to complete your mission regardless?¡±


    Ling Qi was unhurt so there was not much reason for concern. She had worried that the other girl would find trouble, going out alone among her fellow disciples, but she had not voiced it. She would not stunt Ling Qi¡¯s growth by coddling her.


    ¡°Yeah. It went fine honestly,¡± Ling Qi said, glancing briefly at her as she passed through the room, idly brushing strands of hair from her face. Ling Qi¡¯s braid had come loose, and her hair was now clinging distractingly to the curve of her neck. ¡°I really want a hot bath and a nap though so I¡¯m going to turn in. G¡¯night Bai Meizhen.¡±


    ¡°Good night,¡± Meizhen replied as the girl slumped off into the hall leading to the baths. Ling Qi¡­ She did not know what to make of the girl at times. The girl had bouts of incredible good fortune and was clearly talented, but she simply refused to fit into Bai Meizhen¡¯s understanding of things.


    ¡®The mouse is getting in trouble again. Perhaps I, Cui, should accompany her next time she goes out to play. Better than poking at mud,¡¯ her cousin suggested.


    ¡°Do as you will,¡± Bai Meizhen said. ¡°I doubt Ling Qi will have any patience for your gluttony either.¡±


    ¡®Sister Meizhen is cruel,¡¯ Cui sulked. ¡®Maybe I should tell the mouse that you find her legs distracting.¡¯


    ¡°You will be hunting for yourself for the foreseeable future then,¡± Bai Meizhen hissed quietly. She did not think of Ling Qi in that sense, but the girl was simply so indiscreet. It didn¡¯t help that she had been growing more distracted by such things since coming to the Sect. It was frustrating, but she was aware that it was simply a foible of her age and development.


    No, Ling Qi was complicated.


    She called Ling Qi her friend, and the other girl seemed to return the feeling. Friendship with outsiders was a matter of convenience though, favors offered for favors owed. That was how their relationship began. She had not been so foolish and conceited as the lesser nobles. She knew that an unawakened commoner brought to the Sect would obviously be of high talent. The Ministry would not bother taking her in and bringing her here otherwise.


    It had cost her little to offer Ling Qi some minor favors at first, explaining simple things as one would to a child. The girl would likely rise to some degree of prominence and be a useful contact when she left the Sect, provided that Ling Qi made it through her tour of service.


    Meizhen had even toyed with the idea of offering her vassalage. The Bai were certainly short on vassals still, lands lying fallow and abandoned by the treasonous scum who chose to serve the barbarian Sun. She suspected Ling Qi would not have asked for much if she had brought it up in the beginning.


    Something had held her back though. The casual way the girl interacted with her was refreshing in a way. Meizhen enjoyed it and hadn¡¯t wanted to end it by placing a clear and obvious delineation in rank between them.


    Ling Qi¡¯s vulgar behavior was also frustrating. Meizhen wondered sometimes if the other girl had been raised by wolves like some barbarian legend, but it was not her place to pry into personal matters. Things changed gradually, and she grew comfortable with the status quo between them. She grew complacent.


    Then they had attempted the trial together, and she had been faced with the betrayal of the thing wearing the girl¡¯s face and the subsequent revelation of the girl¡¯s apparent death.


    Her rage had been unseemly. The Bai were a clan famed for their self control - and for good reason. A Bai¡¯s fury was as cruel and destructive as the great storms spawned by the dreams of Grandmother Serpent. She did not regret making that creature beg pitifully for death, but she did regret the weakness it represented in her.


    She had grown too attached to an outsider, too invested in her well being. The Bai had been shown time and again that they could only rely on themselves. Outsiders would fall to the siren call of power, whether it be to the Imperial Throne that had used them for so long or the murderous drumbeats of the Red Garden. Grandfather would be so disappointed in her if he knew.


    She could not say she loved Ling Qi as she did Cui, who was her sister in all the ways that mattered, but she would be lying to herself if she said that Ling Qi was not important to her. Lying to herself was a greater sin than even the existence of a bond; lies would stifle and slow her cultivation if left to fester.


    It was fine. Ling Qi could stand on her own and had gained the attention of the Cai heiress. They could remain in contact even after parting ways, and Bai Meizhen would not have to show such a glaring weakness to her family. She shuddered to imagine Ling Qi behaving with her usual Ling Qi-ness in front of her clan or, ancestors forbid, Grandfather.


    Still, perhaps these thoughts were what she was meant to think of for this project. She turned her attention back to the clay, focusing on finishing the task. She would need to complete it by sunrise, for her next lesson with Elder Ying.

 Chapter 60-Simmering 1

    Ling Qi had not been focusing as heavily on cultivation in the past few weeks, but she felt that it was time for that to change, at least temporarily. As much as she was growing quickly, there was still so much she needed to do.


    To that end, she began her week by heading to the archive. This week, she wanted to obtain a dedicated offensive art. Zephyr¡¯s Breath was good, especially when she was with Han Jian and the others, but she wanted something useful for when she was on her own, something that she could use to end battles more quickly. She wouldn¡¯t always have the time to dance around an enemy while they were worn down by a thousand cuts after all.


    Ling Qi found several interesting possibilities during her search. The Falling Stars and Ashen Shadow arts were both great for different fighting styles, and she spent quite a while reviewing the arts and agonizing over which of them she wanted to learn. She ended up spending several hours longer in the archive than she intended actually, paralyzed by indecision as she was.


    It turned out for the best as she turned up a lucky find while researching elements and combat tactics to help her make her decision. Buried behind a pile of scrolls on archery theory, she found a small, dusty clay container still sealed by wax. Inside was a single, dull white pill with a very strong medicinal scent. Hurriedly, she tucked it into her storage ring for later identification.


    In the end, she chose the Falling Stars art. Ling Qi felt that she was rapidly getting better with a bow, and having an art to actually make use of the weapon could only improve her hunting ability, which was her best way of making money at the moment. She thought she might come back for the other art later, but for now, she had to focus on learning her new art, or rather, opening the meridians needed for it and Sable Crescent Step.


    It turned out her fortune had been particularly good. The dull white pill she had found, although on the verge of expiration, greatly aided in the opening of new meridians. The Medicine Hall disciple said it was still safe to use for a few more weeks as the wax seal she had broken had kept it preserved.


    In any case, she found herself rapidly clearing a new pair of meridians in the spine and arm with the medicinally-induced surge. Her body once again tingled with energy and drive from the quantity of cultivation drugs she had taken.


    Sadly, with everything else she needed to do, she didn¡¯t have time to train the art itself despite her desire to get in more practice with her archery. Ling Qi was able to continue improving her mundane skills with simple practice though.


    Her burgeoning archery skills were a great help when she joined Han Jian and the others for their weekly hunt; she still wasn¡¯t good enough to outright kill the beasts they hunted with a single shot, but she was more than able to slow or cripple them for her companions to finish. It was enjoyable, sighting a target from dozens of meters away and allowing all but her target and her arrow to fade from her mind. It was almost like meditation.


    That feeling had only grown when she punched an arrow through the shoulder of a Black Steel Bear, causing the powerful grade two beast to stumble and crash to the ground rather than bowl over Fan Yu and Han Jian. It hadn¡¯t put the beast down, but it had given her friends the opportunity they needed to finish the fight.


    Perhaps it was because of her own good mood that she noticed that Gu Xiulan seemed withdrawn compared to her usual boisterous and outgoing self. So after parting ways with the boys, she broached the subject on the way back home.


    ¡°Did you want to go to the springs together?¡± Ling Qi asked as she fell in beside Gu Xiulan. ¡°It¡¯s been some time since we¡¯ve had an opportunity to relax together.¡±


    The shorter girl cocked her head to the side slightly, giving Ling Qi an appraising look. ¡°Oh? I had thought you would be busy this week. You are practically giving off medicinal fumes, you know,¡± she teased.


    Ling Qi surreptitiously glanced down at herself, just to make sure the other girl wasn¡¯t being literal. ¡°Is it really that obvious?¡± she asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I was behaving strangely.¡±


    Gu Xiulan laughed into her sleeve at Ling Qi¡¯s reaction. ¡°No, no. Worry not. You have not had another little episode like the days after Elder Zhou¡¯s test. You are running rather warm though,¡± she said lightly. Ling Qi shot her a confused look, and Gu Xiulan smirked, showing a bit of her usual arrogant pride. ¡°You are not the only one who has been mastering new arts. Father sent me instruction for several family techniques inside my new storage ring.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Ling Qi said. She supposed it made sense that a perception art of the Gu clan would involve some kind of heat-based sensing. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re progressing well then,¡± she offered, noting the minute twitch of displeasure in the other girl¡¯s expression. ¡°I am training hard this week, but that¡¯s no excuse to ignore other people entirely. I¡¯d like to think I¡¯m getting better at that,¡± she added self-deprecatingly, offering the other girl a lopsided smile.


    Gu Xiulan shook her head, a slightly bitter twist on her lips. ¡°I suppose not. You may just become civilized yet,¡± she said airily. ¡°If only others could remember the same,¡± she grumbled under her breath, looking to the path ahead.


    Ling Qi gave her friend a sidelong look as she walked beside her, gown fluttering around her legs. She really did need to consider getting some wrappings or something. It was hard to remember to control the thing at all times. That, too, was training, she supposed.


    ¡°Has something been bothering you lately?¡± Ling Qi asked bluntly. ¡°It must be tricky if you haven¡¯t confronted it head-on yet.¡±


    The fiery girl shot her a heated look, which Ling Qi met with a calm and cool one of her own. They paused in their walk before Gu Xiulan snorted in a distinctly unladylike fashion and looked away.


    ¡°What happened to the Ling Qi who flinched at the first sign of my displeasure?¡± Gu Xiulan wondered. ¡°Perfectly happy to follow along in my shadow and allow me the lead in our interactions.¡±


    Ling Qi narrowed her eyes, irritated at the other girl¡¯s insinuations. ¡°Well, I got stronger,¡± she said flatly. ¡°As for the second, she never existed. I might have found you intimidating at first, but I¡¯d like to think we¡¯re past that. I just want to know what is bothering you.¡±


    ¡°I suppose we are,¡± the haughty girl responded, crossing her arms under her chest as she looked up at Ling Qi. ¡°I had imagined I might hire you on as a handmaiden, you know, in the aftermath of the test. How foolish that notion seems now.¡± A slight wave of heat around her betrayed Gu Xiulan¡¯s irritation. ¡°I am trapped on the cusp of breaking through to Silver,¡± she admitted, anger coloring her tone as she looked away from Ling Qi. ¡°It is infuriating to see you overtake me further every day. Is that what you wished me to say?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t wish for anything,¡± Ling Qi said simply, giving the other girl a hard look. ¡°We¡¯re friends, right? Gu Xiulan, you said you had my back that first day the truce ended, and I have yours, but I¡¯m not going to slow down. Not for anyone. I¡¯d think you would approve of that.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± the girl responded grudgingly. ¡°I might have thought you a potential servant at first, but I cannot deny that you are a peer now. I apologize. It seems my composure is more frayed than I thought.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Ling Qi dismissed. ¡°I don¡¯t doubt that you¡¯ll be able to manage soon.¡± She thought it best not to mention that Han Fang had broken through to Yellow Soul, evening out his cultivation, if her new sense for qi was correct. ¡°Do you want to soak for a bit then and maybe get something to eat? You may just need some time to relax and reflect to clear things up.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Gu Xiulan allowed. ¡°In fact, yes, that may be wise. Taking my mind off things for an afternoon may be what I need to center myself properly.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded in satisfaction. ¡°So that aside, how have things been with you and the others? We don¡¯t have much time to chat when we¡¯re hunting.¡±


    Gu Xiulan frowned. ¡°It has been¡­ well enough, I suppose,¡± she said. ¡°I do wish Han Jian would stop avoiding me. It is becoming irksome.¡±


    Ling Qi gave her a curious look as she caught up. ¡°He¡¯s been avoiding you? I didn¡¯t notice anything weird during training.¡±


    ¡°Of course not. I would not so undermine his authority as to question him on personal matters during such exercises,¡± Gu Xiulan said dismissively, even as her gaze drifted to the ground. ¡°He has been avoiding me outside of them though, and it is not merely due to a busy cultivation schedule. I know it.¡±


    Ling Qi made a sound of agreement as she walked beside her friend and allowed the girl to vent. It seemed that Gu Xiulan was feeling ignored by Han Jian, and she got hints that there were other pressures involved as well. Her comments on Fan Yu had a particular edge to them that hadn¡¯t been there before, and she seemed reluctant to speak further on the sister in Inner Sect.


    Ling Qi simply went with the flow, offering an attentive ear and occasionally interjecting her own grumbles, such as her creeping concern at how quiet Huang Da was being and her worries over the mission Cai had asked her to perform. In the end though, their chat turned to lighter things. Gu Xiulan complimented her new talisman and expressed relief that Ling Qi had finally ditched the ¡®tacky¡¯ bracers, and Ling Qi recounted a slightly altered story of her game of tag with the spirit Hanyi.


    Once they were finished with their bath, the two girls strolled down to the market to continue chatting. They ended up purchasing some kind of flavored powdered ice served in a bowl that had intrigued Xiulan. It was as they were sitting together at one of the tables set up near the market stalls that the subject turned to something more serious.


    ¡°We need to make more of a name for ourselves, I think,¡± Gu Xiulan declared haughtily, only to ruin the moment as she shivered, closing her eyes and scrunching her nose as she took a slightly too large bite of her odd, icy treat.


    Ling Qi was rather more careful, taking only a small spoonful of the dark blue powder. The treat satisfied her sweet tooth quite well, but it wasn¡¯t something to eat quickly.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ling Qi inquired after the icy flakes had melted on her tongue. ¡°We¡¯re already doing pretty good, aren¡¯t we?¡± The number of second stage cultivators was increasing in a steady trickle by the week, but they were still among the first.


    ¡°Pretty good is hardly good enough,¡± Gu Xiulan said, prodding her own red dyed ice with her spoon, seemingly hesitant to take another bite. ¡°No, we both deserve more glory and renown. What do you say - once I complete my breakthrough, shall we find some older Outer Disciples to challenge?¡± she asked, taking the plunge and furrowing her brows as she took another bite.


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyebrows climbed high. ¡°What in the world makes you think that is a good idea?¡± she asked incredulously.


    ¡°Well, there is hardly anyone in our year to challenge, is there?¡± Xiulan explained haughtily, waving her spoon for emphasis. ¡°Crushing some of those who have recently straggled into the second realm will hardly be looked upon well, and I am not quite proud enough to consider challenging the Sun princess or the Cai heiress. I suppose we could make an attempt on that Kang fellow¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, granted,¡± Ling Qi hurried on, not wanting the other girl to talk herself into thinking that challenging Kang Zihao directly was a good idea. ¡°Why do that at all though?¡±


    ¡°I need a proper challenge. My Sister said as much,¡± Gu Xiulan replied. ¡°Hunting beasts is all well and good, but it is not the same as fighting a fellow cultivator. I think that is why I have slowed down of late. Nothing has brought my blood to boil since that first day after the truce ended.¡±


    Ling Qi was silent as she eyed the other girl continuing to daintily eat her powdered ice. ¡°... Won¡¯t older disciples be even stronger than the top of our year though?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Gu Xiulan said dismissively. ¡°Some certainly, but not all. I am certain I could find us an appropriate challenge or two, and once we defeat a few, the challenges will come to us, and we can stand in our own glory rather than playing second.¡±


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure that Gu Xiulan¡¯s plan was a good idea, but she didn¡¯t reject the idea outright. She still made an effort to steer Xiulan back to safer topics for the remainder of their meal though.


    The two girls parted ways around sunset with Ling Qi heading off to cultivate Eight Phase Ceremony on the high cliffs and Gu Xiulan heading home to begin preparations for her next breakthrough attempt.

 Bonus 10: Death of the Sage

    ¡­ and so the brute Qin, supported by his own mountain savages, the monstrous bandits of Zheng, and the peerless blades of the Bai, struck down the last of the Sea Kings of Jin, and as had become his custom, took his slain foe¡¯s daughters as his own. Long did our mourners weep for the people of Jin, erstwhile friends of the Golden Kingdom, just as they wept for our kind and beauteous Princess Bluesun, who offered herself to be caged rather than incite the great fires of the Purifying Sun and reduce the land and people to ash.


    The brute, now ruler of six kingdoms, grew more arrogant still, styling himself ¡°Sagacious and Divine Emperor of the Celestial Empire.¡± Yet even then, the brute¡¯s pride and lust were not satisfied.


    His lascivious eyes turned west and fell upon the Kingdom of the Red Sun and the Great Priestess of their people, said to be an incarnation of the Great Mother herself. To the rutting brute Qin, such a temptation could not be resisted. When his demand for submission was rejected by the Priestess and Kings of the Red Sun, he once again called his armies to war.


    However, the Red Sun Kingdom was mighty and gave pause to even the bellicose Bai. The Red Sun Kingdom knew the secrets of the sacred metal from which the Bai forged their weapons and armor. A fierce and proud people, they bent their necks to no one, and unlike the similarly proud Horned Lords, their people were not a collection of barely connected enclaves, grown unused to war.


    In the far past, in the days of the Legendary Yao and his daughter, the first White Serpent Queen, even the Bai¡¯s conquests had ground to a halt against them. In the courts of the brute, the serpents advised caution.


    However, the brute Qin showed his true nature, and with the support of the barbarous Zheng, he overruled all objections and mustered his armies. How many of our sons and daughters were sent to die for a conqueror¡¯s pride and lust? How many fields lie fallow and dead without their guardians to safeguard the people in their labor? Too many! The Golden Kingdom starved and withered in the face of this feckless and unending war!


    How weary then, must have been the Jin, whose harbors still lay shattered and whose ships still lay at the bottom of the sea from the brute Qin¡¯s recent conquest? Or the Horned Lords of the South, whose redoubts and trails had been salted and burned, their council of chiefs dragged through the streets of the brute¡¯s capital in chains like mere beasts?


    The armies of Qin clashed with the Red Sun, and men died in thousands, gaining nothing. When the man himself rode forth with his advisors, the Kings and the Priestess met him, and though the world shook with their warring, neither side could slay the other. The people of the Red Sun were not numerous; their harsh land and poor soil had never allowed for fields as great as ours, their rivers were not rich with fish as the Bai¡¯s lakes were, and their cities lacked the unbreakable fortresses of Zheng. The brute cared not for his losses for there were always more men to pull from the fields of the six kingdoms, but the people of the Red Sun mourned each and every loss.


    Despite this, for fifty years, the people of the Red Sun resisted with a fervor that shames this son of the Golden Kingdom. Infuriated by the lengthy resistance, the brute¡¯s tactics grew harsher and more cruel with every day. Drenched in blood, the jungle grew red in truth, and it is said by those who survived that the very earth and the jungle itself began to fight the armies of Qin. Crippled veterans of the Red Sun began to return to war, changed and twisted, merged with spirits to replace missing limbs and shattered channels.


    In the end, it was not enough. No matter the sacrifices made, no matter the valor of the people of the Red Sun, the brute¡¯s armies ground on. When a city was captured, the brute would build a great pyre and burned their inhabitants, one and all, without regard to age or mortality. The air of the Red Sun choked with ash, the rivers ran red, and the jungle grew bloated and monstrous.


    At last, it seemed the people of the Red Sun had enough. In the hall of their most holy temple, the Great Priestess supplicated herself in submission before Qin. His greed and arrogance having only grown in the face of defiance, the brute quickly claimed his prize. But in the end, the brute¡¯s lust proved his undoing.


    By morning, the brute lay thrashing in his bed. The empty streets of the temple city quaked with his choked screams as his own blood burned in his veins and melted his flesh and his own qi seared his soul to ash. Assured of his invincibility, the brute had given the seed of his downfall to the one who could most use it.


    Hail to the Great Priestess of the Red Sun, weaver of blood, weaver of life! The blood of the mother and unborn the focus and the blood of a city - all given to end his menace forevermore.


    How the brute¡¯s monstrous mother did rage! Lightning rained like water from the skies and wiped the temple city from existence. The dragon¡¯s rampage fell upon the jungles, and the people of the Red Sun suffered another great reaping.


    The people were not without hope however. The spirit of the Great Priestess lived on. Born of sacrifice and rivers of blood, a new Goddess was born, and her thorns struck the brute¡¯s dragon mother harshly, piercing scale and organ. Wounded, the beast fled back to the capital.


    Without the brute at its helm, his court fell into disarray. The Bai glared across the empty throne at the Zheng, each seeking to place their own blood upon the Dragon Throne. The loyalists of the other kingdoms schemed and maneuvered, each seeking to gain their own power in the chaos.The children of the brute squabble and fight like savages. Already, tales of kinslaying spread through the land. It saddens me to know that the children of our princess are among their number; it seems that even our radiant blood cannot withstand the foul corruption of the brute. Cowards, all of them, seeking only personal power rather than freedom!


    This is not a time for mourning or petty politics! The brute is dead, his beastly mother sleeping off terrible wounds; the Celestial Peaks lie in disarray. The snake and the ape feud and fight! Now is the time to throw off the conquerors! At last, the Golden Kingdom will rise again. From ashes, just like our great Matriarch, the Purifying Sun, we will emerge stronger than ever before! No more will we bow to mountain savages! We will free our princess, and once more, be ruled by a true Golden Queen! The foul edifice of this accursed empire will be brought tumbling down, its name erased from history!


    - Surviving fragment of an unnamed text, translated into modern imperial, banned under the first imperial dynasty, the Qin

 Chapter 61-Simmering 2

    Ling Qi¡¯s week only grew busier as time went on. She had managed to get Meizhen to agree to train with her, but she almost immediately regretted it. The other girl was absolutely pitiless in training, pushing her to the edge of her ability to keep improving her movement art. Ling Qi found herself coming up short, unable to fully sheath her body in dark-aligned qi as the next step demanded.


    The fact that she had asked Meizhen to help her train her mental defenses just made the spars worse. Several times, Ling Qi had been nearly reduced to tears by Bai Meizhen¡¯s powerful, fear-inducing techniques, cracking her newfound confidence.


    Meizhen had somewhat awkwardly offered her salves to heal the wounds inflicted during their training sessions, but when Ling Qi found herself having a hard time trying not to flinch in the other girl¡¯s presence, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder if the training was really worth it. Meizhen¡¯s stiff expression and posture in the aftermath seemed to display similar thoughts on her part.


    Ling Qi¡¯s cultivation at the vent was more relaxing, the simple steady feeling of progress as her spirit expanded to catch up with her physique. Her practice with Suyin also went well; the other girl had improved a great deal over the previous weeks and had now reached Late Gold. Su Ling, on the other hand, had withdrawn into the woods this week to attempt her breakthrough into Yellow Soul.


    Despite Suyin¡¯s focus on cultivation, it had been pretty trivial to convince Li Suyin to continue studying formations with her, which lead to them breaking off training a bit early to settle in for a study session at the pair¡¯s cave home.


    ¡°Next week then?¡± Ling Qi asked casually as she found a seat in the cluttered cave, withdrawing the stack of copied notes she had made from some of the archive texts in preparation for this. ¡°I¡¯ve noticed that you stopped cultivating your spirit this week.¡±


    Li Suyin blinked, pausing before nodding sheepishly and finding her own seat at the battered table the pair had found to furnish their cave. ¡°Ah, yes. I¡¯ve actually begun already. One more push should do it. I just wanted to master the next stage of my new art before I fully broke through.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy for you,¡± Ling Qi said brightly, examining her friend¡¯s face. ¡°What do you want to do after you¡¯ve kicked that girl¡¯s ass?¡±


    Li Suyin looked briefly uncomfortable at the use of vulgar language but shrugged awkwardly. ¡°I will keep trying to grow stronger I suppose,¡± she said with uncertainty. ¡°That is what cultivators are meant to do, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah,¡± Ling Qi said, paging through her scribbled copies to search for the ones which should have been on top; the pages had gotten jumbled up in her ring somehow. ¡°What do you want to do though? Are you going to try for the end of year tournament? If you try, you can probably be in late second realm by the end of the year.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t think so. I could never keep up with you, let alone the others at the top.¡± Li Suyin fidgeted with her sleeves. ¡°What do you think I should do, Ling Qi?¡±


    Ling Qi did her best not to frown. ¡°I think you should do what makes you happy. Your cultivation should be about the path you want to walk,¡± she said, stressing her words. ¡°Anything else is just going to hinder you. If you really still don¡¯t know, you might not want to break through yet.¡±


    ¡°O-oh,¡± Li Suyin replied, sounding a little discouraged. ¡°I suppose I will need to think on it then. Um - Anyway, which part did you want my help with?¡±


    Ling Qi decided to let it lie for the moment and slid a page across the table to Li Suyin. ¡°This part right here, talking about the linking and layering of characters. Can you try to explain more clearly?¡±


    Li Suyin furrowed her brows, squinting at the markings on the paper. ¡°Ah, just a moment. I can hardly make out the hanzi on this,¡± she murmured in consternation.


    ¡°Ah-ha, I don¡¯t really have much practice with my calligraphy,¡± Ling Qi admitted with a slightly sheepish laugh. She probably could have done a decent job if she had slowed down, but she had been in a hurry too.


    Li Suyin stilled, and Ling Qi started to worry that she had said something wrong.


    ¡°... You shouldn¡¯t be practicing formations if you aren¡¯t in practice with your brush.¡± Ling Qi blinked as the one-eyed girl actually scolded her. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous. Do you know what could happen if you mix up your strokes like this with formations characters?¡± Li Suyin asked, gesturing to some of the more ill-formed characters on the page.


    ¡°It won¡¯t work?¡± Ling Qi responded, not entirely sure where the heat in her friend''s voice had come from.


    ¡°It could explode, damage your channels with the qi backlash, or plenty of other bad things!¡± Li Suyin exclaimed. ¡°It¡¯s very important not to be lax about your brushwork. You could get hurt badly otherwise!¡±


    Well, thus far, Ling Qi¡¯s focus had been on simply identifying and possibly breaking formations, not actually creating them, barring the simple bit of utility work on her kiln.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she said, holding up her hands defensively. ¡°I¡¯ll be more careful in the future.¡± She thought Li Suyin was blowing problems out of proportion, but it was nice to see her speaking up so Ling Qi kept those thoughts to herself. ¡°So, the passage?¡±


    Li Suyin continued to look at her sternly but then flushed, hunching her shoulders and looking down. ¡°U-um, right. My apologies for getting heated. The meaning of this passage is quite simple. You just have to¡­¡±


    Ling Qi rested her chin on her palm, following her friend¡¯s more concise explanation. Formations were a bit of a pain, but she felt like it would be a good skill to have in the future. Li Suyin was pretty good at explaining things so they worked through her notes pretty easily over the course of the next few days.


    She even managed to learn the basics of a few common anti theft arrays. The Alarm and Thieves¡¯ Bane formations weren¡¯t too useful for her personally, but they did give her an idea of what to expect if she ever found herself having to find her way past security formations, as well as give her a foundation to learn more useful formations.


    In the end, Ling Qi felt that something more important had been accomplished. She had let Li Suyin take the lead and act as the teacher in their studies, and it seemed to have restored some of the girl¡¯s self-confidence. Perhaps it was wishful thinking, but when she left their last study session for the week, she felt like Li Suyin¡¯s posture and body language had improved significantly.


    ¡°Ling Qi.¡± Li Suyin¡¯s words shook her from her thoughts and caused her to look over her shoulder, pausing on her way out of Li Suyin and Su Ling¡¯s shared abode. ¡°I know I haven¡¯t been¡­ I have not been the best friend, and I apologize for that,¡± Li Suyin said, bowing her head.


    Ling Qi gave her an incredulous look. ¡°Li Suyin, you haven¡¯t done anything wrong. If anything, I should be thanking you,¡± she said with slight frustration, turning to face the other girl.


    ¡°I have been very needy,¡± Li Suyin plowed on, more firmly than Ling Qi was used to, seemingly ignoring her interjection. ¡°I am glad that you were willing to support me, but I - I do need to learn to stand on my own. So, I want you to promise that when I challenge that girl, you won¡¯t interfere, even if I lose.¡±


    Ling Qi scowled at her friend¡¯s words but grudgingly nodded. ¡°That¡¯s - I can do that. I still want to be there in case she tries something dirty though.¡±


    ¡°That is fine,¡± Li Suyin replied, smiling slightly. ¡°And when this is over, I would like to take the exam to join the Medicine Hall as an apprentice.¡±


    What could she do but smile back? Ling Qi was still worried for her friend, but it seemed Li Suyin had found her path again.


    With that weight no longer pressing down on her, Ling Qi found her cultivation of Eight Phase Ceremony proceeding smoothly. Soon, she found herself breathing in the celestial energies, letting it mingle with the qi in her dantian. It was difficult to process the more diffuse energy at first, but she could feel the qi cycling in and out of her core beginning to take on the more ephemeral qualities of lunar qi. If her Argent Foundation, which had firmly settled in her bones and muscles, was the ¡®earth¡¯ of her cultivation, then the light, misty qi formed by the cultivation of the Ceremony would be the sky, floating free above her denser qi.


    There was something missing though, a part of the information in the jade slip that remained a cipher to her. Even that was progress though as before her mastery of this first phase, she hadn¡¯t even been able to perceive that she was missing something. Ling Qi felt confident that she would get it with time.


    Leaving aside the mystery of Eight Phase Ceremony, she still had other things that needed to be done. First, her egg needed tending. It had shifted a few times in the last week, the green veins pulsing as it drank in the heat. Once she had adjusted the fire for the egg, Cai¡¯s mission beckoned.


    Ling Qi had learned more about the attacker¡¯s patterns by speaking to previous victims and those who had found them in the aftermath. It was weird having people treat her as if she had authority; she even recognized a handful as girls who had laughed behind their hands at her when she had been weaker, but now, they spoke with wary respect. Ling Qi had known things had changed, but it was her first time having the change put so obviously in front of her face..


    It seemed the attacker only struck in the outermost two streets and on the road leading into the residential area. It also only struck after midnight and only if the target was alone. Everything else was as Cai said. The attacker struck from out of sight and took its victim down with a single paralyzing blow. The attacker was either using their fists or a blunt weapon because the victims had no cuts or puncture wounds. A couple of the ones she spoke to noted something else that Cai hadn¡¯t mentioned though. They remembered hearing flute music before they blacked out.


    There was little detail to be had further than that so Ling Qi began to plan to take the attacker down. They had struck three nights ago; it was about time for an ambush to happen again. She managed to convince a friend of a victim to play bait for her. She would shadow the girl as she arrived home ¡®running late¡¯ from training.


    Ling Qi was confident that no one would see her. She had been good at sneaking before becoming a cultivator; now, she could practically become one with the shadows, flitting from one piece of cover to another with nary a sound as little more than a blur. She followed the girl she had asked to be her bait home from training, silent and out of sight, remaining tense and ready to move at a moment¡¯s notice.


    It was a dark night with the narrow sliver of the moon concealed by clouds, but that didn¡¯t affect Ling Qi, who saw every rustle in the trees lining the path with perfect clarity. Still, it was nerve-wracking, trailing the girl¡¯s slow trudge back toward her house, and Ling Qi nearly jumped out every time a bird took off from the trees.


    It paid off in the end though. As the girl was approaching the top of the slope that would lead down into the residential area, Ling Qi spotted something amiss. A shift in the stone ridge on the right side of the path preceded a tall, dark figure seeming to melt out of the rock. It was shrouded from head to toe in dark clothes, including a face-concealing veil, but Ling Qi saw a long, dark braid of hair trailing behind the figure as it rushed the victim, flickering and vanishing from one step to the next.


    Ling Qi was ready, and one of her knives flashed out from her hiding place in a streak of light. It struck home, stabbing into the attacker¡¯s lower back and causing the figure to stumble and let out a feminine gasp of pain. The noise was enough for her bait to spin around, spot the figure, and let out an alarmed shriek before dashing off toward the houses.


    She couldn¡¯t blame the girl really, and frankly, she was glad to keep potential complications to a minimum. Ling Qi drew her flute and moved cautiously forward, only to pause as the figure did the same. The figure straightened up with an instrument in her hands and called forth a mist with the first notes played.


    Ling Qi narrowed her eyes in consternation. The tune was light and reedy and worst of all, slightly off-key. It also wasn¡¯t her Melody, and although the mist was thick and difficult to see through, it was easily engulfed by her own mist.


    The figure seemed confused and hesitant as Diapason took hold, huddled in her own pocket of mist, and Ling Qi noted with some alarm that despite the knife in her back, the figure wasn¡¯t bleeding. On instinct, she activated Argent Mirror, qi flooding into her eyes as she sought the truth of what lay before her. Argent Mirror¡¯s Discerning Gaze seemed to have no effect though, aside from letting her see clearly though the enemy¡¯s mist.


    The figure turned and rushed away from her, clearly seeking escape, but the attempt was futile. Ling Qi watched as the attacker was turned around at the edge of the mist. This was¡­ not impressive.


    Ling Qi lowered her flute, and another knife flew from her hand, this time striking the back of the target¡¯s knee, causing her to crumble to the ground. Even a weaker cultivator should have more tricks than this. She stalked forward through the mist until she stood over the huddled figure on the ground. Her target was tall and thin and was struggling to get up, but the movements seemed jerky and uneven. Ling Qi was beginning to get a bad feeling as she saw some sort of fine black dust leaking from the target¡¯s wounds.


    ¡°Stop and surrender. Now,¡± Ling Qi commanded flatly, voice distorted oddly from the mist. ¡°Or the next one takes out your other leg.¡±


    Unsurprisingly, the figure did not stop, managing to shakily regain its feet in an attempt to run. Ling Qi made good on her promise, and the target crashed to the ground again, twitching weirdly. Ling Qi strode over and reached down, snatching away the girl¡¯s - no, the thing¡¯s - veil. It was as she expected given the thing¡¯s fighting style. She looked down at her own face, locked in a grimace of pain, eyes blank and glassy.


    The thing jerked, and its hand rose, crackling with electric qi, but Ling Qi batted the slow movement aside and drove her palm into her doppelganger¡¯s throat. It twitched once more and let out a soft hissing sound before it crumbled. Literally. The facsimile of her appearance collapsed into a mound of black earth and dust, and laying half-buried in the center of the mound was an eerie little china doll with a cartoonish caricature of her face painted on its ceramic visage.


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t happy at all. Someone had tried to set her up. She picked the thing up and put it in her storage ring, dusting her hands off as she stood up. It seemed she owed Cai Renxiang a visit.


    The other girl¡¯s appearance was as impeccable as ever despite the late hour that Ling Qi made her visit, but her expression grew stony as Ling Qi explained what had happened and showed her the doll. Ling Qi winced as one of its legs cracked and fell to shatter on the stone tiles of the path in Cai Renxiang¡¯s front garden.


    ¡°Unacceptable,¡± the heiress¡¯ voice cut through the quiet night air like a whip as she glared at the doll in Ling Qi¡¯s hands. ¡°It seems some foolish person intended to use my justice for their own ends.¡± Cai Renxiang sounded more than unhappy at that fact.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m happy to have my face stolen either,¡± Ling Qi said stiffly, feeling more than a little irritated herself. ¡°I want to know who did this,¡± she added, deference forgotten.


    Cai Renxiang looked up, expression stern and light glimmering in a corona behind her head. ¡°As do I. You have my word that this will be investigated. Thoroughly. If I may?¡± she asked, gesturing to the doll. Ling Qi handed it over, wanting nothing to do with the creepy thing. ¡°You have done well. I will have you informed when the culprit is found.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, accepting the small handful of glittering stones in payment before leaving the heiress¡¯ home. She was certainly glad that she hadn¡¯t ignored Cai¡¯s request. While the doll hadn¡¯t been able to escape her, she suspected that it was never intended for actual combat. It would have been all too easy for the doll to allow a victim to catch sight of its face by ¡®accident¡¯ with time, and then she would have been in a tight spot.


    It seemed she would need to watch her back in coming weeks.

 Chapter 62-Simmering 3

    Darkness had not been among the elements described in her lessons with Elder Su. Ling Qi had often wondered, while practicing her related arts, what the Elder would say if asked what qualities the element had.


    Now though, after immersing herself in it, she felt she knew. How could she not? Even if her transformation was still unstable and immature, she could very briefly become little more than a shadow. She had often felt muted calm while practicing her darkness arts, but with the deeper understanding brought by her practice of Sable Crescent Step, she felt like she had comprehended some of its true essence.


    Darkness was absence. It did not really exist, except as a gap left by something else. It was the empty spaces in the earth, the lack of light, and the void where even the wind did not reach.


    But that was not its only aspect. The void ached to be filled. It was want and desire and avarice, ever hungering for more to take in and absorb. She had never felt a stronger urge to go out thieving and take the unearned profits of her lesser peers for herself.


    ... Yet Ling Qi remained in control. She breathed out, banishing the dark qi flowing through her channels for the moment. She was glad she did not practice these arts exclusively.


    Ling Qi had other arts to practice, and the coursing energy of the heavens surging through her arms did much to dispel the lingering feelings brought on by her greater mastery of darkness qi. With a proper archery art in Falling Stars, she found the barrier between herself and the bow crumbling all the faster.


    Ling Qi had charred quite a few training bows to ash in the process, but she found herself quickly picking up proper qi channeling methods, her previous practice with guiding the wind aiding her ability to create lanes of still air for her arrows to be fired down, unimpeded by natural winds. Infused with the explosive power of lighting, her arrows could blow craters in stone and pierce the hides of tougher beasts with ease. It felt good to have that kind of power at her fingertips, and although the art might be lacking compared to her spirit-given ones, she was sure she could master it quickly and greatly improve her ability to do damage.


    With her improved ability in combat, Ling Qi felt confident enough to begin taking minor sect jobs, hunting troublesome spirit beasts in order to earn Sect Points that she could use later for medicines or tutoring.


    However, most of her free time went toward taking her first serious steps in weapon use. With Fan Yu and Gu Xiulan both absent for much of the week, secluding themselves for breakthrough, Han Jian was a great help with that, which gave her an opportunity to talk to him as well. Han Fang was hardly intrusive after all; it was pretty easy to forget the large boy was even there outside of battle. He had a habit of fading into the background that she suspected was at least partially deliberate. Still, she didn¡¯t worry about him listening in on her questions.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s on your mind?¡± Han Jian asked as he batted away the blunted head of her training spear, angling his sword to let her spear slide off to the side and circling to her right with light steps. ¡°Guessing you¡¯re worried about the upcoming meeting?¡±


    ¡°Something like that.¡± Ling Qi grunted as she ducked under his lazy swing and managed to draw back her unfamiliar weapon, dancing back to open up space. ¡°It¡¯s more that I don¡¯t even know what I don¡¯t know, you know?¡± She set her right foot and made another thrust, but this time, Han Jian just leaned out of the way. Based on his reflexes, Ling Qi was sure Han Jian had reached Mid Silver.


    ¡°I know that ¡®know¡¯ doesn¡¯t even sound like a real word anymore,¡± Han Jian replied with amusement, stepping inside her guard in a blur and testing her defense with a slash. ¡°I suppose if you aren¡¯t raised in it, all the rules and little things guiding society must seem pretty foreign.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Ling Qi would have nodded if they weren¡¯t in the middle of a spar. ¡°Like, I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s expected of me really. People seem to assume that I¡¯m Bai Meizhen¡¯s retainer or whatever, but I don¡¯t know what that means. You say I¡¯m on track to become a noble, but I¡¯m not sure what that means either.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not really a bad thing,¡± Han Jian pointed out as he continued to work over her defenses, forcing her to rapidly twist and spin the spear shaft in her hands to keep him at bay. ¡°Being considered a retainer, I mean. It¡¯s not really a big deal yet, but folks, especially talented and clanless ones who don¡¯t have any connections or obligations, make people nervous. I figure that Ji guy is gonna get himself in trouble that way eventually - more so than he already has.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced as his blade pressed down on the haft of her spear, unable to contest the tall boy¡¯s greater strength. She swung the butt of her spear up, angling it to force his blade to the side and making him step back to avoid being cracked across the ribs.


    ¡°I get that,¡± Ling Qi acknowledged. She could kind of understand why unattached cultivators were viewed with caution; individual cultivators would probably be ridiculously destructive at higher realms. ¡°Like I said, I don¡¯t understand what it means to be a retainer though. The obligations and stuff?¡± she asked uncertainly as Han Jian avoided another clumsy thrust from her. ¡°Fan Yu and Gu Xiulan are your retainers, right?¡±


    His lips thinned briefly. ¡°The Gu family are subordinate to the Han,¡± Han Jian said carefully, warily circling around her. ¡°Fan Yu¡¯s father and mine are just very close friends and Sect Brothers though. The Fan family is pretty close to the Han in status.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°So what do they do for you? And what do you do for them?¡±


    ¡°Well, we took the Gu in when their lands were destroyed,¡± Han Jian answered, feinting to the right before spinning left and almost catching her out with a straight thrust. ¡°They administer territory for us and pay a portion of their income in taxes. In return, we support them in disputes against other clans and if they run into trouble.¡± He jumped over her countersweep, and this time, she wasn¡¯t fast enough to stop the blunted training sword from slipping through her guard and tapping the side of her neck.


    Ling Qi huffed in irritation and lowered her weapon. ¡°That¡¯s your win again,¡± she grumbled.


    Han Jian shrugged, falling back into an easy stance, training blade dangling loosely from his fingers. ¡°Only because you¡¯re playing around with new weapons, and we aren¡¯t using arts,¡± he said ruefully. ¡°I¡¯m honestly not sure I could take you in a fight anymore, even with my progress on my family arts,¡± he added with some frustration, scrubbing his free hand through his hair.


    Ling Qi shrugged, feeling uncomfortable. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It would probably be down to a bit of luck,¡± she hedged. Han Jian¡¯s sword art was reasonably good, leaving trails of shimmering heat that transformed into blade mirages in the wake of his attacks, but she wasn¡¯t sure it was enough given her fighting style. ¡°Anyway,¡± she said, changing the topic, ¡°I get that clans are subordinate to others, but how do ranks work? You said the writ would get me the lowest one. What rank is your Father?¡±


    Han Jian gave her a look that told her he saw through her ploy. ¡°There are five noble ranks. The lowest one is Baron, then Viscount, Count, Marquis, and Duke,¡± he listed off. ¡°My family holds the title of Marquis, but my father doesn¡¯t. He¡¯s the heir right now.¡± Ling Qi detected a hint of something troubled in his tone when he said that. ¡°We¡¯re only subordinate to the Duke of the province. Our title is pretty uncommon in the core regions since it¡¯s mostly granted to families administering hostile borders.¡±


    Ling Qi leaned on her spear, idly wiping sweat from her brow as she nodded in understanding. ¡°So, what about the Sun? Where do ¡®Kings¡¯ fit into that list?¡±


    ¡°Generally speaking, they don¡¯t,¡± Han Jian said with a grimace. ¡°The title was usually used to placate the losing branch in imperial disputes. Before Sun Shao, no one had been awarded that title in a very long time. In the past, the understanding was usually that the rank wasn¡¯t hereditary, and the clan would revert back to its previous rank after the claimant passed.¡±


    Ling Qi shook her head. This was just the surface, she knew. Before she got into questioning him about further details though, she had something else that had been bothering her. ¡°Thank you for answering my questions. I know they must seem pretty childish,¡± she began.


    ¡°It¡¯s no trouble,¡± Han Jian replied with an easy smile. ¡°It¡¯s nice to feel like the learned one once in awhile,¡± he added with a chuckle.


    She nodded and glanced away briefly asking awkwardly, ¡°... Can I ask why you¡¯re avoiding Gu Xiulan? It¡¯s driving her nuts.¡±


    His smile froze before fading. ¡°Will you accept that it¡¯s personal?¡± At her look, Han Jian raised his empty hand defensively. ¡°I just need to think about how I¡¯m going to say some things. Heijin is right. I¡­ need to stop being indecisive.¡±


    Ling Qi gave him a hard look but eventually nodded. ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± she said without conviction. Shaking her head, she moved to set her spear back on the weapons rack. ¡°So back on what we were talking about¡­¡±


    Ling Qi spent a fair bit of time in their pre-hunt spars chatting with Han Jian about various etiquette and trivia. Apparently, achieving Indigo, the fifth realm of cultivation, was enough to automatically raise a cultivator to the rank of viscount. Achieving Violet would raise a cultivator to count. However, a family would also be demoted after a grace period if they no longer had cultivators of the appropriate realm.


    There were a lot of responsibilities that came with ranks too. The ruling clans were tasked with ensuring the stability of all anti-beast formations in their region, overseeing tax collection, and a dozen other duties that sounded pretty intimidating to her. At the lowest rank, that usually just meant keeping an eye on a village or two, but the amount of territory that a family would be responsible for increased greatly with each rank.


    For once, Ling Qi was thankful that she had a nice long stretch of time in the military to think about whether she even wanted such a thing. She had other options after all. She could join some other family or stay a wandering cultivator. Who knew. Maybe she could even travel beyond the Empire¡¯s borders after her service ended. It was just too far away to think about at the moment.


    Aside from hunting and discussing politics with Han Jian, Ling Qi continued her efforts to cultivate at the vent. Although Suyin was absent early in the week, Su Ling was back and cultivating again. Ling Qi was glad to see the other girl had broken through to the second realm of cultivation.


    More worryingly, she heard a rumor that Ji Rong had disappeared from the archive path, and no one was sure where he was. Despite her concern, Ling Qi remained too busy to investigate the matter herself since she was continuing her training with Bai Meizhen, this time to further temper her physique.


    The spars were just as brutal as last week. Bai Meizhen was merciless when it came to training, and although Ling Qi felt she had improved, her friend had broken through to Green Soul, and the breakthrough had only further intensified her aura, increasing the potency of Meizhen¡¯s techniques. The air itself seemed to darken around the pale girl when she fought now, twisting and bending under the weight of her qi.


    It didn¡¯t stop Ling Qi from seeing the complicated emotions in the girl¡¯s eyes when Meizhen beat her into the ground again and again. Nor was the aura going to stop Ling Qi from confronting the issue, even if it took a couple sessions to work up her nerve.


    Ling Qi panted heavily, sweat stinging her eyes and arms trembling from exertion as she pushed herself up from the ground. She could feel dozens of stinging cuts on her limbs where Bai Meizhen¡¯s metal ribbons had tagged her. Her hair had long since come loose, sticking to her shoulders and neck from the sweat and blood streaking her skin. She felt completely drained, mentally and physically.


    Yet she managed to raise her head to look at Meizhen, who stood serenely at the other end of their house¡¯s training room, looking down at her with a blank expression. ¡°Are you spent then, Ling Qi?¡±


    It took every drop of willpower Ling Qi had not to flinch away from her friend¡¯s dispassionate gaze, but she gritted her teeth and maintained unblinking eye contact. The simple animal part of her mind still gibbered in remembered terror of the visions inflicted by the snake-like girl¡¯s techniques, but she refused to allow that to show on her face. Instead, she offered a tired smile.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ You¡¯re still way too strong,¡± Ling Qi replied, doing her best to sound upbeat as she shakily worked to make it back onto her knees. ¡°Congratulations on your breakthrough by the way.¡±


    Bai Meizhen inclined her head slightly. ¡°Thank you. It was a trifling thing, but I am glad that the first real milestone of my growth lies behind me. Can you stand?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah,¡± Ling Qi said, forcing her trembling muscles to obey as she rose to her feet, swaying. ¡°And Bai Meizhen, I really want to thank you. I know this isn¡¯t easy.¡±


    Meizhen raised a snowy eyebrow at Ling Qi¡¯s statement as she dismissed her weapon back into storage. ¡°Such simple training does not trouble me. You are progressing acceptably, I think,¡± she replied, either not understanding or more likely, ignoring Ling Qi¡¯s actual point.


    Ling Qi grimaced. She wasn¡¯t good at subtle when it came to social things. Her instincts had improved and her thoughts seemed to race faster these days, but she wasn¡¯t sure what to say in this case. The last time she had implied that Meizhen cared about her, Meizhen had gotten angry.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean,¡± Ling Qi said quietly. ¡°I know you don¡¯t like doing this.¡±


    Ling Qi could recognize the signs of Bai Meizhen¡¯s temper rising in the slight narrowing of her eyes and the set of her shoulders. ¡°It is somewhat tedious, yes -¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Ling Qi interrupted, managing to not flinch as the other girl¡¯s irritation flared and her fear aura intensified. ¡°I know you don¡¯t like hurting me like this, but I asked for it.¡± Ling Qi blinked as she spoke and almost laughed at her own words.


    ¡°Literally,¡± Ling Qi added. ¡°I need to get stronger, and you¡¯re doing a lot to help me do so. I¡¯m still weak now, but I won¡¯t stay that way. So don¡¯t feel guilty for putting me on the ground or even making me cry. I¡¯d much rather you do it now than an enemy later.¡±


    Bai Meizhen stared at her, her expression flat, before letting out a soft breath and shaking her head. ¡°Your determination is admirable, I suppose,¡± she drawled.


    ¡°It¡¯s kinda all I had to work with for most of my life,¡± Ling Qi said wryly, managing to finally make her legs stop shaking. ¡°But seriously, I¡¯m improving, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°You are,¡± Bai Meizhen allowed. ¡°However, I hope you intend to pause and reinforce your foundation before attempting the next bottleneck. It would be disappointing to see someone who did so well on the first rush the second.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Ling Qi assured her. ¡°I¡¯ve already started working on an archery art, and I have my eye on some others as well.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Bai Meizhen asked. ¡°Well, it seems I have no complaints then. Allow me to fetch the medicinal salves for you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Ling Qi said, moving over to one of the stone benches set into the wall to sit down. ¡°Bai Meizhen?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± Meizhen asked, looking over her shoulder, a hint of impatience in her golden gaze.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to take you out to celebrate your breakthrough at some point. You deserve it,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°So you better consider what you want to do if you don¡¯t want me to decide.¡±


    The pale girl blinked, looking nonplussed. ¡°There is no need for you to spend time on such a thing.¡±


    ¡°There is,¡± Ling Qi said firmly. ¡°I won¡¯t back down on this.¡±


    Bai Meizhen narrowed her eyes but then sighed, shaking her head. ¡°I will get the salves. Do try not to hurt yourself in the interim,¡± she said, stepping out of the room and cutting off the conversation.


    Ling Qi frowned at the doorway. This might be a little harder than she thought. Maybe she could enlist Cui if Meizhen wasn¡¯t going to cooperate? For now, all she could do was close her eyes and begin diffusing qi into her muscles and tendons for further reinforcement.

 Chapter 63-Rebellion 1

    That night, Ling Qi continued to cultivate Eight Phase Ceremony, attempting to decipher the missing section. It remained beyond her, but she could feel the strands of starlight beginning to accumulate faster in her dantian, forming glittering veins through her more terrestrial qi.


    All too soon, morning came, and with it, the time for the meeting dawned. She still had things she wanted to do this week, but hunting the condor for the sect mission she had picked up and going out with Gu Xiulan to challenge older disciples would have to wait until after the council meeting.


    Ling Qi left the house with Bai Meizhen and ended up linking up with Gu Xiulan as well since she was also on her way there. Her other friend had obviously broken through to Silver given the length of the hair loosely gathered into a tail that hung down to her hips and the clear smoothness in her skin. Sparks seemed to leap in Gu Xiulan¡¯s brown eyes, marking her ascent to greater heights of cultivation.


    Ling Qi congratulated her and even Meizhen politely acknowledged Xiulan as they walked, listening with distant interest as the two of them discussed their plans to find a proper challenge. As they approached the pavilion, conversation drifted off as raised voices reached them. Ling Qi shared a worried look with a frowning Xiulan but continued forward.


    When they rounded the corner, the sight they saw was more alarming still. The council stood divided. On one side stood Cai Renxiang, Gan Guangli, Xuan Shi, and Huang Da. On the other side stood Sun Liling, Lu Feng, and Kang Zihao and the two boys who had been with him at the last meeting. They were all at least in the second realm, except for one of Kang¡¯s minions, a miserable looking boy who looked as if he dearly wished to be elsewhere.


    There were two things that surprised her. One was Ji Rong, who flanked Sun Liling with crossed arms and a furious scowl. Thin red lines like tattoos burned on his neck and hands, peeking out from under his robes. The second was that Sun Liling was fully in the third realm if her senses weren¡¯t wrong.


    ¡°Looks like the snake showed up. Thought you were gonna skip this one,¡± Sun Liling drawled as she caught sight of the three of them. ¡°At least someone on this mountain is making a go of keeping up with me. Figures it¡¯d be you.¡±


    ¡°Bai Meizhen, Ling Qi, Gu Xiulan,¡± Cai Renxiang greeted in a tight voice, not taking her eyes off Sun Liling. She wasn¡¯t the only one to do so. Gan Guangli¡¯s expression was thunderous, and he was already swelling in height. Huang Da wasn¡¯t much better. ¡°It appears that I have been far too trusting and merciful. Already, rebellion forms in our ranks.¡±


    Sun Liling snorted. ¡°Oh, come off it. I agreed to play your game because I figured it¡¯d lead to some good scraps. Turns out everyone¡¯s too spineless to even try and stand up to you. How boring is that?¡±


    ¡°Spoken like the rabid dog you are, daughter of Sun,¡± Bai Meizhen said, eyeing the scene before them with distaste. Ling Qi spotted Han Jian and Han Fang in the distance, approaching from a different path.


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m just keeping to the natural order of things,¡± Sun Liling replied with a shrug. ¡°The strong rise to the top. And I¡¯m thinking you¡¯re less qualified than I thought, Cai Renxiang, if you haven¡¯t even broken through to green or bronze yet.¡±


    ¡°Raw cultivation is hardly the only measure of strength,¡± Cai Renxiang said, the light behind her steadily growing. Ling Qi had a feeling the only reason Gan Guangli wasn¡¯t deafening them all with angry declarations was a refusal to interrupt his lady. ¡°I will remember this betrayal after I have defeated you, Princess.¡± Her hard gaze swept over the rest of Sun Liling¡¯s group, including them all in her statement.


    ¡°I am of the West. My life belongs to the Sun family and the princess,¡± Lu Feng said. ¡°My resolve won¡¯t be shaken so easily. Besides, another chance to humiliate the buffoon beside you is welcome.¡±


    ¡°My apologies, Lady Cai,¡± Kang Zihao said, seemingly sincere for once. ¡°I cannot ignore the obligations of my clan. That you would invite the serpent into your council is but the tipping point.¡±


    ¡°Man, are we done bullshitting yet? You said I¡¯d get my shot at making that jackass eat his ugly hat,¡± Ji Rong grumbled at Sun Liling. ¡°Besides, that elixir you gave me has my blood boiling. I¡¯m gonna need to scrap soon.¡±


    ¡°I name you fool and savage,¡± Xuan Shi intoned, staring evenly at Ji Rong and Sun Liling while clutching his staff tightly in his hands. ¡°Another taste of silence awaits you.¡±


    ¡°VILLAINS AND TRAITORS, ALL OF YOU!¡± It seemed Gan Guangli could no longer restrain himself. ¡°To spit on Lady Cai¡¯s generosity and disrupt her order so. Do not think you will be forgiven!¡±


    Huang Da remained silent, his normally easy-going expression set in a scowl as he sized up Ji Rong.


    Ling Qi¡¯s fingers twitched, wishing for a weapon, and she shared a look with Bai Meizhen. Her friend looked as if she dearly wished to step in, out of sheer dislike for Sun Liling. However, it seemed that Ling Qi¡¯s presence made her hesitate.


    A bizarre thought occurred to her then. Ling Qi could probably tip things in Cai¡¯s favor pretty heavily. Aside from Bai Meizhen, Gu Xiulan had been spoiling for a fight for weeks and would likely follow her in, which meant Han Jian and Han Fang would join battle on Cai¡¯s side. Was joining in the best idea though? She could still easily stay out of this. That thought lasted barely a moment. Even if she had little investment in the Cai heiress¡¯ government, her foes were Meizhen¡¯s enemies, and wasn¡¯t that enough?


    Kang Zihao opened his mouth as if to speak again, but before a word could escape, a white streak of light flashed across the field toward the nervous boy standing at Kang Zihao¡¯s side. The son of the imperial guard captain moved almost instantly, bringing up his gleaming silver shield to deflect the projectile. But he was a hair too slow, and rather than deflecting it entirely, the wind-guided blade sliced across his subordinate¡¯s shoulder, drawing a thin burst of misty-blue qi.


    Kang Zihao scowled at Ling Qi, who had thrown the knife, but before he could speak, Ling Qi said flatly, ¡°Whatever you¡¯re going to say, stow it.¡± Ling Qi, who had triggered her Against the Wind technique off of the first realm, felt her qi take hold of both of Kang¡¯s minions and surprisingly, Lu Feng, wind grasping at their limbs with currents of wind. ¡°I know where I stand,¡± she continued, nodding to Bai Meizhen, who gave her an unreadable look as the twisting metal ribbons of her weapon appeared in her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s just get to the part where we beat you down over with.¡±


    Ling Qi thought she sounded pretty cool despite the pounding of her heart in her ears and the screaming from the more cautious part of her mind at her impulsiveness.


    ¡°Ha! It really is too bad you¡¯re with the snake,¡± Sun Liling said, her features lighting with a feral grin. The princess slashed her fingers across her right forearm, drawing a spray of blood.


    Then everything went mad.


    Gan Guangli charged forward with a bellow of righteous fury, light blazing from his forearms as a pair of heavy iron gauntlets appeared, studded with spikes longer than Ling Qi¡¯s knives. The gauntlets looked more like something that would be used to batter down gates than something to be worn, and the impression was only reinforced by the explosion of dust as he slammed a ham-sized fist into the ground where Lu Feng had just been standing.


    Sun Liling became little more than a red blur, dark armor spreading across her limbs and torso in the time it took her to cross the distance to Cai Renxiang, her grinning face vanishing behind the toothy maw of the demonic visage that formed her helmet. Cai Renxiang¡¯s oversized saber was torn from the ground in a spray of dirt, its sheath unraveling before Ling Qi¡¯s eyes into a cloud of dark blue thread and exposing a similarly colored blade. It swung up to meet the thorny spear forming in Sun Liling¡¯s hands. Ling Qi was forced back a step, throwing up her arm to shield her eyes from the shockwave that erupted from the meeting of their weapons.


    ¡°Awaken, Liming.¡± Cai Renxiang¡¯s harsh voice cut through the growing cacophony, and the wings emblazoned across her chest burned with sudden light and intelligence, the patterns warping into something like bestial eyes. The sleeves of Cai Renxiang¡¯s gown shredded apart, exposing her pale, sleekly muscled arms. Ling Qi could see the unraveled thread glittering in the air around Cai Renxiang before it gathered at her back, mingling with the blazing light she emitted, to form wings of radiance.


    Even as Cai Renxiang rose into the air, the clearing shook with a thunderous gong like the great bell in a temple being struck by a battering ram. Ji Rong had reached Xuan Shi, his fists blazing like miniature suns and crackling rings of electricity forming around his ankles. His charge was stopped by a wall of stone raised with a stamp of the other boy¡¯s foot, but it was blown apart by the power of the scarred boy¡¯s fists. Huang Da blurred, vanishing from sight in the wave of dust and shrapnel that Ji Rong created.


    ¡°Cui.¡± Meizhen¡¯s voice reached her ears, but whatever instructions given must have been silent because it was followed only by Cui springing from her perch on Meizhen¡¯s throat and swelling rapidly in size before landing on the ground with a crash. Venom glistened on Cui¡¯s exposed fangs. For her part, Meizhen had begun to draw on her mantle, streamers of water forming a dark hood that shadowed her face, lending her the terrible presence that Ling Qi had started to grow so used to in previous spars. Her friend¡¯s golden eyes snapped open, burning with internal light, and Ling Qi shuddered as the very air seemed to warp and ripple with the force of her presence.


    Even without having it aimed at her, Ling Qi could feel the terror that Bai Meizhen exuded, and she saw a shudder pass through Lu Feng. For Kang Zihao¡¯s unnamed minions, it was worse. The first realm went pale as milk, a strangled scream escaping his throat as he began to rapidly back away; the other held on better, but Ling Qi could see his teeth chattering.


    ¡°Stand steady,¡± Kang Zihao barked, handsome face set in a severe expression. His words were backed by qi, and the air seemed to briefly shimmer in the space around him, pushing back against the growing pall of Meizhen¡¯s presence.


    Meizhen simply began to advance with steady steps, uncaring of his efforts to resist. Their impending duel was interrupted by a searing beam of flame that Kang Zihao caught on his shield, and Ling Qi looked beside her to see Gu Xiulan grinning like a madwoman, the air around her rippling with heat while sparks danced around her fingers.


    Individual actions became harder to track after that as Ling Qi focused on playing the Melody of the Vale, mist rolling out in a cloying wave from her flute and deadening slightly the sounds of battle. The cost of including so many allies was sharp, but she thought it worth it, particularly as she felt her qi latch onto Lu Feng, muddling his senses.


    Everything felt slightly unreal to Ling Qi. Her previous battles had never seemed quite so¡­ beyond human in scope. Sun Liling, now fully encased in demonic red armor with a triumvirate of fanged faces on her helm, wielded her spear with impossible skill. Another pair of skeletal arms formed on her shoulders, already wielding vicious, jagged-edged blades that clashed with what seemed like a living star. Cai Renxiang was barely even visible within her corona of light save as a vague, winged figure unleashing scorching arcs of burning light with every sweep of the dark blade in her hands. She flitted through the sky, shockwaves erupting each time she fell upon Sun Liling like a meteor.


    Sun Liling¡¯s voice snapped out something garbled in a language Ling Qi didn¡¯t understand, and bloody mist streamed from her back, solidifying into the tall and willowy form of a beautiful bronze-skinned woman in scant, red silk scarves and nothing else. Ling Qi felt qi begin to exude from the captivating form of the spirit and her mist shimmered, growing warm around the woman as flowers began to bloom at her feet.


    It was an oddly captivating scene, and for a moment, Ling Qi found herself with the urge to step forward and lie among the flowers¡­ until Cui struck, sinking venomous fangs into the creature¡¯s thigh. Then spirit¡¯s eyes burned red, and its beautiful face twisted in a rictus of bloodthirsty fury, cheeks and lips coming apart and exposing sinewy muscle and inch long glistening fangs. It roared and hurled Cui away, uncaring for the spray of blood as it tore the serpent¡¯s fangs free.


    Ling Qi no longer had the luxury to observe when Kang Zihao charged toward the three of them, earth cracking beneath him as metallic coloring flowed across his skin. Behind him was a great white hound with an iron collar. Kang Zihao engaged Meizhen with a shout even as the hound dashed past, blazing fast, to leap at Ling Qi, seemingly unimpeded by the mist.


    Ling Qi twisted out of the beast¡¯s path, dancing away into the mists and leaving the hound behind. Kang¡¯s slightly recovered minions threw out their hands, having finished a chant of some kind, and scattered what looked like small clay tiles with glowing characters carved upon them.


    Ling Qi flinched as the pulse of qi washed over her but threw it off before it could take hold, only stumbling for a brief second as the weight of her limbs seemed to quadruple. Xiulan grimaced and stumbled as well, throwing off her aim as she attempted to burn the hound that had just attacked Ling Qi. Out of the corner of her eyes, Ling Qi saw Huang Da go flying like a ragdoll as one of Ji Rong¡¯s fists slammed home on his chest.


    Then, both of Kang¡¯s minions went flying as well when thunder boomed across the battlefield, a crater appearing where they had stood. Han Fang¡¯s muscular frame was emerging from the dust before the dust was whipped up into a spinning cone and slammed into the stronger of the two minions at the direction of Han Jian¡¯s sword. Kang¡¯s minion screamed as the scouring wind shredded his robes and tore at his skin.


    Ling Qi drew her bow to help put down Kang Zihao¡¯s spirit beast. It seemed to her that Kang Zihao¡¯s intent was simply to prevent Meizhen from engaging anyone else with the defensive manner he fought, hunkered down behind his shield and focused entirely on avoiding Meizhen¡¯s furiously hissing metal ribbons. All around him, the air seemed to warp weirdly, and Bai Meizhen grimaced as she found herself drawn back toward Kang by an invisible force whenever she tried to disengage. Kang''s face grew paler each time Meizhen made the attempt though.


    ¡°Red Thorn Death Flight.¡±


    Ling Qi looked up at the sound of Sun Liling¡¯s distorted voice to see the girl floating in midair, well above her mist. The extra limbs she had grown had solidified fully, with muscle and armor appearing over the initial bone. Sun Liling flung her spear downward, and it exploded into a hundred blazing streaks of bloody light. Then, Ling Qi could only dodge and desperately flare her qi to initiate her Gale Shield technique, blasting out a circle of wind to deflect the deadly rain.


    Ling Qi screamed as several of the jagged blood shards tore right through her spinning winds, slicing across her limbs and in one case, embedding itself in her shoulder. The wounds burned painfully, and she could see smoke rising from her cuts as the skin around them blackened and burned.


    The technique had rained down on the entire battlefield and blown away her mist, revealing the battlefield in its entirety. Bai Meizhen still battled furiously with an increasingly battered Kang Zihao, although she now bled from several wounds. Gu Xiulan¡¯s right arm hung limply from her shoulder and she bled freely as well, now desperately retreating from Kang¡¯s advancing hound.


    Further back, neither of Kang¡¯s minions still stood, and Han Jian was unharmed but at cost. Han Fang slumped down in from of him, arms which had been held out collapsing to his sides as he fell to his knees, bleeding from a dozen wounds. Han Jian¡¯s normally relaxed expression was set in fury as he scowled up at the figures in the sky.


    The brawl between Ji Rong and the other two boys was in its late stages as well. Huang Da struggled to his feet, his chin stained with blood as he clutched his ribs. Ji Rong was hardly in better shape, letting out panting breaths like a winded bull even as steam began to rise from the tattoos on his flesh. His left arm was frozen stiff and unmoving. Xuan Shi looked unscathed as the dome of rock around him crumbled, but Ling Qi thought his qi seemed to be quite depleted.


    Gan Guangli stood bloodied but unbowed, nearing four meters in height. Lu Feng lay at the bottom of a meter deep crater at his feet.


    Meanwhile, the struggle between Cui and Liling¡¯s spirit continued unabated. Cui hissed and thrashed furiously as the thing tore at her scales with claws of jagged wood, and bloody flowers bloomed around them. Liling¡¯s spirit had only grown more hideous, bone and sinew exposed as flesh sloughed off under the assault of Cui¡¯s venom.


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes were torn from the battlefield when a blazing ray of light slammed down on the descending figure of Sun Liling, blasting her into the ground. A molten crater was burned into the pavilion floor as the armored girl was driven into the foundation by the force of the beam. Cai Renxiang¡¯s light had faded since the start of the fight, enough to see the girl. She was pale and winded, strain showing in the set of her jaw and unnatural exhaustion in the trembling of her limbs.


    Sun Liling¡¯s laughter preceded her leap from the glowing crater, and she landed on the pavilion¡¯s crumbling roof. ¡°Ha! I guess your mother knows what she¡¯s doing after all.¡± Sun Liling¡¯s armor was charred and cracked. One of her extra limbs had broken off, and a chunk of the helmet was missing, exposing the feral grin still on her face. ¡°That thing you¡¯re wearing is ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°You have little room to speak, Princess Sun,¡± the heiress replied stiffly, the wings of light on her back flaring as she stilled the trembling in her limbs. The lower part of the gown had begun to unravel, revealing knee-high boots. ¡°Yield. Your side of this conflict is crumbling around you.¡±


    Ling Qi thought that might be an optimistic assessment, but on second thought, even with the destruction Sun Liling had rained down, her side was losing. Kang could only hold against Meizhen for so long, and she was fairly confident Xuan Shi and Huang Da could handle the increasingly unsteady Ji Rong.


    ¡°As if I¡¯d end such a good fight before it¡¯s even over,¡± the redhead rejected. ¡°This is doing just fine at settling my foundations, Cai. Come at me!¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. It might not be the wisest course of action, but Ling Qi did not care. Gu Xiulan was hurt badly, and she would be damned before she let Kang¡¯s mutt maul her. Ignoring the renewed sounds of battle and Gan Guangli¡¯s roar, she spun toward Xiulan, nocking an arrow. The wind around her spiraled inward, howling as it condensed around her arrow, and a crackling electrical current sparked on the iron arrowhead.


    Ling Qi felt a rush of dark satisfaction as the arrow screamed from her bow and plunged into the dog¡¯s side, puncturing through its shielding qi and its metallic white fur. She bared her teeth in a vicious expression at the dog¡¯s yelp of pain.


    ¡°Do not falter! CRUSH THESE REBELS!¡± A voice she barely recognized as Han Jian¡¯s echoed across the battlefield, cutting through the noise along with a sudden blaze of golden light. Han Jian stood over his unconscious cousin, black stripes tracing themselves on his face and hands while a golden banner of light formed behind him. This wasn¡¯t a technique she had ever seen him use before. Ling Qi felt the pain of her wounds fading, and a rush of confidence and drive burned in her veins and set her heart pounding.


    She wasn¡¯t the only one to feel so either. Gu Xiulan straightened, regaining her agility just in time to dodge the hound¡¯s attack. Fires bloomed on her fingertips, and a trio of curving white hot lances burst out, two twisting to cut off the hound¡¯s avenues of escape and the third carving a blackened line of burned flesh across its shoulder.


    Another shockwave struck then. She glimpsed Gan Guangli falling back, his footsteps shaking the earth, when Sun Liling¡¯s spike-heeled boots crashed into his cheek, snapping his head to the side violently. The laughing redhead used the massive boy¡¯s face as a springboard to launch herself up at Cai Renxiang.


    In the other battle, Ji Rong was screaming, his tattoos blazing brightly as whatever effect had bound his arm shattered. He was immediately wreathed in a halo of lightning, his hair spiked and on end. Ji Rong launched himself fist first at Xuan Shi, whose ringed staff rang like a struck bell when Ji Rong punched the black barrier of pure qi it raised.


    She could not spare much attention to Meizhen, but she could tell the girl was growing ever more infuriated with her opponent. It occurred to her that many of Bai Meizhen¡¯s techniques seemed to function best in response to an attack, something that Kang had not given Meizhen the opportunity to exploit. Ling Qi supposed it likely that Meizhen was also trying not to expend too much qi in taking down Kang given that she¡¯d likely be moving on to fight Sun Liling next.


    Ling Qi drew back her bowstring, circling Meizhen¡¯s fight so that when the dog went down, she would have a clear shot at Kang Zihao. This time though, she had nothing to show for it. Her arrow glanced off the hound¡¯s metallic fur, doing little but ripping a patch of hair free.


    The dog lunged at Gu Xiulan, and Xiulan screamed as its jaws closed on her lower leg with a painful crunch. Even as the hound knocked her from her feet with a vicious twist of its head though, fire bloomed in Xiulan¡¯s hands, and a half dozen lashes of blue-white fire scoured the spirit beast¡¯s hide, finally causing the thing to whimper and collapse, its grip on her leg loosening.


    The battle with Sun Liling appeared to be going slightly better. Gan Guangli, joined by Han Jian, harried her movements. Sun Liling was forced to dodge the falling boulders that Gan Guangli¡¯s fists had become. Han Jian circled her, the flicker of afterimages in his wake, and he prodded her defenses with careful strikes while Cai Renxiang rained down destructive beams.


    It was not to last though. As Sun Liling ducked under an arc of destructive light, the butt of her spear swung around in a red blur, slamming once then twice across Han Jian¡¯s face. The first blow staggered the boy, and the second sent him flying to slam into the stone foundations of the pavilion with a crack.


    ¡°Enough screwing around!¡± The redhead launched herself away from her foes, landing a dozen meters away.Ling Qi felt a surge of unease as Sun Liling gabbled something unintelligible and was answered by tinkling peals of laughter from her spirit, which seemed little more than a bloody, spike-studded skeleton of wood at this point.


    The feeling of dread grew when she saw the thing, Cui¡¯s fang¡¯s buried in its throat, explode into a blizzard of yellow flower petals. Ling Qi winced as she heard Cui¡¯s voice scream in her thoughts, but even that was overshadowed by the riot of color that erupted. Flowers twisted and erupted from the ground, rising and blooming into bright yellow flowers atop stalks nearly a meter tall. The qi on the battlefield began to drain into the flowers, visible as motes of light.


    Her attention was drawn back to her side of the battlefield though as another scream rang out. Kang Zihao¡¯s shield had been torn from his hand, and Bai Meizhen¡¯s pale hand was wrapped around his throat. He thrashed in her grip, weapon forgotten and dropping from nerveless fingers, and his veins stood out as red lines on his skin. Meizhen flung the screaming boy aside.


    ¡°Destroy those things now!¡± Meizhen¡¯s icy voice cracked across the battlefield.


    Sun Liling slammed into Cai Renxiang like a red comet and smashed the glowing heiress to the earth. Ling Qi could see Sun Liling¡¯s armor repairing itself and what wounds she had closing visibly before her eyes. Gan Guangli barreled into her from behind like a runaway cart, forcing Sun Liling away from his lady.


    Ling Qi wavered briefly, unsure of what to do, but then rushed forward, dropping her bow to draw her flute. She summoned her mist and constructs of dissonance, engulfing the sunflowers in mist. In the distance, Sun Liling let out a cry of irritation.


    Fire bloomed, and she saw Gu Xiulan rising to one knee and raising her hands above her head, gathering a churning orb of flames wider than her shoulders. Bai Meizhen¡¯s mantle of dark water exploded outward, cutting a swathe through the flowers like a pressurized hose and sending up a spray of mud as it dug them out by the roots.


    She spotted Cai rising to her feet unsteadily from the trench her body had dug into the ground, a grimace on her face as the wings on her back flickered and stuttered in and out of existence, sending strobes of light across the battlefield, even as she reengaged Sun Liling, driving her away from the flowers.


    As Ling Qi¡¯s fingers danced over her flute, a thought occurred to her. If the flowers were absorbing qi¡­ She shifted her tune to Starlight Elegy, the song growing mournful and dirge-like. She felt satisfaction as the flowers¡¯ qi gathering slowed to a trickle, even as Gu Xiulan¡¯s fireball carved a wide circle of destruction in the flowers that remained outside of her mist.


    Then a crimson blur tore through her mist, scattering it, and Ling Qi desperately ducked beneath a blur of blood-red metal she could barely see. Her eyes widened as she realized that Sun Liling had come straight after her. Ling Qi could only fall back, frantically dodging attacks that seemingly came from impossible angles. The twin swords in the girl¡¯s extra arms hemmed her in and reduced her options. She ducked and weaved in an attempt to avoid the thorny point of the demonic figure¡¯s spear, but it was in vain. She had an instant to feel regret when she dodged in the wrong direction and saw the incoming red blur.


    Pain lanced through her stomach as the barbed spear slammed into and through her abdomen. Burning agony from the Crimson Princess¡¯ corrosive blood overwhelmed her. Darkness.

 Chapter 64: Rebellion 2

    Ling Qi was tired. Her limbs felt leaden, and even opening her eyes seemed like a monumental effort. The dewey grass under her back, and the cool night air at least made her rest comfortable though. She wouldn¡¯t mind lying here forever. It was peaceful and quiet, and that was enough given how frantic things had been.


    Ling Qi frowned, finding the thought discomforting. What had been frantic? She couldn¡¯t really remember. Voices yelling, a tearing pain in her abdomen, incomprehensible sounds. It all made her so tired. She didn¡¯t want to think about it. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to just drift away and relax? When was the last time she had slept for more than an hour at a time?


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a little boring though?¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes snapped open at the sound of her own voice but not from her lips. She lay in the middle of a field of shining white flowers beneath a starry sky and a crooked crescent moon.


    She found herself staring up at her own face. Wait, not exactly her own face. It was older and mostly hidden behind a partially transparent black veil. Those were her eyes though, bright blue and piercing. She stared up at her own amused expression for a time but eventually closed her eyes again. Ling Qi felt like she should be feeling something more than exhaustion, alarm maybe, but she just couldn¡¯t manage it. Her older doppelganger seemed content to simply watch her so she could just go to sleep.


    There was something wrong with that thought, but she couldn¡¯t say why.


    Ling Qi began to drift off, the only sound in the clearing her own breath and the soft rustle of the wind through the flowers. It wasn¡¯t to last. She only had a moment to feel cool fingers brushing up her sides before the assault began. Ling Qi let out an indignant squawk, the leaden feeling in her limbs vanishing as she felt the other¡¯s fingers tickling under her arms. She squirmed away quickly, rolling into a crouch as she glared at the older her.


    ¡°Hm, that¡¯s a good face,¡± older Ling Qi said, her lips twisted into a smirk behind her veil. ¡°Are you sure you want to glare at me like that though? That¡¯s hardly polite.¡±


    Ling Qi shuddered under the sudden, enormous weight on her shoulders.


    ¡°What is even - I was resting. Why are you bothering me?¡± Ling Qi shook her head like a dog trying to shed water, and the feeling of pressure faded. ¡°And don¡¯t touch me like that either,¡± she snapped indignantly. The older copy regarded her with twinkling amusement in its blue eyes. Ling Qi didn¡¯t like being touched. A hand was fine, but whatever that was¡­


    - She giggled, twisting away from Mother¡¯s hands, knowing that she could no longer pretend to be asleep. But she didn¡¯t care much. Momma was smiling today. -


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s hardly entertaining to let you lie there like a lump,¡± her doppelganger said. ¡°Besides, isn¡¯t it the elder sister¡¯s right to tease the younger?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any siblings.¡± Ling Qi glared at the figure accusingly, her fuzzy thoughts moving slowly. Where was she?


    ¡°Don¡¯t you?¡± the veiled figure asked. ¡°Well, I suppose it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Ling Qi shot back, growing irritated. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a hard question to answer,¡± the figure mused, tapping a finger thoughtfully against her lips. ¡°I¡¯m you, but also, not really? You wouldn¡¯t understand.¡± The older-her shrugged. ¡°As for what I want, I guess you could say I¡¯m curious. You aren¡¯t exactly what I was expecting. The determination is good, but you¡¯re so uptight. You¡¯re just puttering along playing by the rules.¡±


    Ling Qi narrowed her eyes. ¡°And what¡¯s wrong with that? The rules have been in my favor for once. Why shouldn¡¯t I take advantage? Maybe I want to be better than I was.¡±


    Other-her frowned. ¡°That¡¯s a lie, and not even a good one. You just don¡¯t want to look bad in front of your little friends,¡± she accused. ¡°Do you really think that you can get by playing nice? That there¡¯s no value in your old skills? You aren¡¯t happy just letting things go either. What happened to your fangs, little rat? Have the snake and the tiger plucked them out?¡±


    Ling Qi shook her head, remembered indignation from the slights she had suffered bubbling back up. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ not important, and I have too much to do. They aren¡¯t worth my time. Not anymore.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re afraid,¡± the Moon corrected, eyes no longer blue but solid pools of silver. ¡°Afraid of what others will think of you,¡± she said, sounding disappointed. ¡°Afraid of being who you are. Do you remember what you felt when you saw that boy¡¯s face as he fell into the well?¡±


    Ling Qi remembered the satisfaction and delight at her success well enough, even if it had been quashed by other feelings shortly thereafter.


    ¡°Life is boring without risk,¡± the spirit continued. ¡°What is the point to a trick or a scheme that has no chance of failure? If all you do is plan and train, you may as well stay home in bed or cultivate in a cave until you are old and grey.¡± The figure was growing indistinct, more a shadow than a human shape now. ¡°You have enemies now, ones you can¡¯t dismiss as beneath you. I wonder if you will have more excuses¡­ or if you will remember your own fangs.¡±


    ¡°I remember,¡± Ling Qi replied, scowling at the dissipating mist. ¡°I just remember my other priorities too.¡± Still, she was reminded now how she had been treated prior to her breakthrough¡­ Maybe she would have to look into getting some payback. Even if she didn¡¯t steal from them, some humiliation might be in order.


    Ling Qi coughed from a suddenly dry throat and opened her eyes. She found herself staring at a polished, wood paneled ceiling rather than a starry sky. Her throat felt completely parched, and her stomach throbbed with pain. As she tried to sit up, she flinched and made a rasping sound when she tried to speak.


    A moment later, a cup of water was pressed into her hands, and she looked over to see Bai Meizhen sitting in a chair beside the bed she was lying in. They were in a small, sparsely furnished chamber that she recognized as one of the Medicine Hall¡¯s private recovery rooms. It took her a moment to take everything in. Bai Meizhen gracefully set down the pitcher of water she had just used to pour Ling Qi a cup. There was a bundle of silvery-white flowers set in a vase on the table as well.


    Surprisingly, they were not the only ones in the room. Cai Renxiang was seated across from Bai Meizhen in a chair with its back to the wall. Her hands were clasped together over her knee, and she wore a soft grey mantle that covered her from the neck down.


    ¡°Did we win?¡± Ling Qi asked after she had taken a swallow of water, glancing between Meizhen¡¯s somber expression and Cai Renxiang¡¯s neutral one. Bai Meizhen gave her a reproachful look.


    ¡°The Sun Princess was forced to yield,¡± Cai Renxiang answered.


    ¡°It is always troublesome to determine just how far their kind are from defeat,¡± Bai Meizhen said sourly. ¡°Barbarians such as her fight at their full vigor even an inch from death. Your art prevented her from recovering the qi she had spent. It was enough.¡±


    ¡°So what happens now then?¡± Ling Qi asked carefully. ¡°Did Xuan lock them up?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately not,¡± Cai Renxiang replied, a hint of irritation leaking into her harsh voice. ¡°Her status prevents me from doing such a thing.¡±


    ¡°So what - she just gets away with starting that huge fight?¡± Ling Qi asked, incredulous.


    ¡°Such is the luck of the Sun,¡± Bai Meizhen said, her anger barely concealed to Ling Qi. ¡°But no, not this time. She went too far in planting that¡­ corruption on the mountainside.¡±


    ¡°Sun Liling has been temporarily removed from the Outer Peak by command of Elder Ying,¡± Cai Renxiang elaborated, the drumming of her fingers on her knee the only sign of her emotions. ¡°As for the others, unfortunately, I was instructed that we were not to retaliate further than taking prizes of battle, the majority of which was required for immediate medical costs.¡±


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t really certain how to feel about that. On the one hand, Sun Liling wasn¡¯t going to be a problem for some time, but it didn¡¯t quite seem like enough. She also had a feeling that she had been the biggest recipient of medical costs given the lack of a gaping hole in her stomach. She glanced over at Meizhen, who looked to be having similar thoughts.


    ¡°I would, however, like to thank you for your support in this matter, Miss Ling,¡± the heiress said. ¡°It seems that I was too naive and soft in my efforts to date. Be assured that I will not make such mistakes in the future.¡±


    ¡°As we discussed, you will have my support, Lady Cai,¡± Bai Meizhen said cooly. ¡°It would not do to be unprepared for the barbarian¡¯s eventual return.¡±


    ¡°Your support is appreciated, Miss Bai,¡± Cai Renxiang said, dipping her head in response. ¡°It is earlier than I would have liked, but the preparations are already being made to arm and supply my enforcers. The newer crop of second realm cultivators and older Outer Sect Disciples are useful for that role. You and Miss Ling are naturally exempted from the upcoming changes.¡±


    Ling Qi narrowed her eyes. It looked like she had missed some things. ¡°I do not know all the details you might have discussed,¡± she said slowly, forcing herself to speak carefully despite her throbbing head. ¡°But I would appreciate some consideration for the disciples Su Ling and Li Suyin as they are good friends of mine.¡±


    Cai Renxiang regarded Ling Qi silently but then nodded. ¡°Of course. For your contributions, such a thing is more than reasonable,¡± she allowed. ¡°Perhaps it might be best if we discussed what will be changing in the future.¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t really feel up to it, but she could hardly say no now. The conversation that followed was enlightening. Cai Renxiang had apparently been quietly organizing things among the newer second realm cultivators and the amenable older disciples using her family contacts to form a proper enforcement group. The meeting arranged for today would have discussed the enforcement group and the rules it would enforce. With half of the ¡®council¡¯ gone, Cai Renxiang and Bai Meizhen were the ones whose say mattered.


    The rules sounded pretty reasonable to Ling Qi. They included things like enforcing fairness in duels and ensuring that the fighters were not preyed upon by opportunists in the aftermath. Order would be enforced in public areas and during the collection of monthly spirit stones. The possibility of organizing training and providing a certain amount of resources beyond simple spirit stones for those who joined up under Cai seemed like a nice idea as well.


    Ling Qi was less sure of the tax the heiress intended to levy to pay for those services despite the fact that she herself was exempted. Ling Qi¡¯s tentative idea of making allowances for impoverished cultivators was met with some approval though. Defiance was likely going to be punished much more harshly, and those who refused to knuckle under would receive no recognition of rights from her enforcers.


    ¡°This is all a lot to take in,¡± Ling Qi grumbled under her breath as their talk wound down. She had begun to go through the contents of her storage ring while Cai Renxiang and Bai Meizhen discussed details that were over her head. It was a habit of hers to make sure all of her possessions were in place.


    ¡°I will leave you to your recovery soon, Miss Ling,¡± Cai Renxiang said politely, briefly meeting Bai Meizhen¡¯s eyes. ¡°There is only one more thing.¡±


    Ling Qi was distracted though. Something was missing. She patted her sleeves and failed to find it there either. ¡°Wait. Where is my flute?¡±


    ¡°It slipped my mind,¡± Meizhen admitted. ¡°It was broken in the melee. I will ensure you have a replacement before you leave the hall. You really should consider a proper talisman though.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked then clutched her blankets, vindictive anger at Sun Liling rising in her thoughts. ¡°Yeah, I should,¡± she said flatly. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you picked it up, did you?¡±


    Bai Meizhen paused while Cai Renxiang looked on with a hint of irritation at being interrupted. ¡°... I did not. It was only a mundane flute,¡± she replied slowly.


    ¡°I will have someone retrieve the pieces,¡± Cai Renxiang offered cooly. ¡°I apologize if it was an item of importance.¡±


    ¡°I would appreciate that,¡± Ling Qi said distantly, thinking on the many many times she had kept the old thing intact and in her possession despite the hardship in doing so. ¡°I am sorry. What was the last thing you wished to discuss?¡±


    ¡°Nothing of great importance,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°I merely wished to once again extend my thanks to the two of you. As loyal members of my council, it is only right that you be rewarded for your contributions. One of my honored Mother¡¯s apprentices is a core member of the Sect. I intend to have garments commissioned in thanks for the two of you and Sir Han. It will take some time to complete. So for now, please simply accept my thanks.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, knowing she should probably be ecstatic at receiving an item of such high quality, but she couldn¡¯t quite manage it given the loss of her flute.


    She was out of the Medicine Hall by the next morning, having been healed quickly at great expense on Cai Renxiang¡¯s funds, the pieces of her flute in her storage ring, and a new, white armband pinned in place on her sleeve. The character for Cai embroidered upon it declared her to be a member of Cai¡¯s group, and the gold lining identified her as a member of the ruling council. It was a strange thing to think about - that she, Ling Qi, was apparently an influential official in a pseudo-government. She wasn¡¯t entirely certain what expectations the other girl had of her. Cai Renxiang seemed reluctant to push overmuch with either Bai Meizhen or Ling Qi.


    Ling Qi found her thoughts continually coming back to her flute though. It was the one thing she had carried with her through all her years in the streets, and now it was broken, snapped in half with part of the length pulped, likely by someone¡¯s foot. She should have gotten a talisman or at least a basic flute instead of using it in combat. Yet, she couldn¡¯t quite bring herself to buy another flute, even if the lack of instrument was a weakness.


    Dredging up half-remembered plans from before the battle, Ling Qi descended the mountain in a fugue. She needed to begin stockpiling Sect Points, especially now that it had been made clear how far she still had to go. Sect Points could be used to purchase valuable medicines and tutoring from Inner Sect disciples or in a pinch, traded for more spirit stones.


    In the absence of her flute, Ling Qi took to the bow as she ranged out to exterminate spirit beasts marked for death by the Sect. Her new archery art proved its worth here, letting her nail down birds and fleeing beasts a hundred meters or more distant.


    It seemed she had been underestimating herself. It would probably be a good idea to look into taking harder missions in the future. She had been too cautious to look at anything but the lowest missions before. The funds gained by selling the cores and carcasses could go toward replacing her flute.


    Unfortunately, she wasn¡¯t able to locate Gu Xiulan to discuss the inevitable changes to their plans to challenge older Outer Sect disciples. Xiulan wasn¡¯t at her house or the spring nor did she join the group for training even after Fan Yu had done so, the belligerent boy having finally managed to break through to Silver Physique.


    Han Jian was evasive when she pressed him on Xiulan¡¯s whereabouts, saying that she wanted to cultivate alone for a time. Under the effects of Argent Mirror¡¯s Discerning Gaze, Ling Qi thought he felt slightly guilty. She wasn¡¯t sure how to press him on it without being rude so she left it alone.


    Somehow, she felt like the turmoil on the mountain was only just beginning.

 Chapter 65: Challenge

    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re ready for this then?¡± Ling Qi asked Li Suyin as the two of them and Su Ling walked the path down toward the main courtyard. Li Suyin still wore her disciple¡¯s garb, but she had replaced the sash with a light green one patterned with leaves and formation characters.


    ¡°I am,¡± the one-eyed girl responded. Ling Qi thought her stance was stiff and tense, but there wasn¡¯t any hesitation in Li Suyin¡¯s words. The partial breakthrough into the second realm, seemed to have given her confidence.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like the idea of being a spectacle,¡± Su Ling grumbled, arms crossed and pointed ears twitching agitatedly. She had replaced her disciple¡¯s gown with a rather mannish outfit of thick cloth and leather with sturdy woodsman¡¯s boots and sleeves bound by steel-studded bracers.


    ¡°It needs to be a spectacle or Xu Jia can just ignore the challenge,¡± Li Suyin replied firmly, fingering the needles holstered in the pouch at her belt.


    ¡°What are you going to do if she ignores it anyway?¡± Ling Qi asked. She tugged uncomfortably at the gold-lined armband she wore over her gown; although she still wasn¡¯t used to it, the Cai armband would make the chances of something shady happening less likely. Cai Renxiang had started to move fast in the aftermath of the intra-council fight, probably to head off possible rumors of her lacking strength.


    ¡°Then I will return here every day this week to repeat it,¡± Li Suyin said with determination. ¡°If Xu Jia has so little honor that she can ignore that, then I will think of something else.¡±


    Su Ling snorted, and Ling Qi hummed thoughtfully. She still didn¡¯t know the exact details of her friend¡¯s plan, but Li Suyin seemed confident in whatever it was.


    Ling Qi grew uncomfortable as they entered the main plaza. There were several pairs of Cai Renxiang¡¯s enforcers about, and there was a noticeable wariness toward them. She saw several older disciples eyeing the enforcers with rebellious or irritated looks.


    The enforcers themselves made her feel uncomfortable for an entirely different reason. The way they lowered their heads in deference and respect when she passed by threw her off.


    It seemed Cai Renxiang had been spinning tales about the council split - and those involved too, if the murmuring she heard in her wake was accurate. The actions and feats of those who had supported Cai was getting played up. Su Ling gave her a sidelong look as they passed through the crowd. Ling Qi shrugged her shoulders helplessly, which the girl seemed to accept.


    The three of them soon reached an open space in front of one of the little gardens that dotted the plaza. Li Suyin brought them to a halt, taking deep breaths to steady herself as she paced along the edges of the meditation space and pausing to place down wooden tokens painted with formations characters. It drew her some curious looks, but nothing more.


    Ling Qi, too, watched curiously, standing beside Su Ling as she watched her friend set up and then return to the center of the little square after placing the last token. She felt her friend¡¯s qi surge upward a tiny bit, and the wooden tokens lit up with faint blue light.


    ¡°XU JIA!¡±


    Ling Qi almost flinched as her normally quiet and meek companion¡¯s voice thundered in her ears. The volume was as loud as Elder Jiao¡¯s had been at the end of the truce. Beside her, Su Ling grimaced, ears lying flat against her head.


    ¡°I, LI SUYIN, NAME YOU COWARD AND BANDIT! RECEIVE MY CHALLENGE AND FACE ME IN THE GREAT PLAZA BY NOON THIS DAY OR BE RECOGNIZED AS THE HONORLESS CRAVEN YOU ARE!¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eye twitched as the echoes faded and she felt scores of eyes fall upon them. She would never have thought Li Suyin would have the guts to do something like this. On the other hand, she now knew why Li Suyin was so confident the other girl would show up. It was as good as slapping Xu Jia across the face in public.


    Ling Qi could see the minute tremble in Li Suyin¡¯s hands though. The other girl was a lot more nervous than she was letting on. Ling Qi reached out to pat her on the shoulder. ¡°You have this as long as you keep your head. I have no doubt that you¡¯re better than this girl.¡±


    ¡°What she said,¡± Su Ling grumbled, rubbing an ear with one hand. ¡°Still, weren¡¯t you going to fix that to not blow our own ears up as well?¡±


    ¡°I did not quite manage that part,¡± Li Suyin said under her breath, glancing back with a nervous smile. ¡°Sorry,¡± she added apologetically while attempting to keep her shoulders straight and her chin up under the attention of the other disciples.


    After a few minutes, people began to move again, although a not insignificant portion remained nearby, keeping a curious eye on Ling Qi and her friends. Ling Qi found herself making eye contact with a pair of Cai¡¯s enforcers. She didn¡¯t miss the way they adjusted their patrol route in response.


    Ling Qi began to grow impatient as the minutes ticked by. Was the girl Li Suyin challenged really just going to accept an insult like that? She couldn¡¯t imagine any noble-born disciple actually would. More likely, Xu Jia had simply been far away. Even with Li Suyin¡¯s amplifying formation, Ling Qi doubted that Li Suyin¡¯s voice had reached the entire mountain.


    So although it was annoying, Ling Qi simply stood quietly at her friend¡¯s back for the next quarter hour. At last, she saw a group approaching their position with purpose. There were five girls in total, but none of them were particularly impressive to her eyes. Three were entirely in the first realm still, one was partially in the second realm, and the fifth was solidly in the second. The last and strongest one looked a bit older than the others.


    It was interesting to watch the way their expressions and approach changed once they got a clear look at Li Suyin and the two girls behind her. Their approach briefly slowed down, and a flicker of worry broke through the anger and indignation on their faces. Ling Qi¡¯s gaze flickered between Li Suyin and the girls. As Li Suyin was glaring at the one partially in the second realm, that girl was likely Xu Jia.


    ¡°At least you have some shame,¡± Li Suyin said, doing her best to look confident and threatening as she stared down the girl. ¡°I was worried that you would not dare to come for a fight that was not an ambush, Xu Jia.¡±


    ¡°That you dare to spew such slander merely shows what a low class drudge you are,¡± Xu Jia sniffed. A brief glance at the older girl to her right seemed to restore her confidence. Xu Jia was a fairly average looking girl, a bit taller than normal and classically pretty in the way just about every female on the mountain was. ¡°Do not think that I will forgive you. I -¡±


    ¡°You broke into my home, smashed my things, and had your thugs hold down and beat my friend,¡± Li Suyin interrupted. Ling Qi gave her friend a worried look. Li Suyin was getting worked up, which might affect her discipline in the upcoming fight. ¡°If that is not a bandit, I do not know what is. I do not wish to talk to a thug like you. Step forward and fight, or leave and admit your shame.¡±


    ¡°Hold your tongue, girl,¡± the older girl spoke up. She had a similar face to the younger girl at her side, likely making her an older sibling. ¡°I do not know who you think you are, but -¡±


    ¡°Are you Xu Jia?¡± Ling Qi said clearly, raising her voice over the other girl¡¯s and meeting her gaze with steady eyes. The other girl narrowed her eyes angrily, but Ling Qi saw her eyes flick down to the armband she wore and then back to her face. She liked to think she was able to spot the moment recognition dawned. ¡°Then be silent. You can observe, but you have no right to interfere.¡±


    She fingered the smooth curve of the replacement flute Bai Meizhen had given her to use this morning until she had a new one made. It wasn¡¯t as good as her own flute, but it would be enough. Besides, although the girl might edge her out in raw cultivation, she knew well that the simple appearance of absolute confidence was a major deterrent, particularly if Cai Renxiang had spread tales about her council¡¯s battle prowess.


    The older girl¡¯s lips thinned in anger, but in the end, she was the one who looked away first. She flicked her sleeve toward the younger girl at her side. ¡°Xu Jia, crush this peasant and be done with it,¡± she said before looking back up to glare at Ling Qi. ¡°Unless, of course, you do not intend to fight fairly.¡±


    Ling Qi held back the incredulous snort that almost escaped her, but Su Ling was not quite so controlled, drawing disdain from the girls across from them.


    ¡°If you do not intend to continue delaying, please step forward,¡± Li Suyin said quietly.


    ¡°Who was delaying? I was merely awestruck at your audacity,¡± Xu Jia retorted, stepping forward from her group as they backed off. Ling Qi and Su Ling moved back as well, giving the two duelists room to fight. A pair of clawed gloves appeared on the girl¡¯s hands, four lengths of sharp curved metal protruding from each of Xu Jia¡¯s wrists. She supposed that was where the scars on Li Suyin¡¯s cheek had come from.


    Only the murmured buzz of conversation from more distant watchers disturbed the silence. The stillness was broken as Li Suyin flung a trio of her combat needles in a wide spread, forcing the other girl to duck under them. Xu Jia¡¯s claws lit up with sickly green qi, extending the blades by several centimeters, and as she came up from under the throw, she darted forward, sped up by the way the stone under her feet seemed to briefly flow, launching her forward all the faster.


    Li Suyin sidestepped the initial outstretched claw strike and ducked under the follow up from the girl¡¯s other hand, responding with a feint of flung needles from her off hand while jabbing toward the girl¡¯s shoulder with the ones clutched in her main hand. Xu Jia avoided the stab fairly easily.


    Ling Qi narrowed her eyes. What was Li Suyin doing? Li Suyin had never done much throwing with her weapons before when they practiced, and the lack of practice showed with how ill aimed the needles were. It was almost physically painful for her to watch half of the flung needles tumble off course before even getting near the target.


    The duel continued with Li Suyin leading the other girl on a circular chase, failing to do much damage to Xu Jia and taking a scratch herself now and then. The scrapes left behind were ugly and bled freely by Li Suyin¡¯s grimace, but her concentration didn¡¯t change. Ling Qi found herself glowering at the older girl¡¯s increasingly smug expression and irritated by the jeers of Xu Jia¡¯s companions.


    Just as Ling Qi was beginning to worry that Li Suyin didn¡¯t have a plan though, the two girls clashed again, Xu Jia¡¯s qi enhanced claws screeching off the needles in Li Suyin¡¯s hands while Li Suyin caught the girl¡¯s other set of claws in a gnarled and bark-textured hand. Ling Qi caught Su Ling¡¯s smirk at her side as a tiny click reached her ears. A flash of metal from under the hem of Suyin¡¯s gown drew a cry of pain as the little boot knife slashed across Xu Jia¡¯s shin, drawing a painful looking but ultimately superficial cut.


    Such an attack only drew more jeers, particularly since it looked to have mostly just made the other girl angry. Xu Jia pulled out of Li Suyin¡¯s grip and slammed a kick into her midriff, making the blue-haired girl stumble back.


    ¡°I hope such a pathetic trick was not what you were counting on,¡± Xu Jia said haughtily as she fell back into her stance.


    ¡°No,¡± Li Suyin wheezed as she forced herself straighten. ¡°It was a good distraction though,¡± she added, smiling in a distinctly unfriendly manner. ¡°Mark. Set. Seek.¡±


    As she spoke, Li Suyin formed a symbol with her empty hand, two fingers and her thumb extended upward with the others curled down. Ling Qi felt a pulse of qi, and the needles on the ground rattled briefly and then shot toward Xu Jia on an unerring course.


    Xu Jia¡¯s eyes widened as she flung herself away from the closest needles, but there had been nearly two dozen of them on the ground. It was inevitable that at least one needle would manage to strike her, particularly with the way the needles would reverse direction upon missing, honing in like iron filings to a lodestone. The first needle struck¡­ and then exploded. It was no grand blast, more firecracker than rocket, but it still knocked Xu Jia off balance, resulting in more needles striking home.


    Ling Qi suppressed a flinch at the sudden chain of explosions around Xu Jia but restrained herself to only smirking at the other side¡¯s suddenly unhappy observers. Li Suyin wasn¡¯t idle either while Xu Jia was stumbling and dodging the needles. In fact, the intact needles were already slowing down as Xu Jia coughed and emerged from the smoke, but Xu Jia¡¯s distraction prevented her from being able to avoid Li Suyin jabbing a trio of needles into Xu Jia¡¯s right thigh with well-practiced precision.


    Li Suyin skipped back out of range from the retaliatory slash, leaving her needles behind. Her opponent¡¯s leg buckled underneath her, dropping the girl to one knee and allowing the remaining needles to drive into her back and explode.


    The plaza was silent as the echoes of Li Suyin¡¯s explosions faded away, and when the smoke cleared, Xu Jia was lying face down on the ground, gown shredded and her back raw with burns. Ling Qi smiled as Li Suyin approached and then crouched down, reaching for the dull grey ring on the girl¡¯s finger.


    ¡°Stop.¡± Ling Qi¡¯s smile faded as the older girl stepped forward, an ugly look on her face. ¡°I think that is quite enough. If you think to bully my younger sister so, you will have to face me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty appropriate for the victor to take a token,¡± Ling Qi rebutted. ¡°Are you really that poor?¡±


    ¡°And who do you think you are?¡± the sister sneered. ¡°I am Xu Qiao, eldest daughter of Xu Wen, and I have accepted enough of your rudeness. That little scrap of cloth does not put you above me. Do not imagine yourself above your station!¡±


    ¡°I am Ling Qi, and although I cannot say I have a clan to back me, I have made a friend or two,¡± she said dryly. Ling Qi didn¡¯t miss that the original enforcer pair from before now stepped forward nor that two other pairs of enforcers did the same. ¡°I will not say that I am above you, but don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being too much of a sore loser here?¡±


    Xu Qiao¡¯s face reddened, and she scowled out at the crowd. ¡°Is this what the Sect is reduced to? Kowtowing to the whims and authority of an unblooded heiress? Are we to allow ourselves to be cowed by our juniors so?¡±


    Ling Qi maintained her confident mien despite the grumbling from the crowd, but she was a bit worried. It was Li Suyin who spoke up next as she carefully removed the ring from Xu Jia¡¯s fingers.


    ¡°My apologies if you mistook my intentions, Miss Xu. I intend to only take a reasonable token of victory.¡± A small waterfall of spirit stones and pills fell from the ring, piling in front of the unconscious girl. ¡°I am no bandit after all.¡±


    Ling Qi wished she could clap Li Suyin on the back, because that did the trick. Although she could still see some older disciples giving the enforcers unhappy looks, it seemed that Li Suyin¡¯s actions had pushed Xu Qiao¡¯s actions even further into ¡®sore loser¡¯ territory. It still hurt her a little to see her friend sacrificing so much loot.


    Ling Qi raised an eyebrow at Xu Qiao, silently giving her the opportunity to back down. The look she got in return was venomous, but after a moment, the color faded from the girl¡¯s cheeks and her expression smoothed.


    ¡°I see,¡± Xu Qiao said coldly as Li Suyin stood up and returned to Ling Qi¡¯s side. ¡°You two, collect my sister and her things. It seems I have been remiss in my sister¡¯s training. This waste of time has at least had some value in showing me that.¡±


    As they moved away, the unconscious girl in tow, Su Ling¡¯s lips curled. ¡°Bitch,¡± she spat. ¡°Hope they drop her a couple times on the way.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you use your family art there?¡± Ling Qi asked Li Suyin. ¡°Once you touched her, it would have been over, right?¡±


    ¡°I do not wish to use my family arts that way if it is not necessary,¡± Li Suyin said quietly. Her expression turned sheepish then. ¡°Ah, Su Ling, could you help me with my shoes? I think the blade is stuck.¡±


    Ling Qi shook her head as Su Ling acquiesced with a grumble. She didn¡¯t quite understand Li Suyin¡¯s reluctance, but she was glad that her friend had found her own kind of resolve.

 Chapter 66-Sect Work 1

    Ling Qi¡¯s other primary concerns in the following days were much less exciting. A great deal of time was spent carefully browsing through the wares at the market for better and more effective pills and for proper equipment. She picked up a bow of middling quality to replace the training bows that kept burning out when she used her Falling Stars art and then turned her attention to obtaining a new flute.


    Ling Qi dithered for some time on what to do with the remains of her mother¡¯s flute. At first, she thought she might be best off simply repairing it and keeping it as a keepsake, something to use during idle times and otherwise leave unused.


    She didn¡¯t like that idea though. She had kept the flute intact through all her years in the street, and it had been both a temptation and a comfort. She had clung to it when she had lost everything else. It may have been her mother¡¯s originally, but now, she couldn¡¯t help but think of it as hers in a way that nothing else she owned really was. So no, she wouldn¡¯t allow it to be set aside like that.


    In the end, Ling Qi elected have the flute pieces incorporated into the new talisman she had commissioned. Although the crafter had been decidedly dubious at first, he seemed to understand after she explained that the fragments were from an heirloom. The work on something so delicate was going to take two weeks. In the interim, she would continue to use the flute Meizhen had obtained for her.


    Her shopping trip left her fairly impoverished so she soon returned to hunting and training with Han Jian. It was irritating that Fan Yu was back and Gu Xiulan wasn¡¯t, but she could put up with him in order to continue refining her archery and mastery of her arts. The spirit stones from selling cores and materials gained from their hunts also helped restore her funds.


    Between her new bow and cultivation of her Falling Stars Art, she found it easier and easier to land her shots regardless of wind, weather, and even cover or difficult angles, and her refinement of the current that she imbued her arrows with to an impossibly sharp point allowed her arrows to punch through armor. She had polished the basics of the art and could now begin learning the more advanced techniques that it held.


    Her training at the vent with her friends continued apace as well, although without the urgency and stress that had marked it in the last month or so. She still sparred with Li Suyin but less so now as the other girl refocused on her studies. Instead, it was Su Ling who more often practiced with her, working toward mastery of her chosen weapon. Su Ling seemed to have switched over to the saber from the sword at some point.


    Similarly, Ling Qi continued to attend to the egg in her homemade kiln, fueling the flames within with an ever increasing amount of spiritually infused wood and periodically shoveling out the accumulated ash. The veins on the egg shone brightly now, and she saw it moving on occasion. It seemed like it might be ready to hatch soon.


    Time to practice with Meizhen was much more scarce. Ling Qi had fully intended to get the girl to celebrate this week, but her friend was barely ever at the house. Elder Ying had apparently redoubled her training as Bai Meizhen worked toward a physical breakthrough to Bronze, and the few times she did see her, Bai Meizhen was deep in meditation, working on some earth technique that sent pulses of rippling liquid movement through the soil or stone around her.


    Still, she managed to get some advice now and then as well as the occasional spar. Meizhen had some useful things to say about the use of environmental qi. Apparently, Meizhen¡¯s family cultivation art did something similar, albeit with large bodies of water. That art was a bit less useful here in the mountains, but Meizhen could still receive some benefits when it rained. Despite her friend¡¯s help, Ling Qi couldn¡¯t quite get the circulation of qi right and didn¡¯t manage to master the second phase of Eight Phase Ceremony yet.


    While she was working on such things, she also continued her effort to hunt down Gu Xiulan. The fiery girl had squirreled herself away well though, and finding her proved difficult. Eventually, Ling Qi¡¯s dogged perseverance and increasing willingness to interrogate passersby about the matter led her off the mountain. There had been rumors of a girl resembling Gu Xiulan and of bright fires lighting up the night as day.


    The rumors led her out past the edges of the spirit wards and the most far flung farms to the rocky, more sparsely forested hills where the forest rose to become the mountains. Her search seemed fruitless for a time, but on an early morning, she saw steam billowing steadily up on the horizon and went to investigate. What she found was a great clearing in the trees surrounding a huge crack in the ground, hundreds of meters long and a half dozen wide. The interior was shrouded by the great clouds of steam it emitted and even dozens of meters away, she could feel the warmth of the ground through her shoes.


    A figure was seated in a meditative position at the edge. For a moment, she thought she had found her friend, but as she drew closer and the figure gracefully stood and turned to face her, she found she was wrong.


    The young woman regarding her coolly through the steam resembled Xiulan in a way. She had the same classical beauty and¡­ impressive assets, but she was much taller, almost as tall as Ling Qi in fact. Her hair was dark red, almost black but not quite, and hung in loose ringlets down to her shoulders. She wore a shimmering golden gown, intricately cut and hanging low on the shoulder, much like Xiulan¡¯s own preferred style of dress, but if anything, even more risque. The cut left her collarbone entirely bare, hinting at the curve of her chest. The young woman¡¯s expression was closed off in a way that Gu Xiulan¡¯s never was, cold where her friend was hot. The woman looked her over with an assessing gaze, her red painted lips thinning in displeasure.


    ¡°This is a private training ground. I must ask you to leave.¡± Her voice was soft and feminine, but there was a hard edge of command to it as if she was used to being obeyed. Ling Qi wasn¡¯t surprised. Even leaving aside the intricate formation carved bands of gold gilt steel around her wrists and neck and the burning embers in her brown eyes, the woman looking down at her from the top of the hill was in the fourth realm.


    Ling Qi clasped her hands together and bowed with some nervousness. ¡°My apologies, Senior Sister.¡± It seemed a safe assumption that this was an Inner Sect Disciple, and she had an inkling of who the woman was already. ¡°I was simply searching for my friend ,Gu Xiulan, and had thought this seemed a likely place.¡± She wasn¡¯t lying; the qi of fire and metal blazed here, standing out like a beacon in this region. ¡°I will leave you to your training.¡± Ling Qi wanted to stay and ask questions, but she wasn¡¯t about to risk offending someone two realms above her pointlessly.


    The young woman studied her with greater intent. Ling Qi felt something like pressure pressing down on her under the older woman¡¯s gaze, but it was nowhere near enough to make her shudder or shiver anymore.


    ¡°Xiulan is here. There is no reason for you to continue searching.¡± The woman¡¯s voice remained cool and even as she crossed her arms, emitting a faint jingling as her golden earrings and other ornaments shifted with her movement. ¡°You are Ling Qi?¡± The woman¡¯s expression had softened a tad, and her body language was no longer quite so unwelcoming.


    Ling Qi almost let out a sigh of relief; her guess had been right. ¡°I am,¡± she replied. ¡°I¡­ hope she has been well? She was wounded when I last saw her, and I have reason to believe she was¡­ distressed,¡± Ling Qi added carefully.


    The older girl, Gu Xiulan¡¯s elder sister, inclined her head very slightly. ¡°I am Gu Yanmei. I appreciate the concern for my younger sister¡¯s well being,¡± she replied. ¡°We are resolving certain family matters at the moment however. I must still ask that you leave. Distraction at this point would be costly. Gu Xiulan should complete this ordeal in another day, perhaps two at the outside.¡±


    Ling Qi felt a bit of disappointment despite expecting the request. ¡°I see. Thank you for your instruction, Senior Sister Yanmei. Might I request that you tell Gu Xiulan that I have been looking for her when she emerges?¡±


    ¡°It would be no trouble,¡± Gu Yanmei said, turning away from Ling Qi in clear dismissal to once again face the crevice.


    Ling Qi turned away as well, stymied for the moment. She supposed it was an opportunity in a way. Although she had wanted to invite Gu Xiulan along for the fun of getting payback against Kang¡¯s minions, figuring combat would cheer the girl up, she could use this time to earn Sect Points instead. Gu Xiulan might be able to get some Inner Sect tutoring for free, but Ling Qi did not have that advantage.


    She needed to start accumulating Sect Points. The Sect¡¯s mission board had many, many jobs, giving Ling Qi a multitude of options. Most, however, had fairly low payouts, and after that condor mission, Ling Qi knew that if she stuck with the safe and easy missions, she would just end up wasting a great deal of time that she could have spent cultivating.


    With that in mind, she considered some of the more dangerous - and more lucrative - Sect missions. In the end, one in particular caught her eye. There was a mission to investigate the disappearances of several young laborers and a guardsman in the forest near the Sect. She would need to either rescue or return proof of their demise, and if possible, eliminate the threat or report on its nature.


    However, it was a job dangerous enough to be recommended for a team of two disciples. With Gu Xiulan absent and not wanting to bother Meizhen with something so trivial, Ling Qi had few options. It occurred to her that Su Ling might be a good match with her tracking skills and greater familiarity with the wilderness than a city girl like her.


    She¡¯d just have to ask. If Su Ling agreed, Ling Qi would take her first truly dangerous mission.

 Chapter 67: Sect Work 2

    Thankfully, searching for the vulpine girl was not nearly as onerous as searching out Gu Xiulan. Ling Qi simply had to head out to Su Ling¡¯s cave home and wait until Su Ling returned to make her offer.


    ¡°So, what makes you think I¡¯m a good pick for this?¡± Su Ling asked dubiously after hearing out Ling Qi as she leaned casually against the wall next to the entrance to the cave home. She didn¡¯t sound entirely happy with Ling Qi.


    Ling Qi suspected she knew why. The mission description echoed what the other girl had said about her own ¡®mother¡¯. ¡°You¡¯re the best person I know for looking into clues and trails in the forest. I¡¯m a city girl, you know? Plus, if this spirit is tricking and trapping people with illusions or something, you¡¯re pretty good at avoiding that.¡± It was refreshing to be able to speak plainly.


    Su Ling frowned, her pointed, furry ears twitching. ¡°Yeah, alright. I guess that makes sense. How much did you say this thing was supposed to pay?¡±


    ¡°Twenty five points each, assuming we get rid of whatever is spiriting people away, That''s more than halfway to a tutor, or enough for you to use the production hall for a couple weeks,¡± Ling Qi answered.


    The other girl grimaced, glancing away. ¡°That¡¯s probably gonna be pretty damn deadly then. Still, I could use the points,¡± she grumbled.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty strong these days, you know?¡± Ling Qi said with a slightly cheeky grin. ¡°I think we can handle it.¡±


    Su Ling gave her an unamused look but eventually sighed, pushing herself up from the rock face. ¡°Fine, gimme a bit to collect some things. Then we can head down the mountain."


    Ling nodded easily and settled in to wait. When the other girl had emerged, she had several heavy pouches dangling from her belt and had a thick leather vest covered in steel studs thrown on over her top. As they descended the mountain together, Ling Qi decided to make some conversation; she still didn¡¯t know the other girl very well after all.


    ¡°So, what are you up to when you¡¯re not at the vent?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°Just gathering materials?¡±


    ¡°Mostly,¡± Su Ling replied gruffly, scanning the path ahead. ¡°Suyin¡¯s been teaching me some stuff, and I¡¯ve been doing some jobs so I have the points to look up recipes and methods in the archive. Been working towards some better tools too.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed in acknowledgement of the answer, arms held behind her head as she walked. ¡°So you¡¯re definitely going for a production spot then?¡±


    The fox-eared girl snorted. ¡°You¡¯re pretty ridiculous, you know?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Ling Qi asked, annoyed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have my eye on the whole Inner Disciple thing. I¡¯m not like you. I don¡¯t pick things up in a couple of days an¡¯ master arts in a week. I¡¯m not arrogant enough to think I can start from nothin¡¯ and snag a spot when I¡¯m not some kinda prodigy,¡± Su Ling said bluntly .


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re definitely not going to with that kind of attitude,¡± Ling Qi reproached. ¡°It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t work hard.¡±


    ¡°I never said you didn¡¯t,¡± Su Ling shot back. ¡°Simple fact is - you¡¯re something else. I figured that out a while ago. You¡¯ve got this - thing.¡± She made a vague gesture in the air in illustration. ¡°Like, you¡¯re flighty and oblivious as shit sometimes, ignoring stuff that¡¯s not right in your view, but you¡¯re scary intense when you¡¯ve got your focus on something. You don¡¯t take breaks or get discouraged. Ya don¡¯t fail.¡± Su Ling sounded a bit frustrated, although Ling Qi thought it was more due to Su Ling¡¯s dissatisfaction with how she had articulated her statements.


    ¡°I¡¯m not that oblivious,¡± Ling Qi protested. ¡°And the rest of that isn¡¯t true either. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re making a lot of judgements when we barely know each other personally?¡± She took breaks. Didn¡¯t she go out with Xiulan on occasion?


    Su Ling shrugged. ¡°Probably, but that¡¯s how I see it. You got the things you focus on, and you just kinda ignore everything else. I don¡¯t have that kinda drive and focus.¡±


    ¡°So if you¡¯re not gonna go for an Inner Disciple position, what do you want then?¡± Ling Qi asked, still feeling irritable about the other girl¡¯s assessment. ¡°Are you just going to sit in the Outer Sect?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. I don¡¯t really give a damn about all this Sect stuff,¡± Su Ling said dismissively. ¡°All the stupid lil¡¯ power games and verbal knife fights. I¡¯ll survive my service then set up out in the mountains or woods huntin¡¯ monsters. Or maybe I¡¯ll just leave and go wandering.¡±


    That didn¡¯t sound bad, Ling Qi supposed, but Ling Qi didn¡¯t think it was a path that she herself could pursue. She needed strength if she really wanted to be free to do as she wished so she wouldn¡¯t be able to ignore the drive to snatch opportunities like Su Ling apparently could.


    ¡°Well, if that¡¯s what you want,¡± Ling Qi said dubiously before changing the subject. ¡°Anyway, what do you think of the information we have on this mission?¡±


    ¡°Last disappearance was earlier this week. There¡¯s ten people missing so far, including the guard.¡± Su Ling seemed happy enough to drop the previous subject. ¡°No blood or signs of struggle either,¡± she continued, ticking off points on her sharp-nailed fingers. ¡°Sounds like pretty standard spiriting away. Something is kidnapping folks alive, most like. There¡¯s dozens of spirits that do that kinda shit though.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I suppose so,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Still, all the disappearances were during the day. That¡¯s different than normal, right?¡±


    ¡°Not as much as you¡¯d think,¡± Su Ling said. ¡°Stories always like ta paint this kinda thing as happening at night, but fact is, there ain¡¯t many people dumb enough to be out at the edge of the wards at night when they aren¡¯t even working.¡±


    ¡°You would know better than me,¡± Ling Qi conceded. She had rarely ventured out into the farmlands around Tonghou, small and cramped as they were. It was far easier to be recognized where there were fewer people after all. Besides, the outskirts were where the cultivator guards primarily patrolled, and she hadn¡¯t survived on the streets by crossing their paths.


    The two of them fell into mostly companionable silence as they continued their trip, arriving at the location near the town¡¯s border where the disappearances had been reported. This section of wards covered one of the town¡¯s lumber yards, which processed and prepared a great bounty of wood for use in infrastructure projects by the Sect. There were several such yards around the town. Most of those who had disappeared had not been workers at the yard though, but rather, young women and boys from the town outskirts. The only exception was the guard, who went missing after being sent out to look for the women and boys.


    Ling Qi honestly felt useless as she traipsed along through the woods with Su Ling, peering about for clues. She really had little idea what to look for, only able to point out the signs of human passage due to the enhanced senses that came with being a cultivator. Her companion took it in stride, patiently examining possible trails and poking around for signs of spirit activity.


    Conversation was terse and simple since Su Ling was focused on tracking and Ling Qi chose to keep an eye out for potential enemies. Their search gradually took them deeper into the woods as they followed the trails of human activity that Su Ling discovered with her nose and keener sense for traces of residual qi.


    ¡°Hold up.¡± Su Ling¡¯s gruff voice shook Ling Qi out of her thoughts as she came to a stop, peering ahead toward the sound of running water. ¡°Do you feel that?¡±


    Ling Qi paused herself, concentrating her senses.


    ¡°Yeah, I think so,¡± Ling Qi whispered. It was quiet and still, unnaturally so. There was a faint, unseasonable chill in the air that she had previously missed due to how little such things meant to her anymore. The natural earth and wood qi in the area felt subtly off too.


    ¡°It smells like a graveyard,¡± Su Ling hissed, her furry ears standing straight with alarm and discomfort.


    Ling Qi felt the first stirrings of alarm herself as she picked up a steady dimming of light at the edge of her vision. Fog was rolling in from the direction of the running water she could hear.


    She was fairly confident in handling whatever came upon them¡­ but was it a good idea? They didn¡¯t even know if whatever was causing the fog had anything to do with their investigation.


    ¡°We should keep moving forward,¡± Ling Qi said decisively, striding forward toward the mist. ¡°The trail goes through here, right?¡±


    ¡°Wh-¡± Su Ling gave her an incredulous look. ¡°Why? We can at least find a way around or something.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t really believe that,¡± Ling Qi shot back. ¡°No way is this fog just a coincidence given what we¡¯re looking into. C¡¯mon, we knew we were going to have to deal with something dangerous.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re crazy,¡± Su Ling grumbled, but she hurried to catch up with Ling Qi.


    Ling Qi slipped her plain and unadorned flute into her hand, feeling a stab of irritation at the unfamiliar tool before brushing it aside. The two of them proceeded forward into the mist in silence.


    Trespassers


    Murderers


    Thieves


    Ling Qi stiffened as she began to hear accusatory whispers on the wind, mixing and mingling with each other until the individual words could no longer be made out. Up ahead, she could see a break in the treeline where a wide, shallow river flowed. The air grew cold and wet around them, and Ling Qi felt the creeping sensation of being stared at intensifying.


    The eerie atmosphere culminated with a low, angry wail as they reached the riverbank, and the mist came alive. Ghostly hands erupted from the muddy banks, grasping and snatching at the hems of Ling Qi¡¯s gown followed by burnt, half-skeletal faces, twisted into unnatural expressions of fury and hate.


    She caught an ¡°Oh, fuck no,¡± mutter from Su Ling as the animalistic girl¡¯s ears flattened against her head and her amber eyes widened in alarm. ¡°Trail goes downstream,¡± Su Ling shouted as she drew her saber. ¡°Do we have a plan or what?¡±


    Ling Qi danced back from the riverbank, easily escaping the apparitions¡¯ grasping hands and eyed their increasing numbers. ¡°I¡¯ll start playing. If you can screw up their senses too, we should be fine,¡± she called out then began to play, filling the space around them with her own mist.


    The spirits rising from the riverbanks, broken and rotted spirits of men, women, and children alike, wailed as the shadowy claws of her mist constructs tore wounds in ghostly flesh. Ling Qi shuddered at the terrible sound, all too similar to actual people crying out in pain. She comforted herself with the knowledge that they weren¡¯t really people, just echoes and images.


    ¡°Pretty sure we just put our foot in something a hell of a lot bigger than a couple of disappearances,¡± Su Ling said as blue-white fires formed over her head. ¡°Dammit, this had better work on ghosts!¡± Foxfire burned between her clasped hands, stretching out in a long chain as she threw her hands out wide.


    The flickering flame exploded outward. For a moment, Ling Qi saw bright lights, heard the sound of soothing music, and smelled the scent of delicious food, but then, it was gone, the technique passing over her. Some of the spirits stiffened and froze, faintly luminescent tears leaking from the black pits where their eyes should have been, but others only wailed louder in despair or spun about, flailing at the misty talons that still clawed at them.


    As hateful red sparks danced in the eyes of the spirits rising from the ground and the whole screaming, sobbing mass surged forward like a tidal wave of mist and river water, one thing was certain. It wasn¡¯t enough to stop them all.


    The two of them bolted, Ling Qi continuing to desperately play and Su Ling ducking and dodging the grasping, clawing hands of the mass of spirits. Su Ling slashed away ghostly limbs, only to have new ones replacing them right away.


    Well behind them, Ling Qi caught a glimpse of a gleaming aquamarine figure clad in ancient armor, seemingly formed entirely of river water. The figure¡¯s face was visible only by the glowing green sparks in the eye sockets under its helmet.


    Ling Qi could feel the intense concentration of deathly water qi cross the threshold of her technique, and her fingers danced over the flute in the hopes of clouding the figure¡¯s senses. Streamers of shadow trailed in the wake of her run as she flickered from one position to the next under the influence of Crescent¡¯s Grace. At her side, Su Ling¡¯s qi flared as she activated some technique, and Su Ling¡¯s legs sped up and blurred with motion.


    Ling Qi¡¯s qi failed to take hold on the more powerful spirit, but thankfully, Su Ling had more success. Su Ling ducked low, spinning around to slash outward with her saber at waist level. A burning, half ring of blue-white fire blazed into existence two meters tall behind them. Spirits shrieked and sobbed as they drove through it, seemingly unheeding of the pain, but some dispersed in their attempted passage. It was enough to keep the mob from growing even larger.


    Nonetheless, the mob was still dangerous at its current size. Tiny hands scraped through her ankle with unnatural, biting cold, forcing Ling Qi to kick away a ghostly child with two arrows protruding from its back, its other features obscured by terrible burns covering its body. Su Ling cried out in pain as well, but the girl didn¡¯t fall behind so Ling Qi kept running.


    Ling Qi was beginning to think that going straight through the fog hadn¡¯t been the best idea.


    The thought was reinforced when she felt a powerful surge of qi from behind her, her qi crushed from the mist. As control of the mist was snatched from her, her constructs dispersed. Su Ling cursed loudly, shouting something unintelligible, and a noise that sounded like firecrackers going off in rapid succession popped through the mob behind them, briefly sending it into disarray.


    The mob of ghosts quickly recovered though, and dread pooled in Ling Qi¡¯s stomach. Then, her eyes caught something ahead, and hope gave her a burst of energy. ¡°Su Ling! Up ahead! I can see a warding totem. Make a run for it!¡±


    ¡°Got it! I dunno what you¡¯re doing, but you damn well better be right behind me!¡± Su Ling redoubled her speed.


    Ling Qi spun around and flickered above to a sturdy tree branch, her new bow appearing in her hands as she did so. She lined up a shot at the armored water spirit at the center of the mob chasing them. She let her fears fade and her concerns disappear as the wind kicked up around her, blowing away mist, and sheets of crackling static erupted from her hands and bow. Her own blue eyes met the glowing green ones of the spirit. Then, her arrow sliced through the air like a luminescent star with a crackling boom before striking the spirit dead in the helm.


    The spirit¡¯s head snapped back, and the spirits around it let out an ear-splitting shriek, seeming to collapse into confusion at the injury to their leader. Ling Qi briefly glimpsed the thing¡¯s mummified face and pulsing veins of sickly green and red qi throbbing through its desiccated flesh before she turned tail and dashed for the warding stone before her Crescent¡¯s Grace technique expired.


    Ling Qi passed the faintly glowing moss-covered stone just moments before the mist splashed against the invisible edge of the ward and flowed outward, following the ward¡¯s boundary. Ling Qi did her best to ignore the distorted faces and clawing hands pressed up against the ward and instead looked around.


    Su Ling leaned against a tree nearby, peering warily out into the haunted mist. The trees were more sparse here, and Ling Qi could see a few crumbling walls and patches of paved stone among the tree roots. Higher structures loomed further in the distance, and the river they had followed flowed sluggishly off to her right, burbling over the crumbled stones of a long broken bridge.


    ¡°What is something like this doing so close to the Sect?¡± Ling Qi asked, clutching her bow tightly. She eyed the churning faces in the mist and the worrying way the invisible barrier bulged inward in places.


    ¡°Little villages die all the time no matter where you are,¡± Su Ling replied, sounding slightly out of breath as she straightened up and peered deeper into the ruins. Ling Qi thought she caught a hint of bitterness in the other girl¡¯s tone. ¡°It¡¯s not really surprising. I¡¯m thinking the trail we followed might have just been folks making offerings now. Then again, this place seems kinda old for that."


    Ling Qi rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. Had she been too reckless in pushing ahead?


    ¡°Might be,¡± she admitted. ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought of that. Still, now that we¡¯re here, it can¡¯t hurt to check it out, right?¡± Her instincts still told her that they were on the right track.


    ¡°Yeah, might as well,¡± Su Ling replied with a shrug, edging away from the barrier. ¡°I can still sense some human qi around here so we might even be on track. Maybe we can find this place¡¯s temple; it might have something to placate the spirits.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, carefully following the girl into the ruined village and away from the plaintive cries of the spirits outside. Hopefully, they would find something here.

 Chapter 68-Sect Work 3

    Ling Qi and Su Ling slipped deeper into the ruins, following patches of remaining pavement between the crumbled walls of old buildings. Behind them, they left the dead, still pressed up against the barrier of the ward. It was still only late afternoon, but one would never be able to tell going by the overcast sky.


    ¡°Sorry for getting you into this,¡± Ling Qi said quietly, peering carefully into the shadows as the other girl focused on the ground, her eyes following something Ling Qi could not sense. ¡°I suppose we should have taken this a little slower, huh?¡±


    ¡°I knew this was gonna be dangerous,¡± Su Ling replied bluntly, pausing at a crossroads before leading Ling Qi to the right toward the more heavily clustered buildings lying like scattered bones in the mist. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen that many ghosts in one place though,¡± she grumbled, glancing furtively over her shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a ghost before at all,¡± Ling Qi said uncomfortably. There was always a priest or two around to perform an appeasement and funeral rights when someone died. It was the one service that even the poorest people could expect. In the slums of the city, some even joked that only the dead could expect any care from the city¡¯s officials.


    ¡°They¡¯re more common than you¡¯d think,¡± Su Ling commented, expression sour as she sniffed the air. ¡°Still, something about that didn¡¯t feel right. I dunno how well you can feel this kinda thing, but the river¡¯s qi - It feels wrong. Stiff, maybe?¡± Su Ling seemed to have trouble articulating precisely what she was feeling.


    Ling Qi narrowed her eyes, concentrating on the feeling of the qi around her. She couldn¡¯t really feel anything odd¡­ Well, beyond the obvious cloying weight of death in the air. ¡°If there¡¯s something wrong, it¡¯s probably connected to whoever is out here,¡± she said with not entirely feigned confidence. After all, someone out in a place like this would obviously either be captured by spirits or up to no good.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Su Ling said dubiously. ¡°Doesn¡¯t feel like a cultivator though.¡±


    Ling Qi could only shrug in reply as they made their way further into the ruins. The air was full of tension, but as they ventured further from the ward boundary, the feelings staining the air seemed to grow almost sullen. They soon began to pick up more physical tells of the trail they were following. There were drag marks in the dirt, a bloodstain less than a day old, and even a child¡¯s tooth, far too fresh to belong in these ruins. They crouched near the place where they had found the tooth as Su Ling tried to determine where the trail lead next because despite the apparent freshness of the signs, the trail grew faint here.


    It made Ling Qi think of the way her Sable Crescent Step art obfuscated her trail wherever she went. Perhaps that was why she was distracted when Su Ling suddenly jerked, her pointed ears twitching wildly, and shouted, ¡°Get down!¡±


    Ling Qi threw herself down and felt the brush of the wind as something small and feathery shot through where her head had been. She caught a glimpse of it as it flew past her, a pale white crow¡¯s skull shrouded in shadows in the vague shape of a body with feathery wings. Ling Qi only had a moment to observe before Su Ling¡¯s sword smashed through it, fire licking at the blade, and clove the skull in half.


    It dropped to the stones with a clatter, trailing a few sad and scraggly feathers.


    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Ling Qi said as she pushed herself back up from the ground, head swiveling from side to side as she searched their surroundings for more foes.


    ¡°Some kind of puppet. I think it wasn¡¯t alive,¡± Su Ling said warily, eyeing the sky along with Ling Qi. ¡°Suyin was looking into stuff like that; she can only do the needles though.¡± Su Ling paused then, peering into the distance. ¡°...Hells. Fine, I have no more objections. No way is that not shady as shit.¡±


    Ling Qi followed her gaze, stilling when she saw what had drawn the fox girl¡¯s reaction. She could see the crumbling wall surrounding the broken remains of what had probably been the village headman¡¯s house going by the size and the space left around it by the other buildings. It sat at the edge of the river that curved lazily through the ruined town. Dozens of little white skulls and their shadowy bodies perched atop those walls and on the collapsing ceiling of the home, facing the pair in eerie stillness.


    Worryingly, Ling Qi could not feel a single bit of qi from any of them. As far as her still new senses from Argent Mirror were concerned, the bird puppet things were not there. She ducked down behind the cover of a crumbling wall alongside Su Ling.


    ¡°Not disagreeing, but does the trail go that way?¡± Ling Qi asked quietly.


    Su Ling nodded slightly. ¡°Afraid so,¡± she said in a soft voice. Su Ling paused in consideration. ¡°So I¡¯m sure you want to go in, but hear me out, alright? I think I can get us past those things without a big, drawn-out fight.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to suggest barging in the front,¡± Ling Qi grumbled. She wasn¡¯t so reckless as that, not when she could see what lay ahead of her. ¡°They¡¯ve noticed us already though.¡±


    ¡°Which is why we are going in the front,¡± Su Ling replied. ¡°Well, it¡¯s gonna look like we are,¡± she amended at Ling Qi¡¯s raised eyebrow. ¡°It¡¯s kinda costly and I can¡¯t use any other arts while I¡¯m doing it, but I can cloak us and make a decoy illusion. Then we can sneak around the side.¡±


    Ling Qi followed Su Ling¡¯s pointed finger toward a hole in the crumbling wall around the house. ¡°That sounds good. Will you still be able to fight afterward?¡±


    ¡°I have a couple of pills I can use,¡± Su Ling said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    Ling Qi thought that she probably could deal with the flock of birds, but it would certainly take time for dissonance to wear them down, even if they were fairly fragile. At this point, she didn¡¯t want to dally around using a strategy that slow. She signalled Su Ling to start, and the fox girl closed her eyes, an expression of intense concentration on her face as her tail stiffened.


    Ling Qi felt the girl¡¯s wispy qi wash over her, clinging like a sheet of gauze and rendering everything slightly fuzzy. She could see through the other girl now, and faint shadowy silhouettes moved out to approach the large house.


    Ling Qi and Su Ling began to circle around, roughly paralleling the wall, as a great cloud of bones and black feathers descended on the illusions. Other crows hung back, clustering together and blurring, their forms shifting to combine into a single, much larger puppet that loomed over the apparent battlefield.


    While the crows screamed and circled, fighting an enemy that was not there, she saw the strain on Su Ling¡¯s face increasing. Luckily, the distance they had to cross was not a great distance for cultivators like them, even when having to slow down to avoid being spotted.


    They soon slipped in through the gap in the wall and made it under the crumbling eaves of the home, finding themselves in what was once a kitchen. Su Ling let out a soft gasp and twitched slightly a moment later.


    ¡°That¡¯s it for that,¡± she said with a grimace, popping what Ling Qi recognized as a wellspring pill into her mouth. ¡°C¡¯mon, it¡¯s faint, but the trail goes toward the cellar. Let me send the decoys down first.¡±


    Ling Qi considered then took one of her own qi pills. She could afford to waste a couple of red stones now, and it was better to go into a probable fight at full capacity than to be stingy.


    Given the increasing clamor outside, the two of them hurriedly yanked open the ancient cellar doors and headed down the stairs, following the trail of already disturbed dust, a few steps behind the illusionary doubles made by Su Ling. Ling Qi kept a careful eye out for anything that might be a trap, but there was only hard packed dirt and the musty stink of rotten air.


    That changed as they reached the bottom and crept to the right while the figments proceeded forward. The cellar had obviously been enlarged, the hard packed dirt giving way to hastily dug expansion on the far wall, wet and muddy from the water trickling down from the ceiling. Was it under the river outside? Ling Qi thought it might be.


    A grotesque totem of bone was built into the far wall, a pillar of pale ivory that nearly reached the ceiling three meters above. The main pillar seemed to be formed by the lashed together ribs of some large beast, but the smaller affectations were far more human, cleaned skulls and rib cages nailed to the main pillar with stone spikes, painted with strange characters that glowed a sickly green.


    Pungent smoke hung in the air down here, rendering everything blurry, but Ling Qi could see a tall figure moving to stand, revealing a stone slab at the base of the pillar. Upon the slab lay an unconscious young boy, perhaps ten or eleven years old at her guess. He was stripped to the waist and painted with strange whorling symbols.


    The figure standing over him was tall, tall enough to look down on Ling Qi, and seeming taller still due to the black feathered plumes sticking up from the bloody crimson headband he wore. Several heavy necklaces of beads clacked and clattered against the beast talons woven into the thick, form concealing robe of beast hide he wore. Really, but for his dark skinned face and sharp green eyes, he looked almost like nothing more than a shadow himself. His features were smooth, seemingly not much older than the two of them.


    Like the shadow birds outside, she couldn¡¯t sense any qi at all from him or from the pillar or anything else in this cellar. Even the qi of the earth, which should have been all encompassing down here, was muted.


    He scowled at their illusions from across the twenty odd meters of distance separating them and gestured once, saying something in a low and guttural sounding tongue. A wide circle of stretched hide appeared in his right hand, painted with strange geometric symbols, while a strange baton of knobby bone appeared in his left hand. Was that¡­ some kind of drum? Or maybe a primitive shield?


    ¡°That thing,¡± Su Ling hissed. ¡°That bone charm on his wrist, the silver painted circle. It¡¯s what¡¯s screwing with our senses.¡± Ling Qi glanced at her with alarm, but the man didn¡¯t notice Su Ling¡¯s words.


    Ling Qi¡­ was honestly hesitant. This was entirely outside her expectations. How was a Cloud Tribe shaman - for what else could he be in that get up - have made it here, under the nose of the Sect? Hadn¡¯t Bai Meizhen mentioned that Elder Ying watched over this whole region? She couldn¡¯t sense his qi. What if he was completely above them?


    On the other hand, if he was, why was he fooled by Su Ling¡¯s illusion? She felt a bit better at that thought. She had to believe that they could still handle this. She couldn¡¯t expect that he would be fooled for long so she needed to make her first shot count.


    So what was the most important target?

 Bonus 11: The Twilight King

    It is impossible to speak of the Cataclysm without delving into the matters of the Second Dynasty. It is agreed among scholars that that by the time of Longshen¡¯s rebellion, the Ao family already in its terminal decline. The Imperial family had long since begun to disregard their advisors and select successors to the throne purely based upon force of cultivation, or even worse, on mere seniority or sentiment. The result was a string of weak or ineffectual emperors whose Ways were unsuited to rulership, and a weakening of the bonds which grant us the peace and prosperity of unified rule.


    The seeds of Longshen¡¯s rebellion were born from this. Contemporary sources indicate that the Eldest son of Emperor Wen was a man of great pride, an unparalleled academic and scholar, he nonetheless had very poor relations with his fathers court due to an acerbic personality and a tendency to dismiss any accomplishments outside of his own fields of interest. He disdained military and civic matters in particular.


    It was thus unsurprising to all but the man himself when even his own clan members chose one of the esteemed emperors younger sons to succeed him. It is said that Emperor Zhao was a man of great civic skill and compassion, and it is only thanks to this that the Second Dynasty continued beyond the Cataclysm. However, this document¡¯s focus is on the rebellion, and not the final decline of the Second Dynasty.


    Longshen was enraged at being passed over, and documentation indicated that he spent the final decades of his ailing Fathers reign furiously attempting to bully various individuals into supporting his claim, but despite his personal potency he found few sympathetic ears. It was at this point clear that he would not accept matters as they were, and (Now exalted) Mu family, then enforcers and executioners of Imperial will were contacted to arrest him. Unfortunately, despite the skill and integrity of the Mu family, Longshen escaped before he could be subdued.


    It is unknown where the villain fled to, in the century that followed. While there are many wild rumors, there are no credible sources regarding where he took sanctuary. The next that any in the empire heard from him, was the beginning of the troubles in Golden Fields. In those days, the Golden Fields and their ruling Lu family were powerful voices at court. Being the largest province in the empire, and the center of agriculture were potent enough pieces, However, the region was also the most tamed. The rolling fertile plains and the great Sapphire River held few potent spirit beasts, and records indicate that the provinces population exceeded the next two highest combined. Only their comparatively lacking military might kept them from ascendance.


    So, the rulers of Golden Fields were a prideful folk, and so when the first towns and villages in the east went dark, they said nothing to the court, attempting to deal with the matter themselves. It is now known that Longshen, returning from his exile had aligned himself with a separatist cult on the frontier of Golden Fields. The cult worshipped the Dark Sun, the Great Spirit of the Solar Eclipse, a creature of transgression, transformation and chaos. The cult was obviously proscribed by the rulers of the Golden Fields, even before these events.


    However even these villains were but the first of Longshen¡¯s victims. We must speak now of the methods which made Longshen the threat that he was. Manipulation of the Soul, in his exile Longshen had developed a method to parasitize the souls of others, installing a fragment of his own essence and binding the victims existence to his own. Those changed in this manner suffered from mental contamination, and could not defy him. They were also rendered immune to death while he himself still lived.


    Even arts which reduced the body to dust or rent the soul merely allowed Longshen to rebuild them in his presence, though reports indicate that individuals who suffered death grew more and more damaged with rebirth, becoming little more than feral animals eventually.


    However, the true horror of the foul villains arts lay in the fact that it did not require his direct intervention. The fragment of his soul his puppets contained ingrained in them a technique which through the sharing of blood, allowed them to pass the infection to others, man, beast or spirit.


    Longshen proved cunning, and the Lu lax, by the time the phoenix lords began to take his threat seriously, Longshen was legion. When the first true punitive legion was raised and then crushed, Longshen began to take the offensive. It is difficult to convey the horror depicted within the primary sources which survived those days. The sky blackened by smoke and the scent of blood and rot ever on the air. The sight of those you had known and loved, twisted and transformed into bloodthirsty beasts.


    When the first city fell, the Lu mobilized in force, a shining legion of celestial warriors. Before the might of the Lu, before the white fires of the sun, Longshen¡¯s advance was halted. But only for a time. Each warrior that fell joined the enemy, and their number only ever grew. By this point, other provinces had taken notice, and for the first time since the strife, a Grand Muster was called across the empire. The armies of Bai marched alongside the warriors of Zheng and clans of Heavenly Peaks, and even the turmoil ridden clans of the south gathered for war. The fleets of Xuan and Jin sailed for the coasts to prevent the spread of the villains infection into the Alabaster Sea.


    In the borderlands of the Golden Fields, the armies of the Empire held. However, what happened next is unclear. Lu Guanxi, patriarch of the Lu clan had twice faced Longshen himself, now styled the Twilight King, in battles that had lit second suns in the east. The first time, it seemed that he had slain the villain, but it proved a temporary reprieve. In the second, the patriarch and his elite were driven back by the Twilight King and his monsters.


    What happened the third time we do not know. Only that Patriarch Lu Guanxi chose to awaken his clans ancestor, the great phoenix, the Purifying Sun. What can be said about the awakening of a Sublime? One could speak of the sky aflame and the earth charred to twisted glass and melting stone and metal, of a terrible heat that withered crops and started fires as far away as the Xiangmen in the south, of men whose blood flash boiled in their veins, reduced to ashen shadows on shattered walls. Sources from the period are universally nigh hysterical in their tone.


    Then it was passed. And the Golden Fields was no more, a vast plain of ash, glass and cooling molten rock. The Sapphire River was gone, and the glittering coast was shrouded in lethal steam. The air itself was poisoned and no cloud could reach the land to pour down cooling water. The Twilight King was slain, but at a terrible cost, for even the Phoenix could not rise again from that poisoned land.


    The effects of the destruction were beyond counting. The famines and shortages, the desperate efforts of the empires formations masters to contain the poisonous qi and the spread of the desert, the political upheaval as the fury of the provinces turned upon the throne. Even dead, the Twilight King continued to inflict horror upon the empire...


    --Excerpt from a text written under the Empress Yin, second ruler of the third dynasty.

 Chapter 69-Sect Work 3

    She met Su Ling¡¯s eyes, and a moment of silent communication passed between them. Ling Qi pulled her bow from within her storage ring with a tiny pop of displaced air, the firm grip wrapped around the slightly warm horn settling comfortably in her hand. Su Ling began to circle around the edge of the chamber, clearly meaning to flank the man and separate him from his ritual site and the child.


    Ling Qi drew an arrow from the quiver on her back and nocked it in one smooth motion, drawing the string back past her ear as she fixed her gaze on the silvery talisman dangling from the leather wraps on the shaman¡¯s wrist. If that was the thing making him untraceable, then it had to go. Wind kicked up and electricity crackled along the length of the missile. The shaman¡¯s eyes flicked toward her, but it was too late. She had already loosed her attack.


    At this range, her arrow needed less than a fraction of a second to cross the distance between them, and it struck the talisman with a booming gong, sounding more like she had shot a huge temple bell than a tiny piece of jewelry. For a brief moment, it seemed like her arrow was going to be deflected, the qi in the talisman pushing back against her own offensive qi, but then with a sharp report, it cracked and shattered to pieces, the shaman¡¯s own qi flaring as the arrow tore through the leather wrap on his wrist.


    He spun toward her with a grimace of pain on his face and a flicker of alarm and anger in his cold eyes. He raised the implements in his hands, but she already had another arrow set and ready to fly, this time aimed at his chest. Her arrow met with resistance when the hazy smoke in the air condensed around him, forming shadowy pinions of air and dust that absorbed the qi of her attack as they wrapped protectively around him.


    Even as she began to move, circling for better position, her sense for qi returned, and she nearly stumbled, gagging as her gorge rose, eyes watering from the terrible feeling that assailed her. The closest comparison she could make was when she was very young, young enough that she had still been with her mother, plague had swept through one of the neighboring districts of the city. The district had been barricaded off and quarantined of course, but she could still remember the smells and the sounds of disease and suffering.


    Ling Qi quickly regained her concentration thankfully. As the shaman beat his baton against the drum of stretched hide in his other hand, the panic and anger in his gaze faded into absolute, unwavering determination. She felt the winds shift around her, and the moisture in the air gathering, the dark chamber growing even more cold and damp. Clouds began to form across the ceiling overhead, dark and crackling with electricity.


    It was almost enough to mask the dark and gangly shape that emerged from the muddy ceiling above, dropping down with its chipped and rusted spear extended.


    Even with her movements sped by the dark qi rushing through her channels, Ling Qi was not fast enough to fully dodge as the skeletal figure struck, spear cratering the ground where she had stood, and immediately lashed out with a mud-caked claw. Her qi prevented the raking skeletal fingers from finding purchase on her flesh.


    She felt Su Ling¡¯s qi flare from across the room and saw the shaman¡¯s expression twitch minutely as he shook his head like a bull being bothered by flies. It did not stop him from continuing to beat a steady and ominous rhythm on his drum. The shaman moved from his starting position, seeming to be looking to circle out from between the two of them. is unseen feet struck the ground in time with the steadily louder beats of his drum.


    Then, of course, things got worse. As the muddy skeleton, clad in the remains of a guardsman¡¯s armor save for the crude birdlike mask on its head and the cloak of black feathers over its shoulders, rose from his crouch before her, the bone totem pulsed. A rippling ring of visible sickly green qi washed over them all.


    Ling Qi nearly wretched, stumbling as her stomach roiled and sweat broke out on her forehead. She blinked away the spots that had appeared in her vision and tried to steady suddenly shaking limbs. She felt ill and weak.


    ¡°Incomplete though it might be, our vengeance will be felt, lowlanders.¡± Ling Qi stiffened as she heard words spoken in heavily accented imperial by the shaman. His hate-filled voice rang out loud over the steady, thunderous beats of his drum.


    Ling Qi wanted to throw up her mist, but storing her bow and drawing her flute from the ring would take precious seconds she didn¡¯t have. Besides, between her and Su Ling, was she not the one more suited to dealing out damage? Such were her thoughts as she breathed out, channeling cleansing qi at the same time that she prepared a shot to disrupt the shaman¡¯s defenses.


    She loosed her arrow, and it struck home. Her enemy was slow, almost ridiculously so to her eyes, but she supposed he relied on his defense. Unfortunately for him, her arrow cut through his shield of wind and dust, sending snakes of electricity crackling over his limbs. The arrow dug into his side, punching through his heavy robe, and his face twisted into a rictus of pain.


    Her concentration on the shaman cost her. The filthy skeleton proved unnervingly fast, crossing the distance she had put between them in only a few instants and thrusting its spear out, blindingly fast, to score a wound across Ling Qi¡¯s thigh. Although the worst was absorbed by her qi, she could still feel blood beginning to flow down her leg.


    While she backpedaled, Ling Qi caught sight of Su Ling crouched low near the altar the boy was bound to, her tail waving freely behind her as a second ghostly flame appeared above her head. The shaman¡¯s eyes grew unfocused, nearly causing him to stumble. Unfortunately, Su Ling¡¯s technique didn¡¯t stop the completion of his own technique. The clouds gathering across the ceiling grew dark and crackled with lightning, and actinic white bolts shot down from the ceiling. Although Ling Qi managed to throw herself out of the way, she saw Su Ling get struck with several bolts, protected only by the rapidly dimming flare of her qi, as she snatched the boy away from the altar and the strike zone.


    To make matters worse, Ling Qi could hear the sound of splintering wood and eerie cawing from the stairwell. It seemed that the shaman¡¯s crow puppets would soon be arriving to aid their master, and the clouds overhead were only growing larger and darker with every beat of the shaman¡¯s drum. She caught Su Ling¡¯s eye. They needed to put down their enemy fast. She could see two glowing flames over Su Ling¡¯s head. Ling Qi recognized those as the technique Su Ling had used to blow up the cliff side when they fought the sediment guardian at the vent. If Ling Qicould land another shot as well, she was sure the shaman would go down, either from lack of qi or from his wounds.


    For the third time today, her arrow flew true, striking the taller man dead center in the chest. His qi flared, but the arrow punched through. The shaman was flung back by the force of the hit, and he slammed into the totem with a pained grunt. Then, Ling Qi had to desperately roll to the side to avoid the skeletal guardian''s spear again and was forced to expend qi as the butt of the weapon smashed into her jaw, snapping her head to the side despite the qi cushioning.


    A chain of explosions boomed through the cellar as the faint sparks that had lingered around the shaman from Su Ling¡¯s techniques exploded, setting the shaman¡¯s robes aflame and leaving swathes of burned flesh.


    Despite the flames, the barbarian pushed himself up, leaving an ashen, bloody handprint on the eerily glowing bone of the totem. ¡°Tch. Still this weak¡­¡± He bared his teeth in a bloody smile. ¡°This one¡¯s life will not complete things, but it will have to be enough. Let the black spirits and the Gnawing Ones curse your very bones.¡±


    ¡°Will you just shut up and die already?¡± Su Ling snapped, weighed down by the unconscious child in her arms, but her complaint was shortly drowned out as Ling Qi felt the totem¡¯s qi flare. The shaman¡¯s eyes rolled back in his head, flesh visibly withering. The arrow she had just let fly struck nothing more than a corpse, and the disgusting qi in the totem surged upward, mingling with the river¡¯s own energy. The man¡¯s puppets clattered to the ground, lifeless.


    It was suddenly very cold, and Ling Qi shuddered as she heard a madness tinged wail that seemed to echo through the muddy walls from every direction at once.


    ¡°Pretty sure the wards just broke,¡± Su Ling said dully as she staggered to her feet, palming and consuming her second wellspring pill. ¡°We need to start running now.¡± The child under her arm still did not stir, although he was obviously breathing.


    Ling Qi followed her lead, taking a second wellspring pill as well to restore her qi, but she wasn¡¯t sure she agreed. Wouldn¡¯t fleeing only make them more vulnerable? This room was defensible, and she could fill it entirely with mist.


    On the other hand, her qi was low, and she could not restore it any further for some time and neither could Su Ling. Taking additional restoratives would just be like taking poison. Then again¡­ Surely whatever the barbarian shaman had done had been noticed by this point, right? An Elder had to have noticed something so large-scale. They might not need to hold out for long.


    Ling Qi chewed her lip in thought for a moment but then nodded, quickly striding over to where the shaman¡¯s body lay. ¡°Alright, we run. Nothing to gain by staying here,¡± she said, even as she crouched down, quickly scanning over the corpse for anything useful. Her stomach squirmed at the sight of his mummified face, but it was only a barbarian, no matter how much it looked like a person.


    Su Ling stared at her briefly and then started toward the door. ¡°Please don¡¯t get too distracted trying to loot the bastard,¡± she said, sounding exasperated. ¡°We don¡¯t have a lot of time here.¡± Su Ling began mounting the stairs at a hurried pace.


    ¡°Not going to,¡± Ling Qi replied hurriedly. She had no idea what was valuable so she simply tore off his belt with all of the pouches wholesale, slinging it over her shoulder. Her ring wouldn¡¯t store the belt so there was probably several things of value in the pouches.


    That done, Ling Qi rose to her feet and dashed after her companion, storing away her bow and drawing her flute. As she played the first haunting notes of her melody, she was careful to extend the protection over both Su Ling and the unconscious boy. Her feet crunched on the fallen crow skulls even as mist spilled from her flute and filled the stairway, shadows in the mist coalescing into dangerous constructs.


    She quickly caught up with Su Ling as they burst out of the shattered cellar doors. Ling Qi followed the other girl¡¯s lead when Su Ling dashed off away from the river where ominous fog was rising, spilling through the streets like the pale fingers of a giant. Another terrible wail of pain, hunger and rage, echoed through the ruined village, the eerie sound chilling her to the bone.


    The spirits were rising.

 Chapter 70-Sect Work 4

    Ling Qi and Su Ling ran with all the considerable speed their qi-enhanced physiques could provide, although Ling Qi was pacing herself a bit to not leave Su Ling - and the boy she carried - behind. Although the buildings were blurring from their speed, clawing hands and glowing eyes were beginning to appear in the mist, growing in number by the second. They reached the edge of the village in moments and were met with a veritable wall of hungry, shrieking ghosts. There were even more behind them though, along with more than one of the watery armored figures, so all they could do was push forward.


    Ling Qi felt Su Ling¡¯s qi plummet, almost vanishing from her senses entirely, but she also saw a corridor opening as many of the ghosts turned to claw and swarm over mere figments. She shot the girl a grateful look that was probably missed going by the strain on Su Ling¡¯s expression.


    Their mad dash continued. Although they were still harried by clawing hands, Ling Qi managed to avoid them, her own shadowy constructs ripping at and further distracting the ghosts. Su Ling stumbled and let out a growl of pain several times, but Ling Qi managed to help the girl keep up despite the dead weight of the child under Su Ling¡¯s arm.


    Then Ling Qi herself stumbled, a sudden weakness taking her limbs. She tasted blood on her tongue, and her stomach roiled. Here, in the forest surrounded by maddened ghosts, she could not afford any weakness at all, but the sickly, diseased qi she had thought purged by her use of Argent Mirror had reemerged, clogging her channels and sapping her strength.


    She heard Su Ling curse beside her, the fox-eared girl¡¯s face growing pale as well, and knew she wasn¡¯t the only one suffering from the effects of the sickly qi. Ling Qi continued to play determinedly, not willing to allow their last line of defense to fade. She altered the tune, channeling an even greater amount of qi into the mist, and began the Elegy.


    It helped. Ghosts recoiled, their very essence drained away by the mist. But the forest and the ghosts seemed to stretch on forever in Ling Qi¡¯s eyes. Her legs had started burning with unnatural fatigue, and spots began appearing in her vision as her muscles cramped.


    Suddenly, the ground roiled under their feet, bucking like an enraged animal and throwing them to the ground. Ling Qi despaired as her concentration and her melody broke. She pushed herself up on trembling limbs as the earth shook beneath her, roots being ripped from the soil and entire trees pitched over and away from them. Ling Qi blinked in befuddlement as she realized that she was now at eye level with the canopy of the forest. She looked back and found a terrifying sight.


    The village they had fled from and its surrounding forest were sinking downward, crumbling into a yawning void of a sinkhole a thousand meters and more across. The qi in the air was thickening, spirits wailing as they disintegrated under the weight of the heavy mountain qi spreading in a rippling grey curtain around the edges of the hole.


    ¡°What now?¡± Su Ling groaned, pushing herself up as well. The boy lay on the grass beside her, still unconscious; Ling Qi thought distantly that he must be under some kind of sleeping curse to have slept right through all of this. They continued to rise on a pillar of earth and stone snaking upward until it was dozens of meters above the tops of the trees.


    ¡°Now, young lady, I am taking care of this troubling matter.¡± The two of them jerked at the sound of an aged female voice coming from behind them. Ling Qi turned her head to catch sight of a short figure in a plain brown and green gown, dust and earth still tumbling down to indicate where she had risen from the earth.


    It was almost disconcerting, the dissonance between her senses. Her eyes showed her a short old woman with graying hair in a simple bun and a lined face that seemed suited to cheer and smiles, even if her lips were currently drawn down in a frown as she surveyed the devastation where the ruined village had been. She was, if anything, a little on the plump side, the perfect image of a cheerful old grandmother.


    To her spiritual senses, the old woman may as well have been a mountain, vast and insurmountable. She was in the violet soul realm and on the edge of something more. There was really only one thing she could be.


    ¡°Sect Elder.¡± Ling Qi shakily clasped her hands together and dipped her head. ¡°Thank you very much for your aid.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah, we really needed the save.¡± Su Ling looked nervous, almost ready to bolt, but she hastily copied Ling Qi¡¯s actions.


    ¡°It was no trouble,¡± the elderly woman said kindly, gesturing for them to raise their heads. ¡°The two of you have worked hard tonight and suffered for it, I think.¡± Ling Qi twitched in alarm as she felt the woman¡¯s fingers on her forehead. She hadn¡¯t even seen the Elder move. She met the short woman¡¯s considering gaze. ¡°My, even incomplete, that is a potent curse. It is fortunate that you were able to bring this to my attention, or things could have been far worse.¡±


    Ling Qi had a strong feeling she wasn¡¯t just referring to their personal ailments. If destroying a kilometer of forest was needed to contain things, how much worse would it have been if things had gone off without a hitch?


    ¡°Are we gonna be alright?¡± She glanced over to Su Ling, who was watching the Elder warily. ¡°This¡­ It isn¡¯t permanent, right?¡±


    The Elder nodded, lowering her hand from Ling Qi¡¯s forehead and returning her gaze to crumbling sinkhole beyond. ¡°No, nothing like that, dear,¡± she answered. ¡°It may take a month or two of treatment, but you will both be good as new in time. I will write the writs to the medicine hall myself for the two of you.¡± The Elder seemed somewhat distracted as if she wasn¡¯t just talking to them.


    Ling Qi grimaced at the idea of suffering weakness for a whole month or two. She could purge it for a short time with Argent Mirror, but it was still going to be a pain. ¡°This¡­ What was all this?¡± She couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°And¡­ I mean, what was that Cloud Tribe barbarian trying to do?¡±


    ¡°Forbidden arts, performed out of desperation and desire for vengeance, most likely,¡± the Elder replied with a hint of sadness. ¡°Such things usually are - when they are not mere plays for power. I suppose I shall have to get the details from you girls to determine which it was. Come. Let us get you back to the mountain.¡±


    It was a little bizarre riding back, first to the village to drop off the boy with his tearful and thankful parents. Ling Qi felt distinctly uncomfortable to have the boy¡¯s father, a man grown and the owner of the lumber yard, kowtowing at her feet. Going by Su Ling¡¯s expression, it was a feeling shared. Elder Ying had been no help either, leaving the two of them to handle the thankful mortals while she spoke with the city¡¯s governor.


    After that, it was back to the mountain and the Medicine Hall where they had to relay every last detail of their adventure. In the end, the Elder¡¯s expression was grave, and she had left them to rest and circulate the medicinal energies of their treatment to wear away the lingering curse.


    They had also been left with a choice. They had received the sect points they were owed of course, but Elder Ying had been very firm in insisting that they not speak of the events to anyone else. In return, Elder Ying offered them a choice of an additional reward for their hard work and service.


    ¡°Well, that was a¡­ thing, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Ling Qi said tiredly, staring up at the ceiling of the recovery room she was sharing with Su Ling. The Elder had departed, giving them time to think on their potential rewards.


    ¡°That¡¯s one way to put it,¡± the other girl responded grumpily from her own bed. ¡°Shoulda figured going along with you would be trouble.¡±


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Ling Qi turned her head to shoot a glare at the other girl.


    Su Ling gave her an unimpressed look in return. ¡°That things fuckin¡¯ escalate around you,¡± she said dryly. ¡°Not like it¡¯s your fault or anything. Just seems like trouble likes following you is all.¡±


    Ling Qi continued to frown at her but eventually huffed, turning her gaze back to the ceiling. ¡°...That¡¯s fair, I guess. Still, not like we didn¡¯t profit from it, right?¡± Between the bonus from Elder Ying and the Sect Points, she thought a month of feeling a little weak was worth it, particularly since she could temporarily throw off the curse with Argent Mirror if need be.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess so,¡± Su Ling said distantly like she was thinking of something else. ¡°I wonder how the kid is doing. If we were hit bad, he¡¯s gotta be pretty sick too.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned. ¡°Well, Elder Ying wouldn¡¯t have let us take him back to the village if he were really sick, right?¡± The Elder hadn¡¯t directly told them what the shaman had intended, but going by the impression she had of the curse qi and the other details, it seemed fairly obvious he had intended some kind of plague, perhaps spread by the river and its spirits.


    Su Ling shot her a sidelong look. ¡°...Yeah. Well, if it was catching anyway,¡± she said, sounding a little unsure. ¡°Maybe I can check back. I recognized most of the herbs that went into the tea they gave us.¡±


    Ling Qi shrugged. It didn¡¯t really have anything to do with her. She had enough worries without adding unrelated people to the mix, but if it made Su Ling happy, that was fine. ¡°So, what are you going to do with your Sect Points and your bonus?¡± she asked, turning the conversation back toward more pleasant matters.


    Su Ling frowned at her before shaking her head. ¡°Thinking I might cash in the bonus to get my own pill furnace so I don¡¯t have to keep spending points on the Production Hall ones.¡±


    Ling Qi sat up in surprise. ¡°Isn¡¯t that kind of a waste? Spending a unique reward on a talisman?¡±


    ¡°None of the Outer Sect disciples can make ¡®em, far as I know,¡± Su Ling replied, throwing her arm over her eyes instead of sitting up. ¡°Besides, I told ya I didn¡¯t want to get tangled up in the Sect and political stuff more than I had to.¡±


    Ling Qi shot the other girl a consternated look. Su Ling was really stubborn about some things it seemed. ¡°Well, if you say so,¡± she said dubiously. ¡°Still, thank you for coming along. I couldn¡¯t have done it without you.¡±


    Su Ling was silent for a few seconds. ¡°... You''re welcome. Not sure I want to do something like this again though, at least not till I get stronger.¡± There was something else besides weariness in her voice, but in her tired state, Ling Qi couldn¡¯t tell what it was.


    Ling Qi thought that was a pretty fair assessment. Things had come pretty close to going badly for them. Ling Qi fell silent after that, allowing the medicinal energy to circulate while she rested.

 Chapter 71-Sect Work 5

    Being stuck in the Medicine Hall, Ling Qi soon began to feel restless and twitchy. She wanted to do something, but she had been told not to cultivate until morning, lest she end up hurting herself due to the foreign qi in her system.


    It occurred to her then that she still had not written a response letter to her mother. Something else had always come up when she thought about it, but now, well¡­ Ling Qi figured she should at least do something productive with her time.


    ... Even if she was already dreading staring awkwardly at the paper while trying to think of what to write.


    She ended up doing just that for a time. She climbed out of bed to sit at the little writing desk in the corner and fiddled with the paper and ink pots. Eventually, after some dithering and a few odd looks from Su Ling, she managed to actually write.


    The greeting took a few crossed out tries to get right. She honestly wasn¡¯t sure what she felt for her mother at this point. There was the memory of affection of course, buried under resentment and other less friendly emotions. Guilt was prominent too, as was curiosity and many other feelings that combined to make an ugly emotional mess in her head that she was reluctant to try and parse.


    Mother,


    My apologies for taking so long to write back. Things have been very busy. Between work for the Sect, training and other things, I have not found myself with much free time. I hope the packages that I have been sending have been arriving in good condition as well. I do not intend to stop sending them, whatever you might say. I have not been a very good daughter so please accept the coins in place of the expectations I couldn¡¯t fulfill. That said, are you in good health? You mentioned a change in circumstances, but you were not very specific.


    I am still not certain what to write in these letters besides the well wishes and apologies. What are you doing right now? What has changed for you since I left home? Has anything of import happened in Tonghou?


    See? Such generic questions. I do not have any idea what I¡¯m doing. I have been well myself, barring a few incidents in training. The physicians here are more than capable of taking care of such trifles though. I am getting stronger quickly too! It might be a little arrogant, but I think I can safely say that I am among the top ten disciples in my year.


    I hope I can visit you someday.


    Your daughter, Ling Qi


    She felt a bit better after finishing it, but the letter was still a mess; she jumped around on subjects too quickly. She had made an effort to keep her handwriting neat, but her natural penmanship tended toward chicken scratch.


    The sun had mostly set by the time she finished writing. Once she had folded the letter, sealed the envelope, and set it on the table by her bedside, Ling Qi laid back down for the first full night¡¯s sleep she had partaken in for a month.


    In the morning, she found Su Ling already gone, but she was hardly alone. The moment she stepped out of the medical ward, she found herself face to face with a bemused Gu Xiulan.


    ¡°Just how did you end up here again, Ling Qi?¡± Xiulan asked, the shorter girl crossing her arms and looking up at her archly. ¡°Was it that difficult to take care of yourself without me for a time?¡±


    Ling Qi gave her a wan smile. She was glad that Xiulan had recovered some of her arrogance; the girl¡¯s lack of self assurance in recent times had been worrying. ¡°You know me, I find trouble to get into. Did you miss me so much you had to come to my bedside?¡± she shot back as she stepped past the girl, heading for the exit to the Medicine Hall.


    Gu Xiulan huffed as she turned to follow her, dismissively flicking the sleeve on the new shimmering red and orange gown she had picked up somewhere. The gown was looser than her usual outfits with trailing hems. ¡°It would be rude for me not to check in on you when you went through the trouble of doing the same for me.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t any trouble,¡± Ling Qi said, nodding politely to the disciples at the front desk of the Medicine Hall. ¡°Did you master whatever you were working on then?¡± she asked. She avoided bringing up her actual concern for the other girl; Xiulan would take it as an insult if spoken. ¡°Your sister is pretty impressive. You must have been working on something difficult for her to step in.¡±


    ¡°Elder Sister Yanmei is the pride of our house,¡± Xiulan replied stiffly. ¡°I am most grateful to her for taking so much time aside to work with me.¡± Her stiff tone was quickly replaced by pride though. ¡°But yes, I believe I have gotten through my troublesome little bottleneck.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re doing well,¡± Ling Qi said thoughtfully. ¡°I was a bit worried when I couldn¡¯t find you after the big fight.¡±


    ¡°Says the girl who was impaled and guarded like a dragon¡¯s jewel in the aftermath,¡± Gu Xiulan snorted, shooting her a shrewd look. ¡°Just what is the relationship between you and Bai Meizhen, Ling Qi? That girl was terrifying.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re friends,¡± Ling Qi said simply, frowning at Gu Xiulan. ¡°I like to think we¡¯re pretty close friends.¡± She ignored the implication Gu Xiulan had made, not wanting to give the other girl fuel for teasing. ¡°Anyway, do you mind if I ask¡­ Is Senior Sister Yanmei¡­ normal for the Inner Sect? Because she seemed really strong.¡±


    Gu Xiulan shot her an amused look that said that she knew what Ling Qi was doing. She picked up the new subject anyway as they left the Medicine Hall and strolled through the market, heading for the main plaza. ¡°Elder Sister Yanmei is quite talented, having reached cyan at the age of twenty two. It is likely that she will be accepted as a core disciple soon. I think you may have allowed the¡­ more prodigious members of our year to skew your view of things.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded; she supposed that was so. ¡°She was twenty two?¡± Ling Qi asked in surprise. She had thought the girl to be seventeen or eighteen. Her own mother was only thirty or so. ¡°I guess reading age is kind of difficult.¡± Ling Qi wondered at the length of time needed to reach cyan. Did progression in green simply become exponentially more difficult? ¡°Is it normal for siblings to be so far apart in age?¡±


    Gu Xiulan let out an amused laugh. ¡°You are endearingly naive at times, Ling Qi. Sister Yanmei and I are quite close as such things go. My eldest sister is eighty six and has a child only a few years younger than I. You really do need to let go of your mortal assumptions about time.¡±


    Ling Qi shook her head, finding the idea that Gu Xiulan¡¯s oldest sister was almost three times the age of her own mother and as old as the most ancient mortal grandmothers in Tonghou difficult to process. ¡°... Right. Well, anyway, once I get down to town and deliver this letter, there was something I wanted to talk to you about. I have some plans I think you might enjoy.¡±


    Her friend cocked her head to the side, giving her a curious look. ¡°Is that so? Well, I can certainly hear you out.¡±


    So, as the two of them went down the mountain to get Ling Qi¡¯s letter sent, she began to reveal her plans to get some payback against those who still sided with Kang Zihao after the intra-council fight. She would first be getting a list of names from Cai¡¯s underlings and then using that to pick her targets.


    With that done, she intended to start on any girls who were within that group, using her particular skills to ensure they regretted siding with that ass even after he took up with Sun Liling. That wasn¡¯t all she wanted to do though. While she was taking care of that, she wanted Gu Xiulan to challenge their stronger members, the ones that couldn¡¯t claim bullying. She would come along for backup of course.


    She kind of wanted to hit them while they were off the mountain too, but she was still leery of that, especially with the curse she was currently suffering from. Ling Qi had decided to scale back her ambitions for the week in that regard too. Keeping the curse suppressed with Argent Mirror was quite the qi drain, even if she could afford to buy wellspring pills with her loot.


    Gu Xiulan seemed amenable to the idea, having not quite forgiven Kang Zihao for his dog using her leg as a chew toy.


    The first part of the plan went off without a hitch. She put in a discreet request with Gan Guangli and was rewarded with a list and a polite thank you note from the Cai heiress praising her personal effort in discouraging rebellion.


    Much of the day was spent following Xiulan, watching with amusement as the girl got into the spirit of things with dueling challenges. Her friend''s fires seemed to burn much hotter now, cutting right through the defenses of the boys she defeated. Ling Qi only had to step in once, when a trio of boys tried to jump Xiulan on a mountain path.


    The afternoon and the night on the other hand were spent scoping out her female targets. There were few enough of them. Sun Liling hadn¡¯t made herself many friends so it seemed likely that those who did still stand outside Cai¡¯s rules were connected by family to Kang.


    It was¡­ fun getting back into old habits, slipping silently from shadow to shadow through windows left open. Exciting might be a better word. She tinkered with the simple formation alarms that guarded their homes and stripped them of valuables.


    Although she didn''t get anything amazing like technique slips or powerful talismans, Ling Qi managed to snag some good medicines. Unfortunately, she and Xiulan had to settle for slightly lower than normal profits due to the glut of items suddenly entering the market, but all in all, a pretty lucrative course of action and satisfying to boot.

 Chapter 72-Recovery 1

    Ling Qi grimaced slightly as she felt her knees tremble, the cursed qi in her system still hampering her every effort. She took a moment to adjust the weight of the bag she was carrying on her shoulders to be less awkward then hurried to catch up.


    Han Jian and Gu Xiulan both shot her looks of concern from opposite sides of the path. Gu Xiulan had returned to their group training, but things remained awkward. Xiulan kept away from Han Jian and avoided talking to him, instead paying more attention to Fan Yu. It seemed to bewilder the shorter boy, but he didn¡¯t exactly seem unhappy about it. Xiulan was actually walking beside Fan Yu now.


    The usually abrasive boy had been positively cheerful, relative to his usual attitude, since this week¡¯s sessions had started. It probably helped that he had finally broken through to the second spiritual realm too. Han Fang was as inscrutable as ever, simply walking by Han Jian¡¯s side with their largest catch, a white furred stag, on his wide shoulders.


    ¡°Just a little twinge,¡± Ling Qi said dismissively in response to their looks. ¡°The last mission I was on got a little rough.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯re sure it¡¯s fine,¡± Han Jian said. He seemed a bit tired; there was a certain tightness to his expression and other signs of stress in his stance. ¡°Do you want to pause for a minute?¡±


    ¡°Ling Qi does not require such coddling,¡± Gu Xiulan said with a haughty sniff, not looking at Han Jian.


    Han Jian simply sighed and nodded, adjusting his own load. Ling Qi glanced between them with concern, but as socially awkward as she could be at times, she could tell that this was not something that would be helped by her sticking her nose in. So instead, she changed the subject. ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask, what do you think about the things going on around here lately? I don¡¯t know enough to understand if all this stuff with Cai Renxiang is normal or not.¡±


    Ling Qi caught Han Fang glancing at the white band pinned to her sleeve and the similar one that Han Jian wore. It was Fan Yu who spoke up first though. ¡°It is not how the Sects are supposed to be,¡± he grumbled. ¡°They are supposed to be free of such things.¡±


    ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t say that,¡± Han Jian said carefully. ¡°Blocks always form; it¡¯s just the nature of things¡­ The Lady Cai is going further than usual though in the level of authority she is trying to build.¡±


    ¡°And you are supporting it, Brother Jian. Just where is your pride as a son of Golden Fields?¡± Fan Yu shot back, disgruntled. It was weird seeing his stern expression almost immediately go soft and dopey when Xiulan smiled at him. Ling Qi rolled her eyes. Fan Yu was still an abrasive jerk, but she had a hard time maintaining her initial dislike for him. He was just too easily manipulated.


    ¡°Well, considering that Father agreed with my decision in our correspondence and commended me for acquiring armor of Cai make, I¡¯d say my pride is right where it belongs,¡± Han Jian replied dryly, but there was something a bit sharp in his response and Fan Yu lowered his head slightly. Han Jian sighed, brushing a hand through his hair, which had grown out lately, becoming a bit shaggy. ¡°Golden Fields is still a long way from doing things on our own. You guys know that.¡±


    Ling Qi felt awkward as everyone else lowered their eyes too with expressions ranging from chagrin to irritation or simple somberness. ¡°Isn¡¯t she the heir to the province though? I mean, doesn¡¯t this sort of thing happen pretty often when those kinds of people show up at the Sects?¡±


    Han Jian shook his head. ¡°Cai Renxiang¡¯s situation is unusual. Ducal clans are usually much, much larger than the Cai. Someone her age would never be the heir normally, but the Duchess Cai does not have any living siblings nor any other children,¡± he explained. ¡°Even when heirs are young, it usually isn¡¯t a settled matter.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned but nodded; she got what he was trying to say¡­ although she recalled that Cai Renxiang herself didn¡¯t see her position that way. Ling Qi kept quiet.


    ¡°She has made the Sect a duller place,¡± Gu Xiulan said irritably. ¡°I suppose we can still find our own entertainment though.¡± Xiulan shot a grin at Ling Qi, which she returned as she remembered the frustration on the faces of those who had lost to Gu Xiulan and the expressions on the faces of her own targets the next day. That had somewhat made up for the markdown on the stolen talismans.


    ¡°Things are probably going to get rough before the year is out. Even with her position, the older Outer Disciples aren¡¯t just going to knuckle under peacefully, and Sun Liling isn¡¯t gonna be in confinement forever,¡± Han Jian reminded them. ¡°I have a feeling that everyone will get their fill of violence by the time the tournament comes around.¡±


    Ling Qi gave Han Jian a thoughtful look; he sounded more determined than usual there. Fan Yu¡¯s expression darkened again at the mention of the tournament. Gu Xiulan¡¯s expression had changed as well, teeth bared in something that was definitely not a smile, even as a few strands of her hair let off wisps of smoke.


    She glanced at Han Fang, but he showed no indication of nerves or determination, simply walking calmly at Han Jian¡¯s side. Han Fang was fully in second realm as well at this point and not too far behind Han Jian, who had recently hit the mid point in both realms. It seemed at least some of her friends hadn¡¯t given up on the Inner Sect. She would not fail to compete.


    After the hunt was over, Ling Qi returned to meditation.Under the effects of the elixirs and pills she was using, purchased with her spoils, Ling Qi found her cultivation continuing to steadily rise and her dantian expanding. The growth seemed almost glacial compared to how quickly she had grown in the first months of her cultivation, but she was pretty sure she was still doing well. She was nearing another plateau in her physical cultivation after all.


    Her spiritual cultivation had a long way to go though, and her meditations at the vent seemed a little empty with Li Suyin¡¯s absence. The other girl was apparently focusing on a job and receiving some tutoring which kept her very busy so they rarely saw one another. It did leave her some time to actually try and talk with Su Ling though. Ling Qi was still unsure as to where she stood with the girl in all honesty. It was difficult to read what Su Ling actually thought under her bluster and coarseness.


    Her attempt lead her to where she was now, leaning against a tree while she watched Su Ling skin and clean the corpse of a rather large bear. She had helped the girl haul the beast out of the pit used to trap and kill it, but she then stood aside to let the girl with more expertise work. Ling Qi wrinkled her nose at the smell that rose from the partially skinned corpse.


    ¡°Does it always take this long?¡± she asked, watching the other girl rinse the gore off her hands before returning to the task of freeing the hide from the flesh and muscle beneath.


    Su Ling shot her a flat look. ¡°If you want to use everything, then yeah, it does. There¡¯s not really any way to speed up this kinda thing that I know of. Who knows. Maybe you can buy yourself a magic skinning knife or something,¡± she answered flippantly.


    ¡°Probably not,¡± Ling Qi grimaced. ¡°It¡¯s taking everything I can do just to keep up with the cost of cultivation medicines nowadays.¡±


    Su Ling grunted, which Ling Qi took as agreement. Ling Qi remained silent after that, watching the fox girl¡¯s deft hands as she took the beast apart with practiced ease, wrapping and storing it with the materials she had brought along.


    ¡°Why¡¯re you doin¡¯ this anyway?¡± Su Ling broke the silence, not looking up from her work.


    Ling Qi blinked, cocking her head to the side. ¡°Well, these are good skills to have, right? I need beast cores for the spirit beast I¡¯ll be raising soon.¡±


    ¡°I already showed you how to harvest the cores,¡± Su Ling pointed out. ¡°And it¡¯s not like you can¡¯t just haul the rest to market. ¡®S not like you really go out hunting for income after all; the difference in payout isn¡¯t that much for you.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned, crossing her arms. ¡°Well, sure, I guess. It¡¯s still good to know for when I need it. Besides, we¡¯ve known each other for awhile, but we haven¡¯t exactly talked much. That mission was¡­ not the best situation, but I was hoping to get to know you better.¡±


    Su Ling looked up as she reached for a waterskin to rinse her bloodstained hands with. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I don¡¯t really get. Why now? We don¡¯t exactly have anything in common,¡± she said bluntly.


    ¡°Why do I need a reason?¡± Ling Qi said defensively. ¡°And¡­ it¡¯s kinda nice to chat with someone who I don¡¯t have to worry about my words around,¡± she added more quietly.


    ¡°Really? I wouldn¡¯t have figured,¡± Su Ling said. ¡°Outta all the commoners here, you¡¯re the one who slipped right into place with the noble types. I figured you were making a break for it.¡±


    ¡°There are other commoners here besides Ji Rong and us?¡± Ling Qi asked, the words slipping out a moment before she thought better of it. ¡°... That probably makes your point, doesn¡¯t it?¡± she said sheepishly


    Su Ling waved a hand dismissively. ¡°Nothin¡¯ wrong with that. It¡¯s just why I figured we were on different paths. Then you started followin¡¯ me around,¡± she said with a shrug. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s kinda inevitable given how ridiculously fast you¡¯ve shot up.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, accepting her words. ¡°I suppose. I don¡¯t really see how that means we¡¯re on different paths though.¡±


    Su Ling grimaced and glanced at the remains of her kill, little more than bloody bones and offal at this point. ¡°Look, I¡¯m not saying that we aren¡¯t friends of a sort. You have Suyin¡¯s back, and I respect that. Heck, as long as I didn¡¯t get into it with somethin¡¯ dumb, you¡¯d probably back me up as well, I think.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, furrowing her brows. ¡°So what¡¯s your point?¡±


    Su Ling scowled and distractedly brushed a few strands of hair out of her eyes. ¡°I guess, that art you gave me¡­ It made me think about what I want to do. I don¡¯t care about all the politics and stupid games Immortals like to play. I don¡¯t care about governments and empires and clans ¡®n shit,¡± she said, stumbling once or twice. ¡°But they have one thing right. Mortals need all the protection they can get. From monsters, from us, even from themselves. Especially kids who don¡¯t even have a say in the shit they deal with.¡±


    Ling Qi stared at her. That was the most she had ever heard Su Ling say at once. ¡°I¡¯m still not sure I understand where that separates us.¡± She could see where Su Ling was coming from. She had no doubt the girl¡¯s own childhood had been at least as, if not more, shitty than her own.


    ¡°What was the kid¡¯s name?¡± Su Ling asked, crossing her arms and giving Ling Qi a patient look. There was a beat of silence between them as Ling Qi narrowed her eyes; she was sure she had heard it mentioned¡­ ¡°How about his dad? You know the guy bowing and scraping to us?¡±


    ¡°... I get it,¡± Ling Qi replied. She glanced to the side. ¡°Well, no, I suppose I don¡¯t really get it,¡± she admitted grudgingly. ¡°I don¡¯t think I could handle worrying about everyone, not when I¡¯m still trying to just worry about a few.¡± She had spent years focused only on herself and her own survival. She wanted to be better than that, but she was still working out what that actually meant.


    Su Ling grunted again and turned back to her task, gathering up the bones to be bundled. ¡°And like I said, that¡¯s fine. I just wanted to get a real answer out of ya. You¡¯ve gotten to dancing around with words too much. You can tag along as you like. I don¡¯t mind showing you stuff.¡±


    Ling Qi sighed. She was sure that she had the other girl¡¯s friendship, such as it was, but she had a feeling that growing any closer would be hard due to their different goals.

 Chapter 73-Recovery 2

    Ling Qi had not forgotten her promise to Meizhen, so she needed to speak with Cui. Luckily, the serpent had taken to resting on the stones near the kiln she had built for her egg. The green veined egg rocked back and forth occasionally now and throbbed with qi, sucking in heat voraciously and requiring more work to keep the kiln burning. She thought it would likely hatch soon if she focused on feeding the kiln.


    For now though, she could prod Cui for ideas and information on Meizhen¡¯s likes while caring for the egg. The snake wasn¡¯t too reticent about the information thankfully, although Cui did require some minor bribery in the form of a couple of beast cores from her hunting. The answers she got were a little sparse though, simply because it seemed that Meizhen did not often do things ¡®for fun¡¯.


    However, Cui was still able to give her some ideas. Ling Qi would just have to find a reasonably sized lake. There had to be one around here somewhere, right?


    Ling Qi refrained from speaking of her plans to Meizhen, who seemed to have little time for anything outside of cultivation. Meizhen was finishing her breakthrough to Bronze after all. Still, her friend was able to give her a few bits of useful advice before retreating into seclusion, which granted Ling Qi some insights as she mastered the second phase of the Eight Phase Ceremony.


    As she cultivated and drank in the celestial qi, she was able to reflect on the moon and what it meant as an element of qi. The moon was, at its core, an element of change, one that meant little in and of itself but which altered other elements it was applied to, creating new variations of elemental qi. Each phase of the moon was thus different. The waning crescent, the phase which colored her version of the Ceremony, symbolized mystery and acts performed out of the light. It was cunning and whimsy, the desire to trick and steal, leaving one¡¯s victims scratching their heads and cursing the shadows. It was darkness and wind tempered by guiding moonlight.


    Ling Qi was not yet sure how deep she wished to delve into that phase of the moon. Research into the nature of the other phases would probably grant her further insight into the hole in the art she still found herself unable to illuminate. The hole felt different each time she contemplated it, as if awaiting a decision of hers. She had a feeling she would have a choice to make after mastering the third part of Eight Phase Ceremony.


    Ling Qi soon found herself spending her evenings at the archives. She had the free time after all, now that she had mastered the second phase, and the shaman¡¯s bags from her last Sect mission weren¡¯t going to unlock themselves. LingQi hadn¡¯t studied the locking characters stitched into the leather in depth, but they had given off a very dangerous feeling.


    Of course, actually doing anything beyond practicing her calligraphy and memorizing lists of common formation characters proved difficult. She wasn¡¯t really sure where to begin and often found herself staring in frustration at pages upon pages of theorycrafting above her understanding or simply rereading things she already knew. She felt an increasing desire to kick whatever disciple was in charge of organizing the archive.


    As the night wore on, her gaze drifted toward the only other disciple present. Xuan Shi was in his normal spot, nose buried in a book. Her eyes drifted to the white band on his arm, contrasting starkly with his black robes. They were basically allies, right? Asking for a little advice wasn¡¯t unreasonable. She didn¡¯t precisely like it, but she supposed it couldn¡¯t hurt. Besides, of the people remaining on the ¡®council¡¯, he was the only one she hadn¡¯t really spoken to. She ignored Huang Da¡¯s continued existence. As it should be.


    After a moment, Ling Qi gathered the books she had been perusing under her arm and made her way over to the boy¡¯s table. Glancing at the book he was reading, she paused. What kind of weird book was titled ¡®Voyages of Yu Long: Mists of the Raven Isle¡¯?


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± she spoke up politely as she reached his table. ¡°May I ask you something?¡±


    It took several seconds for Xuan Shi to look up from the thin book in his hands, which was a little annoying but gave her a moment to study him. The odd boy¡¯s conical hat was tipped back so she was able to get a better look at his face. His hair was short and black but had a slight greenish tinge when the light hit it right. His features were as blocky and plain as she remembered, but his complexion was darkly tanned where it wasn¡¯t outright scaled. The high collar of his robe still concealed the lower part of his face though.


    ¡°Miss Ling,¡± Xuan Shi responded with a slight nod. ¡°What knowledge eludes you?¡±


    ¡°I was hoping you could point me to a good starting point for more practical formations knowledge,¡± she explained. ¡°I have a fairly firm grasp on the basics at this point, but I am having a little trouble advancing.¡± Ling Qi was back to speaking formally again; this didn¡¯t seem like a good time to be casual.


    He stared at her for several uncomfortable seconds while she restrained herself from fidgeting. ¡°What branch?¡± he asked shortly. ¡°The paths of formation are not as the sands of the beach, but still, they are many. What area do you seek knowledge of?¡±


    She blinked before glancing to the side in thought. What did she actually want out of her formations knowledge?


    ¡°... Security, I think. The techniques you need to protect places and things,¡± Ling Qi answered, both because it would be nice to protect her own things and because it would also make her own efforts at acquiring goods more fruitful. Ling Qi had been forced to stand down from stealing from a couple of targets when raiding Kang Zihao¡¯s allies because she had noticed security she wasn¡¯t sure she could deal with.


    Xuan Shi made a thoughtful sound and reached out, tapping his finger against a particularly heavy tome on the shelf beside him. ¡°Constructing defenses is often an arduous task, but if that is Miss Ling¡¯s decision, your foundation materials lie here.¡±


    She nodded, taking the heavy tome. A few months ago, she probably would have winced at the weight.


    ¡°... May I ask you one other thing?¡± she asked, despite her better judgement. At his raised eyebrow, she continued, ¡°Why do you talk like that?¡±


    He regarded her silently, seemingingly unoffended but not answering either. This time, she did fidget as the uncomfortable moment wore on. ¡°Reputation and words are a power to themselves. Expectations are to be met and maintained, are they not?¡±


    She stared back at him as he lowered his eyes back to his book and flipped a page, clearly dismissing her from his thoughts. So¡­ he talked like that because he was expected to? Weird. She shook her head and turned away to head back to her table to study.


    Xuan Shi was right. The book he had pointed out was a well laid out and relatively easy to understand resource, even if the lettering was tiny and the text dry. It would probably take her a few nights to get through it. Thankfully, with the ice somewhat broken, she was able to prod the odd boy into answering questions every so often, and she soon learned the Thieves Monument Formation, a type of security measure that inflicted paralysis on unauthorized lockpickers. Sometimes, she even understood his answers without puzzling over them for a quarter hour.


    However, Xuan Shi was not the only one to frequent the archive, as Ling Qi found when she returned there the next evening to continue her studies. She sensed him first, like a cloud of angry static at the edge of her senses, but she was not going to leave just to avoid a potential enemy. There was no violence allowed in the archive anyway. As she entered the building, she caught sight of Ji Rong.


    Between his wan skin, his prominent veins, and dark circles around his eyes, frankly, the scarred boy looked like a recently recovered plague victim. Ji Rong¡¯s faintly starved appearance lent him a certain feral edge. Ling Qi felt a twinge of sympathy for him, but¡­ they had chosen their sides. She didn¡¯t allow herself to linger or look directly at him as she briskly walked past, heading for the formations section of the archive.


    However, it seemed that Ji Rong wasn¡¯t content to ignore her. ¡°They let you keep your pass, huh? Figured you¡¯d have had to give it to that snake witch,¡± he commented as she passed him, not raising his dull eyes from the art scroll in front of him.


    ¡°My friend wouldn¡¯t just take something of mine,¡± Ling Qi replied coolly, even as she stopped walking. Old instincts told her to keep walking, to just ignore him and duck out of sight¡­ but her new pride warred with that.


    ¡°Hmph. Guess someone like that wouldn¡¯t even need it. Not like that stopped the turtle bastard,¡± Ji Rong drawled, finally looking up to meet her eyes. ¡°So it¡¯s just bein¡¯ a lackey then? Guess I shoulda figured someone like you would have no pride.¡±


    ¡°And someone like you would always have too much,¡± she replied. They were both street children, that much was true, but¡­ they were different. Ling Qi was a sneak and a pickpocket, but Ji Rong was every inch the street tough and thug. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault you were dumb enough to try and steal from Cai on the job.¡±


    His sunken eyes lit with anger, and his expression twisted into a scowl. ¡°I¡¯m not that stupid,¡± he spat. ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that you don¡¯t take outta the boss¡¯s cut? I just took a prize for my own trouble. Cai got her ¡®fine¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure she said not to do that,¡± Ling Qi shot back.


    ¡°Come off it. Have you ever met a guard who wasn¡¯t on the take? Don¡¯t pretend you haven¡¯t done the same,¡± Ji Rong scoffed. ¡°You, of all people, should know how all this crap works under the pretty words. Nothing¡¯s any different.¡±


    Ling Qi considered the council and her own role within it. It was true that she had little faith in it; Huang Da was a member after all. However¡­ ¡°That¡¯s where we disagree, I guess.¡± She turned away. ¡°I¡¯m not going to live like I¡¯m still in the gutter.¡±


    ¡°Idiot,¡± she heard him grumble under his breath as she walked away, too low for anyone without enhanced senses to hear. ¡°And I felt bad for her when that creep latched on. Shouldn¡¯t have wasted my time distracting him.¡±


    Ling Qi almost stopped but thought better of it. The past was past, and whatever else could be said¡­ She had enough on her plate worrying about herself and her friends.

 Chapter 74: Night on the Lake

    The body of the flute was made of a dark wood she did not recognize, etched with lines filled with powdered silver. It was the finest instrument she had ever held, perfectly proportioned and free of imperfections. But the mouthpiece still felt familiar, and the sound held a personal note that was hard to quantify.


    Even remade, it was still her flute. Ling Qi left the market that day feeling light, as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.


    However, Ling Qi had little time to luxuriate in her satisfaction. She had promised both Meizhen and herself that she would see the girl¡¯s recent successes in cultivation celebrated. She had taken care of the funding, thanks to her hunts with Han Jian and the others, and she had taken care of the set up with a little advice from Cui. Now, the most difficult part remained; she had to convince Meizhen to follow her out into the wilderness.


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t going to fail though, not with the effort she had put into arranging the celebration. Her opportunity came late in the week when Meizhen finally emerged from seclusion. Her friend had changed subtly since last she saw her; Meizhen¡¯s hair was a few centimeters longer and her movements even more graceful and flowing. The little patches of white scales on her neck and the back of her hands had become less noticeable or perhaps, her complexion had become even more unnaturally white. Bai Meizhen looked more and more like some spirit princess from a story.


    Her friend had seemed a bit off balance from her recent breakthrough so it was easier than usual to get Meizhen to follow along under the premise of Ling Qi needing to show her something. It wasn¡¯t even a lie really.


    As they descended the mountain, it became harder to convince Meizhen to keep following her, and Ling Qi couldn¡¯t exactly force her now fully third realm friend along. Ling Qi wasn¡¯t about to give up at this point though, despite her friend¡¯s increasing irritation at Ling Qi¡¯s non-answers.


    Soon enough, they approached the little lake Ling Qi had found.


    ¡°This is growing absurd,¡± Bai Meizhen grumbled, seeming to practically float above the root-tangled ground with her smooth movements. ¡°You can at least tell me why this is so important, can you not, Ling Qi?¡±


    ¡°I told you that we¡¯re just about there,¡± Ling Qi responded with a grin. ¡°Please. It¡¯s just up ahead.¡±


    ¡°I still do not see why we needed to come immediately after my breakthrough,¡± her companion said cooly. ¡°Could this not have waited? I barely had the time to bathe.¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡± Ling Qi said brightly as she stepped out past the treeline to the shore of the little lake. ¡°Because you would have become busy again. I told you we were going to celebrate your breakthrough, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    Meizhen blinked as she stepped out of the forest as well, her white gown drifting a bit in the breeze. Ling Qi watched as she scanned the rippling waters, made rosy by the light of the setting sun. Her gaze soon drifted to the shore where a small boat was tied to a sapling. ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°Cui told me you missed swimming,¡± Ling Qi responded. ¡°And the fishing too. Said you liked stuff fresh. So I figured I could find a place where we could relax for the afternoon since you wouldn¡¯t like an actual party. I even practiced with the boat and made an offering to the lake spirit of the lake. You don¡¯t need to worry about anything.¡± Getting nets and fishing line rated for grade one beasts had been a little pricey, more than the boat really. The boat had just been a pain to transport.


    Bai Meizhen stared at her and then looked back to the lake, expression unreadable. Ling Qi shifted from foot to foot nervously as the silence stretched. Had Cui steered her wrong? Ling Qi had thought it wouldn¡¯t be a problem now that they could talk properly.


    Then Meizhen raised her sleeve to cover her mouth and made a soft sound, her shoulders shaking. At first, Ling Qi was nonplussed, but it quickly became clear that her friend was laughing. The sound was almost giggly with a sibilant quality to it, although her mind rebelled a bit at applying that term to Bai Meizhen.


    ¡°What - did Cui lie to me? We don¡¯t have to do this,¡± Ling Qi said, looking away. ¡°I just¡­ I wanted to do something nice for you.¡±


    ¡°It is fine,¡± Meizhen said, lowering her billowy sleeve, a small smile on her lips. ¡°It is just - I have not done something so childish in years. Only Cui would suggest such a thing.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s a no go?¡± Ling Qi asked, frowning. She had spent a lot of time looking for a nice isolated place too, figuring Meizhen would like some privacy to go swimming.


    ¡°Perhaps just this once as an indulgence. It would be a shame to reject your efforts,¡± the pale girl said after a moment¡¯s pause, the humor fading from her voice. ¡°You said you knew how to use the boat? I¡¯m afraid the ones I am familiar with were powered by qi in one form or another.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, her smile returning. ¡°Yeah, it took a little practice, but I can probably manage not to tip us over.¡± She was glad that Meizhen was fine with this; she had feared her friend would reject the idea. ¡°So don¡¯t worry. After all, this one is powered by Qi too.¡±


    Bai Meizhen gave her a flat look. ¡°That was terrible.¡±


    Well, yeah, it was. It had sounded better in her head.


    Ling Qi smiled sheepishly and headed down to the shore, followed by her friend. They spent the rest of the afternoon out on the lake. It was relaxing, even if Meizhen had to show her how to not tangle herself up with the line. It was a little more difficult to coax Meizhen out into the water, but after Ling Qi dove in, stripped to the bottommost layer of her gown, the other girl had reluctantly followed.


    Ling Qi envied her friend¡¯s grace in the water, but she supposed it was to be expected given the geography of her home, Thousand Lakes. Besides, Meizhen wasn¡¯t so ethereal and elegant once Ling Qi had a chance to mess with her a bit. Even the proud and elegant girl could not help but retaliate against her splashes and horseplay.


    On the other hand, Ling Qi found the fishing dull, but she didn¡¯t mind doing it for her friend. It was a little disturbing to watch her friend swallow a still wriggling fish whole and hear its bones crunching as they were crushed in her throat. But Ling Qi kept her reaction to the unsettling sight from her face, choosing to be pleased instead. She had a feeling that Meizhen had only eaten in front of her because Meizhen had momentarily forgotten herself after playing around.


    Her friend¡¯s dietary oddity aside, Ling Qi had a lot of fun splashing around in the water and relaxing with her back against the other girl¡¯s in the boat. Eventually, the sun sunk all the way below the horizon, and they settled the boat back on the shore, sitting side by side with their legs dangling in the water.


    ¡°Thank you, Ling Qi. This was nice,¡± Bai Meizhen said quietly, her hand resting atop Ling Qi¡¯s. Her snow white skin looked even more ethereal now, damp under the light of the half moon above.


    ¡°Not a problem, Bai Meizhen,¡± she replied. ¡°You¡¯ve done a lot for me. You still do. I¡¯m just glad that we¡¯re friends.¡±


    ¡°As am I,¡± Meizhen said quietly. ¡°... I would not be averse to you calling me by name in private.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked then smiled. That was kind of a big deal for a noble like Bai Meizhen, right? ¡°Sure thing. You can do the same with me.¡±


    ¡°Would you turn this way for a moment then, Qi?¡± Meizhen asked quietly.


    Curious, Ling Qi did so, turning her eyes away from the stars to look at her friend, who was leaning forward and¡­


    Meizhen¡¯s lips were cool and dry and had a faint coppery taste. The blood from the fish earlier, she supposed. It only lasted a few seconds before she felt Meizhen pulling away, removing her hand and drawing her legs up to her chest.


    ¡°My apologies. That was deeply inappropriate. I hope you can forgive me,¡± Meizhen said softly, looking out across the lake.


    Ling Qi¡¯s first response was an odd, slightly strangled sound. Her second attempt was a bit better. ¡°I - You- I mean, it¡¯s fine, I guess?¡± The statement sounded like a question to her own ears. ¡°I just- I don¡¯t- You¡¯re a girl,¡± she said inarticulately, blushing hotly as she turned away. If it had been anyone else that kissed her, Ling Qi would have screamed or slapped them or probably worse if she had a knife on her. She didn¡¯t know what to do.


    ¡°I know,¡± Meizhen said plainly. ¡°It will not happen again. I can only ask that you forgive my¡­ poor impulse control. Grandfather always said I was too emotional. I am sorry. I didn''t mean to ruin things with you.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s¡­ Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Ling Qi muttered. She was a little angry; she didn¡¯t like being taken advantage of like that, but it was Meizhen, her best friend. ¡°I guess it¡¯s my fault too for pulling you out here when you were tired. Sorry, Meizhen.¡±


    Her friend hummed softly, giving her a worried look. Ling Qi managed to smile, hoping they could just ignore the whole awkward moment. Meizhen seemed to relax at her reaction. ¡°Yes, I apologize again. Perhaps we should head home. A few hours of sleep might do me well.¡±


    And so, on that unsettling note, the night ended.

 Chapter 75-Melodies 1

    The following days, Ling Qi threw herself into training and meditation to distract herself from the confusion and uncomfortable feelings that filled her thoughts. With such frantic focus, the second level of the Argent Mirror Art came to her swiftly. It was not a comfortable experience; the art was focused on self-reflection and clearsightedness, and further mastery only left her less able to hide from her thoughts.


    She found herself thinking over past events. Su Ling¡¯s words came back to her, as did her actions since her stab-induced vision. Had she been more affected by her elements than she thought? On reflection, she did feel like she had changed as of late. Was that due to her arts or simple evolution of the self? Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure, but she resolved to be more mindful of such things in the future.


    The other matter which her self-reflection brought up was more recent: Meizhen and what had happened at the lake. Ling Qi¡­ did not feel that way. She did not think of Meizhen as anything more than a good friend and had felt nothing but surprise and confusion during that moment. But it was clear that her friend did feel differently. Even the clarity of Argent Mirror did not grant her knowledge of what to do about Meizhen¡¯s feelings though.


    Ling Qi had time to think while sitting in the Medicine Hall. Ling Qi couldn¡¯t afford to miss her treatment; the curse, while fairly mild in its current form, could rapidly worsen if left unattended for more than a week or two. It was, according to the words of the Medicine Hall disciple treating her, meant to inflict a sort of wasting sickness on its victims. She wondered if its relatively mild first stage was meant to cloak its spread.


    That was a matter for Elders. She had more than enough concerns of her own without getting involved in something so far above her head. She wished Su Ling luck in looking into medicines. After the treatment was over, she found herself with a free afternoon.


    Ling Qi decided to stay a little longer at the Medicine Hall. She had asked around and been told that Li Suyin was doing chores in the area and should be finishing soon. Upon reaching the doorway with a sign indicating the end of the ¡®free¡¯ part of the hall, Ling Qi leaned against the wall to wait, entertaining herself by idling studying the tiny formation characters etched into wood around her.


    There was the usual stuff she had grown used to seeing on Sect buildings, simple repeating patterns to ward against basic wear and tear, as well as patterns to increase durability and fire resistance. The somehow orderly tangle of characters etched into webs at each of the four corners were beyond her skill level though; she was pretty sure she would regret tampering with them or trying to bypass the warded door. Which made sense, considering this hall was Sect property.


    Ling Qi continued to study the top right inscription circle for potential weaknesses as she waited. It was about a quarter hour later that she heard footsteps approaching from the other side of the doors.


    Li Suyin emerged as the door opened, a distracted look on her face. Suyin¡¯s short hair was tied back and hidden under a cloth, and she wore a long grey smock over the front of her gown like an apron. Smudges of dust were apparent on her cheeks, as were blots of ink on her fingers. Ling Qi supposed they must have had her cleaning and organizing things in the storage area.


    ¡°Li Suyin, how have you been?¡± Ling Qi greeted, straightening up from the wall.


    Her friend blinked as she glanced up, noticing Ling Qi. ¡°Oh, Ling Qi, hello,¡± she said, smiling slightly as she let the door drift shut. Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help but note the faint throb of the qi running through the wood as the door closed and the formation sealed itself again. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing well. I¡¯m sorry for not visiting you when you came in,¡± she apologized, looking chagrined. ¡°I¡¯ve just been kept so busy, and I was assured Su Ling and you didn¡¯t have any serious injuries¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Ling Qi replied, following her friend as the girl moved to start walking toward the main section of the hall. She didn¡¯t know how much she could say on the recent mission so she elected to just change the subject. ¡°They must be working you hard. I hardly see you at our place anymore.¡±


    Li Suyin caught her eye, clearly understanding her meaning. ¡°Ah, yes. The mornings are a very busy time for the hall so I have to be available for assignment. Well, for a few more weeks at least,¡± she corrected. ¡°If I can pass the second exam and officially become an assistant, I will receive a little more latitude in the matter.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed to herself, looking her friend over out of the corner of her eye. ¡°So they make you do a month or two of grunt work before they actually show you anything important?¡±


    Li Suyin flushed, fidgeting with her sleeves. ¡°W-well, I wouldn¡¯t call it that. It¡¯s important not to waste actual Medicine Hall disciples¡¯ time with insufficiently dedicated assistants. Besides, I have been receiving instruction,¡± she replied a bit defensively. ¡°Even if it¡¯s not exactly orthodox¡­¡± she added under her breath.


    Ling Qi gave Suyin a concerned look as they rounded a corner, the sounds of the entrance hall starting to reach their ears. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, you see¡­¡± Li Suyin begun somewhat anxiously as they entered the main hall.


    ¡°Assistant Li.¡± A flat female voice cut off her words before Suyin could continue. Ling Qi swung her gaze around to find the speaker, who had been leaning against the wall herself before stepping out in front of them.


    What she saw was¡­ strange. The girl who had spoken was almost as tall as her and was even more lanky and thin than Ling Qi. She was pale with slightly gaunt features and dark circles under her eyes and black hair tied back in a loose and careless tail. Some kind of face mask hung loosely around her neck.


    The girl wore a bizarre and almost skin tight dark green silk shirt under a black leather vest with similarly figure-hugging pants tucked into knee-high heavy leather boots. Her arms were likewise covered to the elbow by gloves of some kind of scaly animal hide. Her qi hung about her like a cloud of weblike strands, ominous and twitching; she was fully in the third realm.


    Suyin seemed to recognize her given the way she hurriedly bowed her head. ¡°Ah, Senior Sister Bao, my apologies. I did not know you would be waiting.¡± Li Suyin glanced at Ling Qi, who raised her eyebrows, looking between the blue-haired girl and the newcomer. ¡°Ling Qi, this is Senior Sister Bao Qingling. She has been gracious enough to allow me to assist her.¡±


    ¡°I thought Inner Sect disciples weren¡¯t allowed on the outer mountain,¡± Ling Qi said a little dubiously, not quite liking the way the older girl had simply glanced over her and promptly dismissed her.


    ¡°The rule does not apply to Medicine Hall disciples assigned to this hall. Outer Sect riffraff can hardly be trusted with complex procedures,¡± the older disciple answered disinterestedly, words that should have sounded malicious or arrogant seeming matter-of-fact.


    Li Suyin laughed awkwardly, glancing nervously at Ling Qi. Ling Qi simply gave her a reassuring look. Even if this Bao Qingling¡¯s attitude was grating, she wasn¡¯t going to say something dumb to an Inner Sect disciple just for being abrasive. Besides, she was probably partially at fault for the girl¡¯s presence what with the curse and Sun Liling''s recent rampage.


    ¡°I see. I guess I should be thanking you for taking care of my good friend Li Suyin, Elder Sister Bao.¡±


    The girl looked at her a little longer this time although her gaze remained apathetic. ¡°Mm. You are welcome. Assistant Li has a good hand for delicate matters. It seems this year¡¯s Outer Disciples are less useless than usual,¡± she said bluntly. Ling Qi had a feeling that that was as close to an acknowledgement as she would get from the girl. The Inner Disciple¡¯s gaze returned to Li Suyin. ¡°Assistant Li, I require another set of hands for the preparation of today¡¯s procedures. Come along.¡±


    Bao Qingling turned away from them, walking away toward the exit of the hall without even waiting for a response. Li Suyin shot Ling Qi an apologetic look. ¡°... I am sorry, Ling Qi. I will have to talk to you later. Thank you for coming to visit me. We can catch up tomorrow I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Ling Qi said easily. Maybe she would be bristling if she was the same person she had been when she first came to the mountain, but she had come far enough to recognize the difference between a generally abrasive attitude and targeted contempt. She couldn¡¯t say she liked the older girl though. ¡°Just¡­ don¡¯t get caught up in anything weird, alright?¡±


    Li Suyin laughed quietly, apparently taking her words as a joke and nodded before hurrying after the retreating figure of the older girl. Ling Qi shook her head. Since Li Suyin was busy, she would start preparing to meet the tutor she had hired.


    The next day, she received a note to meet an hour after noon at the gate that marked the entrance to the main road of the outer mountain. Her tutor would be a boy named Ruan Shen. It wasn¡¯t far from noon by that time so she was soon on the path down the mountain. Sore and fatigued as she still felt, she stuck to the road instead of using the more direct path of hopping down the cliffside, but even then, it wasn¡¯t a long walk anymore.


    The gate was a tall arched structure, a dozen meters high or more, stretching over a road wide enough for several horses to pass side by side. She wasn¡¯t the only disciple on the path but neither was there a crowd or heavy foot traffic so her gaze quickly caught on a figure that seemed likely to be her tutor.


    Ruan Shen looked a few years older than her, although she was aware of how little that could mean, and was fairly tall with a head of shaggy and untamed black hair that faded to light blue at the tips. His bangs hung down over his eyes, concealing his face somewhat as he plucked at the strings of a lute of some kind.


    Ling Qi always had trouble remembering the exact names of the different instrument types, but now that she thought of it, his name on the note had been written with the same character as the instrument, the ruan, so that seemed a likely guess. He glanced upward as she approached, idly scanning the light traffic with a lazy gaze.


    She could admit her tutor was pretty handsome. Clearly, he kept up on his physical cultivation given what she could see due to the loose blue and white robe he wore. It hung pretty far open in the front; she had no idea how he kept it from falling off his shoulders. Ling Qi averted her eyes from that quickly enough, any admiration she might have felt quashed under awkward memories of Meizhen¡¯s lips and the resurgence of her own insecurities.


    Shaking her head, she dismissed such thoughts and picked up her pace. It didn¡¯t take long before the older boy¡¯s gaze came to rest on her, his eyes assessing despite the seemingly permanently amused expression on his face.


    ¡°Hey there. I suppose you¡¯re Ling Qi?¡± he asked, raising a hand in greeting. A few of the other disciples passing by glanced their way but only momentarily.


    Ling Qi crossed her arms, some awkwardness surfacing despite her efforts to keep her thoughts in order. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s me,¡± she said, before wincing. She pulled out the note with the Sect seal to show him. ¡°I mean, yes. I am Ling Qi. Thank you for taking the time to teach me, Senior Brother Ruan,¡± she corrected, coughing into her hand. ¡°I suppose they must have given you a description?¡±


    He chuckled slightly, pushing himself up from the pillar he leaned against and lowering his instrument to his side as he fished a matching seal-marked note from his pocket to confirm his identity. ¡°Yeah, they did. No reason to be so stiff though. You can call me Shen if you¡¯d like. It won¡¯t bother me.¡±


    ¡°Senior Brother Shen,¡± Ling Qi responded after a moment as she stopped in front of him, dipping her head. If he said it was fine, she could relax a little. ¡°I haven¡¯t done this before. What exactly are we going to do?¡±


    He hummed thoughtfully, looking her over, and Ling Qi shifted uncomfortably. It wasn¡¯t that he was being a pervert or anything, but his eyes were disturbingly piercing. It almost felt like he was looking through her, but she was having trouble feeling his qi at all.


    ¡°Well, as much as I like the idea of having a cute little junior sis,¡± he began before pausing and giving her another look over. ¡°Or not so little as the case may be.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned at him. ... Some errant part of her mind felt the need to point out that he hadn¡¯t retracted the cute descriptor. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± she asked politely.


    ¡°Nah, nothing like that,¡± Ruan Shen said, waving his free hand dismissively. ¡°I¡¯m just gonna need to test you a bit. Gotta see what kind of melodies you have in your repertoire before I can teach you. Not too many disciples follow the musician¡¯s path so I hope this isn¡¯t just a whim on your part. That¡¯d just be real sad.¡±


    Ling Qi drew herself up, summoning her flute to her hand. ¡°I¡¯m not an amateur,¡± she said with a hint of fierceness. ¡°And I¡¯m not just dabbling. My music is one of my best skills.¡±


    Her tutor studied her expression then laughed. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad. Why don¡¯t we find a better spot though? As much as this bunch would enjoy the free concert, I think we¡¯d do better to go without distractions today. Follow me.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t entirely certain what to make of the other disciple. But for all that her instincts cried out at the idea of following a stranger to an out of the way place, he had the Sect seal, and tutors doing something untoward with their authority was supposed to be punished pretty heavily.


    In the end, she followed him out a short distance into the foothills, and they stopped in a small clearing at the top of a steep hill studded with several large boulders. For the first day, Ling Qi played for him, first with her flute then with other instruments as he tested the limits of her musical knowledge and ability.


    Ruan Shen was mostly unreadable that day, offering little except simple instruction and the occasional pointer on improving her technical skill or correction for errors, but¡­ she thought he seemed impressed or at least, not disappointed. Her tutor cheerfully instructed her to meet him at the same spot the next day.


    Things settled into a routine. Ling Qi would work on cleansing a head meridian at the argent vent in the morning then swing by the Medicine Hall to chat with Li Suyin when the girl had time. Despite the less than stellar introduction, Li Suyin was apparently enjoying playing assistant to that Qingling girl. She was mostly tasked with preparing ingredients and helping with time-sensitive tasks, but the older girl apparently thought aloud enough that Li Suyin was picking up a fair bit of knowledge just from listening in, along with the occasional borrowed scroll.


    In the afternoons, she would go to her tutoring sessions, which seemed to largely consist of improvised duets and musical tests accompanied by discussions on music theory and its relation to qi and cultivation. In the evenings, between hunting with Han Jian¡¯s group and training with Meizhen, she reached Late Silver.


    Sometimes, the training with Meizhen even managed to only be half again as awkward as they had been before the lake celebration.

 Chapter 76-Melodies 2

    Her efforts to help Su Ling took place at night. She met the fox-eared girl at the vent, and they went from there, taking the narrow natural paths that lead higher on the mountain.


    ¡°Tell me I¡¯m not the only one who thinks there¡¯s something weird with that girl Li Suyin is training with,¡± Ling Qi said as the two of them climbed a short cliff face with mostly effortless ease.


    Su Ling grunted in response, easily finding foot and hand holds as she moved up the rockface herself. ¡°Not really my business. Suyin¡¯s actually pretty secretive in her own way.¡±


    ¡°I guess so, Ling Qi said grudgingly, eyeing the top of the cliff. She tensed her muscles and pushed, leaping up the remaining five meters or so to catch the edge and pull herself up over the cliff edge. Her recent push through to Late Silver was a nice increase in ability. ¡°It still bugs me that she won¡¯t talk about any of the details of what that girl has her doing.¡±


    ¡°Might be because you can get pretty nosy about the shit you do care about,¡± Su Ling called up, giving her an annoyed look. Ling Qi simply grinned cheekily down at the silent accusation of ¡®showoff¡¯. ¡°You¡¯re not her mother. Let her do her own thing.¡±


    Ling Qi made a dissatisfied sound and crossed her arms. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m just being paranoid,¡± she admitted.


    ¡°Yeah, you don¡¯t see me prodding you about whatever you¡¯re getting up to with that guy you¡¯ve been hanging around with,¡± Su Ling said as she pulled herself up over the edge and stood, dusting herself off.


    Ling Qi rolled her eyes at the implication, but she got the point. ¡°You know it¡¯s just music practice.¡±


    ¡°Course I do,¡± Su Ling replied, unruffled. ¡°Which is the point.¡± Ling Qi lowered her head a bit in acknowledgment as they started out through the scraggly trees clinging to the steep mountainside. ¡°Not that I¡¯d blame ya. From what I saw, that is a pretty fine hunk of meat,¡± Su Ling added blithely.


    Ling Qi shot her a withering look. ¡°You too? I get enough of that from Gu Xiulan.¡±


    ¡°Eh, nothing wrong with lookin¡¯.¡± Su Ling shrugged. ¡°Anyway, still not sure why you¡¯re doing this, but-¡±


    ¡°Because I want to help my friend since I know she¡¯s taking on extra work,¡± Ling Qi cut in irritatedly.


    ¡°... Yeah, alright,¡± Su Ling acknowledged. ¡°I need to collect a lot this week since I¡¯m gonna be trying to break through to the second.¡±


    ¡°Good for you,¡± Ling Qi said encouragingly as they wove through the rough terrain. ¡°So, how is the kid from the town doing?¡± She didn¡¯t want to get too involved, but it was important to Su Ling.


    ¡°He¡¯s not great, but he¡¯s stable,¡± Su Ling replied. ¡°I can¡¯t produce the quality of pill that the Medicine Hall can, but I guess he didn¡¯t get the full whammy either. Makes sense since the asshole was planning to use the kid. Wouldn¡¯t do much good if the kid kicked it just from being near to the ritual.¡±


    Ling Qi could only nod at that. She was glad the other girl was doing well at her self-assigned task. Conversation lapsed after that as they instead focused on gathering the herbs that Su Ling needed.


    Between her nights out with Su Ling and more sporadic hunts with Han Jian, she managed to pull in a decent amount of spirit stones thankfully. Ling Qi had been spending them like water for the past few weeks, so it was good to stock up.


    She didn¡¯t have much time to dwell on her financial woes though because every waking moment not dedicated to one of her other tasks was being spent keeping the kiln burning on full blast as the egg inside wobbled and twitched on occasion. According to the research she had done, the most likely time for hatching was the hours leading to dawn or just after, so the last segment of her time vanished just like that. Ling Qi was extremely glad that she could go a week or two without sleeping at this point.


    On the third day of her tutoring, they finally moved past mundane music practice and qi theory to beginning to work on their art techniques. Ling Qi was reluctant to show off Forgotten Vale Melody, but well, that cat was firmly out of the bag she supposed.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t hold back as she filled the sunny hilltop with mist and stalking shadows and the haunting melody of the forgotten vales. Sitting still like she was, unworried about combat, she could almost see the misty mountain valleys and frightening vistas the song was meant to depict. It was beautiful in a dark way, or so she liked to think.


    Ruan Shen, for his part, hadn¡¯t moved from atop the flat-topped boulder he used as a seat during their lessons, his normally smiling expression thoughtful as Ling Qi allowed the notes to fade and the mist to disperse, floating away on the breeze.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a bad tune you have there,¡± he mused, idly scratching his chin as his eyes followed a wisp of dissolving mist. ¡°Not really my style, but no, it¡¯s not a bad one at all. It seems a little sad for a beauty to be pouring her heart into something so melancholy though.¡± Ruan Shen idly strummed a chord on his instrument.


    ¡°Please stop that, Senior Brother Shen,¡± Ling Qi said, giving him an unamused look. Ruan Shen liked to tease her and get sidetracked on pointless things. The first few times, she blushed, but by now, she didn¡¯t even react. ¡°I didn¡¯t come here to get teased.¡±


    He just grinned at her, which simply made her eyebrow twitch in further irritation. ¡°Heh. I¡¯ve said it before, right? Every lady that cultivates is a beauty in her own way,¡± he said easily. ¡°And man, that title just doesn¡¯t get old. I¡¯ll say it again, you¡¯ve got a real good tune there. I won¡¯t ask where you got the work of a master; it¡¯s none of my business. But I gotta ask, have you played anything else before you started these lessons with me?¡±


    Ling Qi frowned, rubbing her thumb thoughtfully along the cool wood of her flute. ¡°Not recently. I haven¡¯t had time really. I just have so much to do.¡±


    ¡°Kinda figured,¡± her tutor replied, his normal expression of amusement returning. ¡°Aside from that one, your songs are stiff. You¡¯ve got the technical stuff down, you don¡¯t miss any notes, and you know all the little details of how to play when it comes to your flute, but today¡¯s the first time I really felt any soul in your music. You were alone for a long time, weren¡¯t you?¡± he asked casually, even as Ling Qi stiffened at his assertion. ¡°Yeah¡­ lonely, afraid, hungry, and hurting,¡± he continued blithely. ¡°Whoever gave you that song matched it to you well.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s grip on her flute tightened, and she scowled at the older boy. ¡°Don¡¯t just assume you know things,¡± she snapped.


    ¡°Ha, what a scary look.¡± Ruan Shen chuckled. ¡°Sorry, don¡¯t be mad, my little junior sister. I won¡¯t pry into things. Music really is one of the purest expressions of the spiritual arts. At least, so I¡¯ve been taught,¡± he mused, strumming a cheerful ditty on his ruan. ¡°It¡¯s the closest you can come to a pure expression of emotion and feeling without the weirder stuff, and that makes it great for channeling your qi. You¡¯ve noticed that song of yours is pretty versatile, right?¡±


    Ling Qi forced herself to relax. ¡°Yes. So why doesn¡¯t everyone use music?¡±


    ¡°Not everyone¡¯s got the right attitude for it, and not everyone agrees. Plus, musical arts need a fair bit of set up to really get going. It takes time to reach your crescendo and a lot of stamina and concentration to pour out your heart all through a fight too.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded. It made sense from her own experience. Musical arts were versatile but also time consuming and qi intensive. ¡°So, what¡¯s your advice, Senior Brother Shen? How can I improve?¡± The weird delight her tutor seemed to get out of her calling him ¡°Senior Brother¡± was kind of annoying, but it was also useful for getting straight answers. She could tell that he was playing up his reaction though; the sharp-eyed boy was a lot more perceptive than he let on.


    He grinned down at her. ¡°I can show you a few things: how to really get a feel for the qi going into every note and the way it flows from your fingers and breath. What you need the most, if you''re gonna focus on this though, is some time on other songs. You gotta cheer up a little, write something yourself, something that you can really put your all into.¡±


    She frowned suspiciously up at him. ¡°What - I¡¯m supposed to develop a new art myself?¡±


    ¡°Nah, nothing like that. Even I¡¯m not ready to do that yet. I guess I should ask: is that all your music is to you? A tool for fights?¡± he asked, an out-of-place serious note in his voice.


    Ling Qi fell silent. It was true that she had played almost nothing but Forgotten Vale Melody since she had arrived on the mountain, but she was simply so busy, she didn¡¯t have time for frivolous things.


    Yet she had made time to take Meizhen out swimming. She had let Gu Xiulan drag her along shopping or trying out sweets. So that wasn¡¯t exactly true.


    She felt a pang of sadness. Playing her flute had been one of her few pleasures before she came here, something she could only do when she was sure she was safe. But now that she could sleep soundly and walk openly and unafraid, she had stopped doing it, except to fight or train.


    ¡°... I don¡¯t want it to be,¡± she said, breaking the silence that had fallen.


    ¡°Well, there you go then,¡± Ruan Shen said brightly. ¡°Let¡¯s get started on a couple little exercises¡­¡±


    From there, her tutoring took on a more active turn, and she found herself fixing a number of little errors and bad habits in her more qi-dependant musical skills. More than that though, she found herself relaxing a little and having some fun with her music again as she was encouraged to try new things and play new pieces.

 Bonus 12: Plots and Plans

    The ball rebounded off the tree trunk and shot off into the air. With a lazy effort, she tracked its arc as it bounced between branches and finally shot back toward her. It hit her palm with a satisfying thump. Idly, she tossed it lightly up and down. Sun Liling had to admit, she kind of missed the weight that the silly old toy used to have. She looked down at the pale grey ball, running a calloused thumb over the simple formation array that made it always return to her hand.


    Here, without any of these foreigners around to see, she allowed herself a moment to feel homesick. Dad was gone and her Mother had run off back to the Peaks barely a moment after the funeral had ended, but she still missed Kailasa. She still missed her little cousins, the dumb scrappy little twits, and Grandfather most of all. She missed the sunflower fields and the tension in the air, knowing that every speck of dirt outside the crater walls would try to kill her given half a chance. It was too damn cold here in the east.


    With a twist of her wrist, she dismissed the ball back into storage, as well as her petty complaints. She really had been stuck here too long if she was whining like that, Sun Liling thought wryly. The cage she had been stuck in was gilded well. A nice little manor house in the hills, probably some lifelong disciple¡¯s summer retreat or something. She hated it, hated not being able to go past the ward stones that marked the yard, hated just having to sit around. These easterners might be able to just sit inside all day to cultivate, but she needed to move, needed to run and fight and kill.


    She let out a disgruntled sigh as she slid off of her perch on the roof, landing in the garden with a thump. It was her own fault. She¡¯d let her blood get too heated and gone a little too far in her fight with Cai and her cronies. It had been a dumb move to open up her bond that far with Dharitri. As she thought the spirit¡¯s name, she felt awareness blossoming in her thoughts, blooming like the petals of a hungry flower.


    ¡®And why should you have hidden the full panoply of your glory, my dear battle-sister? Why should the fear of the soft children of the east shackle you?¡¯ The musical voice of Dharitri echoed in her thoughts. ¡®You have wept and bled and killed for your power. Why should you not wield it?¡¯


    ¡®Because of what happened,¡¯ she drawled back silently. Hadn¡¯t Grandfather told her that folks in the east still saw the Lady of the Sunflower Fields as a foreign, hostile spirit? But she had forgotten in the heat of the fight. She¡¯d worn Cai and that monster she wore down, Kang was crumbling in the face of the Bai, and when she thought about facing that nasty little snake and crushing her in a fight, she¡¯d just gotten too excited.


    So here she was, grounded for a month to this insultingly peaceful manor. The worst part was that she couldn¡¯t even complain, not without looking spoiled and making Grandfather look bad. Putting her arms behind her head, she began to stroll through the garden. It wasn¡¯t much, but it was better than sitting entirely still.


    The Sect wouldn¡¯t dare do more than this, and it wasn¡¯t like her cultivation had really suffered for it¡­  much. The lack of battle had slowed her down, but the experience of fighting most of the relevant folks in her year had given her enough to chew on for the most part.


    Losing galled her though, despite the circumstances. She shoulda just taken a hit from Cai and speared that girl, Ling whatever, as soon as she summoned that mist. It had been a surprisingly effective battlefield technique, coming from a nobody.


    ¡®The Kang losing to the snake was expected, but the Lu should have done better. You should punish him,¡¯ Dharitri grumbled. Images of broken flesh and bright flowing blood flickered through her thoughts.


    Sun Liling rolled her eyes. She¡¯d give Lu a good kick and a ribbing, but that wasn¡¯t exactly what her bloodthirsty spirit had in mind. She¡¯d long since dismissed Dharitri¡¯s whispering invitations to cruelty as background noise. In her thoughts, Dhartiri sulked at her dismissal in an affected way and returned to her own meditations. She would be fine, once they were able to kill something again.


    Maybe she should try to get in a little more cultivation today. Maybe the Sun Facing Petals? That one was pretty sedentary, as far as her arts went. Sun Liling paused then, glancing toward the boundary stones. Looked like she had something to take care of first.


    ¡°Quit lurking,¡± she barked at the empty space below the trees. Whatever it was, there was not a drop of blood in its veins, but the warmth of flowing qi was not so different at this range. There was a long moment of silence in which Sun Liling continued to give the empty space a supremely unimpressed look. Finally, something shifted and a young man stepped out, the air around him shimmering with tendrils of purple mist.


    Well, it looked like he did anyway. She considered the possibility of an illusion, but Dharitri hissed a negative in her ear. Some kind of body double construct then?


    The man was tall and thin, handsome in that effeminate way that was all the rage in court. He wore robes of dark black and green, and she didn¡¯t sense a weapon on him, not that that meant much. But it wasn¡¯t like a disciple was going to attack or challenge her when she was on time out, and if he turned out to be an assassin, well, he was bad at it for a start, and it wouldn¡¯t be her first run-in anyway. She was aware of the sort of protections Grandfather had bound to her person after Dad fell in the north.


    ¡°Greetings, Princess Sun,¡± the construct said, offering an obsequious bow.


    She raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms under her chest. ¡°Sup,¡± she replied drolly. The whole affected barbarian thing was a pain, but that was the persona the easterners expected. ¡°What brings you out to my pretty little cage?¡±


    He straightened up, and Sun Liling narrowed her eyes as she studied his face. There was no point trying to read the expressions of a fake, but the fluctuations in the qi that carried his words worked just as well.


    ¡°I believe we may be of some mutual aid to one another,¡± he said carefully. ¡°I am an individual who finds the Cai heiress¡¯ imposition of order to be disagreeable as well.¡±


    ¡°Oh, why do ya think I¡¯m bothered by it? I had my challenge. I wouldn¡¯t say I lost, but neither did she. I can respect that,¡± Sun Liling said carelessly.


    ¡°Then why did you rebuff her attempt at reconciliation in the aftermath?¡± he asked, raising a perfectly manicured eyebrow.


    She considered him for a moment. It looked like he might actually be well informed. The Cai had been as subtle as she could be, coming out here to talk. Of course, Sun Liling¡¯s condition of kicking out the Bai in exchange for bringing herself and Kang back in had been roundly refused; the heiress hadn¡¯t even considered it. She could say a lot of things about Cai Renxiang, but the girl bought her own propaganda. It made her pretty predictable.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± she considered, drawing out the hum. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to give me a reason why I should bother working with someone who just came out of nowhere.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± he replied, and she sensed a bit of piqued pride. Something she had said? Nah, it just reminded him of something. ¡°My contacts throughout the Outer Sect are quite extensive. Many of my peers rely upon my ability to swiftly gather resources to avoid wasting their own precious time on mundane matters so they are willing to listen when I speak. With my infrastructure and connections and your funds, charisma, and leadership, I believe that it should not be difficult to end Cai¡¯s farce of a government that her supporters are attempting to impose. Will you allow me to present my case?¡±


    She supposed that she didn¡¯t have anything to lose. It wasn''t like she was opposed to going another round. ¡°Sure thing. Gonna need a name first though.¡±


    He bowed again. ¡°My apologies, Princess Sun. This humble craftsmen goes by the name of Yan Renshu.¡±

 Chapter 77-Hatchling 1

    The musical experimentation helped quite a bit, she thought, in letting her reflect on the difficult situation she was in with Meizhen. She was still angry at the breach of her personal space, but more than that, she was worried about her friend. Although Meizhen remained as harsh and unflinching as always during their training together, outside of it, she found the other girl avoiding her eyes and keeping a distance that she hadn¡¯t before. Someone who didn¡¯t know Meizhen as well might not have picked up the difference, but Ling Qi did.


    Ling Qi couldn¡¯t say that her own attitude had not changed either. Although she attempted to act normally, she felt awkward around the other girl and that affected her behavior. Despite the occasional teasing word from her friends, she really hadn¡¯t seen it coming. At all. She had been vaguely aware that this sort of thing existed, but it was something old wives gossiped about. Now, she wasn¡¯t sure if she should feel awkward going to the springs with Xiulan or meditating with Suyin or any number of things. At home, she was certainly more careful to avoid wandering out of the bathroom in her underclothes or a towel.


    In the end though, despite the fact that things were beginning to settle, or perhaps because of it, she felt the need to talk to the other girl to make things clear, which was difficult because Meizhen had taken to avoiding her outside of training. So, after a few days of trying to get a hold of Meizhen, she finally stopped Meizhen before she left the training room in their home.


    Her friend looked back at her with the same blank expression she always wore when they were doing combat training as Ling Qi lowered her hand, already feeling the awkwardness increasing.


    ¡°Thanks for stopping, Meizhen,¡± Ling Qi said, nervously toying with a few loose strands of hair as she considered what to say. ¡°I think we really need to talk.¡±


    Her friend stilled but nodded, folding her arms in front of her stomach as she turned back to face Ling Qi. ¡°I see. Did you have a question about the mental exercises? You are nearing the completion of the beginner¡¯s set,¡± she said coolly, but Ling Qi could detect a note of worry in her voice because she was pumping qi into all her senses via Argent Mirror. She really didn¡¯t want to screw this conversation up.


    ¡°You know that¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about,¡± Ling Qi said with a bit more heat than she intended. ¡°I mean, this whole¡­ thing. You liking me,¡± she said, holding her composure thanks to art thrumming through her channels. ¡°I just¡­ I don¡¯t really know what to think here.¡±


    If Meizhen had been still before, she was a statue now. ¡°I apologized for my misconduct, did I not?¡± she said quietly, and Ling Qi saw her long sleeves shift, hiding her clenched hands. ¡°It was extremely inappropriate and foolish of me to do such a thing.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it was,¡± Ling Qi admitted, looking away. Intimacy of that sort had always frightened her. Her mother¡¯s ill treatment at the hands of her clients had been one of the greatest reasons for her running away, and the things she had witnessed in the streets did not improve on her opinion. Physical relationships were all about power and control, and she was definitely the weaker party here. She wanted to trust Meizhen - she did trust Meizhen, but some part of her was still terrified at Meizhen¡¯s interest. When she looked back, her friend¡¯s expression was just as blank as before. ¡°You are my friend, but please, don¡¯t ever do something like that again. I¡¯ll be more careful not to be¡­ insensitive myself, alright?¡±


    ¡°I already promised that I would not,¡± Bai Meizhen replied, and even with Discerning Gaze running, Ling Qi couldn¡¯t detect a change in her tone. ¡°It was a mistake and nothing more. Excuse me. I have a task I need to attend to.¡±


    ¡°Meizhen,¡± Ling Qi called after her, a sinking feeling in her gut telling her that she hadn¡¯t helped matters. ¡°I¡­ I did have fun that night, and I hope you did too. I still appreciate everything you¡¯ve done for me.¡±


    The pale girl paused at the door, glancing back over her shoulder with a flicker of something unreadable in her eyes. ¡°I appreciated your effort as well,¡± she said simply. ¡°It is for the best that we avoid such overt familiarity in the future though - for the both of us.¡±


    Then she was gone, disappearing through the doorway. Ling Qi felt a hollow. She didn¡¯t know how to fix this, if she even could fix this.


    Desperate to bury those feelings, Ling Qi threw herself back into her other tasks and cultivation. She spent her days tending to the kiln, keeping the fires inside roaring and hot as the egg within pulsed, drinking in the heat voraciously. When not working at that project, she poured her efforts into her music. If Ruan Shen noted her slide back into less upbeat melodies, he didn¡¯t comment on it.


    It was near the end of the week that her constant care of the egg finally bore fruit. The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon as Ling Qi fed more of the fragrant wood Su Ling had supplied her with into the kiln when she heard a sharp crack like a firework going off. She looked up, startled as colorful sparks erupted in another series of tiny blasts, and the egg wobbled violently. She felt a sudden cold as the blazing heat radiating from inside the kiln dropped precipitously, the flames flaring and consuming the wood she had just fed in at a monstrous pace before guttering low, reduced to mere embers in an instant.


    For the first time in days, Ling Qi¡¯s troubles fled her mind. Excited, she watched the veins of green on the egg go dark as a spider-web of cracks appeared on its surface. Without thinking, she reached in, gently pulling the egg off of the shelf she had built for it, ignoring the brief stinging of the still hot shell on her hands. Something like that wasn¡¯t enough to do her any real harm anymore.


    She cradled the egg in her lap as it shook and cracked, bits of shell flaking off and crumbling to ash as they landed on her gown. She soon found herself looking down at the tiny, blunt face of black scaled tortoise with eyes that were a bright, solid green. It blinked up at her in confusion and let out a plaintive sound, a high-pitched mix between a chirp and a squeak.


    Its stubby forelegs followed it out of the crumbling shell as it stumbled forward, revealing a dark green shell formed of dull triangular spikes. Suddenly remembering that she should be doing something, Ling Qi rubbed her thumb along the little creature¡¯s head, brushing away some leftover ash.


    ¡°Look at you. You¡¯re wonderful,¡± she breathed out, unable to contain her grin. She had a spirit beast. It was warm to the touch, hot really, and it blinked up at her with an adorably guileless gaze as his stubby little foreclaws scrabbled at her dress, slipping on the sleek fabric. She could feel its - no, his - qi, bright and hot as a newborn flame. Her spirit had been born right into the first realm.


    She quickly remembered that spirits were often born quite hungry, and while continuing to pet the little fellow with one hand and make reassuring sounds, she summoned a small grade one core she had acquired from hunting out of her ring. She smiled and lowered her hand, amused by the way his little eyes immediately fixed on the sphere in her hand.


    Then she blinked as she heard a hiss, and something snapped the core right out of her hand. There, protruding from the back of her spirit¡¯s shell where his tail should be, was what looked like the front half of a black scaled serpent with bright red eyes. A puff of smoke and ash escaped its mouth as it swallowed down the core and nuzzled against her hand even as the tortoise head let out a distressed squeak.


    That¡­ that hadn¡¯t been in any of the books she had read.


    She rallied herself quickly enough, pulling out another small core for his first - primary - turtle head. She made sure to feed the snake half of her little spirit too, and belatedly remembered to begin bonding him. Unsurprisingly, the snake turtle didn¡¯t resist at all, his newborn qi easily yielding to hers even as he nudged at her hand expectantly, clearly still hungry.


    Within a few moments, she felt the connection form and shivered as she felt a rush of heat and vitality flood through her channels, even as the qi in her dantian dropped precipitously. What little discomfort from the hot ash piling on her dress vanished in an instant, and she shook her head before looking down to find both of her new spirit¡¯s heads peering up at her inquisitively. She could feel his qi more clearly now, fire and wood in aspect, and could tell that he was still very hungry.


    Even as she began to draw out the remaining low grade cores she had collected this week, she had to wonder; just what was he? And more importantly, how much qi was she going to need to tether to the little fellow if he needed that much at birth?


    What little remained of her week was largely devoted to caring for her as yet unnamed spirit, taking care of his constant hunger and keeping the kiln lit as he seemed to enjoy sleeping in it. She could feel that she could dissolve his physical form and draw the spirit into her dantian, but she didn¡¯t want to do that just yet, perhaps because her best example of a good relationship between cultivator and spirit was Meizhen and Cui


    The longest she spent away from him was her last lesson with Ruan Shen, which ended with the older boy passing her a dog-eared and battered looking book on songwriting, composition, and philosophy at their parting, along with a casual encouragement to keep working hard. She wouldn¡¯t necessarily say she liked the older boy yet, but he seemed nice at least.


    While she wasn¡¯t entirely happy with how the week had gone given the way Meizhen was avoiding her still, at least something good had come of it.

 Interlude: Sima Jiao

    A writhing knot of spectral flesh exploded violently, dissolving into the cool night air with little more than a chorus of wails. It was but one of many shredded by silver-edged shadows that flitted through the night, barely visible to the eye.


    This was, Sima Jiao mused irritably, incredibly tedious. The new basin crawled with malevolent life, and due to the multitude of shadows in the tumble of broken trees, buildings, and earth, he was all too aware of each and every one of the possessed corpses, wailing spirits, and knots of diseased flesh flowering and sprouting from wood rotted into a liquid slurry.


    Disgusting and unpleasant, a lesser man might have retched. Not Elder Jiao, of course, though his was a title that both amused and irritated him. Right now, he leaned more toward irritation. A moment of will focused a fraction of awareness to the top of broken building, and his body coalesced from the darkness, loud eye-searing yellow bleeding out of the shadows as he grew something solid to anchor his spirit once more.


    He was rather proud of this robe with its glittering psychedelic purple embroidery patterns - and not just because he was certain it had made the old goat at the meeting flinch. Not physically, but he had a sense for that kind of thing.


    ¡°This is beneath me,¡± the grey skinned man said with an air of long-suffering. ¡°Really. Being sent to do disciple work. This is insulting.¡±


    ¡°The Core Disciples are all deployed, dear. You know that.¡±


    He didn¡¯t bother with anything so plebeian as turning his head toward the soft, musical voice of Xin. There wasn¡¯t much point; pretending at physical limitations was rather pointless when they were alone. He could see her slowly coalescing a body from moonbeams and starlight regardless of which way his physical eyes faced.


    ¡°Besides, you were not doing anything important, my lazy husband.¡± His wife formed her avatar seated on a weathered beam that stuck from the ground like an exposed bone, wearing a simple gown of shimmering liquid night glittering with stars.


    He took a moment to admire her pale, bare feet, idly kicking beneath the hem even as hundreds more of the plagued abominations were torn apart by blade and shadow in a widening ring. It did not stop him from letting out an aggrieved sigh at her words. Beautiful as Xin might be, she could be so cruel and lacking in understanding at times.


    ¡°I was, in fact, quite busy,¡± he responded with great dignity, crossing his arms over his still chest. ¡°I will have you know that I was nearing a breakthrough on a very important-¡±


    ¡°You were playing with that old chariot again,¡± she interjected, an amused note in her voice as her pale blue lips quirked upwards and her bright red eyes crinkled in amusement. ¡°I do not see why. It is not as if you even need such things,¡± she added lightly. Her qi coiled and mixed with his, the equivalent of a teasing caress. ¡°You¡¯ve forgotten your hands again, dear.¡±


    Sima Jiao glanced down at the empty end of his sleeve and grimaced, a quick flick of his qi resolving the issue. Even if it was unnecessary, it was a poor idea to forget such things too often.


    ¡°I would not expect a woman to understand a man¡¯s needs in such things,¡± he said aloud, idly directing the placement of the formation anchors on newly cleared land. ¡°That I do not need it is not the point. It is a classic made by Grandmaster-¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± she interrupted again with a dismissive wave, drawing a dour look and a weighty shift in qi from her companion. Xin did so enjoy needling him when they were alone; he would have to get her back for that later. ¡°Should we not focus on the task at hand? You can get back to your tinkering more quickly that way.¡±


    ¡°Something so trivial is hardly worth focusing on,¡± he dismissed. It could have been far worse, he supposed, but that it had happened at all was grating. ¡°That musclebrained lump certainly has much to answer for,¡± he grumbled. ¡°We were told the eradication of the Thunder Crow tribe was complete, and yet, here we are, dealing with a vengeful apprentice.¡±


    ¡°I am sure Sir Zhou¡¯s subordinates are receiving very firm reprimands,¡± Xin mused. ¡°Still, it is not entirely their fault. We both know that this is¡­ unusual, yes?¡± In the space between eye blinks, Xin was beside him, entangling her fingers with his as she leaned her head against his shoulder.


    There did remain some advantages to physicality, Jiao mused.


    ¡°Yes, I suppose so,¡± he replied, the majority of his attention still spread through the basin as he continued the extermination. It was a little irritating that the barbarian child had been slain by an arrow; death imprints pulled from a bow were less clear than those from a blade. ¡°Gnawing Ones.¡± Despite the relatively lack of clarity, the imprints had been clear enough to see pale, long-faced figures loping in the dark. A great deal of flesh and spirit had been offered in return for the tools of vengeance.


    ¡°Not the first we¡¯ve heard such things,¡± Xin noted aloud, unnecessarily, but it did help to vocalize things at times. That was the entire point of such puppet play after all.


    ¡°Of course we have,¡± Jiao replied with a touch of arrogance as the formation stones activated, and the spirits of the land shrieked as qi began to drain from them like water from a holed barrel. Plants withered and died, and rot became dust. Someone else, Ying perhaps, would have to restore the growth. ¡°Our histories contain all that there is,¡± he continued without missing a beat, his voice dripping with sarcasm. ¡°It is still troubling to find yet another foe where once there were only the hysterical accounts of those delving far too deeply under the earth. Perhaps this is the threat that will see the Empire stop squabbling like children.¡±


    ¡°Unlikely,¡± Xin said with an amused laugh. ¡°What would humans be if they did not squabble and fight over every little thing?¡±


    ¡°The men of the Empire are cut from a finer cloth,¡± Sima Jiao proclaimed with theatrical pride. He knew his wife could sense his true feelings on the matter though, regardless of whatever foolishness flowed from his lips. He had retired for many, very good reasons.


    ¡°Of course, dear,¡± she replied, rising on her toes to press a cold kiss to his similarly unheated cheek. More amusing puppet play to go along with the far more intimate twining of their spirits. ¡°Did you notice? The one who uncovered this was that little girl from the test.¡±


    ¡°Was it now?¡± he drawled, amused. ¡°And I thought it was the half-fox.¡±


    ¡°It was both, I suppose,¡± Xin agreed. ¡°Still, I think she is doing well.¡±


    ¡°Do we truly need to have this conversation again?¡± Jiao asked with a long suffering sigh, finally deigning to turn his head and look at his wife directly. ¡°The last thing our peaceful retirement needs is the involvement of your disciple projects.¡±


    She pursed her lips. ¡°It would not be an issue if someone would get me with child,¡± she replied dangerously. ¡°My sisters talk. Perhaps I should consider their advice.¡±


    ¡°Unnecessary. Completely so,¡± the Elder reassured the irate spirit, genuine concern tingling through the core of his being. ¡°Perhaps in a few decades,¡± he added placatingly as the wails of damned spirits rose around them. ¡°We should allow things to settle first after all, one way or another.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Xin mused, seemingly willing to drop the subject, much to his relief. ¡°In any case, I will allow you to finish your work, dear. I will be out with several of the other ladies of the mountain tonight since you have such an important project in the workshop.¡±


    His relief may have come too soon, Sima Jiao thought, as the woman at his side dissolved into starlight. He would have to be a bit wary for the next few nights. Well, he supposed retirement would be boring if it were entirely without conflict. At least he could be reasonably certain of finishing the inscriptions on the rims of his chariot before Xin returned with ideas. He swore that the ice spirit on the peak was a bad influence on her, along with that wretched ape of Hua Su¡¯s. Interacting with the ice creature¡¯s spawn made Xin want one of her own.


    For now, with the greater concerns already reported to the Sect Head, he needed to finish up with this nonsense.

 Chapter 78: Hatchling 2

    It had only been a single day since the egg had hatched, and Ling Qi was already feeling harried. Her spirit¡¯s constant hunger and desire for her attention consumed hours of her time. She had run out of grade one cores in short order and had been forced to put off research into his nature in order to get more.


    There was a minor lucky break when she had left him in the garden atop the still warm kiln to retrieve some items from her room, only to return and find that he had gotten into the wood pile. It looked like he enjoyed gnawing on the spiritually infused wood almost as much as the cores given the smoldering end of the log she had found him under.


    So she had the wood as a stopgap at least. It only took a bit of effort to break up one of the larger pieces and store the smaller sticks in her ring for his consumption. She scooped up the little snake turtle.


    ¡°What am I going to do with you?¡± Ling Qi murmured, resting her hand atop the little spirit¡¯s shell. His eyes, both sets of them, stared up at her.


    Hungry, safe, cold.


    She could feel vague sensations from the odd spirit though their connection. There was nothing so coherent as words, or even images, just jumbled and primal sensation. While she already knew that she wouldn''t be dealing with a mere animal, this was something more like a child. Her assumptions about the species of her spirit had been shattered, and now, she didn¡¯t know what to do. She needed to research, but she could hardly leave her spirit alone.


    The only person she might have trusted to watch over him was Bai Meizhen, but her friend was out right now, as she had often been since last week. Ling Qi did her best to ignore the pang of sadness she felt at that. This left bringing him along. She was wary of the idea; her instincts whispered that it was a bad idea to openly advertise her precious spirit to the Sect at large yet.


    Recalling Elder Su¡¯s lectures on the subject, she knew that it was a poor idea to dematerialize newborn spirits because their self and identity was not yet stable. This was the opposite of the problem at the higher end where the greatest of spirit beasts couldn''t be dematerialized at all due to being too concrete in their self-identity.


    The little tortoise let out chirping cry, startling her from her thoughts and bringing a chagrined smile to her lips. She wasn¡¯t going to get anything done just standing here. She would just have to follow old habits and take a more circuitous approach to moving around for a little while. The serpent coiled atop his shell let out a plaintive hiss, and the feeling of hunger projected in her thoughts intensified.


    ¡°Be patient,¡± she chided, brushing her thumb along cool, black scales. ¡°I need you to hold still now. I¡¯m going to have to go out to get some things.¡± She paused and grimaced as she realized that he probably couldn¡¯t understand her and that she still hadn¡¯t given him a name. A few moments of contemplation solved at least one of those problems. She furrowed her brows and concentrating her thoughts on the tendril of vigorous, fiery qi tethering them together, doing her best to project her meaning: safety, silence, the promise of food, and of course, affection. Even if she hadn¡¯t thought of a name yet, her spirit was still absolutely precious to her, an irreplaceable treasure.


    That thought made her blink, even as the spirit in her arms let out another chirping cry and withdrew into his shell, huddling inside. The little serpent let out a soft hiss and puff of soot before it followed suit.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good child,¡± Ling Qi sighed in relief, drawing on observations from her past to project a parental sort of tone. ¡°Just hold on for a bit, okay?¡± She tried to give a feeling of confidence and assurance.


    Ling Qi felt like she was onto something for a name, but she didn¡¯t want to make a hasty choice. A light leap took her to the top of the wall around her home¡¯s garden, and a second brought her to a narrow alley where she could disappear without being noticed.


    Her first stop was the archive where she acquired a few bestiaries to search through. The second stop was a nice, isolated stream she had found in her quest to find a decent swimming and fishing spot for Meizhen. She still had the fishing gear she had prepared for the event it in her ring.


    Grade one fish weren¡¯t much smarter than normal ones. It seemed her best bet for acquiring cores cheaply and easily. Soon enough, she settled on the bank of the stream with a fishing rod in one hand and a book in the other.


    Her spirit poked his head out of his shell when she stopped moving, and although he eyed the water warily, he soon trundled off of her lap to explore the nearby grass and underbrush. She kept an eye on him, but it seemed safe enough. This wasn¡¯t a dangerous part of the mountain.


    Her efforts to discover exactly what he was were both successful and not. She had thought she had seen something about snake-turtles before, and the bestiary she had borrowed quickly jogged her memory. She had a feeling that she had dismissed the idea subconsciously; after all, it seemed unreal that she had managed to acquire one of the four ¡®legendary¡¯ beasts. Dragons and phoenixes were associated with the Imperial house, and the great white tigers of the east had their own fame. She suspected the bond with tiger spirits was one reason why Han Jian¡¯s family had the status it did.


    The ¡°xuanwu,¡± or serpent tortoises, were not referred to nearly as often in tales, mostly because she lived in the far south of the Empire. They were apparently native to the far north. Xuan Shi¡¯s family might be associated with them given his family name and the fact that the bestiary noted that ¡°Savage Seas¡± was the province where they were most common. As a constantly raining, storm-wracked archipelago of volcanic islands comprised mostly of sheer, wave-worn cliffs, the province didn¡¯t sound very hospitable to her.


    This was also where the bestiary grew less useful. Xuanwu were supposed to be creatures of earth and water with a few listed subspecies of mountain and heaven instead. There was nothing on fiery subtypes in the books she had taken from the archive.


    Ling Qi pondered that even as she went through the rest of the books, pausing to clean the occasional catch and offer their cores to her unnamed spirit whenever he came trundling back to demand attention and pats. He gobbled up the cores and sticks of wood greedily, sometimes with a bit of squabbling between his two heads. By the time the sun was reaching its zenith, he had crawled into the embers of the campfire she had built to roast the rest of the fish she caught and fallen asleep.


    The research hadn¡¯t been fruitless, she supposed, even if much of the information she had gotten was useless for her particular variant of xuanwu. Still, she knew, for example, that although their heads might bicker and behave in separate ways, they weren¡¯t really separate entities, just two sides of the same mind. She could probably use some of the notes on their care too.


    Ling Qi stretched her arms over her head and arched her back, working out the stiffness of several hours spent sitting still. She would have to move on soon. She had quite a few other things to do today after all. She just had to figure out what she was going to do with her spirit before she could keep him dematerialized.


    She heard a creak then and the rustling of leaves. A knife was in her hand in an instant as she jerked her head around to look at the treeline behind her. She blinked in surprise when Gu Xiulan landed lightly on the ground a half dozen meters downstream, giving her a peevish look. The hot-tempered girl had changed her look with her hair no longer in a single braid, but instead, a number of more elaborate smaller ones held in place with bright red clasps and pins. Her spirit had also grown, reaching Mid-Yellow.


    ¡°What in the world are you doing out here?¡± her friend asked irritably as she strode up, hands on her hips. ¡°You left me waiting,¡± she added with a sniff and a toss of her hair. ¡°You are lucky I bothered to look for you.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced sheepishly. She had agreed to meet Xiulan over lunch, hadn¡¯t she? She hadn¡¯t thought she was that late. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I lost track of the time,¡± she said apologetically. ¡°How did you find me though?¡± she asked. She hadn''t told anyone where she was going.


    Gu Xiulan huffed and dropped herself elegantly down next to Ling Qi, hands resting in the grass. Ling Qi caught sight of the other girl¡¯s bare calves for an instant before Xiulan folded her legs to sit more properly. Ling Qi tried to feel interest or attraction at the sight but there was nothing.


    ¡°I am more than capable of tracking down a friend I know well by their qi,¡± Xiulan said haughtily. ¡°What are you doing out here?¡± she repeated her question, wrinkling her nose as she studied Ling Qi¡¯s face and glanced down at the small pile of fishbones sitting by the campfire.


    Ling Qi could feel the other girl¡¯s disapproval, and she glanced away, flushing, all too aware of the grease and soot spotting her lips and chin from her casual meal. She had meant to clean up before leaving. Ling Qi coughed into one hand awkwardly and dipped her other into the water, using the cool stream water to wipe her chin clean.


    ¡°I needed some small grade one cores, and it seemed wasteful to leave the rest,¡± she replied. ¡°Since I needed to do some reading at the same time¡­¡± Ling Qi gestured to the books sitting in the grass beside her.


    Gu Xiulan leaned forward to glance across the titles and raised an eyebrow, a smirk starting to grow on her lips. ¡°Oh? Looking into spirit beasts? I-¡± Her increasingly smug expression froze as she narrowed her eyes, looking Ling Qi over more closely. ¡°No, you already found one, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Ling Qi cocked her head to the side curiously. ¡°Is it that obvious?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Unless you have mastered a new fire art in the last day or so,¡± Xiulan said dryly. ¡°Now that I think about it, I suppose it is rather obvious given the source of qi that appeared in your yard a month back. An egg - or did you discover some old ritual while hiding in the bookshelves at night?¡±


    ¡°The first one,¡± Ling Qi said happily. She reached into the embers of the campfire where her xuanwu was napping and scooped him up, unmindful of the still hot embers. He awoke at her touch, blinking up at her as his stubby little legs pawed at the air. The serpent part remained asleep and coiled on his back. ¡°See? He just hatched. Isn¡¯t he adorable?¡± She couldn¡¯t help but gush a little as she presented her spirit to her friend, cradling him in her arms.


    Gu Xiulan peered down at him with furrowed brows, expression going from surprise to an almost ugly expression of envy before smoothing over into resigned irritation. ¡°... Hmph. I am never going to surpass you in anything of meaning, am I?¡±


    Ling Qi blinked at the bitterness in her friend¡¯s tone.


    ¡°Really. A xuanwu. Of course you would manage to find something like that.¡± The bitterness was gone by the time Gu Xiulan was finished speaking.


    Ling Qi shrugged, not really sure what to say as she settled him on her lap. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to call him Zhengui,¡± she said instead. The name¡¯s characters would be read as ¡°Precious¡± - an adorable name for an adorable spirit - but amusingly, the sounds that comprised the name could also be pronounced as ¡°True Tortoise,¡± a call back to when she met his ¡°father,¡± or ¡°Really Expensive,¡± which she hoped wasn¡¯t prophetic. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to figure out how to take care of him.¡± She glanced down in surprise as the little tortoise let out a chirp and clambered down off of her lap, his snake ¡°tail¡± hissing irritably as the jostling woke it up.


    Zhengui made another curious sound as he crossed the distance between Ling Qi and Gu Xiulan, letting out a plaintive squeak as he butted his tiny head against the other girl¡¯s leg. ¡°I suppose he is rather cute,¡± Gu Xiulan said ruefully. ¡°That name may be a tad ill-fitting as he grows though,¡± she added as she reached down, running her fingers along his knobby shell. Ling Qi felt a flash of something like jealousy as he chirped happily and tried to climb into Xiulan¡¯s lap. ¡°Oh? Are you cold, little one? I suppose Ling Qi isn¡¯t the warmest girl¡­¡± Some of her humor seemed to return as Zhengui nuzzled her hand.


    ¡°I can be plenty warm,¡± Ling Qi grumbled, giving her xuanwu a betrayed look as he snuggled into Xiulan¡¯s lap and his serpent head swayed, following the sparks dancing on Xiulan¡¯s fingers.


    ¡°Hardly, Ling Qi,¡± Gu Xiulan sniffed. She glanced to the side as if distracted by something. ¡°Well, in any case, I suppose it is not as impressive now, but I did want to show you something,¡± she said after a moment¡¯s quiet thought. ¡°Ling Qi, meet Linhuo.¡± The air between them distorted, and actinic sparks erupted from the suddenly heated air. A marble-sized sphere of blue-white fire appeared and quickly swelled, taking on a vague humanoid shape some fifteen centimetres high. Snapping, sparking strands of electricity spread from its back into wings as it crackled like a campfire, somehow managing to convey a curiosity and cheerfulness with the sound.


    Ling Qi studied the spirit with surprise as it fluttered closer, hovering a few inches from her face. Looking closer, she thought she could see the vague contours of eyes in the wisp of flame that made up its face. No, the spirit¡¯s qi had a feminine tinge to it.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Ling Qi said curiously, raising a hand unconsciously, the winged flame landed in her upraised palm like a butterfly, tickling her palm. Linhuo was rather pretty given the colorful embers that made her form. ¡°What is she, Gu Xiulan?¡±


    ¡°A Heaven Spark Fairy,¡± Gu Xiulan replied with a tinge of pride. ¡°My Elder Sister was able to get me a pass to leave the Sect grounds for a day. We went north where a forest fire had been sparked. It was beautiful. Fairies like her are born when lightning sparks great fires, although they rarely outlive the blaze they are born in. Elder Sister Yanmei said that Linhuo would have great potential for future growth.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s cute,¡± Ling Qi mused as the fairy wandered across her palm before buzzing back into the air to hover over Zhengui, flitting from side to side curiously, only to jerk back as the tortoise tried to take a nibble at her. ¡°Hey, no biting,¡± Ling Qi chided, reaching over to take her own spirit back, doing her best to convey disapproval even as she tucked him back into her own lap and ignored the little spirit¡¯s plaintive squeak.


    ¡°She is quite a pretty little flame, is she not?¡± Gu Xiulan said with a laugh, seemingly mollified for the moment as her own spirit alit on her shoulder and let out an unhappy crackle. Linhuo gave off the impression of glaring at Zhengui. ¡°In any case, shall we get going? I do believe you still owe me a meal.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing. Sorry for making you look for me, Gu Xiulan,¡± Ling Qi replied as she pushed herself to her feet. At least she could still talk to Xiulan normally. The other girl was obviously bothered by her good fortune, but it didn¡¯t get in the way of their relationship. She was glad for that; she wasn¡¯t sure what she would do otherwise.


    It was nice to relax a bit and simply chat about idle things with the other girl over a meal, but soon enough, they parted ways with a promise to meet the next day. Ling Qi began to get back into her routine of cultivation, now with the addition of Zhengui either at her heels or in her arms. She continued to train with Meizhen as well, despite the awkward distance between them and her friend¡¯s renewed aloofness.


    It made her sad, but there wasn¡¯t really anything she could do about it. Meditating at the vent remained peaceful - more silent really - given that Su Ling had secluded herself for her breakthrough attempt and Li Suyin was keeping odd hours. As a result, Ling Qi was often alone at the vent, but it didn¡¯t worry her as it would have mere months ago. She was not an easy target anymore.

 Chapter 79-Hatchling 3

    Much of her time and attention still went to Zhengui, keeping him from wandering off, eating strange things, or any number of other troubles he tried to get himself into. She was glad she had gotten more patient since she began cultivating or Zhengui probably would have driven her to her wit¡¯s end.


    Luckily, Zhengui seemed to be very much a creature of the day so by the time the sun had fallen and the bright half moon had risen, he was well asleep for the night atop the hearth, granting her the free time to visit the archive for a proper study session. Recent events, her own actions, and the vision she had after the intra-council battle had made her worry about what exactly she was getting into with her cultivation of Eight Phase Ceremony.


    Her knowledge about great spirits was quite low. She was never a particularly devout person, and the only reason she had never stolen from a temple or a shrine was because it was obviously and objectively bad. People got cursed that way; she had seen it happen once or twice.


    She could vaguely recall her mother making offerings to the Bountiful Earth or the Winds of Mercy for health and good fortune, but those were things everyone did. It was just good sense. Those two were the most popular spirits among mortals, even if the average person only knew enough to avoid offending them.


    She herself had made an offering to the Grinning Moon after observing some members of a street gang doing the same while talking about a big job. The sight of a half dozen dirty, rag-clad men clustered around a crudely painted white crescent on the wall of an alley had stuck with her. They burned sticks of expensive incense and rice cakes while praying for good fortune. When some fellow street rat had stolen her flute and pawned it off, leaving it sitting in a heavily guarded antique shop, she had felt the need for some luck herself and for revenge against the ass who had taken it in the first place. After her offering to the Grinning Moon, she had gotten both.


    What was happening now was more than a casual offering though, and she wanted to learn more about her apparent patron spirit before she went any further with Eight Phase Ceremony. This brought her once more to the seat across from Xuan Shi. This time, the odd boy actually looked up from his book, Voyages Of Yu Long: The Thorny Heart.


    Ling Qi considered her approach and decided that formality would be for the best here. She had gotten used to being casual among friends, but with the upcoming meeting, she felt that she should probably polish her etiquette.


    ¡°Brother Xuan,¡± she greeted with a slight dip of her head. ¡°Could I trouble you to speak with me for a time?¡±


    He regarded her silently, but after a brief glance down at his book, he set it aside. ¡°Speak, Sister Ling. What troubles cloud your thoughts?¡±


    He didn¡¯t exactly sound enthusiastic about speaking with her, but she supposed he never did.


    ¡°Quite a few things. I won¡¯t trouble you with most of them,¡± Ling Qi replied dryly as she took a seat. ¡°Do you know what this council meeting is intended to be about?¡± She figured she could break the ice with something that would concern both of them. And besides, she was curious about a few things outside the moon.


    Xuan Shi did that thing he often did, staring at her silently before answering. ¡°The words are not mine to speak. No storm lies upon the horizon to my knowledge.¡± He drummed his fingers on the table top thoughtfully for a moment. ¡°The vagabond has gone silent, the bloody princess remains caged, and the hound licks his wounds and trains, seeking ascendance.¡±


    Ling Qi took a few moments to parse that and nodded slowly. So the meeting should be untroubled, unless something else came out of nowhere.


    ¡°You know, I think I understand everyone else¡¯s motives, but why do you stand with Lady Cai?¡± she asked thoughtfully. ¡°Your family is important enough that you don¡¯t need to subordinate yourself, right?¡± Ling Qi had begun to pick up basic background knowledge by this point in the year. Savage Seas might be the smallest province in the Empire, but a ducal family like the Xuan was still a potent backing.


    Once again, silence reigned for a time before she received any response. ¡°Ships do not spring from stone and barren cliff,¡± Xuan Shi answered in a measured tone. ¡°Few can match the quality of those built of the Emerald Sea¡¯s bounty. Masts line the straits as thick as graves. Always more are needed to hold back the ravages of the Sea Folk.¡±


    That was, Ling Qi recalled, the name for the barbarians of the northern islands, out past the safe seas on the Empire¡¯s coast. She supposed that was a sensible enough reason to stay close to the Emerald Seas¡¯ heir; relationships between major families were important for trade. She suspected he wasn¡¯t telling the whole truth though, even if she couldn¡¯t place a finger precisely on why.


    She hummed to herself in response, and this time, it was her turn to remain awkwardly silent. She had gone through her prepared topics for small talk.


    ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ll get to the point,¡± she said eventually. ¡°You mentioned some interest in moon arts when last we spoke. Could I ask you for some information on the Phase Spirits or some advice on which books to read about them?¡±


    Xuan Shi furrowed his thick brows. ¡°A strange request,¡± he said. ¡°The Guiding Moon is the matron of sailors and those who journey. It lights the night, providing safety and comfort, banishing darkness, and showing one¡¯s true path when things lie occluded. Even here, this should be known.¡±


    ¡°I had a pretty spotty education,¡± Ling Qi replied evasively. ¡°What about the Grinning Moon and the Bloody one?¡±


    ¡°The waning and waxing crescents are dangerous spirits,¡± he replied shortly. ¡°Mercurial and unmerciful¡­ yet not to be ignored. A captain who plans a night attack or ambush without an offering to the Grinning Moon is a fool. I will not speak of the Bloody Moon. Although it be in favor at court, such skullduggery is foul.¡± Xuan Shi shook his head then pointed over her shoulder, indicating a set of shelves in the far right corner. ¡°Knowledge of spirits can be sought out on the shelves yonder.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your time, Brother Xuan,¡± she replied politely as she stood up. ¡°My apologies for interrupting your reading.¡±


    ¡°It is no trouble,¡± he replied to her back as she moved off to begin her research in earnest. ¡°Have care in your search.¡±


    Ling Qi paused and then nodded. She wasn¡¯t sure why she would need to be careful, but she would take the warning to heart.


    Over the course of the next few days, Ling Qi¡¯s cultivation improved steadily with the help of a reduced number of pills and elixirs while she practiced her other skills. She continued gaining further mastery with the bow as she reached the third star of the Falling Stars art, mastering a Meteoric Shower technique that allowed her to fire several arrows in rapid succession. In the evenings, she studied or played music, sometimes playing a light tune while deciphering particularly dense blocks of text and sometimes keeping Zhengui from trying to gnaw on the pages.


    Her study of the moon phases bore fruit, even as her studies forced her to incidentally grow more familiar with a number of other spirits and information about their worship.


    The Guiding Moon, or full moon, was, as Xuan Shi said, widely well-regarded. Reputed to be a boon to travelers and sailors in particular, it was strongly associated with divinatory techniques. If all phases of the moon were related to mystery in some way, then the Guiding Moon was about ¡®revealing mystery¡¯.


    The Hidden Moon, or new moon, was its exact opposite, a spirit that thrived on secrets and lost or hidden knowledge. It was a spirit that hoarded and coveted knowledge and arts.


    Information on the two crescents was more difficult to find. Information in the older books seemed to match what she already knew. The Bloody Moon, or the waxing crescent, was regarded as the spirit of vengeance and assassins, of lives taken in the dark, unseen. The Grinning Moon, or the waning crescent, loved tricks and thievery, rewarding cleverness and ingenuity. Newer books painted both moon phases differently though. The Bloody Moon smiled upon those who sought out and dealt justice to those who committed misdeeds And the Grinning Moon smiled upon clever investigators who unveiled the foolish conspiracies of those who violated Imperial law, Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure what to make of it. It didn¡¯t seem to fit what she knew.


    The Reflective Moons, the two half moon phases, were regarded as one entity. They were linked to self-reflection and contemplation and peace and togetherness. Diplomats often invoked them at the beginning of volatile negotiations.


    The last two phases were discussed in a summary fashion; the author apparently did not think much of the two gibbous phases. The Mother Moon, or the waxing gibbous phase, had a somewhat obvious area of interest given its name. And lastly, the Dreaming Moon, or the waning gibbous, held dominion over creative arts, altered states of mind, and ¡°other such frivolity and decadence.¡±


    With so much to focus on and Zhengui taking up much of her time, she had little time to tag along with Han Jian and the others, especially since they seemed to be getting busier themselves. She and Xiulan met for lunch each day of course, but that was for relaxation. Xiulan would brag about the duels she had won and Ling Qi would pester Xiulan for thoughts on her clumsy, initial attempts at musical composition. They avoided more serious topics.


    Still, she did find a chance to get down to the training field and speak with Han Jian early on the day before the council meeting. Ling Qi arrived to see the ground being torn apart by the passage of Heijin, set to the sound of Han Jian¡¯s commands. The young tiger had accompanied the hunting group a few times over the past couple of weeks, with an irritable air.


    It seemed the cub had finally acquiesced to actually following orders though, given that the two of them were practicing combined combat maneuvers. Ling Qi only watched for a moment before turning her eyes away and loosening her hold on her qi; she didn¡¯t want to seem like she was trying to spy on them. She loudly cleared her throat as well, but she doubted the sound would reach the pair through the dust and winds kicked up by their practice.


    Zhengui watched the scene from her shoulder with curious eyes. It had taken some practice, but he could perch there without falling as long as she wasn¡¯t moving erratically. It had taken a bit longer to convey to him that her hair was not edible. She glanced at her spirit to make sure he wasn¡¯t slipping then raised a hand to wave to Han Jian, who had paused to look over at her, the golden glow around his shoulders fading.


    ¡°Ling Qi, I¡¯m surprised you had the time to come this early,¡± he said in greeting, lowering the practice blade in his hand as Heijin padded over to sit by his side. The tiger cub eyed Ling Qi, or rather, the xuanwu on her shoulder, warily. The two spirits¡¯ first meeting had involved Zhengui taking a nip at Heijin¡¯s tail. She was coming to realize that her spirit was a bit of a biter, in addition to being a glutton.


    ¡°I have been pretty busy,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°It¡¯s been awhile since we¡¯ve had a chance to talk on our own, hasn¡¯t it?¡±


    Han Jian smiled ruefully. ¡°Yeah, things have changed a bit in the last few months,¡± he replied easily, a touch of something like regret in his tone. ¡°So, looking to chat about what our lovely overlord is plotting this month?¡±


    ¡°Is that your type?¡± Ling Qi asked with a raised eyebrow and a slight smile. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have guessed.¡± She bit back a comment about not letting Xiulan hear him say that, not sure if it was appropriate given how strained the relationship was between them.


    Han Jian gave her a flat look as he sheathed his sword. ¡°No. Not at all. Please don¡¯t joke about that kind of thing,¡± he said, deadpan.


    Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help but laugh a little and shook her head, drawing an irate hiss from Zhengui as he wobbled with the motion. She ¡®heard¡¯ Heijin grumble something indistinct, but he quieted at a sharp look from Han Jian. Something had changed between those two since the battle with Sun Liling.


    ¡°I actually just wanted to know what¡¯s wrong. You¡¯ve been distracted lately, and I¡¯m pretty sure I''ve seen you signing things to Han Fang when the rest of us are busy. Are you planning to do something on your own?¡±


    Han Jian¡¯s smile faded. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten perceptive, haven¡¯t you?¡± he asked rhetorically, glancing away. ¡°I do things outside the group too.¡±


    ¡°You do,¡± Ling Qi acknowledged. ¡°I should know after all.¡± It was Han Jian who had decided on his own to meet and help her in the first month at the Sect. ¡°I just thought I could offer some help.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something private,¡± Han Jian answered quietly. ¡°I think we both know that everyone has their little secrets.¡±


    This time, it was Ling Qi who broke eye contact. Given that she had been disappearing along with Bai Meizhen and her other friends every day for months, some conclusions were obvious. Han Jian had never brought it up before. It made her a little sad, but she had never mustered up the resolve to try and work something out between the two groups after the rocky joint training session.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to pry. I really did just want to see if you needed help with anything,¡± Ling Qi said apologetically.


    ¡°I know,¡± he replied with a slight shrug. ¡°You¡¯re a surprisingly honest girl when it comes to some things, Ling Qi. ... I do have to look out for my charges first though. We are in competition.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess I can only wish you good fortune then,¡± she said with a slightly forced laugh. ¡°How will this affect the upcoming weeks then?¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t be around for hunting next week,¡± Han Jian said, turning to head toward the benches at the edge of the training area. Ling Qi fell in beside the boy. ¡°After that, I was thinking we would start exploring some more dangerous areas. Less focus on hunting and more on discovery. You¡¯re welcome to come along if you have the time.¡±


    ¡°Sounds fun,¡± Ling Qi said breezily. Just because they had to compete for an Inner Sect slot didn¡¯t mean they couldn¡¯t still be friends. ¡°Did you have a location in mind?¡±


    ¡°The upper peak might be a good spot to start. There has to be a few things hidden up in all that snow,¡± Han Jian said lightly, seemingly relieved that she had taken the conversation well.


    Ling Qi blinked then let out a laugh, drawing a curious look from Han Jian. ¡°Well, you¡¯re probably not wrong, but let me tell you a story about a little girl and a blizzard¡­¡±


    She didn¡¯t much appreciate her plight being laughed at, but¡­ it was nice. She was glad Han Jian was understanding about her keeping secrets.

 Chapter 80-Council

    The end of the week and the day of the council meeting both came quickly after that. Unfortunately, things with Meizhen didn¡¯t improve. The girl showed up for their training sessions but vanished just as quickly thereafter, brushing off all attempts to draw her into conversation.


    By the time the last day came around, Ling Qi had decided to simply give Meizhen the space she clearly desired. This meant that she ended up walking to the meeting alone. Given the hours she kept, it was perhaps unsurprising that she ended up arriving early to the meeting as it was set just after sunrise.


    She found herself at the pavilion with only Huang Da and Xuan Shi present. The studious boy didn¡¯t look to be any help either, sitting with his hands clasped across his stomach and his head down, face hidden by his wide conical hat.


    ¡°Good morning, oh lovely night lily,¡± Huang Da greeted her as she ascended the steps to reach the table. Ling Qi narrowed her eyes at him. Huang Da seemed vaguely sulky to her in the way he slouched at the table. She couldn¡¯t help but assess him. He had reached Mid Yellow and Mid Silver, although his physical achievement seemed recent. At Mid Yellow and Late Silver, she was pulling ahead of him then.


    ¡°... Good morning,¡± she replied a touch sourly as she took a seat a few places down from him. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you outside of council meetings for months. Have you given up then?¡± she asked flippantly, watching him for reactions.


    Huang Da¡¯s hand clenched into a fist. ¡°My apologies, Ling Qi. I had such plans¡­ but it seems your beauty has outshone me. I have been ordered by my father to cease all pursuits and focus on cultivation.¡± He sounded extremely unhappy at the order. ¡°Alas, it seems it was not to be¡­¡±


    Ling Qi gave him a suspicious look but did not otherwise respond beyond making a small sound of acknowledgement. No matter how she looked at it, that explanation set off all sorts of alarms. The creep didn¡¯t seem like the type to give up easily so that order must have been pretty serious. What would provoke such an order?


    Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Cai Renxiang and Gan Guangli. The light that shone around the girl was brighter now, her presence weightier, and her qi radiated from her like the light of a star. The other girl had definitely broken through to the third realm, but it wasn¡¯t complete like Meizhen¡¯s yet. Gan Guangli, for his part, was firmly at the late stage of the second realm as far as her senses could tell. He was also dressed differently now, wearing white and gold under lacquered steel armor. Heavy spiked pauldrons rested on his shoulders and armored greaves and gauntlets concealed his limbs. Only his head remained bare.


    Ling Qi¡¯s gaze was drawn to the third person with them, a short, thin boy with feathered black hair and light green, loose robes. A scholar¡¯s cap rested on the unknown boy¡¯s head, and he walked with easy confidence in Cai Renxiang¡¯s shadow, hands clasped behind his back. He wore square framed eyeglasses, which was strange; no cultivator should need such a thing. Perhaps they were a talisman? Ling Qi met his grey eyes and received a smile in return. He was at the peak of the second realm.


    Cai Renxiang nodded politely to each of them as Gan Guangli pulled out a seat for her. The new boy seated himself at her side. The others arrived shortly afterward with Meizhen arriving last. She still sat beside Ling Qi and even nodded to her, but Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help but feel the distance between them.


    She was sure Cai Renxiang noticed as well since her stern gaze briefly passed between the two of them. Cai Renxiang did not comment though, instead moving to begin the meeting.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± she began curtly, looking at each of them in turn. ¡°Allow me to open the second official meeting of this council and extend my apologies for the interruption of the last. I appreciate the support of each one of you in this difficult period. Before we begin to attend to our business, I must first introduce our new member.¡± She nodded to the faintly smiling boy at her side. ¡°This is Fu Xiang. He will be representing the interests of the previous year¡¯s Outer Disciples.¡±


    The scholarly boy bowed his head to the rest of them. ¡°Thank you for having me,¡± he said politely. ¡°I am glad to be given this opportunity to prevent chaos and conflict. I do hope we can all get along.¡± It was a bland introduction for a somewhat bland boy, but Ling Qi felt that there was something more to him, a sharp edge that belied his friendly words.


    Still, she played her part, sending back a polite greeting along with everyone else, even as she shared a glance with Han Jian. She wasn¡¯t alone in her suspicion. Cai Renxiang continued speaking once the greetings were complete.


    ¡°The focus of our next month¡¯s efforts will be twofold. First, we must ensure Princess Sun¡¯s ability to cause chaos is curbed as much as possible since she herself cannot be fully pacified,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°Miss Ling and Miss Gu have made some efforts in that direction already,¡± she acknowledged, ¡°but we cannot cease putting pressure upon her allies. Her primary conspirators are still at large. Fu Xiang, I believe you have information on this matter?¡±


    The older boy inclined his head. ¡°I do. The rebel Ji Rong has been seen among the older years. It seems he has endeared himself to a certain¡­ formidable lady by the name of Chu Song. Unfortunately, as a ruffian herself, she is unlikely to listen to reason and hand him over,¡± he said smoothly. ¡°For now, I would suggest patience. Dealing with that girl and her friends would be a poor decision at this point in time. It would be best to leave it until we have further support among my yearmates.¡±


    After a beat to allow the rest of them to digest Fu Xiang¡¯s information, Cai Renxiang continued, ¡°Thank you. In regards to Kang Zihao, his location is well known. Huang Da?¡±


    ¡°The dog cowers in his kennel, licking his wounds. The actions of our wonderful ladies Gu and Ling have cost him support, and the actions I took in support of their efforts have done more still,¡± Huang Da reported proudly.


    Ling Qi glanced briefly at him; she wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about the boy taking his cues from her. She didn¡¯t miss the frost in Bai Meizhen¡¯s eyes when she glanced at the boy as well.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not quite so clear cut,¡± Han Jian cut in. ¡°My own sources have seen him creeping out into the mountains. He was spotted making his way into the territory of the great wolf which presides over the region¡¯s packs. It is likely that he is securing a source of spirits for himself and perhaps some of his followers.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Cai Renxiang said, resting her fingers against each other. ¡°Good work, Sir Han. That coincides with reports of increased spirit beast attacks upon disciples under my protection. We will have to resolve this,¡± she said decisively. ¡°Is there any other information on the Sun rebels?¡±


    ¡°There has been some discussion of supporting her among my peers,¡± Fu Xiang answered. ¡°Many of them are quite spiteful and resent the imposition of your authority upon them. While the Princess is, by all accounts, somewhat reckless¡­¡±


    ¡°She is not a fool,¡± Bai Meizhen interected coldly. ¡°The Sun do not fail to take advantage of rebellious sentiment.¡±


    ¡°Quite,¡± Cai Renxiang replied. Ling Qi blinked in surprise when a smile that could almost be called warm briefly appeared on the heiress¡¯ face directed at Meizhen. ¡°Which leads into the next topic of discussion, the expansion of my authority over the remaining Outer Sect disciples.¡±


    Ling Qi sighed and leaned back in her seat as conversation ebbed and flowed. She paid attention, but there was little she could add to the conversation. This talk of favors traded and potential weak points in factions was all a bit above her head. At least it seemed like Cai Renxiang had a plan for the potential issue Han Jian had raised.


    Eventually, the meeting wound down, moving on to more interesting but less pressing topics like the council¡¯s finances. As a direct member of the council, Ling Qi would be receiving a salary of twenty five red spirit stones a week simply for wearing the band and offering assistance to any other members in trouble. She had a strong feeling that it was meant to be a mostly symbolic salary given the likely amount of resources available to most of the council members, but with Zhengui devouring her previous source of weekly income, she was hardly going to complain. Her finances were starting to get rather tight. The clothing she had been promised by Cai Renxiang was on its way as well and would be delivered at the end of the following week.


    That thought in itself was a bit bizarre to her, and she found herself contemplating the vast differences in her circumstances compared to her pre-Sect days as the meeting reached its conclusion.


    ¡°Your efforts and time are all appreciated.¡± Cai Renxiang spoke as she had throughout the meeting, clearly and decisively. ¡°You are all free to leave as you wish.¡± Ling Qi held back a sigh of relief as she began to stand, along with Han Jian and several others. The heiress continued, ¡°Miss Bai, could I ask that you remain behind for a moment? There is a matter I would discuss with you.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced between them but didn¡¯t pause. Going by the flicker of surprise on Meizhen¡¯s face, she hadn¡¯t been expecting it either.


    ¡°That is acceptable, Lady Cai,¡± Meizhen said slowly as she stood.


    ¡°I am glad. Would you accompany me then?¡± Cai Renxiang replied formally. ¡°I am afraid I must ask that we speak on the move.¡±


    Ling Qi saw curiosity in many gazes, but despite the knot of uncertainty in her stomach, she didn¡¯t say anything as Meizhen glided past her with only a brief acknowledging nod. She was curious what the Cai heiress wanted to talk to Meizhen about, but she had no real reason to follow and listen in. Shaking her head, she began to leave.


    ¡°Miss Ling, may I speak with you?¡± She glanced to her side where Fu Xiang was approaching with a friendly expression.


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± she asked, a bit more bluntly than she intended. The scene between her friend and Cai was still itching at her thoughts.


    ¡°No, not at all,¡± Fu Xiang said, gesturing dismissively. Ling Qi saw over his shoulder that Han Jian had lingered, signing something to Han Fang. Han Jian caught her eye and offered a smile. She appreciated the silent support. ¡°It is just that I have come to understand that you are the one to speak to in regards to more subtle matters,¡± Fu Xiang continued pleasantly, drawing her attention back to him.


    ¡°I suppose you could say that,¡± she said warily. ¡°Huang Da isn¡¯t bad either.¡± The words tasted like ash, but in all fairness, it was true, and maybe he would go bother Huang instead.


    Fu Xiang pursed his lips and glanced toward Huang Da, who had already descended the steps and was strolling away. ¡°I would prefer not to entrust more than is necessary to a Huang, if it is all the same to you, Miss Ling,¡± he said after a moment¡¯s consideration. Ling Qi could understand that.


    ¡°Alright,¡± she replied. ¡°So what is it?¡±


    He eyed her consideringly over the top of his glasses. ¡°There are a number of plans I have for furthering the council¡¯s power that could use your touch. I hoped to invite you out to speak of them, perhaps over tea,¡± he said. ¡°Not now, of course. I would not be so presumptuous.¡±


    Ling Qi shrugged uncomfortably, feeling awkward. ¡°... I¡¯ll consider it. My schedule is pretty busy.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± he agreed with a dismissive flick of his sleeve. ¡°If you could find the time, I would deeply appreciate it.¡±


    She nodded once and made her excuses. It looked like the council was becoming more active. At least the curse should be out of her system soon.

 Chapter 81-Elder Ying

    The unopened letter resting on the desk in her room stirred several conflicting emotions in Ling Qi as she stared down at it. Guilt because she had completely forgotten about the burgeoning correspondence with her mother in the rush of events, faint hopefulness that she would be able to reconnect with her, and regret when she recalled how flippant she had been in her own letter. Would this just be a cursory response from a woman who probably couldn¡¯t fathom Ling Qi¡¯s current circumstances?


    Ling Qi sighed and broke the plain wax seal on the letter. She would just have to read it and find out.


    Ling Qi,


    I am glad to know you are well. I do not deserve the consideration you have given me, but I cannot in good conscience refuse. Let us not speak of past mistakes. If you were a poor daughter, it is only because I was a poor mother. I am only glad that you still live and have done so well for yourself. You have done better on your own than I could have ever hoped.


    To answer your questions¡­ the city has been quiet of late with the recent passing of inspections. There are few troublemakers about. I am certain things will return to normal in a matter of months, but for now, the peace is kept.


    Your other questions are more difficult to answer. I suppose you are old enough now that there is little need to honey my words, but¡­ no tincture is perfect in function. You have a younger sister, if one only half related by blood. Given my age and the circumstances, my employment ended shortly after the pregnancy became obvious.


    Please do not exert yourself further for us though. I say this not as a plea for more as your gifts are already far in excess of what I deserve or need. Biyu, your half sister, is as healthy and well as can be expected.


    Returning to your circumstances, you say you are among the best of the Outer Disciples? I am pleased for you. I always knew you could reach high with focus and effort, although it seems my chosen methods to push you were poor in effect.


    I cannot begin to understand the trials of immortals, of course, but are you well? Have you found friends? You always had trouble getting along with other children. Has anyone troubled you? The great families can be dogged and unrelenting at times and cruel to others.


    I have no right to ask, but I would like to know more of how you now live.


    With love,


    Ling Qingge


    Ling Qi reread the letter a few times before leaning back in her seat, idly reaching down to pat Zhengui¡¯s shell as he stirred in her lap, letting out a questioning squeak as he peered up at her.


    A half sister, huh. She didn¡¯t know how to feel about that. She was glad her mother was well though and glad that her mother was interested in her life. She still wasn¡¯t really sure how to handle that though.


    For now, Zhengui needed his morning meal, which meant a trip to the market. He didn¡¯t particularly like the fish cores so she would have to see if she could trade for something more palatable. It would be a stopgap until she could do some hunting tonight on the way to a Sect job.


    She would still need to hurry though. She had chosen a week¡¯s worth of lessons with Elder Ying as her reward from the mission with the barbarian shaman, and her first lesson was today.


    Once she had gotten to the market and traded a few fish cores in for an assortment of other minor cores at a small loss; Ling Qi began the climb up to the pavilion where the Elder¡¯s note had indicated that they would meet at. She was nervous about exposing Zhengui to the Elders¡¯ attention but she strongly doubted they were unaware of him. Elder Ying was unlikely to be unaware of what happened within her own trial.


    The pavilion, a sturdy stone construction made for meetings and meditation, was much like the others that dotted the mountain. It was also deserted so after peering around nervously, Ling Qi sat down on one of the plain wooden seats and set Zhengui down on the table, fishing out a couple of cores to feed him with. She couldn¡¯t help but smile a bit at the enthusiastic sounds both of his heads made as she offered the little spheres for them to eat out of her hand. She had to gently deny the serpentine head when it tried to steal from the other. The little smoke breathing serpent was the more gluttonous of the two heads.


    Should she consider a way to more easily refer to the two heads? The two heads were the same being according to all the information she had, but it was hard to think of it that way when they squabbled with each other. Maybe she could split the name between them? Zhen for the serpent and Gui for the tortoise head?


    Her smile dimmed as she remembered that Meizhen was still avoiding her. The other girl wasn¡¯t unfriendly when they did see each other, so much as distant and closed off like she had been in the beginning of the year. Meizhen wasn¡¯t comfortable around Ling Qi anymore. Ling Qi did not notice her hands clenching into fists until Zhengui let out a plaintive sound and nudged his head against her hand.


    His concern was a simple, unformed thing, but she appreciated it all the same, patting him on his rocky shell in thanks. The little serpent twined affectionately through her fingers, rubbing his head against her thumb.


    ¡°At least I have you, no matter what. Right, Zhengui?¡± she mused. People could be so difficult to deal with sometimes.


    She blinked then as a pulse of qi washed over her, earthy and rich. A moment later, the matronly figure of Elder Ying materialized before her, seemingly arriving from nowhere. Elder Ying¡¯s brown eyes regarded her warmly from her lined face.


    ¡°Good morning, Disciple Ling,¡± she said kindly. ¡°Are you prepared to begin?¡±


    Ling Qi hastily stood and bowed, scooping Zhengui up. She felt a spike of nervousness as she saw the Elder examining him, but the old woman¡¯s eyes quickly rose back to her face. ¡°Of course, Elder Ying, I do not want to waste your valuable time.¡±


    ¡°I am certain that you do not,¡± Elder Ying replied, the corner of her lips quirking upward in a slightly amused smile. ¡°But you have a question. Please ask it, and feel free to continue doing so. A student can hardly learn by leashing their curiosity.¡±


    Ling Qi hesitated. Were her thoughts really so transparent? She supposed they must be to an Elder.


    ¡°I¡­ just want to be sure that there are no concerns about my spirit,¡± she admitted carefully.


    ¡°Understandable,¡± Elder Ying said. ¡°But your worry is unfounded. His parents may have been the companions of a dangerous criminal, but spirits are not so chained by such things. Be at ease.¡± Ling Qi was relieved at the Elder¡¯s calm words, even as she was uncomfortable at the powerful woman¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°I see. Thank you for your wisdom, Elder Ying,¡± Ling Qi replied, her unconscious grip on the spirit in her arms loosening.


    ¡°It is no trouble, young lady,¡± the older woman said dismissively. ¡°Take my hand if you would,¡± she continued warmly. ¡°Today will largely consist of lecture and theory so we will relocate to my garden, a much better venue than this dreary place.¡±


    Despite herself, Ling Qi relaxed in the face of the Elder¡¯s friendly demeanor and stepped forward to take her hand. Ling Qi blinked, and they no longer stood in the pavilion. She wobbled on her feet as if she had come to a sudden stop from a run then took in her new surroundings.


    Ling Qi now stood on a small, stone tiled square in the center of a well-organized garden. Small tiled footpaths lead away in each cardinal direction. She could see dozens of different types of flowers and at least three types of fruit trees in her immediate surroundings arranged in orderly and artful patterns. A light breeze carried the mingled scents of the garden to Ling Qi, and that, along with the soothing flow of the qi in her immediate vicinity, filled her with a certain serenity, her stress and worry fading.


    ¡°It is lovely, is it not?¡± Elder Ying said warmly, releasing her hand. ¡°It is quite a lot of work to maintain, but I find the effort to be worth it. Go ahead and take a seat on the bench, young lady.¡±


    ¡°It is beautiful,¡± Ling Qi agreed, turning her head to take in more of the garden. ¡°Do you really maintain all of this yourself?¡± she blurted out, immediately feeling foolish. The woman was an Elder; of course she could take care of even a garden this large entirely on her own.


    ¡°I manage with a little assistance,¡± the old woman chuckled. ¡°As you have discovered for yourself, a cultivator is hardly ever alone, are they?¡± Ling Qi flushed in embarrassment, glancing down at Zhengui. Both of his heads were peering around in wonder¡­ and hunger. She resolved to keep a close eye on him. He would probably try to take a bite out of anything he could reach. ¡°But I do enjoy doing some of the work by hand. It is a good way to remain connected to the world,¡± Elder Ying mused. ¡°Now, I believe you wished to learn about the subject of spirit beasts?¡±


    ¡°That was part of my request, Elder Ying,¡± Ling Qi replied politely, carefully keeping Zhengui from scrambling out of her arms as she took a seat on the simple stone bench indicated to her. ¡°I want to know how to care for Zhengui properly.¡±


    ¡°An admirable goal,¡± the Elder said warmly. ¡°I will not speak too much about things such as diet and hygiene; the books you have been studying should be sufficient for that task,¡± Elder Ying continued thoughtfully. ¡°Let us speak on less mundane matters. Tell me, Disciple Ling, what is the difference between a spirit and a human?¡±


    Ling Qi frowned in thought, thinking back to her lessons with Elder Su. ¡°Humans have more flexible cultivation systems. We have more channels and more robust dantians capable of greater expansion. Our bodies are full of impurities though, and it is more difficult for us to gain access to our qi. Most humans have so much impurity in their body that it is effectively impossible for them to ever awaken to the Path of Cultivation.¡±


    ¡°You have listened to Junior Sister Su¡¯s lectures well,¡± the smiling woman praised, sounding amused. ¡°But do you know what that really means? What exactly are the impurities you speak of? And why do they trouble humans but not beasts or pure spirits?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ did not come up,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°My apologies, Elder Ying. I do not know.¡± She was pretty sure the gunk she had woken up covered in after breaking through was an example of impurity, but it wasn¡¯t as if she had ever studied it.


    ¡°That is fine,¡± Elder Ying said, folding her arms over her stomach as her gaze drifted back to her garden. ¡°Some of the impurity is mundane: poorly healed tissue, foul or useless things in the food and drink we consume, and things absorbed from our environment. This type of impurity affects even spirit beasts. Humans are born with a great deal of impurity however. This is due to our origin, which differs from other life in the world. Do you know the tales of the Nameless?¡±


    Ling Qi furrowed her brows, idly sending soothing thoughts to the excitable Zhengui; she materialized a stick of fragrant wood for him to gnaw on from her ring without even looking at him. ¡°Nameless¡± did jog a distant memory. A story told by her mother maybe? It wouldn¡¯t come to her though.


    ¡°No, Elder Ying,¡± she said self-consciously.


    The Elder hummed thoughtfully. ¡°Once, uncounted ages ago, long before the Sage Emperor arose and ended the Age of Warring Kings, before even the fall of the Dragon Gods, the world was not as it is today.¡± Ling Qi leaned forward, listening intently. ¡°Spirits walked, flew, and burrowed freely through the world, which held to order and form only at their whim. There were no humans then, and beasts and spirits were born purely from the churning turmoil of the elements, most of them mere fragments and extensions of greater spirits with little true will of their own.


    ¡°Not all were pleased with this arrangement. The spirit which we know only as the Nameless Mother was one of the greatest of the Great Spirits, mighty even by the reckoning of their kind, and she grew to despise the disorder of the world and the loneliness of her existence. She came to desire companionship of beings who were not simply her thoughts given temporary form. She sought her fellow Great Spirits, but their incomprehensible company left her unfulfilled for Great Spirits were as alien to one another as such beings often are to us.¡±


    Ling Qi thought about her own isolation in the streets. ¡°So what did she do?¡±


    ¡°She tried for a time to create something which she could converse meaningfully with, but no matter what she attempted, her creations were little more than dolls moving at her whim,¡± Elder Ying said, a note of sadness touching her voice. ¡°She tried again and again to no avail, using every element and combination she could think of. When her latest attempt, dolls shaped of clay and river water, had failed yet again, the Nameless Mother despaired and broke into tears over the clay dolls, which held no will of their own. Her despair was not for naught though as the sound of her tears brought the attention of another Great Spirit. He found the dark vortex formed by the Mother¡¯s emotions a great curiosity, and when he beheld her crying over the dolls, a strange feeling came to him.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s lips quirked up for a moment. Of course it did. A man coming upon a crying woman - well, that was an opportunity, wasn¡¯t it? She supposed that wasn¡¯t where the story was going though since this was a story about spirits and the description was likely symbolism to make it comprehensible.


    Elder Su paused, giving her an amused look, as if her thoughts were heard, and Ling Qi ducked her head, flushing.


    The Elder continued, ¡°Each Great Spirit was their own unique being with little connection to one another, yet this spirit felt strange at the sight of the Mother¡¯s tears. He felt a pain as if he had come to harm. At first, he imagined it an attack and withdrew in suspicion. Eventually though, he found that he was not wounded, and once again, he grew curious, filled with a desire to understand. He returned and considered the scene. Soon, he came to the conclusion that the Mother¡¯s pain had caused his and set about to correct the problem. The dolls were the obvious problem, but he could find no damage. Filled with her essence, they were active fragments, just as such things should be. Yet they were without motion or will as the Mother was a being of order and stillness. The other spirit, however, was a being of chaos and motion, and so, he considered that perhaps the stillness was the problem. He extended his own essence to the dolls and made them dance.¡±


    Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help the slight snort of laughter that escaped her lips. Surprisingly, Elder Ying, did not reproach her and let out a quiet chuckle herself.


    ¡°This story makes Great Spirits seem very simple,¡± Ling Qi noted. ¡°Is that intentional?¡±


    ¡°Most likely,¡± Elder Ying answered kindly. ¡°You must understand that the beings of this time had no real comprehension of communication with one another just yet. The world was new, and they were in many ways as children.There are many treatises on the evolution of Great Spirits, if the subject has your interest. For now though, simply keep that in mind as we continue. Now, this, of course, startled the Mother, who had been so embroiled in despair that she had not noticed the approach of the Other. She grew excited for the dolls before her acted without her will. She could perceive the existence of the other Great Spirit before her though, and it quickly became clear that he was the source. Her mood fell as she realized it was only another Great Spirit playing with her discarded creations.¡±


    Ling Qi cocked her head to the side. What must it have been like, to simply be fundamentally unable to communicate?


    ¡°The other spirit saw her plunging mood and thought furiously about a solution. To a being such as him, it was obvious. The dolls needed more motion. He poured greater essence into the effort, going so far as to no longer puppet the dolls, but to infuse them with himself.¡± Elder Ying smiled. ¡°And so, his essence mingled with the Mother¡¯s, and from it was born two things: understanding and the very first humans.¡±


    ¡°So we are different because we were created?¡± Ling Qi ventured a guess. ¡°We aren¡¯t¡­ natural the way spirits are?¡±


    ¡°That is roughly correct,¡± Elder Ying replied. ¡°To summarize the rest of the tale, from their new understanding, the Mother and the Father found happiness and fulfillment for a time, but other spirits found their mingling of essence, the ¡®impurity¡¯ wrought by allowing oneself to be affected and changed by another being, to be repugnant and an abomination. The two were attacked and most of their first human children slain, but this proved a mistake, wrought by the other spirits¡¯ ignorance and incomprehension. The Father and Mother were mighty beyond compare, and the assault enraged them. They slew an uncounted number of their brethren and severed a vast section of the primordial chaos, reshaping it into the world we know today. They sacrificed everything, even down to their names, to forge a world where their children could live and prosper. This is why Great Spirits can no longer interact directly with the world, and its nature is no longer ephemeral but ordered and solid.¡±


    ¡°If impurity came from the mixing of essences, does that mean that in order to reach the pinnacle of cultivation, you have to be alone?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    Elder Ying gave her an approving look, but Ling Qi could see the hint of sadness in her eyes. ¡°That is the contradiction of cultivation, yes. With each step taken closer to the divine, it becomes more difficult to maintain your connections, and it grows easier to isolate yourself as your peers grow fewer and fewer in number. After all, a Great Spirit is a unique existence, utterly separate from even other aspects of the same concept.¡± The Elder shook her head, letting out a sigh. ¡°Such things will be beyond you for some time. Instead, let us speak of how this knowledge relates to your cultivation and the cultivation of your connection with your spirit¡­¡±


    Ling Qi listened intently as Elder Ying spoke, explaining how to better feel the differences in the energy, how to detect more closely the part of her own energies bonded to Zhengui, and how to hone and refine that connection along with the qi in her dantian. She learned how to feel her spirit¡¯s resistance to purification and how to overcome it without simply breaking the resistance down with force as most young cultivators did. It was enlightening, but she could tell this was only the beginning.

 Chapter 82-Relaxing Hike

    The lessons with Elder Ying proved a stark contrast to the rest of her day. She was not sure when she had become acclimated to having friends and acquaintances around or perhaps it was the echo of Elder Ying¡¯s story, but she did not like being alone again. Meizhen was nowhere to be found, Li Suyin was busy with work, and even Su Ling appeared to be hiding out in seclusion still, going by the sealed entrance to her cave. Gu Xiulan was busy with that business Han Jian had talked about last week as well, which left her with little to do except care for Zhengui and play with him to take her mind off things. She supposed the very loneliness that dogged her helped in a way; she had not felt quite so in sync with the melody of the vale for quite some time.


    There were no great insights this time nor new sections of the song when she mastered the fourth measure of the Forgotten Vale Melody art, just refinement of what she already knew. Peeking ahead at the notes of the fifth measure though, she could tell she was nearing the end of the melody as recorded in the jade slip. The sixth and final measure would require her to break through to the third realm to fully understand and cultivate. Even the fifth would require her to step into late yellow, but she was close enough to that precipice that it didn¡¯t concern her too much.


    By the time she had ended her practice, night had fallen, and Zhengui had fallen asleep for the night. Once she tucked him into the modified kiln shelf and set a low blaze burning, she set off.


    As she left the mountain and traversed into the forest, flitting through the trees, she let her worries and concerns about her friends go for the moment and simply focused on the task ahead. While she couldn¡¯t say she¡¯d ever stolen from spider spirits before, the covert acquisition of items - or harvesting the Dreamspinner webs as the Sect job described it - wasn¡¯t anything new to Ling Qi. It felt liberating to stop worrying about all the complicated problems that had arisen in the past months and get back to something simple.


    The lethargic weight of the curse on her limbs was an irritant, but it was just another minor obstacle. She wouldn¡¯t need to fight after all, and although she could temporarily purge it with Argent Mirror if necessary, she wouldn¡¯t fail like that.


    Even with her speed and stamina, it took awhile to reach the spider nest, but it was obvious when she did. Ahead of her, she could see dozens of towering trees joined together by vast shrouds of glistening white webbing that seemed to sparkle with a multitude of colors, hypnotic in the way they shifted with even the slightest breeze. In fact, she was momentarily entranced by the patterns in the webs before she mastered herself, ejecting the minor influence. She would need to be careful inside; the webbing she was to collect was the finer silk from deeper in the nest, but the effect would be stronger there.


    Ling Qi began by circling the perimeter of the nest, figuring out the best approach. As she skulked through the underbrush near the web-draped branches of the nest, she caught her first sight of the spiders themselves. The smallest were the size of a big man¡¯s hand while the larger ones were the size of dogs, their jittering movements eerie to her eyes at that size. Some clung to the webs, completely still, while others skittered through the branches, spinning and repairing webs or tending to wriggling cocoons of worrying size. Birds and beasts of all kinds lay trapped in the webs. Although she had been provided simple leather gloves stitched with formations to counteract the web¡¯s adhesive to collect the webbing, that wouldn¡¯t help the rest of her.


    After thoroughly scouting the perimeter, Ling Qi began her approach, intending to slip in through a pair of less heavily webbed trees that saw little traffic from the nests inhabitants. She was a little rusty, she thought. Her lack of practice had made her movements a little less sure, but the grace and calm granted by the dark qi in her channels and the moon shining dimly overhead was enough to steady her nerves and keep her from making any mistakes. She slipped between the trees like a shadow, avoiding attention from the spiders skittering and whispering overhead as she ducked and wove her way through the maze-like interior of the nest.


    It was tense, and her heart beat loudly in her ears when she glimpsed a truly massive arachnid, easily the size of a full grown horse, pass above her. Its spearlike legs and wriggling fangs were an unnerving sight, even to someone not particularly afraid of their kind. The fact that its cultivation matched hers didn¡¯t help. Despite the dangers, Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help but grin, feeling a thread of excitement that she had not managed in some time. Her fellow disciples had been far less guarded than this.


    Surrounded by dozens of spirit beasts, she slipped deeper into the nest, focusing hard on avoiding being entranced by the psychedelic colors of the shifting patterns in the webs, ignoring the faces and scenes shifting in the tunnels of webbing around her. Dreamspinner spiders trapped prey in illusions woven of the final, drugged thoughts and dreams of their previous prey; the effect grew stronger with more contact with the web.


    Soon, she reached the inner nest where the webbing grew thicker still, hanging in solid sheets between the branches, each strand as thick as a finger. Ling Qi hardly dared to breathe. The strongest of the dreamspinner spiders would be here so she would need to be quick in filling the bags once she got started.


    Ling Qi¡¯s hands trembled as she began to collect the webbing. It was thick and viscous, resisting the cut of her knife as she gripped it tightly, qi circulating through her fingers to force them into absolute stillness. Minimum size for pieces should be no less than two handspans, she recalled, so she cut quickly but carefully, slipping fluttering sheets into the enchanted bag at her waist before moving on.


    Despite her best efforts, her actions did not go unnoticed. As she hurried to fill the seemingly bottomless bag, she could hear chittering begin to arise around her, the sounds of spiders growing agitated. They had begun to take action against her intrusion. Ling Qi forcibly focused on her task, but she became bolder in her collection of the webbing. The spiders were already aware of her anyway so she might as well harvest greater sheets of silk. She darted away from skittering shadows and began to cut down entire sections of webbing.


    And still, the bag was not full. Just how much was she supposed to collect?!


    She could hear the spiders now, a growing vibration traveling through every web and branch as scores of legs trod the paths of the nest and shadows grew thick. She couldn¡¯t stay hidden forever like this. When a cat-sized spider leapt at her face from a branch above, fangs waving, she had enough. She lashed out with her fist, punching the leaping spider hard enough to reverse its momentum and send it tumbling back into the undergrowth. She seized the web she had been working on and ripped, putting her full strength into the motion and tearing down the entire sheet, a piece of webbing large enough to make a man¡¯s cloak.


    Then she ran, her skin prickling and sparks of color forming in the corners of her eyes from the slow build up of contact with the webbing. She did her best to avoid the aggressive spiders as she hurried to stuff the huge piece of web into the mouth of the bag. Of course, she found that now it was full and half of the sticky white material flapped from the top of the bag. She summoned her flute to her hand, no longer worried if the web fell out as the ground trembled with the angry sounds of the spider nest. Even as dark qi flooded her limbs, obscuring her passage and allowing her to blink through spaces too small for her to consider before, she prepared to play if necessary.


    The next few minutes were harrowing as she sprinted as fast as she could, the world reduced to a blur around her as she fended off the spiders in her path, quick strikes sending the smaller ones flying even as she tumbled under, leapt over, or otherwise avoided the larger ones. More than once, she used the skittering beasts as stepping stones, her boots coming down on carapace and beady eyes to launch herself through gaps in the webs, black qi trailing behind her limbs.


    By the time she had left the nest behind, her heartbeat thundered in her ears and she was short of breath and qi, heavily drained from constant activation of Sable Crescent Step¡­ but she had left her pursuers behind.


    Her laughter rang out through the dark forest as she caught her breath. That¡­ had been a lot of fun despite more than a few close calls. She would have to look into more jobs of this kind.


    Ling Qi returned to the Outer Sect mountain after that, turning in her full bag of Dreamspinner web in trade for a credit of Sect Points to her account for the completed job. By the time she had settled everything and cleaned up from the jaunt, the sun was already rising, and it was time for her next lesson with Elder Ying.

 Chapter 83: Crackdown 1

    The focus of the lessons remained on her connection with Zhengui, the way her own qi affected him and vice versa. While Zhengui was too young to benefit from any such lessons, he did get to enjoy the fruits of the Elder¡¯s garden. The little xuanwu was kept occupied during the long sessions of meditation by gnawing on fruits half the size of his own body. Ling Qi was glad her gown was self-cleaning, else it would probably have ended up quite stained.


    She felt her connection to the little spirit growing more refined and with it, her ability to communicate with him. His thoughts were still simple and direct, but she was beginning to see signs of greater development in the curiosity, affection, and other more complex emotions now blossoming alongside simpler ones like fear and hunger. Elder Ying believed that he would begin grasping some of his abilities in no more than a month. Strong spirits did not remain in a state of infancy for long. Indeed, when she examined him, Ling Qi was sure that Zhengui was already several centimeters longer than he had been at hatching. For now though, she could only continue caring for Zhengui as he grew.


    In the wake of her lesson, she had other tasks. Ling Qi still shied from the thought of facing Meizhen and forcing the talk that she felt had to happen and her other friends remained unavailable as well so she decided that she might as well see what the boy from the council meeting had wanted. It would be rude to ignore him, and she did have some free time in the afternoon.


    It helped that she had received a note the previous day, left on her doorstep. The venue he wanted to meet at, a little sect run teahouse in the market area, seemed safe enough. The location meant it couldn¡¯t be an ambush since as far as she could tell, the market area was the one place on the mountain where violence was absolutely banned by Sect law. She would keep an eye out on leaving, but the meeting itself should be safe.


    The teahouse in question was a humble place toward the edge of the market area with a dim interior populated by a scattering of tables at which disciples chatted and mingled. Simple paper dolls flitted about serving the disciples, somehow supporting the weight of dishes and tea. Ling Qi gave the place a wary once over as she paused in the doorway, but no one even looked up at her entrance.


    She entered, skirting the edge of the room to head for the line of closed booths lining the rear wall. Fu Xiang had said he would be taking his tea in the third booth from the left.


    She carefully pushed the door open, the simple bamboo and paper screen sliding easily on the track. Inside was a small polished wooden table surrounded on three sides by a bench upholstered with a simple, unadorned set of light green cushions. Fu Xiang sat on the right side, and looked up as she opened the door, idly adjusting the lenses perched on his nose with one hand while cradling of a cup of dark, red-tinged tea in the other. The pot and a second cup rested on the tabletop.


    ¡°Oh, Miss Ling. I was beginning to imagine that you had decided not to come,¡± he said lightly. ¡°I am glad I was wrong.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s lips almost twisted into a frown. The booth was smaller than she liked, but she was already here.


    ¡°I was delayed somewhat. I am currently taking lessons from Elder Ying,¡± she replied evenly. ¡°I could hardly end such things early.¡± She stepped inside and seated herself across from the boy. She paused briefly when the door rattled and began to close on its own but brushed it off as a formation effect.


    ¡°Of course. It was a little thoughtless of me to set the meeting time without your input,¡± he apologized. ¡°In my defense, you are somewhat difficult to track down. Please do not think poorly of me, Miss Ling.¡±


    Ling Qi studied him; Fu Xiang¡¯s unfailing good humor rubbed her the wrong way. It was a slight thing, but she found herself wary of the older boy.


    ¡°It was not any real trouble,¡± she replied carefully and was surprised when he moved to pour a cup for her. It was a weirdly humble action, and it threw her for a second. Going by the amused sparkle in his eyes when he met her gaze, he was aware of it too.


    ¡°It is a local blend. I¡¯ve grown quite fond of it,¡± he commented idly as he set the pot back down. ¡°Would you care to order anything before we begin?¡±


    She accepted the cup with only a slight suspicious glance and shook her head. ¡°No, this is fine. What did you want from me?¡± she asked, a bit more bluntly than strictly necessary.


    ¡°I suppose being direct is fine too,¡± he said, taking a sip of his own tea. He gestured, and Ling Qi stiffened as she felt a shift in the air. ¡°Just a precaution,¡± he assured her, meeting her gaze. ¡°We won¡¯t be overheard now.¡±


    ¡°Is that really necessary?¡± Ling Qi asked, arching an eyebrow in her best impression of Meizhen¡¯s skeptical face.


    ¡°It is better to be over prepared than under,¡± he shot back. ¡°I think we both understand how a lack of caution can lead to ruin. I know better than to think the world will be so forgiving.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t wrong. You also haven¡¯t answered the question. What do you want from me?¡±


    ¡°A little cooperation, no more. I have, if you will excuse the arrogance, very good eyes and ears,¡± he said with a touch of pride. ¡°I know many useful things, and yet, without more¡­ tangible evidence, making use of those things can be difficult. My word is not exactly of high worth,¡± he continued blithely.


    It wasn¡¯t hard to work out the implication. Ling Qi took a careful sip of her tea, keeping an eye on him over the rim. ¡°So I suppose you want someone to acquire that ¡®tangible evidence¡¯ of yours?¡± she asked dryly. ¡°Are you sure Lady Cai would approve of that kind of underhanded dealing?¡±


    ¡°I am quite certain,¡± he replied with a slight grin. ¡°Justice cannot be dealt to those who hide their misdeeds after all. Investigation into corruption is an important task, and it is why the Lady approached me. I am, for example, close on the trail of the one who attempted to frame you, Miss Ling.¡±


    Ling Qi stilled but then nodded. ¡°So what is your proposal exactly?¡± she asked. Information brokers and climbers - she knew his type well enough, and she had a measure of how far she could trust the boy. It might be worth helping him out though; it would give her leverage for favors in the future, if nothing else.


    ¡°You are a cold one aren¡¯t you?¡± he commented idly, examining her. ¡°You could at least give me a little more reaction to work with.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not,¡± Ling Qi replied dryly.


    ¡°Fair enough.¡± He shrugged. ¡°At the moment, I require a cache of letters from the home of a young woman in my year. They contain information that will grant Lady Cai leverage in future meetings. I hope you will not mind that I do not share more exact details just yet.¡±


    ¡°Understandable,¡± Ling Qi said. That didn¡¯t sound too onerous, even if preparing properly would probably be time consuming. There was obviously something more personal in it for Fu Xiang though. ¡°What¡¯s in it for me?¡±


    ¡°Besides the glory of working for Lady Cai¡¯s cause?¡± he asked rhetorically, leaning forward slightly. ¡°Knowledge of a trial site that has yet to be uncovered this year. We are not in competition after all.¡±


    So Fu Xiang was aiming for a production slot for the Inner Sect? That was useful information. The idea of another trial was appealing too; she had come out quite well from the last one.


    ¡°I¡¯ll consider it. I hope this isn¡¯t too urgent. I am already very busy this week. I intend to participate in the subjugation of Kang Zihao tomorrow, and I still have my lessons for the remainder of the week.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± he responded, dipping his head slightly in acknowledgement. ¡°If you have not made your decision by the end of the week, I am afraid I will have to seek other avenues though. It is somewhat time sensitive.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded tersely, taking a longer sip of tea. It was pretty good. She was thankful that Fu Xiang¡¯s request was relatively straightforward. She doubted he would renege on their deal if she went through with it. For all that he said his word wasn¡¯t worth much, if he didn¡¯t at least keep his deals, she doubted Cai Renxiang would have brought him onto the council.


    Ling Qi lingered a bit longer to be polite and finish her tea, but they soon parted ways. Ling Qi had cultivation to do. Specifically, she needed to begin thinking seriously about which phase of the moon she would like to follow for the next phase of her cultivation art.


    Ling Qi considered them all as she meditated and drank in the starlight from the yard of the archive building. The Grinning Moon had been good to her, and the thrill of her last job had reminded her of how fun it could be to slip in and out of danger. She had shied away from danger as a mortal¡­ but maybe she didn¡¯t need to any more.


    She was not yet sure, which might be why the thread of dark qi nestled in her dantian since her encounter with the Grinning Moon after the fight with Sun Liling¡¯s forces faded away. She had little time for introspection come morning though as she was met with the irresistible force that was Gu Xiulan on the warpath.


    Well, that might have been an exaggeration, but apparently, since they were both going to be participating in the subjugation mission against Kang Zihao today and Ling Qi¡¯s new gown had been delivered that morning, they absolutely needed to go out together beforehand to ensure that they looked their best.


    Ling Qi was dubious of why precisely it was important to look good when hunting down and beating up an enemy, but she didn¡¯t grumble. Gu Xiulan¡¯s cheerful, if overbearing, banter was better than the silence of the past couple days.


    It did mean she had the displeasure of feeling like a doll again as Gu Xiulan insisted on fussing over her while she changed into her new gown. The gown that Cai Renxiang had commissioned from a Core Sect apprentice of Duchess Cai was a garment far more luxurious and complicated than any Ling Qi had ever worn before. The gown had many layers of black silk hemmed with white, and a dark blue mantle wrapped around her shoulders, hanging down her back like a pair of wings.


    More importantly, she could feel the power in it, the way the formations woven throughout the fabric empowered dark and water natured qi as it flowed through her channels. The sheer toughness of the silk, superior to even steel, stitched itself back together when it was cut. And if she focused enough qi into the mantle, her feet would leave the ground, granting her flight for the short time her qi reserves allowed.


    Of course, Gu Xiulan chose to comment on none of this first.


    ¡°It is so understated,¡± Gu Xiulan said with a pout as she looked her over with a critical eye. ¡°I would have expected something flashier given Cai¡¯s own propensities,¡± her friend added, plucking at the waist-length cloak that covered Ling Qi¡¯s shoulders. ¡°And really, what is this? I can hardly see you under there.¡±


    ¡°I like it,¡± Ling Qi mused. The wide mouthed sleeves hung over her hands, and there were several concealed pockets in the lining. They were bigger on the inside too. It was nothing like a storage ring, but it would certainly make carrying her knives easier. She idly fingered the white sash cinched tightly around her waist. The layers of the gown should have left her feeling overheated, but instead, she felt pleasantly cool. She turned and the fabric swirled lightly around her legs, not catching or impeding her motions despite only being modestly split up to her calves. The motion created the illusion that the dark violet flowers decorating the lower half of the gown were blowing in the wind.


    ¡°I suppose the shoes are rather nice,¡± Xiulan admitted grudgingly, crossing her arms under her chest as she considered the soft-soled calf height boots included with the outfit. ¡°Still, it is a little plain¡­¡±


    ¡°Right? Who could have imagined that someone I¡¯ve spoken directly to all of twice would have a better handle on my tastes than one of my friends?¡± Ling Qi said dryly, quickly stepping over to the end table to catch Zhengui before he fell off the table. Zhengui had been trying to reach the dangling end of a potted plant placed on a higher shelf.


    ¡°I only want what is best for you,¡± Xiulan replied haughtily. ¡°It is hardly my fault that you fight me every step of the way. If you had your way, no one would ever look at you.¡±


    ¡°And if you had your way, I¡¯d catch fire from embarrassment,¡± Ling Qi retorted, turning to face her friend as she flicked her wrist, drawing out one of the sticks Zhengui liked to gnaw on. She rolled her eyes as she saw Xiulan give her a sly look, parts of the other girl¡¯s hair sparking and igniting as she opened her mouth to speak. ¡°You know what I meant,¡± Ling Qi cut in before Xiulan could speak. ¡°Besides, look, the cloak comes off easy enough.¡±


    She breathed out, and the qi infusing the garment shifted, the darkly colored mantle dissolving and exposing the back of the gown, which was embroidered with white flower petals.


    ¡°That is better, I suppose.¡± Xiulan allowed the fires in her hair to fade, leaving not a single hair scorched. ¡°You could still do with something more eye catching. Perhaps a few hair ornaments¡­¡± she mused, eyeing Ling Qi¡¯s braid speculatively. ¡°A bit of silver wire woven through your braid might catch the light well, or perhaps a gemstone clasp at the base.¡±


    ¡°If you have any suggestions, I suppose I can take them,¡± Ling Qi sighed. ¡°Just remember, we do have to be at the meeting point on time.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Xiulan said dismissively. ¡°We have more than enough time to pick up a few complementing accessories and touch things up a bit. Presentation is a must when cowing one¡¯s lessers after all,¡± she added brightly, the golden ornaments in her hair jingling as she took Ling Qi by the wrist and turned to lead her out.


    Ling Qi rolled her eyes but smiled despite herself. It might be fun to try something new with her hair, she supposed. She was on a rather tight budget at the moment, but window shopping would be a good way to relax before the action started.

 Chapter 84-Crackdown 2

    Ling Qi had fun shopping about with Xiulan, and by the time they arrived at the meeting point, she was actually considering wearing her hair loose for awhile, perhaps just gathered in a tail with braids on either side of her face. She had seen a few ornaments she liked, and there were oils for keeping even her rebellious locks relatively straight. It hardly occurred to her to wonder just how badly Xiulan had corrupted her.


    They arrived at the meeting point together to find Gan Guangli, Han Jian, and four others she did not recognize already present. It seemed Cai Renxiang wasn¡¯t taking any chances of failure.


    ¡°Greetings, Miss Ling and Miss Gu!¡± Gan Guangli said boisterously as the two of them entered the camp, cheerfully waving an armored fist.


    ¡°Ling Qi, Gu Xiulan,¡± Han Jian greeted more quietly. ¡°I see Lady Cai made good on her promise.¡± He wore a new outfit as well with a breastplate, vambraces, and greaves of pale, nearly white, metal over darker gold cloth, marked by tiger-like stripes. The lightly armored outfit was fit for an officer¡¯s formal wear.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Gan boomed. ¡°You look resplendent, Miss Ling. Armed as we are, we cannot fail to punish the villain.¡±


    Xiulan shot her a smirk, and Ling Qi coughed into her hand. ¡°Yes, well, what is our plan exactly? I know the intent is to catch him on his way back from the wolves¡¯ territory, but¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve discovered the cave where Kang Zihao has holed up,¡± Han Jian interceded smoothly. ¡°Step one is to have these four fan out with their talismans to set up the field preventing the use of transportation techniques.¡± He gestured to the four first realm cultivators.


    ¡°A vital task,¡± Gan Guangli said grimly, ¡°else the villain might simply use an escape talisman to flee. However, it shall be up to the five of us to ensure he is captured swiftly.¡±


    ¡°Five?¡± Ling Qi asked, glancing around. ¡°Is Han Fang here too?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s around,¡± Han Jian said with a smile. ¡°In any case, we would like you and Xiulan to hang back while Gan and I go to confront him and give him a chance to surrender.¡±


    ¡°Should we really be doing that at all?¡± Ling Qi asked with a frown. ¡°Why not just rush in while he¡¯s unready?¡±


    ¡°It would reflect poorly on us.¡± Surprisingly, Gan Guangli was the one to answer in an unusually level and serious tone. ¡°Those who would keep order cannot appear as villains, or there will only be further chaos.¡±


    ¡°In that case, are we not using too much force? Even if he has achieved a partial breakthrough since we have seen him last, it does seem a tad dishonorable,¡± Gu Xiulan mused.


    ¡°Ah, but because we are being honorable, we must make sure our force is sufficient to his potential threat. Of us, only Sir Han has a spirit beast fit for battle. We must assume that Kang Zihao has acquired the aid of least one additional spirit, if not more.¡± Gan Guangli broke into a wide grin then and resumed his usual booming tone. ¡°And we cannot allow the miscreant to defeat Lady Cai¡¯s justice!¡±


    ¡°True enough,¡± Gu Xiulan replied with a dismissive wave. ¡°I shall enjoy teaching that cur of his a lesson.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± Han Jian said dryly. ¡°In any case, while Gan and I take the front line, Ling Qi, we¡¯d like you to focus on hindering his movements with your mist. The talismans won¡¯t stop him from running, and he is faster than us. Xiulan is our fire support obviously. Han Fang will be supporting us as needed.¡±


    ¡°Not going to lay out some complex strategy?¡± Ling Qi teased.


    ¡°A simple plan is one not easily disrupted by the flow of battle,¡± Han Jian said wryly.


    ¡°Indeed. If one weaves too many plots, they will only tangle their own feet,¡± Gan Guangli agreed, clapping Han Jian on the back. The shorter boy hid his wince well.


    They planned a bit longer, working out the details of their positioning and synergies, but soon, the strategizing was done and they set off. The cave Kang Zihao had taken as his hideout was a short distance from the mountain proper, nestled amongst the rolling foothills that extended to the south.


    Hiding among the leaves of a nearby tree brought back memories of lurking in alleys and under awnings, waiting for a favorable mark. The inky black silk of her new dress seemed to bleed into the shadows at the edges, breaking up her profile further. But it still felt awkward to be wearing such an expensive dress out in the woods, no matter how useful it was.


    Thankfully, Ling Qi did not have to spend too long in contemplation of the fact that she was wearing something worth more than a house. She kept her eyes fixed on the cave entrance, a wide crack in the hillside large enough for two men to pass through shoulder to shoulder. As Han Jian and Gan Guangli approached, making no effort to conceal themselves, she carefully raised her flute to her lips, preparing to play the Melody of the Forgotten Vale.


    ¡°KANG ZIHAO!¡± Gan Guangli bellowed as they came to a halt at the entrance of the cave. ¡°Show yourself and face justice for your betrayal!¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced as a veritable storm of birds took flight at the noise. Gan Guangli really did have quite a set of lungs. Still, she remained tense. The darkness of the cave did not block her vision so she would see Kang ZIhao before the others if he came out swinging.


    However, after a tense moment while the echoes of Gan Guangli¡¯s shouting faded, she spied a white clothed figure coming around the turn at the back of the tunnel. Kang Zihao emerged, not with weapons drawn, but with his head held high and his hands raised for peace.


    ¡°It has come to this then?¡± the handsome boy asked sorrowfully as he halted just inside the entrance. ¡°Are we to continue this charade about a childish squabble being a matter of betrayal?¡±


    ¡°It is no such thing,¡± Gan Guangli rumbled, looming ominously.


    ¡°Yeah, one way or another, I get what the Sect is doing,¡± Han Jian said. ¡°We¡¯re learning the lesson of what chaos gets us. And your bunch broke their word for what? The laughs?¡±


    ¡°You are the ones seeking lessons where there are none. Is the Sect not a place to work out youthful enthusiasm? To test one¡¯s limits? We have fought. Now we have lost and paid our dues. It is you who are acting the bully, seeking me out in numbers when I have sought only peace for cultivation.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned. He wasn¡¯t wrong, but did it matter? It wasn¡¯t like Sun Liling¡¯s forces weren¡¯t going to strike back, right?


    ¡°Do not play the fool,¡± Gan Guangli retorted angrily. ¡°You are gathering forces for your counterattack. Are we to believe that you will ignore the plight of your allies and the shame of defeat?¡±


    ¡°Come now. Cease with your inflation of my threat. So a few people have lost their goods to your¡­ canny operations. That is hardly reason for grudge; it is just the Sect working as intended. As to your other accusation? I am building my strength, as is my right,¡± Kang Zihao scoffed. ¡°Lady Cai is taking her game too far.¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s not just a game. The chaos and uncertainty is hurting everyone,¡± Han Jian stated evenly. ¡°And the fact that you so easily dismiss the losses of those you supposedly lead says it all. So much for pride and honor.¡±


    Kang Zihao¡¯s noble mien cracked as he shot a venomous look at Han Jian. ¡°I will not be lectured on pride by a dustdigger of the Golden Fields! What right do you have to demand my surrender, to punish me?¡±


    ¡°The right of justice,¡± Gan Guangli answered, his booming voice echoing down the tunnel. ¡°Our cause is just, and our order will benefit the disciples of the Outer Sect. Need there be another reason?¡±


    Ling Qi saw the moment when Kang gave up on words. His eyes narrowed, his muscles clenched, and a blur of silver appeared, resolving into a gleaming shield as he rushed forward, seeking to break out of the encirclement through Han Jian. Ling Qi smiled and called her mist and its hungry phantoms. Bluebell flames bloomed in the woods to her right, and she caught the silhouette of a tall, bald figure leaping down from the hill above.


    It wasn¡¯t a very long fight.

 Chapter 85-Elder Ying 2

    Ling Qi lifted her hand from Zhengui¡¯s shell and wiped away the sweat that had beaded on her forehead while she concentrated. Her spirit lay on the ground before her, his serpentine tail curled around his shell as he slept. Scattered fragments of beast cores lay all around him, the only sign of the week¡¯s worth of hunting income that she had fed into the all consuming furnace of his stomach.


    ¡°That was well done.¡± She looked up as her teacher, Elder Ying, spoke. The Elder was seated on a stone bench across from her, watching her with an assessing eye. ¡°You maintained control of the beast qi without my aid this time. What changed?¡±


    Ling Qi considered the question as she looked down at her spirit beast. It took focus just to sense the flows of energy from the cores as Zhengui sucked them down his twin gullets and even more to try and guide where the wild, chaotic energies went.


    ¡°It felt like there was something helping me this time,¡± she admitted. ¡°Was that the connection you spoke of, Elder?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± the elderly woman agreed. ¡°A well formed spirit bond flows both ways. If you have succeeded in merging your intent with your spirit¡¯s own natural digestive and cultivation processes, then I believe our lessons are done.¡±


    Gently picking up the slumbering spirit, Ling Qi set Zhengui in her lap, brushing her thumb over the warm, smooth scales of his serpent head. ¡°Will it really be alright to accelerate his growth like this?¡±


    ¡°So long as you are careful in your guidance,¡± Elder Ying replied. ¡°Spirit beasts retain echoes of experience from their parentage, far exceeding the meagre instincts that are a human¡¯s birthright. He will not come to harm or be damaged by the process.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Thank you very much, Elder Ying.¡±


    ¡°You are welcome.¡± The Elder smiled. It was easy to forget, sitting here in the garden, that the woman was not just a friendly old granny. ¡°As this is to be our last lesson however, I do have something for you. It does not satisfy me to only offer such basic tutoring given the magnitude of the trouble you uncovered.¡±


    Ling Qi felt her pulse speed up, and she was sure that a flicker of excitement reached her expression. Still, she managed to dip her head and force out a courtesy. ¡°Elder Ying is too kind. Your lessons have been more than enough.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense,¡± the old woman dismissed as she stood gracefully, showing none of the difficulty one would expect from a woman of her apparent age. ¡°I ensured your friend would be well stocked with ingredients for her new furnace and so I will ensure that you have an art with which to practice your bond with your spirit.¡± There was a flash and a stick of dark green jade appeared between her fingers.


    Careful not to dislodge Zhengui from her lap, Ling Qi eagerly reached out to accept the token. Her arts were still few in number; she needed every one she could get her hands on. She sent a few sparks of qi circulating through the jade slip and peered at the exercises and information that appeared in her mind. Then, she paused and frowned, looking through it again. Was this really right? This art seemed totally unsuited to her. But she couldn¡¯t just say that to an Elder. What if this was some kind of test?


    Elder Ying cut off her racing thoughts. ¡°I imagine you are confused. The Thousand Ring Fortress is an art which teaches its user to emulate the primal resilience of an ancient tree. It is not the sort of art you can see yourself practicing.¡±


    Ling ducked her head, ashamed that her thoughts had been so clear. ¡°I am not ungrateful, Elder Ying¡­¡± she began.


    ¡°I know,¡± the older woman said gently, holding up a hand to silence her. ¡°I am not offended. I know how rushed these early days can feel as you scrabble for power, afraid to branch out on an experiment. However, it does you no good to decide your Way before you have even begun to truly walk it. Cultivate this art. Consider its lessons. There is more to resilience than merely standing still and taking blows.¡±


    After a moment of hesitation, Ling Qi nodded and carefully stood up, still holding Zhengui. ¡°I will take your advice to heart, Elder Ying,¡± she said, bowing low. While she was still unsure, it was foolish to ignore an Elder¡¯s advice.


    ¡°I think you will find it less ill-suited than you think,¡± Elder Ying replied with amusement. ¡°I see before me a remarkably tough and enduring young lady after all.¡±


    In the days that followed their final lesson, Ling Qi followed the Elder¡¯s advice and cultivated the Thousand Ring Fortress art. The art was old and well polished and had been developed by a once powerful but now defunct family within the Emerald Seas province. It allowed users to join themselves to the qi of the land and become like one of the mighty trees that still stood in the deepest forests of the province, vital and sturdy. And as a tree was not a forest, users of the art could extend this vitality to their allies. It made Ling Qi wonder how the Elder had gotten a hold of it.


    Thankfully, it proved easier to cultivate than she had feared, and she quickly mastered the first pulse of the art; the practice she had gotten with wood qi from tending to Zhengui proved invaluable, and sparring with Xiulan in preparation for challenging some older disciples proved to be the perfect training tool for it. Cultivation of the Thousand Ring Fortress art also granted her insight into spiritual cultivation, and she reached Late Yellow during the spars.


    Xiulan was too quick and accurate for Ling Qi to dodge all of her attacks, but her new Ten Ring Defense and the Deepwood Vitality techniques proved their worth in blunting the heat of her fires. However, Ling Qi did not have enough meridians to make use of both the Thousand Ring Fortress and Sable Crescent Step arts so it was only useful in practice for the moment.


    Their preparations actually proved overambitious. As it turned out, most older disciples did not exceed her in cultivation, although there were a few close calls due to the skills and arts of her opponents. It was kind of odd fighting people she had no grudge against and who had no grudge against her beyond annoyance at her and Xiulan for being ¡®upstarts¡¯. She wouldn¡¯t call the duels friendly, but they were hardly the stuff of grudges either.


    It was a pain to realign her meridians away from Thousand Ring Fortress every time they finished sparring to go find more challenges. But she supposed she couldn¡¯t complain when their winnings from the duels were paying for Zhengui¡¯s food and refilling her distressingly low funds.


    ¡°It¡¯s weird that they aren¡¯t stronger, isn¡¯t it?¡± Ling Qi asked as she strolled beside Xiulan. Fighting in her new gown was liberating; she could use her defensive arts with impunity given the way the dress enhanced the efficiency of her qi use.


    ¡°It¡¯s strange that you are so strong,¡± Xiulan retorted, giving Ling Qi an exasperated look. ¡°Even if you are one of those talented enough to be scouted by the Ministry, your growth is quick. The majority of cultivators remain at the upper reaches of the second realm for years, honing their abilities before attempting a breakthrough.¡±


    ¡°I suppose,¡± Ling Qi replied dubiously. It still seemed strange, but she supposed she was just receiving a skewed experience. Thinking about it, if she stripped out the eight strongest disciples from her year, there would only be a handful of strong disciples left. So it stood to reason the older disciples would, as a group, be similarly weakened by the loss of their eight strongest to the Inner Sect last year. They also hadn¡¯t gone specifically looking for the strongest disciples either, just the ones Xiulan could goad into a duel. ¡°Are we going to go out again tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°I think it might be best to give it a rest,¡± Xiulan admitted. ¡°Well, unless we want to try something more dangerous,¡± she added with a sharp smile. ¡°How would you feel about challenging that girl mentioned at the council meeting? The one sheltering Ji Rong.¡±


    ¡°That might be a bit much. If Cai Renxiang is avoiding outright antagonizing her, let¡¯s at least wait until our spirits can contribute a bit more,¡± Ling Qi said, playing the voice of reason even if the idea was a little thrilling.


    Xiulan sighed, disgruntled. ¡°You are right, of course. I was getting ahead of myself.¡±


    ¡°How have you been anyway?¡± Ling Qi asked idly, watching her friend out of the corner of her eye as they strolled down the path to the training grounds. ¡°I¡¯ve noticed you¡¯ve been getting along better with Fan Yu.¡±


    Xiulan¡¯s expression soured a bit as she caught Ling Qi¡¯s eye, tossing her hair and turning up her nose in a haughty fashion. ¡°It is not as if he was not already devoted to begin with,¡± she replied waspishly.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean and you know it,¡± Ling Qi said evenly. ¡°Are you alright, Gu Xiulan? The last few months have been rough.¡±


    ¡°I am fine,¡± Xiulan said hotly. ¡°I am doing well, am I not? Perhaps not to your absurd standard, but well enough. Even Father has praised my progress.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about cultivation,¡± Ling Qi replied, thinking on her own social troubles. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m projecting a little, but you don¡¯t seem happy with the way things are.¡±


    Ling Qi knew the fiery girl well enough to notice the hurt in her eyes whenever Xiulan was forced to interact with Han Jian these days. It didn¡¯t fill her with confidence about her own problem with Meizhen. She eyed her friend as the girl¡¯s fists clenched and the air grew hazy; she could feel the updraft from the heat.


    ¡°Yes, you have your little spat with Bai Meizhen going on, do you not? I suppose you finally managed to prick her pride. It is hardly the same thing.¡±


    It kind of was, not that she would dare give any hint of that. She bit back her initial harsh response with an effort and the cooling influence of Argent Mirror. ¡°I am only offering to listen,¡± she said instead. ¡°If you need someone to talk to.¡±


    They stopped and Xiulan met her gaze, embers burning in her brown eyes. The heat flared, but then the girl looked away and her expression fell, taking the temperature with it. ¡°You are going to get burned some day,¡± she sniffed, her normal demeanor returning.


    ¡°I¡¯m a big girl. I can handle it,¡± Ling Qi replied easily, allowing the tension to leave her shoulders. ¡°Besides, I have Zhengui to help with that.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. I suppose so,¡± Xiulan acknowledged. ¡°In that case, do try to act surprised when I take you out to meet Cousin Tai next month. It is supposed to be a surprise,¡± her friend added, picking up the pace of her walk.


    Ling Qi paused and blinked, not understanding what she meant, until memories of a conversation with Xiulan right after her breakthrough returned and her eyes went wide. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t joke about things like that,¡± she said reproachfully. Xiulan simply smirked and began to walk faster.


    ¡°You are joking, right?¡± Ling Qi asked incredulously. ¡°You better be joking!¡±


    She didn¡¯t know if the other girl¡¯s snort of laughter was an affirmative or not.

 Chapter 86-Council Work 1

    If she could talk to Xiulan, then surely she could manage to talk with Meizhen, and restore¡­ something of what they had.


    In the end, she had to sit up in the front room of the house for most of the evening, doing her best to calmly meditate as she waited for Meizhen to come home. Zhengui was resting, dematerialized for the moment. They were still practicing with it; he got antsy if she kept him that way while he was awake.


    It was difficult to keep herself calm, but she somehow managed, practicing the breathing exercises of her cultivation art and breathing in the miniscule filaments of stellar energy that could reach her here. She couldn¡¯t be upset, distracted, confused, or any of the other emotions that wanted to surge out of control when she talked with Meizhen.


    She just wanted her friend back.


    She hated what Meizhen had done without her permission


    She didn¡¯t know if they could go on as they had before.


    Was that all the other girl had wanted of her?


    It was a chore to clear her thoughts at the best of times, and right now, it seemed truly futile. She drummed her fingers on the tabletop, glancing at the door. Meizhen should be home soon. She usually came back in the evenings, going to her room and then sweeping right back out again. Knowing that much didn¡¯t count as stalking, right?


    Ling Qi twitched as the door swung open and her friend stepped in, clad in the snow white gown she had received from Cai Renxiang. It had a near invisible scale pattern with pale blue serpentine coils and waves embroidered about the lower hems. The pale girl paused on seeing Ling Qi but began to immediately walk toward the bedrooms with only a slight nod of acknowledgement.


    ¡°Meizhen, can you stay a moment?¡± Ling Qi asked, breaking the tense silence between them for the first time this week.


    The other girl paused again, not fully turning around. ¡°I have a number of tasks that need to be seen to. Perhaps later.¡±


    ¡°Meizhen, please.¡± Ling Qi¡¯s voice cracked. ¡°We haven¡¯t said a word to each other in days. Please talk to me.¡±


    Meizhen turned around, shoulders tense and pale face set in an expressionless mask. ¡°I am hardly your nursemaid,¡± Bai Meizhen said coldly. ¡°We lead busy lives.¡±


    Ling Qi clamped down on the angry retort that wanted to come forth, settling for letting out a breath. ¡°Not that busy,¡± she replied evenly. ¡°You¡¯ve been avoiding me. I can even understand why. The things I wanted to say... They didn¡¯t come out right last time,¡± she said, her voice dropping with every word.


    ¡°I see,¡± Bai Meizhen said, seemingly unmoved, but Ling Qi caught a flicker of emotion in her golden eyes. ¡°What did you mean to say?¡±


    Ling Qi hated hearing her friend so closed and cold again, speaking to her as if she were a stranger. ¡°I can¡¯t give you what you want. Was that your only reason for treating me like a friend?¡± she asked quietly. She could feel Zhengui stirring in her dantian, awakening at her distress.


    Her question finally had an effect. A flush of shame rose on Meizhen¡¯s cheeks, caught off guard. ¡°No! Of course not! I am not so debased as that,¡± she said, a touch of anger in her voice.


    ¡°Then why?¡± Ling Qi asked plaintively. ¡°I have said foolish things before. I probably will again. Why does this mean I have to lose my best friend? I don¡¯t want that. Do you?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do not!¡± the serpentine girl snapped, eyes flashing. Ling Qi met her gaze with barely a flinch, the effects of her training. ¡°Do you understand how difficult it is to¡­ to see your revulsion?¡± Her voice wavered toward the end, and she broke eye contact. ¡°Clearly, we are both better off without one another¡¯s company.¡±


    Ling Qi could admit that there was some part of her that was uncomfortable around Meizhen now. Oh, sure, girls and women could be just as vicious physically as any of the thugs on the streets, but she had always felt safe that she wouldn¡¯t be assaulted in the way her mother and mother¡¯s ¡­ coworkers had been. She disliked the loss of that illusion.


    ¡°I may not be able to respond the way you want, but I don¡¯t feel revulsion at all,¡± she said firmly. ¡°What you did made me uncomfortable, but what kind of garbage person abandons a friend because of a little discomfort?¡± A person like her, a thought whispered in the back of her head. Ling Qi quashed it; she wasn¡¯t like that anymore.


    Meizhen stared up at her, her expression openly hurt in a way that seemed completely alien on the stoic girl¡¯s face. ¡°I should simply leave this instant,¡± she said quietly. ¡°Whatever you say, the fact remains that my eyes do not lie. I have seen the way you shyaway whenever I grew close. Do you truly mean to lie to me and say that you feel no disgust whatsoever?¡±


    Had she done that in the immediate aftermath? Ling Qi thought back, thinking hard, and¡­ yes, she could recall moments when she had jerked her hand away when they were in danger of touching again or stepping back without thinking. It had never been conscious though. As she met the other girl¡¯s eyes, she could see Meizhen¡¯s resignation. She wouldn¡¯t give up. She willed the other girl to see her sincerity.


    ¡°I feel nothing of the sort,¡± she said clearly and slowly. ¡°I feel sad and pissed off and a dozen other things, but disgust isn¡¯t one of them.¡±


    Meizhen¡¯s shoulders slumped and she looked away. ¡°... Damn you.¡± The vulgarity was bizarre coming from the normally unfailingly proper girl. ¡°Why are you so persistent?¡±


    ¡°Too dumb to know when to quit.¡± Ling Qi managed a weak smile. ¡°Can we please try at least?¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Meizhen replied, not looking up. ¡°I will cease going out of my way to avoid you. Will that be enough to satisfy you?¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s shoulders slumped. Even if she had headed off the worst case scenario, she knew she had a long way to go to rebuild the trust the other girl had for her before. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯ll be enough. I¡¯m sorry for upsetting you so badly, Meizhen.¡± It was the only thing she could really apologize for.


    With Ling Qi¡¯s ascension to Late Yellow last week, she had fully reached the top of the second realm. By the reactions of those around her, it was a prodigious accomplishment given that she was a match for most of the Outer Sect disciples, even those a few years her senior. It seemed obvious to her that there must be something else which was holding back those who wished to take the next step into the third realm. She wasn¡¯t doing anything unusual after all; surely talent didn¡¯t make that much of a difference.


    It wasn¡¯t like she spent all of her time cultivating either. She had been incredibly busy over the last few months, but she had more time than ever to act too since she could get by on a single night of sleep every few weeks. Even then, she had been spending a lot of time on her friends and other matters.


    She was going to cut down on her extracurriculars this week though so she made her rounds, informing the people who might care to know that she would be focusing on her cultivation this week. Suyin and Su Ling¡¯s cave was empty, but undisturbed, so she left a letter. Similarly, tracking down Han Jian or Han Fang proved fruitless; she left a message with Gu Xiulan when she stopped by the girl¡¯s home to chat about their plans for a little get together on the weekend. Meizhen was going to train with her again so she didn¡¯t need to be informed. That just left one thing to wrap up before she started her cultivation.


    She went back to the tea house to meet with Fu Xiang again. Access to another trial site and the potential rewards within was simply too good to pass up. Ling Qi had wondered why Fu Xiang would offer such a thing, but a little investigation into the matter had revealed the likely reason. Namely, trials open to first year disciples were closed to the older ones. The same went for a number of other things, including the Argent Vents and other major sites on the Outer Sect mountain. She supposed that was one more reason that the older disciples could stagnate, even though supposedly, there were still a few trials and other opportunities hidden away for them.


    She would worry about the implications of this later. For now, she had to concentrate on the conversation with the cheerfully smug boy sitting across from her.


    ¡°Miss Ling, you have no idea how pleased I am to see you again,¡± Fu Xiang said lightly as the door to the booth closed with a click. ¡°Have you considered my offer then?¡±


    ¡°I will do it,¡± she replied, then added, ¡°provided you haven¡¯t been hiding something dealbreaking in the details.¡±


    ¡°Understandable,¡± Fu Xiang acknowledged, idly pushing his eyeglasses a bit further up his nose. ¡°I assure you, I do not intend to hide anything that could decrease your chances of success. However, understand that the target will not be one of my less motivated peers like the unfortunate individuals who rose to Miss Gu¡¯s baiting.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think they would be,¡± Ling Qi shot back. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t expect that kind of person to be worth this kind of effort.¡± She was aware that the target would almost certainly be formidable in some way; this effort to gain leverage on them wouldn¡¯t make sense otherwise.


    ¡°Then we remain on the same page,¡± he said, spreading his hands. Ling Qi could not help but notice the lack of tea on the table between them this time. Was he in a hurry? ¡°The target is a young lady by the name of Wen Ai of the Ebon Rivers¡¯ Wen family, if that means anything to you.¡±


    Ling Qi debated on playing it off like she usually did, but the lack of information would really only hinder her. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it doesn¡¯t,¡± she replied, leaning back in her seat. ¡°I¡¯m still learning the biggest names.¡± Her effort to learn the basics of the political scene really only extended to the most important or immediately relevant families.


    ¡°They are a fairly new, if wealthy, family,¡± Fu Xiang explained without missing a beat. ¡°They hold a count title. Nothing that should be too troubling for one of your obvious talent.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t I feel happy at all about being praised like that by you?¡± she asked dryly before she could catch herself. This guy just reminded her too much of the sort of shady guys who hung out in the corners of bars, ready to figuratively skin a client down to the bone.


    ¡°You may take it as you will,¡± he said with a laugh, seemingly not offended. ¡°The point is, she is well liked among my peers and has many friends.¡±


    ¡°So influencing her means influencing them,¡± Ling Qi concluded. ¡°You sure blackmail is the way to go about this though? Seems like it could backfire.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Fu Xiang admitted, tapping his fingers on the tabletop. That was another thing she noticed with more observation. The dark haired boy was rarely still, always moving in some small way or another. ¡°However, our Lady is not so crude. She only intends to ask that Miss Wen counsel patience and non-interference to her friends. Such sticks do not make for reliable allies after all.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed noncommittally. Ultimately, she only cared about this faction war insofar as Cai¡¯s regime failing could harm her and her friends. ¡°So what is the target? Just a bundle of letters?¡± She was curious about what might be in them, but it was probably just love letters or something else socially scandalous. She figured the Elders wouldn¡¯t tolerate anything actually illegal.


    ¡°A small jade lockbox full of them,¡± Fu Xiang replied, his smile growing as he gestured. An ornate jade box about three handspans wide appeared on the table. ¡°Do give Miss Wen some credit. She is not so careless as to leave letters lying about. This is an exact copy of the lockbox, and I expect you to replace the original with it. It should provide a bit of ambiguity as to when her bedroom was broken into, assuming you avoid raising a fuss.¡±


    Ling Qi eyed the box warily. ¡°So you spy on girls¡¯ bedrooms? I¡¯m not feeling my trust growing.¡±


    ¡°My intentions are pure,¡± he protested, smile unwavering. ¡°Besides, you can hardly complain when it is my voyeurism that will give you the full details of her home¡¯s security to break into at your leisure.¡±


    ¡°That is a good point,¡± Ling Qi agreed grudgingly. It was a little unsettling though. Su Ling and Li Suyin¡¯s idea of hiding out in a cave seemed better all the time. ¡°Well, tell me those details. I want to get this done.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Miss Ling,¡± Fu Xiang said easily, a flick of his wrist bringing a sheaf of well folded documents to his hands. ¡°Shall we begin with the alarm line laid at the outer edge of the grounds?¡±


    Ling Qi sighed and leaned forward, glancing over the meticulously copied formation filling the page. She was going to be here for awhile yet going by the number of documents he had just placed on the table. Maybe she should order some tea herself.

 Bonus-Precious!

    Today would be the day!


    [Heaven-Struck-Sparks] fluttered ahead and above, holding a delicious treat just out of reach. It smoldered so sweetly, the aroma tickling both of his senses. She was not going to keep it from him today! [Growth] self strained his stumpy limbs, blunt claws digging into the dirt as he charged through the garden grass, using all of his strength to quickly drag his heavy shell. [Renewal] self struck out, straining the length of his thin body as he tried to capture the end of the treat.


    No!


    [Heaven-Struck-Sparks] had flown out of reach. Cheater! With two sets of eyes, he tracked the waving stick of aromatic wood, so very far away. From both mouths, he let out a simultaneous chirp and hiss of complaint. Only crackling and popping sounds answered him, the laughter of his foe. Zhengui was cunning though, together he/they saw the fairy droop in the air tired by her load. She would have to land and burn soon!


    Zhengui lunged, only to find his stubby claws churning air. The fairy had tricked him again, there was a hole here! Tipping forward, he flailed for purchase. Around him, grass stirred and a single stalk bent as to grasp his shell, but he was too heavy! [Renewal] self hissed a recrimination as they pitched into the hole.


    Cold hands grasped his shell before his snout could hit the moist dirt at the bottom, and he found himself hauled up, the world spinning wildly as he rose up into the air. He looked up and let out a plaintive chirp as he saw Mother looking down at him. [Renewal] self let out a happy hiss, and nuzzled at the gray ring on her finger, knowing that it held many treats. He didn¡¯t need that stupid stick anyway, Mother always had treats!


    Mother sighed, making the mouth sounds down at him. Zhengui could not understand the mouth sounds, but he felt like Mother was disappointed. He let out an apologetic squeak, [Growth] self would pay attention next time! [Renewal] hissed softly. He blamed [Growth]! No Fair, he was just trying to get first treats!


    Mother shook her head, shifting to hold him in the crook of her elbow. Beside her, the other human [Dying-Sun-Embers] made some mouth sounds, and Mother laughed. He glared across at his foe, the tricky fairy, hovering by her human¡¯s shoulder, the last fragments of wood burning and popping in her fire. [Heaven-Struck-Sparks] crackled, laughing at him. He would show her one day! His Mother was better than her human anyway, even if her hands were cold. One day, he would make mouth sounds that would make Mother laugh too!


    [Renewal] preened as Mother absently brushed her thumb over his brow ridge. Mother made sounds again, and though he did not understand the noises, he could feel her intent. It was time to visit [Old Mossy Mountain]. No wonder Mother had not gotten treats out yet. [Old Mossy Mountain] had the best treats of all! [Renewal] hissed one last challenge to their foe as they left [Dying-Sun-Embers]¡¯ home, who snapped and sparked all too cheerfully back. Next Time!


    As they left, Zhengui nestled more deeply into the crook of Mother¡¯s arm. Both of his selves watched the other humans that Mother passed by with curious eyes. Humans were very strange, most of them were weird and blurry, it was very hard to tell what they were without looking very closely! Mother was even more difficult to see, Zhengui could not name her at all! But that was okay, because she was Mother and that was a good enough name, just like his. He was the Zhengui, the precious, and that was more important than his nature.


    Still, he wriggled in her grip, serpentine eyes gazing up at Mother¡¯s face. He wandered why she was different though. It had to be very hard not to know yourself. He wondered if that was why Mother was sad sometimes. It was always the worst right after [Lonely-Royal-Serpent] spent the afternoon shouting their nature at Mother. [Lonely-Royal-Serpent] was scary, and Zhengui did not like her much, even if she was kin to [King-Killer-Jewel], who had very pretty scales.


    Mother liked her though, so Zhengui would try not be scared! Mother looked down at him then, so he chirped happily, nipping at her dress. Mother should cheer up! It was time to visit [Old Mossy Mountain] and they would have fun. Zhengui would get treats, and Mother would get to listen to the noises. Even if he didn¡¯t understand, he knew Mother liked listening to the mountain rumble.


    Mother smiled, sensing his intent, even if she didn¡¯t really understand either. That was okay though, because he could feel the wind rippling. Hooray! Mother was going to fly the rest of the way! Zhengui saw the other humans looking at mother with envy. Silly humans, obviously you aren¡¯t as good as Mother. You had better not be mean though, or Zhengui would bite you!


    Mother rose into the sky then, and Zhengui chirped and hissed with joy, he couldn¡¯t wait to go to the garden!

 Chapter 87-Council Work 2

    Studying through all of the security formations laid upon Wen Ai¡¯s home was incredibly tedious, but if she was going to bypass them without breaking or defacing the schemes, it was an unfortunate necessity. She still wasn¡¯t a fan of spending an hour in a cramped booth with a guy she didn¡¯t particularly like. At least he wasn¡¯t a creep like Huang Da.


    Once the review was done, she got to work on her other mundane tasks, including going out to hunt and stockpile cores for Zhengui so that he wouldn¡¯t go hungry while she was cultivating. She would have to make sure to ration them out though lest the little glutton eat them all in one go.


    She supposed that might be a little unfair. He was growing at a pretty fast pace so his appetite wasn¡¯t just gluttony for the sake of it. When he had hatched, Zhengui could be held in one hand, but he was now almost at the point of spanning both. Zhengui seemed to have found the trick of sitting on her shoulder without falling off of it by this point so she didn¡¯t need to awkwardly carry him around by hand.


    The day passed quickly as she gathered cores and spiritually infused fruits and wood for Zhengui. Once he was safely and comfortably asleep in his kiln, Ling Qi made her exit, slipping out of the girls¡¯ residential area to head higher up the mountain where the older Outer Disciples lived.


    Like the first years¡¯ living area, it lay nestled in a small valley behind powerful warding totems, which thankfully didn¡¯t bar her passage. The layout was different from what she was used to; there were fewer homes overall, but none of the truly tiny ones like the hovel Su Ling and Li Suyin had been living in prior to truce end. She supposed that made sense. Many of the shops in the market had attached living spaces so maybe other older outer disciples lived outside of the residential area set aside for them.


    Ling Qi focused on the mission at hand as she flitted over the rooftops, unnoticed by the handful of girls out and about in the neatly paved streets. There were signs of battle damage here and there and at least one home too broken to live in, but the damaged areas all seemed to be under the process of repair despite the fact that Cai Renxiang¡¯s authority didn¡¯t extend this far yet.


    Ling Qi scanned ahead carefully before each jump, checking for signs of security. This caution lead her on a roundabout path to a cozy home in the upper left quadrant of the area. Ling Qi briefly wondered when she had come to see a stand alone home larger and more opulent than any home in the outer reaches of Tonghou as ¡®cozy¡¯.


    Dismissing that thought, she carefully observed the residence from a nearby rooftop then slowly circled it as she confirmed the information Fu Xiang had given her. The information she had been given seemed pretty accurate.


    As Fu Xiang had informed her, the home appeared empty in the early hours of twilight; Wen Ai typically remained out cultivating until well past midnight. Ling Qi would have plenty of time to slip through the defenses, and she waited for the last light of sunset to slip from the sky and shroud her in comforting darkness before she began.


    First came the alarm laid around the perimeter. It was much more secure than the basic formation she knew. The one she knew could be bypassed with a bit of simple qi control, but Wen Ai¡¯s alarm required Ling Qi to carefully watch the flow of qi through the encircling scheme and control her own to match its frequency. Even with that, it was only possible to bypass the alarm by entering at just the right spot.


    Ling Qi passed into the yard without a sound and pressed herself against the wall, hidden by one of the decorative flower bushes that dotted the girl¡¯s outer yard. The next obstacle was her best point of ingress, a small window in the home¡¯s kitchen meant to let out heat and smoke. It was too small for anyone but a small child to fit through, especially with the wooden bars breaking it up. Yet for her, it wasn¡¯t an obstacle at all.


    Ling Qi had told Fu Xiang that she would enter through a larger window on the other side of the home, taking advantage of a flaw in the trap formations, but this was better. Qi flowed smoothly in her channels, and her limbs grew blurry and grey. The moment she had sight of the kitchen, she was inside. Blinking from one place to another like that was still very disorienting though, and she wavered for a moment before regaining her form.


    Even leaving aside the difficulty of placing too many formations in close proximity, wholly lining one''s home with traps was a good way to end up having one of them explode in the occupant¡¯s face. Ling Qi She would be mostly safe until she got to opening the chest containing the box of letters now.


    She crept through the halls, idly noting the many flowers in vases, hanging from planters on the ceiling and more. Wen Ai seemed to have a theme, albeit understated.


    Wen Ai¡¯s bedroom was tidy and neat with minimal furnishings. It pained Ling Qi to ignore the chest in the corner and a closet full of no doubt expensive clothes, but she had a simple goal and that was to acquire the letters and replace them with the fakes without being noticed. Perhaps she could look into doing a few more personal heists in the future.


    Her target lay under the girl¡¯s bed, and soon, she had the polished wooden footlocker dragged out where she could get a good look at it. This was going to be the tricky part. The formation seal on its lock was no joke.


    Ling Qi had never been so thankful to have hairpins sturdy enough to withstand the rigors of a cultivator¡¯s life. She felt the tense qi of the trap waver on the edge of going off several times when her control wavered or when her makeshift tools scraped wrongly. Eventually, the lock clicked open, and she was able to access the items inside the footlocker. In addition to the jade lockbox with the letters, Ling Qi could see pieces of beautiful jade jewelry, a small hand sized painting of a girl she presumed to be Wen Ai and a boy she did not know, and most temptingly, a single jade slip. It took all her willpower not to snatch it, but she had a job to do and a missing jade slip would defeat it. Ling Qi quietly removed the box of letters and placed the one full of blank fakes in its place then closed the locker, the formation¡¯s automatic re-locking working in her favor as she slid the locker back under the bed.


    With her target secure in her storage ring, Ling Qi slipped out of the house, her heart pounding in her ears. That had been a whole different sort of tense than the mission in the spider nest but satisfying all the same. She resisted the urge to hurry as she sneaked back out of the residential district via the sheer cliffs at the rear, aided by short bursts of flight from her new gown. The feeling of flight was intoxicating, but she didn¡¯t dare hold it for more than a few seconds at a time for fear of draining her qi overmuch.


    Once she reached the top of the cliff, she took a few minutes to meditate and absorb starlight into her dantian to replenish her qi before heading to the arranged meeting point for the handoff. She met Fu Xiang precisely where he said he would be, in a secluded hollow on the east side of the mountain, and handed over the box. In return, she received a map and a page of notes.


    Ling Qi took a brief look at it, but it seemed legitimate. The map pinpointed the location of the trial as being near the peak of the mountain, and the notes appeared to be a description of the warped space around it. Apparently, the warp turned the small network of crevices in which the trial entrance was located into a maze. The trial itself would accept up to two people at once but no more. It was more than she expected frankly so she wouldn¡¯t complain.


    The two of them parted ways amicably enough, but as Fu Xiang pushed his glasses up with a finger, moonlight caught on his lenses, concealing his eyes behind the gleam. Ling Qi found Fu Xiang¡¯s wide smile of satisfaction disturbing.

 Chapter 88: Resurgence 1

    Given the early hour, Ling Qi decided to simply head to the vent and cultivate until the sun rose. She had a heart and spine meridians to clear if she wanted to make full use of her new Thousand Ring Fortress art, and even if the site didn¡¯t exactly help her to do so, soaking in the Argent energy helped her concentrate and focus. Besides, it would be some time until she would meet up with Meizhen for training.


    Ling Qi would be lying to herself if she said that the first day training together with Meizhen again wasn¡¯t awkward. After their last few meetings, both of them had trouble meeting one another¡¯s eyes. Ling Qi tried to think of something to say to break the silence that didn¡¯t sound stupid in her head.


    In the end, it was Zhengui who saved her from needing to when he attempted to wriggle out of her arms, chirping loudly and broadcasting his desire to get back to his kiln. Even as she looked down in consternation to meet the faintly glowing eyes of his serpentine half, she felt the tension between her and Meizhen somewhat draining.


    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± she said apologetically, looking back up to meet Meizhen¡¯s eyes. ¡°Looks like I¡¯ve kept him out for too long.¡± She turned away to set her spirit on the ground near the base of the kiln; she had thrown together a little ramp to let him trundle up to the opening on his own. ¡°This is Zhengui. I didn¡¯t get a chance to introduce you earlier.¡±


    Meizhen pursed her lips, eyeing the little turtle and the serpentine ¡®tail¡¯ coiled on his back. ¡°... If you chose the characters that I suspect you did, then your sense of humor remains terrible, Ling Qi. You should not treat a spirit¡¯s name so casually, especially one such as that.¡±


    Ling Qi grinned sheepishly, brushing a few stray hairs out of her eyes. ¡°Well, it might be a little funny, but it¡¯s also appropriate. I think, whatever he is, he¡¯s precious to me, and I¡¯ll treat him right.¡± Silence fell between them before Ling Qi clapped her hands. ¡°So, what are we going to do today? I said I wanted to work on my movement art, but what do you want to do? And where is Cui anyway?¡±


    ¡°Cui is currently doing some growing,¡± Bai Meizhen said vaguely. ¡°I have assured her safety, but she requires some time alone. I believe I would be best served to practice my control. It is difficult to train it without a proper opponent.¡±


    ¡°Your control of what?¡± Ling Qi asked curiously. ¡°Did you learn a new technique?¡±


    ¡°I am not yet so far as to cultivate any techniques with it,¡± Meizhen replied negatively, even as she gestured and a blade appeared in her hand. It was a thick curved blade that glistened with a mirror sheen and faded to a deep toxic green at the edge. Oddly, it had no handguard and the hilt did not seem quite large enough for a blade as long as it was. ¡°My aunt was kind enough to gift me with my first flying sword. The attunement process was easy enough given its origin, but I have not yet mastered controlling it in tandem with my other arts.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked. She wasn¡¯t completely ignorant any more so she knew what a flying sword was. At the third realm and higher, a cultivator could control specially prepared and tuned weapons and talismans that could effectively fight autonomously from them.


    ¡°What did you mean about the origin?¡± Ling Qi asked curiously, taking a step closer to examine the blade; there was a pretty potent qi suffusing it. ¡°Your aunt must have been pretty proud to send you something so nice, huh?¡± she mused.


    Meizhen¡¯s expression was unreadable. ¡°It is a fine gift, more than I deserve. I am only glad that I have not brought shame to my clan,¡± she said after a moment. ¡°There is a certain satisfaction to having dealt that Sun barbarian a defeat.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there is that,¡± Ling Qi agreed, amused. ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my other question though.¡±


    Her pale friend blinked but then nodded. ¡°My apologies. It is made from a shed scale of her own spirit companion, Cui¡¯s mother.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced back down at the blade, which was nearly a meter long. Just how big was Cui going to grow?


    ¡°Huh. Yeah, I guess that would make it pretty easy to attune. So, I¡¯ll be practicing defense while you work on your offense?¡±


    ¡°That would be our normal dynamic,¡± Bai Meizhen acknowledged, releasing the stunted hilt of the sword as it rose into the air above her shoulder with a slight wobble. ¡°If you would release your mist as well, that would be preferable. I must maintain control even in adverse circumstances.¡± Ling Qi didn¡¯t miss the touch of bitterness in Meizhen¡¯s voice when she said that.


    Ling Qi hid her grimace and didn¡¯t comment on it. ¡°Fair enough. I need to work on keeping all of my techniques up and running at the same time anyway,¡± she said brightly instead.


    ¡°Have you continued refining your willpower?¡± Meizhen asked cooly as her normal weapon appeared in her hand and the two of them began to pace apart to reach a more appropriate dueling range.


    ¡°Well, no,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°I haven¡¯t really had time.¡±


    ¡°Then I shall endeavor to make up for lost time,¡± Meizhen replied simply. ¡°Let us begin.¡±


    Being on the other end of Meizhen¡¯s attacks was terrifying, as expected. With the ¡®hood¡¯ and mantle of water shadowing her face, leaving only her glowing golden eyes visible as Meizhen struck unceasingly with whispering, hissing strands of metal that cut through the air at impossible angles, the pale girl was like some phantom out of a horror story. Of course, Ling Qi had her own tricks, being little more than a flickering, flute playing shadow surrounded by immaterial phantoms in the mist.


    It seemed like her friend was working on a more offensive style while using her new flying sword, unlike the reactive, counter build she had used in previous fights. Frankly, it was only the awkwardness of Meizhen¡¯s control of her flying sword and the way that it distracted from her other motions that let Ling Qi keep up as well as she did.


    Still, despite the moment to moment terror of fighting the serpentine girl and the pain of the many superficial cuts she received when ¡®tagged¡¯ in the spar, it was nice to return to normality. She was also glad to get back into the practice of trying to resist attempts to disperse her mist. Such techniques were becoming more and more common among the enemies she fought.


    The next few days continued in the same vein. Ling Qi spent the evenings and nights cultivating toward the third phase of Eight Phase Ceremony and the days steadily clearing the ever more difficult meridians that would allow her to channel greater and more diverse flows of qi without interfering in her other techniques. Her only interruption, other than daily sessions training with Meizhen, were her efforts to care for Zhengui, hunting for cores or simply playing with the growing and impatient little xuanwu.


    His initial voraciousness hadn¡¯t faded, but Zhengui was beginning to show interest in other things, curiously exploring her favored cultivation spots. His guileless curiosity nearly gave her a heart attack at times though, like when he had poked his heads into the argent vent itself and nearly tipped into the seemingly bottomless crack from which the mist issued. Ling Qi had lunged to grab him by his snake half, gaining her a faceful of soot from the distressed serpent as she hauled Zhengui back out. It was the first time she found herself genuinely scolding him.


    Her anger, alarm, and worry elicited genuine contrition from the little snake-tortoise though, and he had spent the rest of the morning either curled up in her lap or periodically bringing her shiny rocks and on one occasion, a still wiggling field mouse, chirping apologetically all the while. It was just too much. Ling Qi couldn¡¯t really stay angry at him, despite the fright he had given her.


    Other than a few minor scares though, her schedule quickly gained the comfort of repetition. It wasn¡¯t to last.


    On the fourth day of her twenty-fifth week at the Sect, Ling Qi found her cultivation interrupted. She had just finished opening the second of her meridians and had been carefully working through the post-opening ¡®cleanup¡¯ to ensure that the channel didn¡¯t close again when she felt something strange in the air, a wisp of qi she didn¡¯t recognize and too controlled to be a beast or a spirit.


    Ling Qi swiftly rose to her feet, startling Zhengui, who had been resting in her lap. He let out a simultaneous displeased hiss and a surprised chirp as she dematerialized him.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Ling Qi demanded, scanning the trees and straining her senses. There it was again, muted and distorted, hidden among the thick woods that cloaked the entrance to the vent.


    All was silent for a long moment, and Ling Qi felt the urge to activate her gown and flee over the cliffside, but no, this was her spot, together with her friends. She wouldn¡¯t abandon it so easily. Her flute appeared in her hand, even as a knife fell into the other.


    ¡°Last warning! Reveal yourself or I attack.¡± Ling Qi had a pretty good pinpoint on where the distortion was now, even if she couldn¡¯t precisely see anything.


    ¡°Tch. Should have known that guy would sell me junk,¡± a deep but feminine voice grumbled. ¡°Or maybe I¡¯m just bad at this sneaking stuff?¡± The air rippled, revealing the speaker.


    Ling Qi¡¯s first impression of the other girl was that she was tall. It had been years since Ling Qi had to look up to meet the eyes of a girl in her age group. The second was that the other girl was big in a way that Ling Qi wasn¡¯t. Ling Qi was pretty sure the dark skinned girl¡¯s biceps were as thick as her own thighs.


    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± the muscular girl said with a hint of apology in her tone, tearing the remains of a paper tag of some sort from the front of the iron plate strapped across her chest. The iron plate was the only covering on the girl¡¯s upper body aside from the padded jerkin underneath, leaving the girl¡¯s arms and midriff scandalously bare. The lower half of the girl¡¯s body was concealed by the underbrush. ¡°Had to make sure you didn¡¯t pull a runner. You¡¯re pretty fast by all accounts.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question,¡± Ling Qi said coldly. There remained a good twenty meter distance between them, but it wasn¡¯t enough to allow her to leave if the other girl didn¡¯t want her to, especially since she could feel that the muscular girl was fully in the third realm.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± the girl admitted. ¡°My name is Chu Song. I suppose I caused you a bit of trouble since I told that demon¡¯s thugs to shove it when they came around for lil¡¯ bro Rong.¡± Chu Song said it casually, as if it were a small concern.


    Ling Qi studied the other girl, fingering the flute in her hand as Zhengui broadcasted worry and alarm into her mind. Chu Song felt like a storm-wreathed mountain to her qi senses, tempestuous and violent with an utterly immovable core.


    ¡°I suppose it caused some problems for Lady Cai,¡± she acknowledged warily, straining her senses to sense out any other presences. She could feel two on the path she used to leave the vent, but they weren¡¯t close. ¡°What do you want then? Revenge for the trouble?¡±


    ¡°Nah. I just promised that bloody princess that I¡¯d keep you out of the ruckus she¡¯s raising.¡± As Chu Song strode forward out of the underbrush, Ling Qi backed up, keeping an even distance. The other girl wore a pair of dark grey, baggy pants tucked into knee-high armored boots. ¡°I didn¡¯t mind doing her a favor since I wanted a chat with you anyway.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced to the side, her heartbeat picking up. Sun Liling was back? She had known the princess wouldn¡¯t stay away forever, but there hadn¡¯t been any warning at all! She needed to get out of here. If Meizhen was caught up in this, she needed to back her friend up.


    ¡°I will stop you if you try to leave I gave my word and all,¡± Chu Song drawled easily. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t worry so much. That princess is only after that Cai demon at the moment. Miss Bai¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t reassuring,¡± Ling Qi snapped as she glared at the taller girl. The hem of her gown kicked up in a phantom wind.¡°We are kind of her allies if you can¡¯t tell.¡±


    ¡°Are you now?¡± Chu Song asked dangerously, the snap of electricity from the air around her matching Ling Qi¡¯s own rising wind. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have figured you were actually loyal to that demon. If so, that¡¯s my mistake. I suppose we can duel if you really want to play the loyal dog.¡±


    ¡°And get jumped by your friends on the path below while we fight?¡± Ling Qi asked acidly. ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound as honorable as all that.¡±


    ¡°You do have pretty sharp senses, don¡¯t you?¡± Chu Song asked rhetorically with a sharp grin. ¡°But no, if you want to fight it out, we¡¯ll do it fair and square. On my word.¡± She emphasized her statement by thumping a fist against her armored breastplate. ¡°They¡¯ll only involve themselves if you try to run. I¡¯ll even leave out my spirit since yours isn¡¯t exactly combat-ready.¡±


    Ling Qi scowled. She hated being in situations like this, where she was missing so many facts. She didn¡¯t even know if the other girl was telling the truth about Sun Liling, although she seemed sincere about fighting ¡®fairly¡¯ if it came down to it.

 Chapter 89-Resurgence 2

    ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± Ling Qi said bluntly, relaxing her stance fractionally. She wouldn¡¯t bolt immediately because something was off here. She wanted to check up on her friends, particularly Meizhen and Xiulan, but she wouldn¡¯t help anyone by being reckless. ¡°This whole scenario makes no sense. If you didn¡¯t want me to interfere, why approach close enough to be sensed at all? If you¡¯ve been keeping an eye on me, you must know that I would have been cultivating for at least another hour.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± the taller girl asked in a not particularly convincing tone. ¡°Well, I screwed up then, didn¡¯t I?¡± She idly toyed with the bone clasp at the bottom of one of her braids. ¡°I guess I should have been more thorough in my scouting.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned at her. ¡°If you¡¯re going to treat me like I¡¯m an idiot, we don¡¯t have anything to talk about. How did you know about this place anyway? If you did something to Su Ling or Li Suyin¡­¡± She trailed off, staring the other girl down. She wasn¡¯t sure what she would do, but she would make the other girl regret it.


    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty good expression you have there,¡± Chu Song said lightly. ¡°But nah, it¡¯s not that hard to figure out, if you already know where the vents are. Not much other reason to come to this part of the mountain.¡±


    Right. Older disciples lost access to trial sites and other things meant for first years.


    ¡°So, why then? Why alert me when I would have missed all this on my own?¡±


    ¡°Who says it¡¯s started already? Or that it isn¡¯t already over?¡± Chu Song asked absently, leaning back against the trunk of a tree. Apparently, she was satisfied that Ling Qi wouldn¡¯t be running off immediately. ¡°That would be awful convenient, wouldn¡¯t it? If you detected me right as things were kicking off?¡±


    Ling Qi crossed her arms, slipping her knife back into storage. Her flute remained in hand though. She hadn¡¯t managed to detect anyone else yet, and the other two were maintaining position.


    ¡°So what¡¯s the point then?¡± She may be jumping to a conclusion, but she had no doubt that things would be kicking off soon, if they hadn¡¯t already started.


    ¡°I guess it''d be rude to keep deflecting you, huh?¡± Chu Song laughed. ¡°Fine. I want you to stop supporting that Cai. It¡¯d be pretty great if you could persuade MIss Bai or your other friends to do the same,¡± she continued, spreading her arms. ¡°That blunt enough for you?¡±


    ¡°I kind of doubt Bai Meizhen would be interested in siding with Sun Liling,¡± Ling Qi said dryly. ¡°That¡¯s kind of a non starter, isn¡¯t it?" She maintained her stance, even as she picked up another presence. A passing spirit beast in the woods? No, the movement was too regular.


    ¡°Nah, you¡¯re not getting it.¡± Chu Song waved her hand irritably. ¡°Don¡¯t be so conceited, Junior Sister. Those two might be strong, but the rest of us aren¡¯t exactly useless, even if you and your friend have been knocking around the pinheads of my year. There are a couple others worth noting that are still interested in advancing - or at least not rolling over for Cai.¡±


    ¡°Still not hearing much in the way of benefit there honestly,¡± Ling Qi said dubiously. The ridge on her right was the best route for escape in her opinion. If she activated her gown¡¯s flight and her movement art, she could rush to the top and run from there, using flight to glide down when she had a chance. ¡°You might say that, but abandoning Cai Renxiang might as well be supporting Sun Liling. The rest of you never interfered before.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t convince the others to care when it was just the first years squabbling,¡± Chu Song replied, furrowing her brows. ¡°Now Cai¡¯s messing with them too. I don¡¯t believe it¡¯s a coincidence that right after that slimy little sneak Fu Xiang joined up with her, Hei Boqin and Wen Ai started acting like we should just let her do what she wants.¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t so much as twitch at the mention of Wen Ai. It looked like her little escapade was already having effects.


    ¡°Fine. So what are you trying to say - that you¡¯ll offer protection instead of Cai Renxiang then? I don¡¯t even know you. All I hear is a way to let Sun Liling rampage as she likes.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t exactly like the princess either,¡± Chu Song said sourly. ¡°It may be the little dumbass¡¯s own fault for listening, but the fact remains that she¡¯s stringing my lil¡¯ bro Rong along. Cai¡¯s the bigger threat though. What she¡¯s trying to build¡­ It¡¯s against the spirit of the Sect. I just want you and the rest of your friends to distance your ties. Stop working for the damn demon like she¡¯s your liege lord. Be allied if you want, but don¡¯t obey her and let her grow out of control.¡±


    Ling Qi studied the taller girl¡¯s expression carefully. It seemed that she was at least a little short-tempered. Ling Qi would have to be a little cautious in her responses.


    ¡°We already do that,¡± Ling Qi began. ¡°It¡¯s not like we swore or-¡±


    Ling Qi tensed, her flute nearly rising to her lips as a thunderous splintering interrupted her words. She watched warily as the tree to the muscular girl¡¯s right fell backwards, crashing into branches and underbrush, the portion of the trunk that Chu Song had struck pulverized to splinters.


    ¡°You are, whether you admit it or not,¡± Chu Song said lowly. ¡°You¡¯re wearing that gown and that band, backing up her thugs with your presence. You go along with her goon squad to suppress others and take sites. You were ready to rush off and help her fight Sun Liling. Don¡¯t tell me you weren¡¯t - before your good sense kicked in,¡± she accused. ¡°At least talk to that Bai friend of yours. Someone like her shouldn¡¯t be subordinate to someone else. The same for that Han guy. Any other year and they¡¯d both be the heads of their own groups. The last thing the Sect needs is to go the way of the province.¡±


    ¡°... This isn¡¯t about Cai Renxiang, is it?¡± Ling Qi guessed shrewdly as she backed up a step, carefully avoiding any indication that she was going to flee. ¡°Not really.¡±


    Chu Song blew out a calming breath before meeting Ling Qi¡¯s eyes once again. ¡°A demon spawn is still a demon,¡± she said bluntly. ¡°It¡¯s pretty damn clear that she¡¯s following the same path as her mother, even if she doesn¡¯t have the power to do as she wants yet. No other dukes of Emerald Seas have ruled the way the Cai do. It¡¯s not right.¡± Chu Song¡¯s words were full of absolute conviction.


    Ling Qi was silent as she mulled over Chu Song¡¯s words. ¡°Say I believe you. I still don¡¯t want Sun Liling running rampant. Bai Meizhen is my friend, and in the end, that makes that girl my enemy. Why should I just let her plan go off without a hitch?¡±


    Chu Song held her gaze before shrugging her broad shoulders. ¡°The girl isn¡¯t stupid. Maybe impulsive - but not stupid. She¡¯s not gonna rampage. What do you do when your allies are routed and scattered?¡±


    Ling Qi blinked at the question. ¡°You regroup and recover.¡±


    ¡°Right. And if you know that, do you think a girl raised on the Butcher¡¯s knee doesn¡¯t?¡± Chu Song laughed. ¡°She¡¯s busting out Kang Zihao and rallying people. At this point, it¡¯s all about bloodying the demon¡¯s nose and proving that she¡¯s not invincible. I might not like the princess, but she¡¯s just staking out her independence, not trying to conquer the Sect. So for now, we¡¯re allies,¡± she said with satisfaction. ¡°And that¡¯s how it should be. No disciple has the right to try and play Elder, just like no lord has the right to play Emperor.¡±


    Ling Qi could see the other girl¡¯s point, but she wasn¡¯t certain she agreed with it. Even if she did, she wasn¡¯t sure she would care to oppose Cai Renxiang regardless, not when she was the one benefiting from the girl¡¯s ¡®misdeeds¡¯. In the end, did she really care to allow a threat to herself and her friends build itself back up in the name of some nebulous power balance? Was allowing Cai her absolute authority a bad thing if Ling Qi and her friends were positioned to be advantaged by it?


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard you, but I hope you aren¡¯t expecting a decision right now. I won¡¯t just go off on my own. What happens now?¡±


    ¡°Well, now we wait¡­¡± Chu Song began, only to twitch as an odd ripple passed through the air, followed by a sensation like a net being torn. Ling Qi¡¯s eyes widened as she felt three familiar sensations. Bai Meizhen, Li Suyin, and Su Ling¡¯s qi all blazed at the edge of her senses, approaching rapidly from the forest side of the vent.


    ¡°Never mind then,¡± Chu Song said sourly. ¡°Let me turn the question back around on you. What now?¡± she asked while spreading her hands wide. ¡°I gave my word. So are we going to fight or will you ask your friends to stand down?¡±


    "I don''t like being threatened," Ling Qi said quietly. "And whatever you say, that is what you were doing."


    "That''s fair," the tall girl agreed, her irritation seeming to fade, replaced by excitement. "I guess I won''t blame you if you want to sock me in the jaw a couple times."


    Ling Qi frowned. Her position had just gotten more advantageous, but it was hardly weighted entirely in her favor either. Chu Song¡¯s allies were approaching in a hurry. Cui was still out of commission while Chu Song presumably had a spirit beast, and the two below probably had at least one between them too, if the presence she had felt earlier in the woods was any indication. However, now that they were getting closer, she could tell that Chu Song¡¯s allies were only second realms. But Su Ling and Li Suyin also were not exactly the most combat-capable friends she had either.


    Ling Qi¡¯s grasp on her flute tightened as she met Chu Song¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t my choice alone, is it?¡± she responded, even as she prepared herself for the fight to come in contradiction to her words. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be fair for me to drag Bai Meizhen into a fight without her knowledge.¡± She strongly doubted that Meizhen would respond to this in any other way, but every second she bought talking was one more that she wouldn¡¯t spend fighting alone.


    Given the brief frown that crossed the taller girl¡¯s face, Chu Song also knew that, but she couldn¡¯t really attack without losing face given her previous words. For some, that might not matter with the lack of witnesses, but Chu Song seemed to actually care about that kind of thing to an extent. It didn¡¯t stop a weapon, a great slab of iron and inlaid jade longer than she was tall, from appearing in her hand.


    ¡°I guess we¡¯ll see then,¡± the girl said lightly as she heaved the weapon onto her shoulder and leapt away from the treeline, putting her back to the ridge.


    Ling Qi kept a wary eye on Chu Song and backed up herself, putting the distance between them at thirty or so meters as the qi signatures of both her friends and Chu Song¡¯s allies rapidly approached.


    For whatever reason, the two groups arrived at nearly the same moment. A dark blur from the treeline resolved itself into the form of Meizhen, who wore a severe expression and an already churning mantle of black water around her shoulders. She seemed to slightly relax at the sight of Ling Qi standing unharmed, but her golden eyes narrowed when they fell on Chu Song.


    Su Ling and Li Suyin arrived next, lingering at the treeline. Li Suyin was a bit paler than she remembered and still wore the clothing of a Medicine Hall assistant, including a thick leather apron stained with strange colors and what looked to be blood. She glanced between Ling Qi and Chu Song, looking alarmed but determined.


    Su Ling, on the other hand, looked outright disheveled, her clothing out of place and her hair tangled and messy. She had dark circles under her eyes, but the most noticeable change in her friend was the second black furred tail swishing through the air behind her. Strangely, it looked pretty ragged, missing chunks of fur and matted with dried blood. Had Su Ling gotten into a fight before this?


    Now that they were close enough, she could feel that Su Ling had broken through to the second realm. Li Suyin remained at the peak of the first realm in physique, but surprisingly, she had risen to the middle of the second in spirit.


    Chu Song¡¯s companions arrived a moment later, blurring to her side and resolving into a girl and a boy of similar age and visage, lightly armored but armed with large weapons. The boy held a heavy war axe in his hands as he glanced to Chu Song for instruction, and the girl interposed herself between the two groups, a guandao clutched in both hands and held in a guard position. The two of them were in the late stages of the second realm in physique, but the girl was only at the middle stage in spirit.


    ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± Meizhen asked, a dangerous edge to her voice, made more threatening by the metallic hiss of the rustling metal ribbons of the blade in her hand. Her gaze shifted briefly to Ling Qi, an obvious question in her eyes.


    ¡°I am fine,¡± she reassured her friend, gladdened by the girl¡¯s concern. Even if things were rough between them right now, it seemed that Meizhen still had her back when it counted. ¡°But,¡± she continued, giving the group opposite them a scowl, ¡°while she was pleasant about it, the fact remains that Miss Chu decided she was going to keep me temporarily confined here. It seems Sun is making trouble again, and she wants Lady Cai weakened.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Bai Meizhen replied icily as the grass at her feet withered and died. Her other friends gave each other a worried glance even as they circled closer. Li Suyin was grasping something tightly in her hand, an off white jade orb five or six centimeters across. "That would explain the violence occurring below," she added clinically.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound worse than it is,¡± Chu Song said, even as the girl standing in front of her visibly swallowed, sweat beading her brow under the force of Meizhen¡¯s aura and gaze. ¡°We just had a little chat about the state of the Sect,¡± she continued, not quailing at all under the pale girl¡¯s gaze. ¡°I admit, I did give my word that I would do everything I reasonably could to stop her from leaving for the next two hours though.¡±


    ¡°And do you wish to stay here that long, Ling Qi?¡± Bai Meizhen asked, not taking her eyes off of Chu Song¡¯s.


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t like being threatened and letting Sun Liling run around unchecked seems like a good way to get our house wrecked again, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Ling Qi said flippantly. She was still nervous though, and Zhengui¡¯s confusion and alarm scratching at the back of her thoughts didn¡¯t help matters. She glanced to Su Ling and Li Suyin for approval as well.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t come here expecting a tea party,¡± Su Ling said flatly, answering the unasked question as she fell in behind and to the right of Ling Qi.


    ¡°Neither did I,¡± Li Suyin added quietly, taking up the opposite position to the left. ¡°I owe you too much for that.¡±


    ¡°Song¡­¡± The dark haired boy beside Chu Song glanced at the taller girl questioningly.


    Chu Song just laughed though. ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s that. Let¡¯s exchange some pointers then.¡±


    Chaos came next, a flurry of motion from both sides that could hardly be tracked by the mortal eye. Ling Qi was growing acclimated to such speed, and the fast pace of cultivator combat was no longer quite so overwhelming. Yet for the first time, she found herself outsped as Chu Song let out a roar of a battlecry and swung the massive greatsword on her shoulder in a wide arc, the huge slab of metal passing inches over the head of her own ally.


    A wall of wind slammed into them, and Ling Qi nearly stumbled, the gale yanking violently at her clothes but the sharper gusts only slashed uselessly at the reinforced silk of her Cai-gifted robe. Meizhen stood strong and unmoved, her long white hair fanning out in a curtain behind her. Ling Qi heard Su Ling grunt in pain and Li Suyin cry out as she was pushed back, but she had no time to look to them as her watering eyes caught a silver flash in the dust kicked up by the wind. Meizhen suddenly dodged to the side as a thin, narrow blade clove through the air, only to go spinning off with an odd clang as the mantle of black water about her shoulders slapped it aside with a whitecapped lash.


    Chu had a flying sword as well it seemed, Ling Qi thought as she raised her flute to her lips, options running through her head. With the cultivation disadvantage most of her group faced, she would be best suited to support others in this fight so she needed to raise her mist, quickly followed by triggering her new defensive arts. She began to play the first haunting notes of the Forgotten Vale, and mist billowed from every hole and seam in her flute, already darkening with the claws and fangs of hungry phantoms.


    Yet that did not deter their enemies. The boy¡¯s qi flared as he leaped forward, launching himself at Ling Qi, war axe shrouded in crackling lighting. She rolled to the side, avoiding him, only for her eyes to widen in alarm as a deep, bellowing roar shook the battlefield and what could only be Chu¡¯s spirit appeared, already barreling toward her.


    It was a huge, third grade bear with fur the color of burnished steel, nearly twice her height at the shoulder, and it was only her quick reaction that allowed her to become as shadow and flit over its charge, forced into an awkward flip that used the beast¡¯s own back as a springboard. Her fingers came away bloody from the bear¡¯s metallic fur.


    Another glance as she landed took in the battlefield. The girl with the guando had locked herself into combat with Meizhen. Sweat and shivering showing the effect of Meizhen¡¯s aura on her, and the ground around them had depressed, dead grass crushed and ground cratered inward. Through her awareness of the mist, Ling Qi could feel the unnatural sense of ¡®weight¡¯ in a meters wide dome around them.


    Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Su Ling¡¯s lips draw back in a sharp-toothed snarl as she drew her blade across the palm of her other hand and felt the expanding qi as Su Ling flicked her wounded hand, scattering droplets of blood in an unnaturally wide arc. Bright colors, music, and a feeling of lethargy brushed the edge of her senses like the memory of a dream while brightly burning foxfire flared to life over the girl¡¯s shoulder.


    In the midst of her clash with Meizhen¡¯s whipping blades, the guandao-wielding girl stumbled, and that was all Meizhen needed. Ribbons of metal lashed out, whipping through the girl¡¯s lowered guard to rip bloody lines across her shoulder and chest, shredding her gown and leaving cruel gashes that wept blood. Even as the girl tried to recover, a much larger arc of silver flashed out, escaping the weighted dome and forcing Chu Song to dodge the arc of Meizhen¡¯s own flying sword.


    Ling Qi heard a sound like breaking glass and an enraged roar erupted from Chu¡¯s spirit beast. Li Suyin had flung the sphere in her hand at the ground in front of the charging behemoth, and it had exploded violently, leaving the beast shrouded and bogged down with something Ling Qi recognized all too well, a truly massive amount of sticky spider silk made all the worse by the dozens of hand sized black furred spiders swarming out of it to harass and bite the beast, seemingly uncaring of its sharp-edged fur. The bear reared up, shaking itself violently as it swatted and snapped at the growing carpet of arachnid aggressors assaulting it.


    Her focus was quickly forced to return to her own opponent though as the axe-wielding boy came back around for another attack. Ling Qi barely had time to stamp her foot and let her qi pulse outward, granting her friends the strength of her Deepwood Vitality technique. It was a good thing she did because the ground where Meizhen stood exploded violently as Chu Song¡¯s blade came down, splitting the earth in twain and buffeting Meizhen with sharp wind, the veil of emerald qi Ling Qi had thrown up over her allies flared, absorbing the force of the blow.


    It proved a good choice for herself as well. When she skipped backwards out of the reach of the axe, she was buffeted by a deafening blast of sound that left her ears ringing and hit her in the chest like a giant¡¯s fist. The temporary vitality she had created for herself took the worst of it, but she could still feel a massive bruise forming.


    The boy failed to follow up though as his eyes grew unfocused, and the red eyed phantoms that stalked her mist punished him, clawing and biting at his limbs. He quickly shook himself like a dog throwing off water, but it gave her time to gain distance. More importantly, it distracted him long enough for Li Suyin¡¯s exploding needles to pepper him like a chain of firecrackers, further obscuring his vision and throwing him off-balance.


    A quick glance back showed that both Su Ling and Li Suyin had distanced themselves from the enraged bear. Surprisingly, Li Suyin had scrambled straight up the sheer ridge behind them, seemingly without trouble as a faint glow of qi on her hands and feet apparently let her cling easily to the rock face without handholds. She must have climbed pretty quickly too given that she was eight or nine meters up the cliff face already.


    As Ling Qi regained her poise however, Su Ling let out a cry of surprise and pain as she threw herself out of the way of a new combatant, trailing blood from the claws that had scored across her back. The beast, a second grade mountain lion with fur that shimmered and shifted, blurring with the terrain around it, landed where Su Ling had just stood, already turning and preparing to lunge again.


    Ling Qi found herself with a difficult choice, made worse by the fact that Chu Song¡¯s spirit beast was breaking free of the webbing and spiders that clung to it. In the end, she chose to target the beast attacking her friend, renewing the dark qi flowing in her channels as she wove through and avoided the increasingly frustrated bullets of sound and air launched by the axe-wielding boy trying desperately to keep up with her circuitous movements and not lose track of her in the mist.


    Her melody took on the slower cadence of her Elegy, and the mountain lion shuddered, qi bleeding from channels and dissipating into the mist. Her technique soaked into its channels, locking the beast¡¯s limbs in place, and it froze long enough for Su Ling to scramble away.


    A wail echoed from the center of the area as Meizhen broke through the unsteady guandao-wielding girl¡¯s defenses entirely to grasp her bloodied and wounded shoulder. The girl spasmed as tendrils of toxin darkened her flesh, but for all that she collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, the distraction cost Meizhen.


    Chu Song¡¯s wordless roar was underscored by a thunderous boom as her massive blade shattered Meizhen¡¯s mantle into scattered droplets and sent her skidding several meters toward the cliff. A spreading bloodstain on her side indicated where the greatsword had struck her.


    Chu Song was hardly unscathed either. She was marked by several smaller cuts from Meizhen¡¯s flying sword, and Chu¡¯s flying sword lay broken in the grass near the treeline.


    A blast and a cry of pain distracted her from that matchup. The flicking foxfire that had been building on the axe-wielding boy had exploded violently, leaving him smoking and unsteady but still standing.


    Ling Qi¡¯s attention was pulled away as the sound of a violent rockslide reached her, along with a scream that she recognized as Li Suyin¡¯s. Chu Song¡¯s spirit had finally broken free, crushing most of the spiders that had swarmed it and responded to the provocation by slamming its front paws into the side of the ridge, shattering rock and bringing the cliff face tumbling down along with Li Suyin. Ling Qi¡¯s heart thundered in her ears as she saw the girl swatted out of the air by a paw half the size of her body, smashing her to the ground to roll bonelessly to a stop several meters away. Suyin did not rise.


    She felt it then, a ripple of angry qi rising from Chu Song that attempted to blast away her mist and its effects, but with an effort of will, she resisted it. She cast a vicious look toward the muscular girl and responded with her Diapason of the Lost technique. Her qi shackled Chu Song¡¯s senses, leaving the girl too disoriented to dodge as Meizhen¡¯s bladed ribbons coiled around her leg and tore, shredding the leg of her pants and leaving her thigh dripping blood.


    Ling Qi paid for her split focus though. Even with a reactivation of her Crescent¡¯s Grace, she was too slow to avoid the lightning that struck her from out of the blue, throwing her to the side. Her gown, tough as it was, absorbed the worst of the electrical punishment, but she could still smell burnt hair and her own scorched flesh as she rolled to her feet. Her only consolation was that the boy was flagging, his qi guttering low. That attack had cost him, even if it had also left her muscles and nerves twitching and slow. Was this how the targets of her Falling Stars Art felt?


    Despite that, she still turned away, and she did not fail to notice the way his expression twisted even further into a scowl as she did. Su Ling had the steadily weakening mountain lion in hand for the moment. The bear was the real threat. Ling Qi ignored him in favor of darting away into the mist to distract the bear throwing its head back and forth in the mist, searching for a new target. She resolutely refused to allow the sight of Li Suyin lying still in the grass, her arm twisted unnaturally, to distract her. She had to stop the monster before she could help her friend. It was as simple as that.


    The next few moments passed in a blur as she dodged the weakening bursts of thunder from the boy she ignored and drew the bear away from her other friends and activated Ten Ring Defense technique, draining her qi, but strengthening her flesh with the vitality an ancient tree. She needled the bear with targeted songs and danced in and out of view to incite it to charge at her. She paid for the distraction, but once again, her new Cai-commissioned gown and Thousand Ring Fortress art proved invaluable, absorbing force from every blow that grazed her as she layered further weakness on the beast with her Forgotten Vale Melody techniques. Blinded by mist, harassed by dozens of shadowy phantoms, and with its channels flood with chilly, draining qi, the beast quickly began to struggle.


    Finally, the fight came to an end. Chu Song fell to one knee, her breastplate broken, exposing the padded jacket beneath. Tendrils of toxin darkened the veins in her arms and nearly black blood leaked sluggishly from the cuts left by Meizhen¡¯s ribbon blades. The mountain lion slumped to the ground marked by cuts from Su Ling¡¯s blade as the girl clutched her right arm and gasped for breath. The boy who had chased her around glared into the mist, searching but unable to find Ling Qi again, his qi spent. Only the bear was still somewhat combat-capable, bleeding from a few minor wounds, but it was also wrapped in mist and slowly losing qi.


    ¡°Yan, stand down.¡± Chu Song¡¯s voice rang out over the battlefield, and the bear paused, letting out a rumbled growl. "Guess I shoulda brought a couple more people," she said with a self-deprecating chuckle.


    ¡°You surrender then?¡± Meizhen asked coldly. If she felt any pain from the blossoms of red that stained her white gown, she showed no sign of it.


    ¡°I do,¡± the larger girl said grudgingly from her position on her knee. ¡°This just proves my point though. Someone like you shouldn¡¯t be subordinate to that Cai.¡±


    Ling Qi shot Chu Song a dirty look, but she was less interested in what the girl had to say than in checking on Li Suyin. She didn¡¯t stop playin, but as she approached Li Suyin, the girl stirred weakly on the ground, opening her eye to give Ling Qi a strained but reassuring smile. Suyin was healing herself, subtly and slowly, and Ling Qi could see that she was making good progress despite the blood that stained her lips. Suyin was already breathing easily again.


    ¡°I am free to offer my assistance as I wish,¡± Bai Meizhen said imperiously. ¡°Cai Renxiang has been an honest and upstanding ally.¡± Ling Qi glanced up as she crouched down next to Li Suyin and Su Ling limped over to join them. That was weird. Why was Meizhen referring to the heiress by name instead of title like everyone else?


    Chu Song merely grimaced and spat blood on the ground. ¡°Tch. As the loser, I have no right to gainsay you.¡± It was clear she was unhappy with Bai Meizhen¡¯s words though.


    Her serpentine friend turned her gaze away, although her flying sword hovered ominously at Chu¡¯s back. ¡°Ling Qi, this was your fight. What do you wish to do?¡±

 Chapter 90-Resurgence 3

    ¡°We each get something for our victory,¡± Ling Qi decided, casting a glance at Meizhen and Chu Song as she and Su Ling helped Li Suyin stand. Her friend¡¯s arm was still twisted badly, and Ling Qi could see a massive bruise forming across her side through the rips in her gown. Su Ling was less badly off, being in a similar condition to Ling Qi save that she lacked the benefit of clothing that repaired itself.


    Ling Qi could feel the deep ache that she had come to learn meant that she probably had at least a slight crack in her ribs, but it felt distant compared to how such a wound had felt as a mortal. ¡°Are you alright, Li Suyin?¡± she asked, looking at her most wounded friend.


    ¡°I will be fine,¡± the one-eyed girl responded with a wince as her broken arm shifted. She leaned more heavily onto Su Ling¡¯s shoulder. ¡°C-can we finish this please?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Ling Qi shared a look with Su Ling as she stepped away. ¡°Why don¡¯t I grab your tokens for you? Do you have a preference?¡±


    Chu Song let out a snort of laughter, even as the boy clenched his fists where he kneeled by the unconscious girl. Ling Qi eyed him carefully, but while she still wasn¡¯t the best at reading people, he mostly just seemed frustrated and irritated. It didn¡¯t look like any of their enemies was showing genuine resentment.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take a storage talisman if they have one,¡± Su Ling replied, eyeing the massive bear sitting on its haunches to their right.


    ¡°Anything is fine,¡± Li Suyin said, biting her lip as she ran her free hand over her broken limb, fingers aglow with quickly guttering qi. Ling Qi did her best to ignore the grinding noise of bones being pulled back into alignment. It looked like her friend had picked up some real pain tolerance.


    She looked to Meizhen, but the pale girl simply looked back impassively before glancing at Chu Song. ¡°I have little need for such things, but the clasp in your hair will do. That is what allowed you to resist my poison, did it not?¡±


    Ling Qi tuned out Chu Song¡¯s response as she approached the boy and the downed girl, who breathed erratically, expression twisted with pain even in unconsciousness. The red lines crawling out from her shoulder wound were fading at least.


    ¡°I request that you take your spoils from me and not from Luli.¡± The boy spoke up as she approached, looking her in the eyes unwaveringly.


    ¡°... Sure,¡± Ling Qi agreed, glancing over the girl. Besides, none of the girl¡¯s talismans she could see looked to be something she would intend to keep. The guandao lying off to the girl¡¯s side was tempting, but a quick look revealed it to be an earth-aligned talisman. She was probably going to take something from Chu Song then. ¡°Do you have a storage ring?¡± she asked brusquely.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the boy replied shortly.


    Ling Qi watched him carefully, ready to respond should he try something as he slowly raised his hand and tapped his finger against the dull grey ring there. A small number of spirit stones, beast cores, and other miscellaneous goods poured out. He placed the newly emptied ring in her hand with only a slight grimace.


    Ling Qi¡¯s eye caught on something in the pile of goods then, a gleaming dagger with a slightly wavy blade. It was a wood talisman that would be good for Li Suyin; the girl could use a holdout weapon for when she got forced into melee, and if she didn¡¯t want the talisman, it looked like it would at least sell well in the Sect market. She crouched down and took that too, giving the boy a simple nod before walking toward Bai Meizhen and Chu Song.


    ¡°Looking to get a piece of me yourself, huh?¡± the muscular girl asked as she approached.


    ¡°No more than I deserve for the trouble,¡± Ling Qi said mildly, nodding to Bai Meizhen, who was studying the jade braid clasp in her hand curiously. She gave the girl¡¯s ragged outward appearance a look over, studying the possible talismans. ¡°I¡¯ll take the armband,¡± she decided. The armband might be useful, and like Suyin¡¯s token, it did at least look valuable.


    ¡°If you return to this vent, Chu Song, you will not be let off so lightly,¡± Meizhen said quietly. ¡°Do not invade our space again.¡±


    ¡°Gotcha.¡± The taller girl sighed irritably, brushing her now partially loose hair out of her eyes. ¡°Bei, help Luli up. Yan, back to me,¡± she commanded as she stood. The spirit beasts on the field dissolved, returning to their binders, and the boy finished gathering his things then picked up Luli in his arms. Chu Song slowly stood up as well and took a step back, careful not to appear threatening. Ling Qi caught recognition in Chu Song¡¯s eyes as they flicked briefly toward Li Suyin and the spider silk on the ground, then away. ¡°Any objections to me being on my way?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re done here, yeah,¡± Ling Qi replied bluntly. Meizhen gestured for Chu Song to go and so they did. It irked Ling Qi a little to let potential enemies just walk away with their heads mostly held high, but that was the way things were, she supposed.


    ¡°How did you know I was in trouble anyway?¡± Ling Qi asked Meizhen as she moved to hand over Su Ling and Li Suyin¡¯s prizes.


    ¡°I was informed by your companions that you were under attack,¡± Bai Meizhen replied, vanishing her own prize with a flick of her wrist. Ling Qi noticed a brief pause in her friend¡¯s statement before the word ¡®companions¡¯ left her lips; she had a feeling that Meizhen had been about to call them ¡®subordinates¡¯. Still, she followed Bai Meizhen¡¯s gaze and gave her other two friends a questioning look.


    ¡°I was¡­ experimenting,¡± Su Ling grunted in response, not quite meeting Ling Qi¡¯s eye as she took the dimensional ring from her. ¡°I picked up a new trick, but it¡¯s hard to work. I can sorta get a feel for things that are happening in the near future. It¡¯s spotty and hard to control though.¡±


    ¡°Divination is not an uncommon skill among more potent fox spirits,¡± Meizhen mused, giving the ragged girl an assessing look. ¡°Interesting.¡±


    Su Ling bared her sharp teeth in response, but she crossed her arms and remained silent. The motion drew Ling Qi¡¯s eyes to Su Ling¡¯s hands, which she now noticed were covered in small burns and cuts. There was a moment of awkward silence before Li Suyin coughed into her good hand, having tucked the dagger under the sash of her gown.


    ¡°Ah¡­ I am glad this turned out well and that you are safe, Ling Qi, but perhaps we should go? I suspect I will be needed at the Medicine Hall soon, and it seems like there are many other troubles brewing.¡±


    ¡°Right, we should get going,¡± she agreed distractedly, drawing a pair of qi-restoring pills from her ring with a flick and popping the restoratives in her mouth.


    As the pills dissolved on her tongue, an alarming thought crossed her mind. Han Jian and Han Fang were both absent from the mountain as far as she knew or at least in closed cultivation of some kind. Which meant¡­


    ¡°Shit,¡± she cursed, drawing a surprised look from her friends as they approached the cliff. ¡°I need to check on Gu Xiulan. If there¡¯s widespread trouble, there¡¯s no way the people we¡¯ve beaten are going to leave her be.¡±


    Meizhen frowned. ¡°Have you and that girl truly sown so many grudges?¡± she asked, pausing at the cliff edge. ¡°If this is part of that barbaric girl¡¯s plot, I think it wiser to coordinate our efforts with Cai Renxiang to limit the damage.¡±


    Ling Qi looked away, glancing to her other friends. The two of them looked pretty drained, even with Li Suyin having reduced the worst of her wounds to a manageable level.


    ¡°Maybe. But I don¡¯t want to leave a friend at the mercy of enemies,¡± she replied, not quite meeting Li Suyin¡¯s eye. ¡°Gu Xiulan¡¯s own allies are absent. I can¡¯t help but think that that isn¡¯t a coincidence.¡±


    Meizhen pursed her lips but nodded after a moment. ¡°A fair point. If this is meant to damage and fragment resistance, then it is well-timed. It is likely that the barbarian has been free for at least a few days, laying low and plotting. It seems she no longer regards simple and open assaults as viable.¡± Ling Qi saw a brief flicker of discomfort on Meizhen¡¯s expression as the girl looked away. ¡°... Yet I would still prefer that we go to Cai Renxiang¡¯s aid.¡±


    ¡°We can split up to cover more ground,¡± Ling Qi proposed lightly. ¡°I can be pretty hard to catch when I try.¡± Ling Qi ignored the unpleasant spike of irrational temper at her friend choosing to aid someone else over her. It was a terribly selfish thing to think, and Meizhen had already helped her a lot today. She still didn¡¯t like it.


    ¡°How about we all get to the market first?¡± Su Ling spoke up carefully. ¡°It¡¯s best to stay together until we get our wounds tended at least, right? Then Suyin and I can lay low, and you can both do your thing.¡±


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t delay too much regardless, especially if trouble is happening as we speak,¡± Li Suyin added quietly, glancing between Ling Qi and Bai Meizhen with a worried look.


    She was right, so they got underway, going as quickly as could be managed without splitting up. Between her salve and Li Suyin¡¯s help, Ling Qi felt much better by the time she split from her friends with a grateful thanks to seek out Xiulan.


    However, despite Su Ling giving her a vague directive to search around the base of the mountain, her search did not go smoothly with all the chaos. More than once she passed ongoing duels and other less fair fights, often between members of Cai¡¯s enforcers and other disciples but also between white armband wearing disciples. Ling Qi couldn''t quite bring herself to ignore the fights. While she refused to become embroiled in combat, there was no reason she couldn''t sink an arrow into the lower back or leg of those ganging up on singular enforcers.


    Despite her speed though, the base of the mountain was a large area, and it took some time before she received a hint of her friend¡¯s location on the word of a girl she had helped. Apparently, Xiulan had been challenged to a series of duels before the chaos had broken out.


    Ling Qi soon found further evidence in the form of a rather damaged battlefield and a groaning boy who was likely to be spending the next few months regrowing his hair and eyebrows. He needed a few rough shakes to regain consciousness, but given his depleted qi and the fact that he had apparently already been thoroughly looted, she was rather confident that he wouldn¡¯t try anything, particularly with her knee on his chest and a knife hovering just above his eye. It would be a shame if he struggled too much and made her slip after all. That excuse had worked fine for the one who assaulted Suyin.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± she said harshly as the boy stirred, becoming alert. Looking closer, she vaguely recognized him as one of the older disciples she and Xiulan had beaten, furthering her suspicion. ¡°I know you were fighting Gu Xiulan,¡± she bluffed. ¡°So tell me what you and your friends were up to and where they are.¡±


    To his credit, the boy didn¡¯t fold immediately. ¡°I do not need to tell you anything. You cannot do a thing to me under Sect rules,¡± he responded scornfully, glaring at her past the knife in his face.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be too sure about that,¡± Ling Qi said coldly. The enforcer¡¯s recitation on what had happened with Xiulan with first one challenger, followed by another after another, wearing her down until the enforcers had been drawn away, dampened any sense of fair play she might have had. ¡°At the very least, I can strip you down to your small clothes and make sure the rest of your year is miserable. Lady Cai supports her allies, you know? And she doesn¡¯t approve of rebels.¡± Ling Qi didn¡¯t hesitate to make use of the girl¡¯s name as a threat, whatever she might think of her. ¡°Of course, I can make you pretty miserable myself now. Talk, or my hand might slip. I¡¯m just a clumsy peasant after all.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare,¡± he hissed, seeming slightly less sure. ¡°My family would¡­¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t do a thing,¡± she bluffed again. He was only just into the late second stage of his physique with his spirit lagging, and he was at least a year or two older. ¡°Not for a crap talent like you,¡± she said bluntly. ¡°Are you an idiot? Gu Xiulan has a sister nearly in the Core Sect, and I¡¯m friends with the heir to the province and a scion of the Bai. That¡¯s not even mentioning the Han family. Look me in the eye and tell me you think I wouldn¡¯t get away with it.¡±


    She was playing by ear, but it sounded good to her, and going by the sweat on the boy¡¯s brow, he was beginning to believe it himself. If she were a better person, she supposed she might feel bad, but right now, her friend was in danger.


    ¡°It was Brother Renshu¡¯s idea!¡± the boy exclaimed as her knife traced the skin just under his eye. ¡°He-he said that¡­ that there was a plan to get back at the first years and that we could take care of the Gu girl and he would make sure no one interfered! It was only meant to be a humiliation,¡± he responded defensively. ¡°But after she defeated three of us in a row, Brother Renshu¡¯s associates attacked everyone, Lady Cai¡¯s subordinates, us, and her as well. I don¡¯t know any more than that! Her and that boy with her ran off to the east.¡± He carefully pointed out one of the several trails where it looked like a fight had exited the clearing.


    Ling Qi scowled at him but didn¡¯t detect any duplicity. ¡°If I find out you lied, I will do everything I can to make your life miserable,¡± she warned, pricking his skin with the tip of her knife. She didn¡¯t bother waiting for a reply before rushing off in a blur of shadow, vanishing into the shade cast by the trees overhead.

 Chapter 91-Resurgence 4

    The trail of destruction was thankfully easy enough to follow; Xiulan was hardly subtle. The still smoldering trees and torn up turf told the tale of a running battle, but she didn¡¯t have the time to decipher the details.


    Ling Qi quickly became aware that danger still remained with loose groups of qi signatures hunting through the woods. She was able to avoid them with a bit of effort, but she had to wonder why they hadn¡¯t simply followed the obvious trail she was using to guide her. It stunk of a trap of some kind, but she could feel Xiulan¡¯s qi in the fires that still burned along the path, so she couldn''t turn away.


    The route eventually lead her to a cleft in a high cliff stained with soot and ash within which she could feel Xiulan¡¯s qi. None of the other qi sources were nearby, but something still seemed not quite right.


    After a moment, she figured out what was wrong. Amid the battle damage to the trees surrounding the clearing, there were inconsistencies, and after squinting at the closest, she saw what it was. Simple, well hidden formation characters were carved roughly into tree bark.


    They were the simplest of things, no more than an alarm set to alert the caster if a significant amount of qi left the encircled area. They were hastily set up, but that very sloppiness was a defense, leaving it on a hair trigger. She was unsure if she could disable them without setting it off because any damage at all would trigger them.


    She was confident in her ability to slip past the ring unnoticed, but Gu Xiulan would have more trouble. And if Fan Yu was with her, the chances became near zero unless he had been secretly training his ability to sneak around.


    First and foremost though, she needed to confirm if they were alright. Ling Qi quietly approached the cleft and allowed her control of her own qi to slip as she called out to her friend. ¡°Gu Xiulan? Are you here? It¡¯s me, Ling Qi. I followed your trail.¡±


    The clearing was silent for a long moment as Ling Qi stood in the open so she could be easily seen. Eventually, she heard Gu Xiulan call out from inside the crevice. ¡°And how am I to know if you are not some figment of the cowardly trash that has been hounding me, hmm?¡± Xiulan asked haughtily, despite the fatigue in her voice. Her voice was strained and tense. As Ling Qi couldn¡¯t see her, she must have been hiding behind a twist further in.


    Ling Qi pondered her answer. ¡°Gu Xiulan, just a few weeks ago, you confided in me that you were worried that our outings to the sweet shops between duels had added to your¡­¡±


    ¡°Do not just say things like that aloud!¡± Her friend¡¯s voice cut her off, sounding exasperated. She could now see the girl scowling at her, having poked her head out from around the corner she had been hiding behind.


    ¡°Would you rather I say something actually private?¡± Ling Qi said dryly. ¡°Gu Xiulan, are you alright?¡±


    The girl peered at her suspiciously before stepping out, looking rather ragged. Her hair was askew, and her hands were stained with soot. She also walked with a slight limp and had an ugly bruise beneath her right eye.


    ¡°Well enough, considering,¡± Xiulan replied, crossing her arms as she peered warily into the woods. ¡°How did you know where to look for me?¡±


    ¡°Su Ling gave me a place to start. She¡¯s working on a new art,¡± Ling Qi answered easily. ¡°From there, I just had to follow the fires.¡±


    ¡°Hah,¡± Xiulan said dryly to her jibe, even as her expression twisted in distaste. ¡°I suppose that m¡­¡± She paused, glancing at Ling Qi. ¡°I will owe her thanks then. I do not suppose you have anyone else with you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Ling Qi shook her head. ¡°Sun Liling is raising the hells again, so only I could come,¡± she added, not letting bitterness reach her voice. ¡°Is Fan Yu with you? Or one of the others? The one I interrogated mentioned you were with a boy.¡±


    ¡°That idiot fiance of mine took one too many blows to the head throwing himself in front of attacks for me,¡± Xiulan sneered, but her heart didn¡¯t seem to be in the insult. ¡°As if I could not dodge myself,¡± she grumbled. ¡°He was knocked out for a time, but he is conscious now, if weak from some effect from one of the blows he took.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. Fan Yu was an ass, but she wasn''t going to just leave him behind. He was still Xiulan¡¯s fiance and Han Jian¡¯s friend. ¡°Do you know what the people attacking you are doing?¡±


    ¡°No. It is as if they are merely trying to cage me here,¡± Xiulan said angrily, smoke curling from her hair. ¡°... As if I am meant to be bait,¡± she added darkly, glaring at the woods. ¡°Worse, I have fought off two cowardly little probing attacks. I cannot even meditate and recover.¡±


    Ling Qi plucked nervously at the trailing edge of her mantle, glancing at the treeline herself. Had Sun Liling created a secondary distraction for her, or was this meant to divert Han Jian and Han Fang if they returned?


    ¡°We need to get out of here. If we can link up with more of Cai¡¯s people, we can get back to everyone else and face this together.¡± Ling Qi was dubious of her own words. It would be dangerous and she didn¡¯t even know if more than a handful of Cai¡¯s minions would still be standing on their return. There were at least eight or nine people in the woods around them, none below late second realm.


    ¡°Going deeper into enemy-controlled territory may be rash,¡± Xiulan pointed out, proving just how tired she was in her advocation for caution. ¡°... I had intended to meet my sister in town today to discuss some things,¡± Xiulan offered reluctantly. ¡°If we can reach the base of the mountain, I can signal her.¡±


    ¡°I thought Inner Disciples couldn¡¯t interfere in the affairs of Outer Disciples?¡± Ling Qi asked. It would mean covering less distance if they could depend on Xiulan¡¯s sister, but it would take them out of the fight between Cai Renxiang and Sun Liling¡¯s faction.


    ¡°They are not allowed on the Outer Sect mountain without permission, but if a foolish Outer Disciple attempts to accost one while they have guests¡­¡± Xiulan explained, still looking sour. It seemed like she didn¡¯t like the idea of relying on her elder sister.


    ¡°There is no need to trouble your sister,¡± Ling Qi answered firmly after a few moment¡¯s thought. ¡°I have a plan. Is Fan Yu able to move?¡± she asked. ¡°It¡¯s only a matter of time before someone notices my presence.¡±


    ¡°He is, but his qi is depleted,¡± Gu Xiulan replied, eyeing her curiously. ¡°Nor is it safe for either of us to take further restoratives,¡± she added regretfully.


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t matter for my plan,¡± Ling Qi said, drawing a pair of metal cards from her ring. I t was time to finally put the spoils taken back in Elder Zhou''s test to use again. ¡°I can store copies of my movement technique in these for you to use, and I can cloak our movements. Once we are out, we can join with the rest of Cai¡¯s people.¡±

 Chapter 92-Resurgence 5

    ¡°Very well. I hope you know what you are doing, Ling Qi.¡± Gu Xiulan turned on her heel, heading back into the crevice. Ling Qi, for her part, turned to keep an eye on her surroundings, even as she pulled her new talisman from her ring into her hand, rolling up her sleeve to put the thing on. Thankfully, Chu Song¡¯s armband shrunk to fit her much thinner arm. Her ribbon soon took its place in the ring. Now that she had the time to consider it, her ribbon was no longer very useful. Between her flute and her gown, her dark-aspected arts were already mostly reduced to requiring a mere trickle of qi.


    When her friend emerged once again, this time with her fiance, Ling Qi studied the shorter boy. He looked pale, and his forehead was bandaged and stained with blood, and he had a few other marks of battle on his body. Much like Xiulan, he walked with a slight limp. Had their opponents been deliberately aiming for the legs? She supposed it was a possibility.


    ¡°Fan Yu,¡± she greeted curtly, tossing him one of the cards. ¡°We don¡¯t have much time to waste. Can you run?¡±


    ¡°Of course I can,¡± Fan Yu replied with a scowl, snatching the card out of the air. He glanced to the woods and his expression soured further. ¡°Are you certain of this? They may be cowardly scum, but there are many of them.¡± He stopped himself from saying more at a look from Xiulan. She didn¡¯t miss the way his face tightened when he looked at her.


    Not that it surprised her. Their mutual dislike had never faded, but the boy¡¯s loathing had become more self-directed in the past months of minor interaction. Fan Yu wasn¡¯t delusional enough to continue acting as if Ling Qi was nothing.


    ¡°It¡¯s our best chance, unless you want to sit here and get worn down one attack at a time,¡± she said simply, then tossed another of her qi cards to Xiulan. ¡°Gu Xiulan, I need you to be my voice since I won¡¯t be able to stop playing once I start. When we come up on any of Lady Cai¡¯s people, make sure they know to join us. It¡¯ll be a little while until we have enough people to deter attack.¡±


    Xiulan flicked her partially undone hair out of her eyes. ¡°Look at you. I never thought I would see the day when you took charge,¡± she sniffed, eyeing the card in her hands. ¡°But very well. I am eager for vengeance. Let us be on our way.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded and summoned her flute to hand, raising the sleek instrument to her lips as her companions tensed. One of the groups was swinging toward them, so they needed to move now. Ling Qi sent thoughts of comfort to her still confused and fearful spirit then began to play quietly, calling on her mist to surround and dampen their qi. It might allow them to be followed, but it should make more distant tracking and precise attacks more difficult.


    As soon as the mist shrouded them, she felt Gu Xiulan and Fan Yu activating their qi cards, and they began to run. Ling Qi felt the ¡®line¡¯ formed by the alarm with her qi sense, and brushed past it nigh effortlessly, her long practice at reducing her presence and the dampening properties of her gown allowing her to practically ignore the shoddy formation. Her companions¡¯ passage was less easy. Gu Xiulan passed by it well enough, but Fan Yu¡¯s passage, even with the assistance of the qi card¡¯s Formless Shade technique, made the alarm line thrum and strain like a rotten beam taking too much weight. To his credit, she felt him clamp down on his qi, if only for a moment, allowing him to pass without setting it off.


    Then they were off with her holding back her speed just enough to not leave the two of them behind. She felt a slight ripple in her companions¡¯ qi and glanced back to see Fan Yu with medicinal vapor drifting from his palm as if he had just crushed something. Whatever it was, it smoothed out his gait and made his legs pump faster, preventing him from falling behind Xiulan.


    Ling Qi ran, the landscape little more than a blur around her, swerving around the trees and leading her companions away from the disciples manning the perimeter around the crevice. For all their efforts though, it seemed that their escape would not go unnoticed for long. By the time the effects of her qi cards were guttering out on her companions, she heard a crackling burst of thunder and glanced back to see a bright light in the sky. Some kind of flare perhaps?


    They didn¡¯t need any encouragement to speed up, and shortly thereafter, they ran across the first of Cai¡¯s enforcers, a boy leaning against a tree and breathing hard over an unconscious foe. His eyes widened when he saw the mist barreling down on him, but Xiulan¡¯s shouted command to follow was enough to get him moving. Ling Qi¡¯s control of the mist wavered as she tried to include the boy while the mist was up, something she hadn¡¯t done before. In the heat of the moment, a spark of inspiration struck her, and the adjustment of a few notes in the next chord was enough to successfully insulate him from the mist¡¯s effects.


    The next enforcer they came upon took a bit more effort because the girl¡¯s foe was still standing. A jump and adjustment of her trajectory brought Ling Qi¡¯s boots down on the back of the rebel¡¯s head, slamming his face into the ground and ending the fight.


    She left actual command of the two early second realms to Xiulan, focusing on their path ahead. Ling Qi did not forget that she had seen apparent enforcers fighting each other, but she decided to avoid those types of fights. Ling Qi had no way of determining loyalty at this point, nor the time to try.


    They had just managed to free up a third enforcer when Ling Qi felt the rapid approach of a pair of pursuers behind them. Despite that, she kept moving, focusing on her own task as she kept an ear out for Xiulan¡¯s snapped commands to the others. The first person to approach her mist was met with fire and cutting wind, and the twin arrow shots that came back in reply failed to strike anything in her obscuring mist.


    The enemies were deflected, and they ran on. Ling Qi knew they didn¡¯t have long to gather others, but they were heading toward the main road leading to the central plaza. She would have to hope there would be sufficient numbers there, but at the same time, she would have to exercise her discretion about who to include in her mist. It cost qi to include new allies, and Ling Qi still needed to keep up a decent qi reserve for when they were forced to fight.


    They clashed twice more with their pursuers, even as they gathered another pair of allies. One enemy fell, an ugly burn seared across his torso by Xiulan, while one of theirs fell to an arrow and had to be carried. Each time, the pursuers came with greater numbers but the clashes seemed more like an effort to harry and divert them rather than an actual attempt to engage them. But the senior Outer Disciples chasing them were coordinated and with nothing but winded and worn down allies, Ling Qi herself did not want a standing battle.


    This was why Ling Qimade the decision to bull through rather than pause when they approached the plaza. Even as she kept the mist going, she channeled qi outward, reinforcing her allies with Deepwood Vitality and brought them crashing through the four enemies in their path. Ling Qi filled her mist with clawing, hungry constructs and lead her ragged band through, focusing on passing the enemies by and confusing their senses.


    Thankfully, Xiulan seemed to know her mind well enough to give the actual instruction, and they made it through, closing in on the plaza. Ling Qi had intended to join up with Cai¡¯s main forces, but with their steps being dogged as they were by their pursuers and how worn out her allies were, she wasn¡¯t sure that they would be able to reach Cai¡¯s forces.


    It was only reinforced when Xiulan spoke up in a wary voice from beside her. ¡°They will not be able to keep this up.¡± The girl¡¯s voice was harsh, tinged with weariness. Xiulan was obviously using some strange technique; her hair was aflame, and smaller embers licked along her limbs. Her face was pale too, and Ling Qi noticed a slight gauntness to her cheeks that had not been there when they began this run.


    Worse, she could feel that their enemies had finally grouped back up, minus the one Xiulan had injured earlier. They would either need to try for the safety of the lecture hall, as it was Sect property where violence was forbidden, or take their chances with a fight. Ling Qi kept running even as she deliberated, all too aware of the enemies rapidly catching up with them.


    An odd whistling combined with a wordless roar came from above. Her gaze snapped skyward as powerful qi entered the range of her senses. Then a terrible impact hit the ground behind them, knocking aside trees and shaking the earth under their feet.


    From the cloud of dust kicked up by the impact, a single massive hand lashed out. The hand was large enough to close entirely around the head of the closest of their enemies, a whip thin boy with a sword. The boy barely had time to let out a muffled cry of alarm before the hand gripping his head tore him from the ground and slammed him bodily into a still standing tree with a splintering crack.


    Overhead, a star blazed in the afternoon sky, casting a shadow over the steel-clad giant emerging from the dust. Cai Renxiang, clad in a scandalously short gown, floated above on wings of light. To Ling Qi¡¯s eye, the heiress was not as immaculate as she first appeared. Small cuts and scrapes marked her bare arms.


    ¡°To think so many would defy my lady¡¯s order,¡± Gan Guangli rumbled, his voice echoing oddly through the grill in the horned, full face helm he now wore. ¡°I have crushed so many rebels today, and yet more of you still stand! Fools and scum! I will break each and every one of you!¡± His voice rose to its normal high volume, amplified by his three meter height as he stood and faced the seven enemies that had been chasing them.


    ¡°There is no need for rashness, Guangli. Fools they may be, but it is our duty to see them civilized,¡± Cai Renxiang called down, floating lower, her dark saber standing out amidst her glow. ¡°You have harassed my allies, and wounded my soldiers, and brought chaos to the Sect! Yet your rebellion is crushed. The Sun Princess was driven away, and still we stand!¡± she barked as Ling Qi continued to put distance between her own group of exhausted allies and the increasingly cohesive group of foes.


    The run had been a blur, but she knew the enemies had at least one person like her; she had felt her effects dispelled once or twice and their enemies bolstered.


    ¡°I am not unmerciful. Sheath your blades and leave this place now, and this foolishness will be forgiven,¡± Cai Renxiang announced. Ling Qi shot the heiress a wary look. Was she bluffing or genuinely being merciful? ¡°Stay and continue to defy me, and not only will you be crushed, but you will be given no courtesy in defeat.¡±


    ¡°How scary.¡± A voice rang out from amidst the trees. ¡°I came down to see why my boys were having trouble with a few little birds, and it turns out we¡¯ve caught a hawk in the net.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked as she felt a change in her qi senses, a new oily and unclean signature among the seven enemies that still stood. She eyed the trees, but no one emerged. Glancing back at her own group, she nodded to Xiulan, and the girl hurriedly sent their more exhausted allies on, running out of the mist with their wounded. It left just her, Xiulan, Fan Yu, and one other boy, who held a thin metal staff in his hands. He had shown himself to be pretty proficient in deflecting enemy attacks in their run.


    ¡°Yan Renshu,¡± Cai said cooly, her hair fluttering on the phantom wind that surrounded her. ¡°Do you expect me to believe you truly crawled out of your hole for this? Do not be foolish. Stand your men down. This is over.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Cocky, as expected,¡± the voice grumbled. ¡°I wonder if you and that lummox could really stand up to us though. Do you expect me to believe you came out of your other fights unscathed?¡±


    ¡°I alone am a match for a creeping worm like you!¡± Gan Guangli shouted, the sound of his gauntlet-clad fist clashing on his breastplate echoing through the woods.


    ¡°And even then, do you expect that we are alone? The remainder of my allies will return shortly,¡± Cai Renxiang called back. ¡°Do not think so highly of your rabble.¡± Ling Qi caught her glancing down at the mist and did not miss the way the heiress subtly gestured for her to continue their retreat.


    ¡°That¡¯s a bluff,¡± the voice scoffed. ¡°I know your type. You¡¯ll have the rest putting out the other fires while you come and deal with this one. Noble of you, maybe, but pretty foolish all the same.¡±


    Ling Qi scowled at the woods; she hadn¡¯t gotten a good read on their opponents in the rush. There were at least two archers and the supporter she had sensed, as well as a couple of melee types, but they all seemed speed focused. Sensible for raiders. She also knew next to nothing about this Renshu fellow, except that he was certainly getting put on her list.


    She genuinely didn¡¯t know if Cai Renxiang and Gan Guangli could handle all of them; the heiress showed signs of being wounded already, and she had a feeling Gan Guangli would loudly bluster even an inch from death.


    She did not have much attachment to the girl¡¯s government really, but she couldn¡¯t help but remember Bai Meizhen¡¯s words earlier and the familiar way she spoke of the other girl. Ling Qi was growing aware that her support could be a powerful way to tilt fights, but her friend was badly worn out, and there was no way Gu Xiulan would retreat if she didn''t...

 Chapter 93-Resurgence 6

    Ling Qi cast a glance up at Cai Renxiang, who despite her minor injuries showed not the slightest hint of lacking confidence. No, in this case, the heiress had indicated that she should continue retreating, and that meant Cai Renxiang had something in mind. She did not want to interfere with it out of some misplaced and pointless courage.


    She caught Gu Xiulan¡¯s eye and jerked her head in the direction of the plaza and the lecture hall, playing all the while. They needed to get moving. Her friend hesitated only a moment before nodding.


    ¡°Keep moving!¡± she said harshly, causing the two remaining boys to jerk slightly as she caught their attention, drawing it away from the confrontation. ¡°There is no reason to intercede here. It will only trouble the Lady.¡± Ling Qi didn¡¯t miss the way Xiulan¡¯s gloved fist clenched when she said that, but it was an issue they could discuss when they were safe.


    Ling Qi cast one more glance at the floating heiress before turning on her heel and dashing away, heading for the hall. In that last glance, she had glimpsed a tiny blade held discreetly in Cai Renxiang¡¯s left hand. Despite the oddity, she did not look back again. It didn¡¯t concern her.


    They ran across the flagstones of the plaza, now scorched and broken in several places but mostly clear of disciples. None of the remaining disciples tried to stop the speeding cloud of roiling mist. Ahead, Ling Qi could see four battered looking disciples wearing Cai¡¯s mark standing guard over the main path, and the last of the wounded she had brought in were being helped into the lecture hall.


    Then the sky bloomed with radiance behind them. She would have called it a second sun, but even on the hottest day she could remember, the sun¡¯s light had never been so harsh. It was no color and every color all at once, somehow utterly heatless even as it washed out all color from her sight and screaming winds ripped across the plaza, tearing at her mist and bowling over more than one surprised disciple too close to the far side where they had come from. Leaves and peach blossoms rained down on the plaza, torn from the decorative gardens.


    Glancing back, she saw that every tree in the copse of trees they had emerged from was stripped of its leaves and half of its branches, the bark bleached a stark white. Gan Guangli was still standing in the epicenter of the blast, seemingly unharmed. Though his armor itself gleamed with colorless light, Cai still outshone him, a blazing spotlight overseeing the broken trees where their pursuers had stood.


    Yet their enemies were not beaten. A noxious looking purple mist exploded violently from the broken and bleached trees, writhing like a thing alive as it consumed Gan Guangli, and at least three shadows blurred out to assault him.


    They were nearly to the lecture hall, Ling Qi found herself noting. No further foes lay ahead, and allies were close by. She was not entirely without tricks even at this distance. Her music cut out as her flute dematerialized, replaced with a sleek horn bow. As her friend and remaining allies sped out of her now stationary mist, she drew back the string, time seeming to slow as heaven qi surged through her channels, sparks crackling along her hands and arms.


    Her new armband burned hot as her qi reached it, flooding her tired limbs with energy, and Ling Qi fired. The first shot struck one of the darting shadows around Gan Guangli dead on in a blinding flash, but the second sailed through out of her sight in the mist, dodged by the target. The third and the fourth exploded in displays of brilliance, and she thought she caught the distant sound of a cry of pain. Ling Qi didn¡¯t stick around and dashed through the gates of the lecture hall.


    Gu Xiulan stood just inside, flanked by Fan Yu and the other boy. ¡°You just couldn¡¯t help yourself,¡± she drawled, casting a wary eye at the battle in the distance.


    ¡°I did have a clear shot,¡± Ling Qi pointed out. ¡°It would have been a waste not to.¡±


    Gu Xiulan let out an irritable sound but didn¡¯t question her further. ¡°Well, is there a plan as to what we do now?¡± she asked, turning to question the heavy-set boy who stood at the doorway wearing one of Cai¡¯s bands.


    ¡°Lady Cai has rented the use of a lecture room as a place of recovery,¡± the boy said with a slightly stiff bow. Ling Qi could see that he was injured himself. ¡°The others you sent have already gone ahead.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned. She didn¡¯t like the idea of just sitting out the rest of the fights, but she was on the verge of qi depletion and she really needed to let Zhengui out and comfort him. His alarm was sharp in her mind.


    ¡°Ah, Miss Ling?¡± She blinked and glanced at their fourth, the early second realm who had stayed behind with them while the injured had been sent ahead. She felt like she had seen him before. Maybe he had been in Elder Zhou¡¯s lessons? ¡°Thank you for your efforts,¡± he continued at her questioning look, hastily bowing his head and clasping his hands together in front of him. ¡°But may I go ahead? My¡­ There is someone among the wounded I would like to check on.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked again. Why was he even asking ¡­ She scratched her cheek. She supposed she had kind of taken charge. ¡°That¡¯s fine. You can go ahead ...¡± She didn¡¯t know his name.


    ¡°Wei Hai,¡± he said easily, seemingly unperturbed. ¡°If you require anything in the future, please feel free to ask.¡± He bowed again and then turned away, hurrying down the hall.


    Ling Qi shook her head and turned back to Xiulan, who was annoyedly having a murmured conversation with a browbeaten Fan Yu. She left them to it. Instead, she turned to ask the boy guarding the door. ¡°Do you know where Bai Meizhen is? How she is doing?¡±


    The boy shifted nervously under her stare. ¡°... Miss Bai was overseeing the organization of the forces in the residential areas alongside Sir Xuan,¡± he explained. ¡°She was in good health.¡±


    Ling Qi let out a breath at that. She nodded her thanks to the boy and turned to head inside. Gu Xiulan caught her eye and fell in beside her with Fan Yu trailing behind, his head down.


    They rested for a time after that and soon, it seemed that the battle had come to an end.


    ¡°Victory is ours!¡± Gan Guangli¡¯s booming voice echoed through the classroom as the young man entered, his shoulders stooped to avoid having his head scrape the ceiling. He was still shrinking down toward his normal height.


    ¡°It was hard fought and well earned.¡± Cai Renxiang¡¯s voice was certainly lower in volume yet still managed to carry just as well. The girl stepped in after Gan Guangli. Her gown had returned to its normal decent state, and the marks where Ling Qi had seen blood staining the white fabric were nowhere to be seen. Only the rippling shimmer of the crimson fabric splayed across her chest belied the gown¡¯s true nature.


    Ling Qi reluctantly joined the ragged cheer that came from the gathered crowd. She was still concerned for Meizhen and her other friends, but she wasn¡¯t going to interrupt Cai in the middle of her victory speech.


    ¡°Between your own efforts, our battles, and the support of our allies, Miss Bai, Sir Xuan, Sir Han, and Sir Huang, the malcontents have been driven back into their holes. The peace of White Cloud Mountain and the order of the Outer Sect which you all have fought hard to support will not fall this day,¡± the heiress continued with a touch of pride in her voice. It was hard not to be infected by it. Still, the girl had been wounded; it bothered her that Cai Renxiang showed no sign of it.


    ¡°In addition,¡± Cai Renxiang continued, and Ling Qi was surprised to find herself the direct recipient of her gaze. ¡°Allow me to finally dispel the rumors regarding Miss Ling in relation to the attacks on female disciples. I had hesitated to make accusations without more solid proof, but today has made it clear that the matter was an early plot by the villain Yan Renshu to undermine us and sow distrust. I will be most displeased if such rumors continue to be spread about an upstanding member of my council.¡±


    Ling Qi boggled. She hadn¡¯t even really known rumors were still flying around. She really needed to pay more attention to her peers, didn¡¯t she? Awkwardly, she bowed, hoping she was getting the posture correct. ¡°Thank you very much, Lady Cai,¡± she hurried out.


    The girl gave her a sharp nod then turned her attention back to the group as a whole. ¡°The spoils of our victory, taken from the defeated, are still being counted. I ask that you be patient, and by the morrow, you will have your rewards for this your battle. For now, return to your homes and rest.¡±


    Ling Qi had to wonder just how complete their victory really was, whatever Cai Renxiang might say. The mountain was huge, and there were many disciples. Cai¡¯s forces might control the main areas, but...


    The others began to file out after another ragged cheer, but Ling Qi hung back, drifting through the crowd over to where Gan Guangli stood. ¡°Thank you for your help back there,¡± Ling Qi said.


    He let out a booming laugh, drawing a few glances but little more. It was funny how much being loud and boisterous could lead to people ignoring him. ¡°Think nothing of it, Miss Ling. Your own efforts were very valiant as well!¡±


    ¡°I would hardly say that,¡± Ling Qi demurred. ¡°I did want to ask though, is there anything I should watch out for on my way home? And do you know where Bai Meizhen is?¡±


    ¡°Miss Bai is very well to my knowledge,¡± he replied more quietly. ¡°Your home is safe, but I believe Miss Bai may have a few matters to speak with you about.¡± She got his meaning, as he had gotten hers. Cultivators had sharp ears; it was best to discuss such things in privacy.


    The residential area was a mess, if one that was being rapidly cleaned up. The mansion Sun Liling had claimed during the first half of the year seemed to have borne the worst damage, being little more than a smoldering, broken wreck. The rest of the damage was more superficial. Her home had a few broken windows and some holes in the roof and outer wall, but it wasn¡¯t anything that couldn¡¯t be repaired.


    Once she had a chance to finally speak with Meizhen that night, events became more clear. Sun Ling had been driven out of the main part of the Outer Sect, but it might be better to say that she had simply retreated. Xuan Shi, who had been overseeing Kang Zihao¡¯s confinement, had been overwhelmed by the combination of Sun Liling and Ji Rong, and Kang Zihao was broken out. Things had spiralled from there.


    Sun¡¯s subordinate, Lu Feng, had apparently been slinking about gathering dissenters, and they had all risen at once, some from within Cai¡¯s ranks. It had been Cai¡¯s intention to use Fu Xiang to ferret out such turncoats, but there had simply not been enough time to get everything done before this second uprising. The attack had been made worse by the fact that Sun Liling had convinced a healthy fraction of the older disciples to time their own bids at vengeance to coincide with hers.


    Ultimately, Cai still controlled the first year residences and several other key areas, but the balance was tenuous. Sun Liling and her allies were holed up on the mountain somewhere, plotting away, and the confidence of the older disciples had been bolstered by the minor victories they had won across the mountain.


    The battle lines had been drawn.

 Interlude- Cai Renxiang

    In and out. The needle plunged into the meat of her forearm, drawing the weeping edge of the wound closed with a glittering thread of colorless qi. Blood that flickered with phosphorescent light glittered like jewels on the table below.


    Cai Renxiang was silent and still, save for the near mechanical motion of her other hand as she repaired her self-inflicted wound. Mother had carved the lesson into her bones. Perfection was, as always, a prerequisite. Scars and blemishes were unacceptable, and she had not the skill to spin new flesh wholesale as Mother did.


    So she stitched, drawing the torn flesh of the cursed wound together a little more with each precise motion. This was her penance for allowing matters to grow so far out of control. For failing to anticipate the red princess¡¯s plot. For needing a desperation technique at all.


    No that was not right, she supposed. This was the punishment for being insufficiently prepared. That Sun Liling would return and raise chaos had been a foregone conclusion. Her subordinates declared her victory outside now, but she knew better. She had not been defeated, truly, but Sun Liling had bloodied her nose. Although the princess was not fool enough to face her forces again yet directly, this had been a draw at best. Her throne was maintained, yet bandits wandered at the very border. What would Mother think?


    Mother had tasked her at the beginning of the year with uniting the normally chaotic, fractional Outer Sect into a functional psuedo-government with limited resources and connections. It was playacting; something similar to what Mother had been forced to accomplish in her rise to the ducal seat, albeit on a much smaller, inconsequential scale. Failure was¡­


    Cold fingers, harder than diamond, dug into her small shoulders, nearly drawing blood, and she trembled. The terrible, inhuman radiance of Mother¡¯s eyes made her heart seize in her chest. Babbled apologies fell from her lips, but there was no mercy, only the consequences of failure.


    ¡­ unacceptable.


    Cai Renxiang let out a soft breath as she finished her work, laying aside the needle for a delicate pair of scissors as she finished the seam. With Mother¡¯s thread, the wound would be gone by morning, and no mark would remain. The worst was prevented.


    It was immensely frustrating, she mused, as she began to clean and put away her tools. Intrigue was not her strong suit, she knew that. There was very little plotting at Mother¡¯s court because Mother knew. She always knew, and the men and women who installed themselves in her court and bowed and scraped and danced for Mother¡¯s amusement knew that she did. They were mere hand puppets for the county lords, mouthpieces and sycophants who knew little of value.


    The lords had taken the lessons of Mother¡¯s rise well. The Chu had been her first example, their refusal to accept the new order and the curbing of their rights ending in the erasure of all save their youngest generation, whose dantians had been crippled instead.


    This brought her problems now, if Bai Meizhen¡¯s words were true. She had thought the name familiar when Fu Xiang had mentioned her, but only later had she matched it to those Chu, those ragged remnants reduced to common soldiery, left alive as an example to Mother¡¯s other vassals.


    It seemed that would be changing though with this Chu Song; having reached third realm under seventeen years of age, the Chu would be rising to the barony level. Yet another small issue, which, with the others, was quickly becoming a mountain.


    Her base of power, at least, was secure. The son of Xuan was a solid ally, asking little in return for his service. That was a simple matter of trade politics, unlikely to change, although she had caught his eyes lingering on her from time to time. If he bore an attraction, that only tied him all the tighter to her mission.


    The Huang boy was a simple creature, easy to predict and guide. His hated foe lay on the other side of the divide, and that would be enough. She found him distasteful, but she was not in a position to make that known. Yet. If need be, she could promise some small aid to his ailing house. Mother had granted her a limited set of resources to secure such alliances after all.


    Similarly, Bai Meizhen¡¯s familial enmity with Sun Liling would inspire her to take action against the Sun faction.


    The eastern bloc was trickier. The Han boy was more intelligent than his indolent reputation would have indicated, and he had a strong group of supporters.


    Cai Renxiang rose from her seat without swaying, despite the lightheadedness that came from feeding too much blood to her gown spirit, Liming. The rolled-up sleeve of her gown fell down, concealing any sign of her wound.


    Liming stirred, silk brushing across her skin as the eyes on her chest shifted and a susurrus of hungry voices whispered in her thoughts. She crushed the intrusion with the ease of long practice, and her gown stilled.


    She crossed her dimly lit room and placed the teakwood container back on the shelf, taking a moment to ensure its exact placement. Turning on her heel, she extended a hand and her saber rattled briefly before flying to her hand.


    She could not simply sit and think. There was a schedule to keep. She had a meeting with Fu Xiang to review intelligence and plan future operations, she would need to speak words of encouragement to her many lesser supporters as Guangli began training them, and then she would need to focus upon her own cultivation. Her lagging physique galled her.


    She reached the door and cast it open, striding across the symmetrically perfect hall that lead from her chambers to her home¡¯s sitting room. She would have to begin refitting the mansion Sun Liling had abandoned, if she could find a moment and resources for it. She had previously left it alone in the vain hope that the barbarian would settle down after her punishment.


    Bai Meizhen had been right in that. It had been a futile thought to pursue reconciliation, and she resolved to listen more closely to the girl¡¯s advice on the matter in the future.


    Acquiring the goodwill of the Bai daughter was a windfall. She did not know the details of what had occurred to leave the girl so distraught, but she was thankful for it in a way. The distant, distrusting Bai were notoriously difficult to wrangle into alliance. That she could acquire a tentative closeness with one merely with a sympathetic ear and her mid-afternoon tea time was nothing short of heaven-sent providence.


    ... It had nothing to do with Bai Meizhen being a not unpleasant conversation partner to spend her tea time with. The girl was well-educated and politically savvy, even if she lacked the initiative to make use of it. The alliance with Bai Meizhen was useful and would be into the future if maintained. Mother understood that, and so did she.


    A house like the Bai would not stay down for long. Even at their lowest, no one save the Imperial house had dared make any direct moves. Reviled as they might be, power was power, and whatever rumor might say of the Bai¡¯s treatment of their ¡®allies¡¯, her measure of the pale girl said that she would remember her friends well indeed.


    The Bai¡¯s friend, Ling Qi, was also swiftly shaping up to be very valuable. A swiftly rising commoner talent was exactly the sort of thing that Cai Renxiang was looking for, and she had been specially granted permission and authority by her Mother to recruit at the Sect.


    She had Guangli and he was a pillar of her faction, but more support was invaluable. Mother¡¯s limitations on her available resources and connections were likely to continue after her time in the Outer Sect, and Cai, as a relatively newly established house, had no longstanding allies or personal retainer clans to call upon. Mother had raised the Wang and Jia clans to the status of counts through similar sponsorship.


    If the girl¡¯s progress continued, she would consider extending an offer. It would have the benefit of being a minor favor to Bai Meizhen as well, given some of the concerns the Bai had confided with regard to offering vassalship under her own ducal family.


    As Cai Renxiang left her home, plans and schedules and numbers and names all swiftly flowed through her thoughts, assembling the order of her future.

 Chapter 94-Peace 1

    Ling Qi sat atop the roof of her home. Her eyes were closed, but her awareness spread far from her body. She felt the trickling streamers of starlight, dyed silver by the power of the moon, streaming down from the vault of the sky, and as she breathed, she drew them in and wove them carefully into her own qi, circulating and compressing until the stellar energies were indistinguishable from her own. Her dantian pulsed like a heart, growing infinitesimally denser with each cycle.


    All concerns of the previous day faded from her mind as she drank in starlight and continued to work toward mastery of the third phase of her cultivation art, Eight Phase Ceremony. The chaos of the afternoon had the benefit of leaving the night peaceful by necessity, and Ling Qi took advantage.


    As she fell into meditation up on the roof of the home she shared with Meizhen, Ling Qi allowed her concerns to drift away. The little aches of the day of combat and exertion faded next, and soon, there was only the peace of her even, rhythmic breathing and the slow cycling of her depleted qi through her dantian and channels. She exhaled and opened her meridians further, drinking in the faint threads of stellar and lunar qi drifting down from the night sky like a slow and lazy rain.


    Her qi recovered first, and soon, the cool energies flowed outward from her channels, soaking into flesh and bone. Slowly, Ling Qi began to work on the next step, changing the pattern of her breathing as she began to cycle her qi in the complex pattern demanded by the next step, a looping eightfold lattice of energy that flowed from the crown of her head to the tips of her toes.


    This time, the pattern did not break or waver. She cycled her qi again and again, drinking in new energy from the night sky all the while. Eight times eight cycles passed, and when next she breathed, the world was gone.


    Ling Qi found herself sitting atop the water in the center of a shimmering black pool shrouded by mist. The only thing visible to her eyes were seven shining reflections in the water and a single circular void of unlight which somehow stood out even in the darkness. Her thoughts drifted slowly, hazy from deep meditation, but she could recognize this for what it was. It felt similar to peering into the jade slip. This was a construct of her own mind, a translation of concept into image for her to understand.


    Curiously, Ling Qi reached out, fingers brushing the water over the waning crescent that represented the Grinning Moon. Water rippled, and a soft laugh echoed in her thoughts. Motion and cunning, trickery and light-hearted deceit. These were the hallmarks of the Grinning Moon. Images flashed across the water: a boy shadowed by deep purple mist, a room lit by eerie green lanterns, and a book and a slip of jade. Ling Qi withdrew her hand as she felt a tug on her qi. Somehow, she knew that if she held too long, her path would be set.


    She prodded the other images one by one. From the void of the Hidden Moon, the keeper and seeker of secrets, rose the image of a cavern lit by bioluminescent fungus growing over the remains of a strange basalt gate. From the waxing crescent of the Bloody Moon, patron of retribution and blood spilled in the night, came the image of a puppet wearing her face and and the flash of a knife cutting down the dark shadow pulling its strings. The other phases rebuffed her touch, save for the Guiding Moon. The bright full moon representing the guide and protector accepted her touch, giving her an image of a hand carefully drawing out the complex lines of formation characters. The image shifted, and she found herself looking at the staid expression of Xuan Shi.


    It seemed that the time had come to make a choice. She could feel that she would not be able to master the Ceremony further until she chose one of the moon phases and performed the offered task. Yet it did not feel final; she would not be locked to a single path. The moon was change, and she would see herself cultivating under more than one sister¡¯s gaze by the end of the Ceremony.


    Really though, was there any other choice? Ling Qi plunged her hands through the reflection of the waning crescent, and images flooded her mind. Soon, she awoke, staring up at the faint colors of dawn, rising into the sky.


    Much of the next day was spent on Zhengui, hunting down minor cores for him to eat to make up for yesterday¡¯s chaos and soothing his nerves. Her spirit was jumpy and nervous, alarm ringing from his thoughts at every loud noise or sudden motion in the world around them. He clung stubbornly to her shoulder rather than wandering around while she cleaned her kills. He had also taken to breathing out superheated ash at things which surprised him, which was a little dangerous but also amusing when it left him chirping triumphantly over a slain field mouse, only to have his kill stolen by his other head.


    Ling Qi kept a wary eye on her fellow disciples when she saw them. There was a tense atmosphere on the mountain, like a levee on the verge of bursting. It was only a matter of time until skirmishes between the two factions began again.


    However, Cai Renxiang was not idle. Cai had narrowed the scope of her enforcement, and those wearing her armband now traveled in groups of four rather than two. Ling Qi also saw many harsh group training and drilling sessions occurring throughout the areas Cai controlled. Cai Renxiang was pushing her recruits to grow stronger quickly and bolster the enforcer numbers through offers of medicines and training.


    It wasn¡¯t her concern. Ling Qi¡¯s focus lay on preparing to host Xiulan for the night since she had invited the girl over for a little relaxation to unwind from a stressful week. She felt the need even more keenly given how worn out the other girl had appeared the previous day. Ling Qi had never really hosted guests before so her efforts were mostly guesswork, aside from the obvious necessity of gathering a veritable mountain of sweets and other light foods for them to snack on throughout the night. She enjoyed little luxuries like that, and Xiulan had more than a bit of a sweet tooth herself.


    Evening came quickly enough, and Ling Qi busied herself preparing tea as she waited for Xiulan to arrive. She was not left waiting overly long as her friend arrived promptly on time. They traded a bit of small talk as Ling Qi lead her through her home and out to the porch overlooking the internal garden where she had set things up for them. Ling Qi had left Zhengui to his own devices in the sandy portion of the garden with a hefty amount of snacks of his own, and Xiulan released her own spirit to join him in the little enclosure to avoid the flighty spirit growing bored and becoming a distraction. With their spirits¡¯ needs taken care of, the two of them were able to sit down on the thick blanket Ling Qi had laid out and relax under the cool evening sky.


    ¡°So, what have you been working on lately?¡± Ling Qi asked as she leaned back against the wall, a plate of sliced rice cake resting in her hand.


    Gu Xiulan hummed to herself as she popped a spoonful of flavored ice into her mouth. Ling Qi was glad to see the gauntness in the girl¡¯s cheeks hadn¡¯t gotten any worse. She hadn¡¯t missed the eagerness with which her friend had dug into the presented food. ¡°Exercising and improving my body, of course. It does not do to let oneself fall behind,¡± Xiulan declared.


    ¡°That can¡¯t be all,¡± Ling Qi said, savoring a bit of the sweet rice cake before speaking again. ¡°I have been working on further mastering a few of my arts.¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Xiulan replied testily, shooting her an annoyed look. ¡°I continue to master my family¡¯s cultivation art, and I have begun to practice our longer range combat art as well.¡±


    Ling Qi held back a grimace; she hadn¡¯t meant to be insulting. ¡°That sounds interesting,¡± Ling Qi said instead. ¡°What sort of art is that?¡±


    Xiulan eyed her for a moment and let out a huff, taking another bite of sweet ice powder. ¡°The Radiant Lance art is one of the Gu¡¯s foundational arts. It is used to strike down distant foes with bolts from the heavens,¡± she said pridefully. ¡°The full art is unmatched in the east.¡±


    ¡°Huh. I never would have guessed that you would use a heaven art,¡± Ling Qi mused as she finished chewing another bite of her rice cake. She stretched out her legs, letting her bare feet dangle over the edge of the porch. ¡°I thought all of your family¡¯s arts were fire.¡±


    The other girl huffed, pointing her spoon at Ling Qi as she spoke. ¡°My family is not so simple as that,¡± she said irritably. Then she glanced away. ¡°It is a hybrid art of heaven and fire,¡± she muttered. ¡°Father sent the novice¡¯s slip along when I informed him of the spirit I had bound.¡±


    Ling Qi made a sound of understanding and glanced toward the sandy enclosure. Zhengui was trundling along, kicking up grit as he chased after the fluttering fire fairy, which dangled a smoking stick of fragrant wood just out of his reach. Should she¡­ No, she could feel an echo of agitation through their link, but it wasn¡¯t serious; there was a certain playfulness to the scene.


    ¡°I hope that is all he sent along,¡± Ling Qi grumbled. ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯ve forgotten that nonsense about trying to hook me up with some cousin.¡±


    Xiulan gave a theatrical sigh. ¡°Is the idea really that repulsive?¡± she asked, putting down the finished bowl and snatching up a plate of sachima before popping one of the little squares of fried batter and sugary syrup into her mouth. ¡°Your closeness to Bai Meizhen will not ward off such things forever.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to think about that kind of thing,¡± Ling Qi said stubbornly, only to wince as she saw her friend¡¯s expression darken. ¡°Well, more like I don¡¯t want to. I just got that creep Huang Da to give up.¡±


    Xiulan tsked under her breath. ¡°I understand you don¡¯t like the boy, but from what you have said of the encounter, it is probable that you have drawn the attention of a potential suitor of higher rank.¡±


    Ling Qi paled a bit, shooting Xiulan a panicked look. The Huang were an old but declining count level house from what Meizhen had said. ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°Well, why else do you imagine the boy¡¯s father would interfere in something so petty?¡± Xiulan asked, gesturing with one of the little wooden skewers that had been stuck into the squares of sachima. ¡°I can¡¯t say who it would be though. There are no children from the Zheng clan among the Sect as far as I am aware - nor would there be given their thoughts on the sects. Have you been approached by anyone of late?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Ling Qi replied, trying to think of anyone she had met recently who might have shown such an interest. Nothing came to mind. ¡°Let¡¯s leave that aside for the moment.¡±


    ¡°As you wish,¡± Xiulan said. ¡°You cannot avoid the subject forever though. Father will order me to introduce you at some point. I can promise that none of my cousins are so crude as that Huang.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I should ask Meizhen to fake something up,¡± Ling Qi grumbled. It wasn¡¯t really a serious idea, particularly as things were, but it would be nice to keep such ideas far from everyone¡¯s mind. ¡°Anyway, what about you? How are things going with Han Jian? What was he up to last week?¡± In her haste to change the subject, Ling Qi jumped to the first thought that came to mind.


    Her friend¡¯s expression soured. ¡°He has been quite busy,¡± she said irritably. ¡°Too busy for either myself or Fan Yu. He discovered a trial site. I imagine he is receiving training of some kind from it.¡±


    Ling Qi set aside her plate to take a sip of her still warm tea. ¡°I am sure he didn¡¯t mean anything by it. It makes sense to take family with you, right?¡± She didn¡¯t really get it, but from watching Han Jian, she knew Han Fang was the only one Han Jian really seemed to properly confide in.


    ¡°Of course. I am nothing special to him after all, merely a vassal to be directed and occasionally humored,¡± Xiulan said bitterly.


    ¡°... I don¡¯t think he feels like that, even if he doesn¡¯t¡­ feel quite the same as you,¡± Ling Qi said awkwardly. ¡°I¡¯ve seen you two together. You are friends, are you not?¡±


    ¡°I do not want to be friends,¡± Xiulan snapped. ¡°I want him. I deserve that much, do I not? I work hard, harder than anyone else, save perhaps my sister, and what do I get for it? Chained to a fool and an oaf.¡±


    ¡°Fan Yu isn¡¯t¡­¡± Ling Qi sighed. She couldn¡¯t even finish that defense. She had thought the two of them had been getting along better, but Xiulan¡¯s disdain was apparently still strong. ¡°I am sure you can change that. You¡¯ve been getting stronger quickly as of late, right?¡±


    ¡°And what good will it do me?¡± The other girl¡¯s mood changed as quickly as it ever did as her shoulders slumped. ¡°Jian promised me that I would always be at his side. It was a childish promise, but I believed it. Is it so wrong that I want him to look only to me? I tried so hard to scare away the tittering, empty-headed trash that his family tried to foist on him, and he always thanked me for it.¡±


    Ling Qi shrugged uncomfortably. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t really know.¡± What did one say in this kind of situation? Ling Qi had no idea. ¡°I do think you should talk to him though. You shouldn¡¯t throw away a friendship so easily.¡±


    Xiulan wrapped her arms around her knees. ¡°It was him who threw it away. He said he had never loved me like that. As if he had never looked at me in that light. The liar.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I want no more of it.¡±


    Looking down, Ling Qi picked at her food. The mood had gone down fast. ¡°I won¡¯t tell you what to do,¡± she finally said. ¡°There are plenty of handsome boys out there, right? You keep telling me so. Sulking doesn¡¯t become a lady,¡± she added with false cheer.


    Xiulan shot her an unamused look but straightened up. ¡°You are right in that at least. Shall we both drop such conversation then? You have so many delicious dishes here. It would be a shame to leave them to waste.¡±


    Ling Qi sighed in relief; Xiulan¡¯s mercurial moods had swung in her favor for once. Still, she worried about her friend. In the end though, the girl¡¯s problems were not something she could change. They could only be resolved by the people actually involved. All she could do was support Xiulan as she made her choices.


    They stayed up late into the night speaking of lighter things and parted ways in the morning. It was time to plan her next week¡¯s training.

 Chapter 95-Peace 2

    Zhengui had grown, and not just physically.


    When she had lain down for her weekly sleep, he had still been big enough to fit in her hands. When she awoke and went to fetch him from his kiln, she had found the entrance cracked open and two, much larger sets of eyes staring up at her. She could still pick him up comfortably, and even hold him in her arms, but he was nearly a half meter long, ignoring his serpentine half.


    ¡®Fix? Sorry.¡¯ His thoughts were growing more ordered, allowing her to more easily translate the meanings into words. She could feel his sheepishness as he pawed at the ground with his stubby claws and the serpent half studiously avoided her eyes.


    ¡°I guess it was only a matter of time before I needed to build you a new bed.¡± Ling Qi sighed , shaking her head. He had shot up to the middle of the first realm too, as far as her senses could tell, and he was racing on toward the end of it. It seemed her little spirit was reaching the end of his infancy.


    ¡®Breakfast?¡¯ She glanced back down at him to meet his bright green eyes, hopefulness shining from his blunt, beaked face. ¡®Hunt?¡¯ She was faced with a second set of eyes, this time of fiery red.


    ¡°... Breakfast first.¡± Ling Qi crouched down, slipping her arms under his shell as she picked him up. He was warm to the touch, and his shell had grown rougher, like knobby, petrified tree bark. ¡°C¡¯mon, then. You¡¯re going to have to start helping though, you know? You¡¯re growing up quick.¡±


    ¡®Help Mother. Eat good,¡¯ two voices chorused together. Gui nestled against her chest while Zhen peered cautiously over her shoulder, forked tongue trailing ash as it flicked in and out. Ling Qi almost missed a step.


    ¡°Big Sister,¡± she said quickly, reaching down to rub his blunt beak with her finger. She did her best to convey feeling as well as words. ¡°I¡¯m not that old yet,¡± she added lightly.


    Bright green eyes blinked up at her in confusion. ¡®Big Sister! Hunt now!¡¯ The moment was interrupted by his other head, who looked to her plaintively.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, no need to be impatient,¡± she chided, even as she fished a stick of wood from her pocket to calm Zhengui¡¯s rumbling belly. She would have to start cutting these sticks larger with how much he was growing. She would miss being able to have him ride on her shoulder. Maybe Cui could teach Zhengui her size adjustment trick?


    For now, it was time to gather a healthy meal for her little glutton of a spirit. Once that was done and he was settled in, she would have to arrange something else for his bedding. Then, she would head up to the vent to begin working on refining the Thousand Ring Fortress. Even in its early stages, it had proved very useful in bolstering her friends and allies, letting the group break through the enemy line with minimal injury.


    She still had a long way to go before that art could be considered mastered. She remembered Li Suyin tumbling to the ground in a heap, and blood blossoming on Meizhen¡¯s white gown. Next time, she would do better.


    Ling Qi descended the mountain to hunt and forage, keeping the cores and various fruits and plants that he seemed to enjoy and selling the rest for various spiritually infused woods and even more cores.


    Once she had a large stockpile built, the main challenge was keeping the hungry little snake-tortoise out of it and resisting the twinned powers of wide and plaintive eyes combined with increasingly articulate childish pleas for treats. She held firm though. She would only give him so much each day. If he wanted more, he had to do some foraging himself.


    ... Well, she mostly held firm. A few treats while he sat in her lap chirping happily couldn''t hurt, right? The day blurred by, and she did not get very much cultivation done until late evening when it was time to meet Meizhen for some further training time.


    Ling Qi hadn¡¯t seen the girl since the day of Sun Liling¡¯s return, and their conversation that evening had been quick and utilitarian. She was happy to see her friend looking as hale and graceful as ever as she flowed through the motions of what Ling Qi recognized as one of her family''s unarmed combat exercises.


    ¡°Meizhen, good evening,¡± she greeted as she stepped off the porch and onto the garden path. Zhengui trundled along at her side, his blunt clawed feet scrabbling a bit at the polished wood. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you¡¯re doing well. Have you been keeping busy with shoring things up around here?¡± Ling Qi was a little unsure as to how deeply involved Meizhen was with the Cai heiress at this point.


    Meizhen turned to face her as she approached, lowering her hands from their combative position. ¡°Good evening,¡± she greeted, acknowledging Ling Qi with a slight nod. ¡°I have been refining certain underdeveloped portions of my repertoire. Cui has needed some aid in acclimating to her new status as well,¡± the pale girl continued evenly, her golden eyes flicking over to the garden pond.


    The pond rippled, and after a moment, emerald green scales broke the surface and Ling Qi found herself under the regard of another set of golden eyes. Cui had grown as well. The serpent was as thick as a young tree now and looked as if she could swallow a large dog whole.


    ¡®Such trouble, Sister Meizhen. No more training today, yes?¡¯ Ling Qi¡¯s eyes caught motion out of the corner of her eye, and on the other side of the garden, she saw Cui¡¯s tail slip under the surface of the area¡¯s second and entirely unconnected pond. That was a¡­ powerful ability.


    ¡°Everyone is growing so fast these days,¡± Ling Qi mused. ¡°That reminds me though. Is that shrinking trick of yours something any spirit can do? Zhengui had a little growth spurt himself.¡± Ling Qi wondered when talking to a snake big enough to fit her head in its mouth had become normal.


    Cui flicked her tongue twice silently, and briefly, Ling Qi wondered if the serpent would ignore her. Then Meizhen tilted her head slightly, giving her cousin a pointed look and the snake let out a soft hiss.


    ¡®The little thief is too young. He will not have the focus,¡¯ Cui responded haughtily, giving Zhengui a look of reptilian disdain. He responded by hiding behind her legs, but Ling Qi saw his serpentine half peeking out, giving off a feeling of awe as he stared up at the bigger snake.


    ¡°It is not impossible, no,¡± Bai Meizhen said frankly. ¡°Many spirit beasts are able to vary their size somewhat, although there is a limit.¡± A slight smile touched her lips as she glanced at Cui. ¡°She will no longer be able to play choker, for example.¡±


    ¡®It is not fair,¡¯ Cui sulked, even as she shrank and slithered from the pool, vibrant scales glimmering with moisture. By the time she stopped shrinking, Cui was still over two meters long. ¡®Sister Meizhen is cruel,¡¯ she grumbled.


    ¡°Well, that is good to know,¡± she decided. ¡°How are things outside though? I¡¯ve been down in the forest today.¡±


    ¡°They are holding,¡± Meizhen replied simply, and it was a relief to see her speaking normally and without hesitation, meeting Ling Qi¡¯s eyes with only a slight pause as she folded her arms. ¡°That barbarian is licking her wounds, and if I know her kind, she is likely rearming and training her subordinates. Several older disciples from the western territories have openly joined her, as has Ji Rong.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned. That was trouble in the making there. She doubted that Sun Liling would be satisfied with merely having her own faction, even if its existence in and of itself was a snub to Cai Renxiang as she understood things. ¡°Are we doing anything about that?¡± she asked, toying with the end of her braid.


    ¡°We are regrouping ourselves,¡± Bai Meizhen answered, shifting her stance slightly to a more combative one as her flying sword manifested in a flash above her shoulder. ¡°For now, we push our own strength. I should like to begin, if it is all the same to you. We do not have the luxury of dawdling.¡±


    ¡°I can get behind that,¡± Ling Qi agreed, slipping into her own stance. ¡°I need to get faster myself.¡± She glanced down at Zhengui, who looked up at her with worry emanating from his thoughts. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Zhengui. My friend and I are just going to play a little, alright? Why don¡¯t you go get a treat from the wood shed?¡±


    He looked to Meizhen uncertainly but backed away, toddling off toward the flowerbed Cui had disappeared into.


    ¡°You do not need to speak aloud to communicate with him,¡± Meizhen said as she examined Ling Qi¡¯s stance.


    ¡°I know, but I¡¯m not very good at trying to project thoughts yet. Speaking is easier. I¡¯m working on it,¡± Ling Qi said. After a moment¡¯s thought, she summoned up the practice weapon she had been working with, the heavy glaive materializing in her hands from within her storage ring. ¡°Do you mind if I work with this? I want to try out Sable Crescent Step with a different motion set.¡±


    ¡°Do not blame me for the blows you suffer in doing so,¡± Meizhen allowed. ¡°And do not forget to practice. Instant communication with one¡¯s partner is invaluable in battle.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, and they began to circle one another. Then, Bai Meizhen blurred, a fine spray of mist kicked up in her wake, and Ling Qi¡¯s limbs dissolved into shadow as she strained to match the other girl¡¯s speed.


    It was nice, aside from the stinging pain of the minor toxin Meizhen used for the spar. Sparring and cultivating together was something they could still do without awkwardness, and Ling Qi was glad for it.


    All good things come to an end though, and they parted ways well after midnight to get back to their own tasks. Zhengui had fallen asleep in his adjusted kiln while they sparred, so Ling Qi ghosted away without any trouble, returning to the higher cliffs she had taken to using for absorbing starlight. She needed to meditate further to decipher the cloud of images, sounds, and memory that had flashed through her thoughts when she was considering the tasks from various phases of the moon.


    The odd post-combat vision and her actions in the immediate aftermath made her a little wary, but she was more aware now of the foibles of the lunar qi she used. She wouldn¡¯t let herself grow so erratic again.


    It did not take long to return to that place within her thoughts, the dark pool that reflected the phases of the moon. This time, when she reached for the reflection of the Grinning Moon, she kept her focus, and the torrent of sensation did not overwhelm her.


    Soft, amused laughter rang in her ears as her surroundings spun away in a whirl of silvery luminescence, and for a moment, she felt the sensation of cool, delicate hands upon her shoulders as visions flashed in front of her eyes, imparting the quest of the Grinning Moon. The jade slip and the book, a thick tome with a dark red cover and no title, were a piece of power and a piece of knowledge, the first for her, and the second to share.


    The figure in the mist grew clearer, revealing a tall, whip-thin boy with dark catlike green eyes that glowed faintly and who cast a hunched, misshapen shadow. She did not recognize him, but her memory spun, and the words spoken by the boy she had threatened rose to the surface. Yan Renshu. Her target was the older Outer Sect disciple, the one who Cai had said was the maker of that puppet that attempted to frame her.


    The visions of ghostlike green lanterns and an underground room came next. The location perhaps? It remained unclear.


    What did not remain unclear was her objective. She was to steal a technique slip and acquire the book from him, or at least the knowledge inside of it. She was to¡­ reveal something from the book, which would cost him much face. What exactly would be revealed, however, remained shrouded in her mind¡¯s eye.


    It seemed that was all she was going to get. The visions faded, replaced by the twinkling of stars overhead. Ling Qi remained seated for a time, considering the scant details of the task she had been given. It was barely an outline of a task; she had the absolute essentials, but nothing else.


    She could feel something had subtly changed in the practiced flows of her internal energies. As she slipped down from the high cliff, blending in with the shadows, she felt a tiny trickle of qi continuing to flow into her dantian, only to cease as she stepped out into the street outside of her house. Slipping back into the shadows on a whim, she followed another girl unseen for a time and with each soft and unheard step, her qi cycled, just a little more.


    It seemed the Grinning Moon had given her a taste of her blessing already.

 Chapter 96-Peace 3

    As the sky began to take on the colors of dawn, Ling Qi slipped away, heading further up the mountain. Li Suyin and Su Ling had been very busy lately, but the two girls had not yet broken away from mortal habits and sleep schedules. If she stopped by this early, she should be able to catch them for a chat before they departed for the day.


    She was right of course, which lead to a sleepily blinking Li Suyin staring at her owlishly from the entrance to their cavern home when she came knocking. Shortly after, she was seated inside at a makeshift table laid out in one of the interior chambers, sipping from a warm cup of tea.


    Li Suyin sat across from her, fretting over the teapot. She was still dressed in her rumpled white bedclothes. Su Ling, on the other hand, was dressed normally, save that her boots were off in the corner of the room.


    ¡°So gonna guess there isn¡¯t any immediate trouble since we¡¯re sitting here drinking tea,¡± Su Ling said dryly. ¡°Want to fill us in on why you felt like stopping by at the crack of dawn?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s been a little while since I¡¯ve been able to talk to either of you.¡± Ling Qi pointed out, cup half raised to her lips. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure of your schedules, and I wanted to thank you again for helping me the other day.¡±


    ¡°It was nothing,¡± the rougher of the pair grunted, looking away.


    ¡°You are welcome, Ling Qi,¡± Li Suyin said a bit more graciously, even as she covered her mouth to stifle a yawn, crinkling the soft grey patch that covered a third of her face. ¡°I am glad I could help you out for once.¡±


    ¡°You really did,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°Where did you get that spider ball thing anyway? Are those for sale somewhere?¡±


    Her friend¡¯s cheeks flushed a bit, and she looked pleased. ¡°Um¡­ They aren¡¯t for sale unfortunately. It was something I had been helping Senior Sister Bao with. When Su Ling came to get me, she said that I may as well take it for testing.¡±


    ¡°That workshop is a damn creepshow,¡± Su Ling muttered, hunching her shoulders and shivering.


    Ling Qi glanced at her with raised eyebrows. She hadn¡¯t thought Su Ling squeamish. ¡°Did Bao teach you that movement art too?¡± Ling Qi asked curiously.


    Li Suyin shifted uncomfortably under Ling Qi¡¯s scrutiny. ¡°Well, yes. She said that the one I was using before was t-trash,¡± she said, looking slightly ashamed. ¡°And that I would need to master something better to be her assistant. Parts of her workshop are very vertical,¡± she hurriedly explained.


    Su Ling just huffed under her breath and took a long drink from her cup. ¡°She¡¯s kind of a bi¡­¡± the fox girl began, only to fall silent at Li Suyin¡¯s look. ¡°Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t notice the way you came back in tears at first.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned, but Li Suyin spoke up before she could. ¡°And I remember telling you it was fine, Su Ling,¡± she said warningly before looking back to Ling Qi. ¡°Senior Sister Bao is very harsh, but no more than she needs to be. Please do not trouble yourself over this.¡±


    Ling Qi toyed with the end of her braid but nodded. It was Suyin¡¯s business. ¡°That¡¯s fine. Just remember me if you need help, alright? I wanted to talk to you two about something else anyway,¡± she said, changing the subject.


    Li Suyin seemed relieved, and Ling Qi had a feeling the two of them had argued over this before. Su Ling just had her normal disgruntled expression as she waved Ling Qi on. ¡°I want you two to come back to the residential area,¡± Ling Qi stated firmly, after a beat of silence. ¡°With Sun Liling running around again, on top of everything else, it isn¡¯t safe out here.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s is safe in there?¡± Su Ling incredulously, scowling as she sat up straighter. ¡°We¡¯re doing just fine.¡±


    ¡°It is safe. Safer than it is out here,¡± Ling Qi replied, meeting her gaze and refusing to back down. ¡°Like it or not¡­ people associate you with me, you know? The residences are under Lady Cai¡¯s control. No one still living there would try anything.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re getting a pretty big head,¡± Su Ling retorted. ¡°I¡¯d say that mess recently shows that plenty of people will pick a fight with her.¡±


    ¡°They will,¡± Ling Qi admitted, her tea cup coming down on the table with a clunk. ¡°So what do you think will happen if they find you two isolated out here?¡±


    ¡°We can handle it,¡± Su Ling snapped, her lips curling to reveal sharpened teeth. ¡°We don¡¯t need-¡±


    ¡°I think it might be for the best,¡± Li Suyin interjected said quietly, fiddling absentmindedly with the hems of her sleeves. ¡°I¡¯ve had the same thought. I didn¡¯t want to bring it up. But we can¡¯t go back to a little hovel like we had. Both of us need space for our projects now.¡±


    ¡°There are plenty of empty houses now,¡± Ling Qi pointed out. ¡°I can find you two something. It¡¯s just - I don¡¯t want the two of you to get hurt because of me, and I think I picked up some enemies recently, you know?¡±


    Su Ling still looked unhappy, but after sharing a lingering look with Li Suyin, she gave a grunt of acknowledgment. ¡°... I¡¯ll think about it.¡±


    Ling Qi gave a sigh of relief at that; it was less difficult than she had feared. She stayed to chat with her friends a bit longer, discussing their schedules and other minor things. She got their agreement to come looking through empty houses the next day, as well as aligning their schedules to allow them to train together at the vent again as they once had, although the sessions would have to take place in the afternoon now rather than the morning.


    She left alongside them as they went to take care of their own tasks and headed to the market to restock on healing supplies. It would eat up her council income for the week, but she was doing well enough on rewards not to worry too much about it.


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t able to turn her attention fully to cultivation just yet; she still had one more obligation to take care of. Namely, she had a pending meeting with Cai Renxiang, who had sent a messenger indicating that she had something to speak with her about. Ling Qi was a little wary of the meeting, given her feelings toward the girl¡¯s government.


    It certainly had nothing to do with Meizhen¡¯s apparent closeness with the other girl and the incredibly convenient timing of that development. That wasn¡¯t her business, even if it pained her to think that. Between Han Jian and Meizhen, it seemed as though many of her friends were growing away from her these days.


    Ling Qi quashed the ugly feeling that thought gave rise to as she headed down to the entrance plaza to meet the heiress. They were going to walk and talk, apparently. When she arrived, she found Cai waiting by the great archway that marked the start of the road, empty-handed but impeccable as ever. There was no sign of the damage she had taken in the battles a few days prior.


    Gan Guangli stood at her side, clad in the same armor he had worn the last time she had seen him, although his helmet had been left off. The muscular boy gave her an acknowledging nod as she approached, and Ling Qi bowed her head in turn, clasping her hands in front of her respectfully as she did so.


    ¡°Lady Cai, thank you for your invitation,¡± she said formally. ¡°Might I ask the purpose of this meeting?¡±


    Cai Renxiang regarded her thoughtfully before gesturing for her to raise her head.


    ¡°Thank you for attending me on such short notice. I will explain the situation on the way. Walk with me.¡± The tone carried the ring of command, but Ling Qi found her demeanor slightly less aloof than their last private meeting.


    As she fell in a step or two behind the girl, even with the trailing Guangli, she wondered if that was genuine, or something meant to set her at ease. The girl was hard to read. ¡°Of course, Lady Cai,¡± she said respectfully. ¡°Will we be going to town?¡±


    She was surprised to see the heiress gesture for her to step up and fall in beside her, but she supposed it made a degree of sense if they were to continue talking. ¡°That is my destination. I have certain matters to attend to. Using the travel time for our meeting was merely efficient.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced at the girl¡¯s stoic features measuringly. That didn¡¯t seem right. If Cai was worried about time, they wouldn''t be moving at this sedate pace; the girl could probably reach the town in a minute or two, less if she decided to fly. A thought struck her then as she glanced around, noting the other disciples on the path. ¡°And if it shows you to be unconcerned and unharmed, all the better, right?¡±


    ¡°Quite,¡± the other girl responded succinctly. ¡°I am sure you are aware of the power that lies behind reputation.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded easily enough. She liked to think that her actual strength was what had forced the change in her peers¡¯ behavior, but she was aware that it was not all of it. ¡°It is not everything, but I understand,¡± she agreed. ¡°How long do you think we have before things come to a head again?¡±


    Cai Renxiang was silent for a time as the two of them strode down the mountain path, Gan Guangli¡¯s heavy footfalls pounding the ground behind them. ¡°That is the matter that I wished to speak with you about. I have been remiss in some of my duties,¡± she admitted, inclining her head very slightly. ¡°Despite bringing on Fu Xiang, I have underestimated the power of intelligence and focused too much on the obvious.¡±


    ¡°Nay! Lady Cai, the fault remains mine,¡± Gan Guangli said, sounding pained. ¡°As your shield, it is my duty to guard you against such cowards!¡±


    Cai Renxiang glanced back at him and gave a thoughtful hum. She was definitely behaving more casually; it was strange. ¡°You are a fine shield, Gan Guangli, but no bulwark is without its weaknesses,¡± she said simply, her gaze returning to Ling Qi as they began to stroll down the first of many switchbacks. Ling Qi felt a pang of sympathy as she saw the tall boy lower his head and clench his fists.


    ¡°Fu Xiang is a skilled set of ears and eyes, but some things are beyond his notice,¡± Cai Renxiang¡¯s expression clouded, her tone briefly voicing her displeasure. ¡°For one reason or another.¡± She paused for a moment, considering. ¡°I would like you to aid me in ensuring that our enemies cannot collaborate beyond our sight again.¡±


    That was along the lines of what Ling Qi expected when she came here. She mulled it over, taking her turn to walk in silence. ¡°I¡¯m not necessarily against the idea,¡± Ling Qi replied eventually. ¡°But I would like to know more about what you intend for me to do.¡±


    Cai Renxiang folded her arms across her chest, her hands vanishing into the confines of her wide sleeves. Her gaze remained straight ahead. ¡°I would have you gather intelligence on the movements and composition of Sun Liling¡¯s forces, as well as those of Outer Disciple Yan Renshu,¡± she said evenly.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing they¡¯re operating in some kind of blindspot for Fu Xiang¡¯s arts?¡± Ling Qi asked rhetorically, receiving a confirming nod in turn. ¡°So you need me to do more hands-on scouting,¡± she thought aloud. It wasn¡¯t a bad idea; she had to poke around in Yan Renshu¡¯s business anyway due to her patron¡¯s quest, and she hadn¡¯t forgotten the disciple¡¯s attempt to frame her either.


    ¡°I suspect that they remain in collusion, given the similarity in their camouflage,¡± Cai Renxiang explained, light flickering in the air behind her shoulders. ¡°Clairvoyance and divination have failed, and so more mundane means need be utilized. Will you perform this task?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not an easy thing,¡± Ling Qi cautioned. ¡°I won¡¯t have results immediately, especially if I am starting with nothing.¡±


    ¡°That is acceptable,¡± Cai Renxiang acknowledged. ¡°We have time, I believe. I struck Yan Renshu a blow, despite the fact that he was not truly present. Sun Liling was similarly damaged. They will be licking their wounds for a time and regrouping.¡±


    ¡°I will do what I can,¡± Ling Qi agreed. It was dangerous, but ultimately, keeping an eye on her enemies was just good sense. There was no point in refusing what she was likely to do on her own anyway. It just meant also investigating Meizhen¡¯s enemy as well, which was fine with her.

 Bonus Chapter: Humiliation

    This was unacceptable, thought Kang Zihao for the thousandth time. He paced restlessly through the sitting room, his handsome features set in a scowl, and his arms behind his back. All of this was unacceptable. Confining him to his house like this, as if he were some wastrel or miscreant who had shamed his family in public. How could Lady Cai countenance such overreach among her servants?


    Stopping in front of his window, he rubbed his jaw irritably, remembering the phantom pain from the blow that had knocked him out. That brutish commoner Gan, taking advantage of his distraction in fighting off phantasms and echoes. He would have recompense for that insult. Kang Zihao clenched his fists at his side as he looked at the street outside of his window. Nothing had gone as he had planned since the end of the truce. The Sect should have been his opportunity to shine, to bring the light of the capital in this backwater of a province.


    It had all started with his plan to subjugate that serpent. He knew he had not been the only scion of the Imperial City given quiet instruction to make the lives of the Bai youths scattered among the Sects unpleasant, to make them understand, that for all their pride, they were beneath the Celestial Peaks. Some of his earliest followers in this place had arisen from such. With the heir of the Cai, a new ducal family deeply in debt to the Imperial Throne, and known modernizers and centralists at hand, he had assumed that things would proceed smoothly.


    Yet Lady Cai had interrupted him then, ruined his plan. It should have been his warning that something was amiss. Instead, he had assumed it was an error on his part. He had lost his temper somewhat, striking at the Bai¡¯s pet commoner like that had been a tiny bit unseemly. Lady Cai was simply the type to take certain proscriptions on noble behavior too far, misunderstanding their real purpose. That was fine, a little difficult to work around, but perfectly reasonable.


    But then, there was the Council she had started. The idea was not a bad one in theory, it would be good to establish a system by which they could take the authority that was theirs by right of strength. However, the ones she had invited were... He glanced down at the windowsill, where characters burned with sea green qi, a dense array that he knew extended around the perimeter of his home, making the only exit the front door, where he knew the Xuan boy slouched with his nose in a book.


    He turned away from the window, pacing back across the room, his lips twisting in a sneer. The Xuan, more spirit blooded mongrels, without even the claim that they had been among the first to join the Sage Emperor to grant them legitimacy. They crouched on their little wet rocks in the sea, barely deserving to be called a province. At least the remnants of the Golden Fields had some historical claim to glory. It was worse still that Lady Cai had invited the Bai as well. Did she truly not understand that the key to imperial unity, the dream of the throne since time immemorial, lay in breaking the pride and autonomy of those clans¡­?


    So his objections had not been terribly strenuous when Princess Sun had approached him. She was more than a bit rough around the edges, though he suspected it was at least partially an act, to fit her new provinces martial reputation. However, mannerisms aside, she did understand what was at stake, who the true enemy was. King Sun understood the Thrones position well, and had received many honors for his part in advancing it.


    Kang Zihao let out a frustrated growl and turned on his heel, stalking toward the small kitchen. And now with their challenge failed the council was overreaching itself more and more, trampling on the rules and the purpose of the Outer Sect as a proving ground. Pushing violence away from the residential areas was one thing, but the growing list of rules they had begun to enforce was growing absurd. Then there was what had been done to him! He was a superb duelist, more than a match for any of those cowards who had attacked him, rabble that they were, the Han rat aside. Yet it meant nothing when there were so many of them and he had not yet secured more followers, even his spirit beast had been away, remaining with the wolf pack he had been seeking to recruit among to give incentive for new second realms to follow him.


    Taking a cup down from the shelf, Kang Zihao paused as he felt a faint tremor through the floor. He looked around, frowning as he felt a second. There was a faint rumble, and window pane rattled. He knew that the formations around his home dulled sound, so as to prevent him from passing or receiving messages easily, so what in the world was making all that racket? The doorframe rattled, and he turned fully to face it, instinctively drawing upon the steel and stone that ran through his spine to bolster his flesh.


    Despite the sound dampening, he heard a shout then. Then the door detonated violently. Kang Zihao did not flinch as sharpened wooden shrapnel clattered against his clothes and skin, skittering off qi enhanced flesh.


    ¡°I was going to pick the lock,¡± an irritable voice sounded through the smoking, sparking doorway, and it took Kang Zihao only a moment to place it. Lu Feng, Sun Liling¡¯s second.


    ¡°Or I could just break it and save us yer fiddling,¡± came a second voice, sounding mildly out of breath. No, it couldn¡¯t be. The Princess had only broken him out as a tool, a weapon, drugged up with some foul elixir rendered from the red jungle.


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky to still have what is left of your face, you hooligan,¡± Lu Feng grumbled. ¡°Did you even look at the formations array on the door?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± the thug Ji Rong said from the ruins of his doorway, smoke still rising from his crackling fists. ¡°Hey, pretty boy, you just gonna stand there? We don¡¯t have all day here!¡±


    ¡°What is...¡± he began.


    ¡°We really do not have time Sir Kang,¡± Lu Feng interrupted him. The boy¡¯s refined features were twisted with strain. ¡°The Princess is back, she thought it¡¯d be polite to free you.¡±


    ¡°Dunno why, all he did was stand there and get wrecked by the snake chick,¡± Ji Rong snorted. ¡°Those two he brought with him were fuckin useless too. ¡®Least I fought turtle boy to draw.¡±


    ¡°You dare,¡± Kang Zihao said, still off balance from the surreality of the situation, but the thug had the temerity to turn his back. It was only his long meditation on the element of metal in his confinement that allowed Kang Zihao to not attack him then and there. ¡°I will not be spoken to like that,¡± he spat.


    ¡°Then stay in your cage,¡± the scarred boy called back over his shoulder, already jogging away. ¡°C¡¯mon Lu Feng, gotta get outta here before that guy busts outta your vines and the rest of the goons get back.¡±


    Lu Feng shot him an apologetic look. ¡°...Crude as he is, he has a point. You can duel him later if you like Sir Kang.¡± Then he was gone too.


    Kang Zihao hesitated only a moment, spitting out a curse. Why had everything gone so wrong?

 Chapter 97-Peace 4

    Breathing out, Ling Qi focused her attention on the verdant green qi which encased her body like a layer of bark. The vibrant energies seemed to hum under her control, ready to burst out, to bloom and grow. However, Ling Qi maintained her concentration, and the wavering shell of green slowly grew thicker and darker, gaining depth and texture. At her feet, Zhengui chirped in delight, toddling around as streamers of vital qi spread across his shell as well.


    To advance her understanding of the Thousand Ring Fortress Art, she needed to master its next technique, the Hundred Ring Armament, which meant improving her control of the Ten Ring Defense technique. The Hundred Ring Armament was a physical technique which would infuse her flesh with vitality and resilience rather than simply calling up a barrier as Ten Ring Defense did. Naturally, she wanted to perfect her control of the wood qi before she attempted something like that.


    She could not afford to just sit here all day and meditate though. So, with the sun peeking over the horizon, Ling Qi dismissed the technique, letting the verdant armor fade away into motes of light. She had a job to do, not just to satisfy Cai Renxiang, but for herself. This Yan Renshu was going to learn why attempting to frame her was a poor idea. Ling Qi reached down and scooped up Zhengui as she stood. It was time to gather some information.


    The first step was to remain subtle. If it became known she was poking around after Yan Renshu, it would be easier to avoid her, so Ling Qi took the time to disguise herself and keep her movements and questions discreet. She had grown rusty at such things over the past few months, but she still had the skill.


    Yan Renshu was a young man three years her elder from a prosperous mortal family in the Heavenly Peaks province, the seat of the capital. However, following his first year when he had an unfortunate encounter with a disciple from a powerful family, he became a secretive sort, rarely appearing in public and instead, acting through intermediaries and sticking to his boltholes. Despite that, in the last year and a half, he had built a respectable following. Although not well liked by most of his peers, the older Outer Sect disciples regarded him as useful, and those in his employ were quite loyal by all accounts. His talents apparently lay in formations and earth and wood arts.


    A few of his lairs were known, but the locations Cai gave her proved empty. All that remained were the chambers themselves, dug into the earth of the mountain with some art or another. Every known lair was trapped heavily, despite being stripped bare. Once, she nearly ended up buried under a collapsing roof, saved only by her movement art.


    She moved more carefully after that.


    Unfortunately, actually searching for leads on his other lairs proved difficult. Those openly associated with Yan Renshu or with Sun Liling had vanished into the wilderness in the aftermath of the recent chaos, and her own skill at tracking proved insufficient to dig them out of whatever hole they have chosen to hide in. There were rumors of Sun Liling being sighted lurking around at the base of the south side of the mountain, but beyond a single mutilated and exsanguinated spirit beast, she found no further signs of the girl or her minions.


    As days passed without gaining any solid lead, Ling Qi decided to back off for the moment. She could not afford to stop getting stronger, and she would probably need to get further help for this task. Perhaps Su Ling would be willing? Even without her new art, Su Ling was a far better tracker than her, and Ling Qi had at least narrowed down the potential locations with her initial searches.


    With the recent improvement of her music under Ruan Shen¡¯s instruction, Ling Qi thought she had a lead on an opportunity. Every child in the Empire knew stories of men and women learning great and powerful secrets at the foot of mighty spirits, and had she not received just such an offer during the Moonfill mission? It would be dangerous, but from what she had gathered, the icy spirit of the peak that she had encountered was a very powerful fourth grade spirit.


    If this failed, she still had the trial Fu Xiang had revealed to her to fall back on. However, after playing detective for most of the week, she felt more inclined to take the option that meant getting away to play some music. So, at dawn, she began to climb past the temperate lower reaches of the mountain and up the snowy peak. There was no driving storm today, just the frigid chill of high altitude.


    It occurred to Ling Qi that she did not actually know where to find the ice spirit, but she had a plan for that. Finding the stretch of mountain she had explored before was not difficult, and from there, she simply climbed, higher and higher, seeking the coldest cliffs with the best acoustics.


    It was a bit of a gamble, but she felt it was her best bet for attracting the spirit¡¯s attention. Once she found a good, high cliff face from which sound carried well, she cleared the surface of a boulder of snow and sat down to play.


    The first haunting notes of Forgotten Vale Melody rang out, the notes heavy with the weight of her qi as she let her mist flow from the flute sluggishly, spilling down from her flute into her lap and splashing across the snowy ground at her feet before slowly rising to consume everything around her. Ling Qi closed her eyes as she played, slipping into a more meditative state.


    Images of the lonely vale deep in the mountains flowed through her thoughts, a panorama of stark beauty and loneliness. She wasn¡¯t sure exactly how long she played, although it was long enough for her to go through every measure of the melody several times, but eventually, something changed. It was a chill breeze at first, then a gust carrying snowflakes with it.


    Ling Qi opened her eyes as she felt frigid qi at the edge of her senses, and the wind picked up further, stirring her mist and spilling it over the edge of the cliff. Her song was interrupted when darkness erupted from the stone beside her, billowing upward and expanding. Instinct took over, and a knife flew into her hands as Ling Qi dove to the side and whipped the blade at the apparition. It passed through pale and perfect features without a mark and clattered against the rock.


    Hanyi¡¯s mother watched her with a raised eyebrow from where she now sat upon the rock beside her, her loose, empty sleeves resting on her lap. Ling Qi swore she saw a twinkle of amusement in those empty white eyes. Ling Qi narrowed her eyes at the powerful ice spirit. She knew that expression. It seemed Hanyi¡¯s personality had not emerged from nowhere.


    ¡°Please do not startle me like that,¡± she said as she straightened up, dusting the snow from her mantle.


    ¡°I was expected, and this is my home,¡± the spirit rebuked, showing no further sign of any amusement. ¡°You are, if anything, the one in the wrong, Disciple.¡±


    ¡°My apologies, spirit of the mountain,¡± Ling Qi said immediately, not wishing to provoke the powerful spirit. ¡°You recall me then? I am Ling Qi, and I have come in the hopes that I might learn from you.¡±


    ¡°I recall,¡± the spirit replied, tilting her head slightly to the side as the hem of her gown billowed in the breeze, revealing the emptiness beneath. ¡°You have improved,¡± she allowed, turning her head to observe the slowly dissipating mist. ¡°You are fortunate that I found myself lacking burdens upon my time this night.¡±


    ¡°Fortune is another talent,¡± Ling Qi said lightly, bowing respectfully. ¡°Might I know what I may call you, honored spirit?¡±


    The ice spirit considered her, shimmering silver hair fluttering in the phantom breeze that surrounded her. ¡°You may call me Zeqing. It is as good a name as any,¡± she mused, eyes tracking upward to the bright full moon in the clear and starry sky.


    Silence reigned between them before Ling Qi pushed on. ¡°Lady Zeqing,¡± she began with uncertainty. ¡°May I have your instruction?¡±


    ¡°You may,¡± the spirit replied, crimson lips quirking upward. ¡°Sit,¡± she said, gesturing to the stone beside her where Ling Qi had previously been seated.


    Ling Qi eyed the spirit warily, but ultimately, there was no reason to hesitate. She bowed her head again and sat down as instructed. Her elbow brushed against the spirit¡¯s dark gown and burned from the cold, even through layers of cloth.


    ¡°I have made some alterations to the melody since we last met,¡± Ling Qi ventured. ¡°Were they pleasing to the ear?¡±


    ¡°Your new melody still holds to the beauty of the original,¡± the spirit answered in a voice that echoed like a cold wind. ¡°I suspect you hold one of that man¡¯s earlier attempts. That you came upon a number of the later improvements yourself speaks of your skill.¡±


    ¡°You knew the melody¡¯s writer then?¡± Ling Qi asked curiously.


    ¡°Thrice I came for him, and thrice I was rebuffed,¡± Zeqing explained. ¡°I was quite cross at the time,¡± she continued with quiet amusement. ¡°Still, I watched some portion of the journey that produced that melody in the days before greed brought the fury of the Windriders upon this place.¡±


    Ling Qi furrowed her brows in thought. The Cloud tribes had invaded the province half a millennium ago. ¡°Will you help me improve the melody then?¡±


    ¡°I may. It is a pleasant enough way to pass an evening since that daughter of mine is with her father for the night,¡± the spirit said. As the wind picked up, there was a crackling sound, and Zeqing¡¯s sleeves billowed, revealing perfectly formed hands of pure and clear ice where once there had been nothing. The hands held a flute of similar make. ¡°Play with me for a time. If you keep up well enough, I shall help.¡±


    It was relaxing, and more than that, fun to try and keep up with the near impossibly precise melody Zeqing played. It was a beautiful song, but it took all of Ling Qi¡¯s acquired skill to keep up and not fumble any of the notes as she echoed the ice spirit. She continued to play even as her arm and side began to grow cold and numb with proximity to the frozen beauty until she flushed the feeling with a rush of qi.


    They played one song and then another together as the night rolled past until at last, Zeqing was satisfied. The spirit rose from the stone and gestured for her to follow as the last notes faded, and Ling Qi did so, relieved that she had passed the difficult test. Hanyi¡¯s mother lead her higher on the mountain through deep and winding ravines until they came upon a dead end shadowed by a high cliff overhead. It was cold here, far colder than outside, and not a single patch of stone was not covered in a layer of slick ice.


    At the far rear end of the ravine lay a frozen black pool, mirror smooth and umarred. Powerful Qi radiated from it, and looking down, Ling Qi felt that she might stare into its depths forever if she were not careful. A haunting son seemed to rise from its limitless depths, and only by steeling her will could she pull her eyes away.


    It was here that they began to work on her melody. Ling Qi demonstrated her first halting efforts at the next measure she sought to master while Zeqing offered correction. But the later measures of the melody were complex, and even with the potent qi of the pool bolstering her efforts and the spirit¡¯s instruction, she was far from mastery.


    Yet she felt the time spent worth it. Zeqing¡¯s instruction differed from the slip in places, but Ling Qi could instinctively tell that the insights offered were improvements, corrections of the rough edges she was just beginning to perceive within the art. She knew that if she continued to take lessons from the spirit, she would receive greater results than if she continued to practice the melody on their own.


    In the end though, the spirit¡¯s time was limited, as was hers. They parted ways amicably enough, and Zeqing warned that she would only be available to work with her every other week. Still, it was a boon, and Ling Qi was thankful.

 Chapter 98-Dark Dreams 1

    With the spirit¡¯s departure, Ling Qi now had more time than she had thought she would. It seemed that she also would be seeking out the trial this week, instead of as a backup alternative. She would need a partner though as it was a two person trial, and she knew just who to ask.


    How to approach Gu Xiulan... Han Jian and his cousin were back, and they had once again taken to working with her friend and the girl¡¯s fiance. Ling Qi was hardly politically savvy, but she had a feeling that inviting Xiulan along to her trial when Han Jian hadn¡¯t invited the girl to his might be a turning point of sorts.


    Ling Qi did not consider herself knowledgeable about politics. From Meizhen and time spent browsing histories in the archive, she had managed to pick up a sort of fuzzy outline of how things stood. She knew the names of the most important families and some various general information about the Empire¡¯s provinces.


    She was not sure how to engage with the system in place, however. There weren¡¯t really any books on the subject, beyond etiquette texts and other such related things. She strongly suspected that it was the kind of thing one was just expected to pick up, like the pecking order among the street folk in Tonghou.


    So after her initial resolve to ask Xiulan to accompany her on the trial Fu Xiang had revealed to her, she began to worry. She knew Xiulan was drifting further away from Han Jian, and she knew things in their group were getting strained. It seemed like a strange thing to worry about, but she had been spending a lot of time with Xiulan lately and it might appear to others or even Han Jian that she was trying to pull her away.


    It seemed absurd, but so did a lot of things about the weird relationships among the various nobles here. She mostly avoided it herself, for one reason or another, but it seemed like something she should at least mention to Han Jian to make sure she wasn¡¯t sending any unintended signals, particularly when she was only half aware of which signals were bad in the first place!


    In her effort to meet up with Han Jian, she found herself at the pavilion where the council meetings took place. Han Jian had returned from wherever he had been off to, and according to what she could gather, he was coordinating with some lesser members of Cai¡¯s faction on some kind of training effort. She made sure to arrive around the time that he would be finishing up.


    Han Jian had changed, she noted idly as she waited at the exit to the pavilion area. He seemed more confident and more decisive in demeanor as he instructed the enforcers. He was wearing the Cai robe that she had previously seen him wear, this time with a white cape pinned over his shoulders. She wondered if he had practiced to get it to flutter like that.


    Her eyes drifted to Han Fang as the two of them approached the exit. The larger boy was a step behind his cousin as always and had changed to a more martial set of gear, similar to Han Jian but of lesser quality and lacking the cape. The weapon on his back, a massive mace with the spherical, ridge-lined business end the size of her head, was new as well.


    ¡°Ling Qi,¡± Han Jian said, raising his hand in greeting as he approached. ¡°Sorry I haven¡¯t had a chance to talk with you since we got back.¡± His qi had grown more vibrant as he had broken through to Late Yellow since she had seen him last.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You¡¯ve been busy. It happens,¡± she said with a shrug. ¡°If you¡¯re done for now, do you think we could talk for a bit?¡±


    Han Jian cast a glance over his shoulder at the other disciples slowly scattering to the other exits then nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. Before anything else though, I would like to thank you,¡± he said, bowing his head, lower than was strictly proper. ¡°You helped my friends out of some real trouble. I owe you one.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked then scratched her cheek sheepishly. ¡°They¡¯re my friends too,¡± she said uncomfortably. ¡°Well, Gu Xiulan is.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± he said, smiling. ¡°I¡¯m glad she has someone else to look out for her. Figures I would pick just the right time to disappear, huh?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not your fault,¡± Ling Qi reassured him hurriedly. She felt a little silly about letting him know about her intended plan to ask Xiulan now. ¡°I just wanted to let you know that I was planning to ask Xiulan to accompany me for a trial tomorrow. Figured you would want to plan around it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thanks for the warning,¡± Han Jian said slowly, giving her a concerned look. ¡°There¡¯s something else you''re worried about though,¡± he pointed out shrewdly.


    Ling Qi glanced at Han Fang, who was facing away from them, arms crossed. There was a faint buzzing in her senses and an odd stillness in the air. What he was doing dawned on her a moment later when he met her gaze and nodded. Han Fang was ensuring that they wouldn¡¯t be overheard.


    ¡°... I¡¯m worried that I¡¯m going to mess up,¡± Ling Qi replied after a moment¡¯s thought. ¡°I know Xiulan isn¡¯t happy with you right now, and I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m making you look bad by going out with her all the time, especially with a big prize like this.¡±


    Han Jian frowned, cupping his chin in his hand. ¡°I suppose I can see the reasoning there. It¡¯s been¡­ a little difficult between us lately,¡± he admitted. ¡°I¡¯m trying to give her some space and time to cool down, but I may have overdone it.¡±


    ¡°Maybe a bit,¡± Ling Qi said dryly. ¡°I don¡¯t really have any right to say anything though,¡± she added awkwardly. ¡°Is this going to be a problem?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m not going to try and get in the way of my friend¡¯s good fortune, even if she¡¯d like to light my hair on fire at the moment. I¡¯m not going to be that kind of lord,¡± Han Jian said firmly. ¡°As far as I¡¯m concerned, it¡¯s not a matter for me to decide. I don¡¯t have any business getting into my vassals¡¯ personal affairs if it¡¯s not affecting their duties.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, relieved. ¡°Alright. I guess it was a little silly to think otherwise, but the more I learn about things¡­¡±


    ¡°The easier it is to get paranoid about every step,¡± Han Jian finished ruefully. ¡°I get it. Honestly, there probably will be a few people starting nasty rumors, but you can¡¯t really avoid that, no matter what you do.¡±


    They parted ways soon after that with Han Jian assuring her that he would resume their normal activities soon. That done, Ling Qi headed off to find Xiulan, who she found was on her way back up the mountain. If she had to guess, she would say that Xiulan had gone to the volcanic vent where she had trained with her sister some time ago.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t bother hiding her own energy as she approached the bonfire of qi that Xiulan represented in her senses. She ghosted openly through the canopy of the trees, using the travel as a light agility exercise as she hopped from branch to branch. It became obvious that Xiulan had noticed her as well as the other girl picked up speed to meet her.


    Ling Qi dropped down onto the narrow dirt trail that constituted a path on this part of the mountain next to one of the stubby waystones marking distance. Gu Xiulan soon came up the path, wearing a new dress in her usual red shade with azure flames decorating the sleeves and hems.


    ¡°You can be kind of troublesome to find,¡± Ling Qi said lightly, smoothing her mantle. ¡°Are you doing well, Gu Xiulan?¡±


    Her friend smirked and took a prideful pose. ¡°Can you not tell?¡± she asked, spinning lightly on her heel, making her gown flare out around her legs. ¡°I have refined my perfection further.¡±


    Ling Qi smiled. She wasn¡¯t the only one working hard. Her friend had reached Mid Silver. ¡°Of course,¡± Ling Qi replied, eyeing her preening friend with amusement. ¡°I guess all of that cake and candy had to go somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Such things are beneath the concern of immortals,¡± Xiulan huffed, giving her a flat look. ¡°As I have said many times before. Besides, I am not the one pushing the fittings of my gown.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced down despite herself. It was fine. And she was pretty sure this thing readjusted itself¡­ She turned her gaze back to a smug looking Xiulan. ¡°That was mean,¡± she complained.


    ¡°You started it,¡± her friend replied in an amused tone. She was clearly in a good mood. ¡°I hardly meant insult,¡± she teased. ¡°Young ladies our age often need their clothes refitted.¡±


    Ling Qi flushed; Xiulan could be cruel at times. Ling Qi was still as lacking in feminine charm as the day she had come to the mountain. The only physical difference was that she wasn¡¯t half starved and had put on a bit of muscle. ¡°Anyway,¡± she said, changing the subject, ¡°I wanted to extend you an offer.¡±


    ¡°Oh, what kind of offer?¡± Xiulan asked, slipping easily into a more serious posture. ¡°I heard you were hunting for something or another. Do you require aid?¡±


    Ling Qi held back a grimace. It looked like she needed to practice her subtlety if people had already figured out her general action. ¡°Not quite. I have the location of a trial. And I would like you to accompany me for it.¡±


    Gu Xiulan blinked, a look of genuine surprise on her face before she broke into a wide grin. ¡°You truly do never lack for good fortune,¡± her friend praised, and for once, there was no trace of bitterness or jealousy in her voice. ¡°I would be happy to accompany you.¡±


    That was as Ling Qi expected. The next part was more difficult. ¡°... I should let you know that you won¡¯t have to worry about scheduling conflicts. I already let Han Jian know.¡±


    Xiulan¡¯s smile slipped, and Ling Qi saw a quite literal spark of unhappiness in her eyes. ¡°Is that so. I suppose I am glad it will not be an issue.¡± Her tone was studiously neutral.


    ¡°I just wanted to make sure I wasn¡¯t going to cause either of you problems,¡± Ling Qi said earnestly, meeting Xiulan¡¯s gaze steadily. ¡°You know I don¡¯t really get all of the political stuff.¡±


    Xiulan still had an air of irritation, but she nodded. ¡°You are¡­ not wrong,¡± she agreed grudgingly. ¡°In the future, allow me to speak with him on such matters.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Ling Qi said, dipping her head. ¡°I hope the prize makes up for it a little?¡± She didn¡¯t voice her suspicion that Xiulan might have handled the situation poorly if left on her own.


    ¡°It does,¡± Xiulan said. ¡°... It helps that you made no attempt to conceal your actions.¡±


    ¡°I might be a sneak, but you are one of my closest friends. I¡¯m not going to purposely go behind your back,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°Does sunrise tomorrow sound good to you?¡±


    ¡°It does,¡± Xiulan said with a sharp nod. ¡°I shall see you there.¡±


    The rest of the evening and night passed quickly enough. Ling Qi continued her efforts to ferret out information on the groups she was investigating, but soon enough, the light of dawn began to brighten the horizon, and she went to meet Xiulan at her home. Unlike her other friends, the noble girl proved more akin to her own habits and was fully prepared by the time she got there.


    Taking the mountain paths together, they climbed the mountain, heading toward the treeline where the cavern which held the trial was located according to Fu Xiang¡¯s information. The general area was easy enough to find, but even with explicit instructions, the sense-distorting maze around the cave entrance proved an irritating obstacle. Although they had started their trip before the sun had properly risen, dawn was well underway by the time they made it to the cave and the white stone door buried in its rear wall.


    The two of them took a moment to examine the cave, but they found no further traps or surprises. The door was similar enough to the one she had seen with Meizhen, aside from its coloring, so they both placed a hand upon it and channeled their qi.


    Unlike the last trial she had been to, they were not immediately whisked away. Instead, the doors ground open, revealing a chamber dimly lit by a single hanging lantern filled with a ghostly blue-green flame. It hung from the center of the ceiling over a pool of clear water and cast the rest of the room in shadow.


    While that wasn¡¯t a problem for Ling Qi, she was not so certain of her friend. ¡°Do you need a light?¡± she asked quietly as she stepped inside to peer around.


    ¡°Hardly,¡± Xiulan sniffed, stepping gingerly inside as well as flames gathered in the palm of her hand, brightening the interior. ¡°I am the light.¡±


    Ling Qi made a sound of acknowledgment and examined the circular chamber. She could easily see the bottom of the pool, which was tiled with jade in varying colors. Two tiles were missing.


    ¡°Ling Qi, this way.¡± She looked up at the sound of Xiulan¡¯s voice. The other girl stood near a flat section of rock on the far side of the room, examining the wall. ¡°Written instructions. How straightforward for an Elder,¡± the girl mused.


    Ling Qi hurried over. Sure enough, when she got within a meter of Xiulan, silvery characters blurred into existence on the previously bare patch of wall.


    ¡°Resolve in the face of hardship is the truest virtue,¡± Gu Xiulan read aloud. ¡°Within dreams of tribulation lie the keys to success.¡±


    ¡°All dreams contain keys, yet not all trials are equal. Choose wisely,¡± Ling Qi finished. ¡°That¡­ sounds obvious enough. So¡­ this will be like Elder Zhou¡¯s test, you think?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Xiulan mused. ¡°Let us search the other walls. There may yet be more.¡±


    They moved around the perimeter of the room, and as they did, more hidden markings were revealed. This time, there were no words, only symbols. The first was a rearing dragon horse, shrouded by cloud and lightning. The qilin was the symbol of the cloud tribe warlord Ogodei, who had invaded the Empire centuries ago. She remembered that much from her occasional studying.


    The second was hideous, a man half twisted into some kind of great cat, his leering, fanged mouth dripping blood. Xiulan thought it resembled tales of the skin-changing warriors of the western barbarians.


    The third was a tiny ship on a storm-wracked sea, ghost lights shining from the waters below. Something to do with the northern provinces then, they both agreed.


    The last was a stylized white owl with wings outstretched over a black sky, and they both knew what that symbol meant. It was the mark of the Ministry of Integrity. What that meant for a trial, neither could say.


    Xiulan recounted Elder Zhou¡¯s third test that Ling Qi had skipped, where the remaining disciples had been pitted against the phantoms of various enemies. It seemed likely that this trial¡¯s dreams would be something similar. Unfortunately, there was no further information to be found nor any means of egress, aside from the door they had entered by.


    They would need to make a choice.


    ¡°I think that one might be a good place to start,¡± Ling Qi said, pointing toward the image of the scaled spirit beast. ¡°We still don¡¯t know what these tests will entail, but this one should at least take place on familiar ground, right?¡±


    Gu Xiulan hummed thoughtfully, eyes flicking from one symbol to the next. ¡°I suppose so. It is somewhat irritating that my home is the only region of the Empire unrepresented,¡± she added, frowning.


    ¡°That is a little strange,¡± Ling Qi said consideringly. She didn¡¯t particularly understand why. ¡°Maybe the Elder who crafted this trial isn¡¯t familiar with the east?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Xiulan replied, shaking her head as she turned toward the image of the dragon horse. ¡°In any case, some practice against the foes we will be expected to face cannot go amiss.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, glad they could agree on the first step without trouble. ¡°Now, we just need to activate it. Do you think we should just touch it?¡± She stepped closer to the faintly luminescent symbol. Ling Qi hadn¡¯t found any visible formations markings in the chamber despite her best efforts.


    ¡°As simple as that is, it seems so,¡± her friend said as she stepped up beside her. ¡°There is nothing else to¡­¡± The image rippled as Xiulan¡¯s fingers brushed across it and dissolved into mist, revealing two circles of characters so dense that they at first appeared as simple black rings. Even squinting, Ling Qi could barely make out the individual characters.


    ¡°I suppose that answers that question,¡± Ling Qi said dryly, for above the hand-sized circle was a single glowing line of silver script. It read simply: ¡®Here begins the dream of storms.¡¯


    She shared a look with Xiulan, and then the two of them placed their hands within the offered circles.


    Everything went black.

 Chapter 99-Dark Dreams 2

    After a timeless instant, Ling Qi¡¯s eyes fluttered open once more, and she found herself staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling of natural stone. She quickly scrambled to her feet, looking around. She was relieved to find Xiulan a scant couple of meters away, unsteadily climbing to her feet herself. They were in a shallow cave, featureless and non-descript.


    Thunder rumbled outside, and Ling Qi felt herself tensing instinctively as her qi senses came back into focus. There was a heavy and oppressive weight in the air, like nothing she had felt before. It made her uneasy.


    ¡°Not the most auspicious starting line,¡± Gu Xiulan said quietly as she peered around, seemingly unaffected by the atmosphere. ¡°There is a battle occurring nearby,¡± she added. ¡°What is our objective though?¡±


    ¡°Maybe we¡¯re to support Imperial forces in the area?¡± Ling Qi guessed. A battle. Was that what this feeling was?


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Xiulan said warily. ¡°Let us see what lies outside.¡±


    That seemed reasonable enough to Ling Qi so she nodded, joining her friend in carefully moving toward the entrance of the cave. What she saw when she neared the entrance stole her breath away. The cave they had appeared in was located on a steep cliff overlooking a shallow depression, its high elevation giving her clear sight for kilometers under the storm-darkened sky. Before her lay a city, perhaps a bit larger than her Tonghou, laid out in the same sort of layered set of rings, walls separating one section of the city from the next.


    The difference, of course, lay in the fact that it was on fire. Thick, cloying black smoke rose from smoldering buildings, and entire fields were burning, framing the city wall in lurid light and soot. That was not what drew her eye though. A rippling dome of translucent cyan qi rose from the city walls, the stonework below burning with the light of thousands of complex characters.


    Then there was the noise. A terrible, reverberating scream arose as a black hail fell upon the city. The dome over the city flared violently where the arrows struck, visibly straining under the assault before the arrows shattered.


    Her eyes tracked upward, following the path the projectiles had taken, and for a moment, she thought she was looking at a river of thunderclouds, moving as if it were alive. Her mistake became clear a moment later as her enhanced vision allowed her to make out the individual figures among the churning clouds that roiled beneath the hooves of the blue and grey furred horses the barbarians rode. Thick, form-concealing furs and occasional armor glittered in the light of the lightning, and shadows of smaller, slighter figures darted at the edge of the horde, hanging from odd constructions like the wings of a bat strapped to their backs.


    They were circling away from the city even as it answered in kind, massive bolts and glimmering nets that unraveled into the sky catching horsemen that had not wheeled quickly enough. The titanic river of clouds split in the wake of the counterattack, columns of riders making to encircle the city. Arrows continued to fall like a screaming rain, drowning out the sounds of the fires.


    ¡°They are going to lose,¡± Gu Xiulan assessed, drawing Ling Qi¡¯s attention away from the spectacle. ¡°If they merely cower behind the walls, it is only a matter of time. Were the rest of the Imperial forces routed?¡±


    Ling Qi turned her attention back to the city, her face pale. How was her friend so calm? Even knowing it wasn¡¯t real, she felt like she could hear the screams of the dying from here. As if to punctuate her point, the sound of shrieking wind that accompanied the cloud tribe¡¯s volleys roared to a crescendo, and thunder rumbled as the sky lit up, blazing lines of lightning stretching toward a figure at the head of one of the columns of riders.


    A bolt fell, and one of the ballistae towers crumbled, stone and men falling as the barrier above the city gave a tortured shriek. The hole blown in the shield began to seal shut, ever so slowly.


    ¡°What are we supposed to do about something like that?¡± Ling Qi asked in a furious whisper, gesturing at the scene before them. She was confident in her abilities, but this was something else.


    Xiulan began to speak, only to cut herself off, as fire bloomed in the air before them. Instead of an attack, the fire formed into flickering characters.


    Behold the price of sloth and unreadiness.


    Only death awaits those who shirk their duty.


    Yet all lives must not be forfeit. The Empire protects its own.


    Seek those hidden, and lead them from death.


    Authority has been granted. Squander it not.


    ¡°I suppose that answers your question.¡± Xiulan huffed.


    Ling Qi frowned at the fading words. ¡°So, we¡¯re supposed to find people in the countryside who haven¡¯t been killed and lead them away?¡±


    Her friend snorted. ¡°A few panicked farmers are not worth our time. No, I know the markings for shelters and escape routes. In a situation like this, some of the noble families should have gotten their non-combatants away from the walls and hidden. It will be troublesome to move with such a group though. If we move quickly in the shadow of the forest, we may have a chance.¡±


    Ling Qi shot the girl a sour look at her easy dismissal of the common folk¡­ but was her friend really wrong? If there were already shelters where people were gathered in hiding, wouldn¡¯t they save more by focusing on them? Were they really supposed to abandon the city to its fate?


    ¡°The question, I think, is whether we should split up to gather as many as we can or stay together,¡± Gu Xiulan mused. ¡°I could show you the signs easily enough. We will need to move soon though. I imagine that once the walls fall, the barbarians will scatter to pillage the surroundings.¡±


    No, the text was right. The city was lost; there was nothing she could do about that. The only thing to be done was to try and get as many people out as possible. She did wonder what the test¡¯s measure of ¡®escaped¡¯ was.


    "How will we get them to listen to us though?" Ling Qi asked.


    "I assume we will be seen as officials of some rank," Xiulan replied, the fires below reflecting in her considering gaze. "The last line seemed to indicate so, and this is but a dream."


    ¡°Show me the symbols on the way down,¡± Ling Qi decided as she looked up, tracking the curving path of the army overhead. Even as she watched, one of the halves swerved back in, raining further projectiles down on the city below. ¡°We¡¯ll need to figure out where we¡¯re going to meet up though.¡±


    ¡°The bold approach then?¡± Xiulan asked lightly, a sharp grin forming on her lips. ¡°Well, I will not object. We will need to find a landmark¡­ Something northward, I think.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded. Given the terrain, this was a city on the border, like the town at the base of the Sect¡¯s mountain. North was the only direction that really made sense for a withdrawal since they didn¡¯t know if cities to the east and west were also being attacked. She scanned the horizon while keeping a wary eye on the sky overhead.


    ¡°Perhaps that outpost?¡± Xiulan asked, pointing out a plume of smoke rising from a rectangle of damaged stone that stood in a cleared section of the trees, some distance away from the road that curved north, following the flow of a small waterway. ¡°It looks to have fallen already, and I see no enemies about.¡±


    ¡°They would have to be pretty foolish to not leave something at a hardpoint like that,¡± Ling Qi said dubiously. She had only the simplest understanding of tactics and war, mostly picked up by osmosis from being near Han Jian when he was thinking aloud, but that seemed obvious.


    ¡°Only if they had any intention of holding territory or any need for mundane lines of supply,¡± Xiulan shot back, giving her a long-suffering look. ¡°Are you so unaware of your histories? It is one of the many reasons why the cloud tribes are so troublesome to deal with.¡±


    Ling Qi huffed and crossed her arms. ¡°I haven¡¯t had time to study that kind of thing. Tonghou hasn¡¯t been raided in more than a hundred years,¡± she replied, the factoid rising from some forgotten corner of her memory.


    ¡°Is that where you are from? I would have expected a town closer to the border given your complexion,¡± Xiulan mused, eyeing her speculatively. Ling Qi scowled at her, but the other girl shook her head. ¡°Well, no matter. Let us get moving. Every moment spent here is one lost.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Ling Qi said grudgingly, still a little irked at the other girl¡¯s casual mention of her deficiency. ¡°So, what are the signs I should be looking out for?¡±


    They set off, running down from the mouth of the cave they had begun the trial in, leaping easily from one crumbling ledge to the next until they had gained the cover of the scrub trees in the hills below. All the while, Ling Qi listened intently as Xiulan described the various waystones and subtle signs that marked places of escape for Imperial citizens in times of trouble.


    It was irritating that she had never known of such a thing, but apparently, people like her weren¡¯t worth such precautions. If a spirit got loose in the city, it was best to just find a shrine. But apparently, part of guard duty included the checking of spirit shelters around cities that served as fallback points for young cultivators and their servants who found themselves in trouble. These shelters also allowed them safe passage back into the city, or out in this case. She pushed the thought aside for the moment; it wasn¡¯t as if it was really surprising that nobles and cultivators had their own routes.


    She had a job to do here, and she would do it, even if she found herself glancing with worry at the struggling city. There would be thousands of people just like she had been there, and they were just going to leave them to suffer at the hands of barbarians. Intellectually, she knew that this was simply an illusion, but it still sat poorly with her. But there was nothing that she or Xiulan could do in the face of the living storm that was the cloud tribe army though. Even with her every technique active, she had no doubt that the tribe had enough arrows to fill every inch of her mist with many to spare. It would be suicide.


    Ling Qi had not lived her life until this point taking risks like that. She had grown bolder as she grew stronger, but she wasn¡¯t a fool. So Ling Qi ignored the occasional scream she caught on the wind and the sound of burning homes and farms, focusing on the path ahead. She and Gu Xiulan split when they reached more level ground with Ling Qi heading west and her friend east. They would circle the city and gather everyone they could on the way to the outpost. Then they would head north, moving away from the road to avoid detection but not straying so far as to risk riling up the spirits of the deeper wilderness.


    Ling Qi just hoped the distance needed to count for the purposes of the test wasn¡¯t too long. It would be troublesome if she wore herself out entirely during this first test. She would try to stick to her less expensive techniques, the ones whose efficiency were refined by the talismans she wore and used.


    With thoughts of such efficiency in mind, Ling Qi did her best to stay under the cover of the trees without use of the active techniques of Sable Crescent Step. Combined with the storm clouds overhead, it was enough to let the cooling chill of the meridians in her legs and spine speed her movements further. That it hid her better from the sight of the barbarians far overhead was a bonus as well.


    Every step she took felt tenser than the last, her full focus split between looking for the stones placed to point the way to her targets and remaining as silent and unobtrusive as possible. She kept a tight grip on her qi, not allowing so much as a wisp to escape into the environment. The world blurred around her as she ran, a testament to her speed, even while remaining unseen.


    The first waystone, she caught out of the corner of her eye. A single mossy white stone nestled among the roots of a tree, only a bit larger than her fist, and the markings upon it were little more than scratches. Pausing to push a whisper of qi into the stone revealed where to head.


    Another stone and another followed until at last, she was led to a small ridge with a single tree clinging tenaciously to the weathered edge, its roots trailing down in a way that vaguely resembled an arch. Ling Qi could see a certain haziness to it, her senses made supernaturally sharp by the Discerning Gaze technique of the Argent Mirror Art.


    Her hand passed through dirt and loose rock as if it were not there, and she found herself before a stone door inset into the ridge. Recalling her friend¡¯s words, she studied the pattern on the door and quickly traced her fingers over the appropriate marks, injecting them with a tiny wisp of qi to activate and release the ¡®lock¡¯ upon it. She was a little dubious about the passes being the same despite this being an event from hundreds of years ago, but they were apparently standardized in each province to prevent confusion and only reacted to human qi.


    In any case, it worked, and the door ground open, revealing a cramped, square chamber, dimly lit by glowing stones set in the ceiling. A tunnel was at the rear of the chamber, its direction leading toward the city. What brought Ling Qi pause were its occupants. More than a dozen people, who had been engaged in speaking to each other. had turned to face the opening door.


    Three of them wore the uniform and armor of guards and had cultivations in the late first realm. One wore polished armor, a plumed helm and the colors of some noble house or another. He looked a few years her elder and was in the early second realm. The rest though were children and servants. Some of the children were as old as eleven or twelve with the first hints of cultivation; others were much younger, down to a boy who couldn¡¯t have been older than a year held in the arms of a trembling woman in servant¡¯s livery only a bare step up from mortality.


    Briefly, she froze at the eyes falling upon her, unsure of what to do. She relied upon her experience with Meizhen, Xiulan, Cai Renxiang and other ladies of rank and drew herself up, not allowing a hint of her own lack of confidence to show.


    ¡°I am glad I did not waste my time coming here,¡± she said cooly. ¡°We must leave this place quickly. All shelters are being evacuated to the north.¡±


    That statement drew wide eyes and whispers from the servants and guards, and the older man in the polished armor stepped forward to speak, an expression of worry on his features.


    ¡°Lady Chu,¡± he began hesitantly, almost throwing her off with the title. ¡°Though I thank you for your effort, is the situation truly so bad that it is worth risking travel through the forest with children?¡± he asked, a hint of incredulity in his tone. ¡°It is only a barbarian raid, if a large one. Surely-¡±


    She couldn¡¯t let them start to doubt her, or they would never come out of this hole. She knew people well enough for that. Since he recognized her as someone of rank, she would simply lean on that.


    ¡°Would I have wasted the time to come here if not?¡± she cut him off. ¡°That I would risk myself alone outside the walls trivially? This is no simple raid. It is more dire than that.¡± She felt a stab of guilt at the growing fear among the servants and children and the whispers her sharp ears caught.


    ¡°Father¡­¡±


    ¡°Elder Sister will¡­¡±


    ¡°What is happening¡­¡±


    ¡°Follow me or don¡¯t. My duty is to help as many escape as possible. I won¡¯t fail in that, and there is no time to waste.¡± Ling Qi couldn¡¯t break character, and distant and cold was the best method to avoid being questioned.


    The man who had spoken to her had grown pale, and he gripped the hilt of the sword at his hip with a white-knuckled grip. He quickly bowed, his back stiff. ¡°My apologies for questioning you, Lady Chu! Please give us a moment to prepare. We did not expect such a journey.¡±


    She nodded once sharply and turned away, pacing back to the edge of the illusion to keep an eye on the stormy sky. She was closer to the city now, close enough to hear the distant beat of thousands of hooves thundering through the sky like a low rumble in her bones. Thankfully, they were still distant enough that she could only see the roiling edges of their unnatural storm clouds amidst the more normal ones that were gathering.


    Shortly thereafter, she was on the move again, albeit slower given those she was traveling with. This was going to get dangerous quickly, she knew. With the exception of the armored men, the adults were occupied with carrying the smaller children, and her group would grow more and more difficult to hide as she picked up more people from the shelters.


    On the upside, the spokesman had a much better idea of the locations of the shelters remaining on her path, which allowed them to travel a more efficient path. It remained, however, a trial to keep the train of people moving as quietly and unobtrusively as possible.


    Somehow, she managed. Channeling her best impression of Meizhen, her harshly whispered commands kept everyone in line and moving with utmost care. Even the children failed to make a ruckus, accidental or otherwise.


    It was mentally exhausting, keeping track of everyone, especially as time passed and they reached shelter after shelter, picking up more civilians. Twenty, then thirty, the group swiftly grew until she had more than half a hundred people under her care, the vast majority of which were children and other non-combatants. She had perhaps a dozen guardsmen and two additional early second realm officers by the time the group turned to begin heading north.


    It was painfully slow to move such a group carefully. Unseen was out of the question, but she could manage to keep them to the more covered parts of the forest. The invasion seemed to have put most of the spirits to flight at least so they went mostly unmolested in that regard.


    There was trouble when their circling brought them close enough that the group could see the wavering, weakened barrier of the city and the broken towers on the walls. She did her best to keep them moving, despite the grief and fear that rippled through the group at the sight.


    By her measure, nearly two hours had passed and the sky was beginning to grow dark above the clouds. She wondered how the city was still standing. Either the barrier and walls were much stronger than she imagined or the barbarians were merely harassing the defenders, refusing to engage and suffer casualties when their target could be worn down with simple time.


    ... It was what she would do after all. Why engage an enemy who could be defeated with patience? The cloud tribe¡¯s chosen tactic worked in her favor for the moment though. The group was still a couple kilometers from the arranged meeting point. Hopefully, she could reach the damaged outpost before the city fell.


    As that thought passed her mind, she felt a change in the rumbling from behind and above. There was another sound now that rose above the thunderous beat of hooves.


    ¡°..ei!¡±


    The clouds twisted overhead, lightning flashing in their dark bellies, as a light rain began to fall. Was it her imagination or were the clouds beginning to swirl over the city?


    ¡°...dei!¡±


    As the rain began to fall in earnest, the circling columns of horsemen fell back from the churning clouds overhead, and she saw, through the rain, the mounted barbarians raising their fists to the sky. As the wind began to scream, she finally understood what she was hearing.


    ¡°OGODEI!!¡±


    Ten thousand voices exulted in unison as the wind picked up and the clouds began to stretch down. A thousand crackling strands of lighting traced the edges of the distorting cloud as the swirling winds reached a peak, drowning out their cries.


    A massive funnel crackling with heavenly wrath stretched down like the finger of a great spirit, and the barrier over the city shattered. The governor¡¯s manse, standing high and proud at the center of the city, vanished, torn apart by screaming winds, the central district of the city obliterated in an instant.


    Ling Qi¡¯s face could hardly pale further, and from her charges, she could hear the rising sounds of terror as well. It looked like their time was up.

 Chapter 100-Dark Dreams 3

    As the rain began to pound on the canopy of the trees above, Ling Qi spun on her heel, giving her a look at the fear, anger, and despair blooming on the faces of the people she was leading.


    ¡°Keep moving!¡± she snapped, pushing her own fear down. ¡°We cannot stop now. Grieve later!¡±


    Her command startled those nearest out of their shock, but there was still hesitation and milling about from the group as a whole. Ling Qi grit her teeth and turned her eyes to one of the three second realms she had with her, the older man in the plumed helmet she had met in the first shelter.


    ¡°Help me get them moving again. We can¡¯t afford to be spotted now. Get the guards and your peers to start organizing people. Every second we stand here is one wasted.¡±


    The officer hastily bowed his head to her and muttered an acknowledgement, and Ling Qi cringed. She would have to hope he could get through to everyone because she did not have the skills for this scenario. Organizing people, calming down panicked civilians... The Elder of this trial might as well have asked her to fly unaided.


    She set off through the intensifying rain to spread her commands to the others who might actually be able to accomplish soothing the group and to make it known that she needed volunteers to play scout and potential distraction. A fearful glance back showed the barbarian army pouring into the city like the rain, the lines on the walls breaking as the men atop them were trampled by lightning-shod hooves.


    Luckily for her, some among those she had gathered had the knack for doing what she could not, and soon, everyone was moving, if painfully slow for her liking. The pounding rain turning the ground to muck certainly didn¡¯t help matters. On the other hand, the reduced visibility could favor them¡­ if the barbarians were also hindered by it.


    She didn¡¯t really want to think much at all. She had seen brutality on the streets of Tonghou - seen grown men beat a child half to death, seen the marks on girls less fleet of foot than her, and ran across corpses in the alleys and gutters - but the scale of what was going on behind her shook her. She fell into the breathing exercises of her Argent Mirror art to keep herself calm and focused. She could think about things like that later.


    She leapt from the ground, landing in a crouch on a tree branch that wavered under her weight, and then blurred to the next branch, the edges of her limbs growing misty as she took advantage of the waning light. Ling Qi needed to make sure the perimeter stayed clear and that everyone kept moving in the right direction. She would take an outrider role, alongside a handful of others that had an art or two suitable for the role. If it seemed discovery was inevitable, the scout would make themselves known and draw attention away from the main group.


    Ling Qi thought she was likely the only one who would survive doing so; none of the others could throw off pursuers well enough by her measure. But it was the best they could do, given the situation.


    So they moved, leaving the rapidly falling city behind them with all the haste that could be instilled in the terrified people, even as the rain grew more intense, falling in heavy sheets.


    It was a hard thing, keeping the group heading in the right direction while also preventing them from making too much of commotion. Only rapid reaction on her part and discipline among the guards allowed it. They proceeded as quickly as could be expected, which was still all too slow for Ling Qi¡¯s taste, but all things considered, they ate up the ground covering the first kilometer with relative alacrity.


    Behind them, the situation of the city continued to devolve. When Ling Qi took an opportunity to peer back from a shaded perch, she found the walls empty of defenders and the gates open. Even at this distance, she could see the movement of people fleeing from the city in the flat, cleared land around it. The barbarians ran rampant over the rooftops and through the streets, and clumps of horsemen and smaller, wing-mounted figures were splitting off to chase down those fleeing and ranging further afield.


    Several times, there were close calls with the roving bands, and she got a proper look at the barbarians as they rode overhead on their stocky steeds. Their blue-grey horses were thick of limb and somewhat short compared to the horses she was used to seeing with long, untrimmed black manes.


    The barbarians themselves wore thick furs over plate-slatted armor of bone or wood. It was odd how little metal she saw on them. The helms they wore were pointed but slanted backward, and thick tassels of fur and beads hung down over their ears and necks. Their faces were obscured by odd mask of bone and crystal over their faces, with painted and carved patterns in different color and shema for each warrior.


    She also got a look at the figures on the gliders. Some were young men, boys really, by their builds and the bits of their faces she could see They lacked the older warriors¡¯ masks, and instead, they had their mouths wrapped under cloth. They were uniformly in the first realm from what she could tell.


    A rather smaller number of them were women, or at least she was pretty sure they were. They wore thick and heavy robes just like the men, but their hair was braided long and the shape seemed to match. They wore thick bands of bead and cloth around their heads, and their faces were shrouded by visors of the same clear substance as the warriors¡¯ masks with cloth attached to the bottom that hung heavy with embroidery and beads of painted bone and stone.


    There weren¡¯t very many Cloud tribe women, and they were never alone or in small groups like the younger men on their strange wood and cloth wings. Instead, when she saw one, they were always with a group of five or more second realm warriors. Unlike the men, who were armed with heavy recurve bows and swords or spears with curved blades, they had no apparent armaments at all.


    Her closest calls were with those larger groups for the pairs and trios of warriors young and old were enthusiastic with victory and not as observant as they could be. Twice though, Ling Qi found herself holding her breath and qi alike as a group of five or six horsemen thundered overhead with a sharp-eyed glider in the center of their formation.


    Once even, she found herself having to distract them, a fired arrow drawing eyes away from her escaping charges. Luckily, it had been one of the smaller bands so she had lead them on a merry chase before escaping and circling back to her charges, once she was sure she had them chasing sightings of her in the wrong direction. It cost her a bit of qi though, both to speed her movements and render her trail trackless.


    Others were not so lucky. By the time the group reached the ruined outpost, five of the guardsmen were dead or missing, selling their lives to draw the attention of the barbarian outriders.


    The sun was setting behind the storm clouds when they arrived, and many of the refugees she had lead here collapsed from exhaustion when she finally called a halt, allowing them to rest for the moment. She left the two remaining second realms in charge while she went east to scout for the approach of Gu Xiulan and whoever she had managed to save. The rain had let up somewhat, now falling in a steady patter rather than drenching sheets, but Ling Qi was already soaked to the bone so it hardly mattered.


    She was pleased to see the sun setting. Not only would it empower one of her best arts in Sable Crescent Step, but also the Cloud Tribe probably didn¡¯t have universal night vision so it would be easier to avoid their attention. The great moving storm cloud over the city had either dispersed or been grounded by this point, and the roaming outriders seemed thinner in the air. They were likely settling in for the night.


    Her worry grew as time passed and she saw no sign of Gu Xiulan. She scanned the horizon and found far greater numbers of still active barbarians in the east. Ling Qi ranged further east cautiously. She did not want to go too far, but it would be some time before her group was ready to move again. The pace had been punishing for the many civilians, particularly as more and more of the children had run out of stamina, requiring adults to carry or help them.


    She first saw sign of Xiulan in the form of an occasional sparking light within the trees. That something resolved itself quickly enough. In the shadow of the trees, she saw a small group of people, a bit less than a score, moving rapidly through the woods in the wake of a flickering, light-shrouded figure in Xiulan.


    The girl looked distinctly unhappy and just as soaked as she was, steam rising from her soaked skin and clothing even as sparks danced at her heels with each step. A quick glance at the rest showed only a handful of guards among the civilians she lead. There were few adults, and every one of them was weighed down by a young child or two. Ling Qi was glad the girl was alright, but going by the feel of her qi, her friend had spent a significantly larger chunk of her energy than Ling Qi.


    Ling Qi raised her fingers to her lips and gave a sharp whistle, the signal they had agreed upon beforehand, and Xiulan quickly looked toward her general direction, slowing her run as those with her tensed.


    ¡°I suppose I should not be surprised that you made it here first,¡± her friend said, glancing up at the trees as she continued moving toward the outpost. The other girl¡¯s eyes snapped to Ling Qi the moment she stepped out of the shadows, and some of the tension bled from her shoulders.


    ¡°You know me, I guess,¡± Ling Qi said lightly. ¡°Anything I can do to help?¡± she asked as she kept pace with them in the tree branches.


    ¡°Keep us informed of any obstacles in the path,¡± Xiulan replied tersely. ¡°We should have time, but we will need to rest before heading north. We cannot afford to get diverted.¡±


    Ling Qi replied in the affirmative, already casting her thoughts back to the path she had taken to this point. For the next half hour, she directed Xiulan¡¯s group, avoiding the less passable bits of the forest and occasionally correcting their course.


    Once they had arrived at the outpost and linked up, she got the actual story out of Xiulan. They had ended up in a couple skirmishes with the barbarians, and her group, initially forty or so people, had had to split in half in the end, many of the guards and adults taking the responsibility of leading the pursuit away. Xiulan seemed fairly unbothered by the deaths, but she was angry at herself for the perceived failing.


    Ling Qi did her best to encourage her, but she wasn¡¯t sure how successful she was. Her friend was prickly at the best of times, and several hours spent under the pouring rain hadn¡¯t improved her temper. So rather than trying something futile, Ling Qi quickly turned her attention to what would hopefully be the last leg of the test, the travel north to safer territory. They both agreed that going while it was still night was best. Pursuit was muted by this point, but the roving bands would be on the hunt when the sun arose.


    But it was obvious that their charges were exhausted and demoralized. It would be hard to get everyone going again before dawn. In the end, Ling Qi left the matter to Xiulan, once she had recovered her poise and dried off a bit. Her friend was much better at speaking and giving commands. For her part, she just moved among the civilians, offering quiet words and encouragement. She was hardly a physician, but she recalled enough to help people bandage wounds and provide minor aid.


    Still, even with Xiulan¡¯s efforts, it was a couple of hours before it was reasonable to move again, and even that was pushing what could be expected from civilians. It was only the confidence that her own group had in her to lead them well regardless of visibility that allowed them to move in the middle of the night once the rain had tapered off.


    Ling Qi set as fast a pace as she thought would be reasonable, marching everyone north and away from the ruined city behind them. Already, it looked like a ruin. To her eye, it seemed that the barbarians were actively destroying the walls. She didn¡¯t understand the purpose, but at least it was occupying them from searching the outlying areas more diligently.Ling Qi could not help but feel nervous. This escape had seemed almost too easy.


    It didn¡¯t help that her own thoughts churned unhappily as she had time to think about what she had witnessed. How many people had been killed today? How many had been run down and murdered? It seemed worse somehow than the individual cruelties she had seen. What was even the point? By the looks of things, the damned tribesmen didn¡¯t even intend to keep the city. Did they just enjoy destroying things?


    Some part of her knew that there had to be more to it than that, but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to care. Not when she observed the downcast and broken expressions on the newly orphaned children in her train and the helpless anger of the men and women whose home had been obliterated.


    In the end, there was no great climax or battle to cap off the trial, only a sullen, weary, and grueling march through mud and darkness, punctuated by sudden violence from spiritual predators picking at the edges of their train. The sun was beginning to crest the horizon by the time it ended in a sudden fade into gray mist as they reached the waystone marking the road to the next city.


    As Ling Qi blinked and opened her eyes back in the starting cavern, she wondered if that had been the lesson in and of itself. Was the trial meant to show what defeat was like? A clattering sound drew her attention to the jade tile that had hit the ground in front of her, along with two wax-stoppered clay containers.


    ¡°What a miserable mess that was,¡± Xiulan grumbled from beside her, sitting up from the slumped position she had been in. ¡°I do not think I have ever truly appreciated how vile the weather is in this province.¡±


    ¡°Is that really all that bothered you?¡± Ling Qi asked as she examined one of the containers.


    Xiulan pursed her lips as she picked up the other container, giving Ling Qi a curious look. ¡°The world is deadly, the borders more so. It is our duty to prevent such things¡­ but losses happen,¡± she said matter-of-factly. ¡°Spirits, barbarians, even the world itself fights us at times. All that can be done is to attain the strength to overcome such trials.¡±


    Ling Qi grunted, not really happy with the answer, and popped out the stopper on the container, revealing a couple of glittering pills within, along with a wafting cloud of medicinal vapor. Ling Qi recognized these from her studies. Eightfold Path pills were an Argent Sect specialty. The Argent arts supposedly focused on the balance between Imperial Eight elements, and these pills assisted in the cultivation of arts that used those.


    ¡°Well¡­ regardless, we are not done.¡± Her friend¡¯s voice drew her attention again, pulling her eyes away from the potent rainbow-colored pills. Ling Qi hastily re-stoppered the bottle as she looked up to find Gu Xiulan weighing the jade tile in her hand, the girl¡¯s own pill case having disappeared already.


    Gu Xiulan was right, Ling Qi mused as she looked at the remaining potential trials. There were two missing tiles in the pool so there was probably one more trial to go to finish at least this portion of the trial, if not the entire trial. Ling Qi hadn¡¯t expended much qi, but she still felt exhausted, fatigued mentally and physically. It wasn¡¯t enough to slow her down yet though. She could handle one more trial.

 Chapter 101-Dark Dreams 4

    Ling Qi closed her eyes and tilted her head back, resting it against the cool stone behind her. The mud and grime she had collected during the dream was gone, and she was no longer drenched to the bone, but she still felt drained. The task of keeping so many people moving while avoiding the attention of the cloud tribe outriders had been exhausting. She had largely been winging it the entire time, and despite the fact that she had gotten half a hundred people to relative safety, the achievement felt empty.


    The sight of a city falling to a massive funnel of wind was burned into her mind. It made her feel small and weak in a way that she hadn¡¯t since before she had come to the Sect. It brought to mind memories of crouching in a water barrel, praying that a merchant¡¯s guards wouldn¡¯t find her,of running for her life from a street gang that had taken offense to her being in their territory. When she thought of all the people left in that city to die, it left her feeling cold and empty.


    ¡°You can pick the next one, Xiulan. Just give me a few minutes,¡± Ling Qi said without opening her eyes. In the end, everything she had seen had happened long before she was born; it may as well have been a play. She wasn¡¯t foolish enough to think she could have done anything to prevent the tornado, or even that she owed an effort to try, but it was unsettling that something as permanent and enduring as a city could be torn down so easily by the power of a higher realm cultivator. She should have realized the gap when she had seen the giant sinkhole Elder Ying had created, but Ogodei¡¯s attack had been more visceral somehow.


    ¡°Well, if you are offering...¡± She cracked her eyes open as Xiulan spoke, watching her friend peer at the three remaining trials. She caught the girl giving her a furtive look of slight concern though.


    Ling Qi couldn¡¯t bring herself to comment on it. She knew she was being foolish. There would be plenty of time for meditation and reflection later, after the trial. Still, she remained seated, focusing on quieting and centering herself while Gu Xiulan considered the remaining options. Glancing toward the exit, Ling Qi noted that the intensity of the light hadn¡¯t changed much; here, in the outside world, it seemed that only an hour or two had passed.


    ¡°This one,¡± Xiulan announced, drawing her attention once more. ¡°I have little desire to see the frozen seas in the north, nor to skulk about. Facing the beasts in the west is the best option for us together.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Ling Qi had been leaning toward the white owl herself, but she supposed Xiulan wouldn¡¯t be interested in something like that. ¡°What makes you think that one will be a straight fight?¡± She didn¡¯t object, but she was curious as to her friend¡¯s reasoning. ¡°The last one wasn¡¯t after all.¡±


    Xiulan frowned at the reminder. ¡°I cannot guarantee it, of course, but it seems the most likely option for a fight compared to the other two.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Ling Qi said, pushing herself up to stand and moving beside her friend in front of the image of the malformed beast man on the wall. ¡°Anything I should know about the destination?¡±


    Xiulan cupped her chin thoughtfully, taking the question seriously. ¡°Trust nothing in the environment. The trees and plants are as dangerous as the beasts,¡± she responded. ¡°Were this real, we would want lotions and medicines. The insects, air, and water contain many foul illnesses that may lay even a cultivator low. Unless the trial is to last days or weeks though, that should not be an issue¡­ but if need be, my arts allow for a degree of purification.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a lovely place,¡± Ling Qi said dryly, toying with the clasp at the end of her braid. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°We should stay together if possible this time,¡± Xiulan said. ¡°I know little more beyond tales, but every person who has spoken of those jungles in my presence has called them dangerous.¡±


    Ling Qi raised an eyebrow but didn¡¯t question that. Xiulan looked determined again; she seemed to be taking this trial as a personal challenge. Ling Qi was alright with that. She shared a look with the other girl and nodded, reaching out her right hand in time with her friend


    Once again, everything vanished into darkness


    The first sensation Ling Qi noticed was the heat, an overbearing, humid weight pressing down on her from all sides. As her vision cleared, she found herself in a clearing surrounded by a riot of color. Tall trees, stretching many meters overhead, yet lacking the rough, gnarled bark of the trees from home. Instead, their trunks were smooth expanses of green and brown, overgrown with bright red vines with flowering blossoms of yellow strewn about. The ground was uneven with the thick growth of roots and nearly invisible under the dense carpet of fronds and other flowering plants.


    More unsettlingly, the tree branches and the vines that hung from the trees swayed subtly despite unmoving air around them, any breeze long since choked out by the unbroken canopy above.. The ferns at her feet reached above her ankles and their pinnae were edged with red, uncomfortably reminiscent of a murderer¡¯s knife She was glad she had not worn sandals or low shoes for this trial. At the side of the clearing was a stream, a little over two meters across. It did not look deep, but the muddy brown water was too opaque to tell for sure, the rippling surface only broken by the occasional flash of color. Fish, perhaps?


    The other detail that drew her eye was a path hacked out of the thick surrounding vegetation. Several stumps lined the path, their surfaces stained with deep red sap that seemed to quiver with life, sprouting little blossoms of green that visibly strained upward towards the gaps in the treeline overhead. The path extended well out of sight, curving around a dense copse of particularly massive trees.


    Before she could examine the surroundings further, the air in front of them distorted, and characters formed, seemingly drawn from the moisture in the air.


    To walk the myriad paths is to seek immortality.


    A futility for most, yet in striving against the shadow, we find strength.


    Here lies foes without end. Death without end.


    Let not fear dog your steps. Follow your path to the rising of the sun.


    ¡°A survival test then,¡± Xiulan said, frowning as she crossed her arms. ¡°I suppose a simple battle was too much to hope for.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced up at the sky, visible due to the gap the stream carved through the canopy. It was fairly early in the morning.


    ¡°It looks like we¡¯ll be here for a while too, if the last line is any indication,¡± she said, glad that her cultivation made her resistant to extreme temperatures. She had a feeling she would be drenched in sweat if she were still a mortal.


    ¡°Quite,¡± Xiulan sighed, visibly dismissing her irritation as she focused on the task ahead. ¡°I suspect we will want to keep moving. Staying still will likely draw more and more enemies.¡±


    ¡°Or we might just tire ourselves out,¡± Ling Qi pointed out, listening closely. She could hear the sound of water falling from upstream. ¡°If we can find a good defensive position, we might give ourselves an advantage.¡±


    ¡°I suppose,¡± Xiulan said reluctantly, peering down the path. ¡°Of course, there may be potential allies here as well. The natives do not damage the jungle so crudely to my knowledge.¡±


    ¡°Well... ¡° Ling Qi said, considering the options before them and the frustratingly vague instructions they had received. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that staying in one place is the best way to survive this,¡± she decided. It seemed like it would send the wrong message. And it¡¯s not like they had a reason to expect rescue. If this were a real situation, what would hunkering down achieve?


    ¡°I am glad to see you being less passive,¡± the other girl said agreeably, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. ¡°I agree, of course. Shall we take the path then?¡±


    LIng Qi nodded, peering down the torn-up path. The dirt was churned up as if the lesser plantlife had been torn up by the roots. ¡°It might be dangerous, but yes, the path feels like the right way to start,¡± she said, glancing toward the treeline warily. ¡°... And I don¡¯t really like the way those vines are moving. I¡¯d rather avoid them.¡±


    Xiulan followed her gaze and frowned. ¡°I agree. They unsettle me,¡± she admitted, eyeing the subtly wriggling vines. ¡°Sadly, I do not have enough qi to afford to burn them all.¡±


    ¡°I would prefer that we not set the whole jungle on fire anyway,¡± Ling Qi said dryly, heading toward the path. ¡°I might not mind the heat much, but unlike some people, I can¡¯t breath in the middle of a cloud of smoke.¡±


    ¡°As if you could not simply blow it away easily enough,¡± Xiulan retorted with a sniff, falling in beside her. ¡°Shall we keep a moderate pace?¡±


    Ling Qi nodded. There was no reason to run or rush; they didn¡¯t have a destination or a time limit after all. They could afford to be cautious.


    Picking their way through the stump-lined path without stepping into the gooey crimson sap that bled from the shattered wood was a trial, and maintaining footing on the churned dirt that writhed under their feet with new growth was hardly easier. Several times, Ling Qi nearly tripped when a fibrous feeler grasped feebly at her feet. It was even worse when they strayed too close to the edge of the path.


    The first time Ling Qi had allowed her attention to wander a little, she had to throw herself to the ground, losing several strands of hair as grasping, wriggling vines passed through where her neck had just been a moment ago. When they had come across a fallen tree lying across the path, several branches had whipped to life as they climbed over it, and jagged, claw-like twigs had drawn a line of blood on Xiulan¡¯s cheek.


    Even more than such dangers though, it was the insects that truly made the trip hellish. Ling Qi was constantly feeling the pinch of some buzzing pest on her neck or hands, and even after swatting them by the dozen, there was always more. It was enough to make her consider deploying her mist and its hungry phantoms just to ward them off. She only restrained herself because she was certain that it would draw greater threats, and she was still wary of spending qi frivolously.


    The two were not without resources though. Ling Qi was adaptable, and so was Gu Xiulan. For Xiulan, it was as simple as letting her irritation surface, frying the little pests in snapping displays of smoke and sparks. Ling Qi found it easier to cycle the wind around her, little gusts of air blowing her own tormentors away.


    All the while, the sun beat down on them overhead, and despite the resilience that allowed her to traverse snowstorms without trouble or hold her hand in an open flame, Ling Qi found her head pounding painfully in the almost red sun¡¯s light. She was able to keep going despite the headache, but it left her in increasingly poor temper when combined with all the other irritations. The two conversed little as they traveled, saving their breath for hiking, pointing out dangers, or conferring on bypassing obstacles.


    Ling Qi was tentatively optimistic about their choice of a trial. Despite the many, many irritants, they had yet to run across anything truly dangerous, and they remained mostly out of reach of the environment¡¯s basic hazards. On the other hand, it was far too silent. There was the constant buzzing of insects, of course, but no birdsong or other signs of life as they followed the winding path north. Going by Xiulan¡¯s uneasy expression, the girl had noticed as well.


    Their caution only grew as the two of them caught a horrible, cracking sound in the distance that Ling Qi was able to recognize as wood splintering and the yowls of some injured beast. She had a feeling they were coming up on the maker of the path. However, before they did, they found themselves at a crossroads. The torn-up path crossed with an actual road of sorts formed of flat white stones, caulked together with something glistening and red. The road was strangely undamaged despite the destructive path that continued unabated on either side.


    To the east, a good sixty meters down the road, the jungle opened up, revealing a vast field of bright yellow flowers taller than Ling Qi was. The jungle stopped abruptly at its edge, as if held back by some invisible wall. She recognized them as the flowers Sun Liling had summoned after after all. She felt a tinge of unease just looking at them, and the pounding in her head seemed to intensify.


    ¡°It seems east is out,¡± Gu Xiulan replied tightly, her stance guarded as she glanced warily toward the continuing path where the animal sounds had ceased.


    ¡°Yeah, I can agree with that,¡± Ling Qi said quietly, eyeing the flowers warily. ¡°What is up with those anyway? Sun Liling summoned them in the council fight.¡±


    ¡°The barbarians worship them,¡± Xiulan explained tersely. ¡°They water them with blood and flesh. We need to move-¡±


    A loud crash and a bloodthirsty howl interrupted her. A massive figure slammed down across the road from them, cratering the torn-up earth as it landed. It was shaped like a human but huge and distorted, skin the color of tarnished bronze stretched tight over powerful muscle. Its belly was fat and distended, wobbling as it stood to its full height, and its face wholly inhuman with a mouth far too wide filled with twisting, curling fangs that dripped gore. Its eyes were solid black without iris or pupil, and sharpened spikes of black bone rose from its scalp like hair. Knobby ridges of bone protruded like armor from its flesh, protecting its vitals.


    There was no time to confer as the beast bellowed again and charged at them. Ling Qi felt a thrill of fear at the speed, and she belatedly realized that its physique breached the third realm. She summoned her flute and began to play, hurriedly backpedaling from the charging giant. Mist rolled out, and their surroundings cooled as her qi shrouded the monster, clouding its sight and senses. However powerful its body, its spirit was weaker, if still on a level with her own.


    As her mist rolled forth, Xiulan darted away in another direction, and blue-white flowers of flame bloomed in the path of the giant¡¯s charge. They burst as it ran through them, and the bronze-skinned beast let out a furious scream that sent a shiver through Ling Qi¡¯s bones as the flames scoured its flesh and left its bony growths blackened and crumbling.


    Its black eyes rolled angrily in its head, and its charge stumbled to a halt. The beast threw its head back and forth like a bull stung by insects, and for a moment, Ling Qi thought she had managed to make the creature lose them. Then its gaze snapped to her. She was still more than fifteen meters away, but something told her she wasn¡¯t safe. She let her dark qi flow through her meridians, blending with the mist.


    The giant¡¯s hand snapped out, open as if to grab her, and her eyes widened as the limb rocketed toward her, covering the distance in an instant, too fast to fully avoid. She felt its thick fingers close around her waist, and the world blurred around her as she was yanked back toward the beast. Ling Qi tried to flit away as a shadow but failed, something more than brute strength keeping her in the creature¡¯s grasp.


    She heard Xiulan cry out, and lashes of dark red flame curled and pulled at the creature¡¯s limb, burning deep black lines into flesh and muscle. But the giant simply snarled, ignoring the other girl in favor of dragging Ling Qi closer to its gaping, fang-filled maw.

 Chapter 102-Dark Dreams 5

    Distantly, she noticed that she had stopped playing, a scream escaping her lips as the monster stuffed the entire upper half of her body into its impossibly wide maw and bit down. The potent qi woven into her gown strained against the tremendous force, and she felt a fang pass through her upper arm like smoke without harm, but more fangs punctured through, driving sharp knives of pain through her back and stomach.


    Panicking, she drew deeper than ever on the dark qi within her dantian. For just an instant, she felt as if she was everywhere within her mist at once and flowed from the giant¡¯s grasp, resolving back into physical form a half dozen meters away with wide eyes.


    She was just in time. A blazing column of white flames slammed into the beast from above. Several of the spikes on its head shattered, and flesh sloughed from its shoulders and back, exposing muscle. Ling Qi could see Gu Xiulan with her hand extended, breathing heavily as flames flickered on her skin and smoke rose from her hair.


    To her shock, the giant just shook its head violently, burnt skin flaking away. It let out a loud, plaintive sob, clutching at its wounds then turned on its heel and fled. Ling Qi felt a terrible pressure on her mist, a dark, unintelligible whisper in her thoughts, and her diapason technique shattered, allowing the giant to exit her mist, running toward the sunflowers.


    She was covered in spit. Her hair was in disarray, and her gown clung to her, soaked through by the giant¡¯s saliva. The punctures on her back and chest burned painfully. She had just escaped being eaten alive.


    Her eyes narrowed, and she met Xiulan¡¯s gaze. Her intent was communicated, and her friend¡¯s expression sharpened into a bloodthirsty grin. Ling Qi banished her flute back into her storage ring and summoned her bow, precious seconds ticking away as the giant''s feet pounded against the stone-tiled path.


    Lightning flared in a crackling corona as she drew back the string of her bow and sighted down the arrow, a blazing star forming at its head. The giant¡¯s head slung too low. Arms irrelevant. Legs pumping too quickly. Center mass. Xiulan¡¯s lance had burned away armor and flesh, exposing weakness. Her gaze sharpened, and everything aside from her target ceased to exist.


    Her arrow tore through the air with a crackling howl and slammed into the giant¡¯s back just under its shoulder blade. It punched through the remaining flesh and muscle, and the spirit let out a wet, gurgling howl as a hole the size of a fist was punched straight through its chest. It stumbled. She had hit a lung. Good.


    The sky burned as another radiant bolt slammed down from above, forcing the already unsteady giant to its knees. Crying out, it shaded its head with its hands, smoke and the stink of burning meat rising from its melting flesh. Ling Qi felt its guttering qi flare up, and its flesh darkened to black, taking on the consistency of stone.


    It wasn¡¯t enough. The giant wasn¡¯t moving any more, and she had a clear shot. A second arrow was drawn, nocked, and fired in one smooth motion, punching another hole straight through the giant¡¯s temple. The arrow erupting from the other side of its head in a spray of green-black gore. A rush of satisfaction filled her as the thing that had stuffed her into its mouth fell to the ground with a crash.


    She pulled her eyes away from the corpse to peer out at the jungle through her steadily dissipating mist. Her ears strained to hear any sound of others drawn to the fight, but it seemed they were clear for the moment.


    ¡°Disgusting creature,¡± Xiulan said haughtily even as she took a small, bone white pill, restoring some of her flagging qi. ¡°Shall we collect our spoils then?¡±


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s a good idea to hang around here?¡± Ling Qi asked dubiously.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Xiulan dismissed. ¡°That does not mean that I am willing to abandon the spoils from such a formidable spirit.¡±


    Gu Xiulan did have a point. It wouldn¡¯t sit right with her to pass up hard earned loot. Ling Qi fell in beside Xiulan while keeping a wary eye on the jungle. ¡°You know¡­ as strong as that thing was,¡± Ling Qi said, voicing the niggling worry, ¡°didn¡¯t that seem a little too easy to you?¡±


    ¡°Speak for yourself,¡± Xiulan huffed, giving her a cross look as they stepped up to the corpse. ¡°Burning through that thing¡¯s defenses was quite a drain.¡±


    ¡°Not what I meant,¡± Ling Qi clarified. ¡°I mean, the way it acted, if it had stood and fought or used that technique at the end right away¡­¡±


    Gu Xiulan scowled down at the thing but nodded. ¡°I suppose you are not wrong in that,¡± she admitted. ¡°It did seem quite dim.¡±


    Ling Qi focused her senses as she got to work with one of her knives. Thankfully, some qi remained in the dead giant¡¯s core, making the harvesting easier. She still ended up having her arm coated in sizzling, dark green blood up to the elbow as she dragged the gleaming red sphere out of its belly.


    As she pulled it clear of the gristle and meat though, the core warped and shimmered before her eyes. She nearly dropped the thing before the effect faded, revealing a slip of white jade. Her alarm quickly faded, and she brightened as a brush of her qi revealed that it was active.


    The slip was for Argent Current, the basic form of Argent Sect¡¯s melee combat art. It combined the devouring nature of fire with the persistence of water to break through enemy defenses and bolster allied assault into an unstoppable flow. With mountain and lake for Argent Mirror and now fire wand water for Argent Current, it appeared likely that the other basic Argent arts must also use opposite elements in the Imperial Eight - thunder and wind for one and heaven and earth for the other.


    ¡°Xiulan, look! This must have been a bonus objective. We-¡±


    ¡°Ling Qi,¡± Xiulan interrupted her, tone thick with dread. She looked up to see the other girl pointing at the sunflower field. ¡°Look there, and tell me if you see what I think I see.¡±


    She followed the direction of the girl¡¯s hand, squinting a little to make out the details of the still distant field. She didn¡¯t sense any qi other than the pervasive aura of the jungle itself nor did she see anything moving or alive. ¡°What are you¡­¡±


    Then she saw it. A dark green lump was on the ground among the sunflowers. At first she had taken it for a rock or some kind of gourd, but on a closer look, it was covered in bony spikes and had a certain familiar shape. A second lay a few meters to the right and was more exposed. She could see the outward curve of hairless brows and the pointed tips of ears. Her eyes flickered from one lump to the next. There were easily half a dozen, and those were just the ones she could see.


    ¡°... Why don¡¯t we get on our way then?¡± she said, voice pitched high. ¡°We can examine the prize later after all!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I believe so,¡± Xiulan agreed fervently, backing up several steps. ¡°Shall we get off the road as well? I cannot imagine that imperial construction would lead to such a place.¡± It seemed there was a limit to her friend¡¯s usual bravado.


    Ling Qi nodded quickly, backing away from the corpse and sending the prize into her ring. She was suddenly very glad that her first shot had been such a good one. What would have happened if the giant had reached the field?!


    Although the two of them did not throw caution to the wind, they picked up the pace sharply, using the broken path in the trees to quickly retreat from the sunflower field and the white road. Unfortunately, the path did not last much longer. It ended only a few dozen meters away where the messy remains of some beast or another lay scattered over the ground. Ling Qi quickly scanned through the mess for anything of value, but all that remained were chunks of bone and meat, nothing she could immediately detect as useful.


    There was a silent agreement between the two girls to push on further before pausing to patch up, though Ling Qi did quickly pop one of her restorative pills into her mouth to top off her own qi.


    She wanted to be prepared for pushing into the jungle proper because she was sure it wasn¡¯t going to be pleasant. Sure enough, within a minute of stepping into the shadow of the trees, the two of them had to avoid assault from twitching vines and grasping roots, and the teeming insects were seemingly only growing all the more vicious and determined. It was hard going, and they had to slow down considerably to avoid being caught out.


    Ling Qi very quickly found her dislike for this place growing, particularly after receiving a spurt of gelatinous red sap when she sliced through a particularly persistent vine with one of her knives. It stung and itched, and no amount of scraping seemed to get it off entirely. She hoped it would fade with the end of the dream. Otherwise, she might have to cut off her hair just to get the mess out.


    Still, despite growing frustration and a worsening headache, they pushed on. Even when the birdsong picked back up and they began to notice the presence of beasts again, they avoided the worst of the trouble. They found themselves under attack several times during their trek, this time by lesser beasts and predators. The attackers ranged from black-red versions of the little biting bloodsuckers that had hounded them from the beginning to many meters long snakes that blended in with the hanging vines and plants.


    Once, they had even come under assault from a troop of screaming, bright green monkeys with jutting, tusk-like fangs wielding crude rock and stick weapons caked in¡­ excrement. It was bizarre. The monkeys were easily driven off as their strongest was barely second realm, but the constant harassment left them more and more drained. As conservative as she was being with her qi, Ling Qi¡¯s hand-to-hand and knife skills were certainly getting a workout.


    As they traveled through the jungle, Ling Qi began to notice a presence periodically nearing the edge of her awareness before backing away. There was little she could do about it, but she found her thoughts and focus turning toward the stalker more and more. Eventually, they were able to stop and rest upon finding a pond large enough to contain a rocky islet for them to rest upon, allowing them to apply some healing salves and recover their stamina and qi.

 Chapter 103-Dark Dreams 6

    Ling Qi was silent as they rested, listening to the background noise of the jungle as she considered their options. This entire jungle seemed like one giant deathtrap, and she was already growing weary of trudging through it. The idea of simply taking a stand and hunkering down to let their enemies come and die on the teeth of their defense was tempting.


    ¡°I think¡­¡± Ling Qi began carefully, ¡°that we shouldn¡¯t waste qi attacking something we can¡¯t even be sure is really there or something that might be too cowardly to actually attack us outright if we keep moving and leave its territory.¡±


    ¡°You think it better to leave an enemy dogging our steps?¡± Gu Xiulan asked incredulously. ¡°Ready to strike the moment we find ourselves occupied?¡±


    ¡°I think we don¡¯t have any good choices,¡± Ling Qi replied a bit snappishly. ¡°We need to conserve our energy, and taking blind shots into the jungle will do that. Worse, I think sitting in one place is just asking to get overwhelmed. Maybe I¡¯m taking it too literally, but the instructions did say to keep walking, didn¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Fighting conservatively is all well and good,¡± Gu Xiulan said irritably, ¡°but it is foolish to ignore an obvious foe. I cannot believe you do not see that.¡±


    ¡°If you actually see it, feel free to take a shot,¡± Ling Qi answered hotly. ¡°I know I will, but as long as it wants to screw around trying to scare us, I say let it since it means we aren¡¯t fighting. We still have half a day or more left here, Xiulan, and I know the fight with that giant took a lot out of you.¡±


    The girl at her back fell silent. ¡°Fine,¡± Xiulan eventually said, irritation obvious in her tone. ¡°The moment I catch sight of the thing, I will set it alight.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t hear any argument from me,¡± Ling Qi responded lightly, trying to reduce the tension. She had a niggling feeling that the jungle¡¯s oppressive atmosphere might be getting to her friend a bit. And herself as well. ¡°We¡¯ll get moving once we¡¯ve caught our breath.


    The two of them lapsed into silence after that, quietly keeping watch on the jungle and meditating. Between the salve she had applied earlier and the rest, she found herself reinvigorated, the scratches and bruises quickly fading.


    The presence tested them again and again while they rested, lingering at the edge of her senses. She could feel Xiulan tense up behind her while it stalked around them, but the girl held her peace. Unfortunately, it did not approach close enough for either of them to catch sight of it. Once they were rested, a light jump carried them across the water, and they resumed their slog through the jungle.


    As the sun reached its zenith and passed over it, the hazards the jungle threw their way seemed to only grow worse. The vines and trees grew more vicious and aggressive, and the insects swarmed all the harder. At one point, Ling Qi found herself waist deep in a sucking pit of mud with crawling, biting, bulbous black worms as thick as her arm. Gu Xiulan was nearly snared by the drifting, mind-fogging pollen from some gigantic, horrible flower that smelled of rotten meat.


    All the while, the thing stalking them kept pace, keeping its peace even when they were forced to stop and fight off further predators. Ling Qi found herself losing track of the direction they were traveling in, as one thing after another kept them distracted while the stalking presence constantly keeping them on edge. Only once did Ling Qi catch sight of the stalker¡¯s midnight black fur through a gap in the trees before Xiulan had reduced the vegetation and tree bark in the vicinity to ash with a flung ray of fire and an angry snarl.


    Caked in mud, her legs covered in painful welts and the odd circular wounds left when she tore the worms away, Ling Qi was not in a great mood by the time they found another clearing to rest in. Considering her friend was literally smoldering, Xiulan was probably not in a better mood than her. Ling Qi¡¯s instincts whispered that they were being herded.


    The jungle was not done with them. Both girls could feel the presence, prowling at the edge of their perception¡­ but this time, it was not alone. There was another, circling on the opposite side, slowly closing in on them in a spiral pattern. Gu Xiulan caught her eye, and Ling Qi nodded, dismissing her bow and pulling her flute out of storage. She wasn¡¯t going to argue for anything but fighting at this point.


    The clearing was silent as the two presences circled out of sight, the only sound the crackling of the flames dancing over Xiulan¡¯s hands. Ling Qi refused to stand here and wait. If the pursuers wanted to give her time to set up, she would take it and gladly. Raising her flute to her lips, she began to play, and cool clinging mist washed away the humid mist of the jungle as it poured from the gaps in her instrument, already flush with the dark shadows of her constructs.


    Her timing proved prescient. The underbrush churned with life all around them, and the air vibrated with the buzzing of countless wings. Behind the aggressive opening, a different melody played entirely upon unknown strings. The black cloud of insects that erupted from around them clashed with her mist, and Ling Qi winced as she felt the weight of another being¡¯s qi pressing down on her own. She could recognize the technique as something similar to her own. As real as the swarming, finger length bees pouring from the treeline looked, they were actually qi constructs like the shadows in her mist.


    Her mist held in responses to the onslaught, phantasmal claws and beaks ripping apart the invading insects. But Ling Qi could feel the other¡¯s qi slipping between the gaps in her own, struggling to overwrite her mist. Tendrils of the swarm penetrated the shadowy gauntlet, forcing the two of them to dodge apart to avoid the stinging vermin.


    Gu Xiulan¡¯s flames seared away a chunk of the canopy, exposing a flash of yellow and black as the hidden figure dodged. When it halted atop the branches of another tree, Ling Qi got her first clear look of the attacker. It was shaped like a human woman, mostly, but the yellow and black chitin that grew from and encased her limbs, disturbingly insectile eyes, and waving antenna on her bald head put the lie to that. Glittering wings fluttered on her back. The insect woman was also naked, save for a roughly spun skirt of red cloth that hung past her knees. Ling Qi focused on the odd, stringed instrument in the woman¡¯s hands. Foreign qi was flowing outward as glistening chitin claws plucked the strings. She did her best to ignore the way the woman¡¯s cheeks split open as she sneered down at them, her mandibles working in the air.


    Ling Qi dodged to the side as a heavy weight slammed into the ground where she had just been standing. The beast that turned to face her, bright green eyes gleaming in the mist, was a massive black cat of some kind, a collar of intricate metal and cloth over its neck and shoulders. Ling Qi distanced herself quickly, pulling away to the center of the clearing the jungle along with Xiulan, who had dodged her own attacker, going by the meter long bronze spear sticking in the dirt where she had stood.


    Said spear vanished like smoke, reappearing in the hands of a tall, muscular, and dark skinned man. He regarded them with a hungry expression shadowed by the unkempt black hair that hung over his face. Unlike the woman, he wore thick white leather breeches and a cloak of the same material. Something about the material made her skin crawl, and she found herself hesitant to look at the heavy hide cloak for long.


    The man said something in his guttural foreign tongue in a slightly mocking tone that made the insect woman bristle and hiss something angry back. Meanwhile, the great cat circled away from them, eyes locked on Ling Qi, clearly looking for another opportunity to pounce. All of them were in the late second realm, although the cloaked man¡¯s qi was strange and muted.


    It looked like their hunters were out of patience. The only thing to do was decide how to fight and who to target first. Ling Qi caught Xiulan¡¯s eye as her fingers danced over the length of her flute. She only had time for a slight gesture, flicking her gaze in the direction of the enemy musician before returning her focus fully to her foes. Her melody changed, growing mournful as the mist darkened with her qi, and she launched herself towards the insect woman, feet blurring over the muddy ground as she dragged her mist with her to engulf the enemy.


    The woman¡¯s wings glittered as she leaped from the tree branch, retreating only slightly slower than Ling Qi¡¯s advance. The opening notes of a new melody flowed forth from the insect woman¡¯s stringed instrument, ominous and rising in intensity as Ling Qi¡¯s own melody failed to take hold, flowing off the woman like water from a duck¡¯s feathers.


    The claws of her dissonance constructs proved more difficult to avoid, and she felt a surge of satisfaction as misty talons scraped across carapace, leaving deep grooves in the black chitin. She had little time to celebrate though, and she twisted her body to the side, dark mist trailing after her limbs to avoid the dark shape of the massive black cat brushing past her in the mist.


    As it passed her by, the cat warped, bone and flesh twisting noisily and painfully as the beast¡¯s body became that of a man and its paw lashed out, glittering bronze talons catching her across the stomach and ripping through her gown to scrape lines of blood across her skin.


    She leaped back, feeling the burning of poison in the wound and grimaced as the creature turned back to face her, fangs bared in a twisted grin. Its head was still that of a great cat, though subtly warped and black fur still covered rippling muscles, but it now stood on two legs.


    More disgustingly, thousands of fuzzy gold and black bodies swarmed across his flesh, a living armor made of the swarm that had failed to penetrate her mist. Similarly, the cloaked man had gained his own living armor as well. A glance toward her other foe showed the insect woman emerging from a burst of blue white flame, trailing charred insects.


    That glance almost proved her undoing. The white cloaked barbarian swept his garment from his shoulders and brandished it in his free hand like a shield. Lingt Qi shuddered, not quite knowing why the cloak unsettled her, until it writhed with life and a multitude of red slits opened across its surface.


    Faces. The thing was made up of human faces, impossibly stretched and stitched together. Her gorge rose at the sight, even as the tortured things gabbled and screamed, releasing a bloody mist from the grotesquely stretched mouths. It was an abomination, and she needed to destroy it. She didn¡¯t want to imagine what that thing had done to create such a talisman, but she would¡­


    Ling Qi shook off the anger clouding her thoughts and refocused. No, disgusting as the talisman was, she needed to stay on target. The insect woman was keeping enough of a distance that she would have to choose one or the other to keep within her mist, and as someone with support arts herself, Ling Qi was well aware of the snowball effect of a support free to act as she pleased.


    Ling Qi cycled her internal energy as she turned her eyes back to the insect woman, drawing on the exercises of Thousand Ring Fortress to erase the toxins she could feel in her veins. She began her elegy once more, putting the full force of her will into the melody. This time, the woman shuddered as dark qi invaded her meridians, sapping stamina and the will to fight. Despite the trembling in the woman¡¯s limbs though, her song continued, clashing with the Melody of the Vale and picking up tempo, eliciting the feeling of the approach of a terrible foe.


    The notes washed over Ling Qi like a wave of needles pricking at her skin, but she threw off the spiritual assault with some effort. Gu Xiulan seemed unaffected as well and was now clad in pulsing strands of near liquid fire that twined about her like armor.


    The half cat thing rushed her, appearing more and more like the grotesque image of the skinchanger that symbolized the start of this dream. The thing¡¯s eyes were narrowed and frustrated, but that did not stop it from overtaking her, its clawed fingers punching through her gown to dig into her side and twist. Ling Qi tore herself away from the beast, and blood trailed from his fingers in unnatural ribbons even as she felt foreign qi sapping her stamina and weakening her muscles. Despite the assault, she maintained the presence of mind to leap aside and avoid a black cloud of bees that descended to engulf her.


    To her side, brilliant white hot flames erupted, punching into the shroud of shrieking souls that had risen to encase the enemy clad in human skin. The disgusting barbarian threw back his head and bellowed in pain as the lance pierced through his defenses, destroying the armor of bees and searing his flesh. Xiulan flinched as burns seared across her own flesh, mirroring the damage the barbarian had taken. The distraction cost her as the man¡¯s flung spear tore a gash across her thigh and slammed into the dirt behind her.


    Xiulan froze, trembling and wide eyed. Ling Qi reacted instantly, activating Deepwood Vitality to pulse cleansing wood qi that purged the curse from Xiulan while fortifying herself at the same time. That was all the attention she could spare as the next measure of the enemy¡¯s song washed over her, clawing at the weave of her own technique.


    For the moment, it proved ineffectual, but the bloodthirsty song pounded in her ears and incessantly wore at her qi. Despite that, she was able to dodge when cat man lunged at her, bronze claws glistening with poison. Although he was faster than her, she was beginning to get the measure of his movements.


    Gu Xiulan let out a furious scream, and dozens of beads of flames flickered into existence in the clearing. They bloomed, exploding in showers of blue and orange sparks that seared and engulfed all three of their enemies.


    Ling Qi could tell that Xiulan¡¯s energies were guttering as she desperately dodged and avoided the clawing hands of the cloaked barbarian still shrouded by shrieking and gibbering spirits. His cloak fluttered and struck like a third limb as he drove her friend back, blood and qi torn from her wounds every time he so much as grazed her.


    Xiulan wasn¡¯t the only one struggling though. The fires had hurt the insect woman badly, and she now slumped atop a tree branch, her music faltering. A knife flew from Ling Qi¡¯s hand, striking the woman dead center in the chest and dropping her remaining qi precipitously. It cost Ling Qi to retain her song for an attack, but she wanted the woman down before she could finish her melody


    The woman shot her a venomous look, mandibles snapping angrily. Ceasing her sonata, she called back her swarm, armoring herself and her allies once more then slumped, qi entirely depleted. The echoes of the woman¡¯s song remained though, and Ling Qi nearly screamed as what felt like thousands of hungry insects pricked and stabbed at her skin. Blood rose from scores of tiny cuts and pinpricks across her body, even as she dodged another increasingly frustrated attack from the cat man.


    Flowers of flame bloomed again, bursting across their enemies. The woman was flung limply from her perch, but the others merely flinched , protected by the woman¡¯s last act and their own tough hides.


    That was the last thing Xiulan did. Ling Qi saw her friend stumble, her wounded leg buckling underneath her. It was all the opening her opponent needed. Rippling white leather covered in distorted eyes and mouths coiled around Xiulan¡¯s throat, and the barbarian¡¯s hands, twisted into bloody talons of bone, plunged into her stomach, only for him to to tear in opposite directions, blood and other things spraying from the wound.


    Ling Qi screamed as she watched her friend slump in the barbarian¡¯s grasp, her fires finally guttering out.


    Then she knew no more.


    The moment she regained consciousness, Ling Qi shot to her feet, every muscle tense. Her vision was blurry with tears, and the sound of her own heartbeat and ragged breathing filled her ears. She heard a sob and the sound of someone retching. Swiping at her eyes to clear them, Ling Qi turned her head toward the source. Gu Xiulan was hunched over, hands on the floor, shuddering in the aftermath of a dry heave.


    They were back in the starting cave.


    Ling Qi couldn¡¯t bring herself to care about the trial. She hurried to her friend¡¯s side and dropped to her knees beside the other girl, examining her for wounds. Xiulan was covered in bruises and burns still, but the terrible gash in her belly was nowhere to be seen. The girl jerked violently as Ling Qi touched her shoulder, eyes flying up to her face, wild and panicked.


    ¡°I...What¡­ Ling Qi?¡± Xiulan croaked.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Ling Qi reassured her, her own grief and panic fading to relief. ¡°It was just a test. It¡¯s over.¡± Ling Qi had half feared that the wounds would carry over from the dream; Gu Xiulan had crippled someone in Elder Zhou¡¯s test before. It was alright though¡­ even¡­ even if they had failed.


    Xiulan grimaced, shakily sitting up. ¡°I was too slow. I could not keep up with that damned barbarian.¡± Ling Qi could hear her friend¡¯s anger at her own failure in her voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Ling Qi repeated. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think I could have lasted much longer myself. Even if we had beaten them, the next fight would have finished us. There was no way we could have made it until morning.¡± Ling Qi¡¯s own energy was precipitously low, and she could feel the ache of her wounds. The test seemed impossible. Unless they were supposed to find a way to avoid all conflict, the enemies in the jungle were simply too strong and too many.


    ¡°Well, at least you have that much sense.¡± Both of their heads shot up at the sound of a third voice. Ling Qi recognized that lax tone.


    Sure enough, across the pool in the center of the room stood a figure in bright magenta robes and a scholar¡¯s cap sitting crookedly on his bald head. Elder Jiao looked down at them with a vaguely amused expression. ¡°So, how does defeat taste, children? Rather sour, I imagine.¡±


    Xiulan schooled her expression and ducked her head, but Ling Qi could still feel the frustration practically radiating from the girl. ¡°Honored Elder, the failure is mine. I apologize for wasting your valuable time.¡±


    Ling Qi bowed respectfully as well, a cold feeling in her stomach. An irreplaceable chance was gone now. She couldn¡¯t blame Xiulan. It had been Ling Qi¡¯s choice to press on through the jungle. ¡°I apologize as well, Honored Elder.¡±


    ¡°Enough of that,¡± Elder Jiao said dismissively, flicking his outrageously colored sleeve. ¡°You were entertaining enough, and your performance in the first task was even quite good. Tell me, what mistakes do you two imagine you made?¡±


    Xiulan spoke up first. ¡°I expended my energy too recklessly. I grew panicked when a more conservative approach would have fit our strategy better.¡±


    ¡°Fighting through the jungle at all, I think,¡± Ling Qi added. ¡°I do not think we could have finished the second task regardless, unless we somehow stayed undetected the entire time.¡± Ling Qi felt the Elder¡¯s gaze rest on her, even as she kept her eyes on the floor.


    ¡°You are both right, although Disciple Ling has the truth of the matter. That battle could have been won, but the war was lost before you began,¡± the Elder said with a chuckle. ¡°Regardless of choice, the first task was a test of your ability to fulfill an objective. The second¡­ was to see how far you push in the face of truly insurmountable odds. That it gives many arrogant whelps a taste of true defeat to spur them forward is merely a bonus.¡±


    ¡°Then we¡­ passed?¡± Ling Qi asked hopefully.


    ¡°Not entirely,¡± the Elder responded, dashing her hopes. ¡°Nightfall would have been sufficient, but you fell too soon. No top prize for you,¡± he said lightly. She snuck a glance up to find him glancing to the side and pursing his lips, as if listening to someone else speak. ¡°Still, your performance in the first task was admirable, Disciple Ling,¡± he added grudgingly. ¡°I suppose I have the free time for a little tutoring over the next month. I shall not be providing you with any materials however. You will have to make do with what you have.¡±


    Ling Qi felt a swell of relief, but it twisted as she glanced at her pale-faced friend. ¡°Thank you, Honored Elder,¡± she replied carefully. ¡°Might I ask if this is for the both of us?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he said blandly. ¡°Dealing with one child is the limit of my patience, particularly when Disciple Gu¡¯s performance was¡­ merely above average. The pills and the technique slip you two acquired are sufficient for her.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Gu Xiulan replied, sounding wrung out and defeated. ¡°Thank you, Honored Elder.¡±


    The Elder glanced at her and simply nodded. ¡°Be here at midnight tomorrow, Disciple Ling,¡± he said carelessly before turning away and fading into shadow.


    ¡°Gu Xiulan¡­¡± Ling Qi began.


    ¡°Please do not say anything,¡± her friend requested, not raising her head. ¡°He is right. I do not deserve anything else. Thank you for inviting me. The experience was invaluable.¡±


    Ling Qi fell silent. She could read the atmosphere well enough. Xiulan didn¡¯t want to talk. All they could do was keep moving forward.

 Interlude- Li Suyin

    ¡°We are not using spiderwebs to hold stuff,¡± Su Ling said flatly, her arms crossed. ¡°I will build you as many damn shelves as you could want if you really need storage that badly.¡±


    ¡°It is very convenient though, if the web has been treated properly,¡± Li Suyin pointed out tentatively as she put down the heavy box in her arms on the floor of their new home. Even if she was still nervous about returning to the residential area, she could admit that it was¡­ nice to be under a proper man-made roof again.


    It was strange though, to come back here for the first time in weeks to find many homes empty and the remaining inhabitants¡­ polite. It spoke of how poorly behaved everyone had been in the beginning that the return of simple, basic courtesy was able to surprise her. With a few exceptions, they were not sneered at, pushed around, or insulted in the process of selecting a home. Li Suyin knew it was because of Ling Qi. She certainly hadn¡¯t accomplished anything worth respect.


    ¡°Oi. Stop that.¡±


    Li Suyin blinked, looking up to find Su Ling regarding her with a serious expression as she shifted the weight of the pack on her shoulders. ¡°Stop what?¡± She asked, despite knowing what her friend was talking about.


    ¡°Doing that thing where you start beating yourself up in your head,¡± Su Ling replied gruffly, turning away to survey the empty room they were setting up as a workshop. ¡°... You can put some netting up on the ceiling if you want. Just do it when I¡¯m not here.¡±


    ¡°Ah, thank you.¡± She knew she often overthought things, but it was very hard to stop. ¡°I don¡¯t understand the problem though,¡± she added, managing a smile as she crouched down to remove the lid of the box at her feet. ¡°I think the fuzzy ones are a little cute.¡±


    ¡°I shoulda never let you start hanging around that girl,¡± Su Ling responded in a long-suffering tone, shrugging off her own pack as she crossed to the other side of the room. ¡°Nobody should be comfortable around things like that.¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t much different than cats,¡± Li Suyin protested lightly as she began moving books to the shelves. True, she had been a little disturbed when she had begun studying under Senior Sister Bao, but the children of her mentor¡¯s bound spirit companion were not much different in behavior from her own mother¡¯s beloved pets. ¡°I think I will request to be allowed to bind one when I fully break through.¡±


    ¡°When, huh?¡± Su Ling asked rhetorically as she began to carefully remove the wrapped package containing her pill furnace from the pack with a reverent care that Li Suyin didn¡¯t often see from the other girl. ¡°Well, it¡¯s good to hear you being confident,¡± she grunted absently. ¡°You should definitely reconsider your choice of companion though. Seriously. I¡¯ll help you find something better.¡±


    Li Suyin couldn¡¯t help it. A laugh escaped her at Su Ling¡¯s discomfort. It just seemed so out of place. Her friend was usually so rough in her mannerisms so seeing her behave like one of the girls she had interacted with at home was strange, especially over something so trivial. Su Ling would happily put herself elbow deep into a beast¡¯s viscera, but she was nervous about creatures with a few extra legs?


    Su Ling did not share her humor given the look she got in return but didn¡¯t retort further, instead focusing on her task while studiously ignoring Li Suyin.


    Li Suyin did the same after taking a moment to regain her composure. She began moving her texts to the shelf on the wall, falling into comfortable silence. Pausing as she reached the last book, Li Suyin found herself tracing the scuffs and scars on the cover with her fingers. Unlike many of the other tomes, it was a collection of stories collected from the early Empire, meant to teach the important virtues. It had been a present from her father, and she could fondly remember him reading to her from it despite how busy he was with his duties.


    That bitch Xu Jia and her friends had trampled and ruined it like everything else they hadn¡¯t stolen. Li Suyin had repaired the binding and pieced the pages back together as best she could, but looking at it still made her ruined eye throb. She grit her teeth and forced down the ugly emotion now bubbling in her chest.


    She knew father would be disappointed with her for thinking such things, but she was not done with that girl. She hated the part of herself that had awoken that day, but in the end, it was a part of her. She could only accept it.


    Senior Sister Bao understood as well, she thought. Li Suyin had found it odd that the older girl had seemed to take a shine to her. While she was careful and precise in her preparations, there were many others at the Medicine Hall of similar skill. It had only been after that shameful incident with that mean-spirited boy assigned to share her testing room that Bao Qingling had started to take Li Suyin under her wing.


    Senior Sister Bao had showed her so much and hinted at more. Li Suyin would always be grateful to Ling Qi for helping her get through those early days when the urge to do something foolish and short sighted had been nearly overwhelming ¡­ but she felt unworthy of her. Ling Qi had started from a worse position than her, yet she still strove to be better, unlike herself. Su Ling was the same. The two of them were both good people in the way that she now knew she wasn¡¯t. That didn¡¯t mean that she couldn¡¯t pay her friends back. She might be a petty, vengeful, and deceitful girl, but she could still be of use to them because of that.


    Nodding to herself, she placed her precious memento on the shelf, carefully adjusting it to align with the others. Her first step would be to break through into the realm of Silver. She had put it off far too long, worried at the implications of doing so while scarred and crippled as she was.


    ¡°You doing alright over there?¡± Su Ling¡¯s gruff voice pulled her from her thoughts. ¡°You kinda spaced out.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. I was just lost in thought,¡± Li Suyin replied with a smile, looking up from her work to find Su Ling giving her a concerned look. It made her feel all the worse that she hadn¡¯t been allowed to heal the wounds the girl had inflicted on herself in the aftermath of her breakthrough. Su Ling had refused her offer. At least she had been able to stop her friend from further mutilating herself, as she had been trying to do at that time. ¡°So, once we finish unpacking, which perimeter formations do you think we should add first?¡±


    Su Ling watched her then sighed. ¡°The three layer alarm, I think. We can probably get that done in a couple hours. We¡¯ll have to add ventilating formations to this room though, if we¡¯re going to use it.¡±


    Li Suyin blinked, the last of her darker thoughts fading away. ¡°I suppose so. I forgot that this room would not actually be built for pill crafting already.¡± She shook her head, dusting her hands off on her smock.


    They had quite a lot of work to do before they could call this place home.

 Chapter 104-Tutelage 1

    The trial cave was not as she remembered it.


    When Ling Qi arrived back at the site the next day, she was not terribly surprised to find that the maze around it had been dispersed. However, she did find herself stopping to stare when she reached the entrance and found not an empty, dimly lit cavern, but instead, what seemed like a nobleman¡¯s sitting room. The dim lantern hanging over the pond remained, but now it cast its light over plush rugs and wall hangings that concealed the rough stone walls. Cushioned chairs and polished wooden tables holding braziers of smoldering incense lined the walls, and across from the door was an ostentatious divan seemingly carved from a single massive piece of white jade cushioned with acid green silk padding covered in gleaming embroidery.


    The air was smokey and thick. She was certain that it would have left her coughing mere months ago, but for now, her breathing was controlled enough that it did little more than make her eyes water. She peered around carefully but saw no sign of the Elder yet. She very carefully did not let her eyes linger too long at the scenes of¡­ revelry depicted on some of the wall hangings that interspersed the more normal scenes.


    Instead, she found her eyes were drawn to the painting which hung over the divan. It depicted a familiar red-eyed woman, peering back over her shoulder at the viewer with a mischievous smile on her lips. In the painting, her gown was falling from her shoulders and her hair loose and unbound, but she could still recognize Xin, the spirit that had given her the arts in Elder Zhou¡¯s test which had carried her so far.


    The emotion in the red eyes made the painting seem almost alive. Maybe it was. It wouldn¡¯t be the strangest thing she had seen since she had joined the world of the Immortals. It was distinctly uncomfortable though. Like Meizhen at the lake uncomfortable. That wasn¡¯t the kind of look she wanted to be on the receiving end of.


    Ling Qi carefully removed her shoes before actually stepping inside the ¡®room¡¯ and finding a seat on the floor. She had an inkling that Elder Jiao was not a man who had a great interest in propriety, but this was beyond her expectations. In the end, the Elder¡¯s foibles didn¡¯t matter. She still had to seize this opportunity with both hands.


    It seemed she would have to wait though, so Ling Qi closed her eyes and began to meditate, beginning on the next stage of qi exercises for her Thousand Ring Fortress art. If she had managed to achieve the second pulse before the trial, she and Gu Xiulan might have been able to hold out long enough to win that encounter with the jungle barbarians. For all that she had been given a pass, Ling Qi was certain she had made mistakes. While Xiulan had gone too far in the opposite direction of conserving qi, she should have been more aggressive and less afraid to drop her flute once her effects were set up. As the flute was now, it was nigh impervious to harm unless she was facing an opponent in a higher realm.


    Ling Qi reviewed the battle in her thoughts as she cycled wood natured qi, pushing it out through the channels in her body to suffuse the air and soak into the ground beneath the rich carpeting. She wasn¡¯t sure how long she spent in meditation, but eventually, she felt a subtle chill and a feeling of presence, causing her eyes to snap open.


    ¡°Well, at least you are not wholly blind,¡± Elder Jiao commented dryly from where he now sat, or rather lay, leaning against the arm of the divan. His bald head was bare today, and he wore robes in an absolutely hideous shade of yellow that hurt her eyes to look at for too long.


    ¡°Greetings, Elder Jiao,¡± Ling Qi said hastily, clasping her hands to bow respectfully to the older man. ¡°Thank you very much for granting me the honor of your time.¡±


    He looked down at her with a neutral expression and then sighed, waving one bony hand dismissively. ¡°Yes, I think that will be quite enough simpering. Get off the floor and take a proper seat, girl. The chairs are not entirely for decoration.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Honored Elder,¡± Ling Qi agreed, rising quickly to her feet and moving to do as instructed. She settled herself in the nearest seat nervously. She still wasn¡¯t comfortable with formality, and Elder Jiao¡¯s lax attitude made it hard to judge what was appropriate behavior.


    The Elder watched her, a spark of amusement in his odd eyes. ¡°You have decided what you desire to be instructed in for this week, I hope?¡± he asked, turning his gaze to study his fingernails, seemingly losing interest in her.


    ¡°I had hoped to receive your instruction in the ways of improving my perception of the world,¡± Ling Qi said, inclining her head respectfully. ¡°More specifically, I have had trouble with unraveling the trails and secrets left behind by my enemies and was hoping for your insight in investigating such matters.¡±


    He looked up with a hint of interest. ¡°Is that so? Not quite what I expected, but then again, I suppose you are playing at being half a spymaster for that Cai child, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I am honored by your attention,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Yes, I have been performing a few small tasks for Lady Cai. I have my own interests to seek out as well.¡± She considered her next words. The Elder was a moon cultivator with an aspect of the New Moon bound as his companion so she added, ¡°The Grinning Moon has given me a task.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± he said, not sounding particularly impressed. ¡°And your second request?¡±


    Ling Qi hesitated then drew the bundle of bags she had looted from the barbarian shaman out of her ring. ¡°I humbly request instruction in the formation arts, so that I may break the seals upon these. The script is very complex, and I worry that my current skill is insufficient.¡±


    The Elder squinted at the unassuming hide bags in her lap before his expression soured. ¡°You were one of those involved in that little mess, weren¡¯t you? I suppose it speaks well of your luck that you are sitting here today and not lying buried in our new lake to be,¡± he said irritably. ¡°Junior Sister Ying would not have allowed you to keep that prize if she sensed anything truly dangerous within.¡±


    Ling Qi looked at the man in consternation. ¡°Junior Sister Ying?¡± she muttered under her breath. Elder Jiao appeared much younger than Elder Ying, although his qi was near non-existent to her senses.


    Unsurprisingly, the Elder heard her and let out an amused snort. ¡°Girl, if you still believe the appearance of age means anything, you have not been paying attention. Shi Ying looks as she does because she has always been a nosy old woman, even as an unblossomed girl. I too remain as I always have, a refined gentleman of impeccable taste and charm.¡±


    It was a true monument to her self-control that Ling Qi managed to keep her expression utterly neutral in the wake of that statement. Her gaze did not flick down to the monstrosity of a minister¡¯s robe the man wore. Not even for a moment.


    The Elder could probably sense the gist of her thoughts though, given the look he gave her during the uncomfortable silence that stretched in the aftermath of his words.


    ¡°Hmph. Children these days,¡± he grumbled. Then he was standing in front of her, less than a meter away. She did not see him move or even feel a fluctuation of qi. He simply changed positions from one moment to the next. ¡°Put that away, and come along then, girl. I shall be assigning you some coursework to determine your formations skill for future lessons, so we will begin with honing your observational skills.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Elder Jiao,¡± Ling Qi said, hurrying to stand up and dismiss the bags back into her ring before following after the older man already striding toward the entrance of the cave.


    In the hours that followed, she was forced to strain her senses and recall details far in excess of what she normally noticed. Remembering the number of leaves on a particular branch or the exact placement of stones on the side of the road was merely the beginning. To an outsider, it might seem like she was simply following the man on an easy stroll through the upper mountain, answering a constant stream of questions, but to her, it quickly grew painful as she was forced to channel qi through her eyes and ears for far longer than before until her head throbbed and her dantian grew empty.


    Trying to track and catalogue every detail of her environment left her feeling bleary and exhausted by the time the Elder waved her off and vanished. He left her with a thick workbook full of formations problems and questions to be completed by the day after next. ... Apparently, they would be adding her qi senses to the training efforts tomorrow.


    Ling Qi spent much of the evening that followed working through the complex and difficult workbook, stopping only to meditate and cycle qi through the exercises within the Argent Mirror jade slip as she incorporated the insights gained during the day¡¯s exercises with Elder Jiao.


    As the sun rose over the horizon, she set aside her work for other pursuits. She couldn¡¯t afford to sit inside and study all day. Zhengui¡¯s bottomless appetite saw to that. Given his growth and restlessness, she had decided to start giving him a more active role in acquiring his food, but she found herself unsure of how best to do that due to a certain mismatch in their abilities.


    There really wasn¡¯t any getting around it. Zhengui was very slow and lacking in agility. He was also very easily distracted, which brought them to the current situation.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go running off like that,¡± she scolded, crouching in front of the snake-tortoise.


    ¡°Sorry, Big Sister.¡± Gui gazed up at her with doleful green eyes.


    ¡°Wanted the sparkly bug,¡± Zhen grumbled, not looking up at her. ¡°Could have caught it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you could have,¡± Ling Qi said evenly, keeping a straight face. ¡°But this forest is dangerous. You have to stay close when we¡¯re hunting, okay?¡± They were down in the forest at the base of the mountain. There was a population of wood-aligned hares down here, and their cores made for good eating for the little spirit, even if the meat tasted like wet tree bark to her.


    Surprisingly, that wasn¡¯t the end of it. His serpentine head flicked its tongue at her. ¡°Big Sister is boring. She doesn¡¯t let us do anything.¡±


    ¡°Rude!¡± The tortoise head glared up at his other half. ¡°Don¡¯t talk to Mo¡­ Big Sister like that!¡±


    She watched the two heads bicker with some bemusement. That was the first time Zhengui had talked back to her in any way. She wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that. Zhen was the more brash of the two, and she had strong suspicions that most of the trouble her spirit got into was instigated by the serpent. Well, not all of it. When it came to nibbling on random things, Gui was usually the guilty one.


    Ling Qi hesitated to scold him further though. It was true that she had brought him out here to participate, but her lack of certainty as to what his role should be had left her doing everything herself. She glanced briefly around the small sun-dappled meadow they were in.


    ¡°Well,¡± she considered, drawing out the word to get their attention. ¡°If you¡¯re bored, I suppose I should give you some work too.¡± She recalled the scorched divots left throughout the house garden, and a plan began to form. She needed to test his abilities after all.


    Gui regarded her with rapt attention and Zhen with reluctant interest as she continued. ¡°If you want to help your Big Sister hunt, you''re going to have to be able to hide like me. Do you think you can do that?¡±


    Zhengui scuffed his stubby paws against the dirt, both sets of eyes looking uncertain. ¡°... Can¡¯t reach the branches to be like Big Sister,¡± Gui said, sounding embarrassed and worried. He was afraid to disappoint.


    ¡°Too heavy and slow,¡± Zhen scoffed. ¡°I could,¡± he added proudly.


    Ling Qi huffed and reached out, brushing her fingers over Gui¡¯s eye ridge affectionately, even as she fixed Zhen with a stern look. ¡°You¡¯ll need to work together,¡± she admonished. ¡°I know who''s been digging up the flowerbeds to get at the roots,¡± she continued lightly, drawing guilt from the tortoise. ¡°So I want you to use that skill to bury yourself into the dirt. I¡¯ll chase the food back here, and then you,¡± she said, pointing to the black-scaled serpent, ¡°are going to catch it. Does that work for you?¡±


    Gui pawed at the dirt thoughtfully, but Zhen gave an excited hiss of agreement. She stayed behind long enough to watch Zhengui dig. Gui¡¯s efforts were fueled more by qi than his little stubby feet, but it still took only a minute or so for him to hide himself in the tall grass with his shell sticking out of the dirt, looking like no more than a particularly jagged stone.


    She smiled when she felt a fluttering, hesitant fluctuation in his qi. Zhengui was trying to ape the way she suppressed her own energy when sneaking around. She thought a simple reassurance to him then set off to circle the clearing to flush out their prey while keeping an eye out for anything actually dangerous approaching. It took some time, but she eventually found what she was looking for, an oversized hare with earth-toned fur nibbling away at some wild plant or another. Ling Qi could have killed it with one shot from her bow, but that wasn¡¯t the point of this exercise.


    Instead, her arrow thudded into the dirt beside it, and she flared her qi, sending the beast running in the desired direction. Ling Qi followed along lazily, slipping through the branches silently and putting down additional shots as necessary to guide the beast. Shortly thereafter, it erupted from the brush into the meadow, and a final shot sent it swerving toward Zhengui¡¯s position.


    The hare let out a high-pitched yelp as the loose dirt parted and a black shadow shot out, Zhen¡¯s fangs sinking into the rabbit. Ling Qi almost winced at the noise the rabbit made as it convulsed, steam rising from where the fangs bit into its flesh. She nocked an arrow as the hare jerked free and kicked Zhen in the head.


    But there was no need for her to act. The hare crashed to the ground, its leg bound by a writhing tree root. This time, the serpent got it by the throat, and that was that.


    Zhengui erupted from the dirt with a puff of dust and detritus, trundling excitedly toward her even as Zhen let out a displeased hiss, his lower half dragging him away from his still twitching prey. ¡°I got it, Big Sister!¡± he sent, accompanied by a happy chirp.


    Ling Qi dropped down from the tree, grinning as she moved to crouch in front of him and pat his dusty shell. ¡°That was a good trick,¡± she praised. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could do that.¡±


    ¡°It was my venom that killed it,¡± Zhen scoffed in displeasure. The thought had a slight taste of a childish whine to it.


    ¡°You did a good job too. You¡¯re such a tough little guy,¡± Ling Qi soothed, stroking under the serpent¡¯s chin in the way that she knew he liked.


    Zhen nuzzled against her fingers, and his tongue tickled her skin. ¡°It was easy,¡± Zhen bragged.


    ¡°Can we eat now?¡± Gui asked, looking up at her with hunger in his bright eyes. ¡°Big Sister will get the core?¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± she reassured, glancing at the kill. ¡°Just hold on while I divide it up for you, alright?¡± Ling Qi would have to encourage Zhengui to keep trying new techniques, but it seemed she had hit on a method for including him in hunts.


    Once she had let Zhengui eat his fill, she took him back home to rest. At just over a month since his hatching, he still tired out relatively quickly. Of course, with the advancement in his cultivation, she had a feeling that wouldn¡¯t last long. He was growing more energetic by the day, and he would soon reach the late stage of the first realm. At that point, she would start bringing him with her, stored away in her dantian.

 Bonus Chapter- Cold/Alone

    Her feet hurt. Ling Qi¡¯s last set of sandals had broken a month ago, and the dirty rags she had wrapped around her feet did little to keep out the cold. The loose, baggy clothing that hung off of her stick thin frame weren¡¯t much better. Whatever color they might have been once, they were now the dull brownish grey of excessive wear, marked by ragged patches and stitch works. At least, in combination with her sloppily shorn hair, they helped to make her look like a boy to anyone who didn¡¯t care to look closely.


    Glittering flakes of snow drifted through the cold air to alight on streets and homes, painting a dusting of white over the city, and turning the often muddy streets hard and cold. People hurried along on their business, the winter¡¯s chill adding urgency to their steps. It did not snow often in Tonghou, but when it did, it meant that the winter would be a hard one.


    Ling Qi did her best to keep her head down as she wove through the late evening crowd, clutching a worn and dirty basket to her chest. Though she was tall for her age, adults still towered over her, and she had no chance of pushing through a crowd of workmen returning home from their labor. Her breath hitched as a man nearby glanced her way, but she kept her eyes down and tried not to look suspicious. He looked away, and she relaxed.


    No, running was a mistake, she had learned that well in the last year, better to appear normal, just a poor boy running errands. Her heart beat faster as she considered the faint warmth still emanating from the basket she clutched to her chest. Under the scuffed linen cover, there were still two dumplings, the last of the sellers stock for the day. With every step she took, her hope grew that the late hour and the chill would be enough for the woman to ignore the loss. The market would be closing down for the night in a matter of minutes after all, what were a couple of dumplings to her?


    Her stomach rumbled, and she clutched the basket tighter. To her, they meant quite a lot. A night without an aching belly from eating bread that was only a little moldy, a night without having to try and pick grains of rice or other scraps out of the trash.


    She just needed to make it a little further.


    ***


    Her hands hurt. Bai Meizhen sniffled as she held her hands against her chest, sitting beside the garden pond. The burns and blisters had been cleaned and her fingers wrapped and bandaged, but the teacher had said the pain would teach her not to make such mistakes in the future. She lowered her head further, letting her white hair hide the shameful redness of her eyes. The only mistake she made was not watching her cousin Nuying more closely.


    She remembered the faint clink of glass containing the Viper Lotus Essence had tipped over, the other girls smirk as her hands had started to burn. She should have been more careful. She knew that she had to rely on herself. If she accused Nuying, it would only make things worse. Nuying¡¯s Mother was, Bai Zhilan the General of Zhengjian¡¯s soldiers, and her Father a skilled alchemist. They would support their daughter.


    Who would support her? Mother was gone, and father was a cowardly outsider who could not even meet her eyes, let alone Aunt Zhilan¡¯s. He had not even been home when she returned from her lessons anyway. Despite herself, she sniffed again. What good would he have been anyway, she didn¡¯t care about his stupid apologies and empty words.


    She shivered, but did not move. She did not want to be in their apartments right now, no matter the winter chill. The small girl curled up beside the pond, and very carefully did not cry.


    ***


    Ling Qi ducked into the mouth of a narrow alley. Over head, the sagging roofs of the two buildings almost touched, showing only a tiny sliver of the iron grey sky. She clutched her basket tightly as she ducked behind a stack of worn and broken crates, and strained her ears. She heard the sound of feet beating against pavement, and caught a flash of her pursuers running past. An older boy with a dirty yellow scarf on his head, he didn¡¯t even look down the alley at all.


    Ling Qi let out the breath she had been holding, and tried to hold back tears. Why had the yellow scarves chosen now to expand their territory? It was a miracle that she had spotted the boy before she had gotten any closer. She had offended them already by refusing recruitment, but she had seen what happened to their ¡®look outs¡¯. Bait was more like it. She would have to find new streets to haunt.


    Her eyes widened as she heard footsteps approaching again, beyond the dull clamour of street traffic. Fearfully, she peered around the corner, and saw the scowling boy ducking into the alleyway. With only a moment to react, Ling Qi acted on instinct, clutching the basket in one arm, she shoved the teetering crates as the boy stepped into the alleyway. He only had a moment to shout in alarm before the whole rickety stack crashed down on him.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t even look back. She fled.


    ***


    Bai Meizhen trudged inside, all attempts at grace abandoned, her sodden gown leaving a trail of pond water across the polished floor. She stood silently as the household servants toweled her dry and changed her clothes. None of them spoke to her, none of them could look her in the eye. Even as pathetic as she was, the embers of Grandmother Serpent that burned in her eyes cowed even the Awoken.


    It was too bad that it was meaningless against her own cousins. She should have known that they would find her in the gardens. Another stupid mistake, Mother would be ashamed of her. Bai Meizhen was silent as she returned to her room through hollow and empty halls. Her cousins words hurt because they were right. She was a shameful existence, too soft and weak to be a proper Bai, when the clan needed every ounce of strength it could get. That was why Mother had died after all. The clan had been too weakened to refuse. Enemies circled them always, just waiting for weakness to show.


    Shutting the door to her room silently, Bai Meizhen sat on the edge of her bed, a flat pallet with only a minimum of cushion. Luxury unearned corrupted and bred weakness. Grandfather¡¯s words echoed in her ears. It was one of the things he had changed, she knew from listening to the words her elders deigned allow her to overhear. She stared blankly at her empty room and it¡¯s plain walls, only slowly turning her eyes to the only other furnishings in the room.


    Bai Meizhen slid to the floor in front of the small bookshelf that stood beside her bed, and traced her small hands over the spines. Lesson and workbooks made up the majority, but there was one that was different. Carefully, she slid her only treasured possession from the shelves, and cradled the illuminated copy of Thousand Lakes, Thousand Tales to her chest, clutching it tightly, despite the ache in her fingers.


    ***


    Ling Qi smiled as she nestled herself amidst the warm straw filling the crate. It was an almost miraculous find. A packing crate fallen from some wagon or another, empty of its goods, but still full of straw. She had found it in her flight from the Yellow Scarves boy, tucked away at the end of a winding combination of alleys that she had never found before. It was only pure fortune that she had spotted a gap in the barrier nailed into place, eyes drawn by the gleam of an old glass chime, and its gleaming crescent charms, sealing the entrance to the winding corridors between ramshackle old buildings.


    She took another bite of the dumpling in her hand, chewing slowly and carefully to savor every last bit of flavor. One was already gone, and she wanted it to last as long as possible. Warmth and comfort filled her for the first time in a very long time, despite the scratchy straw surrounding her.


    It wouldn¡¯t be forever, she knew, the owners of the buildings would notice and drive her out eventually¡­ but she might just make it through the winter after all.


    ***


    Bai Meizhen sat in bind, wrapped in her thin blanket, looking down at its¡¯ pages. There were many illustrations in her book, the last thing Mother had given her, but this one was her favorite. It lay at the end of the Tale of the Sisters, and showed White Serpent and Black Viper in their bloodstained gowns, embracing atop the mound formed by the broken bodies of their foes.


    Gently, she traced her fingers over Black Viper¡¯s tearstained face, resting on White Serpent¡¯s shoulder. She drank in the relief on her painted expression, and then her eyes drifted to the face of White Serpent, full of affection and love for her younger sister.


    Her heart ached, as it always did when she looked upon her favorite image. Such things seemed so impossibly far away. She remembered Xiao Lin, her Mother¡¯s handmaiden. She had been stern and humorless, but nonetheless, Bai Meizhen remembered the older woman slipping her still wriggling treats from the kitchens.


    But she had followed Mother.


    ¡°Young Miss,¡± a servants voice arose from outside of her door, careful and tentative. ¡°Your Father is returning soon, and the Lady Suzhen will be visiting with him. They wish for your presence. May I enter to prepare you?¡±


    Bai Meizhen closed her book hastily. ¡°Y-you may,¡± she said, trying to keep the surprise out of her voice. She cared not for Father, but Aunt Suzhen, what could such an esteemed figure want with her? Some part of her was afraid, afraid that her shameful weakness had finally drawn true censure, but¡­ That would be Grandfather¡¯s duty.


    No, she decided as the servant entered her room. She would just have to be on her best behavior, and show her Aunt that she was a true Bai.

 Chapter 105-Tutelage 2

    Ling Qi soon fell into a new routine of training and cultivation. With the aid of Elder Jiao¡¯s lessons, Ling Qi¡¯s cultivation of the neglected Argent Mirror Art began to progress again. As she learned to channel qi through her mortal senses, its lessons grew clearer. By taking those same weaves and turning them inward on herself, she could ward herself from foreign qi attempting to infiltrate her system to deceive or debilitate. This Tranquil Rebuke technique could, in some circumstances, even retaliate against such attempts.


    In turn, this self-awareness and her training with Meizhen fed into her cultivation of the Sable Crescent Step art. More and more, it was growing easier to channel dark qi through her legs and spine without losing her focus, and she was on the cusp of being able to utilize her Crescent¡¯s Grace technique even during the day. The dense water and dark qi of the Black Pool where they sparred certainly didn¡¯t hurt.


    Even ignoring her arts, there were benefits to personal lessons with Elder Jiao. Although the Elder¡¯s manner was irritating and his utter lack of praise for her efforts frustrating, she was learning. She learned how to pick out a dozen visual details at a glance and parse the sounds, smells, and feel of natural qi. She was even beginning to learn how to better read people through both physical and spiritual tells. Ling Qi just wished Elder Jiao didn¡¯t phrase those lessons as commentary on how easily read and open her own tells were.


    It was with these lessons in mind that she continued her investigation into Yan Renshu.


    She began her search for information in the market, after having taken a bit of time to disguise herself to avoid any questioning being traced back to her. She had fallen out of practice with such things, but she thought she did a pretty good job. It helped that her usual wear, the Cai-gifted robe, was pretty recognizable these days so spending a handful of red stones on makeup, clothes, and other things had a disproportionate effect.


    Her new strategy was to determine if there were any major purchases of cultivation supplies going out into the more wild areas of the mountain. She had exhausted physical trails last week, so this time she was going to try the economic trail. The first few leads turned out to just be older disciples who had chosen to build freestanding homes out of the usual areas, but eventually, she came upon something more suspicious.


    There were several shops in the market which were selling semi-regular bulk shipments to disciples that, according to her investigations, should not have been able to afford them, or who had been among those who had run off in the aftermath of Sun Liling¡¯s return. Tracking the disciples¡¯ movements proved difficult however, Most lead to dead ends out in the woods. But she caught a break when some lead her to discover sites that showed signs of being used as temporary camps.


    From there, she found further traces leading her deeper into the wilder parts of the mountain until. she managed to catch sight of an early second realm disappearing into the side of a rock formation. Hiding nearby, she witnessed others doing so as well, and in following the disciples that left whatever base was hidden behind the rock illusion, she heard the name of Yan Renshu on their lips.


    Her first urge was to immediately slip inside, but she restrained herself. As galling as it was to stop so close to her goal, she was wary of going into enemy territory alone. She hadn¡¯t truly suffered a loss yet, and she wasn¡¯t eager to find out what it was like.


    She managed to pick up a bit more about the base she had found from watching the comings and goings. There were, from the looks of it, around ten to fifteen disciples residing there, most of which seemed to be production students, talisman crafters in particular. Her fingers itched at the loot that must be inside such a place, unprotected by the rules of the market.


    However, much to her frustration, she could not confirm whether Yan Renshu himself was inside.


    All too soon, the time for her lessons with the Elder drew near, and she had to withdraw. As Sun Liling and her allies remained stubbornly hidden, Ling Qi would continue observing and investigating Yan Renshu¡¯s forces in the afternoons to follow.


    She was a bit nervous about today¡¯s lessons. She would be turning in the formations workbook the Elder had assigned her, and given the number of problems she had failed to solve, she wasn¡¯t feeling confident about it.


    That feeling only grew as she sat stiffly in one of the plush seats lining the room as Elder Jiao paged lazily through the book. She was certain he was doing it on purpose to wind her up; there was no way the man really needed that much time to examine her work. She kept her gaze on her own lap rather than on the room around her; with the exception of the painting of Xin, the decorations changed every day, and today, the hangings depicted disturbing images of twisted, misshapen spirits against backdrops of stars and disquieting underground vistas that hurt her eyes to look at.


    Minutes ticked by in silence, and she could do little but endure and think. Su Ling had spoken to her earlier this morning, asking if she would be training at the vent. She was happy to find one of her friends seeking her out for once, and even more glad to have one of her training partners back. She was looking forward to spending time with her after this lesson.


    ¡°Your technical proficiency is somewhat lacking.¡± The Elder¡¯s dry voice shook her from her thoughts. ¡°And I cannot call any of your solutions, such as they are, inspired. Nor can I find among your work any particular specialization.¡± His tone was neutral and bored. ¡°What in the world do you want?¡±


    She hunched her shoulders defensively. ¡°My apologies for the penmanship. I will take more time in the future,¡± she responded, even though she had taken more time than usual. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I do not know how to answer such a broad question.¡± A bit of irritation slipped in despite her best efforts, and she winced out how snippy her words sounded.


    He scoffed, but thankfully, did not seem offended. When she chanced a glance upward, she thought he actually looked amused.


    ¡°Then consider the context of my words, child,¡± he said, making the book vanish from his hands in a swirl of shadow. ¡°What do you seek from the formation arts? I would hope you are not wasting my time here. Your skill is sufficient for everyday minutiae already.¡±


    ¡°Honored Elder,¡± she began carefully. ¡°I admit, most of my interest is in breaking and bypassing formations rather than crafting them. You recall the bags I showed you the first day?¡±


    ¡°I do. I am hardly senile yet,¡± Elder Jiao said dryly, leaning back against the wall where he sat on the divan. ¡°Is that truly all you want? Do you find the formation arts so uninteresting?¡± he asked, raising one hairless brow.


    ¡°Not as such,¡± she replied, picking her words carefully. Ling Qi was wary of the attention he was giving her and the slight undercurrent of danger in the air. ¡°They are versatile and useful, but nothing I have been able to acquire is useful in the immediate sense. I just have so many things to do that spending time learning individual arrays seems¡­¡±


    He regarded her coolly before snorting. ¡°Well, not an unexpected answer. The sort of arrays available in the archive are hardly the sort of thing to compete against the ability to shoot lightning from one¡¯s eyes.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked. ¡°Is there an art like that in the archive?¡±


    ¡°I would not suggest it,¡± he said airily. ¡°Very unstable, and difficult to aim. It can give the user rather terrible migraines as well.¡± He flicked his sleeve dismissively. ¡°The formation arts are a thing of infinite complexity¡­ but its masters are not prone to sharing.¡±


    ¡°So, the arrays in the archives...¡± Ling Qi reasoned out slowly. ¡°They¡¯re just the things everyone knows, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Quite so,¡± Elder Jiao said with a chuckle. ¡°Formations that are used so commonly that no one is going to hide them. That is not to say that you cannot advance in the art using those materials however. Can you tell me how?¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s expression soured. ¡°... You have to create them yourself, don¡¯t you? By using the primers available.¡±


    ¡°Or convince a master to teach you, yes,¡± Elder Jiao agreed. ¡°I will inform you now that I have no inclination to do so.¡±


    Ling Qi smiled bitterly. The reminder that these were limited training sessions was hardly welcome. ¡°Of course, Honored Elder,¡± she replied, inclining her head. ¡°I would be happy to receive your insights into the foundations of the art.¡±


    He eyed her consideringly then flicked his billowing sleeve again. This time, she had to hastily raise her hands to catch the scroll and brush case he had tossed at her. ¡°Then pay close attention, child. I will not repeat myself.¡±


    Ling Qi hastily moved to unroll the blank scroll and prepare herself to take notes. She absolutely would not waste this.


    Elder Jiao was, for all his irreverence, obviously an expert in formations. She could barely keep up with his words on the interactions between the basic characters and the functions of their components, as well as the ways in which the characters could be altered in order to nullify or bypass their effects.


    For the next few hours, there was no sound except that of his voice and her brush, and numbers and characters danced behind her eyes by the time she staggered out of the cave. His words had given her inspiration though, and she fell upon the bags the moment she got home.


    With a new eye for the difficulty of the ¡®locks¡¯, she was able to quickly divide the more difficult ones from the less secure containers, allowing her to work on disarming the less lethal countermeasures. The first bag opened easily but was useless, containing only small curiosities like strings of beads, a lock of dark brown hair, a polished bone hairpin, and other such things. No talismans, elixirs, or anything else useful.


    The next bag contained a rather large amount of crow bones, which was creepy but equally useless.


    Only on the third did she find anything useful. The bag had three stoppered clay vials full of liquid, two of them airy and light and the third thick and black. Ling Qi could tell they were potent elixirs at a glance. At the bottom of the bag, wrapped in leather, lay a book with a pale white cover. It was full of text that she could make neither heads nor tails of. The characters were crude and blocky, completely unlike the Imperial script.


    Unfortunately, her efforts ended there. The ¡®locks¡¯ on the final bag stymied her, proving frustratingly unbreakable in their construction. Still, it was not a bad haul.

 Chapter 106-Tutelage 3

    Her efforts to unlock the shaman bags nearly made her late to her meeting with Su Ling, so she abandoned the project for now to meet with her friend at the vent. Since Su Ling intended to practice with her sword, Ling Qi thought it appropriate to cultivate her Thousand Ring Fortress Art. Ling Qi felt like she was really beginning to get the hang of the art, even if it was against her usual inclinations.


    Of course, that turned out to have its¡¯ own problems....


    ¡°Fuck! It feels like I hit a mountain.¡± Su Ling grimaced as the practice blade fell from her hand. ¡°I can¡¯t feel my fingers,¡± she complained as she shook her hand


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Ling Qi asked,lowering her own hands from a guard position.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Su Ling said grumpily, glaring down at her trembling hand as if to still it by sheer force of will. ¡°I guess I forgot just how ridiculous you are.¡±


    Ling Qi looked away uncomfortably. Su Ling had actually landed a pretty good hit, driving her blunted blade into Ling Qi¡¯s gut while she had been distracted trying to fully activate of her Thousand Ring Fortress techniques. It just¡­ hadn¡¯t mattered. Between her greater physical cultivation and the layers of defensive qi woven into her flesh, she had barely felt it.


    Was this what Meizhen felt like when sparring with her?


    Dismissing that odd thought, Ling Qi suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t we take a breather then? You still haven¡¯t told me what brought this on. I don¡¯t mind practicing with you, but I¡¯m curious.¡±


    Su Ling huffed and bent down to pick up her weapon, twin tails swishing behind her with agitation. Ling Qi didn¡¯t miss the still unhealed wounds and patches of torn fur. ¡°I need to get better at this. I¡¯ve been relying on my illusions too much.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can understand how that might be a problem,¡± she said noncommittally. Ling Qi suspected it was less a matter of necessity and more a desire to avoid using the illusionary skills granted from her heritage. ¡°That said, do you have an art lined up? Mundane swordplay will only get you so far.¡±


    The girl¡¯s pointed ears twitched violently, and her expression grew sour. ¡°I have some points stored up,¡± she said gruffly. ¡°Gonna go to the second floor. I just figure it¡¯s no good to get an art if my skills are still crap.¡± Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help but feel that there was something Su Ling wasn¡¯t saying.


    ¡°Have you considered a tutor?¡± Ling Qi asked tentatively as she moved to sit down by the vent. She needed to cycle her qi to solidify the gains she had made with her defensive art. ¡°I can barely hold a sword without stabbing my own foot. Sparring with me won¡¯t help with learning swordsmanship.¡±


    ¡°Too expensive,¡± Su Ling answered, sitting down herself to cycle. Ling Qi could see the bruises on her palm start to heal already. ¡°Just getting an art is gonna cost me.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed in response. That was true. Inner Sect tutoring was pretty pricey. She didn¡¯t regret trying it herself though. ¡°Well, if you think so¡­¡± She trailed off awkwardly, and an uncomfortable silence fell between them.


    ¡°What¡¯s bothering you?¡± Ling Qi asked bluntly after a few minutes. ¡°You¡¯ve been really wound up,¡± she added, looking at the other girl out of the corner of her eye. ¡°It¡¯s not about the sword arts.¡±


    Su Ling kept her eyes on the stars overhead. ¡°I just wanted to hit something for a while. Got the damn silly idea to ask you, and all I managed was to hurt my hands.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, is someone making trouble for you?¡± Ling Qi would take care of it if so.


    Su Ling snorted. ¡°No, and if there was, I¡¯d tell ya to stay out of it. The usual assholes aren¡¯t bothering me. I got someone else to sell my stuff through. Just¡­ been thinking about things.¡±


    ¡°That usually makes me want to hit something too,¡± Ling Qi quipped. ¡°... I¡¯m guessing it has something to do with your breakthrough?¡± Ling Qi waited for Su Ling¡¯s answer in the silence that followed.


    ¡°I¡¯m fucking tired of not having any choices on my path,¡± Su Ling admitted quietly. ¡°Seems like I can only get stronger by being like that fucking fox. But, well, you can see that I¡¯m pretty shit with a sword.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not great, but it¡¯s not like you¡¯ve been practicing long either,¡± Ling Qi pointed out, knowing that Su Ling wasn¡¯t in the mood for pretty lies.


    ¡°Says the girl who picks up a bow and starts tagging bullseyes a few hours later,¡± Su Ling replied dryly. ¡°Nah, I¡¯ve worked at it, and I can tell. I¡¯m just not good with it. All I¡¯m good with are illusions and hunting techniques. I wanted something that was mine, and I don¡¯t want to give up on the sword. At the same time, I feel like an idiot wasting resources on something I¡¯m not much good at.¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t really have the experience to speak on this. She hadn¡¯t really failed at anything she had tried her hand at since coming here.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s too soon to begin giving up on swords. Besides, what it comes down to is that you enjoy using a sword, right? It¡¯s worth doing just for that. We don¡¯t have so little that we have to put everything into just getting by anymore.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Easy for you to say,¡± Su Ling retorted, but there wasn¡¯t any heat in it. ¡°You ready to keep going, or are you just gonna sit around all night?¡±


    Ling Qi looked back to see the other girl standing up and dusting off her pants, ready for another round. ¡°Sure,¡± she laughed. ¡°I can always use the exercise.¡±


    The two of them practiced well into the night, and soon, sparring and cultivating with Su Ling at the vent in the evenings became another part of her routine. The rest of the week flew swiftly by.


    However, there remained one thing to do that Ling Qi had been putting off. Namely, she had to compose a response to her mother¡¯s last letter. She honestly wasn¡¯t certain what to think of the idea of a younger sibling. Despite what she had told Zhengui to call her, she had only the vaguest idea of what siblings were supposed to do. She was glad her¡­ younger sister was apparently healthy, as was her mother, and that her support was helping them both. At the same time, she was even more unsure of what to say.


    The tone of her mother¡¯s letters also bothered her. Her mother was good at talking in circles and not saying what she meant. It was hard to tell what she was really thinking, especially through the medium of letters. Ling Qi wished she could meet her face-to-face again and have a proper conversation.


    Unfortunately, meeting in person just wasn¡¯t possible. Ling Qi could probably pay for transport, but the presence of her sister complicated any plans. A child that young had no business going on such a trip, and even without a child, travel between cities was deadly for mortals. They were just so¡­ fragile.


    That in itself was a slightly discomfiting thought. When had she started thinking of people that way? Ling Qi did not particularly care for that line of thought and wasn¡¯t sure what to do with it frankly. She shook her head and began to compose her letter.


    Mother,


    I was glad to hear back from you, even if the contents of your letter was a little shocking. I admit, I have little idea of what to do with the knowledge that I have a sibling. I am glad the two of you are healthy and well.


    I enjoy my life here at the sect, but it does have its own troubles. I have made a few friends among my fellow disciples. I never thought that I would end up mingling with nobility, but my best friend is a member of a ducal family. She has helped me a great deal in fitting in. I also had some trouble with a very persistent boy for a time, but that trouble seems to have passed.


    Right now, I am training hard to prepare myself for the end of the year tournament, as well as supporting my allies¡¯ own preparations. Much of my time is spent taking care of the spirit I have bound. Would you believe that I hatched a xuanwu, Mother? I did not even think them real before coming here. Zhengui is adorable, if endlessly hungry, so his care can be taxing. It is well worth it though.


    Oh! I seem to have discovered a real talent for archery, as well as music. I cannot thank you enough for the lessons you gave me. I do not think I would be where I am now if you had not taken the time to teach me the flute.


    I miss those lessons very much.


    So in turn, let me ask you, Mother. How are you? What are you doing now that you no longer need worry about money? I do not know you as well as I should, but I would like to rectify that.


    Ling Qi


    It had taken her a few tries, but eventually, her letter was composed and sent. She was unsure about blatantly discussing cultivation matters with her mother, and she certainly wasn¡¯t going to tell her about the fights she had been in, but this¡­ It felt like something a child should write to their parent.


    She would look forward to the response, and perhaps, in the not so distant future, she would find the occasion to visit Tonghou City again. She wondered if any of the guards would recognize her when she did.


    She hoped so, if only to see what their expressions would look like.

 Chapter 107-Tutelage 4

    The sky was a tapestry of dark storm clouds hanging low over the icy mountain peak. Howling winds and driving snow both flowed around the black pool and its ravine, guided away by an unseen force that allowed no more than gentle flurries to fall, drifting among the notes of the song played by its occupants.


    Ling Qi sat beside the icy spirit Zeqing upon a bench of ice sculpted from the permanent frost of the mountain peak and played a melody of forgotten places and loss. She wondered briefly if an observer might think her a spirit as well, given the similarities in garb she shared with her teacher. Ling Qi had gotten used to proximity with the snow woman; the perpetual chill that surrounded Zeqing was hardly a bother, and even contact was merely uncomfortable, rather than painful.


    She allowed her thoughts to drift elsewhere as she played, gazing up at the churning sky. Her weekly schedule remained densely packed, and juggling everything she wanted to do was difficult. But beyond anything else, she wanted to reconnect with her friends this week. Training was all well and good, but she couldn¡¯t repair her relationship with Meizhen with such impersonal actions. There was Li Suyin and Su Ling to consider as well. Xiulan¡¯s continued absence worried her, but there was little she could do about that for the moment.


    She did not want to end up alone again.


    ¡°Are you well?¡± Ling Qi nearly jumped out of her skin when Zeqing¡¯s cool voice reached her ears, interrupting her thoughts. She hadn¡¯t even noticed the spirit ending her own melody. She met the spirit¡¯s empty white eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for my distraction,¡± Ling Qi apologized, dipping her head in a brief bow. What did it say about her Sect¡¯s Elders that she was more comfortable acting casually with an inhuman spirit of ice and winter?


    ¡°It was not unpleasant,¡± Zeqing responded, her hair billowing in unfelt winds as she turned her gaze back to the pool of black ice. ¡°Those thoughts, whatever they were, resonated with the melody.¡±


    Ling Qi grew quiet at the unspoken question, fiddling idly with her flute as she gazed down at her lap. ¡°I was just thinking about my friends and the distance between us lately. I¡¯m going to fix it, but I suppose I¡¯m still worried.¡±


    The snow woman let out a thoughtful hum. ¡°I see. I suppose you speak of the serpent child you brought to this place?¡±


    Ling Qi shifted uncomfortably on her icy seat. ¡°Among others. I apologize for not asking permission.¡±


    ¡°It is nothing,¡± the spirit assured, her nearly transparent fingers of ice making a clear clinking sound as they tapped thoughtfully against the body of her flute. ¡°While I would be displeased to see half the Sect traipsing about, a companion or two in a private rendezvous is acceptable.¡±


    Ling Qi flushed slightly. ¡°It¡¯s not like that,¡± she replied, deflecting the spirit¡¯s implication. ¡°I just¡­ There¡¯s been a bit of trouble between us lately, and things haven¡¯t been quite the same.¡±


    ¡°Troubling,¡± Zeqing mused. ¡°I see your plight. That one¡¯s blood is far too strong for the most obvious methods of retaining companions. She could not be easily bound to your side.¡±


    Ling Qi shivered, reminded that the creature at her side was not human. ¡°That¡­ isn¡¯t really the problem,¡± she said, choosing not to engage with that statement more than necessary.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it? Your core is not so distant from mine. Of course you would desire to keep your¡­ friends at your side for all time and ensure that they may never leave you,¡± Zeqing said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.


    ¡°I suppose,¡± Ling Qi said carefully, avoiding Zeqing¡¯s empty white eyes. That wasn¡¯t wrong, but it sounded bad somehow when it was said like that. She didn¡¯t really want to talk about this any more. ¡°Where is Hanyi¡¯s father then? How do you keep him around?¡± she asked, deflecting the subject from herself. She was a little worried at the possible answer but was also curious.


    The temperature plunged, and the light grew dim. Ling Qi winced.


    ¡°I devoured him spirit, blood and bone, so that he could never betray me again,¡± Zeqing replied in a voice more akin to the howling of a blizzard wind than a human voice. She regained herself almost immediately, and the ominous feeling faded. ¡°Beware those who come to ply you with gifts and flattery,¡± she said, now appearing merely unhappy rather than murderous. ¡°Far more reliable are those you bring and keep through your own efforts.¡±


    That sounded about right. It was much better to be the one in control of any given situation. It wasn¡¯t entirely right though in that a relationship couldn¡¯t be entirely one-sided and be any good. ¡°Well, let¡¯s not dwell, right?¡± she asked, her voice perhaps a touch high. ¡°Will you show me that altered sequence for Diapason again?¡±


    The spirit of cold hunger at her side inclined her head, gown billowing. ¡°Of course. No need to let unpleasant things stain our recreation.¡± Zeqing raised her flute to her lips once more. ¡°Listen closely.¡±


    It was harder to get comfortable practicing again. It wasn¡¯t as if Ling Qi was unaware of what sort of spirit the snow woman was; Tonghou was far enough south to sometimes see heavy snows in the winter, but hearing Zeqing casually discuss devouring someone was unsettling. Even if it was in the context of attempting to offer helpful advice.


    Well, when she thought about it, that actually made it worse. Awkwardness aside, her time up on the peak was an enjoyable break from her hectic schedule,and she reluctantly descended the mountain peak after her lesson to return to her other tasks.


    Not that it was unpleasant to spend more time with her friends. But while she may not have agreed with the extremity of the spirit¡¯s statements, Zeqing wasn¡¯t fundamentally wrong about her motivations.


    When she arrived at the vent for the meeting she had arranged with Li Suyin, the other girl was already present, seated in the grass with an open text on her lap. Suyin looked up when Ling Qi arrived at the edge of the clearing and smiled brightly, raising her hand in greeting. ¡°Ling Qi! It is good to see you again.¡±


    ¡°And you as well,¡± Ling Qi agreed, feeling happy at the genuine warmth she could see in the other girl¡¯s expression. She knew she was being silly. ¡°We didn¡¯t exactly get a chance to talk at our last meeting. How is your arm?¡± she asked as she crossed the clearing to approach her friend.


    ¡°As good as new,¡± Li Suyin replied cheerfully, flexing her formerly broken arm to demonstrate. ¡°How have you been, Ling Qi? Su Ling said you were well, but said you didn¡¯t speak much of yourself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doing alright,¡± Ling Qi said, dropping to the ground beside her friend and allowing herself to sprawl without worry for dignity. ¡°I¡¯ve been really busy, but I¡¯d like to think I¡¯ve made some real gains from it. I managed to eke out some attention from Elder Jiao.¡±


    Li Suyin¡¯s eye widened in surprise and she smiled, reaching down to close the book in her lap as she did. ¡°How wonderful for you! I am so glad to see you getting the attention you deserve.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced away, embarrassed at that assertion, but quickly forged on, sitting up straight as she summoned the manual she had found in the shaman¡¯s bags out from her storage ring. ¡°That isn¡¯t the only thing I¡¯ve gotten ahold of. I figured we could have a bit of fun working this one out together.¡±


    Her friend blinked but accepted the tome Ling Qi pushed into her hands. Suyin carefully opened the blank cover to peer at the somewhat crinkled pages inside, scanning across the odd blocky text. ¡°How strange. Where did you get this?¡±


    ¡°I just found it while exploring,¡± Ling Qi lied, remembering Elder Ying¡¯s warning not to speak of the shaman shehad encountered. ¡°It was tucked away in some ruins,¡± she elaborated. It was better to avoid outright falsehoods if she could. ¡°Why is it strange?¡±


    ¡°Well, it looks like the script of the hill tribes in this region before they accepted Imperial rule,¡± Li Suyin explained, interest lighting up her eye as she paged through the book. ¡°Father had a handful of fragments in his collection, but nothing so complete.¡±


    Ling Qi cocked her head to the side. She had expected it to be Cloud Tribe writing. She hadn¡¯t been aware of any other languages in this area. ¡°Oh? Your Father collected stuff like this? Are you from this province then? I never really asked.¡±


    Li Suyin looked up from the open manual and nodded. ¡°I am from Jizhou,¡± she said easily, only to grow sheepish at Ling Qi¡¯s lack of recognition. ¡°Um¡­ It is the northernmost city in the province and the primary hub of trade for goods going to and from the central provinces. Jizhou is second only to the capital seat of the Emerald Seas in splendor and size.¡±


    Ling Qi remembered that Suyin had mentioned that her father was some highly placed scribe. If she was from a place like that, her family must actually be pretty wealthy by mortal standards. ¡°Ah, well, I¡¯m just a bumpkin from Tonghou. Nothing exciting I can really say about the place.¡± Nothing appropriate for company anyway.


    Li Suyin chewed her on her lower lip. ¡°... Well, there isn¡¯t anything wrong with that. Tonghou is still an important stop on the central north-south routes, even if the mines in the region are played out.¡±


    ¡°You would know better than me,¡± Ling Qi acknowledged, not feeling any need to talk up her old home. ¡°So, our project,¡± she continued, steering the subject back on track. ¡°Can you read it then? This might be easier than I thought.¡±


    ¡°Not¡­ really. I know some of the characters, but I am hardly fluent,¡± she admitted sheepishly. ¡°But the language is very closely related to some of the older dialects of the Imperial tongue, so it should not be overly difficult to learn,¡± she said more brightly.


    ¡°Hm. Maybe I can check out the archive and see if they have anything,¡± Ling Qi mused. Before coming to the Sect, she would never have considered something like learning a language to be ¡®easy¡¯.


    ¡°I can give you a list of useful texts to look into,¡± Li Suyin agreed.


    ¡°Yo. Sorry I arrived a little late,¡± Su Ling called as she approached from the edge of the clearing, making them both look up in surprise. Su Ling¡¯s qi was familiar enough that it tended to blend into the background if Ling Qi wasn¡¯t paying attention. ¡°I had to finish up a batch of pills.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Suyin and I were just catching up. We have a project to work on together.¡±


    ¡°Mm, it seems like it will be fun,¡± Li Suyin said cheerfully. ¡°Will the two of you continue working together as well?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the idea,¡± Su Ling said gruffly, glancing between the two of them. ¡°Assuming it¡¯s not gonna interrupt anything?¡±


    ¡°I figured we could take turns between physical practice and studying,¡± Ling Qi replied, standing up and brushing the grass from her gown. ¡°Anyway, Su Ling, I wanted to give you something. I got my hands on an art that I think would be great for you, and I figured I could save you some Sect Points.¡± Ling Qi summoned the jade slip containing the Argent Current art to hand.


    ¡°Is that so,¡± Su Ling said, her expression growing conflicted. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no trouble,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°You can pay me back later if you feel the need,¡± she added, hoping to assuage the girl¡¯s pride.


    Su Ling frowned. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± She trailed off, frustrated, then glanced at Li Suyin, who was looking at her worriedly. ¡°That¡¯s not really the point,¡± she said finally.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ling Qi asked, lowering her hand.


    ¡°I want to find my own path,¡± Su Ling said bluntly. ¡°How can it be mine if I just take what you give me? I know you''re not gonna take advantage of a debt, but all the same, I¡¯d rather learn an art that I earned and picked out for myself.¡±


    That was understandable. Ling Qi may have gotten a little ahead of herself. ¡°Well, the offer is there if you want it,¡± she said, vanishing the slip. ¡°We can just continue sparring with you practicing the sword then.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Su Ling replied, looking relieved. Was the other girl really so worried about offending Ling Qi?


    With that awkward moment past, the three of them were able to make an enjoyable afternoon of it, advancing their skills and cultivation. The translation efforts were off to a slow start, but that would improve once Ling Qi had time to swing by the archive for references. There was no rush because Li Suyin would be busy in the latter half of the week with an attempt to breakthrough to Silver.

 Chapter 108-Tutelage 5

    Ling Qi enjoyed a few hours of relatively relaxed training and study with her friends, but soon enough, it was time to start heading up the mountain to meet with Elder Jiao for the week¡¯s training. The paintings had changed again, this time depicting fancy halls filled with people in elaborate and expensive clothes mingling. They remained eerily lifelike, but it wasn¡¯t as distracting as the twisted eye and mouth-studded shapes that they had depicted the week before.


    Ling Qi took her usual seat and clasped her hands neatly in her lap to wait, silently rehearsing the lines she had come up with to convince the Elder to teach her to be a better thief. The room was silent as Ling Qi practiced her lines, hoping to perfect her speech so as to avoid offending the prickly old man teaching her.


    Given her distraction, Ling Qi jerked in surprise when a cool hand fell on her shoulder, instinctively jumping out of her seat to turn and face the person who had touched her. Unfortunately, she put too much force in the motion and practically launched herself out of her chair, only to crack her head against the low ceiling of the cavern.


    Ling Qi managed to land on her feet but winced as she rubbed the top of her head, which throbbed with the force of the impact. She peered warily through the gloomy room to see who had startled her so. It took only a moment to recognize the person in question; a portrait of her had been staring at her all last week after all.


    Xin stood beside her seat with a bemused expression, one hand on her hip. She wore a gown of dark blue and black, which glittered with starry light at her every movement, and her white hair was styled in an elaborate updo pinned in place with glittering onyx pins and jewelry.


    ¡°Feeling a little wound up, dear?¡± Xin asked compassionately, although Ling Qi could see the twinkle of humor in her red eyes.


    Ling Qi wrestled her breathing back under control and did her best not to glower at the older... woman? Spirit? ¡°My apologies,¡± she said with a bow. ¡°I was only startled by your presence, Honored-¡±


    Xin clicked her tongue and for lack of a better word, flickered, appearing directly in front of Ling Qi to peer down at her. Had the woman been tall enough to do that before? ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, young lady,¡± she admonished, examining the point where Ling Qi had banged her head. ¡°There is no call to speak to me so formally.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Sorry?¡± Ling Qi tried, thrown off-balance as she felt Xin¡¯s cold hand come to rest on top of her head, washing away the minor ache with a feeling like cold water being trickled down her neck. ¡°Why are you here?¡± she blurted out, feeling tongue-tied in the woman¡¯s presence. ¡°I mean, did something happen with Elder Jiao?¡±


    Xin took a step back, examining her with a critical eye. The gaze made Ling Qi feel vaguely childish, like it was her mother standing in front of her, checking to see if she had torn one of her gowns.


    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s just a little delayed,¡± Xin replied dismissively, finally meeting Ling Qi¡¯s gaze with her own slightly luminescent one. ¡°You have grown so well, haven¡¯t you,¡± she said warmly. ¡°I can hardly compare you to the skinny, dim spark you were when last we met.¡±


    ¡°Thank you?¡± Ling Qi asked. It was true that she was no longer quite so malnourished, and she had grown much stronger. ¡°You¡¯re looking well too?¡± she tried again, only to remember Elder Jiao¡¯s words at the end of the second part of Elder Zhou¡¯s test. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I caused you any trouble.¡±


    ¡°It was nothing, dear,¡± Xin said, waving her hand carelessly to brush off the apology. ¡°Becoming a voice for my greater self is merely uncomfortable at worst, and you have grown for it.¡± Xin¡¯s gaze drifted downward to fix on Ling Qi¡¯s stomach, or rather, Ling Qi¡¯s dantian. ¡°Well, I did have some hope of poaching you for myself. But the Grinning Moon will not treat you poorly.¡±


    Right, Xin was an aspect of the New Moon, Ling Qi thought. It made sense that Xin could tell what choice Ling Qi had made. ¡°I hope not to fail in meeting her expectations. I did consider your offer strongly as well.¡±


    Xin looked pleased, raising her eyes back to Ling Qi¡¯s face. ¡°I suppose we will see. You are hardly ready to choose a Way properly regardless. You¡¯re still in that experimenting stage, trying anything and everything,¡± she said impishly. ¡°Your spirit is quite muddled as of yet.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s expression grew concerned as she looked down, as if to examine herself. ¡°... Is that bad?¡± she asked cautiously. ¡°And what do you mean about choosing a Way?¡±


    ¡°You simply haven¡¯t found your true drive yet, which is hardly unusual for your age,¡± Xin reassured. ¡°As for a Way, all cultivators must eventually choose the concept which defines them. It is impossible to advance beyond what you call Cyan without¡­¡±


    ¡°XIN.¡± Ling Qi flinched as Elder Jiao¡¯s voice boomed through the cavern, rattling the furniture. The shadows in the room roiled and swelled, tendrils of absolute darkness, opaque even to her vision, writhing across every surface as the light of the lantern flickered wildly. Worse still were the eyes, wide and glaring, gleaming like kaleidoscopes, that opened by the dozen across the shadows in the room.


    ¡°Oh, bother. I really thought that would hold him longer than this.¡± The spirit sighed, resting her cheek in one hand but otherwise unperturbed. Ling Qi shot her an incredulous look.


    ¡°Twelve layers.¡± The Elder¡¯s voice no longer rattled the furniture, but it was still painfully loud. The shadow of the divan boiled upward, bubbling like a pillar of tar as it took on Elder Jiao¡¯s features. He ignored her entirely in favor of glaring at Xin. ¡°Why would you leave a twelve-layered dream cage around the workshop, you insufferable woman?!¡±


    Ling Qi quietly scuttled off to the side, not wanting to be in the Elder¡¯s line of sight. As it was, his qi was nearly suffocating.


    Xin crossed her arms, turning a frown on the Elder. ¡°Do not take that tone with me, and cease the dramatics. You¡¯ll scare the poor girl to death.¡±


    Ling Qi hunched her shoulders, instinctively trying to appear small as the Elder glanced her way. Elder Jiao let out an irritated huff, but the twisting, reaching shadows receded,along with the oppressive weight of his qi. ¡°Did it occur to you just to ask if you wanted to accompany me?¡± he asked Xin pointedly, still sounding irritated.


    ¡°Is it not my duty as a wife to ensure that my husband does not grow lax?¡± Xin asked flippantly.


    The Elder stared at Xin, unmoving, unbreathing, and utterly still. ¡°I am ignoring you,¡± he declared abruptly, as if handing out a proclamation from on high. ¡°You,¡± he continued, pointing at Ling Qi, ¡°will also be ignoring her, or this lesson will end.¡±


    ¡°That is hardly fair,¡± Xin protested. ¡°Come now. It wasn¡¯t that bad.¡±


    ¡°Which of my teachings do you seek this week, Disciple?¡± Elder Jiao asked airily, as if he hadn¡¯t heard Xin.


    Ling Qi glanced between the two, feeling terribly off-kilter. Somehow, her image of the Sect¡¯s Elders had been changed in a fundamental way. She fumbled with her words, trying to remember her rehearsed speech. ¡°I¡­ That is¡­ I was hoping for the Honored Elder¡¯s advice on the matters of retrieving enemy resources from guarded locations or containers, as well as their person.¡±


    The ¡°Honored¡± Elder gave her a flat look. ¡°You want me to tutor you in the arts of thievery. Is that truly what you want to ask?¡±


    Ling Qi shuffled her feet, ignoring Xin¡¯s laugh. ¡°... Yes,¡± she said in a small voice.


    ¡°My, what an insightful girl,¡± Xin said smugly.


    Still ignoring Xin, Elder Jiao merely palmed his face. ¡°Why not? Come, Disciple,¡± he said, flickering from the divan to the doorway.


    ¡°What are we doing?¡± Ling Qi asked, hurrying after him. She cast an apologetic look at Xin, who drifted after them, no longer pretending to walk.


    ¡°Live targets are required for this training,¡± Elder Jiao said. ¡°You shall be testing yourself against your fellow disciples at my instruction. You will, of course, be required to deal with the fallout of failure on your own. You will not mention your training.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. She really should have expected something like this. She supposed she would just have to do her best to avoid getting caught.


    What followed was¡­ tense. Elder Jiao would set her a task like pilfering stones or pills from a disciple or slipping into a home unnoticed and planting tokens in specific locations. There was nary a hint of advice, only a few casual pointers for improvement in the aftermath of such tasks. The difficulty ramped up quickly as they proceeded to the part of the mountain where many of the older disciples lived. Ling Qi switched the contents of people¡¯s bags, broke locks, planted pills and tokens in bedrooms and bathrooms, and rearranged furniture and knickknacks in the instants when their owners were out of the room.


    ... Somehow, she managed without getting caught once, even when the Elder commanded something ridiculous, like replacing a girl¡¯s hair pins from her dressing table without her noticing while the girl was putting them in.


    Her success did seem to put the man in a better mood at least, and with each success, his advice on improving her cultivation of the more larcenous parts of her Sable Crescent Step art grew more useful. Indeed, the insights she gained from the Elder was enough to finally master the usage of Crescent¡¯s Grace technique even under the light of the sun, albeit at an increased qi cost. Xin was encouraging as well, but sadly, she had to ignore the spirit. Xin did not appear to take offense, focused as she was on needling Elder Jiao, who ignored her every attempt with great dignity.


    It was, overall, quite a useful evening.


    ... Even if the news which reached her later of a spree of paint bombs, surprise hair dyes, and other prankish things, as well as fights breaking out over stolen property, made her desperately hope that no one ever discovered what she had been doing. She knew those tokens the Elder kept handing her were suspicious!


    Ling Qi quickly fell into her week¡¯s routine after that. She spent the early hours practicing her music on the mountain top, meeting with Li Suyin and Su Ling in the afternoons, and receiving tutoring in the evenings. At night, she scouted and prepared for her eventual raid on Yan Renshu¡¯s base.


    Translating the manual was slow going, although Li Suyin assured her that they were making great progress given the limited amount of time spent on it. It appeared to be a manual on the creation of formations constructs, focused around the use of bone as a medium, but the details and actual technical instructions still eluded them.


    More important than any of that though was her upcoming outing with Meizhen. Well, she hadn¡¯t really billed it that way or actually told Meizhen that they would be having an outing. But since she knew that Meizhen was intending to go out, she simply rearranged her plans to walk with her to the market.


    This¡­ was a little awkward because Meizhen clearly hadn¡¯t expected her presence. Not that anyone else could tell Meizhen felt anything out of the ordinary at a casual glance. The pale girl beside her still moved with an effortless grace that made her seem as if she were gliding across the ground, all ethereal and fairy-like. Meizhen would look like a princess out of a storybook, Ling Qi mused, if not for the aura of gut-wrenching animal terror she radiated.


    Ling Qi couldn¡¯t really compare to the other girl¡¯s poise. Though her balance was good, her strides were long and obvious, kicking up the hems of her dark gown with each step.


    ¡°What, precisely, did you need at the market?¡± Bai Meizhen questioned without taking her eyes off the path ahead of them as lower realm cultivators made way for them on the road. Meizhen did not acknowledge them.


    ¡°I thought I would shop around among the pill makers again. It¡¯s been awhile since I¡¯ve stocked up,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°And I might need to trade up on knives soon. My old set is subpar.¡±


    Meizhen gave a quiet hum of acknowledgement. ¡°I see.¡± To anyone else, it probably sounded like simple disinterest, but Ling Qi could read her friend a little better than that. Meizhen was uncomfortable.


    ¡°How about you?¡± Ling Qi pressed on. They could do this. Things didn¡¯t need to be awkward between them. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve ever gone to the market with the intention to buy.¡±


    ¡°My own resources are typically superior,¡± Bai Meizhen acknowledged. She looked like she was going to fall silent again, but Ling Qi caught her eye and raised an eyebrow. Meizhen let out a near inaudible breath in response. ¡°It is a matter of recreation. Nothing I would bother my family with.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, her other eyebrow joining the first. ¡°Really?¡± she asked with a hint of incredulity. ¡°Just what kind of hobby would catch your attention?¡±


    The pale girl stared ahead, her bearing stiff. ¡°I have decided to improve my embroidery. It is a useful exercise in manual dexterity.¡± Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure who Meizhen was trying to convince with that excuse.


    ¡°Huh. I never expected you to pick up something so¡­ delicate.¡±


    Meizhen furrowed her brows slightly. ¡°What are you implying? It is a perfectly acceptable recreational activity for a young lady.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean anything by it,¡± Ling Qi apologized. ¡°Did you practice at home?¡±


    ¡°... No,¡± Meizhen admitted. ¡°I had other priorities in my limited free time.¡± Ling Qi suspected that those other priorities had been things like ¡®sleep¡¯ and ¡®extra training¡¯.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know too much about embroidery,¡± Ling Qi said slowly. Mother had only just started teaching her that when she had run away. ¡°But I can use a needle and thread well enough. Maybe we could practice a bit together?¡± She didn¡¯t miss the way her friend¡¯s shoulders subtly hunched inward, a sure sign of even greater discomfort in the reticent girl.


    ¡°... Cai Renxiang has already offered instruction,¡± Meizhen finally said. ¡°I am afraid I will have to decline.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s expression fell as they passed one of the milestones on the path to the market before she masked her disappointment. ¡°Oh, well, that¡¯s fine. I can hardly compete with that. So you¡¯re going out to pick up a sewing kit?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± Bai Meizhen said, looking at Ling Qi out of the corner of her eye. ¡°... I will still be available for our spars,¡± she offered awkwardly.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad. I just wish there was something we could do together that wasn¡¯t just work or practice,¡± Ling Qi said, surprising herself with her own honesty.


    ¡°I do not see it as such,¡± Meizhen said thoughtfully. ¡°We are cultivators. Polishing one another¡¯s arts as we do together is hardly without its own¡­ intimacy.¡± Ling Qi hadn¡¯t thought about it like that. In the end, the one Meizhen showed her techniques and arts to in their entirety was Ling Qi, not Cai Renxiang.


    ¡°I guess so,¡± she said, feeling better. ¡°I¡¯ll tag along for your purchase all the same though. Even if you have all the money in the world, it¡¯s important to get a good price,¡± she said, giving a sage nod at her own words.


    Bai Meizhen let out an amused huff. ¡°What manner of pampered songbird do you imagine me to be?¡± she asked scathingly. Her tone didn¡¯t hold any real heat though.


    The shopping trip was quite fun. Meizhen could certainly make the disciples running the shops sweat, making it all the easier for Ling Qi to haggle them down. It made for an amusing diversion, and in the end, Ling Qi found herself glad that she had decided to tag along anyway.

 Chapter 109-Theft 1

    Unfortunately, her free time was still pretty limited. Taking Zhengui out to hunt and play was still time-consuming. He was growing quickly and getting close to reaching the late first realm. Ling Qi was anticipating the day when she could safely dematerialize him indefinitely, allowing him to come with her wherever she went.


    Once he hit peak first realm though, she would have to help him prepare a proper nest. Snake-tortoises could apparently hibernate for upward of a month on their breakthrough to the second realm. That was something to worry about later. For now, she simply continued teaching him on being a patient and sneaky hunter. Zhengui was eager to please her and took to the lessons well. Mostly. He still got distracted gnawing on tree roots while digging sometimes, despite his serpentine half¡¯s protests.


    Spirit rearing aside, the second half of her week¡¯s lessons with the Elder proved much less stressful but also less interesting. Xin had stopped popping in by that point, and the next subject she requested tutoring in, after expending the Sect Points to pick up the successor art to her first art, Zephyr¡¯s Breath, didn¡¯t seem to interest the Elder.


    It didn¡¯t stop him from making it hell for her though because of course it didn¡¯t. She was left on her own in a steep ravine and told to follow the path to the end while hitting the targets he would present to her. What the Elder didn¡¯t say was that his targets, flickering, shadowy things shaped like humans, would be shooting back. The shadow missiles stung and bruised, even through her defenses, and she found herself having to rapidly adapt and learn their ranges and patterns, just to avoid getting pelted into the ground.


    Which she kind of did the first time, and the second¡­ and the third.


    As the techniques were mostly improvements upon techniques in the Zephyr¡¯s Breath art, she found herself rapidly improving in the use of the Fleeting Zephyr successor art.


    After she reached the end of the course the first time, the difficulty only redoubled. In order to pass the course, she now had to command and lead ¡®allied¡¯ constructs without loss. It forced her to further master the Fleeting Zephyr art, especially the new enhancement technique Encircling Winds, which allowed her allied constructs to quickly put down a target enemy, and On the Wind, which called upon the wind to help speed the steps of herself and her ¡®team¡¯ in their escape of the course.


    By the time the week was nearing its end, Ling Qi was feeling quite wrung out. Su Ling and Li Suyin were busy that afternoon, the latter having secluded herself for breakthrough, and the former spending the afternoon in the archive to research and select her new sword art after being satisfied with her base swordsmanship skills.


    With Meizhen busy as welland Gu Xiulan still absent, Ling Qi was left with surprisingly little to do. She spent some time simply puttering around the house, idly picking out melodies on her flute, but restlessness and lack of inspiration eventually drove her out for a walk with Zhengui snoozing away in his dematerialized state.


    Her directionless stroll took her across the mountain, eventually turning toward the area dedicated to the pavilions and smaller meeting places. It was surprisingly busy, and she soon found herself drifting along to see what was going on.


    As it turned out, there was a construction project at the pavilion where the council meetings took place. A dozen or so disciples wearing Cai¡¯s colors were at work around and within the pavilion, some with chisels and brushes and others with shovels and stakes. The commotion had drawn a crowd.


    Observing from the edge of the clearing, Ling Qi grew curious. While she did not recognize most of the disciples in question, she did spot Xuan Shi strolling from one workstation to the next, his jangling ring staff tapping out a rhythm on the stone floor. Pausing at a workstation, Xuan Shi spoke quietly to the disciple there. The other boy hastily bowed his head to Xuan Shi and returned to his chiseling at the tiles with much more care than before.


    Ling Qi approached, strolling across the unseen line that the crowd seemed reluctant to pass. A couple of the working disciples looked up, and one irritably turned toward her about to say something, only to freeze when their eyes met. Instead of speaking, the boy flushed and hastily bowed, stepping out of her way.


    ¡°Brother Xuan!¡± she called, remembering the odd formality the boy used, as she reached the bottom of the pavilion steps. ¡°I see Lady Cai has you working hard!¡± Ling Qi felt a twinge of guilt; she had heard the boy had a rough time during Sun Liling¡¯s recent attack, but despite how helpful he had been to her previously, she hadn¡¯t spared him a thought. At least he looked fine now.


    ¡°Sister Ling,¡± Xuan Shi greeted, dipping his head slightly in her direction, his wide conical hat bobbing with the motion. ¡°The Lady grants us tasks in equal measure to our ability and no more.¡±


    ¡°I guess so,¡± Ling Qi said thoughtfully as she mounted the steps to reach level with him. ¡°How have you been? I¡¯ve been meaning to stop by, but things got busy.¡± It was a little lie, but a harmless one.


    He regarded her silently, most of his expression concealed by his hat and high collar, then glanced away, giving a nearby disciple who had paused to listen to them a sharp look. ¡°I am unbowed. Though a storm may lash the shore, the island remains. Patience brings ultimate victory,¡± he said with quiet surety. ¡°What purpose guides your steps, Sister Ling?¡±


    So he wasn¡¯t too troubled by the loss and was already planning his reprisal. Ling Qi reached the center of the pavillion, drawing aside Xuan Shi. ¡°Just a whim,¡± she admitted. ¡°I was out for a stroll, looking for something to inspire a song, and caught sight of your work. I guess Lady Cai wants to make sure our meeting place is secure?¡±


    ¡°A throne must be radiant and solid as the mountain rock,¡± he said agreeably. ¡°Theatre sways the hearts of the unworthy,¡± he added in a much quieter tone. Going by the stillness in the air, she was certain that only she had heard that last statement. A useful technique.


    ¡°So it does,¡± she mused. ¡°I am glad you¡¯re doing well. You¡¯ve been nothing but helpful to me, and I¡¯m afraid I haven¡¯t done much to pay that back.¡±


    ¡°Sister Ling¡¯s concern is appreciated like a fine moon shining over rough seas,¡± Xuan Shireplied, and she thought she saw the corners of his odd eyes crinkle for a moment with a smile. ¡°There is no debt. Generosity is a virtue.¡±


    Ling Qi almost snorted, giving him an arch look. ¡°Come on now. We¡¯re cultivators. Isn¡¯t everything a competition?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± he said, tapping the butt of his staff on the stone. ¡°If so, a generous spirit is the mark of the strong, is it not?¡±


    She gave him a measuring look but nodded. ¡°I suppose so. Still, I¡¯m free for the moment. Did you need any help here?¡±


    He made a thoughtful sound. ¡°Sister Ling is much like a cold sea breeze, finding the tiniest cracks to slip through and chill the home. Perhaps an examination of the arrays with that in mind?¡±


    She blinked, her eyebrows drawing together in consternation. ¡°You were keeping an eye on my practice in the Archives.¡±


    Xuan Shi tipped his hat marginally in her direction. He was definitely smiling now. ¡°Other perspectives remain invaluable. Am I begrudged?¡±


    She let out an unladylike snort. ¡°No, it¡¯s my fault for not guarding my notes,¡± she said with a huff. ¡°Where do you want me to start?¡±


    The next couple hours passed quickly. Poking holes in the arrays being built was an interesting diversion, and some part of her enjoyed the grumbling of the disciples who had to adjust and fix the formations.


    Xuan Shi was an agreeable sort, and in doing this, she felt less of a burden of debt toward him, so it was time well spent. Even without that though, she wouldn¡¯t mind speaking with him in the future. Perhaps she could prod him for advice on getting Zhengui to develop his abilities. His ¡°Xuan¡± family name made it pretty obvious that he was associated with ¡°xuanwu¡± spirits, of which Zhengui was one.


    As the pavilion faded away behind her, Ling Qi¡¯s thoughts turned to her plans for the evening. She had made her preparations for venturing into Yan Renshu¡¯s base, warned Meizhen to raise the alarm if she was not back by morning, and even borrowed the girl¡¯s spare storage ring. She had also fully scouted out the surroundings beforehand and gotten a feel for the patterns of activity at the base. There was nothing further to do but execute the plan.


    ... She really needed to get a better ring of her own though. Meizhen¡¯s spare storage ring had ten times the space hers did. The thought of filling it with loot warmed her heart.


    Her infiltration began simply enough. The defenses at the doorway were keyed to a token the disciples kept on their person, so her first task would be to snag one from the disciple going out on an evening supply run. He would be out for at least an hour, giving her a good window to work with. She had figured out which of the errand boys had storage rings, which she wouldn¡¯t be able to steal the token from, and she had chosen tonight for her infiltration because the boy tasked with the evening supply run was one of the disciples who didn¡¯t have a storage ring.


    Was there an art that would allow her to steal from a storage ring? Surely there had to be.


    The first part of her plan went off without a hitch. After Elder Jiao¡¯s training, slipping her hand into the boy¡¯s pocket and retrieving the token as she passed him on the market street was a trivial task. Vanishing into the darkness of the forest was likewise an easy. It took mere minutes to return to the hidden entrance, and with the token in hand, she passed through. The sheer cliff face gave way to a smooth tunnel, likely carved with an earth art given the lack of marks from tools.


    She did not linger in the doorway, exposed as it was. With Crescent¡¯s Grace and Formless Shade techniques active, she darted down the hall in a flash of black, slipping into the nearest side room. It was a storage room from the looks of it, a place to put the products that the suppliers would sell at the market. She did not find anything of great interest with a cursory search. No talismans or pills she herself would use. She did dematerialize a few choice pills into Meizhen¡¯s ring anyway for later resale.


    Her exploration then began in earnest. The cramped complex was not especially large and consisted largely of work rooms and a few housing areas. There were a bit less than ten disciples present, so she tried to avoid stealing anything too obvious.


    No matter the urge to steal the large pill furnace in one of the rearmost rooms. Su Ling had indicated that those were very valuable, right?


    She tore through the base like a sticky-fingered hurricane while searching for any signs of Yan Renshu. Ling Qi tried to avoid distraction, but there was only so much she could do. Minor pills, talismans, and stones abounded, and in one room, she even found carefully organized parcels containing the required goods for several basic gathering Sect Missions. Those, she shoved into her ring, not even bothering to fight the grin stretching her lips.


    She did manage to (mostly) stay on target though, and among the treasures, she also found information. Missives to this base¡¯s leader, one of Yan Renshu¡¯s direct subordinates, proved the most helpful. It was clear the boy was a careful sort, but hints of inexperience showed. He lacked the true paranoia of those who stood to lose everything. Ling Qi was able to secure the notes that his subordinate had kept on the symbols and cyphers they used for their meetings with Yan Renshu. With that in hand, she could track down the main base.


    As long as she struck before he had a chance to change things anyway. Although, even if he did, knocking over this base alone would starve his group of resources since it was his primary stone farming location.


    And she was certainly going to report this place to Cai Renxiang.


    After she left the base with her new pill furnace of course.

 Chapter 110-Theft 2

    Meizhen¡¯s ring struck the bottom of the drawer with a faint clink, and the false bottom of the drawer slid over the hidden compartment.


    Ling Qi knew, from a strategic perspective, she had made an error. With the rush of having easy access to so much wealth fading, she could see that. She should have just gathered information and struck at Yan Renshu¡¯s main hideout without alerting the boy. But there had been just so much free for the taking.


    She had wanted for most of her life. Though she didn¡¯t have to worry about base survival anymore, it seemed that even without that excuse, she was still a greedy girl and a thief at heart. Some things didn¡¯t fade easily.


    Ling Qi ghosted out of her room and the house, pausing only to scribble a note for Meizhen. She might have made a tactical error, but that didn¡¯t mean she had to give her enemy time to capitalize on the knowledge that he was in her sights. It had been less than an hour since she had torn out of the stone farming base, and it would take only another half hour or so to reach the location of the meeting point that Yan Renshu used if she hurried. She could definitely still do this.


    But first, she had some shoes to buy. Wouldn¡¯t Xiulan be proud?


    A short time later, her new presence-muffling slippers fitting snugly around her feet and a note detailing the location of the stone farming base left for Cai Renxiang, Ling Qi bounded up the side of the mountain, a dark shadow flitting up the rough trails that criss-crossed the steeper part of the slope, toward where Yan Renshu had hidden the heart of his operations.


    The plateau was a nondescript ledge populated only by a few scraggly trees and an overabundance of dry brush. According to what she had read in his subordinate¡¯s notes, the entrance was a trapdoor, but she saw nothing of the sort. Nor did she see the telltale distortions of qi that would indicate the presence of an illusion.


    As time ticked by with no success, Ling Qi began to wonder if the information she had found was a simple red herring. No, she didn¡¯t think security would go that far. Even if the note was wrong about this being the main base, there should be something here because this was where the other base leaders made tribute to Yan Renshu.


    She almost missed it. It was chance, really, that her eye caught on an unusual angle of stone. Her interest and instincts pricked, she stopped to examine the the large, half-buried stone that had caught her attention. It seemed too uniform.


    A closer look revealed seams in the dirt around it, recently disturbed, and a miniscule string of characters carved and inked around the base of the stone. She wasn¡¯t sure what all the characters and combinations did at a glance, but she was sure they were a dangerous array that would make an interloper deeply regret attempting to open the passage.


    It was slow going, made worse by the fact that she couldn¡¯t be sure her tampering wouldn¡¯t be sensed. Scratching out portions of the tiny characters with a tool as imprecise as a knife was enough to make her fingers cramp.


    She managed. Slowly, laboriously, she disabled the triggering characters one by one, only narrowly avoiding setting off a cascade of activations with her disruption of the array. But by the end, the security was quiescent. She could sense the arrays¡¯ imbued qi trying to reassert itself. It would repair itself, but that would be a matter of several hours. She had time.


    The ovoid trap door was heavy, being attached to a small boulder, but such things hardly troubled her anymore. Soon, the opening into the base yawned, a circular tunnel in the earth that transitioned from dirt to perfectly smooth stone about a quarter of a meter down. There was no ladder, no handholds, and no method of descent that she could detect at all. Thanks to her ability to see in the dark, she could see the bottom some twenty five meters down, but it looked like she would have no choice but to take a plunge.


    It cost her qi to activate her gown¡¯s flight, but it prevented Ling Qi from finding out if such a drop would leave her with a pair of broken ankles or not. Luckily, there was a latch on the bottom of the trapdoor for her to use in closing it after her. She didn¡¯t want to make her presence too obvious. The tunnel she landed in was formed from smooth stone and perfectly circular, just like the shaft she had just descended. Annoyingly, the low ceiling forced her to crouch.


    The tunnel was also positively ringed with alarms and traps. She slipped through them one and all, feeling as if her feet were barely touching the ground. Several times, she allowed darkness to flood through her meridians, rendering her spirit and body smoky and indistinct. She found it easier to avoid the many traps and alarms by visualizing them as a web of taut wires which she had to weave through, and she did so flawlessly, never setting off even a single trigger.


    The tunnel continued downwards on a sharp slope, straining the limits of her balance to descend it without sliding and running into a trap, but eventually, she began to come upon rooms. Pausing briefly only to take a wellspring pill and restore her expended qi, she began to explore.


    This time, she didn¡¯t allow herself to get distracted by treasures. The book and the slip were her only priority at the moment; everything else could come later. She passed through a meditation room and a strange chamber full of mirrors, but nothing useful could be found in either. There was a storeroom full of beast cores and other reagents, but she forced herself to turn away from it.


    The next room centered around a low writing desk surrounded by bookshelves carved right into the stone walls. She searched through the books for one that matched the image in her vision. Most were mundane treatises on varied topics while others were ledgers containing dense lines of records about various transactions and inventories of Yan Renshu¡¯s assets. None of the books felt right so she turned to searching the desk.


    At first, that proved fruitless as well, revealing nothing beyond mundane items and a particularly nice brush that seemed to generate its own ink when the handle was squeezed. She pocketed that, figuring Suyin might like it, but otherwise left everything in place. Careful inspection revealed something quite interesting indeed. There was nothing so simple as a hidden compartment, but a storage array was painted on the wood behind the drawer in the center. The array was surrounded by four separate circles of writhing inky characters that seemed to practically snarl with the violence inherent to the qi they contained.


    Without her perfect night vision, she doubted that she would have seen it, hidden as it was. As things were, breaking that set of security arrays with the awkward positioning afforded to her was going to be rough.


    Three times, she felt her heart nearly stop as the traps wavered on the edge of triggering. She grimly held back the cry of pain that wanted to leave her lips as the traps¡¯ caustic qi seared her fingers, eating into the protective qi that cloaked them.


    She had a feeling she would lose a hand if the trap activated. Eventually though, using everything she had learned from Elder Jiao in the past two weeks and every ounce of skill she had, the final array cracked, and she was able to activate the storage array, expressing its contents. There was a pill case, a gleaming silver beast core that hummed with power, a dark green core that burned to the touch¡­ and a tiny slip of jade.


    Her breathing hitched, and a grin broke out on Ling Qi¡¯s face. It wasn¡¯t the objective she expected, but she could handle that. She swept all four items into her own ring and darted out of the room, ready to hurry on. There was only one more thing to worry about.


    The silence of the place was starting to unnerve her. She hadn¡¯t been sure what to expect, but the place being so deserted wasn¡¯t one of them. Perhaps Yan Renshu had gone out to deal with the fallout at his other base? She had left Cai a message about it after all.


    It didn¡¯t matter. She needed to remain cautious regardless, but questioning good fortune wouldn¡¯t help anything. The path soon went down steeply, and below she could see a faint green glow. She ghosted down, quite literally given the number of times she activated her darkness arts, and reached the bottom where a familiar unsettling sight awaited.


    As in the Grinning Moon dream, there was a wide chamber lit by pale green flames contained within heavy, iron lanterns that hung from the low-slung ceiling. The smooth, flat ground was pierced at regular intervals with two meter wide pits, six in all, covered by iron grates. Squat columns stood between the pits, supporting the ceiling. Set against the walls were worktables and tools, as well as a small, personal pill furnace. Most disturbing were the figures jerkily moving through the room performing mundane tasks.


    They were wooden mannequins, like something one would see in a dress maker¡¯s shop but with articulated limbs. They lurched around the chamber, some rendering down raw materials, others dumping buckets of raw, bloody meat into the pits, and still others simply patrolling. Pulling her eyes away from that disquieting sight, Ling Qi found her last target. The book, at more than half a meter a side, was rather larger than she had imagined in her visions. It rested on a raised podium at the far end of the room, attached to it by a sturdy iron chain.


    That would be trouble. But first, she had to reach it.


    Ling Qi moved out from the entrance area carefully, a wary eye kept on the patrolling constructs. She couldn¡¯t be sure of their senses so she moved as conservatively as possible, barely breathing and a tight grasp on her qi. There were no traps here, but there were certainly alarms, and she danced on the edge of tripping them in the process of crossing the room.


    Yet she managed. The columns provided momentary cover even as they brought her close to the pits from which the eye-watering stench of rot and blood issued. The sight she glimpsed in their depths turned her stomach. No sound emerged from the pits, but she could see churning pools of blood and flesh within which writhed pale white worms with slavering, circular maws lined with far too many teeth. The largest were as thick as one of her legs. They thrashed and snapped, splashing through the filth. The inhabitants of each pit were clearly doing their level best to devour each other. The pits were void of qi to her senses.


    Ling Qi passed them by, creeping closer to the pedestal with the book. Weaving through the eerie room, she eventually reached her goal. She used the shadow of the pedestal itself to remain out of sight and examine the book.


    What she found was not terribly encouraging. The chain itself was heavily reinforced, its links practically glowing with earth qi and layered with protective formations. The bindings and covers of the book itself were similarly reinforced. Oddly enough, this close, she could feel what felt like dozens of qi signatures from the pages.


    The arrays were not nearly so complex as the traps she had avoided and disabled in the study, but they were densely packed on top of each other. They should have disrupted each other, but they didn¡¯t. It reminded her of the work on her flute. Slowly, she peeled back layers of protection, weakening the point where the metal was joined to the spine of the book. Worst case, she might be able to just tear the plate off and lose a chunk of the binding if she couldn¡¯t fully disable the arrays.


    Then her knife slipped. It was only by a hair, a slight jerk due to a tremble in her fingers, but the result was the blade scratching across a brushstroke she had not meant to break yet. Qi immediately thrummed down the length of the chain and into the floor, setting off all the other alarms. There was no audible sound, but the constructs stopped dead in their tracks, their faceless heads turning toward her in unison.


    Nope. She wanted no part of any of that.


    It took all of her strength, but her knife dug into the leather spine of the book. She gritted her teeth as she carved a jagged wound in the binding before using the knife as a lever to yank out the metal bolts.


    There was a snap, and she hissed in pain as a shard of metal cut one of her fingers. The knife had broken, but the book was loose. She seized the heavy thing from the pedestal and tore it free with a loud rip.


    ¡°YOU!¡±


    Ling Qi winced as the powerful presence a third realm cultivator washed over her, although it felt oddly distant. Her heart hammering in her chest, she turned back to the room at large and saw the source.


    The feeling of presence poured from one of the constructs. A ghostly image of a boy a couple years her elder enveloped the construct. Short and broad-shouldered with a shaved head, he had a crooked nose and and numerous ugly scars on his rough blocky features. The rest of his figure was hazy and difficult to make out in the ghostly overlay, but there was something wrong with his right arm. It seemed malformed somehow.


    ¡°I should have known you would be the real danger.¡± Yan Renshu, for that is who he must be despite the differences from her image of him in the visions, glared hatefully at her.


    She didn¡¯t stop to listen to him. Ling Qi ran, darkness billowing from her limbs as she vanished the book into her ring, dashing around the perimeter to the room, unwilling to pass close to the pits. Her decision was vindicated when the hatches on the pits popped open and worms boiled out. Ling Qi sprinted up the tunnel away from the chamber.


    ¡°Shenyuan, do not let her leave!¡±


    Yan Renshu¡¯s words sounded through the cavern, loud enough to rattle her bones. Alarmed, she felt his qi flare, and the ground vibrated. Violet mist stung her heels as it billowed outward from the puppet, and she sped up still further, her gown flapping in a phantom breeze as she rushed for the entrance.


    Her haste almost doomed her. Stone erupted, pelting her with shrapnel as a massive white worm as thick as her waist emerged, clear sizzling liquid dripping from its grasping jaws. It was grade three, she noted distantly. Ling Qi forced still more dark qi into her limbs, rendering her partly immaterial as she dodged through the shower of acid that erupted from the thing¡¯s gullet.


    With mist at her heels, the worm in front of her, and the stone itself churning below and above, narrowing the exit with every passing moment and grasping at her feet like hungry mud, there was only one response.


    Run.


    Ling Qi drew sharply on her energy, imbuing her gown with power. The cloak flapped around her shoulders, spreading like dark wings, and her feet left the grasping stone. She rushed past the worm, biting back a scream as she flew through the cloud of acidic droplets left by its spit.


    There was a moment of disorientation as she passed through the closing gap. Ling Qi felt both compressed and stretched as she squeezed through. In the tunnel, the cold air rushed around her even as traps and alarms tripped and exploded in her wake. She had seen the many, many formations on her way down, but to stop was to lose. She ran harder than she ever had since coming to the Sect. There were no allies she needed to keep pace with, nothing to slow her down.


    Ling Qi blurred, and although she felt her energy ebbing with each trap she set off and was not quite fast enough to avoid, she threw off effect after effect, even as Yan Renshu¡¯s angry voice echoed up from below. When she could see the bottom of the shaft reaching upward, she expressed her bow. Lightning sparked as the roar of the worm reached her and she jerked and juked through the air, avoiding the tendrils of stone that grasped at her, tearing at the hem of her gown and her hair.


    A bolt of roaring black lightning charred across her side, almost sending her into the wall, but she did not turn back. As Ling Qi skidded into the shaft, she drew on her qi, nocked an arrow, and loosed one arrow, then a second, even as she rocketed upward nearly fast enough to catch up with the arrows.


    The trapdoor above exploded violently as the two arrows struck it, and she soared out, dismissing her bow as she did. Still, Ling Qi did not stop. She flew straight up, and wind shrieked in her ears as she made a sharp turn and burned qi to keep herself airborne. A powerful restorative fueled her flight from Yan Renshu¡¯s base.


    Ling Qi did not stop until she had reached the home she shared with Bai Meizhen far below and crashed into the garden pond, qi expended.

 Chapter 111-Theft 3

    She had succeeded. As she crawled out of the pond and collapsed in the garden, breathing hard, Ling Qi could feel something changing within her, the circulation she had practiced with the Eight Phase Ceremony intensifying. Already, a greater understanding of her movement art lurked at the edge of her understanding.


    Ling Qi put it aside for the moment; she could discuss her art with Elder Jiao later tonight. Right now, she had loot to inspect.


    Despite the smaller number of items, the value could not be underestimated. Two of the Sable Light pills that had boosted the cultivation of her qi so greatly at the start of the year were effectively priceless to her, and the high grade cores were valuable as well.


    The Abyssal Exhalation art in the jade slip was nothing to scoff at either. Similar to Forgotten Vale Melody, the art had been designed by a wanderer, although this one had wandered the deep paths under the earth where things best not seen gnawed at the foundations of the world. In that darkness, the wanderer found truth, that earth and dark were as one, devouring all things in the end. In line with that lesson, the art allowed its users to consume the energy of their foes and call upon the things that slumbered in the dark. Along with the jade slip was an Abyssal Earth pill that would help her cultivate earth and dark arts. She was glad that she had fled with all her speed.


    This left only the book. Once she had made it back inside the house, she removed it from her ring to examine. At first, the characters within seemed unreadable, swimming in her vision, but a bit of effort undid the array causing that. What she found within disturbed her.


    The pages appeared to be filled with extensive contracts written in dense legal language that went quite far over her head. But at the end of these contracts, the signers were required to not speak of the contract or the contractor, Yan Renshu. Breaking any provision in the contract would cost the signer a significant portion of their cultivation, or even their health.


    Surely, this couldn¡¯t be legal, right? Such thoughts rarely occurred to her, but why would the Elders allow something like this? She strongly doubted the Sect would be unaware of such contracts. There were dozens of them in the book, each one with dense formation arrays lining their borders.


    No wonder Yan Renshu had wanted Cai undermined. He was clearly trying for the same goal, albeit through vastly different means. There was a weakness to this method though. The effect was tied directly to the pages of the book, and they were only marginally reinforced. She could find no negative effects to simply destroying the contracts, which probably explained why the place had been defended so well.


    She could probably figure out how to subvert them too. They were complex certainly, but not incomprehensible. She could even get help with it, she imagined.


    She needed to bring this book to an Elder. She just didn¡¯t have enough information to make a good decision, and she didn¡¯t want to involve Meizhen in this just yet. She had her own pride and didn¡¯t want to go running to her powerful friend for every problem she faced.


    And it was a problem. Yan Renshu wouldn¡¯t take this theft lying down. Ling Qi was burnt and tired, and Yan Renshu had quite a lot of followers, willing or otherwise. Elder Jiao wouldn¡¯t be at their meeting point until evening, and she didn¡¯t want to chance the fickle man deciding to take offense if she came early. Even Xin, who seemed to like her more, wasn¡¯t guaranteed to show up, and the last thing she wanted right now was to be in an isolated place alone.


    Ling Qi flipped the red cover of the book open again, ignoring the dense text as her eyes scanned to the bottom, memorizing the name next to Yan Renshu¡¯s. She flipped the page and memorized the next one too. She might not be able to commit everything in the contracts to memory, but a couple dozen names wasn¡¯t too hard. She kept her ears open as she paged through the book, straining to hear any sound of pursuit, pausing only to take her second and last qi-restoring pill for the day.


    The moment she finished memorizing names, the book went back into storage. She retrieved Meizhen¡¯s spare ring, coaxed Zhengui into dematerializing, and set out from the house.


    Ling Qi made a beeline for the closest pair of girls wearing one of Cai¡¯s armbands. It felt weird to bark orders, but she wanted backup in case Yan Renshu¡¯s agents tried to jump her. She confirmed first that their names weren¡¯t in Yan Renshu¡¯s book of contracts of course.


    Her next priority was her friends. Li Suyin was safe. At this time, she would be ensconced in an Inner Disciple¡¯s workshop, untouchable even to someone like Yan Renshu. Suyin would be there until late afternoon at least. Likewise, Meizhen was strong enough to handle herself against all but truly overwhelming force.


    If she remembered Su Ling¡¯s schedule correct ,that girl was probably off mountain somewhere, maybe even in town. Su Ling had taken to working with the mortals in the mornings, whether of her own accord or for Sect Points. Starting trouble in town was frowned on, but all the same, Ling Qi sent another of Cai¡¯s enforcers off with a hastily scribbled message, warning Su Ling to go to ground.


    That left just one stop before she swung by the mansion in the center of the residential district, which Cai had made her base of operations. She had heard that Xiulan had returned to her home a short time before her heists had started. Yan Renshu had already made it clear he didn¡¯t mind having Gu Xiulan attacked with the successive duel challenges and encirclement during the last flare-up of Outer Sect chaos. The two of them could even find Han Jian and the others after Ling Qi talked to Cai. Ling Qi would feel much more confident about her chances of making it to the evening with the book still in her possession if she were surrounded by the Golden Fields group.


    ¡°Xiulan! Open up! It¡¯s Ling Qi, and we really need to talk!¡± Ling Qi called loudly as she knocked, injecting a note of urgency into her voice. Her ¡®bodyguards¡¯ stood behind her to either side, nervous expressions on their faces as they kept watch for a possible enemy attack. Ling Qi had spread word through the other Cai enforcers ad they passed them; it wouldn¡¯t be too long before everyone in Cai¡¯s faction was on alert.


    There was no noise, so Ling Qi rapped her knuckles against the door harder. It was a little rude, but she was in a hurry. She didn¡¯t know what Xiulan had been up to, but she really didn¡¯t have time for her emotional friend to seclude herself further right now.


    ¡°Xiulan!¡± She raised her voice further, ignoring the looks she drew from the other disciples outside. They scurried away when Cai¡¯s girl goons glared at them.


    She heard a thump and shuffling from inside this time. A further hissing sound like boiling water came, but no response. She frowned and drew her hand back to knock again, but then the door jerked open a few centimeters. She found herself meeting Xiulan¡¯s narrowed eyes.


    At least she thought so. It was a little hard to tell.


    ¡°... Xiulan?¡± Ling Qi asked, squinting at her friend. Her qi felt right, but¡­ ¡°Why are you wearing a veil and a scarf?¡± she asked incredulously. The lower half of Xiulan¡¯s face was entirely concealed behind crimson fabric, and the rest was covered by a semi-translucent veil. She could just barely make out her friend¡¯s eyes and the bare contours of her face.


    ¡°I can wear whatever I like,¡± Xiulan replied, sounding ill-tempered and haughty. Ling Qi had not heard her friend speak to her like that in quite some time. ¡°What in the world are you doing out here, pounding at my door like a peasant?¡±


    Ling Qi studied the girl. Xiulan¡¯s qi felt a little muted and off, now that she focused on it.


    ¡°You can,¡± she agreed slowly. ¡°But I didn¡¯t think you liked to hide yourself like that.¡± Ling Qi watched carefully as Xiulan¡¯s eyes narrowed and seemed to momentarily flare, glowing behind the veil. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve been up to, but we have some real trouble on the way. I just hit the main base of one of our enemies pretty hard, and I¡¯m afraid he might retaliate. I¡¯m going to Lady Cai after th¡­¡±


    Ling Qi leaped to the side as an arrow shrieked through the air where her body had just been, burying itself in the cobblestone with a crack. Turning around, she caught sight of three figures blurring across the rooftops. The first was blown backwards, flung from the roof across the street by a gesture from one of the girls she had commanded to follow her, who now held a wide, feathered fan in her hand.


    The second figure leapt toward her, curved knives in hand, and was met by the second Cai enforcer. Sparks sprayed out as knives made contact with the long straight blade wielded by her ally.


    The third blurred past their intercepted comrade, a spear trailing a stream of churning water heading toward her. Ling Qi dodged the side, dark qi trailing from her limbs, and ducked the sweep of the spear¡¯s butt before moving backward to gain some space. She hesitated as she reached for her flute. Was supporting her allies the best choice or going on the offensive herself?


    ¡°Miserable, skulking wretches.¡±


    Ling Qi heard Gu Xiulan¡¯s voice in the instant before a blinding flash came from above and a crack of thunder drowned out all other sounds. Looking up, she saw a half dozen forks of lightning sprouting from the form of a second archer she hadn¡¯t seen. The archer was flung from the roof, limp and trailing smoke, limbs spasming with residual electricity.


    The combat seemed to freeze as Xiulan stepped out, the smoking and tattered scarf and veil drifting away from her face. Xiulan¡¯s face was covered in hair-thin lines of black with burns in the faint pattern of scales marring her pale skin. Her hand, which was raised toward the archer who had just been struck, was shriveled and black like a charred corpse but alive with blue-white flames and crackling lighting. A tattered sleeve revealed that the damage went as high as her elbow.


    ¡°You would assault my friend on my very doorstep? Come and die then!¡± Xiulan said, her voice magnified enough to vibrate the air. Xiulan had reached late yellow, Ling Qi noted.


    Ling Qi used her own opponent¡¯s distraction to slip past and put herself back to back with her friend, scanning the rooftops for any other hidden attackers.


    ¡°Don¡¯t actually kill them,¡± she warned as the girl with the spear reoriented on her new position. ¡°I see you¡¯ve been busy. Any reason you aren¡¯t at the Medicine Hall?¡±


    ¡°I do not need it, nor would it help,¡± Xiulan said haughtily. ¡°And I will remember the rules. A few scars will do this scum good though, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t have time to respond as her opponent re-engaged. A knife flashed out of her sleeve, scoring a superficial wound across the girl¡¯s shoulder, and she grasped the wind, forcing the spear wielder to fight against her for mere movement.


    Her two guards were handling their opponents well too, and for a moment, Ling Qi felt confident that this would be over shortly.


    Then the ground beneath them erupted. Stone and earth writhed, thick tendrils of black muddy earth grasping at their limbs, almost concealing the forms of two mannequins of black iron with dirt-caked talons the length of a short sword. They both lunged at her, almost distracting her from her opponent¡¯s spear thrust, but one was blasted back, slammed into the house across the street by a sustained stream of azure flames erupting from Xiulan¡¯s burnt hand.


    The second mannequin reached her, and the next moments became a blur as she frantically drew out her her flute and thrust the wind outward. Her gown flapped as a short-lived gale erupted, slicing through grasping tendrils and reducing them to crumbling dirt. The instant she had solid footing again, she leapt upward to land on the roof of Xiulan¡¯s home in a crouch, shortly followed by Xiulan herself, her own leap powered by a sweeping jet of flame that left the puppets below smoking and cherry red and drove back the spear wielder, who spun her weapon frantically to call up a barrier of water that exploded into steam on contact with the flames.


    It did not stop either of the mannequins from launching themselves after the two of them, despite the damage and burns on their frames. Ling Qi threw herself backward, twisting out of the way of another arrow from the first archer that crackled through the air while deflecting the claw of one of the attacking puppets with a hastily drawn knife.


    Already, if she strained her ears, she could hear the sounds of other battles kicking up. Fire and smoke rose from among the streets, but she could also see help approaching. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the remaining enemy archer duck low to avoid a projectile from below. She felt uneasy though, and not just because of the third puppet which had clawed its way onto the roof or the others rising from the dirt below.


    Because this wasn¡¯t enough for Yan Renshu to win - and he was too intelligent not to know that. Another pair of enforcers had joined the two girls below, and the gray hooded enemies were being pushed back handily. The mannequins rising from the dirt had the power of a weak second realm and obviously felt no pain, but it simply wouldn¡¯t be enough.


    Ling Qi drew her bow from storage as she distanced herself from the puppets on the roof. Her arrow tore through a puppet¡¯s shoulder, disabling its arm just as a sweep of blue-white flames engulfed both mannequins. The one she had shot crumpled to the ground, the qi animating it fading. Something was wrong...


    Cold steel digits grasped her wrist and twisted, forcing her arm behind her even as something sharp slammed into her back, a gasp of pain pulled from her lips as she felt it puncture her gown and drive into her side.


    ¡°Suffer as a thief deserves.¡± The voice was harsh and metallic but recognizable. Craning her neck, she could see the blank face of another mannequin, differentiated only by the glowing green flames where its eyes should be and the feeling of Yan Renshu¡¯s potent qi. She felt the puppet¡¯s cold fingers clamp down around her ring finger and the storage ring on it.


    He didn¡¯t need to win the fight.

 Chapter 112-Theft 4

    Ling Qi twisted away from the hold, years of practice at escaping informing her movements even as she drew on dark qi, the light of early dawn barely dim enough to allow it without greater qi cost. She dissolved and flowed out of his grip, but in doing so, she felt her finger bend, caught in his grip despite her current state. She grit her teeth and pushed on anyway, biting back a cry as she felt something snap. The blade buried in her back tore free, trailing starry blackness and blood.


    ¡°Not good enough,¡± she snarled in response, restraining the urge to cradle her broken finger. She still had her ring, and that was what mattered.


    A second pair of puppets had attacked Xiulan from below, grappling and blocking the girl from coming to her aid with their bodies even as she burned through them like firewood. Ling Qi would need to hold out on her own for at least a few moments. She dropped her bow in the grapple, so the flute was her best option now.


    The possessed mannequin¡¯s response was a furious growl that echoed as if from the bottom of a well. It lunged toward her again, violet mist leaking from its joints.


    Behind it, light bloomed, a near blinding radiance that shone with every color and cast the shadow of the puppet over her. The puppet¡¯s outstretched hand flew by her face, tumbling end over end, no longer attached to its arm. Then its head tumbled past as well, green fires guttering out as the puppet crashed to the ground at her feet, falling to pieces.


    Cai Renxiang stood on the roof where the puppet had been, lips set in a thin line. Her eyes were narrow with controlled anger, and now fully in the third realm, her permanent backlight blazed brightly, casting the combat in shadow. The other girl¡¯s gaze focused on Ling Qi. ¡°I take it your message was not idle boasting.¡±


    ¡°He is pretty unhappy with me. But we need to help¡­¡± She glanced to her right in time to see the last puppet assaulting Xiulan fall as her friend drove her burnt hand into its chest, molten metal streaming from the hole as she tore a yellow spirit stone out. The enforcers who had taken down the other attackers were eyeing Xiulan with some concern as she straightened up, static crackling in the air around her. ¡°... Never mind.¡±


    ¡°This matter is under control,¡± the heiress agreed as she lowered her saber, allowing the point to rest on the rooftop. Cai Renxiang looked thoroughly unamused at the chaos on her figurative doorstep. ¡°I would have you report in more detail upon what you found to provoke such a foolish assault. Of course I am not ungrateful for your efforts. You have more than proven your value,¡± she said seriously, thread spooling from the hilt of her saber to weave her scabbard anew. ¡°I shall see you provided with care for your wounds first.¡±


    ¡°I am grateful, Lady Cai,¡± Ling Qi said politely, still tense even as she watched the remaining puppets being dismantled one by one by the growing number of irate disciples who had their morning disrupted. Blood dripped from the wound in her back, and her broken finger throbbed. She started slightly as Gu Xiulan stepped up to her side. This close, she could see the tracery of burn scars on the girl¡¯s face more clearly and the blood seeping from her blackened arm as the aura of flames around it guttered low. ¡°There are some matters I still need to verify before I can present them to you, but I would be happy to detail what I witnessed in Yan Renshu¡¯s lab.¡±


    Cai Renxiang studied her, eyes flicking briefly toward Gu Xiulan, who met her gaze with only a slight dip of her head. Whatever her friend had done, it had restored her prideful demeanor in full.


    ¡°Understood. I will see that rat¡¯s den cleansed then. You will have such protection as you need until it is done,¡± the heiress said, turning away and gesturing for them to follow. ¡°I would hope that you can resolve the remaining matters quickly though,¡± she added more quietly.


    ¡°By evening,¡± Ling Qi replied easily. ¡°I wish to draw on Elder Jiao¡¯s wisdom before I move forward.¡±


    Gu Xiulan frowned slightly at the mention of the Elder¡¯s name but simply turned her head away and scoffed when Ling Qi glanced at her. Cai nodded once and leapt nimbly to the next roof, gesturing for the two of them and the enforcers who had aided them to follow, which she did. Sitting tight, surrounded by Cai¡¯s people, sounded like the safest way to spend her day until she could talk to Elder Jiao.


    ¡°What happened to you?¡± Ling Qi asked quietly, glancing at her friend as she landed on the next roof beside her.


    ¡°I decided to stop being left behind,¡± Xiulan sniffed. ¡°Though it cost me,¡± she added, glancing down at her scorched limb, which she held close to her chest. With the adrenaline of battle fading, Ling Qi could see the trembling in her friend¡¯s shoulders indicated that it likely hurt exactly as much as she would expect from its appearance.


    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to go to the Medicine Hall?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°That looks like you could lose it.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Xiulan scoffed. ¡°I was going to wrap it and apply a salve, but someone decided to interrupt.¡±


    Ling Qi winced and ducked her head in apology. ¡°I didn¡¯t know. Still, why are you so reluctant¡­?¡±


    ¡°This and the other scars will heal when I achieve steel, the fifth realm of physique, and not a moment before,¡± Xiulan said tightly. ¡°My body is simply too weak to fully contain my gift yet. I will endure.¡± Ling Qi could tell that she didn¡¯t want to talk about it. ¡°I suppose I will have to invest in a better veil though. That flimsy thing could not handle even a bit of combat.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure you need it,¡± Ling Qi said, allowing the other subject to be dismissed. ¡°It¡¯s not like you have anything to be ashamed of.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps not, but such blatant markings are hardly beautiful,¡± Xiulan replied as the group landed in the street in front of Cai¡¯s mansion. Ling Qi could not help but notice with some discomfort that the network of scars on Xiulan¡¯s face extended down her neck and under her collar. There were probably a lot more hidden beneath her clothes. ¡°I do not regret it,¡± the girl beside her breathed out, and Ling Qi was not sure of who she was convincing.


    Xiulan stayed with her while Ling Qi was healed and made out her report for Cai on the lair. She added the names she had memorized to a list for the heiress, indicating only that they were potential spies and enemy agents who needed to be watched.


    By the time she was done, she felt much better. Her wounds were reduced to a few dull aches and a stiff ring finger by the effort of a Medicine Hall disciple in Cai¡¯s employ. Xiulan¡¯s arm was no longer in plain view after being wrapped in tight cloth soaked through with medicinal elixir. Cai Renxiang had been amenable to sending a few enforcers to check on Su Ling and to inform Li Suyin that it would be best to stay with her mentor for the day, so her other concerns were addressed as well.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t much like staying in the guest room at the heiress¡¯ home for the rest of the day, but she could deal with it for one afternoon. And it did give her time to see to the opening of another heart meridian.


    It felt good to be able to relax behind Cai¡¯s defenses, and Ling Qi added modifying her and Meizhen¡¯s home with similar protections against intrusion when she had a chance to her to-do list. People rushed to and fro dealing with the rising problems, and Ling Qi kept an ear out for the happenings. Bai Meizhen had apparently lead a purging force into Renshu¡¯s lair. There had been attacks all over the mountain from Yan Renshu¡¯s faction, but it seemed defensive at this point. There was even a rumor that Sun Liling had been spotted, making off with people and resources before Cai¡¯s enforcers could seize them. There was another attempt on the mansion - or rather on her, Ling Qi assumed, but it was repelled by the heiress herself, who was ensuring that any violence that flared in the residential area was crushed quickly.


    Soon enough, it was evening, and she was on her way toward the cavern where Elder Jiao¡¯s lessons took place under the guard of four Mid Yellow enforcers with at least some skill at stealth. They only needed to get her there after all; it wasn''t like she would be attacked in the Elder¡¯s presence.


    Surprisingly, when she arrived, Elder Jiao was already seated on the divan at the far end of the room. The paintings had changed again, now showing landscapes under starry skies, some of which contained holes that resembled freshly dug graves.


    ¡°This year certainly has been noisy,¡± the grey skinned man commented as she entered, leaning idly against the arm of the divan. ¡°It is almost notable. You are quite the little agent of chaos, are you not?¡±


    ¡°I am thankful for your attention, Honored Elder,¡± Ling Qi replied, her tone a bit dry. ¡°But I can hardly be blamed for Brother Renshu¡¯s poor security and ensuing panic.¡±


    ¡°Hah!¡± The older man let out a snort of laughter. ¡°Brave enough to jape in my presence now, are you? It is good to have a little spine, but do not get above yourself.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Honored Elder,¡± she said, glad that her little slip hadn¡¯t offended the fickle man. ¡°Might I ask you for advice on a related matter before we begin training?¡±


    ¡°I suppose I can allow that,¡± Elder Jiao said, resting his chin in his hand as he regarded her. ¡°You have proven to be not entirely dull.¡±


    She bowed her head in thanks and expressed the book, crossing the small room to present it to the Elder. ¡°I wished to know the legality involved with this book. Such contracts must be outlawed, or else everyone would use such things, right?¡± she asked, her formal speech slipping toward the end. The book really did bother her.


    The book vanished from her hands to appear in his, and the older man sat up to begin paging through it. Ling Qi received no answer as the Elder studied the first contract, and she began to shift nervously.


    ¡°It is against Imperial law,¡± he said finally, looking up from the book, ¡°to hold any member of the Imperial government under coercion of any kind. This includes the heads of noble households and their spouses.¡± Elder Jiao sounded bored as he snapped the book shut. ¡°Of course, none of the Outer Sect Disciples falls under that rule.¡±


    Ling Qi furrowed her brows. ¡°Then why doesn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Why do we not have great webs of cultivators bound to one another? Why do we require Ministries and investigations into lawbreaking at all? Because this is a rather grand bluff, workable only due to the ignorance of those involved.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, startled as she cocked her head to the side. ¡°So¡­ they¡¯re fake? Surely someone would have figured that out by now.¡±


    ¡°Not quite,¡± the Elder explained, tossing the book back to her carelessly. ¡°Compelling another cultivator is possible, but it is hardly as easy as this. One need be at least a realm higher to begin with. Distance greatly weakens the bond, and the qi invested in such an endeavor is similar to what is required for the binding of spirits and grows with each additional bond.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡± Ling Qi frowned, looking down at the book. ¡°There¡¯s no way all of them are real. He couldn¡¯t have that much qi at third realm.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I do not doubt that he can use those things to cause discomfort or pain as a way of furthering the bluff, but not the outrageous penalties within.¡± The Elder shrugged. ¡°One or two are real, going by the invested qi. Such things have fallen out of favor millenia ago. Maintaining the bonds are simply too much trouble, and those who use them are ill-regarded. I suppose a common-born boy would not necessarily know that though.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Honored Elder,¡± Ling Qi replied after some thought. She would have to investigate the book further and break the ¡®one¡¯ or ¡®two¡¯ that were real, but she was satisfied with revealing this to Cai and letting her dump mud all over Yan Renshu¡¯s reputation.


    Perhaps this week wouldn¡¯t be so bad after all.

 Bonus Chapter-Dynasties of the Emerald Seas

    Of all the provinces of the glorious and everlasting Celestial Empire, Emerald Seas is perhaps the most troubled. The realm of woodlands has not suffered the great cataclysm of the Golden Fields, or the constant warfare of the Savage Seas, of course, but its troubles are more persistent. To discuss this matter, it is necessary to return to the beginning, to the still-savage days before the Empire¡¯s founding. The Emerald Seas then was not really a proper kingdom.


    Tsu the Diviner was a wise and mighty sage, this is true, codifying the patterns of weather and season, allowing for the first recorded instances of sustained agriculture, but he was ultimately a man of his time. He had no interest in developing a strong and stable society and state. His people remained dispersed and decentralized through the vast woodlands of the province. The nature of their pacts and agreements with spirits lead them to avoid the building of any great infrastructure, relying upon natural formations, such as the divine tree of Xiangmen. When the Diviner passed, his children were content to live stagnant lives, performing the rituals of their ancestors without innovation and living lives heavily influenced by spirits. It was during this period that the tribes of the Emerald Seas received the name ¡®Weilu¡¯ from their neighbors, after their height and the prominent horns that they inherited from their spirit ancestors.


    There was some change to this paradigm in the millennia leading up to the emergence of the Sage Emperor. Contact, both violent and otherwise, from the growing realms of the Bai and Zheng clans spurred development among the Weilu. Some among them began to build cities of stone and expand their fields beyond the simple affairs laid down by their illustrious ancestor. This resulted in an internal schism among the Weilu, which came to a head with the death of the current patriarch, whose sons were members of the opposing factions.


    The exact details of the matter are murky; in the aftermath, the Weilu descended further into isolation and xenophobia, and the cities that had been built were cast down and reseeded. The conflict had greatly damaged them and so, when the Sage Emperor came, with the Bai and the Zheng at his back, the Weilu simply surrendered after brief conflict in return for a promise of autonomy, sending forth hostages from their most prominent families to ensure good behavior.


    In the aftermath, the Weilu began to fragment further. The ¡®pure¡¯ bloodlines maintained the Weilu name, but as their branches spread and flourished, mingling with the hill peoples of what is now the southern reaches of the province, new names began to emerge. These new clans remained loyal to the overall tribal confederacy, if only tacitly. However, the pure clans were by this time dabbling more and more in the realm of spirits and growing ever more disconnected from their vassals, and without a firm hand to guide them, of course their people fell to squabbling.


    What came next is yet another frustrating gap in historical knowledge. During the Strife of the Twin Emperors, the pure Weilu clans simply vanished amid the flames of the conflict. There were no records of violence, and what few contemporary records survived the zeal of the false Emperor Shang only indicate that their vassal tribes discovered their dream palaces empty and already fading one after another. More material redoubts took longer to penetrate, and it seems that there were a bare handful of Weilu still about, but their fate seems to have been a violent one.


    In the wake of this disappearance, the Emerald Seas fell into civil strife, even as the rest of the empire was drawing its own period of instability to a close. The Emerald Seas civil wars were indecisive and bloody affairs, but without the Weilu and with the decay of their spirit pacts, superior methods of imperial organization and building finally began to take root: first in the form of fortresses and roads, and then in growing towns and cities. One century after the strife of the Twin Emperors ended and the last holdouts of the usurpers were exterminated, Emperor Yu of the second dynasty finally interceded, throwing support behind the Xi clan, raising them over their rivals the Hui, Gong, and Meng.


    While this did quell the majority of open warfare, and spare the beleaguered people of the Emerald Seas further strife, the rule of the Xi was always somewhat weak. They did not hold true supremacy over their vassals, depending on imperial patronage. The Xi were a savage clan, and did poorly at the task of building the cohesion of their province. Aside from imperial patronage, they maintained their supremacy through the conquest of the barbaric hill people of the south, whose blood had mingled with the Weilu¡¯s to form the successor clans.


    These campaigns served to spread Xi influence by parceling out land to favored supporters and seeding branch clans to support them, in addition to simply co-opting a number of hill tribes who surrendered or joined with the Imperial dukes to assault their rivals. However, Xi diplomacy was always a lacking affair, and so these bonds swiftly deteriorated and new clans and subjugated tribes began to line up with other factions.


    It was the aftermath of the Awakening of the Purifying Sun which finished them. Many of the mightiest Xi warriors had answered the Imperial muster and died in the cataclysm, and their numbers had never recovered. With the imperial seat reeling from these troubles the assassination of the Xi Patriarch marked the end of the clan. The Xi were hunted and exterminated to the last warrior, and those who remained were absorbed into other clans.


    The following conflict was bloody indeed, but this time a proper victor emerged. The Hui clan rose to dominate their rivals through measures of great cunning. Many were the plays written of the masterful subterfuge by which the Matriarch Hui and her sons played their rivals against each other, allowing them to destroy themselves and rise to the top over their feuding bones.


    It was a policy which they continued as dukes; the courts of the Hui were said to be the most treacherous in the Empire, drawing disdain even from the Bai, who often receive similar recriminations from outsiders. In the wake of the cataclysm and the decline of the second dynasty, there was no will among the imperial court to replace them.


    Over time, the Hui grew decadent indeed, ensconcing themselves within the divine tree of Xiangmen and rarely venturing out, forcing their vassals to come to them to pay obeisance. However, by the time that Hui decadence had reached its peak, the chaos they had wrought with their spies and silver tongues was self-sustaining: tomes full of blood oaths and grudges existed between the clans of Emerald Seas.


    As such, when the Barbarians of the Wall united under the Great Khan Ogodei, the clans were swept aside one by one. It was only the heroism of southern survivors, united with the forces of the Meng, Luo, and Diao clans, aided by then Prince An, which saw the Khan off. In the centuries that followed, resentment boiled toward the Hui who had not sent a single warrior to contest the barbarian who had ravaged half of their province. To add insult to injury, beyond the land seized in punishment by the emperor to seed the Great Sects, the Hui maintained their claims upon all the southern lands of exterminated clans, refusing to redistribute it.


    Thus, raids in the south remained a terrible problem, and even the valor of the Great Sects could not wholly stem the tide. Many other small clans who had survived Ogodei, many heroes of the resistance or their children, began to die, and anger continued to grow.


    It was at this time that the remarkable Cai Shenhua emerged. A second generation cultivator, born from a man who had risen to nobility through the Sect system, through some means, she achieved the peak of cultivation at the incredible age of fifty, and rose to challenge the Hui. As a cultivator of the Eighth Realm, she proved impossible to confront or eliminate for the ailing ducal clan. The Hui could do little save raise chaos in her ranks as she gathered support, and their complaints to the Imperial Court fell upon deaf ears, for the now-Emperor An regarded the Hui with contempt, having fought alongside the resistance forces in the south.


    When the Hui were at last isolated in Xiangmen, and the Emperor released a decree, naming Cai Shenhua as Duchess of Emerald Seas, they could only die.


    It remains to be seen what the new Duchess will do with the province, if she will at last be the one to break the fractious nature of Emerald Seas, but if so, it shall be a long and arduous journey.


    Writing of an Alabaster Sands scholar, on the political situation in the Emerald Seas.

 Chapter 113: Connections 1

    Han Jian seemed exhausted when Ling Qi finally tracked him down on the road that led to the town at the base of the mountain. Surprisingly, he was without his cousin¡¯s presence today and with only Heijin to keep him company. The tiger cub had grown, now standing as high as Han Jian¡¯s knees as he prowled along beside him.


    Despite his downcast expression and air of distraction, Han Jian didn¡¯t miss her approach. Ling Qi had made no effort to hide herself.


    ¡°Han Jian!¡± she called, raising her hand in greeting as she crossed the road to meet him. She spared only an absent glance to check on the position of the heavily laden wagon trundling along the center.


    The boy stopped, his light armor clanking slightly at the change in momentum. Heijin stopped as well, although he didn¡¯t look at her as his attention was rather focused on the horse drawing the cart she had just passed. She was surprised at first that the tiger cub¡¯s presence didn¡¯t panic the other animals on the road, but when she focused, she couldn¡¯t actually read the cub¡¯s cultivation or feel his spirit. Well, tigers were ambush predators, she supposed.


    ¡°Ling Qi.¡± Han Jian¡¯s greeting pulled her attention back to him as she came to a stop a polite distance away. ¡°You made it through the latest mess unscathed I see,¡± he said politely, although his smile seemed more forced compared to usual.


    ¡°Mostly,¡± Ling Qi admitted. Her ring finger was still sore, and her side a little tender. ¡°It looks like you didn¡¯t suffer too much yourself?¡± she asked tentatively. After she had finished receiving Elder Jiao¡¯s guidance on developing Argent Mirror more, she had reviewed the book and picked out the real contracts. Once she had torn those particular pages in half and stuffed them back between the covers, she had delivered the book and an explanation to Cai.


    The heiress hadn¡¯t wasted any time in grandstanding in the main plaza and denouncing Yan Renshu, which had kicked off another round of frenzied conflict. Han Jian had been the one keeping order on the boys¡¯ side since Gan Guangli had lead the more offensive efforts against the other factions.


    ¡°Personally, maybe,¡± Han Jian said wryly. ¡°Things got rough once Sun Liling came out of hiding.¡±


    ¡°I heard about that,¡± Ling Qi said slowly, folding her arms as she often saw Meizhen do. ¡°Nothing clear though. Did everything go alright?¡± She had been rather focused on surreptitiously keeping an eye on Su Ling and Li Suyin to make sure nothing untoward happened.


    ¡°Depends on your definition of alright,¡± Han Jian said with a tired shrug. ¡°Kang Zihao showed up to denounce us as villains and steal some of Renshu¡¯s people. I could handle him, but it looks like Chu Song¡¯s group and some of the other older disciples have fallen in with him too.¡± Ling Qi was impressed that Han Jian had gotten that confident. She supposed he had reached Late Yellow though. ¡°Ji Rong broke Fang¡¯s jaw,¡± he added with a scowl.


    Ling Qi winced; that sounded rough. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll get him next time,¡± she said encouragingly. ¡°He¡¯s in the Medicine Hall then?¡±


    ¡°Growing in new teeth takes a little while,¡± Han Jian said agreeably, his tone at odds with the air of weariness about him.


    Silence fell as Han Jian watched the slow flow of traffic and Ling Qi considered what to say. ¡°... Do you know if Xiulan is alright?¡±


    ¡°Does she look alright?¡± he asked tightly.


    ¡°She looks fine,¡± Ling Qi replied, stressing the middle word. She could already tell that her friend hated the scars on her face.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t what I meant, and you know it,¡± Han Jian snapped. ¡°One of my oldest friends almost got herself killed. People who are alright don¡¯t do things like that to themselves!¡± Heijin let out a low growl at his feet, moving to lay down and close his eyes. The haughty cub was oddly reticent


    Ling Qi stared at him. ¡°You know what started her acting like that, right?¡± The trial she had shared with Gu Xiulan was a blow, but it was only the last straw. Ling Qi¡¯s own growth had exacerbated things, but in the end, she knew well enough where the root of the issue lay.


    Ling Qi saw a flicker of genuine anger on Han Jian¡¯s face as he turned to her fully. ¡°I couldn¡¯t let her keep believing there could be anything between us. I am not going to be that kind of feckless person anymore,¡± he said in a low tone. ¡°I was as kind as I could be about it.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. That was unfair,¡± she apologized. Shifting her stance uncomfortably, Ling Qi considered the best way to change the subject. ¡°Seeing her like that just¡­¡±


    ¡°I get it,¡± Han Jian cut her off with a tired sigh, scrubbing his hand through his short hair. ¡°I am going to go on like things are normal. Xiulan doesn¡¯t want pity, especially from me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably for the best,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°Are you going to start doing group exercises again then?¡±


    ¡°It has been a while, hasn¡¯t it?¡± he mused. ¡°Yeah, I think I will. You still up for it?¡± Han Jian¡¯s tone was more upbeat, but it still seemed forced.


    ¡°Probably. I can make some time,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Has Xiulan showed you the art we got from our trial yet?¡±


    Han Jian raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°No. She ran off right away after it.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Ling Qi winced. ¡°Well, after we found it¡­This is the second Argent Art I¡¯ve gotten from a trial, and they seem like they might be a set,¡± she said slowly, watching his expression. ¡°I have Argent Current and Argent Mirror. Do you happen to have a different one?¡±


    The boy regarded her neutrally but then nodded. ¡°Argent Storm,¡± he said shortly. ¡°Wind and thunder. It¡¯s a pretty good match for Fang and I,¡± he continued. ¡°I think I can guess what you¡¯re thinking.¡±


    ¡°Current is a melee art, and Mirror is perception,¡± she said agreeably. ¡°What does Storm do?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a body reinforcement art,¡± Han Jian answered. ¡°I won¡¯t trade for Current. I would rather speak with Xiulan about that, if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°You aren¡¯t opposed though?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Han Jian said. ¡°We¡¯re competition, but I don¡¯t mind things that benefit us both.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to think about it as well,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I just wanted to see if you would consider the idea.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± he said, stirring from stillness to stride past her, resuming his journey back to the mountain. ¡°We¡¯ll be meeting at the same field next week, if you want to come along.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll try to make it.¡± Ling Qi watched his back for a moment before heading towards town herself. She was going to meet up with Su Ling there before they went to the vent. Ling Qi was glad things hadn¡¯t gotten too distant with Han Jian, despite their increasingly diverging schedules.


    Ling Qi remained on guard during the next few days, as the aftershocks of the most recent upset died down. Yan Renshu had gone to ground, disappearing entirely, along with a couple of other disciples as far as anyone could tell. It was worrying, and she was certainly going to look into better protections for her home just in case, but for the moment, the issue was resolved.


    On the other hand, Sun Liling wasn¡¯t hiding any longer, having set up a veritable fortress built into the cliffs above the treeline on the mountain. Ling Qi had no idea how she had missed that kind of construction going on. It was basically a declaration of war, as if daring Cai Renxiang to come and get her.


    Something like that had to be a trap. Happily, Cai Renxiang seemed to be of a similar mind on the matter, since her current efforts did not include assaulting the place. Ling Qi knew things would boil over again soon enough though.


    Ling Qi was going to slap the next person she heard whine about Cai¡¯s rule reducing conflict and making people soft.


    Such concerns were above her head for the moment. Ling Qi¡¯s training schedule remained exhaustive. She spent mornings training with Meizhen. The sparring was unpleasant but necessary because the best way to cultivate Thousand Ring Fortress was to let her friend pound on her defenses relentlessly. Meizhen¡¯s control of her flying sword had progressed massively, and Ling Qi could now barely keep track of the silvery blur in spars.


    In the afternoons, she cultivated with her friends at the vent, clearing the remaining spiritual detritus from her new meridian and helping Su Ling practice with her new sword art. The fox girl had picked out an earth and mountain technique of all things. It was too immobile for Ling Qi¡¯s tastes, but she supposed it was her friend¡¯s choice. Li Suyin was around less often, stopping by when she had free time to study the strange book from the shaman¡¯s bags and chat with Ling Qi. Without sustained focus, they didn¡¯t make much progress on deciphering it, but the time together was still pleasant.


    Evenings were consumed by lessons with Elder Jiao. Because she had asked for further help with Argent Mirror and the art of investigation, the Elder had responded by locking her in some kind of dream state which she could only escape by solving the logic puzzles by figuring out the clues in the scenarios presented to her. The longer she took to solve them, the greater the migraine.


    Ling Qi had nearly been in tears from the pain on a few occasions, but as much as she despised him in the moment, she could feel her mastery of Argent Mirror growing, and her ability to immediately pick out details from her surroundings improved apace.


    Ling Qi¡¯s other goal for the week proved a little more difficult. She had wanted to discuss Zhengui¡¯s growth with Xuan Shi, but the boy was pretty hard to find when he wasn¡¯t working on major projects, or at least when he was busy with less obvious matters than warding the council pavilion.


    Zhengui was growing again, often falling asleep either in his kiln or while dematerialized. His physique was going to reach Late Gold any day now, and his spiritual growth was only barely lagging. That just made her more determined to hunt down the cryptic boy because the books she had found in the Archives hadn¡¯t detailed much in regards to a snake-tortoise¡¯s breakthrough hibernation.


    It wasn¡¯t until nearly halfway through the week that she managed to track him down, using rumor and sightings from other disciples to follow him down into the lowlands near the mountain. Surprisingly, he wasn¡¯t at a hidden training ground or cultivation site as she had suspected. He wasn¡¯t even cultivating, as far as she could tell.


    Xuan Shi sat at the top of a hill, leaned back against the trunk of a large tree, his ring staff laid across his lap. He had a thin book in his hand, although he was already lowering it, having detected her presence by the time she caught a glimpse of him. She had figured startling him would probably be bad for everyone so she hadn¡¯t bothered to stealth.


    ¡°Brother Xuan,¡± she called in greeting from the bottom of the hill, stopping now that she had his attention. ¡°Sorry to interrupt.¡±


    Ling Qi thought she saw his eyes flick back to the book in his hand before they closed. He let out a sigh and began to stand up. ¡°Your apology is without cause. What storm lashes the Outer Sect this day?¡±


    ¡°Nothing like that,¡± Ling Qi hurried to say. ¡°Everything is still settled.¡±


    He frowned behind his high collar, pausing in brushing off the back of his robe. ¡°I see,¡± he said slowly. ¡°What ill wind carries you then to break my respite?¡±


    Ling Qi narrowed her eyes, trying to work out if there was an insult there. ¡°I just wanted to talk to you,¡± she huffed, giving him a reproachful look. ¡°Is that a problem?¡± She planted her hands on her hips as she looked up at the boy on the hill.


    Xuan Shi tapped the butt of his staff on the ground, sending the rings jingling as he looked briefly uncomfortable. ¡°It is not. Forgive my manner, for the days past have worn it thin,¡± he said evenly, meeting her eyes. ¡°Speak then, Sect Sister, and I will listen.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, satisfied with the apology, such as it was. ¡°And I am sorry for interrupting your free time. I know it can be hard to find a quiet moment around here,¡± she said, beginning to ascend the hill to stand on his level. ¡°What were you reading anyway?¡± she asked, trying to be friendly.


    ¡°Nothing of import,¡± the stocky boy answered roughly. ¡°Merely an idle fancy to calm the nerves.¡±


    She hummed thoughtfully. ¡°Is that so? Something like those books you were reading in the archive? I thought it was a little strange for something like that to be in there.¡±


    ¡°The Voyages flowed from the pen of a late Elder, and few were ever copied,¡± the boy said, a hint of defensiveness coloring his tone. ¡°Their place is earned.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Ling Qi asked in surprise. An Elder took the time to write out a fiction series? Maybe there was a hidden art in it or something like that. That would explain why Xuan Shi had spent so much time in the Archives on it. ¡°Well, anyway, I don¡¯t want to assume¡­ but you¡¯re familiar with ¡®xuan wu¡¯, right?¡±


    ¡°A tale or two may have reached me, I think,¡± Xuan Shi replied in a perfectly deadpan tone.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I guess you¡¯re aware of Zhengui?¡± she asked as she reached the top of the hill, feeling the little spirit stir within her, roused by his name.


    Xuan Shi¡¯s expression grew incredulous. ¡°You¡­¡± He stared at her before shaking his head. ¡°Wordplay is an art all its own, it is true, but¡­¡±


    ¡°There is nothing wrong with Zhengui¡¯s name,¡± Ling Qi asserted crossly in a tone that dared him to disagree.


    ¡°As you say, Sister Ling,¡± he said, holding up a hand in apology. ¡°His spirit called to mine, and from there, that knowledge flew north to our kin.¡±


    Ling Qi felt herself tense. ¡°You told your family about Zhengui already?¡± she asked, alarm clear in her voice.


    He frowned at her as he crouched down to pick up his hat. ¡°Have no fear. We will not covet our kin like rabble lusting for treasures,¡± he reassured. ¡°But I cannot say that Sister Ling has not drawn many eyes.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t sure she liked that. Ling Qi had come as far as she had in part by avoiding attention, but it seemed more and more like that was no longer possible. ¡°Right. Of course. I meant no insult with my words,¡± she said, regaining her composure.


    ¡°True honor requires the polish of millenia. Few have it in this age,¡± Xuan Shi said simply. ¡°Such caution does not speak ill of you. May I meet the child?¡±


    Ling Qi hesitated but nodded. It was what she had come here for; there was no sense getting cold feet now. She called to Zhengui, who was still dozing inside her dantian, and he quickly materialized in her arms. Bright green eyes blinked sleepily up at her while red ones regarded Xuan Shi warily.


    Xuan Shi¡¯s eyebrows rose as he studied the little spirit, leaning closer as he did so. Zhen flicked his tongue at the boy in response, ash leaking from the sides of his mouth. ¡°My senses were not fooled,¡± the boy mused. ¡°Destruction and growth. You are a unique one, little brother.¡±


    ¡°Smelly salt thing is not my brother,¡± Zhen hissed haughtily, and Ling Qi was certain she saw Xuan Shi flinch.


    ¡°Zhengui, be nice,¡± Ling Qi said quickly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. He¡¯s still young.¡±


    ¡°Do not trouble yourself, Sister Ling,¡± Xuan Shi replied, waving off her concern.


    ¡°Big Sister, is it time for dinner yet?¡± Gui chirped, ignoring the byplay between Xuan Shi and his other head entirely. ¡°I want rabbit today!¡±


    ¡°Soon,¡± she soothed, patting him on the head. Zhen shot her a pitiful look, but she simply gave him a stern one in return. He hadn¡¯t apologized, so no head pats for him. ¡°I was hoping you could give me some advice on how to help him express his abilities,¡± she said, turning a sheepish smile toward Xuan Shi.


    Ling Qi thought she saw a flicker of some emotion in his neutral regard of Zhengui, but she couldn''t quite identify it. ¡°I suppose I do not mind.¡±


    The boy was hard to read, even more so than usual given the way he seemed to clam up after their conversation. Still, she was pretty sure that he was surprised at her tactics and bemused at Zhengui¡¯s digging and ambush strategies.


    He did have some useful advice though, even if it seemed that Zhengui¡¯s unique combination of elements stumped him a little. With some effort, Zhen was able to breathe out a short-lived tongue of red-orange flame that stuck and furiously consumed whatever it touched, and Gui was able to repurpose an exercise for taking in earth qi to draw from wood qi, which made his shell glow bright green but seemed to do little else aside from somewhat expanding his awareness.


    In regard to Zhengui¡¯s hibernation period, Xuan Shi confirmed that Zhengui himself would know instinctively what he needed. What she would need to provide would be protection around the nest site.


    All in all, Xuan Shi was pretty helpful, even if the boy seemed distracted for most of the afternoon. She met up with the boy once more during the week, after Zhengui had emerged from his kiln having grown once more. His shell wasn¡¯t quite a meter long yet, but it was beginning to get close. Xuan Shi seemed confident that she still had a few weeks before the snake-tortoise fell into torpor.


    Matters with Elder Jiao were a little more difficult. Once the stressful cultivation of Argent Mirror was done, they moved swiftly on to the second half of her requested lesson plans. It was rather less childish than the last exercise. Elder Jiao simply sent her to a heavily locked and trapped room which steadily sapped her qi, forcing her to try and escape before the drain knocked her unconscious.


    It gave her a new appreciation for the many, many options she had because of her ability to fit through spaces too small for her body, but it also taught her that her abilities were not failproof. She couldn¡¯t exactly disable snares located in spaces too small for her to materialize in after all.


    Ling Qi could feel her understanding of Sable Crescent Step growing by the hour as she worked through the ever-changing gauntlet. She was nearing mastery of the next stage and the technique therein.


    But her lessons with the Elder would be coming to an end soon. She would have to carefully consider carefully what she wished to spend them on in her last week of tutoring from Elder Jiao.

 Interlude-Gu Xiulan

    ¡°Who gave you permission to touch me?!¡± Gu Xiulan snarled, slapping Fan Yu¡¯s hand away from hers. She ignored the throb of agony that traveled up her blessed arm with a mere grimace and clenching of her teeth.


    Fan Yu cringed, and she hated him all the more for it. ¡°Xiulan, I am sorry for forgetting myself,¡± the weak-willed fool apologized. ¡°I only wanted to assure you that no matter what, I will stand by your side¡­¡±


    She felt her hair moving, heat rising from her skin in response to her growing temper. The secondary displays of her qi had always been prominent, and her recent trials had only increased the tendency. The fool continued to babble on, as if he could offer her anything. He was weak, and his insinuations that she needed protection, like the sort of fragile simpering dolls that the Fan family called daughters, was infuriating.


    ¡°If you have time for such declarations, perhaps you should dedicate yourself more fully to cultivation,¡± Xiulan snapped, tiring of his words. She turned on her heel, her new crimson red veil fluttering with the motion. ¡°I have training to do. Cease wasting my time.¡±


    The stout boy¡¯s defeated expression as she stalked away from him only deepened her contempt. Han Jian would not stand for her speaking to him that way. He was a proper man and a proper lord. Where was the pride of Fan Yu?! He blustered and shouted in front of the weak but had no spine for his peers.


    She would leave him behind soon enough, so it didn¡¯t matter. Her scars throbbed as she stomped away, heading toward the training fields. She stopped and took a shuddering breath, forcing herself to calm. Her temper had been burning much hotter since she had come down from the mountain peak, and it would not do to start lighting the grass on fire by accident, like a child just accessing their dantian.


    When she resumed walking, it was at a more sedate and ladylike pace, and her fierce scowl had been smoothed away, replaced by a bland and peaceful expression. Embers still flickered in her hair though, and wisps of smoke escaped the binding on her arm.


    The featherlight feeling of her spirit Linhuo offering comfort in her thoughts helped. Although she did not speak, the fairy had been her only companion when Xiulan had lain broken and sobbing on that mountaintop. The spirit¡¯s encouragement had been what stoked the flames of her will high enough to offer herself to the tribulation of lightning for the final time.


    ¡°You and Ling Qi,¡± she murmured quietly, raising her hand to her chest. To have a close bond with one¡¯s spirit was nothing unusual, but she still found it strange that she had become so close to another girl.


    The plain, bumbling peasant she had thought to groom as a handmaiden in a fit of fancy hardly existed any longer. Xiulan should hate her. That immense talent that had left her far behind should have been more than enough of a reason, especially now that she had sacrificed her beauty, the one advantage she had retained over Ling Qi.


    Her lips twisted into a scowl at the thought. She was an ugly thing now, scarred and broken. That would take some mental adjustment on her part and particularly... particularly in regards to her Mother. She could already picture the horror on Mother¡¯s face when she next presented herself. Her sisters were rivals, obstacles on her way to ascendancy in the family, and to escaping Fan Yu, but Mother¡­


    Her shoulders drooped slightly before she regained her poise. At least Father would be proud. She was strong now. Everything came to her more easily. She had broken through on several of her arts in the process of regaining control of her qi. She would be strong, and although she had no doubt that Ling Qi would beat her to it, she no longer doubted that she could reach the third realm within a year. She would not fall behind Yanmei.


    Again, her arm throbbed, interrupting her thoughts and forcing a hiss of pain from her lips as the constant low level agony flared higher. She closed her eyes, refusing to let the tears prickling at the corner of her eyes fall.


    It hurt so much.


    She had half expected to die up there, at the peak of the mountain where it was said that Sect Head Yuan had met and bonded his spirit beast, where the heavenly qi lay as thick as the shed alabaster scales. After the first bolt of lightning had struck her upraised arm, she had screamed. By the tenth, she had wished for death. Only Linhuo¡¯s encouragement had let her raise her destroyed limb again after that.


    Gu Xiulan shuddered at the memory. Compared to that, what was a little ache? She was being weak again, and that thought was enough to make her shove the feeling down and resume walking.


    The ranged combat training ground she had been using since her return was once again pristine, the targets unburnt and the ground unmarked by the pockmarks left by stray lightning. With a thought, Linhuo drifted free of her, emerging from her back like a pair of brightly colored wings formed of raw electricity before her fiery body emerged as well. The tribulation had changed her spirit as well, Linhuo¡¯s wispy form more defined and humanoid. Xiulan watched the newly grown fairy, now a bit more than thirty centimeters tall, flutter off to play with the lanterns lighting the area.


    Xiulan then turned to face the target range instead, focusing on the roiling qi that filled her channels now. Flames licked at the wrappings around her arm as she focused, pushing away other thoughts, and a bolt of blue leapt from her fingertips, incinerating the nearest target¡­ and the one next to it as well.


    Gu Xiulan grit her teeth. Her control was still lacking, the thunder and lightning that pounded in her veins demanding greater shows of might and passion.


    Instead of firing again, she instead sat down cross-legged and closed her eyes. Meditation and control exercises first then.


    ... It was just so hard to concentrate. Oh, the complex weaves of fire that made up the Wildflowers¡¯ exercises came with relative ease, flames flowing from her fingertips like ink from a pen. But the infusion of lightning unsettled her and made it hard to follow the rigid patterns the exercises demanded.


    Xiulan felt the urge to create new images instead of weaving patterns. Han Jian¡¯s face smiled down at her from the flames, warm and accepting the way he had been when they were younger. Red flames twisted into the shape of a girl with a flute, standing at her side as they faced a powerful foe, whose features shifted by the moment.


    She was dimly aware that the grass was on fire and Linhuo was fluttering in a circle, containing the flames from spreading. Gu Xiulan shut her eyes and breathed out harshly, snuffing the flames and all the images woven from them.


    She didn¡¯t know what she wanted anymore, and that stung. She had sacrificed so much for power¡­ but for what end?


    Han Jian did not want her. She should have known better than to put stock in childish promises. She had ruined herself for court, and even with all this sacrifice, she knew that she would still be chasing the shadow of her sister and Ling Qi.


    She wanted though. She wanted more, even if she did not know what that looked like. She wanted Father to never again lament his lack of sons. She wanted Mother to approve of her. She wanted to stand above her sisters, one and all, to shine so brightly that even Grandfather would rise from seclusion to acknowledge her as heir. And one day, she wanted to return the Gu to their rightful place at the top of Golden Fields.


    She just wondered how much she would need to feed to the flames to achieve that.

 Chapter 114-Connections 2

    Ling Qi¡¯s slightly warped reflection stared back at her from the pink tinted metal of her new knife before disappearing under the oiling cloth in her hand. It had been an impulsive and expensive purchase, but Ling Qi couldn¡¯t really regret buying the set. The knives were rather pretty and better than her old, increasingly broken set.


    Of course, then she had ended up buying a new bow as well. Ling Qi was not used to having the money to simply buy things she wanted without much thought. It was a strange feeling, and it made some part of her uncomfortable like she had done something wrong. At the same time, she had worked hard, hadn¡¯t she? She deserved to buy something nice every once in awhile. A little frivolous spending was a fair reward for what she had accomplished.


    ... Was this how Xiulan felt when she bought a new dress solely because she liked the cut? Ling Qi thought it might be. She brushed her finger over the polished metal of the wavy blade and smiled before slipping it into the hidden sheath on her wrist. Just this once, she would try not to overthink things.


    As she picked up the next knife in the set that lay in a gleaming line across her desk though, she caught a faint movement in the air by her window and looked up in caution. She blinked in surprise as a paper doll bearing the seal of the Ministry of Communications fluttered through her window. It was the size of her hand and folded to look vaguely like a bird. It circled her twice before landing on her desk and promptly unfolding. A moment later, the paper disintegrated with a weak flash, leaving behind a letter.


    Ling Qi turned her attention to the letter. The plain wax seal gave way easily, and Ling Qi unfolded the letter.


    Ling Qi,


    I am proud to know you are doing so well, despite everything. I cannot help but feel worry in my heart though. I will not speak against the friends you have made of course, and the doings of immortals are beyond my limited understanding, but all the same¡­ Be cautious in entering the dealings of nobles. It is so very easy to make mistakes or to give offense and suffer for it. I fear that your straightforward nature might be ill-suited to such dealings.


    Forgive an old woman for her worries, but please be careful.


    I can offer little but bewilderment in regards to the next subject of your letter. How did you come into contact with one of the Guardians of the North? It is a very large improvement over the frogs and lizards which you used to hide under your bed. I trust that you are making every effort to take good care of him. I do not precisely understand the implications. Is your stewardship a sign of favor from your Sect?


    In regards to myself, I find myself somewhat overwhelmed, if I am to be honest. It is still somewhat difficult for me to accept the circumstances I now live with. I have focused upon caring for Biyu. She is a curious little thing and is at that age where children grow willful. It is rather terrible for my heart. She has no sense of caution, much like her elder sister.


    I suppose that trait must be a fault of mine then.


    I have had the time to compose and play again in the evenings. I am glad I was at least able to give you an appreciation for music. Perhaps now that matters are not so dire, I can find the time to compose something again.


    Ling Qi smiled slightly. The letter felt more personal this time; she was glad Mother was easing up on the apologies and self-deprecations. The warm shape under her desk that had been keeping her feet cozy shifted then and gave a hungry little cry. She would write back to Mother soon, but for now, she had a hungry child to take care of, a meeting to attend, and then a lot of cultivation to do. It was going to be a busy week.


    ***


    ¡°Miss Ling!¡± Gan Guangli¡¯s booming voice greeted her as she approached the pavilion. ¡°I would congratulate you on your part in bringing down the foul miscreant, Yan Renshu.¡± The broad-shouldered boy bowed his head to her, his metal clad hand clasped over his heart.


    Ling Qi felt a little awkward at the loud and sincere declaration. ¡°It was hardly any trouble. I could hardly just let him carry on with a scam like that, right?¡± she replied, dismissing the praise.


    The tall boy nodded seriously as he straightened up. ¡°Indeed. It is our duty as Immortals to be sure that no such corruption can take root,¡± he said gravely. ¡°Still, fine work deserves praise,¡± he added, expression lightening.


    ¡°Well, thanks,¡± she replied, a little lamely. ¡°Er, am I early for the meeting, or ...?¡±


    ¡°Ah, my apologies,¡± Gan Guangli said, stepping aside. ¡°Lady Cai will receive you now, Miss Ling.¡±


    The council pavilion¡¯s furniture had been rearranged to accommodate smaller meetings, and Cai Renxiang waited for her at the top of the steps, seated much as she was the last time the two of them had met one-on-one. Her presence seemed greater now, even with the harsh light that backlit the heiress at low ebb, barely a halo around her dark hair. The fabric of her white and gold gown seemed to ripple like a thing alive, and Ling Qi could feel the attention of the spirit in the cloth. The wings of the ¡®butterfly¡¯ splayed across Cai¡¯s chest felt more like eyes than ever.


    Also, unlike their last private meeting, another girl stood by, head down as she served out tea to the two places set at the table. It looked like her stock had risen since then. Ling Qi stopped at the top of the pavilion steps and gave her best proper bow. Best to be polite. ¡°Lady Cai, thank you very much for agreeing to meet me on such short notice.¡±


    ¡°It is a small enough thing for you to request,¡± the heiress said evenly. ¡°Please, sit and avail yourself of the tea. It is a fine blend, if I may be trusted as a judge of such things.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ling Qi replied, keeping her head bowed for a moment longer before straightening up and taking a seat. She took a polite sip from the steaming cup in front of her. It wasn¡¯t bad; there was a bit of spice to it that she didn¡¯t recognize, but then again, tea mostly tasted the same to her. ¡°I did not have the chance to follow the aftermath as closely as I might have liked. How was the response to the revelation?¡±


    ¡°Many of those held in unjust and false bondage were furious of course,¡± Cai Renxiang answered, appearing satisfied as she lifted her own cup. ¡°And, with proof so solid, none could gainsay my words openly. Obviously, those who truly oppose me were unmoved, merely denouncing the villain themselves and claiming ignorance of his dealings.¡±


    That was about what she had expected. ¡°I am guessing Sun Liling was among them?¡± Ling Qi asked carefully, briefly glancing at the girl who had served the tea as she bowed and left.


    ¡°Princess Sun was among the loudest in announcing her opposition,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed a touch sourly. ¡°She made it quite clear that such villainy should not be an excuse for my ¡®tyranny¡¯ to spread. She was among the fastest to gather up Yan Renshu¡¯s stray followers.¡±


    ¡°We still got the majority though, right?¡± Ling Qi asked, before wincing at her own lack of decorum. ¡°I mean, we were still able to prevent most of his victims from being further taken advantage of?¡±


    Ling Qi caught a touch of a smile on the heiress¡¯ lips before it was hidden by the teacup.


    ¡°Of course. The Princess Sun''s efforts aside, few saw reason to refuse my protection. Enough about that trouble for the moment. That will be the focus of next week¡¯s council meeting. I believe you had a proposal?¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, taking a moment to go over her request in her head again as she did. The tea made a good cover for the pause. ¡°I recently acquired a large asset, and I was hoping you could aid me in making the most of it.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Would this be related to the pill furnace which vanished from Yan Renshu¡¯s holdings?¡± Cai Renxiang inquired, putting down her cup and leaning back in her seat. ¡°The boy in charge of that facility was quite distraught,¡± she added, meeting Ling Qi¡¯s gaze evenly.


    Ling Qi smiled sheepishly. ¡°That¡¯s the one,¡± she replied a bit nervously. ¡°Please do not hold that against me. At the time, it was enemy property.¡±


    ¡°I am not so poor as to demand that my agents take no spoils of their own,¡± Cai Renxiang said without heat. ¡°I am not the avaricious tyrant that our enemies speak of.¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Ling Qi hurried to reply. ¡°I was just unsure of the protocol.¡±


    ¡°Understandable. Such things vary widely.¡± Cai didn¡¯t sound like that pleased her. ¡°Know that I have no intention of being the sort of leader which demands such tribute.¡±


    ¡°I am glad for your generosity,¡± Ling Qi said slowly, studying the other girl¡¯s serious expression. She didn¡¯t think the heiress was lying. In any case, it meant she could go ahead. ¡°I propose to offer it to our production students to use at a markdown from the Production Hall¡¯s fees. In return for your help in protecting it and enforcing the fees, I would offer you a fair portion of the fees involved.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Would it not be better for our faction to allow its use freely? I would be able to compensate you fairly,¡± Cai Renxiang questioned. Ling Qi felt something odd in her words. It wasn¡¯t dishonesty, but¡­ more like it was a leading question?


    ¡°I have friends who are pillmakers and who have earned a personal furnace,¡± Ling Qi explained. ¡°I do not want to undercut their livelihoods and hard work that way. I imagine they aren¡¯t alone in their position either.¡± She didn¡¯t necessarily care about people in the marketplace who might have their own furnaces, but there was no reason to piss them off. ¡°By making it free to use, it would disrupt things at the market a lot too.¡±


    ¡°Acceptable reasoning,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°I would have you speak with my subordinates in charge of finances regarding the exact details, but I find your proposal to be reasonable.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Lady Cai.¡± Ling Qi had to fight down a grin. She was sure she would not have to worry about spirit stones for the rest of the year now!


    ¡°You are welcome,¡± the other girl said with a tiny nod. ¡°Would you, in turn, answer me a question?¡±


    Ling Qi blinked. ¡°Ah, of course, what did you need?¡±


    ¡°What do you intend to do in the future?¡± the heiress asked simply.


    Ling Qi hadn¡¯t really thought about it. She knew she had years of army service ahead; it seemed pointless to plan beyond that. Although she would receive an Imperial writ, she had no idea what that really meant in practical terms. ¡°I¡¯m still considering it,¡± she replied after a moment. ¡°After all, I don¡¯t know what opportunities I¡¯ll have yet.¡±


    ¡°Allow me to offer one then,¡± Cai Renxiang said warmly, meeting her eyes unflinchingly. ¡°Join me. I have no doubt that you will achieve the third realm in a matter of weeks or months. Your talent is obvious, and your recent escapades have cemented the truth of your ability in my mind.¡±


    ¡°I am already a member of your council,¡± Ling Qi pointed out dubiously.


    ¡°A temporary and impersonal relationship,¡± Cai Renxiang acknowledged, the ever-present light behind her building in brightness. ¡°I would instead offer you a place as a direct vassal of the Cai clan, a position similar to that which Guangli will enjoy, pending his breakthrough.¡±


    Ling Qi fell silent, trying to figure out where the catch was and why the heiress would be offering this. ¡°I am flattered, of course,¡± she said to buy herself time. ¡°But I am unsure as to why you would trust me with such a position. Wouldn¡¯t the Lady Duchess need to approve such offers?¡±


    Cai Renxiang¡¯s gown rippled slightly, shimmers of gold moving through the white. ¡°My purpose in this Sect is twofold: to gain experience with authority, and to build my own base of power,¡± the heiress replied frankly. ¡°To that end, the Duchess has granted me certain privileges, including the ability to offer direct vassalship. As for trust¡­¡± Cai Renxiang said, a considering tone entering her voice. ¡°Bai Meizhen speaks well of you.¡±


    Ling Qi felt a spike of irritation. ¡°Is that so?¡± There was no way they were that close.


    The glowing girl across from her furrowed her brows, studying her face. ¡°You misunderstand. It is not her good word, so much as the insight those words give me, along with my own observations. I am aware that you feel little to no personal loyalty toward me at the moment.¡± Cai Renxiang spoke confidently and without doubt¡­ and seemed unbothered by her words.


    ¡°Why then?¡± Ling Qi asked warily, hands resting on the table, her tea forgotten. There wasn¡¯t much point in denying it when the other girl so clearly believed it.


    ¡°Because what loyalty you have is beyond reproach,¡± Cai Renxiang said without hesitation. ¡°That is a trait which is difficult to find in retainers, your other abilities aside,¡± she continued, leaning forward. ¡°I am capable of earning such loyalty with time, if you would grant me the opportunity." Cai Renxiang spoke with absolute conviction.


    Now, Ling Qi just felt uncomfortable. ¡°I have to think about this.¡±


    ¡°I do not expect an answer right now,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed, the light behind her dimming. ¡°Please consider it for the future. I shall ask again when you achieve the third realm.¡±


    Ling Qi made her excuses soon after that, departing the meeting place to hash out the details of the pill furnace agreement with the production disciples who would actually oversee it. She got a pretty good deal, considering that she was offloading pretty much all of the work involved. Ling Qi would receive forty percent of the profits and retain full ownership of the furnace, meaning she could take it back at any time, although she would have to give a week¡¯s notice before doing so. She also had the right to blacklist users, just in case someone decided to piss her off.


    Despite the success, she still felt uncomfortable. She didn¡¯t really like the Cai heiress very much. She was stiff and unyielding, and to be frank, Cai Renxiang unnerved her a little bit. All the same, the offer from the Cai heiress wasn¡¯t one she could easily discard. She wondered just what the girl thought would be involved in ¡®earning¡¯ her loyalty. It was a bit bizarre to be praised for something like that when all she did was stick by her first friend.


    Ling Qi found herself unable to get very far in her meditations that night, distracted by thoughts of a future that she had never even considered.

 Chapter 115-Blizzard

    Thoughts of the future continued to niggle at her as she went on to meet up with Gu Xiulan and the others from Golden Fields. Today was the first day the group would be back together for training again.


    It was¡­ more than a little awkward. Gu Xiulan practically radiated defiance and pride while Fan Yu and Heijin were subdued at best. Han Jian put on an upbeat front, but she could tell that he could feel the tension too. Han Fang was as inscrutable as ever, though he had picked up a few faint scars over his lips.


    Nevertheless, after Han Jian lead them through a bit of practice to ensure that they could still work together, they set off to explore the eastern foothills.


    Ling Qi got quite a bit of practice with her Fleeting Zephyr successor arte, bolstering everyone¡¯s agility with the wind and speeding their steps. Doing it for so many people at once really helped her cultivate her control of the art. Of course, the exceedingly potent medicinal energy burning in her dantian was quite the distraction, but even that helped her hone her focus. Her core stretched and pulsed, growing with each rotation of energy.


    The exploration itself had mixed results. They didn¡¯t find much of interest, but her share of the cores gained from hunting would go a long way toward keeping Zhengui fed this week. The travel was good for the little spirit as well. Although he tired out quickly, letting him out when they stopped to clean their kills or poke around an area more closely gave him some time to stretch his legs.


    The hunt was stressful. Xiulan snapped easily at Fan Yu and Han Fang, which put both boys in a bad mood. Even Heijin was hesitant to approach her. Ling Qi left feeling rather more weary than the physical exertion would account for.


    Luckily, she had time for some actual relaxation before the evening session with the prickly Elder Jiao.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s this one mean? I didn¡¯t see it on your sheet.¡± Ling Qi tapped her finger against a clump of characters in the pale white tome. She was seated next to Suyin. It was a little uncomfortable to be brushing shoulders like this, but it was the only way to effectively hold the book between them.


    Li Suyin frowned at the same section, biting her lower lip as she glanced at the long, unrolled scroll of language notes lying open in front of them. ¡°I think¡­ circulation? This section is discussing the energy flow in the basic animating array.¡±


    Ling Qi furrowed her brows, looking up at Suyin¡¯s translation notes while silently mouthing the sounds, committing them to memory. Suyin had spent the last week putting together a primer on the ancient Hill tribe language. Ling Qi wondered how a Cloud Tribe shaman had found it. With a primer, studying was going faster, but it was still difficult.¡°I should have been able to figure that out,¡± she muttered, rubbing her eyes. ¡°Do you want to take a break?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± Li Suyin replied, taking the book from Ling Qi. She was looking healthier now that she had broken through to Silver. She still had her scars, but the slightly pale and sickly cast Ling Qi had noticed her developing had gone away, and she seemed more energetic. ¡°This is just so interesting though. I cannot wait to try out the arrays!¡± Li Suyin declared, jarring her from her thoughts.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s still pretty simple, but I can see some uses for it,¡± Ling Qi mused. They had worked out the details to the first array depicted in the book, which would create a scout out of the bones of something small like a mouse or a frog. It wouldn¡¯t be of much use in combat, but Ling Qi could understand the value of a disposable set of eyes. ¡°Expensive though.¡±


    ¡°Well, I can understand the need for a pure conductor,¡± Li Suyin said, a bit of her cheer deflated. ¡°Spirit stone powder is expensive, but the alternative¡­¡± Li Suyin looked unsettled as she glanced down at the book.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like the idea of using ¡®freshly drawn human heart blood¡¯ either,¡± Ling Qi agreed with a grimace. ¡°Sorry, Li Suyin. The guy I took this from was kind of a scumbag.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine,¡± her friend said dismissively. ¡°As Imperial cultivators, it is our duty to turn such things to better and more civilized use.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ling Qi replied, glad that she was taking it well. ¡°Congratulations again on breaking through by the way,¡± she added, bumping her shoulder against the other girl¡¯s.


    ¡°It was nothing.¡± Suyin turned her face away shyly. ¡°Really, I should be ashamed of taking as long as I did. I just wanted it to be as perfect as possible¡­ Senior Sister Bao finally told me to stop stalling.¡±


    Ling Qi gave her a sympathetic look. ¡°Well, breakthroughs can be rough¡­ Did you remember to have a bucket nearby?¡±


    Li Suyin wrinkled her nose in disgust. ¡°Yes, but it was still disgusting. I cannot believe that¡­ sludge was part of me.¡± She grasped her knees in distress.


    ¡°It¡¯s part of everyone,¡± Ling Qi pointed out dryly. ¡°I looked like someone had covered me in a bucket of tar.¡± A small giggle escaped her friend¡¯s lips, and Ling Qi smiled.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t any better,¡± Suyin admitted, leaning back against the cliff face they were seated against. ¡°It still feels like it isn¡¯t enough.¡±


    Ling Qi closed her eyes, a vision of Gu Xiulan¡¯s charred arm flashing through her mind. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be quick about it. As long as you keep moving forward, isn¡¯t it fine?¡± Ling Qi asked, her voice low. She didn¡¯t need more of her friends half killing themselves.


    Li Suyin gave her a concerned look and nodded quickly. ¡°Of course. I know I am being silly.¡± After a beat of silence, she said, ¡°I wanted to ask something of you actually.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Need me to rough someone up for you?¡± Ling Qi joked, trying to dismiss her own somber mood.


    ¡°Nothing like that,¡± Li Suyin assured her. ¡°Senior Sister Bao has given me directions to the place where she acquired her own spirit,¡± Suyin continued in a rush, ¡°and I was hoping you would come with me.¡±


    Ling Qi cocked her head to the side curiously. ¡°I don¡¯t mind, but I might be busy. Is it that dangerous?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine if you are not able to accompany me immediately,¡± Li Suyin said, toying with her sleeves. ¡°I intend to perform a ritual supplication toward the elder spirit of the nest, and Senior Sister indicated that I might be¡­ somewhat incapacitated after.¡±


    That was weird. But she had heard of some rituals that required alcohol or drugs, so it wasn¡¯t the weirdest result. ¡°That sounds fine. Are you inviting Su Ling too?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Li Suyin sighed. ¡°Su Ling is¡­ not very fond of spiders. I didn¡¯t want to impose¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Ling Qi was reminded that a nest of gigantic spiders lay in the forest at the base of the mountain. ¡°Oh. I can see how you might not want to¡­¡± She trailed off awkwardly. She knew some people were weirdly afraid of bugs and spiders, but she hadn¡¯t guessed Su Ling would be one of them. ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± she finished.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad,¡± Li Suyin said, relieved. ¡°In any case, shall we resume? Now that we know the base components, deciphering the more complex arrays should be easier. I think we might be able to decipher the Vault Warrior array with just a little more work."


    Upon Suyin¡¯s agreement, Ling Qi shifted closer, looking over Suyin''s shoulder as the girl traced a finger under the foreign text. It really was nice to relax now and then.


    ***


    ¡°You know,¡± Ling Qi began as she raised her hand to shield her face from the hard, biting wind. ¡°Something you said a while ago confused me,¡± she said as the snow and ice littering the path crunched under her feet.


    ¡°What might that have been?¡± Zeqing asked absently. Unlike Ling Qi, the spirit floated easily ahead of her, drifting like a leaf on the wind while Ling Qi carefully made her way up the nearly vertical ice-slicked path. ¡°You have not had trouble with the melody.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just-¡± Ling Qi paused. She was somewhat wary of raising the subject; she didn¡¯t want to find out what skidding down the mountain on her rear would feel like. ¡°You said that Hanyi was spending time with her father, right? But, uh, you also said you devoured him. So¡­ Did you remarry or something?¡±


    The ice spirit¡¯s blood red lips turned down in a slight frown, and a few flakes of snow fell, penetrating the cocoon of clear weather that surrounded them. ¡°Ah. That must have seemed strange to a young mortal. Sadly, I have not found another appropriate suitor.¡± Zeqing sighed, gazing wistfully off into the blizzard that surrounded them.


    ¡°Then how...?¡± Ling Qi questioned, hauling herself up over a ledge while the spirit floated on unimpeded.


    ¡°It was brought to my attention that a child does best with both parents,¡± Zeqing explained, turning her blank white gaze to Ling Qi¡¯s face. ¡°I expressed the remaining fragments of his spirit into an ice revenant. It is a bit tiring, but Hanyi seems to enjoy playing with it.¡±


    ¡°Is that¡­ safe?¡± Ling Qi asked uncertainly. That didn¡¯t sound safe. Or healthy. At all.


    ¡°I hardly kept the more objectionable pieces of him undigested,¡± Zeqing replied archly before drifting higher toward the top of the rise they were climbing. ¡°I believe we have arrived.¡±


    ¡°Where are we going anyway?¡± LIng Qi asked, setting aside the somewhat disturbing conversation. She blinked as she reached the top as well and found herself looking out at a wide field of untouched white snow curving away into the distance, hugging the sheer cliffs that lead closer to the peak. They were very high up at this point with the clouds seeming barely out of reach.


    All told, it was a beautiful sight, and in that moment, Ling Qi felt a thrill of happiness that she now had the strength to see such a place with her own eyes. The sting of frigid cold at her extremities was a minor cost to pay for such a sight.


    ¡°You near mastery of that man¡¯s melody,¡± Zeqing began, her silver hair rippling in the wind as Ling Qi passed her, peering into the distance where falling snow rendered the horizon an opaque white. ¡°But you are still lacking. I thought a change of venue might push your understanding forward.¡±


    Ling Qi took a deep breath of frozen air, feeling the way the wind qi played against her extended senses. It was a powerful thing, and the qi of water and mountain was strong as well, but this site hardly seemed better than the black pool. ¡°Is there something special about this place that I¡¯m missing?¡± Ling Qi asked, turning back to face the ice spirit.


    The wind kicked up, sending the spirit¡¯s empty gown and hair fluttering with increasing intensity. ¡°You misunderstand,¡± the spirit explained gently, and the snow began to fall, her power no longer holding back the blizzard that raged around them. ¡°You have mastered the notes and the melody, but the truth of it - the feeling - yet escapes you.¡±


    Ling Qi felt a thrill of dread as the snowfall grew greater and her teacher¡¯s form began to fade into the blizzard. She was suddenly and unpleasantly reminded that she was alone with a fourth grade spirit with few, if any, compunctions against murder.


    ¡°Lady Zeqing?¡± she asked, reverting to a more polite form of address. ¡°Please tell me what you are doing?!¡± Her flute materialized in one hand and a knife fell into her other. She might not have a fighting chance, but surely she could escape if things went bad.


    A shrieking gale blasted her, shredding her paltry attempt at control and sending her tumbling end over end into the snow. The dizziness as she was carried spinning through the air destroyed any sense of place or direction. Her knife was torn from her hands, tumbling off to vanish into the storm.


    ¡°Music is an exquisite art. It is the spirit expressed through sound.¡± Zeqing¡¯s voice reached her, seeming to come from every direction. ¡°Such pitiful mortal understanding is only the beginning of mastery. Sound is neither wind nor thunder. Such things cannot truly bear the weight of a soul¡¯s expression.¡±


    ¡°What does any of that have to do with this!¡± Ling Qi screamed into the blinding blizzard, snow already crusting her hair and gown. It stung her eyes and burned on her skin, far colder than before.


    ¡°It is the only weapon available to you,¡± Zeqing replied, not unkindly, her voice echoing on the screaming of the wind. ¡°And your only salvation. I shall await you at the exit.¡±


    Ling Qi grit her teeth, tears stinging in her eyes as she tried to look for any sign of where she was. No matter where she looked though, there was only snow. Even with her enhanced senses, she could not see more than a few centimeters in front of her face, nor feel anything beyond an overwhelming torrent of darkness, wind, and water mixed with something else, a light qi that merged with the rest, barely detectable.


    It was a test. Of course it was a test. Every single Elder and Spirit seemed to just love their tests!


    She began to stir the cool and smooth dark qi to activate Crescent¡¯s Grace, which would allow her to more easily move through the driving winds. But nothing happened. The qi flowing through her channels seemed frozen and unresponsive, refusing to move at her command. True alarm bloomed.


    As if in response to the attempt, Ling Qi felt something slice across her cheek. She flinched as she felt the skin part, warm blood flowing down her face, and her skin prickled as the snow driven against it took on a harder cast like needles of ice.


    She tried Thousand Ring Fortress next, and that, too, failed, the lively qi of wood just as frozen and dead as the other channels. Another sharp needle of ice stung, this time drawing a pinprick of blood on her hand. Ling Qi still had no idea how the spirit had sealed her other arts, but she could only assume Zeqing was being serious about using music to escape the blizzard. She raised her flute to her frozen lips and began to play.


    The mist she called was immediately torn away, the flow from her flute far outstripped by the driving wind, but it was all she could do. She began to trudge forward, playing the familiar melody even as its sound was drowned out by the storm.


    She didn¡¯t know how long she trudged, seeking any sort of landmark or indication of where she was. All she knew was that she could certainly feel the cold now. She could feel it creeping into her bones, numbing her fingers, and stinging her eyes. She did her best not to falter in her playing, no matter how futile it seemed, while she desperately wracked her mind for some part of the melody she had not understood. Something that would let her counteract the cold. Something to keep her stiffening limbs moving.


    She lost count of the tiny cuts that sliced her exposed skin. She barely recognized her braid tearing loose, leaving her long hair to flap in the wind, just one more thing dragging her back.


    She remembered her first winter after running away, shivering alone in an alley. She had come the closest to breaking then, to running back to her mother in tears, ready to sacrifice her freedom for a warm hearth and the safety of her mother¡¯s arms.


    She remembered the kind old man whose blankets she had stolen, and in turn, the beating she had received when an older, stronger boy had taken them from her weeks later. She remembered sobbing alone as she clutched her broken arm while uncaring passersby ignored the huddled lump on the street corner.


    She remembered loneliness and abandonment, the cruelty of the uncaring wilderness, unchanged by its urban nature. The mist flowing from her flute thickened, resisting the wind as it flowed down like water, engulfing her feet and legs. It wasn¡¯t warm, it wasn¡¯t comforting, but it was hers, and it rejected the external cold and driving shards of ice.


    It wasn¡¯t enough. Her notes were torn away the moment they left her flute, lost to the howling of the blizzard. She felt her understanding of the melody growing as the mist expanded, engulfing her figure and granting her a tiny, precious meter of sight, but she was still barely making progress. The power of the storm was simply too great to contest.


    Zeqing had said something, something about music being spirit and soul. She had said mere sound was insufficient to express it in full. That didn¡¯t make sense! How could she have music without sound?! It sounded like part of some stupid koan.


    But Ling Qi was not a mortal anymore. It seemed strange that she had to keep reminding herself, but it was so easy to forget when she was always surrounded by other cultivators. She could jump higher, hit harder, and think more clearly, but it was all so gradual that it was hard to notice before it just became her new normal.


    A cultivator wasn¡¯t normal. She wasn¡¯t normal. She could flow through a space smaller than her own head as a ribbon of darkness and fly with a magical gown! She could summon mist to confound her foes and sap their will or fill her friends with the vitality and toughness of an ancient oak!


    Why then should her melody be unheard just because of the wind?


    Something thrummed deep inside of her like the plucked string of a guqin, and she felt her qi change. The rumbling thunder that had filled her as she further mastered her melody faded and became lighter like the notes of a song drifting through the evening sky.


    Her melody was no longer drowned out. Instead, it rang out through the storm, carried on pure qi. Although her ears could not hear it, her soul could. The music was as clear as if played on a calm summer¡¯s day. Her mist exploded outward, doubling and then quadrupling in volume, utterly unaffected by the wind. Her fingers danced across the apertures of her flute, faster and more dexterous than any mortal musician could match.


    As her mist roiled around her, the storm slackened. In front of her, Zeqing hovered peacefully only a short distance away in the now gently falling snow. Meanwhile, behind her, Ling Qi could see her own tracks going in a wide circle. She must have tramped through her own trail a dozen times or more and not noticed at all. She lowered her flute slowly and glared at Zeqing as she trudged toward the spirit, feeling angry and hurt.


    ¡°Why?¡± she demanded, stopping just out of arm¡¯s length. ¡°Why the hell didn¡¯t you warn me first?¡±


    Zeqing cocked her head to the side, something like earnest confusion on her pale face. ¡°There was no need. You met my expectations admirably.¡±


    ¡°And if I hadn¡¯t?¡± Ling Qi asked flatly.


    ¡°You may have died,¡± Zeqing admitted, looking bemused. ¡°How could you expect a true understanding from anything less?¡±


    Ling Qi took a deep breath. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t bother you at all if I had died, would it?¡±


    Zeqing frowned, her gown fluttering less as the wind died down. ¡°It would have been a disappointment,¡± she said thoughtfully. ¡°Do you truly think yourself so unskilled?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not...!¡± Ling Qi said in frustration. ¡°That¡¯s not the point. I don¡¯t like being thrown into that kind of situation against my will!¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± the spirit replied, still seeming lost at Ling Qi¡¯s anger. ¡°I will keep that in mind?¡± she added questioningly.


    Ling Qi closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°Sure¡­ I¡¯m heading down the mountain now. I need a break.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Zeqing said slowly. ¡°I shall see you next time then?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ling Qi replied without feeling as she stalked past the spirit. Her gown flared out, allowing her to begin the flight down, since she still couldn¡¯t feel her toes. She wasn¡¯t sure she would be coming back.

 Chapter 116-Elder Jiao

    Still frustrated, Ling Qi threw herself further into training, determined to take full advantage of the mass of medicinal energy still burning in her meridians. She took breaks only to study with Suyin and to venture out on explorations with Han Jian and his group.


    After her surprise tribulation from Zeqing, Ling Qi found the bite of her phantoms more real and the propagation of the entrapping darkness qi of no longer required the use of a separate technique, the effect having merged with Mist of the Vale. With a twist of the tune, she could narrow the drain of the Starlight Elegy technique to focus on a single target, trapping them in the Despair of the Lost as Zeqing did to her.


    On the other hand, the first breath of the art she had stolen from Yan Renshu¡¯s base, Abyssal Exhalation, came grudgingly. Although she was well practiced with dark qi by now, the cloying mix that rose from the meeting of darkness and earth did not come naturally. The hungering, corrosive violet mist of the Breath of Stygian Depth had certain things in common with her Mist of the Vale, but channeling and patterning her exhaled qi into the slimy forms of tomb worms was less pleasant. It was, however, quite potent.


    Meizhen found her new art somewhat distasteful, but she could not argue with the efficacy of it. However, the girl was remarkably quick to annihilate the slimy constructs Ling Qi summoned before they could touch her. Ling Qi considered taking the time to talk with her friend about Cai¡¯s offer and her other troubles, but the girl was busy with her own cultivation. Besides, Ling Qi wanted to get her thoughts in order before presenting them to her friend.


    As the week wore on, Ling Qi continued to work hard. Still brimming with energy, she saw no reason to refuse a request from Gu Xiulan to help the girl with her own training. They hadn¡¯t exactly had time for heart-to-hearts while out with the others after all.


    Ling Qi winced as she gazed at the wreckage of the training field and the merrily burning, bright blue fires scattered around the target area. They were, even now, greedily devouring the grass and leaving behind patches of suspiciously shiny dirt. She watched Xiulan¡¯s spirit happily frolic in a steadily shrinking patch, streaks of blue traveling up its wispy limbs as it drank in the fire.


    To her right was Zhengui, who she had let out to play while they trained, and well¡­


    ¡°Big Sis, look!¡± the little tortoise chirped from the nearest patch of fire as he puffed out his cheeks and breathed out a cloud of sparkling, multi-colored ash, apparently fueled by the unusual nature of the fires.


    ¡°How pretty,¡± she complimented him with a slightly stiff expression. ¡°Thank you for helping put out the fires, Zhengui.¡± She was answered with a happy chirp and a hiss as he went back to ¡®work¡¯. That done, she turned back to Xiulan.


    The other girl sat cross legged on a patch of dirt, her chest rising and falling with a careful breathing exercise. Her cloth of gold veil fluttered with each breath, concealing the scowl Ling Qi could tell she wore underneath due to her scrunched up brows and narrowed eyes.


    ¡°It should not be this difficult to extinguish fires,¡± her friend hissed, frustrated. ¡°It is a child¡¯s exercise!¡±


    ¡°A child can¡¯t make fires that do that,¡± Ling Qi pointed out dryly, indicating a patch of literally melted sand in the target range and the curls of flame burning in place without apparent fuel. ¡°I think you can be excused for needing to work at it a little.¡±


    Gu Xiulan gave her a dirty look but didn¡¯t immediately reply, instead glaring at the nearest pile of burning kindling that was once a reinforced target. The flames flickered in time with her breathing. They dimmed, but a moment later, they flared back to life, actinic sparks erupting.


    ¡°It makes no sense,¡± she growled. ¡°They are extensions of my qi! They shouldn¡¯t have a life of their own like this.¡± This time, she closed her eyes, and heat distortions appeared in the air around her. The flames Xiulan was focusing on collapsed, crushed before they could spark further.


    ¡°See, you can still do it,¡± Ling Qi encouraged, walking over to sit down beside her. ¡°And you can¡¯t say that it isn¡¯t worth it. I can¡¯t really afford to try and block your attacks as it is.¡±


    Xiulan huffed as she opened her eyes, focusing on the next fire. ¡°As enjoyable as it is to revel in the power, I doubt the Sect will be pleased with having a training ground burnt down every other day.¡±


    ¡°I doubt they¡¯ll care,¡± Ling Qi responded. ¡°What¡¯s a little landscaping compared to a powerful disciple?¡± That seemed to mollify Xiulan.


    ¡°I suppose,¡± she replied, and Ling Qi saw her fingers clench on her knees as she glared at the fire, forcing it to shrink bit by bit. ¡°Hmph. You must think me lazy, to complain about work like this.¡±


    ¡°The clean up is never the fun part,¡± Ling Qi said wryly. ¡°My arts aren¡¯t the kind to leave a mess, but if they were, I doubt I¡¯d have much fun with that step.¡±


    ¡°Big Sis, I found a pretty!¡± She looked down to find a proud looking Zhengui trundling over, a clump of warped sand that glittered in the late afternoon light. He dropped it at her feet, his serpent head looking away even as his little green eyes gleamed up at her, excited for her approval.


    ¡°How lovely,¡± Xiulan said, a touch of amusement entering her voice despite her strained expression.


    Ling Qi merely glanced at her before picking up the bead and examining it with a serious expression. It was pretty in a rough way, especially with the spark of azure fire that still glittered at its core.


    ¡°Thank you, Zhengui,¡± she replied with dignity, patting the little reptile on the head. ¡°It¡¯s very pretty. I love it.¡± Practically radiating pleasure, he trundled off again, Zhen wagging behind him.


    ¡°Such a devoted child,¡± Gu Xiulan said. ¡°You should be proud.¡±


    Ling Qi huffed at the touch of sarcasm in her voice. ¡°He is,¡± she said. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with being a little childish.¡±


    ¡°I suppose not,¡± Xiulan mused. ¡°You would not find many cultivators willing to spend so much time on a spirit without even beginning combat training though.¡±


    ¡°I can worry about that when he hits reaches second realm,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with letting him play for now.¡±


    ¡°What a strange attitude,¡± Xiulan said, her stress seeming to ease as she leaned back. The last of the fires was under control now, being consumed by Linghuo. ¡°I would have thought you would drive him as hard as you drive yourself.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s different,¡± Ling Qi said absently, watching Zhen bristle as her spirit confronted Xiulan¡¯s spirit over the last sparks. ¡°Anyway, what do you say - want to head to the market? I think we both deserve a treat for working hard since our little gluttons have already had theirs.¡±


    ¡°Of all the things you could learn from me, you pick up my sweet tooth,¡± Xiulan laughed, moving to stand. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s be off.¡±


    Ling QI was glad her friend had worked out her tension for the moment. If offering Xiulan a time to relax herself was all she could do, she would do it gladly.


    Such diversions could not last long though, and soon, Ling Qi had to return to training. The last several days spent in Elder Jiao¡¯s company had been stressful as she continued stubbornly cultivating Sable Crescent Step. Locked in a dream state, she found herself forced to solve more and more complex puzzles of three-dimensional movement and manual dexterity with ever harsher requirements of time and precision.


    It was enough to push her understanding to the next step and reach the state of being ¡®one with shadow¡¯ for a short time. In that state, she could move from shadow to shadow as if she had no body, hidden in the darkness cast by a person or object. Having mastered it, she was able to further understand the Sable Crescent Step art, and she was sure that no one could track her through mundane means anymore. What she had in her jade slip was a fragment- or more precisely, it was only the beginning of a chain. One step lay beyond her in the slip still, but even that was only the completion of the first true stage of mastery.


    It was with that thought in mind that she left the dream, trembling with mental exhaustion. As sensation returned to her real body, she found her head lying on something soft, rather than the floor, as was usual when awakening. Ling Qi dragged her eyes open, staring upward blearily and found a face swimming into focus above her own.


    Xin was above her, silver painted lips curved up in an easy smile as she hummed to herself, and Ling Qi felt the spirit¡¯s cold fingers brushing through her hair. She stiffened immediately, discomfort flooding her thoughts, made all the worse by Zeqing¡¯s actions earlier this week. If she had been helpless before a grade four spirit, how much weaker was she in the face of a prism?


    ¡°Awake already? How impressive,¡± Xin said lightly, peering down at her. ¡°Ah, I see. You¡¯ve completed the lesson then?¡±


    ¡°I - Uh - I have,¡± Ling Qi replied nervously, her skin prickling at the feeling of the hands on her scalp. The inability to even feel Xin¡¯s qi was hardly a comfort. ¡°Could you¡­ Can I get up please?¡±


    ¡°Ah, of course,¡± Xin replied, sounding disappointed as Ling Qi hurriedly sat up. ¡°My apologies. I did not know it would bother you so.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault,¡± Ling Qi replied quickly even as she hurried to arrange herself into a properly seated position across from Xin. A glance around the room revealed no sign of Elder Jiao.


    Xin hummed, and her eyes flickered silver. In that moment, Ling Qi felt as if Xin was looking through her, rather than at her. ¡°I see. You had been thinking of us as if we were humans.¡±


    Ling Qi recoiled. Had the spirit just looked straight into her mind or something?! She forced herself to relax. ¡°You act like it,¡± she accused. ¡°Then she goes and tosses me into a lethal blizzard. I thought¡­¡±


    ¡°She wasn¡¯t being deliberately cruel,¡± Xin said kindly, resting her hands in her lap, ¡°though [Winter¡¯s Muse/Songstress of Endings/****^%^] has a cruel nature at heart.¡±


    Ling Qi shuddered. Although her eyes told her that Xin had only said Zeqing¡¯s name by the movement of her lips, what she heard and felt was different. It was meaning, impressed directly into her thoughts, even if most of it remained incomprehensible.


    ¡°To face the slow specter of death by cold, alone and without recourse, is the greatest of inspirations in her eyes. How could she deny you the opportunity?¡±


    ¡°It¡­ was,¡± Ling Qi admitted. She found herself saying, ¡°If she had offered, I probably would have done it anyway.¡± It was foolish, but she knew herself well enough. ¡°She should have asked.¡±


    ¡°And that is your nature, that hatred for a lack of choices,¡± Xin mused. ¡°Well, I will not tell you what to do, but I think you should talk to her. That woman is a lonely one.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said I shouldn¡¯t treat you like humans,¡± Ling Qi sulked, crossing her arms.


    ¡°You should not,¡± Xin said sternly. ¡°You should simply understand where spirits differ. Beasts are easier, for they share your drives. Spirits¡­¡± She leaned back, an amused smile on her lips. ¡°Until my Jiao shared his essence with me, I knew not hunger, touch, fear, happiness, or even true desire. I was a mere fragment of the Moon, seeking secrets for their own sake. That woman had so much less time and opportunity to take on human traits.¡±


    Ling Qi felt uncomfortable with the older woman¡¯s happy, nostalgic tone and ecstatic expression.


    ¡°There is no need to discuss such things with a mere disciple.¡± Ling Qi startled as Elder Jiao appeared behind his wife, frowning down at her.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Xin asked playfully, turning her head and resting her cheek in her hand. ¡°You do not want the girl to know how you stained an innocent fairy with your essence and wrought her into your ideal spouse?¡±


    Ling Qi choked. ¡°Honored Elder, I have completed your lesson,¡± she said hurriedly, cutting off anything else Xin might say.


    Elder Jiao¡¯s expression was flat and stony as he ignored his giggling wife. ¡°So you have. What will you do with your final few days of training then?¡±


    ¡°I was hoping,¡± Ling Qi began, even as she glanced uncomfortably at Xin. ¡°I was hoping you could instruct me on the nature of spirits¡­ and how to further my understanding of Eight Phase Ceremony.¡±


    Elder Jiao sighed, even as Xin grinned. ¡°Of course you do,¡± the man grumbled. ¡°Fine.¡±


    The ensuing lessons were much less stressful thankfully and were overseen as often by Xin as by the Elder himself, granting her insights into the way spirits behaved even as she refined her ability to take in qi from the night sky. Soon enough, they came to an end, and the prickly Elder bade her goodbye for the last time.


    She had made a¡­ mostly good impression. Maybe?

 Chapter 117: Troubles

    ¡°I know you can do it. Just a little more!¡± Ling Qi encouraged from her place at the edge of the clearing.


    At the center of the gap in the small forest copse, Zhengui trembled, his shell glowing a bright emerald green. The grass at his feet was lit as well in a distorted circle around the young spirit. On advice from Xuan Shi, she had decided to explore Zhengui¡¯s wood affinity more. It seemed that ¡®normal¡¯ xuan wu usually had some ability to manipulate their environment, such as altering currents, creating small sinkholes, or at the higher end, outright manipulating the weather, causing earthquakes, and sinking or raising islands.


    In Zhengui¡¯s case, he seemed to mainly affect plants. They hadn¡¯t exactly figured out the limits of what he could do yet, but he could apparently repair nicks and damage to his shell. Ling Qi refused to test that any further. With focus, his wood affinity also extended his awareness, allowing him to feel things from further away. This awareness had a greater range if there were trees nearby.


    Now they were seeing if he could actually manipulate plants. Ling Qi watched Zhengui carefully as the young spirit shook in place, paying close attention to the feeling of his qi so she could stop him if it seemed like he was overexerting himself.


    The grass around him glowed and twisted as if caught in a breeze, and the snake-tortoise¡¯s glowing shell briefly flared, a rippling circle of green qi flowing out in a rough circle. When it faded, Zhengui lay on the ground, his serpentine tail twitching as Zhen peered down at his other half, who lay on the grass, stubby legs splayed out. The grass in the circle was several centimeters longer than it was everywhere else.


    ¡°Good job!¡± Ling Qi praised as she quickly crossed the clearing, her feet barely disturbing the still rustling grass, even as it grasped weakly at her feet. She crouched at his side and scooped him up. Zhengui was getting big enough that it was a little awkward, but she smiled nonetheless.¡±I bet you¡¯ll be able to do all sorts of fun things soon.¡±


    Gui blinked tiredly up at her. That had taken a fair bit of his energy. ¡°... Catch¡­ everything,¡± he chirped, nuzzling his head into the crook of her arm.


    ¡°I was better,¡± Zhen insisted, looking up at her with gleaming red eyes. ¡°I did good too. Right, Big Sister?¡±


    ¡°Of course you did,¡± Ling Qi soothed, eyeing the black scaled snake with amusement. She had told him so when he had managed to sustain his fire breath long enough to actually do more than scorch the bark of the target tree. She had to dive in to save him from having the sapling fall on him, but that was fine. ¡°Now, why don¡¯t I let you both take a break? I have some treats for you,¡± she offered slyly.


    Gui perked up, immediately casting off his exhaustion as he wriggled in her arms. ¡°Yay! Treats from Big Sis!¡±


    She laughed as she sat down and withdrew the ¡®treats¡¯. Since she had started getting stones from the pill furnace deal, she had spent some of them on some grade two cores from wood and fire beasts.


    There was no reason to be excessive, but she could afford to treat her little spirit when he was doing well. He needed a break before they started trying to work with his ash, which was more difficult since it required both of his halves to work together. She continued to smile as Gui happily nibbled on the core in her palm, and Zhen coiled himself around her other arm, resting comfortably as he swallowed down the cherry red core she had offered him.


    Her smile dimmed a little as she thought back to the council meeting she had left just a short time ago. She still felt wrong-footed around the heiress, and the meeting, for all that it had mostly been boring, despite the good news, had left her with a feeling of gnawing worry.


    Things seemed to be going too well for Cai¡¯s faction. Resistance to Cai¡¯s efforts were dying down among the older students, and some second or third years had even been inducted into the ranks of their enforcers. Disciples older than that were mostly not a concern since ¡®permanent¡¯ outer disciples were usually full-time workers for the Sect.


    Yet Sun Liling remained at large, and it seemed she wasn¡¯t rushing out to attack anymore. Instead, she was offering herself as a rallying point for anyone who refused to kowtow to Cai, promising protection and supplies in open defiance. Three enforcer pairs had already been trounced and hung up from the trees around the market in naught but their underclothes.


    Fu Xiang had painted a picture of quite a tough nut to crack. Chu Song had definitely sided with Sun, along with a fair number of relatively strong second realms and several lesser players. Kang Zihao was in seclusion, which probably meant he was trying to break through to the third realm.


    The fortress itself sat on a high cliff and was, Ling Qi noted sourly, surrounded by some kind of formation that left it constantly as bright as a high summer day. It looked like she had gained a reputation after the destruction of Yan Renshu¡¯s faction. For the moment, they didn¡¯t have much more information beyond the basic external plan, but Fu Xiang was trying to persuade the production students in the market supplying Sun¡¯s faction to desist and turn to Cai Renxiang.


    ¡°Big Sis?¡± She jerked at the feeling of Zhen hissing in her ear, his forked tongue tickling her cheek. ¡°No worrying,¡± the snake declared. ¡°Will bite anyone who bothers Big Sis.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked then let out a short laugh, reaching up to stroke Zhen¡¯s smooth, warm scales. ¡°Is that so? I¡¯ll be counting on you in the future then,¡± she grinned. ¡°You¡¯ll have to work hard and become strong.¡±


    She could feel the determination radiating off the young serpent as he turned to heckle his ¡®brother¡¯ for taking so long to eat his core. Zhen was a little more taciturn and definitely more reckless than Gui, but it gave her a warm feeling to know that her spirit cared for her as much as she did him. She was sure he would keep his promise once he had some more practice.


    Even with copious amounts of food, Zhengui was still quite young so he tired himself out well before noon, leaving her with time to pursue her other tasks. Meizhen had agreed to train with her that evening, but since she had little else in the way of obligations today, she wanted to start on a batch of scouting constructs.


    Although the formations in the pale tome had been altered, it was still unpleasant work. No matter that she was decent at it, Ling Qi wasn¡¯t a big fan of breaking down her kills, and the smell left over from boiling the mice bones clean was hardly pleasant either. Etching the formations into the tiny bones made her fingers cramped and sore.


    Happily, the formation effects drew the pieces back together in functioning order, and soon, she had three mouse skeletons curled up in a pouch on her belt, ready to be deployed. A bit of testing showed that they could follow simple instructions like ¡®go here and come back in ten minutes.¡¯


    With that done, she turned her attention to her second project, one which had been gathering dust in the hidden space under her bed for a few weeks. The last of the shaman¡¯s pouches had better protection than the others and would take a lot of work to unlock safely.


    Picking out the characters stitched into the pouch with a needle took several hours and quite a few close calls that left her fingers tingling with the dangerous qi of the safeguards built into the pouch. Eventually though, the last of the protections fizzled and died, allowing her to safely open the drawstrings.


    Her finds were quite disappointing at first. The pouch seemed like it was full of junk. There was a clay jar full of polished and painted bone dice, a torn headband worked with elaborate embroidery and beads, the broken halves of an unusably tiny bow, and other such things. They were all burnt or bloodstained too. Ling Qi couldn¡¯t imagine why trash like this would be so well protected. As far as she could tell, they weren¡¯t even broken talismans. It was almost like...


    No, he had been pretty unhinged. They were probably some kind of creepy trophy from his victims.


    Ling Qi continued to dig through the contents, discarding scraps in her search for something useful. Finally, near the bottom, she found two vials.


    The vials, one a bright azure and the other milky white, were obviously potent medicines; she could tell from the moment she unwrapped the little roll of hide they were hidden in. It took significantly more effort to recall what the effects were. When she did, Ling Qi couldn''t help but grin.


    Medicines that affected breakthroughs were rare and extremely expensive, so much so that Elder Su had only briefly mentioned how to recognize them. She had to hide these and keep quiet about it. There was no way she wanted anyone knowing she had these.


    ... Well, of those who might want them right now, only Ji Rong and Kang Zihao were likely dangerous. But there was no point in being incautious. The vials went into her storage ring, and she stuffed the rest of the junk back into the shaman bag. She¡¯d dispose of it later.


    It was already growing late by that time, so Ling Qi elected to spend the remaining time taking a breather. She had been working hard lately, and a meal at a nice restaurant in the market was a good reward for that. She hadn¡¯t eaten anything since her treat run with Xiulan several days ago.


    She was back by sundown to spar with Meizhen in the garden of course, and it was as rewarding - and difficult - as always. Her friend¡¯s defenses were nigh unbreakable, and her senses sharp, making Ling Qi work hard for any opening she could find. Ling Qi frequently found herself on the defensive when Meizhen quickly turned the tables on her, punishing failed attacks. Meizhen was also, Ling Qi found to her chagrin, more than capable of still dispelling her mist. Whatever earth art Meizhen used to drain away the Melody¡¯s hostile qi into the ground was pretty potent.


    For Ling Qi, it also served as practice for actively taking in the lunar and stellar qi drifting down from the night sky. The next phase of Eight Phase Ceremony demanded a more active mastery, and trying to absorb it even during a trying battle was pretty good practice.


    After the spars, the two of them sat on the porch overlooking the garden, sipping tea and relaxing. They rarely had time to do that anymore, but Meizhen was pensive. Ling Qi suspected that she knew of Cai¡¯s offer.


    Still, she was a little reluctant to break the tranquil silence between them, so she simply sat for a time, leaning back and watching the stars. She idly swirled the dark tea in her cup as she considered how to approach things. As usual, she decided that it was best to just be direct.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to guess you know what I got offered the other day?¡± Ling Qi asked, looking at her friend¡¯s pale face out of the corner of her eye.


    Meizhen inclined her head slightly, a few locks of her white hair falling down from her shoulder as she did. ¡°Cai Renxiang offered you a position as her retainer,¡± she said before turning golden eyes her way. ¡°Congratulations. It seems your talent has been recognized.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed noncommittally. ¡°I guess. I¡¯m not sure what it really means. So I¡¯m not certain what to think.¡±


    ¡°It is a rather distinguished honor,¡± Meizhen explained, as elegant as ever. ¡°A young lady in your position would not normally begin receiving such offers until you had some history of service behind you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what Xiulan says,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Apparently I should be beating off suitors with a stick.¡± Ling Qi would have missed it if she didn¡¯t know the girl so well, but she saw her friend¡¯s eyes narrow slightly.


    ¡°Such might be the usual tactics of low noble rabble,¡± Meizhen acknowledged. ¡°Happily, between your talent and associations, you have avoided being embroiled in the schemes of such trash.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t really answer the question.¡±


    ¡°It is not the same thing,¡± Meizhen replied simply. ¡°Cai Renxiang¡¯s offer acknowledges your ability, potential, and character.¡± The other girl turned her head to look her fully in the eye. ¡°You may in time reach the heights of fourth realm at an early age, but even then, you would not directly answer to the heir of a province.¡±


    ¡°I get that,¡± Ling Qi said, trying to work out how to state her reservations. ¡°It just feels really fast. I don¡¯t even really know all my options yet. I understand that I¡¯m gonna be a noble, but I don¡¯t really know what that means or how her offer is different. I don¡¯t know if it would be better than staying in the Sect, or¡­¡± She trailed off in frustration.


    ¡°I suppose you might find it fulfilling to remain in the Sect.¡± Meizhen frowned slightly. ¡°It is not a dishonourable position, but¡­¡±


    Ling Qi gave her a curious look. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the Sect?¡±


    Meizhen remained silent for several long moments. ¡°The Great Sects are somewhat new as a part of the Empire¡¯s governance. Sects have always existed, of course, as centers of learning and competition for noble youth, but the power they hold now worries some. It may be wise to consider that such a position may be¡­ unstable.¡±


    Ling Qi felt like she had missed some subtext in her friend''s words, but she could also tell that Meizhen wouldn¡¯t say more on the subject. ¡°So, what would it be like then, being her retainer?¡± Ling Qi asked, changing the subject.


    ¡°You would likely be given a fief near the capital of Emerald Seas - or wherever the Duchess elects to send her heir if she chooses not to keep her at court.¡± Meizhen relaxed fractionally at the change. ¡°You would be expected to perform tasks for your lord and attend her in official capacities, as you would in any other noble position,¡± the other girl continued. ¡°However, you would receive rather more significant resources toward the building of your house. Cai Renxiang has every reason to desire vassals who are more than the fodder new houses often become.¡±


    ¡°... Why have you never asked me to join you like that?¡± The words slipped out before she could really think about it.


    Meizhen stiffened beside her, a trace of an unhappy expression marring her ethereal features. ¡°Please do not ask me such things, Ling Qi.¡±


    Ling Qi was unhappy herself for bringing the atmosphere down. ¡°I don¡¯t think I would mind so much if it were you,¡± she continued regardless. ¡°I don¡¯t really know her. How am I supposed to trust someone who never stops playing to the crowd? Someone who I know is trying to manipulate me into liking her now?¡±


    Meizhen lowered her head. ¡°I would enjoy showing you the Thousand Lakes, but you would not enjoy being under my family,¡± she said quietly. ¡°And while I am a member of the main family, I do not have the authority to make such offers on a personal level.¡± Ling Qi caught a flicker of something in her faintly glowing eyes. There was a ¡®but¡¯ there, left unspoken. ¡°Cai Renxiang is a straightforward person. Service under her would suit you well¡­ and I think her good as well, for what that is worth.¡±


    Ling Qi looked at her friend, and after a moment¡¯s hesitation, she reached over to rest her hand on top of Meizhen¡¯s, looking away uncomfortably as she did so. ¡°I¡¯ll give it some thought then,¡± she promised. ¡°But Meizhen, you know I¡¯ll stay in contact no matter what, right?¡±


    ¡°... Of course you will.¡± She couldn¡¯t see her friend¡¯s face, but she could feel the warmth of her hand. ¡°Thank you, Qi.¡±

 Chapter 118-Heist

    The next day, Ling Qi set out to get a better idea of how to approach Sun Liling¡¯s fortress and discover the disposition of its occupants. The fortress itself was a pretty grand sight for something constructed in secret over a matter of weeks. It occupied one of the mountain¡¯s many cliffs, a bit too low to fall within Zeqing¡¯s snow-shrouded territory but high enough that there was very little plant growth. If she were to approach on foot, she¡¯d lack any cover taller than a tree stump or a mid-sized rock.


    Ten meter walls of stone rose in a curtain around a trio of squat square roofed buildings of dark red stone. As Fu Xiang had reported, at each corner and halfway down the length of each of the four walls, a globe of brilliant, blinding light stood atop a bronze stand or hanging from a similar sconce. Shadows were reduced to ragged scraps in its vicinity, not nearly large enough to take advantage of. It had to be a special property of the lights to do so since otherwise, the overlap should have left some spots where the shadows were long.


    She felt oddly tingly when she approached; channelling dark qi was more difficult the closer she got to the fortress. It felt like trying to lift a limb held down by a great weight. She could do it, but it would tire her out faster.


    For now, she was satisfied with letting her scouts check around the perimeter while she discreetly followed those who left the fortress to learn their patterns. Her shadowing was fairly fruitful; she found a couple equipment stashes for the ones on ambush duty. She would either raid them herself or report their locations to Cai later. She wasn¡¯t sure yet.


    Checking back on her scouts revealed that the disciples on duty on the walls were unpleasantly disciplined in the regularity of their patrols and attention to their surroundings. Her scouts had seen several birds get shot down just for flying within a few hundred meters of the walls.


    Although she herself could not approach, her scouts proved useful in this as well, allowing her to observe the interactions at the gate closely enough to pick up the system of pass questions they were using with returning disciples. She might be able to disguise herself well enough to get in, but her skills at subterfuge hadn¡¯t advanced the way her stealth had.


    Ling Qi considered the fortress for some time, warring with herself over what she should do. Some part of her thought risking herself was pointless. She could lose a lot and would probably gain little. She had already picked up a few useful tidbits of information from the outgoing groups, so why risk herself in a place that seemed prepared as a deliberate trap for her? Even the gaps in guard coverage, the handful of seconds where there would be no eyes on certain parts of the walls, was probably a trap. Sun Liling had probably planned it that way. Better to use her scouts; she would only be out a few red stones if they got destroyed.


    It didn¡¯t sit well with her though. She had never had a problem with acting ¡°cowardly¡±; she would never have survived long if she had. But the thought of turning away and leaving this place with so little twinged the tiny shred of pride Ling Qi had begun to cultivate in her heart. She had broken through everything Yan Renshu could throw at her and come out victorious. Surely she could at least scout around the courtyard.


    While she didn¡¯t doubt that these outer countermeasures were aimed at keeping her out, she had improved greatly in the last couple weeks, and once past the outer, she doubted the inner would be as well guarded against her specifically. Wasn¡¯t she being a little conceited to think Sun Liling would spend so much effort to target her?


    Besides, no matter who her great-grandfather was, Sun Liling was still a girl her age, not some all-knowing sage. Keeping a watch on every inch of the wall all day was impossible. Ling Qi didn¡¯t know the exact number of her supporters, but she was pretty sure Sun didn¡¯t have more than a few dozen people, and they, too, were disciples. Even if they had better senses than her usual targets, they weren¡¯t career guards or soldiers. Even if they had been drilled, there was a limit to how effective that could be in such a short time.


    She could do this, as long as she prepared well.


    Ling Qi did not rush in immediately. This wasn¡¯t like Yan Renshu¡¯s bases, where she had to fool only formations and could hide in the dark corners of a cave. A stop by the market got her a soft gray and green cloak that would cover the more colorful parts of her gown and break up her profile. Once she returned, she carefully checked herself over for anything that might make noise and stored it away.


    With all that done, she stole across the open field like a shadow, zigzagging from one piece of minimal cover to the next during the brief windows where movement was safe. When guards passed by, she lay flat on her belly behind stones or stumps as utterly still as she could manage. It was nerve-wracking¡­ and exciting.


    Ling Qi soon made it to the base of the wall, and she squinted at the bright light of the orb hanging overhead. Though it cast no shadow, it did provide concealment by blocking line of sight from the guards. She studied it, eyeing the formations worked into the bronze sconce. The orb itself, a ball of thin glass, seemed fragile. She considered simply breaking it, but she restrained herself. It would probably alert the guards.


    After a moment, she carefully climbed up and set one of her scouts atop the sconce with the command to look closely at every part it could reach. She could study the formations later to figure out if there were any tricks.


    Her next step required patience. There would soon be a gap in the patrol on the wall. It would only last a handful of seconds, but that would be enough for her to get up and over. It wasn¡¯t like ten meters straight up was very tall for her any more.


    Up close, the wall was rough and crude, more like a cliff face than cut stone. It was easy to get a grip on, and she hung below the orb sconce while she waited.


    Her moment came. Ling Qi grit her teeth as she forced her suppressed dark qi to flow and flung herself upward, rapidly scaling toward the top of the wall. Vaulting over the rough battlements, she immediately crouched low, taking in the interior in a glance before leaping off the edge into the shadow of a stack of heavy wooden crates that sat beside the interior of the wall.


    Her cloak and gown fluttered, but an application of qi slowed her fall, preventing any noisy flapping. As she settled on the ground, Ling Qi breathed out a quiet sigh of relief. She had felt several layers of alarms as she fell, but she had been able to suppress her qi well enough to slip by them. The first step was over. Even now, she could hear the sound of the next patrol making the turn that would have put her infiltration point in plain sight.


    Now relatively safe behind the crates, Ling Qi studied her surroundings more closely. The interior of the fortress was a field of packed dirt around the three small blocky buildings, two of which faced each other with the last squatting at the rear end of the fort. There was a small area full of targets and practice gear roped off but little else of note. Pairs of disciples stood at the entrance to each building while a handful of others went about their business, chatting or practicing. A rather harried-looking boy with a stack of papers and a quill was inspecting stacks of crates, so she probably shouldn¡¯t linger long at her current location.


    Carefully, she lifted the lid of the crate next to her, peering inside. It was full of wrapped bundles of arrows with what seemed like color-coded fletching in orange, white, and blue. Some kind of special ammunition, maybe? Ling Qi glanced around furtively, then slipped her hand inside, pulling one bundle into her ring. For intelligence gathering purposes, of course. One missing bundle could be attributed to an error.


    Sadly, the omnipresent lighting extended into the courtyard as well, so she could not yet slip into the shadows entirely, forcing her to rely on her more mundane stealth ability to slip from her hiding place to the next. This time, she found herself behind a stack of training equipment sitting near the roped off yard. The stack was nothing worth investigating, just training weapons and gear and straw targets for archery. The gray tarp thrown over the targets presented an opportunity, and Ling Qi squeezed under it with hardly a rustle.


    Now, she just had to figure out how to get into the buildings. There were no windows on any of them, and each building had only a single door, which was actively guarded. She would have to somehow get the guards to leave their position¡­


    Ling Qi paused in her considerations as one of the doors opened, and a person she recognized emerged. It had been quite some time since she had last seen Ji Rong, but his scar was still hard to miss. Unlike some of the other boys, he hadn¡¯t taken to wearing any kind of armor, instead sticking to a simple combination of baggy pants and a loose hanging, sleeveless shirt. Her eyes lingered longer on the bandages wrapped around his forearms and hands; there were formation scripts on them.


    He was also fully late second realm, which was irritating. He was keeping up with her cultivation progress, despite the setbacks he had suffered. The boy had a certain cocky swagger to his step these days too.


    When he turned his head to look behind him, Ling Qi followed his gaze to find another figure she hadn¡¯t seen in a long time. Sun Liling¡¯s second, Lu something or another, hadn¡¯t changed much in appearance. He was still a tall, fine-featured boy with obnoxiously pretty hair that reached the middle of his back. He, too, forgoed any armor, although he wore metal-studded armored boots, tighter trousers, and a long red sash around his waist that glittered ominously. Ling Qi thought the sash was likely some kind of weapon.


    Ling Qi held her breath and suppressed her qi as much as possible. They were heading her way, and she needed to remain undetected. Luckily, it seemed to work, since the two boys continued conversing without pause.


    ¡°... does she want us to squat here?¡± Ji Rong¡¯s words reached her as the guard closed the door behind them.


    ¡°As long as we need to,¡± Liling¡¯s pretty boy responded. ¡°I don¡¯t see what the hurry is. It¡¯s not as if we lack anything here.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too easy-going,¡± the scarred boy said irritably. ¡°We¡¯re bottled up in here like rats! I still haven¡¯t gotten a chance to deck that stuck-up bitch, and I can¡¯t get Sect Points like this either, Lu Feng. Some of us can¡¯t send home to Daddy for treats.¡±


    ¡°And you are, as always, taking this far too seriously.¡± Lu Fengrolled his eyes, a long-suffering expression on his face. ¡°Wenji and the others will finish establishing supplies soon. You can get your points then. Until then, just enjoy the wargame.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a game,¡± Ji Rong growled as the two entered the roped off area. ¡°You think I¡¯m gonna be satisfied with what we¡¯ve done so far? Do you think Sun Liling will be? Neither of us is gonna be satisfied with getting looked down on.¡±


    ¡°On the contrary, a game is exactly what this is,¡± Lu Feng said smoothly as the boys took up positions across from each other in the training field. Were they going to spar? ¡°But I will not bother arguing this again.¡±


    ... Wait. Why was Ji Rong taking his shirt off? That was unnecessary. Didn¡¯t they have self-repairing clothing? Why wouldn''t that be the first thing any serious cultivator got?!


    ¡°... why she keeps you around. It¡¯s like you don¡¯t have any pride.¡± Ji Rong¡¯s words penetrated her distraction as he tossed his shirt onto a fence post and took up a fighting stance.


    Glittering lines drifted from Lu Feng¡¯s gloved hands as he took up a loose stance as well. His physical cultivation lagged Ji Rong¡¯s somewhat, but he didn¡¯t appear worried. ¡°And that is why a dumb brute like you will never catch the Princess¡¯ eye. Although why you would want such a-¡±


    He vanished, blurring to the side as Ji Rong¡¯s sparking fist passed through the space where his head had been. That first attack flowed into a flurry of exchanged blows between the two boys, which Ling Qi watched intently. It would be useful to gather intelligence on notable enemies¡¯ fighting styles.


    ¡°You shut your damn mouth about that.¡± Ji Rong grunted, eyes narrow as he slapped aside curling coils of wire. ¡°I ain¡¯t stupid, and I¡¯m not some puppy dog following her around.¡±


    ¡°Is that so. Well, you are far too ugly to be a good puppy, so I suppose that¡¯s a good thing. Your base lust is as obvious as it is amusing however,¡± he mocked, even as he twisted and dodged to avoid Ji Rong¡¯s increasing tempo of attacks.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing,¡± Ji Rong replied, leaping backward to avoid glittering wire that shot up from the ground, ¡°wrong with looking!¡± He rushed back in, refusing to give the other boy space. ¡°Least I¡¯m not a limp dandy like you!¡±


    ¡°Hmph. As expected of a brute,¡± Lu Feng said as he caught a punch on his forearm, only to grin viciously as wire coiled up the other boy¡¯s arm, allowing him to fling Ji Rong bodily into one of the fence posts. ¡°You truly have a one track mind.¡±


    Ling Qi shifted uncomfortably. She had learned that Sun still had people on the outside doing work to supply her people with Sect points, but as interesting as this was to watch, the two weren¡¯t really using new techniques. She needed to get into the buildings. Forcing some of her attention away from the spar, she studied them for a weakness which she could use to approach.


    Ling Qi was not certain what gave her away, but her instincts, sharpened by years spent fearing the consequences of being caught, twinged. Ling Qi was suddenly glad that she had not fully taken her eyes off the roughhousing boys because she caught the slight shift in Ji Rong¡¯s stance the instant before he rocketed toward the tarp she was hiding under in a spray of lightning.


    Dark qi flowed, pushing through the suppression, and she vanished just as the boy¡¯s booted foot came down, cratering the ground. She caught Ji Rong¡¯s narrowed eyes as she rose into the air, buoyed by the power of her gown. There was no surprise in his expression, only a sort of grim determination tinged with wary respect.


    As she floated in midair, her cheap cloak billowing and her hood thrown off, Lu Feng started to say something, but Ling Qi had no interest in banter. She knew she was in a bad situation, and before the first words could fully leave his lips, she rocketed upward.


    In the wake of her escapades in Yan Renshu¡¯s lair, Ling Qi had been bothered by how easy it was to escape the boy despite being at a cultivation disadvantage and on enemy ground. In discussing the matter with Meizhen, she had learned the true worth of her Cai-gifted gown.


    Flight, true flight without some unwieldy transportation talisman or mount, was largely unheard of below the Cyan realm among Imperial cultivators. As such, few made preparations for it in the Outer Sect. Ling Qi had no doubt that the Sun supporters had though. She sliced an incoming arrow out of mid-air and spun, cloak flapping wildly as she avoided two others.


    Her suspicion was born out as the next arrow exploded in a blue-white flash, replaced suddenly by a wide net with weighted stones tied in strategic places. She yelped as it entangled her, and the weight on her grew immense as if each stone weighed a hundred kilograms or more. She grit her teeth and forced more qi through her channels. She dissolved, becoming, for a brief moment, little more than a black mist that seeped through the gaps in the net and continued up.


    Her troubles didn¡¯t end there. A bright light from below, brighter than the omnipresent glow, caught her eye. She looked down to see Ji Rong, crouched in the middle of the training field, his cupped hands extended upward toward her.


    A rippling ball of bright yellow plasma the size of her torso screamed through the air faster than an arrow from his hands. Ling Qi jerked to the side, dodging desperately, and held back a scream as it grazed across her side, scalding her flesh right through the gown.


    As painful as it was, it didn¡¯t stop her. She discarded her cloak, now on fire, and she flew away from the fortress with every ounce of speed she could manage.

 Chapter 119: Friends 1

    This made for the second time that she had crash-landed in the garden, Ling Qi mused. She wasn¡¯t particularly fond of it. Her infiltration attempt had been a bit of a wash. It was a bit galling to have only gotten a bundle of trick arrows out for her efforts, and the scout left on the orb was a loss as well, albeit a minor one. But she had gotten a name for one of Sun Liling¡¯s suppliers, uncovered some of their strikers¡¯ routes, and at least, Cai¡¯s faction would now be aware that Sun¡¯s faction was stockpiling said trick arrows.


    Ling Qi wondered if she could figure out where Liling had the arrows commissioned from, but it was no great heist like her last one against Yan Renshu¡¯s faction. Feeling rather dissatisfied as well as mildly sore after applying a salve to her burn, Ling Qi took the time to write down her observations and deliver them to Cai¡¯s home before heading down the mountain to meet with Han Jian.


    She snuck her way down, of course. No reason to make herself a target on the trip. Spending time with Han Jian and the others continued to be awkward due to the tensions between them, but they pressed on regardless, continuing to comb the surroundings for useful sites and resources between training sessions.


    Over the course of the next few days, Ling Qi finally mastered the next technique of the Thousand Ring Fortress art, One Hundred Ring Armament, allowing her to layer powerful defensive qi over herself and her allies. It was costly, short in duration, and at her current level, could not be used reactively, but while the technique was active, she could outright ignore anything less than a technique used by a peer. Even then, most anything that her friends could throw at it, excluding a few of Xiulan¡¯s attacks and a single one of Han Jian¡¯s sword arts, were greatly reduced in effect.


    She also got a demonstration of Argent Storm from Han Jian. Argent Storm was a wind and thunder elemental art forming the basis of the Sect¡¯s physical enhancement and movement arts. Inspired by the great seasonal squalls which beat down upon the Wall every year, its Rumbling Squall technique wrapped the body in a layer of obscuring wind and its Thunderous Retort technique produced loud thunderclaps to deflect enemy blows and enhance your own.


    In turn, Ling Qi demonstrated the less visually impressive Argent Mirror, using it to defend herself from the effects of Han Jian¡¯s aura of command when he summoned his banner as he had done at the intra-council battle.


    They showed each other the beginning exercises of each art, enough to practice the first few levels. They would need to show each other later exercises to push beyond because the jade slips were protected from being copied.


    Luck was still against them when it came to finding useful sites though. There was profit to be had in the beast cores and herbs to be turned in, but nothing of true note otherwise.


    With a night of calming meditation under her belt, Ling Qi recovered from her effort in the fortress, and she met Suyin early in the morning to help the girl with her request. Cool mist still hung over the forest at the base of the mountain as the two of them walked, Li Suyin in the lead.


    ¡°You have to wonder why there are so many nests like this out here,¡± Ling Qi said idly as she stepped over a jutting tree root. It had been confirmed, thankfully, that their destination was not the nest she had stolen silk from.


    ¡°Once the Ahui clan conquered the Forest of Murk and their leader bound its guardian spirit, spiders became a popular spirit companion in the Emerald Seas,¡± Li Suyin explained . ¡°Since they were an offshoot and pillar of the ducal Hui clan, it only makes sense for others to have copied them.¡±


    ¡°What happened to them then?¡± Clearly, the Ahui clan weren¡¯t keeping the spiders under control anymore.


    Li Suyin didn¡¯t respond at first, peering into the mist ahead as she fidgeted with her sleeves. She was on edge about the coming binding it seemed. ¡°They were destroyed during the invasion of the Cloud Tribes, along with many others. The Hui clan never properly recovered from the loss of so many loyal vassals, and combined with the Imperial condemnation of their failure to properly coordinate their armies...¡±


    Ling Qi nodded absently. Sometimes, she felt like she could ask just about anything and Suyin would have some kind of answer.


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± she said, interrupting her friend. ¡°Or is that some other giant spider nest?¡± She had thought the looming shadow was a hill at first, but no, it was a massive pile of webbing that rose in a low, sloping cone until it met the crumbled remains of a squat stone tower. The tower was sheared off at the height of the taller trees and served as an anchor for the nest.


    Li Suyin swallowed nervously as she squinted into the mist to make out the details. ¡°No. That is¡­ That is it,¡± she said.


    ¡°Do you need some time?¡± Ling Qi asked. The man-sized tunnel halfway up the ¡®hill¡¯ probably looked even less inviting if you couldn¡¯t see into the dark. Knobbly, wriggling sacks studded the inner walls and ceiling. She didn¡¯t know if they were eggs or prey.


    ¡°No. I can do this.¡± Suyin took a deep breath and drew herself up as she continued to walk forward. Ling Qi followed her, eyeing the nest warily as she expressed her flute. Now that they were close, the atmosphere grew more oppressive with every step, and the mist seemed to thicken, swirling around their ankles as they began to ascend toward the tunnel.


    ¡°You do have a plan, right?¡± Ling Qi asked as the sounds of chitinous legs skittering in the distance filled her ears. It was galling to walk right into a situation like this. They were surrounded, above and below. She could just barely make out the moving shapes on the trees which poked out of the nest.


    ¡°I do,¡± Li Suyin said, stopping at the tunnel entrance. She straightened her back and then bowed, hands pressed together in front of her. ¡°Great Matriarch, this humble one brings offerings! This one brings delights wrought by the hands of man for your pleasure and amusement. Please grant an audience that this petitioner might offer them to your august personage.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced around warily, even as she made the proper bows as well. It was a little hard to tell with the way her eyes worked now, but this area was unnaturally dark. The sun should be high in the sky and shining down, but it was still misty and dark.


    As Li Suyin¡¯s words echoed down the tunnel, Li Suyin¡¯s expression began to grow nervous at the lack of response, but then a thick cable of thread, woven in along the ceiling of the tunnel, slowly lit up with a pale blue glow. It made no difference to Ling Qi for purposes of vision, but it was apparently the sign Li Suyin was hoping for. She shared a brief look with the other girl as they straightened up and headed in.


    Li Suyin motioned for her to keep silent as they did, so the trip down the winding, narrow tunnel was made without any further chatter. The glowing cable lead them through multiple splits in the tunnels, always heading toward the center of the nest at the base of the ruined tower. Eventually, they found their feet once more on solid stone, only lightly covered in debris. The ceiling rose sharply overhead, creating a large entryway, and ahead lay a crumbling arch, over which a curtain of diaphanous white silk hung.


    Two massive spiders with thick, almost rocky carapaces stood guard, one lurking above the arch and the other on the floor. Each of their legs looked as large and sharp as a sword, and sixteen black eyes regarded her and Suyin with cold intelligence. They were both third realm, and Ling Qi could feel a greater presence still beyond the curtain, comparable to Zeqing.


    She remained silent, allowing Li Suyin to continue taking the lead. ¡°Honored guardians,¡± Suyin greeted, making a shallower bow than she had at the entrance. ¡°May I pass?¡±


    ¡°You alone, petitioner,¡± the spider on the floor hissed, its voice sounding like a raspy old man as its fangs twitched. Its blade-like limbs made a sound like metal being dragged over stone as it moved.


    Ling Qi glanced at her friend in alarm, but Li Suyin merely nodded in acceptance. ¡°It is fine,¡± she reassured. ¡°Please be patient, Ling Qi. I will be out soon.¡±


    ¡°... Right. See you soon,¡± Ling Qi replied. She didn¡¯t like it, but there was little she could do to help her friend in a confrontation with a fourth grade beast. She would have to trust that Li Suyin knew what she was doing.


    Nonetheless, watching Suyin¡¯s back as she passed beyond the curtain was difficult. Her friend looked so small compared to the nearly horse-sized spiders. She glowered at the massive guardians, her fingers itching for a knife.


    Those thoughts did not make the wait after her friend passed through the curtain any less interminable. There was no way to properly track time in the nest, and the spiders showed no interest in conversing with her. She considered meditating, but she knew her nerves would make such an exercise fruitless.


    It felt like hours before the curtains shifted and a figure emerged from the milky layers of hanging silk. Li Suyin looked terrible as she staggered out, a sickly pallor on her face. Her steps were unsteady, and she nearly fell as she emerged, only catching herself on the doorway at the last moment. A small patch of blood stained the chest of her soft grey gown, although it didn¡¯t seem to be spreading.


    Ling Qi crossed the entryway in the blink of an eye, ignoring the threatening hiss of the guards as she caught Li Suyin before she could trip on the uneven flagstones in front of the door


    ¡°I... did it,¡± Li Suyin muttered, her voice muffled by Ling Qi¡¯s shoulder. Her voice was slurred, and her friend¡¯s weak attempts to push away from her and stand on her own proved fruitless and clumsy.


    Ling Qi opened her mouth to reply, only to blink as she felt an odd pinch on her hand on Li Suyin¡¯s back. Glancing over her friend¡¯s shoulder, her eyebrows rose as she saw a ball of pink fuzz and chitin the size of a child¡¯s fist. The relatively tiny spider was trying and failing to bite her hand, its fangs unable to penetrate her skin. It let out an affronted chitter and waved its furry little pedipalps threateningly at her anyway.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing the one on your back is yours?¡± Ling Qi asked, continuing to ignore the agitation of the larger spider beside her.


    ¡°Oh¡­. Oh, um¡­¡± Li Suyin blinked and let out an uncharacteristic giggle. ¡°Yes, she is. All mine¡­ Zhenli, be good. This is my friend.¡±


    The little spider still regarded her suspiciously, but at least it stopped trying to chew her finger off. Ling Qi sighed, moving away briefly to watch her friend sway on her feet. Li Suyin looked and acted incredibly drunk, if she were being honest.


    ¡°Well, ask her to climb up on your front. I¡¯m going to carry you, alright?¡±


    ¡°Tha¡­ Thank you, Ling Qi,¡± Li Suyin said, stumbling on her words. ¡°Zhenli¡­¡± She made a face of almost comical concentration, and a moment later, the spider clambered onto her shoulder.


    Ling Qi sighed and scooped the smaller girl up into a bridal carry. It was a little awkward, but Li Suyin was short enough that she could manage it. The girl fell asleep with her head resting on Ling Qi¡¯s shoulder before they had gone a dozen meters. This close, Ling Qi could smell the pungent scent of strong liquor on Suyin¡¯s breath. Just what had the girl been doing in there?


    She supposed she would have to ask another time.

 Chapter 120-Friends 2

    ¡°She was still wishing herself dead last time I saw her.¡± Su Ling gave a wry grin. ¡°I can¡¯t say a drinking ceremony with a giant spider was what I was expecting from that.¡±


    It was the next day, and Ling Qi had met Su Ling early in the morning to get some practice in. She was trying to further master Argent Mirror, and the fox girl¡¯s illusions were the best practice she could safely find.


    ¡°Yeah, when she said she would need help getting back¡­¡± Ling Qi trailed off as she leaned back against the tree she was resting near. Training had gone pretty well, but she was feeling more than a bit mentally exhausted from practicing the perception art for so long.


    Su Ling sat across from her, wiping an oiled rag along the length of her sword. Ling Qi had noticed her using blade cleaning and care as a meditative exercise lately. ¡°I saw her putting a bunch of those big clay jars into her ring, but I didn¡¯t really think about it. It¡¯s just a hangover though. I¡¯m surprised that she can¡¯t just fix that,¡± Ling Qi admitted.


    ¡°Ehh¡­ Liquor meant for cultivators is as full of weird shit as medicines,¡± Su Ling said easily. ¡°Hao, the guy I sell my stuff to, does business with a couple of brewers. You have to use some pretty potent stuff to affect a cultivator.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed to herself. She supposed that made sense. ¡°Do you think you have some free time still?¡±


    ¡°Sure? I don¡¯t have anything I gotta do till later.¡±


    Ling Qi knew it was a little silly to hesitate now after she had already asked, but she still felt awkward about asking. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing some composing. Do you think you would mind listening for awhile?¡±


    The fox girl¡¯s ears twitched, and she looked at Ling Qi oddly, pausing in her work on polishing her blade. ¡°Huh, you picked up another art then? Figured you¡¯d be full up.¡±


    She frowned at her friend. ¡°No, just normal music. Not everything I do is cultivation.¡±


    Su Ling gave her a singularly unimpressed look.


    ¡°... I¡¯m trying to do some normal stuff,¡± Ling Qi muttered. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± Su Ling replied over her. ¡°I¡¯m just kinda surprised. Hope you''re not expectin¡¯ me to know one note from another though.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to,¡± Ling Qi said, sitting up. ¡°Just tell me how you feel about the piece when I¡¯m done. That¡¯s more important than the technical stuff.¡± At the risk of sounding arrogant, she was beyond flubbing notes at this point.


    She played without end for the rest of the morning, allowing her tension and nerves to flow away into the melody she wove with her flute. It was nice. It was everything she liked about doing things with Su Ling. There were none of the undercurrents of awkwardness that remained with Meizhen, the tension with Xiulan, or even the feeling of needing to live up to some impossible image that Li Suyin sometimes gave her.


    Su Ling was hard to read. She complimented the music easily enough, but she was vague on her thoughts about it. The girl seemed sad, if anything, which was strange, as the melody she was working on was a lighter one. She didn¡¯t seem inclined to talk about it though, so Ling Qi did not push¡­ yet.


    For now, Ling Qi would just enjoy some relaxation before she got back to work.


    ***


    Ling Qi crouched over the glittering red and yellow growths at the edge of the vent, a length of sturdy cord dangling from her fingers. She still retained one of her scouts from last week¡¯s actions at Sun Liling¡¯s fortress, and she had found herself at a bit of a loss as to what to do with the thing. She didn¡¯t want to waste its remaining operation time, but she wasn¡¯t going to need it for much this week.


    In the end, her thoughts had gone to the vent and the seemingly bottomless crevice she had rescued Zhengui from. Ling Qi was wary of getting caught in a space too small for her body though. Such occurrences had been¡­ messy in Elder Jiao¡¯s simulations, not to mention painful. That has inspired her to just resort to a more mundane solution. It cost her no more than a trip to the supply house in the girl¡¯s residences.


    ¡°Are you done screwing around with that?¡± Su Ling asked impatiently, breaking her out of her thoughts as she felt the bundle of bones at the end of the cord come to rest on something solid.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ling Qi replied absently, giving the spool she had staked to the ground beside the vent a little twist to ensure it could turn properly. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were that eager for another concert,¡± she added lightly as she stood and turned, dusting off the front of her gown.


    Su Ling, seated on the ground with her sword across her lap, looked discomfited by the comment, scratching her cheek sheepishly. ¡°It¡¯s a good focus for meditation. The third stage of the Insurmountable Crag art is kinda¡­¡±


    Ling Qi nodded her understanding as she settled herself on the flat stone that was her customary seat. Mountain qi didn¡¯t really come naturally to the other girl, so as much as Su Ling liked practicing her sword art, it was an uphill struggle. In the case of Argent Mirror, the difficulty had been offset by how easily she took to Lake qi, but she didn¡¯t have that advantage with her sword art.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I mind,¡± Ling Qi said, idly running her fingers along the polished length of her flute and wondering what she should play.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess I¡¯m glad you asked,¡± Su Ling said as she closed her eyes. ¡°I never would have thought you could do songs that don¡¯t make people¡¯s hair stand on end.¡±


    Ling Qi made an affronted sound, shooting her friend a dirty look. She knew the rough girl¡¯s jibe was friendly though, so she wasn¡¯t offended. ¡°It¡¯s hardly my fault that the mountain seems to explode every other month,¡± she huffed, raising her flute to her lips. She hadn¡¯t really made any proper songs yet, so she would just play what she felt.


    The next couple hours passed in peace as she played and her friend meditated, ripples of dull grey Mountain qi occasionally surfacing on the mirror-polished blade of her sword. Eventually, the drift of the sun ended their relaxation though.


    As Ling Qi opened her eyes and lowered her flute, she felt the tingling of a new meridian slowly forming down her arm, and felt a thrill of satisfaction at her progress. Elder Su had made clearing meridians sound hard, but while it was time consuming, she had never really found it difficult beyond the first few.


    Su Ling¡¯s breathing was even, and her furry ears drooped low. Her friend almost looked asleep, although Ling Qi could tell that she wasn¡¯t. Her expression was melancholy though, and it made Ling Qi wonder. She mulled over her options and as usual, elected to take the direct path.


    ¡°Do you want to talk about it?¡± she offered as she dismissed her flute back into storage.


    Su Ling opened her eyes, giving Ling Qi a confused look. ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°Whatever has you down,¡± Ling Qi replied simply. ¡°Sad wasn¡¯t what I was going for with that piece.¡±


    Su Ling looked at her for a moment and scoffed. ¡°Since when are you all touchy-feely. ¡®S more Suyin¡¯s thing isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re supposed to be friends, right?¡± Ling Qi asked dryly. ¡°Of course I¡¯d ask.¡±


    ¡°I left you be when you came to the Medicine Hall with frostbite and a look like someone had pissed in your rice,¡± Su Ling retorted, crossing her arms.


    Ling Qi hadn¡¯t even noticed Su Ling was there when she went in to get treated. ¡°Yeah, well, maybe I¡¯d have liked it if you said something,¡± she shot back, feeling defensive.


    Su Ling looked away, uncomfortable. ¡°You have other people for that.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned. She¡­ didn¡¯t, really. She loved Meizhen as a friend, but she had no desire to bare any part of her past to the highborn girl. The thought of doing so made her deeply uncomfortable, and the thought of burdening Xiulan or Suyin with her complaints didn¡¯t exactly fill her with joy either.


    ¡°... It¡¯s nothing important.¡± Ling Qi found Su Ling looking at her with a sort of unhappy realization on her face. ¡°It¡¯s just, ah, what¡¯s the word -¡± Su Ling drummed her fingers on her knee, ¡°- it¡¯s just nostalgia.¡±


    Ling Qi toyed with the end of her braid. ¡°It seems like every time I start to trust someone more powerful than me, they pull something shitty.¡± The vulgarity passed her lips without thought, rare as that was for her these days. She could remember the unreasoning panic which had seized her thoughts in the aftermath of the incident with Meizhen. She had only been able to push it aside because Meizhen was her friend.


    Then Zeqing had come along and flung her into a deadly blizzard, shattering the comfort that she had started to take in her presence. She could recognize that she had started to latch onto the snow woman; her mastery of Argent Mirror wouldn''t let her ignore that.


    ¡°I can get that,¡± Su Ling said quietly. ¡°Not quite like you do, but fuck, nobody is the same when it comes to that kind of thing.¡±


    ¡°Guess so,¡± Ling Qi mused. She supposed it all came back to Mother and the ugly argument that had led to her fleeing to the streets. It seemed foolish of her looking back. Those memories took on a different cast when looked at with the eyes of an adult. She had a few reasons to pay Tonghou City a visit, it seemed.


    ¡°That¡¯s a scary look,¡± Su Ling said, drawing her from her thoughts. ¡°Got someone you¡¯re gonna kill?¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Ling Qi said slowly. ¡°How about you?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Su Ling replied, meeting her eyes dead on. ¡°Got a list, ending with that murderous furry bitch.¡±


    ¡°Guess that¡¯s something we have in common,¡± Ling Qi said, remembering her friends words about her spirit mother. ¡°Let me know if you need a hand.¡±


    Su Ling stood up, dusting off her pants. ¡°I might at that. Should probably get going though. Got a lot of work yet.¡±


    ¡°The same,¡± Ling Qi sighed, copying her friend. ¡°Until next time.¡±

 Bonus Chapter-Mid Year Conference

    ¡°This is all increasingly farcical,¡± Sima Jiao said irritably. Strands of shadow curled around his fingers as they drummed on the polished surface of the meeting table. ¡°Are we truly to allow matters in the Outer Sect to continue like this?¡±


    Across from him, Hua Su had the good form to grimace briefly. Though there was no sign of stress on the seemingly middle-aged woman''s face, nor a single hair out of place in her severe bun, Sima Jiao could see the little burrs in the flow of her qi: irritation, unhappiness, dissatisfaction. ¡°I must concur. While I have received a larger than usual crop of disciples interested in the medical arts, the reasoning is somewhat... ¡°


    ¡°Has it really gotten so bad?¡±


    Sima Jiao shot the speaker a scowl, but Zhuge Gen merely returned it with a jolly smile. Of middling height with a bald head, a cheerful mein, and a fat belly, the man was hardly the image of a soldier. His pretensions at being a monk and red cassock only irritated Sima Jiao further. Nonetheless, Elder Zhuge was Zhao¡¯s adjutant, here to represent him while Guan Zhao personally supervised the pacification of the Rushing Wing Cloud Tribe.


    Tch. Perhaps he should call upon a little more power. Let¡¯s see how the welp grinned then. That musclebrained ox Guan Zhao had his faults, but at least he was not quite so self-absorbed as this twit who had not even passed his fourth century nor stepped into the Sixth Realm. Sima Jiao should have been done with this kind of idiocy.


    ¡°Brother Jiao is correct,¡± Shi Ying said quietly, her hands clasped in front of her face. Her tiny, plump, and grandmotherly form was at odds with the feeling of looming weight that hung around her. Jiao was, of course, unaffected, but the poor lad in the corner taking minutes looked about ready to soil his robes. ¡°The Outer Sect is a proving ground, meant to test for entry, but this¡­ ¡®war¡¯ is excessive. The degree to which certain disciples are being allowed to bend the rules is excessive.¡±


    ¡°It is beginning to damage our reputation,¡± Hua Su said, looking to the head of the table. ¡°There are those saying that the Argent Sect has grown lax and undisciplined.¡±


    Sima Jiao felt his lip curl as he turned to look as well. Unlike the others, he did not lower his head before Yuan He.


    The Sect Head was an old man with a healthy head of snow white hair and a spry sort of energy despite the deep wrinkles on his face. In his grey eyes still churned the fury of a storm, and the thunder of his cane striking wood still silenced the room. Despite their disagreements, of all the people in this room, Yuan He was a man who Sima Jiao still respected. In the lightning that crackled in his eyes, in the set of his shoulders, and in the churn of his spirit, there remained a shadow of the man who had led the shattered remnants of the South Emerald Seas for decades as those Hui degenerates drank and danced. The man who had struck the final blow against Ogodei from atop a mountain of his comrades¡¯ corpses was still there.


    It was just too bad that Jiao was all too familiar with the sight of a man who had thought to change the world and bent in the doing.


    ¡°I am aware of the troubles regarding the new rules,¡± Yuan He said sternly. ¡°However, until this year¡¯s end, they remain necessary.¡±


    Funding The words he would speak regarding the benign neglect of the Southern Sects would likely earn him an Imperial censure, Sima Jiao thought sourly. To see His Highness¡¯ plans, so carefully crafted, already beginning to show wear around the edges¡­


    But Emperor An had ascended, and now, it was the Empress¡¯ will. Not for the first time, Jiao felt a grinding pain in his spirit like the broken edges of a rib shifting.


    ¡°Duchess Cai¡¯s aid has been invaluable in maintaining our programs and core cultivation,¡± Hua Su began carefully. ¡°But surely, this chaos is not her intent.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I do not know about that,¡± Zhuge Gen mused. ¡°We are seeing an unusually large group of prospective third realms emerging.¡±


    ¡°And how many careers have been quashed and Ways bent?¡± Shi Ying asked darkly. ¡°That Yan child, he had potential before we allowed his Path to devolve as it has. And he is only a prominent example among others.¡±


    ¡°Let us not be blind here. In a year where a scion of the Bai, the child of the Tyrant of Radiance, and the Butcher King¡¯s great-granddaughter were present, there was never going to be a shortage of third realms,¡± Sima Jiao scoffed. ¡°And that is not even getting into the convergence of other prestigious families.¡±


    ¡°Not many people dare speak the name the Hui gave to our Lady Duchess anymore,¡± Zhuge Gen said with a nervous chuckle. ¡°Aren¡¯t you being a little irreverent, Senior Brother Jiao?¡±


    ¡°Only because most people are cowards.¡± Sima Jiao flicked his sleeve dismissively at the younger man. ¡°The woman never banned it. Indeed, she finds it quite amusing as far as I can tell.¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± Yuan He said, his voice booming with an undercurrent of finality. ¡°Your concerns have been heard, but the matter is closed. Unless you can convince all of your colleagues to halve their cultivation salaries¡­?¡±


    And that was the rub. The Argent Sect had a frankly absurd concentration of power. Two active Seventh realms - himself and the Sect Head - more than ten sixth realms, and many more of the fifth. Supporting such cultivation was beyond the means of any polity smaller than a county. That was not even considering the standing military the Sect maintained. The lands gifted to the Great Sects were rich - but not that rich.


    Yuan He regarded them all in silence until one by one, the others lowered their heads. ¡°We will resume the more stringent rule structure in the following year, as per the agreement with the Duchess. Turn your attention to the matter at hand.¡±


    Hua Su frowned, and another burr of dissatisfaction formed somewhere in her channels. Hopefully, it would not turn into a full-fledged heart demon. The woman¡¯s father was half in the grave already, and the Medicine Department required a firm hand. ¡°The tournament. It is going to be troublesome this year.¡±


    ¡°That is understating matters,¡± Shi Ying said grimly. ¡°The Duchess, a King¡¯s simulacrum, a delegation from the White Serpent Caste of the Bai, the Admirals of the Savage Seas¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand that the Han will be bringing a guest from the Guo as well,¡± Sima Jiao smirked bitterly. ¡°And even the Zheng have expressed an interest in attending.¡±


    Zhuge Gen grimaced. ¡°... Only the Jin and the Imperial House are not attending. Six of the eight ducal houses. By the Conquering Sun, what are we going to do?¡±


    ¡°We will prepare the campgrounds and stadium and demonstrate an organized administration. No matter how great our guests¡¯ status, they are just that. Guests.¡± Yuan He stated calmly. ¡°Remember the purpose of the Great Sects. We must at least present ourselves as a neutral ground.


    And wasn¡¯t that easier said than done, Sima Jiao thought with a scoff. This year just kept getting longer.

 Chapter 121-Friends 3

    Zhengui was demanding an ever greater share of her attention what with his appetite growing at a ferocious rate. The little fellow practically inhaled cores, and the less said of the massacre of the fruit platter she purchased for him, the better. One of the flower beds in their garden had also met its demise at Zhengui¡¯s maw. The little turtle-snake had chomped and shredded the plants into a carpet and rapidly dug out a hollow for himself.


    Ling Qi was glad that she had both studied herself and asked Xuan Shi for help, or she might have been much more worried. Zhengui was preparing to breakthrough to the second realm. Still, it was hard not to fret when Zhengui was acting as if he were in a trance or a fugue, barely responding to her when she spoke.


    However, she knew that she could only support him while he broke through. Heedless of the cost, she quickly set about purchasing a great deal of high quality wood, straw, and other plant-based kindling to line his growing nest with. She burned further spirit stones providing materials for security formations around the garden, well aware that Zhengui would be helpless in his hibernation.


    After a few days, Zhengui buried himself under a mound of dirt and shredded plant matter, and the feel of his thoughts grew muted and indistinct. A short time later, the kindling began burning, flames shot through with lines of emerald green greedily consuming the offerings in the pit that had once been a flowerbed.


    With Zhengui settled in, Ling Qi finally forced herself to leave the garden. She would not do Zhengui any good by stalling her own growth. She had been invited to train and explore with the Golden Fields group, and she planned to take advantage. Having been more than a month since she had picked up the jade slip for Argent Current, it was high time that she actually put it into practice.


    It was surprisingly easy to pick up Argent Current during the training sessions between rounds of careful exploration with Han Jian and the others. Argent Current focused on striking a single point again and again until it shattered, like a river breaking through a dam. It rewarded working together with other users of the technique as she found when working with Xiulan. If both of them used the Pressure Crack technique, the qi they poured into it reinforced itself, building off both of their efforts to greater results.


    Their efforts at exploration also finally bore some fruit this week as they discovered a set of caverns behind a small waterfall rich in Earth and Water qi. The caverns were littered with bones, not all of which looked animal. The sun was already setting by that time though, so Han Jian decided that it would be better to come back when they were fresh.


    In her spare time at the Argent vent, Ling Qi continued to pursue her whim, dangling one of the new Ossuary Scouts she had made down into the crevice at the end of a cord. While the little bone construct mostly got caught in cracks or otherwise got stuck, eventually, after many false starts and failures, her scout finally found the bottom of the vent. It was nothing grand, simply a small chamber slightly over a meter across filled with a bubbling pool of what looked like liquid silver. It was the source of the mist which rose from the vent. Ling Qi collected a few vials full of the stuff via her scout, noting with concern that the construct¡¯s bones seemed to be petrifying with exposure to the liquid. The fourth time she sent it down, it came back up as a fossilized sculpture.


    Ling Qi made sure not to directly touch the stuff. It did feel like it was full of incredibly potent qi though, so she left it to Su Ling and Li Suyin to see if they could make anything of it. Her curiosity satisfied, she returned to cultivation.


    However, Ling Qi found it hard to concentrate. Between events with Zeqing and the introspection of her cultivation. Ling Qi found her thoughts turning back to her Mother again and again, even as she contemplated meeting Zeqing again. She felt that her communication with Mother was going well, that they were reconnecting, and that made her happy, but all the same¡­


    She remembered the night she had run away from her home. It was a memory that she had long suppressed, which had grown ever more clouded with emotion and self justification.


    She remembered the feeling of betrayal, fright, and panic that had consumed her younger self''s thoughts. Mother had been all she had, and she was supposed to protect her. Now that she thought about it, her first lessons on how to stay quiet and out of sight and notice had come from her Mother. It hadn¡¯t been enough to avoid notice from customers, not back then.


    She remembered how much it had hurt to listen to Mother talk about her like some piece of meat or fatted calf at market, to have Mother smile and titter at the big leering oaf whose disgusting eyes had fallen on her, and to have Mother act like the only problem with the oaf¡¯s proposition was Ling Qi not being ¡®ready¡¯.


    Looking back with older eyes, she could remember the bruises on Mother¡¯s neck the next morning and the hitch in her step. She could recognize the vapid flirtations as a distraction and the way her Mother had snapped at her in the morning exhaustion. Su Ling had accused her of missing things before, and she wasn¡¯t wrong; Ling Qi knew she had a bad habit of tunnel vision ever since she was a child.


    It had been years since she had thought about that night, and she had never really questioned or examined her apparent reasoning for leaving. She had a good excuse, of course; the streets offered little time for introspection¡­ or maybe until now, she hadn¡¯t wanted to acknowledge that the basis of so much of her hardship was a wrong assumption.


    She was a stubborn girl. She knew that well enough.


    ... Ling Qi couldn¡¯t regret her decision though. Even if she no longer blamed her Mother, the fact was that she would never have been truly safe with her either, especially as she grew. She could acknowledge now that Mother had been barely more than a girl herself at the time. Even now, Mother should only be a bit over thirty. Could Ling Qi have avoided ending up the virtual property of some overstuffed merchant or petty mortal official if she had stayed?


    It was with those thoughts in mind that she put her brush to the page.


    Mother,


    Your concern makes me happy, and I will keep your advice in mind. While I won¡¯t claim to have not made any mistakes, I have learned to step a little more lightly. Bai Meizhen, my friend, and I have had some difficulties, but I think we have reached an understanding of each other, although I sometimes exasperate her.


    Also, you are not so old, Mother, so none of that.


    As for the situation which lead me to my spirit companion¡­ It is a bit of a long story. Suffice to say, I made a good impression on his father, who asked me to care for Zhengui on his behalf.


    Turning from lighter things, Mother, is there something wrong? Is there someone giving you trouble? I can recognize when you are avoiding a subject. I know you likely do not want to trouble me, but I would appreciate it if we could be candid with each other.


    If there are problems, I am not helpless to confront them, even here. I cannot include the details in this letter, but I have earned a few favors from my peers. Even if it was cut short, you did raise and care for me. I will not forget my obligations as a daughter.


    As for me, I have been greatly improving as a musician. I have become pretty skilled at the technical aspects, but I¡¯m afraid my repertoire is still limited. My composition skills lack the refinement of use, and I have been advised to work on creating my own pieces if I wish to continue mastering the musical arts. I would be very happy if you might offer some advice on the matter.


    Your daughter, Ling Qi


    Gazing down at the drying ink of the third draft or so, Ling Qi pursed her lips. Letters were very limiting, especially when she suspected that they weren''t entirely private.


    Tonghou still hung heavily in her thoughts.

 Chapter 122-Crimson Princess 1

    The path up the mountain was winding and steep. She could reach Zeqing¡¯s frozen territory much faster with flight, but the trip was more pleasant if she slowed down to think and take in the crisp air and beauty of the cliffs.


    With her newest letter to her Mother sent from the Ministry office in town, her thoughts had turned back to the trouble with Zeqing. She was still angry at the snow spirit, but it was tempered. But the fact was, Zeqing was much stronger than her, so much so that Ling Qi had no way to defend herself if Zeqing decided to turn on her. It was difficult to forget that, knowing that the spirit might throw her into a lethal situation again without even feeling remorse.


    At the same time, Zeqing wasn¡¯t malicious, at least not toward Ling Qi. Xin had said that spirits thought differently, but surely if she spoke her concerns clearly, Zeqing would understand. She just¡­


    As she reached the top of the path and arrived at the small, snow-dusted clearing at its top, she stopped dead. At the far end of the stony clearing, perched atop a boulder, was Sun Liling. The red-haired princess wore a plain scarlet silk shirt that stretched tightly over her chest and baggy black pants of similar material worked with silver embroidery. Her spear, a demonic-looking thing that seemed like it was forged from twisted vines of red metal, rested easily on her shoulder.


    ¡°Yo.¡± The girl raised her free hand in greeting, even as she rose to her feet with predatory liquid grace. ¡°You really pissed off Yan Renshu. The money grubber didn¡¯t even charge me for trackin¡¯ your movements.¡±


    Ling Qi regarded the princess silently, the fingers of her right hand twitching as she restrained the urge to draw her flute right away. This was bad. How was the girl hiding her qi? If Sun Liling wasn¡¯t standing in front of her, Ling Qi would hardly know she was there. Even now, she could just barely feel a faint pulse, but no more.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t the only one who can sneak,¡± Sun Liling replied dryly to her unspoken question, idly twirling her spear. ¡°Dad ¡®n Gramps used to take me hunting all the time. You can¡¯t spook the game, ya know?¡± Sun Liling spoke as if this were no more than a friendly conversation.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Ling Qi asked flatly.


    ¡°I figured I¡¯d come have a chat,¡± the red-haired girl said casually, tapping the butt of her spear against the stone. ¡°I gotta admit, I really screwed up that first day, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    Ling Qi narrowed her eyes. ¡°If you know that, then you know that there isn¡¯t much point to chatting,¡± she replied, even as she reviewed her options. The path further up the mountain was behind Sun Liling, but she could easily bound up the cliffs and cut around her. She was a long way from the black pool though. Similarly, she could simply take a dive off the cliff and head back toward her allies, but she doubted that the Sun Princess had not put together something to slow her down, and flight still drained her terribly.


    ¡°True,¡± Sun Liling admitted, not sounding particularly regretful. ¡°You¡¯re the loyal type. Man, it woulda been so easy to be more friendly than the snake.¡± She laughed, shaking her head. ¡°Ah well, no use cryin¡¯ over might-have-beens.¡± Her expression grew serious as she leveled the barbed tip of her spear at Ling Qi. ¡°Draw your weapon, flute girl. We¡¯re gonna have us a little duel.¡±


    Ling Qi scowled. ¡°Isn¡¯t it supposed to be shameful to punch down like this?¡± Sun Liling had a realm advantage on her, as well as a battle-ready spirit. ¡°Then again, I¡¯ve learned just how much stock most people on this mountain put by all those kinds of rules.¡± She expressed her flute, clutching it tightly.


    ¡°You¡¯re gettin¡¯ it,¡± Sun Liling said lightly. ¡°Honor isn¡¯t built to favor the weak - but you got one thing wrong.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Ling Qi asked, tensing as her thoughts raced on what best to do.


    ¡°Even the most hidebound noble in Celestial Peaks wouldn¡¯t frown at this,¡± the Crimson Princess drawled. ¡°You¡¯re too good for that, and you might as well have spat in my face with that lil'' stunt at my fort. You''re a pain in the ass, but with that pretty dress o¡¯ yours, you¡¯re a menace. So take your first shot, run, or whatever. I want to get this started.¡±


    ¡°You know, one thing¡¯s always bothered me,¡± Ling Qi said slowly.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± the arrogant girl responded indulgently, apparently willing to let her talk a little before the duel.


    ¡°You keep going on about the Bai being traitors¡­ but no matter how I look at it, doesn¡¯t that match your family better?¡± Ling Qi asked blithely. Even if it cost her initially, riling Sun Liling up was better than letting the girl keep a cool head. ¡°Though I guess it doesn¡¯t count since you got rewarded for it.¡±


    Sun Liling¡¯s easy-going expression darkened, her lips drawing up into a sneer. ¡°We won the greatest victory the Empire has seen since the first dynasty. We did the job that cowardly trash shoulda done ten thousand years or more ago. Ain¡¯t nothing traitorous about that, or are you second guessing the Emperor?¡± she asked coldly before shaking her head. ¡°I don¡¯t even care. Take your attack, or I¡¯m putting you down now.¡±


    Well, that didn¡¯t last as long as she would have liked. Still, Ling Qi had a line of retreat planned now. Ling Qi raised her flute to her lips and began her melody, mist pouring from her flute in a rapidly expanding circle. It engulfed Sun Liling and the entire clearing they stood in within moments, but Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help but grimace as the qi washed over Sun Liling without taking hold, a slight hazy aura around her head and a flare of bright yellow in the depths of her pupils showing her resistance.


    Then Ling Qi had other things to worry about. The ugly spear screamed through the air toward her, and it took everything she had to avoid being impaled. It carved through the winds protecting her body, barely offset, but the fraction of a second it took to tear through them allowed her to activate her most used defensive art and twist away, liquid darkness trailing from her limbs.


    It still wasn¡¯t enough. Despite being half-shadow, red hot pain lanced up her spine as the spear tore a bloody gauge out of her side. She felt it scrape against her ribs, and despite herself, a sob of pain interrupted her song. Thankfully, the important part was the cover the mist initially granted her. She wasn¡¯t going to continue playing when she could hide.


    Her senses warped as she merged with the shadow of the cliff ahead, color washing out and proportions subtly changing in her vision as she fled as fast as she could, the burning, bleeding wound in her side urging her on. She heard Sun Liling shout something behind her, but she was too focused on running to care, slipping from one shadow to the next as she escaped through a cleft in the cliff side. She flowed over the rocky ground as fast as she could manage, activating her Formless Shadow technique to slip through paths too narrow for her human body to take. She did everything she could to throw the girl behind her off the trail.


    She knew this area well enough. If she could just gain some distance, she could lose the princess in the maze of ravines ahead. Or perhaps, she could even lead the Sun Princess through the territories of some beasts to slow her down long enough for Ling Qi to flee into Zeqing¡¯s territory.


    And as the world blurred around her, it almost seemed like it would work.


    A muffled boom from above was her only warning before a scarlet bolt struck down in front of her. Ling Qi had a moment to take in her opponent, now clothed in glistening scarlet armor. Sun Liling¡¯s narrowed eyes glared at her from inside the snarling demonic maw of her helmet, and two additional armored limbs clutched cruel, jagged blades. Bloody mist leaked from vents in the elbows and calves of the armor, making a trail to the sky above.


    Then the monster moved, and all thought vanished. Ling Qi drew vital qi outward, desperately layering herself in the Hundred Rings Armament even as she dodged frantically through the three-pronged storm of blades that drove her back against the wall. She pushed herself further than she had thought possible, weaving through dozens of strikes, but she simply wasn¡¯t fast enough.


    Cuts appeared on her arms and face, rips formed in her gown, and the shell of qi she had enveloped herself in flared, drawing deeply from her dantian as it turned fight-ending blows into scratches. So sharp and fast was the drop in her qi that it felt like she was being punched in the gut, but even so, it was better than the alternative.


    Ling Qi could see the surprise and frustration in her opponent''s eyes, and that was what gave her the strength to keep going. When the attacks slowed, she kicked a spray of dirt and snow into the girl¡¯s face and fled into a crack in the wall of the ravine Sun Liling had cornered her in.


    It was a gamble. She had no idea where the hole led, but it was her only chance. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, and she bled freely from dozens of small wounds and one large one, droplets of blood dissolving into black smoke as she rushed through the narrow tunnel, straining to maintain her near incorporeality..


    She emerged into a snowy field, and the moment she had the freedom of space to assume her normal body, she expressed a Wellspring Pill and crushed it between her teeth, hungrily drinking in the restorative qi. Then she bounded forward into the small copse of pine trees that marked the entrance to the ravine maze that would take her toward the black pool.


    She could feel the Crimson Princess behind her. Whatever technique the girl had used to conceal her qi was not holding up under the pressure of the girl¡¯s effort. Sun Liling¡¯s qi was a bloodthirsty miasma of wood, water, and wind, mingled with a thread of something else which she couldn¡¯t identify but reminded her unsettlingly of the run through the jungle in Elder Jiao¡¯s test.


    Ling Qi grit her teeth and flared her qi, pulling on the passive net of wind she constantly wove around herself, guiding it to speed her movements rather than deflect and guide. She bounced from the shadow of one tree to the next and rushed into the ravine to her right, but she could feel Sun Liling gaining on her.


    ¡°Having some trouble, Miss Ling?¡± Ling Qi flinched violently as a male voice sounded in her thoughts, glancing around wildly as she ran. Recognition dawned on her. It was Fu Xiang, or someone who felt and sounded like him.


    ¡°I thought it would be prudent to check on our council members given the ruckus down here, and it seems I was right to. Do you have a plan, or are you merely fleeing into the wilderness at random?¡±


    Yeah, he was still pretty slimy-sounding, but she would take what help she could get. ¡°I have a destination in mind. Can you actually do anything to help?¡± she thought at him. The boy had basically dropped off the face of the mountain for a while and hadn¡¯t seemed to be accomplishing much. ¡°Do you know how she¡¯s tracking me?¡± Her qi was suppressed, and she left no sign of her passage, but the Sun Princess was still unerringly following her.


    ¡°Your heartbeat and the flow of your blood, I imagine,¡± Fu Xiang responded dryly in her thoughts. ¡°While I may not be capable of your flavor of direct intervention, I am not entirely without resources.¡± His ¡®voice¡¯ trailed off, and Ling Qi felt an odd twinge in the air and qi around her. A harsh buzzing filled her ears and the qi she could feel was scrambled weirdly. ¡°Ugh, the drain at this distance¡­ I do hope you appreciate this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll owe you a favor,¡± Ling Qi said tersely. She could feel the Crimson Princess hesitating behind her, as if suddenly unsure of the trail. That was enough for her. She took a sharp right at the next split and bounded up the cliff face at the dead end, her partially corporeal feet running up the side of the cliff as easily as she would a field.


    ¡°Well, how could I refuse that?¡± he asked, sounding slightly sarcastic. ¡°Will you be safe at your destination for an hour or so?¡±


    ¡°I should be,¡± Ling Qi replied, mulling over what to tell him. In the end, she elected to keep quiet about Zeqing. ¡°Why? And why didn¡¯t you do this kind of contact the last time she attacked?¡±


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t broken through then,¡± the boy said irritably. ¡°It is not as if real time, two-way communication is simple.¡±


    Ling Qi felt sheepish. Of course. If something like that was easy, everyone would do it. The Ministry of Communications probably wouldn¡¯t exist if it was that easy and cheap. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. I suppose I¡¯ll forgive you.¡± And now she didn¡¯t feel sorry anymore. ¡°We will be coordinating an attack since I have confirmation that the Princess is off chasing shadows.¡±


    That brought a grin to her lips. ¡°I¡¯ll be safe for an hour if I can make it.¡± She reached the top of the cliff and flew over a long gap in the crumbling path that wound around the peak. Sun Liling had resumed chasing her, and there was another presence with her now, a thing that felt like blood-soaked earth shot through with a multitude of hungry roots. That must be Sun Liling¡¯s spirit she had seen at the intra-council fight. They were gaining on her again.


    ¡°... I have a bolthole in that region.¡± Fu Xiang¡¯s voice was contemplative. ¡°It has a single use transportation formation no more than half a kilometer in range, but that should serve your purposes.¡±


    Ling Qi narrowed her eyes suspiciously. ¡°Why the sudden generosity?¡±


    ¡°Someone set the bar rather high for usefulness,¡± he said archly. ¡°Use it or don¡¯t. I will need to end this call if I am to have any qi left for other things today.¡±


    Ling Qi was reluctant to trust the boy - his demeanor pushed all sorts of alarms in her mind - but she didn¡¯t really have a choice. She didn¡¯t have enough distance on her pursuers to be sure of her escape.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± She did her best to ignore the smug edge to the boy¡¯s tone as he gave her hasty directions to his apparent ¡®bolthole¡¯. It wasn¡¯t a bad idea to set up retreat points scattered around the mountain. Maybe she should consider spending some of her pill furnace income doing the same.


    In any case, she needed to hurry. She was burning qi quickly to keep all of her techniques active, to remain hidden and half material in the shadow. She didn¡¯t dare take flight for fear of giving away her position. It made her more appreciative of what monstrous reserves an Elder like Jiao must have to keep such things going on a near permanent basis.


    Putting idle thoughts aside, Ling Qi swooped down from the ledge, diving back into the shadowed ravine below to continue her escape, speeding her movements with every patch of shadow. The snowfall helped, dimming the daylight even further.


    Once or twice, she felt a surge of dread when she glimpsed a flash of red in the snow far behind her, but she poured on further speed, sprinting until her lungs burned with exertion as they hadn¡¯t done in months. Ling Qi only slowed down when she reached her goal, an innocuous snow-covered boulder sitting at the bottom of a steep drop-off. A quick inspection revealed nothing that resembled a trap, but to her Mirror-enhanced senses, the boulder was illusory. She passed through it, ghosting down the narrow tunnel into the rock wall behind it.


    There were no traps within, though there were bones and other detritus scattered around, probably to make it look like a beast¡¯s lair. The transport formation was at the rear of the tunnel, scratched subtly into the stone. All too aware of Sun Liling¡¯s approaching presence, she quickly smeared blood over the activation symbols in the appropriate order as she had been instructed, holding in her mind the image of a high windblown cliff near the black pool. The formation crackled to life, and Ling Qi was swept away.

 Chapter 123: Crimson Princess 2

    When her vision returned, Ling Qi breathed a sigh of relief. Fu Xiang had been honest with her; nothing strange had happened. She couldn¡¯t sense Sun Liling any longer, but that didn¡¯t mean she was safe yet. She took off at a run the moment she got her bearings, heading for her meeting point with the powerful ice spirit, Zeqing.


    As she expected, Zeqing waited for her at the black pool, floating at its edge and gazing into its depths. She turned around as Ling Qi arrived, looking curious as Ling Qi collapsed to her knees in front of her, breathing heavily as her techniques finally lapsed.


    ¡°Lady Zeqing,¡± she gasped out. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being late. An enemy waylaid me on the path.¡± She ignored the pain of her wounds. The first thing she needed to do was to spin this in such a way that the spirit would be inclined to ward off her enemy. It was the biggest gamble of her choice frankly. She thought the spirit liked her, but she didn¡¯t know how far that went.


    ¡°I see that,¡± Zeqing replied, floating closer to her on a gust of frigid air. Blank white eyes peered down at her with a touch of maternal concern, or at least Ling Qi liked to imagine so. ¡°You had trouble prevailing over your foe?¡±


    ¡°I escaped with some help,¡± Ling Qi said carefully, considering her next words with as much precision as her tired, fear-frazzled thoughts would allow. ¡°They would not take no for an answer, and after our last session, I did not want to miss speaking with you.¡± She wasn¡¯t lying, but she was certainly bending things. ¡°I was hoping... that you might keep them away from here while we speak? I do not wish for my troubles to affect you.¡±


    The snow spirit regarded her thoughtfully. Time seemed to crawl as Ling Qi held her breath, praying to the Grinning Moon that the spirit would accept her request.Then Zeqing¡¯s silver hair billowed briefly in the wind, and the screaming howl of the storm outside the ravine grew louder. Ling Qi sagged with relief.


    ¡°Ling Qi.¡± She looked up to see Zeqing crouched in front of her, and Ling Qi could not help but note that the way the gown bent with the motion was subtly wrong. The spirit¡¯s tone was serious though, and some of her earlier nervousness returned.


    She shivered slightly as Zeqing reached out, a quickly forming hand of clear crystalline ice cupping her cheek. Her skin burned at the contact, and the little cuts only made it worse.


    ¡°I apologize for my presumption and misjudgement,¡± the spirit said kindly, ¡°but I still think my actions were for the best.¡±


    ¡°I understand, and I apologize for my overreaction,¡± Ling Qi replied quickly, meeting her blank eyes. ¡°You were only trying to help. But please do not do something like that without asking again.¡± She didn¡¯t know if pressing this point was a good idea, but she wanted to keep coming up here to play music with Zeqing, and she couldn¡¯t do that without assurance.


    Zeqing inclined her head slightly. ¡°That is agreeable,¡± she replied easily. ¡°But¡­¡± Her next words were sharper, albeit still not unkind. ¡°I am not your shield. You are not Hanyi. You are not [Mine],¡± she chided. Her final word reverberated strangely in Ling Qi¡¯s ears. ¡°There are compacts with the Sect which I must follow, and I do not appreciate being made to skirt them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Ling Qi apologized. ¡°I couldn¡¯t think of anything else. My friends were too far, and she - my enemy - would have been expecting me to run downward. You were the only hope I could think of, and I still needed help just to get here.¡±


    Ling Qi had started to think herself strong, but that had been foolish. When Sun Liling had been able to force a direct confrontation with her, she had been crushed. Bare luck had saved her from being beaten bloody in a matter of seconds. The emotions held in check by adrenaline bubbled to the surface, and Ling Qi clenched her fists in the snow at the memory of cutting, whirling red blades and fleeing like a frightened rabbit from a hunter.


    She wasn¡¯t strong. She was still just a sneak who could only run away and steal. She had allowed her success to make her arrogant.


    Her skin prickled as as she felt an icy finger brush away the tears that had begun to leak from her eyes. Zeqing was looking down at her with narrowed eyes, and for a moment, she felt a thrill of fear. Had her show of weakness set the spirit off? The moment passed though, and the dark cloud on the spirit¡¯s expression passed as well as she allowed her hand to dissolve and stood up, turning away.


    ¡°Do not trouble yourself. I will wait for you to regain your comportment, and then we may both relax without interruption.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ling Qi replied, wiping her face. That had been embarrassing; she should have controlled herself better. It was just so frustrating to have her illusions broken so easily yet again, particularly with her recent reflections. ¡°Hanyi is lucky. I wish I had someone like you to rely on.¡± The words were a thoughtless musing, slipping out without intent.


    The temperature dropped in the wake of her words, and she looked up in alarm at Zeqing¡¯s back.


    ¡°Be cautious with your words, mortal child. I do not think you have considered them carefully,¡± Zeqing said stiffly, not turning around. ¡°It is best not to offer such enticements.¡±


    Ling Qi hastily nodded, but some tiny part of her wondered what would happen if she reaffirmed her statement. The thought would niggle at her throughout their session and even after she left, escorted from the edge of Zeqing¡¯s territory by Meizhen and a handful of enforcers.


    Sure enough, an assault had been mounted on Sun Liling¡¯s fortress while the girl had been absent. Even with Bai Meizhen personally chasing after the Sun Princess on the mountain, the assault had done heavy damage. For whatever reason, Cai Renxiang didn¡¯t press the attack to the point of destroying Sun¡¯s faction, but the Sun thugs had lost people and supplies.


    Ling Qi hoped the red-haired bitch regretted haring off after her now.

 Chapter 124-Crimson Princess 3

    Ling Qi breathed deeply, following the exercises held in her jade slip. She knew that she had overreacted. She knew that the stress of being chased by Sun Liling had cracked her emotional control. She knew that objectively, she was quite strong and that there were very few people on the Outer Sect mountain who could push her into a corner like Sun Liling did.


    So why did she still feel so weak? It was ridiculous. There would always be someone stronger than her. But remembering the snarling visage of Sun Liling¡¯s helmet makes her feel like a frightened girl cowering under a pile of trash again.


    Her hands clenched on her knees. She forced herself to maintain her breathing exercise and push down that corner of her mind still consumed by gibbering panic and the desire to flee and hide. She just had to -


    ¡°How commendable of you, Miss Ling!¡± Her introspection was shattered by the sound of Gan Guangli¡¯s booming voice. She grimaced sheepishly. She had been waiting for him to finish drilling a group of new enforcers, and she had gotten carried away.


    She opened her eyes, looking up at the tall boy from her seat on the bench at the edge of the field.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± she asked, a little confused. Had she missed some context?


    ¡°Your devotion to cultivation,¡± the golden-haired young man explained with a grave nod. ¡°Few can find the focus to cultivate even in such a short period.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Ling Qi felt awkward. What else was one to do while waiting? This place was as safe as could be given how many of Cai¡¯s people were around, and sitting around doing nothing was wasteful. ¡°It¡¯s nothing praiseworthy.¡±


    Gan Guangli shook his head. ¡°I think you are mistaken, but I will not press the matter. Regardless, you wished to speak with me, Miss Ling? Do you require aid in some endeavor? Have you uncovered another villain to smite?¡±


    Ling Qi shook her head, smiling just a touch. It was hard to get all broody with that kind of attitude staring her in the face. Gan Guangli was at the peak of second, brimming with Mountain and Heaven qi woven through with threads of Metal. He had already been late second realm over two months earlier. Was he having breakthrough difficulties? Or perhaps he was still building his foundation for the attempt?


    ¡°Nothing like that. Even I can only uncover one major villain a month,¡± she joked.


    ¡°Of course. My apologies,¡± he replied, moving to sit on the bench across from her rather than continuing to loom. The tiny characters carved into the wood flared as the seat creaked under his weight. ¡°My excitement at the possibility of further glory surpassed my sensibility.¡±


    Well, at least someone had gotten to enjoy yesterday, Ling Qi thought. The thread of bitterness didn¡¯t last.


    ¡°I was actually hoping to ask you about that,¡± she said, glancing around. There were still enforcers practicing in the field, but they were keeping a respectful distance. ¡°What actually happened when you attacked the fortress? Why didn¡¯t Lady Cai finish them?¡±


    Gan Guangli crossed his arms over his brawny chest. Ling Qi tried to casually look away; he had worked up a sweat. ¡°A good question. I admit, retreating galled me somewhat,¡± he rumbled unhappily. ¡°I tore their gates asunder, and those foul contraptions failed to absorb Lady Cai¡¯s light as our men sacrificed themselves in destroying them. We could have crushed the rebels in detail!¡± His voice rose, and she saw a few enforcers glance their way.


    ¡°So why didn¡¯t you? Did the Princess make it back?¡± Ling Qi leaned forward. Then his words registered with her, and suddenly feeling wary, she asked, ¡°Wait - what do you mean by ¡®sacrifices¡¯?¡±


    ¡°She did not. Miss Bai prevented that. Those infernal orbs around the fortress absorbed the qi of light and the heavens, but even destroying them was a trap for they returned the attack which shattered them twofold,¡± Gan Guangli explained, waving his oversized hand bombastically. ¡°Several brave enforcers volunteered to do the deed and received commendations and rewards commensurate with their valor.¡±


    Ling Qi was glad she hadn¡¯t decided to try shooting one. ¡°... They really volunteered for that?¡± she asked incredulously.


    Gan Guangli chuckled. ¡°Of course! To earn the personal praise of Lady Cai is no small thing!¡± Ling Qi did her best to hide the dubious expression on her face. Then again, guys could be kind of dumb like that. ¡°Alas, total victory remained beyond us.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Ling Qi raised an eyebrow curiously.


    Gan Guangli leaned forward, his seat creaking ominously. ¡°In truth, Lady Cai wished for Princess Sun to be occupied with reconstruction. She feels it is a poor idea to push her entirely into a corner.¡± He spoke in what was, to him a conspiratorial whisper, so it was essentially a normal person¡¯s speaking voice. ¡°In addition, she was somewhat concerned that the Elders may have stepped in if she captured and imprisoned so many promising disciples. The rules of this wargame vex me at times.¡± He added the last with a grumble.


    Those were actually pretty good reasons, Ling Qi supposed. ¡°We did get some benefits though, right? Don¡¯t tell me I got hunted through the upper peak for nothing.¡±


    Gan Guangli shook his head firmly. ¡°Not for nothing. We captured several key members of their supply chain and demoralized them greatly, along with the material damage. Chu Song retreated in disgust in the aftermath, taking even more of their supplies. We have split the resistance in twain! While we received few converts, many have simply abandoned the effort,¡± he explained. ¡°Those of low virtue are rarely willing to openly fight the hand of justice once its strength is shown.¡± A sneer of disdain briefly crossed his expression.


    At least the Sun bitch was paying for coming after her. ¡°I¡¯m glad,¡± she breathed, closing her eyes for a moment. ¡°Do you mind if I ask you something else?¡±


    ¡°By all means, Miss Ling. You have more than earned whatever answers you might ask,¡± he replied, his boisterous tone returning.


    ¡°Why do you follow Lady Cai?¡± she asked. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ probably aware of what she asked of me, right?¡±


    Gan Guangli nodded, a proud expression on his face. ¡°Indeed. In deference to your pending choice, I shall not express my congratulations aloud,¡± he said. ¡°My reasoning is simple. Lady Cai is Justice.¡±


    Ling Qi stared at him. ¡°... Do you mind explaining a little?¡±


    He grinned, and she narrowed her eyes. Had Gan Guangli actually just messed with her? ¡°Disorder is the root of evil,¡± he continued, his tone more serious. ¡°Lady Cai wishes to bring order to our province and to purge the rot that sinks as deep as its very foundations. I follow her because I believe wholeheartedly in her cause,¡± he said with absolute conviction.


    ¡°So she¡¯s just that benevolent, huh?¡± Ling Qi¡¯s irreverent words slipped out before she could fully think them through.


    ¡°You doubt, and that is fine,¡± Gan Guangli responded seriously. ¡°You have seen hardship so trust does not come easily to you.¡±


    She glanced at him, startled. That wasn¡¯t the kind of statement she expected from a boy like Gan Guangli. ¡°Oh? I guess you guys have gone sniffing around my background.¡±


    ¡°Lady Cai most assuredly has,¡± he agreed. ¡°I am no noble. My Father was a soldier of no great talent but considerable valor.¡± Gan Guangli¡¯s expression grew thunderous. ¡°When he was crippled defending our town, he was thrown away like so much trash.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned. ¡°Why are you so devoted to Lady Cai then? Most people would blame her, since her Mother runs everything.¡±


    Gan Guangli frowned deeply, and for a moment, Ling Qi worried that she had given offense. ¡°Miss Ling, I do not wish to speak of my own personal story here and now.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Ling Qi replied, glancing around the practice field. She wouldn¡¯t want to air her own past around this many people either. Still, it irked her; she was no closer to understanding his devotion to Cai than before. She began to stand.


    However, Gan Guangli raised a hand to halt her. ¡°That does not mean I will not speak on the matter. How much do you know of our Emerald Seas history?¡±


    ¡°Very little,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°I did not have time for those kinds of lessons.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± the boy replied, and Ling Qi found herself believing him. ¡°Know then that the history of Emerald Seas is one of strife. Since the days when our founding clan vanished beyond mortal ken, the clans of Emerald Seas have fought with one another. When the emperors of the second dynasty raised the Xi clan and commanded our civil wars to halt, it ended only the largest and most obvious conflicts.¡±


    ¡°I thought the previous ducal clan was the Hui,¡± Ling Qi said. Li Suyin had mentioned that once.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Gan Guangli boomed. ¡°The Xi did not last. The moment their Imperial backing faltered, their vassals tore them apart and resumed feuding. The Hui rose to the top of that chaos. Do you know what their solution was?¡±


    ¡°I imagine it wasn¡¯t a good one,¡± Ling Qi replied dryly.


    ¡°I would barely call it a solution at all,¡± he spat. ¡°The Hui cared only to be acknowledged as the strongest and receive their petty tithe. So long as that was done, the clans could do as they willed and the Hui would remain in their palaces and endless revels. As one would expect, the clans took their cues from their ¡®ruler¡¯ and acted much the same. Each clan behaved as if they were petty kings and violently resisted any attempt to curtail their power or impose responsibility. It took Ogodei to change that.¡±


    Ling Qi shivered despite herself, the image of a vast funnel of wind consuming an entire city playing through her mind¡¯s eye. ¡°... So you think the Cai are good for imposing law in comparison to what came before?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, that is not incorrect, but it is perhaps a bit too simple,¡± Gan Guangli said. ¡°I believe in Lady Cai because I believe she is right. I believe in her because she and her Mother have made things better. However, some complain of their trampled rights and seized titles, and others who have finally been punished for their crimes, corruption, and irresponsibility toward their people whine.¡±


    ¡°Things are hardly great in the present,¡± Ling Qi commented with a bitter twist, remembering the filthy slums that clung to Tonghou¡¯s outer walls and the things that happened out there.


    Gan Guangli dipped his head in agreement. ¡°Indeed so, Miss Ling. You must understand, we speak of nigh on ten thousand years of rot and chaos. Even the mighty Duchess Cai cannot fix such things in a mere century or two. So it is that I support her daughter in her efforts, that she might one day build upon her mother¡¯s foundation. We must seek to leave the world better than we found it, else there is no point to all of this. Power is worthless if it does not improve people¡¯s lives.¡±


    Gan Guangli was surprisingly naive, Ling Qi thought. It was hard not to be infected at least a little with optimism by his words though. He had that sort of presence.


    ¡°Thank you for explaining,¡± Ling Qi said politely, standing at last. ¡°I understand better now why you act as you do.¡± She had to wonder what the real story was though. She had no trouble believing that the local nobility and government were corrupt, but she had to wonder what the Cai family was actually after.


    ¡°It is no trouble, Miss Ling. If you would like to speak again, I am not a difficult man to find,¡± Gan Guangli laughed, turning back to his ¡®soldiers¡¯. However, there was something in his expression that told her that she had worn her thoughts on her face.


    The pity she had glimpsed there was her imagination obviously.

 Chapter 125-Sabotage

    This was incredibly frustrating.


    Ling Qi had set aside time for a Sect mission for the first time in months with an eye toward purchasing a tutor¡¯s services. Her advancement with the bow had stagnated recently, so she thought to help it along as she had her music. So, having looked over the job board, Ling Qi had signed up to capture storm spirits that spawned after the recent spate of bad weather that had struck the area around the sect. It should have been a simple enough mission.


    She was slowed by her need to hide her route. Sun Liling was still on the mountain and presumably, also still angry at her. Running around openly wasn¡¯t a great idea. But in addition to being supplied with the clay capture jars, she had been given clear directions to the locations with the heaviest concentrations of storm spirits. As she visited each location though, no spirits were found.


    Ling Qi frowned as she crouched at the side of a stream. This clearing was another location marked as high concentration, but as usual, the spirits were nowhere to be found. Ling Qi studied the clearing with narrow eyes and tried to grasp at the area¡¯s qi. Standing up, she stalked through the ankle-high grass in the small clearing to identify clues as to their whereabouts.


    The air still tingled with heavy water and heavenly qi, so the storm spirits had been in the clearing not long ago. But humps of dirt were churned up across the clearing as if something long and thin had passed just beneath the surface. And there at the edge of the stream were the charred shards of a capture pot. Ling Qi moved closer to examine them, but she stopped dead, still three paces away. There was something disturbing the earth and water qi at the waterside¡­


    Ling Qi darted backward, cloak flaring like wings as dark qi flowed through her limbs. The earth beneath her erupted as a dark shape emerged, and she just barely avoided flashing metal claws.


    It was a mannequin of metal and wood, mud and clumps of grass still clinging to its smooth and polished hide. Its eyeless head swivelled towards her, and Ling Qi was baffled to see what looked like a bird¡¯s beak affixed to its head. She drew her bow, the slim length of the weapon shimmering as it emerged from her ring.


    Before the string was even half drawn back, the mannequin¡¯s beak opened and a horrific ringing noise rang out. It cut into her ears like a knife, high-pitched, echoing, and deafeningly loud. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the trees swaying as birds rose from the forest in great flocks, confused and frightened by the sound. The thing leaped at her then, but she had finished pulling back the string of her bow.


    Lightning crackled, and three arrows flew in rapid succession. The first blew off an arm, the second blasted a fist-sized hole through its torso, and the third destroyed that horrible screeching head. As the fragments crashed down beside her, she had only a moment to feel relieved as the noise stopped before she heard a faint click.


    Ling Qi flung herself away, but it was not enough. The puppets¡¯ remains dissolved, rotting away and releasing a great cloud of virulent green mist. It stank terribly and made her eyes water, but other than that, it did no more than prickle wetly on her skin. As she landed on a tree branch, thoroughly bewildered, she scrubbed at her face with her sleeve.


    Then, ears still ringing from the screeching caught the sound of wings and angry birdsong. She looked up and felt the attention of the scores of winged spirit beasts riled from their nests. The hair on her neck rose as a deep throaty roar of agitation rose from the forest behind her and was swiftly joined by a dozen more beastly voices.


    Ling Qi swore under her breath and fled.


    ***


    Yan Renshu.


    Yan Renshu had sabotaged her mission. There was no one else with both the motive and the resources to set up such a trap. Thanks to Yan Renshu, her mission had failed. She hadn¡¯t accomplished anything but waste her time.


    She didn¡¯t even manage to train her arts effectively that afternoon because she was forced to burn through her qi to flee the angry beasts. There had been third realms among them! It was lucky that she hadn¡¯t gotten hurt.


    She knew she had made an enemy that day with the book, but this was the first time he had personally rigged something for her. Previously, he had aided Sun Liling with information on her whereabouts, allowing the Sun Princess to ambush her, but it seemed that the puppet user no longer deemed that sufficient. It was yet another knife aimed at her back. She would have to be on her guard at all times when alone.


    For the moment, there was little she could do save nurse a new grudge from atop the moonlit cliff she had settled onto like a grumpy crow. At least the smell from the mannequin had come off in the bath. As she closed her eyes, she forced her anger and irritation from her mind and focused on the moon above and the stellar qi filtering down through its light. Letting her emotions stew on the surface, she focused inward on her increasingly dense dantian.


    Between the Argent Soul art, the Sable Light Pills gifted by the moon, and the stellar qi she absorbed every night, her foundation was growing increasingly potent, but as this afternoon showed, it was not yet enough. Flight still drained her terribly so she continued to practice the refinement of stellar qi. She had been growing more skilled at this exercise, just recently reaching the fourth phase of the Eight Phase Ceremony cultivation art. She could feel that this phase consolidated the benefits from the Grinning Moon quest; even if she changed to another cultivation art in the future, she would be able to gain some benefit from trickery.


    It was the highest phase she would be able to achieve without breaking through to the third realm. Until then, she simply lacked the refinement of spirit to perform the fifth phase¡¯s exercises and would be unable to comprehend the higher mysteries of the moon phases.


    Completing the fourth phase had revealed something interesting though. When she looked ahead at the prerequisites for the remaining phases, she didn¡¯t recognize the names of the cultivation stages mentioned in the slip. She had assumed that each cultivation realm had the same three stages as Red and Yellow, but some research showed that she was wrong.


    The third realm contained eight discrete stages. They were: Early; Appraisal; Foundation; Threshold; Framing; Formation; Fortification; and Completion. While she could not find much literature on the third realm in the Outer Sect archive, what little she did find indicated that there were many bottlenecks and obstacles to rising through those stages. The Path was longer than she could have ever imagined. No wonder so many cultivators remained in the third realm for life; it was longer than the previous two realms combined.


    She would just have to work even harder to not become one of them.

 Chapter 126-Guardians 1

    Ling Qi idly kicked her legs as she watched Li Suyin grind the mixture in her mortar into a fine paste from her seat on an empty work table. Her friend had been hard at work since she recovered from the ceremony at the ruined tower, and this morning was no exception. So Ling Qi patiently waited while Suyin finished, examining the work room that the two girls had set up in their home.


    Su Ling¡¯s pill furnace rested on the opposite side of the room, the clay and bronze construction releasing a slow simmer of sweet smelling medicinal mist as whatever lay within bubbled quietly. Shelves lined every spare bit of wall, themselves covered in jars and vials, and above, a hammock of white spider silk held still more containers.


    Li Suyin herself kneeled on a straw mat at the far end of the room in front of a low workbench cluttered with bones and herbs. Ling Qi eyed her friend curiously as she worked, studying the flows of qi that were now visible to her senses. Li Suyin¡¯s aura was jumbled; Ling Qi wondered if that was what she appeared to others¡¯ senses as well. Li Suyin had a strong base of wood and earth, but there were other bits of various elements scattered about like water, lake, and even a bit of fire and heaven.


    There was also a tiny vein of some element or aspect which she couldn¡¯t identify. It made her feel vaguely uneasy, and her skin tingled whenever she focused on it. Her eyes flicked away from Suyin instead of trying to decipher that again.


    The little pink fuzzball that was Li Suyin¡¯s familiar crouched on the table, skittering in place beside her mortar, pedipalps wriggling excitedly over the mixture. She could feel something happening there as the tiny earth spider continued her vaguely ritualistic looking shuffling, but Ling Qi wasn¡¯t familiar enough with medicine production to say what though.


    The quiet sound of grinding came to a stop, and Ling Qi saw the tension leave Li Suyin¡¯s shoulders as she scraped the light blue paste left behind by her work into a small clay container and affixed a seal onto the container.


    ¡°My apologies for making you wait,¡± Li Suyin said as she stood up smoothly. Ling Qi didn¡¯t miss the easy and natural way that Suyin allowed her companion to scamper up her hand and cling to her sleeve.


    ¡°It was no trouble,¡± Ling Qi dismissed. ¡°I¡¯m the one who came calling early,¡± she added as she hopped down from the table, taking a few steps to meet her friend in the middle of the room. ¡°What were you working on anyway?¡±


    Zhenli, the spider, had made it up onto Li Suyin¡¯s shoulder by that point and puffed herself up as if to make herself appear bigger and more threatening. Ling Qi supposed it was kind of cute, if a little concerning, that Li Suyin¡¯s companion seemed like she wasn¡¯t fond of other people.


    ¡°Ah, I was just finishing a batch for the Medicine Hall,¡± Li Suyin explained, pulling her attention away from the spider. ¡°Senior Sister Bao has been grumbling about how needy this year¡¯s disciples are. I had heard that you came to the Hall with severe wounds. Then again for lesser injuries yesterday. Are you-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, just some hunting damage,¡± Ling Qi replied a hair too quickly, leaving a brief awkward silence to hang between them. ¡°... The first one was a run-in with Sun Liling. She wasn¡¯t exactly playing nice,¡± Ling Qi expanded reluctantly. ¡°I was able to take care of it myself - mostly.¡± She probably could have gotten her treatment paid for by Cai, but she had money now, as strange as that was. It felt good not to have to rely on charity.


    Li Suyin peered up at her worriedly, and Ling Qi belatedly noticed that she had replaced her eyepatch. It was no longer a simple piece of gray cloth, but an embroidered patch of white silk with an eye-catching geometric pattern, which seemed to shift from moment to moment. A new talisman?


    ¡°Here,¡± Li Suyin said firmly, thrusting the clay container she had just filled into her hand. ¡°This isn¡¯t for sale outside of the Medicine Hall, but I would feel better if you took it.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, looking at the container. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to get in trouble. Didn¡¯t you say you were making this for their stocks?¡±


    ¡°I was able to make more than expected, thanks to Zhenli,¡± Suyin said, reaching up to pat the little arachnid, who wriggled under her hand but somehow managed to look satisfied all the same. ¡°Please.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Ling Qi replied, feeling awkward. If the Medicine Hall was keeping this stuff to itself, it had to be valuable. Now that she thought about it, it looked like the stuff they had put on her spear wound. That stuff - Heavenly Bliss Salve or something - had cost nearly her whole week¡¯s income from the pill furnace. ¡°Heh, you¡¯ve gotten kinda pushy, haven¡¯t you, Li Suyin?¡± She covered up her discomfort with a joke.


    She would have to be careful with this salve - she had felt weird and clumsy for quite awhile after it had been applied - but it had dealt effectively with the stubborn wounds that Sun Liling¡¯s brand of attacks dealt. Left alone, they bled freely and did not clot or scab. She had only noticed later that the wounds had frozen over in Zeqing¡¯s presence, allowing her to ignore them for a time. She hadn¡¯t even been able to cultivate properly in the recovery ward due to her fuzzy thoughts.


    Not privy to her thoughts, Li Suyin averted her one-eyed gaze, twiddling her fingers. ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I didn''t mean to sound like that.¡±


    Ling Qi smiled faintly. ¡°I was just teasing you,¡± she reassured her friend, ignoring the way that Zhenli waggled her fangs at her. She hoped the little spider didn¡¯t get in trouble with that overprotective instinct. ¡°Anyway, any progress on that vault warrior formation?¡± she asked as she headed to the door, Li Suyin falling into step behind her.


    ¡°Well, it had to be reworked significantly.¡± Li Suyin grimaced as they entered the hallway. ¡°Using human remains is unacceptable of course, but the arrays need significant alteration to work on the bones of animals¡­¡±


    Ling Qi nodded along as her friend¡¯s speech grew more technical, and they exited the home to begin heading up toward the vent. She nodded politely to the pair of enforcers who began to trail them at a polite distance. It was still uncomfortable to be guarded like this. Oddly, Li Suyin seemed much more accepting of it, but she supposed that her friend was from a wealthy mortal family.


    She would prefer to simply stay out of sight when traveling, but that wasn¡¯t an option if she wanted to walk with Suyin so she was glad for Cai¡¯s consideration, even if it had been weird to walk out of her house this morning to find disciples waiting for orders. There had been an awkward moment where she just stared at them before one of the two had politely explained that Cai Renxiang had put them at her disposal.


    It didn¡¯t really make her feel much more secure; a pair of Mid Yellows would barely slow Sun Liling down. Then again, barely had been enough for her to slip the noose before, and her arts were good for bolstering allies.


    She dismissed her distraction and focused on Li Suyin¡¯s speech, listening intently as they headed up to the vent to train.


    Training with her two friends at the vent was a relaxing way to spend the morning. Su Ling¡¯s swordwork was coming along pretty well, as was her cultivation of her sword art, and Li Suyin even joined in now and then when they switched to unarmed sparring. Her scholarly friend had gotten faster and more precise since the last time they had trained together, although the little jabs she landed seemed weak. But as they were meant to be vectors for poison, she supposed the strength of the blow hardly mattered.


    All too soon, they had to part ways, and Ling Qi headed back down to the residential area. She knew that Cai Renxiang left her home around now, and it was about time that she stopped delaying and started to make an effort to better understand the heiress before she had to respond to her recruitment offer.


    Heading down, she found the enforcers who had been playing bodyguard were still waiting at the end of the path where she had left them. The two girls were probably cousins or maybe siblings. They both had dark brown hair and thin willowy builds, but the girl on the left had it cut short while the one on the right kept it long but tied in several loose trailing tails.


    The short-haired girl wore something like Su Ling¡¯s mannish outfit with sturdy trousers and a shirt under piecemeal bits of leather armor dyed in earth tones. The long-haired one wore a proper gown of light airy blue. The white, shimmering ribbons in her hair were pretty, and Ling Qi wondered if she should try wearing her own hair loose instead of braided as well. Gu Xiualn was getting to her if she was thinking stuff like that.


    ¡°Miss Ling?¡± the long-haired girl pulled her from her thoughts. ¡°Shall we escort you again?¡± The other girl had been seated, cultivating as she approached, but she opened her eyes, standing up hastily as Ling Qi approached.


    ¡°Uh¡­ sure,¡± Ling Qi replied awkwardly. She had been intending to shortcut through the wilderness as she had assumed these two would have gone home. ¡°Sorry, I should have been clearer. You two didn¡¯t have to wait for me.¡±


    ¡°I told you she was dismissing us,¡± the short-haired girl grumbled, shooting the other girl an aggrieved look. ¡°Sis, you¡¯re way too literal.¡±


    ¡°Be polite, Lei,¡± the other girl admonished before bowing her head toward Ling Qi. There was a faint jingle as the tiny bells woven into the girl¡¯s hair sounded. ¡°My apologies for misunderstanding.¡±


    The awkwardness Ling Qi felt intensified sharply. ¡°... It¡¯s fine. I suppose you can walk me back. I¡¯m heading down to talk to Lady Cai.¡±


    ¡®Lei¡¯ nodded brightly, taking up a position ahead of her, and her sister bowed again, falling into step wordlessly behind and to her side. The awkward feeling didn¡¯t change.


    ¡°What are your names?¡± Ling Qi asked after wrestling with some indecision. Since they had spent the last couple hours waiting for her, Ling Qi should at least learn their names.


    ¡°Ma Lei,¡± the girl ahead of her greeted lightly.


    ¡°Ma Jun,¡± the girl behind her greeted more quietly.


    Ling Qi gave a hum of affirmation and fell silent, staring ahead. She hadn¡¯t really thought about what it meant for Cai to have put them ¡®at her disposal¡¯. The idea that these two would follow her commands as if she were a noble was strange. She really had no idea how to interact with them. Well, for now, she supposed she would do her best to act dignified and not embarrass herself.


    It was time to get a better look at Lady Cai.

 Chapter 127-Guardians 2

    Thankfully, her ¡®guards¡¯ were happy enough with silence and did not try to engage her in further conversation. It was still awkward, but silence was better than fumbling in unfamiliar territory. Soon after reaching the residential area, she spotted Cai Renxiang


    The heiress was trailed by a train of other girls hurrying along in her wake and walked with her hands clasped behind her back, posture stiff and straight. Ling Qi raised a hand to wave to the other girl for attention.


    ¡°Lady Cai, good morning!¡± she greeted politely.


    Cai Renxiang halted outside the gates that marked the edge of the residential zone, eyeing her speculatively. ¡°Ling Qi, good morning,¡± she greeted in return, her train waiting patiently behind her. ¡°It is rare to see you on the road.¡±


    ¡°I suppose so,¡± Ling Qi admitted sheepishly, restraining the urge to fidget under the faintly glowing girl¡¯s regard. ¡°I was hoping I could accompany you for a time?¡± She left unsaid her reasons why, despite the curious looks from the other girls with Cai and her own ¡®guards¡¯.


    If the heiress was surprised by her request, she didn¡¯t show it on her face. She simply nodded briskly, her long hair swaying with the motion. ¡°Of course, I would not refuse such a minor request from you.¡± Her words were quick and without embellishment. She gestured and the other girls fell back a step, giving Ling Qi room to fall in beside Cai Renxiang. ¡°Are the subordinates I assigned you performing to satisfaction?¡± the heiress asked as they began to walk.


    ¡°... Yes, I have no complaints,¡± Ling Qi replied formally, despite her discomfort at the notion. She did her best to ignore the way the Ma sisters seemed to brighten at her half-hearted praise. ¡°Thank you for your consideration.¡±


    Cai Renxiang dipped her head fractionally. ¡°Given your contributions, I could not do less. If you require something, please ask. If it is within the realm of reason, I will grant it to you.¡± Her eyes remained ahead as she spoke, but Ling Qi saw the corners of her lips quirk up. Ling Qi suspected the other girl was feeling quite pleased that she was showing consideration and interest; no doubt Cai was aware that Ling Qi had asked Gan Guangli about her as a liege.


    Ling Qi ignored the respectful and admiring looks from the girls around them. It was mostly directed at the heiress, but she could feel eyes on her own back as well. Instead, she focused on Cai Renxiang, testing her improved senses. The girl was a perfectly sculpted pillar of mountain stone awash in blinding white light. She looked away before her eyes could start to water. ¡°You have my thanks,¡± she said again, wondering what to say. ¡°So, where are we going at the moment?¡±


    ¡°I must attend a meeting with the market suppliers over bulk purchases,¡± Cai Renxiang said. Her gown rippled briefly, the eye-like wings of the butterfly splayed across her chest narrowing. ¡°Following that, I will go to the council pavilion to hear petitions for a time before I begin reviewing reports from Fu Xiang.¡±


    That sounded¡­ incredibly boring, if Ling Qi was honest, but she nodded agreeably anyway. She had come to see what Lady Cai¡¯s day-to-day operations were like. As it turned out, Ling Qi¡¯s suspicion was right. Watching Cai Renxiang cow unruly Outer Sect merchants with her stern disapproval over their attempts at gouging her agents was kind of amusing, but that was the last of the entertainment. Listening to second and third year Outer disciples complain, cajole, and flatter Cai could hardly keep her attention. It did give her a somewhat unsettling idea of just how far the heiress had gone in establishing herself as an authority though.


    It left her thoughtful as one of the girls attending to them laid out tea for both her and Cai Renxiang. She cast a glance out of the pavilion as she waited for her tea to cool. The line of petitioners was gone, leaving only the enforcer guards. Ma Lei was making eyes at one of Gan Guangli¡¯s subordinates while her sister seemed to be trying to set the other girl¡¯s hair on fire with disapproval. Gan Guangli himself stood at attention at the bottom of the stairs sternly looking over the field.


    ¡°You had a question.¡± Cai Renxiang¡¯s voice drew her attention back to the girl sitting across from her. The heiress looked at her evenly over the rim of her cup, sipping from the still steaming liquid.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ling Qi admitted, lifting her own. She supposed that she really didn¡¯t need to wait for the tea to cool; hot tea was hardly going to hurt her. Her eyebrows rose as she took a sip. The flavor was much stronger than last time. It was actually pretty good. ¡°Wasn¡¯t some of that stuff too petty for you to be dealing with? Those merchants and half of those petitioners¡­ Shouldn¡¯t you have someone else taking care of that?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed. ¡°But I am no Duchess yet, and a mountain cannot stand upon a foundation of gravel.¡±


    Ling Qi furrowed her brows as the girl watched her. ¡°So¡­ what? You want to have experience with the lower level things as well?¡±


    ¡°I wish to see the order of my province perfected,¡± Cai Renxiang answered. ¡°Even the Lady Duchess cannot be in all places, nor be all things. Order depends upon delegation, and I must understand these lower positions in order to best select the ones to hold them. In my youth, I toured villages and forts at the edges of civilization. Here, I hold a position similar to lesser nobility. As a Cai, I refuse to approach this task with any less than full effort, regardless of what my position may be.¡±


    Ling Qi leaned back in her seat, taking a sip from the steaming tea to give herself time to consider. That was understandable, if a little obsessive. ¡°When I was inside Sun Liling¡¯s fortress, I heard Lu Feng call all this a ¡®game¡¯. Is that really all this is to you and other nobles? A training exercise?¡± It grated that for people like her, this conflict had real consequences.


    Cai Renxiang considered her answer, the constant light shining behind her pulsing quietly. ¡°Yes, it is,¡± she said frankly, meeting Ling Qi¡¯s gaze straight on. ¡°Ultimately, the purpose of the Outer Sect is for it to be a place for young nobility to compete and play at their adult roles in an environment of relative safety and few consequences.¡±


    Ling Qi scowled. ¡°So I guess people like me just have to keep our heads down?¡±


    The girl across from her set her cup down with a soft clink. ¡°The ascension of talented commoners is a secondary purpose at best,¡± she admitted. ¡°It is also, you may find, not an inaccurate training scenario for surviving among the ranks of the least nobility where houses rise and fall in mere months and years rather than decades and centuries.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t fair, but neither was what came after she became a landed nobility. Ling Qi let out a long breath. She was being childish. The world wasn¡¯t fair, and it never had been. She knew that well enough.


    ¡°What is it that you actually want from me?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°You know my background so you know how ignorant I am in some ways. What will taking your offer really mean?¡±


    Interest sparked in the heiress¡¯ eyes, and the eye-wings splayed across her chest narrowed hungrily. ¡°It would mean being my hand in many matters.¡± The light behind her sparkled, increasing in intensity. ¡°The Lady Duchess has, in her generosity, indicated that I will be granted a fief from her holdings in the borderlands should I prove myself worthy within the Inner Sect. Rather than serving your term within the Sect¡¯s forces, you would instead serve among the forces of that holding.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯d still get a little patch of mountains to call my own?¡± Ling Qi asked, only half-joking.


    Cai Renxiang took her question seriously. ¡°You would, of course, retain all privileges of a normal vassal. In the interest of development, I would waive the standard property taxes until you have become established.¡± She paused. ¡°Primarily, you would be among those who attend to me when I must visit the capital or other similar functions.¡± Left unsaid was what sorts of things she¡¯d probably be asked to do there. Ling Qi knew what talents she was valued for.


    Ling Qi looked down at her own empty cup then back up. ¡°Thank you for answering me frankly,¡± she said after a moment¡¯s thought. ¡°May I be excused then, to think on it further?¡±


    The other girl let her leave easily enough, not pushing for an answer, thankfully. Ling Qi dismissed her own guards as they left the pavilion area and set off into the woods, cloaking her presence as she headed down the mountain.


    Her destination lay at the base of the mountain. She had put in the request and paid the points for tutoring, receiving a response promptly. Her tutor, Zhong Peng, would be available in the late afternoon, and he would be waiting for her on a hilltop a little way to the east of the main road.


    She was brought up short when she caught sight of him standing at the top of the cleared hill. Zhong Peng didn¡¯t look like an archer with his build more like Gan Guangli than Han Jian, but the massive recurve bow slung across his back said otherwise. The bow looked like someone had uprooted a small tree and bent it into a bow; it would be as tall as the tutor when drawn.


    The boy himself looked to be eighteen or nineteen years old with rough, blunt features and sun-darkened skin. His hair was a fiery red cut close to his scalp, and the beginnings of a beard grew on his chin.


    ¡°Good effort, but quit lurking.¡± Ling Qi startled as his sharp eyes locked onto hers. She was still more than a hundred meters away, hidden in the shadows of the trees. It wasn¡¯t like she was going all out to hide, but¡­ ¡°Girl, are you here to train or gawk?¡± He frowned at her, crossing his arms over his wide chest.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Ling Qi apologized, stepping out of the shadow. She didn¡¯t raise her voice, but he seemed to have no trouble hearing her. ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to be insulting. I wanted to make sure I didn¡¯t get waylaid on the way here.¡±


    ¡°Things have been loud down here this year - or so I¡¯ve heard,¡± he acknowledged, impatiently gesturing for her to come closer. ¡°Too many big names in one place,¡± he added in a grumble that she barely heard.


    ¡°Just a little,¡± Ling Qi replied, doing her best to keep her voice from going dry. She hurried closer, quickly reaching the top of the hill. Zhong Peng was a good head taller than even her. ¡°Do they pay much attention to the Outer Mountain in the Inner Sect?¡±


    ¡°Depends on the disciple,¡± he said with a dismissive wave of one meaty hand. He peered carefully at her. ¡°Your qi is a mess, but I can feel the Sect arts well enough. Mirror is a powerful tool for perception, but not an archer¡¯s. Your range will be crippled as things are.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, startled. ¡°How did you¡­?¡± She cut herself off. That was a silly question. Of course perception arts could read that kind of thing. ¡°Thank you for your advice, Senior Brother Zhong,¡± she replied politely. ¡°I will keep that in mind. Will it impair my training?¡± She hoped not; she didn¡¯t have the Sect points or the time to go hunting down another art right now.


    She met his hard gaze evenly as he continued to study her. ¡°No, I will simply not bother with the distance training. What archery art do you practice?¡±


    ¡°Falling Stars Art,¡± Ling Qi replied. The older disciple was brusque, but that was fine with her. He seemed knowledgeable enough about archery.


    He grunted thoughtfully, but she thought that she saw a hint of approval in his eyes. ¡°It is a good foundation. I mastered it myself in the Outer Sect. It is just a foundation though. Do not be content with only that.¡±


    ¡°Of course. How will we begin, Senior Brother?¡± Ling Qi asked. She was glad that she had picked a good art at least.


    ¡°With a run,¡± he said, turning away. ¡°You said you wished to work on your conditioning and speed as well. Thrice around the mountain, and then we will begin shooting.¡±


    Ling Qi held back a sigh. She did put that on the form where she requested a tutor.


    She would come to regret that request in the coming hours as she found herself unable to keep up with the third realm disciple. Apparently, a hail of exploding missiles was an appropriate way to encourage her to pour on more speed.


    She couldn¡¯t let herself be slowed down.

 Chapter 128-Escalation

    Ling Qi stared down at the pale green cut of wood in her hand, expression growing steadily more thunderous. The wood groaned as the pressure of her grip increased. Poisoned. An idle comment from Cui was the only thing that had made her take a closer look at the wood that had been delivered today.


    The wood bent and indented around her fingertips. She had almost put poison infused wood into Zhengui¡¯s bonfire. Someone had sent her poisoned materials. There was a crack, and an explosion of splinters and wood dust as the wood cut exploded under the pressure of her grip. The breeze that kicked up around Ling Qi kept the grit from her eyes.


    ¡°Ling Qi, what in the world are you doing out here? I can sense you from the meditation room,¡± Meizhen¡¯s voice distracted her, sounding from the porch that overlooked the garden.


    Ling Qi turned to look at her friend, still feeling light-headed. ¡°Someone tried to have Zhengui poisoned. Thank Cui for me. I wouldn¡¯t have noticed without her.¡±


    The other girl¡¯s eyebrows rose almost to her hairline. ¡°What? Who would dare?¡±


    There was only one person who she had angered enough to skirt Sect Rules and who was in any way subtle, Ling Qi thought. Sun Liling would have burst in with weapons drawn, and so would her allies. But there was one person she had personally offended and who had already begun to perform smaller acts of sabotage.


    ¡°Yan Renshu,¡± Ling Qi breathed, and the wind kicked up, sending the hem of her gown fluttering.


    On the porch, Meizhen¡¯s expression fell into a frown. ¡°... I see. Do you require assistance?¡±


    ¡°If you wouldn¡¯t mind, could you dispose of the woodpile?¡± Ling Qi asked absently, turning away. ¡°I have some traders to speak to.¡±


    ***


    Ling Qi stomped out of the shop, her hands balled into fists.


    ¡°No luck?¡± Ma Jun asked worriedly. Ling Qi looked up at the two ¡®bodyguards¡¯. Ma Jun and Ma Lei really took their jobs seriously it seemed, seeing as they had chased her all the way from her house to the market after she had stormed out.


    ¡°He insists that the wood was fine before he sent it off,¡± she grunted. She believed the young man too, or at least believed that he had inspected it. She had gotten worked up, played up the white and gold armband she wore, and threatened to make her complaint public through Cai¡¯s people.


    ¡°Well, um, perhaps the one who performed the delivery?¡± Ma Lei asked tentatively.


    ¡°I got some names,¡± Ling Qi replied shortly. They fell in behind her as she began to swiftly walk up the street to find the disciples who had supplied the raw wood and the group that the trader contracted to do deliveries. She was going to figure out where Yan Renshu had wormed his way into the supply chain. But it was going to take quite some time to do so. There was a lot to investigate. She grimaced. She had planned to join Han Jian and his group this afternoon to explore a cave they had found, but maybe she should cancel¡­


    She glanced back at her guards. They could split up to cover more ground, but Ling Qi didn¡¯t think that was a good idea. They both seemed a little¡­ naive. She would rather look the people she was questioning in the eye herself.


    ¡°Is something wrong, Miss Ling?¡± Ma Lei asked.


    ¡°No, just pick up the pace,¡± Ling Qi replied.


    Unfortunately, the investigation only grew more difficult. Many of the disciples who acted as suppliers were permanent members of the Outer Sect, common born cultivators who had served their military time and settled down in the area. They didn¡¯t tend to live on the mountain itself. She thought it unlikely that Yan Renshu would be able to influence someone like that, but it wasn¡¯t impossible.


    The courier group proved even more of a dead end, stonewalling her questions despite her complaints. She had a feeling the group¡¯s leader was unsympathetic to Cai¡¯s council. His neighbors had closed ranks in solidarity at her attempts to ask questions too.


    Ling Qi scowled as she left their building in the market, her arms crossed over her chest. With her initial anger cooled, she wasn¡¯t particularly surprised by this. Obviously, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to track down something like this, but it was still frustrating. She really couldn¡¯t afford to spend days tracking down every woodcutter or courier to question in person either. However, she couldn¡¯t just stop. Ling Qi frowned, only to glance up as a light fell over her


    ¡°Ling Qi, what is it that motivates you to disrupt the market so?¡± Cai Renxiang asked, standing in her path. A handful of other female disciples stood in her wake.


    She really had been deep in thought if she had missed Cai Renxiang, Ling Qi thought wryly. Some part of her was suspicious though. Wasn¡¯t it awfully convenient for Cai to be here now, just as she needed help?


    ¡°I¡¯m investigating. Someone is sabotaging me,¡± she answered shortly. ¡°Did me asking a few questions really draw you out to confront me?¡±


    Behind her, the Ma twins shifted uncomfortably, and the girls with Cai Renxiang frowned and muttered at her disrespectful tone. Cai Renxiang, however, merely raised an eyebrow. ¡°As you should well know, this is the third day of the week when I make my rounds through the market.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced and glanced up at the position of the sun. The other girl was right; she had even accompanied her the week before. Yan Renshu¡¯s act had made her overly paranoid. ¡°... My apologies, Lady Cai. I am still distressed, and it is affecting my manners.¡±


    ¡°Excusable,¡± Cai Renxiang replied with a small nod. She gestured toward the side of the street, and Ling Qi followed her so that they would not block the path. ¡°Explain the issue more clearly.¡±


    Ling Qi took a deep breath. The girl¡¯s commanding tone irked her, but since she had been throwing the girl¡¯s authority around to try and get her answers, it would be pretty stupid for her to complain. She laid out the events of this morning and the efforts she had undertaken to find her answers.


    Cai Renxiang remained silent as she spoke, a tiny frown marring her otherwise impassive expression. It was only after Ling Qi finished that she spoke. ¡°Troubling. You believe Yan Renshu is using his connections in the market then?¡±


    ¡°That is the only thing I can think of,¡± Ling Qi admitted, spreading her hands helplessly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I overstepped my authority with my questioning.¡±


    ¡°You did not,¡± Cai Renxiang said flatly. ¡°I am more troubled by their resistance to your questioning. If he is able to strike at you this way, it is a threat to many of our less fortunate members. I will place Fu Xiang on alert and have this matter investigated more closely. You said you had names?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Ling Qi replied, surprised. She hadn¡¯t expected the heiress to take up her personal vendetta. ¡°Ah, is it really fine? I can investigate myself.¡±


    Cai Renxiang raised an eyebrow as she turned back from her followers. One of them was already running off with a message. ¡°Such connections by a criminal element are a threat to the council. Leaving that aside, however, you are a valued member yourself. The Cai do not allow trespasses against their own to pass unpunished.¡±


    Ling Qi read between the lines easily enough even as she bowed her head and thanked Cai Renxiang. What followed was a little bewildering. The disciple in charge of the courier group, who had so easily stonewalled her, caved in like wet paper to a few clipped words from the heiress, even if he looked like he was biting into a lemon the whole time. In seconds, she accomplished what Ling Qi had spent nearly an hour failing at. They got their names and they got their schedules.


    It was unsubtle, a straightforward hammer of social force. It felt bizzarre to see it exercised on her behalf. She appreciated the sentiment even if she knew it only served the wealthy girl''s ends. It was hard not to be at least a little satisified at watching the person who had given herself trouble squirm. The trend continued as she followed Cai Renxiang lead into the market. It was like watching the cockroaches scatter in front of someone waving a torch.


    Yan Renshu wouldn¡¯t get away with this.

 Bonus Chapter-Hunter

    A low growl escaped Sun Liling¡¯s throat as she stalked toward the planning room. She couldn¡¯t deny it. She¡¯d been totally outplayed. She could blame a lot of things. The passivity of the Outer Disciples, Cai Renxiang¡¯s freaky ability to coordinate a bunch of factitious, distractible, and lazy teenagers across the mountain, that damn Renshu¡¯s ridiculous blackmail book, her own fraying temper; these and more could be blamed for her failures.


    That Ling Qi girl was a big part of it. Her mist had messed with her sunflowers, her sneaking had turned up Puppet Boy¡¯s indiscretions, and her attempt at a redux had made her look like an idiot when the defenses she had blown her allowance on had failed, and she¡¯d only been caught because Ji Rong was a prickly, paranoid bastard who knew when he was being watched.


    Sun Liling huffed, stuffing her hands in her pockets as she forced herself back into a casual slouch. And she¡¯d still underestimated the girl. She shoulda just lead with the Heart Rooted Thorn technique, overkill or no. She coulda got Ling Qi to medical before she bled out.


    ¡°This sleepy mountain has dulled your bloodlust my sister. It is a sad thing to see. You are a Princess! Even if she had died, so what?¡± Dhartiri whispered sulkily. She hadn¡¯t much enjoyed trying to bull through the blizzard.


    Sun Liling rolled her eyes as she booted the door open, revealing a low stone room and a rough hewn table, around which sat her own ¡®council¡¯. ¡®Not gonna murder some girl, no matter how irritating she is,¡¯ she thought back to the spirit. Maybe the Bai, but that was different. She knew the snake would cut her throat in an instant if she had the chance. That Ling girl didn¡¯t have a killer¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Princess Sun,¡± Kang Zihao greeted, standing to bow his head like a good little dog. He was useful, but by the Thousand Gods did his brand of brazen hypocrisy wear on a girl after awhile.


    ¡°Sup Princess,¡± she almost snorted at Ji Rong¡¯s casual greeting as she slouched past him, where he balanced on the back legs of his chair, feet on the table. That¡¯d been a surprisingly good investment. Rong wasn¡¯t a bad sort, good in a scrap, good instincts for leading a small squad. He reminded her of the sons of Gramps¡¯ household guards, always squabbling in the yard, not afraid to give her a black eye or two when she jumped in.


    Didn¡¯t stop her from kicking his chair leg and sending him tumbling to the floor with a yelp though. Feh, he liked the view from down there anyway, the cheeky bastard stared at her ass like a man entranced when he thought she wasn¡¯t paying attention.


    ¡°Princess,¡± Lu Feng bowed low as he pulled out her seat, and she gave him a single nod. Unlike Kang, his respect wasn¡¯t a show. Lu Feng would follow her into hell, just like his Great Grandfather had done for hers. Was too bad he spent so much time on his hair and chasing boys. At least he had the good taste not to go for Rong.


    She dropped into her chair. ¡°What¡¯s the damage?¡±


    ¡°The ¡®lamps¡¯ were largely destroyed, but our infrastructure is mostly intact,¡± Kang Zihao replied smoothly, resuming his seat a moment after her. ¡°Overall, while this was not a victory, our losses were truly minimal.¡±


    She glanced to Lu Feng, who smiled self deprecatingly. ¡°Sir Kang truly led an impassioned defense, but he perhaps downplays matters. Morale among our grassroot support has been rather shattered.¡±


    ¡°That damn glow lamp let us go,¡± Ji Rong spat as he climbed to his feet, shooting her an irritated look as he righted his chair. She smirked at him and cocked an eyebrow, giving him a silent challenge to do something about it. He turned his head away, and the flush on his unscarred cheek wasn¡¯t all anger. ¡°I don¡¯t know what they were thinking, they had us.¡±


    ¡°If they had pushed any further, we would have exacted a toll,¡± Kang Zihao said stiffly, sitting ramrod straight in his chair. Managing that particular trick of looking down Ji Rong, even sitting down.


    ¡°They didn¡¯t want the Elder¡¯s getting involved,¡± Sun Liling drawled. ¡°The Sect is being weirdly permissive, but we can¡¯t overdo it, you know?¡±


    Ji Rong looked like he¡¯d bitten into a lemon. ¡°Bullshit, they didn¡¯t care before.¡±


    She shrugged. It was what it was. There was some kinda game afoot behind the scenes here. Probably the Duchess messing with things to test her daughter, that sounded about right from the rumors she had heard. ¡°Regardless, I underestimated that sneak of theirs,¡± she grumbled.


    ¡°The Ling girl?¡± Lu Feng asked.


    Her temper twinged, but she just rested her cheek on her hand. ¡°Nah, woulda had her before she got away, but that glasses boy involved himself. Sensed his qi on the transport formation she used to run.¡±


    ¡°Fu Xiang is a dishonorable sort,¡± Kang Zihao said, and she almost laughed in his face. "I would not think him so dedicated to Lady Cai¡¯s cause."


    ¡°Fu Xiang is an opportunist, and he is quite loyal to a paymaster with such a well endowed purse,¡± Lu Feng replied delicately. ¡°It seems our window for subverting him is likely closed.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Sun Liling grunted. ¡°You get anything out of this, Feng?¡±


    He smiled. ¡°A few of Cai¡¯s enforcers went home with my friends attached, yes.¡±


    ¡°Good, gather intelligence for our next move then,¡± she replied, drumming her fingers on the table. They were losing, every instinct and bit of training she had told her that, but they couldn¡¯t just roll over. ¡°Kang, go closed door. We need another third realm.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Princess,¡± he seemed pleased, and why not, she¡¯d basically excused him from duty.


    ¡°Rong, go out there and see how many of our boys are salvageable. See whose gonna tuck tail and who wants to bite back,¡± she continued without missing a beat.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need a bunch of cowards anyway,¡± he scoffed. ¡°I¡¯ll figure out who¡¯s who.¡±


    Sun Liling kept up her facade, ¡®cause that was what a leader did, but inwardly she stewed. She had made mistakes, lots of little ones, and they were all starting to catch up to her. If chasing Ling Qi had been like snapping a twig and sending the prey running every which way, her earlier, more fundamental mistake had been mistaking what she was hunting entirely. She had misunderstood Cai Renxiang badly. That girl had more than just her pride on the line here.


    No wonder she was losing. Her enemy was playing for keeps, and she had started off by just messing around.


    She would make them work to beat her however, perhaps Yan could use some funding to get back his feet? That¡¯d distract them for a bit.


    She¡¯d just have to make a good show, and make up for the loss in the tournament.

 Chapter 129: Quests

    ¡°Fan Yu, sound the place out,¡± Han Jian ordered, examining the wide cave mouth they all stood before. Han Fang stood at his back, expression placid, while the shorter Fan Yu stepped ahead, boots crunching on the smaller bones half buried in the dirt.


    Ling Qi watched them from beside Gu Xiulan, the two of them hanging a few steps back from the boys. She had helped with the grunt work of the investigation, but what remained was over her head. Fu Xiang would handle putting the information they had gathered together, and she would meet Cai Renxiang as soon as the investigation was done. With the Ma sisters guarding Zhengui, there was no reason to snub her friends.


    As Fan Yu crouched and dug his fingers into the dirt, Gu Xiulan cleared her throat, drawing her attention back to the scarred girl¡¯s veiled face. Ling Qi even managed to hide her wince this time. Gu Xiulan¡¯s qi was a raging, devouring bonfire and fireworks display all in one, a primal scream for attention and adoration.


    ¡°So, I have heard quite a bit of how busy you have been,¡± her friend said quietly, giving her a sidelong look. ¡°But there is a matter I require your attention to.¡± Han Jian glanced back at them as Xiulan spoke. He was fully late second realm now so she was sure he could listen in if he really wanted to, but he faced forward again, appearing to deliberately ignore their conversation.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make some time. What¡¯s the problem?¡± Ling Qi asked curiously


    Xiulan gave her a considering look from behind her veil, then sighed, sending the cloth hanging over her face fluttering. ¡°I would appreciate it. It is a familial matter. We have discussed this issue a few times before.¡±


    Ling Qi furrowed her brows. What was Xiulan talking about? Before she could reply, Fan Yu spoke up.


    ¡°There is only one main path,¡± he said gruffly, brushing the dirt off of his hands. ¡°The rest are dead ends, nothing wider than a meter or two. Nothing moving either,¡± he reported. ¡°Main path goes beyond my range.¡±


    She would give Fan Yu that. His earth scouting art was pretty useful when it came to not wasting time, and his range had only gotten better since he finally clawed his way up to Mid Yellow. She glanced at Xiulan, who merely raised an eyebrow at her. ... She would worry about that later.


    Han Fang and Fan Yu took point as they entered the cave while Han Jian and Heijin took up the center. She and Xiulan made up the rear rank, and Xiulan¡¯s spirit provided light from overhead. Ling Qi briefly considered offering to scout ahead herself¡­ but she felt bad for Fan Yu at this point. She didn¡¯t want to take his role, not when remaining unseen wouldn¡¯t even really help given their goals.


    They encountered no trouble as they went deeper. The only sounds heard were the crunching of gravel and bone under their feet as the group remained in semi-professional silence. As they proceeded, they paused every few minutes for Fan Yu to check ahead, passing narrow branching tunnels. Ling Qi took a quick peek down the larger ones, but so far, there appeared to be little of value. A few patches of rare moss or fungal growths useful for medicine found its way into their pouches and rings, and they continued on.


    Of course, that didn¡¯t last.


    ¡°There is something blocking me,¡± Fan Yu said, scowling as he rested his hands on the stone. ¡°Another hundred meters on beyond the curve in the tunnel, everything grows hazy.¡±


    Han Jian frowned, cupping his chin thoughtfully. ¡°What does it feel like?¡±


    ¡°Like a sheet has been thrown over everything,¡± Fan Yu grumbled, standing. ¡°I can feel the outlines, but none of the details.¡±


    ¡°Mm, well, it is not as if you could be expected to push through even the passive resistance of a strong beast,¡± Xiulan said idly, twirling a strand of hair on her unburned finger. ¡°Han Jian, perhaps more active scouting might be effective?¡±


    Fan Yu lowered his head, and Ling Qi saw one of his fists clench. Han Jian simply gave Xiulan a reproachful look, but Xiulan stared back, unabashed. Her friend was growing more defiant and openly rude. Han Jian didn¡¯t tell her off though, letting out a calming breath instead. ¡°Ling Qi, please take Heijin and check ahead. Don¡¯t go too far. There¡¯s no sense in taking unnecessary risks.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced at her friend then nodded, stepping forward. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll just be a moment.¡± She didn¡¯t look at Fan Yu; he wouldn¡¯t appreciate sympathy.


    ¡°Hmph. As if there is any risk at all with I, Heijin, along,¡± the young tiger grumbled as he fell in beside her, his side brushing her leg. Ling Qi rolled her eyes and lowered her hand to his head, scratching the tiger behind the ears.


    They moved out past Han Fang, who gave them an encouraging nod and adjusted his grip on his hammer, and past the curve of the tunnel, skulking silently along. More stone greeted them, but as they followed the increasingly twisty path, the tunnel grew more verdant. Hard stone was replaced by squishy growths of green-white fungus, patches of the stuff growing wider and more prevalent until the two of them were stalking through a disturbingly organic tunnel.


    Ling Qi stopped as she saw the tunnel drop down and open up into a wide chamber. This was far enough. The fungus around them gave off a strong feeling of wood qi, so that was likely the source of Fan Yu¡¯s troubles. Ling Qi could barely feel the earth qi that had drawn them here in the first place.


    Heijin moved past her, and Ling Qi frowned, reaching down to grasp the collar talisman around his neck. She shook her head, mouthing ¡®stop¡¯.


    He ignored her and tried to pull away from her, his greater strength almost making her stumble. That was when Ling Qi noticed it. There was something slightly sparkling in the air and an odd taste as well. Ling Qi flared her qi, activating the first technique of her Thousand Ring Fortress art, and flooded Heijin with a surge of wood qi.


    The tiger cub immediately stopped, shaking himself violently. His eyes widened, and he let out a low bone-rattling snarl of affronted pride. Ling Qi caught his eye before the wind around him could kick up any further and shook her head violently.


    Heijin was reluctant, glaring down the tunnel, but acquiesced after a few more ear scratches. Luckily, it seemed that they had still gone unnoticed, her own art use lost in the ambient qi of the cavern. Ling Qi only allowed herself to relax when she was back among her companions though. She quickly explained what she had seen, along with Heijin, who more reluctantly described the odd allure he had fallen under, a desire to reach the warm, safe cavern ahead.


    Han Jian glanced down the tunnel thoughtfully as they finished explaining, glancing to Fan Yu and Gu Xiulan. ¡°It sounds a bit like an Ash Maw, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Fan Yu grunted an agreement, squinting down the hall. ¡°It would make sense. The haze had the rotten feel of yin wood.¡±


    ¡°I suppose,¡± Xiulan replied, flicking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. ¡°Weaker, obviously, or we would already be in the creature¡¯s stomach.¡±


    ¡°Someone mind filling me in?¡± Ling Qi spoke up.


    ¡°Indeed. Tell us of the beast that we may slay it for this insult,¡± Heijin added haughtily, irritably brushing at his nose with his paw.


    Han Jian blinked, turning to her, and shot a wry look to Heijin. ¡°Ling Qi, I can understand, but¡­ were you not paying attention, Heijin?¡± The tiger cub looked away, maintaining his haughty air. ¡°It¡¯s a carnivorous plant native to Golden Fields,¡± Han Jian let it go, turning to explain things to Ling Qi. ¡°They disguise themselves as small oases and lure reluctant prey with a spiritual scent.¡±


    ¡°They are grade four beasts, and their digestive fluids are worth a hundred yellow stones per milliliter,¡± Gu Xiulan added, reciting the fact in a disinterested manner, ¡°due to its properties as a fertilizer.¡±


    ¡°This is not the same though,¡± Fan Yu said. He looked pleased to be contributing. ¡°You said there was some manner of powder in the air.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and the stuff on the walls was fungus,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°A plant would need sun, right?¡± She had read that somewhere.


    Han Jian nodded. ¡°Right. It¡¯s probably something local that uses the same tactics. I believe we can handle this. Does anyone disagree?¡± he asked, looking them over.


    Ling Qi simply crossed her arms and looked back. She had ignored its scent easily enough; it couldn¡¯t be that strong. Fan Yu looked concerned, but one glance at Xiulan silenced whatever objection he might have had. No one else seemed too worried.


    Han Jian nodded again, drawing himself up as he unsheathed his sword. ¡°Alright then. Take a moment and enhance yourselves. There¡¯s no point in going in unprepared. Ling Qi, can you use your mist? The qi drain effect you have should be useful against this kind of opponent.¡±


    Ling Qi considered, toying with her flute. ¡°I can. I¡¯ll need something to target for that technique though, and I couldn¡¯t feel it in the tunnel.¡±


    ¡°That should not be a problem in the cavern,¡± Xiulan scoffed. ¡°Once I have started burning it, whatever concealment it is using will fall.¡±


    There was no need for further words after that. Wind sprang up around Han Fang, and his biceps bulged as he charged himself with thunder and wind qi. Fan Yu¡¯s skin darkened, turning the color of stone, and the temperature in the tunnel flared as strands of flame blazed up around Xiulan.


    Ling Qi¡¯s mist rolled out as well, engulfing them all in its confines, even as she flooded her limbs with dark qi in preparation for moving quickly. Heijin¡¯s eyes glowed in the dark as he swelled in size, his head now reaching Ling Qi¡¯s waist.


    Han Jian was last. A golden banner unfurled over his shoulders, shining even in her mist. ¡°Steel your minds and advance.¡± His words rang with unusual weight, and Ling Qi felt his qi whispering along her channels, enhancing her spiritual defenses.


    They moved quickly, no longer maintaining a careful pace. Ling Qi felt her friends activating other techniques as they advanced toward the beast¡¯s lair, and she herself enhanced her own defenses further, calling on the serenity of Argent Mirror and filling the mist with hunting shadows.


    It was a good thing that she did. As they crashed through into the more heavily organic tunnel, she felt a sudden wrenching feeling in her gut as the dull, decaying qi around her spasmed in response to their intrusion. Stringy white growths tore from the walls, and tendrils of spongy fungal growth the size of thick tree limbs attempted to bar their way and push them back.


    Fan Yu and Han Fang were not deterred though, the taller boy¡¯s hammer ripping one in twain with a thunderous burst while Fan Yu at least held up under their battering. Ling Qi¡¯s shadow constructs tore at rootlets and tendrils, keeping them from creeping up around her feet. Her eyes watered as Gu Xiulan¡¯s blinding blue flames lanced down the tunnel, reducing many of the obstructing growths to ash. Heijin darted forward through the gaps she made like a golden blur, shredding tendrils as they struggled to grow and regenerate.


    Ling Qi, judging that the rest of the group had the damage in hand, simply called on the wind to guide everyone¡¯s movements as she maintained her melody. Han Jian evidently felt the same, and his banner unfurled further as tracers of light like a tiger¡¯s stripes began to form on his skin and armor. Ling Qi felt a rush of heat as his own qi, wind and earth together, bolstered her own.


    All around them, the tunnel came alive. Early Silver, Mid Silver, then Late Silver, the fungal growths¡¯ qi grew more resilient the closer they pushed toward the cavern at the end of the tunnel, fighting back fiercely and desperately. It slowed them, but it could not stop them. Gu Xiulan¡¯s intense flames scorched it down to the earth and cut off any hope of regrowth.


    They reached the entrance of the cavern.


    A once serene pool of water lay beyond with a great towering white growth in its center, a bulbous, cancerous thing that trembled and writhed. Thousands of rootlets writhed up from the water even as the organic coating on the walls rippled violently with the creature¡¯s pain and fury. Ling Qi felt a hint of worry as she was unable to read the beast¡¯s cultivation failed. Third realm then, probably early but perhaps more. The air shimmered, and she felt as if a hammer had smashed directly into her thoughts.


    It would be nice if she could simply lie down to rest. A little sip from the cool, clear water would be even better¡­


    It didn¡¯t last. Silver light flared from her eyes, and she rejected the influence, drawing a horrible squeal from the pillar of fungal flesh in the center of the room as she retaliated by drowning it in a cold, cloying elegy. The others fared less well. Fan Yu stumbled, looking lost, and there was confusion in Xiulan¡¯s eyes, her flames briefly guttering.


    ¡°Do not be enraptured!¡± Han Jian shouted, his voice rising above her melody. Her friends shuddered, their eyes clearing, and Xiulan¡¯s hair whipped violently around her head as she stared down the beast in fury.


    Han Fang and Heijin had not even been slowed by the fungal pillar¡¯s attempt. The two of them struck like thunderbolts, rootlets failing to grasp at their wind-shrouded forms. Han Fang¡¯s hammer tore a great gobbet of flesh free from the pillar, and the ensuing thunderclap cratered the pillar while Heijin¡¯s claws slashed jagged rents in a rising spiral around the pillar as the wind carried him briefly into the air.


    The fungal pillar retaliated as rootlets as thick as tree limbs emerged from the ground to lash out with blows fit to sunder stone. They met resistance as Ling Qi activated Deepwood Vitality, shimmering shrouds of verdant green absorbing the impact and leaving her allies free to continue attacking without missing a beat.


    It may have been their superior in cultivation, but this beast was clearly not meant for direct combat. It was messy and unpleasant, but it was no match for the five of them. The creature eventually died, torn apart by their combined fury.


    Sadly, that seemed to be the end of the cave, but it was not in vain. They were able to dig out a fairly large cache of beast cores out of the fungus, the yet undigested remains of its victims. It included several low ranking grade three cores and the beast¡¯s own, of which there were multiple. With her share of this windfall, Ling Qi would be able to maintain her current expenditures.


    Between the continuing investigation into Yan Renshu and her training with the Golden Fields group, time passed quickly after that. The rest of their explorations were less exciting, but in training, Ling Qi found herself rapidly mastering the portion of Argent Storm that Han Jian had shared with her. It was not an art that really fit her style well since it primarily relied on defending against melee attacks with Rumbling Squall and punishing failed melee attacks with Thunderous Retort technique, but it was a useful tool to have if someone were to close to melee range with her.


    With three Argent arts active, Ling Qi felt slightly strange like she was on the verge of something.

 Interlude- Bai Cui

    Sister Meizhen gave far too much thought to that girl, Cui thought sulkily as she threaded her way through the tall grass that grew between the gnarled roots of the forest. She moved without disturbing a single blade. As silent as death. Just like Papa had taught her.


    Cui had been wrong about that girl. She was not a mouse or a rat or scurrying prey for all that she cloaked herself as if she were one. Cui could grudgingly respect the bite of that oversized viper, Ling Qi.


    It didn¡¯t change the fact that the girl had hurt her sister. Had sent her to huddle in her room and silently clutch Cui to her bosom for comfort, shoulders shaking. If she were not a Bai, her sister may have cried. Cui had been furious; she would have sought out the girl and ended her then and there if Meizhen had not held her so tightly and had not so clearly needed her.


    Her cousin was strange, as all humans were. Cui knew this. The human members of the Bai were less strange than most, but they were strange all the same. Nothing illustrated that more than the fact that Sister Meizhen had forgiven the other girl for hurting her. Cui could not quite understand the idea. One did not forgive slights or insults, but Sister Meizhen had insisted that everything had been the fault of her own misunderstanding.


    Cui did not understand.


    The brush she slithered through rustled, and she flicked her tongue in irritation, tasting the scent of her prey on the air as she righted her heading. She was becoming distracted. It was unbecoming of a Bai. Sister Meizhen had requested her help, and she would not ruin things, even if she did not understand her sister¡¯s investment.


    Ling Qi was stupid. She had rejected her Sister, who, while being hairy and lumpy like all humans, was surely as beautiful as their sort could be. And the girl¡¯s spirit, that whiny glutton Zhengui, was annoying, always toddling after her when his own sister was absent, stealing or scaring away her food.


    At least he was sleeping now. Perhaps he would be less grating when he emerged more matured. The dirt wall around his pyre made a good napping spot at least. It would be sad if that nasty fuel had poisoned the aromatic smoke. It was not as if it was his fault that his human was so dumb. Cui knew she was sulking again. Sister Meizhen would scold her. It was so hard to stay focused with such easy prey though.


    The humans she was following came to a stop ahead, crouching to root in the dirt like pigs to collect herbs. Cui peered at them from the tall grass, idly tasting the air. The five humans were alone, the strongest of them only just touching the end of the second realm. Weaklings. Years older than her sister and yet still so impotent.


    Boring.


    This was so boring.


    Cui did not allow herself to be distracted by the tasty snacks she could feel in the grass around her and the trees above. She did not allow herself to be diverted by thoughts of bringing down the fat crow in the tree across the clearing with a well-aimed jet of toxin, or how tasty it would be as its hollow bones crunched in her throat and the vaguely tickly feeling of its feathers on her snout. No, Cui had been asked to watch, and so she would watch.


    Ah, the tasty crow flew away.


    Two hours later, Cui was growing ever more tempted by the morsels around her, but still, the humans had only shuffled on a short distance, filling their bags and baskets with leaves and berries and bark. Finally though, Cui¡¯s vigilance was rewarded. She felt the approach of the oily muddy qi that marked her real target and felt a thrill of pleasure. This time, her waiting had not been in vain.


    The ugly, slimy white worm that emerged from the dirt caused a thrill of disgust in Cui. It smelled like rotting meat and hardly looked better. The leader of the humans clasped his hands and bowed to it, and one by one, his subordinates offered it bags which were quickly swallowed down its drooling maw. Whatever conversation passed between the leader and the swaying worm after that was silent beyond Cui¡¯s ability to listen, but that did not matter. As the worm disappeared, she sent a feeling of confirmation to her sister.


    The humans moved and Cui followed, utterly silent. Despite her distraction, she had pinpointed the weaknesses in their false scales long ago. She would not insult Papa by doing otherwise. He had taught her the vulnerabilities of humankind in nursery rhymes while she was still in her shell. There would be no need for Sister Meizhen to dirty her hands with trash.


    Cui would strike long before the humans reached the road that would lead them back to the Sect. Qi rippled across her scales as she slithered closer to the chatting group of humans, quiet and unassuming. They did not see her, and they did not feel her. Pathetic. She was not nearly as good as Papa or even that viper Ling Qi, but these humans were worthless.


    She was practically under their feet by the time she struck. The world blurred as her head whipped forward and up with her strike, and the leftmost human let out a cry of pain as her fangs sunk deep into the artery in the girl¡¯s ankle. Her venom sacks pumped, filling the girl¡¯s blood with toxin, albeit a mere paralytic rather than one that would melt the flesh from the human¡¯s bones.


    The girl fell, and with her fall, Cui felt the humans slow as the girl¡¯s arts faded. The nearest boy was just turning to look at his crumpling companion when Cui struck again, and he too fell. A blade struck her scales and rebounded, chipped. It was shortly followed by a jet of pressurized water that carved through the dirt and tree roots, but that hardly gave her pause.


    The other humans fell in moments.


    Cui took a moment to enjoy the fear and whimpering from the humans crumpled in the dirt around her, smugly looking down on them from above her coils as she waited for her sister.


    Sister Meizhen was prompt, although she did not do anything so undignified as hurry. Instead, her sister¡¯s steps were slow, graceful, and measured as she emerged from the shadows of late evening. The human Bai¡¯s face was cast in shadow by her regal hood of black water, which rippled soundlessly in the wind. Only Sister Meizhen¡¯s eyes were visible, glowing beacons of cold golden light.


    Cui heard the girl on her right sob as Sister Meizhen¡¯s aura fell over her as crushing as the depths of Grandmother¡¯s lake. She flicked her tongue, amused. Sister Meizhen did like her little bits of fun now and then. Even Cui¡¯s serious and humorless Mother agreed that such theatrics had a certain value.


    ¡°S-sect Sister, whatever we have done to offend you, please let me apologize!¡± The leader of the weak humans babbled as Meizhen strolled closer, pausing to brush her hand affectionately over Cui¡¯s eye ridges. Cui hissed happily, nuzzling her hand, and took the invitation to slither up her sister¡¯s arm and come to rest around her shoulders, enjoying the cool feeling of her mantle.


    ¡°How fortunate that you are cooperative,¡± Meizhen spoke mildly, coming to a stop. ¡°I would have you deliver your master Yan Renshu unto me.¡±


    The boy¡¯s face went white, and one of the others shuddered, a quiet whimper escaping his lips. ¡°W-we¡­ Sect Sister, I do not know¡­¡±


    Her Sister¡¯s hand twitched, and metal ribbons lashed out, drawing forth a scream. The scream only grew more raw and animal as the toxin took its course.


    Cui closed her eyes. Silly humans. A Bai always got her answers in the end.

 Chapter 130: Training

    Ling Qi hissed in pain as a deep black and purple bruise swiftly began to form on her arm. She stared down, dumbfounded at the offending limb. Had she just¡­ failed to open a meridian? That had never happened before. She had been carefully breaking up a knot of impurities, chipping away at it little by little, and then¡­


    ¡°Are you well?¡± Bai Meizhen asked her. The other girl was seated on the stone ¡®bench¡¯ where Zeqing taught her lessons. She was looking at Ling Qi with concern.


    ¡°Yes. I slipped when opening my meridian is all,¡± Ling Qi said with a wince. She sat beside the fathomless black pool, soaking in the dark qi that emanated from it. ¡°I was just surprised.¡±


    ¡°It happens. Meridians grow more difficult to open as their number grows. Give the channel time to heal before attempting to open it again. Perhaps we should break here,¡± Meizhen said, letting the dark water coiled about her legs drain down onto the rocky ground, where it began to swiftly freeze.


    ¡°I suppose. I did get most of my goals done for today,¡± Ling Qi grumbled. She had trained her Argent Current some more to the Third Flow, and together with Argent Storm, she was increasingly certain that there was something more to the Argent Arts, some way that they fit together into something greater. At the same time, she was uncertain if the Argent Arts, with its focus on physical melee, really meshed with her style. The latest technique in Argent Current, Inescapable Flow, chained a targeted enemy to her with bonds of qi. It worked well with Argent Storm¡¯s defensive techniques but not very well with either of her mainstays, her musical arts and her archery.


    Still, she couldn¡¯t actually use the improved Argent Current without another opened meridian. Ling Qi flicked her wrist, pulling a medicinal pill from her ring and popped it into her mouth. Soon, the swelling began to go down.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Meizhen said demurely, just as unbothered by the cold as she was.


    Ling Qi scooted away from the pool to rest her back against the wall of the ravine, only briefly glancing at Meizhen. She was glad that things were finally becoming normal again with the other girl. They meditated together now, and when they felt ready, they would spar and clash for a time before returning to meditation to further master the flows of their techniques. Occasionally, that routine was broken up by a break for less spiritually strenuous activities. Ling Qi would take that time to work through Suyin¡¯s notes on formation constructs while Meizhen slowly continued to pick out embroidery patterns on a length of silk.


    They even ate together on occasion when both of them felt like it. Ling Qi tried not to think of that though. While she was glad for what she was sure was a display of trust and comfort, it never got less disturbing to see her friend dislocate her jaw and swallow a fist-sized third grade core like a piece of candy or even an entire raw fish. The cracking, grinding sound the cores made as the pale girl¡¯s throat crushed them to powder made her hair stand on end.


    On the other hand, constantly sparring with Meizhen did have its downsides. She had yet to land a meaningful blow on the girl. It filled her with frustration, and as Ling Qi leaned back against the cold stone, nursing her sore arm, she found herself giving that feeling voice.


    ¡°Meizhen, am I really making any progress at all?¡± Ling Qi asked, looking up at the sky. It was a clear night, and she could see the bright half moon and stars.


    Meizhen cocked her head to the side as she looked up from the kerchief she had been working on. The intense cold of the upper mountain had brought a faint flush to the girl¡¯s pale cheeks. ¡°What an odd question,¡± she remarked, her eyebrows drawing together in consternation. ¡°Were you not a mortal less than a year ago?¡±


    ¡°Alright, poor phrasing,¡± Ling Qi admitted.


    ¡°You should choose your words more carefully,¡± Meizhen admonished lightly, returning her gaze to her work. ¡°I have heard that you were lapsing back into casual, common speech with Cai Renxiang.¡±


    ¡°Was she complaining to you?¡± Ling Qi asked with a frown. ¡°I forgot myself a little, but¡­¡±


    ¡°She was not ¡®complaining¡¯,¡± Meizhen corrected. ¡°That you are growing more comfortable is good, but there are limits,¡± she continued, glancing up to meet Ling Qi¡¯s eyes. ¡°If you are to involve yourself in the games of nobility, you MUST temper your speech more consistently.¡±


    Ling Qi let out a frustrated huff but didn¡¯t object to Meizhen¡¯s point. She forgot to use proper speech all too easily still. ¡°I understand. What I meant is¡­¡± Ling Qi trailed off, falling silent as the memory of her desperate run from Sun Liling surfaced. ¡°It¡¯s just - I thought I was catching up, but... Sun Liling, if I hadn¡¯t run from her, would have destroyed me. I had no chance.¡± Ling Qi found her voice growing quieter and quieter with each word as she folded in on herself, staring at her own lap.


    Bai Meizhen stilled. It was a subtle thing, which the Ling Qi of a few months ago would not have noticed at all, but to her eyes now, it was as obvious as the cold current of highly pressurized toxic qi that flowed through her friend¡¯s channels. For a time, Meizhen did not respond.


    ¡°Only you, Qi, would find yourself at fault for such a thing,¡± she finally huffed, giving Ling Qi a reproachful look. ¡°A cultivator of less than a year, and you choose to feel inadequate for failing to match that girl in direct combat.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s stupid, I know,¡± Ling Qi admitted, clasping her hands in her lap. ¡°I thought I had been keeping up with you fairly well so¡­ Well, I didn¡¯t know how much you were holding back.¡±


    There was a faint rustle of cloth, and Ling Qi found that Meizhen had turned to fully face her, a faint frown on her face. ¡°The purpose of a spar is not to crush your opponent. Nor are my best techniques something which I would willingly use upon a¡­ friend,¡± Meizhen said, the last word coming out somewhat awkwardly. ¡°Qi, you have become strong. Do not doubt that. When you break through, know that you will stand near to me, though our skill sets might differ.¡±


    Ling Qi let out a soft huff of a laugh. ¡°Which is your way of saying that you can manhandle me whenever you want,¡± she teased, forcing her worry down. ¡°Your defense is ridiculous.¡±


    The flush on her friend¡¯s cheeks briefly deepened, and she glanced away. ¡°... A Bai should remain untouched and dignified at all times,¡± Meizhen awkwardly mumbled. ¡°Your resistance to my spiritual techniques is impressive. Do not denigrate yourself so.¡±


    Ling Qi simply nodded, shooting her friend a thankful look as she pulled out her notes. She would have to give the meridian a rest, but that was no excuse to stop working.


    ***


    That went for her afternoons too. Her tutoring with Zhong Peng had progressed at a good pace, and today was the last day. Over the course of the lessons Ling Qi had honed the arts she had chosen to train. Fleeting Zephyr came naturally to her, and she was thankful for it, speeding her steps and protecting her from projectiles. Her accuracy and fire rate with the Falling Stars art under stress had grown greatly as well.


    Zhong Peng had taken her lack of a truly long range perception art as an indication that she did not wish to follow the more standard archer path. Instead, he spent his time drilling her on maintaining her aim while under attack and teaching her little tricks that she could use to more easily handle a bow in melee. Unlike a mortal¡¯s weapon, a cultivator¡¯s bow would not necessarily be ruined by using it to parry, and an arrow could be used like a somewhat awkward punch dagger in a pinch.


    Of course, Ling Qi couldn¡¯t simply use her slender bow as a bludgeon the way Zhong Peng could use his, so his lessons had required some adjustment. Ling Qi felt fairly satisfied with her progress.


    That didn¡¯t mean picking the leaves and twigs out of her hair at the beginning of the session was any less of an irritation. Xiulan would blanch if she could see her now, smeared with dirt, her gown marked with slowly repairing rips and cuts. Worse of all, Ling Qi felt gross and sweaty. It seemed she had not moved beyond such mortal concerns yet. Ling Qi wondered when she had gotten used to feeling clean, a luxury - and danger - on the streets.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done well.¡± Her instructor¡¯s voice caused her to look up from undoing her braid. ¡°You adapt quickly and have a survivor¡¯s instinct.¡± Zhong Peng leaned against a thick tree at the edge of the clearing, his thick arms crossed. It was the young man¡¯s preferred ¡®at rest¡¯ pose.


    ¡°Thank you, Senior Brother Zhong,¡± Ling Qi replied, bowing as best she could from her seated position. ¡°Is there anything you would advise going forward?¡±


    He let out a rumbling hum, considering her. ¡°Not as such. You have a strong foundation, but I have little idea what you are trying to build,¡± he admitted bluntly. ¡°You are not like me. The bow is not your focus.¡±


    Ling Qi reluctantly nodded. She enjoyed shooting, much like she enjoyed music. But she wasn''t sure yet whether she wanted to build her cultivation around either.


    ¡°That is fine,¡± the older boy continued. ¡°My father was a hunter, and my mother an army scout. Archery is in my blood. I have known what I wanted for many years. Not all are so lucky.¡±


    ¡°So I have to figure it out myself then?¡± Ling Qi asked ruefully, letting her hands fall into her lap. Not what she had hoped for.


    ¡°As we all must,¡± Zhong Peng said, shrugging his broad shoulders. ¡°Choose what you want to do. Tailor your skills to that. As things are, once you have mastered Falling Stars, I would suggest looking into mid and close range variants utilizing water or pure wind elements if you wish to continue the path of the bow. One who tries to do all things will only find themselves drowning in mediocrity.¡±


    ¡°The Sect arts cover all the elements though, don¡¯t they?¡± Ling Qi asked defensively. ¡°The Sect Head can¡¯t be wrong, right?¡± The Argent arts had been personally developed by him after all.


    Zhong Peng inclined his head slightly. ¡°That is a path all its own,¡± he explained. ¡°An Inner disciple who wishes to follow in Master Yuan¡¯s footsteps would do well not to be distracted by other arts.¡± The young man frowned, reaching up to scratch at the stubble on his chin as he considered his words. ¡°What you are doing is not wrong. Yet you lack focus. Secondary skills are an asset, but you need to choose a clear primary skill.¡±


    Ling Qi grudgingly nodded. If she had to choose¡­ her music would be her primary skill. Forgotten Vale Melody was one of her highest quality arts and a very versatile control and support art. Sable Crescent Step, another gift from the moon, worked well with Forgotten Vale Melody, but its quality and upgrades meant she could use it with other styles as well. The problem was that her other arts didn¡¯t necessarily support a music-focused build at the moment, not the way Xiulan¡¯s skills all built on empowering her flames or Meizhen¡¯s all supported her utterly impregnable defense. The whole reason she had sought Falling Stars art was because her current music repertoire lacked a way to truly damage others in a reasonable time frame.


    She parted ways with her tutor amicably. Perhaps next year, once she had sorted her style out, she could show off a coherent art suite to him.

 Chapter 131-Favors

    It was true that Fu Xiang had helped her a great deal in her successful escape from Sun Liling. It was also true that he was now heavily involved with the investigation of Yan Renshu¡¯s contacts. It was also true that she absolutely did not trust the older boy. His whole attitude and demeanor set her on edge. However, Ling Qi felt the need to repay a favor if only so that more might be forthcoming in the future. With that in mind. Ling Qi was hardly surprised when she found the normally elusive Fu Xiang easy to find.


    A word to one of the enforcers working in the market and a few hours spent cultivating while it was passed up the chain earned her a hasty invitation to the same teahouse they had met at before.


    Once again, she found herself slipping into the private booth at the little restaurant where she had last met the boy. Fu Xiang had not changed overly much. His presence was greater, granting the boy a quiet weight that he had previously lacked. At the same time, it seemed that his physique was not yet Third Realm.


    ¡°I am glad to see you doing well, Miss Ling,¡± Fu Xiang said as she sat down, his air of self-satisfaction fully intact. ¡°I hope your excursion to the Medicine Hall this week was not serious?¡±


    ¡°It was nothing important,¡± Ling Qi replied. Han Jian had insisted that they all visit the hall after their cave raid to check for lingering toxins. She had gone along with it since they had a good crop of materials to sell. Being locked in a room and drenched in decontaminating medicinal mist to purge lingering fungal spores had not been great fun though. ¡°And you? I suppose Lady Cai has been keeping your nose to the grindstone, sorry about the extra work.¡±


    ¡°Not at all, it is an interesting challenge to flex my skills against a proper peer, no matter how misguided,¡± he said with a thin smile, drumming his fingers on the table.


    ¡°Well I¡¯m glad you¡¯re having fun,¡± ling Qi grumbled. ¡°Are you doing everything yourself then? That must be tiring.¡±


    ¡°Talents like mine are in high demand for a reason, sensory and divination arts such as mine are rare below the third realm, and they will only grow more potent now that I have reached it,¡± he said with a touch of pride. ¡°Sadly, I am still limited by the costs involved.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed noncommittally. She could see a use for being able to talk over distances. What she found on the subject indicated that the qi costs involved increased massively and exponentially with time and distance though. ¡°Do you plan to sign up with Lady Cai when you¡¯re done with the Sect then? Become her coordinator?¡±


    ¡°Heavens, no,¡± Fu Xiang answered, looking at her as if she had suggested that he go streak through the market. ¡°I intend to use my eventual place in the Inner Sect to receive a recommendation into a junior position at the Ministry of Communication. I am a son of the capital. I shall leave the barbarians to you border nobles.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked. ¡°Oh,¡± she said, lacking any better response. She supposed that she hadn¡¯t really considered the various Ministries as potential landing spot post-Sect. She wasn¡¯t terribly familiar with them. She knew about Communication, Law, and Integrity, but she was sure there were a few others. She vaguely recalled hearing mention of a Ministry of Spiritual Affairs and Ministry of Commerce. ¡°Well, I hope you have good fortune with that.¡±


    ¡°And you as well, with whatever you might decide on,¡± he replied easily, bringing his hands together on the table. ¡°You may even be able to help in that regard.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s expression became more serious. This was what she had been expecting. ¡°Well, I do owe you. That transportation formation couldn¡¯t have been cheap,¡± she acknowledged.


    ¡°Just so,¡± Fu Xiang said with a cheerful nod. ¡°Worry not. My request is nothing too onerous for one of your skills. It will even help those friends of yours. Li Suyin and Su Ling, I believe?¡±


    Ling Qi pursed her lips, a little unhappy at his casual mention of her friends. She reminded herself that the smirking boy was an ally. ¡°Oh? Just what might your request be?¡±


    ¡°Well, given your impressive destruction of a fellow disciple¡¯s hopes and dreams, I thought that you might be up for doing a few more,¡± Fu Xiang continued with a laugh. She wasn¡¯t sure what to feel about the tinge of genuine admiration in his voice. ¡°There are several promising production students who have already begun their final projects. If you could ruin the projects or steal their materials, it would ease things considerably.¡±


    Leaning back in her seat, Ling Qi considered the request. She could see what Fu Xiang meant. If she took out some of the competition, this would help Suyin too. But Suyin would probably not approve of this method; Ling Qi could very easily imagine the look of betrayed expectations on her friend¡¯s face. Unlike Yan Renshu, an absurdly obvious villain, this would be disciples that hadn¡¯t harmed her.


    Of course, what Suyin didn¡¯t know couldn¡¯t hurt her. ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± she said neutrally.


    ¡°The three targets I have in mind have their facilities in the market,¡± Fu Xiang explained. ¡°The market wards merely prevent violence, not sabotage or theft¡­ but I admit, you would be taking a risk. Should you be caught, you could receive a ban from the market.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. ¡°That is quite a risk.¡± She hadn¡¯t had a good track record for getting out undetected on most of her heists for all her general success.


    ¡°It is, but I will act as a go-between for the remainder of the year should it come to that,¡± he reassured. ¡°However, I think you will find their security less severe than Sir Yan¡¯s. None of the targets are third realm themselves or wealthy enough to purchase the services of one.¡± He paused, eyeing her speculatively. ¡°I will be satisfied with the sabotage of one of my competitors, but I do not need to tell you that the production track is crowded. Both of us benefit from thinning the herd.¡±


    ¡°... Let me sleep on it,¡± Ling Qi replied after a moment. In the end, it was a matter of how much risk she wanted to take and how much she was worried about tainting her relationship with Suyin. The girl had grown more practical, but if she found out about this, she would probably be unhappy.


    For that matter, she couldn¡¯t imagine Cai being pleased by it either. She was not keen on seeing the hammer of ¡®justice¡¯ turned her way.

 Chapter 132-Courting

    ¡°Ugh, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m doing this,¡± Ling Qi grumbled as she and Xiulan approached the outskirts of the town at the base of the mountain. The sharp autumn wind tugged at the hem of her gown, briefly revealing the black and silver slippers she wore beneath. It was a testament to her trust in Xiulan that despite her discontent, she was still going along with Xiulan¡¯s request.


    Xiulan rolled her eyes above the golden veil that covered the lower half of her face. The wide sleeves and the train of her rose colored gown trailed behind her elegantly. ¡°I do not understand why you are being so childish about this,¡± she said, exasperated. ¡°It is not as if we are going to kidnap you for a ceremony this very hour.¡±


    ¡°You would if you could get away with it,¡± Ling Qi sniped, half serious. She knew Xiulan wouldn¡¯t do such a thing to her, but her family¡­ Well, who knew. Talk of betrothals and contracts made her jumpy.


    ¡°Spouse theft went out of fashion with the unification, Ling Qi,¡± Xiulan commented dryly. ¡°Really, who would be so gauche?¡± She then deliberately changed the subject, asking, ¡°You like the new hair style?¡±


    Ling Qi huffed, reaching up to toy with pale lilac ¡®petals¡¯ of the ornament pinning her hair back. Gu Xiulan had helped her pick it out. The clip was silver, decorated with what looked like a live orchid flower. It seemed cultivators could do a lot of frivolous things with formations. With the hair pin, most of her hair was pulled back and hung loose down to the middle of her back.


    The Ling Qi of six months ago would have quailed at the price of the medicinal solution Xiulan had coaxed her into using. She had to admit that it had good effects though. Even unbound, her hair was perfectly straight and smooth. ¡°I¡¯ll get back to you. I don¡¯t know if it is going to get in the way yet,¡± she answered grudgingly.


    Xiulan gave her a flat look. ¡°If you cannot manage so simple an exercise in your sleep, I shall eat your left shoe.¡±


    ¡°Not your left shoe?¡± Ling Qi shot back as they passed the city gates. Feeling a prickle on the back of her neck, she glanced to the side and saw a young mortal boy their age gaping at them from a market stall. He flinched away when he met her gaze and quickly busied himself. Ling Qi felt a moment of satisfaction followed by a twinge of guilt.


    Unmindful of her thoughts, Xiulan laughed. ¡°Of course not. To ruin my own pair would be a travesty.¡±


    Ling Qi let out an amused sound in response. She supposed that there had been no reason to glare, but she was still feeling on edge. ¡°So where are we meeting this cousin of yours anyway?¡± Ling Qi asked as they passed through the street, untroubled by the morning crowd.


    ¡°In the square,¡± Gu Xiulan replied. ¡°Relax. This is a polite offer and enticement, no more. There is no need-¡±


    ¡°Lan-Lan!¡± A male voice broke over the sound of the crowd, and Ling Qi blinked, looking ahead as people moved aside for the owner of the voice.


    Xiulan¡¯s perfectly sculpted eyebrow twitched violently, pulling at her scars. ¡°... Tai, did I not ask you to wait?¡±


    Ling Qi caught sight of the speaker a moment later. Her first impression was that she could see the family resemblance. The young man in the street ahead had the same refined features as Xiulan, but they were of a hard cast and his skin a shade darker, tanned by the sun more than birth. His hair was streaked with lines of dark red, rather than being a solid red, and was bound in a top knot. As he approached, Ling Qi could see that he had a few centimeters on her and a lean build. He didn¡¯t seem to be much older than eighteen or nineteen.


    ¡°Asking me to stand around for so long - isn¡¯t that a bit cruel of you?¡±


    ¡°Lan-Lan?¡± Ling Qi asked in a low voice, barely moving her lips as she glanced at her friend.


    The withering look she got in return put to rest any thoughts she had of teasing her friend¡­ for the moment. ¡°I see patience still eludes you,¡± Xiulan said haughtily, crossing her arms to look imperiously up at the taller boy.


    ¡°A curious accusation,¡± Gu Tai said with a shrug. ¡°Cousin, you know perfectly well that no Gu without gray hairs has a drop of that.¡±


    ¡°At least he¡¯s honest,¡± Ling Qi said, studying him critically despite her flippant response. Gu Tai wore a loose vermillion jacket patterned like the feathers of a bird over a more tightly fitting black silk shirt with red highlights along its center. A familiar bright red fingerless glove covered his right hand.


    ¡°The lady of the hour speaks!¡± Gu Tai said brightly, offering a bow of greeting. It wasn¡¯t shallow enough to be mocking, but it also wasn¡¯t one which conveyed a great deal of formal respect. ¡°It pleases me to meet you in person, Miss Ling. Xiulan¡¯s letters have been quite colorful in the past months.¡± Ling Qi wasn¡¯t quite sure how to take that comment so she just gave him a polite smile in response.


    Xiulan caught her questioning look and let out a quiet sigh and slight shake of her head. He just had that kind of personality, it seemed. ¡°Tai, I think the both of us would prefer not to turn this meeting into a street show.¡±


    The mortals were very deliberately ignoring them while leaving them space as far as Ling Qi could tell, but a handful of people who read as first realms were watching them curiously. ¡°Yes, I am glad to meet one of Xiulan¡¯s relatives, but this is a little public, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    The older boy nodded easily in response, his good cheer unaffected. ¡°If that is the lady¡¯s wish,¡± he said politely. ¡°But I am surprised to see you express such a sentiment, La-¡± Ling Qi was fairly sure that she saw his hair smolder under the force of Xiualn¡¯s glare. ¡°Xiulan,¡± he corrected.


    Ling Qi followed the two fire cultivators further into town, feeling slightly bemused. Given Xiulan¡¯s situation, she had almost expected her relatives to be very proper. This Gu Tai, for all that he was a third realm cultivator, didn¡¯t give that impression. Then again, if Xiulan had told her family so much about Ling Qi, perhaps he was simply acting for her benefit.


    She allowed herself to fade into the background of the conversation as her two more bombastic companions traded jibes with an air of long familiarity, only offering an occasional comment when prompted. Gu Tai was difficult to read, his higher realm obscuring much of his nature, but she could get a feel for his secondary element at least. Where the purity of Xiulan¡¯s flames had been mixed with the explosiveness of lightning, her cousin had a strong tinge of wind like a forge fire stoked by powerful bellows.


    They soon arrived at their destination, a rather elaborate building near the center of town. It seemed to be a teahouse and restaurant catering to the settlement¡¯s elite. Although the staff of the establishment was still mortal, Ling Qi caught a whiff of first realm qi from the kitchens.


    The elderly matron who came out to lead them to their reserved room was early second realm. From the pleasantries traded, Ling Qi picked up that she was the owner. She supposed the Gu family was pretty distinguished. Her own perspective was probably kind of skewed with Bai Meizhen as her roommate.


    Soon they were seated in a private room filled with a light flowery scent. An open window and balcony provided light from the pleasant day outside. Ling Qi seated herself next to Xiulan while Gu Tai sat opposite them.


    ¡°Have you examined me to your satisfaction then, Miss Ling?¡± She blinked as Gu Tai spoke up, referring to her directly. ¡°I did not imagine you a shy girl, so I assume your silence was one of thought.¡±


    ¡°I did not want to interrupt you and Xiulan,¡± Ling Qi deflected, meeting his dark brown eyes. ¡°You two seemed to be enjoying yourselves.¡±


    ¡°We have already caught up well enough over the past week,¡± Xiulan interjected evenly, eyeing her cousin with irritation.


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Gu Tai admitted. ¡°Yet I cannot help but feel that I have not yet succeeded in my goals.¡±


    ¡°I am not a child anymore, Tai. Your foolery is unnecessary,¡± Xiulan snipped. ¡°Do not insult Ling Qi by ignoring her so.¡±


    Gu Tai let out a thoughtful hum and returned his gaze to Ling Qi. ¡°My apologies if that is how it came across, Miss Ling. I am, of course, glad to have your company. You have been very quiet though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no trouble,¡± Ling Qi said uncomfortably. ¡°I am uncertain about how I am supposed to act,¡± she admitted.


    ¡°Understandable,¡± Gu Tai said lightly. ¡°I suppose you have not had much experience with betrothal negotiations.¡±


    Ling Qi barely kept her expression neutral, thoughts flashing back to memories dredged up by recent events.


    Tai continued speaking though, as if he didn¡¯t notice her discomfort. ¡°... an insult to your grace, of course. What louts these southern nobles must be.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Ling Qi agreed a little thickly. ¡°I¡­ What exactly does this¡­ I mean, what do you want?¡± She stumbled over her words, and Xiulan shot her a look of confusion and concern.


    The young man sitting across from them peered at her carefully, his easy smile fading. ¡°To be blunt, our exalted grandfather has negotiated with the Han for a portion of the new lands opening up in the latest wave of reclamation.¡± He paused, glancing at Xiulan. ¡°How much does she know of Golden Fields?¡±


    ¡°Little, I expect,¡± Xiulan replied absently, studying Ling Qi¡¯s face. ¡°Most of our province is ruins and ash. The land is so soaked in warring sun and death qi that it poisons those who attempt to live there.¡±


    ¡°Except the Walkers,¡± Gu Tai continued, resting his chin in his hands. ¡°Dreadful creatures. However, we have steadily cleansed stretches of land enough to render them¡­ livable.¡±


    Now Ling Qi was confused. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what that has to do with what we were talking about,¡± she ventured.


    ¡°Aside from providing an enticing vision of your prospective home¡­¡± Gu Tai said with a bit of humor. ¡°I intend to be among the settlers wrangling the newly reclaimed lands. This would mean beginning a branch house, for which I would, of course, like a lovely and talented wife,¡± he continued brightly. ¡°Preferably one which would not mind getting her hands a bit bloody at times.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced away, feeling confused. This wasn¡¯t quite going how she had expected it to. She looked to Xiulan for help.


    ¡°It is typical to seek new blood in the establishment of branch houses,¡± Xiulan explained airily. ¡°The Golden Fields bloodlines are somewhat¡­ insular.¡±


    ¡°This did not stop your honoured Father from claiming a bride from the capital,¡± Gu Tai noted. ¡°It was rather scandalous at the time,¡± he added in a more conspiratory tone, looking to Ling Qi with a grin.


    ¡°Ancient history,¡± Gu Xiulan dismissed with a sniff. ¡°The Golden Fields have been opening up for centuries now. Even the senior generation has acknowledged the foolishness of continued isolation.¡±


    ¡°I shall be sure to inform Aunt Xiaoli that you consider her to be ancient,¡± Gu Tai teased. ¡°But yes, as unromantic as it might be, the offer is a practical matter,¡± he said, returning his attention fully to Ling Qi. ¡°Your talent and rapid growth have drawn my uncle¡¯s eye, and he believes us to be a good match. I have no objections. You are a bit young yet, but by the time negotiations are over, that should no longer be a problem. You will be a lovely woman by then. Your more practical talents are a much more important consideration.¡±


    Ling Qi felt conflicted. At least this time, the one complimenting her appearance wasn¡¯t some disgusting slime like Huang Da. But this offer still felt very transactional to her. She didn¡¯t bother asking the question on the tip of her tongue. Gu Tai was clearly fine with marrying someone he didn¡¯t even know. ¡°I understand. I think. So if I agree, we ship off to Golden Fields and start scrabbling in the sand?¡±


    Xiulan frowned at her, but Gu Tai laughed. ¡°There would indeed be much scrabbling,¡± he admitted. ¡°But nowhere else in the Empire will you find the possibilities of past treasures and rich resources, lost under a bit of sand and ash,¡± he said, the lines of thunder running through his qi pulsing. ¡°I am afraid it would be at least two years, more likely three, before any such things were finalized. You would have to remain under the Sect for that time.¡±


    Ling Qi relaxed a little. She didn¡¯t like it - the idea still rubbed her the wrong way and made some part of her feel like she was selling herself - but this offer didn¡¯t feel malicious, even if all she had to go on was gut instinct and a half year¡¯s spotty experience with nobles.


    ¡°That sounds like it might be interesting,¡± she conceded. If marriage wasn''t involved, it would be really intriguing actually. The part of her that found joy in her heists thrilled at the idea of plundering long lost vaults. ¡°I hope you do not mind if I do not give you any answer today though.¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Gu Tai said with a dismissive wave of his hand. ¡°I think Xiulan and I have the recklessness quite covered as it is.¡± He flicked his wrist and a crisp, stiff letter appeared between his fingers, which he held out and offered to her. Ling Qi took it gingerly and gave him a questioning look. ¡°That contains the full text of my uncle¡¯s offer, Miss Ling. Please review it at your pleasure.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, carefully storing the letter away. By the thickness of the envelope, she had a feeling that she would want some help reading over it. Still, this gave her time to think - and another option, if she felt that Cai Renxiang¡¯s offer was not to her taste.


    They continued to chat as the food was brought in, but it quickly returned to the two Gu family members dominating the conversation, despite Gu Tai and Xiulan¡¯s occasional efforts to draw her into the conversation. She didn¡¯t need to make her decision yet. Gu Tai would remain here until the end of the year regardless. Apparently, he was serving as the Gu¡¯s representative in a number of minor negotiations at the moment. If she wanted, she could try to get to know the young man better before she made her choice.

 Chapter 133-Courting 2

    Thankfully, neither Xiulan nor her cousin were offended by her lack of definitive answers, so her time spent with the Golden Fields group did not become even more awkward. She continued to work steadily toward mastering the Falling Stars Art and kept up with the group¡¯s explorations.


    Her thoughts were troubled. Between Gu Tai and Cai Renxiang, she was quickly becoming aware of how ignorant she was of a lot of basic knowledge about the Empire and how everything about it worked. Perhaps she could spend some time in the archives when she found a moment to breathe.


    Right now, she didn¡¯t have the time, not if she wanted to keep up with her cultivation. Whatever might come in the future, she would be better off with more power. Her first major task was taking another shot at doing a Sect mission. Tutoring had been very effective for her so far in advancing her skills, but she needed more Sect Points to hire an Inner Sect tutor.


    One mission in particular stood out as suited to her skills. Near the Sect mountain was a small river valley with a tree that grew potent Immortal Peaches. It was guarded by a young dragon, and a successful completion gave nearly twice as many points as any other mission on the board. Ling Qi was confident that she could manage.


    However, she remained wary of interference by Yan Renshu. After some deliberation, she elected to simply perform the mission before actually registering that she was taking it. That introduced a little trouble for her since she couldn¡¯t get proper directions from the Sect without accepting, but she had a solution to that problem too.


    Namely, Fu Xiang. In the wake of their last meeting, he had left her a means of contact in the form of a sheaf of treated papers that worked like the little messenger ¡®birds¡¯ the Ministry used, albeit with less range and durability. She sent off a query regarding the valley and received a response by evening, giving her directions to the dragon¡¯s valley.


    The second part of her plan to avoid Yan Renshu¡¯s interference involved simply slipping off the mountain in the dead of night and laying out a confusing and convoluted trail. It cost her an hour, but anyone following her at a distance should be thrown off, and if what Fu Xiang had said was any indication, remote viewing could not easily be maintained for such a long time either.


    There were probably defenses for that kind of thing. Ling Qi made a note to look into that kind of formation or talisman.


    Despite her delay, she traveled quickly once she was off the mountain, blurring through the canopy of trees. She headed south toward the rising rampart of mountains over which the Sect stood guard. The valley lay in the steep foothills.


    She came upon it by following the small river that wound its way through the hills, as per Fu Xiang¡¯s directions. Her path took her to the top of a steep cliff where the water thundered down into the valley below. She found herself pausing there at the cliffside as she took in the sight before her.


    It was beautiful, a lush, verdant valley, bursting with life. The water of the river was clear and fresh, sparkling under the light of the moon and stars, and mist that drifted from the river lent the place a mystical air. The qi too was rich and wholesome, filling her with vital energy.


    This would be a cultivation site unparalleled by any she had found so far, even the Argent vent. Ling Qi felt shocked that Fu Xiang had simply told her about the place. No, she was shocked that this place was not flooded by disciples. The reason for that became clear as her eyes fell upon the grove of fruit trees nestling by a bend in the river.


    Coiled around the base of the trees lay the napping dragon. Its body was vaguely serpentine and covered in glimmering azure scales. The middle of its body, between its two sets of limbs, was wider and flatter than a serpent¡¯s with sharp crystalline ridges on its back. It was at least ten meters long in her estimation, although the curling of its long neck and tail made it difficult to tell for certain.


    Its limbs were almost stubby in comparison. They were short and thick with muscle and claws longer than her daggers. Its head, resting on an upraised tree root, had a long and narrow muzzle with only a few of its fangs poking out. The rounded horns at the rear of its skull looked like mere stubs, barely grown in, and only a tiny wisp of mossy fur curled from its chin.


    What really drew her eye, was the gleaming stone seemingly affixed to its throat. It was an emerald green spirit stone the size of her fist, a perfectly smooth sphere of condensed qi that gleamed with inner light.


    The sheer value¡­ Ling Qi shook her head. That alone confirmed her thoughts. She would take the job warning seriously. The young dragon was in the third grade, but if it didn¡¯t have a stronger protector, someone would have come here to harvest it by now. It didn¡¯t seem to show signs of being bonded to a cultivator¡­ which meant it had a notable parent, probably bound to some core disciple or elder.


    Ling Qi wanted no part of that, even if it meant this was probably more of a challenge than a legitimate job. She made certain her qi was well muffled as she crept down the side of the cliff.


    Ling Qi barely breathed as her limbs turned dark under the moonlight, and she became little more than a fleeting shadow on the rocks. She passed over the river without causing even a slight ripple on the water and flowed over the grass without a rustle. The young dragon remained asleep, its loud breathing like the sound of a forge¡¯s bellows.


    It was hard to describe what things were like as a shadow. Her body felt hazy and indistinct in that state, her limbs ephemeral. This did not stop her though. Many, many illusionary obstacle courses under Elder Jiao had taught her to move while in this state, and so she blinked from the grass up into the branches of a tree without pause. She hopped from one to another with barely a disturbance, feeling potent qi in the wood under her feet in her brief moments of solidity.


    The dragon seemed even larger as she approached it, closer to twelve meters than ten. Her entire body was smaller than its torso. Its head shifted and its tail flicked, and Ling Qi froze, not daring to move until the creature had settled again. She let out a tiny breath as it stilled and continued forward, leaping from one shadow to another and eating up distance with ease.


    After her fumble at the fort and the subsequent Sun Liling pursuit, it almost seemed too easy. She supposed that this was the result of preparation. The little finned ridges on the dragon¡¯s head, which she assumed to be ears, twitched very slightly as she settled on the upper branches of the tree furthest from it. She stilled again, but aside from a low growl and and twist of its tail, the dragon remained asleep.


    Moving very carefully, Ling Qi reached out and pressed her hands to the bark. This was going to be tricky. These trees were spirits in their own right and would require propitiation before they would allow her to take the peaches. With a worried glance at the dragon, she pricked her thumb on the edge of one of her knives and pressed it to the bark, channeling qi through her hands.


    She closed her eyes, despite her nerves, focusing on conveying gratitude and supplication through the qi that she channeled into the wood. It worked. Barring unusual circumstances, tree spirits were rarely less than docile, and she soon received a feeling of acceptance. The trouble would come if the dragon scented her blood or felt her qi.


    She held her breath as the blood smeared on the bark dissolved into black mist, and the dragon¡­ rolled over, making a noise not unlike a man¡¯s snore, greatly magnified. Ling Qi didn¡¯t dare sigh with relief. Instead, she quickly plucked enough fruit to fill her quota before soaring away from the beautiful and deadly valley.


    ... It would be such a good place to cultivate in though. Surely there was some way she could manage it.


    ***


    Ling Qi panted as she leaned against the icy wall of the ravine where she and Meizhen trained. Welts and bruises stung painfully on her arms, and her vision swam with the light toxin Meizhen had inflicted on her. Meizhen had taken their conversation last week as a signal to use more of her repertoire in spars.


    Ling Qi was of mixed feelings about that.


    ¡°That was a well thought out attempt,¡± Bai Meizhen complimented, looking as unruffled as ever. The snow on the ground was torn up in wild patterns from their spar, but Meizhen herself was untouched. Well, she did seem to be breathing a little harder than usual. Ling Qi might have been imagining that though.


    ¡°It still didn¡¯t work,¡± she grumbled as she straightened up, her back twinging. ¡°Did you have to throw me into the wall like that?¡±


    ¡°It was the most efficient non-lethal solution,¡± Meizhen replied demurely, dismissing her ribbon sword. ¡°You had come quite close to striking me with your final flanking maneuver.¡±


    That ¡®maneuver¡¯ had left her pretty drained. Jumping multiple shadows in rapid succession and summoning her worms right on top of her friend to distract her for a crucial instant¡­ It had been hard on her reserves.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even look back when you threw me away,¡± Ling Qi said grumpily. ¡°Your awareness is just too amazing,¡± she added to ensure that the other girl knew her complaints were good-natured.


    ¡°It is nothing,¡± Bai Meizhen dismissed, although Ling Qi could hear the slight smile in the girl¡¯s voice. ¡°Shall we rest then? You expended a great deal of qi.¡±


    ¡°That sounds good,¡± Ling Qi agreed, allowing herself to slide down the wall and sit, a gust of wind blowing away the powder before it could soak through her gown. Meizhen was much more elegant about it. ¡°Meizhen, can I ask you something?¡±


    ¡°You may,¡± her friend responded. ¡°Is something troubling you again, Qi? You are advancing as quickly as can be expected.¡±


    ¡°I met with Gu Xiulan¡¯s cousin a few days ago. I left with a betrothal offer,¡± she said bluntly. ¡°I don¡¯t... I don¡¯t like the idea,¡± she admitted, ¡°but I know that isn¡¯t necessarily rational.¡±


    Meizhen¡¯s expression was blank, her lips pressed together in a thin line. ¡°I see. The offer is hardly an insult. The Gu family is quite prominent,¡± she said slowly. ¡°However, I believe Cai Renxiang¡¯s offer to be a better choice.¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°But if it didn¡¯t come with a marriage attached, I¡¯d probably jump on it. Getting to explore places no one has been in a thousand years or more? That¡¯s more exciting than politics.¡±


    ¡°I suppose,¡± Meizhen huffed, clearly disagreeing.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± Ling Qi paused. ¡°It¡¯s an option, you know? Even if I don¡¯t necessarily like it, I¡¯m glad I have the choice.¡± She was rambling. ¡°The point is - if you have an idea for how I could stay with you, I¡¯d like to know about it, even if you believe I won¡¯t like it.¡±


    Meizhen stared at her in silence before looking away, her right hand clenching on her gown. ¡°It is amazing,¡± she said quietly, ¡°how cruel your earnesty can be at times, Qi.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Meizhen,¡± Ling Qi said, guilt creeping into her tone. ¡°I just¡­ I want to know.¡±


    ¡°Nothing would stop me from visiting you in Cai Renxiang¡¯s domain,¡± Meizhen pointed out. ¡°Given my relationship with her, it is even fairly likely that I may argue to receive assignment to the Duchess¡¯ court as a liaison.¡±


    Ling Qi fidgeted. She hadn¡¯t really considered that. ¡°That¡¯s not the point though.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t,¡± Bai Meizhen acknowledged. ¡°You foolish, reckless, greedy girl.¡± The insults had no heat in them.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Ling Qi apologized carefully, although she wasn¡¯t quite sure what it was she was doing it for.


    ¡°You are not sorry,¡± Meizhen said clearly, meeting her eyes once more. ¡°Please do not condescend to me so.¡± She let out a frustrated breath. ¡°I do not understand you. You rejected me.¡± Emotion strained her voice.


    ¡°Meizhen-¡± Ling Qi began.


    ¡°Let me finish, Qi,¡± she reproached, her voice cracking like a whip. ¡°You rejected me. Completely. Yet you persist in approaching me - in remaining intimate with me.¡± Meizhen¡¯s voice trembled slightly. ¡°Friends are not as close as we are. Friends do not reject a position as a province heir¡¯s right hand merely to ¡®stay together¡¯. So tell me, Qi, why do you do this?¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s shoulders slumped. She hadn¡¯t meant to pick at her friend¡¯s wounds. On some level, she knew the other girl was still hurt, exacerbated by their close proximity, but Meizhen showed so little, it was hard to remember at times.


    ¡°You were my first friend too, you know?¡± she said, looking away, not ready to meet the other girl¡¯s eyes. ¡°Before I came here¡­ I was nothing.¡±


    Meizhen didn¡¯t say a word, simply letting her continue. After a beat of silence, she did.


    ¡°You know how badly educated I was? Even for a commoner?¡± she asked rhetorically. ¡°That¡¯s because I was a street kid. I was a pathetic, petty thief, and I could never stop watching my back.¡±


    ¡°I suspected,¡± Meizhen admitted, ¡°given your proclivities.¡±


    Ling Qi let out a sharp bark of a laugh. ¡°Then I came here and met you. You were terrifying, but you were lonely too. And you helped me again and again, even though I couldn¡¯t offer you anything. During Elder Zhou¡¯s test, I decided that I didn¡¯t want to be the kind of person who would spit on that anymore.¡±


    Meizhen¡¯s gaze dropped to her lap. ¡°I still do not understand.¡±


    Ling Qi squeezed her eyes shut. ¡°My mom was a whore, you know? I guess maybe you could call her a courtesan, if you wanted to be polite. The place she worked for was pretty fancy. I don¡¯t want to talk about that, but¡­ I guess, I don¡¯t really have an idea of how people are supposed to relate to each other and where the line between friends and¡­ other stuff is, beyond the obvious.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Meizhen didn¡¯t look up.


    ¡°I also¡­ I don¡¯t think of girls that way,¡± Ling Qi continued uncomfortably, rubbing her arm nervously. ¡°At least as far as I can tell.¡±


    An awkward, lingering silence fell between the two. ¡°Should I defeat Sun Liling publically during the tournament at the end of the year, I believe Grandfather would be willing to grant me a favor if I request it,¡± the pale girl finally said, plucking at the hem of her sleeve. ¡°To that end, I could take you as my official handmaiden, rather than selecting one from among the Xiao clan, as is traditional for the White Serpent caste of the Bai.¡±


    Ling Qi perked up. ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem too-¡±


    Bai Meizhen shook her head. ¡°Understand, Ling Qi, that the Bai do not countenance weakness. My¡­ feelings for you are a large one. I do not doubt that my cousins would make things incredibly difficult for you, and even making the request would undermine my own position. You would suffer for accepting such an offer. Whatever you might feel, you would come to resent me, and I, you, assuming you survive the internal politics of my clan.¡± She clutched her sleeve tightly. ¡°Please. Accept Cai Renxiang¡¯s offer - or even that of the Gu Clan, or stay in the Sect. It would be better. For both of us.¡±


    If Meizhen was so certain, it was probably a bad idea. Still, Meizhen¡¯s assessment rankled her. Surely she could handle some backstabbing Bai cousins.


    ... She wished that she could believe that.

 Chapter 134-News

    Ling Qi,


    It seems you have grown a great deal. I can easily recall the days when you had no eyes for anything outside your obsession of the day. Your Sect has done what I never could - or perhaps it was the time in between? I apologize if my words seem terse, but you did request that I be candid.


    Biyu and I are well. I did not lie; your gifts are enough for us to live in comfort, even allow the occasional luxury. However, things are rarely so simple in Tonghou. I suppose you can imagine that I did not come to my position at the brothel of my own will. I would not burden you with the details in a letter, but suffice to say, your old mother has few friends.


    My previous occupation was the only one which would accept me, despite, if I may be so prideful as to say, my passable skills in some fields. That is an old complaint though, and not one which bears revisiting. It does relate, however, to current troubles. A number of creditors have begun to darken my doorstep of late, speaking of debts unpaid. While I will not say that I never borrowed, I am quite certain that it was never so much.


    You recall my efforts to teach you your numbers, I am sure, albeit perhaps less than fondly. I am not so lax as to make so many errors. I still hesitate to say this, as some small pride remains to me, but it would be helpful if the Ministry of Law could be made to bear an interest in a poor old woman, if only for a short time.


    It seems I am in the habit of using many words to say little, despite your admonishment. I, too, look forward to speaking with you face-to-face once more, my daughter. As you have said, certain matters are best left to such a meeting.


    Let us speak no more of that for the moment. I am glad that studies (?) are going so well and that you are making some good connections. You were always such a flighty girl when you were younger,. I worried you would have trouble tying yourself to others. However, the young lady you mentioned by name¡­ The characters you wrote were not in error? No other clan dares use that character.


    Finding out that my daughter found herself in ¡®difficulties¡¯ with a member of the Bai is not good for my heart, Ling Qi, but I suppose the rest of your words reduce that worry. The two of you are still friends then? I hope that you remain careful not to cause offense.


    As to your request, I am, of course, willing to share my humble attempts at composition. You are likely better than I by now, but it gladdens my heart that I may be of some help to you.


    Ling Qi smiled slightly as she folded down the front page of the letter, revealing the first page of the rest of the sheaf. Musical notation in her mother¡¯s neat hand filled the revealed page, and carefully formatted notes hugging the margins of the page explained her mother¡¯s thoughts on the composition.


    ¡°Can we get started again?¡±


    Ling Qi looked up from her letter to see Ma Lei looking at her expectantly, bouncing on her heels. She had decided to get a feel for their abilities, and to that end, she had come out to a training field to spar with them. They had just been getting started when the letter arrived.


    ¡°Lei, be patient,¡± her sister chided, peering at Ling Qi worriedly. ¡°Let Miss Ling finish reading her letter.¡±


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s fine,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I brought you here for a reason. I can practice my mother¡¯s compositions later.¡± She dismissed the packet of papers into her ring and stood up from the bench. She was feeling pretty happy with her mother¡¯s gift. Even if her mother was having trouble and being evasive about some matters, her mother had shared something personal with her.


    ¡°Oh, is your mother an entertainer?¡± Ma Jun asked curiously, fingering the strings of the small zither cradled in her hands.


    ¡°... Something like that.¡± Ling Qi gave a small cough. ¡°Ah, how about you two? What does your family do?¡± The Ma sisters didn¡¯t come across as nobles to her; she doubted they¡¯d be so cheerful about having to trail around behind her all day if they were.


    ¡°Dad is a potter,¡± Ma Lei replied with a shrug. ¡°He makes fancy vases and stuff.¡±


    ¡°Father is a popular artisan in our hometown,¡± Ma Jun replied more demurely, shooting her sister a chiding look. ¡°And he worked very hard to send us here.¡±


    Ma Lei grimaced at her sister¡¯s look. ¡°C¡¯mon, sis, you know I¡¯m not being disrespectful.¡±


    ¡°You still need to consider our position, Lei,¡± Ma Jun stressed before turning back to Ling Qi. ¡°My apologies, Miss. We should not squabble in front of you.¡±


    They were better off than her, but who wasn¡¯t? Still, if their father had ¡®sent¡¯ them here, that implied wealth over what a mortal could usually access. She supposed that the Ma family must be ¡®common¡¯ cultivators, like the people in town who were three times her age but still first realm.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Ling Qi said after an awkward beat, dismissing the apology.


    It was bizarre to think of people whose status was so high above her a year ago as ¡®common¡¯. Even a first realm physician or artisan was highly sought after among mortals. Ling Qi briefly wondered how many people from who had troubled her when she was a thief would void their bowels if she gave them a glare now. Maybe she could give Meizhen a tour?


    ... Well, that would be childish, and the Ma sisters were waiting on her. She dismissed the tangent her thoughts had gone on. ¡°In any case, I thought it would be good to get to know your fighting style, so we can work together better if Sun Liling¡¯s raiders decide to hit us.¡±


    The crimson princess wasn¡¯t taking her loss lying down. They were hitting Cai Renxiang¡¯s enforcer patrols, striking from stealth with overwhelming force and leaving Cai¡¯s people stripped and humiliated.


    ¡°We won¡¯t let you down, Miss,¡± Ma Lei said cheerfully. ¡°Bring it on!¡±


    The confidence was good at least. ¡°Since you two are supposed to be bodyguards, I figured the two of you could defend yourselves from me and show me what you can do.¡±


    Ma Jun looked concerned. ¡°If you think that is for the best,¡± she said nervously. ¡°I hope that we can meet your expectations.¡±


    ¡°Sounds great!¡± Her more boyish sister spoke right over her. ¡°Fighting someone tough without having to lose my stuff will be nice.¡±


    ¡°This is why I do not allow you to carry our money any more,¡± Ma Jun sighed. Her sister either didn¡¯t hear her or ignored her words.


    Ling Qi glanced between the two, amused. ¡°... Right. For our first bout, I¡¯ll let you two have a ten count to set up before I attack.¡± She wouldn¡¯t break out Forgotten Vale Melody yet since most people who would attack the three of them were likely to be physical types. She backed up until there was a good twenty meters between her and the Ma sisters and then gave them a nod. ¡°Let¡¯s start.¡±


    Ma Jun bit her lip but nodded, and Ling Qi watched and listened curiously as the girl began to pluck at the strings of her instrument, beginning a soft, slow melody. The air gained a feeling of solidity and weight as natural wind qi was displaced by heavy earth qi. The bells twined in Ma Jun¡¯s hair chimed, and her music grew louder, the qi pouring from her zither gaining greater potency.


    Ma Lei grinned and fell into a combat crouch. A solid, heavy square shield made of fired clay appeared in her right hand, and an iron mace appeared in her left. The ring on her right hand glimmered as well, and clay burst forth, slithering up her arm to form a heavy looking vambrace, seemingly in counterweight to her shield. It then began to spread further, making the beginnings of a breastplate, but...


    The ten count was over. Ling Qi moved. She crossed the distance between them in a flash. There was resistance as she closed in - her limbs felt heavy, and her feet seemed to be slogging through thick mud - but she adjusted quickly. Ma Jun¡¯s eyes widened as Ling Qi lashed out with a knife hand aimed at the girl¡¯s throat.


    Ling Qi was surprised when she found herself having to abort the attack as Ma Lei¡¯s shield appeared in front of her. Her fingers had only barely brushed the clay of the shield before the curved surface erupted in grasping, muddy tendrils and spikes of baked clay, forcing her back a step.


    Ma Lei was now standing where Ma Jun had been, her brow furrowed in concentration as the tempo of Ma Jun¡¯s melody grew more energetic. Some kind of switching technique?


    Ling Qi flowed right into her next attack despite her musings. Steam rose from her skin as she fell into the movements of Argent Current. She drove Ma Lei back with a heavy flurry of attacks that had the girl desperately blocking and playing defense, unable to retaliate as her qi began to drain under the assault. Cracks started appearing in her clay armor.


    Ling Qi felt the moment that changed. Vitality suddenly flowed into the other girl, repairing her armor even as she took one of Ling Qi¡¯s strikes head on and used the opening to swing the heavy head of her mace toward Ling Qi¡¯s head. It wasn¡¯t fast enough to hit her, but it did disrupt her pattern. The breeze that ruffled her hair spoke more of a boulder than a fist-sized lump of metal swinging past her.


    Ling Qi dissolved, shooting into the shadow of a training bench at the edge of the field. Time to see how they dealt with harassment.


    As she emerged from the shadows, her bow appeared in her hands, and she let loose three shots before the Ma sisters could even spot her. Ma Jun cried out as three blunted training arrows struck her in the back, causing her to stumble, her song faltering. Ma Lei moved with admirable quickness to prevent her follow-up shots, but once Ling Qi really started to move, the girl couldn¡¯t keep up with her, even with her sister scrambling back to her feet to resume support.


    For the next several minutes she continued to snipe and harass, using the spar to practice with her bow, she drove the two sisters from one end of the training ground to the other. Until at last Ma Lei panicked and pulled up a fully enclosing dome of earth to give them time to breath.


    It ended with the two collapsed on the ground, sweaty and depleted of qi, while Ling Qi simply took a Wellspring Pill to top herself off as she strolled over from the edge of the field.


    ¡°Your endurance is pretty good,¡± Ling Qi complimented. You were supposed to do that in this kind of situation, right?


    ¡°That¡¯s my job,¡± Ma Lei panted, pushing herself up onto her knees. Her clothes were covered in bits of clay, and Ling Qi suspected that the girl was bruised from her arrows. ¡°I take a pounding and keep on going.¡±


    Her sister muttered something that sounded distinctly unkind to Ling Qi¡¯s ear, despite being little more than a garbled mumble. ¡°T-thank you for your instruction,¡± Ma Jun managed as she too pushed herself off the ground with shaky limbs. ¡°Do you¡­ have any suggestions... for improvement?¡±


    Ling Qi scratched her cheek, glancing away as the Ma sisters stood and comported themselves. ¡°You two are kinda slow and immobile. It¡¯s fine, I guess, given your current job. But one of you should probably have some kind of answer for ranged attacks,¡± she pointed out. ¡°Um, oh, that big dome of earth you pulled up at the end was good!¡± Praise was important too. ¡°It took three solid shots to break through that.¡±


    ¡°... That took a third of my qi,¡± Ma Jun mumbled glumly.


    ¡°I guess we just have to work harder,¡± Lei said cheerfully, clapping her slimmer sister on the back. ¡°I¡¯ll spend some points looking for a ranged counter.¡±


    Ling Qi thought the spar went fairly well. The Ma sisters were well suited for a guard and delay role. Sure, Sun Liling or Meizhen would tear through them in seconds, but that was true for most people. Maybe she should assist Gan with his plans for a counter ambush on the raiders.

 Chapter 135-Heiress

    It was slowly becoming a new normal for Ling Qi to no longer go around alone - at least any time she was in the open. The Ma sisters served as constants while she was down among the main parts of the Outer Sect. More and more often, she found herself trailing around in Cai Renxiang¡¯s entourage, watching the girl work.


    One thing she was beginning to notice was that Cai Renxiang was almost always working. Her only breaks seemed to consist of taking tea in the early afternoon and the hour or so she spent with Meizhen every other day. Somehow, that still annoyed her, but Ling Qi had to grow past that. Meizhen was right; Ling Qi wasn¡¯t being fair to her. She couldn¡¯t - shouldn¡¯t - try to keep her friend all to herself. That would be selfish, not to mention kind of weird and clingy.


    Although Ling Qi might spend more time cultivating, Cai Renxiang was even more of a ¡®workaholic¡¯, as Su Ling might say, than she was. She just spent a lot of time on stuff that seemed petty and pointless to Ling Qi. Managing people the way Cai did would probably drive Ling Qi to distraction.


    It was really difficult to get a read on Cai Renxiang. The face Cai presented to the world simply didn¡¯t slip. There were no gaps, no hesitation, no hints of falsehood. Even Ling Qi was beginning to doubt that the girl was not exactly what she presented herself as: a diligent, straightforward, and mostly fair administrator.


    While Cai Renxiang was much better at etiquette and social manipulation than Ling Qi, Cai was ultimately about as blunt and subtle as a sledgehammer. Ling Qi struggled to continue telling herself that Cai was anything less than sincere in her stated intentions toward her. When Cai made definitive statements, it seemed like she meant them.


    As she shared tea with Cai one day, Ling Qi found herself considering taking the initiative in conversation with the girl. The times she found herself partaking in tea with the girl were usually quiet with conversation limited to polite inquiries into each other''s cultivation. Ling Qi had a feeling that this was deliberate on Cai¡¯s part. Cai Renxiang probably thought Ling Qi would take badly to perceived pushiness and was choosing to be passive to let her grow comfortable at her own pace.


    ... It rankled a little that it was working.


    ¡°Why do you do so much yourself?¡± Ling Qi asked, swirling the liquid in her cup. Today''s tea was white, almost like milk; it had a pleasingly sweet flavor. ¡°I feel like you could delegate a lot of what I see you do.¡±


    Cai Renxiang considered the question as she drank from her cup. The eyes half-closed expression the girl had when tasting her tea was the closest Ling Qi had seen her to being relaxed. ¡°I suppose I find it useful to experience such direct leadership while I can. As my responsibilities grow, delegation will, as you say, become an increasing necessity.¡±


    ¡°So you enjoy listening to people complain all day?¡± Ling Qi winced at the sarcasm that had slipped out. ¡°Er¡­ My apologies. That was rude.¡±


    ¡°It was. Just a little,¡± Cai Renxiang stated, and if Ling Qi didn¡¯t know better, she would have thought she was being teased. Cai inclined her head slightly, the light behind her glimmering and casting her shadow across the table. ¡°One who has not the patience for the base will find themselves unable to reach the peak.¡±


    Ling Qi placed her cup on the table with a faint clink, drumming her fingers on the polished stone tabletop. ¡°Well, I gue - suppose you take your lessons on the lower tiers of leadership seriously. Does it really matter though? At the top, you can just command whatever you want, and it¡¯ll happen.¡±


    ¡°Within limits, that is true,¡± Cai Renxiang acknowledged. ¡°The natural hierarchy of strength is ultimately immutable, but many things slip through the cracks in such a view. Details, though small, can add up to greater turmoil and lessened prosperity. Even the mightiest ruler is ultimately fleeting. Harmony and order must be tended to carefully, or they will crumble the moment that one¡¯s gaze turns from them.¡± Cai paused to allow the girl attending them to pour her another cup before continuing. ¡°I must understand the tasks at each level in order to know the qualities I must seek in my subordinates and the adjustments to organizational structure that are needed.¡±


    They were retreading old ground. ¡°What I¡¯m trying to ask, I think, is what you get from it,¡± Ling Qi said slowly. ¡°Let¡¯s say you¡¯re right - and I¡¯m not saying you are not - and things are overall better if everyone acts in their place, fulfilling their duties.¡± She felt a little dubious about the feasibility of that idea. Surely, a great number of people would chafe badly at that. ¡°Why does that matter to you? I¡¯m pretty sure that all this little stuff doesn¡¯t really touch the people at the top.¡± Everyone had personal reasons for their goals. People just weren¡¯t completely selfless, and the fact that she couldn¡¯t work out Cai¡¯s reason was part of what bothered her about the other girl.


    Cai Renxiang placed her cup on the table, regarding Ling Qi coldly. Ling Qi worried that she might have overstepped her bounds as the silence stretched on. Slowly, Cai Renxiang¡¯s expression changed, her intense stare dipping down to the tabletop as she laced her fingers together. The fabric of her gown rippled and shimmered under the light of her aura.


    ¡°Although we might be called ¡®Immortals¡¯, we are anything but,¡± Cai stated with conviction, looking back up to lock her eyes with Ling Qi¡¯s own. ¡°One should seek to have works which endure beyond death or ascension. How many geniuses have had their work swept away in a mere few centuries or less, their great work forgotten the moment a new generation arrives to supplant them?¡±


    ¡°And you think the order you want to build would endure better?¡± Ling Qi asked, cocking her head curiously. That seemed almost foolishly idealistic.


    ¡°It is possible,¡± Cai Renxiang replied. ¡°The Empire in which we live is testament to that. Even¡­¡± The heiress paused, her gaze briefly flickering to the attendant. ¡°Even if the players change, the framework has endured.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty lofty ambition,¡± Ling Qi said, hiding her frown. That was the first hint of uncertainty she had seen from Cai, but she couldn¡¯t quite work out what it meant. ¡°I suppose this practice must be pretty frustrating, if that is what you want.¡±


    ¡°No artisan produces their masterwork on the first attempt,¡± Cai Renxiang said with a touch of a smile. ¡°But yes, it is somewhat frustrating to know that the nature of the Sect means that my efforts here will inevitably collapse.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed thoughtfully. ¡°Do you mind if I ask you what you know about the Ministry of Law?¡± she asked, changing the subject. Cai¡¯s views on order still twinged at something in her, but she didn¡¯t have the articulation to argue for it.


    The heiress¡¯ brows furrowed. ¡°They are arbitrators, judges, and scribes who handle legal functions below the notice of lords. It is typical for most rulers to retain a number of Ministry advisors to aid them in properly drafting new laws and decrees. It is an important function, and they serve as a check on the Ministry of Commerce due to their authority over contracts,¡± Cai Renxiang recited. ¡°They also serve to ensure that provincial law does not conflict with Imperial law. They also comb the records to ensure that contradictions between older and newer laws are brought to the attention of relevant lords, so that the lords may decide which is to remain valid.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked. She had caught and understood most of that, but the answer was rather more thorough than she had been expecting. That explained her mother¡¯s request. ¡°If I needed to make a request of the Ministry, how would I go about doing that?¡±


    ¡°I could, of course, contact the Ministry for you and ensure that your issue is represented,¡± Cai Renxiang said, peering at her over the lip of her cup. ¡°But that is not what you ask, is it?¡±


    ¡°I really should learn this stuff. It¡¯s not good for me to just leave it to others,¡± she said sheepishly. It really wasn¡¯t. After spending time around the heiress, it was beginning to dawn on her what responsibilities she was going to have as a lord in the future. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t complain if you put a word in to make sure my request is taken seriously though. I haven¡¯t quite broken through to the third realm yet.¡±


    Cai Renxiang nodded approvingly, the halo of light behind her head gleaming. ¡°I will make time to tutor you on legal matters. I believe you are active at night?¡± Ling Qi nodded in response. ¡°May I ask what the issue is? I assume it is a family matter.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s instinctive reaction was to clam up, but if Cai Renxiang wanted to find out, she would. And hiding the problem would only hinder her efforts to help her mother. ¡°My Mother is being harassed by false creditors. I¡¯m not sure why, but I¡¯d like to help her if I can.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Cai Renxiang said, looking unhappy. She always did when the subject of corruption came up. ¡°The Sect¡¯s protection would not extend that far. Please give me two days to make arrangements.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded happily, glad that this new matter could be taken care of so easily. Now it was time to speak of Yan Renshu, which was the original purpose of the meeting. Yan¡¯s sabotage had stopped, but she was sure that was only because of the heat brought down on him by Cai¡¯s faction.


    He had chosen to not take his defeat and leave her in peace, Ling Qi would just have to personally see that he understood the mistake he had made in pursuing his vendetta against her.

 Chapter 136-Law

    ¡°ORA!¡± A keg-sized fist crashed against stone, and the stone lost. The cliff face lit up like a festival lantern, the carved characters of a hideously complex array of formations characters appearing under the evening sun.


    ¡°ORRAA!!¡± A second fist crashed down, and the rock face cratered under the steel spikes which adorned its knuckles. Thunder boomed, flames erupted, and lightning sparked up the hulking figure¡¯s powerful arms. Emerald qi textured like bark barely held up under the formation¡¯s assault.


    ¡°OOOOORRRRRAAAAA!!¡± Gan Guangli roared, and this time, stone shattered beneath his punch and through into the chamber beyond. Strings of chiseled characters cracked and sputtered, and the air seemed to shudder. A vile miasma of toxic violet qi seeped out from the broken rock.


    Beside her, Cai Renxiang gestured sharply, and the heiress¡¯ eyes flared with colorless radiance. Light pulsed out from her. On the seams of Gan Guangli¡¯s armor, the light lingered, the radiant tracery of Cai Renxiang¡¯s Empyreal Warrior technique layering itself over the bark-like qi of Ling Qi¡¯s Hundred Ring Armament and Deepwood Vitality techniques.


    Ling Qi straightened up as Cai¡¯s potent light qi washed over her as well. The light gleamed in the folds of her gown like liquid starlight, and the toxic qi that had been eating away at her mist vanished like morning dew before it. Ling Qi began the next bar of her Forgotten Vale Melody, calling on her phantoms to fill the mist seeping through the broken doorway and rubble at Gan Guangli¡¯s feet.


    Ling Qi had to admit, there was something satisfying about a direct assault. She was glad that Cai Renxiang had convinced her, earlier this day.


    ***


    ¡°You¡¯ve really tracked him down?¡± Ling Qi asked dubiously, giving the heiress a surprised look.


    ¡°Fu Xiang tracked him,¡± Cai Renxiang corrected. ¡°The damage inflicted upon his infrastructure by your actions certainly contributed as well.¡±


    ¡°I suppose so,¡± Ling Qi said slowly. Still, it was hard to believe. Somehow, she had expected this to take much longer.


    It was Cai Renxiang¡¯s turn to regard her dubiously. ¡°Ling Qi, are you unaware of the sheer damage you inflicted upon Sect Brother Yan? The majority of his boltholes and workshops have been destroyed, and the release of those false contracts resulted in a considerable number of his victims destroying or sabotaging projects. My own efforts to clean matters up and Princess Sun¡¯s poaching would have exacerbated the damage to Yan Renshu. There are limits to the resources of an Outer Sect disciple.¡±


    ¡°Limits to the resources of one without backing at least,¡± Ling Qi mused.


    The other girl frowned. ¡°Even then, most families will not be willing to lose face by involving serious assets in the squabbles of children. The calculus may change somewhat in the tournament, as it is a public event, but even then, there are limits. Do you imagine that my own budget is unlimited?¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s silence was her answer.


    The heiress closed her eyes briefly. ¡°... It is not.¡±


    Unlimited was a relative thing, Ling Qi thought, but she kept her mouth shut. ¡°So, what did you find?¡±


    ¡°We were able to find the one who had delivered the toxin and from there, Fu Xiang traced it to its origin.¡± Ling Qi¡¯s hands tightened in her lap at the mention of the attempt to poison Zhengui, but she didn¡¯t care about patsies. She wanted to punish the one ultimately responsible. ¡°The infrastructure required to make such a thing indicates a concentration of resources that I doubt one in his position would be willing to surrender or be able to move unnoticed.¡±


    ¡°So he won¡¯t just drop it and run. Where is it? I¡¯ll sneak in again and¡­¡± Ling Qi began.


    Cai Renxiang held up a hand. ¡°I do not believe a solitary operation is in your best interests. He will be expecting such a tactic given your¡­ proclivities.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced, remembering her mistake at Sun Liling¡¯s fort. She had succeeded against Yan Renshu the first time, but that had been close as well. ¡°What do you intend then?¡±


    ¡°We will assault the location and utterly crush any resistance,¡± the heiress said calmly, sipping from her cup. ¡°Your assistance in this matter would be greatly appreciated.¡±


    ***


    Ling Qi¡¯s assistance took the form of moving ahead of the group to sniff out and disable the various alarm formations and talismans planted around the cleft valley where the workshop was located and placing the totems that would make the use of escape talismans more difficult. With Fu Xiang acting as the eyes and the hands, their approach was screened quite effectively.


    In addition to Gan Guangli and Cai Renxiang, Xuan Shi had volunteered to help as well, acting as a reserve along with a handpicked group of Gan¡¯s enforcers. Bai Meizhen was back on the mountain in the residential area, ¡®waving the flag¡¯, so to speak, to make sure Sun Liling and her band didn¡¯t get any ideas.


    ¡°Ho, villain! Your schemes have come to naught! Present yourself and surrender!¡± Gan Guangli bellowed as he stepped through the broken doorway. His oversized frame had to shrink back to something approximating human height to manage it.


    ¡°Shall we?¡± Cai Renxiang asked calmly, taking a step to follow. Her unsheathed saber rested against her shoulder as she strode down the tunnel, and the glow of light around her cast strange shadows in Ling Qi¡¯s mist.


    Ling stared at the smoking ruin where Yan Renshu¡¯s elaborate, likely expensive security formations and door lay in sparking pebbles strewn across the ground. All the work Yan Renshu had put into it, all the preparation in the world... and all of it amounted to nothing in the face of a ducal scion on the warpath.


    Ling Qi followed and sank into the shadow of the tunnel, trailing along behind the other two and bringing the cloying Mist of the Vale and its hungry phantoms with her.


    The noise in the tunnel nearly drowned out her melody. Every step Gan Guangli took was rocked by traps. Gouts of flame, hissing streams of acid, crackling lightning, and other, more esoteric effects went off one after another, battering the bulwark of his oversized armored form. Between his own armor and formidable defense, the benefits of Ling Qi¡¯s Thousand Ring¡¯s Fortress art, and the techniques being layered over him by steady pulses of light from the Cai heiress, he weathered it all unharmed.


    But it wasn¡¯t only traps that met their advance. Secret panels and carved chutes opened, disgorging one faceless mannequin and puppet after another, some wood, some clay, and some metal. Some had the birdlike masks of the one she had seen in the woods. They all swarmed out to halt their party¡¯s progress.


    Her phantoms swarmed them in turn, yowling black shapes, the formless predators of a child''s nightmare, slashed at silent puppets with blood red claws. The eerie bars of her Melody rose, thickening the mist into a cloying blanket that settled over one foe after the next, draining the qi from the glowing stones that powered their motion and bolstering Ling Qi¡¯s own reserves.


    The puppets¡¯ claws skittered at Gan¡¯s armor, and his armored fists smashed limbs and bodies into broken fragments. Gan Guangli shouted one challenge after another as he stomped forward, crushing puppet limbs and bludgeoning new foes with the broken remnants of others.


    Behind him, Cai Renxiang walked unhindered, and on those rare occasions where a puppet lunged for her, her saber flashed, an arc of silver in the dark, and it would fall to the floor in pieces.


    As they turned down a wide hall, they saw metal gate after metal gate slam down from the ceiling, a dozen in all. At the far end, a veritable regiment of Yan Renshu¡¯s puppet constructs was gathering.


    ¡°Coward!¡± Gan Guangli roared, reaching for the bars of the first. ¡°No more tricks!¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± Cai Renxiang cut him off with a word and a sharp gesture. ¡°Step aside, Guangli. We are picking up the pace.¡±


    She leveled the end of her saber as Gan stepped hastily to the side, and a bead of light bloomed at the tip. It was tiny, barely the size of a marble. It gleamed and pulsated for a fraction of a second. Merged with the shadows as she was, Ling Qi shuddered at the sheer quantity of qi gathering there.


    Then the silk of Cai¡¯s gown rippled, the wings of the butterfly sewn across her chest moved, and that tremendous qi doubled in density. The tiny marble bloomed into a star before erupting forward, a solid bar of light as wide and tall as a man. Metal shrieked and stone sizzled, and when the light faded, the gates were gone, the puppets were gone, everything was gone. Only dripping molten stubs hanging from the ceiling and ashen outlines on the far wall remained.


    ¡°Gan Guangli, full charge. Ling Qi, offensive support,¡± the heiress commanded crisply, and Ling Qi found herself obeying almost without thinking. The steaming qi of Argent Current rose in her channels and the forearms of Gan¡¯s gauntlets began to glow red hot as he took off down the ruined hall, the ground trembling under his footfalls.


    Ling Qi ghosted behind his vanguard, and her qi flexed as she replaced her flute with her bow. The mist remained, carried on echoes as she had learned from Zeqing. In moments, they had reached the end of the hallway and burst through the charred and molten frame where a door had once stood. The workshop beyond was in disarray, a straight line of obliteration cutting worktables and other furniture in half. A figure spun to face them, tall and whip-thin with poisonous green eyes.


    ¡°Have at you!¡± Gan bellowed as he charged, his fists raised. The figure¡¯s handsome face twisted into a furious snarl as rotten, black and violet mist sprang forth from every fold of his robes, eating away at stone and hissing on Gan Guangli¡¯s armor. Ling Qi felt her Deepwood Vitality technique shatter almost immediately as a worm as thick as an arm shot from the figure¡¯s sleeve, maw agape, and struck Gan Guangli head on in the helm. It let out a hideous screech before detonating violently.


    Gan Guangli¡¯s fists came down in a hammerstrike, and there was an echoing crack as they halted in midair, stopped by the figure¡¯s raised arms. The stone beneath the figure¡¯s feet cracked, but his arms did not waver.


    ¡°You¡­¡± he hissed.


    But whatever else the figure was going to say was lost as Ling Qi melted out of his shadow, sheets of lightning crackling from the tip of her arrow, and fired point blank into the small of his back. The workshop rocked with the detonation. But she felt no satisfaction.


    ¡°Gan, this isn¡¯t the real Yan Renshu!¡± she yelled as she flew back on her gown¡¯s shadowy wings. She had seen the real one, crippled, scarred, and short. ¡°It¡¯s another-¡±


    Ling Qi gagged on the sudden, concentrated burst of horrid purple qi. So dense as to be liquid rather than mist, it struck her like a river current and only her and Cai¡¯s defensive techniques protected her from the flesh-eating, hungry qi as she smashed into the wall.


    Yan Renshu¡¯s false self stood in the clearing smoke, his robe bearing a ragged hole where her arrow had struck and the gleam of metal showing through the scorch mark on his skin. A staff of dark red wood capped with silver spun in his hands, fending off Gan Guangli¡¯s loud assault. The end of his staff lashed out, striking the taller boy in the stomach, and Gan folded in half, skidding back a meter. ¡°Just walking right into my sanctum, wrecking everything without a care in the world. You dare-!¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± The curved upward slash of Cai Renxiang¡¯s saber struck the Yan puppet¡¯s raised staff with the force of a falling mountain. The puppet struck the ceiling and skipped, the sheer momentum of the blow dragging it along the ceiling before gravity once again took hold. ¡°It seems that this is not even your final hole. I must compliment you. That is a masterful construct.¡±


    Ling Qi pried herself from the wall and Gan Guangli straightened up as the puppet landed in a crouch, clutching the two broken ends of its staff in its hands. Its robes had been torn ragged, and its flesh was not much better. A portion of the puppet¡¯s face was gone, revealing a complex mass of moving gears and panels.


    ¡°I do not need compliments from the likes of you,¡± the thing¡¯s damaged, distorted voice spat out. The thing shot Ling Qi a look of utter loathing as well. ¡°A jumped up brat succeeding on her Mother¡¯s¡­¡±


    Cai Renxiang¡¯s saber caught him in midword, shattering one of the remaining halves of his staff and launching him back toward Guangli. ¡°I did not give you permission to monologue. Surrender, and I will not destroy your creation.¡±


    Like that, the spell was broken. Gan slammed his fists together with a ringing cry of metal, and Ling Qi pulled back another arrow. The puppet let out a furious, wordless cry, its flesh splitting and limbs bending oddly as it landed in a crouch more akin to a skittering insect than a man.Wet, oily worms fell from it¡¯d damaged robes, amassing in a growing pool on the floor.


    It jolted to the right, dodging her first shot, more of its skin tearing off in the spray of fragmented stone, and leapt up and over Gan¡¯s charge, the worms swarmed up the larger boy¡¯s legs writhing and biting, armor sizzling under their acrid exrections and Ling Qi spun out of the way of a jet of acidic liquid that hissed and curdled the air where she had just been.


    Then Cai Renxiang¡¯s blade hammered it down, the heiress crossing the room with what seemed like a single elegant step. The puppet landed in a shower of sparks and broken gears among the worms, trying to rise on twitching limbs.


    Three arrows struck it in the face in a shower of lightning. A massive boot stamped down, pinning it to the floor.


    And above, colorless light bloomed on the end of a saber.

 Chapter 137-Reconciliation

    Yan Renshu was still at large, his location unknown. But they had ruined him.


    The puppet they had destroyed was, in Fu Xiang and Cai Renxiang¡¯s assessment, a masterwork, the sort of project that a cultivator of Yan Renshu¡¯s status must have been working on for years. Along with everything else they had destroyed at his workshop and the losses he had already accrued, even years of building up in the Outer Sect could not have given him the resources to recover from these losses.


    She was still going to find him, but Ling Qi could rest a little easier for now. But she wasn¡¯t done. Yan Renshu wasn¡¯t her only enemy, and with her share of the loot taken from Yan Renshu¡¯s base, she finally had the funds to outfit herself with some emergency tools.


    Finding a trustworthy outfitter was a little troublesome. Ling Qi was, in her opinion, justifiably concerned about sabotage. Su Ling had come to her aid there by giving her the name of a trader she thought trustworthy. So Ling Qi had asked her to pass on a message about what she was looking for. She didn¡¯t want to do her shopping openly this time. Hopefully, her friend¡¯s contact would come through on her request.


    The shop¡¯s name didn¡¯t fill her with confidence though. Fatty Hao¡¯s Talisman Banquet sounded like the name of a rigged festival stall.


    ¡°I¡¯ve compiled only the best items for your eyes, Miss Ling. I assure you of that.¡± The smiling young man behind the counter had an easy grin on his pudgy face.


    She trusted Su Ling¡¯s recommendation. That girl did not trust easily, and Ling Qi could recognize that the grudging compliments the rough girl had given as the equivalent to high praise from anyone else. All the same, it was a little hard to take someone who used the moniker ¡°Fatty¡± seriously. It wasn¡¯t inaccurate - the boy did carry a fair bit of extra weight, and his soft, round features gave him a non-threatening air - but it made her wonder at his self image if he could reach early silver and still look like that.


    ¡°... If that is the case, why do I just have a list of prices for half the things I asked for? I don¡¯t want to spend this much without seeing the product.¡±


    Fatty Hao, overall boss of several small shops in the market area, gave a serious nod. ¡°As much as it pains me to say, a list is the best I can do. Those items are beyond the skills of an Outer Sect disciple,¡± he explained cheerfully, leaning on the counter in front of her. ¡°Or at least what they¡¯re willing to sell. Escape Talismans are no cheap thing to acquire!¡±


    Escape Talismans were her primary concern. Little breakable arrays that could rapidly transport a cultivator out of danger, they were popular with the children of nobility for obvious reasons. Ling Qi frowned at the list. The cheapest talisman on there was three hundred red stones. At only one use and with a range limit of half a kilometer, it seemed to cost way too much. ¡°How am I supposed to know this is legitimate if I can¡¯t even see them first?¡±


    He laughed. ¡°Miss Ling, your mistrust wounds me. Do you really think I would cheat you when you are so high in the esteem of so many very frightening people? Why, a word from Lady Cai, and everything my family has built would be gone in an instant!¡± He seemed surprisingly sanguine about that.


    As much as those prices pained her, her own knowledge of formations told her that they probably weren''t undue. Transportation formations were hideously complex and required many spirit stones to power, even when placed in a fixed location. Anything meant to transport any significant number of people more than a few kilometers was beyond any but the wealthiest or most skilled people. Something that could do the same while being portable was obviously even more expensive, even if it was limited to one person


    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s fine, if it can be delivered quickly,¡± Ling Qi allowed after consideration.


    ¡°No more than a few days from your order, Miss Ling,¡± the rotund boy replied. ¡°Now, in regard to your other requests, I¡¯ve brought some examples of the work a few of my partners have done. Warding against clairvoyance techniques is an unfortunately common request¡­¡±


    ***


    With her shopping squared away, Ling Qi was left with problems that could not be shot, exploded, bought or punched. The matter of her tutoring with the spirit Zeqing weighed on her. Ling Qi had, in the wake of their last conversation, researched the Sect¡¯s relations with the various powerful spirits that resided on or near the Outer Sect mountain. In exchange for being allowed to live freely in Sect territory, spirits were expected to follow a number of rules. The big ones seemed to be that they were not allowed to do harm to mortals or knowingly allow their get to do so. They were also not allowed to interfere in Sect activities nor to go out of their way to harm disciples out of malice.


    Ling Qi suspected that helping her against Sun Liling edged up against the second rule. After all, it had been a ¡®duel¡¯. The last rule stuck out to her as well. The malice limitation on the rule seemed like it could very easily be circumvented.


    ... Like, say, a sad, stupid girl saying that she wished a spirit of dark hunger and possessiveness was her mother. Ling Qi had shivered when she read up on the possible results of that. Being spirited away wasn¡¯t just a story told to scare children. She had been very lucky that Zeqing had restrained herself since Ling Qi had basically just shoved her head into the proverbial bear¡¯s mouth.


    Some traitorous part of her wondered what it would have been like. Or perhaps she should have listened to the voices of the spirits on the wind when she was a child and saved herself a lot of pain.


    Ling Qi shoved those thoughts into the deepest hole she could imagine as she climbed the mountain. Ling Qi had left the Ma sisters behind in favor of making the climb in stealth. She wouldn¡¯t be so foolish as to move about openly while alone again. Sun Liling¡¯s remaining forces had begun to strike out with a vengeance in the last couple days.


    Using her arts and her gown, she wove a trail that would be impossible for anyone ground-bound to follow and worked her way up the mountain. It doubled the travel time, but as she arrived at the pool unmolested, she supposed that it was worth it.


    She could already hear Zeqing playing as she approached the ravine, a soft, mournful tune that nonetheless cut through the biting, icy winds of the upper peak as if the spirit was playing right next to her. The song stopped as she arrived to find the spirit patiently waiting for her, hovering above the surface of the pool.


    Ling Qi bowed low, hands together in front of her. ¡°Lady Zeqing, please allow me to apologize again for abusing your hospitality.¡±


    Zeqings looked down on her silently with blank white eyes, but after a moment, she made a dismissive gesture with her billowing empty sleeve. ¡°I accept your apology in the sincere spirit it was given,¡± she said simply. ¡°Speak no more of it, and let the matter rest.¡±


    Ling Qi relaxed. It seemed that Zeqing was fully willing to dismiss any insult she may have offered. She was glad that things could go back to normal between them. Straightening up, she gave the spirit a lopsided grin. ¡°Will do. Would you mind if I tried some new songs today? I received some compositions that I would like to practice.¡±


    ¡°That seems reasonable,¡± Zeqing agreed, floating down from above the pool toward the stone ¡®bench¡¯ they used. ¡°I admit, in recent decades, I have perhaps allowed my pursuit of the arts to stagnate. Hanyi has simply taken so much of my time.¡±


    ¡°Children do that,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°How old is Hanyi anyway?¡± She took a seat and expressed the pages of her mother¡¯s notes.


    ¡°I do not track the individual years as closely as a human would,¡± Zeqing replied thoughtfully. ¡°Some twenty or thirty winters, I think?¡±


    So the little snowball was probably a decade her senior. That was strange to think about. She couldn¡¯t imagine how one could remain a child for so long. Then again, cold and ice qi tended to represent stasis in many qi theory interpretations. She wondered if Hanyi would still be the same brat in another hundred years. ¡°So, what do you think of these?¡±


    Zeqing peered over her shoulder, her chill aura cutting through Ling Qi¡¯s gown like a knife. ¡°Hardly masterful work,¡± she mused, reaching down to trace the lines with a clear icy finger. She breathed in, and Ling Qi shuddered as she felt the hungry void at the snow spirit¡¯s core briefly awaken. ¡°The emotion put into the work grants it a certain base potency. Longing, despair, betrayal, and weariness¡­ A lovely bouquet. The garnish of hope atop it all makes the combination all the more poignant.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s fingers tightened briefly on the pages, her lips setting into a thin line. ¡°You make it sound like it¡¯s a fine wine,¡± she joked weakly. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we be talking about the meter and rhythm?¡±


    ¡°I forget. Even with the insight I gave you, you still require certain crutches,¡± Zeqing commented, leaning away and granting Ling Qi a reprieve from her chill. ¡°You still require a few more refinements of spirit yet to truly grant your own melodies life.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, looking over at Zeqing. ¡°Do you mean that I could make my own art? Like the Forgotten Vale Melody?¡±


    ¡°In time,¡± Zeqing replied simply. ¡°For now, let us play. I believe we may be able to refine your work.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not mine,¡± Ling Qi reminded the spirit. ¡°... But I suppose I can make it so.¡± he spread the pages on the stone between them, eyeing the notes inscribed on the page, as she expressed her flute.


    Her mother¡¯s music was a sad one, and as she played, she found herself feeling something like what she suspected Zeqing had, of emotion transcending the crude approximations that mortal composition could lay down. It brought back memories of lying awake in bed at night, hearing the sound of notes floating through the thin walls on those rare nights when Mother had gone to bed alone.


    How long had her Mother worked on this?

 Chapter 138-Connections

    Improved senses were a detriment in some cases, Ling Qi thought, trying not to grimace as she walked the dirt path that wound between the fields on the outskirts of the town at the base of the mountain. The scent of the goats grazing in the rocky field to her right wasn''t even the worst smell she passed so far. As bad as the city streets could be, Ling Qi had always preferred them to fields and farms.


    She could still remember the first time she had stolen a chicken. The vicious little monster had clawed her arms to ribbons before she was able to wring its neck. No, she much preferred picking pockets to rustling livestock.


    Yet here she was among the mundane fields around the town, heading toward the cultivator farms that were further out. The note from the tutor she had hired said that they would meet out there so Ling Qi had little choice but to walk quickly and try not to linger near recently fertilized fields.


    At least the scenery got more interesting once she passed by the mortals fields. Livestock grew more exotic and colorful. Even the plants were more unique, a riot of color compared to the endless brown and green that had come before. Still, she continued south where the land began to rise in hills. Ahead of her stretched entire hillsides covered in dark green and deep red hummocks of plant life, grown in curved but orderly rows.


    Tea fields, Ling Qi mused. She supposed they must need a lot of it given how popular the stuff seemed to be. She peered around as she walked, searching for her tutor. There were plenty of men and women scattered around, wide straw hats granting them shade from the sun. The vast majority were only a step into the first realm with a handful at the middle stage.


    It made it rather easy to search out who she was looking for. The potent aura of a third realm cultivator stood out like a bonfire.


    The young woman¡¯s attire also made her stand out. Where the other field workers wore coarse and shapeless clothing, the tutor wore a clinging, emerald green dress, plain and unembroidered with a mantle of what seemed to be living flowers worn over her shoulders. Her face was concealed by a rose colored veil, but her hair was put up into an elaborate arrangement held together by what again looked to be living flowers.


    To make her presence stand out even more, she was riding sidesaddle on the back of a three-tailed red fox the size of a small horse. The fox carried her at a sedate pace through the lanes between the rows of tea plants. One hand rested on the fox¡¯s neck, but the other was held out, a faint sparkle in the air as something fell from her hands. As she drew closer, Ling Qi could feel the heavy, vital qi infusing the earth as the tutor was carried along the rows, and she imagined that she could see the plants swelling in the girl¡¯s wake, healthier and more robust.


    The girl looked up as she approached, and the fox stopped. She waited patiently for Ling Qi to cover the remaining distance while observing her serenely.


    Once Ling Qi had reached a polite distance, she stopped and bowed formally. ¡°Would you be Senior Sect Sister Bian Ya?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± the girl replied, her voice light and lilting. ¡°You would be the Junior who requested assistance then?¡± Bian Ya¡¯s mantle rustled as the flowers shifted of their own accord. The fox she was mounted on briefly sniffed the air as she spoke before making a low whuffing sound and turning up its snout. The gesture seemed contemptuous.


    Ling Qi eyed the fox warily but bowed a little lower. ¡°Your Junior Sister greets you, Senior Sister Bian.¡±


    ¡°I am glad to see you are punctual. Rise and walk with me, if you would,¡± the girl said, patting her mount on the neck. ¡°I would like to complete my morning stroll.¡±


    Ling Qi straightened up and hurried to follow as the fox turned in the lane between the tea plants to resume their walk, falling in just behind. ¡°May I ask what you are doing, Senior Sister?¡± she asked, observing the mixed flows of wood and wind leaving the girl¡¯s outstretched hand. Now that she was closer, she could see the scattering of vibrant qi was being thrown quite far, falling over plants like a light spring rain even hundreds of meters away.


    ¡°Bringing health to the fields. It is Outer Sect work, I know, but I do not find it unpleasant.¡± The girl raised her free hand and waved, drawing Ling Qi¡¯s gaze to where she was looking. At the edge of the field, several young men struggled with a heavy totem on a sledge, dragging it uphill. It was sweaty, dirty work, Ling Qi could see. ¡°The scenery is not unpleasant either,¡± Bian Ya added, as if reading her thoughts. ¡°The Inner Sect can be stuffy at times.¡±


    ¡°Senior Sister knows best, I am sure,¡± Ling Qi mumbled, averting her eyes and ignoring the heat rising on her cheeks. She really should be better than this by now. ¡°I understand the use of wood qi for your task, but what are the wind flows accomplishing?¡±


    ¡°Does not the wind carry seeds to their destination? Conceptually, weaving the two together only makes sense if you wish to scatter the effects of your wood qi far and wide.¡± The girl¡¯s airy tone became more serious. ¡°The odd combination you requested was almost passed over. I am no archer, nor is wood a common element among those who are.¡±


    ¡°I was worried about that,¡± Ling Qi admitted, watching the girl¡¯s back and her mount¡¯s flicking tails. ¡°Thousand Ring Fortress art has saved me several times though, and it doesn¡¯t feel right to leave it behind while I master others.¡±


    ¡°Wood, or at least its yang aspect, is solid and dependable like that,¡± Bian Ya agreed, turning her head to look over her shoulder. ¡°You are from a common background?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± Ling Qi said, a bit of defiance entering her tone as she met the older disciple¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°Nothing wrong with experimenting then,¡± she said, seemingly taking no notice. ¡°I may not be an archer, but I do have some insights on wind to share which may be of use. That is why I chose to accept your request.¡±


    Ling Qi was glad that she had good luck with tutors so far. She hurried her pace to keep up as the girl in front of her began to speak in an idle tone, describing her insights into the elements which Ling Qi had requested tutoring for.


    Unlike her previous tutor, there was no explosive training or tests of endurance. Bian Ya seemed to take a more theoretical approach, inviting Ling Qi to speak her own thoughts as they discussed the vagaries of wind and wood qi. Her tutor continued to trek across the fields as they did, occasionally pausing to chat with a group of workers. This was occasionally uncomfortable when the older girl got into a bout of playful flirtation with particularly handsome farmhands, but Ling Qi endured.


    They didn¡¯t cultivate at all that first day, but Ling Qi was fine with that. She left the fields feeling as she had gained a greater understanding of the elements her arts used, and that would speed her private cultivation later.


    ***


    In the time not spent on tutoring and cultivation, Ling Qi continued to work on ensuring her safety for the rest of the year. She explored the mountain and its surroundings, learned its paths and terrain. Ling Qi focused on finding places where she could hide or escape. She mapped out ravines, crevices, and other pieces of difficult terrain where her Sable Crescent Step and its shadow walking would give her advantage.


    She also, for the first time, took an interest in Cai¡¯s enforcers, learning their patrol routes and schedules with the same detail that she had learned the patterns of the various forms of security in Tonghou. For rather opposite purposes, of course. After all, the law was on her side now.


    LIng Qi did not let her work on identifying escape routes get in the way of training. She continued to work with Xiulan and the others in the afternoons and Meizhen in the evenings to improve her arts and unlock further meridians. There was no repeat of her singular failure this week. With the aid of a Highsun Pill, she returned to opening her channels with ease, the excess from her cycling settling into her bones and muscles, pushing her closer to the absolute peak of second realm.


    Her work on the successor to her very first art came to its conclusion as well. With mastery of the final exercises of the Zephyr¡¯s Breath, she could now create a gust of wind powerful enough to send an enemy flying far away beyond the meagre pushback of her earlier techniques. The dummy she had used to practice on ended up smashed to splinters against the mountainside. Even better, this Fleeting Strike technique could catch a whole group and force them away if she tagged them with the art¡¯s first technique, Against the Wind, beforehand.


    If only her other training was so easy.


    Ling Qi stifled a sigh as she turned the page of the massive tome in front of her. The book, if one could call the mammoth slab of parchment and leather that, probably weighed half as much as she did. It would take a strong mortal just to lift the hateful thing.


    Perhaps that was to be expected of something titled ¡°Unabridged History of Financial Regulation of the Modern Age.¡± Page after page of tax codes and contract laws had been branded into her thoughts. She saw numbers and tables when her eyes were closed. This book was not merely a record of current laws. It included the evolution of those laws over the last thousand years and had page upon page of scholarly dissertation about each and every change, as well as its effects, current and projected.


    ¡°Have you completed the introduction to credit law?¡± her tormentor asked blithely.


    Ling Qi looked up, suppressing the glower that wanted to surface, and met Cai Renxiang¡¯s steady, unshakeable gaze. The heiress was seated behind a heavy desk, working through a stack of letters and papers half the size of the monster on the table in front of Ling Qi. The brush in her hand continued its motion across the paper in front of her as she waited for Ling Qi to respond.


    At first, Ling Qi had felt nervous about entering Cai¡¯s home, worried that she would give offense. That feeling had faded within a day or two. The heiress¡¯ living quarters were as rigid and regimented as the girl herself. Everything was arranged to perfection within. Ling Qi had not seen a single thing that was not actively in use out of place since coming here. Even the flower arrangements and other decorations had an angular, geometric feel to them.


    ¡°Almost,¡± she replied grudgingly, glancing down at the precise, tiny text in the book open on the table in front of her.


    Cai Renxiang observed her, the brush in her hand pausing. ¡°Do you require assistance with a passage?¡±


    LIng Qi rubbed the bridge of her nose as she glanced from the book to her notes, already turning into a hefty sheaf themselves. ¡°... Not right now, no,¡± she admitted. ¡°I just needed to pause to absorb the information.¡±


    ¡°You are doing well,¡± Cai Renxiang complimented after a moment, making Ling Qi feel as if she were back at home, wanting praise and a treat for doing her sums. ¡°You took in the essentials of filing and interacting with the Ministry bureaucracy quite quickly.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced at the minutiae she had already memorized, forms and files and types of address. ¡°Why is that all so complicated anyway? I thought knowing etiquette for nobility would be enough, but now there¡¯s this whole other-¡± Ling Qi gestured at the weighty tome, searching for a word, ¡°- culture and language to learn!¡±


    The other girl glanced at the tiny window of her study then set her brush down carefully. ¡°You are not wrong.¡± Cai Renxiang interlaced her fingers together in front of her face as she continued to observe Ling Qi. ¡°The Ministries are a necessity of our society. While the right to rule rises from personal prowess and enlightenment, those abilities do not always lend themselves to administration.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced down at the book in front of her, which was currently discussing Emperor Yi¡¯s decrees revising the standards of record keeping for lenders and the massive upheaval that had caused as millions of debts were rendered invalid. ¡°I can understand that. So the Ministries are there so the nobility can focus on cultivation and war?¡±


    ¡°That is oversimplifying things somewhat,¡± Cai Renxiang said, a touch of dryness to her tone. ¡°They also serve as an honorable occupation and a place to slowly seek advancement among the lower class of cultivators, as well as a place for the less martially inclined scions of the lower and middle nobility.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Ling Qi mused. ¡°Even among cultivators, not everyone wants to fight. Still, don¡¯t the Ministries end up in a lot of conflict with the lords? What¡¯s to stop a high noble from just overriding them? As you said, the strong rule.¡±


    ¡°Tradition carries a strength of its own,¡± Cai answered smoothly. ¡°To treat one¡¯s ministers poorly is to court the disapproval of one¡¯s peers. And while any titled cultivator outranks any but the highest members of the various Ministries, they do have their own strength and their own methods of leverage. The Ministry of Law, in particular, is the most venerable of the Ministries. It is not lightly crossed. Under the proper circumstances, mastery of law may be far more deadly than mastery of blade or fist.¡±


    Ling Qi considered her own mastery of music then Xin¡¯s words about choosing Ways and concepts. She wondered just how metaphorical the heiress was being. ¡°I guess I better get reading then,¡± she grumbled. ¡°Ten thousand strikes to become a master, huh?¡± she said under her breath.


    ¡°Far more than that, sadly,¡± Cai Renxiang answered without looking up from her work. ¡°Let me know when you have completed the introduction. I will help you find the appropriate statutes under which you may file your request for investigation.¡±


    Ling Qi turned her eyes back to the tome in front of her. She could have asked Cai to write the cover letter and fill in the proper forms for her, but she had wanted to do it herself. She had asked for this. She had no right to complain. And now, here she was.


    At least once she finished reviewing the introduction, she could just flip through the actual laws. She had never been happier to see a table of contents.

 Bonus Chapter: Betrothal

    ¡°You led me quite a ways astray,¡± Gu Tai jibed, glancing over at Xiulan as they walked the path out past the village outskirts.


    ¡°Honestly, she isn¡¯t normally like that.¡± Xiulan frowned. ¡°I have no idea why she was suddenly so skittish.¡±


    ¡°Mm, I recall you said that she had some trouble with a pushy suitor. Perhaps it affected her more than you had thought?¡± he asked curiously. Gu Tai grimaced as a breeze blew through the trees. The Emerald Seas really was chilly; he would have to take some time to acclimate himself.


    ¡°It was never such a serious matter,¡± Xiulan said with a sniff. ¡°That Huang fellow was certainly a cad, but it¡¯s clear that her association with the Bai caused his clan to put their foot down.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps something in her background then,¡± Gu Tai mused. That skittishness, flaring up as it did, was not born from minor incidents. He was quite certain that she had some rather negative experiences regarding marriage. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not my business I suppose.¡±


    ¡°I would say it certainly is,¡± Gu Xiulan said dryly as they turned off the path. ¡°Are you saying that Father did not collect a dossier before penning that deal?¡±


    ¡°And have you read such a thing, dear Lan-lan?¡± he teased, following her lead deeper into the forest. They were headed out to the cultivation site cousin Yanmei had shared with her. Gu Tai was quite looking forward to luxuriating in a bit of proper warmth.


    She scowled at him from behind her veil. ¡°Do not call me that. And obviously not.¡±


    ¡°Quite. It would be poor form to start a relationship with spywork,¡± Gu Tai replied. Even with her disappointing reactions, he didn¡¯t dislike Ling Qi. He hadn¡¯t been jesting that her cultivation relative to her age was the most important point. To found a house in the wastes, he would need a partner who was both hardy and ambitious. She had made him doubt the former, but the latter certainly wasn¡¯t in question. One did not rise so swiftly in cultivation without a core drive.


    ¡°I suppose,¡± Xiulan huffed, smoke curling from her ears. An obvious sign of annoyance - and a worrying one.


    Not for the first time, Gu Tai examined his cousin with great concern. Gu Xiulan should have better control than such displays indicated. Her channels sang with lightning. The heavenly energies churned through her body and spirit, and the marks were clear. It was a minor miracle that she had not lost that arm entirely. It was hard to hide a scowl, but he did so anyway. Xiulan, his precocious, proud, and domineering little cousin, would not appreciate pity.


    ¡°I do honestly think you would make a good match,¡± Xiulan said quietly as they strode through the underbrush, weed and bush alike withering before their passage. ¡°You are certainly sentimental enough for that girl, even if you are a tad scrawny for her tastes.¡±


    ¡°And it has nothing to do with wanting to bring your best friend home with you, I am sure,¡± Gu Tai teased back. As if he was scrawny. ¡®Athletic¡¯ was most certainly the right word. Just because he was not some bulging brute did not mean he lacked strength of the body.


    ¡°Ling Qi is not-!¡± Gu Xiulan snapped, glaring at him as they stepped into the clearing where the volcanic vent lay.


    ¡°Lan-lan, do not be coy with me now,¡± he interrupted. ¡°You have not spoken so positively of another girl since the first time you saw cousin Yanmei in the training yard.¡± Ah, youthful hero worship.


    ¡°Hmph,¡± Xiulan sniffed, and Gu Tai could not but imagine a baby-faced young girl who had toddled after him, insisting that they play in the garden when they both should have been studying. ¡°It is a good match.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t necessarily disagree,¡± Gu Tai chuckled. If this Ling Qi came out of her shell a bit, it might not be so bad. He didn¡¯t think she was really one of those dull, shrinking violet types. She had just been¡­ off-balance. ¡°But enough of that for now. I believe you wanted me to show you a few pointers regarding the Vermillion Regalia art?¡±


    ¡°If you would,¡± Xiulan replied, acquiescing to the change in subject. They both stepped up to the smoke-spewing chasm lit by dull red from within. Almost as one, they grinned as they bathed in the native fire qi. ¡°I have had some troubles keeping the constructs stable while using other techniques.¡±


    Much more homely, Gu Tai thought as he took a deep breath of the cloying black smoke. It tingled pleasantly in his nose and throat, particulates breaking down into pure qi to be circulated through his lungs. He could do without the smell introduced by the earth-based elements though. ¡°Well, show me what you have accomplished so far.¡±


    Xiulan nodded sharply, taking a step back through the sulphurous smoke. She closed her eyes, falling into a traditional battle stance. Her veil fluttered as she breathed out, sparks escaping from her lips, and deep red flames erupted along the lines of her gown. They raced across the silk hungry and consuming, tongues of flame growing and merging into the wavering shapes of armor.


    Then with a snap and a hiss, the scars on Xiulan¡¯s face sparked with electricity and static, leaping from her marred skin. The whole construct exploded outward in a rippling display of heat and static.


    Gu Tai lowered the hand he had raised to shield his face and glanced down at the embers burning on his shirt, snuffing them with a thought. ¡°I expect you do not need me to point out the obvious problem,¡± he said dryly.


    ¡°No,¡± Xiulan hissed, stamping her foot in frustration. ¡°I know the lightning is interfering. But the technique is destabilizing before that.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Gu Tai said. The Vermillion Raiment art was an unusual one in the Gu roster, an attempt to turn fire to an unusual and unfitting task. ¡°The art requires a delicate touch. Let me show you.¡±


    It was good to see his cousin again. Even if things might fall through with her friend.


    He rather hoped they would not. Gu Tai supposed he would just have to bend his efforts to setting his potential wife at ease. It would be an interesting challenge.

 Chapter 139-Spirits

    ¡°It¡¯s alive!¡± Li Suyin said excitedly, clapping her hands as the figure laid out on the workbench in front of them shifted, its bony limbs moving mechanically


    ¡°... It¡¯s not actually alive, right?¡± Ling Qi asked warily as the empty sockets of the bear skull they had used turned to face them. Its toothy jaws clacked as they worked open and closed.


    ¡°Well, no,¡± Li Suyin admitted, flushing. ¡°But it sounds more exciting that way, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a little weird sometimes.¡± Ling Qi backed up a step as the thing climbed clumsily from the table, the heavy cloak of bearskin around its hunched shoulders rustling and revealing the silk-bound bones underneath. Li Suyin had invited her over to show off her progress, but she hadn¡¯t expected this. She eyed the thing now looming over her, its low-slung skull nearly scraping the ceiling as it stood in a hunched, bipedal stance. ¡°Please tell me you didn¡¯t go graverobbing. We talked about that, didn¡¯t we?¡±


    Li Suyin looked horrified. ¡°Of course not! I just used grandfather¡¯s arts to reshape the bones.¡± The thing raised one bony claw and flexed its digits as she inspected it, the thick spider silk shrouding the bones stretching with the motion. ¡°Do you really think so little of me?¡±


    ¡°No, I was just surprised,¡± Ling Qi assured her friend. ¡°I didn¡¯t know your art could do stuff like this.¡±


    ¡°Dead tissue does not resist the way living tissue does, so something like this is definitely possible,¡± her friend explained. Li Suyin stepped away and gestured at the bone puppet, causing it to begin going through a handful of stretching motions, testing its range of movement. It was eerie in its near silence.


    ¡°And the spider silk?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°The original formation just used qi to hold everything together. Doesn¡¯t this make the construct more expensive?¡±


    ¡°It does,¡± Li Suyin agreed. ¡°Zhenli is too small to produce so much silk herself, although she tried.¡± Her friend glanced up to the thick web in the corner of the workshop where a ball of pink fuzz slumbered. ¡°The poor girl tired herself out. Senior Sister Bao was kind enough to provide the rest.¡±


    ¡°I suppose I can just buy it if need be,¡± Ling Qi considered quietly. She didn¡¯t want to rain on her friend¡¯s parade. ¡°What are the benefits of using spider silk then?¡±


    ¡°With an actual physical medium taking the place of ligaments and muscles, the construct can move more smoothly. Overall, it is more sturdy as well because less energy is needed just to hold everything together,¡± Li Suyin rattled off as her construct smoothly moved back into a standing position. ¡°It is¡­ a bit flammable though,¡± she trailed off.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure we can work on that. What about power?¡± Ling Qi asked curiously. Lifting the concealing cloak, she examined the glowing stones embedded in a thick bundle of webbing where the construct¡¯s heart should have been.


    ¡°Each construct only needs ten red stones to create,¡± Li Suyin answered eagerly. ¡°But - You know the control formation is the main power source, right?¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Ling Qi replied. That was the array¡¯s main limitation. The constructs were keyed to a stationary array and couldn¡¯t last long away from it, hence, the ¡°vault¡± part of the ¡°vault warrior¡± formation. ¡°Then you finished deciphering that?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡± Li Suyin sighed. ¡°It requires a yellow stone a month to keep the array running, in addition to the initial cost. And it can only support three warriors.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not great efficiency,¡± Ling Qi commented. She remembered when such costs would have been far beyond her means. ¡°So, are you willing to prepare the materials for me? As it is, I can¡¯t exactly do this on my own with these changes.¡±


    Li Suyin flushed and covered her face with her hands. ¡°I didn¡¯t even think of that¡­¡± she said despondently.


    Ling Qi couldn¡¯t hold in a snort of laughter. Suyin really outdid herself with this. Of course, she still had to learn the array.


    It was another layer on her efforts to defend herself. While the invasion of Yan Renshu¡¯s workshop had shown that unsupported constructs could not stand against focused third realm assault, they could deter less powerful enemies, so Ling Qi considered the time spent learning Li Suyin¡¯s Silk Warriors formation to be well spent.


    She wouldn¡¯t install it at their residence yet though. It would be rude to do so without asking Meizhen. In addition, she had spent quite a bit on ordering talismans and charms from Fatty Hao so her funds were back to being really limited. It would be worth it though to have proper escape talismans and anti-scrying charms. Her desire for a proper formation breaking tool set had been more impulsive, but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to regret it.


    With her preparations complete for the moment, Ling Qi finally felt confident enough to take on another Sect mission. It would be a more involved mission with a greater chance of sabotage. The mission to go and propriate the forest spirits stirred up by Elder Ying¡¯s ¡°remodeling¡± had been sitting untaken on the board for some time now, and while the reward was relatively low, it would be a good opportunity to practice her skulking. Walking in the shadows always left her feeling more in tune with the Grinning Moon, and lunar qi flowed more easily in her cultivation afterward.


    Once again, she set off without actually accepting the mission. It would mean having to spend a few spirit stones on the proper incense and offerings herself, but all the protection she had bought would be useless if she made it that obvious where she was going. Her first stop was in the temple quarter at the south end of the town at the base of the mountain.


    It was her first time entering such a place. In Tonghou, the temples were all in the inner districts. The sprawling outer ring and the slums packed up against the walls made do with small shrines. Temples were open to the public on certain festival days, but Ling Qi had never been one to attend. Mother did not have festival days off, and after, Ling Qi hardly had reason to go. Stealing from a temple was the height of stupidity.


    So it was with some curiosity that Ling Qi examined the sprawling gardens that filled the grounds inside the temple¡¯s sturdy walls as she passed through the tall wooden gates of the town. The quarter seemed like it could serve as a fortress in its own right going by the ballistae mounted on the corners. Inside that militaristic shell, it was beautiful though. Well-ordered rows of flowers grew in geometric perfection separated by low hedge rows and artificial channels carrying bubbling streams of clear water.


    The temple itself was a tall building with a slanted, green tiled roof. Its wooden walls were almost completely overgrown with brightly colored ivy and flowers, making it seem like the building itself was alive and filling the air with a sweet scent. People moved about the gardens quietly, a mixture of mortals and early first realms clad in the pure white garb of shrine attendants. She passed through the gardens unhindered and quickly entered the temple proper, heading for the central room. If she was going to find a proper priest anywhere, it would be there.


    Ling Qi found the open, airy central chamber quickly enough. The hundreds of candles burning smokeless in their sconces lit the main shrine brightly. Glancing around, she saw several individual shrines lining the walls. The planter of rich black loam representing the Bountiful Earth was centrally placed, but there were plenty of others. She recognized the coils of the Celestial Dragon rendered harshly in bronze, the spear-lined shrine of the Eternal Watchman, patron of guards and others of their ilk. There were others as well, dedicated to spirits of all kinds. She didn¡¯t pay it much mind for now, instead focusing on the elderly man who had been kneeling at the shrine of the Bountiful Earth.


    He stood up and turned to face her now, a curious expression on his wrinkled, sun-browned face. He was bald, though whether that was purposeful or merely the result of age, Ling Qi didn¡¯t know. He was also peak first realm, which made him the strongest cultivator that she had seen so far in the temple. Nothing on his plain white garb indicated any kind of rank.


    ¡°Greetings, Honorable Disciple.¡± The man¡¯s voice shook her from her study as the man clapped his hands together and bowed formally to her. ¡°Does the Sect require something of us this day or are you merely here to make an offering?¡±


    It still felt awkward and uncomfortable for someone decades her elder to speak to her in such deferential tones. ¡°Something of both,¡± she said, doing her best to sound formal. She would burn a stick to the Grinning Moon while she was here. ¡°I am here to solve the problem with the forest shrines.¡±


    The old man looked surprised. ¡°My apologies. I had not heard word from the Sect that our request had been accepted.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced away sheepishly. ¡°... It hasn¡¯t. Yet. But I am here all the same.¡±


    He frowned at her briefly before understanding lit in his gaze. ¡°Ah, trouble with a rival?¡±


    ¡°I guess you would be familiar, living here for so long.¡± Ling Qi sighed. ¡°Is that fine? I can pay for any materials I need.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Honorable Disciple. Preparing the necessary materials will be no trouble if this terrible business can be sorted out,¡± the old man said with gratitude. ¡°It will, however, take some time. Would you like to be shown to a guest room?¡±


    Ling Qi shook her head. ¡°Could you show me where you keep your shrines to the Great Moon spirits? I want to offer some gratitude before I set out.¡±


    That seemed to please the old man, who cheerfully gestured for her to follow him down one of the corridors that extended off the main hall.


    He left her at the shrine of the Moon, an elaborate eight part construction of silver and mirrors lit only by a single, dim, paper lantern, the light of which sparkled dazzlingly from the reflective surfaces of the shrine. She stayed there for a time, head bowed as a stick of expensive incense burned in the censer that lay at its center. She did not speak aloud but simply conveyed her gratitude in silence for the arts which had given her the chance to flourish and for earlier favors.


    There was no obvious response, but Ling Qi liked to think that the intensity of the sparkling light and the faint musical chime on the wind were not her imagination. The old attendant returned soon enough, bearing with him a pack containing sacred incense and oils, as well as more mundane tools for repairing and cleaning a damaged shrine.


    Ling Qi thanked the man and set out after that, channeling qi into her Misty Lake charm as she did. She was not going to make it easy for Yan Renshu to interfere with her mission.


    Ling Qi had not been back to this part of the forest since the day that Elder Ying had carried her and Su Ling out after the disastrous mission to investigate disappearances. At its edge, the forest seemed much the same, but as she ventured further inwards, it was clear that something was amiss. The trees were crooked and the ground humped and cracked, roots poking up from the soil like grasping fingers. The canopy overhead was dark, a solid clump of green that seemed to devour the light of the bright gibbous moon and the stars alike.


    Things crept in the corner of her vision, tiny twisted things that, despite her perfect night vision, vanished the moment she tried to properly look at them. They whispered and crawled among the underbrush and in the branches, wormlike and vaguely unsettling. The qi of the forest thrummed with ill feeling and deep anger, and the trees themselves seemed to twist and writhe on occasion, stirred to rage by desecration. Yet she managed to slip through the woods unmolested, no more than a shadow herself.


    The first and closest of the shrines was a half circle of carven stones the height of a man in the center of an overgrown graveyard, all covered in a soft coating of moss that obscured the carvings. In the center of the half circle was a small stone plinth upon which rested an overturned clay bowl. The sacred liquor which it had once held was long spilled and dried. Ling Qi carefully picked her way through the clearing, her qi held tightly in her dantian. She could feel the restless spirits under the earth, furious at their neglect.


    Fixing this one was a simple matter. She knew the right prayers to offer restless spirits, and the shrine was not badly damaged. It was soon cleaned and the bowl replaced, filled with clear wine that glittered in the moonlight. She burned purifying incense and whispered the prayers of rest over the restored shrine, finishing her first task.


    The unclean feeling in the air faded a little, and Ling Qi continued, skulking deeper into the forest, avoiding the restless spirits that clawed through the air. It became harder as the forest¡¯s spirits grew more numerous and present. Things of dirt and wood with staring knothole eyes and thorny limbs stalked the game trails. Ling Qi slipped past them all though, silent as a soft breeze.


    The second shrine stood in the middle of a grove of fir trees at the top of a hill with a wide flat space cleared in its center. Bronze censers lay scattered across the ground, their chains torn from the branches, and aromatic ash spilled all over the dirt. Each censer depicted symbols of plants and trees representing different, relatively minor forest spirits. The creeping things in the corners of her vision infested this place, wriggling through the dirt and leaves as their hissing clawed at her ears.


    Gritting her teeth, Ling Qi lit the protective incense she had been given and set about hanging the censers properly from their respective perches. Each of the six largest trees still held a dangling chain, left in place so long that bark had grown to encase the metal rings from which the chains hung. Cleaning out the censers, polishing them until they shone, and filling them with the proper incense was dirty and tedious work, but she set to it with determination.


    It took a great deal of effort to work through the skittering, crawling feeling of the unhealthy spirits that swirled around her while she worked, held back only by her incense and the rhythmically chanted prayers that she spoke under her breath, not daring to pause. She was no frail mortal any longer, and she was confident that she could face any number of minor spirits. She was far less confident that she could deal with the greater things that would come, drawn by her qi if she did fight the minor spirits.


    So she did not unleash her mist and drive away the whispering sprites, no matter how irritating they were. Soon, a clean and healthy scent wafted from the repaired censers, and the hostile spirits fled, fading into the night and leaving her at peace.


    Sadly, that feeling did not last long as she continued on to the last of the shrines. The terrain grew rough and the path twisted unnaturally. Trees stood tilted at mad angles by upturned earth, and many others lay rotting on the ground. The air reeked of death and blood. Distance and heading grew difficult to discern.


    She pressed on though, determined to finish. She had already spent a fair portion of her night on this. As the trees grew sparse, a bare handful of sturdy trunks still standing, Ling Qi, for the first time, got a good look at the devastation Elder Ying had wrought.


    The ground dropped abruptly as if a giant had come along and simply tore a great chunk of the earth away, and the remaining sinkhole stretched far into the night, more than a kilometer wide and at least half that deep by her reckoning. Within it, nothing lived. All that lay at the bottom was a fine grey dust, inert and dead to every sense she possessed. Here and there, a sparkling green totem stood in the wreckage of stone and dust at the bottom. Around the totems was fresh soil and a few, precarious shoots of greenery and life like oases in a desert.


    She turned her eyes away from the uncomfortable sight. Something about the dead, lifeless dust made her skin crawl. She moved along the edge of the sinkhole until she reached her target.


    The final shrine was a vast redwood tree stretching over a hundred meters tall. It clung tenaciously to the edge of the sinkhole, roots as thick as a human torso curling out into empty air while others anchored it to the remaining earth. By all logic, it looked like it should have tipped into the hole, and yet, it stood steady. The actual shrine took the form of a hollow carved into the trunk a few handspans wide and perhaps a meter high with a small shelf for offerings.


    The skull of a stag, seemingly cast from liquid silver that gleamed in the moonlight, was affixed to the wood just above of the hollow. Unlike the others, it was not damaged, merely neglected. The blank eye sockets stared down at her as she busied herself arranging the prepared offerings, dried and treated fruits, a portion of cured meat, and other such knicknacks meant to appease the spirit which presided over the place.


    With everything set, she carefully kneeled among the roots and lowered her head, offering the correct words of propitiation. It took time for the last of the hostile air to fade, but when she opened her eyes, the offerings were gone, save for a few scraps.


    She carefully swept those back into the bag, letting out a breath of satisfaction now that the job was done. As she turned around though, she froze.


    Behind her, barely three meters away, loomed a massive shadow with many pointed horns curved into the air, gleaming with the light of the moon. Ling Qi did not normally think of a deer as a frightening animal, but the black furred mountain of muscle, more than three times her height at the shoulder, certainly put the lie to that. The potent mass of its qi, a match for what she felt in Zeqing¡¯s storms, put to rest any other doubts.


    She stared into the creature¡¯s silver eyes for a few horrifying seconds as it bent its neck to peer at her, nostrils flaring as it scented her. Slowly, almost mechanically, she clapped her hands together and bowed her head in silent respect. What else could she do at this point?


    Moments ticked by while Ling Qi tried to calm her nerves. She had not made any mistakes in the ritual appeasement. This was fine. She would be fine. Everything would be fine.


    It was difficult not to flinch when she felt the spirit beast¡¯s breath on her face. Her hair fluttered in the breeze that it kicked up as it snorted, but then, it was gone. The weight of its presence vanished, and she heard a soft thump as something landed at her feet.


    She opened her eyes, seeing nothing but the ragged landscape of fallen trees and four deep depressions in the earth in the shape of hooves. She glanced down and found a small wooden cube covered in complex silver patterns. Carefully picking it up, she found that the silver lines picked out dozens of tiny wood slats, some of which moved when pushed.


    She had seen puzzle boxes before but never one so complex. On its side, covering the largest solid piece, was a black circle chased in white. The sign of the New Moon. Ling Qi peered around, but she was still alone. Perhaps Xin was still looking out for her.

 Chapter 140-Finishing Moves

    ¡°Good of you to join us, Miss Ling!¡± Gan Guangli boomed cheerfully. He stood flanked by two other male disciples wearing the bands of enforcers and standing at a stiff attention. ¡°With your skills, the raiding scum has no chance of escape!¡±


    Ling Qi eyed their surroundings carefully. They were perched on a narrow ledge halfway up a steep rock face. With the Ma Sisters and her, there was barely any room to move about up here.


    ¡°Thank you for the invitation,¡± she replied politely, a little unsure of the proper response in this scenario. ¡°I¡¯m sure you could have managed without me,¡± she added. It seemed right. ¡°Were you really only going to do this with three people if I didn¡¯t come?¡±


    ¡°I had intended a larger cohort, but with you and your escorts joining us, I deemed it wasteful to pull more from their duties,¡± Gan explained. ¡°The bandit Ji Rong travels with but a handful on his raids, and too many would risk detection besides.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s who we¡¯re hitting, huh?¡± Ling Qi mused, peering down the cliffside. They would probably ambush them when they passed below then. ¡°That makes sense. But how are we going to get the drop on them? Ji Rong has pretty sharp senses, and¡­¡± She gestured vaguely at the tall, muscular, and singularly unstealthy boy.


    She studiously ignored the stifled sound of amusement from Ma Lei. Gan Guangli simply grinned and plucked a small gourd that had been dangling from his belt, raising it for her inspection. ¡°Sir Xuan has seen fit to solve that problem for us. The villains will never see the first blows coming!¡±


    Ling Qi blinked and accepted the gourd, peering inside. There were a series of carved wooden stakes. Removing one, her eyes widened. She could just make out its function. As Gan had implied, the four stakes would create a field between them which utterly concealed any living things within. Its inner workings were hidden from her though, the character arrangements seeming like indecipherable gibberish to her eyes. ¡°That guy really doesn¡¯t do half measures. Is that the whole plan then? We just wait for them to pass by and jump down?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Gan Guangli replied, still grinning. ¡°There is no need for complex planning in this case. I would have you support us close range fighters from above and prevent any attempts at escape. With any luck, Ji Rong can be greatly weakened or even put down in our opening move. Of course, I welcome discussion of the particulars.¡±


    Hashing out the details of their exact plan of action took a bit of time, but soon enough, Gan Guangli received a message from Fu Xiang indicating that they needed to activate the formation. The array Xuan Shi had crafted traded a short duration for potency so their timing needed to be exact. The Ma Sisters and Gan¡¯s helpers took care of the activation while she and Gan Guangli kept watch on the trees below, waiting for their prey to arrive


    Ji Rong was the first one that she spotted. He walked cockily out in front of the three other boys with him. Despite that, he looked alert and ready for trouble, his aura charged like the air before a thunderstorm. His companions were less disciplined, joking and bragging among themselves. None of the other three, two Mid Yellows and a Low without any special equipment or exotic quirks to their qi, caught Ling Qi¡¯s eye. One of the two Mid Yellows was a wind element user though; she¡¯d keep an eye on him to ensure that he didn¡¯t do something to help the others escape.


    Ling Qi was well aware of just how fast the wind could carry after all.


    She stilled as Ji Rong¡¯s eyes passed over the ledge they were crouched on, but there was no recognition, not even a twitch in his qi indicating that he had noticed them. Around her, she felt her allies start to activate combat arts. The faint chiming of bells filled the air, and clay armor flowed across Ma Lei¡¯s arms and chest. Gan Guangli¡¯s armor took on a brilliant shine even as he began to grow, crowding the already narrow ledge further, as his guards charged their weapons, a spear and a bow, with fire and wind respectively.


    Ling Qi simply breathed out as she expressed her bow, the edges of her gown gleaming a vibrant emerald, which spread, forming a shell of bark textured light over her. The glow spread to Gan Guangli and Ma Lei as well. It was a high cost to her qi, but it would bolster the two¡¯s already impressive defenses for when they jumped down.


    She drew back her bow as the armor finished forming, and the wind kicked up around her feet, rising to circle around her arrow as she drew it back, aimed right at Ji Rong¡¯s shoulder. She glanced at Gan Guangli as he loomed beside her, crouched at the edge of the cliff, his face concealed by his gleaming helm. Ji Rong¡¯s group passed below, and he nodded.


    Ling Qi let loose, the wind howling around her companions, urging them to strike in unison. Ji Rong jerked in surprise the moment the arrow shattered their concealment, and although brilliant lightning immediately burst from his channels shrouding him in light, it wasn¡¯t enough. The arrow struck home, causing him to grunt as his defenses failed to absorb the full power of the shot.


    Ma Lei and the spear wielding guard immediately leaped down to engage Ji Rong. Ji Rong juked away from their weapons, ducking Ma Lei¡¯s mace and twisting away from the boy¡¯s spear, its fire-wreathed head grazing along his side. In the wake of the alarm and noise from below, the first notes of a sleepy, relaxing tune began to play beside her, and Ling Qi felt Ma Jun¡¯s soporific qi latch onto the enemies below, draining away qi and making limbs and eyelids heavy. Even Ji Rong¡¯s corruscating aura briefly dimmed, opening him to another wind-wreathed arrow from the second of Gan¡¯s subordinates.


    Of course, all those attacks were swiftly overshadowed as a great shadow fell over Ji Rong and his raiders. Ji Rong barely had a moment to straighten up and brace himself before Gan Guangli¡¯s armored boots slammed down onto his shoulders, driving the glowing boy straight into the ground with a thunderous crack that rocked and split the earth. Unnatural shockwaves tore up the soil and flung Ji Rong¡¯s allies away to impact against rocks and trees.


    That was Ling Qi¡¯s signal to begin the next phase. She dropped her bow and expressed her flute, leaping nimbly down the cliffside as she began to play, mist blossoming rapidly outward to consume the battlefield. Ma Jun¡¯s chiming bells amplified her power further, and she felt the sense-altering effect of her mist settle over Ji Rong¡¯s three allies. The raiders wouldn¡¯t be running away easily.


    She found her attention pulled back to the main fight as the ground exploded with light, muted by her mist. Gan Guangli was shoved backward by a shockwave of qi as Ji Rong thrust himself out of the impact crater with a furious roar. His hair stood on end, bleached and white in the light of crackling electricity pouring off of him in sheets.


    He launched himself at Guangli, fist outstretched, and the giant boy met him head on. The sound of his fist striking Gan Guangli¡¯s breastplate was like a temple gong, the crack of thunder nearly deafening her, but Gan Guangli did not move an inch, the flickering green of the armor she had given him holding.


    ¡°Not enough, Bandit!¡± Gan shouted, laughing as he brought his huge, spike-covered fists down in a two handed hammerstrike. Ji Rong juked backwards, his sparking sandals somehow finding purchase on the rippling earth.


    ¡°How about-¡± the scarred boy began, batting aside the spear of Gan¡¯s aid with a glowing fist. Thunder boomed as the boy¡¯s legs curled, and he darted forward into a punch that struck the spear-wielding boy¡¯s breastplate. Ling Qi winced as she felt the shell of her Deepwood Vitality crack and then shatter under the visible stream of voltage that erupted from Ji Rong¡¯s fist, launching Gan¡¯s fellow enforcer backwards through the air until he hit the ground and bounced, his chest smoldering. ¡°- you shut up for once, lardo!¡±


    ¡°Fiend!¡± Gan Guangli bellowed, literally swelling with rage as he thundered back into melee, his footfalls sending visible ripples through the earth. The other raiders converged, but Ma Lei interposed herself, catching a boy¡¯s handaxe on her clay-covered shield and bringing the other up short with a rising wall of mud that forced him to backpedal or slam face first into it. The wind-natured boy was more troublesome, a bolstering wind sweeping across the battlefield to speed his allies¡¯ movements; Ling Qicould feel his qi coiling around their legs, preparing to launch them at Gan¡¯s back.


    Ling Qi had a solution to that. A sad, mournful elegy began to play, and the boy suddenly let out a shout of alarm as in his eyes, the mist thickened and converged upon him, blanketing him in a misty world where he was all alone without an ally in sight.


    Under the effect of her technique, the bolstering qi the wind-natured boy had spread fizzled out without his guidance.


    Thunder boomed, and the sound of impacts on metal resounded. Ji Rong drove Gan Guangli back a step, then two, his fists a sparking blur as he rained dozens of blows on the bigger boy¡¯s armored stomach, shattering Gan¡¯s Deepwood Vitality protection, then laying into Gan himself. But in his flurry, he overextended, and when Gan brought up a massive knee and slammed it into the scarred boy¡¯s chest, Ji Rong was launched back, coughing violently as he landed in a crouch.


    Floating on the breeze, Ling Qi adjusted her melody, and emerald sparks danced in her eyes. Vital wood qi rippled out, and the fading bark textured energy clinging to Gan Guangli and Ma Lei¡¯s armor rekindled, renewing their protection. Gan laughed, and Ji Rong cursed.


    It ended quickly after that. Gan Guangli kept up the offense while Ling Qi isolated and drained the other raiders of qi one at a time. Ji Rong thrashed and fought like a wild beast, but four on one was too much.


    The raiders were soon facedown in the dirt, unconscious and quickly bound, and their belongings seized. Ling Qi was pleased to be the proud owner of a higher quality storage ring with nearly twice the space of her old one.


    Sun Liling wouldn¡¯t recover easily from this. Aside from her vassal Lu Feng, Ji Rong and Kang Zihao were really her only major supporters, and with Kang Zihao still in seclusion, Ji Rong had been the one carrying Sun Liling¡¯s offensive efforts against Cai Renxiang. Going forward, Cai Renxiang¡¯s faction would have an advantage against Sun Liling¡¯s.

 Chapter 141-Finishing Moves 2

    Their ambush, combined with several smaller ones targeting the Sun Princess¡¯ remaining followers, proved to be the breaking point. The fortress on the cliffs closed, and raids on the enforcers stopped. Sun Liling¡¯s few remaining followers seemed to enter a fully defensive mindset.


    With tensions ramping down, Ling Qi finally had time to complete the lessons she had begun under Cai Renxiang.


    Ling Qi grimaced as she set her brush down, peering at the letter she had just finished. She had finally completed the proper forms, and now, she was drafting the cover letter that requested assistance from the head of the local Ministry in Tonghou.


    Leaning back in her seat, she reviewed line after line of pleasantry and formality. This was her third draft. This time, it was free of ink smears or ill-formed characters; it was as perfect as she could manage.


    ¡°It appears that your calligraphy is at an acceptable level.¡± She glanced up as Cai Renxiang reached down to pluck the letter from the writing desk, scrutinizing it for errors. ¡°You merely had to take your time.¡±


    Ling Qi restrained the urge to make a face at the heiress, her propriety worn thin by her recent efforts. It had taken the better part of an hour to carefully draft the final copy of the letter due to Cai¡¯s insistence on perfection. Ling Qi hated to waste her time on something so pointless, but good draftsmanship would probably be the sort of thing needed to make a good impression on some high-up legal official.


    ¡°I¡¯m just glad this is all done,¡± Ling Qi said aloud instead. ¡°Thank you though,¡± she added more sincerely. ¡°I do not want to think about how long it might have taken me to do this without your help.¡±


    ¡°It was little trouble,¡± Cai Renxiang replied, carefully folding the letter. ¡°These are matters which you will require an understanding, if not mastery, of,¡± she continued as Ling Qi rose from her seat to follow the heiress out of the study and into the hall. ¡°We all serve the Empire. It is foolish to not understand its underpinnings.¡±


    ¡°I just wish those underpinnings were in good Imperial,¡± Ling Qi grumbled. Half of her trouble had come from trying to parse the dense legal language everything was written in. ¡°Your explanations are the only reason I ended up actually understanding what I read.¡±


    ¡°It is an understandable trouble for a novice,¡± the heiress said. ¡°I will send this on the morrow with my recommendation attached. If you would like, I will review any response with you when it arrives."


    "I would like that," Ling Qi said agreeably as they reached the entryway. She turned as she passed the other girl and offered a respectful bow. "Thank you for your time and your help. I might not be very close to my Mother anymore, but I don''t want to see her troubled."


    She caught a flicker of some emotion in Cai Renxiang''s eyes, but then the girl simply nodded, her expression stern. "Duty to one¡¯s family is a virtue. Your efforts are commendable. I am glad to aid them. Good fortune to you, Ling Qi."


    ***


    Ling Qi allowed her eyes to close as she let out a sigh of relief. After so long sitting stiffly behind a writing desk, lowering herself into the hot scented water of the bath felt heavenly. The warmth seemed to seep in, right to her bones, easing away points of stress she hadn¡¯t even noticed. She felt like she could stay here soaking forever.


    ¡°My, when was the last time you took the time to let your hair down, Ling Qi?¡± Gu Xiulan¡¯s voice broke through her reverie, and she opened her eyes to look at the other girl.


    The thick steam in the small private room they had rented was no real obstacle to her eyes, so she could clearly see her friend sitting perched on the polished wooden bench that wrapped around the perimeter of the room, still wrapped in a towel with her hair hanging damply around her shoulders. Of course, her eyes quickly drifted to the thick cloth wrapping around the girl¡¯s crippled arm, worn even now, seemingly impervious to the moisture in the room.


    ¡°Too long,¡± she replied, instead of voicing any of her thoughts. ¡°You were right though. This is a good way to cap off the night. What do they put in this water?¡±


    Ling Qi could feel traces of qi and smell hints of medicinal aroma in the air. She knew the feeling of relaxation seeping into her body could not be wholly natural.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t the slightest idea,¡± Xiulan said with a careless shrug and an amused smile, which stretched the scars on her cheeks awkwardly. ¡°I did not ask the chefs at the restaurant we stopped at which spices they used either.¡±


    ¡°You are such a noble.¡± Ling Qi rolled her eyes as she leaned back against the edge of the bath. The smooth stone tile of the bottom felt much better than the rough floor of the natural spring. ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious at all?¡±


    ¡°Why, thank you for noticing,¡± Xiulan answered with mock courtesy. ¡°And not particularly so. I will always have others to take care of such things for me. Why waste my time on it?¡±


    Ling Qi let her friend¡¯s answer pass with only a good-natured grumble in response, letting her head loll back as she stared up at the dimly glowing grey circle in the ceiling which provided the lighting. It had been pretty easy to convince Xiulan to come along with her tonight. The girl¡¯s acerbic demeanor hadn¡¯t faded at all in the past weeks, but she reserved the majority of her venom for Fan Yu and Han Jian. Ling Qi had been mostly exempt from it.


    It had been odd and uncomfortable at first, wandering around the center of the city practically in the shadow of the magistrate¡¯s mansion, surrounded by richly dressed mortals and lesser cultivators. It made her fingers itch and her heart race. Some part of her still expected every guard they passed to seize her by the shoulders and throw her out, no matter that her cultivation exceeded all but a bare handful of the armored men and women they passed at their stations. In contrast, Xiulan had walked along through the streets as if she owned them, haughtily staring down anyone whose eyes lingered too long on the scars visible behind her veil.


    Even with Ling Qi¡¯s lingering unease, the evening had been fun. They had made chitchat, lingering in various shops debating over the merits of minor things. Xiulan had purchased several vials of perfumed liquids, and she had cajoled Ling Qi into purchasing a few new ribbons to work into her hair. It was all very frivolous, but Ling Qi found it difficult to begrudge the expense. Money just didn¡¯t concern her as much anymore, not when they had each traded a stone or two for a full jangling pouch of silver before even entering the market.


    ¡°Did you fall asleep?¡± Xiulan asked dryly, shaking her loose from her thoughts. ¡°Is the water truly so relaxing?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Ling Qi replied. The last time she had slept had been a little nap in the garden outside of Zhengui¡¯s pyre four days ago. She didn¡¯t have time for things like that. ¡°I was just thinking about what I bought today.¡±


    ¡°Those ribbons?¡± Xiulan moved to sit at the edge of the bath, letting her legs dangle into the partially opaque water. ¡°I told you they would match your eyes quite well. You are going to have to spend more care on yourself if you wish to wear your hair loose though.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Ling Qi huffed. Even now, without certain special oils, her hair tended to turn into a frizzy mess. ¡°It¡¯s not fair,¡± she grumbled. ¡°Yours is always so shiny and straight.¡±


    ¡°Well, of course.¡± Xiulan smirked. ¡°But I have been taking care of it for years,¡± she added, fingering the dark length of her hair. ¡°You know,¡± she began, eyeing Ling Qi critically, ¡°if you lightened how much straightener you used, you might be able to pull off a bit of curl. It would look good.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Ling Qi replied noncommittally, not enthused about spending time experimenting to get an effect that looked presentable. Just making her hair behave like everyone else¡¯s was enough.


    ¡°Only a suggestion,¡± Xiulan said carelessly as she slipped into the water, leaving her towel behind at the edge. Ling Qi noticed how she carefully kept her wrapped arm out of the water.


    ¡°... Are you feeling better then?¡± Ling Qi asked quietly. She was hesitant to bring such things up, but she felt that in the end, nothing good would come from ignoring it.


    Xiulan shot her a heated look, which she met steadily, not backing down. ¡°I have gotten used to it. For the most part,¡± her friend answered. ¡°As much as one can. It is more than worth it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Ling Qi agreed, holding in a grimace at the somewhat brittle edge to the girl¡¯s tone. ¡°I don¡¯t just mean the physical stuff though. I guess¡­¡± Ling Qi fell silent, struggling with her wording. ¡°... how are you holding up with¡­ everything?¡±


    Xiulan didn¡¯t answer, looking down into the water instead. Ling Qi didn¡¯t press further, hoping she had not offended the prickly girl.


    ¡°Mother is horrified at what I have done to myself.¡± When Xiulan spoke up, it was quiet. She didn¡¯t sound like the bombastic and confident girl Ling Qi had gotten to know. ¡°Father¡­ I think Father understands. But even he thinks that I have gone too far, that I gamble too much and too freely.¡±


    Ling Qi remained silent, letting her friend work out what she wanted to say.


    ¡°And that is not even considering what he might say if Fan Yu had a spine to his name,¡± she added more venomously. ¡°I know I have broken with propriety - that I have been incredibly rude and insulting¡­ I just cannot bring myself to care!¡± The water around Xiulan bubbled with heat for a moment before she took a deep breath.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say that I really get all of that,¡± Ling Qi said slowly. She understood on an intellectual level because of her recent forays into understanding noble behavior. It wasn''t part of her the way those things were for a born noble though. ¡°Didn¡¯t you used to say things about a lady maintaining her composure even if you don¡¯t like it?¡±


    Xiulan sunk further into the water, her expression darkening. ¡°I did, didn¡¯t I? I was always a poor student when it came to Mother¡¯s lessons,¡± she said bitterly. ¡°Yet another thing Sister Yanmei is my superior in.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. ¡°I don¡¯t think you can really be blamed too much for losing your patience in the past couple months,¡± she consoled.


    ¡°It has not been merely since this happened!¡± Xiulan retorted hotly, gesturing at her scarred face. ¡°Ever since I came here, it seems that I have been forgetting myself, ignoring the things Mother taught me about how a proper woman of the Empire should act.¡± Her shoulders slumped. ¡°I have been acting little better than a barbarian at times. Is that why Jian rejected me outright so suddenly?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Ling Qi said uncomfortably. ¡°I think¡­ he is just trying to take his duties more seriously.¡±


    ¡°While I continue to act like a child,¡± Xiulan said glumly. ¡°Hmph. I suppose it is no wonder.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there is anything wrong with being upset,¡± Ling Qi said carefully, ¡°about losing something you¡¯ve wanted for a long time. But you do have to move past it eventually.¡±


    ¡°Look at you playing counselor,¡± Xiulan teased. ¡°You are too patient for your own good. Sometimes I wonder if you are some long lost cousin of Mother¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Probably not,¡± Ling Qi replied dryly. ¡°If you¡¯re thinking silly things like that, maybe you should go cool off.¡±


    Ling Qi hoped her friend would be able to reign herself in a little better in the future. She had a bad feeling things would get messy if she didn¡¯t.

 Chapter 142-Finishing Moves 3

    Bian Ya was certainly not a bad tutor, and she was friendly enough, even if her spirit beast was not. But her insights were clearly focused on the manipulation of wood qi. To Bian Ya, wind was secondary, combining with wood to form the concept of ¡°dispersal.¡±


    While Ling Qi could comprehend the older girl¡¯s understanding of the combined element, it was at odds with her more usual understanding. The exercises in maintaining flows of wood qi disconnected from her channels, attached only by threads of wind, were certainly helpful in advancing her understanding of her sole wood art, Thousand Rings Fortress, in improving the range at which she could hold the shielding qi around her allies.


    It was less directly useful in her practice with the Falling Stars art, but eventually, she reached an understanding. Wind, or rather air, was not simply freedom and motion; it was also a thing of connections. Wind lay between earth and heaven and touched all things. An arrow and a target thus already held a connection. With this understanding, she was able to complete the Falling Stars art and master its final technique, the Falling Star Shot, which would allow her to fire a single shot which flew true no matter the obstacles so long as there was a path to her target.


    She parted ways with her tutor on good enough terms, but she couldn¡¯t really say that she had connected to the older girl. She reminded Ling Qi of Xiulan in many ways, and while Xiulan was her friend, that relationship had taken a great deal of work and shared troubles.


    Still, for some things, cultivation had to wait.


    When Ling Qi felt the twinge from the minor alarms she had set around Zhengui¡¯s pyre, set to go off at any unusual fluctuation of qi, she raced out into the garden, the door of the meditation chamber banging off the wall behind her. The pyre had burned down by the time she arrived. No longer a towering bonfire that rose more than two meters in the air, it now guttered low, dull red embers burning atop scraps of wood heaped on a small hill of gray ash, held within the solid fire-baked clay of of the firebreak she had set up around it during construction.


    More importantly, she could feel that her spirit beast¡¯s qi was no longer masked by the qi-infused wood she had used to build and maintain the fire. Ling Qi settled to the ground beside the pit, hands resting on the warm surface of the clay walls as she peered down. Everything she had read indicated that all this was natural, but she couldn¡¯t help but worry.


    Ling Qi was often so busy that it was difficult to think about things outside her many tasks, but she could admit that the niggling worry in the back of her thoughts had never quite gone away. It was rising to the fore, now that a change was occurring in Zhengui¡¯s pyre. The ash from the fire formed a thick blanket of heavy qi, which prevented her from sensing Zhengui in detail. Had he broken through successfully? Could spirit beasts even fail like humans could? Had he changed, while buried down there under the ash?


    The grey hill at the bottom of the pit shifted, and Ling Qi leaned forward, brows drawn together. ¡°Zhengui? Can you hear me?¡± she called. ¡°Are you ready? Do you need more fuel? I can-¡±


    The ash exploded outward, and Ling Qi flinched as it enveloped her, stinging her eyes and getting caught in her throat. That surprise left her entire flat-footed as a heavy, stonelike mass smashed through the clay wall and bowled her over.


    ¡®Mother!¡¯ A deeper but still recognizable voice rumbled in her ear as the heavy weight settled on top of her, pinning her legs in place. ¡®Mother, where are you?¡¯


    ¡®Oaf, you¡¯re sitting on her!¡¯ A more sibilant voice spoke from further back. ¡®Stand up, and let Big Sister up.¡¯


    Ling Qi had been worried for nothing. Zhengui hadn¡¯t changed at all, even if she would have to have a talk with Gui again; she was definitely no mother. Cool qi flooded her limbs, and Ling Qi flowed out of confinement, growing solid again as she crouched in front of her no longer little spirit, a smile on her face. ¡°Little Brother, you¡¯ve been asleep for too long,¡± she scolded playfully.


    Gui blinked his big emerald eyes at her. He was now more than two meters long, and half that across. The blocky dull-edged spikes of his shell rose high enough to reach the bottom of her chest from standing height. He still pushed his blunt, scaly head up against her hand in the same way when she rested it on his head.


    ¡®I was dreaming!¡¯ Gui chirped, though it couldn''t really be called that anymore. ¡®It was very hard to find the path home. But I wanted to come back to you!¡¯


    Zhen rose from his resting place on Gui¡¯s back to nuzzle at her cheek with his warm snout, lines of light burning between his scales. ¡®Only because of me. Silly Gui would have gotten lost many times on his own,¡¯ his serpentine half bragged. He too had grown much. Now, over two meters of serpentine body extended from the rear of Gui¡¯s shell, making Zhen longer than his lower half, if much smaller overall.


    ¡®Zhen wanted to sleep longer. Lazy Zhen,¡¯ Gui accused from below. ¡®I finished my first dream much sooner!¡¯


    ¡®You did not!¡¯ Zhen hissed, drawing away from her to glare down at his other half. ¡®Clumsy Gui probably did not even find answers!¡¯


    ¡°Settle down,¡± Ling Qi intervened, tapping Zhen on the snout. ¡°I¡¯m just glad that you¡¯re back. You¡¯ve gotten so much bigger now. I won¡¯t be able to carry you anymore.¡±


    ¡®I can carry Mo-¡¯ Gui caught Zhen¡¯s eye and corrected himself. ¡®I can carry Big Sister now. I¡¯ve gotten really strong!¡¯


    Ling Qi let the slip pass, her grin not fading as she leaned down to wrap her arms around Gui¡¯s stubby neck, and Zhen hurried to pile on, coiling around her shoulders. ¡°I bet you can. We¡¯ll definitely have to try it out.¡±


    Ling Qi could admit to herself that she took a certain pleasure in the expressions of her fellow disciples as she rode out of the residential district on Zhengui¡¯s back. Being blatant was fun sometimes. Even if it was a really uncomfortable and awkward seat. Thankfully, Zhengui kept it slow, and she didn¡¯t fall off. That would have been embarrassing.


    Zhengui¡¯s presence in spiritual form was much like a warm blanket constantly wrapped around her shoulders. She would never be caught wholly alone again, and that thought was comforting. It did make her realize that Meizhen had been present less and less often of late to the extent that she had begun to miss their training sessions.


    That was a little worrying, particularly since the girl had not made any excuse for it. Her friend could be incredibly frustrating at times by taking reticence to the extremes that she did. Bai Meizhen did stop at their home at least once a day though, late at night. So after spending the day ranging about with Zhengui and working out the final kinks in her cultivation of Thousand Rings Fortress, Ling Qi returned home and settled in to wait in the front room while Zhengui went to nap in the garden.


    Ling Qi prepared tea for Meizhen and herself. It had been awhile since they¡¯d taken a cup together, and she¡¯d come to appreciate it more after spending so much time around Cai Renxiang in the last few weeks. She had guessed the time correctly because Meizhen arrived home just as she poured the first cup.


    Ling Qi took her first sip as she heard the door close and heard Meizhen¡¯s faint, even footsteps on the wooden floor of the entry hall. As Meizhen stepped into view, Cui coiled loosely around her shoulders, Ling Qi met her eyes. ¡°Welcome home. Do you think you¡¯d like a cup?¡±


    Bai Meizhen paused, her brows slightly furrowed as she regarded Ling Qi. ¡°I suppose,¡± she replied, even as Cui flicked her tongue dismissively and looked away. ¡°What brings you to the house at this hour?¡± she asked as she stepped into the dining room and settled herself elegantly across from Ling Qi. ¡°You are usually out taking in moonlight.¡±


    This was cutting into her meditation time, Ling Qi knew, but she could afford it. She was nearing the point where further cultivation was stalled until her breakthrough anyway. She carefully poured a cup and pushed it toward Meizhen before answering. ¡°Even I take breaks now and again,¡± she said lightly. ¡°I thought it would be nice to brew a pot of this again. It¡¯s been awhile.¡±


    Meizhen leaned forward to take the cup from her, taking care to avoid brushing her fingers over Ling Qi¡¯s. In a moment of relative expressiveness, Meizhen closed her eyes and inhaled deeply from the steam rising over the cup, some of the tension melting from her shoulders. ¡°It has. But I recall that you used to find the flavor rather repulsive.¡±


    ¡°It grew on me,¡± Ling Qi said with a shrug. ¡°Maybe my taste improved?¡±


    ¡°Likely enough. You have the senses to appreciate the flavor now,¡± Meizhen acknowledged.


    Ling Qi made a sound of agreement, eyeing her friend over the rim of her cup as she sipped. ¡°What has made you so busy? I don¡¯t mind if you need some time to yourself, but I admit, I¡¯d like to know why. Sun Liling is probably hurting for a victory. Going off by yourself can be dangerous.¡±


    Meizhen favored her with a flat look.


    Ling Qi waved off her nonverbal response. ¡°I hide while I¡¯m out and about. She only caught up to me that last time because I was being incautious and that ass Yan Renshu was tailing me. You don¡¯t exactly disguise your presence anywhere you go.¡±


    ¡°It would be beneath me to do so,¡± Meizhen said with a frown. ¡°Skulking is best left to the lesser branches of the family.¡± Ling Qi simply nodded, not taking offense, since she knew the girl didn¡¯t mean any. ¡°If the barbarian wishes to confront me on my travels, she may. I will meet her with my full force.¡±


    ¡°I know you will.¡± Ling Qi smiled. ¡°But all the same, she¡¯s been getting trickier. I wouldn¡¯t put it past her to jump you with her whole faction at this point.¡±


    ¡°What is left of it, perhaps,¡± Bai Meizhen scoffed as Cui dipped her head down, stealing a taste of the tea as she had done when she was smaller. ¡°I do see your point. Trusting in the honor of a Sun is foolish. I suppose I imagined that she would have more pride than that.¡±


    ¡°Maybe she does. What have you been doing that¡¯s so important? Did you find a really good site to cultivate at?¡±


    Meizhen looked away, seemingly hesitant to answer. Ling Qi regarded her friend patiently. She would drop it if the other girl asked her to, but until then, she was going to ask.


    ¡°I have been taking steps to eliminate the threat that Yan Renshu represents. The efforts you have put forth alongside Lady Cai have been impressive, but his threat remains,¡± the pale girl answered after consideration. ¡°I may be overstepping my bounds to an extent, but if you are too softhearted to do so yourself, as your friend, I feel I must do so.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked. That wasn¡¯t quite the answer she expected, but there was something weird about Meizhen¡¯s phrasing. ¡°I don¡¯t mind, but I¡¯m not sure what you mean by ¡®overstepping your bounds.¡¯ You can beat up whoever you want, can¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°He is your prey,¡± Meizhen expanded, staring at her as if she had said something dumb. ¡°You took it upon yourself to ruin him. I do not understand why you stopped - and I apologize if you had some longer plan - but you cannot leave an enemy half-defeated like that. I had assumed you to simply be squeamish about finishing things¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s already about as neutralized as he can get, isn¡¯t he? What is there left to do?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    Meizhen studied her. ¡°Ling Qi, who do you imagine would retaliate if that boy were crushed entirely? Death may be a step too far here in the Sect, but he still retains the resources to do harm.¡±


    ¡°I thought that I had after breaking his last base. Do you know something more?¡±


    Cui flicked her tongue disdainfully at her, and Meizhen sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. ¡°... I have located his primary remaining lairs, a storage facility and a residence. In the past week, I have foiled no less than three attempts to set an ambush upon you. Would you like to come along, so that I may show you the proper treatment of an enemy without sufficient connections?¡±


    Ling Qi frowned. She was no moral paragon herself, but she had an inkling that Meizhen was not kind outside of their friendship. Meizhen¡¯s offer sounded¡­ ominous.

 Chapter 143-Finishing Moves 4

    ¡°I appreciate the help,¡± Ling Qi said sincerely, meeting Bai Meizhen¡¯s eyes from across the table.


    ¡°And yet you are going to disagree with my methods,¡± Meizhen replied coolly.


    Ling Qi nodded reluctantly. ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly what you intend, but it¡¯s probably going to skirt the Sect rules, right?¡± When Meizhen failed to disagree, Ling Qi continued, toying with the cup in her hands. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to be taking a risk like that for me, even if it¡¯s a small one given your status. Why don¡¯t we just drag Yan Renshu to Lady Cai? Let her spin it as a victory and stuff him in a hole until the end of the year.¡±


    Meizhen pursed her lips, not happy with the idea. ¡°This is a personal matter. While I do not doubt Cai Renxiang¡¯s skill nor her ability to create a convincing narrative, why bother her with such a thing? Restraining a third realm cultivator is neither cheap nor easy.¡±


    ¡°I just don¡¯t think going any further than that is necessary. The Sect¡­ Iit¡¯s all supposed to be a big game, right? ¡± Ling Qi said. It tasted like ash to say, but that really did seem to be how it was. ¡°Even if Yan Renshu has done some really unpleasant things, I don¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°A game?¡± Bai Meizhen asked flatly, interrupting her. It was startlingly rude for the usually reserved girl. ¡°Shall we go visit that retainer of yours, so that you may tell her the loss of her eye was only part of a game? That she should cease her efforts to ruin her rival?¡± Cui nuzzled her cheek affectionately as Meizhen closed her eyes in frustration. ¡°While the Imperial court has transformed the sects into a playground for the lesser families, that is not true for cultivators such as yourself.¡±


    Ling Qi scowled, the reminder of Li Suyin''s situation making her temper flare. "Maybe I don''t want to be the kind of person who cripples someone, then makes some half-assed excuse about it," she snapped. "And I want to ask that of you even less. Don''t get me wrong; I''m going to help you. But I want to actually follow the rules, and not just the letter of them."


    ¡°... It is your vendetta,¡± Meizhen agreed unhappily. ¡°You are being too soft, but I will not gainsay you on this.¡± Meizhen clearly wanted to though. ¡°I had intended to settle the issue three nights from now. Is that acceptable?¡±


    Ling Qi nodded. She didn¡¯t like displeasing her friend like this, particularly when she was just trying to help. ¡°I¡¯m thankful that you were willing to put in so much effort for me.¡±


    Bai Meizhen simply nodded, elegantly rising from her seat. ¡°Thank you for the tea. I am afraid I have cultivation to catch up on. If you will excuse me?¡±


    Ling Qi sighed, standing up herself. ¡°I do as well. See you in a few nights, Meizhen.¡±


    ¡°I will see you then, Qi,¡± Meizhen said as she paused in the doorway, glancing over her shoulder briefly before heading toward her room.


    Ling Qi hoped that she hadn¡¯t offended her friend too much with her refusal. Glancing down at the dregs in her cup, she drained the rest of the tea with an inelegant gulp and stood. She had three days to wrap up the rest of her plans for the week.


    Ling Qi started by heading to the roof to cultivate under the stars and work on deciphering the puzzle that the Moon, or perhaps Xin, had left her. The polished and lacquered wooden slats had moved easily under her fingers as she meditated under the stars, drinking in the stellar and lunar qi. The edges clacked against one another quietly as she lined up the patterns painted on the box¡¯s sides. It had taken some time, but she managed to complete it easily enough. It had almost been disappointing in its ease.


    That had been a foolish thought. When the last slat had fallen into place, the box shook in her hands, giving off a single, high, clear note. The outer layer of wood then collapsed, transforming into crumbling leaves which had fallen from her surprised hands, only to be blown away by the next breeze.


    Left behind was a smaller box, this time of polished and worked silver with deeply inlaid patterns of onyx. Curious, she moved the first piece, sliding it smoothly into a new position. A soft twinkling song began to play and surprised, she stopped to examine the apparently musical box.


    Then the tune cut off, and the piece she had moved snapped back into its starting position, almost pinching her finger.


    To her mounting frustration, Ling Qi found herself unable to keep up with the second box¡¯s timed resets, and by the time the sun had begun to rise over the horizon, she was more than ready to put the irritating box away. She would come back to it tomorrow night, but for now, she was going to meet up with Su Ling, not to mention she first had to get Zhengui up and moving. Her spirit was still terribly lazy in the mornings.


    Actually, with Zhengui awake again, perhaps she could have a bit of fun with her friend¡­


    ***


    Upon giving it a second thought, Ling Qi could admit that surprising her friend with Zhengui might not have been the best idea.


    It was still pretty funny though.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± she called up, from where she stood on Zhengui¡¯s back, balanced on the spikes of his shell. ¡°Please don¡¯t be mad. It was just a joke.¡± Dust and grit still drifted across the clearing, stirred up from when Zhengui had burst from the ground.


    Su Ling glared down at her, still clinging to the uppermost branches of the tree she had bolted up, ears and tails both standing on end like a startled cat. ¡°Ha. Ha,¡± she stated flatly. ¡°What the hells made you think that would be funny!¡±


    Gui peered up at her guilelessly. ¡°Big Sister? Why did the fuzzy girl go up the tree like that?¡±


    ¡°Why do the prey run when you jump out, foolish Gui?¡± Zhen hissed from behind. He smugly peered up at Su Ling from over Ling Qi¡¯s shoulder. At least someone thought the prank was funny.


    Gui blinked and appeared to be thinking hard for a moment. ¡°Ah! I¡¯m sorry! Don¡¯t worry. Big Sister won¡¯t let Zhen bite.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯d better not,¡± Su Ling grumbled darkly, giving Ling Qi one last glare before dropping from the tree. She landed in a crouch, easily rising back to her feet. ¡°Seriously, leave the jokes to other people, will you?¡±


    ¡°I suppose I¡¯m not really good at it,¡± Ling Qi muttered. She had figured Su Ling wouldn¡¯t be fooled by Zhengui¡¯s trick, but the other girl¡¯s guard must have been down. ¡°No harm, right?¡±


    Su Ling ran her fingers through her tangled hair and gave a frustrated sigh. ¡°Sure, no point in getting mad at you. Anyway, I had something to give ya, if you''re done trying to give me a heart attack.¡±


    Ling Qi hopped off of Zhengui¡¯s back, leaving the spirit to bicker back and forth between himself. It would be some time before they were done. ¡°Oh, did you guys manage to do something with that liquid from the vent?¡± she asked curiously.


    ¡°Yeah. Made a pill that¡¯ll give your spiritual cultivation a pretty strong boost and make working with Argent Arts easier.¡± Su Ling¡¯s ears twitched as the other girl tossed Ling Qi a small pill case. ¡°I can¡¯t refine more than one a month, so use that well, alright?¡±


    Ling Qi inhaled deeply from the medicinal vapor which escaped when she cracked the case to peer in. She was already at peak Yellow so it wouldn¡¯t do her much good at the moment, but once she broke through, a pill like this could be a real boon.


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty impressive,¡± she complimented. ¡°I¡¯m glad you guys managed to do something with it. Are you sure you just want to give it to me though?¡±


    ¡°First one¡¯s free,¡± Su Ling said, showing a bit of tooth with her smile. ¡°Suyin has gotten some good use out of the stuff with her project too, and you were the one who found the main ingredient.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Ling Qi tucked the case away in a pocket. ¡°How about you? Thinking about what you''re going to do yet?¡±


    Su Ling frowned, her eyes briefly flicking over Ling Qi¡¯s shoulder. She glanced back, only to see that Zhengui had wandered off to dig into a fallen log, the loud crunching of the wood echoing over the clearing.


    ¡°I told ya I¡¯m not worried about that,¡± Su Ling said dismissively. ¡°I haven¡¯t changed my mind.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, unsurprised. ¡°Fair. That¡¯s why I¡¯d like to ask you something.¡± She was worried about her friend. If things went well, Ling Qi and Li Suyin would both enter Inner Sect, leaving Su Ling alone on the Outer Mountain. Meizhen¡¯s reminder of what can be done by high nobles to commoners without protection pushed that worry further to the fore. ¡°What do you think of those girls who have been following me around?¡±


    Su Ling wrinkled her nose. ¡°I get why you let ¡®em. You¡¯ve pissed a lot of people off.¡± Ling Qi simply continued to look at her; the girl knew that wasn¡¯t what she meant. ¡°They¡¯re fine, I guess? They seem nice enough. Haven¡¯t traded more than a word or two with ¡®em though.¡±


    ¡°So you wouldn¡¯t mind them joining us for training?¡± Ling Qi asked cheerfully. ¡°Not here,¡± she added, gesturing toward the vent, ¡°but in general.¡±


    ¡°I... guess?¡± Su Ling raised an eyebrow. ¡°They¡¯re not like that snob you hang out with in private, right?¡±


    Ling Qi frowned at the insult directed at Xiulan but let it pass. It wasn¡¯t wrong. ¡°No. Ma Jun is a little prickly about politeness, but that seems like a personal dispute with her sister.¡± She paused to find the best way to articulate her reasoning. ¡°I just think you could use more friends.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need that kind of handholding,¡± Su Ling said, irritated at the implication.


    ¡°Maybe not,¡± Ling Qi shot back. ¡°But have you really thought about what it¡¯s going to be like if Suyin and I both graduate?¡±


    Su Ling frowned, her ears flat against the side of her head. ¡°Yeah, I have. Doesn¡¯t change the fact that I don¡¯t want to be pitied.¡±


    ¡°Just give them a chance, you stubborn girl,¡± Ling Qi said, exasperated. ¡°I¡¯m offering to introduce you to some friends, not giving you a treasure.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Su Ling conceded. ¡°Now, are we gonna train or what?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Ling Qi replied cheerfully. ¡°Have you thought about what you want to trade me for Argent Current yet?¡±


    ¡°... Yeah,¡± Su Ling answered reluctantly. ¡°Will a second one of those pills be good for a down payment?¡±


    It would pay for it in full considering that she had wanted to give it for free, Ling Qi thought, but any argument would just make Su Ling insist on paying more. Instead, she nodded, glad that her friend would be a little better armed.

 Chapter 144-Finishing Moves 5

    The remaining three days passed quickly in training and cultivation. Hunting with Zhengui, as well as helping him get used to his new size and power, ate into much of her time. The puzzle continued to frustrate her, snapping back into its starting configuration long before she could solve it. In the end she decided to set it aside to work on the other project that she had wanted to work on this week.


    Researching dragons, as it turned out, was quite easy. The only trouble was sifting through the subject matter for something useful instead of collected folktales or treatises on the uses of powdered dragon scales.


    As she put the last of the books away at sunset on the third day, she headed out to meet with Meizhen to plan their approach. Some part of Ling Qi wanted to call in Xiulan and the others, or even Cai and her enforcers, and come down on Yan Renshu with impossible force, but... Meizhen did have a point. Ultimately, this was personal between her and Yan Renshu. From his initial attempt to frame her to her retaliation leading to his faction¡¯s downfall, the enmity had only escalated. And Ling Qi did not want to go running to Cai at every threat.


    So the two of them would take care of this. Fu Xiang would keep an eye on Sun Liling''s movements to make sure they didn''t get pincered if Yan Renshu called for help, but actually dealing with him would come down to her and Meizhen.


    Ling Qi dropped soundlessly from the branches to land beside Meizhen. ¡°We¡¯re clear. No one is following,¡± she said as she straightened up, smoothing her gown. ¡°How long do we have before the charms wear off?¡±


    ¡°Six hours,¡± Bai Meizhen said softly, opening her eyes to glance at Ling Qi. ¡°The false images will last for two. Are you certain this is where you wish to strike first?¡±


    Bai Meizhen did not often remind her so explicitly of the kind of resources the pale girl could call on, but she had not held back tonight. Their home in the residential area lay under an illusion, giving the appearance that they were at home performing their normal evening routines. Meizhen had also provided Ling Qi with a bracelet of silk cord that sparkled like diamond in the moonlight, far superior to the little charms she had purchased at the market. Bai Meizhen wore one herself as well. They were well and truly invisible to remote viewing and detection arts from a cultivator at their level.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ling Qi said confidently. ¡°Yan Renshu¡¯s threat is from his resources. Cut those off, and even if he gets away, his threat is much reduced.¡± She felt a stirring of excitement from Zhengui, dematerialized in her dantian. He thought of this as an adventure.


    Meizhen let out a sigh. Ling Qi could tell that she disagreed still. ¡°Very well. Let us proceed then. The tunnel lies further ahead.¡±


    Ling Qi followed as her friend began to walk, moving with the same ephemeral grace as always despite the rough terrain and scrubby underbrush in the lightly wooded region that lay past the outskirts of the market. Ling Qi had not expected one of Yan Renshu¡¯s remaining bases to be so close to a public area. She glanced at her friend¡¯s impassive expression as they walked.


    ¡°I did not mean any insult when last we met,¡± she said. ¡°I just lost my temper when you mentioned Li Suyin.¡± She didn¡¯t want Meizhen to think that she thought poorly of her.


    Meizhen did not reply at first, and they continued to move in silence. Eventually, her friend responded, ¡°I did not take it as one. You are soft, and that worries me. But I suppose I would not value you as I do if you were as cruel as I.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not soft.¡± Ling Qi frowned. ¡°I¡¯ve told you how I grew up. It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t know how things are. And I don¡¯t think you are cruel either.¡±


    ¡°Then you have a false impression of me, Qi,¡± Meizhen said candidly. ¡°The Bai are cruel. I am cruel. You are my friend and uncomfortable with that, so I have made an effort to spare you from witnessing it.¡± She closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°Perhaps that was a mistake.¡±


    Ling Qi shifted uncomfortably. ¡°I don¡¯t think you are,¡± she replied. ¡°I¡¯ve seen cruelty before. You¡¯re not¡­ You¡¯re ruthless, maybe, but I do not believe you are cruel.¡±


    Meizhen sighed. ¡°This is not the time for such a talk.¡± She shook her head as she came to a stop between two thin trees. ¡°The tunnel is here beneath our feet. Your spirit can breach it?¡±


    ¡°He can,¡± Ling Qi confirmed, Zhengui sending her twinned feelings of enthusiastic confirmation. ¡°There are no worms nearby?¡±


    Meizhen stood still, and Ling Qi felt a tingle as the girl¡¯s qi passed over her. ¡°No. There are no deliveries at this hour. Those that remain are inside. Break the token I gave you once you have entered the main chamber. Then signal Zhengui.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, recalling the image of the polished blue stone slip Meizhen had given her in preparation. Breaking it would release a small lake¡¯s worth of water, flooding the room and tunnels. More importantly, it would let Cui have the complete freedom of movement to catch any worms that her mist failed to trap. According to Meizhen¡¯s investigation, the smaller worms weren¡¯t actually bound to him, so killing them wouldn¡¯t notify Yan Renshu via changes in his bound qi amount.


    Ling Qi nudged Zhengui with her thoughts, pushing him to dematerialize in front of her, his bulk quickly taking shape. With her silent urging, her energetic spirit attempted to quietly dig his stubby claws into the dirt and burrow down.


    Meizhen gestured, and a shimmering plane of water formed in the air before her. Cui slithered down from her perch on the girl¡¯s shoulders, eyes fixed on the water. By the time the floating pool had finished expanding, turf and dirt had piled up behind Zhengui, and Ling Qi felt the sudden rush of air as he breached the tunnel.


    Ling Qi¡¯s form blurred into darkness. Then, she was inside, gritting her teeth at the disorienting sensation of being squeezed into a space too small for her normal body. It remained deeply uncomfortable, but she could deal with it.


    She did only have so much time if she did not wish to waste qi though, so she rushed forward, little more than a streak of darkness. She flowed through the narrow, partially collapsed tunnel as fast as she could. When Ling Qi emerged into a cavern, she took in her surroundings.


    Crates, baskets, and other containers were stacked haphazardly around the enclosed space. The floor was simple packed dirt, and the walls and ceiling were held up by wooden supports. On the far wall, she could see a wide array that looked like the entrance mechanism.


    Nearer to her and of more immediate interest was a sight that made her wrinkle her nose. She had emerged from a bowl-like depression in the floor a bit more than a meter deep filled with offal and the half-devoured carcasses of several goats. Worms burrowed in and out of the half-rotten and partially dissolved goat corpses and sloughed off meat.


    A quick glance showed a half dozen of the things, smaller specimens that were only as thick as her arm and perhaps a bit longer. They were a far cry from the huge specimen she had seen in his other lair or even the ones in the pits. Were these what he had left?


    Having emerged right in their midst, Ling Qi knew she didn¡¯t have much time to consider the matter. As her form expanded to its proper dimensions, she expressed the tablet Meizhen had given her and snapped it between her thumb and forefinger.


    Despite expecting it, her eyes widened at the deluge that poured out, roaring like a waterfall from her hand. The worms screeched in alarm as the water flooded over them, rapidly filling the depression and washing away their noxious food. She winced as the resulting waves knocked over the nearest crates with a crash, but they weren¡¯t the main concern. Sending a feeling of readiness to Zhengui, she drew her flute and began to play, drowning out the sound of water being forced from a rapidly collapsing storage space.


    Mist flooded from her flute, and by the time she had alighted on an overturned crate, the first screeches of distress and pain were rising from the worms as shadowy fangs and claws tore at their rubbery hides. She felt her qi settle into all but one of their numbers, and her eyes fastened on the single worm that wasn¡¯t thrashing about in confusion.


    She needn¡¯t have worried. In her element, Cui was little more than a blur, and Ling Qi caught only a flash of green scales between the young serpent¡¯s emergence from a ripple in the water and her darting forward to sink her fangs into the side of the unaffected worm. The thing shrieked, almost sounding human in its agony despite the warbling distortion of the water.


    Ling Qi tore her eyes away from the shriveling creature even as Cui pulled back, the bite wounds in its side rapidly blackening and flesh visibly rotting away. She had felt the tug of one of the remaining worms breaking through her mist, slithering rapidly toward one of the flooding tunnels, the rush of the water speeding its movements.


    Because her mist would persist and trap the others for long enough, she let her flute drop from her hands and expressed her bow, smoothly nocking a sparking arrow and firing it into the center of the fleeing worm¡¯s mass. The arrow punched all the way through the squirming creature and left it spasming as lightning wracked its nerves. A single bite from Cui finished it.


    What remained was essentially spearing fish in a barrel. None of the others were successful in breaking through the mist to escape, and their panicked attacks accomplished little as she and Cui finished them.


    It was a little piteous if she were being honest, but Ling Qi pushed those thoughts aside as she hopped down from her perch on the crate. She grimaced as her slippers squished on the muddy floor and scooped her flute out of the water. Resolving to polish it later, she dismissed it along with her bow as Cui pulled her fangs from the twitching corpse of the last worm.


    ¡°Good job. That went as quickly as we could have hoped,¡± she said, glancing at her green-scaled companion.


    ¡®Do not speak to me,¡¯ Cui replied coldly. Her voice still sounded like that of a younger girl but one close in age to her. ¡®Open the door for Sister Meizhen.¡¯


    Ling Qi paused in the process of stepping over a rotting chunk of goat ribs. ¡°Ah¡­ excuse me?¡± She asked. ¡°I know we haven¡¯t spoken much but¡­ did I do something wrong?¡±


    Cui turned her head to face her, tongue flicking out to taste the air disdainfully. ¡®You hurt my Sister. She still wastes her time upon your affairs, and yet, you do not even appreciate it. I, Cui, do not like you. Open the door.¡¯


    Ling Qi grimaced. She had been aware that Cui had stopped speaking to her, but she supposed she had never quite connected the dots. She opened her mouth to speak then thought better of it. Meizhen was right. This wasn¡¯t the time for conversations like this. She moved toward the entrance array, and after a bit of examination, she activated it.


    There was a deep grinding that sent vibrations up her spine as seams formed in the shape of a door around the array and the newly made portal ground open. Meizhen and Zhengui awaited her on the other side. Zhengui bulled forward immediately.


    ¡®Big Sister!¡¯ he greeted her excitedly. Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help but smile and reach down to pat him on the head.


    Meizhen sidled past him gracefully, wrinkling her nose as she took in the mess that the storeroom had become. ¡°You were successful then?¡±


    ¡°Yes. None escaped. You¡¯re sure he won¡¯t be able to detect this?¡± Ling Qi asked, giving Zhengui a stern look as he trundled in and looked about to take a bite out of a stack of plants she didn¡¯t immediately recognize.


    Meizhen gave her a long-suffering look. ¡°The charms we are using occlude our immediate area as well, and you should have been able to tell that these beasts were unbonded.¡± She crouched as she spoke, allowing Cui to slither back up her arm. Not a drop of the water on the serpent seemed to touch her.


    Ling Qi nodded. ¡°I know. We should still hurry though. I imagine he¡¯s gotta check in on what he has left fairly often.¡± It would hurt to leave so much loot behind. Actually, they should probably just burn most of this¡­


    She blinked as Meizhen flicked her sleeve, and an entire stack of crates and a bushel of faintly glowing bamboo vanished. Her friend caught her expression and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to bother with that kind of thing,¡± Ling Qi said sheepishly, even as she hurried to follow her friend and pick up some choice bits in her own ring. ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Beneath me, yes,¡± Bai Meizhen acknowledged, continuing to consume entire piles of goods with a gesture. ¡°That is the purpose of this endeavor though, is it not?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ling Qi agreed quietly. ¡°Thank you again, Meizhen.¡±


    ¡°... Whatever our disagreements on the method, this is for you,¡± Meizhen replied just as quietly. ¡°Let us not dally any further.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded fiercely and set about looting Yan Renshu to the bone, leaving the warehouse empty of all but corpses.

 Chapter 145-Finishing Moves 6

    ¡°May I ask what your original plan for this was?¡± Ling Qi asked, glancing over at her friend from her perch among the tree branches. They were at the edge of the lake which Yan Renshu¡¯s central base was in. They had hurried here, knowing that even if their opponent couldn¡¯t see exactly what had happened, he was likely aware that something had happened.


    ¡°I had intended to collapse the structure,¡± Meizhen answered. She stood on a thin branch, which somehow held her weight without bending. ¡°Then trace the trail of his escape method if he had one.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that have good odds of, well, killing him?¡±


    ¡°A terrible tragedy indeed,¡± her friend said dryly without looking away from the lake. ¡°I, of course, had intelligence indicating that he was elsewhere at the time. But even if he weren¡¯t, a cultivator of the earth element would be hardier than that." Her tone told Ling Qi she found the question ridiculous.


    Even if death was an unlikely outcome, Ling Qi found the flippancy with which Bai Meizhen referred to another disciple¡¯s death to be disheartening. She didn¡¯t doubt that her friend could get away with an excuse like that should it come to that. The Bai were on the outs with the Imperial court, but in the end, the Sect wouldn¡¯t risk giving insult to a founding house over someone like Yan Renshu. The more she learned about Imperial politics, the less she liked them.


    ¡°So¡­ will I be sneaking in via a tunnel again?¡±


    Bai Meizhen shook her head slightly, white hair swaying in the wind. ¡°I will approach the front gate and use a Siegebreaker Rod. While polished, his formation arts lack sufficient safeguards against being overloaded.¡±


    ¡°... What is a Seigebreaker Rod?¡± Ling Qi asked, morbidly curious. Within her dantian, Zhen seemed to be curious, perking up at her thoughts of explosions.


    ¡°It is a somewhat antiquated tool of warfare but suitable for our purposes. It breaks low ranking arrays within a certain radius in a manner which leads to their invested qi exploding.¡± She glanced at Ling Qi. ¡°There are safeguards against such things, but they are beyond the resources of a common Sect Disciple.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced as they dropped down to the ground. ¡°How much are you spending on this?¡±


    ¡°It does not matter. A few baubles are no concern to me,¡± Meizhen evaded. ¡°He will either flee or prepare to confront me. In the latter case, remain hidden until we are engaged.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I have your back,¡± Ling Qi replied without hesitation, putting aside her concerns for the moment as she faded back into the undergrowth. ¡°Be safe, Meizhen.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± her friend said, stepping smoothly out of the shadows and onto the surface of the lake. The dim light of the moon overhead shone on her hair and white gown. Meizhen made no effort to hide herself, standing out like a candle on the dark surface of the lake. She strode forward across the water, seeming to flow across the rippling surface as she approached the rocky island in the center. There was no response from Yan Renshu that Ling Qi could see, but she remained tense all the same. Ling Qi could make it across the span of water in a single dash if she tried, and she readied herself to do just that if necessary.


    Soon, Meizhen approached a recess in the sheer cliff, and Ling Qi¡¯s sharp eyes caught the appearance of the black rod in her hand as she strode imperiously toward what Ling Qi assumed to be the entrance. Leaning forward, she watched as her friend reached the cliffside and stretched out her hand.


    She felt it then, a flare of jagged, sharp-edged qi as the rod touched stone. A sharp crack followed like a sledgehammer striking a boulder, then a blinding flash and the sound of shattering rock. When Ling Qi blinked away the spots, she saw a yawning crack running straight up the cliff face and the crumbled remains of a hidden door. With the smoke and dust rising from the passage beyond, she could just barely see fires flickering inside.


    For Meizhen¡¯s part, she stood where she had been before, a thick, glittering sphere of water slowly retracting into her hooded mantle of black water. She stepped into the shadow of the ruined door without further pause, and Ling Qi took that as her cue to cross the lake. Meizhen certainly had Yan Renshu¡¯s attention now.


    Ling Qi blurred, becoming little more than a flitting shadow as she crossed the distance in a single fluttering bound and landed on the cracked cliff face.


    ¡°- tire of your cowardice, Yan Renshu.¡± Ling Qi heard her friend say as she ducked inside, using the cracks left in the walls and ceiling to creep along above and behind Meizhen. ¡°Emerge and surrender, or suffer further ruin.¡± Meizhen, she had to admit, had ¡°imperious disdain" down to an art form.


    Meizhen walked ahead of her, her steps not disturbing the water steadily flooding in from the shattered doorway. The narrow hall was lit by unnatural firelight, and the remains of formation arrays burned and sparked on all sides, carefully shaped characters melting the stone they were painted on or chiseled into. Meizhen passed the side halls that branched off with nary a glance, and Ling Qi followed, keeping a careful eye out for any intact formations or hidden puppets.


    As they neared a large circular room filled with mirrors, Ling Qi saw the damage from Meizhen¡¯s first use of the rod had tapered off. Her friend came to a halt, golden eyes glowing faintly in the darkness. Cui coiled around her shoulders, hissing softly as her mantle rippled.


    ¡°Do not think that I cannot sense you further within, worm. Do you imagine that your burrow can still hide you?¡±


    For a moment, as Meizhen¡¯s voice echoed down the hall, Ling Qi thought that Yan Renshu would continue to ignore her. But when Bai Meizhen raised the hand holding the Siegebreaker Rod again, she was proven wrong. The walls and ceiling rippled like water, and pillars of stone erupted to crash down on Meizhen¡¯s position.


    Strands of metal sang, and two pillars were shredded to gravel as Meizhen expressed her weapon and flicked her wrist. A third exploded violently, showering the hall with pebbles when a thick heavy blade appeared over Meizhen¡¯s shoulder and smashed it apart with thunderous force. The rest, Meizhen simply avoided, twisting out of the way with impossible grace.


    From within the mirror room, hidden alcoves opened, a half dozen black iron puppets emerging with a variety of weapons forged onto their limbs. Formations flared to life on the walls, and characters burned on the surface of the puppets, blazing with empowering qi. Yet, compared to the last time, their numbers were meagre.


    Then the tip of the black rod in Meizhen¡¯s hand touched the frame of the doorway, that terrible jagged qi erupted again, and the room exploded. Ling Qi winced, pulling back back as a cacophony of shattering glass and shrieking metal reached her ears. When she opened her eyes, she saw the room ahead reduced to shambles, dust and dirt drifting down from the cracked ceiling as the entire structure shuddered. The puppets lay in shattered fragments on the floor.


    Meizhen¡¯s talisman was crumbling, drifting like ash from her fingers, its power spent. The sight made something clench in her gut. What had to be months of work by Yan Renshu had been ruined in an instant by Bai Meizhen, just like what had happened when Cai Renxiang had made her move. This was what it looked like for someone of mortal background to face a scion of the old nobility bent on their destruction. Yan Renshu¡¯s final defense, his last respite, broken by some trinket from Meizhen¡¯s clan vaults.


    ... It made her glad that she had made the friends she did.


    ¡°I have had enough of your toys and your minions.¡± Meizhen¡¯s cold voice rang out, distorted by the water shroud still rippling around her. ¡°Fight, flee, or kowtow. My mercy is coming to its end.¡±


    Ling Qi felt Yan Renshu¡¯s presence, a deep earth-tinged and sickly qi like a sucknig mudpit, before she saw or heard him.


    ¡°I have seen the mercy of your type.¡± His distorted voice echoed from the far hall. ¡°It is not worth much.¡± The boy¡¯s voice was full of hate as he stepped out of the smoking hall across from Meizhen. ¡°You will break what you will, take what you will, and call yourself kind for leaving behind a few scraps.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned as she peered at the figure wrapped in thick violet mist, barely visible at its center. Within her dantian, Zhengui was almost vibrating with excitement; he wanted to help her beat the bad guy. She quelled him with a quiet thought as she crept closer.


    ¡°Your estimation is incorrect, but only as a matter of degrees,¡± Meizhen admitted as she casually stepped forward into the ruined mirror chamber. ¡°You have joined our game. The fault for being under-equipped lies with you.¡± The sword hovering over Meizhen¡¯s shoulder shot forward then, the air screaming in its wake.


    In response, the violet mist erupted, boiling outward to consume the room. A disc of dull metal emerged to block the strike from Meizhen¡¯s flying sword with a sharp crack. Sparks erupted where they met, and the flying weapon spun away while the disc fell to the ground in shards. There was a rumble from the entrance as water swept in, pulled by a flaring of her friend¡¯s qi, and the lakewater that flooded into the room on a wave failed to touch her.


    Ling Qi kept her eyes peeled, flattening herself against the ceiling in a literal sense as she became a shadow, flitting from one patch to the next as she waited for her moment to strike. Water and acidic mist clashed, and she saw worms erupt from the ground, much bigger than the sentries they had slain before. Cui lashed out, coiling around and biting one. Another shrieked as Meizhen¡¯s whipping ribbon blades tore it apart.


    As she waded into the mist, Ling Qi finally caught a glimpse of her opponent. She dived, slipping through the shadows of the many worms boiling from the earth. Even in her distorted senses, the oily feeling of his qi was unpleasant.


    She finally saw Yan Renshu clearly then. He was a stocky young man with a shaved head wearing a dark green and black robe, but his back was bent and his right shoulder twisted by some damage. In his hands, he wielded a staff of dark wood. He glared hatefully at Meizhen, a snarl on his scarred face.


    Yan Renshu did not stride on the ground but slithered, moving via a carpet of writhing, slimy black worms that poured from the hem of his robe. The violet mist clung to him like a cloak, compressing to near solidity here and there like plates of writhing armor. Before him floated a slab of black rock curved like a shield. Power radiated from it, and she recognized the stony shield as a domain weapon.


    So, it was only when Meizhen¡¯s flying sword screamed through the air and the shield blinked upward to block it that she made the final jump, diving into Yan Renshu¡¯s shadow. Immersed in it, out of touch with the physical world, the verbal barbs the combatants traded were blurred as if she were listening from underwater.


    Immaterial still, Ling Qi drew back the string of her bow and let wind and lightning flow through her arms. Ling Qi felt the twitch of awareness pass through her opponent¡¯s qi, but it was too late.


    Ling Qi emerged from his shadow, the sparking head of her arrow barely an arm¡¯s length from Yan Renshu¡¯s back, and loosed.


    The explosion of lightning rocked the cave. Ling Qi was already dodging backward, skipping meters back to regain her distance and avoid the spinning staff strike that whistled through the clinging acidic mist. She was less prepared when a massive shape rose from the writhing worms, a rounded head and a circular maw lined with teeth, ringed by beady black eyes and wet with slime. She had just a moment to remember the lightning that had chased her from Yan Renshu¡¯s first lair as sparks danced in the beast¡¯s maw.


    Lightning erupted, and Ling Qi raised her arm to defend, flaring with emerald qi.


    ¡®Bad man!¡¯ Twin voices roared as a shape materialized in front of her, a high spiky shell and a sinuous serpent, rearing back to strike. Her eyes flew open in alarm as the lightning struck her little brother, and he cried out in pain.


    There was a thunderous crack as Meizhen¡¯s domain blade impacted Yan Renshu¡¯s shield again, its supernaturally sharp edge gouging the stone and leaving a fissure across its surface. Meizhen advanced behind it with ominous steps, fully cloaked in her Abyssal mantle. Her golden eyes gleamed from the shadows as metal ribbons and lake water alike carved a bloody path through the tide of worms. Water trailed from the hem of her gown like a serpent¡¯s tail.


    A smoking wound scored Yan Renshu¡¯s side where her arrow had drawn blood, and his face was drawn in a grimace of pain and growing desperation as the hungry tendrils of violet mist that sought to engulf Meizhen were carved to drifting shreds by the flash of metal ribbons.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t care. Wind surged through her spine and lightning sparked from her bow as she fired three arrows in rapid succession. Yan Renshu¡¯s worm beast roared in irritation and pain as arrows sprouted from its stony hide.


    To her relief, Zhengui shook himself, rising back off of the floor with sparks still dancing across his shell. His blunt claws dug into stone, and she could feel his qi spreading roots that drew vitality from the earth to repair his wounds. Zhen reared back, spitting again and again, charring and burning swathes of the smaller worms that tried to swarm them.


    ¡°Enough dregs.¡± Meizhen¡¯s voice was an icy hiss, and it was only her many sessions training with Meizhen that allowed her to not freeze up as a wave of primal terror rippled out from the girl¡¯s golden eyes. Its icy claws dragged at her mind, washed the colors from the world, and vibrated the very air.


    All around her, worms spasmed and died, their hearts, or what passed for hearts, failing under an inundation of supernatural fear. Yan Renshu¡¯s brow was marked by sweat, but he stood where his summons and minions died.


    Ling Qi had to concern herself with his spirit beast. The worm lunged for Zhengui, meters of oily flesh emerging from the rock as her little brother withdrew into his shell. He fell to the floor with a stony thump as the beast coiled around him, hammering and gnawing at his shell with its toothy, acid-dripping maw. Zhen struck and bit at the beast, but his fangs failed to find purchase on the rubbery hide.


    Breathe. Draw. Release. An arrow loosed, a crackling bolt that hissed and spat as it ricocheted, leaving only a glancing wound. Again. The arrowhead bit a shallow gouge into black flesh.


    Again. Again.


    Arrow after arrow she fired into the putrid thing, that tempestuous rhythm of a released bowstring playing out as fast as the materialisation from her ring would allow. A frustrated stamp of her foot against the stone floor sent a pulse of wood qi towards her little brother, Hundred Ring¡¯s Armament blooming over his shell.


    Across the room, Meizhen and Yan Renshu dueled, and even at this distance, she could feel the wind and pressure from their weapons. Of their duel, she could only see a blur of violet mist, whitecapped water, steel and wood. This¡­ This was the difference between the second realm and the third.


    As Zhengui let out a yelp of pain, Ling Qi¡¯s lips drew back in a snarl, and she dropped her bow with a clatter. By instinct, her flute found its way to her hands. She had no musical techniques or arts that did harm directly. She didn¡¯t have time to wear the beast down with her mists.


    But she had spent the last few months learning song from Zeqing, a spirit of ice and death. She had learned that there was more to music than mere physical sound, that emotion could scar the world as easily as a sword. Ling Qi raised her flute to her lips and played a single stanza of hate.


    Over the clash between Meizhen and Yan Renshu, over her spirit¡¯s cries, her music rang out, and the beast attacking him recoiled. Ling Qi stepped forward, wood qi armoring her body and limbs, and played another stanza. She felt it this time in the senses she had only recently begun to properly develop and saw the gash appear in the beast¡¯s aura. It screamed, uncoiling from Zhengui to spit lightning, and Ling Qi snarled back in defiance, layering Deepwood Vitality atop Hundred Ring¡¯s Armament.


    It shattered, forcing her a step back, but she was unharmed. She played again. This time, the creature¡¯s spirit tore, and in the physical world, its flesh burst open, toxic green blood oozing down its side.


    Zhen¡¯s fang¡¯s dug into the worm¡¯s open wound, pumping liquid flame into exposed and vulnerable flesh. The worm screamed, and its powerful coils flexed, hurling Zhengui at her and tearing the fangs from its flesh. Ling Qi dodged aside on a flow of shadow, and wove again the armor of Deepwood Vitality around Zhengui. She was burning quickly through her qi reserves. It was only made worse as she played another bar, the sharp notes cutting deeply into the beast¡¯s aura. She knew she was wasting qi with this unrefined, untrained attack, but nothing else had been working.


    There was a crack then. Yan Renshu¡¯s shield had cracked into two broken pieces. The boy screamed as Meizhen¡¯s poison-edged ribbons carved through armor and robe to scour his chest. He kicked out to knock away Cui, who had sunk her fangs into his calf, and leapt back.


    ¡°Choke on your victory then,¡± he snarled. His beast dissolved into oily black smoke. There was a faint shimmer as something materialized in his hand, a ceramic sphere that glowed with a complex web of formations.


    Before she could do more than begin to prepare herself to defend, Bai Meizhen moved. She blurred in Ling Qi¡¯s vision, and a pale white hand snapped out to grasp Yan Renshu¡¯s wrist. Violet mist erupted, sizzling as it engulfed them both, dissolving stone and rock. Ling Qi cried out, forcing her depleted qi to ripple out and armor Meizhen too. Her friend¡¯s eyes burned in the darkness.


    ¡°No escape. No tricks.¡± The words echoed as if from underwater. There was an ugly, painful crack, and Yan Renshu howled in pain as his mist dispersed. The talisman he had drawn fell from his hand, and there was a flash of green as Cui lunged from the water underfoot to snatch it from the air and swallow it down.


    Yan Renshu had fallen to his knees before Meizhen, and his hand hung limp. His wrist was bent and twisted in her grip, purple and bleeding flesh bulging between her dainty fingers. Even then, he struggled to rise before potent, venomous qi pulsed from Meizhen¡¯s hand. Then he stilled.


    It was only Ling Qi¡¯s enhanced senses that let her see that he was still breathing. His expression, still twisted in pain and fury, twitched violently. He was paralyzed.


    ¡®Did¡­ did we beat the bad man?¡¯ Ling Qi was distracted as Zhengui limped up beside her, gravel from the crater he had made in the wall still falling from his shell.


    ¡°Yeah, we did,¡± Ling Qi said quietly, reaching down to pat his head. ¡°Good job.¡±


    ¡®...That¡¯s good. Gui is tired,¡¯ he mumbled.


    ¡°You can both rest then,¡± Ling Qi said, and with a tug on their bond, he dematerialized, returning to her dantian.


    ¡°You are carrying this,¡± Meizhen said bluntly, releasing Yan Renshu¡¯s broken wrist. She gave her bloodied fingers a disgusted look. Here and there, Bai Meizhen¡¯s skin was reddened with mild burns, and her lower lip was split, but that was the only sign of the fight.


    Ling Qi grimaced, looking at Yan Renshu. ¡°I guess we need to get him to Cai Renxiang.¡±


    ¡°Unless you wish this venture to have been a waste,¡± Meizhen replied with a sniff, turning away to exit.


    Ling Qi eyed the paralyed boy¡¯s expression and the boiling hate she could feel behind his eyes.


    She wondered if she was making a mistake.

 Chapter 146-Finishing Moves 7

    Ling Qi stood uncomfortably behind Cai Renxiang with the rest of the gathered council. She still wasn¡¯t used to this, being the one with authority. However, with Yan Renshu kneeling on the ground, his hands bound and his head down in front of them, she could not deny that there was a certain satisfaction to it.


    He had been healed, his wrist no longer twisted and broken, but the manacles on his wrists suppressed his qi, rendering him effectively helpless before his peers.


    Cai Renxiang¡¯s expression was impassive. ¡°Do you have any words to say in regards to the charges leveled against you?¡±


    ¡°Would it matter if I did?¡± Yan Renshu sneered. ¡°Do as you will.¡±


    Beside her, Fu Xiang pushed his eyeglasses further up his nose, lenses glinting in the light cast by Cai Renxiang. . ¡°You have seen the evidence and the records prepared, my lady. The case is clear.¡±


    The heiress closed her eyes briefly before she pronounced, ¡°You are guilty, Yan Renshu, of poison and sabotage used against one of my subordinates. You are guilty of a truly staggering amount of blackmail and false contracts. You have refused all offers of honorable surrender.¡±


    Yan Renshu remained stonily silent.


    ¡°This is the Sect, so your actions are mitigated by the nature of our competition, but you must still be punished,¡± Cai Renxiang continued after a beat. ¡°You will remain under house arrest until the end of the year. You will be observed at all times, and your work scrutinized by experts to ensure compliance. Your remaining funds will be divided and given to those whom you defrauded. That is my judgment.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I will still be allowed to work and cultivate. How generous,¡± Yan Renshu said darkly.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Cai Renxiang said with narrowed eyes. She glanced at the enforcers flanking him. ¡°You may return him to the Medicine Hall.¡±


    Ling Qi watched as her enemy was led away, and Cai Renxiang turned to them to speak. The full council would be having a proper meeting soon, and Cai Renxiang would have something to announce at that time. However, it was hard to worry about that as she caught Meizhen¡¯s eye.


    They needed to talk. As the others left, Ling Qi approached Meizhen. ¡°Do you want to do this now?¡± she asked quietly.


    ¡°... Yes. It would be best to put any further misunderstandings behind us,¡± Bai Meizhen said stiffly.


    ¡°Up to the pool, you think?¡± Ling Qi asked carefully.


    Meizhen gave a shallow nod. ¡°I think so.¡±


    They changed their course without further conversation, the two of them lost in their thoughts as they ascended the mountain. Neither of them found the climb a strain any longer, and soon, they arrived at the dead end which contained the still, frozen black pool, far from prying eyes or ears.


    Ling Qi came to a stop at the edge of the pool while Meizhen continued on, gliding steps carrying her across the slick ice. ¡°How do you want to do this? I know I suggested it, but I¡¯m not entirely sure what we¡¯re supposed to say to each other.¡±


    Meizhen turned to face her, the pale girl¡¯s blue and white gown billowing in the icy wind. ¡°I would have you attempt to make me understand why you think my methods wrong,¡± she said plainly. Ling Qi watched her raise her hands, falling into the loose stance she took on those occasions she fought unarmed.


    ¡°Meizhen, you know I can¡¯t beat you. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to help,¡± Ling Qi said, crossing her arms.


    Her friend closed her eyes, letting out a long suffering sigh. ¡°Qi, do not be such a mortal. We may speak and spar at the same time,¡± she explained, not moving from her stance. ¡°If your hands cannot reach, then you must simply give greater thought to your words.¡±


    ¡°This is one of those things I don¡¯t quite get yet, isn¡¯t it?¡± Ling Qi asked rhetorically, nonetheless falling into the simple unarmed stance that Elder Zhou had taught them at the beginning of the year upon seeing that her friend would not be moved on the matter.


    ¡°Conflict is the core of all things,¡± Meizhen said quietly. ¡°Not many truly recall that in these modern days. We are born from it, live it, and in the end, die from it.¡±


    ¡°Unless you ascend, of course,¡± Ling Qi joked as she eyed Meizhen¡¯s defenses. There were no real gaps to exploit. There never were. She brought her foot forward and stepped, snow bursting up behind her as she snapped out with a palm to strike Meizhen in the stomach. Her hand was deflected easily by Meizhen¡¯s own. It seemed that they were sticking to basics for this.


    ¡°Even spirits are not eternal, as we understand such things,¡± Meizhen replied. Ling Qi rolled to the side of the retaliatory knife hand that struck through where her shoulder had been. ¡°But that is not the conversation we came here to have,¡± she continued as they traded blows.


    ¡°No,¡± Ling Qi admitted as their spar worked a slow circle around the surface of the pool. Meizhen was still taking it easy on her; she simply wasn¡¯t the girl¡¯s match in unarmed combat, even using the more refined movements taught in Argent Current. They continued in silence as she gathered her thoughts. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can say you are wrong. But for me, I want you to be. I told you before, didn¡¯t I? I ran away from home. I left my Mother behind, convinced of my own righteousness, but it just left me alone.¡±


    ¡°I do not understand the connection in what we speak of,¡± Meizhen replied, not unkindly, as she nearly sent Ling Qi tumbling, her foot having almost caught Ling Qi¡¯s ankle.


    ¡°It matters because it wasn¡¯t the only time that I made a choice like that,¡± Ling Qi shot back as she regained her footing and counterattacked, finding herself perfectly deflected each time. ¡°I don¡¯t know how much you can understand what it¡¯s like, living like I did. In that situation, you¡¯re barely better than an animal. You scrabble and fight just to live, throwing aside everything that doesn¡¯t help you in the immediate present. You betray and you hurt and even¡­¡± She cut herself off, letting out a ragged breath as she fell back a step to recover her stance. ¡°I want to be better than that.¡±


    ¡°You will have a difficult path then,¡± Meizhen said. ¡°I will admit that I cannot understand what you speak of,¡± she continued as she stepped forward, shifting into offense, a probing jab whistling past Ling Qi¡¯s ear. ¡°I have known hunger, pain, and privation, it is true, but only within the context of survival exercises.¡± She paused thoughtfully, although she didn¡¯t let up physically. ¡°Some part of me knew that no matter how harsh Grandfather might be, he would not let me die in such a pathetic way.¡±


    ¡°Pathetic, huh,¡± Ling Qi snorted as she wove through her friend¡¯s deliberately slowed offense, sneaking in ineffectual counterblows. ¡°That¡¯s a good word for it.¡±


    ¡°I meant no insult,¡± Bai Meizhen said evenly.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t take it as one. It¡¯s accurate. I do not want to be pathetic anymore though,¡± she said stubbornly, offering up a feint. This time, anticipating the deflection, she twisted her wrist, managing to grasp Meizhen¡¯s own and pull her out of guard.


    Ling Qi whipped a short, open-palmed hook towards the momentary opening, only to grimace as Meizhen twist-stepped in time with the motion, sweeping her ankle out from under her with casual grace and catching the striking arm in her grasp. The girl¡¯s pale fingers locked around her forearm, and she seamlessly followed through with the rotation, a combination of raw strength and the momentum of her own strike yanking Ling Qi from her feet. She managed to right herself in midair from the throw, landing on her feet behind Meizhen, who was already pivoting to face her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to have to treat everything like a matter of survival. I don¡¯t want to have to kill someone just because we are in conflict.¡±


    Meizhen spun away from her charge, graceful steps carrying her across the ice. ¡°Even if it causes you more harm in doing so? I do not ask that you become some petty tyrant, but you have no reputation. Before you may grant mercy, you must make it known that you are capable of doling out consequences, else it will rightfully be seen as weakness. You will be exploited.¡±


    ¡°Why are you pushing this so hard?¡± Ling Qi asked irritably. ¡°Do you really think a conflict in the Outer Sect is worth that much escalation? To violate the rules of the Sect? To put into jeopardy the relationship with Cai Renxiang?¡±


    ¡°I think teaching my best friend the value of proper action is more valuable than the life of some craven miscreant!¡± Their physical actions receded in importance as they continued speaking, strike and counterstrike happening more by rote than conscious action. ¡°And Cai Renxiang would understand,¡± Meizhen tried.


    Ling Qi could not help but scoff at that, and Meizhen grimaced.


    Meizhen was quiet for a time. ¡°I do not want others thinking that you may be trampled upon so freely.¡±


    ¡°Nothing he was doing was outside the Sect rules. I was handling his sabotage,¡± Ling Qi replied in exasperation.


    ¡°You should not have had to!¡± Meizhen answered, anger in her voice. ¡°Escalating small matters to the death is foolish, but what you did to him was no small harm! Your luck will not hold indefinitely, Qi!¡±


    Ling Qi fell back, pushed by both words and physical blows. ¡°I¡¯m not just lucky,¡± she snapped. ¡°It¡¯s not like I was planning to let it go forever!¡±


    ¡°No, you would have simply dithered about, getting distracted by new things like a magpie in a gem mine,¡± Bai Meizhen said in frustration. ¡°You cannot treat a vendetta so lightly.¡±


    Ling Qi replied through gritted teeth, ¡°Let¡¯s say you¡¯re right and I was being too flippant. Why does it matter so much to you?¡±


    Meizhen¡¯s golden eyes glared at her as they broke apart. Neither of them was breathing hard, but they were tense. ¡°Because I understand what happens when one¡¯s reputation for retaliation is damaged,¡± she said finally. ¡°You recall what that wretch Kang Zihao said that day he ambushed us?¡±


    Ling Qi eyed her friend warily, staying in stance as she thought back. ¡°... Something about a clan member of yours being executed,¡± she replied, a cold feeling settling in her stomach.


    ¡°My Mother, Bai Meilin,¡± Meizhen clarified stiffly. ¡° She was executed for the assassination of the Sixth Prince. Her name was struck from our clan rolls, and Grandfather was forced to denounce her. No one would have dared make such an accusation if we were still feared as we should be.¡±


    Ling Qi stared at her friend before words escaped her, prompted by her friend¡¯s word choice. ¡°... Did she do it?¡±


    ¡°Grandfather would not have wasted his youngest daughter¡¯s life on a known wastrel,¡± Bai Meizhen said contemptuously. ¡°We had nothing to gain from such a death, nor would Mother have been caught if so. She was our best¡­¡± Meizhen looked away, finally falling out of her combat stance.


    ¡°... I understand,¡± Ling Qi said finally, straightening up herself. The bruises from their spar were already fading. ¡°But I think you are projecting in this matter. And what could I possibly do to become as feared as the Bai anyway?¡±


    ¡°Maybe I was,¡± Meizhen admitted. ¡°You can¡¯t do anything to become as feared as the Bai, but that does not mean that you should not try. Be merciful, if that is your wish, but make your example first. Prove that crossing you is not to be lightly done.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t let anyone trample on me, but please let me do things my own way,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Next time you think that I¡¯m overlooking something, tell me instead of acting behind my back.¡±


    ¡°I will do so,¡± Meizhen said. ¡°But I will also inform you when I believe you are acting in error.¡±


    ¡°And I will try to listen,¡± Ling Qi replied, bowing her head in thanks. ¡°Meizhen, thank you for everything you have done. I can¡¯t put into words how much I appreciate it.¡±


    Meizhen looked away, unable to meet her eyes. ¡°Honestly, Ling Qi, there is no need for that.¡±


    Whatever else could be said, Ling Qi was glad that Meizhen was her friend.

 Bonus Chapter: Ancestors Sublime

    Foundations are the key to all success.


    The Celestial Empire is a land built upon this principle. Whether we speak of the code of laws which have governed us and maintained order since time immemorial or the cultivation which empowers her armies and rulers without the imprecision and waste of earlier forms, it is the foundation which enables the advances which come after.


    Sublime Ancestors represent this truth in its most primal form.


    Spirit beasts do not cultivate as humans do. They do not choose their Way nor seek Ascension. Spirit beasts are bound to the material world in a way that humans are not, and so, when they achieve the peak of power, they do not disappear from this world and ascend to the next. Instead, their corporeal shells remain, and mind and spirit goes to wander.


    This form of Ascension is lesser than what can be achieved by humans and spirits. Spirit Beasts cannot join the ranks of the Great Spirits, cannot alter the fundamental workings of the world. However, there is one advantage. Unlike Great Spirits, who are bound to not reach directly into this world, spirit beasts, anchored by their bodies, may awaken in this world for a time with power far exceeding the limits of this realm¡¯s cultivation.


    The Sublime Ancestors are those spirit beasts who have reached beyond the White realm and have some form of ties to humankind. In the Empire, we are blessed to be host to a number of them.


    All hail to the Celestial Dragon, guardian of the Empire and the Imperial City, whose resplendent golden scales can be glimpsed on clear days, whose coils stretch one thousand kilometers and more yet cast not the slightest shadow, and whose lightning strikes down the usurper and the failed dynasty. Hail to the guardian and adopted Mother of the glorious Sage who united us all.


    All know the tales of her power: the tale of the wrath which reduced wide stretches of the Western Jungles to ashen craters in which even the foul fecundity of that place could not reclaim; and the tale of the Usurper who, in the final blasphemy of the Strife of Twin Emperors, sought to burn the Imperial City and to deny it to the true claimants, was slain along with his army in a single instant by a rain of lightning for his hubris. The ashen shadows of he and his generals adorn the Hall of the Dragon Throne to this day.


    Greatest though she may be, the Celestial Dragon is not the Eldest among them. This great honor is disputed, argued by the scions of Bai and Zheng. The truth of the primacy is unknown but largely irrelevant; both are ancient beyond reckoning.


    Grandmother Serpent was the spawn of the Dragon God of Rain and the Mother of Still Waters, born in the days when Great Spirits were not yet wholly barred from the material world. An entity of deep waters and lakes, a serpent of unrivalled toxicity, and master of weather and rain, Grandmother Serpent was a beast of terrible power even in the days of her awakening. Appearing as a vast White Serpent, larger even than the Celestial Dragon, it was only the stoic persistence of the great Yao, called the Fisher, which brought her to the side of humankind. With her power and the sacred metals found on the bed of lake Hei, Yao the Fisher forged a kingdom where there had only been squalid and squabbling tribes. Their union bore the eight half-spirit daughters from which the extensive Bai clan claims its lineage.


    It was later, during the rise of the Sage, that Grandmother Serpent would act for the last time. In an echo of the legend of Yao, the Sage chose to withstand a single flick of the ancient serpent¡¯s tail. The bay this formed has been the center of Bai naval power since.


    Her contemporary, the Reveler, has no known lineage. Some tales say that he was born in the waning days of the dragons¡¯ empire from a round stone at the heart of a mountain, the last child of the nameless Mother to match the Sun and Moon. Some tales claim he was a mere monkey whose prodigious talent allowed him to match Beast Gods and take their power for his own. There are as many tales as there are storytellers, and the Reveler encourages this, telling ever-changing versions himself.


    What is known is that in the wake of the dragons'' fall, a stone ape took up in Water Curtain Cave and taught a band of students, both human and ape. The names of most are lost to history. Only the last student, who surpassed the Reveler and struck down the last of the Dragon Gods, is known. This last student was Zhi the Conqueror, first Matriarch of Zheng.


    The Reveler is a curious creature and the most active of the Ancestors. Although his true form, a great black furred stone ape twice the height of a man, meditates beneath the Ebon Rivers¡¯ capital, it is common for the Reveler to manifest lesser forms and interact with his kin or simply wander the province. It is from this practice which the Ebon Rivers'' rules of hospitality arise. Ware to the lord which refuses a weary, wandering warrior a drink for he could be the Reveler in disguise.


    The Reveler is a benign entity, unless driven to rage by bad manners. It is said that the Sage Emperor¡¯s rapid and bloodless conquest of the Ebon Rivers was due to a week-long drinking contest after which the Reveler declared him a brother and honorary Zheng.


    There was once a third Ancestor of similar age, but the Horned Lord of Emerald Seas has long vanished from this world. The Horned Lord is said to have abandoned his descendants, the Weilu clan, in disgust at their decadence. Little is recorded of this beast in the archives of the Imperial City, save for his form, which was that of a mighty stag which towered over the treetops.


    The remaining Sublime Ancestors are less ancient, but if they are less powerful, the difference is largely academic.


    Two of the ¡°younger¡± generation are, like the Horned Lord, gone from the material world. The Grandfather of Tides once walked the shores and shallows of the North, and his descendants, the Jing, ruled there for a time, but the great crab¡¯s form was recorded as dissolving into seafoam a short time after the Unification. Few records remain of it after the Jing departed the Empire in a city-ship for parts unknown, leaving Alabaster Sands without a ducal clan until their vassal, the Jin, was raised to the seat.


    Of the Purifying Sun, we need not speak for her death and the Cataclysm that followed in the Golden Fields is the stuff of legends, known to even the meanest peasant.


    We then come to the Living Isle, Ancestor of the strange and reclusive Xuan clan of the Savage Seas. The home of the Xuan is a mighty Serpent-Tortoise upon which the rulers of the Savage Seas make their home. Unlike the other Sublime Ancestors, it was a step below what we now call the White realm during the time of the Sage Emperor. It is, however, only one of two Ancestors to engage in true, lethal battle during Imperial history.


    In the days of the second dynasty, the barbarians of the far northern isles arose in force against the noble men and women of the Savage Seas. These barbarians even went so far as to awaken the great demon of the depths which they worshipped, a monstrous and hideous creature best left undescribed. In response, the Xuan had no choice but to awaken their Ancestor to combat it.


    The resulting storm tsunamis and earthquakes reduced much of the province to rubble and shattered ports further inland in the Alabaster Sands. In the end, the Sea Folks¡¯ demon was slain, and the Empire was victorious.


    The last and youngest of the Sublime Ancestors is the Herald of Endings, the white owl who roosts upon the mist shrouded peaks which surround Mount Tai. The Herald is the Ancestor of the Mu, the third and greatest of the Imperial dynasties. The Mu is the first dynasty not to be beholden to one or more of the provinces, and they held the Empire together during the turbulent decline and fall of the second. The Herald is young however, having surpassed the mortal realm only a few millennia ago.


    However, the Herald¡¯s wisdom and mastery of death is not to be looked down upon. In the wake of the terrible invasion of the southern barbarians, the then-Prince An sought wisdom from his Ancestor in bolstering those parts of the Empire which had begun to fail. Upon her advice, Prince An established the Ministry of Integrity shortly thereafter, reinforcing our great Empire and ensuring further millenia of prosperity.


    It is upon these foundations which the Empire prospers. Sublime Ancestors form the bedrock of the power which brings us unity and superiority over the barbarous tribes and beasts which surround us. And in those places where those foundations have failed, new ones are laid.


    In the ruins of the Golden Fields, the Guo rule from Grandfather Fortress, the mobile capital which allows them to rule that scattered realm. A titanic scorpion who carries all of the residents and his descendants on his back, the beast is not one to tangle with, even if he is not yet Sublime!


    In the south, the Duchess Cai has gone further than any before in the creation and enhancement of object spirits. She weaves ever mightier works, and it is suspected that she might be the first to create a Sublime Ancestor that is an object spirit.


    Even in loss, even in hardship, the Empire prevails, growing stronger and stronger.


    - Preface to Ancestors Sublime, a text penned by Imperial scholars shortly after the beginning of Empress Xiang¡¯s reign

 Chapter 147-Finishing Moves 8

    It had been some time since she had actually seen the full Outer Disciple Council together for a proper meeting, Ling Qi thought as she took her seat at the far end of the table. She had attended a few meetings out of politeness and when shadowing Cai Renxiang, but it had become fairly rare for everyone to get together once things had started running smoothly. Hopefully, Cai Renxiang¡¯s announcement wouldn¡¯t be the start of more trouble. Ling Qi wanted to resolve her most pressing social concerns then settle in to attempt to break through this week.


    Yet here they all were. Xuan Shi sat to her right with his hands folded in his lap and his head tilted down, his wide conical hat shading his face. He had broken through at some point since the last time she had seen him, but it wasn¡¯t complete yet; his physical cultivation lagged his spiritual.


    On the far side was Huang Da, who she hadn¡¯t given a thought to for months. She still felt a hint of revulsion when she looked at him, but it was a fleeting thing. He was solidly in the middle of the second realm with his spirit just on the edge of late, putting him firmly in the position of having the lowest cultivation on the council, a fact he was no doubt aware of given the signs of stress in the blind boy¡¯s body language. He was tense and on edge.


    Across from them were Han Jian and Fu Xiang. Han Jian seemed to be in a better mood than usual, perhaps because his cultivation had finally gotten to the late second realm or because Xiulan had been restraining her temper better. Fu Xiang, on the other hand, had the same blandly pleasant expression that he always did. He seemed to have gotten new robes, deep emerald green ones with embroidered scrollwork resembling eyes on the hems.


    Fu Xiang met her eyes briefly, and she became uncomfortably aware that she had made no effort to repay his favor yet. He didn¡¯t seem bothered by her delay, but when did he ever? She gave him a polite nod and turned her eyes back to the head of the table. Meizhen sat beside her, eyes closed in low level meditation as Cai arrived, Gan Guangli at her back.


    The heiress strode up the steps into the pavilion with the same unwavering poise that she always did, but her expression was different. The set of her features remained stern, but there was a hint of pride there, usually absent.


    ¡°Thank you all for gathering here upon short notice,¡± she announced as she reached the top of the stairs and Gan Guangli stepped forward to pull out her seat. ¡°I would not see any of you left out of this announcement.¡±


    Ling Qi looked at her curiously, as did everyone else, but no one spoke up. It was obvious that the heiress was simply allowing a beat of silence for effect as she took her seat.


    ¡°Princess Sun Liling has surrendered to my authority, effective as of one day ago.¡± Cai¡¯s words cut through the expectant silence of the pavilion. Ling Qi leaned back in her seat, surprised and a little suspicious; she didn¡¯t take that girl for the type to give up. And why would they trust her word anyway?


    She glanced around at the other council members, whose expressions conveyed varying levels of surprise as well¡­ except for Fu Xiang, who simply seemed a touch more smug than usual. Had he already known?


    There was some murmuring among them, but it was Meizhen who spoke up first. ¡°If I may impose a question. What assurances have been given for her surrender?¡±


    ¡°The princess has agreed to make a public concession this evening at the front square. She will give her word, on her family¡¯s honor, that she will not seek to oppose my authority or seek vengeance upon myself or my subordinates for the remainder of the year.¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t miss the emphasis Cai put on the word ¡°family.¡± She understood enough about how this worked to know that including that kind of caveat made things more serious. From Meizhen¡¯s look of satisfaction, she thought the assurance was enough as well.


    ¡°There will be the traditional material concessions as well, of which you will all receive a part.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Han Jian interjected next. ¡°What happens to her subordinates in lock up?¡±


    ¡°They will be released into her custody at the end of the week,¡± Cai said calmly.


    ¡°We are just going to let that beast Ji Rong run free?¡± Huang Da said unhappily. As loathe as she was to do it, Ling Qi found herself agreeing with Huang Da, but she wouldn¡¯t have put it the way he did. Capturing Ji Rong in an ambush like that wouldn¡¯t happen again. ¡°You would allow an unrepentant bandit to potentially steal the place of one of your supporters in the Inner Sect?¡±


    Han Jian didn¡¯t look terribly happy either, but he remained silent. Cai Renxiang, on the other hand, frowned at the outburst, and Huang Da¡¯s expression briefly became sheepish.


    ¡°I did not begin this endeavor for solely selfish purposes,¡± the heiress said frostily. ¡°Ji Rong¡¯s banditry has been punished, his ill gotten goods confiscated, and his ransom paid. He will compete as fairly as any other.¡±


    ¡°That is not to say that you cannot still challenge him yourself, Sir Huang,¡± Fu Xiang said lightly. ¡°Duels are still allowed. We must simply all operate within the rules.¡±


    ¡°The rules change, but conflict remains. Such is the world,¡± Xuan Shi said, sounding unworried.


    ¡°... It¡¯s not that bad a thing - to give him the same benefit that anyone else in lockup would get,¡± Ling Qi said, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. Past the initial dislike and worry at having her position in the tournament threatened¡­ wasn¡¯t it good that he wasn¡¯t going to be disproportionately punished?


    ¡°As Miss Ling says, Justice must be even-handed,¡± Gan Guangli supported.


    ¡°I agree on this, but why not let Lady Cai finish?¡± Han Jian said politely, his expression once again smooth. ¡°I am sure she is aware of the full implications of her actions. There is no need for clamor over it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Sir Han,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°Our war has not ended without gain. Even if one does not value peace and order within the Outer Sect, I am not without means. I understand the true worry that without constant harrying, the Princess and her remaining followers will grow stronger than they might have.¡± She paused, looking around the table to meet each of their eyes in turn. ¡°Let them, I say. I shall not fail to provide similar opportunities to my own.¡±


    Meizhen cocked her head to the side, a look of interest in her eyes. ¡°The matter we discussed before?¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Cai said. ¡°My lady Mother is satisfied with my progress, and as such, she has granted me a boon. I have elected to request the use of one of our clan¡¯s White Rooms for the remainder of the year. It will be prepared by next week.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced around, noting that everyone else seemed to know what that was. She met Meizhen¡¯s eyes briefly, and she gestured subtly, indicating ¡°later.¡± Ling Qi nodded slightly; she wouldn¡¯t have to interrupt the meeting to ask and appear ignorant. Given the way the meeting turned to discussing how the time in the place would be divided, it seemed like it was some kind of artificial cultivation site.


    Other than that, there was only attendance to Sun Liling¡¯s surrender to discuss. It wasn¡¯t mandatory, but Cai Renxiang strongly indicated a desire for their presence. Ling Qi did not intend to miss it.


    Still, she did not speak up again until she and Meizhen were heading away from the council meeting. ¡°... So, White Room, huh?¡± she asked casually once they were well on their way. ¡°Is that as fancy as the name would indicate?¡±


    ¡°Quite,¡± Meizhen said evenly, keeping her gaze straight ahead as they walked side by side. ¡°They are cultivation aids in the form of medicinal spas contained within pocket spaces. They were the Cai¡¯s primary income source before their ascension to a ducal house. Lady Cai Shenhua would rent their use to powerful cultivators reaching bottlenecks. It is an unusual opportunity for mere second and third realms to be able to use one. I suppose it is a return to norm for Cai Renxiang herself, as the Cai Manor maintains one of the two permanent Rooms.¡±


    ¡°The Duchess must be pretty happy with Lady Cai then,¡± Ling Qi mused. ¡°I admit, it¡¯ll be pretty nice to see Sun Liling eat crow in public.¡±


    ¡°Very much so,¡± Bai Meizhen agreed, a slight smile curving her lips. ¡°As much as I might wish to see her further hindered, this is the best realistic scenario.¡±


    ***


    In the end, Sun Liling¡¯s surrender to Cai Renxiang was both satisfying and not, Ling Qi thought. She and the rest of the council stood behind Cai in orderly ranks with a number of enforcers spread out further behind them. Overall, it was a big, ostentatious display of strength, and Ling Qi had a feeling that some poor low ranked grunts were probably pulling double duty to make up for their superiors¡¯ absence.


    Cai stood at their head with Gan Guangli by her side as the Princess¡¯ significantly smaller procession approached. Sun Liling had only two individuals with her, Lu Feng and Kang Zihao. The Princess was dressed more femininely for once, wearing a clingy green dress worked with floral embroidery. Unlike most gowns Ling Qi had seen here, the sleeves were not long and billowy nor did the hem trail behind her.


    Kang Zihao had cropped his hair short and acquired a suit of polished armor with breastplate, bracers, and greaves forged from pale white steel. He had also, Ling Qi noted sourly, reached Bronze, if only recently going by the slightly erratic feel to his qi. Lu Feng, on the other hand, still wore plain, dark red robes with only thick leather bracers as a concession to defense. He was fully in the late second realm now.


    Cai Renxiang watched the three of them approach silently, no trace of the victorious smile that had touched her expression at the council meeting present on her face. Sun Liling and the two boys with her came to a stop a respectful distance away, giving every appearance of not noticing Cai¡¯s train or the ¡°audience¡± of other Outer Sect disciples observing from a safe distance.


    ... Which was apparently a good hundred meters away. Fair enough.


    ¡°Princess Sun, I have received your missive and agreed to offer you truce in order to speak.¡± Ling Qi refocused her attention as Cai Renxiang began to speak. ¡°You have my assurances of safety until the cessation of negotiations.¡± Ling Qi supposed they were putting on a show even though the terms had already been decided as part of the deal.


    ¡°You are too generous, Lady Cai,¡± Sun Liling replied, her usual drawl mostly absent as she offered a short but visible bow. It was bizarre seeing the redhead acting so formally. ¡°I was in error to doubt your abilities.¡± Ling Qi glanced at Meizhen, who looked exceptionally pleased at what she was witnessing. Relatively. She still maintained her emotionless and solemn expression, but Ling Qi could see the signs.


    ¡°I was unproven at the time. I can understand your doubt,¡± Cai said generously. ¡°Princess Sun, you too have acquitted yourself well.¡±


    ¡°But not well enough,¡± Sun Liling said, and Ling Qi liked to imagine she could hear the gritted teeth behind that statement. ¡°I have come here today to offer my concession. Although our conflict was not a simple duel, I hope you will accept my surrender.¡± She could definitely hear the bitter anger in the redhead¡¯s voice now.


    Ling Qi tuned out as the two began to bandy terms back and forth, looking over her fellow council members and their audience. There were a lot of whispering and meaningful looks going around in the observers, but mostly, she saw weary resignation as they looked upon Cai and her supporters. It looked like the time of open conflict really was ending.


    The amount of spirit stones Sun Liling paid in reparations was enough to make her atrophied sense of greed flinch. Even her part of it was more wealth than she had ever had in her possession at once. She might have to start looking into what could be ordered from crafters outside the Sect in preparation for the tournament, especially once she broke through.

 Interlude: Ji Rong

    His fist slammed into the wall, and just like the last dozen times, there wasn¡¯t a single mark or crack in the smooth, featureless stone.


    Letting out a frustrated snarl, Ji Rong spun on his heel and returned to pacing the tiny cell he had been stuffed in. Barely a dozen paces across in any direction, the hollow cube was driving him nuts. At least when that scaly freak had sealed him the first time, he hadn¡¯t been aware of the time passing. This was worse.


    He couldn¡¯t recover his qi and try to blast his way out of here. Any time he tried to draw in qi, the damn bone collar around his neck would heat up and drain it away before he could do anything. He couldn¡¯t even cultivate!


    That damned Cai!


    He slammed his fist into the wall again, breathing heavily as he leaned against the flat surface, the stone cool against his forehead. He wanted nothing more than to beat that smug expression off her damn face.


    When he¡¯d still been playing along with her stupid rules, Xuan had come up to him, warbling some cryptic bullshit about breaking trust and corruption, and he knew he¡¯d been had. Inviting him had just been a trap. Something to give her an excuse to put down the uppity commoner.


    They were always like that, mortal or immortal. Nobles that sneered down at the people below them like so much trash. He was so damned sick of it, but it seemed that it was impossible to escape.


    In the end, he still wasn¡¯t strong enough. He was sure that he could beat that Gan guy in a straight fight. Getting stomped on by four goons and that tricky girl as well? No shit he couldn¡¯t beat that. That Ling Qi girl alone was trouble, but backing up a guy like Gan? No, he''d need more than some Sun faction fodder to match that.


    Ji Rong grunted as he dropped to the floor, seating himself against the wall. That wasn¡¯t right either. If he hadn¡¯t gotten jumped unaware, he coulda gotten out of that. Chu had given him a talisman just for that.


    He shifted uncomfortably at the thought of the older girl. She made him feel weird. From the day she¡¯d saved his ass from those spirits on the upper mountain, she¡¯d treated him like a dumb kid. It would have pissed him off normally, getting pitied like that. Being looked down on.


    Maybe it was just the way she did it. She treated him like a stupid little brother, tripping into trouble.


    Pale and still, lying on the straw mats in their ruined home, blood dried on her lips. Just one more victim that no one gave a shit about.


    The collar around his neck burned painfully hot, and for an instant, sparks crackled around his bare fists. Fucking Huangs. The fact that Cai had invited that scumbag shoulda been enough to tell him she wasn¡¯t any different. He¡¯d bought it though.


    Justice was bullshit, as always. At least Sun Liling didn¡¯t pretend to be anything but what she was: a bigger thug.


    He could remember the predatory smirk on her face as she broke him out of the time lock formation and made her offer. It had been music to his ears, furious as he was. Even now, he didn¡¯t regret accepting. They had almost beaten that damned Cai in the first big fight against Cai¡¯s council.


    Chu Song had tried to warn him away after that, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to listen. She thought that Liling was leading him around by the dick, but that wasn¡¯t true.


    Well. Not entirely true. He could admit that Sun Liling was easily the most attractive girl he had ever seen. He wasn¡¯t made of stone.


    But he followed her because he knew she was right. She only bothered with all the bullshit about face and niceties when she had to. She was just as cruel as any other noble, but it was an honest, direct cruelty. He¡¯d be lying if he said he didn¡¯t find it exciting.


    He couldn¡¯t picture the bloody princess skulking around preying on mortals. Tigers didn¡¯t hunt mice.


    She would get him out of here. He was confident in that. He was still strong, stronger than anyone else following her. Kang, the stuck-up ass, had been failing to break through for weeks now, and he hated following her besides. It was obvious to anyone who spent five minutes in that jackass¡¯ presence. He resented all of them.


    So she¡¯d come for him, one way or another, and then¡­


    He jerked as the wall across from him rumbled, shooting to his feet as his hands rose into a solid guard stance. The stone rippled like water, flowing apart, and the fresh qi from outside struck him like a wave. He breathed it in, feeling the collar heat. Was this his chance¡­?


    ¡°Yo. You look like shit.¡±


    He came up short as he caught sight of bright red hair and heard a familiar voice. Sun Liling stood before him at the entrance to his cell, her arms crossed under her chest. She was flanked by two of Cai¡¯s enforcers, who stood stiffly and warily behind her.


    ¡°You look like you just came from a tea party,¡± he responded dryly. She was wearing a dress. He¡¯d never seen her wear any dress before. It was a fancy-looking thing covered in floral embroidery without the wide sleeves and trailing hem that other girls on the mountain seemed to prefer. He preferred those clingy silk pants she usually wore, if he were being honest.


    ¡°Don¡¯t remind me,¡± Sun Liling said sourly, her face scrunching up in distaste. ¡°Get outta there. We need to go.¡±


    ¡°They on the take?¡± he asked, gesturing to the enforcers, even as he hurried to step out of the cell lest it close with him in it.


    ¡°As if I¡¯d stoop so low,¡± she retorted, stepping aside smoothly to give him room, smirking at the glowering enforcers. ¡°Nah. This is all nice and legitimate.¡±


    He scowled. Had he misjudged her that badly? There was only one way this kind of thing got settled ¡°legitimately.¡± Combined with the dress, that only pointed to one thing. His expression made his conclusion obvious.


    ¡°Do not say a word.¡± The statement was as cold as her eyes, lacking any of the drawl that she usually affected. ¡°Get the collar off of him,¡± she added, her gaze flicking back to an enforcer who shivered under her gaze. Wimp.


    He stood stiffly as the boy did something with his collar. It clicked open, freeing him from its weight. He managed to keep his silence until they were well away from the isolated building he had been kept under. It was quite a feat given the anger boiling in his stomach.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you just gave up!¡± The words exploded out of him. ¡°I thought you were better than that! What happened to all that big ta-¡±


    Stars exploded in his vision as the back of her knuckles met his lips, and he flew backward, slamming painfully into one of the trees that lined the path and sliding down.


    ¡°The guy who got stuffed in a box doesn¡¯t get to talk like that.¡± He groaned as she spoke, blinking away the spots in his vision to find her looming over him. He grunted as her foot impacted his chest, pinning him to the tree.


    He shuddered at the bloodlust he could feel thrumming in her qi as she stared down at him like a beast ready to tear him apart. She hadn¡¯t gone soft then, he thought through the ringing in his skull.


    ¡°... Why then?¡± he asked defiantly at the beautiful red-haired monster.


    ¡°I¡¯m done playin¡¯ her game, that¡¯s what,¡± Sun Liling replied, her eyes narrowed. ¡°I¡¯m done wasting resources on something pointless.¡±


    ¡°So you gave up,¡± Ji Rong pointed out flatly.


    ¡°Man, d¡¯you like getting your ass kicked?¡± Liling asked. ¡°We¡¯re pulling back till we have the advantage.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± He spit blood from his split lip to the side.


    ¡°It means we¡¯re focusing on the tournament,¡± she replied, lifting her foot away. Some part of him felt vaguely disappointed. ¡°Let Cai play house for a few months. We¡¯ll break them in the ring where they can¡¯t run,¡± Liling said darkly as she turned away, ¡°in front of the eyes of all the Empire.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± he asked as he stood unsteadily.


    ¡°There¡¯s gonna be a lot of important folks watching this year¡¯s tourney,¡± Liling said lightly. ¡°Even Gramps is gonna send a simulacrum. I¡¯ll be needing your help to make sure Cai and all of her little minions are humiliated. I can¡¯t be in every bracket myself after all.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t like it,¡± he said mulishly. ¡°We¡¯re still letting them win now.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why you¡¯d be a shitty commander,¡± Liling said flatly. ¡°If you can¡¯t even accept making a feint to win the overall fight, I don¡¯t have any use for you.¡± She turned back to face him, staring him down.


    It burned, but¡­ she wasn¡¯t wrong. As things were, he was just hurting himself. He was close to breakthrough, but if he kept letting himself get set back¡­


    ¡°Fine,¡± he ground out. ¡°What do we do then?¡±


    ¡°You? You''re gonna get a little ¡®training from hell.¡¯¡± Liling¡¯s smile sent a chill down his spine. ¡°And when you get your chance in the tournament ¡­ don¡¯t disappoint me.¡±

 Chapter 148-Third Realm 1

    It was finally time for her to begin attempting to break through to the third realm. She had already reached the peak of the second, and her arts were mastered as far as they could be taken. However, she knew from asking that it would be a lengthy process. So, with the ceremony behind her, Ling Qi set about preparing. She spoke with Zeqing, placing their lesson five days from now. She gathered all the food Zhengui could need and patiently explained to the young spirit that she would be sleeping for a few days. And, of course, she told her friends what she would be doing.


    With everything in order, she entered the meditation room and closed her eyes to cultivate.


    Breaking through began much like normal cultivation with the gathering of energies within her dantian and the cycling of those energies throughout the channels of her spirit. The difference was one of magnitude. Reaching the peak of a realm meant finding the limit of energy a cultivator¡¯s spirit could sustain, and attempting to cultivate further felt much like trying to stretch a muscle too far. That metaphor did not quite match the feeling of painful stretching that breaking through brought on, but it was the closest one she could think of.


    Perhaps it would be more accurate to liken it to trying to fit into a too small gown, but Ling Qi didn¡¯t like the implications of that one. Still, the feeling of her spirit straining against the confines of the second realm was unpleasant to say the least. It was immensely satisfying to feel something of the barrier inside of her give way.


    Excited, she pressed on, cycling her qi furiously as she pushed out against the weakened boundary, the qi in her dantian flaring brightly in her senses. This time though, as her will and energy slammed into the barrier, it held, flexing only slightly. Immense pain struck her as she was slammed back into her body, her meditative state shattered. Her head throbbed with agony, and Ling Qi blinked groggily as she felt something wet dripping from her nose and tasted copper on her lips.


    She tried to sit up, only to fall back to the floor with a whimper as her dantian burned in a way it hadn¡¯t since that first night with Meizhen. Pain spread throughout her entire system of qi channels and kept her immobile for a time, breathing raggedly.


    After some time, she managed to raise a trembling hand to wipe away the blood trickling from her nose. She could feel Zhengui¡¯s alarm through their connection. She was probably going to have to pay to fix the garden door.


    ... Maybe she would give Suyin a visit before trying that again.


    ***


    Ling Qi shuddered as she felt the needle pierce her skin and spread pleasant numbness through her painfully burning channels.


    ¡°You¡¯re the best, Li Suyin,¡± Ling Qi said, her voice slightly slurred by the haze of medicine clouding her thoughts.


    Ling Qi lay face down on a stone table in Li Suyin¡¯s home, her chin pillowed on her arms. She was covered only in a couple of towels, something that would normally have bothered her greatly, but it was amazing how small crippling agony made those kinds of concerns seem.


    Li Suyin sighed as she finished placing the medicine-coated needles along the curve of Ling Qi¡¯s lower spine, eyeing their placements carefully before turning away to reach for a meticulously labeled clay vial. ¡°I cannot believe that you suffered not even a single backlash when breaking through to the second realm,¡± she said incredulously.


    ¡°Was easy,¡± Ling Qi muttered, closing her eyes. Bright light still hurt her eyes. ¡°Didn¡¯t know it would hurt so much.¡±


    ¡°It was a fairly severe backlash,¡± Li Suyin allowed. Ling Qi heard the sound of sloshing liquid then felt something wet pour across her shoulders. The scent of flowers reached her nose. Li Suyin¡¯s dainty hands pressed against her shoulder blades and¡­ That felt really good. She slumped against the table as Li Suyin massaged painfully tense muscle into submission, pushing back the bone-deep pain still throbbing in her dantian. ¡°You are lucky I was still home,¡± she admonished.


    ¡°Lucky,¡± Ling Qi agreed, the sound of her own voice made her giggle a little. It was simply funny for some reason. Li Suyin was really good at this. She would have to never mention it to Meizhen; Meizhen would probably be mad. ¡°Books¡­ said it would hurt but not how much.¡±


    ¡°Cultivation texts do take such things for granted,¡± Li Suyin sighed. Her amazing, magical hands were making Ling Qi sleepy, and it was hard to focus on her words. ¡°Next¡­ some numbing¡­¡±


    Ling Qi sank into blissful slumber. When she awoke, she was back home in bed with Zhengui hunkered down in her doorway, watching the door intently. She could sense Meizhen out in the living room as well.


    As Zhengui noticed her awakening, he practically shot to her side, his two voices babbling over each other in concern. She had to stop him from trying to climb her bed and breaking it by sliding off to wrap her arms around his stubby neck and murmur comforting words.


    Despite that, she didn¡¯t miss the little, meticulously labeled clay bottle on the table next to her bed. It looked like she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about bothering Li Suyin again if her breakthrough failed again. Because she wasn¡¯t giving up.


    She also wasn¡¯t going to let Li Suyin keep helping her for free either. She had a whole pile of pills and elixirs that were going to shortly be useless to her when she succeeded. Why not give those to her friend?


    Once she had calmed Zhengui down, she set off determinedly for the vent. She may have missed the afternoon and night, but that didn¡¯t mean she had to miss her training with Su Ling. She could cultivate back to peak and be back to attempting to break through by evening.


    Li Suyin and Su Ling seemed surprised to see her.


    ¡°Should you really be up already?¡± her friend asked the moment she emerged from the trees. Li Suyin sat with her back against a tree, the pale manual open in her lap.


    Su Ling was meditating closer to the vent and didn¡¯t voice her concern. She simply looked her up and down before giving her a respectful nod.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Ling Qi replied, directing the sentiment at both Li Suyin and the spirit dematerialized in her dantian. ¡°I just got surprised and overwhelmed for a bit there.¡±


    ¡°Heard your turtle had to carry you,¡± Su Ling commented dryly.


    Ling Qi flushed. ¡°Like I said, surprised. I am not going to stop just for that. There¡¯s only a few months until the tournament.¡±


    Li Suyin regarded her with some concern. ¡°If you are sure. Please take it easy for a bit longer though.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the plan,¡± Ling Qi agreed, seating herself beside her friend. ¡°So, what¡¯s next in the manual?¡±


    Su Ling shook her head and returned to meditating. She had been working on her cultivation now that she was satisfied with her sword skill.


    ¡°Well, the next several formations are unsavory at best, so I¡¯ve put them aside for the moment. The next useful one is the¡­ Black Loam Gargant.¡± The blue-haired girl grimaced as she looked down at the pages, which held an illustration of a vaguely humanoid mass of bones, dirt, and stone standing next to a sketched humanoid figure which barely rose to its ankle. The illustration seemed to indicate that the creator was meant to ¡­ ride inside it?


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure where we can get that many bones, but it seems pretty great,¡± Ling Qi said, studying the text around the illustration. ¡°What¡¯s the catch?¡±


    ¡°The upkeep costs would be unsustainable. Without the sacrificial methods described in the rest of the book, it would take roughly fifty yellow stones just to activate for a minute or so. I am also quite certain that it would take a third realm cultivator to control it at all.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave that as a maybe for the tournament then,¡± Ling Qi muttered. That was almost half of her take from Sun Liling. Would a giant construct even be allowed? ¡°Can we adapt any of the bad ones to be more useful?¡±


    ¡°The intervening formations require sacrifices of heartsblood and, um, soul binding,¡± Li Suyin answered uncomfortably. ¡°Thankfully, the text in those sections is also irreparably damaged. I believe we could develop further advancements from our current formations though. In particular, there is an advanced form of the ossuary scout formation that allows one to command a much larger number, and at need, combine them into a combatant¡­¡±


    Ling Qi remembered the booming caw of the crow thing she and Su Ling had avoided. Going by the way the girl¡¯s ears twitched, so did Su Ling.


    ¡°That sounds good,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°I¡¯ve actually been toying with some ideas for improving those. I think I figured out how to improve the memory storage.¡±


    ¡°Really? I had a few ideas, but if you could show me¡­¡± Li Suyin began excitedly, expressing a sheet of paper and pressing it into Ling Qi¡¯s hands.


    Ling Qi sketched out her ideas on the paper, and the two girls fell to studying and improving their work. Unsavory rituals were forgotten for the moment. Together, they began to rapidly work out other tweaks and workarounds to the missing sections of the manual that could make the scouts better and the formation more effective.


    Ling Qi spent most of the morning with her head full of numbers as she carefully cultivated back to the peak. Her efforts to solve the puzzle box went slowly. Ling Qi was able to figure out that she could extend both the song and the timer through certain moves, but the final configuration continued to escape her.


    Eventually, her friends had to depart, and after some argument, Ling Qi convinced Li Suyin to accept a gift of raided medicines for her help. Ling Qi departed as well to continue working on her breakthrough.


    Ling Qi followed the instructions on Li Suyin¡¯s medicine precisely, preparing the meditation chamber with the proper incense and seating herself on a comfortable mat before taking a tiny dose of the clear, slightly viscous medicine. Almost immediately, she felt her eyelids drooping, but she did not allow herself to fall asleep. She swallowed down the two breakthrough medicines she had found in the shaman¡¯s pouch. Then she closed her eyes and turned her thoughts inward as she began to once again cycle her qi, letting the medicine aid her in leaving physical concerns behind.


    She took it slow this time. Where before she had cycled quickly and surged forward, eagerly seeking to break her limits, she now focused on gathering a bit of energy at a time. Each time she breathed in, taking in qi, she held it tightly in her channels, not allowing it to escape as it was naturally inclined to do. Slowly, she began to once again test her limits, and this time, her focus paid off.


    There were, for lack of a better word, cracks, almost imperceptible ones, in the barrier which separated her from further cultivation. She allowed her qi to seep into them, spirit and will probing for weakness, and in what seemed like no time at all, the cracks widened, expanding until they consumed the barrier in its entirety.


    Ling Qi paused for a time, her awareness of the outside world fading entirely into the beat of her heart and the pulse of her qi. She floated, formless in her own thoughts as her qi pulsed and expanded, stretching toward the final limit of the second realm.


    As her awareness was subsumed entirely into her pulsing qi, she found herself within a vision. In it, she sat on a high cliff overlooking a lake. Below her stretched a misty vale, silent under the light of the moon.


    The vale was a lively place with lush wood at its shore. She could see a bonfire under its eaves, and she was sure her friends were waiting. A little village sat at the opposite shore, the tiny lights casting long shadows. In the center of the lake sat an island, tall, narrow and mountainous, stretching high toward the clouds as if to grasp the silver moon. From its peak came a familiar tune.


    Ling Qi found herself standing, looking over the vale, filled with the urge to move.

 Chapter 149-Third Realm 2

    Softly, lightly, without the slightest sound, Ling Qi stepped from the cliff and flew. The night wind made her gown and loose hair flutter as she soared over the misty lake toward the welcome of the peak. It was the place where she belonged. She knew it. While she could warm herself at the fireside for a time, hide in the darkness, or soar in the sky, none of those were her place.


    None of those were her home.


    How long had it been since she had a home?


    She closed her eyes and let herself drift on the wind, the soft music from the peak washing over her. There was a reason she had kept her mother¡¯s flute, had held it so tightly, and had protected it even when she had nothing else, when the hunger scratching at her belly had made her long to pawn it for a simple meal.


    Music was home, safety, love, all the things she had given up for that wretched double-edged freedom. It was the cornerstone of her best memories. Yet for all that attachment, she hadn''t been able to afford it.


    Not in the city where the sound of a flute would draw the scavengers of the street. Not on the mountain where she needed to scrabble so desperately for strength that it consumed everything else.


    She felt arms close around her as she alighted on the mountainside, warm and cold all at once. She leaned into the embrace and opened her eyes. Mother looked down at her fondly, stroking her hair with a soothing touch, as she had done long, long ago. Ling Qi smiled, and they parted, though she still held the older woman¡¯s hand. Warm, smooth scales nuzzled at her other hand, and she looked down to see Zhen and Gui at her side, the little brother she had raised from an egg. She patted his head and he let out a pleased hiss.


    And in the corner of her vision stood a pale girl, at once close and distant, watching her with longing.


    The mountain stretched overhead, the tune floating down from the peak a thing of welcome. What awaited her at the peak was beyond wretched freedom, beyond power, beyond fleeting companionship. She would hold tightly to her friends, but in the end, such bonds changed. As she set one foot in front of the other, ascending the peak with only three at her side, Ling Qi came to understand that which she truly desired.


    Home.


    A place that was hers, and people to inhabit it.


    Family.


    Her bonds were frayed. Mother flickered in her sight, features changing to one icy and imperious then to one of warm silver eyes. She did not dare invite the girl behind her closer, afraid of what it could mean. Only Zhengui stood solid and wholly real at her side.


    She clung to her friends and gave gifts freely, desperate to convince them of her worth, but she also held them at a distance still. She didn¡¯t share secrets of herself, except in the smallest ways. Would they even speak again when the year was up or the one after that? When duty and responsibilities tugged them all apart? Could she hold them to her? Bind them or keep them?


    She looked to her right and saw Zeqing¡¯s face looking back. No, that wasn¡¯t right. Things changed, and that was fine. She would have a home one day: a place to return when the adventure ended; a place for the people who would stay with her always; and a place distant friends could come and visit to give her new tales to spin into song.


    Ling Qi smiled as she reached the peak where eight maidens danced, sang, and played, remote from the world below. She glanced at Zhengui and the phantoms at her side. One day, she would have a family so lively.


    She had but to build it.


    ***


    Ling Qi awoke feeling refreshed, the memory of her breakthrough trance already fading as she returned to the waking mortal world. She felt light as she stood and looked down at herself with faint bemusement. She hadn¡¯t changed, but since she had only broken through in spirit, that made sense. Still, when she glanced in the mirror on the far wall, she felt like her expression was a bit more assured. When the light struck just right, there was a slight silver gleam in the air around her and the wind seemed to carry a faint tune just beyond hearing.


    It had been the better part of three days since she had entered meditation. She would have to hurry to avoid being late to her meeting with Zeqing. Some part of her was embarrassed at the thought of meeting the snow spirit again, but she couldn¡¯t say why.


    Pausing only to hug Zhengui and make sure he had been eating well, she collected her little brother and headed out, bounding her way up the mountain with a newfound lightness in her step. She flitted from branch to branch and cliff to cliff. Silver light glittered in her wake, although she found she could suppress that effect with an effort.


    She soon arrived at the pool where Zeqing waited.


    The spirit was unchanged since Ling Qi had last seen her and greeted her arrival with a curious cock of her head. Zeqing was still an inscrutable nexus of wintery power to her senses, but now, there was something else, a pressure she had not noticed before, surrounding and engulfing her. It failed to touch her, pressing within a handspan of her body but no closer.


    ¡°You have grown, I see,¡± Zeqing said, studying her.


    ¡°I have. I hope we can resume our lessons,¡± Ling Qi said politely, stopping a few paces from the spirit and offering a bow. She ignored the pressure for now, chalking it up to the odd feeling she had since awakening. ¡°I have missed them.¡± It was easier to say this kind of thing now. She still wasn¡¯t certain what she wanted from the ice spirit, but she knew she enjoyed the inhuman being¡¯s company, and that was enough.


    ¡°... As have I,¡± Zeqing agreed after a moment. ¡°I look forward to seeing what songs you compose.¡±


    ¡°So do I,¡± Ling Qi replied cheerfully. She had already begun to consider how she could arrange things to give herself time for such things. ¡°May I ask what prompted your invitation?¡±


    ¡°It seemed a good time for it.¡± The spirit offered her an empty sleeve. ¡°If you would?¡±


    Ling Qi considered then stepped forward. She trusted the snow woman to keep her word, and moreover, she trusted that the spirit held her with no ill will. She took the spirit¡¯s arm, shivering a little at the frost crystals that formed across her gown as she hooked her arm with Zeqing¡¯s. It felt like grasping a bag full of cold air.


    Ling Qi had no time to consider that as the world blurred away around her. Icy wind howled in her ears. She clung to the spirit¡¯s arm tightly as the weightless feeling of flight overtook her. Only Zeqing¡¯s calm expression prevented her from growing alarmed.


    Thankfully, the flight was brief, and Ling Qi¡¯s feet soon made contact with solid ground. She shook her head, trying to clear the disorientation from the rapid movement. Zeqing waited patiently for her as she took in their surroundings.


    They stood at the peak of the mountain. Below, the cliff vanished into the clouds. At the center of the plateau they were on sat a small cottage made of glimmering ice. It looked no bigger than the house she had originally shared with Meizhen and was surrounded by a field of pure white snow from which grew a single tree, a slender thing with long wide leaves and little round fruits. It took her a moment to place where she had seen them before. Memories of snatching little golden fruit from a market stall returned to her. Loquats weren¡¯t too uncommon, but they were always imported and dried in Tonghou.


    She was pretty sure that they usually weren¡¯t blue white in coloration though.


    As she studied the tree in Zeqing¡¯s yard, she caught motion out of the corner of her eye, a dark shape leaping toward her back. She tensed, ready to move, then sighed in acceptance.


    Hanyi¡¯s landing on her back drove the breath from her lungs. The little girl was monstrously heavy despite her small size, and Ling Qi staggered as the girl laughed from her perch. ¡°Hello, Big Sister!¡± The title was less mocking than the last time Ling Qi had heard it from the ice child¡¯s lips. ¡°It¡¯s no fair that you¡¯ve been playing with Mama but not me!¡±


    ¡°Missed you too, Hanyi,¡± Ling Qi replied through gritted teeth, looking over her shoulder to meet the girl¡¯s eyes.


    ¡®Get off of Big Sister! She¡¯s mine, not yours!¡¯ Ling Qi blinked in surprise. With a sinking sensation, she noticed the distinct feeling of emptiness in her dantian and looked down to meet Gui¡¯s bright green eyes, which brimmed with indignation.


    ¡°Ohhhh! A turtle! A big turtle. Big Sister, can we ride him down the cliffs? Sledding is fun! I promise.¡± Hanyi seemed to ignore her xuanwu¡¯s words entirely in favor of ogling him, clambering up to sit on her shoulders as she did so.


    ¡®I will only carry Big Sister!¡¯ Gui responded, the usually mild mannered tortoise sounding unusually annoyed. Zhen remained silent, coiled tightly at the rear of his shell, but he shot Hanyi a dirty look. He didn¡¯t seem to be enjoying the cold. ¡®She is not your Big Sister either! She¡¯s mine!¡¯


    ¡°Nuh uh, I saw her first.¡± Hanyi finally deigned to acknowledge his words, sticking out her tongue at the tortoise.


    ¡°Hanyi, do not be rude to our guests,¡± Zeqing, briefly forgotten in the argument, asserted herself with a firm command. ¡°Get down from there.¡±


    Ling Qi barely contained a sigh of relief as the barefooted little girl jumped down from her shoulders. She crouched down to pat Zhengui on the head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯re my only little brother, Zhengui,¡± she soothed. ¡°She¡¯s just playing.¡±


    He nuzzled her hand, blinking his big green eyes. ¡®... my Big Sister though,¡¯ he said sulkily.


    Hanyi looked like she was about to argue, but between a look from Ling Qi and Zeqing, she deflated. ¡°Big baby,¡± she huffed under her breath, kicking at the snow.


    ¡°Let us go inside,¡± Zeqing said mildly. ¡°It will not do to keep our other guests waiting.¡±


    ¡°You have other guests?¡± Ling Qi asked as she stood.


    ¡°Just a few friends over for tea,¡± Zeqing answered as she led them to her door. ¡°I thought you might like to join us.¡±


    Curious, Ling Qi followed closely behind. The door to the cottage opened to a blackness that defeated even her vision, but after Zeqing vanished inside, Ling Qi steeled herself and stepped through. There was a moment of disorientation like she was moving in every direction at once, but it quickly cleared.


    Her eyes widened as she saw the large dining hall she had arrived in centered around a table carved from blue ice. Insubstantial spirits of ice and frost flitted between lanterns of cold fire, and the shadows beneath the table and in the corners crawled with life. Three figures drew her attention.


    An impossibly beautiful woman swathed in a many layered deep azure gown sat at the far end of the table. Blunt horns branched from her forehead, and dark blue scales lined her cheeks. Dark green, reptilian eyes watched her over a cup of tea with a mild, casual disdain.


    A short distance further down sat the hunched crimson form of a massive ape. Even seated, it towered over her. The teacup in its hand looked more like an entire pitcher. The narrow eyes regarding her under its heavy brow seemed a little friendlier than the previous ones though. It took a moment, but she was pretty sure that this spirit had appeared at one of Elder Su¡¯s lectures early in the year.


    Lastly, Xin was here, rising from the seat directly across from where she stood with a smile on her lips. ¡°I am so glad you could make it, Ling Qi! Happy Birthday!¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, her mind stalling at the statement. It didn¡¯t help that she was surrounded by monstrous, oppressive auras. She felt like she was freezing, drowning at the bottom of the sea and being hunted all at once. Only Xin¡¯s steadying presence managed to keep her on track.


    ¡±... My birthday isn¡¯t for a few weeks yet,¡± she protested absently, barely noticing as Hanyi and Zhengui entered behind her.


    ¡°I arranged for an early invitation,¡± Xin explained patiently, suddenly appearing at her side. She led her to the table to sit as Ling Qi tried to come to terms with the surreality of the moment. Only now did she notice the spread on the table, a feast of sweets and treats of all kinds.¡±It would not do to celebrate things late if you were busy.¡±


    ¡°As if the girl should have had a choice in the matter,¡± the scaled woman sniffed. ¡°This is all very silly.¡±


    ¡°Mama, can I have a birthday too?¡± Ling Qi heard Hanyi pester her Mother.


    ¡°Perhaps if you are good.¡± Zeqing sounded curious and bemused at the idea.


    ¡°It does not do to punish dedication,¡± the crimson ape said, voice gravelly and deep but also distinctly feminine.


    ¡°I suppose,¡± the scaled woman said languidly. Ling Qi shuddered under her gaze. ¡°I still say that you should not inflate her head so with your attention, Xin. Look where arrogance has gotten that fool son of mine.¡±


    ¡°Worked into a useless fury over a thief he failed to even detect?¡± Xin teased. Ling Qi¡¯s mouth went dry as she realized who the scaled woman was, even as a steaming bowl appeared before her. The succulent aroma of the long noodles and broth made it difficult to pay the dangerous creatures around her the attention they deserved.


    ¡°That is the only reason I am here,¡± the woman - the dragon! - said haughtily. ¡°I wished to see the child who had so thoroughly embarrassed my foolish son.¡±


    ¡°Do not mind Qingshe,¡± Xin said, shooting the woman an amused look. ¡°And consider this a celebration of your first step into the third realm as well.¡±


    ¡°How did you know I was going to break through?¡± Ling Qi asked. Her fear was fading, replaced by a feeling of warmth. It was strange celebrating breakthroughs, but she appreciated it. Xiulan had celebrated with her at her entrance into the second realm, but this felt different.


    ¡°Ask the moon how it knows all,¡± the ape chuffed. ¡°Child, a week will pass before your answer is finished.¡±


    ¡°Hush, Rahki. I am not so bad. This is not the time for those kinds of explanations,¡± Xin retorted. ¡°Suffice to say, I am a diviner of some skill. Now, do eat. Warmth does not last long here, regardless of my efforts.¡±


    ¡°As it should be,¡± Zeqing said from over her shoulder. ¡°I do not much understand the purpose of this, but I am told it is what humans do to celebrate important milestones. You have earned this, Ling Qi.¡±


    Smiling despite herself, Ling Qi dug in under the eyes of the powerful spirits. How many years had it been since anyone had marked her birthday?


    The rest of the afternoon and evening passed in a blur of sweets and tea. It was strange conversing with so many creatures capable of crushing her with but a thought. It was stranger still to see humanity in them.


    Well, it was only an impression. The spirit¡¯s conversations were impenetrable to her, but somehow, the group still reminded her of a circle of gossipy wives and mothers. Unsurprisingly, Xin and Zeqing were the ones who paid her the most mind, prodding her for information on her advancement and more embarrassingly, her relationships.


    In the end, she escaped Xin¡¯s clutches by going out to play with Hanyi and Zhengui. The Moon Fairy was dangerous, and Zeqing seemed to easily get swept up in her fervor.


    As it turned out, Hanyi was right. ¡°Sledding,¡± as she called it, was pretty fun. There was a sheer icy slope on one side of the peak that led down into a snowy field, and Zhengui¡¯s smooth belly made him perfect for hurtling down it. He even allowed Hanyi a ride or two. Apparently, the two of them had made up in the manner that children do while she was being interrogated.


    Still, eventually all things had to come to an end. Qingshe left first, followed by Rahki, leaving only Xin and Zeqing to escort her back out.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ling Qi said as they reached the edge, turning back to bow to the two spirits. Zhengui was asleep in her dantian, and Hanyi was back at the cottage, tired out by the play.


    ¡°It was no trouble. I always wanted to try such a thing.¡± Xin smiled. ¡°Have you worked out my present yet?¡±


    Ling Qi shook her head, knowing what the spirit was referring too. ¡°Not yet.¡±


    ¡°Keep working at it.You will need something new to toy with when you outgrow my sister¡¯s gifts,¡± Xin said slyly.


    ¡°I will be available for lessons this following week should you wish it,¡± Zeqing added quietly.


    ¡°Thank you again,¡± Ling Qi said gratefully, taking the spirit¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Ah - Ling Qi!¡± Xin¡¯s voice brought her up short as the silver eyed woman called to her.¡±I am aware that you have already received several offers of employment, some of them quite good. Do consider the Sect, will you? The Moon knows that that husband of mine could use an apprentice to keep him from growing lazy.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that offer was real,¡± Ling Qi admitted. Elder Jiao didn¡¯t seem the type of elder who wanted an apprentice.


    ¡°It is a bit of a secret so don¡¯t tell anyone I spoke of it,¡± Xin replied, stepping forward to look her in the eye. ¡°You humans do so love your regulations. But there is a bright future for you here, and I think the Sect is the best path for you in the long run.¡±


    ¡°I will consider your words,¡± Ling Qi said, bowing her head in thanks. The Sect, for all of its problems, was something she had thought upon, but¡­ everyone seemed to think Cai¡¯s offer was better, and she was not sure she disagreed.


    ¡°That is all I ask,¡± Xin said lightly. ¡°Good night, Ling Qi.¡±

 Chapter 150-Ice 1

    Ling Qi sighed as she crouched in the shadow of a rooftop display. Cries of alarm were just beginning to rise up from the homes of those she had struck at. Here, in the dead of night, she was nearly invisible, a shadow among shadows.


    The favor Fu Xiang had asked of her was done. But although she had slipped into the three workshops with nearly trivial ease and only the last of them having a security array that offered her even the slightest trouble, Ling Qi could not say that she felt particularly successful. She had followed Fu Xiang¡¯s instructions on sabotaging the projects in question in a manner that would implicate a fellow crafts competitor. It wasn¡¯t even incorrect in a way.


    A beautifully crafted and half-finished sword, months worth of work put into its formation enhancements, was effaced, a few scribbled lines sending the incomplete work into cascading failure. A potent elixir in the midst of its long straining period was poisoned, ruining the ingredients.


    The third target was probably the worst off. For all that she hadn¡¯t touched their project, she had planted subtle evidence, provided by Fu Xiang, of their hand in the destruction of their rivals¡¯ works. The brush that had effaced the sword and the remaining poison sprinkled in the elixir were now firmly planted in hidden drawers within his work tables for the market¡¯s investigators to discover.


    She didn¡¯t like this.


    Although she enjoyed the thrill and challenge of a difficult heist, this was different, deliberately ruining the chances of those who had done her no harm. She had chosen her targets from among Fu Xiang¡¯s list, skipping over Su Ling¡¯s portly friend and a few other commonborn in favor of noble aspirants. They would have other opportunities at least, something to fall back on.


    Or so she told herself.


    Ling Qi slipped away from the shadows, leaving the sounds in the market behind. She had a meeting with Fu Xiang to get to. If anyone looked into her presence, she had been at the boy¡¯s


    cottage, discussing intelligence matters for the evening. The potent anti-clairvoyance charm hanging from her wrist would ensure that the story held up.


    However, much as she might not like having done this¡­ It was done now. She had repaid Fu Xiang for his help in the flight from Sun Liling. She shook her head as she vanished into the treeline, the notes of a sad, thoughtful composition forming in her thoughts. She had to put her own - and those of her allies¡¯ and friends¡¯ - interests first.


    By the following morning, news of the sabotage had spread. Ling Qi spent most of the day indoors, toying with her moon gifted puzzle box and thinking. Working on the puzzle box was a meditative exercise in itself, such was its complexity. With dozens of moving parts once she had set off the music, she could afford little attention to the thoughts still troubling her. Four times, she reached the end of the timer, concentration and determination growing each time as the slowly expanding box snapped back into its starting cube shape. Her hands blurred with the speed at which she moved the pieces, sliding, twisting, and repositioning them into the patterns that had proven successful before even as her thoughts raced ahead to discover the next move.


    Finally, she solved it. With a snap, the last piece unfolded under her eyes, and the tune reached its finish. What had once been a puzzle box was now a thin sheet of solid silver, wide enough to cover most of the dining room table. As she watched, symbols and lines swam across its surface, the patterns she had been using to solve the puzzle reconfiguring themselves.


    When it finally grew solid, what lay before her was an incredibly detailed map of the region around the Sect. Hills were bumps under her fingers, mountains rose sharply from the silver surface, and color bled into the map, staining the vast forests a deep emerald green.


    Deep within those forests, several kilometers from the village at the base of the mountain, close to the edge of the limits the Sect set upon its disciples, a lonely, half-crumbled tower rose, glowing with a cheerful pink light. ... It seemed that she wasn¡¯t quite done with Xin¡¯s gift yet. Xin seemed to like making her work for her rewards.


    For now, she would just have to store her new map away and remember to look into a few other interesting looking locations she had spotted when glancing over it. She had a lesson with Zeqing to attend.


    ***


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ling Qi asked. They stood at the entrance to the small ravine which held the black pool, ready to head in and begin their lessons - or so she had thought.


    ¡°I mean exactly what I said,¡± the spirit floating beside her said calmly, her black gown billowing in the breeze. ¡°I will not teach you the next steps to the Forgotten Vale Melody yet.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Ling Qi asked, trying not to sound petulant as the spirit drifted ahead of her. ¡°I¡¯ve reviewed the jade slip. I can somewhat understand the next section now. I¡¯m sure I can learn it with your instruction.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Zeqing replied, turning to face her on an icy breeze. ¡°But it would be an understanding lacking mastery. In your incomplete state, you cannot advance it properly.¡±


    Ling Qi felt frustrated. ¡°How so? Forgotten Vale Melody isn¡¯t a physical art, and I¡¯ve broken through in my spiritual cultivation.¡±


    Zeqing considered her, blank white eyes searching her face as she slowly drifted backward to hover over the frozen pool. ¡°I am told that you humans treat the third realm as an important benchmark and rite of passage. Have you never been instructed as to why?¡±


    ¡°I was a mortal a year ago, so no,¡± Ling Qi replied, her expression softening. ¡°Is this another one of those things that perhaps everyone assumes that I know?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Zeqing repeated. ¡°Have you felt it since your partial ascendance? The feeling of incompleteness?¡±


    Ling Qi shook her head, trying to recall something that would match Zeqing¡¯s words. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t,¡± she admitted. ¡°I only broke through a short time before coming to visit you.¡±


    Snow swirled around Zeqing as a hand of clear ice formed from the emptiness of her sleeve to cup her chin thoughtfully. ¡°I see. Then perhaps my presence overwhelmed it?¡± she mused. ¡°I shall withdraw. When I do, focus your qi outward, as you do when forming the mist.¡±


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t certain what the problem was, but she would trust Zeqing. She flicked her wrist, withdrawing her flute from her ring and waited patiently for Zeqing to leave.


    Surprisingly, the spirit did not move an inch, but all the same, Ling Qi felt something change. The air did not get colder or warmer, despite the snow now drifting quietly down from the sky. It was just different¡­ empty in a way the upper peaks of the mountain had never felt before.


    It set her nerves on edge. All the same, Zeqing was watching her, so she raised her flute to her lips, not to summon mist but as a focus for the exercise. She began to play something light and simple, using the melody to focus the cycling of her qi as she pushed it out through her channels. A breeze kicked up around her, sending the hem of her gown billowing, and faint sparkles of silvery light flew from the holes in her flute.


    Ling Qi focused herself outward, as she did when trying to sense distant qi. She continued to push her qi, wincing at the way she felt her reserves draining.


    For a moment, she felt a strange awareness of her surroundings, of every snowflake within a meter, of every current of air. She was the stone under her feet, the snowflakes crusting her hair, and even the air carrying the mundane notes of her music. She felt a strain then, as if she were wearing a dress three sizes too small, squeezing down and stealing her breath.


    She doubled over, clutching her head as a splitting headache shattered what little remained of her concentration. Ling Qi shuddered in relief as the feeling that had been missing flooded back into the environment. ¡°What was that?¡± she gasped out, the sound of her own heartbeat thundering in her ears.


    ¡°Your incomplete domain,¡± Zeqing answered, and Ling Qi felt an icy hand press down on her back, a brief comfort before it was withdrawn. ¡°Humans must struggle to attain that which is natural.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Ling Qi said, straightening up. She was glad she had left Zhengui at home. At this distance, he would not have felt her discomfort.


    ¡°Do you imagine that this is my body?¡± Zeqing asked patiently, gesturing down at herself. At Ling Qi¡¯s uncomprehending look, she continued, ¡°A mortal would not even see this form. Did you ever see a spirit before coming here?¡±


    Ling Qi had heard the voices in the wind and the things that skittered in dark places, whispering of spilled blood and vice, but she could truthfully say that she had never seen a spirit as a mortal. ¡°Where is your body then? Is it at your house with Hanyi?¡±


    ¡°You are standing within it,¡± Zeqing explained, as if that made sense. ¡°Have the snows ever ceased in your time on the peak?¡± she asked pointedly. ¡°Although my ability to apply a human level of attention may be limited to a single manifestation, I am all around you from the mountain¡¯s peak to the lowest point the snow touches.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s face scrunched up in confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t really understand how that works. Are all higher realm cultivators¡­ like that?¡±


    Zeqing dissolved in a flurry of snowflakes, reappearing at the stone bench where they practiced. ¡°No. Humans have a myriad paths available to them. Some, like beasts, focus themselves inward, their domains and their physical forms becoming one inviolate whole. Some walk the path of the spirit and abandon physical shape almost entirely. In the end though, the mark of truly advanced cultivation is an absolute command of one¡¯s domain and the concepts it follows, and it is the third realm which allows humans to touch upon the power of a domain.¡±


    It sounded as if truly powerful cultivators and spirits were almost a world unto themselves. Ling Qi remembered Elder Ying¡¯s story of the great spirits. She thought of Elder Jiao and the eye-studded shadows that flickered into existence with his will. It made sense, but the idea unsettled her.


    ¡°What does any of that have to do with not learning the Melody?¡± Ling Qi asked, determined to stay on track.


    ¡°Like many potent techniques, it is merely the simplification of an aspect of the domain that man formed for himself,¡± Zeqing elaborated. ¡°While you could learn it as you are, it will be more potent and refined if practiced in tandem with the formation of your own domain and greater self.¡±


    It was annoying to delay her development, Ling Qi thought, as she moved to sit down on the icy seat beside Zeqing. ¡°So what do you want to do instead then? Will we just play normally?¡±


    Zeqing hummed, a playful smile forming. ¡°I had thought we might begin some other lessons. It would not do for a musician to have but a single song in their repertoire.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked in surprise, not quite believing what was being implied.. ¡°Do you mean¡­?¡±


    Zeqing nodded serenely. ¡°I believe your nature is suitable for my own songs.¡±


    Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help but grin. An art taught directly by a cyan spirit, and one nearing the peak of that realm at that, was an incredible treasure. ¡°Thank you very much, Master Zeqing,¡± she bowed her head low. If there was any time to be formal, it was now.


    Zeqing cocked her head to the side, her hair billowing in the constant wind. ¡°A pleasing title. I have spent some time deciding how my abilities might be translated to something useful for you. I have created two compositions which are suitable. However, you will need to choose one. Learning both would risk¡­ contamination of your identity at this early stage.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s expression grew somber as she straightened up. She wasn¡¯t quite sure what that meant, but Zeqing¡¯s grave tone was enough for her to take it seriously. ¡°Do I have the choice then?¡±


    ¡°You do,¡± she replied. ¡°The first is the song of the Lonely Winter Maiden. It is a melody which embodies the seductive nature of death in the cold, the warmth which, if surrendered to, will bring the end of life. With it, you may draw those around you near and drink deep of their life and qi to restore yourself.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned. She wasn¡¯t certain if she liked that. Some part of her balked at the idea of using an art which in any way embodied ¡°seductiveness.¡±


    ¡°The second,¡± Zeqing continued, ¡°is the Frozen Soul Serenade. It is a more primal and direct song. It is winter at its most harsh. It is biting chill and scouring winds, a merciless end which snuffs out all sparks of warmth. However, it may be somewhat more difficult for a human to master.¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t have to think very long. She remembered her match with Yan Renshu¡¯s spirit beast where her bow had failed and she had been forced to cobble together a formless attack with her flute. She already had Forgotten Vale Melody to confuse and beguile.


    Right now, she needed power.

 Chapter 151-Ice 2

    The Frozen Soul Serenade was not a happy song. It was not even melancholy, as Forgotten Vale Melody was. No, it was a primal thing, born from the depths of winter. It was hunger and want and loss, an eternal emptiness that could never be fulfilled. She didn¡¯t think she would ever play it for enjoyment, not the way she sometimes did with the Forgotten Vale.


    All the same, she had a talent for it. She felt Zeqing¡¯s fingers of ice on her shoulder as she lowered her voice, the cold of her mentor¡¯s touch no longer stinging as harshly. She had never been a singer before, but it came naturally, her voice echoing out over the cold mountain peak. What she sang were not words, but the meaning came through clearly.


    She opened her eyes and saw the snow falling around her. She knew that for once, it was because of her, and not the ice spirit beside her.


    ¡°You sing well for a beginner,¡± Zeqing praised, letting her hand slip from Ling Qi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Your ice is still slow to emerge, but that will improve with effort.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, still focusing on the darker feelings stirred up by the song. Frozen Soul Serenade was an undeniably useful art. The first technique, Spring¡¯s End Aria, mantled her in the power of winter, absorbing the energy of incoming attacks to empower her cold further. The second technique was the real prize though. Hoarfrost Caress was a short, lilting passage which would scour the target with supernatural cold, the deathly chill of the technique persisting like poison in their veins. Already, she had seen a beast freeze solid under it, only to shatter as the frozen blood in its veins burst outward. And this was only the first stage of mastery. Still, she held out hope that Xin¡¯s gift would eventually lead to something a little more cheerful.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said politely. ¡°As always, I appreciate your teaching.¡±


    ¡°And I, your studiousness,¡± Zeqing replied before considering her. ¡°Ling Qi, I would like Hanyi to join us.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyebrows rose in surprise. ¡°Really? I don¡¯t mind-¡± too much ¡°- but won¡¯t she¡­¡± She trailed off, not wanting to be rude.


    ¡°Hanyi has trouble focusing on her studies,¡± Zeqing agreed. ¡°It is my hope that witnessing a human surpass her at our natural abilities might bring greater focus to her efforts.¡±


    That made sense. ¡°As I said, I don¡¯t mind,¡± she hedged.


    ¡°Then I will be happy to make time for lessons every week,¡± Zeqing said knowingly, ¡°So that we might still have our more private sessions.¡±


    Ling Qi was relieved. Sad songs or no, she really did enjoy having some time just to relax with the quiet snow woman.


    ***


    ¡®Big Sister, can we go yet?¡¯ Gui asked as he tramped along behind her, disturbing the debris strewn across the ground. There was just a touch of whine in his voice. ¡°I wanna play hide and bite some more!¡±


    ¡®Foolish Gui, don¡¯t distract Big Sister,¡¯ Zhen scolded, his tongue flicking out to taste the dusty air. ¡®Help her look for leavings instead.¡¯


    ¡®But worm slime is gross,¡¯ Gui sulked, even as he began to dutifully nose at fallen bits of roof.


    Ling Qi sighed as she took her eyes off her spirit beast. Zhengui wasn¡¯t much help in this kind of investigation yet, but if she was going out into the woods anyway, she had figured she should pick through the rubble of Yan Renshu¡¯s lair now for anything interesting left behind and clear out any remaining worms.


    Of course, she noted somewhat glumly as she turned over a fallen stone which had crashed through a workbench, Meizhen had been rather thorough in destroying Yan Renshu¡¯s possessions. They had been attacked by worms a couple of times, but the worms were weak grade one things which served mostly to annoy and disgust by exploding into smelly acrid mist when killed. For the most part, the worms were busily chowing down on everything vaguely organic that had remained and covering the ground in some sort of sticky film.


    This was a pointless waste of time. She kicked the heavy stone she had turned over irritably, sending the head-sized chunk of masonry clattering through the wreckage until it cracked against a retaining wall. That didn¡¯t mean this excursion had to be a waste though.


    ¡°Zhengui, can you come here?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°I think I know what we¡¯re going to practice today.¡±


    Gui lifted his blunt snout from the rubble he had been nosing in, excitement gleaming in his bright green eyes. Zhen¡¯s gaze continued to flick around watching their surroundings for threats as he trotted over. ¡®What game are we going to play, Big Sister?¡¯ he chirped.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to call this one Root Trap,¡± Ling Qi replied, crouching down in front of him to come closer to eye level. ¡°I know you can move tree roots around, so I want you to use them to catch as many worms as you can, alright? But you can only use the roots.¡±


    ¡®They¡¯re so far away though,¡¯ Gui complained. ¡®And worms are gross.¡¯


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to eat them,¡± Ling Qi said, smiling. ¡°For every one you catch, I¡¯ll give you a fresh core. I bought a lot for today.¡± The pile of grade two cores she had bought would take up her pill income for the week, but it would be worth it.


    ¡®What will I do, Big Sister?¡¯ Zhen hissed, his attention now captured. ¡®I want to train too.¡¯


    Ling Qi hummed thoughtfully. ¡°... Each worm Gui captures, I will throw. If you can hit it with your venom, you¡¯ll get a treat too,¡± she decided. She wasn''t sure where to push Zhen¡¯s growth yet, but working on his aim seemed helpful regardless.


    ¡®Hmph, making me rely on clumsy Gui,¡¯ Zhen sulked.


    ¡®I¡¯ll catch them all!¡¯ Gui declared, looking up at his counterpart. ¡®Lazy Zhen should just stay ready.¡¯


    ¡°Get along now,¡± Ling Qi chided them gently. ¡°Now come on. We should move to the middle for this.¡±


    The game proved to be entertaining, if smelly, but Ling Qi could put up with a little stink if it meant improving Zhengui¡¯s abilities. The root grabs were still too slow for her liking, so not combat viable yet, but Gui seemed to slowly be getting the hang of it. She noted that he didn¡¯t always use existing tree roots; sometimes, the roots seemed to spontaneously generate where he needed them. When he did it that way though, the roots tended to be more like creeper vines than tree roots. So the ability must be weaker if he wasn¡¯t within range of any trees.


    Zhen, on the other hand, proved to be a very good shot and was all the more smug for it¡­ until Ling Qi remembered to pull the effects of her Zephyr¡¯s Breath art back. It was harder for him when Zhen had to rely solely on his own abilities. But he still didn¡¯t miss often, and the squealing wormlings went up in smelly flames under his venom.


    Once they had cleared the field, she took Zhengui hunting for a time, since both of them enjoyed ¡°Hide and Bite¡± so much. The animals she spooked into his range liked it rather less.


    Eventually, they headed home, and Zhengui buried himself in the garden to nap, exhausted by the day¡¯s activity while she cleaned up and prepared to head up to the vent. She had asked Su Ling if they could practice in the early night this week. Su Ling needed a target to practice her illusions on, and for Ling Qi, resisting them while cultivating Eight Phase Ceremony would be a good exercise.


    ***


    After a night of fending off Su Ling¡¯s temptation-inducing visions of succulent food and easily accessible and ill-guarded loot, they parted ways in the morning. Su Ling headed home to tend to her elixirs while Ling Qi headed up the mountain. She needed to follow up on things with Fu Xiang.


    Once she had collected the reinvigorated Zhengui, Ling Qi headed back to Fu Xiang¡¯s little cottage nestled in the middle slopes of the mountain. As Fu Xiang was a known information broker, there was nothing suspicious about visiting him.


    She was cautious though, keeping a careful eye on her surroundings as she traveled up the beaten dirt path. She could feel Fu Xiang¡¯s presence within the home as well - and no one else - so she approached and knocked without worry.


    She did roll her eyes when the door creaked inward on its own, revealing the deliberately flickering lights of the entry hall. She had learned on her last visit that Fu Xiang liked atmospheric theatrics in his home.


    She found the boy in his sitting room in front of a wide circular mirror set over his desk. She couldn¡¯t see more than a few cloudy blurs in it, but then again, it wasn¡¯t her art.


    ¡°I did not expect to see you again so soon, Miss Ling,¡± the boy said as she entered his sitting room, turning to face her with a pleasant smile. ¡°Have you heard about that terrible business in the market?¡±


    She gave him an unimpressed look and sat herself on one of the couches lining the room. ¡°Are you just going to leave them to it or are you going to provide ¡®intelligence¡¯?¡± Ling Qi shot back, not happy with her part in this scheme.


    ¡°I think I shall let it go for awhile,¡± he mused, adjusting his glasses. Then, rising from his seat in front of the desk, he rose and stretched. ¡°My, scheming is a bit of a rush, isn¡¯t it?¡± Fu Xiang commented as he made his way to a more comfortable seat facing Ling Qi.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Ling Qi said dryly. ¡°Have you been peeking again?¡±


    ¡°Nothing of the sort you are implying,¡± Fu Xiang replied in a mock wounded tone. ¡°No, I merely mean that being in control of what one''s Lord sees and believes. I suppose in the future when I¡¯m gone, you¡¯ll have to ensure that you keep a tight hold on Lady Cai¡¯s intelligence sources.¡±


    Ling Qi kept her face blank. ¡°... Who said I¡¯m going to accept?¡± she asked evenly. ¡°And I don¡¯t plan on doing things like this often anyway.¡±


    ¡°Not often is not never,¡± Fu Xiang observed slyly. ¡°Steering the powerful is a dangerous game but quite rewarding. Were I a more ambitious sort, I might be jealous.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not why I did this and you know it. We¡¯re even now,¡± Ling Qi said flatly.


    ¡°I suppose we are.¡± Fu Xiang studied her before briefly appearing disappointed. ¡°Well, while congratulations on your breakthrough are in order, I cannot imagine that you came to me for that. What can I help you with today?¡± His tone and expression snapped back into bland pleasantness.


    ¡°I would like to know more about Yan Renshu in case he maintains his grudge, whether that be evading his oversight for the remainder of the year or in the Inner Sect should he make it there,¡± Ling Qi explained.


    Fu Xiang smiled. ¡°One hundred red stones will purchase you a dossier. Two hundred will purchase an in depth investigation.¡± At her frown, he simply raised an eyebrow. ¡°We are even now, Miss Ling, are we not?¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t really have a response to that. He did make his living off this kind of thing. ¡°No offense, but Lady Cai¡¯s original information on him was flawed. I assume that came from you. I¡¯m not sure I should pay that kind of price.¡±


    Fu Xiang leaned back in his seat, still smiling. ¡°My apologies on that matter. He did have a truly staggering number of boltholes. I was not aware of the extent of his operations.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    Fu Xiang seemed to internally debate the merits of answering. ¡°Very well. A teaser just for you, Miss Ling,¡± he teased, bringing his hands together. ¡°Yan Renshu is a disciple from the year before mine. He was a bit of a shut-in in my year. Not a surprise given that he had been ruined for offending a young lord of House Wen the year before, according to rumor.¡±


    Ling Qi recalled Yan Renshu¡¯s words and nodded. ¡°So he started operating in the background after that?¡±


    ¡°Quite,¡± Fu Xiang replied. ¡°He took control of a fair share of the market and recruited crafting disciples by offering relatively cheap aid in gathering reagents in return for a cut. Obviously, the actual breadth of his operations was missed. And now, you and Lady Cai and then Miss Bai have ruined him. Again.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s hid things before. How likely is it that he may utilize hidden resources to maintain some low-level sabotage against me while under supervision?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Miss Ling, consider the breadth of the operations you have ruined so far and the number of disciples on the mountain. Make no mistake. What you uncovered is impressive indeed¡­ but it is also the limit of what an unbacked Outer Disciple could achieve. The Elders would not brook interference with the permanent Outer Sect members¡¯ work, and a disciple can only extract so much wealth from a few hundred disciples. The economy of our little game is limited. All indications show that he has settled down to focus on making it to Inner Sect. With you having sharply limited his resources and destroyed any projects he had,¡± Fu Xiang smiled blandly, ¡°he will have to work quite hard on a rushed timeframe to do so.¡±


    ¡°Why tell me this? Do you not want to get paid?¡± Ling Qi asked, arching an eyebrow.


    ¡°Do not mistake me, Miss Ling,¡± Fu Xiang answered, pushing his glasses up. ¡°A cornered rat is at his most vicious. I do not doubt that he nurses vengefulness in his heart, but for this year at least, you have neutered him.. No doubt he will stay on the right side of the Sect rules, as he has thus far, but I¡¯m sure he can be quite annoying in time. Lady Cai and Miss Bai are beyond his reach if he has any sense left, no matter how battered the Bai clan¡¯s reputation might be.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll think about purchasing further information,¡± Ling Qi said after consideration. ¡°Thank you for your time.¡±

 Chapter 152-Career

    With less than pleasant thoughts about Yan Renshu in mind, she returned home.


    Settling into her meditation room, Ling Qi began her preparations for her next breakthrough attempt. Sealing the door, and adjusting the lighting, then finally, taking a dose of the pain killing elixir that Li Suyin had brewed for her. Just in case things went poorly again.


    Unfortunately, it did. To break through into Bronze Physique, she needed to weave qi into her flesh and bones, fortifying her body beyond it;''s current limits. Again, she had failed to keep control. The qi had splintered under the strain of the attempt rather than merging with her tissues as it should have. Ling Qi was left breathing raggedly, covered in painful, splotchy bruises and filled with a bone deep ache.


    It took her a few hours of meditation before she could stand without a wobble. She hated to imagine how long it would have taken if she still healed like a mortal. That she would have to recover the lost cultivation was another bitter pill to swallow; Ling Qi found she didn¡¯t much like the feeling of failure nor the time it would cost her. Still, she supposed she could take this time to see what Cai¡¯s white room could do. It wasn¡¯t difficult to convince Xiulan to come with her.


    The Room itself took the form of a great, three peaked tent of cloth set up outside of the village shrouded in shimmering rainbow mists that seeped from underneath. There were more than a few mortals and common cultivators gawking at the grand construction when she and Xiulan approached, but the onlookers were kept out by guardsmen who surrounded the field the white room had been set up in.


    It wasn¡¯t simply city guards either. Although they made up the bulk of the perimeter, mixed in among them were men and women clad in sleek, white lacquered armor over fine chain and pointed helms with white plumes. Showing her personalized council armband was sufficient to allow her and her guest to pass through the cordon and enter the misty interior of the room.


    It was difficult to describe the inside. Ling Qi could vaguely recall diaphanous sheets of silk and bubbling baths, scented oils and and incenses, and inhuman white clad servants who she couldn¡¯t clearly recall any details about.


    ... Frankly, it was a little unnerving. But when she emerged, she felt more refreshed and full of energy than ever before, and her cultivation had fully recovered. Xiulan looked to be quickly closing on the late stage of her physical cultivation.


    With her recovery complete, Ling Qi had just one last thing to do before making another attempt at her physical breakthrough: a meeting with a Sect official regarding the Imperial Writ she had earned by breaking through to the third realm. Odd as it was to think about, she was now a noble, and she needed to understand what that meant.


    Ling Qi did not often linger in the main building of the Outer Sect. She had not ever elected to spend her points on the lessons offered there, and accepting and receiving rewards for Sect missions only involved a single room. So today was the first time she had gone to the second floor. Unlike the ground floor with its wide, spacious rooms and decorated halls, the second floor seemed duller.


    The floors were still polished to a gleam and the halls well lit, but there was little decoration. Rather than opening into many large rooms, the halls were lined with little doors leading to little rooms. Fluttering paper messenger birds flitted along the ceiling.


    There were very few people her age up here. Instead, going by the prevalence of graying hair, the place was populated by men and women much older. Most were in the late second realm or the first few stages of third, though she had trouble determining the exact stages for the third realm cultivators. If she concentrated, she could faintly feel burgeoning third realm domains. Compared to the potency of Zeqing, those who worked here were barely visible, papering whispers of order with any sharpness worn away by decades of peaceful toil.


    She reached the office that her message had specified at the end of one of the narrow hallways. The room was well lit by a wide window that looked out over the plaza. Shelves full of books and scrolls lined the walls, and a small potted tree grew in one corner.


    In the center was a heavy wooden desk, its surface covered in neatly organized stacks of paper, one of which was in the process of folding itself into a messenger bird. A small circular mirror on a bronze stand occupied another corner of it. Behind the desk sat the room¡¯s sole occupant, a thin man with lightly lined features and a black minister¡¯s cap worn over grey hair that retained only a few traces of black. He had a thin mustache, a neatly groomed beard, and piercing grey eyes. At the fourth or fifth stage of green soul, the Sect advisor must be among the stronger employees up here.


    ¡°Greetings, Miss Ling,¡± the Sect advisor said in a polite and cultured voice. ¡°I am Hou Cheng. It is good to see a young lady who is prompt in seeing to her responsibilities. Please, come in and sit.¡± He gestured to the finely upholstered chair that faced his own.


    Ling Qi offered a polite bow, remembering Meizhen¡¯s lessons on etiquette. ¡°Thank you for your kind words, Honored Elder Sect Brother.¡± As she moved to step into the office, Ling Qi noted other little details: the inkbrush scribbling away without any input from the man behind the desk, a plaque displaying a handful of polished bone arrowheads hanging from the far wall, and the flicking tail of a cat, lounging half beneath the desk.


    Then she stepped across the threshold and paused, blinking as she felt the man¡¯s domain wash over her. It felt like the archive but more so. The musty scent of preserved parchment and drying ink tickled her nose. The odd sensation quickly passed, and Ling Qi took her seat, resting her hands neatly in her lap. ¡°And thank you for taking the time to instruct me.¡±


    ¡°It is no trouble,¡± the elderly man replied, steepling his fingers together as he studied her. ¡°My duty to the Sect is to instruct my juniors. Given your rate of advancement, it seems likely that you will outrank me soon.¡± He seemed remarkably unbothered by that, and Ling Qi had to fight back a frown. The taste of contentment in his qi, in his domain, bothered her. Could one really cultivate properly feeling like that? ¡°In any case,¡± he continued as the silence stretched, ¡°your writ, Junior Sect Sister.¡±


    A scroll of snow white paper wrapped by a string of violet silk materialized in his hand, and Ling Qi accepted it tentatively. ¡°What changes now?¡± Ling Qi asked as she gingerly tugged the silk ribbon, loosening it so that she could unroll the scroll. Her gaze met incredibly intricate borderwork and fine calligraphy declaring the establishment of the Clan of Ling in dense legal terms.


    ¡°In the immediate sense, very little,¡± Advisor Hou answered. ¡°As a beneficiary of our scholarship program, your responsibilities and title are held in trust until the end of your service. As a baroness, you will be entitled to an officer position immediately, unlike those of lesser ability. The exact details of those matters will be left to the commander where you are stationed. You are exempt from your tithes and taxes until you have established a holding, so do not worry over those matters.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked. She hadn¡¯t even considered that she would suddenly owe taxes because she became a noble. ¡°The Empress is wise and generous,¡± she said for lack of anything better. ¡°May I ask then, what becomes of my mortal family?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes,¡± he said, glancing at a sheet of paper to his right. ¡°Your mother, Ling Qingge, and a younger sister, Ling Biyu, no father recorded.¡± There was a tinge of disapproval to the old man¡¯s voice on that last part, and Ling Qi felt the urge to speak up and defend her mother. ¡°Your status overrides traditional propriety. You are the head of the Southern Emerald Seas Ling Clan, and as such, as the head of the family, you will have full legal authority over mortal members.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Ling Qi asked, leaning forward.


    The Sect Advisor studied her, his expression hard. ¡°I will be frank. Mortals have few rights of their own. As the head of the clan, you may do with your family as you wish.¡± Ling Qi felt disquieted at the implication of that statement. Hou Cheng¡¯s expression softened at her reaction. ¡°If you would like, I will arrange for the Sect to transport and house them here in the Outer Sect village.¡±


    ¡°... I would have to write her first,¡± Ling Qi deferred.


    ¡°Simply submit the application when you have made your choice,¡± the older man said kindly. ¡°Now, continuing with your introduction, I must warn you that your actions and interactions will be taken far more seriously from this day forward.¡±


    She frowned. ¡°In what way?¡±


    ¡°The mistakes and insults of the common born are not typically treated seriously, even by the least of families. It is beneath them as a clan, even if their scions choose to hold personal grudges,¡± Advisor Hou explained frankly. ¡°As the head of a fledgling family, however, your actions and any slights will be seen through the lens of family honor. It is a common mistake for new nobility such as yourself to build more grudges than they can endure. I only warn you so that you may choose your words and actions with greater care in the future.¡±


    Ling Qi held back a grimace. Hopefully, her relationships would shield her from too much pettiness. ¡°Are there any laws or rules in particular I should be concerned about?¡±


    ¡°All Imperial laws continue to apply to you in full,¡± he answered, a paper messenger bird taking flight from his desk to flit out of the window. The next message immediately began folding itself. ¡°The primary effect of your new status, I will repeat, is that your actions will be taken more seriously, as an adult¡¯s would. Should you wish it, I will have a copy of a text on common law and aristocratic etiquette made for your perusal.¡±


    ¡°I will accept your generosity,¡± Ling Qi said. Meizhen had given her some lessons, but it couldn''t hurt to have another point of reference.


    ¡°Very good,¡± Advisor Hou said with a slight smile. He glanced to his left, and a small slip of paper shot off of his bookshelf to flutter out the door. ¡°Now, your new status does come with certain privileges as well. You will receive limited access to the markets of the Inner Sect to ensure that your cultivation does not unduly stall due to a lack of access to the appropriate resources, and you will be granted the right to receive a single green spirit stone per month at a discount.¡± He flicked his sleeve, and Ling Qi caught the small ivory badge he threw to her. ¡°Take this to the front desk downstairs when you wish to access the Inner market or receive your green stone.¡±


    ¡°How much of a discount?¡± Ling Qi asked curiously, briefly examining the badge before tucking it away.


    ¡°At the current exchange rate¡­¡± Advisor Hou considered. ¡°With the Sect discount, it is two hundred red stones for one green stone.¡±


    That was less than half the usual exchange, if Ling Qi remembered correctly. With her pill furnace income, she could even afford it reasonably often. ¡°Can I purchase more green stones than just the one?¡± she asked eagerly.


    The advisor peered at her carefully. ¡°Should you have the funds, yes. Such transactions would be at the full price, subject to market fluctuations. You must be quite industrious.¡±


    Ling Qi flushed a little at the examination and subsequent praise. ¡°Thank you for your kind words,¡± she replied. ¡°I know this may be blunt¡­ but may I ask what incentives the Sect offers for people like myself to stay rather than going to seek their fortunes in vassalage?¡±


    ¡°It is a fair question,¡± the old man said, unbothered. ¡°You must understand that we in the Argent Sect do not wish to conflict with our noble patrons, however much we might wish for young talent such as yourself to stay with us even after the end of your debt period. In this humble advisor¡¯s opinion, the Sect offers the best opportunities for education and cultivation. The archive of the Outer Sect is but the least of the Sects¡¯ collection of knowledge passed down since the second dynasty, and our Talisman Department, headed by the Venerable Elder Sima Jiao, is the jewel of the south and produces wonders and advancements by the decade.¡± He sounded pretty sincere in his pitch. ¡°In addition,¡± Advisor Hou said, lowering his voice, ¡°the Sect is a place largely free of the more delicate politics one finds in the greater province.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, lowering her eyes in thought. ¡°That is how most new houses fall, isn¡¯t it? They run afoul of more established clans?¡±


    ¡°Not as often as you might imagine, but it is a heavy concern,¡± he admitted. ¡°More often, I find, new clans are simply folded into others by marriage or adoption, or their new heads put themselves into fatal positions in efforts to expand their new and usually barely tamed holdings.¡±


    ¡°I guess ruling even a small village is harder than it sounds,¡± Ling Qi said wryly.


    ¡°Very much so.¡± Advisor Hou chuckled. ¡°You cannot imagine the work I do every day, and I am but an assistant to Venerable Elder Ying. The lands nearby do not remain relatively passive without effort nor do the roads and totems maintain themselves. Ruling is a heavy responsibility. Should you choose the path, do not allow pride to be your fall. The spirits of this land have been civilized by many millennia of effort. It is likely that any holdings you receive will not have that advantage.¡±


    Ling Qi had to wonder just how bad it would be if he considered the spirits around here civilized. ¡°Should I have further questions, where might I go to have them answered?¡±


    ¡°Simply come here and present the same badge which gives you access to the Inner market. While I may not often be available, one of my subordinates will be pleased to answer any queries,¡± he answered. There was a rustling of paper as a little bird fluttered through the open door, bearing a heavy book. ¡°It seems the text I sent for has arrived. If it pleases you, might I point out the most relevant passages for study?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Thank you, Senior Sect Brother,¡± Ling Qi replied. At least it wasn¡¯t a monster like Cai¡¯s law texts.

 Bonus: Ascension for the Common Baron

    Of the eight recognized realms of cultivation, it is the third or the ¡°green¡± realm which has perhaps been the subject of the most study. Some scholars argue that it is the first true realm of cultivation, that the first and second realms are merely preparatory steps. This is in some ways a reasonable perspective.


    The first or ¡°red¡± realm merely refines the human body and mind to its peak condition while the cultivator begins to generate the first trickles of their own qi. It is possible for a very skilled mortal to outdo a first realm cultivator in their realm of expertise.


    The second or ¡°yellow¡± realm is a mere expansion of capability. The body is stronger and more sturdy, and the mind more clear and acute than even the most studied of mortals. It becomes possible to use techniques which lay wholly beyond mortal abilities in a sustainable fashion. However, the cultivators of the second realm have not truly begun to define themselves yet.


    The third realm is where this occurs and which has the most recognized discrete stages. It is the point where a cultivator truly begins to transform themselves, leaving mortal frailty and foibles behind. It is also, unfortunately, the realm where the majority of even the skilled and talented in the world will end their paths. The trials of the green realm are many and intensely personal to each cultivator who climbs its steps.


    The paths up this mountain outnumber the stars, and it is this which is the greatest stumbling point to many a newly minted noble who wishes to establish a stable baron clan. Many barons stumble and fail when raising their own children, thinking to simply have them follow their own path, which nearly always fails or at the very least, strands the child at the same level as the parent with little ability to develop further.


    The great clans bypass this problem through sheer volume of cultivators and the attendant breadth and depth of arts available to them. In the archives of a ten thousand year old clan, there will surely be records of enough cultivators and their arts that even the most iconoclastic neophyte will find something of use. For those with more meager means however, there is only trial and error. Painstaking progress must be attained through meticulous and never-ending effort. The reward is more than worth the effort.


    Among baronial clans, survival and maintenance of one¡¯s title becomes almost certain if the fourth or the ¡°cyan¡± realm is achieved. Abilities which are impossible outside of incredibly expensive and rare talismans become possible once one has breached the final barriers of the third realm and taken the first step into the fourth.


    The most well-known of these abilities is the power of unassisted flight. While many green arts can allow for some limited imitation through various means, it is only by stepping into the fourth realm that one is able to step beyond the shackles of the earth in true flight. As a cultivator rises further, this ability only grows as the cultivator masters the world around them such that matters of up and down are merely matters of personal discretion. Flight allows for a consistent and rapid method of escape from dangerous situations where the cultivator finds themselves in over their head.


    The second and lesser known ability is that of multipresence. A cultivator of the fourth realm is capable of techniques which are not mere clairvoyance, illusions, or telepresence but actual existence at multiple locations at the same time. Although there are no instances of a fourth realm being able to maintain more than one additional presence at a time, even this is a tremendous boon to any lord or lady in efficiently carrying out their duties, leaving more time for cultivation of self or the family.


    However, this ability is of limited use for more violent endeavors. The act of splitting oneself is deeply draining even to the mightiest cultivator, and such secondary presences lack much of their whole self¡¯s potency, which is also impaired while the ability is active.


    The third ability in the fourth realm is less exclusive and more an evolution of earlier abilities. Those in the middling stages of the third realm may master some tricks involving the bending of space, and certain potent arts might allow even second realms to touch on this ability. This can appear as short range, non-material movement, the crafting of transport arrays and spatial rings, or the twisting of probability and distance.


    However, at the fourth realm, the more potent energies of the second dantian allow much greater expression of these abilities, and make the user much more difficult to slay. More than that, it indicates a sufficient understanding of the Way to allow one¡¯s descendants to consistently achieve the upper reaches of the third realm. To the cyan or iron cultivator, it becomes possible to directly alter the way in which one interacts with the world.


    Here, the difference between internal and external domains becomes more clear. External domains force lesser changes to physical law on the world around them. Internal domains instead directly alter the way that the self interacts with the world. Of course, these categories are somewhat academic; typically, a cultivator expresses aspects of both.


    It should be known that overuse of these abilities can be dangerous. The world resists having its laws trampled upon, and it is unwise to press this too far. The most obvious example is of what occurs when one attempts to go against the flow of time, rather than simply manipulating the speed of its forward flow. At best, the attempt will simply fail; at worst, the unfortunate cultivator will simply cease existing, aging to dust in moments.


    In most cases, the effect of imposing one¡¯s laws on the world simply decays relatively quickly, or in the case of formations, crumble with each use. It is wise when experimenting with new effects to exercise caution. Unfortunately, save for a handful of unchanging axioms which will be discussed in later chapters, the exact nature of backlash is also intensely personal, and this tome may offer only general advice.


    Along with the formation of heavenly pearls, it is these three abilities which mark the fourth realm. As such, it is a wise cultivator who plans for such in their rise through the third. Here, this tome may offer more concrete advice. In the following chapters, advice will be offered on how to develop a foundation for the above abilities, as summarized below


    Lastly, this tome¡¯s appendix will list some other publicly available resources which may answer more involved questions.

 Chapter 153-Beginning and Ending

    Starlight and beams of moonlight trickled into her channels like droplets of clear, pure water. The slim crescent moon shone faintly overhead, no less potent than her sisters in the qi that streamed down from the celestial body.


    On her rooftop, Ling Qi breathed in and cycled her qi, letting the new energy mix with her own. Once, twice, a score and more, she kneaded the celestial qi until it merged with her own. At this point, the act of taking in the moon¡¯s qi did not require heavy concentration, but Ling Qi wanted to think. The inkbrush and paper laying on the folding tray on her lap remained unused as of yet.


    She had known this was coming, but the reality of it was different. She had a noble title. It still felt bizarre to her. Just a year ago, she had been scrabbling for scraps. Now, she had authority. She could, if she were so inclined, command rich, mortal men who would have had guards throw her scrawny urchin self out on the street with a beating for her trouble to grovel and kowtow in the dirt.


    In theory anyway. Bullying mortals was looked down on in noble circles, Ling Qi thought wryly. It would make her look weak and childish unless she contrived to make it look like they had committed some major offense first. It was more trouble than it was worth, and frankly, she didn¡¯t care all that much anymore. How many faces from Tonghou did she even recall?


    Well, there were one or two at least.


    She needed to inform Mother of this. Even if they were still distant, Ling Qi¡¯s noble title affected her mother a great deal because as a mortal, her mother was effectively Ling Qi¡¯s ward. Her lips twisted into a frown. It still felt wrong and bizarre that she could treat her own mother like a child and expect it to be backed up by legal force.


    Would the older woman resent her for it? Ling Qi didn¡¯t think so, but at the same time, for all that they had begun communicating again, how well did she really know her mother? Even if she didn¡¯t resent her consciously, the simple fact of her authority would be a specter haunting their future interactions.


    Or maybe she was just overthinking things and a woman who had lived like her mother had would understand and accept things as they were. Ling Qi let out a breath, allowing the flow of her qi to slow. Picking up her brush, she smoothed the paper down. No more second guessing.


    Mother,


    It has been some time since my last letter, so I hope the aid I arranged for you has been helpful in resolving the issue you spoke of in your last letter. If the necessities of drafting that aid are any indication, I do not blame you for being too busy to write again.


    I am writing because some things have changed for the both of us. Due to my advancement in cultivation, I have received a noble title.


    It sounds ridiculous, right? Someone like me being a baroness. Even if I have military service to the Sect to perform before I take up any actual duties, it still seems absurd. Our family is apparently now ¡°The South Emerald Seas Ling Clan,¡± presumably because there are already other Ling families in other regions. I think there are forms which can be filled out to change our clan name or maybe the name is just an affectation of geography. I¡¯m not sure; I haven¡¯t read all of the relevant documents in full yet.


    I¡¯m rambling a little, I can tell. I don¡¯t really know what to think of all this. Getting to the point though¡­ Mother, you probably already understand what this means as well as I do. Don¡¯t think I¡¯ve missed the hints that you have some idea how nobles work. I won¡¯t ask you to tell me why in a letter, but I really do think we need to have a proper talk.


    So¡­ would you like to do that? I can arrange transport. My Sect advisor offered it, but I am not sure if it is a good idea or not. The trip could be dangerous, and being near the Outer Sect could also be dangerous. In a few more months, I should be free to come visit, one way or another. It might be best to wait.


    I¡¯m not making any demands. I don¡¯t want to either. I just don''t want to ruin what we¡¯ve just started to fix, just because of the authority this title gives me. I would really like to hear your thoughts on what we should do, Mother.


    Ling Qi


    The missive was short, but Ling Qi didn¡¯t really feel like it would be appropriate to mix other things into the subject of this letter. Looking down at the drying ink, Ling Qi sighed and closed her eyes. She would send it out in the morning when she had finished cultivating. Hopefully, her mother would respond promptly.


    She also needed to deal with Xiulan¡¯s family. Looking back, it was probably more than a little rude to not even speak to Gu Tai after their introduction, as awkward and lacking as it had been. She would send him a message tomorrow as well, asking to speak.


    Ling Qi stood, dismissing her writing implements back into her ring. For now, she wanted to get her weekly sleep in.


    ***


    The next morning, Ling Qi headed down to the village with Zhengui in tow and made her arrangements at the local branch of the Ministry of Communications, sending off her letter and a tithe of silver. She also had a message sent to Gu Tai, asking to meet at his convenience. She didn¡¯t want to be pushy.


    That done, she left the village to do some work and training with Zhengui. She intended to take him out to the more wild part of the woods for some more intense training and cultivation later this week, but for now, the outskirts would do. Zhengui was growing well, and by the end of the week, she was sure he would advance to the middle of the second realm if she kept feeding him as she did. Thankfully, heading deeper into the woods meant that she would be able to harvest quality second grade cores too at the same time.


    It wasn¡¯t the most active activity though. Zhengui was maturing, and he needed less and less help to hunt. It left Ling Qi open to idle thoughts as she perched in the boughs, watching her little brother. What was she going to do in the future?


    Ling Qi had a very difficult time picturing herself as a baroness, as any kind of ruler really. Yet that was now what she was. She could stay with the Sect of course, maybe even become a permanent member. In a few hundred years, perhaps there could even be disciples calling her Elder Qi.


    Ling Qi laughed to herself at the thought. Zhengui erupted from the dirt, and Zhen¡¯s fang¡¯s caught a frightened rabbit. Unlike in his younger days, the beast did not escape. Picturing herself as a Sect Elder seemed just as absurd as being a baroness.


    She really didn¡¯t know what path she wanted to walk to build her home. She only knew that she wanted to keep climbing the mountain that was cultivation, to strengthen the wings she had so that she could carry any roots she chose to take on.


    Ling Qi passed a few hours like that, musing on the future. A bit before noon, she received a fluttering note in reply from Gu Tai, agreeing to meet her. The note gave directions to the inn he was staying at as well as a time. She rather hoped he wasn¡¯t intending to meet her in his room.


    She knew she was being silly. That would be all kinds of inappropriate, and whatever else she thought about the matter, Xiulan¡¯s cousin had not seemed like the type to do that. The indicated time was a couple hours from now, so Ling Qi ended her training session shortly thereafter and Zhengui settled sleepily into her dantian. While she wasn¡¯t going to go overboard, she should probably at least make sure she didn¡¯t have leaves in her hair or mud on her shoes when she went to see him. She had taken at least a few of Xiulan¡¯s lessons on presentation to heart.


    When she arrived at the inn, she found her initial knee-jerk concern unfounded, as she thought it would be. Upon informing the attendant at the front desk of who she was here to see, a serving girl had led her out onto a sunny little veranda overlooking the building¡¯s central gardens. There were a few tables scattered across it, but it maintained a quiet and serene atmosphere.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t miss the subtle formation work carved in the borders of the polished wooden boards that made up the floor. At a glance, she could see that it was meant to insulate each table from sounds rising from the others, essentially creating bubbles of relative privacy despite the open floor. Gu Tai was seated at the table situated in the far left corner of the veranda overlooking a clear pond studded with white water lilies.


    Xiulan¡¯s cousin wore a deep crimson tunic decorated with fine gold embroidery depicting images of dancing flames and soaring phoenixes and baggy white pants tucked into polished black boots. As she approached, he looked up from the object he had been toying with; she recognized it as a paixiao, a set of pipes constructed out of more than a dozen wooden tubes of varying length. His was made of some kind of odd milky crystal.


    ¡°Miss Ling, I was glad to receive your invitation,¡± he greeted as she passed the line of silence around the table and the server bowed and took her leave. ¡°I see you have been making good use of your time. Congratulations on reaching the third realm so soon,¡± he continued with a smile.


    ¡°You are too kind,¡± Ling Qi replied politely, pulling her eyes away from the instrument to meet his gaze. He didn¡¯t seem offended at her delay in reaching out to him, so that was good. She took her own seat across from him, folding her hands in her lap as she leaned back in the comfortably padded chair. With her newly sharpened senses, she could feel that he was in the fifth stage of green and the fourth of bronze. ¡°The last few months have been very hectic,¡± she said cautiously. ¡°I appreciate your patience and hope you haven¡¯t been inconvenienced overmuch.¡±


    For just a moment, the handsome boy''s smile took on a self-deprecating edge. ¡°Do not concern yourself. I am not losing time on anything important at the moment. I have other duties to my clan to resolve in addition to making my offer to you.¡± He glanced down at the pipes in his hands and set them down on the table with a light clink. ¡°Tell me, is it true that inner province girls swoon over musicians?¡±


    Ling Qi blinked at the sudden change in subject. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know,¡± she commented dryly, ¡°being a girl from a border province. Was that the plan?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he laughed. ¡°I thought it might serve as a conversation starter, but it seemed a bit too obvious. I haven¡¯t practiced in years either. I would not want to embarass myself.¡±


    Ling Qi regarded him curiously. ¡°Why did you stop?¡± she asked.


    ¡°It is seen as a rather effeminate hobby in the Golden Fields,¡± Gu Tai admitted freely. ¡°And other things took precedence,¡± he continued, running his fingers over the crystal pipes. ¡°If I may be blunt, Miss Ling, you do not find our offer very attractive, do you?¡±


    Ling Qi winced. ¡°It is a very good offer, and you aren¡¯t lacking in any way.¡±


    He waved off her conciliatory words. ¡°There is no need to spare my feelings,¡± he said with a wry grin. ¡°I admit, I have done a little information gathering of my own. I strongly suspect you have at least one offer with which I cannot hope to materially compete with, even with the Gu clan¡¯s significant prestige and wealth.¡±


    Ling Qi remained silent. Cai had asked her not to mention anything about her offer.


    ¡°The company you keep does make things rather obvious to one who knows the proclivities of certain parties,¡± he continued airily. ¡°And with your breakthrough, I doubt you will find the Sect¡¯s rewards lacking should you advance to the Inner Sect.¡±


    ¡°It seems like you have things figured out,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°Are you giving up then?¡± she asked. Somehow, that seemed a little disappointing.


    ¡°No.¡± Gu Tai¡¯s blunt reply surprised her. ¡°Perhaps it is just my temperament, but it would gall me to surrender without a fight. I know that the Golden Fields are not an attractive prospect, but I would like you to seriously consider it all the same.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what there is to consider,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°I can¡¯t say I dislike the idea of exploring, of discovering new things, but I don¡¯t know you. This whole marriage thing - It¡¯s-¡± she broke off uncomfortably.


    ¡°I suspected that might be the trouble. I forget, sometimes, that other provinces are not as staunchly traditionalist as our own. Somewhat ironic, considering,¡± he mused.


    ¡°Considering what?¡± Ling Qi raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°My own position,¡± he answered. ¡°As much as I believe in the reclamation and its great importance to our province, I admit that part of the appeal is freeing myself of our clan politics. Xiulan¡¯s father and mine were¡­ rivals, and I suspect the only reason he tolerates me is due to cousin Yanmei¡¯s obvious genius.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Regardless, I could promise you that I would be an attentive and productive husband, but I suspect that would not reassure you.¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± she said uncomfortably. ¡°As I said, it¡¯s not really a problem with you. I¡¯m just not really comfortable with the idea of marrying so early, and with so little¡­¡± Ling Qi trailed off.


    ¡°I do find you an attractive prospect in many ways,¡± Gu Tai continued after a moment. ¡°Your talent and determination both do you great credit. Yet I am not the kind of man to press my attention where it is not wanted.¡± He met her eyes with his own, expression uncharacteristically serious.


    ¡°Thank you, I think,¡± she replied tentatively. He must have drawn entirely wrong conclusions from her words. She may have let the young man¡¯s generally lax attitude make her forget that he was a cousin to Xiulan with all that implied. He had very intense eyes when he was fired up. Silently strangling that thought, Ling Qi clarified, ¡°For the compliment and not being¡­ pushy.¡±


    ¡°It is no more than you deserve. From my observations and Xiulan¡¯s words, you are a rare gem indeed,¡± Gu Tai said, the fire fading from his voice as he allowed his posture to once again grow lax. ¡°Might I ask what I could do to improve my suit in your eyes, Miss Ling?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she evaded. ¡°I think getting to know one another better might help?¡± She felt flustered, if she were being honest with herself.


    He looked her over, brows furrowed in thought. ¡°Your spirit beast is fire natured, is he not? I can feel his qi clinging to you yet.¡±


    ¡°Partially,¡± Ling Qi replied, feeling a little more on balance with this subject. ¡°Zhengui is fire and wood. I suspect he is aligned with the concepts of cyclic growth and destruction.¡± Her reading had introduced her to the fact that stronger beasts aligned with certain Ways, as Xin had previously hinted cultivators must become as they advanced through the realms.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Gu Tai said, resting his chin on his hands. ¡°Let me offer this then: my own spirit has a somewhat similar theme. Would it be acceptable for me to join you in your lessons? I might have some useful advice on how to develop his abilities.¡±


    That did sound good. Even if his cultivation wasn¡¯t that much higher than hers, he did have years more experience. On the other hand, some part of her was still deeply uncomfortable with the situation.


    ¡°Thank you for your kind offer. Might I have some time to consider it?¡± she asked, leaving other thoughts unsaid.


    ¡°Certainly,¡± he agreed, relaxing in his seat. ¡°I will not press you any further. Would you care to stay for lunch?¡±


    Ling Qi politely declined and took her leave after that, filled with an undefined feeling. She really wasn¡¯t used to being complimented, even though she knew objectively that Gu Tai hadn¡¯t even been very heavy-handed about it.


    ... She was just going to lock herself in the meditation room and start working on breakthrough for a while.

 Chapter 154-Oaths

    Ling Qi knew that it was unreasonable of her to be frustrated after a mere two weeks of failing to reach bronze. Many, many people failed to manage it entirely, and most took months at minimum for their own breakthroughs. Yet she could not help but be irritated by her own failures.


    At least she had made progress this time. Some of the purified stellar qi had actually settled properly into her bones and tissues, forcing out further impurities, but she had lost control of the densely packed qi. Ling Qi had ended up covered in painful blotchy bruises from dozens of burst blood vessels and coated in a film of oily filth for her trouble.


    For all the benefits, breaking through was a thoroughly unpleasant experience at times.


    She was afraid her own frustration had caused her to go a little overboard though. Ling Qi studiously looked away from the scene playing out in front of her, idly toying with a strand of hair that had escaped her braid. It had been getting unruly again since she had left meditation.


    In the training field, half a dozen boys in the lower second realm lay on the ground, pale and covered in frost. One lay curled up in a ball, eyes wide as he glanced around in a panic. She felt a little bad, but he had been starting to rally the others so she had trapped him with her elegy to prevent the group from beating the exercise. Even now, her mists still lingered on the field, clinging at the hems of her gown, and her breath came with particles of sparkling ice.


    ¡°This concludes the initial exercise, men. Engrave in your minds the effect of being unable to resist an enemy spiritualist!¡± Gan Guangli stood beside her, looming above like a pillar of polished steel. His arms were crossed over the shining breastplate of his armor. ¡°Now stand and thank Miss Ling for her efforts on your behalf!¡±


    Ling Qi glanced up at him then away as she saw the honest grin directed down at her. The boys in the field stumbled to their feet, still shivering as the obeyed Gan, lining up to bow and offer a discipled, and only slightly wobbly, shout of gratitude directed at her. As awkward as it was, she managed to perform the proper bow in response.


    ¡°Very good! You have one hour to meditate and cultivate upon what you have learned. Drilling will resume then. Dismissed!¡± Gan Guangli¡¯s shout echoed over the field, and his subordinates scattered. She didn¡¯t miss the way they avoided her gaze as they all but fled from the field.


    ... Definitely overboard.


    ¡°I do apologize for the poor showing, but thank you for your help all the same,¡± Gan Guangli spoke again when they were well out of earshot, his normally shouting reduced to merely ¡®loud.¡¯


    ¡°It was no trouble,¡± Ling Qi replied, tucking her flute away. ¡°After failing to break through for three days, I needed the exercise.¡±


    ¡°Hah! Truly, it is a troublesome thing, breaking into a new realm,¡± Gan said with a laugh. He himself was her opposite, having finally broken through to bronze but lagging in the spiritual. ¡°I hope my subordinates served well.¡±


    ¡°They need to work on their perceptive arts,¡± Ling Qi commented, reluctant to criticize others. ¡°Only half of them really resisted much at all.¡±


    ¡°And I will see that they are rewarded for that,¡± Gan said agreeably. Ling Qi blinked as he tossed her a small metal canteen. She caught it and raised an eyebrow in question. ¡°Playing for so long is thirsty work,¡± he said in reply to her unasked question. ¡°My preferred mineral water encourages the quick recovery of one¡¯s qi as well. It is the least I can do.¡±


    ¡°Ah, thank you,¡± Ling Qi replied, a little nonplussed. She unscrewed the cap and took a sip. She would distrust such an offer from another source, but Gan Guangli wasn¡¯t the type to spike a drink. The water had a crisp taste to it, cleansing the last of the sour flavor left over from her failed breakthrough, and she felt her somewhat depleted qi begin to cycle more smoothly. ¡°Can I ask why you¡¯re still doing this though? The open fighting is done, and Princess Sun¡¯s allies are mostly focused on physical attacks.¡±


    He caught the canteen as she tossed it back. ¡°It is my duty as Lady Cai¡¯s right hand to not only be a great warrior in my own right but to be a leader as well,¡± Gan stated gravely. ¡°And to be honest, the lack of discipline and coordination among them irritates me greatly.¡±


    Ling Qi let out a quiet laugh. ¡°I suppose you were marching in good order from the moment you could walk?¡±


    ¡°Very nearly,¡± he responded, entirely straight-faced but with a hint of humor. He turned, giving her a questioning look as he headed toward the exit of the training field. She fell in beside him easily enough; it was a warm day and good for a stroll.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t answer the second half though,¡± Ling Qi pointed out.


    ¡°A lack of defense against spiritual arts is common among lower realms,¡± Gan explained, clasping his gauntleted hands behind his back as they walked. With combat over, he had gradually shrunk, reaching his normal height only a head taller than her. ¡°Such arts are not as common nor as enticing to new cultivators as more obviously offensive arts.¡±


    ¡°I suppose,¡± Ling Qi said, thinking of Argent Mirror. She supposed spiritual attacks were fairly rare in the Outer Sect. ¡°Why is that though?¡±


    ¡°It is a matter of resources,¡± he said bluntly. ¡°Even cultivators who can reach the third realm in their lifetime may only use so many arts in tandem. Those like you and I - or Lady Cai and MIss Bai - are exceptions, not the norm. The issue is even worse among common cultivators for whom the resources to open more than perhaps ten meridians in their lifetime is a dream.¡±


    ¡°That seems like a pretty obvious gap in capability,¡± Ling Qi mused. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean the Empire¡¯s common soldiers are vulnerable to spiritual attacks?¡±


    ¡°They are, and spirits of that sort can become a long-running plague on the regions they inhabit,¡± he answered with a frown. Ling Qi¡¯s thoughts turned to Su Ling¡¯s background. The girl didn¡¯t often talk about it, but she knew that Su Ling deeply resented her ¡®mother.¡¯ ¡°Some nobles choose to invest more in their soldiers, but most are content if they can repel assaults from the more common sort of beasts. It is shameful. I admire the sects for training and equipping their forces with proper regularity and discipline!¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t let this province¡¯s forces be lax,¡± she said lightly.


    ¡°One day, all of the Emerald Seas will have soldiers as well drilled as the White Plume Regiment of General Xia Ren! On my honor, I swear it.¡± It seemed Gan had taken her comment seriously. He had stopped, raising a clenched fist to the sky as he spoke.


    ¡°You know, you¡¯re really good at switching that on and off,¡± Ling Qi commented, eyeing him shrewdly as they resumed walking.


    ¡°A man should be open and passionate,¡± Gan said with a wide grin, ¡°so that his followers may be inspired, but I know that there are times for solemnity.¡±


    Ling Qi shook her head. ¡°I think you just like shouting,¡± she said, smiling a bit.


    ¡°You have discovered my secret, Miss Ling. I must ask that you hold it close to your heart,¡± the taller boy replied with utmost seriousness.


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± she shot back. ¡°Let¡¯s pick up the pace though. I¡¯ll get us something to eat before we have to head back. I never did pay you back for punching out Kang.¡±


    ¡°A task for which I hardly need a reward, but I am not one to refuse a maiden¡¯s gratitude,¡± Gan agreed. ¡°Lead the way, Miss Ling.¡±


    After dealing with so many closed-off and complicated people, it was nice to just spend some time chatting with someone so open.The food at the market tea house was good, and she had to admit, there was a certain appeal to torturing - that is, training - subordinates.


    Things really did feel peaceful now.


    ***


    As much of an exercise in relaxation as it was though, between speaking with Gu Tai and then spending time with Gan Guangli, Ling Qi¡¯s thoughts could not help but turn to Cai Renxiang. The time was soon coming when she would have to accept or reject the girl¡¯s offer. Even with her recent troubles, she doubted that she would take more than a month before completing her breakthrough.


    Yet she still knew so little about Lady Cai. She was convinced that the girl¡¯s espoused views were genuine, but that wasn¡¯t really the same.


    No, they still needed to talk. Ling Qi¡¯s steps took her toward where she knew Cai Renxiang would be. If nothing else, the girl stuck to her schedules like clockwork unless there was an emergency.


    Ling Qi found Cai Renxiang, unsurprisingly, on the road between the market and the residential district surrounded by her usual small tableau of unctionaries. Not doubting that the other girl could sense her since she was making no effort to hide, Ling Qi took up a position a polite distance down the road and waited for her to approach.


    Sure enough, she felt Cai¡¯s gaze lock onto her the moment her group crested the hill she waited at the foot of, and when they walked near enough to speak without shouting, the heiress raised her hand to halt and silence her followers. ¡°Ling Qi,¡± she said by way of greeting. ¡°What news brings you here? Have you heard of the recent problem in the market?¡±


    Ling Qi did not show the slightest hint of the twinge of guilt that passed through her at those words. Cai Renxiang trusted her subordinates too much. That was probably going to get her in trouble one day.


    ¡°I have,¡± she responded instead. ¡°But I am sure the market¡¯s investigators can handle it. Unless the Cai faction has been asked to participate?¡±


    ¡°I had offered, but it was declined,¡± Cai replied, expression stern. ¡°The market guards its independence and its own specific rules fiercely. What brings you here then?¡±


    Ling Qi took a deep breath. ¡°The matter that you gave me to deliberate over. If it would please you, I would like to discuss it. I believe the time to make the decision is coming soon.¡±


    The other girls with Cai glanced between them curiously, but the gaze of the heiress herself remained focused on Ling Qi¡¯s face with laser-like intensity, the faint halo of light behind her brightening by degrees.


    ¡°Very well,¡± she said simply before turning her attention to her followers. ¡°Continue and complete the requisitions in my absence. I will review them in the morn. I will be beginning my evening cultivation somewhat early today.¡±


    Ling Qi watched with a raised eyebrow as the girls surrounding Cai Renxiang did the little social dance of accepting Cai¡¯s dismissal and did her best not to react to the furtive, curious, and calculating glances sent her way. Only when they had bustled off, leaving her alone with the heiress, did Ling Qi speak again.¡±Is that really going to be alright?¡± she asked. ¡°I don¡¯t doubt that some rumors just got kicked up.¡±


    ¡°It is inevitable,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed, looking up at the sky where streamers of color had begun to spread with the setting of the sun. ¡°This is a matter of import though. I offer you my congratulations on reaching the third realm.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much, Lady Cai,¡± Ling Qi replied, offering a polite bow, her hands clasped. ¡°I admit, I almost expected you to be waiting in our dining room with Bai Meizhen to receive my answer.¡± She kept her tone even but tentatively teasing. Cai was serious at all times, but she seemed to accept a little bit of impropriety in their interactions.


    ¡°I am not so impatient,¡± Cai answered a touch dryly. ¡°You have not yet completed your ascension either. I will not rush this matter further than I already have.¡± She turned on her heel. ¡°Come. I do know your specific concerns, but they are best not aired in the middle of the road.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked in surprise as Cai¡¯s feet left the ground, tendrils of light blooming over her shoulders, but hurried to follow. The mantle she wore over her gown fluttered as she rose into the air as well, trailing streamers of black mist. She caught up to the heiress quickly, bobbing gently in the air beside her as the wind washed over them. She wasn''t sure where they were going so she just followed Cai Renxiang¡¯s lead.


    ¡°You are confident in your reserves,¡± Cai mused, glancing her way. ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°Flight still drains me quickly,¡± Ling Qi warned, subconsciously manipulating the rushing wind to prevent it from interrupting her words. ¡°As much as I wish it didn¡¯t,¡± she admitted, looking at the mountain now spreading out below them. She still loved the sensation of flight. ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°To a training ground of mine,¡± the heiress answered. ¡°Do not concern yourself with the drain for now. Liming¡¯s presence bolsters its lesser kin.¡±


    For a moment, Ling Qi didn¡¯t understand what Cai Renxiang meant, but then she glanced at the pure white gown Cai wore and met hungry red ¡®eyes.¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s new,¡± she replied cautiously. Now that she knew to pay attention to it, the drain on her qi was a trickle compared to the usual. ¡°What is Liming? I admit that I lack understanding in the matter.¡±


    ¡°An artificial spirit created by my Lady Mother,¡± Cai Renxiang replied shortly, her stern gaze passing over the landscape rushing below. ¡°Object spirits are unreliable things, their formation difficult to predict and their rate of growth slower and more easily disrupted than other spirits. Duchess Cai has fixed many of these problems, but the cost of doing so puts the creation beyond price. Aside from Liming, only three others of the same quality currently exist.¡±


    ¡°I assume that Duchess Cai has one, and I suppose the Empress has another. Who has the third?¡± Ling Qi asked curiously.


    ¡°You are correct in your assumptions,¡± Cai Renxiang approved. Her lips thinned as she continued though, which was as close to a scowl for the stoic girl as Ling Qi had ever seen. ¡°The third belongs to Mother¡¯s greatest supporter among the province¡¯s nobles.¡±


    Ling Qi remained silent as they banked in their flight path, curving around the mountain. She elected not to push the topic further. ¡°That reminds me. Before the Sect, I had never left Tonghou. What is the capital like? You would have grown up there, right?¡±


    ¡°Xiangmen is unmatched in its beauty, save by the Imperial capital itself,¡± Cai replied, easily shifting to the new topic as they began to descend. ¡°I suppose each ducal family thinks the same of their seat.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, but that just means they are biased, right?¡± Ling Qi quipped.


    ¡°Of course,¡± the heiress replied, her serious tone never wavering. ¡°Regardless, it is likely difficult for one of your background to picture. The city of Xiangmen was the original stronghold of the Weilu clan, and as such, the whole of it is built into and on the Divine Tree, the last of the great Heavenly Pillarwoods.¡±


    Ling Qi furrowed her brows. ¡°The city is built into a tree? How¡­¡±


    Cai gave a slightly amused huff. ¡°As I said, it is difficult to picture for those who have not seen it. The Divine Tree is kilometers across at the base, and its canopy breaches the sky itself. The view from the ducal palace looks down upon the province like the seat of a divine judge. The city resides in hollows within the trunk and branches as well as terraces carved into the exterior and passages woven through the roots.¡±


    ¡°That must have been scary as a child. Do a lot of people fall from the tree?¡± Ling Qi asked, trying to imagine living so far off the ground even as she was hundreds of meters in the air herself at the moment. The two of them began to descend.


    ¡°Mortals are confined to the lower reaches, including children,¡± the heiress explained as the downward arc of their flight grew steeper, ¡°for their own safety. A mortal would suffocate in the upper portions of the city.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that makes sense,¡± Ling Qi said as the two of them landed in a strange field of tall, narrow stone pillars, wide enough only for a single person to stand upon. The pillars rose from a pool of shimmering, clear water, charged with a potent qi.


    Cai Renxiang stood straight and tall on the highest of the pillars, closing her eyes as she breathed in deeply from the placid atmosphere. Ling Qi could feel the rigid qi that filled this place flowing toward the heiress, and her gown rippled, the fabric sparkling under the dying light.


    ¡°This place is private,¡± she said as she opened her eyes. ¡°What is it that you wish to ask?¡±


    Ling Qi restrained the urge to scuff her foot against the smooth surface of the stone pillar beneath her. ¡°I¡¯ve spent a fair amount of time around you now. I think I understand your goals, at least on a surface level,¡± she began slowly. ¡°I am grateful to you for your help in understanding Imperial law, although I have a long way to go.¡±


    ¡°What troubles you then?¡± the other girl asked without hesitation.


    ¡°Despite all that, I feel like I don¡¯t know you,¡± Ling Qi replied just as bluntly. ¡°You said you wanted my loyalty, the kind I extend to Bai Meizhen, Li Suyin, Su Ling, or Gu Xiulan, but¡­ I know things about them - personal things - and they know details of my own life that I don¡¯t easily share¡­ We do not have that between us.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Cai Renxiang said with a slight frown. ¡°You know, of course, that I have investigated your background.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s that,¡± Ling Qi agreed, crossing her arms. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know everything about me that the flapping lips of Tonghou could reveal, but I know nothing of you beyond the obvious.¡±


    Silence fell between them, and this time, Ling Qi did not bow her head, keeping her gaze locked with Cai¡¯s own as she waited for the heiress¡¯ answer.


    ¡°I have few frivolous details to share,¡± Cai Renxiang started after a long silence. ¡°I do not have time for leisure. My life has been spent solely in preparation and training for the fulfillment of my role. I have no ¡®hobbies.¡¯ I could speak, I suppose, of my preferred blends of tea or the minor projects in tailoring I use as part of my meditative process, but I suspect that would not solve your concern.¡±


    ¡°I probably wouldn¡¯t understand,¡± Ling Qi freely admitted. ¡°All teas taste pretty similar to me, and my needlework is limited to repairs.¡±


    The other girl''s eyes flashed, the light behind her intensifying, casting her shadow across Ling Qi. ¡°That will change, should you join me. The foothills of the Emerald Seas produce most of the Empire''s tea. It is a matter of court etiquette to recognize the various blends.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Ling Qi asked, twisting a stray strand of hair between her fingers. Honestly, that sounded awfully like a hobby to her. ¡°I suppose taste testing teas is better than straining my eyes on books that could be used for paving stones,¡± she murmured before shaking her head. ¡°We¡¯re getting off track.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed. ¡°But I do not understand yet what you desire from this conversation.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure either.¡± Ling Qi grimaced. ¡°You know that my mother was a prostitute and that I spent most of my life as a thief. You probably have a bunch of records that mention the things I did in more detail than I remember. I want to know you before I make my choice. Not the heiress of Cai, not your goals. I just... want to know why Cai Renxiang seeks the things she does."


    The red ¡®eyes¡¯ splashed across the other girl¡¯s chest looked down at her, no longer with hunger but with suspicion. Cai¡¯s face was a blank and stoic mask. Some part of Ling Qi felt relief. She would be rebuffed and go on with her life.


    ¡°You ask for much given your position,¡± her voice was cool. ¡°And you do not even pretend to have made your decision.¡±


    ¡°I know, but this is what you wanted from me,¡± Ling Qi answered defiantly, despite the worm of guilt in her gut. She wasn¡¯t treating Cai Renxiang completely honestly given the scheme with Fu Xiang. "I can''t guarantee it to be a revelation, but if you did, I would speak of myself as well. It would only be fair."


    Cai Renxiang regarded her with a frown. ¡°There is a story I can share which could help you understand. It is not a secret. You could find it on your own if you had the resources to investigate.¡±


    Ling Qi was silent. Was Cai Renxiang trying to convince Ling Qi or herself?


    ¡°When I was very young, I heard many things of my Mother¡¯s greatness,¡± Cai Renxiang began slowly. ¡°But I had never met her. It was not possible for a mortal to attend the court at Xiangmen, and it was impractical for Mother to descend. However, childishly, I sought to meet my Mother. I was allowed to attempt cultivation very early. I was very¡­ excitable at that age.¡±


    Ling Qi had some trouble imagining the stoic girl in front of her as a small, excitable child. However, she also wasn¡¯t sure where this story was going. Was Cai Renxiang just explaining in a roundabout way that she idolized her mother? If so, that was surprisingly normal.


    Cai Renxiang paused, seeming lost in thought. ¡°I worked tremendously hard despite the difficulties a child of the age of six faced in attempting cultivation. My minder, one of Mother¡¯s apprentices, encouraged and helped me, and soon, I had Awakened. I was very proud. With my first wisps of qi, I learned to power the talisman that would allow me to survive the environs of Xiangmen¡¯s court.¡±


    ¡°So you succeeded. I guess you really are talented,¡± Ling Qi said. Really, she couldn¡¯t imagine a six year old having the focus and discipline to cultivate. No wonder Cai Renxiang could maintain her cultivation while doing so many other things.


    Cai Renxiang didn¡¯t acknowledge her words. Instead, she turned to face the descending sun, and the halo of light around her withdrew and grew dim. ¡°I met my Mother and looked upon her face for the first time. I nearly died.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, then blinked again, poleaxed by the sudden swerve.


    ¡°I cannot realistically describe the experience to one who has not felt Mother¡¯s gaze,¡± Cai Renxiang continued. ¡°Mother gave me the attention I requested, and it broke that foolish child. I humiliated both myself and her, bleeding and crying on the carpet of the throne room. But there was some value in the experience.¡±


    ¡°And what was that?¡± Ling Qi asked thickly.


    Cai Renxiang turned back to face her. ¡°I gained a small fragment of understanding, both of my Mother and this province. Emerald Seas is a broken place, Ling Qi. It is scarred and twisted by millenia of civil and martial strife, as well as deliberate malice and misrule. The task my Mother has accepted is to attempt to repair that. It is a titanic task and an admirable one, but the means to do so are not kind.¡±


    Ling Qi really did not like where this was going.


    ¡°My Mother is a tyrant,¡± Cai Renxiang said bluntly. ¡°She is a builder and an administrator beyond compare, but that is not her core nature. She is a breaker. She breaks institutions, traditions, and people alike. She crushes them to dust, so that they may be built anew to her specifications, as I was when she fitted me to Liming in the aftermath of that day in the throne room.¡±


    ¡°And you want to follow her example?¡± Ling Qi asked warily.


    ¡°No,¡± Cai Renxiang replied emphatically, the light around her flaring. Her voice reverberated with power and conviction, rattling stones and sending ripples through the pools below. ¡°Many things need to be broken, but you cannot go on breaking them forever. New people will be born to new institutions and new traditions. Tearing them down again and again will only bring misery. I wish to be the one who can work with the systems my Mother has built, to maintain and reform, and most of all, to make sure that such breaking is not necessary again. That is my core drive, Ling Qi, why I wish to rule, why I act as I do. My Mother¡¯s actions are not wrong, but they are only the first step of many to real prosperity and good. Do you understand?¡±


    Ling Qi thought of Tonghou and all the many miseries and abuses which were perpetuated in that nasty, crumbling little city. Some part of her wanted to believe that Cai Renxiang was right, that Tonghou was not merely the way of things, as immutable as the rising and falling of the sun.


    She couldn¡¯t quite do it, but looking at Cai Renxiang¡¯s face, hearing the echo of her words, she was finally convinced that Cai Renxiang did.


    ¡°You said she rebuilt you.¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡±


    The red silk cloth splayed across Cai Renxiang¡¯s chest rippled, and the eyelike spots on the butterfly''s wings twitched, somehow conveying a vicious smugness. Cai Renxiang looked pained. ¡°... I do not imagine that my Mother is unaware of my aspirations or my disagreements with her Way. Her eyes see all. Everything she does is deliberate,¡± she said quietly.


    That was unsettling, implying that the Duchess knew perfectly well what would happen to her daughter when they met. It implied that Cai Renxiang¡¯s beliefs, the insight she had taken were a deliberate manipulation, that they could be changed again, that the girl before her was no more than a puppet on strings.


    But¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s just how people are, isn¡¯t it?¡± Ling Qi contended. ¡°We don¡¯t decide how we¡¯re going to be. We just change in response to the things that happen to us. I didn¡¯t steal and hurt and starve because I set out to do so. I won¡¯t try to waive responsibility, but being like that¡­ it¡¯s just the natural result of my conditions. One of those ¡®systems¡¯ you talk about.¡±


    ¡°While it gladdens me to have you acknowledge the systemic nature of such problems, I do not think you wholly comprehend my words. Such things are not equivalent to the machinations of a cultivator at the peak of their Way.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the whole goal of cultivation, to ascend and become part of the way the world itself functions?¡±


    ¡°That is not wrong, but I believe your conclusion on the nature of ascension is misleading,¡± Cai Renxiang said with a frown.


    ¡°Maybe so, but I think you¡¯re overthinking matters too. Do you know why I¡¯m so generous to my friends? Why I do everything I can to stay close to them? It¡¯s because caring is hard. Su Ling calls me an airhead sometimes, that I miss things too easily, and she¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Hardly an uncommon trait, if a flaw to be certain,¡± Cai commented. ¡°I am not certain I understand the relevance.¡±


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t care. Not about most things, not about most people,¡± Ling Qi responded. This wasn''t something she had articulated before, but it clung to the edges of her understanding all the same. ¡°Until I¡¯m close to someone, I have to work to care. I have to focus and stay focused, or I just¡­ move on,¡± she continued, frustrated.


    Because dwelling on things in the past was painful. Because forming connections meant accepting loss.


    ¡°At least what you want - for people to live better, safer lives, to improve government, and make things more fair - is a virtuous goal.¡± She didn¡¯t stop speaking, leaving no room for Cai to interject. ¡°I¡¯m just a selfish girl who wants to keep her friends and family close, so I never have to be alone again, and damn anyone who gets in the way of that. That aspiration comes from what I experienced before.¡±


    There was a reason she got along so well with Zeqing and why she found it so easy to play Zeqing¡¯s songs. Ling Qi knew on some level that the way she acted was wrong sometimes. The way she simply allowed Li Suyin¡¯s quiet hero worship without gainsaying it. The way she felt a tiny sliver of satisfaction from knowing she was the only real friend Gu Xiulan had anymore.


    Most of all, the way she treated Meizhen. On some level, she knew that her friend was fragile¡­ and she took advantage of that. Instead of flatly rejecting her interest in the days following that incident, she had instead given a half-hearted response that left room for hope. It wasn¡¯t even conscious really. She just wanted her friend to stay as close as possible.


    Cai remained silent even after she had stopped speaking, regarding her with furrowed brows. ¡°You posit that the source of an aspiration is less relevant than the aspiration itself,¡± she said after contemplation.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ling Qi shot back. What was she even trying to say? Even if she was right, it didn¡¯t fully address Cai Renxiang¡¯s fears. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t care much about laws, and to me, justice is whatever the nearest strongman says it is, a meaningless word for people who want to sound like heroes in their own head and compel everyone to keep their heads down and obey.¡±


    ¡°Anarchy and lawlessness are harbingers of suffering, as you should well know,¡± the heiress replied.


    ¡°I do know that,¡± Ling Qi said with a grimace. ¡°That¡¯s why I almost want to believe in what you say.¡±


    ¡°... Justice requires order, but order is not justice. Not on its own. Therein lies my disagreement with my Honored Mother,¡± Cai Renxiang said quietly. ¡°The clannish selfishness you spoke of is the root of much evil as well. Do you know what horrors have been wrought by those who think of family above all else?¡±


    ¡°I can imagine,¡± Ling Qi replied, her head bowed.


    The light around the other girl dimmed, and Ling Qi thought she saw the other girl¡¯s stiff shoulders droop fractionally. ¡°Do you know what I have regretted most since arriving on this mountain?¡±


    Ling Qi closed her eyes, considering the events of the last half year. ¡°Trusting Sun Liling to keep her word?¡±


    Cai scoffed. ¡°Not at all. The West is volatile, and that girl more than most. No, I regret the harshness of the penalty inflicted upon Ji Rong.¡±


    Ling Qi hadn¡¯t even considered that the girl might regard that as something worth regretting. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because it accomplished nothing,¡± the heiress expanded. ¡°Some might say it solidified the appearance of my authority, but I think this position is wrong. Detestable as it is, the simple overwhelming force of my council was enough for that.¡±


    ¡°I thought the point was to make sure everyone understood that corruption was unacceptable,¡± Ling Qi replied, thinking uneasily of her own crime.


    ¡°It is,¡± Cai agreed, dipping her head. ¡°However, it is the duty of the lord to consider circumstances, and in that incident, I was overzealous. In doing so, I destroyed any chance that he might have come to be educated properly. Like Mother¡¯s order, it was overwhelming and absolute¡­ but I wonder at times, what is lost when its crushing weight comes down.¡±


    ¡°You believe this is what she wants you to think,¡± Ling Qi said shrewdly.


    ¡°Quite. I was shaped to find the flaws which are beneath her notice,¡± Cai agreed.


    ¡°I wonder about that,¡± Ling Qi replied, feeling subdued. ¡°I have never met the Duchess Cai, but even the Sage Emperor wasn¡¯t omniscient. I don¡¯t think anyone, even Great Spirits, really control everything around them, no matter how hard they try.¡±


    ¡°You do not know her.¡± Cai¡¯s response was immediate, and Ling Qi shuddered at the fear which touched the stoic girl¡¯s voice. It felt discordant and wrong to hear that sort of childish, all-consuming fear from Cai Renxiang.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. It isn¡¯t my place to speak of it.¡± Ling Qi sighed. ¡°For the record, next time we have a friendly chat, maybe we should stick with discussing tea.¡±


    The shadow on the heiress¡¯ features disappeared, and her expression returned to normal. ¡°I believe that may be for the best.¡±


    ¡°... Is your offer still open with what I said?¡± Ling Qi asked tentatively.


    ¡°If I believed that others could not be brought to see the truth of my justice, I would not be worthy of my name,¡± Cai Renxiang replied, her confidence back in force.


    Despite the heiress¡¯ words, Ling Qi was troubled as she left Cai¡¯s training ground. Her assistance of Fu Xiang didn¡¯t violate the text of the Sect¡¯s or Cai¡¯s rules - sabotage was well within the playbook of competition in the leadup to the New Year¡¯s Tournament and the targets were part of the market faction, rather than Cai¡¯s - but it probably violated the spirit. Could she really commit to Cai while also committing to the lie she and Fu Xiang had crafted? She didn¡¯t know.


    She was going to talk to Fu Xiang. The first two could no longer be helped, but she would ensure that the third would not be unjustly framed. Two competitors knocked out of the crafting competition was already beyond what Fu Xiang had asked of her. She wouldn¡¯t betray someone who had helped her, but she didn¡¯t want to participate in the scheme any further.


    It made her feel dirty, as if she had never escaped the gutter in the first place.

 Chapter 155-Revelry

    ¡®Are you sad, Big Sister?¡¯ Gui asked, craning his neck to look back at her. Despite his lack of attention to the path ahead, his trundling gait didn¡¯t falter, likely because Zhen¡¯s glowing eyes remained fixed on their path despite resting his head on her shoulder.


    Ling Qi just smiled, reaching down from her perch between his shell spikes to pat her little brother on the head. ¡°I¡¯m just thinking about some things. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡±


    ¡®Big Sister should spend some time with the Abyssal Pool,¡¯ Zhen hissed softly, his flicking tongue tickling her ear. ¡®Or Dying Sun Embers. She would be happier then.¡¯


    ¡°Meizhen or Xiulan?¡± Ling Qi asked, bemused. ¡°Maybe. I haven¡¯t seen much of Meizhen in a little while.¡± Recently, she only saw Xiulan at the White Room, but it was difficult to recall what happened there.


    ¡®Oh! I know!¡¯ Gui chirped. ¡®Bai Cui said that her sister was going out to bind another spirit!¡¯


    ¡°Really?¡± Ling Qi was surprised. ¡°When did that happen?¡±


    ¡®When Big Sister locked herself in the little room,¡¯ Zhen replied, looking pleased with himself. ¡®A little paper bird came carrying a box for Abyssal Pool.¡¯


    ¡®I didn¡¯t like it,¡¯ Gui huffed, finally turning his eyes back to the front. ¡®It felt cold and mean.¡¯


    ¡®Hmph. Cowardly Gui is frightened too easily,¡¯ Zhen said, turning up his snout.


    ¡®I wasn¡¯t scared!¡¯ Zhengui shot back with childish irritation. ¡®Stupid Zhen, you were just trying to impress-¡¯


    Ling Qi closed her eyes as the two halves of her little brother bickered, leaning back against the stony surface of his shell. She would ask Meizhen about it later. Since her talk with Cai, she had been reflecting on her future. Once, she had thought growing strong would make matters less complicated and difficult, but that foolish notion was long gone from her head.


    Cai made things difficult for her. Ling Qi thought that she wanted to be a better person, but did she really? Did she want to be the kind of person who could follow Cai Renxiang and uphold her ideals, her justice, in truth?


    She wanted a home and a family. She wanted to surround herself with friends¡­ but how much did she really care about those that fell outside her circles, that gray mass of ¡®other¡¯ for which she found it difficult to remember faces, much less names?


    Thinking back on her time in the city, for every face she remembered, every person she left behind, weren¡¯t there two or three more that she had hurt without thought? Did she really regret her actions or did she simply resent the situation which had led her to those acts? Did she really regret ruining two, almost three, people over a favor or did she merely feel guilty because she knew some of her friends wouldn¡¯t approve?


    She didn¡¯t know.


    ¡®Big Sister, I see it.¡¯ Zhen¡¯s voice pulled her from her thoughts, and she opened her eyes.


    Ahead of them, outlined in the dim light of the half moon in the sky above, was the shape of a graceful tower rising into the sky. This was the site of the glowing dot she had seen on the map from the puzzle box.


    The structure seemed oddly organic in profile like the trunk of an ancient tree. Mysterious silver and blue motes of light danced gently around the tower, casting light on its smooth sides that were unmarked by any mortal tool. Despite the unmarred walls though, it was obvious that what she looked upon was a ruin. Some twenty meters up, the tower simply ended at a sharp angle, as if something had slashed through it. Beyond, she could see the tumbled rubble of what she assumed to be the rest of the structure.


    ¡®The music is so pretty. Can we go in, Big Sister?¡¯ Gui asked, a dazed sluggishness in his voice.


    Ling Qi glanced sharply at Zhengui and found Zhen¡¯s head swaying back and forth, mesmerized. If she concentrated, she could hear it too, the quiet sounds of a merry song drifting from the broken tower. She felt the music as much as heard it, carried as it was on moonbeams and starlight more than any physical sound.


    Pulling on her connection to him, she dematerialized Zhengui, unfolding her legs to land on her feet as he let out a startled yelp.


    ¡®Sorry, little brother,¡¯ she thought to him, along with a feeling of apology. ¡®But I need you to stay safe for now.¡¯


    He was a good boy, she thought with a small smile as he grumbled in her head. She slipped into the shadow of a tree which stood at the edge of the clearing as she refocused on the tower. It was time to scout things out.


    Ling Qi stole across the remaining distance to the base of the tower as little more than a blur of liquid shadow, flitting from the shade of one tree to the next until she crouched within the shadow of the tower''s entryway. Whatever door had once barred the way was long since gone, and inside, there was only cold, dusty stone. Even in her more spiritual senses, there was naught but the faint strains of music from above.


    A careful search turned up no active formations nor any more mundane snares. She crept inside, peering carefully around the empty chamber within. Old leaves rotted in the corners, and here and there were the marks of vermin that inhabited the place, a few low grade one rats and their mundane cousins, nothing more. As she crept through the rest of the base level, she found the same, cold, empty rooms, long since looted.


    It made her feel unreasonably nervous as she approached the stair that wound up to the second level. The collapsed ceiling barring her way halfway up only raised her uneasy feeling further. Still, with a bit of effort, she was able to shift a few broken chunks of stone, making enough space for her to slip through in shadow form.


    The moment she passed through, she felt it. There was a frisson in the air as if she had just pushed through a hanging sheet of gauze.


    She was no longer crouched in a decrepit stairwell, but rather in the entryway of shimmering hall filled with mist. The floor was polished to a mirror sheen, and fanciful fluted silver columns rose to hold up a ceiling of glass, baring the misty hall to the light of the stars and moon above. But the architecture didn¡¯t hold her attention.


    The inhabitants did. Everywhere she looked, she saw spirits. Clouds of fairies, their bodies little more than vaguely human shapes woven from silver wire, floating on wings of moonlight drifted about near the ceiling and fluttered over tables laden with succulent food and drink where pale blue lilies and other flowers bloomed between dishes.


    Across the mirror floor reveled a throng of other spirits, beautiful women and handsome men with gossamer wings and catlike eyes that burned with silver fire. Yet from one eyeblink to the next, spirits changed. A bipedal wolf in a gentleman¡¯s robe danced with a pillar of liquid silver in the outline of a woman. A mass of fluttering moths descended from a window and become an androgynous figure, its face veiled behind feathery antennae, while a towering humanoid of rough crystal took its hand to lead it onto the floor. These dizzying sights, along with a thousand other sights which blurred before her eyes, were made worse by the perfect reflection of the floor and the many mirrors hanging from the narrow columns.


    She found herself reeling, a headache building behind her stinging eyes as she tried to make sense of the constantly shifting input. With the music building in her ears and the overwhelming intensity of the moon qi, her spiritual senses were rendered all but blind.


    She squeezed her eyes shut to cut out the worst and quickly cycled qi through her eyes and ears, channeling the effects of her Argent Mirror art. As the calming and stolid qi spread over her thoughts, the headache lessened, but the scents and sounds around her didn¡¯t fade.


    ¡°Cousin! We had wondered when you might come!¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes snapped open in alarm, and she became aware that she had staggered onto the floor while overwhelmed by sensation. Before her stood a woman with eyes like deep black pools, marked only by churning sparks of unnameable color. She was dressed in delicate silver finery that floated around her slender form like a cloud of lace and silk. Her hair drifted behind her in a cloud of rainbow mist, chaotic and wild, somehow solid and not at the same time. She smiled welcomingly at Ling Qi, apparently unperturbed by her presence.


    Luckily, instinct took over for Ling Qi¡¯s still somewhat dazed thoughts, and she recalled the fundamental axiom of being found in a place you didn¡¯t belong.


    ¡°Of course. I wouldn¡¯t have missed it,¡± she said, keeping her voice light.


    ¡°I was a bit surprised honestly.¡± Ling Qi felt a prickle of alarm as the woman took her hand, insistently leading her further into the room. It didn¡¯t feel right, but for the life of her, she couldn¡¯t see anything wrong with the woman¡¯s perfectly manicured digits, save perhaps the length of her nails. It didn¡¯t matter for the moment. She was surrounded after all. ¡°That Xin so rarely attends these kinds of revels after all,¡± the woman chattered, glancing back at her with a vulpine grin.


    That at least relieved her a little. Xin had given her the map and knew this place, so perhaps it really was just that she was expected.


    ¡°I suppose she isn¡¯t here then?¡± Ling Qi asked politely. ¡°Ah¡­ might I ask where we are going?¡± The woman was leading her through the crowd toward the far end of the hall where music pulsed more loudly in her blood. She could feel herself stepping more lightly, filled with a frenetic energy.


    ¡°Why, to the stage of course,¡± the woman said, giving a delighted laugh as she wove through the ever-changing spirits. ¡°You are going to be performing tonight after all!¡±


    ¡°What,¡± Ling Qi said flatly, her eyes widening in alarm. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything prepared for something like this!¡± she exclaimed, forgetting her more serious worries. ¡°I can¡¯t just-¡± The woman''s grip was implacable, and she found her feet sliding across the floor without resistance even as she stopped walking.


    ¡°Hush, little cousin, and quiet your fear.¡± The woman glanced back, still smiling. ¡°An artist must always be able to improvise.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes widened in alarm as the spirit, who must be an avatar of the Dreaming Moon, pulled her closer and then spun her twice, laughing as the world blurred around them. Ling Qi let out an inelegant yelp as she was flung bodily onto the stage, landing in a crouch only due to practiced reflex.


    A tremble went up her spine as she found the eyes of the hall on her, and a rumble of words and cheers began to rise. She still felt disoriented, and her blood still pounded in her ears, lunar qi overflowing her meridians and dantian, soaking into her and filling her with a frantic energy. What¡­ what in the world was she supposed to play?


    It was already so hard to think, to focus. But Ling Qi stilled herself, forcing down her fear. If playing for a concert hall worth of moon spirits was the trial¡­ then fine. She could do this. She would just have to improvise. She raised her flute to her lips, not certain when she had taken it out, and began to play. The world seemed to tilt as the notes rang out and the revel roared.


    Ling Qi¡¯s memories of that night would never really grow clear. There was only the blur of faces, human-like and inhuman, sounds of dancing and song, noise and merriment and chaos, the taste of sweet shimmering wines and exotic treats, and the scent of sweat, incense, and flowers. She remembered standing on Zhengui¡¯s back as he balanced on his hind legs and ¡®danced,¡¯ laughing while she sang and spirits clapped. She remembered dancing with dozens of spirits and of being whirled around the ballroom floor by the Dreaming Moon herself. She remembered the cool feeling of a jade slip being pressed into her palm before the avatar disappeared back into the crowd.


    The last thing she remembered though, was stumbling home, leaning on the shoulder of a laughing girl with hair that shimmered in the colors of a rainbow.

 Bonus Chapter: Temples and Festivals

    Matters of religion with the Empire are highly localized affairs. To understand the reasons behind the highly independent and disconnected nature of such organizations, even within the same province of the Empire, one must first understand the social factors behind the appearance of such organizations and their historical interactions with more secular centers of authority.


    The first evidence of spiritual practices are truly ancient. Of the few surviving pieces of human art or construction in the Pre-Draconic period, some four in five artifacts are related to matters of the spiritual. It is widely agreed among scholars that the world of this period was much less materially stable than the world which we inhabit now. Evidence suggests that it could not even be guaranteed that such simple matters as weather patterns and physical distances were consistent outside of localized zones.


    Those who lived in such a chaotic environment, with so few tools for observation and lacking the cultivation to master such phenomena, were pitifully vulnerable to the caprices of local spirits. As such, spiritual belief during this period largely pertained to the appeasement of very small spirits. However, such spirits, being small and mutable things, were vulnerable to the change which mankind imposed on their environment.


    It is from these early folk practices that we find the roots of modern belief. Among the ancients, stability was the most important concern, and as such, the rituals devised in those days were focused upon the establishment of patterns and regularity. Here, we see the establishment of flooding festivals in river valley regions, of ceremonies of the moon and stars upon the coast, and of regularized appeasement ceremonies in hunting and harvesting.


    The sun and the moon were the most conspicuous of the early objects of worship. As two of the very few constants in the changing world of the Pre-Draconic period, this was only natural.


    In the Draconic period, early human culture was largely erased or co-opted by the rising Dragon Gods. As the Dragon Gods established their sovereignty over certain spheres, the churning chaos of earlier times receded, and a more recognizable world began to emerge. Worship focused on the holdings, mobile or otherwise, of the new gods and achieved a higher level of organization and standardization across regions.


    This is the time of the earliest temples. Great structures were carved, built, and shaped under the eyes of the Dragon Gods. The first complex priesthoods began to emerge in this period for dragons could not abide a lack of hierarchy among even their meanest servants. Many monastic practices and submissive ritualism date to this period.


    The Cataclysmic period ended the vast majority of draconic traditions. However, the foundation of a stable world created by the dragon¡¯s sovereignty did not fade, and surviving humans continued many of their earlier practices in new forms. It is to this period that the oldest and most widely worshipped terrestrial spirits, such as the Bountiful Earth or the Restful End, date.


    In these days, many of those who rose to power over settlements held significant spiritual power, acting as intermediaries between the common folk and the Great Spirits. Some, such as the tribes of the Celestial Peaks region, maintained continuity with the priesthoods of the Dragon Gods, acting as mighty Priest Kings venerating their predecessors and tutelary deities connected with their primary Great Spirit patron. Some, such as the Weilu clans, reverted to earlier animistic practices, establishing complex webs of obligation and ritual to maintain the order of their lands.


    The Bai and Zheng were and continue to be noted for their highly confrontational methods, which was often a rallying point for their neighbors, who saw their methods as blasphemous and disrespectful. These attitudes toward spiritual matters can largely be traced to their founding figures, whose primary legends tend to emphasize their unmatchable lethality. Even the Bai and Zheng maintained some religious institutions however.


    As the Empire coalesced under the aegis of the Sage and his heirs, regional religious institutions also began to grow in prominence. In many regions, monastic orders and temples rose to a prominence that could match noble clans, and indeed, in some regions, such as the Alabaster Sands and the Golden Fields, who maintained the traditions of the Priest King structure, they were not separate entities at all.


    However, this led to problems. As religious institutions grew in power, their leaders, swollen with their own self-importance, began to chafe at proper Imperial authority. This came to a head during the Strife of Twin Emperors when many major temple organizations and clans took advantage of the civil war to demand further autonomy and authority separate from the proper chains of such things.


    The true emperor naturally did not forget this, and the later half of the period we now know as the Strife came from breaking up such rebellious institutions and returning the Empire to proper order. It was this event which led to the establishment of the Ministry of Spiritual Affairs. Henceforth, no longer would temple hierarchies be allowed to grow out of control. With the Ministry in place to take care of all necessary administrative functions and maintain contact between temples of different settlements, local priests and monks would be free to concentrate their efforts on the people under their care, rather than being tempted by temporal power.


    In the modern day, temples and the festivals they hold are important tools for social cohesion, maintaining the morale and morality of the people under the eyes of their lords. While it is often the local lord or lady who renegotiates bargains with their land¡¯s spirits, it is the priests of the temples which see to the day-to-day activities and rituals which maintain those agreements. The priests also officiate many ceremonies from funerals to weddings to minor spirit exorcisms in the name of the local lord.


    By necessity, there is still a great deal of regional variation. While festivals are typical at each solstice and equinox, what events and rituals such festivals include will vary from settlement to settlement and even the exact dates may vary. Outside of these seasonal festivals, the only certain day of celebration throughout the Empire remains the Day of Unity, a celebration of the concord wrought by the Sage and the founding families.


    All other days of significance are regional, and a wise traveler makes sure to study the rituals of their destination in advance to avoid giving offence to the local spiritual leaders and the lord or lady who oversees them. Ignorance is no excuse to the spirits or to the law.


    As it has always been, priests and monks serve as the intermediaries between the common man and higher beings, and although the precise nature of the role has varied over time, it remains a vital one to the maintenance of any healthy community.


    -From Temples and Festivals, by Imperial Scholar Mu Li

 Chapter 156-Hangover

    Her bed was much lumpier than she remembered, Ling Qi thought fuzzily. She winced as she made to open her eyes, only to let out a hiss of pain at the glimpse of early morning sunlight. Her head felt like it was going to split in half and her mouth felt painfully dry. What had happened last night?


    She tried to ignore the pounding in her skull as she vaguely recalled her impromptu performance on the stage, a hastily thrown together composition drawing on elements from her mother¡¯s work and her own idle thoughts. Everything else was fuzzier.


    The light shining through her eyelids dimmed and then faded entirely. It was soothing for a moment, but then, Ling Qi felt a chill down her spine and a cold prickling on her skin.


    ¡°I see my lessons have been entirely wasted.¡± Meizhen¡¯s cold voice cut through her pounding headache like a knife of ice.


    Ling Qi winced, cracking her eyes open to peer up at the white blur of her housemate. ¡°Meizhen? What are you doing in my bedroom?¡±


    Her friend¡¯s unamused face swam into view¡­ and so did the open window of the dining room. ¡°We are not in your chambers, Ling Qi. Perhaps you should attend to your surroundings.¡± She sounded pretty mad.


    Then the bed under her squirmed, and Ling Qi looked down, only to freeze. Disheveled hair that shimmered in the colors of a rainbow were pooled behind a pretty, slightly androgynous face with blue-tinged skin and elfin features. They were on the table, and she could feel the spirit girl¡¯s lithe limbs shifting under her. Ling Qi was suddenly all too aware of the fact that her gown was hiked up to her knees and the spirit¡¯s gown had fallen off her shoulder.


    Ling Qi yelped in surprise, pushing herself off the tabletop in shock only to slam painfully into the ceiling, the back of her head cracking against the stone. She fell back to the floor in a tangle of confused limbs just in time to see Meizhen¡¯s back as her friend all but stomped out, her shadow pooling beneath her like a pitch black puddle of ink.


    Ling Qi squeezed her eyes shut in frustration, letting her forehead thunk against the floor, and groaned. Wasn¡¯t that just great.


    ¡°Mm, she was pretty scary for a human, wasn¡¯t she?¡± A musical voice cut off her budding self-recriminations, causing Ling Qi to lift her head up and glare at the source.


    The spirit she had been unknowingly sleeping on had pushed herself up into a seated position and was looking down at her with a bemused expression. Her eyes were black and mult-ifaceted like an insect¡¯s, and her gown still hung from her shoulder, exposing a pale shoulder and part of her slim chest.


    She should have been more alarmed, Ling Qi knew, but memories were slowly coming back to her. She remembered talking to this girl after her performance and dragging her out onto the dance floor, chattering like an excited child.


    ¡°You were never actually asleep, were you? Why did you let me pass out on the table?¡± And on you, Ling Qi left unsaid.


    The moon spirit hummed thoughtfully, pressing a finger to her cheek just below the little beauty mark there. ¡°Isn¡¯t this how humans do this kind of thing? I thought it would be more authentic,¡± she said with an enthusiastic nod, clapping her hands to punctuate the words.


    Ling Qi groaned, forcing herself to rise off the floor, trying not to wobble as her vision spun. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t have any response to that,¡± she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. ¡°Fix your dress,¡± she added, glancing away and grimacing when she found the memory she was searching for still missing. ¡°... I don¡¯t remember your name.¡±


    ¡°Most don¡¯t, as a rule,¡± the spirit replied cheerfully, the rustle of cloth indicating that she was doing as Ling Qi asked. ¡°Then again, most don¡¯t leave Grandmother¡¯s galas either. You can call me Sixiang!¡± Ling Qi looked back up to see that her guest¡¯s clothes were at least not falling off anymore, although the shimmering pink gown was as low cut as the most risque of Xiulan¡¯s.


    At least Sixiang didn¡¯t have anything to be jealous of, Ling Qi thought grumpily.


    ¡°Hm. Should you really be chatting with me? Your lover seemed pretty mad. You shouldn¡¯t just let that kind of misunderstanding fester!¡± Ling Qi blinked as the spirit on her table scolded her.


    ¡°We¡¯re not¡­ that,¡± Ling Qi replied immediately, only to grimace again. ¡°I mean, we¡¯re friends, but not¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± Sixiang seemed nonplussed, cocking her head to the side in thought. ¡°Are you sure?¡± she asked dubiously. ¡°Her feelings seemed pretty clear, and you talked about her a lot. Didn¡¯t you dedicate your whole second song to her?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re both women, and I don¡¯t...¡± Ling Qi rubbed her forehead in frustration. By her nonexistent ancestors, she had. She remembered swaying on the stage, announcing her second melody for the night and finally setting forth just what she felt for Meizhen in song. For a moment, Ling Qi stood paralyzed as memories and emotions flooded back, but she shook her head. That was a conversation she needed to have with Meizhen, not some strange moon spirit.


    ¡°I don¡¯t follow.¡± The spirit sounded confused. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t one of you change your sex if that¡¯s a problem?¡± Sixiang frowned, swinging her legs off the edge of the table, the lacey hem of her gown fluttering up over bare feet. ¡°You didn¡¯t mind when I turned into a girl for our dance.¡±


    ¡°Sex doesn¡¯t work like that for humans,¡± Ling Qi replied dryly. Probably. In any case, even if cultivators could, Ling Qi doubted she or Meizhen wanted to be male. ¡°And¡­¡± She narrowed her eyes. ¡°Wait. Are you a boy or a girl?¡± Had she just slept on top of a man?


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand the question.¡± The spirit¡¯s hair fluttered in a phantom wind and something about the spirit¡¯s form subtly changed. ¡°Why would I just be one or the other? You were taking the lead last night, so I felt more like a woman.¡± The spirit¡¯s voice was now a little deeper, and the lines of their face slightly more masculine. ¡°But now you need a push! You¡¯re distracting yourself! Why are you chatting with me when your friend is upset? Go talk to her, you silly human.¡±


    ¡°I really shouldn¡¯t bother her when she''s upset,¡± Ling Qi hedged. ¡°We can-¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Sixiang interrupted her, hopping down from the tabletop. ¡°Excuses are no good!¡± the moon spirit declared, poking her in the shoulder as if to prod Ling Qi toward the door. ¡°If you leave her to stew on it, things are just going to get worse!¡±


    The most annoying thing was that she knew the spirit was right, despite the questions she still had floating around. She really wished she could recall last night more clearly. She batted Sixiang¡¯s finger away with a huff.


    ¡°Stop that,¡± she said, trying to gather her thoughts. She could feel Zhengui asleep in the garden, so she didn¡¯t need to worry about him, but¡­ ¡°And what are you going to do? Why did you follow me home?¡±


    Placated by Ling Qi¡¯s agreement, the spirit, which she thought was a girl again, hopped back a step. ¡°Well,¡± Sixiang said, drawing out the word. ¡°You seemed pretty fun, so I figured I¡¯d come take a look around for a while. Don¡¯t worry,¡± the spirit added, waving a hand. ¡°I won¡¯t impose. I¡¯m just going to have a look around the mountain.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by-¡± Ling Qi began, but by the time the words were out, Sixiang had already dissolved before her eyes into a mass of psychedelic mist and butterflies which flowed rapidly out of the open window. LIng Qi sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She could worry about the spirit later. She¡­ or he... was in the third stage of the third realm. Sixiang would be fine regardless on the mountain.


    Meizhen, on the other hand...


    Ling Qi winced as she made her way outside, noting the emptiness of the street and¡­ yes, there was a crying first realm girl being consoled by a friend. Ling Qi was glad the Ma Sisters hadn¡¯t been guarding the door; Meizhen was obviously pretty unhappy. It made her easy to follow. A single light jump carried her to the rooftop, and soon, the residential district blurred around her as she followed Meizhen¡¯s trail.


    She finally caught up to her just outside the district on the road to the market. She landed a few steps behind her with a flutter of cloth. ¡°Meizhen, look, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    She winced as the other girl ignored her, only picking her pace up imperceptibly in response to Ling Qi¡¯s words. She hurried after her, but her next call was ignored as well, as was the one after that. Frustrated, Ling Qi took a blurring step forward, letting her qi flow through her legs, and caught Meizhen by the hand.


    ¡°Please listen for a minute,¡± Ling Qi pleaded, still talking to the back of her friend¡¯s head.


    Ling Qi shivered. The prickling feeling on the back of her neck that she suspected would be atavistic terror to anyone else told her all she needed to know about Bai Meizhen¡¯s mood.


    ¡°Ling Qi, release me now.¡± Her friend''s words were sharp and clipped, but at least she had finally stopped walking.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she apologized again, letting go of the girl''s hand. ¡°You know that was just a misunderstanding, right? I met the Dreaming Moon last night and-¡±


    ¡°You allowed yourself to become intoxicated on Delusion Nectar,¡± Meizhen interrupted without turning her head. ¡°The smell is rather obvious. You require a bath.¡±


    Ling Qi winced, holding a hand up in front of her face. Letting out a breath, she could only grimace. There was definitely a strong sweet scent clinging to her. ¡°Yes, that. Is that what it¡¯s called?¡±


    ¡°Grandfather, as well as my aunts and uncles, partook of it during feast days,¡± Meizhen answered stiffly.


    Ling Qi paused, trying to imagine a drunk Bai, then shook her head. Still, she guessed that explained why she remembered drinking out of a cup that was practically a thimble. ¡°So that back there was just a spirit doing spirit things. Nothing-¡±


    ¡°Obviously not,¡± Meizhen replied, finally turning to look at her, golden eyes cold. ¡°Nor have I any right to be upset even so. You made that quite clear.¡±


    That was fair, even if the venom in her friend¡¯s tone hurt. ¡°Alright,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Then why are you so upset?¡±


    Meizhen bit her lip, a stronger display of emotion than she was used to from the reticent girl. ¡°How can you be so¡­ dense?¡± Meizhen asked, frustration leaking into her tone. ¡°I am upset with you because you put yourself in such a position with no thought for your safety or reputation.¡± She glanced around at the empty road. ¡°Even in this, you¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, this isn¡¯t really an appropriate venue,¡± Ling Qi admitted. Then again, Meizhen¡¯s aura was a pretty strong deterrent. She was pretty sure she had seen a bird dropping out of the sky out of the corner of her eye. ¡°But I was safe. I just had to perform music for the Moon spirits. It was embarrassing, but-¡±


    ¡°Do you imagine that such revels are not dangerous?¡± Meizhen asked incredulously. ¡°Greater cultivators than you or I have failed to leave them with an intact mind. You are lucky the Dreamer¡¯s whims were benevolent.¡±


    ... She didn¡¯t regret attending, and going by the harsh breath her friend released, Meizhen could tell. ¡°Enough. I have tasks to accomplish.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right that this isn¡¯t a good place to talk,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°So¡­ later, can we? It¡¯s been awhile since we¡¯ve just spent time together and talked, hasn¡¯t it? I heard you got another spirit?¡±


    Meizhen paused in the midst of turning away, a defeated glimmer in her eyes. ¡°I did. Grandfather is pleased with my progress and wished to ensure my continued success.¡±


    ¡°He wants you to embarrass Sun Liling, you mean,¡± Ling Qi pointed out, managing a smile.


    ¡°That would be a pleasant side effect,¡± Bai Meizhen replied without expression. ¡°I suppose I might have time to talk later. It is not good to become entirely consumed by cultivation. I will let you know when I have decided upon a time.¡±


    Ling Qi let out a quiet sigh of relief. ¡°Sounds good. I¡¯d like to explain myself, and there¡¯s a new song I¡¯d like to hear your thoughts on.¡±


    Meizhen closed her eyes briefly and finished turning away. ¡°I think I would like that.¡±


    Ling Qi sighed, cradling her head in her hands as she leaned against a tree. Between her conversation with Cai Renxiang and now her encounter with the Dreaming Moon, her thoughts were really muddled. What was she even doing? Why was she doing it? It seemed that there were many conversations that she needed to have.


    But not right at this moment.


    She returned home to clean herself up and then headed to her meditation room. The cool darkness of the stone chamber was inviting given her pounding head, and frankly, Ling Qi just wanted to focus on something simple and straightforward. A little closed door cultivation was just what she needed.


    The rest of the day and much of the next had passed by the time she awoke from her breakthrough attempt, having fallen short again of her goal, leaving her muscles cramped and wracked with pain. Ling Qi was truly beginning to feel bad for those who could be stuck doing this for months or years before succeeding, if ever. She was thoroughly sick of it after only a few weeks.


    It did give her reason to seek out Li Suyin though.


    ¡°Are you sure you want me to do this?¡± Li Suyin asked worriedly from beside her. ¡°Surely, simply going to the White Room would be superior to my paltry skills¡­¡±


    Ling Qi raised her head from the fluffy towel it had been laid on to meet her friend¡¯s eyes. She was once again resting on the table in Li Suyin¡¯s workroom, which was increasingly coming to resemble the inside of a silk cocoon.


    ¡°But then I would have to wobble my way down the mountain to do that,¡± Ling Qi pointed out. She had done it a few times over the past couple of weeks. It hadn¡¯t been fun, and she¡¯d needed support from Xiulan once or twice for the trip. ¡°And Bai Meizhen reminded me that I should take more care with my reputation,¡± she added with a sigh, letting her head hit the table with a soft thump. She still felt uncomfortable, laying here stripped to the waist, but Li Suyin was the least threatening person she knew, and besides, she trusted her.


    ¡°I won¡¯t object,¡± Li Suyin said quietly, her voice fading as her footfalls took her to the shelves lining the room before padding back. ¡°I owe you too much after all. I am glad to help however I can.¡±


    Ling Qi felt some of the tension leave her horribly cramped muscles as Suyin poured just a little of something cool and sweet-smelling onto her back and began to spread it across her prickling skin, slowly numbing the pain of her failed breakthrough.


    ¡°You don¡¯t though,¡± Ling Qi said, turning her head so that she could see her friend out of the corner of her eye.


    Suyin had changed, she decided. While the melancholy that had taken her after she had lost her eye was still there, hanging over her like a shroud, her shoulders were no longer hunched with fear. Li Suyin had the buds of quiet confidence growing in her now. She was even beginning to let her hair grow out again. Somehow, that just made the girl¡¯s usual self-deprecation bother Ling Qi more.


    ¡°I don¡¯t what?¡± Li Suyin asked, glancing at her curiously as her hands worked small circles on Ling Qi¡¯s shoulders, slowly easing the knots of pain that festered under her skin.


    ¡°You don¡¯t owe me,¡± Ling Qi answered. ¡°I haven¡¯t done all that much for you. You¡¯ve more than paid me back by now.¡±


    Li Suyin frowned, her one-eyed gaze falling back to Ling Qi¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I haven¡¯t. Without you, I would not be here. I was very fragile in those days. I would have given up without you.¡±


    ¡°In those days,¡± Ling Qi mused. ¡°Was it really less than a year ago when we were both excited to open one meridian?¡±


    ¡°It does not seem like it,¡± Li Suyin admitted, a wry smile tugging at her lips. ¡°It feels like looking back at a different person entirely.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ling Qi agreed, letting out a soft breath as the pain continued to flee her body. ¡°But you still don¡¯t owe me. I only did what any friend might have. What did I really offer you besides words?¡±


    ¡°You showed me that a cultivator could be more than a thug and a bully and still be successful,¡± Suyin replied, emotion coloring her voice even as her hands remained steady in their motions. ¡°You showed me that you could be kind without being weak, despite suffering from cruelty yourself. Virtue is so easy when it is never challenged. I am not sure that I am strong enough to be a good person.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a good person,¡± Ling Qi disagreed, laying her head back down and closing her eyes. She was still babbling; did that nectar stuff really last this long? ¡°Li Suyin, I don¡¯t know what you imagine I¡¯m like but¡­ After I ran away from my mother, I was a thief. I¡¯ve hurt more people than I can remember. I¡¯ve probably even caused some people who never did me wrong to die. You shouldn¡¯t treat a selfish girl like me as a role model.¡±


    It was easy to suppress the memories of her time before the Sect. Life as a mortal was so much less vibrant, so much less real, like a dull dream. Yet she could still remember the gnawing feeling of hunger and the bite of the cold. She could still remember when she had stopped feeling sympathy for the other street children and started feeling the base animal urge for survival that overrode everything else.


    For the first time, Li Suyin¡¯s hands stilled. ¡°You are right. I cannot really imagine it.¡± The girl''s words were quiet but firm. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine living without a home or parents to care for me, yet how many people suffer from that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not really an excuse,¡± Ling Qi said with a mirthless chuckle. She hadn¡¯t really changed after all. She just had the resources to avoid doing some of things she disliked now.


    ¡°I think it is,¡± Suyin replied firmly. ¡°Only the ascended can be said to be an ideal. Senior Sister Bao taught me that. Whatever you were, you¡¯ve grown beyond it, haven¡¯t you? A selfish person would not have supported me when I was weak and useless. I think you are being too hard on yourself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I have,¡± Ling Qi replied, remembering the two people whose chances she had ruined for the New Year Tournament. ¡°I think I¡¯ve just expanded my selfishness to include a few other people.¡±


    ¡°Then you have an odd definition of selfishness,¡± Li Suyin huffed, resuming her work on Ling Qi¡¯s tingling back. You are my friend, Ling Qi, and I think you have the most important part of being a good person. You regret doing wrong and want to be better.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t help the people who I¡¯ve already hurt,¡± Ling Qi replied mulishly.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t, so carve those regrets into your heart so that you don¡¯t err again,¡± Li Suyin said primly.


    ¡°Hmph, when did you start sounding like a grandmother? Your hair is going to go grey, Li Suyin,¡± Ling Qi laughed. Had she really been worried about this girl? Suyin had grown, and she had barely noticed.


    ¡°Eh! I was just quoting Senior Sister Bao. I thought it sounded very wise,¡± Suyin said, sounding put out. ¡°I didn''t mean to sound condescending. My apologies, Ling Qi.¡±


    Well, maybe she wasn¡¯t quite as mature as all that, Ling Qi supposed. ¡°You''re fine. I was only teasing,¡± she said, turning her head to smile at the flustered girl. ¡°Would you like to come down to the White Room with me after this?¡±


    ¡°I would not want to impose,¡± her friend hedged.


    ¡°Suyin,¡± she said, catching the girl¡¯s attention. ¡°I do mean it. You don¡¯t owe me anything¡­ so please accept my thanks for helping me today.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll accept then,¡± Li Suyin sighed. ¡°Please don¡¯t hesitate to come to me in the future though, even without debt. I will always find time to help you. Now, please lie still, or we will be here all afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, doctor. I¡¯ll try to be good.¡± Still smiling, Ling Qi closed her eyes. That had gone better than she could have hoped. She still wasn¡¯t sure she bought Suyin¡¯s words, not completely, but she was glad her friend knew enough to not treat her as perfect.

 Chapter 157-Bronze Realm

    When she returned to the meditation room the next day, it was with a refreshed body and mind, despite a slight nervous feeling from when she overheard some of the girls in the residential district talking about a strange spirit wandering around asking strange questions. It seemed like some people were thinking it was some odd test from the Elders, like a wandering trial¡­ Sixiang wouldn¡¯t cause too much trouble. Hopefully.


    She let that worry go as she sealed the meditation chamber and sat down, ready to finish her breakthrough.


    This time, there was no recoil, only the smooth melding of her qi with her body and a feeling of lightness as if she had just taken off a dress that was three sizes too small. When she opened her eyes, she found herself caked in impurity of course, a stinking mess of black gunk that needed to be scrubbed from her skin with the cloth and water she had prepared for just that.


    If her second realm breakthrough had left her unblemished, this one had simply made her¡­ more. Looking at herself in the mirror, it was hard to pin down exact changes. Her skin remained just as dusky as ever, and she remained tall and thin without much in the way of feminine charm. Yet her eyes burned an icy blue like chips of glacial rime, and she thought her features looked a little more mature, stripped of their last vestiges of childish softness.


    Her hair, wet from washing and mostly unstyled, was still wild and curly, but it no longer seemed quite so frayed or frizzy. Instead, her hair seemed sleek and dark, drinking in the dim light of the meditation room and reflecting nothing despite now hanging down to the middle of her back. In fact, as she toyed with the ends of her bangs, did it seem a little blue-ish? It was more of a midnight blue than Suyin¡¯s lighter shade. With rising suspicion, she began to cycle her qi, letting cool darkness flow through her meridians and sure enough, she caught faint twinkling sparkles like dim stars in her hair.


    ... She wasn¡¯t sure if that was embarrassing or cool.


    Some part of her lamented the fact that she still wasn¡¯t really beautiful, but at least she could now qualify for striking? She had even gained another centimeter or two in height.


    Shaking her head, Ling Qi turned away from the mirror and began to get dressed. That was enough vanity for the moment. She had still lost another day to breakthrough, and she had a few errands to run before Meizhen invited her out for their discussion.


    ***


    ¡°Congratulations,¡± Han Jian said lightly as she landed lightly in the training field he and Han Fang had been sparring in. He had spotted her coming from above well before she arrived, and the two boys had broken off their fight to greet her. ¡°A full breakthrough to the third realm in less than a year isn¡¯t anything to scoff at.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ling Qi replied, glad to see that her invitations to Xiulan to go with her to the White Room hadn¡¯t strained relations with the rest of Golden Field. ¡°It looks like you¡¯re doing very well too,¡± she added politely. He and Han Fang were both fully in the late stage of the second realm now.


    ¡°Ha! I¡¯m not so sure about that.¡± Han Jian shook his head. He glanced over at Han Fang, who nodded back once before heading for the entrance to the training yard. Ling Qi watched him go for a moment. She had never gotten to know the silent boy, and she regretted that a little. He seemed like a reliable sort. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t see myself breaking through before time runs out, so I¡¯ve decided to more fully develop my arts.¡±


    ¡°Breaking through is definitely time consuming,¡± Ling Qi said with a grimace. ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve hardly done anything for the past month.¡±


    Han Jian gave her a wry look, and she glanced away, embarrassed. Complaining about spending a month in breakthrough seemed really petty.


    ¡°You might want to prepare yourself for the future then. There are bottlenecks in the third realm that will take you months to break through, unless you¡¯ve been hiding a legendary talent to match the Duchess Cai,¡± he said in a light tone.


    ¡°Fun,¡± Ling Qi deadpanned. ¡°I guess the easy part is over, huh?¡±


    ¡°Probably best to think of it that way,¡± Han Jian agreed. ¡°Third realm is the highest the vast majority of cultivators can aspire to, even among the talented.¡±


    ¡°Neither of us is going to stop there though, are we?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°Not you, or Han Fang, or Gu Xiulan,¡± she added thoughtfully. ¡°No one I know really.¡± Su Ling and Li Suyin might not be as talented, but she doubted either would simply stop either. ¡°Is the third realm really where people stop?¡±


    ¡°The higher you rise, the more time cultivation takes, and people have other responsibilities and interests,¡± Han Jian explained, heading toward the edge of the field. ¡°Not everyone has the ambition and dedication to keep pushing through years or decades of tiny gains. Besides, most people don¡¯t really need higher cultivation.¡±


    Ling Qi struggled to imagine simply¡­ settling, knowing that there was still such a vast gulf between yourself and the top, so many people and things which could still trample you effortlessly. ¡°Well, less competition is good, I guess,¡± she said after a moment. ¡°Anyway, I thought I¡¯d ask about how you all are doing.¡±


    ¡°Xiulan hasn¡¯t exactly been sociable,¡± he said sadly. ¡°She¡¯s at least being safe about her training now, but she is pushing hard. Thanks for taking her to the White Room by the way. I can¡¯t really do so without a lot of¡­ awkwardness.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Ling Qi replied with a nod. ¡°But I¡¯m not just concerned about Xiulan.¡±


    ¡°Kind of you,¡± he shot back as he plucked a wooden training sword from the rack and gestured for her to follow him out into the field. ¡°Fang and I aren¡¯t giving up. Even if we don¡¯t reach the third realm, we¡¯re still aiming for Inner Sect at the New Year Tournament,¡± he continued resolutely. ¡°... I worry about Fan Yu though. He¡­¡±


    ¡°He probably feels like it¡¯s hopeless,¡± Ling Qi finished.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Han Jian said simply. ¡°Yu is a good guy at heart, but I¡¯m worried he¡¯s going to crash and burn. I¡¯m trying to keep his spirits up, but there¡¯s only so much I can do if he doesn¡¯t want it himself.¡±


    So about what she expected then. Han Jian and Han Fang would both be solidly late second realm, perhaps even peak, but Fan Yu was still struggling to reach the middle last she saw. Xiulan had been at peak spiritual the last she saw her, and her physical cultivation had just reached late.


    ¡°There was actually something else. We can spar and talk though, if you¡¯d like.¡±


    ¡°Sure, what¡¯s the question?¡± Han Jian asked, giving the practice blade in his hand a few lazy swipes, the wind stirring around him.


    Ling Qi, on the other hand, fell into a defensive stance, calling up the qi of Argent Mirror¡¯s mountain and lake to center herself. ¡°I was hoping you could tell me more about Golden Fields. I have an offer regarding it.¡±


    Han Jian studied her, brows furrowed, examining her with more than his eyes. She in turn felt carefully for the fluctuations in his qi as his limbs blurred under tight sleeves of swirling air. ¡°Ah, you''re actually considering it? Given your other connections, I¡¯m a little surprised.¡±


    ¡°I want to know all that I can about every choice I have,¡± Ling Qi answered.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I mind talking about home,¡± he said, shrugging his shoulders slightly.


    So, as they began testing one another''s defenses, Han Jian began to speak.


    The Golden Fields was a land of patchworks. The territories of the clans were far less organic and similarly, far less competitive. Few major clans shared a border with another, although that was beginning to change in the westernmost lands, which had begun to regain their old character as fertile fields. Most of the habitable land was still scrub and desert so the traditions born in the wake of the fall were still maintained.


    Most clans fell into one of two categories: sedentary or nomadic. The Fan, for example, were a sedentary clan because during the fall, their patriarch had pulled their core lands deep underground and shielded it from the Purifying Sun¡¯s death with his body. Although they had been much reduced, the Fan maintained a rich, flowering oasis from which to rebuild.


    On the other hand, the Han and the ruling ducal clan, the Guo, were nomadic. The Han household traveled regularly along a fixed route through their territory in a great caravan, administering their smaller but more numerous settlements.


    Ling Qi was a little dubious about his description of the ducal clan. Even with all she had seen, a great citadel carried on the back of a colossal scorpion seemed a little far-fetched.


    That aside though, Han Jian made no effort to conceal the fact that the Golden Fields was a harsh place. The further east one went, the more toxic and poisonous the lands outside a clan¡¯s territory became. The earth itself was tainted with sun and death qi. Cultivators below the third realm who ventured out unprotected into the poison sands could quickly sicken and die, their meridians catching fire and their flesh rotting from their bones. Even higher cultivators could grow ill without regular cleansing. It took great effort from the clans to maintain their borders and prevent the poison from spreading back into cleansed lands, which was why actual expansion was a generational affair.


    Still, Golden Fields was a rich land. The same effect which had reduced the soil to ash had created great veins of qi-rich ores and gemstones in the stone, and these days, such ores and gemstones were in high demand in the interior provinces, being useful for all manner of high-end formation work and talisman crafting. Quite a few clans which were only a few generations old had grown influential and wealthy off such finds under the aegis of the greater clans.


    Such wealth was sorely needed for defenses because the desert was not content to simply passively poison the land. Ashwalkers - she remembered hearing about several times before - were foul, dead things born from the toxic qi of the sands. They were little more dangerous than normal predatory spirit beasts in small numbers, but they had to be promptly cleansed from any land they were discovered in. If they weren¡¯t, they would gather in numbers out in the wastes, rallied by their more intelligent kin, skeletal abominations animated by the wrathful wraiths of those who had died in the fall, driven mad by the toxic qi.


    At their worst, these mobs could be akin to ancient Imperial armies sweeping out of the waste, but that was rare. More often, they behaved more like bandits, roving bands of murderous marauders that sought to break the land-cleansing totems and destroy settlements.


    It was unsettling, Ling Qi had to admit, but the more she learned about the world outside Tonghou, the more she came to understand that there was no safety on any of the borders of the Empire.

 Interlude: Han Jian

    It was still a little hard to match the two images in his head, Han Jian thought wryly as he watched Ling Qi leave, a fading dot of black in the clear blue sky. The awkward, wary mortal who had approached him at orientation with all the poise of an often kicked cat was hard to reconcile with the current Ling Qi. She was fully third realm now, and wasn¡¯t that a fright. Fighting her had been a nightmare even when she was a second realm cultivator. He wasn¡¯t confident in his chances now, especially if her absurdly good luck had been holding.


    ¡®Shameful,¡¯ Heijin¡¯s haughty voice floated in the back of his thoughts. He could practically see the imperious look on the tiger¡¯s face despite the fact that he didn¡¯t bother to materialize.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you start, fuzzball,¡± he said with a snort, driving the wooden tip of his practice sword into the ground. ¡°I can be honest in my own thoughts, at least.¡± The best way to deal with the uppity kitten - and he was still that, no matter his growth - was to treat him like the brat he was. That had been his mistake at the beginning of the year, his instinct to be conciliatory betraying him. ¡°Or should I tell her you wanted to have a spar?¡±


    ¡®...The Cold One is formidable,¡¯ Heijin allowed. ¡®So why do you strengthen her further?¡¯


    ¡°Because access to the Mirror benefits me more than the Storm does her, I think,¡± Han Jian said. ¡°If I can master all three, next year should be assured. Taking a step on Sect Head Yuan¡¯s path will help me forge the ties my Father wants here.¡± And because in the end, Han Jian still felt Ling Qi was a friend.


    ¡®Hmph. Shameful was correct. You have given up,¡¯ Heijin replied coldly, and Han Jian felt the tiger¡¯s displeasure as a churning in his dantian. He grimaced at the discomfort. Heijin was at the peak of the second realm and would likely break through in time for the tournament. Luckily, his family¡¯s Dust King Meditations allowed him to hold a spirit in the third realm, if at inflated qi costs. It was making Heijin arrogant again though.


    ¡°There are only so many places,¡± he said quietly, as much to himself as the cub. ¡®... And Xiulan needs it more,¡¯ he added, a silent thought that could only be heard by his spirit companion.


    He could feel Heijin¡¯s discomfort. The cub liked her, but Han Jian and Heijin both knew he was betraying his family in a small way by putting her needs over his own. He looked down as he remembered the memory of her tears and then her anger.


    He could at least do this, try to help her one last time. Given the caliber of competition at this year¡¯s tournament, reaching partial or full third realm would probably be required to have an opportunity at a slot. He wouldn¡¯t lose anything irretrievable if he held off for one year, waiting until after the tournament to try breaking through to the third. Xiulan would still have to put in the effort and have some luck in her attempts to reach at least partial third realm to gain consideration from the Sect in her matches. Hopefully, this could make up for hurting her the way he had.


    He was betraying Fan Yu too, even if he was sure that was for the best in the end. There could be no happiness, or even contentment, there between the two. If he repeated it to himself often enough, he might even believe that was really his reasoning.


    He wished things between the Gu and the Han were simpler, that his silly childish promise wasn¡¯t impossible because his Grandfather would never give the Gu another lever of power, not when they were already testing the limits of a viscount house''s power and seeking to escape vassalage by ascending to count status. With Gu Yanmei¡¯s prodigious cultivation speed, they may even have a chance of doing so. For once, he was happy for the scrutiny of the ducal Guo, preventing Grandfather from moving to forcefully cement the Han clan¡¯s authority over the Gu.


    He heard the thump of flesh on metal and looked up to meet his cousin¡¯s eyes. The taller boy grinned at him and motioned with his hands. ¡®The trade went well?¡¯


    ¡°It did,¡± Han Jian said, smiling back. It was so easy to put on an expression he wasn¡¯t feeling that he didn¡¯t even notice doing it anymore for the most part. ¡°We¡¯ll be able to master the first step of the Argent Way now. You¡¯ll definitely get a spot in next year¡¯s tourney.¡± Between them, they knew that Han Fang would not make the cut this year; the competition was simply too much.


    The other boy beamed at him, proud to be praised. It just made Han Jian feel another twist in his gut. It was all too easy to remember a scrawny servant boy, barely more than a mortal, getting his throat cut for trying to ¡®protect the young master¡¯ from an assassin¡¯s blade, even after the actual guards had fallen. It had bought Han Jian the last crucial seconds needed for his father to arrive and scour the flesh from the villain''s bones.


    What a useless thing he had been, just a few years ago. He had been a lazy, spoiled child who didn''t even bother to understand the mountains of effort that went into maintaining his family''s position within the clan. At least he had gotten Fang an adoption into the family for his deed. He knew Fang wouldn¡¯t approve of his resolve to not stand in Xiulan¡¯s way if it came down to it. His adopted cousin was always a firm proponent of putting Han Jian first. Han Jian could not fault him for that. Even now he was being selfish, doing what he wanted rather than what he should.


    ¡®You¡¯re troubled,¡¯ Fang signed, shooting him a shrewd look. ¡®Was the cost so high?¡¯


    ¡°Hardly. Ling Qi isn¡¯t the type to bargain hard,¡± he answered, waving dismissively. ¡°No, just contemplating the vagaries of fortune.¡±


    His cousin clapped him on the shoulder and grinned, signing with his other hand. ¡®Considering our poor timing then? That is a fair thing.¡¯


    ¡°Yes,¡± Han Jian laughed. ¡°This really is an absurd year. At least Father will be happy with all the high profile clan heads at the tournament.¡±


    ¡®Lord Jing will make many deals,¡¯ Fang agreed with a nod. ¡®Will we continue practicing our weapon arts then?¡¯


    ¡°No, we¡¯ll drop the old stuff for now. I want to get started on mastering the Mirror further,¡± Han Jian replied. Even if he wasn¡¯t going to make it¡­ he refused to give a poor showing. He still had that much pride at least.

 Chapter 158-Resolution

    She parted ways with Han Jian after a couple hours of work and study, satisfied with the explanation. It was growing dark by the time she left so Ling Qi headed back home to settle in and continue her cultivation of Eight Phase Ceremony. Now that she had fully broken through, she wanted to advance her cultivation art.


    The next phase continued to elude her throughout the night, seeming to flit out of reach every time she thought that she had found some new insight in the stellar qi. It was frustrating, but with the morning sun heating her skin, Ling Qi had little recourse but to move on with her plans to check on her friends.


    Those plans ran into a snag when she found that Su Ling and the Ma sisters were nowhere to be found on the mountain. Eventually, she went to Li Suyin, who told her that their mutual friend had gone out on a hunting trip the day before and wasn¡¯t back yet.


    With that knowledge in hand, Ling Qi descended the mountain to search for clues. Thankfully, Su Ling had been seen going into the forest, so picking up their trail wasn¡¯t too hard. The scene she came upon when she found them was a little strange though.


    Su Ling and the Ma sisters were in a newly made clearing created by several destroyed trees which laid on the ground, their trunks splintered and cracked. Ma Jun was seated on a rock, a gloomy expression on her face as she plucked twigs and dirt clods out of her mussed hair. The rest of herr wasn¡¯t much cleaner.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, put your back into it.¡± Ling Qi¡¯s attention was then drawn to Su Ling, who seemed rather more pleased at the state of things if one could read past her natural surly expression. She was speaking to Ma Lei, who was red-faced and panting as she worked to haul a truly massive boar out of a pit in the earth.


    The beast was dead, one of its tusks broken, and many of the bony growths on its head cracked. Its hide was split in many places by deep cuts which no longer bled. It was also more than twice the height of a full grown horse and several times the mass.


    ¡°... You three look like you¡¯re having an adventure,¡± Ling Qi said dryly, calling their attention to her as she lit on the branch of a still standing tree. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you aren¡¯t helping though, Su Ling. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve gotten lazy.¡±


    Su Ling had startled when she first spoke up, her twin tails shooting straight up, but she relaxed as she looked over her shoulder at Ling Qi. ¡°Nah, this is just punishment detail.¡± She looked back to the other girl, who had taken the opportunity to catch her breath. ¡°What¡¯d we learn today?¡±


    ¡°To follow the plan,¡± Ma Lei replied between ragged breaths, her tone good-natured despite the grumbling. ¡°... and that I can¡¯t stop a Centennial Crag Boar head-on yet.¡±


    ¡°Obviously,¡± Ma Jun huffed, plucking sadly at a wide rip in the sleeve of her gown. She then stood and bowed toward Ling Qi though. ¡°Congratulations on your breakthrough, Lady Ling.¡±


    ¡°Huh, looks like you did finish. Congrats, Ling Qi,¡± Su Ling added after looking her over more closely. ¡°Did ya fall in a bag of glitter though?¡±


    ¡°Ha ha,¡± Ling Qi said dryly. ¡°Thank you though,¡± she added more politely to Ma Jun. ¡°What are you guys doing out here anyway?¡±


    ¡°Sect job,¡± Su Ling replied with a shrug. ¡°This fella wandered out of the mountains. I needed to restock on some stuff too.¡±


    ¡°And we needed some points. Sis and I wanna get some tutoring,¡± Ma Lei said cheerfully as she got back to work.


    She was glad to see that they were getting along well enough to take on cooperative jobs. It eased her worries about leaving Su Ling alone in the Outer Sect.


    ¡°So what brought you out here?¡± Su Ling asked, eyeing her shrewdly.


    ¡°It¡¯s just been awhile, hasn¡¯t it?¡± Ling Qi said sheepishly, knowing that the other girl wouldn¡¯t appreciate being checked up on like a child. Ling Qi didn¡¯t see it that way, but she suspected Su Ling would. ¡°How are you all holding up now that the mess with Sun Liling is over? I¡¯ve been out of contact for some time.¡±


    ¡°We are ready to resume guarding you or your home if needed, Lady Ling,¡± Ma Jun said humbly. ¡°Things have been very peaceful, so enforcer patrols have been scaled down somewhat.¡±


    ¡°Been kinda boring,¡± Ma Lei grunted. ¡°Got into a duel with this angry pink-haired girl over a hunting job though. She really cleaned my clock.¡± Ma Lei added the last with a laugh, seemingly unbothered by the loss.


    ¡°Just been working on some projects. Think I might have found some good places for harvesting out here,¡± Su Ling shrugged. ¡°Ah, if you want, I refined another silverblood pill.¡±


    ¡°Oh? I might be needing those soon,¡± Ling Qi said, hopping down from the tree and gesturing to Jun that she could sit back down. ¡°How much did you want for it?¡±


    Su Ling scratched her cheek, looking away. ¡°Had a chat with Fatty. Seems like I managed something pretty high quality. Two hundred stones sound good?¡± She sounded apologetic.


    That was pretty expensive. ¡°Hm¡­ would a hundred and another lesson on Argent Current work for you?¡± Ling Qi asked. She didn¡¯t want to deprive her friend of hard-earned gains, but she did have to consider her own resources as well.


    Su Ling blinked, her fuzzy ears twitching. ¡°Yeah, I could go for that. I¡¯m kinda stuck on it.¡±


    ¡°Let me see what I can manage then,¡± Ling Qi replied with a smile, noting with some amusement the way Jun¡¯s eyes darted back and forth between them as they spoke. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know when I have some time free.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great and all¡­ but could I please get a little help with this?¡± Ma Lei asked, her voice muffled by the massive boar on her shoulders.


    Ling Qi glanced at Su Ling, who raised an eyebrow but then shrugged. ¡°Fine, fine. I made my point,¡± she grumbled. ¡°You want to come back with us? Gonna take this to Fatty and get some good pork out of it. He¡¯s got a friend who''s a real good chef.¡±


    Ling Qi thought it over then nodded. ¡°Sure. Sounds fun.¡±


    She would likely be doubling down on training soon herself, so it would be best to take her relaxation where she could.


    ***


    Meizhen¡¯s invitation asked her to come to the lake. Ling Qi was pretty sure she knew which lake her friend meant.


    When she arrived, somewhat apprehensively, the moon was already high in the sky, and Meizhen was seated at the shore. Conflicting with Meizhen¡¯s almost ethereal appearance under the moonlight was the polished bamboo fishing rod in her hands.


    Ling Qi dropped down soundlessly from the trees a polite distance away, eyeing the ripples made by the bobbing lure out in the water. She approached in silence but made no effort to hide her presence. Finally, she came to a stop on the shore a few meters from where Meizhen sat with her eyes half-closed.


    ¡°Anything biting?¡± she asked lightly, not sure how to broach the more obvious topics.


    ¡°Yes,¡± her friend replied simply without looking up. ¡°Cui is sleeping off her meal in the grass.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded as she considered her words. ¡°Why here?¡±


    ¡°It is a good place to fish,¡± Meizhen said dryly, finally cracking an eye fully open to look at Ling Qi. ¡°There are few enough of those here at the Sect.¡± She met Ling Qi¡¯s gaze steadily before turning her eyes back to the water. ¡°However poorly it ended, I did enjoy the rest of that evening, Qi.¡±


    Ling Qi let out a breath. They had talked before, tried to hash out things between them, but in the end, the events of that night still stood between them like a silent gulf. ¡°... Will you listen to one of those songs I mentioned?¡± she finally asked. Somehow, at the Dreaming Moon¡¯s revel, she had managed to put into music what she couldn¡¯t manage with words as to how she felt about Bai Meizhen. Heavens knew she was better with the former.


    Meizhen inclined her head slightly in agreement. Ling Qi¡¯s gown fluttered in the breeze as she raised her flute to her lips and closed her eyes, focusing on burning away the delusional haze that stood between her and the clear memory of what she had played that night at the Gala when the spirits had called for an encore.


    The song that flowed from her flute was a happier one than her usual fare. It spoke of first meetings and admiration, of growing safety and confidence sheltered by another¡¯s strength. It spoke of affection and repayment, a desire to stand as equals, to support and be supported. Her music spoke of all these feelings and so much more, echoing out over the clear water of the lake.


    When it finally ended, Ling Qi felt drained. She opened her eyes to look at her friend.


    Meizhen¡¯s fishing line hung slack, the hook and bait stolen, and Meizhen sat with her head down, her eyes shadowed by her hair. Silence, deafening in the absence of her song. hung over the lake as time ticked by, the both of them unmoving.


    ¡°There really is no chance that you will feel what I do, is there?¡± Meizhen¡¯s quiet voice was the first to break the silence.


    ¡°No, there isn¡¯t,¡± Ling Qi replied, slumping to the ground to sit with her legs splayed toward the water. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Meizhen. You are my best friend, maybe even something like a sister, but not that.¡± She lowered her own head, ashamed. ¡°I was cruel to make you think I might.¡±


    The other girl¡¯s shoulders shook slightly, and she did not respond. ¡°It is not fair.¡± The words were spoken so quietly that Ling Qi did not doubt they were not meant to be said aloud. ¡°You were cruel, but I hold blame as well. Only my own delusion allowed that hope to persist,¡± she said, as if to cover her slip. Ling Qi did her best to ignore the hint of redness in the girl''s faintly glowing eyes.


    ¡°I was a poor friend for not making it clear,¡± Ling Qi agreed, drawing her knees up to her chest. ¡°You know, when we first met, you seemed like an impossible goal, invincible and untouchable,¡± she said with a wry smile.


    ¡°And you seemed hopeless and fragile,¡± Bai Meizhen responded with a huff, laying her fishing rod aside. ¡°I think I came to treasure your reliance on me. I had always been alone before but for Cui, even among family.¡± Left unsaid was that she had certainly never had anyone look up to her.


    ¡°And I never had anyone who could actually protect me,¡± Ling Qi said with a sigh. ¡°That little house Sun Liling ruined - that was the first place that had felt like home in so long.¡±


    ¡°Another reason to grind that barbarian¡¯s face into the dirt,¡± Meizhen muttered darkly. ¡°I have said it before¡­ but I do not know where to go from here. I cannot call what is between us mere friendship, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯re not¡­ we¡¯re not lovers either,¡± Ling Qi stumbled over the words, a heated flush rising on her cheeks. The thought was still slightly strange and alien to her. ¡°... Sisters, then?¡± she asked, glancing at Meizhen out of the corner of her eye.


    ¡°I hardly have that authority,¡± Meizhen replied dryly.


    ¡°No, not like actual adoption,¡± Ling Qi said, gesturing vaguely. ¡°I remember seeing boys do that little brotherhood ritual. They¡¯d steal a cup of rice wine and cut each other¡¯s thumbs to mix blood in the wine, then swear to be brothers over the drink.¡± Meizhen gave her a dubious look, and Ling Qi could only shrug sheepishly. ¡°I dunno. I never did it,¡± she mumbled defensively.


    ¡°I believe I recall the existence of such customs,¡± Meizhen said after a pause. ¡°It originated in Ebon Rivers among the Zheng, if I recall correctly.¡± Her lips twisted a bit in distaste on the mention of the Zheng. ¡°I cannot imagine Grandfather would approve of such a thing.¡±


    ¡°It was a silly idea,¡± Ling Qi apologized, leaning back to look up at the sky.


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Meizhen said quietly. ¡°I appreciate the spirit of the offer. You will not cease risking yourself as you did with the Dreaming Moon, will you?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°I can¡¯t afford to.¡±


    ¡°You will build a strong house someday,¡± Bai Meizhen said with a sigh. ¡°My apologies. I have no right to stunt your Way with my worries.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind having someone worry about me,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°But I will try to be more cautious. Zhengui is growing up. He¡¯ll be able to help protect me soon.¡±


    ¡°Assuming you can get the little glutton to stop eating the flowerbeds and porch,¡± Meizhen huffed. ¡°At least Cui limits herself to the vermin.¡±


    ¡°Ah, did Zhengui start chewing on the garden porch again?¡± Ling Qi asked sheepishly. ¡°I¡¯ll have a talk with him.¡±


    She laughed, and Meizhen did that little huff that Ling Qi knew was the closest she came to doing the same.


    Part of her almost wanted to insist on following Meizhen to Thousand Lakes still, but Ling Qi knew that was just her greed and selfishness speaking. Ling Qi and Bai Meizhen had both grown up alone, and in their loneliness, they had grabbed onto each other too tightly to be healthy.


    And just as Bai Meizhen had loosened her grip on Ling Qi for both of their sakes, so too would Ling Qi. They were friends, even the best of friends, but that was all. They didn¡¯t need to be anything more.

 Chapter 159-Moon

    Ling Qi,


    I trust that you do not speak in jest. I have trouble accepting your words, even knowing this. Yet I cannot deny that recent events have shown that you are able to call on resources unimaginable to me.


    When an elderly gentleman arrived at my doorstep wearing the uniform of an arbitrator, I felt some hope. He was very kind and patient, reviewing my case with utmost care, yet still, I worried that it would not be enough.


    Then those loathsome men arrived, and upon a word from my elderly guest, they hurled themselves to the floor in kowtow. I was nonplussed. While I do not profess to fully understand the conversation that transpired then, I understood the title they referred to him by. What in the world did you do to bring the Senior Judge-Magistrate for the entire central region of the Emerald Sea province to the outermost district of Tonghou?


    I feel that we need to speak to one another face-to-face so I will accept the invitation. While I would never consider leaving the city in a normal situation, I have no further doubts about the safety of any transport.


    It will be good to see you again. Ink and paper is well and good, but seeing my daughter¡¯s face once again will do my heart well, I think.


    Ling Qingge


    Ling Qi shut her eyes after she re-read the letter. She¡¯d half-expected Cai¡¯s recommendation to cause something a little ridiculous, so she supposed it wasn¡¯t completely surprising that a man only a step or two down from the actual Minister of Law for the entire Emerald Seas province had shown up at her mother¡¯s residence. And with that display, it meant her mother was willing to make the trip to the Sect.


    ...She could admit to herself that the idea made her nervous. She wanted to include her Mother in her life again, but would all those ugly feelings that had kept her in the street well back up once she actually spent time with the woman again? How much of her conviction to reconnect with her mother was rooted in reality instead of rationalization?


    ¡°What deep matters trouble you so, Junior Sister?¡± The smooth male voice, sounding right in her ear, was nearly enough to make her leap from her seat like a startled cat. It was a testament to the hours of practice and effort put into her composure since arriving here that she managed to resist the urge, only the tightening of her grip on the parchment in her hands betraying her surprise. She had been expecting someone before the letter had arrived, fluttering through the twilight sky.


    She stood up from the stone bench she had been seated on and turned to face the center of the hilltop where a white marble table sat in the center of eight benches. On the central table lounged a young man, one leg hanging loosely off the edge.


    He was, to put it bluntly, strangely dressed. The loose dark red pants of the same kind Sun Liling often wore and simple slippers were common enough, but the open, sleeveless black leather vest, in which dozens of matte black knives were holstered, was much more daring. Or maybe it wasn¡¯t the Inner Sect? He might be trying to emulate Elder Zhou going by his chiseled musculature.


    Not that she stared. Not at all.


    He was wearing a weird mask, a thing of silvery metal sculpted to look like the uneven fangs of a mountain demon. It covered his face from the nose down, the black fabric beneath trailing all the way down his neck. Perhaps the most shocking though was the vibrant red crescent tattoo marked with tiny formation characters along its inside edge that curled around his right eye.


    The young man rested his masked chin on his hand as she regarded him. ¡°Do I meet your expectations, Junior Sister?¡± he asked lightly, raising an eyebrow.


    Ling Qi quickly bowed her head, clasping her hands together as she went through the formal motions. ¡°My apologies, Senior Sect Brother. I was just startled. I could not feel your presence at all.¡±


    It didn¡¯t hurt to pay a compliment, especially if it was true. To her qi senses, he might as well have been part of the table.


    ¡°Aha, you will have to excuse me. I have been performing missions for some time,¡± the young man said easily, a breeze tugging at his shaggy black hair. ¡°You are lucky that you posted your request when I, the sixth-ranked disciple, Liao Zhu, was on mandatory leave, for no others could fulfill the request you have laid out, Junior Sister.¡±


    She was about to respond when his qi flooded over her like a blanket of cloying mist, tainted by the scent of copper. It made her skin prickle uncomfortably, but she maintained her composure. He was at the seventh stage of the third realm. Despite the unsettling feel of his qi, he didn¡¯t seem like a bad sort. Prideful perhaps, but it looked like he had a right to be.


    ¡°I thank you for using your time to instruct me, Senior Brother Liao,¡± she replied evenly. ¡°I will not squander my good fortune.¡±


    ¡°Hm, a dutiful response,¡± Liao Zhu mused, looking her over. ¡°Well, I suppose I give you credit for your composure. Maintaining dignity in the face of arrogance is an important skill.¡±


    Ling Qi slowly straightened up, meeting his eyes with a wary look. ¡°I am sure your pride is well founded, Senior Brother Liao.¡± She wasn¡¯t falling for a trap.


    ¡°True enough,¡± he agreed. ¡°But my phrasing was deliberately grating. I had heard that the current crop of talents was a quarrelsome bunch, but it seems that may have been exaggerated. No matter.¡± He made a sharp gesture, dismissing the subject. ¡°I am Liao Zhu, practitioner of the Soaring Sanguine Crescent, the Twinned Star Discourse, and the Sable Moon¡¯s Veil. Introduce yourself.¡±


    Ling Qi straightened her shoulders unconsciously. The young man¡¯s words felt odd. They were commanding, but she couldn¡¯t manage to muster up any offense at the blatant demand. She supposed sharing the names of her arts was fine. He could hardly teach her if he didn¡¯t know what she was cultivating. ¡°I am Ling Qi, practitioner of the Sable Crescent Step and the Forgotten Vale Melody,¡± she replied, following his lead. ¡°I would like to add Phantasmagoria of Lunar Revelry to my abilities.¡± The Phantasmagoria art had been in the jade slip the Dreaming Moon avatar had given to her for her apparently successful performance at the moonlit gala. She hesitated before continuing, ¡°My cultivation art is moon-aligned as well, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Eight Phase Ceremony?¡± he finished, more a statement than a question.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware that it was so common,¡± Ling Qi replied, feeling disgruntled. She had thought it a rare art, being a gift from a Moon avatar.


    ¡°None of that now,¡± her tutor chided. ¡°The only soul on this mountain aside from the two of us with access to that art is Elder Jiao himself. I only recognize a fellow walker of the moonlit path.¡±


    That did take the sting out a bit. ¡°I guess I should have expected that, since I asked for a moon tutor,¡± she said, dipping her head in his direction.


    ¡°It might be the primary starting point for moon art practitioners, but it is a varied thing. I have no doubt that your ceremony diverges from my own,¡± Liao Zhu said with a slight shrug. ¡°You chose the Grinning Moon, I think, and you are on the verge of another choice.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, listening closely to his words. He had the air of a teacher about to begin a lecture. ¡°You chose the Bloody Moon?¡± she asked, glancing at the tattoo around his eye.


    ¡°I have always had an affinity for delivering final justice to the wicked, yes,¡± he answered, a satisfied tinge to his tone despite the morbid implication. ¡°Do not be too frightened, Junior Sister,¡± he added, apparently picking up on her unease. ¡°I chose the Reflective Moons next, that I might guide others before they fall from the path of virtue or ease those who have already erred but have not yet committed any unforgivable acts.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s kind of you,¡± Ling Qi said, doing her best to keep any judgement out of her voice.


    ¡°We all have our paths,¡± Liao Zhu replied, seemingly unconcerned with her thoughts. ¡°Regardless, let us begin. The first thing you must understand, is that all moon aspects are one. They are mutable and flow into one another, and so your cultivation must remain as flexible as possible. To do this, you should¡­¡±


    Ling Qi listened closely as Liao Zhu lectured, committing his words to memory, and later, when he offered demonstration, the fluctuations of his qi as well. Even if he made her somewhat uncomfortable, he truly was a gifted teacher.


    Soon, Ling Qi mastered the parts of the sixth phase of the Eight Phase Ceremony that had escaped her. She had needed to take a firmer hand in molding the lunar qi she absorbed because she had been allowing too much to escape in her gentleness. The moon was ever-changing, but in the moment, it held definite form. She had been treating it as if it were wind or water. With his advice, her efficiency in absorbing and refining stellar qi improved by a magnitude.


    She found herself stymied though. Part of the art¡¯s potential was once again locked away by a will beyond her own. Liao Zhu showed her how to continue her cultivation of the art in that incomplete state so her efforts were not wasted. But she suspected that as Liao Zhu had alluded to, she would need to choose another moon and complete that moon¡¯s quest before she could proceed further.


    Under Liao Zhu¡¯s tutoring, she also picked up the first revel of the Phantasmagoria. The art seemed to call upon the memories of that night at the Dreaming Moon¡¯s chaotic revel. With the Illustrious Phantasmal Festival technique, Ling Qi could use her qi to impress her memories of that night on the world around her. Ghostly dancers would coalesce from a many colored mist in a riot of color, laughter, and movement, allowing her to slip in their midst and hide from any who sought to target her.


    With the next technique, Lunatic Whirl, Ling Qi could even have her dancers physically assist her by gathering around an intruder in the festival, forcing them to join the revelry. Once caught, the intruder would be moved randomly to another location within the festival, and the frenetic pace of the revelry would even drain their qi if they were unable to successfully disengage.


    It didn¡¯t really work all that well on Liao Zhu - not that she expected it to with the difference in their respective cultivation - but she could definitely see the potential in the art. The Phantasmagoria was not as polished as Forgotten Vale Melody yet, but it was at the first stage of nine compared to the Melody¡¯s fifth stage of eight. Perhaps in time, it could become, as Xin had suggested, another staple art of hers.


    In the morning, with her tutoring over with, Ling Qi returned to the Sect¡¯s main office on the Outer Sect mountain to hash out the details of getting her mother moved to the Sect village. It took a few hours, but eventually, she had all the forms filed for transport and residency. The Sect covered all the costs, but Ling Qi felt uneasy about her family¡¯s safety on the journey from Tonghou. She took the option to pay a moderate sum of yellow stones from her own pocket to hire additional guards. It was pricey, perhaps, but it would do her nerves well.


    All told, according to the junior Sect advisor, the journey should take a bit more than two weeks, three at the outside. She would have a chance to talk with her mother before the New Year¡¯s Tournament.

 Chapter 160-Moon 2

    Ling Qi had a pressing matter to deal with. Sixiang had been getting into some trouble in the residences on the boys¡¯ side, apparently traumatizing boys by popping in at bad times. Han Jian had given her the tip in passing, but he hadn¡¯t specified what exactly the moon spirit had done.


    Tracking down the moon spirit wasn¡¯t too hard thankfully, if only because Sixiang didn¡¯t seem to be hiding her trail, which hung in the air like a strong perfume. Said trail eventually led Ling Qi out to the location of what had been the first of Yan Renshu¡¯s hideouts she had hit, the one from which she had stolen her pill furnace.


    Ling Qi approached the now-revealed entrance carefully. In the end though, it was for naught as Sixiang materialized in the tree branches above her head and waved with a cheerful expression.


    ¡°You¡¯ve gotten things cleared up, I see,¡± the spirit chirped, sparkling black eyes crinkling. ¡°See, isn¡¯t communication great?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re a Dreaming Moon spirit and not a Twinned one?¡± Ling Qi shot back dryly, the misty blackness fading from her skin as she abandoned her attempt at stealth. ¡°I still don¡¯t appreciate the setup.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all a matter of expression in the end. I¡¯d think you would understand that there aren¡¯t hard definitions by now,¡± Sixiang replied playfully, sticking out a tongue. ¡°Even if you¡¯re mad, I don¡¯t regret it. I might not fully understand all the ways humans divide up love and affection,¡± the spirit continued, nose wrinkling, ¡°but you needed to straighten things out. It looks like you decided to make her and yourself sad though.¡±


    Sixiang wasn¡¯t wrong, but it still irked her that she¡¯d been prodded into doing it by someone else¡­ though she couldn¡¯t really tell if she was mad at herself or the spirit for that. ¡°She is my friend, but I couldn¡¯t return her feelings. Those are two different things entirely.¡±


    ¡°Are they?¡± Sixiang asked, head cocking to the side. ¡°Humans sure do love their divisions. Isn¡¯t love just love?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Ling Qi replied, incredulous. ¡°There¡¯s no way you cannot know that.¡±


    ¡°I suppose,¡± Sixiang allowed. ¡°I don¡¯t really understand where the lines are though. Humans contradict themselves a lot, even in their dreams. You¡¯d think you could be honest in your own heads at least!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t really disagree with that.¡± Ling Qi sighed. ¡°But are you really saying you think¡­¡± She cast around for an example. ¡°... what you feel for your parents is the same as what you feel for a friend or¡­ a guy you like the look of?¡±


    Sixiang hummed thoughtfully. ¡°I¡¯m part of all my Mothers and Grandmothers, so that¡¯s different. Even if I call them that though, I don¡¯t think I really have ¡®parents¡¯ in the way you think of it. I don¡¯t understand why a friend shouldn¡¯t also be a lover though or why you wouldn¡¯t want them to be.¡±


    ¡°... Not doing this right now,¡± Ling Qi sighed, shaking her head. ¡°Anyway, please stop causing trouble in the Sect. You can stay and ask people questions, but please don¡¯t invade anyone¡¯s home or surprise them in private.¡±


    ¡°Well, if they didn¡¯t want company, why wouldn¡¯t they put up proper barriers?¡± Sixiang huffed, looking a little miffed. ¡°There was no call for all that shouting and whatnot.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they overreacted,¡± Ling Qi replied, lying through her teeth. ¡°But please follow my request.¡±


    ¡°Well, since it''s you, I guess I can do that.¡± Sixiang sighed, leaning back. Ling Qi twitched as the spirit pitched off the back of the tree branch, knees bending and spine contorting unnaturally to remain looking at Ling Qi. She supposed realistic spines were optional on spirits. ¡°This is all very interesting.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing anyway, bugging people at random?¡± Ling Qi asked, trying not to pay attention to the angle the spirit¡¯s neck was bent at.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never talked to humans who were awake before,¡± Sixiang replied. ¡°I am a¡­ muse? I think you call me that. I enter into dreams to grant inspiration. Grandmother gave me a body for the party, along with all of my sisters, but I only got to keep it because you spent all night chatting me up. So now I have a few months to have some fun.¡± Sixiang grinned then released their grasp on the tree, twisting in midair to land on their feet in blatant defiance of gravity.


    Ling Qi frowned. She knew she shouldn¡¯t judge spirits as if they were human, but¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t you start feeling all responsible,¡± the spirit chided. ¡°I¡¯m having fun, and there¡¯s nothing wrong with living in dreams. You shouldn¡¯t get so bogged down worrying about the future. Isn¡¯t it the present moments that matter?


    ¡°That¡¯s a really careless way of thinking,¡± Ling Qi retorted with a huff, shooting the spirit an unimpressed look. ¡°You have to worry about the future so the moments to come will be better.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, logic,¡± Sixiang said, making a face. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that.¡±


    ¡°You really are carefree, aren¡¯t you,¡± Ling Qi replied, voice dry as she crossed her arms.


    Sixiang nodded agreeably. ¡°Yup! I was going to name myself ¡®impulse,¡¯ you know? But I didn¡¯t like the way the word sounded.¡±


    ¡°... Just stick to the public areas please,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°Sure, sure, I¡¯ll be good,¡± Sixiang said airily, not reassuring her at all. ¡°Public areas just means outside, right?¡± she then asked, sounding uncertain.


    ¡°Yes, but if someone invites you in,¡± Ling Qi answered, emphasizing the word invite, ¡°you can go inside.¡±


    She was pretty sure the spirit understood. She would just have to hope that Sixiang kept their word.


    ***


    Ling Qi spent much of the rest of the day putting Liao Zhu¡¯s advice into practice in regards to her new art, Phantasmagoria of Lunar Revelry. She practiced both the physical steps and movements, as well as the flows of qi.


    After, she began to meditate and bring herself once more to that nowhere place in the center of eight silvery reflections. This time, three of the moon phases called to her. The first, the Dreaming Moon, rippled with color, and she saw herself standing before all of her friends and many others, her flute at her lips. Then she saw herself, as the host of the party, moving among them, smoothing over disagreements, and keeping the atmosphere of the party light.


    The second, the darkest one representing the hidden depths of the New Moon, called. There were no faces here, only a flash of the map Xin had gifted her and a single spot of darkness yawning like a pit in the face of one of the carved mountains. It swallowed her up, and Ling Qi found herself deep underground before a pool of liquid darkness within which something gleamed.


    The last, surprisingly, was the gentle bright light of the Mother Moon. In that light, she saw Zhengui as he was when he had been playing with Hanyi in the snow. The image subtly shifted, and she saw her little spirit happy and content with Hanyi perched on his back and indistinct but somehow childlike figures all around.


    In the end, though she wavered, Ling Qi chose to go with the Hidden Moon¡¯s quest. Not only was Xin the root of many of her successes and a person she liked besides, but also Ling Qi was more free at the Sect than she ever had been before. If she couldn¡¯t indulge herself in curiosity now, then when could she? Perhaps exploration of her curiosity would even help her curb her tendency toward tunnel vision and missing things on the periphery of her interests. Her choices didn¡¯t solely have to be about who she was after all. They could be about who she wanted to be.


    With her cultivation done for the day, Ling Qi headed down to the main office of the Sect office once again. She planned on making back the points she had spent purchasing her tutoring from Sect Brother Liao this week.


    Ling Qi had had her eye on one particular Sect mission for some time - a simple exorcism job that would allow her to scope out the location of the tournament at the same time. Thankfully, the mission was still available - according to the Sect official handling the distribution of jobs, the clean up of the grounds was nearly complete.


    The journey out to the venue itself was uneventful. The tournament grounds lay several kilometers to the east of the Outer Sect mountain at the flattened top of a high rocky hill. A wide, well paved path split off from the main road carving its way east from the Sect village and wound its way to the top where the tournament grounds lay.


    The outer structures looked like a great horseshoe from above. Their lowest reaches were taken up by comfortably appointed public spectator space, interrupted by private boxes, which increased in frequency and opulence the higher the structure rose. At the end of the horseshoe was a building with a great tented roof of gleaming silver shingles that resembled the Sect¡¯s main office in the Outer Sect.


    At the center of the structures lay the stages themselves, four huge rectangles of white stone with stylized pillars that rose to pointed peaks a dozen meters up in each corner. Each stage was a good two hundred meters in length, and radiated a solid aura of earth and mountain qi. Ling Qi doubted she could so much as chip a single fragment from their stonework.


    She was supposed to meet the official in charge of the cleaning work at the large building, but Ling Qi set down on the upper right stage to have a little look around first. The fighting stages were utterly alike and without feature, but the pillars proved a bit more interesting. Embedded in their sides were fist-sized gemstones with hundreds of facets - diamonds, if she had to guess - which flickered with faint, multi-colored light on close inspection. Of course, there was only a single visible character on each formation: ¡®Light¡¯, ¡®Sound¡¯, ¡®Touch¡¯, ¡®Weight¡¯, ¡®Scent¡¯, and others still. She was fairly certain she was looking at a highly complex formations array. It may even be something like what Elder Jiao had set up in Elder Zhou¡¯s test. Ling Qi didn¡¯t linger too much longer though. Whatever the array was, it was as far beyond her skill as Elder Jiao was.


    Casting one last glance back at the massive gemstones, Ling Qi left the stages and headed down the tiled path leading to the large building at the far end of the complex. She met the Sect official in charge, a slightly graying man in the third stage of the third realm, just inside the building in a wide lobby that looked as if it could hold at least two hundred people at once in reasonable comfort.


    The man offered her a respectful bow in greeting as she entered, which she returned politely. ¡°Sect Sister Ling, thank you for your acceptance of this duty.¡±


    ¡°I am somewhat surprised that it remained available for this long,¡± Ling Qi admitted, straightening up from her bow. ¡°The fighting stages seemed to be in perfect condition though, and I saw no flaw in the stands either.¡±


    The man nodded at the implied question. ¡°The majority of the work is complete,¡± he said evenly, straightening his own posture. ¡°Only the basement floor of this building, which comprises the waiting area for those who have failed and the medical facilities, remain to be cleansed.¡±


    That shouldn''t be too hard. Curious, she asked the man, ¡°How many participants are expected that a whole floor would be needed for the losing participants, Sect Brother?¡±


    ¡°Two hundred or so, I would expect,¡± the official replied, raising a greying eyebrow. ¡°Most will be eliminated in the qualifying round of course, but few would throw away their chance for glory before so many spectators.¡±


    That was more participants than Ling Qi expected. That would be a really long tournament though, wouldn¡¯t it? The man had answered though, so perhaps she could gain some more information.


    ¡°Sect Brother, before I begin my duties,¡± she inquired politely, ¡°might I ask how the tournament is structured? No one has actually said exactly how it will work¡­¡±


    The older man furrowed his brows. ¡°Well, it is not hidden knowledge,¡± he replied slowly. After a brief moment of consideration, he answered, ¡°Disciples will be divided into eight, roughly equal groups, four of which will engage in battle on the stages until two remain in each ring. Then the remaining groups will do the same. With sixteen disciples remaining, the elimination duels will begin the following day. Disciples who have lost are confined to the lower floor until the completion of the tournament in order to prevent any unfortunate accidents.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded in understanding. She had half-expected the entire thing to be a series of elimination duels, but it made sense. The Sect was a military force too, and group stages gave those with less direct skillsets a chance to show off and potentially secure a place as they would only have to win one elimination round. It added some uncertainty and luck to the process, but even duelists needed to be able to survive in a general melee. And, well, she doubted spectators had the patience or time to watch the number of duels required for a tournament full of elimination duels.


    ¡°I see. Thank you for explaining, Sect Brother,¡± she said gratefully. ¡°Would you explain then what is required of me?¡±


    Her duty was simple. She just had to disperse the various low grade spirits which had formed down in the basement and activate the cleaning talismans she was provided with for the more mundane work. The task was not a terribly dangerous one at her level of cultivation, but it was time-consuming and tedious.


    It was also, she found, an uncomfortable one. The moment she descended the stairs to the first basement level, the temperature dropped noticeably, and the hairs on the back of her neck rose at the prickling feeling of being watched. Much like her time cleansing the forest, Ling Qi found half-formed whispers tickling her ears, and the oily feeling of loss and despair clogged the air.


    Failed.


    Shamed the clan.


    Father will kill me...


    My last chance¡­!


    Failed Failed Failed Failed Failed Failed


    failedfailedfailedfailedfailed -


    FAILURE.


    The cloying aura of this place clawed at her thoughts, cold and depressing, but Ling Qi gritted her teeth and circulated her qi, keeping Argent Mirror primed and active. The tranquility brought by the art allowed her to proceed serenely through the dim, echoing hall where disciples who had lost were brought for medical attention or to await the ending ceremonies.


    Ling Qi descended into the shadowy basement in complete silence, little more than a drifting shadow as she lightly crossed the polished wooden floor.


    The shadowy shapes which clung to the many pillars of the underground hall did not stir as she passed them by, although the aura of unrestrained self-loathing and despair they exuded tingled across her thoughts, nipping at the edges of her qi. With her arts and cultivation, the clinging, emotional weight slid from her without harm, so Ling Qi proceeded deeper into the hall, mapping it out in her mind, noting where the highest concentrations of the spirits were.


    They were twisted things, blurry, half-melted images of boys and girls her own age or a bit older bleeding into one another and staring with empty black eyes as they whispered their mantras of failure again and again. Some seemed more solid than others, but none seemed more real than a particularly thick clump of fog.


    When she had mapped everything out, Ling Qi let out a breath and drew her knives. They hadn¡¯t seen much use since she had purchased them, but her archery was too loud for this, as was her flute, so she fell back on her very first weapons.


    ... It definitely didn¡¯t have anything to do with the cool knife tricks she had caught her tutor doing out of the corner of her eye when she meditated.


    The wraiths were not particularly resilient and dispersed easily with a single well-placed blow, but they did have, to her senses, anywhere from early to peak second realm cultivation and numbers. Luckily, they seemed not to care for one another¡¯s presence or their surroundings overmuch unless directly roused. While she could have cleared them out all at once, it would have taken significantly more qi than the slower, stealthier method, and she wanted to conserve her energy for Zeqing¡¯s lessons.


    To be honest, she wasn¡¯t sure what the spirits could actually do. For all she knew, if she whipped them up all at once, they would fuse into some kind of giant angst titan. Best to avoid something like that. So over the course of the next few hours, she cleared away the clinging spirits. It was obnoxious work as they seemed to spawn back in behind her as she went along, but it was rewarding in its own way.


    Every time she dispersed a wailing specter, she got a tiny snippet of memory: the feeling of holding a sword, the sight of a spear¡¯s point whistling by her ear, the rocking gait of a horse beneath her, and so many more. They were disjointed things without context, but she could feel them drifting around in the back of her thoughts. If she cultivated after this. she might see some small improvements in her skills.


    Eventually, she figured out that if she cleared a small section then started up the cleansing talismans, it would prevent further wraiths from spawning in that area. That would have been nice to know earlier, but she had gotten used to the Sect¡¯s sink or swim methods by this point.


    Within another hour, she had the place clean and cleansed, ready for a whole new batch of washouts and their assorted angst.


    Ling Qi might not fully understand the games of status that seemingly every noble played, but she knew that losing would be a chain, limiting her ability to grow.

 Chapter 161-Dragon 1

    She left soon after, collecting the cleansing talismans to return to the Sect official, who had retired to an office on the second floor to do paperwork. She collected the token that would signal the job was complete and headed back to the mountain at a light run, dipping into flight only when the road grew twisty. It was amazing how fast the world blurred by when she put on speed.


    Ling Qi made it up to the black pool well before twilight.


    It wasn¡¯t long after she arrived, stepping lightly atop the dusting of snow on the rocks, that Zeqing emerged from the eternal snowstorm outside the ravine, Hanyi held in the crook of her arm. The younger ice spirit clung tightly to her mother¡¯s gown as they descended but was grinning all the same.


    ¡°Flying is the best!¡± Hanyi said brightly as Zeqing descended into the ravine, hopping down from her perch to drop the last ten odd meters on her own. The little spirit girl¡¯s bare feet hit the ground with a solid thump.


    ¡°It is,¡± Ling Qi agreed, rising from her seat on the stone ¡®bench¡¯ to bow to her teacher in greeting. ¡°My apologies for failing to make it last week.¡±


    Zeqing¡¯s blank white eyes studied her as the older spirit descended to hover above the ground. ¡°It seems you have made good use of your time away, so no apologies are necessary,¡± she said calmly. ¡°Congratulations on completing your journey to the third realm.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your praise,¡± Ling Qi replied, offering another polite bow. ¡°Do you think we might be able to begin studying the Forgotten Vale Melody again?¡±


    Zeqing nodded, glancing over to Hanyi, who had wandered over to the mirror-like surface of the black pool to crouch at its edge. Ling QI blinked as the younger ice spirit poked at the black ice with her finger, and it rippled like unfrozen water.


    ¡°Hanyi,¡± Zeqing called, bringing the girl¡¯s attention back to her, ¡°You may play in the pool for one half hour while I give Ling Qi her lesson. Do not go too deep.¡±


    Hanyi¡¯s face brightened, and she clapped her hands excitedly. ¡°Thank you, Mama! I¡¯ll be careful. I promise!¡± Ling Qi could only stare as the other spirit leapt into the frozen pool with only a silent ripple to mark her passing.


    ¡°... How does that work?¡± she asked after a brief moment of contemplation.


    ¡°Ice does not bar our passage any more than water bars yours,¡± Zeqing explained simply. ¡°The pool is safe enough for spirits like Hanyi and I, who match its nature,¡± she continued as she floated closer and seated herself lightly on the bench, her sleeves billowing as ice began to crystallize within them, forming her transparent hands. ¡°Seat yourself.¡±


    Ling Qi did so and drew out her flute as she settled in next to her teacher, the absolute chill that the spirit radiated no longer even uncomfortable. ¡°So, can you explain why waiting to cultivate this has helped me?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Zeqing said, a flute forming between her crystalline fingers. ¡°Now that your domain can grow, untethered by your mortal body, you may learn to impress your arts upon it and take aspects of them into yourself. Through this method, you will be able to refine and develop your domain further than you would by simply cultivating its baseline.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned, tracing her fingers over the designs on her own flute. ¡°How will that affect me though? Forgotten Vale Melody is¡­¡± It was a very useful art, but it wasn¡¯t exactly a happy one.


    ¡°Your domain is you. It is an expression of who you are. Though you might find yourself changing as you grow, you remain yourself. Art aspects taken in will be shaped by what is already there to reflect the individual that you are,¡± Zeqing explained calmly. ¡°Now, allow me to explain how you might cultivate your domain in tune with your melodies¡­¡±


    Zeqing¡¯s careful instruction allowed Ling Qi to quickly master the first parts of Forgotten Vale Melody¡¯s more advanced techniques, refining her ability to call up the mists and shroud the ravine in solitude. If she could keep going at this rate, she might be able to complete the sixth measure of the Melody by the end of the month.


    Hanyi joined them for the lessons partway through, hopping onto the bench to sit between Ling Qi and her Mother. Ling Qi continued her own cultivation while keeping half an ear out for Zeqing¡¯s soft instruction to her daughter. Hanyi was about as wiggly and hard to keep focused as any girl her apparent age, but Zeqing made good use of Ling Qi as an example. Ling Qi made sure to follow her lead, playing up how easy her achievements with the musical arts were and how simple it was. Zeqing made sure to slip in low-key but constant praise for Ling Qi¡¯s efforts.


    The end result was a jealous snow girl diligently practicing her cultivation under her mother¡¯s guiding gaze, working hard to earn some praise herself. It seemed children were simple, even when they were spirits.


    ***


    Eventually, night fell and Ling Qi descended the mountain to join her Sect tutor in another round of exhaustive meditation and dancing through endless streams of knives as she worked to master the steps of the lunar revelry.


    In the wake of her training, Ling Qi elected to take her first nap in two weeks, sleeping away a few quiet hours before dawn. Once she awoke, she headed to the garden to gather up Zhengui, who had spent the last day or so napping as his cultivation grew. She knew from her reading that serpent-tortoises were prone to lengthy sleeps, so Zhengui¡¯s tendency toward naps didn¡¯t worry her. She would have to see if there was a way to give him a bit more energy in the future though.


    Once Zhengui had been roused from the flower garden, they headed down the mountain to meet Gu Tai at the edge of the village.


    When she arrived, she found the young man seated cross-legged atop the stone totem that marked the boundary of safety around the village. This time, he was not alone. Perched on his shoulder was a large raven with bright red eyes and streaks of lighter gray among its inky black feathers. Thin curls of smoke rose from its body, wafting lazily into the air above their heads.


    ¡°A good morning to you, Miss Ling,¡± Gu Tai said in greeting, hopping down from the totem as she approached. His companion fluttered its - no, her, by the feel of the raven¡¯s qi - wings but otherwise remained unperturbed by the motion.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± Ling Qi replied with a polite dip of her head. ¡°Thank you for agreeing to help me with this.¡±


    ¡°It is no trouble,¡± he said dismissively before gesturing to the raven on his shoulder examining her critically. ¡°This is Yuzhao, my friend and companion. She will be helping us today.¡±


    ¡°Charmed.¡± The raven¡¯s beak clacked as a dry feminine voice emerged from it.


    ¡°Ah, likewise?¡± Ling Qi responded tentatively as the bird turned to preen her feathers. ¡°I¡¯ll introduce you to the one we¡¯ll be training today,¡± she continued, recovering. She sent a silent nudge to Zhengui, and he emerged from her dantian, materializing a step behind her. ¡°This is Zhengui,¡± she said brightly, gesturing to her spirit. Gui examined Gu Tai and Yuzhao guilelessly, blinking his bright green eyes, but she noticed that Zhen regarded Gu Tai with ill-concealed suspicion as he peered over her shoulder. Hopefully, she wouldn¡¯t have to have a word with him as she had to with Xuan Shi.


    ¡°... The naming sense matches, if nothing else,¡± Yuzhao, the raven, said dryly, not looking up from her wing.


    ¡°Hush, you,¡± Gu Tai chided, lowering himself to a crouch to more easily meet Gui¡¯s gaze. ¡°Hello there, young one. Are you ready to learn a few little tricks?¡±


    ¡°What kind of tricks?¡±¡¯ Zhen asked, slipping forward, his warm body resting on her shoulder. His suspicion colored his voice, but he sounded interested.


    ¡°Gui wants to learn because Big Sister will be happy if Gui is strong,¡± his other half said, scuffing at the ground with his blunt claws.


    ¡°What a dedicated spirit you have,¡± Gu Tai mused, glancing up at the serpent peeking over her shoulder. ¡°Unlike some.¡±


    ¡°I am as dedicated as you deserve,¡± the bird on his shoulder retorted. ¡°Are we going to begin?¡±


    ¡°Once we get ourselves off the road,¡± Gu Tai replied dryly before addressing Ling Qi once again. ¡°I doubt it is in Miss Ling¡¯s interests to break up the eastern road.¡±


    ¡°Probably not,¡± she said with a shrug. ¡°If you¡¯ll follow me, there¡¯s a good clearing nearby.¡± This was fine. No mentions of marriage or the future, just a little training between friendly acquaintances.


    Xiulan¡¯s cousin did, as it turned out, have a fair amount of advice to offer - or rather, his spirit did. Yuzhao was a creature of Sun and Death unique to the eastern deserts and descended from the now extinct phoenixes that once resided there or so she had bragged. The point was that she had a fair amount of insight to offer Zhengui on mixing his two conflicting natures of growth and destruction.


    Gu Tai was more helpful to Zhen given his experience with fire arts, and she was glad to see Zhen¡¯s aim and control of his venom improving significantly with some suggestions. Ling Qi was not certain about how she felt about the power Zhengui unlocked with Yuzhao¡¯s help though. Zhengui was now able to expend all his remaining qi into a raging inferno within a short distance of himself. It wouldn¡¯t harm Ling Qi, but in the aftermath of this Rebirth Inferno, Zhengui would fall unconscious, albeit with restored and even more durable armor. She hoped Zhengui was never in a position to need to use it in combat, but Ling Qi was practical enough to be glad he had it as a final resort should he need it.


    Several hours of hard training was enough to leave Zhengui exhausted and asleep in her dantian.


    As they left the now much more heavily scorched clearing, Ling Qi walked beside a relaxed Gu Tai in companionable silence. She stole a glance at him as they walked. Ling Qi was now certain that Gu Tai was of good character, but that really wasn¡¯t enough of a basis to decide to become husband and wife.


    Ling Qi¡¯s thoughts drifted toward the research she had done on dragons recently. That vale, where the mystic fruit she had stolen grew, was a very potent site. For a spirit beast like Zhengui, aligned so strongly with wood qi, it was even more so. To help her little brother grow, she was willing to scheme her way to access.


    Dragon came in three broad types. The first were the heavenly or sky dragons, kin to the Sage Emperor¡¯s spirit. They were the only dragons which flew with an instinctive command of wind and cloud, able to whip up storms at a moment¡¯s notice. Their scales were typically light blue, gold, or white, and they had the longest and most serpentine forms. Living among the clouds, they touched the earth only to nest on the very highest mountain peaks.


    The second type were underworld dragons, which, unsurprisingly, lived underground, burrowing freely under the feet of the Empire. They had deep black or brown scales as well as a broader, more lizard-like shape but lacked the horns that other types of dragons had. Their passage revitalized the earth they passed through, and they had a deep love for certain liquors. That love made them especially common, insofar as dragons were common anywhere, in the Ebon Rivers province, a province famed for its own love of drinking and a rich liquor tradition.


    Most relevant to her interests were river or flood dragons, the category to which the one in the valley most likely belonged to. This type was the most social of the dragons, and many of the Empire¡¯s larger cities had a festival set aside for celebrating and propiating the local river dragon.


    ¡°Would you mind if I asked you for another piece of advice?¡± Ling Qi asked, breaking the silence between them.


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Gu Tai replied, casting a look her way as they walked, retreading their path to the forest¡¯s edge. ¡°Something unrelated to your spirit?¡±


    ¡°Mostly,¡± Ling Qi admitted, glancing up as the shadow of his own spirit passed over them. ¡°It¡¯s - Well, to put it bluntly, how would you go about negotiating with a dragon?¡±


    Dragons, especially the younger ones, were also incredibly territorial and prideful. The young dragon was probably still infuriated by the theft of the fruit and would likely be in no mood for negotiations. It will be difficult to even get it to listen to her.


    But not impossible. Unlike the heavenly dragons, whose aloofness made them nigh unapproachable, the pride of river dragons was rather more vain. This was the reason for the elaborate and expensive festivals that cities near older members of their race threw.


    River dragons coveted various expensive foodstuffs, certain types of qi-touched jade, and other baubles which she probably could acquire at some expense to hopefully bribe the dragon into compliance.


    She hoped it was a male dragon though. When she had researched, she had found that female dragons despised human women due to a long history in the pre-Imperial period of¡­ Apparently, sayings about citizens of the Empire having ¡°the blood of dragons¡± were not entirely folklore.


    To his credit, the question didn¡¯t give him pause. ¡°What manner of dragon are we speaking of?¡±


    ¡°A young river dragon,¡± Ling Qi answered. ¡°He lives in a site I want to cultivate in. I was hoping to gain access peacefully.¡±


    ¡°River dragons are not common in the east,¡± Gu Tai mused, ¡°but the principles remain the same. You¡¯ve researched the basics?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°I¡¯m going to gather gifts before I go. I was thinking I might offer a song or two as well.¡±


    ¡°Not a bad idea, but you will want to be careful.¡± Gu Tai teased, ¡°There are plenty of tales about lovely musicians disappearing from riverbanks! That would be very unfortunate for our continued acquaintanceship.¡±


    Ling Qi was more worried about the younger dragon''s mother in that regard, but to be fair, Gu Tai wouldn¡¯t know of that. ¡°Be serious, Gu Tai.¡±


    ¡°Of course, my apologies,¡± he said with a shake of his head, a light leap carrying him over a fallen log in their path. ¡°Gifts with value beyond the material will sweeten the pot well, but I think there is a matter you should keep in mind.¡±


    ¡°What would that be?¡± Ling Qi asked, following him over the obstruction, the wind sending her gown fluttering as she drifted lightly back to the ground on the other side.


    ¡°Dragons are prideful beasts,¡± he said, only to grin at the flat look she shot him. ¡°It sounds obvious, I know, but it is difficult to truly understand their demeanor merely from that statement. You have, if you might forgive me for saying so, a rather blunt demeanor.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°I know how to be polite when needed though.¡± Mostly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± Gu Tai said, and she narrowed her eyes slightly as she detected a trace of humor in his tone. ¡°You¡­ have a certain pride though, which shows through, and to a dragon, that will be a challenge.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t sure if she should be flattered by that kind of statement or not. ¡°So what do I do?¡±


    ¡°Simply understand that to a dragon, there is no such thing as an equal. All things either stand above it or beneath it,¡± he explained. ¡°In older dragons, who spend much time with humans, this might be curbed, but with a young dragon, you must either behave with utter subservience or be completely domineering. Anything else will confuse and irritate him, inciting a challenge to determine your relative positions.¡± Gu Tai sounded rather sure of his words; it did sound like he was speaking from experience rather than reciting from a book.


    ¡°Sounds like a real pain,¡± Ling Qi commented. She would have to watch her every word when dealing with the dragon from a subservient position, but she wasn¡¯t sure if she could successfully dominate the dragon, especially if she couldn¡¯t harm him lest his mother take offense. ¡°What would you do?¡±


    ¡°I am not a man who finds subordinating myself easy,¡± he said after consideration. ¡°I might do so in the face of overwhelming power perhaps, but as a Gu, I do have my pride, foolish as it may be.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t doing that incite resentment from the dragon?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Not as much as you might think.¡± Gu Tai shrugged. ¡°They are not human and do not think as we do. A dragon so defeated might seek to challenge you again when it attains greater strength, but it will not resent the defeat as a human would.¡±


    ¡°And if I am not allowed to hurt the dragon in question?¡± she asked as they left the shadow of the trees and found themselves back on the road.


    ¡°... Tricky,¡± he mused , giving her an assessing look. ¡°But possible. Do you imagine yourself able to exhaust an angry dragon without fighting back?¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. She was pretty difficult to pin down, but she couldn¡¯t say with confidence that she could, especially when she wasn¡¯t sure of the dragon¡¯s exact strength. It would probably be easier to just take a subordinate position and simply watch her words and demeanor very carefully, but Gu Tai¡¯s words spoke to her.


    She didn¡¯t want to. She had gained pride and self-confidence in herself over the course of her months at the Sect, and she would be fighting other third realms at the New Year¡¯s Tournament. A fight with a dragon would be a relatively low stakes fight in which she could test her capabilities, especially because it sounded like such fights to determine hierarchy was normal to dragons so she could fall back on her original plan if she needed to. It would be a difficult fight, but¡­


    ¡°I can do it,¡± she told Gu Tai firmly.


    Gu Tai assessed her confidence then smiled. ¡°When do you plan to take on the dragon?¡±


    Ling Qi considered. Since she wouldn¡¯t be able to use Frozen Soul Serenade, as it would do damage to the dragon, she would need to rely on her defensive suite, Sable Crescent Step and Thousand Ring Fortress arts, to play keep away while Forgotten Vale Melody drained the dragon. Ling Qi could use every advantage she could get, however small, and Sable Crescent Step performed best at night.


    ¡°Tonight,¡± she answered.


    ¡°Drop by before you go to take on the dragon. I¡¯ll have something for you.¡±

 Chapter 162-Dragon 2

    With free time before her intended bout with a dragon, Ling Qi decided to visit the Inner Sect market to browse the flying swords available, and Bai Meizhen had invited herself along to provide advice.


    The colloquially known flying swords were more properly called domain weapons as they were frequently, but not always, in the shape of a sword. They were a staple of nearly all Imperial cultivators who reached the third realm because they served as a potent training aid for cultivators to develop control over their domain. Using one also allowed cultivators to gain an advantage in combat because domain weapons could act independently, allowing for multiple attacks at once. Now that she was a full third realm, Ling Qi would be able to use one of them.


    ¡°Your new spirit lives in your shadow?¡± Ling Qi asked, glancing down at her friend¡¯s feet. She had noticed how dark Meizhen¡¯s shadow had been recently, but she had assumed it was an effect of an art or her domain.


    ¡°It is my shadow so long as our bond remains,¡± Bai Meizhen replied without breaking stride as they crossed the plaza, heading for the entrance to the Sect¡¯s main office. ¡°Do not tell me something as small as this still surprises you, Ling Qi.¡±


    ¡°I suppose not,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Why not just house it in your dantian like normal though?¡±


    ¡°Because Heartbursting Phantasms are incorporeal spirits and because it will make it more likely for the emerging personality to be complementary to my own if I keep it out,¡± Meizhen explained patiently. Apparently her Grandfather¡¯s idea of a thoughtful gift was a spirit composed of the congealed terror from an old battlefield from when the Thousand Lakes still bordered barbarian lands.


    Ling Qi wasn''t sure she ever wanted to look into a Bai storehouse. Something in there would probably eat her. ¡°I guess it won¡¯t be as chatty as Cui then? What does something like that feel like through your bond?¡±


    ¡°It is somewhat strange,¡± her friend admitted as they passed through the doorway. ¡°The spirit does not perceive things through human senses, and its thoughts remain difficult to parse. I have no doubts about my ability to command it; spirits such as this have little enough ego in their base states.¡±


    ¡°Of course not. You¡¯re far more frightening than any wisp of a spirit,¡± Ling Qi joked.


    Meizhen glanced her way and let out a small, nearly silent, huff of amusement. ¡°Good of you to notice. I have made some efforts in that direction.¡±


    Ling Qi considered her experience with the girl''s aura and the spike of intensity she had noticed in it recently. ¡°Is that what you chose to make your domain?¡±


    Bai Meizhen looked at her but didn¡¯t answer. Ling Qi flushed and glanced away. ¡°Sorry. That was rude to ask,¡± she apologized.


    ¡°Do not forget yourself so easily.¡± Meizhen sighed. ¡°Let us proceed to the market.¡±


    The two of them waited patiently for a free official and showed their passes before being granted passage through the transport formation into the section of the Inner Sect Market where they were allowed. Unlike the Outer Sect Market, this place was quiet and mostly empty. The few stores set up here existed only for the benefit of a handful of Outer Sect disciples that had reached the third realm and so had limited stocks and fixed prices.


    ¡°So, what should I be looking for in a flying sword?¡± Ling Qi asked, breaking the silence as the formation shut down behind them. ¡°What sort of qualities would be best for me?¡±


    ¡°I would discount defensive ones for the moment. Your capabilities in that regard are already adequate,¡± Bai Meizhen answered as they passed by the quiet pill dispensary and headed toward the most ornate shop in the section. ¡°Your style requires more offense.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure you have room to criticize there,¡± Ling Qi shot back playfully.


    ¡°And is my blade not sharp and quick as a viper¡¯s fangs?¡± her friend scoffed pridefully.


    ¡°Fair,¡± Ling Qi admitted. She remembered seeing Yan Renshu¡¯s flying shield crack under a single blow from Meizhen¡¯s flying sword, and the few times Meizhen had brought it out in a spar were quick indeed. ¡°Alright. So I want something stabby,¡± she continued casually, hiding her grin at the way her words made Meizhen twitch.


    At the shop, the two of them looked through the potential domain weapons. There were a fair number and type available for sale, and the two spent some time narrowing down the potential selection. A simple hiltless blade made of plain high quality steel advertised as a relatively cheap practice aid caught Ling Qi¡¯s eye. Meizhen had reluctantly pointed out a curved blade carved from glittering, blue-tinted ice and inlaid with curving patterns of powdered onyx and a long dagger of brilliant emerald as potentials that at least matched Ling Qi¡¯s elements and were within the price range that Ling Qi had specified, but she was haughtily disdainful of the material of the domain weapons. In the end, the two left with Ling Qi buying the Neophyte¡¯s Blade as a stopgap.


    ¡°I suppose this is the quality you will need to make do with,¡± Meizhen said, her expression a tad sour as they left the shop.


    ¡°I thought the ones we sorted out at the end were pretty decent,¡± Ling Qi replied, giving her friend an amused look. ¡°We don¡¯t all have unlimited budgets.¡±


    ¡°My allowance is hardly unlimited,¡± Meizhen protested, but there was a slight uncomfortable shift in her stance as she continued as if she found the subject distasteful. ¡°And I am¡­ aware of the limits of a new house''s finances.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing to worry about. I need to consider my options anyway,¡± Ling Qi mused, resting her hands behind her head as she walked. ¡°And I might have a lead on something better.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± her friend asked, glancing her way before returning her gaze to the street ahead, her own hands held in front of her, hidden by her sleeves. ¡°You believe you might have the location of a treasure?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve advanced my cultivation art again,¡± Ling Qi said agreeably. ¡°So I have a new task from the Moon.¡±


    She caught the slight frown that flickered across her friend¡¯s expression but didn¡¯t call attention to it. ¡°And you believe it will result in acquiring a superior flying sword?¡±


    ¡°That would be nice,¡± Ling Qi mused. ¡°I have always benefited from the tasks I¡¯ve been given from the Moon. I have more than enough arts to train so I believe the prize won¡¯t be one of those. Even if it¡¯s not a flying weapon though, I¡¯ll probably profit and have more to spend on a better weapon next time.¡±


    They walked in companionable silence toward the exit after that, each lost in their own thoughts.


    ¡°Nonetheless, you would do well to begin practicing with a domain weapon soon. Less than a season remains to you,¡± Meizhen advised. ¡°Do not delay overmuch.¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t intend to. She was all too aware of the looming end of the year and the impending New Year¡¯s Tournament.


    ***


    Once she split up with Meizhen, the other girl heading off for her noontime tea and sewing session with Cai Renxiang, Ling Qi went off in search of her other friend, Gu Xiulan. She knew the other girl was dedicated to improving right now, but she wanted to make sure the fiery girl wasn¡¯t going overboard in her training.


    Luckily, Xiulan wasn¡¯t particularly difficult to find. Once she had narrowed her search area, the training ground Xiulan was practicing stood out to her qi senses like a literal bonfire. Significant parts of the field were, unsurprisingly, on fire when Ling Qi approached. Flames blazed merrily as they consumed targets and grass alike.


    ¡°Xiulan, I don¡¯t think the elders will be happy if you burn the mountain down,¡± she said dryly as she approached within earshot.


    Her friend, who had been leaning on a stone striking post catching her breath, looked up as she approached. Xiulan¡¯s fine gown was streaked with soot, and her hair was in slight disarray, strands escaping from the tight braids she kept it in. ¡°As if I could do such a thing,¡± Xiulan scoffed. ¡°Besides, the flames are under control.¡±


    Ling Qi was about to voice her disagreement when she spotted motion within one of the bigger blazes. A little humanoid form emerged, dancing from the flickering tongues of flame and trailing sparks from the tendrils of actinic light that made up its wings. It had been some time since Ling Qi had seen Xiulan¡¯s spirit Linhuo, and it showed.


    The fairy had gotten much bigger and more defined. Where she was once small enough to fit in the palm of a person''s hand, the fairy was now a good sixty or seventy centimeters tall. In addition, the fairy seemed to have taken after Xiulan in its body type. Rather than a vaguely humanoid shape, Linhuo now had the body of a rather¡­ gifted adult woman, shrunk to size and composed of multi-hued flame. The little spirit grinned at her when it saw Ling Qi looking and did a little spin, the dark smoke that made up her hair drifting in the wind, before she darted off into the next fire.


    ¡°You would know,¡± Ling Qi said instead, looking back to her friend. ¡°It looks like you¡¯ve been making a lot of progress.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Father has been kind enough to ensure that I might take full advantage of my newfound affinity for the Heavenly Arts,¡± Xiulan boasted, gesturing to a boulder on the far side of a field. A molten hole was bored through its center, the melted stone still glowing faintly with heat. Her proud smirk fell a bit as she studied Ling Qi. ¡°Congratulations on your breakthrough.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ling Qi said, studying her friend. Xiulan was fully in the late stage of the second realm, and even now, her spirit was nearing the peak of it as well. ¡°I look forward to saying the same thing to you soon.¡±


    ¡°Hah. Perhaps,¡± Xiulan said airly, shooting her a knowing look. ¡°I hardly need the encouragement.¡±


    ¡°Maybe not, but I still wanted to give it anyway,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re doing well, Xiulan.¡±


    ¡°Of course I am,¡± her friend said, her confident expression back in place behind her veil as she crossed her arms. The flinch when her heavily bandaged one brushed against the other was almost imperceptible. ¡°What brings you here, Ling Qi? You must be quite busy yourself.¡±


    ¡°I am. I have a whole backlog of things that I need to cultivate,¡± Ling Qi said agreeably. ¡°But I was about to take my turn in the White Room. It is kind of sad to do that kind of thing on my own, so I thought I would see if you were free.¡±


    Ling Qi had invited Li Suyin and Su Ling each to the White Room once, but the vast majority of the time, she invited Gu Xiulan. After all, Su Ling wasn¡¯t competing, and the crafters¡¯ competition, which Li Suyin would participate in, was not a competition of cultivation but innovation. Gu Xiulan, though, was competing in the combat tournament, and every cultivation advantage there would be a boon to her chances of making it to Inner Sect, especially because Ling Qi suspected that third realm might almost be a requirement for a slot given the competition this year. It wouldn¡¯t solve the engagement with Fan Yu, but at least Gu Xiulan would have time and space away from him if she made it.


    Gu Xiulan pursued her lips, and Ling Qi didn¡¯t miss the warring pride and gratitude in her friend¡¯s eyes. ¡°I suppose I can keep you company for a time,¡± Xiulan allowed.


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Ling Qi said brightly, turning toward the entrance. She was glad her friend could put her pride aside and accept help. Then she paused. ¡°Do you want to take care of these?¡± she asked, gesturing to the guttering fires.


    ¡°Let Linhuo have her fun,¡± Xiulan said airily, moving to walk beside her. ¡°She knows not to get out of hand.¡±


    The crackling giggle that rang out as one of the fires puffed bigger, bright blue at its core, made Ling Qi doubt that.


    ¡°So, what is this I have heard about you spending your nights with a handsome, masked gentleman?¡± Xiulan asked lightly as they left the training ground. ¡°Should I be offended on behalf of Tai?¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s stride faltered, and she blushed, scowling at Xiulan. ¡°Don¡¯t say things in that way,¡± she huffed. ¡°Senior Brother Liao is just tutoring me this week.¡±


    ¡°Of course he is,¡± Xiulan said knowingly. ¡°You lucky girl, there are ladies in the Inner Sect who might fight you for your position. Liao Zhu is a popular fellow. He doesn¡¯t often socialize like that.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to get offended for Gu Tai? How do you even hear about things like this?¡± Ling Qi grumbled, crossing her arms.


    ¡°There is nothing wrong with visual appreciation,¡± Xiulan said haughtily. ¡°And it¡¯s not as if anything is finalized. As for how¡­ Elder Sister Yanmei does enjoy sharing a bit of gossip now and then. Now tell me, is he as handsome as they say?¡±


    ¡°... He¡¯s never taken his mask off,¡± Ling Qi said, her eyes fixed on the ground. ¡°Not sure I¡¯d remember though. I have a hard time looking that high.¡±


    Xiulan blinked, staring at her in surprise, only to snort as Ling Qi started laughing herself. ¡°Hmph, so you do know how to loosen up. I was worried I might have to consider you a prude.¡±


    Of course, Xiulan then spent the entire trip down the mountain needling and teasing her after that. It was good to get her friend¡¯s mind off of training; Ling Qi only wished that she didn¡¯t have to make herself a target.


    Despite her always foggy memories of the shimmering interior of the White Room, Ling Qi emerged feeling well-rested. She and Xiulan did not hurry back up the mountain, but instead, they spent the time chatting, this time about their own respective training goals. As it turned out, Xiulan did need some help, or at least, a sparring partner, although she was reluctant to admit it.


    Ling Qi had a feeling the other girl was feeling a little lonely, frankly. Either way, she was welcome to join Xiulan for training, but she would have to stick with cultivating defensive arts.


    After she parted ways with Xiulan in the afternoon, Ling Qi headed back home to prepare herself and ensure Zhengui was taken care of for the evening. She had a dragon to confront.

 Chapter 163-Dragon 3

    Soon enough, she stood a few dozen meters from the entrance to the dragon¡¯s vale, fingering a small stone talisman. It was little more than a smooth river rock, but when she had visited Gu Tai as he had asked, he had pressed it into her hand.


    ¡°Consider it a gift for good luck. When river dragons strike, their movements are followed by a shadow of water, sharp as a well-forged sword,¡± he had said with a smile. ¡°Just crush the stone before the battle, and it will disperse the force of a blow or two from that shadow.¡±


    ¡°Is this really okay?¡± she had asked, looking down at the talisman.


    ¡°I am courting you,¡± he had said with a dismissive gesture, making her glance away uncomfortably. ¡°The Sect will not be angry over a few little tokens.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that,¡± Ling Qi had replied, though it was interesting to know that the Sect apparently frowned on too much outside interference. She wondered if there was some hard limit to the aid disciples could receive or if it was one of those unspoken agreements. ¡°I mean, can I really use an item like this and not taint the outcome in the dragon¡¯s mind?¡±


    ¡°The only fair fight is one that you win,¡± Gu Tai had replied, giving her an amused look. ¡°Honor is a human concept. A dragon might be enraged by being defeated solely by a sneak attack or ambush, but they are hardly the sort to object to the use of treasures. The earliest formations come from the tongue of dragons.¡±


    Ling Qi took a deep breath, letting the memory drift away as she palmed the stone talisman and crushed it in her grip. It crumbled like wet sand, and she could suddenly feel the moisture in the air being drawn to her skin. The talisman was usually meant for journeys in the wastes, and if acting to draw in water from the air to keep a traveler hydrated, it would last all day.


    In battle, its power would be used up quickly, but it would give her time to get her defensive arts set up.


    Ling Qi shook off those thoughts as she reached the entrance of the vale. She could see the fruit trees in the distance, their leaves made red by the light of sundown. She stopped a few meters from the river¡¯s edge and squared her shoulders as she prepared to speak.


    ¡°Honored Dragon, this disciple of the Argent Peak would speak with you!¡± she called loudly, letting her voice echo over the vale. She watched the water carefully as she waited for him to surface, prepared to draw her flute at any moment.


    She wasn¡¯t left to wait long. The water of the river began to churn and froth, and from it emerged the reptilian head of the azure scaled dragon. He seemed much bigger awake than he had when he was asleep. His long, snake-like neck brought his head far above hers, and his green, reptilian eyes stared down at her with disdain as his short claws came to rest on the riverbank, his claws sinking into the mud.


    ¡°For what reason do you interrupt my repose, human?¡¯¡± The dragon''s voice was that of an arrogant boy around her own age, and it emerged from his open jaws without any movement of his teeth or tongue. ¡°Do you have a message from my Venerable Mother?¡± He sounded expectant.


    The dragon was only a single step above her in the third realm. She could do this.


    ¡°I am afraid not,¡± she replied, inclining her head only slightly, as one would in a polite conversation with a peer. The dragon¡¯s eyes immediately narrowed. ¡°I am here of my own volition. I intend to negotiate for the use of your vale in cultivation.¡±


    ¡°You overstep yourself, disciple,¡± the dragon said coldly. ¡°I see no gifts, no tribute, to cause me to consider such a thing. You have not even bowed properly to your superior. Get you gone before my ire is aroused further.¡±


    ¡°Tribute may be negotiated once certain matters are established,¡± Ling Qi said evenly, locking her eyes with the huge reptile¡¯s. Her heart was pounding, but if she never truly challenged herself, how would she know where she stood? ¡°I have given to you all the respect that you have earned. If you think me rude, please present your arguments.¡±


    A low furious hiss was her only warning before the river surged up, frothing and white-capped, to descend on her in a meters high wave. In that frozen instant, she could see the muddy river bottom, the stones gleaming in the evening sun.


    Then she was a shadow, dancing away from the crashing waters with nary a drop touching even the hem of her gown. As cool, dark qi pulsed in her limbs, Ling Qi took off toward the stand of fruit trees, her slippered feet pattering soundlessly across the ground, bending not a single blade of grass.


    Her opponent was not so quiet. A roar that shook her to the very bone erupted from behind her, anda slight glance showed the serpentine beast charging forth from the river, cloaked by coiling currents of water that wrapped around his form and clung to his fangs and limbs. Yet she was the best friend of Bai Meizhen. Such a paltry sound could not rouse the instinctive animal fear that it was meant to.


    She might have gotten a little arrogant, somewhere along the line, Ling Qi thought idly. Pushing the thought away, Ling Qi re-focused on the battle. Her flute appeared in her hand with a flicker, and the notes of her first melody rolled out across the vale, bringing with it the rolling mist. The dragon charged in without a single concern, and she felt the effects of the mist take hold as it clung thickly to the beast, clouding his senses.


    Yet she was not hidden, and so the wall of scale and muscle descending upon her found little trouble in homing in on her position at the edge of the trees. As she thought, if she remained close to the fruit trees, he would not risk wide area attacks.


    The dragon was fast, so much faster than anything his size should be. She found any potential avenues of retreat cut off by his sinuous tail as his body wound through the trees, surrounding her where she played, and his claws flashed out, tearing through the air where she had stood just moments before. As Gu Tai had warned, currents of water followed in the wake of the dragon¡¯s claws, and it was only Gu Tai¡¯s gift that stopped that razor lash from scoring a hit on the initial blow.


    With a better understanding of the dragon¡¯s speed, Ling Qi danced among the snapping fangs and razor claws as she continued to play, her skin taking on a faint green glow as wood was layered over darkness, hardening her defenses further. She felt qi flowing back into her from the roots beneath her feet, replenishing what little she had spent as she entered the next stage of her melody. The mist wrapped around the dragon much more tightly, heavy and draining, but the beast merely snarled, the jewel on his throat pulsing with light as he blew her mist away in a powerful surge of qi, leaving her briefly exposed.


    She flitted through the storm of attacks that followed, retreating deeper into the trees. The dragon followed eagerly, winding his way among the smooth trunks, and the currents of water around his form boiled with fury.


    Ling Qi simply continued to play, calling on the mist once again, letting it pour from her flute and turn the stand of trees into a ghostly maze. She had felt it. It cost the dragon more qi to dispel her mist than it did for her to call it again, and he had not blown her technique away easily. She needed only to hold out.


    The next exchange of blows used up the charm Gu Tai had given her, but by then, it had performed its purpose. With no thought for striking back, Ling Qi layered defense upon defense, his attacks biting at the the edges of her qi, scratching at armor of impenetrable wood or passing through her like smoke


    In the darkening vale, her mist was blown away again and again, yet it always crept back, called by her flute. Ling Qi wondered if this was what Meizhen felt like fighting her, but no, that wasn¡¯t right. Even with all of her techniques up, there was an edge of desperation to her movements that had not appeared in even the hardest of spars with Meizhen, the knowledge that if she slipped up even once, the dragon would score a telling blow. The dragon continued to ramp up his attacks to meet her defense, the raging current of his attacks only letting up when he had to pause to blow away her mist.


    By the time the dragon¡¯s qi guttered out, night had fallen, and Ling Qi was all the stronger for it.


    ¡°Are you satisfied now?¡± Ling Qi asked, finally lowering her flute. She had almost half of her own qi left, so she let the haunting tune continue to play.


    ¡°I am not defeated!¡± the dragon snapped, visible through her mist by his glowing eyes as she stalked a circle around him.


    ¡°You are,¡± Ling Qi said confidently, not letting anything but that emotion show. ¡°You have spent yourself, and I am unmarked.¡±


    A low, rumbling growl escaped from the dragon, and she could see the whiplike tip of his tail flicking agitatedly through the air. ¡°You have not struck back even once. You will tire yourself eventually, human, and then you will see what a dragon¡¯s might can do.¡±


    Ling Qi narrowed her eyes and raised her flute back to her lips, causing the dragon to tense. She blew a single sharp note, and the ground in front of the dragon¡¯s feet exploded, showering the clearing with dirt.


    ¡°I refrained from striking back out of respect for your Venerable Mother, and nothing more. Will you hide behind her¡­ scales?¡± She had wanted to say gowns but ended up reaching for something more appropriate for a dragon. This was harder than she thought.


    The river dragon had taken a step back at her rebuke. ¡°... No. I would not. Your words are no lie,¡± he said, frustrated.


    Given the number of perception and detection techniques he had used to keep up with her, she had no doubt that he could read the truth in her words.


    ¡°Will you speak with me then?¡± she asked calmly. ¡°I am Outer Disciple Ling Qi. I apologize for failing to introduce myself earlier.¡± Despite her words, she kept her head high, staring down the looming beast in the dark.


    ¡°I bear the name Heizu, until the day I might earn my own,¡± the dragon said proudly, but at the same time, she could see the slight lowering of his head, his neck curving to bring him down to a more even height with her. ¡°What do you offer in return for use of my vale?¡±


    ¡°I believe I have shown you my skill as a musician,¡± Ling Qi noted, her lips curving into a grin as the dragon twitched at that. ¡°I had thought to offer you more pleasant songs to pass the hours with while I am present.¡±


    ¡°And you request only to cultivate here yourself?¡± Heizui asked suspiciously, albeit without the condescension and scorn that had colored their initial interaction. ¡°I will not give my fruit, nor my fish, to anyone.¡±


    ¡°I would bring my spirit beast as well,¡± Ling Qi said evenly as the notes of her song began to fade. ¡°He is a young Xuan Wu,¡± she added, which seemed to somewhat mollify the dragon. ¡°But no, I ask only to cultivate. Should I desire to bring anyone else, we can negotiate further tribute for their passage.¡±


    ¡°Acceptable,¡± Heizui said after a moment. ¡°Do not grow arrogant though, human. With this, I have seen where I am weak. Do not expect to find me so easy a foe again.¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°But I will not stand still either.¡±


    The dragon let out an irritable snort, sounding remarkably like a large horse. ¡°You will leave now. You may cultivate during the day when I might be awake to watch you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your time,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°But remember where we stand.¡± It wasn¡¯t in her nature to be so aggressive, but Gu Tai¡¯s had reminded her to make sure that she didn¡¯t let the dragon¡¯s respect slip away.


    Heizui stared at her then reluctantly lowered his head more. ¡°My apologies. I am tired, and so spoke shortly.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded in satisfaction and turned away, leaving the vale behind. Only when she reached the mountain, well out of range of the dragon¡¯s perception, did she allow herself to sway and lean against a tree, the fatigue in her limbs making her tremble despite the qi still coursing through her channels. That had been the longest fight she had ever been in, and with her mist blown away again and again, she could not grow comfortable as she had with the mimic worm.


    All the same, she couldn¡¯t help but grin. She had triumphed over a dragon!

 Chapter 164-Dragon 4

    Her tutor, Sect Brother Liao, seemed bemused when she arrived at their meeting point, practically skipping, but had let it pass without comment as they wrapped up their time together. She felt that she had impressed the older disciple with her growth and rapid mastery of her new Phantasmagoria art, although perhaps she was just seeing what she wished to see.


    After, she headed to Fu Xiang¡¯s to follow up with him with regard to the market¡¯s investigation of the sabotage. After her last discussion with Cai, Ling Qi had told him that she was not interested in allowing the third to be framed, and Fu Xiang had reluctantly agreed.


    ¡°Let me apologize again for the inconvenience of the last minute change,¡± Ling Qi said, dipping her head toward Fu Xiang where he sat in front of his mirror and other scrying gear. He had replaced his chair with a padded, levitating disc of dull grey metal since she had been to his cottage last. It had allowed him to swivel to face her without ever standing up.


    ¡°It was more disappointing than troublesome,¡± Fu Xiang replied from his seat, idly adjusting his glasses. ¡°In the end, my employment under Lady Cai is a temporary measure.¡±


    ¡°I am not sure what you mean by disappointment,¡± Ling Qi said slowly, taking one of the open seats in the room herself.


    ¡°I had thought our interests might overlap somewhat, but it seems you are more principled than I had imagined.¡± Fu Xiang shrugged, folding his hands in his lap. ¡°I suppose it is good to get that sort of misunderstanding out of the way early before we move beyond children¡¯s games in the Outer Sect.¡±


    Ling Qi restrained a grimace. ¡°May I ask how the market will resolve the matter?¡±


    ¡°As I have refrained from pointing fingers at a certain crafts competitor,¡± Fu Xiang eyed her pointedly, ¡°the market¡¯s investigators have been unable to pinpoint a culprit. They had considered you at one point.¡± Fu Xiang paused, his lips quirking into an amused smirk.


    Ling Qi just stared back flatly.


    ¡°But,¡± he preened, ¡°while you are one of the few on the mountain with the stealth skills for the sabotage, you were determined to have a lack of motive to do so. You are, of course, well known to be aiming for a slot to the Inner Sect via the combat tournament. Further, the way the sabotage was conducted indicated a sophistication and understanding of crafting that was surmised to be beyond you.¡±


    Ling Qi rolled her eyes at Fu Xiang¡¯s dramatic retelling. ¡°And?¡± she asked impatiently.


    ¡°At this time, the market¡¯s investigators have concluded that the sabotage was carried out by a fellow crafts competitor in the market itself. They would have the motive, and unlike crafts competitors outside the market, such as myself, they would have the opportunity to both know of the particular projects in question and to access them for sabotage.¡±


    Fu Xiang continued, ¡°The market is not interested in conducting an investigation within the market itself, potentially causing further opportunities for sabotage and destabilizing profits for other stores in the markets and hence, its own profits. They have notified the sabotaged crafters of the conclusions from their investigation and closed their investigation.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Ling Qi said. Blaming the matter on an unidentified competitor was better than ruining a third uninvolved person.


    After some polite pleasantries, Ling Qi took her leave from the informant¡¯s cottage and headed back home to pick up Zhengui from his usual morning napping place. It was time to begin profiting from her efforts at the dragon¡¯s vale. She only hoped she could impress on Zhengui the importance of not taking nibbles out of anything at the vale, but especially not the fruit trees, while providing her promised musical entertainment to the dragon as well.


    ... It was going to be a fairly long morning.


    ***


    The vale was lovely under the early morning light. The sun shone off the bubbling surface of the river, and the wind carried with it the sweet scent of fruit and flowers. The colors were vibrant, and the qi in the air pulsed with vitality.


    ¡°Alright, Zhengui,¡± Ling Qi said crisply as she crouched in front of her young spirit. ¡°You worked really hard these past few weeks, and you followed instructions well. So I want you to do the same now. Keep cultivating your body so that you can be tough and strong for Big Sister.¡± Zhengui¡¯s performance against Yan Renshu¡¯s spirit beast had been admirable given the cultivation disadvantage, but she remembered Zhengui crying out in pain during that fight.


    ¡°Big Sister does not need to worry. Zhen will not let the feckless Gui¡¯s attention wander,¡± Zhen hissed, even as his bright red eyes wandered curiously over the vale. She wondered if he was picking up new vocabulary from Cui though.


    ¡°And Gui won¡¯t let lazy Zhen sneak any naps,¡± Gui chirped, causing his ¡®brother¡¯ to twitch in irritation. She supposed that she was just glad that their antagonism was mutual, instead of a one-sided bullying relationship.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you both will,¡± Ling Qi replied with a slight smile. ¡°Now, there is a new rule today,¡± she continued as sternly as she could manage in the face of her adorable little brother¡¯s earnestness. ¡°You can¡¯t eat anything here if you get hungry. I will give you a core, but you have to promise not to eat anything else until we leave, got it?¡±


    The dismay in Gui¡¯s bright green eyes shook her resolve, but Ling Qi stayed strong. ¡°Promise me, Zhengui,¡± she said, not flinching from his gaze.


    ¡°... We promise, Big Sister,¡± they both promised, albeit sulkily.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to treat you to something nice when we¡¯re done,¡± Ling Qi said gently, leaning forward to embrace Gui¡¯s thick neck. ¡°I know you can do it, so train hard for Big Sister, alright?¡±


    Zhen nuzzled her cheek, his forked tongue tickling her skin, and Gui made an assenting sound. After a moment, she let him go, and with one last pat for each head, she went to take care of the other half of her business while Zhengui got to his cultivation.


    ¡°It is beneath the dignity of a Xuan Wu to be coddled so,¡± the dragon huffed as she sat down by the riverbank, his voice distorted by the waters. He had been watching their conversation, half-submerged in the water, and he eyed her flute warily as it materialized in her hand.


    ¡°He is my precious little brother, and he is not even a year old yet,¡± Ling Qi replied, looking down to meet the dragon¡¯s golden gaze. ¡°He deserves some spoiling when he¡¯s being good.¡±


    ¡°No wonder that child has no pride,¡± Heizui grumbled, sounding annoyed. ¡°Raised by a human.¡±


    Ling Qi merely raised an eyebrow. ¡°If you want head pats, you will have to ask your Mother. It would be entirely inappropriate for me to offer,¡± she said primly, fighting down the smirk as the young dragon spluttered.


    ¡°You overstep yourself. I am not a child,¡± the dragon scoffed, rising to bring his head wholly above the water to stare her down from an even height. ¡°Do not insult me so.¡±


    ¡°My apologies, Honorable Heizui,¡± Ling Qi replied, knowing not to tease him any further. ¡°In turn, I will ask that you not insult my little brother.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± he said grudgingly. ¡°You should still teach him some pride. It is unseemly for one of his kind to lack such.¡±


    ¡°I will take that under advisement,¡± Ling Qi said, just a touch dryly. ¡°Now, what sort of song would you like me to play today?¡±


    ¡°Play me a song expressing the beauty of my vale,¡± the dragon demanded, settling himself on the riverbank, his long head resting atop his claws and the jewel at his throat pulsing with emerald light.


    Ling Qi cast a look out over the sunny vale and nodded, raising her flute to her lips. The lesson of the dreaming moon was spontaneity, and even if she hadn¡¯t chosen that path, she could still improvise a good melody.


    For the next few hours, time crawled along as Ling Qi played a bright but slow tune that spoke of sparkling waters, fruit trees swaying in the wind, the scent of spring flowers in the air, and bright blue skies overhead. It was a nice change from her usual, and it was easy to simply relax and let the music flow.


    She kept part of her attention on Zhengui, his aura bubbling with determination and cheer as he cultivated in the rich environment of the vale. The other part, she kept on the young dragon, whose tail swayed in time with her music.


    By the time she was done, the dragon was snoozing away on the riverbank, his whiskers fluttering in time with his breathing. He was surprisingly trusting, or at least incautious. Maybe she should mention that to Zeqing to pass it along to his mother? Heizui was arrogant, but she didn¡¯t think the young dragon to be bad-natured when it came down to it.


    She spent another hour cultivating. She was going to be working on her Thousand Ring Fortress art while training with Su Ling later, and she wanted to soak in the ambient wood qi for a time to allow that to advance more easily.

 Chapter 165-Retainer 1

    Sparring with Su Ling made for a good counterbalance for a relatively lazy morning. They spent the afternoon circling the clearing, the sounds of Su Ling¡¯s efforts to crack her reinforced shell of wood qi echoing. The only offense Ling Qi allowed herself was her clumsy first efforts at wielding a flying sword.


    Using a flying sword with her domain was like having another arm, if one atrophied and weak from disuse. The inexpensive Neophyte¡¯s Blade, which she had purchased with Meizhen¡¯s help bobbed drunkenly through the air. Its thrusts and slashes were painfully obvious, but gradually, Ling Qi was picking up how to wield it without distracting herself. She could feel her control of it growing more natural over the course of the spar.


    In the end, when Su Ling¡¯s qi reserves flagged, the two girls sat down, leaning against Zhengui¡¯s warm shell at the edge of the clearing. Ling Qi¡¯s spirit had elected to take his nap after cultivating all morning.


    ¡°You¡¯re ridiculous,¡± Su Ling grumbled. ¡°I can split a boulder, but you throw up that armor and I feel like a mortal that just took a swing at a mountain.¡±


    ¡°It helped you get a better grip on Argent Current¡¯s pressure crack technique though, didn¡¯t it?¡± Ling Qi grinned. She was beginning to gain confidence in her defense between this spar and the fight with the dragon. The specter of Sun Liling¡¯s thorn-laden spear prevented that from growing into overblown pride. ¡°You¡¯ve really put a lot of effort into your swordwork.¡±


    ¡°I like doing it, and I picked up another couple sword arts from the archives. Gotta cultivate my body before I can advance though,¡± Su Ling replied, her ears drooping with exhaustion. Ling Qi supposed that explained why Su Ling had only just reached mid silver, if she had been focusing so exclusively on arts in her cultivation. ¡°Not as much time for that as I might like. Gotta also keep up with my pills.¡±


    ¡°Are you still not even going to try for Inner Sect?¡± Ling Qi asked, looking up at the sky. ¡°If you can make something like those Silverblood pills, I think you could make it.¡±


    ¡°That was Suyin as much as me,¡± Su Ling rebutted shortly. ¡°I¡¯ve told you I don¡¯t want to get tangled up with the Sect.¡±


    ¡°What do you want then?¡± Ling Qi asked, her thoughts drifting to her own future choices.


    Su Ling glanced over at her but didn¡¯t move from her relaxed position. ¡°I want to get strong, get some real fighting experience in the army¡­ and then I want to go chop my mother¡¯s head off.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it seem a little petty to just focus on revenge like that? There has to be something more you want other than that.¡±


    Su Ling snorted. ¡°If you had said that six months ago, I¡¯d have punched you,¡± she said bluntly. ¡°But you¡¯re not wrong. I¡¯ve done some research since I came here. It¡¯s not just revenge.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ling Qi asked, propping herself up on her elbow.


    ¡°I mean that the bitch has a fucking moniker and stories ¡®n shit about her,¡± Su Ling spat. ¡°She¡¯s been murdering people like my dad for half a damn millenium, and since she mostly avoids botherin¡¯ cultivators, doesn¡¯t disrupt trade or anything, no one who could stop her bothers to give a shit. I¡¯m going to end that.¡±


    ¡°You still haven¡¯t answered what you want to do after,¡± Ling Qi commented. It was hard to emphasize. Su Ling had never even known her father, for obvious reasons, so why did she care? While something like a murderous spirit was an ugly thing, there were a million and one things just as bad or worse in the world, and most of them were human.


    ¡°Fuck if I know,¡± Su Ling said, her expression rueful. ¡°She¡¯s a fourth grade spirit. I¡¯ll probably have a hundred years to figure that out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all the more reason for you to advance, you stubborn girl,¡± Ling Qi huffed, flopping back down onto Zhengui¡¯s back. ¡°You¡¯ll have more resources and a place to stay and train.¡±


    ¡°And more people to object if Viscount Lazyfuck decides he doesn¡¯t want a mongrel starting fights with a powerful fourth grade spirit on his lands,¡± Su Ling shot back. ¡°Ling Qi, you¡¯re a good friend, but I think you¡¯ve bought into the bull peddled by the Sect and the nobles. You know the only reason they pay you any mind is ¡®cause of how fast you¡¯ve grown, right?¡±


    Ling Qi frowned at the aspersion that implied on her noble friends, but she couldn¡¯t say that was wrong. Neither Bai Meizhen nor Cai Renxiang would have noticed her if she hadn¡¯t made good on the talent she had shown. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with being appreciated for your abilities?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Su Ling replied, sounding tired. ¡°I¡¯ll think about trying for the Inner Sect next year, alright? Leave it be.¡±


    Ling Qi would have to take what she could get, and she wasn¡¯t sure she could criticize Su Ling much. Ling Qi couldn¡¯t really envision the passage of a hundred years nor was she very clear on her own path.


    ¡°Alright,¡± she said, dropping the subject. ¡°Same time tomorrow then?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, same time tomorrow,¡± her friend agreed. ¡°And thanks for the training.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the pills,¡± Ling Qi replied in a lighter tone. ¡°I have plans for those¡­¡±


    ***


    All too soon, they parted ways, and Ling Qi headed down the mountain for the last thing she had planned today. It was a rather more serious matter than cultivating with Zhengui or Su Ling - Cai Renxiang was expecting her answer. That the girl hadn¡¯t demanded it right after her complete breakthrough to the third realm was something she was grateful for, but Ling Qi was aware that the heiress would probably ask soon if she didn¡¯t bring it up herself.


    Seated in Cai¡¯s guest room, Ling Qi was uncomfortable. It was not a particularly large room nor ostentatious in design, but she felt out of place here. The lacquered wood of the tabletop was so polished that she could nearly see her reflection, and the white upholstery of her seat felt like she was floating upon a cloud. Around her, the walls were hung with elaborate tapestries depicting fragments of the history of the Emerald Seas, scenes that she only barely recognized from fairy tales, and there was nary a wrinkle to be seen. Even the position of the chairs, the setting on the table, and the pattern of the carpet held an almost unnerving symmetry. Ling Qi felt like she was breaking something important just by shifting her chair.


    It was a few minutes later that Cai swept into the room, the shimmering form of her white gown gleaming in the girl¡¯s ever-present backlight. Ling Qi rose and bowed, as was proper, clasping her hands in front of her. ¡°Lady Cai, thank you for choosing to see me on such short notice.¡±


    ¡°It is no trouble,¡± the heiress replied gracefully, inclining her head just enough to acknowledge Ling Qi¡¯s show of respect before she proceeded to a high backed chair, set apart from the rest. Taking her place, Cai Renxiang seemed to slot into an unseen hole in the room, like the last thread of a now-complete canvas. ¡°Please, be seated. I had meant to call on you next week, but I am glad enough to have this meeting now.¡±


    Ling Qi acquiesced, falling back into her own slightly smaller chair. Carefully, she reached for the porcelain tea set, spooning the dried leaves into the pot to begin brewing their drinks. ¡°Yes, although I still have some questions.¡±


    Cai considered her for a moment. ¡°What yet troubles you?¡±


    ¡°First, I would like to ask what exactly you wrote in that cover letter for my legal request,¡± Ling Qi said. As much as the image of her mother¡¯s harassers slamming their heads into the ground in kowtow amused her, she could admit that it was probably excessive.


    Cai¡¯s eyebrows drew together in a frown. ¡°I indicated that I would be personally grateful if the matter was treated with due consideration and seriousness. Has there been a problem?¡±


    Ling Qi studied the other girl¡¯s face and was, in that moment struck by how perfectly symmetrical Cai herself was, down to the way the very strands of her hair rested upon her shoulders, perfectly placed, like the woven figures on the tapestries around them. She supposed she couldn¡¯t talk, what with the sparkles in her own hair. As always, she detected no hint of dishonesty, so it seemed the overreaction lay with the Ministry. ¡°No, not precisely. My mother was merely surprised by the level of attention she received.¡±


    ¡°It is to be expected,¡± Cai Renxiang replied, the light around her dimming ever-so-slightly as the disinterested gaze of the eye-like markings of her gown drifted lazily around the room. ¡°The expansion of the Ministry of Law, such that arbitrators are more available in some capacity to even less wealthy mortals, is among my goals for the future, but for now,¡± her lips twisted in distaste, ¡°flaws remain.¡±


    ¡°You know,¡± Ling Qi said absently, drumming her fingers on the armrest of the chair. ¡°Why do cultivators bother with mortals at all?¡± Her conversation with Su Ling lingered in her mind. ¡°It seems like they could do without them entirely and be pretty much fine.¡±


    ¡°It is our duty,¡± Cai Renxiang replied immediately, as if that explained everything.


    ¡°Why though?¡± Ling Qi asked, raising an eyebrow.


    The heiress furrowed her brows. ¡°You do not¡­ No, I suppose such stories might not filter down. You are familiar with the origins of the world at least?¡±


    ¡°The story of the Nameless Mother and the Nameless Father, yeah,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°The protection of mortals was the cost for the first secrets of cultivation whispered to our ancestors on the last of the Father¡¯s breath,¡± Cai Renxiang explained. ¡°It is the original reason why we are superior to the barbarians, who cast their weaker children aside to die en masse. Many might fail to live up to the true spirit of the agreement, but none would fail to see the cities and towns as a whole be protected.¡±


    Looking at Cai Renxiang¡¯s expression, it was clear that whatever the truth of the story, it and the duty cultivators apparently bore was one that Cai Renxiang believed in. ¡°I see. Thank you for the explanation,¡± Ling Qi said politely.


    ¡°I am always pleased to discuss and explain the foundations of Imperial law,¡± Cai said, a hint of something akin to actual warmth touching her expression.


    ¡°I might take you up on that later.¡± Hopefully not. That sounded like a dull philosophical conversation, but it was the polite, expected response. Ling Qi cleared her throat. ¡°In any case, getting back to the matter at hand¡­ Why do you want an answer to your offer so soon? You have previously mentioned that you do not intend to leave the Sect immediately following this year.¡±


    Cai Renxiang briefly closed her eyes. ¡°The Inner Sect will be a much greater challenge than the Outer, and I have no doubt that my Honored Mother will set me difficult milestones. I wish to know concretely what assets and allies I will have available for the following year.¡±


    ¡°Not worried that I will fail in the tournament?¡± Ling Qi asked curiously.


    ¡°I think that such a result would be a mark of ill fortune and not ability,¡± Cai answered easily. ¡°And you would remain an asset regardless should you fail. Nonetheless, I hope such a thing does not come to pass.¡±


    ¡°That makes two of us,¡± Ling Qi agreed.


    In the end, of the three offers, Cai¡¯s was the most tempting. She liked Gu Tai, insomuch as she could like someone that she¡¯d first met within the past few months, but she was not ready to marry and move to the Golden Fields for life. She was very tempted to stay with the Sect; it was familiar, it had provided her the opportunities to better her life, and she liked Xin and even Elder Jiao. But she would not be able to establish a home of her own for her family.


    Well, she supposed technically, there were four possibilities as she could reject every offer, but the Empire did not look kindly on unattached cultivators, and she was not prepared to leave everything behind.


    Of Cai Renxiang¡¯s offer, the pros and cons had already been laid out in front of her for some time.


    The Cai were famously supportive of their retainers, and they had the resources to do so. Ling Qi had done her research; she knew that two of the current Count clans had been raised to that status for loyally following and supporting Cai Shenhua in her rise. The Cai¡¯s backing would offer her stability and security in a way that no new-founded barony could match; most smaller clans would hesitate to move openly against her over minor slights, and most importantly, any marriage would be into her clan, rather than the opposite.


    As a new, ascendent ducal clan, it was very much in the Cai¡¯s interests to support their retainers well - of course, the retainers in question had to match the great expenditure with similarly great results. She would have little margin for error and many eyes upon her. Her performance would reflect on Cai Renxiang¡¯s ability, and similarly, Cai Renxiang¡¯s performance would impact her own prospects.


    ¡°I am not the kind of person who lives up to the ideals you talk about,¡± Ling Qi said, breaking the silence that had begun to stretch on. ¡°But you know that already, right?¡±


    ¡°Your recent collaboration with Fu Xiang was not ideal,¡± Cai Renxiang acknowledged.


    Ling Qi paled. When had¡­ No, how had Cai found out? Had she just walked into a trap?


    ¡°I am not wholly blind to intrigues,¡± Cai Renxiang continued pensively. ¡°And Fu Xiang is somewhat less clever than he estimates. Unlike the market¡¯s investigators, I am aware of Fu Xiang¡¯s aid in your escape of Princess Sun and your likely response.¡±


    Ling Qi swallowed. ¡°I suppose the offer is off then?¡± But Cai Renxiang surprised her.


    ¡°An ideal is the end of a path, not its beginning. I myself am flawed, purposely so, but this remains true. Your loyalty to your allies is part of what I sought in you, but you see now the injustice that clannish selfishness can bring when not tempered. If I did not believe you capable of regret over your actions and of being better, my offer would have been withdrawn. My offer remains.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not even sure I believe it is possible to achieve the world you want,¡± Ling Qi confessed.


    ¡°Yet you are not certain that it is not,¡± Cai Renxiang rebutted shrewdly. ¡°The question lies solely in whether you would walk the long path toward justice at my side. If I have been unclear before this point, Ling Qi, answer me this question. Are you truly satisfied with the world as it is?¡±


    ¡°Talking about the world is a little grandiose, don¡¯t you think?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°Affecting such a thing is beyond my reach.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Cai Renxiang replied, the eyes splashed over her chest now focusing upon Ling Qi. ¡°I thought you more ambitious than that. Do you not seek the highest levels of power?¡±


    ¡°In cultivation, of course,¡± Ling Qi answered, frowning. ¡°But that is a personal matter, not trying to affect the entire Empire.¡±


    ¡°You will never achieve those heights then,¡± the other girl said, the light around her strengthening with the conviction in her words. ¡°Cultivation affects the world around you. Even those who focus inward shape the world with their steps, even if those effects might be small. The notion that a man or woman may live only for themselves unlinked to the world is childish and pathetic. Leave such thoughts to barbarians and those lonely souls who would rather spend a thousand years in a cave or a meditation chamber seeking power without purpose beyond its own propagation.¡±


    ¡°I would probably call it beastly, rather than childish,¡± Ling Qi said after a moment. ¡°A child simply doesn¡¯t know better, but adults can still be the most vicious beasts of all.¡±


    ¡°You would know better than I, perhaps,¡± Cai admitted. ¡°This is why I reach out to those such as you and Gan Guangli, to ensure that my path does not become corrupted in ignorance. I do not have my Mother¡¯s perception. Many things are hidden from my eyes and ears. I do not expect to achieve my ideal without struggle or pain. So I will ask again. Are you satisfied, Ling Qi?¡±


    Ling Qi remembered the sick feeling in her stomach when she heard the cries from the market. She remembered being alone and cold and hungry on the streets. She remembered the bruises on her mother¡¯s and other courtesans¡¯ faces.


    ¡°No. I¡¯m not.¡± Ling Qi sighed, closing her eyes. ¡°I am selfish though and often thoughtless toward others. Is that truly what you want in a retainer?¡±


    ¡°I believe you do yourself too little credit. There is potential in your resolve,¡± Cai Renxiang replied, rising gracefully from her seat and looking down at Ling Qi. ¡°Should you stumble on the path behind me, I will see you guided back.¡±


    Ling Qi stared at her, feeling conflicted over those words. Such a statement of confidence in her character¡­ it felt misplaced. She knew that she was a talented cultivator, but she couldn¡¯t really say that she was a good person. ¡°You really think I wouldn¡¯t go behind your back again?¡±


    ¡°I believe you will not,¡± Cai Renxiang said bluntly, holding her gaze.


    Ling Qi closed her eyes. She felt a flutter in her stomach. There could be no walking back this choice. Carefully, she rose and clasped her hands, bowing to the waist. ¡°I will accept your offer, then. Lady Cai Renxiang, I swear to serve you in honour and good faith as retainer until my Way ends.¡±


    ¡°I am glad. Raise your head, Baroness Ling. There is much to do to confirm your position, but there are some matters which must be resolved before we leave this room.¡±


    Ling Qi straightened up. ¡°Fu Xiang?¡± she asked, resigned but resolute.


    ¡°That and also ensuring that you have a regalia worthy of a retainer of the Cai clan,¡± Cai Renxiang answered. ¡°Your collaboration with Fu Xiang may have been in line with the mores of Outer Sect competition and the letter of my rules, but it was not in spirit. The Cai have traditionally offered a gift of sorts to their retainers at the start of such relationships. Yours will instead be discreetly donated as compensation for the harm to the two disciples in question.¡±


    Cai Renxiang paused as if for comment, but Ling Qi just nodded in silent agreement.


    ¡°As an Outer Sect matter, it will be viewed as a child¡¯s squabble, and you had not yet become my retainer.¡± Her tone brooked no disagreement, and Ling Qi had no illusions that such a thing would be acceptable in the future.


    ¡°As you say, Lady Cai.¡±


    ¡°Very well. Let us speak no more on this,¡± she said crisply. ¡°As I have done for Gan Guangli, I will do for you.¡± As she spoke, the Cai heiress looked down and plucked at her sleeve, working the fine cloth between her fingers. ¡°However, in this, I also give my second command. You will not speak of this to anyone.¡± She met Ling Qi¡¯s eyes, her voice stern.


    ¡°I can keep a secret, Lady Cai,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°Good. It is not my displeasure you risk should you reveal this.¡± Surprisingly, a thread quickly came loose from the weave of Cai¡¯s gown, a glowing string so bright that it was difficult to look directly at. It coiled around Cai¡¯s fingers like a living thing. ¡°Take this. I will bring you to a room where you may disrobe and leave your gown for the afternoon while Liming¡¯s thread integrates itself.¡±


    Ling Qi tentatively took the thread from the heiress¡¯ offered hand. It pulsed with warmth against her skin, beating like a heart in a way that was slightly unsettling. She quickly stored it away in her ring, but the warmth remained, heating the plain iron band on her finger. ¡°Thank you. May I ask if there is anything else we need to see to?¡±


    ¡°Naught that can be done here,¡± Cai Renxiang said serenely, heading for the door. ¡°Come. Let us get you changed so that we may go to the Sect¡¯s office while your garments are adjusted.¡±


    ¡°Why do we need to go to the Sect office?¡± Ling Qi asked curiously. She knew she would need to adjust the way she spoke to Cai in public after this, but the heiress didn¡¯t seem to mind her continuing to be somewhat casual in private.


    ¡°To take care of the paperwork of course,¡± Cai Renxiang said blandly, opening the door to the room. ¡°There is a significant amount which needs to be done to legally bind our arrangement, transfer your tuition debt, and other such matters. I am afraid your presence will be required for a few hours yet.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes narrowed even as she felt coldness in her gut. Just how much paperwork were they talking about? She couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that she had glimpsed a slight smile on the other girl¡¯s face as she turned away either. Was this girl relishing the thought of putting her through this¡­?


    Cai Renxiang had a disturbing number of spare outfits squirreled away in her wardrobes and closets. As the outfits were made in many sizes, the light blue gown she picked out fit with only a few adjustments. Leaving her gown behind in Cai¡¯s mansion was uncomfortable but less so than the mind-numbing hours that followed, reading through page after page of legal documents and signing again and again.


    In the end, things would not change a great deal in the immediate short term. She would be expected to join Cai Renxiang and Gan Guangli for training and review of Cai¡¯s ¡°government¡¯s¡± status each week, above and beyond anything brought to the attention of the overall council. But the major task that Cai Renxiang wanted her to accomplish was to place well in the New Year¡¯s Tournament, which meant focusing on her cultivation.


    Ling Qi did not intend to fail.

 Chapter 166-Retainer 2

    Ling Qi frowned at her reflection in the mirror, turning this way and that to get a good look at herself. The thread from Liming had radically altered her gown.


    Overnight, the layers of the gown had multiplied, and the cut had become far more ornate. The hems were now outlined in stark white, and the smooth black silk had somehow grown even lighter and smoother, feeling almost like water to the touch. It had a decorative panel hanging down from her waist now with white petaled azalea flowers, spots of red at their core, dotted among curling vines.


    She even had a mantle, a thing of dark blue silk split in the middle to hang like wings over her back. Ling Qi stared into the mirror and concentrated, the mantle vanishing.


    ¡°I believe it makes you seem distinguished,¡± Meizhen said from behind her.


    Ling Qi turned to look at her friend, who was seated on her bed. Meizhen looked back at her with an amused twinkle in her eyes from over the rim of her tea cup. Ling Qi glanced down as the gown rustled softly while the hems floated as if on a drift of breeze just above the floor, never quite touching it despite the trailing train of blue black silk.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit much, isn¡¯t it?¡± Ling Qi asked, rubbing the back of her neck. ¡°This feels like something an Imperial courtier should wear.¡±


    ¡°It is wholly appropriate,¡± Meizhen rebutted. ¡°Even if you need to do some growing into it yet.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I want to get any taller.¡± Ling Qi grimaced; she already towered a full head or more over most of her friends.


    ¡°That is not what I meant, and you know that,¡± Meizhen said unamused as she set down her cup on the side table with a clink.


    ¡°I know,¡± Ling Qi sighed, looking back into the mirror. The girl staring back at her had changed so much over the course of this year thus far at the Sect. Yet somehow, she was still the same gangly, awkward thing. It seemed there were some matters that even cultivation could not fix.


    ¡°Stop that,¡± Meizhen commanded, rising to stand beside her. They seemed like total opposites in the mirror.


    ¡°Stop what?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Thinking poorly of yourself,¡± Bai Meizhen sniffed. ¡°You are a fine Lady of the Emerald Seas.¡±


    Ling Qi blew a curly strand of hair out of her eyes then turned away. ¡°If you say so.¡±


    ***


    Spending the morning on a high cliffside breathing in the crisp mountain air and practicing her singing made for a nice, relaxing morning. Her own voice still paled in comparison to Zeqing¡¯s, but she felt that she was improving quickly.


    Hanyi, who was also attending the lesson, stubbornly pushed through simpler voice exercises. Zeqing really did understand her daughter well. The little ice child had a wide competitive streak and really hated losing. Ling Qi thought Hanyi¡¯s behavior rather cute if she were being honest, but that might be due to Zeqing preventing the little girl from sulking too much.


    With the sun passing its zenith, she headed down the mountain, planning to meet up with Suyin for some research time. Though it had fallen by the wayside, Ling Qi hadn¡¯t forgotten some of the ideas she had thought up in regards to the guardian formations. She met her friend at Suyin¡¯s home and joined her in her workshop.


    ¡°So you won¡¯t be staying in the Sect?¡± Li Suyin asked as she sketched out a potential design on a wide sheet of paper that was splayed over the same worktable that had doubled as a medical bed.


    ¡°Yes. I felt like it would be foolish to pass up such an opportunity,¡± Ling Qi replied with a sheepish shrug, her own inkbrush scribbling in details within the wider pattern.


    ¡°I can see why. To think the heir to the Duchess herself would offer you such a position,¡± Suyin wondered, her lips pursed as she carefully laid out the strokes to one of the larger characters.


    ¡°What about you, Suyin? Gotten any offers yet?¡± Ling Qi asked lightly, not wanting to seem like she was rubbing her good fortune in her friend¡¯s face. Suyin had reached mid yellow in her spiritual cultivation some time ago, and from the intensity of her aura, her reserve of qi was becoming pretty respectable as well.


    Suyin glanced away, seeming embarrassed. ¡°One or two. Senior Sister Bao¡¯s comments on their quality were rather colorful though. I think I will remain with the Sect for a time yet. Father spent a decade of his savings and took on a hefty loan to pay the tuition, so I want to learn as much as possible before making any further choices.¡±


    Ling Qi was glad her friend wouldn¡¯t be forced onto the front lines. Suyin might not be the gentle girl she had been at the start of the year, but Ling Qi couldn¡¯t picture her as part of a military unit.


    ¡°Speaking of low quality,¡± Ling Qi added thoughtfully, ¡°did that Huang Da keep bothering you after he stopped sniffing around me?¡±


    Li Suyin grimaced. ¡°Yes. He¡¯s certainly bemoaned his father¡¯s orders publicly enough, but he seems to have followed them. I have not seen him recently, but I¡¯ve heard some talk around that he has gone into closed door cultivation.¡± She shook her head then, dismissing the subject. ¡°Shall we try activating the new mobile formation then?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll handle the North and East Gates.¡±


    ¡°And I, the South and West ones. Start at the end of the three count,¡± Li Suyin instructed, looking down at their work intently. They counted down together and channeled qi into the openings around the patterned circle.


    The muffled explosion that followed blew the shutters on the workshop¡¯s windows open and scattered the birds roosting the roof.


    It was a good thing that they had decided to practice with paper first, leaving them covered in fine ash rather than showered with splinters or shards of stone. Ling Qi grimaced as she brushed the smoldering embers which had landed in her hair onto the floor and stamped them out.


    Li Suyin¡¯s spirit chittered worriedly from atop her cultivator¡¯s head, having rushed out of the cozy nest built into the ceiling the moment the blast had been unleashed. The fuzzy pink arachnid was two hand lengths across now, but she still looked at Ling Qi with eight glistening eyes brimming with suspicion.


    ¡°I am fine, Zhenli, ¡°Li Suyin soothed despite her face being splotched with soot. She gently shooed her spirit down onto her shoulder where the fuzzy arachnid clung like a particularly sullen shoulder pad. ¡°We didn¡¯t make any errors. I am sure of it,¡± Suyin said, sounding frustrated.


    ¡°There must be some problem with our theory.¡± Ling Qi sighed. ¡°I guess this means we start over from scratch?¡±


    ¡°We have little choice.¡± Li Suyin huffed, brushing her hand across the ashen tabletop. It shimmered wetly as moisture rose from the wood and carried the mess into a bucket at the far end of the table. ¡°Perhaps we should modify the scouts first? We might gain some insights into the more complex formation that way.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Ling Qi frowned. ¡°But you know, I think I might be able to save us some time.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± Li Suyin asked curiously.


    ¡°There¡¯s someone I know who might be able to give us some advice.¡±


    ***


    ¡°I am not sure if it is appropriate to bother a person of his rank like this,¡± Li Suyin fretted as they walked the path toward Xuan Shi¡¯s workshop. A quick visit to Gan Guangli at the training fields had pointed them to where the reclusive boy had holed up in recent weeks. ¡°I am sure he is very busy.¡±


    ¡°He might not seem like it, but Xuan Shi is a pretty friendly guy,¡± Ling Qi reassured her as the building came into view. It was more of a low hill of rock than a building with a pair of smoking chimneys disgorging fragrant, qi-charged smoke. There were no windows, but there was a single wooden door on the front side. ¡°I don¡¯t think he would mind answering a few questions. Besides, he could probably use a conversation if he¡¯s really been in seclusion for a month.¡±


    Li Suyin sighed, sounding pretty similar to the way Meizhen sighed when she felt Ling Qi was being unreasonable, but she let it pass without comment. ¡°I will trust your judgement,¡± she said instead, sounding more like she was trying to convince herself.


    Ling Qi came to a stop as they reached Xuan Shi¡¯s doorstep, and after a moment of searching, she found the formation Gan Guangli had mentioned and put her finger in the center of it. Channeling a tiny thread of qi into it, she was pleased when she heard the deep ringing of a bell echoing from the inside. That was a useful little trick.


    She waited patiently as there was no immediate response while Li Suyin shifted nervously beside her. Eventually, she caught the sound of movement and the faint tinkle of the metal rings on Xuan Shi¡¯s staff. Ling Qi stepped back to give the door room to creak open, revealing a blinking Xuan Shi in his usual high-collared robe, though she could see his hat hanging from a peg on the wall behind him. He seemed politely bewildered by their presence.


    ¡°Sister Ling?¡± he greeted her after a pause. ¡°The council lays silent, and the mountain peaceful. Has the Princess of Strife broken her bond?¡±


    ¡°Nothing so serious,¡± Ling Qi reassured him. ¡°This is merely a personal call.¡±


    She saw him glance over at Li Suyin, who smiled weakly and offered a silent bow of respect. ¡°... Is that so,¡± he said, his expression unreadable. ¡°What quest brings you to this one¡¯s abode then?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a little embarrassing to admit, but I was hoping for some advice again,¡± she explained, catching a flicker of something in his eyes as she did. ¡°My friend and I were working on a formations project, and I was hoping you might have a word of wisdom or two.¡±


    She nudged Li Suyin, who very much did not squeak in alarm like a frightened mouse. ¡°Ah - Honored Brother Xuan, we are having some trouble modifying a house guardian formation toward greater mobility. While I would not dare ask for your personal secrets, I had hoped that you might be able to point out which portions of my general knowledge are lacking.¡±


    Whatever strange expression he had before, Xuan Shi now looked down at the back of Li Suyin¡¯s head with resigned amusement before looking back to Ling Qi. ¡°A boon of knowledge then. Enter, and partake of my hospitality, such as it is. This one has some hours to spare while certain processes complete.¡±


    Li Suyin seemed relieved, but Ling Qi just nodded. For all his demeanor, Xuan Shi was a generous sort.


    Xuan Shi¡¯s home was small and a bit claustrophobic for Ling Qi¡¯s taste, but it was clean and somehow well ventilated despite lacking windows. The furnishings were spartan, and the table they sat at to have tea was a plain thing that wouldn¡¯t have been out of place in the lower ring of Tonghou, its state of repair aside.


    Xuan Shi was able to help them through their block, pointing out some faulty assumptions in the foundations of their logic for the modification. Suyin¡¯s hands were little more than a blur as she took down every word Xuan Shi said in her notes.


    Of course, there were downsides. A formation like the Li Silk Guard was not meant to be mobile, and while it could be made so, it came at cost. Such a formation would only last a day or so at best before the strain broke things. So it would be rather expensive to, say, mount one on Zhengui, even if she did have some idle dreams of Zhengui becoming a small fortress with guards. Maybe one of the other formations she and Li Suyin were working on would be both effective and cost-effective.

 Chapter 167-Competitor

    The next few days passed in relative peace as Ling Qi continued her cultivation and visits to friends and mentors alike while doing some research on the two tasks she had set for herself.


    The mountain indicated to her in her moon quest was known for being haunted by spirits of darker nature, creatures of poison and ambush who beguiled the senses and preyed on the unwary. This wasn¡¯t terribly surprising because if there was something that would be useful to her there, it should match her style.


    Still, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to be mentally prepared. To that end, she tentatively set the date for her expedition at the end of the week. She would rather resolve her other obligations in case her delve took longer than she expected.


    The Sect job she picked up was looking like it wouldn¡¯t be terribly difficult. She had been tasked to deal with a potentially hostile spirit that had settled in at a thick grove of fir trees a ways north of the Sect village. Going by spotty guard reports, it remained mostly static. Luckily, it had not yet harmed any humans, but one hunter reported seeing the muddy hulk bodily lift a great Emerald Boar with one arm and break the beast¡¯s spine over its knee. Given that those boars were high second grade and two meters tall at the shoulder at their smallest, Ling Qi resolved not to let the muddy spirit catch her.


    She brought Zhengui along for her hunt but kept him dematerialized in her dantian after impressing on him the seriousness of the situation. It was late evening when she descended the mountain and headed out the north gate of the village, following the road only a short way before splitting off to head toward the grove where the spirit had been spotted.


    Ling Qi slipped easily into stealth, a light jump carrying her up into the branches of the trees where she could ghost along without a sound. A year ago, the branches would have bent or broken under her weight, and even if they hadn¡¯t, she would have had a hard time balancing on the thin wooden limbs. Now, it was as easy as walking across flat ground, and not a single leaf rustled in her wake as she darted through the forest canopy.


    Animals and spirits alike took no notice of her passage as she moved through the woods toward the grove, and soon enough, she began to see signs of the muddy spirit. She saw places where the brush had been trampled down or where masses of damp clay and loam clung to tree trunks and lower hanging branches. Even now, a wisp of mixed earth and water qi remained in the material.


    The grove itself was rather pretty. It was a regular circle of tall fir trees in which wispy, barely material first grade wind spirits danced, causing the branches to rustle and sway even in the absence of external wind.If she did not already have access to the snowfield Zeqing had shown her, she might have found some good use for it as a site to cultivate wind arts in. As it was though, she merely made sure to remember the location. Someone else might make better use of it.


    There was a small hill of river clay in the center of the grove with a vaguely bowl shaped depression in its top, and mud was smeared across the trunks. The spirit she was hunting wasn¡¯t present at the moment, but the information didn¡¯t appear wrong. With that in mind, Ling Qi found a good hiding place and settled in to wait.


    She spent a little under an hour crouched in the tree. Because she was in such a heavily wood-aligned area, she meditated on the meanings of the qi flows within the Thousand Ring Fortress art. Meanwhile, Zhengui dozed off. She wanted to scold him, but she couldn¡¯t quite bring herself to.


    Her patience was rewarded when her ears caught the distant sound of lumbering footsteps. They were loud and unsubtle like boots caked in wet mud. Soon, she saw the creature. At four meters tall and nearly as broad at the shoulder, the target spirit was a veritable mountain of river mud and black loam. Rushes, weeds, and moss sprouted from its half-liquid surface, swaying as it walked.


    A lump was at the top of its shoulders, but she would be hard pressed to call it a head. Its other features were similarly crude with thick three fingered hands large enough to wrap entirely around her waist and stumpy legs lacking any definition. Still, its qi felt natural enough. It had the earthy feel of a mud slick riverbank, placid and unthreatening. She could see how it might frighten the villagers who had less sharp senses.


    She was about to lower the bow she held in her hands and climb down to try and communicate with it when she saw something that sent a chill down her spine. There was a human head embedded in its chest, halfway down the bulk of its torso. It had young male features that might have been handsome without the corpsely pallor. She couldn¡¯t sense a single drop of qi or life from the person either.


    Her lips setting into a thin line, Ling Qi¡¯s bow came back up, and she nocked an arrow, aiming at the space directly between the creature¡¯s shoulders. She could feel a concentration of qi there, and it was her best guess at a vital point.


    She must have made some sort of mistake in drawing on so much qi. Just before she released the sparking missile from her bow, the creature jerked, and as her arrow howled toward it in a blinding bolt, the mud that comprised it flowed apart. A perfect circle the size of a small tree trunk opened and allowed her arrow to sail through harmlessly, and it exploded when it embedded in the creature¡¯s nest of mud, showering the clearing with dirt.


    Ling Qi had only a moment to curse her failure before she saw the eyes of the corpse face snap open. Then she was hurling herself backward as a tall, lanky boy burst from the spirit¡¯s chest as if propelled by a rocket, trailing mud and dark earth. He wore the tattered remains of an Outer Disciple¡¯s grey robe. They were little more than the scraps of the sleeves and a ragged stretch of cloth across his back, and¡­ yes, he had supplemented that with a bear skin tied around his waist and nothing else.


    She focused as she saw the gleaming black claws of crystal that had consumed his hands, each talon half the length of her forearm. She could already trace the path they would take, slashing across her chest. Deep green qi surged from her channels, shrouding her in an aura of vitality even as she darted away from the strike, but she still felt a stinging pain as two of those talons cut through her gown and qi to score the flesh of her shoulder.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hurt Big Sister!¡± The dual voiced cry erupted from just beside her, and she glanced to the side to see Zhengui briefly suspended in midair as ash gushed out to engulf her opponent followed by a hissing glob of molten venom. The boy nimbly dodged the latter and fell back before the former, but she could already see in his eyes that he wouldn¡¯t back off for long. Zhengui was already falling to the forest floor a few meters below. She should drop down from the tree to better support him, but¡­


    Feeling outward with her qi senses, Ling Qi had a feeling that she had made a mistake in haste. ¡°Sect Brother,¡± she called as she dropped down, keeping a careful eye on both the boy and the spirit beast now lumbering forward to join him. ¡°Are you in your right mind?¡±


    Her voice caused the boy in the middle of plunging back to the earth himself to blink, his expression of absolute concentration faltering. ¡°...Eh?¡±


    ¡°I apologize for attacking your spirit beast,¡± she said as she landed lightly next to Zhengui, resting a hand on his shell and shooting him a calming look. Zhen continued to glare at the boy, burning venom dripping from his fangs, but Gui merely blinked up at her, surprised. ¡°I had thought that you had been consumed.¡±


    The boy frowned at her as he landed. He was as tall as Gan Guangli at his baseline but much lankier and pale as if he hadn¡¯t seen the sun in ages. He was also really ragged looking. His hair, which was tied into a messy tail, was long enough to reach the middle of his back, and there was his state of dress to consider. The only talisman Ling Qi could see on the disciple was a pair of crude wooden bangles around his wrists.


    This only made the power and speed of his strikes all the more alarming. Moreover, he was at appraisal, a step above her in the third realm too.


    ¡°You are not here for a duel?¡± He cocked his head to the side, and Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help but picture a curious dog in his place. He sounded disappointed.


    ¡°I was sent out to investigate. Your bound spirit has been frightening villagers,¡± she answered. ¡°May I ask what you were doing?¡±


    ¡°Cultivating, of course,¡± he replied as if stating the obvious, the glimmering claws crumbling away from his hands as he crossed his arms over his bare chest. ¡°Lanhua, what have you been doing?¡± He turned his head to look at the lumbering golem striding up behind him. It made an odd burbling sound, which he seemed to understand. ¡°She has been minding her own business,¡± he said, turning back to Ling Qi with a frown.


    ¡°Yet frighten people she has. You are quite close to the village,¡± Ling Qi replied dryly, stroking Zhen soothingly.


    ¡°Ah¡­ We are,¡± he acknowledged. He glanced around, scratching his head. ¡°Did I misjudge the distances again?¡± he murmured to himself. ¡°Well, no harm. I will just move on a ways.¡±


    ¡°Do you mind if I ask you something?¡± Ling Qi asked, causing him to pause in the middle of turning away. ¡°While I only arrived this year, I do not think I would miss someone of your strength, Sect Brother¡­¡±


    ¡°Shen Hu,¡± he introduced himself after a moment¡¯s thought. ¡°I have not been on the mountain since last year. Too many distractions,¡± he explained, seeming to already be losing interest in her. ¡°I can¡¯t go too far though, or I¡¯ll miss the tournament again. Maybe that little lake to the west¡­¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced as the somewhat spacey boy took his leave. It looked like there was another formidable obstacle in the New Year¡¯s Tournament. She could still feel the stinging pain of those claw wounds, even though her gown had already repaired itself.


    As if there wasn¡¯t already enough competition for those spots.


    She¡¯d have to let Cai Renxiang know what she had found here. Cai might already know due to Fu Xiang, but if this guy had wandered off into the woods for most of a year, the information dealer might have assumed him out of the running.


    ¡°Are you alright, Big Sister?¡± Gui asked while Zhen continued to stare daggers at the boy¡¯s back.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Zhengui. Just a little scratch,¡± Ling Qi reassured him. ¡°Why don¡¯t we get a few cores before we go home?¡± she added to distract Zhen from his temper. This job hadn¡¯t taken as long as she thought.


    She did wonder what the elders were playing at though. Elder Ying surely had to know that the ¡°monster¡± was just a weird disciple. Was the mission just to remind Shen Hu not to miss the tournament?


    After some hunting, she headed back to the mountain under the cover of night, letting her minor wounds heal while she meditated and recovered her qi. In the morning, she left a message with her new liege lord about Shen Hu and headed to the Sect office to collect her reward.

 Chapter 168-Loose Ends

    With everything else Ling Qi had done this week, taking the morning off to cultivate with Xiulan in the White Room after picking up her mission reward was a nice little break. In her fuzzy memories of rainbow silk and warm waters, she could recall the sheer ease with which the impurities that blocked the meridian she was clearing flowing away like mist under the morning sun. Soon, she would be able to practice Zeqing¡¯s art, Frozen Soul Serenade, without having to change the elemental attunement of her meridians.


    It was also nice to see some of the stress lines she had begun to notice forming at the corners of Xiulan¡¯s eyes smoothed away for the moment. In the wake of their cultivation time ending, the two of them had gone back to one of the upscale teahouses in the center of town to relax and let the fuzziness in their heads fade.


    ¡°What a wondrous place,¡± Xiulan mused, leaning back against the padded bench. ¡°I do not believe I have ever opened two meridians with a single effort before.¡± Ling Qi could see the girl smiling behind her thread of gold veil.


    ¡°It is pretty amazing,¡± Ling Qi agreed, sipping a bit of the warm tea from her cup. It was a mild flavor, and she savored her current ignorance of what that might mean. With Cai Renxiang¡¯s fervor for tea, Ling Qi suspected that she would be learning more than she had ever wanted to know about tea in the days going forward. ¡°I had thought I was nearing my limit before Lady Cai opened the White Room for our use.¡±


    ¡°And yet you likely had more open then than I do now,¡± Xiulan shot back, only a touch of bitterness in her voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m a little surprised that you haven¡¯t refused me yet,¡± Ling Qi responded.


    Xiulan was silent, and Ling Qi didn¡¯t miss the conflict in her eyes. ¡°I cannot afford pride of that sort if I am to make it to Inner Sect this time. You are my friend; I will simply have to accept your generosity in this. Do not think that I will not repay you in the future.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, accepting the words with the seriousness that they were due before cracking a smile. ¡°Well, for starters, do you know a good site for cultivating fire arts? Zhen can¡¯t get much use out of the place where I am training his brother at the moment.¡±


    Xiulan raised an eyebrow, looking surprised. ¡°Not what I meant, but I am surprised you did not ask sooner. I cannot share my sister¡¯s site, but I will make a list for you.¡±


    ¡°Hah! You know how I am sometimes,¡± Ling Qi replied with a self-deprecating smile.


    Xiulan rolled her eyes. ¡°Sometimes I worry for you. If I go away for a time, I expect I¡¯ll return to find you mossed over in a cave somewhere.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s smile was melancholic. In the future, it wasn¡¯t likely that she would be seeing Xiulan very often, but no matter which path she had chosen, she would be leaving something or someone behind. ¡°You¡¯ll have to stay in contact then when you leave the Sect and make sure I don¡¯t forget anything important.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. You¡¯ll not need me for that,¡± Xiulan snorted. ¡°You will have a fief to oversee after all. You strike me as the responsible sort.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded. By now, her status as Cai Renxiang¡¯s retainer had begun to spread, and Gu Xiulan would not have missed the news with her connections. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Do not be. Such an offer is not one the Gu clan can compete with,¡± Xiulan replied. ¡°Still, I will keep in touch as I am able. I will remain in the Sect, and thus, the province, for some time, regardless of what happens at the tournament.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate it,¡± Ling Qi said quietly before sighing, breaking the somber mood. She would have to at least meet Gu Tai at some point to politely and formally turn down the offer, but for now, she didn¡¯t want to think about such things. ¡°So, what other Inner Sect gossip has your sister been telling you? Even if I won¡¯t be there long, I¡¯d like to know what I am getting into¡­¡±


    Ling Qi was glad for the pleasant hour or so of conversation that followed, even if much of it was just laughing over the personal foibles of individual Inner Sect disciples. She did learn some interesting things though.


    The Inner Sect ranked its disciples. The top disciple, currently Gu Yanmei, was ranked number one, and the ranks proceeded down to whatever number matched the current amount of disciples, typically around one thousand. But the ranks weren¡¯t as simple as a measure of power. Challenges were usually allowed within each half of the ranks, but to enter the top five hundred, a disciple had to have contributed to the Sect in significant ways to be allowed to challenge for position. Another ledge stood at the top one hundred and the top ten, Only those who had served in the Sect military in some capacity for an extended period could enter those ranks. Higher ranks, of course, came with greater resources and access to Sect materials.


    She also learned far too much about the romantic inclinations of her Senior Brothers and Sisters. It seemed that Gu Yanmei was an inveterate hoarder of gossip despite the personality that Ling Qi had previously observed.


    ***


    Once she parted ways with Xiulan, Ling Qi began her preparations for her expedition out to the cave that Hidden Moon had shown her. She picked up Zhengui from the garden and ensured that all of her pills and salves were stored away in her storage ring.


    Not wanting to burn too much qi, she made the journey on foot, reaching the mountain where her target was only a bit over two hours later. She was immediately struck by the sense of foreboding which shrouded that short, stumpy mountain peak and the impenetrability of the shadows that clung like thick webs to the branches beneath the canopy of the trees.


    Ling Qi advanced carefully under those shadows, suffused with the tranquility of her Argent Mirror art. Misleading illusions parted before her like cobwebs before a brush, and hissing, shadowy things fled her presence, only visible as wriggling shapes in the corner of her eye.


    Yet her passage was far from unbarred .The air was still heavy with foreboding and the deep earthy scents of fungus and rot. Pale lichen grew on trees and rocks, and thick mushroom groves littered the loamy ground. After the first one released a cloud of qi-infused spores at her approach, Ling Qi took to avoiding them if she could.


    Shadowy shapes, like the ghosts of dead trees, reached from the darkness to catch at her gown and hair, only to be sundered by the flash of her flying sword. Slithering masses of insects with a deer¡¯s skull worn like a macabre helmet spat sickly qi at her from afar, their writhing forms bearing the vague shape of men, and hungry white worms, similar to those used by Yan Renshu, emerged from the dirt to snap and spit.


    Her flute called up a veil of mist that shrouded her movements and tore to shreds the things that approached her, but she kept it close, not wanting to rile up the whole forest. The swarm spirits shrieked as the qi-infused steel of her Neophyte¡¯s Blade carved them to pieces, and Zhengui¡¯s fiery venom cooked them until they popped and burst, sundering their ¡°heads¡± and leaving the masses of vermin to disperse in her wake as she continued through the haunted forest.


    Despite her sharp senses, Ling Qi found it difficult to maintain her path. She knew where the cave should be from her map, but she found herself being turned around again and again, not by illusion but as if the space she was in folded strangely upon itself such that passing through an arch of branches might leave her walking in the opposite direction a hundred meters away.


    There was something broken here, Ling Qi could feel. It wasn¡¯t like the ruin left by the shaman¡¯s destruction, a sickness or wound in the process of healing. The atmosphere of this place instead brought to mind a twisted, crippled limb, damaged fundamentally, never to fully heal. It made her skin crawl.


    Constantly keeping her technique active to penetrate the veils of this place slowly began to wear on her. There was a subtle drag at her qi as well, and she found her ability to recover qi in mid-combat weakened as if the earth was drinking in the residual qi that she would usually have used to recover.


    By the time she reached the yawning mouth of the cave in a lifeless clearing stripped of all but a few scattered bones, human and otherwise, more than eight hours had passed. She had come to the mountain in the afternoon, and now it was night. Zhengui drooped tiredly beside her, and her own qi was low as well. She could recover with a pill or two, but her intuition told her that the path ahead would be more draining still. She had no doubt that the heavy fog that shrouded this part of the mountain would be no easier to navigate by air either.


    She didn¡¯t want to be stuck in some dank mountain cave when her mother arrived. She had figured out the path, and as twisty as it was, it hadn¡¯t actually changed. Space was weird and broken here, but the destinations when blinking from one place to the next were consistent. Now that she had figured out the path to the cave, it would take much less time to arrive back at the cave.


    She would just have to return and finish this another day.


    ***


    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is then?¡± Gu Tai said, disappointed.


    At Ling Qi¡¯s request, they had met in a private room at the same establishment where they had last met for lunch. She hadn¡¯t wasted any time in laying out the situation, not wanting to lead Xiulan¡¯s cousin on now that her decision had been made.


    ¡°It is,¡± Ling Qi said, raising her head as she straightened up from her polite bow. ¡°I am sorry to have wasted your time.¡±


    ¡°Do not concern yourself over that,¡± Gu Tai dismissed. ¡°It is not as if I had no other reasons for being here. And I can hardly blame you for your choice.¡±


    ¡°So everyone says,¡± Ling Qi said wryly. Most everyone who knew of her new position seemed to think she had made the obvious and self-evident choice. ¡°Still, for what it is worth, thank you for your help with the river dragon, for taking the time to help me with Zhengui, and for your advice. I¡­ find that I didn¡¯t dislike the idea of taking your offer the way I did when we first met.¡±


    ¡°That honesty,¡± the older boy chuckled. ¡°Let me reply in turn. I am truly disappointed even though we have only known one another briefly. I found you to have a certain charm that I am unlikely to find elsewhere, but such is life. One cannot grasp all the treasures before their eyes.¡±


    Ling Qi found her cheeks heating slightly, and she looked away from his earnest expression. ¡°You are not what I expected when Xiulan began talking about this sort of thing,¡± Ling Qi grumbled, crossing her arms. ¡°It was supposed to be easy to dismiss you.¡±


    Gu Tai laughed. ¡°I shall accept your compliment, Miss Ling. I would keep that caution though. You will see far more suitors than I in the coming years, and though it pains me to say it, the average young master is a cut below in charm and chivalry.¡± His grin made it clear that he was jesting.


    So Ling Qi simply snorted, rolling her eyes. ¡°I am glad to see your pride has not been wounded too terribly by rejection,¡± she said dryly.


    He sketched a slightly facetious bow, his smile still in place. ¡°We Gu are a resilient lot, you will find. Our pride is not so easily extinguished.¡± His expression became more serious as he straightened up. ¡°I do hope that you can see it in your heart to remain in communication with my dear cousin though. I fear that her drive might become consuming. It is a flaw of ours.¡±


    Her own smile wilted at the reminder. ¡°I will not leave my friends behind,¡± she said determinedly. ¡°If my cultivation cannot even allow me to keep in contact with a friend a few leagues away, then what good is it?¡± She wasn¡¯t a helpless mortal, trapped by the confines of the totems keeping the spirits at bay.


    ¡°A good answer,¡± Gu Tai commented, a smile tugging at his lips once again. ¡°It is too easy to forget under the mountain of responsibility and duty that cultivation is ultimately an exaltation of self. I do believe I will hear your name again in the future.¡±


    ¡°I will choose to hear that as a compliment,¡± Ling Qi replied. He wasn¡¯t wrong, she thought, but it wasn¡¯t so simple either. One¡¯s self did not have to exclude ties to other people. Doing so was a lonely and empty path, bereft of any real happiness.


    ¡°I did mean it as one,¡± he replied lightly. ¡°Goodbye, Ling Qi.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye, Gu Tai,¡± she said, matching his bow.

 Chapter 169-Family 1

    Ling Qi was left feeling contemplative after she parted ways with Gu Tai. She walked the path back toward the Outer Sect mountain at an unhurried pace. She knew that things were going to be changing soon. She had not even been on this mountain a full year, so why did it feel painful to think about leaving?


    This last year felt more vivid than the last three combined. Her life before the Sect had been a blur of hunger, fear, and pain. Even at this year¡¯s lowest when she had been stalked by that creep Huang Da, hunted by Sun Liling, or frozen in the midst of a blizzard, it didn¡¯t compare. Fleeting moments of helplessness couldn¡¯t compare to years of hiding and scratching in the dirt for scraps. Their greatest impact came from reminding her of older memories.


    However light their touch had been this year in enforcing the rules, the Sect had been the one to give her the opportunity to become more than another flickering, ephemeral mortal existence. She grimaced a little at that thought. It was arrogant, and she felt guilty for having it. She was expecting her Mother soon after all, and she was a mortal; Ling Qi shouldn¡¯t think of them that way.


    ¡°Is that the heady aroma of brooding I sense in the air?¡± a light voice said from right next to her ear.


    Ling Qi stiffened but very deliberately did not spin around to face the sudden source against her side. ¡°Sixiang, you shouldn¡¯t startle people like that,¡± she said tightly, giving the rainbow-haired spirit a withering look.


    The spirit laughed, and Ling Qi could tell that the spirit was male at the moment from the slightly deeper tone of their voice and the lump on their throat. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I? Aren¡¯t humans at their most honest when surprised?¡±


    ¡°Even so, it¡¯s kind of rude, not to mention likely to get you attacked,¡± Ling Qi replied, resuming her walk. She heard the flutter of cloth as Sixiang followed after her, falling in at her side.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never died before, so that could be interesting too,¡± the spirit said with a smile, their black eyes glittering with mirth. ¡°I wonder how it compares to the ending of a dream¡­¡±


    Ling Qi shuddered. The utter guileless curiosity in the spirit¡¯s voice was unsettling given the subject matter. ¡°Dying is a more permanent thing. You don¡¯t get to just go on afterward.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Sixiang asked, cocking their head curiously. ¡°How do you know? A dreamer cannot return to a dream after it ends. Even Grandmother cannot do such a thing.¡±


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t a pious sort so she had never strongly considered such a question. Supposedly, after death, the soul of a human could dissolve or return to the world, lingering in an ancestral shrine or at the site of death. She supposed she knew now that a cultivator could also become a spirit.


    ¡°Are you saying that no one has ever dreamed the same dream twice? That seems unlikely,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°Of course you can¡¯t,¡± Sixiang replied, sounding bemused. ¡°Since you will have become different by the time you next dream, the dream will have changed as well.¡±


    Ling Qi narrowed her eyes in thought before shaking it off; This conversation was distracting. ¡°Did you need something then?¡± she asked, changing the subject.


    ¡°Well, no,¡± Sixiang said with a shrug, and Ling Qi twitched as the spirit shifted slightly before her eyes, losing a few masculine features and gaining a few feminine ones. ¡°I just have a nose for the mood of artists, you know? You¡¯re definitely in the sort of mood which breeds new works.¡± A smile touched their thin lips as they spoke. ¡°It¡¯s positively¡­ enticing,¡± they added eagerly.


    Sixiang wasn¡¯t wrong though. She was expecting Mother to arrive sometime today. Ling Qi had been lost on what to do while waiting, but perhaps some time composing would clear her head.


    ¡°You might be right,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°I was intending to seek you out later anyway. Do you want to come along and give me some critique?¡±


    Sixiang clapped their hands in delight, the air around them glittering with her emotion. ¡°Of course! I was hoping you would ask. I¡¯ve wanted to try the making of the friends! We can speak of attractive males and tie each other¡¯s hair in the braid knots!¡±


    ¡°... Too much,¡± Ling Qi said flatly, stopping to stare dully at the display.


    ¡°Was it?¡± Sixiang asked, pressing a finger to the corner of their lips. ¡°I thought it was fairly tasteful.¡±


    ¡°I know you can speak proper Imperial,¡± Ling Qi said dryly. ¡°Messing up your grammar on purpose is just silly.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Sixiang mused. ¡°The glitter was good though?¡±


    ¡°I am in no position to object to the glitter.¡± Ling Qi sighed. ¡°Come on. I know a few good places to compose.¡±


    Sixiang nodded happily, following after her as Ling Qi resumed walking. ¡°Is hair braiding completely out of the question though?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Ling Qi asked, eyeing Sixiang¡¯s shifting rainbow locks. ¡°Can¡¯t you just make it look however you like?¡±


    ¡°I could, but where would the fun in that be?¡± Sixiang asked, giving her a dubious look.


    ¡°Maybe another day,¡± Ling Qi said, shaking her head and giving up on trying to understand the spirit¡¯s motivations for the moment.


    Whatever one could say about Sixiang¡¯s conversational habits, they were rather good at critiquing performances, and over the course of the next few hours, Ling Qi was sure she had figured out where her performance of the Frozen Soul Serenade¡¯s flaws were. She would have to wait until she had time to speak and practice with Zeqing to be sure, but it seemed that she had finally learned to call the ice for Spring¡¯s End Aria quickly, mastering the second cycle of the art.


    She would have continued on to more recreational pursuits then, but the arrival of a fluttering paper bird put an end to Ling Qi¡¯s idle cultivation. Her mother¡¯s carriage had arrived.


    It took only a few minutes to fly down the mountain, the wind making the silk of her gown flutter and snap as Ling Qi sped down, a dozen conflicting thoughts and scenarios going through her head. Thankfully, she managed to calm herself enough to avoid causing a stir by flying right over the town, setting down a short distance outside the walls.


    Even on foot though, she didn¡¯t waste any time, weaving her way through the town streets, paying only minimal attention to her surroundings. Very soon, she reached the other side of town and caught sight of the gates where a carriage surrounded by a small troop of first and second realm cultivators was being unloaded.


    She caught sight a moment later of her mother standing a few strides away from the carriage. The sight brought her up short.


    Ling Qingge was still a short, dainty woman, but it seemed all the more exaggerated now. Her mother¡¯s head would probably only come up to Ling Qi¡¯s chest, even counting the braided bun her hair was tied up in. Her clothes were plain but clean and unfrayed, a step up from how she had looked the last time Ling Qi had seen her.


    Her face had more wrinkles than Ling Qi remembered, lines at the corners of her eyes and mouth, and she no longer had the doll-like pale skin that Ling Qi recalled being popular among the¡­ clientele at the brothel. Instead, her skin looked coarse and rough to her eyes. None of that was what brought her up short though. Rather, it was the firm reminder that Mother was mortal.


    Ling Qi hadn¡¯t paid any mind to mortals in months, not since reaching the second realm really. In her mind, they were basically just slow moving graceless obstacles to move around when she came to the village with Xiulan, but seeing Ling Qingge drove home how much Ling Qi herself had changed and how wide the gap between mortal and immortal was.


    Her mother¡¯s aura, something she had become used to seeing as just another part of the people around her, was a flickering, weak thing, a single sad and worn musical note whispered on the breeze. She could read the older woman¡¯s face like an open book and see the mixture of wariness and cautious wonder she regarded the cultivators guarding her with.


    Ling Qingge felt helpless and afraid. She was waiting for the other shoe to drop even now like a dog that had been kicked too often, but there was an ember of hope there too. Ling Qi¡¯s eyes followed her mother¡¯s gaze down to where a small hand grasped at her mother¡¯s dress.


    That would be her half-sister then, Ling Biyu. The tiny girl stuck close to Ling Qingge. She wore a simple child¡¯s dress, much like Hanyi¡¯s save in quality, and wore her hair in a pair of pigtails. She also had more of her mother in her than Ling Qi ever had in features and complexion. The little girl was peering around with the sort of open wonder that only a child could manage. She couldn¡¯t be more than three years old.


    For what seemed like ages, Ling Qi stood there, frozen with hesitation. Could she really just walk up to her mother after all these years and say hello? What was she supposed to do?

 Chapter 170-Family 2

    She was being ridiculous, Ling Qi knew. She had rushed down here only to falter at the finish. She could do this. Ling Qi wasn¡¯t so awkward and lacking in social grace that she couldn¡¯t even greet her mother in public without causing a scene.


    Besides, as much as she might like to hug Mother, looking at her now, mortal and frail, Ling Qi was pretty sure that she wouldn¡¯t want to do anything too sudden anyway. So with that in mind, Ling Qi took a deep breath, composed herself, and resumed walking forward. The two guards watching the street noticed her approach, to their credit, briefly tensing, but then seemed to recognize her. When the two men clapped their fists together and bowed, it drew the notice of the others, including Mother.


    She almost paused at the sudden attention and the shows of respect from men years older than her, but then she focused back on her mother. Ling Qi saw the alarm and fear in the older woman¡¯s eyes, and the obvious tension in her muscles as her mother prepared to kowtow. It might have hurt a little, but Ling Qi was sure that she wouldn¡¯t have recognized herself either.


    ¡°Mother, it¡¯s so good to see you again!¡± she called as cheerily as she could sweeping past the bowing guards.


    Her mother¡¯s previous alarm dissolved into confused disbelief as the older woman froze in the middle of bowing her head. Ling Qi could practically read her thought process as her eyes flicked back and forth, searching for anyone else who Ling Qi¡¯s words could have referred to. Of course, her mother composed herself quickly, but it made Ling Qi even more aware of how much her senses had changed.


    ¡°Ling Qi?¡± Mother asked, daring to raise her eyes slightly. Her words were quiet and hesitant.


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t surprised that Mother was so worried about giving offense. As far as Ling Qi knew, her mother¡¯s only experience with cultivators were those rough types that had made use of the establishment she had worked at.


    ¡°I know I¡¯ve changed quite a lot,¡± Ling Qi replied instead as she came to a stop in front of the older woman, her gown swaying in the phantom breeze. ¡°But please raise your head,¡± she added more quietly. She hesitated then reached out to take one of Mother¡¯s worn hands in her own.


    Finally, her mother straightened enough to look up and meet her eyes, and although there was still a mix of emotion there, Ling Qi could see the recognition as well.


    ¡°Ling Qi,¡± the older woman breathed for a second time. ¡°You are truly¡­¡±


    ¡°Momma?¡± Ling Qi¡¯s attention was drawn downward as a much younger voice spoke up. Looking down, she saw the little girl half-hidden behind her mother looking up at her with wide eyes. ¡°Is that a fairy?¡± Her grammar and pronunciation was still childish and poorly enunciated but in a way Ling Qi found cute.


    Ling Qingge glanced helplessly at the girl, a shadow of her worry still present, but Ling Qi just smiled, and after a moment, her Mother smiled back, even if the expression was a wan thing. It seemed to help that introducing her younger daughter seemed to give her mother something concrete to fall back on. ¡°Biyu, this is your elder sister, Ling Qi.¡±


    Ling Qi reluctantly released her mother¡¯s hand in favor of lowering herself into a crouch to meet the younger girl eye-to-eye. ¡°Hello, Little Sister. I¡¯m sorry we haven¡¯t met before,¡± she said lightly, glancing back up to meet Mother¡¯s eyes. There was more than one layer to that apology.


    Biyu blinked, shuffling a step away from Mother to look at her more closely, her lips turning down in a childish frown. ¡°Pretty sister,¡± she said, proclaiming her judgement. ¡°Will Biyu sparkle?¡±


    She was never going to hear the end of that, was she?


    ¡°Maybe someday,¡± Ling Qi said, patting the little girl on the head with as featherlight of a touch as she could manage. She stood up again, meeting her mother¡¯s eyes. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go inside? There is no reason for us to all stand outside in the sun while the guards take care of the luggage.¡±


    ¡°If it will not be any trouble,¡± her mother hedged, glancing at the guards. The guards appeared to be studiously not paying direct attention to them. There were few curious civilian stragglers and at least one Outer Disciple though. ¡°I do not wish to impose on anyone.¡± The words seemed almost mechanical, a rote response often repeated.


    Ling Qi looked to her right, meeting the eyes of one of the two men directly guarding her mother. The guards were both mid second realm with more potent qi than similarly ranked disciples she knew. She supposed that was the benefit of experience. The rest of the entourage was still taking care of the carriage and luggage. ¡°It will not be any trouble, right?¡±


    The man bowed carefully, one hand clasped in the other. ¡°Of course not, Lady Ling. We will stand guard wherever you have need of us.¡±


    Ling Qi pretended not to notice the flicker in Mother¡¯s eyes. It seemed that she was still having a rough time processing the situation.


    ¡°I know a nice little teahouse only a few streets from here. I think you deserve time to relax after such a trying journey, Mother.¡± With the better part of a week stuck in a small area with a child of Biyu¡¯s age, Ling Qi did not feel that she was exaggerating.


    ¡°... Of course. Thank you very much, Ling Qi,¡± her mother replied with a hesitant smile. Ling Qi hoped a soft, mellow blend would help calm her nerves.


    Cai was already getting to her, wasn¡¯t she?


    Acquiring a private room at the nearby establishment was the easy part, Ling Qi mused. Figuring out how to talk to Mother again was much harder, even once they had left the guards to stand outside the door. Mother seemed as unsure as she was, and Ling Qi did not miss the glances the older woman stole at her now and then in what was probably the closest the older woman could really come to fidgeting.


    Biyu was the only one not particularly affected by the atmosphere, quickly distracted by the flowering plants and silk painting decorating the room¡¯s walls.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing dangerous in here,¡± Ling Qi said, noticing her mother about to call Biyu back. It would take more than a three year old mortal girl to damage anything in a room meant for cultivators.


    ¡°As you say,¡± Mother said quietly. The instinctive air of submission her mother gave off irked her, but the feeling wasn¡¯t directed at the woman beside her. ¡°Ling Qi, I do not-¡±


    Whatever she was going to say was cut off as Ling Qi wrapped the shorter woman in a hug. Ling Qi was careful; she was never more aware of the power her cultivation granted her than in this moment with her arms wrapped around a woman who was no more durable than a bundle of sticks to her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mom,¡± she said softly.


    Ling Qingge had stiffened in alarm at first, but those words seemed to erase her tension. After a moment, Ling Qi felt her mother return her embrace.


    ¡°Foolish girl. What have you to apologize for?¡± Ling Qingge¡¯s voice was choked and uneven with emotion.


    ¡°Not appreciating the things you did for me. Leaving you alone,¡± Ling Qi said, closing her eyes. It seemed so obvious in hindsight. Teaching her to read and to comport herself as a lady were not the actions of an uncaring parent. Even Mother¡¯s fretting over Ling Qi¡¯s feminine lackings was hardly unreasonable in that light.


    ¡°I did little enough, and you have grown beyond my every expectation,¡± her mother replied, defeated, leaving unsaid the fact that Ling Qi had done it almost entirely without her. ¡°Your choice was the right one. I could not have-¡±


    ¡°Maybe not, but you would have tried,¡± Ling Qi interrupted, reluctantly letting go of Mother. ¡°And I appreciate that now.¡± She glanced over to Biyu, but the little girl was busily peering between the fronds of the potted plant in the far corner. ¡°Let me be the one to do so now.¡±


    Ling Qingge sighed, stepping back from their embrace, a touch of moisture at the corner of her eyes. ¡°Have I truly grown so old already?¡± she asked, a touch of real humor in her voice. ¡°That I must give myself over to my daughter''s care?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Ling Qi replied with a smile. ¡°Your daughter merely wishes to share her great fortune.¡±


    There was a faint knock at the door then, in the style Ling Qi recognized as the attendant arriving to take their order. ¡°Let¡¯s sit down. We have quite a lot to talk about.¡±


    After they had given their order, Ling Qi began to explain her experience over the past months in more detail and her situation as things stood now as a retainer to Cai Renxiang. She paused only for as long as it took their attendant to lay out the tea and leave.


    ¡°Such things are difficult to comprehend,¡± Ling Qingge said, looking down at her cup, after Ling Qi finally fell silent. Biyu had since fallen asleep on the padded bench that lined the wall, the fatigue from the trip catching up to her. ¡°That you would speak directly to the heiress of such an exalted house, let alone be recruited by her¡­ You must excuse me. Such things are beyond my experience.¡±


    Ling Qi was glad that she had not referenced Bai Meizhen or their interpersonal troubles. Her mother was too young to have heart troubles yet. ¡°I did notice that you had some knowledge of nobility,¡± Ling Qi inquired carefully. ¡°You have not said as such directly, but¡­¡±


    Her mother¡¯s expression grew more tired, but she nodded without looking up. Ling Qi hoped that Mother could unlearn that habit one day. ¡°It is a long tale, but you deserve to know of such matters. I cannot rightly consider you a child any longer.¡±


    ¡°There is no need to get into painful details, Mother,¡± Ling Qi replied. She didn¡¯t want to burden the older woman even more on her first day. They had plenty of time to talk.


    ¡°I will spare such things,¡± Ling Qingge said. She sipped quietly from the cup in her hands as she considered her words before finally raising her eyes. ¡°I was born under the name He,¡± she began. ¡°They were no family of import, just one of the many servant clans beneath the Liu family that governs Tonghou and the surrounding regions.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded. That explained why her mother would have the education she clearly did. Bigger clans usually had a bunch of unranked mortal and common cultivator clans beneath them to take care of the day-to-day minutiae, or so she was learning as she slowly got to grips with the details of her new position. ¡°Were any of them cultivators?¡±


    ¡°A bare handful, but I was never considered for such things,¡± Ling Qingge replied, shaking her head. ¡°So I was not educated in such matters. I will not bore you by speaking of that life, but one day I caught the attention of a young master of the Liu. My father was overjoyed of course and quickly began moving to have me recognized as a concubine. Being a foolish, rebellious girl¡­ I ran.¡± Mother met her eyes then, a slightly bitter smile on her lips. ¡°You see why I could not be angry at you, Ling Qi?¡±


    ¡°I suppose so,¡± Ling Qi said, glancing away uncomfortably. ¡°If I may ask, what happened?¡±


    ¡°I lived freely for a few months,¡± her mother replied wistfully. ¡°I made questionable choices. I do not regret you, Ling Qi, but some of the decisions involved were not my best.¡± She shook her head, her eyes dropping back to the tabletop. ¡°I could not escape notice forever though. My father expelled me from the family in the hopes of limiting the Liu clan¡¯s retaliation to myself rather than the He clan as a whole. I suppose he succeeded; I did not hear of punishment falling upon the He, and the man who had wanted me was satisfied with ensuring that the only occupation I could find was the one which he felt I deserved.¡±


    Ah, her teacup had frozen; she would have to apologize to the owner, Ling Qi thought absently. Thankfully, the effect had been localized so Mother hadn¡¯t been disturbed. One thing stood out to her though, an opening to a question she had never really considered before beyond assuming the answer to be one of her mother¡¯s clients. ¡°If I may ask, Mother, you said that I came before¡­¡±


    ¡°Your father was an entertainer from the south who came to the city with a trade caravan,¡± Ling Qingge answered, understanding her question immediately. ¡°He promised me that he would help me leave the city,¡± she continued, closing her eyes. ¡°A lie of course. He vanished the day before my father found me. Let that be a lesson, Ling Qi, to not accept the promises of men without assurances.¡±


    Ling Qi sighed. She hadn¡¯t expected anything happy, but it was a little depressing. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter now,¡± she said firmly. You are my mother. Anyone who wants to cause you trouble will have to go through me,¡± she continued with confidence. That was one benefit of Cai Renxiang¡¯s patronage. Ling Qi doubted such a small grudge would be worth crossing that line for a viscount family.


    For them, anyway. Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure how she felt yet.


    Mother seemed less sure, but she accepted Ling Qi¡¯s word with an acknowledging dip of her head. Their conversation turned to lighter things after that, avoiding more serious topics. By the time they left the teahouse, more than an hour had passed, and Biyu had stirred from her nap, full of energy once more.


    Ling Qi escorted her mother to the house the Sect had arranged for them, a tasteful three floor building with a large garden and a couple of servants to take care of things. After looking over the defensive formations and giving the guards a quick review, Ling Qi left, promising that she would return to help Mother finish arranging furniture and belongings the following day.


    Ling Qi felt lighter than she had in some time.

 Ling Qingge Interlude

    ¡°Alright, I think that was everything. Right, Mother?¡± said the little god with eyes like ice. Her casual manner as she dusted her hands off was at odds with the scintillating power that suffused every motion.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ling Qingge agreed, but though she was sure that her daughter could sense her unease. It was said that one could conceal nothing from an immortal after all. ¡°You need not tarry here. You must have other business to attend to.¡± That much, at least, had not changed; her daughter still wore her feelings openly, and she had seen her eyes flicking toward the sky through the open window, measuring the position of the sun.


    Ling Qi smiled at her, and for the second time that day, Ling Qingge felt herself swept up in an embrace from her long absent daughter, an embrace which she carefully returned. It was impossible to miss the careful tension in that embrace though, as if Ling Qi were worried that she might shatter if the young girl wasn¡¯t careful. Maybe she would, at that.


    ¡°I have missed you,¡± Ling Qi said quietly. ¡°Thank you for coming, Mother.¡±


    ¡°There is no need for that,¡± Ling Qingge replied quietly. ¡°I am the one who should be giving thanks.¡± It was strange. None of the silly stories told to little girls were about a prodigal child coming to sweep one away. She thought she might prefer this though. ¡°Now go. I am sure you are busy.¡±


    Her daughter stepped back, examining her with eyes that Ling Qingge had trouble meeting, and then nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be back tomorrow. Get some rest, Mother. You deserve it.¡±


    And like that, Ling Qi was gone, a flash of shadow and a rustle of the dining room curtain the only sign of her passage. Biyu was asleep in the bed prepared for her, and so for the first time in many days, Ling Qingge was alone.


    She closed her eyes for a moment and took a shuddering breath. It was hard to accept that this was real. Ling Qingge had thought herself prepared for what it meant to have a cultivator for a daughter. After all, she had some experience. The guardsmen she had served were not so different than mortal men, though the bruises they left often lasted longer. So a cultivator was stronger, perhaps, and with an intensity and vigor that normal folk lacked but not fundamentally different.


    She could remember her great uncle, the clan head of the He, a graying man said to be nearly two hundred years old. But even the authoritative patriarch she recalled from her early memories paled in comparison to her daughter. For all that he had seemed an unshakable pillar of the clan, he was still just a man. Her daughter on the other hand... It was difficult to describe.


    Ling Qingge had felt Ling Qi before she had seen her, a presence like the first kiss of winter cold drifting on the fall wind, like the feeling in one¡¯s bones when the rains were coming and the mist would soon drift in, casting the world into a dreamlike haze. That feeling had only intensified upon seeing her, and it made Ling Qingge wonder. The old judge who had visited her did not seem so intense, save for a moment when he had dismissed a frivolous excuse from one of her creditors. Was making oneself seem human merely a skill her daughter lacked or did she simply not see any reason to bother?


    She supposed, if she still knew her daughter, that it was more likely that the girl simply wouldn''t have considered the matter. Ling Qingge could not quite put into words what made her daughter seem inhuman now. Perhaps it was the too quick movements of her limbs, the faint glow in her eyes, or even the strange way that she breathed, so slow and shallow, the rise and fall of her chest barely visible to the eye. A hundred little things made Ling Qi seem more like a spirit from a cautionary tale than a young girl.


    Yet it had all faded away when they embraced. Beneath the cold and unsettling breeze, Ling Qi was warm and welcoming, a blazing hearth on a cold winter night. Embracing her reminded Ling Qingge of better times and uncorrupted memories of her own long deceased mother, singing her to sleep while the cold southern winds rattled the shutters. She had accepted it then, that this strange spirit girl truly was her daughter.


    If only she could feel confident that she could be a mother to such a person.


    Reaching the pantry, she began to absentmindedly look through the things she had been given, eventually plucking a bundle of tea leaves from the little drawer that contained them. The variety made her shake her head. How long had it been since she could afford anything but the cheapest blends?


    It made her wonder where she would have stood today, if she had not been so foolish all those years ago. Objectively, Ling Qingge knew that she had made the wrong choice back then. Whatever rumors that the servants spun of Master Fong, it would have been better to submit. One rough man would have been preferable to an endless parade of them. Perhaps she might have even had a modicum of respect


    Would Ling Qi have been exalted for her talent, a respected rising star within the House of Liu? The Liu had been the only place where she had ever glimpsed those with a presence like her daughter¡¯s. She thought of her daughter¡¯s smile then and her bright blue eyes. Even touched by ice, they brought to mind another set. Her lips twisted into a scowl as she retrieved everything she would need to prepare her tea.


    That man¡­ Even now, thinking of Ling Qi¡¯s father made her heart hurt. It made her wonder if seeing those eyes and that smile had made her harsher than she should have been with her young daughter¡¯s poor attention span and flighty demeanor. He had promised her so much. He had promised to take her far away from the petty politics of Tonghou. Then one morning, he had simply never arrived. He had lied. His caravan had been scheduled to leave the night before.


    She supposed that in the end, it was a silly thing to consider. The past could not be changed, and Ling Qi would not be the same girl with a different father. Besides, she had apparently hitched her fortune to the House of Cai.


    That alone was an absurd thought, making the situation all the more surreal. Dukes and duchesses were as far beyond the Liu as the Liu were the He. Ling Qingge could still recall the day that the Duchess had come to Tonghou when she was a young girl of six. She could remember huddling between Mother and Father in the family compound with the rest of the mortal members of the clan, and although she had never seen the Duchess Cai, she could remember the terrible, crushing presence that had descended upon the upper ring of the city and lingered there, oppressive and heavy, making it difficult to so much as breathe.


    Some tiny part of her, the part that had taken a certain vicious pleasure in seeing those Liu lapdogs driven off like whipped dogs by the old judge, imagined her father''s expression if he knew now where her daughter stood. It was only a small part for Ling Qingge had long moved past such childish fancies.There were far more imminent concerns.


    She feared for her daughter, feared that her little deity would offend one far greater and suffer all the more for it. She was afraid that this dream would shatter and leave her once more at the cruel mercy of the men of Tonghou.


    What could she do though? She was just an old and soiled woman, here only because her daughter still retained some affection for her despite her failures. Ling Qingge had nothing to offer, nothing to do. At best, she could give some feeble advice and listen to whatever woes her daughter deigned to share.


    All of this was more than she deserved, and if not for Biyu¡¯s sake, she might have refused the offer to come to the Sect out of a simple shame. She could not imagine that associating with her would do much for her daughter¡¯s standing in the eyes of her peers.


    Yet how could she be anything but pleased to have her family whole once more?


    Truly, Ling Qingge thought as she began to prepare her tea, she was a selfish woman, through and through.

 Bonus Chapter: Alone

    Ling Qi was learning so quickly. It was a proud thing, Zeqing thought, for a teacher to see a student excel. She had taken so very easily to the Frozen Soul Serenade, the art which she had shaped from the very core of what she was.


    It lit warmth in her heart every time that girl mastered a lesson. Every time she completed an exercise. Warmth that existed in contradiction to her nature, existing where there should have only been emptiness and cold.


    ¡°Momma, did I do good today?¡±


    Zeqing pulled the portion of attention she had placed in her avatar from the retreating back of the human girl descending the mountain, and focused on her daughter. Hanyi stood beside her, toying with the hem of her gown. Pale blue eyes looked up to her for approval.


    Ice crystalized in the shadows of her sleeve, and transparent crystalline fingers came to rest on her daughter¡¯s head. A twist of qi reshaped her facsimile of a face into a soft smile. ¡°You¡¯ve done well, Hanyi.¡±


    Her daughter smiled, leaning into her touch, and this too brought her that wonderful, addictive warmth. Her daughter''s smile was a precious thing.


    Those twin warmths burned painfully in her breast. Yet she craved it, more than anything else in this world.


    Zeqing withdrew the majority of self from her avatar. Her world expanded from a little chasm with a pool of frozen darkness at its heart, and the being that called herself Zeqing beheld the whole of her domain, from the lowest stones on which snow fell, to the high peak that pierced the clouds. A part of her remained there in that phantasm, beside her daughter. Another part observed the human girl descending the mountain. Still others trailed in the cold winds that circled the peak, observing the beasts and spirits of her realm.


    The painful warmth remained.


    She was damaged, Zeqing knew, and had been for a very long time. Since the day that she had let that man into her home, all of those uncounted years ago.


    But things were changing so quickly now. What had once been an ancient scar bled freely once again. Ever since that chatty moon avatar had come, near half a century ago. Poking, prodding, intruding. Annoyance gave way to interest as they talked, turning her attention from the lonely peak and it¡¯s occasional intruders.


    Zeqing still felt some bewilderment, remembering how she had convinced her to release the spark of life that she had held within herself since the day of betrayal. How she had been convinced to tear open her own wound.


    It would make her less lonely if her daughter was born, Xin had said.


    She had been right, Zeqing could acknowledge. But it was so difficult. Even as she observed Hanyi, skipping along a cliffside ahead of her avatar, Zeqing felt the stirring of her Truth, stirred by the warmth in her core.


    She wanted to devour her.


    Separated from Zeqing, the piece of self she had invested in the child called out, urging her to return to wholeness. To cease risking the loss inherent in allowing her daughter to exist.


    And it was only growing worse. Now there was a second. She recalled the first time she had met Ling Qi a human child who bore a sliver of Winter in her core, born from cold memory. She had offered tutelage on a whim, convinced, as Xin had said, to ¡®try something new¡¯.


    She had learned the pride of a teacher. Then that foolish child had all but offered herself up, unheeding of the danger. She could have taken her, that day on the mountaintop, her storms keeping back the girl¡¯s pursuer. No pact with the Sect would have stopped her from claiming a disciple who had so foolishly put themselves in her power.


    She could have consumed her, and had another daughter in truth. Could have fulfilled her wish for a [Mother] who could protect her. Could have ensured that she would never be alone again, [Hers] for all time.


    At least until even that much separation became overwhelming.


    Hanyi too was changing. Every day she lived, she became less [Zeqing¡¯s child] and more [Herself]. She was learning now, growing beyond the framework Zeqing had born her into. Zeqing herself was accelerating it with her lessons.


    She needed to keep what was hers.


    She wanted her daughter to be happy.


    She wanted her student to prosper.


    Zeqing, [The Songstress of Endings] shuddered, and the wind screamed in fury, tearing at the mountain peak with all of a blizzard''s fury. Below, on the mountain, a girl paused and looked up, shading her eyes as the wind pulled at the hem of her gowns. On a high cliffside, a confused child turned back to her Mother, who had stopped dead, frozen and still.


    The wound in her Way that had been born when a man had convinced her to conceive life, widened just a little further.


    She was a Mother, who wanted to protect and love her daughter.


    She was a teacher, and took joy in her student¡¯s success.


    She was a fragment of Endings. Left behind in the retreat of southern glaciers, before ever human eyes had beheld the peaks. Her nature was the cold emptiness left behind in the absence of all else.


    She should resent Xin, she knew. To ease her loneliness was a contradiction in terms. However¡­


    Zeqing¡¯s attention collapsed inward.


    ¡°Are you alright Momma?¡± Hanyi asked, concern on her childish face.


    ¡°I am well enough my daughter,¡± Zeqing said softly. ¡°Let us return home. I tire.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Hanyi said brightly. ¡°Do you think you can read me more of the book Auntie Xin brought?¡±


    ¡°That is acceptable,¡± Zeqing said, dipping her head. She reached out, and hanyi took her crystalline hand.


    ¡°Will you do the voices too?¡± Hanyi asked as they soared into the sky, borne on the wind and the snow.


    ¡°I do not see why not,¡± Zeqing said softly. It took so little to bring happiness to a child.


    The warmth burned. The darkness hungered.


    How long, Zeqing wondered, could want outstrip need?

 Chapter 171-Family 3

    ¡°So, do you think I should be concerned?¡± Ling Qi asked, balancing on her toes atop one of the thinnest pillars in Cai¡¯s training grounds. She had made enemies in the Sect, and she worried for her frail mortal family.


    ¡°No, most likely not,¡± Cai Renxiang replied. She was seated cross-legged on a much wider pillar, the wide blade of her saber laid across her knees. ¡°While true feuds merit such concerns, it would be highly irregular for mere Sect competition to endanger outside parties,¡± she continued. ¡°Breaking the Sect¡¯s protection in such a way would demand a harsh response.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded. She had thought so when reviewing the Sect¡¯s rules, but it was good to receive confirmation. She carefully threaded qi up from her precariously balanced toes to slowly spin out into the many rings of her armor. It was slow going, fighting against the stony mountain qi that suffused this place. While this place wasn¡¯t specifically good for cultivating wood-aspected qi, its nature did provide resistance that was useful for refining control.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad. I think I will still be adding more security to the house anyway.¡±


    ¡°It cannot do harm,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed. ¡°However, in the future, unless you wish to walk the path of a professional formations artist, you will want to contract such work out.¡±


    She narrowed her eyes then huffed, knowing that the serious girl did not mean any insult to her skills. Ling Qi could admit that formations were more of a hobby than a serious part of her skillset. Well, crafting them; she thought she was quite good at breaking them.


    ¡°Will I be troubled for what I did?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Any who would begrudge you a filial greeting to your Mother will already have a low opinion of you due to your lack of pedigree,¡± Cai said bluntly. ¡°Simply be aware of such things, and act accordingly.¡± She stood smoothly, her saber now grasped in her right hand. ¡°Did your review of my tax collectors go well?¡±


    Ling Qi nodded shallowly as dark green qi coalesced, a shell hovering just over her skin, patterned like ancient bark. ¡°They never saw me,¡± she said. ¡°More specifically, they didn¡¯t recognize me.¡± Her skills at disguise had been left to rust somewhat so it was good to get some practice. ¡°Not that I mind, but the task was kind of sudden. Why did you decide to check in on them now?¡±


    ¡°It does officials well to be inspected both openly and secretly,¡± the heiress explained, running her finger along the blade of her saber. ¡°It is one of the duties you will have in the future as well.¡±


    Ling Qi sighed and hopped over to a slightly wider pillar where she could put both feet down. ¡°I wrote up what I saw. Did you want that now?¡± That kind of thing was somewhat boring; she wasn¡¯t sure how she felt about having to spend time watching coin counting types do their thing. She knew what Cai would say though; if she didn¡¯t feel that doing a job herself was the best use of her time, she would just have to find a competent, loyal subordinate for it.


    ¡°When we are finished here,¡± Cai replied evenly. ¡°Are your defenses prepared?¡±


    Ling Qi felt the heavy wood-natured qi thrumming along her spine, layers of defense spun in the air over her body, and nodded. Even then, it was difficult to fight her instinct to dodge when Cai¡¯s heavy saber crashed down on her like an avalanche. She was forced to flex her knees, bending with the power of the blow as she caught it on her crossed forearms. The sharp report of the stone cracking under her feet rang in her ears as she pushed herself back, leaping to a thicker and sturdier pillar.


    Cai didn¡¯t give her any reprieve, and this time, the edge of her blade burned with heavenly light, carving a blinding arc through the air as it struck her side, eliciting a grunt of pain as it carved through the layer of verdant armor conjured by the Deepwood Vitality technique with a high-pitched metallic shriek. Even then, the slash failed to draw blood. Ling Qi moved with the power behind the blow, letting it fling her a few meters to the side to alight on another platform.


    ¡°Such a defense,¡± Cai mused, standing with her blade in both hands on the pillar where Ling Qi had been standing. ¡°One would not expect it of you.¡±


    ¡°That is the idea of training this. Besides, why not be able to dodge and block?¡± Ling Qi replied, renewing her defensive arts and feeling her way toward the refinements that would carry her to the next level of mastery in Thousand Ring Fortress. She was still a survivor at heart, whatever other trappings she might have picked up.


    ¡°An admirable view, if one has the dedication to cultivate both. Allow me to apologize for underestimating your ability.¡± For a wonder, there was a note of genuine contriteness in the other girl''s voice. Ling Qi didn¡¯t find it comforting though. They were both limiting themselves, Ling Qi to defense and her Argent arts and Cai to her saber arts, but¡­


    Cai Renxiang blurred in her vision, and Ling Qi flung herself to the side as the white gowned heiress crashed down on her previous position, splitting the top of the pillar in twain under the force of her strike. Ling Qi raised her arms into the stance of the Argent Storm as rock tumbled down into the water below and Cai¡¯s blazing saber carved an arc of molten light through the air toward her side. The power of the blow sent a jolt of pain up her arm as she deflected it and struck out with her free hand, a boom of thunder accompanying the blow.


    She struck Cai just below the ribs and winced as she felt her knuckles bruise. She may as well have punched a solid block of steel. She had only a moment to react as Cai turned her deflection into a spinning chop, her long hair fanning out behind her as Ling Qi was once again forced to cross her arms in a hard double block. She felt bruises forming across her forearms as she was flung downward, cracking the side of the pillar her feet impacted against as she caught herself. A few graceful leaps between pillars carried her back to the top where Cai waited patiently for her.


    Her arms already felt like jelly. Ling Qi grimaced. Still, this was only a spar so her liege waited patiently as she caught her breath.


    ¡°You know,¡± Ling Qi grumbled, shaking her right arm to return feeling to her hands, ¡°why is it that you¡¯re the one of only a few disciples I¡¯ve seen with a saber? It sure seems effective.¡±


    ¡°The straight sword is considered the more noble weapon, complex, elegant, and beautiful in motion,¡± Cai Renxiang said serenely, the light behind her sparkling pleasantly. Ling Qi thought she was enjoying this. ¡°In contrast, the single-edged blade is a commoner''s weapon, developed from tools rather than created as a weapon whole cloth.¡± She flicked the curved saber in her left hand, flinging the rock dust that had accumulated on its gleaming surface away. ¡°My honored Mother disagrees with that notion, that there can be no beauty or depth to the saber¡¯s motion,¡± Cai continued, bringing her hands back together in her two-handed starting stance. ¡°She is correct in this, I think.¡±


    Cai¡¯s motions didn¡¯t have Meizhen¡¯s sinuous grace or Sun Liling¡¯s frenetic motion, but Ling Qi could see her point. Cai¡¯s attacks brought to mind an avalanche that she had watched from a high cliff with Zeqing, the unstoppable flow of tonnes of snow and rock rumbling downward.


    ¡°I can hardly disagree, but melee weapons are not my strong point,¡± Ling Qi replied.


    Cai inclined her head fractionally. ¡°Your skill at archery should be sufficient to silence detractors in that regard. As a matter of status, you will want to reach at least a mortal¡¯s mastery in one of the four noble weapons in the future,¡± she said without recrimination. ¡°Are you prepared to continue?¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, resuming a fighting stance. ¡°Yeah. You can go a little harder though.¡± She knew she would regret those words, but Meizhen had shown her that she grew the quickest when fear was in her thoughts.


    ¡°I see,¡± Cai Renxiang said thoughtfully. ¡°Very well. I will cease holding back.¡±


    ***


    That set the tone for her training that week between hard sessions with Cai and increasingly strict lessons with Zeqing. Zeqing seemed to regard her growing mastery of Frozen Soul Serenade with a sliver of pride that only made her an even harder taskmistress. Ling Qi found her singing abilities growing quickly under Zeqing¡¯s effort, and though she couldn¡¯t match the snow woman¡¯s haunting, heart-stirring voice, she knew that her singing was probably better than any mortal could hope to be at this point.


    In her rest periods, she made sure to continue visiting her mother regularly, helping her settle into her new home. There were some moments of awkwardness when Ling Qi displayed inhuman ability, such as entering via a second floor window, hefting an entire wardrobe without strain, and other such things. It was so easy to forget the limits of what a mortal could do after spending most of a year immersed in cultivation. Taking little Biyu for a short flight probably didn¡¯t do Mother¡¯s heart much good either, even if the little girl had been overjoyed.


    She would be more careful in the future.


    Another relaxing session in the White Room was enough to unseal another of her meridians and ensure that she would have Zeqing¡¯s art available at all times. Ling Qi was feeling more confident in her abilities than ever.


    This made the difficulties with Zhengui all the more frustrating.


    ¡°Don¡¯t wanna practice anymore,¡± Gui muttered rebelliously, scuffing at the grass with one of his front limbs. ¡°It¡¯s boring, Big Sister. Can¡¯t we do something fun?¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Lazy Gui is right,¡± Zhen hissed, looking incredibly bored and a bit hungry. ¡°For once.¡±


    Over the course of the week, Ling Qi had found her spirit¡¯s cultivation plateauing. With all of his basic abilities worked out, there was only the long haul of polishing his abilities a little bit at a time, and Ling Qi was being swiftly reminded that Zhengui really was a child still. It didn¡¯t help that he was surrounded by tasty things he couldn¡¯t sample in the vale. Still, this was the first time he had really defied her like this.


    ¡°It might be boring, but it¡¯s important,¡± Ling Qi scolded, looking down on Zhengui with her best disappointed expression, the way Zeqing did when Hanyi was slacking off. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to be able to protect me?¡±


    ¡°But Gui is already tough and strong!¡± the tortoise protested, craning his neck to look up at her.


    ¡°And Zhen¡¯s fang¡¯s are sharp! Big Sister should hunt with us instead,¡± Zhen added.


    It really was odd, this rebellion. Ling Qi narrowed her eyes, studying the young spirit and the emotions she could feel through their bond. ¡°... Zhengui, are you jealous?¡±


    Gui shuffled his feet, looking ashamed, but Zhen met her eyes defiantly, sparks dancing in the air around his flickering tongue. ¡°Big Sister does not need to play with the Ugly River Eel. Big Sister should play with Zhengui.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyebrow twitched as she heard the rumbling of the water in the river behind her. She spun around, jabbing a finger in the direction of the looming reptilian beast rising from the waters. ¡°Do not even start!¡±


    ¡°You expect me to simply accept such an insult?¡± Heizui scoffed. ¡°There are limits to my hospitality, human!¡±


    ¡°He is a child,¡± Ling Qi replied flatly, not letting her gaze waver. ¡°Is your pride truly so fragile?¡±


    ¡°Zhen is not a child!¡± the ashen serpent hissed petulantly, making Ling Qi frown more deeply.


    ¡°You see, the little worm is an adult. Let him speak his insults without clutching your skirts, human,¡± Heizui taunted.


    ¡°You will both stop,¡± Ling Qi snapped, shooting the dragon a dirty look before turning back to face Zhengui. ¡°Gui, I am disappointed. I worked hard to give you the opportunity to train here. You are going to make your Big Sister sad if you waste the chance.¡± The tortoise looked down, chastised. ¡°Zhen, do you think I will be happy if you start a fight you cannot win?¡±


    ¡°Zhen can-¡± the serpent began, affronted.


    ¡°You can¡¯t,¡± Ling Qi interrupted bluntly. ¡°Heizui is nearly as strong as me.¡± Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the smug expression the dragon had developed since she began scolding Zhengui sour. ¡°Do you think you can beat your Big Sister?¡±


    Zhen still looked defiant for a moment, but then his head drooped. At mid yellow, Zhengui was still quite a ways from taking on a green realm. ¡°... No.¡±


    ¡°Then you need to keep working hard,¡± Ling Qi said, crossing her arms. ¡°You are going to have to help me fight many strong opponents. I do not want you to get hurt, so you need to toughen yourself. If you do want to do fun things, you will just have to make progress, won¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Big Sister,¡± they apologized. Ling Qi detected only minimal sulkiness. If Zhengui worked hard for the rest of the week, she would give him a break to do something fun though.


    Ling Qi turned back to Heizui as Zhengui got back to training. ¡°And you,¡± she said, glaring up at the dragon, ¡°do you not have anything better to do? You aren¡¯t going to get stronger by lazing around, staring at Zhengui and I.¡±


    ¡°I am ensuring the little glutton does not damage anything,¡± Heizui scoffed, sinking back down into the water.


    Ling Qi gave him an unimpressed look. ¡°I am sure,¡± she said blandly. ¡°Zhengui is a good boy, and I am here. You should stop slacking off.¡±


    ¡°You speak as if you are not doing the same. Do you not owe me a song, human?¡± Heizui shot back, baring his fangs at her.


    ¡°Which I will give you later,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°And my name is Ling Qi. There is no need to speak to me that way.¡± She raised her chin a bit to give the impression of looking down on him. ¡°If you want to hang around, you can at least contribute. Zhengui could use something to defend against.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Heizui asked imperiously. ¡°Not afraid that I would hurt the precious little child?¡± Ling Qi saw Zhen twitch, but her spirit didn¡¯t speak up beyond some low grumbling.


    ¡°I trust that you will be reasonable, or I will have to tell your Honorable Mother that you are bullying children instead of training.¡± It was a bluff. She could give a message to Zeqing, but she had no idea if the elder dragon would even care.


    Heizui just grumbled, and Ling Qi shrugged, turning back to Zhengui. Her own mastery of the Thousand Ring Fortress art was useful in instructing him on improving his defenses.


    By the next day¡¯s session, her efforts bore fruit, and the young dragon deigned to join in. Heizui seemed to enjoy irritating Zhen, and Ling Qi didn¡¯t see a reason to stop it. The dragon¡¯s provocations inspired Zhen to cultivate hard. Gui¡¯s determination was quieter, but after the first time the dragon bowled him over with minimal effort, he too doubled down on his training.


    Ling Qi was pleased with the results. Zhengui was becoming quite durable.

 Chapter 172-Hidden 1

    The mouth of the cavern yawned before her, and the twisting maze of bent space extended behind. It was finally time to plumb the depths of the cavern she found on her moon given map.


    ¡°Are you ready, Zhengui?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Zhengui agreed, his two heads speaking in unison.


    ¡°Gui has become good at being small,¡± Gui chirped proudly.


    ¡°Lady Cui is a good teacher,¡± Zhen agreed.


    Lady Cui, huh? Ling Qi thought wryly. That was a new one. She supposed it wasn¡¯t incorrect since Cui was Meizhen¡¯s cousin.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you show me?¡± she prompted. Zhengui mastering the common beast technique of compressing his size was integral not just for exploring this particular cave but also for her plans to introduce him to the rest of her mortal family.


    Two sets of eyes closed, and Zhengui seemed to vibrate in place with the intensity of his concentration. After a moment, his outline shimmered, and he shrank, more than halving his size. His shell was only a little over a meter long, making him much more portable.


    ¡°Ugh. Gui does not like how this feels.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Do not complain to Big Sister,¡± Zhen hissed. ¡°We are doing well!¡±


    ¡°You are,¡± Ling Qi agreed, crouching down to pat him on the heads. ¡°Can you stay like that in a fight?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Zhen said haughtily.


    ¡°Maybe?¡± Gui said at the same time with much less certainty.


    Ling Qi raised a hand to stop them before they could start bickering. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Just stay close and support me, okay?¡± In the worst case scenario, she would just dematerialize him if he got stuck.


    With his enthusiastic agreement, Ling Qi turned her eyes back to the cave entrance. The mountain stone was dark grey, nearly black, and the entrance was a jagged crack like the maw of a beast. Stepping inside, she stilled as the ambient noise of the wilderness outside vanished. She glanced down at Zhengui, who looked up at her eagerly. Taking a deep breath, she turned her attention back to the cave and continued.


    The tunnels boring into the earth were narrow and twisted, and with each step she took, the scent of rot and decay grew. Pale, slimy fungus sprouted on the walls, and hanging sheets of fleshy moss hung from the ceiling. At the edge of her hearing, she could hear a faint buzzing, a susurrus of noise like a million tiny voices whispering unintelligibly. As they descended, it only grew louder and louder, causing her to clutch her flute more tightly and peer into every nook and branching tunnel with suspicious eyes.


    Soon, the buzzing began to grow more omnipresent, and black dots began to drift through her vision. Little gnats and flies circled and dove at her as if attempting to bite. A minor fluctuation of the wind was enough to keep them away.


    But their numbers grew.


    Ling Qi¡¯s irritation began to turn into concern as individual dots began to turn into swirling blots and clouds of black insects, crawling, buzzing, and flying from every crevice in the earthy passage. She raised her flute in consideration. Should she summon her mist and her dissonance constructs? Could the phantoms even effectively attack targets so small? These weren¡¯t just mundane bugs that could be ignored; there was a gathering pattern of qi, drawn by the erratic movements of the swarming insects.


    ¡°Gross bugs should go away and leave Big Sister and Zhen alone!¡± She blinked as her little brother spoke up followed by a wave of heat. Hot grey ash blew out on the hot breeze, and swarming insects fell from their air, slain by heat or clumped together by sticky ash. Not a single flake clung to Ling Qi despite the continuous flow of ash rising from Zhengui¡¯s faintly glowing shell.


    Well, it looked like she had forgotten to take someone important into account. Ling Qi shot Zhengui a smile over her shoulder. ¡°Good job. Do you think you can keep this up whenever too many of them start swarming?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Gui chirped. ¡°Gui will not get tired for a long time.¡±


    ¡°It was I, Zhen, who did it,¡± his other half complained.


    ¡°Nuh uh, Zhen cannot make ash without Gui!¡± the tortoise shot back.


    ¡°Keep it down,¡± Ling Qi chided lightly. ¡°Let¡¯s continue.¡±


    With the problem of the swarming insects solved, they were able to proceed more quickly, only pausing now and then to let Zhengui produce another cloud of burning ash. It was a good thing that Zhengui was able to free up her attention from such distractions too because the spatial distortions which hid the cave only grew worse the further they descended. Narrow tunnels gave way to low ceiling caverns overgrown with luminescent fungus, and in the narrow paths that lay between columns of moisture slick limestone, the world bent. She would take a single step and find herself facing in the opposite direction in an area she had previously passed or looking out into an entirely unfamiliar cavern. It had greatly alarmed Zhengui the first time she had disappeared.


    The path was not the only problem either. The cavern system seemed unpleasantly alive, and fungus, earth, and stone alike rose to bar her passage. Beneath her feet, the ground would split open into maws studded with teeth of glittering quartz, and fronds and slimy fungal tendrils snatched at her dress and hair, spreading clouds of choking spores.


    Together, she and Zhengui persevered. The Hoarfrost Caress of the Frozen Soul Serenade echoed through the caverns, and plants and fungi alike froze solid, leaving sculptures of pale blue ice in her wake. The tough fibrous roots that Zhengui was able to call into existence at will bound shut mouths of stone and created platforms they could walk across when the solid floor gave way to black chasms.


    As they ventured deeper, Ling Qi began to find signs of human work. She saw shattered gateways which had once blocked up passages now worn to mere bumps in the walls and the faint outlines of weathered carvings on scattered stones. With Zhengui watching her back, she studied them carefully, avoiding the hazy web of semi-functional defensive formations that still clung to the broken stones, to understand where to head to next.


    It was hours and many unpleasant encounters later that they finally reached an intact gate. Ling Qi¡¯s hair was sticky with sap and stranger fungal emissions, though her dress was incongruously clean. Any stain that touched it had melted or boiled away in seconds, and no thorn or sharp stone had been able to tear the fabric. Even a brief dip inside of some kind of underground pitcher plant had not been enough to put a single thread out of place. Clearly, the upgrade from Cai Renxiang¡¯s dress had greatly increased her dress¡¯ capabilities.


    Zhengui was a little worse for the wear. He was walking more slowly, tired from using his abilities so much, and a few scratches glowing with white hot blood marked Zhen¡¯s scales. But the wounds were mere scrapes and already in the process of scabbing over. Ling Qi had checked thoroughly before allowing Zhengui to continue to accompany her.


    ¡°Is this the bottom, Big Sister?¡± Gui asked plaintively.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope so,¡± Ling Qi said tiredly. Although she still had plenty of qi, mentally, she was feeling fatigued. ¡°Let¡¯s do it like last time, okay? Stay ready, and let Big Sister study the gate.¡±


    This gate, made of black wicker vines all woven together with a frame of formation-marked stone carved into the tunnel, was obviously a much more recent placement. It made it much more likely that this location was in fact a curated Sect site. She was still wary as she stepped forward to examine it though, expecting some kind of final trial.


    However, to her surprise, as she stepped forward, the gate swung inward.


    Before her lay a wide cavern which sloped swiftly downward, stone transforming into powdery white sand at the shore of a lake of viscous black fluid. It wasn¡¯t water; Ling Qi was sure enough of that. The liquid was utterly opaque and glimmered strangely under the faint light of glowing lichen that coated the ceiling.


    At the center of the lake lay an island of stone rising from the black muck. The island was littered with yellowed human bones, which carpeted the ground in such numbers that there was nothing visible beneath them. Some of the skulls seemed strangely shaped, making her wonder if human was the right term. They didn¡¯t hold her attention though.


    In the center of the island was a single corpse lashed to a twisted pillar of rotting wood. Roots and branches speared their way between bones and intertwined with mummified flesh, and black flowers bloomed from empty eye sockets. Vines wound around the figure, holding it so that it would not fall, even in death. The corpse was taller than a normal man, and a pair of pronged, branching horns growing backwards sprouted from its temples. A spear of gleaming jade taller than Ling Qi was planted in the rock and bones to its right.


    Most importantly, she could see the source of the black liquid. It seeped slowly from beneath the tattered, open-chested robe the corpse wore, running sluggishly downhill into the pool. More than anything she saw with her physical sight though, what Ling Qi could feel through her spiritual senses brought her up short. The fluid was liquid darkness, purer than the qi that flowed through her legs and spine. It was a sucking, hungry void drinking in even the simple qi of air and rock.


    Something like this had to be known by the Sect, and for all that Ling Qi¡¯s eyes were drawn to that spear of master-crafted jade, alight with the power that slept within it, she was not stupid. For something like that to have laid here untouched for so long, it must be defended, and the fractal web of twisted energies surrounding the island supported her feeling.


    ¡°Zhengui, can you give me a root?¡± she asked absently.


    Zhengui trundled up beside her, staring out over the lake with a disquiet. ¡°Yes, Big Sister,¡± he agreed, his eyes never leaving the corpse, and from the muddy stone rose a single green shoot of new grown wood.


    Ling Qi murmured a thanks and snapped off the end of the root. With a single light toss, she threw it out over the lake. Less than halfway to the island, the green root seemed to fly through a distortion in the air. Green faded to brown, and then to black, and then wrinkled black wood crumbled to dust.


    It all happened in less than the blink of an eye.


    Ling Qi¡¯s gaze jerked away from the sight as a faint glow drew her eye then, and in the air above her head, she observed ghostly characters spelling out a message in smoke and light.


    In solitude, even the mightiest Foundation crumbles.


    Before you lies a memorial to this unshakeable fact.


    Let not avarice blind you, and leave old graves undisturbed.


    In Darkness, find your reward. Take no more than three treasures.


    Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help but smile. The Sect probably exploited this location for treasure materials themselves, and by discovering it, she had earned the right to take a few.


    ¡°What does it say, Big Sister?¡± Gui asked guilelessly.


    Ling Qi blinked and looked down at him. Of course, Zhengui couldn¡¯t read. She filed that away as something to look into in the future when her time was less constrained. ¡°It says to stay away from the island and to only take three treasures from the lake.¡±


    ¡°Gui thinks that is a good idea. Nightmare of Burning Glade is spooky,¡± Gui said gravely.


    ¡°Nightmare of Burning Glade?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°That is the bony thing¡¯s Name. It is much bigger than Zhen,¡± the serpent answered, his normal haughtiness subdued. ¡°So big that Zhen cannot see it all.¡±


    Ling Qi turned her eyes back to the skeleton and to the blooming black flowers that grew from its eye sockets. For the first time since she had begun cultivating Zeqing¡¯s art, Ling Qi felt a chill.


    ¡°Let me just collect my treasures then,¡± Ling Qi said, tearing her eyes away. Carefully, she moved down to the shore and peered into the liquid darkness.


    She dearly wished that she had Meizhen here with her to appraise the shapes she could feel within the oily liquid, but in the end, she could only trust her own instincts as she waded into the shallows of the lake.


    In the end, she fished out a shard of frozen darkness that seemed like a miniature hole in the world, a hard, leathery pod that she had snatched from something growing in the dark liquid, and a pane of reflective material from the muddy bottom of the lake. Ling Qi would have to research her findings and perhaps ask Meizhen for confirmation, but she suspected that she had found a material that could serve as the base for her domain weapon.


    Returning to the exit of the cave, Ling Qi cast a glance up at the moonless night sky. The calm and contemplative lunar qi of the new moon was a different thing than the wild chaos of the Dreaming Moon or the slippery insubstantiality of the Grinning. But with her storage ring full of high grade treasure, Ling Qi had to admit that there was a certain appeal to it. The Hidden Moon, who oversaw secret knowledge and investigation, was not the most obvious of patrons, but she thought she had made a good choice all the same.


    After all, weren¡¯t the most valuable things in the world often secrets?

 Chapter 173-Hidden 2

    Ling Qi still found it odd that Meizhen considered something so common as fishing to be a noble hobby.


    ¡°So you¡¯ve found more treasures then?¡± Meizhen asked calmly from her seat at the lakeside, her white gown untouched by stains of dirt or grass. Meizhen glanced only briefly at Ling Qi as she sat down beside her friend, her own gown billowing around her legs in a faint breeze.


    ¡°It¡¯s less fun when you don¡¯t react,¡± Ling Qi complained half-heartedly after she had finished retelling her expedition.


    ¡°I am no longer surprised by your fortune,¡± Bai Meizhen said dryly. ¡°And you did sound quite certain when we left the market. As for the rest, I do not find it shocking that the Sect has access to a Weilu tomb. That clan left many ruins.¡±


    ¡°Weilu?¡± Ling Qi asked curiously. ¡°I came across that name a few times looking around, but the books never explained what it was.¡±


    ¡°The Weilu were the rulers of Emerald Seas during the time before the Sage,¡± Meizhen explained. ¡°They were the Horned Lords of the South and also the first of the founding families to fall.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned, feeling slightly alarmed. ¡°Ah, is that so? I didn¡¯t mean to do anything so disrespectful. I assumed the corpse was a barbarian or a spirit.¡± She was surprised the Sect would so easily allow the defilement of the tomb of such an important figure.


    ¡°The overwhelming pride and isolationist nature of the Weilu was well known. Few were sad to see them fall. I feel no offense. The Bai do not worship the dead the way others do,¡± her friend replied, and Ling Qi boggled at how bad the Weilu¡¯s pride must have been for a Bai to comment on it. ¡°I presume if the Sect allowed you entry that there is no crime against propriety either.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded readily enough, dismissing the subject for now; ancient history was just that. With a flick of her wrist, she expressed her first treasure, the one which had called to her most strongly. The shard of blackness was the length of her forearm with the texture of smooth rock. She held it gingerly, not wanting to cut her fingers on the edge as she had done when dredging it up. The way it had drunk in her blood was unsettling.


    ¡°Well, anyway, I wanted you to take a look at this. I think this will make a good material for my flying sword from what I¡¯ve read in the Archives.¡±


    Meizhen looked her way fully, examining the length of black material held across her open hands. ¡°I do not disagree. I suppose you were able to pick out the grade?¡±


    ¡°After some studying, yeah.¡± Ling Qi grimaced. Reading the auras of objects in such detail was hard. ¡°It¡¯s fourth grade material, right?¡±


    ¡°Only just,¡± Meizhen replied. ¡°Yet it is still above the resources one would expect of a new baronial clan. It is likely that you will not be able to fully access the power of a weapon crafted with it as you are.¡±


    ¡°Like with your own sword,¡± Ling Qi mused. She knew her friend was still teasing out its abilities, but Meizhen¡¯s sword came from the scale of a seventh grade spirit beast, so that was to be expected. She dismissed the shard, frowning at the oily, clinging sensation it left in her hands as if trying to drag her qi into the ring with it. ¡°If you agree that it¡¯s good, I¡¯ll ask Lady Cai to contact a craftsman.¡±


    As she spoke, she drew gingerly on the energies of another treasure.


    ¡°What about this?¡± she asked, expressing the mirror pane. She avoided looking down at the grinning skull it reflected back. ¡°I couldn¡¯t find anything in the Archive on this.¡±


    Her friend¡¯s lips briefly curled in disgust. ¡°Fourth Grade as well, but I would not suggest keeping it. Death qi is notoriously unwieldy and unpleasant.¡± Meizhen looked away, and Ling Qi noticed unsettlingly that the mirror did not reflect her friend as a worn skeleton but as a pair of greedy golden eyes staring up from a pit of abyssal dark. ¡°You would do well to contact an auction and use the proceeds to fund your fief and cultivation, but if you must use it, a ward against curses and spiritual assaults would be the best use.¡±


    Ling Qi dismissed the mirror back into her ring. ¡°What makes death qi worse than any other uncommon element?¡± Ling Qi asked


    Meizhen was silent then shook her head. ¡°Life and death mark a cultivator more deeply than other elements and with less investment. I will say no more on the matter,¡± she said with a note of finality.


    Ling Qi nodded. To be frank, the mirror made her skin crawl. She would probably follow Meizhen¡¯s advice.


    The last treasure, she had sussed out herself. The withered grey pod was filled with thorny black seeds. They were from a third realm plant, and in the future, she could probably have them cultivated to sell the proceeds. That would only come after she had received land though so they would remain in storage for some time yet.


    Falling silent for a time, Ling Qi observed her friend out of the corner of her eye, noting the slight signs of tension and stress visible. There was another reason she had arranged to meet Meizhen.


    ¡°May I ask what has been troubling you lately?¡± she asked, leaning back to look up at the darkening sky. ¡°You haven¡¯t even been having your tea in the mornings lately. I kind of miss you, you know?¡±


    Meizhen didn¡¯t visibly react to her words, and the silence between them stretched. ¡°Familial concerns. There is nothing which you might help with.¡±


    Ling Qi held back a grimace, glancing at her friend again. ¡°Maybe not, but if it¡¯s nothing secret¡­ I can still listen,¡± she offered carefully. She didn¡¯t want to press too hard and offend Meizhen.


    She caught a faint sigh from the pale girl. ¡°I have learned that my Aunt Suzhen will be coming to observe my performance at the tournament,¡± Meizhen explained quietly. ¡°I do not wish to disappoint her when she is taking time from her important duties for such a frivolous thing.¡± Meizhen paused a beat, her brows drawing together. ¡°My father will be coming as well,¡± she added as an afterthought.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure where the problem is,¡± Ling Qi responded with a frown. Meizhen rarely spoke of her family, but when she did, the aunt she admired was the one who came up. ¡°You aren¡¯t losing confidence in your ability to match Sun Liling, are you?¡±


    ¡°Not as such,¡± Bai Meizhen replied, not looking up. ¡°I worry about what it means. Despite my childish wishes to be acknowledged by her, now the implications of it seem more dire.¡±


    Ling Qi did her best to hold back an exasperated sigh. ¡°You are going to have to explain that one to me.¡±


    Meizhen shot her a disgruntled look, and Ling Qi felt a faint chill in the air, not born of any physical source. ¡°Despite my dilute blood, I bear the colors of the White Serpent Queen. I am expected to have the ability to lead .Yet I would much prefer to simply cultivate in peace, rather than taking part in struggles for rank. Until now, I was largely able to do so because of my circumstances.¡±


    Ling Qi began to understand. It was hard to remember that her friend''s clan wasn¡¯t just a family. Much like the other oldest clans, their members could fill several large cities on their own, if all the sub-clans and branches were considered. If she remembered the texts correctly, the Bai. in particular. had some kind of odd ranking system based on coloration and physical traits too. ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re worried about getting drawn into your family¡¯s politics more, win or lose?¡±


    ¡°It seems you are capable of listening,¡± Meizhen said tartly. ¡°And so, I am torn between pride and concern for the future.¡±


    ¡°I do pay attention when you speak¡­ most of the time,¡± Ling Qi shot back teasingly. ¡°But all the same, you can only control your own actions.¡± Meizhen had not given her a positive impression of her peers in the Bai, though she only spoke about such things obliquely. ¡°Do you really think you would have escaped that sort of thing forever?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± her friend said, closing her eyes. ¡°In the wake of this last year, it simply seems real, rather than a far-off worry for the future. As it is, it is already too late for me to remain on the side of the struggles for position among my cousins.¡±


    ¡°Then you should be pleased that you¡¯ll be starting with an advantage,¡± Ling Qi said firmly. ¡°Will any of them have defeated the granddaughter of your clan''s great enemy?


    ¡°That assumes my victory,¡± Meizhen pointed out dryly.


    ¡°If you lose, it¡¯ll only be after you batter that top-heavy, bloodthirsty bimbo to the edge of death,¡± Ling Qi said crassly. ¡°Do you really think that won¡¯t count for anything?¡±


    Ling Qi felt a thread of satisfaction as Meizhen gaped at her, the fishing pole in her hands drooping as she clapped a hand over her face. ¡°Ling Qi, you cannot speak of a princess in that way! Were you not paying attention to a single thing I have taught you?¡±


    Ling Qi thought this was a little rich considering that Meizhen called Sun Liling a ¡° barbarian,¡± but she supposed her friend was the one with higher status.


    ¡°I did. I just know how to ignore it when I need to break my friend out of a rut,¡± Ling Qi replied, sticking out her tongue childishly. ¡°Seriously, Meizhen, do you have any reason to step off your Path at this point?¡±


    ¡°I never stated that my worries were a matter of logic,¡± Meizhen noted a bit waspishly, adjusting her grip on the slumping fishing pole.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°But I don¡¯t think I¡¯m wrong.¡±


    ¡°Of course you don¡¯t,¡± her friend said with a faint shake of her head. ¡°Still, even if I feel you underestimate the stakes involved¡­ thank you for your encouragement.¡±


    ¡°I would be a poor friend if I didn¡¯t at least try to cheer you up,¡± Ling Qi said before allowing silence to lapse for a time. ¡°... On that note, do you think Cui has forgiven me yet?¡±


    ¡°I would not pin too many hopes on that, ¡°Meizhen said dryly. ¡°Perhaps in another year or two.¡±


    Well, that was unfortunate, but at least Meizhen¡¯s cousin didn¡¯t seem to extend the grudge to Zhengui.


    She stayed with Meizhen for the rest of the evening, quietly mediating. She departed the lakeside only when Meizhen did to spend the rest of the night intermittently cycling her qi and musing on new melodies.

 Chapter 174-Training 1

    The last notes of Ling Qi¡¯s latest attempt at composition drifted away on the wind, sending their faint ripples through the flow of the world¡¯s qi. Yet for all their technical perfection, Ling Qi remained unsatisfied with the work. The melody she was trying to compose still rang hollow in both her ears and her more spiritual senses.


    ¡°Looks like you still can¡¯t quite manage upbeat, huh?¡± Sixiang said from where they lounged, resting against the spindly trunk of one of the scraggly trees that clung to the cliff face that overlooked the lower reaches of the mountain. ¡°You¡¯re such a gloomy girl,¡± they teased. The androgynous spirit wore a robe of pale rose pink today which hung open across the chest, leaving their current gender rather obvious.


    ¡°I am not gloomy,¡± Ling Qi shot back irritably. ¡°Be serious. What is it I am lacking here? I wanted to compose something cheerful for Mother. Spring and summer motifs should be perfect for that, shouldn¡¯t they?¡± While she hadn¡¯t much free time this week, what she did have had been spent stopping in to at least greet Mother each day.


    ¡°Well,¡± Sixiang drawled, idly kicking their legs, unmindful of the scattering of stones sent tumbling down the crumbling cliffside. ¡°Limiting yourself to mortal comprehension is quite a handicap, but I don¡¯t really think that¡¯s your problem. You¡¯re not so far from the mortal world as all that.¡±


    ¡°Then what is?¡± Ling Qi asked, frustrated. ¡°I¡¯ve tried so many different forms and arrangements, but none of them seem right.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, you¡¯re just a gloomy girl,¡± Sixiang replied matter-of-factly. ¡°Of course you can¡¯t give life to that kind of melody, thinking like you do.¡± They waved their hand flippantly. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. You can arrange a few cheerful phrases, but that¡¯s hardly the sort of optimism that you¡¯re trying to convey, right?¡±


    She gave the spirit a dirty look. ¡°You¡¯re really good at not answering questions properly, you know?¡±


    Sixiang stuck out their tongue childishly. ¡°If I was direct, I¡¯d be one of those hard-nosed, pushy sun spirits.¡±


    Ling Qi let out an annoyed huff but closed her eyes, surrendering the point. She meditated on her failures and Sixiang¡¯s words. ¡°... I just don¡¯t think that way, do I?¡±.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Sixiang agreed. ¡°You don¡¯t have that kind of expectation that things will go well, so you can¡¯t put it into song.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. Sixiang¡¯s assessment was true. Though things had been going well, better than she could have realistically hoped at the start of the year, some part of her was still waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the things she had built to come crashing down around her ears. For all that had happened in the last year and for all that she had changed¡­ some mentalities were simply slow to fade.


    ¡°A different theme would probably work better for now,¡± Sixiang offered cheerfully, breaking Ling Qi out of her thoughts. ¡°Changing yourself is slow going for a human, or so I¡¯ve heard,¡± they said with an air of received wisdom.


    ¡°I suppose so,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I¡¯m still not gloomy,¡± she added, shooting a scowl at the relaxing spirit as she raised her flute to begin another attempt.


    ¡°Then why do you always dress like you¡¯re headed to a funeral?¡± Sixiang teased. ¡°You¡¯re just missing the mourning veil.¡±


    Ling Qi huffed and didn¡¯t respond. So what if she wore somewhat somber colors? That didn¡¯t make her gloomy. Besides, there was no point in wearing anything else given the quality of her Cai gown.


    ... She resolved not to express that to Xiulan lest the other girl drag her out for emergency shopping. Then again, that too was something that had faded; it was difficult to match the almost fanatically driven Xiulan of today to the one who would spend time frivolously poking around a tailor¡¯s shop at the beginning of the year.


    Ling Qi grimaced and dismissed the thought. They could all take a breath when the tournament was over. There were only two months left.


    ¡°See, I can practically see the cloud over your head,¡± Sixiang said lightly, drawing a snort from Ling Qi.


    ¡°Fine. Why don¡¯t you show me how it¡¯s done then?¡± Ling Qi shot back. ¡°Since I apparently can¡¯t manage.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I suppose I can play a piece or two,¡± they mused, ¡°if only to lighten the atmosphere a little.¡±


    Ling Qi closed her own eyes as a set of reed pipes coalesced from shimmering mist in the spirit¡¯s hands. Relaxing herself, she focused on the faster tempo of the song flowing from Sixiang¡¯s pipes.


    There was definitely something in the spirit¡¯s notes that she lacked, but she knew that it wouldn¡¯t be so simple as copying phrases and notes. For all that she was composing for her Mother, she couldn¡¯t be satisfied by a piece that was only competent on a mortal level.


    ***


    As much as she found herself enjoying trading melodies with the spirit, Ling Qi took her leave after some time with the promise to meet the spirit the next day and continue their exchange. Descending the mountain, Ling Qi then made her way toward Xiulan¡¯s increasingly charred training grounds.


    Xiulan¡¯s mastery of her arts was growing pretty swiftly, she found. Even the girl¡¯s lightest attacks burned blue with heat, and her stronger ones could be compared to Lady Cai¡¯s light arts in appearance, if not in effect. Xiulan¡¯s cultivation was doing well as well; Ling Qi noted that Xiulan had cultivated back to the peak of the second realm and her aura had the faint cracks of a breakthrough beginning to spread through it.


    She spent the rest of the afternoon with her friend, and although she left feeling sweaty and overheated, she didn¡¯t regret it. Xiulan mentioned that she would be busy with closed door cultivation in the immediate future though, so she would have to find a different training partner in the following week.


    ***


    Over the course of the next few days, Ling Qi spent her time cultivating and performing Sect Missions to earn points for future tutoring. Most were trivial, although she did have a slightly more memorable time performing an exorcism of a haunted house. Still, all in all the time leading up to her next lesson with Zeqing was peaceful. Over the course of the week, she had felt that she was making good progress in further mastering the Serenade and improving her singing ability.


    When she arrived at the black pool though, she found only Hanyi waiting. The little spirit was perched on the stone bench where she usually sat with Zeqing, kicking her bare feet idly when she arrived.


    ¡°Hiya, Big Sister,¡± the little spirit said cheerfully. She held a little snow mouse in one hand, caught by the tail. The beast squeaked and kicked as Hanyi poked at it, trying to escape the snow girl¡¯s grasp. ¡°Momma is gonna be a little late today. Auntie Xin came to talk about grown-up stuff.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Ling Qi replied, glancing at the little girl¡¯s prize, a weak first grade beast, as she seated herself on the bench beside her, the snow crunching faintly under her weight. ¡°Hanyi, why are you¡­ playing with that?¡±


    The blue-skinned little girl blinked, looking up from the distressed animal trapped between her fingers. ¡°Oh! I was being a good girl and practicing like Momma said,¡± she answered with a grin that cried out for praise as only a child¡¯s could. ¡°I caught the mousey ¡®cause he couldn¡¯t resist my voice!¡± She puffed her chest out proudly.


    Ling Qi calmly patted the little spirit on her head. ¡°Good job. You shouldn¡¯t play around with it like that though,¡± she said, not wanting to make Hanyi get into a huff.


    ¡°Big Sister acts too much like Momma,¡± Hanyi complained. ¡°But fine. I won¡¯t play with my food anymore.¡± Ling Qi blinked, nonplussed. She had never seen either the mother or daughter spirits eat anything.


    The mouse let out a strangled squeak and twitched violently then, frost spreading across its fur and skin as it visibly withered and blackened in the little spirit¡¯s grasp like a corpse left to freeze on a mountaintop. Hanyi let out a delighted sound, and Ling Qi caught the slight shimmer in the air as she breathed in the stream of heat that arose from the beast¡¯s remains.


    ¡°Hehe, don¡¯t tell Momma I was snacking before dinner, okay, Big Sister?¡± Hanyi asked, looking up at her as she tossed the remains aside carelessly. The carcass landed in a heap of snow with a soft sound, disappearing from sight.


    ¡°... Sure,¡± Ling Qi said. She supposed it wasn¡¯t the weirdest thing she had ever seen. ¡°Have you been getting along with Zhengui?¡± she asked, deliberately changing the subject.


    Hanyi pouted, crossing her arms. ¡°He¡¯s being a big jerk,¡± she huffed. ¡°He keeps saying he¡¯s too busy to play ¡®cause he has to beat up some eel. I don¡¯t get it. I¡¯m way more fun to play with than some doofy eel.¡±


    Ah. It looked like Zhengui might have taken to training with Heizui a little too well. ¡°I¡¯ll have a chat with him,¡± Ling Qi said, ¡°about not neglecting his friends.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a dummy,¡± Hanyi corrected, eyeing her suspiciously. ¡°I just want my sled back. It¡¯s not ¡®cause I miss him or something.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ling Qi replied, hiding her grin with her sleeve. That was kind of cute. It did remind her that she would be leaving the mountain in a year or so. What would happen then?


    Thankfully, Zeqing arrived before Hanyi could pick up on the drop in her mood. Ling Qi allowed herself to forget the future for the moment and immerse herself in her lessons.


    Later, as they finished up and the sun sank below the horizon, casting the ravine into darkness, she found herself reminded.


    Zeqing sat beside Ling Qi, and Hanyi lay with her head in her Mother¡¯s lap, tired out from several hours of hard practice. Asleep, the little spirit shimmered in and out of solidity, blue flesh fading to reveal swirling snow before fading back in again. The elder spirit rested a hand of transparent ice on her daughter¡¯s head as the two of them watched the last light fade from the sky.


    ¡°I have heard that you will be leaving the Sect,¡± her teacher said quietly without any accusation in her tone.


    ¡°I will,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°I am incredibly thankful to you and the Sect, but I want to make something that is mine.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Zeqing said, and Ling Qi felt a rush of relief. ¡°Still, it will be less interesting without you. You have been a good student.¡±


    ¡°I will still be here a year yet,¡± Ling Qi said before her features fell in a frown. ¡°... Assuming an Inner Sect student can visit this peak.¡±


    ¡°It should not be difficult to obtain dispensation, so long as you do not interfere with the operation of the Outer Sect,¡± Zeqing said without worry. ¡°I suppose a year still seems like a great length of time to you.¡±


    ¡°It does,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°I have been happy here for the most part. I think I want that year to seem long.¡±


    Zeqing let out an amused laugh like the tinkling of crystal chimes on the wind. ¡°What an honest answer.¡±


    ¡°I try,¡± Ling Qi grinned. ¡°Sometimes, anyway.¡±


    The spirit gave a shallow nod in reply, brushing her fingers through Hanyi¡¯s hair. ¡°Let me ask you then: what do you think of my daughter?¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, glancing sidelong at her musical mentor. ¡°She can be¡­ difficult and maybe a little spoiled,¡± Ling Qi answered, thinking back to the girl¡¯s cries of unfairness at the end of their game of tag. ¡°... but I think she is a bit lonely too.¡±


    Zeqing did not reply for a time, and her billowing hair blocked her features from sight as she lowered her head. Ling Qi remained silent until she spoke again. ¡°So you see it as well,¡± Zeqing remarked. ¡°Hanyi has shown much more cheer since that spirit of yours began coming here.¡±


    ¡°I hope Zhengui has behaved himself,¡± Ling Qi said, aware of how territorial the snow spirit could be.


    Zeqing flicked her sleeve in dismissal of the words. ¡°Once, I might have scoured the mountain clean to remove the presence of a beast like him, but it no longer bothers me,¡± she said. ¡°But I cannot say that seeing my daughter so joyful in the presence of another does not¡­ vex me in some ways,¡± she added, her voice growing dark.


    Ling Qi shifted uncomfortably as the temperature dropped. ¡°... Will it be a problem?¡±


    ¡°I will not let it be,¡± Zeqing answered, her blood red lips curving down in a frown. ¡°I am not as I was. The same instinct which demands that her joy be in me alone are the ones which would cause me to devour her as well. Humanity is a vexing thing, bringing such uncertainty.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you regret it though, do you?¡± Ling Qi asked carefully.


    ¡°I do not,¡± Zeqing replied. ¡°Yet I know that one day, I will need to let her go.¡± Ling Qi flinched at the icy wind that cut through her defenses, chilling her to the bone the moment those words left the spirit¡¯s mouth. ¡°That is the human thing to do, is it not?¡±


    Ling Qi shivered as the snow and ice slashed through the air around her, leaving only the mother and daughter spirits untouched. ¡°... Maybe,¡± she admitted. ¡°Do you think that would help her?¡±


    ¡°Hanyi will not ever be more than she is if she remains,¡± Zeqing said, her soft voice audible over the shrieking wind. ¡°And that no longer seems as acceptable as it once was. Did you know that before I began teaching you, the thought of teaching my daughter never crossed my mind as more than an idle fancy?¡±


    The wind was quieting down, thankfully, and the snowfall was growing slower and gentler. ¡°You seem very proud of her progress though,¡± Ling Qi said, looking over at them.


    ¡°I am,¡± Zeqing agreed. ¡°And such is my conflict. I wish to see my daughter mature, but she cannot do so with me.¡± The spirit sounded as if those words physically pained her, and perhaps they did. ¡°Do you understand my meaning, Disciple Ling Qi?¡±


    Ling Qi nodded. ¡°I will be happy to continue my lessons, Teacher Zeqing, alone and alongside your daughter. As your student, I am her older sister. I will look after my junior if need be,¡± she promised.


    Zeqing nodded shallowly as the last of the whipping wind faded. ¡°I speak only as a consideration for the future,¡± she said, somewhat stiffly. ¡°A year remains to us after all, and the future may bring change.¡±

 Chapter 175-Training 2

    ¡°Haah!¡± Ling Qi let out a cry of triumph as the guandao in her hands punctured the stone pillar in front of her with a thunderous crash, sending up a cloud of powdered rock as she pulled it to the side. The gleaming metal blade carved through the stone, trailing an afterimage of glittering white light. The pillar was but one of many ruined and broken around her, and with no more in easy reach, Ling Qi leaped lightly to another pillar, the corona of light surrounding her causing the shadows among the pillars to flicker madly.


    While the guandao had been a passing fancy of the first realm when she was just coming into the superhuman strength of a cultivator, Ling Qi had found herself choosing it once again for this exercise. Maintaining her Sable Crescent Step under the burning weight of Cai Renxiang¡¯s Glorious Heavenly Legion art was like weight training in a way. Swinging around a weapon was more entertaining than just jumping about, and it let Cai practice more of her own art¡¯s techniques while they were at it.


    Cai herself was seated atop one of the tallest pillars in the lotus position, and to Ling Qi¡¯s sight, she was essentially a blazing star fallen to earth. Only the improvement of her senses allowed her to see the girl¡¯s silhouette in the center. As Ling Qi landed on top of an intact pillar, the stone beneath her quaked as a massive shadow leapt from the cloud of rockdust on the opposite side of the pillar field.


    Gan Guangli landed atop a pair of pillars as well, one foot on each one. He towered nearly four meters high and glowed with the same light as Ling Qi. The exercise was coming to an end though so that light began to fade.


    ¡°Report improvements,¡± the heiress said crisply, her voice ringing over the field.


    ¡°I could truly feel your burning wrath infusing my fists!¡± Gan Guangli announced, thumping his fist against his metal-clad chest. ¡°It was as if nothing could stand against my might!¡±


    Ling Qi shot an amused glance at the boisterous young man as she spoke up herself. ¡°I¡¯m not the strongest physically, but I was able to cut through stone as easily as I could dirt or wood. I think you have it.¡±


    Cai Renxiang let out a pleased hum, opening her eyes to survey the destruction the two of them had wrought. ¡°Very good,¡± she said with a nod. ¡°Gan Guangli, center yourself and consider insights you have gained toward the nature of Light. Ling Qi, let us resume our discussion of court etiquette and clan structures. We will resume active exercises in one half hour.¡±


    Ling Qi allowed the effects of her art to fade, finally ending the irritating itching that came from the two conflicting elements, and let out a sigh of relief, stretching her arms over her head. The pillar field shook as the shrinking but still gigantic Gan Guangli took a seat on one of the largest pillars.


    ¡°Lady Cai, if you don¡¯t mind, may I ask you something before we start our discussion?¡± she asked as she hopped to a pillar closer to the heiress¡¯ position.


    ¡°You may,¡± the girl replied, the only sign of her exertion from covering the entire field in light a few beads of sweat on her forehead.


    ¡°Why focus on an art like that right now?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°Something like that isn¡¯t going to help in the tournament much.¡±


    Cai Renxiang considered the question. ¡°There is no danger of failure for me,¡± she stated bluntly. ¡°I have no doubt that the Sect and the Duchess have arranged things such that I will place highly, and while taking the top place might be a boon, it is more important to set the foundations for my future as a commander and ruler.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked as she took a seat on a pillar across from the heiress. She had an inkling that the tournament brackets would be arranged, but hearing it stated aloud still left her with a slightly sour feeling. ¡°... I see,¡± she said, and some of that ill feeling must have escaped into her tone because Cai peered at her with a slight frown.


    ¡°I do not say these things in boast,¡± the other girl noted. ¡°To be frank, I regard dueling ability as tertiary at best. I am merely grateful that I have the opportunity to focus on other things.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little odd considering the Duchess¡¯ policies, isn¡¯t it?¡± Ling Qi asked lightly to show that her disquiet had simply been passing irritation.


    ¡°If I come to occupy the pinnacle of power that my Honored Mother does, it will be many centuries hence,¡± Cai replied dryly. ¡°I cannot rely on overwhelming power as she does.¡±


    ¡°Still, are such techniques really so important?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°In the end, aren¡¯t armies only important for holding territory since the greatest cultivators cannot be everywhere at once?¡±


    ¡°You underestimate the Imperial armies, Miss Ling,¡± Gan Guangli interjected, looking up from his own meditations. ¡°A well led division might be able to match and slay even a fourth realm cultivator or spirit if that cultivator or spirit lacks strong support of their own. They may even hold the line against one of the fifth until a counter can arrive.¡± Ling Qi didn¡¯t miss the way her fellow vassal¡¯s eyes and voice lowered as if recalling something painful.


    ¡°Such considerations break down at the highest reaches of cultivation, but Gan Guangli is correct,¡± Cai Renxiang said smoothly. ¡°But the theory remains valid even then. The difficulty at higher reaches lies in gathering so many of the fourth realm and above together in such a group. Even then, a cultivator with an army at their back will always prevail against a lone peer or near peer, barring rare circumstances.¡±


    Ling Qi considered that. She supposed putting a few hundred yellow cultivators together with even fairly weak support arts could create a pretty frightening increase in power, although there were still limits in that, as implied by Gan Guangli¡¯s comments. She inferred from his tone that ¡°holding the line¡± against a fifth realm cultivator probably involved less fending off and more not instantly being destroyed.


    ¡°Alright, looks like I¡¯ll have to study tactics a little too,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°My apologies for the delay in our discussion, Lady Cai. What was it that you wanted to discuss today?¡±


    ¡°The structures of a conventional Imperial clan and the titles and rankings therein,¡± Cai replied. ¡°While there are many variations, it is important to understand the basic template first and foremost that you might understand those who are now your peers.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, settling herself into a more comfortable position. ¡°Understood. So how does it differ from how mortals organize their families?¡±


    ¡°There are many similarities,¡± Lady Cai admitted. ¡°The mortal ways in the Empire originate from the same source.¡±


    ¡°The Sage Emperor,¡± Ling Qi concluded thoughtfully. ¡°I suppose that makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± her liege replied, seeming satisfied. Lecturing was something Cai Renxiang enjoyed, Ling Qi had come to understand. ¡°The culture of the Sage¡¯s original kingdom became the bedrock of the Empire you know today, although it has changed in many different ways due to intermixing with the practices of other kingdoms and the simple passage of time.¡±


    ¡°So, how do Imperial clans differ from mortal families?¡±


    ¡°The differences are rooted in the greater lifespan and personal power of cultivators,¡± Lady Cai explained. ¡°Namely, the generational strata of clan positions. At the peak of any clan is its Matriarch or Patriarch, whose position is determined by raw cultivation level and age. Their peers are, in turn, the clan¡¯s ancestors. The ancestors are the eldest generation of a clan, typically those in their last century or half century of life.¡±


    Ling Qi had a feeling that such people were significantly more potent than the doddering, invalid grandpas she would associate with the concept of eldest among mortals. ¡°So what is the difference between a Patriarch and a Clan Head?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°It sounds like those people would be in charge.¡±


    ¡°In theory, they are,¡± Cai answered. ¡°In practice, the eldest generation is focused solely on cultivation and emerges only in times of trial for a clan. The day-to-day operation of a clan falls to the next generation, the Clan Head and the Elders. It is the cultivation of this generation which determines a clan¡¯s rank among the nobility, although a Patriarch is, in practice, never more than one realm above their Clan Head.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡± Ling Qi asked with a frown before answering her own question. ¡°Ah¡­ I guess at that age, climbing two realms would be pretty difficult.¡±


    ¡°That is true,¡± the heiress replied. ¡°However, the simple matter is that such a Patriarch or Matriarch would almost certainly emerge from seclusion to use their newly extended life to resume command and reinvigorate the younger generations.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I am guessing that doesn¡¯t happen often though,¡± Ling Qi said thoughtfully. ¡°It sounds like that would be¡­ chaotic.¡±


    ¡°Such times are great opportunities but also great risks, yes,¡± Cai agreed. ¡°The lower ranks are more mixed, and indeed, in lower ranked clans, are typically one and the same. Below the Clan Head is the Clan Heir, and the heir¡¯s contemporaries are the lifeblood of the clan, performing most of the necessary duties, such as serving in the military, working in Ministry employ, or working in a clan¡¯s crafting houses. Beneath them are those known as young masters and misses, cultivators of age with us or somewhat older, who have yet to accept much responsibility and who are given freedom to develop their cultivation.¡±


    It would make sense for there to be more and more of a divide between the young master and clan heir tiers as a clan¡¯s top level of cultivation, and thus lifespan, grew, but there must be a lot of exceptions. ¡°Just how old can one be and still be a ¡®Young Master¡¯?¡± Ling Qi asked, thinking of her mother¡¯s history.


    ¡°It varies,¡± Cai Renxiang replied. ¡°Among the highest ranked clans, many do not receive serious responsibility before their first centennial, but among most clans, the topmost age of such individuals is closer to thirty or forty.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to be taken seriously at all, am I?¡± Ling Qi said with a rueful grin. No wonder new clans had such troubles growing. Any established clan head would probably see her as a precocious child at best.


    ¡°I will not deny that such considerations are an issue,¡± Cai said stonily, drawing Ling Qi¡¯s gaze back to her face. She supposed that her words applied to Cai Renxiang as well. ¡°While few in the province will dare be openly contemptuous, achieving true respect and recognition will be difficult for all three of us.¡±


    ¡°Just one more mountain to climb,¡± Ling Qi said flippantly, breaking the somewhat somber atmosphere before it could form. ¡°They¡¯ll respect us when our feet are trampling their heads.¡±


    ¡°Well said, Miss Ling!¡± Gan Guangli laughed, and if Ling Qi¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t lie, she even saw a hint of mirth in Lady Cai¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Such sentiments are best reserved for times of privacy, but I will not disagree,¡± Cai said, fully serious again after barely an eyeblink. ¡°Did you have any further questions before we continue?¡±


    ¡°A couple,¡± Ling Qi replied, her own smile fading. She was reluctant to seem ignorant, but this question niggled at her; evidence on it seemed contradictory at times. ¡°What sort of status do women have in normal situations? Those like the Duchess and yourself are obvious exceptions to any rule, but among mortals¡­¡±


    Cai Renxiang simply nodded though. ¡°A reasonable concern. I will not lie. The typical Imperial clan favors male inheritance and position, but not to the extent of excluding truly talented women,¡± she explained in an unhurried tone. ¡°Typically, women are favored for inward facing positions, managing internal clan assets and activities, while men are favored for outward facing ones.¡±


    ¡°Which naturally includes leadership roles,¡± Ling Qi noted wryly.


    ¡°Just so,¡± Cai replied. ¡°Keep in mind that this varies greatly by clan, depending on their origin and descent. I speak only of the common practice of clans influenced by Celestial Peaks.¡±


    ¡°I do wonder just what variations there are that you see the need to keep bringing them up,¡± Ling Qi mused.


    ¡°I could speak of the labyrinthine and impenetrable relations between the eight sub-clans of the Bai,¡± she began in a measured tone. ¡°I could speak of the Zheng and their Matriarchs, who recognize no patrilineal descent nor marriage and whose male scions sow bastards as a farmer sows rice. I could speak of the many, many legal snarls that result from the Xuan¡¯s unique interpretation of land rights and propertyor the knots of legality that arise from differing spirit pacts in our own Emerald Seas..¡± She met Ling Qi¡¯s eyes then. ¡°Any of these subjects could occupy a day or more. Let us focus upon the foundations first.¡±


    Ling Qi briefly saw Gan Guangli slowly shaking his head over the heiress¡¯ shoulder, his expression grave, and laughed nervously. ¡°Ah, of course, forgive my musing. Please resume your explanation, Lady Cai.¡±


    Who knew the infinite variation in custom and law was such a sore spot for the girl.

 Chapter 176-Training 3

    With the tournament looming closer by the day, Ling Qi¡¯s days swiftly became a blur of cultivation and training, but busy as she was, Ling Qi did not forget to keep up with her obligations and responsibilities. She made sure to have a talk with Zhengui regarding Hanyi and the importance of maintaining friendships, and although she didn¡¯t have time to watch over their interactions, the snow spirit seemed much less grumpy when Ling Qi next visited.


    In regards to the young river dragon, she finally felt confident enough to request the right to invite someone else. The arrogant young dragon hemmed and hawed for a time, but a demonstration of her growing mastery of the Frozen Soul Serenade reminded him of where they stood relative to one another. It was enough for the dragon to agree to meet the person she wanted to invite anyway.


    Ling Qi still wasn¡¯t quite sure of what to make of the meeting between Bai Meizhen and Heizui. The boastful river dragon seemed almost immediately cowed by Meizhen¡¯s presence and spent the day alternating between staring at her with wide eyes and diving into the river when Ling Qi called him on it.


    Her friend¡¯s aura must be much more powerful than she thought it was.


    Still, the river dragon didn¡¯t object to Meizhen coming back, so with that resolved, Ling Qi turned her focus fully to her training. That didn¡¯t mean that she kept solely to herself. Between training sessions with Cai Renxiang and Su Ling, Ling Qi also requested a tutor for the week, and given the subject matter, she hoped to catch the interest of one of her previous tutors, a hope which she found fulfilled when she received the paper crane with the details of the meeting place.


    ¡°A good day to you, Junior Sister Ling,¡± Inner disciple Ruan Shen greeted her, waiting in almost the same place he had met her the first time. ¡°I see the last few months have been kind to you indeed,¡± the handsome boy added, pushing himself up from the pillar he leaned against to stand straight and offer a shallow bow.


    His eyes were as sharp and evaluating as they were before, but Ling Qi restrained her reaction to a slight blush and offered him a smile and bow in return. ¡°It was more a matter of hard work than kindness,¡± she said lightly, studying him in turn. Ruan Shen was at the fifth level of the third realm, and his aura felt more intense than the last time she had seen him. ¡°Senior Brother Ruan has not been idle either, I see.¡±


    He waved a hand dismissively. ¡°A paltry accomplishment when placed against the beauteous flowering you have undergone, Junior Sister. You have proven yourself a talent to watch, or so I think.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Senior Brother,¡± Ling Qi replied, keeping the awkward, fluttery feeling in her belly from touching her voice. Did he have to sound so earnest when praising her like that? ¡°You are too kind.¡±


    ¡°As the lady says,¡± he said, amused. ¡°Would you walk with me then that we might discuss your curriculum?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± she replied. ¡°I hope you weren¡¯t put off by the simplicity of my request,¡± she said as they moved away from the main road to walk one of the paths through the lightly wooded lower reaches of the mountain.


    ¡°I admit to some confusion,¡± he agreed amicably. ¡°What is it about the subject of meridian cleansing which troubles you?¡±


    She didn¡¯t want to admit that that particular request was partially to avoid selecting something he was not knowledgeable in, so thankfully, she did have some legitimate questions as well. ¡°To be honest, it is in regards to the White Room Lady Cai has so generously provided us,¡± she elaborated.


    ¡°Such good fortune,¡± he mused with a sigh. ¡°Ah, that I might have been a few years younger. I¡¯m afraid the workings of such a wonder are beyond me.¡±


    ¡°That is fine,¡± Ling Qi replied, enjoying the play of sunlight through the leafy canopy they walked under. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ While it is a great boon, I do not understand why it is as sought after as it is.¡± She hadn¡¯t wanted to ask Cai herself and potentially insult her. ¡°What I have been able to find says it has to do with its effects on meridians, but that does not seem as if it would be enough.¡±


    Ruan Shen regarded her with a raised eyebrow, pausing in his stride. ¡°I understand that you have quite a talent, but¡­ Ah, I think I might see from where your confusion springs,¡± he concluded, pounding his fist against his palm. ¡°Fifty four.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked in confusion. ¡°Fifty four¡­?¡± she asked. ¡°Is that some limit on the number of meridians one can have?¡±


    ¡°There is no hard limit, and the number varies somewhat for certain cultivators, but any cultivator will reach the point where clearing further channels becomes exponentially more difficult. The difficulty escalates greatly again at around one hundred and eight. A tool such as a White Room is invaluable at that level where medicines which can boost one¡¯s efforts become rare treasures,¡± her tutor explained patiently.


    That was what was meant about it having greater value at higher realms, she supposed. ¡°And I suppose that this is such common knowledge that no one bothers to say it.¡± Ling Qi sighed.


    ¡°As you say,¡± he agreed. ¡°Do not blame the Elder teaching the basics too much though. It is hardly something relevant to most who would need to know.¡±


    In other words, it was unlikely that most commoners would ever reach that limit in the first place. ¡°Let us just find a place to play, Senior Brother.¡±


    ¡°Very well. I would not deny a lady¡¯s request,¡± he acceded cheerfully. ¡°I saw in your request that you wished to continue mastering the Melody of the Forgotten Vale. I am curious what other songs have found their way into your repertoire.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced away, embarrassed, because she remembered the last time Ruan Shen had tutored her and his words about the Melody. Spirits above, he was going to think her a gloomy girl indeed, just as Sixiang had said, if all she could show was the bleak Frozen Soul Serenade.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± she began, toying with a loose strand of hair. At the same time,it wouldn¡¯t do to make him think she still only had one melody though. ¡°I do have one other,¡± she admitted reluctantly.


    He gave her a curious look. ¡°So reticent¡­ Just what manner of song have you learned, Junior Sister?¡±


    ¡°I suppose I can just show you,¡± Ling Qi said, taking in a deep breath as she prepared to sing the first wordless note of Frozen Soul Serenade.


    Seeing her song freeze over the clearing and end the life of flowers and small animals alike did not exactly do much to disprove Sixiang¡¯s assertion. It was far easier to pretend that the Serenade was less bleak when singing in the middle of a blizzard. Thankfully, Senior Brother Ruan took it in stride, strumming a tune that melted away the ice and brought new flowers into bloom.


    ***


    The rest of the week passed quickly enough with her qi reserves soaring day by day as the powerful medicinal energy of the Sable Light Pill pulsed through her channels and dantian. It was hard to feel like she hadn¡¯t wasted her earlier pills, even though she knew she couldn¡¯t have achieved what she had without using them back then.


    Musings on medicinal efficiency aside, Ling Qi did find herself distracted one final time toward the end of the week as she began to prepare her purchase list of cultivation aids for the next week. Su Ling, who had been helping her practice and master the third breath of the art Ling Qi had stolen from Yan Renshu, Abyssal Exhalation, asked her to meet up at the outskirts of town where she was preparing for another expedition with the Ma sisters. Apparently, Su Ling wanted some advice before they set out.


    Curious, Ling Qi made her way down to their encampment, pausing to greet Mother and Biyu on the way. She had been too busy to visit her mother much in the last few days, but she fully intended to rectify that starting tomorrow. She could tell that Mother was starting to feel restless.


    Ling Qi soon found her way to where Su Ling and the other girls were camped, following the trail of their qi. Su Ling had recently brought her cultivation up to the mid second realm, making her qi stronger and easier to track down.


    Ling Qi tried not to take too much amusement in the jolt of alarm that went through the three girls as she dropped soundlessly from the trees, casually deflecting the impromptu missile of a skinning knife that Su Ling had flung her way.


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s a little rude, don¡¯t you think?¡± she asked playfully to her friend, crossing her arms.


    ¡°Don¡¯t jump out of the trees like a spook then,¡± Su Ling huffed. ¡°Give me back my knife.¡± Ling Qi laughed at her irreverent tone.


    The knife was embedded to the hilt in the tree behind her, but a quick tug pulled it out. She tossed it back to Su Ling, who caught it between her fingers. ¡°So what did you want to ask me about?¡±


    ¡°Moon spirits,¡± Su Ling said bluntly. ¡°I know you cultivate that kind of thing, and I¡¯ve seen you chatting with that moon spirit that¡¯s been poking around everywhere.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, nonplussed. ¡°What for?¡± she asked. ¡°I don¡¯t really think you should hunt those¡­¡± Ling Qi was uncomfortable about the idea of harvesting moon fairies for cores, even if she knew intellectually that it wasn¡¯t any different from hunting grade one or two beasts.


    Su Ling shook her head though, slipping the knife back into her belt as she stood up from the tree stump she had been seated on and dusted off her pants. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m looking to bind one. There¡¯s¡­ like placation rituals and offerings and such, right?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t really think that moon spirits would be your type of spirit,¡± Ling Qi mused, glancing over the camp. Ma Jun and Lei were packing up their things as they prepared to move on. ¡°I don¡¯t mind, but do you mind if I ask why?¡±


    Su Ling grimaced, her pointed ears flicking irritably. ¡°My mother is a master of illusion. If I¡¯m not gonna develop that stuff myself, I need a partner who can, right?¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, understanding now. She doubted Su Ling would be comfortable binding a fox spirit so a moon spirit would probably be the next best thing for that kind of role. ¡°Sure thing then,¡± she agreed. ¡°I know a good place to attract moon spirits.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Su Ling replied. ¡°I can¡¯t show you much else when it comes to tracking, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Consider it payback for the lessons I already received,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°Or donate a few cores to Zhengui. He¡¯s going to eat me out of house and home, I swear.¡± Ling Qi huffed. ¡°How about you two? Are you going to be binding moon spirits too?¡±


    Ma Jun glanced at her, the bells in her hair jingling. ¡°Perhaps? If I could bind a spirit skilled in song like Sir Sixiang, that would be wonderful.¡± Ling Qi watched the girl¡¯s cheeks flush with a flat expression. Had Sixiang been flirting around the mountain again?


    ¡°Heh, Sis can¡¯t get a boyfriend, so she wants to make one,¡± Ma Lei teased, causing her sister to splutter. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m gonna save up and buy myself a puppy,¡± she said with a serious nod. ¡°It¡¯ll be great! And adorable!¡±


    Ling Qi stared at the excitable, tomboyish girl, and some part of her mind imagined the girl with floppy ears and a wagging tail. ¡°... Fitting,¡± she said. ¡°Well, like I said, there¡¯s a tower a long ways south and east of here where you can probably attract some spirits, but you absolutely can¡¯t go inside.¡±


    Su Ling and Ma Jun approached, listening intently while she explained the proper rites and offerings while Ma Lei finished packing up the camp. Ling Qi made sure to reiterate her warning to avoid the tower¡¯s interior several more times, just to be sure, but she was pretty sure that they got the idea. Su Ling was more cautious than her anyway.


    Ling Qi saw them off after she had told them what she knew then headed back to the mountain to prepare for the next week.

 Chapter 177-Training 4

    ¡°So, what do you think?¡± Ling Qi asked as the last notes faded into the evening air. She hadn¡¯t come up with something satisfactory on her own so she had simply returned to practicing the compositions Mother sent her.


    ¡°I think you have surpassed me by a great deal,¡± Ling Qingge replied wistfully. They sat on a blanket laid across the porch overlooking the garden that lay behind the house. To Ling Qi¡¯s eye, Mother¡¯s condition had not improved too much. Part of her mother was still expecting a reversal, not for any logical reason but out of habit.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Ling Qi allowed, knowing that there was no point in dissenting on the matter. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t change the skillfulness of your composition,¡± she said with an encouraging smile. ¡°I would like to hear your own take on the composition, if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Mother looked hesitant as Ling Qi offered her the flute, but after a moment, she reached out to take it, though she did so gingerly as if handling something priceless. It was only after the flute was in her hands that her mother¡¯s brows furrowed. Ling Qingge traced her fingers over the wood. ¡°This is¡­¡±


    Ling Qi glanced away, embarrassed. ¡°... It was yours, yes,¡± she admitted. ¡°I am sorry. It broke after it was knocked from my hands in a fight, and I wanted to be able to keep using it.¡± She left out the fact that it had taken a spear through the stomach to disarm her.


    Ling Qingge looked down at the polished instrument in her hands, a mix of nostalgia and concern on her face. ¡°It is a small thing,¡± she said quietly. ¡°Why would you have a flute in your hands during a¡­ fight though?¡± her mother asked, uncertain and out of her depth.


    Ling Qi smirked. ¡°My music is one of the most feared weapons on the mountain,¡± she boasted. ¡°Men cower and dragons bow before my melodies!¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s not inaccurate boast had the desired effect of making her mother smile, but she had a feeling her mother didn¡¯t quite believe her. ¡°I see. If this old flute has given you some protection, then I have no complaints.¡± Ling Qingge¡¯s fingers lingered on the mouthpiece, the most intact part of the old flute.


    ¡°It did,¡± Ling Qi agreed, looking out over the garden lit by the colors of sunset. ¡°I would really like to hear you play again.¡±


    Her mother hesitated a moment longer before raising the flute to her lips, and as she began to play the first melancholy notes of her song, Ling Qi closed her eyes and let herself focus on the music. Ling Qingge really was very good, near as good as a mortal could be, even with the little hitches and hesitations born of a skill that had fallen into disuse. It fed another ember to the resentment in her heart that had been born of her mother¡¯s story. Mother could have made a living from her skill, if allowed.


    It made her dream what things could have been like. Perhaps that was simply the nature of the song she was listening to. The song spoke of mistakes made, opportunities lost, and the wish for something better.


    Eventually, the song came to an end. Ling Qi and her mother sat in comfortable silence, watching the sun sink beneath the horizon.


    ¡°I have lost my touch,¡± Ling Qingge mused, breaking the silence. ¡°Perhaps it is for the best that this is yours now,¡± she continued, slipping the flute back into Ling Qi¡¯s hands.


    ¡°You have time to practice again if you would like. You are better than you give yourself credit for,¡± Ling Qi pointed out, bringing her thoughts back to the present. ¡°Mother, is there something lacking here?¡± she asked. For all that Ling Qi had changed, she was still blunt.


    ¡°How ungrateful would I have to be to say that there was?¡± Ling Qingge asked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°I have a home, equal to any in the middle districts of Tonghou. I have everything I need to care for Biyu, coin for luxuries, and even household servants to perform every task.¡±


    Ling Qi shifted uncomfortably. Household expenses were only a few red stones shaved from her pill furnace income. She hadn¡¯t considered how excessive that might seem to her mother. How quickly she forgot the value of a silver coin. ¡°Yet you aren¡¯t happy,¡± Ling Qi countered. ¡°I try to make as much time to visit as I can, but with the tournament approaching¡­¡±


    ¡°Ling Qi,¡± her mother began, sounding pained. ¡°Do not ever think that you have done wrong.¡± Ling Qi was surprised to see her mother reach out and put one of her hands over Ling Qi¡¯s. Mother was still reluctant to initiate physical contact most of the time. ¡°I simply do not know what to do with so much free time. The men and women working in this household hardly need oversight from one such as I, nor do I know them well enough to be comfortable in giving it.¡±


    ¡°Even with Biyu running about?¡± Ling Qi asked with a smile.


    ¡°Even so,¡± Ling Qingge replied dryly. ¡°That girl is too much akin to you. She does not appreciate it when I hover.¡±


    Ling Qi let herself laugh, when she had come by earlier in the week and taken the task of watching her younger sister, only to be bored silly watching the little girl intently searching through the garden. Biyu refused help as she attempted to hunt down and catch one of the little frogs which lived in the central pond.


    ¡°Should I dismiss some of the servants? They work for the Sect so they would not be losing their livelihoods.¡±.


    ¡°No, you are a noble lady now, and having a household staff is part of such things. What message would it send to your peers to have your mother doing menial tasks?¡± There was no arrogance here, simply understanding.


    Ling Qi blinked. She hadn¡¯t considered her reputation when seeing to the household. She just wanted her family well taken care of. ¡°To be honest, I hadn¡¯t thought of that¡­ but if it would make you happy, I wouldn¡¯t mind losing a little face,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°In the end, I won¡¯t receive much respect until I make some achievements for myself.¡±


    Cai¡¯s patronage would prevent her from being openly dismissed, but Clan Ling consisted of one cultivator and two mortals. She could see how families with dozens or scores of members would regard her as little more than an upstart, even ignoring her own young age.


    Her mother pursed her lips and shook her head. ¡°I would not demand such, not merely for my own satisfaction,¡± she answered with finality. Silence fell between them again after that, Ling Qi and her mother both falling into their own thoughts.


    Ling Qi broke the silence. ¡°I mean what I say. Perhaps I am overcompensating, but Mother, if you want something, please just ask.¡±


    Ling Qingge shook her head slightly. ¡°You are too generous, Ling Qi. You will have to reign in that impulse, else Biyu will become a spoiled girl.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so,¡± Ling Qi replied in an amused tone, letting the deflection and change of subject lie. ¡°You know,¡± Ling Qi began, ¡°if you need something to occupy your time, you could always attempt to cultivate, at least a little.¡±


    Ling Qingge frowned, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes deepening. ¡°I was given to understand that I am too old for such things.¡± And not talented enough to be selected to begin with was left unsaid.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been doing some studying on that,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°In your situation, it shouldn¡¯t be completely impossible.¡± Highly unlikely maybe. It would be a struggle to even awaken given the dearth of medicines that an adult mortal could safely handle and the reduction in the capability of the medicinal energies from all the impurities, but she had come across oblique mentions of a few options. ¡°It might take a very long time, but even a little cultivation would¡­¡± She trailed off, not able to put it into words. It would let Mother live a little longer and healthier.


    Mother met her eyes for a moment before looking away, expression wistful. ¡°If you believe it possible, it would be rude of me to refuse,¡± she said. ¡°What would I need to do?¡±


    ¡°I can show you a couple of breathing exercises to begin with,¡± Ling Qi replied, a hint of excitement entering her voice. ¡°First, you should close your eyes, and focus on the feel of the air entering your lungs¡­¡±


    There was no progress that night of course, but Ling Qi couldn¡¯t bring herself to care.


    ***


    Ling Qi made sure to visit Mother every evening, whether to chat, visit Biyu, have a cup of tea and discuss music, or try again on getting Mother to feel her dantian. It was a nice way to wind down after a day spent in rigorous cultivation. She reached new levels of understanding in both of her musical arts under the tutelage of Zeqing and her hired tutor alike.


    Zeqing¡¯s proud smile when she managed to properly unleash the power of Forgotten Vale Melody filled her with a paradoxical warmth. The art¡¯s potency had increased greatly with her mastery of the sixth measure, the phantoms of dissonance growing from shadowy flickers to ominous wraiths and it was easier to strand others in her mist.


    She also met up with the tutor she had hired with some of her Sect points. It seemed that the Inner Sect either lacked in prominent darkness cultivators or none of them were up for tutoring. The lesson on domain effects and spiritual matters was helpful anyway, and the heavily veiled and shrouded young lady who answered her request had a few insights to offer on Ling Qi¡¯s arts, even if the tutor only used darkness techniques in a tertiary role.


    The third cycle of Frozen Soul Serenade enabled her to bring more damage to bear with her songs, especially with her mastery of the completing half of Spring¡¯s End Aria, Winter eternal Cadenza. With Spring¡¯s End Aria active, Ling Qi would be able to unleash, if briefly, the absolute cold of winter without end.


    Things didn¡¯t all go well though. Ling Qi had taken to checking on Xiulan every other day or so to see if she emerged from seclusion, and what she found one morning turned her stomach. Her friend succeeded in breaking through but reaching the Green Soul stage exacerbated her wounds due to Xiulan¡¯s greater spiritual power. Flames openly burned on the girl¡¯s arm, snapping and crackling loudly and carrying the scent of burnt flesh from a limb that was nearly skeletal.


    It was clear her friend felt every inch of the ruined limb because when she helped her friend from the meditation room to her bedroom, Ling Qi saw tears of pain in the corners of her friend¡¯s eyes. Thankfully, the resistance to heat granted by her connection to Zhengui was enough to let Ling Qi safely help Xiulan rewrap the limb in the flame retardant linen bandages.


    She knew her friend, and so Ling Qi didn¡¯t express a word of pity, only congratulations for Xiulan¡¯s accomplishment. She strongly suspected that the proud girl was thankful for it.


    Ling Qi wondered if it was a good thing that she could now easily hide her disquiet to have a cheerful little celebration in Xiulan¡¯s dining room, even after having just witnessed that. Then again, her composure was hardly something to be considered compared to Xiulan¡¯s, who was back to her usual self in barely any time.


    Ling Qi was surrounded by reminders of the time passing. Zhengui was growing again, visibly so as his cultivation rose in potency. When she sparred with Meizhen,she couldn¡¯t help but notice the increasing definition and independence of her friend¡¯s shadow, and Cui had once again vanished to wherever it was that she went when she was growing and shedding.


    Most urgently, she had begun to notice a certain wispiness about Sixiang while trading musical tips. The edges of the spirit¡¯s body were growing blurry, trailing away into smoke whenever the spirit¡¯s attention wandered. It was increasingly obvious that their time was coming to an end.


    Knowing this, Ling Qi thought to ask Sixiang if there was anything they wanted to do before they lost the chance. It was a decision she came to regret almost immediately when she saw the speculative gleam in the spirit¡¯s glittering eyes.

 Chapter 178-Socialite 1

    Sixiang wanted to attend a human party. Among the older years, there was a bi-weekly gathering of various semi-important disciples. This was the group that she and Fu Xiang had helped Lady Cai pacify in a time that seemed very long ago. Sixiang had attempted to attend previously, but they had been rebuffed at the door.


    Much to her regret, getting an invitation was as simple as speaking with Cai Renxiang. Lady Cai was on the invite list, but she was too busy to attend for the most part. She suspected that her liege was a little too pleased to pass off the invitation to her.


    At the party, Ling Qi ended up standing at the edge of a banquet hall, feeling incredibly awkward as she held a conversation with Wen Ai, the girl whose bedroom she had broken into during her first mission from Fu Xiang.


    ¡°It is regrettable that Lady Cai herself could not afford to attend,¡± said the perfumed, impractically dressed count scion, seemingly perfectly sincere and polite. ¡°Not that I am displeased by your presence, Miss Ling. It is a delight to have a rising star such as yourself attend in her place.¡±


    Ling Qi kept her expression pleasant, doing her best to keep her eyes on the girl¡¯s face and not the ridiculously elaborate arrangement of flowers and ornaments in the girl¡¯s hair. It was hard to look at Wen Ai and not feel a pang of old jealousy. The girl was more than a head shorter than her, dainty and pale, the very picture of a traditional beauty.


    ¡°Lady Cai expresses her great regrets in being unable to attend,¡± she replied. ¡°And I thank you for accepting my humble presence in her stead,¡± she added with an appropriate bow.


    The hall was full of a score or so of late second realm disciples. Wen Ai herself was the only one who had pierced the barrier to reach the third realm, a full breakthrough at that although her aura had the slightly wobbly feel of a recent breakthrough. Wen Ai¡¯s smile had an indulgent cast, Ling Qi thought, but perhaps she was just being unkind because she didn¡¯t want to be here.


    ¡°I do not mind at all. It is a shame that you have not had a chance to attend more of these little gatherings given your talent,¡± the girl continued on, her voice sweet, melodious, a touch empty. ¡°And your companion! Where did you find such a rare spirit?¡±


    Sixiang, standing beside her, glanced over, their head cocked slightly in curiosity as they examined the little clumps of people quietly conversing throughout the hall. The spirit¡¯s expression was bemused and somewhat disbelieving.


    ¡°Just a bit of good fortune. I am afraid I might find myself in some trouble if I were more exact,¡± she replied.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Wen Ai allowed, seeming to accept her answer. ¡°We all must keep our little secrets.¡± There was an edge there; Ling Qi wasn¡¯t just imagining it. Wen Ai knew or had suspicions as to Ling Qi¡¯s involvement in Cai Renxiang¡¯s leverage over her during the faction war with Sun Liling. ¡°In any case, please enjoy the party, Miss Ling. I am afraid I must greet the next guest. I do hope we can speak later though. I am honored to finally be receiving some further attention from Lady Cai.¡±


    Ling Qi murmured an agreement as they were allowed to get out of the entranceway and proceed into the banquet hall.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t anyone dancing?¡± Sixiang asked, nonplussed.


    ¡°I do not believe it is that kind of party,¡± Ling Qi replied quietly, tweaking the flows of air around them so that their words remained audible only to them.


    ¡°How can you have a party without dancing?¡± Sixiang gasped.


    ¡°You did say that you wanted to see a human party,¡± Ling Qi shot back. At least she wouldn¡¯t suffer alone. ¡°This is how human¡¯s do it,¡± she said. ¡°We stand around and talk while pretending we like each other.¡±


    She flushed as a young man nearby shot her an amused look over his cup. Even if people couldn¡¯t hear her, they could probably read her lips or even hear through more esoteric means. Thankfully, he waved off her budding apology with a gesture of his hand. She had been lucky there. No one else seemed to be paying attention.


    ¡°The wine is even watered,¡± Sixiang muttered, part of the right side of their face briefly dissolving into multihued mist. They stopped near the refreshment table.


    ¡°I am sure there will be music later,¡± Ling Qi offered in consolation. There was a small stage for that off at the other end of the hall.


    ¡°Maybe I should go up there,¡± the spirit said thoughtfully, narrowing their eyes.


    ¡°Sixiang, do not use any weird techniques to liven things up,¡± she said flatly. ¡°You wanted the proper experience after all.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. You¡¯re surprisingly mean-spirited,¡± Sixiang huffed, giving her a mock glare.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to have to explain a sudden riot to Lady Cai,¡± Ling Qi riposted smoothly.


    ¡°Fair.¡± Sixiang crossed their arms as they observed the people around them. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting it to be like home, but still¡­¡±


    ¡°There are parties, and there are parties,¡± she replied with a shrug. She was going to have to mingle at some point. It would look bad for Lady Cai if she didn¡¯t. ¡°It¡¯s a context thing.¡±


    ¡°Well, how was I to know that?¡± Sixiang pouted.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll learn,¡± Ling Qi consoled. ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t know how things will be, after you¡­ dissolve?¡± She wasn¡¯t sure of the correct terminology.


    ¡°I think I might like a human binder, at least for a time,¡± they mused. ¡°Of course, I wouldn¡¯t really be all that useful in combat, so who knows if someone will be interested?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ling Qi asked. Sixiang had the highest cultivation she had seen among disciples and their spirits.


    ¡°I am just into the third realm myself. The additional cultivation was Grandmother making sure I could handle trouble on my vacation,¡± they explained. ¡°Plus, you know, I am a muse. I don¡¯t like fighting much.¡±


    Sixiang had a point. Many disciples would want a more combat oriented spirit, especially with the upcoming tournament. Ling Qi glanced at them in consideration. ¡°Wish me luck. I need to go have a chat with some of these fine ladies and gentlemen,¡± she said a touch dryly.


    Sixiang chuckled. ¡°I can give you some advice if you¡¯d like.¡±


    She raised an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    Sixiang waved a hand. ¡°No one will hear. Besides, even if it¡¯s not as much fun, sweet-talking is in my realm, gloomy girl.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that,¡± Ling Qi retorted. ¡°I¡¯m not making any promises about following your advice, especially if it¡¯s weird.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Sixiang replied, lips curling up into a too confident smirk.


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure whether to be pleased or disgruntled by the end of the party. Finding out that an inhuman fairy was better at small talk with other people than she was stung.


    ***


    ¡°I am disappointed,¡± Cai Renxiang said as Ling Qi closed the door to the girl¡¯s office behind her. The heiress was seated behind her desk with a slightly larger than normal amount of papers and forms stacked in front of her.


    Ling Qi furrowed her brows. She hadn¡¯t even said anything yet, so what did¡­? She winced as the answer came to her. ¡°I admit that I didn¡¯t give my best showing there. I had my mind on other things.¡±


    ¡°I had thought that you wished to begin building your own connections, not merely entertaining the whims of a spirit.¡± Her liege¡¯s tone was displeased but not angry. ¡°Did you at least accomplish your actual goal?¡±


    ¡°I would say so?¡± Ling Qi offered tentatively, taking a seat across from Lady Cai. Now she understood why Cai had been so pleased to pass her the invitation. It seemed Ling Qi had projected her own dislike on Cai¡¯s motivation. ¡°Let me apologize for my poor conduct.¡±


    ¡°Your apology is accepted.¡± The heiress¡¯ lips remained set in a frown, but the disappointment in her tone lightened. ¡°Thankfully, while your disinterest was obvious, it did not veer too far into insult. I will expect better in the future.¡± She gestured, and a slip of paper fluttered from one of the little shelves atop her desk to land in Ling Qi¡¯s hands. ¡°I will be holding a gathering two weeks from now, one month before the tournament. You will have an opportunity to repair your image there.¡±


    Ling Qi dipped her head and banished the invitation into her storage ring. She wasn¡¯t looking forward to it, but this was part of the path she had chosen. She had been too flippant before. ¡°Thank you, Lady Cai, for your understanding.¡±


    ¡°It is best to get these misunderstandings out of the way now while the stakes are low. I will think nothing more of it,¡± Cai replied, leaving unsaid that this was conditional on Ling Qi handling things better in the future. ¡°Now, what is it you wished to see me about?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to ask you if something had gone wrong with my pill furnace,¡± Ling Qi started. ¡°The take has been declining. Has there been trouble with it?¡±


    ¡°Not of the sort you speak of,¡± Cai answered. She glanced down at her desk and the papers there shuffled themselves, a document from near the bottom rising to the top for perusal. ¡°The end of the year means disciples have less use for such a public option. We cannot provide the privacy and security of the Sect¡¯s furnaces without exorbitant expense.¡±


    Ling Qi, frowned. She understood and wished that had occurred to her. Of course a furnace in a public place wouldn¡¯t be much good for major projects, and people¡¯s care packages from home were probably ramping up in preparation for the tournament, lowering the demand for common pills.


    ¡°I see. I will just need to plan my spending carefully then,¡± she said, a bit blue. She had gotten used to that income though, and she would have major expenses coming up in upgrading her equipment before the tournament. Thankfully, Cai Renxiang had agreed to pay for an artisan to create a domain weapon from the umbral shard she had found during the Hidden Moon quest. ¡°Is the domain weapon complete?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Cai Renxiang said. A long thin box of dark wood appeared in her hands. Laying it on the desk between them, she gestured for Ling Qi to take it.


    Ling Qi did so, only to pause with her fingers centimeters from the lid. Even from there, she could feel the frisson of cold, dark qi across her skin. Lifting the lid, she peered inside.


    The blade that lay on the cushion inside of the box was of normal length, but it was exotically constructed. The blade was not solid, it was a hollow helix, and from within the gaps, faint fingers of dark mist drifted. As she took up the simple and unwrapped hilt, she felt the blade hum, whispering a song of hunger and envy.


    She released the hilt and raised her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s perfect. Thank you, Lady Cai.¡±

 Chapter 179-Standing

    They stood atop a snowy cliff, the falling snow separating them like a gauzy veil.


    Ling Qi held her flute, loose and ready, while the wind tugged at the trailing hem of her silken gown and the free strands of her hair. At Ling Qi¡¯s side, her little brother rippled with heat, the fires burning within melted away snow and left the young snake-tortoise standing on bare rock while falling flakes turned to drizzling rain above his head. Determination radiated from the young spirit almost as obviously as his heat. Over her shoulder, a twisted blade of dark metal hummed softly, mist spilling from the gaps in its odd spiralling blade.


    Across, Meizhen stood, a pale shadow in the falling snow, with a pool of writhing shadow at her feet spilling across the snow like ink. In her right hand was the handle of the strange ribbon sword that her friend wielded, its many sharp-edged blades slithering over one another like live serpents.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Ling Qi asked, examining her friend¡¯s stance. It was perfect as always, the seeming lack of guard a lethal trap for those who did not understand how the ribbon blades could move.


    ¡°I am,¡± Meizhen replied with the slightest dip of her head.


    Meizhen wasn¡¯t taking this spar seriously. There were a thousand indicators of this, recognizable only due to her familiarity with the girl. It was not any different than Meizhen¡¯s normal attitude, but today, she felt irked by it. She had grown stronger in the past few months; surely she could at least push the other girl.


    Ling Qi inhaled, and sang, the full weight of her spirit making the wordless song reverberate in the air. Her voice cut through wind and snow, freezing the rain falling over Zhengui¡¯s head, and sent the falling flakes spinning dizzily outward. She caught a momentary widening in her friend¡¯s eyes as the song washed over her, and she was gratified to see the pale girl take a single step back, even as snow swirled violently around Meizhen, dissolving into a cloak of dark waters that cast her face into shadow, leaving only the glow of her golden eyes visible.


    Layers of ice formed across the liquid mantle as it absorbed the incredible cold, drawing it hungrily in before it could touch pale flesh, and Ling Qi felt the dip in her friend¡¯s qi reserves from defending against the assault. Her eyes met Meizhen¡¯s, and her wish was conveyed.


    Her friend¡¯s golden gaze hardened, taking the challenge and request in stride. Before the ice could even begin to properly slough off, it crumbled into slush at the serpentine girl¡¯s feet. Meizhen¡¯s wrist twitched, and a half dozen blades snapped toward her with a metallic hiss. Dark green qi pulsed, enshrouding her in a layer of barklike armor, even as Ling Qi leaped back in a puff of snow, making distance.


    It wasn¡¯t enough to escape those reaching blades though. Silvery metal slashed through vital qi and living silk alike, tracing a line of blood across her hip. Ling Qi twisted to avoid the rest of the blades, leaving them to scythe through the cliff face behind her with a sibilant hiss, leaving deep, smooth grooves in stone. Her new flying weapon, the Singing Mist Blade, shot forward, zig-zagging through the snowy sky, its faint hum rising into a whistling screech, blowing away snow and sending ripples across Meizhen¡¯s watery mantle. A scowl found its way onto Ling Qi¡¯s face as it failed to do anything else; the blade¡¯s flight was still jerky, and the projection of her power limited and weak.


    She flinched when the mass of Bai Meizhen¡¯s own domain blade smashed into her own with the weight of a landslide. The impact was as jarring as if she had blocked the blade with her own limb. She felt cracks forming in the material as the newly forged weapon spun away, whistling miserably, but she could not spare it any more attention. Meizhen was advancing.


    The pool of darkness at Meizhen¡¯s feet rippled, and Ling Qi had barely an instant to prepare herself before a wave of terror washed over her. Ling Qi¡¯s vision wavered, and she beheld a terrible army arrayed under a cloudy sky, twisted beastmen baying for blood, and felt the spear in her hands tremble with the pounding of ten thousand boots on the earth.


    Worst were the screams of the barbarian¡¯s banners¡­


    The vision disappeared as Ling Qi exhaled, expelling the foreign qi with a quick cycling of her own. Zhengui seemed to have thrown it off as well. The young snake-tortoise let out a stubborn cry and filled the air with ash while his serpentine half spat in defiance, a burning glob of superheated venom splashing across the writhing shadow and drawing a cry like a gutted man¡¯s death rattle from the terror spirit.


    Unfortunately for her rattled nerves, Meizhen was advancing, seeming to glide across the surface of the snow at a measured pace, and with her approach came her blood-chilling presence. Ling Qi had long since grown acclimated to her friend¡¯s natural fear aura, but Meizhen¡¯s directed, focused attention was like a mountain weighing on Ling Qi¡¯s shoulders, and Meizhen appeared to now loom over her, far larger than life.


    Lacking her experience with Meizhen, Zhengui was hit all the harder by it. The normally proud Zhen made a low, plaintive hiss as the feeling of a superior predator washed over him.


    Her flute rose to her lips, and Ling Qi allowed her singing to fade, replaced by the mournful melody of the Forgotten Vale. Mist spilled, blanketing the cliff in a cloying mist with red-eyed shadows stalking through it.


    Even through ash and mist, Ling Qi could see the glow of Meizhen¡¯s eyes. The hems and sleeves of Meizhen¡¯s gown fluttered with the passing wind of phantasmal claws as the pale girl deftly avoided one attack after another, her gaze never leaving Ling Qi. She felt her pulse quicken as she increased the tempo of her melody, and she was rewarded as the sheer press of numbers allowed her hungry phantoms to find purchase, claw and fang bringing up sprays of black water as they tore at her friend¡¯s mantle.


    Bai Meizhen¡¯s qi surged, and Ling Qi¡¯s eyes widened as she felt Meizhen¡¯s aura explode outward in a thousand twisting tendrils, tracing the paths which her own qi flowed to create the mist to strike back with toxic qi.


    Ling Qi flooded darkness into her limbs, leaping away from her position to try and avoid the hungry tendrils of spirit, but they struck. Burning pain in her lungs and spine followed from the poison working its way into her channels. Her control of her blade, crude as it was, faltered, and she felt a pain like a bone being snapped. Her Singing Mist Blade¡¯s wail rose over the battlefield in a single sharp cry as the two halves of the weapon tumbled down to land broken in the snow.


    Ling Qi rallied herself, spinning on one foot as she landed to face Meizhen once more, dancing through the lashing ribbons around her. The gleaming edges, glittering in the evening light, drew her eyes, hypnotic in the beauty of their motion. They were guided by only the smallest movements of Meizhen¡¯s hand and wrist. It was almost enough to distract from the pain that erupted as the now green-tinted metal slashed across her cheek, her shoulder, and her chest.


    She could no longer spare direct attention to Zhengui, and she felt him rally, a seed of pride she had sensed only in his conflict with Heizui stilling the trembling in his limbs. Ling Qi called on the rings of her wooden armor and sang out, icy wind lashing across the shell of increasingly emerald-tinted water that now dripped and flowed across the whole of Meizhen like a fine outer gown. But with the poison burning in her veins and the loss of her flying blade, it was not enough. Ribbons of metal passed over her armor, draining her qi precipitously, and the venom intensified the burning in her veins and meridians, making spots of black dance across her vision.


    Ling Qi was driven further back, pushed out of Zhengui¡¯s ash cloud by Meizhen¡¯s domain blade, which flashed past her guard to slam into her ribs. She was sent tumbling through the snow with a bloody cut across her abdomen where the blade had carved through armor and qi alike as if it were paper. She righted herself, defiant, but she knew how the rest of the spar was going to go.


    Her qi thrummed, and her skin took on the shade of bark, her wooden armor weaving itself back together as she strengthened her defenses even further. She forgoed striking back as she cleansed herself of the dragging weight of Meizhen¡¯s glare.


    Ling Qi held out against the other girl as long as she could, and Zhengui fought valiantly, drawing the full attention of Meizhen¡¯s own spirit, but in the end, she simply couldn¡¯t keep her defenses up in the face of the other girl¡¯s venomous blades and qi.


    ¡°Yield!¡± Ling Qi called, raising her hands in a gesture of submission. Her knees were shaking beneath her, the exhaustion from resisting the pain of the poisons coursing through her making it difficult to stand upright.


    Meizhen¡¯s gliding advance stopped, and the girl¡¯s water-hooded visage tilted to the side. ¡°Did you discover the insight you were searching for in this?¡±


    As Meizhen spoke, Zhengui ripped his front legs out of the clutches of the writhing shadow that had been trying to engulf him and scrambled back, both sets of his eyes glaring at the thing as it began to shrink back into a normal shadow.


    ¡°Who said I was searching for an insight?¡± Ling Qi asked, panting. ¡°Zhengui, come help me please.¡± She needed her little brother to begin purging the venom from her body and spirit.


    Zhengui shot one last glare at the terror spirit and trotted over, the heat of his body banked. ¡°Yes, Big Sister! I did good, right?¡± For once, his twin voices blended together as one; Zhengui had focused heavily during the fight.


    ¡°You did great,¡± Ling Qi replied with a smile, crouching to rest a hand on his head. Ling Qi sighed in relief as Zhengui drew in rejuvenating qi and began to release it through Ling Qi.


    ¡°His performance was admirable,¡± Meizhen commented, calling Ling Qi¡¯s attention back to her. ¡°As for searching for an insight, I can think of no other reason why you would ask that I fight at full capacity when we were to be practicing your domain control.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, didn¡¯t get to do much of that, did I? Ling Qi sighed, glancing toward the place where she could feel the remains of her splintered flying weapon. She would have to meditate for a time to repair it. ¡°I just couldn¡¯t move it fast enough.¡±


    ¡°It is a matter of practice,¡± Meizhen said, her mantle slowly dissipated into the air. ¡°Your weapon is a potent one. With its amplification of your musical techniques, your first strike held admirable weight.¡±


    ¡°Only the first strike though. Even with the amplification, the other strikes didn¡¯t bother you,¡± Ling Qi said wryly, looking down and rubbing Zhen¡¯s head. Zhengui¡¯s eyes were screwed shut in concentration as he expended his remaining qi to cleanse the venom. ¡°I still can¡¯t match you, despite how much stronger I¡¯ve gotten.¡±


    At the silence that resulted, Ling Qi looked up and found Meizhen frowning at her. ¡°That is surprisingly arrogant of you, Qi,¡± she said, a hint of hurt flashing in her eyes. ¡°Do you truly think so little of me?¡±


    Ling Qi quickly shook her head. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t mean any kind of insult to you. I just¡­¡± She trailed off, her lips twisting into a grimace.


    Meizhen let out a soft sound of frustration and shook her head. ¡°I know you did not mean it that way, but do you imagine that I do not cultivate and train just as intently as you?¡±


    Ling Qi briefly closed her eyes; that really had been an arrogant thought. Of course her friend was working just as hard as she. It only made sense that Meizhen would be growing stronger all the time, just like she herself was. ¡°Sorry. Just some frustration slipping out.¡±


    ¡°It is nothing,¡± Meizhen said, flicking her sleeve and dismissing her weapon back into storage. ¡°Friends are allowed to speak foolishly around one another, or so I understand.¡±


    ¡°I guess so,¡± Ling Qi laughed as Zhengui opened his eyes, gazing tiredly up at her. ¡°Why don¡¯t you lay down for a nap, little brother, while Big Sister fixes her sword?¡±

 Chapter 180-Years End 1

    Ling Qi avoided pushing things so far again in her practice with Meizhen, if only to avoid having to repair her flying sword again. Slowly, she improved, and its motions became smoother and more natural. It still felt odd though, as if she were learning to use a forgotten limb.


    According to the Inner Sect tutor she hired, a domain weapon was precisely that. One¡¯s domain was a part of them as surely as one''s hands and feet were. A domain weapon¡¯s main use as a training tool was that it provided an obvious physical medium by which she could learn to ¡°flex¡± the spiritual muscle that she was now developing.


    Learning to control a weapon with her domain was only the first faltering steps of an infant. It was only in the early stages of the green realm that cultivators let their weapons simply clash against one another. As she grew, she would learn to integrate an art into the blade she wielded, allowing her to use multiple techniques simultaneously.


    That was far in the future though. The Green Realm had more stages than the two preceding realms combined and all were focused on the development of the domain. The second stage of the third realm, Appraisal, would prepare her to begin constructing her domain¡¯s foundation, and each step thereafter required further clarifying her domain through the cultivation of arts and internalization of insights until she reached the cusp of the Fourth Realm and settled on a Way. In the third realm, it would be, if not easy, at least reasonable to shift and change her domain to a fairly large degree, but once she took the next step, her domain would be final. There were only a handful of rare and difficult methods which could shift the foundation of a cultivator¡¯s Way once it had been set.


    Ling Qi threw herself further into training. Helped along by both the Silverblood pill Su Ling and Li Suyin had developed and her tutor, she mastered the exercises behind her two less used Argent arts, pushing them toward mastery and reaching the third rumble in Argent Storm and the fourth flow in Argent Current. Aside from the general improvements in the two argent art¡¯s techniques, she mastered a new technique, Boom Leap.


    Every time she mastered a new movement or a new twist of qi control, she could feel herself coming closer to a sense of completion. Her tutor revealed that the Argent arts had been created by Sect Head Yuan as a comprehensive art suite for the Sect¡¯s armed forces. The Mirror defended against the battlefield manipulation of the Cloud Tribe shamans, the Storm empowered the soldiers, enabling them to both defend against volleys of arrows and to close distance, and the Current allowed the charge of Argent Peak¡¯s soldiers to break enemy lines. The Sect would grant Argent Pulse to those cultivators who mastered all three Argent arts.


    The Argent Pulse art was for commanders, those who stood at the head of formations and kept units working as a cohesive whole. A cultivator with the art would be able to bolster their soldiers with the stability of the earth and move them to action with the surety of heavenly might at their backs. In the wholeness of heaven and earth, a soldier could fight to their last breath without a loss of skill.


    Ling Qi was sure she wouldn¡¯t walk the path of the Argent arts. She wouldn¡¯t be able to teach others outside the Sect Argent arts, and her combat style did not lend itself to standing on the front lines of a battle. She¡¯d learn the argent arts she had access to if she had free time, but her focus would be on her musical and moon arts.


    However, she could not afford to do nothing but cultivate. With all of the tutoring she had been purchasing, her Sect points were dwindling rapidly, and she needed to get enough points to hire next week''s tutor. It would be good to get out and stretch her legs with all of the cultivating that she had been doing. That one of the quests dovetailed nicely with a conversation that she wanted to have was a happy coincidence.


    ¡°Keep up if you can,¡± Ling Qi laughed, leaping from branch to branch with her new technique, her companion trailing behind.


    ¡°Now you¡¯re just showing off,¡± Sixiang called, their lips curled in amusement as they floated along at a more sedate pace on fluttering wings of misty light. The Moon spirit was beginning to resemble Zeqing in that their legs were long gone, and even their hands and arms were beginning to dissolve into empty mist. ¡°This isn¡¯t quite what I expected to be doing today, but paying some cousins a visit is fine too.¡±


    Ling Qi let out a thoughtful hum and turned on her heel when she next landed, her next leap carrying her backward through the air. ¡°Do you think they¡¯re going to give us trouble?¡±


    ¡°If you know the right things to say, no. That is why you¡¯re bringing me along after all, right?¡± Sixiang mused.


    Ling Qi nodded, perched on a heavier branch before launching herself to the next, still facing backwards. ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve been thinking. Why are Dreaming Moon spirits so¡­ wild? Shouldn¡¯t a spirit of art and socializing be more¡­ cultured, I guess?¡±


    Sixiang buzzed around the trunk of a particularly large tree, trailing multi-hued mist from their half-corporeal limbs, a thoughtful expression on their face. ¡°Well, I was born here, you know,¡± Sixiang said. ¡°I probably have cousins like that up north, but in the great Emerald Seas, things aren¡¯t quite so tame, you know?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like your Grandmother¡¯s party back in Tonghou,¡± Ling Qi contended, ducking under a branch without looking as the wind sent the hems of her gown fluttering. ¡°And the Sect is in the Emerald Seas too.¡±


    ¡°Well, of course you wouldn¡¯t have!¡± Sixiang laughed. ¡°The cities and Sects, those are places for humans.¡±


    ¡°And the Emerald Seas isn¡¯t?¡± Ling Qi asked dryly.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t always. Spirits remember when the Horned Lords walked ¡®neath the hallowed boughs and raised their hands and cups to the Moon and Sun,¡± they said with a poetic lilt.


    ¡°They were human though,¡± Ling Qi pointed out. ¡°They were one of the founding families of the Empire.¡±


    ¡°Is that how you decide what a human is?¡± Sixiang asked, cocking their head to the side. ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine too.¡±


    ¡°If you say it like that, I don¡¯t feel like you agree at all,¡± Ling Qi said dryly. ¡°I guess this sort of thing is what Lady Cai meant when she mentioned how troublesome the clans which kept to the Weilu ways were,¡± she mused.


    Something flickered in Sixiang¡¯s glittering black eyes. A hint of discomfort, perhaps? Ling Qi frowned. Now that she thought about it, Sixiang had never followed her anywhere near Cai Renxiang.


    ¡°Well, the history lesson doesn¡¯t matter so much,¡± Ling Qi said, breaking the silence. ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you, would you like to stay awhile, even after you¡­ fade?¡± Ling Qi forged on. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I could use someone who can critique my music since I¡¯m going to have to eventually leave the Sect behind and all.¡± She landed atop a thick branch, bringing her run to stop.


    ¡°I thought you might ask,¡± Sixiang said, bringing themself to a stop a few meters away. ¡°It might be fun for a time.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be able to leave whenever you want, of course,¡± Ling Qi reassured the spirit. ¡°A different perspective can be useful now and then, you know?¡±


    ¡°I can give that much,¡± Sixiang replied lightly as they drifted closer. ¡°And things won¡¯t be stagnant around you, or so I think.¡±


    She studied the spirit¡¯s oddly serious expression. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I should take that as a compliment,¡± she said flatly.


    Sixiang beamed. ¡°You should.¡± They extended an arm, offering her their half-translucent hand.


    Ling Qi studied Sixiang then grasped their hand. It was like holding a bundle of silk, or perhaps a cloud. Directing the qi through her hands, she found the core of energy that was ¡°Sixiang,¡± and with a deep breath, she forged a connection from that core to her own dantian.


    Sixiang immediately collapsed into mist, and Ling Qi shuddered as her entire body shook with a surge of near manic energy. Meanwhile, she felt her qi reserve drop sharply as the connection between her and the now formless spirit strengthened and stabilized. ¡°Spirits, that feels weird,¡± she muttered, glancing at the dissipating cloud where the spirit had stood.


    Sixiang¡¯s voice seemed to whisper in her ear.


    Ling Qi sighed.


    ***


    ¡°So then, the goat-man-thing at the center demands a duel like I¡¯m the one who did something wrong!¡± Ling Qi complained, gesturing with the translucent cup in her hands. Zeqing¡¯s tableware was all made to order, which was definitely convenient.


    Sixiang noted, their whispery voice echoing in her ears.


    ¡°Half of them didn¡¯t even have pants,¡± Ling Qi grumbled, disgusted. ¡°It was indecent. They should have been thankful.¡± If she never saw such a disturbing sight again, she would be happy.


    ¡°How beastly,¡± Zeqing said without expression, hovering in a seated position across the table from her. The drink in her hands sparkled, a deeper blue than the much watered wine in Ling Qi¡¯s own cup. The stuff was apparently made from the fruits of the tree outside Zeqing¡¯s house by members of the Inner Sect.


    ¡°Did you beat him up then?¡± Hanyi asked, bouncing in her own raised seat. ¡°Did you freeze his shorthairs off and make him cry?¡± The younger spirit sounded disturbingly pleased at the idea.


    Sixiang laughed, making Ling Qi flush.


    ¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t that kind of duel,¡± Ling Qi replied, looking away and sipping from the sweet wine. It tingled pleasantly all the way down to her stomach. ¡°He pulled out an erhu and started fiddling away, but he wasn¡¯t exactly attacking¡­¡±


    ¡°I do hope that you crushed his pride for such a challenge,¡± Zeqing sniffed, partaking elegantly from her own cup. Ling Qi briefly wondered how that worked when Zeqing¡¯s body was just an artificial construction. ¡°My student should not lose to some Dreaming wilding.¡±


    ¡°I played one of the songs I¡¯ve worked on in my free time, which they reacted really strongly to,¡± Ling Qi continued remembering the audience of human-ish and beastly spirits. ¡°They must all have been really intoxicated, however that works,¡± she grumbled. How was she to know that her song would make a bunch of wild spirits devolve into empathetic tears? ¡°I definitely won though. The rest of them shouted the goat-thing down when he called for a second round.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s no fun,¡± Hanyi pouted. ¡°You should have frozen him a little anyway for being rude.¡±


    ¡°Ling Qi achieved the greater victory,¡± Zeqing pointed out with a touch of amusement. ¡°What is mere physical discomfort beside humiliation.¡±


    Ling Qi stared down into her cup; she hadn¡¯t been going for that at all. At least the party had been willing to listen to her instructions and move away from the town and roads after that.


    Sixiang reassured her.


    ¡°Still,¡± Zeqing said, breaking her from her thoughts. ¡°You have come quite far. I am pleased with your progress,¡± the spirit added, her normally still lips curving into a smile.


    ¡°Thank you for your praise,¡± Ling Qi replied, feeling a little embarrassed. ¡°And thank you for inviting me to your home.¡±


    ¡°It is no more than you deserve. Your growing mastery of both the Forgotten Vale and my own art has been nothing short of impressive,¡± Zeqing replied evenly. Ling Qi didn¡¯t miss the way that Hanyi puffed out her cheeks and kicked her bare feet in agitation. She didn¡¯t mind being used as a motivational prop though.


    Sixiang mused.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been doing well too, right, Mother?¡± Hanyi asked, a pleading note in her voice.


    ¡°You have shown your dedication,¡± Zeqing answered neutrally.


    Ling Qi smiled, reaching over to ruffle the child spirit¡¯s hair. ¡°You¡¯ve been working hard. I bet you¡¯ll catch up to me in your Mother¡¯s arts in no time.¡±


    Hanyi batted her hand away and huffed. ¡°Obviously! I won¡¯t lose,¡± she declared, crossing her arms.


    ¡°It seems I have nothing to worry about then,¡± Zeqing said lightly, but there was a hint of something else in her voice.


    Sixiang shivered.


    Ling Qi mentally shushed the Dream spirit. Whatever her nature, Zeqing wouldn¡¯t deliberately hurt her. The indecency of the other dream spirits was a whole other matter. ¡°So, what brought on this invitation anyway?¡±


    ¡°Nothing of particular import,¡± Zeqing replied, raising an eyebrow. ¡°I simply wished to show my delight with your progress. I had thought you might enjoy my refreshments as well,¡± she added, drinking from her own cup.


    ¡°It is very good,¡± Ling Qi agreed, glancing down at her own watered wine. The sweetness and chill reminded her of a crisp winter¡¯s morning, and it had an odd edge to it that she couldn¡¯t easily describe. ¡°What are the fruits outside anyway?¡±


    ¡°Rimefruit. But I know not what your kind calls this particular breed,¡± Zeqing answered. ¡°They grow south of the mountains of the Wall, but my presence allows them to grow in these warmer climes.¡±


    They were on top of a mountain above the line of the clouds. If she were a mortal, she would be a frozen corpse, Ling Qi thought a bit incredulously. How cold were the southern lands? ¡°They must be very rare then,¡± Ling Qi commented. ¡°Are you sure it is fine for me to drink this?¡±


    ¡°My portion of the harvest is at my disposal,¡± Zeqing said, just a bit sharply. ¡°In any case, you have given us a tale. As your hostess, it is only appropriate that I return the favor.¡±


    Ling Qi took another careful sip of the cool wine and settled in to listen as Zeqing began to spin a tale of confounding a band of Cloud Tribe hunters ranging far from their territory and their increasing panic and desperation as she picked them off one by one.


    She found herself smiling as Hanyi clapped in delight with the description of each takedown. The tale was a bit grisly, but¡­ this was nice.


    She would look back on this fondly in the coming days.

 Chapter 181-Years End 2

    Sable Crescent Step. It was one of her first arts, among the three gifted to her by the Grinning Moon at the beginning of the year. With it, she learned to move through shadows, how to move through spaces she could never have fit through, and how to glide between blows with the grace of a dancer.


    After she got her dress from Cai Renxiang, she had thought about the art less. The flight granted by her robe made the mobility of Sable Crescent Step less important. But the Sable Crescent Step remained one of the foundations of her combat style.


    And she had not yet mastered it.


    Like all of the arts granted by the Moon, it was a little odd; it contained more techniques, more lessons. Looking back, the early parts of the art she had cultivated in the first realm seemed incredibly simple. Meditating on those old, crude techniques, Ling Qi felt like she had been a child being propped up by the parent while taking their first steps.


    But now, in the third realm, she was nearing mastery. She could finally comprehend the final lessons of the art.


    It was hard.


    It was so hard not to let her dress pick up the slack of her movements as she ran through the upper mountains, bounding between cliffs and over icy gorges, but slowly, she was refining her mastery.


    Darkness was absence, and she was learning to truly become it. Once, she had to make an active effort to avoid leaving footprints in the snow; now her steps left no trace, even when she ceased circulating qi entirely. A hair, separated from her body, would dissolve into inky smoke and be gone in moments.


    She was truly traceless to anyone without more esoteric senses. But the technique that would coalesce the Crescent¡¯s Grace and Formless Shade into a single Sable Crescent Step technique remained beyond her. She would soon be able to step and cross space as if the intervening distance did not exist, regardless of barriers, formations, or terrain or lack of shadows. It was the culmination of moving without moving, if at a hefty cost to her qi.


    She wasn¡¯t there yet, but she would be soon.


    ***


    Sixiang whispered.


    Ling Qi rolled her eyes at the chiding as she peered down at the chattering band of black furred monkeys, the silver crescents on the fur below their eyes marking them as the culprits who had stolen the products she was to retrieve. She searched among the beasts as they chittered and hooted softly, eating, grooming, and otherwise showing no indication that they were aware of her presence.


    She had elected to do this without violence. Grinning Crescent Monkeys were not particularly dangerous. They liked to trick, humiliate, and steal, but it was rare for them to do any permanent harm to humans. She might be biased though given her leanings toward moon spirits.


    She wondered if she would have sought to bind one of the monkeys if she had not the good fortune of finding Zhengui.


    Sixiang mused.


    She didn¡¯t dignify the spirit¡¯s complaint with a response as her eyes fell on a dark lacquered wooden box that despite some chips and scratches, remained sealed and held the mark of the local clan which sold the fruits in question. At the moment, the biggest of the monkeys, which was perhaps the size of Biyu, with a greying tinge to its fur was seated on top of the box, picking bugs out of the fur of a smaller female at his feet. That would make snatching the box a bit trickier.


    She could just wait. The monkey would move eventually and give her an opening. She could even use brute force; the monkey was only Mid Yellow. But that seemed a little boring. Ling Qi began to circle through the trees, getting closer to her target. In preparation for her heist, she had pocketed a few pebbles on the trail, and she scanned the rest of the troop.


    Picking one with an aura that had a hair more fire than the others, she cast the pebble at the back of the monkey¡¯s head and imitated the beasts¡¯ high, mocking cries, throwing her voice so that it seemed to emanate from within the troop. It only took a few repetitions before the monkeys were worked up into a dander, screeching and chittering at each other.


    It was as simple as waiting for the bigger monkey to wade into the developing brawl to crack a couple heads at that point. The box was gone before a single one of them noticed.


    ... If only the gala Cai was hosting tomorrow could be conquered so effortlessly.


    The planning stages hadn¡¯t been so bad. Investigating the guests and subtly poking around for potential ill intentions or troublemaking was even kind of fun. Sun Liling had snubbed Cai¡¯s invitation, but that was the extent of her hostility as far as Ling Qi was able to find. Kang Zihao was going to attend, but to all indications, he seemed to be trying to repair his own social position.


    No, it seemed that this gathering was going to go off without violence, which left Ling Qi in the position of having to prepare herself for it. She knew that she was being unreasonable and that she had been rude at the last gathering but it was still hard for her to care. Despite her efforts to psyche herself up and Sixiang¡¯s chatter, she couldn¡¯t say she was looking forward to the gala.


    Taking place around one of the pavilions dotting the mountainside, the party started off well enough. She stayed near Cai Renxiang, offering greetings and pleasantries to guests as they arrived. With the occasional whispered aid from Sixiang, Ling Qi thought she did an adequate job. The spirit, for all of their lack of knowledge regarding human etiquette, was very good at picking up what sort of comments people would take as compliments.


    Of course, the easy times didn¡¯t last, and soon enough, she was left to her own devices to mingle. Her first task was to soothe the feathers she had rustled in her last outing.


    ¡°Let me first apologize for my previous distraction at your gathering,¡± Ling Qi said smoothly, offering a short bow to Wen Ai. The older girl was just as fancily dressed as the last time she had seen her. ¡°At the time, I was deeply involved with convincing the spirit that had been accompanying me to allow themself to be bound.¡±


    Wen Ai smiled pleasantly, but the expression didn¡¯t feel genuine. ¡°Of course. I can understand,¡± she replied, gesturing dismissively with the closed silk fan in her hand. ¡°I am not so ungenerous that I cannot forgive a little irregularity for one new to such things.¡±


    Ling Qi smiled through the condescension in the other girl¡¯s words, helped by a guiding prod from Sixiang. In this situation, the dream spirit did not speak distracting words but merely offered flashes of thought and insight. ¡°Thank you for your kindness,¡± she said politely. ¡°And allow me to offer my late compliments to your abilities as a hostess. I hope this gathering meets your expectations?¡±


    ¡°Lady Cai¡¯s organizational skills are without match,¡± Wen Ai complimented easily. ¡°I would be pleased to offer my own skills as a decorator the next time,¡± she added, glancing at the colorful banners strung from the arches and pavilion pillars. ¡°I understand the preference for more plain accoutrements here on the borders, but still¡­¡±


    ¡°I will convey your offer,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I am afraid there may not be time for another gathering with the tournament upcoming,¡± she said, keeping the cheer in her voice perfectly bland and not vindictive at all.


    Wen Ai smiled, her expression a touch brittle. ¡°My, there is so very little time left until then, isn¡¯t there?¡± she asked, and it didn¡¯t take Sixiang to read the underlying bitterness to the words. Wen Ai knew well that as a second year, she would have a more difficult path to getting in through the combat tournament this year compared to the first year third realms like Lady Cai or Ling Qi herself. ¡°Ah, might I offer my compliments on the change you have made to your hair?¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, restraining the urge to reach up and touch the silver petaled lily flower helping to pin her braided hair back. Ling Qi had taken the time to update her gear and purchased a couple talismans, one of which was a hairpin with a stylized flower which had replaced her old pin.


    ¡°Thank you very much. Ah,¡± She hesitated before continuing, ¡°Your new necklace brings together that dress very well too.¡± Thank you, Sixiang, for noticing that new bit of jewelry.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Wen Ai replied. ¡°I am glad to see you put those rumors to rest.¡±


    ¡°What rumors?¡± Ling Qi asked with a frown.


    The other girl regarded her with wide eyes and a touch of a smile before raising her hand, cupping her mouth as if to hide a secret. ¡°Why, that terrible rumor you might be a barbarian foundling unable to dress or groom yourself properly without Lady Cai¡¯s or Lady Bai¡¯s help.¡±


    Ling Qi felt her eye twitch. ¡°What a rude rumor. Well, I suppose given my cultivation schedule, it can¡¯t be helped that the less dedicated might say foolish things like that.¡±


    ¡°Success does often bring its own troubles,¡± Wen Ai agreed, perfectly pleasant once more. Neither her nor Sixiang were quite certain if the girl had made that rumor up on the spot.


    ¡°Miss Wen, might I have your attention?¡± a smooth male voice asked, causing them both to turn toward its source. Ling Qi felt her smile become even more strained as she saw Kang Zihao standing there in immaculate white robes, looking none the worse for the wear despite the trouble they had given him.


    ¡°I would be happy to speak with you, Sir Kang,¡± Wen Ai said before glancing back at her. ¡°Miss Ling, might I be excused?¡±


    ¡°You may,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°I hope you have a pleasant evening, Miss Wen, Sir Kang.¡±


    Kang Zihao glanced at her, his disdain obvious in his eyes, if not his expression. ¡°Certainly, Miss Ling. I am glad that our previous encounters have not engendered bad feelings between us.¡±


    LIng Qi smiled, remembering the spear speeding toward her that weekend after the truce had ended. ¡°I would never hold a grudge over something so minor,¡± she said sweetly. She would leave that to Meizhen.


    After the two of them walked away, she let herself take a steadying breath. She had known what she was getting into, joining the Cai. It didn¡¯t mean she enjoyed the reality. She glanced across the field, her eyes landing on Han Jian and Fan Yu. There was her chance to take a breather before forcing herself back into socializing.


    She was looking forward to going to the village to spend time with her family after this though.


    ***


    To an outside observer, Ling Qi would appear the very picture of poise and calm. Indeed, to any of the mortals respectfully stepping out of her path as she proceeded up the road toward her mother¡¯s house, there was not even the slightest indication of turmoil.


    Internally¡­


    Zhengui complained, his mental voice an odd mix of his two voices.


    Ling Qi thought soothingly.


    She felt a whiff of dissatisfaction from him, but Zhengui was mature enough not to complain further. he said determinedly instead, tone bleeding over closer to Zhen.


    Ling Qi almost shook her head. His last statement wasn¡¯t directed at her, and the haughty way he said it¡­ She might have given the wrong impression.


    Sixiang chirped cheerfully inside of her head.


    She felt Zhengui doing the telepathic equivalent of spluttering.


    Ling Qi had seen and felt this scenario play out several times over the past week, ever since the first time she had dematerialized Zhengui and introduced him to Sixiang. Whenever the young snake-tortoise started winding himself up over the new spirit¡¯s presence, Sixiang would deflect and deflate him with playful compliments or simply by agreeing with him in a flattering way.


    Her little brother was really weak to flattery, or at least unprepared for it.


    The latest rub had been her decision to avoid introducing Sixiang to her family for now, namely because she didn¡¯t want to try to explain to her mother that the voice in her head was a separate person. Zhengui had thus been disgruntled about being the only one who had to clean up and prepare himself to meet the family.


    Paying only a bit of mind to the mostly good-natured back and forth between the spirits, Ling Qi turned down the street where her mother¡¯s house was. Soon, she passed by the two men standing guard at the street entrance and the servant attending the door. It was amazing the sort of changes one could get used to in only a year.


    ¡°Sis!¡± She found her mother and sister in the sitting room where the little girl had been seated on her mother¡¯s lap. The older woman let out a mild sigh as she closed the book she was holding and lifted her arm to allow Biyu to wiggle out of her grasp.


    ¡°Hello, little sister,¡± Ling Qi said, falling into a crouch as the little girl crossed the room to stand before her. ¡°Have you been behaving for Mother?¡±


    ¡°Mhm!¡± the little girl responded, bouncing on her feet. ¡°Sis fly now?¡± she asked excitedly.


    ¡°I had been getting her ready for her nap,¡± Ling Qi¡¯s mother said, her tone faintly chiding as she approached Ling Qi as well, the storybook that had been in her hands now tucked under her arm.


    ¡°I forgot the time, I guess,¡± Ling Qi said with an apologetic smile. ¡°Maybe we can fly later, little sister. I wanted to show you and Mother someone very important today,¡± she continued more seriously.


    Biyu puffed out her cheeks in disappointment, but her mother only frowned slightly. Ling Qi caught the older woman peering into the hall behind her searchingly. ¡°Ling Qi, you should have given us time to prepare for guests,¡± Ling Qingge fretted. ¡°Please tell me that we have time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing so formal,¡± Ling Qi reassured her. ¡°It¡¯s only family after all.¡±


    As she spoke, she gave Zhengui a mental prod, and the young spirit¡¯s essence flowed from her dantian. The air at her feet shimmered, the temperature rising slightly as the solid form of the little snake-tortoise coalesced from thin air. In this shrunken form, Zhengui was the size of an adult tortoise and Zhen, coiled atop his shell, was no larger than a small garden snake.


    ¡°Hello!¡± Gui chirped cheerfully, breaking the surprised silence.


    ¡°Hmph. They cannot understand you, foolish Gui,¡± Zhen hissed lazily, examining Mother and Biyu as he did.


    Ling Qi smiled. Her little sister¡¯s eyes were wide, and she was emitting a wordless excited sound. ¡°Magic turtle!¡± she exclaimed, crouching down to peer at the shrunken snake-tortoise.


    On the other hand, Mother¡¯s brow was creased in both concern and wonder as her gaze traced the length of Zhen¡¯s coils to their point of termination. ¡°I recall you mentioned such, but¡­¡± She shook her head in disbelief, taking a step closer as Biyu began to reach out to pet the ¡°magic turtle.¡± ¡°Are you certain it is safe?¡±


    ¡°Zhengui is as intelligent as you or I,¡± Ling Qi replied, sending a silent message to Zhengui to be patient with Biyu. ¡°Biyu, remember he isn¡¯t a toy. Petting is fine, but don¡¯t grab.¡±


    Sixiang mused.


    ¡°Big Sister should not worry,¡± Zhen hissed, pleased at the little girl¡¯s attention. ¡°The little sister is safe with Zhen.¡±


    ¡°Mhmm! Leave things to Big Brother Gui,¡± his other half chirped, leaning into Biyu¡¯s petting. ¡°Gui will not disappoint Big Sister!¡±


    ¡°I will trust your word,¡± Ling Qingge said, oblivious to the conversation going on as she leaned down herself to peer over Biyu¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Greetings, Honored Spirit. Please be welcome in our home.¡±


    ¡°No need to be so formal,¡± Ling Qi said, standing up. ¡°Zhengui is a little brother to me. Please treat him as family,¡± she continued even as she saw Zhen preen at the treatment. Between Sixiang and Mother, a little ego deflation might be necessary.


    ¡°Grandmother is silly but nice,¡± Gui chirped. Ling Qi twitched a little at the implication.


    ¡°... Sis, turtle makes whispers.¡± Ling Qi blinked as her attention was drawn back to Biyu. The little girl had fallen back on her bottom and was peering at Zhengui with wide eyes.


    ¡°Can you understand him, Biyu?¡± Ling Qi asked, sharing a surprised look with her mother.


    ¡°Nuh-uh.¡± The little girl shook her head. ¡°Too quiet,¡± she added as she climbed back to her feet, pouting at Zhengui. ¡°Turtle, speak up!¡±


    ¡°Will that help?¡± Gui asked, confused. ¡°Should Gui yell, Big Sister?¡±


    ¡°No, yelling won¡¯t help, Zhengui,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°You¡¯ll have to wait until you¡¯re older to hear him clearly, little sister.¡±


    Biyu continued to pout but then glanced up at her mother, or rather, the book under her mother¡¯s arm. ¡°Like the princess!¡± she said, clapping her hands as if that explained everything.


    Ling Qi shared another look with Mother, who seemed rather off-balance. ¡°... Why don¡¯t I see to having tea and refreshments prepared?¡± The older woman needed a moment to collect herself.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Ling Qi replied agreeably. ¡°I can watch Biyu. Please don¡¯t worry about Zhengui. I have his food with me.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± her mother said faintly, turning away.


    Ling Qi supposed that the question of whether her little sister would be able to cultivate was answered.


    Thankfully, there weren¡¯t any more surprises that day. Biyu enjoyed playing in the garden with Zhengui, and Mother¡¯s nerves just needed a cup of tea. Her family was settling into the Sect village well, which almost made her regret that she would have to move them again in a fairly short time.


    Ling Qi was sure that she could make a home just as comfortable wherever the Duchess assigned them though, so she didn¡¯t worry over it too much.

 Chapter 182-Years End 3

    The days passed quickly, long hours of cultivation passed by in moments as she progressed toward new levels of mastery.


    The mountain was peaceful. Even the constant background noise of sanctioned duels faded away as more and more disciples entered closed door cultivation, pushing for some last edge or skill increase. Ling Qi wasn¡¯t much different in that regard, although her training with Lady Cai was taking on a more academic edge.


    Instead of sparring or receiving the heiress¡¯ techniques, she found herself spending a lot of time in the market gathering information on the activity of the disciples there and polishing skills she had left to rust over the course of the year. It didn¡¯t hinder her cultivation too much, but it was hard work to stay focused when dealing with uninteresting things like sales numbers and inventories.


    Most of her remaining time went toward the Sect job she had accepted. Frankly, it wasn¡¯t something she normally would have taken, but the job board was growing emptier by the day, and it was one of the two highest paying jobs left. Thankfully, she wasn¡¯t stuck doing the tedious work alone. Li Suyin was among the other disciples who had taken the job to replant the scar in the forest.


    The sun shined and beat down on the field of crumbled rubble and dirt where the ground had collapsed. The fine gray dust that had covered everything had been replaced by dark loamy soil at some point since the last time Ling Qi had seen the area. Ahead of her and Li Suyin, Zhengui trudged, happily breathing out clouds of drifting, wood qi infused ash that settled into the soil as they passed. Around them, a half dozen skeletal birds of various species fluttered through the air, scattering various seeds from pouches hung from their bony forms.


    Ling Qi and Li Suyin both had more expensive satchels crafted with space expanding formations to allow them to hold seedlings from various tree species. While their companions took care of the more indiscriminate work, the two girls would stop every so often to plant a new tree at the proper flag-marked points in the dirt.


    ¡°I see you¡¯ve really improved those scouts,¡± Ling Qi said as they crouched down at the next flag. She began to prepare the ground for planting.


    Li Suyin glanced up to watch one of her constructs. The skeletal bird was nearly organic in its motion with only a hint of the jerkiness that marked Ling Qi¡¯s own constructs. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve figured out several improvements for them, and if you have time today, I¡¯ve received permission from Senior Sister Bao to invite you to the workshop. The constructs have been very useful for my anatomical studies, so I have been giving them some focus.¡±


    ¡°But not all of it, I hope,¡± Ling Qi teased.


    ¡°I have been getting out,¡± Li Suyin huffed, but even the response to her teasing seemed muted.


    ¡°What¡¯s bothering you?¡± LIng Qi asked as she finished the hole she had been digging. ¡°Every time I¡¯ve seen you for the past few days, you¡¯ve been fretting over something.¡±


    Li Suyin looked away, even as she placed the seedling and began to pack the soil back in around its roots. ¡°Have I? I know I have been a little distracted, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I am sure the only reason Su Ling hasn¡¯t called you on it is that she¡¯s been off-kilter herself,¡± Ling Qi interjected. ¡°So spill. What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°It is nothing so bad as you might be thinking,¡± Li Suyin replied. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ My family is coming to visit for the tournament.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned. ¡°I thought mortals weren¡¯t going to be allowed at the arena?¡± she asked. ¡°Ah, is it different for the production track?¡±


    Li Suyin shook her head and brushed the dirt from her hands, standing back up. ¡°No, Mother and Father just want to be here to support me, even if they can¡¯t observe directly.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what the problem is,¡± Ling Qi said as she stood up as well,moving to the next flag. She had never heard her friend speak of her parents in less than glowing tones.


    Li Suyin shifted uncomfortably. ¡°I haven¡¯t told them some things,¡± she admitted in a quiet voice, and Ling Qi didn¡¯t miss the way that Suyin¡¯s left hand twitched as if she wanted to reach for her eye. ¡°I¡¯m just afraid that they might be disappointed with the kind of person I¡¯ve become.¡±


    Ling Qi kept her expression neutral. ¡°You probably shouldn¡¯t have left something like your eye as a surprise,¡± she agreed. ¡°But I don¡¯t understand what you mean. You¡¯re still the same good person you were to begin with.¡± She glanced up at the constructs circling around. ¡°Maybe hold off on showing off your workshop. I don¡¯t know how squeamish your parents are.¡±


    Li Suyin laughed, but she didn¡¯t sound particularly amused. ¡°I do not think greeting Mother and Father from atop a palanquin hefted by skeleton soldiers would give the right impression, no,¡± she said with a touch of sarcasm.


    Ling Qi shot her friend a narrow-eyed look. ¡°Since when do you do sarcastic?¡± she asked. ¡°Wait, is that an actual thing? I want a ride if so.¡±


    Sixiang mumbled sleeplily. The light of high noon had left the bodiless spirit drowsy.


    ¡°I was working on a design with Senior Sister Bao, but we could not get the animation of legs done with proper coordination and balance¡­¡± Li Suyin shook her head, cutting off her own tangent. ¡°No, Ling Qi, the point is¡­ I have not been a good person,¡± she said. ¡°It might be beneath your notice, but I have been going out of my way to make sure those girls are miserable whenever I have the opportunity. I know it isn¡¯t right to pursue a grudge so, but¡­ I just cannot let it go.¡±


    Ling Qi shot her friend a wary look. ¡°You haven¡¯t broken Lady Cai¡¯s peace, have you?¡±


    Suyin shook her head, her expression bitter. ¡°No, and that makes it worse,¡± she huffed. ¡°I have become one of those people who spit on the spirit of the law while obeying its letter. How can I face Father like this?¡± she fretted.


    ¡°Li Suyin¡­ what have you been doing?¡±


    The other girl looked down as they reached the next spot. ¡°It started with using Senior Sister Bao¡¯s connections to ruin the market for them,¡± she mumbled. ¡°Price gouging, refusing sales, purchasing rare reagents I know they need before they can acquire them - that sort of thing.¡±


    ¡°And she¡¯s okay with that?¡± Ling Qi asked dubiously.


    ¡°Senior Sister Bao said that it was good practice. She doesn¡¯t see anything wrong with my vendetta as long as it doesn¡¯t cross the line into illegality.¡± Li Suyin didn¡¯t stop with that worrying statement. ¡°Then after I had time to bond with Zhenli, I started making deals with her kin¡­ I traded them things to ruin those girls¡¯ Sect jobs where possible or just to ambush them and leave them to hang in the woods for a few days, cocooned and helpless. I made sure that they were never badly hurt, but...¡±


    ¡°If you want me to scold you, you¡¯re speaking to the wrong person,¡± Ling Qi said, cutting her off. ¡°As long as you aren¡¯t doing anything permanent¡­¡±


    ¡°I am not like them,¡± Li Suyin fiddled with the strap of her eyepatch.


    ¡°Right. You won¡¯t hear me speaking poorly of you¡­ but you¡¯re worried that your parents will,¡± Ling Qi¡¯s first notion was to suggest not telling them, but she was fairly sure Li Suyin wouldn¡¯t accept that.


    ¡°Nobles and cultivators should be above this sort of pettiness, even though I know they are not,¡± Suyin said glumly.


    ¡°You¡¯re being too hard on yourself like always,¡± Ling Qi said with a touch of exasperation. ¡°You all but said that you know you¡¯re being unreasonable,¡± she added as she began to work on the next planting.


    ¡°I know it is not reasonable, but I cannot change my own feelings.¡±


    ¡°If your Mother and Father are half as good as you hold them up to be, they¡¯ll understand,¡± Ling Qi said, meeting her friend¡¯s eye. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with giving someone who hurt you their comeuppance.¡±


    Her friend closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°... As you say. Let us get back to the task at hand though. We have much work yet to do today.¡±


    ¡°So we do,¡± Ling Qi sighed. The things she would do for Sect points¡­


    ***


    After completing the Sect job and receiving their rewards, Ling Qi accepted Li Suyin¡¯s invitation to Bao Qingling¡¯s workshop to show off the other improvements Suyin had made with the scout formations. The journey to Bao Qingling¡¯s workshop took them deeper into the Wall. It was not far enough to intrude on the Inner Sect, but it was about as far in as the dragon¡¯s vale.


    Ling Qi and Li Suyin landed at the top of the bulbous structure which clung to the wall of the canyon below. It was shaped vaguely like a gourd with a smaller bulb stacked atop a larger one. Chimneys of metal and stone poked out of the structure at odd angles, billowing colorful and aromatic medicinal smoke. Most of the structure, however, was composed entirely of thick white webbing. Somewhat disturbingly, Ling Qi could see disturbances in the air where spirits of wind had been captured in the webbing, and even as she watched, arachnid legs as long as her arm poked out to drag a struggling spirit inside.


    Happily, she didn¡¯t have too long to contemplate this as Suyin opened an entrance in the top of the structure. Webs parted smoothly to reveal a ladder leading down.


    Suyin politely invited her in, and Ling Qi followed her down the ladder. The tunnel leading down into the workshop was kind of claustrophobic, and the feel of so many skittering spirit spiders all around them gave her a case of goosebumps, but otherwise, their entry went by in comfortable silence. A quick walk down the rightmost tunnel at the three way intersection at the bottom of the ladder brought them to a room slightly larger than Suyin¡¯s workshop at her home. The room was furnished with tabletops and other worksurfaces glued to the walls, often at heights and angles that left them impossible to reach from the floor. It was also positively saturated with the skeletons of birds, ranging from tiny to huge.


    It was also occupied. Li Suyin¡¯s mentor, Bao Qingling, looked much like she had the first time Ling Qi had met her at the Medicine Hall, an unhealthily pale girl with dark circles under her eyes with black hair gathered into a thick braid wrapped twice around her neck. Rather than a gown, she wore a set of dark brown, bulky leathers, including boots and gloves that left her looking a bit shapeless, especially with the thick work smock she wore, stained and scorched in many places.


    Unlike before though, Ling Qi could feel the Inner disciple¡¯s qi more clearly. Bao Qingling was at the fourth level of the third realm, and her aura felt jagged and murky like a deep pit full of sharp stone concealed by thick, clinging mist and webs.


    ¡°Senior Sister Bao,¡± Li Suyin greeted as she caught sight of the older girl. ¡°Thank you for allowing me to bring my friend here today.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for having me, Senior Sister,¡± Ling Qi added politely, offering a bow of her own.


    The Inner Sect disciple studied her then nodded once crisply. ¡°You are welcome - in this room. I ask that you remain in this room however,¡± she said, her words uncolored by anything but polite disinterest. ¡°It would be unfortunate if excessive curiosity were to cause us friction,¡± she added. Ling Qi supposed she could understand; the story of what she had done to Yan Renshu was probably open knowledge at this point.


    ¡°I will, of course, respect Senior Sister Bao¡¯s privacy. It would be very rude for me to repay your kindness to my friend and hospitality with treachery,¡± Ling Qi replied.


    ¡°Quite,¡± Bao Qingling said without humor before nodding to Li Suyin. ¡°Do not forget your schedule, Junior Sister Suyin,¡± she said. ¡°Junior Sister Ling, give my regards to Lady Cai if you would.¡± Bao Qingling stamped her foot once on the floor. The webbing under her feet parted with an odd stretching sound, and the older girl vanished into the resulting hole. Ling Qi caught a glimpse of chitinous legs and gleaming eyes, as well as a pair of oddly human hands composed of gleaming black chitin in the moment before it closed again.


    ¡°Huh. I wonder what that was about,¡± Ling Qi mused, warily eyeing the floor .


    ¡°The Bao family is a count clan which administers the north under the Cai family,¡± Li Suyin answered. ¡°I¡¯m sure that Senior Sister Bao was just offering her respects.¡±


    ¡°I really do have to do some more research,¡± Ling Qi sighed. Perhaps she could speak to Cai about that; learning from her would probably be more fruitful and interesting than poking through books on the matter, and she could pick up what the heiress thought of the various players. ¡°Well, why don¡¯t you show me what you¡¯ve been working on?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve discovered how to activate the fusion formations in the advanced scouts without untoward amounts of blood,¡± Li Suyin explained, leading her over to a wide surface scattered with a score of tiny bird skeletons and strewn with papers packed with notes and calculations. ¡°As you can see here, it was simply a matter of¡­¡± Suyin went through her proofs as Ling Qi leaned over her shoulder and followed along.


    While Ling Qi felt that she wasn¡¯t really suited to formations mastery, in a situation like the tournament, it would be good to have a few tricks up her sleeve that were outside her main skillset. A combat construct could certainly be that.


    She watched as Li Suyin demonstrated her new formation, merging a great swarm of little sparrow skeletons into a bony horror in the vague shape of a large eagle.


    ¡°You really are great at this kind of thing, Li Suyin,¡± Ling Qi commented, peering into the empty ¡°eye¡± socket of the ¡°eagle¡± now perched on Suyin¡¯s work surface. Its head was made of a dozen tiny skulls partially merged together like the crow she had seen during the Sect mission with the shaman. It was a creepy effect.


    ¡°It is not just size either,¡± Li Suyin pointed out. ¡°The more complex array matrix allows for more advanced effects as well.¡±


    The skeletal eagle on the workbench let out a shrill cry, and its bones pulsed with a faint blue light. Ling Qi blinked as she felt the activation of an actual technique, some kind of defensive water art.


    ¡°You made a construct that can use techniques?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Well, only one, and it has to be pre-encoded by the user so it can¡¯t be changed in battle,¡± Li Suyin admitted.


    Regardless, Ling Qi could see the use in that. If she had a construct that could cast defensive or support techniques on her, it would allow her to focus on her offense in the tournament.


    ¡°Are you sure you really want to just show me all of this?¡± Ling Qi asked, dubious. ¡°You¡¯ve done all the work on this. You practically had to rebuild the entire formation from scratch!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind at all,¡± Li Suyin replied, shaking her head. ¡°It is your treasure that allowed this anyway, and¡­ I do not feel as if there needs to be transactions between us.¡±


    Ling Qi eyed her friend, sensing no insincerity from the other girl. ¡°I won¡¯t complain then,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°It¡¯ll definitely be a useful surprise to pull out in the tournament.¡±

 Bonus Chapter-Duty

    ¡°ORRRAAAA!!!¡±


    His fist struck steel, and steel gave way.


    The man behind it did not.


    ¡°You¡¯re improving!¡± Gan Guangli laughed.


    The young man behind the raised shield straightened up. He eyed the round steel shield in his hands ruefully. It was rather more concave than it had been at the start. ¡°Sir Gan is too kind¡­ but I believe that was the last practice shield.¡±


    ¡°I suppose we¡¯ll have to do some other exercises, until the smithing disciples can recycle the steel,¡± Gan Guangli chuckled. He clapped a hand on the young man, Gun Jun¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Go ahead and take a breather my friend!¡±


    Gan Guangli turned to observe the rest of the field as Gun Jun bowed and turned away. He was feeling well today. There was nothing quite like good, healthy physical exertion to clear the mind and buoy the spirit! Watching the council¡¯s enforcers practicing around him only reinforced that. By keeping them together, helping them together, he had helped to forge these dozen odd disciples into more than disparate individuals. They were friends and siblings in arms, and he could not be prouder of their progress!


    He saw some few notice his attention, and he beamed cheerfully, offering an encouraging wave. Some held that a captain should be dour faced and stingy with praise, but that was not his way. These people, his people, looked to him for encouragement. Some called him crude and foolish. He knew that his laughter stiffened their spines, and his cheer hardened their resolve. That was what he wanted to be, an example, a rallying point, a ray of light in an often grim world. He wished to help others believe that justice was real.


    Gan Guangli wished to provide others with some small portion of the hope which Lady Cai instilled in him.


    That was the duty that she had given to him two years ago, on that last day in his village, when she had offered her hand and asked him to follow. She had shown him that justice was not just a word, that law was not merely the cudgel of the strong, but the loom on which the fabric of a good, prosperous society could be woven. Gan Guangli clenched his fist.


    He would live up to her belief in him, even if it cost him his life.


    ¡°Everyone is doing well,¡± Gun Jun said quietly falling in beside him. He was a good man, loyal and true. ¡°But is it going to be enough?¡±


    His only flaw was a certain predilection to pessimism. ¡°You are all certainly strong enough to maintain our lady¡¯s peace. But you mean the tournament, don¡¯t you?¡± Gan Guangli asked


    ¡°I do. I am not so foolish as to think I have a chance at the inner sect in a year with so many titans, my worry is for you Lord Gan.¡± Gun Jun said. ¡°Should you not be focusing more on yourself and your own strength? The time which you spend on us¡­¡±


    Gan Guangli¡¯s smile faded. ¡°Gun Jun. You and the others have supported me since the earliest days of the council. I will not abandon you for my own strength now.¡±


    For once there was no laughter in his voice. He looked down at his friend, noting his pained expression. ¡°Spending my efforts like this is no sacrifice. I would not tarnish my Way with such selfishness, right at its beginning.¡±


    For many, the third realm was a time of finding oneself, and choosing a path. It was not such for Gan Guangli, who saw his road with clear eyes. He knew what he wanted, and though there might be unexpected turns in his path, he knew his destination.


    ¡°Lord Gan¡­¡± Gun Jun began, his face still troubled.


    ¡°Come along now Gun Jun,¡± Gan Guangli laughed, clapping the smaller man on the back. ¡°Haven¡¯t I told you that there is no need to give me such titles while we practice? If you truly wish to help me, come along and lets have a spar!.¡±


    To his credit, he didn¡¯t stumble. He would have a few months ago, Gan Guangli thought proudly. Instead, he sighed. ¡°Of course Lord Gan. May I request that you not hurl me out of the training grounds this time?¡±


    ¡°Come now, Gun Jun, you don¡¯t know that your foes in the future will not catch your spear that way!¡± Gan chuckled, his long stride already eating up distance to a clear pitch.


    ¡°Perhaps, but I feel as if we would both gain more from the spar if you restrain yourself somewhat,¡± Gun Jun said dryly.


    ¡°Hmm, Hmm, your captain will consider this request,¡± Gan Guangli said with good humor. Really, it had been one time. He had been overexcited about his mastery of one of his arts and forgotten to hold back properly. ¡°Perhaps you would prefer that I bring Miss Ling back for an exercise or two instead?¡±


    Gun Jun winced visibly. ¡°I don¡¯t think that will be necessary. Lord Gan may sometimes forget his strength, but Lady Ling has no restraint at all.¡±


    ¡°There is value in that,¡± Gan Guangli said more seriously. He did not regret requesting Miss Ling¡¯s help. It was necessary for his people to learn the terror of an un-countered spiritual specialist. That she had some particularly distressing arts really just drove the lesson in better.


    The beasts and spirits that lurked in the dark places of the Emerald Seas would not be any more merciful.


    ¡°...It is so,¡± Gun Jun agreed, catching his more serious tone. ¡°Do you believe we need another such session?¡±


    ¡°Not just yet,¡± Gan Guangli replied, stepping into the sparring circle. ¡°Besides, Miss Ling is quite busy.¡±


    They did not quite know each other well, and he knew that she had not joined his Lady with the same zeal that he had. This did not bother Gan Guangli. She would come around, and until then, she was not the sort to betray another¡¯s trust, once her word was given, he thought. He did not begrudge her for focusing on her own cultivation.


    Her way was not his. This was as it should be. The Cai could not transform the broken place that was the Emerald Seas with only soldiers and light. There was a place for shadows and song.


    Gan Guangli set his feet, and brought his gauntlet clad hands together with a crash of steel on steel. ¡°Now come Gun Jun, and show me what you can do!¡±

 Chapter 183-Years End 4

    Between further tutoring, cultivation, and the Sect job overseeing construction at the outskirts of the village, Ling Qi found her free time limited, and so she did not often find time to stop at home during the week. In what time she did have, she made sure to offer her congratulations to Cui on her breakthrough, along with a small gift. The second grade rabbit had been caught by Zhengui, but he was too embarrassed to make the gift himself. Ling Qi thought it rather cute.


    Though it was clear that the younger Bai still didn¡¯t like her much, some of the ill feeling between them had faded. Then again, Ling Qi was perhaps biased; she would be willing to take a great deal of time with a passive aggressive serpent over the mind-numbing duties of the Sect job she had accepted. There was no challenge in it. These lands were too tame for anything really dangerous to come out, so she was left to simply scare away minor spirits and deal with accidents for hours on end. Still, jobs were drying up in the lead up to the year¡¯s end, and points were points.


    She was excited to see the end of her shift, and headed up to the vent to train with Su Ling. She was on the cusp of mastering the fifth pulse of the Thousand Ring Fortress art, and the other girl¡¯s help would allow her to reach an understanding of the art¡¯s new technique, Thousand Rings Unbreaking. The new technique drew upon the image of the eldest trees of the Emerald Seas, ancient and nigh invulnerable, akin to living mountains. Successful activation would bolster defenses and allow Ling Qi and some of her allies to become immune to effects which would involuntarily move them or grapple them.


    In addition to cultivation though, Ling Qi did have other reasons to be interested in meeting Su Ling.


    Sixiang gushed as her friend¡¯s new spirit popped her head up out of Su Ling¡¯s hair. The spirit, a black furred bat with red markings, had taken a liking to clinging to the back of her binder¡¯s neck and was normally somewhat hidden beneath the vulpine girl¡¯s untidy tresses.


    ¡°Is that why you¡¯ve been growing out your hair?¡± Ling Qi asked, amused at the picture that had been presented to her.


    ¡°No, she¡¯s just a stubborn little fuzzball,¡± Su Ling grumbled. ¡°She doesn¡¯t like staying in spiritual form, and she won¡¯t go off on her own either,¡± she continued. Her ears twitched, and she sighed. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know. You want to watch my back.¡±


    Sixiang mused.


    Ling Qi supposed so. Her smile faltered when she leaned closer and the little bat gave a hiss and burrowed back into Su Ling¡¯s hair. What was with her friends¡¯ spirits not liking her? At least she could probably put this one down to general demeanor. ¡°Can she not talk yet, or is she just being shy?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Su Ling answered. ¡°I can understand her, but she won¡¯t talk to anybody else. Thanks again for the info on moon spirits by the way. I never would have thought to go that far away from the mountain on my own.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Ling Qi replied, taking a step away. ¡°I¡¯m glad to help you out when I can. I know I haven¡¯t been the most sociable, but¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got a lot on your plate. I understand,¡± Su Ling interrupted. ¡°So do I. It¡¯s not like we don¡¯t keep in contact.¡±


    Ling Qi relaxed, a bit of tension leaving her shoulders. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± she said, smiling. They still trained together regularly. Perhaps that wasn¡¯t enough to stay close to Han Jian, but for Su Ling, it was enough. ¡°Shall we get started then?¡±


    ¡°I suppose,¡± Su Ling grumbled good-naturedly. ¡°You¡¯re lucky I¡¯m not the one who has to re-sharpen the training swords after I blunt them on that wood armor of yours or I wouldn¡¯t do this.¡±


    Ling Qi laughed. ¡°I¡¯m glad the Sect takes care of them then.¡±


    ***


    Ling Qi whirled among the phantom dancers, her steps carrying her from one narrow pillar to another. Amidst the smoky mist and pulsing beat of lunatic song though, a foreign element intruded. A searing line of light cut through the air above her, forcing Ling Qi to snap backwards, bending until her back was nearly parallel to the ground. A twisting pirouette carried her around a second blinding line, her hair fanning out behind her with the motion as it cut diagonally through the revelling crowd. Ling Qi¡¯s phantoms laughed and danced amidst an ever-shifting web of light, their half-human features cast in sharp relief with each strobe.


    Cai Renxiang¡¯s stern voice cut through all the noise as clear as day. ¡°The seven count clans of Emerald Seas. Minimum profile,¡± the heiress stated tersely, strained as she fought to control so many vectors of light.


    Ling Qi grimaced as a trailing leap and a midair spin carried her through a rapidly narrowing gap in the shifting grid of light, and her mind raced, putting together the answers to the question. ¡°Meng clan: controls the western marshes; staunch Weilu conservatives; former ties with the Bai, but then backed Sun Shao; neutral and distant at court; isolanist.¡±


    The dance continued unabated as she strained to speak quickly and concisely without allowing a single rapidly shifting light to touch her. ¡°Wang and Jia clans: smallest clans; territories in the southern hills near the Sects; nominally Imperial conservatives; mining interests; elevated by the Duchess; loyal and supportive at court; pushing aggressive moves against the Cloud Tribes.¡±


    ¡°Very good.¡± Cai Renxiang hung overhead like a miniature star, tendrils of light snapping and crawling through the air behind her while the sleeves of her gown very slowly unraveled with the qi put into maintaining this regiment breaker of a technique.


    Ling Qi lacked the time to acknowledge the praise, but some part of her noticed the movements of her phantoms growing smoother and more natural, the edges of the revel creeping outward with each step. She was coming closer to her goal of mastering the second revel of the Phantasmagoria. ¡°Bao clan: wealthiest of the seven count families; controls the northern trade cities and the routes into Celestial Peaks; Imperial conservatives; mercantile inclinations; heavy production focus; neutral at court; opposes further military expansion in the south.¡±


    The lights began to move faster, and Ling Qi frowned as she danced the steps of the Illustrious Phantasmal Festival faster than ever before to keep up. ¡°Luo clan: keepers of the eastern marches; ties to Golden Fields; on the rise due to recovery in neighbors and increased trade; nominal Weilu conservatives; did not support the Duchess, but did not oppose; found loyal; warrior clan with large presence in military; aggressive in general.¡±


    ¡°And the last?¡± Cai Renxiang asked from on high.


    ¡°Diao clan: rules a portion of the central region; ambitious, but the Cai clan¡¯s greatest supporters; only count clan with an active seventh realm cultivator; young clan; heavy clashes with more conservative factions on various matters; expansionist interests; aligned with Jia.¡±


    The heiress lowered her hand, and the ever-shifting lines of light began to fade. ¡°I am pleased with your recall. That will be sufficient for the moment.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced as she allowed the phantoms to fade at last. That had merely been the last of the questions; they had been at this for hours, and her meridians burned with the strain of keeping the festival active. But she had done it. She had refined her control enough that the cost of keeping the festival active had dropped to a relative trickle. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m a fan of this style of exercise,¡± LIng Qi joked as she caught her breath.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Cai Renxiang questioned as she drifted down amidst the dissolving revel, her arms bare to the shoulder. The heiress¡¯ muscle tone was surprisingly sharp, Ling Qi mused. Most female cultivators maintained a softer look. ¡°You seem to retain information much more efficiently under stress.¡±


    Ling Qi huffed, blowing a strand of her escaped hair out of her eyes. ¡°I have no defense against that,¡± she admitted sheepishly. It was easy for her attention to wander in more scholastic settings, but the threat of searing beams of light had a way of focusing her attention. ¡°I suppose I can¡¯t complain. I¡¯ve definitely mastered this art as far as it can go at the moment.¡±


    ¡°I am pleased to hear it,¡± Cai replied. ¡°Though the source is a troublesome one, a mastery of such an art will grant you a degree of esteem amongst certain clans.¡±


    Sixiang murmured sulkily.


    Ling Qi paused, shooting a questioning thought toward her spirit but receiving no reply. That was odd; Sixiang was usually silent in Cai Renxiang¡¯s presence. ¡°The Weilu conservatives, right?¡±


    The heiress nodded sharply. ¡°Those clans still make heavy use of the spirits and arts of the Sun and Moon compared to more Imperial clans. You seem to have a talent for dealing with such entities, so I expect you to make use of it in the future.¡±


    ¡°No point wasting talent,¡± Ling Qi replied agreeably, glancing down at herself. She was mildly disheveled and more than a bit sweaty.


    Seeming to read her thoughts, Cai Renxiang turned away. ¡°Come. Let us refresh ourselves. This has been sufficient exercise for the day.¡±


    ¡°I suppose so,¡± Ling Qi said, stretching her arms overhead as she moved to follow the heiress, skipping from pillar to pillar as they headed for the exit. ¡°Where has Gan Guangli been this week anyway?¡± She couldn¡¯t say she minded the boy joining them, particularly when they were doing exercises that necessitated leaving heavier armor out.


    ¡°Mastering his primary art further in seclusion,¡± her liege replied, and Ling Qi caught a touch of the dry amusement that passed for humor in the heiress¡¯ tone. ¡°You may have your distraction back soon enough.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned playfully at the girl¡¯s back. She could never tell if the heiress was genuine when it came to the little bits of casual behavior she let slip in her presence.


    Sixiang sighed.


    Well, wasn¡¯t that a cheerful thought, Ling Qi mused, hurrying to catch up.


    ***


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty persistent,¡± Han Jian commented, leaning back against the railing of the balcony. They were on the second floor of the Sect village¡¯s teahouse, overlooking the gardens below.


    ¡°So I¡¯ve heard on occasion,¡± Ling Qi replied in a dry tone, taking a careful sip from the tea laid out on the table beside her. ¡°You accepted the invitation though.¡±


    ¡°How could I refuse when you made the offer as a subordinate of the Cai?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯m not going to forgive you for that stack of correspondence and contracts I have to review and send home now.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Ling Qi apologized, her smile giving the lie to that statement. ¡°But isn¡¯t this what you call ¡®making connections?¡¯¡± she asked guilelessly.


    Han Jian shot her an unimpressed look. ¡°I think I liked you better as a naive provincial girl.¡±


    ¡°Things were simpler then, weren¡¯t they?¡± Ling Qi mused. ¡°Well, maybe not, but I¡¯m still thankful for what you did back then.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we have this conversation before?¡± Han Jian asked, sounding a touch tired as he crossed his arms over his tiger striped outer robe.


    ¡°We did, but I think we¡¯re past the point where we can interfere with each other¡¯s interests,¡± Ling Qi shot back. ¡°We aren¡¯t close, but I hope we can put some of the tension away at this point.¡±


    Han Jian scrubbed his hand through his hair, looking up at the sky. ¡°Yeah¡­ I think that¡¯d be fine,¡± he agreed after a moment. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you expect to get out of this though. We¡¯re not likely to see each other much next year.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned. Those words were awfully fatalistic, all but outright admitting that Han Jian did not think he was going to make it into the Inner Sect. ¡°Even so, do I need to get anything out of it? You didn¡¯t, after all.¡±


    ¡°Fair point,¡± he sighed. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I don¡¯t regret helping you.¡±


    Even though her presence seemed to be the catalyst for a lot of problems, Ling Qi mused silently. True, she could see that all the cracks that had been revealed over the course of the year had been present at the beginning, but it must be difficult not to blame her given the timing.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad. You¡¯re kind, I think -¡± and wasn¡¯t that at odds with her image of wealthy young masters ¡°- and I hope you can do well in the future.¡± She couldn¡¯t help but suspect that that kind of attitude would not be to his advantage.


    Sixiang whispered.


    ¡°Hmm. I can''t quite tell if you¡¯re complimenting me there,¡± Han Jian noted, reflecting her own thoughts. ¡°In the end though, I won¡¯t compromise who I am. That is what it means to be a cultivator,¡± he said. ¡°I wish you luck in your future endeavors as well.¡±


    ¡°I will graciously accept your well wishes,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°And in a few hundred years, you can say that the High Chancellor of the Emerald Seas is a friend of yours.¡±


    ¡°Ha! You¡¯ve gotten ambitious, haven¡¯t you? Isn¡¯t making a claim like that a little dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but a cultivator has to take a risk now and then, you know?¡± Ling Qi smirked.


    ¡°In that case, let it be said that the Marquis of Han will not forget his youthful ties,¡± Han Jian replied with a snort.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that,¡± Ling Qi laughed. ¡°Now sit down. I can hear the server at the bottom of the stairs.¡±

 Chapter 184-Years End 5

    With this the last week before the start of the tournament, Ling Qi redoubled her efforts to deepen her understanding of many of her core arts, building off the last few months of heavy practice. Ling Qi achieved the sixth step in her Sable Crescent Step art, gaining the coalesced Grinning Crescent Dancer technique. This was the culmination of the arts other techniques, allowing her to access the full utility of her movement art.


    When not cultivating, with the help of Li Suyin, she constructed an eagle Ossuary Horror and the bird scouts that made it up. Carving so many of the tiny formation arrays into the bones of the skulls and spines of the little birds that would make up her construct was time-consuming. Tedium aside, her efforts paid off.


    She kept it assembled and active while stored in her ring so that she would be able to release it as quickly as she could draw a weapon. With Deepwood Vitality stored in the horror, she had no doubt it would be able to serve its purpose as a screen and support in at least one battle. She would need to choose the best moment to deploy it.


    Ling Qi was spending spirit stones like water in these last few days. Even the lingering frugality of her mortal days couldn¡¯t make her regret it. Her Sect points were spent as quickly as she gained them to receive tutoring.


    With the help of an Inner Sect tutor, she was able to work through some of the stumbling blocks that had been stymying her advancement. There was the Abyssal Exhalation Art, which she had plundered from Yan Renshu. She couldn¡¯t help but feel that the art didn¡¯t suit her, but she couldn¡¯t be picky yet. She achieved the fourth breath of Abyssal Exhalation, which strengthened and reinforced the worm constructs summoned by the art. The technique to call them was qi-expensive and the summoned worms would never defeat a peer on their own, but they could harry, distract, and entangle. The rest of her time with the tutor was spent learning how to avoid disrupting them when she empowered them with her other arts, such as Thousand Ring Fortress and Argent Current.


    Ling Qi was also studying with Zeqing to Master the penultimate melody of the Forgotten Vale. She learned the Traveler¡¯s End technique, which empowered the qi constructs of the other Forgotten Vale Melody techniques even further, making the effects more durable and long lasting. While active, the mist would not fade, even if Ling Qi ceased to play herself, and it would protect the mist by forcing absorbing any attempts to disrupt and dispel it. Truly mastering the art would require higher cultivation, but for now, she had another potent tool at her disposal.


    There was one art which she could fully complete though. Ling Qi had won the Argent Mirror Art from the same trial that had gotten her Zhengui, the trial which Meizhen and she had undertaken together. It was not a flashy art; as a perception and spiritual defense art, its effects were mostly passive. It allowed her to read qi auras and peer through illusions. Mastering the fifth and final true reflection stage was much the same. By pulsing her qi in just the right way, she could disrupt spiritual or illusory arts that had taken hold of her.


    as she cultivated the art, she began to comprehend it more. All arts were lessons. They taught their user how to manipulate their qi in the right way to alter the way the world worked, if only for a moment.


    As she sat beside the vent which she and her friends had won through investigation and battle so early in the year and cultivated the art¡¯s final secrets, Ling Qi found herself pondering the lessons held within the art. Argent Mirror was an art about sincerity. By knowing herself, her own truth, she could in turn see through external deceptions.


    But it was hard to not lie to herself, to not rationalize or deceive herself in order to reach the conclusion that she had already decided that she wanted in the layers of the mind beneath conscious thought. In her thoughts, she found herself visualizing a mirror, a reflection. Was having that mirror always in her thoughts something she could live with?


    Ling Qi thought of her mother and the lies she had told herself to make their separation less painful. She thought of Xiulan, who had been so hurt by the quiet lie that had existed between her and Han Jian. She thought of Meizhen and the strained awkwardness that had existed between them for so many months.


    She thought that she could live facing the truth. Ling Qi would only ever be herself.


    ***


    With the week winding down, Ling Qi didn¡¯t allow herself to forget her plans to check on Xiulan and Meizhen. She was glad that she hadn¡¯t when she reached Xiulan¡¯s training field early on the last day of the week.


    Her friend looked positively haggard, her normally immaculate appearance disheveled and smudged by ash. Xiulan¡¯s aura had grown significantly more potent to Ling Qi¡¯s senses despite having not broken through in her physique. The other girl appeared to have spent this final week building her qi reserves in preparation for the tournament. She had also reduced the training field to a barren, charred plain with whole stretches of the soil glimmering like glass.


    ¡°Xiulan, when was the last time you slept?¡± Ling Qi asked as she approached the other girl, picking her way through the field. ¡°Or bathed for that matter?¡± she asked, wrinkling her nose.


    Her friend shot her a dirty look as the blazing flames leaking from the corners of her eyes and the tips of her fingers faded. ¡°Just last evening,¡± she sniffed. ¡°You shall excuse me for not wishing to waste scents and cosmetics in the midst of a stretch of intense training.¡±


    As if that itself wasn¡¯t a great change from the girl she had met at the beginning of the year, Ling Qi thought. ¡°And sleeping? Xiulan, you are beginning to resemble a racoon dog.¡±


    Xiulan raised her uninjured hand, touching her cheek just below where the dark circle under her eye ended. ¡°... Perhaps three months ago,¡± she muttered. ¡°What did you want, Ling Qi? I cannot imagine that you took time from your own training merely to comment on my appearance,¡± she demanded.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°I took some time out because I wanted to speak to you about taking a break.¡±


    ¡°I hardly have the time. The tournament will start in a matter of days,¡± Xiulan snapped. ¡°Ling Qi, we cannot all¡­¡±


    Sixiang murmured.


    ¡°You are more intelligent than this, Xiulan,¡± Ling Qi said flatly. ¡°I do not know what it is like to have lightning on the brain,¡± she began, using the Argent Mirror to eyeher friend¡¯s nigh blinding aura and its crackling radiant core, ¡°but I know what the tempting whispers of the dark are like. Gu Xiulan, this is not you.¡±


    Xiulan scowled and opened her mouth to speak before stopping herself, her eyes narrowing. Her aura shuddered, flickering wildly, before the blazing furnace of her spirit dimmed, grounded and banked. ¡°Spirits,¡± Xiulan said. ¡°I am a bit of a mess, aren¡¯t I?¡± She looked down at her charred and soot-stained gown. ¡°Ancestors above, Mother is coming for the tournament! If I appear like this¡­¡±


    ¡°It will be fine,¡± Ling Qi said, patting her friend on her good shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s nothing a night out and a good sleep won¡¯t fix. I just wanted to make sure you got that before you ran out of time.¡±


    ¡°Even now, I want to refuse and resume training,¡± Xiulan grimaced. ¡°Perhaps Sister Yanmei was correct about including a calmer element in my repertoire.¡±


    ¡°That might not be the worst idea,¡± Ling Qi said agreeably. ¡°Will you be alright now though?¡±


    ¡°I think I will,¡± Xiulan replied, looking down at her good hand and flexing her fingers as sparks danced between the digits. ¡°I should thank you.¡±


    ¡°Think nothing of it,¡± Ling Qi dismissed. ¡°Just do the same for me, if you would.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Xiulan said. ¡°I suppose you had something in mind?¡±


    ¡°I had considered a trip to that shop with the shaved ice desserts to cool your head,¡± Ling Qi teased, relaxing now that her friend seemed to have regained her senses. ¡°But perhaps a visit to the bath house first?¡±


    ¡°That seems acceptable,¡± Xiulan agreed, stepping past her, the glassed soil crunching under her shoes. ¡°I shall have to see if I can do anything with that tangle on your head. I am not the only one who has let themselves go.¡±


    ¡°I let my hair hang free as a choice,¡± They were easily falling back into their old rhythm.


    ¡°Foolish girl, you will be standing before half or more of the notables in the Emerald Seas next week. You cannot seriously mean to go out without even styling your hair.¡± Xiulan rolled her eyes as they exited the ruined training ground.


    If her friend¡¯s smirk was a bit brittle and her playful tone a bit forced, Ling Qi chose not to notice it.


    ***


    Ling Qi was in good cheer as she made her way up the street of the residential district, having parted ways with Xiulan. Their day together had been nostalgic. This past year seemed longer than several of the previous put together. She still worried for her friend, but she wouldn¡¯t infantilize the other girl by following her home to ensure that she went to rest.


    Ling Qi found herself strolling along the street slowly, observing the little homes in their neatly laid out rows. She would miss this place. Despite the troubles she had faced in the Outer Sect this year, this had been her first real home since she had been very young. Although she had decided to leave it behind, she didn¡¯t think she would ever quite shake that connection to the Argent Peak Sect.


    This affection was probably intentional.


    Sixiang whispered.


    She supposed they didn¡¯t. As she arrived at her home, she was surprised to feel Meizhen¡¯s presence inside, as well as Cui¡¯s. The other girl had been busy as well, so they had only seen each other at the Black Pool this week. Stepping inside, Ling Qi made her way to the dining room where she found her friend seated at the table. Meizhen was watching the stars through the window, Cui looped loosely around her shoulders..


    ¡°Taking it easy this last night as well?¡± Ling Qi asked, leaning against the doorframe.


    ¡°I intend to be well rested on the morrow, yes,¡± Bai Meizhen replied softly, idly stroking Cui¡¯s head. Her faintly glowing eyes flicked Ling Qi¡¯s way. ¡°And regardless of what happens, this is the last day we will be living together.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Ling Qi agreed quietly, moving to take a seat beside her friend. Cui¡¯s tongue flicked disdainfully at her. ¡°How is Zhengui? He was cultivating in the garden when I left earlier.¡±


    ¡°Asleep, the child,¡± Cui hissed.


    ¡°Thank you for looking out for him,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°I hope he did not try your patience too much.¡±


    ¡°Cui is always pleased to receive praise and admiration. Do not let her fool you,¡± Meizhen said dryly. Cui turned up her snout in response, not dignifying her cousin¡¯s comment with a response.


    As the resulting silence began to stretch, Ling Qi said, ¡°I¡¯m thankful for everything you¡¯ve done for me since the first day at the Sect. I know I must have been frustrating to deal with.¡±


    ¡°You were,¡± Meizhen agreed, the corners of her lips quirking upward in a smile.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t supposed to agree so readily,¡± Ling Qi complained, her own smile putting the lie to her words. ¡°And¡­ I won¡¯t apologize again, but¡­ I have never meant you harm.¡±


    She could sense Cui¡¯s irritation, but Meizhen simply gave the tiniest of nods, her expression serene. ¡°I know,¡± she acknowledged. ¡°And although I am no Zheng ruffian to share blood oaths, I do wish you to understand that to me, you are my closest friend.¡±


    ¡°You as well,¡± Ling Qi echoed, leaning back in her seat. ¡°We¡¯ll have to seal it over a drink sometime - unless that¡¯s too coarse as well,¡± she added teasingly.


    ¡°I suppose I could look into a vintage from home,¡± Meizhen said, a touch of amusement in her voice. ¡°It is always amusing to see outsiders attempt to keep them down.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you,¡± Ling Qi said with mock confidence before growing more serious. ¡°I¡¯m glad I met you.¡±


    ¡°The feeling is mutual,¡± her best friend replied, looking back to the square of sky visible outside the window. ¡°Good fortune to you in this coming trial, Qi.¡±


    ¡°Good fortune to you as well, Meizhen,¡± Ling Qi murmured, resting her hands behind her head. This was a fine way to spend the last night before the tournament.

 Bonus: Argent Sect Promotional

    Introduction


    With a history that stretches back to the establishment of the third dynasty as a center of learning and the honor of being the first Sect to be granted Imperial Charter, there are few indeed which can claim similar prestige as the Argent Peak Sect. Lying at the center of the mountains of the Wall, the Argent Peak Sect holds a key position in the bulwark which defends the lands and homes of the Emerald Seas province from the rapacious barbarian tribes lurking in their mountain lairs.


    The Argent Peak Sect offers a challenging but controlled environment to young cultivators in which they may explore their first steps on the path of cultivation. These historic lands hold many sites of power, potent spirits, and other trials on which your children may sharpen themselves for the more difficult path ahead. In addition, the Sect offers robust postgraduate support in the case that the Sect is not your chosen career.


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    Sect History


    The Argent Peak Sect began as an institution under the fallen Li clan, an educational project for the development of arts and the training of officers. Founded during the rule of Emperor Ren, it proved to be a successful enterprise, turning out many talented officers and officials in its three thousand years of history. Things changed when the barbarians massed under the beast Ogodei, as it did for all of us.


    Like many institutions in the south, the Argent Peak Sect was overrun in the invasion, but the hero and current Sect Head Yuan He proved his worth in those days, coordinating the remnants of those defeated by Ogodei¡¯s foul tricks and monstrous tactics. Uniting the scattered strength of the Empire with the assistance of the exalted Prince An, the barbarian leader was defeated and the people of the Emerald Seas breathed safe again.


    Granted Imperial commendation at the recommendation of Prince An, the Honorable Yuan He became the Sect head and supervised the expansion of the Argent Peak Sect into the institution and bulwark that it is today. The prestige of its alumni has only grown! Notable personages include¡­


    Duchess Cai Shenhua: Her Radiant Grace once attended these storied mountains as a disciple, spending her early years enjoying our educational opportunities before returning home in the wake of the Thousand Wing incursion.


    Prime Minister Diao Linqin: The glorious matriarch of the Diao clan arose here as well, first as disciple and then as elder before returning to take position in the renowned Diao clan.


    ... The text goes on, listing high officials, generals, and various prominent heads of viscount clans in the south.


    Enrollment


    Enrollment in the Argent Peak Sect is a strict matter. While the proving ground of the Outer Sect is open to all applicants able to pay the fee or for whom the fee is covered through Imperial and provincial programs, entrance into the Sect proper is not so easily obtained. To maintain the high quality of our disciple body and departments, only a limited number of Outer Sect applicants will be elevated each year. Disciples have the option of participating in a test of martial skill and valor in the New Year¡¯s Tournament or alternatively, in a test of production ability through the means of a rigorous exam and project presentation. Meritorious service to the Sect may also allow individual elevation.


    However, even the Outer Sect offers many opportunities for those without a strong foundation to connect with the future lords and ladies of the Emerald Seas and even provinces abroad. In addition, the Outer Sect grounds contain curated trial and tribulation opportunities for cultivators of every stripe with only minimal risk of lethality.


    Careers


    The Argent Peak Sect offers not only opportunities in the wider Empire but also many internal career paths as well.


    The Talisman Department: Renowned in the Emerald Seas, the Argent Peak Sect¡¯s talisman department is headed by the Honorable Sima Jiao, a retired Minister of Integrity. The department is at the forefront of developments in ranged war solutions in the Emerald Seas, and new formation researchers and talented craftsmen are required to keep the engine of innovation moving forward. The Sect offers competitive contracts to aspiring Formation Masters.


    The Medicine Department: It is a grim truth of the world that in the course of defending our beautiful province, injuries and maimings both abound. Thankfully, our skilled and talented medical staff are on hand to provide for our brave soldiers. The Argent Peak Sect¡¯s medical department offers a full route of support through all levels of the Imperial Physician exams, in addition to plentiful experience in the field.


    The Argent Peak Military: These brave souls cannot be forgotten. Though service offers many opportunities elsewhere, the Argent Peak Sect¡¯s fighting forces are second only to the White Plume regiment of Duchess Cai herself in the Emerald Seas. Led by Commander Guan Zhou, son of the heroic Guan Zhong, they stand as an unbreakable bulwark, defending our lands from foreign threats! Join today to attain honor and glory in the name of the Empire!


    Spiritual Affairs Department: It is not an easy task, maintaining the curated experience which enables the safe but rewarding paths to success that our Sect offers. For those with the patience, skill, and flexibility to join this department, there are many rewards indeed, including privileged access to spirits and sites in newly claimed land and preferential assessment of resource assignment.


    ... The document goes on to describe increasingly minor groups and internal institutions.


    Apply to Argent Peak Sect today and gain the keys to a bright future!


    Note: Please contact through official channels at the Ministry of Communications. Enrollment forms and fees must be finalized and paid by the first of the new year and no later. Fees will not be refunded upon withdrawal of an enrolled disciple. Extra provincial disciples must apply through the Ministry of Travel or receive direct Imperial or ducal allowance. The Argent Peak Sect makes no additional blood or loyalty claims on enrolled disciples, and clans maintain all access and fealty rights to records of activity by their members.

 Chapter 185-Preliminaries 1

    ¡°Where in the world did all of this come from?¡± Ling Qi asked in amazement as she strode along behind Cai Renxiang and beside Gan Guangli.


    The empty fields to the north of the tournament grounds had transformed since she had last seen them. During her brief stint as a cleaner, she hadn¡¯t given the fields much thought besides thinking it odd that so much cleared land wasn¡¯t being put to use. Now, they were crowded with structures and people. Brightly colored pavilions and waving pennants bore symbols and characters declaring allegiance to dozens of clans, standing side by side with palatial structures which seemed to have sprung up overnight.


    ¡°The tournament and the surrounding events will consume an entire week. It is only natural that the nobility coming to observe display their wealth and status in their lodgings,¡± Cai Renxiang replied without turning around.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t referring to that,¡± Ling Qi frowned, peering up at a towering structure, more castle than palace, bearing the colors of the Xuan. ¡°Is it really so easy to build such things so quickly? From what you¡¯ve given me to study, isn¡¯t establishing settlements supposed to be difficult?¡±


    ¡°You are correct, Miss Ling,¡± Gan Guangli said. His booming voice was nearly swallowed up by the noise of the visitors¡¯ field and the hundreds of servants hustling on the orders of their masters. ¡°Beautiful and wondrous as such things might be, they are not meant to last and so are unsuitable for permanent settlement.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded as they made their way through the crowd, Cai Renxiang¡¯s presence keeping the path clear for them. Reading between the lines, ¡°instant¡± buildings were a luxury for showing off, rather than something practical. Given that the vast majority of the clans present were content with elaborate cloth pavilions, the buildings must be extremely expensive.


    Sixiang mused. She could feel the spirit observing everything with interest through her eyes.


    Zhengui said. She felt as if he were squirming in discomfort in her dantian.


    Her little brother had the right of it. The clashing presence of the many, many powerful auras present overlapped and pressed on her from every direction. Human, beast, and spirit - the least of them were her match, and the rest far overhead. Only harried servants and common guards stood below her here.


    she thought soothingly. She had a feeling that he could feel her own nerves about the upcoming meeting.


    The three of them weren¡¯t wandering without purpose. Cai Renxiang was going to present herself to her Mother, here, before the start of the tournament. As the heiress¡¯ retainers, she and Gan Guangli would naturally be present as well.


    How could she not be nervous in the face of that?


    Busy with her thoughts, it didn¡¯t take long for the three of them to reach the edge of the field where a large space had been left studiously empty, its borders marked by white plumed guards standing ramrod straight at the corners.


    Ling Qi let out a soft breath as they came to a stop. ¡°Ah¡­ how will the Duchess be arriving anyway?¡± she asked quietly to Gan Guangli as Cai Renxiang spoke to one of the guards. Ling Qi observed as the man began to wave some nearby servants to begin unrolling a carpet for them so that when the time came, they would not be kneeling in the dirt and grass.


    ¡°Her Grace will arrive in her carriage, I believe,¡± Gan Guangli said, his wide arms crossed over his shining breastplate. ¡°It is primarily used for her bi-decennial tours of the province¡¯s major holdings and settlements, but it is also a symbol of power and prestige. I cannot imagine that our honored Duchess would arrive here in anything less.¡±


    ¡°Guangli is correct. The Duchess will be here shortly,¡± Cai Renxiang said as she returned to them, gesturing for them to take their places on the newly spread carpet. ¡°Keep your eyes on the sky, and enter supplication when the shadow reaches the landing area,¡± she instructed stiffly. Ling Qi was certain that in this instance, the slight nerves that the heiress was showing were no mere affectation.


    Ling Qi nervously fingered the flower ornament woven into her hair as she took her place at Cai Renxiang¡¯s left. Xiulan had helped her put up her glittering hair into an actual style, pins and braids giving order to the usual chaos of her tresses, but it was hard not to feel underprepared.


    They waited in silence for some time before Ling Qi felt it. A prickling sensation on the back of her neck. A mounting pressure upon her thoughts. Sixiang sunk away into the depths of her mind, curling up and making themselves small like a frightened child, and a low sensation of alarm arose from Zhengui.


    It began as a bright dot in the north, a star shining in the day, but rapidly resolved itself into something more clear. Ling Qi had seen the sealed carriages of the nobility in Tonghou, leaving through the gates and given a wide berth by everyone sane. But even leaving aside its flight, this made those carriages seem like the lowest peasants¡¯ rickety wagons.


    The Duchess¡¯ carriage was the size of a small house, its frame and shutters carved from gleaming white wood. Its tiled roof was a brilliant green jade from which strings of living flowers hung. Its two wide wheels were shod with some actinic blue metal that shone with an internal light and rolled forward on crackling storm clouds that billowed out from their spokes. The creatures galloping through the sky, drawing the carriage toward them were no mere spirit horses. Their gleaming silver scales and long, curved horns crackling with heavenly power showed them to be qilin, dragon horses, rare and reclusive beasts that inhabited the more lonely stretches of the Wall.


    It took only moments for the carriage to go from barely visible to passing overhead. The instant it did, she followed Cai Renxiang¡¯s lead and dropped smoothly to her knees in a supplicant¡¯s pose. All around her, the Duchess¡¯ guards took the knee as well, and servants scurried away.


    Ling Qi kept her head lowered as the thunder of sparking hooves pounding against the air approached, growing louder by the moment. The shadow on the ground circled, growing larger with each pass, until finally, the qilins¡¯ hooves and the spinning wheels of the carriage struck the earth, charring the grass as storm clouds began to dissipate from beneath it.


    As the carriage rolled to a stop, the great scaled beasts, fifth or perhaps even sixth grade, which had been drawing it tossed their heads impatiently, lightning dancing along the stiff ¡°beards¡± which grew from their jaws. Then, the door of the carriage swung open, and all thought of the spirit beasts left her mind. Power, thick and cloying, beat down on her back like the weight of a mountain. If she were not already kneeling, Ling Qi doubted that she would have been able to stay standing. It was a fight to keep her breathing even as she saw a set of shimmering stairs form, composed wholly of light, bridging the gap between the floor of the carriage and the earth below. It was nearly invisible compared to the radiance that had erupted from within the carriage at the opening of the door.


    A dusky skinned woman in a gown the color of pale rose petals stepped out first, but Ling Qi could not have described her further if asked at swordpoint. The presence which emanated from the carriage was that overwhelming. The first woman did turn though, offering a hand to aid the woman who emerged. It struck Ling Qi as absurd, the idea that the Duchess could need such a thing.


    The Duchess Cai was tall, taller than Gan Guangli in his base state, taller than Elder Zhou. She did not have the doll-like proportions of a traditional beauty, but instead a generous and statuesque figure well displayed by the scandalous garment she wore. The pure white fabric clung to her like a second skin, traced by lines of the palest blue, and the butterflies embroidered across the lower half moved, fluttering across rippling silk and even the knee-high slit in the right side of the gown as she descended the steps.


    Although she could not see the Duchess¡¯ face at this angle, the tightness of her gown did make one other detail clear. Her stomach held a slight but distinct curve, which, given that Ling Qi had never seen a cultivator put on even a single kilogram of unintentional weight, could mean only one thing.


    ¡°Renxiang, you may raise your head.¡± The Duchess¡¯ voice was smoky and almost casual in tone, but the light and power beating down on her back precluded any notion of relaxation. ¡°It has been some time since last we spoke, my daughter.¡±


    ¡°It honors me immensely that you would choose to come here for this humble daughter,¡± Cai Renxiang said submissively. Ling Qi saw the heiress rise smoothly from full supplication to kneeling attention, her long hair swaying with the motion. ¡°Please allow me to offer you welcome to the Argent Peak Sect. I hope its hospitality will meet your needs.¡±


    ¡°Minister Linqin?¡± the Duchess spoke with the touch of a question.


    The woman now standing a step behind the Duchess spoke in an easy, professional tone, untroubled by the terrible power churning in the air. ¡°It will be sufficient for your needs, my lady.¡±


    ¡°Very good,¡± Cai Shenhua acknowledged. ¡°Renxiang, ask the question that burns on your tongue.¡±


    ¡°While I would not dream of demanding information from you, Honored Mother... why have I not previously been informed of your condition?¡± Ling Qi¡¯s liege asked promptly. Even Ling Qi could see the tension in the girl¡¯s shoulders; she was as off-balance as Ling Qi had ever seen her.


    ¡°Do not feel slighted, my daughter,¡± the Duchess replied easily, but the pulse of the light radiating from her turned even that casual statement into a command. ¡°I have deemed the situation stable, and thus, I will be making the knowledge public as of this day. Rejoice, Renxiang. You shall soon have a younger sister.¡±


    ¡°This is truly a joyous occasion,¡± Cai Renxiang replied, almost mechanically. ¡°I will look forward to greeting her.¡±


    ¡°I expect so,¡± Cai Shenhua said, and Ling Qi saw her take a languid step forward, carrying her closer to the three of them. ¡°Now, I have reviewed reports of your progress and found them satisfactory, but for some things, a letter simply does not do. Cai Renxiang, introduce these two that you have deemed worthy of working in our name.¡±


    ¡°I present to you Gan Guangli and Ling Qi, who I believe to be two of our province¡¯s most promising, formerly unattached young talents,¡± Cai Renxiang answered, visibly regaining control of herself and her voice. ¡°Gan Guangli has shown great talent as an officer and forged the undisciplined Outer disciples into passable military order under great limitations in both time and resources. He has been an able second in matters of combat when my presence was required elsewhere. He has achieved the third realm in only three years of cultivation.¡±


    ¡°This is that soldier boy you picked up during your provincial tour... He has grown, hasn¡¯t he?¡± the Duchess asked rhetorically, sounding amused.


    Cai Renxiang paused, giving her Mother time to speak further if she wished before continuing, ¡°Ling Qi¡¯s talents have few competitors. Through her personal efforts, an entire enemy power block was broken in a single night, and her aid in gathering intelligence against the Sun Princess was invaluable.¡± Cai Renxiang was laying it on a bit thick, but Ling Qi wasn¡¯t going to complain. ¡°She has achieved her current cultivation in only a single year, having arrived at the Sect as a mortal.¡±


    ¡°Hoh? How nostalgic.¡± Ling Qi felt her skin crawl as the Duchess¡¯ attention fell on her like a lead weight. ¡°Both of you, raise your heads. I would see the faces of my daughter¡¯s first retainers.¡±


    Ling Qi carefully did so, copying Cai Renxiang¡¯s posture, although she angled her head a bit lower. Given her status, it would be rude to look the Duchess in the eye without a direct command, which ¡°raise your head¡± was not. Nobles loved to make things confusing.


    Cai Shenhua¡¯s gown was even more scandalous than she had first realized. It bared her shoulders entirely, only gauzy lace prevented more than a hint of cleavage from being visible. Her hair was black as midnight, much like her daughter¡¯s, but cut to her shoulders. Glittering, gem-like threads were woven between the strands, refracting the woman¡¯s radiance into a multitude of colors. What little she could see of the Duchess¡¯ features were as sharp and severe as the light radiating down from them.


    Ling Qi watched out of the corner of her eyes as the woman casually paced over to stand in front of the kneeling Gan Guangli, every step a promise of order and absolute authority. She towered over him with her arms crossed loosely over her rounded stomach. ¡°Young man, why do you follow my daughter?¡±


    ¡°Lady Cai Renxiang is the woman who will bring about the world I aspire to.¡± Gan Guangli¡¯s booming voice was somber and serious, all bombastic affectation gone. ¡°For that goal, I will fight for her until my body and spirit lie broken.¡± Well, maybe not all of it.


    The Duchess was silent, and Gan Guangli remained silent as well, his gaze fixed on a point somewhere behind the power standing before him. Eventually, the Duchess gave a shallow nod of acknowledgement. ¡°I see. Do try not to break too quickly then,¡± she said almost flippantly.


    Then she was standing before Ling Qi, and Ling Qi¡¯s breath hitched at the returned force of the Duchess¡¯ attention, which only grew worse when the woman spoke. ¡°Look at me,¡± she commanded, and Ling Qi could do naught but obey, raising her eyes to meet those of Cai Renxiang¡¯s Mother.


    Over the last few minutes, listening to the powerful woman¡¯s casual speech and watching her movements, Ling Qi had begun to believe that perhaps Cai Renxiang¡¯s fears were overblown, that rumor had painted a skewed picture of this woman. Those thoughts vanished like the morning mist when she met Cai Shenhua¡¯s eyes.


    There was no pupil or iris there, only pits of burning colorless light in the shape of human eyes, portals through which something vast and terrible peered from behind a shell of human skin. She could faintly feel the sensation of watering eyes, but her vision remained unblurred, tears seared away the moment they dared form. It was as the sun to a mortal, unfathomable and unrelenting, yet there could be no succour, no averting her gaze. There was only the Light, and she knew that she would stare forever, until it scoured her mind and bleached her soul.


    ¡°This one, on the other hand¡­ I approve, Renxiang. It seems you have inherited my aesthetic tastes.¡± Some distant part of Ling Qi¡¯s mind that wasn¡¯t screaming danger at her was confused until the Duchess¡¯ gaze flicked away, drawing hers with it to the other woman present.


    Minister Diao Linqin, with her dark skin and neatly combed but clearly wavy dark brown hair, looked back, unamused. ¡°My lady, perhaps now is not the time for jests,¡± she reminded gently, somehow unphased by the Duchess¡¯ attention.


    The woman-monster hummed and gestured for her to lower her head, allowing Ling Qi to quickly fix her eyes back on the carpet. Ling Qi caught Cai Renxiang shooting her a look of genuine apology on the way back to staring at the carpet.


    As she gathered her wits, the Duchess spoke once again. ¡°If not among family, then when?" the elder Cai rebutted, a sarcastic twist on her lips. Ling Qi had no idea if it was genuine or if the woman before her was even capable of humor. It made her recall Sixiang''s comments regarding the younger Cai. Was this what Cai Renxiang was crafted in the image of? "Allow me to put the same question to you, young lady. Why do you follow my daughter?¡±


    Under that burning gaze, Ling Qi found the pressure to speak her mind increasing by the moment yet. Every bit of coaching she had received flew out of her head, scattered like dust in a windstorm. Ling Qi panicked as she internally flailed for an answer.

 Chapter 186-Preliminaries 2

    Sixiang¡¯s mental voice sounded tiny in her thoughts, an echo of an echo, but it was enough. Ling Qi knew she was better than this. Hadn¡¯t she mastered the Argent Mirror? Wasn¡¯t she supposed to know herself?


    That was the trouble though. The Mirror couldn¡¯t provide answers on its own; it was only a tool reflecting what was there. Ling Qi had many reasons for joining Cai Renxiang but no easy way to distill her motivations down to a single statement. Taking a breath, Ling Qi put her thoughts in order and began to speak.


    ¡°Your daughter offers me strength and a solid foundation from which to grow for both myself and my family,¡± she said, careful to speak evenly. ¡°And I think I would like to live in and up to the sort of order she wishes to create.¡±


    Ling Qi kept her eyes on the ground, trying not to give any indication of her nervousness as the beat of silence that followed her words stretched on. Had that answer been good enough?


    Ling Qi felt her shoulders stiffen as the Cai matriarch made a thoughtful sound. ¡°I do not hate such pragmatic attitudes,¡± she mused. ¡°See that you do not allow yourself to waver in your devotion to our order.¡± There was something in the older woman¡¯s tone, some thread of amusement directed at her, that raised the hairs on the back of her neck in alarm.


    She felt that Duchess¡¯ radiant gaze turning away from her and nearly sagged in relief. ¡°Minister, see to our lodgings. If I recall, Sect Head Yuan requested that he be allowed a meeting when I arrived.¡±


    ¡°You are correct, my lady. I will ensure that there are no troubles here.¡±


    ¡°Very good,¡± the Duchess allowed languidly, the silk of her dress swishing faintly as she turned back to Renxiang. ¡°I am satisfied with your performance, Renxiang. I expect that to continue.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Mother. I will not bring shame to our clan,¡± the younger Cai promised, a hint of tightness in her voice.


    There was no further response as the Duchess vanished in a literal flash, searing a line of radiance into Ling Qi¡¯s vision as the beam of light that she had become receded into the distance toward the mountains, taking the terrible oppressiveness of her aura along with her. Ling Qi let out a breath she hadn¡¯t known she was holding and began to raise her head.


    As she did, Minister Diao Linqin, who had turned to watch the Duchess go, turned back to them. Absent the overwhelming presence of Cai Shenhua, Ling Qi was able to actually focus on the other woman. Ling Qi noted for the first time the wreath of pink roses woven into the coiled braids holding the woman¡¯s hair and her slim dancer¡¯s figure. Diao Linqin was a riveting beauty in her own right, despite her atypical features. Ling Qi wasn¡¯t quite sure how to categorize the feeling that gave her, given the Duchess¡¯ earlier words.


    Her thoughts were interrupted as the older woman¡¯s demure expression took on a colder edge as she surveyed the three of them. It reminded Ling Qi that this woman was a power in her own right - seventh realm, and the head of a count clan. Ling Qi felt her breath catch as their eyes met, and for the briefest instant, she felt small, a tiny flower barely bloomed, rooted in the midst of the twisting, thorny vines of a garden of transcendently beautiful roses which extended far beyond her senses. The roses were prepared to strangle the life from her and from any other upstart which dared encroach upon its bed.


    The instant passed, and she was once more looking at a woman, beautiful and elegant, but no more than that. The Minister¡¯s green eyes rested on Cai Renxiang, who met her cool look with one of her own.


    ¡°You are all dismissed,¡± the Minister said after a moment. ¡°I trust that you know what is expected of you, Cai Renxiang?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Minister Diao,¡± Cai Renxiang replied calmly, her poise recovered. ¡°Please continue to take good care of my Lady Mother.¡±


    A flicker of a smile touched the older woman¡¯s lips as she turned back to the carriage with a sound of swishing silks. ¡°Continue to make yourself valuable, Cai Renxiang,¡± she said in clear dismissal.


    Ling Qi stood alongside her liege, glancing between the two of them before Cai Renxiang led her and Gan Guangli away. She held her tongue until they were well away and cloaked by the noise of passersby to boot.


    ¡°... May I ask what that was about?¡± Ling Qi asked, pitching her voice low.


    ¡°The good Minister is not fond of our Lady,¡± Gan Guangli answered, his voice a low rumble. Even his boisterous spirit was subdued in the wake of that encounter.


    ¡°It is nothing to be concerned over,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°Diao Lingqin¡¯s loyalty to my Mother is absolute. If she is acting against me¡­¡±


    Then they had bigger problems, Linq Qi finished, but she wasn¡¯t sure it was so simple. She wondered why a grown woman of such power would openly dislike someone Cai Renxiang¡¯s age. Ling Qi re-focused on the tension she could see in the heiress¡¯ shoulders.


    ¡°I am sure the Duchess is simply further solidifying the foundation of the Cai now that you have proven that you can be trusted to do well on your own,¡± she offered as they passed between a pair of ostentatious tents.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Gan Guangli agreed. ¡°With a second daughter of your caliber, the position of the Cai is only more secure.¡±


    She caught a glimpse of the other girl¡¯s face as she glanced back at the two of them. There was a vulnerability there that seemed alien. ¡°... Of course. Mother prizes efficiency above most else,¡± she said before turning her eyes forward once more. ¡°It is only sensible that she begin developing other resources as well.¡±


    Sixiang murmured, giving the impression of peeking out of a hiding place.


    It was nice to hear that her spirits hadn¡¯t fainted, Ling Qi thought wryly. She had been worried that she was alone for a moment there.


    her little brother said. His thought trailed off into a shudder of unease.


    She sent him a feeling of reassurance; she hadn¡¯t meant to imply that she was upset with him. Ling Qi turned her attention back to her human companions as they reached the central ¡°square¡± of the campgrounds.


    ¡°Our time until the opening ceremonies is short,¡± Cai Renxiang said as she faced the two of them, her usual expression firmly back in place. ¡°As we discussed, we will be splitting the duty of providing greetings and regards to those visitors relevant to the interests of the Cai.¡±


    ¡°I will ensure that the Wang and Jia clans, as well as the other Sect contingents, receive their proper welcome,¡± Gan Guangli agreed, thumping his gauntleted fist against his breastplate.


    They had spoken about this on the way over to the campgrounds. There were a number of groups only here because Cai Renxiang was or who were simply important enough for the Cai to give them face. Ling Qi was still trying to keep it all straight.


    ¡°And I will see to the Bai and Xuan,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed, for it would be insulting for anyone less than the heiress to show up at the doorstep of the ducal clans. It still rankled a bit that she couldn¡¯t be the one to greet Meizhen¡¯s family.


    ¡°And I have the Bao and the Luo,¡± Ling Qi said. Ling Qi would greet the Bao because she was at least acquainted with the third daughter of the house, and had the responsibility for the other because she expected her moon ties to be the most helpful there.


    ¡°And the Golden Fields?¡± Cai Renxiang asked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°I am aware that the matter is somewhat complex, but you do have the strongest connections there as well.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced away, pursing her lips. Cai had spoken to her about being the one to go and offer their regards to the far flung province¡¯s contingent, but she wasn¡¯t sure if she wanted to insert herself further into the politics of that place. She knew Cai Renxiang would shoulder that burden if she didn¡¯t, but she was giving Ling Qi the opportunity to further those ties if she wanted. Given the cursory nature of the meetings with the two count clans, Ling Qi would have time for a third meeting.


    ¡°I can handle the Golden Fields,¡± Ling Qi replied after a moment¡¯s thought. Even in her own head, her concerns regarding the matter seemed petty and ill founded. If she couldn¡¯t deal with a somewhat awkward meeting, she should probably give up now.


    Her liege nodded once, and to Ling Qi¡¯s eye, she seemed satisfied with her answer. Leaving Cai Renxiang with only two meetings would give her a moment to recenter herself before the tournament. That was another reason not to increase the other girl¡¯s burden.


    ¡°I wish you both good fortune then and will see you at the opening ceremonies of the tournament,¡± Cai Renxiang said, meeting their gazes. ¡°Remember what I have taught you of the province¡¯s politics.¡±


    Once the two of them gave their affirmative responses, the three of them split apart. They had gone over the locations and the best order of visitation before even coming to the campgrounds, so Ling Qi already knew where to go. Her first destination was the Bao, who was both the larger clan and the one better connected with the court in the capital. The man they had sent was their clan¡¯s young master, the eldest son of the current head, whereas the Luo had sent an older cousin from a branch family.


    Thei Bao¡¯s space was placed on the west side, a short walk from the grand pavilion of white silk being erected for the Duchess. The Bao had elected for an expensive temporary structure, a small guest house that was nonetheless larger than the three story home she had provided her mother in town. It was surrounded by a low curtain wall and a built-in garden. Its roof was tiled with green jade, and the walls were carved from a dark, nearly black wood, polished to a gleaming shine.


    A man and a woman dressed in light lacquered armor over finely padded gear in the Bao¡¯s colors stood guard at the gates. Their stances, alert and at attention, straightened up further as she approached.


    LIng Qi stopped at a respectful distance, just off the main path where she would not be impeding traffic, and gave a very small bow appropriate to greeting the subordinates of a cultivator who outranked her.


    ¡°Baroness Ling, presenting herself to offer greetings and well wishes to the representative of the Bao in the name of the Cai clan,¡± she said smoothly, remembering the line by rote.


    The woman, who looked to be the older of the two, bowed in return. ¡°This humble sentry will be honored to carry word of your presence to the Young Master, Baroness Ling.¡± The reply had the same air of practised ease as her own line. ¡°I must humbly ask for your patience in the interim.¡±


    Ling Qi reviewed her etiquette lessons in her head. The guard¡¯s response was a bit more respectful than was strictly necessary given the difference in ranks involved here. Knowing that, she adjusted her response accordingly.


    ¡°Do not trouble yourself with undue haste,¡± she said. ¡°Please give your Master my personal regards for his courtesy.¡± Talking like this all the time was going to be tiring, Ling Qi thought.


    Sixiang whispered, amused at her internal grumbling.


    That didn¡¯t exactly square with the lessons of Argent Mirror, Ling Qi mused as the guard bowed again and went inside, leaving her under the watch of the other one. Then again, that was likely her inexperience speaking. Sect Head Yuan, the inventor of the Argent arts, surely had experience dealing with courtly matters; she doubted that his art would conflict with such an essential part of cultivator life.


    She was not kept waiting long. The guard returned to escort her inside, letting her pass through the gates and into the garden. It was lovely, filled with all sorts of plants which she did not recognize, making Zhengui forget his woes regarding the earlier meeting with the Duchess in favor of drooling over the array of treats.


    The decor of the Bao¡¯s guest home was one of understated luxury, but she was almost brought up short as she left the entrance hall and caught sight of what could only be the man she had come here to meet. Bao Quan was a man of middling height with a heavyset build and cheerful features. He was also more extravagantly dressed than any male cultivator she had ever seen before, not counting the abominable robes that Elder Jiao favored. Threads of precious metals she only recognized from books were woven into his robes, and jade rings adorned his fingers. Even his luxurious, chest length beard was kept in place by clips carved whole from valuable gemstones, and the black scholar¡¯s cap he wore had a diamond the size of a child¡¯s fist embedded in the cloth, set right above and between his eyes.


    This flashy guy was the older brother of Li Suyin¡¯s dour and reclusive senior sister?


    Despite her surprise, she remembered to keep her manners as the guard who had led her into the room where the Bao representative was seated bowed low to her master. ¡°My lord, may I introduce Baroness Ling, as requested.¡±


    Ling Qi bowed in turn, bringing her hands together respectfully as she did so. ¡°Sir Bao Quan, you honor me with a direct meeting,¡± she recited. ¡°This humble retainer of the Cai would like to convey her liege¡¯s thanks and well wishes toward your personage and your clan.¡±


    The older man was only silent for a beat before he rose from his seat, a jovial smile on his thick features. ¡°I hear and accept them, young Baroness,¡± he replied cheerfully, flicking a hand in dismissal toward his guard. And why not? He was in the fourth realm of cultivation, his aura a glittering, gleaming thing that spoke of the untold wealth of the earth. ¡°I suppose the Lady herself is entertaining the Bai and Xuan delegations?¡±


    ¡°She is, Sir Bao,¡± Ling Qi answered, straightening up after an appropriate interval. She couldn¡¯t let her guard down just because he seemed friendly. ¡°I sincerely hope that you do not take my presence as a slight.¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± the man scoffed. ¡°I am aware enough of my own position. The Xuan are our greatest external customers, and opening up those reclusive Bai to further relations would be quite a coup. This turmoil between provinces has been terrible for business,¡± he grumbled good-naturedly. ¡°But I am being a rude host. Be seated, be seated,¡± he continued, gesturing at the other seat in the room, a richly upholstered chair that probably cost more than her house.


    Ling Qi waited a beat for her host to take his seat first before doing as he instructed. Sitting in it felt like sinking into a cloud. ¡°You are too kind, Sir Bao.¡± The constant refrains of humility were a little irritating, but she could put up with something small like that. ¡°My lady Cai would like to express her gratitude at your arrival here to witness her graduation.¡±


    ¡°I look forward to seeing the Young Miss¡¯ triumph. The Bao could hardly offer the insult of ignoring such an occasion,¡± he said with a small chortle. ¡°Besides, it does give me a chance to visit my adorable little sister.¡±


    Ling Qi paused, picturing Bao Qingling¡¯s unhealthy pallor, dark ringed eyes, and expression of bland disinterest. She wasn¡¯t sure of any definition of the word ¡°adorable¡± which that girl fit. Thankfully, she kept any of that dubiousness from reaching her expression. ¡°Miss Bao is doing well,¡± she said instead. ¡°I am sure she will be pleased to see you.¡±


    The older man looked at her with some interest, folding his hands over his stomach. ¡°Ah, yes, I do believe she mentioned you once in her letters. A friend of her little project, was it?¡±


    ¡°Just so,¡± Ling Qi replied, feeling a little put out at the mildly demeaning description of her friend. ¡°I have visited her workshop once or twice. It is very impressive.¡±


    ¡°Such an industrious girl, my sister,¡± Bao Quan said, looking pleased. ¡°So shy though. I shall have to pay her a visit.¡± He shook his head slightly. ¡°So, Miss Ling, before we grow too distracted, was there any other business the young Lady Cai had to convey?¡±


    ¡°Only a few small matters,¡± Ling Qi demurred, producing a small bundle of letters from her sleeve with a flick of her wrist. A slight flexing of the air around her carried the letters into the older cultivator¡¯s hands. ¡°Lady Cai has asked me to convey to you these recommendations for production disciples which might be worth some small attention...¡±


    Her talk with the Bao representative went on for a bit longer as they reviewed the small matters Cai had asked her to convey and engaged in polite small talk. For what it was worth, Bao Quan did seem like a genuinely cheerful and mostly pleasant man, so Ling Qi thought the meeting went well.

 Chapter 187-Preliminaries 3

    It was a good thing her first meeting went so well because it left her unstressed for the next.


    The Luo representative was housed in more modest accommodations than the Bao. Rather than a house, they set up a number of tents surrounding a larger pavilion made of a thicker sort of cloth. If she remembered her lessons correctly, the Luo controlled a fair amount of pasture land; they and their subordinates bred a few particular types of livestock with special properties. It would make sense for them to use their own products.


    The guards at the Luo¡¯s entrance were dressed more like woodsmen than city guards. They had been less polite in their greetings, though still within the bounds of propriety. Ling Qi had been led to one of the side tents to wait on the arrival of their representative. The inside of the tent was comfortable enough, the bare ground covered by thick rugs and colorful cushions, and was lit by the soft light of a floating paper lantern suspended in midair.


    Ling Qi thought as she settled in to wait.


    her spirit sent back.


    Ling Qi restrained herself from snorting at that half compliment. She couldn¡¯t gainsay the spirit though. It was still difficult not to slip back into more casual modes of speech by accident. She turned her attention instead to Zhengui and prodded him with a feeling of concern.


    he replied in her thoughts, sounding distracted.


    Now that they were away from the Bao¡¯s garden, Zhengui had returned to being on edge about the sheer number of powerful people she was surrounded by. There was little she could do to reassure him on the matter, not when Ling Qi was bothered as well.


    Ling Qi was distracted from her thoughts when the tent flap opened, revealing one of the lightly armored guards holding it open for a much older man. The Luo representative, Luo Jie, was a spindly sort to her eye. He had long limbs and a thin build, partially concealed by the ankle-length cloak of soft leather worn over his shoulders, concealing the rest of his attire. Luo Jie had narrow, severe features, marked by a surprising amount of wrinkles for a cultivator, mostly around his mouth and at the corners of his eyes. His head was clean shaven and bare, but a long thin gray mustache framed his frowning lips.


    Ling Qi rose to her feet and offered a bow to the elderly cultivator, trying to ignore the man¡¯s unsettling aura. Luo Jie¡¯s aura felt like being alone and unarmed in the woods at night while predatory eyes gleamed from within every shadow. His realm of power was unreadable.


    ¡°Eight Maiden''s blessing on you, Sir Luo,¡± she said calmly, Sixiang¡¯s murmurs feeding her the right words. ¡°I offer my gratitude for this meeting, and the chance to offer my Lady¡¯s regards and well wishes.¡±


    The older man¡¯s head tilted slightly, his already half-lidded eyes narrowing further as he examined her. ¡°May the Dreamer¡¯s attentions remain benign, child,¡± he grunted, offering only a perfunctory nod in response to her bow as the guard allowed the flap of the tent to close behind him. ¡°You are Baroness Ling then?¡±


    Sixiang felt a little huffy at his response, but Ling Qi forged on. ¡°I am, Sir Luo. I hope that my presence is satisfactory.¡±


    The old man waved a gnarled hand dismissively, picking his way across the thick carpet. ¡°I accept your Lady¡¯s intentions. The question is, do you know them?¡± he asked, fixing her with a look that told her that he was not yet impressed.


    Ling Qi hesitated before straightening up and meeting his eyes. In a more normal situation, it would have been rude, but the families that followed the older ways had their own traditions. ¡°Lady Cai believes that I can more easily relate to you and yours given my own affiliation with the moon.¡±


    Luo Jie smiled thinly in response. ¡°You have a maiden with you, true, hiding in your thoughts, and the scent of moonlight on your skin. Do you imagine that privileges you, Baroness Ling?¡±


    Ling Qi listened to Sixiang¡¯s whispers as she considered her answer. ¡°Sir Luo, I am not of any of the old families, but I do regard the spirit we both revere as a patron. I cannot say I understand all of the differences between your ways and others. I have only just begun to learn the Imperial ways after all,¡± she began answering, emphasizing that at the moment, she didn¡¯t have a side. ¡°I am, of course, willing to receive instruction on these matters.¡±


    The older man crossed his arms under his cloak. ¡°Mmph, good enough,¡± he muttered before seating himself cross-legged atop one of the larger cushions. ¡°Any voice not entirely bound by that rigid mindset is a boon. See that you retain your flexibility going forward.¡±


    ¡°You can see which moons smile upon me, Honored Elder,¡± she replied mildly at Sixiang¡¯s prompting. ¡°I will not lose sight of the value of an open mind,¡± she finished, seating herself across from him.


    Once again, he gave her a thin smile. ¡°Under blinding light, there is little room for shadows, sleep, and secrets. Be careful in your doings.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Sir Luo,¡± she said. ¡°I thank you for your advice.¡±


    ¡°Regardless, I accept your Lady¡¯s gratitude and regards. Were there other matters you had to speak of?¡±


    ¡°Only a few,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°First, I have a proposal from the Wang clan regarding new livestock populations captured in recent action against the Cloud tribes. Lady Cai believes this may serve to improve provincial unity, so she asks that you will give the matter some thought...¡±


    The rest of her meeting went by quickly enough with the taciturn Luo representative agreeing to consider the matters Cai Renxiang had asked her to bring up. Soon enough, she was on her way, dismissed from the Luo compound and its slightly unsettling inhabitants.


    She had her final, most difficult task left. How Ling Qi approached the Golden Fields contingent would likely serve to bias future interactions with them. The Golden Fields counted among their number people from the Han, Fan, and Gu, not to mention one of the grandsons of the current Duke Guo. Cai Renxiang had asked her to secure an invitation to meet with the Guo.


    She had the most ties with the Gu clan; she was close friends with Xiulan, and she had parted with Gu Tai on good terms. In addition, the representative was Xiulan¡¯s mother, which gave her another connection.


    On the other hand, the Gu were the vassals of the Han, and bypassing the Han like that could be considered rude. But she wasn¡¯t as close with Han Jian, so she wasn¡¯t sure if they would be willing to introduce her to the Guo.


    Ling Qi thought over the possibilities with a frown. In the end, she was probably going to make someone unhappy. Of course, she could just go straight to the Guo, but even as a representative of Cai, that was audacious given her own rank as a Baroness.


    Since her goal was to secure a meeting with the Guo, it made simple sense to go to the family that was most likely to allow her to do so. It would allow her to pay respects to the mother of one of her best friends, and doing so would be a show of filial piety, making the choice to go to the Gu fairly uncontroversial.


    She walked through the sweltering heat of the Gu¡¯s ¡°travel home.¡± It was smaller than the Bao¡¯s near palatial residence had been, but it made up for it in exoticism. It was a single story building crafted whole from the bones and gleaming red scales of a potent spirit beast. Radiant qi emanated from every surface in its interior.


    The Gu guardsman escorting her, dressed in a colorful panopoly with his face concealed behind a crimson headwrap and scarf, seemed unbothered by the heat despite being a realm below her in cultivation.


    Sixiang mused, looking out through her eyes at a wall hanging depicting a phoenix rising from a barren field, streamers of multi-hued fire trailing its wings. Ling Qi had to agree. Even the rich carpet was patterned with rippling lines that called to mind heat hazes and flames. At least Zhengui was finally enjoying himself; the qi emanating from the building had him all but wriggling in happiness in his spiritual form.


    ¡°We are here, Lady Ling,¡± the young guardsman said as they arrived at the end of the hallway before a doorway blocked off by a curtain of diaphanous silk. ¡°Lady Ai will receive you inside,¡± he continued, standing aside to give her room to pass.


    Ling Qi nodded, taking only a moment to prepare herself. She knew very little about Ai Xiaoli, Gu Xiulan¡¯s mother, aside from the fact that she was originally from the Celestial Peaks and had exacting standards about appearances.


    Stepping forward, Ling Qi parted the curtains and stepped inside to find herself in a richly appointed sitting room, not too dissimilar from what she had seen in the Bao residence. She did not let her attention linger long on the decor because the woman, a fifth realm cultivator, seated comfortably on the other side of the small polished table that served as the room¡¯s centerpiece demanded attention.


    Her first thought was that Xiulan¡¯s mother looked like a porcelain doll brought to life. Ai Xiaoli was a petite woman, even shorter than her own mother, and was elegant in appearance. She was pale, but not unnaturally so like Meizhen, and her raven black hair shimmered like silk in the light of the room. There was a faint chiming from the dangling ruby earrings and jade ornaments in her hair as the woman turned to look at her.


    Ling Qi stood before a mirror-like oasis, its azure waters reflecting the clear desert sky. All around her, golden sand stretched into infinity. The lake was surrounded by a riot of green, and colorful fish darted through the clear waters. And yet, the surface was still, unmarred by a single ripple.


    Then Ling Qi blinked and she was simply looking at soft brown eyes beneath long eyelashes. Hastily, Ling Qi bowed respectfully, struck by a nagging inadequacy now that she stood before the living image of what she had been taught a woman should be. The Duchess¡¯ beauty had been harsh and inhuman - and unthreatening for that. It was irrational, she knew, but it really did seem unfair. This was a woman who had five daughters? She barely looked older than Xiulan¡¯s elder sister!


    Ling Qi squeezed her eyes shut. Why was she panicking over something so superficial?


    ¡°My apologies,¡± her host said in a soft voice like the chiming of bells. ¡°That was terribly rude of me.¡±


    Ling Qi cleared her throat but didn¡¯t raise her head as she scrambled to get her thoughts in order. ¡°You have my gratitude for allowing me this meeting, Lady Ai. May I ask what that was though?¡±


    ¡°A minor slip on my part,¡± Xiulan¡¯s mother answered evenly. ¡°My previous meeting was somewhat aggravating.¡± After a beat of silence, she continued, ¡°You may raise your head, Miss Ling. Please have a seat, and I will send for tea. I am interested in speaking with the girl who has made such an impression on my daughter.¡±


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure if she believed Ai Xiaoli¡¯s answer. She had never seen a higher realm cultivator really slip up, but it wasn¡¯t as if she had much experience with meeting such people. Sixiang was silent on the matter, and she could tell the spirit was studying her hostess carefully. ¡°Of course, Lady Ai. Gu Xiulan is among my closest friends, and I was pleased to know that you would be here for her.¡± Straightening up, she took her seat across from the older woman.


    ¡°It is good to know that Xiulan has found another young lady to spend time with,¡± Ai Xiaoli replied neutrally, reaching out to grasp a tiny jade bell on the table and ring it once. The woman¡¯s dainty hands were nearly lost in the silk and lace of her voluminous sleeves. ¡°She has always had a streak of boyishness in her demeanor.¡±


    Ling Qi wondered at that. ¡°Gu Xiulan helped me greatly in learning what was expected of an Imperial lady. She took your lessons very well,¡± she praised. ¡°I am certain she will be more herself when the stress of the tournament is over.¡±


    The woman regarded her from under her thick eyelashes for a moment, and Ling Qi did her best not to squirm under the woman¡¯s piercing gaze. ¡°I am certain you are correct. Although it hurts to see my child in pain, it is¡­ a trial she will overcome,¡± the older woman said, neither her voice nor her expression betraying a single thought. ¡°And I am thankful for the support you have given her in the matter. Unlike some.¡±


    Ling Qi held in a shudder. Something dark had touched Ai Xiaoli¡¯s voice for just a fraction of an instant. ¡°It might be presumptuous for me to say,¡± Ling Qi said carefully, ¡°but it is nothing for which I require thanks.¡±


    Xiulan¡¯s mother considered her. ¡°Is that so? It seems Xiulan is not as poor in her judgement of character as I had worried then.¡± Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure if she should be insulted by that statement. It had been said mildly and without reproach, but¡­


    Sixiang whispered, sounding frustrated.


    Ling Qi tuned out the spirit¡¯s muttering and met her hostess¡¯ eyes, noting the faintest light of amusement there. ¡°Gu Xiulan is hasty at times, but I think her judgement is sound,¡± she said with just a touch of stubbornness that slipped through her control.


    ¡°Indeed. Hastiness is simply in her blood. She is very much her father¡¯s daughter,¡± Ai Xiaoli mused fondly. ¡°I think that is enough talk of serious topics for the moment,¡± she continued as the curtains rustled and a servant arrived to set out the tea.


    Ling Qi glanced at the servant as she finished setting things out and bowed low, receiving only a bare acknowledgement from Xiulan¡¯s mother before respectfully backing from the room. ¡°As you say, Lady Ai,¡± she agreed. ¡°Thank you for your hospitality,¡± she said as she took the cup of shimmering green tea set out for her, the cup hot against her hands.


    ¡°You are welcome to it,¡± the older woman said mildly, leaving her own cup to cool for the moment. ¡°Now, I have heard much of the Sect from Xiulan, but I am certain that she has left things out. Tell me: just what have you children been up to?¡±


    Despite the gulf in cultivation and age between them, Ling Qi recognized the expression so similar to the one Xiulan wore when seeking gossip. Iin some things, Xiulan still took after her Mother. She had no doubt that the woman across from her was fishing for more than personal amusement, but she had no reason not to share. ¡°Well, there are a few things Xiulan might not have been privy to,¡± Ling Qi replied, taking a careful sip from the steaming cup. The heat of the tea made her mouth tingle pleasantly. ¡°If Lady Ai thinks it is important¡­¡±


    Her friend¡¯s mother smiled thinly. ¡°Now, now, no reason to hold back, Miss Ling. We are only amusing ourselves after all. I have a tale or to two which might be of interest as well.¡±


    It was amazing, Ling Qi thought as the two of them began to swap gossip, the commonalities that even powerful cultivators retained with mortals. If Lady Ai¡¯s stories were any indication, Xiulan had been a rambunctious child. It was a little hard to picture proud, self-confident Xiulan skulking her way into the family''s stables because her father had refused to give her a horse of her own when she was six. Getting into fistfights with boys a year or two older and making them cry was a bit more believable. It seemed Xiulan¡¯s temper had actually cooled a fair bit by the time she arrived at the Sect from both cultivation and time spent with her mother.


    In return, Ling Qi shared stories of Sun Liling and the grand ¡°war¡± between Cai Renxiang and her, and eventually, the meeting ended amicably. She now had an invitation to the gathering the Guo would be holding tonight after the preliminaries ended. She might be starting to get the hang of this after all.


    For now, it was time to put politics out of her head and focus on the preliminaries.

 Chapter 188-Preliminaries 4

    Standing under the bright morning sun was far more difficult when facing a sea of cultivators, their many and varied auras mixing in her vision like a smear of nonsensical color.


    She stood alongside Cai Renxiang in the front row of the disciples lined up on the paved path leading to the four arenas. On her other side was Kang Zihao, clad in his sleek silver armor. The proud boy hadn¡¯t even looked at her as they had lined up, standing straight with his eyes forward and his plumed helmet under his arm. All of the other participants were here as well, many of them she only knew from passing sight.


    It was difficult to pay the other disciples any mind with the veritable wall of power which faced them in the stands. In the center of the horseshoe-shaped tournament stands, the glowing star that was Duchess Cai was present in the highest box, shining down like a second sun. A handful of others stood out as well, even in the morass of potent auras, and at this distance, even Ling Qi¡¯s keen eyes could hardly make them out.


    There was a tall man with a great shock of white hair and a long white beard framing his face like a lion¡¯s mane at one end of the horseshoe. At the other end of the horseshoe was a woman with hair the color of steel in a tight bun and burning golden eyes that were all too familiar. A pair of individuals in wide turtle patterned hats and heavy robes were seated beneath the Duchess¡¯ box. Beside them stood a towering red haired man clad in black furs, with biceps as wide as her waist.


    She felt a bead of sweat make its way down her temple. As if the guests¡¯ presence wasn¡¯t enough, above them in midair and floating over the exact center point between the four arenas was Yuan He, Head of the Argent Sect, Hero of the Emerald Seas, Fist of the Heavens, and Slayer of the Great Khan Ogodei. He looked the part. Yuan He was a tall man unbent by age despite deep wrinkles that marked his face and the long white beard which hung past his waist which was bound by ribbons of silk. His hair was short cropped but naturally spiked, and she could scent lightning on him.


    He raised the polished wooden cane which he held in one hand and brought its steelshod point down as if rapping it on the floor. Thunder rang out along with a burst of wind that sent his white over-cloak fluttering, silencing the cacophony of the crowd.


    ¡°Welcome, honored guests, to the Argent Peak Sect,¡± the old man¡¯s voice rang out, deep and commanding. ¡°I welcome you all to witness the fruits of another year of Imperial prosperity. This year¡¯s disciples are among the finest I have seen in this century,¡± Sect Head Yuan said, a touch of pride entering his ancient voice.


    Ling Qi could practically feel the sullen shifting of disciples in the furthest back rows. Although there were other factors, such as Sun Liling and Bai Meizhen being placed at opposite ends of the front line, the disciples were organized mostly by strength of cultivation.


    ¡°I have no doubt that many of them will go on to fulfill momentous roles in our great Empire. I am certain that they are eager to impress you themselves however, so this old man shall not hold your attention for much longer,¡± the Head continued, running his fingers through his beard. ¡°Disciples! The first round is beginning. When your name is called, advance to your assigned stage!¡±


    Ling Qi took a deep breath as her fellow disciples began to be called up one by one, gradually filling the four stages. Sun Liling and Kang Zihao were called to the first arena, along with a bevy of older disciples, Gu Xiulan, Fan Yu, Chu Song, and Huang Da to the second, and finally, Gan Guangli, Ji Rong, Sun Liling¡¯s second, as well as Han Fang, to the fourth. In the end, her name was not called. She would be fighting in the second round of preliminaries.


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes flicked over to where Gu Xiulan stood in the second arena, immaculate in appearance. The only sign of her recent troubles was a few dark, spidery scars half-hidden by cosmetics, the thread of gold veil she wore these days, and the tight cloth wrap on her arm.


    Ling Qi turned her eyes to the fourth arena containing Gan Guangli, Sun Liling¡¯s vassal, Ji Rong, and Han Fang. This was the more dangerous fight, containing at least three actual competitors even if only two would advance from it. She stood to gain the most from watching this one. While Chu Song was a third realm second stage, one stage above Xiulan¡¯s third realm first stage, Ling Qi was confident that Xiulan would advance from her preliminary.


    Ling Qi was distracted from her thoughts then as the air around the arenas began to grow hazy and distorted. Her eyes widened as she looked to the now glowing gemstones set in the pillars at the corners of each arena. Right, there had been formations on those¡­


    As if reading her thoughts, Sect Head Yuan spoke then. ¡°Honored guests, what you see before you now is the craftsmanship of our esteemed Master of Formations and Head of the Talisman Department, Elder Sima Jiao,¡± he announced. ¡°It will provide our disciples with a more varied and realistic battlefield on which to display their talents. Of course, it will not impede your enjoyment of the event. Simply focus your attention upon the disciples you would like to watch, and the formation will ensure you a splendid view.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned at the implication and tried to focus her thoughts on both Xiulan and Gan Guangli, only to wince as her vision exploded into conflicting smears of color. Focusing on more than one disciple was beyond her. Grimacing, she focused on Gan Guangli, and the steadily darkening air around the fourth arena cleared before her eyes, revealing her peer in Cai¡¯s service.


    Within the formation, Gan Guangli now stood in a misty scrubland at the top of a hill, fog curling around his knees. The tall boy peered around into the dark gaps between the scraggly trees which served to obscure his view. He stood alone, which meant that along with the addition of terrain, space within the arenas was being expanded as well.


    She supposed that meant that her idle plan of flooding the entire arena with mist was probably out. She watched Gan Guangli crouch down and press his hand against the ground for a moment. While she could hear the crunch of dirt under his armored boots, her ability to sense qi within the arena was stunted. Perhaps that was a good thing though. If she had to fight with the press of powerful auras in the crowd looming over her, it would be like trying to fight with a blinding light shining in her eyes.


    A moment of focus shifted her view to Ji Rong, who was even now speeding through the undergrowth, legs blurring as he ran beneath the trees. Sparks crackled around eyes that darted around with a wary alertness that she hadn¡¯t noticed before in the scarred boy. Han Fang was moving through the woods as well, his movements were silent despite his bulk. Ling Qi had to continually focus on him for her eyes to not slide away, guided by threads of wind that wrapped around him like a cloak.


    Sun Liling¡¯s vassal, Lu whatever-his-name-was - oh, Lu Feng - proved to be the most active as she turned her attention to him. Lu Feng was dropping down from the trees, his long silken black hair fluttering like a flag as a male disciple she didn¡¯t recognize let out a choked scream, scrabbling at his throat before the stronger boy¡¯s knees struck his back and drove him into the ground. Ling Qi grimaced as the unknown boy¡¯s struggles ceased, the wire coiled around his throat glowing crimson in the mist, and jagging lines of qi erupted from the pinned boy to coil around the Sun second¡¯s arms. A moment later, the unknown boy faded like a ghost from beneath Lu Feng, and she heard the Sect Head call out a name. She felt a flash of pity for the poor boy, the very first one out of the tournament.


    She focused her attention back on Gan Guangli then and found him standing atop the hill he had started on. He stood ramrod straight, his spike gauntleted hands clasped together and his head bowed, as if in prayer. His height and bulk were only beginning to grow, inching upwards at a snail¡¯s pace, but she knew that would change once the fighting properly began.


    Then, first one disciple, then another, began to emerge from the trees below, dashing up the low slope of the hill. It took a moment for Ling Qi to recognize them vaguely from the time she had helped Gan Guangli train his followers. The disciples gave hasty bows before forming up around him, raising their shields and straight swords. As they fell into position around Gan Guangli, she saw their stances firm up almost imperceptibly at the same time that the taller boy¡¯s armor began to take on a greater gleam.


    For the next several minutes, the scene remained much the same. She took the occasional crash or flash of light from the forest as her cues to look in on the other boys. Lu Feng¡¯s tactics were brutal and unfair, but Ling Qi had trouble not noticing some resemblance there. No eerie music followed him, but he appeared and disappeared from the mist like a phantom. His foes often didn¡¯t even glimpse him before their limbs were tangled in his wires, and the bands of qi coiling around his arms grew more solid with each defeated opponent.


    Han Fang, on the other hand, was much louder when he did strike, and most of the true disturbances in the arena came when his hammer splintered a tree or cratered the ground with a thunderous boom. He was prowling the edges though, hanging back, only striking ruthlessly to put down lone foes. Ji Rong surprised her though. He had not, in her sight, stopped for a fight even once, unless she counted the time he used a second realm disciple¡¯s head as a springboard when the boy got in his way. His expression of focused determination worried her.


    In any case, with this amount of time, Ling Qi had figured out the layout of the terrain. Gan¡¯s hill stood near the center with the scrubby forest radiating out in every direction for at least a kilometer or two. Walls of impassable fog formed the boundaries of the arena. By now, three more disciples, an archer, a spearman, and a girl with an odd fan-like weapon, had joined up with Gan Guangli, and the group had begun to march on an unerring path toward Lu Feng¡¯s current position.


    She wondered how Gan Guangli knew where the other boy was, but Ji Rong was going to intersect them before they reached Lu Feng. She could see the moment when Gan Guangli realized it too, his gaze snapping over in the direction of the unsubtle qi of her fellow commoner.


    ¡°Steel Rampart, now!¡± Gan Guangli¡¯s voice boomed as the six of them moved as one to face the threat. Two shields crashed together, forming a wall in front of their looming leader as Ji Rong erupted from the mist like a luminous bolt, scattering the mist in his wake. Lightning crackled in his shaggy hair, and the stormcloud embroidery on his loose robe roiled and rumbled like the real thing.


    A pale arrow, its barbed head aglow with toxic purple light, was snatched out of the air before it could hit him, the scarred boy¡¯s aura sparking and hissing where it met poisonous qi in the instant before the arrow was reduced to charred ash. Then he was upon them. A sound like a temple gong rang out as Ji Rong¡¯s fist struck gleaming metallic qi spread in a wave from the two locked shields below him, but it only took an instant for cracks to spiderweb out from the point of impact.


    But then, a spear lashed out from behind the shield wall like a striking serpent, piercing the metal qi with nary a ripple to bite at Ji Rong¡¯s flank, forcing the boy to twist away only to be buffeted by a gale that stripped the leaf from every tree for a dozen meters around, driving him back to the ground in a crouch. Despite that, when the fist of a giant came down like a gleaming hammer from above, he rose to meet it in a single twisting motion. He drove his own lightning-wreathed fist into Gan¡¯s gauntlet-clad hand with a cracking boom of thunder, halting it as the ground beneath him cratered downward.


    The snaking spear came again, this time for his throat, but it was batted aside by his free hand even as he trembled under the crushing force of Gan¡¯s fist. Blades of wind descended on him from every direction, visible only as distortions in the air, but they lost cohesion the moment they reached his flaring actinic aura.


    ¡°You can¡¯t hold me down this time!¡± she heard him snarl, and in that moment, she was almost blinded by the flash as Ji Rong dissolved into lightning.


    She saw Gan¡¯s balance shift as the force pushing back against his fist vanished, staggering him, and she struggled to follow the movement of the crackling bolt of raw qi that had been Ji Rong as it zigged and zagged, first to the left, and then to the right, and then straight up, all in less time than it took to blink, only to resolve back into Ji Rong¡¯s form right as his sandaled heel crashed into the top of Gan Guangli¡¯s head like a bolt descending from the heavens. The blow slammed the now three-meter tall boy into the ground with the force of a falling tree. To their credit, Gan¡¯s subordinates scattered, avoiding being crushed by his bulk. Ji Rong brought his hands together in midair and began to discharge a bolt of roiling plasma right into the fallen giant¡¯s back with a victorious snarl.


    The blast fizzled in Ji Rong¡¯s hands as a booming warcry blasted the fog from the vicinity. A golden hand seized him by the throat and swung the scarred boy away, smashing him bodily through one of the trees still standing with a splintering crack. As she watched, Gan Guangli climbed to his feet, gleaming armor scuffed and dirtied, the fading phantom of a serene many-armed figure fading like morning mist from the air behind him.


    ¡°You are still too arrogant Ji Rong!¡± Gan Guangli shouted, even as his subordinates began to regroup around him. ¡°Do you-¡±


    Whatever he was going to say was lost as the boy with the spear, having just taken up his position next to Gan Guangli, suddenly thrust his spear upward, its tip still aglow with metallic light, right into the pit of the giant¡¯s arm. Gan Guangli let out a howl of pain as crimson qi surged up through the boy¡¯s arm and through the spear, and Ling Qi glimpsed the nigh invisible wires corded around the boy¡¯s arms and throat before they dissolved under the power being poured through them.


    ¡°No one wants to hear you posture, Guangli.¡±

 Chapter 189-Prelimaries 5

    Lu Feng¡¯s dry voice had echoed from the mist. His unwitting puppet slumped, limbs still jerking spasmodically as his spear dropped from nerveless fingers.


    ¡°Do you think anyone finds your nonsense endearing?¡± Ling Qi heard the scorn in his voice as she focused on him, finding the boy clinging to a tree branch high in the canopy, a wispy veil of leaves that was likely much more convincing without the formation¡¯s viewing function hiding him. She noted that the qi coils around his arms had vanished, presumably due to being used up in the sneak attack.


    Before anyone could react, half of a splintered tree slammed into the shocked shield wielders, sending their booted feet grinding backward through the dirt toward their wounded captain. ¡°Tch, took you long enough, pretty boy,¡± Ji Rong spat out, along with a mouthful of blood, as he stalked back into the clearing.


    ¡°You speak as if I am not the reason that you were only fighting six on one,¡± Lu Feng griped, his voice echoing from everywhere.


    ¡°Such villainous tactics,¡± Gan Guangli growled, standing straight even as his right arm hung useless at his side, blooms of crimson and lilac flowers appearing through the gaps in his armor. ¡°I would ask if you had pride Lu Feng, but I already know the answer!¡±


    ¡°Keep your bullshit to yourself,¡± Ji Rong said darkly, cracking his knuckles. ¡°That creep has one thing right. I don¡¯t want to hear it.¡±


    ¡°My lady¡¯s regret is wasted upon a thug like you,¡± Gan Guangli scowled as his remaining subordinates gathered around him, eyeing each other warily. ¡°I shall smite you¡­¡±


    Ling Qi almost missed Gan¡¯s good hand twitching, his fingers forming a symbol, and the archer and the fan-wielding girl both spun toward Lu Feng¡¯s position. The wind howled as a miniature tornado sprung up around the tree Lu Feng was hidden in, ripping dirt and grass from the ground as it spun up, entrapping the wire-wielding boy. A sizzling arrow spun from raw black tar-like qi shot through it unhindered, piercing directly through both the bracer that was raised to block it and the forearm wearing it. To his credit, Lu Feng only snarled as the toxic qi sizzled in his wound, a corona of light like a thousand petalled lotus springing up behind his head to blast away the tornado and free him from its buffeting winds.


    The other combatants were not idle. Ji Rong sprang forward with a loud warcry, repeating his earlier charge, though he changed his tactics. Whereas before, he had crashed directly against the shield wielders¡¯ defense, this time he twisted in midair to use their shields as a springboard and launched himself over Gan Guangli¡¯s head, escaping the now four-meter tall boy¡¯s grasp by the smallest of hairs.


    Despite the warning shout from Gan Guangli, the fan-wielding girl was not fast enough to avoid the descending bolt that Ji Rong transformed into, screaming as his feet crashed into her back and sent lightning coursing through her limbs. Ling Qi winced as the boy raised his foot and stamped down a second time, hearing ribs break as he put the girl out of the fight for good. One of the shield wielders was the next to fall. Ji Rong caught his blade in one hand, earning a bloody gash in his palm before slamming a lightning-charged knee twice into the boy¡¯s groin.


    There was no more talking now, no more time for it as the remaining combatants clashed amidst booming thunder and flashing light, reducing the terrain to little more than scorched wasteland. Yet despite the flashiness of the display, Ling Qi was quickly coming to an unpleasant realization.


    Gan¡¯s remaining arm was tangled in Lu Feng¡¯s wires. His useless right arm was growing worse, twitching spasmodically as flowers continued to push out from the gaps in his armor, their petals dripping with fresh blood. Gan Guangli bellowed furiously, his armor flaring gold and golden hands formed in the air behind him, attached to arms that were more like sinuous whips. Three lashed out, two battering Ji Rong¡¯s defenses and driving him back while the third struck out at Lu Feng, swelling to titanic size and smashing him into the ground with its palm.


    It wasn¡¯t enough. Even with her senses muted, Ling Qi knew that Gan Guangli¡¯s technique was highly draining from the way his aura dimmed and his chest heaved with exertion.


    Gan Guangli hurled himself at Ji Rong while the boy contemptuously dodged a brace of arrows fired by Gan¡¯s remaining allies. He moved with impossible grace for someone as big and bulky as he was. But with only one arm and his continuing wound, it wasn¡¯t enough. Ji Rong was an actinic blur, and he seemed more confident with each successful dodge.


    A sizzling wire of crimson qi snaked out from the palm-shaped crater and coiled around Gan Guangli¡¯s ankle; giving him a single, sharp tug. He stumbled, falling to one knee, and Ji Rong flashed there, both of his palms pressed against the scuffed expanse of Gan Guangli¡¯s chestplate. A blast of lightning erupted from her peer¡¯s back, his cry of pain drowned out by the thunder that happened a moment later.


    Gan Guangli fell.


    His remaining allies didn¡¯t last long after that.


    Ji Rong spat to the side as the last shield-wielding boy slumped to the ground. ¡°You look like shit, pretty boy,¡± he commented, glancing at Lu Feng.


    ¡°Savor this moment,¡± his companion replied. Lu Feng looked terrible. One eye was swollen shut, and his clothing was badly shredded, his whole torso looked like one giant bruise. ¡°It is the only time in which you will be able to say that you are more handsome than I.¡±


    She scowled as she saw Ji Rong roll his eyes and turn away from the crater where Gan Guangli had fallen before his body had faded away. ¡°Like I care,¡± he retorted irreverently. ¡°So, are we done then or¡­?¡±


    Lu Feng opened his mouth to respond but he never got a chance. The once handsome boy was consumed by a massive plume of dust as something slammed into him with terrible, thunderous force, ripping yet another crater in the pockmarked field. It only took a moment for her to make the connection as to what had just happened.


    As the dust cleared, she saw Han Fang standing there, one foot on Lu Feng¡¯s back as he raised his hammer, its head speckled with blood and hair. Ji Rong had already fallen back into a fighting stance, his expression suddenly wary. The mute boy simply rolled his shoulders and cocked an eyebrow, slapping the haft of his hammer into his palm in response.


    A grin began to break out on Ji Rong¡¯s face, but then a loud, piercing gong sounded. Ling Qi¡¯s vision of the fight faded, leaving her once more looking at the arena normally.


    It was over.


    Ling Qi looked at the other arenas and found each one clear, leaving only two disciples standing. Her eyes immediately focused on the second arena. In it, Chu Song stood, nursing a dozen ugly-looking burns, and Xiulan was standing as well. Xiulan looked somewhat worse for the wear, her hair badly askew and a scowl on her face. Her back was wet with blood where someone had driven a blade into her. She was cradling her bad arm gingerly, and her wrist was bent at a bad angle.


    As for the remaining arenas, unsurprisingly, Sun Liling and Kang Zihao stood victorious in the first, and in the third, she saw Wen Ai and a handsome boy she vaguely recognized from the girl¡¯s party.


    Her gaze moved to Cai Renxiang, whose expression might as well have been carved from stone. She didn¡¯t need words to understand. As the sole remaining Cai retainer in the New Year¡¯s Tournament, Ling Qi could not afford to lose her preliminary or even give a bad show in winning.


    She listened with half an ear as Sect Head Yuan spoke, congratulating the victors on their prowess and praising their ability. He also indicated that any injured victors should promptly go to the infirmary where the rest of the defeated disciples had been sent.


    As he spoke, she stole another glance at Cai Renxiang. The girl¡¯s day had been pretty poor so far. Between her mother¡¯s ¡°good news¡± and now this. It might have been impulsive, but Ling Qi couldn¡¯t just do nothing. With her long sleeves hiding the motion, she let her fingers brush the back of her liege¡¯s hand, drawing her attention. Meeting her gaze without turning her head, Ling Qi did her best to project confidence into her expression. Without words, there was only so much she could do, but¡­


    She caught something in the other girl¡¯s gaze and received the smallest, shallow nod. Although Cai¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, Ling Qi thought she saw the other girl¡¯s shoulders straighten almost imperceptibly.


    There wasn¡¯t time for much else as they were called to their respective stages. Bai Meizhen and Cai Renxiang each had their own arena, along with a large number of very unfortunate second realms. Han Jian and most of the remaining older disciples went to the third. Ling Qi went to the fourth. With her came Shen Hu and a miscellany of other disciples, the vast majority of which she was pretty sure had been Sun supporters.


    Except for Shen Hu, who glanced at her with an expression of vague interest, none of them looked very happy to see her, but neither did they look surprised. Shen Hu had cleaned up. He was wearing a pair of baggy black pants held up by a grey sash, but he hadn''t bothered with anything else. Did he idolize Elder Zhou or something? She looked away from him with a huff.


    Of course she would be the only one in the second round to get peer competition. After seeing the composition of Gan Guangli¡¯s preliminary, with three first year third realms stuffed into one arena and two of them allied against her fellow retainer, Ling Qi suspected manipulation. There was no use complaining though.


    Ling Qi prepared herself as the formations began to light up and the arena blurred and faded away, only to laugh as she found herself standing ankle-deep in the snow atop a stony cliff, a slow rain of snowflakes veiling the sky from her sight. It seemed Xin - and Elder Jiao - were looking out for her because she recognized these cliffs. How could she not when she had trekked up and down these for months to meet her mentor, Zeqing?


    Now, she needed to decide how to handle her competitors.


    Ling Qi flicked her wrist, expressing her flute from within her ring as the echoes of her laughter faded into the snowy sky. There were so many things she needed to consider. How her performance would reflect on Cai Renxiang in the wake of Gan Guangli¡¯s failure. The likelihood of defeat if she decided to face down Shen Hu. The effects it could have on her friends¡¯ elimination matches if she allowed another third realm to pass. What tactics would meet the most approval from the audience. That and more passed through her thoughts, but¡­


    Sixiang tempted, the spirit reading her mood perfectly.


    Zhengui asked a moment later, sensing her indecision.


    Ling Qi let out a breath, looking out over the cliffside. She could sense other disciples, distant candles in the storm. ¡°Not just yet, little brother,¡± she murmured, raising her flute to her lips. ¡°You''ll get your chance soon.¡±


    Ling Qi knew objectively that she was powerful for an Outer disciple. In under a year, she had risen to the point where she could escape the clutches of Sun Liling and force Bai Meizhen to take her seriously. There were only a handful of others who could realistically be called her peer. She still didn¡¯t feel that way. She could hunt beasts and treat with spirits, but when it came to fighting people, she still felt like a thief. Hiding and running were her go-to tactics, and she was conservative with her techniques and rarely showed off.


    It was time to break that pattern. A soft melancholy song began to play. Mist poured from her flute, a roiling waterfall of clinging, cloying clouds that swiftly veiled her and flowed out. It consumed the cliffside and rolled further and further out as Ling Qi pushed more and more qi into her construct. Flickering black shadows took shape, red of eye and black of claw, as the mist grew thicker still, taking on a heavy weight from the protection she layered upon it.


    Sixiang¡¯s laughter chimed softly in her ears as Ling Qi lowered her flute and swallowed a pill, restoring most of the qi she had just spent. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± she asked idly as she began to walk toward the cliff, her melody still playing all around her.


    the spirit replied playfully.


    Ling Qi glanced up at the silver sliver grinning down from the snowy sky. ¡°I guess it is,¡± she agreed, reaching the cliff¡¯s edge. ¡°Nothing like a nice, moonlit walk,¡± she said before her body dissolved into darkness and flowed over the stony edge like dark water, taking the roiling bank of cloying mist with her.

 Chapter 190-Preliminaries 6

    Zou Chen scowled at his ¡°companions¡± as they quarrelled like children. This frustration¡­ It seemed that this year was not ready to let up on him just yet. Joining the prestigious Argent Peak Sect should have been a great opportunity for advancement, and joining his fortunes to Sir Kang¡¯s should have only secured his opportunity further. He stood at the peak of the second realm at a mere fifteen years of age and would likely break into the third realm within the next year. In any other place, in any other time, that would have been enough.


    Yet here he stood, having to team up with this rabble of commoners and scions of insignificant baronial houses just to hold even a chance at moving on to the actual tournament. He could only curse his fortunes that so many mighty houses had chosen to stack their own scions against each other here of all places. That they would be joined by so many common-born cultivators of freakish talent added insult to injury.


    ¡°Cease your squabbling,¡± he snapped, rapping the butt of his spear against the snow-covered ground. ¡°The plan is simple, is it not?¡±


    ¡°Easy for you to say,¡± one of the impertinent commoners grumbled. He glared at the boy, who scowled back, crossing his arms. ¡°You¡¯re not the one who has to hold the line.¡±


    ¡°It is only thanks to me that you will have a chance to strike at that wretched girl at all,¡± Zou Chen snarled. ¡°The talisman that will blow away the sneak¡¯s mist was provided by my house.¡± It had cost him too. His Father had been displeased at the expense of equipping him with such a potent thing, but when he had learned that he would be matched against that girl, he had no choice but to swallow his pride and plead for the use of it.


    He still remembered the gawky, plain little rat stumbling around the mountain in ignorance at the beginning of the year. He remembered her trickery during Elder Zhou¡¯s test, shoving him into that wretched well and taking the position that should have been his. He remembered the humiliation he had suffered in the ambush arranged by Kang Zihao on the Bai scion and of falling in with that worm Yan Renshu after Sir Kang had abandoned him for their failure. If he had been given a tenth of the good fortune that a rat like her had enjoyed¡­


    Stewing in his rage, Zou Chen endured the others bickering as they finally decided on the battle lines and moved out, fanning out to begin their search for the target. It would likely be difficult. The rat was good at hiding after all.


    It was, of course, at that moment that he heard the faint notes of that damnable song, echoing across the snowy field that they had gathered in. His gaze snapped upward to the black cliffs that loomed above, he saw it. A titanic wave of mist flowed down the slopes.


    He heard the others cry out in alarm, reorienting their formation toward the enemy. He felt his mouth grow dry as it sped toward them, flowing with the speed and fury of a spring flooding. Since when had she been able to summon so much mist? When had she been so fast?!


    Gritting his teeth, Zou Chen raised his right arm, wrapped in the lengthy chain of beads that formed the Rippling Resplendence Rosary, and shouted the signal to the others to prepare their strike. They couldn¡¯t afford a mistake now!


    As the forward edge of the mist engulfed the two boys at the front, he channeled his qi into the rosary until the beads began to shine and then to crack as he overloaded the talisman, preparing its emergency function. As the first tendrils of mist curled around his ankles, he thrust his hand forward with a triumphant shout. The beads on his arm exploded violently, a rippling wave of visible lake qi erupting outward through the mist, leaving his arm numb.


    The mist did not vanish.


    It lightened and grew thinner, but it wasn¡¯t gone. The girl to his right, her bow and arrows imbued with enough supporting techniques and talismans to glow like a miniature sun, loosed her shot with a howl of wind and thunder, but the barely visible shadow at the center of the mist merely flickered to the side, avoiding the projectile with contemptuous ease. Or perhaps it had never been the technique¡¯s caster in the first place.


    Zou Chen backed up, alarm building as he batted away the shadowy claws of some twisted thing that had sought his throat. The mist grew thicker once more, chilling him to the bone as it dragged at his limbs and seeped into his channels, leeching away at his vigor. He heard the others crying out and fighting and turned to find them, but they were no longer visible. He fought his way toward the sounds regardless, the darting blade of his spear batting away phantoms and churning the mist around him.


    All the while, that horrible song played unceasing.


    Zou Chen cursed, his spearpoint slashing through the twisted phantom of a wolf and darted toward where he last remembered seeing his allies. This shouldn¡¯t have happened. His talisman should have destroyed any qi construct not at the fourth or fifth step of the third realm. That damned commoner rat! It wasn¡¯t fair!


    He choked as he heard a high, clear voice sing out. His spear fell from nerveless fingers as a horrible cold washed through him, freezing his flesh and freezing his qi. In his weakness, phantoms tore at him, shadowy claws tearing his robes and skin alike. As he fell to his knees, he glimpsed her in the mist, standing atop a boulder. In the mist and darkness, the only thing he could make out were her eyes, glinting like chips of glacial ice.


    There was nothing in that gaze. No pity. No recognition. No care at all.


    Was he really so small?


    ***


    Ling Qi looked away from her enemy as his body dissolved into glittering lights. That had been alarming, she admitted privately. The talisman he had used had stripped the protection of Traveler¡¯s End from her mist in an instant, but thankfully, her technique had done its job and absorbed the dispel, leaving her mist still active. The other disciple¡¯s frantic follow-up attempts to dispel her mist had been useless, too weak by far.


    Still, it was probably for the best that she took that one out permanently. He might have had other tricks up his sleeve.


    Sixiang laughed.


    Ling Qi cursed under her breath. If the disciples were knocked out of the arena, she couldn¡¯t drain their qi to restore her own. She had been able to recover almost back to full capacity so far by sweeping through the narrow ravines and over cliffs, dancing around various disciples and letting her Elegy do their work.


    It was time to stop messing around. She could sense Shen Hu from here. The other boy was making no effort to hide his aura, and without the ¡°noise¡± of the crowd, he stood out like a mountain among pebbles.


    With a small flex of her legs, Ling Qi bounded from the boulder back to the cliffside, using the surface to spring out to the other side of the snowfield, her limbs trailing off into shadows as the wind howled in her ears. Leaping and running through the familiar cliffs, disciples fled before her mist, and she followed, changing course just enough to tangle them in the mist for a few moments to recover the qi spent keeping her Grinning Crescent Dancer technique active. It didn¡¯t take long to find the plateau that Shen Hu was camped on.


    It was a worrying sight. What had been an open rocky field was now a bubbling expanse of wet mud. Snow fell upon the sticky field and immediately melted, leaving pools of stagnant water and soft clay exposed to the open air. At the center on a crumbling platform of still dry stone stood Shen Hu, his eyes closed and his arms crossed over his bare chest. His forearms and hands were clad in leather bracers and gloves with faintly glowing stitching. His eyes snapped open as she approached, and he turned toward her, a smile blooming across his pale features.


    ¡°It looks like this isn¡¯t going to be boring after all,¡± he said brightly, peering into the roiling cloud of her oncoming mist. ¡°Come on then!¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t respond as she leapt from the last cliff, carrying her mist with her, and expressed her flying sword, its singing joining her own. She arced upward, activating the powers of her gown to remain airborne even after the impressive force of her leap ran out. She kept her eyes fixed on Shen Hu as she let the vital warmth of wood mingle with the cool absence of darkness, thick barklike armor formed of raw qi spreading over her body in an instant.


    Shen Hu wasn¡¯t idle either. Glittering growths of black diamond were spreading across his hands and forearms as he raised them into a ready stance. Then the mist was upon him. The dark haired boy jerked back with a frown as multiple techniques simultaneously assailed him, his still, reflective qi rippling under the assault. Phantoms clawed uselessly at his increasingly armored hide, but she found his spirit less well guarded. The cloying, draining notes of her Elegy found purchase, but the mist had failed to cloud his senses.


    His eyes followed her silhouette as she soared overhead. A rumble echoing through the air was the only warning of his counterattack. A geyser of mud exploded upward violently, and she flew out of the way. A second and a third followed, forcing her to spin and twist crazily in the air to avoid them.


    By the time she emerged from the gauntlet, Shen Hu was gone from her sight. She could still sense his qi, but he was beneath the mud now, his aura hidden beneath the qi that saturated the whole of the field. Worse, she found that her mist could not penetrate the wet soil, infused by his own qi. Ling Qi landed, clinging to the side of one of the cliffs overseeing the field with a frown. This was going to be difficult.


    For a moment, she stared down at the artificial mud flat below, letting the power of the Argent Mirror flow through her eyes to try to determine her enemy¡¯s position in the muck, but it proved fruitless. His qi was blended so well, it was almost as if¡­


    Sixiang mused.


    Zhengui exclaimed a moment later, seemingly not wanting to be upstaged by Sixiang.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t take the time to reply as she sprang back out, blurring into a black streak as the power of her gown took hold. The moment that her mist touched the rippling qi of the mud field, she sang out the first sharp notes of the Frozen Soul Serenade, and beneath her, water and mud froze solid in a meters long streak. There was a deep rumbling groan from the mud below, and a fluctuation in the qi that confirmed her theory. The mud field was Shen Hu¡¯s spirit beast.


    Shen Hu didn¡¯t take her invasion without retaliation. Weighty qi slammed down upon her meridians, dragging her earthward despite her efforts to rebuke the spiritual attack. Ling Qi felt lethargy flood her body, the urge to simply lie down for a long nap under the humid summer sun surging in her thoughts.


    Sixiang chided, the spirit¡¯s own chaotic qi surging out, expelling the invading muddy qi.


    Ling Qi twisted herself violently to the side the moment her energy returned, avoiding the pillar of sharpened black gemstone that had erupted from the mud below. Its gleaming surface exploded outward as she did, dozens of zigzagging spires of sharp rock springing out to catch her out of place, but they scraped harmlessly off of the wood qi which infused her gown and flesh, draining only her qi.


    Ling Qi grimaced as she flew straight up, speeding off toward the cliffs to get out of range of Shen Hu¡¯s attacks. This wasn¡¯t going to be easy, but she did have a plan now. Since the field was his bound spirit, then she could target it with her mist, even if she couldn¡¯t get at him directly.


    For now though, she needed to regain the qi she had just spent fighting.


    The other disciples were growing wise to her strategy. As she made a pass again, weaving through the mountains to strike, drain qi, and leave them behind, many tried to run or hide rather than face her. Cai¡¯s former subordinates, what few of them were here in this arena, looked to be taking advantage too if the reduction in the number of targets were an indication.


    Ling Qi frowned. She was on a time limit.


    Her second assault on Shen Hu was much less direct than the first. She descended on him from the cliffs above like a sudden storm, circling his spirit beast at the edge of her mist¡¯s range, so that only a few meters overlapped the mud at a time. She felt the beast¡¯s discontent in the rumbling earth as its qi was sapped away, one bit at a time. Several times, she felt an attempt to dispel her mist ripple outward, but it simply splashed against her own qi uselessly. The most troublesome thing was that technique that inspired lethargy that he kept casting over her, but thankfully, Sixiang took care of that.


    She glimpsed Shen Hu once or twice, noting the growing frustration on his face. After the first few passes, she had a good feel for the range of his diamond spears, and even when he launched the twisting things at her, they weren¡¯t too hard to avoid at this distance. She nipped at the edges of his spirit with mist, frost, and song, slowly wearing it down. It was perhaps not the most glorious tactic, but Ling Qi thought that there was a certain beauty in the inevitability of his end.


    Unfortunately, the need to stay in flight, away from the muddy ground that was his domain, drained her reserves quickly, forcing her to peel off for recovery. With the number of disciples hiding on the mountain dwindling, finding easy prey grew harder.


    This was the point where her plan met its first major problem. As she was tracking down a fleeing second realm, she felt Shen Hu and his spirit¡¯s qi, that towering aura which had allowed her to find him, shrink inward and fade from her ¡°sight.¡± Ling Qi considered the problem while she swooped down on the fleeing girl she was chasing, letting the mist overtake her and drain her qi.


    Losing his mud field was a disadvantage since it was preventing her from striking at him more strongly and more directly, but it also kept him immobile. If he was now going to move around stealthily, she would have to keep her eyes open for any ambushes. She would assume that he could move through the earth the way she could move through shadows and watch her footing.


    With that in mind, Ling Qi left the disciple she had been hunting behind, shivering in the snow and drained of energy. Keeping to the highest surfaces she could find, Ling Qi began to hunt for Shen Hu. It proved far more difficult than she had hoped. When she returned to the rapidly drying and freezing mud field, she found little to go on. There was certainly nothing so obvious as physical tracks, which made what she had learned about tracking from Su Ling mostly useless. She could feel the traces of his qi, or rather, that of his spirit beast, but only up until it reached the cliff face which she had been using as a springboard when attacking him. There, it entered the rock and faded beyond her senses.


    Her head jerked up a moment later as she felt a burst of his qi to the east. Pouring on speed, she flew toward the location, only to find disturbed snow, a splotch of runny mud, and the fading light of a disciple who had been defeated.


    The next quarter of an hour was spent in a game of cat and mouse. As she chased the fading trail of his qi around the mountain, one disciple after another fell, drowned in mud, their backs slashed open by diamond claws, or simply hurled from the cliffs. That was not to say that she didn¡¯t catch up to him at times, coming down with the fury of a winter storm and battering the spirit he wore like a suit with song and ice.


    Every time she found him and struck, he would just sink back into the earth, an infuriating grin on his face as her mist washed over him. She could feel the mud beast growing weaker with every engagement until at least it crumbled, fading back into this dantian, but even the loss of his spirit beast came too late. The boy proved absurdly resilient, and a slate grey slab of polished stone as large as a grown man that seemed to be his domain weapon would flash out to absorb her attacks before vanishing back into his dantian.


    As the mountain peaks and her mist faded, Ling Qi scowled at the boy who now stood across from her in the arena.


    ¡°It¡¯s not fair to get mad when you¡¯re the one who played dirty first,¡± Shen Hu pointed out lazily.


    ¡°I know that,¡± Ling Qi huffed. ¡°How did you keep escaping my mist even after you left the mud field? I felt it catch you.¡±


    He cocked his head to the side as the arena began to lighten up. ¡°How did you keep throwing off my Languid Summer art without even slowing down?¡±


    ¡°Fair point,¡± Ling Qi replied grudgingly but didn¡¯t answer otherwise. She wasn¡¯t just going to reveal Sixiang if she didn¡¯t have to. Did he have a second spirit as well? That would certainly be a change. Few disciples had any spirits, and of those with more than one, she only knew of herself and Bai Meizhen.


    Ling Qi looked around as the sky came back into view and noted, somewhat sheepishly, that the other three arenas were already clear. Cai Renxiang and a former enforcer stood in one while Meizhen and a rather ill-looking boy shared the second. Han Jian stood in the third, looking heavily battered as he leaned on Heijin for support, along with one remaining older year.


    ¡°With our final match being settled at last -¡± a voice announced as Ling Qi looked up and met the storm grey eyes of Sect Head Yuan, looking down at their arena with a faintly amused expression, ¡°- I call this first day to a close. Congratulations to all of our fine disciples who have passed through this initial crucible¡­¡±


    Ling Qi listened as the Sect Head went through the formalities of ending the preliminaries, joining the other winners in a line as they stood before the audience. While she would have to speak with Cai Renxiang and Gan Guangli first, she would have some free time between now and the Golden Fields party in the evening.


    ***


    Ling Qi folded her hands in her lap, keeping her expression neutral. Across from her in the windowless meeting room on the second floor of the tournament building, Cai Renxiang sat with her eyes closed, breathing deeply. The only overt sign of the other girl¡¯s stress was the rapid tapping of one of her fingers on the wooden armrest of the chair.


    Sect Head Yuan had ended his speech just minutes ago, giving the gathered winners leave to make their exit. Cai Renxiang gestured for her to follow, and so she had, pausing only to give a small nod of acknowledgement to Han Jian and Bai Meizhen. Since then, Cai Renxiang had not spoken yet, and Ling Qi wasn¡¯t inclined to be the one to break the silence.


    ¡°You did well.¡± Ling Qi looked up as her liege did just that. ¡°Although you made a tactical error at the end, the outcome was still favorable.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ling Qi replied, frowning at the assessment. ¡°How could I have done better?¡± she asked. She couldn''t really see where she could have improved unless she had gotten a lucky shot in on Shen Hu.


    ¡°Your overall strategy was well thought out,¡± Cai Renxiang elaborated, finally opening her eyes and meeting Ling Qi¡¯s gaze. ¡°Once it became clear that you could not outpace him, it would have been better to find at least one of the lesser disciples to protect.¡±


    She hadn¡¯t thought of that, but it probably would have forced her opponent to come to her or made him look like a coward if he had refused to engage. ¡°I will remember that for the future,¡± Ling Qi acknowledged before changing the subject. ¡°Did your own match go well, Lady Cai?¡± She knew the other girl wouldn¡¯t have had trouble, so the real question she was asking¡­


    The corners of the faintly shining girl¡¯s lips quirked downward. ¡°I achieved what was necessary. I do not much care for the method I was forced to use,¡± she said, drumming her fingers against the armest. ¡°That may have been the point,¡± she finally added in a tone that was suspiciously close to a grumble.


    Ling Qi let the silence extend before asking, ¡°What was your match like?¡±


    Cai Renxiang let out a frustrated breath. ¡°I was left to face my enemies on an open plain. Given my opposition¡¯s weakness, even being seen to put forth serious effort would have been a failing on my part, as would allowing the preliminary to proceed for too long. In the end, I chose to make use of my Mother¡¯s Incandescent Tyrant Art to force submission in an instant,¡± she said, frown deepening. ¡°I dislike the indiscriminate nature of the art¡¯s ultimate technique.¡±


    Ling Qi opened her mouth to ask what the art was, but then she glanced toward the faint halo of light behind the girl¡¯s head and remembered that terrible pressure exuded by her Mother. She was pretty sure she knew already. ¡°Well, you succeeded in showing your strength though, right?¡± she pointed out, waiting for the shallow nod from her liege before continuing. ¡°Then it¡¯s fine. Sometimes, collateral happens.¡± It wasn¡¯t like she had never caused damage in the process of getting away with a theft when stealth failed. ¡°I have to ask¡­ Why were the makeup of the preliminaries so clearly stacked against us though?¡±


    ¡°I find that my understanding of Mother¡¯s thoughts on the matter is lacking,¡± Cai Renxiang admitted, the pale light glimmering behind her head slowly ebbing back to a more healthy brightness. ¡°I imagine that it was meant to test my abilities further,¡± she theorized slowly. ¡°Yet in allowing others to exercise such power openly, here in Emerald Seas, in front of her very eyes¡­ All my lessons say that this is a loss of face for the Cai.¡±


    ¡°Maybe the Duchess regards that as an acceptable cost?¡± Ling Qi hedged. She didn¡¯t know much about this kind of thing, but in her one meeting with the woman, she had felt a certain irreverent attitude in her bearing.


    Her liege shook her head, the dangling diamond earrings she had donned for the tournament jangling faintly. ¡°Perhaps. And yet, I have never known my Mother to accept a slight without offering retort, even in the service of other goals. It may merely be my inexperience, but I feel that I am missing some portion of the pattern she is weaving.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced up as she felt the presence approaching from outside, its qi muted and guttering low. Cai Renxiang fell silent as well, her expression of consternation smoothing away into her usual stern expression as she stood up from her seat just in time for the heavy sound of the door¡¯s knocker to ring out.


    ¡°Enter,¡± Lady Cai said, all the little traces of frustration and emotion in the girl¡¯s voice fading away.


    Ling Qi ignored Sixiang¡¯s murmurs about the deliberate nature of those ¡°slips¡± as she carefully stood up as well.


    The door opened, and Gan Guangli stepped through, looking positively small. Wearing a plain silver robe, he seemed diminished. As the door silently swung shut behind him, the tall boy first fell to his knees on the thin carpet and then fell forward into a full kowtow with a booming thud. Ling Qi winced at the sound of his forehead hitting the floor.


    She glanced worriedly at Cai Renxiang, who looked down at Gan Guangli without expression. ¡°Baron Gan, explain your failure,¡± she stated blankly.


    ¡°I have no explanation sufficient for the insult I have allowed to be dealt to you,¡± Gan Guangli replied, his voice muffled by the carpet. ¡°This servant¡¯s preparations and strength were both insufficient.¡± Ling Qi shifted uncomfortably at the brittle edge in the boisterous boy¡¯s voice. ¡°I can only beg forgiveness for my weakness, Lady Cai.¡±


    Silence fell in the wake of Gan¡¯s words, and Ling Qi glanced surreptitiously at Cai, whose expression hadn¡¯t changed. As seconds ticked by, the atmosphere in the room only grew more uncomfortable, but Ling Qi held her peace regardless.


    Finally, Cai Renxiang spoke, and her words were without pity. ¡°You have no excuse then,¡± she said calmly. ¡°The failure is wholly your own, and as such, you will need to work without pause to redeem yourself. Since it is no longer possible for you to be at my side, you will need to be reassigned.¡±


    She saw Gan Guangli¡¯s fists clench, and she found herself wishing that Cai would be more understanding here.


    Sixiang sighed irritably.


    Ling Qi lowered her eyes to the floor. She knew Gan wouldn¡¯t. Her liege continued to speak, unmindful of Ling Qi¡¯s internal conversation.


    ¡°... In the year following, it will be your duty to improve on the discipline in the Outer Sect. Recruit the talented in my name, and forge them into fighters worthy of the Cai. Show the province our might in the next year. In this, you will have your chance to regain your honor as my shield. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely, my Lady Cai,¡± Gan Guangli vowed fervently. ¡°I will not dare bring such shame to your name again. I will carry your generosity in my heart, even in your absence!¡±


    Cai gave only a small nod in response before looking to Ling Qi. ¡°I will be relying on you in the coming year, Baroness Ling. I hope that you will be up to the task.¡±


    ¡°I thank you for your confidence, Lady Cai,¡± she replied, falling into formality as well. ¡°I will do my best to solve any problems which you come upon.¡±


    ¡°Very good,¡± the white clad girl said, letting out a breath. ¡°Ling Qi, you are dismissed. There are some private matters which I must take care of.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t dismissing Gan though. She bowed and offered some formal words of parting before leaving Cai to it. As she stepped out and turned to close the door, she caught Gan¡¯s shoulders shaking and Cai¡¯s hand on his shoulder, comforting him.


    Ling Qi turned her eyes away and closed the door. Some things were not meant to be seen.

 Chapter 191-Tournament 1

    Ling Qi found her afternoon free. She would have to make sure she left herself time to get ready for the Golden Fields gathering tonight, but that still left her time for her own interests.


    Ling Qi considered seeking out Meizhen or Li Suyin, but eventually, she decided against it. The two of them would be busy with their families, and she didn¡¯t want to butt in there. She could visit her own Mother, but she thought that she would rather wait until she actually had her Inner Sect placement secure.


    She did have an idea that had occurred to her in the aftermath of her preliminary today. It had been nice to face someone in a real match and not come out of it as enemies.


    Of course, her idea ran into some trouble when it came to actually tracking the boy down. Shen Hu had wandered off almost immediately when the victorious disciples had been excused. Still, with so many people around, a few polite inquiries eventually gave her a lead.


    His trail led her down off the mountain and out into the lowlands. She found Shen Hu at the side of one of the little rivers that wound its way through the Sect¡¯s lands, standing barefoot and ankle deep in the mud as he poured water out over the bubbling mass of muck that was his spirit beast. Said beast rumbled dangerously, the marsh reeds growing from it rustling as she alighted on a tree branch a few meters upriver from them. Shen Hu looked up at that sound, lowering the wooden bucket in his hands.


    ¡°Hello. Did you want something?¡± he asked bluntly but cautiously.


    Ling Qi allowed herself to drop into a seated position on a lower branch, the thin limb flexing under her weight but holding steady. ¡°I wanted to congratulate you on a good match,¡± she answered. Now that she was here, she regretted that she hadn¡¯t planned this out better; she wasn¡¯t sure where to take the conversation.


    she thought grumpily.


    Shen Hu stared at her then nodded, turning to refill the bucket from the river. Ling Qi caught sight of formation characters glimmering on the inner edge as it took in water. ¡°Well, thank you,¡± he replied, glancing up at her with a neutral expression. ¡°A straightforward fight would have been more fun, but that¡¯s probably because I¡¯m better at those.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, smiling slightly. ¡°I won¡¯t apologize for sticking to what I¡¯m good at,¡± she said. ¡°Is your spirit beast doing well? It did suffer the brunt of things.¡±


    Shen Hu hummed in agreement, pouring out the water over the mud beast¡¯s bubbling body. The water he poured sparkled with an almost unnatural purity now, unlike the rather mundane river water. ¡°Lanhua is fine. She just needs a good rest and feeding, don¡¯t you, girl?¡± he said with a touch of warmth. The living mud pit below him let out a burbling rumble that somehow sounded content. Shen Hu glanced back up at her then. ¡°How about you?¡± he asked slowly. ¡°You didn¡¯t get hurt, but I remember you having a beast too. He alright with getting left out of things?¡±


    Zhengui had been dissatisfied at not getting to help, but in the aftermath of the preliminaries, he had fallen into a light doze, so she hadn¡¯t really chatted with him about it. ¡°He wanted to help, but he¡¯ll get his chance starting tomorrow. I doubt they¡¯ll set up the singles to give that much advantage to one of the fighters.¡±


    It would be ridiculous for her to expect to be given so much free reign to set up again. Besides, running around for the whole match would be less impressive in a duel.


    Shen Hu simply nodded in response, turning back to his own spirit beast. Silence remained between them before Ling Qi broke the silence. ¡°Did you really just miss last year¡¯s tournament on your own?¡± she asked somewhat incredulously. Even as dedicated as she was to cultivation, something like that would be extreme.


    He paused in the process of bending to refill his bucket, and Ling Qi studiously looked skyward. Shen Hu¡¯s pants were riding a little low there. Perhaps it was the weight of the mud dragging at the hems. ¡°My friend Nan Ju was supposed to wake me, but he never showed up,¡± he said simply as he resumed his work.


    ¡°Did you ever find out why?¡± Ling Qi asked curiously.


    ¡°I suppose we weren¡¯t friends after all.¡± Shen Hu hummed then, looking down in satisfaction as he emptied the bucket onto Lanhua again. ¡°He made it to the Inner Sect. We haven¡¯t talked since.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be a little angrier about that?¡± Ling Qi pointed out, giving the boy a side-eyed look as he adjusted his sash, fixing the error she had noticed.


    ¡°I was pretty mad,¡± Shen Hu admitted, turning to face her. ¡°That is why I left to cultivate on my own. It was my own fault for relying on one person like that.¡±


    Sixiang noted.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t reply to Sixiang¡¯s musings. ¡°I hope you aren¡¯t going to just become a hermit,¡± she teased lightly. ¡°That¡¯d be kind of a loss, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    As Lanhua settled into a more even pool at his feet, bubbling more slowly in a facsimile of sleep, Shen Hu nodded. ¡°Mm, I probably got a little carried away. I can¡¯t repay the Sect if I just wander off,¡± he said seriously.


    ¡°Yeah, you would not do anyone any good like that.¡± Ling Qi considered what else she could say here, and with some prodding from Sixiang, she eventually continued, ¡°In any case, it¡¯s been nice talking with you, Shen Hu. If we both make it into the Inner Sect, I wouldn¡¯t mind training together some time.¡±


    Shen Hu blinked, and then, after a moment, he smiled. ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re Ling Qi, right? I wouldn¡¯t mind that.¡±


    Ling Qi looked away, feeling oddly self-conscious. ¡°I should go back. I have to prepare for a big gathering tonight. I¡¯ll see you at the tournament tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°See you there,¡± he replied with a nod.


    As he turned back to the river, Ling Qi took flight, the swaying of the branch she had been seated on the only remaining sign of her presence.


    ***


    Ling Qi had not been prepared at all for what a gathering hosted by a ducal clan was like. Comparing it to the parties she had attended at the Sect was like comparing night to day.


    At the far end of the grand pavilion of light blue and black silk floated the twanging notes of a zither played with skill that Ling Qi could not honestly say was inferior to her own. On a raised stage to her right, a pair of women clad in trailing scarves and jingling bells danced, curved swords in hand; the flash of metal and the swishing of silk drew appreciative comments from the watchers nearby.


    There were a dozen little stages like that, each containing their own display of entertainment and skill. A man in a bright feathered cloak in Gu colors performed acrobatic tricks with a pair of whirling, burning batons, tracing out images of legend in the heat haze around him. Opposite him, a heavyset man with a passing resemblance to Fan Yu skillfully sculpted the pillar of stone sharing his stage into shape after shape upon request from his viewers.


    Her fellow attendees themselves were a riot of sensation. They were bewildering not simply in a visual sense, though there was certainly plenty of variance in that. Brightly colored and adorned robes and gowns formed an ever shifting sea of color and conflicting patterns. For Ling Qi, the truly dizzying part was the overwhelming nature of their spiritual auras. Unlike at the Sect, she was surrounded by people who were at the worst, her peers in cultivation, and at the best, far, far above her ability. Although their qi was politely restrained, even so, flashes of dozens of domains nipped at the edges of her senses, making it difficult to focus on her efforts to mingle.


    It seemed that she had made a positive impression so far with her performance in the preliminaries. Ling Qi kept her smile through the congratulations and the probing questions, some more subtle than others, regarding both her and Cai Renxiang and their future intentions. Then there were the ¡°commiserations¡± regarding Gan and his loss, many which sounded less than sincere to her ear. Sixiang¡¯s whispers helped her here; with the knowledge that she was being prodded and tested to discern her temperament and weaknesses, she kept her composure. And, well, she didn¡¯t truly expect Golden Fields courtiers to be sympathetic when it was a Golden Fields competitor that advanced from that arena.


    Then there were the betrothal offers. Middle-aged men and women alike offered to introduce her to younger cousins or sons. Generally, they insinuated that now would be a good time to start thinking about the future and wouldn¡¯t the so-and-so family be a fine connection for a young up-and-coming baroness. Ling Qi managed to politely deflect those for the most part, citing the need to consult with her liege and her need to focus on her personal cultivation in the immediate term, but it was a hard reminder that she would start having to think about such things sooner than she liked.


    Some encounters were more pleasant than others. Her chat with the jovial Bao Quan was refreshingly pleasant, even if the jolly man did manage to slip his own offer in. Apparently, his youngest nephew was about her age. For all that she knew intellectually that it was a surprisingly good offer given the status of the Bao, Ling Qi couldn¡¯t bring herself to do more than stall and excuse herself. She really did need a moment to catch her breath.


    Sixiang commented as Ling Qi stepped out of the crowd, finally reaching the refreshment table near the rear of the pavilion.


    Ling Qi was glad someone was having fun, she grumbled internally. She just felt wrung out. Sweeping her eyes over the wide array of sparkling, many hued drinks available, she followed the table toward the non-alcoholic ones. There were plenty of those, including juices of exotic fruits and distillation of nectars and stranger things. Eventually, she chose to stick with something simple, a gleaming cider made from certain apples in the Ebon Rivers province according to the label.


    Turning away from the table after the attending servant filled her cup, Ling Qi took a step back toward the crowd, mentally preparing herself for another round, only to bump into someone after just a couple of steps. The superhuman grace that she had acquired in the past year saved her from fumbling the cup in her hand.


    Ling Qi had managed to run into someone she was quite sure hadn¡¯t been there a moment ago. She cursed internally as the man she had run into began to look back over his shoulder at her, already running through the ways to apologize while trying to figure out who he was and what kind of status he had.


    The man was tall and wiry in build, if a bit past his prime going by the thinning grey hair at his temples. Something about his demeanor struck her as strange. In this party, she had not met a single person who seemed less than absolutely self-assured. The man in front of her though looked withdrawn, his posture subtly folded inward and his expression tired and worn. He had probably been handsome once, but his aristocratic features were worn by wrinkles and a handful of fading scars that tugged at the corner of his mouth.


    Ling Qi did not recognize him from her briefings with Cai Renxiang, but his white silk robes looked to be of incredibly high quality to them, she noted nervously. Deciding to err on the side of caution, she bowed low and formally. ¡°My deepest apologies, Honored Sir. I hope that my clumsiness has not troubled you overmuch.¡±


    There was a beat of silence in which she waited on tenterhooks for his response before she heard a brief dry chuckle. ¡°Raise your head, young lady. It is this old man¡¯s fault for losing himself in thought.¡±


    Ling Qi straightened up, relieved. ¡°Please do not take the blame. It was my lack of attention at fault.¡±


    He shook his head slightly, and for a moment, Ling Qi found her eyes sliding past and away from him, leaving her wondering just what she had been doing and why¡­ He snapped back into focus then, a tired smile tugging at his scarred cheeks. ¡°You understand then,¡± he said gently. ¡°Think nothing of it.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Ling Qi said hesitantly, processing the implications of an art, or more likely, a domain, like that. ¡°Thank you for your understanding, Sir¡­?¡±


    ¡°Hou Zhuang, representing the Bai at this gathering,¡± he replied with the slightest incline of his head.


    Ling Qi blinked, her thoughts grinding to a halt as she belatedly noticed the tiny serpentine patterns woven through the hem lining of his robes. Did that mean this was¡­?


    The older man snapped his fingers, a thoughtful look crossing his face. ¡°Ah, you would be the Baroness Ling, correct?¡± At her silent nod, he continued, ¡°Might I ask how Bai Meizhen has fared? I believe she chose to support your liege¡¯s bid in the Outer Sect.¡±


    She had to wonder why he didn¡¯t ask her himself, but she wasn''t going to voice a thought like that to him. ¡°Miss Bai is among my lady¡¯s most trusted allies,¡± she answered diplomatically, pausing as a whisper from Sixiang crossed her thoughts. ¡°She is Lady Cai¡¯s only true peer.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± the man said neutrally, his eyes wandering over her shoulder. ¡°It is good that she is representing the family so well.¡± His words were polite, but Ling Qi thought, just for a moment, that she saw disappointment in his expression.


    It was perhaps not the most prudent move, but¡­


    ¡°Miss Bai has prospered greatly this year,¡± she offered, knowing that someone so far above her in cultivation could not fail to read the familiarity in her words. ¡°I think that she has found her time at the Sect most rewarding.¡±


    She stiffened as the man¡¯s wandering gaze focused on her, and she felt a prickling sensation on the back of her neck as if the man was looking through her. ¡°That is good to hear,¡± Hou Zhuang said a moment later, lifting the uncomfortable sensation. ¡°I believe you have someone seeking your attention though, young lady,¡± he said gesturing off to the right. ¡°Do not let this old man keep you.¡±


    Ling Qi looked over to see Xiulan trying to get her attention. It seemed it was time. She offered a slightly nervous smile to the older man and another quick bow.


    ¡°By your leave, Sir Hou.¡±He waved her off, turning back to watch the mingling crowd of nobles with a distant expression, and Ling Qi turned away, striding toward where Xiulan waited, her good hand on her hip and an eyebrow raised in question.

 Chapter 192-Tournament 2

    ¡°Who was that you were speaking to?¡± Xiulan asked as she came within a polite distance. The other girl had cleaned up well since her match, she had changed into a rather form-fitting gown of crimson silk with black hems and flame patterned golden embroidery and a matching veil. The daring neckline that left her shoulders partially exposed seemed rather tame, now that Ling Qi had seen Duchess Cai¡¯s choice of dress.


    Ling Qi repressed the twinge of old jealousy her friend inspired with the ease of practice. ¡°I am fairly certain that that was Bai Meizhen¡¯s father,¡± she replied, an edge of bewilderment in her voice.


    Gu Xiulan blinked, looking perplexed as she glanced over Ling Qi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Really? I had not thought¡­¡± She shook her head, the little ribbons woven into her braided hair swaying with the motion. ¡°Well, regardless, Mother sent me to fetch you. Sir Guo will have a free moment soon.¡±


    ¡°Oh, good,¡± Ling Qi said, relieved. She had been worried that she might miss her timing by choosing to navigate the party herself. She moved to follow Xiulan as her friend began leading her toward the other side of the pavilion. ¡°How did your match go? I¡¯m afraid I only saw the end.¡±


    ¡°Well enough,¡± Xiulan proclaimed haughtily. ¡°After I crushed the first few challengers, most of them fled before me until I met with the Chu girl.¡± She grimaced then, stopping just short of touching her side where Ling Qi had seen her wounded. ¡°Then that execrable little cave dweller struck me from hiding.¡±


    She assumed that Xiulan was referring to Huang Da with that epithet. ¡°I take it you expressed your displeasure?¡± she asked with a small smile.


    ¡°I did,¡± Xiulan replied, sounding pleased. ¡°Though I was not the one who finished him,¡± she added grudgingly, her face taking on a more pinched expression behind her veil.


    Ling Qi glanced at her friend as they moved through the gathered nobility. ¡°Who did?¡± she asked, thinking that she already knew given Xiulan¡¯s reaction.


    ¡°Fan Yu, of course,¡± Xiulan answered irritably. ¡°He insisted on sticking to my side,¡± she grumbled. ¡°I suppose it was entertaining watching him beat that fool unconscious with his bare hands. My fianc¨¦ is not without his strengths.¡±


    Xiulan sounded less bitter than usual, but Ling Qi couldn¡¯t be sure if that was due to true feelings or their current environment.


    Sixiang whispered. they mourned, fading back into the background of Ling Qi¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡°I¡¯m disappointed that I didn¡¯t get to see it,¡± Ling Qi said. She had left Huang Da behind in her dust, but she couldn¡¯t say that her antipathy for the boy had disappeared.


    ¡°There is a certain pleasure in such things,¡± the voice of Xiulan¡¯s mother interrupted them, tinkling like bells, as they reached the older woman. Ling Qi¡¯s original estimation of the woman was right. Ai Xiaoli was positively tiny, even standing up. The older woman looked up at them with a serene expression, half-hidden behind a painted silk fan. ¡°The menfolk must prove their value somehow, yes?¡±


    Ling Qi flushed at the implication but bowed respectfully to her friend¡¯s mother. ¡°Lady Ai, thank you very much for your invitation.¡±


    Beside her, Xiulan offered a shallower bow, looking chagrined. ¡°I hope we were not being too casual, Mother,¡± she said, not raising her eyes.


    ¡°Hm, you were within acceptable bounds, dear,¡± the dainty woman replied, closing her fan with a snap. ¡°It is expected for young ladies to be a bit indiscreet in their gossip,¡± she continued, glancing toward Ling Qi. ¡°It keeps young men on their best behavior after all.¡±


    ¡°I will take your advice to heart,¡± Ling Qi said respectfully. She was mostly sure that Xiulan¡¯s mother was having some fun at their expense.


    ¡°Be sure that you do,¡± Ai Xiaoli said airily before beckoning them to follow. ¡°Now come. It would not do to keep Sir Guo waiting.¡±


    It did not take long to reach the rear corner of the tent where the Guo scion himself was holding his court in miniature. As they approached the small gathering, Ling Qi caught her first sight of him.


    He didn¡¯t look much older than her, perhaps around the same age as Gu Tai. He was tall with a lanky, athletic build made obvious by the form-fitting sleeveless shirt in the light blue colors of the Guo; the shirt was held closed by onyx clasps that resembled the pincers of a beast, probably a scorpion given the Guo¡¯s ancestor. His pants were of similar make to the ones Sun Liling wore, but they were a light cream shade. He had a fairly handsome face with a rather sharp nose and cheekbones, and he wore his black hair in a single tight braid that fell down to the base of his back, threaded through with gleaming metallic strands.


    The Guo scion was flanked by a pair of large men in heavy padded armor, their faces mostly concealed behind fabric wrappings but with alertness in their dark eyes. The young man himself appeared to be chatting animatedly with a third guard, who appeared no different than the others, save for his third realm cultivation. As for the Guo scion himself, it appeared that he was pushing the limits of the third realm himself.


    ¡°Oho, welcome, Lady Ai,¡± Guo Si, the eighth grandson of the current Duke of Golden Fields greeted them as they approached, Xiulan¡¯s mother in the lead. The man he had been conversing with dutifully stepped back, leaving the Guo scion to converse with them alone. ¡°I hope you have found my family¡¯s presentation enjoyable so far!¡± he said brightly, spreading his arms wide. Guo Si had quite a lot of definition for such a thin guy.


    Ai Xiaoli offered a formal bow that was a study in elegance, which Ling Qi quickly followed, along with Xiulan, her cheeks flushing a bit at the feeling of inadequacy that spiked up from watching Xiulan¡¯s mother in motion. ¡°Sir Guo has done amazing work, as always,¡± the older woman replied demurely. ¡°Truly a credit to the resources of our fine province.¡±


    Ling Qi felt the young man¡¯s gaze brush over her, prickling like the sun on a hot summer day. ¡°You are too kind, Lady Ai. The Gu have provided much to this endeavor as well.¡±


    ¡°Sir Guo gives this one too much credit,¡± Xiulan¡¯s mother said smoothly. ¡°We wished only to ensure that our province could give the best showing possible.¡±


    ¡°And what a showing it was and is,¡± Guo Si said cheerfully. ¡°So raise your heads, please. Who are these two young ladies with you?¡±


    As Ling Qi raised her head, she could tell from his tone that he already knew. Letting Lady Ai introduce them was just a formality, albeit an important one. ¡°This is my youngest daughter, Gu Xiulan,¡± the older woman began. It took effort not to flinch when Ai Xiaoli simply appeared beside her daughter, vanishing from her place in front of them. ¡°As you can see, my husband¡¯s blood burns brightly indeed in her.¡±


    ¡°Very much so,¡± Guo Si agreed, smiling charmingly at Xiulan and offering a tiny bow of acknowledgement. ¡°Your family has produced yet another beauty, and one of such strength as well. Truly, the house of Gu is blessed,¡± he continued, a touch of amusement in his voice.


    Ling Qi could practically feel the sparks of insecurity flaring up in Xiulan¡¯s aura, but a glance from her mother quelled them. ¡°We are quite proud of our youngest generation. The Gu will be relying upon their talent in the future.¡±


    ¡°And what talent it is,¡± the Guo scion said, his gaze wandering across her friend¡¯s veiled face. ¡°You gave a fine showing in the arena this day, Miss Gu.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much, Sir Guo,¡± Gu Xiulan replied, mimicking her Mother¡¯s demure tones. ¡°I am pleased that you feel that I did not waste your time.¡±


    Nodding in reply, the young man turned his eyes to Ling Qi, who had to hold from swallowing at the spark of intense interest she saw there. ¡°And who might this be?¡±


    ¡°My daughter¡¯s good friend, the Baroness Ling, retainer of the Young Mistress Cai,¡± Ai Xiaoli said formally. ¡°She requested that I introduce her on behalf of her liege.¡±


    ¡°Indeed?¡± Guo Si asked neutrally. ¡°I would have happily met with your Lady if she had only asked.¡±


    Ling Qi thought quickly, scraping together a proper response. ¡°I beg that you take no offense, Sir Guo. My Lady¡¯s schedule was made very frantic this morning. In addition, it was this humble vassal¡¯s request to handle the meetings with the Golden Fields.¡±


    Ling Qi held her breath as the young man studied her, his expression neutral. Then, his expression broke into a rueful grin. ¡°I understand, Baroness Ling. Why, with the Bai¡¯s heir, the Twin Admirals of the Xuan, and even that Butcher King in attendance, I feel quite small indeed!¡± He laughed, but there was a gleam of something else in his eyes that passed too quickly for her to read, even with Sixiang¡¯s help. ¡°I am somewhat surprised that Her Highness did not decide to drop by at this point.¡±


    Ling Qi dutifully laughed at his joke, along with Xiulan and her mother. ¡°I am certain that Lady Cai would make the time to meet with you if you wished it, Sir Guo,¡± she said after an appropriate moment. ¡°Of course, I do not mean to impose. I merely act as my Lady¡¯s eyes and ears.¡±


    ¡°I suppose you do make quite the herald,¡± the Guo scion said with a chuckle. ¡°The cold night that comes before her brilliant dawn,¡± he mused poetically. ¡°Very well. By all means, inform the resplendent Lady Cai that this humble young master would be honored to take tea with her before the week is out.¡±


    Sixiang let out a snort of laughter in her head, almost causing Ling Qi¡¯s eye to twitch as the spirit¡¯s thoughts filtered into her own, helping her assemble the pieces. His interest, that flash of jealous irritation, those flowery and almost improperly humble words¡­


    Letting none of her thoughts appear on her face, Ling Qi smiled demurely and bowed her head. ¡°I would be honored to pass your message, Sir Guo. My Lady will be honored as well, I am sure.¡±


    ¡°I shall look forward to her answer then,¡± the Guo scion said amicably, turning his gaze back to Ai Xiaoli. ¡°So, Lady Ai, I must ask, just where did you find such a supply of Sparkling Onyx Pomegranate¡­¡±


    Ling Qi allowed herself a tiny sigh of relief as things turned toward small talk, allowing her to relax a hair, and considered just how to go about breaking the news to Cai Renxiang that Guo Si was a little smitten with her.


    There was worse news she could deliver.


    ***


    ¡°You say that you believe Guo Si wishes to court me?¡± Cai Renxiang asked, sounding faintly bemused as she leaned back into the padded chair behind her desk.


    ¡°That was the impression I received,¡± Ling Qi replied, sinking into her own seat in her liege¡¯s office. In the aftermath of the festivities, she had come here on the other girl¡¯s request, so that they could discuss things before the tournament proper began in the morning. ¡°Sixiang agrees,¡± she added, drawing a snicker from the spirit in her head despite the presence of the Cai.


    ¡°I will pen a reply before I retire then,¡± Cai Renxiang noted. ¡°We have never interacted before. What a strange thing. Useful, but strange.¡±


    Ling Qi let out a quiet hum of agreement. ¡°I hope I did not overstep my bounds by telling him you would agree,¡± she said cautiously. ¡°I know this kind of thing can be uncomfortable.¡± Although they had parted on good terms, she knew that she had felt pressured and a bit unhappy with the whole Gu Tai business at first.


    ¡°No, I would not give offense by refusing such an invitation. You were correct,¡± Cai Renxiang replied. ¡°It is simply something I will have to keep in my thoughts when we speak later. Physical attraction is a useful lever.¡±


    Ling Qi kept herself from grimacing. She had forgotten who she was talking to. ¡°Do you think it will go anywhere?¡±


    ¡°His advances, you mean?¡± the younger Cai clarified. ¡°It is unlikely, I think. I do not believe Mother would find such a match favorable. While trade from Golden Fields is valuable, their power is too tied up in fighting the very land in which they live. If I must speculate, I imagine that Mother will arrange something with a man from one of the ducal houses of the core provinces in the coming decade.¡±


    ¡°Not angling for a prince?¡± Ling Qi asked dryly. The other girl really didn¡¯t think anything of this kind of arrangement, did she?


    ¡°The youngest living prince is a century my senior and married besides,¡± Cai Renxiang denied. ¡°I¡¯ll need to educate you on the state of the Imperial family soon. Mother might arrange something with one of the sons or grandsons of a prince or princess though.¡±


    Ling Qi had been joking, but she should have expected an answer like that. ¡°Well, leaving that aside, I do not have anything else of significance to report.¡±


    ¡°Very good,¡± her liege replied with a nod, lacing her fingers together atop her desk. ¡°I trust you recall what needs to be done in regards to your own propositions?¡±


    Ling Qi sighed. ¡°I will finish writing up the deferrals tonight.¡±


    ¡°Good. You are wise to put off such choices. Your value will only increase in the coming years. I would suggest keeping the lines of dialogue open with the Bao however. It is clear that they wish to tie themselves closer to the Cai.¡±


    At least her talent gave her some breathing room when it came to matters of marriage and political ties, since her title could still change relatively quickly based on her cultivation achievements. ¡°Did anything of interest happen on your end?¡±


    ¡°I believe I have made a good impression upon Bai Suzhen and the brothers Xuan,¡± Cai Renxiang said with a touch of satisfaction. ¡°Our current troubles have been mitigated by our own performances for the moment. I have learned that Bai Suzhen will be taking her father¡¯s seat as the Head of the Bai clan in the near future, allowing him to fill the position of Patriarch. I suspect the Bai¡¯s politics will be shifting somewhat as a result.¡±


    Maybe she should ask Meizhen about her aunt the next time she got a chance then. ¡°That¡¯s all a little over my head. Hopefully, that goes well for them.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Cai agreed. ¡°In any case, we should discuss the tournament.¡±


    ¡°What should I expect tomorrow?¡± Ling Qi asked, leaning forward in her seat.


    ¡°The tournament will begin with an exhibition between elders,¡± Cai explained. ¡°The stated purpose is to encourage disciples by allowing them to view what they might aspire to, but it is also a show of strength for the Sect. Following this, the brackets will be displayed, and we will know our opponents, as well as the terrain our battles will be assigned to.¡±


    ¡°Will the matches be fought four at a time again?¡± Ling Qi asked before correcting herself, ¡°No, I suppose that would make the tournament end too quickly.¡±


    ¡°Correct,¡± the other girl agreed. ¡°Disciples will be given one quarter hour to prepare themselves and plan, and then the matches will proceed one at a time in sequence. When the first round is complete, we will break until the following day.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned. That prep time would probably work against her. She didn¡¯t really have a sideboard of secondary arts to attune in preparation for specific opponents. ¡°What do I do if I am paired with you?¡± she asked. There were other worrying match ups, but that was the one that concerned her the most.


    ¡°That will not happen tomorrow. It would be a blatant insult to the Cai. If it occurs in a later round though¡­¡± She paused. ¡°I will give you the opportunity to display your talents. I cannot afford to display certain abilities before the final rounds however,¡± she said bluntly, meeting Ling Qi¡¯s eyes.


    Ling Qi nodded. It would sting to willingly lose, but Ling Qi was well practiced with casting aside pride. Such a thing would be a minor issue at most. ¡°Alright.Was there anything else?¡±


    Her liege shook her head. ¡°No, I believe we are finished. Rest well, Ling Qi.¡±


    ¡°You as well, Lady Cai,¡± she replied, rising from her seat to bow. ¡°I will see you in the morning.¡±

 Interlude: Sun Liling

    In a harshly lit garden of tall yellow flowers at the center of the verdant compound which belonged to the Sun family, the heir of Sun Shao scowled at her reflection in the pond.


    She hated mirrors.


    These meditative ponds were supposed to help with reflection, but all they ever did was irritate her. Her reflection scowled back at her from the pond, and looking at its soft, feminine features twisting into that ugly expression just made her mood worse. Snorting, Sun Liling turned away and closed her eyes, letting out a breath in accordance with her art of cultivation, allowing a trickle of energy to cycle through her Ajna chakra and calm her emotions.


    It was so damned annoying how useless these Easterners were. Things had been going well enough at first. She had asked, and Grandpa had agreed, to lean on the Sect for favorable preliminary brackets. She was never going to let Lu Feng live down getting jumped like that, but at least Cai¡¯s right hand and acknowledged retainer had been publicly eliminated in front of the Emerald Seas nobility in an Emerald Seas tournament.


    Grandpa had advised her that it would be better if the boy had his squad of enforcers with him, and upon thought, she had agreed. Gan Guangli losing a one versus two peer fight was expected, and Cai could probably spin it well if he had put up a good fight in his defeat. Gan Guangli losing with his squad when he outnumbered her representatives and had held himself out as a commander-type cultivator ¡­ That was another matter entirely.


    Those useless twits who had been up against Ling Qi though! She hadn¡¯t expected them to win. She had only really expected them to wound and embarrass the girl, but they couldn¡¯t even manage that. Instead, the girl had waltzed through the preliminary and spent the time having a flashy, if ineffective, battle against another third realm one stage higher. As it was, that Cai witch wasn¡¯t looking half as bad as she had wanted.


    Sun Liling cursed her own poor judgement. Looking back, if she had just spent a bit of effort being friendly, she was sure that the lonely commoner she had met that first day of the Sect would have latched on to her as strongly as she had done so to the Bai. And even if she had rebuffed the girl, she could have stayed on the council and politically isolated the snake, rather than allow Cai and Bai to form a working relationship, much less the regular tea parties she had heard of. While neither were decision makers in their respective clans, who knew what could come out of Sect friendships formed before cultivators got set in their Ways.


    Letting out a breath, Sun Liling opened her eyes. There was no use in stewing on past mistakes. From what she could feel approaching, she had much more important concerns. As the door at the edge of the garden opened, a genuine smile bloomed across her face as she sprang over the pond, running toward the man who had just entered the room.


    Her great-grandfather caught her easily as she embraced him, not rocking back even a step. Right here, with his beard tickling her cheek and his heavily calloused hand resting affectionately on her head, she could forget the troubles and humiliations of the past year. Even if his true body was back in the capital of the Western Territories, it still felt the same. This was the one place in all the world where she was utterly safe and could allow herself a little weakness.


    ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯ve missed you so much,¡± she murmured, her voice muffled by the thick red fabric of his robe.


    ¡°Likewise, my little warrior,¡± the elder cultivator replied quietly, his deep voice softened by affection. Though she wasn¡¯t looking at his face, Sun Liling knew that the dark crimson eyes and stern, craggy features which sent courtiers and soldiers alike scurrying would be lit by love that belonged only to her.


    For a moment, they stayed like that, content under the harsh light of the false sun that lit the garden, before Sun Liling reluctantly stepped back and bowed her head to her great-grandfather. As wonderful as it was to see him again, she couldn¡¯t put this off.


    ¡°Great-Grandfather, I must apologize. Your unworthy great-granddaughter has failed to live up to the name of Sun,¡± she said. The words tasted like ash in her mouth. Even if she knew he would be understanding, it only made it worse. Grandpa doted upon her, and she failed to bring him glory.


    She heard him sigh, his wide shoulders rising and falling, and he raised a hand to stroke strands of the wide white beard which hung over his chest. ¡°I will not blame you overmuch for the impetuousness of youth,¡± he said, his rumbling voice serious, ¡°for that is the purpose of the Sect. Have you learned your lessons in this?¡±


    ¡°I have, Great-Grandfather,¡± Sun Liling replied, not yet raising her head. ¡°I relied too much upon direct force and neglected my preparations and intelligence. My timing was too impulsive.¡±


    ¡°Then raise your head,¡± Sun Shao directed. ¡°It is my failure as well. I neglected your education in strategy in favor of tactics and combat. I did not expect your time in the Sect to require such things.¡±


    ¡°The Cai heiress is no easy enemy,¡± Sun Liling agreed bitterly, ¡°for all that she is the lesser in a fight.¡± It was only that Cai gown which even gave that girl a chance of standing up to her in a fight.


    ¡°Do not lose sight of the real enemy, Liling,¡± Sun Shao warned. ¡°We have no true quarrel with the Cai, despite her daughter''s distasteful choice in allies. It is the Bai girl whom you must focus your efforts on. Everything else is but a minor game.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Great-Grandfather,¡± Sun Liling replied, lowering her eyes. She knew that the Sun could absolutely not afford to look weak in the face of the increasingly resurgent Bai. While the Imperial throne was still against them, the will to continue antagonizing the ancient clan was growing weaker by the year.


    ¡°As long as you understand,¡± Sun Shao said gravely. He stepped forward to once again rest his hand on her head. ¡°Family is everything,¡± he said quietly.


    ¡°Everything for family,¡± she repeated back formally.


    The older man let out a chuckle. ¡°Enough of this. You have mastered the Scarlet Devil Raiment and begun the Sanguine Ashura Armament, have you not? I think it is time that your old Grandpa showed you a new trick or two for the elimination rounds.¡±


    A grin lit Sun Liling¡¯s face, and she followed Grandpa deeper into the garden.

 Chapter 193-Tournament 3

    Standing under the bright morning sun, Ling Qi could not help the restless nerves that made her want to shift from foot to foot rather than remaining perfectly still, lined up between the other winners of the preliminaries. The weight of the crowd¡¯s collective auras tingled at the edge of her senses and weighed down on her shoulders still, but after last night, it was easier to endure. A surreptitious glance to either side showed her fellow competitors all standing at the same attention.


    Cai Renxiang stood to her right, looking as stoic as ever. On her left stood Gu Xiulan, whose eyes burned with a fierce ambition and confidence as she gazed up at the stages and the Head of the Sect. Breathing in, Ling Qi focused her attention ahead as the Sect Head began to speak.


    ¡°Welcome, all, to our second day of competition,¡± the old man announced, his ancient voice carrying easily through the stadium. He faced away from them, leaving her with only the sight of his billowing white cloak with the characters for ¡°silver¡± and ¡°wholeness¡± splashed across it. ¡°Yesterday, you were witness to the winnowing of the Outer Sect down to the core of its most talented, but today, we will begin the true testing,¡± he continued. ¡°Though unity is the strength of the Empire, each link in a chain must be forged to utmost strength, else the entire length be shattered. Today, our youth will display the strength that will carry the Empire into the future!¡±


    It was hard not to feel at least a little swell of pride as the Sect Head spoke. Just one year ago, Ling Qi had been a helpless mortal, and now, she stood here listening to one of the heroes of the Empire praising her, if indirectly. Later, she could worry about politics. Today, she just had to show the results of her cultivation.


    ¡°Before we begin the tournament proper however,¡± Yuan He continued, and from the motion of his arm, she could tell that he was running his fingers through his beard, ¡°we have the exhibition. In a normal year, a pair of our own elders would take the stage for a demonstration to encourage our disciples with a taste of what they might one day achieve.¡± Ling Qi had been somewhat curious if Elder Jiao would be one of the ones participating. The Sect Head made it sound like something was changing though. Were the Elders busy?


    ¡°This year, however, a special arrangement has been made. In deference to the many august personages present, our most resplendent and honored Duchess has deigned to grace us with her performance, and the honorable and most redoubtable Lady Bai Suzhen has volunteered as her opponent.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, bewildered, as a susurrus of murmuring and noise began to wash over them from the stands. She glanced at Cai Renxiang but found the girl¡¯s expression pinched in the tiniest of frowns. The Cai heiress hadn¡¯t been expecting this either.


    The Sect Head rapped his cane against the air beneath his feet, the resulting boom of thunder silencing the noise as he began to sink down through air until he stood at the edge of one of the four stages. ¡°I will undertake the duty of containing the clash to the stage, and our own venerable Elder Jiao will see to the maintenance of the arena,¡± he announced.


    Ling Qi saw a flicker of shadow on the far side of the arena, and there stood Elder Jiao, his expression set in a frown of passive irritation. As she watched, he raised his hands, placing them upon one of the four corner pillars. ¡°Disciples, pay your utmost attention. It is a rare day when one is allowed to witness the peak of cultivation.¡± Ling Qi straightened her shoulders as the Sect Head spoke, glancing back over his shoulder at them. ¡°I cordially invite our honored guests to take the stage.¡±


    In an instant, the empty arena was occupied. There was no flash, no burst of wind or sound, only perhaps a tiny pop of displaced air as two figures appeared between one instant and the next, facing each other in the arena. Ling Qi shuddered as that same oppressive aura from yesterday slammed down onto her shoulders, but without it, she might have hardly recognized her liege¡¯s mother.


    Cai Shenhua¡¯s appearance had almost changed entirely from her appearance yesterday. Where before she had worn a clinging, form-fitting gown of scandalous cut, she now wore an elaborate dress to match anything Ling Qi had seen at the Golden Fields¡¯ party last night. The tall woman was swathed in multiple layers of white and pale rose silk with wide billowing sleeves and a meter-long train of fluttering silk and lace at her feet. Her dark hair hung down to her feet in four braided streamers like black silk, fluttering behind her in a phantom wind that kept any part of her from touching the ground.


    The other woman on the stage was much more austere in appearance. Bai Suzhen looked much like her niece in the structure of her face. Her chin was perhaps a bit sharper, and her lips a bit thinner, but it would be easy, if she did not know already, to wonder if the woman was Meizhen¡¯s mother. Her white hair was shot through with streaks of steely color as if her hair were truly strands of metal and was woven through an elaborate headdress which rose above the back of the woman¡¯s head like a fan of jade knives.


    ¡°I thank the both of you for your gracious acceptance of my little impulse,¡± Cai Shenhua said, her rich voice light. In her right hand, she casually held a silk fan, half-concealing her smiling face. ¡°It is so very rare for me to receive the opportunity for exercise.¡±


    ¡°It is my honor, Duchess Cai,¡± Yuan He said humbly, bowing his snowy head. ¡°I regret only that I could not receive your attack myself.¡±


    ¡°There are few others I would trust to properly contain a match such as this, Sect Head Yuan,¡± the Duchess replied easily. ¡°Another day, perhaps.¡±


    ¡°The arrangement proposed was satisfactory,¡± the Bai heir¡¯s cool voice rang out, her expression neutral as she faced the Duchess with her hands hidden in the wide aquamarine sleeves of her simple but luxuriously layered gown. ¡°It will be an honor to face the strike of a cultivator of such skill.¡±


    ¡°And I will be honored to test the defenses of the legendary Bai clan,¡± Cai Shenhua replied evenly, a slight smile still playing across her lips. ¡°If you and your subordinate would prepare¡­?¡±


    Ling Qi felt a tingling feeling of worry begin to bloom in her chest. Something far above her head was being set in motion here. She wished she could see Meizhen¡¯s face right now. Perhaps she was aware of what was going on. A glance at her own liege revealed only hints of worried realization.


    Sect Head Yuan cleared his throat then, raising his free hand toward the stage as he did. ¡°The exhibition round will continue until the first drawing of blood. Begin!¡±


    Ling Qi had no more time to think then. The fan in Cai Shenhua¡¯s hand snapped shut, and the world vanished.


    She floated bodiless in the face of a wall of whirling dust and wind that stretched out beyond her sight in all directions, endless in its churning fury and yet utterly silent and controlled. Yet for all its awe-inspiring size, she could barely pay it any mind. Above her head floated an incomprehensibly vast mountain of white metal. No, a mountain wasn¡¯t quite right. It was a city.


    A many tiered city of unfathomable beauty, its every angle was utterly perfect. Figures clad in white thronged in its streets, moving in an incomprehensible yet somehow perfectly ordered dance, stirring faint memories of warm water and immaculate hands working the stress from tired muscles and the filth from clogged meridians.


    At the very peak of the city, where the lord¡¯s palace would usually be, was a woman¡¯s face sculpted from the same colorless metal that made up the rest of the city. The face was relaxed, her eyes closed in repose and her lips slightly parted, and with each instant that passed, ethereal threads emerged like breath, scattering outward to settle over the city like rain. It was nearly impossible to tear her eyes away from the city, and Ling Qi found her heart filled with a deep longing. How heavenly it would be to live in those streets, perfect in form and purpose.


    Only the churning of another presence dragged her eyes away from the dreamlike city. Far below, in the mountain-city¡¯s shadow, there was a lake stretching beyond sight, its surface mirror smooth and dark, a shade of blue that was nearly black. The only interruption in its smooth surface came from an island in its center. It was no natural thing though. Emerging from the lapping waters, a monolith composed of scattered bone and melted steel rose, sharp-edged and pitiless. The edges of countless weapons bristled outward, menacing and sharp, their edges seeming to slash at her very eyes even from this distance, and amid the fused remains of blade and armor, nestled in crevices and impaled upon blades, were human and beastial skulls. They formed the only spots of color upon the menacing cliffs, and from their empty eye sockets dropped tears of poisonous black tar. At the narrow top of the mountainous island was a flat plain ringed by bristling blades, and at its center was a rippling pool of clear blue waters in which sinuous white shapes swam and coiled about one another.


    For a moment, there was stillness as the city floated, serene above the lake, but then Ling Qi found her gaze dragged upward at the sound of well oiled machinery shifting. Her eyes widened as she once again beheld the resplendent city and noticed what sat upon its walls.


    One hundred thousand siege engines opened fire, and it was as if the very stars were falling from the heavens. Beneath, the surface of the lake boiled violently, steam rising from the heat of falling streamers of colorless light. But the roiling waters could not be wholly traced to the action above. From white-capped waters, a single gleaming shard of metal shot upward, too fast to be seen as more than a flash, and then another followed, and another after that.


    From the black lake poured blades of every shape and make, filling the sky as surely as the falling light with gleaming edges that screamed for blood. A million blades and more all howled through the sky to explode against the incoming barrage. When they met, Ling Qi was blinded and deafened by the blast of their explosive impact. By the time she had blinked the stars from her eyes, the sky was clear save for a handful of silver comets streaking upward toward the gleaming city, the very light it had disgorged rising back to strike at its maker only to disintegrate into twinkling lights as they impacted the shimmering threads which surrounded the city.


    Twice more did the city and the lake exchange fire, their projectiles no longer meeting head-on but spiralling and twisting through the air at impossible angles, clashing in the sky as they sought holes in their opponent¡¯s defenses. Despite the dizzying array of projectiles screaming through the sky, the city and the island both remained utterly pristine.


    Ling Qi felt the pressure on her shoulders redouble then as the eyes of the face at the peak of the city opened by just the slightest crack. Twin crescents of liquid starlight lashed out, boiling the very air in their passage as they slammed down into the dark waters and carved an explosive rift of steam down to the very bed of the endless lake, exposing bone white earth as it ripped through the waters toward the central island.


    Just before the lashing lines of colorless light could reach the central island, the waters roiled, and from their depths emerged a serpentine tail, mammoth in scope, its scales forged of steel and adamant. It swung through the air with impossible swiftness for such titanic size, slamming against the incoming beams with thunderous force. Metal scales glowed white hot at the point of impact, weeping droplets of molten steel into the hissing, white-capped waters below.


    But the deflection succeeded, parrying the line of destruction back into the endless black waters¡­


    Ling Qi blinked then, almost losing her balance as the world once again changed. She found herself back where she had been, standing before the arenas of the tournament ground. It was obvious that she was not the only one feeling the disorientation, and those whose cultivation were only in the second realm were the worst off. Han Jian was pale, sweat gleaming on his brow, and one of the other boys who had squeaked through the preliminaries was nearly on his knees.


    In the arena, the two combatants had not seemingly moved an inch from their starting position. Yet dozens of rivulets of liquid metal from the slowing melting shards of steel scattered around the arena and the cracked stones at the Duchess¡¯ feet spoke of the battle which had just taken place. Cai Shenhua¡¯s expression was serene as the last flickering vestiges of a curved saber of light faded from her left hand.


    Bai Suzhen was a bit worse for the wear. She slowly lowered her right hand, which had been extended, palm outward. Ling Qi glimpsed a deep cut bleeding silver fluid on her hand before it vanished back into her slightly frayed sleeve. More obviously, the twin meter deep furrows of vaporized stone extending diagonally past the Bai heir to the edges of the stage evidenced the deflected attack.


    A glance showed Sect Head Yuan and Elder Jiao still standing at the edge of the stage. The Sect Head looked as serene as ever, if somewhat thoughtful, but Elder Jiao¡¯s teeth were grit in frustration and effort. It was strange to see an Elder look genuinely out of breath.


    ¡°I see the prowess of the Bai is not exaggerated in the slightest,¡± Cai Shenhua said then, her voice still light. ¡°What impeccable movements, Lady Bai.¡±


    The elder Bai tipped her head in a very shallow bow, the ornaments in her hair flashing in the morning light as the rivulets of liquid metal scattered across the stage began to flow back toward her feet. ¡°You are too kind, Duchess Cai. The edge of your blade is as ferocious as the tales say,¡± she said evenly.


    ¡°Hoh, it is good to see that I have not lost my touch,¡± the Duchess said, snapping her fan back open with a twitch of her fingers. ¡°I hope that we might one day have another round when you take your next step.¡±


    ¡°I would be most satisfied with such an arrangement. You honor me with your regard,¡± Bai Suzhen said as the last gleaming drops of metal vanished beneath the hem of her gown. It was only Ling Qi¡¯s familiarity with Meizhen that allowed her to see the hint of a satisfied smirk playing about the older woman¡¯s lips.


    Ling Qi shuddered as she felt a brief pulse of power wash over her, furious and copper scented. It was gone almost before she could perceive it. She was right. Things far over her head were being played out today. She felt a tiny hint of resentment that whatever she did today, it would be overshadowed by the plays of those who stood above her, but letting out a single breath cleared it away. That was just the nature of the world. That was part of why she couldn¡¯t stop climbing.


    As the two monstrous cultivators traded the final formalities and returned to the stands, Sect Head Yuan turned to face them. By then, those who had been impaired had already scrambled back into position. ¡°As you can see, disciples, the peak of cultivation is a long climb indeed,¡± he said, moving his gaze along the line steadily. ¡°Do not be discouraged, but rather, carve that knowledge into your hearts and strive for those heights.¡± The elderly man¡¯s eyes met hers, and in them, Ling Qi saw the living heart of a storm fit to consume the world.


    The moment ended as his gaze continued past her. ¡°Now, let us announce the pairings for this day¡¯s battle. You will have one quarter hour to prepare for your match¡­ and to give our esteemed Elder Jiao time to repair the first arena,¡± he said with a faintly amused smile before raising his free hand and snapping his fingers.


    Lightning crackled in the sky over his head, lines of light and fire carving themselves into the air as they spelled out the tournament brackets.

 Chapter 194-Tournament 4

    Ling Qi closed her eyes as she considered her options for the fight ahead, shutting out the murmur of the crowd washing over her and the actions of her fellow disciples. She had faced off against Chu Song and her group earlier in the year during one of the factional conflicts between those aligned with the Sun and Cai. It was a fight her side had won, albeit with Bai Meizhen handling the duel against Chu Song.


    Chu Song had been a close range fighter; quick on the draw with her usage of wind and mountain arts. Ling Qi had to consider that Chu Song might get the first blow in, and for all that she was tougher in a straight fight than many would suspect due to her Thousand Rings Fortress art, her advantage would be greater in medium to far range. She couldn¡¯t say she was particularly eager to engage in a melee brawl with the heavy-set girl. On the plus side, Ling Qi remembered that she had managed to snare Chu Song within her mist in the last fight. While the girl had probably tried to bolster her spiritual defenses since then, she felt confident that without the realm advantage Chu Song had held previously, any improvements would not be enough.


    Ling Qi turned her thoughts further inward to her spirits, who had been remarkably silent since the start of the demonstration.


    she asked, only now noticing the way that he seemed to have shrunk in on himself. When silence was her answer, she turned her thoughts to the feeling in the back of her head, the complex mix of thought and emotion that represented her other spirit.


    Sixiang¡¯s voice shook in her thoughts. they trailed off, muttering something about thieving monkeys.


    Understanding quickly clicked in Ling Qi¡¯s thoughts. she thought, doing her best to surround the young spirit with feelings of comfort.


    Zhengui asked, his voice trembling like a child¡¯s after a nightmare.


    she thought soothingly.


    Ling Qi felt Zhengui¡¯s presence shifting as if he were poking his head carefully out of his shell.


    she thought. she asked, thinking of the girl¡¯s face.


    he chirped, recovering from his fear with the speed only a child could manage.


    Ling Qi thought, a small smile reaching her lips.


    Soon enough, the time for preparations came to an end, and the contestants of the first match were called to the arena. Sun Liling was dressed in her customary boyish clothes of red and black, differing only in the gleaming jade bands that now adorned her wrists, and the intricate golden wire woven through her braid. Her expression was stony, and it would have been difficult for Ling Qi to miss the fury in her eyes.


    Her opponent looked unsteady. Hei Boqin was a handsome boy of above average height with an athletic build similar to Han Jian¡¯s, cultivation straining at the edges of the second realm. He could have been attractive, had he not held the look of a man being led to the gallows as he took his place in the arena across from Sun Liling.


    ¡°It is my honor to face the Princess of the West,¡± the fair-haired boy said, offering a low bow as the arena¡¯s formations began to glow and shimmer.


    Sun Liling¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change as she rolled her shoulders, loosening up in preparation for the match. ¡°Yeah. It is. Let me give ya my condolences,¡± she drawled as the stone arena faded and shifted into golden sand dunes around them. ¡°Nothin¡¯ personal.¡± Her tone was flat and cold.


    The boy grimaced and straightened up as the terrain solidified. ¡°As you say, Princess.¡±


    Outside the bubble of altered reality which formed the fighting stage, Sect Head Yuan¡¯s cane rapped once against the stone of the balcony, the resulting clap of thunder signaling the start of the match.


    A straight-edged sword sprang immediately to Hei Boqin¡¯s hand as he began to backpedal, a layer of metallic qi washing over his body like armor. A brief distortion of air beside him brought forth an enormous boar, three meters at the shoulder with tusks as long as a man¡¯s arm. The beast¡¯s hide, formed of overlapping plates of burnished bronze, glinted in the bright desert light, and not a moment had passed before its mighty legs launched it into a full charge down the slope of the dune towards their opponent.


    As the beast bore down upon her, Sun Liling simply¡­ stood there, posture utterly, contemptuously relaxed. Cloven hooves thundered against sand, kicking up plumes of dust in their wake, vicious tusks glinting with the promise of violence. Still, she did not move.


    In the span of an instant, she was gone.


    The boar did not have the time to acknowledge the absence of its target. Only a crater of hardened sand and muffled boom remained of the Princess. As it charged through that empty space, a slipper-clad foot touched down upon its back, and Sun Liling launched herself towards its master. A terrible rent opened in the boar¡¯s plated hide in the wake of her passage. A trailing ribbon of crimson flowed upwards, coalescing into that familiar barbed spear as she rocketed through the air over the dune.


    Behind her, the boar let out a piteous squeal of agony as one wound became six, five sharp stakes of wood erupting from the sands into its underbelly. They drove it upwards off the ground, legs flailing frantically, uselessly against air and bark. The momentum of its own charge had skewered it so thoroughly that no escape could be had.


    From the darkened sand beneath emerged Dharitri, immaculate and smiling beatifically as blood poured down her outstretched arm. It was the terminus of the stakes, lovely flesh transforming into a claw of jagged wood. Sun Liling¡¯s spirit looked much the same as the last time Ling Qi had seen her in that fight that had kicked off the faction ¡®war¡¯ - willowy and tall, with smooth, ochre skin barely covered by scant, red silk scarves. Her eyes closed in contentment as her flesh drank in the dripping blood and sinuous bronze flesh.


    Hei Boqin fared no better than his spirit beast. The descending lance of crimson batted aside his guard as if it were nothing more than a paper screen, speartip shattering protective metallic qi like so much glass. In the next instant, twin curved blades pierced his abdomen, wielded by a pair of skeletal arms forged of blood that drove their sharp tips in and through, emerging from his back in twin showers of gore and arterial spray.


    Only then did the Sun Princess¡¯ feet again touch sand.


    ¡°You yield?¡± she asked conversationally, looking down at her slumping opponent without any particular emotion.


    Hei Boqin coughed violently, blood speckling his lips, and weakly nodded his head. The blades holding him upright dissolved back into the blood from whence they had come, leaving him to slump bonelessly to the sands. Hei Boqin and his spirit beast shimmered, dissolving into a cloud of glowing lights before the false terrain began to fade as well.


    She wasn¡¯t going to learn anything about the strongest opponents in the first round. The competition would not be strong enough to push them to reveal any hidden trump cards.


    ¡°The winner of the first match is Sun Liling, by right of forfeit,¡± Sect Head Yuan stated evenly, unaffected by the quick and brutal ending of the match. ¡°Would the young Sirs Han Jian and Shen Hu please proceed to the third arena?¡±


    Ling Qi let out a breath as Sun Liling hopped down from the raised platform of the arena, her armaments already vanishing. The other girl looked up then, and Ling Qi met her eyes. She saw the promise of violence there.


    Han Jian and Shen Hu passed the princess by as the red-haired girl took up her place at the far end of the reduced line, and Ling Qi turned her attention to the next match.


    In the arena ahead, Han Jian was taking up his place across from Shen Hu. His expression and posture were perfectly neutral, unusual enough for the friendly boy. ¡°I hope we can have a good match,¡± he said in a polite and even tone as the formations began to flicker around them.


    ¡°I suppose,¡± Shen Hu replied, standing with his arms crossed over his bare chest. ¡°Ah¡­ Sir Han, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Han Jian answered. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, I haven¡¯t heard of the Shen family¡­?¡±


    ¡°Our village is pretty far out west,¡± Shen Hu admitted. ¡°You¡¯re from the eastern desert, right?¡±


    As they spoke, the terrain solidified around them, leaving the two boys standing across from one another in a field of waist-high yellow grass stretching out to the horizon in a flat plain. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Han Jian replied, shaking out his sleeves.


    Thunder boomed, and the match began.


    Mud boiled out of Shen Hu¡¯s every pore, building him higher and higher until he towered over the tall grass, encased within Lanhua¡¯s muddy bulk. The air shimmered as Heijin sprang forth, golden fur gleaming as he darted out into the field to vanish like a shadow.


    Han Jian did not move from his place as his sword appeared in his right hand and dark stripes began to crawl across his skin, matching the tiger striped patterns of his armor. To Ling Qi¡¯s surprise, Han Jian ripped a strip of white silk from his white sleeve with his newly sharpened fingernails. Casting the ragged ribbon into the air, his sword blurred, and the strip of silk was cut into a half dozen scraps of fluttering cloth.


    As she felt the surge of qi flood the pieces of his garment, she glanced over at her liege, who met her gaze with a raised eyebrow. She had almost forgotten that Han Jian had received a Cai robe as well.


    As Shen Hu¡¯s lumbering form picked up speed in its ungainly charge, the scraps of silk expanded, rapidly growing to the size of grown men in height. They were simple things, a child¡¯s paper dolls writ large, but the blade-shaped edges of their limbs gleamed with a metallic sharpness.


    Shen Hu¡¯s momentum could not be so easily stopped. Encased in mud, the only part of him visible was the pale face set in Lanhua¡¯s ¡®chest¡¯, he crashed through the line of constructs, trampling one underfoot and scattering the others. Black crystal claws emerged from the bubbling mud at the end of Lanhua¡¯s massive club-like arms.


    Han Jian fell back in the wake of his charge and began to raise his sword, only to falter, his shout dying in his throat as his eyelids drooped. There was a flash, and Ling Qi noticed the understated gold stud in her friend¡¯s ear as it glowed with heated qi. Han Jian¡¯s eyes snapped back open, but that moment of lethargy had cost him precious time. He could do little but raise his sword in a partial block as the mud beast¡¯s fist slammed into his breastplate.


    As Han Jian flew backward from the force of the blow, Shen Hu¡¯s spirit beast staggered, mud and muck spraying from its back when four-meter long gashes appeared in its lumpy flank courtesy of Heijin, who was vanishing back into the waving grass. While Shen Hu remained off-balance, the five remaining constructs converged on him in unison, their paper-thin limbs lashing out while streamers of heat began to rise from them, distorting the air.


    Ling Qi glanced over to see that Han Jian had landed on his feet, his expression set in a grimace as he raised his sword, the same heat pouring off of his own body. Yet the lumbering mud beast merely shook itself like a dog shedding water, its malleable body warping to avoid the slashing blade limbs of the constructs even as the gashes left by Heijin closed with a sucking sound of a boot caught in wet muck.


    A black blur lashed out from the spirit¡¯s chest, diamond claws reducing the head of a construct to tattered scraps of silk, and muddy limbs flattened and sharpened as Lanhua¡¯s entire upper torso rotated with sudden and explosive motion, breaking and flinging away the tattered remains of the constructs surrounding it.


    Ling Qi saw Han Jian stumble again, the sword nearly dropping from his hand, only for his earring to flash again, albeit dimmer this time. The moment he recovered, Han Jian swept his sword through the dirt in one smooth motion, the wake of the blade ripping dirt and dust from the ground to form a howling wall of whirling debris.


    A move to buy time and recover, she thought.


    The mud beast¡¯s rumbling charge would not give him that time. It burst through the barrier hardly any worse for the wear, bearing down once more on the backpedaling Han Jian. As the massive, club-like arms rose to strike him down, the very air trembled with the force of the roar unleashed by Heijin as he pounced upon the mud beast¡¯s back. Muck and reeds were blown away, Lanhua¡¯s back cratering inward from the thunderous sound, and Shen Hu was sent flying as well to tumble through the grass, separated from his spirit.


    As Shen Hu staggered back to his feet, disoriented, and Lanhua wobbled, pulling herself back together, Heijin leapt towards longer grasses, intending to hide and repeat once more the ambushes that had been so effective. It was not to be. The young tiger¡¯s limbs went limp in the midst of his jump, leaving him to crash into the ground in an ungainly sprawl. Han Jian had tried to capitalize on his opponent¡¯s opening but found his blade trapped by a stone-encrusted forearm. Ling Qi winced as Shen Hu¡¯s other hand lashed out, sending up a spray of blood as diamond claws punched through steel and cloth alike.


    Heijin was doing little better than Han Jian. As he struggled back his feet, golden fur now covered in muck and dust, Lanhua was upon him. Literally. Abandoning all semblance of humanoid form, the muck beast crashed down over the young tiger in a wave of damp earth, engulfing him and dragging him further away from Han Jian. The tiger struggled. Mud bubbled and burst as blades of wind and bursts of sound erupted from the roiling pool of mud, the feline¡¯s furious struggles impotent for the moment.


    Lanhua didn¡¯t need to hold the tiger long after all, Ling Qi thought. Han Jian fought with desperate skill, his sword a blurring arc of silver, sending up sparks as he parried and avoided blows from Shen Hu¡¯s stone talons. Ling Qi could see that it was hopeless though. For every strike avoided, another slipped through Han Jian¡¯s guard, sending up embers of dusty gold qi where they would have carved into flesh, and against Shen Hu, every slashing trail of searing wind and every burst of stinging grit washed off his armor.


    The outcome wasn¡¯t really in question. Shen Hu was a realm and two stages higher than Han Jian. He seemed hardly winded by the fight while Han Jian¡¯s expression was tight with strain, forehead gleaming with sweat. No matter how valiantly he struggled, eventually the end would come. The final mistake was a poor block made at an awkward angle, the force of the blow tearing the sword from his hand and casting it into the long grass beyond Han Jian¡¯s reach. Without hesitation, a crystal-studded palm slammed into his forehead, shattering the gutted remains of the tiger-stripped boy¡¯s aura.


    It was over.


    ¡°The winner of the second match is Shen Hu, by right of knockout,¡± Sect Head Yuan said as Han Jian flew back from the force of the blow, falling to the dusty ground and failing to rise. The silence of the moment was shattered by a furious yowl from Heijin, but even that faded an instant later as the losing competitors vanished into twinkling lights, leaving only Shen Hu and his own spirits in the arena.


    The sounds of the crowd were far more muted this time.

 Chapter 195-Tournament 5

    ¡°Miss Ling, Miss Chu, proceed to the second arena.¡± Ling Qi started as she heard the Sect Head speak her name, but quickly straightened her shoulders and stepped out of the line of competitors, along with Chu Song.


    Ling Qi shared a look with the other girl, who was now only slightly taller than her, and found her opponent¡¯s expression cold, which was hardly unexpected. The other girl had not been fond of the Cai when last they had met, and Ling Qi was now a direct retainer to the clan¡¯s heiress. As they stepped into the arena, pacing to the far ends, she saw the older girl take a deep breath, clenching and unclenching her hands.


    ¡°I see you didn¡¯t give my words the slightest bit of regard,¡± Chu Song said as the gemstones set into the arena¡¯s pillars began to glimmer. ¡°I can¡¯t say that¡¯s unexpected.¡±


    Ling Qi made a noncommittal sound, idly tapping her foot to the beat of the tune Sixiang was humming now in the back of her head. She would have to ask the spirit what it was called later. It would be rude to ignore her opponent, she supposed, but she had to remain conscious of the fact that what she said would be heard by any who cared to hear.


    ¡°I¡¯ve studied some history since that time at the vent,¡± she started.


    The muscular girl raised an eyebrow. ¡°And what does that have to do with anything?¡± her expression darkened a moment later. ¡°You gonna say we deserved it for failing to hold back Ogodei?¡±


    Ling Qi shook her head, her braided hair swaying with the motion. ¡°No, it¡¯s just¡­ Things don¡¯t really change, you know?¡± She didn¡¯t think about things like this often, but the difficulty of true change was often in the back of her thoughts as she learned more about the past. ¡°Yesterday, a million people were crushed by the world¡¯s unfairness, and today, it will be the same for a million more.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t take you for the philosophizing sort,¡± Chu Song snorted as the shapes of trees began to take form around them and the distance between their positions began to stretch. ¡°What¡¯s your point?¡±


    ¡°No matter how peerless my honored ruler¡¯s might is, she didn¡¯t change that,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°You aren¡¯t special for suffering. After all, even with all your misfortune, there are countless people who would sacrifice everything to be in your position.¡± What person living in the gutters would not kill for the chance to join even the least of cultivators?


    Chu Song sneered. ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re making excuses. Lil¡¯ self-serving, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°I guess I just don¡¯t really care about the fading ghosts of clans a hundred years dead.¡±


    Ling Qi felt a little bad as her opponent¡¯s expression twisted into fury, but her words had the desired effect. Thunder boomed, rustling the leaves of the trees overhead, and Chu Song launched herself toward Ling Qi, her massive slab of a greatsword appearing in her hands.


    The charge was sloppy.


    Ling Qi launched herself skyward, darkness pooled in her channels and washed across her skin, her limbs blurred into misty incoherence as she expressed her flute, its silver markings gleamed amidst the shrouded trees. The first melancholy notes of the Forgotten Vale Melody echoed through the once bright summer sky.


    Below her, the area where she had stood and the closest trees in every direction were blown away, howling wind carved through wood and dirt alike as an arcing blade of air tore apart the terrain. For Ling Qi, it served only to make her gown rustle in the rising winds.


    Ling Qi did not stop there, flying further still into the sky, carried on the dark wings of her gown. Abusing her flight against Chu Song to set up her music in peace was unfair, yes, but expecting fairness in a competition such as this was foolish. She called forth the shadows of hungry spirits to infest her mist, writhing and snatching at the promise of violence. In the dim light, her skin darkened with deep green qi, layering itself like bark as she wrapped herself in the Hundred Rings Armament technique.


    Ling Qi almost paused in her playing when she felt a sudden and violent shift in the air all around her. The nearby clouds were torn asunder by the suddenly swirling wind before a whirling, invisible twister slammed into the top of her mist. Ling Qi quickly channeled still more qi through the pulsing lines of vital energy that laced her spine, adding another layer of defense to the rough, barklike aura that enshrouded her.


    Wind tore at her hair and gown, howling, screaming, trying to scatter her building melodies to the four corners of the world. Futile. Her music and mist were beyond such things now, lessons learned in the all-consuming embrace of Zeqing¡¯s snowstorm. The serene notes of the Forgotten Vale floated over noise and fury, unperturbed by the tantrum of the winds.


    she asked as her mist grew more cloying still with her song seamlessly transitioning into the Starlight Elegy. Below, she could feel Chu Song and her spirit beast, fruitlessly trying to stop her build-up.


    Zhengui exclaimed, eager for his first real battle.


    Ling Qi worried. The bear had quite the cultivation advantage over her Zhengui, but she would be nearby, effectively bolstering Zhengui with her mist, hindering their opponents. Ling Qi was confident that Zhengui could at least hold the beast off while she dealt with Chu Song. Her little brother was young, but he was tough indeed.


    Ending her ascent, Ling Qi began to dive as she played the first notes of the Traveler¡¯s End, the finale of her performance, the mist becoming completely opaque to mundane sight. At fifty meters up, she expressed Zhengui above the concentration of mountain and metal that could only be Chu Song¡¯s spirit. Her little brother dropped like a stone with an excited woop from both of his heads, and his shell glowing with magmatic heat that distorted the very air around him.


    Ling Qi swooped below the treeline and cut off the flow of qi to her gown, turning her flight into a controlled fall. Chu Song awaited her, skin faded to the color of granite and a veritable tornado screaming around her torso-sized blade. A crescent of silver shot toward her from above the girls head and met its match as the girl¡¯s lower quality flying blade clashed against the onyx edge of Ling Qi¡¯s singing blade.


    Despite the power Ling Qi sensed in the other girl¡¯s sword, it could not reach her. Chu Song¡¯s eyes glowed with the light of a perception art, but Ling Qi flowed around the path of the first blade of wind launched from Chu¡¯s blade. The second was met with a single, sharp note from her flute, a muffled boom of imploding air resounding through the arena as both attacks shattered. The cloying qi of her mist sept into Chu Song¡¯s channels, clouding her senses and sapping her vitality, but the girl only roared a battle cry and charged forward.


    Some distance away, Ling Qi could sense that Zhengui and the great bear were engaging in battle. A massive paw crashed into the smaller tortoise¡¯s shell with a ground-cratering smash, only for the bear to rear back with an irritated roar as superheated ash engulfed its head.


    Her enemy¡¯s charge faltered as a pulse of hungry darkness washed over the field and Chu¡¯s flying sword was sent spinning away. In that moment of weakness, Ling Qi spun from the path of the charge with a dancer¡¯s grace, gown flaring out around her legs and pulled back from the melee, careful to keep Zhengui in the embrace of her mist. Not content to merely defend herself while the mist did its work, she sang the Aria of Spring¡¯s End.


    The wordless notes of the song caused the temperature to plummet immediately, frost rippling across grass made damp from her mist. This time, when Chu Song spun and slashed at her, Ling Qi fought back directly. Between the techniques of her various arts, qi from all around her streamed back in to refill her reserves.


    She did not intend to play fair.


    Ling Qi flitted through the mist like a shadow, battering the older girl at the center with bone-chilling cold carried on the notes of a sad, lonely melody and drank deeply from her despair. Always just out of reach of Chu Song¡¯s sword, she led the girl on a merry, hopeless chase. When a wind blade clipped her shoulder, it served only to chip at her recovering qi. When Chu Song tried to link back up with her spirit, crying out his name, Ling Qi buried her deeper still in the mist until the girl could not even perceive her own spirit beast.


    Part of Ling Qi delighted at the feeling of power she felt as her opponent''s movements grew weaker and more sloppy. She had strived for this. This strength and control. An enemy she could only cower before half a year ago was reduced to stumbling around, lost and at her mercy.


    Ling Qi let out a quiet breath as Chu Song¡¯s faltering steps found a tree root, invisible in the mist, and the girl¡¯s stone armor crumbled under the eager claws of the mist phantoms. There was no need to be cruel. It was time to end this.


    Sixiang questioned as Chu Song glared out impotently into the mist.


    Ling Qi thought back. From the noise, Zhengui and the bear, Yan, were still fighting. They were at a stalemate. With his cultivation disadvantage, Zhengui could not hurt the other spirit easily, but weakened by her mist, the reverse was also true, if less so, and Zhengui recovered far more easily.


    ¡°Do you yield?¡± Ling Qi asked, her voice echoing from everywhere within the mist.


    ¡°Go to hell,¡± Chu Song spat, her teeth chattering from the cold.


    Ling Qi sighed. ¡°Then don¡¯t complain,¡± she warned before raising her voice in song again.


    The older girl crashed to the ground, covered in frost, her qi extinguished.


    Ling Qi let out a deep breath as the trees and her enemy began to fade along with her mist. Zhengui trotted back to her side. His shell was chipped, and Zhen was bleeding, superheated white fluid dripping to sizzle on the stage, scales torn from his snout in a bloody line, but even now, she could see new ash-grey scales sprouting.


    ¡°Are you alright, little brother?¡± she asked lightly.


    ¡°Zhen¡¯s face itches,¡± the young serpent grumbled. ¡°But it is nothing!¡± the proud half of her little spirit declared.


    ¡°Gui kept the bear from bothering Big Sister!¡± his other half chirped.


    ¡°What a good little brother you are,¡± Ling Qi praised. ¡°Return now though. We need to make room for the next fight.¡±


    As Zhengui dissolved with an agreeable chirp, Ling Qi regained her sight of the tournament grounds, meeting the Sect Head¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°The winner of the third match is Ling Qi, by right of knockout,¡± he announced as the last vestiges of the formation-generated terrain faded.


    Ling Qi smiled and stepped down from the stage. Despite her victory, she couldn¡¯t rest easy. She still had to progress as far as she could in this tournament to show off her strength. With a better placement, she¡¯d gain a higher starting rank in the Inner Sect and show that the Cai had made a good choice in supporting her.


    Regardless of her final placement, though, she had done it! She had secured her place in the Inner Sect!

 Chapter 196-Tournament 6

    Ling Qi wondered as she made her way back to the line of the participating disciples under the bright cheers of the audience. She caught Ji Rong¡¯s eye as they passed one another on the path to the arenas. Perhaps unsurprisingly given his relationship with Chu Song, he was scowling.


    Sixiang noted.


    Ling Qi let out a quiet huff as she rejoined the line, returning to her position between Cai Renxiang and Gu Xiulan. she thought.


    Sixiang made a thoughtful sound that echoed oddly inside of her mind.


    she mused. She couldn¡¯t imagine what living like that must be like.


    Sixiang agreed cheerfully. Ling Qi got the impression of a shrug from the capricious spirit.


    Ling Qi thought.


    Sixiang admitted.


    Ling Qi held in a sigh and turned her attention outward once more. She had been harsh in her wording to Chu, purposefully so, but she hadn¡¯t lied either. Ling Qi had seen her own reflection in the Argent Mirror, and despite her efforts to grow it, she still had little enough room for sympathy in her heart and certainly not for a declared enemy.


    In the arena, Ji Rong was facing Han Fang.


    ¡°... an ass, but he¡¯s had my back,¡± Ji Rong said idly, flexing his scarred and calloused hands. ¡°Gonna have to kick your ass for that, you know?¡±


    Han Fang had no verbal reply for obvious reasons, though the bald boy did cock an eyebrow at the threat.


    ¡°Tch, forgot. Not gonna get any trash talk from you, am I?¡± Ji Rong mused as the formations took hold, beginning the transformation of the arena into that of a sheer mountainside cliff.


    Han Fang merely smiled, tracing the ugly scar that crossed his throat with one finger.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I see it,¡± Ji Rong replied, raising a hand to scratch at the burn scar that stretched across his cheek and neck. ¡°It¡¯s not gonna stop me from breakin¡¯ your jaw again.¡±


    Han Fang shrugged as the arena solidified fully around them, leaving the two boys standing atop a high and misty cliff beside a river that thundered over the edge, drowning out any further speech. The thunderclap that signified the start of the match sounded a bare moment later.


    As Ling Qi watched, Ji Rong¡¯s body crackled with heavenly energy, and his limbs dissolved into actinic light. He crossed the distance between himself and Han Fang in the blink of an eye, seeming to almost materialize out of the air with his fist already slamming into the taller boy¡¯s jaw, lifting him from the ground with the force of the blow.


    Wind shrieked around Han Fang, and he himself vanished with a thunderous boom before reappearing with a loud crack atop a large boulder set in the center of the river, his hammer now in one hand and a small, glowing pellet in the other. Han Fang flung the pellet at the boulder he stood upon, and a roiling cloud of sand and dust sprang up in its wake.


    Ling Qi saw Ji Rong fall into a crouch, his lips moving in speech she couldn¡¯t quite make out over the roar of the waterfall. What she could understand, however, was the intense spike of qi as he pressed two fingers against his forehead and drew forth a crackling orb of blindingly bright energy. It shot from his extended fingers in a searing beam of spiraling energy, striking the cloud. Then, the beam warped, bending at a right angle to shoot to the left and curve around a second boulder on the far side of the river, shattering the cloak of obfuscating qi and sending the previously hidden Han Fang sprawling as the energy drilled through his chest and out of his shoulder, leaving a smoking hole in its wake.


    Ji Rong easily avoided the flung hammer that came his way as Han Fang scrambled back to his feet. Ling Qi closed her eyes, and a moment later, her silent prediction came true as the sound of an electrified fist striking flesh reached her ears.


    ¡°The winner of the fourth match is Ji Rong, by right of knockout,¡± Sect Head Yuan announced to the mixed cheers of the audience.


    Her own match had been the longest one so far in this first round of elimination duels, Ling Qi noted. She supposed that this was the reason that the Sect had arranged for the crafting competition to take place on the same day; the visitors would probably find this first round rather short.


    As the Sect Head called up the next two combatants, Ling Qi could not help but feel a pang of pity for the stocky, dark haired boy who had been matched with Meizhen. Much like Hei Boqin, Wei Jing looked like a man marching to meet the headsman.


    While she was well aware of how this match would go, out of courtesy to her friend, she kept her attention focused on the arena rather than any further musing.


    Meizhen stood with her arms hanging loose at her sides, seemingly unguarded in posture as she observed her opponent. On the other hand, Ling Qi could see the faint trembling in Wei Jing¡¯s hands as he clasped them in front of his chest and bowed respectfully.


    ¡°M-may we have an honorable match, Miss Bai,¡± he said carefully, keeping his eyes down as the arena wavered and reformed.


    To Ling Qi¡¯s surprise, Meizhen actually deigned to respond. ¡°As you say,¡± she replied coolly, somehow giving the impression of looking down on the older boy despite his greater height. ¡°You are not my enemy, so I will endeavor not to inflict undue pain.¡±


    Her opponent straightened up, looking as if he had bitten into something unpleasant, but he kept his hands together for a moment longer regardless. ¡°This one thanks you for your regard,¡± he said, swallowing thickly.


    The terrain had finished taking shape during the exchange, leaving the two cultivators standing on small isles of dirt protruding from rippling brown waters. The shores were overgrown with rushes and other such plants, and here and there, twisted trees rose from the mist that clung to the ground and water, their branches hanging heavy and low.


    The moment that the thunderclap indicating the start of the match sounded, dark waters began to trickle down Meizhen¡¯s back, condensing from the moist air, and Cui¡¯s sinuous emerald coils began to form, coiling around Meizhen¡¯s feet.


    At the same time, a long wooden staff capped with bronze formed in the hands of her opponent, and the boy turned, his boots digging deep into the moist earth as he prepared to leap away from his starting island and opponent.


    ¡°Running is futile.¡± Meizhen¡¯s quiet voice rang out like a clear crystal bell, and pale golden fire bloomed in her eyes. That was a sure sign, in Ling Qi¡¯s experience, that Meizhen was putting active effort into her aura of terror. Ling Qi winced in pity as the boy¡¯s limbs stiffened and his eyes bulged out, leaving him to trip and sprawl in the mud, whatever movement technique he had begun to activate guttering out.


    Meizhen¡¯s flowing stride carried her out onto the murky waters, her passing leaving only faint ripples as the surface of the water supported her as easily as the ground had, while at her side, Cui slipped silently beneath the muddy surface. As Meizhen¡¯s Abyssal Mantle took on its full shape, her face was shadowed, visible only by the glow of her eyes.


    Wei Jing scrambled to his feet, clutching his weapon, and spun to face his approaching doom. He brought the butt of his staff down on the muddy ground with a thump. The earth rumbled and rose, a meter thick barricade of packed earth rising to twice the height of a man in an instant, but then, he screamed as a serpentine head erupted from the waters at his feet, Cui striking in an impossibly fast blur to sink her fangs in through qi, leather, and flesh alike before vanishing back into the waters as quickly as she had appeared.


    As his staff dropped from nerveless fingers, she saw Meizhen swipe her hand horizontally through the air in a single, quick motion. In its wake, the waters rose in a sharp wave, carving through the raised wall and allowing her to step gracefully through the muddy rubble to stand a short distance away from her opponent. Wei Jing was struggling to rise off of his knees, but even with his thick pants and boots, Ling Qi could tell that his leg was swollen to a worrying degree, and the blood which wept from the holes left by Cui¡¯s fangs was marked with greenish black flecks.


    ¡°Do you yield?¡± Meizhen asked as she moved to stand over him, her empty hand extended toward his cheek, sparks of poisonous qi dancing around her fingertips.


    ¡°I yield,¡± the boy choked out.


    The first round this year was really unfair, Ling Qi thought as the Sect Head announced Meizhen as the winner to a backdrop of cautious approval radiating from the audience. She offered Meizhen a small smile as the girl returned, and the other girl caught her eye for a moment before looking to Cai Renxiang beside her and offering a small nod of her own.


    Keeping up appearances could be quite annoying. Ling Qi held back the small sigh that wished to escape her as her friend took up her place on the opposite side of her liege in the rapidly shrinking line.


    Ling Qi watched with only minor interest as the next match began. The two participants facing off were Kang Zihao and another of the poor sacrificial second realms. She wasn¡¯t concerned about the other boy as an opponent. Not only was he in the opposite bracket, but he would also be facing off against Bai Meizhen next.


    As Ling Qi listened to the two¡¯s dialogue, she realized that Kang was going to be giving the other boy some face. From their conversation, it seemed that the second realm had been one of Kang¡¯s subordinates. Ling Qi couldn¡¯t recall this disciple¡¯s face.


    Given her lack of interest in this ¡°fight,¡± Ling Qi instead turned her attention to Zhengui, who was practically vibrating with happiness at winning his first fight. Praising her little brother for toughing it out against a third realm opponent was more important and more entertaining.


    Ling Qi did tune into the match from time to time. The other boy was a spear wielder as well, and Kang Zihao had decided to engage the other boy in a duel of pure spearmanship, showing nothing new. As boring as the match was to her, it looked like the crowd at least enjoyed getting to see a slightly longer match this time. In the end though, the duel reached its obvious outcome, with Kang¡¯s speartip resting against the other boy¡¯s throat.


    The next match, on the other hand, Ling Qi intended to give her full attention. As Gu Xiulan¡¯s name was called, she gave her friend an encouraging smile, which the other girl returned with a confident smirk behind her veil. Gu Xiulan marched up the path beside her opponent with her head held high, as haughty and confident as the day Ling Qi had met her. She wore a single layered gown of dark red silk embroidered with flickering flames that clung rather scandalously to her figure. The red glove she had worn since the beginning of the year was gone, replaced with a fine golden gauntlet so well articulated that the plates seemed almost like a second skin.


    Wen Ai, on the other hand, kept a more demure expression, her steps flowing gracefully along the path. The girl practically had a whole bouquet of flowers woven into her hair, and the colorful blooms swayed with every step like the dangling ruby earrings worn below. Unlike Xiulan, her gown was a many layered thing, burying the smaller girl in a cloud of floaty silk and lace that seemed quite good at masking the movements of her limbs. Also unlike Xiulan, she was fully in the third realm.


    As the two reached the arena and took up their places, both girls bowed politely to one another in almost perfect unison.


    ¡°I hope that we may have a good match,¡± Wen Ai said in her quiet, musical voice.


    ¡°That is my hope as well,¡± Xiulan agreed easily.


    ¡°Allow me to offer my condolences for your incomplete breakthrough, Sect Sister,¡± Wen Ai said. ¡°It must have been a terrible disappointment after your sacrifices.¡±


    Xiulan¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly in the fading light of the changing arena, sparks igniting in her dark brown eyes. ¡°Thank you, Sect Sister,¡± she said sweetly. ¡°Allow me to congratulate you on your own. A mere two years of effort for such a result is certainly impressive.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your acknowledgement,¡± the other girl replied, her voice unstrained as the sky darkened above them, and rough stone replaced the tiled arena under their feet. ¡°I will, of course, endeavor not to worsen your disfigurement in the coming match.¡±


    ¡°I will apologize in advance for any damage you suffer as well, Sect Sister.¡± Ling Qi recognized the look in Xiulan¡¯s eyes well enough to know exactly what sort of sharp-edged smile hid beneath her veil.


    Their arena finished taking shape as the girls fell silent, leaving the two standing on a small rocky isle in the middle of a great expanse of water. White-capped waves rose and dashed themselves against the sheer stony cliffs that made up the isle, and overhead, storm clouds rumbled with unreleased rain.


    The starting thunderclap rang out.

 Chapter 197-Tournament 7

    Xiulan dropped into the fighting stance of her family style and swept her leg out across the damp stone, the hem of her dress flaring up to reveal the knee-high boots she wore beneath. From her lashing limb, a wave of blue-white flames erupted, rushing across the intervening distance toward Wen Ai.


    A pair of fans appeared in Wen Ai¡¯s hands and snapped open, exposing the silk webbing on which were painted vistas of floating clouds and clear blue lakes. The cloud-painted fan swept out, and the wind howled, scattering the roaring flames. The shorter girl advanced, dancing gracefully through the falling sparks as her second fan swept around and her form blurred, splitting into three separate images that quickly made distance from one another.


    As Xiulan rose back into a guarded stance, embers burning in her braided hair and sparks crackling in her eyes, her hand struck out, two fingers extended. From their tips burst a searing line of near liquid flame no thicker than an inkbrush. The blazing line stabbed into the leftmost image of Wen Ai and passed through, leaving a steaming hole in the construct before it collapsed.


    Xiulan was forced to duck, the edge of the rightmost image¡¯s fan cutting through the air where her head had been. She was pushed further as the other girl carried the second fan around, hastily blocking the strike with her new gauntlet, a shower of sparks and clashing qi bursting forth where silk and metal met. The damp air howled, and Xiulan was flung skyward, carried by a rising funnel of wind generated by the spinning dance of the center image.


    Ling Qi saw her friend¡¯s expression twist into a snarl as a cutting wind tore off her veil and scored a bloody line across her cheek, similar wounds appearing across the rest of her body. The spider web of scars marring her friend¡¯s face smouldered, and Xiulan¡¯s aura spiked upward in potency. The blood flowing from the cuts strewn across her body caught aflame, and smoke rose from her bandage-swathed arm as she flung her hands outward and let out a loud battlecry.


    Ling Qi winced at the explosion of heat and light that followed, forced to close her eyes to keep from being blinded. When she opened them next, Wen Ai was retreating, her wide sleeves scorched and gave off wisps of black smoke that licked at her forearms. Her duplicate images were nowhere to be found. The stone of the isle was glowing cherry red with heat in a wide circle beneath Xiulan¡¯s position, and near the center, rock bubbled and ran like wax. Xiulan herself had been launched higher into the air by the force of her blast. Her once well kept hair was now flying free in a fan behind her head, the fringes aflame. Above her floated a tiny figure made entirely of dancing flames, casting her features in shadow from the flickering, hungry light.


    As Wen Ai retreated from the superheated stone and found her ground, soft, rippling light beginning to radiate from her dancing form, Xiulan spun in midair to face her foe, the gauntlet she wore flaring with blazing characters. A whip of deep crimson flame sparked and burst to life in her grasp, nine grasping lashes snapped out.


    Wen Ai leapt backward, the air rippled and blurred around her. The first and the second lash went up in smoke as they tried to carve through the damp aura surrounding the girl. The third and the fourth made it through, kicking up sparks as they slashed across the rocks at Wen Ai¡¯s feet, avoided by graceful yet increasingly desperate movements. The fifth and the sixth were parried by spinning fans, knocked aside to coil uselessly in the air, while the seventh and the eighth incinerated a pair of blossoms decorating Wen Ai¡¯s hair. The ninth, though, coiled around Wen Ai¡¯s wrist, and burned through qi to sizzle against exposed flesh.


    Ling Qi saw Xiulan grin as her shoulders tensed and she tightened her grip on the fiery whip. The burning fairy above her laughed, a sound like underbrush burning, and threw out her flickering arms at the same time that Xiulan¡¯s whip snapped taut. The faerie released a pulse of burning hot air, and her friend¡¯s weapon shrunk rapidly, pulling her through the air at her foe.


    Below, Wen Ai¡¯s eyes were wide with pain, but the older girl grit her teeth, her expression twisted in fury rather than helplessness. Wen Ai raised her free hand, and the air before her began to shimmer with the form of a materializing beast.


    It was too late for Xiulan to stop, diving through the air as she was. Her injured arm extended, the crackling plasma of an unreleased Radiant Lance burning between her fingers. Xiulan collided with Wen Ai¡¯s spirit beast, sending up a cloud of smoke and dust.


    Ling Qi felt her throat tighten with worry for her friend. Looming between the two girls stood a figure from a fairy tale. A huge blue-skinned hulk of a humanoid clad in only a loincloth of tiger¡¯s skin, its face hideous and ape-like, with protruding tusks and thick brows that cast its eyes in shadow. The thing must have been nearly four meters tall.


    Xiulan¡¯s arm was buried up to the elbow in its chest, a burning hole in its lower back marking the exit wound of the Radiant Lance. Ling Qi hoped that the wound would defeat creature, but the beast merely let out an enraged bellow. The sheer force of the sound blew away the remaining dust and smoke in the air and it seized Xiulan and smashed her to the ground.


    Ling Qi clenched her fists as she saw blood escape Xiulan¡¯s lips and Wen Ai¡¯s face light up in a vicious smile. Then a screaming comet of fire slammed into the ogre¡¯s hideous face. The ogre let out another bellow, swatting at the buzzing fire now assaulting its eyes, nose, and ears, stumbling back from Xiulan¡¯s prone form.


    Xiulan took advantage of the ogre¡¯s distraction to recover, rolling to her feet in a quick motion that belied the unhealthy shifting of bones beneath her skin. She was unbowed, her eyes burned with determination.


    Her enemy had not been idle. The older disciple immediately pressed an attack upon her, twin fans slashing through the air and bringing with them gale-like winds and rippling air that twisted perception.


    New wounds appeared on her friend - a slash across her right shoulder, a rising knee slamming into her stomach, and a vicious stomp of a dainty heeled shoe likely breaking at least a few toes. Xiulan faced it, reversing her fighting retreat. Her gauntleted hand snapped out to grasp Wen Ai¡¯s wounded wrist.


    Xiulan inhaled deeply, unmindful of the creaking from strained and broken ribs, three tongues of flame bursting through the sealing bandages on her ruined arm, and Xiulan exhaled. Flames poured from her lips, blue-bell bright with an incandescent core of white. Wen Ai shrieked in pain as the hungry stream washed over her, ravenously devouring the qi that sought to block their touch.


    The burning figure that stumbled away and fell to one knee hardly bore a resemblance to the elegant girl that had entered the ring. The flowers in Wen Ai¡¯s hair had been incinerated, ugly burns stretching across the arm that had been raised to defend her face, and the fanciful gown had been reduced to tatters clinging to a surprisingly practical bodysuit of cloth armor laced with formations.


    Xiulan was similarly bent over, taking short, sharp breaths as she tried to recover from the exertion of her previous fire breath. Before she could take advantage of Wen Ai¡¯s disorientation, Wen Ai¡¯s spirit beast stomped over to the girls, having finished catching and smashing Xiulan¡¯s flickering fairy against the ground before stomping hard on the little thing. Ling Qi was glad that the fights took place within Elder Jiao¡¯s formations. She had enough experience to know that the lethality within such arenas was under his control.


    Xiulan straightened up, a trickle of sizzling blood leaking from the corner of her mouth as the brute charged her, its swinging fists failing to strike her even in her wounded state. Yet, dangerous as it was, she refused to give the ogre her full attention, having eyes only for her recovering opponent. In the wake of one swing, she slipped under the brute and slashed her own limb through the air. The sky screamed as a bolt of brilliant lighting fell from the heavens to strike at the other girl, even as the beast spun and slammed a foot into her back. The force of the ogre¡¯s kick sent Xiulan tumbling across the rocky ground, stopping just shy of falling into the churning waters around the island.


    That did not help his master though. Wen Ai raised her sole remaining fan, and the lighting flared as it met the silken talisman and Wen Ai¡¯s guttering aura. The rippling qi that had shrouded Wen Ai failed. With a sound like shattering glass, the lightning punched through her fan and into her hand, and Wen Ai screamed.


    Xiulan struggled back to her feet to face the roaring charge of the spirit beast, but the arena was already fading.


    ¡°The winner of the seventh match is Gu Xiulan, by right of knockout,¡± Sect Head Yuan announced through the cheers of the crowd.


    Ling Qi noticed that Xiulan, face triumphant and fist upraised, was fading into the mist of the vanishing formations as well. She supposed that made sense given the extent of Xiulan¡¯s injuries. Ling Qi let out the breath she had been holding. Xiulan had made it through, by the skin of her teeth perhaps, but she couldn¡¯t have been more pleased for her friend.


    Ling Qi glanced over, and met Cai Renxiang¡¯s eyes. Her liege was last up. There was hardly any tension in this match though.


    Cai Renxiang¡¯s opponent, Shu Hai, had some resemblance to Kang Zihao and Lu Feng. Tall, thin, and handsome, Shu Hai wore polished armor that looked fit for a parade. As they took their places in the arena, Shu Hai bowed low.


    ¡°It is an honor, my lady, to face your blade,¡± he murmured. ¡°To think that I would be able to stand in the same arena as the heir of the one who cast down the accursed Hui.¡±


    Cai Renxiang¡¯s expression remained even as the air began to distort, transforming their surroundings. ¡°The Shu of Xiangmen deserve their honors. Your father has more than earned his position as an officer of the White Plume regiment.¡±


    Shu Hai smiled as a cold and windswept mountain peak formed beneath their feet. ¡°That Your Grace would recall the name of a humble sergeant is all the honor we need. Although¡­ if I may make a request?¡±


    ¡°You may,¡± Cai Renxiang said. The air around her right hand shimmered, and her sheathed blade appeared.


    Shu Hai straightened up, finally meeting her eyes. ¡°This one has no pretensions, so please, allow this soldier to receive the full weight of Your Grace¡¯s blade.¡±


    Ling Qi noticed the subtle way Cai Renxiang¡¯s lips thinned, the faintest show of frustration. ¡°As you wish.¡±


    The starting signal thundered out.


    A saber blazed like a colorless sun.


    The roar of crumbling rock drowned out the sound of metal rent asunder as the whole of the cliffside gave way.


    The match ended.


    ***


    ¡°I will require you to attend me before sunset,¡± Cai Renxiang said quietly as they left the tournament grounds, the other winning disciples scattering to take up their own business.


    ¡°For the Duchess¡¯ gathering, right?¡± Ling Qi asked, walking just behind her at a careful pace.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed. ¡°In addition, consider what resources you would like prepared for your coming match tomorrow.¡±


    Ling Qi raised an eyebrow in surprise. ¡°I thought I would not be receiving such assistance.¡±


    Her liege glanced back at Ling Qi. ¡°My wise Mother has chosen not to interfere, but I retain the last of the resources I was granted for my time in the Outer Sect.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°May I ask what sort of budget I should consider?¡±


    ¡°Anything you desire that is available within the Sect markets. Mother has forbidden me from making outside orders,¡± Cai said. ¡°In any case, the rest of your afternoon is yours to do with as you please.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your generosity, Lady Cai,¡± Ling Qi was already considering her current stock of medicines and tools as they split up.


    Putting such thoughts in the back of her mind for the moment, Ling Qi made her way toward the central entrance plaza. She had not seen Li Suyin since the beginning of the tournament week, and she was curious to see just how the girl was doing.

 Chapter 198-Tournament 8

    When she arrived at the main plaza, she found it quite busy, many of the Sect¡¯s visitors drifting toward the main hall at a casual pace, deep in conversation with other visitors. The doors of the hall were thrown open and inside, Ling Qi found the Sect¡¯s attendants and advisors out in full force, providing guidance and service to the visiting parents and relatives. Ling Qi made her way quietly through the crowds, keeping her pace sedate to avoid giving offense to any of the older cultivators present.


    A sign laid out on the Sect¡¯s job board pointed her toward the lecture hall in which the judging for the crafting competition would be taking place. Privately, Ling Qi wondered just how so many people were going to fit into one of those rooms and still fit the competitors. She felt a bit foolish for thinking that when she entered and found the room which she had spent so much time in learning the basics from Elder Su utterly transformed.


    The lecture hall had been expanded several times over in a way that was impossible given the outer dimensions of the building. The tiered seating where the students had been seated remained, but the plain wooden benches and desks had been replaced with more comfortable seating. The pit where Elder Su had previously lectured from was now partitioned into numerous sections for the competitors participating in the crafting competition. Disciples were busy putting the finishing touches on displays containing various works of talisman-craft or medicine.


    Ling Qi spotted Li Suyin¡¯s light blue hair off toward the right corner, fretting over a table holding a long silver pill case and some kind of odd, flat bone talisman. She met the girl¡¯s eye, and her friend smiled nervously back at her.


    Glancing across the rest of the competitors, she spotted Fu Xiang with an array of mirrors in various sizes, Xuan Shi standing in the midst of three terracotta discs, lazily circling around him, and Yan Renshu with a series of vials full of oddly-coloured liquid. She even spotted Su Ling¡¯s friend and supplier, the pudgy boy whose name escaped her at the moment.


    Out of the corner of her eye, Ling Qi glimpsed a fluffy black tail through a gap in the crowd. Su Ling was seated in the furthest right corner of the spectators¡¯ area, glancing at the crowd with both irritation and nervousness. Ling Qi smiled to herself, and she made her way over.


    Su Ling spotted her as she approached, and she spotted a flash of relief in the girl¡¯s eyes. Su Ling had obviously put a fair amount of effort into cleaning up. Her tangled mop of hair had been combed into wavy ringlets that hung neatly down to her shoulders, and her clothing was free of the scuffs and dirt that usually marked them. Ling Qi could still see the way her pointed ears twitched with ill-concealed nerves though; the furry tips of her ears were constantly in motion as if seeking a threat.


    ¡°Good afternoon, Su Ling,¡± Ling Qi greeted as she approached. ¡°Would you mind if I took this seat?¡±


    Su Ling paused in the process of greeting her, furrowing her brows for a moment before understanding dawned. ¡°... Right. Good afternoon,¡± she replied gruffly, trying to keep her words polite. ¡°I don¡¯t mind at all. You here to see Li Suyin, I guess?¡±


    ¡°I am. I¡¯m sure Li Suyin will be among the winners,¡± Ling Qi announced casually as she sat down beside the fox-girl. ¡°Senior Sister Bao wouldn¡¯t have spent so much time on her if she weren¡¯t talented,¡± she added smoothly, mostly for the benefit of the people who had glanced her way when she had sat down with Su Ling.


    Su Ling pursed her lips, eyeing Ling Qi before giving her a faint nod. ¡°Yeah, Li Suyin is a smart girl,¡± she agreed.


    ¡°How are you?¡± Ling Qi asked more quietly. ¡°You seem a little out of sorts.¡±


    Su Ling held back a snort of laughter. ¡°I suppose. Crowds just aren¡¯t my thing. There have been a few rude individuals around too,¡± she said, not looking at anyone in particular.


    It was hard to remember sometimes, given the company she usually kept, that people like Su Ling weren¡¯t the most well liked. Ling Qi had never quite understood how the prejudice against spirit-blooded worked since so many old and prestigious families were the same. From what little she had gleaned on the matter from studying law with Cai Renxiang, it had to do with an edict by one of the early Mu emperors. It was something about ¡®preserving Imperial character¡¯. Whatever that meant.


    ¡°That is unfortunate,¡± Ling Qi acknowledged. ¡°I¡¯m sure it was a passing thing.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Su Ling said, a slightly bitter smile exposing a few sharpened teeth. ¡°You were busy yesterday then?¡±


    ¡°I was. I wanted to make sure my opponent Shen Hu didn¡¯t feel slighted by our match,¡± she admitted.


    ¡°I bet you did.¡± Su Ling gave her a sly look. ¡°He looked like a pretty fine gentleman.¡±


    Ling Qi changed the subject, controlling her expression. ¡°You were watching the preliminaries then?¡±


    ¡°I was,¡± Su Ling said, graciously letting the other subject go. ¡°You are pretty scary, you know?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Ling Qi said with a glib smile. ¡°What were the crafting preliminaries like?¡±


    Su Ling hummed thoughtfully, drumming her blunt claws on the polished surface of the desk in front of her. ¡°It was kinda interesting. First, there was a timed written exam with a few hundred questions,¡± Su Ling said, the twitching of her ears finally calming down.


    Ling Qi winced. That sounded highly unpleasant. ¡°Short or long form?¡± she asked morbidly.


    ¡°About half and half from what I saw,¡± her friend answered, shaking her head in amusement. ¡°The ones who finished in time were then given a chest full of reagents to appraise and organise by their uses.¡±


    ¡°On a time limit as well, of course,¡± Ling Qi guessed wryly.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Su Ling confirmed. ¡°Final part was using the provided reagents to create a product, which was more fun to watch. Once everyone was done, the elders totaled up the scores for all three rounds. The twenty highest scorers made it to this round.¡±


    ¡°What was Li Suyin¡¯s rank?¡± Ling Qi asked, casting a glance across the rest of the room. The seats were filling up, so the competition would probably be starting soon.


    ¡°Fifth,¡± Su Ling replied with a touch of pride before looking Ling Qi¡¯s way. ¡°I almost forgot. Did you win your match today?¡±


    ¡°Flawlessly,¡± Ling Qi said with a grin. ¡°We should probably quiet down though,¡± she said, noting the shift in the rooms atmosphere as a familiar figure materialized at the fore of the competitors area. Su Ling followed her gaze and nodded, leaning back against the padded back of her seat.


    Ling Qi felt an odd ripple in the air surrounding the pit where the competitors were setting up. Her view changed enhanced as if she were sitting in the frontmost rows rather than the very back. Elder Su stood before the competing disciples, facing the audience. The Elder looked much the same, a poised older woman with greying hair but an unlined face. She wore a simple three-layered gown of dark green marked with embroidery depicting a tracery of leafy vines.


    ¡°Welcome, honored visitors and observing disciples alike,¡± the older woman said crisply. ¡°Before you stand the brightest of the Outer Sect¡¯s potential craftsmen and physicians.¡± There was a touch of pride in her voice as she allowed her gaze to move along the lines of the seating. ¡°Where our more martially inclined disciples form the blade which defends the Empire, it is these young men and women who form the haft which allows that blade to be wielded effectively. I humbly request that you remain silent during the presentations to come out of respect for their efforts. Time for questions and meetings will be allotted after the completion of the exam.¡±


    Elder Su¡¯s words were met with an agreeable silence. Disciples would hardly contradict her, and it seemed that this request was already known and expected by the adults in the room. After a beat of silence, Elder Su gave a shallow bow to the audience and turned on her heel to face the competitors. ¡°Disciple Rank Twenty, Zhu Qing, prepare your presentation¡­¡±


    Ling Qi leaned back in her seat as the wooden floor of the pit shifted and rotated, bringing a vaguely familiar girl to the fore. If they were starting at twenty, she had some time before her friend¡¯s presentation came up. While she knew it would be rude not to pay attention, she couldn¡¯t rightly say that the actual exam interested her much; the competitors were hardly going to be showing off the actual formations work involved for her to copy after all. Not that she really could. Advanced formations required personalization as much as cultivation did. It wasn''t as simple as copying a master¡¯s work to reproduce something great, or so she understood.


    So as disciples presented their end-of-year projects, a wide variety of medicines and talismans, Ling Qi kept a polite front of attention while her thoughts wandered. Once she was done here, she would visit Xiulan and congratulate her. After that, would she have time to stop by her mother¡¯s house in the village? She supposed it would depend on how long this exam took. If not, she would have to send Mother a note and give her the good news after the party tonight.


    As she considered her crowded schedule, the exam proceeded, one presentation after another passing by. Elder Su remained neutral throughout, showing no approval or disapproval to the nervous disciples.


    She glanced over at Su Ling as the other girl leaned forward and then back down at the competitors. It looked like Su Ling¡¯s other friend was up. The pudgy boy was waxing poetic about his project; the thick, paired books weren¡¯t flashy, but apparently they were linked and would remain so even at significant distance. The spiel about its benefits didn¡¯t seem all that impressive to her, but then again, she was pretty sure Cai Renxiang¡¯s book of Imperial tax law was somewhere in the range of fifty kilograms of paper, wood, and leather. So maybe a creation that would record transactions and finances and automatically calculate taxes and fees would actually be pretty helpful.


    Ling Qi wondered who would be doing the actual scoring. Elder Jiao was the head of the Talisman Department, so presumably he was lurking about somewhere, and Elder Su would obviously be involved. Perhaps the other judges would be the Sect Head or Elder Ying? But she didn¡¯t even know if the judges would announce the results immediately. A competition like this was probably hard to judge compared to the relatively straightforward result of a series of fights.


    Ling Qi found a frown creeping onto her lips as Fu Xiang¡¯s turn came up as the sixth ranked disciple. Her relationship with the older boy was complicated. She didn¡¯t see him as an enemy, but she couldn¡¯t really see him as a friend either. She was glad Li Suyin had beaten him.


    Fu Xiang¡¯s project was a communications array. Sets of linked mirrors in various sizes would allow two people to converse across long distances and even record short messages, among other features.


    Soon enough, Li Suyin¡¯s turn came, and although her friend looked a little pale as she was brought to stand before Elder Su, she still stood confidently beside her project.


    ¡°Disciple Rank Five, Li Suyin,¡± Elder Su greeted as the floor stopped moving. ¡°Do you swear that your project is your own work?¡± she asked. She had asked that of every disciple thus far.


    ¡°I do,¡± Li Suyin answered, her head bowed in respect.


    The Elder gave a tiny nod of acknowledgement, as she had done every time before. ¡°Then raise your head, and present your work.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much, Elder Su,¡± Li Suyin replied, taking a deep breath to steady herself. She turned toward the table beside her and carefully picked up a silver pill case. Flicking its latch open with her thumb, she opened the case, and a faint silvery mist leaked out, forming strange geometric patterns in the air as it dissolved. Laying within the case were three pills the size of a thumb, each one sparkling under the light of the room. They resembled nothing more than balls of liquid silver.


    ¡°My project consists of two parts. First are these pills, which I have dubbed Argent Web Pills.¡± Li Suyin swallowed then, glancing at Elder Su. ¡°I hope the name is not presumptuous.¡±


    ¡°We will see,¡± Elder Su said noncommittally, her eyes focused on the medicine in Li Suyin¡¯s hands.


    Li Suyin waited a beat to be sure that the elder would not continue speaking. ¡°The primary ingredients are the fluid found at the base of the mountain¡¯s Argent Vents and the spirit core of Moon¡¯s Eye White Condor,¡± she continued, slowly building confidence as she spoke. Setting the case down, she plucked one pill from its resting place and placed it in her mouth, pausing her speech long enough to swallow. ¡°When taken, the pill spreads its medicinal energies throughout the user¡¯s one hundred and eight primary meridians. At this potency, it only affects the lesser fifty four.¡±


    Li Suyin then grasped the leather-wrapped handle of the odd bone instrument that was presumably the second part of her project. Looking closely, Ling Qi noted that it wasn¡¯t bone but some kind of white chitin, and the wider end was wrapped tightly in a thick layer of spider silk. Squinting, she could see that there was a hole carved in the chitin beneath the silk, containing several marble-sized lumps.


    ¡°The medicinal energies cling to the impurities which fill unopened meridians, and if left alone, they will eventually cause painful swelling and minor lesions across the body,¡± Li Suyinsaid matter-of-factly, carefully shaking back her sleeve to expose her pale forearm. ¡°However, by applying the Impurity Devourer to the appropriate part of the body,¡± she said, pressing the silk-wrapped end of the device against her own arm and gritting her teeth, ¡°the talisman will apply significant pull to the medicinal energies, not only putting the vast majority into the desired channel, but also¡­¡± Suyin winced, slowly moving the device up and down her arm from elbow to wrist. ¡°With some minor discomfort, it will draw much of the channel¡¯s impurities out through the pores.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Elder Su said, her eyes following the motion of the talisman. ¡°Precisely how much would you say?¡±


    ¡°R-roughly fifty percent,¡± Li Suyin answered, losing her confident tone briefly as she finally lowered her arm. The round lumps beneath the silk were darker and more visible now, and the white silk had some faint gray stains. ¡°Many impurities remain too heavy or thick to draw out through the skin with the talisman.¡±


    ¡°Side effects?¡± the elder questioned.


    ¡°A lingering soreness and sensitivity in the affected area,¡± Li Suyin replied promptly. ¡°In addition, certain components require cleansing and replacement with repeated use.¡±


    ¡°Hardly something unknown in our field,¡± Elder Su commented mildly, which caused Li Suyin¡¯s expression to brighten. ¡°Very well. A fine display, young lady,¡± she said, moving back onto the script she had used in previous entries. ¡°Please step back.¡±


    Ling Qi was happy for her friend. Even she had been starting to have some trouble with opening meridians before she had gotten access to the White Room, she could only imagine how much making the process faster by half would help others. Li Suyin would get a spot into the Inner Sect with a project like that.


    The remaining presentations went by quickly enough. Yan Renshu, who was ranked third after the crafting preliminaries, presented a series of medicines which greatly increased the growth rate of lower grade spirit beasts. The second ranked disciple, an unassuming boy named Du Feng, presented a flying carpet. Well, flying was a bit much; it hovered a set distance above the ground and moved at the pace of a swift third realm horse. Still, it was impressive.


    Xuan Shi, the highest ranked disciple, presented his constructs. Ling Qi was glad that the ducal scion wasn¡¯t participating in the combat tournament. The talismans made by Xuan Shi worked in sets of three and reactively defended against attacks, almost like a defensive domain weapon. However, with each attack they blocked, they would grow stronger against techniques of the same element. With enough sets chained together, he claimed they could defend a whole troop of men or even the hull of a small ship or a fortress gate.


    With the last presentation over, Elder Su announced the end of the testing. The results would not be announced until tomorrow.


    Ling Qi caught Li Suyin¡¯s eye again as the crowd was released to mingle with the disciples, offering her friend an encouraging smile. As she and Su Ling rose to their feet though, her friend¡¯s attention was quickly drawn away by the approach of an older gentleman with a rather luxurious beard, and he wasn¡¯t the only one queing up to speak with her friend.


    ¡°Well, I guess she made a good impression,¡± Su Ling noted, looking down at the sight. Suyin wasn¡¯t the only one with a bevy of older cultivators looking to speak with them, but she was one of the more popular of the crafting competitors.


    Ling Qi was happy for her friend of course, but it looked like she would have to wait some time before being able to speak with Li Suyin. Ling Qi would just have to visit her mother after the gathering tonight.


    ***


    ¡°Congratulations, Li Suyin,¡± Ling Qi said with a smile as she approached her friend. They had to wait for some time to reach her, but Ling Qi thought that it was worth it to see her friend so clearly happy. ¡°There is no way that you will fail to make the Inner Sect with something like that.¡±


    ¡°I do not want to be arrogant,¡± Li Suyin demurred, but she could not wholly hide her smile. ¡°It does seem to have been well received though,¡± she continued brightly. ¡°I am glad you had time to see my competition, Ling Qi. I am sorry I was not able to return the favor.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t missed too much yet,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°My real fight is going to be tomorrow, I think.¡± She wanted to ask her friend how things had gone with her family, but this wasn¡¯t the place for that. Suyin¡¯s mood gave her the answer she needed anyway.


    ¡°She¡¯s right. It¡¯s easy to forget how strong this girl is,¡± Su Ling huffed, glancing at Ling Qi. ¡°You worked out the thing with the ¡®pearls¡¯ then?¡±


    ¡°The volatility is much reduced, yes,¡± Li Suyin answered, clasping her hands. ¡°Your advice on the matter was invaluable.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go leaving me out here,¡± Ling Qi cut in dryly, heeding the nudge from Sixiang to keep her friends from getting into technical talk here. ¡°How long is the waiting list going to be before I can get one by the way?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Li Suyin began, a fretful note in her voice. Su Ling coughed into her hand, giving their mutual friend a meaningful look. ¡°It will be some time before more devices are ready. Gathering materials is somewhat time-intensive,¡± Li Suyin finished.


    ¡°Well, just let me know if I can help,¡± Ling Qi said easily. ¡°I¡¯d like to earn a discount if I could.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Ling Qi,¡± her friend replied after a moment. ¡°I will be sure to let you know when we prepare the next expedition.¡±


    Ling Qi raised her eyebrows, glancing between her two friends. ¡°Expedition? Just what have you two been up to?¡±


    ¡°Senior Sister Bao provided direction, so¡­¡± Li Suyin trailed off as Su Ling met her eyes.


    ¡°Probably not the best place,¡± the fox girl said gruffly.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ling Qi said, chagrined, glancing at the crowd all around them. ¡°I forget myself.¡±


    ¡°Please do not trouble yourself,¡± Li Suyin reassured her. ¡°I am looking forward to spending more time with you again, Ling Qi.¡±


    ¡°It has been awhile since we have had our study sessions, hasn¡¯t it?¡± Ling Qi said after a moment, remembering those first months at the Sect, working out the bare basics of cultivation with Li Suyin. ¡°I will look forward to it as well.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully, it won¡¯t be as exciting as the last time I went out with you,¡± Su Ling interjected dryly.


    ¡°Hopefully,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°Congratulations again, Li Suyin. We should probably move on though. We don¡¯t want to hold things up too long.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Li Suyin acknowledged. ¡°I will be cheering for you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Li Suyin,¡± Ling Qi replied formally, offering an appropriate bow. ¡°Farewell for now.¡±


    As she and Su Ling began to work their way out of the building, the other girl spoke up. ¡°You know, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever get used to seeing you act like that.¡±


    Ling Qi directed her attention toward Su Ling without turning her head as they made their way out of the entrance hall and into the plaza. ¡°Does it bother you?¡±


    ¡°Not anymore,¡± Su Ling said. ¡°It¡¯s just the way things are, isn¡¯t it? Like the changing of the seasons. Maybe I should start reading Suyin¡¯s books on etiquette.¡±


    ¡°You could always get some points together and hire me as a tutor next year,¡± Ling Qi quipped, not bothering to hide her grin.


    ¡°Shove off,¡± Su Ling replied with a huff. ¡°... Take care of yourself next year,¡± she added.


    ¡°I plan to,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°You too, you know?¡±


    ¡°Alone with assholes around every corner?¡± Su Ling laughed. ¡°Sounds like home.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to be alone.¡± Ling Qi rolled her eyes.


    ¡°I know,¡± the other girl said, shaking her head. ¡°In any case, see you later, Ling Qi.¡±


    ¡°See you,¡± Ling Qi agreed as they parted ways at the gates.

 Chapter 199-Tournament 9

    By the time Ling Qi made it back to the tournament stadium, the sun was on its way toward the horizon¡¯s edge, painting the sky the colors of sunset. Being cleared by the Inner Sect medics staffing the underground hospice took some time.


    As one of the winners and continuing participants in the tournament, Xiulan was afforded a private room to rest in, unlike the losing disciples. Some of the losing disciples had already been released into the custody of family present, who would be responsible for any trouble caused by the released disciple. The rest would be allowed to leave only after the semi-finals were completed.


    Ling Qi knocked lightly on the door to Xiulan¡¯s room in the wing set aside for tournament participants. A moment later, she heard her friend¡¯s voice inviting her in and slipped in.


    The room was well appointed, its stone walls and floor panelled with finely polished wood softened by decor. A small ¡°window¡± set into the far wall lit the room, giving a view of the tournament grounds despite the room¡¯s position underground. The only furnishings were a small end table, a narrow but comfortable looking bed set against the rightmost wall, and a pair of padded chairs, one in the corner and one near the bed.


    Her friend was sitting up in bed as she entered, her back against the headboard, which left her facing Ling Qi. Her hair hung loose down to her shoulders, and rather than her usual gowns, she wore a soft silver robe similar to the ones Ling Qi had worn at the start of the year.


    ¡°Only you would still be looking good after a match like that,¡± Ling Qi joked as she shut the door behind her.


    ¡°As if I would allow a few wounds to mar my poise,¡± Xiulan replied with a haughty sniff, setting aside the book which had been open across her lap. ¡°My foe had the worst of it by far, I¡¯m sure,¡± she added with a cruel smile.


    ¡°I wonder if she will have to shave her head to fix all of that burnt hair,¡± Ling Qi laughed, taking her seat in the chair near the bed.


    ¡°Unfortunately not,¡± Xiulan said with an exaggerated pout. ¡°There are many elixirs for that kind of thing.¡± Her smile grew sly then. ¡°Then again, I was hardly the only one inflicting wounds today. How easily you got under that Chu girl¡¯s skin.¡±


    ¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t a difficult weakness to exploit,¡± Ling Qi noted. She still wasn¡¯t sure how she felt about her statements in that match for all that it had been easy to do in the moment. She didn¡¯t say anything she didn¡¯t believe in, but they had been deliberately inflammatory.


    ¡°Oh, indeed,¡± Xiulan laughed. ¡°Still, it is good to see you dipping your toes into that sort of combat. Perhaps I might tutor you next year,¡± she added brightly.


    Ling Qi smiled at the other girl¡¯s enthusiasm for having made it into the Inner Sect. ¡°Perhaps. Friends should help one another after all,¡± she said lightly. ¡°Will you be well for the matches tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Normally, such wounds would leave me bedridden for several days,¡± Xiulan acknowledged. ¡°However, the Sect makes use of greater resources in cases like this, so I will be well by morning. You would not believe the itching,¡± she complained, plucking at the hems of her robe with nervous motion.


    Ling Qi suspected that ¡°itching¡± would be the least of her worries if she had suffered the wounds she had seen Xiulan take. ¡°I¡¯m sure you will survive somehow,¡± she said instead.


    Xiulan hummed in agreement. ¡°Where have you been, by the by? I had half-expected you to be hovering over my bedside when I awoke,¡± she teased, settling her hands in her lap.


    ¡°I had thought to leave that to your family,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°I¡¯m sure that your Mother wished to speak with you.¡±


    ¡°... She did,¡± Xiulan admitted, a complex mix of emotion in her eyes. ¡°But you did not answer my question.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to see the presentations of the crafters,¡± Ling Qi explained, letting her friend¡¯s discomfort slide. ¡°Li Suyin will certainly be joining us in the Inner Sect.¡±


    ¡°That little mouse?¡± Xiulan clarified with a small grimace.


    ¡°She has more of a bite than you might think,¡± Ling Qi said glibly. ¡°Just ask how Xu Jia and her friends have been doing.¡± She felt a little bad about revealing something Li Suyin wasn¡¯t proud of, but she wanted her friends to be friends - or at least not sniping at each other. One had to strike where there was opportunity.


    ¡°I see,¡± Xiulan said, studying Ling Qi¡¯s expression. ¡°Well, I have been wrong before. If she does not get left behind either, I shall admit that your eye is the better one on this matter.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that,¡± Ling Qi said playfully. ¡°In all seriousness though¡­ Congratulations, Gu Xiulan. I knew you could do it.¡±


    ¡°Of course I could,¡± Xiulan boasted. ¡°I will not let you leave me behind so easily,¡± she huffed, meeting Ling Qi¡¯s eyes. Silence stretched between them before she looked away. ¡°... And really, there is no need to be so formal in private, Qi.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you do not mind if I call you Lan-Lan now?¡± Ling Qi asked with a grin.


    Her friend scowled at her. ¡°I will find a way to set you alight, no matter how fine your defenses.¡±


    Ling Qi laughed, leaning back in her chair. ¡°You would too,¡± she mused. ¡°Sorry, Xiulan, but I had to.¡±


    ¡°Tai is going to pay for that nonsense when I see him next,¡± Xiulan grumbled, crossing her arms.


    She stayed with her friend for a little while after that, chatting about minor things, but all too soon, it was time for her to go. Xiulan needed her sleep, and Ling Qi had a gathering to attend. As she left the tournament grounds to meet up with her liege, she considered the question her liege had asked earlier that day in light of having to face Ji Rong next, and if she prevailed against him, Sun Liling the day after.


    She was well stocked with everything easily available, and she had no other arts in the first place, so that left picking up some qi cards that were loaded with the Abyssal Exhalation worm constructs and to request her liege charge another card with her techniques, if Cai Renxiang were amenable.


    ***


    ¡°The qi cards will be all I need,¡± Ling Qi finished with a bow toward her liege as they prepared to leave the girl¡¯s Outer Sect residence for the visitor¡¯s grounds below.


    Qi cards could store techniques for later use, opening up more options in a fight. They were falling off in use now. Cards which could store techniques more potent than the earliest Green Realm arts grew rapidly rarer, so she should make use of them while she could.


    ¡°I see. You intend to alter your usual strategy then?¡± Cai Renxiang asked absently as they stepped outside, her feet lifting from the ground a moment later. The light emanating from around her head and shoulders made the evening shadows flicker wildly.


    Ling Qi followed suit, luxuriating in the sheer ease with which she could maintain flight in the other girl¡¯s presence. ¡°I just wish to keep my options open,¡± she said. She wasn¡¯t quite sure of exactly how she would approach her battle with Ji Rong yet, but the worm constructs were effective in bogging down a melee attacker like Ji Rong. They were usually too qi-expensive to use out of the blue in her matches, but in a qi card with the qi expended ahead of time, they would be a potential option.


    ¡°I hope my last request wasn¡¯t too presumptuous,¡± she added carefully.


    Cai Renxiang kept her eyes forward as they soared silently toward the foot of the mountain, the cool night air tugging weakly at the hems of their gowns. ¡°It is unusual but not unheard of. You have earned that much favor. Rather, given my resource restrictions, such a thing is only reasonable. Allow me a time to consider which my techniques might complement your skills best.¡±


    Ling Qi let out a near silent sigh of relief. She hadn¡¯t been sure if asking for a qi card charged with her liege¡¯s art would be appropriate, but she remembered that she had turned a fight against Huang Da with Meizhen¡¯s technique earlier in the year. ¡°I see. Moving on then, what are your plans for your mother¡¯s gathering, my lady?¡±


    ¡°We will present ourselves to Mother first, of course,¡± her liege replied as their flight path began to angle downward toward the twinkling lights of the ostentatious tents and homes built in the visiting area. They were heading toward the vast construction of white silk which now sat at its head. ¡°After, I will speak with those dignitaries I have not yet had time to visit. I cannot give an absolute itinerary.¡±


    ¡°How surprising,¡± Ling Qi said lightly. ¡°That must bother you a great deal.¡±


    ¡°Quite,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed, a subtle sour note in her voice. ¡°You will attend to me for the duration of the party. I am certain you know the required etiquette.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Ling Qi reassured her, repressing the urge to sigh. This was going to be a long night, wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Recall that this is to your benefit,¡± Cai Renxiang reminded her, briefly glancing back as they neared the long carpet spilling out over the grassy field from the entrance of the Cai¡¯s great pavilion. ¡°Good impressions upon those I will speak to will serve you well in the future.¡±


    ¡°I remember,¡± Ling Qi said, repressing a sigh at the reminder as they alighted on the carpet. ¡°I did well yesterday, did I not?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. I suppose,¡± Cai Renxiang allowed. ¡°Just do not go drifting off,¡± she added with a tiny touch of dry humor.


    Ling Qi held back a grumble as she smoothed her gown. She was not that bad. The two of them entered the pavilion a moment later, the two guards flanking the entrance saluting and bowing in unison, their polished armor and white plumed helms gleaming in the resplendent light radiating from within.


    The interior of the grand pavilion nearly took her breath away. In the center was a great marble fountain, water rising and falling in glimmering spouts from the mouths of entwined dragons picked out in lifelike detail at their center. Smaller fountains dotted the grounds as well, and from the frothing waters rose glimmering rainbows that cast shifting light on the crowd below. The pavilion was well furnished with long tables groaning under the weight of delicacies lining the rear of the tent and well upholstered couches and chairs occupied by chatting nobility surrounding the various fountains.


    On the far left of the tent, there was a raised stage where a beautiful woman in a many layered gown played a serene melody on a harp as large as her body. A pair of dancers in trailing silk scarves performed on either side of her, the motions of their limbs and the silken fans in their hands perfectly symmetrical.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t have much time to observe the festivities. Cai Renxiang proceeded further in without pause. Ling Qi put her focus on maintaining the proper distance and pose: two steps behind her liege and just slightly to her left, head very slightly tilted down, and back straight, her hands clasped in front. The pose still felt a little awkward since she was so much taller than Cai Renxiang, but that couldn¡¯t really be helped.


    The hairs on the back of her neck rose as they moved further in, exchanging polite greetings as they went. She was more used to the riot of spiritual sensations now, but even here, among so many nobles, she could feel Cai Shenhua¡¯s presence bearing down upon her, an oppressive weight draped about her shoulders. It grew more intense as they reached the Duchess herself, reclining upon a long plush cushioned chaise lounge beside Minister Diao.


    Ling Qi shuddered as those empty pools of colorless radiance which served as the woman¡¯s eyes chanced across her face, ducking her head a little more. The Duchess had seemingly shed the outermost layer of the gown she had worn this morning, leaving the pale marble-like skin of her shoulders exposed, although the floaty silks and lace which remained left her figure tastefully ambiguous.


    As Cai Renxiang smoothly bowed to her Mother, Ling Qi did the same, her bow much lower of course. It took a moment to drag her attention away from the Duchess and note that the woman was not alone. Seated in a wide arch around her were a great many people who made Ling Qi very nervous indeed. To her left sat Bai Suzhen and Bai Meizhen, the older of which was studying them coolly over the rim of a teacup and the younger of which was studiously not paying her any mind. To her right were a pair of heavily garbed figures with wide tortoiseshell patterned hats seated in individual chairs. Those would presumably be the Xuan admirals she had heard about.


    At the ¡°bottom¡± of the arch was Guo Si and one of his guards, and opposite him was a massive bear of a man with wild red hair and a short beard of the same shade, his bare and muscular arms thrown out casually over the back of his couch. It was hard not to feel as if all eyes were on her, even if she knew they were actually looking to Cai Renxiang.


    ¡°Greetings, Mother,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°Your humble daughter presents herself for your inspection.¡±


    ¡°So you have,¡± Cai Shenhua replied, the light of her gaze falling upon Cai Renxiang¡¯s back and casting her face in shadow. ¡°Still using that same style, I see. Really, you should do something different once in a while, young lady. That austere look of yours¡­¡± The Duchess sighed, resting her cheek in one hand.


    Ling Qi did her best not to twitch nervously. This conversation wasn¡¯t one she had been coached to expect in this kind of situation. Thankfully, her liege seemed more prepared for her Mother¡¯s statements.


    ¡°My apologies, Mother,¡± she said evenly, maintaining her picture perfect bow. ¡°I did not feel that I had the time or skill required to make worthy changes to your designs.¡±


    ¡°I suppose so. We will have to have a little mother-daughter time tonight then. I am certain you will look stunning on the morrow,¡± Cai Shenhua said. Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help but feel a pang of pity at the nigh invisible tremble in Cai Renxiang¡¯s hands which came in the wake of those words. ¡°But I am being rude. Raise your head and greet our guests.¡±


    Ling Qi carefully straightened up a beat after her liege, but she kept her eyes down as was appropriate given the company. Following Cai Renxiang¡¯s lead, she offered shallower bows to each of the guest groups in turn.


    ¡°Honored guests, thank you very much for attending,¡± Cai Renxiang intoned. ¡°As you know, I am Cai Renxiang, and this is my retainer and attendant, Baroness Ling Qi. I hope you have all enjoyed your stay in the Emerald Seas thus far.¡±


    Guo Si smiled, bowing his head in return as he answered first. ¡°The trip was worth every step, I assure you, Lady Cai. The beauty of your home is beyond compare.¡±


    The red-haired giant let out a rather uncouth guffaw, pinning the Guo scion with a look of amusement. ¡°The entertainment has been a bit lacking,¡± the mountain-like man said baldly. ¡°Your girl gave the closest thing to an amusing show, Guo. Your youngest generation is slipping, Bai Suzhen.¡±


    The aforementioned woman shot the red-haired man the sort of look Ling Qi had only seen on the faces of wealthy women encountering the filth of the street. ¡°As crass as ever, I see, Zheng Po,¡± Bai Suzhen retorted coldly. ¡°My niece has a kind heart. That is hardly a fault in moderation.¡±


    Ling Qi had to struggle to maintain her even expression at that statement. Bai Meizhen was her best friend, but to call her kind¡­


    ¡°Now, now, do not get distracted now,¡± Cai Shenhua interjected lightly, raising a cup to her lips. The clear glass in her hands glimmered, the rainbow-hued liquid within shifting hypnotically. ¡°You are greeting my daughter, not airing old grievances.¡± Ling Qi had to struggle to keep her shoulders straight as the weight of the woman¡¯s aura spiked.


    Zheng Po grinned at the Duchess. ¡°As you say, Matriarch,¡± he laughed. ¡°Young Cai, I look forward to your matches going forward. The young Gu looks like she will at least put up a fight.¡± He then shot a sly look the Guo scion¡¯s way. ¡°The ladies of Golden Fields are at their best when they are trying to kill you after all.¡±


    ¡°I will be sure to take your compliment home, Sir Zheng,¡± Guo Si replied blandly, crossing his bare arms over the fine vest he wore. ¡°My aunt will surely be glad that you remember her.¡±


    Bai Suzhen ignored the two men¡¯s byplay to look straight at Cai Renxiang, only briefly glancing over Ling Qi. ¡°You have done well, young lady, despite some early obstacles. I am certain you will give my niece a good match,¡± she said, briefly resting her hand on Meizhen¡¯s as she spoke.


    ¡°I look forward to facing you on the field of battle, Lady Cai,¡± Meizhen said smoothly, dipping her head very slightly to the other girl.


    ¡°A more impressive sight I am sure we will not see this year,¡± Guo Si agreed, ending his staring contest with Zheng.


    ¡°Your words are too kind,¡± Cai Renxiang replied in the beat of silence that followed. ¡°I will be certain not to disappoint any of your expectations.¡±


    ¡°You have been very quiet, Sir Xuan Ci, Sir Xuan Ce. Do not tell me that you have fallen into torpor on us,¡± Cai Shenhua said. ¡°Have you been enjoying the festivities?¡±


    ¡°Nay, O radiant one,¡± the leftmost of the heavily cloaked men spoke. His robes shrouded him almost entirely from view, the space between his high, stiff collar and the lower edge of his hat only just enough to leave his stormy grey eyes visible, along with a band of pale flesh marked by black scales. ¡°My brother and I agree¡­¡±


    ¡°... thy governance has been a great boon to this weary land,¡± the other said, his voice softer than his brother¡¯s. ¡°Though, we admit¡­¡±


    ¡°... that the dance of limbs and blades are not to our interest,¡± his brother finished. Ling Qi found herself stiffening then as his gaze fell on her, the sight of a storm-tossed sea, frothing and violent, flashed before her eyes. ¡°This one is most curious where thy daughter¡¯s hand found a Brother in these southern climes.¡±


    ¡°It is a matter the Sect would prefer not be aired openly,¡± Cai Shenhua answered smoothly, saving her the need to try and explain.


    ¡°In that case, we shall have to share words with the venerable Yuan He,¡± the rightmost brother said, turning his gaze to Ling Qi as well. ¡°This one shall hope he needs not inform the young lady of the honor she bears.¡±


    Ling Qi bowed more deeply. ¡°Zhengui is precious to me. I have raised him from his egg with diligent care. I do not intend to give him anything but my best.¡±


    ¡°Zhengui?¡± the rightmost brother asked, his stern voice sounding faintly bemused. ¡°I see.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s cheeks flushed. ¡°It¡­ Ah, his name¡­¡± Suddenly, the pun did not seem quite as funny.


    ¡°It is fine, young wraith,¡± the leftmost brother replied. ¡°Worry yourself not over such things.¡±


    ¡°Hah! So even the Xuan have a sense of humor. How surprising,¡± Zheng Po laughed, glancing at Ling Qi briefly.


    ¡°As always, you mistake reserve for humorlessness,¡± Bai Suzhen said with a sniff.


    Cai Shenhua smiled thinly, her radiant eyes narrowing. ¡°Well, my daughter, I am satisfied with your greeting. You are dismissed for the moment. See to our other guests, and ensure that they find our hospitality acceptable.¡±


    Cai Renxiang bowed deeply to her mother once more. ¡°As you command, Mother. It was my honor to be allowed to greet such esteemed guests. Ladies Bai, Sir Zheng, Sirs Xuan, Sir Guo, please excuse us.¡±

 Chapter 200-Tournament 10

    As they left Cai Shenhua and the highest ranking guests behind, Ling Qi allowed herself a tiny sigh of relief as the weight on her shoulders lessened. Just standing there in their presence had been stressful. Being ignored completely by her best friend hadn¡¯t felt good either.


    ¡°Do you require a moment?¡± Cai Renxiang asked, pausing to look at Ling Qi.


    ¡°No, I am fine,¡± Ling Qi reassured her. ¡°Please do not delay on my account.¡± The last thing she wanted was for the other girl to give her mother a reason for complaint.


    Cai Renxiang replied with a tiny nod, turning her gaze forward once more, resuming her path back toward the more crowded parts of the pavilion. The next few hours passed in a blur of names and faces as Cai Renxiang made her way through the guest list, trading pleasantries and small talk.


    Ling Qi found occasion to speak much less than her liege, but all the same, maintaining the mask of stiff politeness and subservience was exhausting. It was like studying law all over again. She was sure that she was going to forget half of the people she had met tonight, if only due to the blandness of the rote exchanges which passed between them and Cai Renxiang.


    How was it that so many people, who she could feel were all unique, their auras a riot of color and imagery, could turn into the same faceless crowds?


    Sixiang commented casually as Ling Qi headed for the refreshments. Cai Renxiang had noticed her wandering attention and set her to the task of retrieving drinks for the both of them. She was grateful for the break.


    Ling Qi thought glumly as she looked over the array of tea blends, ciders, and watered wines available.


    Sixiang admitted.


    Ling Qi placed her order with the attendant. Cai Renxiang could have her tea; Ling Qi preferred something cold. Briefly, she wondered if she had developed that from her association with Zeqing. It was a grudging thought.


    Sixiang mused in response to her mood.


    Sixiang¡¯s musing faded into her thoughts as Ling Qi headed back toward the beacon that was Cai Renxiang¡¯s aura, two cups in her hands. Weaving through the crowd was second nature. The verbal acknowledgement of the people she was slipping around was less so, but she was growing used to it.


    However, as she approached her liege, she paused as she saw the company Cai Renxiang was now with. She was no longer speaking to the viscount functionaries she had left her with, but rather with one of the Xuan admirals, indistinguishable from his brother. Ling Qi held back a grimace. Hopefully, she could avoid a situation in which it became clear that she couldn¡¯t tell the two of them apart. Unless Sixiang¡­?


    Sixiang replied to her unspoken query.


    Not unexpected, Ling Qi thought glumly, resuming her stride toward the two. It wouldn¡¯t do to stand here gawking; she would just end up looking rude that way. So, fixing her expression into one of pleasant subservience, Ling Qi returned to her liege¡¯s side.


    ¡°My apologies for my interruption, Lady Cai, Admiral Xuan,¡± she said demurely as they turned at her approach, lowering her head in a bow. ¡°Your request, my lady,¡± she added, holding out the drink Cai had sent her to retrieve.


    ¡°Thank you, Ling Qi,¡± the shorter girl said politely, accepting the cup of steaming tea. ¡°Admiral Xuan Ce, please continue.¡± Ling Qi fell in appropriately a step behind her liege as the other girl¡¯s attention turned back to the high-ranking guest.


    ¡°Enough words have I spoken of the avaricious Jin already,¡± the man replied, briefly glancing at Ling Qi. ¡°My brother and I trust that the withered channels tying the great wood seas to the harbors of the north shall see their blockages crumble.¡±


    ¡°I will do all in my power to ensure it, should Mother choose to trust me with such responsibility,¡± Cai Renxiang replied evenly. ¡°And I will speak with the Bao on the matter in any case.¡±


    ¡°We are thankful,¡± the heavily cloaked man said, his hat tilting slightly at his nod. ¡°Treacherous is the sea of imperium when sailing alone.¡±


    ¡°As you say, Admiral Xuan,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°My honored Mother understands the value of strong ties in times of trouble, and I have personally witnessed the steadiness of your house.¡±


    ¡°The hatchling,¡± the older man chuckled, his laughter little more than a rasp. ¡°Yes, my grand nephew has exceeded the measure laid for him by elder eyes.¡± There was a twinkle of amusement in his storm-grey eyes. ¡°It is this old one¡¯s hope that the young miss will offer him support in turn.¡±


    ¡°Xuan Shi is a valued ally,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed. ¡°It would be my pleasure to do so.¡±


    Ling Qi kept herself from fidgeting through an effort of will as the two of them spoke, keeping herself alert by surreptitiously noting the faces of the guests passing nearby. She could not match names to most of them, but she figured that it would be good practice regardless. She was careful not to let her attention wander too far, and she was glad for that when Admiral Xuan¡¯s gaze turned to her.


    ¡°And what of thou, little Baroness?¡± the man asked. ¡°I would hear thy thoughts on the young one.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes widened marginally. Why was he asking her? She was acquainted with Xuan Shi, but they hardly knew one another well. ¡°Sir Xuan is a dedicated and hard working young man,¡± she said with only a slight pause. ¡°While we have not had many opportunities to speak, he has provided me with helpful advice on the matter of caring for Zhengui. He is a good ally and a credit to your house.¡±


    Cai gave her a faint look of approval out of the corner of her eye, so she hadn¡¯t screwed that up too badly. Still, she couldn¡¯t help but feel that the elder Xuan looked faintly disappointed, which was alarming. There was no sign of it in his voice when he spoke next though.


    ¡°Yes, the precious one,¡± he chuckled instead, making Ling Qi flush. ¡°Perhaps thy wings should carry the two of you north in the future. It would do the child good to meet his kin.¡±


    ¡°I would have no objection,¡± Cai Renxiang interjected smoothly. ¡°I would need to request that you not borrow my retainer for too long, Admiral Xuan.¡±


    ¡°I am no thief,¡± the older man huffed, glancing at her again. ¡°... Yet I must express disappointment in my grand nephew¡¯s lack of rigor in some matters,¡± the man said with a sigh.


    ¡°Your words are too kind. I would be pleased to visit your lands alongside Zhengui in the future,¡± Ling Qi said politely. ¡°I am undeserving of such attention.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. This suthron dance can be tiring,¡± Xuan Ce grunted, showing a bit of irritation for the first time. ¡°Perhaps to those without Sight, thy words might be true. Portents swirl about this place, forming the seeds of a hurricane, and yet I see thee clearly amidst the gathering winds. The Star Child and Moon Wraith both will know no simple future."


    Ling Qi swallowed thickly at the ominous words, sharing an uncertain glance with Cai Renxiang, who responded carefully. ¡°My retainer and I both thank you for sharing your Sight, Admiral Xuan.¡±


    He waved a hand, very slightly shaking his head. ¡°Nay, I will take no thanks for such a prediction,¡± he said , turning his attention back to Cai Renxiang in full. ¡°Allow me to commend the sharpness of thine eyes one last time, young lady Cai. However, this one must attend to other business.¡±


    ¡°I will take your kind words to heart, Admiral Xuan. Please enjoy the rest of the evening,¡± Cai Renxiang said, bowing at the waist as the older man took his leave.


    Ling Qi let out a breath as he vanished into the crowd, glancing down at the cup of cider she held, now growing warm in her hands. ¡°Should I be worried?¡±


    Cai Renxiang frowned, pausing to finally take a sip from her cup. ¡°Divinations regarding the distant future are hardly reliable,¡± she said quietly. ¡°Regardless, did you not know that the path you have chosen to follow me on was treacherous?¡±


    Ling Qi nodded. ¡°I suppose I should study up on northern customs then,¡± she said, changing the subject.


    ¡°In the future perhaps,¡± her liege replied, turning to lead her elsewhere in the pavilion. ¡°Such a visit is far away, and the present yet demands your attention.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ling Qi said, straightening her shoulders, mentally preparing herself to return to a state of polite blandness. ¡°What is our next appointment?¡±


    ¡°The Lord Xu,¡± Cai Renxiang answered. ¡°I will require your presence for only a short while longer, Ling Qi.¡±


    Ling Qi carefully did not express her gratitude for that, simply nodding in response. It would be good to get out of here. Even if she was growing used to it, the presence of so many powerful cultivators was still giving her a faint headache.


    Soon enough, Cai Renxiang made good on her word, dismissing her for the evening and returning to her Mother. Looking at the other girl¡¯s back as she went, Ling Qi wished that she could offer some words of comfort, but there were none she could speak in such a public place given the reason for the girl¡¯s stiff shoulders and blank expression.


    As she flitted away into the night, little more than a scrap of shadow passing beneath the stars, Ling Qi could not help but ponder on it. She had, for a very long time, resented her mother a great deal with the unfair mindset of a child, but some part of her had never really doubted the woman¡¯s affection for her. Yet for all that she was powerless, in the past and especially now, Ling Qi could not rely on her.


    The thought was sour, but Ling Qi could not help but think it. Cai Renxiang though¡­ Her mother was strong, as strong as it was possible to be and still walk the material world. Only a bare handful of people could even question her authority, let alone force her to do anything. Ling Qi envied that, at least a little bit. Yet, she could not envy Cai Renxiang, having looked into that woman¡¯s eyes.


    Who could even tell the difference between affection and cruelty coming from something like that?


    So as she landed without a sound before the doors of the house she had arranged for her mother and passed wordlessly by the Sect guard at the gate, Ling Qi felt only a faint relief. The light tingle of the house¡¯s alarm formation passed over as she slipped inside, recognizing her qi and falling quiescant, welcoming her home, such as it was. She followed the faint light and sound of fire toward the house¡¯s sitting room. It was a rather chilly night for a mortal.


    She found her mother seated by the fire in a soft chair, a book open in her lap. Ling Qi saw the weariness in the older woman¡¯s drooping eyes, but she also saw the determination to stay awake and the faint worry in the lines at the corners of her eyes. Very deliberately, Ling Qi placed her next footfall to make the floorboards creak.


    ¡°Sorry I am so late, Mother,¡± she said softly, entering the room.


    Her mother had looked up at the sound of her footfall, and a faint smile broke out on her tired face as Ling Qi spoke. ¡°There is nothing to show concern for, Ling Qi. I am sure that important matters occupied your time,¡± she replied ruefully, shutting the book in her lap as she stood.


    ¡°That is only so much of an excuse,¡± Ling Qi said wryly, crossing the room in a few long strides to wrap her slim mother in a carefully controlled hug. ¡°I made it into the Inner Sect, Mother.¡±


    Ling Qingge twitched at the sudden contact, as she often did, but all the same, Ling Qi felt her mother¡¯s small hands come to rest on her back. ¡°I am glad for you. Does that mean that you have won your¡­ tournament?¡± she asked awkwardly.


    ¡°Not quite,¡± Ling Qi said, withdrawing from the embrace after another moment. ¡°I, and seven others, have qualified for the Inner Sect. Now, we will fight to determine our starting rank.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± the older woman said, looking up at her with some concern. ¡°It feels strange to me still, to hear my daughter speak so easily of fighting¡­¡± She trailed off, looking uncertain as to how to express her concern.


    ¡°No one gets hurt too badly,¡± Ling Qi said, adjusting the truth. ¡°My friend Xiulan had the worst of it today, and she will be fine by morning. The Sect¡¯s physicians are very skilled.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ling Qingge replied, sounding relieved. It made Ling Qi feel bad, but there was no good to be had in getting into the gory details. It would only distress her mother for no reason. ¡°Is it the duels which take up the whole day?¡± the older woman asked, pulling her attention back to the present.


    ¡°No,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°I have been attending parties and meeting all sorts of people,¡± she said with a grimace. ¡°I almost wish it was more duels. I have so many letters to pen, abstaining from different offers.¡±


    Her mother smiled, seeming more comfortable with this topic. ¡°I see. I am glad your lord is taking care to give you such a good grounding. Does she already have someone in mind for you?¡±


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Ling Qi said evasively. ¡°That sort of thing¡­ It¡¯s best to wait. I will only get more valuable in the future.¡± She still felt kind of gross, saying things like that.


    Ling Qingge looked pensive. ¡°I suppose so. I believe I had a cousin who awakened. She was not groomed in the same manner as the rest of us.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Ling Qi agreed, seeking a change from the uncomfortable topic. ¡°How is that going by the way? Have you felt anything yet?¡±


    Now, it was her mother¡¯s turn to look uncomfortable. ¡°A certain warmth, a time or two, but no more. I fear you are only wasting resources.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s never a waste,¡± Ling Qi replied firmly, meeting her mother¡¯s eyes. A few red stones was a paltry cost for giving Mother a chance to live truly healthy and well. She would give her family as much health and luxury as she could afford. ¡°Please, Mother, keep trying. I don¡¯t want to¡­¡± She looked away, not finishing the sentence.


    ¡°I will not waste your generosity,¡± Ling Qingge said quietly. ¡°Let us not speak of such things though,¡± she continued with a weak smile. ¡°Please, sit down. Tell me a little of your victories.¡±


    Ling Qi recognized the effort to change the subject. She had done the same a few moments ago, but she just smiled, going along with it. ¡°You¡¯re right. No need to talk about heavy things right now¡­¡±


    Her mother might be but a mortal, but sitting here by the fire, telling slightly embellished stories of the last couple of days, she found that it didn¡¯t matter. She was glad to have her family again.

 Bonus: The Ministry of Integrity

    Commerce, Communication, Law, and Spiritual Affairs.


    These four great institutions have been the bulwark of Imperial governance since the first dynasty. The many clerks and officials employed by the ministries have worked tirelessly throughout the millennia to maintain the Empire¡¯s cohesion and the Imperial peace, resolving the many, many conflicts which arise between the Empire¡¯s Great Families and provinces and ensuring the efficient execution of the Emperor¡¯s or Empress¡¯ will throughout their lands.


    - May be too blunt. Reduce implications of fault for the nobility. Further emphasis on how the ministries assist and support.


    However, under Emperor Si, a fifth ministry was founded. Headed by then-Crown Prince An, shortly after his success in the South Emerald Seas, it began as a subdivision of the Ministry of Law. The wise prince envisioned the group as agents empowered by the Imperial seal to not only simply interpret law and advise a land¡¯s liege lords but also to punish gross violations of the Imperial will and the orderly operation of society.


    In those early days, the agency¡¯s primary focus was on matters of finance. Over the many millennia of the Empire¡¯s rule, it is an unfortunate truth that a great many cities, towns, and villages had become lax in paying their dues to the Throne. The first task, then, was to investigate the aging infrastructure of the Ministry of Commerce and find where the rot had set in at their worst and where the troubles were caused by malicious and disloyal individuals.


    Truly, it was a glad day for the Imperial Seat when their revenues doubled in a matter of decades, merely from performing simple upkeep. At last, the damage wrought in the declining days of the second dynasty were set to rights, and this accomplishment earned the Crown Prince many accolades. Indeed, this accomplishment can be credited with truly solidifying his position as Crown Prince.


    - Putting it too lightly. The Imperial tax code was a barely coherent morass of incoherent language and special exceptions. It is a minor miracle that the Throne accumulated any income at all before our reforms.


    -- True, but irrelevant for the document. Implication of outright incompetence and malice in past and present institutions will not play well, even under current conditions. Better to allow the blame to fall upon generational rot.


    When the Prince was crowned as Emperor An, the remit of the agency was expanded to include other crimes. Abuses of the mortal populace, such as barred forms of medicine and cultivation research, were rooted out. Smuggling activities and proscribed cults were curtailed and dismantled, and those disloyal nobles guilty of funding or participating in such crimes punished.


    - So short a recounting given the horrors we uprooted. It seems disrespectful in a way.


    -- Unfortunate, but it is better for proscribed cultivation methods to die in obscurity than be given attention. We all remember how matters of the Cult of Twilight turned out when secrecy broke.


    --- Not one of us took our oaths for glory. Let them be forgotten.


    At this point, with many thousands of agents and hundreds of managerial staff, the agency had expanded far beyond the limits of a subdivision. And yet for all that, their workload was crushing, and more personnel were required. So it was that in the thirty-fifth year of his reign, Emperor An decreed the formal formation of the Ministry of Integrity and named Sima Jiao as its first Minister. Along with this expansion came an additional duty.


    - I would strike that man¡¯s name from our records if I could.


    -- Traitor to the cause he may have become, his deeds still laid the foundation for all else.


    Throughout the Empire¡¯s history, it has been plagued by the rise of malcontents and spirit cults, practitioners of forms of cultivation more foul than all but the worst of barbarian practices, and other such ills. Many were the tales of whole clans and towns wiped from the map by crazed individuals of high talent who had stumbled across good fortune or the sponsorship of some malign spirit.


    - So many talents lost. I weep for what the Empire has missed.


    -- While many began with legitimate grievance, those talents who could not restrain themselves once they had a taste of power and revenge became beasts.


    --- The Ministry cannot be faulted for those who became twisted. I am proud to have been turned from the path of mindless vengeance and power seeking.


    They would emerge, wreak destruction, and die with great difficulty when the provincial duke¡¯s forces came down upon them. Many even tried to set themselves up as petty warlords or proclaimed that they would usurp the Throne itself! Some, in less well run reaches of the Empire, even maintained long-standing ¡°bandit kingdoms,¡± avoiding being crushed by ducal forces by making themselves inconvenient to attack.


    The Ministry of Integrity was the solution to this perennial trouble. They solved the problem not merely through violence, although much is whispered of Minister Sima, who, it is said, ended the greatest of the bandit kingdoms in a single night and slew the mad violet realm Lu Gong, ending his rampage for ¡°vengeance¡± against the peoples of the Cao clan and freeing the women bound to him. No, the true solution to the problem was the Wise Emperor An¡¯s expansion of the Great Sect system.


    Talent for cultivation cannot be fully controlled. Among the high bloodlines of the Empire, average talent is nearly guaranteed, but high talent individuals have always appeared in the strangest of places. It followed, then, that the reason for so many individuals to take a dark course in their life lay in their lack of opportunity. Find the talented and provide them with education and a place in society, and there would be no more petty bandit kings and false emperors.


    It fell to the Ministry of Integrity to identify these individuals before their paths could diverge from virtue.


    It is troubling to say that many opposed this decree and the opening of the Great Sects to the common born. Although it is understandable that high lords and ladies would not wish their children to mingle with potentially dangerous individuals, it is the duty of the nobility to educate and care for the common man. This duty has been oft neglected, and the problems, Emperor An reasoned, arose from this shirking.


    So it fell to the Throne and the Ministry to make up for this shortfall. To reassure the nobility of the Empire, Emperor An assigned his own daughter, Princess Xiang, who had taken up duties in the Ministry, to lead and coordinate the divination teams and surveillance of the first generation of ¡°common talents.¡±


    - Agent Xiang was truly among our best. It is a shame that she cannot be Empress and Minister both.


    -- It is her efforts which saved many of my agents from the dark paths they were on before being turned and recruited into the Ministry.


    --- I would approve some expansion of this portion of the text. Further support for the Empress¡¯ reforms would be a useful side effect of the document.


    Even less popular but which many argued was just as necessary were the reforms within the Celestial Peaks, allowing agents of the Ministry to chastise the families of young noble scions whose unvirtuous and crass behavior damaged the peace and prosperity of the Emperor¡¯s dominion. This portion of the Ministry¡¯s program remains contentious to this day, but the uptick in economic activity in those regions where such behaviors have been curbed shows their efficacy.


    - The looks upon the faces of those silk pants when their childish tantrums began to have actual consequences. I will treasure the memories always.


    -- I will treasure more the looks of their bellowing sires when they found that their petty tyranny had reached the ears of the Emperor.


    --- It would be impolitic to mention further than this, however satisfactory the duty.


    Altogether, the Emperor¡¯s programs seem to have met success with only a few minor instances of unacceptable violence. Soon, new baronies were sprouting up across the Empire, taming long fallow lands and bringing yet more wealth and resources to the Throne and the provinces through their taxes. Over the course of Emperor An¡¯s reign, this practice proved immensely valuable in bringing new and talented blood into the fold, and so the voices arrayed against it dwindled. Now, under the rule of Empress Xiang, even further reforms are being considered.


    In the current day, the Ministry of Integrity has left much of the chaos and bloodshed behind. As an investigatory agency, they are without peer, seeking out and resolving snarls in the execution of Imperial law. Under the watch of the Ministry, taxes are paid, order is kept, and the integrity of the Empire is upheld.


    - A good introduction. Send it back to be workshopped further by the scribes, and prepare for the more formal documentation


    -- At your command, Minister.


    Excerpt from the first draft of a historical document for public consumption drafted internally by the Ministry of Integrity

 Chapter 201-Tournament 11

    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t certain what to think of the girl standing next to her. There was something different about Cai Renxiang this morning, and she was not sure that she liked it. She wasn¡¯t referring to the change in look, although it was unsettling after how unchanging the other girl¡¯s appearance had been for the past year.


    From the crimson wings formed of folded cloth still splashed across her chest, the dress spirit was still Liming, but it had been obviously altered. It had in some ways been simplified. The wide billowing sleeves were now drawn in, cinched tightly around its wearers wrists, the cut of the robe seemed more boyish, despite the way it clung to Cai Renxiang¡¯s chest and hips tighter than before, and the lower hem ended a few inches above the ground, leaving exposed the white, high-heeled boots Cai Renxiang wore underneath. A long cut up the side showed that the boots rose to her knees when the powder blue under-layer shifted.


    Ling Qi glanced again at the other girl¡¯s face. The touch of cosmetics was light but still striking given the previous lack. Rather than playing down her sharp, unforgiving features, it gave her a more imperious and forbidding air. Even her hair had changed. Twin braids held by white ribbons framed her face in the front while the rest spilled down to her lower back in a smooth waterfall, free and unstyled


    Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help but notice that Cai Renxiang¡¯s eyes held an unsettling emptiness compared to when they had parted.


    Ling Qi turned her attention to the arenas ahead. She couldn¡¯t afford to gawk at the other girl in public. Sun Liling and Shen Hu were already mounting the stairs which led into the first arena, overseen by Sect Head Yuan. He had given a short speech extolling the virtue and strength of the eight disciples to the audience, as well as urging them to give their all now for the honor of their families, the Sect, and the Empire.


    Sun Liling wore a cool expression today, strolling into the arena at a casual pace. The simmering anger that Ling Qi had seen in her demeanor yesterday was nowhere to be found. Shen Hu, on the other hand, had an expression equally as passive as it had been yesterday. Yet Ling Qi could not help but notice the more serious set of his shoulders and the other little signs of tension in his frame as the combatants offered polite bows to one other.


    ¡°It¡¯s funny. A few days ago, I¡¯d never even heard of ya,¡± Sun Liling said casually as she straightened and lowered her hands, her bow having been more a nod of acknowledgement.


    ¡°I thought the mountain would be a bit too noisy,¡± Shen Hu replied as the air shimmered. ¡°I like to take things at my own pace.¡±


    ¡°Heh, I guess that¡¯s fair enough,¡± Sun Liling said, rolling her shoulders in an eye-catching way. ¡°I¡¯m surprised ya didn¡¯t get rusty, just wandering out in the woods.¡±


    ¡°The beasts around here are a little weak,¡± Shen Hu admitted. ¡°But they can still make good opponents if you handicap yourself,¡± he continued, falling into a wide defensive stance. ¡°It¡¯s surprising how much of a fight they can put up in that case.¡±


    Sun Liling laughed, not bothering to take a stance herself, but Ling Qi noticed her fingers curling, preparing to grasp the haft of a spear as the terrain solidified around them. ¡°I guess you¡¯re not lacking courage,¡± she said, a smirk finding its way onto her face. ¡°Gotta say, I still think your training plan is flawed.¡±


    They stood now on the shore of a small lake, only a hundred odd meters across, with a small burbling stream feeding it. The stream passed between them where they stood on the grassy shore, dotted with a handful of trees.


    ¡°Probably,¡± Shen Hu agreed, breathing in deeply as he opened his hands and extended his fingers claw-like. ¡°I won¡¯t be an easy opponent though.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got a good attitude at least,¡± Sun Liling said idly, subtly shifting her feet.


    A thunderclap stirred the faint morning mists shrouding the lake, and the two figures blurred.


    Shen Hu¡¯s forward foot dug into the mud, and the rich earth at his feet splattered in his wake as he launched himself forward, bubbling mud and marsh reeds pouring from his shoulders even as glittering diamond claws grew to encase his outstretched fingertips. The crimson princess grinned in the face of the charge, her green eyes gleaming with bloodlust. Blood gushed from her palms, crawling up her limbs to form gauntlet and vambrace even as her terrible, black barbed spear took shape. As her own feet launched her backward, she drew her arm back, and in the blink of an eye, she launched the spear, which screamed through the air like a newly launched arrow.


    A great granite slab shimmered into existence in front of Shen Hu. The blurring missile struck its surface and shattered, sending a spider web of hairline fractures across its surface.


    ... Only it didn¡¯t.


    Ling Qi restrained the urge to rub her eyes as the spear simultaneously struck Shen Hu¡¯s shield and warped past it. Its straight arc bent at a sharp angle to shoot past Shen Hu¡¯s defensive domain weapon and dig a bloody line across the wide-eyed boy¡¯s shoulder as he arrested his charge to try to dodge.


    As Sun Liling landed lightly on the extended branch of a leafless tree, Ling Qi caught a faint, split second fluttering of her eyes, but any hope that the Sun girl had suffered a setback died as qi flared from the center of her forehead. A thousand rainbow patterned leaves of a vast lotus flower flickered into sight behind her like a mighty banner.


    ¡°Tricky,¡± she said, clicking her tongue as the armor finished forming across her chest and twin skeletal arms grew from beneath her own, clutching jagged blades. ¡°You¡¯ve got a second spirit after all.¡±


    Shen Hu didn¡¯t respond, now fully encased in the hulking form of his earth spirit. With even his head submerged, Shen Hu seemed to be entirely fused with his beast, an impression made all the greater as its limbs swelled, taking on muscular definition and half meter-long spines of black crystal erupted from its back and club-like hands. Lanhua¡¯s footfalls shook the earth as the two thundered toward the Sun princess.


    Lanhua was not content merely charging though. The tree Sun Liling had landed on tilted drunkenly, the soil at its roots softening, and grasping muddy hands rose to clutch at the girl¡¯s limbs.


    Sun Liling laughed, launching herself from the branch, her voice distorted, reverberating within the fanged maw of the three-faced demonic helm that now covered her head. ¡°You¡¯ve made another mistake!¡± she exclaimed, bloody mist erupting from channels all across her armor as she twirled through the air, avoiding the grasping hands and launching spikes of crystal.


    Ling Qi felt it then, a ripple of disquieting qi that spread outward from the now fallen tree that Sun Liling had stood upon. Bright colored flowers bloomed from now swiftly rotting bark of the tree and spread outward, devouring grass and soil alike in a multichromatic carpet. It reached Lanhua¡¯s thick, trunk-like feet, despite the beast¡¯s alarmed step backward.


    She winced as the beast, who had suffered everything she had rained on it in near silence, let out a warbling scream, a great gash of a mouth opening across its upper body and hungry rootlets digging into its muddy flesh. New flowers bloomed, crawling swiftly up the earthen pillars of the beast¡¯s legs.


    Lanhua tore its feet from the writhing ground, leaving behind head-sized chunks of mud in the grasp of the hungry rootlets. It wasn¡¯t enough to escape. Already, new blooms of vibrant green were swelling with cancerous life across the beast¡¯s pockmarked legs.


    As if to add insult to injury, a blurred, six-armed form fell on the beleaguered spirit from above. A barbed spear dug into the mud, whipping and darting in a red blur, carving great furrows to seek the flesh beneath, and a mighty arm, raised to swat away the foe, fell with a crash to the earth, cleaved from its body with a single stroke of a mighty black bladed axe. Lanhua¡¯s torso bubbled then, and Shen Hu emerged, gleaming crystal talons raised, only to crash against two upraised curved blades dripping with sizzling sanguine fluid.


    Still, the weight of the clash forced Sun Liling away from the thrashing Lanhua, whose wet, bubbling screams had not stopped. The bright colored growths blooming across the spirit¡¯s body wriggled and writhed, spreading with impossible speed, and even as she watched, the dusky skinned Dharitri bloomed from the other spirit¡¯s back, woody stems and soft roots alike flowing together to form the bare limbs of inhuman beauty. The jungle spirit¡¯s beatific smile didn¡¯t change despite the other spirit¡¯s wailing.


    Lanhua dissolved then, mud and reed disintegrating back into earthy qi that flowed into the scowling Shen Hu¡¯s navel. He stood at the ready in a vast field of flowers now, flanked on one side by the near naked Dharitri and on the other by Sun Liling.


    The princess¡¯ armor had evolved. She still held her twisted, thorny spear easily in her two true arms, but the curved blades held in the false limbs below had grown smoother, more refined, and longer. A third pair of false arms, thick with muscle, sprouted from above her natural limbs. The right upper arm held the massive curve-bladed black axe which had taken Lanhua¡¯s arm so easily while the left upper arm was empty, its hand held near her face, palm out and fingers straight as if in prayer.


    ¡°That was unnecessary,¡± Shen Hu said flatly, ignoring the bloody cut on his shoulder.


    ¡°Well, what can ya expect?¡± Sun Liling¡¯s reverberating voice answered. ¡°Waving a meal like that in front of my poor spirit¡¯s face?¡±


    The boy¡¯s lips were set in a thin line as he turned on his heel and charged, crystal claws outstretched toward Sun Liling¡¯s smiling spirit. Sun Liling blurred, but the slab of gray rock that was Shen Hu¡¯s domain weapon shimmered into existence, blocking her path with a crash. Concern never appeared on the Dharitri¡¯s features as black claws slashed through the space where her head had been. The curvaceous creature¡¯s spine bent, silken garments fluttering as she escaped the path of Shen Hu¡¯s attacks, leaving him to catch only a few strands of dark hair.


    The air shimmered with spreading pollen as the spirit fell back before him, still smiling gently, and when next Shen Hu¡¯s crystal claws rose, they met twisted talons of thorn and wood, scoring deep wounds that wept glistening sap. The sound of shattering stone heralded the end of his advantage, and Sun Liling fell upon him like a crimson meteor. Commendably, he held under her initial assault.


    But for all of his ability, Shen Hu was losing. Even as black greaves formed over his legs in a desperate attempt to even the number of limbs, wounds opened across his arms and chest. Sun Liling was overwhelming in her speed and strength, and worst still, Ling Qi could feel more power flooding into the demonic girl, powered by the melodic voice of the jungle spirit Dharitri, who, in the wake of her partner¡¯s assault, had leapt back, escaping the battle. Her limbs were already swaying gracefully through the movements of an eye-catching dance even as her rich voice rose in a foreign song.


    Ling Qi felt a spike of irritation.


    The battle was not in question by this point. Unable to break her guard nor get away, Shen Hu had no path to victory. Sun Liling danced around him, the staggering complexity of her assault impossible to follow. It was to Shen Hu¡¯s credit that the battle still lasted some time from then.


    ¡°The winner of the day¡¯s first round is Sun Liling by right of knockout,¡± Sect Head Yuan announced over the cheers of the crowd as Shen Hu slumped to the ground, dissolving into glittering lights along with the terrain.


    Ling Qi met the eyes of the princess as the red-haired girl hopped down from the raised arena, her monstrous armor and cruel armaments dissolving like so much smoke. There was no anger there, nor elation from victory despite the easy smile on her lips, only stony determination. The moment didn¡¯t linger as Sun Liling returned to her place at the far end of the line, and Ling Qi was called forward along with her opponent.


    She marched silently with practised poise to the arena alongside the boy who had once been a commoner like her without giving him more than a glance. Some trace of a thuggish swagger remained in his steps, but it seemed that even he had learned to move with more dignity. Soon enough, they split apart, moving to face one another from opposite sides of the arena.


    ¡°You know, it¡¯s funny,¡± the scarred boy commented, idly cracking his knuckles. ¡°We¡¯ve been on opposite sides of a conflict, but I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve ever faced each other directly.¡±


    ¡°Is that so,¡± Ling Qi said, standing ready with her hands at her sides, affecting an attitude similar to that of her best friend.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ji Rong said evenly. ¡°Ya know why I never tried to talk to you back at the beginning?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t guess, Baron Ji,¡± she said blandly. ¡°I am sure you were very busy.¡±


    He grimaced, giving her a sour look. ¡°Tch,¡± he scoffed, not otherwise responding to her words. ¡°I thought I had you pegged. I¡¯d seen people like you before.¡±


    ¡°Do share your insights,¡± she said as the formations began to activate, shrouding them in shimmering lights.


    He returned her flat look. ¡°You were a rat,¡± he said. ¡°Too weak to fight, and too scared to join up with anyone. You were the kinda person who¡¯d trip a friend up if it meant getting a few more seconds of a lead on the guard.¡±


    ¡°How rude,¡± she said coldly, feeling stung despite herself. He wasn¡¯t wrong after all. ¡°Do you think I haven¡¯t seen your type before, Ji Rong?¡± she asked. ¡°Swaggering bullies who get their friends together to pretend at authority, so they can feel like they control something? How many streets did your gang claim as its fief?¡±


    ¡°Not very many,¡± Ji Rong said with a lopsided smirk that carried a note of bitter nostalgia. ¡°Xizhou is barely a city.¡±


    ¡°Did you have a point then?¡± Ling Qi asked, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°Not sure, if I¡¯m bein¡¯ honest.¡± Ji Rong cracked his neck as the lights began to coalesce into solid terrain. ¡°Guess I¡¯m just curious what made you change.¡±


    ¡°You are much less angry than I was expecting,¡± Ling Qi said instead.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m still pretty pissed,¡± Ji Rong admitted. ¡°We¡¯re enemies, and you¡¯re just as cruel as the rest of your lot. But you¡¯re not that big idiot Gan.¡± He met her gaze steadily. ¡°If that jackass who¡¯s been tutoring me made one thing stick, it¡¯s that I can¡¯t lose my temper against an enemy who might be stronger than me.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned, electing to ignore the last part of his statement as gratifying as it was. ¡°I don¡¯t think your group has any right to call us cruel.¡±


    Ji Rong snorted, giving her an incredulous look. ¡°Right. Tell that to the poor sods who had the misfortune to cross ¡®Miss¡¯ Bai¡¯s path,¡± he drawled, spitting the term of ostensible respect. ¡°The reason you get to pretend to be better is ¡®cause you won. Just like everyone else.¡±


    ¡°Only one side was fighting for something besides their own pride,¡± Ling Qi replied as the shape of the terrain solidified around them. They stood at the top of a large hill in a lightly wooded scrubland, the sky bright with the colors of sunset. ¡°But this conversation is pointless, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡®Suppose so,¡± Ji Rong agreed, a lopsided grin spreading across his face as he raised his fists into a guard stance. ¡°Gonna break your face now,¡± he said cockily, his usual demeanor returning.


    Ling Qi scoffed, and thunder boomed.

 Chapter 202-Tournament 12

    Her flute formed in her right hand, and Zhengui began to take shape in front of her, a dark shadow in the grass. Even as she raised her hand to bring her flute to her lips though, she found herself staring point blank at the knuckles of Ji Rong¡¯s right hand, with thick rings of bronze crackling with electricity adorning them. She had a bare instant to flood vibrant wood qi through her spine and activate Ten Ring Defense before it crashed into her nose.


    Despite moving with the force of the blow, reducing the impact, stars exploded in her vision. Ling Qi felt something in her face snap. She tasted blood on her lips as she retreated, avoiding the follow-up blow by leaping over it, her gown fluttering in the wind as she landed on the far side of the now solid Zhengui.


    Above them, their clash was reenacted, a wailing sword with a spiralling blade meeting a flashing golden mirror in a cacophony of noise and light.


    How long had it been since her nose had been broken? The idle thought scurried across her thoughts as she began to play, suppressing the twitching in her muscles and nerves from the lightning flooding her body. Ji Rong had chipped her front teeth as well, she thought, adjusting her playing for the slight change.


    Zhengui cried out in fury as her melody rolled over the battlefield, and superheated ash mingled with shadow-haunted mist. The cherry red embers greeted her like an old friend, and the cool, slick feeling of Sixiang¡¯s moon-aligned qi quelled the lightning seizing her muscles.


    It wasn¡¯t enough. Ji Rong was immediately back in her face, the scent of his burning sandals reaching her nose as he landed on top of Zhengui¡¯s shell. A quick jab snapped Zhen¡¯s head back and away while his follow-up blow caught her in the shoulder, his fist shrouded in blinding actinic light.


    She had to fight against her own muscles as they tried to become rigid with the voltage flooding through them until Sixiang could act, and only the protection of Deepwood Vitality and her qi armor prevented the damage from being worse. Yet as she met her enemy¡¯s eyes in the moment before Ji Rong leaped away to avoid Zhengui¡¯s retaliation, she saw surprise there. He had been hoping to overwhelm her entirely with his initial blows; he hadn¡¯t expected her toughness.


    So it was with a bloody smile that she summoned a qi card into her hand in preparation. She didn¡¯t unleash her worm constructs. Yet.


    She had another surprise first. Phantasmagoria of Lunar Revelry, the art she had gained from her performance under the Dreaming Moon, was quite potent. This match was well suited for its debut.


    Ling Qi twirled, limbs swaying to an unheard tune, and flooded the field with laughing, dancing phantoms. A riot of color and light spilled from her, casting the sunset hill in lurid color as fairies danced in the sky and elfin figures reveled on the ground. At the same time, she activated the Hundred Ring¡¯s Armament. Rippling green light spilled across her limbs and coalesced the faint vital aura into something more solid.


    The revelers danced through the mist and the ash, cups in their hands and raucous songs on their lips, and Ling Qi faded back among them, just one more dancing figure.


    Ji Rong navigated the tittering, grasping figures with the light of heaven burning in his eyes. He was dogged in his pursuit. He crashed rudely through the crowd, bowling over shrieking phantoms, punching away shadowy fangs, and shrugging off grasping hands. Even as Ling Qi danced away, her hands and feet trailing into shadow, his eyes remained on her. His feet couldn¡¯t keep up.


    She saw the moment of realisation in the grimace that appeared on his scarred face, the song of her flying sword rising to a fevered shriek and denting his mirror. She felt the precipitous drop in his qi, and braced herself even as thunder boomed and Ji Rong¡¯s body became an arc of lightning.


    He appeared in front of her with a furious snarl of ozone and plasma, embers and sparks burning his hair, his fist already cocked back for a punch. Ling Qi threw up her arm to block. Their limbs met with the crack of a millenial tree struck by heaven¡¯s fury, and though her arm trembled and her feet were driven back through the dirt, gauging furrows in the ground, she held. The surprise in his eyes was worth the bruise she could already feel forming across most of her forearm.


    The qi card in her hand flashed, and Ji Rong¡¯s eyes widened further as she sprung her trap. A hissing worm, slimy and grey, sprang from her sleeve. Its open, toothy maw let out a whistling shriek even as he slapped it away from his face. But there was far more than one. The earth under his feet boiled with slime-slick bodies. Muscular coils wrapped around his ankles, and circular maws dripping acid spit gnawed at his boots.


    Ling Qi was already vanishing back into the crowd of revelers and phantoms, circling back to Zhengui. Zhengui, stamping forward with all the limited speed his tubby legs could muster, saw his opportunity. Just as Ji Rong tore one leg free of the writhing worms under his feet, a grasping green rootlet sprang from the ground and coiled around it. A dozen more followed, and Ji Rong let out a shout of frustration.


    Ling Qi smiled thinly as Zhengui¡¯s warm ash settled on her shoulders like grey snow. It burned green, and her little brother¡¯s qi spread through her channels. Bruises faded, and the trickle of blood from her nose dried up. If there was one thing her former life had taught her, it was how to run. If there was one thing she had learned in the Sect, it was stubbornness.


    But Ji Rong was strong. With a roar, he tore his feet from the grasp of worms and roots alike and launched himself after her. He flew through the air, lightning crackling in the air, and his foot drove Gui¡¯s head into the dirt. His fist lashed out for Ling Qi.


    It struck only a shadow, a laughing wraith that broke apart into glittering lunar moths. He caught Zhen¡¯s striking fangs on his forearms, and magmatic venom sizzled as fangs skittered across his skin.


    From within the shifting revel, Ling Qi watched, dancing with the phantoms, her resplendent gown as good as camouflage among its shifting colors. She flicked her wrist, and another qi card appeared between her fingers. It flashed, and again, worms emerged to harry Ji Rong. They gnawed at his feet, leaving ugly cuts and burns on his skin. Rootlets grabbed at his wrists as he punched Zhengui over and over in frustration, lightning-clad fists leaving nigh invisible fractures in his shell, driving him back bit by bit.


    Ji Rong suffered for it though. Shadowy phantoms in the mist emerged from between laughing dancers, and their claws drew lines of blood and shredded his sleeves. The dancers grasped his hands, calling him to dance, and their touch drew in his qi, draining away life. They would dance him to death if they could, lunatic madness given form.


    With each moment, attacked from a dozen angles, Ji Rong¡¯s movements grew just a touch weaker, just a touch slower.


    Overhead, a mirror flashed. It drew Ling Qi¡¯s eyes upward as her singing sword spun away with a wail, trailing mist from the nova of golden light. Ji Rong¡¯s domain weapon glowed with the light of the sun and burst into a thousand glittering fragments. She saw power infuse him, and the crackle of lightning drowned out the singers of the revel. Ling Qi was already moving, but it wasn¡¯t enough.


    A fist struck her in the gut like a thunderbolt, and she felt a burn as lightning erupted from her back, tearing a line through the earth behind her, shredding revelers into laughing figments. She saw Ji Rong then. His eyes burning with the blue light of lightning and hair spiking up with static, the sheer force of his unleashed spirit sent phantoms shying back with the force of the pressure coming off of him. A burning glob of venom from Zhen spattered across his back to no avail.


    Ling Qi tasted blood. She felt a weakness in her knees as the lightning coursed through her spine, barely kept from seizing her muscles by Sixiang¡¯s dispersing qi. She saw the triumph in his eyes, and resentment bubbled up.


    She could hit hard too.


    This time, the song she played was not lilting and melancholy. It was harsh and fierce, the scream of a blizzard in the dead of winter. Ji Rong barely had time to react, so close was he when the first note lashed his skin, freezing a line of blackened flesh across his bare chest.


    Ji Rong fell back, raising his arms over his face as she sang, and winter came. Lightning sparked and died as the endless cold drank greedily from its energy. Heat fled, sound died, and snow fell. She saw the black mark on his chest spread and then crack, weeping half-frozen blood.


    The worms he had left behind emerged from the dirt. The laughing phantoms closed in.


    Thunder boomed again, and he lashed out, but his fists struck naught but air and phantoms, and Ling Qi vanished further into the revel. A card flashed, the worms came again. A beam of light erupted from his outstretched fingers, zig-zagging through the mist and confusion to strike her, but she blocked it with a raised arm. She felt something crack.


    The phantom dancers whirled him away, laughing and giggling, even as worms crawled up his pant legs. With a snarl, he tore one arm free, and lightning burned a dancer to ash. He whirled, his eyes wild as he searched for her, only to be met by a spatter of Zhen¡¯s venom. He raised his hands to block, and another dancer took him.


    Ling Qi¡¯s singing blade hummed eerily as it flew and circled him, no longer held back by his mirror. Each pulse of its tune struck him like a physical blow, bruising his flesh. Winter sang, and the cold lashed him.


    In the center of the revel, surrounded by mist and phantoms and cold, Ji Rong at last floundered. The dancers took his hands again, and this time, he didn¡¯t escape.


    The moment that Ling Qi felt his qi cease resisting her, her trembling legs collapsed under her, bringing her down to one knee. Taking a shuddering breath, Ling Qi forced herself to straighten up as the terrain began to fade.


    Her left arm was broken, a hairline fracture that sent sharp pain with every movement. She could taste blood in her mouth, and a terrible burn scarred her stomach and back. But she had won.


    She felt a foreign yet familiar qi tugging at her own then. In its soft yet insistent touch, she could feel the presence of Xin. Ling Qi allowed her eyes to drift closed and accepted the pulling sensation tugging at her meridians.


    Staying behind while injured would likely just distract Meizhen anyway. Her friend did always get so agitated when she was hurt. By the time she had completed that thought, she could feel the pain fading, and her awareness growing fuzzy. Vaguely, she felt Zhengui returning to her, his warmth offering comfort as she drifted.


    She won, and she could allow herself a little pride for that.


    With that thought, her consciousness faded.


    ***


    ¡°Hmph. So she is not entirely a fool then.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes snapped open as the familiar irritable and harried voice of an old man reached her ears. Blinking, she tried to reorient herself, old instincts almost making her leap back up in a crouch. However, she found her limbs heavy and her muscles slow to obey. She was lying down in a soft bed under the light of a paper lantern shining with a soft gray light. As she watched, the light pulsed briefly, sending the shadows cast by the characters painted on its sides dancing across the room.


    ¡°... Elder Jiao?¡± she asked fuzzily, peering at the shadowed figure standing at the foot of her bed. She felt a cool touch on her hand then and looked to her left to see Xin, seated comfortably on a chair beside her bed. The moon spirit smiled at her attention.


    ¡°Sturdy enough not to go into shock without her qi holding the damaged area together. The Lantern will be enough,¡± the old man said in a clipped tone, not looking at her but instead, scribbling a note in the folio in his hands. ¡°The rest is disciple work.¡± Xin shot him a sour look as he turned away.


    Ling Qi glanced up at the moon spirit¡¯s face then Elder Jiao¡¯s back, which was already beginning to lose corporeality. ¡°Elder Jiao. Sir. I wanted to thank you for your offer, even if I couldn¡¯t take it.¡± She had not had a chance to speak with Xin, let alone the elder, since she had made her choice; she could not let this opportunity to settle things pass.


    His shimmering outline paused in its fading and grew solid once more as he turned to look at her over his shoulder. ¡°I have not the slightest idea what you are talking about, girl. Perhaps that boy knocked something loose with his fisticuffs?¡± he asked with a sneer. ¡°But, perhaps as your esteemed elder, I might offer some advice on your chosen career.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, taken back by the bitterness in the elder¡¯s expression. ¡°... I would be most thankful, sir.¡± She glanced at Xin, whose smile had faded.


    ¡°I know much of reformers, and you have chosen a miserable path,¡± he said. ¡°There is neither happiness nor satisfaction to be found as a shadow. Be mindful in choosing what you are forced to discard on the roadside of the Way.¡± He had faded away by the time his last words echoed in the small stone room.


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t angry at me,¡± Ling Qi said, half to herself, half to Xin, who remained at her bedside, holding her hand.


    ¡°He was not,¡± the spirit said sadly. ¡°Excuse him. These past weeks have been stressful. When the things we retired to leave behind come to our doorstep, it is a most vexing experience.¡±


    With her thoughts as fuzzy as they were, she wasn¡¯t quite sure what Xin was talking about. Did she just mean all the nobles? ¡°I understand,¡± she replied anyway.


    ¡°Does she?¡± Xin asked lightly, glancing at a point about two centimeters above her eyes.


    ¡°She¡¯s still a little concussed, Auntie, and Uncle¡¯s toy isn¡¯t helping,¡± Sixiang answered helpfully. ¡°Sorry I wasn¡¯t more helpful back there,¡± they added apologetically to Ling Qi. ¡°That flashy guy¡¯s tricks weren¡¯t something I could do much about.¡±


    ¡°S¡¯fine,¡± Ling Qi mumbled, looking up at the ceiling. ¡°Where¡¯s Zhengui?¡±


    ¡°Sleeping,¡± Xin answered. ¡°Letting excitable children romp around a patient is not the best idea,¡± she said with a slight smile.


    Ling Qi blinked drowsily. That was right. She could feel him, a little napping ball of warmth. It was just hard to concentrate. ¡°I really am sorry,¡± Ling Qi said after a moment, looking up to meet Xin¡¯s eyes. ¡°No one would tell me anything about the Inner Sect, and I wanted to be able to meet Meizhen still, and... and Cai Renxiang¡¯s not a bad person, you know? She really means what she says, and the¡­ the opportunity...¡± She was babbling, but it was hard to stop.


    Xin looked sad but not reproachful. ¡°Hush, dear. You need not explain things to me.¡± She sighed. ¡°This has been a most unusual year, and not wholly in a good way. Our treatment of the Outer Sect has been more hands-off in recent years than we might like.¡± Her silver eyes gleamed oddly in the dull light of the lantern. ¡°In exchange for certain favours.¡±


    Her blurry thoughts couldn¡¯t help but turn to a certain terrifying woman. ¡°Is that why Elder Jiao is so angry?¡±


    ¡°He has had his fill of scheming, that husband of mine,¡± Xin replied with a musical laugh. ¡°But no more of such things. You¡¯ve done very well.¡±


    Even in her state, Ling Qi could tell when a subject was being gently closed. ¡°Thank you. I couldn¡¯t have come so far without you and your sisters.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, or maybe another spirit might have snatched you up,¡± Xin said lightly. ¡°Might I add that I found it adorable when you chose to take my greater self as a patron for my sake?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­¡± Ling Qi denied, color rising on her cheeks. ¡°Not just for that,¡± she mumbled.


    ¡°Even if you do not fit us very well just yet, it is never wrong to cultivate curiosity,¡± Xin said. ¡°And the seeds are there. Did your pulse not quicken, at least a little, when you reached the bottom of the tomb?¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, thinking back to that day. She had never been able to afford curiosity before in Tonghou. She couldn¡¯t afford much of anything beyond immediate gain.


    ¡°There you go then,¡± Xin said with satisfaction. ¡°Nurture the wonder of discovery, and you might grow to be a scholar yet.¡± She grimaced then, looking up. ¡°Ah¡­ and I need to go. The next patient is arriving soon.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye, Xin,¡± whispered Ling Qi.


    ¡°Farewell for now, Ling Qi,¡± the moon spirit replied. ¡°You are not leaving the Argent Peak Sect just yet.¡±


    She vanished in a glimmer of starlight, and Ling Qi was left to drift off under the drowsy light of the lantern.

 Chapter 203-Tournament 13

    Failure tasted like the mud of the village gutters, Gan Guangli thought, looking down upon the arena.


    He had known this since he was but a youth, only as high as his weary mother¡¯s knee. It was a taste he had grown used to in those days. In this world, those who stood for justice and protecting the weak often found it their only reward. His father had learned that, and so had he. His stubbornness had certainly earned him enough beatings by peers and adults alike in those days.


    So why did it taste so foul now? Was it because he had disappointed the one person who had seen his value? Or perhaps it was because he knew it was his own fault? A thousand explanations whirled in his mind, but they were all so much useless chaff. A man should not make excuses for his failure.


    Father had taught him that before alcohol consumed him.


    So Gan Guangli could only promise to be better, to meet the expectations of his liege and her mother, no matter how impossible his redemptive task would be. He would need to stand on his own and to succeed at what he had so fumbled doing this year. He would have to become more than a soldier playing at command. The path of the soldier was an honorable one, but it was not one that could carry him at Lady Cai¡¯s side.


    Gan Guangli let out a sigh, his wide shoulders rising and falling as he turned his attention to the stages below. At least his mistress would have Ling Qi. For all her habitual thoughtlessness and bouts of whimsy, Ling Qi had a cunning to her and the resolve to be a blade in Lady Cai¡¯s hand.


    Deep shame still bubbled in his stomach when he remembered the flicker of disappointment he had glimpsed on his lady¡¯s face when she had asked Ling Qi to leave them alone.


    Gan Guangli pushed that memory away for the moment, down with the others that formed the foundation of his resolve. He should carve this match into his memory. For all that Kang Zihao would be in the Inner Sect, the honorless cur would probably be using his connections to cause him a great deal of trouble in the next year.


    He laughed aloud, startling the other Outer disciples seated around him. Was that not a satisfying thought? That the scion of Kang had no chance of victory? He had disliked that young man since the moment he had lain eyes upon him.


    He could respect Ji Rong after a fashion, recognizing him as a dark mirror. It would be arrogance to think that such resentment could not have been born in his own heart. Even Lu Feng was respectable in his way, underhanded lout that he was.


    Kang Zihao though¡­ In his handsome face, Gan Guangli saw everything he despised. He had no honor, only a blind and mindless loyalty to the appearance of decorum and titles with no thought for who held them. He discarded his subordinates as easily as one would throw aside trash. So with another boisterous laugh, Gan Guangli leaned forward a smile on his face to observe what was to come.


    Miss Bai was as resplendent as always, clad in whites and soft blues that leant her an air of phantasmal beauty. Her striking eyes gazed impassively upon her foe as a queen might regard a mongrel sniffing at the hem of her gown.


    Kang was armored in gleaming silver, presenting as always the appearance of a noble hero taken straight from the pages of the classics. Gan Guangli¡¯s grin stretched wider. It would be truly satisfying to see that shell cracked.


    ¡°Do you have no words for me?¡± Miss Bai said softly as the stage began to activate, shrouding them in mist. ¡°Where are your denouncements now, son of Kang? Do you only have taunts for a woman who can barely walk?¡±


    Kang Zihao looked down his nose at the shorter girl facing him, a touch of a sneer on his handsome features. ¡°There is no purpose for words at this juncture,¡± he replied haughtily. Gan Guangli heard the tremor in his voice nonetheless.


    ¡°I suppose you are right,¡± Miss Bai said thoughtfully as a radiant river valley took shape around them, the gurgling of the wide, shallow river off to her right almost hiding her quiet words. ¡°I really should cleave closer to tradition, should I not?¡±


    Kang Zihao grit his teeth but did not reply. A few moments later, thunder boomed, and the match began.


    A gleaming spear spun into existence in Kang Zihao¡¯s hand, and twin canine forms burst from the air at his side, snarling and snapping. One was the white-furred hound that the boy had at his side from the year¡¯s beginning, grown now to stand almost a full meter at the shoulder. The other was a wolf, shaggy and wild, frost and rime coating its blue-grey fur. The second beast stood almost as tall as Kang¡¯s shoulder.


    Bai Meizhen took a single step forward, shimmering green scales flashing in the grass at her feet.


    The dog and the wolf burst into motion, dashing in opposite directions to circle and flank the young lady of Bai. Kang Zihao spun his spear into a guard position, and a blazing white shield appeared in his other hand, held forward as a bulwark as if against an incoming avalanche. Potent, mountainous qi crackled through his limbs, and even at this distance, Gan Guangli could feel the sudden ¡®weight¡¯.


    Bai Meizhen took a second step, and dark water rippled around her shoulders, casting her face in shadow.


    Twin mountains of canine bulk howled as their pounding feet tore up the remaining distance, their jaws open as if to devour the advancing maiden. Kang Zihao¡¯s shout thundered as his instep sent a spider web of cracks through the soft earth, and he brought his spear forward, its point alight with blazing qi that howled as it shot toward Bai Meizhen, leaving a blinding trail through the air behind it.


    Bai Meizhen took a third step. Her golden eyes narrowed, and she raised her hand, her cloak of abyssal water forming around her.


    Blazing light struck black water and screamed, creating an explosion of steam that Kang¡¯s beasts dived eagerly into.


    ¡°Heel.¡±


    Her cold voice rang out, and in an instant, a terrible cold pall fell over the brightly lit scene. Twin yelps of canine distress sounded from within the dissipating cloud as it cleared to reveal Bai Meizhen, standing still, her shadow pooled at her feet like a lake of ink. Her eyes blazed from the shadow of her liquid hood, and even from here, Gan Guangli felt sweat break out on his brow and his heart begin to beat erratically.


    The dog and the wolf were far less insulated. They crashed to the ground, eyes rolling in their sockets and froth leaking from their mouths. The smaller of the two let out a whimper as green coils emerged from the grass in a flash, and hungry fangs sunk into its throat. Bai Meizhen¡¯s cousin coiled around the thrashing dog in mere moments, and Gan Guangli knew that it would not be getting up again in this fight.


    The wolf was, if anything, less lucky. Bai Meizhen¡¯s heel ground into its throat, and a liquid shadow crawled across its form, bringing strangled yelps from the beast¡¯s throat. Bai Meizhen¡¯s gaze remained fixed on Kang, who stood in place, his shield held out as another layer of defensive qi shimmered into place, spreading from the outward edge of his shield.


    ¡°How useless,¡± Bai Meizhen said, removing her foot from the beast¡¯s throat as her shadow engulfed it. ¡°Just what do you intend to protect with that shield, Kang Zihao?¡±


    He did not answer, only tightening his stance.


    Bai Meizhen took a fourth step, and it crossed thirty meters in an instant. Her ribbon blades lashed out, the metal strips extended by toxic purple fluid. Kang Zihao batted them aside, and once again, his spear thrust out in a blur, launching three fiery lances toward Miss Bai.


    She continued forward, twirling to avoid the first two and swept aside the third with a sweep of her mantle and a hissing burst of steam. The fangs of her weapon came again, whipping in from impossible angles, and Kang Zihao stood strong, his spinning spear and flashing shield knocking away the virulent tendrils that sought his flesh.


    Bai Meizhen blurred again, closing the rest of the distance. Although he stood taller than the pale girl, Kang Zihao seemed miniscule in the shadow she cast. The whipping blades returned, twice as fast, and this time, one scored the shoulder of his armor, leaving a bubbling, hissing scar in the metal that revealed the padding beneath, blackening from the venom. Barehanded, Bai Meizhen parried the spear strikes that came in return, splashing water sounding from the points of impact.


    Again and again, her blades twisted and hissed through the air, scoring petty wounds, stripping away his gleaming armor piece by piece until it hung from him in tatters and fragments and brackish blood stained his clothing.


    Finally, trembling limbs raised a shield a moment too slow. Hungry blades carved open his upper arm, and Kang Zihao¡¯s bulwark dropped from twitching, nerveless fingers. A pale hand darted in to seize him by the throat.


    He let out a strangled scream, the spear falling from his other hand as veins of red spread from his neck.


    ¡°Still no more than a delay. As expected,¡± Bai Meizhen said coldly, her voice distorted by the veil of water that rose to defend her fair face from Kang¡¯s desperate strikes.


    His struggles ceased shortly thereafter, and the scion of Kang crumbled onto the grass, already dissolving into mist as Bai Meizhen released him.

 Chapter 204-Tournament 14

    Slowly, Ling Qi found consciousness returning to her, the foggy logic of dreams segueing into the solidity of waking. She didn¡¯t have long to contemplate her dreams.


    Zhengui¡¯s excited thoughts blasted away the remnants of sleep.


    Ling Qi thought groggily. An immaterial nudge from Sixiang brought her to awareness of the other presence in her room.


    Opening her eyes, she looked to the side, her eyes drawn by the light shining down on her face. Cai Renxiang looked back at her, expression neutral. The girl was seated at her bedside, hands folded neatly in her lap. ¡°I see the medical apprentice¡¯s estimates were correct,¡± she said.


    ¡°My apologies for not offering the proper respect,¡± Ling Qi responded, peering up at the other girl. That unsettling emptiness remained, but it seemed lesser. Perhaps that was merely wishful thinking though. ¡°Your own match went well then?¡±


    ¡°You are excused,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°My duel with the Gu daughter was completed honorably with my victory.¡±


    Ling Qi paused, an awkward silence forming between them. ¡°Lady Cai,¡± she began, glancing around the empty room. ¡°Are you well?¡±


    The girl¡¯s gaze sharpened, her brows drawing together as she frowned. ¡°Is it so obvious?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps not to everyone,¡± Ling Qi replied carefully. ¡°You seem troubled.¡±


    Her liege¡¯s expression twisted into a grimace. ¡°No doubt Mother has already planned for my showing of distress,¡± she muttered, more to herself than Ling Qi. ¡°I can only hope that she does not see it as meriting punishment regardless.¡±


    Ling Qi looked away, feeling a twisting in her stomach. That helpless feeling. She hated it, but there was nothing she could do for the other girl in this situation. ¡°I do not think you were lacking in composure,¡± she posited, looking back. ¡°You said your match went well?¡±


    ¡°I granted Gu Xiulan the appropriate mercy for a lower ranked potential ally, and she understood the situation,¡± Cai answered, her expression evening out. ¡°As I had been instructed.¡±


    Ling Qi felt some of her worry drop away. ¡°I believe you should be fine. It was only my familiarity and proximity which allowed me to see your mood.¡±


    The other girl nodded stiffly. ¡°I see. I suppose there is no purpose in fretting now. In any case, I wished to ensure you were well. You have done honor to my name and yours today.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s lips twitched upward in the ghost of a smile. ¡°You are too kind, Lady Cai. I only performed as expected.¡±


    To her relief, the corner of the heiress¡¯ lips quirked up as well. ¡°Quite so. A mere ruffian could hardly be expected to keep up with your dance.¡±


    Despite the cheer in her expression, Ling Qi did not feel very happy. Clear of distractions, she had finally understood why the look in the girl¡¯s eyes had unsettled her. It was a look she remembered well from her earlier life, looking on bruised and downcast faces, one that she had feared that she would also wear one day. It was wrong for Cai Renxiang to look like that.


    Pushing those dismal thoughts away, Ling Qi continued smiling, but she could tell that Cai had noticed her troubled thoughts. ¡°I am glad I did not fail to live up to your expectations, Lady Cai.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the heiress replied, giving her a searching look. ¡°My expectations,¡± she said. Her frown returned, and with it, that unsettling hurt. ¡°On the morrow, you should know that it is acceptable for you to surrender once the princess has struck you a solid blow.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, surprised at the almost unnoticeable edge of concern in Cai¡¯s voice. When she smiled, it was more genuine this time. ¡°Thank you, Lady Cai. But I intend to continue until I am unable.¡±


    Cai Renxiang closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°You must wish to see Bai Meizhen savage me.¡±


    ¡°I am a big girl,¡± Ling Qi replied with an almost petulant huff. ¡°Bai Meizhen will understand my resolve.¡±


    ¡°I suppose she might, at that.¡± Cai Renxiang shook her head. ¡°Very well. I will not gainsay you on this.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want her to win,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°Even if I can¡¯t beat her. Every trick she uses on me is one that she cannot surprise either of you with.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± the other girl replied. ¡°Then I commend you on your resolve. You have no obligations to me tonight, so feel free to rest as you need.¡±


    ¡°I am still feeling sluggish.¡± Ling Qi sighed. Her ribs which had been broken, still felt numb and her whole midsection tingly. ¡°Are any of my other friends here?¡± she asked, only to wince at her slip.


    Cai Renxiang did not respond to it, her expression not changing, but the light radiating from her shifted, sending the shadows in the room dancing. ¡°Gu Xiulan is recovering as you are. The other two girls went to attend the ceremony for the winners of the production tournament.¡±


    Of course Meizhen couldn¡¯t openly visit her, Ling Qi thought a touch bitterly. Her dark thoughts were banished by the feeling of Zhengui¡¯s warmth in her thoughts, her little brother snuggling close at the feel of her discomfort. ¡°Are there any events I should know about tonight?¡±


    ¡°You are free of obligation, as I said,¡± Cai Renxiang repeated. ¡°If you wish it however, there will be an event allowing our seniors in the Inner Sect to meet and mingle with us. There will be another post-tournament after the rankings have been announced.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed. In truth, she wasn¡¯t looking forward to another social event, and she had not gotten to cultivate in days. There was not enough time for a proper session, but perhaps in meditating on her matches thus far, she could refine her techniques, if only a little. Her match with Sun Liling loomed.


    ¡°I will leave you to your choice,¡± her liege said, standing up with a rustle of cloth. Smoothing her gown, she moved toward the door. ¡°Be well, Ling Qi.¡±


    ¡°You as well, my lady,¡± Ling Qi replied, watching the girl go. ¡°... And hang in there. The tournament is coming to an end soon.¡±


    Cai Renxiang paused at the door, looking back. ¡°As you say,¡± she replied, her voice stiff and a touch awkward.


    Then she was gone, and Ling Qi was left to her thoughts.


    Ling Qi let her eyes drift shut, relaxing into the comfortable softness of the bed beneath her. She had been doing her duty thus far, meeting people, attending events, and acting like a proper lady or something close anyway.


    Sixiang teased.


    Zhengui agreed, though it was clear he didn¡¯t really understand what she was thinking about.


    Ling Qi let out a small laugh under her breath. ¡°The point is, I think I¡¯ve earned an afternoon off,¡± she said aloud. ¡°No one can blame me for getting a little cultivation in.¡±


    Sixiang said, amused.


    Ling Qi let out a snort. ¡°Quiet, you. I¡¯m diligent is all.¡±


    her little brother cut in excitedly.


    Ling Qi did her best to mask the spike of worry at the thought, instead surrounding the young spirit with a feeling of encouragement. No matter what, they were going to be going through a lot of pain tomorrow.


    Sixiang said faintly, fading back into the back of her thoughts.


    Giving only a slight nod in response, Ling Qi turned her mind inward toward the flows of her qi and the cycles of energy within her body. Slowly, awareness of the outside world faded away, sequestered to a corner of her thoughts, and taking with it, her sense of time. It was no wonder that older cultivators could vanish into meditation for years, decades, or even centuries. Even back in the second realm, hours could vanish in a flash and whole days could go by if she weren¡¯t careful. She suspected that the feeling of distorted time would only grow with her cultivation. These thoughts were but distractions though.


    She began to cycle the energy in her dantian, sending her thoughts racing along her opened meridians with the flow of her spirit. She could feel the marks left by her injuries, faded by the power of the Sect¡¯s medicine, a jagged feeling, where her ribs had fractured, and a messy snarl in her abdomen where lightning had surged through her still fragile organs.


    She understood now why Elder Jiao had mentioned the possibility of her going into shock. Her stomach and viscera had received ruinous electrical burns, and although her reflexive qi flows had allowed the damage to be ignored, it would have grown worse with time. She might have been unconscious for the rest of the day.


    Thinking of her wounds turned her thoughts to her defense and her actions in her last fight. She had stood her ground against Ji Rong, accepting blows instead of retreating and dodging, as was usual for her, changing her tempo in an effort to throw off whatever counters he might have devised to her usual flight tactics.


    Thousand Ring Fortress had allowed her to do so, if at cost. Ling Qi had somewhat conflicted feelings on the art, if she was honest. It was definitely powerful, its quality incontestable, and yet it was at odds with so much of her skillset. No, rather, the personal portion of the art was. The ability to toughen her allies so greatly was a potent tool in her usual tactics. Briefly, she wondered how Gan Guangli would have fared with such an art bolstering everyone. Perhaps if he had passed, she would have faced him today.


    Letting that thread of thought drift away, Ling Qi turned her thoughts back to the simmering channels of vital qi that flowed through her spine and spread outward from her heart. She changed the cycling of her qi from the basic exercise of the Eight Phase Ceremony to the more rigid and regimented practice demanded by the Thousand Ring Fortress. Subsuming her thoughts into the pulses of qi, she allowed all other thoughts to fade.


    Unyielding vitality. The core of the Thousand Ring Fortress art, a defense that would grow back more quickly than it could be damaged and could weather any storm or assault. Even if it broke under siege, so long as a single chunk remained, the fortress could return to full strength in time, just as a forest could regrow from a single seed. She had not mastered it yet, so some portions of that power were missing.


    Yet its defense was rigid and unbending. It belonged to the sort of stout arboreal guardians which would shatter before bending, and that was not her. She had played at such, today and in previous training, but in the end, the mindset of holding her ground come what may and refusing to fall back was just too alien. Ground could be surrendered, and people could retreat. It was better to let an enemy push her back and in doing so, overextend themselves than to repulse them with sheer force.


    Or so she thought anyway.


    To truly change a masterful art such as the Thousand Rings Fortress was beyond her, but perhaps applying its lessons elsewhere was not. In the opening rounds of a battle, she had to choose whether to put her effort into becoming one with shadow and slipping away, risking great damage, or channeling her effort into armor, trading on the certainty of a weakened attack. If that could be solved...


    With a new focus, Ling Qi concentrated her thoughts on that idea.


    By the time Ling Qi opened her eyes, night had fallen, but she had succeeded. The ability to defend from more potent arts had been etched into the very core of her spirit. It was sloppy, lacking the structure granted by a full art and less efficient than her Ten Ring Defense technique, but with this, she could improve her early defense without having to sacrifice her opening offense to as great a degree.


    Sitting up in bed, Ling Qi stretched her arms overhead, feeling invigorated, the last soreness from her wounds having faded. Peering around her temporary room, Ling Qi could not help but smile. On the stand by her bed was a little basket full of flowers, sweets, and distinctly wood-scented pills. The note laying in the center confirmed her thought. Li Suyin had seen that she was deep in cultivation and elected not to disturb her, leaving instead her congratulations and a little victory present.


    Ling Qi grinned as she let the first of the pills dissolve on her tongue, the rich flavor spreading as quickly as the vital warmth of the medicinal energy. Perhaps she could improve her efficiency even more by morning like this.

 Chapter 205-Tournament 15

    Morning came before she knew it, and once again, Ling Qi found herself standing before a great crowd of the Empire¡¯s nobility, the weight of their combined spiritual power leaving the air heavy, even without the pitiless light of the Duchess Cai shining down from the very highest box.


    She stood on the opposite side of the arena from Sun Liling. The red-haired girl was smiling a friendly, easy-going smile that did not reach her eyes. It set Ling Qi on edge immediately. Nonetheless, she offered a proper bow of respect toward her opponent.


    Sun Liling¡¯s smile didn¡¯t fade as she returned a much more perfunctory bow. ¡°I really have to praise you,¡± she said brightly as she raised her head.


    ¡°You are too kind, Princess Sun,¡± Ling Qi replied warily, eyeing the dangerous girl across from her. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine what one of your stature would praise one such as me for.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too modest, Ling Qi,¡± Sun Liling said, her smile growing sharp. ¡°Why, you¡¯re practically a living example of what the sects are supposed to do. Someone as talented as you woulda been wasted as a mortal.¡±


    Sixiang whispered.


    ¡°Thank you very much for your kind words, Princess,¡± Ling Qi replied mechanically, not quite able to keep all of the bewilderment out of her voice. ¡°I am more than honored to hear such praise.¡±


    Something wasn¡¯t right.


    By now, she was sure that the story of the year¡¯s events had spread to everyone watching. Sun Liling so openly praising an enemy who had caused her so much trouble would surely make her look bad. Was she just trying to seem generous and clean up her tarnished reputation? Ling Qi doubted it.


    The other girl nodded amicably, not breaking eye contact. ¡°Right. I just wanted you to be sure.¡±


    A bad feeling began to stir in Ling Qi¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Sure of what, Princess Sun?¡±


    ¡°That I would be taking you seriously from the start. I think you¡¯ve earned that,¡± Sun Liling replied lightly.


    Oh.


    As the formation¡¯s mists rose and solidified, forming a maze of roots beneath her feet and a sweltering sun above her head, shining through the high tropical canopy of a thick jungle landscape so overgrown that a man might hardly be able to pass through between any given pair of tree trunks, Ling Qi could only stare at her grinning opponent.


    Thunder boomed, and time slowed to a crawl.


    Standing atop a tangled root network, she saw Sun Liling¡¯s left hand clench, her sharpened, green painted nails digging into the soft flesh of her palm. Wet gleaming strands of crimson bloomed, stretching out into a spiralling helix, all in the space between eye blinks. Crimson liquid became dark metal and thorny barbs.


    Ling Qi was already moving, the shadow of the canopy deepening and swallowing her up as her fingers and toes trailed off into dark mist, joining with the shadows themselves. Zhengui¡¯s spirit streamed from her dantian, heavy qi solidifying into his sturdy body.


    She was too slow. The spear had already flown from Sun Liling¡¯s hands, a streak of sanguine light screaming through the air toward her chest. As its barbed tip reached to impale her, Ling Qi flickered, her form fading into mist and shadow as she appeared to the right. It wasn¡¯t enough.


    Although she was expecting it, it hurt her eyes as the air itself seemed to scream, warping under the weighty of bloodthirsty qi. The spear tore across her lower ribs, shredding silk and flesh alike, even as she twisted away from its new path and blunted the majority of the tearing barbs with layer upon layer of vital qi.


    It was only a minor wound, Ling Qi thought distantly through the fugue of battle, but it was only the beginning. Zhengui¡¯s weight cracked the roots beneath his feet as he solidified, and an echoing ghostly shriek erupted from her storage ring as her Ossuary Horror burst forth. It was an ugly thing, an eagle-sized construct in the shape of a bird, crackling black energy forming pinions over its skeletal wings.


    Sun Liling merely regarded her with a raised eyebrow from her perch, her spear having returned to her hands and the beginnings of her armor crawling up her arms. Ling Qi¡¯s focus remained on the brief flickering pulse of qi she had felt emerging from the girl as the battle began, slithering down into the roots under their feet to blend with the ambient qi. That must be Dharitri, Sun Liling¡¯s spirit.


    To her right, Zhengui stamped his feet and let out a twin-mouthed cry, unleashing a billowing fountain of ash that washed over the nearby area. To her left, the horror circled upwards, letting out another echoing shriek as the cloak of qi granting it a facsimile of feathers rippled, green and vital qi sinking into all three of them, strengthening bones and flesh with dense wood qi. Around Ling Qi, ten rings of defense rippled and joined one hundred rings of armament, hiding Ling QI¡¯s slender figure from sight beneath a coruscating armor of qi.


    Ling Qi met Sun Liling¡¯s green eyes and saw curiosity and excitement, tempered by anger and wariness. Then, as the bloody armor crept up over her shoulders and began to spread across her chest, the Sun Princess exploded into motion, wood shattering beneath her feet as she rocketed toward Ling Qi, barbed spear outstretched.


    Ling Qi ghosted backward into Zhengui¡¯s ash, light-footed even under armor that would make a grown man stagger if it were solid and real, but the princess was too fast to be avoided so easily. The girl was suddenly on top of her, barbed spear blurring and spinning through the air in a complex dance that bit and jabbed again and again, its haft flexing to slip past her defenses and growing rigid when the butt slammed home in brutal, bludgeoning blows.


    Their battle, Ling Qi thought, desperately pushing her reflexes to their limit, sounded like a thousand axes being taken to an old oak at high speed. Yet under the storm of blows, her armor held. It cracked, energy wavering as entire chunks shattered, and she was faintly aware that a ragged stretch of cloth from her gown floated away on the wind of their movements, exposing part of her legs. But she did not bleed.


    Her Ossuary Horror was not so lucky. She became aware of its plight when the sound of shattering bone reached her ears. It had done its job, allowing her to fully armor herself and repel Sun Liling¡¯s first strike, but Ling Qi had hoped it would last longer as her ¡®surprise¡¯ for this round. She spared a half second glance at it, the sight causing her eyes to widen. Through the falling ruin of bones and qi, a gleaming emerald disc flew, spinning through the air on a returning arc that would carry it to her.


    The wailing song of her own domain weapon joined the din only a moment later, its song sending the jade chakram off its course by a few crucial centimeters. She could feel the disc¡¯s acidic, hungry qi from here though, eager to dissolve and break armor and defense. She grimaced as Sun Liling¡¯s darting spear carved a furrow through the regenerating armor on her forearm, coming a hair¡¯s breadth from piercing flesh. She had to hope that her own domain weapon could last at least a handful of passes with Sun Liling¡¯s. At least her friend would know what sort of domain weapon the Princess was using.


    Ling Qi took some satisfaction in the tiny signs of frustration in her opponent¡¯s expression as the spread of Sun Liling¡¯s blood armor slowed to a crawl. The ornate breastplate was fully formed and her arms armored, but the tassets and leg guards were only half-formed and her helm incomplete. The girl¡¯s eyes narrowed as they met hers, and Ling Qi¡¯s stomach dropped as she felt a flare of dark, sickly bloodlust. The only visual sign of change was a blood vessel bursting in the girl¡¯s right eye and the grimace that hardened her expression. Sun Liling¡¯s crimson armor exploded forward in growth, completing itself as skeletal limbs began to sprout from her shoulder blades.


    Ling Qi fell back before the storm of blows that followed, reforming her armor, dissolving into shadow, and using every other trick she could think of as Zhengui diligently spread his ash far and wide, just like she had instructed. All the while, she did her best to keep track of that slithering trail of qi, sneaking beneath the earth.


    In the instant that she felt that presence spike, she screamed a silent warning to Zhengui through their connection and leaped backward with all of her might, rocketing away from Sun Liling. A thousand reveling phantoms burst from every shadow and surface, filling the jungle floor with a riot of psychedelic light. The moment her feet came in contact with one of the pillar-like trunks of the jungle trees, she pushed off again, rocketing away the growing revel just ahead of the trunk cratering beneath the force of Sun Liling¡¯s barbed spear.


    Below her, Zhengui was retreating from his position, his shell aglow with heat and qi within his ash. The ground beneath his feet roiled, stabbing rootlets scrabbling at his feet and grasping hungrily at his shell. As Ling Qi closed the distance with him, Zhengui let out a cry of pain as wooden claws dug into his stony underbelly and shoved him up and back. Zhengui landed with a crash, legs kicking in the air as the roots and underbrush withered and burned under the heat of his shell.


    Dharitri rose from where he had been, elegant and graceful as ever, save for the oversized, jagged wooden talons which replaced her hands. The spirit looked up and met Ling Qi¡¯s determined gaze with a beatific smile as hungry roots rose to dig into her little brother.


    That expression didn¡¯t change as the temperature plummeted and plants died, withering under the unrelenting cold of deepest winter, but the spirit did dance back out of range, smoothly falling back with nothing more than a bit of glistening moisture on her ochre flesh to show for the assault.


    It gave time for Zhengui to recover though, Zhen¡¯s muscular coils flexing and rocking the stranded tortoise back into a mobile position, even as the young serpent grumbled complaints about Gui¡¯s weight through their connection. Ling Qi could not afford to give him any further attention as she spun to face the crimson warrior once again bearing down on her. The image of a thousand petaled lotus blazed like a banner behind Sun Liling, and a light like a star blazed from the brows of the three demonic faces of her helm, parting the revel around her like a fading morning mist.


    Once again, Ling Qi retreated under a rain of blows, grimacing as she felt her layered armor shuddering under the vicious blows. Gashes opened in her gown, baring flesh, and she could feel the protective enhancements of her gown fraying and thinning, even as she felt a throb of pain from her connection to her domain weapon as green jade clashed with black metal and metal gave way, creaking under the strain.


    She needed to hurry.


    A silent command sent to Zhengui caused one of the ashfields to flare and scatter in a phantom wind, and the minor wounds Ling Qi had suffered so far faded, blood fading into shadowy dust and flesh knitting back together. In that moment, she once again locked gazes with Sun Liling, whose eyes gazed at her from the back of a demonic maw.


    She wasn¡¯t done. Ling Qi had mastered the Thousand Ring Defense art, and now, she had reason to use it¡¯s ultimate technique.


    Emerald light blazed around both her and Zhengui, and the Thousand Rings Unbreaking technique coursed through her channels. Vitality flooded her limbs, and even as she fell back before the girl¡¯s next attack, she found herself less easily pushed onto the back foot of their exchange.


    But she couldn¡¯t forget about the other enemy here as well. A wave of shimmering multi-hued dust washed over her and Zhengui both, mingling with the ash floating in the air and the light of the fading revel to create patterns of dazzling light. The instant that her thoughts began to grow fuzzy though, wild, Sixiang flooded moon-scented qi through her meridians, cleansing the clinging pollen.


    Zhengui was not so lucky. Ling Qi felt his thoughts going sluggish and confused, and she saw both of his gazes fall upon the smiling Dharitri and light up with childish delight and adoration. Scowling, she activated her Deepwood Vitality technique, replacing broken armor and cleansing the effect from Zhengui with a pulse of wood qi. Zhen¡¯s eyes narrowed, and Dharitri spun to the side to avoid the sizzling glob of white hot venom that shot through the space where her face had just been.


    Once again, Ling Qi disengaged from Sun Liling. This time, she faded into a shadowy wraith, shooting into the shadow of a great tree that had fallen over Dharitri. The card Cai Renxiang had gifted her flashed into existence in her hand and flared white as she brought it to activation. A blazing radiance washed over the smiling spirit, and the air around her burned, something filmy and immaterial that Ling Qi had not even noticed before wavered and faded. Dharitri¡¯s form wavered, reappearing half a meter to the left of where she had seemed to have been before.


    In that moment though, Ling Qi was too slow to dodge the howling spear that slammed into her shoulder, its passage sending the hair of the spirit she had just attacked fluttering. Spinning barbs ripped into her layers of defense, tearing through one after another, shredding qi and silk alike, and though they slowed and deflected its path, Ling Qi cried out as a line of heat and pain was drawn across her upper arm from the deflected spear.


    Ling Qi grit her teeth even as a second throb of pain hit her from the spinning, wailing weapons darting about overhead. She was almost out of time, and her qi was growing depleted, drained from keeping so many blows away from flesh. But she had her best opening. Even if Sun Liling¡¯s damned spirit was still smiling at her, its defenses were stripped.


    Ling Qi raised her flute, and before the card she had dropped even touched the now frozen ground, she played the notes of the Frozen Soul Serenade. Bark shattered, plants withered, and the wind howled at the sudden onset of cold, and Dharitri staggered back, raising her talons as if to ward off the song even as lovely skin blackened and wrinkled. The staggering spirit let out an inhuman howl of pain as its body jerked from a second assault, Zhen¡¯s fangs digging into her thigh and filling her veins with molten venom.


    Ling Qi had only a moment to feel elation before the haft of a spear slammed into her gut and nearly folded her in half. Only the power of the Thousand Rings Unbreaking prevented the monstrous blow from smashing her bodily through the towering tree behind her, and it allowed Ling Qi the luxury of scrambling back, desperately parrying the biting edges of the twin curved blades now seeking her blood.


    Even as she sought an opening to escape, Ling Qi felt the formations woven throughout her gown flare and sputter as a jagged blade laid her stomach bare, a flap of silk waving uselessly in the whirlwind generated by her enemy¡¯s attacks. They faded and went dormant a moment later, and overhead, Ling Qi heard the shrieking sound of metal being rent asunder and saw the remains of her domain weapon raining down onto the jungle floor.


    Behind the relentless Sun Liling, she glimpsed Zhengui struggling as Dharitri retaliated. The spirit¡¯s beautiful face had warped, cheeks splitting open all the way to its ears to reveal a maw full of jagged fangs, and frostbitten flesh was flaking away to reveal the barbed skeleton beneath as she fell upon Zhengui in a rain of frenzied blows. But the protection of Thousand Rings Unbreaking persisted, giving Zhengui a chance at fighting back as rootlets and grasping talons alike failed to find purchase on his shell.


    Damn it all. She had known coming in that she couldn¡¯t win, but she had hoped to at least defeat Sun Liling¡¯s spirit. She had wanted just for a moment to make the other girl lose in some small way.


    Ling Qi felt a pulse through her bond with Zhengui, and her eyes met his. She felt understanding and determination. Gui¡¯s jaws bit down on a wooden claw with an ugly crunch, even as Dharitri¡¯s roots dug into his flesh. Zhengui¡¯s shell burned, a flaring, magmatic light that withered plants for a dozen meters around with its heat. Ling Qi remembered the lesson Gu Tai¡¯s spirit had given her little brother on channeling his flames as the phoenixes once had.


    The blast threw her off of her feet from the pressure wave. Massive trunks snapped like matchsticks, and jungle plants carbonized under the heat.


    Ling Qi landed feet first against a massive root and righted herself an instant later. In the clearing smoke, she saw Dharitri¡¯s twisted, wooden skeleton lying on the ground, blackened and burned with only feeble rays of red light shining from empty eye sockets. Zhengui¡¯s shell lay on the ground, terribly still, his limbs withdrawn, his shell polished and black like obsidian.


    Then a missile struck Ling Qi back with the force of a giant¡¯s fist, and Thousand Rings Unbreaking shattered like glass, sending her sprawling forward at the sudden lack of support. She had but a moment to see the emerald disc spinning away as she scrambled back to her feet before a black axe blade slammed into her chest, making her ribs creak as the majority of the blow was absorbed by her flagging qi. The darting twin blades came next, slashing across her throat in a shower of green sparks and leaving behind thin lines of blood.


    The spear came last, shattering the last of her qi defenses to punch into her recently healed abdomen and out of her back in a spray of blood.


    As her vision faded, Ling Qi took satisfaction in the fact that Sun Liling¡¯s expression was not happy at all.

 Chapter 206-Tournament 16

    Ling Qi grimaced as she settled onto the padded seat beside Cai Renxiang. Her abdomen still throbbed, but the medical disciples had assured her that she was recovering well. She needed to refrain from any strenuous activities for a time while the foreign qi and blood was purged from her body.


    Zhengui, on the other hand, was fine, if exhausted. She knew that his final technique was something that didn¡¯t do any permanent harm, but seeing him cold and still had been bad for her heart.


    She glanced at her liege as she tried to find a comfortable position. She had been unconscious for most of the day before and had missed the other match, lost instead in half-remembered dreams of dancing starlight and the wind in her hair.


    ¡°So, things ended like this then, my lady?¡± she asked mildly, breaking the silence between them. They were alone in the box as of yet. Their seats were set directly below the central box where the Duchess Cai Shenhua would be seated later, if several levels down.


    ¡°Miss Bai was quite formidable,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed, looking briefly down at her. The central seat of the box was positioned to be just slightly above the others. ¡°It is no surprise that a scion of such a venerable clan would surpass me in matters which are not my specialty.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed, not needing Sixiang¡¯s whispers to hear the things said between her actual words. Their match¡¯s ending had been pre-arranged, probably as a counterpoint to the demonstration match at the beginning of the tournament and to avoid allowing Sun Liling to gain too much advantage by her opponent in the finals having to go all out in the round before.


    Sixiang lamented.


    Ling Qi thought, amused. Her thoughts were less crowded today. Since she would not be fighting, she had given Zhengui permission to go visit Hanyi and Zeqing today. He had not been in the best of moods on her awakening due to her injury, but her little brother was as irrepressible as he always was in the end.


    Sixiang pointed out.


    Ling Qi thought. There was no reason for him to feel bad. In the end he had accomplished her goal for the match. But he didn¡¯t like how badly she had been hurt.


    Out loud, she continued her conversation with Cai Renxiang. ¡°Are you satisfied with that, my lady?¡± she asked, giving the other girl a sidelong look.


    Folded neatly in her lap, Cai Renxiang¡¯s hands twitched as if to clench, although the motion never got that far. ¡°I had thought so,¡± the other girl said in a low voice. ¡°But I have been reminded that power must come first for anything else to hold meaning.¡± She spoke calmly, but Ling Qi could detect a lingering edge of bitterness there. ¡°I will redouble my efforts in the Inner Sect.¡±


    ¡°I will not disagree,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Strength is the key to accomplishing anything, but it is still only the means, not the end.¡±


    Cai Renxiang made a sound of agreement, but she didn¡¯t look back down at her. ¡°Of course. You need not remind me of such a basic thing.¡±


    ¡°Forgive my musing,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°I was only thinking aloud. I look forward to reaching greater heights with you in the Inner Sect.¡± And even if she had lost yesterday, Ling Qi could feel proud knowing that she had gotten this far in only a year.


    ¡°I suppose you have proven yourself quite a grindstone,¡± Cai Renxiang said, her tone briefly becoming light.


    Ling Qi grimaced. ¡°Please do not remind me,¡± she pleaded. ¡°I do not intend to be forced into such positions so easily in the future.¡±


    The other girl made a small sound of amusement. ¡°As you say. In any case, the stands will be filling soon. Let us leave personal matters aside for the moment.¡±


    Making a sound of agreement, Ling Qi fell silent as the stands around them filled. Their box became home to a number of young faces, a few of which were familiar to her. Bao Qingling entered and took a seat, looking as dour as ever and wearing the same shapeless, utterly concealing clothing that she always did, if a set that was free of medicinal stains. There was a girl she had known briefly from a tutoring session regarding the mixing of wood and wind elements. After her was a boy who shared the narrow features and spindly build of the Luo representative she had greeted on the first day of the tournament.


    It quickly became clear that those seating themselves around Cai Renxiang were Inner disciples associated with the higher-ranking noble clans of Emerald Seas. Thankfully, there was not time for more than introductions and pleasantries before Sect Head Yuan took the stage far below.


    ¡°For the final time this season, I offer my welcome to the honored guests observing Argent Peak Sect¡¯s New Year¡¯s Tournament,¡± the elderly head announced, his voice easily audible despite the distance. ¡°The Sect¡¯s fortune has been truly inordinate this year for the crop of talented youths we have had the pleasure of raising has been beyond all expectations. I am certain that we shall feel the effects of this year¡¯s competition for many years to come.¡±


    Ling Qi knew the man wasn¡¯t exaggerating. She honestly felt bad for those who would come in the next couple years. It would be some time before the competition for Inner Sect entry evened out to a more normal level.


    ¡°We come now to our final match,¡± Sect Head Yuan continued. ¡°Both participants have shown ability far beyond the standard of their age, and each is a credit to their lineage, the Sect, and the Empire as a whole. However, a tournament may have but a single winner, and so we come now to the final round. Please give your full attention to the young disciples before you for they have earned that regard, at the least.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s hands clenched in her lap as she saw the small white figure of Bai Meizhen walking toward the arena beside the bright swatch of red and green that was the Sun Princess. Bai Meizhen would win, Ling Qi thought. The idea of Meizhen losing to that cocky girl was unconscionable.


    Against her will, memories of that day early in the year surfaced, of Meizhen seated amidst the rubble of their first home, gown tattered, bleeding from many wounds. That fight with Sun Liling had been a draw, and it had also been the sole time in which she had seen her friend in a state of physical vulnerability.


    Sixiang pointed out in her thoughts.


    Ling Qi let out a quiet breath and forced herself to relax as the arena began to activate. Sixiang was correct.


    Below, the two finalists came into sharper focus as the formations activated, allowing Ling Qi to see and hear them as clearly as she would if she stood right outside the arena.


    The two girls stood silently across from one another. Sun Liling¡¯s dislike for her enemy was barely veiled, her lips set in a scowl and her eyes narrow. Bai Meizhen¡¯s expression was as empty and cold as the night sky overlooking Zeqing¡¯s home.


    ¡°I¡¯d apologize for breaking your toys,¡± the princess said coldly as the mists engulfed them, ¡°but let¡¯s be honest. It¡¯s not really that important, is it?¡±


    ¡°I have no patience for prattle, child of Sun,¡± Bai Meizhen replied frostily. ¡°Be silent, and wait for the match¡¯s start.¡±


    Sun Liling let out a small laugh. ¡°Just saying. I didn¡¯t see you anywhere near the recovery rooms yesterday or even the day before. Then again, that¡¯s just how the Bai are, isn¡¯t it? More snake than human, hiding in your holes and lakes, looking down on everyone without a forked tongue.¡± Sun Liling sneered. ¡°It¡¯d be more surprising if you did show any loyalty to a friend.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced around as an uneasy murmuring rose from the disciples around her. She thought that the girl¡¯s words seemed a little over the edge of rudeness. Ji Rong had been cruder perhaps, but that was expected to a degree. She also became uncomfortably aware of the looks cast her way.


    Bai Meizhen¡¯s expression remained blank and unperturbed. ¡°I have no need to explain myself to you,¡± she said coldly. ¡°Nor is there any meaning in discussing loyalty with a Sun.¡± Venomous contempt very nearly dripped from her final words.


    Thunder boomed then, ending the exchange before it could go any farther.


    The field that formed for the two girls to do battle on was unlike any that had come before it. Under an open blue sky marred with only wisps of cloud, there was an endless field. No trees or raised stones marked it, and not a single blade of grass grew there. Instead, stretching in all directions was the crumbling, freshly upturned earth of a well tilled field before the planting.


    Ling Qi supposed that the terrain was the closest thing the Sect could make as a perfectly fair battlefield. But wouldn¡¯t the fertile earth give Sun Liling and her spirit a slight advantage?


    She didn¡¯t have much time to ponder that as both girls acted. Dark water poured down Meizhen¡¯s back and rose, rippling to cast her face in shadow. The silvery strands of her whiplike sword appeared, coiled in one hand, and Bai Cui appeared around her feet, poisonous green scales standing out brightly against the dull background.


    At the same time, Sun Liling stood, relaxed as Dharitri materialized in a shower of shimmering pollen behind her, perfect visage once again set in an easy smile. Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help but frown as she watched. Why was Sun Liling materializing the spirit in full view? The red-haired girl¡¯s hand clenched and her spear formed in her hands, barbed point rising away from her opponent.


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes widened only a moment before the barbed point punched into and through the spirit¡¯s back, erupting in a shower of black-tinged blood from Dharitri¡¯s back. The spirit continued to smile, even as blood poured from her lips and her smooth flesh withered and dried. Crimson armor practically leapt across the princess¡¯s limbs, covering her arms and upper body in the blink of an eye.


    Meizhen¡¯s golden eyes only narrowed in reaction as Cui¡¯s head rose, swaying from her coils and opening her mouth, baring fangs the length of daggers. As she released a bone chilling hiss and spat a mass of sizzling near-black venom though, Ling Qi noticed something glimmering amid the noxious mix.


    Sun Liling leapt away, a flick of her spear sending her withered spirit flying away from the fight as the haft spun in her hands to bring its barbed tip, still wet with Dharitri¡¯s blood, to bare. As the venom struck the ground, Ling Qi caught the sound of clay shattering amidst the sizzle of the venom, and water gushed explosively forth. There was a muffled boom as the earth cratered and split under the sudden pressure countless geysers, miniature whitecaps spreading outward across the surface of the newly formed lake.


    Bai Meizhen had yet to move an inch, save for her eyes, which tracked the arc of her enemy through the air. Cui uncoiled, slithering toward the watery pool she had just created. As Ling Qi watched, the inky blot of darkness at Meizhen¡¯s feet flickered and moved. Tendrils of shadow spread like a tracery of veins across her pure white gown, and her mantle of water grew darker and more solid.


    She got a single glimpse of the veins of shadow reaching up Meizhen¡¯s pale throat before it happened. Even weakened by distance and formation, raw animal terror sent a chill down her spine, and in the arena, the very air around her friend distorted visibly under the weight of her qi. Half-glimpsed phantasms of terror and pain took shape in the flows of the wind, the rippling water, and the rising dust.


    She saw Sun Liling grimace visibly in midair, even as her blood armor finished encasing her feet in pointed toed boots of scarlet metal, its many sharp edges highlighted in a green that Ling Qi had never seen before on the girl¡¯s armaments. Sun Liling¡¯s grip on her spear grew white-knuckled as a star was born again on her brow, the multi-hued petals of a great lotus blooming into life behind her. The instant that her feet touched the muddy earth, her long legs flexed, and she launched herself forward with thunderous force, shattering the ground beneath her feet in a plume of dust as she rocketed spear-first toward Meizhen.


    Meizhen¡¯s ribbon blade unfurled with a crack like thunder, its metal strands carving air and earth alike as they lashed out toward Sun Liling. The princess wove through the striking blades with impossible agility, her red spear blurring as haft and point spun, deflecting biting heads of silvery metal. In an instant, they passed one another with a sound like a boulder striking a lake.


    As Sun Liling and Bai Meizhen spun to face one another again, Ling Qi saw the faint red stain on Meizhen¡¯s hip where cloth had already repaired itself. In the pause that came as the two girls sized one another up, there was another blast that shook the earth from further away. Ling Qi looked aside to trace it and found herself looking upon a field of colorful flowers, torn apart by the introduction of another pool of water and an emerging serpent. One way or another, the girls¡¯ spirits would be checking one another until one of the ducal scions fell.


    The moment¡¯s respite ended with the sound of metal striking stone. Above the two girls¡¯ heads, a wide-bladed silver sword struck a spinning jade chakram and screamed, sparks showering down on the combatants below as the weapons struggled for supremacy.


    Below, a spear and two blades clashed against the tongues of a serpentine sword, and this time, it was the crimson princess who felt the bite, the armor on her left arm cracking, and the force of the whip-like strike carved a rapidly purpling bloody line across her bicep. Sun Liling only let out a grunt of exertion in response, her muscles flexing beneath her tanned skin as brackish purple and red liquid was forced from the wound and the armor restored itself. Neither girl¡¯s face was visible any longer, one hidden in the maw of a demonic helm and the other shadowed by a hood of cold water, leaving only golden eyes visible.


    The combatants circled one another amidst the clangor of their battling domain weapons and the hissing and screeching of their spirit beasts. Sun Liling¡¯s spear flared with bloody light and the crimson princess leapt back, drawing her arm back for a throw. Bai Meizhen shifted her stance in response, presenting a narrower profile as her black mantle rippled and expanded, engulfing her lower body entirely in bubbling, white-capped waters.


    As the spear flew, Meizhen loomed tall, rising on liquid coils, and darted to the side, blurring before Ling Qi¡¯s eyes, spiralling darts of envenomed water launching themselves back in retaliation.Yet Sun Liling¡¯s twisted spear could not miss so easily. As Sun Liling slashed her friend¡¯s counterattack out of the air with her jagged swords, space fractured, and the red spear reappeared, centimeters from Meizhen¡¯s chest. Liquid shadow roiled across her gown, the tracery of veins which had spread rising from cloth and growing thicker and more solid as the spearpoint slammed into it with a thunderous retort.


    An eerie wail rose, raising the hairs on the back of Ling Qi¡¯s neck as shadow and spear strained against one another. Both shattered in a flash of light, the broken spear reforming in Sun Liling¡¯s hand, and the shadow fading back into ragged lines, a jagged hole left in its pattern.


    A streak of green carved through the air, slashing through Meizhen¡¯s mantle in a spray of water tinged with red. Meizhen¡¯s defense bubbled violently, destabilized, but it lasted less than an eyeblink. The pale girl¡¯s golden eyes narrowed at her opponent, now finally falling to earth with two new limbs forming on her shoulders. The crimson princess raised her twin curved blades just in time to meet the silver blur that struck her like a meteor, driving her into the ground with a muffled boom as her feet dug a meter-deep furrow in the dirt.


    One black blade snapped under the pressure, and the second cracked before the haft of her broken spear slammed into the side of the wide-curved blade of Meizhen¡¯s flying sword, forcing it from its course. As her final two arms finished forming, she was, for a moment, wide open, but Meizhen did not advance on her. Instead, Meizhen¡¯s golden eyes gleamed with malicious light, and the feeling of pressure and terror still flooding the arena redoubled and took on a different edge.


    It took Ling Qi a moment, and a surreptitious activation of Discerning Gaze, to understand what Meizhen was doing. With her senses enhanced, she could make it out among the natural flows of qi in the area, twisting threads of something invisible and without scent, a toxic qi just barely discernible even to spiritual senses filling the air for more than a hundred meters in every direction.


    Its effect became obvious in the sudden stiffening and clenching of Sun Liling¡¯s hands on the haft of her spear. It only seemed to anger the girl more, and her jade chakram came spinning back to slam into Meizhen¡¯s domain blade with a metallic shriek, knocking it from the course of its follow-up blow on Sun Liling. One of her six arms, the one that was a hand with no weapon, flared with a rainbow of light, washing over her form in cleansing waves, and Sun Liling launched herself once again toward Meizhen.


    They met in a cacophony of clashing blades. Meizhen moved with serpentine grace, the watery coils granted by her Abyssal Mantle art removing any pretense of moving like a human being as her ribbons met Sun Liling¡¯s repaired armaments with thunderous cracks. Yet not for a moment did the crimson princess¡¯ assault let up, her false limbs bulging with greater bulk, forcing plates of armor apart to expose muscle fiber formed entirely of glowing green qi. Metallic ribbons tangled and mired her blades, seeking to rip them from her hands, but instead of being disarmed, the princess let out an almost bestial snarl, ripping them back with enough force that Meizhen was off-balance.


    The massive blade of Sun Liling¡¯s axe swung down, slamming hard into Meizhen¡¯s liquid-armored shoulder. The mantle dented inward, bubbling ferociously as it held back a force that was cratering the ground beneath their feet.


    Sun Liling¡¯s armor cracked, bright, glowing vents opening in her armored shoulders, and with a sound like a sudden gale, the expulsion of qi from the vents drove her downward in a spray of blood like misshapen wings. Meizhen¡¯s mantle was cloven through, and the blade of the axe bit into flesh and bone with an ugly crack.


    The pale girl let out only a low hiss of pain as her right arm spasmed, nearly losing her the grip on her weapon, but then Sun Liling screamed, stumbling backward as she raised her false limbs defensively. Ling Qi only understood what had happened when she saw the trickle of sizzling, toxic purple fluid running down the demonic jaws which framed Sun Liling¡¯s face.


    Ling Qi did not think she would ever see the day when Bai Meizhen would literally spit into someone¡¯s eyes.


    Despite that, she was feeling uneasy. The wound Meizhen had suffered was the more serious one, she thought, and Sun Liling was even now recovering while her friend¡¯s grip on her weapon remained shaky and the stain of blood running from her shoulder spread across the front of her gown. As rippling waves of multi-hued light went out from Sun Liling¡¯s sixth hand, Bai Meizhen went on the offensive.


    Meizhen darted forward, crossing the distance between them in an instant, and the ribbons of her blade shimmered and melted, fusing together into a single, gleaming, violet length of metal. With an ear splitting crack, it struck, twisting like a hungry serpent between the multitude of weapons that rose to block it, and slashed across Sun Liling¡¯s chest, carving through her breastplate and the flesh beneath with equal ease. At the same time, the air around Meizhen darkened, and the twisted phantasms that formed in the whorls of wind and the patterns in the dirt screamed like a chorus of the damned.


    Under the assault, Sun Liling backpedaled, batting aside the second strike of Meizhen¡¯s urumi, as well as the third, but after that, her heel struck the mud at the edge of the artificial pool created in the opening moments of the bout. Cui struck.


    Deadly fangs dug into the back of Sun Liling¡¯s knee, and the girl snarled in fury and pain. The butt of her spear slammed into Cui, sending the serpent spinning away into the dirt. Then, flaring with a blinding red light, the point of her barbed spear slammed into the ground.


    Ling Qi saw Meizhen¡¯s eyes widen in alarm just before light engulfed the area, blinding her. When her vision returned, the field was much changed. The pool was gone, and in its place was a forest of red black stakes studded with the yellow blooms of sunflowers. In its center stood Sun Liling, bloodied but unbowed, with a twisted caricature of a woman made of wood and vines who must have been Dharitri.


    Sap wept from blackened wounds across its skeletal form, and the wide fanged grin on its skull- like head hardly resembled the spirit¡¯s normal beatific smile, but her qi was much the same, if greatly weakened.


    On the other hand, bloody gashes marked Cui where spearing stakes had ripped open her scales. Her form was fading, and Bai Meizhen¡¯s aura felt dangerously depleted.


    The silence of the standoff was broken by the crack of breaking stone and the thump of the two shorn halves of Sun Liling¡¯s domain weapon falling to earth. As Meizhen¡¯s newly freed domain weapon shrieked triumphantly through the air toward her enemies, Dharitri¡¯s talons grasped Sun Liling¡¯s shoulders. The crimson princess¡¯ muscles bulged with the infusion of qi as Dharitri¡¯s form crumbled into wooden detritus. Sun Liling bounded out of the sunflower forest, switching her spear into a single-handed grip as a second bloomed in her newly free hand. She ignored Meizhen¡¯s domain weapon carving a deep wound along her flank, the arterial spray of blood solidifying into another spear, quickly snatched by one of her lower arms as it abandoned its curved blade.


    Her other arms were doing much the same. Axe, sword and the open hand were discarded and replaced, and when Sun Liling launched herself into the air over the defensively coiled Meizhen, she was wielding six barbed spears that glowed like the evening sun. Ling Qi saw her friend raise her free hand in warding, water springing from her fingertips with a waterfall¡¯s roar.


    Then the spears fell. They split and split again, six becoming a dozen, a dozen becoming a score, and more, all aimed for a single target. Ling Qi found herself briefly blinded once more, this time by the light of their impact. As her vision cleared, Ling Qi saw only a rising dust cloud at first, but quickly, her eyes zeroed in on the only spot of color.


    Sun Liling stood shakily, her armor crumbling from her form, and her sharp green eyes darted to and fro through the dust. She looked pale and haggard, almost frail, standing there with only her two true limbs left, but Ling Qi could feel the trickle of qi flowing back into her channels. There was no sign of Meizhen amidst the dust of the deep crater where she had stood, only the gleam of her flying sword lying in the dirt.


    The mud beneath the princess¡¯ feet rippled.


    Her heels digging into the dirt, Sun Liling backpedaled as quickly as her shaking limbs could carry her.


    What emerged from the dirt hardly resembled Ling Qi¡¯s best friend. Her normally stoic features were twisted into a rictus of hate, her perfect white hair was tangled and stained with mud and blood, and her hands were reaching out like claws from shredded sleeves. Bai Meizhen looked more like a snake demon than a young girl.


    Meizhen¡¯s hands latched onto Sun Liling¡¯s forearms, and they both went down, tumbling in the dirt and mud. Ling Qi noticed that Meizhen¡¯s gown was surprisingly intact, mostly red and brown at this point, but then again, Meizhen¡¯s robe was also a Cai-gifted robe. Even now, she could see the sleeves reweaving themselves from tattered scraps.


    As the veins in Sun Liling¡¯s arms burned red with poison, her knee rose and slammed into Meizhen¡¯s stomach where a deep red stain marked a wound, and Meizhen hissed in pain, but she maintained her deathgrip on the girl¡¯s arms. They struggled against one another, but Sun Liling freed one arm and her knuckles slammed home once, twice, then a third time, hammering Meizhen¡¯s rapidly bruising cheek and bleeding lips.


    Meizhen did not loosen her grip though, an inhuman hiss rising from her throat. Just as Sun Liling was pulling back her fist for another punch, she snapped her own head forward. Ling Qi thought that Bai Meizhen was going to headbutt the other girl.


    Instead, Meizhen¡¯s jaw distended, and Ling Qi caught the glitter of fangs before her best friend dug her teeth into Sun Liling¡¯s throat. Sun Liling screamed, and her fist smashed with renewed force into Meizhen¡¯s cheek, finally disloging her.


    As Sun Liling rolled onto her hands and knees, her limbs trembling, Ling Qi winced as she vomited blood and less identifiable fluids. Still, she rose, staring hatefully at Meizhen as she did, toxic blood dripping from her wounds and blackening her veins. Qi no longer flowed into her from her surroundings.


    ¡°You¡­ damned snake,¡± she whispered hoarsely, ¡°What¡¯d you -¡±


    ¡°Did you believe...¡± Bai Meizhen wheezed out, her voice slightly lisped by her bleeding lips, ¡°... that the Bai would not develop counters to the abominable fusion of Imperial and barbarian arts, you arrogant tart?"


    ¡°You think we''re gonna lose to a few measly¡­¡± the red-haired girl slurred as her eyes rolled up in her head, and she collapsed, already dissolving into mist.


    The tournament had ended.

 Chapter 207-Tournament 17

    ¡°I am sorry for sullying the clan''s victory with vulgarity and brawling,¡± Bai Meizhen apologized. Her voice sounded small in her own ears. She lay beneath a thin sheet in a private recovery room for tournament participants. Her skin prickled with the numerous salves under her bandages, meant to ease the aggravated damage inflicted by the Sun¡¯s tainted blood. She could still taste it on her tongue.


    Beside her sat Aunt Suzhen, the picture of Bai poise and pride. Her expression was properly impassive, her hands folded in her lap. In this plain, tiny room, she looked as out of place as an Immortal in a peasant¡¯s hut. She watched Bai Meizhen as she finished her apology, her first words after waking up.


    Bai Meizhen closed her eyes, preparing herself to be scolded. Although she had won, it had been a messy, bloody thing, unbefitting of her station.


    She didn¡¯t regret it. The memory of Sun Liling¡¯s outraged face as Bai Meizhen brought her fangs down would warm her heart for many a night.


    Yet it had been a vulgar display all the same, and so she was prepared for her scolding.


    She felt a cool touch on her forehead.


    ¡°I am proud of you, Bai Meizhen,¡± her aunt said. Her expression had not changed, but there was a faint warmth in her stern voice. Meticulously, she brushed the mussed strands of Bai Meizhen¡¯s hair from her fevered brow.


    Bai Meizhen felt her cheeks pink. She was too old for such displays of affection, and she had no claim to her Aunt beside. She kept silent, but warmth bloomed in her chest.


    ¡°Pride is important. Poise is important. Presentation is important.¡± Her aunt¡¯s voice was stern, and Bai Meizhen shrunk into the bedding, casting her eyes down. ¡°But my niece, victory is the most important of all.¡±


    Bai Suzhen cupped her cheek affectionately as she leaned in to whisper soft words. ¡°Protect your flanks from hidden fangs, and be aware of your foes and their whispers, but know that I, Bai Suzhen, recognize that you have crushed the scion of our great foe. Bai Meilin would be proud of her daughter.¡±


    Poise was important, this she knew. However, Bai Meizhen believed that for a brief moment, the prickling in the corners of her eyes was acceptable. ¡°You honor me, Lady Suzhen.¡±


    Bai Suzhen withdrew her hand, and Bai Meizhen wished that the moment could have lasted just a little longer. The older woman tutted. ¡°Aunt.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Aunt Suzhen,¡± said Bai Meizhen. For just a moment, she imagined that she saw her aunt¡¯s steely expression crack into a tiny smile.


    ¡°Do you wish for me to send for your Father?¡± Bai Suzhen asked. ¡°I had given him a task, but if you are awake-¡±


    ¡°There is no need to bother,¡± Bai Meizhen interrupted, only to wince a moment later. Her good mood plummeted. ¡°My apologies, but there would be no purpose for it.¡±


    She had no intention of bothering with that man now, after all these years. The bare minimum of filial piety was enough.


    The air hissed, and for an instant, Bai Meizhen felt the kiss of a hundred cold blades on her skin. Her interruption had been tremendously rude, especially after her aunt¡¯s kindness.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Bai Suzhen said. Bai Meizhen peeked up at her. She did not make any mention of the interruption. Bai Meizhen was thankful that her aunt was being so forgiving this day. She would compose herself much better after this meeting.


    ¡°In that case, we should discuss matters of your future,¡± her aunt continued, as if the previous few seconds had never occurred. ¡°Naturally, your stipend will increase. I will see the matter through myself, should obstructions arrive. I believe I may be able to negotiate your return if you tire of the outside.¡±


    ¡°I would like to stay,¡± Bai Meizhen replied tentatively. ¡°To assist with Aunt Suzhen¡¯s plans. I believe I have made significant connections to the Cai.¡± And others, she thought, hoping that her aunt would not see fit to peer beyond her face.


    There was a spark of warmth in the older Bai¡¯s eyes. ¡°Very good. You have earned a return, but it is good that you have made this choice. Things will not be as they were, Bai Meizhen. Do you understand this?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Bai Meizhen replied. She knew that her aunt and the duchess had put something very significant into motion at this tournament. She had to wonder how it was that her aunt had managed to convince Grandfather and the other elders to go along with such a thing.


    ¡°And niece?¡± Bai Suzhen continued. ¡°It is not wrong to form lasting connections to outsiders. That you have been able to do so on your own is a credit to your adaptability.¡±


    It looked like her thoughts had not been well hidden enough. ¡°As you say, Aunt Suzhen,¡± she acknowledged demurely.


    ¡°Lastly, we will need to discuss the matter of your handmaiden and their enrollment here. You are a lady grown, and so it is unacceptable for you to remain unattended,¡± her aunt said crisply. A sheaf of documents appeared in her hand. ¡°I have selected a number of promising candidates from the current generation, all of the purest bloodline. Peruse them, and I will arrange for the interviews to take place when you have made your selections.¡±


    Bai Meizhen eyed the stack of neatly written papers with trepidation. Was she really ready for such responsibility?


    ¡°I am aware that it is unusual for this choice to be made at such a young age,¡± Bai Suzhen said gently, setting the stack of papers on the table at her bedside. ¡°However, if you are to stay beyond the borders of Thousand Lakes, the usual acclimation period will not be possible, and you will require support.¡±


    Bai Meizhen nodded and took a deep breath before reaching out to grasp the documents and bring them closer. She had made her choice. She would not shirk her responsibilities.


    ***


    ¡°And the winner of this year¡¯s placement tournament, Bai Meizhen, shall receive the rank of eight hundred, and a place at the pinnacle of the first peak of the Inner Sect¡­¡±


    Sect Head Yuan¡¯s rich voice rang out over the gathered disciples, functionaries, and elders. It was, of course, nothing that Bai Meizhen did not already know.


    She stood at the center of the raised stage upon which the winners stood with the others fanned out behind her. She could feel Sun Liling¡¯s hatred on her back.


    It was an incredibly satisfying feeling.


    Bai Suzhen stood with the other visiting dignitaries on a balcony overseeing the pit where the Inner disciples gathered to greet the newcomers, and the pride in her eyes warmed Bai Meizhen¡¯s heart. Rank in the Sect meant nothing to her. This was her true prize.


    Her gaze flicked briefly to her right where a tired shadow stood a half step behind her Aunt. She met her father¡¯s dull eyes and saw his weak, tired smile. Even now, having explored the bonds which connected her to others, she felt nothing.


    No, the habitual bitterness she had come to recognize remained. What bond could one have with a father who could neither protect, nor teach, nor comfort? Filial duty guided the small, acknowledging bow she gave at his attention, and nothing more.


    The praise of Sect Head Yuan He washed over her as the ceremony continued, and she graciously accepted the carved wooden badge engraved with the number Eight Hundred, but her thoughts went elsewhere to the girl who could, in her mind, be credited with the turning in her path which had led to this place.


    Ling Qi still frustrated her. She did not dare turn her head to look at the other girl, standing in the third rank of winners, just behind and to the left of Cai Renxiang and opposite Ji Rong. She knew what she would see though. Ling Qi had grown skilled at putting on a mask of polite interest that hid the fact that her airy thoughts were beyond the reach of mere Immortals.


    As the ceremony lapsed, they were released to mingle with the Inner disciples present while the elders danced the final dance of politics with the visitors. A surreptitious glance showed that her surmising was correct. Ling Qi was already gone from this place in all but body. It was somewhat amusing. At least she had gotten good enough at dissemblance that it was no longer obvious to peers.


    With the ease of practice, Bai Meizhen swept aside the dark feelings which bubbled up in her heart when she looked upon her friend and offered a polite smile to the boy from the Qiu clan who was greeting her. As a scion of one of the Bai¡¯s remaining pair of vassal counts, it would be unfortunate to give him a bad impression.


    ... She may have failed to hide her dark thoughts entirely going by the sweat on his brow and the hastiness with which he excused himself.


    ¡°I do not believe you made an error,¡± a familiar voice said from her right. Turning her head, she saw Cai Renxiang standing there, looking quite regal in her adjusted gown. Bai Meizhen very carefully did not allow her eyes to stray to the contours displayed by that masterpiece of tailoring.


    ¡°My domain has perhaps grown more quickly than my control,¡± Bai Meizhen replied, turning to face her second and last friend. She would not make the same mistakes with this one, not when the first time had nearly cost her so dearly.


    Cai Renxiang inclined her head slightly. ¡°The potency of your presence merely requires some acclimation, Sect Sister Bai.¡±


    Bai Meizhen smiled in amusement. ¡°As you say, Sect Sister Cai.¡± Such silliness. As if paltry bonds of organization could match those of family or choice. She understood why the Zheng would have no truck with the sects, perversion of their own blood bonding rituals that it was.


    Cai Renxiang looked off to her right, and Bai Meizhen followed her gaze to Ling Qi once again. The tall girl chatted with a handsome boy with a closely shaven head. Wen something or other, if Bai Meizhen recalled correctly. Some part of his expression and the way he looked upon Ling Qi made her want to let loose her grip on her domain.


    ¡°She is doing well,¡± Cai Renxiang said blandly. ¡°Had I not seen her practicing¡­¡±


    ¡°Quite,¡± Bai Meizhen agreed a touch sourly, turning her eyes away. The killing urge faded quickly enough. She was too mature to be beholden to her instincts. Hopefully, Cui would catch up soon; her sister was too childish at times.


    ¡°In any case, I must thank you for your support this year, Sect Sister,¡± Cai Renxiang said seriously, meeting her eyes.


    ¡°It is I who must thank you, Sect Sister,¡± Bai Meizhen replied. ¡°I hope that our good relationship may continue going forward.¡±


    Aunt Suzhen had some plans for loosening the current stance of the Bai clan, she had gleaned. It was now more important than ever that she maintain ties with the Cai heiress.


    It was hardly an imposition.


    ¡°I do not doubt that it will, Sect Sister,¡± Cai Renxiang said with a small smile. Bai Meizhen ignored the fluttering feeling in her stomach as best she could. ¡°We both have our work set out for us, I suspect. My retainers and I will look forward to working with you in the new year.¡±


    Bai Meizhen gave a thankful nod.


    She, too, was looking forward to being able to speak with both of her friends again.

 Chapter 208-Tournament 18

    The ceremony in which they had received their rankings had been overly long and grandiose in Ling Qi¡¯s humble opinion. She was perhaps biased, burned out from so much time making nice to an ever growing number of people, repeating the same polite gestures and words over and over again. Yet despite the lengthy reception, speeches, and meetings with other Inner Sect disciples, Ling Qi had left with a feeling of satisfaction.


    Eight hundred and thirty. That was to be her initial ranking in the Inner Sect. It placed her as fourth among the combat tournament¡¯s disciples and sixth overall when counting the production disciples. Bai Meizhen, as the winner of the tournament, had received the rank of 800, the highest possible rank for a new Inner disciple, and Xuan Shi, the best of the production track, had taken the rank below. Sun Liling and Cai Renxiang had been awarded the ranks of 805 and 810 respectively. The second place production disciple and the last new disciple ranked above her had been a boy she did not recognize, named Du Feng.


    At her current ranking, she would receive a stipend of ten yellow spirit stones every week, as well as the rights to a home and cultivation site centered around one of the first Inner Mountain¡¯s lesser argent vents. In addition to that, ranking above 900 gave her the right to freely attend the lessons of the elders on the first mountain and freely peruse the first floor of the Inner Sect¡¯s archive.


    Yes, she could be satisfied with her current rewards for now, at least until she had time to read the rules handbook she had been given and plan for increasing her rank. She didn¡¯t want to be one of those disciples still stuck where they¡¯d started when next year¡¯s batch of tournament winners came in.


    Unfortunately, that would have to wait. The Duchess had called for them in the wake of the ceremony¡¯s end.


    She kneeled now, forehead pressed to the plush carpet which lined the floor of Cai Shenhua¡¯s temporary accommodations. Cai Renxiang kneeled just ahead of her, allowed to raise her head from the ground but no more. The weight of the Duchess¡¯ presence pressed down on Ling Qi, blurring her vision and granting the white-draped room they were in a dreamy sort of quality. The woman herself lounged in the center of the room, lying upon a powder blue divan. The Duchess seemed to have no care for propriety in this moment, wearing what Ling Qi could only call a loosely wrapped shift that rode up scandalously with the crossing and uncrossing of her marble white legs.


    ¡°Eight Hundred Ten,¡± the woman mused, resting her cheek in the palm of her hand as she looked down upon them, the light of her gaze burning on the back of Ling Qi¡¯s neck despite not resting directly upon her. ¡°Hardly a beautiful number. Are you satisfied with it, my daughter?¡±


    ¡°I am not, Mother,¡± Cai Renxiang replied, keeping her eyes on the ground. ¡°It will serve well enough as a first step in the coming year.¡±


    The lounging Duchess gave a thoughtful hum, drumming her gold painted fingernails on her hip. Ling Qi shivered as her gaze briefly passed over her, feeling the silent Sixiang shrink further into the back of her thoughts.


    ¡°A good attitude,¡± she said easily. ¡°You have made errors and miscalculations in both this year and your preparations for it,¡± she assessed.


    ¡°Your daughter can only apologize for her failings, Mother,¡± Cai Renxiang said quietly, lowering her head. Ling Qi resisted the urge to squirm in discomfort. It did not feel right, being here while her liege was being chastised.


    ¡°So long as you acknowledge them,¡± the radiant monster said in a tone that could almost be construed as kind. ¡°Despite certain childish stumbles, I am satisfied. Your time in the Sect has given you valuable experience to carry into the future. It is for that reason that I have spoken to Sect Head Yuan. You will be spending an additional year in the Inner Sect.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, keeping otherwise still, confused but happy nonetheless at this revelation. With this extension, she would have two years in the Inner Sect to enjoy the fruits of her labors and to spend with mentors like Zeqing.


    ¡°As you wish, Mother,¡± Cai Renxiang acceded. ¡°May I know what you wish for me to accomplish given the additional time?¡±


    ¡°You will achieve a rank above 525 by the end of your stay,¡± Cai Shenhua ordered, the light radiating from her gaze intensifying. ¡°I would place your sights higher, but there is no purpose in demanding impossibilities of you.¡± Ling Qi shuddered at the woman¡¯s tone. It was playful, but there was an edge of cruelty to it, made all the worse by the lack of any malice. ¡°Not yet.¡±


    ¡°It will be done, Mother,¡± Cai Renxiang promised.


    ¡°Of course it will be,¡± the woman replied languidly. ¡°In regards to your boy, the one who failed, I expect him to maintain the shape of your Outer Sect order in the following year. He will enter the Inner Sect at a rank no less than your current one in the next tournament. If he cannot even manage that, I will assign you a superior vassal.¡±


    ¡°... I will convey your words to his ears, Mother.¡± There was a fraction of an instant¡¯s hesitance in Cai Renxiang¡¯s voice this time.


    ¡°As for you¡­ Ling Qi, was it?¡± Cai Shenhua asked, her burning gaze falling fully upon Ling Qi¡¯s back. ¡°Raise your head. You have performed well and proved the worth of my daughter¡¯s judgement.¡±


    ¡°This one is humbled beyond words at your regard, Honored Duchess,¡± Ling Qi said, carefully raising her head from the carpet but keeping her eyes down as her liege was doing.


    ¡°Good. I feel little need to offer you specific instruction,¡± the ruler said lightly. ¡°End your time no more than five ranks behind my daughter.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Duchess Cai,¡± Ling Qi replied evenly. She could do that.


    ¡°What a good girl you are,¡± the woman said with a throaty chuckle. ¡°Lastly, in eighteen months, the next competition between my province¡¯s three Great Sects will take place. I expect you to assemble a suitable group with which to win the junior division.¡±


    Ling Qi considered the order. She knew that there were competitions between the sects, but that didn¡¯t sound like a straightforward combat tournament if they needed a group.


    ¡°I will not disappoint you, Mother,¡± Cai Renxiang promised again. ¡°I thank you for offering me such chances to raise our family¡¯s name.¡±


    ¡°You are welcome. Now go. Your new sister is being somewhat disagreeable,¡± the Duchess said, lazily gesturing toward the exit to the room.


    Ling Qi waited, preparing to rise just after Cai Renxiang did, but the girl remained. Surprisingly, she saw the weaker light which radiated from her liege grow brighter, if only fractionally. ¡°Mother, may your humble daughter ask of you a question first?¡±


    She felt more than saw the Duchess¡¯ radiant eyes widen fractionally. ¡°Hoh? Very well. You have earned that much.¡±


    ¡°I simply wish to understand Mother¡¯s reasoning in aligning so openly with the Bai clan and making true enemies of the Sun,¡± Cai Renxiang said, her gaze remaining steadfast on the ground.


    ¡°Do you believe I have made an error? I thought you fond of Miss Bai,¡± Cai Shenhua replied.


    ¡°I only wish to share your wisdom, Mother. I would never presume to believe that a friendship between children would drive such choices,¡± Cai Renxiang said.


    The older woman laughed, a rich throaty sound that echoed in the hazy interior of the room. She sat up in a single smooth motion, her loose robe clinging precariously to her shoulders after the sudden movement. ¡°True enough. Do not sell your efforts short though, my daughter. Your friendship offered a seam in the armor of the ancient indifference of that clan.¡±


    ¡°I am glad to know that I was of some small use to Mother,¡± Cai Renxiang said.


    ¡°But I have not answered your question, have I?¡± Cai Shenhua mused. ¡°It is true that the Sun are dangerous and powerful. Sun Shao retains many friends in Celestial Peaks, and the Jin stand firmly on his side, forever jealous as they are of their absolute control of the Empire¡¯s harbors being interrupted by the Bai. Although his immediate children are dead, there are many nephews, nieces, and cousins who may yet carry the banner of the Sun family as well,¡± she said, a sharp smile on her lips. ¡°And Sun Shao¡¯s weaknesses are also his strengths. His sentiment, passion, and tactics led to the sacking and conquest of the Temple Cities and brought low Bai Fuxi and his siblings.¡±


    Ling Qi listened carefully, knowing that when it came to Imperial politics, she was still woefully ignorant.


    The Duchess¡¯s smile faded then. ¡°Indeed, the departed Emperor An saw that man for what he was: a chance that would only come once in history. Yet in the end, that opportunity has run out. Tell me what you know of the relationship between the Zheng and the Bai, my daughter.¡±


    ¡°Their enmity runs deeper than history,¡± Cai Renxiang answered slowly. ¡°They have been rivals since the day that Bai Xiao Lin slew Zheng Fu from ambush at Jinyu Pass.¡±


    ¡°Correct, of course, if not wholly right,¡± Cai Shenhua tutted. ¡°It is true that the Zheng clan was pleased to see their rivals humbled. However, there is a limit to that. In the end, the Bai and the Zheng are the last remnants of pre-Imperial days. There is a kinship there, even in the depths of enmity. Once, the Ministry of Integrity might have risen as a counterbalance to the eventual Zheng interference, but their rising star losing his Way ended that path. As things stand, a realignment was inevitable. Do you understand, Renxiang?¡±


    ¡°... I do, Mother. Thank you very much for explaining in such a way that I might understand,¡± Cai Renxiang replied, rising to her feet. As Ling Qi followed her out, she couldn¡¯t help but feel that the future was not going to be peaceful. It seemed that she would be living in interesting times.


    But she had been tempered by the forge that was the Outer Sect. Come what may, Ling Qi would meet the future and survive.

 Chapter 209-Epilogue

    It was over at last.


    Bao Qingling allowed herself a sigh of relief as the entrance to her workshop closed overhead, shutting out the light and noise of the outside world. Thick gloves and heavy boots dissolved into wisps of qi, allowing her to feel the welcoming thrum of the threads beneath her fingers and toes as she descended the tunnel. The wispy threads of qi spread invisibly through the air around her faded away, unnecessary here in her nest.


    Vibration and movement of the air on her skin carried all of the information she needed. Bianzhi was deep below near the underside of her nest, fangs deep in a struggling wind spirit¡¯s core. Her meal was in the lowest reaches of the third grade, Bao Qingling noted idly, going by its pleading.


    Her workroom was just as she left it, her furnace''s formations set at an idle burn that would purify the reagents within in preparation for a new batch of elixirs. In the little tunnels of the lower nest, Bianzhi¡¯s sons and daughters sported with Li Suyin¡¯s constructs, making a game of testing the skeletal thing¡¯s reactions and programming.


    It was comforting to be back here where every thread was an extension of her senses. Bianzhi¡¯s awareness brushed against her own, mingling with hers through the medium of their shared work. Yes, there were few things which could match the feeling of being perched in her web after an extended time skittering about outside.


    It had not been as bad as her time before the sect. She still remembered vividly her life in that hatefully bright and crowded estate. She remembered her many episodes quite clearly. The shaking, the inability to breathe, and the blurring of weak mortal eyes with tears as her chest grew tight and her extremities grew numb. She remembered the feeling of being surrounded and crushed by the weight of the presence of the people around her.


    Her alterations to her senses had helped. With her arts active, she could not see the mocking faces and the looming intent of threat in those around her. Experiencing the world in a primarily tactile and spiritual fashion served as a successful filter, even if the practice necessary to ensure that her eyes and expressions still behaved properly had been irritating. This week could, therefore, only be classified as a success.


    Yet her mood remained sour. Her brother, Bao Quan, was still convinced that she could be ¡®fixed¡¯ and made normal. He cared for her and genuinely so. But he made not the slightest effort to understand her, assuming that she would be better if she were just as bright and gregarious as the rest of the Bao. A Bao who could not gaily talk a dragon into selling its jewel was not a Bao at all, after all.


    It was infuriating.


    She paused, hanging loosely from the ceiling of the main hall. Her attention brushed over Li Suyin¡¯s workshop where the skeletons of beasts twisted into the shape of men and garbed in drifting silks performed the menial labor of packing up her things.


    It had been a strange mood which had led to her taking a ¡®student¡¯. She had chosen to oversee the Outer Sect¡¯s Medicine Hall out of a desire for the staggering number of Contribution Points which the position offered, despite its troublesome and time-consuming nature.


    During the exams to enter the Medicine Hall, she found herself moved from her indifference. If it had merely been a pang of sympathy for a girl curled in on herself, weathering the bluster and bullying of the trash around her, it would have ended, a fleeting flash of emotion, quickly forgotten. Yet as she oversaw the test, she had seen shaking hands ruining a delicate cut, a stumble spilling a limited reagent, and other little things. Each of them occurred shortly after a downcast blue-haired girl had passed by.


    It was nothing above the threshold for which she was meant to prevent, and so she had said nothing as the shy, mutilated girl had ruined the chances of a half dozen entrants. Ultimately, it was the shame and self-loathing she had seen in the girl¡¯s eyes as she turned in her perfect finished project that had moved her to action.


    There was nothing wrong with putting trash in its place, and everything wrong with suppressing a true self for the sake of mere social expectation. That was the reason behind her idolization of the Duchess Cai. How could she do anything but admire the woman who had, rather than bending to fit the world, instead bent it to fit her?


    Shaking her head very slightly, Bao Qingling moved on, descending into the lower tunnels. A brief and rare smile crossed her pale lips as Bianzhi¡¯s grandchildren skittered over her hands and face, the ticklish feeling of tiny legs on her skin quickly spreading across her arms and neck as they welcomed her home. Li Suyin had some ways to go yet. She was still held back by shame, refusing to admit to the pride she took in ruining her enemies.


    As she dropped from the ceiling, casually slowing her slide down the sloped tunnel leading into Bianzhi¡¯s nest with one hand, Bao Qingling felt the last of her irritation ebb. Yes, even the unpleasant parts of this week had proven fruitful. Her student was in the Inner Sect. Her brother, for all of his misplaced concern, had conveyed Father¡¯s satisfaction with her work and a commensurate increase in her allowance.


    And the drugs suppressing her cultivation and qi were, if not foolproof to her peers, then close to it. None of her peers would suspect the advances she had made this year.


    With the contribution points she had earned this year, a rank in the upper five hundreds was in reach.


    ***


    It all seemed so small at this height. Hou Zhuang peered out the window of their vessel at the cloudscape below and the flashes of green and blue beneath. From this altitude, all seemed at peace. The world had many lessons yet to teach in deception.


    ¡°Are you truly satisfied, Hou Zhuang?¡± Bai Suzhen¡¯s attention was an executioner¡¯s blade pressed against his throat, a blade fit to crack mountains and sunder seas. He blinked tiredly as her words cut through the pressure that had been upon him since their vessel had reached the cloud line. He looked down at his hands, trembling involuntarily from the pressure. It was too bad that there was not enough left of him to feel the same fear in his mind.


    Bai Suzhen was the perfect image of a Bai Matriarch, her steel grey hair woven through an elaborate headdress of blades and her lithe figure wrapped in layers of blue and white silk that shifted like the coils of a serpent. The tall woman looked down upon him from her seat, not bothering to hide her disdain.


    He bowed his head and spread his trembling hands. ¡°I am an open book, am I not, honored cousin?¡±


    There were no secrets he could hide from a seventh realm cultivator who wished to look. He knew what she spoke of, and in his mind¡¯s eye, he saw his daughter¡¯s eyes. dismissive, contemptuous, and apathetic. Bai Meizhen had grown up well. He was proud of her maturity. Those were the eyes, so like her mother¡¯s, that he deserved.


    ¡°You shame Meilin,¡± Bai Suzhen said. Hou Zhuang winced at the feeling of wetness on his cheek where the words had cut him. A spark of anger flared in his empty heart, but such sparks could not be maintained without fuel. It faded.


    ¡°You are correct, honored cousin. All the same, I will serve as well as I can,¡± Hou Zhuang replied, lowering his head.


    Serving was what he was. Like the sword immortals, raised to kill, he had been raised to hide and to see. He was an important tool for his clan¡¯s rise, or so he had thought. How absurd it had been for his half brother to fear his cultivation. He could not want power in that way. Even back then, there was no part of him which could have had such ambitions. Then again, perhaps that was incomprehensible to one raised to rule. He supposed that it was good that the clan had elected to marry him off rather than disposing of him.


    The Bai were cruel and unkind to outsiders, but he had not minded at first. His marriage had been brief in the time spans of cultivators, merely a few decades. There had been no passion, no grand romance, between Bai Meilin and Hou Zhuang. Yet she had been a friend, his partner, in her way, far more than the family which had sold him. Her death had severed something in him, and although that loss had allowed him to step into the fifth realm, he had become unworthy of their daughter.


    A more worthless father than this old man would be difficult to find.


    Bai Suzhen regarded him with the eyes of a serpent staring down at a particularly scrawny rodent. ¡°So be it. I am proud of my niece. I will do what you cannot. Her performance severs the last barriers in the path. I suppose your fecklessness serves some purpose at least.¡±


    Hou Zhuang smiled wanly. It would not be long before his daughter had proper parents again. ¡°Meilin¡¯s network will remain at your disposal. I will not allow her inheritance to rot on the vine.¡± With their work passed on, he could rest.


    ¡°What are your thoughts on the events of the tournament?¡± Bai Suzhen asked, her clipped tone brooking no disagreement on the change of subject.


    ¡°Your timing in bringing out the proposed alliance with Cai Shenhua was a masterstroke,¡± Hou Zhuang replied. ¡°It will be worth the double agents burned to keep the matter secret. Emerald Seas maintains a strong resource economy, but their ability to leverage it remains limited. The benefits to the alliance are obvious.¡±


    ¡°I did not ask for your praise,¡± Bai Suzhen rejected.


    ¡°The trouble remains our domestic situation,¡± Hou Zhuang continued, not missing a beat. ¡°Cai Shenhua has her own troubles with unruly vassals not wholly brought to heel, but many of your brothers, sisters, and cousins will be incensed as well. There is already much correspondence flying about.¡±


    ¡°Mm. I assume Anxi is making noise again,¡± Bai Suzhen said, her attention on him finally growing lighter as she looked to the side in thought, the ornaments in her hair jingling softly. ¡°The conservatives will not countenance him. Two male clan heads in a row has already caused many to grumble. Three would be beyond the pale, no matter his policies.¡±


    ¡°I believe he is throwing his weight behind Bai Zhilan,¡± Hou Zhuang noted, absently reaching up to wipe the blood from his cheek. ¡°She has a great deal of support from the Red and Green lines as the General of Zhengjian.¡±


    Bai Suzhen¡¯s lips twitched down in distaste. ¡°I see. My planned expansions to our port and naval capacity should bring the Violet lines to my side, and the Blues as well with the infrastructure projects and repairs of the interior. Place your agents among the lesser lines, and begin pushing the alliance. I will see to my brothers and sisters.¡±


    ¡°As you say, honored cousin,¡± Hou Zhuang said with a tired sigh. ¡°You should know that the discontent is not wholly manufactured by your sisters. Old organizations are beginning to move among the other castes.¡±


    Bai Suzhen frowned. ¡°I am aware of those. We allow the lesser bloodlines their outlets so long as they only grumble. Should they act, we will crush them, as we have done many times before. It would be unfortunate to waste so many Bai lives at this time though. Make certain that they do not move beyond grumbling.¡±


    Saying it like that made it sound easy. As if the growing rumbling from the commoner castes was not growing worse with each passing day. Meilin had been so much better at this. Her understanding of the psychology of the Bai peoples had been much more visceral than his. It would be difficult to quell the spread of further xenophobic sentiment, particularly as the more conservative white serpents fanned the flames.


    But he had not remained behind doing this work just to falter as the end approached. His daughter was coming into her own, and Bai Suzhen would soon take her own final steps. He only needed to work for a little longer yet. A worthless father this old man was, but he would make sure that Bai Meilin¡¯s work remained ready for her daughter.

 Threads of Destiny-Prologue

    The ache in his bones and soul was growing worse, Khashin thought.


    His armor and harness hung heavy on his shoulders as torrential rain pounded down from the clouds overhead. Not a single droplet touched him or his Soul-Brother.


    the deep and ancient voice of his Soul-Brother rumbled in his thoughts. Beneath, his Beast-Self tossed its head, letting out an equine snort, and with his Man-Self¡¯s hand, he patted the beast¡¯s neck. Sparks danced on his hooves as they churned air, and powerful wings beat once, carrying them higher toward the sheared off mountain peak that was their destination.


    All around, the shadows of his shamans and warriors danced in the storm, the beat of the drums indistinguishable from the rumble of thunder.


    If only he could recognize their faces, the old man thought, narrowing his eyes behind his bone flight mask as he peered ahead. Gone were his brothers and sisters. Even his beloved Dagasai had been laid to rest among the earthbones. Their children, too, had passed, and most of their grandchildren as well. He had difficulty recalling the names of those left.


    Yes, they would soon seek the stars together.


    Not this day, however. Today, worldly duty beckoned.


    Khashin felt the moment that his cadre¡¯s storm met the other¡¯s, clouds crashing against one another with an earthshaking rumble. With a thought, his Beast-Self angled down, mighty wings spread wide, and began to circle the peak.


    In the distance, he saw his equal do the same, emerging from the rains to circle once, then twice, and finally a third time as the beat of the drums rose to a crescendo from both sides.


    As he made the third pass, Khan Khashin¡¯s Man-Self let out a long breath, and together with his Soul-Brother, he loosened his grip on their oversoul.


    The storm shook, and the air rippled under the spreading force, clearing rain and cloud as the full might of a man near the pinnacle of the Sixth Heaven emerged. Across from him, the other Khan¡¯s soul emerged, roiling outward to clash with his at the center. Beast and Man alike let out a grunt of effort, Soul shoving against Soul as the sky above them cleared, leaving a perfect circle of sunlight shining down on the mountain peak.


    He grimaced as the other Khan gave way for him, a show of respect for his age and deeds but nothing more. To think that this boy half his age could match him so. He was growing feeble.


    His Beast-Self¡¯s hooves clattered, kicking up sparks as it cantered across stone instead of sky, and he came to rest within earshot of his fellow Khan.


    ¡°Khan Khashin of the Lightning Drinkers greets you,¡± he announced as they came to a halt, his voice scratchy with age and wear.


    ¡°Khan Galidan of the Behemoth Eaters gives his respect,¡± the younger man¡¯s voice boomed from where he sat atop his own mount. It was a massive thing, a great eagle with golden feathers that outmassed his own Beast-Self twice over and more.


    Khashin peered through narrow eyes at the younger man. Just as he was, the other man was dressed for battle, his face concealed behind a carved mask of bone. ¡°Why did you request this meeting?¡± the old Khan asked, cantering forward.


    Khan Galidan reached up, removing his mask. He had the face of a man in his prime, clean-shaven with sharp eyes that pierced like spears. ¡°I would speak to you of the grand Kurultai and the opening of Skyson¡¯s vault.¡±


    Khan Khashin grunted, removing his own mask and exposing his badly weathered face to the high mountain wind. ¡°You wish our warriors to ally in the Game then?¡±


    ¡°That would be most welcome, mighty Khan,¡± Galidan agreed. ¡°I had hoped to speak of the other matter however.¡±


    Now, Khashin scowled. ¡°Fool,¡± he spat. ¡°Do you think yourself mightier than Ogodei?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the younger Khan replied, meeting his glare without a flinch, even as the mountain under them began to shake, stones rattling and dust falling as their spirits once again clashed. ¡°Assault is foolish, but the lowlanders¡¯ greed will never be satisfied.¡±


    After a pause, Galidan said, ¡°Besides, Taghai will be seeking the right to name himself Khagan, no matter what words we speak.¡±


    His words brought Khashin up short, his expression twisting in furious incredulity. ¡°I know his ambitions. Who would listen to that ice-addled madman?¡±


    ¡°Many,¡± Galidan replied, crossing his arms. ¡°These past five winters, his tribe was untouched.¡±


    Khashin¡¯s eyes narrowed. The further south one flew, the harsher the winters grew, carried on icy winds from the dead-plains south of the Mother Mountains. ¡°I assume you do not merely mean that luck favored him.¡± He had flown all this way, Khashin decided. He would hear what tale this young man wished to spin.


    ¡°The Crone ignored him to feast on his neighbors,¡± the younger man expanded. ¡°And why not? He has married an Ice Witch from the south and offers the beast sacrifice.¡±


    Khan Khashin leaned back in his saddle, his expression cold. The Iron-Toothed Crone, who flew north in a vessel of stone each winter to torment the People in the southern mountains, was an ancient foe of Father Sky. Where she passed, food spoiled, lesser beasts went mad, and children disappeared from their cribs. She could not be fought, only survived. ¡°You make bold accusations. Tribes have gone to war for lesser insults.¡±


    Galidan spread his hands helplessly. ¡°I do not speak falsely. He does little to hide it. Winter¡¯s cold spreads further north with each year, and the lowlanders push us into her embrace. Is it any wonder that the People lose faith in Father Sky¡¯s wisdom? We are free to fly as we will, but do these mountains not hold the bones of our Mother?¡±


    The old man closed both sets of eyes. That, at least, rang true. He heard the sullen whispers among the younger warriors, those who had not seen the horror that followed Ogodei¡¯s failure. They saw only retreat and submission, the cowardice of old men. Yet never had one of his warriors, let alone a Khan, dared to turn to the worship of demons such as the Crone or the Gnawers.


    ¡°To cling to a single place is error,¡± he replied quietly.


    ¡°Yet you are still here,¡± Galidan noted, Beast and Man alike fixing him with a look. ¡°You have not flown west beyond the Red Garden or East beyond the Sun¡¯s Grave, as some did.¡±


    Khan Khashin grunted, his Beast-Self stamping its hooves. ¡°The Mother Mountains are not a single place,¡± he answered.


    ¡°As most of the People would agree,¡± Galidan said.


    ¡°... Make your proposal, Khan Galidan,¡± the older man said.


    ¡°I wish only for you to support me when I make claim to the Skyson¡¯s legacy,¡± Khan Galidan replied, the great beast beneath him spreading its wings.


    ¡°You will die,¡± Khashin said flatly. ¡°None have survived entering the tomb.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± the younger man replied, lifting off. ¡°But I will not die chased from my home, nor corrupted by demons. I ask only to be given the chance.¡±


    ¡°I will investigate your words,¡± the old man said, his Beast-Self¡¯s wings spreading as well. ¡°If you speak truth about Taghai, I will support you.¡± Left unsaid was that a lie would see new vendetta declared.


    The sky changed always, but Khashin had hoped that his final days might pass without strife.


    The spirits laugh at the desires of men.

 Threads Chapter 1-New Settings

    Ling Qi stood at the edge of the grassy cliff and looked over her new home. Mountains and hills stretched in every direction, blanketed by the mists of an early fall morning, not yet chased away by the sun¡¯s rays. In the distance the mighty slopes of the Outer Sect¡¯s White Cloud Mountain, as she now knew it to be called, pierced the clouds, almost a third of the vast peak rising high above into the heavens.


    She wondered how her mentor Zeqing was faring, and Hanyi as well. She hadn¡¯t had a chance to speak to the ice spirits that lived upon the frozen summit since before the qualifying tournament. She would find out soon enough, she mused - as soon as the application to continue visiting Zeqing¡¯s home cleared the Sect¡¯s bureaucracy. It was going to be strange, to lose access to many of the sites she had so freely used over the last year - in the interests of competition, Inner Sect disciples were restricted from visiting sites belonging to the Outer Sect, barring special circumstances. It wouldn¡¯t do to have the more tenured students monopolise the most potent sites for years on end, or so it had been explained to her. An inconvenience, yes, but Ling Qi had no doubt that she¡¯d be more than able to find suitable replacements.


    Scanning the rest of the horizon, the rest of the peaks were mere hills by comparison to White Cloud Mountain, barely tickling the underbelly of the cloudline. The mountain she now stood upon was no exception. Storm¡¯s Repose, a grand name for a rather modest mountain, was the least of those belonging to the Inner Sect. Others, deeper within the titanic mountain range of the Wall, equalled or even surpassed White Cloud in altitude, with some rising so high that their peaks were deadly to cultivators of the third realm like her.


    Sixiang murmured in her thoughts, the insubstantial moon spirit¡¯s essence tingling in her thoughts as they peered out through Ling Qi¡¯s eyes.


    Ling Qi thought, turning away from the cliff with a swish of silk. Her dark gown swayed around her ankles, and the winglike half-cloak which hung from her back flared out, fluttering in the wind a moment too long to be natural. She couldn¡¯t stand here all morning. She had to settle into her new abode.


    The grassy cliff she stood upon was a narrow thing, the vibrant green grass contrasting with protruding grey stone all around despite the chill of encroaching winter. Her disciple¡¯s home was built directly into the side of the mountain, visible only by the perfectly set and framed door of darkly lacquered wood which formed its entrance.


    Sixiang asked.


    Pausing at the door, Ling Qi grimaced. That was true, but...


    her other spirit, Zhengui, muttered sleepily from her dantian. The tortoise-snake had been slipping into lengthy naps more and more since the end of the tournament.


    Ling Qi thought back grumpily to Sixiang.


    the spirit replied cheerfully.


    Ling Qi thought, sighing. Sixiang¡¯s attention wandered at the best of times.


    ¡°Zhengui, hang on. I¡¯ll have a space for you soon,¡± she murmured aloud. She was thankful that Lady Cai had helped her expedite matters.


    Zhengui yawned in her thoughts, sinking back into slumber.


    The last few days had been an exhausting slog, most of her time spent dealing with all the set-up for entering the Inner Sect. Between paperwork for a living and cultivating space for Zhengui, then another stack of forms for permission to visit Zeqing, and yet another allowing her to spar with Meizhen, Lady Cai, and Gu Xiulan, she¡¯d hardly had a moment to focus on anything else. She had no idea how her liege managed it.


    Stepping inside, Ling Qi found herself in a warm room of polished gray stone. A paper lantern hung from the ceiling overhead, casting the simple furniture set around the chamber in a soft and welcoming light. The lantern hung a bit low, Ling Qi noted with mild annoyance, ducking under it as she swept toward the hall that lead to the other rooms. The door closed with a quiet click behind her.


    Continuing her exploration, Ling Qi found a small kitchen and a pantry well stocked for simple meals and tea. She lingered for a moment, studying the formations on the shelves and walls meant to preserve the ingredients, clean the space, and repel pests. They were more complex than what she could compose herself; such utility had never been the focus of her formations studies.


    Next, she found an empty room full of workbenches and cupboards. This was a space meant for craftwork. It wasn¡¯t much use to her, but poking through the cupboards turned up numerous mundane but high quality tools, from carving knives to needles to tongs and a hammer laid by a small forge in the far corner.


    Leaving the workshop behind, she next came upon a heavy wooden door banded with formation-reinforced iron. Swinging the heavy door open, Ling Qi sucked in a surprised breath as potent qi washed over her.


    that¡¯s a good feel,> Sixiang sighed happily as Ling Qi stepped past the threshold. The room beyond was rough. Unlike the other rooms, it seemed like a natural cavern. A glittering reverse forest of limestone stalactites hung from its high ceiling, and the floor was smooth and flat, sloping gently downward until it reached a simmering pool of liquid silver. In the center of the pool rose an outcropping of glittering yellow crystal shot through with streaks of pale green.


    This must be the lesser Argent Vent she had been assigned. Already, it felt stronger than the Argent Vent she and her friends had discovered last year, which had greatly helped them in cultivating their base cultivation. The qi in the room was potent, and Ling Qi allowed herself a few minutes to luxuriate in the mist which rose steadily from the cracks in the crystal outcropping before moving on.


    At the very back, she found a bedroom. Appointed with a simple, if comfortable, bed, a polished writing desk, and mirror, as well as a wardrobe, it wasn¡¯t exactly a step down from her previous accommodations.


    It was hard to imagine that barely more than a year ago, Ling Qi had been sleeping in whatever warm alleyways or corners she could find. Having a real blanket would have been a luxury, she mused, patting the comforter on her new bed.


    She shouldn¡¯t get too attached though; if she successfully ranked up to the next tier, she¡¯d be moving into another residence. If anything, the residence that her mother and half-sister lived in in the Sect village would be more stable during her stay in the Inner Sect before she took up her duties on the Emerald Seas border for Cai Renxiang. The Sect village was more distant now, but she would make sure to make regular visits. She was determined not to abandon her mother again now that they¡¯d reconnected once more.


    Ling Qi began to put away her few possessions, materializing them one by one from her storage ring. The dress Xiulan had gifted her went into her wardrobe. She hadn¡¯t worn it in months, thanks to the masterpiece of talisman-craft she had earned in defending her now-liege, Cai Renxiang, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel a little attached to it. It had been the first nice outfit she had owned in years.


    Sixiang suggested as she closed the wardrobe.


    ¡°Where am I going to find a dress as powerful as this one?¡± Ling Qi scoffed.


    the spirit replied dully.


    Now that was just silly, Ling Qi thought. What if she were attacked while wearing something less potent?


    Sixiang had no response to that, and Ling Qi moved on.


    One of her newest possessions, a deep green jade badge, came next. Its flat surface held two numbers picked out in silver. First was her current rank in the Sect, Eight Hundred and Thirty. The second was her current contribution points. Thanks to the formations embedded in the jade, the numbers changed on their own. As she only needed to wear the badge for official functions, so she tucked it into the topmost drawer of her desk for now.


    Sixiang whispered. Unlike her peers, whose badges had started with a tiny ¡°ten¡± for their contribution points, Ling Qi had a ¡°twenty.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you haven¡¯t already picked it out,¡± Ling Qi said aloud. She had dreamed of that basement and chilling altar more than once. She was glad that she and Su Ling had stopped that crazed barbarian from unleashing a plague, and it seemed the Sect was as well.


    Sixiang murmured, unable to hear thoughts not directed at them.


    Ling Qi laughed under her breath as she put down the last of her new possessions, a slip of jade containing the secrets of the Argent Genesis art. Like the rest of the Argent arts, it had been created by the ancestors of Sect Head Yuan He and polished to perfection under his eye. As the successor cultivation art to Argent Soul, which had been given to all incoming Outer Sect members, Argent Genesis was given to all incoming Inner Sect members, and focused on assisting cultivators in building a strong foundation for future growth. As was usual for Argent arts, it was a balanced art, designed to mingle with almost every form of Imperial cultivation, and in particular for Genesis, a fine secondary cultivation art.


    Although her personal cultivation art, Eight Phase Ceremony, was higher quality, having been gifted by the great spirit of the Moon, Ling Qi was well aware of the benefits that the Argent cultivation arts could bring, having mastered Argent Soul during her time in the Outer Sect. Besides, the first few levels of the art seemed fairly easy to grasp.


    Today was her first true day as an Inner Sect disciple. She would have to make sure that it and all the others that would follow counted. The Duchess had set a harsh goal for her liege and herself. She couldn¡¯t afford to fall behind.


    ***


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again, Li Suyin,¡± Ling Qi greeted her friend brightly as they met among the crowd heading to the earliest of the elders¡¯ freely given basic lessons. Ling Qi thought it would be wise to attend every elder¡¯s lesson at least once to show respect and see what knowledge was on offer.


    Her friend smiled back at her a touch nervously. Li Suyin had begun to grow her powder blue hair out again, and it now reached her shoulders. The shapeless smock she had taken to wearing in her workshop had been replaced with a gown of pale green silk with gold trim. Only the hexagonal patterned eyepatch she wore remained the same.


    ¡°You as well, Ling Qi,¡± Suyin greeted politely. ¡°Congratulations on placing so highly in the tournament.¡±


    ¡°I could say the same to you,¡± Ling Qi said cheerfully, glancing around at the other disciples. Most looked to be only a bit older than them, but there were a scattering of people who looked quite a bit older in as much as cultivators bore the marks of early aging anyway. ¡°Where do I put my order in for one of your meridian talismans?¡±


    Li Suyin¡¯s expression grew bashful. ¡°A-ah, well, I should have the first production batch done in a month or so? I will be sure to give you one then.¡±


    Ling Qi opened her mouth to protest at the gift, but a pointed look from her one-eyed friend made her close it again. She supposed she didn¡¯t have any right to complain about charity. Li Suyin blanched then, her face growing pale. Her reaction was mirrored in a rippling wave of discomfort going through the crowd.


    ¡°Good morning, Ling Qi,¡± the voice of her closest friend, Bai Meizhen, reached her ears, and Ling Qi turned to find Meizhen moving through a wide gap in the crowd with the same smooth, gliding grace that she always had. Her golden slit-pupiled eyes moved disinterestedly over the disciples gathered for the lesson before focusing on Ling Qi. ¡°I hope your move has found you well.¡±


    ¡°The ceiling is a little low,¡± Ling Qi grumbled, to which Meizhen responded with a raised eyebrow. The pale girl was a full head shorter than her after all. ¡°But I am satisfied. For now,¡± she added cheekily.


    ¡°Good morning, Miss Bai,¡± Li Suyin greeted from beside her, determined to be polite even while struggling under Bai Meizhen¡¯s heavy aura of terror.


    Bai Meizhen glanced at her and gave a shallow nod. ¡°Good morning,¡± she replied, not unkindly but with clear disinterest. ¡°Ling Qi, is Cai Renxiang not attending this lecture?¡±


    ¡°She remains busy,¡± Ling Qi replied apologetically. ¡°I will be taking notes for her though,¡± she continued, holding up the lacquered case of writing utensils provided for the task.


    Meizhen¡¯s lips quirked up, and even Li Suyin gave a nervous laugh. ¡°I had wondered when it was that you had decided to be a scholar,¡± Meizhen said dryly.


    Ling Qi laughed as they resumed walking toward the lecture area, chatting with her friends. Well, she chatted with Meizhen. Li Suyin still seemed too nervous to speak up. It was nice. Could she have imagined a year ago that she could walk around with a straight back, and her head held high in a crowd like this?


    Putting aside her musings, the elder¡¯s venue of choice was no lecture hall. Rather, the path led her and the other disciples into an expansive stone grotto with a softly bubbling pool at its rear. It was lit by innumerable softly glowing balls of light scattered across the artfully shaped ceiling. The grotto had never been touched by an artisan''s chisel, but it was also shaped artificially all the same. Regular sloping stone benches rose from the mossy ground in concentric half- circles radiating out from the pool at the center, broken here and there by lanes for passage.


    Ling Qi and Bai Meizhen took seats near the center while Li Suyin parted from them with a hurried bow to seat herself nearer the front. Seating herself, Ling Qi was glad that her borrowed writing case unfolded into a tray that could be laid across the lap as the benches offered no writing surface.


    She spent a few more minutes of idle chat with Meizhen as the rest of the disciples filtered in, but soon enough, she fell silent as she felt the pressure of a great presence from the center of the room. The light dimmed, and luminous mist rose from the bubbling pool at the grotto¡¯s center, quickly resolving into the shape of a man. The figure that resolved itself from the mist was ancient and unsettling.


    The elder, clad in plain silver robes without ornamentation, was more visibly old than any cultivator Ling Qi had ever seen. His wispy, snow white hair spilled down to his shoulders, matching the long, carefully groomed beard that hung to his waist. His face was a labyrinth of wrinkles, and his eyes had the milky cast of a man blind with age, albeit one with a luminous amber light burning in his pupils.


    Most unsettlingly, he seemed not all there. At regular intervals, slow pulses of light traveled through his form, outlining his bones in radiance while his flesh seemed to fade into mist. It was as if she were looking at a ghost.


    Sixiang laughed in her head, drawing a hurried mental shush from Ling Qi. Who knew if the elder could hear the spirit?!


    The elder had appeared from the mist seated in a lotus position, hovering just above the surface of the water, and he regarded the gathered disciples in silence, stern, heavily wrinkled features giving way to a skeletal rictus before fading back in, only for the cycle to repeat.


    ¡°I am Elder Hua Heng.¡± The Elder¡¯s voice was dry and scratchy as if from long disuse, and it echoed as if rising from the bottom of a deep hole. ¡°My final years are upon me. I have chosen to spend them spreading knowledge to new generations. Be grateful,¡± he said . Despite the scratchiness of his voice, he had the cadence of a professional lecturer. ¡°You will not speak while I am lecturing nor interrupt in any way,¡± he ordered. ¡°There will be a time allotted for questions at the end of the session. Am I understood?¡±


    The chorus of confirmation from the disciples seemed satisfactory to Elder Hua.


    ¡°Then allow me to begin the lecture on advanced qi theory,¡± he began smoothly as the last voices fell silent. ¡°You are, each and every one of you, a cultivator who has either reached the third realm or will in the near future. A significant number of you will even achieve the fourth or perhaps, higher realms. As such, it is important to ground yourself in the deeper lore of how qi functions. The simple pattern imitation of lower realms will not avail you as you advance toward the peak of the third realm and beyond.¡±


    Ling Qi carefully transcribed his every word, her brush flying across the page with a speed and grace that would have been impossible for her mere months ago.


    ¡°The first piece of knowledge that you must scribe into your mind is that qi is fundamental to all things.¡± As the ghostly man spoke, ribbons of water rose from the water beneath him, twining around his seated form in an intricate display of control. ¡°It is the clay from which we were shaped by the hands of Those Who Were, and it is the true form of all things. The earth and the sky are composed of qi, as is the flame and the heavenly bolt.¡±


    The mist and the waters shaped themselves above and around the elder, shaping a scene of two indistinct but titanic figures locked in battle with innumerable things of terrible shape.


    ¡°However, this world is impure. Stained by the blood and essence of those who sought our destruction ¡®ere the world was born, it is riddled with toxin and corruption. Age, disease, all the maladies of the mortal condition are born from this impurity. The art of cultivation, then, is expelling ever more of this impurity until the body and soul are fully cleansed.¡± His scratchy voice rang out over the silent grotto as the shapes in the water and mist faded, splashing back into the pool.


    ¡°It is a task beyond the vast majority of us,¡± he continued, gesturing to himself. ¡°All things in this world are composed of qi and impurities, and straining out the whole of the latter is a task only the most talented may ever accomplish.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded along as she copied down his words. The truth of cultivation had not been laid out so clearly to her before, but she had picked up the gist of this over the past year.


    ¡°This truth leads to our subject matter proper. Arts are exercises and patterns of qi which bring about certain effects. Once created and refined, they may be copied by the less talented or powerful to shape the world according to the method of the art¡¯s creator. This is accomplished by expelling qi through the shaped channels carved by your efforts through the morass of corruption which separates the soul from the physical world. The exact shape of the channel and numerous other factors determine the effect, but they also limit the number of patterns a cultivator is capable of making use of,¡± Elder Hua continued. ¡°Over time, carving new channels becomes nearly impossible, but the complexity of the patterns needed for powerful arts continues to rise.¡±


    Ling Qi had worried over this problem as she grew better at puzzling out the requirements for her arts.


    ¡°However, the patterns used in arts are just that, structures designed to create an effect. In the third realm, a cultivator has the potency of spirit to shape these flows more directly and personalize them for greater efficiency. In the end, no pattern made by another will match one cultivated and tailored to oneself. Thus, the focus of my lectures will be on giving you the tools to do so for yourselves going forward.¡± He raised one hand in a gesture for them to pause. ¡°However. It is unwise to attempt to reshape your meridians before the threshold stage of Green Soul. Do not attempt direct manipulation of meridians before then. Until that time, satisfy yourself with simply making your arts more efficient.¡±


    Ling Qi leaned forward eagerly as the elder continued to speak, launching into an explanation on the meditative exercises a cultivator could perform to discover and refine the inefficiencies in an art they practiced.

 Threads Chapter 2

    Ling Qi carefully blotted the ink on the last string of characters describing the qi circulation exercises they were to practice before the next lecture. Elder Hua¡¯s form was already dissipating into mist, and the low buzz of conversation among the disciples was resuming, even among those nearby. It seemed that the initial reaction to Meizhen¡¯s presence had been one of surprise for the most part.


    ¡°Ling Qi,¡± Bai Meizhen spoke, catching her attention. ¡°What are your plans for this week?¡±


    Ling Qi blew on the drying ink one last time and looked up. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯ll be cultivating at night and in the evenings, but I don¡¯t really have my days planned out yet. I was going to be discussing that with Lady Cai later, I think.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Meizhen replied, pursing her lips as she stood, her white gown shimmering like water under the pale light in the grotto. ¡°Will you be visiting the town in the foothills?¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, beginning to pack up her utensils and notes. ¡°I¡¯ll want to visit my mother sometime, sure.¡±


    ¡°Inform me when you intend to do so, and make plans for a further stay before or after your visit,¡± Meizhen said crisply. ¡°There is someone I should be introducing you to.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, pausing in her clean-up. Looking up at her friend, she felt a thread of concern. ¡°... This isn¡¯t a marriage thing, right?¡±


    She saw a flicker of horror in Bai Meizhen¡¯s eyes. ¡°No, of course not. It is only one of my lesser branch cousins. Certain things need to be made clear,¡± she replied hurriedly.


    Ling Qi let out a breath of relief. She had thought maybe something had been arranged for Meizhen, but that was fine. Since she knew Meizhen wouldn¡¯t specify any more about this meeting in public, she replied, ¡°I¡¯ll let you know tomorrow then.¡±


    Bai Meizhen gave her a small nod, and they parted ways as Ling Qi finished packing. Weaving through the crowd, Ling Qi soon caught up to Li Suyin in the paved plaza outside the grotto.


    ¡°Wait up, Li Suyin,¡± she called to catch the blue-haired girl¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Ling Qi?¡± Li Suyin replied, sounding befuddled as she stopped and turned around. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡±


    Ling Qi felt a pang at the response. Did they not get together after almost every lesson in the Outer Sect? She supposed they had drifted apart a little in the second half of the past year.


    ¡°Nothing, nothing,¡± she reassured Li Suyin, falling into step beside the shorter girl. ¡°I just thought it might be fun to catch up a little, and you could show me what you¡¯ve been working on. I¡¯m curious, you know?¡±


    ¡°Oh? I don¡¯t mind at all,¡± Li Suyin said with a smile. ¡°We¡¯ve both been so busy, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Ling Qi agreed with relief. ¡°Besides the horror project, we haven¡¯t had much time to talk.¡±


    ¡°It really was a fascinating project, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Li Suyin replied wistfully. ¡°I¡¯ve managed to repurpose the scout formation a bit since then as well. If you would like, I could show you.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Ling Qi said as they took one of the paths leading up the mountain, filling the air with chatter about Li Suyin¡¯s work on developing the Ossuary formations away from their roots.


    Like Ling Qi, Li Suyin ranked above eight hundred and fifty, and so she too had a single home set into the side of the mountain without immediate neighbors. Their abodes were identical in layout and design, though the scattered notes and formation designs that littered the place gave it a much more lived-in feel than hers.


    As the smaller girl led her back toward the workshop, Ling Qi decided to fill the silence. ¡°How did things go at the tournament anyway?¡±


    For a moment, Li Suyin looked puzzled, but then understanding dawned. ¡°Father was distraught and angry at my injury,¡± she answered with a sad smile. ¡°Mother and I talked him down from attempting to file a legal suit against the girls involved. It would not help given our relative positions.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. She wasn¡¯t a legal expert at all, but that was obvious to her. Even if Imperial law technically gave mortals the right to do that kind of thing, it was useless for even a wealthy mortal family to go against a noble clan without an equally ranked backer. ¡°They weren¡¯t too mad at you though?¡±


    Li Suyin shook her head, turning to open the workshop door. ¡°Mother was put out with me for deceiving them, but¡­ she understood, I think. We spoke of it.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded and didn¡¯t press further. Anything further would be private. She moved to follow Li Suyin into the workshop, only to pause on the threshold. The interior had already been much changed compared to her own home. Hammocks of spider silk hung from the web-coated ceiling, and even the walls had been buried under a layer of silken threads. On the unwebbed surfaces, dozens of tiny rodent skeletons scurried about, small objects grasped in their bony jaws, while others stood completely still in neat rows around the room¡¯s perimeter.


    ¡°You¡¯ve really spruced the place up,¡± Ling Qi said dryly, carefully stepping inside to avoid crushing the tiny assistants.


    ¡°It is all thanks to Zhenli,¡± Li Suyin replied cheerfully. ¡°Zhenli, I am back, and we have a guest!¡±


    Ling Qi looked up at the sound of chitin scraping against chitin. In the far left corner of the room, the webbing grew into a bulbous nest as large as a full grown man. From it emerged her friend¡¯s spirit. The last time they had met, the spider had been small enough to fit in her palm. Now, the arachnid was the size of a small cat, and pale pink chitin and the thick fuzz that grew from it shimmered with a rainbow of hues. Li Suyin¡¯s spirit beast had reached the peak of the first realm now.


    ¡°Zhenli greets Sister Suyin,¡± the spider¡¯s voice whispered in the back of Ling Qi¡¯s skull. Her jaws worked and her frontmost limbs wriggled warily as her attention turned to Ling Qi. ¡°Zhenli greets the Ling Qi and the moonchild too.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pay me any mind,¡± Sixiang said, seemingly awakened from the bored quasi-sleep they had sunk into during the lecture. ¡°Grandmother doesn¡¯t stand on ceremony, and neither do I. Just tell your kin to keep the good stuff coming for the next party!¡±


    ¡°Zhenli will pass the message.¡± The spider let out a high-pitched physical chitter, turning her attention to a bemused Li Suyin, who was looking curiously at Ling Qi. ¡°Does Sister need Zhenli for anything?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. You can return to your preparations. I wish you luck,¡± Li Suyin answered, earning another chitter in response as the spider practically dove back into her nest. ¡°Zhenli is going to be breaking through soon,¡± she said, answering Ling Qi¡¯s unasked question.


    ¡°You better watch out, or she¡¯s going to surpass you,¡± Ling Qi teased.


    Li Suyin grimaced. ¡°I have neglected my base cultivation recently, haven¡¯t I?¡± she lamented. ¡°I intend to fix that soon. I cannot afford to idle away in the second realm now that I have ended up here somehow.¡±


    ¡°Somehow, nothing,¡± Ling Qi scoffed, taking a seat on one of the benches and scattering the skeletal servitors in her wake. ¡°You earned your place.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Li Suyin replied with a self-deprecating smile as she moved further into the room to examine a tray of familiar, carved bone wands. ¡°Anyway, who was Zhenli speaking to there?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I guess I¡¯ve never introduced you,¡± Ling Qi said self-consciously. ¡°My second spirit, Sixiang, is a bodiless moon muse. Speak up, will you, Sixiang?¡±


    ¡°Well, if I have permission,¡± Sixiang huffed. ¡°Hello there! Your little friend¡¯s family produces some interesting stuff for mine is all.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Li Suyin said, still seeming unsure. ¡°In any case, you were interested in my project, right, Ling Qi?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not an expert, but a whole lot of people who were, seemed really interested in your work,¡± Ling Qi expanded.


    Her friend hesitated before opening a drawer and removing a small glass-covered case. Turning back to face her, Li Suyin brought it over to the table she was seated at. Inside the case were six black spheres, each perhaps two centimeters across. ¡°Su Ling and I discovered a cave several months back. The sinkhole in the forest seemed to have opened it up,¡± she explained.


    ¡°Did it now?¡± Ling Qi asked with concern. ¡°Wasn¡¯t that closed off by the elders?¡±


    ¡°We did not go in until after it was opened again,¡± Li Suyin reassured her. ¡°The cave was more of a shaft leading straight down for some distance, but at the bottom, we discovered a cave inhabited by all sorts of strange creatures. We harvested a large number, but we did not explore far. The beasts grew stronger very quickly as we went further down.¡±


    ¡°Those are cores then?¡± Ling Qi asked, peering down at the black balls. Somehow, they didn¡¯t seem like it.


    ¡°That¡¯s just it. They didn¡¯t react like cores at all,¡± Li Suyin gushed. ¡°They poisoned and ruined every mixture we tried to use them in.¡±


    ¡°So what are they then?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°And how did you find a use for them?¡±


    ¡°Well, I had noticed that their aroma resembled that of the impurities flushed out during a cultivation breakthrough,¡± Li Suyin continued cheerfully. ¡°As it turned out, that was the key. These cores are saturated with impurity, but it is possible to strain it out with certain processes. The remaining material acts like a magnet or a sponge afterward, drinking in impurities it comes into contact with.¡±


    ¡°What is the rest of the talisman for then?¡±


    Li Suyin glanced to the side, rubbing her arm uncomfortably. ¡°They control the forces inside the core. Without regulating formations and Zhenli¡¯s web straining the impurities going in, contact with an empty core will rupture and poison flesh at and near the point of contact. It is very¡­ messy.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. She got the picture. ¡°That explains that. Have you told anyone else?¡±


    ¡°I had a conversation with Elder Su regarding my project,¡± Li Suyin replied. ¡°She said that the creation was incompatible with her Way but also that it seemed safe to proceed. I have been given dispensation to keep the source and materials secret for a ten year period while I develop my work, after which the Sect will begin letting other disciples experiment. Of course, if they discover it on their own¡­¡±


    ¡°Good for you, Li Suyin!¡± It sounded like she was going to have a good foundation built before anyone else in the area could try muscling in on her discovery. ¡°Do you think you could get better materials further in?¡±


    Li Suyin blinked. ¡°I suppose, but¡­¡± She trailed off, and understanding lit in her eyes. ¡°Would you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure when I¡¯ll have some time, but it sounds like an adventure,¡± Ling Qi laughed, but internally her mind was racing. The idea of an open cave under that sinkhole set something in her gut ill at ease, and the last words of the barbarian shaman echoed in her memory.


    ¡®Let the black spirits and the Gnawing Ones curse your very bones.¡¯


    It could be nothing - the elders had even intervened, after all! But perhaps it would be a good idea to lend a hand, and get a look at just what was in there. For Suyin¡¯s sake, if nothing else.


    ¡°You could probably get a poem or two out of it, maybe even a song,¡± the spirit chimed in smoothly, covering for her momentary lapse in attention.


    Li Suyin bowed her head. ¡°Thank you very much. I still have to wait for my dispensation to process among other things, but I will look forward to your aid.¡±


    ¡°None of that, Li Suyin. We¡¯re friends, aren¡¯t we?¡± Ling Qi said cheerfully.


    Ling Qi remained with her friend for some time after that, their conversation turning to lesser projects like Li Suyin¡¯s work on improving her silk guards. Soon enough, it was time for Ling Qi to go. She had an appointment to keep with Cai Renxiang.


    ***


    Cai Renxiang¡¯s dwelling further up the mountain was not much larger than her own, Ling Qi thought as she approached the door set in the mountainside. At Rank 810, Cai Renxiang lived in the tier above Ling Qi. Stepping up to the wooden portal, she knocked once and settled in to wait.


    She was not left for long. The door soon swung open, revealing her liege standing behind it. The passive corona of light which shone behind her head cast her shadow over Ling Qi. ¡°Welcome,¡± she said crisply, stepping aside to allow Ling Qi entrance.


    ¡°Thank you for your invitation,¡± Ling Qi replied politely, giving the proper bow for a vassal greeting their liege before stepping inside. The front room of Cai Renxiang¡¯s domicile was about the same size as hers but better furnished. She suspected that the girl herself was the source for that though given that the room had been arranged to look rather more like an office than a sitting room.


    ¡°I copied the elder¡¯s lecture as you requested, Lady Cai,¡± she said as the shorter girl closed the door and swept past her, returning to the desk laden with sheaves of paper and scrolls set up against the far wall. ¡°Have you made progress on your own projects?¡±


    ¡°All of our necessities have been arranged for and filed,¡± Cai Renxiang replied. ¡°And I have reviewed my resources and available intelligence. I will be prepared to attend our honored elder¡¯s lessons on the morrow.¡±


    Ling Qi waited a moment for her lady to take her seat before taking her own. ¡°Thank you for your efforts,¡± she said. ¡°What intelligence are you referring to?¡±


    Cai Renxiang accepted the writing kit and notes as Ling Qi passed them over the desk before responding. ¡°Information from disciples loyal to Mother, of course,¡± she said as she absently glanced over the notes. ¡°Your calligraphy is improving. Continue working hard.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced, getting the real meaning. Her chicken scratch was readable now, but her writing was not at the level expected of a noble. ¡°Thank you. Am I going to be out of a job then?¡± she asked lightly.


    Cai Renxiang glanced up from the notes. ¡°No. The disciples have been instructed to limit their aid,¡± she answered.


    Of course. Ling Qi wanted to sigh. The Duchess would not make anything easy for them.


    ¡°That is not to say we are without benefits,¡± Cai Renxiang continued crisply, setting the papers down. ¡°My allowance has been expanded significantly. I also have a package containing spirit stones and medicines for your use. I will give it to you when you take your leave.¡±


    ¡°I did not expect any less,¡± Ling Qi said with some relief.


    ¡°I promised benefits, and I will not break my word,¡± the other girl said . ¡°I have also instructed the head of the Cai family¡¯s archive to search out arts which may suit your inclinations. That may take some time to complete, and the results will be limited. I may only take so much of the Head Archivist¡¯s time and resources.¡±


    Now, Ling Qi felt almost embarrassed. ¡°You are too generous,¡± she said awkwardly. ¡°I¡­ Ah, did you have any tasks in mind for me then, Lady Cai?¡±


    Cai Renxiang leaned back in her seat, the light playing around her shoulders shimmering on the silk of her gown. ¡°I will be holding monthly gatherings to build my influence in the Inner Sect. I will expect you to attend.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ling Qi replied. What fun, she thought glumly, but at least she could¡­


    ¡°You will be providing the entertainment,¡± her liege said bluntly, shattering her fantasies of hiding in a corner. ¡°There is little point in wasting your talents. Your musical ability is a superior tool in the Inner Sect environment. I do expect you to keep your ears open, however, and to continue improving your other abilities.¡±


    Sixiang murmured in Ling Qi¡¯s head, almost startling her.


    ¡°I will do my best not to disappoint your expectations,¡± Ling Qi replied.


    ¡°I trust you will not,¡± Cai Renxiang said confidently. ¡°Other than that, do as you do. Make personal connections, and of course, should you overhear anything of interest¡­¡±


    ¡°So make friends and eavesdrop,¡± Ling Qi said wryly. ¡°You give me the most difficult tasks.¡±


    Her liege gave her a flat look over her steepled fingers. ¡°You jest, but stripped of its pomp, is that not the task of the spymaster?¡±


    Ling Qi was glad that Cai Renxiang had recovered from dealing with her Mother. She had not liked seeing the other girl shaken and uncertain, and a return to Cai Renxiang¡¯s dry humor was welcome. ¡°I suppose it is,¡± she agreed lightly. ¡°Is there anyone in particular I should be on the lookout for?¡±


    ¡°Extend a hand to Xuan Shi,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°He and his clan are both amenable to connection, even if he himself has fallen from my circle.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyebrows rose. She hadn¡¯t even been aware of that happening. ¡°Was there some dispute?¡±


    ¡°No, not as such.¡± The light the other girl gave off rippled, sending the shadows in the room dancing as she frowned. ¡°Our paths simply diverged.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed but didn¡¯t press the issue. If Cai Renxiang thought it would impact her task, she would say something. ¡°What do you think of Shen Hu?¡±


    ¡°Your opponent from the preliminaries?¡± Cai Renxiang asked. ¡°He is a scion of a small baronial clan in Meng territory. No one of great importance, but I suppose his personal skill makes for a useful connection.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll follow up on that chat I had with him then,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I don¡¯t really know anyone else though.¡± She could search out her prior tutors, she supposed. She wondered what rank Ruan Shen or Liao Zhu held.


    ¡°That will be your task then. Discern those who you feel you might connect with,¡± Cai Renxiang ordered.


    ¡°Consider it done. When will your first gathering be?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°I am uncertain,¡± the other girl admitted. ¡°There are too many factors yet. I shall inform you once a date is set.¡±


    She would just have to learn a few more songs in her free time so that she would actually have a variety of songs to play as entertainment. ¡°I will leave you to it then,¡± she decided. ¡°Do you think you will have time for a cup of tea soon?¡± she asked innocently.


    Cai Renxiang raised an eyebrow. ¡°Shall I ask now what devilry you have in mind?¡±


    Ling Qi huffed. It had come out mechanically, but that had definitely been a joke. Some niggling part of her sometimes wondered if the other girl was just getting better at imitating the behavior Ling Qi thought of as friendly. ¡°I thought it would be relaxing. Besides, did you not say that you would teach me about tea blends? You made it seem very important.¡±


    ¡°And you expect that I shall serve you tea? How arrogant,¡± Cai Renxiang said imperiously. For a moment, Ling Qi felt concerned, looking at the girl¡¯s affronted expression, but then, the corner of the stiff girl¡¯s lips quirked up. ¡°I suppose there is only one individual capable of not burning the leaves present. Tasks should be divided by merit.¡±


    Ling Qi narrowed her eyes at the other girl. She wasn¡¯t sure how pleased she was to see Cai Renxiang able to fool her like that. She bowed her head deeply. ¡°This humble vassal apologizes for her inability,¡± she said aloud, allowing a sarcastic edge to touch her voice.


    The shorter girl made a brief sound of amusement before turning her eyes back to her desk. ¡°I shall be sure to remove that inability. You will have to entertain yourself until I have completed these last forms. Confine yourself to this room.¡±


    ¡°That makes me wonder what my Lady is hiding,¡± Ling Qi mused, but her liege ignored the minor jibe. Sighing, Ling Qi stood and drifted over to one of the bookshelves, flipping through one of the less weighty tomes there as she waited for her liege.

 Bonus: The Great Diviner

    So it was that in the year of the White Rush, the mystic Tsu, alongside his companion, the Horned Lord, returned from his long journeys to rejoin the people of his birth. Where he quested, none can say for certain. It is only known that he had traveled beyond the great mountains of the Wall. The mystic brought back with him much knowledge: the secrets of the sun, moon, and stars; the ways of the seasons; and the secret tongues of wood and earth.


    Wise beyond measure, the fruits of his knowledge soon became clear. Those who heeded his wisdom found themselves able to raise food from the same ground each year, ending the people¡¯s wandering. Those who submitted themselves to his pacts became not just people of the forest, but kin to it. Freely did the ancient growth grant them abodes among their boughs and branches, so long as the correct ceremonies were conducted. With his wisdom did the people learn the pattern of storm and flood and turn them to their use.


    It was thus that Tsu became the Diviner, first King of the Forest People.


    Many forces took notice of this. The cruel folk of the northwestern fen came on the rivers to raid and steal, and the Dragontouched of the Celestial Peaks came to bluster and demand tribute. Those who wandered, the men of hill and mountain and cloud, clashed with the forest people, whose new ways obstructed their paths. These, the Diviner dealt with handily, his foreknowledge and wisdom allowing him to gather warriors to their places long before attacks could arrive.


    But it was not men which would truly test the Diviner. The great forest was old, and its groves were deep. The forest people were few, and the beasts were many. Nor were all kin of wood and earth of friendly mien. Even in bygone days when dragons ruled from their heavenly cloud cities upon the Wall, Lords and Gods of Beast had risen to clash with them and lay ruin upon the earthly realms.


    But the dragons were long dead or driven to hiding, and new gods had risen in the Emerald Seas. They were the twelve gods, who, between them, commanded all the beasts of the world. They were cruel and capricious creatures and proud beyond measure. The twelve gods had warred and fought leisurely since the time of the dragons fell and in their shadow, humans lived their lives escaping notice.


    Yet this situation could not continue to be, for it is the nature of humankind, firstborn of Those-Who-Were, to grow and rule. The gods¡¯ notice of humankind came first in small things. The cloud people made pacts with the red-maned horses of the Wall, and the hill folk and the wolves of the southwest made their peace, and this did irk the Wolf God and the Stag God upon whose dominion the humans infringed.


    Yet it was Tsu and his people who truly gained their ire for they changed the land upon which they lived, making it strange and alien to beasts. Yet even this was not enough to unite the fractious gods¡¯ ire.


    It was the union of the descendants of Tsu and the Horned Lord which did that. The Stag God, already viewing the Horned Lord as a rival, saw in the birth of the first generations of the Weilu a plot for his power. At last stirred to full wrath, he came, and the forest shook with the beat of hooves.


    He fled not a week later, trounced and wounded by the wit of Tsu and the Horned Lord.


    Wounded and humiliated, the Stag God made suit to his peers, and though they were inclined to mock his failure, the fact of his defeat did raise a deep concern in their hearts that a human would dare to strike a god.


    Long did the Stag God appeal, whispering of the rise of man. In the northwest, it was said that the Great White Serpent had accepted a human mate, and in the mountains and rivers, the Stone Ape had begun to teach the humankind the ways of war. In the east, the great phoenix tribe had adopted a human son!


    Clearly, the world was in decline, and something needed to be done.


    After three cycles of the moon, the council of the gods finally ended, and the beasts of the great forest marshalled for war.


    In his kingdom, Wise Tsu knew that war was coming. It showed in the embers of campfires, the entrails of beasts, and the quivering of eager stars. The King and the Horned Lord were mighty and of great wit, but against what was whispered in the stars, no cleverness could prevail. The people of the forest were yet small, not grown to their potential.


    So it was that the Diviner left his halls to journey once more. To the tribes of the hills he went and spoke to their quick-tongued lords. To the folk of the frozen peaks he went and took council with their harsh queen. To the people of the clouds he went, soaring to join their councils in the sky.


    The time of suffering was coming, he said, and showed them the signs. The gods were enraged, and their jealousy would not stop with him. Though these people were often foes, they, too, had seen the signs of growing wrath. The gods, always cruel and haughty, had grown worse with each passing decade. Rare was it the year that would pass without the loss of camps and tribes.


    But the folk of the clouds refused outright to hear of the Diviner¡¯s plan, for they lived in the sky and were blessed by the stars. Let the gods come, said they, and the fate of dragons would be theirs.


    The folk of hill and mountain were both less haughty and less mighty, and in the waning days of winter, it was with them that the Diviner made compact with.


    Spring was coming, and with it, war.


    They would meet it upon the roots of Xiangmen, eldest of the forest.

 Threads Chapter 3

    It was about a half hour later that she found herself seated across from Cai Renxiang at the little table in her home¡¯s kitchen with a steaming cup of dark brown tea being placed in front of her. It had an invigorating, earthy scent with a hint of sweetness.


    ¡°You added honey?¡± Ling Qi asked, for once recognizing a scent. She had stolen jars of the stuff once or twice. It was expensive and kept well, and easy to hide until it could be fenced.


    ¡°The Primeval Root blend is incomplete without a small spoonful of Cloud Blossom honey,¡± Cai Renxiang replied from her seat. Seeing her with her eyes closed, inhaling the scent of the tea, Ling Qi could almost mistake her for being a normal, relaxed girl.


    ¡°Throwing out names like that,¡± Ling Qi said slyly. ¡°You should have told me it was a cultivation aid.¡±


    Cai Renxiang cracked one eye open to give her a disapproving look. ¡°It is not. The medicinal blend has a terrible flavor and uses a different subspecies of the plant.¡±


    Ling Qi huffed in disappointment but took a tiny sip anyway. It had a very rich flavor, which she had to admit was tasty. It still seemed a bit of a waste. ¡°What is with those names then?¡±


    ¡°The tea leaves only grow upon the hills formed by the capital city¡¯s root network, and the honey arises from the bees kept in the fourth stratum cloud gardens,¡± Cai Renxiang explained, taking a sip of her own.


    ¡°I definitely want to see that place one day,¡± Ling Qi said, struggling to picture a tree big enough to be a mountain. She had always been aware of the dark shadow on the northern horizon when she lived in Tonghou, but she had never really considered what it was. ¡°Why is tea so important in Emerald Seas, anyway?¡±


    ¡°It is, in truth, a holdover from the days of Weilu rule. Their founder, Tsu the Diviner, mastered the secrets of weather and seasons, allowing his people to grow their food from the earth. Tea plants were among the first domesticated this way. Those early blends were of practical use. They fortified the drinker¡¯s health and warded off sickness.¡±


    That made sense. Even she knew that boiling water helped remove some of the impurities that could make a person sick. If someone could make it have medicinal value and taste good at the same time, why not? ¡°So it¡¯s a habit that stuck around since then?¡±


    ¡°In simple terms, yes,¡± Cai Renxiang replied. ¡°It became a mark of status to grow especially flavorful and desirable plants on one¡¯s land, and remains so to this day.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed to herself, taking a deeper drink from her cup. It did have a certain relaxing effect. ¡°So it¡¯s another thing like swords then... ¡° she mused aloud. ¡°You seem more passionate about it than a mere obligation would imply though.¡±


    Cai Renxiang did not answer, and as the moment stretched, Ling Qi looked up to find the girl wearing a troubled expression.


    ¡°... Mother does not care for tea making,¡± the other girl. Her ever-present corona of light died down to a bare flicker as she toyed with the handle of her teacup. ¡°She recognizes its value. So she does not reprimand me for the practice, but it also holds no interest to her. It is something I enjoyed, even as a small child.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded in understanding but didn¡¯t say a word. She could read between the lines of what had been said well enough. As the silence began to get heavy, Ling Qi put on a smile. ¡°You¡¯ve certainly gotten good at it. Are there any other interesting blends from the capital?¡± she asked.


    Cai Renxiang gave her a wry look that said that she knew exactly what Ling Qi was doing. ¡°Of course. Some of them may even interest you. In the fifth and sixth stratum, there are¡­¡±


    Ling Qi leaned forward and took the pot, pouring herself another cup. She¡¯d have to ask Cai Renxiang to put up the death-aspected mirror she had found in the Weilu tomb for auction later, but this wasn¡¯t such a bad way to spend the afternoon.


    ***


    ¡°You know, I don¡¯t think I ever congratulated you on winning the production tournament,¡± Ling Qi thought aloud, swaying back and forth with the motion of her ride.


    Gui trundled along cheerfully beneath her while Zhen¡¯s warm coils rested comfortably around her shoulders like a heavy scarf. Keeping her balance on his shell might have been tricky, once, but as she was now it was no more difficult than tying her boots in the morning.


    Beside her, Xuan Shi strolled, the rings on his staff jangling with every step. He had gotten a new one with rings of carved white jade hanging around a decoratively forged head of gleaming bronze. The body of the staff looked to be carved from stone. ¡°Are not sweet words meant to come before the call for aid?¡± he asked, looking at her over the high collar over his robe.


    Ling Qi felt embarrassed. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it that way.¡±


    ¡°Do not be mean to Big Sister,¡± Zhen hissed from above her shoulder, turning his burning gaze on her companion.


    ¡°This one is aware of Baroness Ling¡¯s foibles,¡± Xuan Shi said dismissively. He seemed more confident and at ease than the last time she had met him, his speech a touch less impenetrably flowery. ¡°This one meant no offense.¡±


    ¡°You can just call me Ling Qi. Thank you again for your help,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°If you need help with something yourself, please ask.¡±


    ¡°This one will consider the use of thy favor carefully, O herald of the riptide,¡± he replied, amused.


    ¡°I will choose to take that as a compliment,¡± Ling Qi said with faux haughtiness.


    Sixiang mused teasingly.


    Ling Qi replied, giving Zhen a quelling look as he began to rear up to glare at the young man beside her. If Xuan Shi wanted to banter, she wasn¡¯t inclined to stop him.


    ¡°Thy mercy is as boundless as the heavens,¡± he replied, unruffled. ¡°Then, might this one inquire as to the status of thy lady¡¯s other hand?¡±


    Ling Qi frowned, adjusting her balance as they started down a hill. ¡°Gan Guangli has his own task, and the rules of the Sect mean that what can be done to aid him is limited. I have left him my pill furnace for his use, and Lady Cai will fund his cultivation. Were you friends?¡± she asked curiously. She hadn¡¯t spent much time with either boy.


    ¡°The right hand is a man of honor whom this one respects. He has been a friendly ear, at times,¡± Xuan Shi said, a touch of regret entering his voice.


    ¡°The big man was nice,¡± Gui agreed guilelessly, with all the earnestness of a child.


    ¡°I suppose he was,¡± Ling Qi said. She would just have to hope her fellow retainer was able to tough it out. She was leery of the idea of a replacement for him chosen by the Duchess in Cai Renxiang¡¯s circle.


    ¡°If it¡¯s not rude,¡± she continued carefully, ¡°might I ask why you grew more distant from us?¡±


    Xuan Shi reached up, tilting his shell patterned hat downward and shadowing his face further. ¡°This one grew busy with his projects and¡­ realized the foolishness of certain childish impulses. Let it rest at that.¡±


    Sixiang muttered.


    Ling Qi frowned, quickly working out what Sixiang was talking about; there was only one person the usually jovial Sixiang referred to in such a manner. She didn¡¯t think Sixiang was messing around. Had Xuan Shi really been interested in Cai Renxiang like that? Nevertheless, she nodded, dropping the subject as he requested.


    ¡°In any case,¡± she continued after the silence stretched on, ¡°how big should I expect my little brother to grow by the time he¡¯s done?¡±


    ¡°Gui will be like a mountain!¡±


    ¡°Zhen will be big enough to eat the stupid river eel.¡±


    Xuan Shi chuckled, giving the now bickering heads of her spirit beast a sad look. ¡°Perhaps in time,¡± he spoke over their non-verbal squabbling. ¡°For a Xuan Wu reaching the earliest stages of maturity, his shell will be between seven and ten spans of Imperial measure from front to back.¡±


    Between seven and ten meters, Ling Qi thought, her eyes widening. That was¡­ quite big. ¡°Just how big do Xuan Wu grow?¡± She had read some things, but she had assumed embellishment on the author¡¯s part.


    Xuan Shi¡¯s eyes twinkled in amusement. ¡°As great as mountains and more. The clans of Xuan live and work upon the backs of our cousins, more than the lonely stones of the true islands of the Savage Seas.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± Ling Qi said, looking at Zhen, who looked smug. She flicked his snout playfully, and he let out a whining hiss of complaint. ¡°You¡¯re still a ways from that, little brother,¡± she chided.


    ¡°Gui will grow fast! So big that Big Sister and Little Sister and Hanyi and everyone else can live with him forever,¡± Gui asserted with childish confidence.


    ¡°He will not disappoint,¡± Xuan Shi said quietly, glancing at Zhengui with a look that was difficult to read.


    ¡°Fishy man can visit if he brings treats,¡± Zhen said haughtily.


    Fishy man? Where in the world did that name come from? Xuan Shi¡¯s aura was solidly a thing of earth and rock.


    ¡°Be more polite, Zhengui,¡± she scolded. ¡°I am sorry for his behavior, Sect Brother Xuan,¡± she said, bowing as politely as she could manage from her perch.


    ¡°Think nothing of it, and if thy name is open for use, it would be rude to withhold mine,¡± Xuan Shi said, tilting his hat back as he peered up at the next hill. ¡°This one believes that our destination is nigh.¡±


    Sixiang laughed.


    Ling Qi rolled her eyes, not bothering to respond to the moon spirit¡¯s teasing.


    Ling Qi looked up at the wide low hill rising before them. The rocky soil was dotted by tall trees with long trunks, and steam rose from cracks in the stony earth. Thick scrub brush grew over the rest, giving it a mix of dull green and brown colors. The faint scent of smoke seemed to cling to the air and the natural qi alike. A glance to her left and right saw small formation totems lining the base of the hill marked with characters for the containment of fire.


    ¡°It smells good!¡± Gui chirped, startling her as he began to trundle forward faster.


    Well, it might not be pretty like the vale Heizui lived in, but she supposed if her little brother liked it, this place was fine. ¡°So, what should we do first?¡± she called back to Xuan Shi.


    The boy picked up his pace, the rings on his staff jingling. ¡°Thy little brother shall dig his nest. It will be our task to find the choicest cuts from the wood,¡± he said almost cheerfully.


    ¡°Do not forget tasty cores for Zhen,¡± the other half of her little brother hissed. ¡°Lazy Gui will chew on trees, but not Zhen!¡±


    Ling Qi laughed as his two heads fell to bickering again. Thankfully, her storage ring was full of quality second grade cores and even a few low grade third ones. Feeding Zhengui had been starting to strain her budget, and it was only going to grow more expensive when he made the jump to the third realm. The Cai taking on the expense was quite a boon.


    The rest of the morning and much of the afternoon was spent on that hill. Ling Qi worked together with Xuan Shi to carve and move cuts of qi-infused wood to the edges of the ever deepening pit Zhengui was digging for himself. She was rather displeased when her little brother¡¯s digging pierced an underground valve, releasing both boiling water and the unchecked scent of sulfur into the glade. Watching him splashing around happily in the growing pool of hissing, bubbling water at the bottom of his nest did take the edge off the acrid smell, however.


    Xuan Shi showed good humor about the whole thing, for which she was grateful. She wondered just what had happened to affect his demeanor so, compared to last year. Perhaps he had earned enough praise from his family to boost his confidence? It was not her business to pry.


    There was a certain satisfaction in the simple labor of cutting supple strips of wood and brush alongside Xuan Shi and weaving them together into blanket-like mats. She wasn¡¯t particularly good at it, but with the scholarly boy¡¯s slow, even voice instructing her, she was able to successfully create patterns and characters which enhanced the natural flow of qi through the whole construction.


    Building up stacked logs around Zhengui''s burrow like a tower for a massive bonfire was much more difficult. Even if she could lift a whole log, moving it around was a whole other matter. It was far too ungainly to manage without Xuan Shi''s help. At least the gobbets of mud kicked up by Zhengui''s digging were useful in packing the whole thing.


    By the time the sun was fading from the sky, they were both splattered with mud, sawdust, and bits of plant matter, although Ling Qi¡¯s gown remained unmarked, having cleaned itself meticulously. Zhengui rested invisibly at the bottom of his burrow, covered by layer upon layer of woven branches and brush from which smoke was already beginning to rise. All she could do now was wait for her little brother to finish his breakthrough.


    The days that followed quickly became routine. Elder Hua¡¯s lessons continued, and she learned to her chagrin that she had been making things harder for herself all of last year as his lessons touched upon the proper way to read the information encoded in jade slips. She had stumbled upon it in dribs and drabs during her previous year¡¯s cultivation, but in the future, she would not have to stumble into the workings of her arts with so much of a blind eye.


    There were physical lessons as well. Sadly, they were not taught by Elder Zhou, but Ling Qi quickly took to refining her physical cultivation, which had been left by the wayside somewhat in her rush to polish her arts for the tournament to enter the Inner Sect. Between picking up the workload of the lessons and completing the rest of the work to settle in, it was nearly a week in before she found herself with the free time to travel to the Sect village.

 Threads Chapter 4

    ¡°Breathe in. Breathe out. Feel the flow of the qi pulsing in time with your heartbeat,¡± Ling Qi repeated soothingly. She sat with her mother on the veranda overlooking the garden behind the home the Sect had provided. The early light of a new day shone over them.


    Her mother sat across from Ling Qi, eyes closed, her lined features scrunched in concentration. Faint red light shone from between her fingers, the only sign of the red spirit stone clasped in her hands.


    ¡°You can do this,¡± Ling Qi murmured. ¡°You are doing it. You just need to keep trying.¡± She could feel qi, tiny shreds of it, sinking into her mother¡¯s almost non-existent aura, and with each one, her mother felt a little bit more solid, a little bit more real, to Ling Qi. She couldn''t lie to herself. Ling Qi was pushing the older woman on this as much for herself as for Ling Qingge¡¯s sake. She knew she didn¡¯t want her mother to disappear again in a mere few decades.


    Ling Qi was so focused on encouraging her mother¡¯s efforts that she almost missed the tiny disturbances in the air that indicated that someone else was stirring nearby. Ling Qi glanced to the side as the sliding screen that separated the interior from the veranda slid open a crack.


    ¡°Good morning, Biyu,¡± she said cheerfully, meeting the little girl¡¯s sleepy, curious gaze.


    ¡°... Morning, sis-sis,¡± Biyu mumbled. Her hair was loose, and seeing her in her rumpled sleepwear, it struck Ling Qi again how small and fragile she was, even compared to her mortal mother.


    Ling Qi put on a smile and held out her hands. ¡°Come here. It¡¯s still cold, isn¡¯t it? Why are you up so early?¡± While the temperature was no trouble for her, she could see the goosebumps on the little girl¡¯s arms. The shawl and blankets her mother was wrapped in only made it more obvious.


    Biyu nodded and made an agreeing noise, toddling over to plop herself in Ling Qi¡¯s lap. ¡°Lights made the dreams run away,¡± she said blearily, leaning back against Ling Qi as she wrapped her arms around the little girl.


    ¡°Dreams, huh,¡± Ling Qi said softly. she thought, just a little sharply.


    Sixiang replied in amusement.


    ¡°It was fun,¡± Biyu said with a yawn. ¡°It was warm, and there was a river! We were playing¡­¡± Her soft features scrunched up in thought. ¡°Um¡­ I don¡¯t remember.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Ling Qi tussled her sister¡¯s hair. ¡°Do you hear dream things when you¡¯re awake, Biyu?¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± the little girl said, nodding her head. ¡°Momma said not to listen to the leafy voices. ¡®Cause they¡¯re mean.¡±


    ¡°Mother is right,¡± Ling Qi agreed. Even if the little spirits of the forest weren¡¯t necessarily malicious, they didn¡¯t have a human¡¯s best interests in mind. ¡°If you ever hear one that¡¯s really mean, even in your dreams, just tell Big Sister, and she¡¯ll beat it up for you.¡±


    Sixiang drawled in her head.


    Biyu made a cheerful sound of agreement, wiggling a bit in Ling Qi¡¯s lap as she began to wake up more. ¡°Is Momma sleeping?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Mother is practicing,¡± Ling Qi gently corrected.


    ¡°Oh! Can Biyu play with the shiny rocks too?¡± she asked excitedly, looking up at Ling Qi with a shine in her eyes.


    ¡°Not until you¡¯re older,¡± Ling Qi said with a grin. ¡°Those are grown-up toys.¡±


    The little girl puffed out her cheeks in annoyance, and Ling Qi ruffled her hair. She looked again at her mother. Mother would come out of her fugue soon; the light shining from between her hands was fading.


    ¡°You¡¯re doing well,¡± Ling Qi said as her mother opened her eyes. A brief look at the stone in her mother¡¯s hands showed that it was not yet used up.


    Ling Qingge gave her a tired, weak smile. ¡°I am beginning to grow more used to this,¡± she agreed quietly. She had not objected to being given more stones in some time; Ling Qi was glad that she had worn her down in that regard.


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit,¡± Ling Qi said cheerfully. ¡°Why don¡¯t we head inside? I asked the housekeeper to put some breakfast on a little bit ago. I bet this one is hungry,¡± she added, poking her little sister in her pudgy cheek, drawing a giggling protest.


    Her mother¡¯s expression was thoughtful, even as she nodded in agreement. Ling Qi stood smoothly and offered her mother a helping hand to do the same as they gathered the blankets and headed inside, preceded by a chattering Biyu.


    ¡°Have you settled in well, Ling Qi?¡± her mother asked as they entered the dining room where three places were set out. It was a simple meal of congee with a sprinkling of rousong and a few strips of fried pastry placed on the side for dipping, along with warmed milk.


    It was simple fare, but Ling Qi knew her mother was uncomfortable with the richer sort, and Ling Qi hardly minded. For her, the food was essentially a snack regardless. ¡°Yes, although I don¡¯t intend to stay in one place for long,¡± she said brightly.


    ¡°Ah, that is right. You change homes with your rank. How troublesome that must be,¡± her mother replied absently as she seated Biyu.


    ¡°We only move when we change tiers. It would be too troublesome otherwise,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°But as I said, I don¡¯t intend to stay in my current tier for long.¡±


    ¡°My daughter is ambitious,¡± Ling Qingge said, fussing for a moment over Biyu¡¯s disheveled look before silently deciding that it would be better to get her cleaned up and dressed after breakfast.


    ¡°I have to keep up after all,¡± Ling Qi said, thinking of Cai Shenhua¡¯s burning gaze. She held in her shudder, and her family didn¡¯t notice. ¡°How are things in the village?¡±


    ¡°I have made... a few acquaintances at the market,¡± Ling Qingge replied after a moment of hesitation, smoothing her plain gown as she sat down herself.


    ¡°No one to play with,¡± Biyu grumbled around a mouthful of pastry. ¡°Boys are dumb.¡±


    Ling Qi shot a look of amusement at her little sister. ¡°I¡¯m glad you''re settling in. We¡¯ll be here for a couple years yet.¡±


    The next few moments passed in companionable silence.


    ¡°Ling Qi, might I ask of you something?¡± her mother asked, surprising Ling Qi.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ling Qi replied, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically given the way her little sister looked up from her meal, startled, a spot of congee on her cheek. Even her mother looked taken back. Too enthusiastic indeed.


    ¡°I had hoped that you might allow me authority over the household budget. The Argent Peak Sect handles things well, of course, but¡­¡±


    Ling Qi had left all of that to the Sect staff who had been assigned to the house, wanting her mother to be able to live without worries, but she understood now that having everything taken care of may have been overdoing it. ¡°I will put in notice for it,¡± she said agreeably. ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to have to work, but I understand.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Ling Qi,¡± her mother said tentatively. Biyu returned to her breakfast, losing interest in the conversation again.


    Sixiang commented absently.


    ¡°There¡¯s something else though,¡± Ling Qi said, eyeing her mother¡¯s expression and ignoring her spirit.


    ¡°You are perceptive,¡± Ling Qingge replied with a self-deprecating smile, her eyes resting on the table. ¡°It is a selfish request, but¡­ do you think it may be possible that I might hire some acquaintances from Tonghou? I assure you, they are all good young ladies whose families merely fell into misfortune. The Sect staff will not follow us after all, and it is important that you have a proper household¡­¡±


    Ling Qi leaned back in her seat, understanding why her mother called this a selfish request. The people she referred to were obviously ones who had shared her profession. Ling Qi was no expert at noble politics, but even she could see that something like this could be damaging to her reputation.


    Ling Qi hesitated. She could do it, she knew. She had enough credit with Cai Renxiang that something like this would hardly cause the heiress to reprimand her, but was it worth making her family''s life more difficult?


    Ling Qi disliked the idea of bringing even minor harm to her family for the sake of strangers. But while they were strangers to her, they were not to her mother. Could she who clung to her friends so tightly rightly chastise her mother for doing the same? She was hardly in a position to judge their character preemptively. It was pure luck that she herself was not still scrabbling in the streets of Tonghou.


    That was the trouble with forming connections with others, Ling Qi thought. Each bond tied her to a wider network still.


    Sixiang teased.


    Ling Qi thought, giving her spirit the mental equivalent of an annoyed swat. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to make it clear that this isn¡¯t going to be easy,¡± she said aloud. ¡°We¡¯ll be heading to the border in a couple years, you know?¡±


    ¡°I am aware,¡± her mother replied. ¡°Yet, my daughter, can you say that you would not have taken that chance?¡±


    That was fair, Ling Qi thought, glancing at Biyu as the little girl looked back and forth between them, not quite comprehending the serious atmosphere that had descended. ¡°I won¡¯t condescend to you about responsibilities, Mother,¡± she said finally. ¡°I know you understand.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t concerned about her mother¡¯s management skills. Ling Qingge had always been good at squeezing out the full value of every copper penny in their little household. This was a bigger project, but having learned more of her mother¡¯s background, she was certain that she had education in such matters.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make the arrangements,¡± she said.


    ¡°Thank you, Ling Qi,¡± her mother said, bowing her head.


    ¡°None of that,¡± Ling Qi said uncomfortably. ¡°Are you thinking of anyone I know?¡± she asked curiously.


    ¡°I doubt you would recall names,¡± Ling Qingge replied with a small smile, raising her head. ¡°That was never your strong suit.¡±


    Sixiang drawled.


    Ling Qi coughed into her hand self-consciously. ¡°... Perhaps. In any case, I will take care of the background work. I will leave the letter writing to you.¡±


    Ling Qi could think of a few ways to spin things and give the move some public respectability. She would run them by Cai Renxiang later as well, but for now, she was just glad to see the content expression on her mother¡¯s face.


    She spent the rest of the morning with her family, chatting with her mother, reading to Biyu, and otherwise allowing herself a short time of relaxation. Ling Qi could not afford to do so too often, but she remembered Elder Su¡¯s lessons. It didn¡¯t do to lose oneself entirely in cultivation.


    ***


    As morning turned into afternoon, Ling Qi took her leave. She had another appointment to keep. Her path took her well outside the village to a travelers¡¯ inn that sat a few kilometers down the road that led further into the province.


    Meizhen wanted to avoid disturbing the village, Ling Qi thought wryly as she entered. She hoped her friend¡¯s fine control caught up to the raw power she had cultivated into her domain soon. The inside of the inn was homely, but well kept, with polished wooden floors and undamaged furniture.


    She paid her respects to the innkeeper, a wizened stick of a man at the peak of the second realm with a full white beard and many, many scars. From there, she received directions up to the room that her friend was currently occupying. It wasn¡¯t hard to find, being one of only two rooms on the third floor. The formation work that wound around the stairwell, absorbing spiritual energy from above, was rather professionally done. She couldn¡¯t so much as sense a hint of her friend¡¯s aura until she reached the third floor.


    Taking a deep breath, Ling Qi stepped up to the closed door, loosened her grip on her own aura to ensure that Meizhen could sense her, and knocked. She could feel a second presence inside, but her friend¡¯s aura rather overwhelmed it, preventing her from getting a feel for this ¡°cousin¡± just yet.


    ¡°Ling Qi, you may enter,¡± she heard Meizhen call from the other side of the door. Ling Qi¡¯s eyebrows rose in surprise. She had expected her friend to be more stiffly formal with one of her family present.


    Still, she opened the door and stepped inside the meeting room without hesitation. The room was windowless and lit by a series of fireless lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Its center was dominated by a heavy polished table surrounded by nearly a dozen chairs. Clearly, this was a room meant for larger meetings.


    The ones she had come to meet rose from their seats to greet her, and Ling Qi gave Bai Meizhen a polite bow of greeting before turning her gaze to the other person present. This new Bai was¡­ different.


    Where Bai Meizhen was a head shorter than her and the very picture of imperial grace and beauty, outside of her odd coloration, this girl was whipcord thin and almost tall enough to look her directly in the eye. Her features were narrow and had a subtly inhuman cast. Her brows were hairless with a ridge of fine black scales taking their place, and her lips had a faint blue tinge. Less obvious signs included the precise shape of her eyes and contours of cheekbones, all of which leant the other Bai an air of inhumanness. Ling Qi was quite sure that she would have found it unsettling a year ago.


    Like Meizhen¡¯s, the other Bai wore her hair long, but her hair was a silky black and had been gathered into a number of braids, two hanging in front of her ears and the third making a long tail that reached her lower back. Ling Qi could see the metal glinting among the braided strands. Some kind of weapon, perhaps?


    The other Bai¡¯s gown was, unsurprisingly, one of the standard Argent uniforms, although the underlayer of the gown was black. The girl¡¯s expression was studiously neutral, and she was of the early second realm. Ling Qi could tell that the girl was studying her intensely.


    She offered the second Bai a somewhat shallower bow and smiled as she shut the door behind her. ¡°Bai Meizhen, thank you very much for your invitation.¡± She followed her friend¡¯s lead, and sure enough, the younger Bai bristled, a flash of irritation crossing her bright yellow eyes.


    ¡°Ling Qi, I am very glad you came,¡± Bai Meizhen replied evenly. ¡°May I introduce my cousin, Xiao Fen?¡±


    ¡°I am pleased to make your acquaintance,¡± Xiao Fen said stiffly.


    ¡°I am pleased to meet you as well,¡± Ling Qi said. If she had to compare the two Bai, Bai Meizhen was a towering serpent, hood unfurled, radiating fear and majesty, while this girl was a tightly coiled viper, hissing in furious warning at the human whose foot had just landed in its burrow.


    ¡°Have a seat. I have arranged for drinks to be brought shortly,¡± Bai Meizhen said, paying no mind to their mutual staring contest.


    Ling Qi nodded politely as they moved to take their seats. ¡°I am curious. How are you cousins if you do not share a name?¡± That might have been mean, she supposed, given the way the younger girl nearly twitched.


    ¡°We do not follow imperial convention in that regard,¡± Bai Meizhen answered. ¡°The eight branches of the Bai clan are as one. We do not cast them off as separate clans. Her full name would be Bai Xiao Fen. I consider her my cousin regardless.¡±


    ¡°You do me honor,¡± the other girl murmured, briefly taking her eyes off of Ling Qi. The look she gave Meizhen was difficult to read, but Ling Qi found herself relaxing a little. Whatever this girl was, she didn¡¯t hold any ill will toward Meizhen.

 Threads Chapter 5

    ¡°It would be foolish to insult the devotion of the Black Viper with less,¡± Bai Meizhen said. ¡°Regardless, allow me to make the full introduction. Bai Xiao Fen, this is Ling Qi. She is my best friend. I would like you to treat her with utmost respect.¡±


    Ling Qi froze at that blunt declaration, and across from her, the younger girl did the same. ¡°Ah, Meizhen, are you sure¡­?¡±


    ¡°Xiao Fen can be trusted,¡± Bai Meizhen said with finality. ¡°Though we are both younger than usual for this pairing.¡±


    Uncertainty still roiled under the surface of Xiao Fen¡¯s expression, even as she drew herself up. ¡°Of course. I would not reveal my cousin¡¯s¡­ business,¡± she replied with affront.


    ¡°I will trust your judgement,¡± Ling Qi said slowly. There was a backstory here, but this wasn¡¯t the time for it. ¡°In that case, allow me to repeat myself. I am glad to meet you, Xiao Fen. It¡¯s good that Meizhen has someone else she can trust.¡±


    The girl twitched again when she used Meizhen¡¯s name with such familiarity, but nonetheless, it didn¡¯t reach her voice. ¡°It is good that my cousin has dependable allies,¡± she said a touch woodenly. ¡°Cousin, the business you mentioned,¡± she added desperately.


    Sixiang mused. Ling Qi had to agree. The younger Bai was clearly very uncomfortable with the direction the conversation had taken.


    ¡°Ah yes,¡± Bai Meizhen said, giving the younger girl a look that told Ling Qi she was aware of Xiao Fen¡¯s flailing as well. ¡°In the future, once the initial truce has ended, Xiao Fen will be placing tutoring requests. I would like you to answer those, Qi.¡±


    There was that twitch again. She was beginning to worry after Xiao Fen¡¯s health. ¡°I do not mind,¡± Ling Qi began in confusion, ¡°but I am not certain how helpful I could be to someone of the Bai clans.¡± She paused. ¡°Ah. This is about Gan Guangli, isn¡¯t it?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°As a matter of furthering our alliance against the vile Sun,¡± Xiao Fen replied, seeming to regain a bit of her balance, ¡°my Cousin has asked that I align myself with his block when the time comes.¡±


    ¡°And us meeting during tutoring is a deniable way to pass information around,¡± Ling Qi thought aloud. She took another look at the dark haired girl. Xiao Fen¡¯s aura was steeped in darkness around a core of cold fire. Yeah, it would be believable on a surface level that the tutoring would be legitimate.


    ¡°Among other things. I trust that you will convey my intentions to your lady?¡± Bai Meizhen asked.


    Ling Qi nodded. Sun Liling was a spiteful girl, and she had no doubt that the Outer Sect would continue to see meddling this year. ¡°I look forward to working with you then,¡± she said, turning her gaze back to Xiao Fen.


    ¡°I will be in your care,¡± Xiao Fen replied. If the younger Bai had been less self-controlled, Ling Qi thought she would have grimaced. ¡°Do you have any advice for success in this¡­ Sect?¡±


    Ling Qi thought back over the previous year and everything that had happened. ¡°Find some people you can trust, and stick with them.¡±


    ¡°Quite,¡± Bai Meizhen agreed. ¡°Unprecedented situations sometimes call for unprecedented solutions. Heed her, Xiao Fen.¡±


    The younger girl glanced uneasily between them, and they fell silent as they felt the approach of the server, coming with their drinks. It was strange, Ling Qi thought as she accepted the cup of rich cider. She had turned her friend into quite the radical by the standards of the Bai.


    Sixiang laughed.


    Conversation turned to lesser subjects, discussing their cultivation plans in the immediate future and trading commentary on the lessons given thus far. It was she and Bai Meizhen who carried most of the dialogue. Xiao Fen spent most of the rest of the meeting observing them both with a hooded gaze as if she weren¡¯t quite sure what to make of what she was seeing.


    They parted ways after another hour or so, and Ling Qi turned her thoughts back to cultivation.


    ***


    Cultivation consumed Ling Qi in the weeks that followed. This first month was peaceful as no rank challenges to the new Inner Sect disciples were allowed, and with the majority of her social obligations settled for the moment, Ling Qi took advantage to steadily work her way towards Appraisal, the second stage in the third realm, and to cultivate her personal cultivation art, Eight Phase Ceremony. Ling Qi achieved the sixth phase of it, consolidating the boons granted by her second moon patron, Hidden Moon.


    That was not to say that she forgot her upcoming social obligations. During her spiritual meditations, she brought her mind back to the hazy memories of the moon revel and the feeling of being on stage, performing her music for so many. She had to be ready to fulfill her duties at Cai¡¯s upcoming party, and with Sixiang¡¯s occasional murmurs of advice, she found herself gradually growing more confident in her ability to impress her liege¡¯s guests.


    Sadly, she could not spend all of her time cultivating. While she was content with her current contribution points for the moment, the more expendable Sect points in her possession were not something she had in great supply. If she wanted access to the Sect¡¯s best medicines, tutors, and other resources, she would have to pay for them, and so, Ling Qi found herself taking errands, mostly those that involved stealing into a beast¡¯s or spirit¡¯s dwellings and acquiring reagents without doing any harm.


    It was relaxing in its own way, and with every carefully arranged acquisition, she felt her understanding of the Grinning Moon¡¯s lessons sharpening. The joy of the acquisition was a goal in and of itself. Freed of the desperation of her youth, Ling Qi could enjoy the simple rush that came from sneaking into places she was not meant to be.


    In her free moments, Ling Qi cultivated the Argent Genesis art she had been given, and it came easily to her. Where the first Argent cultivation art had prepared the body for the strain of early breakthroughs, the Argent Genesis cultivation art was focused upon building a foundation for the third realm, including a strong domain. Its first level was a preparatory step in that direction.


    For Ling Qi, the thing that felt like the greatest drain on her time was her time searching the archive. The Inner Sect archive, at least the part she had access to, was a sprawling complex with many wings, each one filled to the brim with scrolls, jade slips, and books. There was some arcane method of organization to the thing, fiendishly complex in execution.


    In fact, her first day¡¯s task was just to decipher that organization. The Sect officials presiding over the archive had been irritatingly unhelpful; apparently working out how to find anything in that mess was an unofficial test for new disciples. Still, after several hours of searching through whispering mazes and occasionally quelling a rowdy spirit or two, she finally found her way to the books which described the workings of domains and the modification of arts.


    The subject was far deeper than she had anticipated. Shelf upon towering shelf was dedicated to the minutiae of art development, and there were entire texts full of dense diagrams and equations regarding qi flows and pulses, half of which didn¡¯t even seem to be written in any Imperial dialect she knew. Eventually, she managed to find more friendly texts, by which she meant books that didn¡¯t try to bite her with fangs made of mathematical symbols.


    With those in hand, and the most recalcitrant tomes turned over to archive attendants for quelling, Ling Qi was finally able to begin her study properly. She needed to be at the third step of the green realm to make any progress in art alteration; it simply wasn¡¯t possible to pick out the individual fluctuations in an art¡¯s pattern well enough to make changes before then.


    Each element and concept of an art was a component to its function. They were like the tiny gears in a clockmaker¡¯s construction. The trick was to change the pattern and arrangement of the many components without causing the whole thing to break. The first step was to recognize the exact arrangements and movements of qi that represented the different components.


    It was a meticulous and time-consuming process, and it had uncertain results at low levels of cultivation, but Ling Qi thought there was merit to doing so. However masterful the moon arts were, they were not a complete art suite. Inevitably, she would still have to rely upon the Sect¡¯s archive arts to fill in any gaps in capability, and it was unlikely that such arts would map directly to her style or needs. Art modification could potentially allow her to mold the archive arts to better suit her.


    With that understanding, Ling Qi was able to move on to her secondary objective. Now that the tournament was over, she could clear out arts in her repertoire which were growing outdated or didn¡¯t fit her style. This included the Zephyr¡¯s Breath art, the Argent arts, aside from the cultivation art, and the Abyssal Exhalation art. She was going to seek out arts from the Archive to replace those and to bolster her art suite with capabilities that she now had a need for.


    While searching the archive¡¯s library of arts, Ling Qi had come to realize that Imperial cultivators ran arts to socially perceive connections and bonds between others, just as a cultivator would perceive connections between opponents in battle. Arts like Covetous Wraith¡¯s Yearning, which sought insight from spirits of darkness that clung to existence under the rays of the morning sun, enabled a cultivator to understand the desires and bonds between those in their sight in both the battle and social arena and to influence that desire if they wished. It was interesting, but the art appeared too similar to Lonely Winter Maiden, that art Zeqing had warned her off of for fear of contamination. Besides, while Ling Qi would not forget her roots, she had also seen the dangers of acting too greedily in relationships with her friends.


    Ling Qi also came across some arts that would help bolster her stealth in combat. Of these, she was most taken by the Ephemeral Night¡¯s Memory art, which was inspired by the passing fancies dreamt of in the late hours of the day. The art appeared to sever memory so that even important details, such as the cultivator¡¯s presence, could slip from the opponent¡¯s mind. Ling Qi had used Sable Crescent Step as her stealth art previously, but more and more, it functioned as her combat dodge art, and moreover, it had no techniques to reestablish stealth once she broke out of it to engage in combat.


    Another art that caught her eye was Curious Diviner¡¯s Eye. Apparently intended as a foundation art for divining, it was an art clearly influenced by the seeking nature of the Hidden Moon and a descendant of the arts of the Great Horned Sages. And since the Weilu had fallen, the arts of the Great Diviner had spread far and wide so Curious Diviner¡¯s Eye was likely to have multiple successor arts.


    The last of the arts that attracted her attention was Harmony of the Dancing Winds. This musical art, inspired by the complex dance of winds that brought weather and seasons, taught its cultivator how to see and pluck at the lesser patterns and connections in the world, revealing the web which connected all things.


    Ling Qi picked up jade slip copies of the Ephemeral Night¡¯s Memory, Curious Diviner¡¯s Eye, and Harmony of the Dancing Winds arts. While she didn¡¯t have time yet to cultivate them, perhaps she could in future months. All in all, Ling Qi was quite happy with the Sect¡¯s archives, coming away with three potential arts to introduce into her repertoire.

 Threads Chapter 6

    Ling Qi played, and Ling Qi listened.


    The song was, to her, nothing spectacular. It was one of the many pieces she had composed with Sixiang¡¯s advice over the past month during the idle hours in the early morning when the stellar and moon qi had grown thin but the day¡¯s lessons had not yet begun.


    Sixiang whispered.


    Ling Qi restrained herself from rolling her eyes as her fingers danced along the length of her flute. She thought the song, which was filled with the feelings of looking out over the mist-drenched mountains and the lowlands of the Sect¡¯s nearby surroundings, had turned out well. Not cheerful, perhaps, but she thought she had managed to work in the faint wonder at the sight fairly well.


    Sixiang murmured, humming along in her head.


    Ling Qi agreed. This was a nice compromise between her and Sixiang¡¯s styles. It was still a simple piece though, so she did not need her full attention to play its notes. Instead, she fulfilled the second part of her job.


    While she was far from a master spy, and most of the guests were too well trained in basic caution to let anything truly important slip, there was still plenty of small talk and gossip to be had. She heard who was closed door cultivating, who was rumored to have had good fortune, and who was working on a new technique. While those nuggets of information on her fellow disciples held some passing interest to her, it was the more social rumors she paid more attention to at Cai Renxiang¡¯s request. She learned who was friends with who, who was feuding, and other such frippery.


    She would be glad when this gala was over so that she could write it all down. However, amidst all the idle noise of a noble gathering, there was one thread of information that she found most intriguing.


    Sun Liling was no longer the heir of the Sun family.


    The position had been given over to one of her great-uncles, or so rumor had it. Word was fuzzy on the new heir¡¯s exact relation. The official word was that this was so Sun Liling could focus upon her cultivation without the weight of the position as heir distracting her. Ling Qi wondered what the actual situation was, but she could hardly follow up on it here nor were the disciples likely to have any insider insight on the matter. Still, the disciples were abuzz discussing the rumor, even if it was all useless speculation.


    Soon, her current piece came to an end, and Ling Qi stood, offering a bow to the gathered disciples to the sound of scattered, polite applause. As she raised her head, she met the eyes of the performer who would be taking her turn next, giving Ling Qi a chance to have a breather and mingle a bit.


    ¡°Senior Sister Bian,¡± she greeted the girl who had once tutored her.


    ¡°A lovely performance, Junior Sister Ling,¡± the pretty, older girl replied, her smile hidden behind her veil. The Bian oversaw the rolling fertile hills formed by the capital city¡¯s roots and were a direct vassal clan to the Cai. As such, she had aligned herself firmly with Cai Renxiang. ¡°Will you allow me the stage for a time?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Senior Sister,¡± Ling Qi replied with a smile that wasn¡¯t wholly false. The girl was nice enough when it came down to it, even if she didn¡¯t know her very well.


    Stepping down from the raised stage, Ling Qi wove her way into the crowd as the older girl¡¯s rich voice began to ring out. Bian Ya was doing a series of poetry readings, if Ling Qi remembered the plan for the evening correctly.


    Sixiang huffed.


    Ling Qi thought, earning a jab of playful irritation from the muse in her thoughts before the spirit¡¯s attention shifted away. She turned her attention to the refreshments, interested in getting something to drink before seeking out some company to unwind. She still had another performance to give later in the evening.


    As she approached the refreshments table on the far side of the room however, she found her path blocked. Well, perhaps it was inaccurate to say blocked, more like the path was impeded. Ling Qi was growing used to this tactic being used on her when a noble wished to ensure a conversation with her. She would have to rudely brush past to ignore the young man in front of her, which, of course, she could not do. So, she slowed her pace as she approached, just like a proper lady.


    ¡°Junior Sister Ling,¡± the young man greeted with a mild dip of his shaved head. ¡°A fine performance indeed. You shame musicians years your elder.¡±


    Ling Qi searched her memory for his face. Middling height, fairly handsome, expensive green robes embroidered with plant imagery, and eyes that reminded her of¡­ That was it. A peek at his aura, a still lake underlaid with a faint poisonous scent, confirmed it.


    ¡°Senior Brother Wen,¡± she greeted back, bowing her head a bit lower than he had, as was appropriate since Wen was both her senior and a count scion. ¡°You are too kind.¡±


    Ling Qi only vaguely recalled her previous conversation with him. Wen Cao, an older brother of Wen Ai, had been one of the well wishers at the ceremony following the tournament. It had been nothing but pleasantries and hadn¡¯t stood out to her then, except for the fact that he was related to someone she didn¡¯t much care for.


    ¡°And you are too modest, Junior Sister,¡± he said, turning and moving from her path. It allowed them both to proceed toward the refreshments. He had a smooth sort of voice, the kind that old instincts made her instinctively distrust. ¡°How have you found the Inner Sect so far?¡±


    ¡°I will accept Senior Brother¡¯s praise then,¡± she replied evenly, pulling on her experience with Meizhen¡¯s demeanor. The aloofness was much easier for her to pull off than Gu Xiulan¡¯s style of chatting. ¡°I have enjoyed the Inner Sect so far. It seems a much more stable environment than the Outer Sect.¡±


    ¡°The Outer Sect is somewhat uncivilized, isn¡¯t it?¡± Wen Cao mused as they reached the table. ¡°Such is tradition though. It does do its job of weeding out the unready.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded agreeably as she accepted a cup from the server, one of the Sect staff made available for this kind of event. She restrained a grimace at the scent; it was some kind of fruity drink. She vaguely recalled Cai Renxiang mentioning that this particular drink was popular in Celestial Peaks. A sip confirmed her thoughts. Too sweet.


    ¡°I expect the Inner Sect will grow more exciting once challenges resume,¡± she said politely. ¡°Does Senior Brother Wen have any advice in that regard?¡± She still had no idea what he wanted. The Wen¡¯s land sat across a major southern pass in Ebon Rivers, so maybe he was just doing the standard tactic of buttering up Cai Renxiang through her subordinates.


    ¡°Challenges are an interesting mechanism,¡± the Wen scion replied, weighing his own cup in his hand. ¡°Given the unusual talent of your graduating class, you are somewhat more secure than the usual newcomers. I would suggest accepting the first few challenges which come your way. Proving your mettle will reduce frivolous attempts.¡±


    ¡°I will keep your advice in mind, Senior Brother,¡± she said.


    He gave a shallow nod, looking back into the crowd. ¡°Have you kept an eye on Junior Brother Yan, Junior Sister?¡±


    Ling Qi blinked at the seeming non-sequitur. She had taken a glance or two his way over the month, but Yan Renshu seemed like an outright shut-in. She suspected the disciple was still rebuilding that ¡°face¡± puppet of his that had been destroyed in the raid she had participated in with Cai Renxiang and Gan Guangli.


    ¡°I had hoped that the grudge between us was laid to rest. He has not made to cause any trouble with me,¡± she answered.


    Wen Cao hummed. ¡°How merciful of you, Junior Sister. Appropriate for a retainer of the Cai.¡± Ling Qi controlled her urge to narrow her eyes; she felt like he was subtly taking a jab at her. ¡°I would warn you, however, that Junior Brother Yan is a petty and vindictive man, as I am sure you know. I implore you to keep an eye upon him.¡±


    This conversation was very strange. Why would a count scion, seemingly praised for his genius at cultivation, focus so much on a random incoming disciple? They weren¡¯t even competing in the same arena; Wen was no crafter. A fragment of a memory came to her. Hadn¡¯t Fu Xiang mentioned that Yan Renshu had been ruined his first year for offending a scion of the Wen?


    ¡°Senior Brother¡¯s concern is welcome. I will, of course, remain cautious. Bai Meizhen did teach me something of how enemies are to be treated,¡± she said coolly.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Wen Cao asked with a charming smile. ¡°Then there is little to worry about. If you require advice on the matter, do seek me out. I would be glad to aid a retainer of the Cai.¡±


    ¡°Junior Sister Ling thanks Senior Brother Wen for the offer,¡± she replied.


    ¡°I am glad,¡± he said, giving a brief bow. ¡°If you will excuse me then, Junior Sister Ling.¡± Wen Cao moved off into the crowd after she had murmured the proper pleasantry back


    Ling Qi looked into the crowd. Hah, she had gotten through that without coaching from Sixiang. She was learning. Still, she would rather find someone more familiar to talk to before she got roped into another polite back and forth.


    Scanning the crowd, she glimpsed Gu Xiulan chatting with a rather cornered-looking Shen Hu near the rear wall of the great cloth pavilion the party was taking place in. The scruffy boy had cleaned up somewhat, Ling Qi noted as she began to weave through the crowd to reach them. His tangled, twig-strewn hair looked like it had recently had a comb pulled through it, and the great majority was tied back behind his head with a ribbon. He also seemed to have acquired a shirt somewhere, unfortunately.


    She didn¡¯t pay much more attention to the boy¡¯s simple brown and green clothing because Xiulan drew her attention more. Her friend had another new gown of course, but there was a surprising, notable shift in the gown¡¯s color scheme. Xiulan¡¯s old red and gold favorites remained at the hems and in the embroidery, but she seemed to have chosen a garment with electric blue and white for today¡¯s outing.


    From the back, Ling Qi could also see that Xiulan wasn¡¯t wearing her veil. Unsure of what to think, Ling Qi peered beneath the veil of the physical, only to nearly flinch. Xiulan blazed like the noonday sun, a blinding core of blue-white heat beyond any simple fire shining in her senses, but all the same, it seemed less wild and more contained than last she had seen the girl. Ling Qi grinned as she let the vision fade. Her friend had fully broken through into the third realm.


    ¡°Xiulan!¡± Ling Qi called as she approached. ¡°I am so glad you could make it!¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t miss the look of relief Shen Hu gave her as Xiulan turned around. Here, too, was another surprise. The ugly black scars which had lined XIulan¡¯s face had.. changed. The marks had faded to a pale blue shade that only stood out lightly from her pale skin, smoothing out and gaining a patterned look. At a first glance, they were barely visible, but upon a second examination, it seemed almost like the lines of a fearsome war paint.


    ¡°Ling Qi,¡± her friend greeted, preening under the attention. The confident smirk that Xiulan had worn in their early interactions was now back after a long absence. ¡°I see you have finally come to an accord with Lady Cai on your role in this sort of thing.¡±


    ¡°It was my lady¡¯s suggestion,¡± Ling Qi replied with a grin of her own. It felt good to see Xiulan without the edge of desperation which had colored the last few months before the New Year¡¯s Tournament to enter the Inner Sect. ¡°But I enjoyed the results. What did you think, Shen Hu?¡± she asked, not wanting to be rude by shutting him out from the conversation.


    ¡°It was a pretty song,¡± the boy said with an agreeable nod. ¡°It really made me want to explore those mountains too.¡±


    Xiulan blinked, glancing back at him with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Oh? What do you mean, Sect Brother?¡±


    He looked back with confusion and a hint of wariness. ¡°... The song. It was about the mountains south of here, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It was,¡± Ling Qi agreed, surprised. Her music was an expression of thoughts and feelings, but she was still surprised that Shen Hu had been paying enough attention to actually read her intent beneath the trappings of physical sound. ¡°I¡¯m flattered that you were paying such close attention.¡±


    Gu Xiulan let out an amused laugh. ¡°Hmph, is that why you were so distracted from our conversation, Sect Brother Shen?¡± she asked sweetly. ¡°Entranced by my friend''s song?¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes met Shen Hu¡¯s over the shorter girl¡¯s head, and she saw the recognition there. Good. He knew a trap when he heard it.


    ¡°It was good,¡± Shen Hu said honestly. ¡°I just didn¡¯t know what to say about your match, Sect Sister.¡±


    ¡°What were you two talking about?¡± Ling Qi asked, deciding to intervene before Xiulan could needle him further. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you two knew each other.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I was only curious,¡± Xiulan replied, giving her an amused look that told Ling Qi that she was fully aware of the byplay. ¡°We were speaking of the tournament, and I was interested as to his presence at this party. This hardly seems like your kind of venue, Sect Brother.¡±


    Shen Hu glanced away, scratching at his collar uncomfortably. ¡°Well, Grandad was a woodsman before Dad got the title to our village. So, I¡¯m not sure how a lot of this goes. Aren¡¯t I supposed to make nice with the boss¡¯ daughter and show up when I get invited?¡±


    Gu Xiulan let out a musical laugh, and Ling Qi gave her a quelling look. ¡°I mentioned you to Lady Cai,¡± Ling Qi explained. ¡°You said your family¡¯s land was in Emerald Seas, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh, thank you.¡± Shen Hu bobbed his head awkwardly but respectfully.


    ... Ling Qi felt like her expectations for what new baronial clans should be like had been skewed.


    ¡°How kind of you, Qi,¡± Xiulan said slyly. ¡°Why-¡±


    ¡°So, since you¡¯ve broken through, what are your plans going forward, Xiulan?¡± LIng Qi overrode her before the girl could start teasing, earning an irritated huff.


    ¡°My first goal is to challenge for a more appropriate rank as soon as we¡¯re allowed to issue them,¡± Xiulan announced without shame, earning her more than one look from those nearby. ¡°Without my handicap, my current one is far too low. What of you?¡±


    Ling Qi studiously did not look at the withered arm Gu Xiulan held close to her side, wrapped in crimson linen and smelling faintly of smoke through her perfume. ¡°I am not certain yet. I¡¯ve received my pass to train with my mentor on the Outer Sect Mountain, so I think I¡¯ll spend some time with her,¡± Ling Qi answered.


    Although the cultivation sites which she had trained at during her time in the Outer Sect were, by Sect regulation, unavailable to her, Zeqing had apparently agreed to train Ling Qi at her home on the mountain peak, the Origin Temple of Winter¡¯s Muse.


    ¡°You have a mentor in the Outer Sect? How does that work?¡± Shen Hu asked, sounding befuddled.


    ¡°She¡¯s not a disciple. She¡¯s the spirit that lives at the mountain peak,¡± Ling Qi explained.


    Shen Hu blinked. Then, his eyes widened in recognition. ¡°Oh, wow. No wonder that song you used on me in the preliminaries sounded familiar.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Qi certainly knows how to acquire¡­ exotic resources,¡± Xiulan said, only a tiny edge of jealousy reaching her voice. ¡°What of you, Sect Brother? Your plans?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. I¡¯d like to explore, but I need to find people to fight if I am going to polish my arts,¡± he answered bluntly. ¡°I got rusty fighting nothing but beasts last year.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind sparring with you, if you recall my offer,¡± Ling Qi reminded him, earning a smirk from Xiulan. ¡°But I haven¡¯t filed for permission yet.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right. We have to do that in the Inner Sect.¡± He grimaced. ¡°It¡¯s a pain, but if we have to.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve gotten bold,¡± Xiulan sighed, looking at Ling Qi. ¡°They grow up so fast.¡±


    Ling Qi rolled her eyes. She hadn¡¯t been that bad.


    Sixiang drawled.


    Ling Qi thought irritably, giving the spirit a mental swat. The last thing she needed was to get teased both externally and internally. Not letting her annoyance reach her face, Ling Qi gave Gu Xiulan a challenging look.


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel left out, Xiulan. I¡¯ve made sure to ask for permission to spar with you too,¡± she said sweetly, meeting the other girls gaze head-on.


    ¡°How forward!¡± Xiulan laughed, masking the sound behind her frilly sleeve. Xiulan really could pull off that high class laugh in a way that Ling Qi couldn¡¯t. ¡°I shall look forward to the challenge - if you believe you are up to it. Perhaps I might even join the two of you!¡±


    Shen Hu was looking vaguely worried again, like a hunter observing a pair of dangerous beasts. ¡°... Well, thanks, Sect Sister Ling,¡± he said awkwardly. ¡°I should probably, uh, go meet more people though. See you later?¡±


    ¡°Yes, later.¡± Ling Qi sighed, ducking her head respectfully as the boy practically darted away into the crowd. She turned a gimlet eye back to XIulan then. ¡°You went and scared him off,¡± she accused.


    ¡°Oh, I can tell his type, A taciturn warrior, his mind wholly focused upon the tides of battle,¡± she said with a smirk. ¡°And weak to a mere flutter of eyelashes. Shy even, one could say. Best to break him of it. Quickly.¡±


    ¡°You just like watching people squirm,¡± Ling Qi said dryly. She took another sip of her all-but-forgotten cup and restrained another grimace at the sweetness of the orange liquid.


    ¡°There is nothing wrong in taking enjoyment out of favors done,¡± Xiulan replied with a sniff.


    Ling Qi rolled her eyes, but now that they were left alone, she let her expression grow more serious. ¡°Xiulan, are you doing well?¡± she asked in a low voice.


    Her friend¡¯s eyes flashed with affronted pride, but it faded quickly. ¡°I am,¡± she replied bluntly. ¡°My path is clear once again.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°Do you-¡±


    Sixiang whispered.


    Gu Xiulan followed her gaze to the stage and gestured dismissively. ¡°Be off with you then. This is your glory, is it not?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t quite put it like that,¡± Ling Qi said dryly. ¡°Tomorrow, Xiulan?¡±


    ¡°I will look forward to it, Qi,¡± her friend replied. Ling Qi offered a shallow bow of gratitude and turned away.


    There was a performance to finish.

 Threads Chapter 7-The Bloody Dream 1

    Ling Qi grinned as talons of black diamond ruffled her hair with the wind of their passing, and she faded back into the mist, eyes locked on her opponent.


    Shen Hu doggedly followed her trail, eyes aglow with the colors of sunset, but he soon found himself lost in the mist again. Ling Qi was helping Shen Hu hone an interesting new technique in this spar. As Ling Qi circled him, casually playing her melody, she once again felt the brush of his qi as another pulse washed over the field they were sparring in. This time, the half-formed technique didn¡¯t slide off of her, and the warm, placid qi stuck.


    Shen Hu¡¯s faintly glowing eyes immediately snapped to her, his right hand whipping up, and the talons he had been striking at her with broke away from his gauntlet with a sound like shattering glass, launching three gemstone daggers her way. Ling Qi twisted in response, smoothly avoiding the first two, while the third flew through her suddenly phantasmal shoulder, trailing black mist.


    ¡°Looks like you got it down,¡± Ling Qi said, lowering her flute and straightening up.


    ¡°Seems like it,¡± Shen Hu said with a satisfied grin, coming out of his combat stance.


    Sixiang snorted, amused.


    Ling Qi chided in her thoughts. If Shen Hu wanted to maintain the pretense that his second spirit didn¡¯t exist, she wasn¡¯t going to be rude and press the matter. Out loud, she said, ¡°You¡¯re getting better at working the throws into your style too.¡±


    ¡°Not good enough though,¡± he grumbled as his gauntlets crumbled into sparkling dust. ¡°The big attacks are too draining, but the little ones are still too slow and awkward.¡±


    ¡°Or I¡¯m just too fast,¡± Ling Qi replied just a little cockily. Xiulan was a bad influence on her.


    ¡°Or you¡¯re just too fast,¡± he echoed agreeably. ¡°Your qi just never runs out, does it? How did you cultivate it so much?¡±


    ¡°You know I can¡¯t answer that,¡± Ling Qi said wryly, waving away the last dissolving strands of mist, allowing the morning sun to once again shine down on the grassy field. The four stone pillars sitting at the corners slowly stopped humming as the formations carved into their surface powered down with the qi of the battle fading. She had to hand it to the Sect. Training fields that blocked any outside observation beneath the fourth realm were a great salve to her paranoia.


    ¡°I guess so,¡± Shen Hu said. ¡°Did you want to practice hitting me with something? I kinda feel like I¡¯m taking advantage.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m working on defense. Avoiding your attacks is enough,¡± Ling Qi dismissed. While she was nearing mastery of another stage of her Sable Crescent Step art, she also felt like her improvement was slowing down when it came to her mundane ability to avoid attacks.


    Sixiang commented.


    ¡°If you say so,¡± Shen Hu said, stretching his arms above his head before falling back into a combat stance. ¡°So no mist this time?¡±


    ¡°No mist,¡± Ling Qi agreed, not quite looking at him. Xiulan really had infected her. Shen Hu could be distracting at times. ¡°It¡¯d defeat the point if you had to spend half of your time finding me.¡±


    Shen Hu nodded, and Ling Qi let her meridians flood with dark qi. She wouldn¡¯t let herself slow down now. Besides, sparring was more relaxing than most of her other responsibilities.


    ***


    Between keeping up with her friends and now trying to make a new one, Ling Qi found that she had a very thin line to walk. She needed to reach Appraisal, the second stage of the green realm as quickly as possible. Not only would it safely allow her to use more green spirit stones and improve her base cultivation, it would also allow her to finally master many of her arts and begin working on the foundation of her domain in earnest.


    Paradoxically, she found herself having to put off cultivation as she entered her second month in Inner Sect in order to improve it later. The reason was simple. The only thing she had truly lost upon entering the Inner Sect was the diversity of qi loci, cultivation sites, which she had discovered on the Outer Sect mountain last year. Her mentor¡¯s home was a powerful focus of course, albeit one that she had limited access to, and the argent vent in her Inner Sect residence was generally useful, but still, she found herself slowed in several areas with the lack of proper cultivation sites for some of her elements.


    Ling Qi put to use the map of the Sect she had been given by Xin to discover new ones. She surprised herself when she ended up inviting Shen Hu along to help her push through the wilds to investigate the locations on the map, but he had said that he was interested in exploring during Cai¡¯s party last month.


    Ling Qi still remembered her trouble with something as simple as bringing Su Ling to search for sites with her and Li Suyin. Had it only really been just a year? She really had changed since those days.


    Shen Hu went along with her pretty easily, not even asking to see the map. She supposed that made sense though. If he had already intended to explore randomly on his own, what would it hurt to follow her lead?


    Their first foray turned into more of a hunting trip. The location she had chosen from the map was practically overrun with beasts. It was a nesting ground for Hundred Year Cicadas, and after a few hours of swatting fist-sized bugs with oversized jaws out of the air, Ling Qi had gotten frustrated and just flooded the grove with mist. Her companion had taken care of the underground nests. Whatever site might have been there originally was gone, its qi drained away by the insects, but the creatures¡¯ cores and wings could be sold for a small sum, so the visit wasn¡¯t totally pointless.


    ... They probably would have gotten more if her mist phantasms hadn¡¯t shredded so many of them.


    Their next foray was a lot more fun. Hunting a pair of Stonetusk Boars felt like actual hunting, and it was even a challenge with them limiting themselves to art-less combat.


    More importantly, the locations her map had guided her to still contained a couple of cultivation sites. The first was a convergence of several small streams, rich in water qi, which could serve as a nice meditation spot for some of her water arts. The second was even better. The stand of tall oak trees, planted in a complex pattern that turned out to be a qi-gathering formation, would be helpful with mastering her lone wood art, Thousand Ring Fortress, and assist in physical cultivation.


    It was on the third and final foray that Ling Qi would be able to make this month that they found something odd. This location had been marked by a rearing stag with a moon disc held in its antlers on the map granted by the Hidden Moon. The symbol had given her a sense of danger, but there was no risk without reward.


    ¡°It smells like smoke,¡± Shen Hu said from below her, rubbing irritably at his nose as he peered down into the valley that lay before them.


    Ling Qi was perched on a low tree branch, giving her a better vantage point. The area appeared like any other valley between the high hills, lush and green with a lazily winding ribbon of blue running through its center. Yet¡­


    She agreed. It did smell like smoke, even with not a spark in sight.


    ¡°There¡¯s no fire qi in the air or the ground,¡± Ling Qi said with a frown. ¡°Can Lanhua feel anything?¡±


    Shen Hu glanced down at the carpet of rippling mud beneath his feet; most of his spirit¡¯s mass was merged with the earth, but she remained somewhat visible. ¡°Nothing,¡± he said. ¡°She can¡¯t feel anything bigger than mice and bugs.¡±


    This was alarming in its own right. A fertile valley like this should be heavily populated by spirits and beasts. she asked.


    She felt the odd prickling sensation of the dream spirit pushing their presence out through all of her senses.


    Ling Qi narrowed her eyes at the seemingly peaceful valley.


    Sixiang let out a tsk.


    she thought irritably.


    Ling Qi felt like the muse was shrugging. they drawled.


    ¡°Sorry. I was just lost in thought,¡± Ling Qi said, shooting Shen Hu an apologetic look. It probably looked like she had just spaced out.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± he replied. ¡°What do you think? I could head in with Lanhua. I doubt anything will take us out in one shot if it¡¯s a trap.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a trap exactly,¡± Ling Qi began slowly as Sixiang fed her more information. ¡°It¡¯s more like... this valley is part way into a dream?¡± She felt Sixiang¡¯s approving nod. ¡°So we can¡¯t sense things inside from outside.¡±


    Shen Hu cupped his chin thoughtfully, but she saw a spark of excitement in his brown eyes. ¡°Oh? I¡¯ve never fought in a dream before.¡± He furrowed his brow. ¡°Well, not that I remember anyway. Are you coming in?¡±


    Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help but roll her eyes at his eagerness. This guy. He would go in with nothing but his spirit beast and not a single scrap of information. Of course, she couldn¡¯t say she was any better. She hated wasting time. There was never really any question as to whether she would brave whatever was ahead.


    ¡°Yes, I will. Bring Lanhua up. You¡¯ll need to be my cover.¡±


    He accepted that so easily, she mused, as great torrents of mud rose to engulf him until Lanhua¡¯s lumpy, marsh reed-covered head rose to her level. The spirit looked at Ling Qi with her pit-like eyes and let out a bubbling rumble.


    ¡°I¡¯ll cover you both. I promise,¡± LIng Qi replied. Really, the mud spirit was the more sensible out of the two of them.


    Making a sound like a gathering mudslide, Lanhua began to tramp down the hill into the valley, and Ling Qi followed, fading into the shadows of the canopy as she hopped from branch to branch soundlessly.


    The moment that they entered the range of the memory was obvious. One moment, they were standing under a bright noonday sun, and the next, they were under a night sky, and the forest was burning. Lurid light made the cool dark of night into a mockery of day, and plumes of smoke rose into the sky, framing a sullen, crimson crescent moon.


    From all around, the sounds of combat rang out. The crack of shattering trees reached their ears, and the earth shook underfoot from terrible blows. Yet those distant things could not draw her attention because in front of Ling Qi¡¯s eyes, a battle raged.


    An earthshaking bellow rang in her ears as a titanic spirit struck the ground with its branch-like arms. It was as if one of the ancient trees of the deeper forest had uprooted itself and been reshaped into the vague outline of a man. Its burning canopy rose more than ten meters into the night sky, and below that was a visage like a caricature of an old man with knothole eyes and a beard of moss and lichen, flickering with embers. It had an apeish gait with too long arms and short legs.


    At the spirit¡¯s feet, its foe darted in a blur. It was a man taller than any human Ling Qi had ever seen save Cai Shenhua. He wore a flowing and resplendent emerald robe marked by soot and blood. In his hands was a spear of polished bronze, and from his head sprouted a pair of horns parting his long brown hair. His red eyes burned with fury as his darting spear punctured the spirit¡¯s hide of bark again and again, seemingly to little effect.


    His eyes fell upon Shen Hu and Lanhua then, and hope lit in them. ¡°Soldiers! This prince requires your aid. Aid in striking down this mad beast that I might go to my father¡¯s side!¡± he shouted while avoiding a thunderous blow that sent dozens of hungry, grasping roots writhing up from the ground to grasp and tear at the hems of his robe.


    Before Ling Qi or Shen Hu could respond, the tree spirit let out a furious howl that sent a shiver down her spine. ¡°You dare, Oathbreaker!¡± Its words were foreign, a slow, consonant-heavy speech, but Ling Qi found she could understand it. ¡°Begone, children of river and hill! We have no quarrel!¡±


    Ling Qi heard Sixiang say something in her thoughts, but it was muffled and unintelligible. Shen Hu glanced in her direction, his face protruding from Lanhua¡¯s chest, confused and searching for guidance.


    It really was like a dream. She had no context for this fight, no idea what was going on. Nothing made sense.

 Threads Chapter 8

    Ling Qi¡¯s thoughts raced. Neither of these people were real; that much was obvious. So what mattered more here was what she wanted from the dream. She couldn¡¯t be sure, but the brooding moon overhead made this seem like some kind of test. What would the Bloody Moon be looking for?


    It was frustrating, so frustrating that she had so little information to base her decision on. Her first instinct was just to retreat and seek some context, but that didn¡¯t feel right. Hadn¡¯t she learned the need to be decisive?


    Ling Qi couldn¡¯t quite put her finger on it, but something about the prince set her on edge. There was a certain desperation and anger in the prince¡¯s demeanor. Going by his swift movements, he wasn¡¯t being held here against his will. He obviously wanted this fight, or he could have escaped by now. That wasn¡¯t really enough for her to side against him; it wasn¡¯t as if she weren¡¯t aware of the stubborn pride cultivators could have.


    It was enough to make her hesitate though, and in that moment of hesitation, she saw the prince¡¯s back as he spun to avoid a swing of the tree spirit¡¯s fist. There, embroidered upon the back of his robe, was an image she recognized from the history books. It was the sigil of the Weilu clan, a yin and yang symbol with a sun and moon replacing the usual dots. However, the sigil was defaced with the stitching depicting the moon hurriedly torn out and stitched over with some archaic character that she couldn¡¯t read.


    Well, she thought, glancing up at the sullen red crescent in the sky, that made things a little easier. Even if this wasn¡¯t really about the Bloody Moon, she could hardly be expected to side against her patron, right?


    Ling Qi sank into the shadow of the tree she was perched on. Becoming a shadow always felt strange. The sense of formlessness and dislocation and her senses fading to a sharp monochrome had been disorienting at first, but she was well used to the technique now. Of course, she was only distracting herself from her next action; there was only one way to signal Shen Hu without sacrificing the advantage of her stealth.


    Despite knowing that this scene before her was essentially a historical play told through illusion, albeit one that she and Shen Hu could participate in, Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy at her plan to actually attack another human - a potential forefather of Imperial citizens... Hopefully, he would be sensible enough to retreat once it became clear he was outnumbered. There was no way someone of such apparent high status would lack an escape talisman.


    Yes, Ling Qi thought as she sank into the prince¡¯s shadow, no more substantial than a wraith, they would drive him off, and then she could interrogate the tree spirit to find out what was going on. To that end, she would have to do enough damage to spook him. Ling Qi felt the chill of a frozen winter spread through her insubstantial form.


    A chill wind blew, and a circle of frost spread from the shadow where Ling Qi hid. The young man¡¯s eyes widened, but it was too late. The frozen notes of the Hoarfrost Caress rang out as Ling Qi resolved back into her physical form, flute raised. The icy qi crashed down over him. IThe horned prince was immediately sheathed in viridian light, qi like the bark of a millenial tree absorbing the baleful frost of her technique before shattering into shards of dissolving light.


    He spun in a blur, the head of his spear blazing like a comet, and struck. Ling Qi barely recognized the attack before the point struck her dead in the center of the chest with a muffled boom of displaced air¡­


    Only to skitter harmlessly to the side with a shriek like a thousand axe blades digging into the core of an ancient tree. The prince¡¯s eyes widened, first in confusion and then in building outrage, but as Ling Qi began to ghost backward, light steps carrying her back out of the range of his spear, a fist the size of his torso slammed into his side and sent him flying to crash against one of the massive trees that lined the clearing.


    To his credit, the prince landed on his feet as he fell from the crater in the ancient bark. The right side of his robe was wet with blood where the thorny spikes on the tree spirit¡¯s fist had dug into his side.


    ¡°Miserable assassin,¡± he hissed. ¡°Did your elders pluck that art from the corpses of my brothers?¡±


    Ling Qi hesitated at the look in his eyes, a mix of pain and hate in his gaze even as she let the chill of her Grinning Crescent Dancer technique spread through her meridians. His attention was forced from her as the tree spirit let out a bellow and the ground upon which he stood was engulfed in a gout ofashy flames.


    ¡°You!¡± the prince shouted as he bounded from the branch he had leapt to to avoid the flames. Lanhua¡¯s heavy stride made it clear who he was speaking to. ¡°Hold the assassin-!¡±


    Whatever he was going to say next was interrupted by a volley of jagged black crystals that tore through his robe and drew flares of green qi where they sliced across skin. The prince crashed to the ground heavily, driven back by the barrage, once again thrown off-balance. ¡°Why?!¡± he cried.


    The prince rolled to the side to avoid spearing roots that rose from beneath his feet, but Ling Qi was already waiting for him. Bad feeling or not, they were committed now. She flickered into existence behind the prince, leaving him encircled by the three of them, and the fires burning nearby died as she played her song once again, forcing the prince to expend the power of his own Deepwood Vitality technique.


    The roaring tree spirit closed to melee range, Shen Hu joining the assault as he charged from Lanhua, who was sinking into the earth. The prince parried the attacks with unearthly speed, the whole of his spear aglow and leaving afterimages in its wake as he was driven back by pounding fists and flashing claws.


    Even against two opponents though, the prince wasn¡¯t helpless. With skill that Ling Qi suspected even Sun Liling would envy, spinning parries became strikes that hit with the force of a heavenly bolt, ripping wide furrows in the tree spirit¡¯s bark and sending up clouds of ashen sawdust. The wounds wept boiling sap, and more than once, Ling Qi had to avoid their spray as she danced around the perimeter of the battle, striking with cold and frost wherever there was an opening.


    Why wasn¡¯t he escaping? Ling Qi restrained herself from unleashing her mist; she didn¡¯t want to trap him. But the prince continued to fight, striking out against the tree spirit almost exclusively, despite the venomous glances she caught thrown her way when the tides of battle allowed their eyes to meet.


    As the battle dragged on and the ground beneath their feet turned into a slurry of sucking mud, slowing the prince still further, Ling Qi considered whether she should use her mist anyway. Using Hoarfrost Caress so many times was a drain on her qi reserves, and no doubt she would still be required to use more.


    However, as she considered changing melodies, she felt something on the edge of her senses approaching at an unhurried pace. It was a presence that had a terrible weight to it, a thing of baying hounds and bloodied silver spears borne under the moon. But for all that the qi she felt was incredibly potent, comparable to Zeqing at least, it still felt truncated, as if the greater part of it were missing somehow.


    It was obvious that the others felt it too. The tree spirit let out a guffaw of delight, and the prince went pale under the ash now streaking his face. ¡°No¡­¡± he breathed out.


    ¡°Ho, not ready to face the King, Oathbreaker? You will suffer the fate of traitors!¡± the burning tree gloated.


    ¡°That murderer is no king!¡± the prince snarled, slamming the butt of his spear into Shen Hu¡¯s chest, splattering mud in every direction as he skidded back. A patch of burning brambles erupted from the fertile mud beneath his feet, and his blurring spear carved them to pieces. She saw the prince tense, wind qi gathering in his legs, and their eyes met. She could have hit him then, perhaps interrupted his escape technique, but she did not. A windstorm erupted, and Ling Qi shielded her eyes as the gale that burst forth extinguished fires all around them and drove them all back.


    When she next opened her eyes, the prince was gone.


    ¡°So he fled. Pointless,¡± the tree spirit rumbled before turning his attention to them. ¡°That was foolish. But Vengeance-of-Burning-Grove thanks you nonetheless.¡± The tree seemed unbothered by the massive wounds scouring its limbs and torso.


    Shen Hu gave her a sidelong look, indicating that he had questions for her, but he bowed respectfully to the tree spirit. ¡°I¡¯m just a humble guard, your lordship,¡± he said. ¡°Just following Miss Ling¡¯s lead.¡±


    Her eyebrow twitched. That was true, but also, it was kind of unfair to dump all the responsibility on her, wasn¡¯t it?


    Ling Qi pasted on a smile as the tree spirit turned to her with a look of thoughtful examination. ¡°I had been on a journey through the southern mountains and returned to find this battle. Sir Vengeance, I could not aid one who would deface his clan¡¯s sigil so. Please tell me what is happening.¡±


    Lying on the spot like this was a skill she had grown rusty in, unneeded as it had been for most of the last year, but thankfully, the tree seemed to believe her. She couldn¡¯t ask Sixiang for help since Sixiang¡¯s voice was now a muffled buzz; it sounded like they were arguing with someone. Also, that presence was still approaching, although at a strangely slow speed as if its source were merely on a casual stroll.


    ¡°There is no need to honor this old husk,¡± the tree rumbled. ¡°Vengeance-of-Burning-Grove was born only days ago and shall be gone before the next cycle of the moon. The traitors sought to destroy these woods and deny them to their foes. My purpose is only to ensure that they pay for that attempt.¡±


    Ling Qi shared a look with Shen Hu as the faint sound of baying hounds reached her ears. ¡°What caused their betrayal?¡± she asked delicately.


    ¡°Human matters,¡± the tree answered shortly. ¡°The traitor sought to break old ties, and with the old Patriarch¡¯s death, his meddling is no longer tolerated. Too long have we suffered for the Oathbreakers¡¯ gain. They refused to kneel, and so the King will bring them to heel.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Ling Qi said uncomfortably. That seemed simple enough, but¡­


    ¡°You may wish to get hence, little shadow,¡± Vengeance-of-Burning-Grove said, not unkindly. ¡°Aided me you have, but to meet the King of the Forest under the light of the red moon is a dangerous thing.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your kind advice,¡± Ling Qi replied, looking to Shen Hu and gesturing for him to follow her. They retreated a fair distance, and the tree spirit turned away, looking toward the source of the unsettling aura.


    ¡°Why were you holding back?¡± Shen Hu asked once they were out of easy earshot. A thought from Ling Qi kicked up the wind in such a way that their voices would not carry far.


    ¡°I was second-guessing myself,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°I sided with the tree because I saw the defaced sigil and figured we should side against traitors, right?¡±


    ¡°Sounds right,¡± Shen Hu agreed.


    ¡°It¡¯s just - I don¡¯t know when we are, so I don¡¯t know who is right. Maybe the traitors win, and we¡¯re actually fighting the people we should be siding with.¡± Ling Qi didn¡¯t voice her more emotive concerns, but going by the uneasy look Shen Hu gave to the north where the ¡°King¡¯s¡± continued approach was snuffing out flames in a widening circle of inky darkness, she didn¡¯t need to.


    ¡°This is confusing,¡± Shen Hu complained, glancing down as the mud at his feet began to bubble. ¡°It¡¯s just a dream, right? Like those illusion formations the elders use for tests.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ling Qi answered. ¡°Problem is, we don¡¯t know what the test wants.¡±


    Shen Hu was silent. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you were wrong to make the choice you did, and I don¡¯t know how to figure it out. Maybe it¡¯s like you said, and we have it backwards. But I think there¡¯s something we can do to keep it simple.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What¡¯s that?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°We see if there are any settlements around,¡± Shen Hu replied, gesturing to the battle-torn forest. ¡°All of this fighting - if there are people around, they gotta be scared out of their minds. And besides, anyone attacking civilians is obviously the bad guy, right?¡±


    ¡°... and if there aren¡¯t?¡± Ling Qi asked, dubious. ¡°No one lives here in the future.¡±


    He frowned. ¡°Then I guess we just ask that King guy what he wants us to do. We already sided with him by helping the tree.¡±


    Ling Qi sighed. They did have pretty limited options. Dropping her screen of wind, she called out to the tree spirit. ¡°Vengeance-of-Burning-Grove! Are there any human settlements nearby?¡±


    Creaking and crackling, the tree spirit turned to look at her. ¡°South of here, there is a stream. Follow it, and you will find a nest.¡±


    She glanced at Shen Hu, who shrugged. ¡°You know where I¡¯m going then. Guys like me don¡¯t have any business with this high up stuff.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to stay here,¡± Ling Qi decided.


    She felt uneasy about her choice, separating from Shen Hu in this dream and staying to meet the frightening presence that approached.


    ¡°You sure?¡± Shen Hu asked without judgement.


    ¡°I am. I might not be there yet¡­ but dealing with the ¡®high up stuff¡¯ is going to be part of my job some day,¡± Ling Qi said dryly. ¡°Can I talk you into staying?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he replied, shaking his head. ¡°It¡¯d be pointless. I can¡¯t do anything here.¡±


    Ling Qi huffed, feeling put out. ¡°Some bodyguard you are.¡±


    Shen Hu looked at her in confusion. ¡°That was a lie though,¡± he said, befuddled. ¡°You¡¯re probably stronger than me anyway, and if this meeting turns violent, neither of us can do anything against that.¡± He gestured in the direction of the advancing darkness.


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Ling Qi acknowledged. ¡°Good luck.¡±


    ¡°You, too,¡± Shen Hu said before turning away to begin heading south, quickly sinking into the bubbling mud pool at his feet.

 Threads Chapter 9

    Ling Qi steadied herself and turned back to Vengeance-for-Burning-Grove, doing her best to project confidence as she strode back to him. ¡°Sir Vengeance, if you do not mind, I will wait with you. It will benefit me to speak with the King, I think.¡±


    The burning tree made a crackling groan as he gave her a sidelong look from his deep-set, knothole eyes. ¡°You flirt with danger, little wraith, but I will not gainsay you for the aid you have given. Wait then, and prepare to receive the King.¡±


    The wait was interminable, but Ling Qi found any attempt at conversing with Vengeance dying in her throat under the ominous pressure approaching them. Yet that very presence seemed in no hurry. Seconds stretched into minutes until nearly a quarter of an hour had passed. The first indication of its approach was the noise, a strangely muted cacophony of beastly cries and tramping feet mixed with the creaking of bending wood and the tearing of the earth.


    Soon, the smoldering fires nearby snuffed out,and even the flames burning on Vengeance guttered low. Ling Qi found it hard to breathe, and her raw animal instincts screamed at her to run, to flee, to cower. It was only long acclimation to Meizhen¡¯s aura that allowed her to hold her ground without doing more than going pale and trembling.


    She understood then that what was coming was not something on the level of Zeqing, but something far beyond that. The presence¡¯s relative weakness was due to the fact that this was but an echo of events long past like the impression of a blinding light seen on the back of one¡¯s eyelids.


    That did little to take away from her growing nerves as she saw the shadow of movement in the now darkened woods. She did not know what she was expecting, but it was not what emerged. What stepped forth from the treeline, brush parting before him like a curtain, was a man.


    Yet it was not.


    Towering over her, tall enough to look down upon any human, the ¡°King¡± was nonetheless slender and androgynous, similar to Sixiang¡¯s briefly held flesh and blood form. Long, luxurious black hair tumbled down past his shoulders, loose and wild, kept from his face by curving, branched horns which rose from his temples like a stag¡¯s. He wore an emerald robe of many layers that draped his form and rippled in the suddenly chill wind.


    Despite those trappings of humanity though, there was something off about the King. The motion she could see of his legs beneath the billowy robe was wrong, and his footfalls were more like the sound of hooves than any human feet. His handsome features and dark eyes seemed perfect, but the lines of it were subtly off like a mask that did not fit quite right, and the burning viridian light of his pupils reminded her unsettlingly of Cai Shenhua.


    That did not even consider his entourage. In his wake, trees writhed, nightmarish faces forming and disappearing in the lines of the dark, and the shadows seethed with hungry eyes that gleamed in the night. She saw predators and prey alike among the unnatural darkness, shadowed even to her gaze. Wolves stalked amidst stags, and the earth writhed with vermin under the hungry eyes of raptors perched in living branches. Behind him stretched a vast swarm of beasts, more than she could ever name. But the vast menagerie, the forest made manifest, was eerily quiet and dim and remained behind him, as if they were only his shadow.


    ¡°My King,¡± Vengeance rumbled, awkwardly bowing his burning trunk in a facsimile of the human motion. ¡°This brother has survived the others to bring you the knowledge the Oathbreakers sought to destroy.¡±


    Ling Qi very quickly imitated the tree spirit¡¯s motion, clapping her hands together and bowing as low as she could manage. ¡°This humble one greets Your Majesty and begs forgiveness for this one¡¯s intrusion.¡±


    The King neither replied nor glanced her way as he strode across the clearing to stand before Vengeance-for-Burning-Grove. ¡°Thy vengeance shall be done,¡± he decreed as he laid his hand upon the burning tree¡¯s bark, flames parting around his slender digits. ¡°Thy death avenged.¡±


    Ling Qi remained studiously silent, peering out from under her bangs, but her eyes widened as Vengeance stilled before his flames roared to life, engulfing his form entirely in an inferno. The sudden burst of ashen woodsmoke almost made her cough and gag. She heard the King inhale, and flames and smoke alike were drawn in, reversing the explosion that had happened mere moments ago. When the flames faded, Vengeance-for-Burning-Grove was gone, and the King stood, a faint trickle of smoke rising from his lips.


    ¡°So that is where my wayward brother¡¯s final redoubt is hidden,¡± the King mused, lowering his hand. His voice was musical and almost feminine, at odds with the atmosphere he exuded.


    His gaze fell on Ling Qi then, and she froze. She found her muscles locked, denied any form of motion as the King turned toward her, the primal green radiance that shone from his eyes casting her clasped hands in a sickly light. ¡°And what possessed thee to remain on this night of blood?¡± he asked, casual and indifferent in tone.


    Her mouth was dry, Ling Qi thought absently, as his shadow fell over her. She felt the patter of countless feet as the carpet of mice and rats engulfed her feet, and the wraiths of ancient and hoary trees rose around her, their limbs heavy with birds, staring down at her with gleaming, hungry eyes. How long had it been since she had seen the night as a mortal did?


    ¡°I want to understand what is happening,¡± Ling Qi said with more confidence than she felt. ¡°Your Majesty, I have-¡±


    ¡°What an amusing creature,¡± he interrupted, taking a stride closer. ¡°What does it matter to you, Magpie-Who-Wears-the-Crow¡¯s-Plumes? Dost thou imagine that thou can change the outcome of this night?¡±


    Why did it matter to her? The King had a point; the forces moving in this dream were beyond her, and she was beginning to suspect that this memory was neither as structured or as safe as an elder¡¯s test. So why? Why did it matter enough to put herself at risk?


    ... Because this was the situation she had chosen to put herself into, was it not? She was a small piece moving around the field between titans, but she would eventually be expected to not only affect, but even contribute, to their plans, plans that she may have no understanding of and barely any context for.


    ¡°Because I need to understand, if I am to survive.¡± The words came to her lips, unbidden. ¡°Even if I am small, my actions can affect the paths of the mighty and draw their attention.¡±


    ¡°A good answer,¡± the King said, stepping closer still. ¡°Very well. A boon then for shortening this night¡¯s dance.¡±


    Despite his words, Ling Qi only felt her discomfort rise as his slender hand clasped her shoulder, filled with a strength that could crush her in an instant.


    ¡°Before the Emperor and Empires, many Weilu strayed from the true path. They broke old pacts, cutting wood beyond the limits of our oaths and building festering nests of stone like the foolish apes to the north. They broke with the flow of the sun, the moon, and the seasons, as if they could forge a new order for themselves.¡±


    ¡°The King of the Forests tolerated this for he loved both of his sons and did not wish to raise his hand against one of them, and after all, the son¡¯s depredations struck such a tiny, tiny fraction of the vast Emerald Seas.¡± The king¡¯s lilting voice held an edge of contempt.


    ¡°Yet many were unhappy with our wayward brethren, and so when he passed, it was the Elder Brother, who walked the true path, who was crowned. When he politely requested that his Younger Brother and his foolish followers tear down their ugly blights and return to the true way, they refused.¡± All around him, wolves snarled and birds cried, the dulled cacophony of the forest rising. ¡°How mad of them.¡±


    Ling Qi felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. She maintained her silence despite the pain from the King¡¯s fingers digging into her shoulder as fury leaked into his voice.


    ¡°They bought metals and stone from serpents and apes and laid siege to our most sacred temples. They pillaged and killed their own kin and defied the holy conclave of kings. Yet when this King reached the peak, gathered the scattered courts to war, and awoke the Seas, what good did it do?¡± the king narrated contemptuously. ¡°The followers of the truth have scoured the oathbreakers from the land and cast down their blights. They have regrown the sullied groves on the flesh and blood of chattel and traitors alike. Now, only one foolish man remains unrepentant. It is my younger brother and nephews who I hunt this night, little dreamer.¡±


    Ling Qi bit her lip as she felt the King¡¯s sharpened fingernails stab into her skin, drawing blood. ¡°I see. Thank you very much, Your Majesty. I understand now.¡±


    ¡°Thou dost not, little dreamer," he rebutted. ¡°But thou will. Thou shalt join us on our hunt. Only then shalt thy boon be granted. Pray that the understanding does not break thee.¡±


    Ling Qi felt her throat dry up. ¡°You honor me, Your Majesty.¡± Her voice sounded like a raspy whisper to her own ears.


    ¡°This King does not,¡± he clarified, sounding vaguely amused. ¡°What interesting customs the future holds.¡±


    Ling Qi could only remain silent. Her lessons on etiquette contained no response to that.


    ¡°Thy boon was a paltry one given thy service. New hunter, this King offers thee a blessing of fang or hide, which will carry even unto the waking world. Choose now, and let the hunt begin.¡±


    Ling Qi swallowed,surrounded as she was by the embodiment of a forest¡¯s rage with the hand of an incalculably more powerful cultivator on her shoulder. Her thoughts raced.


    For a wild moment, she wanted to demand that he take into account the innocents on this night, to stay his hand from civilians or even just from her companion in arms, Shen Hu. But at the thought of saying it to the King... She met his eyes and saw the murderous fury in them. She flinched, and the words died without ceremony in her throat.


    Could she really afford to risk herself in the face of this kind of power? Even if she were insulated from death in this memory, injury could spell ruin for her and her clan. She would only continue to receive resources and backing if she continued to meet the goals set out by Duchess Cai. She was confident that without injury, she could maintain her pace of cultivation and keep up with her liege, ending no more than five Sect ranks behind Cai Renxiang, as required. With this dream thing¡¯s hand pressing down on her shoulder and his nails piercing into her skin, it forced her to remember just how fragile her position was. Could she risk all that for the sake of someone she was just barely getting to know?


    No, she could not refuse. He had offered her a boon, and she would choose one.


    How quickly perspectives could change. Had she not been bantering with Shen Hu earlier, confident that whatever was in this dream would just be another opportunity for her to capitalize on? She had gotten arrogant. She hated this. She hated being so wholly under someone else¡¯s power. She hated having her own helplessness rubbed in her face. She worked so hard, cultivated so much, but she was still so


    very


    small.


    ¡°The blessing of fang,¡± she whispered. The words tasted like rot on her tongue, like spoiled food dug out of the trash in hungry desperation. Surely, she thought, if this was one of her real friends, the ones who had helped her get through the whole of last year in Outer Sect, she wouldn¡¯t have hesitated at all to risk asking for their safety. Sure she would, some bitter part of her mocked. Had she really changed at all? Or had she merely been lucky not to have her resolve truly tested?


    ¡°I see,¡± the thing in the shape of a man said. ¡°Very well then.¡±


    She felt a burning pain then, beginning from her shoulder where the King¡¯s hand rested. A wild and chaotic qi bubbled under her skin and dig hooks into her mind.


    Then the King howled in pain, and the feeling cut off. She barely recognized a feeling of shock before the hand on her shoulder twitched, and she screamed as she felt her collarbone crack from the sheer monstrous force behind that spasm. Ling Qi flew backward to slam bodily into one of the many trees in an explosion of splinters and sawdust, her qi pool dropping precipitously to cushion the blow. She tasted blood in her mouth.


    Ling Qi slid bonelessly down the massive tree trunk and looked up. She saw the Horned King, his snarling features lit by a terrible colorless radiance that was all too familiar. He held his right hand away from his body, and there, Ling Qi could see a half dozen wriggling white threads digging into his flesh and spreading glowing lines up his wrist. All around her, phantasmal beasts howled and roared, nearly deafening her.


    The King¡¯s left hand blurred, and with a wet, tearing squelch and a thump, his burning hand and forearm fell to the grass. The limb somehow grew and withered at the same time. Lumpy growths swelled where radiant threads passed while the rest became little more than a mummified claw. As the King stared at his smoking stump, Ling Qi could only do the same.


    She was going to die. That was her first thought. Her second, faintly hysterical one was just what Cai Renxiang had put into her gown.


    There was a wet crack, and Ling Qi saw a length of bone grow forth from the stump, then another, followed swiftly by tendrils of sinew and meat as the King¡¯s right hand and forearm began to regrow. His eyes fell on her once more.


    ¡°What a jealous creature,¡± he commented, faintly bemused, but Ling Qi could feel the pique beneath his passive mask. ¡°Well, no direct changes? There are other methods.¡±


    Ling Qi had no chance to plead forgiveness before the multitude of rats and vermin carpeting the ground swarmed her, thousands of scrabbling claws and furry bodies racing up her limbs and engulfing her. Her last sight was the King staring pensively at his half-regrown hand.

 Threads Chapter 10

    She scurried through the grass and brush, racing alongside a million of her brethren. Her sleek black fur gleamed under the ruddy moonlight.


    In her thoughts, there was only fury. Fury at the Oathbreakers. Fury at the burrow destroyers. Fury at the diggers and the choppers and the despoilers.


    They would pay.


    They would all pay for the King was hunting this night and all the forest raged at his side. She and her brethren were the vanguard, the first wave, incalculable in number, rushing in, each of them tiny, each of them weak. Yet their fangs were sharp and ready, durable enough to chew through stone and metal while others climbed and swarmed paltry walls or burrowed beneath, sapping crumbling foundations.


    They came upon the enemy all at once, their momentum crushing them against the straining barriers of spirit that surrounded the stout block of stone which held their hated foe. The King¡¯s power waxed, and the barriers fell, torn asunder like leaves before a storm. Screams rang out as huts of cut wood and clay brick fell under the hooves and paws and branches of her King¡¯s greater soldiers.


    She raced on, ignoring the lesser Oathbreakers. She chittered in delight as she raced up the walls, pressed on all sides by her brethren, and they devoured the first of the Oathbreakers guarding the walls of their doomed keep. She felt nothing but satisfaction as she dug her fangs into the squalling ape¡¯s throat and tasted lifeblood in her mouth.


    She snarled in pain then as she felt hundreds of sharp little stones crack against her hide. Her brethren were torn apart, reduced to little more than gore and matted fur, but the gleaming white markings on her hide glowed, and she was protected.


    She saw the Oathbreaker who had done it, his hand raised and another cloud of sharpened stones gathering around him. It did not matter how many were slain; they were unending. They were the Hunt.


    As she blurred into shadow and chewed out the man¡¯s eyes with her fangs, a fresh wave of her brothers and sisters crested the walls to devour him.


    ***


    Ling Qi remembered blood and death. She remembered men and women screaming, begging for their lives. She remembered killing them.


    She retched. Her throat burned, and she tasted bile on her lips as she forced herself to to her hands and knees, scrabbling in the cooling dirt as her eyes stung with tears. She almost threw up in truth when she saw her surroundings.


    Wreckage stretched as far as her eyes could see. She saw ruined huts and houses and torn-up streets, and everywhere, she saw bones and meat. Glassy eyes and empty sockets stared at her from all around, full of accusation and mockery. An endless graveyard, a charnel house, is what greeted her here.


    ¡°You are not one of mine.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s head snapped up at the sound of another voice, cold and dispassionate. In the shadow of a shattered doorway stood a figure shrouded in black. She was unassuming in stature, little more than a scrap of shadow amidst the graveyard. Her long black hair, matted and tangled, hung to her knees and shrouded her face, and yet, when the figure lifted her head, Ling Qi glimpsed only white bone and a burning red light in an empty eye socket.


    Ling QI let out a strangled laugh that was more of a sob. It was crazy that she could recognize what this was so easily. The fear that had shackled her when she met the King was worn to tatters now.


    ¡°Why? What was this supposed to teach?!¡± she shouted at the Bloody Moon. ¡°What was the point?!¡±


    ¡°There wasn¡¯t one,¡± Sixiang muttered bitterly. ¡°Sorry, Ling Qi.¡± To her surprise, she felt their slender arms wrap around her shoulders. Were they still in a dream then? ¡°I failed. I didn¡¯t see this bitch¡¯s fingerprints all over this memory until it was too late.¡±


    For her part, the Bloody Moon was unperturbed by the rudeness shown by the two of them as she moved closer. ¡°You have been coddled, child, if you imagine that all or even most things hold a native purpose. It is the duty of humankind to forge meaning from the blind mechanics of the world.¡±


    Ling Qi shook in impotent anger. She could still taste blood in her mouth. She could still hear the wails and cries of the dying. She could still see the terrible, viridian light shining forth from the keep as a horned corpse had been flung from the broken battlements while greenery consumed the survivors. Roots and flowers and crawler vines had erupted from everywhere, tearing and¡­


    She took a shuddering breath to control herself, resting a hand on Sixiang¡¯s. ¡°Please. No cryptic speech,¡± she gritted out. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    The burning red light in the spirit¡¯s eye socket flickered, and the moon avatar raised a hand, wet and red with blood, to cup her jaw. ¡°I wished to inform you that there will be no further offers. You are not one of mine.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad,¡± Ling Qi spat before she could even think twice, ¡°if this is yours.¡± The graveyard looked back at her, empty and stinking of rot.


    The Bloody Moon stared at her, but Ling Qi was too exhausted and too sick to feel fear at the ominous weight that her gaze held. She could feel Sixiang¡¯s arms tighten around her shoulders.


    ¡°Vengeance is blood washed away with blood,¡± the spirit replied, skull vanishing behind black tresses as she dropped her hand and turned away. ¡°This is its true form, the only ending it can ever bring. Vengeance is the claw lashing out in pain, the bloodied fist crushing a foe¡¯s skull to paste in the throes of grief, before its owner is slain in turn.¡±


    As the avatar of the great spirit stepped into the shadows, she looked back, and beneath her tangled tresses, Ling Qi saw not a skull but the face of a steely-eyed matron of stern and unforgiving countenance. ¡°Justice is something only humans can define. If you disapprove, then do not merely complain. Act - as you did not today. It is such a troublesome mantle your kind has saddled me with.¡±


    Ling Qi closed her eyes. She just¡­ didn¡¯t have the energy to decipher what the spirit was trying to say right now.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ling Qi,¡± Sixiang said, voice muffled by her hair. ¡°I¡¯m a crappy friend. I shoulda been able to figure out that this was one of her butcher plays. I shoulda paid more attention. I could have asked around, even if she was hiding her mark.¡±


    ¡°And I should have been more careful with the map,¡± Ling Qi said with a bitter chuckle. ¡°I could have cross-referenced it with the archive or¡­ something. I got cocky, too. I just hope Shen Hu is okay.¡±


    As the graveyard faded away around them and the warmth and weight of Sixiang¡¯s body dissolved away, Ling Qi could only regret.


    When she opened her eyes, she winced at the brightness of the early afternoon sun.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake.¡± Shen Hu¡¯s voice drifted over her, and she immediately turned her head to where he kneeled in the grass beside her.


    Her eyes were immediately drawn to the twisting scar across his belly, red and fresh. It looked like he had been gored viciously. It had been a lethal wound by all measures.


    He scratched his cheek nervously as he saw the direction of her gaze. ¡°I messed up,¡± he admitted.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Ling Qi asked faintly, turning her gaze back up to the sky. She still felt dazed.


    ¡°Well, we were evacuating,¡± Shen Hu explained, turning somber. ¡°Lanhua dug out a shelter and started on a tunnel real quick, but all these spirit beasts came bursting through the shelter roof. I couldn¡¯t hold them off long enough, even with the choke.¡±


    ¡°You should have run. They weren¡¯t even real. What if you had actually died?¡± Ling Qi asked without heat.


    Shen Hu frowned. ¡°If I would run now in a test, why wouldn''t I run later in real life? Besides, it was a good lesson. I spent all of last year alone, ¡®cept for Lanhua. It made me forget a lot of stuff that matters. Today, I saw what it looks like when we fail. People depend on us cultivators. I never want to see that again.¡±


    ¡°At least one of us found a lesson in this,¡± Ling Qi muttered. She had only been given doubts.


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t get it. I messed up, but the spooky lady at the end seemed happy for some reason,¡± Shen Hu said, scratching his head in confusion.


    Ling Qi¡¯s gaze snapped back to him, and his blank stare met her hollow one.


    ¡°... Where are we anyway?¡± Ling Qi asked dully.


    ¡°Down in the valley. Looks like we found a site at least,¡± Shen Hu replied, gesturing to the other side of her.


    Ling Qi lolled her head to the other side, and there, she saw a tumbled field of stones overgrown by moss, which seemed to form a vague square. Going by the qi around the stones, it would probably be a useful site for both her and Shen Hu, moon for her and earth for him.


    This hadn¡¯t been for nothing. But Ling Qi could still taste the blood on her tongue.


    ***


    ¡°I do not believe your choices were in error.¡± As Bai Meizhen spoke, Ling Qi looked up from her lap to glance at her friend. "Except for entering the situation to begin with."


    Meizhen was seated neatly beside her in the audience box overseeing the challenge arena. She was glad that her friend had reminded her that she needed to be here today. She had lost track of time in cultivating, plagued by doubts and frustrated with the sluggish response of her qi as she tried to build toward the next stage. Meizhen had quickly perceived her distress, and eventually, Ling Qi had disclosed the events of the dream.


    ¡°I would have thought you¡¯d agree with the Bloody Moon,¡± Ling Qi sulked, resting her chin on her hand, only to wince a moment later. Those were ill-thought-out words.


    Meizhen frowned at her. ¡°Cease that,¡± she said. ¡°That creature is a great spirit, and its words hardly condemned you. That is not what is troubling you.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced but agreed. ¡°Have you see people die like that before? I just¡­ I can¡¯t¡­¡±


    Her friend turned her eyes to the challenge arena below where the equipment was being set up. Heavy desks and shelves of tomes were being dragged out and arranged in artful symmetry.


    ¡°I have,¡± Bai Meizhen replied. ¡°Observing records of battles is part of a young Bai¡¯s education, and I have seen the aftermath of towns lost. Grandfather did not coddle us in ensuring that we know our duty.¡±


    ¡°Heh. Are the Bai really not so heartless after all?¡± Ling Qi asked, trying to put the images of the dead out of her head. ¡°Compared to some other old clans,¡± she muttered darkly.


    Meizhen drummed her fingers on her seat¡¯s armrest before answering. ¡°We know our duty, even if most do not do more than pay lip service to certain aspects. Mortals and lesser cultivators are,¡± Meizhen paused, trying to find the right word. ¡°They are like children. It is an unfit guardian who allows them to be dragged under by lake beasts.¡±


    ¡°What they do to each other is fine though.¡± Ling Qi laughed harshly. She wasn¡¯t being fair, but she felt burnt out.


    ¡°The metaphor breaks down,¡± Meizhen admitted without pause. ¡°And yet, the sort of deliberate slaughter you spoke of at the end is the purview of barbarians. I can offer you little comfort, save that you will become accustomed to such violence. This world is cruel. If it bothers you, it is your duty as a cultivator to prevent its occurrence in reality, insofar as you are able.¡±


    ¡°And now you sound like her,¡± Ling Qi sighed, looking toward Meizhen.


    Meizhen met her gaze. ¡°The Bai are associated with that moon from time to time,¡± she said dryly. ¡°More importantly, that is not the core of your trouble.¡±


    ¡°Since when are you so perceptive about this kind of thing?¡± Ling Qi grumbled good-naturedly.


    ¡°One must strive for excellence when carving one¡¯s niche,¡± Bai Meizhen replied primly. ¡°You regret what you see as cowardice, do you not?¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t answer. She hated what she had been made to do in that memory. She hated the nightmares it had brought her, but those horrible scenes were, as Meizhen and even the spirit had said, something that she could draw determination from. The hunt had been repellent and evil on every level. Whatever justifications had existed for it were nothing in the face of what it had wrought. She would strive to ensure that she would never see something like that again.


    No, what she really hated was that she hadn¡¯t even tried to avert it. For all that she claimed to have grown above sacrificing friends and allies for her own wellbeing, when faced with impossible odds, she hadn¡¯t even had the courage to try. It would be one thing if she had at least tried to persuade that monster to spare Shen Hu and been rebuffed; she would have just been angry and determined instead of¡­ this.


    ¡°How can you call it anything else?¡± she asked.


    ¡°There is nothing wrong with prioritizing yourself,¡± Meizhen answered, giving her a cool look. ¡°So long as self-preservation is not your absolute highest consideration. Filial duty must come first, else we be no more than snapping, clawing beasts, but¡­¡± She shook her head. ¡°Why do your actions trouble you so?¡±


    ¡°It feels like I¡¯m backsliding,¡± Ling Qi confessed. ¡°I wonder if I would have stood by and remained silent if it had been you in the dream.¡±


    Meizhen fell silent as the figure of an elder Ling Qi did not know blinked into view below at the overseer¡¯s table. ¡°I trust you would not. Ling Qi, it seems to me that you must make it clear to yourself where your limits lie. Your trouble lies in a lack of surety.¡±


    Ling Qi did not reply. The challenge was starting.

 Threads 11- Sect Challenges 1

    Seeking a break from her churning thoughts, Ling Qi turned her attention to the young looking elder below. The elder was a squat, dour looking man with thinning hair and a wide face. He exuded a pressure that seemed to drain the very color from his surroundings. He wore plain silver robes, a minister¡¯s cap, and a pair of tiny spectacles, all in perfect symmetry.


    ¡°We now begin the challenge given by disciple eight hundred and ten, Cai Renxiang, to disciple seven hundred and ninety five, Liu Su.¡± The elder¡¯s voice was drier than a desert, and half as raspy. It seemed to absorb sound and attention alike, fixing Ling Qi¡¯s attention on the dour man and silencing the murmurs from the other viewing boxes and the general stands. ¡°In accordance with sect rules, Disciple Liu has chosen a match of administrative competence in lieu of a personal duel.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes flicked briefly to her liege¡¯s target, a handsome boy a year or two older standing firmly in the second stage of green and bronze realms. He looked calm and collected, confident even. She was too far away to feel much of his aura, but there was a faint papery scent to it.


    Her attention returned to the elder then, yanked back by his droning voice. ¡°In the constructed scenario, both disciples have been given the task of reorganizing a barony whose regulations have fallen out of sync with modern Imperial law. The disciples will then be tasked with organizing the county''s human resources for military mobilization. Disciple performance will be judged based upon time, accuracy, and minimizing efficiency losses, as judged by I, Elder Meng. Disciples, seat yourselves, and prepare to begin.¡±


    Ling Qi watched, bemused, as the ¡°challenge¡± began. Liu Su was impressive, insofar as he could be given the dull nature of the challenge. She felt the qi fluctuations as his domain expanded out, and paper and writing implements began to fly. Heavy reference tomes of law fluttered like overweight butterflies, their pages flipping rapidly as form after form was filled in by flying ink brushes, while Liu Su sat with his hands folded neatly in his lap, his eyes half-lidded and fluttering like a man on the verge of sleep.


    Cai Renxiang, on the other hand, was less visually impressive. Yet the stern girl did not so much as glance at the tomes of reference she had been provided, and although she wielded only a single ink brush, her hands were a literal blur that only resolved if Ling Qi focused. Ling Qi was pretty sure she caught the sound of ink and paper sizzling from the speed with which her liege wrote.


    Despite all that, she was still watching two people fill in paperwork, if rapidly, and that was difficult to grab her attention. Ling Qi found her thoughts turning back to what Meizhen had said. She didn¡¯t know if she could agree with her friend. It felt as if she were just making excuses for herself.


    Ling Qi had decided that she didn¡¯t want to betray friends, but where did that line lie? Who was a friend, and what counted as betrayal?


    She was still wrestling with that question when the match was called. Liu Su had finished faster, but apparently, his work could not match the quality of her liege¡¯s efficiency and total lack of errors.


    She would have to congratulate her liege. And Ling Qi would have to make sure she didn¡¯t get left behind. She couldn¡¯t put off her research and intelligence gathering on potential disciples to challenge just to navel-gaze. There would be time for that later.


    ***


    Ling Qi was not sure what she had expected when she had set this meeting up.


    ¡°Does it not cause the gown to hang oddly and bunch up?¡± Gu Xiulan asked, idly swirling the cup of bubbling hot tea in her hand. ¡°And I imagine it must chafe terribly.¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Li Suyin replied, smoothing out the glittering silk folds of the gown she was showing them as she neatly folded it back up. ¡°The metal filaments, once attuned to the wearer, will follow their motions naturally and can be controlled in the same way one would a limb.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t this, though.


    ¡°That sounds somewhat like a flying sword,¡± Xiulan commented shrewdly. ¡°Are you certain you are not overreaching yourself?¡±


    Li Suyin met Xiulan¡¯s gaze steadily from where she stood. ¡°It is just a prototype. I admit the control is limited to simple motions as things are currently, but the filaments are vectors for my arts all the same. My partner and I will develop it further when I break through.¡±


    Xiulan continued to stare her down, to which Li Suyin responded by drawing herself up further. This was more like what she was expecting. ¡°That¡¯s the second time you¡¯ve mentioned a partner,¡± Ling Qi said, pushing herself up from the wall she had been leaning against. ¡°Anyone interesting?¡±


    Li Suyin glanced toward her. ¡°Oh! Um - I suppose neither of you interacted much with the crafting disciples. I have been collaborating with Du Feng, the disciple who placed second in the production competition, one rank above me, on a few projects.¡±


    ¡°Hm, I approve,¡± Xiulan said, pausing to take a sip of her near boiling tea. Ling Qi had no idea how the girl could stand it. She found the blend Li Suyin had set out to be much better chilled. ¡°I suppose you really have grown.¡±


    ¡°I am pleased to finally meet your standards, Sect Sister Gu,¡± Li Suyin replied irritably.


    Xiulan laughed. ¡°You see? You would not have dared to talk back to me six months ago.¡±


    Ling Qi coughed into her hand. ¡°Maybe we should get back to our original topic.¡±


    Despite her words, she was glad to listen to her friends¡¯ banter; it let her feel normal again. Still, she had arranged this meeting for a purpose. As they were all in the eight hundreds, with her at 830, Li Suyin at 840, and Gu Xiulan at 890, they could share the efforts of their intelligence gathering as they were all trying to scope out the competition in the lower end of the Inner Sect.


    ¡°I am grossly underranked,¡± Gu Xiulan grumbled, her empty tea cup hitting the table with a solid clunk.


    Ling Qi nodded in agreement. When speaking with other Inner disciples, and more often, just observing public areas from a well hidden nook, she had come to a similar conclusion. Disciples below nine hundred were mostly in the second realm with a scattering of partial breakthroughs. Even up to rank 880 or so, partial third realms were more common than full ones. She could say that those disciples were beneath her concern and not feel like she was being cocky saying so.


    ¡°Just how high are you thinking of challenging?¡± she asked, giving her friend a sidelong look.


    ¡°High enough to reach the next reward tier. I would shame my family otherwise,¡± Xiulan sniffed.


    ¡°I am not yet certain that I wish to challenge for a higher rank at all,¡± Li Suyin sighed. ¡°I really should finish a project or two first and begin my breakthrough.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying you don¡¯t have your eye on any particular seat?¡± Ling Qi asked, raising an eyebrow.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Li Suyin admitted, sitting down across from Xiulan, having finished putting away her prototype gown.


    Ling Qi laughed, and Xiulan tittered along. ¡°Well, let¡¯s leave that aside for the moment. What have we learned about our yearmates?¡±


    ¡°Sun Liling has hardly shown her face,¡± Gu Xiulan answered first. ¡°Neither has that Kang, though that might be for medical reasons. Bai Meizhen was not gentle in her match.¡±


    ¡°Ji Rong has been in the archives a great deal,¡± Li Suyin offered. ¡°And not always in the arts sections. He got into a fistfight with a tome of Imperial law while I was studying construct behavior functions. The archivists were quite cross. One commented that it was becoming more common.¡±


    Xiulan let out an unladylike snort of laughter. ¡°That would be a sight.¡±


    ¡°Shen Hu is probably only aiming for a small challenge, so he doesn¡¯t fall below the rank threshold,¡± Ling Qi added. ¡°He wants to focus on shoring up some weaknesses first.¡±


    ¡°I believe that is everyone of import,¡± Xiulan said haughtily. ¡°Unless one of your compatriots is aiming to challenge a combat disciple?¡± she asked, looking at Li Suyin.


    ¡°Unlikely,¡± Li Suyin said. ¡°It might be a little arrogant to say, but aside from Yan Renshu and Fu Xiang, none of the crafters ranked below me are my match either.¡±


    Yan Renshu was the sticking point. Like Gu Xiulan, he was certainly underranked. Ling Qi half worried that he would challenge Li Suyin just to spite her, but she could only speculate on the boy¡¯s plans - if he had any. Not that it would be a serious loss for Li Suyin if that happened; she¡¯d only drop one rank from Yan Renshu taking her former rank, perhaps a bit more if she were ¡®leapfrogged¡¯ by other disciples below her successfully winning rank challenges to disciples above her, but she would almost certainly stay in the same reward tier regardless.


    Ling Qi flicked her wrist, and a thick scroll appeared in her hand, drawn from her storage ring. ¡°Let¡¯s leave our yearmates aside. I did a little people watching and picked some things up about our new Sect Brothers and Sisters.¡±


    ¡°I did as well since you asked me to,¡± Li Suyin added, placing her own scroll on the table.


    Xiulan rolled her eyes. ¡°What a pair of scholars you are,¡± she mocked lightly. ¡°I spoke to and mingled with our new brethren on this mountain. I felt no need to write down my insights.¡±


    LI Suyin and Ling Qi let out an almost simultaneous huff of annoyance, only to meet each other¡¯s eyes and break into quiet laughter. Yes, Ling Qi was glad that she had involved her friends, instead of doing this alone.


    ***


    Ling Qi had been busy since meeting with her friends. The sluggishness to her qi had not vanished but instead, it lingered, a morose stillness that slowed her every effort to cultivate.


    In the same way, she found her thoughts haunted by the scent of blood and cries of pain in moments of silence. Increasingly, she found those moments appearing. She wasn¡¯t the only one who had been affected by the Bloody Moon trial, and Sixiang had barely spoken up at all in the aftermath of it.


    Here and now however, Ling Qi let her worries drift away as the swirling snowflakes did on frigid wind. She sank eagerly into the welcome embrace of the heavy darkness which shrouded her mentor¡¯s mountaintop home.


    In the depths of an impossible blizzard above the clouds themselves, lit by starlight, Ling Qi danced, following the motions deciphered from the jade slip containing the Sable Crescent Step.


    ¡°Your movements are empty.¡± Zeqing¡¯s voice echoed from all around her as Ling Qi spun, avoiding a glittering ball of ice and snow flung at her by a giggling little girl.


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes remained closed as she kept her concentration, slipping between the driving shards of ice hidden in the falling sleet. ¡°Where am I making a mistake?¡± she asked, her voice aloof and calm, emotion temporarily drowned in concentration.


    ¡°You mistake me. You are not performing poorly,¡± her mentor replied, her voice a blustery gust. ¡°Your intent is suppressed. That is the purpose of this dance, is it not?¡±


    Ling Qi hummed, sidestepping and weaving through the snowfield to the soundless thrum of the darkness that shrouded the mountaintop. ¡°I am still surprised that your home is so¡­¡± She trailed off, a shudder traveling up her spine. She had never cultivated here during her time in the Outer Sect, and so, she had never felt the sheer potency of the qi in this place. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect so much darkness here.¡±


    ¡°Darkness and cold are two facets of a single crystal,¡± Zeqing¡¯s voice murmured in her ear while the blizzard howled and Hanyi laughed. ¡°They are absence and emptiness and the end of all things.¡±


    ¡°The silence is beautiful sometimes,¡± Ling Qi murmured. She did not speak of base sound, as the storm was actually quite loud, but on a deeper level, beneath sight and sound where there was only the flow of qi, it was calm and peaceful. There was no strife and violence, only a quiet stillness that made her heart ache. Yet she knew that the feeling was fleeting, without needing to hear Zeqing¡¯s words.


    ¡°Cold seeks heat, and darkness seeks light. Emptiness yearns for fulfillment. Such is the source of desire. Do not seek out the silence, Ling Qi.¡± Zeqing¡¯s voice had a sad note to it. ¡°Should you reach it, you would cease as surely as frost on a spring morn. Humans are not meant for such purity.¡±


    Ling Qi did not take any insult at the words. She knew purity of concept was not something to be desired. Not yet. She was still far from those heights.


    ¡°Still, I wonder what it is like,¡± she mused. She had no doubt it would be inaudible to any except the blizzard which shrouded her. ¡°Zeqing, would you tell me?¡±


    This time, her mentor did not respond immediately, save for an intensifying of the winds and the driving ice. Ling Qi smiled as she wove through another barrage of flung snow from an increasingly pouting Hanyi.


    ¡°All things End.¡± Ling Qi shivered, the final word echoing like the ringing of a temple gong, layers of meaning skipping across her thoughts. ¡°Heat, warmth, lives, cities, empires, rivers, and mountains; none are eternal. The sun and the moon, the heavens and the earth, these things, too, shall End in time.¡± Zeqing¡¯s voice chilled her and spoke as if from the bottom of a deep pit. ¡°And when the Heavens lie dark and the earth crumbles, even the End will cease. What lies beyond is unknowable.¡±


    Ling Qi let out a breath of relief as her dance came to a stop, and the chill faded. ¡°Thank you for answering, teacher.¡±


    ¡°You do not understand. My words cannot express the truth without dealing you great harm,¡± Zeqing said as the wind died and her human form spun into existence from snow and wind, floating serenely. ¡°But that is fine. You are too young for such understanding yet.¡±


    ¡°For once, I have no complaints at being told that,¡± Ling Qi remarked, rubbing her arms through the fabric of her gown. She still felt chilled. ¡°Master Zeqing, do you think I chose wrongly in that dream?¡±


    ¡°I cannot fully understand your reasons for distress,¡± the ice spirit replied, her blood red lips unmoving. ¡°I can only say this: take what you desire and cling to it fiercely, for nothing is forever.¡±


    Ling Qi was silent. The words resonated, and yet, what did she desire?


    ¡°Are you done talking about boring stuff with Big Sis yet?¡± Hanyi called, her voice jarring Ling Qi from morose thoughts. Hanyi ran over to them atop the snow, her pale blue feet not making a sound or disturbing a single flake.


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re done,¡± Ling Qi said, putting on a smile for Hanyi. ¡°What did you want to show me?¡±


    ¡°Momma showed me how to make flowers!¡± Hanyi chattered excitedly, grasping her hand to pull her along. ¡°I made a garden. You gotta see!¡±


    ¡°Yes, desires must be grasped, even should they bring an ending.¡± Ling Qi did not turn back despite the conflict in her mentor¡¯s voice. Hanyi had not heard, and Ling Qi was sure that those words were meant for only her.


    She felt a sinking in her stomach. All things End, huh?

 Threads 12

    The weeks that followed blurred by. She began to take more difficult sect jobs, pushing the limits of her sneaking abilities with harder and harder targets. She mastered the seventh step of the Sable Crescent Step under Zeqing¡¯s eyes.


    Despite the sluggishness of her qi, she continued to push herself every day, building her foundations through sheer bloody-minded effort until at last she broke through despite the difficulty. It was exhausting, and Ling Qi knew that she could not rely on just powering through going forward. Reaching the appraisal stage of the green realm was merely solidifying one¡¯s foundations, preparing for the true work ahead and smoothing out the instability of breakthrough.


    She needed to resolve her conflict one way or the other.


    When she returned to the source of her troubles, she found the grove eerie and quiet. Under the light of the full moon, she found herself mastering the first steps of the Curious Diviner¡¯s Eye art as easily as she breathed. She didn¡¯t need the Bloody Moon; there were other phases.


    In between the lines of her new art, she heard a whisper of history. She learned of a man who loved knowledge and exulted in its spread, a man who could parse a hundred thousand futures and choose the one he wished. A whisper of Tsu the Diviner, first king of the Emerald Sea, haunted the art. It was a faded thing, an echo bouncing back for the thousandth time, but it still made her wonder. How had that man¡¯s descendents become that which she saw in the memory?


    Once, she would have said it did not matter. Now, however, she wondered if she could really understand the present without first understanding the past. She couldn¡¯t afford to just stride forward without a care, relying solely on luck and instinct to keep her safe.


    If she wanted to avoid outcomes like those of the dream, she first needed to understand why they came about. It was with thoughts such as these that she returned to the mountain to meet with her liege.


    ¡°My report, Lady Cai,¡± Ling Qi said, keeping her head bowed as she placed the trio of scrolls on her liege¡¯s desk.


    ¡°Very good,¡± Cai Renxiang said, pausing in scanning the other document on her desk to give Ling Qi a nod. ¡°Take a seat. We will discuss these matters shortly.¡±


    Ling Qi did so, sinking into the comfortable chair which sat across from Cai Renxiang¡¯s desk. It was, in a very real way, her chair, she knew. Ling Qi appreciated the gesture given the rather less comfortable seats swapped in for other guests.


    ¡°How is your family faring?¡± Cai Renxiang asked absently, not yet looking up from her work.


    ¡°Mother and Biyu are well. The, ah, guests will be arriving soon, I think.¡± Ling Qi squirmed in her seat at that. She still remembered her liege¡¯s blank expression when she had first made that request.


    ¡°Say it plainly, Ling Qi,¡± the other girl chided. ¡°Do not show weakness. They are your new household. If even their clan head is ashamed of them, then it will lend credence to your enemies¡¯ words.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. It is unfair of me,¡± Ling Qi agreed with a grimace. ¡°I am still surprised you went along with this request so easily.¡±


    ¡°Should I ascend to Mother¡¯s seat, I will do far more to upset those in power,¡± Cai Renxiang replied. ¡°Such a minor scandal should serve well enough for training purposes.¡±


    Ling Qi shook her head. That was just such a Renxiang-like thought that it made her want to laugh. ¡°Hmph. You¡¯re really not bothered by their old profession at all, are you?¡±


    Cai Renxiang glanced up at her, one eyebrow raised. ¡°It is an unpleasant function, but there are many such. Shall I spit upon the men who dredge the sewers or those who collect dung to fertilize the fields?¡± The dark haired girl drummed her fingers briefly on her desk. ¡°... Though perhaps like those men, their duties might be unnecessary in the future. A thought for another time.¡±


    And there she went. Ling Qi didn¡¯t really feel the need to prod her liege¡¯s thought along further, lest she get Cai Renxiang talking about reforms that she could barely follow. Finally, her liege¡¯s inkbrush returned to its holder, and the last page of work was placed neatly on the completed pile.


    ¡°Summarize your findings,¡± the girl said crisply, moving the trio of scrolls to the center of her desk.


    ¡°Disciples from our year¡¯s tournament are largely underranked, I believe,¡± Ling Qi answered. ¡°In many cases, not by much, but they are. I do not believe you should concern yourself with anyone below the rank of 850.¡±


    ¡°And if they are attempting to deceive others on their ability?¡± Cai Renxiang asked, opening the first scroll.


    Ling Qi pursed her lips. ¡°I do not think anyone would do so for such a low rank. If they are common born, the loss of resources would not be worth it, and if not, then their low rank would likely shame their families if kept for too long.¡±


    ¡°That was my conclusion as well,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed. ¡°I am glad to see you are thinking of such things.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ling Qi replied, briefly dipping her head. Li Suyin had actually been the one to point that out to her. ¡°I made notes about a few people who could potentially challenge you in the upper ranks, but I could not obtain much information from those above 800.¡±


    ¡°A task for next month when you have access to visit either Bai Meizhen or myself,¡± her liege noted, absently scanning the scroll. ¡°Yes, this will be useful.¡±


    There had been a flurry of challenges in the last week or two. She knew Meizhen had moved up to rank 792.


    ¡°As for my own advancement, I reviewed a few choices, but I believe disciple 812 is my target.¡±


    ¡°Reasons?¡± Cai Renxiang questioned.


    ¡°Skill set compatibility,¡± Ling Qi explained. ¡°She is a musician and a fighter without much in the way of secondary skills. I believe I overmatch her in both of those areas.¡±


    Ling Qi sent a probing thought toward Sixiang, who sent back a feeling of distracted acknowledgement. Whatever they were doing, Ling Qi was confident Sixiang would have her back in a duel; their ability to wash away enemy arts would be invaluable.


    ¡°If you are confident, then that is enough. Have you made the challenge yet?¡± Cai Renxiang asked.


    ¡°Not yet. I wanted to inform you first. I will find her tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll bet six of my contribution points. That should be enough to show that I¡¯m serious, right?¡± Ling Qi mused.


    ¡°It should be sufficient,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed. ¡°Did you have any further concerns as to your challenge?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Ling Qi replied.


    ¡°Very well,¡± the other girl said crisply. She flicked her wrist, and a folded envelope appeared in her hand. ¡°Take this before you leave then. The auction for your item was completed. There is a formation seal on the receipt holding your stones.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked as she took the envelope, only for her eyes to widen at the sum shown on the paper within. ¡°This much?¡± she asked faintly.


    ¡°I do have a connection or two, even under Mother¡¯s restrictions,¡± Cai Renxiang pointed out dryly. ¡°Spend wisely. Wealth is no excuse for waste.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, hurriedly tucking the envelope into her sleeve. ¡°Thank you very much, Lady Cai.¡±


    ¡°You may leave then. I should like to have our spar one hour earlier tomorrow. A meeting has come up in the normal time,¡± the other girl said, turning her eyes back to the scrolls.


    Ling Qi nodded again, only to pause as she moved to stand. She hadn¡¯t spoken to Cai Renxiang about the Bloody Moon dream yet. Unsurprisingly, her moment of hesitation was caught by the other girl, who glanced up.


    ¡°Speak, if you are troubled.¡±


    ¡°... If my gown, uh, ate part of a spirit, is that normal?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    Cai Renxiang put the scroll in her hands down with a thump as she scrutinized Ling Qi. ¡°If the spirit were attempting to tamper with its weaving, then yes,¡± she answered bluntly. ¡°What manner of arrogant creature did you encounter, that it would ignore the warnings woven into the fabric?¡±


    Ling Qi thought of the King and his disregard, as well as what had come after. ¡°One I won¡¯t miss,¡± she grunted. ¡°I just wanted to make sure nothing was wrong.¡±


    Cai Renxiang shook her head. ¡°Your luck is strange. In any case, although your gown is apprentice work, the thread of Liming has given it the same protection Mother gives to her personal works. It is unwise to tamper with them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± Ling Qi said, brushing her hands over the silk of her gown. ¡°Let me take my leave then, my Lady,¡± she said with one more bow before leaving.


    ***


    The next day, Ling Qi found herself traveling up one of the many winding paths that connected the cliffside dwellings of the Inner Sect disciples to pay a visit to the disciple ranked 812. She had already delivered the notice of challenge to the Sect offices for processing, but it was considered polite to go and speak to the person you were challenging. Not doing so was a deliberate snub.


    As she made her way up the steep winding path toward Yu Nuan¡¯s abode, she caught the sound of music floating down from above. Though the notes were deep in tone, Ling Qi recognized the sort of aimless playing that was not any particular piece, but a simple expression of feeling. She lowered her head as the notes thrummed in her bones. There was anger, passion and spite aplenty woven into the sound, but the base of it was something more like determination, or perhaps, defiance. Unfocused as it was, it presented no theme or image in her thoughts, but she could recognize the skill behind it. Ling Qi judged herself to be the better musician, but the gap was not large.


    As she thought that, Ling Qi crested the top of the path and caught her first sight of the other girl. Yu Nuan stood with her back to the path, looking out over the cliff¡¯s edge. She was tall and dusky skinned like Ling Qi herself, although not quite as much in either degree. She wore boyish clothes: loose, baggy pants of heavy black cloth tucked into sturdy boots, and a similarly loose shirt of dark purple silk that billowed on her lanky frame. Her hair drew Ling Qi¡¯s eye. It was cut short, barely reaching her ears, and retained the natural curling that Ling Qi had tamed out of her own locks early last year.


    ¡°What¡¯s up then?¡± Ling Qi was shaken out of her thoughts by Yu Nuan¡¯s gruff voice. She met the girl¡¯s green eyes as Yu Nuan looked back over her shoulder. Ling Qi paused to stare at the jade studs piercing the girl¡¯s lower lip and right eyebrow.


    Ling Qi offered a perfunctory bow, which prompted the other girl to turn around and somewhat irritably return it. Ling Qi spotted a flash and a whiff of smoke as the lute Yu Nuan had cradled in her arms vanished. A polite pleasantry was on the tip of her tongue, but as she met the girl¡¯s eyes again as they straightened up, she elected to match Yu Nuan¡¯s bluntness. ¡°I am Ling Qi. I wanted to let you know that I am challenging you for your rank.¡±


    ¡°Yu Nuan,¡± the other girl greeted curtly, narrowing her eyes. ¡° What¡¯s your ante?¡±


    ¡°Six Contribution Points,¡± Ling Qi answered, folding her arms below her chest. ¡°I hope that the Senior Sect Sister will accept.¡±


    ¡°Quit that.¡± The girl shot her an irritated look. ¡°I saw that tournament. Don¡¯t Senior Sect Sister me.¡±


    Ling Qi huffed but relaxed her posture. ¡°Yu Nuan, will you accept my challenge?¡±


    ¡°Obviously,¡± the girl replied, warm wind stirring around her. Ling Qi heard, or rather felt, the faint stirring of notes, discordant and heavy. She was sure that the girl across from her could hear the faint sound of Ling Qi¡¯s own soul as well. ¡°You¡¯d probably beat me in a fight, but that¡¯s not the kind of challenge you¡¯re expecting, is it?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°I haven¡¯t compared myself to a peer in music since I started cultivating.¡±


    The other girl let out an inelegant snort and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m glad I¡¯m not a year younger. Still, there¡¯s one thing I gotta ask.¡±


    ¡°I may not mind answering,¡± Ling Qi replied noncommittally.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you sign up with the Cai?¡± Yu Nuan asked bluntly. ¡°Just hitching your ride to the best horse?¡±


    Ling Qi felt a twinge of irritation at the question. ¡°Would there be anything wrong with that?¡± she asked. ¡°Cai Renxiang is a good liege to serve. I agree with her intentions.¡± She wasn¡¯t sure how well Cai Renxiang¡¯s ideals would turn out in practice, but she wasn¡¯t satisfied with the world that is, and she¡¯d gotten a look at the world that was. She couldn¡¯t imagine Cai Renxiang ordering a massacre like the King had.


    ... She couldn¡¯t say the same about Duchess Cai though. Not yet, at least.


    The other girl pursed her lips, giving Ling Qi a scrutinizing look. ¡°Thanks for being honest.¡± Yu Nuan let out a short laugh.


    ¡°My turn,¡± Ling Qi said, giving the girl a mild glare. A cool breeze blew, and the sound of a distant flute was audible, even to Ling Qi¡¯s ears. ¡°What¡¯s your problem with the Cai? You another one like Chu Song?¡±


    ¡°Nah. The Big Cai crushed that lot on purpose,¡± her opponent answered, squaring her own shoulders as a ripple of heat rose from her skin, warding off the chill. ¡°Me and mine were just incidental. You can rage against the machine, but if it bothers to notice, you¡¯ll just get crushed.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Ling Qi asked, studying the other girl. Her words didn¡¯t match the feelings she had gotten from the girl¡¯s aimless playing.


    ¡°I think I answered in as much detail as you did, Junior Sis,¡± Yu Nuan replied sardonically.


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Ling Qi admitted.


    ¡°S¡¯fine. One way or another, we¡¯ll understand each other by the end. That¡¯s what the music is about, isn¡¯t it?¡± Yu Nuan replied with a dismissive wave and turned back to face the cliff.


    Ling Qi stared at her back. She could take it as rude if she liked, but she wasn¡¯t sure she did. ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to it,¡± she said, letting her feet lift off from the grass. As always, she still had a lot of cultivation to do.


    Later that day, she found a neatly printed page slipped under her door when she emerged from the meditation room to quench her thirst. The challenge had been decided. It would be a contest of composition. They would each compose a new piece over the next three days and then present it to the elder overseeing the challenge. After presenting in turn, they would then vie directly against each other to see whose message was the stronger.


    Ling Qi set the notice aside. Three days to prepare. She could do that.

 Threads 13

    Ling Qi let out a slow breath as she ended her meditation in front of the argent vent. Seated cross-legged on the smooth stone floor, Ling Qi could feel, without looking outside, that several hours had passed and night had fallen. Stellar qi tingled at the edges of her senses, even through the width of earth and stone between her and the dim moonlight.


    Normally, she would be soaking in the lunar energies on the cliffside, but tonight she had other plan. She had thought long and hard on where she should begin her composition efforts. She had paid a visit to Mother and Biyu and thought of asking her mother for advice. She had briefly considered going to Zeqing. In the end, she had turned away from both choices for the same reason.


    For her first challenge against another musician, she wanted a piece that was wholly hers, and there was only one person who could help her in that regard. Sixiang was, for all their flightiness, superb at prodding her toward creativity without unduly influencing the result. At least, they were when they weren¡¯t in a teasing mood. Sixiang had been quiet for weeks now though, barely responding to anything. It concerned her, even if she knew the source. But she needed the spirit¡¯s help, and she couldn¡¯t afford to continue giving her space.


    ¡°Sixiang,¡± she said aloud, turning her thoughts inward at the same time. ¡°I need your help. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve kept to yourself long enough?¡±


    Ling Qi stared at the mist slowly seeping from the argent vent in silence as she waited for a response, eyes tracing the faint geometric shapes that formed and dissolved in the mist. As seconds and then a minute ticked by, she began to worry, but then, she felt a stirring of awareness in her thoughts.


    the muse whispered distractedly in her thoughts.


    Ling Qi thought dryly.


    Sixiang repeated, sounding dispirited.


    Ling Qi almost shot back an irritated quip but caught the meaning before the words could leave her lips. she thought. Speaking to Sixiang in her dreams was something she had suspected that she could do, but it had never come up before.


    Heading to her bedroom, Ling Qi was struck by the thought that it would be the first time she had slept in the bed provided. The handful of hours of sleep she had taken in the last two months had been snatched in the meditation room. It felt odd to lie down in an actual bed after so long. The pillow was soft, and the bedding perfect in balance between firmness and give.


    Yet, Ling Qi barely noticed as she laid down after changing into nightclothes that she had not worn in months. For her, there was no lying awake trying to fall asleep. It was a matter of will, cutting off the flow of qi that maintained her more mortal functions, and so her consciousness faded. She only hoped that Sixiang could guide her dreams.


    A moment of blackness passed. Ling Qi opened her eyes to be assaulted by a riot of color. She sat up, looking around in confusion at the thick sea of pillows, blankets and mats. Her hands sank deep into the soft fabric, and she floundered, almost drowning in the mountain of fluff and fabric. Her limbs were heavy and clumsy, but she managed to regain her balance after a moment.


    ¡°It¡¯s still kind of a mess, isn¡¯t it?¡± Sixiang asked wryly, drawing her attention away from her resting place. Looking up, she had to squint to see through the glittering rainbow mist that shrouded everything, but she could make out a few things. In front of her, the mass of pillows and cushions ended, and a sea of opaque blue-green ¡°water¡± began. It was disturbing; though it lapped and rippled realistically, the color was wrong, more an illustration than reality. Sixiang sat on the shore, their androgynous back to Ling Qi and their legs bare, dangling lazily into the ¡®water¡¯.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Ling Qi asked. She managed to stand up after a few moments and began picking her way across the treacherously soft ¡®ground¡¯.


    ¡°Um, I guess you could say this is kinda like my Domain?¡± Sixiang answered, still looking out over the ¡°water.¡± ¡°Not bad for a first try, huh? I haven¡¯t gotten all the physical bits finished up yet. I wanted to wait until I was done before I invited you in.¡±


    Ling Qi rolled those words around in her head but put off the obvious question for now as she reached the shore. The footing was surer here, and she was able to find a cushion to sit on that didn¡¯t immediately sink or shift uncomfortably. ¡°Sorry for pushing you. I need my muse though,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°Do you really?¡± Sixiang asked, finally looking her way. ¡°I¡¯m kinda thoughtless, aren¡¯t I? All the good stuff comes from you.¡±


    Ling Qi observed Sixiang as they turned their face back to the mist-shrouded sea. ¡°I don¡¯t blame you for that nightmare. It¡¯s not like you could stand up to the whole Bloody Moon or whatever that was.¡±


    ¡°Maybe not, but I could have warned you that it was gonna be trouble. But I didn¡¯t really get it.¡±


    ¡°Get what?¡± Ling Qi asked, giving the ¡°water¡± another dubious look. It looked vaguely like paint.


    ¡°Do you remember when we talked about death?¡± Sixiang asked.


    Ling Qi nodded slowly. ¡°That was a weird conversation.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t understand how death was scary,¡± Sixiang explained. ¡°It might be because of how I am. Fairies - muses - die and are born all the time.¡±


    Ling Qi did not reply at first, trailing a finger through the water. It felt normal at least. ¡°How old are you, Sixiang?¡±


    ¡°How long ago was your debut party?¡± Sixiang answered her obliquely. ¡°It¡¯s hard to put it in a way you¡¯ll get. I have memories way older than that, but ¡®Sixiang¡¯ isn¡¯t even a year old. I didn¡¯t understand how losing yourself would be scary because all the bits that were ¡®you¡¯ would end up part of something else, and that¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I don¡¯t get it,¡± Ling Qi acknowledged. ¡°Why did that change though? Did the Bloody Moon threaten you?¡±


    Sixiang grimaced. ¡°No, I could feel you hurting in the dream though, and that made me hurt. And if something happened to you, this dream would end, and I wouldn¡¯t get to tease you anymore, or listen to your songs or watch everyone fumble around trying to express themselves and¡­¡± Sixiang reached up, toying with a strand of their drifting misty hair as they babbled. ¡°I didn¡¯t want that. I¡¯m not ready to wake up and rejoin Grandmother yet.¡± Frustration and confusion bled into Sixiang¡¯s voice.


    Was Sixiang¡¯s existence tied that closely to hers? Ling Qi was faintly disturbed by the thought. ¡°I mean, that just makes sense, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Hesitating a moment, Ling Qi reached over and placed her hand on Sixiang¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Maybe to you. A dream is only supposed to exist in the moment. The past and the future are for other phases, you know?¡± Sixiang laughed.


    ¡°You¡¯re selling yourself short. What good is a muse that doesn¡¯t stick around?¡± Ling Qi jibed, hoping to lighten the mood.


    ¡°A muse is just a nudge. It¡¯s up to the artist to actually create something,¡± Sixiang shot back, a grin finding its way back onto their features. ¡°So I guess I should get nudging, huh? What is it you want to compose?¡±


    Ling Qi considered. Unsteadiness still lurked in Sixiang¡¯s tone and voice. ¡°We can wait a bit, if you¡¯d like. I can ask someone else.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no, not gonna fail at the thing that¡¯s actually my job,¡± Sixiang chided. ¡°There¡¯s some stuff I want to share, but I gotta stress test this domain thing first. Don¡¯t want to do damage by mistake,¡± they added more quietly.


    Ling Qi gave the spirit a sidelong look but shrugged, recognizing that it was the most she was going to get. ¡°Alright. Right now, I need to compose a piece for my sect challenge. We¡¯re going to compete over which composition has the stronger message, and I want something that will resonate well with my opponent and myself¡­¡±


    Sixiang held up a hand to forestall her. ¡°Hang on a sec. Let me catch up. I haven¡¯t been paying attention.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked as the spirit reached out and brushed their fingers across the opaque water. She saw the surface ripple and glimpsed flashing images: the mountain path, her conversation with Cai Renxiang, Yu Nuan¡¯s face, and others as well.


    ¡°You can just do that?¡± Ling Qi asked, bewildered.


    ¡°Once I¡¯m done, you¡¯ll be able to as well. One more sec,¡± Sixiang muttered distractedly. ¡°Alright, I think I¡¯ve got a handle on her. Where are you stuck?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how much I buy my own words,¡± Ling Qi explained, shaking off the questions for now. ¡°I won¡¯t lie. A big part of my uncertainty is because of that dream. I¡¯m just not sure of myself anymore. If I¡¯m willing to step back on the first thing I decided I wouldn¡¯t do, can I really say I have any convictions at all?¡±


    Sixiang idly kicked their bare legs, sending up splashes of paint-like water. ¡°Is it really so bad to be uncertain? You¡¯re not a construct or an elemental. It¡¯s okay to have some give to your beliefs.¡±


    ¡°That feels like an excuse,¡± Ling Qi sighed.


    ¡°Hm, hm, I see where I imprinted those issues from,¡± Sixiang said, their voice a little brittle. ¡°But you¡¯re gonna fail, and you¡¯re gonna disappoint yourself. Nobody walks a path without stumbling.¡±


    ¡°You sound like a book of koans,¡± Ling Qi groaned.


    ¡°I remember writing parts of those,¡± Sixiang replied with a laugh. ¡°But the point is you¡¯re human, and not far enough along to really have any ¡®pure¡¯ convictions. Each experience is a brick laid in the foundation of who you are.¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re doing it on purpose,¡± Ling Qi accused. She rolled her eyes, but she could see the spirit¡¯s point. She wasn¡¯t sure she would ever see that dream as anything but a failure on her part, but she couldn¡¯t wallow. She couldn¡¯t afford to, and as much as she felt a sliver of self-loathing for it, she didn¡¯t want to. She had buckled to fear in the face of overwhelming power, but hadn¡¯t she stood with Meizhen when she was alone and ambushed? She had also stood firmly against Huang Da when he tried to turn her against Li Suyin and Su Ling. One false step did not invalidate a path.


    ¡°I need a composition that focuses on what I want to do in the future, don¡¯t I? I need to show off what I think I can accomplish,¡± Ling Qi finally said.


    ¡°Ha! See, I told you a muse was just a nudge,¡± Sixiang crowed. ¡°So, what do you want to do?¡±


    And wasn¡¯t that a question.

 Threads 14

    Three days passed in a flash. Before she knew it, Ling Qi found herself striding out onto the same field Cai Renxiang had occupied earlier this month. The closed-off boxes and open stands that surrounded the field had only a scattering of disciples filling them, but she still felt a twist of her old nerves in her stomach.


    Sixiang whispered soothingly.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t respond, only firming up her stance as she walked toward where her opponent waited. There was no fancy equipment this time, only a pair of musician¡¯s stools, set across from each other on a raised wooden platform. The elder presiding over their challenge did not acknowledge her presence as she stepped up onto the stage.


    The elder was not one Ling Qi recognized. Clothed head to toe in billowing purple silks and ribbons, Ling Qi had some trouble telling if the elder was even a man or a woman, let alone any other detail of their appearance. She met the gaze behind the eye slits of the colorful three-eyed, fanged mask and inclined her head in respect. The elder gave a tiny nod in reply, the chains of pearl and gold dangling from the fanciful crown that adorned their head jingling with the motion.


    Ling Qi turned her gaze to Yu Nuan, and the other girl met her eyes defiantly, as the elder raised a black-gloved hand from the depths of their voluminous robe to silence the crowd.


    ¡°We begin now the challenge between Disciple 830, Ling Qi, and Disciple 812, Yu Nuan. It will be judged by I, Elder Nai Zhu.¡± The elder¡¯s voice was an artificial sound, feminine but without inflection, with a metallic twang and underlying grind that seemed to echo beyond sound. ¡°In accordance with sect rules, Disciple Yu Nuan has chosen a challenge of musical composition. This challenge will have two stages: individual presentation and conceptual challenge. The challenged party will present first.¡±Ling Qi eyed the elder as Yu Nuan took her seat, The heavy lute that Ling Qi had glimpsed before appeared in Yu Nuan¡¯s hands. ¡°My piece is titled ¡®War of Beasts,¡¯¡± she said evenly, her eyes drifting half-shut as she strummed the first deep, bass note.


    There were no more words, nor any need for them. Ling Qi relaxed and immersed herself in the heavy notes as the sound expanded beyond the range of a mortal musician¡¯s skill. She felt the drumbeats in her bones, and the woven chords of phantom players rumbled in her ears. Beyond mere sound, she began to see the story unfold.


    Under the deep green eaves, beasts snapped and snarled, clawed and bit. Blood was shed again and again, soaking the earth only to be drunk in by greedy roots. From the fracas, a greater beast rose, trampling all beneath his mighty hooves until at last they all succumbed, baring their throats and bellies in submission. Yet the war did not end. When the beast grew old and faltered, the others snapped and teared at each other once more. Trees caught fire, burrows were ripped apart, and packs and flocks scattered to the winds.


    War raged and ebbed again, and the cycle repeated. It was no singular cycle though. Even as the mightiest beasts warred over the whole forest, their lessers tore one another apart over groves and rivers, the least attacked each other for mere scraps, and others grew fat and mighty scavenging from the fallen. New cycles changed the details of the endless war, but never its true shape.


    As the piece moved toward its ending, another great beast rose, shining with unparalleled might, yet in the shadow of its wings, the same old bloodshed continued unabated, and the fetid forest drank deep from blood-soaked soil. The music begged the question of whether this beast could possibly change the cycle. Would all the shattered groves and devastated warrens be worth a simple continuation of the cycle under another name?


    As the imagery faded and the scent of blood left her nose, Ling Qi closed her eyes and let out a breath. It was easy enough to see Yu Nuan¡¯s sources, though she had smartly stripped out any overt symbolism. After working with Cai Renxiang and her recent experience with the Bloody Moon dream, she had looked into the history of her home province.


    Emerald Seas had the dubious honor of having changed rulers more than any other Imperial province since the Empire¡¯s founding. With the Weilu, Xi, Hui, and now Cai, the province had seen four different ruling clans in its span. The disappearance of the Weilu brought six hundred years of strife, and the end of the Xi saw a millennia of low level conflict before fifty years of outright civil war had given rise to the Hui. The latter half of the Hui reign had been riddled with corruption and decadence, even if outright armed conflict had faded from the forefront. They, in turn, fell to Cai Shenhua one hundred and fifty years ago, abandoned by all of their vassals, reviled even by the Imperial court.


    From that point of view, Ling Qi could understand the question. What was the point of all the conflict when one face merely replaced another? After being tested by the Bloody Moon and with Sixiang¡¯s help in prodding her to realize her own convictions, Ling Qi had her answer though. The problem was that Yu Nuan was trying to find some meaning in a grand narrative when no such thing existed. As the Bloody Moon had said, humans had to find their own meaning.


    Ling Qi gave her opponent a polite nod as she stood, and Ling Qi took her seat, carefully smoothing the folds of her gown as she adjusted herself for comfort on the small stool. Yu Nuan had displayed a great deal of skill, and her piece was impressive, but Ling Qi did not intend to lose. Her piece was no idle song nor a polite one to be played for parties. All the same, she had studied music under the Songstress of the End for the better part of a year.


    ¡°My piece is titled ¡®The Songbird and the Star,¡¯¡± Ling Qi announced, raising her flute to her lips. The first high, clear note flowed forth, and the air rippled with the soft sounds of phantom pipes and voices raised in song. On the stage, the sun dimmed and the air chilled, save for a small circle around Ling Qi herself, wavering and indistinct in its boundary.


    She played and told the story of a little bird, afraid and uncertain. But this very familiarity with terror allowed the little bird to be bold. She hungered for more, always for more of what she lacked. She met a terrifying tree, haughty and mighty, standing alone without a grove and called her friend. Bemused, the tree offered her shelter, and the little bird accepted.


    From the safety of the tree¡¯s branches, the emboldened bird struck out and gathered many things to herself. She gathered precious jewels and plain pebbles alike, their value to others meaningless but priceless to the bird. With each new treasure, the bird¡¯s fear faded a little more, and disquiet faded.


    When the bird met a burning star, the star was so radiant that the little bird shied from looking directly upon it. Yet, for reasons the bird could not understand, she found herself circling the star more closely. At first, the bird believed that she merely craved the star¡¯s light, which reflected prettily from her treasures, offering the potential to multiply their value beyond imagining.


    The bird did not understand the star and did not trust her cold light. Even when the bird bargained with the star that it might shine on her nest and bring a sparkle to her treasures, the bird did not understand what she felt about the star. That came later.


    One day, the little bird, who had grown proud of her treasured nest, sought to add a new treasure, a glimmering pebble with a crystal inside. But a hungry hawk spied the little bird in her quest, and the fear returned. She abandoned the pebble and fled, but she was still wounded for her trouble, even as the hawk also fled, blinded by the radiance around her nest. The bird''s poor landing knocked her nest askew, spilling treasures to the ground far below.


    The bird despaired, having thought she had beaten fear. All the while, the star¡¯s light shone overhead, unchanged. Lying in her nest, listlessly repairing its broken edge, the Songbird thought for the first time in a long time of why she sought the star¡¯s light. Though it blinded her, and she found its radiance cold, she finally came to understand. The Star sought to banish fear and create certainty, and some part of the Songbird loved it for that.


    Her nest might one day fall and spill all her treasures for the world to take, but there was worth in the attempt to create something beautiful, worth in the attempt to offer light where there was none.


    Ling Qi opened her eyes as the last notes faded and offered a brief bow to her opponent and the elder.


    The masked elder regarded them both silently, and Ling Qi met Yu Nuan¡¯s eyes across the stage. The girl was looking at her with a touch of... pity? Ling Qi felt her lips twitch in a tiny frown; that expression irked her.


    ¡°The second stage of the challenge will now begin,¡± the elder¡¯s mechanical voice rang out, its bland delivery giving no indication that they were affected in any way by either of their pieces. ¡°Challengers, resume your seats.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded tersely and did as instructed, watching as Yu Nuan did the same across from her. This was the part of the challenge that she was uncertain about.


    ¡°Begin,¡± the elder instructed, and Ling Qi began to play.


    Her song flowed forth, and the clearing formed, lit brightly by the star shining overhead just before flames overtook it. The howls of hunting beasts drowned out the Songbird¡¯s soliloquy. The haughty tree splintered under the incidental impact of a charging beast, not even aiming for the scene but attacking another beast on the other side. For a moment, chaos threatened to engulf the scene she had so painstakingly woven.


    She felt more than heard Sixiang¡¯s gentle encouragement in her thoughts and put more into her melody. The Star blazed, and where it touched, fires went out, and beasts shied away, blinded and confused by its light. Once again, she heard the Songbird sing. But it wasn¡¯t over. Something massive passed overhead, beyond her reckoning in scale, and the clearing was destroyed, crushed beneath a massive hoof.


    Ling Qi played on, and a green stalk shot up from the stump of the tree. The Songbird sang and gathered treasures anew. Shadows swallowed the Star, only for its light to be reborn from its last glimmers. Again and again, random destruction and the uncaring whims of the mighty brought ruin, time flying by in a blur of decades and centuries.


    Yet the strumming bass of Yu Nuan¡¯s lute could not drown out the notes of Ling Qi¡¯s flute. The blur of time began to slow. The clearing bloomed with new life, and trees grew anew. The Songbird sang, and the Star shone. All around, there was life. Under the Star¡¯s light, generations of the least of beasts lived peaceful lives, not without strife, but with certainty, and the Songbird¡¯s nest shone with many treasures indeed.


    Then it ended again, fire and blood shattering peace, and Ling Qi mentally gritted her teeth in frustration at the other girl¡¯s inability to see what she was getting at. It felt like trying to shift a mountain with her bare hands, but she forced their shared scene to slow still more, using every scrap of skill that Zeqing had taught her to make her own chords more dominant and drag the piece to her own tempo.


    The Songbird laughed and sang as her many friends gathered in her shining nest. A family of mice lived and burrowed happily beneath the fields, days passing with the lazy certainty that came only from great plenty. A dozen, a thousand, a million other little scenes in the now, in the present, built on the stability that banished the snarling shadow that was fear.


    In time, the peace ended, and Ling Qi did not contest her opponent during the end, but rather, the notes she picked out asked the question. Why?


    Even if peaceful times would end, and fear would return, there was value in striving for happy days. There was more value in that than in obsessing over inevitable ends, the chaos that had come and would come again. Gather treasures, whatever they might be, and hold them dear, even if they would be scattered again. Seek stability because it is the foundation of defeating fear. Live for the happy moments in the present, rather than fearing the end in the future.


    When the final notes faded and Ling Qi turned her attention back to her more physical senses, she found herself once again meeting her opponent¡¯s eyes. The pity was gone, leaving only resignation.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got your conviction, I¡¯ll give you that,¡± the other girl said grudgingly.


    ¡°I appreciate you taking my challenge,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure I still had it until I put this together.¡± She still felt horror, looking back at that dream, but she couldn¡¯t dwell on it, only learn and move forward. To banish fear and create a place for herself, she needed to continue growing stronger.


    Yu Nuan shook her head. ¡°I¡®m not sure it¡¯s a great conviction to have. I think you¡¯ll regret it when you really do lose something,¡± she said. ¡°But the loser doesn¡¯t have any right to lecture the winner.¡±


    The elder cleared their throat, and they both fell silent at the echoing, grinding sound it produced. ¡°This one concurs. Disciple Ling Qi wins the challenge by superior technical skill and presentation of her themes. Rank transfer will occur on the first day of the next month.¡± The initial words were quiet pitched for them alone while those that followed were a loud announcement to the stands.


    Yu Nuan gave her a terse nod before turning away, and Ling Qi took a deep breath before doing the same


    Ling Qi came to a halt as she reached the edge of the challenge field and found her liege waiting for her.


    ¡°I believe we should speak,¡± Cai Renxiang said evenly, ¡°of several things.¡±


    Ling Qi gave her a wan smile. ¡°I had a feeling you might say that.¡±


    ***


    ¡°So, that was the source of your unease and that strange question,¡± Cai Renxiang mused.


    They stood in one of the mountain''s many training fields to take advantage of its privacy shields. This particular training field was one of her liege¡¯s preferred venues, a field of paved stone filled with two-meter tall stone pillars spaced just far enough apart for a single person to squeeze between. They stood in a small cleared space in the center.


    ¡°If you noticed, why didn¡¯t you ask?¡± Ling Qi questioned, standing straight with her hands hidden in her sleeves.


    Cai Renxiang raised an eyebrow, meeting her eyes despite their difference in height. ¡°It is not my business. Would you prefer that I pry into your personal matters?¡±


    ¡°I guess not,¡± Ling Qi allowed. ¡°Did I do something wrong during the challenge? Or was it Yu Nuan? I mean, her piece wasn¡¯t very flattering, but¡­¡±


    Cai Renxiang shook her head. ¡°No. If the Empire censured things so vague as that, it would have shattered already. The mere attempt was the final seal on the tomb of the second dynasty, not only for the anger it engendered but also the weakness and lack of confidence such actions betrayed.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t have strong cultivators without some freedom of expression, I suppose,¡± Ling Qi noted wryly. ¡°So that leaves my other question.¡±


    Cai Renxiang crossed her arms, her expression drawing down into a frown. ¡°I am aware that your reasons for swearing yourself to me were a mixture of mercenary and personal interests. I did not object to this as I have observed that your loyalty is strong despite that. Yet, I had not considered that you lacked understanding of what I desire, rather than simply being ambivalent to it.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s hands tightened inside of her sleeves as she looked down. ¡°We haven¡¯t spoken much about your goals,¡± she admitted. ¡°But what you want is a peaceful and orderly society, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°In the simplest terms, yes.¡± Cai Renxiang looked troubled, the gleam of light around her shoulders sending the shadows of the pillars flickering wildly.


    ¡°While I was composing that song, my mind kept turning back to what I saw in the dream,¡± Ling Qi continued as if her liege hadn¡¯t spoken. ¡°The death, the chaos, and everything else. I don¡¯t want to see something like that again, and neither do you. That should be reason enough to support you, even if it isn¡¯t sustainable in the long run. Having something better in our lifetimes is worth it.¡±


    Cai Renxiang closed her eyes, and for a moment, the field was silent. When she opened them again, her gaze was cool and serious. ¡°Do you know what I saw, after my fitting to Liming was complete?¡±


    Ling Qi found her eyes watering slightly at the sudden brightness assailing them as she matched her liege¡¯s gaze. ¡°I can¡¯t say I do,¡± she said, a touch of nerves entering her tone.


    ¡°I saw the world''s inefficiency,¡± Cai Renxiang replied. ¡°I saw the tangled threads where want overrode need, where systems constructed nigh wholly by self interest and greed left ragged holes in society''s tapestry, leaving thousands to languish, unfulfilled. I saw the frayed weft of a city still reeling from a war of gods.¡±


    Ling Qi recalled that Cai Renxiang would have been six years old at the time, and she found herself understanding some of the girl¡¯s oddity. ¡°You must have resented being forced to see something so ugly.¡± Though she couldn¡¯t wax lyrical on it without time to compose, the petty ugliness of the streets and the savagery of the Hunt had given her similar feelings.


    ¡°Perhaps to a small degree, but Mother¡¯s work will not be corrupted so easily,¡± Cai Renxiang said with a shake of her head. ¡°I still see those things, and it fills me with the need to repair them, even as I am forced to engage with the broken loom it all hangs upon. If you never take anything else I say to heart, then take this, Ling Qi. I wish for a world in which all who fall under my responsibility can live ordered and fulfilled lives.¡±


    ¡°Even the ones who don¡¯t fit into that order?¡± Ling Qi asked wryly.


    ¡°Most would fit in peaceably enough, if not for the damages inflicted by the current state of things. That is simply a matter of time and transition,¡± Cai Renxiang said confidently. ¡°And those that remain are merely those whose requirements have not yet been accounted for. I firmly believe that with their needs met and acceptable avenues open for their wants, the citizenry of the Empire will be better and more productive than ever, benefiting everyone.¡±


    The way she said it sounded so dry and mechanical, but Ling Qi thought she understood where the other girl was coming from. How much of the ugliness that she had known would disappear into the wind without desperation driving it? Not all, not nearly that, but a great deal.


    ¡°However, Ling Qi, there is something you must understand,¡± her liege continued. ¡°This will be a thankless task. You will not be above my laws. I will not create them with your direct benefit in mind. I have bent certain rules in last year¡¯s proceedings, but I will not weave such expectations into the foundations of what I seek to build. The Outer Sect was a testing ground, and what occurred there is to be remembered and learned from, but it must be left behind. What occurred with Fu Xiang must never happen again. Do you understand that?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Ling Qi replied slowly. She would rather not get entangled in that sort of favor trading again anyway; it reminded her too much of the way things had been before on the streets. ¡°Lady Cai, what you provide in ¡®fairness¡¯ is more than I would receive almost anywhere else, and I believe in your good intent. I will not step away from that.¡±


    ¡°As you say,¡± Cai Renxiang replied. ¡°There is much more yet to say, but those are conversations for a more comfortable venue. Not the least of which is that I may have to reevaluate your role.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, raising her eyebrows in alarm. ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°That your skills as a musician may be the more important one,¡± Cai Renxiang replied seriously as she stepped past her, heading for the exit. ¡°You require more training and more than a little discipline, but a more public diplomatic role may suit your skills better. Come. I would like to discuss the thematics I would like you to incorporate for your performance at this month''s gathering.¡±


    Sixiang, silent until now, started laughing, and Ling Qi¡¯s eyebrow twitched.


    More mingling. Just what she wanted.

 Bonus: Xiangmen, the Heavenly Pillar

    Majestic is the Pillar of Heaven, the eldest of all trees, father and mother of forests.


    Visible far and wide across the Empire, mighty Xiangmen stretches its eaves far higher than any mountain. Its trunk pierces the clouds, and its crown reaches to the very limits of the vault of heaven. Yet so pure is its existence that it casts no shadow on the lands beneath, and the power of its knotted roots flows into the earth for a dozen leagues and more, transforming the rolling hills at its feet into the most fertile lands in the Empire.


    Within its trunk, nestled within its roots and adorning its branches, is one of the largest cities of the Empire. Only resplendent Shuilian City and the Imperial Capital itself surpass it in souls sheltered.


    The great city which fills the pillar is divided into several regions. The Green Hills region is the first a visitor will reach, a great sprawling township in its own right filling the lands surrounding Xiangmen¡¯s base. The hills here are not mere earth but follow the undulating growth of the Heavenly Pillar¡¯s roots. The radiating vitality of Xiangmen fills the soil and speeds the growth of crops, ensuring the city never has a poor harvest.


    Within are the rootways whose tunnels extend into the earth. The Upper Rootways are home to the city¡¯s military. Forts and redoubts built within shaped knots in the wood guard passage to the halls above, brightly lit at all times by faint sunlight that filters through impervious bark and a multitude of colorful lanterns as even the stern purpose of these passages does not make them any less vibrant.


    However, they cannot compare to the Pillarhalls, the great thoroughfares and spiralling streets which wrap throughout the great trunk of Xiangmen. Here, the true glory of the city is made clear in streets lit by knots filled with stained glass, filtered sunlight, and radiant lamps. Home to numerous artisans, craftsmen, and merchants, in the great markets of Xiangmen, even the most exotic goods in the Empire can be found in one auction hall, shop, stall or another.


    As one climbs the uncounted steps which make their way up Xiangmen¡¯s trunk, the city only grows more resplendent. Glittering mists drift in the air, putting minds at ease, sapping away fatigue and sparking the creative drive of visitors and residents alike, for Xiangmen is the City of Art!


    Finally, high above, passages exit out onto the branches of Xiangmen, swathed in clouds. In the Cloudspires district, the great families of the city reside in palaces carved as much from clouds and dreams as wood. The great leaves of Xiangmen, larger than the sails of ships, rustle in the wind, and their song fills the streets and thrums in the palaces. Among the palaces are concert halls and galleries hosting many of the greatest artists and works the Empire over from across eons of history.


    It is here among the clouds that the products of the Pillar are processed. Although none would be so crass and foolish as to attempt to harvest materials from Xiangmen itself, twigs and leaves are shaken loose from its branches on a somewhat regular basis. Of course, twigs of Xiangmen are equal to entire trees in volume, and so the carpenters and woodworkers of the city always have much work to do in making use of the most valuable and difficult to shape wood in the Empire.


    Xiangmen¡¯s leaves, too, are valuable beyond measure. Their extract is near priceless among pill and elixir makers, and the fibers of the leaves may be processed into many things. It is said that the Duchess herself used an entire leaf in the crafting of the gown which she presented to the Empress at her coronation.


    Sap from the Heavenly Pillar is a much more rare product, only occasionally and briefly seeping free of cracks in the bark of the upper branches. Incredibly dangerous to harvest given the environment, it is nonetheless highly prized for both medicinal and culinary uses.


    Visible too from the Cloudspires is the Ducal Palace where many of the branches of Xiangmen come together, fusing into a greenery shrouded mansion of utmost beauty hanging above the rest of the city. At its very top is the Court of Xiangmen where the Duchess holds court and decides on the many important issues which face the province.


    Sung into existence by Tsu the Diviner himself, the Ducal Palace once hosted the first king of the Weilu in the savage days before the rise of the Sage Emperor. It was here that the young Weilu, ancestors of us all, withstood the last march of the Beast Kings. It was here that the Sage Emperor met the Conclave of Petty Kings which had divided the land against itself and brought them under his gracious rule, anointing from among their number a duke to rule in his stead.


    Through the ages, Xiangmen has stood mostly untouched by the violence of the world. Never has it been sacked or burned, its population scattered. Violence has touched it many times, but none have ever risked the wrath of the Heavenly Pillar by seeking to raze it. Thus, among scholars, Xiangmen is sometimes called the City of Memory where truly ancient workings may be found still, hidden in shadowed corners and forgotten halls.


    Yes, even in hard times, Xiangmen has prospered, and from its roads, prosperity and funds have flowed back into less fortunate locales, rejuvenating the province again and again. This has only accelerated under the great Duchess Cai! New roads snake out from the Green Hills, connecting to newly settled villages, harvesting resources long left fallow. For many millenia, Xiangmen has endured, but at last, once more, the city grows!

 Threads 15

    ¡°Each art is composed of a number of forms, patterns of qi which are woven into the cycling of your qi to empower spirit and flesh. Techniques then, are the active use of those patterns, projected through carefully attuned channels,¡± Elder Heng¡¯s reedy but steady voice traveled well, perfectly audible even in the far back corner of the lecture hall Ling Qi had seated herself in.


    ¡°However truly mastering arts of the third realm is not merely a matter of techniques and attacks,¡± Elder Heng continued. ¡°Art¡¯s developed solely for the first and second realm are simple utilitarian things, and where they are not, it is because they are offering training for the use of more advanced arts.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s ink brush swept silently across the paper. Cai Renxiang didn¡¯t need her to take notes anymore, but she had found it was a good habit, and it helped her improve her handwriting besides.


    ¡°For you, who have reached the third, and who may aspire to the fourth, the true importance of mastering arts is what scholars call the ¡®insight¡¯,¡± Elder Heng said, shaking out his sleeves. Then raising his hands, he drew streamers of silver qi from the pool below him, shaping them into complex patterns. ¡°Qi is the building block of reality, and the patterns of a third realm art are statements about reality. In practicing and meditating upon these patterns, you meditate upon these statements.¡±


    Even as she took her notes, Ling Qi¡¯s thoughts wandered a little. She wasn¡¯t the only one who had won her challenge, Meizhen had risen up to the lower ranks of the seven hundreds, a memorable display by Xiulan carried her into the upper ranks of the eight hundreds, and a less memorable medicine mixing contest left Li Suyin in the mid eight hundreds.


    ¡°In mastering an art, you contemplate the thesis of its maker and draw conclusions from it,¡± The patterns of silver light around the Elder shifted, twining into ever more intricate patterns that whispered of meaning and action. ¡°This is the insight. In mastering an art, and taking insight from it, you carve that belief into your soul, and take another step in building your way.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned a little watching the patterns. She had already done something like that, hadn¡¯t she? When she had mastered the Argent Mirror, she had resolved not to lie to herself. Maybe that was why the events of the dream struck her so hard, where in earlier life she had done questionable things without nearly so much pain.


    Even if she wanted to, she wasn¡¯t capable of rationalizing her choice as anything but the naked cowardice it had been. Not any more.


    ¡°It is this which makes the third realm the lengthiest stage in your cultivation thus far. At each stage of the realm, you must seek insight into yourself, and in time tribulations to develop your path further,¡± Elder Heng continued. ¡°The ultimate goal of the third realm is the creation of your Domain Name. First through insight, and then through the development of your own arts, and finally the tribulation that will set the Name of your Way. Most stall on this road, unable to develop a cohesive meaning for their lives. It is no easy process, and you will make sacrifices on the way.¡±


    The air around the Elder shimmered, and for a moment he seemed even more translucent than normal. For just a moment the stern old man¡¯s face flickered, revealing a featureless mask of silver. ¡°Those who walk to the summits of cultivation change themselves, cut things from themselves, and one cannot retrieve what is discarded.¡±


    Ling Qi remembered Elder Jiao¡¯s words, and the genuine fatigue in the normally bombastic man¡¯s voice. Her grip tightened on her brush, blotting the ink. Taking a deep breath, she refocused her thoughts on the lesson, now jumping off into the mechanical minutiae of arts.


    She would not be one of those who stalled in the third realm.


    ***


    Of course, not all lessons took place in lecture halls.


    The last few hours had been exhausting. Keeping up with a higher realm cultivator setting a deliberately punishing pace through difficult terrain was no easy task, let alone one who was deliberately making some small effort to throw them from her trail and lose them in the twisting, misty vales that lay between the higher peaks. Still, she had made it to the end, along with her ¡®classmates¡¯.


    Ling Qi stood at attention in line with a half dozen other disciples, none of whom she particularly recognized. Two were only a few years older than her, but the other four were clearly older men and women, all caught in that halfway state between the second and third realms, or in one case, fully second but on the edge of breaking through. She felt awkward being the youngest yet also the highest cultivation.


    She was a little surprised at her fellow disciples¡¯ attitudes. The two fully third realm disciples, with ranks in the lower half of the eight hundreds, had eyed her with envy and some resentment. The rest, who Ling Qi estimated to be in their early thirties and who held ranks in the nine hundreds, seemed ambivalent but otherwise nonchalant about her. Perhaps that was simply military discipline, seeing as they had all been promoted from within the Sect¡¯s army. They were probably used to being overshadowed by much younger people.


    Of course, no one was looking at anyone else right now. She was pretty sure the fourth realm core disciple currently examining them would put anyone who showed such a lack of attention into the ground.


    The young woman standing across from them with her arms folded behind her back had managed to remind Ling Qi of her first physical cultivation instructor before Ling Qi had even heard her name. Guan Zhi resembled her father in other ways as well. Scandalously dressed, wearing only a tight, dark green cloth wrap that covered her chest and little else and form-fitting pants of a lighter shade tucked neatly into sturdy black boots that rose almost to her knees. Cloth bandages wrapped her forearms and hands. Her long hair was tied back in a single, tightly braided tail.


    Sixiang asked idly.


    Ling Qi kept her eyes ahead and her expression studiously straight. she reminded.


    Thankfully, Sixiang¡¯s musings were cut off as their instructor began to speak. While her voice was feminine, she had her father¡¯s same air of command and brooked no inattention.


    ¡°Good. At least you can all stay at attention. The seven of you have been screened for introduction into the officer level of the scouting and skirmishing forces.¡± Guan Zhi spoke in a quick, clipped tone, unmoving from her starting position. ¡°It is a dangerous duty. We act with less support than our main branch comrades and often undertake missions of greater personal danger. As an officer, your responsibilities will only increase. For the remainder of the year, you will all receive training in small unit tactics, reconnaissance, and various other minor but still crucial skills.¡±


    Ling Qi had known that the Sect would be offering military tutoring, and the start of the third month had brought its start. Even if she was going to be departing in two years, she would gladly take advantage of it. So long as she was in the Sect, she was a member of their forces and entitled to attend the lessons. Giving young nobles a taste of responsibility and discipline was part of the Inner Sect¡¯s purpose after all.


    ¡°I will oversee the instruction of those of you promoted from the actual Skirmish Division,¡± Guan Zhi continued. ¡°You do not require lessons on the basics, only the additional responsibilities that arise from being an officer.¡± Ling Qi sensed a tiny flicker of pride and a minute straightening of stances from the older and lower ranked disciples. ¡°For the three of you remaining, you will be acting as understudies to current officers. Follow their instructions exactly.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced at the others, seeing them surreptitiously looking around as Guan Zhi gave a sharp gesture to the other disciples and began to lead them away.


    ¡°Still so inattentive, Junior Sister Ling?¡± Ling Qi nearly jumped out of her skin at the smooth male voice that spoke as if directly in her ear.


    She spun around on instinct, bringing herself face-to-face with her one time tutor, Liao Zhu. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the other remaining disciples receiving similar frights from those she assumed to be their own instructors. Liao Zhu looked much the same as he had when she had seen him a few months ago. The tall, muscular boy still wore an open vest of leather, hung with a dozen or more black knives, and a silver-fanged demon mask over his lower face. The only new feature she noticed was a star of scarred flesh on his left shoulder.


    Sixiang needled.


    ¡°Senior Brother Liao¡¯s skill is still too great,¡± Ling Qi replied, ignoring the pest in her head as she offered a small bow. ¡°May I ask what Senior Brother¡¯s lesson plan is?¡± Despite herself, she found her eyes drawn to the red crescent tattoo around his eye. She felt a knot of worry about going alone with someone who was associated with the Bloody Moon.


    ¡°As the lovely and redoubtable Guan Zhi said, you must first learn the basics of a skirmisher¡¯s duty before taking up the duties of an officer,¡± he answered seriously. ¡°Today, and for much of the rest of the week, this skilled brother will be familiarizing you with terrain and the signs of nomad movements in it, as well as the marks for supply caches and signal language. Come along then, Junior Sister. We have no time to slack off.¡±


    She stared at his back before following him as he leapt up to a higher trail a few meters above the cliffside they had stopped on. They swiftly left it behind, splitting from the other recruits as they and their tutors took different paths into the mountain vales.


    ¡°Could you explain what exactly a skirmisher does, Senior Brother?¡± she asked, voice carrying on threads of music despite the wind whipping by as the ground blurred by below them.


    Where Ling Qi supplemented her movement with minor bursts of flight, Liao Zhu simply seemed to blur from one outcropping or scraggly tree to the next. Ling Qi could have done the same she supposed, but doing so would have required that she use an actual art whereas she sensed no such thing from him.


    ¡°It is in the name,¡± he replied, turning around to face her despite continuing his path. He seemed to suffer no loss of grace or coordination for leaping and jogging backward. ¡°The Scout and Skirmish division ranges outward in smaller groups than our more regimented brethren in the proper combat core. We are often tasked to travel in pairs or even alone. Our duties involve tracking and monitoring the movements of our enemies, the Cloud Nomads, as well as less human threats. We are also tasked with checking those movements often enough, if the matter is too small to require a full regimental movement. As an officer, you will be responsible for delegating tasks to lower ranked members in an assigned region and organizing larger operations.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s brows crinkled in worry. Could she really do something like that? She supposed she had to learn to be responsible for other people in enemy territory given her likely stint as a baron on the border, but all the same¡­ She found her eyes drawn back to his tattoo. Although she had somewhat come to terms with the dream, could she really be relied upon in danger?


    ¡°Has something marred my handsomeness, Junior Sister Ling?¡± Liao Zhu asked lightly as he landed with a heavy and deliberate thud on a small, scrubby cliff. Ling Qi landed beside him a moment later, and a glance showed her some signs that there had been something here before them. Ash and scorched bones were mixed into the dirt, and a clump of fur clung to a thornbush off to their right. Her tutor seemed uninterested in it at the moment. ¡°Or is it about the blood and regret that stains your spirit?¡±


    Ling Qi stiffened. Of course someone several stages above her would notice. ¡°I had an unpleasant run in with your patron,¡± she answered, more than a little stiffly. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we focus on training, Senior Brother?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, perhaps,¡± the young man replied, seating himself on a boulder and cupping his masked chin in his hand as he observed her. ¡°But a lesson to a distracted student is a wasted one. Tell me, which side did you fall on in that terrible dream?¡±


    Sixiang grumbled.


    Ling Qi supposed that it was pretty likely that someone who had earned the Bloody Moon¡¯s favor had gone through a site dedicated to her. ¡°The Hunter King,¡± she said shortly. ¡°You?¡±


    ¡°Both and none at one time or another,¡± he said with a chuckle. ¡°I tried so many times for a satisfying outcome, and always, I have failed.¡±


    Ling Qi stared at him. ¡°Why would you do that to yourself?¡±


    ¡°It is my nature. I could no more stop than you could cease collecting your treasures, Songbird,¡± Laio Zhu shot back, making her flush. Had he been at her challenge or had he just heard about it? ¡°Do you know what would have happened had you sided with the rebels?¡±


    ¡°... They would have lost anyway. It would have been futile against a White cultivator,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°Not so!¡± he contradicted brightly, leaning forward. ¡°For given enough time, the rebel King would complete the ritual he had been preparing and strike a terrible blow to the Hunter, allowing him to be fought!¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Ling Qi said dumbly, feeling even worse than before.


    ¡°Of course, with the Hunter King slain, the rebels would then swarm out, burning and killing with abandon, to clap their former brethren in chains for use as labor to rebuild that which the Hunter King had destroyed and greater projects still,¡± Liao Zhu explained, meeting her eyes without blinking. ¡°Or indeed, the brethren kings could both die in the clash, and the chaos would spread until at last, the rebels were extinguished at great cost, solidifying the iron grip of the isolationists of the Weilu for all time, as it did in the waking world.¡±


    Ling Qi knew better than to ask what the point of the dream had been then. She knew that there wasn¡¯t one. ¡°It was cruel and pointless to show me that,¡± Ling Qi asserted. ¡°She stopped my spirit from giving me context and berated me at the end, despite saying that there was no lesson. Why?¡±


    ¡°Vengeance is cruel,¡± Liao Zhu replied with a lazy shrug.


    ¡°She¡¯s not supposed to be just vengeance,¡± Ling Qi snapped.


    Liao Zhu¡¯s eyes wrinkled behind his mask, and she knew he was smiling. ¡°Justice is a wholly artificial thing. It is born of human desire for order. It cannot care about the happiness of the individual, else it be perverted. Justice is cruel.¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be,¡± Ling Qi replied stubbornly.


    ¡°Hah, well spoken!¡± he laughed. ¡°I do not disagree, to a point, but that is the purpose of the dream, despite there being no inherent lesson. Would you even ask yourself these questions without the bloody reality forced into your face? Justice is decided by those with power. If you wish to make it align with your vision, then do so with your own hands, your own words. Convince those around you that your justice is correct. A great spirit cannot change. It can only be changed.¡±


    ¡°You really are arrogant, Senior Brother,¡± Ling Qi assessed. Perhaps it was the vein of music twisting through her spirit, or perhaps it was the clear sight given her by Argent Mirror, but she could feel his sincerity. Liao Zhu sincerely intended to change the nature of a great spirit.


    Then again, maybe cultivators needed that kind of arrogance to reach the peak of cultivation.


    ¡°Your compliments will not dissuade me from making your training difficult,¡± Liao Zhu said, hopping lightly to his feet. ¡°You are too intriguing to be allowed to wallow in mediocrity. Let us move on.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what about this place?¡± Ling Qi asked, glancing around in confusion.


    ¡°This?¡± he asked with furrowed brows. ¡°Just a disciple''s campsite. Worry not. By the end of this week, you shall not make such mistakes.¡±


    Ling Qi sighed and followed after him. She had a feeling it was going to be a long month.

 Threads 16

    For three mornings every week, Ling Qi would be devoting her time to learning scoutcraft and tactics under the tutelage of her Senior Brother and later, the core disciple in charge. She was somewhat chagrined to learn, upon asking, that Guan Zhi was actually one of Elder Zhou¡¯s nieces. She really did need to stop assuming things.


    That aside, she was already learning much. Seeing that she had some basic skill in tracking from time spent with Su Ling last year, Liao Zhu focused on teaching her the more esoteric aspects of tracking that were beyond mortal skill. The qi of a Cloud Tribesman had a different texture to that of an Imperial cultivator, and a keen scout could detect traces of a bound spirit¡¯s partner in the traces they left behind.


    She was also learning the ways to detect the disturbances in the background energies of the world left by the passage of higher realm beasts and cultivators as well. It was hard to describe, but potent auras left behind ripples and eddies that could be detected long after their passing. She had begun to dampen the signs of her own passage instinctively over the last year, the lessons of Sable Crescent Step showing dividends.


    It was very educational, and Ling Qi was sure that she was on the edge of an advancement in her ability to conceal herself, but it had not come yet.


    Letting her idle thoughts drift away, Ling Qi turned her attention back to the present. ¡°This is the place, huh?¡± she asked. It didn¡¯t look impressive.


    They had climbed down into the depths of the new valley, now full of nascent greenery. The river, once haunted and corrupted, bubbled and flowed freely once again, clear and pure. Here, though, at the valley¡¯s deepest point, the resurgence seemed tepid. The grass was yellow and withered, and the other plants stunted. A yawning crack in the ground, three meters long and half that across, stretched deep into the earth. The darkness within was no barrier to Ling Qi¡¯s sight, and she saw only barren rock below. By the crack stood three squat square pillars of stone, carved with formations beyond Ling Qi¡¯s comprehension.


    Li Suyin detected her unasked question as she fiddled with one of the many pouches on the harness she wore across her chest. ¡°The reason we can approach and find it so easily is because we have the tokens that bypass the formation. Anyone else would be compelled to avoid this place. It also seals the hole against further contamination from outside, and vice versa.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something poisonous in there then?¡± Ling Qi asked with a frown, peering down at the chalky floor of the cavern visible through the crack.


    ¡°It¡¯s more of a mutual toxicity,¡± Li Suyin answered before gesturing for her attention. Li Suyin handed her a small blue pill. ¡°This should shield you from the effects of the air below for six hours. If we do not go too deep. I have more if we look to be running longer.¡±


    Ling Qi took the pill, and after rolling it between her fingers, popped it in her mouth. It tasted like the fresh, unsullied air of an unspoiled vale, with a hint of mint. Next to her, Li Suyin was doing the same, but with two pills. Presumably, Suyin needed one more due to the difference in their realms.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not waste any time then,¡± Ling Qi said brightly. She¡¯d keep her friend safe, and they¡¯d leave this place laden with loot. She wouldn¡¯t let it end any other way.


    She landed on the cavern floor in a puff of dust. The small chamber around her was still and silent. The withered remains of fungal growths clung to the walls and floor, and the scattered bones of vermin lay half-buried in the chalky dust that coated the floor. A faint, sickly sweet scent of rot and decay made her wrinkle her nose.


    Li Suyin descended slower, crawling down the wall with no regard for hand holds or grip. Ling Qi saw eight glittering eyes and fuzzy pink legs peering at her out of the girl¡¯s backpack. Zhenli, Li Suyin¡¯s spirit, wasn¡¯t much of a combatant, but she could act as another lookout.


    Sixiang murmured.


    Ling Qi thought.


    ¡°Why do you have that pack and all of those pouches anyway? Did something happen to your storage ring?¡± she asked as Li Suyin dropped the last few meters, landing with a thud that seemed thunderous to Ling Qi, even if it wasn¡¯t truly loud.


    Li Suyin peered at her, and it occurred to Ling Qi then that her friend couldn¡¯t see in the dark as she could. Ling Qi felt a small shift in the other girl¡¯s qi, and the stitched patterns on her eyepatch lit up, casting a dim cone of light from its surface. ¡°I want to save the space for reagents,¡± she explained. ¡°And storage rings have trouble holding large numbers of complex or volatile formations.¡±


    Right. Something about interference with the ring¡¯s own formations. That was why talismans took up so much more ¡®space¡¯ than mundane objects, or even beast cores and such.


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± she acknowledged. ¡°What¡¯s our plan then? This is your expedition.¡±


    ¡°Just a moment,¡± Li Suyin said. She pressed her hand to the wall, and Ling Qi cocked her head to the side curiously as a half dozen skeletal mice scurried out of her sleeve, skittering away into the cave. They formed a shifting perimeter around the two of them. Li Suyin next threw a pair of pellets to the floor, producing columns of smoke from which emerged two hulking skeletons. Ling Qi raised her eyebrows. Impressive.


    The first looked to be an evolution of Suyin¡¯s first guard prototype. It had the skeleton of a bear sculpted into humanoid shape, save for its grinning skull attached low on its broad shoulders. The bones were bound together with silk and armored in overlapping bands of iron, and it clutched a heavy mace in one hand and a thick iron shield in the other. The second looked to have been crafted from a wild boar, its tusked skull sitting so low that it seemed to almost jut from its chest, and was armed with a heavy guandao.


    They were only late second realm, but they seemed like solid constructions. Ling Qi wouldn¡¯t have much trouble with them, but they would even or tip the odds for Suyin against any enemy of her own realm.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Ready,¡± Li Suyin replied and stepped toward the tunnel that led further down.


    Ling Qi found as they descended the twisting tunnel leading deeper into the earth that the further they delved from the surface and the sun, the more the caverns came alive. It began small. She saw stalks of wriggling, pale white fungus growing from the floors and ceiling, and they grasped weakly at the hems of their skirts as they passed.


    Towering columns of fungal flesh stretched from the floor to the ceiling of the next chamber, bloated and putrescent, their size crushing them against the ceiling and sprouting spider webbing growths of pulsing blue white mycelium across the roof. Pale lizards with blind, bulging eyes and mouths that trailed fetid spores darted in and out of the waving tendrils, chasing insectoid puffballs that moved about with jets of spore-choked air.


    Li Suyin seemed at ease, moving among the not-trees with a purpose. Ling Qi kept a wary eye open regardless, but it seemed this was not their destination. Li Suyin had already collected plenty of samples from here. Their destination lay deeper.


    Ling Qi glanced back as they descended from the first living cavern. ¡°So, what should I be worrying about? Everything has seemed pretty docile so far.¡±


    ¡°The third level is a bit more dangerous, and it is where I¡¯ll begin harvesting,¡± Li Suyin replied confidently. ¡°Um, the danger is mostly in carnivorous lizards and certain kinds of fungus. There shouldn¡¯t be much real danger yet. Once I¡¯ve harvested what I need, we can descend to the fourth. I turned back last time since I sensed a third realm presence below.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded as they reached the bottom of the tunnel. The growth was thicker here, and the wildlife more aggressive, though still not much of a hindrance. For the first time in a quite a while, Ling Qi had the chance to exercise her skill with throwing knives. Her songs would be far too destructive against such foes. Despite the novelty, it was difficult not to sink into boredom as she made a game of pinning the various lizards and fungus bug things with her knives when they got too close.


    Li Suyin¡¯s guards did their share of pest swatting as well, and once, Ling Qi held back and let them handle a larger foe, a relatively strong second realm fungus beast that shambled out of the ¡®woods¡¯. The beast must have taken offense to Li Suyin¡¯s cutting and sampling. They performed well enough, the shielded one summoning a barrier of wind that blocked the miasma of spores the creature released while the other efficiently removed its limbs and chopped it to pieces.


    ¡°I am sorry if this is a little boring,¡± Li Suyin said, shooting Ling Qi a nervous smile as the thing stopped spasming. ¡°I have been through these areas several times. Things should get more exciting soon.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Ling Qi dismissed. It wasn¡¯t much of an adventure so far, but after her expedition with Shen Hu last month-


    Sixiang asked.


    Ling Qi frowned as Li Suyin moved to harvest the dead fungus beast, looking down at the floor, drawn by Sixiang¡¯s silent direction. There was a growing disturbance in the earth qi below her feet. A twisting, snarl with a ravenous, all consuming hunger at its core was approaching. Ling Qi¡¯s eyes darted to the side as vibrations traveled up the fungus stalks, and a pebble began to rattle.


    She flew to Li Suyin¡¯s side, pulling her back as the floor beneath their feet shattered and fell. Her friend let out a surprised yelp but recovered well, landing on the now shattered, sandy slope of the sinkhole that had consumed the cavern for twenty meters around. Her constructs landed with heavy thuds, digging their weapons into the earth to avoid sliding further down. Even as they did, dozens of the beasts they had been casually slaying fell, squealing and fighting, sliding through the newly formed sand toward what lay at the bottom.


    What Ling Qi saw down there, unhindered by the darkness, was hideous. Once, she might have thought it nightmarish.


    Eleven beady eyes were haphazardly scattered across the misshapen face. It gazed balefully up at them from both sides of its vertical maw. Protruding a full meter from both sides of that maw were a pair of snapping, spiked pincers that gleamed with traces of metal in their chitin. The beast''s body lay hidden, half-buried at the bottom of the sinkhole, and was shelled like a beetle''s. Its two foremost limbs resembled the arms of an ape with three-fingered stubby, clawed hands large enough to grasp a human around the waist.


    The thing inhaled, and Ling Qi braced herself, along with her friend, as a pair of scrambling dog-sized lizards fell shrieking into its gnashing teeth, immediately ground up into gore and meat. The thing let out a ululating shriek then and turned hungry eyes toward the pair of them.


    Ling Qi grimaced as she felt a feeling of weight crashing down on her shoulders like the pull of the earth magnified. The feeling washed away in shimmering sparks of moonlight, but she saw Li Suyin grimacing, her shoulders drooping because of the pressure. Above, Ling Qi heard a faint crack, and a narrow fracture appeared in the ceiling.


    It looked like they were getting a bit of excitement after all.


    The air beside Ling Qi rippled, and her Singing Mist Blade wailed out. Ling Qi had made little use of her flying sword outside of spars yet, but now seemed like as good a time as any to start. As the blade darted toward the beast¡¯s misshapen head and sang its discordant song, Ling Qi flooded her meridians with wood-aligned qi and activated her Deepwood Vitality technique, spreading its aegis across both herself and Li Suyin.


    She grimaced as she felt her technique fail to dissipate the heavy chains of qi dragging at her friend¡¯s limbs, but they were both fortified now. Her flying sword made the beast flinch and snap, darting around its head like a bothersome bee, so she moved forward with the next part of her plan. There was no time to talk and make true plans, but she trusted Li Suyin to follow up.


    Ling Qi darted forward, passing Li Suyin¡¯s twin guardians as she closed in on the beast. Compared to her, they moved in slow motion. A moment later, the beast loomed above her, malformed and ominous. She ducked under its swiping arm, her limbs shimmering and fading in and out of the cave''s darkness. When she stood directly in front of the beast, she brought her flute to her lips and played the Spring¡¯s End Aria.


    The beast flinched at the spread of the unnatural cold, frost spreading across its carapace and freezing solid the sand beneath her feet. Eleven glowing eyes fixated upon her, and gaping jaws opened wide, the metal-threaded chitin gleaming in the pale light cast by her friend''s eye patch.


    Ling Qi heard something flying through the air and a puff as a tiny clay sphere shattered on the massive beast''s raised forearm. The scent of fresh air and mint reached Ling Qi¡¯s nose, along with a mild breeze that sent her hair fluttering. The beast found it much more distressing, letting out an earsplitting shriek as it pawed at its face and gnashed its jaws. It released another burst of heavy earth qi, but this time, it washed off of her without effect, and Ling Qi avoided the boulder that fell from above by taking a step to the side.


    Capitalizing on and maximizing the creature¡¯s distraction, she sent her flying sword spiralling on a direct course for one of the thing¡¯s glowing eyes, and as it swatted at the blade, drawing a shower of sparks where the edge met chitin, she bent her legs and leaped, carrying herself up until she was level with the beast¡¯s maw. Hoarfrost Caress howled from her flute like a wild blizzard, and the gore, slime, and saliva in the creature¡¯s mouth froze. Chitin split, fangs shattered, and one of the beast''s eyes frosted over and exploded violently, showering her in frozen chunks of ocular fluid.


    How the beast shrieked! A swinging fist the size of her torso lashed out at Ling Qi¡¯s side, only to careen wildly into the cavern wall as she dodged through it, becoming absence and void. However, the beast was not just flailing wildly.


    Even as she fell, her eyes widened as the beast hunkered down, curling in on itself. She had only an instant to see its chitinous flesh writhing, dull spikes on its carapace sharpening and growing in fast motion before they fired in a burst, hundreds of organic arrows firing outward in a moment. She twisted through the deadly rain, avoiding most and letting others flow through her, but several struck regardless. Her shoulder, abdomen, and thigh were hit, and the faint viridian light playing over her skin rippled and shattered, deflecting the last of the projectiles.


    Ling Qi¡¯s ears caught no cry of pain from behind her either, only the staccato of impacts on metal and the feeling of her Deepwood Vitality fading. Her friend¡¯s condition was confirmed when a skeletal crow zoomed past overhead and exploded violently in midair above the beast¡¯s head, releasing a misty rain of rust-colored liquid. A little washed over Ling Qi, but it seemed benign to her. The beast on the other hand thrashed and flailed, some of the gleaming metals in its shell turning dingy and corroded, forming cracks in its carapace.


    Ling Qi¡¯s flying sword sang again, trailing sparks as it skated across the creature¡¯s carapace, and Ling Qi felt its hunger take hold. Through her connection to the weapon, she felt it hungrily siphon away the beast''s qi, venting it into the cavern around them in a miasma of dark grey mist. As the beast raised its head, brackish, frozen blood flowing in slushy chunks from its jaws, Ling Qi struck again. The winds of winter howled, and another two of the beast''s eyes exploded, and a fracture formed in one of its great snapping jaws.


    The cavern shook as it shrieked again, dust raining from the ceiling as the beast, maddened with pain, lashed out with spike-laden limbs. It swung furiously at the tiny figure darting around in front of it, shattering rock and sending up plumes of sand. The song of her sword carved into it relentlessly, and another clay vessel of fresh air shattered, darkening another eye as the ¡®venom¡¯ seeped in through broken chitin.


    The next time the blizzard sang, the beast gurgled, its shriek choked off as its wavering aura broke, and blood and saliva froze solid in its throat. The beast spasmed, a pulse of heavy qi erupting again and making the cavern rumble ominously, before shuddering one last time, and falling still.

 Threads 17

    Ling Qi stood ready for another few moments after the creature¡¯s last twitch subsided. Only after a swift kick to one of its remaining eyes failed to bring a reaction did she allow herself to turn around.


    ¡°Everything alright up there?¡± she called.


    ¡°Y-yes,¡± Li Suyin called back from the edge of the pit, her voice muffled. Ling Qi looked with bemusement upon her friend¡¯s solution to the issue of being dragged down.


    Li Suyin stood in a veritable cage of bone, metal, and silk formed by her guardians. The one with the shield stood below, its shield spiked into the ground. The simple slab of metal had expanded, twin plates of steel bursting from its sides to form a curved barrier. The other one stood behind, the hooked ornament at the base of its gaundao now stuck firmly into the ceiling at the end of a chain. It clasped the extended weapon in one hand while the other seemed to be holding the first guardian¡¯s collar, but a second look showed that the gauntlet and armor had fused into a single piece. Metal flowed as she watched, the two guardians detaching from one another as Li Suyin peeked out from between them.


    ¡°I take it that that¡¯s new,¡± Ling Qi said dryly, gesturing to the dead beast.


    ¡°Nothing like that has come up here before, no,¡± Li Suyin replied with a frown, making her way down the slope carefully. ¡°It could just be bad luck, but¡­¡±


    ¡°You did have a way out with you before, right?¡± Ling Qi asked worriedly. While Li Suyin had weathered the peripheral of the fight fine and even helped distract the creature, she didn¡¯t know if her friend could have handled it on her own.


    ¡°I have an escape talisman,¡± Li Suyin answered, examining the creature. ¡°You would think a predator like this would leave more signs, considering how destructive it is,¡± she mused absently.


    ¡°Unless this isn¡¯t its normal hunting grounds,¡± Ling Qi offered.


    ¡°Well, we can determine that later,¡± Li Suyin replied, reaching into her bags to retrieve a leather surgical mask and a pair of goggles. ¡°I need to harvest this! A core this potent will be a great boon for my work.¡±


    Ling Qi sighed and resigned herself to standing guard while her friend butchered hundreds of kilograms worth of beetle monster. She was glad Suyin was happy, but should she really be this blase about a threat to her life? What had happened to the wilting girl who hated fighting and blood?


    ¡°Do you think we should follow its trail?¡± Li Suyin asked, crouching near the beast¡¯s oozing maw. ¡°I had scouted out a path to the third level already, but if this leads back to a nest¡­ There could be so much more to find.¡±


    Ling Qi raised an eyebrow. ¡°You want to tangle with a bunch of these?¡± she asked incredulously.


    Li Suyin shook her head, and she flicked her wrist, drawing a carving knife the length of her forearm from storage. ¡°There isn¡¯t enough nutrition in this region to support multiple adults of this size. It would be a mated pair at most. The upper caverns would be stripped bare if there were more. We might find juveniles or even eggs though! A sample of the carapace still in development could advance¡­¡±


    Ling Qi watched as her friend sank the knife into a crack in the creature¡¯s carapace, and the formations on its blade glowed, even as a spurt of blood stained Suyin¡¯s facemask. She listened to Li Suyin discuss the improvements she could make to her constructs.


    What a change that she was the one feeling a little timid.


    But one way or another, they were going into dangerous territory. It only made sense to follow the obvious trail, and she couldn¡¯t afford to start jumping at shadows. She had handled the beast easily enough, and Li Suyin had acquitted herself well.


    Of course, having decided that, Ling Qi could only wait for Suyin to finish. Butchering the bug-thing took the better part of two hours. Oh, Li Suyin needed her help once or twice to pry a section of chitin too thick to cut open, but Ling Qi had little to do aside from keeping watch.


    Eventually, after the fist-sized greasy black lump that seemed to be the beast¡¯s core and many kilograms of chitin and tissue had vanished into Li Suyin¡¯s and Ling Qi¡¯s storage rings, and with the butchered corpse dragged out of the pit, they were finally ready to descend. Ling Qi ended up carrying her friend down, looping her arms under the shorter girl¡¯s. With so much stone converted into sand, there was nothing to attach a grapple to.


    The bottom of the tunnel lay half a hundred meters down. The walls glistened with the slimy secretions of the beast they had killed, but they were at least solid. Ling Qi glanced at Suyin as the other girl released her guardians from storage again. She was glad they were moving again, but¡­


    Sixiang commented lightly.


    Suyin¡¯s arms were caked up to the elbows in chunky black and green gore, and her facemask and smock weren¡¯t much better. Ling Qi glanced at her own hands, speckled with bug goo as they were. Her gown had repelled the gunk almost violently, thankfully, so it was just her hands and forearms stained with gore.


    ¡°You really have changed quite a bit, haven¡¯t you, Li Suyin?¡± Ling Qi mused aloud as Suyin sent a pack of skeletal mice skittering down the passage to scout.


    Li Suyin looked to her in confusion, her gleaming eyepatch contrasting with her pale blue eye. ¡°What do you¡­?¡± She glanced down at herself then and gave a sheepish shrug. ¡°Medicine is a dirty profession,¡± Li Suyin continued, somewhat self-consciously. ¡°You have to deal with many things that others find hard to look at or disgusting. I suppose I have just adjusted to it.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with that.¡± Ling Qi hummed as they began to move forward, walking quietly down the lopsided tunnel. ¡°I am surprised that you have gone so far with these constructs though. Surely the Sect had resources that needed less reverse engineering.¡± She had treated the pale manual¡¯s constructs as more of a hobby. Even the Ossuary Horror was more of a distraction tactic for her than a core part of her combat style.


    ¡°Sometimes, things shouldn¡¯t be beautiful,¡± Li Suyin said. ¡°Isn¡¯t it better not to hide the nature of some things?¡±


    ¡°I suppose not,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°They don¡¯t need to be pretty to work.¡±


    ¡°It might be a little childish, but I admit that I like the idea of turning things people consider unpleasant to good ends,¡± Li Suyin said. ¡°After all, so many things considered virtuous are¡­¡± She trailed off, shaking her head.


    Ling Qi hummed in reply, not really sure what to say.


    Sixiang whispered.


    Ling Qi thought back dryly.


    Sixiang shot back.


    ¡°Ling Qi?¡± Li Suyin asked, glancing over at her as they paused at a curve in the tunnel, waiting for Suyin¡¯s scouts to return.


    ¡°Just chatting with Sixiang,¡± Ling Qi replied, ¡°about the aesthetics of your constructs.¡±


    Her friend blinked, looking befuddled behind her mask. ¡°Oh. What do they think?¡±


    Sixiang rattled off.


    Ling Qi blinked slowly at the response before relaying it. ¡°Sixiang thinks you should use some conventionally beautiful elements in the mix. The contrast will improve the overall unsettling vibe.¡±


    Li Suyin frowned. ¡°Um¡­ I see. I will take that into account.¡± She did not sound as if she was sure of that at all. The conversation petered out as they turned their focus back to exploration.


    The tunnel wound for a fair distance before breaking out into empty air. They emerged on the wall of a chasm, too deep for even Ling Qi to see the bottom of. The yawning gap simply stretched down until all Ling Qi could perceive was undifferentiated gray. They did, however, emerge on a sloping cliffside so there remained a trail of slime and scrapings to follow.


    On the way down, Ling Qi saw many things skittering and flying in the darkness in more shapes than she could count. Some ignored them while others stared down at them with inscrutable eyes. Ling Qi remained on guard, but none seemed prepared to attack. She still felt relieved when their trail led back into a tunnel and away from the abyssal chasm. Eventually, they came to a wide, circular chamber some forty meters across with a floor of soft white sand. The bug thing¡¯s qi marked the place as deeply as the gouges and scratches left by its limbs did. Another two tunnels led deeper into the earth, seemingly natural this time.


    As Li Suyin hurried to examine discarded moltings and fragments of shell scattered across the cavern, Ling Qi peered around carefully, her flute in her hands. She felt an itch, a feeling in her gut, telling her to stay alert. But after nearly a quarter hour had passed and nothing had happened, she still very nearly leaped out of her skin when the sand off to her right stirred.


    The shifting grains mounded up as something beneath burrowed upward. Ling Qi had a moment to see some pale-skinned and grub-like thing beginning to emerge before the single sharp note that she blew from her flute blasted the top half of the creature into a sticky red and green mist.


    Li Suyin paused in harvesting the empty moltings in the echoing silence that followed, and Ling Qi felt her nerves somewhat subside. It had only been some kind of weak beast, no more than a first realm.


    Why hadn¡¯t she felt its approach though?


    ¡°A scavenger¡­?¡± Li Suyin proposed, even as her clanking guardians moved into more defensive positions.


    Ling Qi focused, and behind her eyes, Sixiang did the same. Her eyes rippled silver, argent and lunar qi mingling to enhance her senses still further. She felt it. They were not presences per se, but a disturbing sort of absence like a shadow glimpsed in a dark forest. The sand boiled beneath their feet, and this time, the creature that emerged was not alone. Ling Qi got a better look, and she wished she hadn¡¯t.


    Their flesh were glistening and pale like a maggot¡¯s, and their movements betrayed a repellant softness at odds with their shape. The creatures resembled humans, if humans had been forced to crawl on all fours like bugs until their limbs bent unnaturally out, lending them a skittering, rodent-like gait. Their heads were worse. Eyeless and bald, their pale, blue-veined flesh stretched thin over empty eye sockets. Bristling whiskers protruded from their otherwise hairless skin just below their elongated nose and chattering teeth. Their visages were like some hideous combination of human and rat.


    Now that she knew what to look for, Ling Qi could feel the shadow of even more presences from further down. They were under the sand and down the tunnels, a creeping horde that she could not count. Even now though, Ling Qi wasn¡¯t worried. The creatures, within the bounds of the first and second realm, were weak.


    Ling Qi played, and her mist rolled out, engulfing the pale and skittering beasts as they turned their snouts and sniffed the air. Crimson eyes and black claws bloomed in the mist, and the creatures were torn apart, their soft flesh like paper before the claws and fangs of her phantasms.


    Yet Ling Qi could feel greater presences amidst the sea of not-qi like the ripples left by a larger fish. There were at least three third realm entities coming up from below, though none were above the first steps into the realm. Even deeper than that, Ling Qi thought that she felt the presence of still more, but at this distance, it was impossible to be sure.


    ¡°Ling Qi?¡± Li Suyin called through the mist, moving to stand next to her as more rat-things emerged into the mist only to die. ¡°There is still a great deal more to harvest here. Do you think you can keep these things away?¡± she asked, peering down at the twitching corpse of one of the rat things.


    Ling Qi grimaced, letting her qi carry the tune while she spoke. ¡°I can¡¯t count how many of these creatures there are, but there¡¯s some third realms approaching.¡±


    Li Suyin winced. ¡°I suppose we should begin retreating then. The molts will have to be enough. I was sure that I found the signs of a nest though...¡±


    Ling Qi considered her options. She looked out at the pale, thrashing forms swiping and hissing at the phantoms in her mist. She remembered the promise she had made to herself last year, that she wouldn¡¯t allow herself to be chained by fear. She remembered, too, the sobering experiences of learning just how high the mountains rose. Feeling creatures rising in such vast numbers gave her unsettling flashbacks to the horde of rats she had been part of in the Bloody Moon dream, but this was hardly the same, was it?


    While she had learned that fear couldn¡¯t be conquered so easily, she wouldn¡¯t let herself become a coward. She wouldn¡¯t treat her friends like they were made of glass.


    ¡°Keep looking for the nest,¡± she directed. ¡°I can hold them off.¡±


    Sixiang lamented.


    Ling Qi thought to Sixiang as she raised her flute, preparing to play again. To Suyin, she said, ¡°Stay away from the center, Suyin. My other art is less ally-friendly than my mist.¡±


    Li Suyin glanced at the tunnels then back at her as the echoing sounds of many scrabbling feet reached them over the dying wails of the burrowers. She gave a determined nod. ¡°This will not take long. Yi, Er, begin search and excavation,¡± she spoke in a clipped tone, sending the constructs into motion.


    Ling Qi smiled. She really had to talk to her friend about her naming sense. Zhenli was fine, but calling her guards ¡°One¡± and ¡°Two¡±? That was just dull.


    Sixiang laughed.

 Threads 18

    Ling Qi raised her flute to her lips, looking back at the eyeless visages of the rat things that were finally beginning to orient onto the two of them through the mist. There were more than a dozen of them, and the sand bulged with more burrowers. Ling Qi resumed her song, flowing effortlessly into the echo that had been kept going by her qi. The sound of her flute echoed eerily in the small cavern, turning twitching heads toward her as she strode towards the center.


    She began the Starlight Elegy, and the cloying mist grew colder and heavier. She watched dispassionately as a particularly quick rat thing that had thus far avoided the claws of her phantoms faltered and slowed, its limbs growing sluggish until a phantasmal beast tore out its throat with hungry fangs. The scene was repeated all across the cavern, again and again, beasts emerging just to die, most before they could even react.


    These things were not normal, Ling Qi could tell. Beasts, even spirit beasts, did not charge headlong into certain death like this, not without good reason. She supposed that she would find out those reasons with the arrival of the third realms. A rat thing loped and skittered toward her, letting out a chittering shriek though blood-frothed jaws, and she watched as it veered away from her to crash into the wall, torn by phantasmal claws. Beasts like this¡­ They couldn¡¯t even overcome her Diapason to find her in the mist.


    She began the final stanza of the Melody then, the Traveler¡¯s End, and the image of a misty vale under the dark moon imposed itself over the sandy cavern. The echoing cries of her phantoms joined the melody as her qi lent them greater solidity. No more just disembodied claws, fangs, and hungry eyes, her phantoms were now stalking shadows in the shapes of beasts.


    As she laid down the technique, the first loping forms became visible in the tunnels. Bulkier than their burrowing counterparts with rubbery grey skin and visages that were more canine than rodent, the twisted beasts howled and gibbered, claws scratching and tearing at the stone. In response, Ling Qi¡¯s flying sword shot out from the mist, letting loose a discordant wail as it soared down the nearer tunnel, sending the beasts within shying back, brackish black blood leaking from their ears.


    But there were two tunnels, and the ugly beasts were only stymied, not stopped. They poured into the cavern, first in pairs and trios, and then in growing numbers. The claws of her phantoms met resistance in their rubbery hide, though their hide could not stop them entirely. Larger beasts, less like twisted men and more like great apes in size and stature, stalked among their lesser kin, and their jeering howls hardened hides and sharpened fangs. Others had backs bristling with bony growths, tumorous and twisted but poking from diseased flesh with menacing points. Her phantoms were no longer enough against the growing pack. The creatures'' attention was still on her, but Ling Qi was all too aware of her friend behind her, searching the walls of the cavern.


    So Ling Qi ensured that their attention would remain on her. With the Traveler¡¯s End complete, the mist called by the Forgotten Vale Melody would sustain itself, and so she began her second song. Ice crept over sand, and a handful of rat things that had found their way close through coincidence, pushed by the growing mob, chittered in pain as frost spread across flesh and blood began to freeze. Ling Qi grimaced as she felt the things¡¯ oily qi draining into her, and she sidestepped around clumsy lunges and snapping teeth. Most of the oily qi washed against her skin, leaving her feeling oddly dirty, but a trickle of qi flowed back into her reserves, restoring some of what she had spent.


    She had lost count of the number of beasts pouring into the cavern, and although the whistling wail of her sword lashed the bodies coming up the tunnels and her phantoms continued to do work, the mob of creatures were reaching her through the mazes of mist due to theraw crush of bodies. The cacophony of hisses and growls almost drowned out the echo of her melody. Yet she couldn¡¯t afford to step back, and so Ling Qi made room in another way.


    The third technique of the Frozen Soul Serenade was not one she had used often in active combat. It lashed out at everything nearby, regardless of whether they were friend or foe. Li Suyin was well behind her though, so she felt no need to hold back. The shrieks of the beasts and the haunting melody alike were drowned out momentarily as the frigid howl of deepest winter rang out through the cavern. The beasts nearest to Ling Qi did not even scream, the sound lost in their throat as flesh and blood alike froze solid. Those further back gibbered and yowled, partially shielded by their nearer comrades, but great swathes of their rubbery hides still froze and sloughed off or cracked and wept viscous, slushy fluid.


    The fight was only just beginning though. The mob still numbered beyond easy count, and even the snarling storm of snowflakes that had sprung up around her in the mist, frozen moisture turning to short-lived snow, failed to deter the beasts. She felt the qi armoring the beasts growing thicker as more and more of the beasts reinforced each other, their filthy-feeling qi roiling and flowing together. Most still wandered off-course, getting turned around and running into their brethren, but Ling Qi was forced to duck and twist and dodge, avoiding a half dozen snatching claws and bony projectiles.


    Looking over the writhing mass of flesh as they poured forward, the sheer weight shattering their frozen comrades, Ling Qi spied something new. There, crouched on the lip of the further tunnel was another creature, smaller than most of them. The others slid around it, never once approaching. The new creature, an eyeless thing with rubbery grey skin and a canine visage, resembled the creatures of the second wave the most. Yet unlike the others, it crouched like a man rather than a beast, and around its neck, she saw a necklace of glowing purple stones carved into strange shapes. In its right forelimbs, it loosely held a strange stone knife.


    The thing let out a few barking yips that had the cadence of speech and then drove the knife into the sand. Even in the chaos of the scrum, Ling Qi felt the ripple of qi that washed over the horde. That one had taken the first steps into the third realm. Ling Qi did not have much time to think on that because suddenly, far fewer of the beasts were stumbling around, hopelessly lost in their effort to reach her.


    Faced with the snarling swarm now finally pressing down on her position in more than dribs and drabs, Ling Qi stepped forward. Dark qi flooded through her limbs, and she flowed through the storm of attacks like a wraith. Ling Qi had no time for thought, only reaction. Claws and slavering maws reached for her, and bony spines screeched through the air. She moved perfectly, flowing around strike after strike, while other attacks passed through her form in puffs of dark mist.


    All the while, she moved forward, every step carrying her further into her enemies¡¯ reach. Soon, she was surrounded. Then winter sang, and beasts died. Claws that reached for her flash froze and exploded into pinkish mist, frozen blood swelling in suddenly rigid veins like the sap of a tree in the deepest depths of winter. She kept her eyes fixed on the third realm beast that was her goal. With a mental tug, she pulled back on her flying sword, recalling her blade from where it stymied the flow of beasts in the other tunnel.


    For its part, the beast that was her target seemed aware of its situation. It let out an alarmed bark at her unstopped advance, scrambling backward even as it raised its knife defensively. Another pulse of filthy qi rippled out, and the beasts around her let loose with blood-curdling howls.


    From the pores and jaws, a crimson mist began to emerge in thin streamers, mingling with the cloying fog of her melody. The claws of her phantoms, which had thus far still been tearing bloody lines in exposed flanks of dozens of beasts, began to deflect off of suddenly stony hides, and the creatures¡¯ claws and fangs gained a metallic sheen that shone in the dull red light cast by the mist leaking from opened jaws.


    Through her connection to her sword, she also felt two other third realm presences approaching. Thankfully, the influx of lesser beasts was finally beginning to taper off. She felt something soft and viscous strike her Singing Mist Blade then, and suddenly, it could not move, stuck to the wall by something clinging and jelly-like.


    She couldn¡¯t allow herself to be distracted by the capture of her flying sword. From every side came attacks, their ferocity and power greater than before. Plumes of sand were kicked up in their wake, choking the already flooded battlefield further.


    In that moment, all thought fled Ling Qi. There was only the cavern and the weapons of her foes. Viridian light gleamed beneath her robes as a facsimile of centennial bark spread across her skin, but she knew it would not be enough. And so, as she was attacked from every side, Ling Qi stilled.


    Ling Qi twitched her head to the right, avoiding a lashing claw that would have taken her eye by a mere millimeter. She stepped, and her body flowed a meter to her right, reforming from darkness and leaving a volley of crimson spines to strike the sand where she had been. There was no wasted movement. She avoided claws by a hair¡¯s breadth, grew immaterial to gnashing fangs, and let those few that she could not avoid skate off of viridian bark and rustling cloth, nothing more than glancing blows.


    Ling Qi felt like she had finally understood the lesson taught by Sable Crescent¡¯s Grace. She understood motion without motion and presence without presence. She found the moment of understanding fading quickly, but some knowledge remained, and she found herself dodging with a sable grace that she had not had before.


    She leaned to the side, avoiding the flung corpse of a rat thing with hardly a thought, and her flute sang again of winter. Even through their armor and bolstering qi, a dozen beasts died.


    Behind her, she heard a sound like shattering pottery, and glancing back, she saw Li Suyin standing by a hole broken in the stone wall. In the cavity beyond, slowly pulsating, fleshy eggs glowed with faint luminescence. At her back, Suyin¡¯s guardians stood in a shield wall, and in front of them was a metallic cone atop a stake driven into the ground, hissing faintly as it discharged something into the air.


    In front of her, two loping figures emerged from the second tunnel. Like the other third realm beast, they were smaller than the other creatures and carried tools. These two wore bandoleers made of some pale leather across their chests, hung with pouches. They unholstered spears from their backs, and cackling high-pitched laughter spilled from their snaggle-toothed maws.


    Very few beasts were emerging from the tunnels now, but the cavern was still filled with the mass of flesh, despite her culling.


    It looked like the real fight was about to begin.


    Ling Qi considered her real foes, and they considered her in turn. The sounds of the gibbering swarm seemed to fade. The lesser spirits were effectively just the third realms¡¯ weapons after all. As she stared at the knife wielder¡¯s eyeless visage, Ling Qi admitted to herself that it was a relief to once again face down simple enemies, things that didn¡¯t deserve mercy or consideration.


    All at once, the world seemed to come back to life. Her fingers twitched, and she played the first note of the Elegy again. Her enemy¡¯s eyes widened, and it let out an alarmed yip, raising its knife as if to ward her off. As the mists churned and thickened, encircling the knife-wielding beast, its own oily qi pulsed, and Ling Qi blinked as she felt the net of qi she had woven slide off of the beast and snap shut around one of the ape-like beasts instead. The ape thing let out a piteous yowl as her qi entrapped it, throwing its head back and forth in a wild panic as her mist cut it off entirely from its fellows. Ling Qi had no time to consider her technique¡¯s failure though.


    She dissolved into dark mist as a grey missile shot through where she stood a moment before, rematerializing atop the back of one of the many beasts still flooding the room. The spear-wielding beast that had lunged at her let out a high-pitched cackle as its oddly bent legs struck the ground and sent it rebounding toward the ceiling like a child¡¯s ball. A second time, she slid to the side, avoiding by a hair the bone-tipped spear and the sizzling purple toxin that leaked from its tip, and then a third, she dodged, bending backwards to be almost parallel to the ground as the beast rebounded directly backwards, thrusting the barbed back end through the space her torso had just occupied.


    The beast she had landed on had been pounded to the ground, but its fellows were not so impaired. In her distraction, the third beast had time to act as well. As she straightened up from her dodge, she saw it reach one of its twisted hands into a pouch and pull it back out, clutching a fistful of viscous black ooze. Ling Qi prepared to dodge a throw, but instead, the beast simply gave a light toss, letting the lump of goo land atop a pile of broken, frozen flesh that had once been several beasts.


    The ooze immediately began to hiss and bubble violently, spreading and consuming flesh as it sunk into the shattered corpses. Ling Qi hesitated, unsure. She gave her flying sword a second mental tug but found it still entrapped, somehow stopped from even dematerializing. She considered again her foes and what she had seen so far.


    Ling Qi dissolved into shadow. Uncaring of obstacles, Ling Qi flowed through the shadows of beasts, springing forth into existence behind the beast that had flung the ooze. Before the creature could so much as flinch, her flute sang a blizzard¡¯s howl, focused down on a single point, and hoarfrost spread across its rubbery hide.


    The creature cried out in pain, stumbling away from her with blood oozing from frostbitten patches spreading across cold-cracked flesh. The first one, the knife-wielding one supporting the beasts, was dangerous, but it was a danger in decline. Some of the weaker members of the mob were beginning to drop mewling into the sand, exhausted and lethargic from her Starlight Elegy. The direct attacker was dangerous - as she dodged repeated blows from its spear, she winced when a spray of fine purple mist erupted from the point of its spear, sizzling as it seeped through her renewed armor and burned against her skin - but it was a danger she could handle.


    The third one, though, had entrapped her domain weapon and was doing something strange to the corpses. She would rather eliminate the unknown variable. She paid for her choice as she was nearly buried by the horde of beasts again. Here and there, she miscalculated by a fraction, and she felt the prick of teeth faintly through her armor.


    Yet Ling Qi remained confident. While her qi was slowly draining because the trickle of pure qi Ling Qi was able to absorb from the tainted mass could not quite keep up with the liberal expense of her attacks, she felt like she was winning.


    Keeping her focus on the yipping third beast as it rummaged through its pouches and scrambled away from her, she flowed again, bypassing the cloud of filthy-feeling yellow powder it flung up in her path. Again, her flute sang, but this time, it was without focus. Now that it was among the crowd, she might as well reduce their numbers while battering it with cold. This had the advantage of icing over the bubbling muck it had flung as well. Ice-crusted flesh cracked and squished beneath her feet as she danced atop the carpet of bodies. Tendrils of oily qi brushing across her spirit drew her eyes to the knife wielder. Its twisted face seemed to be showing a growing alarm. Inside her mind, Sixiang let out a tittering laugh and brushed away whatever the effect was with contemptuous ease.


    She suffered another scratch as the spear-wielding beast managed to catch her off guard, cutting through cloth and viridian qi with a sizzling, acidic hiss, leaving a burning line across her shoulder. Its partner let out a low, defiant snarl as she bore down on it, ripping the entire pouch that it had pulled the ooze from and flinging it at her. Ling Qi dodged with ease.


    Winter cried out again, and the third beast was silenced, just like the dozen of its nearby lesser kin. As the flurry of pink snowflakes fell around her, Ling Qi turned to face the other two and restrained a smile as she felt her flying sword tug loose of the dissolving trap it lay in. She called her sword back and sent it spiralling out at the knife wielder in a screaming blur. She met the spear wielder¡¯s eyeless gaze where it crouched atop a frozen corpse and saw cold calculation in its body language.


    The beast cocked its head to the side, and its snaggle-toothed maw stretched into an ugly expression that might have been called a smile. Ling Qi tensed in preparation. Then, she was left blinking, bewildered, as her opponent shot away, reducing the frozen corpse it had been crouched on into a mass of pink slush, and vanished down the tunnel it had come from.


    The corpses beneath her feet rumbled ominously. Ling Qi shot straight up, carried on the wings of her cloak as the carpet of flesh erupted in churning black slime. Living beasts screamed as arm-thick tendrils of drooping sludge dragged them into the main mass, and the bubbles on its surface seemed to scream as they popped, the shadows of faces forming beneath the surface and fading just as fast as the mass began to spread.


    Alarmingly, Ling Qi felt her mist dissolving where the slime touched, the qi infusing the water vapor draining away as if into a hungry void. Ling Qi grimaced as she once again played Zeqing¡¯s song, and while the tendrils reaching for her froze and crumbled, she felt a leeching drain as the technique drew more than it should have from her reserves to do its work. Worse, it didn¡¯t really feel like she had done the muck much harm. Its aura was already third realm and still swelling with power, and its rapid growth was filling the cavern fast as well. Even if Ling Qi could beat this thing, Li Suyin would quickly run out of room to avoid it if they remained here.


    Darting out of the sky, Ling Qi snatched the half-frozen bandoleer from the body of the foe she had killed and held out her right hand, drawing the bodies of as many beasts as she could fit into her ring then shot away from the spreading mess at high speed. Through her sword, she could feel the knife wielder scrambling away as well, letting out alarmed yips.


    ¡°Li Suyin, I think it¡¯s time to go,¡± Ling Qi said tersely as she rematerialized beside her friend. ¡°You¡¯ve got what you need, right?¡±


    Suyin nodded quickly, glancing at the reaching tendrils in alarm. Half of the nest she had opened was empty by now. ¡°Yes, I can¡¯t carry any more as it is. I already had Yi set explosive charms around the entrance just in case, so¡­¡±


    Ling Qi grinned tightly and patted Suyin on the shoulder as she recalled her sword from chasing the fleeing knife wielder down the tunnel. ¡°Time to run then!¡±

 Threads 19-Dreams 1

    As they fled the cavern at Suyin¡¯s top speed, the roar of explosions and collapsing stone at their back, Ling Qi could not help but laugh. No, she really couldn¡¯t let fear control her because this is what being alive felt like. As they reached the top of the dead beetle¡¯s tunnel that they had originally followed and Li Suyin stopped to gasp for breath, she saw a little bit of a grin in the other girl¡¯s expression as well.


    If she had followed her knee-jerk instinct and simply focused on keeping her friend out of danger, could Suyin smile like that? If she had treated Suyin like a fragile vase that needed to be kept on a shelf, wasn¡¯t that insulting?


    Perhaps she had been thinking of things the wrong way.


    ¡°Ling Qi, are you alright?¡± Li Suyin asked as she straightened up, her face still red from exertion. ¡°You¡¯re staring.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Are you satisfied with your take, Suyin?¡±


    The girl nodded happily. ¡°Yes! I¡¯ve acquired so much more than I could have hoped for! And it was amazing seeing you fight like that. I¡¯m sure that once I break through, we¡¯ll be able to go even deeper!¡±


    Yeah, Ling Qi decided. She had to think about what it meant to protect her friends.


    ***


    In the days that followed their expedition, Li Suyin vanished into her workshop, and Ling Qi did not begrudge her for it. She hadn¡¯t missed the way that Li Suyin¡¯s eyes had lit up when she handed over the bandoleer she had torn from the beast''s corpse. She expected her friend would be doing the equivalent of closed door cultivation for most of the month''s remainder.


    Ling Qi¡¯s plans were not so far from that. She had been given one of Suyin¡¯s meridian cleansing wands, and it would definitely be helpful for her efforts. Between the expensive pills purchased from the Sect market at the cost of most of her points and her newly improved cultivation, Ling Qi planned to make this a very productive month. However, the days when Ling Qi would thoughtlessly retreat into meditation without consideration for anyone else were well past, so Ling Qi was sure to take care of her obligations first.


    Her friends were all settling into their own routines in the Inner Sect. Meizhen was getting comfortable in her new home, which wasn¡¯t much larger than her own but was definitely better appointed. Xiulan was in the midst of heavy cultivation, catching up on arts which advancement had been stymied by her partial breakthrough.


    Everyone was quite busy. Ling Qi found herself drifting to the archive when she was not making preparations for her upcoming cultivation binge or attending to Cai Renxiang. It was a center of activity, and Ling Qi still needed to keep an eye on her peers. While she wasn''t sure if she intended to challenge this month, she could be challenged by another.


    She hadn¡¯t expected it to be so dull. Sitting in a corner, a tome on Imperial history open in her hands, Ling Qi tried to keep her mind from wandering. Listening to the murmur of small conversations throughout the archive, she thought she might go a little stir crazy. While she knew that she wouldn¡¯t get anything really interesting with this method, the mundanity of a cultivator¡¯s day-to-day lives still surprised her sometimes.


    Remembering the cavern expedition and the nightmare before it, it seemed so incongruous that cultivators could still be interested in petty concerns when they were, one and all, people with real power at their fingertips in a world filled with tribulations and challenges. She was being unfair she knew, and she supposed she wasn¡¯t any better. Hadn¡¯t she spent yesterday morning just chatting with Meizhen about nothing in particular?


    But it didn¡¯t help that even Sixiang was silent again, leaving her alone in her own head to try and focus on other people when the siren call of cultivation was singing in the back of her mind. Sighing, Ling Qi refocused her eyes on the text in front of her, listening carefully to the snippets of conversation that reached her ears.


    Then she found herself distracted again. This time, she was distracted by the feel of a familiar aura moving through her senses. A bolt of lightning stalked the archives, tense and crackling, tiny arcs of electricity snapping and coiling at any that dared approach it. There was only one person Ling Qi knew who cultivated heavenly qi to such an extent and singular purpose. At his side moved a frolicking wind that danced around the lightning, poking, prodding, and floating away laughing when the lightning snapped and crackled in turn.


    ¡°Junior Brother Rong, to make an enemy of the archivists so early in the year. You truly do excel.¡± She heard the second of the pair¡¯s voices first, and it conjured to her the image of a rather pompous fellow.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. This is all the books, right?¡± the living lightning snapped testily. Ji Rong was as taciturn as ever, but it looked like he had made a new friend.


    ¡°Just the one more,¡± the other voice replied lightly, and Ling Qi heard the sound of leather striking flesh. He had presumably tossed Ji Rong another book.


    ¡°Fu Fan¡¯s Guide to Administration for the Simple¡­ Are you making fun of me, you windbag?¡± She could practically hear the twitch of Ji Rong¡¯s eyebrow.


    ¡°Hmph. To show so little respect for your kind senior, Junior Brother Rong. Where did I go wrong in raising you?¡± The stranger laughed. ¡°Off to the reading room, you. This Senior Brother has his own tasks to attend to.¡±


    Ling Qi caught sight of the second speaker then, moving swiftly between the aisles in front of the reading area she occupied. His mustache was rather ridiculous looking, but he seemed pretty unassuming otherwise. That set her on edge; she couldn¡¯t clearly read his aura. He was gone as fast as he appeared.


    ¡°Jackass,¡± Ji Rong muttered to himself as he slouched around the corner, cradling an armful of books. ¡°What I get for askin¡¯ that guy for help.¡±


    He looked up then as he trod on the plush carpeting that marked out one of the reading areas in the archive.


    Ling Qi restrained herself from matching his grimace with her own. ¡°You never struck me as the type, Baron Ji,¡± she said dryly, eyeing the titles of the books he held. Treatises on leadership, logistics, and yes, administration, filled out most of the stack.


    ¡°What¡¯s it to you?¡± he asked, meeting her eyes defiantly. ¡°You think I¡¯m too stupid to learn anything but punching or something?¡±


    Ling Qi debated just leaving, but curiosity drove her to ask. ¡°Why these books? Did my phantoms jar something loose when they were spinning you around?¡±


    Ji Rong looked like he wanted to spit blood at the reminder of his loss. She found it funnier than she probably should have. ¡°Dunno. Why do you care about the past all of a sudden?¡± he spat in return.


    Ling Qi glanced down at the book in her hands that she had been casually perusing. ¡°Even if it doesn¡¯t matter, seeing the patterns is important, I think,¡± she replied, thinking back to her encounter in the dream and Senior Brother Liao¡¯s own words on the futility of it. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to your study,¡± Ling Qi said, closing her book and standing. There wasn¡¯t much point in antagonizing him, aside from petty satisfaction.


    And she had already indulged in that. Doing more would just be gluttonous.


    As she moved to pass him by, Ji Rong spoke. ¡°They aren¡¯t any different,¡± he said. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t change the fact that I¡¯ve been a shit Boss in the Sect so far.¡±


    Ling Qi paused, eyeing the scarred boy without turning her head. ¡°Are you making the comparison that I think you¡¯re making?¡± she asked, vaguely incredulous.


    He let out a bitter laugh. ¡°Yeah, guess I am. Gang Boss, Baron, Viscount, Count, Duke, Emperor. It¡¯s all a matter of scale, innit.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m never gonna be leading packs in a fight like that Cai or her pet giant, but if a Boss is what I am, I¡¯m not gonna be a shit one.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the kind of thing you should say, Sect Brother,¡± Ling Qi said dryly. ¡°Please consider your words more before you tarnish the Sect¡¯s reputation.¡±


    ¡°Whatever,¡± he snorted. ¡°I¡¯m outta here in a couple years anyway. Not gonna run off and leave her alone like the rest of those parasites.¡± He turned away from her then, resuming his path toward the reading desk in the far corner.


    Ling Qi shook her head as she began to move toward the archive''s exit. She supposed that statement at least answered clearly what was going on between Sun Liling and Ji Rong.


    She paused as Sixiang spoke. Something about the spirit''s voice felt insubstantial, or even fragile. It didn¡¯t sound right.


    Ling Qi thought back immediately.


    Sixiang laughed. ¡°It¡¯s just, uh, I might¡¯ve put a little too much into my project. I¡¯m almost done. I just need a little more¡­ Could you find somewhere with a better background, Qi? Please?> Sixiang¡¯s voice seemed to fade and waver in and out with every word.


    What in the world had they done? Ling Qi thought with alarm, picking up her pace. Why would they do something dangerous without even telling her? Ling Qi had a sudden sinking feeling that she now knew how Meizhen felt sometimes about Ling Qi¡¯s adventures.


    Ling Qi made a beeline for the archive''s exit, barely pausing to turn her book in. The moment she stepped outside, her feet left the ground, her gown snapping and rustling in the wind as she soared away from the archive.


    She landed in front of her door in a flutter of silk and swept inside without pause, her steps taking her unerringly toward her meditation room. Between one step and the next, her silhouette flickered, skipping entire stretches of distance. In only moments, she was before the heavy door that marked the vent chamber.


    Ling Qi opened the door with a shove, striding through uncaring as the stone slab reverberated with the force of its rebound from the wall. The silvery mist let off by the vent washed over her, tingling on her skin.


    ¡°Did you need anything else, Sixiang?¡± she asked aloud, brows furrowed. ¡°This is good enough, right? I can find somewhere more potent¡­¡±


    Sixiang whispered.


    Ling Qi frowned mightily. The way her friend¡¯s voice faded in and out seemed like ample reason to worry. However, she had already done what the spirit had asked, and as the door behind her closed and sealed, the clinging silver mist only grew thicker. She felt a trickle of the room''s energies being drawn inward, the way it did when she cultivated here, so presumably Sixiang was already working to restore themselves.


    She forced herself to take a deep breath and moved to seat herself. Sixiang wanted to show her something, and she would have to remain here until the spirit was done with whatever they were doing, so she might as well indulge them. Besides, even if it was only in her own head, seeing Sixiang would ease her nerves.


    So, as she settled into a meditative position before the vent, Ling Qi closed her eyes and cut the flow of qi that served to salve her body''s mortal needs for rest. It took only a brief moment of concentration after that to send her mind drifting off to sleep.


    Ling Qi found herself once again seated atop a mound of cushions and blankets. Sixiang¡¯s dreamscape had not changed much since the last time she had visited. The endless mounds of pillows and cushions were arranged more neatly with lanes between for easy movement. Stepping off of the mound she had awoken on, Ling Qi found the off-white ground to have the texture of fine cloth and the springiness of a high quality mattress.


    ¡°Sixiang?¡± she called, walking between the pillow mounds toward the sound of lapping water. ¡°Sixiang, where are you?¡±


    ¡°Everywhere and Nowhere.¡± Ling Qi twitched as Sixiang¡¯s voice emanated from the air around her, sounding floaty.


    ¡°That¡¯s not very helpful,¡± Ling Qi replied dryly, crossing her arms and looking up at the rainbow mist that comprised the sky. ¡°Seriously, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Mmm, I think so,¡± Sixiang whispered. ¡°I guess I gave you a scare, huh?¡±


    ¡°Just a little,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Why were you fading out?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like being a butterfly, you know? The caterpillar can¡¯t reach the world outside its cocoon,¡± Sixiang mused.


    ¡°But now I¡¯m inside the cocoon too,¡± Ling Qi said, shaking her head. ¡°Why did you need me to come to a site then?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to nap for a month like that sleepy boy of yours,¡± Sixiang laughed. ¡°And, hm, I think it will be better this way. I want to show you something.¡±


    Ling Qi felt a tug at her right hand, and she had the impression of phantom fingers grasping hers, urging her along the path. Not needing any more prompting, Ling Qi resumed walking along the path. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s fine. I wish you would have warned me,¡± she said grumpily.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I know what I¡¯m doing,¡± Sixiang replied, amused.


    Ling Qi did not find that comforting. Still, she kept walking, and as she walked around a particularly large pillow mountain, she saw again the sea of color. Last time, it had felt unfinished and unreal, but now, bright blue waves crashed upon rocks of garish orange and yellow, the ripples in the water perfectly realistic. The fluid shifted in color, bright blue to shimmering jade to darkest indigo with more colors in between. It was oddly beautiful.


    ¡°Is this what you wanted to show me?¡± Ling Qi asked. It was a pretty sight, but it seemed like an awfully trivial thing.


    ¡°That mindset¡­¡± Sixiang sighed. ¡°But no, what I want to show you is here though.¡±


    In response to Sixiang¡¯s words, Ling Qi just raised her eyebrows, giving the misty sky an expectant look.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen your memories. Experienced the clearer ones, and read the wisps of the rest,¡± Sixiang said thoughtfully. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ we¡¯re friends, right? So it seems kind of unfair.¡±


    Ling Qi continued walking, reaching the damp shore of the sea of color. She looked out thoughtfully over the churning waves. ¡°I don¡¯t really mind. I knew I was inviting you into my head.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so, but¡­ I want to share anyway. I put a lot of work into making sure you could see and comprehend safely.¡± For once, the muse''s voice held a note of trepidation. ¡°... So, want to take a swim?¡±


    Ling Qi thought back to the last time she had gone out with a friend on the water and felt Sixiang¡¯s wry shrug of apology at the similarity. Still, Ling Qi rather doubted that this time would end like that had. The circumstances were a bit different. Ling Qi let out a sigh. ¡°Sure thing, Sixiang.¡±


    Diving into the waters, she dissolved into seafoam.

 Threads 20

    In Dream, Ling Qi was surrounded by kin. Through the currents of thought and great abyss of consciousness, she swam with countless millions of her kin, forming patterns of color and brightness of incomprehensible beauty and complexity. In and out of Dream did her kin swim, breaching briefly into the alien realm of the Real. Each time, they carried a hint of Dream''s Spark and returned, enriched by new droplets of thought to add to Dream.


    In Dream, Ling Qi was born and died a thousand times. She emerged wriggling from the hide of great leviathan [Grandmother/Emerald Dancer/Sister Brightsong/Dreaming Moon Local Avatar &*^*&%^(&)] to dance and play and sing with her siblings in the churning wake of the leviathan¡¯s passage and to breach the surface and the Real with dreams and hope and creative sparks. When she had swum and danced and played and gathered the hopes, creativity, and desires of the Real onto herself until her belly bulged and her eyes sagged with exhaustion, she returned, a shed scale resuming its place and dying so that a new dream could take its place.


    It was beautiful, a system without loss. Old ideas and abandoned thoughts fell into Dream to be renewed and returned to the Real, subtly different than before. The people of the Real fed the Sea of Dream, and the Sea of Dream buoyed the Real, urging them to new heights of creation.


    Here, Ling Qi knew not fear or sadness. Though she touched thoughts of those kinds in every cycle, never did they cling to her. They were often the seeds of creation, but the feelings themselves could not take root in a being without permanence. Without context, such things were meaningless.


    She experienced a thousand cycles and never learned a single thing. Each momentary existence, each creative spark, each muse passed and faded like a waking dream. With each passing cycle, Ling Qi felt her own mind diverging from the experience she was following until at last she felt like an observer, rather than a participant.


    It repeated until the cycle that came one night in a broken tower under the bright moonlight. It was boring, as such things usually were. The dreams of spirits were bland and lacked humans¡¯ fundamental spark, but Grandmother had obligations, and she had been shed to entertain. What a joy it was then when a human had swept in, sending ripples through Dream with her potential! Sixiang felt it right away; this was the one they had been created from. Grandmother sure liked playing around.


    That had been when the real party had begun, in Sixiang¡¯s opinion. The human had performed wonderfully, and Sixiang had gotten swept up in the human¡¯s inebriation, laughing and singing and dancing all the night until at last, feeble flesh failed to keep up with shining spirit, and the human, Ling Qi, fell into a stupor and ceased to be much fun at all.


    Ling Qi felt a bit indignant and embarrassed, watching her escapades from the outside, but such thoughts ceased as Sixiang found herself faced with their Grandmother once again. Before, from the perspective of proto-Sixiang, she had perceived the other spirit as a great leviathan from which muses were shed like scales, but with herself separated, she saw more.


    The leviathan was herself only a single scale of something greater. Stretching out far beyond her perspective, Ling Qi beheld the Dreaming Moon whole and found herself insignificant in its face. If Cai Shenhua had been a mountain of impossible vastness, the reality of a great spirit dwarfed even that. One could comprehend reaching the top of a mountain, no matter how high, but this¡­ It was if the world had flipped upside down, and the whole of the earth loomed overhead.


    And, to her growing incomprehension, she found that this was only the face which looked upon the Empire. A spike of pain shot through her mind, and she saw in the blurry distance: a green skinned man of with beard bound in a stiff coil holding a strange golden scepter in his hand; another with a gleaming silver helm and a shining ruby who soared through the stars; and beyond even that, an androgynous figure with eyes of purest flame that danced in cruel merriment; and...


    Ling Qi shuddered as Sixiang tugged at her sleeve, and her attention was dragged away. She felt a sense of sheepish shame as Sixiang chided her for her distraction and looking too closely at things that she was not meant to see. They floated bodiless in the churning Sea that formed Sixiang¡¯s metaphor for Dream, and the memory they had been in dissolved.


    Sixiang laughed at her befuddlement as she mentally flailed, suddenly free to move on her own in this space which was not strictly speaking space. Yet despite her lack of body, she found herself comforted by a feeling much like a hand holding her own. Ling Qi calmed herself, and for a moment, she allowed herself to enjoy the beauty of dream, simplified as she knew it was. Yet, even now, the colors were fading away. What was happening?


    She had spent longer than she had thought staring at the Dreaming Moon, she understood from Sixiang, understanding without the barrier of words. Sixiang would have to sleep soon to complete their transformation. But first, here, bolstered by argent energy filtered through Ling Qi¡¯s own dantian, Sixiang wanted to know one more thing: which of her elements did Ling Qi feel was most important to what she wanted to be?


    Was it wind? It had fallen behind in her arts, and she had rejected the idea of absolute freedom, but did the playful joy of the wind spirit still exemplify what she wanted to be? Would she have done better in recent trials if she found again the thread of cunning and creativity that had kept her alive in earlier days?


    Was it darkness? So many of her arts cultivated it, and it went so well with her own covetous nature, of never wanting to let anything go if she could at all help it. Yet perhaps it was only her growing strength, but had it not encouraged a more brute force approach to problems?


    Was it water? She did not often think of it, but many of her arts incorporated the element as a secondary. The virtues of persistence in pressing forward that arose from water had been a part of her for some time, even if it was not as visible and prominent as the other elements.


    Or perhaps Wood? When she had begun cultivating, boundless growth and vitality were hardly among her virtues, but had it not served her well? Many trials remained in her future. She could not remain still, but that was not all that there was to the element, now was it?


    Ling Qi thought hard, floating there in the dissolving dream. It was a difficult question. She knew that elements were simplifications, shorthands to understanding of the world. They could be divided or added together in an endless number of ways, and as such, deciding which one was the best was an exercise in futility. Yet there was still value to the question because despite their differing natures, she and Sixiang were both young and small, and that shorthand was their only way of understanding at this point in their development.


    Ling Qi did not miss her past. She had no desire to go back to the way she was. There was nothing of value in the scrabbling, desperate, starved thing she had been, but what had arisen from that state held some meaning. Her experience had taught her the instinct to come at problems from odd angles and to avoid direct clashes. There was nothing wrong with using the strength she had now,, but forgetting that there were and could be other options was a mistake. Sometimes, she might have been better served by less direct approaches.


    In this place, her thoughts were open to Sixiang, her muse, and so the spirit understood even as she reached her answer. Wind and its adaptability and cunning, though it had been born of a time she never wished to return to, was a tool that she did not want to let go.


    She felt the whisper of Sixiang¡¯s touch, a pat on her metaphysical shoulder. She understood it was time for them to cultivate now. Ling Qi was welcome to remain at the seaside, if she liked.


    With a shuddering gasp, Ling Qi¡¯s eyes snapped open, and her senses cleared. She lay on the shore of the sea of colors, her head pillowed on a soft cushion, and her body warm between a thick quilt. Slowly, she sat up, shaking her head as she got her thoughts in order. It was a strange thing to awake inside of a dream. It made her wonder just how many layers there were to consciousness and the human mind. Staring down at her hands, she closed them into fists and opened them again, wondering at the fading sense of foreignness that came from returning to her body or a facsimile thereof.


    She could leave the dream now and return to her day. Sixiang was fine, just finishing their cultivation, but she did not want to leave. Not yet. She threw off her quilt, ignoring it as it dissolved into fluttering sparks, and returned to the shore. Colorful waters lapped at her ankles, but her gown remained perfectly dry. She recalled the flashes of experience from the numberless cycles where she had existed as the beings that comprised Sixiang in the past.


    She had a rather narrow vision of the world, didn¡¯t she? Ling Qi smiled wryly at the thought; she often focused so hard on what was in front of her that she missed what was happening around her. Going from one thing to the next without pausing to look back wasn¡¯t wind though, was it? As she had learned from her tutor Bian Ya last year, the wind touched and connected all things.


    It seemed awfully limiting to ignore all other forms of expression in favor of music. Smiling, Ling Qi crouched, plunged her hands into the multihued waters and submersed herself into the dreams of a millenia worth of creative souls.


    ***


    ¡°You really got into that didn¡¯t you?¡± Sixiang¡¯s voice buzzed in her ears, and for the second time, Ling Qi¡¯s eyes snapped open. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you sleep that long in all the time I¡¯ve known you.¡±


    Ling Qi looked around the meditation room, blinking away the now unfamiliar bleariness of a deep sleep. ¡°How long was I asleep?¡±


    ¡°A good six hours, lazybones,¡± Sixiang teased. Ling Qi followed the sound of their voice but saw nothing at its point of origin.


    Ling Qi winced. ¡°Six hours?¡± she fretted. ¡°What a waste. I¡¯m still going to have to¡­¡± She trailed off, furrowing her brows. Sixiang¡¯s voice had made actual sound. ¡°Sixiang, did you¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just manipulating the wind,¡± the spirit tittered. ¡°This is kinda fun! I wonder if...¡±


    Ling Qi blinked as the argent mist shimmered and writhed, tugged as if by the hands of an invisible figure. She could feel Sixiang¡¯s qi spreading out through her own channels, tugging and plucking at strands of wind. ¡°Mm¡­ visual stuff is still out of reach yet,¡± the spirit grumbled, sounding disappointed. ¡°It¡¯s just too complicated.¡±


    ¡°It looks like you¡¯ll just have to be diligent then,¡± Ling Qi replied primly as she moved to stand, washing away the stiffness in her limbs with a minor pulse of qi.


    ¡°That sounds way too hard. Shouldn¡¯t I just wait for another inspiration?¡± Sixiang whined.


    ¡°You, of all people, should know perfectly well how that works out,¡± Ling Qi replied dryly. Suddenly, a horrifying thought dawned. ¡°Sixiang, you¡¯re going to control yourself, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean!¡± the muse replied in a sing-song voice that gave Ling Qi the shivers. Just what had she gotten herself into?


    Ignoring the muse¡¯s laughter, Ling Qi left the mediation room. She had so much to catch up on if she wanted to start her cultivation on time.

 Threads 21-Duels 1

    Seven days and seven nights.


    That was the length of time that Ling Qi spent atop White Cloud Mountain in the Outer Sect, cultivating with Zeqing. She rested in the muse¡¯s home, played with her daughter, and drank sweet chilled wine. She immersed herself in darkness and music. She might have resolved to pay the other parts of her nature more mind, but right now, with the medicines she had taken, it was time to master the element at the core of her combat ability.


    Cultivating on a mountaintop above the clouds, the lunar qi she drank in each night was clearer and purer than ever, and she felt another layer settle into place around her dantian, another phase complete. The seventh phase was not wholly complete; she would need to seek out an understanding with her lunar patrons to finish it, but its improvement was enough for now, especially since she could now gather up to a green stone¡¯s worth of stellar energy for use in cultivation. In playing with Hanyi, she improved her body, and in practicing with Zeqing, she came to master her songs.


    The eighth and final measure of her Forgotten Vale Melody consolidated the improvements she had learned in previous measures with the mist called darker than ever, the phantasms stronger, and the drain of her elegy all the more potent. She even learned how to bring her capstone technique, Traveler¡¯s End, to a finale. If she wished it, she could end her Melody by triggering Traveler¡¯s End, making all those lost in her mist suffer an echo of the traveler¡¯s death in that far away vale, a massive spiritual attack that could even leave them paralyzed.


    But it was Frozen Soul Serenade where Ling Qi gained the greatest insights. In the mountains, under the tutelage of the creator of the art and her teacher, Zeqing, she quickly mastered what remained of the art. The Hoarfrost Caress technique evolved into the Hoarfrost Refrain, a cold that lingered and echoed, spreading through the target¡¯s blood and meridians like a frigid poison seeking the heart of the warmth. The chill would cling long after the technique itself ended until dispelled or the target was lulled into the final sleep. She also learned to infuse her Aria with an echo of true winter, stilling the air around herself with freezing chill, granting her attacks greater penetration and stealing the energy from attacks made against her.


    The only thing that remained to master was the finale, the Call to Ending. It would be her first real finisher, a technique to bring about the absolute cold that lay at the end of all things and rip all the warmth from an enemy at once as she laid her hands upon them.


    She still had a little trouble getting into the mindset for it.


    On the eighth morning, Ling Qi opened her eyes and looked out over the flat mountain top. She was seated beneath the odd fruit tree that stood in Zeqing¡¯s yard, and she was surrounded by flowers of ice.


    ¡°Big Sister is such a show off.¡± Her gaze was drawn to her right as Hanyi spoke. The spirit had changed since that day last year when she had met the little brat in the middle of a blizzard. The changes had begun recently and only accelerated with each passing day, but Hanyi was older in appearance now.


    She had the same corpse-like pallor and wore the same threadbare child¡¯s dress, but she resembled a young girl of ten or eleven now. Her dark hair was still worn in a child¡¯s pig-tails, but it was longer now as well. Yet that stance, with her hands on her hips and her cheeks puffed out in frustration, was still purely Hanyi.


    ¡°Is it really showing off if I can still do more?¡± Ling Qi teased back with a smile, gesturing to the field of flowers. ¡°I¡¯m only meditating after all.¡±


    The younger-looking girl glowered at her. ¡°Big Sister is getting too cocky.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯ve been slacking,¡± Ling Qi replied pointedly. ¡°Just like someone else.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t you start! How am I to cultivate in a place like this?¡± Sixiang grumbled. ¡°What kind of atmosphere is this for a poet?¡±


    ¡°Our house is great and pretty!¡± Hanyi retorted. ¡°You¡¯re just a dummy!¡±


    Ling Qi sighed. Sixiang and Hanyi got on like a house on fire, not the least because Hanyi really didn¡¯t like being teased and Sixiang was Sixiang.


    The wind was stirring as Sixiang formed a retort, but it suddenly fell still and silent as a cold shadow fell over them. Ling Qi looked up to find her teacher looking down at her with blank white eyes. ¡°No squabbling in the yard, children,¡± the elder spirit said tonelessly. ¡°You are finished, Ling Qi?¡±


    Ling Qi smoothly stood as Hanyi scuffed her foot in the snow and bowed low to her teacher. ¡°I have mastered both arts, teacher,¡± she replied. ¡°Thank you very much for your instruction.¡±


    She felt the brush of translucent fingers of ice against her cheek and a faint cold pressure on her meridians. ¡°You have, haven¡¯t you?¡± Zeqing said, a touch of fondness and something else hard to identify in her voice. ¡°What a gifted student.¡±


    Ling Qi felt herself flush with pride even as she glanced over to see Hanyi looking down, her bangs shadowing her eyes. ¡°Teacher is too kind. I am not the only one who has been working hard though.¡±


    ¡°... Indeed not,¡± Zeqing said, an uneasy edge to her voice. Ling Qi knew without looking that Zeqing was not looking at Hanyi. She had noticed over the last week that the spirit had seemed to almost be avoiding her daughter. It worried her. ¡°You as well, Hanyi,¡± she said nonetheless.


    Even that brightened the younger spirit up, and for a moment, it looked as if Hanyi was going to rush forward to hug her mother, but Ling Qi saw her hesitate.


    ¡°Can I consider this month¡¯s lessons complete, teacher?¡± Ling Qi asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Zeqing replied after a moment, and with the appropriate time lapsed, Ling Qi raised her head to meet the spirit¡¯s eyes. ¡°Your lessons are, in fact, wholly complete for the moment.¡±


    Ling Qi restrained a frown. ¡°What do you mean, teacher?¡±


    Zeqing met her gaze steadily, and her face was without expression. ¡°I have taught you all that I can as you are. To go further¡­ there would be tribulation. You asked that I warn you, did you not?¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes widened, and she nodded hastily. Zeqing did not need to spell it out. A tribulation from the icy spirit would be a deadly thing.


    ¡°Hmph. Big Sister can do it,¡± Hanyi huffed, not quite looking at her.


    Ling Qi gave the younger spirit a sidelong look. ¡°Would I need to make any preparations, teacher?¡±


    ¡°You are as prepared as you can be. It is only your choice that remains,¡± Zeqing answered simply. ¡°But¡­ not this day. I tire, and you should spend time with your kin.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, not willing to gainsay her teacher. ¡°Thank you again,¡± she said instead.


    ¡°Might I ask if you found any insights in your time here, Ling Qi?¡± Zeqing asked.


    Could simple words express the insights she had found in her arts? Mastering music as she was, it was becoming ever more clear how limited and prone to distortion language could be. However, meeting Zeqing¡¯s featureless eyes, she knew that the ice spirit would understand the meaning beneath her words.


    ¡°Though a path might be hard and lonely, it has worth if I can present something of beauty to those I care for at the end of it.¡± She spoke the lesson of the Forgotten Vale Melody first, feeling the words resonate with her spirit. It was the beginning of an ethos for action, the acknowledgement of the purpose toward which power was to be bent.


    ¡°I see,¡± Zeqing acknowledged without emotion. ¡°A worthy lesson, but not the only one.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded before silently closing her eyes. She had to wonder what Zeqing would think of her other insight. ¡°There are endings and Endings. Only the very last one is final. Just as winter ends in spring, small endings are new beginnings.¡± It sounded trite when said aloud, but the meaning rang clear to Ling Qi. To her, it was the absolute conviction that failures and losses could not and would not end her Path.


    When she opened her eyes though, she beheld her tutor¡¯s face looking even more like a blank and lifeless mask than usual. The spirit stared at her with empty white eyes, and in that moment, Ling Qi, who stood atop a mountain peak above the clouds ankle deep in snow without discomfort, felt a chill.


    ¡°Acceptable,¡± her mentor said. Zeqing did not even pretend that the words came from her lips, which remained as still and unmoving as a corpse¡¯s. ¡°You should be on your way then. These days have tired me.¡±


    Before Ling Qi could respond to those terse words, Zeqing dissolved into a flurry of ice and snow, and a howling wind carried her presence away, leaving Ling Qi alone with her muse and Hanyi.


    Sixiang whispered.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t respond, turning her eyes to Hanyi, who stood there with her head down.


    ¡°I¡¯m making Momma sick,¡± Hanyi said quietly. ¡°Every time I get bigger or learn a new song, Momma gets sicker. You¡¯re doing it too.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced, looking away from the ice child. ¡°I know. But she doesn¡¯t want to stop teaching us either.¡±


    ¡°I liked how things were before. I could always play, and Momma would always wait for me. It was like that forever,¡± Hanyi said, looking up at Ling Qi with sad eyes. ¡°I liked learning Momma¡¯s songs even more though,¡± she confessed.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with that,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°Hanyi¡­¡± She wanted to say that things would get better, but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to lie to the spirit. She didn¡¯t know what was going to happen.


    Hanyi scuffed her bare foot in the snow, looking back down. ¡°You should go, Big Sister. Momma will get better soon if we go.¡±


    She could feel Sixiang¡¯s own discomfort pressing against her thoughts and magnifying her own. ¡°Hanyi, just¡­ don¡¯t do anything hasty, okay? Big Sister will figure something out,¡± she said with confidence she didn¡¯t feel. ¡°Besides, Zhengui will be awake soon. He¡¯d be sad if you weren¡¯t around to tease him.¡±


    Hanyi puffed out her cheeks. ¡°I don¡¯t care about what that big dumb sled feels, disappearing for so long just to take a nap,¡± she muttered rebelliously. She didn¡¯t refute Ling Qi though.


    Ling Qi hesitated then reached out and placed a hand on the little spirit¡¯s head, ruffling her hair in the way she had seen Zeqing do once or twice. ¡°I¡¯ll see you soon, Hanyi.¡±


    Somehow, flying away from the mountain peak, Ling Qi felt guilty for not doing more than stopping by to say hello to her own mother recently.


    But she had a cultivation schedule to keep. The medicinal energies of the pills she had taken wouldn¡¯t sing in her veins forever, but she could make time after the energies had dissolved. For now, she had to take advantage of this opportunity and cultivate.


    ***


    In the days that followed her return to her little stone home on the Inner Sect mountain, Ling Qi focused her energies on learning two new arts procured from the Sect¡¯s archive. Both of them were musical arts, although they were outside her usual fare.


    The Harmony of the Dancing Wind was a bright song with a strong seasonal theme, expressing the complex feelings of connection in a small community. After her recent lessons, Ling Qi felt that her rendition of the song was colored somewhat. The image that formed in her mind¡¯s eye was of people pulling together, surviving a harsh winter, and celebrating the warm winds that followed.


    The other art, Storm Enduring Seedling, was rather different. The arrangement used alternating verses, one harsh and dissonant and the other light and hopeful, bridged by more somber measures to grant them continuity. It was a song of enduring adversity in the face of impossible odds and the courage to cling to life and live regardless of the trial.


    They were both, Ling Qi felt, rather simple arts in comparison to the masterworks she had learned thus far in her two other musical arts. She found herself progressing rapidly with the new arts, reaching the fourth measure and fourth storm respectively, stymied from full mastery only by the current limitations of her cultivation stage.


    With the new arts taken as far as she could go currently, she finally retired her old and outdated arts - Abyssal Exhalation, Argent Mirror, Argent Storm, Fleeting Zephyr, and Falling Starts - from her repertoire in order to attune the meridians they had used for her new arts. They had served their purpose in the New Year¡¯s Tournament to reach the Inner Sect, but now, with the luxury of time and free access to the first floor of the Inner Sect archives, she could start tweaking her repertoire to better suit her needs.


    However, as Ling Qi meditated and played in solitude in her home and at various cultivation sites, that was not the only progress she made. It came back to the pills she had purchased with her hard earned Sect Points. The Melodic Elixir was responsible for the ease with which she had progressed her musical arts, its humming energy opening her mind and soul in ways that she had not thought possible, but the other, the Unwavering Discipline pill, took the elemental energies she was cultivating and drew threads of them into her body. Notes of music flowed through her veins, vital wood qi fortified her flesh and muscles, and the wind carried away impurity like smoke. As a result, Ling Qi found her physical cultivation soaring, breaching the line between early and appraisal bronze by the end of her meditations.


    All the while, she could feel her domain changing as well. Previously, it had been an ephemeral thing, but with her diligent cultivation, it was gradually gaining substance. The faint music that followed her when emotions ran high was growing less phantasmal, and she sometimes tracked glittering frost across the grass in moments of inattention. As her domain grew in strength, so too did Ling Qi find her flying sword to begin functioning differently. The Singing Mist Blade began to sing a more coherent song that echoed her own. Upon testing, she found that her flying sword¡¯s song echoed, enhancing the damage and penetration of her own attacks on a target.


    ***


    Ling Qi eyed the stand she had purchased and reached up to adjust her new bow so that it hung properly on the hook.


    ¡°It is unusual for you to engage in vanity,¡± Meizhen said from behind her, sounding faintly amused.


    ¡°I¡¯m not so poor that I have to recycle anything that isn¡¯t immediately useful,¡± Ling Qi said wryly. She still felt a faint wonder at that. She turned away from the stand to look at her friend. They were in Ling Qi¡¯s bedroom, and Meizhen was seated on her bed, watching her work. Earlier, they, along with Xiulan, had been in town browsing the Inner Sect¡¯s crafts market where disciples¡¯ more mundane works were sold. ¡°I still enjoy archery, but I¡¯m not going to be pulling it out in a fight or a duel any time soon, so it can sit here in case I get invited onto some fancy hunt or something.¡±


    ¡°I suppose your usual methods would rather defeat the point of such games,¡± Meizhen noted serenely, glancing across the still near empty room. ¡°Have you done any practice with more traditional weapons?¡±


    Ling Qi sighed. ¡°Not really,¡± she admitted sheepishly. ¡°I had intended to work with Lady Cai on that, but¡­¡±


    ¡°She is rather busy,¡± Meizhen said with a frown. ¡°The tasks and pace of cultivation she has set for herself are¡­¡±


    ¡°Pretty strenuous,¡± Ling Qi finished. She had started to become slightly concerned when her liege had actually been a full minute late to their first spar after her recent spate of cultivation. Cai Renxiang was usually frighteningly punctual. She knew the girl was spending a great deal of time arranging and holding meetings with a wide array of Inner disciples on top of keeping a cultivation schedule that had even raised Ling Qi¡¯s eyebrows due to its strictness. ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t really have much room to talk.¡±


    ¡°Right. You spent a whole morning engaging in non-essential social activity, you layabout,¡± Sixiang teased, their voice emanating from inside Ling Qi¡¯s wardrobe. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe you only have two gowns.¡±


    Meizhen glanced toward the sound of the muse¡¯s voice, and the shadow around her feet stirred, churning silently like a pool of ink. ¡°I can hardly speak against such practices myself,¡± Meizhen agreed.


    ¡°At least we¡¯re all making good progress,¡± Ling Qi said with somewhat forced cheer. Meizhen had reached the foundation level of green, even if her physical cultivation wasn¡¯t quite there yet. From the little she had seen of her liege, Cai Renxiang would likely be finishing her own rise to the third stage by the end of the month. The gap between her and Meizhen and Cai Renxiang was narrowing, but it was still there.


    ¡°Quite,¡± Bai Meizhen said. ¡°That aside, might I ask about the purchases you made at the end of our trip?¡±


    ¡°Ling Qi had an attack of the sentiments. It was good to see!¡± Sixiang replied for her, now seemingly speaking from just above her shoulder.


    Ling Qi shot a sour look at the empty air. ¡°I had been thinking of my family. I thought my mother might like some of the poetry collections the stall was selling. The storybook was for my little sister,¡± she explained. She had purchased the book more for the beautiful watercolor illustrations than the story itself. Biyu was too young to really start on reading yet. Maybe in another couple of years.


    Meizhen looked chagrined. ¡°Of course. My apologies. I sometimes forget your familial situation.¡±


    ¡°No troubles. We should get going though. The party is starting soon,¡± Ling Qi said, gesturing toward the door. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t do for me to be late to my own liege¡¯s party.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Meizhen agreed, standing up smoothly to follow her out. ¡°Nor can I afford such either.¡±


    Ling Qi shot her friend a concerned look as they made their way out of her house. Meizhen sounded oddly sour. ¡°Is something troubling you? I thought you were enjoying Lady Cai¡¯s get-togethers well enough.¡±


    ¡°They are an inoffensive enough way to pass the time,¡± Meizhen said stiffly. ¡°There is an individual I would rather not engage with, however.¡±


    Ling Qi raised an eyebrow. Someone who Meizhen couldn¡¯t just blow off with her status? ¡°Just who is this?¡±


    ¡°Tao Gong,¡± Meizhen grumbled. ¡°Not of the traitor branch that followed the Sun, of course,¡± she added quickly, her expression briefly twisting into a sneer. ¡°Shameful that they had the audacity to take the main branch''s name in the aftermath.¡±


    Ling Qi let the vitriol against the Western Territories pass without comment. ¡°So the real Tao family is¡­?¡± she asked leadingly.


    ¡°One of my clan''s two count level subordinates. They have significant ties in Celestial Peaks,¡± Meizhen answered. She glanced around, and Ling Qi felt a ripple of qi as the girl cast her senses about. ¡°He imagines himself to be charming.¡±


    ¡°Ah, why don¡¯t you just¡­?¡± Ling Qi gestured vaguely.


    ¡°Give him the old death stare?¡± Sixiang suggested.


    Meizhen gave her, or rather, the air just above her head, a flat look. ¡°I am attempting to learn from my aunt. Aunt Suzhen wishes to strengthen our bonds with other clans. Tao Gong reaches above his station, but it is likely that in a few years, things might be arranged so that he may marry into one of the lesser branches in exchange for other considerations. His overtures remain in the realm of politeness, and so my own behavior must remain in the same.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. She had begun to field leading questions regarding her own status in such matters, and she was very much not looking forward to when she would have to start giving such offers serious consideration. Still, a question lingered in her thoughts. ¡°You know, how are things likely to work out for you regarding engagement?¡± she asked quietly. Sixiang remained thankfully silent.


    Given her knowledge of Meizhen¡¯s preferences, she was unsurprised at the unhappy look which crossed Meizhen¡¯s face. ¡°It will be one of my cousins, I suppose, once the clan¡¯s elders have determined which pairings will not result in bloodline sickness. The Imperial family is unlikely to offer an invitation, the Cai have no candidates, the Jin have placed their fortunes in the Sun¡¯s camp, negotiations with the Xuan have fallen through, the Guo are too far for useful alliance, and the Zheng regard the entire concept as a farce. It is the only reasonable choice.¡±


    In the awkward silence that followed, Ling Qi looked down at the path descending the mountain. ¡°Well, that¡¯s something to worry about in the future,¡± she said, determinedly forging on. ¡°Have you picked out who you intend to challenge this month?¡±


    Meizhen shot her a look of fond amusement, masking her previous thoughts. ¡°So certain that I will challenge another immediately?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve been doing my research. Foundation cultivators mostly start appearing around the 770s.¡±


    ¡°I am hardly a wholly foundation level cultivator yet, and mere cultivation level is not everything,¡± Meizhen pointed out.


    Ling Qi gave her a silent look. The wind stirred, a lone breeze enhancing the moment. Internally, she thanked Sixiang.


    ¡°Disciple 772,¡± Meizhen sighed. ¡°You?¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve narrowed it down to Disciple 790.¡±

 Threads 22-Duels 2

    ¡°We begin now the challenge between Disciple 812, Ling Qi, and Disciple 790, Liang He.¡± The presiding elder was a short, rotund man with a wide, friendly face, a faint golden sheen to his skin, and drowsy, half-lidded eyes. He spoke in a cheerful drawl.


    ¡°In accordance with Sect rules, Disciple Liang He has chosen a challenge of direct combat. Let both competitors be at ease that this humble elder shall not allow either of you to come to permanent harm,¡± the elder continued, baring his teeth in a smile that stretched just a touch too wide. ¡°This one hopes to see both of your youthful spirits released to their fullest extent.¡±


    Ling Qi offered a respectful bow to the elder, just as her opponent did across the field from her. Liang He was a young man seemingly cut from the same mold as Kang Zihao. Well, that was unfair, Ling Qi supposed as she straightened back up and met her opponent¡¯s steady gaze. She would compare him to Han Jian instead. He was tall and handsome with aquiline features and a serious mien. He had short cropped dark hair and grey eyes, though they were hardly visible at the moment.


    Aside from his flowing silver robes, today, Liang He wore a featureless jade mask with dark smoked lenses that prevented her from seeing his eyes. A loose hood attached to the rest of his robes concealed the rest of his head. He hadn¡¯t been wearing that yesterday when she had met him and made her challenge, nor had she heard anything about him wearing such a thing in the past. It must be some sort of talisman, but she couldn¡¯t be sure of its function without a closer examination.


    Despite the unwelcome surprise, Ling Qi could not help but feel a thrill of excitement. She was glad that she had made this choice. The urge to test how much she had grown in battle was strong. It would be nice to engage in a match where there was no previous enmity or resentment coloring things. She thought back to the previous day when she had met the boy to make her challenge.


    When Ling Qi had straightened up, after having politely delivered her challenge to the young man as he exited the sealed training field she had tracked him to, she had found Liang He smiling earnestly as he bowed in return, clasping his hands in front of his chest. ¡°It would be my honor to test my blade against you, Lady Ling! I am certain you have only grown stronger since your display of prowess in the New Year¡¯s Tournament. I only hope that this humble swordsman does not disappoint.¡±


    Ling Qi tried to ignore the way her cheeks heated at the praise¡­


    Ling Qi thought sternly, keeping her expression even as she scolded the muse.


    Sixiang complained.


    Ling Qi thought in exasperation.


    Sixiang scoffed silently.


    Through a great effort of will Ling Qi prevented her eyebrow from twitching. She almost felt her cheeks catch on fire as the elder shot her a knowing look out of the corner of his eye. Thankfully, her opponent was oblivious to her inner turmoil, merely sliding into a strong advancing stance as he drew the long straight sword from his storage ring in a flash of light. There was no sign of his spirit beast yet.


    ¡°The rules of this duel shall be simple,¡± the elder announced. ¡°As requested by the challenged, there shall be no restriction on weapons, techniques, or spirit beasts. However, the duel shall be limited to this field and the space fifty meters above and below. This elder shall enforce the boundary fairly in a manner that shall prevent disruption of the duel. Are both duelists prepared?¡±


    Ling Qi glanced around the wide grassy field and the stone boundary markers which marked its edge. The arena was one hundred fifty meters long and one hundred wide. Plenty of space to work with, even if she couldn¡¯t just soar up out of range with her gown. Their starting positions were eighty meters apart, giving them plenty of room to fall back if they desired. It was as fair a field as any competitor could hope for.


    This wasn¡¯t necessarily great for her, but it was expected. With a flick of her wrist, Ling Qi drew her flute from storage. ¡°I am ready, Honored Elder,¡± she said, echoing her opponent from across the field.


    She put Sixiang''s teasing out of mind, and recognizing that the time for it was over, the muse desisted. This would be her first duel with her completed arts and new arts alike. She needed to test her abilities and see how far she could go now. Many challenges lay in the coming days, not the least of which was the situation with her mentor, and she needed to keep rising rapidly up the ranks to meet the goals set for her by the Duchess. Though a failure in a rank challenge would not be the end for her, she had too much to lose to stop striving with all her determination toward victory.


    ¡°Begin!¡±


    As the elder¡¯s voice rang out and his hand chopped down, the field exploded into motion.


    Ling Qi raised her flute to her lips, and the first notes began to ring out, releasing the first strands of thick and cloying mist. Her opponent, Liang He, took a single step and blurred. There was a sharp crack as the field split open like it had been carved through by a giant¡¯s knife, sending an explosion of dirt and rock outward.


    Feeling a thrill of alarm and excitement, Ling Qi flooded her limbs with vital qi, activating her Deepwood Vitality technique just in time for the gleaming emerald light to intercept the diagonal slash that would have taken her full across the chest. Even through her defensive qi, she felt the impact and used its momentum to push her leap backward, sparing herself a wound as her defensive technique shattered. A streak of rainbow light caught her eye, and she twisted to the side, mostly avoiding the hiltless blade that carved through the air, glancing off the dark silk of her gown in a shower of sparking qi.


    Ling Qi could feel Liang He¡¯s spirit of burning skies resolving above her, thrumming with a heated joy for battle, but he had failed to stop her. Even as she dodged, she had never stopped playing. Her mist spread hungrily, drinking in the warm afternoon sunlight and casting the field in shadow, swiftly engulfing her opponent in the time it took him to bring his sword back up into a guard position. Her flying sword shot out in a spiralling flight, singing a ghostly echo of her melody, and he batted it aside as its blade reached for his heart. Ling Qi could feel the wispy strands of qi that clung to his sword and his hands though, ready to be strummed when the time was right.


    Then a shrieking cry rang in her ears, echoing and reverberating as if to shake apart her skull until Sixiang¡¯s comforting qi flooded out to wash it away. A burning white shape carved through her neck, and she burst into shadows, reforming a half meter to her right with no more than a few blisters marking where Liang He¡¯s spirit beast¡¯s wings had brushed her neck.


    She caught a brief glimpse of the falcon then. It was tiny for a spirit beast, only a half meter from wing tip to wing tip, but the plumes of its wings burned with blue fire even as its technique faded and it beat its wings to regain height. Liang He did not waste his partner¡¯s opening. She felt his qi, sharp and brilliant, flare outward, and where he moved, her mist parted. It was a bizarre sensation to feel someone cut her mist, not with wind pressure or physical force but on a deeper, conceptual level. For an instant, in a line between where he had stood and her current position, the sun shone into the depths of the mist.


    It wasn¡¯t enough. The bare moment of breathing room she had gained from her dodge was enough to weave another technique into existence, and Ling Qi¡¯s limbs faded, her form growing wispy and insubstantial, little more than another wraith in the mist. Yet her instincts screamed for her to move as that gleaming sword of his, its edge blazing white hot cut through qi and air alike. One strike, then a second she flowed around, saved by a hair as her gown once again deflected a cut, the sharpened blade rebounding from the silk with a hiss of heat.


    Above their heads, his domain weapon struck hers with a scream of steel on steel, knocking it from its trajectory toward his back, but Ling Qi was hardly done. The air around them went cold and still as her melody changed. First, she played the soft Aria of Spring¡¯s End, spreading frost across the earth and sending wispy flakes of snow drifting through the mist. Then came the howl of the blizzard as she launched into her improved technique, the Hoarfrost Refrain. Like an avalanche, the wave of dark qi released from her flute fell upon her foe.


    Liang He¡¯s blade moved, rising in a sharp flicking motion. Ling Qi blinked in confusion as the power of her melody slammed into the earth behind him, freezing a wide circle of the earth solid. She felt the edges of the technique tear at him, freezing and shattering the trailing edges of his robe and hood. But in that instant, all she could do was stare. Had he just parried her song!?


    That instant was all the opportunity Liang He needed. With speed like lightning, his blade came back. Even in her surprise, Ling Qi still flung up an arm to block, and she felt the hot sting of pain as his sword carved a painful red across her forearm.


    Then that bird of his screeched again, and with a flare of irritation, mostly directed at herself for her pause, her form flickered, vanishing into the mist as the falcon¡¯s burning charge shot through where she had been just a moment ago. She felt the bird¡¯s qi burning brighter and hotter as it wheeled as if to immediately charge again, but then Sixiang¡¯s qi rippled out, a haze of song, merriment, and strong drink. It washed over both Liang He and his beast, and the falcon¡¯s flight stuttered, and its wings dimmed. Liang He himself took a step back, his now tattered hood falling down around his shoulders as he flared his qi, and a storm of invisible blades tore apart Sixiang¡¯s encroaching qi.


    She had been a little cocky, too conservative with her qi, Ling Qi lamented even as he blurred toward her again and their swords screamed overhead. It was unfair to Liang He that she hadn¡¯t treated the opening moments seriously enough. She hardened her flesh with the Hundred Ring Armament and wove through his strikes, only a few of the blindingly fast slashes hitting and only one carving through emerald qi to draw blood as the thrust scored across her lower ribs.


    The still ringing notes of the Aria redoubled in strength as she resumed the melody, and this time, the sad notes held a terrible echo, the Echo of Absolute Winter. Grass died, earth froze, and from the cloying mist fell a thick and freezing snow. This time, even as he parried the bulk of Hoarfrost Refrain¡¯s power, ice clung to his sword and hung heavy from his robe, and she felt the cold poison take root. With a ringing cry, her flying sword disentangled itself from his and shot down toward Liang He, forcing him to raise his sword to deflect the spiralling missile even as it renewed its echo on him.


    With the tinge of true winter in the air, the falcon''s charge was guttering before it even reached her, frost forming on burning wings as she slid out of the way with a single graceful step. Ling Qi could almost sense her opponent''s concerned frown behind his mask. Freed from its battle with her own flying sword, Liang He¡¯s flying sword shot toward her, but its bright rainbow blur dimmed as the sheer cold in the air sucked the energy from the blade''s movement, leaving it to bounce harmlessly off her gown.


    Liang He met her eyes then, and she felt from him a certain strange satisfaction. His stance once again shifted to aggressive, sword raised high. She felt Sixiang startle in alarm as the wind was ripped from their grasp, and the sky screamed. Though it was invisible to the eye, Ling Qi felt the screaming winds gathering into numberless blades, all around her, and the storm that gathered on the single blade in his hands, the fury of it sending his robes snapping and snow flying.


    There was no time for thought as the storm of wind blades fell upon her. She had no doubt that a lower realm cultivator would have been reduced to little more than a bloody mist by the scores of invisible blades that she danced through with sable grace. It took all of her concentration to flow into the spaces between them, to force her limbs to go immaterial at the right moment, and yet at the end, she stood unharmed, just in time to flare her qi and weave a blazing emerald defense as Liang He¡¯s storm-cloaked blade impacted her chest.


    Deepwood Vitality shattered immediately, and the cutting wind slammed into her. Her gown held most of the power back, silken threads holding many times the strength of steel, yet they were still cut. Her flesh, imbued with the strength of a primeval tree, was cut, and she was blown backward in a howling storm like a leaf in a hurricane.


    Yet though it burned painfully, the cut was not too deep. She could feel blood trickling sluggishly from the wound. As she landed lightly on her feet and once again met her opponent¡¯s determined gaze, she knew one thing. It wasn¡¯t enough.


    Before Liang He could pull his sword back into a guard, Ling Qi played the finale of the Frozen Soul Serenade. She had never channeled the technique fully before, but now the Call to Ending rang out, not as any audible sound, but instead, a silence so deep that all other sound perished in its embrace.


    Liang He staggered back as the power of the technique crashed into him, his half-formed guard insufficient to parry the call, even weakened by the distance between them. Grimly, he managed to hold onto his sword, grasping it tightly even as his fingers turned black from the cold. Despite that, the wordless, soundless melody sent him to his knees.


    For just a second, Ling Qi worried that she had gone too far, that the potency of her Master¡¯s art would kill her opponent, even though she hadn¡¯t touched him.


    ¡°I declare the match finished.¡±


    The moment was broken as a pudgy, golden hand chopped her lightly on the head. Her mist was blown away, the snow melted, and sound and warmth returned to the world. The jolly elder gave her a small nod as he stepped past her. He waved a hand, and a golden mist settled over Liang He¡¯s kneeling form. ¡°The winner is Disciple Ling Qi.¡±


    Liang He forced himself to stand and offered a stiff bow. ¡°A good match, Sect Sister,¡± he said in a strained voice. Ling Qi felt bad for the clear pain he was in. He still clutched his sword in his blackened fingers, and she had a feeling he couldn¡¯t have let it go even if he wanted to.


    ¡°It was a good match, Sect Brother,¡± Ling Qi agreed, hastily bowing back, feeling incredibly awkward as she began to recall the audience their duel had.


    ¡°It pleases me to see such good humor in the wake of a duel,¡± the elder said with a wide smile. ¡°But I will have to interrupt. My technique may keep anything important from falling off, but the young man does need to see a healer.¡±


    The elder laid a hand on her opponent''s shoulder and vanished, leaving Ling Qi alone on the field under the stares of the audience. She stared at the silent stands and offered another hasty bow to the stands before exiting with full dignity and speed.


    Sixiang whispered, laughing in her head.


    Ling Qi sighed. She supposed this was the first time she had displayed such a heavily damaging ability. Her previous victories had all been more drawn out and less¡­ brutal. Still, her opponent didn¡¯t seem to hold any ill will, so she doubted the audience would be able to successfully spin it in the negative.


    More importantly, she was now sure that the Frozen Soul Serenade was wholly mastered. Would that be enough to face her mentor?


    Ling Qi winced as she felt a twinge from the cut on her chest. She could think about that later.


    She had managed to use the Call to Ending. She could not put off visiting Master Zeqing any longer.

 Threads 23-Winters Muse

    Zeqing¡¯s home had never seemed so dark, Ling Qi thought nervously.


    For once, no one had come to greet her when she arrived on the mountaintop. There was only the wind and the dancing snowflakes. Her mentor¡¯s home huddled darkly on its foundations like an image from an old tale. Its shutters were closed, and shadow lay deeply under its eaves despite the bright noonday sun shining overhead.


    And it was so very cold. Ling Qi shivered, rubbing her arms as she approached, footsteps light atop the snowy field.


    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Sixiang asked, their voice drifting on the wind. ¡°I know she¡¯s your teacher and all, but you¡¯re... No one is welcome here right now. Can¡¯t you feel it?¡±


    ¡°I can feel it,¡± Ling Qi replied, approaching the door. ¡°But I know my lessons aren¡¯t complete either.¡±


    Sixiang said, the wind falling silent as their voice returned to her thoughts.


    Ling Qi opened her mouth, but she ended up staying silent rather than replying. She had told Cai Renxiang that she would be secluding herself in cultivation for a day or two, but there had been no reason to worry or frighten everyone else. She had already chosen to approach Zeqing again, even knowing the spirit was dangerous right now.


    ¡°The way things are right now is partially my fault,¡± she finally said. ¡°It¡¯s only right that I help resolve it. I don¡¯t want to¡­¡±


    Sixiang didn¡¯t answer with words, but memories of her childhood drifted up, of stolen blankets and too slow allies.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not right.¡± Ling Qi shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m still that person. I¡¯m still selfish and afraid.¡± The Bloody Moon dream had proven that. The old her remained, just under the skin. ¡°But Zeqing is my teacher. I couldn¡¯t have gotten to where I am without her. I won¡¯t leave her or her daughter like this,¡± she said, determination filling her voice. ¡°... There has to be some things more valuable than safety.¡±


    She felt Sixiang¡¯s mental sigh, followed by the assurance of support, settling like a warm blanket around her shoulders. With that, Ling Qi didn¡¯t hesitate any more, and she took the last steps toward the darkened doorway and rapped her knuckles on the frame.


    For a moment, there was no reply, but then, ever so slowly, the door opened. The drawn out creak as it drifted ajar raised the hairs on her neck. There was no more invitation than that, but Ling Qi knew that if Zeqing did not want her here, she could not have forced the door even with all her strength. Taking a deep breath, she stepped inside, squinting into the unnatural darkness that shrouded even her vision. It was unsettling. How long had it been since she had last stood in the dark like this?


    The door snapped shut behind her, cutting off the last rectangle of light, but Ling Qi remained composed. ¡°Master Zeqing, your student has come to greet you,¡± she said, speaking formally. Unable to see, she simply made the appropriate bow without turning. A cold breeze was her only answer, but as she straightened up, the darkness lightened a fraction, and she saw ahead of her a sitting room where her mentor waited before a hearth that guttered with heatless green flame.


    Zeqing floated before the hearth, the empty lower half of her gown folded as if she were seated upon an invisible seat. The spirit¡¯s head was lowered, her silver hair hiding her face. Ling Qi approached cautiously until she stood within the circle of firelight, trying to ignore the uneasy feeling that she stood in an empty void from which there was no escape or exit. ¡°Master¡­¡±


    ¡°I am surprised to see you so soon. Are you really so eager?¡± Zeqing asked, her voice cold and distant. She did not look up.


    ¡°I do not want to leave my mentor in pain,¡± Ling Qi replied honestly. ¡°Where is Hanyi?¡±


    Zeqing let out a small huff of amusement at her hesitant words. ¡°Safe. I left her with her father while I centered myself.¡± Zeqing paused then, finally raising her head to look at Ling Qi. She almost flinched at the sight of the hairline fracture running from Zeqing¡¯s chin all the way up to her temple. It was as if Zeqing¡¯s face was a porcelain mask, and Ling Qi could not quite find the courage to look into the darkness that lay behind it. ¡°You have never met my husband, have you?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Ling Qi answered reluctantly, a sinking feeling telling her that she was not going to like this.


    Zeqing gestured with an empty sleeve, and to their right, a patch of darkness grew light. Through it, Ling Qi saw into a room, its shadowed walls stacked with toys shaped from ice and snow and rock. In the center, she saw Hanyi seated at a table, face screwed up in concentration as she messily copied the characters from a second sheet. As she finished the last brushstroke, she looked up, an excited gleam in her eyes and said something Ling Qi could not hear to the larger figure beside her.


    Ling Qi could not help but follow the young spirit¡¯s gaze. Although her eyes saw a handsome man with ice pale skin and a bookish air smiling softly at his daughter, her other senses saw beneath the facade. It was a hideous mannequin of ice, blood, and bone. A single terrified eye stared out at her from an iced over socket, pleading for escape and release.


    Ling Qi shuddered, her stomach churning as she felt the reality of the thing that Zeqing called her husband. The bones of it were made wholly of the spirit¡¯s power, but there were enough pieces, crudely stitched into its frame, that she could feel the shape of the man it had once been. The worst of it was that there was still a spark of life and awareness in those broken fragments of a soul.


    ¡°Even her time with him has turned to lessons,¡± Zeqing sighed, resting her chin in a hand of clear ice. She glanced briefly at Ling Qi. ¡°Hanyi sees only her father as he should have been, but I felt that you could handle the truth.¡±


    ¡°... Why?¡± Ling Qi asked, swallowing the bile that wanted to rise in her throat, dragging her eyes away from the horrible thing.


    ¡°Would any answer satisfy you?¡± Zeqing asked absently. ¡°Would spinning a tale of his perfidy give you satisfaction?¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. ¡°Maybe,¡± she admitted. ¡°People can be terrible.¡±


    Zeqing let out a small laugh. ¡°Such honesty,¡± she mused. ¡°Very well. Once, a small clan ruled this patch of land, though I and my predecessors had been here far longer. My husband was one of three brothers in contention for the seat of the clan¡¯s heir. My husband was a scholar and a wanderer at heart, and so he discovered me.¡±


    Ling Qi studiously avoided looking at the subject of their conversation but nodded. She already had a feeling where this story was going.


    Zeqing turned her empty white eyes upon Ling Qi with a knowing look. ¡°Indeed. Be aware that I had long been alone. Imperial claims in this region are recent, and I - we - were subjects of reverence and placation. The Imperial method of interacting with spirits was quite new to me at the time,¡± she said with a sigh. ¡°... And he did have such a skilled tongue.¡±


    Zeqing shook her head, and after a beat of silence, she continued. ¡°He sought to bind me of course. Power such as mine would have been a boon to his claim to the seat. He returned to this mountain again and again to woo me, and in the end, he even convinced me to bear his child as proof of our love so that I would never be lonely again.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes shifted to Hanyi, and she thought of what she knew of history. ¡°Hanyi isn¡¯t that old, is she?¡±


    ¡°I kept her within me for the longest time. I was bitter, but I was not willing to destroy a part of myself. We get ahead of ourselves, however. For the better part of a decade did he continue to visit me, and in doing so, he changed me," Zeqing explained wistfully, gazing at the broken, spiritually bleeding thing in the other room. "I am a spirit of darkness, desire, and covetousness. I am the cold that saps the life from a man''s bones yet allows him to drift into his final sleep feeling naught but pleasant warmth. Yet for the first time, I came to feel more than a base desire and hunger for warmth, and from the qi I took from him were born the emotions that come so easily to your kind. I fell in love, and I agreed to join my essence to his and create a new life. It was a transgressive thing, not done in all of the memories of my past selves. I am a creature of endings, not beginnings after all," her mentor finished with a bitter laugh.


    ¡°What happened in the end?¡± Ling Qi asked. She already knew the answer, at least in the broad strokes.


    ¡°It was a ploy, and his ability to avoid my sight was not as good as he believed,¡± Zeqing answered clinically. ¡°A life that bound us together would have made for an unbreakable binding with his techniques, even for me. He would then have been free to take a human wife as well, as is your people¡¯s custom.¡± She gave a faint shrug. ¡°Instead, when he returned the next time, I devoured him, body and soul, and refused to allow him his End.¡±


    Ling Qi looked at the thing¡¯s single staring eye pleading for the mercy of release into death and shuddered. Could she say that he had deserved that?


    She thought of the past and the things she had seen on the streets and in her mother¡¯s home. Leering faces and her mother¡¯s limping steps and bruised limbs rose all too clear in her memory. She recalled well those less cunning and lucky than her, who had fallen into servitude, legal and otherwise, in the slums.


    If she met those people now, could she say that she would be inclined to treat them any better? For a moment, she brought herself to imagine that night long ago, the last one she had spent in her mother¡¯s home. She remembered the stink of alcohol on rich robes and the feeling of a fat, sweaty hand on her shoulder before Mother had distracted him and shooed her off to her room. She imagined that hated face paling in terror as ice crept up his robes and his choked scream as winter stole the breath from his lungs.


    It was incredibly satisfying, made all the more so by the simple fact that if she truly wanted to, she had no doubt that she could make it reality. She had left old grudges behind these days, too busy to waste time contemplating them, but in her heart, some still simmered. She was a practical person, but she was not forgiving.


    Yet the thought of taking even that man and binding his frozen soul to her like a spirit was repugnant. To keep a source of hate and pain chained to herself... She couldn¡¯t imagine the satisfaction lasting long at all. It was pointless and wasteful. Though she knew it was not the same, she couldn¡¯t see stretching out the punishment as a good thing.


    Sixiang laughed weakly in her thoughts.


    Ling Qi paused. Could she square that - the satisfaction at personal retribution and the horror at the slaughter of that civil war? Was it a contradiction in terms? She didn¡¯t think so, but she doubted that those two long dead Weilu leaders thought any different. She opened her eyes to find her mentor still staring at her, despite Ling Qi¡¯s minutes-long silence. The fire was gone. The image of Hanyi and her father was gone. There was only Ling Qi and Zeqing facing one another in the endless dark.


    ¡°You should End him, Master Zeqing,¡± she said quietly, meeting her mentor¡¯s empty white gaze. ¡°Things shouldn¡¯t persist past their Endings.¡±


    ¡°Of course you would have me give up what is mine,¡± Zeqing said softly, tendrils of hungry darkness writhing out through the crack in her visage. ¡°That is what you are here for, is it not, my dear student?¡±


    ¡°... I am,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°Master Zeqing, you taught me to keep what I love close, but if I break those things in doing so, is there really any meaning?¡±


    ¡°There is,¡± the spirit replied. ¡°Even broken shards can be held close to warm you in the night. Once a thing has Ended, once it has left you, it is gone.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t agree,¡± Ling Qi said with determination. ¡°I abandoned my mother long ago, but we¡¯re together again. She¡¯s still my mother, even if things are different now. Our relationship didn¡¯t End.¡±


    ¡°Can you truly say that?¡± Zeqing asked, a cold wind beginning to blow through the darkness. ¡°When I have seen and felt the way that you regard her? It hurts my heart to imagine my Hanyi seeing me in such a pitiable light.¡±


    Ling Qi winced, shivering as the icy breeze cut through her gown and flesh alike, chilling her to the core. It was true that she didn¡¯t tell her mother many things. She held her separate from most of her life for good reason. She knew well how far below consideration mortals were for most cultivators. ¡°And yet I love my mother still, even if she cannot do anything for me. That¡­¡± She hesitated, unsure of how to articulate her thoughts.


    Zeqing slowly rose, her empty gown shifting as she seemed to stand. The frozen spirit seemed so terribly tall in the dark. ¡°A Mother protects her children. She keeps them safe. She teaches and nurtures. If a child leaves her, how is she to do these things?¡±


    Ling Qi looked up at the looming figure of her mentor, her pale face seeming to almost glow in the absolute darkness. ¡°Childhood has to end, sometimes sooner than it should,¡± she answered quietly. ¡°I have finished my lessons, and Hanyi is growing up. Even if you stop that end from coming... would it satisfy you?¡±


    For the first time since they had begun speaking, Zeqing¡¯s mask-like visage twisted into an expression. She flinched, and the wind stopped dead as her features twisted in pain like a woman who had been stabbed. Ling Qi startled as a sharp report like a tree shattering from the winter¡¯s cold echoed through the void. A new crack now spiderwebbed across her mentor¡¯s face, stark and jagged. It cut through her nose and right eye, disappearing under her hairline.


    ¡°Master Zeqing?¡± Ling Qi asked, her resolve shaking as she felt the deathly cold beginning to creep up through the soles of her shoes, stabbing into her feet like a forest of pins and needles.


    ¡°Go to my daughter, Ling Qi,¡± her mentor ordered dully. ¡°Your final lesson is upon you. As your teacher¡­ All I may do is ensure that your success is possible.¡± The spirit turned away, dress billowing in the howling wind that was beginning to build. ¡°Take her, and leave the mountain.¡±


    To her side, pale ghost lights arose, marking out a hall that no doubt lead to Hanyi¡¯s room, but Ling Qi hesitated, moving to follow Zeqing as she drifted into darkness, only to be driven back by shrieking winds and blowing ice that left shallow cuts across her face and hands.


    Sixiang asked, their normally joyful voice somber.


    ¡°... I did,¡± Ling Qi agreed, straightening her shoulders as she turned on her heel to march down the hall. The time for hesitation was past.

 Threads 24 Winters Muse 2

    Ling Qi swiftly reached the end of the hall, flitting from shadow to shadow as she raced for the door that lay at its end. The handle turned easily under her hand, and the door flew open, leaving her face to face with a confused looking Hanyi.


    ¡°Ling Qi? What¡¯s wrong?¡± the little spirit asked, her face screwed up in concern. ¡°Papa said that Mama needed to talk to him. Mama never talks to Papa!¡± she babbled, her words coming out in a rush. ¡°And - and - the house is shaking, and Mama is angry and hurting. It¡¯s like the whole past month but way worse and¡­¡±


    Ling Qi crouched and rested her hands on Hanyi¡¯s shoulders. She tried her best to keep her voice calm, but she couldn¡¯t help the note of urgency that crept into her voice. ¡°Hanyi, your mom is just... having some problems right now. She¡¯s not angry at you or me. I promise,¡± Ling Qi tried to reassure her.


    ¡°But, why then¡­?¡± Hanyi asked, her eyes bright with unshed tears. ¡°Why has she been so¡­?¡±


    Ling Qi winced as the room shook violently and an icy wind ripped through the doorway, sending their hair and gowns fluttering. ¡°She¡¯s just very stressed. Your Mama needs a break. That¡¯s why she asked me to take you for awhile,¡± Ling Qi replied, knowing she needed to hurry. ¡°Zhengui will be waking up soon, I¡¯m sure. Won¡¯t it be fun to visit him?¡±


    Hanyi eyed her suspiciously and sniffed, still keeping her tears back. ¡°I wanna, but Mama¡­¡±


    GO, HANYI.


    Ling Qi flinched as the entire room shuddered under the force of Zeqing¡¯s voice reverberating through the house and the sharp crack that followed the pronouncement. Hanyi jumped as well, her eyes wide with alarm.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure she¡¯s not mad?¡± Hanyi asked in a trembling voice.


    ¡°Not at us,¡± Ling Qi assured her, holding out a hand as she stood up. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go, Hanyi.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± the young spirit mumbled, taking her hand. ¡°Are Mama and Papa fighting? Did I mess up?¡±


    That was one way to put it, Ling Qi thought, given the conflict in Zeqing¡¯s nature that she had seen. ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything wrong, Hanyi,¡± she said as they reached the end of the hall, the wind blowing against them growing stronger by the moment. ¡°Do you know how to get to the door?¡± she asked as they reached the end of the hall, worry creeping into her thoughts as Sixiang offered the mental equivalent of an apologetic shrug. There was nothing for their wind to trace the layout of.


    Hanyi peered out into the empty darkness. ¡°Kinda. I can¡¯t control the house like Mama, but¡­ the door is really far away right now.¡± She still sounded like she was holding back tears.


    Ling Qi restrained a grimace. She had to get moving as quickly as she could, but she also couldn¡¯t afford to panic Hanyi.


    ¡°It looks like I¡¯ll need your help then,¡± Ling Qi said with false cheer, glancing at the empty dark around them. She looked down at Hanyi, unsure how best to handle this. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, she crouched, bringing herself down to the young spirit¡¯s level. ¡°Hey, since I¡¯ll get lost, why don¡¯t you let Big Sister give you a ride? That way we won¡¯t lose each other by accident.¡±


    She didn¡¯t know what to expect, but driving winds and whited out vistas seemed likely. A connection as tenuous as held hands was unreliable.


    Hanyi gave her a confused and suspicious look. ¡°You¡¯re acting really weird, Big Sister. So is everyone else. What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Ling Qi shivered as she felt, deep in her bones, the faint beat of a melody building in the darkness around them. For a moment, her thoughts spun in circles as she tried to come up with another excuse, but would that really help?


    ¡°Hanyi¡­¡± she began, trying to find the words. ¡°Your Mama needs to be alone for a while. You¡¯ve seen how she¡¯s been acting, right?¡±


    Hanyi frowned, scuffing her bare foot against the ground. ¡°Yeah, but being lonely hurts. How will hurting Mama more help?¡±


    ¡°Because she¡¯s afraid that she¡¯ll hurt us by accident,¡± Ling Qi replied, finally dispensing with excuses. ¡°Hanyi, being lonely hurts, but don¡¯t you think it would hurt her more if one of us got hurt?¡±


    Hanyi¡¯s lips trembled. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Why would Mama be afraid of that? She loves me. She loves you. She wouldn¡¯t hurt us.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes, you can hurt people you love without meaning to,¡± Ling Qi said quietly. ¡°Hanyi, please, your mama wants me to take care of you while she¡¯s away. I don¡¯t want you to get hurt either.¡±


    For a moment, she thought Hanyi was going to argue further, but the young girl hung her head, silver bangs shadowing her eyes. ¡°¡®Kay,¡± she sniffled. ¡°I know Mama wants me to go. I felt it, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Ling Qi said, patting Hanyi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We need to get going now though.¡±


    Hanyi gave a shallow nod, and finally, she did as she asked. Soon, Hanyi was perched on her back, legs tucked under her arms and arms around Ling Qi¡¯s neck. Taking a deep breath, Ling Qi stood, and the moment she did, she nearly staggered. Hanyi¡¯s weight, which had been like a feather a moment ago, seemed to redouble again and again until it felt as if Ling Qi had a boulder tied to her back.


    Sixiang warned.


    ¡°Big Sister?¡± Hanyi asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Hanyi,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°Which way do we go?¡±


    With another sniffle of held back tears, Hanyi began to direct her. With Hanyi on her back, she couldn¡¯t flicker from place to place, not that she thought such techniques would avail her in the not-space that Zeqing¡¯s temple had become. Even so, she moved as quickly as her legs and the weight she bore would allow. Only Hanyi¡¯s direction allowed her to avoid crashing headlong into barriers she could neither see nor sense. No matter how hard she concentrated, there was no direction in this place, save for up and down, and even that twisted oddly at times, leaving Ling Qi to quickly find her balance as her floor became a wall or a ceiling from time to time.


    Then the wind began to blow.


    She felt Sixiang shiver in her mind, tendrils of awareness withdrawing back into her meridians with a snap. She felt the same cold in her extremities as the blackness began to grow gray and then white, and she felt the first pelting daggers of ice. With a single breath, she activated the Hundred Ring Armament, cloaking herself and Hanyi alike in its viridian glow. It proved prescient as the whiteness howled and a gust of wind struck her like a blow from a giant.


    Though her technique cushioned the blow, she still spun dizzily as the force of the wind flung her through the air. Hanyi cried out something in her ear, clinging tightly to her neck, and Ling Qi kept her grip on the spirit even as she managed to land on her feet in the knee-deep snow. That itself was a surprise. Ling Qi had grown used to being able to walk lightly across snow and ice, but now, she sunk into the cold, wet morass like a stone. The cloak of her gown flared, and she began to rise, only for the wind to howl, slamming her back to the ¡°ground¡± with a painful crack. She bent her knees to absorb the impact, but it sent a tingle of pain through her joints.


    ¡°Everything alright, Hanyi?¡± she asked through gritted teeth as she straightened up.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± Hanyi said, her voice trembling. ¡°But, Big Sister, the door is moving.¡±


    Ling Qi restrained the urge to curse. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, Hanyi. Just keep me going in the right direction.¡±


    The going proved difficult. The blizzard blew endlessly in her face until her cloak hung heavy, encrusted with ice, and the rest of her was not much better. The cold stung her eyes and froze her fingers, and slashing fragments of frozen rain pattered against her armored form like a rain of daggers. It was only due to the constant renewal of her Armament and various defense techniques that she was not cut to ribbons.


    Through it all, the quiet beat that she heard remained subdued, a faint vibration felt in the depths of her soul. She kept herself alert, having no doubt that there would be worse trials than this.


    Sixiang muttered.


    ***


    Ling Qi sniffled as she dropped to the ground, casting one last glance up at the dark window she had climbed out of. She rubbed the back of her hand against her eyes, wiping away her tears. Mama had been right to yell at her. It was her fault that Mama had gotten hurt last night. She was a bad girl. Lots of the other ladies said so when they thought nobody was listening. They were right.


    ... And she didn¡¯t want to be like Mama or the other ladies. Most of the men that came to them were gross and mean. Even when they weren¡¯t, they were never nice. Even ladies from other places didn¡¯t like them or her. Grannies who would give out sweets to other little girls would turn their noses up at her and say mean things about Mama when her back was turned.


    She didn¡¯t want that. She didn¡¯t want to hurt Mama, and she didn¡¯t want to get hurt by the mean men who paid for time with Mama. Ling Qi hunched her shoulders, pulling the bag she had stuffed with her clothes and some food higher. Ling Qi took her first step away from home where she could be free at last.


    She shivered then as a cold gust blew, and the world seemed to swim. Ling Qi stopped in confusion and fell to her knees, gasping for breath. It felt like the sky had fallen on her shoulders. Grief welled in her mind, overwriting her thoughts. She felt the mounting panic of a woman who woke to find her daughter gone and the increasing desperation as her search turned up nothing and as pleas for aid in that search fell on indifferent ears. She felt the collapse that followed as hours turned into days and hope guttered out and died.


    Ling Qi sobbed, curling up on the ground as the storm of emotions assailed her. Could anything be worth that? She was going to hurt her Mama so much, and she herself was going to hurt so much too. Memories of cold, empty bellies and broken bones assailed her. Memories of fear and brushes with death crushed her. Why was she doing this? Why was she leaving? Mama wasn¡¯t perfect, but she loved Ling Qi. Even if she got mad, she would get hurt if it kept Ling Qi safe.


    ¡°No,¡± Ling Qi muttered into the dirty street, pushing herself back up to her knees. The world flickered dizzyingly, and she felt her limbs stretch and grow. Was she a child or an Immortal? In that moment, she couldn¡¯t say. ¡°I can¡¯t go back.¡±


    Why not? Her own voice seemed to echo back.


    Ling Qi struggled for a moment to answer, clenching her hands in the dirt/snow. ¡°Because I don¡¯t want that,¡± she hissed. ¡°And Mom didn¡¯t want that. Even if it hurt, even if I hated it, didn¡¯t it come to a good end?¡±


    The world shuddered violently and Ling Qi¡¯s vision went black.


    ***


    ¡°Exhausting yourself again, I see. Will you never consider your own health?¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes fluttered open at the sound of Meizhen¡¯s voice, and she sat up in her chair, sending the blanket that had been laid over her into her lap.A fire burned merrily in the hearth in front of her, and she sighed in comfort at the slow creeping warmth that she could feel sapping the stress from her tired limbs. Still, as she blinked, looking around at the snug wood paneled room, she couldn¡¯t help but think that something was off.


    ¡°Where are we?¡± Ling Qi asked, looking to her friend, who kneeled gracefully before the fire, warming her hands.


    Meizhen arched an eyebrow at her. ¡°Did you strike your head? We are at home. You spent so long out hunting that Xiulan had to bring you back.¡±


    Ling Qi furrowed her brow, rubbing her temples to ease the persistent ache there. It was like someone was shouting inside of her skull. Right, she remembered now. She and her friends had left. The sect, the Empire, and all of its baggage was behind them. There was no pursuit. None of them were important enough for that. The house rocked under her feet, and she knew it to be Zhengui¡¯s stride, taking them on a slow route through the far flung boreal valleys deep in the Wall.


    ¡°Where is everyone?¡± Ling Qi asked absently, rubbing her head still. Maybe she had hit her head on something. This ache wouldn¡¯t go away.


    ¡°Your hangers-on are tinkering with the formation arrays outside, and your mother and sister are resting,¡± Meizhen answered smoothly. ¡°Xiulan is warming herself in the bath after retrieving you, and Han Jian is in the mapping chamber.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Ling Qi apologized sheepishly. ¡°What about Renxiang though?¡±


    ¡°In the office. You know how she is,¡± Meizhen replied, turning back to the fire.


    ¡°Right,¡± Ling Qi said, grimacing. She didn¡¯t feel a bruise, but something was bothering her. Had they really just left? Sure, Renxiang¡¯s little sister had ended up becoming heir, and Jian and Xiulan had broken from their families for each other, but¡­ Would they really get to leave so easily? And why had they all come to her? She closed her eyes as the headache redoubled.


    ¡°Are you alright, Qi?¡± Meizhen asked, concern clear in her voice. Ling Qi heard the rustling of cloth and a cool hand pressing against her forehead. ¡°I did not detect any odd fluctuations in your qi, but¡­¡±


    Ling Qi opened her eyes, looking up to see Meizhen leaning in, her lips pursed. ¡°Meizhen... Why are you here? Don¡¯t you have... responsibilities?¡± Her words came out with difficulty, and her thoughts felt fuzzy and muddled.


    Meizhen gave Ling Qi a patient look as she straightened up, and the other girl let her hand drift down to rest atop Ling Qi¡¯s.¡± Qi, my clan can do without me. That aside, I love you. Of course I would follow.¡±


    Ling Qi felt her vision blur. Meizhen was her first and best friend, the hand that had given her the first and most important boost into the world of Immortals. What sort of terrible world would it be where Ling Qi couldn¡¯t return her feelings? Yet¡­. it felt wrong. Meizhen, who idolized her aunt and who was working hard to be useful to her clan, would just drop everything for her? Meizhen, who had herself firmly rejected the idea of being closer than friends in the Outer Sect?


    And what about the others? Would Cai Renxiang really so easily abandon the things she talked about? Would Suyin abandon her place in the Sect, her mentor, her projects, or Su Ling her revenge? Xiulan and Han Jian were both dutiful children to their clans. Why would they...?


    No, this was wrong. This fantastical scenario... This...


    ¡°I need to go,¡± Ling Qi breathed out. She stood up, and Meizhen stepped back, her eyebrows raised in alarm.


    ¡°Qi? What is the meaning of this? You just returned,¡± Meizhen said. The shorter girl looked up at her with confusion and alarm on her stoic features. ¡°Is something wrong? Please tell me.¡±


    At the edges of her vision, the room began to warp. ¡°This isn¡¯t right,¡± she said, pushing Meizhen¡¯s hands away. ¡°This¡­ This whole thing isn¡¯t right.¡±


    Her friend looked hurt as if Ling Qi had struck her, and Ling Qi¡¯s resolve wavered. ¡°Why? We are together. Everyone is together, and there is no reason for us to ever part. What could be wrong with that?¡±


    ¡°Life doesn¡¯t work like that,¡± Ling Qi hissed, the pain in her head redoubling.


    When next she looked up, Ling Qi froze as she found herself staring into Meizhen¡¯s eyes. Her empty, white eyes.


    Ling Qi reeled as the world shattered.

 Threads 25 Winters Muse 3

    ¡°... ter! Big Sister!¡±


    Sixiang begged her.


    Ling Qi shook her head violently, and the blizzard resolved itself again before her eyes. She felt so tired and cold. ¡°... Hanyi? Sixiang¡­?¡±


    ¡°I thought I saw Mama, and she looked scary, and then you stopped moving,¡± Hanyi babbled, clutching her neck tightly.


    Sixiang muttered fearfully.


    Ling Qi shivered, recalling the visions she had apparently experienced. Even as she did, she bounded forward, forcing herself through the wind and snow despite the fatigue dragging at her limbs. She had forgotten exactly what Zeqing was. Zeqing was not just a creature of brute force and snow storms but also a winter siren who could bring those who fell under her spell to death of their own will. She just had to hope that whatever Zeqing was doing to restrain herself did not slip again.


    And yet, as she ran through the snow, banking and turning on the command of her charge, her thoughts kept returning to those visions and why she had rejected them. Her heart ached at the memory of it, but she could not help but feel that there was a truth she had realized in the visions.


    She could not let herself forget that the important people in her life had thoughts and feelings as important as hers. Just because something would make her happy did not mean it would make them happy. It seemed like such an obvious thing to realize, but Ling Qi wondered just how many people there were that did not truly internalize that into their Way.


    Ling Qi had little time to muse further on that insight, not when the storm was picking up and the soft mournful melody that underlaid the winds was growing stronger. The music struck deep in her soul, ringing like the miserable sobs of a loved one, and it took every scrap of will that Ling Qi had to keep running. She knew it was only Sixiang¡¯s efforts that allowed her that much. She could feel the insubstantial spirit¡¯s strain, their qi diffused through her every meridian as it pushed back against the cloying despair that threatened to overwhelm her.


    ¡°Why is Momma crying?¡± Hanyi whispered, her voice trembling. ¡°I-if she really wants us to leave, why is she crying?¡±


    Despite her resistance to the song woven into the storm, Ling Qi felt the tears that welled up in the corners of her eyes, only to freeze solid, still clinging to her cheeks. Despite that, she never allowed her legs to stop moving. ¡°It hurts when someone you love leaves, but sometimes, things have to hurt before they can get better. Hanyi, please, tell me where I need to go next,¡± she begged, struggling to keep her voice from wavering.


    ¡°... Through that drift,¡± Hanyi muttered, pointing out a high rampart of snow. ¡°If Momma really wanted me to stay, Big Sister would have never even made it this far, huh?¡±


    ¡°You get it, Hanyi,¡± Ling Qi replied shakily, veering toward the sheer wall of densely packed snow. Her instincts told her to veer away or jump over, but Hanyi had said ¡°through.¡± Ling Qi just had to trust that her mentor¡¯s daughter knew what she was saying. So, gritting her teeth, Ling Qi charged headlong into the snow.


    Ling Qi felt like she had run into a wall. Cold, wet weight crushed against her face and chest, even as she struggled forward, pushing through. Then, in the next instant, it was gone, and Ling Qi rocked on her feet, nearly stumbling as she found herself once again standing in an empty void.


    ¡°Left!¡± Hanyi cried out, her voice echoing in the dark. Ling Qi didn¡¯t even think. She sprang to the left as if her life depended on it. Wind screamed past her ears as she shot down what seemed to be an open corridor. Though her eyes saw only a uniform darkness, Ling Qi could feel the churning, hungry nothing that had consumed the space behind her and even now roiled outward like an invisible mist, devouring everything it touched. Zeqing¡¯s house groaned and shook like a cottage in the middle of a violent storm.


    that! Run faster, please!> Sixiang shouted in her head, and Ling Qi obliged as she darted around a corner at Hanyi¡¯s direction. Ling Qi heard a crack and a crash like a heavy beam or rafter falling and crashing to the ground, and she launched herself upward at Hanyi¡¯s shout to clamber up the invisible and glasslike surface that presented itself.


    With each centimeter she climbed, Hanyi¡¯s weight grew ever greater until her limbs trembled with the effort of holding them both up. For the first time, the mad dash she had been making felt like it was catching up with her. Fatigue dragged at her limbs and dulled her senses, and below, the nothing churned, climbing upward with every moment. Could she really do this? Zeqing¡¯s resistance was growing stronger with each passing moment, and she knew that once it passed a certain point, there was no hope of success.


    The darkness yawned infinitely overhead and all around. Ling Qi knew somewhere in her mind that her fatigue wasn¡¯t natural, that the creeping despair that she felt rising wasn¡¯t her own, but it was so hard just to hold on. Even Sixiang¡¯s urgent fear was fading, growing dull under the weight that seemed to suffuse her entire being.


    She stiffened as she felt Hanyi¡¯s arms tighten around her and felt the young spirit¡¯s face pressing against the back of her neck. ¡°It hurts,¡± she whispered, and Ling Qi felt the cold pinprick of tears against her skin. ¡°It¡¯d be better if I stayed, wouldn¡¯t it? You could get away, and I could be part of Mama again. Wouldn¡¯t that be okay?¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t,¡± Ling Qi gritted out through clenched teeth, digging her fingers into semi-solid darkness and dragging herself up another handspan. She hated this. For so long, night and darkness had represented safety to her, but now, it rejected her, repelling her qi and pressing down like a smothering blanket.


    ¡°Why? It¡¯s my fault Mama is like this,¡± Hanyi whimpered. ¡°Before I started bothering her for lessons, everyone was happy.¡±


    Ling Qi squeezed her eyes shut, fighting back the growing instinct to agree, to release her charge. She knew there was a reason, but it seemed so very hard to grasp at the moment. ¡°She enjoyed it though,¡± Ling Qi rasped, finding it difficult to push out words. ¡°It was the same for me. She liked seeing us grow. Didn¡¯t it make you happy too?¡±


    ¡°Obviously not, if this is the result.¡±


    All of the noise and motion and stress seemed to cease, and time slowed. Ling Qi was still moving, still scrambling upward, but it was if everything had slowed down a thousandfold except for her thoughts.


    ¡°Why are you so determined to take my daughter from me? Put her down, and live, child.¡± Zeqing¡¯s voice resounded from all around her. The weight of it was cold and crushing, almost suffocating in its intensity, but there was something lacking to it, something hollow and almost mechanical.


    This wasn¡¯t her teacher, or at least, not all of her. It was not the part that had taught her, the part that had sympathized with her, the part that had done something as silly as participating in a birthday party for her sake. Yet it still had power, enough to crush her, if it were unleashed. Ling Qi remembered the last time she had felt crushed by a superior power. Slowly, she opened her eyes and stared upward.


    ¡°No.¡±


    Sixiang whispered weakly, their voice barely audible or present. The cloying despair that threatened to devour her was having a much worse effect on her wholly spiritual companion


    ¡°No?¡± The not-Zeqing repeated, the faintest hint of bemusement entering its voice. ¡°Do you¡­?¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Ling Qi hissed, dragging herself upward another centimeter. ¡°I¡¯m not like I was. I¡¯m not!¡± she bit out. ¡°Zeqing is my teacher, and that makes Hanyi my junior sister. I¡¯m not going to betray that duty because of a¡­ a damn muscle spasm like you!¡± Because that¡¯s all this voice was in the end. She had spoken to the real, conscious Zeqing. The power trying to stop her was just an involuntary reaction. It was Zeqing¡¯s spiritual nature recoiling and reacting against her will.


    Snarling, Ling Qi pushed qi outward from her dantian. Zeqing had taught her so much, given her so much, and she wouldn¡¯t fail to repay her, wouldn¡¯t fail her daughter like that. Darkness beat in her heart and cycled in her lungs. It crackled and flowed through her limbs and spine, and in the next moment, she seized the not-space around her and soared.


    Even as she rocketed upward and the darkness outside of her reach shrieked, even as she hardened her body with Thousand Rings Unbreaking against the hail of razor ice that pounded down on her, she instinctively knew that it wasn¡¯t going to be enough. Her energy was already starting to ebb, and the weight on her back was still too much.


    ¡°Hanyi! Do you really want things to go back to the way they were? Do you really want to forget the things your mother taught you? To stay the same forever?!¡± she shouted over the sleet storm that engulfed them.


    ¡°I -¡± the little girl murmured, shaking like a leaf. ¡°I¡­ I want to be like Mama!¡± Hanyi cried out, and immediately, Ling Qi felt the weight on her back grow lighter. ¡°I want to be strong and smart and pretty and...¡± Her voice choked off in a sob. ¡°I wanna be able to go and come back!¡±


    Their surroundings went mad. Ling Qi felt herself crash through something, splinters of the barrier leaving deep cuts on her skin even through her defensive technique. For the next several moments, the world was naught but a chaos of light and sound and auras.


    Then she crashed into a snowbank and went rolling wildly across a field. Ling Qi pushed herself up off the snowy ground, but she was still dizzy and groggy. Her vision swam, and she staggered as she got back to her feet. There was something missing.


    She looked ahead and saw where she was. Ling Qi stood on the mountaintop, and ahead of her lay the ruins of Zeqing¡¯s home. Wood and glass and straw lay strewn across the snow, and it was fading, losing its color and melting like frost on a spring morning. Her eyes were drawn up to where a silent figure floated above the rubble. Zeqing floated there, gown rippling in a phantom breeze and face raised toward the stars. They were at the center of a great storm. Great dark clouds rumbled and churned below their feet, masking the world below the peak from sight.


    ¡°... Mama?¡±


    Ling Qi startled as she heard Hanyi, only now noticing that the spirit¡¯s weight was missing from her back. She glanced to her side and saw what she thought was Hanyi struggling to her feet, looking up at Zeqing. The spirit had changed. Hanyi was taller and more slender, although she was still clearly a child, seeming no more than eleven or twelve. Her silver hair hung loose down to her shoulders and rippled in a phantom wind like her mother¡¯s. Her childish dress was gone as well, replaced with a garment of pale blue silk that with billowing sleeves and a hem that dragged against the snow. Unlike her mother though, she had a solid form. Pale blue hands reached up toward Zeqing, and Hanyi left faint tracks in the snow.


    Zeqing looked down, and Ling Qi winced at the cracks crisscrossing her face, the gaping hole where her left eye and matching brow should have been. She felt the disorder and damage to her master¡¯s aura and could only swallow and offer a last bow.


    Zeqing gave her a shallow nod and turned her gaze to Hanyi. Her cracked lips moved, and though Ling Qi heard nothing, Hanyi let out a quiet sob.


    Then Zeqing turned her eyes back upward, and the wind rose once again, a mournful howl that echoed from the mountaintop. When the flurry of kicked-up snowflakes settled to the ground, Zeqing was gone, and all that remained on the mountaintop was the odd little fruit tree and the two of them.


    Ling Qi hunched her shoulders and held in the tears that wanted to well up. She had thought this might happen, but¡­ she couldn¡¯t regret it. This was what Zeqing had wanted.


    Sixiang murmured even as Hanyi fell to her knees atop the snow, crying openly.


    Ling Qi gave a faint nod of acknowledgement to the muse¡¯s words and moved over to Hanyi. She knelt in the snow to wrap the young girl in a hug. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, junior sister,¡± she said quietly. ¡°But¡­ she was happy at the end, wasn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°She was,¡± Hanyi sniffled. ¡°She said she was proud of me, and... she was glad she got to see me grow up.¡±


    Ling Qi closed her eyes and let the younger girl cry her tears out. She had done her duty to her teacher, and now, she had another little sister to take care of.

 Threads 26 Winters Muse 4

    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve had quite an ordeal, haven¡¯t you?¡± Xin asked rhetorically with a sigh, withdrawing her faintly glowing hand from Ling Qi¡¯s forehead. ¡°The entropic qi still left in your channels is assimilating nicely.¡±


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t entirely sure what ¡°entropic¡± meant, but it seemed to resonate oddly in her ears. Given context, it was some form of toxic qi. She was just glad for the examination to be over. Xin stood over Ling Qi, who sat upon a treatment table in one of the Medicine Hall¡¯s many rooms. Xin wore the same oddly patterned red and blue gown she had been wearing when they met long ago in Elder Zhou¡¯s test. The spirit''s silver hair hung loose at her shoulders this time, giving a slight impression of dishevelment.


    Ling Qi nodded shallowly, glancing down at Hanyi, who had fallen asleep half-lying across her lap. Given everything that had happened, she couldn¡¯t blame the girl. It made her wonder just how many human-like quirks the young spirit might have. ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t cause the Sect too much trouble,¡± Ling Qi said in a small voice.


    It was only after she had descended that she had seen the effects of her tribulation on the surroundings. White Cloud Mountain was buried in snow, and even with the storm dying down, trees had been torn from the earth by howling winds. Things in the Outer Sect were, in general, a bit of a mess. She had not missed the vein pulsing in Elder Jiao¡¯s temple when he had appeared to whisk her and Hanyi off to the Medicine Hall.


    ¡°We had expected something of the sort to be occurring soon,¡± Xin soothed, glancing down at the tablet of jade in her hands. The recording device vanished with a flick of her wrist. ¡°Elder Ying made preparations, so the damage was limited to the mountain.¡±


    Ling Qi let out a sigh of relief. She had worried that she might have endangered the mortals in the town at the base of the mountain and by extension, her mother and her little sister. ¡°Will the Outer Sect be¡­?¡±


    ¡°We are treating it as a bit of an impromptu trial, and we have rewarded a few disciples for their decisive actions during the storm,¡± Xin replied with a thread of amusement, turning to pace away.


    Ling Qi felt her fists clench, her knuckles growing white. ¡°How can you be cheerful? Wasn¡¯t Zeqing your friend too?¡±


    Silence answered her, and Ling Qi swallowed faintly as she raised her eyes. She really needed to stop forgetting herself in front of elders and powerful spirits.


    Xin¡¯s expression was not angry though; there was only a touch of sorrow in her red eyes.¡±This was the best path available for my friend. Why should I not be cheerful?¡± she asked, crossing her arms under her chest as she met Ling Qi¡¯s gaze challengingly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s just - you can read the future, right? I¡¯ve been studying some divination, so I know that¡¯s the New Moon¡¯s purview, and¡­¡± Ling Qi hunched her shoulders. ¡°Was there really no better way to do this?¡±


    Xin sighed, leaning back against one of the cupboards full of medicinal supplies that lined the room. ¡°There is divination, and there is divination, Ling Qi. Clairvoyance and its related disciplines are both the simplest and most reliable. Object reading and postcognition are relatively simple as well given a reasonable proximity to the present. Future sight, or even prediction, is not so easy nor so simple.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, taking the gentle rebuke for what it was. ¡°But you did say this was the best outcome.¡±


    Xin cracked a wan smile. ¡°Peering into the future stretches a human-compatible mind to its limits. It¡¯s true enough that battle precognition can be reliable, presuming the enemy does not counter or obfuscate your sight. Peering forward a second or two into your immediate surroundings involves a mere few million relevant factors after all. I might manage as much as a minute, barring interference. Beyond that, however¡­ That is the realm of my greater self. For those of us in the material realm, we must be content with clearsightedly seeking our objectives.¡±


    ¡°There wasn¡¯t any way for Zeqing and Hanyi to continue the way they had forever then,¡± Ling Qi said, brushing her fingers through Hanyi¡¯s hair.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Xin replied sadly. ¡°Your appearance is what gave me the opportunity to help my friend. It worked as well as could be expected for everyone involved.¡±


    Ling Qi wondered if she should feel resentful at the manipulation, but she quickly dismissed the notion. That Xin could more clearly see the outcomes of her actions did not change her character.


    ¡°If it makes you feel any better, as I understand it, predicting the future is just a matter of gambling with the odds visible,¡± Sixiang murmured.


    ¡°As my nibling said. Though a wise diviner knows how to weight the die, as it were,¡± Xin said with a slight smile. ¡°But in the end, the world is not a xiangqi board. The pieces move themselves, and there are no players. No diviner can have full certainty in their predictions, and the belief that one can has led many to ruin.¡±


    ***


    Ling Qi thought on those words many times in the days that followed. The implications of divination were not something she had thought deeply on before, but with her plans to cultivate the Curious Diviner¡¯s Eye art, it seemed relevant.


    Hanyi asked in her head.


    Sixiang agreed.


    Ling Qi grimaced. Ever since she had departed Elder Heng¡¯s lessons, Sun Liling had been trailing after her at the edges of her senses. The hostility and bloodlust leaking from the girl was just enough to put her on edge and keep her there, something she couldn¡¯t help but feel the girl was doing on purpose. It confused her though. They had not interacted since the tournament. She had seen neither hide nor hair of the girl in months, so why start stalking her now?


    Ling Qi strongly considered taking her spirit''s advice and simply flying off the path and vanishing from the Sect¡¯s beaten paths. However, something in her rebelled at that. She had every right to walk the Sect¡¯s paths. She should be able to go and visit her friends without having to duck and hide and skulk.


    With that thought in mind, Ling Qi turned on her heel and put on a polite smile as she began to walk toward the place she could feel the other girl lurking. For a moment, the faint feeling of Sun Liling¡¯s qi wavered, but it rapidly stilled. The other girl could hardly give the impression of running away.


    Very soon, she turned down the mountain path and brought the other girl into sight. Sun Liling sat cross-legged atop one of the trail markers, looking out over the sheer cliff below and looking for all the world like she wasn¡¯t paying her any attention at all.


    ¡°Princess Sun,¡± Ling Qi greeted politely, coming to a stop a distance away. ¡°I couldn¡¯t help but notice that you seemed to be seeking me. May I help you with something?¡±


    Sun Liling glanced at her without bothering to turn her head. ¡°Hmm. Paranoia¡¯s not a good look. No reason to get worked up about someone walkin¡¯ the same direction as you. I was just lookin¡¯ for a good meditation spot.¡±


    Ling Qi restrained a scowl, but there was no point in arguing with the other girl.


    Hanyi said guilelessly in her thoughts.


    Ling Qi sent a silent thanks to Sixiang as the spirit pulled Hanyi deeper into her dantian to explain. ¡°My apologies then,¡± she said sweetly. ¡°If I might be a little rude, princess, you might wish to talk to someone about your troubles if they¡¯ve affected your restraint so badly.¡±


    Sun Liling shot her a withering look. ¡°Well, thanks much,¡± she said in a voice as dry as a desert. ¡°Let me give ya a little advice in return, little doggie. Your mistress is gonna have some real trouble in the future. You both made some real bad choices last year.¡±


    ¡°Is that so,¡± Ling Qi said blandly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Princess Sun. I must be misunderstanding because that almost sounded like a threat.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re forgiven,¡± the redhead replied with a smirk. ¡°Just informing ya, opening borders with the Bai¡­ It¡¯s just asking for trouble, you know? They¡¯re pretty bad at policing their domain. It just hurts my poor heart to think of those Emerald Seas folks living near the border.¡±


    Ling Qi narrowed her eyes. ¡°Are you certain you weren¡¯t seeking me out, Princess Sun? That seems oddly specific.¡±


    ¡°Hm, maybe I was? You know how it is. Little stuff can slip the mind.¡± Sun Liling shrugged. ¡°Go ahead and run along then.¡±


    Ling Qi restrained the urge to grind her teeth at the flippant dismissal. Instead, she simply turned away. If Sun Liling had so openly stated something, then the information wasn¡¯t valuable. She supposed it wasn¡¯t exactly a secret that the Sun family would not be taking their humiliation at the New Year¡¯s Tournament lying down.


    Aside from informing Cai Renxiang, there was nothing to do about it for the moment. While things remained peaceful, she could only keep pursuing her goals.


    ***


    Ling Qi restrained the urge to sigh as she strolled down the street that led to her mother¡¯s - no, their family''s - temporary home. She was still unused to the way visiting the mortal town at the base of the mountain felt now. It did not help that the uncomfortable things about it were only growing more so. The part of the town she walked through now was near the wealthy center of the town. The governor''s manor and the main temple were only a turn or two away, and she had just passed the town¡¯s office of the Ministry of Law. The homes here were owned by wealthy business owners, noble visitors, Sect members, and the town¡¯s highest officials.


    A bit over a year ago, she would have received a beating just for walking down a street like this on the assumption that she was there with ill intentions. Now, patrol officers and house guards alike straightened up at her passage, straining to appear at the peak of attention and dutifulness. People in the streets discreetly made way for her or offered murmured greetings of respect. It still felt surreal.


    Her discomfort was only made worse by how fragile everything around her felt. She spent almost all of her time with her peers in cultivation, so these trips into town always felt almost disorienting. She had come to rely on the senses afforded by her cultivation. To see the people around her so lifeless and dark with barely a spark of active qi and aura to differentiate them from stones and pots... It felt like she had walked into a world where all the color and sound had drained away.


    Sixiang said quietly.


    Ling Qi accepted the light chiding. Sixiang was right, of course. If she actually paid attention, she could still easily read the little stories told by mortal auras. For all of their low magnitude, they were actually much clearer than her peers¡¯ auras, whose intentions and thoughts were much more well cloaked, presenting only broad themes to casual inspection.


    Hanyi interjected, complaining.


    Ling Qi thought calmly. Being here in public amongst mortals was an exercise in self-restraint, of shutting down the passive effects of her qi as much as possible. It felt like shoving herself into a dress that was three sizes too small. She didn¡¯t understand how elders, who had so very much more to repress, could manage it. She wasn¡¯t even doing it perfectly at the moment. She saw the minute twitches in the postures of passersby as they heard the faint sound of music and the faint shivers of those who passed nearby. She could probably suppress the feeling entirely if she chose to exercise her stealth skills, but then she would have to deal with people literally not noticing her physical presence and avoiding the security formations meant to look out for that kind of thing.


    Ling Qi let out an internal sigh of relief as the gates of the house came into view. She swept past the Sect guard at the gate without a word, a brief press of her hand momentarily disabling the lock on the door.


    She could feel many unfamiliar presences inside, moving about. Usually, she visited in the evening after the household had mostly been dismissed or gone to sleep. This time, though, as she stepped inside, she found herself briefly coming face-to-face with a young mortal woman a few years her elder in drab but clean and well-kempt clothing. Ling Qi saw almost in slow motion as the young woman¡¯s eyes widened in first surprise then alarm. She saw the way that the mortal¡¯s grip on the bamboo broom in her hands grew tight enough to whiten her knuckles and the way her eyes darted to and fro, noting with alarm the parts of the path which were still unswept.


    Of course, that all happened in a split second. By the time the gate had clicked shut behind her, the young woman had stepped out of her path and bowed low, murmuring a quiet ¡°Lady Ling.¡± Ling Qi was just as glad that the young woman had not gone for a full kowtow. She had seen the consideration pass through the woman¡¯s body language.


    ¡°You may raise your head,¡± Ling Qi said. It would probably be less alarming to the mortal if she just kept to a polite distance. She glanced toward the house, pinpointing the presences of her mother and sister as she stepped past the young woman, eager to put the awkwardness behind her.


    She ignored the sigh of relief she heard from behind her as she stepped up to the door. The scene repeated itself with another housekeeper, busy with polishing floors in a side hall, but the awkwardness vanished from Ling Qi¡¯s thoughts a moment later. She felt her little sister¡¯s qi move first, and the little girl ran around the corner, almost taking a spill on the polished floors. Almost, because Ling Qi had moved without thought, flickering down the length of the hall to catch her younger sister in her arms before Biyu could faceplant on the floor.


    ¡°Hey, careful now,¡± she chided, scooping the girl up in her arms as she stood. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t run in the house.¡±


    Biyu squirmed in her grasp until she could look up at Ling Qi with a bright smile. ¡°Wanted to see Sis-y.¡±


    ¡°Oh? How did you know I was coming?¡± Ling Qi asked absently, feeling another presence coming from around the corner Biyu had come from.


    ¡°Heard the song!¡± her little sister declared enthusiastically.


    Hanyi asked.


    Ling Qi thought to Hanyi. Out loud, she grinned down at her little sister. ¡°That¡¯s no excuse. Walk next time.¡±


    As Biyu agreed in that reluctant way children had, the presence approaching arrived. A woman her mother¡¯s age but a fair bit more stout in build came puffing around the corner. ¡°Ling Biyu, what have your mother and I said about¡­¡±


    Ling Qi felt the awkwardness return as the woman met Ling Qi¡¯s eyes, and her lined face almost went slack. ¡°Lady Ling, my deepest apologies. Young Biyu slipped my grasp for but a moment, and¡­¡±


    Ling Qi held back a grimace as the older woman bowed deeply once and then again as she apologized. ¡°There is nothing to apologize for,¡± she said, doing her best to sound calm and soothing. ¡°You can take a break though. I will take care of Biyu for the moment.¡±


    She read the relief in the woman¡¯s expression as she straightened up, but she also noticed the hesitation in her body language. It occurred to her that she was probably disrupting her mother¡¯s scheduling and orders. She would have to talk about that with her mother later. For now though, it was best to keep rolling with it. She met the woman¡¯s gaze patiently, and the older woman bowed again and backed away, leaving her to keep seeking her mother.


    ¡°Nanny was weird,¡± Biyu said, a frown on her little face.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it was nothing,¡± Ling Qi replied absently as she began to mount the stairs.


    Sixiang said drolly.


    Probably, Ling Qi admitted in her head. There was little she could do about that though. ¡°What does Nanny do, Biyu?¡±


    ¡°She plays with Biyu when Momma is busy,¡± her little sister explained authoritatively.


    ¡°Is Mother busy a lot?¡± Ling Qi asked, wondering whether she had given her mother too much work.


    ¡°Nuh uh,¡± the little girl replied, shaking her head.


    Sixiang said bluntly.


    Ling Qi dipped her head. She really did need to work on that. It was part of why she was here.


    They reached the second floor then, and Ling Qi stepped out into the hall. Ling Qingge was in her room at the moment. Letting out a breath, Ling Qi loosened her hold on her qi by just a fraction as she approached the door. Biyu laughed and clapped in her arms, and a moment later, her mother¡¯s door opened.


    ¡°It looks like you¡¯re making some progress,¡± she said brightly, smiling as her mother peered out of the room. The light of her qi was still a wan, near transparent thing, but it had a bit more life in it than those of other mortals.


    ¡°Ling Qi,¡± her mother greeted with a sigh, opening the door further. ¡°My apologies. I was not expecting you today.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I didn¡¯t send ahead,¡± Ling Qi dismissed, easily stepping past her mother. The room was much like her own on the mountain, a combination of bedroom and study, though in soft warm colors and wood rather than stark grey stone. ¡°Might I ask what you have been up to?¡±


    Closing the door behind her, Ling Qingge turned to face her. Ling Qi took a moment to study her mother. The lines on her face were still there, but she had changed. There was some fractional lightening of the burden she always seemed to carry, a touch less meekness in her stance. Having control of something in her life seemed to be agreeing with her.


    ¡°I have been studying trends in presentation and dining for the nobility. I know it is unlikely, but I should like the household to be acceptable if you ever entertain guests,¡± Ling Qingge replied quietly.


    Ling Qi hadn¡¯t even really considered that as an option, although she really should have. Well, maybe she could invite Xiulan as a test sometime? She bent down, letting Biyu loose, only for the little girl to clamber up onto their mother¡¯s bed. She shot an apologetic look to the older woman. ¡°I¡¯ve been focused on other things, but it looks like you¡¯re keeping things in good order.¡±


    ¡®Thank you,¡± her mother said with a slight smile. ¡°I admit, things have been somewhat hectic recently with the terrible storms up on the mountain. The Sect kept us all safe, of course, but it was very unnerving.¡±


    ¡°The wind was really scary,¡± Biyu announced solemnly as Ling Qingge scooped her up, seating the younger girl on her lap as she sat down next to a small table which still held an open book.


    Ling Qi laughed sheepishly. ¡°Yeah, I guess that would have been pretty rough, huh?¡±


    Ling Qingge narrowed her eyes, and just for a second, Ling Qi felt like she was seeing the woman she had known when she was still Biyu¡¯s size. ¡°Ling Qi¡­ were you involved with the matter?¡±


    Ling Qi considered deflecting, but that wasn¡¯t what she was here for. ¡°More like I was the cause,¡± she admitted. ¡°That¡¯s part of why I came here today. I owe you an apology.¡±


    Her mother looked at her in confusion, but she quickly shook her head. ¡°Ling Qi, you do not owe me any such thing. You-¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Ling Qi interrupted forcefully. ¡°Mother, I did something that could have gotten me badly hurt or killed. I did it on purpose, knowing what I was getting into. I should have at least told you first. I do owe you that much.¡±


    Her mother fell silent, and her little sister looked back and forth between them, worried but not quite comprehending the conversation.


    ¡°Why?¡± her mother asked after a moment of silence.


    Ling Qi looked down. ¡°I was trying to shield you from worry, but¡­ I guess while I was up there, it occured to me how disrespectful that was. Even if you can¡¯t always do anything, you deserve to know what is going on.¡±


    She had invited her Mother back into her life. She didn¡¯t just want to treat her like an obligation. She had to do more to include her family in her life because things ended, and once they did, it was too late for regrets.

 Threads 27 Siblings 1

    For a long moment, silence reigned in the bedroom. Ling Qi could feel the turmoil in her mother¡¯s thoughts. There was fear for Ling Qi, a helpless and directionless anger, and many other conflicting emotions. What emerged from that emotional morass, however, was resolve.


    ¡°Was there something in that storm worth risking your life for?¡± her mother asked, drawing her attention back.


    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Ling Qi answered immediately. ¡°The spirit of the mountain was my teacher. More than anything else, I was there to save her daughter.¡± In her dantian, Hanyi¡¯s qi seemed to both curl up and reach out to grasp hers. ¡°In fact, I actually wanted to introduce you to her, if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Her mother leaned back, releasing the squirming Biyu to slide down onto the floor from her lap. ¡°Is that safe?¡± she asked faintly. ¡°The spirits are -¡± Ling Qingge shook herself. ¡°No, you would not suggest it if it were unsafe, but¡­ why?¡±


    Ling Qi smiled wanly. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say? She¡¯s the daughter of my master. That makes her my junior sister and my responsibility. You deserve to know the ones who are in our family.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± her mother replied, fidgeting with her gown. There was an old and ingrained fear embedded there. Ling Qi knew that to most mortals, spirits were distant and unapproachable things, much more so than spirit beasts with their simpler motives and behaviors. ¡°You are right. As¡­ family, it is only right.¡±


    Biyu, of course, was only looking around with incomprehension, unsure of what they were talking about.


    she thought, giving the young spirit a gentle nudge with her qi.


    In front of her, the air glittered, and frost spread across the carpet as Hanyi expressed herself, fading into view. Ling Qi felt the flicker of alarm and revulsion that passed through her mother as the spirit solidified. It hurt a little, but she expected it. She knew that to mortal eyes, Hanyi¡¯s appearance was distressing. A young girl with skin and lips that looked like a corpse, a victim of the cold sleep, and blank white eyes without iris or pupil - of course that would be alarming.


    She saw Hanyi¡¯s growing pout and gave her a silent nudge with her qi.


    ¡°Hiya,¡± she greeted with a mildly disrespectful bob of her head. ¡°My name is Hanyi. I guess you¡¯re Big Sis¡¯ family, huh?¡±


    There was silence for a moment until the silence was broken by Biyu, who had backed away and whose eyes were wide with alarm and fear. ¡°Ghost?¡± she asked, looking to Ling Qi for support.


    Hanyi beat her to the response though. ¡°No, don¡¯t be a dummy. You¡¯ll make your sister look bad. I¡¯m a real spirit, not some whiny echo,¡± she boasted. Ling Qi noticed with some wariness a thread of jealousy and vindictiveness in Hanyi¡¯s thoughts as with regard to her sister. She would have to talk to Hanyi about that later.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Biyu. Hanyi isn¡¯t a scary ghost. Would I let her in here if she was?¡± Ling Qi answered patiently, ignoring Hanyi¡¯s words for now. The young spirit shot her a pouting look. ¡°She¡¯s my friend, like Zhengui is. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± the little girl said, still eyeing Hanyi warily. ¡°Where is lil¡¯ turtle?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get to see him again soon,¡± Ling Qi said with a smile.


    ¡°That dummy better be up soon,¡± Hanyi grumbled.


    More importantly, Ling Qi thought, giving her Mother a surreptitious glance, the little aside had given Ling Qingge the time to compose herself and stand.


    ¡°Welcome to my home¡­ Hanyi,¡± she said, offering a polite bow. Ling Qingge hesitated on using the spirit¡¯s name, which was understandable. Generally, mortals would use an epithet. ¡°As my daughter¡¯s junior sister, you are welcome here.¡±


    Hanyi blinked, turning back to the older woman, and Ling Qi felt a complicated snarl of emotions in Hanyi¡¯s heart as she regarded Ling Qingge. ¡°Yeah, um - thank you for your welcome,¡± she replied with awkward formality.


    Ling Qi suspected that Hanyi wasn¡¯t sure what to make of Ling Qingge. Hanyi had a certain disregard for those weaker than her and had little social experience in general, but the role of ¡°mother¡± was one she understood very well.


    There was a moment of awkward silence as Hanyi scuffed her foot against the frosted carpet and Ling Qingge seemed to struggle with her own ingrained manners.


    ¡°And I¡¯m Sixiang!¡± the empty air next to Ling Qi¡¯s head announced brightly. ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m family, but I do live in Ling Qi¡¯s head, so I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll be intruding on the regular.¡±


    Her mother¡¯s expression was one of blank confusion, and Biyu was once again looking around, searching futilely for someone who was not there.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done some good stuff with the house you know,¡± Sixiang continued, unabated. ¡°Between shifting the furniture around and switching around the decor, it feels way more welcoming. I have no idea how Ling Qi manages to be so dull about that kinda thing.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, I think?¡± her mother replied haltingly, looking to Ling Qi for explanation.


    ¡°Sixiang is another spirit of mine. They''re a dream muse, the kind that inspires artists,¡± Ling Qi explained.


    ¡°And look at this one, cute as a button. I¡¯d pinch your lil cheeks if I had hands,¡± Sixiang rambled on, and Biyu let out a surprised yelp as a brush of wind ruffled her hair. ¡°Never woulda guessed you were Ling Qi¡¯s sister.¡±


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Ling Qi asked irately.


    ¡°Hey, Big Sis is totally cute,¡± Hanyi said at the same time, stomping her foot.


    ¡°Pfft. Yeah, yeah, you two have that ¡®scary chic¡¯ thing going on,¡± Sixiang announced, and Ling Qi felt in her thoughts the equivalent of the dream spirit giving her an exaggerated wink. ¡°Not at all like the little cutie here.¡±


    Biyu pouted up at the empty air. ¡°Don¡¯t be mean! Sis-y is pretty!¡±


    ¡°Hmph, it¡¯s better if she¡¯s more like me and Momma anyway,¡± Hanyi huffed.


    Ling Qi looked to her bewildered looking Mother and gave her a sheepish smile. ¡°So... Yeah, this is how things are. I know it¡¯s not exactly normal, especially for you, but I wanted to include you in more of my life.¡±


    Her mother looked faintly bemused as Hanyi argued with empty air and Biyu squealed in delight, trying to catch tickling fingers that weren¡¯t there. ¡°I cannot say I understand entirely, but¡­ thank you all the same, Ling Qi.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, feeling lighter than before. Still, there was one more matter of family to take care of.


    ***


    As busy as she had been in the last few months, Ling Qi had not had the leisure to spend much time at the hill Zhengui was hibernating in. So she was glad that the Sect had assigned someone to check on the location periodically as well. She knew the Sect was doing so partially out of self-interest. Having a confused, recently broken through beast of Zhengui¡¯s likely size wandering around would not do them any good, and studying his growth could benefit them in other ways too, or so Cai Renxiang had said after making the arrangement. She would also receive a copy of their observations for the future.


    That was why Ling Qi knew that observation and divination had indicated that her little brother would awake sometime tomorrow afternoon. It had been fortuitous news.


    Sitting out here on the veranda with her Mother, looking out over the garden, she couldn¡¯t regret that. The sun was on its way down now, and Biyu had fallen asleep some time ago, worn out by the excitement. Ling Qingge was seated in the lotus position, breathing slowly as she followed the basic exercises Ling Qi had given her. Hanyi was still out as well, snuggled up to Ling Qi¡¯s side, toying with a half-frozen flower. The shattered remains of its predecessors littered the young spirit''s lap and the floor around her.


    Ling Qi cast a sidelong look at her mother. As much as her cultivation and arts had improved as of late, she could feel in far more detail the problems that plagued her mother¡¯s cultivation. Though it was inactive, she could feel Ling Qingge¡¯s dantian. It was small and empty like all mortals'', but subtle flaws had been made clear. Though it appeared as a healthy vessel on the surface, it really wasn¡¯t. It was like a jug riven by a hundred, invisible, hairline cracks, and though it could hold some ¡°water,¡± the closer the jug came to being filled, the more ¡°water¡± was forced out through the widening cracks.


    While Ling Qi did not know enough of the subject to say, she suspected that this was the result of age on cultivation potential. Her mother let out a deep breath then, opening her eyes, and Ling Qi watched the slow trickle as recently cultivated qi began to dissipate.


    ¡°I never imagined that sitting and breathing could be so tiring,¡± her mother sighed, trying and failing to disguise the slump of fatigue in her shoulders.


    ¡°There¡¯s a bit more to it than that, even if you can¡¯t quite tell yet,¡± Ling Qi said wryly. ¡°Are you done for the night?¡±


    ¡°I believe so,¡± Ling Qingge answered.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be. If you stay like that, you¡¯re gonna disappear and make Big Sis sad,¡± Hanyi commented idly, not looking up from her project. The young spirit blew gently on the flower in her hands, sending scraps of the plant matter still clinging to the fragile sculpture fluttering away.


    Awkward silence fell in the wake of her words, and Ling Qi sighed. She really was going to have to work on Hanyi¡¯s social skills.


    ¡°I think we¡¯re still a long way from worrying about that,¡± Sixiang said lightly. ¡°Anyway, Ling Qi, didn¡¯t you have something you wanted to ask?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Ling Qi said, silently thanking Sixiang for the save. She glanced again at her mother, glad to see that her composure hadn¡¯t been shaken much by Hanyi¡¯s impolite comment. ¡°I was hoping to take you and Biyu on a day trip tomorrow. Do you think you¡¯ll be up for it?¡±


    ¡°I suppose,¡± Ling Qingge replied slowly. ¡°I wish you had given me more notice. I could have prepared better.¡±


    ¡°Well, we would be going out into the wilderness a ways,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Not exactly something you need to get fancy for.¡±


    ¡°You mean outside the wards?¡± her mother asked in alarm.


    ¡°I am pretty strong,¡± Ling Qi soothed. ¡°Neither of you will be in any danger, and you got here alright, even without me, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Traveling on the road is a different matter, and not, I suspect, what you intend,¡± Ling Qingge said with a hint of reproach.


    ¡°That¡¯s fair, but I promise that both of you will be safe. I just want everyone to be there when Zhengui wakes up,¡± Ling Qi said, causing Hanyi to perk up as well.


    ¡°The Xuan Wu?¡± her mother asked in confusion. ¡°It will be an impressive sight, I¡¯m sure, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Mother,¡± Ling Qi interrupted quietly. ¡°Zhengui is family too. I know you can¡¯t understand him yet, but he¡¯s as smart as Hanyi or I.¡± She shot the spirit beside her an unimpressed look at the scoff that elicited. ¡°I raised him from an egg. He¡¯s my... little brother, and this is kinda like his birthday, you know?¡±


    Ling Qingge gave her a long, searching look, and Ling Qi shifted uncomfortably. Searching her words and the tone they had come out in, she had a feeling that she had implied the wrong thing. She almost thought to correct herself, but that wasn¡¯t a tangle she wanted to voice aloud.


    Sixiang asked silently.


    Ling Qi held in a grimace as her mother nodded. ¡°Very well. I will trust you, Ling Qi. Is there anything I should know in order to prepare?¡±


    ¡°Well, the first thing is¡­ he¡¯s going to be a bit bigger than you remember...¡±

 Threads 28 Siblings 2

    Ling Qi was not able to cultivate as much as she would have liked that night, even though with her new rank, she had moved to a new residence with a better argent vent than before with the start of the fourth month. She knew it was her own fault for putting off preparations for this though.


    By the time the sun had risen the next day, the proper forms had been filled out, permits paid for, and permissions granted to rent out a carriage that could navigate the rough hilly and wooded terrain. Zhengui¡¯s hill was still well within the Sect¡¯s grounds, so there was no need to hire more than a handful of guards to ward off the dimmer sort of spirit beasts without having to flex her own spirit and scare her family.


    When they set out the next day, she could tell that her mother was on edge, and the consequences of confining a small child into even a spacious carriage didn¡¯t help matters. Still, as first an hour, and then another, passed without incident, Ling Qingge seemed to find a reserve of nerve and calm herself.


    For Ling Qi¡¯s part, the transportation was interminably slow. While the carriage never so much as bounced or jostled them, no matter what terrain was outside the window, it didn¡¯t help Ling Qi from feeling stir crazy as time went on. She could run faster than this thing. But she trusted that this was the best that could be done while keeping mortals in mind. It was worth it, she felt, when they reached their destination, a clearing next to a shallow brook that ran sluggishly around the base of Zhengui¡¯s hill.


    Here, the second part of her preparations came into play in the form of a couple of trinkets she had picked up overnight at the Inner Sect market. She had bought a ¡°pocket pavillion,¡± a block of formation-carved wood that rapidly unfolded into a wide wooden platform with self-adjusting stilted legs to ensure an even surface, and a single use storage talisman meant specifically to hold prepared meals in good order.


    Ling Qingge looked on in bemusement from inside the carriage as Ling Qi finished setting up, holding tightly onto the squirming little girl in her lap. Behind Ling Qi, the platform settled, and a faint mist hissed from the thick rug which made up the storage talisman, revealing in its wake baskets full of simple fare.


    ¡°Come on out, Mother,¡± Ling Qi said cheerfully, giving the platform a subtle nudge, causing it to pop out a couple of steps in a puff of sawdust-scented smoke.


    Ling Qingge stepped slowly down from the carriage, looking left and right as the guards who had been driving the carriage and riding along on the back spaced themselves out, forming an out-of-sight perimeter for them.


    ¡°It really is this easy, is it not?¡± her mother asked wistfully as she stepped down onto the dry earth.


    Ling Qi understood the subtext in her mother¡¯s words and smiled. ¡°Cultivation does make the world a much bigger place,¡± she agreed. ¡°Come on though. Relax a little, and enjoy the fresh air. It could be a little while until he actually wakes up.¡±


    Hesitating only a moment more, her mother set Biyu down, who immediately scrambled up onto the platform, following the smell of food rising from the baskets and the containers. Ling Qingge followed a moment later, settling herself carefully on the rug. ¡°How long did you spend preparing this?¡±


    ¡°Most of the night,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°But I rarely sleep anymore.¡±


    ¡°And food is something you need only eat for the flavor,¡± Ling Qingge mused, looking out over the spread. ¡°... I suppose that explains your lack of concern for nutrition.¡±


    Ling Qi laughed sheepishly, glancing at the copious number of sweets among what she had ordered. ¡°Well, even for you and Biyu, it doesn¡¯t hurt to indulge once in a while, right? Besides, I have other food as well. You still like those lotus seed dumplings, right?¡±


    Ling Qingge shook her head, the last of the tension draining from her frame. ¡°It is so very easy now, isn¡¯t it?¡± she asked again.


    ¡°And there¡¯s nothing wrong with that,¡± Ling Qi replied bluntly. Neither she nor her mother or anyone else in her family would have to scrimp and save just to have their favorite food once a year. ¡°These little things - everyone should have that. It¡¯s not like there¡¯s any shortage of things to strive for.¡±


    Hanyi said within her dantian, her qi conveying a pout.


    ¡°I suppose I will just accept my good fortune,¡± her mother replied with a small smile before glancing to the side, her eyes widening. ¡°Biyu, no! Do not put your hands in that!¡±


    Ling Qi darted over, expertly removing her little sister from the desserts basket, much to the little girl¡¯s protests and the amusement of the muse in her head. This had been the right decision.


    Over the course of the next few hours, Ling Qi found herself growing more comfortable and relaxed as she chatted with her mother and drifted over from the platform to the banks of the little brook after the food had been finished. Still, she kept an eye on the slowly thickening stream of smoke rising from Zhengui¡¯s hill and the mostly imperceptible tremors rippling out through both dirt and qi alike.


    So, when the ground began to rattle and rumble, she was ready, snatching Biyu from the edge of the brook and placing a steadying hand on her mother¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Looks like the guest of honor is about to get here,¡± she said lightly to put her mother at ease. ¡°Let me just make things a little easier.¡±


    As she finished speaking, she breathed out, cycling her qi through the forms of the Thousand Ring¡¯s Unbreaking and Deepwood Vitality techniques. Biyu clapped in delight as rippling viridian light spread from Ling Qi¡¯s hands and across her body, and her mother, though startled, merely looked down at herself in consternation, opening and closing her hands as if seeing them for the first time.


    Though the earth shook and smoke was belched into the sky, neither of them was so much as knocked off-balance, even as one of the hired guards rushed back to calm the horses. In her arms, Ling Qi felt Biyu begin to grow distressed as the noise coming from the hill grew louder and a stream of superheated ash shot into the air, but it took only a little cajoling to soothe the little girl¡¯s nerves. It was probably only so easy due to both herself and her mother remaining calm.


    Finally, though, Ling Qi felt the awakening qi of her little brother Zhengui and knew that the fireworks show was coming to an end. From the top of the hill, a column of orange and blue fire rose, and molten rock and dirt erupted in a wave, only to stop dead at the boundary set by the totems surrounding the hill¡¯s base.


    Her first glimpse of Zhengui was the sinuous shape of Zhen rising in the smoke with a body as thick as a small tree trunk and black scales outlined by faintly glowing molten light. Zhen peered left and right, his flicking tongue looking like little more than a wispy jet of fire. The rest of him emerged shortly thereafter, giant stumpy feet pounding down the dirt and making a ramp for Zhengui to pull the rest of his bulk from the pit. The eyes of his other half were still a bright vibrant green, and flecks of the color had spread to his scales and shell, glimmering in the ash-darkened sun.


    However, Ling Qi could not help but notice that Zhengui was a bit smaller than she had expected. The length of his shell was closer to five meters than six, which was the lower range Xuan Shi had indicated. For a moment, she worried that something might be wrong, but then his aura washed over her, healthy, vibrant, and vital, and washed the concern away.


    She raised a hand to wave, carefully allowing her own aura to rise for his notice. ¡°Zhengui! Get down here! I brought everyone to see you!¡±


    ¡°Big Sister?¡± two voices echoed out from the Xuan Wu to Ling Qi¡¯s surprise and the widening of her mother¡¯s eyes. The words were not immaterial. Gui¡¯s voice was a deep rumble now, and Zhen¡¯s a smooth and loud hiss. ¡°Big Sister!¡±


    ¡°Lil turtle?¡± Biyu whispered in her arms, eyes wide in both fear and wonder. The little girl looked up at Ling Qi then and seemed to take comfort in her smile.


    She heard her mother''s sharp intake of breath as Zhengui began to move toward them at a pace that was no doubt alarming to a mortal. As stubby as his legs were, his sheer size meant that Zhengui ate up ground quickly. She glanced over in time to see her mother steady herself, even as her hands curled into white-knuckled fists.


    ¡°I did it, Big Sister!¡± Gui announced as he approached, looming large over all of them. His rumbling voice rose briefly, cracking back into a chirp.


    ¡°Hmph, dull brother, there are guests,¡± Zhen hissed haughtily, arching his body over Gui¡¯s shell to peer down at them. ¡°Behave properly.¡±


    Gui blinked, seeming to notice that there were other people present. ¡°Oh! Big Sister brought Grandmother and Lil¡¯ Sis too. Hello, Grandmother. Hello, Lil Sis. Can you understand Gui now?¡±


    Ling Qi was rather glad that she had put up Thousand Rings Unbreaking because her mother looked like she could have been blown away by Gui¡¯s breath at that point. Still, after a moment, she rallied, shooting Ling Qi a look of consternation. Ling Qi might not have specified just how big she meant by ¡°bigger¡± when describing the situation.


    ¡°I can. Congratulations on achieving such a¡­ milestone...? And at such a young age.¡± Her voice rose in question in the middle.


    ¡°Lil¡¯ turtle is big turtle now!¡± Biyu announced helpfully, her eyes still wide.


    Zhengui seemed to puff up at the praise, and Zhen practically preened. ¡°That is right. Thanks to I, Zhen, we broke through very quickly.¡±


    Ling Qi shot Zhen an unimpressed look. No matter how big he was, she wasn¡¯t going to put up with him talking like Cui. Before she could say anything to that effect however, she felt a churning in her dantian, and frost spread across the grass beneath her feet as Hanyi launched herself back into the physical world with a mighty warcry.


    ¡°YOU DUMMY!¡± the little spirit yelled, reforming into the world with her hands on her hips atop the platform that Zhengui had stopped in front of. ¡°You were asleep for, like, forever! How can you call that fast!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Gui replied cluelessly, looking cross-eyed down his own blunt snout. ¡°Who are¡­ Hanyi?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! You disappeared, and I had to change like this cause¡­ cause¡­¡± Hanyi faltered in the middle of her tirade, seeming to curl in on herself. Her final words came out in almost a whisper. ¡°It was lonely, you big idiot.¡±


    Zhengui, both of him, looked to her in alarm, and Ling Qi shook her head rapidly. This wasn¡¯t the place to catch him up on events. She had spoken with Hanyi about this earlier, but well, she couldn¡¯t blame her.


    ¡°It was dull brother Gui¡¯s fault,¡± Zhen hissed.


    ¡°Hey! You couldn¡¯t figure out the weird dream either!¡± Gui cried out in betrayal.


    Sixiang whispered in amusement, breaking their relative silence.


    Ling Qi glanced at her mother, who was taking a moment to collect herself, and down at her sister, who was practically vibrating in excitement. ¡°Oh? Just what kind of dream did you have?¡± she asked curiously.


    Zhen shot Gui a look of horror. ¡°Nothing important, Big Sister. It was just a strange, confusing dream.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s totally suspicious,¡± Hanyi said bluntly, narrowing her eyes.


    ¡°That sounds kind of important,¡± Ling Qi added slyly, detecting his embarrassment. ¡°Are you sure¡­?¡±


    ¡°Ling Qi, did you not say that this was akin to a birthday?¡± her mother chided. ¡°Perhaps it would be better to save such a conversation for later, after the festivities.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, give the little¡­ big guy a break before you start teasing him,¡± Sixiang agreed in an amused drawl.


    Ling Qi huffed but conceded the point. Teasing was all well and good, but Zhengui had done well. He deserved the presents she had gotten him.


    She would probably have to give Zhen his present out of sight though. While Mother had shown a high tolerance so far, watching Zhengui dig into a meal might be too much.


    They stayed out there for much of the afternoon, and by the time they returned home, Zhengui was once more snugly stored away in her dantian. His presence certainly strained her qi a great deal more now, but it was a comfort to have him back.


    That night, however, she did not return to the mountain. After Biyu had been put to bed, as she had been about to leave, her mother had come to her and asked that she stay and instruct her.


    By the time the sun rose the next day, Ling Qingge had awakened. Her cultivation was a fragile thing in need of constant reinforcement, but her mother had taken the first step into the red realm. It seemed like Ling Qi wouldn''t be losing her mother any time soon after all.

 Threads 29-Siblings 3

    That night wouldn¡¯t be the last time she tarried longer at home, Ling Qi promised herself, but for the moment, it would have to do. She would have to change some of her plans and half-formed schedules, but she believed that she could accomplish her goals and spend more time at tasks aside from cultivation. Her liege certainly managed, even if she was starting to strain under the workload.


    This reminded Ling Qi that she had never actually asked just what all that paperwork she so often saw Cai Renxiang going through was for or just what it was that took up so much of her time. When she had realized that on her way back up the mountain, Ling Qi felt briefly uncomfortable. Cai Renxiang had never offered to share the information, but Ling Qi had never really asked either. When she thought about it, their relationship was still pretty distant, wasn¡¯t it?


    Unfortunately, Ling Qi would not have time to currently act on that realization. Not only was she moving to more advanced lessons under her senior brother in the Scouting Corps in preparation for live exercises next month, but also she had the first of her ¡°tutoring¡± sessions with Bai Meizhen¡¯s cousin scheduled for the afternoon after said scouting lessons and the evening was set out for cultivation. Plus, if she recalled correctly, Cai Renxiang was going to be busy herself for some time. Cai had taken up some sort of major sect duty, assisting the Core Disciple that had made Ling Qi¡¯s gown with a project.


    It seemed that the slowing of cultivation with age was not just a matter of decaying talent and the nature of qi. Staying engaged with the people and the world around her was quite a time sink. Ling Qi couldn¡¯t afford to just play hermit or space out and cultivate whenever it suited her anymore; she had to consider so many other things.


    Ling Qi was still contemplating that problem by the time afternoon had rolled around and the time for her first meeting with Bai Xiao Fen had arrived. In her letter confirming the tutoring, she had picked out a mostly barren spot a good distance from the Sect town. It was the site of a clearcutting; the Sect was overseeing an expansion of the fields around the settlement, it seemed. For the moment though, it remained empty, and so it was still good for her purposes.


    Ling Qi sat atop a small, stony hillock as she waited for her ¡°junior sister¡± to arrive, idly playing a contemplative tune on her flute as her thoughts wandered. Sixiang hummed along in her head, and Hanyi was back at her sect lodgings soaking up argent qi at Ling Qi¡¯s upgraded standard vent. Hanyi was frustrated; apparently, her transformation and breakthrough during the escape from Zeqing¡¯s home had left her unable to use some of her channels properly, and it hadn¡¯t cleared up yet. As for Zhengui¡­


    Ling Qi perked up as she felt Xiao Fen enter the range of her senses. The younger girl¡¯s aura had not changed much since their last meeting three months ago, but she had advanced well into the mid stage of the second realm in both forms of cultivation. It was only a few moments later that she caught sight of Xiao Fen picking her way through the rolling stump-strewn landscape at a dignified pace.


    Xiao Fen had switched out the basic argent uniform for a new gown, black in color and simple in cut. The second layer of the gown shimmered silver, as did the trailing sash around her waist and the pins and ties in her hair. Like the threads of sharpened metal woven into her braids, Ling Qi could tell that the sash was a weapon too; she could see the faint gleam of needlepoints on its trailing hem.


    It seemed impractical, but then again, Ling Qi hit people with concentrated artistic expression, so who was she to judge?


    ¡°Hello, Junior Sister!¡± she called cheerfully, lowering her flute and raising a hand to wave. Senior Brother Ruan was right; being able to say that was fun. ¡°Come on up, and have a seat.¡±


    She watched as Bai Xiao Fen peered up at her from the bottom of the slope with narrowed eyes and then glanced around, seemingly unsettled by something. Ling Qi hid the grin that tried to surface as she stared down at the other girl.


    Xiao Fen gave their surroundings one last distrustful glance and then began to ascend the hill. ¡°Greetings, Senior Sister Ling,¡± she replied with stiff formality. ¡°Shall I assume this¡­ site is a gift?¡±


    ¡°Something like that,¡± Ling Qi said, keeping her expression straight. ¡°How have you found the Outer Sect so far?¡±


    ¡°Mildly stifling. This place is both too dry and too cold, and my simpering peers are an irritant,¡± Xiao Fen said, reaching the top of the hill. The girl glanced around briefly before finding a flat spot to kneel like a retainer at attention. Ling Qi raised an eyebrow, glancing down at her own informal seating on a raised boulder. Well, whatever made the girl comfortable.


    There was also that reply. ¡°Are you alright, Junior Sister? I don¡¯t really mind, but that is a little rude, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Bai Meizhen has asked that I speak plainly in private with her and said that I should treat you with the same respect I do her.¡± Xiao Fen seemed to twitch uncomfortably at the admission.


    This girl was very literal, Ling Qi thought, bringing a pulse of amusement from Sixiang. ¡°You know, it might not be my business, but what exactly is the relationship between you two?¡± Ling Qi found herself asking


    ¡°I am here to serve her. Members of the Xiao branch are raised to devote themselves to a member of the main Bai house. It has been my honor to be selected so early for that duty,¡± Xiao Fen answered proudly, but Ling Qi could feel a seething ember of discontent at the core of her words. That was the real root of her problem with the Sect, Ling Qi suspected.


    Ling Qi had done a little studying on the Bai before this, so she had known the answer. Of course, the history she had read had couched the relationship in terms of a story about the eldest and youngest of the eight daughters of the Bai¡¯s founder, Yao the Fisher. When the eight daughters of Bai had fallen to feuding and civil war, only the youngest sister had stuck with the eldest and supported her rightful claim to clan headship from the very start, and they had decided that their descendants should always be side by side.


    Ling Qi had felt that history didn¡¯t seem like that was enough for the sense of honest devotion she got from Xiao Fen whenever Meizhen¡¯s name came up. She had expected there to be something more between the two like their mothers being friends, or that they were childhood playmates, or¡­ something.


    ¡°It might not be my place to say, but if you really want to serve Meizhen well, duty won¡¯t be enough, I think. There¡¯s more to family than that.¡±


    Xiao Fen gave her a singularly unimpressed look. ¡°You are right. It is not your place. Even if my cousin thinks so highly of you, what can you know¡­?¡±


    ¡°I know Meizhen is a lonely person, and she closes others out easily,¡± Ling Qi interrupted bluntly, her aura stirring as she spoke. ¡°I know that her mother is gone, and for whatever reason, she doesn¡¯t interact much with her father. When our time in the Sect ends, she¡¯s going to need someone to support her, and I¡¯m not talking about cultivation or combat.¡±


    Xiao Fen stared at her for several long seconds, and Ling QI could practically see the twin motivations of pride in her clan and obedience to Meizhen¡¯s words warring in her head. ¡°I will take your advice into account, Senior Sister,¡± she finally said, her voice dull.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that your clan is wrong or mistaken, or even that you¡¯re performing your role badly. I don¡¯t even know you,¡± Ling Qi continued, hoping that she wasn¡¯t speaking in vain. ¡°Just think about why she asked you to speak plainly to her, you know? Meizhen needs friends more than she needs a servant.¡±


    Xiao Fen regarded her silently again, some of the indignation slipping away. ¡°I understand your intentions, Senior Sister,¡± she said, briefly dipping her head.


    Ling Qi let out a sigh of relief and pressed on. ¡°Any luck on following our advice?¡±


    Bai Xiao Fen looked faintly shamed. ¡°There were several¡­ setbacks. However, my current sparring partner did not crumble under the cultivation regime I set him after I informed him of our friendship. I believe I have acquired an acceptable friend.¡±


    Ling Qi stared at her blanky, but it was Sixiang who gave voice to her thoughts.


    ¡°... There are so many things going on between those words, I¡¯m not sure where to start,¡± the spirit said dryly.


    ¡°That is¡­ good,¡± Ling Qi said, trying to find a polite way to ask her question. ¡°What is your friend like?¡± she finally settled on asking.


    Xiao Fen considered the question ¡°Liu Xin is the son of a mortal cobbler from the Lower Rootways of Xiangmen before his talent was discovered. He is appropriately ruthless in combat, and neither cried when struck in the groin or other pain centers nor hesitated to attempt similar effective techniques on me.¡± Here, the younger girl paused again. ¡°I find his wit and capacity for cutting retorts in the face of unearned pride amusing. He enjoys a light White Branch Tea.¡±


    Ling Qi took a deep breath in and then let it out. She wasn¡¯t going to judge. Still, a commoner from the capital of Emerald Seas. She had to wonder what it was like in a place that had so much cultivator presence. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad that¡¯s coming along,¡± she said with a nod. ¡°How are things with the other matter?¡±


    ¡°My intelligence is somewhat limited given the division between first years and the older years, but it appears that Gan Guangli has organized a successful faction from the remains of your liege¡¯s project. There is a lesser Jin scion among my peers, as well as several -¡± The younger girl faught down a sneer. ¡°- ¡®nobles¡¯ from the Western Territories. The information I have so far is here.¡±


    Ling Qi accepted the tightly rolled scroll that the other girl offered, and upon drawing it into her ring, she drew a storage ring from between the layers of her gown. ¡°Here. Lady Cai has put together dossiers on all the first year disciples from Emerald Seas and the plans to convince them to cooperate or stay on the sidelines. There is also a tidy supply of cultivation resources in here for Gan Guangli, as well as any lower realms he wants to dole them out to. You can tell him that she¡¯ll have some talismans ready for next month too.¡±


    Xiao Fen nodded once sharply, accepting the ring. ¡°I see. And our¡­ tutoring?¡±


    ¡°We can get started now,¡± Ling Qi said lightly before slapping the stone she was sitting on. ¡°Up you go, little brother. Nap time is over.¡±


    Ling Qi very carefully did not grin or otherwise react to the quickly choked off shriek of surprise that rose from Xiao Fen¡¯s lips as the entire hillock heaved upward, dust and stone falling away to reveal her little brother.


    Zhen slithered free of their shell to loom over the both of them. ¡°Big Sister is cruel, making us wait so long, then accusing us of napping. I had to put up with foolish Gui¡¯s humming for an hour.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m only teasing. Thanks for playing along, little brother,¡± Ling Qi said lightly, resting her hand on Zhen¡¯s burning hot scales. She glanced over at Xiao Fen, who was doing her best to look wholly unruffled. ¡°Ah, right, Xiao Fen, this is Zhengui. He¡¯s not a cultivation site, but he will be taking us to one.¡± She had cleared it with Gu Xiulan already, but the site that Gu Yanmei had shared with Xiulan last year was their destination.


    Xiao Fen shot her a look of frustrated irritation. ¡°This Xiao Fen greets the honorable¡­ Zhengui.¡± It looked like saying the name physically hurt her. Ling Qi thought that she really needed to lighten up. ¡°Senior Sister, what are your plans?¡±


    ¡°I thought I would follow Elder Jiao¡¯s example,¡± Ling Qi mused as they began to move. They would get running soon, but for now, there was no point in returning Zhengui to her dantian. ¡°So we¡¯ll start with some hide and seek in the caves at the site, and then, I¡¯ll assign you some tasks. It might not be my best skill anymore, but I am pretty good at stealth still.¡±


    Yes, inflicting Elder Jiao¡¯s lessons on someone else, insofar as she could, would certainly be appropriate tutoring. After all, she was passing on the wisdom of a Sect elder!

 Interlude: The Cobbler and the Viper

    Liu Xin fled through the woods, his robes flapping in the wind.


    He heard the snap of a twig to his right and the flash of steel. Immediately, he dipped his hand into a sewn on pocket and flung out the contents, channeling a trickle of qi. The fine grained sand that he had flung hissed white hot, the cloud expanding to engulf the boy that had come bounding out from the trees.


    The boy howled, the sword dropping from his hands as he clawed at his face, and Liu Xin darted in, fist already drawn back for a punch. The heated grit in the air stung his skin but didn¡¯t burn. One hard jab, strike under the ribs, push through. When he stumbled, strike the knee. The boy toppled over, and Liu Xin fled past him.


    It was a good thing that even before the Ministry had come, he had learned to fight. The rootways were a rough place; you had to be a little rough to get by. Liu Xin was more than a little rough. He bounded over a fallen log, the strength of cultivation in his legs launching him a good three meters before his feet touched the forest floor.


    He¡¯d had to get rougher in the last year after his shitty old man had caught him experimenting with Tanner Shou¡¯s son and disowned him. Liu Xin¡¯s tight expression curled into a scowl as he took a sharp left away from the sound of crashing feet and tearing underbrush.


    Dammit! This was all because he couldn¡¯t control his mouth. He¡¯d heard that sluggard Hou Jin complaining about how unfair the elders were, and a comment had just slipped out.


    Hou Jin had a lot of money and just as many ¡®friends.¡¯


    His feet beat against the forest loam, and he felt something snatch at his ankle. Running as he was, he could only curse as he saw the rootlet that had curled around his ankle, sparking with qi. He rolled as he hit the ground, managing not to land flat on his face but only just. Brambles tore at his robe and his shoulder cracked against a tree trunk before he sprang to his feet.


    They had him surrounded. He counted eight of them, including Hou Jin himself. He scanned his surroundings, noting the knives, swords, and clubs readied in their hands. One of these clowns, he could take, maybe even two or three. He hadn¡¯t been slacking off in the elder¡¯s lessons after all. But eight was too many. Maybe he could break to the left¡­


    ¡°Such a desperate little rat.¡± Hou Jin was red faced, his cheeks quivering with outrage and exertion, but the fatty still walked with a swagger that set Liu Xin¡¯s teeth on edge. ¡°Your beating is going to be so much worse now. You should have known your place and accepted your punishment.¡±


    That earned some dark chuckles from his thugs, and Liu Xin glanced around, the rough bark of the tree at his back scraping against his robe. Hou Jin had demanded his month''s spirit stones for the insult. As if the damn silk pants needed them.


    ¡°Right, right, how foolish for this humble peasant to ignore your lordship¡¯s kindness,¡± he said dryly. His eyes darted back and forth trying to determine which of the thugs would go down the easiest. He still had one more pouch of burning sand.


    The fucker didn¡¯t even acknowledge his sarcasm, merely cracking his knuckles threateningly. ¡°Indeed. You should have known better than to cross this young lord,¡± he sniffed. ¡°So give thanks for the lesson.¡±


    Liu Xin bared his teeth. He had already hidden the stones and the pills he¡¯d scavenged. ¡°If Sir Piggy is so great, I don¡¯t see why we need the audience,¡± he sneered.


    Stars exploded in his vision, and his head cracked against the back of the tree. Liu Xin tasted blood in his mouth. Hou Jin looked down at the flecks of blood on his knuckles in disdain. Liu Xin hadn¡¯t even managed to react.


    It wasn¡¯t fucking fair. This whining fastass had started so far ahead, and he dared complain about their lessons?


    ¡°Taking out the trash is what servants are for, fool,¡± Hou Jin said coldly. One of the thugs raised his club. They wouldn¡¯t kill him, but this was going to suck all the same. It was now or never. Liu Xin¡¯s hand dipped into his pocket and¡­


    Facing as they were, only Liu Xin saw the strip of shadow peel away from the tree.


    Everyone heard the horrifying noise as the arm of the boy raising the club jerked to the side and fell limp at his side, dislocated and useless. His startled scream had the others wheeling. A black blur streaked across a disciple¡¯s face, deforming his nose and sending teeth flying. A girl with a knife stabbed out at the blur, and her wrist bent backward with a hideous crack. The tallest of the thugs, a boy half again Liu Xin¡¯s height, went down with a falsetto scream as a dainty knee drove three times into his groin, ending with a sickening pop.


    ¡°W-who dares!¡± Hou Jin bellowed, even as a jeweled sword appeared in his hands, the shimmer of a defensive art crackling in the air.


    The blur resolved, and Liu Xin stared blankly at the slender girl standing there in the middle of the four sobbing disciples. Her robe was plain and black, only the silver lining marking her as a disciple. Her skin was unearthly pale, but for the gleaming dark scales that marked her brow, and her long hair was a lustrous black.


    Her pale yellow eyes fell on him, and Liu Xin swallowed hard.


    He had met this girl before. She was part of the elder¡¯s advanced lessons, and they had been paired for sparring several times. She was a cruel and vicious fighter, and rumor had it she was part snake, a member of some powerful family from another province. He was always left on the ground after their spars, barely able to walk. But that hadn¡¯t been unusual early on. She at least gave real pointers. He got the feeling she didn¡¯t look down on him more than anyone else either.


    ¡°Liu Xin, you are late for tea.¡± Her voice was cold and brusque without a hint of emotion.


    But for the groans of the wounded, a pin drop could have been heard in the clearing. Ah, that was right. Yesterday, she had approached him and stated that they were going to take tea together. He¡¯d found it bizarre, and he¡¯d kind of thought he was being pranked by an illusion, but today''s events had put it out of his head.


    ¡°Excuse me! What do you think you are doing, assaulting us like this?! You cannot expect to just¡­¡± Hou Jin began to snarl.


    Her eyes flicked in his direction, and the words died in Hou Jin¡¯s throat, his face going a blotchy red and white. ¡°Hou Jin, fifth son of the fourth son of the Head of Clan Hou, Counts of the Eighth Peak in the Celestial Peaks. Prospects: mediocre. Status: Irrelevant. Be silent when your betters are speaking.¡±


    Liu Xin felt laughter bubbling in his throat as Hou Jin sputtered and the remaining disciples milled in confusion and fear. ¡°I was a little held up.¡±


    ¡°I see this. I will forgive your slight given the circumstances. You will improve yourself in the future,¡± Xiao Fen said seriously. ¡°Come. I will not extend our reservation again.¡±


    ¡°Lady Xiao -¡± Hou Jin began again.


    Xiao Fen¡¯s form blurred, and his words cut out into a wet gurgle as her tiny fist buried itself in his throat. Hou Jin fell to his knees, gagging violently as the veins on his neck blackened and crackling frost spread across his skin.


    ¡°I said ¡®be silent,¡¯ trash. It was not a request,¡± Xiao Fen said harshly. She turned without a further word to leave.


    Liu Xin stood straight and took a step to follow her. None of Hou Jin¡¯s friends moved to stop him. He met the closest boy¡¯s eyes, and it was the other disciple who lowered his head. He hurried to catch up to Xiao Fen.


    ¡°Thank you for the assist,¡± Liu Xin said carefully, as he caught up, eying her warily.


    ¡°Thanks are unnecessary. Continue cultivating so that you do not require assistance against such worthless individuals again,¡± Xiao Fen replied.


    Liu Xin nodded, his thoughts spinning as he tried to figure out just what the hell was going on. He hit upon an idea, a very worrying one. He wondered if his mouth was going to get him beaten anyway. ¡°Just, uh, so you know. I¡¯m not inclined to women.¡± He¡¯d heard noblewomen sometimes did things like that, and however strong Xiao Fen was, he didn¡¯t intend to be anyone¡¯s toy.


    "Of course outsider nobles would be so disgusting," Xiao Fen said with contempt. Her eyes turned toward him, and Liu Xin flinched. ¡°As a Xiao, I have no use for carnal relations outside reproduction,¡± she said without a hint of embarrassment.


    ¡°Oh, uh, that¡¯s good,¡± Liu Xin said awkwardly as they walked through the forest. ¡°So¡­ why?¡±


    ¡°My Mistress ordered that I make a friend,¡± Xiao Fen said matter-of-factly. ¡°Having reviewed the disciples present this year, I have determined that you will be my friend. Your battle instinct and drive are admirable.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, you¡¯ve got a mean jab,¡± Liu Xin said blankly, processing the crazy girl''s words. ¡°So you mauled a comital scion because I¡¯m your friend?¡±


    ¡°I silenced trash because he did not know his place,¡± Xiao Fen answered. ¡°I stepped into the situation because you are my friend. Having spoken with my Mistress on the subject, I determined that this was correct action. Do you believe I erred?¡±


    She was completely nuts, Liu Xin thought faintly. ¡°N-no, friends are supposed to help each other out.¡±


    ¡°Very good,¡± Xiao Fen said, finally showing an emotion, a touch of satisfaction showing in the upward quirk of her lips. ¡°Now, tea. It is necessary for friends to share their non-vital interests.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Liu Xin said dizzily as they stepped out of the woods. Just what had he gotten himself into?

 Bonus: Macabre

    Li Suyin hummed tunelessly as the bone under her fingers shifted like wax. The ribs flattened and widened, shifting from the contours of a quadruped to a biped. The rest of the horse skeleton she was working on lay neatly across her table, carefully organized for transformation and reassembly. Three more like it were stacked in the crates beneath the table, courtesy of the stablemaster of the town. He was such a kind man, Li Suyin thought, providing her with the remains without charge. She would have to see about crafting a gift when her project was done.


    She pressed her thumb against the sternum of the ribs, smoothing away the last imperfections, and turned her eyes toward the spinal column. Already molded into bipedal shape, it lay split open vertically across her workbench, its internals now clean and dry, stripped of nerve tissue and emptied of marrow.


    Li Suyin snapped her fingers, and the hammocks of webbing which hung overhead twitched. A steel etching stylus descended into her grasp on a narrow thread of webbing. Tucking her hair behind her ear as she bent low to begin carving the first formation symbols into the bone, Li Suyin said, ¡°Prepare extracts seven, twelve, and sixteen please.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Miss Li,¡± whispered the tinny voice of her companion. A many legged shadow skittered across the table as Zhenli¡¯s body passed in front of the lantern, scurrying for the supply cabinets.


    A long moment passed, and Li Suyin glanced up. ¡°Zhenli?¡±


    The cat-sized spider had paused above the cabinet, three smoked glass vials held to her abdomen with two legs. A full body twitch traveled through her legs as the spider ducked her head. ¡°Apologies, Miss Li. Senior Bao is at the door.¡±


    Li Suyin blinked in surprise. Already? She had not been expecting her senior sister for several hours yet. This was highly unusual. Bao Qingling was extremely punctual. ¡°Set the extracts on the work table then, Zhenli. You can begin etching the tertiary formations while I am out.¡±


    Zhenli murmured a quiet agreement as Li Suyin set her tools down. She was glad that her spirit was so dutiful and neat; it made her projects go so much faster to have such a helper.


    Leaving her main workshop behind, Li Suyin approached the front door of her sect dwelling and opened the door, peering out curiously. ¡°Welcome to my home, Senior Sister. Did something happen? Our meeting was not scheduled for two hours yet.¡±


    Bao Qingling shook her head briskly. She was still wearing her work clothing with its thick apron and leather gloves. The crystal goggles that covered her eyes in the lab hung loosely around her neck. ¡°Unfortunately, I have a meeting I cannot refuse. It was very sudden,¡± Bao Qingling said dully. ¡°My apologies for interrupting your own work. It was my assumption that you would prefer this to cancelation.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Come in,¡± Li Suyin said, stepping aside to give her room. There was no point in asking who had forced a meeting on her. If Senior Sister intended to tell her, she already would have. ¡°Thank you for coming out despite the problem. There is a project I require your advice on before I move to the next step, so a delay would be problematic¡­¡±


    ¡°Understandable,¡± Bao Qingling grunted, stepping past her. Her teacher was always difficult to read, but her words lacked that extra cutting edge that indicated her temper. The upcoming meeting must not be bad then. ¡°Which workshop?¡±


    ¡°The basement workshop,¡± Li Suyin said, easily falling back into old habits. There was no need for extra words with Bao Qingling.


    ¡°Lu Wei¡¯s work has held up?¡± Bao Qingling asked as they began to make their way down the hall.


    ¡°Yes, Senior Sister. Thank you for your recommendation.¡± She was glad that the elders had given her special dispensation to add to her dwelling in light of her projects, even if the funding had come out of her own reserves.


    Bao Qingling made an affirmative sound in the back of her throat as they reached the end of the hallway where she had installed the trapdoor. It was a heavy thing cast from blood-wrought iron, much like the lining in the basement¡¯s walls. The sealing effect was really very good. Tapping her foot on the floor, the trapdoor rose of its own accord, revealing the narrow black tunnel that descended into the bedrock of the mountain.


    Her mentor cocked her head to the side. ¡°No climbing apparatus?¡±


    ¡°I did not see the point,¡± Li Suyin said. ¡°The walls are trapped of course, and the landing is keyed to only myself and four others.¡±


    Bao Qingling made a noise of approval and stepped out into the hole, vanishing into darkness. Li Suyin smiled, pleased at her approval, and followed after.


    The basement workshop was lit with pale green light and filled with the sound of bubbling liquid. Its walls were damp, approximating the humidity of the fungal forests she had found below. Spread across the far wall was the carefully sketched diagram of the anatomy of the beetle creature Ling Qi had helped her harvest, done from memory and aided by her vivisection of one of the captured embryos. Across the work table set against the right wall were the remains in various states of cataloguing and processing.


    Her actual project, however, floated in a bubbling tube roughly one and a half meters wide and tall enough to reach from floor to ceiling. It was one of the beetle beasts, stripped carefully from its egg without harming the partially developed creature. Bubbles periodically emerged from the spiracles on its side, rising through the faintly glowing medical solution and sending the light dancing.


    Bao Qingling observed this all without expression as Li Suyin nervously took up a place beside her. ¡°You see¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re attempting to modify the beast into something more tractable.¡± Bao Qingling said bluntly.


    As expected of her senior sister, Li Suyin thought. ¡°Yes, I want to modify and raise it myself for loyalty, but, um, I¡¯m not entirely certain where this sort of spiritual surgery falls¡ªlegally, that is.¡± Li Suyin wrung her hands, voice shrinking with each word. ¡°I¡¯ve looked such things up, but the laws are vague on the matter of beasts.¡±


    Spiritual modification was a restricted subject outside of certain common procedures necessary for cultivation, and performing such operations on any person other than yourself required approval and the presence of an official of the Ministry of Integrity. ¡°Could you guide me on the matter, Senior Sister?¡±


    The older girl was silent for several long moments. ¡°Show me your plans. I doubt the elders would allow you to have gotten this far if it was a legal problem, but you need to watch out for tripping over ¡®polite¡¯¡ª¡± Bao Qingling pronounced the word with disgust ¡°¡ªsensibilities.¡±


    Li Suyin breathed a sigh of relief. She was very much looking forward to this project.

 Threads 30 Adventures 1

    It was a little unsettling, Ling Qi found, to be looking at herself from multiple angles. To study and analyze her own appearance and aura with supernatural precision. To see the hairs that were out of place, the imperfections in the subtle applications of her cosmetics, and the unsteadiness and minute errors in the flows of her qi.


    Yet turning those lines of visions outward, she couldn¡¯t help but feel that it - and the work she had put in to clear some meridians for the art - was worth it. The silent broken stones of the dream grove stood all around, and she knew them perfectly. If she had to fight here, she was certain that she could navigate it exactly and could read the way the flow of natural qi here would affect her techniques or allow her to hide her own aura in plain sight, completely without thought.


    She understood Xin¡¯s words to her better now. This was the basest root of personal divination, a perfect analysis of her immediate surroundings, such that it became obvious what would occur in the moments to come. Of course, she was alone, and so it was easy to feel like she had mastered the techniques of the Curious Diviner¡¯s Eye art, but despite her prodigious progress in nearly mastering the art in a single week, she knew that the art was only the introduction to divination.


    She could know which leaf would fall next from the tree to her right with decent accuracy, but if she tried to predict the next action of the sparrow perched in its branches¡­ Well, her success rate was still abysmal.


    ¡°Big Sister, are you done sitting around playing with lights yet?¡± One of her points of vision swiveled to see Hanyi sitting atop a crumbling stump of a wall, kicking her legs in irritation. Ling Qi could not help but notice the snarls in her qi, clogging the meridians in her body related to motion and movement. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re supposed to be going to meet that weird guy now.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, and the ¡®eye¡¯ constructs of her new art vanished in glittering light, collapsing her vision back to a single perspective. ¡°Is it that late already?¡± she asked, squinting up at the cloudy sky.


    ¡°It¡¯s been hours,¡± Hanyi said with the sort of put-upon exasperation that only the young could manage.


    Ling Qi grimaced. She had only shifted her cultivation plans to prioritize the Curious Diviner¡¯s Eye art because of Xuan Shi¡¯s invitation in the first place; it would be embarrassing to miss her appointment because of her cultivation. She had been quite surprised a few nights ago to find the odd boy on her doorstep with a request, but he had helped her enough in the last year that she wasn¡¯t going to refuse, even if the thing he wanted assistance with wasn¡¯t an apparent trial site.


    ¡°We should get moving then,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Thank you, Hanyi.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± the young girl preened at her thanks. ¡°You¡¯re gonna have to wake up that big doofus though.¡±


    ¡°What happened to Zhengui?¡± Ling Qi asked curiously.


    ¡°He ate and fell asleep,¡± Hanyi huffed. ¡°See if I sing a bunch of deer to him again,¡± she grumbled darkly as she hopped off the wall to lead the way.


    Ling Qi chuckled. Of course it was something like that. With a thought, she gave Sixiang a mental nudge to stir them from their own cultivation. She got a blurry sort of response, something like ¡°five more minutes¡± if translated into words. Ling Qi let out a huff. There were some things she would rather Sixiang not pick up from her.


    ***


    With her spirits gathered up, she soon reached the place where Xuan Shi had asked her to meet him, near a ruined old road that wound a ways into the mountains. When she arrived, she found Xuan Shi leaning against one of the weathered distance markers, paging through a thin volume.


    ¡°I hope I did not make you wait long,¡± Ling Qi said as she approached. She had chosen to travel on the ground to preserve qi and to make it easier for Hanyi to skip off and follow her for a while when she got tired of bantering with Zhengui in her head.


    The book snapped shut in his hands, and Xuan Shi straightened up, giving her a nod of greeting. ¡°The baroness did not delay unduly,¡± he replied. ¡°This one thanks you for your agreement.¡±


    ¡°There is no need to call me that,¡± Ling Qi chided. ¡°And I would hardly refuse a request like this. How did you find this place anyway?¡±


    Xuan Shi glanced to the side, tugging his hat down to cover his eyes. ¡°... Study of a text may reveal many hidden things.¡±


    Sixiang mused.


    Ling Qi narrowed her eyes, thinking back to the many times she had seen Xuan Shi in the Outer Sect archives. ¡°Just what sort of text?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°I might need to start reading more.¡±


    ¡°This one discovered a cipher within a certain series of novels. The final volume was filed among the shelves of the Inner Sect,¡± Xuan Shi answered after a moment.


    ¡°Huh. I never would have guessed,¡± she said, bemused. ¡°Do you mean those books I saw you reading in the archive last year? Why would they have a cipher leading to a place here?¡±


    ¡°In the days before the Great Sects, the author resided here when not voyaging himself.¡± She could detect a hint of excitement in the boy¡¯s tone as he began to speak on the subject. ¡°This one sought out placement in this Sect for that purpose.¡±


    ¡°So you figured out the cipher before you ever came here?¡± she asked. She supposed that Xuan Shi really was a smart guy.


    ¡°Yes. Though the goal remained shrouded, the path, of course, intrigued this one,¡± Xuan Shi agreed, perhaps a bit too quickly.


    ¡°You¡¯re a bad liar, mister,¡± Hanyi said, emerging from the trees behind Ling Qi. She then shot Ling Qi a dirty look. ¡°Big Sister is mean, walking so fast on her stupid long legs.¡±


    Ling Qi shot her a cheeky grin, which earned her a frustrated huff, but in her head, Zhengui said suspiciously,


    Ling Qi rather doubted it was a dangerous lie, and she really did need to look into why Zhengui always seemed so snappish around Xuan Shi. However, Hanyi wasn¡¯t wrong. She gave Xuan Shi an expectant look all the same.


    He sighed. ¡°This one merely wished to read the final two volumes, which were archived within the Sect alone.¡±


    That was kind of a silly reason, but it was hardly the worst reason ever. Even if it was weird to imagine caring so much about a book as to travel all the way across the Empire to get at it.


    ¡°We had better get going then,¡± she said instead of voicing her thoughts


    ¡°Indeed,¡± he said, seeming relieved. ¡°Adventure awaits.¡±


    The odd boy¡¯s barely concealed eagerness was kind of infectious.


    ***


    The path was not a long one.


    Ling Qi followed Xuan Shi down the winding remains of the ruined road into a tiny vale between two large peaks. The road soon came to run beside a tiny stream which bore the signs of having been a greater flow in the past. At the bottom of the vale, the road reached its end in a crumbling structure of stone.


    At a first glance, Ling Qi had been unimpressed, thinking the old ruin to be their destination, but it quickly became clear that it wasn¡¯t. Old but well maintained flows of qi radiated through earth and stone, forming the shapes of a complex array that once she noticed, she could not fail to see running through the entire vale.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the trick?¡± Ling Qi asked as they strode into a crumbling hall, the faint light of afternoon streaming through the holes in the rooftop. Xuan Shi still seemed confident and showed no sign of needing aid, so she restrained herself from using techniques for now, but she was curious as to what this huge array could be for.


    ¡°The appearance of destitution deflects avarice, but the ruin is merely the door,¡± Xuan Shi explained, words punctuated by the tapping of his staff on stone.


    As they reached the end of the hall, he swept the staff out and tapped a handful of stones in sequence, and the wall faded away before her eyes, the thick qi of earth and stone dispersing and transforming into the qi of air and wind. Beyond lay a flight of stairs that, if the building was as it appeared, would have led up into open air.


    Mounting the stairs, they came instead to a high ceilinged room, although a great skylight in its center allowed light to enter. Here, the floor was paved with incongruously well maintained tiling, the jade gleaming as if it had been newly placed. For all their polish though, the tiles were arranged chaotically without any thought for aesthetics. Ling Qi narrowed her eyes, reading the lingering qi in the stone.


    ¡°It¡¯s a big puzzle,¡± Ling Qi said, bemused. The floor was grooved such that the tiles could be slid around into new positions using two empty tiles, but what was the goal?


    ¡°One which this one knows the solution to and has completed before,¡± Xuan Shi agreed. ¡°The colors present are those of the voyaging hero¡¯s ship. The way does not remain open however. Miss Ling, this one will have to ask that you follow instruction.¡±


    Sixiang said, amused.


    ¡°Ling Qi is fine,¡± she said absently. ¡°Alright, just tell me what to do.¡± It would take much longer with only one person sliding tiles.


    With Xuan Shi already knowing the solution, it didn¡¯t take too long to move the tiles, making them form, instead of a chaotic mess, a striped pattern with an eight-pointed white star at its center. The moment the last tile clicked into place, a flash of qi ran through the puzzle and mist boiled up from the star in a roiling column only to quickly slow and flow into a coherent shape. Stairs formed of cloud and mist now rose in the center of the room, rising up to the skylight.


    ¡°Is there any reason why we couldn¡¯t have just flown up there?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    Xuan Shi gave her a mildly aggrieved look. ¡°Without the stair, you would only exit the ruin.¡±


    Hanyi grumbled in her head.


    Zhengui added worriedly.


    If need be, she could always ride Zhengui back to earth, she thought, which seemed to mollify him as she began to mount the stairs beside Xuan Shi. The cloud felt odd. It was as solid as stone but also slightly springy and smooth as silk. As they passed through the skylight, Ling Qi found herself in a brightly lit room seemingly carved from clouds as well. Before them was a stone gate, and in its center, rather than a latch or a lock, was the symbol of Yin and Yang with circular arrays the size of a hand where the small circles of color would normally be.


    ¡°This is why you invited me, huh?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°The way will open only for a man and a woman together,¡± Xuan Shi agreed, stepping toward the gate. ¡°This one does not understand the purpose of such a lock, but perhaps it will be explained beyond.¡±


    Ling Qi eyed the symbol, briefly scanning it for any hostile-seeming characters, but it seemed like a fairly standard locking formation, just with a weird key condition. She saw no connecting characters that might set off some other effect, and she was fairly sure Xuan Shi would have already checked more carefully than she could.


    Stepping forward, Ling Qi raised her hand and placed it in the array on the Yin side of the formation, while Xuan Shi did the same with the Yang side. The arrays lit up as they both laid their palms flat against the gate, and then, with a grinding groan, the gates opened inward.

 Threads 31-Adventures 2

    ¡°Incredible,¡± Xuan Shi breathed, stepping across the threshold from cloud to stone.


    Ling Qi was not sure she would go that far, but it was pretty impressive. Inside the doors was a long pillared hall like a grand temple with a thick red carpet leading up its center. The only light in the room came from the pale glow of shimmering walls of elemental qi that blocked access to the rear of the room. There were eight of the things, and though each one was partially translucent, together, they worked to block her sight and other senses from examining the rear of the room. All she could see was the blurry silhouette of a large, vaguely humanoid shape.


    She frowned as she followed Xuan Shi in, examining the area for a way forward. The barriers stretched from pillar to pillar, and access to the ¡°halls¡± on either side was blocked by iron gates that stretched to the ceiling. While she didn¡¯t care for her chances of going through the crackling wall of semi-solid that made up the first barrier, it seemed like the iron gates might be relatively easy for her to bypass. Of course, that itself might be a trap.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    Zhengui answered excitedly.


    Hanyi responded, giving the impression of rolling her eyes with naught but her tone.


    ¡°Reality and script have merged here. Without doubt, we stand within the sealed temple, the final hurdle of the Temple of Storms,¡± Xuan Shi mused aloud.


    ¡°What?¡± Sixiang asked, sounding amused.


    ¡°What?¡± Ling Qi asked in a rather less enthused tone.


    Xuan Shi glanced over at her and tugged his hat down, further shading his eyes. ¡°The author¡¯s words described such a place in his first novel.¡±


    Well, if she took the assumption that the author or a dedicated reader had built this place, she supposed that wasn¡¯t too strange. ¡°What happened in the book then?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    Xuan Shi paused, as if deliberating on something. ¡°This one will keep explanations short. The hero sought a sealed ship within a temple such as this. He reached this place together with the Storm Sorceress Hotene, who intended to take the ship for herself, but in the end, the trials brought them together, and they left the isle together on the ship.¡±


    Hanyi huffed.


    Leaving Hanyi¡¯s comment aside, Ling Qi raised an eyebrow. ¡°What did they face though?¡±


    Xuan Shi considered her question. ¡°This one does not expect the exact details to match. The words were written for the benefit of those who had not yet drunk from the well of the world, as we have. With talents such as ours, the trials of trust and betrayal which they faced would be all too easy to bypass. However, the statue will likely still bring battle upon us.¡±


    Ling Qi squinted at the shadowy figure hidden behind the barriers. ¡°Fair enough. Want me to scout out the ¡®trials¡¯ then?¡±


    ¡°It would be appreciated,¡± he replied, dipping his head. ¡°Allow this one to study the function of the barriers and if they might be pierced.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded. That seemed like a plan. She left Xuan Shi to contemplate the scintillating wall of lightning and headed to the left side of the room to examine the iron gate there. On her way, she paused near the pillar, and after a moment''s thought, she let darkness flow through her channels.


    That done, she carefully reached a finger into the stone pillar and recoiled at the sharp shock. Ling Qi clicked her tongue. Of course it wouldn¡¯t be that simple.


    Sixiang asked, still amused.


    Zhengui grumbled sullenly.


    Ling Qi just shook her head in amusement at the byplay. Reaching the gate, she closed her eyes and breathed out, letting the misty, malleable qi of water and moon well up behind her eyes. A moment later, she opened them, and three little bobbing white lights shimmered into existence and slipped through the bars of the gate.


    The narrow stone hallway that she found beyond was unlit and unmarked by any decor. Studying its walls, Ling Qi tried first slipping an eye through the outer wall, and for a moment, Ling Qi glimpsed the open blue sky before a nauseous wrenching sensation made her vision swim and the point of view blink out as if she had suddenly moved it out of range.


    She supposed this must be a sealed space then. With that in mind, she sent the other two lights bobbing along to examine the rest of the hallway. Sure enough, the walls were covered in arrays, too dense and layered for her to do more than guess at their functions. Letting her eyes gleam silver with the increased flow of qi, Ling Qi saw barriers, illusions, paralysis and more lining the unassuming stone walls in a dense web. She could also see, standing out from the rest, arrays that joined the traps here to the hallway on the right side.


    Ling Qi frowned and let the lights blink out, just as an array activated, threads of qi spearing out to shred the fading remains of her wisps. A check on the right side of the room turned up much the same, an interlinked trap-lined hall that Ling Qi was not totally confident that she could bypass.


    With her task done, she returned to the middle of the hall where Xuan Shi stood, still as stone, examining the barrier. ¡°The halls look like a slog, even if they''re the intended path,¡± she said bluntly. ¡°We can probably get through between the two of us, but¡­ any luck for you?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps. This one will require your assistance, however,¡± Xuan Shi said, seeming faintly disappointed. His staff disappeared with a faint ring, and in its place, a pair of iron rods, more like batons really, appeared with inscribed leather wrapping their handles. Their tips narrowed to blunt points.


    Ling Qi looked at the one which he handed her, examining the few visible markings. It was a pretty masterfully made talisman. Some kind of anti-lightning effect? ¡°And what do I do with this?¡±


    ¡°Place the tips together,¡± Xuan Shi said sedately, holding his own baton out. ¡°Keep it so, and then press it to the barrier.¡±


    Curious, Ling Qi did so, following along in unison as he thrust the metal into the wall of lightning. It hissed, sparked, and snarled around the intruding material, but no shock reached her fingers.


    ¡°And now, apart.¡± Xuan Shi drew his to one side, and Ling Qi pulled hers the opposite way.


    The barrier parted like a curtain, sparking ragged edges snapping out little arcs of electricity across the gap that they had made, but it remained open all the same. She shared a look with Xuan Shi, and then as one, they stepped through, turning as they did to maintain the batons¡¯ positions until they were through and the barrier could snap shut behind them.


    ¡°That¡¯s one,¡± Ling Qi said brightly. ¡°You made this for Ji Rong, I am guessing,¡± she said, handing the talisman back.


    ¡°The wrath of heaven is better diverted than blocked,¡± Xuan Shi agreed. ¡°This next obstacle may prove more difficult however.¡±


    Ling Qi looked ahead to the shimmering wall of turquoise qi. It was the concept of water, endless flowing motion that would strip away whatever touched it like the sea wearing away a stone.


    ... Yet it was the motion which gave it power. Ling Qi smiled to herself, and with a thought, she nudged Hanyi, who gave the impression of grinning as well as she formed in a swirl of frost at Ling Qi¡¯s side.


    ¡°I think I have this one,¡± Ling Qi said lightly.


    Together with Hanyi, she sang, and a wide section of the churning water qi began to slow and still, becoming solid and brittle. The frozen section was shrinking at the edges even as it formed, wearing away and melting back into its base state. Still, it gave a long enough window of opportunity for Xuan Shi to catch on, lower his shoulder, and bash his way through the now brittle barrier, leaving an opening for Ling Qi and Hanyi to slip through after.


    ¡°And thus, the second passes,¡± Xuan Shi mused, dusting the frost off his robe. ¡°A thought occurs, however. Though this method may be the simplest, a flaw may exist.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned, examining the next barrier, a shimmering surface that reflected her own face like a lake on a clear day.


    Sixiang murmured, peering out through Ling Qi¡¯s eyes. At her side, Hanyi made faces at her distorted reflection.


    Zhengui grumbled.


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± Ling Qi asked, looking Xuan¡¯s way.


    ¡°In this sequence, the trials lead not only to treasure and trust, but also the key to the guardian¡¯s defeat,¡± Xuan Shi explained. ¡°And also, does this task not feel too easy?¡±


    Ling Qi did have to admit that even when she had looked at the trapped hallways, she hadn¡¯t seen a single thing that was genuinely deadly, and the barriers did seem simple. It made her wonder if they were missing something. On the other hand, it wasn¡¯t as if everything discovered had its challenges tailored to an appropriate difficulty.


    ¡°I think we¡¯re doing fine so far,¡± Ling Qi said. She gave Xuan Shi a sidelong look. ¡°Are you regretting not following the heroes¡¯ path here?¡±


    She caught the signs of a frown, despite his high collar. ¡°Nay. We are not they, and this one would not presume.¡± He shook his head. ¡°All things aside, it would be best to test this one''s creations in battle.¡±


    ¡°Did you not do that in your challenge? You made a pretty high jump last month,¡± Ling Qi noted.


    ¡°It was a test of creation, not war,¡± Xuan Shi answered. ¡°The qi of the firmament is more my realm. Do you believe the lake is yours?¡±


    ¡°Not hers, but mine,¡± Sixiang said aloud. ¡°Think you two could hold hands for a second?¡±


    Ling Qi narrowed her eyes.


    Sixiang replied innocently.


    Ling Qi shared a look with Xuan Shi, who looked bemused. ¡°Please don¡¯t mind them,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Hanyi, come here please.¡±


    ¡°... Very well,¡± Xuan Shi said.


    She stepped closer to Xuan Shi¡¯s side as Hanyi returned to her dantian. While she still didn¡¯t like cramming herself in close with someone else, this would be fine for a moment. She caught the shorter boy¡¯s sleeve in her hand as Sixiang spread their qi through the air around them.


    ¡°Aaaaand forward!¡± Sixiang announced cheerfully. They stepped forward together, and the rippling lake qi engulfed them, only for its shimmering, distracting light to refract and scatter across the mist of moon qi saturating the air around them. She felt Sixiang straining in her head, letting out continual pulses of dispelling qi as they moved through the barrier, but their passage was swift.


    Sixiang whispered, sounding drained.


    ¡°Is your companion well?¡± Xuan Shi asked as they faced down the next barrier, a thing of screaming, tearing wind.


    ¡°Just tired,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°Now¡­¡±


    Her words were interrupted as the room went dark, every barrier snapping off at once. While the lighting meant nothing to her, the rumbling groan of stone grinding against stone heralded something of much more concern.


    ¡°Hah. It seems that cheating is not appreciated after all,¡± Xuan Shi said.


    Ahead of them, climbing to its feet, was the statue they had glimpsed. Easily ten meters tall, it was carved in the likeness of a brawny, bearded man in archaic armor. From its back rose eight additional arms, each composed of different elemental qi. It stepped off the dais it had been seated on, and the entire temple shook with its weight.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing it didn¡¯t have those arms in the book,¡± Ling Qi said faintly, her eyes once again gleaming silver as she examined the statue. Even with her techniques however, what she could glean of its power was limited.


    ¡°Indeed not,¡± Xuan Shi replied, raising his staff defensively and taking on a wider stance. ¡°However, this one suspects more than ever that brute force is not the answer.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m all for ideas,¡± Ling Qi said, taking stock of their surroundings. Without the barriers, there was room to release Zhengui, and she had every intention of doing so shortly. However, even now, she didn¡¯t feel too worried. The door remained open behind them, so fleeing was always an option given the statue¡¯s lumbering speed.


    ¡°It depends,¡± the boy answered as the statue took another long stride forward, rocking the floor, ¡°on which of us shall bear the guardian¡¯s ire and which shall seek its weakness?¡±

 Threads 32-Adventure 3

    Ling Qi looked up through narrowed eyes, studying the looming shape of the guardian. ¡°I will identify its weakness,¡± she said. She breathed out, giving Zhengui and Hanyi a nudge. ¡°You won¡¯t be alone in your part though.¡±


    Behind her, a great shadow formed as Zhengui emerged into the world. Zhengui stomped his feet as he grew solid, hunkering down in preparation for combat, even as his serpentine half reared up and hissed, sparks and embers dancing in the heat-warped air around his flickering tongue. Hanyi emerged perched on the jutting outer edge of his shell, one leg crossed over the other.


    ¡°I want you two to stay here and help Xuan Shi, got it?¡± Ling Qi directed seriously, glancing back over her shoulder at them. ¡°Listen to him, alright?¡±


    For a moment, Zhengui looked mutinous. ¡°Big Sister, why can¡¯t we go with you?¡± Gui complained.


    ¡°¡®Cause she¡¯s gonna be flying,¡± Hanyi replied in exasperation. ¡°Don¡¯t be such a big baby. We gotta make sure it doesn¡¯t look at her after all.¡±


    Zhen hissed irritably, flicking his tongue toward Xuan Shi. ¡°Hmph. I, Zhen, will keep Sister safe. Foolish Gui and Xuan Shi had better not hold us back.¡±


    Xuan Shi took his head slowly, expression hidden by the rim of his hat. Flicking his voluminous sleeve, a flock of octogonal clay tiles sprang out to buzz around him like circling insects. ¡°A force to withstand legions stands here. Shame would fall upon us all if thy sister were to come to harm here, honored cousin.¡±


    Ling Qi shot him an amused look even as her cloak flapped in a phantom wind and her feet left the ground. It wasn¡¯t often that she heard the odd boy express pride. From what she could sense of his flaring aura, it was not unfounded.


    ¡°Still not your cousin,¡± Gui grumbled. ¡°But I won¡¯t let Big Sister down!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you then,¡± Ling Qi said lightly. she added silently.


    said the muse, giving the impression of a flippant salute.


    With that, she rose into the air and flickered, vanishing into the shadows to reappear meters away, climbing toward the height of the statue''s head. Behind her, she heard Hanyi¡¯s voice rise in song, and she saw a flare of ochre light.


    Looking back, she saw Xuan Shi stepping forward, the ring of his staff pointed toward the guardian, and the clanging of the hanging rings echoed throughout the temple. Something shimmered in the air before him, and she felt his qi distort, spreading to engulf both Zhengui and Hanyi. For a moment, Ling Qi almost felt as if she could see the forbidding walls of a mighty fortress in the contours of the air around them.


    Then the statue took another earth-shaking step forward, and eight arms punched out as one. A kaleidoscope of light and elemental qi poured out, eight twisting streamers that curved around and through each other as they spiralled in a downward arc toward Xuan Shi, Zhengui, and Hanyi. In the moment before it struck, Zhengui¡¯s shell flared with viridian light, and thick roots rose from the ground, splintering tiles of stone.


    The air rocked as the eightfold attack struck home with a thunderous crash as Ling Qi soared past the statue to circle behind it. When the smoke cleared, Xuan Shi and Zhengui both stood wholly unharmed. Ling Qi shook her head. They would be fine. She just had to focus on her task.


    Ling Qi circled the statue, weaving through its limbs as it bore down on her companions. Scanning the construct¡¯s stony hide, she let qi flood her eyes and released fluttering lights that darted into the shadow of massive limbs, too close to the body to be easily struck. With her expanded perspective, it became much easier to make sense of the formation patterns traced into the rock and carved into flows of qi that existed beneath the level of the physical.


    The array that animated the statue was immensely complex, far beyond her ability to fully comprehend. Yet, as thunder and lightning boomed, and massive fists crashed down upon unyielding roots and walls of stone, Ling Qi focused her attention on the smaller parts. The whole of the array was beyond her, but individual components could be deciphered. Ling Qi darted under a blazing limb made entirely of lightning, following the spiralling line of the array that powered the thing¡¯s many arms. There, in a space less than a handspan wide between its shoulder blades, she found the densest array yet.


    Ling Qi raised her flute to her lips and let cold flow through her channels. She played the Hoarfrost Refrain and felt satisfaction as stone turned brittle and crumbled under the weight of the wintery verse. For a moment, the construct faltered, but then, before her very eyes, falling pebbles rose and shattered stone became whole as if time were reversing itself, leaving the statue and the array just as it was before her attack. The clinging, frozen qi that should have suffused it, continuing the damage, was purged as if it had never been.


    The statue began to turn, seeking to confront the stinging fly at its back, but a massive root speared upward and curled around its stone limbs, forcing it to face forward as a barrage of clay tiles struck in hail-like patter, striking deliberately at points where Ling Qi had recalled seeing perception arrays.


    Ling Qi darted away in the moment of respite that gave her, a frown on her face as she studied the statue again through four points of view. Destroying that array should have at least shut down the power to its extra limbs. What had she missed? Why had it restored itself like that? She had not sensed a technique activating or even another array.


    Ling Qi let more moon qi flood into her eyes until she could see the faint silver light they cast on the statue¡¯s broad back. But she still could not see what had caused the regeneration. Perhaps¡­ Ah, the limbs themselves were the backup. She could see the characters connecting them. If she wanted to disable the main array, she would have to break the secondary chains that fed into the limbs first.


    Satisfied, Ling Qi struck again, and the dazzling arm of raw lightning sputtered and died. Again, she sang, and the crashing thunder qi fell silent¡­ for barely a moment. Ling Qi¡¯s eyes widened as both of the limbs she had disabled burst back to life, the damage she had dealt erased in an instant!


    In front of her, the statue stamped its feet and swung its fists, battering at Xuan Shi and Zhengui alike. Fists the size of small wagons crashed down on barriers of eight-sided tiles and bounced away as if they struck a mountain instead, and fists that came down on Zhengui¡¯s burning shell seemed to barely touch him. Ling Qi did not miss the way that the blows made the fortress-lines traced in the air ripple nor the way that Xuan Shi¡¯s robes wrinkled and bunched up as if he were suffering blows himself.


    Hanyi stood behind them both, expression positively smug as she sang, her hands outstretched toward the statue. Ling Qi could feel the threads of her qi curled around the construct¡¯s simple ¡°mind,¡± but the two who stood in front of Hanyi formed an impassable wall.


    Ling Qi could not help but feel as if she were as ineffectual as the statue. Frustration rising, Ling Qi once again darted in, sending her ¡°eyes¡± spinning and circling all around the statue as she tried to figure out just what she was missing. Her eyes narrowed as she focused down, pushing everything else - the sounds of the fight, the rush of air past her ears, and the bursts of qi clouding her senses - aside. She focused herself entirely on the target of her ire.


    Under her intense focus, she found what she was looking for there, layered beneath the other arrays, hidden under layers of conditional triggering effects. The simplicity of the trick made her feel embarrassed to have missed it.


    ¡°Zhen!¡± she called out in her thoughts as she flew into position. ¡°Spit your venom at my light on the count of three!¡±


    Ling Q isaw the fiery serpent twitch in confusion as the words reached him, but the confusion cleared away quickly as she saw his eyes focus on the hovering light right above the statue''s left ankle. Satisfied that he knew what she was doing, Ling Qi flew through the tangle of arms to reach a spot just above the nape of the statue''s neck and made her count.


    Burning venom and hoarfrost song struck at the same time, and the statue seized up. Two limbs flickered out, fire and water both fading to nothingness.


    ¡°Xuan Shi! Lightning here -¡± a flickering wisp blurred to hover above the statue¡¯s left pectoral ¡°- and earth here!¡± she shouted next. A second wisp hovered over the statue¡¯s navel.


    To his credit, the boy understood immediately. A spike of stone slammed upward even as he spun, flinging a metal baton, still charged with a storm''s worth of lightning higher still. In an instant, two more limbs were gone, and the restorative functions of the primary array grew weaker still.


    Here, she encountered a conundrum. Of the remaining elements, she had little in the way of offensive techniques to shatter their guiding arrays. She did not think that Xuan Shi had any thunder, wind, or lake arts active. Nor did she know whether that mountain art he was using could be used offensively. Perhaps he might have a talisman that could do the trick, but she wanted to finish this herself.


    The hem of her cloak snapped in the wind as she soared downward, the air sparkling with droplets of frozen water as she began to hum the Aria of Spring¡¯s End. In seconds, she reached the main array and raised her flute, calling the wintery qi of the Hoarfrost Refrain down. Frost rippled out, and once again, stone cracked and splintered under supernatural cold. This time, however, the recovery was not instantaneous, slowed greatly by the loss of four power sources, and her technique clung to rock and artificial channels for a few crucial seconds.


    Just enough time for her to lay her hands on either side of the great splintered crack she had made in the statue¡¯s back and sing the Call to Ending. Her voice echoed loudly in the temple as she sang the wordless power of absolute cold into the world, and beneath her hands, stone exploded violently. Shards of frozen rock pattered like flakes of snow against her dress and face. The statue rocked and reeled, and its four remaining elemental arms winked out at once.


    Ling Qi heard a rumbling battle cry and a mighty crash as a massive weight smashed against the statue''s shins. Zhengui, charging forward, with his shell aglow with magmatic light, sent the statue tumbling, and over it¡¯ falling shoulder, she spied Xuan Shi standing atop his shell, seemingly unbothered by the smoke rising from his feet. His ringed staff was raised over his head horizontally. As she watched, she felt the qi around the staff distort, and suddenly, the weapon went wholly still, even as Zhengui¡¯s forward momentum tore it from Xuan Shi¡¯s hands.


    It hung there in the air, impossibly still, as the statue fell upon it, and remained there, hanging still in a cloud of dust after it had carved clean through the fallen construct¡¯s neck. For a moment, as the echoes of the statue¡¯s fall faded from the temple, Ling Qi hung silently in the air, staring down at the unmoving ruin Xuan Shi and Zhengui had wrought.


    Then as Zhengui wriggled his way free of the fallen rock, and she saw Xuan Shi still standing on his shell, hat only slightly askew and dusty, she broke the silence. ¡°I thought I had the offense?¡± she asked archly, hands on her hips.


    Xuan Shi coughed and doffed his hat, revealing a head of short black hair, split by a short ridge of white bone that began at his forehead and disappeared beneath his collar in the back. ¡°Apologies. This one merely sought to grasp opportunity,¡± he called up, returning his hat to its place as he hopped down from Zhengui¡¯s back, embers still sizzling on his blackened sandals.


    ¡°You did say to listen to him, Big Sister,¡± Gui pointed out as Zhen emerged, grumbling from the back of their shell.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you both left me alone!¡± Hanyi cried out from the other side of the broken statue. ¡°I almost got squished, you jerks!¡±


    Ling Qi glanced at Xuan Shi, who shook his head very slightly and flared the earthen qi that filled the channels that ran through his heart.


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t jump on when I said so,¡± Gui pointed out guilelessly. He churned up a whole new cloud of dust as he worked to turn around in the rubble.


    ¡°Of course I didn¡¯t! You went charging at that giant thing!¡± Hanyi complained, struggling her way over the top of the rubble pile as Ling Qi slowly descended.


    ¡°Obviously, I, Zhen, would not have agreed if it wasn¡¯t safe. Hanyi should be more brave,¡± Zhen scoffed.


    Ling Qi winced. She could feel the temperature around Hanyi drop from here.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we leave the kiddos to it?¡± Sixiang commented, amused. ¡°I spied a door behind this thing¡¯s pedestal.¡±


    ¡°I suppose I don¡¯t mind since it worked,¡± Ling Qi said, ignoring the banter between her spirits for now as she spoke to Xuan Shi. ¡°What was that trick with the staff anyway? It felt weird.¡±


    ¡°Without its time, there is no brute might which could budge an object,¡± Xuan Shi explained. Raising his hand, he gestured, and the staff shimmered before spinning back to his hand. As it did, Ling Qi saw one of the jade rings which hung from its head shatter. ¡°Time cannot be held back forever however, and the price must be paid. Time arts incur great expense.¡±


    Ling Qi eyes the remaining rings, all made of the very highest quality white jade, expensive enough that even the richest mortal could not dream of owning so much as a fragment of it. ¡°Just how much did it cost last year to restrain Ji Rong like that?¡±


    Xuan Shi seemed embarrassed. ¡°Too much. This one somewhat regrets the ostentatious display.¡±


    ¡°Only somewhat?¡± Ling Qi asked, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°The punishment was excessive, not unwarranted,¡± he said shortly. ¡°But this one should not have let the ruffian¡¯s words affect his temper so.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Ling Qi replied, wondering what Ji Rong could have said that would actually lead to Xuan Shi losing his temper while mentally batting away Sixiang¡¯s insistent nudging. ¡°Anyway, it seems we have a hidden door to look at.¡±


    Behind the pedestal where the statue had stood, there was a small hall, just barely wide enough for two people to walk abreast, leading back to a plain wooden door. After a moment¡¯s deliberation, Ling Qi decided to leave Zhengui and Hanyi outside, both to guard the entrance and because she did not want an ill-tempered Hanyi in her head at the moment.


    ¡°Thy spirits are a rambunctious sort,¡± Xuan Shi commented as they reached the door, raising his hat to study the unmarked wood.


    ¡°Aw, that¡¯s sweet of you to say,¡± Sixiang laughed, twisting the wind into words as Ling Qi¡¯s eyes flickered silver and she studied the frame and the surrounding walls.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t trade them away for the world,¡± Ling Qi added as she let her technique fade. ¡°I am surprised you don¡¯t even have one though.¡±


    Xuan Shi inclined his head. ¡°There is no practical need, but perhaps I might find one in the future,¡± he said quietly. ¡°This door has no malicious trappings, it seems.¡±


    Accepting the change of subject, Ling Qi nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything either. Guess we move forward.¡±


    He nodded and jabbed his staff forward, pushing the door open.


    Beyond the door lay a dimly lit room hung with streamers of silk. In one far corner, a pool of clear, clean water bubbled, flower petals floating on its surface, and in the other corner was a long couch, wide enough for two people to lie side-by-side. Faint streams of soft, airy music floated on the air, carrying strains of contentment and affection.


    Stepping through the door beside Xuan Shi, she glanced left and right, taking in the mostly empty shelf that still had dusty cups and a single bottle of sweet wine, and then back to the full length mirror on the other wall.


    ¡°What,¡± she said dully for the second time this day.


    Xuan Shi sank his face into his free hand. ¡°... This one apologizes.¡±


    ¡°Just what kind of books do you read?¡± Sixiang asked in a delighted, sing-song voice.


    ¡°The Voyages of Yu Long are tales of romance and adventure,¡± Xuan Shi said defensively. ¡°Not this¡­ tastelessness,¡± he said a bit too quickly, gesturing at the room in general.


    ¡°Only because the old goat could not get his original manuscripts published,¡± said a voice from just behind them.


    Ling Qi nearly jumped out of her skin as she spun around. How! She hadn¡¯t felt anything at all!


    Behind her stood a figure she had only seen briefly before. Staring down at her with serene gray eyes, Yuan He ran his fingers through his beard, an expression of faint amusement on his ancient face. Or¡­ no, it was just an image of him, she thought, but she couldn¡¯t tell for certain. He was simply so far above her that her senses could not discern the difference.


    Immediately, both Ling Qi and Xuan Shi bowed deeply.


    ¡°Sect Head Yuan, this one meant no disparagement upon the Sect¡¯s trials,¡± the boy beside her said immediately.


    ¡°Do calm down, disciples. As you have likely guessed, this is less a trial and more an attraction. I suppose it had slipped this old man¡¯s mind that it still stood,¡± the Sect Head said, looking around with¡­ fond reminiscence? Ling Qi tried very hard not to think about that.


    She coughed, straightening up but still keeping her head respectfully low. ¡°Sect Head Yuan, could I ask you to explain please?¡± she asked haltingly.


    He glanced her way, and Ling Qi tensed her shoulders. ¡°Hm, I suppose it must be difficult to imagine,¡± the old man mused. ¡°But once, the Sect was a much smaller and less ordered place. My Sect Uncle Lang was a good man, but he had opinions on propriety and certain forms of openness that made him¡­ unpopular.¡±


    Xuan Shi had a terribly conflicted look in his eyes. ¡°Do you mean to say that his works were meant for only -¡±


    The bottom of a steel-shod cane cracked against the floor, and thunder rumbled. ¡°Young man, if my uncle¡¯s work spoke to you, then does it matter that it might have been planned to include some illicit content?¡± the old man asked blithely.


    ¡°No,¡± Xuan Shi acknowledged after a moment.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t know that she agreed. Such things were kept well out of public for a reason; she had seen what it looked like when things like that were not handled with care, far, far from everyday life.


    Sixiang sighed.


    ¡°My thoughts on the matter aside, I can hardly allow this place to remain open in this day and age,¡± Yuan He sighed. ¡°Still, the two of you have reminded me of good days, even if the two of you rather missed the point of the place,¡± he said with a bark of laughter.


    ¡°And what is that point?¡± Ling Qi asked, speaking before her mind could catch up. She didn¡¯t blame Xuan Shi for bringing her here. He was a poor enough liar that she was sure that he genuinely hadn¡¯t intended something untoward.


    Yuan He gave her a look, and Ling Qi felt an unpleasant prickling on her skin like he was looking through her. ¡°Young lady, I think you will find that the men and women of this world can take most anything and make it a horror. This place was, however, built to bring young men and women together in joy and comfort away from judging eyes.¡±


    Ling Qi looked away, unable to hold the old man¡¯s gaze. What a surreal conversation this was. But¡­ she supposed it wasn¡¯t impossible. Her experiences aside, she had glimpsed things in Sixiang¡¯s memory. Something so fundamental to the human experience couldn¡¯t be wholly awful. It didn¡¯t make her skin crawl any less, standing here in this room.


    ¡°What happened to the author?¡± Xuan Shi asked, breaking the silence.


    ¡°Sect Elder Lang fell in battle with Ogodei, like many others,¡± Yuan He answered, taking another glance around the room. Once again, he rapped his cane against the earth, and very suddenly, they were back outside the ruin. and Ling Qi could hear Hanyi and Zhengui¡¯s cries of confusion behind them, having been transported with them. ¡°In any case, for bringing this to my attention, I will see the two of you rewarded. Now, get you gone. Sealing off this valley is going to take some time.¡±


    Together, Ling Qi and Xuan Shi bowed again and turned to leave. It was an odd end to an odd adventure. Still, up until its end, she had had fun. And later, when she had a chance to check, she found that she - and presumably Xuan Shi as well - had been rewarded handsomely with ten contribution points and sixty sect points, enough for some potent cultivation medicines or a visit to the higher levels of the archive..


    But it was time to get back to her duties. Cai Renxiang¡¯s next social gathering was coming up, and she could feel the insistent tugging of the hole in her cultivation art, demanding that she decide which phase to empower.

 Threads 33-Peers 1

    ¡°So, I think I would call my outing with Xuan Shi a success,¡± Ling Qi finished, drumming her fingers on the arms of her chair. She¡¯d left the exact details out of her report, but she had parted with the Xuan scion on good, if awkward, terms.


    ¡°Very good. He is an important contact,¡± Cai Renxiang said crisply, capping the scroll case in her hands with a snap. It soon joined its brothers on a pyramidal stack. ¡°We should be on our way.¡±


    Ling Qi eyed it and the stack of unfinished documents covered in unfamiliar numbers and names. She stood, and Cai Renxiang did the same as they left the girl¡¯s office.


    ¡°You know,¡± Ling Qi started casually, ¡°what is all of that back there about? I can¡¯t imagine that taking care of finances for a handful of people and a small gathering requires that much paperwork.¡±


    ¡°Somewhat more than you might imagine,¡± Cai Renxiang replied in that way she had, the one that made Ling Qi unsure if Cai was being sarcastic. ¡°What brings the question?¡±


    Ling Qi gave an awkward shrug as they made their way out of her liege¡¯s residence. ¡°Just curious, I suppose. I was wondering what has made you so busy.¡±


    ¡°It is merely another set of tasks Mother has set me,¡± Cai Renxiang replied. The light that had once clung to her head and shoulders seemed to suffuse her more fully now, gleaming from the folds of her gown and leaving a faint shimmer in her wake. ¡°I am to mirror the role of the Minister of one of Mother''s minor holdings.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, staring at the back of the girl¡¯s head blankly. ¡°How are you to do that from here?¡±


    ¡°Only the administrative portion of the role, obviously,¡± Cai Renxiang said, glancing back at her. ¡°I receive the same reports, requests, and other information that he does. Of course, the budgets, reviews, and legal rulings I create are for Mother¡¯s eyes alone. I have not been reprimanded for errors yet, so I can only assume that I am performing adequately.¡±


    ¡°Only adequately?¡± Ling Qi asked with a raised eyebrow.


    Cai Renxiang did not visibly react to her words, but when she spoke, Ling Qi did hear a tinge of frustration to her words. ¡°I will not presume. I will admit, however, that it is somewhat vexing to see a new month''s reports and find inefficiencies that I had uncovered continuing unobstructed and find other short-sighted decisions being repeated again and again.¡±


    Sixiang whispered dryly. Her head felt oddly quiet with only the muse and herself present.


    Ling Qi had to admit, she would not say that she knew her liege''s mind perfectly but that seemed like something deliberately designed to agitate her. She supposed she couldn¡¯t know the Duchess¡¯ mind. ¡°The Duchess is not the sort to hide her displeasure, I think,¡± Ling Qi commented carefully, ¡°or to accept adequacy.¡±


    ¡°I am aware. I simply fail to understand her intentions,¡± Cai Renxiang said, the irritation in her voice subsiding. They lapsed into companionable silence as they reached the cliffside of the mountain and took flight, heading for the building her liege had rented for this month''s gathering. They needed to be there first to greet guests as they arrived.


    ***


    The hall was much the same as it had been each time before. Colorful tapestries and strings of flowering plants were hung on the stone walls, and there was a table laden with treats from all over Emerald Seas, attended by minor Sect workers. There was a single stage for entertainers, which she would be spending a large portion of her time during the gathering on.


    For now though, she stood near the entrance behind and to the right of Cai Renxiang to greet their guests as they arrived. She had done this a couple of times now and had prepared herself mentally for a good half hour of dull greetings and pleasantry. However, she found herself surprised by the first ones to arrive.


    While Bai Meizhen arriving early to claim and dominate a corner of the hall was not unusual, the one with her was. Bao Qingling was not a common sight period. The tall, gangly girl had shown up briefly at the first one to give Cai Renxiang some face but never again. She was also missing the shapeless smock and other accessories Ling Qi had always seen the girl wearing before. While the thick padded clothes, gloves, and boots remained, the top layer was made of silk in shiny black and green, rather than dull brown leather.


    ¡°... the qualities, texture, and toughness of the silk is a significant divergence. How is the retention of the toxin potency?¡± she heard Bai Meizhen ask as they approached.


    ¡°Seventy-five percent,¡± Bao Qingling replied gruffly. Her gaze remained straight ahead as she spoke, but her fingers twitched with a certain nervous energy. ¡°Still needs workshopping, but progress has been satisfactory so far.¡±


    ¡°The work reminds me of the crafts of certain family artifacts,¡± Bai Meizhen said smoothly. ¡°The quality is not quite there, obviously, but it is an intriguing project. The use of treated spider webbing, rather than traditional silk, is an interesting twist.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too kind,¡± the taller girl said, a bit of pride creeping into her dry voice. ¡°The works of Bai Xiong are treasured masterworks for a reason.¡± Their conversation fell silent as they approached the hall.


    ¡°Miss Bai, Miss Bao,¡± Cai Renxiang greeted formally as they stepped inside. ¡°Welcome to my hall. You honor me with your presence.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much for coming,¡± Ling Qi echoed. ¡°I hope that you find the afternoon enjoyable.¡±


    ¡°And I am honored by your invitation,¡± Bai Meizhen replied evenly. She cast Ling Qi an amused glance, but Ling Qi retained her pleasant mask. They had to go through the motions after all; she could chat with her friend later.


    ¡°As am I,¡± Bao Qingling added stiffly, dipping her head with a twitchy jerk. ¡°You¡¯ve outdone yourself, Lady Cai.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your kind words. Please partake as you will of refreshments while the other guests arrive,¡± Cai Renxiang said, gesturing that they were free to pass.


    There was another exchange of bows, and the two passed them by. Ling Qi glanced back at them as their conversation resumed.


    ¡°I would be interested to see the reaction of your silk to some Bai venoms,¡± Bai Meizhen began.


    Then Cai Renxiang shot Ling Qi a look, and Ling Qi smiled apologetically. They already had more guests coming. Eyes up front. She would have to figure out what those two were up to later.


    Guests trickled in, coming in ones and twos and threes. Gu Xiulan arrived, as did Xuan Shi and some of Ling Qi¡¯s former tutors. Shen Hu drifted in alone, still seeming awkward, although dressed nicely.


    As the arrivals were beginning to taper off, Ling Qi found herself facing the day''s second surprise. As a head of red hair came into view, she caught even Cai Renxiang¡¯s lips briefly twitch down into a frown.


    Yet, nonetheless, as Sun Liling came to a stop in front of them, her hands tucked into her pockets and her shoulders casually slouched, Cai Renxiang did not miss a beat. ¡°Welcome, Princess Sun. It pleases me that you have deigned to accept one of my invitations.¡±


    ¡°It really is a pleasure,¡± Ling Qi added blandly. She knew in a vague sense that Cai Renxiang regularly invited everyone above a certain status to avoid giving offense, but she supposed that she had never considered that this would include Sun Liling. ¡°I hope you have managed to cure your restlessness, Princess Sun.¡±


    ¡°Hah, suppose I have,¡± Sun Liling laughed. ¡°Apologies if my presence disturbed your delicate sensibilities the other day. I hope ya remembered my message.¡±


    Sixiang mused silently in her head.


    ¡°She did,¡± Cai Renxiang replied evenly. ¡°Your concern is appreciated, Princess.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad,¡± Sun Liling said agreeably. ¡°I¡¯ve been reminded that we can¡¯t let little grudges and indiscretions get in the way of cooperation. We¡¯re all servants of one Empire after all,¡± she drawled.


    ¡°An admirable view,¡± Cai Renxiang said as Ling Qi tried to keep a dubious expression off her face. ¡°You are welcome to my gathering, Princess Sun. I hope that you find it satisfactory.¡±


    Sun Liling nodded then passed them by. Ling Qi shared a long look with her liege. It looked like she wasn¡¯t alone in not buying that for an instant. For now, there was little to do about it. She remained by Cai Renxiang¡¯s side until the greeting was done.


    As Ling Qi mounted the steps to the stage and drew her flute to begin playing the first of her new pieces, her thoughts wandered to the party ahead. While she would observe everyone as well as she could from the stage, she had to consider how she would spend her time in the intermission between performances.


    When Ling Qi began her first piece of the afternoon, she allowed her qi to stir and effortlessly weave the Spring Breeze Canto into the light and ephemeral notes of her song. In studying the Harmony of the Dancing Wind art, she had worried that it was too direct and intrusive, or even rude, to use in social gatherings, but in attending these gatherings, she had begun to pick up some unspoken rules.


    It was simply accepted that everyone would listen in on everyone else. If Ling Qi focused, turning her attention to any one party goer, she could see the traces of perception arts. Cai Renxiang cast an invisible radiance over the gaggle of young nobles she conversed with, and its shadow stretched beyond them into the shifting crowd. Bai Mizhen¡¯s presence loomed in the far corner, periodically exuding tendrils of qi like a snake tasting the air. Bao Qingling stood enshrouded in a drifting web of strands that vibrated with every passing motion and word in her vicinity.


    These perception arts were not uncontested however. As the soft notes of her song drifted over the hall, people would fade in and out. She looked to Wen Cao, quietly conversing with another boy, and found her senses distorted, as if she were seeing and hearing through a veil of rippling water. She looked to Sun Liling, and the beating of a monstrous heart drowned out Sun¡¯s exact words as she chatted with a girl Ling Qi did not recognize.


    It was a little irritating that she had only found this out such a short time ago. However, she could not resent her friends in this for not explaining. Like many other things, it simply wasn¡¯t something that was talked about. It was something that was known implicitly, the same way that she knew that speaking loudly would result in people nearby overhearing her words. If someone had needed that explained to them, wouldn¡¯t she be baffled?


    The norm she had figured out gave her a new perspective on these gatherings. It was all one big dance of play and counterplay. Still, at least, she was beginning to develop the proper tools for this battlefield as well. So Ling Qi played, and Ling Qi observed.


    The overall mood was good. Disciples were pleased with her performance and the provided refreshments. In casual conversations, praise for her liege came easily to many lips. The swift, steady rise in ranks she was undergoing was not eliciting much resentment, but the comments she overheard regarding herself were less positive in tone. From the scions of various Emerald Seas clans, there was a certain air of resentment toward her, as if she had snatched something that belonged to them.


    More annoying were the veiled sneering toward some of her recent actions. Scions complained that she was thoughtless and destructive for setting off the storm on the Outer Peak without warning. that she wasted her time playing around with mortals, and that she built her staff from gutter trash, ignorant of ¡°that sort¡¯s¡± inherent untrustworthiness. The last complaint was especially annoying because there was always the undertone that she was that sort as well, and that obviously, someone should see about displacing her from the position she found herself in at Cai Renxiang¡¯s side.


    Of course, she couldn¡¯t act on the comments she had gleaned when the notes of her song pierced the obscuring veils of party goers¡¯ social masking arts. That just wasn¡¯t how the game worked. No, she had to smile, keep her knives up her sleeves, and act like the only things she had heard were the things said to her face.


    Ling Qi had put aside many petty grudges in the Outer Sect as she grew past their perpetrators. She had fixed her eyes forward on climbing the mountain of cultivation and cast aside her detractors as meaningless distractions. But that was not really an option anymore, she thought grimly. Perhaps these specific individuals could be treated the same way, but the families of Emerald Seas and beyond that they represented were not so easily ignored.


    Ling Qi allowed none of her thoughts to be expressed on her face or in her song, continuing to play the smooth melody she had composed for the party as she turned her attention to more individual concerns. Although her art failed to allow her to perceive Sun Liling¡¯s actual words, she could still observe the girl¡¯s actions, which were very mundane. The princess chatted, mingled, laughed politely at jests, and just generally acted the part of any other noble at the gathering. Sun still kept her slouched and casual posture and skimped on formal motions, but in every other way, she seemed to simply be behaving herself.


    Bai Meizhen seemed surprisingly comfortable among the guests. The ripples of terror that she had once unleashed with her every motion were controlled now, and she spoke with ease to those who engaged her. Ling Qi even spied what she suspected was the source of Meizhen¡¯s previous complaints, a handsome young man in white and black robes who seemed to hang on her every word. Ling Qi didn¡¯t miss the spark of extra animation that entered into Meizhen¡¯s expression when those seeking her attention drifted off and the pale girl turned back to Bao Qingling, who hovered nearby, radiating prickliness from her scowling expression. She had caught the Bao¡¯s attention shifting her way periodically as well, so Ling Qi suspected that they would be speaking later regardless.


    Eventually though, her first piece wound down, and Ling Qi stepped away from the stage to be replaced by a young man with a guqin whose name escaped her at the moment. She gave him a polite nod as she passed him by.


    Sixiang drawled.


    Ling Qi considered her options as she made her way to the drinks table and accepted a cup of pale plum wine. It would have been mildly intoxicating to a mortal, but for anyone here, it may as well have been a simple fruit juice.


    What should she do? Usually, at these gatherings, she said hello and made small talk with whichever of her friends were present and traded pleasantries with the handful of people who approached her. That was the only reason she remembered that Wen fellow¡¯s name. He was consistent in finding and greeting her at these things.


    She glanced in the direction from which she could feel the Wen¡¯s qi; he seemed rather withdrawn today. This was fine with her; though she knew he was a valuable contact in the Ebon Rivers province, she didn¡¯t much care for him.


    She was getting distracted though. Ling Qi took a sip from her cup and then turned and began to walk toward the most brightly lit portion of the room.


    Sixiang asked quietly.


    Ling Qi thought back.


    Cai Renxiang would be the one to observe and learn from. Besides, she was certain no one could actually enjoy being alone, surrounded by false faces at these gatherings. ... Well, Xiulan might; that girl did seem to delight in trading insinuations and jibes with unfriendly people. She chalked that up to her friend¡¯s aggressive, confrontational attitude though.


    Ling Qi left those thoughts aside as she made her way through the crowd to reach Cai Renxiang.

 Threads 34 Peers 2

    Ling Qi found her liege surrounded by a small gaggle of disciples.


    Among them was Bian Ya, her one-time tutor. She wore a clinging, two-layered gown of shimmering green and white, and her hair was put up in a complex arrangement, woven through combs and flowers. Bian Ya still felt like a light spring breeze blowing through a field of fragrant flowers to Ling Qi¡¯s senses.


    There was another boy who caught her eye with his cultivation. Leanly built with rough features and darker skin and a faintly wolfish air about him, he stood with confident ease beside Bian Ya. He wore a charcoal grey robe with white hems marked by simple geometric patterns in threads of gold. His spirit felt like a clear night sky on a moonless night, but the faint scent of blood seeped beneath it like passing by the door to a butchery.


    There was a third as well, a whip-thin boy in dark green robes with a tall black cap. He had pale, handsome features with a touch of the feminine about them. For a brief moment, he reminded her of the prince from that terrible dream. He stood quietly with a cup in his hand off to one side, his half-lidded gaze sharp and inquisitive. His cultivation felt like an old and weatherbeaten willow tree rising from the bubbling muck of a reed-choked riverbank.


    There were other disciples, but they were equals or lessers in cultivation that hardly drew Ling Qi¡¯s eye as she sidled into the loose group that surrounded her liege.


    ¡°It is true that the Cloud Tribes have grown withdrawn in the past decade. However, I would caution against the belief that this makes them a spent force,¡± Ling Qi heard her liege say as she tuned in to the conversation, shuffling the other background noise out of her attention for Sixiang to peruse later.


    ¡°It would seem less than optimal to overestimate them as well,¡± the boy Cai Renxiang was conversing with pointed out in a cautious voice. He was short and wide of build with the beginning of a mustache dusting his upper lip. There was no kind way to say it, but he reminded her of Fan Yu as his spirit spoke of a boulder rumbling downhill, growing and picking up debris. ¡°If left to their own devices, they will only return to raid another year.¡±


    ¡°Confronting a beast in its own den is a wholly different affair than defending your pens, Sir Wang,¡± the rougher of the two boys she had taken notice of said in a dry voice. She did not miss the faintly disrespectful twist his tongue gave to the word ¡°sir¡± however. ¡°One need be prepared to hold the den, else the cost of the taking be wasted when a new beast moves in. It is not as if there are any limits to the number of tribes lurking in the mountains. Turn over a rock, and five more will burst forth.¡±


    Wang shot him a venomous look, but it was Cai Renxiang who spoke. ¡°Sir Luo¡¯s words are not without merit,¡± she said smoothly. ¡°Mother¡¯s opinion remains that consolidation of our current territories is to remain the priority. While I laud your family¡¯s zeal for enriching the Empire and our humble province, I will have to ask that you convey my Mother¡¯s words of patience to your elders.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Lady Cai,¡± the apparent Wang scion said, dipping a bow. ¡°I simply wished to present certain ideas for your consideration.¡±


    Cai Renxiang gave a small nod before her eyes flicked over to where Ling Qi stood behind the main circle. ¡°Ling Qi, has some concern arisen?¡±


    ¡°Not at all, Lady Cai,¡± Ling Qi replied, clasping her hands in front of her chest and bowing toward the assembled nobles. ¡°With some small time free, I simply thought to observe the discussions of my fellows from our fair province.¡± Spirits, talking like this made her feel silly.


    ¡°Hoh, and here I thought foreigners your sole realm of interest,¡± the effeminate boy said in a silky voice. ¡°Was that not what our Lady procured your services for?¡±


    ¡°I have retained Ling Qi¡¯s services for a number of reasons,¡± Cai Renxiang interjected, heading off the conversation. ¡° You are welcome to spend your respite from your duties observing, of course.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much, Lady Cai,¡± Ling Qi said simply. ¡°While I know Miss Bian already, may I humbly request the rest of your names?¡±


    They answered, some more reluctantly than others. The lean and wolfish boy was Luo Zhong, and the effeminate one Meng De, members of the eastern and western count families. Aside from Wang Chao, the rest were a scatter of viscount and baron family scions from all around Emerald Seas.


    As the last of the introductions died down, Bian Ya shot her a smile. ¡°I have to say. Miss Ling, your talents are truly admirable. I have found myself impressed in both of your challenges thus far.¡±


    ¡°I would caution Miss Ling to control herself better in the future,¡± Meng De said quietly. ¡°The final showing in her duel exceeded good taste.¡±


    ¡°Quite right,¡± Wang Chao said, shaking his head. ¡°I cannot speak against your musical talents, but that part at the end of the duel was a bit vicious to use on a countryman, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    Luo Zong scoffed. ¡°She displayed the virtues of a noblewoman of Emerald Seas, beauty and grace sheathing a swift and fatal fury. There is no need to be soft when an elder is overseeing matters. If anything, her duel cleared some of the doubts the first competition raised.¡±


    ¡°My opponent gave his best against me,¡± Ling Qi replied carefully. ¡°I would not do him the insult of holding back out of pity.¡±


    ¡°You will find that your lessers do not generally know what is best for them,¡± Meng De scoffed. ¡°In the future, consider using the superior judgement that your cultivation and position affords, rather than simply catering to foolish pride.¡±


    Sixiang whispered.


    ¡°Thank you for your advice, Sir Meng,¡± Ling Qi said, giving no outward indication that she had heard Sixiang.


    ¡°Leaving that advice of Meng¡¯s aside,¡± Wang Chao huffed, shooting Meng a disgruntled look, ¡°it occurs that this is a rare opportunity. You must be aware of the foul rumor that has begun to spread about your house already, Miss Ling. Might you want to address the matter?¡±


    Despite her best efforts, Ling Qi could feel her expression hardening. ¡°I am merely rewarding loyalty. Those who were friends to my mother and I when we were in a low position deserve that much.¡± While she might not remember them herself, her mother did see them as friends, and that was enough. ¡°If the Liu family is truly in such difficult straits, I would be happy to discuss recompense for recruiting some of their citizens.¡±


    Luo Zhong smiled thinly at her while Meng De simply shook his head in a condescending manner. Bian Ya shot her a sympathetic look though.


    However their responses all stilled when Cai Renxiang cleared her throat. ¡°I find myself disappointed, but not surprised, to find those who obsess over petty nonsense, even in my own province. It is unfortunate, but I trust Ling Qi with the maintenance of her own household.¡±


    ¡°Well said, my lady,¡± Bian Ya said lightly. ¡°Really, it is unfortunate to see such foolishness being taken seriously.¡±


    ¡°It is a rather minor matter,¡± Meng De said smoothly. ¡°Regardless, I believe we should return to the previous matters¡­?¡±


    Ling Qi held in a sigh of relief as she was allowed to leave the center of attention and observe the interactions of the nobles. She kept her own counsel, speaking up mostly to support her liege when appropriate. The picture she got was not encouraging.


    Of course, these were only young men and women, but it seemed even Cai Shenhua¡¯s rise had not welded together the province¡¯s internal divisions. Luo and Meng sniped at each other regularly, and both looked down on the Wang for being a newly raised count family. Meanwhile, Wang blustered at everyone else. Viscounts and barons quarreled in their own little packs, vying for favorable words from the ones above them.


    Bian Ya¡¯s position seemed odd to her. She knew the Bian were a viscount house, but Bian Ya was treated with respect approaching that of the count scions. Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure if it was a matter of cultivation or something to do with the fact that her clan served directly under the Cai.


    Eventually, she got a moment to speak alone with her liege as the group dispersed and sought the refreshment table. They were truly alone as well, Ling Qi noted, hidden beneath the spiritual glare of Cai Renxiang¡¯s presence.


    ¡°Sorry I can¡¯t be of more help in situations like that,¡± Ling Qi apologized quietly.


    ¡°I do not expect you to keep up with that squabbling pack yet,¡± Cai Renxiang murmured. ¡°Though I am surprised that you tried of your own volition.¡±


    Ling Qi felt ashamed. ¡°I feel as if I may not have been pulling my weight in regards to you, Lady Cai. I wanted to begin reversing that.¡±


    Cai Renxiang shook her head very slightly. ¡°Your primary duty remains growing strong enough to continue following me, but I appreciate the gesture. Might I suggest approaching your eventual peers individually? Your talents are more suited toward that sort of interaction.¡±


    ¡°I will keep that in mind,¡± Ling Qi said as they reached the table. ¡°And you, Lady Cai, is there anything I may do to assist you?¡±


    Her liege shot her a look out of the corner of her eye. ¡°If your cultivation schedule allows, I would find a spar refreshing once this is over.¡±


    ¡°I believe I can find the time,¡± Ling Qi replied dryly. ¡°But I should go. I wouldn¡¯t want to leave your guests without entertainment.¡±


    As she returned to the stage for her second piece, Ling Qi pondered the future. Her remaining time in the Sect would be a fleeting thing, but dealing with the nobility of Emerald Seas would probably be a mainstay of her life going forward.


    Sixiang laughed as Ling Qi began to play.


    Life couldn¡¯t always be fun, Ling Qi thought absently. But, like Xuan Shi, it couldn''t hurt to make a few more friends, could it? Or at least, she could gather information on future enemies. So, as she cast out her senses through her song, Ling Qi pondered on where to direct her attention during her next break.


    Ling Qi considered her liege''s words as she let her point of view rove about the room, carried on the notes of her melody. She was glad that she had picked up the Harmony of Dancing Wind art. Even if she could not quite see through the obfuscation of every social art, merely listening in without an art of technique was an inexact effort at the best of times. Now, though, she could much more easily match rumors to the lips that spoke them and see the reactions of the ones being spoken to directly. It would make the list of information she handed over to Cai Renxiang at the end of the night much more detailed and useful.


    Still, general eavesdropping aside, her encounter with some of the scions of Emerald Seas highest families had been enlightening. Cai Renxiang was right; she wasn¡¯t quite ready to go diving in the deep waters, so to speak. So as her second piece wound down, she already knew where she was going to go. She needed to build up a friendly foundation before attempting the higher echelons again.


    After taking her bows to the audience¡¯s polite applause, she stepped down from the stage, and crossed the floor to where two familiar faces were engaged in a chat. Bian Ya, she had spoken to just earlier, but her partner in conversation was one that Ling Qi had not spoken to in many months. Ruan Shen had been her first tutor, back when she had been a mere second realm cultivator. He had given her lessons on the foundations of musical arts which had proven useful throughout the previous year, even as she had moved into learning from Zeqing.


    Ruan Shen had not changed much from the last time she had seen him. He still wore an open-fronted, baggy robe with flowery designs embroidered into the silk. His hair was a bit longer perhaps, and faint streaks of dark blue wove through the black now, but his handsome face and easy-going smile were much the same.


    Sixiang mused.


    Ling Qi kept her expression straight and serene as she gave the spirit a mental swat, to which they responded by retreating, laughing deeper into her thoughts. She could feel that both of the senior Inner disciples had noticed her approach as she neared, so she was unsurprised when their conversation tapered off and Ruan Shen turned to look her way.


    ¡°Junior Sister Ling,¡± he greeted warmly, offering a shallow bow. ¡°That was a wonderful piece. You¡¯re going to make your poor Senior Brother feel inadequate if you keep improving so quickly.¡±


    ¡°You are too kind, Senior Brother Ruan,¡± she replied, returning his bow. ¡°I still have much to learn in the art of music.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so the two of you know one another then?¡± Bian Ya asked, looking between the two of them.


    ¡°This one only offered a few small lessons to his Junior Sister, which she happened to take quite far. Ah, is this the pride of the mentor?¡± Ruan Shen sighed airily.


    ¡°I am thankful for your lessons, of course,¡± Ling Qi replied with amusement. ¡°I have already learned of how much fun it is to tease one''s juniors.¡±


    ¡°Oh, how fast they grow,¡± Ruan Shen said with pride. ¡°You have truly bloomed beautifully, Junior Sister Ling.¡±


    Ling Qi forced down the blush that wanted to rise on her cheeks. Bian Ya thankfully covered for her, raising a hand to cover her mouth as she laughed daintily. ¡°My, it seems there are more sides to you than I had believed, Miss Ling.¡±


    Ling Qi coughed into her hand. ¡°Ling Qi is fine, if it pleases you. In any case, I just wanted to thank you for your kind words earlier, Senior Sister Bian.¡±


    ¡°My name will do,¡± the older girl said smoothly. ¡°Please think nothing of it. It does one well to be kind to new players in the game, I think, and you were a dutiful student.¡±


    ¡°You are braver than I, Junior Sister, if that kind of fencing is to your fancy,¡± Ruan Shen said gravely, raising the cup in his hand like a toast. ¡°This one chooses the path of the humble musician.¡±


    ¡°Is your grandfather not recently broken through to the indigo realm?¡± Bian Ya asked. ¡°It may behoove you to begin sharpening your blade yourself.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but this one has many older brothers, sisters, and cousins, who have the matter well in hand,¡± Ruan Shen noted. ¡°I shall keep to my areas of talent.¡±


    Sixiang thought.


    Perhaps, but Ling Qi thought him lucky for having others to cover for him. ¡°If it would not be rude,¡± she said instead, ¡°might I know something of your families? I am still coming to terms with the connections in Emerald Seas.¡±


    ¡°Do not let our peers fool you. Those connections are as tangled as the branches of the oldest growth. The Hui and their predecessors were lacking administrators,¡± Bian Ya said kindly. ¡°The Bian family oversees some of the more profitable tea farming in Emerald Seas, and we hold the rank of Viscount, serving beneath the honored Cai themselves.¡±


    ¡°Though your esteemed Patriarch¡¯s solid foundation in the violet realm has set things abroil again. I believe your grandfather was nearing that realm as well, Miss Bian,¡± Ruan Shen highlighted lightly. ¡°Alas that lands cannot be conjured whole from the aether.¡±


    ¡°Quite so,¡± Bian Ya said, amused. ¡°We cannot all be so lucky as the Ruan, bordering wilderness that has lain fallow for centuries.¡±


    ¡°I suppose so,¡± Ruan Shen sighed, looking as if he wished he could strum on his instrument. ¡°We are but humble barons serving under the Bao, Miss Ling, overseeing groves of valuable spirit trees. The cuttings turn quite a profit, as well as being perfect for use in crafting instruments. Hence, our name.¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t need Sixiang¡¯s help to read between the lines of the conversation. It made sense then that Bian Ya would be friendly toward people like herself or Ruan Shen. Since her family was a budding power, the older clans would be largely hostile by default. Friends and allies would have to come from outside that circle.


    Sixiang mused sadly.


    ¡°And what of you then, Miss Ling?¡± Bian Ya asked. ¡°Do you know what you will be doing in the future?¡±


    Ling Qi considered her answer but then answered, ¡°My primary duty will be to attend Lady Cai, of course, but I believe once her time in the Sect is over, there is a fief on the southern border waiting for us. I¡¯m afraid the exact details have not been settled yet.¡±


    ¡°That is a posting with much opportunity, I think,¡± Bian Ya said thoughtfully. ¡°I can think of only a few locations which might be fit for a young heiress to oversee, and they are all choice locations, ignoring the barbarians.¡±


    ¡°That is quite a thing to ignore, Sect Sister,¡± Ruan Shen said dryly.


    Bian Ya noted, ¡°One must endure risk and hardship to achieve success. That is only good sense.¡±


    ¡°I will keep that in mind,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I hope I can count on you for advice in the future, Senior Sister.¡±


    ¡°Naturally,¡± the girl said with a smile. ¡°One can never have enough friends after all.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps I should make my exit,¡± Ruan Shen said aloud. ¡°It is said that when the ladies conspire, a sensible man should flee.¡±


    ¡°What kind of cowardly saying is that?¡± Ling Qi asked with a raised eyebrow.


    He replied with an easy grin. ¡°One made by men of little actual sense, I should think. But to be serious, if you wish to discuss matters of politics, I am not the most useful, Junior Sister.¡±


    ¡°You undersell yourself, Sir Ruan¡± Bian Ya said slyly, her long eyelashes fluttering. ¡°Else I would not have sought you out.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced between them and suddenly became uncomfortably aware of the look and tone with which the older girl spoke to her former tutor. Some part of her felt a certain sullen envy at the way the older boy suddenly found the need to clear his throat. She quashed the silly feeling immediately.


    Sixiang muttered. Ling Qi ignored that too.


    ¡°I am sure Senior Brother Shen has a great deal of good advice still,¡± she said instead. ¡°But it has been quite a long time since I have heard Senior Brother play. I am surprised that you have never taken a performance slot.¡±


    ¡°Sir Ruan can be surprisingly shy,¡± Bian Ya said with a laugh.


    ¡°Hah, perhaps those words held some truth,¡± Ruan Shen lamented. ¡°Already, the two of you have joined forces.¡±


    If she ignored the uncomfortable feeling that Bian Ya¡¯s flirtations gave her, Ling Qi would say that the chatting that followed was actually a little fun. With the subject changed from politics, their conversation drifted to music and poetry, which was much easier fare.


    Still, she left the conversation with somewhat mixed feelings. She was glad that she had secured a friendly relationship with two of her seniors, but¡­


    Ling Qi shook her head as she approached the stage for her final piece. She was being silly. Ling Qi turned her attention toward her destination, but before she could reach the stage, she found her way blocked by a mildly irate-looking Bao Qingling.


    ¡°Here,¡± the girl said bluntly, thrusting a hand toward Ling Qi. It held an expensive envelope sealed with golden wax. ¡°My brother wanted me to give you this.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, nonplussed, and accepted the envelope. ¡°Uh¡­ thank you,¡± she said, feeling unsure.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± the older girl said dully, brushing past her. ¡°Send your response soon.¡±


    Ling Qi looked at the girl''s retreating back and then to the envelope in mild trepidation. What was that about?


    She shook her head. She would have to read it later. The stage was empty, and she couldn¡¯t leave her liege''s guests without entertainment. It would make the Cai look bad.


    Somehow, Ling Qi thought, this night was more tiring than the last few. She couldn¡¯t say she wouldn¡¯t be glad to see the end of it.


    She even had a spar to look forward to.

 Threads 35 Peers 3

    Ling Qi darted through a mist-shrouded forest of stone trunks, her skin gleaming with emerald light from the power of the techniques coursing through her channels. The melody of the Forgotten Vale echoed through the cold darkness of the late evening, and red-eyed phantoms stalked at her heels and prowled in the shadows.


    Yet, like the night itself, she could only fall back before the rising of the sun. Stone exploded into powder and molten glass as a saber forged of colorless light ripped through the space that had been occupied by the pillars, sending their tops crashing down like falling trees, and Ling Qi ducked the arc of its swing by inches, flyaway strands of her hair dissolving into shadow rather than being burned away.


    Even as Ling Qi spun to face her foe, the heiress¡¯ eyes were ablaze with radiance that scorched the very flows of qi that maintained her arts. Yet, even as Cai Renxiang drove her dainty fist in under Ling Qi¡¯s ribs and launched her backward with a muffled boom of displaced air that scattered dust in every direction, the patina of green light that shielded Ling Qi held just long enough.


    Ling Qi grimaced as she twisted in the air so that it was her feet that struck the pillar, instead of her back. The impact still splintered rock, sending a spider web of cracks through the pillar and forcing her to bounce away, flickering through the shadows to reemerge as it collapsed atop the space where she had been.


    ¡°An interesting technique,¡± Cai Renxiang¡¯s voice rang out as the heiress turned, raising her saber back into a strong two-handed guard stance while Ling Qi repositioned herself in the shadows. Light radiated from Cai Renxiang at every angle, and the cloth of her gown rippled with hungry motion. Although Ling Qi¡¯s mist surrounded Cai, it could not touch her, burning away as surely as any mist exposed to light. ¡°You do truly enjoy making use of arts which force your opponents to exert themselves to exhaustion if they wish to overpower you.¡±


    Ling Qi allowed herself a grin as Sixiang exerted themself, purging the burning radiance from her meridians and allowing her to renew Deepwood Vitality. While chatting in battle was generally foolish, this was just a spar, so it was fine. Thankfully, she could do so without breaking her song as well. Sixiang was helpful like that. She could imagine some other uses for the ability to fake individual voices as well. For now though, she thought, and the wind vibrated as if she had spoken.


    ¡°Lady Cai has been a very good teacher in showing me the need to defend myself from dispelling arts.¡±


    ¡°The strongest shield or sharpest sword is useless if torn from its user¡¯s hands,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed. Even as she spoke, Ling Qi tensed, layering on another armoring technique as the heiress lunged, crashing through the pillars that stood between them like a meteor.


    Ling Qi vanished into shadow, her limbs flickering with stop motion speed as she avoided the thrust of the girl¡¯s saber, but it was only a feint. Three criss-crossing rings of light burned into existence around her and discharged countless beams of burning light only a finger wide from their inner surface.


    Deepwood Vitality shattered under the first ring¡¯s fire, and it was only her quick reaction that allowed her to escape the cage of the second and third by slipping into insubstantiality. Despite her shift into the shadows, she emerged from the radiant cage with her qi mildly drained from holding up against the radiance that carved through her shadowy form.


    It was only a distraction however. As Ling Qi reoriented herself, she found herself under relentless assault. Cai Renxiang¡¯s saber was a blur of blinding light as it swept and spun through the air, forcing her to retreat, flowing around the blade or deflecting with qi-armored forearms, but never meeting her strikes head-on.


    Ling Qi knew from experience that doing so was futile. Cai Renxiang had already grown much stronger compared to their spars before the tournament. Before, her blows were heavy, but now, they were irresistible.


    Even the Thousand Rings Unbreaking could only weather one real hit before Cai¡¯s techniques overpowered its conceptual immovability. Ling Qi wondered briefly what could be said of the Cai family that one of their primary arts was a thing of such unstoppable forward momentum.


    Sixiang said sarcastically.


    Ling Qi allowed herself a small smile. That was true enough. As she swayed to the side, avoiding a two-handed upward blow, the cry of her flying sword rang out in the mist, and the spiral blade shot out from storage, its tip barely a centimeter from Cai Renxiang¡¯s face by the time it had grown solid.


    The red silk splashed in stylized wings across her liege¡¯s chest rippled, and embroidered eyes narrowed. Then the world went white as the light around Cai Renxiang blazed. For the barest instant, she saw a faceless, inhuman visage before Ling Qi snapped her eyes shut, drew in her senses, and hurled herself backward.


    That technique, Celestial Revelation, was such a pain. It was similar to Deepwood Vitality, but it blocked even the residual on-touch techniques.


    Ling Qi silently thanked Sixiang as a pulse of moon qi washed away the worst of the blindness, but her spiritual senses were still blurred and spotty. She drew her flying mist blade back, and it circled her head, letting out a mournful whistle.


    ¡°You are growing better at wielding your domain weapon as a part of you,¡± Cai Renxiang complimented as her vision cleared, and Ling Qi¡¯s cheeks grew pale as she caught sight of the shimmering ribbon of white silk that now fluttered over the other girl¡¯s head. The six silver bells which hung from it chimed gaily, echoing through the ruined pillar forest.


    Ling Qi activated Hundred Ring Armament, renewed the effects of Sable Crescent Dancer, and moved as destruction poured down from the sky. Six scintillating beams of light slammed down on the place where she had last stood. Rubble was reduced to powder and dust, pillars shattered, and deep trenches were carved into the earth as the six beams focused on one point and fanned out, chasing her shadowy form through her increasingly ragged mist.


    ¡°And that technique is still unfair!¡± Sixiang yelled, giving word to her thoughts.


    Cai Renxiang had taken her domain weapon to the next level already, imprinting a technique into it to enhance the weapon. Now, she had to avoid the searing light of six searching beams cutting off her maneuvering room while still trying to keep away from Cai Renxiang herself. Gritting her teeth, she sent her Singing Mist Blade spiralling out, dancing through the lines of light. The weakness of Cai¡¯s domain weapon was that it was poorly suited to attacking other domain weapons and was relatively flimsy. If she could at least punch a hole or two in it, it would disrupt the lightshow trying to box her in.


    Of course, Cai Renxiang herself chose that moment to emerge from a sweeping beam of light with her saber already moving in a rising slash. Her eyes flashed with colorless light, and this time, the searing light and oppressive weight annihilated the anchoring flows of the Hundred Ring Armament. Her technique was powerful, and she had cast it perfectly, but the raw power and corrosive touch of Cai¡¯s light was too much.


    The amount of qi the heiress had to pour out was the only consolation she had when the searing edge of Cai Renxiang¡¯s saber shattered her defensive technique and knocked her back into a sweeping beam of light that carved across her back with a hiss like searing metal dropped into cold water. Her qi protected her, rising like misty smoke from her back and shoulders as Ling Qi flickered and vanished.


    ¡°Looks like that art still isn¡¯t good enough to stop you though,¡± Ling Qi, through Sixiang, grumbled, already working to shore up her battered defenses. She would not be able to use Hundred Ring Armament for a time. Even Sixiang could not dispel the technique Cai had used.


    ¡°Its presence forces me to spend qi more freely than I would like,¡± Cai Renxiang replied from somewhere within the dust and dancing beams of light. ¡°There is value in narrowing an opponent¡¯s options.¡±


    She supposed that was true, and if, with the work she had done and the techniques she had learned, Ling Qi could force Cai Renxiang to break out her stronger techniques, then against peers, she should be well off indeed. Ling Qi rallied herself as the beam that had been cutting its way toward her veered off wildly, and she caught the whistling wail of her sword on the wind.


    She might not be ready to win, but neither was she someone the heiress could trivially defeat. There was something to be proud of in that, even if neither of them was exactly pulling out their full bag of tricks.


    ***?


    Ling Qi lay on her back, breathing heavily as she stared up at the night sky. The smoke and dust had faded, and only a few tattered shreds of mist clung to the shadows of rubble and still standing pillars.


    Cai Renxiang was seated a short distance away atop the perfectly smooth stump of a fallen pillar. Her saber lay across her lap, and the heiress silently polished the gleaming surface with a square of dark blue cloth. The maintenance was a purely meditative action, Ling Qi knew.


    ¡°I wonder how much the field maintenance guys hate us,¡± Ling Qi mused.


    ¡°Not very much, I should imagine. It is their duty,¡± Cai Renxiang replied absently, not looking up. ¡°I can imagine that few third realm cultivators whose battle would not wreak some degree of destruction on this place.¡±


    ¡°I suppose,¡± Ling Qi said, not looking away from the sky. ¡°Why do you choose this field so often though? You might be able to bust through, but fighting here has to be annoying for you.¡±


    ¡°There is a certain catharsis in destruction,¡± Cai Renxiang explained quietly. ¡°And it reminds me of the costs incurred when violence is required.¡±


    Ling Qi looked to one side and then the other. Ruin and rubble was all that met her eyes. If she closed her eyes, she could imagine for a moment that this was a stretch of woodlands, or perhaps a town. She breathed out quietly.


    ¡°I can see your point. Even for a couple of third realms like us, it¡¯s pretty ridiculous. I¡¯m not sure I can picture what a real fight between higher cultivators must be like.¡± Fragments of tattered memory, a black tide of fur, claw, and fang flickered across her mind¡¯s eye, and she shuddered.


    ¡°I was taken in my youth to observe the site of Ogodei¡¯s fall,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°Even with the spirits of nature reclaiming it, the ruin was obvious. The sight of broken mountains, canyons and craters that stretch for kilometers, and localized storms that simply never end is humbling, but also a warning.¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s why even your Mother puts up with unruly vassals, huh?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°There is no value in ruling a wasteland,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed.


    There was silence between them before Ling Qi spoke up again. ¡°Still¡­ How does the Duchess stand it? I¡¯m only starting to get the picture from talking and listening, but there¡¯s so much chaos in Emerald Seas, just under the surface. I know I only saw your Mother once but I can¡¯t imagine her standing for it, all this petty bickering, the confused chains of loyalty, and conflicting borders.¡±


    Cai Renxiang was quiet, the only sound she made was the swish of cloth across metal. ¡°You must understand that what exists today is already an improvement. Are you aware that Emerald Seas holds the record for the greatest number of times its dukedom has changed hands?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t studied the other provinces much,¡± Ling Qi said with a frown. ¡°Obviously, the Bai, Zheng, and Xuan have only ever had one ruling family, but is Emerald Seas really¡­?¡±


    ¡°With my Mother''s ascension, that is four ducal families,¡± Cai Renxiang replied. ¡°The other provinces which have changed hands are on their second.¡±


    Ling Qi looked at the sky, thinking. She wondered where the capital province fit into that. They were on their third dynasty after all. Of course, all of the Imperial dynasties had continuity, so perhaps that was different. ¡°I remember looking at the historical timelines. There were still millenia of peace between the changes.¡±


    ¡°The Xi and Hui were not able administrators,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°They rarely interfered with their vassals, and the province suffered for it. In the later Hui period, even the Imperial Peace was only sporadically enforced. To the rest of the Empire, the Emerald Seas was somewhat of a backwater.¡±


    Sixiang grumbled.


    The Imperial Peace was the law which forbade clans from taking open military action against their peers. It was a basic enough bit of law that even Ling Qi remembered it. Yes, if things had gotten that bad, she could see why things were as they were now.


    ¡°I guess just cutting the whole tangled knot would run into that wasteland problem, huh?¡±


    ¡°Quite,¡± Cai Renxiang replied dryly.


    Ling Qi sighed, a twitch of her fingers returning the gold-lined envelope Bao Qingling had given her to the material world as she looked up at the broken seal. She had read it before their spar, but she had put it out of her head. The language was flowery, and it had been couched in a lot of language about trade and resources, including mention of Zhengui, but she could read between the lines.


    It seemed that Bao Quan had not been commenting idly when he mentioned the idea of a marriage match when she had met him at the Guo¡¯s gathering during the New Year¡¯s Tournament. He was canny enough not to make any direct mention of such a thing though. She supposed that to him, a fourth realm cultivator, she was as easy to read as a mortal.


    ¡°Developing a close alliance with the Bao would probably be the most useful thing I could do to help with the whole mess, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Ling Qi asked idly.


    ¡°It would not be unwelcome,¡± Cai Renxiang asked, eyeing the letter in her hands. ¡°Have you been officially approached for such?¡±


    ¡°I think so,¡± Ling Qi said, eyes tracing the broken wax seal. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ Even if they¡¯re not pushing for a betrothal contract now, that¡¯s the goal, isn¡¯t it? How do you deal with knowing that you¡¯re going to have to sell yourself like that?¡±


    Cai Renxiang looked down at her, pausing in the polishing of her saber. ¡°I do not understand your difficulty,¡± she admitted.


    ¡°It¡¯s kinda childish, isn¡¯t it,¡± Ling Qi sighed. What a stupid thing to say to her liege.


    ¡°That was not my intent,¡± Cai Renxiang said, considering her words as she raised the blade from her lap, studying the gleaming curve of the metal. ¡°I was speaking bluntly. Marriage and betrothal are simply business contracts like any other, if generally longer in their terms.¡±


    Ling Qi sat up, eyeing the other girl with a dubious look. ¡°You actually believe that, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Sixiang snarked.


    ¡°If you are concerned about an imbalance of power from your mother¡¯s experiences, you should know that your talent and my backing will put paid to any such abuses. I will extend the Cai family''s resources to reviewing your contract,¡± Cai Renxiang offered, lowering the blade as pale blue threads began to weave together around it, reforming its scabbard.


    Ling Qi stared at her. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t appreciate the offer, but the offer seemed to miss the point. ¡°There is more to it than that. You¡¯re¡­ There¡¯s supposed to be more to this kind of relationship than that.¡± It definitely wasn¡¯t supposed to just be business. She hadn¡¯t run away from Mother just to dive right back in.


    Cai Renxiang frowned at her. ¡°It is not something to be spoken of in public, but the emotional fulfillment you are speaking of is something to be taken care of on the side. Even Mother does so with Minister Linqin. But I suggest you keep such matters better hidden. You do not have the might to ignore convention as Mother does.¡±


    Ling Qi opened her mouth to respond and then closed it again as her thoughts caught up with the words she had just heard. ¡°What?¡±


    Sixiang said faintly.


    ¡°It is hardly something to be spoken of in polite company, but most¡­¡± Cai Renxiang began.


    ¡°No, the bit about the Duchess,¡± Ling Qi said, not even caring that she interrupted her liege.


    Cai Renxiang¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°It is one of her more incomprehensible decisions. She treats the Minister as her wife in most every social situation, often with undue public affection despite the damage the scandal does.¡±


    ¡°Is this something you should be telling me?¡± Ling Qi asked with alarm.


    ¡°Normally not, but for whatever reason, it is public knowledge,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°Obviously, Mother has some plan to which I am not privy which explains the matter. Perhaps it is because Minister Linqin is effectively the Diao Matriarch, and thus, much more valuable and powerful than my father. I would not speculate too much on matters clearly beyond me. The point is, if you seek¡­ romance, there is no need for that to affect your marriage prospects.¡±


    Ling Qi stared at the other girl, attempting to process the idea of the radiant monster she had met at the tournament expressing ¡°undue public affection.¡± She failed.


    Sixiang said bluntly.


    Ling Qi was thankful. She supposed she should be thankful that the surreality of the words had shaken her out of her fugue. ¡°I will take your words under advisement,¡± she said faintly.


    The dimmed light around her liege brightened for a moment, and the other girl nodded, seeming satisfied. ¡°Good. I hope that you can resolve the matter satisfactorily.¡± Cai Renxiang glanced up at the sky, and her lips thinned. ¡°It is growing late however. I trust that you will look into the other matter as time allows?¡±


    Ling Qi nodded as she stood up, brushing dust and stone powder from her hands. ¡°Yeah, I want to know what Sun Liling is playing at as well. I¡¯ll keep track of who she talks to at the gatherings.¡±


    ¡°Very good,¡± her liege replied, all business once more. ¡°Thank you for the spar.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the spar,¡± Ling Qi repeated, tucking the letter away. She still had a month or two until she had to worry about the letter and its contents. For now, she had to get back to her own plans. She had several matters of cultivation to finish, and the moon was calling.

 Bonus: Snake and Spider 1

    It was the taste of corrosion in the air which drew Bai Meizhen¡¯s attention. A familiar scent, which reminded her of home. Where she would sometimes lurk about in the alchemy district to avoid her more aggressive cousins'' attentions. A glance to her side revealed the source. A young woman a year or two her elder, who it had taken her a moment to recognize.


    The odd Bao daughter, the one who did not fit that clans mold. Bai Meizhen knew of her, but only in the sense that she was vaguely aware of the names and positions of every noble member of the Inner Sect. She studied the girl out of the corner of her eye as they joined the little path leading up to Cai Renxiang¡¯s rented pavilion. It was the silk of her rather mannish clothing giving off that scent. What was¡­ ah, that was interesting.


    ¡°Venom infused silk? That is hardly a common style in this region,¡± Bai Meizhen commented idly, a single sliding step carrying her into polite speaking range. Through her parted lips she tasted the composition of the toxin on her tongue. It was odd, one she didn¡¯t recognize.


    The reaction to her words was interesting. A sort of full body twitch too minute to notice without close attention, and a sort of rustling motion in the girl¡¯s qi as she jerked her head to the side. Bao Qingling¡¯s eyes came to rest on her face, but it was subtly awkward, not quite natural. Blindness? No, that wasn¡¯t quite right.


    ¡°Not anymore,¡± Bao Qingling agreed curtly, her tone indicating disinterest.


    Bai Meizhen shifted her stance slightly, leaning her head to one side as if examining the other disciple. Sure enough, another twitch and a slightly delayed movement from the girl¡¯s eyes. A nonstandard perception art? That was interesting. It was rare outside old spirit blooded clans like her own. ¡°I see,¡± she replied, and considered ending it there, but with so much posturing awaiting her, speaking on an actual enjoyable subject seemed tempting. ¡°Is it your own work?¡±


    ¡°Yes, spider silk, with my own custom toxin,¡± she replied, turning her gaze back toward the path. ¡°I am not accepting commissions at this time.¡±


    How difficult, Bai Meizhen mused. ¡°I would not wish to commission incomplete work regardless.¡±


    That drew a sharp look. ¡°And what about it is incomplete?¡± She asked coolly.


    ¡°The corrosion effect is too strong, the silk will decay in a matter of days,¡± Bai Meizhen replied matter of factly.


    ¡°...The shelf life is a month at minimum. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re getting at,¡± Bao Qingling was starting to scowl.


    ¡°I am Bai, do not question my mastery of venoms,¡± Meizhen sniffed. Really, she had been hoping to discuss the girl¡¯s mixing process and perhaps give some pointers, there was no need to be¡­ huffy.


    This time Bao Qingling stopped, staring hard at her through squinted eyes, and Bai Meizhen raised an eyebrow, stopping as well. ¡°...So you are,¡± she said after a long second. Her tone was grudging.


    ¡°I do not doubt the quality of the work, but the intensity is rather high,¡± Bai Meizhen replied as they resumed walking. ¡°The quality, texture and toughness of the silk is significantly divergent. How is the retention of toxin potency?¡±


    ¡°Seventy five percent,¡± she replied gruffly. Her fingers twitched with nervous energy. ¡°Still needs workshopping, but progress has been satisfactory so far.¡± Or so she thought, her tone seemed to say.


    The set of her shoulders was less closed off and hostile now though. It seemed she was not so dull as to not recognize actual expertise when it was given. Still, perhaps she had phrased her own criticism poorly.


    ¡°The work reminds me of the crafts of certain family artifacts. The quality is not quite there, obviously, but it is an intriguing project, the use of treated spider webbing rather than traditional silk is an interesting twist however,¡± that should smooth any ruffled feathers.


    Indeed, the slouching girl straightened up in obvious pride. It seemed that she was aware of the shadow she worked under. How nice. ¡°You¡¯re too kind. The works of Bai Xiong are treasured masterworks for a reason.¡±


    They were approaching the entrance now though, and the conversation needed to be on hold. Cai Renxiang and Ling Qi were there, greeting guests.


    ¡°Miss Bai, Miss Bao,¡± Cai Renxiang greeted formally as they stepped inside. ¡°Welcome to my hall. You honor me with your presence.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much for coming,¡± Ling Qi echoed. ¡°I hope that you find the afternoon enjoyable.¡±


    ¡°And I am honored by your invitation,¡± Bai Meizhen replied evenly, she could not help but give Ling Qi an amused look, remembering the sloppy ragamuffin which she had shared her home with a year ago. Some things truly did change. She did her best to ignore the niggling pain in her heart.


    ¡°As am I,¡± Bao Qingling added stiffly, dipping her head with a twitchy jerk. ¡°You¡¯ve outdone yourself, Lady Cai.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your kind words. Please partake as you will of refreshments while the other guests arrive,¡± Cai Renxiang replied, gesturing that they were free to pass.


    All four of them exchanged the necessary pleasantries and motions as they stepped past. She would have to speak with her friends later, they would be busy for some time, and it would be rude to monopolize the host''s time. Which meant¡­


    She could worry about her duties later. She had been having a pleasant conversation.


    ¡°I would be interested to see the reaction of your silk to some Bai venoms,¡± Bai Meizhen resumed as they approached the refreshments. Poison craft was something of a hobby of hers. While all Bai were instructed in the basics of the art in order to make the cultivation of their arts more efficient, it was a little beneath a White Serpent to perform material alchemy past childhood. Although, not unacceptably so if it was for personal use.


    ¡°Is that so,¡± Bao Qingling replied, sounding slightly suspicious. ¡°I don¡¯t mean any insult to your knowledge, but why the sudden interest?¡±


    Because she was lonely, a quiet part of Meizhen¡¯s mind whispered. Because she saw how Ling Qi flitted between groups of friends, and she wanted that too. Why shouldn¡¯t she have someone to discuss her hobby with. ¡°Poison crafting is not a much honored art in Emerald Seas. It is not something which I have had much opportunity to discuss or practise with peers.¡±


    ¡°Well, not going to refuse advice from a Bai,¡± Bao Qingling said grudgingly, accepting a cup of cider from the server at the table. ¡°If you¡¯re right about the silk anyway.¡±


    ¡°I shall expect your message in three days time then,¡± Bai Meizhen said, smiling thinly.


    ¡°Hmph,¡± the girl grumbled. ¡°Well, I need to go Miss Bai. I have things to do at this¡­ party.¡±


    ¡°I as well,¡± Meizhen sighed as they turned away from each other. She did hope that Bao Qingling would contact her.


    ***


    ¡°I believe I have discovered the source of the issue,¡± the dangerous creature standing over her work table said placidly.


    Bao Qingling felt the shift in familiar air currents as the other girl moved, even as she worked on the skein of silk forming on her loom. The fact that her work had been flawed still stuck in her throat like a bitter pill with a flawed casing. ¡°Is that so,¡± she said flatly. ¡°Well, what is your insight?¡±


    Bao Qingling did not like being off balance. She did not like uncertainty. She did not like mysteries. Usually this was not a problem. Her fellow disciples assumed that her brusque manner implied a lack of understanding, of simplicity.


    No, she understood most of them perfectly well. That was why she held them in such contempt. However, Bai Meizhen was refusing to be categorized properly, and it irked her.


    ¡°It is a flaw in your approach to the subject as a whole,¡± The girl said, speaking words which effortlessly and openly insulted her. Yet there was no malice in them. Bao Qingling¡¯s fingers twitched in agitation as she spun on her heel, looking down at the pale white blob occupying her lab. If that were her only sense, then she would have shot back a barb of her own.


    But Bao Qingling had stopped relying on her eyes a long time ago. The delicate sense-threads of Qi which radiated from her meridians shuddered and vibrated. The nigh invisible hairs of her body prickled despite the thick clothing she wore. All because she had focused on that girl.


    She was an abyssal vortex, descending into the depths, and her current commanded both attention and respect. Bao Qingling was the stronger of them, for now, but she was pragmatic enough to know the power of blood. This was a temporary state of affairs at best.


    ¡°Explain,¡± she said curtly. She did not understand this woman¡¯s purpose. She was not interested in a commission. She was not interested in denigrating Bao Qingling, else she would have voiced the flaw at the party. She did not seem to simply be bored and playing, as some highborn individuals seemed to do.


    Everything Bao Qingling understood about social interactions indicated that she was merely seeking to indulge a shared hobby, but that was absurd. There was obviously some factor she was missing. Were the Bai seeking something in regards to the routes which ran through Bao lands? If so, this was an odd way to go about it. What were¡­


    ¡°You began from the basis of a medicinal cultivator. This has resulted in a serious flaw in your mixtures. You treat poisoncraft as an extension of medicinal arts,¡± Bai Meizhen replied, derailing her thoughts.


    Bao Qingling narrowed her eyes, her foot tapping impatiently. Replies tripped over one another in her thoughts as she examined the words for meaning, picking them apart. Discard condescension, habitual affectation. Implication of some insight available to the Bai not available in the public archives which had formed her own foundation. ¡°How is it not?¡± she asked bluntly. ¡°Poison is merely the principals of medicine turned to harm.¡±


    ¡°Not inaccurate in some ways, and sufficient for most projects. Certainly both crafts require a similar understanding of the anatomy of body and spirit,¡± Bai Meizhen replied. There was a whisper of moving air, and then Bao Qingling scented the faintly acidic smell of her fourteenth test batch. She must have unsealed a vial. ¡°However, this mindset leads to you having integrated the concept of excess into your mixtures. This batch in particular, your final mix, is merely a heart soothing medication with it¡¯s potency raised to the point where it will cause a fatal slackening and loss of pressure in the veins.¡±


    Bao Qingling¡¯s foot stopped tapping. Bai Meizhen¡¯s voice was pleasant when tinged with excitement. Discard. ¡°...The corrosion is caused by the inclusion of the concept of excess. Despite all of the safeguards.¡±


    ¡°Indeed so,¡± Bai Meizhen replied. There was a faint sizzling and a fluctuation in qi as the other girl drew the venom from the vial with a flick of her finger, a glittering cord of liquid visible in Bao Qingling¡¯s spirit senses. ¡°So while the quality and potency of the toxin is high, it is unsuitable for the task of envenoming organic fiber. Such a conceptual element is incompatible with materials with lives shorter than stone or metal.¡±


    Such a simple but fundamental error. So much wasted time. ¡°It should be possible to reinforce silk to have a similar lifetime,¡± she said slowly. ¡°But the conceptual excess will constantly damage such safeguards. It would be possible to counteract this but it would be¡­¡±


    ¡°Inefficient,¡± Bai Meizhen said, overlapping her words.


    She stared at Bai Meizhen in silence for several seconds. ¡°And what is the secret I am missing, then Lady Bai,¡± this was likely the end of it. Her curiosity satisfied, Bai Meizhen would take her leave, and Bao Qingling would have to begin reconstructing her projects from the ground up. Again. Perhaps this time Father could be persuaded to make the purchases which he had previously rebuffed, even with her increased allowance she could not afford the texts she wanted without dangerously curtailing her cultivation.


    ¡°Oh, the root of it is simple enough. It is hardly a secret. You must develop your venoms from the beginning with only the intent to harm and no thought to any beneficial effects; to inflict suffering and cripple to the exact extent which you desire and no more,¡± there was a shift in the pale blob, and an odd vibration through her strands. ¡°It will require some shift in mindset, but I am willing to assist you, should you desire.¡±


    That was¡­ self consciousness, at the end there. As if accepting her offer of assistance as a scion of the Bai was Bao Qingling doing her a favor. Nonsensical.


    But could she really afford to reject it, no matter what plot lay beyond?

 Threads 36 Three Moons 1

    Cultivation always made time fly by.


    It was frustrating, Ling Qi could admit. Days could pass by without her noticing while she spent time whirling and dancing among the faded stones of a long dead city to the music of dreams and the cheers of her spirits, advancing toward and achieving the fourth revel of the Phantasmagoria of Lunar Revelry. Only Hanyi¡¯s declaration of boredom and Sixiang¡¯s sheepish agreement that they had lost track of time allowed her to pull herself free from the raucous cheers of the revel¡¯s phantoms.


    The cultivation of spirit and body was no different. She knew if she were not careful, she could lose whole weeks to her efforts, drinking in the qi of the stars and shaping it through spirit and body. Still, these were not new problems.


    As she advanced it became easier to lose hours instead of minutes, but it remained an issue that she had solved before. Ling Qi was careful to break up her cultivation with time spent on and interacting with the real world. She studied the lines of the noble families of Emerald Seas, she took trips to market with Xiulan, Meizhen, or both of them, and she stopped by Li Suyin¡¯s home to offer encouragement as the girl prepared for her final push to break through to the third realm.


    She also spent time at home, coaching her Mother through the first steps of physical cultivation or taking her turn to read bedtime stories to her little sister. Zhengui and Hanyi helped as well, though it was mostly the latter. Left to his own devices, Zhengui could take day-long naps without missing a beat, but Hanyi¡¯s energy and wandering attention was good for keeping him active.


    Of course, because she had spent a good portion of her Sect Points in the month before, she had to dedicate at least some of her time to earning more, so that she could once again peruse the more powerful elixirs and pills turned out by the Sect¡¯s pillmakers. She tutored Xiao Fen again, and her other sect jobs, which took her all over the Sect, proved profitable enough, even beyond the Sect Point rewards.


    During them, she discovered a breathtaking series of cliffs where wind spirits flew and played through funnel-like holes worn in the rock that made the land whistle with natural music, and deeper in the mountains, she found an isolated basin filled near to the brim with water, forming a crystal clear lake of unnatural stillness. Few beasts were foolish enough to attack her during her travel, so Ling Qi found herself gathering less disagreeable reagents for later sale. It was a minor sum, hardly necessary with the windfall she had received for selling that disturbing mirror, but even so, there was no point in waste if she had the opportunity.


    Every night though, the moon stared down at her, as if in expectation, but her meditations brought no new insight. More and more, there was a strange tingling sensation in the back of her mind that only grew more potent every time she sat down to cultivate. Instead, Ling Qi found her eyes drawn to the table where she had set up the map of the Sect. There was somewhere that she needed to be, her instinct told her, and the map would be key.


    She sought through one map marker after another. The first markers turned up crumbling ruins, little more than a few broken stones still laying in the same vicinity. When she returned home to look at the map again, she found her eyes drawn to a marker that she was quite sure had not been there before. It hardly stood out, a single mountain peak surrounded by stylized ¡°eight¡± characters. She supposed that was as close to a sign as she was going to get.


    Ling Qi searched the whole of the mountain, enhancing her senses with her arts. But even aided by Sixiang, she found nothing special, no mysterious temple at the peak, no strange formations or vestiges of dream. Indeed, there was only one thing upon the whole of the mountain.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure you don¡¯t remember anything about this place?¡± Ling Qi asked suspiciously as she alighted on the crumbling cliffside.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got nothin¡¯,¡± Sixiang confirmed on the wind, peering out from behind her eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s so dirty,¡± Hanyi complanied as she materialized off to Ling Qi¡¯s left, her bare feet kicking off the edge of Zhengui¡¯s shell where she sat.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing even a little tasty looking here,¡± Gui confirmed dubiously, peering back and forth. ¡°At least the last place had the tasty moss.¡±


    Ling Qi huffed out a small laugh, remembering the comical sight of Gui awkwardly gnawing on a chunk of rock, trying to get at the moss clinging to it without filling his mouth with pebbles. Peering ahead, she could not disagree with their assessment. A crumbling path, missing more than half of its cobblestones, led back into what looked to have once been a grove of cherry trees. Now, only a single sad and withered specimen rose from the moldering logs and stumps that characterized the rest.


    Much like the grove, the structure set in the back of the ruined grove was no grand ruin, just a crumbling foundation and a partial frame built of wood so old that it was halfway to being stone. Ling Qi felt her eyes tingle as she activated her arts, but there truly was nothing here.


    ¡°Zhengui, Hanyi, follow me to the end of the path, then keep watch, okay?¡± she asked absently as she began to walk toward the ruin. Her map and her instincts had led her here; there had to be something.


    With her spirits¡¯ affirmations in her ears, Ling Qi began to search the ruined building. Leaving Hanyi and Zhengui at the end of the path, she began to pick her way through crumbled wood and fallen roof tiles, sweeping her gaze across the debris in search of anything of interest. Eventually, her search took her behind where the building had been into an overgrown yard.


    Here, she found an artificial pond. Its bottom was lined with tiles in a mural depicting the cycle of the moon. Many tiles were cracked or missing however, and water weeds and muck pushed crumbling stone apart. Frowning, Ling Qi peered down into the water.


    ¡°It¡¯s taken you long enough, Ling Qi,¡± a teasing voice whispered, tickling her ear with its closeness.


    Ling Qi spun around, alarmed at the strange, floaty feeling spreading through her body, the mist that seemed to have consumed everything more than a meter away, and the clouding of her vision by strands of glittering starlight, only to hear a surprised yelp and a splash. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something bewildering. She saw Sixiang, fully physical, climbing out of the pond, spitting water and looking rather put-out.


    Then, she realized the source of the strands clouding her vision. She was standing backward inside of her own body, which stood frozen in perfect stillness, just like the world around them.


    She heard tinkling laughter and looked up to see three figures resolving in the mist. To her right stood Xin, giving her an amused but apologetic smile. She wore her gown of red and blue, and her silver hair hung loose in a phantom wind.


    Directly in front of her was a tall and willowy woman clad in pale grey silk, her long, inky-black hair tied back in a braid that wrapped twice around her neck and hung down from her shoulder. Her gown was a gauzy thing of billowing silk, cloaking the movements of her limbs. Behind the woman¡¯s black veil, only a wide grin was visible.


    Last of all, to her right was a matronly woman with glittering eyes, so much like Sixiang, save for her age and overt femininity. She wore an elaborate gown with a high feathery color, her hue-changing hair woven into a complex web of ornaments.


    ¡°Do not tease the girl. A lady is free to be fashionably late,¡± the rightmost spirit said lightly.


    ¡°Hmm... I thought I heard something, but you didn¡¯t say anything, did you, Hidden?¡± the veiled spirit asked in a sing-song voice.


    ¡°Oh, do stop, Grinning. It is hardly unheard of for a human to be aligned with three of us,¡± Xin said, her manner every inch the put-upon older sister. ¡°I am glad you made it, Ling Qi. It would hardly do for you to waste your potential with an incomplete cultivation art.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced around her, unsettled by the stillness of the misty world she had found herself in. She allowed herself to be comforted by the sight of Sixiang, their expression disgruntled but not fearful. It struck her as odd that all the world would be frozen, but the pool was not. But wait, the waters had stopped moving, ripples freezing in time. Had they really¡­?


    ¡°If you do not use your world-bending power for a bit of fun now and then, there isn¡¯t much point to it,¡± the veiled spirit said lightly. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve forgotten that.¡±


    Ling Qi began to reply but paused. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t. Where are my other spirits?¡±


    ¡°Bold as brass,¡± the Grinning Moon mused. ¡°Let it not be said that you haven¡¯t changed in good ways as well.¡±


    ¡°Zhengui and Hanyi have not been harmed,¡± Xin soothed. ¡°That said, Dreaming, if you would¡­?¡±


    ¡°Of course. We can afford a few more guests,¡± the third spirit said, dipping her head. Somewhere inside her voluminous sleeves, a pair of fingers snapped.


    Ling Qi blinked as a sudden weight pressed down on her head followed by a squeaky yelp as it fell off. Reflexively, she reached out to catch it and found herself staring down at Zhengui, shrunk to a size only barely larger than he had been at hatching.


    ¡°Wha- Huh?¡± Gui chirped in confusion.


    ¡°Why am I, Zhen, little again?!¡± his other half hissed in distress, peering around. ¡°Big Sister, what has happened?!¡±


    ¡°Serves you right,¡± Hanyi huffed at her side. ¡°Auntie Xin is messing around again, huh?¡±


    Ling Qi almost did a double take when she looked down at her other spirit. Patches of Hanyi¡¯s skin were blackened and cracked, particularly on her feet and legs, but Hanyi didn¡¯t seem uncomfortable.


    ¡°Nothing physical about where we are right now,¡± Sixiang said quietly, as if reading her thoughts.


    ¡°Auntie Xin, huh?¡± the Grinning Moon said in amusement. ¡°The new you is a real homebody. I wonder, did you see this fate for yourself, Archivist of Vice?¡±


    ¡°Some of the best things in the world come to us as surprises,¡± Xin replied evenly. ¡°I will thank you not to use that name, however, little sister. I have a secret or two that I am sure you do not want aired after all.¡±


    As the Grinning Moon raised her hands in mock surrender. Ling Qi cleared her throat. ¡°Ah,. Honored Spirits, are you all really... Um.¡± She struggled to articulate her thoughts. It boggled her mind that three Great Spirits would come together in one place for her.


    ¡°My Sixiang has given you a glimpse behind the curtain, have they not?¡± the Dreaming Moon queried, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Each of us are only local spirits, actor¡¯s masks through which our Greater Selves might peer, and even then, this is not the whole of our being.¡±


    ¡°Time and space can be a funny old thing when you cut out the material,¡± the Grinning Moon said. ¡°So worry not. I¡¯ve still got an eye on the province¡¯s urchins and sneaks.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not even interrupting dinner,¡± Xin said. ¡°For which I am glad. I managed to drag that old curmudgeon out of his workshop for once.¡±


    Ling Qi felt herself relax a little, brushing her fingers across Zhen¡¯s head as she used to when he was actually this size. That was at least a slightly less intimidating prospect. ¡°What is all this about then?¡±


    ¡°You have nearly completed the Eight Phases Ceremony,¡± Xin said solemnly.


    ¡°The time has come to mold the next step in your journey,¡± the Dreaming Moon continued, matching her tone.


    ¡°No more aping of the eight, but rather, forging your own,¡± the Grinning Moon said seriously before shooting a sly look at Dreaming. In a much more irreverent voice, she added, ¡°Of course, there really should only be two of us.¡±


    ¡°Are you, of all spirits, decrying a follower for a bit of indecision?¡± the Dreaming Moon asked blandly.


    ¡°Sisters,¡± Xin sighed. ¡°Can we not maintain at least a little bit of decorum?¡±


    ¡°Wrong grouping for that!¡± the Grinning Moon laughed.


    At Ling Qi¡¯s side, Hanyi rolled her eyes. ¡°I guess all aunties are silly.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on,¡± Gui grumbled petulantly, glancing up at Zhen jealously as the little snake leaned into Ling Qi¡¯s absent petting.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know,¡± Sixiang sighed.


    Glancing at the three incredibly potent spirits before her bickering like any other trio of sisters in the world, Ling Qi felt her own patience for decorum slipping away. The part of her that remembered just what they were wondered if that was the point. ¡°So, what do I need to do?¡±


    ¡°Why, you get to participate in our little night out,¡± said the Grinning Moon, spreading her arms wide.


    ¡°We will show you scenarios and allow you to make decisions, which will be the foundations of your own phase,¡± Xin elaborated.


    ¡°Do not treat it lightly though,¡± the Dreaming Moon admonished. ¡°Though the dream might be fleeting, the truth it reveals in yourself will last long past the morning.¡±


    ¡°I know that,¡± Ling Qi said. She still remembered the Bloody Moon¡¯s dream.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s get started, shall we?¡± the Grinning Moon asked rhetorically. Turning away, she raised her hands and brushed the mist away, revealing a sheer cliff beneath which stretched what seemed the whole of the province. Ling Qi could see the cities and villages of Emerald Seas, huddled circles of light and smoke crouching amidst a vast sea of green. It struck her then just how scattered and fragile those lights seemed.


    ¡°We have picked out a few venues. That will be your first decision,¡± the Dreaming Moon said.


    ¡°Do not worry about excluding any of us,¡± Xin chuckled, a knowing look in her eyes. ¡°One way or the other, all three of us have our parts within you.¡±


    Ling Qi looked out over the cliffs and saw the crumbling city of Tonghou, turned inward, shrinking by the decade, lit by the light of a grinning crescent, a gleaming tower of light and wood, vast beyond easy comprehension, a bastion of power that cast deep shadows even under the lightless moon, and a little village in the hills, new and yet old, built upon layers of bones but peaceful and full of laughter under the light of a waning moon.


    In the end, neither the majesty of the tower nor the joy of the village could hold her eye. Despite the fact that her experiences there seemed like they had happened in a different lifetime, they kept coming back to haunt her. Whether it was old fears clawing their way to the surface, the connections of family, or simple old habits, the source was the same.


    It all came back to Tonghou.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to, you know. You don¡¯t have to go back to resolve things,¡± Sixiang said.


    ¡°I know. But I suppose I just want to see it all with fresh eyes,¡± Ling Qi replied before raising her eyes to meet Xin¡¯s. ¡°You have my answer.¡±


    Xin smiled understandingly. ¡°Very well. Allow me to-¡±


    ¡°Ha, I knew, it! Road trip time, ladies!¡± the Grinning Moon announced, pumping her fist into the air. Ling Qi had only a moment to blink in confusion before the wind kicked up and carried her and her spirits off the cliff.

 Threads 37 Three Moons 2

    Ling Qi yelped, clutching Zhengui to her chest as she tumbled head over heels into the open sky. Hanyi laughed as she tumbled through the air beside her.


    It was nothing like the controlled flight she was used to. Ling Qi spun, bobbed, and drifted on the breeze like a leaf caught in a windstorm as the province rushed by beneath them. Yet for all their speed, the rush of wind never became the howling gale that it should have been. Their wild flight took some getting used to, but as Ling Qi regained her bearings, she found it exhilarating rather than alarming.


    Despite her nerves at their destination, she found herself letting out a breathless laugh as Hanyi bumped against her and sent Ling Qi spinning away in the wind. She saw the little spirit stick out her tongue mockingly as she floated away on a gust.


    ¡°Well, we can¡¯t let her get away with that, can we?¡± Ling Qi asked, feeling a little light-headed.


    ¡°Yeah, go get her, Big Sister!¡± Gui squeaked.


    ¡°Let me give ya a hand,¡± Ling Qi heard Sixiang say as she felt the spirit''s hands on her back. The shove that followed launched her through the air after the laughing Hanyi.


    Ling Qi could not be sure how long their trip lasted. It all seemed to blur together in a haze of fun and laughter. Yet however long it was, it did still come to an end as the wind deposited them on the side of the main road leading into Tonghou.


    Ling Qi frowned as she felt the giddiness fade and her trepidation return with the sight of those weathered gates. ¡°Did you do something to us?¡± she asked as Hanyi and Sixiang alighted beside her.


    The three spirits, which had seemed to disappear during the flight, once more stood around her, Grinning at the front and the other two flanking her. ¡°I put you wholly in the moment for a bit there,¡± the Grinning Moon answered without remorse. ¡°I figured you could use a lil¡¯ fun since you''re so down about revisiting the old haunts.¡±


    ¡°And why shouldn¡¯t I be?¡± Ling Qi grumbled. Despite herself, she couldn¡¯t find it in herself to be angry. Already, she found herself looking wistfully back at the simple joyful energy she had felt during the flight.


    ¡°The pain is in the past. What has been lost is already lost; all that remains is what you gained from it,¡± the veiled spirit said, her airy voice surprisingly serious.


    ¡°Never shy from your own experiences. They are the most precious secrets of all because it is from them that you are built,¡± Xin added solemnly.


    ¡°There is no dreaming ambition that does not arise from yearning and want. It is in examining a dream¡¯s seeds that their meaning becomes clear,¡± the Dreaming Moon finished.


    Ling Qi frowned, peering at the open gates of the city and the trickle of foot traffic going in and out. People walked around or in the case of the three spirits, through them without notice.


    ¡°Do we really have to go in there?¡± Hanyi asked, wrinkling her nose. ¡°There¡¯s way too many people, and it¡¯s so smelly.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think we do,¡± Ling Qi said quietly. ¡°Sorry, Hanyi. You¡¯ll have to put up with it for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Do not fear, Big Sister. I, Zhen, will set aflame any who bother you,¡± the little serpent announced. The arrogant voice he had adopted since his breakthrough sounded absurd in his childish voice. She smiled and stroked his head anyway.


    She felt a hand on her shoulder and glanced to her right where Sixiang stood. The spirit gave her a lopsided grin of encouragement.


    Ling Qi closed her eyes for a moment and breathed out. Tonghou really couldn¡¯t hurt her anymore. Not only had she grown far beyond these streets, but also she was never alone. She wasn¡¯t the frightened little girl wishing for warmth in the depth of winter. Not any more.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a stroll then,¡± she said, taking her first step toward the gates.


    ¡°That¡¯s my girl,¡± the Grinning Moon said fondly, walking backward through the crowd ahead of her. ¡°Time to see the sights.¡±


    Though she had not often strayed near to the gates when she was a mortal, Ling Qi still knew the district by sight, and Ling Qi found that Tonghou had not changed. Oh, some of the merchant stalls had been shuffled around, windows had been broken or fixed, and other details shuffled about, but it struck her how little things had changed. After a year and change in the Sect, her life would have been unrecognizable to the her of the streets, yet for everyone else in Tonghou, last year was the same as this one.


    Street toughs still strutted confidently in streets where the guard failed to tread, shops still ran, and people still worked. Most of all, the air of malaise which infused the whole outer district and hung over every person¡¯s shoulders remained unchanged. Ling Qi had forgotten what it was like to be surrounded by people who, in their every motion, betrayed the hopelessness of those who saw no opportunity for improvement. Even the mortals in the village of the Sect did not have that missing spark of drive.


    Ling Qi¡¯s new knowledge didn¡¯t improve matters. The city¡¯s inner wall was mighty and formidable, and power thrummed through the stone. She could see now that the outer wall was a pathetic thing though, warded enough to keep common beasts and spirits out but little more. Her stomach turned as she recognized what would happen if the city was ever under real threat.


    It felt jarring to watch the Grinning Moon dance through the crowds, spinning and sliding, flitting from roof to hanging sign to tattered awning seemingly without a care. The other spirits were more reserved. Dreaming glided through the dirty streets in a blur of rustling cloth, pausing now and then to trace her fingers over a person¡¯s temples, drawing forth wisps of multihued smoke. Even Xin only looked around with a sense of polite interest, peering into shaded windows and regarding some of the haggling market sellers with amusement.


    ¡°Why does none of this bother you?¡± she finally asked as she watched a commotion break out. A ragged young man a few years her junior broke through the crowd to flee from a pair of burly merchant¡¯s guards. Even as she watched, the boy managed to slide under a passing wagon that had momentarily sped up, temporarily blocking the street and giving him a precious few seconds of lead, earning a laugh from the Grinning Moon. ¡°You say that you watch out for people like that, but you could do a lot more, couldn¡¯t you? Is it just because we entertain you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because you are not dolls anymore that I do not do more,¡± the Grinning Moon said, perched like a piece of temple statuary on an awning overhead. ¡°I love those who get by on their wits, the ones who strive no matter how poor their circumstances. Would you have me make of them dancing puppets once more? I could no more do that than you could eat your own arms, little sister. Be glad for the limitations of spirits. It was the greatest gift you were ever given.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced at the answer, understanding, but not liking it all the same


    ¡°There is no secret logic behind the world, no meaning or thought that guides it from above,¡± Xin said absently. ¡°Though it is at its most obvious with cultivators, each of you shapes the world with your actions and thoughts, echoing and refracting from the ripples of others¡¯ actions. Great Spirits are merely the greatest of these ripples.¡±


    ¡°Humans weave their own strings, forge their own chains, and build their own cages,¡± said the Dreaming Moon. ¡°It is often easy to see only the misery that you inflict upon each other, but there are few things more wretched and pitiable than a human who is truly alone.¡±


    ¡°We nudge and we encourage and we strive because some part of us was once human,¡± Xin - no, the Hidden Moon - said, the echo of something greater carrying in her voice. ¡°But those parts have made their mark. It falls to those who still live to make the next.¡±


    ¡°You cannot let misery blind you,¡± said the Dreaming Moon. ¡°Look, really look, around you. Even here in this crumbling place, humans can burn so bright.¡±


    Ling Qi looked away from the spirits, and for the first time, she really looked at the people around her. She forced herself to look past the veil of her preconceptions. It was true that hopelessness hung over these run-down streets like a blanket, but it was wrong to say that everyone was crushed by it. There were people who moved with a drive, however small. People whose spirits sparked with purpose, even if the fire that those embers might have become had been long since snuffed out. Despite everything, they lived, and Ling Qi knew well the difference between living and survival.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t see how it matters when so much just turns out like... this,¡± Ling Qi said, gesturing to the crowded street.


    Above her, the Grinning Moon let out a thoughtful hum. ¡°Once, a long long time ago, there was a little girl who stole the sovereignty of wind from the cruel and fickle gods. I think, if she still lived, she would be amazed that there could even be so many people, let alone that they could build a city so large. That more children did not die of sickness than lived to see their second nameday..¡±


    ¡°Small things are not irrelevant things, and together, even the smallest dreams may bloom in the firmament,¡± echoed Dreaming.


    ¡°The future flows beyond even my sight,¡± murmured Hidden. ¡°The world is not as it was. Human will is the engine which drives change.¡±


    Ling Qi looked at the Grinning Moon. ¡°Was that girl you?¡±


    ¡°One of many - or perhaps just an old and nameless tale. There¡¯s hardly a difference, is there?¡± laughed the spirit. ¡°But I think we stray a little from our purpose.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really get any of this,¡± Hanyi huffed. ¡°It¡¯s just a bunch of boring people doing boring stuff. What are we even doing here?¡±


    ¡°Hang in there, short stuff,¡± Sixiang laughed, resting a hand on the smaller spirit¡¯s head. ¡°Besides, you can¡¯t know if someone is gonna be boring unless you get to know them.¡±


    Hanyi swatted the hand off her head. ¡°That¡¯d take forever, you dummy! If they can¡¯t prove that they¡¯re interesting, why would you bother?¡±


    ¡°Big Sis, are you okay?¡± Gui asked, pawing at her gown from his place in the crook of her arm. ¡°You look serious.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is there somewhere you want to be, little sister?¡± the Grinning Moon asked, leaning down over the awning.


    ¡°I think so,¡± Ling Qi said quietly. ¡°There¡¯s a place I need to see.¡±


    ***


    Their journey took them away from the city outskirts, where the poorest of Tonghou¡¯s residents lived. It took them inward toward the city¡¯s inner wall. Not past it, of course; that was the realm of the very wealthiest mortals and the nobility. But their destination fell in the shadow of the wall. Nestled amidst theatres, gambling halls and teahouses, her mother¡¯s former place of employment sat. Though it was by no means small, the brightly painted building somehow failed to loom the way that it did in her memories.


    In the middle of the day, the red painted lanterns hanging from the entrance awning were unlit, and traffic was slow. A couple of girls no more than a year or two older than her leaned out over the railing of the second floor balcony, calling out and advertising to passersby, inviting them to step inside. From within, the faint strains of music and laughter could be heard. If she were to consider it only in this moment, without the context of her memory, she might even call it pleasant and inviting.


    She did not have that privilege. Distantly, she felt her fists clench, and the air grow cold. People in the streets, oblivious to her presence before, shivered and cast glances at the mouth of the alley where she stood, muttering quiet prayers and hurrying on. Just looking at the place turned her stomach, and the pleasant facade only made it worse.


    ¡°It does not seem worse than the other establishments nor the dens which we have left behind,¡± commented the Dreaming Moon. The spirit¡¯s resplendent gown and ephemeral beauty looked faintly ridiculous with her perched on the rim of an old rain barrel.


    ¡°Breath, think, and analyze,¡± the Hidden Moon said somberly, resting a hand on her shoulder. ¡°I will not tell you to let go of your emotions. Instead, understand them, and place them in context.¡±


    ¡°Why did you want to come and see this dump? What were you hoping to gain?¡± asked the Grinning Moon, lounging atop the cloth awning of the gambling hall across from the brothel.


    Ling Qi let out a breath, tightening her grip on Hanyi¡¯s hand. The young spirit glanced up at her questioningly. It was funny how the young spirit seemed completely unbothered, even bored.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, if I¡¯m honest,¡± Ling Qi admitted. Her eyes tingled as she allowed a trickle of qi into them and looked again at the place which had been her first home. It was utterly mundane, and that bothered her somehow. The smiles of the girls on the balcony were fake, but no more fake than the enthusiasm of the hawker calling people in to gamble their money away. They were mostly just bored and apathetic. There was some resignation and unhappiness, but¡­


    Where was the misery that she remembered?


    ¡°You know by now that memory can be a funny thing,¡± Sixiang said quietly from their seat on the opposite side of the rain barrel that their grandmother had claimed.


    It was true, if she thought about it objectively. The terrible memories she had could not possibly cover the full span of time which she had spent here. Yet, they had happened. She remembered the bruises on her mother¡¯s neck and arms. She remembered some of the vile men she had seen, arrogantly doing whatever they liked without any pushback. She remembered the girl struck by an off-duty guard.


    ¡°Violence is hardly uncommon, even unprovoked violence upon the helpless, and it was not without consequence,¡± Xin said softly.


    Ling Qi glanced her way. She would trust the spirit¡¯s word on that. Yet, she found herself remembering things that she had forgotten. She remembered her mother and the owner talking, and other girls contributing coppers to a growing pouch. She never had seen that girl again, which had seemed sinister, but¡­


    ¡°Do you know what happened to the girl?¡±


    ¡°She recovered on the back of communal funds,¡± Xin began.


    ¡°She purchased an apprenticeship with a seamstress using the restitution paid from the guard¡¯s fine,¡± the Dreaming Moon continued absently.


    ¡°Never got her smile back though,¡± the Grinning Moon said flippantly. ¡°If ya know what I mean.¡±


    It didn''t make things better, but it surprised her all the same. She had become so inured to the idea that the people who went in could do as they liked that the idea that one had suffered even mild punishment surprised her.


    Ling Qi frowned, focusing her senses once more. A twinkling light blinked into existence before her eyes and began to drift across the street. She would not - could not - make herself step across that threshold, but she didn¡¯t need to any longer, did she?


    Remembering the lessons of the Argent Mirror art, she forced herself to remain dispassionate as she looked inside. What she saw fit the general shape of her memories. On the first floor was the common area where a tired older woman played competently on a guzheng. Most of the tables and booths were empty, but here and there were customers, men being served drinks and fawned over by younger girls, smiling empty smiles and laughing empty laughs.


    But when she looked at the customers, she saw that they were just as empty as the girls. Sad, lonely, exhausted, worn down by one thing or another, seeking fulfillment in people who had none to give. It was a sickening sort of parody. A few even deluded themselves into thinking that the girls felt something genuine for them. That is, something other than a low level of fear anyway. She couldn¡¯t, even in her forced dispassion, feel real sympathy.


    In the end, the customers were the ones who held all the power, and the girls simply had to play to their wants. It wasn¡¯t as if her memories lied. Even at this slow time of day, there were some who could see their own power and reveled in it. She knew without looking, just from the ambient qi, that she would find nothing different on the second or third floors where the workers lived and rooms were rented out for more intimate services. It was all just emptiness and exploitation in different trappings.


    It still made her skin crawl. She still hated it and what happened inside. But the special horror it had once held seemed a little washed out now. If she compared it to the things she had seen in the streets, could she really say that it was uniquely horrible? In the end, it was the powerful enforcing their will on the weak, just like everywhere else. The men who got away with hurting were the ones rich or connected enough to make enforcing the rules unprofitable.


    Somehow that bothered her in a way it hadn¡¯t before.


    It was funny in a twisted sort of way that the cultivator had been the one who actually got punished. She wasn¡¯t sure what to think of that. Leaving that aside, running away really had been a sideways step, hadn¡¯t it? Whether in a fancy brothel or a dark alley, she had to debase herself to survive. Virtue and vice were luxuries to be considered when she had a full belly and a warm blanket.


    She certainly had that now. She would not allow herself to feel shame about her mother nor the people she had hired any longer, no matter the sneering she got for it. They were people who her mother considered important. And in the end, they were people who had picked the poison they were willing to swallow in the name of survival, just like her.


    She thought back to what Cai Renxiang had said when she had first told her of the decision to hire them. She could see the truth in the girl¡¯s words. To her, it may be a gross, unpleasant job, but there was no inherent shame in it.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for side tracking us. I¡¯ve seen enough.¡±


    ¡°Time is hardly an issue,¡± Xin said in amusement.


    ¡°In the end, this is your journey,¡± the Dreaming Moon said.


    ¡°Still, I think this has been enough walking. Feeling up for a run?¡± the Grinning Moon asked, leaping down from the awning where she had been lounging.


    Ling Qi raised her eyebrows in consternation, no longer interested in the sad tableau across the street. The memories that clung to this place remained and she could not say that they were behind her, but the location itself was almost incidental. ¡°I guess? I know I¡¯m not really physically present, but if I go rushing through the streets, won¡¯t people notice?¡±


    The spirit¡¯s ever-present grin just widened.

 Threads 38 Three Moons 3

    Ling Qi smiled despite herself as Hanyi let out a last excited woop from her perch on Ling Qi¡¯s back. She landed, her legs bending to absorb the impact as she came to a stop on the roof of one of the little mansions that lined the quiet avenues of the inner city. With how busy she had been, Ling Qi had forgotten some of the simple joy that could come from just moving. Her muscles and qi channels burned as she dashed at full speed, trying her best just to keep the flitting silk-shrouded figure of the Grinning Moon in sight as they raced atop rooftops and walls.


    Sixiang landed beside her with a thump, pitching face forward onto the roof tiles. ¡°Changed my mind,¡± Sixiang gasped out, voice muffled by the tiles. ¡°Dun¡¯ want a body anymore.¡±


    ¡°Ah, what a lax grandchild. How shameful,¡± sighed the Dreaming Moon as she alighted on the roof¡¯s edge, the parasol which had carried her floating along behind them dissolving in her hands.


    Ling Qi nudged Sixiang with her foot, eliciting a groan. ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad. We were only running for an hour or two,¡± she said. In reality, the passage of time seemed incongruous; the sun had barely moved, but surely her game of tag with the Grinning Moon had taken more than a few minutes.


    ¡°I, Zhen, am getting tired of being small again,¡± the little serpent grumbled petulantly, still tucked under Hanyi¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Gui agrees for once,¡± said his other half, sounding cross.


    ¡°Pfft, even if you were big, you¡¯d be too slow,¡± Hanyi scoffed.


    ¡°So are you!¡± they both cried out in affront


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to be,¡± Hanyi replied smugly. ¡°Since Big Sis can give me rides like this.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced back at them, and Hanyi smiled angelically.


    Xin emerged from her shadow then, rising like a bubble of ink before resolving the details of her body. ¡°Athletics aside, is your head clear now, Ling Qi?¡±


    ¡°I think so,¡±Ling Qi replied. The tension had flowed out of her during the chase, and she found herself feeling serene and clear-headed once more.


    ¡°Good, because it¡¯s time to make a choice,¡± said the Grinning Moon, who perched on one foot atop the peak of the roof. ¡°We¡¯re going to do something fun, but the nature of the game is up to you.¡±


    ¡°We have deliberated amongst each other and come to an agreement on three games,¡± said the Dreaming Moon.


    ¡°And the final choice is yours,¡± Xin finished.


    Ling Qi said flatly, ¡°You¡¯re going to have me choose between cryptic metaphors for whatever we¡¯re actually going to do, aren¡¯t you.¡±


    ¡°Hazard of the company,¡± Sixiang grumbled, sitting up with a grimace.


    ¡°Now you¡¯ve gone and taken the fun out of it,¡± the Grinning Moon pouted. ¡°Fine. We can be direct too. In my choice, we¡¯ll be going to a place where the dullards at the top of this heap would much rather we not go.¡±


    ¡°In mine, we will see to the spread of an art too long forgotten and suppressed,¡± said the Dreaming Moon, her smile catlike and predatory.


    ¡°And in mine, we will see that a certain secret makes its way to the appropriate ears,¡± the Hidden Moon said somberly, speaking once again through Xin.


    Ling Qi glanced between them. She sensed a certain crossover in portfolios for these games. Also, they were still being annoyingly vague.


    Ling Qi considered the choices before her. The more she thought on it, the more she began to see the places where the phases began to overlap and blend into one another. She felt like she was beginning to better understand the nature of the moon. She looked to the Dreaming Moon, balanced with inimitable poise on the edge of the roof.


    Ling Qi closed her eyes, shutting out the world to think more clearly. Though, here, in Emerald Seas, she was the sponsor of wild spirit bacchanals and impropriety, the Dreaming Moon itself was more than that. The Dreaming Moon was the unrepressed expression of self with all the good and bad that implied.


    The Grinning Moon, too, was not just the thief and the flighty fairy. If the Dreaming Moon looked to the future and the Hidden Moon looked to the past, the Grinning Moon exulted in the now. She was the joy in motion and the rush of triumph over long odds. She was the satisfaction in drawing a startled yelp from a stoic junior or in bringing down an organization in a single night of frenzied thieving.


    The Hidden Moon was the desire for knowledge, and through it, power. It was knowing all of the things that could be threatening and how to counter each and every one. It was looking back on her past and not letting her bile overwhelm her when she examined those memories to see how they had shaped her and how that related to material reality.


    In sum, the Grinning Moon was her desire for agency in her own life, of being in control of the world within the reach of her arms. The Hidden Moon was her caution, the desire to build a place of safety, either within or without. The Dreaming Moon was her desire to grasp for more, seeking always the lights beyond her reach. This was not the whole of them, of course, but Ling Qi was far from being able to embody even one phase. It was what they were to her.


    So, when she opened her eyes, she smiled helplessly and dipped her head in apology toward the Grinning and Hidden Moons. ¡°I think I would like to see what art you think is so important that it needs reviving,¡± she said to the Dreaming Moon.


    ¡°You will find, Ling Qi, that an idea need not be a grand thing to shake the world,¡± the Dreaming Moon replied with a smile. ¡°Much more often, the dreams that invoke change are simple things at the core.¡±


    ¡°You are too quick to spread your secrets, sister,¡± said the Hidden Moon, wearing Xin¡¯s face. ¡°But one known by none is useless as well, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be tweaking noses regardless, so I don¡¯t mind,¡± said the Grinning Moon. ¡°Shall we resume our stroll?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s,¡± Ling Qi agreed, reaching down to help Sixiang up. ¡°Do you need a piggy back ride too?¡±


    The spirit rolled their eyes as they stood and gave her a gentle jab in the shoulder. ¡°Just ¡®cause I don¡¯t have horse legs like you or auntie doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m a child.¡±


    ¡°Sure you¡¯re not,¡± Ling Qi smirked.


    ¡°Getting a ride doesn¡¯t make me a child,¡± Hanyi huffed.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not my fault we shrank!¡± Gui grumbled.


    Ling Qi smiled absently as they leaped down into the streets. Maybe that was part of why being in this city hurt less now. Not only was she stronger, but even now, she had family here, all around her and a place to go back to.


    As the Dreaming Moon led them to their destination, her thoughts wandered to her surroundings. They were in the inner city now, a place she had only glimpsed once or twice on festival days when temples were opened to the public. The streets were cleaner, and the buildings in better repair. There wasn¡¯t a single trash heap or beggar to disturb the scenery.


    Yet as she watched first realm cultivators labor and wealthy mortals walk along, full of puffed-up pride, she saw a shade of the same pall that hung over the rest of the city. She wondered if what she sensed was the spirit of the city itself, giving off that inescapable aura of fading and decay.


    ¡°Can I only feel this because of you?¡± she wondered aloud as they went deeper into the city where the buildings grew more elaborate with each block, terminating in the sprawling estate at the city¡¯s center. ¡°If other cultivators could, then¡­¡±


    ¡°They would wonder what was wrong?¡± the Hidden Moon finished.


    ¡°You feel it far more sharply, thanks to where we are, but it is noticeable to those with the senses to look when they have not grown up steeped in it,¡± the Dreaming Moon replied from ahead of them.


    ¡°Then why hasn¡¯t anyone done anything about it?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re probably just lazy,¡± Hanyi said primly, walking beside her, still holding Zhengui.


    ¡°That¡¯s not wrong, but it¡¯s too simple,¡± replied the Grinning Moon. She walked along the manor walls that lined the street, arms behind her back as she balanced on the narrow construction. ¡°They¡¯re comfortable, is all.¡±


    ¡°How can that cause this?¡± LIng Qi asked, giving the spirit a confused look.


    ¡°Well,¡± said the Grinning Moon, drawing out the word. ¡°Think of it like this. An ambitious person might cause damage in their reaching out, and a cautious person might cause harm in missing opportunities. A comfortable person, someone who is content with how things are - they¡¯ll cause harm by rejecting anything that might impugn their comfort, good or bad.¡±


    Ling Qi looked ahead to where cleanliness and luxury began to give way to outright opulence. Although she could not understand people who chose to simply stop advancing, she also knew that she was unusual in her refusal to rest on her laurels. ¡°Is that really all there is to it? I mean, isn''t reaching a point of contentment why most people do what they do?¡±


    ¡°My sister simplifies too much,¡± the Hidden Moon smoothly interjected. ¡°Just as cowardice is caution in the excess, stagnation is the true vice, not mere contentment."


    ¡°When you cease to dream of better tomorrows and seek only an endless string of todays, things have gone too far,¡± the Dreaming Moon commented absently. ¡°We are here.¡±


    Here, as it turned out, was a small but well appointed building, two stories high and with a tall, peaked roof. Planters and hanging baskets filled with flowers set around the walkway that surrounded the main building filled the air with a sweet scent, but as the Dreaming Moon led them on, they passed the building¡¯s open doors and the shelf upon shelf of books that lay inside.


    Instead, they slipped around into the rock garden behind the building where the air¡¯s sweet scent failed to mask the scent of burning paper and leather. Here, a bored looking young man in a scholar¡¯s robes sat upon a stool before a furnace. As she watched, he tossed an old and moldering scroll into it. He either ignored or was unable to hear the faint spiritual wail that echoed in Ling Qi¡¯s ears as he did so. He prodded the crackling paper with an iron poker, stirring the smoldering remains into the ashes.


    ¡°Ugh, what a waste,¡± Sixiang grumbled, giving the man a dirty look as he rummaged through the half-empty crate at his side for another book.


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of this?¡± Ling Qi asked. It didn¡¯t bother her the way it seemed to bother Sixiang, but something in her still twinged at the waste.


    ¡°Your Imperial throne has made an initiative of improving libraries in the Empire,¡± the Hidden Moon explained, watching the rising smoke with keen eyes.


    ¡°¡®Course, there¡¯s some strings on that.¡± The Grinning Moon¡¯s smile grew thin. ¡°Gotta get rid of the stuff they don¡¯t like if you want the new hotness.¡±


    ¡°It is not something to concern yourself over just yet,¡± the Dreaming Moon said. Ling Qi followed her as the spirit approached the furnace, glancing only briefly at the man; he showed no sign of noticing their presence. Her attention returned to the Dreaming Moon as the spirit reached into the fire, swirling her fingers through the rising smoke. A few weak and sparkling lights winked into being, rising from the ashes at the bottom of the furnace to twine around her hand like a cloud of sickly fireflies.


    The fire flickered, and the man burning the books shivered, glancing around in concern. He glanced suspiciously at the remaining books in the crate and hurried to shove a new stick of tinder into the furnace, making the flames burn higher and hotter. The Dreaming Moon withdrew her hand and looked on sadly as the lights faded one by one.


    All around them, the world seemed to slow down again. The movements of the man, the flickering of the flames, even the wind all slowed and then stopped, color bleeding from the world until only Ling Qi and the spirits remained in motion.


    ¡°Is this what we¡¯re doing then? Stealing these books?¡± she asked.


    ¡°No, one way or another, they will burn today,¡± the Hidden Moon said somberly.


    ¡°So, since you picked up my two scholarly sisters, you¡¯re gonna have to do some studying!¡± the Grinning Moon exclaimed.


    ¡°We can only advise and give opportunities. What is passed on is your choice,¡± the Dreaming Moon said.


    Letting go of Hanyi¡¯s hand, Ling Qi reached down to pick up the book on the top of the pile but found it immovable, stuck in place like everything else.


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s not as simple as that,¡± the Grinning Moon laughed.


    The Dreaming Moon spread her arms, and the furnace sprang to life, the flames roaring into an inferno.


    ¡°This is not the first burning of knowledge witnessed by this city, and it will not be the last,¡± the Hidden Moon said. She raised Xin¡¯s hands, and the flames shifted and flowed, dripping downward like water to form steps even as they billowed out, hollowing out until she could see a facsimile of the Sect¡¯s archive shelves forged entirely from flame. Drifting sparks and ash twisted into the shape of words and pages, flickering to the surface only to sink back in a moment later.


    ¡°Best get reading, little sister,¡± the Grinning Moon said brightly, clapping her on the back. Ling Qi had not even seen her move, but she managed not to jump.


    Ling Qi cast a wary look on the fiery archive and then to her spirits. ¡°So! Who''s ready to help their Big Sister?¡±


    Sixiang laughed, and Hanyi groaned. Zhengui chirped an affirmative of course, but - wait, she had never taught him to read.


    ... She was going to be here for a while.

 Chapter 39-Three Moons 4

    Ling Qi ascended the steps into the fiery archive, Sixiang at her side and Hanyi just behind her. The greyed-out, frozen world seemed to fade away behind them until at last they stood inside of the billowing flames. Ling Qi looked around at the flame-wrought shelves that seemed to stretch out beyond her sight in every direction but back. Reaching out, she brushed her fingers across a fiery shelf and found herself surprised when a charred scroll materialized in her hands.


    ¡°Alright,¡± she said determinedly. ¡°Sixiang, Hanyi, we¡¯re going to split up. Don¡¯t worry about trying to look at everything. Just look for things that interest you.¡± She had a feeling that would be enough in a place like this. Sixiang gave her a nod, and Hanyi grumbled rebelliously but didn¡¯t disagree.


    ¡°What about us?¡± Zhengui asked, his stubby legs kicking uselessly from his spot under Hanyi¡¯s arm.


    ¡°You will be coming with me,¡± Ling Qi replied, reaching down to take him from Hanyi. ¡°Big Sister is going to start teaching you to read.¡±


    It was just good practice to do two things at once if she could. She considered trying to cultivate as well, but something told her that it wouldn¡¯t work. She wasn¡¯t exactly wholly herself right now given that her body was still back on the mountain.


    Ling Qi gave her other spirits a nod, picked a direction, and started walking. As she searched the shelves, Ling Qi passed over paintings, tapestries, and other more visual works. She ignored play scripts and dry histories. Unsurprisingly perhaps, she found herself drawn to songs, stories, and poems.


    Here and there, she would pluck a scrap of paper from a tongue of flame or a storybook from the inferno of the shelving. Sometimes, she only glanced at them before tossing them aside, but for others, she would read them to Zhengui, pausing to point out the meanings of characters as she read.


    As Ling Qi worked her way further toward the dim back of the archive, the language of the works began to take on a slightly archaic edge. Slight twists on otherwise familiar spirit tales began to diverge more and more, and the songs began to take on an almost foreign cadence.


    Despite that, she was still surprised the first time she plucked out a song from the flames and found it written in a wholly foreign tongue, if one that was still familiar to her. She remembered deciphering these characters at Li Suyin¡¯s side last year as they translated the book Ling Qi had taken from that shaman. It was the language of the Hill Tribes, people who had dwelled in Emerald Seas in the long past.


    However, that didn¡¯t seem right. The more she looked, the more she found works that were a strange dialect that seemed to mix the Imperial tongue with the Hill languages. She found poems in that tongue that were marked with dates from under the current dynasty even, no more than half a millennia old, though they were few indeed.


    The picture they painted was a strange one. They told of a people who wandered and settled depending on the season, who sang songs to spirits of wind and rain, and who played games of riddles and wordplay with terrestrial spirits to barter for boons and cultivation. She found herself laughing at silly scraps of legends about silver-tongued tricksters and clever hunters. She found less cheerful songs as well, written in a strange ritual cadence and whispering of clashes with the Horned Gods of the Deep Groves.


    Newer stories praised the sun and moon and spoke of the Weilu more as strange neighbors than monsters in the dark, then as allies against the Cloud Tribes of the south. The songs took a turn for the dark though as they grew more modern. Songs of everyday life turned into melodies of war and then subjugation, pages filled with venom for the conquering Xi. From there, the stories began to disappear, and the songs and poems dwindled in number, growing more melancholy and full of nostalgia for the lost past.


    The Hill Tribes weren¡¯t the only lost peoples either. Hanyi brought her a book of rough charcoal illustrations in a foreign style, depicting a people that lived in the high snowy mountains who worshipped the lethal and beautiful spirits that lived there and cultivated through exposure to the fierce blizzards that raged on icy peaks. Sixiang brought her scrolls of poetry written in a dozen odd dialects, almost incomprehensible in their familiarity.


    Ling Qi thought she had an inkling now as to why Emerald Seas was such a fractured place.


    When she at last emerged from the archive with her spirits, Ling Qi held only one work, a scroll made from many hundreds of wooden strips bound together and rolled up. It held a long form poem, one that she had found many, many different versions of spanning a great deal of time. In varying forms, it told the tale of a hero king figure and his two companions, who played the spirits of the land and mighty beasts against each other. They defeated some and won bargains from others, assuring the prosperity of the king''s people.


    The details varied depending on the version. Sometimes, the king''s companions were human; sometimes, they were spirits or something in between. The king¡¯s name and the exact nature of the spirits he bargained with and antagonized changed as well. This version, however, was the oldest one that had seemed ¡°complete¡± to her.


    It had been a difficult choice to make, but¡­


    ¡°Mine was better,¡± Hanyi said childishly as they descended the steps, drawing her attention.


    ¡°Obviously not, or Big Sister would have picked it,¡± Zhen replied imperiously from his perch on her shoulder.


    ¡°Yeah! This story was way better,¡± Gui agreed.


    Ling Qi had found Hanyi¡¯s finds interesting but frankly, disturbing. The unnamed mountain peoples had been rather explicit in their depictions of the various self-mutilations that were part and parcel to their cultivation. She didn¡¯t think herself squeamish, but she didn¡¯t feel regret in knowing that those traditions weren¡¯t a thing anymore among civilized people. She would remember to be much more cautious with spirits like her mentor Zeqing if she encountered them away from the Empire¡¯s influence though.


    Sixiang gave her a sidelong look and a smirk. ¡°I don¡¯t completely agree with your choice, but yeah, not gonna argue with you going for those folks instead.¡±


    As they finished speaking, Ling Qi stepped down onto the gravel, coming face-to-face once more with the three moon spirits. The Hidden Moon sat atop one of the larger boulders in the garden, eyes closed in meditation. The Dreaming stood, surrounded by a cloud of dying embers, humming a faint melody that sounded familiar and foreign all at once. The Grinning Moon had taken a seat atop the shoulder of the frozen scholar, balanced impossibly despite her size. The man¡¯s still features were marked by glowing lines of fluorescent ink, irreverently scribbled.


    ¡°Is that still going to be there when we leave?¡± Ling Qi asked with some concern, looking to the veiled spirit.


    ¡°Not in a way anyone will notice,¡± replied the Grinning Moon. ¡°Well, not right away. I¡¯m sure our friend here will go get the bad fortune cleansed after a week or two.¡±


    The Dreaming Moon inhaled, and the embers and lights around her rushed in, vanishing in an instant. ¡°More importantly, you have made your choice?¡±


    ¡°I have,¡± Ling Qi replied, stepping forward to present the rolled up scroll in both hands.


    ¡°And what were the reasons for your choice?¡± the Hidden Moon asked, opening Xin¡¯s eyes and regarding Ling Qi with interest.


    ¡°I feel like having more ways of dealing with spirits out there can only make things better,¡± Ling Qi answered after some thought, regarding the scroll in her hands. So many of her successes had come from dealing with spirits that it seemed foolish to lose any wisdom relating to the subject. She was hardly a master of wordplay, but studying the poems and songs back there had given her some insight into the behavior of spirits that the sort of rote genuflection, appeasement, or exorcism more common today lacked.


    That wasn¡¯t her only reason either. ¡°The ones who wrote this¡­ They weren¡¯t barbarians. Not really. So it¡¯s a shame for everything about them to fade away. This poem seems like the root of a lot of their ideas, so it¡¯s the best for getting a story about them out there, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    The pale tome she had taken from the shaman showed that the Hill Tribes had a darker side too, one better lost, but Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help but remember the little horrors of the city they were in now and some of the things she had glimpsed and seen hinted at in the archive and in the Bloody Moon¡¯s dream. Even the Empire had its darker sides.


    The Dreaming Moon stepped forward, accepting the scroll with a thoughtful hum. ¡°Not a choice I would object to, but difference often breeds conflict. Are you certain?¡±


    ¡°You all said it,¡± Ling Qi said confidently. ¡°Stagnancy brings harm too. Besides -¡± she paused, glancing up at the stars in the frozen sky, ¡°- things are going to be changing anyway.¡±


    The days when she only had to worry about herself were long over by now. Right now, it was just her family and her household, but that too would change and grow, especially as she assumed her greater responsibilities as a Baroness or perhaps, even greater. Seeing Tonghou again, she could only feel dissatisfied. Cai Shenhua had started to change the Emerald Seas hinted at in the archive, and her daughter was only going to continue these changes. Ling Qi was going to be at its forefront. That was the choice she had made when she accepted Cai Renxiang¡¯s offer. It was about time that she started acknowledging it.


    ¡°Good girl,¡± the Grinning Moon said fondly. ¡°Just remember to keep your eyes on the prize, and when you sow that storm, do it for yourself. Don¡¯t allow yourself to become someone else¡¯s shadow.¡±


    ¡°Remember the small moments, the little secrets that you create each day,¡± the Hidden Moon added quietly. ¡°See and study the world before your eyes, and do not fail to account for the little details when building your models, nor come to rely on them overmuch. The future can only be predicted, never read.¡±


    ¡°And of course, keep the power of dreams always in your heart. You will not live forever, and in time, your works will crumble and fade. But ideas and dreams¡­¡± the Dreaming Moon said quietly, the scroll in her hands dissolving into glittering dust that rose like a cloud of smoke high into the sky before exploding in a thousand directions, ¡°... can always be reborn.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked as the grey, time-frozen world began to dim, and then felt her eyelids droop, a deep exhaustion setting in. Between the flight, the run, and the search through the archive, she was suddenly so very tired. As the world grew dark, the three great spirits dissolved into motes of glinting light that surrounded her like a cloud of fireflies. As Ling Qi¡¯s eyes drifted shut, she reached out and grasped the ethereal green lights of the Grinning Moon.


    ***


    Ling Qi opened her eyes, and her vision swam. Her knees felt weak, and her stomach churned. For just a moment, the peternatural balance and poise that cultivation had granted her wavered, and she stumbled backwards, dizzy, landing on her backside in the grass.


    The memories of her time with the spirits in Tonghou crashed home all at once. The joy of flight and running over rooftops, the melancholy of the streets, and the old horror of the brothel. Ling Qi shuddered, her stomach turning as she saw those scenes again, stripped of the strange calm that she had felt throughout that journey. Somehow, being back in her body made her revulsion so much more real, but as she quieted the pounding of her heart in her ears and regained control of her breathing, she couldn¡¯t say that the observations she had made and the conclusions she had come to were wrong.


    In the end, Tonghou and its hazards couldn¡¯t hurt her anymore. Stripped of its threat, it really was just a very sad place.


    ¡°I won¡¯t say anything about your theme choices,¡± Sixiang whispered on the wind. ¡°Well. For a week or two at least.¡±


    ¡°You ass,¡± Ling Qi laughed despite herself, slipping so easily back into rough speech. She clenched her hands and felt something hard and sharp-edged there. Opening her hand and looking down, she saw twin jade slips, one a pure white and the other a light ethereal green. It took only a moment''s concentration to peer into them.


    The White Jade held the Songseeker''s Ceremony. It was the continuation of her current cultivation art, Eight Phase Ceremony, the thing that she had forged through her spirit quest with the aid of three phases of the moon. Though its functions remained unclear to her at her current cultivation, she knew it would be an art that matched with her desires for the future. It would be a cultivation art that rewarded feats of daring, self-expression, and dealings with the spirits of the world. Her cultivation art would be the art of one who seeks the powers hidden in the world and the beauty of songs old and new.


    The other was a gift from the Grinning Moon. The Laughing Flight of the Wind Thief told the story of a time before the rule of men when there were only beasts who called themselves gods and a canny young woman who plotted and planned and stole the Sovereignty of Wind. It was a potent movement art, too powerful for her to cultivate just yet, but with a great deal of promise. It seemed almost tailored to succeed her Sable Crescent Step once she had mastered the lessons of that art.


    More immediately relevant, as she closed her eyes again and concentrated, she could feel the missing piece of the seventh phase of her Eight Phase Ceremony cultivation art filled in. She understood now how to weave the threads of qi underlying the expression of music and art into cultivation and to improve her efficiency in cultivation she gained from working within the domains of her patrons, Grinning, Hidden, and Dreaming.


    Ling Qi stood up, brushing out the wrinkles in her gown as the fabric expelled dirt and grass stains with tiny bursts of wind.


    ¡°Biiiiig Siiiister!¡± She turned as Zhengui¡¯s voice reached her, spying her big little brother stomping through the ruins of the temple. Hanyi waved to her, perched on the edge of his shell in a reversal of their roles in the dream.


    As Ling Qi raised a hand to wave back, she caught motion out of the corner of her eye and changed the motion into a grab, snatching the blurring missile that had been flying toward her out of the air. She arched her eyebrows in surprise as she looked down and found a mail construct. Its paper wings were crumbled by her grasp, and its animation was already fading. Bemused, she prodded the seal in the center, and a single tiny square of folded paper appeared.


    Baroness Ling, I require your presence at my home. Do not delay. - Cai Renxiang


    Ling Qi stared down at the single line of characters in rising concern as Zhengui stomped closer. ¡°Sorry, little brother,¡± she said faintly. ¡°It looks like we can¡¯t relax just yet.¡±

 Threads 40-Justice 1

    Ling Qi arrived at Cai Renxiang¡¯s door only a quarter hour later, having flown straight there. As she stepped through the door, absently chewing a qi restoration pill, her eyes darted around.


    There were no immediate threats that she could see, and she could feel the other girl sitting in her study under no external stress at all. The mountain had seemed peaceful during her flight as well. So what was this about? Her liege didn¡¯t normally send notes as dramatic as that.


    Gui grumbled.


    Hanyi retorted.


    Sixiang scolded.


    Sending Sixiang a silent thanks, Ling Qi stepped inside of Cai Renxiang¡¯s study and offered a low bow to the girl behind the desk. Cai Renxiang was seated in her usual place, resting her cheek on her fist as she stared down at the desktop. It held no stacks of forms and documents now, just a single, long, hinged box made of fragrant, expensive wood and a single open letter.


    ¡°Lady Cai, I apologize for my delay. I arrived as quickly as I could,¡± she said politely, keeping her head low.


    ¡°You are excused,¡± Cai Renxiang replied. ¡°I was aware of your activities.¡± This was something they both knew, but acknowledging it was part of the game, even if they were alone. Ling Qi was starting to get the hang of these social niceties. ¡°You may raise your head. My honored Mother has given me a task.¡±


    Ling Qi straightened up, giving the letter on the desk a look of renewed concern. The page was pure white and without decoration, but the calligraphy she could see was exquisite. Ling Qi held back a grimace as she felt the echo of displeasure that emanated from those perfectly inked characters.


    ¡°I hope that I can be of assistance,¡± Ling Qi said carefully. ¡°What task does the Duchess have in mind?¡±


    ¡°You are aware of the opening of relations between our province and the Thousand Lakes,¡± Cai Renxiang opened, drumming her fingers on the top of her desk. She continued at Ling Qi¡¯s nod. ¡°There has been a disturbance on the border. A town in Meng lands has been sacked by bandits.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes widened, but her liege continued speaking.


    ¡°In addition, a shipment of goods bearing the Cai seal had been in the settlement¡¯s Ministry of Communication outpost and is among the missing goods. Between the missing items and the complaints of the Meng representative at court, Mother is displeased.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± Ling Qi noted. ¡°Surely something like that would have to be too well guarded for a bunch of thugs to access.¡± Bandits, bands of deserters mostly, were usually little more than starving gangs crouched out in the woods, quick to get wiped out the first time they made a mistake or crossed into the wrong spirit''s territory.


    ¡°There are places in the Empire where the law has little reach, and the absence of order invites new organization,¡± Cai Renxiang said calmly. ¡°However, in this instance, you are correct. There are some¡­ oddities. The town¡¯s baron was away visiting his liege, and the guards meant to guard Mother¡¯s goods, including an old third realm veteran, were found drugged and murdered in their barracks with no sign of conflict.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like something a bit beyond bandits,¡± Ling Qi said shrewdly.


    ¡°Quite,¡± Cai Renxiang replied in a voice as dry as the desert. ¡°The Meng are¡­ obliquely blaming the attack on the changes to security brought by opening the border. Between that and the theft, Mother requires that a point be made in our clan''s name. To make that point herself would be excessive, you understand.¡±


    ¡°Are we ready for something like that? Even with the baron missing, a group that could attack a town and get away with it¡­ That¡¯s not going to be just a band of thugs. How are we even getting there in time?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    Cai Renxiang stood, toying with the clasps on the box resting on her desk. ¡°We will be making use of the Sect¡¯s emergency transport formations. It is a great expense, but one that Mother is willing to cover,¡± her liege said, staring down at the container.


    She flipped the box open, and Ling Qi¡¯s hand twitched, grasping for her flute at the ripple of aggression that emerged from the unsealed case. Resting inside, nestled in a cushion of velvet, was an elegant saber. The metal was pale blue with the edge fading almost to white. Etched into the base of the blade was a thumb-sized butterfly, the grooves in the metal filled with powdered diamond. It glinted up at her, rippling through a rainbow''s worth of color, radiating awareness and the promise of violence.


    When Cai Renxiang grasped the hilt, Ling Qi could practically hear the blade purr as she raised it to eye level with a stoic expression. The blade gleamed with unnatural brightness, sending the shadows in the room dancing. The force given off by the saber was not inferior to Cai Renxiang¡¯s own recently achieved foundation cultivation. ¡°I recognize Mother¡¯s personal touch. She does not give gifts without expectations. You understand the importance of this, correct?¡±


    Ling Qi let out a breath. It seemed the first real test of the responsibilities she had chosen had come. ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°It is likely that we will have watchers ready to step in if we fail,¡± Cai Renxiang continued, staring at the blade in her hand. ¡°However, if such a thing is required¡­¡±


    ¡°It will be a great embarrassment,¡± Ling Qi finished. She could practically feel the resources drying up. Well, assuming that the watchers would step in for her in the first place. She forced herself to cheer up; it wasn¡¯t like she was unfamiliar with danger. ¡°At least I should finally get those arts once we prove ourselves, right?¡±


    Cai Renxiang stared unflinchingly into the etching on her new saber a moment longer before lowering it. ¡°Indeed. They were among the stolen goods.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, shocked out of her worry. ¡°What? Why?¡±


    Cai Renxiang arched an eyebrow. ¡°Our exchange with the Bai included some access to their library of arts in return for a great deal of infrastructure investment and materials. The negotiations on what was exchanged took quite some time. Why did you imagine that your art package was taking so long?¡±


    Ling Qi had just assumed that the archivist was taking his time, or fighting a library monster, or... something. She hadn¡¯t even considered that some of her arts would be acquired from the Bai¡¯s library. Ling Qi shook her head. ¡°All the more reason not to lose.¡±


    ¡°Well said,¡± the other girl agreed as dark blue threads spooled out of the sword¡¯s hilt, swiftly weaving a scabbard over the bared blade. ¡°You have one hour to make preparations. Meet me at the Governor''s manse in the town below.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded sharply and turned to go. She had to let her Mother know what was happening and where she was going. As she moved to leave though, she heard Cai Renxiang clear her throat and turned back to look at the other girl.


    ¡°Ling Qi,¡± she said quietly. ¡°Be prepared for the eventuality that Mother will be using my presence as a lure as well.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked then grimaced. Given the sudden need to rush, she hadn¡¯t even considered that. ¡°Of course. I won¡¯t be caught unawares,¡± she said, dipping her head briefly. It was going to be a very long night, Ling Qi suspected.


    Sixiang whispered.


    Zhen scoffed.


    agreed Gui.


    Hanyi cheered.


    Ling Qi smiled, but a worm of doubt and worry remained. She just hoped things went so smoothly.


    ***?


    The hour she had to prepare flew by. Between fussing with her medicine stocks, explaining the situation to her mother, and giving her goodbyes, the time came all too quickly.


    She met her liege at the center of the Sect town, and they were led by an exceedingly nervous mortal man in rich dress, who appeared one moment of broken discipline from openly wringing his hands, into the building''s sub-basement where the Sect kept a number of emergency transport arrays.


    It only occurred to her after the formation had yanked them away through the aether that the man had probably been the governor of the town. By the time that she had finished having that thought, the sensation of air rushing over and through her had ended, and the world once again resolved itself around her.


    They stood outside of a town still smoking and damaged by violence. To their left were torn-up and damaged fields, looking as if a stampede of beasts had just passed through. To her right, the town¡¯s outer wall was breached, a crumbled cleft two meters wide at the bottom giving her a view of a damaged and bloodstained street.


    Of more immediate concern was the ring of armed and armored men and women standing around them. Ling Qi¡¯s alarm barely gripped her before reason reasserted itself. They wore the Cai clan¡¯s mark, a red cloak clasp for most, and a yellow pin for a few. There were twenty five of them total, armed with a mixture of swords and bows. Twenty of them were of the late red stage while four were varying levels yellow. The last, an older man with a white rim on his helmet, was at the peak of yellow soul but with a physique of the bronze stage.


    The very moment the flash of the transport formation faded, the soldiers were already on one knee. Cai Renxiang did not waste any time in addressing them as Ling Qi scanned the area. ¡°Captain, report.¡±


    The man with the plume on his helm dipped his head lower. What little Ling Qi could see of his face was greying and marked by wrinkles and scars. ¡°Lady Cai, we received notice and left our outpost two hours ago. The town¡¯s guard is gutted but sufficient for maintaining order in the immediate term. I have set my best scouts on the trail of the criminals. They appear to be making for the border.¡±


    Of course they were, Ling Qi thought sourly. Even someone as inexperienced as Ling Qi could see the seeds of an incident with a capital ¡°I¡± here. Cai Renxiang¡¯s expression remained stoic. ¡°And their force composition?¡±


    ¡°At least two combatants of the third realm, no more than appraisal stage, with a third being possible. One is a metal-focused melee combatant; the other is an illusion user. My scouts have counted roughly seventy lesser combatants moving together with notable discipline,¡± the captain answered quickly in a clipped and professional tone. ¡°We cannot confirm the third elite combatant, but something is confounding and misdirecting our scouts'' efforts at sabotage.¡±


    ¡°Assume there is a third,¡± Cai Renxiang ordered, gesturing for them to rise as she began to walk forward, eyes tracing the same trail of disruptive qi that Ling Qi saw leading into the thick woodland marsh to the north. The soldiers rose and fell into step around them without a hitch. ¡°Captain, do you believe your men can outspeed the criminals?¡±


    ¡°It will be difficult given their lead,¡± the man admitted. ¡°Our mounts would only slow us in the marsh, but the bandits¡¯ larger numbers work against them.¡±


    ¡°Ling Qi,¡± Cai Renxiang said, glancing at her, ¡°do you believe that you can halt their advance?¡±


    ¡°If that is really all they have, I should be able to misdirect them,¡± Ling Qi replied with confidence. ¡°However¡­¡±


    Cai Renxiang nodded sharply. Both of them expected something more dangerous lurking in the bandits¡¯ midst. ¡°Allow me to rephrase: are you confident in advancing ahead to slow them?¡±


    Ling Qi felt some pride, knowing that Cai Renxiang thought well enough of her to believe that she could hold out even with the potential unknowns. ¡°Yes,¡± she replied simply.


    ¡°Then I will leave the details to you. Captain, have your scout liaison provide Baroness Ling with the details of your maps and the enemies'' trajectory.¡±

 Threads 41 Justice 2

    For once, Ling Qi did not soar as she took off toward her destination. The expense to her qi, small as it was, was not one she was certain she could afford.


    The map that she had memorized showed that the terrain was mostly flat, and while the marshy terrain would have been an obstacle for most, for Ling Qi, it meant little. She dashed through the trees, flickered from branch to branch, and sprung from one muddy islet to another. Her feet left no impression in mud or grass, and even the thinnest branches barely swayed in her passing.


    As she ran, she planned. Cai Renxiang and the soldiers would not be too far behind her. She just had to slow or halt the bandits for long enough that they could catch up. Of course, if there was one thing Ling Qi felt confident that she could do, it was bogging down her enemies in illusions and mist. She knew that she could go all out on the offensive as well, but¡­


    She thought of squealing rat things down in the dark, exploding into bloody snowflakes. Could she do that to a person even if they were a criminal? Ling Qi wasn¡¯t eager to find out. For a moment, she felt a strange stirring of excitement at the thought. The scent of blood and burning wood seemed to fill her nose, and her teeth ached as if in sympathetic memory of that time she had been caught up in a tide of vermin on the hunt. Unsettled, Ling Qi shook the feeling off, focusing on her mission. In the back of her mind, Sixiang stirred in discomfort.


    The bandits¡¯ trail was not difficult to follow, but it was less obvious than she might expect for seventy people barging through a marsh. The Cai scouts had already marked the boundaries of the illusion traps which peppered the route, though she could mostly sense them herself if she focused. It still saved her time. Soon enough, she heard boots pounding on mud and voices cursing laggards to keep up.


    Catching her first glimpse of their rear guard, men and not a few women in eclectic and poorly repaired armor, she sprang into the air and flew. Curving left to circle around them and catch up, she kept a tight grip on her qi, fading into the shadows of the tree cover. Her eyes flickered silver, and she scanned her surroundings.


    Flitting from branch to branch, she began the first step of her plan. Raising her flute, she played the Spring Breeze Canto technique. As the notes of the song spread and echoed, so, too, did her senses. She saw each member of the bandits¡¯ formation. The majority were red souls, as reported, but there were still nearly twenty yellow souls of varying strength in their formation. The bandits mostly carried bows but a miscellany of weapons were also represented; a few of the stronger yellow cultivators had talisman crossbows stowed on their backs.


    Of their two leaders, both were early green. One was a tall, spindly man with furtive features and long ill-kempt hair. He clutched a war fan in one hand, and his eyes never stopped moving, darting over the surroundings with a sort of nervous energy. He wore the same sort of mismatched light armor as the rest, but the dark green cloak around his neck glimmered in her qi senses.


    His counterpart was almost his opposite, a short, stoutly built woman. She carried a heavy war axe. Of the bandits, she was the only one wearing fully metal armor. More importantly, the white cloth-wrapped package and its Cai emblem on her back were just a decoy. She managed to peer beneath the illusion and see the plain wooden box and the paper talisman pinned to its side as her perception technique faded. No matter where she looked, Ling Qi neither saw nor sensed any sign of the actual package. Hidden in a storage ring perhaps?


    As the sound of her song washed over the bandits, the tall man stiffened and more than a few other heads snapped up. The bandits¡¯ swift march began to pick up despite the first whorls in the area¡¯s qi beginning to bloom as defensive techniques began to activate within their formation.


    Ling Qi felt Sixiang¡¯s readiness and Zhengui and Hanyi¡¯s excitement. She once again felt a strange thrill of excitement. There was no turning back now.


    Her qi surged as she shot through the shadows like an arrow. Color and sound exploded outward from her position, raucous phantasms erupting in a wave of mad joviality to engulf the nearest bandits. She felt a pulse of power pushing back against her technique, but in her mind, Sixiang laughed as the dispersal technique met the muse¡¯s power and dissolved away like a fading dream.


    Cries to ¡°fall into formation¡±, ¡°keep moving¡±, and ¡°find the caster¡± were drowned out by laughter and song, and men stumbled in confusion, swinging weapons fruitlessly at dancing and laughing phantoms. Even with that promising start, Ling Qi was swiftly reminded that these weren¡¯t her usual opponents, badly organized teenagers with only minimal experience at working in tandem.


    The men weren''t losing cohesion; they used their closeness to each other to stay oriented amidst the chaos. The second realms raised their voices to shout over the song, and first realms formed up around them. Eyes and ears flared with qi, and light bloomed on drawn weapons and armed crossbow bolts. Qi echoed between the members of the formations, empowering flesh and spirit beyond what a single first or second realm cultivator could achieve.


    Arrows and bolts flew out, and a half dozen phantoms burst into butterflies and laughter, but more than a few sizzling bolts hissed through the air where she had been. Ling Qi slipped between revelers without a sound, flowing around a crossbow bolt. It struck the mud behind her, detonating with thunderous force.


    The spindly man at the head of the formation waved his fan, and she felt a surge of disorienting lake qi. For a bare instant, she felt strange as if her channels were in the wrong places and her mind had forgotten how to command them, but then Sixiang¡¯s chaotic qi washed out, cleansing the taint and banishing the feeling. But men were already orienting on her at the leaders'' shout, peering through the phantoms. She couldn¡¯t just stand and accept their fire; it was too much even for her.


    But she only needed to delay them. And she had a new technique to try.


    The Joyous Toast technique, the third technique of the Lunar Revelry art, amplified the power of other techniques. So as the melancholy sound of the Forgotten Vale Melody rang out, revelers roared in raucous joy, their stamping feet and hooves providing an accompanying drumbeat, and the world filled with mist. Bandits cried out in alarm as the mist rushed out like a tidal wave, consuming their entire formation and beyond, spreading for hundreds of meters through the swamp and rising hundreds more into the sky, reducing the afternoon sun to a pale memory.


    In the dark of the mist, red eyes bloomed, and the laughter of the revelers became cruel mockery. Hands and paws which had grasped at limbs to tug them into a dance became talons that drew crimson lines of blood. In the confusion, Ling Qi shot back into a man¡¯s shadow and vanished from the field, uncaring for the arrows and blades carving uselessly through her phantoms.


    The bandits¡¯ leaders shouted something to each other, and the man raised his warfan while the woman struck her fist against her breastplate, making the metal ring like a gong. Ling Qi felt twin pulses of power, stronger together than alone, push back against her mist. Around the leaders, the mist began to lighten, ever so slightly.


    Ling Qi focused, and Sixiang wove her power through the breeze, amplifying her song. The mist crashed back down darker than ever, drawing a snarl of frustration from them both.


    Ling Qi circled the bandit formation silently as the bandits regrouped themselves. To her frustration, their organization kept them together, and shared defensive techniques shielded them from the worst of her phantom attacks. Orders had rung out, distorted and warbling, to hold fire and press forward. They were near the border.


    She was more than happy to let them try. While she couldn¡¯t easily emerge without risking being riddled by the sheer number of arrows, her mist was not such an easy thing to escape. So as the bandits bulled forward, seeking the exit from her techniques, Ling Qi remained in shadow, only briefly diverting to play an Elegy of the Lost, entrapping a straggler or two and draining their qi to restore her own.


    For a full fifteen minutes, she held them, nipping at their heels and vanishing before more than a smattering of bolts could fly her way. Slowly, painstakingly, she shifted her mist, lightening it here,thinning it there, letting the confusing qi soak deeply into their senses. And gradually, she turned them around, first until their steps took them perpendicular to their path, and then finally running them backward through the swamp. Perhaps this alone would be enough for Cai Renxiang and the soldiers to catch up.


    Naturally, as that thought flitted through her head, she noticed something wrong. She felt ripples in her mist, places where her qi was being pushed aside. In the depths of a gnarled tree¡¯s shadow, Ling Qi scanned the mist and saw them, figures that seemed spun from glass, visible only by the distortion in the mist.


    It took a moment, but she counted six of them, their power obscured from her eyes. She saw the spindly man leading the bandits shout something to the closest figure, which replied in a hissing voice, chastising him for uselessness.


    Ling Qi felt a sudden surge of power and moved on instinct as six arrows carved through the tree and its shadow, where she had hidden. Sizzling with toxic purple qi, they pierced straight through the trunk and sank into the ground until the fletching vanished under the mud.


    But even as Ling Qi materialized among the branches, she felt a sharp sting on her cheek and a hint of wetness. Dozens of men spun to face her, and Ling Qi realized at that moment that the spindly bandit leader had made her silhouette burn with an eerie ghost light.


    Phase two then.


    In a burst of black smoke, her singing mist blade shot out, screaming through the air where the spindly bandit leader¡¯s head had been and circled back, already seeking his shoulder blades. It was amazing, Ling Qi thought absently, that controlling her domain weapon took no more effort than flicking her fingers these days.


    She saw the interlopers now, garbed in matching and clean suits of cloth-shrouded armor, their faces and heads concealed by wrapped scarves. Each one wielded a bow of dark green wood, and already, they were shifting to follow her as she darted to a new tree, moving like a well-drilled unit as empowering arts echoed back and forth between them. They were individually peak second realms, but together, they were pushing themselves to the power of a lower third realm.


    But while they had found her, Ling Qi¡¯s mist was not so easy to defeat. The bandits were still lost, and Ling Qi¡¯s desperate dash carried her through the volley that flew her way, many arrows still shooting off into nothing.


    Ling Qi landed at the rear of the bandits¡¯ formation. If she couldn¡¯t hide, she would just have to hold. Her allies were coming, and she was not alone. Behind her, there was a heavy thud, and a massive shadow began to form in the mist, towering over her and the bandits alike.


    Yet her enemies did not break, run, or scatter. They huddled even closer together, men and women dragging wayward comrades back in line as they struggled to orient themselves and seek an escape. She felt a spreading pulse of heavy metallic qi rippling out from the stocky woman, anchoring and bolstering the spirits of the other bandits against the mist, and she felt the spindly man¡¯s qi branching out like the flows of a river, granting his sight to key members of his group. The next volley of arrows was far more concentrated. The mist and the phantoms took most of them, but Ling Qi still found herself facing down dozens of arrows and bolts, more than a few of which were too potent to allow them to pass through her shadowy form.


    Ling Qi was swift though, and her gown was a masterwork talisman. Like a shadow, she slipped through the volley, and the impact of most of the arrows that slipped through were no more than bruises. A single black crossbow bolt brushed her flank and detonated, shoving her to one side and briefly pushing her off-balance. In the moment of her distraction, the spindly man released a spirit beast, a gigantic dragonfly two meters long. It buzzed through the air almost as swiftly as she did, and the thunderous noise of its wings slammed down on her like a hammer, flattening the earth and mud for a dozen meters around. Ling Qi grimaced as she felt her head ring and a droplet of blood fall from her nose.


    Amidst the bandits, more shapes began to emerge. Not every one of their yellow souls had a spirit, but there were still more than enough that did.


    Of course, Ling Qi¡¯s response to that escalation was already here. The sound that Zhengui made did not resemble his still childish speaking voice. It was the natural bellow of an enraged eight-meter-long tortoise. Zhen snapped out, swift as a shadow, and snatched the dragonfly spirit that had struck her out of the air. The massive insect let out a shriek of agony as burning fangs punched through its exoskeleton. Ash poured out from Zhengui¡¯s maw, further darkening the area around them with burning particulates, and Ling Qi felt roots spreading under the earth.


    And beneath all the thunder and noise, a soft, almost shy song began to ring out. Hanyi stood in the shadow of Zhengui¡¯s shell, eyes dancing with delight as she reached out plaintively to the gathering bandits. The first man affected, a mid yellow archer at the edge of the formation, stumbled out of line with his fellows, his eyes glassy and dazed as he shrugged off their attempts to pull him back.


    Ling Qi kept her eyes locked on the spindly man, even as viridian light rippled across her body, the Ten Ring Defense technique hardening flesh and bone against further attack and beginning to draw a thin trickle of qi back into her depleted reserves to replace what she had spent. Her flying blade circled him like a hungry wolf, and the dull steel sword he had sent out to contest it groaned and shuddered under the cry of her singing blade, its edge already beginning to crack and flake.


    The man was the leader that was allowing the bandits to shoot so accurately. So perhaps it was time to cut him off. Even as she fell back into Zhengui¡¯s ash, she began to play, and the spindly man¡¯s eyes widened in alarm as the mist closed around him. He tried to slip out of the effect, but bolstered by Sixiang, there was no escape. It wouldn¡¯t last forever, but he was out of the fight for a precious few moments.


    Attacks still came, but bolts and arrows now pelted Zhengui, although the explosives did no more than make her sturdy little brother shudder, leaving the occasional pockmark on his forelegs and head that bled white hot blood.


    But even without the man providing them vision, the bandits and masked archers were adjusting, clumps of men spreading out to surround her. The pale fire burning on her skin prevented her from slipping back into the mist, and although it flickered as Sixiang tried to wash it off, the effect of the arrow held. And those masked archers had far better aim than the bandits. Ling Qi flew upwards to avoid the arrows sizzling through the air. Where the arrows struck, plants rotted and the ground turned dark with poison.


    Yet despite their perfect coordination and their reinforcing techniques, her superior cultivation was telling. With inhuman grace she darted through the storm. Twenty four arrows flew from six bows in the blink of an eye, and all but three failed to touch. Of those three, two glanced off, burning sizzling lines into the verdant light of her defensive technique. A third pierced through and drew a deep cut across her shoulder that burned painfully before Sixiang purged the poison.


    Zhengui took the archers¡¯ attack poorly. Spearing roots stabbed up through one trio¡¯s formation, forcing them to scatter, and she caught a glimpse of broken wings and twitching legs disappearing down Zhen¡¯s throat before a searing glob of liquid fire threw up a cloud of steam where it landed in the midst of the second trio¡¯s formation, drawing the first cries of pain from them.


    Her enemies took advantage of her focus on the archers. Ling Qi¡¯s head whipped around as she felt something powerful echo in the mist, and ahead of the formation, her mist split, not dispelled but forced apart, opening a lane for the bandits to escape through. The bandits¡¯ formation moved with renewed vigour, pushing hard for the exit, save for the illusionist and a dozen lost stragglers unable to keep up.


    Ling Qi scowled. She was starting to feel some strain delaying the group. She didn¡¯t know who had done that, but she couldn¡¯t just let them run off¡­ Red-eyed shadows joined her laughing phantoms, clawing and snapping at the heels of the bandits. She ignored the cries of pain as men were swarmed by scores of hungry shadows and pushed on to the finale of the melody. As she poured still more qi into the Traveler¡¯s End technique, the corridor in the mist began to close.


    There was someone else here, the suspected hidden third realm. The armored woman had not done that, and the tall man was still trapped in her elegy, fighting off her Singing Mist Blade with his own increasingly battered sword while his qi drained away. But those archers were still piercing her mist, even if their arrows were now stinging Zhengui like a swarm of hornets. One of the masked archers at least had slumped and run into Zhengui¡¯s reach toward a song that called him, only to be snatched up by Zhen, pumped full of venom, and flung away, screaming. She couldn¡¯t sense who or where this last opponent was, and it was beginning to worry her.


    A warhorn sounded behind her. Ling Qi felt an intense build up of qi, and then, a lance of light so dense that it seemed almost liquid cut through her mist and carved a line of devastation through the struggling bandits. To Ling Qi¡¯s eyes, it was obvious that it had been a blind shot. It carved through too far to one side, missing the center of the bandits¡¯ formation.


    Ling Qi felt her stomach turn as she saw the moment of impact, a pair of straggling reds at the edge of the formation that had been caught in full by the blast. They didn¡¯t burn or explode. No, the light simply passed through, and everything from their waists up ceased to exist. The men behind them were no luckier until the light finally splashed against a hastily pulled up wall of packed mud and earth, boring through and cooking the mud into clay but weakened enough to merely burn the men on the other side.


    Ling Qi looked at the source, and she could see Cai Renxiang and the soldiers she had brought with her. Her liege was obvious at the center of the line, flying above the earth on wings of radiance, sword in hand. The men behind her were no less bright. Their armor and weapons glowed a luminous white, and together, they made an artificial dawn. With spears drawn and leveled, they advanced in an implacable line toward the edge of her mist, but they were still far away.


    Then Ling Qi¡¯s instincts screamed danger, and she pulled up the power of her Deepwood Vitality technique just in time to meet the head of an arrow barely a centimeter from her head just as the thundercrack of its flight reached her ears. Eyes wide, Ling Qi jerked her head to the side as her defensive technique shattered. The arrow flew by, and through the perspective granted by her canto, she saw the trunk of the tree it struck disintegrate, rotting into a black slurry in a handful of seconds. A second arrow struck her in the stomach almost simultaneously, only the power of her gown deflecting it across her side instead of letting it punch through. Pain flared in her thoughts as black venom began to seep into the wound.


    Ahead of her, hundreds of meters away in the direction of the border, she saw a shape rising from the earth just outside of her mist. He stood atop the head of a titanic mud brown serpent, a dozen meters long or more. He himself was dressed much like the hidden archers in clothing of brown and green, and the warbow held in his hands was far more deadly in appearance, recurved and as long as he was tall, the arrow nocked there looking more like a small spear. On his back, she caught sight of a white package stamped with the mark of the red butterfly.


    Unlike the other archers, his head was uncovered, leaving his long hair, black and streaked with dark green, to fly free. More importantly, it left the upper half of his face bare, revealing his golden, slit-pupiled eyes.


    Ling Qi found herself all too aware of how swiftly the cultivation advantage could change. The Bai was a threshold stage cultivator, the fourth step of the third realm, and his spirit beast at the third step.


    As he began to once again draw back that monstrous bow, Ling Qi saw his sneering lips move, ¡°Can¡¯t expect peasants to do a Bai¡¯s work, I suppose.¡±

 Bonus: Characters of Destiny

    Current as of: [RR Chapter Threads 39/ Year 44 of Empress Xiang¡¯s reign]


    Southern Emerald Seas Ling Clan


    Ling Qi: Our main character. Baroness, Head of the Southern Emerald Seas Ling Clan, and retainer to Cai Renxiang. Member of the Argent Peaks Inner Sect.


    Ling Qingge: Ling Qi¡¯s mother. Formerly of the He clan before being disowned.


    Ling Biyu: Ling Qi¡¯s three year old half-sister. Very adorable.


    Argent Peak Inner Sect Members


    Bai Meizhen: A member of the ruling White Serpent branch of the ancient Bai ducal clan, rulers of the Thousand Lakes province, and daughter of Bai Meilin and Hou Zhuang. Ling Qi¡¯s best friend.


    Cai Renxiang: The current heiress to the Cai, the ruling ducal clan of the Emerald Seas, and daughter of Cai Shenhua. Liege and friend to Ling Qi


    Gu Xiulan: A scion of the Gu vicontiel clan of the Golden Fields province. Ling Qi¡¯s friend. Unhappily engaged to Fan Yu.


    Xuan Shi: Friend to Ling Qi and a scion of Xuan ducal clan of the Savage Seas province. A powerful craftsman and lover of literature


    Li Suyin: Friend to Ling Qi, Craftsman of Creepy things, Apprentice to Bao Qingling


    Bao Qingling: A scion of the Bao comital clan and younger sister to Bao Quan. Li Suyin''s mentor. Recently seen chatting with Bai Meizhen


    Ruan Shen: A scion of the Ruan baronial clan. Former music tutor to Ling Qi. The Ruan are subordinate to the Bao comital clan, but the cultivation stage reached by members of the Ruan means they can potentially take up the vicontiel rank.


    Shen Hu: Friendly with Ling Qi. Scion of the very recently created Shen baronial clan.


    Sun Liling: Scion of the Sun Ducal Clan and great-granddaughter of Sun Shao, King of the Western Territories. Opposed Cai Renxiang and her faction in the Outer Sect.


    Ji Rong: Baron, Former member of a street gang. Joined up with Sun Liling


    Kang Zihao: Scion of the Kang comital clan of the Heavenly Peaks province. His father is the current head of the Imperial Guard. Former ally of Sun Liling. Bai Meizhen plans on killing him for his insult regarding her dead mother, Bai Meilin.


    Yan Renshu: A craftsman who viciously hates Ling Qi after she ruined multiple of his bases in one night. He attempted to poison Zhengui. He was crippled by Wen Cao in his first year at the Sect. Entered the Sect two years before Ling Qi¡¯s year did.


    Yu Nuan: A fellow musician who Ling Qi challenged and defeated in a contest of music.


    Liang He: A swordsman who Ling Qi challenged and defeated in single combat.


    Liao Zhu: Rank 2 member of the Inner Sect. Former tutor to Ling Qi and current mentor in the Scouts


    Bian Ya: A scion of the Bian vicontiel clan. Former tutor to Ling Qi in Wind and Wood qi. Seemingly interested in Ruan Shen. The Bian are directly subordinate to the Cai ducal clan, but the cultivation stage reached by members of the Bian means they can potentially take up the comital rank.


    Wang Chao: Scion of Wang comital clan.


    Meng De: Scion of the Meng comital clan


    Luo Zhong: Scion of the Luo comital Clan


    Argent Peak Outer Sect Members


    Gan Guangli: Retainer of Cai Renxiang


    Su Ling: Friend of Ling Qi and Li Suyin, her former roommate. She is the daughter of a powerful Spirit Beast, a cyan level fox who seduced and killed her human father. She is a very capable pill crafter. Very grumpy


    Ma Jun and Lei: Former guards of Ling Qi. Friends with Su Ling


    Xiao Fen: Bai Meizhen¡¯s handmaiden and member of the Black Viper branch of the Bai ducal clan.


    Liu Xin: Talented commoner, and Xiao Fen¡¯s friend


    Han Jian: Scion of the Han Marquis clan of the Golden Fields province. Friend of Ling Qi. Rejected Xiulan. Second year Outer Sect member.


    Han Fang: Han Jian¡¯s adopted cousin. Mute after taking a knife meant for Han Jian


    Fan Yu: A scion of the Fan comital clan of the Golden Fields province. Friend of Han Jian. Xiulan¡¯s fiance. Second year Outer Sect member.


    Lu Feng: Vassal and ally of Sun Liling and Scion of the Lu comital clan of the Western Territories. Friend of Ji Rong


    Chu Song: Baroness. She is descended from the fallen Chu clan, a comital clan which was purged by the Cai after attempting to oppose the new Ducal clan¡¯s reforms.


    Huang Da: Scion of the Huang comital clan of the Ebon Rivers province. Blind. Had a crush on Ling Qi and Li Suyin, which was emphatically not returned


    Hong Lin: The unfortunate fiancee of Huang Da


    Wen Ai: Scion of the Wen comital clan of the Ebon Rivers province. Lost to Gu Xiulan in the New Year¡¯s tournament. Formerly blackmailed after Ling Qi stole her love letters.


    Argent Peak Core Sect Members


    Gu Yanmei: Recently Promoted. Xiulan¡¯s Older Sister. Scion of the Gu vicomital clan of the Golden Fields province.


    Guan Zhi: Ling Qi¡¯s commander in the Sect military training program. Member of the Scouts. Niece of Elder Zhou


    Argent Peak Elders


    Elder Sima Jiao: Grumpy occasional mentor to Ling Qi. Head of the Talisman department. Former Minister of Integrity under Emperor An. Married to Xin


    Xin: Wife, and bonded spirit to Elder Jiao. She is the Archivist of Vice, a powerful prism Hidden Moon spirit.


    Elder Guan Zhou: Commander of the Sect Militaries and initial teacher of Physical Cultivation to Ling Qi


    Elder Hua Su: Initial teacher of Spiritual Cultivation to Ling Qi. Head of the Medicinal Department.


    Elder Hua Heng: Teacher in the Inner Sect. Father to Hua Su, and very old.


    Elder Ying: Helped deal with the Spirits unleashed by the cloud shaman. Taught Ling Qi how to raise Spirit Beasts


    Sect Head Yuan He: Slayer of the Great Khan Ogodei. Head of the Sect


    Assorted Others


    Zeqing: A powerful Ice Spirit who lived at the peak of White Cloud Mountain (The Outer Sect Mountain). Tutored Ling Qi in Music, Cold and Darkness. Mother to Hanyi. Currently Deceased


    Hidden Moon- It is the Great Spirit representing the new moon. It hoards secrets and knowledge. Xin is an aspect of the Hidden Moon. It is currently a patron of Ling Qi


    Dreaming Moon- It is the Great Spirit representing the waning gibbous. It represents Dreams, and creation. Sixiang is an aspect of the Dreaming Moon. It is currently a patron of Ling Qi


    Grinning Moon- It is the Great Spirit representing the Waning Crescent. It represents mischief, thieves and cleverness. It is currently a patron of Ling Qi


    Bloody Moon- It is the Great Spirit representing the Waxing Crescent. It represents Vengeance and Justice. It oversaw a Dream Trial in the Inner Sect set during a Weilu Civil War.


    Reflective Moon- It is the Great Spirit representing the Twin Half Moons. It is linked to self-reflection, contemplation, peace and togetherness. Diplomats often invoke this moon.


    Guiding Moon- It is the Great Spirit representing the Full Moon. It represents travelers and sailors, and is strongly associated with revealing mystery.


    Mother Moon- It is the Great Spirit representing the Waning Gibbous. It represents the family, motherhood and fertility.


    Cai Shenhua: Duchess of the Emerald Seas province. She holds the title after overthrowing the previous ducal clan, the Hui.


    Diao Linqin: Matriarch of the Diao Count clan. Prime Minister of the Emerald Seas. Cai Shenhua¡¯s lover


    Ai Xiaoli: Mother of Gu Xiulan


    Bai Suzhen: Heiress to the Bai Ducal clan, Aunt to Bai Meizhen


    Bai Meilin: Bai Meizhen¡¯s Deceased mother. Died as a result of being blamed for an Imperial Prince¡¯s Death


    Hou Zhuang: Bai Meizhen¡¯s father, and Spymaster for Bai Suzhen


    Emperor Mu An: The previous emperor. He was a reformist who created the Ministry of Integrity to clamp down on corruption as well as the Great Sects. He recently ascended to become the death aspected Great Spirit Inexorable Justice.


    Empress Mu Xiang: The current empress. Former member of the Ministry of Integrity. Her Mother was an imperial consort to Emperor An and a White Serpent Bai. Her mother was assassinated by the Bai because the ruling faction of the White Serpents opposed closer relations with the Imperial Family

 Threads 42-Justice 3

    Ling Qi found her thoughts drifting back to the old story which she had read when looking into Bai Xiao Fen and the Bai clan in general.


    ¡°But the Red Python and the Green Asp scorned their ascended father¡¯s will, and they rose in rebellion against the first White Serpent Queen. Only the Black Viper stood steadfast at her side.¡±


    If this wasn¡¯t a trick, it looked like she was going to have to talk to Meizhen about her extended family and their resistance to the new alliance with Emerald Seas.


    Ling Qi felt Sixiang¡¯s qi pulse and the pain in her side faded. Ling Qi bent her knees and lunged. The wind screamed past her ears and the mist flowed forward like a living sea, following her movement. The very moment the mists rolled over the probable Bai, she did something that she had never done on the practice field.


    Ling Qi played the final measure of the Forgotten Vale Melody. At once, the echoing refrain which carried on the melody cut out, and the mist seemed to tremble in anticipation. It collapsed. Hundreds of meters worth of mist collapsed in on itself, condensing and withdrawing as the weight of the technique smashed down on the bandits and the Bai as well.


    Even as she felt a desperate pulse of metallic qi ripple out, she felt the flickering pale auras of many of her first realm foes¡¯ spirits simply snuff out like a candle doused in a bucket. Ling Qi had no time to focus on the cold, unpleasant feeling that welled in her stomach at the realization of what had happened because the very earth lashed out at her in response to her assault. It was not a physical retaliation, but tendrils of powerful qi, snapping out at her like the tails of a whip, erupted from the mud beneath her feet.


    The emerald mantle of a hastily activated Deepwood Vitality caught one, but three others lashed her as it shattered, and Ling Qi had to hold back a scream as they carved lines of burning pain across her spirit. The Bai was no longer sneering however as the shimmering veil of deep brown qi that had shrouded him crumbled, and she could feel the mark her attack had left on his own spirit. He had hurt her more than she had hurt him, but she could see the rage in his eyes at having been hurt at all.


    All around her, she saw that her technique had been more effective elsewhere. Many of the bandits lay upon the ground. Although some still moved weakly and showed a spark of life, most of them lay empty, their spirits extinguished. The ones which had fallen on their backs stared up with blank eyes at the sky, and though their chests still rose and fell, there was no life there. Those who still stood huddled around the stocky, armored woman with trembling limbs, staring at her in terror. Their leader stood in the center, depleted qi only slowly returning to her aura. The illusionist was among those on the ground, breathing feebly and clutching the stump of his arm where Cai Renxiang¡¯s light had burned it off. Her domain weapon winged back toward her, drops of crimson blood marking its edge.


    And Ling Qi felt in the tremble of her breath the depletion of her reserves the massive attack had wrought.


    Of the camouflaged archers, she saw only two. The one Zhen had mangled lay on the ground, and another knelt in the dirt, having barely withstood her attack. But Ling Qi could feel seven channels beneath the earth terminating where the Bai archer stood. He had protected the remaining archers with whatever that technique had been.


    There was a moment then where the only sound was the faint echo of her Spring Breeze Canto and the noise of the phantom revel that still surrounded her. The laughter and song contrasted sharply with their surroundings, and brightly dressed fairy dancers cavorted atop churned mud and corpses. Silently, she sent a command to Zhengui, telling him to fall back and draw closer to her.


    As Zhengui took his first step back, everything exploded back into motion. A pulse of her qi through the revel sent a gangly, goat-like spirit in a shimmering nobleman¡¯s robe to seize the arms of the remaining bandit leader and dragged her, struggling, out of formation. Two of the bandit leader¡¯s crossbow-wielding subordinates swiftly joined her.


    The air above the Bai shimmered, and a green blur shot toward her, crossing hundreds of meters in an instant. It resolved into a sphere of deep green jade carved with scores of formation characters. It rotated swiftly in the air above her, releasing a cloud of foul green vapor that spread near as swiftly and as far as her mist.


    The throat of the Bai¡¯s serpent companion bulged, and the massive snake spat out a man-sized glob of mud which swiftly expanded as it left the beast¡¯s mouth before crumbling to reveal four disoriented archers. The archers stumbled about in confusion, but they were otherwise unharmed.


    At the same time, Ling Qi activated her Graceful Crescent Dancer technique and blinked out of corporeal existence as a second spear-like arrow thundered through the space where she had been and detonated in the muck. A second, a third, and fourth followed, and she zigged and zagged desperately, throwing herself into the cover generated by the expanding ash cloud Zhengui unleashed.


    As her Singing Blade shot toward the Jade Orb in the air and glanced off in a shower of sparks, individual bandits continued to break formation, running and stumbling with blank eyes toward Zhengui and the little snow girl crouched mischievously beneath his bulk. Only a handful of the shots sent her way from the bandits¡¯ crumbling formation even fell in her general vicinity, most shot wildly into the revel instead.


    Ling Qi was no longer fighting wholly alone however. The advancing dawn-like light of Cai Renxiang¡¯s formation grew brighter and closer, and a white-fletched arrow picked off one of the bandits Hanyi had drawn out of formation, taking the confused woman in the throat. Ling Qi heard a familiar chime and caught a glimpse of a white ribbon and the tinkling bells dangling from it. She felt her confidence rise as narrow beams of light from Cai Renxiang¡¯s domain weapon cut through the sky to smash against the spinning surface of the poison spewing orb that had thus far resisted her Singing Blade¡¯s efforts to push it back.


    Despite the churning in her stomach and the worry in her heart, Ling Qi did not hide herself behind Zhengui, even as the poison mist raining down upon them made her skin tingle and itch. Instead, she gave the Bai a challenging smirk as the shimmering viridian light that shrouded her darkened and grew thick and gnarled, taking on the texture of bark. She needed to make sure that the Bai didn¡¯t just run away with the package toward the border, and to do that, she wanted to prick his pride.


    Her challenge was answered fiercely. Without giving any visible command, the archers the Bai had saved fell back into formation and fired a volley of arrows that sizzled with poison as they arced unerring through the sky toward her. She did not even have to move as Zhengui lumbered in front of her. Arrows shattered on his shell, hissing and bubbling as the poison boiled off from his heat. Others struck home, sinking into Zhen¡¯s scales or Gui¡¯s stout legs, but her little brother merely let out an enraged hiss and a trailing section of the ash clouds shrouding them flared green and vanished. Arrows were pushed out of his wounds and boiling poison was ejected from his flesh in hissing spurts as his wounds closed.


    Ling Qi felt her minor wounds and some of the spiritual ache from the Bai¡¯s counter fading as well, but she could not let her guard down yet. She felt the ripples in the wind as not one but three supersonic projectiles left her enemy¡¯s bow. She spun out of the path of the first as the arrow twisted midair to avoid Zhengui¡¯s bulk and crashed into the mud behind her with a thunderous crack, the resulting wave of mud passing through her ghostlike form to splatter and harden on Zhengui¡¯s flank. The second crashed down not even a moment later, and Ling Qi leaped to the side, only for it to explode into a half-dozen smaller, seeking missiles. Three of them struck home. Two shattered upon her gown, reinforced as it was by her defensive techniques, but the third piece cut a burning line across her cheek. Ling Qi stumbled as pain exploded through her veins, making her vision swim even as she held back a cry of pain.


    She barely had the presence of mind to draw upon her Deepwood Vitality technique again, throwing up a barrier in time to catch the third spear-arrow with a crack of thunder. The scent of rot reached her nose as the missile rapidly corroded the barrier and itself. This time, she was not fast enough to dodge as a shard of wood the length of her forearm punched through and dug into her side, thankfully glancing off of her ribs before it could penetrate deeper.


    Sixiang was saying something, but Ling Qi could not quite understand their words through the haze of pain in her thoughts. She grit her teeth, forcing herself to see through the pain and prepare herself as her enemy nocked another arrow. Distantly, she felt a pulse of qi as the remaining bandit leader tore her hands free of the phantom dancer¡¯s grip, but it seemed so far away compared to the sickly warmth spreading from the gash across her side. She felt the ground beneath her feet try to turn into a sucking pit of mud, but a web of rootlets spread through it faster than it could change, forcing the ground to stay solid, and more ash vanished, crumbling flakes sticking to her wounds and rebuilding flesh. It dulled the pain and allowed her to think more clearly.


    Then a star fell from the sky, and the haze of toxic mist raining down upon them evaporated before its purifying light. A solid bar of liquid light smashed into the spinning orb, and despite the resilience of domain weapons, Ling Qi saw a spider web of cracks spread across its surface before it was flung away.


    Cai Renxiang floated above her in a corona of light that would have been blinding to a lesser cultivator. Ling Qi could see the girl at the center of it, suspended on wings formed by curling threads of light. Her arms were bare, and the hem of her gown had risen to almost above her knees. The saber in her right hand looked like little more than an incandescent bar, impossible for even Ling Qi to look directly at.


    She met her liege¡¯s eyes then, and the girl gave her tiny nod of acknowledgement. ¡°Ling Qi, with me.¡±


    It was a command, crisp and brief, the voice of one who had no doubts that they would be obeyed. Ling Qi found in this instance that it didn¡¯t rankle her at all. In an instant, she conveyed her thoughts to her spirits. She sent Hanyi to help the soldiers with the remaining bandits and urged Zhengui to catch up with her and Cai Renxiang as quickly as he could.


    Then she rose from the ground on wings of starry shadows, and the light of Cai Renxiang¡¯s wings washed over her, liquid light threading through her shadows, wrapping her limbs in threads of inviolate light. In turn, the vital qi pulsing through the meridians in her heart and spine flared as she expended a great flood of qi to activate the Thousand Rings Unbreaking technique, shrouding her spirits and Cai Renxiang alike in the unbreakable vitality of the Emerald Seas¡¯ forests.


    Together with Cai Renxiang, she shot forward, the sun and the shadow that chased it. Arrows rained down on them. The lesser missiles shattered on contact or burned up in the purifying light before they could do even that much.


    Behind them, Ling Qi could hear and feel the clash as the soldiers made contact with the remaining bandits. Battered and disorganized as they now were, the soldiers cut into the bandits¡¯ broken formation without mercy. With the echoes of her Canto still ringing in the air, she saw luminous spears punching through patchwork armor. A stocky, armored woman, her limbs trembling with exertion and exhaustion, swung her heavy axe desperately to drive back the gleaming celestial-armored soldiers.


    She and Cai Renxiang had their own troubles. Ahead of them, a toxic smoke rose steaming from the ground to shroud their enemy, and the two of them spun apart to avoid the thunderous passage of another spear arrow. A second came, and Cai Renxiang swung her saber. The shockwave that erupted from the meeting of missile and blade flattened grass and tore the leaves from nearby trees. When a third and a fourth arrow struck in the wake of the second, Cai¡¯s light flared, bleaching the color from bark and grass. Ling Qi glimpsed the faceless visage of liquid light that replaced her liege¡¯s face as the two arrows disintegrated, leaving only a cloud of shrapnel to cut across her bare limbs and face. It failed to do harm through layers of white and emerald qi.


    Their enemy, along with his soldiers, retreated before them, shrouded in a vast cloud of toxic qi. But Ling Qi knew that they could not afford to let him get away. She might not know politics as well as some, but if he were to escape, even she could see the mess that would result. So, despite memories of exploding flesh and the blank-eyed stares of still living corpses, she began her mentor¡¯s song, singing the Aria of Spring¡¯s End, enhanced by the Echoes of Absolute Winter. The mud and water froze in her passage, and the moisture in the air turned cold, raining down as a soft snow on the now frozen marsh.


    Above her, she saw Cai Renxiang¡¯s lips thin with the same resolve and the spray of crimson droplets as Cai drew her free hand across the edge of her new blade. She saw the heiress¡¯ lips move, and though she could not hear the words over the howl of the wind and her own song, she could read them well enough.


    ¡°Cifeng, Liming, kill.¡±


    Ling Qi felt the pulse of radiant qi from Cai Renxiang¡¯s dantian, and it was quickly absorbed into Cai¡¯s gown. There was no physical sound, but attuned as she was to the expressions of the soul, the howl from Cai¡¯s dress spirit struck Ling Qi like a wave. The pulse redoubled as it flowed out from Liming and into the hilt of Cifeng, the saber in Cai¡¯s hand. The blazing sword cackled in a silent voice of pure bloodlust as a star was born at its burning tip, and the technique Cai had channeled was redoubled yet again.


    Then Cai Renxiang brought her blade down, and the world in front of them vanished in light. The light thundered down from the sky, consuming a perfect circle a quarter kilometer in radius. When it faded, trees and plants were gone and the earth was bleached white, but as the blinding light faded, a violet missile roared out, forcing Cai Renxiang to twist to the side as it roared through where she had been.


    The dodge was not enough however as the whole of it exploded outward into a cloud of dense, noxious mist. Even Ling Qi had to flit away, so far did it spread. Cai Renxiang emerged from the mist, sickly black poison clinging and bubbling to her left arm, a grimace of pain on her face.


    Standing before them, his mist stripped away, was their opponent. Only two of his men still remained alive. Of the others, only ashen shadows on the bleached earth remained. The Bai stared up at them with hatred in his golden eyes. Bloodless gouges marked the scales of his companion, and the man himself was scorched and ruffled, parts of his armor disintegrated, leaving bare his slightly scorched flesh.


    For a moment, they stared daggers at one another. Then a glob of boiling venom splattered across the ground with a bubbling hiss, launched by a frustrated Zhengui far behind them, and they exploded back into motion.


    Sped by the enhancing power of her liege¡¯s techniques, Ling Qi shot forward through the sky in a cloud of rapidly forming snowfall and played the Hoarfrost Refrain. The melody rang out, freezing solid the bleached and scorched earth, and it washed over her enemies, stopped from reaching their flesh only by a pulse of ochre qi that erupted from the Bai, cloaking them against her wintery power. Arrows rose to punish her for her assault, but she spun and danced through the air like a flitting butterfly of starlight. She avoided what she could and simply took what she couldn¡¯t, letting shards of rot-infused arrows bounce off of her enhanced gown.


    Her enemies¡¯ main focus remained on Cai Renxiang. Earthen qi spread from the Bai¡¯s companion, and she saw the snake begin to move as if to dive underground, but its spade-like head merely crashed into the hard packed earth, sending up a spray of dirt but nothing more. Whatever Cai Renxiang had done, it had rendered the very earth inert.


    The Bai cursed as he leaped off his confused companion¡¯s head and unleashed another volley of arrows toward the heiress in the sky, his hand and the string of his bow blurring with inhuman speed as he fired off a half- dozen spear-like arrows in the time that most would take to fire one.


    But Cai Renxiang was not alone. Her gown, so often inert and peaceful, seemed alive and eager for battle now. Tendrils of light from her gown snatched arrows from the air and crushed them, devouring the qi infused into them like a hungry beast. Her sword seemed to sing with bloodthirsty delight with every swing as Cai batted away projectiles. Her liege blurred then, her corona of light brightening until even Ling Qi could not see through it as she smashed down upon the bleached earth like a falling star.


    The Bai, his spirit, and his men were all flung away. As Cai Renxiang emerged from the crater she had left in the earth, her blazing sword marked by the black smoke of evaporating blood, the Bai landed on his feet, a deep groove carved in the front of the Bai¡¯s massive bow and a cut across his chest.


    Roots speared up out of the inert earth then, entangling the thrashing, brown-scaled snake, and Ling Qi sang her refrain again as she soared over the man, lashing him with her icy melody. He threw back most of her assault with a flare of earth qi, but this time, a single note speared through, and she felt her icy qi take hold in his blood.


    Behind them, the bandits were falling, broken up and defeated by Cai¡¯s soldiers. Many were dead, but some had merely been beaten unconscious. Cai Renxiang fell upon their opponent again in a masterful combination, her living saber darting and twirling through the air, releasing pulses of scourging light at every point of contact while hungry threads from Liming sought the Bai¡¯s flesh. Over her head, she heard the crack of stone as her Singing Blade and Cai¡¯s ribbon shattered an orb of jade.


    As she sped through the air, Ling Qi saw the panic growing in the Bai¡¯s spirit, an insidious thread spreading ever so slowly and weakening his resolve. She saw his free hand inching toward a loop of beads hanging from his belt, marked with formation characters that she knew to be those of an escape talisman.


    Most of all, she saw that his back was open as he fended off her liege.

 Threads 43 Justice 4

    Ling Qi felt the familiar fluctuation in the radiant qi emanating from Cai Renxiang¡¯s blazing sword, the unstoppable pulse that could tear up even the roots laid down by her Thousand Rings Unbreaking. So as the upward slash launched the Bai up and back, hurtling backward through the air with his guard broken, she was prepared. Almost without thought, she followed up on her liege¡¯s attack.


    She flickered through the sky, carrying with her the corona of winter cold and the echoes of the frozen melody passed down to her from Zeqing. Behind them, the fading phantoms of her festival howled a cheer and raised their cups even as they wavered and faded into twinkling light and moonmist. Her enemy felt the chill of her presence first and tried to twist in the air, but the momentum of her liege¡¯s attack was not yet spent, trapping him in its trajectory.


    Ling Qi¡¯s hands grasped his shoulders, and for a single moment that seemed to stretch on far longer, she met his golden eyes, so much like those of her best friend, as he half-turned his head. The Call to Ending fell from her lips. It was not so much a note or a melody as its opposite, a deafening, all-consuming silence impressed upon the world.


    The insidious chill of the Hoarfrost Refrain in his blood flared up and his skin split open, weeping half-frozen blood. His veins burst and his lungs contracted in the impossible cold. She saw his eyes mist over with crystals of frost. Sharp spikes of stony qi erupted from his back, his last wild retaliation slamming into her chest. It threw her back, and she caught herself as it flung her to earth, skidding backward on her heels and digging furrows in the earth as his frozen, stiff-limbed form flew overhead, no longer resisting the force of her liege¡¯s technique.


    The wound in her side throbbed, the burning pain penetrating the veil of adrenaline and enhancing techniques, and Ling Qi felt Sixiang begin to weakly whisper something, but she had no time to listen. She had barely a moment to turn as she heard the sound of tearing roots and a mental roar of hate and anguish. Several tons of furious snake slammed into her raised arms and drove her into the dirt. She tried to flicker away but found herself unable to, shackles of black earth bound her to the physical world as she strained to push back against the blunt reptilian snout plowing her into the bleached dirt. Rock and sediment parted beneath her, sharp edges ground against her back and wore at even the steel-strong threads of her gown. The wound in her side screamed, and something in her right forearm splintered as the world blurred by outside the meters-deep furrow in the earth being plowed by her body.


    It ended when a ray of light fell from the sky like the wrath of the heavens and brought her assailant to an immediate halt. As Ling Qi¡¯s movement came to a halt, her fingers digging into hard packed and inert earth to halt her momentum, she saw the light fade, revealing Cai Renxiang kneeling atop the thrashing snake¡¯s head, her blade driven down to the hilt in its skull. Tendrils of light, taut as cables, dug into the earth on either side, the anchors that had halted the beast¡¯s momentum.


    Ling Qi rose to her feet, gritting her teeth as she clutched her throbbing forearm. Though the limb remained straight, she could feel the break in the bone, shards digging into the surrounding muscle. The wound in her side burned fiercely as well, but it did not spread further, the poison inert or¡­


    Ling Qi hissed in alarm, even as her eyes darted back and forth across the battlefield, searching for signs of threat.


    her muse laughed weakly.


    ¡°Ling Qi, do you require assistance?¡± Her eyes snapped over to Cai Renxiang as the girl stood. There was a wet sucking sound and a spray of blood as she stood, drawing her saber out of the skull she had sheathed it in. Not a droplet touched her, the liquid boiling off before it could mark Cai¡¯s gown or skin.


    As Ling Qi forced herself to return her breathing to a stable pattern, she looked inward in alarm. Sixiang was still there, diminished, reduced in a way that was hard to describe, but the poison seemed to have run its course in both of them. ¡°I¡¯ll keep,¡± she replied shakily. ¡°I¡­ I got him?¡±


    ¡°You did,¡± Cai Renxiang said, floating off of the still-twitching corpse under her feet. Her right arm was covered in ugly acid-like burns, the skin darkened and split open in bloodless gashes, but she showed no signs of pain, save for an almost imperceptible tremble in the fingers clenched around her sword¡¯s hilt. Ling Qi followed her gaze back toward the start of the furrow she had made in the earth where a tangle of stiff limbs jutted up at odd angles from a pockmark in the bleached earth.


    Ling Qi felt her vision swim, and her stomach contract. She tasted acid in the back of her throat. She¡¯d killed him, and he hadn¡¯t even been the first, had he? It was funny. She knew she had caused many deaths indirectly, and she knew she had done so much harm in the time before. But she¡¯d really outdone herself today, hadn¡¯t she? It had seemed like nothing in the moment, no more than reacting to an advantage in a duel, but how many people¡¯s lives had she ended today?


    Ling Qi felt her balance desert her, and for a moment, the dirt beckoned. Something caught her though, and she looked up to see Cai Renxiang as the girl¡¯s unburned arm slipped around her shoulders. Most of her light had faded, and Ling Qi found herself surprised out of her thoughts as she saw the look of unreserved sadness on the heiress¡¯ face.


    ¡°Come along then. It is time to carry out the duties of victory,¡± the other girl said quietly. ¡°Hold yourself together for a time yet. The violence is over, but the battle continues.¡±


    Ling Qi understood distantly what Cai Renxiang meant. They still had to oversee the return to the village. She laughed, and it was a hollow sounding thing.


    Hadn¡¯t Xiulan told her all the way back at the beginning? Appearance was strength as well. She nodded and forced her wobbling legs straight and the bile in her throat back down. That could come later.


    She could not bring herself to speak much in the aftermath despite that. Instead, she fell back on her old standby, copying her best friend¡¯s aloof and distant manner, clutching to it like a desperate mask even as her emotions churned underneath. She allowed it to crack for Zhengui, wrapping his gigantic head in a hug as he worried over her wounds and stewed in regret that he hadn¡¯t been able to help more. Hanyi needed no reassurances, skipping away from the battlefield like a child coming home from the park.


    The soldiers regarded her with a wary respect as they loaded up the surviving bandits onto open wagons which came rolling up sometime later. The armored woman had been stripped of her talismans and bound in chains of clear crystal that glowed with powerful formations in her senses, but the spindly man lay dead in the dirt, his eyes empty. She watched him dragged into a pile with the rest of the dead as she sat stoically under the ministrations of the nervous physician that had accompanied the wagons.


    As her arm was splinted and the wound on her side dressed, she watched the dead burn in a pyre of unnaturally hot flame born from talismans carried by the soldiers. She watched as a man with a jangling staff like Xuan Shi¡¯s marched around the pyre, murmuring prayers and planting golden sutra scrolls on the hastily raised posts that marked the boundary of the pyre. Bandits deserved no honor, but the potential danger of angry spirits still needed to be contained.


    The Bai was not among those burned. His remains were sealed away until it was decided what needed to be done with them. For once, Ling Qi found that she had no interest in a defeated foe¡¯s gear.


    She barely found herself able to care about the tablet of white jade containing her arts. She browsed listlessly through them as the soldiers did their grisly work. There were many arts within, most in the first and second realm, the sort of things necessary to get a family started. Ling thought that she would have to work with her mother to see which cultivation art fit her best. There were a handful of potential arts for her that she would have to study later when she could concentrate. The Cai had truly been generous in putting together such a comprehensive and no doubt expensive art library for her. This alone would probably ensure that her family and descendants, if alive, could maintain a Baroness rank.


    It was a relief when an enclosed carriage finally rolled up to take her and Cai Renxiang back, along with the most important of the stolen items.


    As the door of the carriage clicked shut and the frame flashed white, activating the privacy arrays laid throughout the structure, Ling Qi finally allowed herself to fall to her side with a thump on the long, padded bench. Zhengui and Hanyi were still outside; she could feel the rumble of his footsteps. Cai Renxiang sat across from Ling Qi, her arm swathed in bandages arrayed as perfectly as the poor army physician could manage.


    ¡°What are they going to do with the rest of the bandits?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°I think you know,¡± Cai Renxiang said, her hands folded in her lap. The black-sheathed saber lying across her knees purred like a contented cat. ¡°The sentence for banditry is death.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded faintly, not sitting up. The splint on her arm was stiff and uncomfortable. She would be glad to get it off after they got back to a larger settlement with more medical resources. Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help but be bitter at the thought. She really had changed, hadn¡¯t she? No wonder she had been able to act so easily.


    ¡°It is always a shame when lives end, but we do not live in so kind a world that it can be avoided,¡± Cai Renxiang said, as if hearing her thoughts. ¡°You did your duty well.¡±


    ¡°I suppose I did,¡± Ling Qi said. It was amazing how fast things could change. How long ago the whimsical trip with the moon sisters seemed now. She thought of dirty streets and lives ruined. What difference was there between her and a bandit, save scale?


    ¡°Why are you so unbothered? Did your mother have you kill someone already under her watchful eye?¡± She knew that was cruel and unfair, but she couldn¡¯t find it in herself to care.


    ¡°I have watched many executions,¡± Cai Renxiang admitted, absently running her fingers along the sheath of her saber with her eyes downcast. ¡°And I have seen the deaths wrought by waste and corruption. But today is the first day that I have taken human life with my own hands.¡±


    ¡°Then why? Do they just not matter because of who they were?¡± Ling Qi shot back.


    ¡°They matter, and their victims matter, and the soldiers matter,¡± Cai Renxiang replied sharply. ¡°I am calm because I know that I have been responsible for uncountable deaths, merely because of who I am. I am the heir to Cai. Every man or woman dead to bandits, every executed criminal, every soldier, and every person who has met their end to privation or carelessness under my family''s rule is my responsibility. It does not matter if their end came at the stroke of a pen, a headsman¡¯s axe, or burned away by my light. The blood is on my hands all the same. That is what it means to be a ruler.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little arrogant, isn¡¯t it?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°Even your mother can¡¯t be everywhere. People make their own choices, no matter who is in charge at the top.¡±


    ¡°Of course they do. Yet every choice they make is informed by the society we build. We who rule construct, shape, and execute the systems under which our people live their lives and make their choices. If our people are slain by foes, it is because we did not protect them. If they starve, it is because we have not provided for them. If they turn to crime, it is because we have failed to provide a virtuous path on which they can live.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple,¡± Ling Qi said, finally sitting up. ¡°Even perfectly comfortable people will do evil things.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps that is true of some petty crimes and acts of passion,¡± Cai Renxiang said steadily. ¡°But near a hundred men and women do not turn bandit without the pressure of a ruler¡¯s failings. The world does not allow us to have mercy for bandits, but the world does not need to be one where bandits exist. The world is far from that state. To protect those who you come to rule, you will be forced to confront your failures and the failures of your neighbors. But you must remember. We can improve. The world is ours to shape, and just as vice arises from vice, virtue arises from virtue.¡±


    Ling Qi clenched her fist, remembering staring eyes and frozen limbs. She remembered a dream and bloodstained fangs. ¡°How can you be so confident? If it¡¯s all down to failure of the ones who rule, do you think that you¡¯re better than all the ones who came before?¡±


    ¡°I think that I may only strive as high as I do because of their successes,¡± her liege replied, and Ling Qi remembered a veiled spirit, speaking wistfully of packed streets as if they were an accomplishment in and of themselves. ¡°This is not a goal that can be obtained in one person¡¯s lifetime, even a cultivator¡¯s. We must act¡­¡± Cai Renxiang paused then, furrowing her brows.


    ¡°Cai Renxiang?¡± Ling Qi asked, forgetting in the moment to use her title.


    ¡°I have perhaps realized something,¡± Cai Renxiang said distractedly. ¡°Regardless, Ling Qi, you acted to defend and avenge our people today. However painful you found it afterward, you did not hesitate when it mattered. I know more surely than ever that I did not choose wrongly in extending my offer to you. The path I have chosen is not one that can be walked alone. No matter how I strive or how strong I grow, the world will not bend to one woman¡¯s will. Not for long.¡±


    ¡°I think I understand,¡± Ling Qi said quietly. To change things, for better or for worse, one had to be prepared to fight. They had been reactive today, but in the future, that would not always be true.


    ¡°If that is so, I will ask you again,¡± Cai Renxiang said seriously. She met Ling Qi¡¯s eyes unwaveringly. ¡°If your answer has changed, then I will find you another task that is not so onerous. Will you continue to support me, Ling Qi?¡±


    Ling Qi lowered her hand to the wound in her side. She knew that the men she had killed today would not have hesitated to kill her in turn. She thought of a burning pyre consuming the dishonored dead. She thought of the new graves being dug outside the sacked village and the ruined fields that she knew would leave hungry bellies come winter. She thought of Tonghou¡¯s miserable streets and the eyesore of a brothel in which she had once dwelled. She thought of brutal guards and gangs and nights spent in the cold. She hated it all.


    She couldn¡¯t forget the sickness that she felt as the results of her actions had caught up with her. She hated that feeling too, just as she had hated the taste of blood in her mouth after the Bloody Moon¡¯s dream. If it was possible to make such things unnecessary¡­


    She would just have to try.


    ¡°Yes.¡±

 Threads 44 Death 1

    It took four days to make it back to the Sect.


    For the first time, Ling Qi got a real sense of just how massive the province and the Empire were. Ling Qi had been a little surprised that they had not simply taken another transport formation, but when she had asked, Cai Renxiang had informed her that it would be an excessive expense.


    Ling Qi kept herself busy by beginning to examine the flows of some of her arts and how she could channel them more efficiently, using fewer meridians. Cai Renxiang was not one for small talk, so it helped to keep her from going stir crazy and kept her mind off other things. If she lost herself in weaving new and better qi patterns, she did not have to think about staring eyes and the broken pile of frozen meat that had once been a man.


    It did not help that Sixiang had remained dormant for two full days, only awakening after they had been attended to by a physician in a larger city on their way. The restorative elixir Ling Qi had been given to speed the healing of her less physical wounds had rejuvenated the spirit as well. Even then, however, the muse had remained quiet and reticent. Zhengui had been quiet as well. Only Hanyi remained in high spirits, and she had quickly gotten frustrated with everyone else¡¯s mood.


    Ling Qi had never been so glad to see the Outer Sect mountain than she had been on the evening of the fourth day. When she had taken leave of her liege, she had gone straight to her mother¡¯s home. Her encounters with the staff had been as awkward as always, especially with memories of the past swimming closer to the surface than usual. However, when she had met again with her mother, the first thing the older woman had done when they were alone was hug her.


    It had felt good to discard the pretense of a cold noblewoman. That had been the first night that she had spent at the house in town and the first time that she had slept in some time. She found that she did not mind as much when she could spend those unconscious hours walking the shore of the sea of dreams at Sixiang¡¯s side in contemplation.


    She remained at the house the next day, sitting in at breakfast with her mother and sister. She left for a short time to move into her new residence from successfully challenging the disciple ranked 768 and advancing into a new tier the month before and to drop off Zhengui at the hill the Sect had set aside for his use. Her little brother, both halves of him, had been insistent that they wanted to practice some things in a place where they wouldn¡¯t break anything important. Hanyi had elected to go with him to ¡°make sure he didn¡¯t just laze around.¡±


    It left Ling Qi with some time to spend with the human part of her family, something she was glad for. She was glad to have a little moment of quiet out on the veranda with her mother while Biyu played in the garden.


    ¡°I am glad that you seem to be recovering from your trip,¡± her mother said quietly, cradling a cup of tea in her hands. ¡°Are you able to speak about it?¡± The older woman was still hesitant in her address.


    Ling Qi almost demurred. The things troubling her were not something her mother could easily relate to, but she had decided against keeping her mother out of things just because those things might trouble her, had she not?


    ¡°We went, and we dealt with the bandits,¡± Ling Qi replied with a wry smile. ¡°I was just the one who dealt with a lot of them personally.¡±


    Ling Qingge nodded, looking out at Biyu chasing butterflies through the garden. ¡°I had thought it was so,¡± she admitted.


    Ling Qi glanced toward her without turning her head. She supposed it was an obvious assumption to make given her haggard state the night before. ¡°Your family before - were any of them in the guard or the army?¡±


    ¡°A few cousins,¡± her mother answered. ¡°And though I know you would ill like to hear it, many clients as well. It is not uncommon for young men to come seeking comfort after their first brush with death.¡±


    Ling Qi wrinkled her nose in disgust, but¡­ Yes, she could accept the point. ¡°I think I will find other outlets,¡± she said dryly.


    ¡°Probably for the best,¡± Sixiang murmured, the wind of their words tussling Ling Qi¡¯s hair.


    Ling Qingge did not startle at the spirit¡¯s interjection. ¡°I agree. I was merely pointing out that the look in your eyes was familiar in more than one way.¡±


    Ling Qi sighed but nodded. ¡°And what does one do to get over it?¡±


    Her mother frowned. ¡°Some become cruel, others separate their duties from themselves, and more merely accept it as a grim necessity. There are as many reactions as there are people. I am sorry, my daughter. I have no simple answers for you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there is one. You lot aren¡¯t built to just accept this kinda thing, I think,¡± Sixiang mused. ¡°There¡¯s so much art and song and rhetoric dedicated to making it seem okay after all.¡±


    So she had to find her own path forward. That was hardly new. She thought back to Cai Renxiang¡¯s words. This, too, was part of being a cultivator. It was a responsibility that arose from power in this world. She thought she could understand a bit what motivated those hermits who went into their caves and never emerged.


    There are few things more wretched than a human who is truly alone.


    Ling Qi blinked as those words came to her, arising from memories of her time with the three moon spirits. They resonated with her, echoing through the twisting channels of qi that wound throughout her being. Even if she understood some possible motivation for those hermits, she couldn¡¯t do that to herself.


    ¡°Sis-y!¡± She blinked, shaken from her thoughts as her little sister ran up to the veranda, a pout on her face. ¡°Sis-y, I can¡¯t catch them! Help, please?¡± Biyu asked, gesturing imploringly out toward the garden.


    Sixiang chuckled in her thoughts, and Ling Qi smiled, reaching out to tousle the little girl¡¯s hair. ¡°Sure thing, little sister. Let¡¯s go catch some butterflies.¡±


    For once, Ling Qi didn¡¯t mind spending an afternoon with no thought for cultivation.


    In the days that came after, she began to resume her routines, but her trips home grew in frequency. She took to spending more time composing music in the garden, sometimes with her mother, sometimes with Hanyi, or more rarely, both. Gradually, the household staff began to, if not relax, at least become used to her presence. When night fell and Biyu slept, she spent time inside with her mother, coaxing her through the opening exercises of cultivation arts, seeking one that fit her mother well.


    In those first few days back, Ling Qi¡¯s time on the mountain was limited, but even so, it was quickly becoming clear that word of what had happened on the border was spreading. Still, none approached her directly until she was approached on a day when she was out in the market with Bai Meizhen and Gu Xiulan.


    ***


    ¡°... And then we took a carriage back to the Sect,¡± Ling Qi finished.


    She sat in the front room of Meizhen¡¯s lodgings, her hands folded in her lap. They had plans to go out today, but Ling Qi had arrived early. It hadn¡¯t felt right to leave her friend in the dark, so she had come early to explain. Thankfully, Cai Renxiang had agreed when she asked permission to tell Bai Meizhen. Rumors were already spreading, though neither of them could pinpoint the sources. The incident was not going to remain hidden.


    Meizhen stood in front of her, facing the fire with her back to Ling Qi. Cui lay coiled around her feet, eyeing Ling Qi with a cold gaze. Ling Qi held back a grimace. Things had never really recovered between her and Meizhen¡¯s cousin. She doubted this would help. She held some hope that Meizhen at least would not be too badly affected.


    ¡°I suppose I will apologize,¡± Ling Qi looked up from Cui¡¯s gaze as Meizhen spoke, looking back over her shoulder at Ling Qi. ¡°It is unfortunate that such a thing would happen.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not angry?¡± Ling Qi asked warily, searching her friend¡¯s face. ¡°I mean, he was family, wasn¡¯t he?¡± She couldn¡¯t imagine how she would feel if someone she knew admitted to killing a member of her family, but it wasn¡¯t¡­ this.


    ¡°Hmph. The Ling presumes too much. The foolish thing went against Aunt and Mother¡¯s plans. If her fangs had not found its throat, I, Cui, would have killed it myself,¡± Cui replied with a scoff.


    ¡°I somehow doubt that we would have been summoned for such a duty,¡± Meizhen said dryly, glancing down at her cousin. ¡°Ling Qi, I cannot know this man¡¯s intent, but his actions blatantly defied the heir presumptive of the Bai Clan. His fate was sealed regardless of your actions,¡± she explained gently. ¡°Still¡­ it is troubling. While I am aware that the lesser branches sometimes complain, I had never considered such an act of defiance.¡±


    Ling Qi let out a breath of relief. Sometimes when speaking to other nobles, it was easy to forget that what she thought of as family was something closer to ¡°one¡¯s immediate household¡± than what they referred to as family. But it unsettled her how little care her friend showed for what she had done. Even Cai Renxiang had been troubled by the battle. ¡°Have you killed someone before, Meizhen?¡± she blurted out.


    ¡°Smooth,¡± Sixiang murmured. Ling Qi winced.


    Meizhen turned a curious look to her. ¡°Of course. Grandfather would not have sent me out into the world unblooded,¡± she answered. ¡°It was a highwayman who foolishly attempted to prey on the roads between our capital¡¯s satellite villages, if I recall.¡±


    ¡°How he squealed,¡± Cui laughed, as if they were talking about a humorous anecdote.


    Ling Qi stared at her friend for a long moment, and her friend shifted under her gaze, a faint frown touching her lips. Meizhen was the one to look away. ¡°... It was hardly something to glory in, but I cannot be experienced in all fields,¡± she muttered.


    That was not the issue, Ling Qi thought uncomfortably. ¡°Did it bother you? I just - even though I know it was necessary, I can¡¯t¡­¡± She trailed off into uncertainty, not sure how to articulate the problem in a way her friend would understand.


    However, it seemed that her words were enough as understanding dawned in the girl¡¯s golden eyes. It was still hard to meet them. ¡°It was unsettling in the moment, I will admit. However, Grandfather was there to talk me through it.¡± She hesitated. ¡°It is a happy memory, all things considered. Grandfather rarely took personal time for me. While it is untoward to glory overmuch in killing, Ling Qi, the world is deadly, and for one to live and grow, others must die. You have slain many spirit beasts, some of which could even think and speak as we do and consume pills and elixirs made from their essence every day. Why be so torn at this death?¡±


    Ling Qi leaned back in her chair with a complicated expression. She wanted to say that it was different, that killing a person wasn¡¯t like killing an animal, no matter how smart, but then¡­ She looked down at Cui and then back up at Meizhen. She thought of Zhengui and Heijin and Zhenli and all the other spirit beasts she knew.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Ling Qi admitted aloud. Was it just because the bandits had looked like her? Because seeing their eyes as they died was different than looking down into the eyes of a dying beast?


    ¡°And isn¡¯t that a nasty tangle of thoughts brewing,¡± Sixiang said with a sigh.


    ¡°Outsiders always get hung up on weird things, cousin. It is their nature,¡± Cui said haughtily.


    Ling Qi frowned, feeling like she was both being made fun of and missing something important. She didn¡¯t understand how her friend and cousin could be so cavalier about this subject. However, they were snakes, weren¡¯t they? It sounded dumb when thought of like that, but snakes were carnivores. They could only ever eat flesh. From that point of view, it was absolutely true that for one to live, others must die.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for dragging things off on a tangent,¡± Ling Qi sighed. She loved her friend, but it was clear that this was one trouble that Meizhen couldn¡¯t help with.


    Meizhen gave her a searching look then stepped over Cui¡¯s coils to approach her. Ling Qi looked up in surprise as Meizhen hesitantly reached out to place a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Qi, I cannot fully understand what troubles you here, but¡­ I am glad that you did as you did. Because you fought and lived, you are still here before me. Is that not the most important thing?¡±


    Ling Qi blinked and then smiled. ¡°Well, of course. I wouldn¡¯t want to inconvenience Miss Bai.¡±


    Meizhen huffed and withdrew her hand. ¡°That is not what I meant and you know it,¡± she accused.


    ¡°I know,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°Thanks, Meizhen.¡±


    ¡°Do you wish to cancel our outing today?¡± Meizhen asked. ¡°If you are not feeling well, we should inform Gu Xiulan beforehand.¡±


    ¡°No, I will be fine,¡± Ling Qi denied. ¡°I guess I just have one more thing I need to meditate on later.¡±


    Soon enough, they set out to meet her other friend, and Ling Qi did her best to put such contemplative thoughts aside for the moment. Xiulan soon arrived, and the three of them set off for one of the Inner Sect markets. Though Ling Qi¡¯s thoughts continued to chase themselves in the back of her head, she allowed herself to enjoy the simple conversation as they chatted about recent events in the Sect. It swiftly turned into a discussion of their acquaintances from their own year in the Outer Sect.


    ¡°That girl has debased herself even more, but it is hardly surprising at this point,¡± Meizhen scoffed in disgust. ¡°Binding one of those nasty little creatures.¡± She paused then, glancing at Xiulan. ¡°No offense meant, of course.¡±


    ¡°None was taken,¡± Xiulan sniffed. ¡°The creatures of the Red Sun are hardly comparable to my Gu family¡¯s sacred sun crows.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed noncommittally. She had not seen the beast in question because she had been absent from the Sect when Sun Liling had engaged in a duel and revealed her new spirit beast. A three-eyed raven with a body half-consumed by parasitic plants certainly sounded gross. ¡°You¡¯re familiar with it, Bai Meizhen?¡± she asked.


    ¡°They are a type of spirit that lurks in the sunflower fields of the jungle, living off carrion. ¡®The Eyes of the Goddess,¡¯ they are called,¡± she named with a sneer. ¡°It is bad fortune to see one and allow it to live.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll all just have to suffer our ill fortune,¡± Ling Qi said wryly. ¡°I think we¡¯d get in trouble otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Quite,¡± Xiulan said in amusement, eyeing the bolts of cloth hanging on display at a vendor¡¯s stall. ¡°But I find myself more irritated that her little lapdog managed to contract a Heavenly Dragon. Do you know how much time I have spent, how many things I have tried, attempting to entice one?¡± she grumbled. ¡°It is nonsense, I tell you.¡±


    ¡°Luck is a talent as well,¡± Meizhen said dryly, giving Ling Qi a long look.


    Ling Qi smiled sheepishly. She supposed that she couldn¡¯t comment on the matter, what with accidently stumbling into receiving the egg of a xuanwu.


    ¡°Leaving them aside, how are things with Han Jian?¡± Ling Qi asked, turning to Xiulan as they stopped to inspect the wares on display. Ling Qi¡¯s eyes lingered on an armband that promised to aid in the circulation of qi during physical cultivation. It was not useful for her, but perhaps for Mother¡­


    Xiulan grimaced, but her temper had improved enough that there was no more reaction than that. ¡°He has reached the full third realm. The last I heard, he was solidifying his foundation and seeking aid to help his cousin through. That fianc¨¦ of mine is still languishing in the second. He had a very bad failure, or so I heard.¡±


    ¡°My condolences,¡± Meizhen said, turning over a jade hairpin in her hands with mild interest before putting it down as they moved on. ¡°Ling Qi, how is my cousin?¡±


    ¡°Xiao Fen is doing well. I think she is having fun,¡± Ling Qi said slowly. It was hard to tell with that girl, but she seemed to be adapting to the Sect well.


    ¡°That¡¯s one way to put it,¡± Sixiang mused.


    ¡°Hmph, of course,¡± her friend replied haughtily.


    ¡°More importantly, how are things with your two suitors?¡± Xiulan asked slyly, bumping her good shoulder against Ling Qi¡¯s. ¡°I never thought you the type to string them along.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doing nothing of the sort,¡± Ling Qi scoffed. ¡°Shen Hu is a good sparring partner, and Xuan Shi is just friendly. Get your mind out of the gutter, Xiulan.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, she is clearly pining for our Senior Brother Liao Zhu,¡± Meizhen said serenely. ¡°Given the time spent waxing lyrical over his skills.¡±


    ¡°Meizhen,¡± Ling Qi complained, drawing out the word. ¡°Not you too. He¡¯s just a really good teacher.¡±


    ¡°Oh? How have I not heard of this?¡± Xiulan asked, her eyes alight with mischief. Ling Qi was swiftly remembering why she didn¡¯t do this often. These two teamed up against her far, far too easily.


    ¡°I hate to interrupt. I really, really do,¡± Sixiang lamented. ¡°But you¡¯ve got somebody approaching from your right. They¡¯re focused on you.¡±

 Bonus: Handmaiden

    Having a handmaiden, Bai Meizhen decided, was entirely more stressful than stories said. Looking out over the lake, she considered her words, and adjusted her grip on the fishing rod in her hands. Beside her, Xiao Fen stood still and attention, with her hands hidden in the long sleeves of her black gown. The other girl¡¯s brow was wrinkled in concern.


    ¡°My Lady, what troubles you so?¡± Xiao Fen asked.


    Of course Xiao Fen would notice her consternation. She was after all, her handmaiden. ¡°I have been receiving a great deal of letters,¡± Bai Meizhen replied. ¡°Regarding your conduct in the Outer Sect.¡±


    Xiao Fen, for one brief moment, looked wounded before her expression smoothed out, and she bowed low, a new fire of determination in her eyes. ¡°I apologize Mistress. I had thought that I was representing your interests as instructed, clearly I have erred. Please instruct me on how I can improve.¡±


    Bai Meizhen lowered her head, and her fishing line sagged. That little display of emotion¡­ She was glad for it. Of all the Xiao she had been given leave to interview, only Xiao Fen had showed that spark of unextinguished passion. However¡­ that same temper had its problems. ¡°Please call me by name when we are alone, Xiao Fen.¡±


    Perhaps it was the irritating Sect rules that kept them apart most times which made things remain so awkward between them still. Still that at least was a mistake that Xiao Fen only made once per meeting.


    ¡°Of course, Lady Meizhen, forgive my slip,¡± Xiao Fen said, somehow bowing even lower.


    Bai Meizhen frowned, it was a small thing, but she wished that Xiao Fen could be less deferential. Ling Qi had spoiled her. ¡°Raise your head. Let me say that you have been performing all of your tasks well, the letters I have received are about secondary concerns. There have been several complaints from the Hou clan regarding your treatment of Hou Jin in particular. Others families as well, if less so.¡±


    Xiao Fen looked confused. ¡°But my Lady, the Hou clan is nothing. They are called counts, but what lands do they rule, or soldiers do they lead? They are jumped up courtiers. Why would you concern yourself with the prattle of trash?¡±


    Bai Meizhen was silent as she gave a sharp tug on her line, pulling a wriggling green scaled carp from the splashing water. It was a puny thing compared to the fish of the Lakes, but it was plump enough as Emerald Seas catches went. A single glance and a surge of qi froze the creatures heart, stilling it¡¯s movement immediately. She began to work the hook free of it¡¯s mouth. ¡°It is true that the Hou clan is of the new paradigm in the capital, but this does not make them irrelevant. Their wealth is at least real. However do not mistake my intent. I do not particularly care about the whining of stone counters.¡±


    Even the house of her new¡­ friend, Bao Qingling was not so shameless. Mercantile certainly, but their true power was built from their crafts and lands. That they chose to participate in the actual dickering over stones was unseemly, but not terribly so. For a moment, Bai Meizhen found herself distracted, thinking of the way the girl¡¯s dark hair framed her face. The fish in her hands twitched and Bai Meizhen shook her head. Releasing the unhooked fish, it dropped and was snatched from the air by a tendril of shadow deposited in the basket behind her.


    ¡°What have I done wrong then, Lady Meizhen?¡± Xiao Fen asked. ¡°I did not kill or cripple Hou Jin, nor anyone else. I have been careful to remain within the Sect rules, and even refrained from using Five Organs Rotting art against human opponents.¡±


    ¡°You will find, Xiao Fen, that outsiders have different standards on such matters,¡± Bai Meizhen replied. She scrutinized the hook at the end of her line, the tines were bent. She would have to replace it soon. Letting her shadow take the rod, she turned to her troubled handmaiden. ¡°I would not call them soft precisely, not all of them, but they are more offended by words than hurts. The trouble, Xiao Fen is not you beating these churls, but the lash of your tongue visited upon their families.¡±


    ¡°I have said nothing that is not true. Their pride far over matches their stations,¡± Xiao Fen said, looking aside. ¡°Where were they, when the Strife came, or the Twilight King marched?¡±


    She was not wrong, Bai Meizhen thought but the world could not be made to bend, not even by the Bai. Not without terrible cost. These days they lived in saw pitiful creatures like the Hou elevated to high nobility. Even the Duchess Cai had done some such elevating among her courtly houses, casting down those of ancient bloodline who had grown venal and weak. Although her choices as least were less questionable in character. ¡°All the same Xiao Fen, I must ask that you please show more restraint with your words, even if they are true. My Aunt seeks to bring the rest of the Empire back to us and away from the Sun, we cannot do that if we are offending their sensibilities at every turn.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Xiao Fen said. ¡°...It is a fault of mine, for not being able to complete my diplomatic lessons, I prioritized the combat arts.¡±


    ¡°It is a matter of circumstance,¡± Bai Meizhen dismissed, resting a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Aunt Suzhen has informed me that the plans for completing your curriculum through correspondence are coming apace.¡±


    Another trouble brought on by their circumstances, normally a Bai would not select their companion until their seventeenth year, but the scattering of their scions had forced a change.


    Xiao Fen laid her hand over Bai Meizhen¡¯s and smiled. It was an expression that looked good on the girl, despite its rarity. ¡°Thank you, Lady Meizhen. I will not disappoint or fail you again.¡±


    ¡°You have done no such thing,¡± Bai Meizhen huffed, gently tugging her hand free. ¡°Now did you bring the spears? I find myself in the mind for a more active sport today.¡±


    Xiao Fen nodded eagerly, and a brace of fine fishing spears appeared in her extended hands, the sun glinting off their bronze tines. ¡°As you requested, my Lady.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Bai Meizhen sniffed, weighing one in her hand and looking back the lake. ¡°Then shall we make a contest of it then, Xiao Fen?¡±


    One day, they would grow closer, as a Lady and her maid should. Bai Meizhen thought.

 Threads 45-Death 2

    Ling Qi looked to her right, following the line of Sixiang¡¯s attention into the lane between rows of stalls. Briefly, her vision was blocked by some passersby, but she soon met a pair of dark amber eyes, and the young man they belonged to immediately stopped.


    It took only a moment to place his face, even if she had only met him once. Luo Zhong, one of the clan scions she had met at Cai Renxiang¡¯s parties, looked back at her with an air of mild interest. He stood at ease with his hands in the pockets of his loose robes.


    ¡°Sir Luo,¡± she greeted simply. ¡°Can I help you with something?¡±


    ¡°You have better senses than you have been given credit for,¡± he said casually. He glanced past her toward her companions. ¡°But perhaps that is a more recent development?¡±


    ¡°Do you know this man, Ling Qi?¡± Bai Meizhen asked mildly.


    ¡°We have met,¡± Ling Qi replied.


    ¡°Do tell,¡± smirked Xiulan, eyeing the young man up and down.


    ¡°My apologies for interrupting your trip, ladies,¡± Luo Zhong said, offering a polite bow. ¡°I had hoped to speak with Miss Ling, but she has been difficult to find since her return.¡±


    Translation: she had been hermitting it up at home. Ling Qi glanced between her friends then nodded. ¡°We can talk now, if you would like. What¡¯s your concern?¡±


    The Luo scion smiled, and Ling Qi found herself thinking that he was fairly handsome in a rough sort of way. She blamed the thought on Sixiang and the conversation that her friends and she had been having a moment ago. ¡°I have unfortunately not been able to access our Lady Cai. Is it true that the two of you fended off an invasion of our borders?¡±


    She didn¡¯t miss the way his gaze briefly lingered on Meizhen, who drew herself up imperiously. Nor did she miss the attention being directed their way from other passersby. She almost snapped back, but pausing a moment, she felt the fluctuation in Luo Zhong¡¯s qi spreading around them like a pack of canny herding hounds keeping onlookers at bay. He was screening them. Still, she glanced to Meizhen, and cool qi washed out.


    ¡°It was nothing so grand,¡± she replied. ¡°Just a band of criminals with an unusual strength.¡±


    ¡°So that is where you disappeared to,¡± Xiulan hummed. ¡°You crushed them, I suppose?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ling Qi replied, almost faltering for a moment. ¡°Neither Lady Cai nor I were badly hurt, and none of the criminals escaped. There were no casualties beyond the initial attack,¡± she added, looking back to Luo Zhong.


    ¡°I see,¡± he said thoughtfully. ¡°You are aware that some are grumbling about how insecure the border has become, correct?¡±


    ¡°Opening a few roads hardly affects the security of the wilds,¡± Meizhen replied coolly.


    ¡°I agree,¡± Ling Qi backed up Meizhen. ¡°And if I may, Sir Luo, certain events surrounding the attack were very¡­ conveniently timed.¡±


    He smirked, showing teeth that were a bit sharper than normal, and gave her an appraising look. ¡°That is quite the implication you have there, Miss Ling. Be careful with how you wield it. It would be disagreeable if the province took a turn for the insular again.¡±


    Sixiang muttered.


    ¡°It would. Goodness knows how much money would be lost,¡± Gu Xiulan said, tossing her hair.


    ¡°The Luo would survive, but losing the support of the Gu clan¡¯s mines and quarries would be unfortunate indeed,¡± Luo Zhong agreed easily. ¡°Is your sister well, Gu Xiulan?¡±


    ¡°Elder Sister Yanmei has been quite busy,¡± Xiulan answered smoothly. ¡°But I believe she is in contact with Father regarding your uncle¡¯s suit.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that,¡± he said. Then dipping another bow to the three of them, he continued, ¡°In any case, my apologies for taking up your time, ladies. Thank you for your time and words, Miss Ling.¡±


    ¡°You are welcome,¡± Ling Qi replied.


    ¡°Miss Gu, Miss Bai, I hope you have a good day as well,¡± he added, straightening up. ¡°And Miss Ling¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I sometimes get together with others from the east of the province to have a little hunt and discuss matters of the province. If you would like, please feel free to join us as your time allows. Vassals of the Cai should get along after all,¡± Luo Zhong invited smoothly. ¡°I would be honored by your presence.¡±


    ¡°If time allows,¡± Ling Qi demurred. If it hadn¡¯t been clear already, it certainly was now. She could no longer stay out of Emerald Seas politics.


    Still, she refused to drown in them. As Luo Zhong took her leave, she put his offer out of her mind for now. She was here to shop and to tease and be teased by her friends. ¡°So, Meizhen, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask. What have you been doing with Bao Qingling lately?¡±


    ***


    Over the next few days, Ling Qi remained immersed in more relaxing things. She attended Li Suyin¡¯s breakthrough celebration, congratulating the girl and complimenting her on her new dress that she and the boy she had been cooperating with had finished. She spent time working with Zhengui and Hanyi and more time at home, playing music for her little sister or cultivating with her mother.


    But she knew she did not have all the time in the world to relax. She would be going out with the Sect¡¯s scouting corps for live exercises soon.


    Ling Qi began to wish that she had never begun to think about things like this.


    ¡°It always would have come up at some point,¡± Sixiang pointed out, idly kicking their feet in the shimmering dream water.


    Ling Qi sighed, looking out over the shore where they sat. It was still a little strange to be so literally enmeshed in her own mind, but it could be relaxing. ¡°If Meizhen is right¡­¡±


    What did it say about her that she had never really thought of spirit beasts in the same way she thought of people? What did it mean for Zhengui? She called him ¡°little brother,¡± but was he really only a pet to her?


    ¡°I think you¡¯re taking the recrimination too far there,¡± Sixiang said idly, their wispy rainbow hair drifting in an unfelt breeze as they stopped kicking their feet and turned to look at Zhengui. ¡°People think and dream contradictory things all the time, you know? You definitely think of the big doof like family.¡±


    Ling Qi dipped her head in acknowledgement. She supposed that was what it came down to. A person was different than people. But it still bothered her now that she had been forced to acknowledge it. Did every spirit beast count? Every simple animal? Every bit of quasi-active elemental qi? Were barbarians supposed to be people too? If so, what did that mean for her current conundrum?


    The simple fact was that the deaths she had inflicted on the bandits and the renegade Bai had felt different than hunting beasts. It had felt different from attacking that barbarian shaman so long ago. She had imagined killing before, thought darkly of what she would do to some of the people who had hurt her in the streets or more recently, the ones who had abused their power over her mother. The reality had differed and had churned her stomach but if she asked herself if she could still take satisfaction from those fantasies, the answer varied. For most, the idea seemed horrible now, but¡­


    There were still a few that she could picture suffering those same fates and feel nothing but satisfaction for. She had rejected the permanent torment that her mentor inflicted on her treacherous husband, but there were those who deserved to End, ones who, even now, she would freeze the life from with hardly a moment¡¯s hesitation, if things were arranged such that there would be no further consequences.


    The Mirror that she had cultivated in her thoughts and accepted into her spirit did not allow her to lie to herself in that. Was she a bad person then?


    ¡°I¡¯m still pretty new to the concept, so I can¡¯t help much,¡± Sixiang said with a helpless shrug. ¡°But¡­ Hmm, death is part of the world too. I think it comes down to the circumstances.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re probably right,¡± Ling Qi said with a sigh. ¡°But I don¡¯t know if I should be the one judging that.¡±


    ¡°Only you can judge yourself,¡± Sixiang replied. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember what Auntie said? There¡¯s no fate or higher plans. The world is just countless dreams bouncing off one another and shaping the future. Right and wrong is down to you and the people whose judgment you care about.¡±


    ¡°That somehow doesn¡¯t feel as comforting anymore,¡± Ling Qi said dryly. Some would call that freedom, she would call it responsibility. She stood, brushing off her gown out of habit, despite the fact that not a single grain stuck. ¡°If I have to be the one who judges, I think I¡¯d still like some advice,¡± she added quietly as her form shimmered and she vanished back into the waking world.


    Though she couldn¡¯t say she knew him well, there was one person she knew who had to have considered the implications she was now thinking on very deeply indeed.


    ***


    Finding the person in question did not prove too difficult, thankfully. Liao Zhu, her sometime instructor and Senior Brother, was currently logged at the central Sect office as using one of the advanced training grounds available to disciples of the highest ranks. As she was technically his student for the duration of the military lessons, she was able to acquire this information just by asking. There was definitely some use to learning the little details of how the Sect was run.


    The training ground lay deeper in the mountainous Sect lands, a high snowy plateau ringed with warding arrays, both to repel spirits and keep the effects going off inside from damaging the surrounding environment. Upon arriving, Ling Qi had begun to search for a comfortable place to wait for him to emerge, but she had noticed that the entry array was in its unlocked state. If he did not want to be interrupted, surely he would have locked the arrays behind him.


    She could admit to being a little curious too as to what an advanced training ground entailed. So with only slight hesitation, Ling Qi stepped through. Immediately, she found her senses under assault by the sounds of combat and the clash of metal on metal. She had walked into a battlefield.


    The ground was littered with gleaming black knives, and the sky was full of phantoms. They were armored figures wielding a variety of weapons, some mounted upon beasts while others strode through the air on boots trailing clouds. Even as she watched, more of the armored warriors were disgorged by a trio of complex arrays laid out around the training field. They paid her no mind, soaring up toward the center of the commotion.


    There, in the center of the churning chaos of phantasmal bodies, she spotted Liao Zhu. Well, one of the figures she spotted was surely him anyway. Black knives fell like rain, and when they pierced a phantom through the head or heart, the constructs shattered into motes of light. Liao Zhu moved amongst them in a barely perceptible blur. There seemed to be at least a half-dozen of him at any one time, mirror images that blurred and split and merged with no seeming rhyme or reason. Their every movement trailed blurring afterimages.


    Here, a bracer-clad arm seemed to split, blocking three different blows from different angles and whipping out to fling another knife directly into the forehead of another phantom at the same time. There, one leapt upward, bouncing off the head of a phantom and split into four, leaping in separate directions and trailing afterimages of their own.


    It was supremely confusing to try and follow, and Ling Qi could not begin to guess which one was the real one, even as her eyes instinctively flooded with moon qi. There was something else here too, something that leapt from the shadow of one construct to another faster than she could see. However, she only had a bare few moments to observe before she felt the fluctuation in the masterful weave of moonlight and darkness qi that lay over the training field and met the Senior Disciple¡¯s eyes from across the battlefield.


    Immediately, Liao Zhu made a sign with one hand, and the phantoms flooding the training field vanished in a rain of twinkling starlight. He fell to earth and landed in a crouch, all but one of his mirrored copies fading. They stood with eerie synchronicity and turned to face one another and bowed. A moment later, the one on the left rippled like the surface of a lake disturbed by a stone, and Ling Qi glimpsed a tall and androgynous figure dressed in robes of glimmering silver. Where its face and head should have been was only a cloud of shimmering mist, and when she squinted at it, trying to see through to the face beneath, she only found herself staring back into her own eyes.


    ¡°Coming to peek at your Senior Brother without invitation, Junior Sister Ling? While I am indeed a peerless spectacle, I had not thought you the type,¡± Liao Zhu said, voice loud and bold as he turned to face her. The figure beside him vanished like morning mist. It was almost enough for her to miss the patch of blackness slithering across the ground to merge with the shadow pooled at his feet. ¡°After all, is that not what your own moon spirit is for?¡±


    Sixiang murmured, regaining, for a moment, some of their humor.


    ¡°My apologies, Senior Brother Liao,¡± Ling Qi replied with a bow. ¡°But you did leave the ¡®door¡¯ open. I cannot imagine that you would do so mistakenly.¡±


    ¡°True enough,¡± the masked young man replied. He glanced at the weaponry littering the ground and gave the knife in his right hand an elegant spin. The blades strewn across the earth dissolved, flowing back into the one in his hand like ribbons of mist. ¡°You were not the visitor I had expected,¡± he said, sounding more somber than usual.


    Ling Qi felt awkward. ¡°I am sorry. Did you wish for me to come back later?¡±


    ¡°No, no, do not worry your head over your Senior Brother¡¯s disputes,¡± he said, waving a hand now empty of weaponry dismissively as he strolled closer. ¡°What is it that ails you, Junior Sister? Nerves regarding the live exercises? Troubled cultivation? Advice about wooing a suitor or damaging a rival? Your humble Senior Brother can aid you in finding answers for all of that and more.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned at the barrage of offers, and the question of who he had been waiting for faded from her thoughts. She considered how to word her request. ¡°Have you heard the rumors regarding Lady Cai and myself?¡±


    ¡°Which ones?¡± Liao Zhu asked, looking at her with amusement as he tugged at his mask, straightening the snarling fangs. ¡°That you are her secret shadow, crafted by her mother and left to grow among the mortals as an experiment? Perhaps the one in which you are secret lovers in the vein of the Duchess¡¯ own escapades? Or mayhaps you refer to the rumor wherein ¡®you¡¯ are merely the gown you wear, puppeting a hapless commoner who surely couldn¡¯t have risen to such heights on their own.¡±


    Ling Qi gaped at him and in her head, Sixiang snorted.


    ¡°Told you wearing the same dress all the time was a bad idea,¡± her muse laughed, voice carried on the wind.


    Ling Qi grimaced. ¡°Hush, you,¡± she grumbled, glancing out of habit at the empty air where Sixiang¡¯s words emanated from. ¡°No,¡± she ground out. ¡°I mean the rumors regarding our recent absence.¡±


    Liao Zhu regarded her silently, his bombastic amusement fading away in a moment. ¡°A serious matter then. Let this Senior Brother apologize for his jape then,¡± he said, sketching a bow. ¡°I am afraid that I have been too busy to immerse myself in the Sect rumor mill recently.¡±


    Ling Qi sighed. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she said. Perhaps it was best just to be blunt. ¡°Bandits slipped over the border and stole something belonging to the Duchess. They sacked a town and ran off. Lady Cai and I were sent to take care of it.¡±


    When she looked at Liao Zhu, she found him looking at her gravely, arms crossed over his broad chest. ¡°I see. Your first real combat then?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that,¡± Ling Qi murmured. ¡°I¡¯ve fought beasts and spirits lethally before, and¡­ once, there was a barbarian, but¡­¡± Even for a savage, he had been more monster than man, and in any case, he had killed himself before her arrow could land.


    ¡°It is not the same. You took lives then?¡± he asked gently.


    ¡°Many, and one directly with my own hands,¡± Ling Qi replied. Even with her senses extended across the battlefield, the ones who had fallen in her Mist seemed more distant, perhaps because of how many ways her attention had been divided when the blow fell. Not so the renegade Bai.


    ¡°It is a hard thing,¡± he said neutrally.


    ¡°How do you deal with it?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°I mean, I suppose you mostly deal with barbarians, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Not so. My hands are crimson with Imperial blood as well,¡± Liao Zhu interrupted. ¡°Bandits, deserters, and even those who defect, seeking to join our foes. I have played judge and executioner for them all, and¡­¡±


    ¡°And?¡± Ling Qi asked cautiously.


    ¡°And the look of life and spirit fading is much the same, Imperial or barbarian,¡± he finished grimly. ¡°However in this one thing, your Senior Brother can only be of limited help.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Ling Qi replied, feeling deflated. Some part of her had hoped that he would have some wise answer that could put her doubts to rest.


    ¡°I have told you before of what I seek. I seek to find ways to prevent people from falling into the extremes of vice and crime, and when that fails, I seek to deal precise and exact justice, cutting with the precision of a surgeon¡¯s blade, removing only the most diseased of tissue in the name of bringing health to the body of the Empire,¡± he continued. ¡°To that end, I have ended lives. To that end, I must never cease questioning the rightness of my actions. If solace and acceptance is what you seek, I cannot help.¡±


    Sixiang murmured, and Ling Qi felt the phantom touch of a hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°I guess it was silly for me to expect there to be one. I even had a bunch of great spirits telling me that things were complicated,¡± Ling Qi said wryly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for wasting your time, Senior Brother.¡±


    ¡°It is not wasted. I remain a font of powerful advice,¡± the older disciple replied, some of his humor returning. ¡°Junior Sister, you will face such choices again and again in this cruel world of ours. Do not allow yourself to become convinced that lives are without weight. That is the path of the tyrant and the butcher. Neither should you be excessive in your mercy however. Weigh the lives that fall into your hands, and consider the value of each one, the good and the harm that it might do if left unsevered. When you have, then you can make your choice in good conscience.¡±


    Ling Qi remembered the village¡¯s broken walls and ruined fields. She remembered her glimpse of still smoldering buildings and bloodstained streets. She considered the things that she was only just becoming aware of, the potential for violence and instability that the raid had created, spreading far beyond any one village. She tried to weigh it against dead faces in the mud and a cracked tangle of frozen limbs.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I like this,¡± Ling Qi said quietly.


    ¡°If you did, I would be deeply concerned, Junior Sister,¡± Liao Zhu said wryly. For a moment, he looked as if he was going to tussle her hair like a fond older brother, but he seemed to think better of it and turned away. ¡°Regardless, you should seek to settle yourself. You have only a few days until the exercises.¡±


    Ling Qi straightened up and nodded. She would just have to keep walking her path, doubts and all.

 Threads 46 Signs 1

    Ling Qi stood at attention in line with the rest of her classmates in the scouting division as they waited for their respective tutors to return from conferring with the other officers for this Sect exercise. On the plateau below where they stood, the disciples of the other divisions milled and formed up. This exercise was a gigantic operation, a full-scale patrol passing through forts at the edge of the Sect¡¯s control.


    She was able to look over the other disciples, even standing straight and looking ahead. All it took to see around her was humming under her breath and allowing Sixiang to carry the melody on the wind. There were many familiar faces down there. Cai Renxiang was there, standing at perfect attention, immaculate in every way as always. While Ling Qi could see the furtive looks shot Cai Renxiang¡¯s way, she was unsurprised. The Duchess would obviously not exempt her daughter from military exercises.


    Less welcome, she saw Ji Rong off to one side, golden coils looped around his neck like a scarf. His spirit was smaller than she had expected, barely second realm. It surprised her that the taciturn boy would bother with something so much weaker than him, rare or no. It made her wonder at the veracity of the rumor Xiulan had passed along.


    Shen Hu slouched sleepily in the line to Ji Rong¡¯s right, and the older boy¡¯s eyes flicked in her direction as her awareness passed over him.


    There was Xiulan, standing proudly in another new gown, a yellow piece that left her shoulders scandalously bare, with her arms crossed under her chest among the archers and other ranged combatants.


    And though she was too far away to sense her, Ling Qi knew that Li Suyin was back among the auxiliaries and medics as well. So was Yan Renshu for that matter. She had felt the boy¡¯s slimy qi passing by her earlier in the morning.


    More amusing was Kang Zihao¡¯s presence, out front in the forming vanguard. His sour expression told her everything she needed to know about what he thought of being here. Even as she watched, a nervous twitch went up his spine as someone walked behind him. The last year had done its damage to the boy¡¯s nerves.


    Before Ling Qi could ponder the other disciples further, she felt the pressure of powerful and familiar qi approaching. Their commanding officer and mentors landed in front of them, descending from the command tents above. Guan Zhi was the first, rising smoothly from her landing crouch to glance across the assembled line, seeking imperfections in their attention. She looked much the same as she had on the first day of training with a countenance as stone-faced as that of her older and more famous relative, her uncle Sect Elder Guan Zhou. Liao Zhu and the other mentors landed a moment later with barely a thump or a rustle of cloth.


    ¡°Our orders have been finalized,¡± the athletic girl began, folding her arms behind her back in a familiar lecturing pose. ¡°You have all been judged at least adequate in drills and training, some more than others¡­¡±


    Ling Qi restrained the urge to squirm as the young woman¡¯s gaze fell on her. She had been so close to reaching her evacuation point with her mock unit in the last drill. She had left the pass behind them filled with mist, phantoms, and Zhengui, stymying their pursuers¡­ or so she had thought. It would be hard to forget the sight of Guan Zhi silhouetted against the evening sun, Zhengui¡¯s bulk lifted over her head in the instant before her not-so-little brother had been hurled at her like a screaming meteor and collapsed the passage they were going to use to escape.


    Zhen sulked in her head.


    Gui grumped.


    Sixiang chuckled.


    It was only later that she had learned that the exercise was meant to test their reactions in a seemingly futile situation. She took some pride in that she had been the only one to make their instructor escalate. Still, she couldn¡¯t say whether the near invisible upward quirk of Guan Zhi¡¯s lips in the moment where their eyes met was just imagination or not.


    ¡°This operation is more than just watching for barbarian hunters straying into our territory,¡± Guan Zhi continued as if the second-long exchange had not happened. ¡°Patrols such as these are a regular requirement at the edge of civilized lands. It is a cultivator¡¯s duty to track, monitor, and if necessary, deal with the spirits of the land in territory they control. As the scouting division, in addition to checking for signs of barbarians, it will be your duty to update maps of spirit territory, as well as altered terrain within your assigned area and to pass that information back to the main group so that it may be dealt with as necessary.¡±


    In the lull of silence that followed her words, Liao Zhu spoke up. ¡°Of course, it is also the duty of our division to smooth out troubles before the main force arrives whenever we are able to. Whether a problem is one that you can deal with or one which requires the main force is a matter of personal judgement. However, there are dangers to the latitude which our division is given.¡±


    Guan Zhi nodded sharply. ¡°You will be expected to have completed your surveys and reports at the assigned times in the patrol schedule. Wasting time seeking glory with challenges that are beyond you will be a black mark on your record. This is not a trial hunt where you are seeking treasures. You are here to better the land and the Sect, not to seek personal power. Your mentors will be watching, but they will not interfere in your choices. Now go, and familiarize yourselves with your assignments.¡±


    Ling Qi clapped her fists together and bowed her head in time with the others. Then it was time to split up. As she joined Liao Zhu and began moving toward the tents where she would pick up her subordinates for the task, she glanced at her mentor. ¡°How much help are you actually allowed to give?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I can answer questions regarding normal operating procedures and share information regarding the previous state of the assigned area,¡± he said, clearly smirking behind his toothy mask. ¡°Alas, I may not use my superior abilities to aid your survey efforts nor share my wisdom in the best path forward.¡±


    ¡°Good to know,¡± Ling Qi replied, breathing out as she leafed through the maps and documents he had handed her, scanning words and lines of ink, committing them to memory so that she wouldn¡¯t have to consult them later. Moons above, it was just sinking in that she was going to be responsible for other people here.


    ¡°I will interfere if a fatality seems likely,¡± Laio Zhu said with much less of his usual bombast. ¡°However, this will reflect very poorly on your assessment unless the circumstance is truly unusual.¡±


    ¡°What even counts as unusual anymore?¡± Ling Qi laughed, feeling a bit better from his assurance anyway.


    He tapped a finger against the teeth of his mask thoughtfully. ¡°Hmm¡­ A sudden attack by a tribal war party? A rampaging fourth grade beast, hungry for the rare flesh of a xuan wu? Perhaps an ogre king descending from the high peaks to seek to charm a faerie bride with his superlative musculature?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not funny,¡± Ling Qi said blandly, giving her mentor a flat look.


    her little brother grumbled.


    Hanyi teased. Ling Qi was pretty sure she wasn¡¯t serious.


    ¡°Ah, but you asked, Junior Sister,¡± Liao Zhu said airily. ¡°But rest well. Your Senior Brother shall ward off such threats with his peerless charm and skill. So keep your mind upon more grounded threats.¡±


    Ling Qi huffed, turning her eyes back to the map for a moment, eyeing the area marked in red. She sent the whole stack to her ring then as they passed the outer ring of tents. She needed to pick up her subordinates. There were three people who had been assigned to her, and Ling Qi felt more awkward than she had in a long time. She had read swiftly through their dossiers on the way over, but it had not quite prepared her for the reality of the situation.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am,¡± their voices echoed out simultaneously, three backs straightening and three gazes snapping forward as she approached. The first of them, Mo Lian, was the youngest, twenty-five years old and mid second realm in both forms of cultivation. He was almost as tall as her with dark hair and eyes, as well as a small, well cared for beard and mustache. According to the dossier, he was a cultivator of water and earth arts, who specialized in personal concealment and short-range sensory arts.


    Chun Yan, the second, was also in the mid second realm, but she was nearly fifty years old, for all that she looked younger than Ling Qi¡¯s mother. With her short hair pulled back and severe features, Ling Qi might have thought the woman a rather feminine man if her senses were less sharp. She specialized in wind arts and dabbled with heavenly ones. Her skills lay in her mobility and offensive arts


    Chang He was the oldest, as well as the strongest, being nearly seventy years old and at the peak of the second realm. Despite his age, Ling Qi thought there might be decent odds that he could make the next step at some point going by the feel of his aura. Unlike the younger Mo Lian, he was clean shaven with a dark complexion similar to hers. Grey hair marked his temples and speckled the hair pulled back into a soldier¡¯s topknot, and his weathered face showed his age more than one would expect for a cultivator in their first century. His specialties were in earth and wood arts with a lean toward defensive and social arts.


    They were all dressed in the same Argent Peak Sect uniforms, armor of boiled leather over padded cloth with shimmering gray cloaks over their shoulders that seemed to blur and blend with the background at the edges. The cloaks, along with their boots, enhanced for sturdiness, comfort, and silence, made up the allocation of non-armament talismans for normal soldiers of the Sect¡¯s scout division. In addition to their personal specialization, they all had a solid grounding in arts and skills useful for scouting and wilderness survival.


    Ling Qi tried to keep her thoughts on such materially important matters, instead of how weird it felt to be commanding three people, the youngest of which was a decade her elder and the oldest of which could easily be her grandfather. The same had probably been true for the Cai troops, but those had been Cai Renxiang¡¯s troops, not hers. She supposed these people were ultimately the Sect¡¯s though. It would be better if she continued to see this as a training exercise.


    ¡°Be at ease,¡± she said with only slight hesitation. She could feel Liao Zhu smirking at her back and hear Sixiang snickering in her head. She ignored them as best she could.


    It was time to decide on how to split up the first day¡¯s workload. They had quite a lot of ground to cover, but at the same time, the area she had been assigned was noted to be fairly dangerous as border regions went with a heavy spirit presence.


    To that end, Ling Qi decided to travel as a group for the initial scouting. This would slow them down, but it would also allow her to get a better feel for her team and a more comprehensive feel for the region before taking care of individual issues.


    ***


    Ling Qi sped along a narrow ledge no wider than her arm. Shimmering silver lights winked and glowed from within the folds of her gown, peering out like eyes in every direction, and the quiet hum of the Spring Breeze Canto gave her brief flashes of imagery from both the birds overhead and the beasts in the valley below. Each time a cloud passed over the sun, Ling Qi skipped forward, flickering a meter or two ahead without taking a step or missing a beat.


    Crossing distances without moving had never been easier and more instinctive. She had been using the Sable Crescent Step technique since almost the beginning of her path of cultivation, and the movements and qi flows came to her as naturally as breathing. She had come so very far since those first stumbling practice steps, and Ling Qi would never allow herself to stop here. She had seen the heights to which she still had to ascend, and she could not be satisfied with herself as she was now.


    She knew there was no peace in emptiness, no content in stillness. With her mastering the eighth and final step of the Sable Crescent Step art, she had internalized the lesson taught to her by it, which had been reinforced by the moon phases during her spirit journey to Tonghou. Stagnation was death. She knew that to follow her Path, she had to act, change, move, think, and grow until the very End.


    So although she felt lighter on her feet than ever, Ling Qi still felt troubled. Over the past months, Liao Zhu had taught her much about how to scout and track, as well as procedures and etiquette, but she had not really learned too much about commanding yet. She let her perceptions drift to her ¡°subordinates¡± running along a wider path below. She had decided that they should stay together until she had a better idea of what they were facing, but now she had no idea how to interact with them properly.


    Sixiang pointed out.


    Ling Qi worried that letting on just how out of depth she was would undermine her supposed authority though. While that did not bother her much, wasn¡¯t that sort of thing supposed to be important for soldiers?


    She winced, feeling as if Sixiang was giving her a flat stare.


    Hanyi drawled, sounding bored.


    her little brother grumbled.


    Ling Qi frowned as they descended to bickering again. She was making excuses. Why though? Even as she leaped across a gap in the path ahead, the answer came to her. She had no idea how to interact with them. Was it even worth spending extra time on them? As long as they stayed together, she could take care of any difficult parts herself and just let them take care of the easy issues.


    In her own mind, Ling Qi could not ignore the conclusion that arose. She wasn¡¯t really thinking of them like subordinates. She was thinking of them like charges to care for or obstacles to be worked around. Ling Qi closed her eyes and sighed, ignoring Sixiang¡¯s knowing chuckle.


    A moment later, she flickered, and her feet touched the ground beside the eldest soldier, Chang He. To his credit, he didn¡¯t so much as flinch as she materialized beside him, keeping pace with his run effortlessly. ¡°Trouble nearby, ma¡¯am?¡± he asked crisply.


    ¡°No,¡± Ling Qi replied, maintaining a stoic tone. ¡°We are approaching the destination. I wanted to know if you were familiar with the area already and if you had any recommendations on how we should proceed.¡±


    Sixiang murmured.


    His eyes flicked in her direction as his boots continued to pound the ground, and though his expression remained even, she felt a fluctuation in his spirit that seemed to be a wary surprise. ¡°I have not made this run myself in some time, ma¡¯am. I believe Mo Lian and Chun Yan are more familiar.¡±


    She glanced back, and a moment later, she was beside the younger man, who stiffened in surprise but didn¡¯t stumble. ¡°You heard the conversation?¡± she asked, knowing perfectly well that he had. They were all running in a loose formation only a few meters apart.


    ¡°I did,¡± Mo Lian replied stiffly. ¡°I had some hand in writing the reports you were furnished with, ma¡¯am.¡±


    She gave him a sidelong look. There was the faintest hint of something accusatory there, well hidden behind discipline. ¡°I am not asking you to repeat the report. I have read it. I wanted to know if you had any recommendations for how to proceed based on your experience with previous runs.¡±


    She felt a faint ripple of qi from her left and glanced toward Chun Yan, knowing that the woman had restrained herself from laughing. ¡°I may be more powerful, but I should not waste your experience. I would like to hear anything the three of you have to say before we begin.¡±


    Seeing them from all angles, it was impossible to miss the faint shifts in body language and expression that passed between the three scouts. It looked like she had managed to avoid embarrassing herself


    The man beside her dipped his head slightly, despite not slowing his run in the slightest as she flickered and floated beside him. ¡°The most consistent danger is the river spirit that inhabits the main waterway. It is a volatile creature that is often difficult to predict. However, if it is calmed first, its calm passes to the lesser water spirits as well and makes the scouting simpler.¡±


    ¡°The fat fish is bad-tempered and proud. Killing it will just make things worse though. It¡¯ll have reformed by next season, and the fight always floods the valleys making it harder for the ones coming behind. Puts it in a worse mood for the next run too,¡± the woman, Chun Yun, added.


    ¡°... The last one to come through definitely killed it, didn¡¯t they?¡± Ling Qi sighed knowingly.


    Sixiang chuckled.


    The two soldiers shared a glance. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Mo Lian replied, sounding mildly chagrined. ¡°I was asked to leave the matter out of the report so¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t stop there,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Any other surprises?¡±


    She spent the rest of the trip to their assigned area listening to details and anecdotes about past runs, both here and elsewhere. It took some time for the soldiers to begin speaking more freely. Conversation died down as they reached their destination.


    The region Ling Qi had been assigned to survey was a network of river valleys that lay between high cliffs, rivers flowing down from glacial headwaters deeper in the Wall. It was much greener than most landscapes that lay this far south, rich with vegetation and beasts alike. Soon, they arrived at a cliff overlooking the main span of the river that ran through their assigned region.


    The scouts perched atop the cliff, crouching with their qi suppressed and their shimmering cloaks wrapped around them. Ling Qi might have mistaken her subordinates for large stones, if her senses had been less sharp. She herself stood in the shadow of an old and gnarled tree, clinging to the cliff¡¯s edge, her aura muted and her outline wavering into the shadows.


    ¡°Will you be proceeding with the plan you outlined then, ma¡¯am?¡± Chang He asked in a low voice. She had a feeling he was not confident that her plan was wise.


    Ling Qi considered, gazing down at the river and getting a sense for its qi. ¡°The disciple who slew it - were they above the foundation stage?¡±


    ¡°He was not,¡± the old man replied.


    ¡°And he was not the scion of a great house?¡± Ling Qi asked evenly.


    ¡°No, ma¡¯am,¡± Chang He said, lowering his eyes.


    ¡°Then I am confident,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°Hold position, and keep yourselves hidden. I do not want the spirit to think it is being ambushed.¡±


    They did not salute or shout an agreement for obvious reasons. Hopefully, when this was over, the doubt she sensed in their postures and words would be curbed, if not silenced.

 Threads 47 Signs 2

    Sixiang encouraged.


    Ling Qi appreciated the sentiment as she leaped lightly down from the cliff, floating like a leaf on the breeze. As her feet touched the damp grass on the river¡¯s shore, she stopped restraining her qi, and her flute materialized in her hand. The moment she did, the lazy ripples of the slow flowing river churned and thrashed. She glimpsed a piscine silhouette forming beneath the surface before a jet of extremely dense pressurized water shot out and cut straight through her chest, carving a gouge in the rock behind her. Ling Qi raised her flute to her lips as her form wavered back into solidity, unperturbed by the attack.


    The shape in the water thrashed to the surface, and she heard the spirit speak in a warbling, bubbling voice that trembled with indignant rage. ¡°You impudent savages! You dare return to challenge this river again! Do not think that this resplendent one will fall for your underhanded tricks again!¡±


    The spirit was very large. At six meters long, it was the largest fish she had ever seen. Its scales gleamed like sapphires in the morning sunlight. It had a wide flat head with thick fleshy whiskers that trembled like a rotund man¡¯s jowls as it spoke.


    ¡°O master of the valley,¡± Ling Qi spoke formally, even as she sidestepped another cutting jet of water. ¡°Please be calm. This humble supplicant wishes only to offer apologies for the indignities laid upon you.¡±


    ¡°Yoooooou,¡± the river spirit rumbled in its quivering voice. ¡°Do you really think this mighty one is so easily tricked? Fool! Trickster! Charlatan!¡±


    Sixiang said drolly as Ling Qi jumped and dashed along the rising top of the wave that emerged from the river, circling to pull its attention away from her subordinates¡¯ hiding place.


    Hanyi huffed.


    Ling Qi continued speaking, maintaining her formal and respectful tone even as she danced atop churning waters that sucked at the soles of her shoes.


    ¡°A thousand apologies, O resplendent master,¡± she began, careful to keep the grin out of her voice. ¡°Please allow this humble one to make an offering. Long have I contemplated your flowing waters and rich depths, and I have composed a song in your honor!¡± She was lying. She had been composing a song about a different river, but it was not so hard to switch out some details in the piece on the spot. ¡°I beg of you to allow me to make an offering and begin making amends!¡±


    All the while as she spoke, she continued to avoid the spirit¡¯s efforts, landing back on the far shore as she spoke her last words. The massive carp regarded her balefully, whiskers shaking and gills fluttering with exertion. It reminded her of a fat, red-faced merchant giving up on catching a fleet-footed thief. ¡°This magnanimous one will give you one chance, savage. But if this is treachery¡­!¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°Thank you so much for your understanding. I call this piece ¡®Shimmering Vale.¡¯¡±


    Ling Qi raised her flute to her lips and began to play, and soon, the valley was filled with music. The world seemed to grow still as her notes painted a melody that spoke of a rich and vibrant river, carrying life across the land. It was, Ling Qi thought, not one of her best pieces given the hasty alterations, but the spirit was swiftly entranced anyway. It looked like her subordinates¡¯ reports of the creature¡¯s pride were not inaccurate.


    Later, after the waters had receded and the spirit dispersed back to its resting state, Ling Qi was joined on the shore by her subordinates.


    ¡°I think that went well,¡± Ling Qi commented lightly.


    ¡°It did indeed. I was not aware that you were so prodigious a musician, ma¡¯am,¡± Chang He replied, dipping his head respectfully. ¡°Spirits of the land often desire devotion and respect. The purity of your expression will serve you in good stead in such dealings.¡±


    Mo Lian nodded, nervously tugging at his beard as he glanced at the waters. ¡°Still, without more material offerings, it is a stopgap. We should proceed.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ling Qi agreed, her feet lifting off the ground. ¡°Chun Yan, take point as we fan out.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± the older woman replied immediately. Ling Qi was gratified to see that there was little doubt left in her voice.


    From there, using Liao Zhu¡¯s advice, they fanned out, not separating far but enough to cover ground more efficiently. Ling Qi took on an overwatch role, soaring overhead as the three of them combed the paths and trails in the region. Many had been washed out by flooding, but the damage was not too bad.


    As the sun began to descend from its zenith, they came back together atop a high cliff overlooking the river to compile what they had found over the course of the morning and early afternoon.


    ¡°It looks like we¡¯ll have to update the maps quite a bit,¡± Ling Qi mused, seated in a tree branch. ¡°Is that normal out here?¡±


    ¡°It is not natural for rock spirits to move so much in a single year,¡± Cheng He said from his position by their small fire. ¡°One or perhaps two passes shifting is normal enough, but we have already discovered four that have closed. The earth spirits are agitated.¡±


    There had been a certain majesty to watching whole cliffs and hills groan and crawl, shifting visibly before her eyes. However, Cheng He was right. It was an unusual and worrying phenomenon, one not so easily solved as a single rowdy and vengeful river spirit.


    ¡°New paths open when old ones close. It¡¯s annoying but not real trouble,¡± said Chun Yan. ¡°The desolation in the southeastern valley is more worrying. Last time I saw withering like that, my village lost its whole harvest to the black earthworms. Something has been letting them grow beyond their normal numbers and size.¡±


    The valley Chun Yan spoke of was a withered place, trees bare of leaves and even the grass and weeds withered and shrunken. She had seen all-too-familiar worms poking their eyeless heads out of the earth, the actinic scent of lightning drifting from their maws. She had only glimpsed Yan Renshu¡¯s real spirit beast once, but the worms that she had seen in the valley dwarfed it in size.


    ¡°The tunnels I sensed were worryingly large,¡± Mo Lian said, tugging nervously at his beard. ¡°But I am more concerned about the Old Watch. The ruin has been silent for as long as I can remember, but you all saw the dancing bones and heard the cries in the air.¡±


    ¡°The dead should not walk,¡± Cheng He said darkly. ¡°It shames those who still live.¡±


    The Old Watch was a fortification which had belonged to the clan that had owned this land before Ogodei. It had been the site of one of the early battles in the war. The people there had been slaughtered, and later, a second group sent to recapture the site had been ambushed and killed by barbarians as well. According to the report, the site had previously been thoroughly exorcised and was now quiescent, if still uninhabitable due to the malice infecting the air.


    Ling Qi hummed to herself. They would no doubt find more trouble in the days to come as they filled in the holes left by their general exploration today. However, none of them needed rest just yet, so it occurred to Ling Qi that before they were forced to begin splitting up to address smaller problems, perhaps they could solve one of these larger issues.


    Idly, she glanced toward the setting sun and wondered where Liao Zhu was. She supposed it didn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°The matter of the moving mountains is the most important one for us to investigate,¡± Ling Qi announced as authoritatively as she could manage. ¡°As long as we mark down the other two as problem areas, the main group should be better suited to handle those.¡±


    She glanced between her subordinates while they chorused ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± but she did not notice any discontent. That was good, she thought.


    ¡°I am more experienced with spirit beasts and moon spirits than earth spirits,¡± she continued. ¡°Do you have any advice on how to approach the task?¡±


    There was a brief pause, but then Chang He spoke up. ¡°The trouble with earth spirits is getting them to notice you. That goes double for wild spirits of mountain and vale.¡±


    ¡°He is right,¡± Mo Lian agreed. ¡°To a mountain, we are all flickering, ephemeral things. It is difficult for them to hear our words as more than the buzzing of flies.¡±


    Their third member gave a grunt of agreement. ¡°I mostly hit things, but that sounds about right.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed in thought. She just might have the seed of an idea.


    Sixiang laughed.


    Gui agreed happily.


    ¡°Assuming that I can get one¡¯s attention, do you believe you can make contact?¡± Ling Qi asked aloud.


    The three soldiers shared a glance, marked with unease. ¡°Yes, I believe so, ma¡¯am,¡± Chang He agreed.


    Ling Qi slid off of her branch, floating lightly to the ground. ¡°Let¡¯s be off then.¡±


    ***


    It did not take too long to reach the edge of the troubled area.


    Little hills and peaks rose from the vale, and branches of the river threaded between like ribbons of silver. The afternoon sunlight gleamed beautifully off rocks and water. However, despite the appearance of serene majesty, it was clear that something was wrong. No birdsong rang in the air, and the river¡¯s paths were distorted, water flooding through trees and plants rather than flowing through the proper channels.


    At a glance, there seemed to be no source to this, but if she watched very carefully, she could see that the mountains were moving. It was so slow as to be near imperceptible to the eye, noticeable only after minutes of watching. It would take many hours for one of the peaks to move even a meter, but when the thing involved was so large¡­ Ling Qi could feel the vibrations of their migration in her bones when she stood upon the ground.


    It took some time to find what they were looking for among the moving peaks, and in that time, Ling Qi explained her plan. Soon enough, they found their target, the smallest of the peaks, more of a large hill than a mountain, moving positively quickly compared to its larger kin.


    Stopping on the shore of the river that wound around its base, Ling Qi released Zhengui. Her little brother stamped his feet in happiness as he materialized, pleased that he could be of help. Ling Qi smiled and pretended not to notice the expressions on her subordinates¡¯ faces at the appearance of Zhengui.


    ¡°Are you ready to begin?¡± she asked instead, patting Gui on the head as he bumped his blunt snout against her affectionately.


    ¡°Y-yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Chang He replied, tearing his eyes away from Zhengui. He stood at her side. The others were fanned out through the area, watching in case things became troubled. ¡°Whenever you are ready.¡±


    ¡°Alright then,¡± Ling Qi said, slipping out of her authoritative tone as she grinned. ¡°Zhengui, make this fellow stop for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± he announced cheerfully, turning toward the hill so very slowly moving toward them. He stomped forward, and qi flooded into the earth. Grass and shrubs gleamed with emerald light as unnatural roots churned the soil, growing downward and anchoring the earth as Zhengui rammed his head into the stony hillside.


    ¡°My Big Sister wants to talk, so you had better listen!¡± Zhen announced, eyeing the great pile of earth and stone imperiously. Behind him, Ling Qi silently breathed out and activated the Thousand Rings Unbreaking technique, enhancing the roots laid down and making her little brother truly immovable.


    For a time, there was no sound save for the growl of effort made by her little brother as the stone he had pressed his head against pushed harder and harder against him. Ling Qi grimaced at the expense of activating the expensive technique a second time, but she was soon rewarded as stone splintered with an audible crack and the hill shook, a noise like a subsonic groan rattling her bones. For the first time, she felt the weight of the hill''s qi shift, changing from a dissipated awareness to a focused attention on the obstacle in its path.


    She glanced at Chang He, who nodded sharply and kneeled down, digging his hands into the soil. He spoke slowly and deliberatively, clearly enunciating each syllable. ¡°Old One, what ails you? Why do your kind move with such speed and in such numbers?¡± She felt the pulse of qi in his words, conveying more than spoken words. An art then. To more clearly communicate with spirits?


    It took a long moment before there was any response, but eventually with much groaning and grinding, the hill''s eyes, two great clefts in the earth, black as pitch save for the flickering of pale blue flame in their depths, opened. The whole hill rumbled, a long string of noise and jumbled expression that Ling Qi was nonetheless able to decipher, thanks to her skill at music.


    Chang He relayed the words even as she mulled them over in her thoughts. ¡°The fallen star stirs. Destruction burns below,¡± the old man said slowly, sounding troubled.


    ¡°It is afraid,¡± Ling Qi confirmed what she could sense Chang He thinking. Wasn¡¯t that a worrying thought? ¡°Ask it where the ¡®star¡¯ is.¡±


    Chang He repeated his question, but the reply was only marginally helpful. ¡°South. Always south, and deep below.¡± Chang He grimaced as the rumbling ceased.


    Further questioning proved mostly useless, and they received only fragmented answers and vague references. There was ¡°poison rising from the deepest depths¡± and ¡°the winter winds would awaken the crumbling titan.¡± All very ominous, but none of it very clear or helpful. The longer they forced the hill to remain still, the more agitated it was becoming too.


    Eventually, they withdrew, and as they others rejoined them, she asked the first question that came to mind. ¡°Did any of that make sense to you? I¡¯ve never heard of a real falling star.¡± While the term was used fairly often as a poetic descriptor for different celestial phenomena, actual stars didn¡¯t move. They were just hidden while the sun moved overhead.


    Sixiang said, sounding frustrated.


    Chang He and Mo Lian remained silent, the younger of the two tugging nervously at his beard. However, it was Chun Yan who spoke up, a frown on her hard features. ¡°I remember my gran telling a story ¡®bout the gods sending down a star to punish a wicked dragon king. Just an old folk tale though.¡±


    They all fell silent for a moment. ¡°It is probably just a flowery metaphor for something,¡± Ling Qi said. Even reading the expression directly, a falling star was just a burning radiance descending from the sky. It almost reminded her of the Duchess, but the Cai¡¯s light techniques lacked the rippling veils of color expressed by the hills ¡°words.¡± ¡°Perhaps a powerful spirit beast died in the south, and its blood is poisoning the earth.¡±


    ¡°Seems more likely,¡± Chun Yan agreed.


    ¡°Yes, that seems more likely. Should we search for the source then, ma¡¯am?¡± Mo Lian asked.


    ¡°That would probably be for the best,¡± she agreed. ¡°You¡¯ll lead us then. Focus on the ground, and look for unusual traces. The rest of us will keep watch while you search.¡±


    The clear order seemed to snap them out of their thoughts, and once again Ling Qi was treated to three simultaneous ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    Sixiang murmured in her thoughts as they set off.


    Hanyi said, speaking up for the first time in awhile.


    Zhen hissed teasingly.


    Ling Qi sighed as the noise in her head returned to normal levels. She was probably overthinking things.

 Threads 48-Signs 3

    Once again, she took an overwatch position as they began to make their way south, painstakingly searching for unusual qi in the soil.


    Below, her subordinates took on a triangle formation with Mo Lian at the head and the other two fanned out behind him. The search was rather dull to begin with. False leads led only to minor parasitic spirits or earth gasses tainting soil. She left the subdual of the former to Chun Yan, who was quick and competent about striking and cutting down spirits with strong thrusts of the spear she carried on her back. The three of them worked well as a team, strengthening her suspicion that the three were quite familiar with each other. Chun Yan was the spear, and Chang He was the shield. Mo Lian was the odd man out, acting to support the other two with a more varied set of skills.


    As they traveled further south however, the false leads dried up. There was a winding vein of something strange in the earth. Where it passed, grass and trees showed faint signs of withering sickness, and certain spirit beasts were more aggressive. It seemed that the more closely aligned a spirit was to earth or wood qi, the greater the effect. Even Zhengui reported feeling slightly queasy when he dug his roots into the earth where the strange taint passed. They struck down maddened beasts as necessary and kept pressing south.


    Eventually, the trail led them to a grey and withered valley filled with bubbling muck. The grasses and plants within were twisted and grey, save for tumorous patches of color that marked the bark of some trees.


    They had not been able to investigate peacefully. Blighted and glowing insects had swarmed out the moment Mo Lian had stepped over a seemingly arbitrary line, and it was only a swift activation of the Forgotten Vale Melody that had driven the bugs back. From there on, Ling Qi stayed with the group, her melody driving back the veritable carpet of chittering, sickly beasts that would have otherwise threatened to overwhelm them with sheer numbers.


    The sickness in the soil ran deep here, welling up from a depth far beyond her ability to sense. At the very center of the tainted valley, the mud gleamed with vibrant color from all across the spectrum, glowing and pulsing eerily under the darkening sky.


    Ling Qi had little desire to linger once they had found the center of the phenomenon. They dug for a time to see if the source could be unearthed, but it resulted only in a growing nausea among her subordinates. Even Ling Qi found her skin prickling under the strange glow, and perhaps it was only her imagination, but her gown rustled unnaturally, the trailing hems seeming to shy away from the sickly light.


    She had ordered the withdrawal after that, setting the three of them to set fire breaks around the valley. Once it was done, she had Zhen spray his venom across everything that was even vaguely flammable. When in doubt, purifying by flame was rarely wrong. That done, she resolved to mark down both the valley and trail of poison in her report and let someone more qualified deal with purging the taint.


    Once they had reached a safe distance, she dismissed the scouts to make camp. They would rest for two hours to recover their qi and then begin working on the rest of the region. As Ling Qi seated herself atop a flat rock to meditate however, she saw movement out of the corner of her eye.


    ¡°Senior Brother,¡± she greeted calmly, refusing to rise to his bait.


    ¡°Junior Sister,¡± Liao Zhu greeted in turn, seated on the trunk of a tree that hung crookedly from the cliffside on which she was perched. ¡°I am glad to see your nerves remain in good condition.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± she replied dryly. ¡°Senior Brother, what do you make of what we found today?¡±


    ¡°Ah, but that would be telling, Junior Sister. I am disappointed that you would seek to use your Senior Brother¡¯s unmatched experience to pad your score,¡± he jested. She turned her head just enough to give him a flat look. He laughed at her, but his gaze sharpened. ¡°It is somewhat concerning. This is not a matter for Inner disciples, I think. You did well.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever heard of a falling star?¡± she asked, almost whimsically.


    Liao Zhu, however, considered her question seriously. ¡°I have, and it is why I am concerned.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned. ¡°Where have you heard of it? An old village tale like Chun Yan?¡±


    ¡°Nay. My family is from the capital, Junior Sister. We have served the Dukes of Emerald Seas since the early days of the Hui.¡± He laughed. ¡°Though our current Duchess has little use for physicians. Why, my father told me that she performed the operation to deliver your liege herself!¡±


    Ling Qi blinked and then shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re trying to distract me,¡± she accused.


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± he agreed, the grin fading from his tone. ¡°But I have spent many long hours watching and infiltrating the Cloud Tribes,¡± he said gravely. ¡°There is an old tale, which they speak of in the same way that we do our Fishers, Diviners, and Conquerors. They say that pitying the plight of the men who toiled under the dragons, Father Sky summoned the brightest star in the sky, his daughter, to free them of their bondage. Before that star, the artifice and mighty works of the dragons crumbled like dust. When the dragons fell, the star elected to remain on Mother Earth and took a husband from among the freed tribes. She bore a son who would be their first leader. However, while the star was the daughter of Father Sky, she was not born of Mother Earth, and so they and their descendants were to be denied the blessings of Earth and live their lives in the Sky and the Mountains.¡±


    Ling Qi shifted uneasily at that abridged legend. ¡°Do you think the Cloud Tribes really have a Sublime Ancestor somewhere in the Wall?¡±


    ¡°There is no proof of such a thing,¡± Laio Zhu replied. ¡°And you will be laughed at if you suggest it. Imperial scholars have long debunked their primitive myths, and the living dragons scoff at such stories.¡± She couldn¡¯t help but feel that he was being a bit disingenuous with that statement. ¡°But your Senior Brother is perhaps a touch paranoid.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty bad at setting the mind at ease,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°I am no such thing,¡± he denied in a voice full of wounded pride. ¡°For that was not my intent. Be careful on the morrow, Junior Sister.¡±


    Before she could reply, he was gone.


    Sixiang said flatly.


    Ling Qi sighed, closing her eyes to meditate. She couldn¡¯t let herself get worried over stories. If a horde of barbarians came screaming over the border, she¡¯d worry about it then. For now, she needed to plan the rest of the scouting.


    ***


    ¡°You sure this is what you want to do?¡± Sixiang asked, the breeze kicked up by their speech sending Ling Qi¡¯s hair fluttering. ¡°You decided yesterday that sticking together was better.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Ling Qi agreed, looking down from the cliffside at the shrinking backs of her subordinates as they descended into the valley. ¡°That¡¯s why they¡¯re staying in a loose formation while they do their tasks. They¡¯ll be able to support each other.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean, and you know it,¡± Sixiang replied dryly.


    ¡°I know,¡± she sighed, looking toward the south. ¡°I¡¯ll link up with them in the afternoon, but I need to check out the south. I just have a bad feeling.¡±


    ¡°I guess I can¡¯t tell you to ignore that. Adventure ho then, eh?¡± Sixiang called out.


    Hanyi huffed in annoyance.


    Zhengui agreed.


    Hanyi wasn¡¯t wrong, Ling Qi thought wryly, turning to the south as her feet left the ground. They weren¡¯t far from the area she wanted to search, so she would not have to fly far. Their hunt for the source of the poison in the earth had already taken them to the southeastern quadrant of their assigned area. The edge of the zone was easy to see, little mountains, hills, and vales gave way to ramparts of sheer stone that rose up to pierce the clouds, marked only by occasional straggling patches of vegetation.


    As she soared over the land, Ling Qi had to wonder at that. Here, just south of the jutting peaks where the Sect made its home, the wall was green and vibrant, these stretches of verdant valleys and little mountains stretching across the landscape, interrupted by chains of much higher peaks. But go only a short distance further, and the Wall rose in truth. The peaks that rose to the south were massive things. White Cloud Mountain pierced the clouds at its peak, but the mountains of the Wall blocked out almost the whole of the southern sky.


    At least those mountains were not moving, Ling Qi thought wryly. They would all be in trouble then. Even still, there was something ominous and humbling about them like being in the presence of a higher cultivator. It brought to mind troubling thoughts about how very small she was.


    Now was not the time for philosophical quandaries however, so Ling Qi focused on her destination and flew ever higher. She had learned in her lessons that the Cloud Tribes preferred to make their camps near the cloud line. Camps above the clouds were more common for raiders, who did not have to worry about the survival of younger and less hardy individuals.


    With that in mind, Ling Qi flew through the clouds, the dense moisture failing to so much as wet the tips of her hair or the hems of her gown. Soon, she soared above the slowly churning cloudscape and began her search of the bare masses of stone that jutted into the sky through it. Without a spirit like her mentor, no snow could fall here, and yet many were still dotted with thick sheets of ice.


    The high mountains were a unique place. Very little lived or grew here, but what did was always strange and a little alien. She searched through fields of pale lichen as thick as the grasses below and soared over strange plants with pale fronds that rustled and seemed to follow her with their upturned leaves. At the very highest peaks where the sky began to grow dark and the faintest twinkle of starlight peaked through, Ling Qi did not linger long. There was no air fit for breath there, and even the world¡¯s qi grew thin, making her skin prickle uncomfortably, similar to being in the presence of the source of that strange sickness she had ordered cordoned off.


    However, Ling Qi did not pay too much attention to the region¡¯s natural features, and instead focused on what signs she could find of barbarian activity, any distortions in the natural qi left behind by their passage or old bones and the scorch marks on the ground from old campsites. She did not meet with much success.


    There were marks of their passage of course. She knew the tribes did not recognize Imperial borders, viewing the whole of the mountains as their domain. However, what she found were only old hunting camps, months old at best, certainly nothing that she could really follow up on nor anything that would legitimize the niggling ill feeling in her stomach.


    As the day wore on and the sun reached its zenith and began to descend without her having found anything, Ling Qi began to think she had just let her nerves from last night¡¯s discovery and her Senior Brother¡¯s little tale get the better of her.


    But then, as she began her descent toward the clouds, she caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye. It was far away, little more than a blurry dot, perhaps a bird or a spirit, but it drew her attention all the same. And when she turned her head and focused on it, she saw that it was neither of those things.


    Letting qi flood her eyes, Ling Qi saw a giant eagle with golden feathers. It flew in the sky, wings churning the clouds beneath it. More importantly, there was a man on its back.


    She recognized his dress from both stories and the simulation from Elder Jiao¡¯s trial the year before. He wore layers of fur and leather, rendering his figure bulky and indistinct, but she recognized the peaked fur hat and bone mask which covered his face. She had only a moment to take in the sight before he dipped back into the clouds.


    Ling Qi paused then shot off in the direction that he had gone. Heeding Sixiang¡¯s murmured words of caution in her thoughts, she blurred and faded as she activated technique after technique to cloak both her body and spirit from detection.


    By the time she slipped into the clouds after the barbarian, she was little more than a dark blur flitting between thicker concentrations of cloud. Even so, she flew as fast as she could, wanting to find the barbarian¡¯s trail before it faded away into the ambient water and wind qi which made up the clouds.


    Soon, she found the trail he had left in the air. It was like the scent of a storm approaching on the breeze. She grew more cautious now that she had his trail, and she even caught a glimpse of the barbarian now and then, far ahead. He was in the third realm, but she couldn¡¯t identify clearly what stage he was, if barbarians even cultivated their realms in the same way. His qi did not feel more or less potent than hers though.


    Luckily, the weather had been slowly worsening all morning, clouds bunching up to grow thick and dark, pregnant with rain. Here and there, thunder rumbled, and lightning flashed in their bellies. While it did make hiding her own qi easier, it also made her target harder to follow


    The barbarian was moving south still. They were swiftly heading toward the edge of the region she had been assigned to. After spending all morning searching for signs of barbarians, she was loath to give up pursuit. What if he was a scout himself, heading back to camp to give the all clear?


    Liao Zhu had surely seen him as well. Perhaps she could assume that he would message the Sect if he truly thought there was peril. If there was danger and she ignored it, that could reflect poorly on her. On the other hand, haring off after him could also be vainglorious like their Commander Guan Zhi had warned them off of, leaving Imperial lands and putting herself in danger for nothing.


    Sixiang voiced her thoughts.


    She focused her attention on the qi trail she was following. The barbarian¡¯s spirit didn¡¯t taste of urgency or bloodlust, but there was a certain eagerness like an electric tingle on the wind. Through the churning cloud, she caught a glimpse of his flapping cloak in the wind. Ling Qi bit her lip, considering whether to follow him further.


    As the man she had been following flew up out of the clouds toward the mountain that loomed like a godly rampart ahead, the air changed. Arriving all too suddenly like a freak summer shower that unleashed a torrential downpour from a formerly clear sky, two other presences flew down from the mountain to meet him. Two more figures in bulky furs riding golden eagles flew down from the cliffs and across the sky to meet the man in mid air, and the power of their spirits was not less than his. Although she still could not clearly sense their level of cultivation, she estimated that these two were significantly stronger, somewhere between threshold and formation.


    Even as she thought that, she saw one of them stiffen in his saddle, straightening up as he turned his gaze to the clouds below where Ling Qi hid. Her eyes widening in alarm, Ling Qi immediately sank deeper into the clouds, darting between arcing threads of lightning to hide in the dark belly of the storm. Despite that, she saw the man raise a hand to the others and fly past, the wings of his eagle beating up and down as he flew toward her hiding place.


    Gritting her teeth, Ling Qi focused on tightening her hold on her qi and dispersing her presence through the shadows that suffused the stormcloud. She remembered the lessons she had learned in mastering the Sable Crescent Step and the techniques that she had applied to better dodge attacks, and she vanished.


    When the man flew through the storm, sparks of electricity dancing around the eye holes of his mask, he found only shadows, lightning, and a rumbling storm. Ling Qi watched him search and fly through where she was, her thoughts feeling as unfocused and detached as the qi that had been her body. It was not a comfortable feeling. It was like holding her breath as a mortal, and every second that passed sent a feeling like the burning of air-starved lungs through her spirit, and her focus threatened to crumble as her thoughts tried to float away like leaves on the wind.


    Yet the moment passed, and the man flew back to his companions, departing for the mountain from whence they came. Ling Qi collapsed back into a single shape, her shoulders hunched as she wheezed in a breath of moist, storm-charged air. Despite that, her eyes followed the barbarians toward the mountain. They were definitely out of her bounds, but¡­


    No, it wasn¡¯t worth it. Even if she assumed that her estimation of the barbarians¡¯ cultivation was too high, this was bad terrain. She had already put a significant drain on her reserves just by being in flight for so long, and she couldn¡¯t even bring out Zhengui easily if it came to a fight. Not to mention, even if she did manage to sneak amongst them, she didn¡¯t know any of the tongues of the Cloud Tribes, something she would have to rectify when she could find the time. While she could probably pick up some meaning by leaning on her comprehension of music, it wouldn¡¯t be enough to make up for the risk.


    Ling Qi shot down through the clouds, keeping her qi as restrained as she could while moving at such speeds. Better to deliver warning back to her group and the main army left behind.


    As she descended, she considered what she had done in her moment of panic when it became clear that one of the barbarians had noticed her. It was not quite the same as her One with Shadow technique nor any other techniques that she knew. Even when she blinked from one place to another in combat, she didn¡¯t quite disperse like that.


    Even now, her dantian burned, and her head pounded from the strain, but it really was just an extension of what she had already learned. In dispersing her aura to blend into the background and hide herself, she was already taking the first step. Still, to do the same with her actual body¡­


    Sixiang laughed, sounding flippant even though she could feel the spirit¡¯s tension and watchful intent as they peered out at the world through her.


    Ling Qi wrinkled her nose at the gross appellation, even if it wasn¡¯t wrong.


    Hanyi said grumpily.


    her little brother sulked.


    Ling Qi shifted uncomfortably even as she maintained her speed, flitting through the air back to the distant ground. Ling Qi replied silently.


    Sixiang asked, but they seemed less tense as Ling Qi soared down below the clouds.


    Ling Qi admitted. Ling Qi knew that the Cloud Tribes could move incredibly quickly, many times faster than any similarly sized Imperial grouping. So escaping from them if she had been caught would have been very difficult. Maybe she could manage once she had begun cultivating the Wind Thief art, but as it was, she would have probably had to rely on using the final technique of Sable Crescent Step art again and again. Combined with the slow drain of flight, she could all too easily picture herself running out of qi, leaving her helpless and needing Liao Zhu to save her.


    There was no good in second guessing herself, Ling Qi decided, listening to the chatter in her head. She believed that she had made the right choice. Liao Zhu was no doubt aware of what she had seen as well, so perhaps it was best to leave matters to him.


    Moving at her full speed, Ling Qi left the impossibly high mountains far behind her in short order, descending to fly and then to run among the little peaks and valleys that were her primary assignment. Reaching her subordinates did not take long after that.


    They had made good progress on their assignment by the time she had returned, being more than halfway through combing the region. Using her superior mobility, it did not take long to signal them all to regroup and meet her at the bend of a stream that lay ahead. With Sixiang keeping a wary eye on the sky, she settled in to wait for them to arrive.


    It took only a few minutes for them to begin to arrive. The soldiers did not look like they had suffered much in her absence. Chun Yan was somewhat scuffed with a thin cut on her cheek and a few rips in her armor under the cloak. Chang He¡¯s boots glistened with some kind of slime that smelled faintly of fish oil. Mo Lian was largely untouched, though mud spattered his boots and trousers. Overall, they were in good condition, showing only a minor depletion of their qi.


    ¡°I won¡¯t take too much of our time to explain,¡± Ling Qi announced as they arrived in the clearing. ¡°I spotted three barbarians in the third realm meeting in the high peaks to the south. It was close to the edge of our range, so I was not able to confirm more. As such, we need to maintain a higher level of awareness, and keep an eye out as we work our way south.¡±


    Ling Qi was a little surprised at the reaction her words caused, or rather, the lack of it. She got three sharp nods and the usual verbal acknowledgement, but they seemed surprisingly unworried. She frowned, looking toward Chang He, the oldest of the three.


    ¡°I would like to hear your thoughts, as well as any advice you have on defensive measures,¡± she said politely, triggering some muttering from Hanyi in her thoughts.


    Chang He raised his head, meeting her gaze with an even expression. ¡°You have the gist covered, ma¡¯am,¡± he replied. ¡°We stay aware, but we don¡¯t stop our mission. Likely as not, they¡¯ll stick to their upper peaks, gathering and hunting. There are rare reagents up in the high peaks, and it is not as if we¡¯re the only ones who want them. Even if not, we can¡¯t outrun them. Earthworks and stealth are the best defense.¡±


    ¡°I have an art which may be used for swiftly creating fortifications, ma¡¯am,¡± Mo Lian added. ¡°Should a group who is beyond us arrive, we can swiftly dig in and wait for the main force.¡±


    Zhengui chirped in excitedly.


    ¡°My spirit can help, if it comes to that,¡± Ling Qi relayed. ¡°I want to inform the main force as well. I know our overseer has the communication equipment, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Master Liao has already sent off the message.¡± Ling Qi very deliberately did not jump at the smooth and cultured voice which spoke in her ear. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of silver mist, gleaming like a mirror. ¡°Your situation is known.¡±


    A swift glance showed that her subordinates had not heard the voice nor noticed the mist. In her thoughts, Sixiang muttered something about a show off.


    ¡°It seems that that isn¡¯t a problem,¡± she said after what she hoped was not a noticeable pause. She clapped her hands together. ¡°So! Let¡¯s not waste any further time, and we¡¯ll resume the survey. Mo Lian, show me the map you¡¯ve compiled already, and we will see what I can do to speed things along.¡±


    All they could do now was complete their job and remain aware. Ling Qi held in a sigh. It was going to be a long and tense day. She hoped that her friends were having better ones.

 Threads 49-Perspectives

    Li Suyin allowed herself a small smile of satisfaction as she placed the last of the seeds into the jar of preservative and tapped the lip, activating the sealing formation on the container. Humming to herself, she collected the discarded rind of the fruit and brushed it into the bin beside her work table where they would be stored until they could be ground up and converted to feed for higher quality livestock back at the Sect proper.


    With that, she was done for the moment. With little medical work to do, she, like the other crafting students in the supply train, had been set to processing reagents collected by the army¡¯s foragers. It was simple, tedious work, but Li Suyin knew it had to be done, and she was happy to do it. Li Suyin glanced out of the back of the wagon at the passing landscape and took a moment to admire the misty valley that spread out below.


    Idly, she drummed her fingers on the rough work table, the chitin claws that tipped the fingers of her new glove clicking lightly on the wood. It was strange. Here, working for the betterment of the Sect, she was more idle than she had been since her expedition with Ling Qi. She had been studying, dissecting, building, and crafting almost nonstop for weeks, pausing only to finally make her breakthrough into the third realm.


    The time had been fruitful though. The supply bags Ling Qi had taken were full of interesting things, and her glove was one of those innovations. It had been crafted from spider silk and the chitin of that third realm beast which had nearly collapsed the ceiling and treated with certain substances taken from that bag. Between the absorbing and consumptive properties imbued into the silk, Li Suyin was rather proud of the custom-built venom injectors in the claws, which greatly improved the efficacy of the arts she had received from Zhenli¡¯s broodmother.


    ¡°All finished then, Li Suyin?¡± asked a voice from behind her.


    Li Suyin turned to look at her work partner, seated at the bench affixed to the opposite wall of the wagon. Du Feng was a tall boy, although shorter than her friend Ling Qi. With handsome aristocratic features and dark blue, almost black, hair worn in a top knot, he was not the sort to stand out among their more colorful peers. The elaborate cut of his dark blue robes did give him a certain refined air though, Li Suyin supposed.


    ¡°I am. You are as well then?¡± Li Suyin asked pleasantly.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Du Feng said, idly cracking his knuckles as he glanced out the back of the wagon as well. ¡°Are you still comfortable in your gown?¡±


    Li Suyin was glad that there was no one else here or she might have been embarrassed. However, the normally inappropriate question was only fair since the gown had been a joint project between her and Du Feng. She glanced down at the flowing silk of her new gown, pale lilac with highlights of darker pink and purple. The glimmering hints of silvery filaments were barely visible in the gown¡¯s resting state. She pulsed her qi, and they twitched, sending a shimmering, hypnotic ripple through the silk.


    ¡°Very much so. The wire has not chafed at all. It is truly lovely, Du Feng. I cannot wait until I can use its full functionality.¡±


    ¡°A gown can only be as lovely as the girl wearing it,¡± he said lightly, looking at her over the narrow lenses of his spectacles. ¡°And it could not have been half as well constructed without your help.¡±


    Li Suyin felt her cheeks color and glanced away. She was aware that Du Feng perhaps fancied her, just a little. However, she was never entirely sure how to react in the face of that. She was hardly a beauty, and her disfigurement had not helped matters. She did not want him to make a mistake when he could do so much better than a petty, stubborn, and mediocre girl like her.


    ¡°You are too kind,¡± she replied evasively. ¡°Really, it is only your work that allowed the whole project to come together.¡±


    ¡°I suppose we will just have to take equal credit then,¡± he laughed. She thought that he had a rather nice laugh. ¡°What do you make of this expedition so far?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I am sure they have a reason to bring so many auxiliaries,¡± Li Suyin demurred. Even if it meant that they were left with little to do, having the workload split so many ways.


    ¡°Very much so. It would not do for artists such as us to have to risk ourselves. I am glad that the Sect is so cautious,¡± Du Feng said with a smile.


    Li Suyin nodded, maintaining her smile. That¡­ was the other rub. It was unfair of her, but she had grown up with tales of chivalrous warrior poets and brave and clever hero scholars. Though she had been disabused of the notion that the real world allowed for such pure images to exist, some part of her was still the little girl who had sighed over such stories and wanted a hero of her own. It was one reason why she had kept her latest project a secret. It was just too embarrassing¡­


    Before the conversation could continue, Li Suyin heard a noise, and the wagon ground to a halt. ¡°Disciple Li!¡± called the voice of their driver. ¡°We have an injury ahead. Proceed to the front.¡±


    She shot an apologetic smile to Du Feng. ¡°It seems that duty still calls,¡± she said.


    ¡°Of course,¡± he agreed. ¡°Do not let me hold you up. Stay safe, Li Suyin.¡±


    ***


    The crackle of flames mingled with the popping sound of bursting insects was a delightful backdrop, Gu Xiulan decided, observing her work with satisfaction. Before her, the whole of the tainted grove with its twisted and bloated trees, unwholesome growths, and miasmas of sickness and vermin burned. Roaring flames consumed twisted bark, and trees crumbled, bleeding blood-like sap as the jets of flame pouring from her outstretched hands roared forth. Wispy blue with cores of bright white, the purifying flames consumed it all, muddy earth flash boiling and stagnant streams exploding into steam as she poured heat and destruction from her hands.


    The disease spirits in the air, taking the form of vermin and sickly miasma, billowed out, threatening to engulf her, only to wilt and die at the sheer shimmering heat of her aura, and strong buffeting winds blew the rest back into the inferno.


    She was not the only source of flame; several other disciples surrounded the grove, casting their flames as well. But even if her blood was diluted, she was a daughter of the Purifying Sun, and no other¡¯s flames could cleanse such filth more efficiently.


    A groaning tree, its bark licked by flames, uprooted itself, a subsonic groan emerging from its burning leaves and a facsimile of a face twisted in hatred forming on its trunk. As it began to bend its boughs toward her, stones erupted from the ground, impaling scrabbling roots, and heat blackened earth softened, dragging the tree back into the earth. Gu Xiulan smirked, sparing a smile for the grim faced Shen Hu, who stood beside her. The thing howled and thrashed as she let the lightning in her veins free. The pale scars on her face crackled, and a searing bolt of lightning cut through the smoke to strike the thrashing tree, followed by another and another.


    Each strike brought a scream and a scattering of sparks as wood split and sap boiled. Above Gu Xiulan, Linhuo laughed, fluttering out on electric wings to circle the smoke. Linhuo¡¯s newborn siblings, sparks birthed by the striking lightning, were called to her in a cloud of cruel fey laughter, and they spread the blaze further.


    Most importantly, Gu Xiulan could feel the gazes of the sect soldiers on her back. It was good to be reminded that for all that she was often overshadowed, she was nonetheless a noble, whose power overawed her lessers. Were it not for her, these men and women would be forced to painstakingly cleanse this land with their much weaker techniques. They would fight a bitter battle every step of the way and be hurt and infected by the spirits of disease.


    How fortunate for them, then, that she would bend her powers to such a task. Their awe and adulation allowed her to ignore the unending throb of pain from her burned arm for a while longer.


    ¡°Thank you for your efforts, Junior Sister. But that is enough.¡±


    Gu Xiulan glanced to the side where her commanding officer stood. Diao Gen was a handsome man and a scion of the second most powerful family in the Emerald Seas.


    ¡°I am not exhausted yet, Senior Brother,¡± Gu Xiulan said, smiling warmly as the flames continued to pour from her hands.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± he chuckled, gazing appreciatively into the flames. ¡°But it is time for phase two. If Junior Sister would join Disciple Shen, you may begin putting down the malevolent spirits in detail while I and the soldiers began reclaiming the soil.¡±


    ***


    Shen Hu watched the burning grove with an unhappy frown. This was ugly work, and he didn¡¯t much care for it. But the screams of diseased beasts, the popping and cracking of boiling sap weren¡¯t unfamiliar to him. The Shen family wasn¡¯t so fancy that they got to avoid ugly work. Let disease spirits fester, mess around with half measures and laziness, and then, they end up with a plague on their hands.


    And these were no meek little spirits of rot sickness borne from meat left out to spoil. His grip on his elbows tightened, fingers growing white as he felt something unwholesome, swollen, and tumorous in the earth try to rip free as the flames scorched its moist hide. He saw a slick, sickly yellow tendril rip free, thrashing until it was consumed by white hot flame.


    He listened with half an ear as their commander gave them new orders. He already knew where the first stop was.


    ¡°Understood,¡± he said aloud, acknowledging the order. Lanhua bubbled within his dantian, unhappy with the heat, but her mud began to puddle around his feet anyway, rising up to armor his limbs.


    ¡°Understood,¡± said the girl beside him sweetly, letting the jets of flame erupting from her palms sputter out.


    Diao Gen gave them both a cheerful nod, striding off to give commands to the rest of their unit, while they stepped into the flames. The inferno parted around their feet, licking heatlessly at their legs as it closed behind them, leaving the soldiers to begin shrinking the perimeter.


    ¡°There was no need to call on your spirit,¡± Gu Xiulan teased. ¡°I¡¯d have not let the flames touch you regardless.¡±


    ¡°Why have one line of defense when you can have two?¡± Shen Hu said lazily. ¡°First target is about three meters to the right past the big stone.¡±


    Gu Xiulan sniffed haughtily, stepping daintily over the charred corpse of something four-legged and furry; he couldn¡¯t say what it might have been before. ¡°I suppose. Convenient, then, that I have you,¡± she said with a dazzling smile.


    Shen Hu grunted with acknowledgement. He still didn¡¯t know what to make of her. This wasn¡¯t exactly the place for flirting, and Lanhua burbled an irritated agreement in his ears. It hadn¡¯t taken him that long to figure out what she was doing. He just had no idea what to do about it.


    She was probably just playing around to get a rise out of him. That¡¯s what he chose to believe, anyway. He¡¯d have no idea what to do otherwise. If he just acted oblivious, she¡¯d eventually get tired of it and stalk off. ¡°It¡¯s here. Some kind of plague boil. I¡¯ve got it trapped.¡±


    Carefully, he parted the boiling mud between two crumbling trees, revealing the pooled sickness beneath the surface. The smell that billowed out was a mix of long spoiled meat and sickroom stench. Beside him, Gu Xiulan¡¯s face twisted in disgust. ¡°Ugh. Hold it a moment longer. I shall need a few seconds to charge something suitable.¡±


    Shen Hu shied away at the sheer size of the orb of flame that bloomed between her hands, more layers of mud pouring out to shield him from the heat that threatened to ash everything within a good two meters.


    Well, at least Gu Xiulan was distracted. Maybe ugly work wasn¡¯t so bad after all.


    ***


    They boiled from the earth like black flame. Eyes and mouths that were like crimson tears in black fabric let out echoing wails fit to freeze the soul as flickering hands reached for her throat, their spiritual being made material by the raw resentment and envy which the wraiths felt for those who still had the temerity to draw breath.


    The first collapsed in twain, split in half by a whispering hiss of metal and a flash of white. The second and third burned, spectral flesh boiling away into oily smoke where her radiance fell.


    Thwip. Hiss.


    Thwip. Hiss.


    Where Cifeng passed, the unquiet dead were cloven in twain, and when her stride brought them into her light, even the pieces were no more. It was necessary to take these foes in this inefficient manner. Should she unleash her primary skills, the ruin and the shrine it contained would be damaged, and that would only make the problem worse.


    Their wails were unpleasant, scratching at her ears, trying to pull despair to the surface. Where her blade cut them, they tried to show her blood and flesh instead of smoke and dust.


    But the dead were the dead. They were echoes and remnants, nothing more. These people had been slain long ago, laid low by arrow and trampling hooves, before her mother had even been born and before her grandfather had even begun to cultivate. It was a sad thing, but at least this blood was not on her hands. The tendrils of lingering malevolence crawling across her thoughts could not change that.


    She raised her hand, preparing to signal her compatriots to follow. Diamond formation, the priest they were escorting at the center with herself at the front point¡ª


    Cai Renxiang did not allow herself a frown as she lowered her hand, instead moving into position, dispelling another three wraiths which rose to challenge her. Core Disciple Jia Song was a somewhat difficult commander. She did not resent being ordered ahead. These foes were no threat, but they already knew the layout.


    If she were uncharitable, when placed alongside similar orders, she might come to the conclusion that the young lady was taking some petty pleasure in being able to command her. However, there was no call to assume such. More likely, there must have been some facet of the situation which she was blind to.


    Liming¡¯s cloth rippled, a low growl of leashed bloodlust echoing more loudly in her thoughts than any phantom wails. The reputation of her mother¡¯s work made any truly untoward motive vanishingly unlikely.


    Yes, something missed or a touch of petty pride and no more. In either case, she would perform her duty to specification.


    Cai Renxiang strode into the cloud of malevolence which rose from the ruined fort, and it parted like the sea before the bow of a ship.

 Threads 50-Downtime 1

    Over the course of the next few days, things went peacefully enough as Ling Qi returned to the main force and joined the detachments dealing with the issues she had helped map out. Soon enough, they were on their way back to the Sect, and she had been commended for performing her duties well.


    It irked her a little to just do ¡®well,¡¯ but standing out was hardly the point in an exercise like this. She would just have to be satisfied with that and her contribution points.


    With the exercise over, Ling Qi found her mind turning back to cultivation, her tutoring of Xiao Fen, and her time with her family. While she knew she wanted to help her mother select a cultivation art from among those provided by Cai Renxiang, she was less sure of other things. Given everything that had happened recently, she wanted to spend time with her little sister as well, and she was pretty sure she wanted to spend time outside with Biyu. The land around the Sect was beautiful, and some of it was even mostly tamed. It would be good to let Biyu run around.


    ***


    It was a little nostalgic, Ling Qi thought, sitting beside her mother in the house¡¯s small study, learning to read. Though unlike before, the roles were reversed, and the surrounding more luxurious. ¡°Do you feel an affinity for any of the exercises?¡±


    Ling Qingge was silent, her aged features scrunched with effort as she painstakingly read through the contents of the jade stick on the table. The slab given to Ling Qi by the Cai was a wondrous thing, able to detach segments of varying size which contained some portion of the total library. The piece her mother held in her hands contained the entry level cultivation arts.


    At last, Ling Qingge sighed and set the jade down, reaching up to knead her temples. ¡°It is difficult to know. Some seem like little more than exercise manuals while others seem wholly detached from any material concern. I am not certain I am fit to judge.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine if we have to guess a little,¡± Ling Qi said with a small smile. ¡°You¡¯ve already taken the first step, Mother, and that means the rest is just a matter of time. Just go with your first impulse for now. If it doesn¡¯t work out, we can try another.¡±


    The older woman met her eyes and then nodded, seemingly buoyed by her confidence. Ling Qingge picked up the jade stick again, and her closed eyes fluttered as she began reviewing them again. It was something Ling Qi was happy to see. With her mother¡¯s achievement in cultivation, some of the wear which recent years had piled upon her seemed to have fallen away. She was still a quiet and reticent woman, prone to melancholy, but Ling Qi felt like she could see something of the firm and decisive woman who had once corralled her wild self into sitting down and learning her letters and numbers, despite the physical and mental exhaustion of degrading work.


    Still, Ling Qi was glad when her mother finally opened her eyes again. Sitting still for so long without cultivating left her feeling a bit jittery, if she was honest. ¡°Blooming Earth Meditations,¡± her mother said slowly. ¡°To me, it seems the most grounded of these¡­ arts. I believe I could practice it.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed, briefly reaching out to touch the jade stick and pull the information on the art into her thoughts. Blooming Earth Meditations cultivated wood and earth in the old style, a three step cultivation art which focused on slower paced contemplative exercises and breathing techniques. It encouraged its user to contemplate themes of growth and cycles. She could see why her mother might lean toward something like this. It was not something that she would cultivate given her own inclinations, but it was a good beginner art.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make some time to help you get started tomorrow then,¡± Ling Qi said decisively. ¡°Speaking of which, have you thought about what we talked about earlier?¡±


    Ling Qingge¡¯s expression grew slightly pinched. ¡°I am still not certain I like the idea. While I do not doubt that you will assure Biyu¡¯s safety in the moment, encouraging a child to play beyond the boundaries is¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°But Biyu has some talent for cultivation. I¡¯m sure of it. I think it¡¯s important to encourage her to want to enter the world of cultivation early on, especially if her talent is lesser. Advancing can be very discouraging otherwise.¡±


    Her mother shot her a rueful look. ¡°Using arguments for encouraging children toward academics now. How things have changed.¡±


    Ling Qi grinned. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault that they¡¯re good arguments. Besides,¡± she said more somberly, ¡°I think it would be nice if Biyu could have a more solid starting point, instead of having to flail around and get lucky like her sister.¡±


    Some luck would always be necessary, but sometimes, Ling Qi envied the smooth, untroubled advancement of people like Bai Meizhen or Cai Renxiang. Most would call her arrogant for aiming her sights so high, but Ling Qi doubted that anyone rose to the heights of cultivation without a little overreaching pride.


    ¡°Very well. I will trust you on this matter,¡± Ling Qingge said after some thought. ¡°However, I expect you to be the one to give her a bath afterwards,¡± she added.


    ¡°My, what will the household think, having the lady of the house perform such a task,¡± Ling Qi replied with false pomp, resting her hand on her cheek. ¡°Mother, you make the most untoward demands.¡±


    They shared a look. Then,Ling Qi snorted inelegantly, and her mother looked away, hiding the hint of a smile with her hand. Things were getting better, Ling Qi thought. If that meant putting up with some sneering at parties, it was worth it.


    When the next day came, Ling Qi rode with a laughing Biyu into the lightly wooded foothills, perched on Zhengui¡¯s back. She made sure not to release him until they had gone beyond the fields and wards, but it created a mild spectacle all the same among the field laborers. She simply made sure to sit up straight and hold an imperious expression despite the excited child in her lap, who was still mystified and excited by the shimmering green glow protecting her from Zhengui¡¯s natural heat.


    Their destination was not too far away. In preparation for this excursion, Ling Qi had put some of her surveying skills to work and found what she was looking for in a spiritually rich little gully with a small stream that flowed through it. It was a beautiful place, rich and green with clear waters that gurgled and bubbled musically over the smooth river rocks.


    However, it was more than that. The leaves bent and swayed under the weight and movement of glittering spirits of wind, little more than whorls of air in the vague shape of birds and insects. Glittering fairies like crystal sculptures danced atop the bubbling water. Among the flowers and grass, some plants moved and swayed of their own volition, and curious eyes peered down between the shadows of leaves


    It was a place where the little spirits of the world were born and gathered, rich with free-flowing qi. A good cultivation site to be sure, but that was not what she was here for, and besides, it was in the Outer Sect. In her arms, Biyu peered around with wide eyes as fluttering spirits took flight at their passage, and a brilliantly colored flock of insect-like fairies spiralling up into the sky as they fled Ling Qi¡¯s passage.


    She knew that among the inhabitants of the gully were plenty of the sorts of spirits that whispered and tricked and cajoled mortals who could hear, drawing them out of safety, but Ling Qi was not a confused mortal any longer. There was nothing to fear here. Even restrained from human senses, her presence had weight and power, and she could feel the spirits brushing against the edge of her awareness.


    Ling Qi smiled as she set her sister down and rested a hand on her head. In the realm of the immaterial, her spirit pulsed, and cold swept through the observing spirits. It touched lightly upon Biyu¡¯s head, and the little girl giggled and grabbed at the snowflakes that crystallized in the air around her. To everyone else though, the meaning was unmistakable. ¡°Mine,¡± her spirit said, and it was both declaration and threat, absolute in conviction, colored by the mastered lessons of the Thousand Ring Fortress art.


    ¡°Can we swim?¡± Biyu asked with wide eyes as Ling Qi led her down to the stream. Behind her, she could feel Hanyi¡¯s gaze on her back from where the young spirit sat on Zhengui¡¯s shell as her little brother laid down for a nap.


    ¡°If you want, little sister,¡± Ling Qi replied with a grin. ¡°That goes for you too,¡± she called back, startling Hanyi. ¡°We¡¯re here to have some fun after all.¡±


    Hanyi huffed and looked away, puffing out her cheeks. ¡°I don¡¯t need to play baby games.¡±


    Ling Qi rolled her eyes at the spirit¡¯s pique. ¡°If you¡¯d rather your Big Sister give you a dunking, just say so,¡± she said sweetly.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t,¡± Hanyi said, narrowing her eyes.


    ¡°I would,¡± Ling Qi replied in a voice of steel.


    ¡°I¡¯ll freeze the water,¡± Hanyi threatened.


    ¡°Not if I don¡¯t let you,¡± Ling Qi challenged.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help,¡± Sixiang laughed, their wicked grin audible in their voice.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be stubborn,¡± Ling Qi added more gently. She knew Hanyi still had issues with her human family.


    Biyu had wandered a bit while they argued, crouching at the shore to watch glasslike ¡°fish¡± made wholly of water dart and vanish among the rocks and reeds. ¡°Hanyi play too?¡± she asked innocently, looking up.


    At that, Hanyi rolled her eyes and slipped down from Zhengui¡¯s shell. ¡°Fine. If Big Sister wants to play so much, I guess I can.¡±


    Sixiang said silently.


    Ling Qi thought. With cultivation, with family, with her responsibilities. It wasn¡¯t just in cultivation that she had to strive for improvement.


    So without hesitation, she happily spent the morning playing in the stream with her little sister and Hanyi. They swam and ran and laughed, and keeping her more fragile sister shrouded in protective qi, she worked to include Hanyi in their play. When they stopped to rest and weave flowers, it was Hanyi who transformed the fleeting constructions into crowns of unmelting ice that glistened beautifully in the sun, their colorful petals preserved forever. When Ling Qi sat at the riverside and sang an idle and playful song she had made up on the spot, the two of them listened closely with grins on their faces.


    So, even if she had not cultivated at all that morning, Ling Qi still felt good as they rode back toward the town on Zhengui¡¯s back. She would work hard to make sure that Biyu associated cultivation with beauty and fun, so that her little sister could enter that world with a strong drive. Likewise, she had promised her Master, Zeqing, that she would take care of her daughter, and that meant making Hanyi a part of the family, one way or another.


    It was a morning well spent.


    ***


    Days flew by peacefully as Ling Qi divided her time between such pursuits and her own training, and despite the reduced time spent at it, she continued advancing quickly. She finally mastered the nuances of Thousand Ring Fortress, streamlining the last inefficiencies in the art.


    When she contemplated the lessons taught by the art, she found herself remembering Elder Zhou¡¯s advice to her so long ago during his test. ¡°Retreat is not always cowardice but can become it if relied on overmuch. Think hard on what stands to be lost before choosing to cede ground.¡± That advice had stood her in good stead over the course of her time in the Outer Sect where she had stood her ground versus Huang Da, Kang Zihao¡¯s minions, and in the intra-Council fight and more. And it could again, preventing the cowardice that had seized her when she had faced the Hunting King in that Bloody Moon Dream, if she truly internalized that lesson.


    There had to be more in life than base survival, and so there had to be some things that she could and should put her life on the line for. At the same time, she couldn¡¯t be inflexible and unyielding all the time. But as Thousand Ring Fortress taught her, a tree¡¯s branches and even trunks could bend and sway, but the roots must be unyielding. She knew that to follow her Path, she could retreat only so far and then no more.


    She also completed the Curious Diviner¡¯s Eye art as well, mastering the final technique, which allowed her to peer at distant people and locations in pools of water. Unlike Thousand Ring Fortress though, the lessons she learned from it did not resonate with her. While she knew the importance of lessening her ignorance or remaining watchful, it didn¡¯t seem so fundamental a lesson to her that she wanted to enshrine it in her domain. A useful lesson - but not a core lesson.


    With her arts mastered, Ling Qi turned to putting into practice Sect Elder Hua Heng¡¯s lessons. In preparation for more advanced arts, she began to refine the flows of her current arts, reducing the number of channels which she needed to attune to use them.


    Her spiritual cultivation shot up as well, and Ling Qi felt herself breaking through to the Green Foundation stage. For the first time, she could see herself reaching parity of cultivation with her liege and Meizhen, at least for a time, for the climb to the next level was a long one, and both had achieved their Foundation stages only a short time ago.


    Even feeling some dissatisfaction for her performance in the mountains, Ling Qi could only think that things were looking up.

 Bonus: The Sky that Fell

    Great Father is the First Sky, whose arrows are the lightning, whose hoofbeats are the wind, and whose mane is the clear blue sky.


    The Second Sky is the Starson, who led the greatest hunt of all. It was he who hunted the Gods and fashioned their bones into his armaments. It was he who gave the Mountains to the People to hunt forevermore.


    The Third Sky is the first whose name is not sealed. Mighty Balamber, Lord of Summer, who faced the bloodtide in the west, stirred to madness by the lowlander kings. It was he who met the Red Jungle in war and enforced the Compact of the Crimson Noon.


    The Fourth Sky is Wise Metok, Lord of the Spring, whose fury is the flood and whose compassion is the rain. It was he whose wisdom wrought the seasons and bound the Crone to return to her lands of Always Winter each year.


    The Fifth Sky is Stolid Sarangerel, Lady of the Night, who brings health to babes and who guides the cunning hunter¡¯s eye. It was she who carved the first mask and she who whispered the secret names of the traitor stars unto the Moon.


    The Sixth Sky is Wroth Batu, Lord of War, who led the first host of the People to war and who beat back the Children of Trees. Glory to him, who shattered the Stag Lord¡¯s horns! Glory to him, who kept the People free.


    The Seventh Sky¡­ never came.


    For many centuries, the people had yearned for the rise of a new Sky to finish the work of Batu. Onward had come the lowlanders, digging like worms into the flesh of the mountains to carve out their hearts. The warriors of the People fought, and yet ever onward, they crept, innumerable as the great locust tide. One year at a time, one valley at a time, the People lost.


    He came then, a humble boy of a defeated tribe, taken into the household of his father''s sister. Yet bold was the child Ogodei, and the path of a mere hunter would not satisfy the thirst for glory in his heart. A warrior born, he swiftly dominated the games of boys and earned his wings. There, he earned the favor of childless Mondor, Khan of the Thunder Bearers tribe, and rose swiftly in the esteem of the warriors.


    Many trials awaited him. Warriors dissatisfied with the Khan¡¯s favor gave to him deadly tasks, and each one, he conquered. Twice did he fend off ambushes from collaborators of other tribes, seeking his life.


    But the first true sign of glory came at his day of bonding. There did Ogodei refuse to accept a Beast-Self of the tribe¡¯s bloodline, even a foal of Khan Mondor¡¯s line. He claimed the Rite of Founding and set forth to establish his claim.


    None can say what adventures and journeys the young Khan had in the highest mountain peaks where Father''s storms rage eternal. Yet after ten years, long after he was assumed dead, did Ogodei descend, aback a mighty Dragon Horse whose scales glittered as ice and whose horn was Father¡¯s lightning made manifest. Young warriors flocked to Ogodei, and young women fought for the right to challenge for his hand.


    Once again did the young Khan earn consternation when he chose Sarnai of the Thunder Bearers as his bride, daughter of a simple hunter, a girl he had known in his youth. Alas, when the young Khan left upon his marital quest, tragedy struck. Lowlanders under the name of Li came to the Thunder Bearers¡¯ grazing peak, seeking the wealth in its heart. There was slain the Khan Mondor, his warriors, and gentle Sarnai alike.


    Wroth was Ogodei, upon his return, and the remains of the Thunder Bearers joined him without thought. Then and there, many believed the youth would fall upon the Li and be slain in turn, as often happened in the wake of such events. Yet it was not so, for in Ogodei, it seemed the Wisdom of Metok was strong. So it was that for two hundred years did the young Khan harden himself against vengeance and work to grow. He hunted mighty beasts and warred with mighty Khans.


    He was magnanimous in victory, taking only the proper amount and sparing warriors where he could. And all the while did the Khan whisper words of vengeance and unity in the ears of the tribes. He was not the only man or woman in the mountains to have been brought such loss, and his words resonated with the People. When the Grand Kurultai came, he proved himself strong in the favor of the First and Second, and like storm clouds gathering, the allies of Ogodei grew.


    He grew strong, stronger than all but the mightiest of Khans, and soon, as strong as they as well. The Seventh Sky had come, the warriors whispered, and the time to strike back was nigh. Batu had Broken the Forest Lord¡¯s horns, but Ogodei, Lord of Lightning, would burn their forests to the ground and drive them from the hills forevermore.


    Yet still, the greatest Khans resisted, for they as well had achieved the realm of Ogodei, though each of the three was old and gray and bore no illusions of rising to become a Sky. And so, did Ogodei undergo one last trial.


    The foul kin of the old Gods had crept back into the mountains, carried by the lowlander scum. There, did one of the scaled worms of the sky dare call itself king.


    And like the Starson before him, did Ogodei cast the beast down and fashion armor of its hide.


    For the first time since the days of the Gods did more than half of the People gather under one banner.


    With offerings of dragon¡¯s blood did Ogodei open the vaults of the Starson and receive a cache of his arrows. When the first one flew, it heralded the end of days for the accursed Li and their Black Lotus Mountain. There, the people purged the Li¡¯s toxins from the land and burned their abominable crafts to the ground.


    Yet there was no call from the lowlander kings. Where the tribes fought together, the lowlanders fought alone, and they died alone. Their slow soldiers and decadent lords failed to match the cunning of the great Khan, and for a time, it seemed as if victory was nigh!


    A lie. A beautiful lie. None know how Ogodei fell, but fall, he did.


    And the lowlanders stirred with rage.


    Such is the tale of the Sky that Fell. And that Sky¡¯s falling was but a prelude to the end of the People.


    Unless, perhaps, a true Seventh Sky comes.

 Threads 51-Downtime 2

    Ling Qi peered into the distance at the smoking crater in the ground, the glassy glimmer of melted dirt and shattered stone surrounding it. Then she shook her head. ¡°Sorry, little brother. You still missed.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, stupid Zhen,¡± Gui grumbled. The giant tortoise lowered his head and swallowed another massive mouthful of dirt, stones, and plant matter from the miniature mountain of ¡°ammunition¡± they had prepared.


    ¡°Silence, foolish Gui!¡± Zhen hissed as the air around him rippled with heat. ¡°I, Zhen, merely need a little more practice!¡±


    Ling Qi watched with a critical eye, flickers of silver marking the use of her perception techniques as she examined the processes of the technique Zhengui was trying to develop. He was not very good at taking in earth qi, so for now, they were using this crude method, but once he had mastered the more mundane aspects, they would have to work on the internal ones. Perhaps she could ask Xuan Shi? He had much more experience with earth arts.


    ¡°You ready with the target, Sixiang?¡± she asked, resting her hand on Gui¡¯s scaly head as he swallowed the ¡°fuel.¡± Molten glass dripped from the corners of Gui¡¯s mouth. It was cute.


    ¡°Got ya covered, boss,¡± Sixiang said, and in the distance, Ling Qi saw the clay target, a simple, unadorned disc, spinning and floating in midair. The wind coiled around the disc, preparing to fling it into the distance. Sixiang was getting better at manipulating the wind, but so far they had not come up with something that could be called a technique.


    ¡°Alright. Fire when ready,¡± Ling Qi said with a grin.


    Zhen¡¯s throat bulged as the missile formed and traveled up toward his mouth, gathering fiery qi along the way, and the disc was flung away. A moment later, he rose to his full height and spat, and a burning mass of molten earth and ash erupted. The missile was roughly a meter across in size and arced high through the air trailing ash and rippling heat. It arced down a hundred meters distant, and the qi contained within churned. In a flash of fiery light and molten shrapnel, it exploded.


    ¡°Give the boy a prize!¡± Sixiang announced cheerfully, and Ling Qi grinned as well. The disc was gone, blasted into burnt fragments.


    ¡°Ha! It is done!¡± Zhen crowed.


    ¡°Hmph. Zhen should not be so proud. Sixiang is taking it easy.¡± Gui taunted, even as he eyed the pile of dirt and stones with distaste.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good first step,¡± Ling Qi soothed as Zhen turned outraged eyes on his other half. ¡°We¡¯ll work on consistency, and then, we can move onto harder targets.¡±


    However, before they could continue with their practice, Ling Qi found her attention drawn away. She turned to look to her right as she felt Hanyi¡¯s qi approaching. Even from here, she could feel the spirit¡¯s anger and embarrassment, long before she spotted her trudging up the hill where Zhengui practiced his techniques.


    Hanyi was soaked to the bone. Her dress hung heavy from her shoulders, stiff and covered in frost and ice. Icicles dangled from the hems, clinking musically as she walked, and her hair was muddy and full of water weeds.


    Ling Qi was at her side in the blink of an eye, crossing the intervening distance as little more than a blur. ¡°Hanyi, what happened?¡± Ling Qi asked, crouching down to look at her. Ling Qi could see the fading remains of bruises and scrapes on the young spirit¡¯s arms and legs.


    ¡°I was just playing, and this stupid jerk knocked me off the side of the waterfall! And then this spirit got mad ¡®cause I froze his dumb pond,¡± Hanyi sniffled out. ¡°Then I had to walk all the way out here ¡®cause I can¡¯t get into the cave without you.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. ¡°Sorry about that,¡± she apologized. The locks on the disciples¡¯ homes were not something she could modify. ¡°But who knocked you off a cliff, and why?¡±


    ¡°I dunno,¡± Hanyi pouted. ¡°I was just playing and singing by the stream, and they got mad at me for making noise and kicked me off the cliffside.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned. She sensed something a little evasive in Hanyi¡¯s tone.


    ¡°What?! Big Sister, we need to go beat them up!¡± Zhengui announced, apparently having caught the story as he trundled over. ¡°We can¡¯t just let people mess with family.¡±


    ¡°Doofus,¡± Hanyi muttered under her breath, looking away briefly. She quickly brightened up though, looking pleadingly up at Ling Qi. ¡°Yeah, you should beat them up, Big Sister!¡±


    Sixiang whispered dryly in her thoughts.


    ¡°I still need to know who it was,¡± Ling Qi pointed out.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Hanyi began sheepishly.


    ***?


    Ling Qi did not know what she had expected, but it was not this.


    Standing before the perpetrator, she looked into Yu Nuan¡¯s eyes and saw stubborn determination mixed with fear. The girl looked much the same as she had when Ling Qi had challenged her last. She had a new set of piercings in her right ear, and some of the others had been changed for studs of other colors, but that was the extent of her physical changes.


    ¡°What is this I hear about you knocking my spirit off this cliff?¡± LIng Qi asked coolly, gesturing to her right where the clear waters tumbled over the cliffside, churning up the pond below. Chunks of slow melting ice still floated on its weedy surface. Hanyi peered out from behind her, and Ling Qi did not miss the way she pulled a face and stuck out her tongue at the other disciple.


    ¡°I lost my temper,¡± Yu Nuan replied defensively. ¡°But that little¡­ Your spirit has been bugging me all month, interrupting my practice and trying to challenge me, and when she scared off the spirit I was trying to bind...¡±


    Left unsaid was what Ling Qi read between the lines. Yu Nuan had assumed Ling Qi was trying to mess with her and was now preparing herself for the consequences of rising to the bait. Ling Qi eyed Hanyi, who huffed.


    ¡°Like that¡¯s a good excuse for attacking me like a big jerk. You knocked me off a cliff!¡±


    Yu Nuan¡¯s pierced eyebrow twitched violently. ¡°We¡¯re all third realms here,¡± she growled. ¡°Don¡¯t pretend you¡¯re made of glass.¡± She crossed her arms and looked defiantly at Ling Qi. ¡°I¡¯m not gonna apologize.¡±


    ¡°Hanyi, why have you been following Disciple Yu around and challenging her?¡± Ling Qi asked suspiciously.


    The young spirit looked briefly furtive, but a hard look from Ling Qi made her darting eyes still. ¡°I wanted to beat her. Everyone says Big Sister crushed her so easily, so I thought I should be able to win too.¡± She scuffed her foot in the dirt. ¡°I kept losing.¡±


    There was another violent twitch of an eyebrow from Yu Nuan. Ling Qi felt bad for the other girl. Hanyi had caused the two of them trouble. If, or rather, when, it got around that Ling Qi had allowed one of her spirits to get attacked by a lower ranked disciple, it would give her detractors even more ammunition if she didn¡¯t do anything about it. Ling Qi rubbed her forehead in frustration before she caught herself.


    Straightening up, she looked the other girl in the eyes and measured her wary stance. ¡°I will need an apology,¡± she stated baldly, causing the other girl¡¯s shoulders to stiffen. ¡°However, Hanyi, you need to stop-¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Hanyi interrupted stubbornly, stamping her foot. ¡°I¡¯m gonna beat her! She¡¯s a cheater, and she made fun of Momma¡¯s song.¡±


    ¡°I said you¡¯re bad at it, you little snot,¡± Yu Nuan shot back. ¡°If you¡¯re just copying someone else, of course you¡¯d be bad.¡±


    Hanyi puffed her cheeks out angrily, and Ling Qi restrained a grimace.


    Sixiang pointed out.


    Ling Qi thought. It was a weird and unwelcome thought, but not one Ling Qi could avoid having.


    ¡°Yu Nuan, I will repeat: I will need an apology, but I am willing to compensate you for lost time and trouble.¡± She held up a hand to quiet Hanyi and to her, she said, ¡°If you want to challenge someone, ask me first, and I¡¯ll help you arrange it.¡±


    ¡°Then I wanna challenge her now. She¡¯s a cheater!¡± Hanyi said, pointing at Yu Nuan.


    ¡°And why should I accept?¡± the other disciple replied, crossing her arms. ¡°I¡¯ve already lost enough time on this.¡±


    Ling Qi thought and then offered, ¡°If you win, I¡¯ll add on helping you wrangle a spirit since you¡¯re having some trouble on that front.¡±


    The other girl stared her down, only briefly looking at Hanyi, which seemed to infuriate the young spirit even more. ¡°I¡¯m guessing this deal is only good if it comes with that apology, huh?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ling Qi replied bluntly.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Yu Nuan said. ¡°You got a deal. What¡¯s the time frame?¡±


    Ling Qi sighed. The annoying political bits had been smoothed over, but as she watched Hanyi out of the corner of her eye, she knew that there were other things she had been neglecting. She would have her chance since she would certainly be helping Hanyi with her composition.


    ***


    ¡°Do you understand why I¡¯m angry?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t see what the big deal is,¡± Hanyi complained.


    Ling Qi rubbed her forehead in frustration. She sat on her bed, looking down at Hanyi, who knelt on the floor, looking recalcitrant. This wasn¡¯t a conversation that Ling Qi wanted to be overheard. ¡°Hanyi, you can¡¯t just go around bothering people whenever you want. You could get me in a lot of trouble, you know?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I challenged someone you already beat,¡± Hanyi argued. ¡°She doesn¡¯t have any strong friends either. Big Sis is way too nice. You didn¡¯t have to give her anything.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. Even with the windfall she had gained from the sale of the mirror she had found in the Weilu tomb, giving up a green stone to Yu Nuan had been almost physically painful. It had, however, finally seemed to convince the other girl that this wasn¡¯t some elaborate bullying plot. With her cooperation, Ling Qi could just pass the whole thing off as some friendly competition when the story hit the rumor mills.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a good reason, Hanyi. When someone tells you they don¡¯t want to play, you have to stop,¡± Ling Qi explained sternly. For a moment, she struggled to articulate her thoughts into words, to put this in a way that Hanyi would understand. A whisper of inspiration from Sixiang helped her organize her thoughts.


    ¡°That is not the sort of image Lady Cai wants us to project, and I also do not want to be that kind of person,¡± Ling Qi chided. ¡°It¡¯s not just a matter of strength. Reputation is important too. I trusted you to handle yourself well. That¡¯s why I let you go where you wanted to go. Now I don¡¯t know if I can do that.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t get it,¡± she sulked. ¡°I was just playing. You didn¡¯t have any problem bullying those dumb stream spirits so your real little sister could play.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s -¡± Ling Qi began to retort, only to shut her mouth with a click before she could finish the sentence. It was different. Those were just simple first realm spirits, no more intelligent than an animal, and Biyu was helpless. It wasn¡¯t the same, but would Hanyi see it that way? The young spirit had a very stark and simple worldview.


    ¡°Dealing with pe-humans is different,¡± Ling Qi finally said. ¡°I know you might not understand well, but the ways we deal with each other are more complicated. It¡¯s easy to mess up. It wasn¡¯t a big deal this time, but in the future, you could really end up hurting me. Please just ask me before you do something to a human, okay? I promise I¡¯ll listen and try to explain what you should do. And if someone really hurts you or bullies you, I¡¯ll do everything I can to crush them.¡±


    Spirits above, she wished that she could pass the responsibility to Meizhen or Cai Renxiang, or even Xiulan. Someone who actually knew what they were doing.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Hanyi said after a moment. ¡°M¡¯sorry I got you in trouble,¡± she added in a mumble.


    Somehow, seeing Hanyi finally looking crestfallen and apologetic wasn¡¯t satisfying. Ling Qi slid off of her bed to kneel in front of Hanyi, her gown pooling around her knees as she tentatively rested her hands on Hanyi¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Why Yu Nuan?¡± she asked softly. ¡°I still don¡¯t really understand. Why have you been doing this?¡±


    Hanyi mumbled something unintelligible, staring at the floor. Ling Qi gently squeezed her shoulders, and the young spirit spoke up. ¡°I want to be strong. If it was someone you beat, I¡­ I thought I could win. Even if I wasn¡¯t as good as you, I would still be keeping up. But I couldn¡¯t. I lost, and I shamed Momma¡¯s songs. I told Momma I would be strong and pretty and smart like her, and I¡¯m just NOT!¡± Her voice rose until she was practically shouting by the end.


    ¡°Hanyi-¡± Ling Qi began, but she was swiftly interrupted.


    ¡°I¡¯m slow, and I¡¯m heavy, and I¡¯m still weak! That girl was right. I can¡¯t sing right, and I can¡¯t move right, and¡­ I¡¯m nothing like Momma, and I should have just stayed with her so she could still¡­¡±


    Ling Qi pulled Hanyi into a hug, cutting off her increasingly hysterical words. ¡°Hanyi, Zeqing wanted you to live. Everything else comes second to that,¡± Ling Qi said with complete conviction as the little girl in her arms trembled.


    ¡°It¡¯s not enough,¡± Hanyi cried, her voice muffled by Ling Qi¡¯s gown. ¡°Momma¡¯s gone. I have to- I need to be like her or¡­¡±


    ¡°Or nothing,¡± Ling Qi finished firmly. ¡°You are Hanyi. You aren¡¯t your mother. But one of the reasons she did what she did was so that you could go out and be yourself, and not just Zeqing¡¯s daughter. You don¡¯t have to be just like her to make her proud.¡±


    She loosened her grip on Hanyi, allowing some distance to come between them again. Hanyi¡¯s eyes were reddened by tears. ¡°I can¡¯t compare to Momma though,¡± she said. ¡°If I¡¯m not trying to be like her, then who should I be like?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying you can¡¯t be like Zeqing, but you need to focus on your strengths, and build yourself up,¡± Ling Qi replied gently. ¡°You¡¯re an energetic and forthright girl. Maybe you should accept that and -¡±


    ¡°I dunno,¡± Sixiang said brightly, timing their interruption perfectly. ¡°Do you really think she can turn being a stubborn brat into something productive?¡±


    Hanyi scowled at the empty air. ¡°Who asked you! If Big Sister thinks I can, then I can. Don¡¯t interrupt Ling Qi!¡±


    Ling Qi sent Sixiang a silent thanks as she stood and offered a hand to Hanyi. ¡°Anyway, since the serious talk is done, there¡¯s no reason to hang around in this dull little cave. Will you take a walk with me, Hanyi? We can talk about ideas for your composition.¡±


    Hanyi took her hand and rose to her feet. The young spirit¡¯s smile was still a little brittle. ¡°Yes! With Big Sister¡¯s help, I¡¯ll definitely make something good.¡±


    Ling Qi was careful not to let her relief show on her face. That had been a terribly difficult conversation. She led Hanyi toward the door. Some nice music chat would be a nice break.


    ¡°Big Sister?¡± Hanyi drew her attention as they approached the door. For once, her tone and posture were almost shy. ¡°Um¡­ You said I should focus on my strength, but what do you think that is?¡±


    Ling Qi thought about it. ¡°I think it¡¯s your curiosity and desire to explore,¡± she said gently. ¡°I remember the first time we met, it was because you snuck out.¡±


    Ultimately, she thought that kind of impulse in Hanyi was probably a sign that the break from Zeqing was inevitable, even if she had accelerated it.


    ¡°Exploring, huh?¡± Hanyi asked, twisting a strand of hair between her fingers. ¡°Yeah¡­ Yeah! I can definitely make a song about that!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit,¡± Ling Qi chuckled, ruffling her hair. ¡°Let¡¯s start working on some compositions then.¡±

 Threads 52-Downtime 3

    Ling Qi took one last look around the small music hall, eyeing the handful of other disciples occupying the seats within. Despite her best efforts, word of the matter had gotten out. Not many had bothered to show up, and most were no doubt here out of idle curiosity, but she recognized a few disciples in the orbit of more important Emerald Seas nobles. She smiled thinly as she caught the eyes of one such young man, doing her best to channel Meizhen¡¯s imperious attitude. He looked away first.


    What was done was done. There was no use worrying about it now, and she would not spend Hanyi¡¯s performance getting worked up about the rumor mill.


    Ling Qi took one last look down at the stage where Hanyi faced a seated Yu Nuan with her hands on her hips and a defiant look on her face. She leaned back, letting her eyes drift shut as Hanyi¡¯s voice rose in song.


    A chill wind descended from the mountain. Swift and eager, newly born from the storm, the wind played upon the valleys and foothills. There was so much to see, so much to do. All the land sparkled with snow and ice, a vast and wondrous playground. The winter wind laughed as it rattled window panes and sent bare branches waving to scratch at the eaves and make spooky sounds.


    But winter was not forever, and when the warm winds came, the chill would retreat back to the mountain peaks where winter held eternal court. Below, the land changed. Its sparkling blanket faded away, and it became strange - green, warm, vibrant, and alien. In her heart, the chill wind wondered what it would be like to wander green fields.


    Thoughtless and eager, when the warm winds came the next year, the chill wind lingered and did not heed the call to come home. She blew through the green fields, and in her wake, there was frost, and the green grass withered. The people cursed her, and the warm winds drove her out. The chill wind fled and sought the comfort of the peaks, but she had wandered far, and her home was nowhere to be found.


    Lost, the chill wind defied the warmer winds that chased her. She blew with all her strength and scattered her foes. For a time, the little wind grew aimless and lost, and her heels were always dogged by the warm winds of spring. However, the little wind was strong. If she could not return home, then she would not be driven away. She had given up home, and that sacrifice would not be in vain. She sought the flowing rivers and the green fields that she had longed for. She sought the birds and the beasts who had always hidden away when winter¡¯s cloak had fallen upon the world.


    Though she was oft spurned, the little wind blew on regardless into hidden lairs and warm halls. She was here, and she would not go, no matter how much the warm winds buffeted her for her defiance, no matter what curses were cast her way or how harshly the sun glared.


    The cold wind had come, and it was here to stay.


    Ling Qi hummed to herself as the vision began to fade. Although she had helped Hanyi practice, her inexperience still showed. Ling Qi had felt the full force of the message, being so familiar with Hanyi, but she could tell that others in the audience had found the expression muddled at points. The central theme had been conveyed, but the details were blurred. She was still proud of her junior sister.


    Yu Nuan gave her a faint nod as their eyes met before she turned her eyes back to Hanyi. Ling QI was glad to see that thoughtfulness had replaced the suspicion that she had seen in the girl last time. ¡°I can tell you put a lot of passion into that,¡± Yu Nuan said idly as the last notes faded.


    ¡°Obviously. Are you still gonna say I¡¯m bad?¡± Hanyi asked with a harrumph.


    ¡°Nah, but you still have a long way to go,¡± Yu Nuan replied with a lopsided smirk.


    ¡°Quit stalling then if you think you¡¯re so good,¡± Hanyi said, crossing her arms.


    ¡°I won¡¯t insult you by playing around. Let me show you what defiance really sounds like.¡±


    Ling Qi felt the change in the room¡¯s atmosphere as Yu Nuan plucked a hard note on her lute. Sparks lept from her fingers, and the torches lighting the hall flared. The temperature soared, and as Ling Qi opened her mind¡¯s eye to the song, Yu Nuan burned.


    In the ashes of broken dreams, the lightning struck. From it was born an ember, nurtured on ruin and ash. The ember burned bright and hot, dreaming of the day when it would rejoin its father in the heavens. When the rains sought to drown it, the ember burned on, hissing and spitting defiance all the way. When the cold sought to sap its energy, it burned low and endured. When the ground sought to bury it, the ember burned deep within the earth, seeking the sky. But eventually, the day came when wicked creatures bound the ember, using it for warmth and craft.


    Alone, the ember burned on, sometimes weak and sometimes strong, but never extinguished. Always, it strained toward the sky, toward the heavens. Through bondage, through crushing, through drowning and more, the ember burned on. Its captors shepherded it, and in their arrogance fed it fuel to birth new embers. In time, all the land was aglow with the light of the ember and its many, many children.


    At last, the captors grew slothful and incautious. The embers roared their freedom, and the captors burned. All the land was consumed in conflagration, and no force could extinguish them. Finally, the flames reached the heavens and became the lightning, and the world was right once more.


    Ling Qi blinked as the last notes faded. That had been rather different from Yu Nuan¡¯s last composition. She listened with half an ear to the other disciples under the sounds of scattered applause. It seemed that the consensus was that Yu Nuan¡¯s song was about the triumph of men over beasts and dragons and the rise of civilization and the Empire. Ling Qi wasn¡¯t so sure.


    Sixiang snickered.


    Ling Qi leaped down to the stage and landed lightly beside Hanyi, who was pouting at Yu Nuan as the other girl stood up, her lute still producing streamers of smoke. ¡°What do you think, Hanyi?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°... I lost,¡± Hanyi admitted. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Big Sister.¡±


    ¡°You did really well. Do not apologize,¡± Ling Qi said, ruffling Hanyi¡¯s hair.


    ¡°It was a good try for a runt,¡± Sixiang teased.


    ¡°Listen to her. She¡¯s right,¡± Yu Nuan grumbled. ¡°Damn natural talents,¡± she added under her breath. Ling Qi shot her a look. Yu Nuan met it without contrition. ¡°You¡¯re not half assing someone else¡¯s work. That¡¯s the biggest step.¡±


    ¡°Tch. I¡¯ll be better than you in no time,¡± Hanyi boasted arrogantly. ¡°Just you watch.¡±


    Yu Nuan rolled her eyes in exasperation, and Ling Qi chose not to comment. ¡°In any case, thank you for helping my spirit with this challenge, Miss Yu. I will help with your own issue when time allows,¡± Ling Qi said formally.


    Yu Nuan glanced toward the seats where a few watchers lingered. ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to it,¡± she said neutrally. ¡°I need to be going though. I¡¯ll see you sometime soon then¡­ Miss Ling.¡± The formality sounded a little awkward on her lips, and Yu Nuan seemed aware of it given the brief bow and somewhat hurried exit that followed.


    Ling Qi rested a hand on Hanyi¡¯s shoulder as they made for the opposite exit at a more sedate pace. ¡°Are you satisfied, Hanyi?¡±


    ¡°No, I lost,¡± Hanyi said grumpily, looking up at Ling Qi as if she thought her dim for asking. ¡°But I did promise Momma. I gotta grow up, and I can¡¯t do that if I just run to Big Sister for help.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get better quickly if you try. You¡¯re just lacking in experience,¡± Ling Qi said, relieved that this trouble had been smoothed over quickly.


    ¡°Yup! That¡¯s why I¡¯m gonna run all over the Sect!¡± Hanyi chirped. ¡°There¡¯s so many spirits here. I need to pester ¡®em all!¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes widened in alarm, and she looked down to see Hanyi sticking out her tongue before the young spirit dissolved into a swirl of cold wind and snowflakes, vanishing from the entry of the music hall.


    Sixiang commented in amusement.


    Ling Qi held in a groan as she blurred into shadow to chase down Hanyi.


    ***


    Ling Qi blurred to the side, and a hand shrouded in ash grey fire speared through the blurred afterimage where her eye had been. The gleaming saber in her right hand swept up to deflect the other girl¡¯s second hand away from her throat, and Ling Qi smoothly transitioned into a thrust, and her opponent glided back, riding her own shadow.


    Xiao Fen eyed her warily over her hands, returning to the tight defensive guard of her initial stance as curling streamers of grey fire rose from her hands. Ling Qi smiled faintly, returning back to her own open starting stance, her saber held out to one side at middle height.


    Six months into the year, she had finally found something useful to do with her blade training. Now that she was in the Inner Sect and expected to represent Cai Renxiang to others, Ling Qi thought she should pick up some skill in one of the four noble weapons, and with Cai as her liege, the choice of which noble weapon was obvious. To that end, Cai Renxiang had begun to walk her through the basics of learning the blade. Her skill with the blade was purely ceremonial, but with a realm and four stages of advantage over Xiao Fen, using a saber served as a good handicap for their tutoring sessions.


    Ling Qi couldn¡¯t directly teach the girl since they used different arts and had different styles, but through some trial and error, they had found that Xiao Fen was able to gain some insights into her Sidewinder¡¯s Step art by observing Ling Qi¡¯s movements in combat.


    ¡°Ready for another round?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°I do not tire yet,¡± Xiao Fen replied evenly. She seemed much more relaxed when fighting.


    Sixiang said silently,


    Bai Xiaofen lunged, carried by a shimmering stream of shadow. Bai movement arts, Ling Qi had learned, seemed to treat having legs as a handicap to be overcome. Xiao Fen¡¯s offense was fast and unrelenting. She struck with knees, elbows, fists, and feet without discrimination, getting in close and staying close. Even her defensive moves were geared to flow directly into more offense. Her every strike was aimed at some sensitive portion of the body, and her spearhand strikes were made to stab and tear like a beast¡¯s claws.


    Of course, while Xiao Fen undoubtedly exceeded her in melee skill, Ling Qi remained far faster than her. Last month, Ling Qi had refined her ability to move without movement and mastered the Stable Crescent Step art. Now, no longer did she need to expend energy flickering from one position to the next and instead wove through Xiao Fen¡¯s merciless assault with minimal movements, leaving a trail of shadowy echoes in her wake that obscured her true movements. With her cultivation advantage, she flowed through the smooth and sweeping motions of the movements her liege had taught her, transforming the momentum of her twirling dodges into powerful blows.


    Weathering a series of rapid jabs and blocking a sneaky upward knee, Ling Qi pulsed her qi, driving back the consuming gray flames that tried to catch on her blocking hand. Xiao Fen¡¯s fire arts were very different from Xiulan¡¯s flashy maneuvers. They were low burning and clung tenaciously to anything they touched. All fire devoured, but the fires Xiao Fen made were hungry and consumptive in a way that exceeded that. Ling Qi could already see the way the girl¡¯s arts would evolve from striking at physical frailty to spiritual. She could see the way Xiaofen¡¯s fires would eventually be thrust into an enemy¡¯s channels the way her fingers would drive into the softer parts of an enemy¡¯s flesh.


    ¡°What is the news on the Outer mountain?¡± Ling Qi asked, catching a foot aimed for her jaw and shoving the other girl back with the raw strength of her cultivation. They had already been sparring for a while, so it was time to begin moving on to other business.


    Xiao Fen narrowed her eyes as she fell back into a low guard, her shoulders bobbing back and forth like a serpent looking for an opening to bite. ¡°Gan Guangli is maintaining his grip. He has reached the appraisal stage.¡± Xiao Fen struck without missing a beat, coming in low, her charge zigging and zagging, but Ling Qi saw through the initial feint and brought her free hand up to deflect the leaping elbow strike aimed at her temple. She retaliated with a spinning slash that struck Xiao Fen across the chest, sending out a ripple of qi.


    ¡°You¡¯re getting frustrated. Tone down the recklessness,¡± Ling Qi critiqued.


    Xiao Fen let out a very unladylike grunt of acknowledgement as she landed and rose sinuously back into her starting stance. ¡°His position is poor. His enemies are disunited however, and he makes those who attack him directly hurt. He uses my aid liberally in that area. I would be offended by his presumption, but there is a great deal of trash in this Sect that has forgotten its respect. The other factions fear to strike and weaken their position against the others. It is all very barbaric.¡±


    Sixiang muttered.


    ¡°The honored duchess has her reasons,¡± Ling Qi noted blandly. She was quite sure the Argent Peak Sect would be glad to be rid of the Cai¡¯s direct intervention. They were probably going to spend years sorting this all out properly. ¡°Stand down. We¡¯re done for today,¡± she said, lowering her blade. ¡°What other news?¡±


    Her ¡°student¡± looked briefly rebellious before relaxing her stance. ¡°Gan Guangli has found a spirit. Its exact nature is hidden, but it seems the immaterial type. I suspect the details will be in the missive for your liege. As to the rest¡­ The spirit kin you showed an interest in broke through. A number of Lu Feng¡¯s subordinates sought to break into her workshop and found themselves facing an irate partial third realm. That one has a satisfactory attitude toward enemies,¡± Xiao Fen said with a touch of approval.


    ¡°What did she do?¡± Ling Qi asked in morbid interest, letting her saber vanish back into her ring.


    ¡°I do not know the details, but they had to be dug out of the mountainside by their compatriots and spent a week in the Medicine Hall,¡± Xiao Fen replied with a shrug. ¡°Unfortunately, the Golden Fields group is having some fortune as well. The Han scion has reached the green soul realm, although it is rumored that his effort was long and fraught. However, neither of his subordinates have had similar luck.¡±


    Ling Qi had some mixed feelings about that news. Ling Qi, of course, had already known that Han Jian had fully broken through from Xiulan. On the one hand, she was happy for his success, but on the other hand, Gan Guangli did not need more competition.


    ¡°And our enemies?¡± she asked, leaving those thoughts silent. ¡°You mentioned that Lu Feng has reached the third realm. What about that Jin?¡±


    ¡°He appears to be maintaining neutrality. His interest lies toward the production tournament by all accounts,¡± Xiao Fen said with a frown. ¡°It is a facade, I am sure. It is the way of the Jin to present a friendly face to all while plotting in their hearts. It is to be expected from a house which was handed their position as they were.¡±


    The Jin scion was still a wild card then. That was troublesome.


    ¡°Thank you for your work,¡± she began, only to pause as she sensed another presence approaching. Strange. She had taken them to an out of the way place on purpose¡­ In front of her, Xiao Fen stiffened in alarm. Ling Qi broke into a grin. Sixiang chortled.


    ¡°I should return then,¡± Xiao Fen said stiffly, making to turn away.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t I walk with you?¡± Ling Qi offered cheerfully, appearing at her side in a swirl of shadow.


    ¡°That is not necessary, Senior Sister,¡± Xiao Fen replied, but there was already a note of defeat in her tone.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Ling Qi said brightly. ¡°But it looks like we have company.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Xiao Fen sighed.

 Threads 53-Downtime 4

    ¡°Xiao Fen? Is that you up there?¡± a wary voice called out from the woods. ¡°I don¡¯t really have the hang of this art yet¡­¡±


    ¡°Your senses do not fool you, Liu Xin,¡± Xiao Fen said stiffly.


    The boy that stepped out of the woods was an average looking sort. He wore the Sect¡¯s silver robes, which had been made or modified into a talisman. He had short black hair tied into a topknot and a somewhat handsome face, but he was rather skinny and gangly in build. His grey eyes widened when they landed on Ling Qi, and he hastily bowed. ¡°Oh, uh, that¡¯s what that was,¡± he muttered to himself. ¡°That is, my apologies for interrupting, Senior Sister.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no trouble,¡± Ling Qi said in amusement, running an assessing eye over him. Fire and earth were his choice of elements from the look of it. Early second realm too, so he was talented, but not too talented or at least not too lucky.


    ¡°Why are you here, Liu Xin?¡± Xiao Fen asked.


    ¡°Ah, I just figured you shouldn¡¯t walk back alone,¡± Liu Xin replied, his eyes darting from Ling Qi to Xiao Fen¡¯s irate expression. ¡°Lu¡¯s guys are out in force.¡± Xiao Fen¡¯s eyebrow twitched.


    ¡°How dutiful of you, Junior Brother,¡± Ling Qi said with an ill-concealed grin. ¡°Xiao Fen has spoken of how dutiful you are.¡±


    The younger girl shot her a look that could have melted steel, if her cultivation were higher. ¡°Your concern is appreciated,¡± she said. ¡°But you have only risked yourself pointlessly.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d have gotten away if it came down to it. I¡¯d rather be around to watch your back.¡± He glanced at Ling Qi in worry. ¡°You... tend to start fights when you come back from these.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes twinkled with amusement. ¡°It never hurts to have another set of eyes open,¡± she said with faux wisdom. ¡°Why don¡¯t we all walk together a ways then?¡±


    Xiao Fen briefly looked as if she bitten into something sour. ¡°Very well, Senior Sister.¡±


    Ling Qi did not waste time as they began to return to the Sect. ¡°So, Xiao Fen is a little reticent when it comes to talking about you, Liu Xin. You came to the Sect on a military scholarship?¡±


    The young man inched away from her inspection. ¡°Yes. I was probably going to enlist anyway.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡± Ling Qi asked. In Tonghou, few people wanted to join the army, even with its benefits, because the death rates for new recruits were so high.


    ¡°Dad disowned me a year before the Ministry guys came,¡± he answered. ¡°Seemed like the best deal.¡±


    His response gave her some pause. Although she was sure that she could pressure him into answering, she did not want to intrude that far into his private affairs. She glanced at Xiao Fen, who seemed unsurprised by this, and shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± she said. ¡°You are from the capital, right? What is it like living there? I have not had the chance to visit yet.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m from the root districts. So I¡¯ve never seen the upper or even middle city up close,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ peaceful, I guess. Normal. Or at least I thought it was.¡± The last was muttered under his breath, too low for a normal person to hear. Xiao Fen gave the sky a long-suffering look.


    Ling Qi hummed thoughtfully. ¡°I admit, I have only met Her Grace once, but it left an impression. What¡¯s it like living under her?¡±


    Sixiang said drolly as Liu Xin shot her an alarmed look and glanced to Xiao Fen.


    ¡°Miss Ling is a direct subordinate of Cai Renxiang, Duchess Cai¡¯s heir,¡± the Bai handmaiden said. ¡°She is merely being blunt. Just answer honestly. Lying will only make you look foolish.¡±


    Ling Qi looked at Xiao Fen, who looked back blankly. On Xio Fen¡¯s other side, Liu Xin still looked uncomfortable. ¡°It¡¯s good, I think, as good as it can be.¡±


    Ling Qi considered his answer and his body language. Strangely, he seemed less afraid than conflicted. ¡°I¡¯m glad, but you didn¡¯t precisely answer my question.¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not like the bottom gets much interaction with the top, but I can¡¯t complain. Without the kitchens and the dorms she had set up, I¡¯d probably have had a worse time in the last year. I thought that kind of thing was just normal, but, uh, no one else seems to think so.¡±


    ¡°It is rather strange,¡± Xiao Fen sniffed. ¡°But I am sure the Duchess has some plan aside from coddling mortals.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned. Kitchens? Dorms? What was he even talking about? What would the Duchess have to do with such things? ¡°What are you speaking of, Junior Brother? Some kind of work project?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that unusual to round up young men for construction projects and pay them in food and lodging. It never really happened in Tonghou, but she had studied enough civics to pick up on that much.


    ¡°No, I mean places you can go to get a bowl of rice gruel and cot for the night to keep you out of trouble,¡± Liu Xin replied. ¡°She had them built a while back, or so I understand.¡±


    For free? Ling Qi almost blurted out, but that was obvious from context. ¡°Why the hesitation then? That sounds very good indeed.¡± Especially since it wasn¡¯t like they had to interact with the Duchess herself.


    ¡°Just lasting impressions, I guess,¡± Liu Xin replied, ¡°My dad and granddad didn¡¯t like her much. Grandad was a high official before the Duchess purged the ministries. They didn¡¯t like the taxes much either.¡±


    ¡°I believe I recall some of my seniors discussing that matter. A very impressive show of control,¡± Bai Xiao Fen said, nodding her head. ¡°Removing the previous duke¡¯s influence in its entirety.¡±


    ¡°I dunno about the political stuff, but I know when gramps would get in his cups, he¡¯d talk about the day she showed up at the Lower City¡¯s Ministry of Commerce,¡± Liu Xin said. ¡°The Regional Minister had his skin boiled right off, and his skull ended up displayed over the gates. Bunch of others went the same way. Gramps just got ejected though.¡±


    Ling Qi was silent as they walked along under the boughs. The Duchess had actually appeared to a bunch of mortals? Recalling the pressure she had felt in the Duchess¡¯ presence, how had any mortals withstood that? Maybe Liu Xin¡¯s grandfather had mistook some kind of telepresence or projection technique. ¡°Why was your grandfather treated more lightly?¡±


    ¡°He was just a cheat. He always complained that no one would hire him as a clerk since it was announced that he¡¯d had his civil service exam scores falsified.¡± Liu Xin smiled bitterly down at the ground. ¡°Guess that¡¯s why dad was stuck making shoes. They were both always pissy about that.¡±


    Xiao Fen¡¯s scoff broke the silence that followed. ¡°Your lot has been improved by being cut from such worthless fools.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Liu Xin laughed. ¡°My old man was a real piece of work.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing it wasn¡¯t just one ministry though.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah. According to the old folks, things got real crazy. Guards and guard captains were executed, and whole ministries gutted. The army even came through and stomped a whole lot of smugglers and gangs and businesses to bits,¡± Liu Xin said, seeming to grow more comfortable. ¡°Real crazy, like I said. Turned the rootways upside down.¡±


    ¡°Things must have gotten bloody after that.¡± Ling Qi grimaced. ¡°How did anyone keep order with the government destroyed like that? It¡¯d take decades to replace everyone, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°The Duchess,¡± Liu Xin said, as if that explained everything. ¡°And even the complainers say that things calmed down quickly with her intervention.¡±


    Maybe it did. She had seen a glimpse of that power, and she had seen what Cai Renxiang could do with mundane administrative tasks. If Cai Shenhua decided that she was going to administer an entire city herself, Ling Qi suspected that she could do so just fine.


    ¡°Bizarre.¡± Xiao Fen shook her head. ¡°Xiangmen is a city of over a million souls. Such a task must have taken the Duchess¡¯ near full attention for the better part of a decade. Ten years of a peak cultivator¡¯s time spent on mere administration.¡±


    ¡°I am certain the Duchess had good reasons,¡± Ling Qi replied.


    ¡°Oh, I am certain. The Hui must have truly made a mess of things,¡± Xiao Fen said.


    Ling Qi hummed to herself. Her questions had ruined the mood for teasing. She would just have to make it up at their next session.

 Bonus: Character Sheet

    Ling Qi


    Age:15


    Spiritual Cultivation Level: Green Foundation Soul (3)


    Physical Cultivation Level: Bronze Appraisal Physique (2)


    Bound Spirits: Zhengui, Sixiang, Hanyi


    Domain Weapon: Singing Mist Blade


    Weapon: Ebony Heartswood Flute


    Armor: Swaying Twilight Gown


    Special Skills:


    Insights:


    Advanced Insights:


    Current Arts:


    Eight Phase Ceremony


    (Near Mastery) (Main Cultivation Art)


    A mystic art based upon consumption of celestial qi to improve and refine body and mind granted to those smiled upon by some aspect of the moon in order to bring them closer to their patron. The Phase the Grinning Crescent Moon emphasizes the mystery and hidden nature of acts performed in the night. The Phase of the Hidden Moon emphasizes the search for secrets, hidden by the darkness of ignorance.


    Argent Genesis


    (Near Mastery) (Secondary Cultivation Art)


    Created by the ancestors of Sect Head Yuan He and polished to perfection under his eye, this art is the successor to the Argent Soul cultivation art. This art offers many insights into building a strong foundation for a young cultivator''s future growth. The neutral balanced qi cultivated by this art mingles easily with almost every form of Imperial cultivation, making for a fine secondary art for any young scion.


    Forgotten Vale Melody


    (Mastered)


    There are many forgotten places in the world where human kind does not tread easily. This technique is a part of the chronicle of a long dead wanderer, composed into music and offered to the smiling moon. It speaks of mist covered valleys hidden deep in the mountains and the mischievous and hungry spirits that wait in the dark, and the loneliness of the wanderer¡¯s path.


    Mist of the Vale


    Playing the first notes of the melancholy melody, the musician causes a light dark mist to roll forth from their instrument. The mist is filled with deceptive shadows and sounds, casting a pall darkness over all within. The mist spreads can cover further and further distances, but as the distance increases so too does the cost. The user may extend immunity to the mists effects to up to ten allies.


    Within the mist, foes find their senses confused, attacks against the musician or their allies often strike at phantoms, and seeking to escape the mist or advance upon the musician often result in meandering travelers reminiscent of the composer''s own wandering. In their confused state, they become vulnerable to the terrors which can reside in Vales far from civilization.


    Dissonance of Night¡¯s Terror


    The melody grows low and eerie, punctuated by high, sharp notes, while the mists darken with indistinct and predatory shapes. Claws and fangs of mist and shadow tear at the musician¡¯s foes, rending armor and leaving wounds that bleed freely to feed the hunger of the mist.


    Starlight Elegy


    The mournful and despairing tune saps the energy of those not insulated from the mist, making their limbs heavy and their thoughts clouded with exhaustion and longing for home. The cloying mist drags at their limbs like the weight of a life spent alone and drains away their qi rapidly, making it difficult to move, let alone attack. Alternatively, the power of the Elegy may be focused on a single target, drowning them in the endless mist, leaving them to wander as if alone and far from from home. So long as they remain lost, their allies aid cannot reach them, and they will wander alone in their perception, aware only of the haunting notes of the melody and its musician.


    Traveler¡¯s End


    (This technique is only usable when all the other techniques of this art are active)


    In a distant, misty valley, far from the works of mankind, a traveler completed a melody and offered it to the moon, the final notes echoing long after his last breath. This melody is but a shadow of that¡­ but even shadows hold power.


    The mist grows darker and more cloying still, blotting out almost all external light, and draining the warmth from those trapped within. The mist grows potent with dark qi, fogging the senses still further to bring them the lonely despair of the traveler¡¯s final days. While active all other Forgotten Vale techniques are much harder to dispel, and the Travelers End must be dispelled first.


    The user may choose to end the melody at any time after Travelers End has been used. If they do so, the song reaches its finale, and all other techniques of the Forgotten Vale are ended as well. All who were still lost within the mist suffer an immediate spiritual attack of great magnitude, an echo of the travelers death in that far away vale. Those damaged by this attack may be paralyzed utterly by the assault, if their composure is too weak.


    Frozen Soul Serenade


    (Mastered)


    Winter¡¯s Muse sings from its heart, the place of true cold, where even fire freezes and light dies. The truth of cold is the absolution of endings, and in this melody lies some small part of that truth. Its notes freeze blood and qi alike, its notes often the last thing its listeners hear in this world.


    Spring¡¯s End Aria


    The first notes of the users song herald the end of warmth, draining the heat from the area and around them and crystalizing the moisture in the air into snow and ice. Enemies close to the user find their qi growing sluggish, sapping their spiritual defenses and bolstering the singer''s own. Qi expended in the failed assault of the singer drains away, flowing into the singularity of cold created by the singer¡¯s voice. Those whose dantians have been fully drained find their flesh frosting over and their blood running cold as they are lulled into the final sleep.


    Hoarfrost Refrain


    The user¡¯s song rises into the howl of a blizzard in the depths of winter as they focus the expression of their will upon a single enemy. The song tears and freezes the flesh of the singer''s enemy, and spreads through their blood and meridians, carrying the chill deeper still, like a frigid poison seeking the heart of its victims warmth. The chill clings long after the technique ends, sapping the targets vitality and will the insidious cold crawling ever closer to the victim¡¯s heart until at last it stills or the technique is dispelled.


    Echoes of Absolute Winter


    A technique used in tandem with Aria of Springs End, if activated at the same time, the Aria carries an echo of true winter, stilling the very air around the singer with its freezing chill until blood grows sluggish and flesh cracks.


    Call to Ending


    The final verse of the Serenade is a quiet, sad thing, lacking the furor of earlier verses. Upon Singing it, a single target which suffers from Hoarfrost Refrains cold feels a terrible pain as the chill infecting them grows to a terrible potency, and every last shred of heat flees their body. Should the singer lay hands upon the target when activating the technique, the damage is greatly increased.


    Sable Crescent Step


    (Mastered)


    Darkness has no form nor presence, and so those who master it learn to cast these things aside, and embrace the absence and silence of the empty night. This movement art focuses on understanding of this rare element allowing the user to move from place to place with little regard for what lies between their present position and their goal.


    Grinning Crescent Dancer


    Calling upon the favor of the Grinning Moon, and using their skill at manipulating dark qi, the user becomes an indistinct phantom, a flicker of shadow dancing between lights. Greatly enhances the dancers ability to avoid attacks and stay ahead of foes. The deeper the darkness grows the quicker their reactions and movement become. In darkness the dancer''s immaterial form may ignore some of the impact of even those attacks which strike its flitting form. No mundane obstacle may block the movement of the Dancer, so long as they can perceive their destination, and entrapping them through wholly physical means becomes impossible.


    One with Shadow


    The user merges with the shadows and dark, dematerializing entirely. In this form they may slip from shadow to shadow, without crossing the space between so long as the destination shadow is at least moderately sized. In this form the user¡¯s presence is muted, even to spiritual senses. If the user slips successfully into the shadow of an opponent, their connection grants their first attack against that enemy a great potency, ignoring the effects of any damage reduction the target may have. However, an attack on the shadow the user inhabits can harm the user, and damage will break this technique.


    Sable Crescent Step


    A master of this art may bring its lessons together in a single movement, an impeccable step of matchless grace. The cunning master may find several uses for this movement. Any normal attack may be avoided, no matter how unerring the aim, as the user simply ceases to exist in the material world for a moment, rematerializing within a large range of their current position. If more offensively inclined, the user may instead make a single physical attack utterly bypassing normal defenses.


    Thousand Ring Fortress


    (Mastered)


    An old and well polished art developed by a once powerful but defunct family within the Emerald Sea province. The user joins themselves to the qi of the land, and becomes as one of the mighty trees which stand in the deepest forests of the province, vital and sturdy. Yet one tree is not a forest, and so the user may extend their vitality to their allies.


    Deepwood Vitality


    The user channels their qi into the earth, spreading like a great tangle of roots to link with up to twenty allies. The vital qi armors each fortifies each cultivator affected against negative effects, as well as a single attack, shattering if it is great enough but leaving the person beneath unharmed.


    Ten Ring Defense


    This user fills themselves with the vital qi of the great forests to protect themselves and their allies from harm. Glowing verdant qi enshrouds their form, bright as the leaves of the Emerald Seas canopy. The shroud drinks in the qi of the battlefield and grants qi regeneration for each enemy just as the leaves of spring and summer are restored from winter¡¯s clutches. So long as battle is joined, this technique will never fade unless forcibly dispelled


    Hundred Ring Armament


    Diffusing heavy wood qi through flesh and muscle the user armors themselves and their allies with the iron bark of primeval forests. Granting the user the resilience of a centennial tree, they may shrug off lesser attacks from bladed or piercing weapons, and endure even powerful ones.


    Thousand Rings Unbreaking


    The eldest trees of the Emerald Seas are mighty things, ancient and nigh invulnerable, akin to living mountains. By calling upon the image of their power, the user gains some measure of their primeval resilience, ignoring minor wounds entirely, and lessening the effect of greater ones. Under this effect, the user becomes utterly immovable to enemy action, and cannot be grappled, unless the enemy¡¯s cultivation exceeds theirs by two levels or one realm. This effect may be extended to up to ten allies. So long as this effect is active, the user cannot be incapacitated, any blow that would reduce their health to such a point instead reduces it to the merely low health. On activation of this aspect, Thousand Rings Unbreaking is automatically dispelled.


    Phantasmagoria of Lunar Revelry


    An art born from the nature of the dreaming moon, patron of artists and innovators, granted as a favor to one who impressed at her moonlit gala. This art calls upon the memories of that chaotic spiritual revel, allowing the user to use their qi to impress them upon the waking world, and move with the grace of a trueborn maiden of moonlight


    Illustrious Phantasmal Festival


    The foundational technique from which all others in the art arise. The user gathers their qi and the memories of their night of revelry and expels them through every available channel in a rush of power and gleaming many colored mist. Within a close range centered on the user, ghostly dancers ever shifting in form coalesce from the midst in a riot of color, laughter, music and movement. Amidst the revel the user is but one figure among many, and in its ever shifting tides, only those of sharp eye can even attempt to reach or strike the user directly. Within it¡¯s confines the senses of enemies are confused.


    Lunatic Whirl


    The ghostly dancers gather around an intruder in the festival, laughing, singing and demanding a dance, forcing them to join the revelry. The dancers seize their arms and hands, dragging them through the chaotic revelry. Though the dancers will do no harm to their captive, the frenetic pace of the revelry is highly draining, and victims find their qi dribbling away, siphoned to the user while the sights and sounds of the revel cloud their minds and steal the strength from their limbs. So long as their hands lie in the grasp of the dancers, they will also find the meridians in their arms blocked and unusable.


    Joyous Toast


    The guests of the festival raise their voices and cups and stamp their feet in joy, roaring encouragement for the user and their allies and jeering at their foes. The next music, dance or art based technique used by those affected is empowered thanks to the encouragement of the guests.


    Curious Diviners Eye


    (Mastered)


    Inquisitive Study


    The user''s eyes gleam briefly with a silver sheen as they study the object of their curiosity. The user¡¯s perception increases greatly, allowing them to discern many details that they might otherwise miss.


    Seeking Moon¡¯s Eyes


    Conjures three reflective silver wisps the size of a coin. Expressions of the Diviner''s curiosity, these wisps seek their parents'' interest eagerly. The wisps ignore wholly physical obstacles but cannot travel further than too far from their creator. The creator may see from the wisp''s position as if they stood there themselves, though only in one direction at a time. This greatly increases their combat perception in the areas within which this sight overlaps.


    Watchful Moon Analysis


    Used in tandem with an damaging art, this allows the users thoughts to far outspeed their limbs, greatly slowing their perception of the world, and allowing the user to pick out minute details that might otherwise be missed in the flows of an enemy or obstacles qi, and adjust the course of their blow.


    Initiate¡¯s Viewing Pool


    Requiring a surface of calm water at least two handspans wide, the user concentrates on a familiar person or place within five kilometers of their current position. The user is able to view the person or location in clear detail with both sight and hearing with slightly penalized perception.


    Harmony of the Dancing Wind


    (Near Mastery)


    Spring Breeze Canto


    This ephemeral melody rings out with the vital curiosity of youth, The melody carries the musician¡¯s perception among her listeners out far, allowing her to clearly hear and see any one of them, regardless of distractions, so long as the songs echoes last. Once played, the canto lingers as an echo for several minutes with its full effect.


    Summer¡¯s Day Rising


    This piece, embodying optimism and hope, speaks to the musician''s bond with her listeners. Even the tenuous bond of casual acquaintance thrums with new vitality, bolstering allies significantly against spiritual attacks and deceptions. Those of stronger bond are bolstered still further, buoyed by their connection with the musician.


    Industrious Labors of Fall


    The third piece, which speaks of the labors made in preparation for the long winter, steadies the musicians audience and fills them with determination for the trials ahead. This bolsters the defenses of one¡¯s allies, with the effects being more potent for ones closer to you.


    Former Arts:


    Argent Mirror


    (Mastered)


    The early form of the Sects defensive and perceptive arts. Through inner tranquility and surety of self, allows the user to defend against and dispel enemy illusions and crippling techniques as well. Through clarity of mind it allows the user to judge the world with sharp and clear eyes.


    Argent Storm


    The early form of the Sects physical enhancement and movement arts, combining the flexibility of wind with the sudden force of thunder. Fills the user with the strength of the great seasonal squalls which beat down upon the Wall year after year.


    Argent Current


    The first form of the Argent Sects melee combat arts. Combines the devouring nature of fire with the persistence of water to break through enemy defenses and bolster allied assault into an unstoppable flow. Together, no defense may stand against the Argent Sect.


    Abyssal Exhalation


    An art designed by a wanderer of the deep paths under the earth, where things best not seen gnaw at the foundations of the world. Yet in the darkness, he found truth. That earth and darkness are as one, devouring all things in the end. This art allows its user to surround themselves with that power; consume the energy of their foes, and call upon the things that lie in the dark. This art was stolen from Yan Renshu.


    Falling Star Art


    (Mastered)


    An archery art based upon the meditations of an Imperial General on the nature of shooting stars and meteor showers, and observations on certain spirits. Foundational art for several more advanced archery styles. Wraps the users projectiles in wind and infuses them with the wrathful light of the heavens allowing the user to strike down far away foes with powerful shots, piercing through armor and disrupting movement.


    Fleeting Zephyr


    (Mastered)


    The evolution of the emerald seas wind arts focusing on the fleetness and encompassing nature of wind. Grants the user and their followers fleetness of foot and quickness of action.


    Potential Future Arts:


    Songseeker''s Ceremony


    A cultivation art unique to Ling Qi, developed with the aid of three phases of the moon. Dreaming, Grinning, and Hidden combine to form the nascent steps of Ling Qi¡¯s own path. The cultivation art rewards feats of daring, self expression, and dealings with the spirits of the world. It is the art of one who seeks the powers hidden in the world, and the beauty of songs old and new.


    Laughing Flight of the Wind Thief


    (Gifted to Ling Qi from the Grinning Moon)


    In this world there are a million tales long forgotten, great and small. In a time before the rule of men, before the arrogance of dragons, there were only beasts that called themselves gods. Yet strength breeds arrogance, and arrogance breeds complacency, and so long ago a cunning young girl plotted and planned and stole the Sovereignty of Wind from the gods. She flew beyond their reach, and mocked them with every league, the wind carrying her laughter across the land. In this art are the seeds of the way she forged, refined for the modern day, to inspire a disciples own flight. In mastering the dual powers of darkness and wind, that they might never be caught unwillingly again.


    Beast King''s Savage Dirge


    (Cai Library Gifted Art)


    It is said in legend that as the power of the Horned Lord and the Diviner waxed, the eight Beast Kings who remained came together in council of war and united to bring down the conqueror once and for all. Their footfalls shook the earth and their savagery shook the skies, and though they were defeated in the end, echoes of that terrible march remained etched in the folklore of the Emerald Seas forever more. This art is part of a ballad said to have been composed for the last Weilu dukes, and though its origin is suspect, its power is not.


    Bewitching Silver Maiden


    (Cai Library Gifted Art) (Domain Incompatible)


    An art of the Emerald Seas developed by the old ducal courts. Though their time has passed lessons can still be taken from their ways. This art teaches the user the ways of the fairy maidens who serve as handmaidens to the primeval spirits of the old forests. In crafting an alluring and mysterious mask, the user may mask their true self and intentions from unwelcome eyes.


    Coldstar Blade Foundations


    (Cai Library Gifted Art)


    A Martial Art originating from the Heavenly Peaks province, the Coldstar Blade Foundations are a simplified version of the core martial techniques of the Frozen Sun Sect, who dwell upon the higher peaks of the province and meditate on the dichotomy of being closer to the sun--and yet colder than those who dwell in less rarefied heights. As a Minor Sect who failed to gain Imperial Patronage, they have found themselves outcompeted by the Great Sects who now monopolize the young and talented of the Celestial Empire, and have distributed these teachings in an attempt to keep their methods alive. Experts in the Coldstar Blade Arts are known for their graceful movements and precision--sequestering the life and vitality of their foes before detonating it in all-powerful finishing strikes.


    Vengeful River King''s Grasp


    (Cai Library Gifted Art)


    In the Thousand Lakes, the spirits of the rivers are often savage and mercurial beings, as swift to drag an unwary petitioner beneath the waters as they are to grant boons. Though the rivers have long been pacified by fear of the White Serpent Kings and Queens, there are still those who learn their lessons. This art seeks to master the sudden and savage movements of a river flooding in the spring, and drag under any unwary fools who might approach.


    Starless Night''s Reflection


    (Cai Library Gifted Art)


    In the Thousand Lakes, the infinite depth of the night sky is reflected from one thousand mirrors, displaying infinite emptiness extending beyond the heavens and into the depths of the earth. In meditating upon this conceptual void, the user seeks to become such a mirror, combining the formlessness and absorption of darkness with the rippling serenity and infinite depth of the lakes. Enemies striking the user and their allies find their weapons and techniques sinking into the shadows, to vanish, doing no more harm than they would if they slashed the waters of mighty Lake Hei, or aimed their malice at the starless sky.


    Unstoppable Glacier''s March


    (Cai Library Gifted Art)


    The rivers which wind through and water the Emerald Seas have their origin in the high mountain ice of the Wall. This melody seeks to capture the crushing inevitably of the eons long migrations of these great entities of ice, which in turn birth the great rivers and their unstoppable flow.

 Threads 54-Nobility

    If she were to be honest with herself, Ling Qi was dreading attending the hunting party. Even if Luo Zhong had invited her in good faith, which she was not sure he had, she was still spending the afternoon with a bunch of people who would be contemptuous of her at best. Frankly, she got enough of that at Cai Renxiang¡¯s regular gatherings.


    Sixiang warned.


    Sixiang was right. Ling Qi was working herself up before things even got started. Even if she were right in her suppositions, approaching the hunting party in such a negative frame of mind would only hurt her. No, she needed to approach this as if it really were a friendly invitation. She needed to act as if she were not forcing herself to be there; doing so would give insult to her host.


    Attending parties like this was the most basic of the duties she had accepted when she became a noble, much less became Cai Renxiang¡¯s retainer. If she could handle going ahead alone to fight an army of bandits and a renegade noble, then, by comparison, this should be simple.


    Sixiang asked impishly.


    Ling Qi snapped irritably.


    Sixiang said.


    ¡°That¡¯s a little too flippant,¡± Ling Qi muttered under her breath. Still, Sixiang had a point. She took a moment to bring herself to calm. Serenity was the name of the game. She was a noblewoman. She was unruffled by petty rumors and jibes. And she did not have the jitters over joining a gathering of peers more intimate than Cai¡¯s impersonal parties.


    Sixiang chirped.


    It was time to stop dawdling on the path. Showing up late would only make this even more awkward. Ling Qi steeled her nerves and resumed her descent into the mountain foothills.


    When she arrived at the meeting point, she found a colorful pavilion. It was a mundane structure of wooden poles and brightly colored cloth under which a number of disciples had gathered. Luo Zhong immediately drew her eye. As a formation stage cultivator, he was, by far, the most formidable presence. He was at the center of the group, leaning against the fluffy side of a massive hound.


    Luo Zhong¡¯s spirit companion was a stoutly built creature with a short blunt snout and extremely thick fur, particularly around the neck. His fur was black, fading to a lighter grey at the paws and snout. The hound¡¯s head rose to Luo Zhong¡¯s shoulder, even laying down as it was, and the Luo scion was not a short man. Between the hound and the man, their presence overwhelmed most everyone else present.


    There were only about a dozen disciples present, most of which were only at the early stages of the third realm. A few were at the second stage, but of the other disciples present, only two drew her attention even half as strongly as Luo Zhong himself. One stood at the edges of the group, fussing over the half dozen odd other spirit beasts present, a mixture of stags and horses of varying breeds. She wore a scandalous garb, a white sleeveless and backless garment and dark grey pants. A thick cloak of white fur hung from her neck, covering her shoulders and back. She had short brown hair and skin of a similar tone to Ling Qi. Two red tattoos shaped like fangs marked her cheeks.


    The other was a young man deep in conversation with a few other disciples. He was clearly trying to look like the picture of clean Imperial nobility with black hair bound in a tight topknot, but his features did not quite match the traditional look. He was square-jawed and tanned with a hint of stubble along his jawline and slightly wild eyebrows that gave him a permanently angry look. He wore light armor lacquered forest green over padded cloth of a darker shade.


    Conversation between the disciples did not die down as she approached at a polite pace, but the shifts in body language and the flows of qi told her that she had been noticed. As she approached the perimeter of the pavilion, Luo Zhong rose from his position lounging against the side of his spirit beast. He clapped his hands, silencing conversation around him.


    ¡°Miss Ling, I see that you have accepted my invitation! This gladdens my heart,¡± he said.


    ¡°I would not wish to trample on your generosity, Sir Luo,¡± she replied, clasping her hands and giving an appropriate bow for a social peer or slight superior. His was a higher ranking clan, but she was, technically, a clan head while he was simply a lay member of his. The balance between respect and submission was tenuous there.


    ¡°I am surprised that you found the time,¡± the young man attempting to look Imperial said, sauntering up beside Luo Zhong. He was trailed by a few of the other disciples. ¡°I would have thought you had not a free moment to find.¡± The way he stood by Luo Zhong told her that they were familiar and probably not so distant in status.


    ¡°It is true that I am very busy due to the expectations that Duchess Cai has laid upon my shoulders,¡± Ling Qi replied evenly. ¡°However, I can make time when an invitation is extended.¡±


    Luo Zhong merely laughed, a not unpleasant sound. ¡°I am glad that you were able to find a free moment, Miss Ling. But excuse my rudeness. It seems I have not introduced you to the other guests.¡± He gestured to the young man at his side. ¡°This is my friend, Wu Jing of the eastern Wu clan, Viscounts of the Russet Valley region.¡±


    Wu Jing gave a short bow, just within the bounds of respect. Ling Qi matched him with an even smile. If she remembered her studies, the Wu were a horse breeding clan, a remnant of one of the larger southern clans destroyed in Ogodei¡¯s invasion.


    She continued to nod and smile as Luo Zhong introduced the other young men and women. Most were the children of established barons with one or two individuals like her. Presumably, they had signed up to take up lands in Luo territory.


    As the introductions began to putter out, Ling Qi found a hand thrust out toward her. If she had not recently spent time studying old cultures of the Emerald Seas in the Moon dream, she probably would have been confused. Instead, she clasped the offered forearm and held in the wince as the girl she had spied caring for the beasts squeezed back with excessive strength.


    ¡°... And this is Alingge of the Daigiya,¡± Luo Zhong introduced, looking faintly amused as if he could sense her discomfort.


    ¡°You are the one who humiliated the Chu, yes?¡± Alingge asked bluntly, giving her an appraising look.


    Ling Qi blinked but restrained the urge to break eye contact. ¡°I do not know if I would use the word ¡®humiliated,¡¯¡± Ling Qi demurred.


    ¡°Mocked her aspirations and crushed her without taking a blow in return,¡± the girl sniffed. ¡°If this is not humiliation, I fear your definition.¡±


    ¡°Your words were somewhat excessive, whatever your personal grudges,¡± Wu Jing commented. ¡°One should have more decorum in a public duel.¡±


    Alingge shot him an unimpressed look. ¡°We speak of the Chu. No indignity is too great to be heaped upon them. The Daigiya will spit upon them for ten generations for their cowardice during Ogodei¡¯s invasion. Have the survivors of Wu forgotten the grave of Patriarch Ce?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Wu Jing admitted. ¡°It is perhaps a poor hill to stake my flag upon. I apologize, Miss Ling. I meant only to warn you against making foes too easily.¡±


    ¡°I take no offense,¡± Ling Qi said, eyeing the young man and the other disciples watching. ¡°I can admit that in the past, my manners have lacked. I am learning, however, and I am not averse to instruction.¡±


    She was a little lost. Ling Qi had focused her studies on current events, so the events of Ogodei¡¯s invasion were not a subject she was well read upon. She had studied the general gist of the Chu¡¯s downfall after she had met and fought Chu Song at the argent vent last year, but the Chu had been decimated well after Ogodei¡¯s invasion for failing to fall in line with Duchess Cai¡¯s reforms. It seemed that whatever the Chu had done during Ogodei¡¯s invasion, the Chu were still disliked for it.


    ¡°And that is sufficient,¡± Luo Zhong cut in smoothly. ¡°Now, while we wait for our last few stragglers, might you tell us a tale of your excursion with Lady Cai? The rumors have gotten wild.¡±


    Ling Qi dipped her head in acknowledgement, surreptitiously eyeing the disciples around them as she began to speak. Most of them regarded her with suspicion or well concealed envy. She saw it whenever she spoke in a way that implied closeness or familiarity with Cai Renxiang. Ling Qi thought Luo himself was sincere though. He was giving her a chance to make her case to the disciples aligned to him.


    Sixiang hummed.


    So Ling Qi told her story and watched her listeners. She embellished very little, and the only outright lie she told was the official one, that the Bai they had encountered was merely a renegade from a local baronial house, seeking to abscond with the treasure trove arts in the shipment. She did not know how the Duchess and the Bai were enforcing that lie, but she was going to stick to it.


    Finishing the tale, she accepted Luo Zhong¡¯s invitation to sit down with him, choosing to sit on one of the camp chairs next to Alingge and across from Luo Zhong. There was a tense moment when his hound got up to loom over her, leaning in to sniff her face suspiciously. However, she faced the hound without blinking, and after a moment, the beast let out a satisfied whuff and laid back down without a word.


    ¡°Excuse Ta, Miss Ling. My old friend is a wary sort,¡± Luo Zhong said as he sat down on the reclining beast¡¯s back, practically sinking into the fur.


    ¡°I would expect nothing less,¡± Ling Qi replied easily. She had been worried that the dog might decide to slobber on her when he had let his dark purple tongue loll out, but thankfully, it had not come to that. ¡°I am sure he means only to protect you.¡±


    ¡°As any cultivator¡¯s spirit should,¡± Alingge said to some muttered agreement. ¡°Will your xuanwu be joining us?¡±


    ¡°I am afraid not,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°Any troubles?¡± Wu Jing asked. ¡°The incident with you and that Yu girl caused some talk.¡±


    Sixiang murmured.


    ¡°Yu Nuan was very helpful, allowing my spirit to challenge her and gain experience,¡± Ling Qi said lightly. ¡°But no, Zhengui is too young for more sedate events like this. I was afraid he would disrupt things too much with his youthful enthusiasm and bulk.¡±


    ¡°This is unfortunate,¡± Alingge said with a frown. ¡°I had wished to see a legendary beast in person.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps next time?¡± Ling Qi hedged, glancing to Luo Zhong, who inclined his head very slightly. ¡°What are the plans for today¡¯s activities?¡±


    ¡°There is some dispute,¡± Luo Zhong admitted, ¡°on whether we should spend the day on light competition, hunting lesser beasts, or set ourselves a more ambitious goal and stalk something more difficult together.¡±


    ¡°A little polite competition is good for watering one¡¯s ambitions,¡± Wu Jing said, drumming his fingers on the armrest of his chair. ¡°Besides, a beast powerful enough to be a danger to all of us? Unlikely.¡±


    ¡°Even the spirits of this tame land deserve respect. I would prefer to stalk more worthy prey,¡± Alingge countered. ¡°Power is not everything. Let us seek out a cunning foe.¡±


    Ling Qi listened as the others voiced their opinions and found that the disciples were fairly evenly divided in opinion.


    Luo Zhong spread his hands and chuckled. ¡°You see, Miss Ling? What is your opinion on the matter?¡±

 Threads 55 Nobility 2

    ¡°I think I find the appeal of a more challenging hunt greater,¡± Ling Qi answered carefully. She kept her eyes on Luo Zhong, but she didn¡¯t miss some of the frowns that her answer brought among the disciples on the other side.


    ¡°Then, as my honored guest, I will defer to you,¡± the young man replied with a faint grin. Ling Qi had to restrain herself from showing her irritation. There was no need to place that kind of responsibility on her! She had only agreed with half of his own party.


    Sixiang muttered.


    ¡°Hmmm, but how to organize things?¡± he continued, tapping his chin thoughtfully. Beneath him, his hound let out a rumbling chuff, and he glanced down. ¡°Ah, perhaps you are right, Ta. Alingge, Miss Ling, will you do us the favor of scouting ahead? I will organize the rest.¡±


    She glanced at the other girl, who nodded cheerfully. ¡°It would be my honor, Sir Luo,¡± Alingge said, clapping her fists together.


    ¡°I do not mind at all,¡± Ling Qi replied, offering a bow.


    She and the other girl left the pavilion with only a few more pleasantries. While Ling Qi took to the tree branches, Alingge chose to ride on the back of one of the gathered beasts, a black and silver furred doe that stood a bit over two meters at the shoulder. She suspected the deer was of a kind with the fourth grade beast she had once encountered in the forest.


    ¡°Did you have a plan in mind?¡± Ling Qi asked as the pavilion faded into the greenery behind them. ¡°We will have to be careful not to pick out anything too dangerous, I think. Anything that would threaten one of us or Sir Luo could be very deadly for the rest.¡± Alingge and Wu Jing were both roughly at her own level of cultivation, but they were the only ones.


    Alingge looked up at her when she spoke. The girl rode bareback on her doe, but she did make use of a set of reins. ¡°Do not misunderstand,¡± she said. ¡°I seek cunning prey, not a great battle. It would be wasteful and destructive to enact such a thing merely for play.¡±


    Ling Qi thought of the ruin that she and Cai Renxiang made of the sparring fields and dipped her head in acknowledgement. ¡°Agreed. Something in the middle of the third realm then?¡±


    The other girl hummed in agreement. ¡°That would be best,¡± she agreed. For a moment, there was silence between them, but then, Alingge glanced up. ¡°Would you answer me a question?¡±


    ¡°I may,¡± Ling Qi said noncommittally. ¡°If the answer is something which I can freely speak of.¡±


    ¡°What occured on the peak of the Outer Mountain? What happened to the peak¡¯s guardian?¡± Alingge asked. ¡°Rumors flow like water, but the truth is unclear.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked as she leaped ahead to the next branch. It shouldn¡¯t have been a surprising question, but it was actually the first time someone aside from her friends had asked her. ¡°I had been learning from the spirit at the peak for the better part of a year,¡± Ling Qi answered after a moment. ¡°Between teaching me and some other complications in her Way¡­¡±


    ¡°The ice child,¡± Alingge murmured as she guided her mount through the tangle of trees and brush.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°The peak¡¯s guardian wanted her daughter to be able to leave and live,¡± Ling Qi felt a surge of melancholy as she thought back to those final moments on the peak. She remembered Zeqing¡¯s cracked face and Hanyi¡¯s tears. ¡°Even if it was only for a short time, as her student, I wanted to respect her wishes.¡±


    Sixiang whispered, and Ling Qi felt a brief pressure on her shoulder, as if a hand was resting there


    ¡°I admire your integrity,¡± Alingge said frankly. She did seem distracted though, glancing over Ling Qi¡¯s shoulder. She must be able to sense Sixiang to an extent. ¡°Few would value their connection to a spirit so highly in these days.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your kind words,¡± Ling Qi replied automatically. ¡°If you do not mind me asking a question in turn, what is your situation? I had thought the people of the Southern Emerald Seas were¡­ integrated. I apologize if the question is rude, but I¡¯m unsure of your position.¡±


    Alingge let out a wry chuckle, turning her eyes back to the forest ahead. ¡°The Daigiya are viscounts by your measure. We are descended from the clans which joined with Imperial settlers in the early days of the Hui. For our cooperation, we were granted privileges.¡±


    Sixiang thought.


    Ling Qi did not voice any doubts and simply nodded in understanding. ¡°Still, I had thought I was doing well in studying the clans of Emerald Seas. That I somehow managed to miss something so large is disturbing.¡±


    ¡°Do not be disturbed,¡± Alingge said. ¡°Of the four clans, two have taken to Imperial names and ways. My people and the Gi in the west do not seek for attention in the wider world.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little dangerous to isolate yourself, isn¡¯t it?¡± Ling Qi asked, looking at the girl out of the corner of her eye.


    ¡°And so I am here,¡± the other girl replied. ¡°To learn and ingratiate. However, the heavens are high and the capital far. We do not step beyond our bounds. We are not an important piece in the games of the greater clans. It is the duty of the Luo to see to that.¡±


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure that was a good attitude. In her experience, living quietly and wanting to be left alone were poor protections. However, she wouldn¡¯t be rude enough to disagree. ¡°As you say. So, what are we searching for?¡±


    Alingge seemed happy enough to change the subject. ¡°A predator, I should think. A beast who hunts with ambush and mobility that we might hunt and be hunted in turn.¡±


    ¡°I might suggest finding a potent enough wolf pack, but I am not sure if that would offend our host,¡± Ling Qi joked.


    ¡°Yes, that would be a poor choice,¡± Alingge laughed. ¡°Perhaps we should seek out mountain cats?¡±


    ¡°That seems like a likely choice,¡± Ling Qi agreed. She allowed herself to relax slightly. Perhaps this wouldn¡¯t be so bad after all.


    As she was the more mobile of the two, it fell to Ling Qi to move back and forth between scouting and reporting to the main party as they moved south, seeking the signs of a sufficiently potent beast. This role unfortunately left her little time to actually socialize with the other disciples, but she was able to observe them as she came and went, making reports on her and Alingge¡¯s progress. The main party remained in a relaxed mood, and it seemed to her that most of them were genuinely enjoying themselves.


    With the practice she had gotten over the last few months by attending her liege¡¯s parties and cultivating the Harmony of the Dancing Wind art, she could see the connections that ran through the group. She could decipher who was actually friends and who was simply tolerating another. There was less division than she might have expected.


    There were clear cliques. The largest was Wu Jing and several other noble born disciples, a cluster of five brightly dressed young men and women who very much seemed to be trying at being exemplars of Imperial nobility. The other cliques were much smaller. There were a pair of young men with fur cloaks and silver jewelry with the scent of the moon about them, a trio of disciples with modern but less ostentatious clothing, and one or two others who seemed to drift from one group to another as if unsure of where they belonged.


    Luo was at the center of it all, of course, but it was difficult to see how he leaned. He seemed amicable with everyone, and the deference they all showed toward him made it impossible to pick out any inclinations. Without spending more time speaking with them, anything more than surface level observations were impossible. She did not have too much time to ponder on the social situation since most of her effort was put into the tracking.


    Their efforts did pay off. It was not long before Alingge and Ling Qi found the trail of a beast which met the conditions they had set for themselves, sussing out the edges of its territory by the marks, physical and spiritual, that it left on the world. Ling Qi headed back to report their finding to Luo Zhong.


    ***


    ¡°A mirage lion,¡± Luo Zhong mused as he considered her words. ¡°The two of you were certainly swift in finding such valuable prey.¡±


    ¡°So Alingge has said,¡± Ling Qi demurred. The girl had rejected appellations like ¡°Miss¡± so Ling Qi was left to just use her name. ¡°She believes the one we are tracking to be of the high third grade, equivalent to a cultivator of the threshold stage.¡±


    ¡°Mm, a deadly creature,¡± Wu Jing noted, standing beside Luo Zhong. The others were arrayed in a loose group around them. ¡°Are we certain we wish to push for such a trophy?¡± the boy asked dubiously. ¡°It is difficult for those of lower cultivation to see through their manipulations of wind and light, and their claws are deadly to the unguarded.¡±


    ¡°It is an enemy well within our grasp, I think,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°I do not see any weak or unready cultivators around me. Even limiting ourselves to less destructive arts, I do not see any real trouble finding us.¡±


    ¡°We will succeed for certain,¡± Wu Jing agreed. ¡°If nothing else, Sir Luo might intervene. I simply wonder at the need for taking such risks for a bit of sport.¡±


    Sixiang mused.


    ¡°Contrary as always, my friend,¡± Luo Zhong chuckled. ¡°Your words have merit. A beast of the threshold stage is quite the terror for many here. However, it is unseemly to be too cautious,¡± he chided. ¡°I did make the decision to hunt something more difficult this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°As you say,¡± Wu Jing accepted, dipping a short bow. ¡°I suppose Miss Ling has a plan then?¡± he asked, turning his gaze back to her.


    ¡°Alingge and I have some ideas, yes,¡± Ling Qi replied. Her first choice in a real fight would have been blanketing the territory in mist and then freezing the creature with a well placed refrain, but they were trying to be restrained here. ¡°However, we would not be so bold as to plan without consulting Sir Luo or the rest of you.¡±


    ¡°Of course not, but I would hear your ideas all the same,¡± Luo Zhong said with a thin smile.


    Sixiang complained, giving the impression of shaking their head.


    ¡°We believe that the best plan is one in which we bait the beast out and strike it when its own attempted ambush has failed. Once it has been wounded, tracking it will be much easier,¡± Ling Qi proposed.


    The Luo scion rubbed his chin in thought, leaning against the side of his giant hound, who still regarded her with a sort of faint distrust. ¡°A workable outline,¡± he said. ¡°What role would you prefer then, Miss Ling? That of bait or a striker?¡±


    Ling Qi considered the question. She did not doubt that she could suppress her qi and appear much weaker than she was. She would look more impressive, but being the bait was a more isolated role. She would have less time to interact with and make connections within the main group, which was the main point of attending this event. However, given that she had suggested this hunt and strategy...


    ¡°It would be inappropriate of me to suggest such a plan and then not volunteer for the more dangerous role,¡± Ling Qi said, a touch of exasperation reaching her tone. Being put on the spot repeatedly by Luo Zhong was beginning to bother her.


    ¡°I will praise your personal integrity at least,¡± Wu Jing said reluctantly, crossing his arms.


    ¡°A fine sentiment, although our companions are hardly helpless,¡± Luo Zhong said, a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. He knew what he was doing by thrusting decisions upon her. ¡°So, friends, we shall need one or two additional volunteers. Who is feeling brave?¡±


    Ling Qi waited as conversation began around her to suss out who else would be going along. She allowed her gaze to roam over the group as they spoke. She hoped it wouldn¡¯t be too hard to keep whoever got picked safe.


    Sixiang said in exasperation.


    Ling Qi thought back.


    Despite herself, Ling Qi¡¯s eyes widened at Sixiang¡¯s tirade, and Luo Zhong glanced her way. ¡°Is something wrong, Miss Ling?¡± he asked casually.


    She shook her head faintly. ¡°No, there is nothing, Sir Luo,¡± Ling Qi answered.


    ¡°I do not mind if you have any input on the selection,¡± he said lightly.


    Ling Qi glanced around at the others present. With Sixiang¡¯s words still echoing in her thoughts, she really looked at them. She looked not at their cultivation nor the patterns of their group dynamics.


    These people were friends. The cliques she had seen existed, but as she watched, one of the young men in fur cloaks boasted his prowess to a girl in an elaborate green gown, and the girl tittered in amusement. Wu Jing argued with a young man in simple and utilitarian garb, but both of them did so in good humor. Everyone was polite and formal, and she did sense some animosities within the group, but had she been looking for masks and schemes where there were none?


    ¡°No. I do not know anyone well enough to have a useful opinion,¡± Ling Qi found herself saying in a quiet voice.


    Luo Zhong looked at her for a moment, then simply gave a hum of agreement. ¡°Well, we shall let them have it out for a while longer then.¡±


    ***


    In the end, the ones who Luo Zhong decided on were one of the young men in cloaks, Sha Feng, and a girl named Lin Fei with spectacles and a plain grey gown.


    ¡°Thank you, Sir Luo. I shall try to be the one targeted! It will be a unique experience, I am sure!¡± Sha Feng boasted jovially. The young man was tall and lanky with a roguish look to his features. He had the feeling of an eager spring breeze, and looking close, Ling Qi could feel the faint imprint of a grinning crescent on his spirit.


    ¡°And I suppose it shall be down to me to put you back together afterward,¡± Lin Fei drawled. ¡°I fear for our future.¡± The girl had a no nonsense air about her and wore her black hair in a tight bun of the sort Ling Qi typically saw on older ladies. Her spirit had a solid and dependable feel like a field of dark earth, newly tilled.


    ¡°Sweet Lin Fei, your words wound me. As a man, I am shamed by your lack of confidence in me,¡± Sha Feng said with a put-upon sigh. Ling Qi raised an eyebrow. Either Sha Feng was a flirt, or the two were quite familiar with each other.


    ¡°I am only as confident as you deserve,¡± the girl said haughtily, half in jest. Sha Feng hung his head, and the other cloaked young man, his twin brother Sha Fong, clapped him on the back.


    Conversation ceased as Luo Zhong spoke up again. ¡°I am certain that with Miss Ling along, there will be no trouble,¡± Luo Zhong said with amusement.


    ¡°I do not doubt your power, Miss Ling, only this one¡¯s recklessness,¡± Lin Fei said, briefly dipping her head.


    ¡°Neither do I,¡± Sha Feng agreed. ¡°But I hope you will not take all the fun.¡±


    ¡°I will try not to,¡± Ling Qi replied. She forced herself to relax. Sixiang was right; Ling Qi was doing herself harm by trying to act like someone else. She was Ling Qi, not Bai Meizhen or Cai Renxiang, and it was time that she started acting like it. If that brought trouble¡­ she would overcome it. ¡°So long as you are able to keep up,¡± she added, allowing herself a challenging smile.


    That brought an answering grin to Sha Feng¡¯s and his brother¡¯s face and a sigh from Lin Fei. She caught Luo Zhong giving her a brief but unreadable look out of the corner of her eye. Soon, the three of them set off from the group, who were already making arrangements to split into trappers and archers.


    As they set off through the trees, Ling Qi glanced back at her two temporary followers. They walked a half step behind her and did not shy from her gaze. They were probably from baronial clans then, and the main line at that. She turned her attention to Sha Feng. ¡°You follow the path of the Grinning Moon then?¡±


    Sha Feng paused, almost missing a step. ¡°Yes, is it that obvious?¡± he asked curiously.


    She could feel the currents of wind and ripples of the moon in his aura, so to her, it was. ¡°Only if you have the right eyes,¡± she replied impishly.


    ¡°Ah, of course. I had heard some rumors in that regard,¡± Sha Feng said, giving her an assessing look. ¡°It is good to see that they are not just that.¡±


    ¡°Moon spirits can be dangerous and unreliable things,¡± Lin Fei added carefully. ¡°It is unusual for a new cultivator to walk that path.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, I resent that,¡± Sixiang grumbled, and both of Ling Qi¡¯s companions nearly jumped.


    ¡°I believe the revel I met you at could have left me catatonic if I had not impressed your grandmother,¡± Ling Qi retorted dryly, addressing the empty air. ¡°So her words are not wrong.¡±


    ¡°Details,¡± Sixiang huffed.


    ¡°So that is the nature of your hidden spirit,¡± Sha Feng mused. ¡°It seems that you must be quite the spirit speaker, Miss Ling.¡±


    ¡°I am very lucky,¡± Ling Qi acknowledged. ¡°But enough of me. I am afraid I am not very familiar with your group. When did the two of you reach the Inner Sect?¡±


    ¡°Lin Fei and I were lucky enough to scrape through last year,¡± Sha Feng said with a chuckle.


    ¡°Speak for yourself. I placed fifth among the production students,¡± Lin Fei replied with a sniff.


    ¡°You knew each other before then?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°We are quite familiar indeed. Our families¡¯ lands neighbor one another. We are betrothed,¡± the young man explained cheerfully.


    ¡°The trials one undergoes for family,¡± Lin Fei said with a small smile.


    Ling Qi was struck by the two¡¯s interaction. Despite her jibes, Lin Fei did not seem to dislike Sha Feng. The only examples of noble betrothal she had seen thus far were Xiulan and that girl who had attacked her over Huang Da. It seemed bizarre that Lin Fei was so content.


    Sixiang chided.


    ¡°I wish you happiness,¡± Ling Qi said after a beat and casually changed the subject. ¡°If I might ask another question, have I done something to offend Wu Jing?¡±


    Sha Feng¡¯s eyes narrowed, but Lin Fei sent him a chiding look. ¡°I do not believe so,¡± The girl reassured Ling Qi. ¡°Sir Luo and Sir Wu have an¡­ eccentric relationship. Sir Luo seems to encourage his contrariness, even when it is mildly disrespectful. Please do not take offense.¡±


    ¡°I do not,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°But I cannot help but feel that he has some personal dislike for me.¡±


    ¡°He is simply sore regarding recent events,¡± Sha Feng huffed. ¡°The Wu family did better than the Li in the invasion, but they were still reduced to a bare remnant from the Counts they once were. They now reject the ways of the Emerald Seas and cleave strongly to the Peaks. As if we cannot stand on our own!¡± Sha Feng explained, growing more disgruntled by the word. It had the air of a previously spoken grievance.


    ¡°Sha Feng,¡± Lin Fei said harshly, cutting him off.


    ¡°My apologies,¡± he said sheepishly. ¡°Please do not give my rambling much merit.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded easily but filed away his words for consideration. She supposed that there would be a faction, even in the Cai¡¯s supporters, that would be displeased by last year¡¯s events. The Bai were not friendly with the Imperial throne. Ugh. Things only got messier every time she looked closer.


    ¡°I will try not to do so,¡± Ling Qi said instead. ¡°I suppose I will just have to try and convince him of Lady Cai¡¯s position.¡±


    Sha Feng laughed, but there was a touch of nervousness in it. ¡°I am sure you can manage, Miss Ling.¡±


    ¡°... Yes,¡± Lin Fei agreed. ¡°Ah, Miss Ling, are you going to suppress your qi then?¡±


    ¡°Right, my apologies,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°It slipped my mind.¡±


    Ling Qi breathed in deeply and scattered her qi as she had while hiding in the clouds. For a moment, she felt her outline waver. She had practiced since then though, suppressing her power for the comfort of her household, and so, rather than vanishing entirely, her power merely ebbed low at the very threshold of the third realm. It was uncomfortable but bearable. She could hold this indefinitely barring sudden shocks.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get baiting then,¡± Ling Qi said lightly. ¡°I think it would be best if we pretended to be a gathering party¡­¡±

 Threads 56-Nobility 3

    Ling Qi felt as if she were on the cusp of a realization. Meizhen used her mannerisms as a nigh invulnerable armor to deflect unwanted social advances, and for a time, emulating her had been helpful. But just as she had found her own combat style, Meizhen¡¯s social style was not hers, and continuing to cling to that false face was only doing her harm in her interactions with others. She would have to figure out her own approach in the future, an approach that was more honest to herself. For now, she had a lion to hunt.


    It did not take too long to work out their plan. They would separate and begin working their way through the beast¡¯s territory, harvesting plants and herbs. Ling Qi would take the central role so that she could easily react if either of the other two were attacked. Sha Feng and Lin Fei would also release their spirit beasts, a hawk and an owl respectively, to act as overwatch and messenger to the other groups as necessary.


    Simple and elegant as a plan should be, in Ling Qi¡¯s opinion. It did rely on the lion being hungry enough to attack, but Alingge and she had not seen any signs of recent kills, so that should be fine. If the lion did not take the bait, they would just have to flush the beast out of its lair.


    The downside of this was that it was a pretty dull plan to enact. The fact that they had to separate meant that they couldn¡¯t chat much, and Ling Qi had found that she didn¡¯t mind her companions¡¯ company.


    By the time they separated and Ling Qi started collecting herbs, she was beginning to entertain the seed of an idea. Maybe she could set up her own little gathering in the future? It would have to be a small gathering, since she still disliked the crowding of Cai Renxiang¡¯s parties, but she should try to slowly bring some of her disparate social groups together. She wasn¡¯t quite the same confused commoner she had been the last time she had made the effort with the Golden Fields group and Su Ling and Li Suyin.


    While she mused on such thoughts, she kept her senses alert, keeping close track of the twin beacons that were her companions¡¯ qi. They were well out of sight, but if she poured on the effort and dropped her suppression, she could be on either of them in seconds.


    Sixiang laughed.


    Ling Qi thought primly, reaching down to pluck a bunch of wild berries. She paused just before her fingers could touch them. She had felt something, a ripple in the wind and ambient qi, a well hidden spike of hostility and hunger. Ling Qi vanished, leaving the berry bush swaying as air rushed in to fill the space where she had been crouched.


    It did indeed only take a few seconds for her to reach the clearing where Sha Feng had been gathering herbs. A snarling, two-meters-long cat with dull grey fur marked with darker spots and stripes was upon him. The beast had him pinned to the ground, and its jaws were locked around his forearm, fangs digging into the thick leather bracers worn under his armor and the flesh beneath. The beast¡¯s claws scrabbled at his chest, cutting through cloth and leather to cut lines of red in flesh.


    Ling Qi had to restrain the reflexive urge to sing a single sharp note and blast the beast off of him because Sha Feng¡¯s expression was one of excitement rather than distress as he struggled to wrestle his way out from beneath the great cat. Remembering her words, Ling Qi instead materialized in the branches of a tree above and breathed out, a ripple of vital qi spreading through the clearing with the beat of her heart. Sha Feng¡¯s skin shimmered with viridian light and suddenly, the beast¡¯s claws no longer found purchase.


    She watched in some bemusement as the young man used the beast¡¯s moment of confusion to free his other arm and with a vortex of howling air gathering around his fist, punched the lion in the side of the head in three rapid jabs. The beast seemed hardly harmed by the punches, but the grip of its jaws on Sha Feng¡¯s forearm loosened. Ling Qi felt the older boy take hold of the wind, his outline briefly wavering as he slipped free and reformed a meter away in a ready position, a saber in his left hand.


    The beast let out a low snarl as it rounded on him, and she could sense the beast¡¯s attempt to discern the source of the shimmering viridian armor. It wasn¡¯t stupid. For a time, Ling Qi patiently observed as the lion circled and the boy feinted and slashed, not letting himself get pinned again.


    Then Ling Qi spotted the fluttering of wings in the sky overhead and grinned, allowing her hold on her qi to loosen. The lion immediately began to turn toward her, the greater threat, ignoring the bellicose boy advancing on it with a saber only to yowl as an arrow carved from pale green wood punched into its flank from the other side. Immediately, the beast shimmered, the air around it shifting as light and wind bent. Ling Qi watched as it darted off to the south, but her other senses showed the trail of qi leading west.


    The hunt that followed lasted a bit under half an hour as the pursuing nobles came out of the woodwork to chase down the fleeing beast. It was not exactly what Ling Qi would call harrowing or challenging, but she somehow got caught up in it, hopping through the canopy of the trees beside Alingge as they directed the others. Some part of her had been worried about Sha Feng¡¯s wounds, but all told, he seemed rather pleased with them, boasting to the others about his brief tussle and letting Lin Fei fuss grumpily over him.


    At last, the lion fell, wounded and boxed in by disciples with spears and swords. She might have felt bad for it, but Ling Qi was not that softhearted. It was a predatory spirit beast, unbound and wild. The only reason it did not prey on humans regularly was geography. All in all, the hunt itself seemed almost anti-climactic.


    She supposed that the hunting was always a sideshow given the venue. Ling Qi watched a particularly brawny boy hoist the carcass onto his shoulders as the others chatted and laughed. Through the crowd, she met Luo Zhong¡¯s eyes, and he smiled. The time for the real challenge had come. The victory celebration.


    So far, she had been prodded and herded and put on the spot. But why? She still was not sure of the Luo scion¡¯s intentions, and that bothered her.


    ***


    Ling Qi idly swirled the contents of her cup as she observed the ongoing celebration. From the depths of someone¡¯s storage ring, the party had gained several barrels of a rich fruit cider, and in the center of the clearing, a great fire pit had been dug to use in roasting their catch. Ling Qi was not sure how good the meat of the mirage lion would end up tasting, but she supposed that wasn¡¯t the point of this gathering. Besides, the disciple tending the fire did look like he knew what he was doing with those spices. The beast¡¯s skin was stretched on a drying rack and would go to Alingge, who had landed the fatal shot. The core had been presented to Luo Zhong, of course.


    She observed the scion of the Luo where he sat, leaning against the side of his hound, which gnawed lazily at the bloody haunch that had been provided to him. Luo Zhong seemed to have an air of satisfaction about him as he chatted with the Sha brothers.


    ¡°Satisfied with your success?¡± Ling Qi did not startle when Wu Jing spoke up from beside her. It had been easy to sense his approach.


    ¡°I am. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves,¡± Ling Qi replied evenly. She did not turn toward him. It was a minor snub, but no more than his rude words earlier had earned. ¡°Except perhaps for you.¡±


    Somewhat surprisingly, Wu Jing did not seem to take offense, merely making a noise of agreement. ¡°No one received any serious wounds. The risk was still foolish, but I have no reason for complaint.¡±


    She looked over at the young man out of the corner of her eye. ¡°We are all cultivators. Without risk, how will we grow?¡±


    He gave her an unimpressed look from underneath his bushy eyebrows. ¡°And that, Miss Ling, is part of why I find you disagreeable. You risk easily, you offend easily, and you think nothing of us as you climb over our heads seeking higher peaks.¡±


    ¡°I will not apologize for growing as strong as I am able,¡± Ling Qi shot back. ¡°It is others who choose to take offense when I pass them.¡±


    ¡°I am not criticizing your focus on growth,¡± Wu Jing said with a frown. ¡°It would be foolish not to leverage your talent. I am criticizing your disregard. Even now, you hold your peers in contempt. Nay, I would say that you do not even see them as your peers. It is an attitude that bodes poorly for the future of our province.¡±


    It was only Sixiang¡¯s influence that kept Ling Qi from snapping back. ¡°As I have been reminded of many times, I have little experience in the dealings of my peers,¡± she rebutted coldly. ¡°I apologize if that has caused me to give offense.¡±


    ¡°I would not find you so disagreeable if it were mere inexperience,¡± he countered. ¡°You are not as subtle as you think, Miss Ling. I have observed you at Lady Cai¡¯s gatherings. You think very little of us. Even today, you approached this gathering as a tiresome chore. Others might be afraid to speak their minds on the matter due to your backing, but I am not.¡±


    Ling Qi was silent because he wasn¡¯t wrong. Even if she had resolved to change her approach, it didn¡¯t change how she had acted previously in social gatherings. ¡°You are correct that I find large gatherings tiresome and treacherous, but that does not reflect on individuals,¡± she replied after a moment. ¡°I find Sha Feng and Lin Fei agreeable enough, and I quite like Alingge after our conversation. So, I will apologize one final time.¡± Her voice grew sharp . ¡°However, if you continue, I will take offense.¡±


    She met his eyes, glacial blue to stony grey, and she felt the pressure of his qi against hers. A dusting of frost spread over the grass, and the faintest rumble of vibration shook the earth. Then, the moment passed. Ling Qi was faintly aware of some of the others shooting curious or concerned looks their way.


    ¡°Perhaps you speak true,¡± Wu Jing said as the pressure faded. ¡°But I find your attitude troubling all the same for one who has the ear of our lady. If you are sincere, then pay a mind to the perceptions and echoes of your actions in the future. The Emerald Seas can little afford instability. The Wu remember how fragile prosperity truly is.¡±


    ¡°I hear your advice,¡± Ling Qi said, and now that she had calmed her temper, she understood at least the position he came from. It struck her then what an awkward position Cai Shenhua must have put a large section of her own supporters in with last year¡¯s business. It was grating to be thought of as a bad influence on Cai Renxiang though. ¡°But, like my lady, I will not compromise on some matters.¡±


    ¡°We will see. I apologize for my own harshness and for taking so much of your time, Miss Ling.¡± Wu Jing offered a stiff, but slightly lower than necessary, bow and turned to join the others.


    Ling Qi thought.


    Sixiang chided.


    Ling Qi silently agreed, but it was still a pain. But she wouldn¡¯t get anywhere just standing here alone, and so, taking a moment to center herself, Ling Qi strode toward Sha Feng and his brother. Best to start on more familiar ground.


    She kept herself focused as she mingled, not letting her thoughts wander too much. It was not that bad a time really. She chatted with the Sha brothers, swapping stories about encounters with moon spirits, which evolved into speaking with Lin Fei and one of her close friends, a doll-like and exuberant girl who was practically swimming in pink silk and lace. Ling Qi suspected that Xiulan would either love or hate the girl with no in-between. Still, her experience with her hot-headed friend meant that she could hold her own in a conversation about style and fashion.


    When they drifted off, she spoke with Alingge for a time regarding the care and training of spirit beasts. She may have ended up gushing over Zhengui a little too much, but Alingge seemed not to mind. The meat was finished about the time they finished up their conversation, and she accepted her portion from the boy who had handled the cooking, noting the faintly starry-eyed way in which he regarded Alingge. He was a new baron like herself, if she remembered correctly. She supposed she wished him luck. The roast was surprisingly good; he was certainly skilled enough at cooking.


    From there, she drifted to and fro, engaging with the other disciples in pairs or trios. She even managed to have a fairly civil conversation involving Wu Jing as things were winding down. She found her efforts stymied with some. Her previous reputation and isolation had clearly solidified negative impressions in their minds, but overall, she was cautiously hopeful. The nobles of the eastern Emerald Seas, or at least this cross section of them, seemed better inclined toward her than most.


    Soon enough, the gathering reached its end, and people began to take their leave, Ling Qi among them. She would probably be buried deep in the archive through the night, and then in the morning, she had an appointment with the arriving Bao scion. Luckily, he wanted to speak with Li Suyin as well, so she wouldn¡¯t have to awkwardly meet him alone.


    ¡°Thoughts wandering from the trail again?¡± Luo Zhong¡¯s voice shook her from her thoughts as the boy approached her, his giant hound padding at his side.


    ¡°Just considering my schedule,¡± Ling Qi answered. She had eased herself into being a touch more casual during the party. It made things a little easier on her frankly. ¡°There¡¯s hardly a moment to spare, you know?¡±


    ¡°I do indeed,¡± he replied, studying her. ¡°You did enjoy yourself here, I hope?¡±


    Ling Qi considered the question. There were certainly parts of the gathering which she had found disagreeable, but overall, it hadn¡¯t been a terrible afternoon. ¡°I am glad to have received your invitation,¡± she said, offering a bow.


    ¡°A somewhat vague answer,¡± Luo Zhong chuckled, amusement in his eyes. ¡°In any case, you are welcome to join us again.¡±


    ¡°I will consider it, as time allows,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I hope there will be less testing in the future,¡± she added more quietly, meeting the young man¡¯s eyes.


    His faint smile widened into an amused grin. ¡°I have your measure now, I think. Worry not. Have a good evening, Miss Ling.¡±


    ¡°You as well, Sir Luo,¡± Ling Qi replied evenly before turning away.


    Just because she had been overthinking things didn¡¯t mean there wasn¡¯t a game to be played. Still, she had learned a fair amount today. Most of the Luo vassals were Weilu moderates that valued the traditions of the Emerald Seas but accepted that change was inevitable, and thankfully, they were mostly neutral toward her. However, those that aligned with Imperial moderates, who valued the prosperity brought by the unified Empire, and those such as Wu Jing that aligned with Imperial conservatives, who valued obedience to the decrees of the Imperial throne, were suspicious or cold toward her. Ling Qi also got along well with Alingge, who was the only one who could be viewed as aligned with the Old Tribe faction, a group that was characterized as being heavily traditional and isolationist but generally ignored changes which did not intrude on their ways. Of course, as the only one, it was hard to read into that much.


    In the end, experience was more valuable than any number of ledgers full of lineages and dry histories. She owed it to Cai Renxiang to learn the landscape of their home.


    ***


    ¡°Who knew that you and your family were so popular?¡± Ling Qi murmured in amusement as they exited the archive. After a night and morning spent amidst whispering shelves, the warmth of the noontime sun felt good. Being able to tease Sixiang back for once, on the other hand, was the best.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t know why you took that thing,¡± Sixiang grumbled, making the wind kick up around Ling Qi. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d see someone deconstruct the idea of having a good time like it was some complicated idea.¡±


    ¡°It seemed like a useful area of study to me,¡± Ling Qi disagreed, looking out over the landscape from the top of the carven cliff the archive occupied. It had surprised her just how many arts there were that studied the nature of moon spirits as a social tool.


    ¡°Of course you would need step by step instructions and exercises for loosening up,¡± Sixiang huffed. ¡°At least we¡¯re done, right?¡±


    Ling Qi hummed in agreement. She had found several likely arts which could improve her socializing ability. Playful Muse¡¯s Rapport was inspired by the playful nature of the children of the Dreaming Moon, an art that focused on conveying thoughts clearly and with utmost honesty of intent. Moonless Saboteur¡¯s Smile was inspired by the behavior of the spirits of the hidden moon in the Weilu courts, an art that subtly arranged matters to the benefit of mortals who caught their fancy.


    When searching, Ling Qi also found a social art for interacting with spirits. Melodies of the Spirit Seekers had been developed in the late days of Xi¡¯s reign and sought to deal with spirits in a way that prevented misunderstandings. It was out of fashion among the nobility of the Empire as nowadays, spirits were normally dealt with through genuflection, appeasement, or exorcism, but as Ling Qi had told the Dreaming Moon, a lot of her successes had come from coming to an accord with spirits.


    Since Ling Qi had mastered the Curious Diviner¡¯s Eye art already, she picked up two successor arts to it at the archive as well. Both successor arts had similar techniques, but Roaming Moon¡¯s Eye focused more on information gathering in a wide area whereas Casual Diviner¡¯s Pose focused more on combat perception.


    She would decide which of the social arts and which successor art to start cultivating later. She had already planned out her cultivation for the weeks immediately ahead. Until then, she would just have to consider which of the arts fit her needs going forward.


    ¡°I suppose I should be getting down to the Sect town,¡± Ling Qi sighed, looking down from the clear blue sky to the green landscape below. Hopefully, the meeting with her potential Bao suitor would not be too awkward.


    ¡°Just relax,¡± Sixiang said, and Ling Qi felt the phantom sensation of fingers jabbing her side. ¡°Remember not to wind yourself up. Go meet the guy, and let yourself have fun for goodness sake.¡±


    Ling Qi irritably swatted at the air, dispersing the fragile constructs of wind Sixiang was poking her with. She knew what she had to do; that didn¡¯t make it easier. ¡°I know, I know,¡± she grumbled. ¡°Now quit it.¡±


    Sixiang huffed. they challenged.


    Taking only a moment to breathe, cycle her qi, and still her thoughts, Ling Qi stepped off the cliff and allowed the rush of wind past her ears to settle her nerves. A moment before she would have struck earth and branch, her winged cloak flared, and Ling Qi swooped back up, soaring toward the town.

 Threads Chapter 57-Bao Qian 1

    Landing outside the town¡¯s walls, Ling Qi took a moment to smooth her gown then entered town, briskly moving through the outermost sections. It was a little ironic, Ling Qi could admit to herself, but she wasn¡¯t doing it out of disdain, but rather because she did not want to hold on to her qi suppression so tightly for long. She soon reached the inner town where cultivators were in greater numbers. She took a moment to recall the location of her meeting and find her way to the right square. In the midst of the town¡¯s bustle, Ling Qi saw them before she felt them.


    She spied Li Suyin first, wearing that new gown of hers. The pale lilac and purple silk looked good on her, though the effect was somewhat lessened by the clawed chitin contraption she wore on her right hand. Ling Qi wondered how long it would take Xiulan to pester the other girl into adding some gemstone settings and filigree to the thing to brighten it up.


    Beside Suyin, standing a little closer than Ling Qi would call polite, was a tall, thin boy. He had a handsome face and neatly kept hair bound in a top knot. That was probably this ¡®Du Feng¡¯ she had heard about from time to time. Another friend of Suyin¡¯s.


    Ling Qi found her eyes only briefly touching on him as her attention was drawn to the much louder figure standing nearby. The other young man was quite large, not quite as tall as her but very broad shouldered. He wore a robe of crimson and gold bound at the waist by a thick jeweled sash. His fingers glittered with rings of jade set with precious gems that gleamed mesmerizingly in the sun. Two bands of white jade encircled his upper arms, cinching his flowing robe around thick biceps.


    The Bao scion had a broad face with pleasant, jovial features and dark brown hair bound in a simple top knot by another jeweled clasp. Really, he looked quite a lot like a more youthful version of the Bao lord she had met during the tournament at the end of last year, if one who indulged much less in food and drink. She really did wonder what had happened to Bao Qingling to differentiate herself so much from her family.


    ¡°Ah, and our last member has arrived. Welcome, Miss Ling, welcome.¡± LIng Qi was shaken from her thoughts as the young man turned from his conversation with Li Suyin and Du Feng to raise a jeweled hand and greet her. She met his eyes and found them sharp and appraising beneath the cheer. Bao Qian was at the formation stage of the green soul realm and was close to the next stage in spirit.


    ¡°My apologies for being late,¡± Ling Qi said politely as she approached, dipping her head in a small bow of contrition.


    ¡°You are nothing of the sort,¡± the Bao dismissed cheerfully. ¡°I simply arrived early.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I had only happened to be in town, so I was early as well,¡± Li Suyin added politely. ¡°Ah, Ling Qi, I do not think you have been introduced. This is Du Feng, my work partner.¡±


    The boy sketched a polite bow as one would to a superior. ¡°A pleasure, Miss Ling.¡±


    ¡°And if cousins Quan and Qingling have not deigned to share it, you may have my name as well. I am Bao Qian,¡± the Bao scion introduced himself with a minor bow as given between equals. ¡°I have already heard much of you, and the tales Miss Li has told have only embellished on them.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced at Li Suyin, who gave her a sheepish smile. ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you both, but I have to admit, you have me at a disadvantage. The letter Bao Qingling gave to me was somewhat light on details.¡±


    ¡°No offense is taken,¡± Bao Qian replied with a smile. ¡°We Bao are a competitive sort. The matter of who would take up the opportunity was still contested at that time.¡±


    Ling Qi felt disconcerted at the idea that there was any competition for¡­ whatever this was. This was not quite even a betrothal offer but just¡­


    Sixiang announced grandly in her head.


    It was a testament to her will and experience with Sixiang that her eyebrow did not so much as twitch nor did her polite smile falter. ¡°I am flattered to be so well thought of among the Bao,¡± she said instead.


    ¡°There is no flattery to it, only honest praise,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Miss Ling is a great talent,¡± Du Feng agreed. ¡°You often say such, do you not, Li Suyin?¡±


    ¡°She is. I could not have achieved what I have without her,¡± Li Suyin replied, toying with her sleeve nervously.


    ¡°I will have to accept your praise, I suppose,¡± Ling Qi said reluctantly. ¡°But please, do not let me interrupt your conversation. You were speaking before I arrived, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°It was only a small matter,¡± Li Suyin demurred.


    ¡°You are too humble, Miss Li. The joint work of you and Sir Du in refining and treating silk is a valuable enterprise. The capital is always eager for new strains. Helps them keep up the churn of fashionable one-upmanship,¡± Bao Qian said lightly.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re working on silk now? I had not heard about that, Li Suyin,¡± Ling Qi said, happy to move herself out of the spotlight of attention.


    ¡°It is as much Du Feng¡¯s effort as mine,¡± Li Suyin deflected. ¡°I only had some small insights to give on influencing the development of the worms. It is he who turned the resulting silk into something of value.¡±


    ¡°You are too kind, Li Suyin,¡± Du Feng said, ¡°but I have never had the opportunity before to work with silk as naturally impermeable and light. I feel as if I am spinning strands of air at times.¡±


    Li Suyin flushed and fidgeted. ¡°I am sure it is nothing that other silk-making families have not achieved already.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, but another supplier is always good for the market,¡± Bao Qian said cheerfully. ¡°I will be happy to do a little sales work for the two of you, if you would permit it.¡±


    Li Suyin and Du Feng shared a brief look, and Li Suyin dipped her head, deferring to him. Ling Qi might have found that bothersome, but she knew her friend well enough to know that she really did consider it more his project than hers. So she did not say anything as Du Feng bowed low and accepted the offer.


    With only a small mental nudge from Sixiang, Ling Qi made herself continue the conversation. ¡°Is this what you will be spending your time on in the south, Sir Bao? Seeking out opportunities like this?¡± She had to start being a more active participant in conversations, and she would never do so if she didn¡¯t start somewhere.


    She saw a flicker of appraisal in his warm green eyes as he turned to look at her. ¡°After a fashion. And there is no need for a Sir, Miss Ling. My name will do.¡± He gave her a thoughtful look. ¡°I am only one of many sons, so I am always on the lookout for opportunity. I shall certainly wish to speak with you at some point about what might be done with that unique xuanwu of yours.¡±


    Her eyebrows rose, but she forced herself not to give his words an uncharitable interpretation. ¡°If you do not object, my name is fine as well,¡± she mirrored. It was a minor concession and one she didn¡¯t really mind giving. ¡°Zhengui is precious to me,¡± she continued, ¡°so I have to ask that you clarify your intent, Bao Qian.¡±


    She caught a brief flicker of genuine amusement at her little wordplay. ¡°Nothing invasive, of course. Shed scales, claw clippings, venom, and waste product. A spirit of such potency can produce many useful things. It helps to offset their substantial upkeep.¡±


    Ling Qi thought of the expense documentation Cai Renxiang had been teaching her to make use of and the green stones that Cai was paying out of pocket to feed Zhengui every month. It might be nice to be less reliant on her largesse. If nothing else, it might mean further resources for her to cultivate with. ¡°I see. I have no complaints then,¡± she acquiesced.


    ¡°Perhaps you should seek his services in recording your music, Miss Ling. I have heard that it is incomparable for your age and talent,¡± Du Feng piped in. ¡°Though you will only improve in the future, I am sure.¡±


    Sixiang whispered soothingly.


    Ling Qi had certainly noticed the minute changes in expression from the young man. Du Feng really wanted Suyin¡¯s approval. Her friend was all too happy to go along with overpraising her. ¡°Your songs really are lovely. I would not mind being able to play them in my workshop.¡±


    ¡°I would never be so forward as to request something so personal at a first meeting,¡± Bao Qian said, dipping his head. ¡°I know many musicians mislike such things. On my pride as a jade carver though, I would put my utmost into such a project to ensure quality.¡±


    ¡°Something for the future, perhaps,¡± Ling Qi said vaguely. She felt deeply uncomfortable with the idea of recording her music. Her understanding of the topic meant that every piece she played reflected some facet of herself. Having such a thing stored in jade to be viewed whenever was a strange concept to her. ¡°You are a jade carver then?¡± she asked, changing the subject.


    ¡°I have some skills in the field. The Bao family¡¯s resources are plentiful in that regard,¡± Bao Qian agreed. ¡°I will be using my eye for such materials during my stay. I have a few expeditions lined up to prospect unsettled lands for jade, spirit stones, and less valuable minerals. A man must keep busy after all. No good comes from standing still.¡±


    That was a good attitude to take. Though she could not really judge off of one meeting, her initial impression of Bao Qian was good. However, the real purpose of all this still ate at her thoughts. She had been praised and praised, and while she was certain that Li Suyin was sincere, it was wholly possible that he was just using her friend to flatter her without seemingly coming on too strong.


    That was one trouble with studying social arts. It put her in the mind to scrutinize things over and over again. How much of this impression was a well arranged mask? Then again, she could drive herself mad nitpicking the meaning behind every action and choice of presentation. ¡°That is an admirable attitude,¡± she praised. ¡°I wish you luck in your pursuits.¡±


    ¡°In truth,¡± the young man said cautiously, ¡°I am looking into such a matter nearby. I have made a contract with the Sect to investigate whether the quarries of an abandoned clanhold in the east are worth further prospecting. I have heard that you favor an adventure or two yourself, Ling Qi. Should I request you as my liaison with the Sect for this matter?¡± He glanced at the others. ¡°You are invited as well, friends.¡±


    ¡°I am afraid I am unsuited for such matters,¡± Du Feng replied swiftly, only to shoot a worried look to Li Suyin. ¡°Ah, but if you wish to go¡­¡±


    Li Suyin looked uncertain, looking to Ling Qi.


    Ling Qi considered. Between her cultivation, her family, and her other obligations, her time was limited. Had she been asked a week or two ago, she might have considered begging off, but given her recent resolution to improve her interactions with the rest of the nobility, it seemed foolish to refuse. She wouldn¡¯t have accepted if it were just she and him, but since he had offered a group expedition...


    ¡°That does sound like a fun distraction. Something a little more peaceful than our usual fare, right, Li Suyin?¡± Ling Qi gave her friend an encouraging look.


    ¡°I would imagine so,¡± Li Suyin replied with a smile.


    ¡°Hoh, I sense a story there,¡± Bao Qian said with a chuckle. ¡°And you, Sir Du?¡±


    The other boy hesitated but seemed to firm up his resolve as Li Suyin turned to look at him. ¡°Well, I would not want to be so rude as to refuse your invitation Sir Bao, so I will join you as well. I suppose giving my work a little active testing would be helpful.¡±


    Bao Qian nodded, seeming pleased. ¡°I shall make the arrangements with the Sect then. We will be leaving in five days time, and the journey should not be more than a few days depending on our pace.¡±


    Ling Qi rearranged her schedule in her mind. She didn¡¯t have much that she needed to prepare, and it wasn¡¯t like she couldn¡¯t cultivate on the journey as well. So she would only be using a little time out of her budget. ¡°I will look forward to it.¡±

 Threads 58-Bao Qian 2

    The days passed quickly with Ling Qi splitting her time between home, cultivation, and time with her spirits. She spoke with her mother about the trip, and the lessening of the older woman¡¯s worry when she spoke of going along with her friend as well as the Bao scion made her feel better about her somewhat selfish choice. Zhengui was happy to come along anywhere she went, and Hanyi was just glad to get the opportunity to get away from the mountain.


    As a result, when the day of the meeting came, she was actually the first to reach their departure point since it was not far from the hill set aside for Zhengui. Of course, while she was glad that her spirits were eager, there were definitely some downsides to this.


    ¡°So, how cute is this Bao guy anyway, Big Sis?¡± Hanyi chirped cheerfully. She sat on the outer ridge of Zhengui¡¯s shell, idly kicking her bare feet.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t really appropriate to talk about that kind of thing when we¡¯re in company, Hanyi,¡± Ling Qi replied tiredly, deflecting the question as she had numerous other inquiries of similar quality.


    ¡°Which is why I¡¯m asking before they get here,¡± Hanyi complained, giving her a pout. ¡°C¡¯mooooon, just tell me.¡±


    ¡°Hanyi should stop pestering Big Sister,¡± Gui said gamely, his voice rumbling up from beneath them.


    ¡°Who asked you?¡± Hanyi retorted, thumping her fist on the back of his shell. ¡°Zhen, you¡¯re curious too, right?¡±


    ¡°I, Zhen, am only concerned over whether the Bao man needs biting or not,¡± her little brother¡¯s serpentine hissed imperiously.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t,¡± Ling Qi said flatly, tilting her head to give him a reproving look. ¡°Hanyi, we¡¯re just doing business. There¡¯s no reason to worry about things like that.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re gonna think like that, there won¡¯t be,¡± Hanyi huffed, crossing her arms. ¡°Big Sis lets opportunities pass too easily! You¡¯re gonna end up like Miss Qingshe with just this big doofy son to keep you company.¡±


    ¡°Where in the world did that girl learn such sass from?¡± Sixiang chuckled.


    Ling Qi thought that she would be doing quite well to end up like Qingshe, the powerful sixth realm and mother to the river dragon Heizui she had challenged last year. ¡°Just be good, Hanyi. I can sense him approaching, so you can judge for yourself in a moment.¡±


    Hanyi swatted away her hand as Ling Qi tousled her hair and stuck out her tongue one last time before putting on a more dignified expression. Let it not be said that Hanyi had not grown up at least a little. She could be serious if she knew it was important to Ling Qi.


    Bao Qian emerged into the artificial clearing that Zhengui had made for them only a few minutes later. His eyes were on the ground, examining the churned soil and fragments of wood, charcoal, and ash left behind from Zhengui¡¯s little snack. He looked much the same as he had at their previous meeting, save for the rather massive pack hefted onto his broad shoulders. He was also not alone. At his side trundled a spirit beast with a rather potent aura.


    It, or rather she from the feel of things, took the shape of a badger and stood about a meter and a half high at the shoulder. The spirit beast¡¯s thick fur had a shimmering, metallic look to it, silver and black gleaming in the early morning light. Its claws, a sharp black diamond, looked much like the ones Shen Hu generated in a fight. The beast regarded her steadily with bright red eyes, and she felt the tingle of assessing qi pass over her as it did. The badger let out a low whuffing sound and nudged its shoulder against Bao Qian¡¯s side, causing his gaze to snap up from the ground.


    ¡°Ah, Miss Ling! Ready bright and early, I see,¡± he greeted cheerfully, rolling his shoulders to adjust his pack. ¡°And these must be your spirit companions.¡±


    ¡°This is Zhengui, and next to me is Hanyi,¡± Ling Qi introduced, gesturing to each of them in turn. ¡°You brought a companion as well.¡±


    ¡°So I did,¡± Bao Qian said agreeably. ¡°Say hello, Yinshi.¡±


    ¡°¡®Lo,¡± the beast said disinterestedly, pawing at the soil. Her diamond claws sliced through broken fragments of wood and plant matter as if they weren¡¯t there, stirring the soil.


    ¡°Hiya!¡± Hanyi greeted cutely, giving Bao Qian an obvious assessing look.


    ¡°Hello!¡± Gui greeted with some cheer, poking his head out of his shell to look down at them. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if you were hungry too! I already finished eating.¡±


    The badger looked from the soil and snorted. ¡°Not a problem, kid.¡±


    ¡°We are not a ¡®kid.¡¯ We are Zhengui,¡± Zhen hissed proudly.


    The smaller spirit beast met Zhen¡¯s imperious gaze and pawed casually at her snout, brushing a streak of ash from her gleaming fur. ¡°You sure are,¡± she said blandly.


    Zhen narrowed his eyes, trying to work out if he had been insulted, and Ling Qi rested a quieting hand on his scales. ¡°Is there something interesting about the ground around these parts?¡± she asked, steering the conversation away from the potential disagreement.


    ¡°It¡¯s because Gui is such a messy eater,¡± Hanyi sniffed daintily. ¡°He should clean up better.¡±


    ¡°I simply noticed a change in soil quality when we neared this place,¡± Bao Qian cut in. ¡°I was distracted in my approach, so I will apologize.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I was just curious about what had drawn your attention,¡± Ling Qi replied.


    ¡°Your companion seems to have a highly vitalizing effect on the earth. It is one of the things I suspected could be turned to a profit about you, and it seems I was correct. If the effect can be distilled, we will have a tidy seed business on our hands,¡± Bao Qian explained.


    ¡°Is that so,¡± Ling Qi said, not quite sure she liked how he had put that.


    Sixiang warned.


    ¡°Oh yes,¡± Bao Qian continued. He didn¡¯t miss a beat, but she could tell that he had noticed the cooling of her tone. ¡°One way or another, I shall be staying in the south, and I hope that we can establish a mutually profitable friendship.¡±


    Ling Qi could read between the lines of his words well enough. She allowed herself to relax fractionally. It was remarkably blunt for how such things went, but if that was how he wished to approach things, she wouldn¡¯t complain. As she opened her mouth to respond, she sensed Li Suyin approaching. Peering through the trees, she spied her friend, and her expression turned dull.


    Li Suyin sat in the shade of a covered sedan chair. Carved from deep red wood, it was open in the front with an awning of white silk jutting out of the front. The whole thing was born upon the shoulders of her skeletal guardians. Bear and boar had both received a serious overhaul since she had seen them last. The spider silk wrapping them was now stretched over something, giving them the impression of moving musculature, and their empty eye sockets had been fitted with fiery rubies that glowed with inner light. Their metal armor had been replaced with plates of thick spiky black chitin inlaid with etchings of powdered jade that glowed with qi.


    ¡°Li Suyin,¡± Ling Qi sighed aloud despite herself. That girl. She had to know what she looked like, right?


    ¡°I see cousin Qingling has had quite an influence,¡± Bao Qian said a touch blandly as he followed her gaze.


    She almost missed Du Feng floating at Suyin¡¯s side, seated upon a colorfully woven carpet that hovered about a meter above the ground. Ling Qi vaguely recalled seeing a flying carpet at the crafting competition last year; so Du Feng was that crafter. He was seemingly unbothered by the macabre trappings of Suyin¡¯s conveyance or at least he was very good at hiding it if he was.


    ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± Hanyi asked, clearly displeased to be left out of the conversation.


    ¡°Big Sister¡¯s friend is almost here. Hanyi would know if she paid attention,¡± Gui said smugly as he stood up, dust and ash raining down from the bottom of his shell as he lifted himself from the ground.


    Hanyi shot him a dirty look but didn¡¯t reply. Ling Qi let herself glance at her spirits in amusement before returning her attention to Bao Qian. ¡°How did she end up so different from the rest of you anyway?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll not air my cousin¡¯s secrets,¡± he replied. The debris raised by Zhengui¡¯s movement flowed around him and his spirit as if they were surrounded by an invisible barrier. ¡°Rough mien or no, cousin Qingling is still a Bao in heart and spirit.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed to herself and dipped her head. ¡°That was a rude question. My apologies.¡± It had been too off the cuff; she was still working on balancing formality and casualness.


    ¡°I¡¯ll not take offense if you forgive me for the slight I gave earlier,¡± he said cheerfully. ¡°Do we have a bargain?¡±


    ¡°I suppose so,¡± Ling Qi replied, bemused.


    Their conversation went no further as Li Suyin and Du Feng arrived on their conveyances.


    ¡°Good day, Miss Li, Sir Du!¡± Bao Qian called, raising his hand to wave as they entered the clearing. Ling Qi smiled and raised a hand to wave to her friend.


    ¡°Hello, Sir Bao, Ling Qi,¡± Li Suyin greeted, leaning forward in the padded chair held aloft by her guardians. ¡°I hope my preparations will be sufficient to keep up on the journey ahead.¡±


    ¡°You should not underestimate your designs so, Li Suyin,¡± Du Feng said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re hardly in a hurry here,¡± Ling Qi reassured her, even as Hanyi nudged her in the side with her elbow.


    ¡°How come we don¡¯t have comfy seats?¡± Hanyi asked quietly.


    ¡°Zhengui¡¯s shell is good enough for both of us,¡± Ling Qi chided, turning her attention back to the others.


    ¡°... the porters you have here. I hope you are not going through too much expense to keep them powered during the trip,¡± Bao Qian addressed Li Suyin.


    ¡°Oh no, please do not concern yourself,¡± Li Suyin reassured him. ¡°I am powering these two through my own qi right now. Unless we have to fight, it will be fine.¡±


    ¡°Well, if that¡¯s so, there is no problem,¡± Bao Qian chuckled. ¡°Still, these are impressive constructs. Do you still work with such things, Miss Ling? I seem to recall hearing that you made use of something similar in your tournament matches.¡±


    ¡°Ling Qi is quite skilled at formations when she applies herself,¡± Li Suyin said, giving her an encouraging smile. ¡°She picks up the principles very easily compared to myself.¡±


    Sixiang mused.


    ¡°It is nothing so great,¡± Ling Qi said hastily. ¡°It was only Li Suyin¡¯s help that allowed me to make something so useful. Formation crafting is something I am only an amateur in. I have not had the time to tinker with it at all since the tournament.¡±


    ¡°Even so, it is quite a skill to develop such a thing after only a year of work. It would be a shame to let such a talent wither on the vine,¡± Bao Qian said.


    ¡°You praise me too much,¡± Ling Qi demurred. ¡°Perhaps when I have settled other matters. Ah, actually, what you have is pretty impressive as well, Du Feng. Flight is very difficult below the fourth realm, is it not?¡±


    Du Feng looked surprised at her swift change of subject and compliment. ¡°No, I cannot claim such a feat, Miss Ling,¡± he replied. ¡°While I am proud of my work, it is not a true flight. The carpet can only hover and move in relation to the ground. It cannot rise any higher than this or maneuver in three dimensions as your dress can.¡±


    ¡°You are too hard on yourself, Sir Du,¡± Bao Qian said. ¡°As you mentioned to Li Suyin, you should not downplay your talents so easily as well.¡±


    ¡°Are we going to go soon?¡± Zhen asked, a bit of childish boredom audible in his tone. ¡°Lazy Gui will fall asleep soon, I think.¡±


    ¡°I am not sleepy. Do not use me as an excuse,¡± Gui complained.


    ¡°I agree with the kid. Too much word grooming going on,¡± Bao Qian¡¯s own beast grumbled. ¡°Walk and talk.¡±


    She almost missed the grimace and look of long suffering Bao Qian shot at his spirit beast in the moment before he clapped his hands. ¡°A fair point. Shall we be off then?¡±


    Despite the awkward moment, they were soon off.


    Unlike Bao Qian and herself, Li Suyin and Du Feng did not have any spirit beasts along. Suyin¡¯s Zhenli was staying at her workshop to oversee projects and Du Feng had not bound one. Ling Qi remained atop Zhengui¡¯s shell, seated just behind his head while Bao Qian joined the others in using a talisman for conveyance, a conical platform a meter across at its base seemingly carved from a single piece of dark forest green jade. His spirit beast Linshi slipped into the earth like a fish into water and remained visible only through occasional ripples in the dirt as they travelled.


    Conversation continued as they went. For her part, Ling Qi tried to steer the conversation toward Zhengui and matters of profit. She wanted to learn more about Bao Qian¡¯s intentions and plans in the south.

 Threads 59-Bao Qian 3

    ¡°So, with the correct arts and knowledge, metals and minerals can be induced to grow, restoring themselves in a time useful to humans,¡± Bao Qian explained.


    They had been traveling for some time and at last, polite small talk had turned into something a little more interesting, that is, a discussion of why they were out here and what Bao Qian was doing.


    ¡°Secret family arts, I assume,¡± Ling Qi pointed out shrewdly.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Bao Qian chuckled. ¡°We are not the only ones in the Empire with such arts, but there are not many. The methods do have their downsides. One must accept a sharp reduction in immediate productivity to use the Bao methods, and many prefer to go without and simply create new sites when old ones run dry. There are always more lands to exploit after all, or so the logic goes.¡±


    ¡°That was the reasoning behind the Hui settlement programs, if I recall,¡± Li Suyin said from atop her sedan.


    ¡°Right you are, Miss Li. For all that the maps have said that the borders have been the same since the usurpation, the reality is that the south was nigh unsettled. Of course, the Hui were just using it as a distraction to get their vassals out of court, so things were¡­ not very well organized.¡±


    ¡°It was a chaotic and lawless period,¡± Du Feng put forward cautiously. ¡°But many made their fortunes during that era. Many towns and cities were settled in those days.¡±


    ¡°And many more fell, even before Ogodei smashed things, and much of the later trouble arose from it,¡± Bao Qian said with a shrug. ¡°A stable and well organized investment is superior to territorial knife fighting.¡±


    ¡°I would have thought you were more the type for risky ventures,¡± Ling Qi said innocently.


    ¡°There is a difference between personal risk and that sort of thing,¡± Bao Qian clarified. ¡°It is admirable to have the right instinct for risk.¡±


    ¡°I suppose so,¡± Ling Qi allowed.


    ¡°Sis is weird about when she¡¯ll do risky things,¡± Hanyi commented idly. Ling Qi shot her a look, and Hanyi stuck out her tongue.


    ¡°Ling Qi rarely overestimates herself,¡± Li Suyin put in, giving her a tentative smile.


    Ling Qi was not so sure of that, but she was hardly going to say so. It only took one misstep for things to go awfully. She had been lucky the consequences had been so light so far.


    Sixiang whispered.


    ¡°I have been very fortunate,¡± Ling Qi said aloud, politely dismissing Li Suyin¡¯s praise. ¡°Still, I would be interested to hear more about why you regard your time in the south as a stable investment.¡±


    ¡°Duchess Cai is a very thorough woman. Some might say implacable even,¡± Bao Qian elaborated, stroking his chin. ¡°In recent decades, investment in the south of the province has only grown. New villages are seeing construction quite regularly, and if I can establish myself well, it should not be hard to make my fortune on prospecting contracts amidst the foothills of the Wall.¡±


    ¡°I had thought the Bao did not have much interest in expansion,¡± Ling Qi commented.


    ¡°Filling in what you already own is hardly expansion,¡± he shot back. ¡°We merely think it foolish to grab at more when what we already have is so sparsely used.¡±


    ¡°A fair assessment, Sir Bao. Some of our peers are a bit too bloodthirsty, I think,¡± Du Feng agreed.


    ¡°It is more a matter of glory than blood,¡± Li Suyin said quietly, the talons of her glove clicking against the arm of her charm.


    Ling Qi thought Li Suyin had the right of it. While she was hardly a master of imperial politics, even she could see that martial achievements seemed more valued than any others.


    ¡°Well, duh. Killing enemies is way cooler than digging up rocks or building stuff,¡± Hanyi said imperiously. ¡°People don¡¯t write songs about that kind of thing.¡±


    ¡°You should visit our clan hall then, young spirit,¡± Bao Qian said with a touch of amusement, ¡°and listen to a rendition of the ballad our esteemed founder composed to court the Lady of Subterranean Wonders.¡±


    ¡°Hanyi should just try to get into less trouble, instead of picking fights,¡± Gui said.


    ¡°I think both pieces of advice might be useful,¡± Ling Qi said dryly. ¡°That aside, I was more curious about your intentions toward my little brother, Bao Qian.¡±


    ¡°What phrasing,¡± he chuckled. ¡°I would think it obvious. The xuan wu of the Savage Seas are the source of the vast wealth that allows the Xuan to function as a province despite their meagre lands. The legendary xuan wu are said to emanate vitality such that the seas teem with fish, and the mere silt churned by their feet can make even the poorest soil flourish.¡±


    Ling Qi was aware of those stories - she had studied xuan wu - but she was looking for a more concrete answer. ¡°My Zhengui is not the normal sort of xuan wu though,¡± she pointed out, patting his shell. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t catch him trying to go for a swim any time soon.¡±


    she caught the whisper of Zhen¡¯s thoughts and restrained the urge to laugh. Poor Zhen.


    ¡°That hardly dampens my enthusiasm. It merely means that you have a wholly unique source of resources.¡± Bao Qian paused, holding up a hand to forestall her response. ¡°I do not mean any offense in that. Just as you might charge a great deal to perform your songs at a noble gala, so, too, could your Zhengui charge a high price merely to stomp about a barony or viscounty¡¯s fields in the fallow season or simply sell the ash he leaves behind in his wake.¡±


    She took his point well enough, and she did not allow herself to be offended this time. ¡°And you wish to get a cut of that potential wealth.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± he agreed. ¡°Though I like to think that my services as a salesman equal the value of my requested share.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed to herself. Li Suyin and Du Feng had withdrawn from the conversation for the moment, letting the two of them speak, but there was another person who should be involved here. ¡°Zhengui, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°Gui would be happy to help Big Sister,¡± the tortoise below her chirped, though his size made it more of a rumble.


    Zhen was more reserved, his tongue flicking through the air. ¡°I, Zhen, do not like making Big Sister rely on others to care for him. If I can earn my own keep, I would do so.¡±


    ¡°A dutiful fellow indeed,¡± Bao Qian chuckled. ¡°It seems you have raised him well.¡±


    ¡°I would not claim too much credit,¡± Ling Qi said distractedly, even as she communicated with Zhengui on a deeper level. She did not often think about their connection these days as Zhengui was grown enough that it felt uncomfortable to intrude on his mental privacy too much, but he was eager about the idea. He wanted to help her, wanted to contribute and not drag her down. Her little brother¡¯s pride, embodied by Zhen, was a much more fragile thing than it seemed. Absently, she reached up to rest a hand on his warm scales.


    ¡°I will speak about this with the Sect and study their observations,¡± Ling Qi finally replied. She would get the Sect¡¯s reports on the effects and potential value before making any negotiations, but she would probably go forward with a deal at some point. She did have to think of her future beyond the Sect.


    ¡°I will await your decision eagerly,¡± Bao Qian replied, offering a half bow from his seat.


    Ling Qi asked as she watched Bao Qian pivot easily into a conversation with Li Suyin and Du Feng regarding their projects. It was difficult to dislike him, but for just that reason, she found herself unable to dismiss a faint feeling of distrust and suspicion. It had ever been her experience that those who seemed the most trustworthy were often the least. On the other hand, had Cai Renxiang not proven that wrong at least in one case?


    Sixiang admitted.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t care much for that description, but she knew Sixiang had felt her desire for sincerity and frankness.


    Sixiang huffed.


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyebrow twitched violently, but she put on a smile when Li Suyin shot her a concerned look. she thought irritably.


    Sixiang replied smugly.


    She was, Ling Qi realized. It seemed that she still needed more practice when it came to this kind of thing, especially when there was no need to be. With Li Suyin and her spirits here, she was surrounded by friends and allies. She needed to act like it.


    The rest of the trip out passed without incident. Their little caravan represented enough concentrated strength that no beasts or spirits pestered them, and the conversation was pleasant enough. Li Suyin and Du Feng were both prone to rambling about their work with only a little prompting, filling silence that would otherwise be awkward. Between Du Feng¡¯s talks of cloth and cuts and designs and the increasing gleam in Hanyi¡¯s eye, she had a feeling there was going to be future trouble brewing. She had mostly avoided letting Hanyi and Xiulan interact for a reason, but a terrible seed had been planted anyway.


    At least if things went through with Zhengui, perhaps she could even afford indulging Hanyi¡¯s desires.


    The site itself was hardly impressive. Indeed, if Bao Qian had not stopped them, she would have kept right on walking without even noticing it.


    ¡°Is this really it?¡± Ling Qi asked, surveying the open, weed-filled field. She supposed the sparse trees scattered about were younger than most of the growth in this area.


    ¡°If you look closely, you can still see the contours of the manor¡¯s foundations,¡± Bao Qian replied. She followed the direction his hand was pointed in, and she did note a certain unnatural regularity in the stone.


    ¡°What is the plan now that we are here then?¡± Du Feng asked, his floating carpet slowly sinking low enough that he could swing his legs off of it and stand.


    ¡°We search out the quarry in question, and then let me get to business,¡± Bao Qian announced cheerfully. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be more than a few hours work.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I will release some scouting constructs,¡± Li Suyin mused as her skeletal porters set down her chair.


    ¡°And I can search from the air,¡± Ling Qi said. Her Curious Diviner¡¯s Eye art would help, letting her expand and enhance her field of vision.


    ¡°I will help with roots!¡± Gui announced, digging his tubby claws into the earth.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just ride with Big Sis and make sure she doesn¡¯t get into trouble,¡± Hanyi said. Ling Qi knew she just wanted an airborne piggy back ride though.


    ¡°... I suppose I shall handle refreshments then,¡± Du Feng said ruefully. ¡°I hope everyone can be satisfied with mulberry tea.¡±


    ¡°Splendid. Let us get on with it then,¡± Bao Qian chuckled. ¡°I am sure that we will be done in no time.¡±


    As Ling Qi soared into the air with Hanyi perched on her shoulders, she couldn¡¯t help but think that this wasn¡¯t so bad. While she couldn¡¯t say whether she really cared for Bao Qian or not yet, she was willing to get to know him. There was no hurry, at least in this matter, after all.

 Threads 60-Bao Qian 4

    There was no hurry in her search so when Ling Qi took to the air, she flew at a lazy pace, rising up past the tree tops with the hems of her gown gently fluttering in the wind. Soaring up into the sky, she took a moment to enjoy the feeling of the wind on her face and the sound of Hanyi¡¯s joyous laughter in her ears. The young spirit was light on her shoulders, a far cry from the immense weight she had carried the last time they had done this.


    Glancing back, she took in her companions. Li Suyin and Du Feng had produced camp chairs and other sundries from somewhere, and she could feel the heat of boiling waters. Bao Qian had gone off with his own spirit to walk around the ruined foundations. He looked up as her gaze passed over him and waved. Zhengui, on the other hand, was still, but she could feel his qi beneath the earth, spreading through the root network of the nearby trees.


    ¡°C¡¯moooon, don¡¯t stop,¡± Hanyi complained. ¡°Let¡¯s fly!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve gotten so impatient,¡± Ling Qi laughed. ¡°But fine, if that¡¯s what you want.¡±


    Yes, she should definitely take the lessons of the last few weeks to heart and simply relax. With that in mind, Ling Qi tried not to laugh out loud as she darted forward, spinning in the air and drawing a startled shriek from Hanyi. In her thoughts, Sixiang laughed enough for the both of them. Taking off into the clear blue sky, Ling Qi began her search.


    It made for a relaxing afternoon. The region they were in was thickly forested but comparatively flat, so from above the trees, it almost seemed like an unbroken carpet of greenery. Faeries of wind and water fluttered and danced through the air around her, barely visible wisps even to her sharp eyes. Below, the spirits of wood and earth lurked among the branches and leaves, following their own slow paced and inscrutable whims.


    She saw and felt the passage of many beasts below her, but none dared challenge her path. Some hid or fled from her while others ignored her entirely. Her search was entirely peaceful and almost dull, or it would have been if she were alone. Hanyi was not one to let silence linger, ironically enough.


    ¡°So, what do you think of that Bao guy, Big Sis?¡± Hanyi chirped. ¡°He seems kinda boring to me, but I think he likes you!¡±


    ¡°I would doubt the Bao clan¡¯s competence if they sent someone who couldn¡¯t give that impression,¡± Ling Qi replied dryly as they flew lazily over a babbling brook. Spotting the faintest hints of gravel and a regular path marking some remnant of civilization, Ling Qi shifted her course, following its direction.


    ¡°Ugh, you¡¯re no fun sometimes,¡± Hanyi complained. ¡°And you better not spin me again ¡®cause I said that!¡±


    Ling Qi hid her smile behind her sleeve, innocently pretending that she hadn¡¯t considered doing just that. ¡°Why so interested? Usually, I have to fight to get you to pay other people any mind.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, I¡¯m trying to follow your advice!¡± Hanyi huffed, tightly gripping Ling Qi¡¯s shoulders as she banked sharply in the air to follow the curve of the old road. ¡°I guess I¡¯m worried about you, Big Sis.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow. ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m doing fine.¡±


    Hanyi pouted back at her. ¡°Big Sis takes care of me when I get sad or worried or whatever, so I just thought that you needed someone who could do the same for you.¡±


    Sixiang mused.


    Ling Qi thought back at Sixiang. ¡°I can handle myself, Hanyi,¡± she said aloud. ¡°That¡¯s not something you need to worry about. Besides, why would you latch on to a stranger for that?¡±


    ¡°Well, he wants to marry you, right?¡± Hanyi asked innocently. ¡°He just can¡¯t say so ¡®cause of weird human things. Husbands and wives are supposed to take care of each other and make each other happy!¡±


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t even sure where to start. It made her wonder just what things had been like in Zeqing¡¯s household given what she had seen of her mentor¡¯s husband. It wasn¡¯t like she was going to bring that up to Hanyi though.


    Sixiang made a sound like a person sucking in air through their teeth in her thoughts.


    ¡°I appreciate your concern, Hanyi, but things don¡¯t quite work like that,¡± Ling Qi finally said. ¡°Bao Qian is just here to work out some business. Anything else is a consideration for a long time in the future.¡±


    ¡°If you say so,¡± Hanyi said dubiously. ¡°Big Sis is weird sometimes,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°Ah, I see something ahead!¡± Ling Qi announced, pleased to have a distraction from this uncomfortable conversation.


    Up ahead, the canopy changed. There were wide gaps, and the trees seemed to grow in an oddly regular pattern. As she grew closer, she found herself looking at a badly overgrown grid of what could only have been streets across a sprawling section of the forest. The paving stones were long gone, but she could sense the lingering qi of the builders in the dirt, suppressing the growth of plants through the packed dirt. Dotted all through the streets were deep and regular holes; she assumed they were the partially collapsed remains of cellars and such.


    Yet there were no other ruins. A deep trench ran around the site, and its nature was only made clear by a handful of foundation stones for the settlement¡¯s wall she saw scattered about. There was no other wreckage to be seen.


    ¡°This must have been the main settlement.¡± It was certainly big enough. ¡°Did all the materials get carted off though? If the Sect did that, why did we have to search?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know this one!¡± Hanyi announced excitedly. ¡°Momma told me a story once that when the big storm came north, it was so big and so strong that it sucked all the trees and little houses and walls and people right up into the sky, and it rained rocks and wood and frozen bits for a week after!¡±


    Memories bubbled up, and she recalled Elder Jiao¡¯s trial last year. She remembered ushering people away from a besieged city and the sight of a vast wind funnel descending upon the settlement. That put Hanyi¡¯s story in context. She probably should have expected something like this then given that she knew they were looking for a site destroyed during the invasion.


    Morbidly curious, Ling Qi banked in the air, flying over the ruined site. It was possible she would find another road going out to the quarry they were looking for. There was little to find however. Only the lingering work of the old settlement¡¯s road builders on the earth had kept the site recognizable as anything but an oddly pitted field. There was nothing here; the paths leaving the settlement swiftly faded beyond even her ability to perceive. Having searched the settlement thoroughly, Ling Qi rose back to a higher altitude and began to fly back. She may as well report what she had found.


    Returning to the clearing they had started in, she descended from the sky to find Li Suyin and Du Feng chatting amicably over tea and Zhengui off to one side, feasting on a fallen log.


    ¡°Big Sister!¡± Zhen greeted as he spotted her descent, drawing everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°I, Zhen, have succeeded in our task!¡±


    ¡°I did all the work,¡± Gui grumbled through a mouthful of bark and softwood. ¡°But kind, humble Gui will let bragging Zhen take credit.¡±


    It looked like her own search had been unnecessary. ¡°Good job, little brother. How did you do it?¡± Ling Qi asked as she descended.


    ¡°I, Zhen, was able to perceive the big holes that were dug by the gaps in the roots,¡± Zhen said proudly. ¡°The jewel man and his fuzzball were able to search the quarry out with Zhen¡¯s instruction.¡±


    Ling Qi rested a hand on the giant serpent¡¯s smoking scales with a sigh. ¡°Please refer to people properly, Zhengui. Still, I am proud of you.¡±


    ¡°I guess Zhengui can be useful when he¡¯s not stuffing his face,¡± Hanyi teased.


    Zhengui preened under her praise as she descended to the ground. She hadn¡¯t found anything herself, but that was fine. Her little brother needed more successes under his figurative belt. After Hanyi had hopped down from her shoulders, she accepted a cup of tea from Du Feng with a polite smile and sat down in one of the camp chairs to drink. The tea was a bit bitter for her taste, but she hardly minded.


    She spent the rest of the time chatting with Li Suyin and her friend. Teasing Suyin about her physical cultivation was fun, but the girl was working hard to prepare herself for that breakthrough as well, stockpiling medicines and getting projects into stable states. She deflected Li Suyin¡¯s questions of concern regarding her own workload. She was still doing fine and advancing acceptably.


    Du Feng¡¯s eagerness to ingratiate himself to her put her off a bit, but she found the boy sincere, if somewhat foppish. It helped that Sixiang agreed with her assessment. She wished him luck on his own breakthroughs in the coming months regardless.


    Soon enough, Bao Qian returned from his task looking pleased. It seemed that the jade quarry was in a recoverable state after all. After a bit more tea and relaxation, they were soon ready to begin heading back. However, as she began to make her way over to Zhengui to hop onto his shell, she found herself called back.


    ¡°Miss Ling, might I speak with you for a moment?¡± Bao Qian asked, standing back from the others.


    She glanced around. Suyin and Du Feng were a short distance away, packing up the camp furniture and tea set, and her own spirits, aside from Sixiang of course, were a short distance away, bickering and talking back and forth.


    Sixiaing chuckled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind, Sir Bao,¡± Ling Qi replied aloud. ¡°Is there some problem?¡±


    The young man regarded her thoughtfully, his arms crossed loosely over his broad chest. ¡°I would not necessarily call it such. However, I am told that you appreciate a certain degree of bluntness, so perhaps I should just state my thoughts.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°If that is what you wish,¡± she said noncommittally.


    He let out an amused chuckle. ¡°I find you difficult to approach. At times, you seem terribly skittish, and at other times, quite confrontational. It is a bit confusing,¡± he admitted frankly.


    ¡°Is that so,¡± Ling Qi said, keeping her expression blank.


    ¡°I won¡¯t ask you to not take offense,¡± Bao Qian continued cheerfully. ¡°My, this is an interesting challenge.¡±


    ¡°I am glad I can entertain you,¡± Ling Qi said blandly.


    ¡°Yes, I think I like your confrontational side considerably more.¡± Bao Qian offered a brief, low bow. ¡°Miss Ling, I am an ambitious man. I will be honest, matters of marriage are a distant concern. There are far too many things that I need to do yet before settling is an option, cultivation not the least of them.¡±


    ¡°I could say the same,¡± Ling Qi agreed carefully. ¡°Why, then, did you come here?¡±


    ¡°For the reasons I have stated. There is opportunity in the south, opportunity in you,¡± he replied without a hint of shame. ¡°We Bao have a nose for investments. I think you are a good ally and contact to make. You, in turn, need to expand your connections among the Emerald Seas, and there are few better than the Bao for that. Even those crotchety swamp hermits out west grudgingly deal with us.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong,¡± Ling Qi admitted, giving him an assessing look. ¡°So the marriage pursuit is just a cover?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. You are lovely, talented, and ambitious. You are a musician of unmatched skill for your age as well as a fierce and canny duelist. Let the old birds at court cluck their tongues about your origins. I am pleased by what I see.¡±


    Ling Qi stared, her thoughts briefly grinding to a halt; only a sharp prod from Sixiang got her mind moving again. ¡°And if I cannot say the same of you?¡±


    He laughed. ¡°Then I would hope that you will look into my history as I have yours in the future and pay a mind to my accomplishments in the coming years.¡±


    ¡°You are awfully confident,¡± Ling Qi said dryly.


    ¡°I am a Bao. It is in the blood,¡± he replied. ¡°But all this aside, I do hope we can work together for our mutual prosperity in the future. Even with the support of the Cai, raising a new house is difficult.¡±


    ¡°And that is what I do not understand,¡± Ling Qi said, frustrated. ¡°Many sons or no, you are the scion of a comital clan. Why put yourself in such a difficult position?¡±


    ¡°Bah, what good is inheritance alone?¡± Bao Qian dismissed. ¡°Let my brothers and sisters squabble over my father¡¯s and mother¡¯s great works. I have the blood in my veins, and the arts of our archives. My advantages are already vast; I neither want or need anything else. I will make my own fortune and my own great works.¡±


    Ling Qi met and held his gaze, searching for sincerity in his eyes. It was such a weird mindset that she had trouble grasping it. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll believe that,¡± Ling Qi said after a moment. ¡°If you just want to work together, that is fine.¡± She could think about the rest at a later date.


    ¡°That is all I ask for now,¡± he said graciously. ¡°But we should not hold up our companions any longer.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, turning away, looking to where Li Suyin and Du Feng waited. She still wasn¡¯t sure what she thought of Bao Qian, but she needed more resources. She would always need more resources if she wanted to climb to the impossible heights that people like Cai Shenhua had. Having someone around who could help her acquire them could only be helpful.

 Interlude: Outer Sect

    ¡°Your support was invaluable as always, Miss Ma.¡±


    ¡°You really are too kind, Sir Gun,¡± Ma Jun replied, twisting a strand of her hair between her fingers. Gun Jun, Lord Gan¡¯s second, was very handsome; it was difficult to look him in the eye from so close. ¡°I am but a poor replacement for Lady Ling.¡±


    Walking beside her under the dappled light that fell through the canopy of the trees, Gun Jun shook his head. ¡°You do yourself a disservice, Miss Jun. Lady Ling was admirable in many ways, but your melodies bolster a warrior''s heart like no other.¡± He turned his head to look at her, and Ma Jun felt her cheeks grow warm at the honest concern in his eyes. Dressed in robes of pale green rather than his armor, he looked very much the gentleman. ¡°You are truly well, I hope? I saw the stray bolt which reached you.¡±


    Ma Jun shook her head in denial, pulling her eyes away from his face. She fussed with her pale grey gown, feeling flustered more than ever at the plain simplicity of it. Even now, she looked like a plain provincial bumpkin. ¡°I am, Sir Gun. Please do not worry yourself. I did not neglect my defenses.¡±


    ¡°It is a bit shameful that you needed them.¡± Gun Jun seemed dissatisfied. ¡°I will do better next time.¡±


    Ma Jun looked down. ¡°I thought that Sir Gun did very well.¡±


    It had been the biggest clash that had taken place yet in the year. Resources for second year students were scarce. The sites upon the mountain were barred to them, leaving them to range further and face more challenging foes if they wished to maintain their cultivation. But Lord Gan had led them well and helped them all secure potent cultivation resources.


    Naturally, their enemies sought to take those resources for themselves. Between Lord Lu and Lord Gan, the lines of control over the cultivation sites and hunting grounds of the Outer Sect were constantly shifting.


    ¡°Now it is you who is too kind. If I had not been so impetuous, we would not have been flanked so badly,¡± he said, chuckling self-deprecatingly. ¡°It was only by the caprice of that Xiao Fen that we were able to hold the field.¡±


    Ma Jun shivered. Xiao Fen was a frightening girl and made no effort to be less frightening to her allies. She could still remember the time that she had seen the girl entering the Medicine Hall wearing a horrible, empty expression after an ambush, an arrow in her back, cuts and bruises on her face and limbs, and a spearhead in her shoulder. Her attackers had been so much worse off. Yesterday, she had come out of nowhere and blunted the attack of an entire squad of the enemy forces for long enough that Lord Gan¡¯s forces could regroup.


    Her sister was braver than her to keep approaching that girl. Honestly, how she could be friends with someone who so regularly left her with fractured bones was beyond her. But then again, Ma Lei had always been one to dive headfirst into thorns and thistles. ¡°It is good that Miss Xiao is on our side.¡±


    ¡°... Yes,¡± Gun Jun said after a moment, and an awkward silence fell, the earlier atmosphere dispelled as they both contemplated the battle. Soon, they arrived at their destination, a partial clearing in the forest where mossy stones of ancient Weilu construction poked through the earth. The potency of the qi which hung in the air spoke of the power that still dwelled here.


    As they passed through the crumbling archway that marked the entrance, Gun Jun straightened his shoulders. ¡°Nonetheless, Miss Ma, you were most impressive yesterday, keeping us bolstered long enough for Lord Gan to arrive. I cannot thank you enough.¡±


    ¡°It was only my duty, and Sir Gun¡¯s leadership was invaluable,¡± Ma Jun replied quickly, her ill thoughts blowing away under the gust that was his earnest smile. ¡°But I will accept your thanks.¡±


    ¡°Miss Ma¡¯s modesty is admirable,¡± he replied as they moved deeper into the ruined complex, seeking the pool where a spark of sunlight slept. ¡°I had heard that you were attempting a breakthrough again?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Unfortunately, I was not successful,¡± she murmured. She had tried again and again, but her only reward had been pain. It was hard not to become discouraged.


    But Ma Jun did not intend to give up. Father had worked so hard, exhausting himself to afford the Sect¡¯s tuition. Her older brother was crippled by service in their lord''s army, and her mother had never recovered fully from the red lung plague. She would break through before seventeen and receive an imperial writ. She would be able to support them.


    It was possible. Lady Ling proved that.


    ¡°I believe you will succeed.¡± She was startled out of her thoughts by the feeling of Gun Jun¡¯s larger calloused hand on her own. W-when had he stepped so close?! Ma Jun felt like her cheeks were on fire as she looked up at him. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to snatch her hand away. B-but this was definitely improper!


    ¡°I- Um, I wish you success as well, Sir Gun. I¡¯m sure you will reach the third realm,¡± Ma Jun stammered.


    He laughed. ¡°I certainly hope so. I will have to try not to disappoint you. Miss Jun¡­ No, may I call you Ma Jun?¡±


    He was still holding her hand, and it was growing increasingly difficult to speak, so she nodded dumbly.


    Gun Jun smiled. ¡°Then, Ma Jun, once our duties and cultivation are complete, would you like to-¡±


    His words were cut off as a faint whistling sound echoed through the sky, and his head jerked upward toward the sudden intruding presence. In an instant, she felt his qi rising as he interposed himself between her and the descending missile. Ma Jun hastily expressed her zither, a song rising to her lips.


    There was a thunderous boom, drowned out by an even more thunderous voice.


    ¡°Ho, comrades! I did not think you would have wandered so far afield today!¡± Lord Gan¡¯s voice echoed through the formerly silent ruin with the force of an explosion as he stepped out of the smoke that rose from his impact point.


    Ma Jun stared at him, an indefinable feeling swelling in her chest.


    Gun Jun, looking mortified, took a rapid step away from her, opening up the distance between them to something more respectable. ¡°M-my apologies, Lord Gan. It was I who invited Miss Ma out for a stroll. If I had known that we were needed, I -¡±


    Gan Guangli let out a booming laugh and waved his hand in dismissal. ¡°Nay, it is not duty which brings me here, but good news! I wanted to inform the two of you immediately!¡±


    Ma Jun felt her eyebrow twitch and her hand clench. It was definitely wrong to be angry at Lord Gan, but couldn¡¯t he have¡­ Couldn¡¯t he have waited just a few more minutes?!


    Even Gun Jun seemed a little taken aback. ¡°I see, Lord Gan. What is the news?¡±


    ¡°Thanks to my lady¡¯s support and everyone''s efforts in harvesting our holdings, I have secured the services of a professional alchemist from the Wang clan¡¯s subordinates,¡± Gan Guangli announced proudly. ¡°I know many have been suffering from breakthrough backlashes. I have commissioned a batch of easing elixirs so that your attempts and that of our other companions¡¯ will be more fruitful!¡±


    Ma Jun knew she should be overjoyed. And she was! Such a boon would greatly increase her chances.


    Yet she could not quiet her discontent and found herself standing still as Gan Guangli clapped his hand on Gun Jun¡¯s shoulder and the boys began to excitedly chat about their plans.


    ... How unfair.

 Threads 61-Dressmaker 1

    Now that she had settled into her routine, Ling Qi began each morning at her family''s home, helping her mother take the first fitful steps with a cultivation art. Following that, she lingered long enough to have breakfast with her mother and sister, though she rarely had more than a few bites. Then it was time for a spot of private cultivation working on her arts, and after, it was either off to the lessons she had earned from the Sect, cultivating her body and spirit under the watch of an elder, or off to do military exercises with Senior Brother Liao Zhu or with her whole scouting cadre under Senior Sister Guan Zhi.


    She set aside time in the evenings to keep up with her friends, whether it was taking tea with Meizhen, window shopping with Xiulan, or having a spar with Shen Hu. Then there was some time spent with Zhengui and Hanyi in relaxation and a little cultivation. Once the sun began to dip under the horizon, Ling Qi began her cultivation in earnest.


    Having reached the temporary plateau of green foundation, she finally found time to really work on her cultivation arts. Mastering Eight Phase Ceremony was a simple matter. The final phase was simply a refinement of what had come before and a final integration of its exercises into her breathing and circulation habits. With this mastery, she would now be able to begin cultivating Songseeker¡¯s Ceremony, the successor art that had been developed with the aid of the Grinning, Hidden, and Dreaming Moons.


    Argent Genesis, the Sect¡¯s cultivation art, took a little more effort. However, it was a very refined art, and she had to marvel at how easy it was to pick up. Cultivating the argent qi of the vent went simply and smoothly, and the lessons on spirit bonds contained in the art allowed her to make her connections with Zhengui, Hanyi, and Sixiang much more efficient. She swiftly mastered level after level, reaching the penultimate stage, the fifth day, of the art in only a week.


    Her other goal for the month, cultivating an art she had dug out from the archive some time ago, was helped along by her scouting duties. Given her focus on preparing for the New Year¡¯s Tournament last year and her rank challenges this year, she had neglected her more subtle abilities in favor of combat, but she was determined to change that. Ephemeral Night¡¯s Memory was not an art of incredible potency and so, she swiftly cultivated to third fading in that art, but its techniques, which allowed for the manipulation of short term memory to improve her ability to pass unseen, were a good place to start until she could begin cultivating the wind thief art she had received from the Grinning Moon. It would also help her work on her ability to avoid spiritual attacks.


    It helped that Liao Zhu praised her efforts in that direction and freely gave pointers while they were together. Apparently, he had cultivated the art himself when he was her age, though he had long since developed his own personal variant.


    As the weeks passed and the time to begin working with Cai Renxiang on planning the next gathering came, Ling Qi entered her Sect lessons only to halt in surprise at the entrance to the lesson hall.


    ¡°That will be quite enough gawking, girl. Take your seat. You are nearly late as it is,¡± Elder Jiao said dismissively, waving toward one of the empty seats in the crowded hall. Elder Jiao was seated on a hovering seat cushion behind the lecturer¡¯s podium, one leg crossed over the other. He wore bright lilac robes patterned with horribly clashing geometric patterns around the hems. He hadn¡¯t bothered with a cap, leaving his bald grey scalp bare. Below him, his shadow pooled like spilled ink.


    Ling Qi hurriedly bowed to the old man, even as she restrained the urge to furtively glance around. Her senses had grown greatly since she had seen Elder Jiao last, and now, she felt her hair prickling on the back of her neck as she felt and half-saw the eyes lurking in every shadow and patch of darkness in the chamber, watching and judging. He was doing it on purpose, of course; there was no way a cultivator of his skill couldn¡¯t hide his presence better.


    As the last few minutes of the hour ticked away, Ling Qi glanced around at the others in the room, disciples who had earned intermediate lessons all. No one seemed to know what was going on. Elder Heng was the usual teacher for these lessons. Before she could do more than consider the implications however, the door to the hall snapped shut with a bang.


    ¡°To answer the obvious question,¡± Elder Jiao began, ¡°a short time ago, Elder Heng discovered the beginnings of serious degradation in his lower dantian. He will be withdrawing from public life to make his preparations for passing on. As such, I will be handling his lessons for a time. The Sect will make the proper announcements later today.¡±


    Ling Qi stared. It wasn¡¯t like she had known the other elder well, and she was obviously aware that he was very old, but it still felt unsettling to be reminded that whatever they might call themselves, they weren¡¯t really immortal. There was a faint susurrus of sound from the rest of the class, but Elder Jiao cut it off with a flick of his sleeve. Literally. The noise ceased utterly with the motion of his hand.


    ¡°The time for paying your respects will come later. For now, we have a lesson. Today¡¯s topic is a rather important one too. Namely, we will cover the path that lies ahead of you all should you continue to walk the road of cultivation. You all stand at the third or fourth stages of the third realm. An impressive feat.¡± Elder Jiao managed to make the accomplishment sound like it wasn¡¯t impressive at all. ¡°However, you will soon reach the point where the vast majority of even those who have great talent stumble and fail, and the obstacles will only grow higher. Your breakthroughs have thus far risked pain and setbacks, but the higher realms do not exact so lowly a price. The third realm is the last which can be achieved with effort and time alone, but it still has its own tribulations.¡±


    Ling Qi thought back to her harrowing escape from her mentor¡¯s power as it went mad and turned against her will and the insight that had carried her through the trial.


    Elder Jiao let out an amused chuckle as he looked out over the sea of worried faces. ¡°Hah, I see my words bring to mind pleasant memories indeed. Whatever tribulations you have faced, they are only the beginning. You will have to learn and master the modification and creation of arts, and in doing so, you will prepare yourself to begin moving on from such crutches. To step beyond the framing stage, you will face the most lethal and difficult trial. You will forge your childish and ill formed ways into a solid core and complete the evolution of your lower dantian, which will serve to anchor your identity as you ascend the highest realms.¡± He favored them with an amused grin. ¡°And even then, many who claw their way to the peak of the third realm will fail, and in their failure, cripple their cultivation. As I previously mentioned, the higher realms are not so forgiving as the lower ones. To face your fourth realm breakthrough and the opening of your middle dantian without any but the utmost of preparations is to seek death.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced around nervously, an obvious question rising in her mind but hoping someone else would work up the nerve to interrupt. Thankfully, that was unnecessary.


    ¡°I see the question in your minds, those of you with lesser backgrounds. For the vast majority of cultivators, only the lower dantian is relevant, and so, in common parlance, the dantian is simply referred to in the singular. You, however, are among those for whom the other dantians may be relevant. The middle dantian,¡± he said, tapping a spindly finger against his chest, ¡°is opened in the fourth realm and acts as a forge to refine your qi into a purer form known as shen. You will sever your mortal vulnerabilities one by one, and their vital functions will be incorporated into the middle dantian as energy constructs referred to as pearls.¡± Elder Jiao then raised his hand, tapping once on his own forehead, directly between his eyes. ¡°There is also the upper dantian. This is almost certainly irrelevant to all of you. Only those who rise to the violet realm need concern themselves with that.¡±


    He clapped his hands. ¡°However, even the middle dantian is a distant concern to all of you. Should you rise high enough that it is a concern, you will no doubt have earned enough Sect Points to request private lessons on the matter. Today, we focus on the portion of third realm cultivation which can be taught, the customization and creation of arts. By now, you will have begun to discern the true patterns in the formations of qi which the layman refers to as techniques, and so¡­¡±


    Ling Qi leaned forward in her seat, taking in the elder¡¯s words. There was a lot she still didn¡¯t know, but that just meant that she needed to work harder. It seemed that she would soon have to start considering which of her arts she wanted to refine.


    Elder Jiao¡¯s lessons proved informative, and Ling Qi was determined to push herself as far as she could for her own sake, as well as for the sake of her family and even her liege. But she didn¡¯t want to exhaust herself too much because she was scheduled for another tour with her scouting cadre next month. As the month wound to a close, Ling Qi decided to join Bai Meizhen and Cai Renxiang for a private gathering that she had been invited to.


    ***


    Ling Qi grimaced in concentration as she wove through the storm of twisting, writhing ribbons of steel that sang through the air. Hungry strands of metal stained a deep toxic purple tore through the flickering shadow images left in her wake. With utmost care, she danced through the boiling pools that pitted the ground, bubbling not with heat but toxicity, as they devoured the earth and stone beneath her feet.


    Only her masterful skill allowed her melody to be heard over the pounding roar of the venomous rain. Despite the rain, her mist hung stubbornly in the air, thick and dark, swirling in eddies kicked up by the roaring rain. The black phantasms within howled and circled her enemy, ready to descend at her mark.


    Her opponent rose high before her, staring down imperiously from the shadows of her liquid mantle, suspended three meters in the air on coils of black water. Ling Qi faced her, flute raised, and she glowed like an emerald beacon, the full suite of techniques from Thousand Rings Fortress enough to allow her to stand tall even under the toxic rain.


    Then Meizhen¡¯s right hand twitched, and ribbons of metal screamed as they caught and deflected Ling Qi¡¯s singing blade and flung it away. At the same time, Ling Qi bent low, allowing the silvery edge of Meizhen¡¯s domain weapon to pass through the air above her with a muffled boom, carried on the leading edge of a fan of water that carved a meters-deep cut into the wall of the arena behind her, and exploded into motion, soaring over the lake that churned beneath Meizhen, growing with every drop of rain that fell.


    Through her flute, she sang, and falling curtains of rain shattered as she flew through their newly solid forms. Meizhen¡¯s free hand rose in warding as her refrain reached its crescendo, and black water froze and shattered, leaving red ice burns across her friend¡¯s palm. Slashing ribbons carved through her verdant armor in response, but Ling Qi dissolved her form before they could touch flesh, passing through the binding coils like a shadow.


    Before she could strike again, Meizhen¡¯s golden eyes flashed, and Ling Qi faltered, her concentration scattered as what felt like a titanic hammer of raw terror smashed into her. Paralyzed for a fraction of a second, she failed to raise a defense as a tail of black water smashed into her chest and sent her flying backward to crater the packed dirt of the arena floor. She grimaced as she stood, still feeling a little shaky as she shook off the pain of the metaphysical bludgeon Meizhen had smashed her over the head with.


    Sixiang muttered.


    Ling Qi chuckled as she raised her hands in surrender. There was no point in pushing further than this in a light spar, and they were short on time regardless. Despite the black clouded sky and churning mist, she could still sense the qi of the sun above. It was getting late. ¡°Let¡¯s call it here!¡± she called through the rain.


    The specter of terror and abyssal water that loomed above her paused, and the lashing metal ribbons slowed their dance. ¡°Hm, yes, it seems that we allowed ourselves to be carried away.¡± Bai Meizhen¡¯s cool voice echoed strangely from under her mantle, but a moment later, the toxic rain began to clear, and her watery coils began to dissolve, letting the pale girl drift slowly down.


    Ling Qi cut off the flow of qi to her mist as well, and the training field began to clear, a wide circle of packed earth encircled by sturdy qi-enhanced stone. Pools of sizzling poison pitted the field, and deep gouges and shattered stones marked the walls. ¡°Really, though,¡± Ling Qi huffed. ¡°Who gave you the idea to cultivate such an unfair art?¡±


    Meizhen gave her a bland look as she alighted on the surface of the largest pool, the one that formed beneath her. Her friend swiftly glided across the surface and stepped soundlessly onto the muddy earth. ¡°I could not imagine,¡± she replied serenely. ¡°An idle whim, I suppose.¡±


    Ling Qi cracked a grin and laughed. ¡°Seriously, it seems like I really can¡¯t catch up, no matter what I do.¡±


    Bai Meizhen raised her eyebrow. ¡°Ling Qi, fishing for praise does not become you. That you are keeping pace with me is absurd enough given the resources that have been made available to me.¡±


    Ling Qi stretched her arms overhead. She was fine physically, but her whole spirit felt sore after that last hit. ¡°Hah, sorry,¡± she breathed out. ¡°Should we head on to lady Cai¡¯s then?¡±


    ¡°I believe so,¡± Meizhen replied, gracefully picking her way through the ruined field. As she passed by, something caught Ling Qi¡¯s eye.


    ¡°That reminds me, why¡¯d you decide to change your hair?¡± Ling Qi asked curiously as she turned to follow her friend out. Meizhen¡¯s hair had always been very long, reaching down to her hips after the girl¡¯s third realm breakthrough, but she had worn it loose before. Now, starting at her shoulders, the girl¡¯s white locks were bound by a pale blue ribbon of silk. It was hardly the most fanciful hairstyle she had seen, but it was a change all the same from her conservative friend.


    Bai Meizhen glanced back at her as she caught up. ¡°The ribbon was a gift. It seemed wasteful not to make use of it.¡±


    ¡°Something from your family?¡± Ling Qi asked. She had noticed the faint white stitching picking out formation characters on the ribbon, so it was obviously a talisman.


    The other girl paused, but it was so brief that Ling Qi barely noticed it. ¡°No, it was from Bao Qingling. She wished to express gratitude for my collaboration on her projects.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that silk thing you were talking about,¡± Ling Qi mused. Out of the corner of her eye, she studied her friend. ¡°What does it do?¡±


    ¡°It soaks in and compresses qi circulated within my poison meridians into a more potent form. By expending the refined qi, I am able to enhance certain techniques significantly,¡± Bai Meizhen explained. ¡°It is inferior to the family artifacts which she is attempting to replicate, but the effort is impressive all the same.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt it,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you got her talking to you in the first place though. How did that happen?¡±


    Meizhen gave her a small frown as they left the training field, even as the air shimmered under the cloak of qi that kept their conversation private. ¡°I found her rather similar to you if I am to be honest. She is not unwilling to speak on technical topics, but she does not bother hiding her disinterest in less material subjects.¡±


    Ling Qi winced, not sure how she should take that. Was she really that bad?


    ¡°You¡¯re more subtle, and better at being nice about it,¡± Sixiang chuckled.


    ¡°As the muse said,¡± Bai Meizhen said with a faint twinkle of amusement in her eyes.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, go ahead and laugh it up. I¡¯ll be the life of the party before you know it,¡± Ling Qi said with an affronted sniff.


    ¡°How horrifying the prospect must be for you,¡± Bai Meizhen replied blandly. Ling Qi poked her irritably in the side and had her hand swatted away for her trouble.


    Ling Qi grumbled good naturedly as they made their way up the mountain toward Cai Renxiang¡¯s current residence. However, she wasn¡¯t done. ¡°So, are you going to keep finding reasons to meet with her?¡±


    Her friend¡¯s graceful stride paused almost imperceptibly again. ¡°If time allows, I suppose. I believe we find each other¡¯s company agreeable. Why do you ask?¡±


    Ling Qi thought about the question, trying to choose her words carefully. ¡°I know you pretty well, I think, and I¡¯m glad you¡¯re making more friends. I guess¡­¡± She trailed off, not sure how to say it. Initial incident aside, she had not handled Meizhen¡¯s interest well last year. ¡°I¡¯m just not sure what you¡¯re looking for.¡±


    ¡°I do not know myself,¡± Meizhen answered lowly. ¡°It is not exactly a subject on which I can seek help.¡±


    ¡°Nothing in the vaunted Bai archives addressing matters of the heart?¡± Ling Qi joked awkwardly, feeling a little sorry that she had pushed the conversation in this direction.


    ¡°Hmph, you joke, but the answers are not pleasing,¡± Bai Meizhen grumbled. ¡°Looking back on childhood memories with further context, I am quite sure that the most common answer is to make use of one¡¯s Xiao clan companion.¡±


    Ling Qi did her best to keep a blank expression. Things were now veering wildly out of her comfort zone. Why had she done this again?


    Sixiang offered wryly.


    ¡°Not what you¡¯re looking for, I take it,¡± Ling Qi finally noted.


    ¡°Xiao Fen¡¯s devotion is admirable, but absolutely not,¡± Meizhen agreed. ¡°I do not know what I want, but it is not that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I can¡¯t help,¡± Ling Qi apologized. ¡°So, Bao Qingling? Why her?¡±


    ¡°We share a certain interest in the less medicinal branches of alchemy, and I find her acerbic nature somewhat endearing. And, well¡­¡± Meizhen trailed off awkwardly, glancing at Ling Qi.


    Right. Apparently, tall and gangly was a type someone could have, Ling Qi thought wryly. ¡°I wish you good luck, that¡¯s for sure.¡± She just hoped Meizhen didn¡¯t get hurt again. Still, it struck her then that Bai Meizhen was swiftly becoming better at dealing with such feelings than she was. She wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that.


    ¡°Thank you, but I think one has to know the outcome they desire before one can know whether a turn of fortune is good or bad,¡± Bai Meizhen said dryly. ¡°But we are almost there, so perhaps this conversation is best set aside for now.¡±

 Threads 62 Dressmaker 2

    Soon, they arrived on Cai Renxiang¡¯s doorstep, and the door swung open on its own as they arrived. Heading inside, they followed the beacon that was the other girl¡¯s qi toward her study. Inside, Ling Qi found her liege seated not at her desk as was usual but in the more comfortable chair on the other side of the room. She was putting aside a rather thin volume bound in blue leather.


    ¡°Welcome,¡± Cai Renxiang said evenly, lowering her head slightly toward Meizhen. ¡°My apologies for my inattention.¡±


    ¡°It is no trouble,¡± Meizhen replied graciously. ¡°Although I am surprised.¡±


    ¡°Even I may become briefly distracted when immersed in a favorite,¡± Cai Renxiang said mildly. ¡°I completed my cultivation some ten minutes ahead of schedule, so it seemed an opportune moment to revisit it.¡±


    Ling Qi slid into the room behind Meizhen, offering a silent bow to her liege before they made their way out to the sitting room where three chairs were arranged in a circle. Beside each chair was an end table stocked with embroidery supplies. Ling Qi eyed the needles tentatively; she had not had cause to touch anything of the sort since her patchwork modifications to her first disciple robe. Ling Qi wanted to try immersing herself in the interests of her best friend and liege, and with both of them interested in sewing, this was probably the best point to start.


    As they took their seats, Ling Qi said, ¡°I admit, I am curious as to what sort of book could distract you so, Lady Cai. You are not much inclined to leisure.¡± She picked through the pieces that had been made available for her to embroider and was very glad that she had spent some time with Sixiang earlier to refresh her memory on how this sort of picky stitching worked.


    Sixiang laughed.


    ¡°She is not wrong,¡± Meizhen said evenly. She had selected a plain sash of dark green silk to work on and was now rifling through the colored thread.


    ¡°I have had little time, it is true,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed. Glimmering gold thread snaked into the air from the basket beside her, levitating in front of her eyes for inspection. ¡°Since I began my preparations for entering the Sect and public life, some matters have fallen by the wayside. Although I called it my favorite, in truth, this is the first time that I have had the opportunity to return to its pages in more than five years.¡±


    Ling Qi knew that Cai Renxiang was older than her by a few months, having turned sixteen in the last month, but that would mean the book she had been reading was one she had picked up at ten or eleven. If her liege was a normal girl, she would wonder what kind of storybook it was. As things were, well¡­ Ling Qi selected a dark blue hair ribbon for her project. ¡°Please, my lady, do not keep us in suspense.¡±


    Cai Renxiang arched an eyebrow at her, but no rebuke was forthcoming. It seemed that this was a private enough affair that some casual speech was acceptable. ¡°It is titled ¡®The Analects.¡¯ The text is a collection of short, anecdotal statements and exchanges between a first dynasty scholar by the name of Kung and his disciples, as well as surviving fragments from a number of other books authored by them. He was quite an insightful man in many regards. I regret that the volume is incomplete.¡±


    ¡°I feel as if I might recall the name,¡± Meizhen mused, beginning her needlework. ¡°Something to do with the early reforms of the ministry systems?¡±


    ¡°That effort was spearheaded by a student of the author¡¯s surviving disciple. The volume itself is rather obscure. My own is a mere copy of the original which Mother has in her personal library,¡± Cai Renxiang explained as her needle threaded itself.


    ¡°Why incomplete then?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine that the Duchess would stand for that.¡±


    ¡°Even my honored mother cannot pluck the lost words of dead men from ten thousand years past from the air,¡± her liege said, a very slight edge of dryness in her words. ¡°The scholar Kung was a resident of Chou county.¡±


    Meizhen winced, but her needles didn¡¯t falter. ¡°Bai Wulin¡¯s third clash with Shang Tsung, I presume?¡±


    Cai Renxiang nodded. ¡°The province was thoroughly destroyed by the clash between the honored general and the Usurper. What I have only exists because one of the disciples was away from the capital on an errand at the time.¡±


    Even Ling Qi had picked up enough history to have at least a vague idea what they were talking about. The First Dynasty had ended in a civil war between branches of the Imperial house, resulting in the destruction of many archives and libraries. The Shang, as the usurpers had called themselves, had been bent on destroying pre-Imperial and early Imperial works.


    Sixiang suggested as Ling Qi picked through the threads.


    ¡°So, what is the book about?¡± Ling Qi asked as she took Sixiang¡¯s advice, adding the spool to the colors she had picked out. Now, she just needed a pattern.


    ¡°The scholar muses on the foundational elements of society and governance and how they arise from the vagaries of interpersonal relationships,¡± Cai Renxiang answered. Already, the shapes of golden and black butterfly wings were taking shape on the silk in her hands. ¡°I find that I have a new perspective on things with this reading and that I had ignored some insights to my detriment during my time at the Sect thus far.¡±


    Ling Qi would hope so; the text didn¡¯t sound like the sort of thing a ten year old was really equipped to parse, no matter how prodigious. She was not going to say so though.


    ¡°I believe you have done better in your tasks than could have been reasonably expected given the chaotic elements at play,¡± Meizhen noted. ¡°It is good to be critical of oneself, but only to a point.¡±


    Cai Renxiang absently acknowledged the words, and Ling Qi got the feeling that Meizhen had said as much before. ¡°I disagree, of course. My failures arose from inflexibility, presumption, and compromise of my ideals. As the Scholar Kung said, ¡®One who has committed a mistake and does not correct it is committing another mistake.¡¯¡±


    ¡°A fine statement indeed,¡± Meizhen replied blandly. ¡°Learn from the past certainly, but keep your eyes forward lest the future plant a knife in your back. The past is inviolate. You cannot change it, only act on things as they are.¡±


    ¡°You speak as if I am a madwoman, ready to destroy myself in battling the flow of time and not one merely engaging in self reflection,¡± Cai Renxiang said with faint exasperation.


    ¡°You have corrected your errors in perspective and reflected quite enough. I merely worry that you will mire yourself in such musing and become your own obstacle,¡± Meizhen shot back.


    Ling Qi watched the two girls speak; the dynamic was different than she expected. It was strange. Her liege seemed more¡­ personable with Meizhen. Some old ember of jealousy flared in her heart, but for who or for what, she wasn¡¯t sure.


    ¡°While I can¡¯t speak for my lady, I have found some success in self-reflection,¡± Ling Qi offered.


    ¡°Grudgingly,¡± Sixiang added in amusement. ¡°And with much prodding.¡±


    ¡°And I will not gainsay the value of that,¡± Meizhen said with a huff. Glittering silver threads had begun to create an intricate geometric pattern on the silk in her hands. ¡°We, the Bai, are engaged in such matters ourselves at the moment.¡±


    ¡°The branch clans are continuing to be troublesome?¡± Cai Renxiang asked carefully.


    ¡°The Violet Corals have been convinced to accept infrastructure funding to expand their coastal holdings, but the Blue Cobra and Yellow Boa remain aligned with other members of the family. That is not to speak of the troubles the Green Asp are making regarding the recent border incident. Many of the Bai are not taking the opening of borders and the exchanges with Emerald Seas well.¡±


    ¡°Worrying. The Meng and some elements of the Diao have been making dissatisfied noises as well, according to the reports mother allows me. Of course, Minister Diao will not allow too much defiance from within her clan, but the Meng are a concern,¡± Cai Renxiang said. She then looked to Ling Qi. ¡°How have your meetings with the Bao gone?¡±


    ¡°We have not discussed politics much,¡± Ling Qi admitted, noting the interested look she received from Meizhen as well. She glanced down at her work to buy a moment to compose her reply, noting with some frustration how clumsy her own project looked compared to theirs. The snowflake pattern that she was working at was good for mortal work, but it seemed dull compared to the shifting pattern Meizhen was working on or the seeming living butterflies that fluttered across the pale blue cloth of Cai Renxiang''s piece. ¡°We spent most of the time discussing financial matters. Bao Qian seems like a talented young man; it does not seem like a wholly idle offer from the Bao.¡±


    Meizhen hummed, giving her a suspicious look. Of course her friend would detect her mixed feelings on the matter. ¡°Miss Bao seems to believe that her brother is serious about the matter,¡± she said.


    ¡°A hopeful sign. The true intentions of the Bao clan can be somewhat difficult to pin down. They were among the last of the counts to give open support to mother against the Hui, but they were among the most enthusiastic in the aftermath.¡± Cai Renxiang shook her head. ¡°That reminds me of the matter which led to my invitation however, Ling Qi. You require further outfitting.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, not quite sure what to make of that. ¡°I beg your pardon, Lady Cai?¡±


    She caught the faintest touch of a smirk on Bai Meizhen¡¯s lips. ¡°I believe what Cai Renxiang wishes to say,¡± she interjected smoothly, ¡°is that it is past time for you to acquire further accessories.¡±


    ¡°I approve of your desire to remain at top battle potential at all times,¡± her liege continued seriously. ¡°However, it is possible to retain your potency while not presenting too stagnant an image.¡±


    Sixiang started giggling, the traitor. ¡°... I see. Might I ask what your plans are, my lady?¡±


    ¡°I have scheduled an appointment with Lin Hai, the man who designed your gown in its original state,¡± Cai Renxiang explained crisply. ¡°The three of us will proceed to his workshop on the last day of the month. I wish you to be equipped before your next assignment.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned. Her next scouting assignment would see her detached with a small group to defend an outlying mining village in Sect territory, so she would be away for some time, but she did not see what the hurry was. Unless¡­


    Meizhen chuckled, and even Cai Renxiang looked briefly amused. ¡°Yes, we will be acquiring more than just mundane accessories. We both require improved talismans. Mother has given me a small dispensation for that purpose.¡±


    ¡°And in a gesture of trust, Aunt Suzhen has agreed to fund a commission from an Emerald Seas master,¡± Bai Meizhen added. ¡°So I am not merely along to prevent you from doing something silly.¡±


    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± Ling Qi asked, giving her friend an aggrieved look.


    ¡°The last time you commissioned talismans for yourself, one of them was that silly hairpiece that spat blinding dust,¡± her friend said with a sniff. ¡°I will see you becoming dignified, even if I must hold your hand the entire way.¡±


    ¡°That aside,¡± Cai Renxiang said, cutting off any further squabbling, ¡°consider what kind of piece you wish for over the next few days. There are many options. While Lin Hai is not my mother, able to spin a peerless blade from thread, he is nonetheless not limited to wholly cloth goods.¡±


    Ling Qi shot Bai Meizhen a slightly sour look, but her friend did not look apologetic at all. ¡°Of course, Lady Cai. Thank you for your invitation.¡±

 Threads 63-Dressmaker 3

    Ling Qi looked down at their destination, tucked away at the end of a winding river valley. Trees grew thickly at the riverside, and the branches hung heavy with cocoons. The silken wrappings were a riot of colors and glittered like jewels under the morning sun. Some were tiny, barely the length of a finger, while others were large enough to hold a small child. In the dark shadows of thick canopy, she heard the susurrus of thousands of wings and spied the movement of many fuzzy insect bodies.


    Yet even more than the cocoon forest, the building at the end of the valley consumed her attention. She could think of only one thing to say.


    ¡°It¡¯s very bright,¡± Ling Qi said, something between wonder and trepidation in her tone.


    ¡°Mother¡¯s apprentices are all somewhat eccentric,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed, peering down at the sprawling, blazingly bright pagoda complex.


    Ling Qi supposed she was being unfair. It wasn¡¯t the sort of eye-searing monstrosity that Elder Jiao presented himself with. The pagoda was like a sunrise rendered into architecture, bands of vibrant color that seemed to shift every time she moved her eyes. Roof tiles shone like mirrors, and burning braziers hung from the eaves, crackling with pinkish white and pale orange flames.


    ¡°The Dawn isn¡¯t the worst, so far as sun spirits go, but ugh, that¡¯s a lot of solar qi,¡± Sixiang grumbled.


    ¡°Mm, while it is not for me, there is nothing inherently wrong with brighter colors,¡± Meizhen mused, standing beside them with her hands tucked into her sleeves. ¡°The Coral Serpent families cultivate their towers and temples in a similar fashion.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced at Meizhen, trying to picture a Bai dressed in bright and gaudy colors. She failed. ¡°Should we head down? We have an appointment.¡±


    ¡°Quite right,¡± Cai Renxiang said briskly. ¡°Sir Lin is quite busy. Let us not be rude by making him wait.¡±


    They descended the stairs carved into the hillside and found the path leading toward Lin Hai¡¯s workshop. Paved with white stone, it stood out sharply in the darkness beneath the trees. That darkness, Ling Qi noted, was artificial given the dense dark qi infused into the leaves, causing them to cast wider and darker shadows. It seemed to be for the benefit of the multitude of moths that flew and nested above their heads. Like the cocoons, they came in a myriad of colors, sizes, and shapes.


    In the end, she put them out of her mind. The spirit beasts were happy to mind their own business, and she was happy enough to mind hers.


    Sixiang chuckled.


    Ling Qi kept her eyebrows from twitching and ignored Sixiang as they left the shadow of the trees and stepped onto the stone path that wound through the colorful gardens that surrounded the main building. As her eyes roamed up the stairs which lead onto the wide veranda surrounding the main building, she almost startled as she met a pair of bright green eyes.


    There, lounging on the railing, was a beautiful woman with long golden hair and fair features wearing a scandalous, pale rose gown that left her shoulders bare and displayed a near indecent part of her generous chest. The hem of the gown barely fell past her knees and rode almost halfway up her thigh thanks to the position she was seated in. Ling Qi barely had time to take the sight of her in, along with the unsettling fact that she had not felt her presence at all, before the woman vanished in a flash of light, leaving a fox with pale golden fur and five tails to leap down from the railing and then trot off into the interior of the pagoda.


    ¡°That is Sir Lin¡¯s spirit companion,¡± Cai Renxiang said from beside her. ¡°She is likely going ahead to announce us and rouse him from his labors.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ling Qi replied automatically. In retrospect, it was pretty obvious.


    ¡°He should teach his spirits to appear more appropriately in their human shapes,¡± Meizhen said with a sniff.


    As they mounted the stairs, Cai Renxiang said, ¡°Worry not. Although Sir Lin has extravagant tastes in his personal appearance, he remains a master of more traditional fashions.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced down at her dress, which was apparently the man¡¯s work. She supposed that he must be given the style of her own dress.


    Sixiang chuckled.


    Ling Qi kept her peace as they entered the pagoda proper and came to a comfortably appointed waiting room lined with lavish couches and hanging planters full of colorful flowers. A closed set of sliding doors awaited on the far side of the room. When she stepped through, a pace behind the others, she glanced back to see the doors swinging silently shut behind them. Yet the room did not grow dark. The paper lantern hanging from the ceiling, painted with images of the dawn on all four sides, managed to cast enough light that it still felt like they were standing outside.


    Ling Qi had just turned to look at Cai Renxiang, opening her mouth to ask if they should take their seats when the faint rattle of sliding doors cut off her words. Across the room, the doors slid apart, and dark purple mist billowed out, crawling along the floor and rising in churning strands of fog. Then lights, a beam of solar radiance that shot from the lantern overhead only to split into four smaller beams, carved a channel through the mist for the figure that emerged.


    Tall and thin as a willow whip, the man that strutted from the mist had features far more fine and delicate than even most women. His long black hair was like silk, and faded to a dark purple color in the ringlets that reached his bare shoulders. He wore a billowing, open-chested violet top with a thick layer of feathery material around the low cut, partially concealing his shoulders and chest. Ling Qi felt herself flush darkly as her gaze slipped down, and she immediately fixed her eyes on his face rather than the skin-hugging black silk pants he was wearing.


    Even then, she couldn¡¯t help but notice further details like the hint of color on his lips or the thickness of his eyelashes. If she had just looked at his face in isolation, she would have been almost sure that it was the face of a woman. As she contemplated that, the lights swung back in to illuminate him then exploded into motes of light, scattering the purple mist and leaving only a few streamers curling around his sleek boots.


    ¡°Lady Ren!¡± greeted Lin Hai. The man stood with one hand on his hip and the other cupping his chin. A golden jeweled claw that encased his pointer finger rose to tap against his cheek. ¡°How was the entrance? I believe I have improved since last time.¡±


    ¡°It was very impressive,¡± her liege replied. ¡°A very controlled display.¡±


    ¡°Of course that is the part you would compliment,¡± the man said ruefully. ¡°Still, I was not wholly certain how much your companions would be able to handle.¡± The strangely dressed man before her rippled then, space seeming to stretch and warp for a bare instant as she glimpsed his unrestrained qi, vast and placid. Sights and sounds and smells crawled along the edge of her senses, a decadent riot, an endless festival of sensation just out of reach. Then it was gone, and only the man remained.


    ¡°You are preparing to take the next step then?¡± Cai Renxiang asked. ¡°Mother will be pleased.¡±


    ¡°I will not boast until my first star has bloomed and my elder¡¯s seal has been received,¡± the peak fifth realm cultivator replied easily. It was interesting he had not already been chosen to be an elder. Normally just being a fifth realm was enough.¡°But enough of myself. I see you have brought two of my children back to see me, and their owners, too, at that. My apologies, young ladies, but might I have your names?¡±


    ¡°I am Bai Meizhen,¡± her friend greeted first with a shallow bow appropriate to greeting an unrelated senior. ¡°Thank you for the work you have already provided.¡±


    Ling Qi bowed a little deeper as one would to a clear superior. ¡°Sir Lin, it is an honor to meet you. I am Ling Qi. Your work has been invaluable to me.¡±


    ¡°It was a pleasure to do a favor for Lady Ren,¡± Lin Hai said, abandoning his pose to stroll toward them. ¡°And a wonderful challenge to create something appropriate with such limited materials. That it brought the Young Miss to my doorstep was a welcome bonus.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced toward Cai Renxiang, whose expression was a touch wooden by her judgement. ¡°Your encouragement toward irresponsibility is noted, Sir Lin, and also dismissed, as always,¡± she said.


    ¡°Ah, it seems I have earned a rebuke, although yours are not so sharp as Master¡¯s just yet, Lady Ren,¡± the odd man chuckled, and filtered through Sixiang¡¯s perceptions, she thought that she caught a fleeting hint of melancholy from him. It was gone before her muse could so much as articulate the feeling, but it left Ling Qi to wonder at the history implied there.


    Lin Hai clapped his hands then, and any hint that he was less than boisterous and cheerful vanished. ¡°So, let us inspect how my children have fared over the last year,¡± he announced brightly. He stepped toward Bai Meizhen, who looked up at him with a staid expression.


    ¡°You will find no fault with my maintenance, Sir Lin,¡± her friend said evenly, managing to look up at the taller man without craning her neck.


    ¡°Of course not, Miss Bai,¡± he dismissed, inspecting her carefully. He flicked his golden clawed finger at the air above her shoulder, and shimmering spectral threads rose, dancing around the man¡¯s fingers. ¡°However, the impression of this child¡¯s experiences will allow me to determine the best way to improve upon the original weave.¡±


    ¡°Are our gowns alive already then?¡± Ling Qi asked tentatively, thinking back to what her gown had done in the dream and a few other moments of odd reactions from it.


    ¡°That is a more difficult question than you might think, young lady,¡± Lin Hai said, not looking up from the complex weave that had formed over her friend¡¯s shoulder. ¡°There are many degrees of life, you will find, but in the traditional sense, no. I am not my master; such craft is beyond me for the moment. That said, their potential lies closer to the surface than most.¡± He flicked his fingers again, and the spectral threads dissolved. ¡°You are a redoubtable young woman indeed, Miss Bai. It seems this child is a good match. I know just the materials to use for your improvements and custom pieces.¡±


    He turned to Ling Qi and repeated the motion with his fingers. This time, the threads he drew from her shoulder sparked and snapped like oil from the pan as they wrapped around his fingers. Lin Hai¡¯s eyebrows climbed to his hairline. ¡°I see you have met my master as well,¡± he said. ¡°Lady Ren?¡±


    ¡°She is a direct retainer of the Cai. Mother granted me certain dispensations,¡± Cai Renxiang answered carefully. Bai Meizhen glanced at Ling Qi with pursed lips but did not ask the obvious question.


    Ling Qi remembered the thread of Liming she had accepted when she pledged to Cai Renxiang and looked down at her gown uncomfortably.


    ¡°Well, Master does as Master wills,¡± Lin Hai said cheerfully, peering down with narrowed eyes at the incomprehensible pattern of sparking and snapping threads that curled around his fingers. ¡°So I am afraid that I will not be able to improve on your gown directly, Miss Ling. This girl has a seed of self, and I will not alter that. But my, what a jealous daughter. I shall have to be careful in fixing your accessories so that she does not take offense.¡±


    ¡°Why do you refer to my gown as a ¡®she¡¯ if it is not alive yet?¡± Ling Qi asked, plucking at her sleeve. She sensed no spirit in the threads, but she wasn¡¯t going to say that the gown¡¯s maker was wrong.


    ¡°Because she is a girl, of course,¡± Lin Hai said in amusement. ¡°Miss Bai¡¯s gown is not quite so far along just yet.¡±


    ¡°I should certainly hope that my gown does not develop into a man,¡± Bai Meizhen said with a voice as dry as a desert.


    ¡°Unlikely as it is, I will not preclude the possibility,¡± Lin Hai shot back, his painted lips curving slightly up. ¡°It would not do to confuse the poor dear before it is even developed enough for there to be a difference. It is not my way - nor my master¡¯s way - to repeat the mistakes of nature in our work.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyebrows drew together in confusion. She glanced at Cai Renxiang, who merely shook her head. Some kind of private matter then?


    ¡°Very well,¡± Bai Meizhen said after a moment, though her tone was dubious. ¡°I suppose it is not an important matter for the moment.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Proud as I am of my work, without my master¡¯s touch, it will still be some decades yet,¡± Lin Hai said agreeably, stepping away. ¡°Let us away to my boutique then, and we can begin laying out your options.¡±


    The three of them followed Lin Hai back through the doors from which he emerged, entering a long hallway. Many rooms opened off of it, some closed and some open. It reminded her of Zeqing¡¯s home in the way things seemed to move in the corner of her eye and the strangely stretched feeling of the space within. Several times in the side rooms where vast looms and collections of tailor¡¯s tools spun and cut and stitched, she thought she spotted the fox woman again, doing various tasks. Or perhaps there were several similar looking spirits. It was difficult to tell.


    Sixiang murmured. The muse did not seem so much wary as deeply curious and a bit on edge. Ling Qi could understand. It felt uncomfortably warm in Lin Hai¡¯s residence, thanks to the solar qi suffusing the air. She supposed the feeling was just her preference; neither Meizhen or Cai Renxiang showed any signs of discomfort.


    Soon, they came to a room filled with a riot of color. Gowns and robes and cloaks hung like a glittering jungle from displays all around, and shoes and slippers and boots of every make lined shelves around the show floor.


    ¡°And here we are. Let us begin your consultations,¡± Lin Hai said airily. The odd man snapped his fingers, and his outline wavered like the reflection in a disturbed lake. In the next moment, there were three of him, one facing each of them.


    Bai Meizhen glanced her way. ¡°I would prefer to be able to give and receive some advice from my companions,¡± she said.


    ¡°Of course, young miss,¡± Lin Hai said, speaking from three mouths. ¡°I know how much fun it is for young ladies to critique and advise one another. However, I need to determine your individual tastes before I can present the best options.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Meizhen acceded after a moment and nodded to Cai Renxiang and Ling Qi. ¡°I will see you in a moment then.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Cai Renxiang said gravely, turning toward the section of the display where the more metallically-textured pieces hung.


    ¡°See you both,¡± Ling Qi added, nerves causing her to slip in her diction. However, her concern was swiftly assuaged as one of the Lin Hai led her away. They were not leaving the room. Both of her friends were still in sight, although the sounds of their conversations with their own images were muted to her ears.


    ¡°I am glad that Lady Ren¡¯s description of you was so exacting. Darker hues most definitely fit you,¡± Lin Hai commented as he led her into a forest of dark cloth and silk. ¡°Now, I have heard of your troubles. What sort of image is it that you wish to present?¡±


    ¡°I had thought that you would be the one to tell me that,¡± Ling Qi replied wryly. ¡°I¡¯ve been told that my taste is somewhat lacking.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, nonsense.¡± The core disciple made a dismissive flick of his fingers. ¡°Oh, I can certainly advise you on trends - court fashion is trending toward lighter garb and away from the swimming in silk look popular under His Honored Highness An, and that is in no small part thanks to my master - but my role is ultimately to guide my clients to a destination that they choose. Sometimes, that means guiding my clients to whatever fashion will give them an advantage in the game of court, but¡­¡± He paused, meeting her eyes with a thin smile on his painted lips. ¡°You do not seem like the sort for masks and self-deception. The Argent Mirror is a little troublesome like that.¡±


    Ling Qi flicked her eyes away from his. Well, this was someone on the cusp of becoming an elder in the Argent Sect. ¡°I am not sure of what image I wish to present, to be honest. This gown¡­ I love it,¡± she admitted. ¡°It¡¯s the nicest thing I have ever owned, and it reminds me that I am not weak anymore, that I don¡¯t have to be. I don¡¯t want to cause trouble for Lady Cai though, and wearing the same thing all the time apparently does that.¡±


    Lin Hai gave a wry chuckle. ¡°I cannot say that I am displeased to hear a child of mine so cherished. However, yes, society does not much smile on wearing the same clothes every day.¡± He let out a curious hum and reached over, plucking at the hem of her cloak. Ling Qi felt it waver and shift. The heavy mantle changed, transforming from a heavy mantle to a light half cloak of deep violet, and then with another pluck, silk writhed like a serpent, transforming into a sky blue ribbon of silk that wound around her shoulders, floating softly in the air.


    Her eyes widened. ¡°I didn¡¯t know it could do that.¡± Ling Qi knew she could make the mantle appear and disappear at will, but she didn¡¯t know it could change like that.


    ¡°¡®She,¡¯ darling,¡± Lin Hai corrected absently, brushing the tip of his golden claw across the silk. The pattern on the silk changed, transforming from a plain blue to a complex pattern that looked like moving, falling snowflakes. ¡°The mantle was always made to change, but Master¡¯s enhancement gave her far more versatility. Hm, yes, I think what you need are merely options. Alternate panels and layers, a few more pairs of shoes, perhaps some lace inserts for your sleeves. Your hair would complement gemstones well, so perhaps something could be done with that.¡±


    Ling Qi remained silent as the craftsman spoke to himself. ¡°I do not think I should like anything too bright,¡± she said, avoiding the use of the word ¡®gaudy.¡¯ Across the room, she saw Meizhen inspecting a long and winding cloth, similar to the one her mantle had currently become.


    ¡°Of course not. Silver is your color, perhaps with ground onyx or jet, some dark amethyst, or some paler blues if we wanted a bit of brightness.¡± Lin Hai hummed. ¡°Before I think further on the matter, what sort of talisman do you think you are looking for today?¡±


    Ling Qi was glad to return to something she had more confidence in. She had discussed the matter with Meizhen after the embroidery session, and the girl had sold her on the idea of hand jewelry, the little arrangement of bracelets and rings connected by chains or charms that she had seen some people wearing now and then. It was something that originated in the Thousand Lakes apparently, popular among the more daring sort of Bai ladies. She glanced at Lin Hai¡¯s own golden claw; she didn¡¯t want something that ostentatious though.


    ¡°I was thinking of some kind of hand jewelry, maybe with moon imagery. I use many sustained constructs and techniques in combat, so I need something that will help defend me from an enemy¡¯s efforts to dispel them.¡±


    ¡°Been sparring with the Young Miss quite a bit, I see,¡± Lin Hai chuckled.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ling Qi admitted.


    ¡°I believe it should not be difficult to whip up something of the sort,¡± Lin Hai said, gesturing idly toward a display case which held a plethora of gleaming jewelry. Rings and bracelets and charms rose into the air like a glittering school of fish and swam through the air toward them. ¡°That does bring me to the other matter. What do you think of Lady Ren, Miss Ling?¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, then blinked again, glancing across the room to where Cai Renxiang stood stiffly, discussing something with another Lin Hai. As she watched, the copy struck another pose as a winding belt of thick gold links slithered off of a display shelf to circle around him. ¡°I am not sure what you mean, Sir Lin,¡± she replied.


    ¡°I mean what I said. Lady Ren is dear to me, but I cannot say that the feeling is mutual,¡± he said with a sad smile. ¡°I am glad to see that she has finally made a true friend in your other companion, but in the end, you are the one who will be standing by her side.¡±


    Ling Qi restrained herself from looking around nervously. She was reminded that this man was an apprentice of Cai Shenhua. Was this some kind of test? ¡°I am glad to serve Lady Cai. She has been very generous to me.¡±


    ¡°Not precisely what I mean.¡± Lin Hai struck a thoughtful pose, cupping his chin with his clawed hand. ¡°Let me share a secret then, so that you might share yours.¡± He leaned in, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial tone. ¡°It was I who was charged with Lady Ren¡¯s safety as an infant, and I who fended off those who sought to extinguish the Cai in the crib. I watched her first steps and her first words, and I watched as my master, great though she is, erred terribly in introducing that bright girl into her presence for the first time at such a young age when she could not hope to withstand her mother¡¯s attention and inspection.¡±


    The man¡¯s cheerful and irreverent tone had faded very quickly, becoming quite grim by the end. Ling Qi only felt her nerves grow; she remembered the terrible radiance of the Duchess¡¯ gaze and the weight of her presence. Something like that wasn¡¯t something she wanted to know.


    ¡°Young lady, my master knows my thoughts quite well,¡± Lin Hai reassured her. ¡°It is not as if I could keep them from her. My master is merciless, but it is not dissent that she punishes. So, understand, when I ask you what you think of Lady Ren, it is as a fond uncle whose niece no longer trusts him for his part in certain events.¡±


    Ling Qi calmed herself, forcing herself to forget the Duchess for the moment. This was not the time for courtly prevarication. ¡°She is someone who I trust, and I believe in the path she wants to walk,¡± she answered after a long pause. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to approach her any further though.¡±


    ¡°Understandable,¡± Lin Hai sighed, absently gesturing to the swarm of jewelry swimming overhead. Three silvery reflective discs darted out to circle around his fingers. ¡°Still, I must ask you, please try. Whatever she might say of herself, she remains a girl like any other. The damage is done, but it is not something which Master can fix.¡±


    Ling Qi remembered the fear she had sensed from her liege when her mother had announced that they would be spending the evening together. ¡°You make it sound like she wants to fix it,¡± Ling Qi said warily.


    Lin Hai paused in his inspection of the discs. ¡°Perhaps. Master does not know regret in the way that you or I might. She does not and cannot hold back; her nature does not allow it. And so, a child has the full weight of her expectations carved into her bones before she can even comprehend such concepts fully. But Master does recognize the need for support: Diao Linqin, Wang Jun, Jia Hong. Without them, Master could not have accomplished her coup.¡±


    ¡°Then why the impossible tasks?¡± Ling Qi asked in frustration, thinking of her own concerns over Sect rank and Gan Guangli¡¯s seemingly untenable task.


    ¡°Because mediocrity cannot be abided,¡± Lin Hai answered. ¡°Master does not seek to hurt, but she will do so without hesitation if she judges it to be beneficial.¡±


    ¡°How do you speak so fondly of her then?¡± Ling Qi asked, troubled.


    ¡°There is no grand reason,¡± he said self-deprecatingly. ¡°Only that, without her, I would still be a sullen and mediocre lady of the court amounting to nothing. It is quite a selfish reason, but as you said of Lady Ren¡­ I believe in her.¡±


    Ling Qi lapsed into silence as his attention turned back to making her talisman. She glanced over to Cai Renxiang once again and thought on Lin Hai¡¯s request.

 Threads 64-Foreshock 1

    ¡°To think, you finally choose to change your style, and I am left out of it,¡± Xiulan said, aggrieved. ¡°Ling Qi, am I truly so poor a friend that you would not even ask my advice?¡±


    Ling Qi rolled her eyes at Xiulan¡¯s dramatics. ¡°And I told you that it was something that got sprung on me suddenly. Who am I to refuse the advice of an apprentice to the Duchess?¡±


    ¡°You could have at least angled to get me an invitation, you terrible girl,¡± Xiulan grumbled, looking over to study her. ¡°I suppose I cannot argue with results.¡±


    Ling Qi shifted under her attention. She still felt odd about changing her looks on the regular since she was worried about messing it up. Since they were heading out into the wilderness and the weather was cooling, she had gone for an ¡®autumn-winter¡¯ look, not that she had more than a basic understanding of what that meant.


    Her winged mantle had been traded for a thicker cloak that covered her shoulders and chest and hung down almost to her feet with a high fur-trimmed collar that brushed her chin. She had switched out the front panel of her gown for one showing falling snowflakes that seemed to move as the cloth shifted. A few of the underlayers of silk had been switched out for thicker cloth, lending the gown a bit more ¡®weight,¡¯ and the hems had been drawn in and a trim of dark purple fur had been added. She liked the sleek, black calfskin boots that she had picked out, even if she was less fond of the fact that they were visible beneath the raised hems.


    On her left hand, she wore the Three Moon¡¯s Chime talisman that Lin Hai had made. The hand jewelry consisted of a silver ring and a silver wristband with butterflies and songbirds etched into it in powdered ruby. The two were connected by fine chainlinks with three charms carved from colored jade representing the Grinning, Hidden, and Dreaming Moons attached to them. Tiny bells hung from the links between the moons, letting off a pleasing chime if Ling Qi did not want them to be silent. As befit a talisman created by a master, it even had an active technique that would allow her to absorb hostile dispel techniques.


    ¡°I assure you, next time that I am going to be poked and prodded and measured for hours, I will be sure that you get an invitation,¡± Ling Qi replied dryly.


    ¡°Be sure that you do,¡± her friend said imperiously, the gravel of the road crunching under the soles of her own boots. She gave Ling Qi another assessing look. ¡°Really, I do think you chose well though. It is not my style, but that sort of cut suits you.¡±


    LIng Qi reached up, tentatively brushing her fingers through her hair. Lin Hai had convinced her to lighten up on the straightening elixirs. Her increasingly long hair was now bundled at the base of her neck, leaving a tail of wavy locks reaching almost the middle of her back. The whole thing was held together with a silver butterfly pin in deference to her liege. She still wasn¡¯t sure if she liked it or not.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said. ¡°I see you¡¯ve been experimenting yourself.¡± Her friend¡¯s glossy hair had been woven through a complex golden hairpiece made to look like a rising sun with rays that radiated out, supporting the bundle of hair behind it. The girl had also been working some dark red highlights in, but whether that was an effect of cultivation or dye, Ling Qi did not know.


    ¡°Ah, do you like it?¡± Xiulan asked, tilting her head to let the piece catch the sunlight and gleam. ¡°I am considering commissioning a talisman, but I wished to wear a piece of similar make before I invested.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very mature,¡± Ling Qi said with a slight smile.


    Xiulan made a face at her. ¡°Ugh, must you put it like that?¡±


    ¡°It does seem like something your mother might wear,¡± Ling Qi teased. In her thoughts, she felt Sixiang¡¯s amusement.


    Hanyi muttered mutinously.


    ¡°And what is wrong with that? Mother is the peak of fashion,¡± Xiulan boasted. ¡°I can hardly go wrong in emulating her.¡±


    Ling Qi did not think Ai Xiaoli was the sort of woman to be caught outside in less than three dozen layers of silk, let alone something like the mere three-layered light yellow gown Xiulan was wearing with its scandalously bare shoulders and hems that came down only to the calf.


    ¡°I hate to interrupt, but I can see the walls.¡± The third of their number, previously silent as he walked a few paces ahead of them, spoke up. Shen Hu had not changed much over the last half year, except that he had unfortunately taken to wearing a loose shirt of dark green silk.


    Ling Qi was gaining on them in cultivation - and noticeably so. Xiulan had just reached the appraisal stage, and even Shen Hu had only recently reached full foundation cultivation despite starting the year a full stage ahead. It couldn¡¯t be helped. ¡°We¡¯re still pretty early. Should we have a look around the town then?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I doubt there is much to see,¡± Xiulan replied, giving the low stone walls ahead a faintly disdainful look. ¡°But I suppose it is not a bad way to spend an hour or so. Will you escort us then, Sir Shen?¡± she asked sweetly.


    ¡°I suppose,¡± the older boy said, his hands held together casually behind his head. It seemed that over the course of the last few months, he had become inured to Xiulan.


    Ling Qi glanced over as a disgruntled look passed over Xiulan¡¯s expression. She had a feeling that she had missed something. Sparring and shopping was all well and good, but she recognized the signs of mounting frustration in her friend; it looked like they needed another girl¡¯s night sometime in the near future.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s have a look around then,¡± she said brightly before the silence could grow awkward.


    Ling Qi had done her research before this mission. While her Senior Brother Liao Zhu would still be on the mission as well, he would not be there to mind her as he had done in the previous scouting exercise. After completing the last lesson in the previous month, she, now in her seventh month in the Inner Sect, was a provisional officer of the Sect¡¯s scouting division. She did not want to fail or do poorly now.


    The region they were deployed to, a hilly scrubland rich in mineral wealth, was a few days east of White Cloud Mountain at a first realm¡¯s pace. The town they were approaching was the region¡¯s center, a township of a little over two thousand people laid out behind neat square walls and sectioned into districts. The smoke and heat of smelters clouded the air here as raw ore was turned into bars to be shipped out to larger settlements, and heavily laden wagons full of blocks of quarried marble, granite, and jade moved slowly through the wide streets.


    At the north end of the city was a well kept market district where traders from outside the province came to purchase raw goods in exchange for foodstuffs, worked goods, and luxuries. At the city¡¯s very center lay its Immortal district, kept clear of smoke by formations set into the inner marble walls. It was the luxurious barracks there that she and the others were bound for.


    The town had very few cultivator residents. There was a Sect Overseer which the mortal governor and ministers answered to, a man at the fifth stage of the third realm, and a bare handful of early third realm officers in the hundred and fifty strong permanent garrison of first and second realm soldiers.


    ¡°How very rustic,¡± Gu Xiulan said dryly as she strode through the inner gates, paying no mind to the first realm soldiers manning it. She did not acknowledge the bowing men as she strutted past, once again in the full flower of her confidence. ¡°Still, it could be worse.¡±


    Ling Qi favored the guards with an apologetic smile as she swept past, but it didn¡¯t seem to comfort them. ¡°Perhaps for you. I don¡¯t really care for the soot in the air,¡± she said wryly as they left the gates behind. It wasn¡¯t too bad - a handful of formation markers kept the worst of it from settling in the streets - but Ling Qi had grown used to the clear, crisp air of the Sect¡¯s mountains.


    ¡°Breathing in a few sparks now and then is good for your character,¡± Gu Xiulan jested.


    ¡°It reminds me a bit of the charcoal makers at home,¡± Shen Hu commented. ¡°Smells bad though.¡±


    ¡°Your family makes charcoal? What for?¡± Ling Qi asked. She would think fuel like that would be unnecessary for most things.


    ¡°Something about transferring properties to the metals,¡± Shen Hu said. ¡°Sorry, my older brother and sister know more about that kind of thing. Don¡¯t really have the head for crafting.¡±


    ¡°It has its uses,¡± Xiulan said imperiously, not looking over at the boy. ¡°Of course, the deathstone quarried from the outskirts of the Grave is superior.¡±


    ¡°Sure is, probably,¡± Shen Hu agreed with an uncaring shrug.


    Xiulan made an irritated noise in the back of her throat. ¡°In any case, it seems we must part ways here. Good luck, Ling Qi. Perhaps we might find ourselves assigned to the same hamlet sometime during the week.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Ling Qi replied, dipping her head first toward Xiulan and then Shen Hu. ¡°Try not to burn down anything we want to keep though.¡±


    ¡°Just try not to frighten any peasants to death, you wraith,¡± Xiulan shot back with a smirk.


    Shen Hu gave them both mildly concerned looks and shook his head. Sometimes, Ling Qi thought, he just didn¡¯t seem to get jokes. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s raiding season. Keep your eyes open.¡±


    Ling Qi left the two of them to enter the barracks and turned down the street herself, heading toward the smaller office where the scouts would be meeting. Passing swiftly down the mostly empty street of the government quarter, the elegant single story building with a peaked roof soon came into sight. Ling Qi recognized it from the description she had been given.


    However, as she approached, she slowed down, first feeling and then sighting an unignorable presence. Slowing and then stopping in the tile-paved courtyard outside of the building, Ling Qi bowed. ¡°Senior Sect Sister Guan.¡±


    The young woman cocked an eyebrow at her, not uncrossing her arms. ¡°Commander is more appropriate when we are on duty, Officer Ling.¡± The tall young woman dressed lightly, wearing only a sleeveless jacket of grey padded cloth and similarly colored pants tucked into thick mountaineer¡¯s boots. Formation-inscribed bandages covered her hands and forearms, but she wore no other accessories.


    ¡°My apologies, Commander Guan.¡± Ling Qi held in a grimace at her mistake. She had spent so much time dealing with nobility that it had pushed some of her military lessons out of her head.


    ¡°We are not on the field just yet, so I will forgive the slip. Seeing that you recently visited Senior Brother Lin, I can forgive some slippage in discipline,¡± Guan Zhi said evenly.


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Is it that obvious?¡± she asked, glancing down at herself.


    ¡°The only thing that flies faster than the barbarians are rumors,¡± her commander said dryly. ¡°In any case, come along, officer. You are the last to arrive, and I must brief you all and decide upon assignments.¡±


    Hanyi complained.


    Ling Qi hurried to follow Guan Zhi as she turned and stepped toward the door, glancing over at the young woman. She assumed she was young anyway. It occurred to her that she had no idea how old Guan Zhi was. ¡°May I ask a question of you, Commander?¡±


    ¡°You may,¡± the girl replied tersely as she led her inside past rooms populated by first realm cultivators, cartographers and messengers going about their tasks and crafts.


    ¡°What should I expect from raiders?¡± Ling Qi asked with a touch of nerves. ¡°I have read reports and such, but my home city is far into the interior.¡±


    Guan Zhi looked her way, assessing Ling Qi. ¡°Young men out to prove themselves warriors by looting and killing,¡± she answered. ¡°The typical raid is a quick affair, a half dozen or so low ranking cultivators swooping down to smash homes, destabilize quarries or mines, and steal livestock and metals. It is unusual for them to stand and fight, and a show of force will typically scare them off immediately. However, sometimes this is only a feint to draw glory hungry soldiers into chasing them.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded in understanding.


    ¡°However,¡± Guan Zhi continued sharply. ¡°Recently, things have grown more dangerous, but I will get to that in the briefing.¡±


    Ling Qi dipped her head in acknowledgment as they reached a closed door. She could sense the other presences inside and was a little surprised by what she felt. Stepping into the room behind Guan Zhi, she found not only Liao Zhu, who was seated in a meditative pose against the far wall, but also two other faces she recognized among the handful of other third realm disciples in the room.


    Alingge and Sha Feng both nodded amicably to her as she took her seat beside them, and Guan Zhi moved to the front of the room to stand behind the speaker¡¯s podium. Liao Zhu stood smoothly as she took her position, stepping into a deferential position behind her.


    ¡°The region you all have been assigned contains three major landmarks and five settlements,¡± Guan Zhi began without preamble. Her voice was crisp and clear. ¡°For the next week, the safety of its inhabitants will be in the hands of you and your counterparts. While this is normally not a terribly arduous task, a number of factors lead the Sect to believe that trouble may arise. Firstly, tribesmen have been spotted in greater numbers than is normal throughout the year, and this has not tapered off. Secondly, a new mine and its attendant village is currently under construction and development, meaning that there is a gap in our defenses and potential for trouble with the spirits of the mountain. It is suspected that the barbarians may strike there specifically as records indicate that some local tribes once used it as a site for certain rites.¡±


    Ling Qi listened closely as her commander began to lay out the situation. The region to the south of this town contained two major peaks comparable to White Cloud Mountain. The first, Cyan Peak, lay just a half dozen kilometers south and east and was the site of two well established quarrying villages that harvested the rare sky jade which composed much of the mountain. Further out from that was a stretch of hills with a single major river flowing through where two additional villages lay, farming the fertile valley to provide crops for the rest of the region. Furthest south was Icebreaker Peak, a tall and forbidding spike of a mountain that rose high to pierce the clouds.


    Icebreaker Peak was the site of the new village on a location discovered to hold iron as well as higher grade metals and seams of diamond. There had already been troubles from the spirits there as the mine shaft had been dug. Liao Zhu would be assigned there to ensure that the completion of the mine went smoothly. Guan Zhi herself intended to range out into the outskirts of the Wall itself to keep a watchful eye on known Cloud Tribe gathering places and sky routes.


    ¡°This leaves the matters of the villages themselves. Each region will require a scouting division complement. I will also require a squad to act as rangers and messengers, remaining on the move between all points to maintain communications between myself and the captain here,¡± Guan Zhi concluded. ¡°I would hear your suggestions now regarding where you believe you will be best deployed.¡±


    Ling Qi thought about the potential posts. The villages on Cyan Peak seemed as if they would be the safest. From the description, they were relatively well fortified already, which meant they might not need her.


    No, one of the other positions would suit her better.


    The valley villages were more sprawling and less well defended by nature, but she was fast, and her arts could cover a great deal of ground. Plus, it might benefit Zhengui to be in a position to defend something. On the other hand, being in the messenger cadre would make the best use of her mobility, and she could even use the techniques she had studied in the Curious Diviner¡¯s Eye art to help facilitate communication. It might be a better use of her talents.


    As others began to speak, Ling Qi decided where she and her spirits would do best.

 Bonus: Snake and Spider 2

    The training field was unrecognizable.


    It had begun as an artificial cavern with a high ceiling and uneven scalloped floor, full of columns and other stone growths to obstruct combatants. Now, sizzling acid pooled in the pockmarked floor, and glittering crystalline webbing had consumed the ceiling. Hanging prismatic sheets and nets obscured above, and rising clouds of toxic mist mingled with dissolved minerals below.


    Bai Meizhen advanced, liquid coils noiselessly parting the acidic pool below. In her hand, the ribbons of her blade shifted restlessly, filling the cavern with their metallic hiss.


    She was having fun.


    Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the quiver of a crystal thread, and a twitch of her hand had ribbon blades lashing out to intercept the gleaming silver needles which erupted through the pouring acid rain. The high ring of metal on metal sounded, and needles scattered, burning finger-thick holes through already pockmarked stone columns to impact the walls. Her tail lashed out and smashed apart the figure dangling from the threads. Another decoy, already falling apart into shredded webbing. Where¡­?


    Bai Meizhen raised her empty left hand and caught the tines of Bao Qingling¡¯s tigerclaw blades on her forearm. The force of the blow sent a ripple through her mantle, and the sizzling liquid pool beneath exploded backward at the sudden pressure, cracking the stone beneath. For a single moment, she met the girl¡¯s dark eyes as her arm trembled with the effort of holding back the girl¡¯s superior strength.


    Bao Qingling parted her lips and spat a glimmering needle of black jade. Bai Meizhen jerked her head to the side as the jet black missile cut through her mantle and scored her cheek. Pain spread from the wound, burning hot.


    How fast did her heart beat.


    With a skirling cry, ribbons lashed out, and Bao Qingling danced backward, balanced upon a nigh invisible thread, her arms blurring as she batted away the reaching blades of venomous steel. Though Bai Meizhen¡¯s burning rain fell upon her, it affected her no more than mundane water, weighing her heavy clothing and soaking her hair. Yet the envenomed silk drank in the harmful properties of the rain, growing all the stronger for it.


    It seemed that her companion''s project truly was a success.


    Bai Meizhen smiled, and a thunderclap split the air as her flying sword shot from the shadows, trailing rings of broken air. Bao Qingling let out a frustrated hiss through her teeth as she fell to the side, clinging to her thread by the bottom of her feet, wet hair dangling down as she scurried backward. Prismatic light gleamed, and the other girl vanished, reappearing crouched upon a thread further into the cavern.


    Meizhen had long since given up on severing them all. The twin needles of carved red jade which were Bao Qingling¡¯s own domain weapon spun them faster than they could be destroyed, and the weapons themselves were indestructible at her current strength.


    Bai Meizhen advanced. Threads snapped beneath the bulk of her coils, and a score of arrays spun in thread flared, raining down silvery needles. The air howled as her ribbon blades batted them away by the dozen. More still impacted her mantle in clouds of sizzling spray and steam. Half a score, she caught and flung away, their venom doing little more than making her skin itch.


    The rain ended, and she stood tall. Such was the way of a Bai, implacable, unmoved, imperious.


    But Bao Qingling was gone again, vanishing back into her nest of webs.


    Bai Meizhen advanced. With confirmation that her venomous rain would avail her not, she pulled back on the qi invested, and burning clouds and sizzling liquid alike spiraled down to shroud her ribbon blades. Flicking her wrist, meters-long lashes carved their way through the cavern, ripping trenches in stone and snapping threads.


    Bai Meizhen peered into the nest of snapped and ruined webbing. There, a decoy, and there, another, and there¡­ Bai Meizhen shrouded herself in a sphere of black water as crystal spikes erupted from the ground, blooming fractally with hundreds of spikes. Her tail lashed out, shattering them and launching her forward to where Bao Qingling even now crouched, ready against the far wall.


    Bai Meizhen¡¯s smile grew. She wanted to clash again, to feel Bao Qingling''s breath on her face, to¡­


    She felt a pressure and then a snap. At her waist, the torn ends of a single invisible thread curled away, crumbling into nothing. All around her, explosive arrays woven from crystal thread flared.


    ... Perhaps she had been a touch arrogant.


    ***?


    The cavern rocked with the roar of the explosion.


    Let it not be said that the Bao clan library was useless to her. Millenia of experience in mining had led to a library of some of the most advanced blasting formations in the Empire. Some would call it crude, but to Bao Qingling, transforming the chaotic undirected power of an explosion into something shaped and controlled could only be called art.


    She smiled thinly as she felt the ripple of surprise pass through the other girl¡¯s qi. For any other disciple two steps beneath her, Eight Mantle Piercer charges would have been wasteful and excessive.


    However, she was facing a Bai. To hold back was to lose.


    Bai Qingling clung to her thread as the rush of waste heat flash-dried her clothing and hair and vaporized more than two-thirds of her web. She felt the rush of air rising from the molten stone of the crater, twelve meters square exactly, carved by the blast.


    Force gathered in her legs, earthen qi resonating through her remaining threads. Stone splintered and then crumbled to powder as she launched herself down into the cloud of scalding steam. A mass of pale white waited for her there, ragged tatters of water qi, cool even now, clinging to her frame. The Bai was nearly unharmed by the blast itself, as expected given previous observations. The hairs on the back of her neck rose as the ribbons shifted, and crystal threads erupted from her clawed gloves, shielding her with crystal silk. It wouldn¡¯t last more than a single blow, but it didn¡¯t need to.


    The points of her claws impacted Bai Meizhen¡¯s throat in a spray of water, and the force of her charge slammed the girl backwards. Into the side of the crater she flew, and molten rock splashed outward, the solid stone behind that cracking as well, and only then did her foe let out a gasp of pain.


    Bao Qingling felt her blades prick flesh. She twisted her wrist, letting her hand impart the rest of the force. Her feet finally touched the ground, and she loomed over the other girl, breathing heavily. This close, she could see Bai Meizhen clearly, even with her reduced acuity. Droplets of burning stone clung to Bai Meizhen¡¯s gown and hair, sizzling faintly. She, too, was breathing heavily, her golden eyes wide.


    Bao Qingling could feel her heartbeat. It was irregular. For a moment, concern that she had done serious harm skittered across her thoughts. No, she recalled, the oddity was just the three-chambered heart of a true blooded Bai in action. Bai Meizhen was fine. She had mild burns, a constricted and bruised windpipe, low blood toxicity, abrasions, and depleted qi; only light rest would be required.


    The pale girl¡¯s lips parted. It was strangely fascinating. ¡°I yield.¡±


    Bao Qingling blinked and then stiffened, pulling her face away from Bai Meizhen¡¯s. Irritating. She was not a child to get lost on the roads of thought. She withdrew her hand from Bai Meizhen¡¯s throat and straightened up, stepping back. ¡°Accepted,¡± she said crisply.


    The girl grimaced, prying herself out of the drying crater of liquid stone with a grimace. ¡°Your project has been a complete success, it seems. My congratulations.¡±


    Bao Qingling fingered the silken sleeve of her tunic. It had held up remarkably well, and the processed threads fed into her domain weapon even more so. Their resilience against toxins and corrosive qi was impressive. ¡°Offensive use still requires testing.¡±


    ¡°Of course, but for that, you shall need other subjects,¡± Bai Meizhen said, brushing fingers through her own hair. ¡°My own advantages would rather ruin the experiment.¡±


    She would have to test this on beasts, or perhaps, she would have to offer Sect Points to an Outer Sect student. She would decide on that later.


    Bao Qingling regarded Bai Meizhen silently, noting the discomfort radiating through her aura. ¡°There are solutions for the removal of dried stone from hair. I have no objections to lending you a vial.¡±


    ¡°Are there? It is not something which has come up before,¡± Bai Meizhen said. ¡°I would be thankful.¡±


    Bao Qingling nodded sharply, turning to head for the exit. ¡°It is useful. I keep it with my hygiene items, so we will need to return to my workshop. Unless you wish me to bring it to you.¡±


    She still did not understand Bai Meizhen. The Bai scion¡¯s actions remained confusing, and her goals mysterious. Bai¡¯s assistance had shaved months off of her project however, and at this point, Bao Qingling no longer begrudged the girl for the favor she would no doubt ask in the future.


    ¡°I do not mind being your guest, if you will have me,¡± Bai Meizhen said serenely. Her heartbeat was still a touch faster than mere exertion would indicate. It was not in line with her normal pattern either. ¡°Although, perhaps¡­¡±


    Bao Qingling turned her head to ¡°look¡± at Bai Meizhen. Uncertainty. That was unusual for her. Was that favor coming more quickly than she had thought? What could she possibly intend to ask that she was uncertain of? Bao Qingling felt cold.


    ¡°Would you care to come out with me for a tea after we have cleaned up?¡± Bai Meizhen asked, cutting off her thoughts at the root.


    Bao Qingling nearly missed a step. Nonsensical. Completely nonsensical. She suspected the other girl was deliberately sowing confusion. She could not, even with the most robust of mental contortions, call that a favor. Even then, she was not going to be so rude as to refuse. ¡°... Acceptable.¡±


    Bai Meizhen was pleased at the answer. However, as they stepped through the partially melted entrance of the training ground, Bao Qingling was not. How could she be pleased when the assistance given to her was being valued so lowly?


    ¡°After, I would have you look through my project pieces. I will customize one for you,¡± Bao Qingling said shortly, deliberately looking ahead.


    ¡°You need not -¡± Bai Meizhen began.


    ¡°I want to,¡± she interrupted. Doing less was unacceptable. She did not accept charity.


    ¡°... Very well. I am sure it will be lovely,¡± Bai Meizhen said serenely. She seemed terribly pleased with herself. A deliberate manipulation?


    Bao Qingling could not quite bring herself to care.

 Threads 65-Foreshock 2

    ¡°I believe I could serve best in the defense of the river valley,¡± Ling Qi said as her turn to speak came around. ¡°Given the wide area of effect which my arts have and my mobility, I will be able to effectively screen the outskirts of the valley for threats, and my spirits are more effective on the defense.¡±


    She spoke as confidently as she could manage and felt a twinge of relief as Guan Zhi nodded once in agreement. ¡°I find your assessment sound enough. Your post will be the southmost village then, Officer Ling. You will have a squad of six under your command in the region.¡±


    Ling Qi stepped back, bowing in acceptance as others stepped up to make their cases. She did not know the other two commanders assigned to the village region, a pair of young men at the appraisal stage of the third realm. They were both older than her, but not excessively so. Her acquaintances from the Luo party ended up in different roles. Alingge was assigned as one of the two disciples serving directly under Guan Zhi while Sha Feng was assigned to the messenger cadre.


    Once everyone had their assignments, they were dismissed to receive their dossiers on their subordinates and assigned regions from the Sect office. From there, they were off, separating into their regional groups. With a bit of quiet urging from Sixiang, Ling Qi made an effort to be sociable and learned the names of the two who would be in charge of the other villages. Wei Ping and Song Li were both sons of baronial families in their early twenties. They seemed confident and professional enough at first impression.


    The journey south took them through thickly wooded hills, following a winding gravel road that threaded between the verdant hills. Though the distance would probably take a day or two for lower realms or mortals, for third realm cultivators, it was a matter of hours.


    Soon, the river valley opened up before their eyes. The river wound like an azure ribbon down from the sky-blocking mountains of the Wall, and in the great cleft that it had carved in the land, people thrived. All along the length of the valley were fields and rice paddies, ordered shapes standing in contrast to the wilder regions around. Little houses and structures were scattered throughout the valley with humble homes of wood and rough quarried stone standing beside great carven totems that radiated qi, keeping the dangers of the woods at bay.


    The villages themselves were tiny things, gatherings of a few dozen structures set on relative high ground to protect them from the river¡¯s flooding. Each was home to no more than a couple hundred people with half again that number scattered through the farm houses and fields in their surroundings. Ling Qi bid farewell to her fellow disciples as they passed first village, and then the next, until she was alone, proceeding toward the final, most southerly of trio.


    The last village was nestled along the river, straddling a stony ford where the river ran shallow. In the distance, she could see the faint silhouette of Icebreaker Peak, named for the way it broke the cold winds blowing north on its flank. The slopes of the valley were wide and gentle as the river bent east. Here, she met the scouts who would be under her command, a pair of second realm veterans and four first realm recruits drawn from the region. If she were honest with herself, she still felt uncomfortable with the overawed deference of the first realms; the professional manner of the veterans was much more agreeable.


    Once the pleasantries were out of the way, she spent a short time listening to reports on recent issues that had cropped up at the outskirts of the village: a few hungry wolves, some blockages in the river, and a minor disease spirit found festering in a marshy stretch of river. All of the issues had been taken care of in the last day or two, save for the disease spirit, but such a thing would be easily dealt with by a cultivator of her calibre.


    Once she had confirmed their patrol routes, a formality considering that the routes were set by the regional commander, Ling Qi set off to do just that, in the brief window of time before she was due to meet with the main force officer, who had not yet arrived. As she suspected, handling the disease spirit was not a difficult task. Between Zhengui¡¯s vital presence flushing the creature out and Ling Qi¡¯s own Hoarfrost Refrain technique, the minor spirit was quickly destroyed. Upon returning to the village, Ling Qi found herself surprised once more.


    ¡°So diligent,¡± Gu Xiulan said with a smirk as she greeted her on the path outside the village. ¡°Going out to perform your duties before I even had a chance to arrive.¡±


    ¡°There is no point in wasting time,¡± Ling Qi retorted. ¡°I admit, I was not expecting to see you assigned here. I thought you would want a more forward position.¡±


    Xiulan¡¯s smirk faded at Ling Qi¡¯s observation, and she let out a frustrated huff. ¡°Yes, well, it was determined that my qi would be too disruptive to the spirits of Icebreaker Peak, and I was hardly going to accept a soft assignment at the other mountain. At least I will see some action here.¡±


    While Ling Qi didn¡¯t disagree with her conclusion, she did give her friend a worried look. While she would not have thought to question it before, her recent experience with that Bai and the bandits had changed her view on just how difficult real battle could be in comparison to the structured duels in the Sect. ¡°I am glad to have you. Do you think you¡¯re prepared for a real battle though?¡± Ling Qi asked in a low voice, relying on Sixiang to keep their conversation discreet.


    ¡°Of course I am.¡± Her friend gave her a genuinely hurt look, and Ling Qi regretted her question. ¡°Hmph, I will forgive you, if only because I know your sincerity.¡±


    Ling Qi smiled sheepishly. ¡°Sorry, sorry, I guess I was just thinking of how things were for me.¡±


    ¡°I said I forgave you,¡± Xiulan sniffed. ¡°In any case, I suppose I will see you around. I will ensure that there is tea out when you come to give me your reports.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to it,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°I am glad to have someone reliable at my back.¡±


    ¡°Obviously,¡± her friend smirked. ¡°Now, off with you. I must make sure the rabble I have been assigned is in good discipline.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded to her friend as they parted ways, turning back to head for the scouting outpost that served as her command center. However, before she arrived and began to plan how she would handle things in the coming days, she had something more personal to attend to. Finding a lightly wooded and unsettled copse along the rim of the valley, Ling Qi let her spirits out of her dantian.


    ¡°Ugh, finally,¡± Hanyi said, stretching her arms overhead. ¡°Riding around all day is so boring.¡±


    ¡°Hanyi should complain less,¡± Gui said sleepily as he got his legs under him, rising to tower over the rest of them.


    ¡°Easy for you to say,¡± the young ice spirit sniffed. ¡°You just sleep, you big lummox. Well, we did get to have some fun and get a little snack.¡±


    ¡°Mph, bad taste,¡± Zhen grumbled with none of his usual affected pomp or dignity.


    Ling Qi thought back to the thoroughly churned up marsh and Hanyi happily consuming the qi and heat of diseased animals until they were no more than inert lumps of frozen meat. At least Hanyi¡¯s method was less messy than Zhengui¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can find you something good in the future,¡± she said, reaching up to rest her hand on Zhengui¡¯s shell. ¡°For now, is everyone feeling alright?¡±


    ¡°Worrywort,¡± Sixiang laughed on the wind. ¡°Like any of us are going to get sick from a little baby spirit like that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, auntie is right for once,¡± Hanyi said. ¡°Big Sis worries too much.¡±


    ¡°Brat,¡± Sixiang grumbled, though Ling Qi could tell that the spirit was only pretending to be annoyed by the new nickname Hanyi had started to use for them.


    ¡°Gui definitely feels good,¡± her little brother rumbled cheerfully.


    ¡°Yes, weak little sick demon cannot infect I, Zhen,¡± his other half agreed.


    ¡°Right,¡± Ling Qi shook her head. ¡°Anyway, we need to talk. I am going to need everyone¡¯s help to make sure this goes well. That means certain people need to behave.¡± She added the last with a sharp look to Hanyi. The young ice spirit returned her gaze with the most innocent expression that she could muster. If Ling Qi had not known her, she might even have bought it.


    ¡°Yes! I will keep all the bad people and beasts away from the nice humans!¡± Gui¡¯s emphatic declaration caused her to break her staring contest with Hanyi, who herself gave Zhengui an outraged look.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t asleep at all!¡± she complained.


    ¡°Not the whole time,¡± Zhen admitted. ¡°But we must pay attention to Big Sister.¡±


    Sixiang snorted in amusement, their words echoing in and with Ling Qi¡¯s own thoughts.


    ¡°That is the general idea, yes,¡± Ling Qi said, ignoring the whole aside for the moment. ¡°But Zhengui, you will have to be careful. If you don¡¯t watch your steps, you could damage the farms and then the people won¡¯t have food.¡±


    ¡°Gui will be careful,¡± her little brother agreed swiftly.


    She studied him for a moment. As with her outing with Bao Qian, Zhengui was eager, almost painfully so. She was glad that she had chosen a role that would give him something concrete to do. ¡°Good, because I am going to trust you to do something on your own. Zhengui, while we are out here, I want you to walk around the edge of the farmland. You have to keep anything bad away.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, a trivial task,¡± Zhen preened.


    ¡°But don¡¯t be afraid to signal me,¡± she admonished before he could brag too much. ¡°Like we practised, alright?¡±


    While his accuracy with his molten missiles was still a little lacking at distance, the flare of qi was a powerful and noticeable one, especially in the cool, wet environment of the river valley. She reminded herself to discuss the signal with Xiulan when they took tea this evening.


    ¡°What¡¯ll I be doing?¡± Hanyi asked curiously. ¡°Am I gonna go with the big doof to keep him out of trouble?¡±


    Ling Qi gave Hanyi a look. While she trusted Hanyi when it counted, she did not trust that the young spirit would not get distracted and end up playing tricks and pranks if left to her own devices. ¡°You are going to stay with me. You¡¯re going to be my messenger,¡± she said sweetly. She knew Hanyi well enough that locating the spirit with her divination technique was easy. Using Hanyi, she could quickly pass messages over a pretty wide area.


    Though she knew it was not a new concept given the Ministry of Communications¡¯ existence, she was rather proud of having found a good use for something as simple as the Initiate¡¯s Viewing Pool technique. She would have to adjust the relay points for her subordinates to take it into account.


    So, with her plans in mind, Ling Qi set about establishing her command¡¯s deployment. After some deliberation, she assigned one of the two veterans under her command to deal with putting together the reports and such at the command center while she took over the man¡¯s own routes. She kept in contact with headquarters via the Viewing Pool technique and used Hanyi to stay in regular contact with the other scouts.


    Every time her routes took her back near the village, she would look in on Zhengui. Her little brother seemed to be enjoying himself stomping around the edge of the valley, and Zhen in particular preened under the awed attention of the farmers who spied him. It probably didn¡¯t help that after the first day, people were leaving out small offerings for him.


    In the evenings, she would listen to the reports of the man she had put in charge of assembling reports, read through his work, and head into the village to share information with Xiulan before beginning her night route. Things very swiftly began to fall into a routine.


    That was not to say that there were not moments of excitement. On the second day, a trio of glider-mounted tribesmen had appeared below the cloudline en route to one of the outlying farmhouses, but a molten shot fired from Zhengui had scattered them, and they fled back above the clouds. Here and there, some beast or spirit would slither through the patrols and make trouble.


    However, on the fourth day, something unusual happened. As Ling Qi flowed through the trees like a shadow, alternatively flying or springing weightlessly from branch to branch, the earth shook. It lasted only a moment, and it was not strong, only a momentary tremble that set the trees swaying and the qi of the earth stirring chaotically. It seemed to come from the south, but worrying as it was, a quick check in with the outpost showed nothing immediately amiss, and so Ling Qi continued her path.


    However, soon after, she paused when she felt a familiar presence coming from the south. Sure enough, Sha Feng, the young man she had hunted the mirage lion with, came bounding and gliding over the treetops, a pair of brightly painted silk fans in his hands. Though the fans did not let him fly, the wind gusts they made certainly made his jumps count.


    She waited as their eyes met, and he bounded down, landing atop a branch within shouting distance. ¡°Lady Ling,¡± he greeted in a hurried tone. ¡°I have been charged with informing the officers that a troublesome occurrence has happened on Icebreaker Peak. A deadly spirit has been awakened. Lieutenant Liao and the other officers are currently engaging it, but they believe it will take some time to subdue.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes widened marginally. A spirit that Senior Brother Liao could not immediately subdue must be very dangerous. ¡°I hear you, Sect Brother,¡± she said formally. ¡°Do we need to send aid?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°No, but know that reinforcements from the mountain will be unavailable, and prepare your command for the land to be stirred up in the south. Please excuse me, Miss Ling. I must continue spreading the message.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded sharply, and he was off again. At her side, Hanyi gave her a curious look.


    ¡°Are you worried about the mask guy?¡± Hanyi asked her guilelessly.


    Ling Qi shook her head but did drop down from the branches, heading for a nearby pond. ¡°Sect Brother Liao will be fine, but I have a bad feeling. Let¡¯s return to the outpost and make sure everyone knows.¡±


    A short time later, she arrived to find the outpost quite lively. Messenger cranes fluttered in and out of the entrance at a furious pace. When she stepped inside, she arrived to see the soldier she had left at the command center looking harried as he scribbled out another message on formation paper.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am.¡± He stood up and bowed as she stepped in. There was a touch of relief on the middle-aged man¡¯s features. ¡°I am glad my message reached you. There is a situation. One of the outriders in the northwestern village spotted several tribesmen with bonded mounts below the cloudline to our west. Shortly thereafter, the northeastern village reported something similar. They are requesting support.¡±


    Bonded mounts meant that they were at least second realm, Ling Qi thought. ¡°Unfortunately, I did not receive your message. I returned because a messenger informed me that the spirits of the land are likely to become agitated due to a battle on Icebreaker Peak,¡± she said.


    The veteran scout looked like he had bitten into something sour, and it was only his discipline that kept him from swearing. ¡°Reinforcements will be out of the question then, ma¡¯am?¡±


    ¡°None from the south,¡± she agreed with a nod. Looking out through the south-facing window, she could see the claw-like shadow of the mountain. As she did, another tremor ran through the ground.

 Threads 66-Foreshock 3

    Ling Qi flew, clouds streaking by overhead and the earth blurring away beneath. The wind did not touch her, did not tug at her hair or snap the hems of her gown, and the fur-lined cloak that hung about her shoulders did not so much as ripple in the breeze. She flew in utter silence, a streak of grey and black across the sky, no more than a passing shadow.


    Where her passage was silent and tranquil though, her thoughts churned. Despite her sureness that this was the right decision, doubt gnawed at her. Faced with potential barbarian raids to the north and spirit attacks from the south, she had judged the potential barbarian raids a greater threat. She had checked the wards on the village herself and had left her command and Zhengui behind, alerted to the danger and instructed to cooperate with Xiulan, while she abused her greater mobility to assist the other two villages in the river valley.


    Yet how could she do anything but trust them? She could not be everywhere, could not clutch everything close and never let go. That was the lesson she had learned from Zeqing. She could not let fear command her responses. That was the lesson she had learned from the dream. So Ling Qi flew on and fixed Zhengui¡¯s determination and Xiulan¡¯s confidence in her thoughts.


    Sixiang chuckled, the muse¡¯s voice a tickling whisper in her ear. ¡°It¡¯s not like you left them behind to face an army.¡±


    ¡°You know as well as I do that something is wrong here,¡± Ling Qi murmured back. She faced ahead, silver light flickering in the whites of her eyes as she scanned the rushing landscape and the churning clouds. The sky was beginning to darken, a harbinger of rain, but whether it was natural or barbarian sorcery, Ling Qi could not say. ¡°The timing of barbarians being spotted at just the right time...¡±


    ¡°You''re not wrong,¡± Sixiang murmured, but Ling Qi appreciated the attempt at comfort all the same.


    Hanyi said arrogantly from within her dantian.


    Ling Qi smiled wanly at the young spirit¡¯s vote of confidence but spoke no more. She could see the lines of the second village on the horizon, as well as the smoke rising in tiny plumes and the dots swooping through the sky. She could not yet pick out the details, but violence was in the air. She could sense the qi of her peers and the barbarians. As she had guessed, it was no mere rabble of second realms; there were three - no, four - third realms or higher presences, the last lurking up in the clouds, muted and almost hidden from her senses.


    As she flew toward the battle, Ling Qi¡¯s gaze flashed over the burning thatch, set alight by lightning strikes, the paddies churned by panicked flight and conflict, and the first and second realm soldiers running to and fro, battling the rain of arrows that fell from the sky, giving mortals time to flee. In the distance, she sensed one of her peers, clashing with a barbarian of equal stature, and on the road, her senses brushed over a familiar presence.


    Shen Hu stood in the middle of the road that wound through the fields, an open tunnel yawning from the earth behind him. People fled inside, men and women, young and old, some carrying children or precious belongings. In a circle stretching around him for hundreds of meters around, stones and pebbles rose in their thousands, reshaped into shielding hands, open palms that darted through the air, batting away the arrows that fell upon fleeing civilians. Above him, the rude slab of stone that was his domain weapon shook and smoked as a screaming missile, a vortex of churning cutting air that howled like a damned soul, slammed down upon it. The sight was not unique; the air was filled with screaming missiles, arrows that formed the air into spinning funnels of death that howled as they fell.


    Ling Qi saw where they had fallen unblocked. She saw the ruins of a house, its roof gone and walls blown outward by a blast, and the body of the woman lying face down in the mud, wooden shrapnel in her back. She saw the blood pooled in muddy craters slowly filling with water where the defenders had been too slow. Ling Qi saw and remembered a nightmare of fur and teeth, of screams and bloody bones, gnawed and cast aside.


    She turned her gaze toward the swooping gliders and galloping horses with their ruddy fur and blood damp manes, and her eyes and heart were cold.


    ¡°Ling Qi¡­¡± Sixiang¡¯s sad whisper was a distant thing, something she had no time to acknowledge.


    She raised her flute to her lips, and even as the melancholy melody poured forth and the world was consumed in dark and hungry mist, she released her ironclad grip on her qi. There was satisfaction in seeing heads turn in her direction and the alarm in their eyes as the churning mist spread, a vast and terrible wave pouring from the sky. The edges of her form wavered; she felt her feet trail off into black mist and the hem of her cloak dissolve into shadow as dark qi flooded her meridians, her techniques activating one after another. Silvery eyes nestled in the folds of her robe, and for a moment, she saw herself, a wraith with eyes of flickering silver and glacier blue shrouded in mist and night. Lines and veins of emerald power pulsed and throbbed in the folds of her gown like shadows in negative, and where she passed, rain became snow and sleet.


    Tribesmen wheeled in the air and fled before her mist toward the cloudline where their leaders waited. Her mist rolled over mortals and soldiers alike, but no horrors waited in the mist for them to claw and bite, and no cutting cold chilled their flesh. For those below her, there was only the melancholy melody of the vale and the cold and distant song of the frozen peak.


    As Ling Qi at last crossed over the road, she was finally able to take her enemies into account. She could sense them scattered throughout the farmland, harassing and harrying soldiers and civilians. There were over a hundred tribesmen, grouped in little packs; most were first realms, but she could feel at least a score of second realms, most of which were gathering about the two third realms who had pulled up near the belly of the clouds, concern visible in the fluctuations of their auras.


    It was difficult to pick out the exact stage of the third realms as she could not tell where the barbarian ended and the beast began, but there was also something strange in the air, a subtle static that made the hair on the back of Ling Qi¡¯s neck rise. Her gaze rose to darkening rainclouds where she sensed the hidden, fourth presence, a smudge on her senses that set her on edge.


    Further out, she could sense one of her fellow scout officers she had come out with still clashing with, or rather, being harried by, a third barbarian presence and a half dozen second realms. This was the strength of the cloud tribesmen, the supremacy of the skies over the lower realms. Had Ling Qi not herself used that much to her advantage in the past?


    It was unfortunate for them that the Lady Duchess and her apprentices had begun to neutralize that strength. One way or another, she would make them regret having come here. She glanced down and met Shen Hu¡¯s gaze on the ground far below. With her mist keeping the tribesmen¡¯s archers at bay, his evacuation was going much more smoothly. Already, she could sense most of the villagers traveling beneath the earth back toward the stone walls of the village center and the earthen shelters that she knew lay below it.


    A moment of silent communication passed, and he dipped his head, his domain weapon rising to interpose itself between them. He was the shield then, and she, the spear. At her shoulder, the mist churned, and a second voice joined her song as a spiral blade emerged. Of late, her domain weapon¡¯s song was no longer so discordant, and the melody of the vale rang clear from the blade, echoing her as though from far away and deep underground.


    Ling Qi would not allow the barbarians time to think or time to regroup. They had the numbers, but whatever others said, Ling Qi had seen how useless numbers were against her. When she had assaulted those bandits, it had only been the interference of a higher cultivator that was a threat. Here and now, she could drive them back and force them to scatter; if the barbarians retreated, it would be all the better. The unknown presence in the clouds worried her, but fighting defensively would not save her if the third presence was strong enough to overwhelm.


    Ling Qi darted forward, dragging the massive bank of fog and mist that poured from her flute with each note along. Behind her, she felt Shen Hu shift focus from defense, the earth rippling under the feet of villagers and soldiers alike to speed their retreat to the tunnels he had made. Many hundreds of meters ahead of her, the main body of barbarians and the scattered bands of first realms wheeled and retreated, galloping or flying away from the advancing wall of mist and fog.


    The wind howled as Ling Qi felt the barbarians activate their techniques, dozens upon dozens resonating and boosting one another far beyond the normal capacity of their realm. Even so, some were far out of position and about to be overrun by her mist, but gusts of wind snatched a few of those, flinging them away from her mist as if hurled by a giant. The horsemen unleashed a volley of whirling vortexes, and although they did not hurt her, they did slightly slow her down.


    Not all could escape, however. Young men in their heavy furs and masks screamed as her mist phantoms tore at them, leaving them spinning out of control in the eddies of her mist, fighting fruitlessly against the illusory nightmares Ling Qi had conjured. They were easy pickings for her Singing Mist Blade to strike, its echoing song the last thing they heard.


    However, the tribesmen were not nearly as disordered by her charge as Ling Qi had hoped. Unlike the bandits, there was no breakdown of order and panic as she began to actively move against them. Her eyes flew wide open as the mass of fleeing horsemen in the sky suddenly wheeled with unerring organization, splitting into two wings to flank her. At the front edge of each realm were their second realms, formed up on their respective third realm leaders, with first realms on gliders forming a trailing flock on their formation. Even avoiding her top speed charge, they managed this organization, and as Ling Qi prepared her next technique, she felt her enemies¡¯ qi flare as one.


    The short horn bows in the hands of two score first realms fired, launching their wielders backward at great speed with a faint rumble of thunder, carried out and away from her mist by churning currents which origin she could not pinpoint. The missiles flew wildly through her mist, sparking and rumbling, and what few approached her by chance passed through her wraithlike form or shattered against her gown. Worse was the lightning that arced between bolts, boiling away mist and stinging her flesh. The longer bows of twelve horsemen thundered next, and the screaming winds that shrouded the missiles flowed and merged until three massive vortices of wind bore down on her.


    Shadow trailed from her limbs as she darted through the first, spiralled around the second, and slapped aside the third with a spinning kick that sent the hem of her gown fluttering as the churning qi construct shattered under her will. Emerging from the volley with only a few painful cuts from the slashing wind of the broken techniques, she saw that the tribesmen had gained distance in even those few moments where she had been stymied. A flight of gliders had darted below, sweeping beneath her mist, while another went high above, skimming the belly of the clouds. Two smaller groups swooped through the skies to her left and right.


    Ling Qi hesitated, unsure of how best to deter the various bands of first realms from harassing her allies, but before she could so much as think, a blinding bolt, a meter-wide jagged lance of lightning, boomed through her, impaling her through the chest. Ling Qi narrowed her eyes, black mist wafting from her limbs and hair as the image she had left behind dissolved into fog and shadow, and felt the pulse as a crackling sphere of snapping lightning shot through her mist, lighting the dark interior and shredding phantoms as it tore toward her. When it detonated a moment later, she emerged, emerald light flaking away as the remainder of her Deepwood Vitality technique faded.


    Ling Qi made a snap decision. The pack of horsemen before her were the real threat. She could not get distracted chasing down first realms; Shen Hu and the soldiers would have to handle the gliders. If she swerved to catch them, the main group would gain more room to maneuver, possibly even circling around her themselves. So Ling Qi flew forward again, driving the main force back. They were afraid to enter her mist. She could use that.


    The ensuing seconds were a blur. The air around her grew cold and heavy, echoing with the melody of winter and stealing the energy from lightning and wind alike, strengthened by the accompaniment of a melancholy muse. Her foes refused to oblige. Their command of the wind resonated between them, and men who strayed too close to her mist were swiftly dragged back by whipping currents of air.


    It was frustrating. Even if driving them back was part of the plan, their battle had moved more than a kilometer, and Ling Qi had yet to land a decisive blow. On the other hand, she was now much closer to the beleaguered scout officer, and she could sense that he had changed tactics, falling back toward her, clearly able to sense her unfettered qi. Still, she had to keep the main force occupied, and it did not sit right with her that the barbarians were yet unscathed. So when the next bolt of lightning forked through her mist, Ling Qi stared it down. She had a plan. She had mastered the Sable Crescent Step art, and although it cost a great deal of qi, she could, if only for a moment, render the distance irrelevant.


    As the heavenly energies exploded within her mist, her whole form became black, a silhouette like a hole in the world, and she moved. In a single step, she crossed the distance between herself and the line of horsemen, leaving the ground far behind. She met the wide eyes of the third realm who was now only a few meters from her and played the Hoarfrost Refrain. Fog and moisture froze for tens of meters around, and horses reared and screamed.


    But the absolute cold carried upon the melody from her flute met with a tempest of heated wind as the two barbarian raid leaders simultaneously let out guttural shouts, It was the summer sun shining on high mountains, life giving warmth in the depths of high clouds, and Ling Qi found her technique foiled. Parts of the horses¡¯ bloody manes froze and shattered, and flesh blackened, burned by the terrible cold, but as Ling Qi flitted away from the rearing red furred horse of the third realm, none of the barbarians had fallen.


    Still, although her retaliatory strike had failed, the barbarians were now in her mist. All around her, horses whinnied in rage and fright as they were assailed from all sides by shadowy phantoms in the shape of birds of prey.


    A cage of light sought to pierce her from all sides, but her liege was far more effective at such tactics. Mere lightning could not match the scouring light of Cai, and she reflexively activated her defensive technique. Emerald radiance shattered as heavenly energy crashed down, leaving her unharmed, and she moved like smoke through the arrows that followed, doggedly following the barbarians as they continued to retreat.


    The sharp-eyed tribesmen showed no trouble in navigating her mist, much to her annoyance. She could sense the woven strands of qi resonating from each of the riders to enhance the others, weak effects building and building upon each other until even the second realms could do so. However, that was not her only tool any longer.


    In her thoughts, Hanyi giggled excitedly as the young spirit sensed Ling Qi¡¯s intentions, and a light weight settled on her back. A new voice joined her performance, sweet and childish. One of the riders faltered in his saddle mid turn, falling out of line with the others, his eyes wide and entranced behind his mask. Then in the moment where he flew too far, leaving the safety of his band, Ling Qi pulsed her qi through the roiling mist, and it swallowed him up, the mournful dirge of the elegy leaving the man lost and alone. Cut off from his allies, he and his steed slowed to a crawl and barely managed to react before her Singing Mist Blade carved open his horse¡¯s throat, leaving him to fall to his death.


    Overhead, thunder boomed, and the strain of music emerged from the clouds.


    Pride of dragons, so easily led.

 67-Foreshock 4

    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes snapped upward, a familiar feeling of pure expression grabbing her attention. Rain began to pour, and deep within the darkening clouds, thunder rumbled, indistinguishable from the beat of drums. Above, the cloud-wracked sky tore open, unleashing a torrential downpour.


    None of that noise succeeded in muffling her mournful and lethal melody. However, the song that echoed down from those clouds was not drowned out as well, and it clashed with hers. Deep, guttural, and strangely resonant, the foreign words wove a song of storms and violence, determination, and retribution. Against the pouring rain, the ragged leading edge of her mist flowed and deformed as if it had met a mountainside, and Ling Qi felt her qi straining against the will that suffused the rain.


    Through the storm, she spied her last opponent. Tall even for a barbarian and with a thick cloak of black and grey fur around his arms and shoulders, the tribesman¡¯s mask was more ornate than the others, and his helm carried a plume of crimson horsehair. He rode a powerful stallion whose black hooves sparked electricity as they struck the air. In his hands was a two-stringed instrument, a primitive erhu. Even as she took it in, he drew the bow across the string, a sharp note ringing out in time with his voice, and lightning flashed. The men fleeing her mist let out a ragged cheer, raising their voices to join his refrain.


    This man¡­ Was he a shaman? It did not seem quite right, but this was probably the overall commander of this band of raiders.


    She felt Hanyi shift on her back, no words needing to be spoken as her spirit shifted from the enticing melody of the lonely maiden to the cold aria, layering the effects with Ling Qi¡¯s own. Their voices echoed from the depths of winter until the very air itself around her stilled, made lethargic by the cold. The high, cold song of the frozen vale met a song of stolid, unbreakable mountains stretching up into the infinite sky.


    There are only endings here. Flee. Flee and live. Winter is here. The warmth of the hearth is not for you.


    Unbroken, we ride. Spawn of dragons so filled with pride, you will see that you still bleed. Your peace is a lie and your safety a ruse.


    Brigands out in the cold, so far and alone. Ragged breaths and frozen lungs await, a death so lonely and far from home.


    Let winter rage and rage, we together and you alone. Ten strike as thunder, and one hundred the storm.


    There were no words - she could not speak the tribesman¡¯s tongue and the noise of battle would have drowned them out regardless - but music was speech without speech, without the impurity of words. His song was foreign to her, but some understanding was inevitable, and she was certain that it was the same for him.


    Ling Qi dove into the teeth of his rain, downpour and fog mingling and clashing chaotically as their techniques struggled against one another. The twang of so many bowstrings rung in her ears like the thunder above, arrowheads charged with heavenly lightning fell like raindrops.


    As lightning flashed and thunder rumbled, she bore down on one of the two raid leaders, and in the space between raindrops, she vanished from sight and memory alike, a forgotten phantom. She had not yet fully mastered the Ephemeral Night¡¯s Memory art, but its technique was enough for this.


    The unfortunate third realm war leader she had chosen could not so much as raise his arm in defense before she played the Hoarfrost Refrain, her voice joined with the young spirit on her back. She felt the man¡¯s flesh blacken and freeze, and his mount screamed in pain as veins froze and ruptured. Yet her attack did not go without reply.


    The twang of strings was overlaid with a deepthroated song, and Ling Qi found herself buffeted by a tempest, tossed like a leaf on the wind despite her efforts. Emerald light encased Hanyi and Ling Qi both, keeping them from the worst of harm, but they were disoriented by the storm. Men drew back bows and for the first time, the galloping horses of the main force slowed, and the twang of bowstrings echoed with the furious cries of their steeds. Ling Qi did not react in time as half a score of arrows shrouded in shrieking wind and crackling lightning struck as one.


    She felt cutting wind slice across her cheek and a bone arrow slice through her gown, cutting through flesh and rebounding off the bone of her ribs, and she threw up a hand, a bolt of lightning striking her palm as she desperately threw her qi into a veil of rippling green that shimmered across her and Hanyi both. The combined force of the tribesmen¡¯s techniques flung her back a hundred meters and more through the pouring rain as they regrouped. She glared up through the storm at the musician, feeling his strength flowing through the rain, resonating from each voice raised to join his chant.


    Ling Qi felt the state of the battle overall as well as she could. Far in the distance, she spotted her counterpart bounding through the trees, slumped on the back of a bounding stag. Blood soaked through his pants on one leg, and he clutched his bow tightly in burnt fingers. There were two second realms chasing him and a third realm lagging behind, but even they were half-heartedly doing so.


    In the village, she spotted the soldiers fighting. No longer disorganized and desperate, small squads were arranged along the walls and the tunnel mouths, batting away harassing arrows while their own archers returned fire at circling gliders. Shen Hu stood near the center of the conflict, his qi spreading in ripples through the earth and fields and up through soldiers¡¯ feet to stiffen their resolve and endurance. Sharpened shards of rock crystal fired into the sky in endless volleys, preventing the gliders from approaching the village proper, and the few fires that had started within the walls were already being quelled.


    The village was safe, but all around, farms burned, unhindered by the rain, and crops withered. The first realms she had scattered were wreaking havoc across the abandoned fields, and the torrential downpour flooded out neatly laid ditches and dikes.


    So fragile, the rain seemed to whisper, full of self satisfaction. Ling Qi scowled up at the musician, recognizing the taunt for what it was. The tenor of his song was changing. Gliders spiralled upward on thermals of wind rising from the fires and scattered into the clouds. The raiders were retreating, or so it seemed. It looked like she had succeeded, so why did she feel so frustrated?


    Looking north, there was not yet any sign of reinforcements. Unless things were far more dire than they seemed, the Sect should be mobilizing, but they were on their own for a while yet. She glared at the retreating rainstorm, discontent welling in her heart at the inconclusive outcome of the clash. The taunt hung on the wind, stinging her pride. She knew what she wanted to do, but Commander Guan Zhi¡¯s words of warning stayed her pursuit. She turned her eyes away and began to soar in a curving line out and away from the village.


    ¡°Eh, Big Sis, where are you going?¡± Hanyi asked, still clinging tightly to her back. The young spirit was unharmed, Ling Qi¡¯s defensive techniques enough to keep her safe from any collateral.


    ¡°They¡¯re retreating. That¡¯s good enough for now,¡± Ling Qi replied. The wound in her side throbbed, but the blood was already clotting, blood dissipating into black mist. ¡°Talk later, Hanyi.¡± The words came out more clipped than she had intended.


    Hanyi let out an indignant huff, but for once, she didn¡¯t talk back as she dissolved back into Ling Qi¡¯s dantian.


    Sixiang whispered in her thoughts.


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t so sure, but she appreciated Sixiang¡¯s vote of confidence. Her eyes fell on her target, the other scout officer. The landscape blurred beneath her as she flew toward his position, and the last of his pursuers peeled off, wheeling away to follow their fellows in retreat.


    It took her a second to recall his name, but they had spoken briefly on the way here. ¡°Wei Ping!¡± she called, and her voice carried through the mist, echoing on the wind and through the lingering melody of her song. As her mist engulfed him, she wove her qi so that it did not hinder his sight, and the young man¡¯s eyes lit up as he saw her outstretched hand.


    She swooped low, and he reached up, clasping her forearm as the stag he was riding dissolved mid leap, its qi streaming back into his dantian. ¡°My thanks, Lady Ling!¡± he called, hanging tightly to her arm as she began to make the turn back toward the village.


    ¡°Officer is more appropriate right now,¡± Ling Qi said dryly. Although her eyes remained on the village, shimmering silver orbs in her robe watched the retreating shadow of the barbarian storm.


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± he grumbled. It was almost comical, seeing him dangling from her arm like a leaf fluttering in the high wind. ¡°I hope you will accept the sentiment regardless. Without your intervention, I do not think my path would have opened. I owe you a debt.¡±


    ¡°It is nothing,¡± Ling Qi dismissed, burned and ruined farms flashed by beneath them. Ahead, the walls of the village seemed terribly small. ¡°I was only performing my duty.¡±


    ¡°All the same, my words remain,¡± he said stubbornly. She glanced down, studying him. Wei Ping was an average sort, handsome as most cultivators of the third realm were, but little about him stood out to her. Still, she had just been forcibly reminded that even first realms could be relevant on the field of battle. It seemed foolish to dismiss his gratitude.


    ¡°I will accept them then.¡± She had an odd sense of deja vu, as if she had engaged in a similar exchange before, but she shook it off. It was difficult to think about politics, surrounded by devastation.


    By the time she arrived near Shen Hu, her mist was beginning to fade away, mingling and dispersing with the smoke from burning fields. Shen Hu stood upon a patch of bubbling mud some hundred meters outside of the village¡¯s gates, his hands clasped flat together. His hands and forearms gleamed with a shell of black diamond. Ling Qi could sense his qi thrumming through the earth, as well as that of his spirit beast. It suffused even the clay brick wall which surrounded the village proper, flowed through the soldiers who manned the walls and who were withdrawing in wary packs from the fields.


    ¡°You¡¯ve gotten even more scary,¡± Shen Hu commented as she sank down toward the earth in front of him. His half-closed eyelids fluttered like a person in the midst of a dream.


    ¡°I will take that as a compliment,¡± Ling Qi said with a touch of fatigue. As they neared the ground, Wei Ping released his grip on her arm, dropping the last few meters and landing gingerly on one foot. ¡°Your techniques have evolved as well.¡±


    ¡°Decided being a duelist wasn¡¯t as important, Tournament¡¯s over,¡± he replied. He still sounded distant and distracted. She could see why. Three great rings of stones orbited the perimeter of the village, some the size of a man¡¯s heads while others were the size of a fist or even mere pebbles. She could sense the anticipative energy in them, quivering with the impulse to react and punish attackers.


    ¡°An impressive technique.¡± Wei Ping grimaced, glancing toward the walls. ¡°I feel somewhat inadequate if I must be honest.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t have had time to start evacuating without your warning,¡± Shen Hu disagreed.


    ¡°I would not have been here either,¡± Ling Qi allowed. ¡°Speaking of which, the other village requested aid too. I think I should go and aid them as well.¡±


    ¡°Then go. Everyone is inside now,¡± Shen Hu said. His slack expression grew dark. ¡°I will not break.¡±


    It was that kind of attitude that worried her, Ling Qi thought irritably. She remembered well the outcome of that awful dream. Her stomach churned with worry. Worry that the barbarians would return here. Worry that Zhengui and Xiulan were in mortal danger. Worry that she could end up leaving another village to die.


    ¡°Do not tarry on our account, Officer Ling,¡± Wei Ping said, moving gingerly toward the gates. ¡°You are among the swiftest of us, and I cannot imagine the barbarians could have slipped very much more around here without alerting the Sect as a whole.¡±


    Ling Qi felt a moment of indecision but then nodded sharply. ¡°I will check the northeastern village first then. Please let any messengers know my position.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll do it. Stay safe,¡± Shen Hu replied.


    With no more time to spend on pleasantries, Ling Qi flew.


    Swiftly, the walls of the village vanished behind her, and the wind shrieked with her passage. Only the knowledge that more fighting likely lay ahead kept her from pouring on more speed through her techniques.


    Hanyi asked quietly.


    Ling Qi paused before answering. ¡°Because he is strong enough. I have to trust him.¡±


    Ling Qi might not care for anyone in this northeastern village personally, but some small part of her, the part that sat up and listened when Cai Renxiang spoke of duty, would not be satisfied with leaving them to potential death. Perhaps it was arrogant, but she knew Zhengui¡¯s strength, and she knew Xiulan¡¯s strength. She did not know the strength of the disciples stationed there.


    Hanyi sulked.


    Sixiang chuckled weakly.


    Ling Qi dipped her head in acknowledgement of Sixiang¡¯s words. The muse was not a creature of violence. Even Ling Qi, with her blood no longer pounding in her ears, just felt tired and disgusted.


    Ling Qi breathed deeply, taking a hold of her qi and diffusing the dense energy. A moment later, the shrieking wind stopped as she dove into dancing shadows of the canopy below. As she began to approach the village, Ling Qi found her fears and hopes alike unrealized. The village was very much not safe. Smoke rose from the fields and homes scattered throughout the valley, and the silhouettes of gliders and horsemen circled in the sky, raining arrows down upon the village¡¯s defenders. However, the concentration of force was low in comparison to the band of raiders she had faced at the northwestern village. She felt only a single third realm here, high in the clouds, and could sense the web of energies resonating between him and his subordinates.


    Of his subordinates, there was only a little over a score of first realms and a half dozen seconds scattered around the perimeter of the village. They hemmed in the soldiers within the village, preventing them from aiding the people she could still feel out in the fields, hounded and harried by barbarian gliders. The soldiers of the Sect fought back with discipline, but they were outnumbered with only two full squads manning the walls and returning fire. She could not feel the qi of her fellow officers anywhere, and that was more than a little worrying.


    Hidden in the shadows cast by the dark clouds that churned overhead, drizzling a miserable rain, Ling Qi considered the scene. She could feel the presence of other soldiers and scouts scattered far away. She could imagine her fellow scout officer falling, caught by a sudden concerted attack while on the outskirts, but could the disciple manning the village have really fallen so easily too?


    Either way, she needed to even the odds and scatter the barbarians before she could investigate, and she had learned better than to go openly in doing so. There would be no pride here. Ling Qi darted out of the shadows, invisible and intangible, leaping from tree shade to glider shadow. She spiralled up into the sky, using the barbarians themselves as stepping stones to rise higher and higher still until the clouds themselves could swallow her presence.


    Swiftly, she closed in on the barbarian raid leader, whose mount cantered impatiently beneath him as he observed the battlefield. The tribesman was flanked by two second realm riders, but these were not so prepared as their fellows in the other raid., As she slipped silently into the leader¡¯s shadow, there was no response. There wouldn¡¯t be one if she had anything to say about it. She had neither the time nor the inclination for mercy.


    In her thoughts, Hanyi giggled in anticipation, and Sixiang let out a weary sigh. The masked tribesman, sitting tall on his bloody maned mount, could only flinch as she materialized behind him, already playing the first notes of the Refrain of deepest winter. It was the howl of a blizzard and the crumbling of a glacier wrought into sound, and it struck the three tribesmen with titanic force. Unable to react, the scream of one of the two second realms died in his throat, and he and his frozen mount fell from the sky like a glittering sculpture.


    The other second realm clung to the frozen mane of his mount, skin blackened and burned by the cold, but he managed to wheel to face her along with the leader just in time to catch the echo of her song sung by a younger and higher voice. Hanyi¡¯s refrain lacked the raw force of her own, yet they still flinched back, drawing up their qi in panic to defend and ward off the chill from worsening the icy qi already creeping into their veins.


    A single sharp note parried the rearing hooves of the second realm¡¯s mount, hurling the second realm and his mount back with the force as her singing blade emerged from the cloud, forcing the raid leader to desperately parry it with the curved blade he drew from his saddle. His horse cantered backward, trying to wheel and gain distance, but Ling Qi now knew better than to allow that to happen. Against her fellow Imperials, distance was her friend; against barbarians, it was the opposite.


    She charged, and a brief thought had Hanyi laughing with glee as she leaped off of Ling Qi¡¯s back on a gust of icy wind, her arms outstretched. Ling Qi had only a moment to see the injured second realm let out a horrified scream as Hanyi embraced him and sang of a warm death in the midst of winter snows. Ling Qi blurred back into shadow just as a bolt of heavenly power lit the clouds. The crackling meter-wide bar of actinic light was blinding, but it served only to burn an all too brief gap in the formless shadow that Ling Qi had become mid charge.


    For the second time, as she grasped the man¡¯s shoulder with her hand, she sang the silence of the End and watched the man¡¯s wild eyes freeze behind his mask. She tried not to wonder at what difference, if any, there was from the last time. Letting him fall away, she swooped back, scooping Hanyi from the back of the panicking horse whose rider was no more. She did not look at the hollow and mummified features visible behind the second realm¡¯s half-shattered mask as Hanyi dissolved, returning to her dantian. She was not done yet.


    Ling Qi raised her flute back to her lips and once again began to play. It was no technique, merely a flexing of her power. The clouds tore apart, letting in the afternoon sun, and the sharp threatening notes of her song drew every eye to her where she flew above the falling remains of these tribesmen¡¯s leader.


    If they had not felt the brief battle before, they could certainly see the results. Beneath the churning in her stomach, Ling QI felt a certain cold sense of satisfaction as she heard the ragged cheers of the Imperial soldiers and heard the cries of alarm from the tribesmen.


    With her fur-lined cloak billowing in the winter wind, Ling Qi descended to drive the enemy from the field.

 Bonus: Outer Sect Tremors

    ¡°Hold. Fast. My. Friend!¡± Gan Guangli shouted, punctuating each word with a blow of his barrel sized fists. Across from him in the training ring, Gun Jun grimaced, feet widely braced behind the wide steel shield in his hands as the aura of mountain qi that surrounded him shuddered and his feet dug deep divots into the packed earth. All around him, others in the fellowship he had forged from the remains of his Lady¡¯s government did the same, striving against one another in honest combat, or seated at the side resting from their own exertions.


    The Sister¡¯s Ma were among those and Gan Guangli, hid his grin behind a bellow of exertion as Gun Jun¡¯s back stiffened and he planted his feet all the harder when one of them called out her encouragement. Despite what his companions might think, he was not actually oblivious.


    ¡°OOORA!¡± as he ended his string of blows he reared back his fist for a heavier strike and Gun Jun tensed further, squaring his shoulders and bolstering his body with heavy qi. His fist struck the iron shield like a gong, and iron caved in under his knuckles, but the man behind it did not, this time, go flying from the ring.


    ¡°Haha! Quite an improvement!¡± Gan Guangli said cheerfully, clapping the other boy on the shoulders even as he sank wheezing to his knees.


    ¡°Y-you are too kind, sir Gan,¡± Gun Jun gasped. ¡°This meager growth is nothing.¡±


    ¡°Too humble by half,¡± Gan Guangli chuckled. ¡°Miss Ma! Get our friend a cool towel if you would. He has earned a little rest!¡±


    The girl who looked to have been contemplating fetching one on her own, practically jumped in her seat at his mention. ¡°Y-yes, right away Sir Gan!¡±


    Gan Guangli watched her zip off with a faint smile and gave Gun Jun a hand back to his feet. Things were coming along well. If he just¡­


    There was a crack and a thud from the high cliff above their training ground and he snapped his head up, several of the more perceptive among them doing the same. He saw a dark blur emerge from the scraggly trees that lined the upper cliff and come rushing down in a tinder of stones and dust. For a moment he readied himself, only to hold his hand up for calm when he recognized the tumbling blurs qi.


    Su Ling crashed down in the middle of their training ground, catching herself on all fours, both of her tails thrashing furiously in the air above her. She scrambled to her feet, unmindful of the smudges of dirt on her clothes or the twigs in her hair. Her eyes zeroed in on him immediately.


    ¡°Hoh there Miss Su! You¡¯ve not come here for a spar I take it?¡± Gan asked, breaking the confused silence. Su Ling was an odd one. She was friendly enough but had refused all offers to join him, preferring to be alone in her workshop, despite the danger that presented from less scrupulous groups who wished access to her elixirs.


    ¡°No,¡± she growled swiping her hair out of her eyes. He thought her rather striking despite her active efforts to seem otherwise. ¡°Look, I need your help, we need to get people down to the village.¡±


    Others looked at each other murmuring, and beside him Gun Jun frowned. Gan Guangli did as well, but he raised his hand again for silence.¡±Miss Su, I need a little explanation.¡±


    She growled irritably, but visibly calmed herself. ¡°Look, you know I do a little divination on the side right? Well I was doing my usual today and every sign points to a disaster down in the village today. They¡¯re going to need help.¡±


    ¡°Not to doubt you Miss Su, but is that not the sort of thing you should take to the Elder¡¯s or at least one of the Inner Sect disciples on duty?¡± Gun Jun asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve tried, but none of them are here,¡± Su Ling hissed. ¡°Medicine Hall, lecture hall, main office, there¡¯s nobody but fucking clerks, and they won¡¯t give me the time of day.¡±


    There was a bit of a stir at her casual vulgarity, but the rest of her statement made gan Guangli frown. There should be at least a few people about.


    ¡°Look, I know I probably sound crazy but I¡¯m talking a serious disaster here. I have never turned up portents this bad,¡± she stressed. ¡°I¡¯m going myself but I¡¯m not going to be enough.¡±


    ¡°Sir Gan, if too many leave the mountain Lu Feng his gang will probably try to take advantage,¡± one of his subordinates pointed out. ¡°We could lose our supplies or cultivation sites.¡±


    Gan Guangli crossed his arms surveying them all. Each person in the field was looking to him for a decision. He looked to Su Ling who wore a pleading expression ill-suited to the taciturn girl¡¯s face.


    ¡°We go to the village,¡± Gan Guangli said. ¡°If there is even a chance of a disaster there preventing it is worth a few losses¡­¡±


    Beneath his feet, he felt the mountain shake. Su Ling¡¯s eyes flew wide and she hissed another curse, darting off the field.


    As a tree on the edge of the cliff above groaned and toppled with the force of the next quake. Gan Guangli was already crouching as he prepared to leap. ¡°We go!¡±


    ***


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t know any better I¡¯d say you look like you¡¯re about to break out in a silly grin,¡± Liu Xin said casually.


    ¡°Then it is certainly good that you do,¡± Xiao Fen replied aloofly. Although her companion was tolerable at most times, he still had many unfortunate misunderstandings of the proper ways of things. Case in point, a Bai did not grin.


    ¡°Right, of course,¡± Liu Xin said. Xiao Fen elected to ignore his ill-hidden sarcasm as a favor. It was too fine a spring day to ruin with admonishments. ¡°Still, I guess that meeting with your liege Lady went well.¡±


    ¡°Lady Meizhen was quite pleased with my recent breakthrough to the third realm, even if it is yet incomplete,¡± Xiao Fen agreed, and if the corners of her lips quirked up a little, her expression could still not rightly be called anything so undignified as a grin. ¡°Although our castes arts are different, her insights were still very helpful for my branch of the Serpent¡¯s Step arts.¡±


    ¡°Cultivating together huh,¡± Liu Xin mused, his eyes roaming from left to right of the path. They were walking the lower reaches of the Outer Sect Mountain, on the way back to the residences. The area around them was lightly wooded, and perfect for an ambush. She was glad to see that he had taken her lessons on proper vigilance to heart. ¡°Hm, you really like her don¡¯t you.¡±


    ¡°I hear your implications Liu Xin,¡± Xiao Fen said, her eyes narrowing. ¡°I have said before that I am whatever Lady Meizhen wishes of me. I have no feelings on the matter.¡±


    Even if she despised these Sect rules which kept her from attending her mistress'' side.


    ¡°And I gotta wonder how you can live like that,¡± Liu Xin grumbled.


    ¡°Do not ruin a good afternoon with this argument,¡± Xiao Fen said flatly. Although she had learned that friends were to speak openly with one another in private, so she would not punish him for it, she had no wish to rehash this matter again. Outsider¡¯s even clever ones like Liu Xin, simply did not understand. White Serpent and Black Viper were two halves of one whole and had been since before scribes had learned to put ink to paper.


    Black Viper¡¯s did not have parents or siblings for those things could give them cause to betray their masters. Her every waking moment for so long as she had memory was spent in training to perfectly serve her future Mistress in whatever tasks she was given. She had been given that honor years early, how could she be anything but ecstatic? Yet even Liu Xin had been unsettled when she had described the non-secret portions of her upbringing.


    Although it was true that she found his own youth repugnant, the sheer lack of structure was horrifying. No wonder outsiders were such unpredictable savages at times.


    Liu Xin¡¯s expression screwed up in a frown, but after a second he shook his head. ¡°Yeah, sorry, was just trying to tease you a bit. The important thing is you were happy for the training, right?¡±


    Xiao Fen pursed her lips. ¡°Yes, it was most pleasant. My apologies as well. I misunderstood your attempt at humor.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I should really be used to that by now,¡± Liu Xin chuckled. ¡°So, what¡¯s¡­¡±


    Xiao Fen¡¯s stopped dead, her arm shot out and he walked into it and bounced off with a grunt.


    ¡°Xiao Fen?¡± he asked, rubbing his chest.


    ¡°Be silent,¡± she said harshly, staring down at the ground. ¡°Can you not feel that?¡±


    He opened his mouth and closed it again, following her gaze down to the ground. The leaves were rustling, but there was no wind. The stones on the packed dearth path were shaking, starting to slowly skittering across the ground. ¡°Wait why is the mountain sha¡­¡±


    The rest of his sentence was lost in the scream of the wind as beside him, as Xiao Fen blurred, throwing him over her shoulder, leapt into the sky. Beneath them the earth roared as stone and dirt split and crumbled opening a deep rent in the mountain.


    And in the darkness, pale and quivering things rose.

 Threads 68-Foreshock 5

    ¡°What happened here?¡± Ling Qi asked bluntly as her feet touched the ground in the village square in front of the bowing second realm wearing the marks of a lower officer. ¡°Where are my fellow disciples?¡±


    With her qi ebbing a little low from the use of so many powerful techniques in quick succession and the events of the day churning in her thoughts, Ling Qi¡¯s grip on her power was far more frayed than usual. The ground frosted under her boots, and the wind whispered a cold and unfriendly melody.


    ¡°My apologies, Officer Ling,¡± the second realm officer said without raising his head or unclasping his hands. ¡°We do not know the disposition of Officer Song, but Officer Deng was found dead just before the attack.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°Explain.¡±


    ¡°Officer Deng had been taking tea while preparations for the evacuation of the fields were being made,¡± the armored man replied stiffly. ¡°When I entered his rooms to inform him that the attack was nigh, I found him dead. His throat was cut. There was no sign of struggle. I have no excuses.¡±


    She watched with a blank expression as the man bowed still lower somehow as if expecting a reprimand. ¡°You did the best that could have been expected of you,¡± she said mechanically. It seemed that things were only continuing to grow more alarming. She had certainly heard nothing of the Cloud tribesmen fielding assassins of all things.


    As she pondered how to proceed, her head whipped around to the south in time to see a star born in the dark and stormy sky. She felt in her bones a clash of raw power near the jutting silhouette of Icebreaker Peak. A powerful wind hit her next, sending her hair fluttering and unsecured shutters and debris moving. There was a second flash then, and the earth shook, a plume of dust rising from Icebreaker Peak, visible even so many kilometers distant.


    She recognized that qi from training sessions and briefings. Her commander was fighting something, something strong enough to push her. She felt the earth beneath her feet shake minutely like a gong swaying after being struck.


    ¡°O-Officer Ling?¡± the man beside her asked, his composure finally cracking.


    ¡°Continue the evacuation and rescue,¡± Ling Qi ordered hastily. ¡°I will search for Officer Song.¡± And then go directly to her village, she added silently. Things were continuing to spiral beyond what she had expected, events happening far too quickly for her taste. She forced herself to calm. Rushing would not help her. ¡°Prepare a basin filled with water,¡± she said, her voice stiff and clipped. ¡°I am going to have a look at Officer Deng. Has the scene been disturbed?¡±


    ¡°No, ma¡¯am,¡± the soldier replied, clapping his fists together and bowing his head. ¡°There was no time, nor was the barracks damaged in the fighting.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Ling Qi said, turning on her heel. It was easy enough to discern the direction of the barracks, the people of the village huddled in the shelter beneath a morass of fear and pain to her senses. The earth shook again, and a gust sent her hair fluttering, a few flyaway strands dancing in the wind.


    That certainly wasn¡¯t helping, Ling Qi thought darkly.


    When she entered the officer¡¯s office in the barracks, Ling Qi did her best to not gag at the stench. She felt her stomach turn over as she saw the body. It reminded her of bad days in alleys and gutters. She forced her mind off of old memories as she stepped over the threshold, silver light flickering in her eyes. From the folds of her gown, flickering wisps of light fluttered out, spreading throughout the room, skimming the ceiling, slipping under and around the furniture, feeding her information on the scene.


    The disciple was slumped over his desk. The soldier had, if anything, undersold the death wound - only the young man¡¯s spine kept his head attached to his shoulders. A ragged gash clove the flesh of his neck in twain, but there was very little blood. The crimson fluid that stained the desk was stained black and seeped slowly, heavy and thick with toxic qi. There really was no sign of struggle. A cooling pot of tea still sat undisturbed on the desk and not a single book nor scroll on the shelves was out of place. Of the assailant, she could find no sign¡­


    No, Ling Qi thought, narrowing her eyes as she traced the room through multiple viewpoints. There was something familiar. It was faint. Even with all of her focus, she could only just barely sense the fading remnants. It could best be described as a film like the skin that formed on curdled milk, a scent of rot and impurity that she had only caught thanks to her previous experience underground and time spent in Li Suyin¡¯s workshop.


    She would have to order messengers sent out. The other officers needed to know of the threat of a rat-thing assassin, and she would need to make sure this was reported to the Sect.


    She turned swiftly from the scene, marching out. There was nothing more she could do here. Even as she proceeded out to the village headman¡¯s house where the basin had been prepared, she felt time ticking by all too quickly. Trust or no, she wanted to get back to Zhengui and Xiulan.


    She swiftly set about her task, weaving her qi into the water as she focused on the face of her fellow scout officer. She dearly hoped that he was within range. The water in the basin churned and darkened, shimmering like the night sky, and her hope was rewarded. The image was dim and a bit blurry thanks to her unfamiliarity with the young man, but she saw him huddled among the roots of a massive tree. He was wounded, but not too badly, and breathing shallowly, the corpse of a barbarian lying a few meters away in the mud. Ling Qi could only assume he was exhausted as her qi sense did not extend through the basin. At least for the moment, he seemed, fine.


    Tersely, Ling Qi reported her findings to the second realm officer.


    ¡°I will discuss the matter with the local members of the garrison. Thank you for your aid, Officer Ling,¡± the second realm officer said, bowing low. ¡°What will you do now?¡±


    Ling Qi regarded him out of the corner of her eye as she stepped outside of the headman¡¯s home. She sympathized with his stress, and she dearly hoped that the soldiers could weather events until reinforcements could arrive. ¡°I have been away from my command for too long. I need to return.¡± As if to punctuate her words, the ground shook again, wind gusting down from the south. ¡°Hold on. The Sect must have detected something amiss by now, and if not, the messengers are on their way to them.¡±


    ¡°Of course, officer,¡± the soldier said. She did not detect any blame in his voice or posture, only a certain fatalistic determination. It seemed the Sect trained their lifetime soldiers well. ¡°We will hold until the last breath if needed.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope it doesn¡¯t come to that,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Good luck.¡±


    Then the man and the village were gone, shrinking below her as she rose into the sky. The moment she gained enough clearance, she shot forward like an arrow, carving silently through the rushing wind as her depleted qi sent her south.


    There was no banter this time. The sight of her fellow disciple lying dead at his desk, the thought of the tribesmen she had killed today, worry for her friends and family, they all combined to drive Ling Qi to silence. The oppressive weight in the air, the clashing of qi so far beyond her, certainly did not help matters. Every time the storm-wracked sky lit up from the raw force of two fourth realm entities clashing, she nearly flinched. The rushing wind was nothing to the unnatural ripples that were spreading through the world in her spiritual senses.


    She could sense beasts stirring even here, fear spreading like poison through the woods and hills. In the distance, she could see great flocks of birds rising from the trees, uncaring for species, uncaring for each other as they beat their wings and fled the brewing storm. She heard trees groaning and twisting, leaves raining down on the forest floor as they shied away from the south, and dirt and rock crumbled as roots began to move with ponderous but irresistible strength.


    She just hoped that Commander Guan Zhi and Liao Zhu were able to finish their clash with whatever they were fighting soon. The disquiet in the world only grew worse as she flew further south, but she turned her mind from the forest below and kept her eyes ahead on the gleaming blue ribbon of the river leading to where the village she had left behind at the beginning of all this lay.

 Threads 69: Foreshock 6

    Chaos awaited her return.


    In the flight south, she had seen the first signs. Great flocks of birds had been rising from the forest, raptors and songbirds flying side by side to escape the growing weight in the air. Beneath the canopy, beasts howled and yowled in fright as the earth shook and the wind gusted, and the pounding of a multitude of paws and hooves against the dirt added to the cacophony. As she flew further, she began to sense the disturbance in the trees themselves. Heavy branches swayed without wind and roots moved with ponderous but unstoppable strength as the tallest and most ancient trees seemed to gird themselves to endure the coming storm while their younger brethren shook and cowered.


    It was nothing compared to the scene that awaited her at the village itself. She had left behind a peaceful farming village huddled on the shores of the river with beautiful green fields extending far upstream. What she found on return seemed more like an embattled fortress. The rolling fields had been trampled to ruin, homes, barns and other structures sagging where walls had been blown out in the rampage of some beast. Even now, spirits streamed through the trampled fields, fleeing in all directions.


    At the center, things were even more dire. Ling Qi¡¯s eyes watered at the fetid heat that radiated out from the battlefield she saw there, sickly and familiar. She remembered clearing out that nest of disease spirits just a few days ago, but it seemed there had been more pockets further south. Many more pockets. They churned from the southern forest like a moving river of chitin; centipedes, locusts, worms, and crawling and flying things that she could not name all flooded out from the southern hills, their buzzing and chittering seeming to shake the air.


    At the top of the ridge that overlooked the river, a massive wall had sprung up. Formed of twisted bulging branches and boughs of vital green wood, it rose over ten meters high and stretched on for hundreds, a shield braced against the ground against the oncoming beasts. The Sect¡¯s soldiers stood atop the twitching, living wall, four first realms to every second. The lesser cultivators rained crossbow bolts that left contrails of boiling steam down upon the advancing tide in a continuous rain, their hands blurring with the speed at which they reloaded the devices. Their captains swept the sky with fire, wind, water, and lightning while the wall itself crushed, impaled, and destroyed the things that crawled upon it with grasping branches and creepers.


    She saw Xiulan standing at the center of it all, a burning brand under the darkened sky. Heat radiated from her form, distorting the very air and rendering her a miragelike appearance. Her gown seemed like a thing of liquid fire, and her hair rose, smoking on drafts of superheated air. Heavenly energies crackled near the surface of her skin, shining through the faded scars of her tribulation as if her friend were merely a damaged container for an ocean of living lightning.


    Even as Ling Qi poured on further speed, blurring into a bolt of shadow in the sky, she saw Xiulan sweep her bandage-wrapped hand out, and a river of blue-white flame followed, a searing beam that carved through the advancing spirits, hundreds incinerated or boiled in their own exoskeletons until they exploded in a shower of miasma. Where the beam passed, it left a molten trench in the earth, liquid glass and stone snapping and hissing in the suddenly cooling air. With her other hand, Xiulan wielded a many tailed lash of red flames. It snapped and coiled through the air, snatching a locust the size of a large dog from the air and flung it away from the wall.


    The tumbling bug was then snatched from the air by a pair of gigantic serpentine jaws, vanishing with a crunch down Zhen¡¯s throat as Gui stomped through the tide, uncaring of the insects that swarmed up his legs, biting and gnashing futilely at his scales. With every rumbling step, roots speared out from the earth, impaling scores of spirits before withdrawing back into the churned earth. Yet Zhengui was not unharmed. Ling Qi¡¯s eyes fell upon the patches of torn scales along Zhen¡¯s body and the glowing crack that spiderwebbed across Gui¡¯s shell.


    The one that had inflicted the wounds was obvious. Hanging over the field like a macabre banner, she saw the body of a truly massive insect, a centipede over twenty meters long impaled upon three sharp wooden stakes the size of small trees, its grey-brown shell pitted and burned through by fires and its head a charred ruin. Its legs still twitched and writhed feebly, and fetid gore that stunk of sickness and rot dripped from its perforated body, leaving bubbling pools in the dirt below.


    As Ling Qi swept over the village, Zhen opened his jaws, baring his fangs to the sky, and a little spark of fire perched like a crown atop his head flared brighter. A sheet of hissing, bubbling venom shot from his mouth over a far wider range than he was normally able, melting and burning the flying vermin trying to pass him.


    However, despite all the firepower, the diseased things streaming from the southern forest were still numerous beyond counting. Ling Qi curved her flight to the side least supported and raised her flute to her lips. The dark Melody of the Forgotten Vale poured forth with an unusual energy, and as mist began to billow out, heavy with hungry phantoms, a ragged cheer rose from the wall. It came first from a handful, presences Ling Qi vaguely recognized from patrols and training runs, only to quickly be taken up by others as her mist engulfed the mass of flying spirits and their shredded remains began to rain down on the earth below. Some were hardier than others, their chitin resisting phantasmal claws, but Hanyi¡¯s song, rising in counterpoint to hers, allowed that to be taken care of while conserving Ling Qi¡¯s own dwindling qi.


    With her help, sweeping across the battlefield in a bank of deadly mist, the tide at last receded, leaving a field of twisted, miasmic sludge of insectoid bodies dissolving into diseased pools.


    ¡°Arriving at the last moment to steal the glory, I see,¡± the living conflagration that was Xiulan called to her.


    Ling Qi ascended to the top of the wall, heat and cold clashing where their auras met, violent winds rustling the cloaks of the soldiers nearest by. Beyond the base physical interaction, she felt Xiulan¡¯s domain. It was a hungry ambitious thing, lightning stabbing down from the heavens, a wildfire raging through dry brush, but it did not reject hers. If anything, the flames roared higher and the lightning flashed more brightly when Ling Qi¡¯s own melody washed over them.


    ¡°I just can¡¯t help myself,¡± Ling Qi jested, keeping the relief out of her voice as she alighted on the wall beside Xiulan. Shadow still trailed from her limbs and lines of green glimmered in the folds of her gown from her activated techniques, but she had left her mist below, maintained by the echoes of her flute. Here, with Zhengui and Xiulan, Ling Qi felt her fatigue fade and her worries lessen. This was where she was supposed to be.


    ¡°I¡¯ll forgive it just this once,¡± Xiulan said haughtily, her smirk shifting the lines of lightning that burned beneath her scars. ¡°If only because I was growing sick of cooking these rancid creatures.¡±


    ¡°You kept them all out of the village then?¡± Ling Qi asked. She knew it was only due to their fortitude as cultivators that they could stand the miasma rising from below. Even so, she had felt her skin crawl with sickly heat when making a pass through the worst of it.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Xiulan sniffed. ¡°But it was thanks to that spirit of yours.¡±


    ¡°I protected everyone!¡± Gui boomed proudly, his voice echoing across the ruined field as he stomped back toward the wall. ¡°It was really hard, but I did it!¡±


    ¡°Even foolish Gui can accomplish something in a pinch, but it was only due to I, Zhen, that things went so well,¡± Zhen hissed proudly. ¡°It was my fangs that finished the beast!¡± Atop his head, the tiny flame, which Ling Qi now recognized as Linhuo, let out a crackling laugh.


    ¡°I¡¯ve no idea where he learned such bragging,¡± Xiulan murmured before raising her voice. ¡°Soldiers! You have fought well and with great bravery! It pleases me to have been able to lead such a fine force this day! I am certain we need only hold a short time more.¡±


    Her words brought a tired cheer from the men and women on the wall, though they kept their eyes and their crossbows trained on the south.


    More quietly and masked by the crackling heat, her friend¡¯s expression grew more serious as she continued, ¡°It is well that you returned. I am already down a half dozen men; the disease was too much for them. I have ordered a temporary camp set up for the wounded since we cannot bring them into town. I am feeling a bit winded as well.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyebrows climbed at the frank admission from her proud friend. ¡°I am not at my best either,¡± she said quietly. ¡°The other villages - they¡¯re holding but there won¡¯t be any help coming from them. Have there been any other messengers?¡±


    Xiulan grimaced, sparks spitting from her fingertips. ¡°Only one, warning us to keep away from the south. Sect forces are inbound, but it seems this was not the only plague brewing in Sect lands nor the only instance of higher raiding.¡±


    Ling Qi breathed deeply, putting the new fears that brought to mind away for now. It just confirmed the thoughts she had earlier. Something was terribly wrong.


    The earth suddenly rocked violently beneath her feet, nearly throwing several soldiers from the wall, and her eyes snapped up. From the silhouette of Icebreaker Peak, she saw a long, sinuous limb, a titanic tendril of some unknown thing, rise from the massive dust cloud where it had impacted the earth.


    Ling Qi stared, unable to comprehend the sheer size of the thing, which was visible from many kilometers away. Stupefied, she continued staring while something far too small to see smashed the thrashing tendril aside with enough force to tear a chunk of flesh that must have been the size of a house free. She watched the arc it drew through the air toward them, a lumpy, squirming mass of runny black ooze studded with mouths and eyes of innumerable shapes, already rotting in fast motion before it slammed into and flattened a grove of trees out in the killing field before the wall. She raised her arm to shield her eyes from the wind of that impact buffeting her, sending her hair and dress flapping.


    ¡°...There is also that,¡± Xiulan said dully.


    ¡°We just have to hope that Commander Guan can win.¡± The admission tasted bitter in her mouth, but there was nothing that she could do about the two titanic powers in the south. Perhaps in a couple of years, but until then¡­


    Xiulan shot her a sour look, as if detecting the thrust of her thoughts, and then turned away to address the shaken soldiers. At that moment, a great cacophony arose from the diseased grove to the south, and the sound of wood splintering echoed as a massive red and brown form rose from the trees. Meters-wide mandibles snapped and hundreds of legs churned the earth as another grotesque titan of a centipede emerged from the earth. Below her, Zhengui bellowed a challenge, turning with surprising speed to face the new foe and the resurgence of the diseased spirits that came pouring out with it.


    ¡°Ling Qi!¡± Xiulan¡¯s shout drew her attention, even as Sixiang let out a wordless cry of alarm in her head. The girl stared at her with eyes wild with alarm, her bandaged hand outstretched, fires already blooming from her fingertips.


    Ling Qi saw the gleam of metal beneath her chin, the curved and serrated blade just a hair¡¯s breadth from her throat, and the slim grey skinned hand, digits just slightly too long and thin for a human¡¯s, holding it. Even now, she felt no presence. There was no qi nor even a breath across the back of her neck despite the shine of deep purple venom practically dripping from the blade¡¯s edge.

 Chapter 70: Foreshock 7

    Ling Qi jerked her head back, buying herself bare millimeters of space, and the knife sparked where it met the threads of her gown. Uncaring for the expense, she flooded her spine with vital wood qi, and her aura flared violently as it rippled out over everyone nearby. Ancient strength seeped into her skin and flesh, the strength of One Thousand Rings Unbroken.


    But it would not be enough to just survive this strike; she had to make sure that this assassin would not be able to strike like this again. Her hand closed around her enemy¡¯s thin, clammy wrist. Hot pain bloomed as the knife penetrated her gown and cut into flesh, but she dragged her assailant¡¯s hand down with all of her strength, and combined with her reactive defensive techniques, it was enough.


    Cold metal cut deep into her resisting flesh, but it met her collarbone, and although she felt a deep uncomfortable grinding as the serrated edge struck bone, it went no deeper. Ling Qi refused to scream and mentally batted aside Sixiang¡¯s intent to cleanse the poison. As ice cold qi froze the blood seeping from her wound, the muse understood her unbroken will to live even in the face of insurmountable odds


    With her expression contorted into a snarl of pain and effort, Ling Qi tightened her grip on the assassin¡¯s wrist, fingers digging into disgustingly rubbery flesh. Sixiang¡¯s qi, scented with moonlight and celestial wine, burst from her every pore, washing over the assassin in a wave of confusion and momentary madness. With the roar of Xiulan¡¯s flames in her ears, Ling Qi held her grip on the assassin and turned, dragging her enemy with the motion.


    She could already feel the assassin attempting to slip free, their wrist growing soft, almost boneless, in her grip, but it was too late. A high-pitched, almost canine, wail of pain came out as Xiulan cast a blinding white lance from her fingertips. Barely more than a finger wide, it was not just flame nor lightning but a lance of sunlight, devastating in its purity.


    Then the assassin was free of her grip, and she spun back to face it, the mantle of Winter¡¯s Aria already around her shoulders. Ling Qi tried her best to ignore the faint edge of raggedness in her voice; she could still feel the ragged hole in her flesh where her throat had been pierced just above the collarbone, now sealed with a pack of crimson ice. She felt the fetid heat of poison in her veins bringing sweat to her brow and making her hands shake. Despite that, her attention did not waver from the one who had caused all of this.


    Something in the sight of the hunched figure triggered an instinctive and visceral disgust, even beyond what she felt toward a foe who had nearly taken her head. Wrapped in a spiderweb of leather straps through which its pale, rubbery hide was visible, the thing seemed to fall just short of seeming human in shape. Its apelike arms were too long, and the contours of its skull held a touch of beastliness. Its face was concealed behind a strange leather mask with protruding sacs hanging from it that grew and shrunk with each breath, all stretched over a vaguely canine muzzle. A single whip-like cable of dull grey hair hung from the back of the thing¡¯s skull, and were it able to straighten its hunched spine, it would stand almost two and a half meters high. Certain features gave the impression that it might be female, but Ling Qi felt revulsion toward giving it even that much identity.


    The creature was staggering, its blanket of twisted darkness qi receded like a rippling oil slick from where Xiulan¡¯s fires had struck it. Ling Qi could smell the scent of burned leather and meat. It had no time to throw up another defense as she sang the Hoarfrost Refrain, the cold washing over it, biting and hungry. Her singing mist blade emerged, slicing through the air at it, yet the assassin moved with preternatural quickness to avoid the full thrust of her onrushing song of winter and darting mist blade. Its flesh blackened and froze as it flipped through the air, her qi punching through the creature¡¯s paper thin defenses.


    Sixiang hissed, frustration and fear coloring their voice.


    A worry for later. Ling Qi kept her attention fixed on the assassin as it landed further down the wall, startling soldiers who were just now beginning to react to its presence. She heard Zhengui bellow in rage, but a single harsh thought stopped him from barreling back. She needed him to hold the line against the disease spirits. For the first time, she felt him balk at obeying her. She shot her little brother a startled glance through a single mirror-eye and met Zhen¡¯s frustrated gaze.


    ¡°Please, little brother. I can¡¯t afford distraction. I need you to stop them,¡± she pleaded. She knew he wanted to help her more directly, but if the swarm and the titan centipede were able to press down on them while they were still fighting the assassin, it¡¯d spell disaster. Ling Qi felt Zhengui turn his attention back to the disease spirit, a massive surge of vital qi flooding into the increasingly barren earth. A veritable spear wall of roots erupted across hundreds of meters of ground, impaling countless lesser spirits. The titanic centipede charged forward and crashed down on Zhengui, legs and mandibles skittering off of his shell.


    She felt Hanyi try to leave her dantian to help her against the assassin, but she directed the young spirit to aid Zhengui instead; she did not want Hanyi to be a target for the assassin.


    The assassin dashed toward Xiulan with its knife raised in a low guard, weaving through the crossbow bolts being shot at its back by the soldiers with contemptuous ease. In one smooth motion, the creature reached into a pouch at its belt and flung something toward them. Ling Qi glimpsed a dark purple crystal tumbling through the air before it exploded, a rippling wave of black smoke engulfing both her and her friend. She felt the smoke seeping into her channels,eating away at the qi enhancing her senses like acid.


    She snarled, and her left hand rose to the sound of tiny bells chiming. The jeweled symbols of the moons hanging across the back of her hand flashed and grew hot, ruby inlay blazing, and drank in the smoke. The air howled as the foulness was sucked in, vanishing into the delicate Three Moons Chime talisman as if it had never been.


    Somehow, even with its face wholly covered, she read startlement in the assassin¡¯s frame as it was abruptly revealed. Xiulan¡¯s lash struck out, and tongues of flame curled around its limbs and slammed it into the rough green wood of Zhengui¡¯s rampart. The column of flames and distorted air around her friend hissed with the fury of an uncontrolled wildfire as lightning roared out to scourge the trapped assassin¡¯s pale hide.


    With an effort of will, Ling Qi ignored the throbbing of the wound carved across her shoulder. The tips of her fingers felt numb, and an unpleasant tingling feeling was spreading through her chest, but the assassin was not down yet. Even now, she could see movement where it struggled to rise against Xiulan¡¯s lash. Black miasma rose from its flesh, absorbing jagged trails of electricity.


    Again, she sang the song the Hoarfrost Refrain, even as her qi guttered low, lower than she had felt it in a long time. Was it the poison draining her qi so badly? She powered through the weaving of the qi for the technique regardless, ignoring the leadenness in her limbs.


    The assassin shuddered, more flesh freezing under the harsh melody. A crossbow bolt, whistling with steam, thudded into its hunched back, punching through leather and flesh. The creature¡¯s foul qi surged as it finally slipped the bonds of Xiulan¡¯s lash, and it lunged, dark qi bulging under its skin, filling channels to the point of bursting. Startled, Xiulan began to jerk back, but she could see that it would not be fast enough. Viridian energy rippled across Ling Qi¡¯s gown as she activated Deepwood Vitality, gleaming shells of bright green qi shimmering across herself, Xiulan, and all the soldiers within range.


    It was just in time. The assassin¡¯s flesh tore apart under the strain of the growing qi, and a wave of utter foulness washed over them. It was the essence of filth, foul beyond words, and Ling Qi gagged and held back tears from watering eyes. She felt her technique shatter under the weight of it, but it had held long enough. A vast scoop of the rampart was gone, eaten away, rotted into sludge.


    ¡°Vile thing,¡± Xiulan spat as she dragged herself out of the pitted crater with a flick of her wrist, her flame lash having caught onto a protruding branch of the surviving rampart. Across the way, men scrambled to climb back up the broken wall, but Ling Qi was glad to see them unharmed too. ¡°Thank you, Ling Qi.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Ling Qi said dizzily, and a moment later, she fell to her knees. How silly. That wasn¡¯t the sort of thing that was supposed to happen any more.


    ¡°Ling Qi?!¡± Xiulan cried out from somewhere nearby.


    ¡°Get her down into the ash,¡± Sixiang¡¯s voice snapped from empty air. ¡°I can¡¯t cleanse the poison, but Zhengui should at least be able to heal the symptoms.¡±


    Ling Qi felt warmth. Tongues of flame licked her skin, hot enough to melt flesh and boil blood, but they were comfortably warm to her. She felt Xiulan tugging on her arm, pulling it around her shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s not gonna work. You¡¯re too short,¡± she murmured.


    ¡°Do be silent,¡± Xiulan snapped, and Ling Qi felt the rush of wind as she leaped down from the rampart. ¡°Idiot girl, why did you take the beast¡¯s knife? I know you could have dodged it.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t have been able to set it up for a good enough counter,¡± Ling Qi slurred out. ¡°Mighta let it take a shot at you too.¡±


    ¡°Fool,¡± Xiulan repeated harshly. ¡°Zhengui!¡±


    Ling Qi sucked in a breath of air as Zhengui roared in response. The ash around them flared green, and she felt the haze recede from her thoughts. Her qi was still down to dregs, but she no longer teetered on the edge of unconsciousness. The frozen blood sealed her wound, kept more of her life from spilling out, but the poison still pulsed, hot and painful through her veins. The ash flashed again, still more disappearing, and she felt the wound struggle to close, pushing the damage back but only barely.


    She looked up and saw Zhengui bracing himself against the centipede coiled around him. Zhen struck, biting deep into its chitin again and again. On his back, Hanyi stood, singing, surrounded by the shattered chunks of lesser spirits as they tried to swarm over Zhengui and burrow into the wound in his shell. Even so, the swarm was still oncoming, and they now stood level with it as spirits crept, crawled, and flew through the distracted Zhengui¡¯s defenses.


    ¡°Sorry. It seemed like the best choice at the time,¡± Ling Qi said to Xiulan.


    ¡°I am sure it did,¡± her friend said disdainfully. ¡°You madwoman.¡±


    ¡°Says the one who went out to let herself get struck by lightning on purpose,¡± Ling Qi snorted. She looked across the oncoming enemies with an unwelcome trepidation. Perhaps if she fell back into her mist, she could drain enough qi from them to overtake the loss from the poison? Zhengui would need to keep healing her though¡­


    At that moment, she heard trees splintering and the earth cracking open. From the now ruined copse to the south, a second and then a third titanic insectoid form reared.


    ¡°Bullshit,¡± Ling Qi breathed.


    ¡°Language,¡± Xiulan said beside her, staring up at the enemies with a blank expression. ¡°Can you run?¡±


    ¡°I think so,¡± Ling Qi said uncertainly. Xiulan¡¯s qi was dangerously low after raining down so many powerful attacks on the assassin, and she herself had almost nothing left, the poison eating away at whatever sparks of qi tried to refill her dantian.


    Just as she began to consider that they might have to abandon the village, a second sun bloomed in the sky. The two titanic centipedes, already scuttling forward toward them, let out ear-piercing screams as a crescent of liquid gold crashed down on them. Rotted and splintered wood was vaporized instantly, and segments of the beast¡¯s bodies blackened and swelled, exploding from the heat before the molten metal even touched them. When it did, they were gone.


    Ling Qi looked up at the descending light and saw the source. Gu Yanmei descended from the sky on wings of molten gold. In her hand was a sword that seemed like a shard of the sun, and her mere presence brought death to the swarm. Lesser spirits were vaporized, and toxic pools evaporated, both purified by the light. Below, Zhengui let out a below of triumph as Zhen dug his fangs into a section of shattered exoskeleton, and the beast coiling around him began to spasm in its death throes.


    ¡°Sister?¡± Xiulan asked in bafflement as the fourth realm descended.


    ¡°It is good that you are well, Xiulan,¡± Gu Yanmei said evenly. Droplets hissed as they flew with each beat of her wings, and wherever they landed, the foulness seeping into the earth began to burn away, leaving crisp and barren soil. ¡°We will speak later. With this matter taken care of, I must be off to assist -¡±


    ¡°Sister,¡± Gu Xiulan interrupted, and the older girl¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°Sister, please, my friend... Ling Qi has been badly poisoned.¡±


    ¡°If there is anything you can do, Senior Sister, it would be appreciated,¡± Ling Qi said weakly.


    The earth shook beneath her feet again, almost making her lose her balance. She saw the Core disciple above her hesitate. ¡°I am no medic, but there is a reason I was deployed against this foulness.¡± Ling Qi¡¯s eyes widened as Gu Yanmei leveled her sword, the blinding blade pointing directly at Ling Qi. ¡°This will hurt,¡± the stoic girl said curtly, if not unkindly.


    Ling Qi braced herself as a beam of sunlight, raw and pure, struck her. Her shoulder and neck lit up with renewed pain, and the frozen blood shutting her wound boiled off into so much mist. Ling Qi felt something like liquid fire injected directly into her body and spirit, scouring veins, physical and spiritual, of corruption and toxin.


    As her consciousness faded, Gu Yanmei¡¯s head whipped around in alarm as the earth rocked, no mere minor tremor like before but a violent quaking that threw her from her feet. Far, far to the south in the great mountains of the Wall, Ling Qi saw the sky split asunder. She saw a mountaintop disintegrate into powder and saw the storm-wracked clouds rip apart in an expanding cone leaving behind a bare blue sky. Gu Yanmei¡¯s molten wings flared out into an aegis that stretched beyond sight, and she felt the fourth realm¡¯s energies slam into place over the rampart and village, shielding everyone from the terrible gale that ripped through in its wake.


    Her back hit the dry, burnt ground, and she knew no more.


    ***


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes snapped open, and she sat up with a gasp, her expression wild. It was dark. How long had she been-?!


    ¡°Easy.¡± A familiar voice reached her ears, soothing and calm. ¡°You are in a medical wagon. You are safe. The attacks are over, for now,¡± Liao Zhu said quietly.


    Though her heart still thundered in her ears, Ling Qi saw that he was right. She was seated on a soft bed, and she could feel the faint tremor of the wagon moving under her. The cramped space was packed with medical talismans and pill cupboards, the scent of medicine stung her nose, but it was a safe scent. Tension left her shoulders as she looked down at herself. She was dressed in a silver patient¡¯s gown, and she glimpsed a thick layer of poultice packed into her wounded shoulder and neck. ¡°Senior Brother, what happened after I¡­?¡±


    She trailed off as she turned to look at him. He, too, was seated on a bed in a patient¡¯s gown. His mask remained in place, but the right sleeve of his gown was empty.


    He chuckled. ¡°My apologies, Junior Sister. It looks as if this Senior was not wholly invincible after all. He is sorry for disappointing.¡±


    ¡°Will the Medicine Hall be able to fix it?¡± she asked with faint horror.


    ¡°Perhaps if it were merely severed,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°But no, it is gone, devoured flesh and spirit. Even the channels are gone. I will simply have to adjust.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Ling Qi said, ducking her head. She didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°What happened?¡± she asked plaintively. That had been no normal attack, and Xiulan had said that a messenger told her that there were attacks all over the Sect. ¡°That earthquake at the end and the sky¡­¡±


    ¡°You were awake for that then,¡± Liao Zhu said, leaning back against the wall of the wagon. ¡°I will not say that our whole theatre was a distraction, but it was a side objective. Our theatre was one of many struck across the Sect lands. The Sect will be shifting its footing after this.¡±


    ¡°If this was just a -¡± Ling Qi swallowed down bitter words at the idea of everything she had seen being a mere sideshow. ¡°What was the main objective then?¡± she asked, taking a steadying breath.


    Liao Zhu was silent, staring up at the ceiling of the medical wagon.


    ¡°Elder Zhou has been slain.¡±

 Threads 71- Epilogue-War

    There were no caskets at the funeral service.


    Some families had requested the remains be sent back to their estates, but those who remained in the Sect¡¯s care had been given the usual treatment. Their bodies had been destroyed. The foul things that could be done with a cultivator¡¯s corpse were more than enough reason for tradition to reign. For those who could see the spirit, there were no illusions about the value of an empty shell to the fallen.


    Instead, deep in a misty valley of pacified spirits between the Inner Sect mountains, there was a series of great monoliths of white jade on which names were carved, each name glittering a color of the rainbow. Elder Guan Zhou¡¯s name blazed violet, dark and brooding, but his had not been the only name carved today. Seventeen names in pale and faded green marked the monolith, fifty eight in ephemeral yellow, and one hundred and sixty four names in dull and somber red. Ling Qi had not heard anyone count the mortal casualties.


    Ling Qi still felt awful for the flood of relief that had filled her when she had seen that there were no names which she recognized on the list of the fallen, Disciple Deng aside. Standing among the ranks of the Inner Sect as a long line of people spoke of the fallen and of their deeds and lives only made her feel worse, reminding her with every word that each one of them had been a person whose life was now so much dust. By the end, she almost missed the sound of a wooden cane cracking against the stone dais for the speakers.


    Sect Head Yuan He looked old, mounting the steps. It was not the deep wrinkles on his face nor the whiteness of his hair and beard. Those had not changed, but something in his posture had. There was a droop in his still powerful shoulders, and for once, his cane seemed like it was truly an elderly man¡¯s crutch. All the same, the Sect Head¡¯s aura could not be ignored. Ling Qi found her head rising as the tap of his cane on the stone repeated with each step mounted.


    The rain was coming from him, Ling Qi realized. Since the start of the ceremony, a fine rain had been falling from the grey sky overhead. Yet now, looking upon Sect Head Yuan, she realized that the clouds and the man were one and the same. Bent and aged as he appeared in this moment, power emanated from his withered frame, a rising column that spread into the sky above.


    ¡°Guan Zhou was amongst the finest of men to have ever risen from this Sect.¡± Yuan He¡¯s voice remained rich and easily heard throughout the valley as he turned to face them atop the memorial dais. ¡°He was the son of Guan Zhong, my blood brother and the man who stood beside me until the last against the wrath of the scourge Ogodei.¡±


    Thunder rumbled, and lightning flashed in the sky. In the afterimage of the flash, she saw, for just a moment, the face of a jolly, barrel chested man with a luxuriant black beard standing behind the Sect Head, the potency of Yuan He¡¯s soul enough to impress images upon the world.


    ¡°He was, in many ways, a son to me.¡± The Sect Head¡¯s eyes drifted shut, even as the grip on the cane in his hand grew white-knuckled. ¡°And I could not have been prouder of his achievements. Over a dozen brewing major incursions were broken by his hands, and countless towns and villages have known over the centuries that the sight of his back meant that their safety was assured.¡±


    In the flash of the lightning, Ling Qi saw the silhouette of her old teacher standing in the sky, his arms folded behind his back. His lessons seemed so long ago now, but Ling Qi felt a tightness in her chest all the same. Taciturn and demanding a teacher as he had been, he had also been among the first to encourage her and offer words of approval for her efforts.


    ¡°Guan Zhou was a man of impeccable honor, a soldier who never bent under the weight of duty, and a commander who saw that his men¡¯s every need was seen to and their lives never spent unwisely. It had been my hope that one day, he would bear the duties which now lie upon my back.¡± Yuan He¡¯s sorrow felt infectious, spreading through the aura that lay across them all.


    ¡°But, my disciples, though this is a time of mourning, it must, by needs, also be a time of preparation.¡± Sect Head Yuan straightened on the raised platform of marble and jade.


    ¡°The time for competition and games among yourselves is over.¡± Sparks erupted from his lips as he spoke, dancing through the air, and thunder rumbled in his every word, tinged with righteous fury. Behind his eyelids, power glowed through the feeble skein of mortal flesh, straining the lie of Yuan He¡¯s body. ¡°As of today, the challenge system is suspended. Sect services will continue, but your rank will be determined by your contributions to the Sect. There is no need for such proxy conflicts at this time.¡±


    Overhead, the clouds stirred and swirled, growing dark. Not a single disciple dared even breathe a murmur of discontent. Ling Qi glanced at the back of her liege¡¯s head. What that meant for them and the Duchess¡¯ challenge, she was not sure, but she could not imagine that Cai Shenhua would let a little thing like a border war alter the parameters.


    ¡°You will have time as the Sect prepares and plans for the days ahead. I suggest you use them well. Those of you who were injured, take the time to recover and reflect on your battles. Those of you who were not, gird yourselves for such trials. We must all be ready for the days to come.¡± Ling Qi felt an electric tingle in her nerves with each word, an infinitely small fraction of the Sect Head¡¯s power straightening her spine and clearing her mind.


    ¡°The Sect will not allow this insult to stand.¡±

 Threads 72-Interlude-Shockwaves

    It was weird how something as grating as stone scraping across metal could seem tranquil. Then again, thought Su Ling, before today, she¡¯d never really thought about what higher cultivation meant.


    She breathed in time with the scrape of the whetstone across the blade laid across her lap and glanced up at the tremendous barrier of stone a few meters beyond the border fence she had parked herself on. It curved up and up, a vast dome that contained the whole town and its immediate outskirts. Su Ling had seen Elder Ying reshape the landscape before, dropping a whole section of the forest to create a new valley. But somehow, it hadn¡¯t really clicked until today.


    Her ears twitched in agitation as she closed her eyes and echoes of what she¡¯d seen throughout the day. She remembered the miasmic haze of illusory qi twisting whole sections of the forest into inescapable labyrinths. She remembered a whole section of the forest flipping up like a trapdoor and arachnid limbs reaching out to drag centipedes bigger than houses underground. She remembered the ground writhing with gross fungal things boiling up from the valley only to be torn apart by lashing branches and roots or dragged down squealing and screaming to be re-entombed in the earth.


    Su Ling felt the weight on her head shifting, tiny claws finding purchase in her thick, curly hair.


    ¡°That¡¯s one way to look at it, Ci,¡± she drawled, glancing up to see her spirit¡¯s fuzzy snub-nosed face peering down at her. Mostly, it just reminded her how irrelevant she was.


    the little bat said with a frustrated squeak. Though she was early second realm now, the spirit hadn¡¯t grown much larger. She wasn¡¯t the type for that, and that suited Su Ling just fine.


    ¡°Just fuckin with ya,¡± she snorted, looking back down at her sword. With a sigh, she tucked the whetstone away; she was just going to damage her blade if she kept going. ¡°I know we helped people. Don¡¯t need you being my hype girl.¡±


    her mouthy spirit rebutted.


    ¡°Yeah, well,¡± Su Ling began, only for her ears to flick as she heard familiar heavy footsteps.


    ¡°So this is where you went to hide, Miss Su!¡± She grimaced, her ears lying flat against her skull as Gan Guangli¡¯s booming voice reached her.


    ¡°It sure is,¡± she said dryly, not turning around to look at him. Him and his guys might have been the only ones to follow her after the elders had declared the truce reinstated on pain of expulsion.


    ¡°And why should the heroine of the hour be alone at a time like this?¡± Fucking hells. how could anyone pack that much pep into their voice? Gan was like a big dumb puppy. At least he had enough respect for her space to stop a few steps away.


    ¡°Your lot are the ones who did most of the work,¡± she retorted gruffly, prompting Cibei to let out a high-pitched squeak of protest.


    ¡°Though it shames me, without your words, I would not have thought to come here,¡± Gan Guangli replied, dropping the overblown pep for a moment. ¡°In my complacency, I thought to fortify my own with no thought that the Sect might need aid.¡±


    Oh, the Sect didn¡¯t, but the town did. She¡¯d been down in that pit with Suyin enough that she knew earth and rock weren¡¯t much of a barrier to those things. When she¡¯d scented that oily, rotten stink on the air, she¡¯d had a bad feeling that the dome Elder Ying had raised would not be enough. The town never had too many soldiers in it at the best of times. ¡°A messenger ain¡¯t a hero,¡± she shot back stubbornly.


    ¡°I dare you to walk through the outer village, look upon the faces of the people there, celebrating their survival, and say so,¡± Gan Guangli said calmly. She hunched her shoulders, scowling. Somehow, she liked him better when he was acting like a feckless moron. ¡°While it is true that I and my followers fought the most, your divination guided us. Where would we be without our eyes?¡±


    Her gut had been right. Mighty as an elder¡¯s power was, with everything going on, some things had wormed through the gaps. Those things beneath the notice of the titans clashing outside, but for a bunch of mortals, a few first realm things crawling out of their basements and sewers weren¡¯t so trivial. The town center was safe, guarded by soldiers, but there just weren¡¯t enough to cover the whole town.


    ¡°Maybe I just don¡¯t like company.¡± She refused to argue with him anymore. ¡°They can celebrate better without people like me reminding them of how bad things almost got.¡±


    ¡°Mm, a good point perhaps!¡± Gan Guangli said cheerfully. Her stomach sank as she heard the thump of his armored behind hitting the ground with a crash like a cart falling off its wheels. ¡°Powerful cultivators are often intimidating even when we do not mean to be!¡±


    ¡°Can you just not take a hint or what?¡± Su Ling finally asked, glancing over her shoulder.


    ¡°I am told that I am obtuse at times,¡± Gan Guangli agreed. The sturdy fence creaked ominously as he leaned against it a few paces away. ¡°If you wish me to leave, I will do so, Miss Su. You have but to ask.¡±


    ¡°Do what ya want,¡± Su Ling grumbled. turning her gaze back to the wall of stone. Cibei laughed at her.


    There was a long silence. Su Ling had to hand it to Gan. The oaf was stubborn; she¡¯d never heard him be quiet for this long. ¡°Why¡¯d you come? Truce is on, but that just means no violence. Lu Feng¡¯s boys have probably taken a bunch of your shit by now.¡±


    ¡°I think you underestimate Miss Xiao somewhat,¡± Gan Guangli said. ¡°However, it is irrelevant. Resources can be regained. If we cannot safeguard our people, then what good are we?¡±


    ¡°Bet that¡¯s not how you¡¯ll put it in your report to the boss,¡± Su Ling replied dryly.


    ¡°It is precisely how I will put it, if perhaps in more formal prose,¡± Gan Guangli laughed. ¡°Lady Cai has no use for sycophants among her direct servants. I follow her because her beliefs mirror mine. No, rather, my beliefs are built from hers.¡±


    She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. ¡°That so,¡± she said, making her disinterest clear.


    The oversized boy raised his hands in defense. ¡°I am not here to lecture or expound.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re not still trying to recruit me?¡± Su Ling asked sarcastically.


    ¡°Of course I am. You are a courageous and virtuous woman. I would be most pleased to have you on my side.¡± The cheeky fucker grinned at her.


    Su Ling tilted her head, letting her long hair cover the dusting of color that rose on her cheeks. Stupid instincts. ¡°Whatever. Not interested in playing soldier.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, Miss Su,¡± he said, falling silent.


    Her insights were vague things at the best of times. She wasn¡¯t going to subordinate herself, Su Ling thought, looking out at the blank expanse of stone, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel that something fundamental had shifted. She didn¡¯t know the details of what had happened, but there was blood in the air, drums in the sky, and howls under the earth. She couldn¡¯t stay the same.


    ¡°Enough with the ¡®Miss¡¯ garbage. My name is Su Ling. Use it.¡±


    ***


    ¡°You have not taken my advice,¡± Gu Yanmei said evenly, seated on the divan beside her. Despite her perfectly composed tone, the words still managed to sound accusing.


    Gu Xiulan hunched her shoulders, her lips pressed together in a thin line. Her hair hung in loose ringlets around her shoulders, unstyled and wild. She kept her eyes fixed on the wall ahead. Her sister¡¯s house was richly appointed, its steel walls covered by tapestry and decoration.


    She could not say that she was appreciating the decor much at the moment. Xiulan did not flinch as her sister peeled away a portion of burnt and ruined flesh from her arm with a surgical instrument, a pair of silver graspers etched with characters of cleanliness and purity. It was good that she had grown inured to the scent of burning flesh and fat. The piece her sister had removed joined the rest of the irrecoverable pieces of skin and muscle in the bowl.


    Even now, her arm was a ruin. With the bandages off, it was revealed as a burned husk. If she looked, Xiulan knew she would see places where bone was visible and burned with pale blue flames. Snapping currents of lightning ran where veins should have been, and sparks popped and snapped through gaps in her blackened skin.


    Only as her elder sister set her tool down and began to unroll a new set of aromatic silk bandages did Xiulan finally answer. ¡°I made the attempt. It does not fit my Way.¡±


    ¡°Your Way will lead to an early grave, sister,¡± Yanmei said, not looking up at her as she began the laborious process of re-wrapping Xiulan¡¯s arm.


    On the Sect mission, the world had shook apart, the sky had split open, and the rain had turned into a hail of stone from a broken mountain. Above her, Elder Sister had hovered on burning wings like a phoenix from the family¡¯s tales, wrapping them in heat. Ling Qi had collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, and she had dived to catch her friend before she struck the ground, ignoring the shriek of agony that the sudden motion sent through her tattered nerves.


    Power had washed over her. Even through Elder Sister¡¯s aura, she had felt the crushing weight of it. The earth shook again, and before her eyes, another mountain had crumbled. Icebreaker Peak had tumbled down like a child¡¯s tower of blocks, thousands of tons of stone collapsing as the full breadth of the thing within was revealed. It had been a sea of grey and black flesh, a million hungry maws and agonized eyes rolling in madness, mindless tendrils the size of towers thrashing wildly against everything in reach. She had felt her stomach churn merely from looking at it.


    Her sister¡¯s aura had flared like a second sun, and then, she had left, a boom of thunder passing in her wake, but the warmth of her aura remained, cradling her, cradling them, protection from the madness of the world outside. She had seen the faces of the soldiers who had fought with her twisted in desperation and fear. She had heard them praying to the great spirits and their ancestors.


    For once, she had felt no disdain for their fear. Beneath a sundered sky and on the rolling earth, she had held her friend close and prayed as well.


    ¡°Better that, than the alternative,¡± Xiulan said bitterly.


    For the first time, Yanmei paused, a flicker of some emotion surfacing in her cool gaze, gone too fast to be recognized. ¡°Foolish little sister, you are not some hero from a child¡¯s tale fighting the world alone,¡± Gu Yanmei said softly. ¡°Consider the effect of your words. I know Mother gave you the same lessons that I endured.¡±


    Xiulan¡¯s lips twisted into a wry smile. ¡°The only reason I am truly valuable to the family is the risks I have taken. Will you gainsay that, Elder Sister?¡±


    Silence answered her question, and Xiulan lowered her eyes, only to jerk to the side as her sister¡¯s metallic fingernails impacted her temple in a perfectly executed flick. ¡°I am not talking of politics, you insufferable girl. Father is young and hale, his position secure. Your actions affect your family. Do you imagine that Mother was not distressed enough to set the servants scurrying? That Father did not pace the throne room and make the great fires dance? That they did not consider withdrawing you immediately, face be damned? That they would rather have a live daughter than a dead hero?¡±


    Xiulan hunched her shoulders further and further as her sister laid into her without once so much as raising her voice or altering her tone. Her sister¡¯s points were driven by cold logic and unshakeable certainty. ¡°You are my sister, Xiulan. Do not trivialize the value of your life.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t afford to fall behind,¡± Xiulan rebutted in a small voice, drawing her knees up to her chest. Her elder sister¡¯s words broke what remained of her reserve. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ I will not just be some irrelevant wife of a mediocre man.¡±


    ¡°You still imagine yourself to be trailing behind¡­ Do you truly despise that boy so much?¡± Yanmei inquired. Xiulan sucked in a breath as her sister cinched the bandages tight around her ruined arm, letting the medicine-infused cloth begin doing its work. All that remained was her hand. ¡°Is Fan Yu really so despicable?¡±


    ¡°He has no ambition,¡± Xiulan hissed. ¡°He tags along on others¡¯ coattails and wallows in his own mediocrity, pitying himself for his own failures. How could I not?¡±


    Yanmei was silent as she went about the delicate task of wrapping Xiulan¡¯s hand and fingers. It would probably have felt strange if she could feel anything beyond faint sensations of pressure and pain from that hand, Xiulan thought bitterly.


    ¡°I will speak with Father. The current arrangements are swiftly growing untenable regardless,¡± Yanemi finally said.


    Xiulan started, looking up with wide eyes. ¡°Sister, what¡­?¡±


    ¡°Do not be obtuse, Xiulan,¡± Gu Yanmei chided. ¡°You have already set yourself upon the path to surpass most of our siblings. Do you imagine that we can afford to have you marry into another clan now?¡±


    ¡°Sister Xiurong is at the framing stage, and Xiuying nearly at completion,¡± Xiulan replied incredulously.


    ¡°Xiuying has been at completion since before your birth and is nearing her ninetieth year. Xiurong is fifty seven and more interested in raising her new son than further cultivation, Daiyu has no interest. Neither achieved the third realm at the age of fifteen,¡± Yanmei rebutted steadily.


    Xiulan opened her mouth to speak then closed it again. Why was she even protesting? Was this not what she had hoped for, what she had strived for, suffering pain and disfigurement for?


    ¡°Do not take this as approval of your methods, little sister.¡± Gu Yanmei¡¯s voice cut through her swelling feeling of accomplishment like a scalpel. ¡°And given the current situation at the Sect¡­¡±


    Xiulan¡¯s elation cooled, thoughts of the battle coming back to the forefront of her mind. Elder Zhou dead, unknown assassins creeping about the battlefields, whatever that awful thing that had emerged from the husk of the mountain had been, Ling Qi nearly dead because she had been too slow and weak, too unreliable¡­


    ¡°You will have to begin preparing for the journey home soon,¡± Yanmei said, standing up from her seat on the divan. The bowl containing the ruined flesh from her arm vanished in a flash of heat.


    ¡°Wait - why must I?¡± Xiulan began, only for the answer to come to her before she could even finish her words.


    ¡°The Sect is at war, little sister. The Gu are no cowards, but the family cannot afford to risk the both of us,¡± her elder sister said, not turning back to look at her as she swept out of the room. ¡°Rest now, Xiulan. Your energies are still unbalanced.¡±


    Xiulan stared after her and then began to laugh. ...Getting what she wanted, indeed.


    ***


    How long had it been, Cai Renxiang thought, since she had been in Mother¡¯s court? Her day of birth would be next week, so nigh on ten years, it seemed, since the day that she had humiliated herself and Mother alike by failing to withstand the Duchess¡¯ scrutiny. She had grown, if not strong, then at least more durable, since that day. She would not bring shame to the Cai name today.


    Though her body kneeled in her residence at the Argent Peak Sect, to all of her senses, she kneeled, her head low, on the rich red carpet which led up to Mother¡¯s high throne at the far end of the hall. The Great Hall of Xiangmen was a vast slab of marble far above the clouds, a dozen meters thick and many hundreds around, grasped in the curling branches of the living capital. One hundred meters overhead, the ceiling of woven cloud danced in complex patterns of color, said to be modeled off the skies of the far-off plains of living ice beyond the Wall where the Diviner himself had quested in his youth. The twelve vast pillars that supported it were each carved from the bones of a slain Beast God, the trophies of the Weilu¡¯s conquest.


    The throne itself was built from a single branch which breached the stone disk. Ten meters wide at the base, it rose nearly thirty meters through the air, curving up in a hook to shade the throne built halfway up its length with verdant foliage. Mother sat there, reclining in the cushioned throne, her radiance cast across the gathered court. The Prime Minister stood at her side, but she alone occupied the advisor¡¯s platform built just below the throne.


    All around her was the gathered court of Emerald Seas. The carefully selected courtiers of the comital houses and their vicontiel subordinates rubbed shoulders with the courtly nobility, those families which occupied the hierarchy of the capital itself and ruled over the day-to-day doings of its million souls. There were less of them now, if Cai Renxiang could judge from her faded memories of this place. Mother had been busy.


    ¡°And so, under the command of Core Disciple Jia Song, I led the vanguard against the northeastern outbreak.¡± Cai Renxiang spoke clearly and concisely. Here, before Mother with the weight of her expectation and power resting on her back like a boulder, she did not dare waste a single breath or syllable. ¡°The enemy spirits were driven back and slain without casualty. The initial movements were a total success.¡±


    ¡°That did not last,¡± Mother Spoke, and the world listened. Her words were airy and light like a socialite commenting upon the weather but to a cultivator of the highest realm, there were more to words than mere vibration in the air. The Duchess¡¯ statement held a sharp and terrible weight, and the Jia representative, a cyan cultivator, hunched his shoulders as if preparing for a blow, all of his practiced poise and cultivation rendered to naught by the mere inference of Mother¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Core Disciple Jia Song ordered us into the breach,¡± Cai Renxiang continued. The Jia were still allies; they would not suffer much censure for this, nor did she wish them to. To hold a grudge such as that was not only inefficient but also the seed of the thoughts that would lead any ruler to vice. ¡°As this was a military matter, I raised a point of contention but did not disobey commands. We descended and confronted the retreating enemy. It was a slaughter, but our distraction was used to strike at Core Disciple Jia, and further reinforcements waited in the tunnels. There were three casualties among the Inner disciples, one of which later became a fatality. During the battle, an enemy commander emerged. I estimate that he was of roughly framing stage in cultivation. We dueled, and I took his head.¡±


    Cai Renxiang let out a careful breath. The tunnel had been claustrophobic and dark, lit only by her own radiance. The darting figure in the shadows and the envenomed edge of his knives returned to her. It was good that she had sparred so much against an opponent of similar mobility.


    ¡°However, the enemy we faced made heavy use of sacrificial techniques. The entity that emerged from their dead was beyond me,¡± Cai Renxiang admitted bluntly and without shame. ¡°It was only Mother¡¯s grace which allowed us victory.¡±


    She remembered boiling black flesh, eyes beyond counting, and grasping, hungry mouths gnawing at her limbs. She remembered the traces of shen beyond the potency of any third realm technique punching through her defenses. Most of all, she remembered the second time in her life that Liming had truly awoken, the furious spiritual scream wiping her thoughts blank as she lost control of her limbs. The first time was a faded memory, the first and only time an assassin had dared seek her life and slipped past the attention of Lin Hai.


    She did not care for it. Even now, Liming seethed beneath her conscious mind, twitching threads seeking to control her nerves. She still felt unclean, the total loss of control worse than any horror of the deep. Despite herself, she tightened her grip on Cifeng¡¯s hilt, and the saber qi flowed through her channels, severing Liming¡¯s angry susurrus from her thoughts.


    Cai Renxiang kept her head low in the silence that followed the end of her report. The court was silent. Even the wind seemed silent. That torturous silence persisted before it was finally broken by a tiny sound, the faint click of a lacquered fingernail tapping against wood.


    ¡°Raise your head, Renxiang.¡± Mother¡¯s command was harsh and final, none of her affected humor present.


    Cai Renxiang did not hesitate to do so. High on the throne of Xiangmen, Cai Shenhua was no longer reclining. She sat tall and straight upon her throne, and the radiance of her eyes swept across the court. Each tiny click of her finger tapping against the armrest of the throne seemed to echo like thunder, and Cai Renxiang braced herself as that gaze fell upon her. Inhuman, heavy with expectation, it threatened to consume her as Mother¡¯s gaze pierced her mind, seeking, shaping, pitiless.


    ¡°You performed acceptably, my daughter. I expect you to continue to do so. In the name of the Cai, you will punish any barbarian which encroaches upon our lands.¡± The words were like nails driven into her thoughts, and she could only nod in acceptance.


    ¡°It will be my honor to punish them in our name, Honored Mother,¡± Cai Renxiang accepted.


    ¡°Jia Shu.¡± The named man bowed low at the waist, all but kowtowing at the mention of his name from Cai Shenhua. ¡°Inform your uncle that he needs to speak with his grandniece on matters of strategy.¡± The humor was returning, the languid tone that normally colored Mother¡¯s words, but she was standing, and no one in court dared relax. ¡°Esteemed members of my court, pass word to your clan heads. There is another border in our kingdom which requires reinforcement. Laxity in this matter is unacceptable.¡±


    A flicker of something like an affectionate smile touched the Duchess¡¯ lips. ¡°Linqin, be a dear, and handle court for me today.¡±


    ¡°As you command, my lady,¡± the Prime Minister replied without batting an eyelash. ¡°May I inquire as to what business will be occupying you?¡±


    Cai Shenhua smiled fully, and there was nothing kind in her expression. ¡°It seems that I have been too merciful. I will be taking a walk beneath the rootways. Arrange for soldiers to secure the route behind me.¡±


    ¡°Of course, my lady. Please be mindful on your stroll,¡± Diao Linqin said simply.


    Cai Renxiang lowered her head, pain still clouding her thoughts where mother¡¯s attention had lingered. She had been given her command. Mother would be busy, and so would she.

 Threads Interlude Rivers and Rain

    Enemies surrounded Heizui, thick as water weeds. Pikes came down, and the young dragon roared, his water shadow frothing white as they rebounded from it. Hooked blades snatched at his limbs, and Heizui coiled his body and launched forward. The river roared, and trees toppled as he emerged, snakelike, from the waters.


    They were still all around him, moonlight glinting off of scale-patterned armor, unblinking eyes looking pitilessly down as they moved in lockstop, changing formation to bring their pikes to bear. Heizui wasted no time, claws digging into the mud as he charged across the damp earth, the snap of his uncoiling body booming like thunder.


    His water shadow struck first, serpentine silhouette cracking against the pikeline. Three soldiers fell, opening a gap, and Heizui slipped through, scales glinting with frost as he armored himself against the incoming blows. His tail lashed out, knocking the knees from under the second rank. His claws flashed, and three pikes snapped in half. Heizui¡¯s throat swelled, and a pressurized jet of water erupted from his mouth, cutting through the bulwark of steel greatshields in the last line.


    There, just beyond them, was the exit to the valley. If he could just make it, then¡­


    A gong rang out, and every one of the soldiers stopped. Heizui¡¯s eyes widened, and the young dragon let out a furious growl. It definitely was not a plaintive whine.


    ¡°Time is up. Exercise failed.¡±


    Heizui slumped, his bristling whiskers drooping at the disapproval there. He looked up to the immense shadow of his mother¡¯s head.


    Mother was all around him. She lounged atop the hills surrounding the valley, encircling the square kilometer of ground that she had put aside for his training. Her scales glistened like sapphires under the light of the Guiding Moon.


    ¡°But mother, I ¡­¡± Heizui began plaintively as mother¡¯s carp soldiers stepped away from him, leaving him alone under the twin lights of her eyes.


    Her cold snort tore the leaves from trees all around and nearly sent the closest soldiers to their knees, frost spreading across the grass around him as well as his scales. Heizui cowered under her disapproving gaze.


    ¡°Do not take that tone with me, child. Does your shell still cling to your scales? Or have you simply lost all of your pride, lazing about and getting trounced by Outer Sect disciples?¡± Qingshe¡¯s voice was the roar of a river in its spring flooding. ¡°The time limit was clear.¡±


    ¡°Yes, mother.¡± Heizui did his best to keep the sulking edge out of his voice.


    Starting last year, everything had gone wrong. First, that annoying girl had beaten him, and then, she had gone and vanished, never giving him a chance to right the hierarchy. He had been working hard. Really! He was certain that if that girl and her irritating spirit showed up again, he would put her in her place.


    Now, just because some idiot human elder had gotten himself killed, mother had decided that she needed to work him to the bone. It just wasn¡¯t fair.


    He could feel the bruises forming under his scales, the claws on his right forefoot were cracked, and he was missing three fangs. Mother¡¯s carp soldiers weren¡¯t going easy at all.


    Mother narrowed her eyes, and Heizui drooped further. Qingshe lowered her head closer to the muddy field. Her whiskers alone were longer than his whole body. ¡°Heizui. This is not a game.¡±


    ¡°I know, mother,¡± Heizui said.


    ¡°You do not!¡± his mother roared, and a tree toppled. Heizui had to dig his talons in the earth, and even then, they dug deep furrows as he was pushed back to the rivers behind. ¡°Do you understand, child, that the cloud men are going to war again?¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s just a human thing,¡± Heizui complained. Frustration and soreness boiled over to drown his deference. ¡°They¡¯ll take care of it.¡±


    ¡°Thinking in such a way will leave you to the same fate as your idiot father,¡± Qingshe said coldly.


    Heizui felt a chill, running all the way down to the tip of his tail. He had made a mistake. Mother never mentioned father unless she was furious with him.


    ¡°The cloud men are enemies of dragonkind,¡± Qingshe growled, full of hate. ¡°They are weak and fragmented, but you will not forget that. When they remember themselves, they are a threat. There are not enough of us to face them alone as the gods of old did. That is why I bound myself to a human. That is why the Patriarch of the South made alliance with Yuan He. I had hoped that your humiliation would teach you to cease underestimating humans.¡±


    It had only been a temporary defeat, Heizui wanted to say, but he thought better of it. ¡°We are their betters though,¡± Heizui muttered.


    ¡°We are,¡± Qingshe rumbled, and she sounded tired, if only for a moment. ¡°It takes many, many thousands of humans to produce an individual who may match our natural might, and hundreds of thousands or more to match the greatest of us.¡±


    Qingshe fixed her gaze upon him. ¡°Yet, Heizui,¡± she said, ¡°there are more than a million humans for every one of us. Our divinity is tainted, and the power of the gods sealed beyond the Father¡¯s Hearth. The Decrees are heavy upon our necks.¡±


    Heizui cringed, pawing at the river mud. To speak aloud of the great shame, mother had to be serious. He felt small and pathetic. Maybe he really was being childish. ¡°I am sorry, mother. I won¡¯t complain anymore.¡±


    One of Qingshe¡¯s great claws rose, trailing boulders and vegetation, and a single talon longer than a horse stroked his back. Heizui squirmed, embarrassed by the display of affection. ¡°Good. Then you understand that I am not going to let you die and leave your old mother alone. Return to the starting point.¡±


    ¡°Yes, mother,¡± Heizui sighed. This was going to be terrible.

 threads 73-Normalcy 1

    ¡°Are you sure you want to be doing this now?¡± Yu Nuan asked.


    ¡°Would you prefer that I forget the favor I owe to you for another month?¡± Ling Qi asked back tiredly as they walked the steep mountain path, ascending toward the peak and the clouds.


    ¡°No, just¡­¡± the girl began awkwardly before shaking her head, her piercings jingling in the wind. ¡°Y¡¯know what, fine. Not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth. Not like I can afford to stay without a spirit the way things are.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed in agreement. She understood what the girl was getting at.


    Zhengui was still in a restorative sleep. The way he had forcibly broken through to the next stage and forced the evolution of his techniques all at once had exhausted him; her poor little brother had not stayed conscious for much longer than her. The sheer quantity of diseased ichor that had stained him didn¡¯t help matters, weakening his regeneration a great deal. The Sect¡¯s physicians had assured her he would wake within two days however.


    She had already visited her family, hugged her trembling mother and little sister. No physical danger had come near them, and the soldiers assigned to her home had come at her mother¡¯s call to kill the thing that had tried to crawl out of the basement with things remaining safe otherwise. Biyu¡¯s distress seemed wholly born from sensing their mother¡¯s distress. Mother, being awakened, had been able to sense just enough to know that something was terribly wrong. Ling Qi would return in the evening once the chaos in town had subsided to hear their story in full.


    Suyin was busy, dragged off to collaborate with several higher cultivation disciples, including a member of the Core Sect. Xiulan was with her sister still, the battle and her extensive use of qi having agitated her injury. Meizhen was dealing with inquiries from her clan, and her liege was corresponding with the capital. The mountain was a hive of activity.


    Her wound still throbbed. Even with Gu Yanmei¡¯s intervention, much of her flesh had been ruined, and the physicians had had to cut it away and induce the growth of new flesh to replace it. Her throat had been saved by the sheer concentration of qi which moved through it, thanks to her specialties. Yanmei¡¯s healing had saved her, but the raw solar qi poured into her veins had also misaligned her cold and dark meridians, leaving techniques that used those meridians difficult to use for a time. It would pass soon, but it left her feeling itchy and intemperate.


    ¡°You know, you said we needed to go up the mountain, but what are we looking for? I thought you were looking for something by the waterfalls.¡±


    ¡°I was, but if you¡¯re helping, I might as well get ambitious,¡± Yu Nuan replied, giving her a curious look. Ling Qi noticed then that she had slipped back into more common modes of speech. She really was tired. ¡°I want to bind a thunder beast,¡± the other girl said with finality.


    ¡°Oh? The things that¡¯ll nest in your navel if you sleep outside too often?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s just a dumb story,¡± Yu Nuan scoffed. ¡°They¡¯re powerful, aligned with wind and thunder, and can even grow to cyan now and then. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve noticed, but I¡¯m not much of a fighter. I need something that can keep enemies back while I play. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m gonna find a qilin or a dragon so a thunder beast is my best bet.¡±


    ¡°What were you looking for before then?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Was trying to attract fairies - wind and sun types,¡± Yu Nuan admitted as they reached the top of the path. ¡°Thought I had time to experiment, find something compatible. Your little¡­ Hanyi bumbled right through and broke the attraction formation I¡¯d bought.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced, dipping her head in apology. ¡°Alright, thunder beasts then. Do you have a plan?¡± She eyed the storm darkened clouds above.


    ¡°I composed something, yeah,¡± Yu Nuan replied, shading her eyes as she peered up. ¡°Figured I would find the highest solid perch I could, and then you could fly around¡­ and, uh¡­¡± She paused, looking unsure.


    ¡°You want me to play sheepdog?¡± Ling Qi asked, amused.


    ¡°That¡¯s about right,¡± Yu Nuan answered, chagrined.


    Ling Qi wished the girl would stop being so leery of her, but it was to be expected. On the other hand, there might be a better way.


    To her chagrin, silence was her answer. She felt her shoulders droop at that; Sixiang hadn¡¯t spoken since she woke up. She could still feel her muse. They were healthy and hale, just turned inward. Ling Qi shook her head. Sixiang would speak when they were done cultivating. She was sure.


    Still, she glanced between Yu Nuan and the clouds. Herding spirits was all well and good, but wouldn¡¯t they respect someone who met them in their own element more?


    ¡°That sounds fine,¡± Ling Qi started, ¡°but wouldn¡¯t you have better odds of a willing binding if you met them on their terms? Thunder is ambitious and proud after all.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but we can¡¯t all have priceless talismans of flight,¡± Yu Nuan said irritably. ¡°It¡¯s the best I can do.¡±


    Ling Qi gave her a sidelong look. ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯re that heavy. I could just carry you.¡±


    The other girl shot her a suspicious look. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I could just carry you,¡± Ling Qi repeated. She didn¡¯t care for such close physical contact, but it really was the best solution. ¡°It might be a little awkward to do so and leave your hands free to play, but it¡¯s not hard either.¡±


    Yu Nuan stared blankly at her as if Ling Qi had just suggested something absurd. ¡°And you would be fine with that?¡±


    ¡°I would not have suggested it otherwise,¡± Ling Qi replied archly.


    Yu Nuan studied her expression but then finally shrugged. ¡°Alright. How do you want to do this?¡±


    Working out the carry was more difficult than she would have liked. Even if she was taller than Yu Nuan, having the other girl sit on her back was awkward, and lacking Hanyi¡¯s bond and nature, Yu Nuan tended to fall through whenever Ling Qi sped up, maneuvered sharply, or crossed distances without moving. Since her hands had to be free, she couldn¡¯t keep a hold on Ling Qi¡¯s shoulders either. Still, they eventually came to a solution.


    ¡°Gods, just make sure you don¡¯t slip,¡± Yu Nuan muttered as they soared up toward the belly of the clouds, her legs dangling freely toward the ground so far below. Ling Qi had her arms looped under the other girl¡¯s. Her vision was blocked by the other girl¡¯s head and hair, but that was what her mirror motes were for.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡± Ling Qi grimaced, pulling her head back to avoid the other girl¡¯s hair from getting into her mouth, and a tiny gust buffeted the longer strands out of her face. ¡°Just tell me where we need to go. You studied their habits, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Yu Nuan said nervously. ¡°Well, since we can¡­ go up, right above the clouds, I¡¯ll be able to see the storms channels better from above.¡±


    Ling Qi restrained the urge to shrug. If the other girl could handle the altitude, that was fine. Without being able to use her techniques, the flight was painfully slow, especially since she had to remain cautious and careful of her own solidity. ¡°What were things like back here on the mountain?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    Yu Nuan strummed a few basic chords on her lute, more out of nervous habit than anything else. ¡°The tribes didn¡¯t get this far, but things still came outta the earth. A whole lot of them,¡± she said. ¡°It was pretty chaotic on the first mountain, but a pair of Core disciples came down and put a stop to the squabbling.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyebrows rose, but she supposed she shouldn¡¯t have been surprised. ¡°How did you fare?¡±


    Yu Nuan grimaced at the sudden damp as they entered the cloud layer. ¡°Nothing heroic like you,¡± she said, and Ling Qi could not tell if she was being sarcastic or not. ¡°I got rounded up to support the lower nine hundreds, and we drove off the bugs that tried to swarm up the mountain. They were going for the vents, I think. Wasn¡¯t glamorous, but I did my job. Didn¡¯t¡­¡± Ling Qi sensed a twinge of bitterness from the other girl. ¡°Didn¡¯t let anyone in my group die.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not an accomplishment to spit on,¡± Ling Qi said as they soared up and up through the rain-bloated belly of the storm clouds, the light from above growing brighter as they neared the surface.


    Yu Nuan grunted something noncommittal.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± Ling Qi began as they broke through into the blue morning sky above. ¡°Which way d¡¯you think¡­¡±


    She trailed off as she looked south over the slow moving field of dark clouds and saw a vast golden arch rising from them, then beyond it, another and another. The arches were tens of meters across and hundreds long, and for a moment, Ling Qi mistook them for some kind of structure, but she had never seen such a thing above Argent Peak, the core of the Sect. Then it dawned on her. The glittering golden scales, the weblike ridges waving lazily from the back of the arches, and there, the contours of a titanic leg¡­


    She knew, intellectually, that there was a reason that their Sect Head Yuan He was so well respected and their Sect so prestigious. But it was a different thing entirely to see his spirit companion, the Celestial Dragon King of the South, in the flesh. She had not felt his presence, but the great beast was not concealing it. No, looking south, seeing the source with her own eyes, she understood. She had felt the dragon¡¯s qi but had not realized it because it was the storm. Sect Head Yuan was not restraining himself.


    ¡°Not that way,¡± Yu Nuan said thickly.


    ¡°Not that way,¡± Ling Qi agreed, veering north and west. There was plenty of storm. No need to pester their elders.


    Keeping their backs to the unsettling sight, they flew in silence as Yu Nuan searched.


    The storm rolling out from the Wall spread over a vast distance, and dense knots of thunder, lightning, and water qi were prevalent. Ling Qi dove down into the clouds at Yu Nuan¡¯s direction and began to wrangle the thunder beasts they found. Thunder beasts appeared as great canines the size of horses made from dark clouds rather than flesh. Lightning crackled beneath their cloud flesh like veins and bones,and their barks were the boom of thunder.


    They were quick beasts and bounded away her approach, but she was faster, even with the constraints she was operating under. With her hands occupied, Ling Qi instead channeled the mercurial qi of the moon as she dove in among the masses of little spirits of wind, water, and thunder that the beasts circled. Phantasmal dancers and musicians burst forth from her frame, already laughing and singing as they enveloped and disoriented the thunder beasts.


    Once she had entrapped a pack, with a flex of her qi, she lowered the cacophony of the revel and allowed Yu Nuan to take center stage with her own composition. Yu Nuan¡¯s melody was strident and loud with a strong beat and quick metre like a storm in miniature itself. It was amusing to watch the wild beasts stop tearing around her revel trying to escape and instead come loping in to circle them and howl in time with Yu Nuan¡¯s song, adding their voices to it.


    Yet time and time again, when Ling Qi made to approach with Yu Nuan, they darted away. She could have caught them of course, whirled them back to the core of the revel with laughing phantasms, but Yu Nuan wanted to try for a willing binding first.


    So they went for much of the morning, hopping between the most concentrated parts of the storm, one after another, a trail of curious thunder beasts following along in their wake. Frankly, Ling Qi wished that if they were so interested, they would just engage properly and let Yu Nuan bind them.


    As she swept into the largest concentration of thunder beasts yet, scattering the little spirits of the storm like a school of fish around a thrown stone, and began to move to capture the beasts in her revel, she found herself interrupted. Darting forward, she glimpsed a pale blue palm shaped like a man¡¯s but too large before a gust of wind and boom of thunder threw her tumbling back. In her arms, Yu Nuan let out a shout of alarm, nearly fumbling her lute as Ling Qi seized the winds to right herself and found them unresponsive and reluctant to follow her command.


    ¡°Hoh! That will be enough of distracting my herding dogs.¡± The voice was male and boomed with the rumble of a storm. A flickering mote of silver turned in the folds of her dress, and she got a good look at her assailant. Three meters tall, the spirit had the outline of a man. The red eyes like that of a crow¡¯s were set in a human-like face but stared back at her from above a sharp and pointed beak, and wings like a bat beat against the air. The spirit¡¯s chest was that of a well muscled man and was bare to the waist, but the legs, covered by a rough loincloth of animal hides, ended in the talons of a bird. In one hand, the spirit held a silver mallet, more like a drummer¡¯s tool than a weapon.


    Leigong, the thought came to her immediately, the little gods, shepherds of storms, and highly ranked among the spirits of air and heaven. Memories of childhood stories and common legend mixed with memories of study in the archives. Even as she righted her body, she tried to sort out her thoughts. The spirit was fourth realm; she couldn¡¯t afford to give offense.


    ¡°My apologies, great one. We did not mean to disturb your work,¡± Ling Qi said hurriedly, dipping her head.


    ¡°Yes, absolutely not.¡± Yu Nuan was quick to agree, holding very still in her arms. ¡°We only meant to tame a wild beast.¡±


    ¡°My deepest regrets for our error,¡± Ling Qi continued. ¡°It is my fault entire, so if amends need be made, allow me to do so.¡± She wasn¡¯t going to repay Yu Nuan¡¯s courtesy by letting her take the blame for this. Leigong were supposed to be honorable sorts anyway. The other girl shot Ling Qi an incredulous look over her shoulder.


    The fourth realm spirit looked down upon them, his inhuman face unreadable. ¡°I am not much bothered by your game, and your music is pleasing to mine ears. Few mortals so well capture the clash and clamor of my realm,¡± the spirit rumbled. ¡°However, the King¡¯s ire threatens to drown the land, and my court must keep order. Now is not the time for revels.¡±


    They both dipped their heads, Ling Qi in chagrined apology and Yu Nuan still mostly in fear. ¡°Let us cease distracting you then, Lord of Storms,¡± Ling Qi said as eloquently as she was able.


    ¡°I thank you for your kind words and forgiveness,¡± Yu Nuan added in a tight voice.


    Ling Qi began to withdraw only to stop dead as the spirit threw out his empty hand. ¡°Nay, children, I will not end your quest in failure. The drums of war beat in mountain and glen, in the sky, and below the earth. Thou desirest a hound, and so thou wilt have one, little storm singer, in the hope that you might live and play in happier days.¡±


    Ling Qi looked on blankly, her eyes wide as the spirit let out a shrill whistle despite lacking the anatomy for it, and a great shaggy thunder beast bounded out of the churning clouds, padding up to them with a booming bark. She only blinked when the spirit beast licked Yu Nuan¡¯s face with a tongue of crackling lightning, making the girl¡¯s hair frizz outwards with static.


    Yu Nuan spluttered, not harmed by the electricity but just as stunned as Ling Qi. ¡°Just like that?¡± she asked incredulously.


    ¡°Hoho, call it an old man¡¯s whim,¡± the spirit chuckled. ¡°When the King no longer hangs in the sky, seek out the Thunder Palace. Too long has it been since new talent warmed my hall.¡±


    Then he was gone, taking the pack and the herd of lesser spirits with him in a single flash of lightning, and they were left floating in the clouds, kept company only by the massive thunder beast. It let out a cheerful wuff that sounded like a gale wind and regarded them with a panting dog-like grin.


    ¡°... That¡¯s what people mean when they talk about your luck, huh?¡± Yu Nuan asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ling Qi admitted uncomfortably.


    ¡°I guess I can¡¯t complain,¡± the older girl huffed, reaching out tentatively to scratch the panting beast under the chin. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Any time. Do you want to do the binding here or down on the ground?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Best get it done now before the world decides to make sense again.¡± Yu Nuan laughed.


    Ling Qi nodded as Yu Nuan began the binding ritual. She thought the girl was being a bit over dramatic, but she was glad to see someone else having good fortune. Still, with her obligation repaid, she should start checking up on everyone.

 Threads 74-Normalcy 2

    ¡°So that¡¯s the situation,¡± Ling Qi finished, standing beside her mother near the fireplace. She had told her mother everything important of the battles she had fought, what was happening at the Sect, and why Ling Qi had not come sooner. Ling Qi had brought her here; she deserved to know.


    Beside her, Ling Qingge hugged herself tightly, a faint tremble in her shoulders, and Ling Qi looked down. Of course she was afraid given everything that had happened.


    ¡°You - you foolish girl.¡± Ling Qi glanced to her side, eyebrows rising at her mother¡¯s harsh whisper. ¡°Why would you deliberately take a blow like that?¡± Her eyebrows climbed higher as the older woman rounded on her. ¡°What were you thinking?¡±


    Ling Qi blinked slowly. That was what had bothered her mother? ¡°My techniques meant I could take it, and it ensured the assassin did not get away to strike again. It was the best choice,¡± she defended. ¡°The potency of the poison was more than I expected, but-¡±


    ¡°Please promise me you will not do such a thing again,¡± her mother cut her off, giving her a pleading look.


    Ling Qi met her eyes, and she hesitated at the look on her mother¡¯s face. However, she couldn¡¯t lie, not to her mother and not about this. ¡°I would do the same for you or Biyu,¡± she said quietly.


    Ling Qingge searched her face, eyes still pleading, and then her shoulders slumped marginally. At that moment, her mother seemed older, just as Sect Head Yuan had seemed older. ¡°Very well,¡± her mother said, and if not for her cultivation, Ling Qi would not have detected the trace of bitterness in her voice.


    Silence, awkward and tense, fell between them. Ling Qi stared into the fire. Her wound itched. Finally, she spoke up tentatively, ¡°You said there was an intrusion in the house. Was anyone hurt?¡±


    Mother didn¡¯t reply immediately, but after a second or two she shook her head. ¡°No. Luckily, I was by the cellar stairs when the thing tried to crawl out, and our guards came quickly.¡±


    ¡°What was it?¡± Ling Qi asked. Her fingers itched for a knife for the first time in many months. She knew whatever it was had died, but all the same¡­


    Her mother¡¯s features screwed up in disgust. ¡°It is difficult to describe. It was like a great hairless rat with the feet and hands of a man.¡±


    As she suspected then, Ling Qi thought grimly. The things she had encountered on her expedition with Suyin were definitely the source of all this. They would pay for many things, but threats to her home were especially unacceptable.


    ¡°I have a friend who specializes in security formations. I will make sure we have something more potent installed soon,¡± she said tightly. It had been there since she had heard of the attack on her family, but the seed of ice cold fury in her heart that had been born at the news burned in the back of her thoughts. She felt her bond with Hanyi resonate and the sluggish cold qi in her arms pulse.


    Ling Qi breathed out, leashing the cold that threatened to spill out until it was only the chill breeze of a cold fall day. ¡°How is Biyu?¡± she asked, her voice calm again.


    ¡°She was frightened by the noise and the tension, but she has already forgotten it, as children often do with things outside their awareness,¡± Ling Qingge sighed.


    Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help but wonder if mother was inserting a little double meaning there. She would not begrudge her that. Her thoughts turned to the other subject she wanted to bring up with her mother. The Sect was not a safe place anymore, not until this was resolved, so¡­


    Her thoughts were interrupted by a tentative knock at the door of the room. It spoke of Ling Qi¡¯s distraction that she had not noticed the mortal presence approaching the door, but it was only one of the servants. She had acclimated enough to their presence that they no longer stood out and were just part of the tapestry of qi that made up the household.


    Sixiang would probably chide her for that, Ling Qi thought wryly. She began to answer, but then glanced at her mother as the older woman did the same, briefly meeting her eyes. Ling Qi lowered her head slightly in deference.


    ¡°Enter,¡± her mother said crisply, the lines of worry on her face smoothing away. The etiquette really did come easier to her.


    The door opened, and the young woman outside bowed deeply. ¡°My apologies for the interruption, Madam Ling, Lady Ling.¡± There was still a faint tremble in her voice, but like the others, she was getting better at interacting with Ling Qi. ¡°There are guests at the door, requesting entrance, and they, uh¡­¡± She stumbled over her words, wringing her hands.


    ¡°Who are the guests?¡± her mother asked patiently, giving the girl a moment to recover.


    ¡°The Ladies Xiao and Su, disciples of the Sect. They say they are here to see Lady Ling,¡± the girl hurried out.


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyebrows rose, and she stretched her qi senses. The auras of her friend and her student waited outside the gate. Su Ling felt irritable like a banked fire crackling with embers, while Xiao Fen felt like a snake hissing fearsomely in its burrow, as usual.


    ¡°Please show them in,¡± her mother said, giving Ling Qi a brief look. As the girl left, she added in a quieter voice, ¡°Let us defer the matter we were speaking of.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ling Qi agreed, dipping her head. She suspected that they were thinking of different matters. She turned away from the fire, heading toward the door.


    ¡°Is there anything I should know of our guests?¡± Ling Qingge asked, following her out.


    ¡°They are friends,¡± Ling Qi replied. Xiao Fen was a sort of friend, right? ¡°Su Ling is common born like me but spirit blooded. Xiao Fen is Bai Meizhen¡¯s handmaiden.¡±


    Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her mother pause at the second thing, nervously worrying at her lower lip. ¡°Since the visit is so sudden, I am aware that they must not be expecting full amenities, but should I¡­?¡±


    ¡°Given the current situation, I doubt they are here for personal matters,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°There won¡¯t be trouble.¡± If there was, she would not let Xiao Fen get off lightly the next time they trained.


    Her mother sighed at Ling Qi¡¯s nonchalance but nodded. ¡°I will have the veranda set for tea then.¡±


    Mother gave instruction to the first member of the household staff they passed, and in a few more moments, they had reached the entrance way of the house. Su Ling and Xiao Fen waited there, attended by one very nervous looking girl. Xiao Fen looked much the same as the last time she had seen her, though her cultivation had improved. She was nearing the peak of the second realm and would probably get there by the beginning of next month.


    As for Su Ling, Ling Qi had not seen the other girl in half a year. She looked healthy. Her friend had lost the last signs of malnutrition that had clung to her frame, and her dark hair had lost the last of its stringiness. Although her skin was still sun darkened and lacked the softness that most would call beautiful, she had put on a bit of muscle, if Ling Qi was any judge. She wore thick workmanlike clothing and had the same sharp features and familiar, permanently disgruntled expression.


    ¡°Su Ling, Xiao Fen,¡± she greeted, her mother trailing a few steps behind her. ¡°I am surprised but not unhappy. What brings you to our home on such short notice?¡±


    Su Ling let out a snort at her polite words. ¡°Saw you flying over. Got something I have to ask you. Kinda hard to get the chance these days.¡±


    Xiao Fen¡¯s expression was more grudging, eyeing Su Ling irritably. ¡°I am doing a certain individual a favor and providing security since Miss Su¡¯s normal guards were injured in his defense. However, there is a matter it would be prudent for us to speak of, but it is not urgent.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyebrows rose. Su Ling¡¯s normal guard? Had things¡­ No, looking at Su Ling¡¯s thunderous expression, she realized that Xiao Fen was probably talking about the Ma sisters. They must have been hurt in the invasion. ¡°I hope their injuries were not too bad?¡± she asked, looking to Su Ling.


    ¡°Medical for a week,¡± Su Ling grunted. ¡°Gan¡¯s covering it.¡±


    Ling Qi took only a moment to digest that but then nodded, remembering her manners. ¡°I am glad. Welcome, then. This is my mother, Ling Qingge; she is the head of the household since I am usually away.¡± She gestured to her mother, who had managed to smooth away the visible worry on her face brought about by having cultivator guests. Knowing Mother, she had probably hoped for rather more warning the first time.


    ¡°You are welcome in my home, honored guests,¡± the older woman said, bowing her head. ¡°If it pleases you, I have instructed my staff to lay out refreshments on the garden veranda.¡±


    Xiao Fen was the first to respond, clasping her hands in front of her chest and giving a perfunctory but not disrespectful bow. ¡°That will be acceptable, Madam Ling. I will be pleased to accept your hospitality.¡±


    Su Ling, on the other hand, seemed to have been brought up short by the introduction, glancing between Ling Qi and Ling Qingge. Her jaw worked silently for a moment but then she ducked her head before Ling Qi could read the emotion in her eyes. ¡°... Yeah. Thank you for the hospitality,¡± she replied tersely. By the time she raised her head again, her expression was set in its usual default.


    There was a little more polite back and forth as she led her friends inside, passing through the halls of the house until they came out in the gardens where a number of chairs had been set out around the table that occupied part of the veranda. One of their staff was nervously setting up for tea when they arrived. She felt bad for the girl, who made a sound not unlike a squeak of alarm when she saw them exit before she had finished.


    ¡°So before we sit down, you said there was something you wanted to discuss, Su Ling?¡± Ling Qi asked blithely, studiously ignoring the girl and instead proceeding to the waist-high railing that overlooked the garden. It was better to let her staff finish without acknowledging the problem.


    Su Ling shot her an unreadable look, prowling up to stand beside her and lean against the rail. Her two tails waved agitatedly behind her. ¡°Yeah. I want to know who you¡¯ve been talking me up to,¡± she said bluntly. ¡°I know you like to be generous, even when it¡¯s not asked for. I want to know why I¡¯m getting rounded up for a serious fu¡­¡± She paused, glancing back at Ling Qingge. ¡°A serious venture down below,¡± she finished vaguely.


    Ling Qi looked at her blankly. ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything of the sort,¡± she replied. ¡°Su Ling, I was in medical recovery until yesterday evening.¡±


    Su Ling¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°Then why...?¡±


    ¡°I already told you,¡± Xiao Fen grumbled, crossing her arms haughtily as she strolled up beside them. ¡°You showed that your divinations were not obscured as the more modern practitioners were. Diviners of the old spirit blooded styles are thin on the ground in these lesser days.¡± Xiao Fen sniffed. ¡°Be happy that the bureaucrats are being shaken from their complacency that you might shine.¡±


    Su Ling shot her a foul look. ¡°And I told you that it was just a gut feeling, ¡®less you think they want me sitting around to cast bones in a fire. ¡®Sides, I¡¯m not scummy enough to be happy about what¡¯s going on right now for any reason.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced past them to her mother, who looked lost. She was hiding it well though. ¡°What is this about an expedition?¡± Ling Qi asked, smoothly cutting in before the two could get back into what was clearly a previous argument. She missed Sixiang¡¯s silent nudging. They were so much better at this.


    ¡°There¡¯s some planning going on,¡± Su Ling explained unhappily. ¡°Don¡¯t know the full picture, but the Sect isn¡¯t gonna take the stuff from the caves coming up lightly.¡±


    ¡°It feels foolish to move so quickly, but my eyes do not see as those above do,¡± Xiao Fen said. ¡°Well, I do not expect those trusted by Lady Suzhen will be hasty, blood mad fools. I expect punitive measures to be well planned.¡±


    No, Xiao Fen, tell us how you really feel, Ling Qi thought. Still, the fact that the Sect was gearing up for expeditions into the darkness below¡­ Did that mean that Elder Zhou had been felled by something like that assassin, only exponentially more potent? The exact details of his death had still not been revealed. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that the table was fully set.


    ¡°Our refreshments are prepared, Lady Su, Lady Xiao,¡± Ling Qingge said before she could. The conversation had turned her expression to one of worry.


    ¡°Thank you, Madam Ling,¡± Xiao Fen replied politely


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me ¡®lady,¡¯¡± Su Ling grimaced. ¡°Seriously though, you haven¡¯t said anything?¡± she asked, turning her eyes back to Ling Qi.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t,¡± Ling Qi replied steadily. ¡°I know you don¡¯t want that.¡± What was with those rolled eyes, Xiao Fen? Bai Meizhen¡¯s handmaiden was developing some bad habits in her presence.


    ¡°And what did you want to say, Xiao Fen?¡± she asked as they moved to take their seats.


    ¡°Only that our lessons would have to cease for a time given the situation, Lady Ling,¡± she replied, perfectly polite. ¡°I, of course, very much look forward to their resumption.¡±


    Ling Qi eyed her for a moment but nodded in agreement. The real purpose of their lessons was defunct for a time given the truce being declared in the Outer Sect. ¡°Is that so? I will miss our lessons,¡± she said cheerfully. ¡°We will have to find another way to stay in contact.¡±


    ¡°Sect¡¯s not exactly restricting contact hard right now,¡± Su Ling grunted, fighting a smirk at the sinking of Xiao Fen¡¯s expression.


    ¡°... Yes,¡± Xiao Fen said, her face blank.


    Mother studied all three of them with furrowed brows, clearly trying to work out the real flow of the conversation. Ling Qi suspected that her mother might be trying too hard to see beyond the obvious. Still, it was heartening that, even if she kept her peace, her mother could deal with the presence of a pair of cultivators.


    As the conversation continued, Ling Qi watched her mother. She saw Ling Qingge¡¯s careful, practiced poise and the stewing concern under the facade as she answered a question of Xiao Fen¡¯s in a polite and demure voice. Though this had been an unexpected and sudden visit, her mother had been preparing herself very rigorously.


    Her thoughts turned back to what she had been considering, standing before the fire. Should she send mother, Biyu, and the rest of the household away until things settled down? It would cost her some stones, but she could settle them in a barony a little further north, away from the incursions.


    She thought back to her mother¡¯s frustration and bitterness that had briefly surfaced during their conversation in the hearth room. Was she really going to suggest that her mother abandon her again? Whatever she thought she would be arguing, that would be what she was asking.


    Ling Qi felt herself relax as she decided to drop the idea, a snarl in her qi flow that she had not even noticed forming smoothing out. Even if it meant they might be in danger, she couldn¡¯t force her decisions on her family. Later, she would talk with her mother, and together, they would determine what precautions that the household would take and how to increase the security of the house. She would give the staff the chance to leave as they had not signed up for this, but family was a different matter.


    ¡°Oi, you alright, Ling Qi?¡± Su Ling spoke, shaking her out of her thoughts. The other girl¡¯s pointed canine ears flicked in a way that she knew denoted concern. ¡°You kinda spaced out.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I was lost in thought. There is a lot to think about lately,¡± Ling Qi replied.


    The atmosphere at the table darkened, and Su Ling nodded slowly, her natural scowl deepening. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. Things are going to be rough for awhile.¡±


    ¡°They are barbarian trash, no matter what form they take,¡± Xiao Fen sniffed. ¡°Even with everything that has happened in recent millenia, the Empire is strong. From what I have seen, your duchess has done much work to straighten out the fractious rabble which has so long dragged the Emerald Seas down.¡±


    ¡°You would think that a Bai would know to be more diplomatic,¡± Ling Qi said dryly.


    Xiao Fen arched a scaly eyebrow. ¡°Oh, I am not speaking of any still extant individuals. How bold of you to presume that I would make such a gaffe,¡± she retorted coolly.


    Ling Qi maintained eye contact with Xiao Fen a moment longer. The girl really was well practiced at that sort of thing, wasn¡¯t she?


    ¡°My apologies if my question might seem unknowledgeable,¡± Ling Qingge interjected tentatively. Ling Qi glanced to the side, surprised to hear her mother take the initiative. ¡°But what do you believe the Empire¡¯s response will be? Will the army come?¡±


    ¡°Hell if I know. Sect is gonna mobilize all the way.¡± Su Ling shrugged. ¡°Will the folks further away bother? Who knows. They¡¯ll probably just look to their own.¡±


    ¡°How cynical of you,¡± Xiao Fen said, pouring herself a new cup. ¡°I think you underestimate the scale of this insult, Miss Su.¡±


    ¡°Do I?¡± Su Ling asked blandly.


    Ling Qi thought but then shook her head. ¡°I think you do, Su Ling. It¡¯s not a matter of altruism or selflessness,¡± Ling Qi said, remembering the studying Cai Renxiang had put her through, the picture of the Emerald Seas she had so painstakingly assembled in her mind. ¡°It is a matter of legitimacy. If the things I have heard since I woke up are correct, this is the largest and boldest incursion since Duchess Cai ascended to the throne, even ignoring the new enemies.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Well, shit,¡± Su Ling said gruffly, clearly understanding the words she had not said. Considering that the Cai rose to their position partially on the lackluster response of the previous ducal clan, the Hui, to Ogodei¡¯s invasion, the Cai had to respond strongly to barbarian incursions. ¡°This is gonna get bloody, innit?¡±


    ¡°Quite,¡± Xiao Fen said. ¡°To answer the question I believe Madam Ling was truly asking however, the Sect will likely focus on reconnaissance and defense until the other pieces have moved into place. This town is the gateway to the Sect, the place through which its production flows into the rest of the Empire. It is likely that great effort will be made to make it safe from new threats.¡±


    If only because the Sect couldn¡¯t afford to have their ¡°face¡± damaged further, Ling Qi mused. She was thankful that the Sect had given her a home in the inner part of the town. It was good to benefit from the structure of the Empire for once, instead of being out in the gutters and fields. ¡°Mmm, I don¡¯t doubt that the elders are unhappy with being caught unawares.¡± Elder Jiao in particular, for all his lax attitude, struck her as a fundamentally prideful man.


    ¡°Feh, at least their pride will do some good,¡± Su Ling grumbled. ¡°I guess I won¡¯t object to checking things out below. Can¡¯t let people get caught out again.¡±


    ¡°We can discuss improving the house¡¯s security later, mother. My friend Li Suyin has done a lot of development on formations.¡± She just had to convince mother to put up with skeletons in the basement. Hopefully, Suyin had refined it further; the version of the array Ling Qi knew was not sufficient for a house with a full staff.


    ¡°Suyin does good work,¡± Su Ling agreed, finishing her tea.


    ¡°I am reassured,¡± Ling Qingge said, dipping her head.


    Ling Qi spotted a nervous servant signalling her mother from inside the house. Mother glanced over before excusing herself to converse with the woman, but Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help but overhear. Apparently, Biyu was being quarrelsome since this was usually around the time she was allowed out to play in the garden. She glanced over at her friends. She could probably save them some trouble, and it wasn¡¯t like this was some official meeting.


    ¡°Would either of you be bothered if my little sister came out to play in the garden while we have our tea?¡±


    ¡°The hell kinda snob do you think I am?¡± Su Ling snorted. ¡°Just about done anyway. Got stuff to do.¡±


    ¡°Is she teethed?¡± Xiao Fen asked.


    Ling Qi paused, caught short by the bizarre question from Xiao Fen. ¡°... Yes?¡± Ling Qi answered.


    ¡°Then it is no trouble,¡± Xiao Fen replied as if the question was normal. ¡°Ah, if you would, when you see Lady Meizhen next, inform her that despite my setback, I will join her in the third realm soon. I will be prepared to serve her properly as soon as possible.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded slowly then stood up to go speak with her mother. She was not even going to ask.

 Threads 75-Normalcy 3

    Ling Qi was in a good mood by the next morning. After her friends had left, she had spent more time with her mother and sister and discussed what they were going to do.


    The offer to fund a trip back to a settlement of their choice had been extended to the staff, and to Ling Qi¡¯s mild surprise, no one had taken it. Given what the women had been doing before, Ling Qi wasn¡¯t too surprised. Ling Qi reminded herself to budget for extra space when it came time to design a proper ¡°panic room¡± for the house. They weren¡¯t family, not to her, but to mother¡­


    Well, she would work out the details with Li Suyin tomorrow. She had already sent a message to the other girl and received a reply; Suyin would be happy to help. Ling Qi had even haggled her up to accepting two green stones, more than cost for her work. Ling Qi chuckled to herself as she remembered the fierce battle of words against her friend¡¯s generosity.


    Ling Qi paused along the mountain path, peering out toward the province interior for a moment. She was still worried, still anxious, and still angry, but she had done what she could.


    She rolled her shoulders, grimacing at the twinge of pain from her still healing wound. It was going to linger for another day or two, the medics said. Ling Qi would be glad to see it gone, but for now, she had to head up the Inner Sect mountain to meet her liege. Cai Renxiang would undoubtedly have marching orders for her. She just wondered what exactly the Duchess had in mind.


    However, as she reached the top of the cliffside path, Ling Qi paused, feeling a familiar qi. It emerged from the blank space that represented Cai Renxiang¡¯s home in her spiritual senses. She was not terribly surprised to feel Meizhen¡¯s aura, but she was not alone. A moment later, as she reached the top of the path, she saw them.


    Bai Meizhen was immaculate in her usual way, gliding down the path, unmarked by the recent violence. At her side was a tall and gangly figure, Li Suyin¡¯s mentor, Bao Qingling. She could not hear their words of course, obscured as they were by a dense web of qi filaments and the pressure of the deep, but the sight still seemed strange.


    Each time she had met Bao Qingling, the girl had been stiff, taciturn, and irritable. She was like Su Ling except condescending and arrogant, and yet there was something more animated about her as she spoke with Bai Meizhen, gesticulating with her hands. The sharp, jerky movements reminded her of a spider plucking at its web.


    Meizhen was as sedate as ever, only responding periodically, nodding or smiling faintly in response. She was also, Ling Qi noted clinically, walking a bit closer to Bao Qingling¡¯s side than was strictly appropriate, and the prickly Bao did not seem to find this objectionable. It made her feel odd, and the dark qi in her channels stirred sluggishly. She clamped down on it. It was unfair of her to feel that way, and she had grown past that. She was happy that her friend was making more connections.


    Meizhen met her eyes then, and the girl blinked in surprise. Suddenly, the pressure that surrounded the pair faded. ¡°Ling Qi? I did not recognize you. Are you well?¡± she asked, a touch of concern in her voice.


    Ling Qi smiled wanly, stopping at the top of the path. ¡°My ¡®treatment¡¯ just unsettled my qi. I should be fine in a day or two. Sorry I haven¡¯t been in contact. I spent yesterday taking care of some things.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky you¡¯re as sturdy as you are,¡± Bao Qingling said, her animated expression fading back into her usual disgruntlement now that the two had been interrupted. She folded her arms under her chest, going eerily still. ¡°And that the Sect broke out the good medicines.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced over at her, raising an eyebrow. Why was she even commenting? ¡°Oh? I¡¯m glad that they did, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Bao Qingling has been quite busy with medical duties in the wake of events,¡± Meizhen cut in smoothly. ¡°She was the one who informed me of your status.¡±


    ¡°It was a mess,¡± Bao Qingling said sourly. ¡°It might have saved you, but your body reacted to the sun qi about as well as it did to the poison. I had to do a lot of cutting.¡±


    Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help but pull a face, imagining the pallid girl looming over her with a surgeon¡¯s knife. Unconsciously, she reached up to rub her bandaged shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m glad it went well.¡±


    The other girl cocked her head to the side, and Ling Qi noticed, not for the first time, the way the girl didn¡¯t seem to fully look anywhere with her eyes. Bao Qingling wasn¡¯t blind, but it was clear that she relied far more heavily on other senses than most. Despite not turning her head, she seemed to notice Meizhen¡¯s slightly sour expression. ¡°I destroyed the tissue once the toxin traces had been strained out of course.¡±


    ¡°Of course. How did it compare to the other toxins collected?¡± Meizhen asked, changing the subject.


    ¡°Manufactured for certain,¡± Bao Qingling said. ¡°Similar enough compositional traces that I suspect a master alchemist somewhere in the enemy¡¯s supply chain.¡±


    ¡°You think someone in the Empire is supplying them?¡± Ling Qi asked with alarm.


    ¡°No,¡± Bao Qingling replied bluntly.


    ¡°An unpopular opinion, to ascribe such sophistication to mere barbarians,¡± Meizhen mused.


    ¡°And I already told you where they can stuff their popular opinions. I¡¯m not going to underestimate my enemies.¡± Bao Qingling¡¯s lip curled in disgust. ¡°Regardless, I need to get back to my workshop. The antidote projects won¡¯t finish themselves. I¡¯ll leave you to your friend, Bai Meizhen.¡±


    ¡°I will be happy to assist you later, but farewell for now, Bao Qingling,¡± Meizhen said, briefly dipping her head.


    ¡°Thank you for your work,¡± Ling Qi added with a slightly deeper bow. She received a terse nod in return as the other girl strode past her, heading down the mountain path. A few moments of silence passed between them.


    ¡°I am glad you are well, Qi,¡± Meizhen said quietly. ¡°Please endeavor not to get so badly injured in the future.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll work on it, Meizhen,¡± Ling Qi chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m glad you came out unscathed as well. Were you involved in the fighting?¡±


    ¡°Only peripherally,¡± her friend replied. ¡°My situation is complicated enough that none chose to command me. I suspect that will change in the future. I have a duty to show solidarity with our allies.¡±


    So she would not be leaving the Sect then. That was good. Ling Qi had already heard rumors of disciples preparing to leave. Going by what Su Ling and Xiao Fen had said, it was worse in the Outer Sect. ¡°Ah, I saw Xiao Fen. She says she will break through soon and be prepared to serve you.¡± It felt weird to say, but teasing the younger girl aside, she had agreed to pass the message.


    ¡°Reassuring,¡± Meizhen said with a faint smile. Ling Qi followed her gaze down the mountain path.


    ¡°Are you sure of what you¡¯re doing?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°As sure as I can be without broaching the matter directly with her,¡± Bai Meizhen said. Despite the swirl of events, her friend seemed content. ¡°Which is¡­ soon, perhaps. War does not leave time for regrets, as they say.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say that I understand,¡± Ling Qi sighed. She wanted nothing to do with that sort of thing. ¡°But I wish you luck all the same.¡±


    ¡°And I cannot fully understand your reticence,¡± Meizhen said sadly. ¡°Perhaps life in the Emerald Seas has made me soft, but I find myself looking forward to a little youthful indiscretion. Life is to be lived, after all.¡±


    ¡°Meizhen!¡± Ling Qi hissed, scandalized.


    Bai Meizhen let out a soft laugh, covering her mouth with her sleeve. ¡°My apologies, Qi.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve changed, Meizhen,¡± Ling Qi said after a moment. She wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t we all?¡± her friend asked airily. ¡°Will you be free for tea this evening?¡±


    ¡°I was intending to spend it with Zhengui,¡± Ling Qi replied apologetically. ¡°If you do not mind the setting, you¡¯re welcome to join me. I¡¯m sure he would appreciate a visit from Cui.¡±


    ¡°Then we shall be there,¡± Meizhen agreed. ¡°Now, do not leave Renxiang waiting. She is having a stressful enough day, I think.¡±


    They both made their farewells, and Ling Qi turned back to her destination. She knew she had many things to speak of with Cai Renxiang, but the first thing on her mind was what the internal response of the province had been like.


    ***


    ¡°Good afternoon, Lady Cai,¡± Ling Qi said politely, bowing her head low as the door of the other girl¡¯s study drifted shut behind her, nudged by the wind. ¡°I hope your day finds you well.¡±


    ¡°Well enough, all things considered. It pleases me that you have been released from the Medicine Hall so soon,¡± Cai Renxiang said, looking up from her task. For once, she was not behind her desk, but instead, she was seated in one of the other chairs set around the room. Her saber, Cifeng, lay naked across her lap. The heiress was running an oil cloth over the silvery metal, and the blade seemed to almost purr at her meticulous polishing.


    ¡°The Sect has many skilled physicians,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°I am told that I should be in good condition within another day or two.¡± She took a seat near Cai Renxiang, sinking into the soft cushioning with a sigh. Normally, it would have been rude to take a seat without invitation, but the heiress didn¡¯t mind little indiscretions in private. As she settled into her seat though, she took a second look at her liege.


    Although there were no obvious physical signs of it, there was a certain haggard air to Cai Renxiang as she sat there, quietly polishing her saber. She had no wounds nor any dark circles around her eyes, not a single split end or strand of hair out of place. Yet on some level, to Ling Qi, she felt frayed, for lack of a better word. It reminded her of that day during the tournament after Cai Renxiang had spent the night with the Duchess.


    ¡°And you, Lady Renxiang? Were you injured in battle?¡± It was a little bit of a gamble to use such familiar terms to talk to Cai Renxiang. She had never been given an invitation to do so, but Lin Hai¡¯s words returned to her thoughts.


    Cai Renxiang gave her a sharp look, and in her lap, Cifeng shook imperceptibly, but the girl did not chide her. ¡°Do not allow the demeanor of Sir Lin to corrupt you, Ling Qi. Neither you nor I are so highly placed that we might afford undue indiscretion.¡±


    ¡°I will keep that in mind,¡± Ling Qi replied demurely, folding her hands in her lap. Renxiang had not told her off. ¡°My question?¡±


    ¡°I required no treatment from the physicians,¡± Cai Renxiang replied. That was a pretty obvious dodge. Her liege really was tired. Still, she wasn¡¯t going to push her luck and press the matter.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad,¡± Ling Qi said simply. ¡°You said in your note that you had been in contact with the capital. How did the Duchess take the news?¡±


    ¡°I believe my honored Mother to be somewhat vexed,¡± Cai Renxiang answered carefully. Her white gowl rippled, the ¡®eyes¡¯ splayed across her chest flashing with inner light, and in her mind, Ling Qi felt the low beastial growl that emanated from the other girl¡¯s gown. ¡°News of a new enemy is not going over well among the nobility.¡±


    Ling Qi hesitated before speaking. ¡°Are they really new though? I have known about various things beneath the earth for some time, and the elders knew as well. Surely no one was really unaware of the caverns and the things that live in them.¡±


    ¡°I have no doubt that they were aware enough. I have no doubt that Mother was aware as well,¡± Cai Renxiang said. She gazed into the gemstone set in Cifeng¡¯s side. Ling Qi sensed a faint pulse of sharp metallic qi, echoing through Cai Renxiang¡¯s aura. ¡°However, that is not the issue.¡±


    It took Ling Qi a moment to mull over what she meant. ¡°Ah. They can¡¯t just treat it as a deadly wilderness anymore.¡±


    Cai Renxiang let out a long breath and flicked her wrist, storing the oilcloth away. She studied the blade in the light of her own radiance before raising her eyes to meet Ling Qi¡¯s. ¡°It is not only that. Mother has unsealed a number of archives that indicate certain interests into exploiting those realms in the most recent century.¡±


    ¡°Wait. Then¡­¡± Ling Qi frowned, thinking of her own expedition with Li Suyin.


    ¡°I find it unlikely that the timing is unrelated, and whatever else one might say, the coordination necessary to stage this attack and make alliance with several Cloud Tribes indicates a certain sophistication among these subterrene barbarians,¡± Cai Renxiang said. Pale blue thread spun into existence, reforming the sheath of her saber.


    It seemed that the province lords and the Argent Peak Sect might have been poking at a long buried wasp¡¯s nest then, Ling Qi mused, and now, they had gotten stung for it. ¡°How are the clans reacting to this? They¡¯ll rally obviously, but that only means so much.¡±


    ¡°The Bao are the most affected. Their interests mostly lie in and beneath the earth, though mostly in healthier caverns. They seem to be the most discontent, but I have not been able to ascertain why beyond the obvious costs to their business.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll look into it,¡± Ling Qi acknowledged. Bao Qingling¡¯s comment about the subterrene barbarians¡¯ sophistication struck her. Was there something more there? Bao Qian seemed the sort that might be in the know, too, so she might have an avenue there as well.


    ¡°My thanks,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°Of the Meng, they turn inward as always, and my sources at court indicate that they blame other clans¡¯ delvings for this, the Bao, in particular. There has been a grudge between those clans since the days of the Hui when the Bao used the chaos to expand their borders through the Meng¡¯s northern lands. It concerns me to see such fractures flaring up again.¡±


    It still struck her as strange, Ling Qi thought, to imagine days when nobles of the same province were openly fighting each other and expanding at one another¡¯s expense. They were all people of the Empire. It gave her a disquieting feeling. ¡°And the Diao?¡±


    ¡°The Prime Minister will not allow any complaints,¡± Cai Renxiang replied dryly, and Ling Qi eyed her curiously. Was that a hint of genuine antipathy or had she just imagined things? ¡°However, some elements grumble regardless. They would rather mount proper retaliation than abandon their delvings, and the Jia clan remains in their camp. The Luo are happy enough to build their defenses, I believe. If you could speak with Sir Luo on that matter, I would be appreciative.¡±


    ¡°I will do so,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°Will you be canceling your gatherings?¡±


    ¡°Barring actual military need, I will not,¡± Cai Renxiang said bluntly. Ling Qi had suspected she wouldn¡¯t. Cancelling would show weakness in an unacceptable way. ¡°Leaving all that aside however, I require your talents for a more sustained task.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked. ¡°I will try to fulfill it to the best of my ability,¡± Ling Qi said slowly.


    Cai Renxiang gave her a curt nod of acknowledgement. ¡°I require you to make friends with Wang Chao. His clan is making aggressive rumblings, and I worry that they are beginning to drift from the Cai family¡¯s orbit. While their connections to the Diao are well and fine, the Prime Minister will not be Matriarch forever.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced, recalling the boy from Cai¡¯s parties. He had not left a good impression on her, but she would try. It felt odd to set out to ¡®make friends¡¯ with someone based on a command, but she would just have to do her best. Perhaps she could speak with him at the next gathering? ¡°As you command, Lady Cai.¡±


    ¡°Very good,¡± the heiress breathed out, and the light that played around her shoulders brightened. ¡°Allow me to commend the efforts you have made already,¡± she added. ¡°Without your show of martial prowess, the task might be impossible. Many indiscretions may be ignored in victory. You performed above my expectations.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Lady Renxiang,¡± Ling Qi replied with some surprise. ¡°I will make sure to build on my victories.¡±


    ¡°I am certain that you will,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed, and Ling Qi briefly caught a faint upward quirk of her lips before her expression smoothed. ¡°There is another matter you should be aware of. My younger sister, Cai Tienli, was born twelve days ago. She is in good health by all reports.¡±


    Ling Qi shot the heiress a sympathetic look. Even without being able to see it on her face, she could sense the conflicted tone in the other girl¡¯s words. She began to work out her reply, but then there was a faint burst of smoke, drawing both of their eyes.


    A fluttering scrap of parchment drifted down, and Ling Qi snatched it from the air. Her eyes scanned over the hastily scribbled words. Zhengui was awake.


    ¡°Is something amiss?¡± Cai Renxiang cut in sharply, eyeing the paper.


    ¡°No. My spirit Zhengui has just awoken though, and¡­¡± Ling Qi said, eyeing the door. She didn¡¯t want to be rude, but¡­


    ¡°Go,¡± Cai Renxiang dismissed, gesturing to the door. ¡°We have covered the most important matters.¡±


    Ling Qi shot to her feet immediately and bowed. ¡°Thank you, my Lady.¡±

 Threads 76-Normalcy 4

    As she raised her head and began to turn away, her eyes fell on her liege again, sitting stiff in her chair. She considered the last subject they had spoken of, everything that had happened, and the frayed feeling of Renxiang¡¯s spirit.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be having tea later,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Meizhen and I, that is. You should come.¡±


    Cai Renxiang had stood as well, moving to seat herself behind her desk. The other girl barely glanced her way. ¡°There are too many tasks that need my attention. Perhaps another time.¡±


    A large part of Ling Qi wanted to leave it at that, to rush out the door and go straight to Zhengui¡¯s side, but some part of her rebelled against that urge. ¡°You¡¯re making a mistake.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Her blunt words caused Cai Renxiang to pause, a touch of a frown on her lips.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened, but you¡¯re not well,¡± Ling Qi stated bluntly, making a point to look Renxiang directly in the eye. ¡°It¡¯s like the tournament all over again. I can tell that dealing with your mother hurts you. Sitting here alone won¡¯t help.¡±


    ¡°I allow you many indulgences, Ling Qi, but your presumption is getting out of hand,¡± Cai Renxiang said coolly, seating herself behind her desk. ¡°As it comes from concern, I will not chide you harshly, but you are overstepping yourself. Do you not have your own responsibilities? Or are you truly so unconcerned that you have time for such meddling?¡±


    Ling Qi clenched a fist inside of her sleeve, hurt by the implication. Of course she wanted to see Zhengui right away, but she didn¡¯t want to¡­


    Her train of thought was brought up short as Sixiang¡¯s whisper rose in her mind. She focused inward, but the muse was already fading. Sixiang¡­ They had sounded so tired. Ling Qi could feel her own stress increasing.


    She forced herself to focus on Renxiang. She had to do things one at a time. The other girl had already looked down, focusing on some letter.


    ¡°I went to the archive and read through a copy of that book you had mentioned at our last get-together,¡± she said. There was no response. ¡°It had certain things to say about advisors who do not speak up and rulers who do not listen.¡±


    Her liege stilled, and the light that played around her shoulders wavered and intensified. She looked up, and her expression was a frozen mask, cast in shadow by her own light. ¡°Ling Qi. That is enough.¡±


    ¡°Lady Renxiang, I am doing exactly what you recruited me to do,¡± Ling Qi shot back, not letting herself be intimidated. ¡°You are hurt. I do not know how, but¡­ you speak of foundations and building. Do you think that you can afford to let yours be damaged?¡± Despite herself, Ling Qi really was beginning to worry that she was going too far. ¡°I am telling you to stop working. Just come out this afternoon. Have tea with Meizhen and I. We can talk, or perhaps have a spar or¡­ something.¡±


    She forced herself to maintain eye contact, even as a glimmer of familiar and unsettling radiance bloomed in Renxiang¡¯s dark eyes. It faded after a moment. Cai Renxiang breathed out, and all of her looming presence seemed to vanish. ¡°I will consider your proposal. Please go.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded and turned to leave, knowing that there was nothing else to be said. Still, as she left, she caught, in the silver eye gleaming in the lining of her gown, the sight of the other girl resting her face in her hands.


    She hoped Cai Renxiang would listen.


    ***


    Ling Qi wasted no time in covering the distance from Cai Renxiang¡¯s home to the little rocky hill where Zhengui slept, straining her recovering meridians as she let dark qi flow through her, turning her into a flitting shadow under the belly of the clouds. Very soon, it came into view and she began to descend, and below, the rolling green and brown hills began to resolve into scrub and spindly trees. There, at the top of the hill, she saw a great smoking black ¡®stone¡¯ and a ribbon of ashy scales, Zhengui awake and standing. She almost let herself drop then and there, allowing the grip of the world to speed her descent further. Instead, the words that drifted to her on the wind brought her up short.


    ¡°... Don¡¯t blame me, you big dummy. She wouldn¡¯t let me help either!¡± Hanyi¡¯s frustrated voice came to her.


    ¡°Gui is sorry. He knows, and Zhen does too,¡± Gui said. He craned his neck upward, giving his other half a dirty look.


    Zhen spat a stream of liquid fire, lighting the blackened brush nearby aflame, but did not respond.


    Ling Qi held herself in the sky, a shadow on the wind. Even as awkward silence fell, she stayed where she was.


    ¡°Big Sister tries to do everything on her own. Gui knows this,¡± her little brother said. ¡°We try to keep up, but Big Sister is just too fast, and Zhen and Gui are too slow.¡±


    ¡°Gui can speak for himself,¡± Zhen hissed irritably, staring off to the side. ¡°Zhen is only too slow because he is attached to fat and unwieldy Gui.¡±


    Hanyi, she saw, sat on a rock in front of him, her knees drawn up to her chest. ¡°I thought I was doing good,¡± she admitted. ¡°I helped Sis fight the bad guys. We sang together and I even ate a few of them. But then¡­ How is she supposed to keep her promise to Mama if she does dumb stuff like that?¡±


    That stung. Even if she knew that it was the best choice for ending the fight quickly¡­


    Her mother¡¯s pained and frustrated expression flashed through her mind. She had dismissed her mother¡¯s words confidently back in the hearth room.


    ¡°Hanyi is pathetic when she is gloomy. Big Sister would not die,¡± Zhen hissed. Ling Qi wished he had said that with more confidence.


    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t leave Hanyi alone,¡± Gui rumbled, settling to the ground with a hill shaking thump.


    ¡°Tch. Like I want to be reassured by a big doofus like you. You¡¯d just sleep all the time anyway. And it¡¯s not like I¡¯m the only one sulking either, you oversized boot,¡± she shot at Zhen.


    ¡°I, Zhen, am not sulking. I am brooding. Zhen does not expect the uncultured Hanyi to know the difference,¡± Zhen replied haughtily.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been spending too much time around that snotty snake,¡± Hanyi snorted, wrapping her arms around her knees. ¡°I dunno what to do.¡±


    ¡°Neither does Gui,¡± the tortoise said, resting his head on the ground.


    ¡°Neither does Zhen,¡± the serpent admitted, his head drooping.


    Above, Ling Qi continued to hover. Part of her was unsurprised. This was something she had known was a problem in the back of her mind, but having it laid out before her so plainly put it to the forefront. As much as it shamed her to admit it, she could dismiss such concern from her mother because the older woman spoke from ignorance. She had not been there in the heat of battle.


    She could, she knew, formulate a similar rationalization regarding her spirits. Even now, she still did not feel like her choice was wrong. Even knowing the potency of the poison, even if Gu Yanmei had not shown up, surely, Zhengui could have¡­


    Ling Qi descended from the sky like a falling stone, the weight of her body reasserting itself. She loosened her hold on her qi, making her presence obvious. Hanyi looked up, and Zhen¡¯s head whipped around as she landed on the earth, kicking up a plume of dust. A moment later, she had her arms wrapped around Gui¡¯s blunt snout. ¡°Zhengui, I¡¯m so glad that you¡¯re awake.¡±


    She would not address their words directly. It had been wrong of her to listen in on them.


    Gui squirmed in her grasp, sending a tremor through the hill. ¡°Ah, Gui is happy too?¡± he replied in surprise and confusion. His voice emanating from his jaws was muffled by her gown.


    ¡°Big Sister is healthy, I see,¡± Zhen added, staring down at her.


    ¡°I told you,¡± Hanyi said haughtily, shifting her posture to let her legs dangle off the rock. She was deliberately trying to look more casual.


    ¡°The Sect physicians do good work,¡± Ling Qi said with a smile, letting go of Zhengui. ¡°I-¡±


    ¡°Big Sister did not just arrive,¡± Zhen said, cutting her off. ¡°I, Zhen, thought it was just my imagination, but I felt her before that.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s smile faded, even as Gui craned his neck to give Zhen a harsh look. ¡°Nosy Zhen should not accuse Big Sister of things,¡± he chided.


    ... She was being foolish, wasn¡¯t she? ¡°What gave me away?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Big Sister¡¯s aura is always embracing Zhengui when she is around. Even when she hides, even stupid Gui can feel her, if he pays attention,¡± Zhen replied.


    ¡°If snotty Zhen does not lighten up, Gui is going to roll over in his sleep one night,¡± Gui warned.


    Her domain. Zhen must be referring to the effects of her domain. She knew that the effects of her Way were not as obvious as some. She had gotten used to it being all but unnoticeable so she had never considered trying to hide it. Could she hide it?


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I did listen in for a bit,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°I know it must have hurt, having to stay out of the fight like that, but I really did need you to hold the line, Zhengui. If the enemies had gotten past you¡­¡±


    ¡°Zhengui knows.¡± She blinked, surprised as both of them spoke in perfect synch.


    ¡°But Sis didn¡¯t have to let the rat thing hit her at all,¡± Hanyi accused. ¡°I¡¯ve played around with Sis enough to know that she is faster than that.¡±


    ¡°It was the only way to ensure it wasn¡¯t going to get away and strike from the shadows again,¡± Ling Qi argued. ¡°You know how hard it is to find me once you lose track.¡±


    ¡°I, Zhen, still think that Big Sister was foolish. The Burning Girl was strong too. Big Sister should trust more,¡± Zhen said stubbornly.


    ¡°Gui agrees,¡± his other half said. ¡°Big Sister does not have to do everything hard or dangerous herself.¡±


    Ling Qi looked from one face to the next. She thought she had made the right choice, but choices had consequences. ¡°I will not apologize for protecting you all. I¡¯m sorry for getting hurt so badly doing it.¡±


    ¡°Gui does not want her to apologize. Just¡­ Will Big Sis promise to fight together next time? Promise not to try and do the hardest part by herself?¡± Gui pleaded.


    Ling Qi felt a tingling in her senses. Zhengui¡¯s qi was in turmoil, hot and vital energy bubbling, straining against some unseen barrier. It was faint, the very nascent beginnings of something.


    It hurt.


    It hurt to see the resignation in her little brother¡¯s eyes and in Hanyi¡¯s lowered head. Even Sixiang¡¯s absence felt like an accusation. It hurt to see that he expected her to refuse. It hurt because so much of her wanted to, that so much of her saw this promise as a shackle and a weight.


    There were a thousand arguments she could make for why promising something like that was a bad idea. That it would limit her ability, stifle her growth, hinder her cultivation. Hadn¡¯t she decided that she would undergo any hardship to continue her path because she would find worth at the end?


    Ling Qi wrapped her arms around herself. She had to keep moving forward. She couldn¡¯t afford to slow down or¡­


    ... Or what?


    What was she striving for?


    Answers came. Memories of helplessness in the face of a hunt, of a city-devouring storm, a hungry red jungle, and a shattering mountain. Most clearly, she remembered a gleaming city and radiant eyes, above everything and everyone, terrifying and enticing all at once. Beautiful. Tranquil. Untouchable. Invincible. She wanted that so badly it ached. She wanted to never fear again, for herself or anyone else.


    Was that really it? The sum total of her goals? Made so stark, it seemed so¡­ childish.


    She remembered Renxiang with her face in her hands and her mother¡¯s defeated expression. She remembered Xiulan¡¯s face at her injury, twisted in helpless rage. She never, never wanted to make such an expression herself, and yet looking at Zhengui, the spirit she had raised from birth, was she going to inflict it on him?


    His head was already lowering, his qi simmering sullenly. ¡°Gui is sorry, Big Sister. He shouldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°I promise,¡± Ling Qi said, her voice raspy to her own ears. ¡°I can¡¯t say we¡¯ll always be side by side, but I promise I won¡¯t leave you behind.¡±


    His head whipped up, and he stared at her in surprise. ¡°Big Sister?¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced, a shiver going up her spine. A pain had just bloomed in her abdomen. It felt like a broken rib, a jagged fracture where the two broken ends scraped against one another. She straightened up, meeting her little brother¡¯s eyes again.


    ¡°But Zhengui, Hanyi, you have to understand: I can¡¯t slow down. Not when I¡¯m still so weak.¡± She spoke with absolute conviction, and that conviction felt like a balm. She breathed in and out, and the sharpness of the pain faded, becoming an ache in the back of her mind.


    ¡°I, Zhen, will not drag Sister down, and he will not let Gui do so either!¡± Zhen promised haughtily, overriding Gui¡¯s stumbling response.


    ¡°Hanyi will work hard, as long as Big Sis doesn¡¯t go away,¡± Hanyi mumbled, looking less certain. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being lazy.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not ¡­¡± Ling Qi grimaced again. How far had Hanyi progressed since she joined her? How far had she pushed herself? ¡°I believe in you, too, Hanyi. I just haven¡¯t been a very good teacher.¡± She was still so far from ideal herself. How could she match up to Zeqing as a mentor? But if she couldn¡¯t leave them behind, she would just have to work twice as hard to help them keep up. She felt her resolve harden. ¡°We¡¯ll all work hard together. That¡¯s what a family is supposed to do, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t it? She didn¡¯t really know.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Gui agreed eagerly, stomping forward to bump his head against her, joyful light returning to his bright green eyes. ¡°Yes! Gui will work very hard and be the most dependable little brother!¡±


    Ling Qi smiled as she felt his qi unsnarl, rippling out over her and Hanyi both. She patted him affectionately atop his scaly head. Even Hanyi gave her a hesitant smile. Still, there was someone missing.


    Ling Qi thought, reaching out in her mind for the bundle of emotion and sensation that represented the muse in her thoughts.


    She was happy when the muse replied after only a few moments. The words that followed were like ice water down her back.


    Ling Qi thought in alarm.


    Sixiang chuckled haggardly. They felt exhausted and drowsy.


    ¡°Sister, is something wrong? Does your wound still hurt?¡± Ling Qi was startled out of her thoughts by Zhen, who had dipped his head low to peer into her face.


    Ling Qi put on a smile. ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. I was just thinking about what we still have to do.¡±


    Zhen peered at her suspiciously, but Gui craned his neck. ¡°Don¡¯t pester Big Sister, nosy Zhen!¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Gui,¡± Ling Qi said gently. ¡°We¡¯re just going to be very busy. So let¡¯s enjoy today. We¡¯ll have to start working hard tomorrow. Hanyi, would you like to compose with me? The boys here can be our audience.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that sounds fun,¡± Hanyi brightened up. ¡°Though I don¡¯t think this dummy could tell a sour note from a clear one.¡±


    ¡°I, Zhen, do not have to stand for these insults,¡± the serpent hissed. ¡°We have listened to Big Sister since we were small. Of course we understand music!¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Gui agreed. ¡°Gui notices Hanyi missing notes all the time!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t miss notes, you jerk,¡± Hanyi snapped, climbing to her feet. Her pale cheeks darkened to blush as she flushed with embarrassment. ¡°You take that back!¡±


    Ling Qi sighed as her spirits bickered. Her dantian still ached and she still worried for Sixiang, but¡­ she had chosen the right thing. She was sure of it.

 Chapter 77-Normalcy 5

    To any who might have seen them, Ling Qi was sure they would have seemed like a relaxed and lackadaisical sight. Zhengui¡¯s hill lay shrouded in fog and mist, swirling around the rising columns of air warmed by the heated earth and Zhengui¡¯s breath. She sat atop Zhengui¡¯s shell, nestled in a seat made of soft green wood and new grown leaves. Her eyes were half shut as she played a slow and tranquil song on her flute. Hanyi was content to sit on the edge of Zhengui¡¯s shell, kicking her bare feet as she raised her voice in wordless song. Beneath her, her seating rumbled with Gui¡¯s hum, and above her, Zhen swayed, flickering blue sparks raining down gently over her with each flick of his tongue.


    Yet Ling Qi¡¯s thoughts were in turmoil. She hid it well, not wanting to ruin this brief respite, but she thought Zhen might have noticed. He had been full of questions while they were still composing. She did not know how to feel. She had discovered a flaw in her cultivation, a conflict of insights between her need to continually advance and her understanding that her desires alone could not make a family. Sixiang was exhausted and considering leaving her. The Sect was at war. How could things become so chaotic so quickly?


    She knew ,of course, that the path forward would be rocky and in fact, required her to face and resolve conflicts in her Way to advance, but it seemed that months passing by with steady progress had left her unprepared for the next rough patch in the road. Even now, as she played, she thought furiously about what she could do to help her spirits grow while maintaining her own pace. Her mind spun arguments for Sixiang to stay, reached for promises she could make, things she could do. All of it swirled round and round in her thoughts, turning into a hopeless snarl.


    So, as morning turned into afternoon, Ling Qi was not unhappy to feel the approach of a distraction. She kept her peace as they approached, not giving away that she had felt them coming.


    ¡°What a sight they make, Sister Meizhen, fogging up the entire hill.¡± Ling Qi cracked an eye open only when she heard a haughty, imperious voice.


    Above her, Zhen jerked in surprise, shaken out of his music-induced lull, and Gui¡¯s whole body shifted. Hanyi¡¯s song was cut off as she let out a yelp, the stable seating beneath her rocking violently as Zhengui shot to his feet.


    ¡°Quite a sight indeed,¡± Meizhen mused, meeting her eyes from the bottom of the hill despite the mist in the way. At her feet, Cui coiled, jade green scales gleaming like polished metal under the afternoon sun. ¡°It reminds me of the mangrove mists on a fall morning.¡±


    ¡°Sister Meizhen is too kind,¡± Cui replied, giving the impression of turning up her nose.


    Ling Qi grinned, hiding her expression behind her sleeve as Zhengui trundled with all the speed he could muster down the hill, the ground shaking as he emerged from the fog. Some things, at least, had not changed. Zhengui had always been eager to see and show off for Cui.


    ¡°Lady Cui! Big Sister said that the Bai Meizhen would be coming but not you.¡± Zhen sounded almost giddy. Hanyi shot him a dirty look as she regained her balance on the side of his shell.


    At her friend¡¯s side, the serpent raised her head. She had grown quite a bit. Even in her shrunken form, her head rose to Meizhen¡¯s shoulder when raised from her coils. ¡°I, Cui, was merely curious. My Sister said that something had managed to bruise even your thick skull and you were only just waking.¡±


    ¡°Yes! Well, not Gui¡¯s head exactly, but there was a very big corpse bug. It tasted very bad,¡± Gui rumbled cheerfully. Ling Qi leaped from his back, drifting down on a breeze to land at the base of the hill.


    Zhen harrumphed. ¡°It was I, Zhen, whose fangs and venom slew the beast.¡± He paused then. ¡°Together with Linhuo.¡±


    ¡°Is that so,¡± Cui replied, unimpressed. Uncoiling from around Meizhen¡¯s feet, she slithered past Ling Qi, shooting a cool look at her but making no objection as Ling Qi approached Meizhen.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you received my message,¡± Ling Qi said as their spirits spoke. She had been vaguely aware that Cui still spent time around Zhengui, but it had always happened out of her sight. Cui was still not terribly fond of her. If she was ever unsure about the Bai family¡¯s capacity for holding grudges, she would have been disabused of the notion by now.


    Meizhen dipped her head in acknowledgement. ¡°Yes, having a specific time rather than ¡®this afternoon¡¯ was certainly helpful,¡± her friend said dryly.


    ¡°Well, I was hardly sure,¡± Ling Qi huffed. ¡°Ah, I invited Lady Cai as well.¡±


    Meizhen raised an eyebrow. ¡°I am surprised. I doubt she will come however. Cai Renxiang is not one to change plans midday easily.¡±


    Ling Qi shuffled her feet uncomfortably, glancing to her side. Over at the hill, Cui had swelled in size. At nearly fifteen meters long, the serpent flexed her coils with the air of one cramped from a large carriage ride. ¡°I may have been somewhat forceful in my invitation,¡± she hedged, not meeting Meizhen¡¯s eyes.


    She could feel Meizhen¡¯s gaze drilling into her. ¡°... Ling Qi, what did you do.¡±


    ¡°You had met her just before,¡± Ling Qi replied, dodging the question. ¡°She needed to get out of that office and her own thoughts.¡±


    Meizhen stared her down, looking deeply unimpressed. ¡°You are not raising my confidence with your avoidance, Ling Qi.¡±


    ¡°I may have implied that she was failing to live up to her ideals by refusing help,¡± Ling Qi mumbled. ¡°I¡¯m right though,¡± she added stubbornly. Somehow, that only made the ache in her dantian twinge more.


    Ling Qi was treated to the sight of the eternally elegant Bai Meizhen closing her eyes and reaching up to pinch the bridge of her nose in frustration. ¡°Ling Qi, you cannot just speak to your superior that way,¡± she said in exasperation.


    ¡°It was all in private. I¡¯m not a fool,¡± Ling Qi protested defensively.


    ¡°Even so!¡± Meizhen declared in a huff. ¡°Honestly, you are lucky that Cai Renxiang is so permissive with her direct subordinates. You take the lessons of Argent Mirror much too far.¡±


    They both twitched then as they felt a presence on the edge of their senses. Even dimmed, there was no missing the heiress of Cai. A moment later, she arrived in a gust of wind, the hems of her gown fluttering as she descended from the sky on wings of light.


    ¡°My apologies for interrupting your conversation,¡± Cai Renxiang said evenly as her wings scattered into fading motes. ¡°However, this was the appointed time for arrival.¡±


    Ling Qi was deeply glad that her conversation partner had been Meizhen and so their words had not been overheard. Without Sixiang, she was unfortunately vulnerable in that fashion. ¡°Thank you for accepting my invitation, Lady Cai,¡± she said, bowing a touch more deeply than necessary.


    Meizhen shot her a very brief look before inclining her head slightly as well. ¡°I, too, am pleased to see you, Cai Renxiang. It is good to allow oneself a few moments of recreation in trying times.¡±


    The other girl¡¯s eyes swept over them both. ¡°So I am told.¡±


    Well, she had showed up, and she didn¡¯t look angry, although Ling Qi doubted she would know if the girl was angry without Sixiang¡¯s help. ¡°It has slipped my mind, but have I actually introduced you to my spirits?¡±


    ¡°Not directly,¡± Cai Renxiang answered bluntly. Ling Qi saw the other girl toying with the hilt of her sheathed saber as she spoke. A new tic of some kind? ¡°But I am aware of them all.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ling Qi replied. Cai Renxiang funded the upkeep for her more physical spirits, Zhengui in particular. ¡°Zhengui, Hanyi, introduce yourselves please.¡±


    Their own conversation interrupted, her spirits looked up. Surprisingly, it was Hanyi who hopped down first, vanishing and reappearing mid curtsy, a wide smile on her face. Ling Qi was immediately suspicious. She really hoped that Hanyi wasn¡¯t in the mood for pranks.


    ¡°Hello! My name is Hanyi,¡± the young ice spirit chirped, bowing her head low. ¡°Ling Qi mentioned you a lot. Is it true that she got all of her pretty things from you?¡±


    So that was her angle. Ling Qi did her best not to let her eyebrow twitch.


    Cai Renxiang¡¯s expression was blank. ¡°That is not entirely inaccurate,¡± the heiress said a touch dryly. Ling Qi hoped that it was a good sign.


    ¡°Ah, Lady Cai must be very generous,¡± Hanyi said with a grin. ¡°I wish I could have those kinds of things too.¡±


    ¡°I will mark down a stipend for equipment expenses,¡± Cai Renxiang said. She turned her head toward Ling Qi.


    ¡°I will be happy to advise on the matter,¡± Bai Meizhen cut in smoothly.


    Ling Qi met Cai Renxiang¡¯s gaze and found it implacable. She glanced to Meizhen and Cui, seeing no pity, and in Hanyi, there was only avarice. Even Zhengui only looked on with innocent curiosity. She was alone and outmaneuvered. ¡°Of course. Thank you for your generosity, Lady Cai.¡±


    ¡°Hello, I am Gui!¡± her little brother thankfully butted in then.


    ¡°I, Zhen, greet the mighty Lady Cai,¡± his other half greeted with considerably more dignity.


    ¡°I, Cui, greet the Lady Cai as well,¡± Cui called lazily from somewhere behind them.


    ¡°It pleases me to make your acquaintance. Reports of your activities were praiseworthy,¡± Cai Renxiang replied evenly. ¡°Good Zhengui, please continue to support Ling Qi¡¯s efforts in the future.¡±


    Her little brother practically swelled with pride, twin cries of agreement ringing out. A few more pleasantries were exchanged, but soon, Zhengui trundled off to speak with Cui again, followed by a huffy Hanyi, and the three of them turned to the business of tea. It was unfortunate that in preparing for this outing this morning, Ling Qi had not thought that she would be inviting her liege. As such, she had only a tea set and a blanket. Changing her loadout had slipped her mind entirely.


    As she was about to articulate this though, Cai Renxiang gestured, and a well appointed table and four chairs carved from dark lacquered wood appeared on the open space at the base of the hill. The furniture tilted and shifted on the even ground for a moment, but then Ling Qi felt a pulse of earthen qi and the land imperceptibly flattened, evening out under the grass.


    ¡°Maintaining the ability to set out a field office at a moment¡¯s notice is important. You have the tea, I trust, Ling Qi?¡± Cai Renxiang asked without looking at her.


    Of course Cai Renxiang would keep an office suite in her storage ring. How silly of her to think otherwise. ¡°Yes. Please take your seats. You are my guests, even if this isn¡¯t my home.¡±


    The two of them took their seats across from each other as Ling Qi busied herself with the minutiae of setting the table and putting the tea to brew.


    ¡°Your third spirit, are they well?¡± Cai Renxiang inquired. She sat straight backed in her chair, hands folded in her lap.


    Ling Qi paused in the midst of brewing. ¡°Recent events have been somewhat difficult for them. Sixiang is resting at the moment,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I hope you do not take offense at their lack of greeting.¡±


    ¡°Is it a matter of spiritual damage?¡± Bai Meizhen asked with some concern. ¡°I have some supply of appropriate tinctures.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced down at the inky shadow swirling at Meizhen¡¯s feet. ¡°No, it is nothing like that,¡± she clarified, her gaze dropping to the tabletop. ¡°Sixiang is not a spirit of war. I am worried for them.¡± Had she not invited Cai Renxiang out so that they could speak of her problems? She did not want to drag someone else¡¯s problems out.


    ¡°I see,¡± Meizhen said in understanding. ¡°Spirits of the moon can adjust themselves to many things. I am certain matters will be resolved satisfactorily.¡±


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t entirely sure she liked the idea of a Sixiang adjusted to violence. For all that she had, if not embraced it, at least accepted it, having Sixiang as a counterpoint felt important somehow.


    ¡°I cannot comment on the matter. I doubt any advice I could give would be accepted by Sixiang,¡± Cai Renxiang said.


    Ling Qi gave her a sidelong look as she set the tea to boil and sat down. She had not really thought of the fact that her liege could probably sense the moon spirit¡¯s dislike. ¡°Perhaps. We will have to work it out, one way or the other.¡±


    ¡°Alliances are not always easy,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed. ¡°Bai Meizhen, might I ask, how are the Bai reacting to news of these new barbarians?¡±


    ¡°My grandfather is not truly concerned,¡± Meizhen replied. ¡°The lands of Thousand Lakes are ill suited to caves. However, surveying groups are reviewing their knowledge. Should any such holes be found, we will drown them in the endless waters of Lake Hei.¡±


    ¡°Will the Bai be sending any assistance to Emerald Seas?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    Bai Meizhen¡¯s gaze flicked over to Cai Renxiang. ¡°Should the Duchess request it.¡±


    Ling Qi dipped her head in understanding, reading between the lines. Emerald Seas could not afford to go begging an ally for help over what was still a minor incursion. ¡°I¡¯m sure we will handle it ourselves. It is good to know your help is available though,¡± Ling Qi said.


    However, she did not want the conversation to drift back into politics.She shot Bai Meizhen a brief pleading look.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Bai Meizhen replied. Steam began to rise from the teapot as the script-etched burner swiftly heated the water, and Ling Qi began to brew the tea. She kept her eyes down on her work. ¡°Cai Renxiang, I believe you mentioned that your sister was born without troubles. How is she?¡±


    This time, there was no outward reaction from the heiress. ¡°Cai Tienli is in good health. I have not seen my sister as of yet, but I have heard that she takes more after our father in mien. There were no complications following Mother¡¯s delivery. Head Physician Liao has given her a clean bill of health, and Medicine Saint Tong agrees.¡±


    Ling Qi knew Cai Renxiang¡¯s father was a member of the Diao clan, just like the Prime Minister, so she could only picture a baby with slightly darker skin and wisps of rose pink hair. It was funn that despite her studying, she still didn¡¯t know the name of Cai Renxiang¡¯s father. It would be rude to ask though.


    ¡°Medicine Saint?¡± she asked instead, curious at the term.


    ¡°It is a somewhat archaic term for those who reach the sixth realm on a way of medicine or alchemy,¡± Bai Meizhen explained. ¡°There has been some push to use the term only for the masters of the Celestial Distillation Sect in Celestial Peaks.¡± Meizhen sounded pretty disdainful of the idea.


    ¡°Politics aside, Saint Tong is considered the foremost expert on the care of children in the Empire,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°It was somewhat unexpected that Mother requested his presence.¡±


    ¡°Among those of the highest cultivation, birth is always somewhat fraught for the child,¡± Meizhen said carefully. ¡°The moment the soul cord is severed, they become their own beings.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. However, it remains strange,¡± Cai Renxiang said, watching the curls of steam rising from the brewing tea. ¡°Head Physician Liao was sufficient for me.¡±


    A brief and uncomfortable silence passed over the table. Ling Qi cracked an awkward smile. ¡°Well, the Duchess knows more than any of us, particularly about herself. Perhaps she sensed some irregularity?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Cai Renxiang allowed.


    ¡°Whatever the matter is, it is surely resolved given the expertise at hand,¡± Meizhen said as Ling Qi began to pour the tea. ¡°Speaking of irregularities, however¡­¡± Bai Meizhen gave Ling Qi a hard look. ¡°Did you somehow manage to strain yourself between the morning and now, Ling Qi? Surely the physicians informed you to avoid overexerting yourself.¡±


    Ling Qi shot her friend a frown. She felt Cai Renxiang look her way with a faint frown, studying her. ¡°I¡¯ve run into a little problem,¡± Ling Qi admitted, filling the cups. ¡°A matter came up, and I found myself unable to fully resolve it. I think I have found a flaw in my cultivation base.¡±


    Despite herself, Ling Qi¡¯s eyes drifted to Zhengui where he, Hanyi and Cui were having their own little ¡®tea party.¡¯ Their party somehow involved the corpse of a huge mountain beast she didn¡¯t immediately recognize. Where had that even come from?


    ¡°Ah,¡± Meizhen acknowledged. ¡°Do not be too disheartened. Most everyone encounters a heart demon or two on their way.¡±


    ¡°Heart Demon?¡± Ling Qi asked, unable to suppress a snigger. What an overwrought term.


    Faint color dusted her friend¡¯s cheeks at the sound of her laughter. ¡°It is the proper term. Honestly, the term has been used for millennia. You are so uncultured at times, Ling Qi.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Ling Qi chuckled. Laughing felt good. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d call it a demon, but yeah, there''s¡­ I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d call it a contradiction, but it is a conflict at least.¡±


    She carefully passed out the tea in the silence that followed.


    ¡°I was being serious,¡± Meizhen added as she received her cup. ¡°I resolved such a conflict myself not too long ago. You will be able to find your resolve and the Way forward, I am sure.¡±


    Ling Qi looked to her friend in surprise, but thinking about it, Meizhen had changed in recent months. Grown more confident, more daring, and friendlier, at least to a select few.


    ¡°How about you, Lady Cai?¡± she asked, placing a cup in front of her liege. ¡°Any advice on maintaining a perfect path?¡±


    Cai Renxiang gathered the cup in her hands but did not answer immediately. ¡°I completed the cultivation of one of my mother''s arts just yesterday. I found no insight in it.¡±


    Ling Qi stared at the girl. Oh. That would certainly explain things.

 Threads 78-Normalcy 6

    Ling Qi¡¯s thoughts whirled, and she began to open her mouth to respond. She felt a sharp pain then, like someone grinding their heel into the top of her foot. She shot Meizhen a sharp look, but the girl merely sipped her tea serenely, eyes down. Ling Qi held back a grimace and sipped from her cup as well. It gave her a moment to organize her thoughts.


    ¡°You were always going to diverge at least a little from your mother¡¯s path. We¡¯ve spoken of that, haven¡¯t we?¡± Ling Qi ventured.


    ¡°A divergent insight is different from nothing at all,¡± Cai Renxiang noted. She took a sip herself, and Ling Qi noticed her wrinkle her nose in disatisfaction. Hopefully, it was just the tea.


    ¡°That is true enough,¡± Meizhen agreed, glancing up. ¡°However, I believe it is not as problematic as you think. I cultivated several of my family¡¯s earth arts before I found one which truly suited me. In the longer term, it is important for the health of a clan for its members to follow a reasonably wide array of Ways. The Cai are young yet.¡±


    Cai Renxiang let out a sound of consideration but still seemed dissatisfied. That unreasonable, illogical response¡­ It actually made Ling Qi feel better somehow.


    ¡°And I don¡¯t think it¡¯s really so bad,¡± Ling Qi added, drawing a sharp look from her liege. ¡°The Duchess Cai is incomparable, of course, but¡­ I did give my oath to follow you. We had a big, dramatic heart-to-heart and everything, if you remember,¡± she said cheekily.


    ¡°Still too shameless, Ling Qi,¡± Meizhen grumbled. She looked back to Cai Renxiang, her expression softening. ¡°Cai Renxiang, our situations do not compare. However, I attempted to step into the role of my aunt and even¡­ even my mother. This failed. It is only in stepping out of their shadows that I have begun to grow properly again.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been feeling my Way along more by luck than education,¡± Ling Qi offered gingerly, feeling the ache still resonating in her core. ¡°But I can¡¯t help but feel like Meizhen¡¯s right. One person alone can¡¯t build a clan, no matter how powerful and talented they are.¡± Ling Qi shifted in her seat with a frown as she felt a knot of tension that she hadn¡¯t noticed fade away.


    ¡°The Grandmother Serpent and the Fisher founded the Bai clan, but it was the Eight Daughters who created its foundation,¡± Bai Meizhen agreed.


    Cai Renxiang looked at them both and closed her eyes. The fabric of her gown roiled in discontent, but a sharp flare of her qi put it to rest. ¡°It is true that my view might yet be too narrow. My apologies. It is unlike me to be so melancholy.¡±


    ¡°I am informed that it is appropriate for young ladies to spend their tea time making complaints,¡± Meizhen said airily. ¡°Think nothing of it.¡±


    Cai Renxiang shook her head, swirling the contents of her cup thoughtfully. ¡°Then allow me to make another one. I miss Gan Guangli,¡± she sighed, setting the cup down with a clink.


    Ling Qi winced. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I know I¡¯m not as devoted in action, but¡ª¡±


    Her liege waved a hand in dismissal. ¡°I mean no slight toward your service. You are reliable in your way, and I knew your nature when I made my offer. Although it may sometimes be impolitic, your brusqueness has its uses.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned, trying to work out if she had been complimented or not.


    ¡°You miss his counsel then?¡± Meizhen asked to clarify, peering over the rim of her teacup.


    Cai Renxiang nodded slightly, the corner of her mouth quirking down in a faint frown. ¡°Indeed. Ling Qi is not one to hold deeper discussions on matters philosophical. You yourself do not hold much interest in the subject either.¡±


    Ling Qi took a deeper sip from her cup. She was not going to object to that; it was entirely correct. Meizhen dipped her head in acknowledgment as well.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be long until he¡¯s back with us, I¡¯m sure. Have you heard about what happened in the Outer Sect while the attack was happening?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    Cai Renxiang raised an eyebrow. ¡°I had heard there was fighting, but I have not had time to review matters more closely.¡±


    Ling Qi grinned. ¡°Do I have a story for you then.¡± She had pulled the events out of Su Ling at her own tea time, and if it would lighten the mood, she would be happy to share.


    After all, they would all soon be hard at work.


    ***?


    In the days that followed, Ling Qi spent her time in cultivation and thought. She and Zhengui both required rest, and he needed time to stabilize his sudden breakthrough. While she rested, Ling Qi focused on cultivating the most restful art that she had.


    Argent Genesis, the Sect¡¯s cultivation art, was harmonious and serene in its exercises. Over the next week, while her meridians recovered from their scorching, she mastered the remaining exercises of the art. The argent qi that had settled in her dantian grew more robust and flexible, and with every breath she spent cultivating, she felt a little less qi lost to inefficiency and a little more qi flowing into her burgeoning domain. It would never be her primary cultivation art, but she did not regret mastering it. Through settling and congealing argent qi throughout her channels and dantian, she had increased her cultivation efficiency and strengthened and refined the bond with her spirits.


    Recovered from her wounds, save for a small white scar across her collarbone, Ling Qi turned her attention to her base cultivation. Here, she spent time with Hanyi. The young ice spirit was glad to return to the high peaks and snow, and Ling Qi refined her physical cultivation by chasing and seeking Hanyi through the snowy shadows and high cliffs without the use of arts, a reminder of the time they had first met.


    Ling Qi spent less time cultivating her spiritual cultivation, or rather, just cultivating her spirit. When she played music with her mother in the garden as the sun set, she cultivated. When she sat with Zhengui on his hill and meditated together with her little brother, she cultivated. When she slipped through the shadows to find Hanyi in whatever crevice she had snuck through, she cultivated.


    It was only deep in the night when the moon was high in the sky that she perched on a high cliff and consolidated that cultivation, steadily expanding her dantian. Soon, she reached the foundation stage of bronze, qi solidifying in her bones and muscles to strengthen them further for the rigors of greater cultivation.


    It struck her again how great the gulf between realms was. Even without arts, her flesh was stronger than steel or stone. She could crumble rock by merely clenching her fist and with some effort, even warp or break mundane steel. She could bound across impassable cliffs as light as a feather and learn at a ferocious rate. The Sect had bumped up their training plans for Inner disciples, and even now, she was learning the most common dialect of the Cloud tribes. It had been less than a week, and already she could understand what her teachers said, more often than not.


    Yet in her mind¡¯s eye, she saw a mountain break, and a perfect city clashing with an endless lake of black. She was still so very small, and she had so many people to think of besides herself now. Her own words to Cai Renxiang echoed back to her. She couldn¡¯t be satisfied just strengthening herself.


    And so as one week turned to the next, Ling Qi had a quiet word with her family and friends. Xiulan was still curiously absent, squirreled away with her sister on some training ground, but she managed to notify everyone else. With everyone reassured, Ling Qi flitted away in the depth of the night, off to the silent stones that stood in the mountain vale, both gravemarkers for a people long dead and anchor for a nightmare. It was also the site of an important lesson and a place where the veil between the material and spirit realm were thin. The chaotic energies of the moon were strong here, soaked into the very stones.


    Ling Qi found her favorite stone and sat down to cultivate the Songseeker¡¯s Ceremony.


    She just hoped she could talk Sixiang around.


    ***


    Ling Qi took a seat on a pale grey shore. She breathed in the scent of the colour sea, and it was no one thing. It was the scent of early morning mist in spring, the acrid scent of a painter¡¯s tools, ink and incense, and fresh churned forest loam trod on by a hundred dancing feet. Beside her sat a tall, thin figure, forlorn in expression, their waving rainbow hued hair lying flat and lank against their scalp.


    ¡°Sixiang,¡± Ling Qi greeted, smoothing her gown. It was strange. Her focus was here, but she could still feel her body and the energies churning in her meridians as she took in the shifting tides of the moon and made them hers.


    ¡°Ling Qi,¡± her muse greeted, not looking over at her. The spirit¡¯s voice was hoarse, and their knees were drawn up to their chest. ¡°Didn¡¯t take you as long as I¡¯d thought.¡±


    Ling Qi laughed. ¡°I¡¯m pretty tough. It takes a lot to keep me down.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Sixiang said. They fell silent then.


    Ling Qi let the silence stretch. Words danced through her mind. She wanted to plead, to cajole, to deny. She did not want Sixiang to go. She thought to appeal to their connection, to the sadness she and her other spirits would feel, but the words died on her lips. That wasn¡¯t really fair. It did not address Sixiang¡¯s trouble at all. Yet she couldn¡¯t not say it at all.


    ¡°We would miss you a lot,¡± she said quietly. ¡°I promised them, you know? I¡¯ll work hard with you, too.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll work yourself to death twice over before you take a break,¡± Sixiang answered with a weak chuckle. ¡°What if I don¡¯t want that?¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced, the ache in her dantian sharpening, sending a spike of pain up her spine. ¡°I can¡¯t stop, Sixiang. I won¡¯t stop. The world is still so big, and I¡¯m still so very small,¡± she pleaded.


    ¡°It will never stop. The bigger you get, the more of the world you¡¯ll see. It will never get any smaller,¡± Sixiang replied.


    ¡°Even so,¡± Ling Qi said, unwavering. ¡°I would like it if you stayed by my side. Even if things are hard now, can you really say there is nothing more you want to see of the waking world?¡±


    Sixiang smiled wanly. ¡°Before I spent all of this time with you, none of this would have bothered me. What is the end of a few dreams? A song of war is as good as a song of peace, if the singer is skilled.¡±


    ¡°Sixiang¡­¡± Ling Qi said, trailing off.


    Sixiang blew an errant strand of lank hair out of their eyes and finally turned their head to look at Ling Qi. ¡°Will you take a stroll with me, Ling Qi? I think I¡¯ve spent too much time awake. You don¡¯t sleep near enough.¡±


    Ling Qi looked down at the muse¡¯s extended hand. She glanced out to the rippling sea as it drew back from the shore and took their hand in her own. ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll find the time if I need to.¡±


    Sixiang smiled as they grasped her hand, a flicker of humor entering their eyes again. ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡±


    And then the wave crashed down upon the shore, and they were both no more.


    ***


    Ling Qi felt her limbs spin back into existence and found herself on a flat and polished wooden floor. All around her, dancers spun and whirled in the flickering shadow of bobbing ghost lights. Merriment and cheer filled the air. She herself now wore a gown of old and strange cut, a billowing cloud of lace and silk almost fit to drown in.


    She still grasped Sixiang¡¯s hand, who now stood across from her wearing antiquated gentleman¡¯s robes. Their face had taken on a more masculine cast, and their other arm was around her waist. They had joined the dance midstep, and only her quick reflexes allowed her to avoid trampling on the spirit¡¯s toes. Some part of her wanted to shove them away, but it was just Sixiang. Masculine shape or no, they were the same person.


    ¡°Good recovery,¡± Sixiang chuckled as they spun through the steps.


    Ling Qi¡¯s gaze flicked across the room and down at their feet, swiftly analyzing the steps. ¡°I know I don¡¯t don¡¯t do it in public, but you, of all people, should know how much I¡¯ve practiced.¡± Dancing was not so different from any other kind of athletics. Even the simple stretching exercises of her mother¡¯s cultivation art had a certain dance-like quality. It was all a matter of practiced, memorized motion.


    Above, or perhaps below them, Ling Qi saw the dance floor mirrored, and a second Ling Qi danced with a second Sixiang. Which was the reflection, she wondered? For a moment, she felt as if she was looking through two sets of eyes, both staring at one another from the other side of the mirror.


    ¡°I suppose so,¡± Sixiang mused as their dance carried them around other pairs. The other dancers were mostly not human. What could be taken for masks at a glance resolved into bestial features when looked at directly, and the dancers¡¯ features changed from one moment to the next. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know just by looking though,¡± Sixiang said with a smile, as if laughing at some private joke.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t answered my question,¡± Ling Qi said as they danced. ¡°Is there really nothing else for you?¡±

 Chapter 79-Muse 1

    Sixiang¡¯s expression grew somber, and despite herself, Ling Qi was aware of the handsome lines of the currently male muse¡¯s face, not so far from her own.


    ¡°Is there really nothing else for me? That¡¯s the wrong question, I think,¡± they said, and they separated for the next steps. Another set of hands clasped Ling Qi¡¯s as she spun away, and the other dancer¡¯s features blurred and became Sixiang¡¯s. ¡°There are so many things I want to see, but I have to wonder if staying where I am is the best way to see them. I¡¯ve changed.¡±


    ¡°You have, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s so bad. You used to be pretty feckless,¡± Ling Qi teased gently, not missing a beat at the ¡®new¡¯ partner.


    ¡°Mm, I¡¯m not so sure,¡± Sixiang mused, moving in time to the phantom music that rang over the dancers. It seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere all at once, sending the curved and mirrored walls around the dance floor rippling. ¡°I don¡¯t regret coming to care about you, but my fear has made me less. It seems so much clearer here, immersed in a dream.¡±


    ¡°There is nothing wrong with wanting to live, spirit or no,¡± Ling Qi replied, meeting Sixiang¡¯s eyes. ¡°I understand, though. It¡¯s not easy seeing so much¡­¡± She trailed off, thinking of bodies lying still in the fields and faces covered in creeping frost. She shivered despite the warmth of the room.


    ¡°It¡¯s because of my own fear that I feel their fear so acutely, you know,¡± Sixiang continued. ¡°I¡¯m a muse. I can feel what people are feeling, even when they try to throw up a mask. In combat when they aren¡¯t even trying¡­¡±


    Ling Qi was silent, lowering her eyes.


    ¡°Your world is so rigid and limited,¡± Sixiang said. ¡°No one knows what happens when you humans leave it, except for those who won¡¯t answer. How can you not be afraid when you don¡¯t know if this is your last dream? So many little sparks, all clashing. None of them want to die, but they''re driven to bring death to others anyway, riding on the currents of causality, old actions sending ripples downstream again and again¡­¡±


    Sixiang¡¯s voice started to drift off, and Ling Qi gave their hand a sharp squeeze, drawing them back from whatever dreamlike tangent they were going off on. ¡°I don¡¯t know about any of that,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°But even if you can understand your enemies, they¡¯re still your enemies. People want things, and sometimes, what they want just can¡¯t be reconciled with what you want.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, rigid and limited,¡± Sixiang chuckled sadly. ¡°I get it, but I wonder if that¡¯s the argument that you want to make right now.¡±


    Ling Qi flushed slightly. ¡°We aren¡¯t enemies, Sixiang. We¡¯re friends. I want you to be happy, and I want you to stay, but if one precludes the other¡­¡±


    Sixiang grinned in amusement, and Ling Qi huffed at the obvious teasing as their dance carried them to the edge of the floor and through the curved and gleaming wall. The glasslike exterior rippled as they stepped through, then shattered, reducing their previous venue to a thousand falling sparks of color and light.


    Now, they walked on a snowy path that wound through a dense forest. They were clad in mourner¡¯s white, their gowns unembellished, just two in a stream of humanity that wound out of sight both ahead and behind. A soft mourning song rang through the air, punctuated by sobs from amidst the line. On the mourners'' shoulders were countless biers smelling of incense and oils that only just masked the scent of death.


    ¡°It might be hard for you to understand as a human,¡± Sixiang mused beside her. The handles of their bier rested heavily on Ling Qi¡¯s shoulders. The muse had shifted to a female aspect now, slighter and softer than the face they had worn a moment ago. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m unfamiliar with the bad stuff. Nightmares are dreams, too, and more than one artist has poured their fear and anxiety onto the page or canvas.¡±


    ¡°Then why? I want to understand,¡± Ling Qi asked, her voice muffled. The very air of this place seemed to disallow loudness.


    ¡°It¡¯s like¡­¡± Sixiang paused, searching for words. ¡°Before I could think this is fear-of-death and this is pain-of-loss, but it was like describing the color of something. There wasn¡¯t really any understanding to it.¡±


    Ling Qi was silent, her qi thrumming in her meridians. It really struck her then, the inhumanity of her companion. As a human, she could reconcile the things Sixiang had spoken of, but Sixiang was a muse, a creature of thought and feeling; a conflict like this could discomfit or depress her, but to Sixiang, it was really more like a wasting illness.


    ¡°But you¡¯ve spent enough time to have that context now. They aren¡¯t just colors on the pallet anymore,¡± Ling Qi realized. The mourning song rang out so much more clearly now. The singers poured out the laments of the dead and the hopes of the living, and though the language they sang in was foreign, she understood.


    ¡°Heh, looks like you were paying attention to the art stuff after all,¡± Sixiang chuckled. ¡°But yes Ling Qi. I understand people. I can feel what they feel. Do you understand?¡±


    Ling Qi had difficulty imagining it. She had trouble enough with her own emotions. The thought of having the feelings of others flooding her head at all times was unpleasant. She knew intuitively that Sixiang was not just speaking of their allies, and it fed certain threads of unease that had wound through her thoughts since the day she had killed the Bai traitor and the bandits. She lowered her eyes as the dirge rose higher.


    ¡°I stand by what I said earlier. You should save your understanding for the people you care about. You have to choose what to value more and what to value less.¡±


    ¡°I think I get it. I really do. It¡¯s just not so easy to get the spirit back into the bottle,¡± Sixiang said. ¡°I¡¯m afraid, Ling Qi. I don¡¯t know how to handle that.¡±


    Ling Qi walked in silence next to the muse, her sandaled feet churning the cold muddy road.


    In the distant part of her that still sat outside atop an old and worn stone amid, Ling Qi stared down at the stick of jade in her hands, eyes glassy in her faintly dozing state. Within the jade lay the Playful Muse¡¯s Rapport art, a remaining piece of Emerald Seas¡¯ history. In the state she was in now, she could almost taste the strife that still clung to the art, a tinge of copper and wood smoke for the millennia of civil war, decadence, and spite.


    It felt familiar, the scent of burning knowledge. Had she not spent a night in such a repository once?


    Ling Qi peered at the art within the jade. She had hoped that the art, patterned off Sixiang¡¯s siblings, could help her understand her friend better.


    ¡°Spacing out even now?¡± Sixiang asked with a small smile, drawing her back to the snowy mourner¡¯s path.


    ¡°Something like that,¡± Ling Qi replied, ignoring the muse¡¯s knowing look. ¡°I think we¡¯ve both had enough of this atmosphere, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Ling Qi breathed out and released the handles of the bier she bore, flicking her wrists and sending her sleeves billowing as she shook them out. The snowy path and the mourners song shattered like so much glass and dissolved into smoke.


    They fell.


    ¡°Well, someone has gotten brave,¡± Sixiang complained as they tumbled head over heels beside Ling Qi. They plunged like falling arrows through the open azure sky. Below, there was no ground nor clouds, just the endless sky stretching on forever, above and below. Only the faintest outline of a nearly full moon marred the blue. The wind whistled past Ling Qi¡¯s ears and tugged at her gown, but the wind was an old friend.


    Ling Qi righted herself and stilled the grasping tugs of the wind that pulled at the hems of her gown. She grinned. ¡°Quit messing around, Sixiang.¡±


    The muse huffed, and their haphazard tumble ceased. Their form flowed smokelike until they once again faced Ling Qi, but their form had changed again. The Sixiang that looked back at her in irritation was wholly androgynous, their features a mix of sharp and soft, their multihued hair streaming above in the wind like a colorful scarf.


    ¡°I appreciate the thought, but isn¡¯t what you¡¯re doing a little high-handed?¡± Sixiang asked crossly.


    ¡°Maybe so, but I¡¯ll grasp at whatever straws I might need to help you,¡± Ling Qi replied unrepentantly. Her gown billowed around her as she fell but never to the point of impropriety. ¡°I want to understand, Sixiang.¡±


    ¡°I know you do, Ling Qi,¡± the muse replied, smiling. ¡°I¡¯m glad you do, but I¡¯m not sure that art can do it. Playful Muse¡¯s Rapport is not about being a muse. It¡¯s about applying some of our perspective to yourself. Honestly, I think you might have trouble cultivating it with how closed off you are.¡±


    ¡°Then show me,¡± Ling Qi pleaded, spreading her arms. ¡°You brought me to your memories before. You can do it again, can¡¯t you?¡±


    Sixiang met her eyes, their eyebrows drawing together.


    ¡°I won¡¯t ask you to change your mind. I know how stubborn you are,¡± Sixiang said. ¡°But if you really want to understand, it¡¯ll have to be a lot deeper than last time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty tough,¡± Ling Qi replied, putting on a cocky smile. ¡°But you know that.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Sixiang laughed. Then they were in front of her, hands resting on her temples. Their smile turned melancholic. ¡°Change places.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s vision went white.

 Threads 80-Muse 2

    It was different this time. Perhaps Sixiang had simply grown better at manipulating this place of dreams, or perhaps they were simply holding back less of the experience from her. In any case, Ling Qi felt her mind itch as she was immersed in wholly alien senses. She felt herself drowning in the sheer sensory input that flowed through Sixiang¡¯s/her senses, and it was a struggle just to remember where the line between them lay.


    They lay on the table in a once neat dining room, painted in the hues of determination, loneliness, awkward longing, and stinging hurt. The Human/Ling Qi lay on top of their new body, and they saw the bundle of muted, chemical-soaked emotion emanating from her even in sleep. Possessiveness, black and cloying, held everything else together and coiled around a stubborn spine of flowing water. It was all contained in a cage of awkwardness and fear that was even now reasserting itself.


    They saw the other one, armored in anger, girded with loss. They drifted along as they both ran off, blazing with signals of hurt and desperate clinginess. Attraction warred with loneliness in the white one, the serpent daughter. This was only the latest hurt. Every moment spent with Sixiang¡¯s human was a stinging wound and balm all in one.


    Ling Qi clung to the other girl with the desperation reminiscent of the fading dreams of a shipwreck survivor, yet a thread of fear ran through it all, a sharp white line cutting through the clinging dark.


    They needed each other. They hurt each other. It was beautiful in its contrast, but something about it niggled at them. They didn¡¯t like it much at all.


    ¡­


    They didn¡¯t understand these humans and their world. Everything was so stiff. Fear touched everything here. No joy was unstained by it, and no determination did not keep a seed of fear at its heart. Despite that, it lent a certain something to the colors these silly, hurrying, desperate, and self-important creatures displayed. There was a brightness to them, a sharpness of tone and hue not present in Dream.


    In other ways, they were frustrating and dull. Their revels seemed more like some kind of twisted game where each human constructed their very best mask and did their level best to talk past and through each other without an ounce of understanding. Like a dark nightmare revel, it was all sharp and hungry eyes and hidden fangs, ready to pounce on the weakest and tear them apart.


    They felt a touch of something like guilt when they learned later that their actions and cajoling had gotten Ling Qi in trouble with that doll-thing that she answered to. They were not a nightmare in this incarnation, and few parts of them had ever been, so it was still interesting to learn these new shades of fear and regret.


    Still, the idea of death seemed so odd to them. Ling Qi had tried to explain, but they just didn¡¯t understand these humans. One dream was as good as the next. Why worry about the ending? These humans spent so much time hiding from each other instead of expressing themselves properly.


    ¡­


    Stripped of their body and bond to their human, Sixiang struggled, bodiless against the cold weight of a world pressing down upon them.


    [Cease.]


    The other surrounded them, engulfed them.


    For just a moment, Ling Qi became herself, and her head ached as it tried to process a completely alien sensation. She felt Sixiang stir in her mind, adjusting the flow of their power.


    Raw meaning pounded mercilessly against their being as a fragment of a fragment of the greater entity¡¯s attention turned on them. The command was like a thousand, thousand hooks digging into their core, restraining them. Their response was feeble but strident.


    [Negation. Cease.]


    Their expressed will broke upon their superior¡¯s like a light breeze upon a fortress wall.


    [Denial. Trial.]


    Sixiang¡¯s whole being shuddered with the power pressed down upon them. Trial. That word encompassed uncounted years of meaning. Their greater selves were as gate and wall to those humans who chose to throw away the gifts of the [Two] and join their number as spirits. It was a kindness to break their mad ambition before they could destroy their humanity, or failing that, to prepare them for its loss. As the Second Born of [She Who Was], that duty overrode all other concerns. The weight of it crushed Sixiang, stilling even their feeble struggle. They saw their human¡¯s pain and fear, but the colour was sour and ugly like excrement smeared across a finely painted canvas. The growing horror and disgust for herself growing in the fragment of Ling Qi¡¯s mind was worse.


    Sixiang could only watch and scream.


    [Contamination. Return?]


    The fragment of the cold will that held them down seemed almost kind in the understanding that filtered through its will like soft silk wrapping a clenched iron fist.


    They felt the trial fading and felt Ling Qi lapsing into oblivion.


    [Negation. Aid¡­ Mine.]


    This dream was not over. It could not be.


    ¡­


    They observed the gathering dully. There were scores of humans all packed into a small space, talking and laughing, enjoying music and poetry. It should have been a joy to soak in, a balm for their growing fatigue, but it was not. They were better versed in humanity now. Although the humans still waved their masks about, they could see the expression in the undercurrents now. They could see the ones taking genuine pleasure in each other¡¯s presence, the joy some of the humans found in their verbal sparring, and the connections that formed despite their masks.


    If only they could say the same for Ling Qi. Whatever arts she was cultivating now, whatever she composed, Ling Qi had no intention of connecting to the people around her even a little bit. They watched their human put on a mask of frost and disinterest, deflecting those who tried to come near. In some, they saw only anger and pricked pride. In others, they saw genuine hurt as their effort to reach out was rebuffed, and gradually, the colors around those curdled. They saw pride sharpen into sneers and hope fade into dull disinterest and raised guards.


    They tried to offer hints and nudges, but too often, they were ignored. Perhaps they could have been more forceful, but with the Nightmare still heavy on both of them, they could not find the will to do it.


    Fear had taken root in Sixiang. The last thing they wanted to do was make an annoyance of themselves.


    ¡­


    It hurt to watch them fade. Each human was a riot of color and life, dreams and hopes, fears and desires. When they died, it all went out, gone like a snuffed candle. If there was a new dream waiting for them, Sixiang was no longer sure. It felt like a knife in their nonexistent flesh, twisting each time she saw it happen.


    ... Ling Qi was in fine form today. Her enemies, these bandits, did not stand a chance against her. Perhaps with more organization and better leadership, it would have been different.


    They did not have that, and so they died. The pain of the poison coursing through their being was a pale thing compared to their hurt.


    ¡­


    They had never liked this Cai Renxiang. She was the child spawn of the greater Cai, the one who had reduced the Court of Dreams to ash and replaced Grandmother¡¯s shrines in the [First Tree] with new and foreign spirits.


    Of all the peers their Ling Qi interacted with, only Cai Renxiang was wholly opaque to their gaze. She was a statuette of reflective glass, dancing on strings. Whatever her thoughts were, Sixiang could not say; whatever her hopes were, they laid beyond their sight.


    However, in that carriage, they were thankful for her. Sixiang was too weak to speak up, but they had been conscious. Watching Ling Qi process the pain that she had felt during the battle hurt as if they were being wounded all over again.


    It was good, then, that the girl was able to offer Ling Qi something, a thread to hold onto and pull herself back up. The girl offered that most precious of things for humans who cultivated: purpose.


    And if, in that moment, they spied a crack in the glass and peered at the ------- beneath, they would not say a word, not because of the glower of the abomination the girl wore nor the threatening hiss of steel from the one at her side, but because it would be poor form to repay the one helping their Ling Qi by spilling secrets.


    ***


    Ling Qi woke with a start.


    She cradled her head as she sifted through the memories she had seen. It was a torrential flow of which she could only recall a few scraps, and yet when she looked up and saw Sixiang sitting upon the shore of the color sea, she understood. Slowly, she turned her head away from the construct on the shore, the thing created by Sixiang for her benefit, and addressed her friend directly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sixiang,¡± she said, bowing her head to the sea. She saw the illusion on the shore dissolve into mist out of the corner of her eye.


    ¡°Nothing to apologize for,¡± Sixiang said, the water rippling around her bare feet. The voice echoed strangely, emanating from the whole of the sea. ¡°I have to ask: how do you manage, being so blind?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. How do you manage, seeing so much?¡± Ling Qi shot back with a small smile. Even with the memories fading and the lessons of a new art internalized, Sixiang¡¯s perspective still left her with an aching head.


    Sixiang laughed, and they sat in silence for a time, the sound of Sixiang¡¯s waters lapping on the shore and the quiet sound of the wind their only company aside from each other. They did not need words as they processed each other¡¯s perspectives.


    ¡°Sixiang, I¡¯ll try as hard as I can, but I can¡¯t say whether the end of my path will be worth it for you. Things are going to be hard. I¡¯m going to hurt others, and others are going to hurt me,¡± she said. ¡°But I¡¯d like you to share it with me. I¡¯ll need you to stop me putting my foot in my mouth too much."


    Though she ended on a weak joke, she knew Sixiang could feel her sincerity. In the end, having understood each other, there was no point in argument. She could only say the words that were in her heart all along. She didn¡¯t want her friend to leave, but she had to accept it if it was their choice.


    Her words echoed in the sea, and the waters receded, leaving her feet bare on the sand.


    ¡°How do you deal with being so afraid all the time?¡± Sixiang asked.


    ¡°You already know the answer to that,¡± Ling Qi said.


    Sixiang huffed, and Ling Qi sputtered as a wave came in, soaking her front. ¡°Smartass,¡± they grumbled. ¡°But I guess I do.¡±


    A burst of wind blew the water soaking her away, but Ling Qi refused to let Sixiang escape into comedy. She answered, ¡°You work to make the world one where you don¡¯t have to be afraid any more.¡±


    ¡°Even if there¡¯s no end to that path?¡± Sixiang questioned.


    ¡°Ends are inevitable,¡± Ling Qi replied with conviction. ¡°The journey to get there is what gives them value.¡±


    Sixiang let out a sigh and chuckled. ¡°Wow. When I¡¯m the gloomy one, you know something has gone wrong.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Ling Qi said with a chuckle. ¡°What do you say? Will you stay with me, Sixiang?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will,¡± the muse said, and Ling Qi felt their qi pulse and flex experimentally. ¡°I think I understand better now what it means to be human and not. I¡¯m not, and I never was. You''re taking your own steps away from that as well. If you don¡¯t like the world, then change it, huh? I guess I forgot grandmother¡¯s power in the waking world.¡±


    ¡°Dreams aren¡¯t just for sleeping,¡± Ling Qi agreed. It seemed like a childish way to view it, but at the core of every cultivator was a dream. Slowly, she stood. ¡°Sixiang, will you dance with me again?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± her friend¡¯s voice said, and a hand rose from the waters to grasp her own. ¡°Did you have something in mind?¡±


    Ling Qi considered as she stepped out onto the sea, feeling the qi in her legs and lungs rippling with anticipation.

 Interlude: Dance

    Ling Qi really was beautiful, Sixiang mused.


    Their hands materialized from the waters, and their body followed. It might have been the form grandmother had made, but it was theirs now. Straying too far from this template just didn¡¯t feel comfortable anymore. Was this what humans referred to as self-image?


    ¡°Show me something slow? I need to think,¡± Ling Qi said, taking their hands.


    It was funny. So many of this girl¡¯s human friends regarded her with mild exasperation. It wasn¡¯t unkind, but words like ¡°oblivious¡± and ¡°airheaded¡± came up sometimes. Yet to Sixiang, Ling Qi stood out in sharp relief, her colors vibrant in a way that few were. To someone who had known only the misty realm of dreams, Ling Qi was a great contrast. Although she could be easily distracted, her core drive was as sharp as a blade. When they looked upon her they saw a core of absolute black that greedily drank in everything it touched. It lay shrouded in mist and breeze, tinged with silver and colors beyond count. Cords of that blackness shot through the whole extending in a web that went beyond sight with one such cord bound to them.


    ¡°Not my style, but I guess I can think of something,¡± Sixiang¡¯s avatar said with a lopsided grin. They didn¡¯t betray their thoughts. They had gotten good at that. Sixiang considered a moment, holding Ling Qi¡¯s hands. They knew a few court dances from fragments of old selves.


    As Sixiang¡¯s avatar began to lead them through the first twirling steps, sending ripples through their dreamstuff, Ling Qi asked, ¡°What actually changed your mind, Sixiang? I know I¡¯m not that good of a speaker.¡±


    They were silent, their mind¡¯s eye flickering back through their own experience. They remembered not just looking out through Ling Qi¡¯s eyes, but truly immersing themselves in that perspective. It had hammered home the truth of their differences. Through Ling Qi¡¯s eyes, the real meaning of fear had been hammered home. Through Ling Qi¡¯s eyes, they had learned the truth of attachment. Through Ling Qi¡¯s eyes, they had learned that those things were two sides of the same coin. In the waking world, one came with the other.


    It had shown them how wrong they were to imagine that they had drifted far from their roots. They had taken a single step and thought to run back to clutch at their grandmother¡¯s skirts. ¡°Does it matter? I made up my mind,¡± their avatar said cheekily.


    Ling Qi gave them an arch look as the steps of the dance took them apart, the shore growing further away with each step. As they came back together, she replied, ¡°It matters to me. Are you really alright?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± their avatar reassured her. ¡°I really am, Ling Qi. I just got some perspective.¡±


    Ling Qi gave them a suspicious look but subsided. Sixiang was glad. They weren¡¯t sure they could put the truth of their realization into words that would not alarm her. They weren¡¯t afraid anymore because there was nothing to be afraid of.


    They weren¡¯t human. Even if this incarnation ended, it wasn¡¯t their end. Even if Ling Qi ended¡­ It would hurt, but Sixiang would make sure that her song echoed through Dream afterward. That way, it wouldn¡¯t be Ling Qi¡¯s end either.


    To think that cranky ice spirit had been more in touch with the truth of the world then they had. That was the benefit of age, they supposed, and in any case, they still came at it from different angles. If Zeqing had been [Endings], then their nature was [Impermanence].


    No wonder their growth had stalled out.


    Ling Qi was silent as they danced, and Sixiang considered her thoughts. Peering closer at her, Sixiang rippled in amusement. ¡°Ling Qi, are you still cultivating?¡±


    ¡°I never stopped,¡± Ling Qi huffed. ¡°If you won¡¯t talk to me even now with Playful Muse¡¯s Rapport, then I¡¯ll just need to try Melodies of the Spirit Seekers to figure you out in some other way.¡±


    Sixiang made their avatar huff in exasperation as they wove through the dance, circling one another, their hands separate for now. ¡°You''re so pushy,¡± they teased.


    ¡°I am when I need to be,¡± Ling Qi said primly, turning up her nose.


    Sixiang snorted with laughter, the sound echoing from the waters all around. ¡°I found my perspective and worked out what I valued more. Can¡¯t you leave it at that?¡±


    ¡°I left things be the last time and look where it got us,¡± Ling Qi replied, their dance interrupted as the girl stepped forward to poke their avatar in the chest. ¡°Just talk to me before it gets this bad next time, alright? I know I¡¯m bad at noticing some things on my own. Please talk to me,¡± she pleaded, and the cord that bound them thrummed, as did the two other bonds representing Ling Qi¡¯s other spirits.


    Sixiang turned their avatar¡¯s head toward Ling Qi, but the words they spoke came not from its avatar¡¯s lips, but from all around. ¡°I promise.¡± There was no reason to worry about Ling Qi tiring of them now; they would speak their mind more often and more clearly in the future.


    ¡°Good,¡± Ling Qi huffed, taking their avatar¡¯s hands back up as they began the dance again from the beginning. ¡°Now, I just need to figure out how to have the same conversation with Zhengui,¡± she grumbled.


    ¡°Convincing the lil¡¯ big guy his Big Sis is fallible might take some doing,¡± they jested, but Sixiang squeezed her hand anyway in support.


    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Ling Qi sighed. ¡°Well, let¡¯s set aside the heavy stuff for now. Do you think I¡¯ve been cultivating the art your grandmother gave me wrong? Looking through your eyes, I feel like I¡¯ve made a mistake somewhere in my understanding of Phantasmagoria of Lunar Revelry.¡±


    Sixiang considered the threads of moonlight that Ling Qi had woven throughout her legs and lungs, turning them into channels of liquid silver. Before today, they would have said no, that Ling Qi was doing fine. However, they had realized how they had blinded themselves by viewing the waking world as less malleable, more different than it was.


    So Sixiang¡¯s avatar smiled mischievously, and before Ling Qi¡¯s eyes could do more than widen in alarm, they stepped.


    Dead and withered leaves spun up in a miniature cyclone as the world rippled. Where one moment there had been a silently meditating girl seated upon a stone, there was now a pair dancing through the leaves. Ling Qi¡¯s eyes widened as she glanced around, disoriented, and she almost stumbled as Sixiang released her hands.


    Sixiang could not help but smile even as they dissolved back into moonlight and wind. Even if they understood the trick of stepping between the Dream and the Real, manifesting was certainly rough.


    Before they could dissolve wholly, Ling Qi met their eyes. ¡°You will be showing me how to do that,¡± she said firmly.


    Sixiang laughed, once more at home in Ling Qi¡¯s mind.

 Threads 81-Parting 1

    Ling Qi felt lighter in the days that followed her time with Sixiang. She had solved the problem, even if she still wasn¡¯t wholly sure how, and her cultivation for the month was on schedule.


    In her attempt to better understand Sixiang and their worries, she had cultivated a succession of arts in Songseeker¡¯s Ceremony, Playful Muse¡¯s Rapport, and Melodies of the Spirit Seekers. Songseeker¡¯s Ceremony was the successor cultivation art to Eight Phase Ceremony that she had created in her vision quest with the aid of the Grinning, Hidden, and Dreaming Moon phases. Given her experience with the base art and that the successor art was tailored to her, she had easily reached the second song of Songseeker¡¯s Ceremony, learning to channel the qi used in her base cultivation to simultaneously develop her domain and to better develop the growth of her bound spirits.


    The Playful Muse Rapport art was strange to her. Unlike other arts, there were few qi exercises. What it did have mostly consisted of methods to accentuate the natural reverberations in a cultivator¡¯s qi when expressing things to improve others¡¯ perception of the speaker¡¯s honesty and sincerity. The rest was essentially just an extremely dense manual of rhetorical technique, with a few subtle qi techniques that were more accompaniment to the lessons on body language and tone distributed throughout..


    Melodies of the Spirit Seekers was more mystical, since it dealt with spirits. It was as much ritual as art, detailing exhaustively the methods for dealing with many minor spirits, and learning how their simple minds worked. This was then used as a foundation to launch into communications with more complex spirits, and determine how to convince or coerce them into long term agreements.


    Thankfully, her final planned cultivation was much less stressful. The Roaming Moon¡¯s Eye technique was simply an extension of her introductory divination art, but she still cultivated it dutifully. She did not think it would ever be her focus, but she could admit that being able to get a wider view of the situation would help immensely in the future.


    So, she was hardly surprised when Gu Xiulan approached her while she was cultivating at the Silent Stones. Ling Qi had seen her coming after all, but the saddened expression on her face was worrying.


    Ling Qi¡¯s reaction to Xiulan¡¯s reason for coming had been one of bewilderment. ¡°What?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Have you grown moss over your ears while cultivating?¡± Xiulan asked with a scoff. The other girl rested her hand on her hip and tapped her foot against the dry brown grass. ¡°I said that I am going home.¡±


    Ling Qi stared at her friend¡¯s haughty expression. She hardly even needed her recent training to see the lie in it. Distress welled in her thoughts, and lessons and speech exercises fled from her thoughts. ¡°Why, though? Your rank has been rising quickly, and so has your cultivation. You fought really well at the village, too. Why would your family¡­?¡±


    ¡°It is because I have been doing so well that I am being withdrawn.¡± Xiulan smirked, but there was a bitter edge to it. ¡°There is a war brewing, Ling Qi, in case it has already slipped your mind. The Gu family cannot risk both Yanmei and myself.¡±


    Ling Qi fell silent, staring at her friend. She fought down the urge to clench her fist and make denials. She wanted to make plans to find a way to convince her friend¡¯s family to change their minds but¡­


    Sixiang murmured sadly.


    Ling Qi closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°What does this mean for you then? You say they can¡¯t spare the both of you, but don¡¯t you have many older sisters?¡±


    ¡°None of them save Yanmei have shown my talent. Father believes that my growth can best be guided from home,¡± Xiulan answered, tossing her hair. She gave Ling Qi an irritable look. ¡°Where are my congratulations, you rude girl? I know your standards are skewed thanks to that liege of yours, but it is quite an achievement to receive this kind of acknowledgement from my family at my age.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Xiulan,¡± Ling Qi apologized. ¡°I just¡­¡± For a moment, she restrained herself, propriety and her own nerves holding her back. It didn¡¯t last. Too much restraint could be harmful. She stepped forward, and before her friend could do more than widen her eyes in surprise, Ling Qi wrapped her arms around Xiulan. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you go.¡±


    Xiulan squirmed uncomfortably in her grip, not quite pushing her away, but stiff and surprised nonetheless. The difference in their height probably didn¡¯t help. ¡°I¡­ You¡­ What in the world are you doing?¡± Her voice was muffled by Ling Qi¡¯s gown.


    Ling Qi felt moisture forming in the corner of her eyes. ¡°You¡¯ll just have to bear with it and give me a second.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not as if I want to leave you behind either,¡± Xiulan grumbled at last. Though she did not return Ling Qi¡¯s hug, she did manage to awkwardly pat Ling Qi on the back. ¡°Now, release me already. What in the world has gotten into you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my fault, I think,¡± Sixiang said as Ling Qi released Xiulan, their voice carrying on the wind. ¡°Sorry about that.¡±


    Xiulan glanced around sharply as she smoothed the wrinkles in her gown before relaxing. ¡°Your other spirit, the moon one. I forgot about them.¡±


    ¡°What can I say? I¡¯m a lil¡¯ shy,¡± Sixiang murmured.


    Ling Qi glanced away, her cheeks darkening,embarrassed by her impulsiveness now that it was over. She would have to meditate more. ¡°Sorry, Xiulan.¡±


    Xiulan glanced away, blinking rapidly. ¡°Apology accepted. Honestly, doing something like that outside.¡±


    Ling Qi smiled wanly and didn¡¯t comment on the wetness she spied in the other girl¡¯s eyes before it curled away into steam. She frowned then. ¡°Wait, what does that mean for your betrothal? I thought you were supposed to marry into the Fan family.¡±


    Xiulan smirked. ¡°That is certainly a side benefit of being in line for the heirship.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean Fan Yu is going to marry into the Gu then?¡± Ling Qi asked. Noble marriage practices still felt odd to her. It was strange to talk about a man marrying into a woman¡¯s family.


    Xiulan gaped at her and then shook her head rapidly, the ornaments in her hair jingling. ¡°No, of course not! The Fan would never agree to such a thing.¡±


    Right, the Fan were a comital clan, and even if Fan Yu wasn¡¯t anywhere near the heirship, he was still part of the main family. That had been a silly question. ¡°Congratulations,¡± she said, smiling. The thought of Xiulan leaving still hurt, but knowing that one of the things that had been burdening her friend most was gone helped, at least a little.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Xiulan preened.


    ¡°When will you be leaving?¡± Ling Qi asked tentatively. She hoped there would still be some time.


    ¡°The first of the month,¡± Xiulan replied, her cheer fading. ¡°Father already has my carriage and guards on the way.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t think you would need them,¡± Ling Qi teased halfheartedly. She should have expected that.


    ¡°It¡¯s not as if a lady can be expected to handle every little beast on the road herself,¡± Xiulan said haughtily. ¡°Would you have people imagine the Gu to be so poor?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°In any case, I must soon get back to my sister. I sought you out today to extend an invitation. Will you see me off? It has been some time since we have had one of our little ladies¡¯ night,¡± Xiulan asked, a touch stiffly.


    Ling Qi studied the emotions on her friend¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯ll make time. Just make sure there are plenty of sweets.¡±


    Xiulan huffed but looked pleased. ¡°Really, still a ruffian at heart. I remember you scraping the bowl with your fingers the first time.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend you don¡¯t have a sweet tooth,¡± Ling Qi chuckled. ¡°Tell me the day, Xiulan. I¡¯ll be there.¡±


    ¡°The last day of the month. I already received approval from my sister to take the evening off from training,¡± Xiulan replied.


    They exchanged their goodbyes, and as her friend left the field, Ling Qi sat down heavily on her boulder.


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Sixiang asked. Ling Qi was thankful for the faint pressure of hands on her shoulders.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do,¡± Ling Qi replied with a bitter smile. ¡°It¡¯s not my choice.¡±


    Saying the words felt like ripping off a scab, but she couldn¡¯t say that she didn¡¯t feel better afterward. Something that wasn¡¯t quite contentment settled in her stomach. All she could do was see her friend off. Well, that and bombarding her with letters. She would not allow her connection to one of her best friends fray. They would see each other again.


    ¡°Heh, that¡¯s a scary look on your face,¡± Sixiang chuckled. ¡°I like it.¡±


    ¡°Hush, you,¡± Ling Qi huffed. Still, it didn¡¯t feel right. She wanted to do something now. She wanted to help her friend, give her something¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s not wrong to give someone you¡¯re parting from a gift, right?¡± Ling Qi asked aloud.


    ¡°Mm, I don¡¯t think so,¡± Sixiang hummed. ¡°What are you thinking?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Ling Qi traced patterns of frost on the stone with her finger as she thought. Her most immediate thought was jewelry; Xiulan did love her shiny things. A matched pair would¡­ Well, she would have to hunt down something that didn¡¯t have romantic implications, but she could do it.


    Then she recalled that Bao Qian had mentioned something about recording songs. She had balked at the idea, disliking the idea of selling her work and compositions, but if it was just for Xiulan¡­ She still had a few days. She would compose something.

 Threads 82-Parting 2

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised to see that you are still here,¡± Ling Qi said as the door of the workshop closed behind her.


    Bao Qian let out a good-natured harrumph, adjusting the glass monocle on his eye as he examined a piece of carved jade. ¡°Miss Ling, there¡¯s no call for that sort of accusation.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced around. It had actually taken her some time to find the Bao scion¡¯s place of residence. Rather than a room at the town¡¯s inn or a rented townhouse, his trail had led her out into the woods where she had found an odd and brightly painted wagon. The inside of the wagon was larger than the outside, though not by a great deal. Despite that, it managed to feel cramped and crowded with the tables strewn with glittering gemstones and jade. Strands and nuggets of precious metals hung from the ceiling like curing herbs. ¡°Sorry, that wasn¡¯t my intent. I just expected your family to withdraw you given the Sect¡¯s new war footing.¡±


    Bao Qian set down the piece of jade in his hands, laying it on the table where it joined many like it. ¡°Mm, I did receive leave to do so. Cousin Qingling likely received a similar letter. Naturally, I refused.¡±


    ¡°And why is that?¡± Ling Qi questioned, drifting through the hanging metal strands without disturbing them. She wasn¡¯t fooled by the seeming thief''s fantasy of wealth strewn about haphazardly and without guard; the wagon¡¯s security formations were clear as half-bared blades to her senses, which made her wonder what else was concealed. She found a clear space on a work table to seat herself on.


    ¡°I would have brought out another seat if you had asked,¡± he chuckled, and the padded, floating metal disc he was seated upon spun, turning him to face her new seating. ¡°But, to answer your question, I have chosen to make my living on the border, not to mention our hopeful partnership. I can¡¯t imagine you would think well of a coward who would flee at the first sign of violence. The Sect is already making use of my services in the tunnels.¡±


    Ling Qi raised an eyebrow as she settled into her seat, crossing her ankles and letting her hands rest demurely in her lap. ¡°How much do the Bao know about the things in the caves?¡±


    ¡°There are caves, and there are caves, Miss Ling,¡± Bao Qian replied, popping the monocle off to polish the glass on his shirt. ¡°The sort the Sect¡¯s troubles have erupted from are toxic obstacles, and we know them well enough to avoid them like pockets of sun-gas or rotted stone.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s intuition and the lessons from her new arts told her that there was something more there but that it would do no good to pursue it. ¡°So many seem to have at least a little knowledge of the caves. Why aren¡¯t they explored more deeply?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t get into the technical details, unless you wish to hear me prattle on for some time, but you are aware of the impurities that fill those places?¡± Bao Qian asked, dismissing the talisman in his hand with a flick of his wrist.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s toxic, but surely more powerful cultivators can endure,¡± Ling Qi replied.


    ¡°It is their power that is the problem,¡± Bao Qian explained. ¡°The impurity grows denser the deeper one goes, and it reacts more violently to great quantities of qi, let alone higher energies. Exploring those depths has long been considered both pointless and fraught. It is only recently that certain craftsmen have begun to find any use for the materials in the caves.¡±


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t really satisfied with the explanation, but she wasn¡¯t going to press any further at this juncture. It wasn¡¯t what she was here for anyway. ¡°Well, I guess we¡¯ll find out more soon regardless.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Bao Qian agreed with a frown. ¡°In any case, might I ask after your purpose, Miss Ling? While I do not mind discussing current events, unless I have misjudged you, I do not think you the type to stop by for a chat with me.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, not seeing the need to refute him on that. ¡°I was interested in acquiring a recording talisman. You¡¯ve mentioned them before.¡±


    ¡°I did. I had thought you averse to the idea,¡± Bao Qian said, a spark of interest in his eyes. ¡°What changed your mind?¡±


    Ling Qi waved him off. ¡°Nothing. I do not intend to make it a regular thing. I just want to make a recording for a friend who is leaving the Sect.¡±


    He looked disappointed but swiftly rallied. ¡°Unfortunate, but I can provide. What are your requirements for shape, color, and size?¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, suddenly on the backfoot. She had assumed that Bao Qian would just have one lying around. ¡°Ah¡­ White or red¡­ and a flame shape.¡± She quickly recovered. ¡°You intend to make it yourself then?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Best to keep supply lines short if it can be done. Goes as well for armies as it does for crafting.¡± Bao Qian chuckled. ¡°Hmm, I think I can manage. I have a supply of red and pink pieces I could fit together for a flame motif. The size?¡±


    ¡°Pendant-sized, maybe?¡± Ling Qi asked tentatively.


    The young man pursed his lips and closed his eyes, seemingly doing calculations in his head. ¡°I will manage. I¡¯ll need a green stone to cover my material costs.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to charge me?¡± Ling Qi asked, bemused.


    Bao Qian opened his eyes, giving her a flat look. ¡°Miss Ling, I am already giving a discount. I wish to be your partner, not a convenient dispensary.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Ling Qi acknowledged. She chewed her lower lip as she thought. Her supply of green stones was beginning to shrink. She would most likely be fine until the inter-sect tournament, but¡­ ¡°Here,¡± she said, flicking a stone to him that had materialized in her hand. ¡°And if you like, we can arrange to meet sometime in the coming month. I will be working with Zhengui, so perhaps we can begin making some arrangements.¡±


    He caught the stone, rolling it between his fingers. ¡°Very well. I shall need no more than two days. I will send a note when your commission is done.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all I can ask,¡± Ling Qi replied, dipping her head. ¡°If you will excuse me, I have some cultivation and composing to do.¡±


    ***


    It had been a fun night.


    Empty bowls, baskets, and cutlery lay strewn across Xiulan¡¯s table. In her bedroom, countless clip ties and ornaments lay scattered around the mirror like forgotten treasure.


    As the sun began to color the horizon, the home was silent. The sounds of merriment had faded and at last, ceased. Ling Qi and Xiulan sat beside one another on the long couch that filled one wall of her front room. The fire in the hearth had burned low, leaving only faint red embers among the ashes.


    In Ling Qi¡¯s hands, she held the last cup of the tea she had brought along, chilled as she had come to enjoy. Beside her, Xiulan held an empty cup which had held a sparkling peach wine. Sixiang, who had been so instrumental in keeping up the mood earlier in the night, had fallen silent, knowing that their time had passed.


    Xiulan idly swirled the dregs of her wine in her cup and let out a sigh, releasing a wisp of steam and sparks from between her lips. ¡°Did you know that when we first met, I had intended to bully you? I found your presence around Han Jian annoying.¡±


    ¡°I had some idea. It¡¯s one of the reasons I tried so hard to be friendly with you,¡± Ling Qi said dryly. ¡°What made you change your mind?¡± She took a small sip of her tea. It was a dark and bitter blend, and she was coming to enjoy it.


    Xiulan smirked self-deprecatingly. ¡°I was impressed, nothing more. That day in the training field, you were afraid, but you faced me anyway. Untrained and clumsy as you were, I almost let you land a blow in my arrogance.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t that bad,¡± Ling Qi grumbled into her tea. ¡°I know that wasn¡¯t it. You kept poking and testing me after that.¡±


    Xiulan sighed, letting her head hang. ¡°I think I came to appreciate your forthrightness. As you know, I have always tried so very hard to live up to my mother¡¯s lessons.¡±


    ¡°I know and appreciate it,¡± Ling Qi replied with a lopsided smile. ¡°After all, thanks to you, I¡¯m not a totally uncivilized little feral girl.¡±


    Xiulan let out a distinctly unladylike snort of laughter. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t you flatter me. Bai Meizhen would have cleaned you up eventually.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but I probably wouldn¡¯t have learned to have some fun with it,¡± Ling Qi mused. Despite her complaints, some part of her had enjoyed going around the markets with her friends, chatting and eyeing goods. To another part of her, even now, it felt like a terrible waste that her every instinct cried out against. She eyed the thin silver links and tiny bells of the jewelry on her hand. Even if she ignored its value as a talisman, just the materials that composed it could have fed and housed her for weeks, if not months, in Tonghou. ¡°You said ¡®tried,¡¯¡± Ling Qi pointed out, glancing at her friend.


    Xiulan nodded faintly, not raising her head. ¡°I cannot follow all of her lessons. I love my mother dearly, and I love the appreciation for beauty and refinement which she has taught me, but her way of words and masks isn¡¯t mine. I¡­ I cannot do it.¡±


    Ling Qi hesitantly placed her hands on Xiulan¡¯s shoulder. The words sounded like they pained Xiulan deeply to say. Ling Qi did not voice her thought that Xiulan had increasingly abandoned that kind of thing from almost the beginning of last year. The Xiulan she knew reveled in violence and battle and found a challenge in every insult and insinuation. She almost said some words of encouragement, empty platitudes about parental understanding, but she didn¡¯t know Ai Xiaoli. ¡°It¡¯s better to know what you can¡¯t do rather than beating yourself up over failing at it,¡± she said instead. She couldn¡¯t stop or slow down, so there had to be another solution.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have half the wrinkles necessary to go speaking like that,¡± Xiulan retorted, raising her head.


    ¡°Well, if that¡¯s what I¡¯m going to get for my kindness, I¡¯ll just be silent,¡± Ling Qi harrumphed, taking a dainty sip from her tea. In her lap, she toyed with a pendant resting in the palm of her hand. She still hadn¡¯t found a good moment, but their time was running out.


    Xiulan was silent, and after several long moments, Ling Qi looked at her out of the corner of her eye. Xiulan was looking out the window at the first hint of the sun¡¯s disc peeking over the misty horizon. Her lips moved, but Ling Qi didn¡¯t hear a word.


    Ling Qi knew better than to press Xiulan. She finished the last of her tea.


    ¡°I will miss you a great deal.¡± This time, she caught the words, spoken in just barely audible tones.


    Ling Qi¡¯s hand clenched around the pendant. ¡°I will miss you as well. I hope you enjoy getting bombarded with letters.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to answer every one,¡± Xiulan chuckled. ¡°I suppose that we really should begin cleaning up¡­¡±


    ¡°Xiulan, I have a present for you,¡± Ling Qi said suddenly. All this dithering and worrying. It really was best just to say things clearly. She had spent too much time learning otherwise. ¡°It might be a little inappropriate given our relationship, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Ling Qi, what did you get me?¡± Xiulan asked, amused. It seemed that her melancholy could not contain her natural instinct to tease.


    ¡°It¡¯s a song,¡± Ling Qi said, turning over her hand. The pendant that rested there was an intricately carved piece, fitting many small pieces of red and pink jade together into the shape of dancing flames. It was so realistic that it seemed that the tongues of flame might start to move at any moment. It was just what she had asked for.


    However, at the bottom, it darkened, pink becoming red, and then crimson, and at last, black along the bottom edge. She couldn¡¯t blame Bao Qian though. It was her song that had done that. ¡°I composed it for you. Thought you might like to listen to it now and again and be reminded of me,¡± she said, embarrassed as she toyed with the talisman. Finally, she held out her hand, offering it to Xiulan.


    Xiulan looked at her in surprise, any hint of teasing gone. ¡°I see. I¡­ thank you, Ling Qi,¡± she said a touch unsteadily, cradling the gift in her hands. ¡°How do I¡­?¡±


    ¡°You just channel a trickle of qi into the carved channels,¡± Ling Qi said, looking back down.


    She didn¡¯t need to see as the song she had composed began to play. Its tones brought to mind the image of a bright and lively flame, burning merrily on a cold winter¡¯s day. Though the wind blew and the snows fell, the flame burned brighter with every gust. It puffed and danced, facing every challenge with courage. It was bright and beautiful, even when lightning struck and nearly scattered its tinder. Despite everything, the flame never stopped burning, and the flame never guttered low. Though one day, the wind picked it up, carrying it far away, the flame never faltered¡­


    Ling Qi let out a sharp breath as the song cut off, the qi powering it draining away suddenly, leaving her sitting once more beside Xiulan, who held the pendant in her hand. Xiulan stared down at it with unreadable eyes.


    ¡°Sorry if it¡¯s a little silly and childish,¡± Ling Qi said, picking at the hems of her sleeves. ¡°I just thought¡­ you deserve some praise, you know? You¡¯ve accomplished a lot. I believe in you, Xiulan. I¡¯ll look forward to seeing you again.¡±


    Xiulan didn¡¯t answer at first, but soon, she nodded. ¡°Thank you, Ling Qi,¡± she said, and her voice almost cracked. ¡°You should go. I will handle cleaning up. It would be rude to ask you to stay as a guest.¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t point out the inconsistency. Instead, she leaned over and once again embraced Xiulan, and this time, the girl returned it, squeezing her in a one-armed hug.


    This would not be their last goodbye.

 Threads 83-Integration 1

    The Singing Mist Blade hummed in her grasp, its song quiet as she held it in front of her face, studying the curves of the metal and the uncountable characters finely etched into the curves of the twisting blade. A domain weapon was an odd thing, almost extraneous in many situations. Ling Qi¡¯s acted as a pestering wasp, buzzing about enemies and distracting them, infecting her enemies with enfeebling qi through the medium of its song.


    But it never quite fit. She had trained until she could move it like she would any other limb, but holding it in her hand, it didn¡¯t really feel like part of her body or spirit. It was just an attachment.


    Ling Qi released the polished handle, never meant for a wielder¡¯s touch and let the blade float over her lap, humming softly and trailing mist. She looked up to see Cai Renxiang sitting across from her next to the vent in the heiress¡¯ meditation room. Cai¡¯s domain weapon, a twisting ribbon of silk hung with tiny bells, floated between her hands. The girl¡¯s eyes were half closed, and the silk rippled with prismatic light. Ling Qi looked again at her own weapon with a frown, feeling it through her connection. Even as she wielded the blade with more precision than ever before, recently, her domain weapon had felt incongruous.


    ¡°What is our plan, now that the challenges are closed?¡± Ling Qi asked, feeling the way her qi trickled through the artificial channels carved into her domain blade.


    ¡°We need be at the forefront of the Sect¡¯s military efforts,¡± Cai Renxiang answered calmly. ¡°Our efforts during the incursion have been rewarded, have they not?¡±


    Ling Qi let out a disgruntled sound at the response. With the start of the eighth month, Ling Qi had made a notable jump from her previous rank of 756 to rank 730 based on her performance in defense of the three villages. Cai Renxiang had made a smaller but still respectable climb to rank 708, and most of her friends were steadily climbing as well. She glared at her unresponsive blade. ¡°Is that really satisfactory?¡±


    Sixiang chuckled silently in her head.


    ¡°It is not,¡± Cai Renxiang replied. She did not open her eyes. ¡°But matters are being decided above our heads for the moment. We must prepare to snatch opportunity as it passes by, but to seek it out at this moment will reflect poorly upon us. I share a degree of your discontent however. We must be aggressive in volunteering for duty. I have signed up for front line operations in the Wall.¡±


    ¡°Will they really let you do that?¡± Ling Qi asked, giving her liege a dubious look. Testing aside, she was still the heir of the Cai.


    ¡°Mother would be displeased if they did not,¡± Cai Renxiang said with certainty, easily picking up Ling Qi¡¯s real question.


    Sixiang grumbled.


    Ling Qi could see where Sixiang was coming from, and she didn¡¯t disagree. While she would not claim to know Cai Renxiang¡¯s heart, she was fairly certain that the girl had at least one thing in common with her. She would not be satisfied with less than her best.


    ¡°My friend, Su Ling, hinted at something going on with the enemies below. Li Suyin is probably involved, too. I¡¯ll see if I can get my name on the shortlist for that.¡±


    At that, Cai Renxiang cracked an eye open. ¡°Is that so? Very good. I will be relying upon you to keep up. Please do not forget your other tasks.¡±


    Ling Qi pursed her lips. ¡°That Wang guy, right? I¡¯ll look into it.¡±


    Sixiang whispered.


    Ling Qi grunted in response. It wasn¡¯t the first time Sixiang had suggested that strategy since they had ¡°returned,¡± but it irked her pride. Wang Chao had been dismissive of her at the party. Approaching from a position of weakness didn¡¯t sit right with her.


    ¡°Do you believe you have finished forging your connection?¡± Cai Renxiang asked, interrupting her thoughts.


    Ling Qi glanced down at her weapon, feeling her qi soaked into every bit of its spiritual presence. Faintly, she heard the strain of an unclear melody. She cleared her mind, turning her focus fully back to the weapon and then nodded. ¡°Yes. So what does integration entail?¡±


    ¡°There are many texts available on the subject,¡± Cai Renxiang admonished.


    Ling Qi smiled faintly. ¡°I learn better from people. Besides, I would like to know your thoughts on the matter, Lady Renxiang.¡±


    Cai Renxiang let out a dissatisfied hum, but she did not admonish her. Ling Qi took it as a tentatively good sign. Since that day at Zhengui¡¯s hill, her liege had been a little more permissive in private. ¡°At the most base mechanical level, it is an exercise in spiritual surgery, transferring an art and the meridians it occupies to new housing. It is permanent, the first of many such steps we will take on the road to the peak of cultivation. While this one is a small sacrifice, a matter of utility rather than true loss, it is wise to consider the implications well.¡±


    Thoughts of the sacrifices necessary for higher cultivation were troubling, but Ling Qi was well beyond the point of stopping. ¡°And what is the point of that?¡±


    ¡°It trains the mind for the stages which come after,¡± Cai Renxiang explained, letting her eyes drift shut again. ¡°A cultivator is not merely their body, and a cultivator¡¯s body is not merely flesh. Even if you can speak the words, you do not understand them without experience. These exercises replace much trial and error which our ancestors needed to perform to ascend the realms.¡±


    Ling Qi understood. ¡°You called that explanation base and mechanical. Is there something more to it?¡±


    Cai Renxiang was silent for a time, but eventually, she answered. ¡°It is not possible to excise and transfer a piece of your spirit to a new bodily vessel without affecting yourself. You know that climbing the realms of cultivation requires sacrifices, things cast aside. What you place in your domain weapon is something which will remain with you always.¡±


    ¡°If you do not mind, what did you put in your weapon?¡±


    The silk floating between Cai Renxiang¡¯s hands rippled, and the bells sounded faintly, ephemeral and echoing. The crimson eyes splayed across her chest narrowed in hunger. ¡°My desire for purity. You know well my attitude toward disorder and uncleanliness.¡±


    ¡°I said I was sorry for putting the tea leaves back wrong,¡± Ling Qi mumbled. Rarely had she seen her liege more blatantly incensed as she had been this morning. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like something you would want to be rid of though.¡±


    ¡°It is not. Nor is removal the purpose of the exercise,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°For as long as I can remember, I took pleasure in ordering my surroundings, even more so after my awakening. Yet the world is untidy. It can be improved, but my plans will never be executed to perfection. This is not because the world cannot be predicted or ordered, but because I have failed to account for all factors. It is important to be able to accept some degree of disorder and uncleanliness in action, but it is more important to not forget the goal I am seeking past that tolerance.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded slowly. ¡°It¡¯s what drives you. By enshrining it in your domain, you make sure you never lose touch with it.¡±


    ¡°Precisely,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed.


    Ling Qi hummed. It was a little peek into the other girl¡¯s head, and for all that Sixiang grumbled, she even understood, just a little. Though she had never been in a position to act on it, wasn¡¯t having things in order, having things under control, something that anyone would want? She had spent many a night out in the cold, wishing she had more control over her life, even if she had not understood that to be the core of her wish.


    Sixiang grumbled.


    ¡°How does that work with people who have multiple domain weapons or change them later?¡±


    ¡°The weapon is just the physical housing. Although the process is longer and more difficult, it remains possible to transfer the meridians to a new device,¡± Cai Renxiang explained. ¡°Multiple weapons are a matter of style and arts. It is unusual to have more than one integrated weapon. It would be counter intuitive given that the domain weapon is a practice exercise for the functions of higher cultivation. Perhaps it might be useful if one were certain that they were not going to reach the fourth realm.¡±


    Ling Qi looked at her blade, thinking of which art to enshrine in her domain. Over the previous day and this morning, she had considered integrating her mentor Zeqing¡¯s most potent gift, the Frozen Soul Serenade, and the sometimes clashing, but often decisive, art from Elder Ying, Thousand Ring Fortress. But again and again, she came back to her oldest active art, the one first granted to her by Xin in Elder Zhou¡¯s trial, and the one which had seen her through so many trials, the Forgotten Vale Melody,


    ¡°Have you decided?¡± Cai Renxiang asked.


    Ling Qi breathed out and nodded. ¡°My Forgotten Vale Melody. What else?¡± Ling Qi asked rhetorically, smiling faintly. The Forgotten Vale Melody and the Sable Crescent Step had been the arts that allowed her to begin growing in truth. Sable Crescent Step would be succeeded by the Laughing Flight of the Wind Thief art and so would stay with her, but there was no such continuance for her melody.


    Perhaps in time, she could have gone out, questing for the vale where the traveler had composed the melody, but Ling Qi thought that would be missing the point. It was never the actual, physical vale that mattered. And besides, wasn¡¯t it better to make the melody her own, rather than chasing someone else¡¯s insights?


    Cai Renxiang merely nodded, not privy to her thoughts. ¡°Very good. I trust I need not review the Sect¡¯s lessons in meridian compression?¡±


    Ling Qi shook her head absently as she closed her eyes, turning her attention inward. Silver light flickered under her eyelids as a single mirror-like wisp manifested in the air, and she examined herself through it. It was not often that she focused so closely on her spiritual self. Between her resources and Suyin¡¯s meridian talisman, the opening of meridians had become a trivial task, something to be done swiftly between more intensive cultivation.


    Her dantian blazed like a miniature star. A churning elemental furnace encased in soft, reflective silver, the light within blazed through the argent skin. Her meridians shone in their multitude; lines of the deepest black wound through her legs, a thick bundle of verdant green coiled around shimmering rainbow ran straight up her spine, veins of gleaming ice descended her arms and branched out through her fingertips, and threads of colorless and silver qi wound through her head and curled around her eyes and ears with even more curled in her chest, nesting her heart and lungs.


    She had many more meridians than an average cultivator could ever hope to open. Cai Renxiang was much the same. Briefly, she turned her attention to the other girl. Cai¡¯s meridians were a dense web of metal, mountain stone, and blinding light. Where Ling Qi¡¯s channels were an organic tangle, Cai Renxiang¡¯s meridians were all right angles and straight lines.


    It would not stay easy forever. Her spirit, already dense with spiritual channels, would require more and more care. She had already used most of the ¡°easy¡± spaces where veins of impurity ran, leaving space that could be cleared for use with relative ease. Soon, she would have to begin carefully carving new channels where no clear paths lay. The elder in charge of the lessons had been very clear on how painstaking the process was if a cultivator wanted to avoid causing themselves great harm by disrupting or damaging their extant meridians.


    Ling Qi let out a breath and quieted her whirling thoughts, feeling the phantom sensation of Sixiang¡¯s hands resting reassuringly on her shoulders. She needed to focus. Right now, she had some compression to do.


    ***


    Forgotten Vale Melody was her most familiar art, but it was still afternoon by the time she had opened her eyes, having finished the task of weaving the patterns of the melody into only three channels. Cai Renxiang still sat across from her, not having moved a single centimeter since she had closed her eyes. Ling Qi rolled her shoulders once out of habit, having long left behind simple aches. ¡°Finished.¡±


    Cai Renxiang¡¯s eyes opened, and the feeling of surging qi that came with spiritual cultivation subsided. ¡°I see. You are prepared to begin the procedure then?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to waste your time. Thank you for offering to show me how this is done.¡±


    ¡°It is no trouble,¡± Cai Renxiang replied evenly. ¡°I am merely doing my duty.¡±


    ¡°And the invitation to morning tea?¡± Ling Qi asked lightly. ¡°I didn¡¯t mind the sampling¡ªthat Ebon Rivers blend you had was great¡ªbut I¡¯d hardly call that ¡®duty.¡¯¡±


    Cai Renxiang gave her a hard look and then proceeded to ignore her statement. ¡°Focus upon the meridians that you intend to transfer.¡±


    Ling Qi sighed and turned her attention inward again. What worked on Meizhen did not work for Cai Renxiang; the girl was not exactly reactive to teasing. Their relationship was still kind of awkward, and Ling Qi wasn¡¯t quite sure yet what level of familiarity was acceptable. It made her feel better that Sixiang was pretty sure that the same was true for Cai Renxiang.


    Sixiang teased. Ling Qi ignored them with great dignity, focusing on her task. The three meridians she intended to transfer stood out in her mind¡¯s eye.


    ¡°Feel the places where your spirit touches upon the physical world,¡± Cai Renxiang continued. ¡°It is these that you will need to excise. Do not tamper with the meridian¡¯s connection to your dantian. Doing so will only destroy it.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Ling Qi murmured. They were bright spots like glimmering pinpricks on her heart and lungs scattered semi-randomly along the channel¡¯s length. ¡°How do I go about severing the connection?¡±


    ¡°Your channels are a part of you. It is simply a matter of will,¡± Cai Renxiang answered. ¡°I found the visualization of needles and thread useful, imagining it as plucking a single thread from a tapestry. I suspect you will require something of a more musical bent.¡±


    Cai Renxiang wasn¡¯t wrong. She focused upon the channel brimming with music qi. It was easy to shift her understanding of meridians as lines of color to something more musical. The image she held in her mind dissolved, replaced by the thrumming of a song. It had an unsteady and uncertain beat, but Ling Qi liked to imagine there was some beauty in it. Absently, she hummed to herself, feeling out the ways that the channels twitched and reacted to the changing tune. There was a sharp pain whenever she began to pull one away, and she grimaced.


    ¡°Is it supposed to hurt?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± her liege said. ¡°Once you have loosened the meridian from its connections, you must move it into the vessel you have prepared and reestablish its connection in the new housing. As you do so, you will need to focus upon the part of yourself which you wish to integrate into the domain weapon. This is needed to solidify the new connections and prevent their fraying and breaking. Do not rush this. It will likely take you a day or two to complete the process.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Ling Qi breathed out. ¡°Is it alright if I stay here while I do the exercise then?¡±


    ¡°I have already cleared the matter with the Sect,¡± Cai Renxiang replied. Ling Qi heard the faint rustle of cloth as the other girl stood up. ¡°I will check on your progress as time allows.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded absently as the other girl left, the door to the meditation room closing with a click behind her. Now, she was alone with her thoughts, and Sixiang, of course.


    ¡°Thanks for remembering,¡± Sixiang whispered on the wind. ¡°I¡¯ll keep quiet and let you concentrate. Be careful, Ling Qi.¡±

 Threads 84-Integration 2

    Ling Qi¡¯s breath hitched as the first connection came loose. It felt like a needle had jabbed into her flesh and twisted, but she had endured worse. She smoothed out her breathing as she began to work the next one loose.


    To her, Forgotten Vale Melody represented many things of her past and present, but what was the most important to hold onto?


    Was it loneliness? The melody exemplified the emotion, and although the traveler had chosen it, to Ling Qi, his regrets were laid bare in the melody. The memory of nights alone in the streets and isolation amidst even the most crowded streets were not pleasant memories, but they were a core part of her. It was because of those memories that she worked so hard and clung to her friends so tightly. It was why Xiulan¡¯s departure hurt so much, why spending time with Meizhen made her happy, and why she was so determined to break through to Cai Renxiang.


    Was it ambition? The traveler had wished to see sights that no human eye had ever seen in order to compose something beautiful enough to offer unto the moon. Ling Qi knew that she was unusual in her drive. She had seen the peak of human power and she wanted it so badly that it hurt. She wanted to keep walking the path of cultivation and never stop. She wanted to reach the top. She also wanted to keep her friends close and pull them along their own paths, so that no one would need to be left behind. She wanted to never fear.


    Was it desire? The traveler had abandoned everything out of his desire for beauty. He had desired to fulfill his soul¡¯s yearning for forgotten vistas. Ling Qi could not and would not do something like that, but she understood. She had desired a friend, and so she had spoken with nobles on her first day at the Sect and even approached Meizhen, who had seemed so alone that day. She desired to help her mentor, so she had braved death and rescued Zeqing¡¯s daughter from herself. She was, in the end, a greedy girl. Perhaps it was important not to forget that?


    In the end, could there be any other answer? It was loneliness that had made her what she was. It had shaped the foundations of her worldview and wants. It was not a happy thing, but Ling Qi thought that she would lose something if she ever forgot loneliness. If memories of cold streets and lonely crowds, of cold winters and empty bellies faded away, what would she become?


    She breathed out, and the sensation of her flesh and blood, of the room around her faded. Her hands were tangles of ice blue and matte black cords, and the blade floating between them was beginning to shine. Before, she could direct the weapon with a thought. Now she was beginning to feel it as if it were truly a part of her.


    The twisting metal blade in her hands began to soften around the edges, the definition between metal and mist fading as Ling Qi began to attach the first meridian to the empty vessel. In her mind, a single high note rang as she began to forge the connection. It wasn¡¯t very hard. The ¡°free¡± end of her meridian seemed eager for something to connect to to seal off the flow of music qi spilling raw into the world.


    As she carefully affixed the opening of the meridian to its new home, the weapon tingled uncomfortably like a limb that had been slept on. The music flowing through the meridian began to change, slowing and growing melancholy as she focused her thoughts on the feeling she wanted to pour into the blade, and in her hands, the physical form began to pulse and twist.


    A second meridian came loose at her coaxing, cold and thrashing, liquid in the grip of her mind, and through it flowed memories she would not allow herself to forget. She remembered spending days and nights alone, furtively scrabbling like a beast just to survive. The blade thinned and wavered, growing narrow.


    Last came darkness. The unmoored meridian clung to her, curling like a serpent around her wrist as she plucked it free. Her first real personal connections had been like water in a drought, healing cracked and parched earth. They had led her to discard old instincts. Images of scurrying bodies and sharp teeth flashed through her thoughts, and blood red tinged her fingertips.


    It hadn¡¯t been easy to change. She had fallen from her path, given in to fear and helplessness in the Bloody Moon dream, but she would not struggle with that decision again. The moment of decision as the knife from that rat-thing assassin plunged toward her neck returned to her.


    The third meridian connected, and she felt her domain blade as if it were her own arm. She flexed new muscle, and the blade twirled. She breathed, and the soft sound of the Forgotten Vale Melody played.


    Ling Qi opened her eyes and looked upon the change her cultivation had wrought in the dark and twisted blade. Its profile was simpler now, having become a long, thin double-edged blade. Although it was still hollow, the gaps in the metal had narrowed until they were no more than the holes on a flute, faint wisps of mist leaking from the darkened openings, and the handle a mouthpiece of dark lacquered wood whose grain shifted like liquid.


    For a time, Ling Qi remained seated, idly manipulating her Singing Mist Blade through the air, altering the tone and beat of the faint melody it played. It felt like stretching a cramped limb, muscles tingling and blood flowing in response to her exertion. The blade was her, but it was not flesh and blood. It felt foreign and disorienting. Her body had changed; she wasn¡¯t quite the same anymore. And yet, when she grasped the handle, she felt like she was holding her own hand. When she played the Forgotten Vale Melody, it felt as if she were playing it with her own lips and breath.


    She closed her eyes and focused on how she had gotten here. It was her choice to walk the path. She was going to keep growing, and she would change on the way, but that was fine. That was the price of cultivation.


    Ling Qi stood, and her blade whistled faintly as it rose to hover over her shoulder. Ling Qi looked down at her hand, absently flexing it open and closed. Then she took a deep breath, and Awoke.


    Loose stones on the cavern floor rattled and shook, and the air thrummed. All around her, the world went white and grey. It wasn¡¯t like before. The mist didn¡¯t pour forth or flow. With an action no more strenuous than opening a closed fist, the Mist simply was. Her blade keened softly, and the phantoms formed. Gaunt and desperate faces and ragged knives formed in the mist, alongside stalking beasts, while mocking spirits whirled overhead. The eyes of her phantoms were no longer crimson but pools of black, empty and accusing. Through her blade, she played her song, and the mist went colder still, growing thick and clinging. She could feel its hunger, its loneliness, and its desire. She could feel it because it was her. Fuzzy and faint as it was still, Ling Qi felt the disorientation of being in every part of the room at once.


    Sixiang said.


    Then, the door opened, unsealing the meditation room. Cai Renxiang stood in the doorway, and the mist rushed out into the unoccupied hall, suffusing the air and surrounding her. Ling Qi felt the difference then. The Mist around Cai Renxiang was still cool, but it was a spring morning¡¯s chill and not winter¡¯s harsh bite. Around her liege, the phantoms faced outward, menacing with fang and blade, and the coldness of the lonely street was replaced by the warmth of a friend¡¯s arm around the shoulders.


    ¡°It is good that your efforts have borne fruit,¡± Cai Renxiang said mildly, briefly glancing around. ¡°However, please reign yourself in. You are leaking.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked and flushed. Cai Renxiang was right. Leaving the open door aside, the sealing on the room was imperfect, and she could feel streamers of herself seeping through the cracks into the rest of the house. With a feeling like sucking in her stomach, the mist shrank, condensing into the area right around her and Cai. She would have shrunken the Mist further, but it actually felt a little good to have a friend within it.


    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Ling Qi apologized, smiling. ¡°I got lost in the sensation.¡±


    ¡°Understandable,¡± Cai Renxiang said. She reached out to prod one of the shifting phantoms near her, frowning thoughtfully as it dispersed into smoke. ¡°Your domain is a... unique sensation.¡±


    Somehow, that statement just made her feel more anxious, Ling Qi thought irritably. ¡°Well, what is your¡¯s like then?¡±


    ¡°Inwardly focused,¡± Cai Renxiang replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s unexpected,¡± Ling Qi said as she struggled to shrink the Mist further. ¡°I guess that makes sense with what you¡¯ve told me.¡±


    Her liege merely nodded agreeably. ¡°I have prepared tea, a new blend from the Ebon Rivers stock. Since you have been in meditation for a day and a half, you should join me. You can begin practicing restraining yourself.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Ling Qi said, taking a step forward only to pause. She was curious. ¡°Do you think you could show me your domain again? I¡¯ve seen your weapon, but I think it might be different now.¡±


    Cai Renxiang paused as well, and for a second, Ling Qi thought she had overstepped herself again. Then, there was the faint ringing of bells, and Cai Renxiang was bathed in light. Her face was an imperious and featureless mask of liquid metal and light, and her gown¡¯s empyreal armor was forged from radiance. She looked daunting, inhuman, perfect, and serene.


    She was so very alone.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Cai Renxiang murmured in surprise and glanced down to see a child formed from mist and fog gently grasp her fingers. The child had familiar dark features, hair that could not be tamed, and ice blue eyes.


    Ling Qi let out a squeak of morbid embarrassment, and she wrenched her domain back in, the Mist vanishing in an instant. Cai Renxiang¡¯s armor and radiance flashed away as well, leaving only two girls staring awkwardly at each other.


    The tea time afterward was easily the most uncomfortable time she had experienced in a while.

 Threads 85-Household 1

    Ling Qi watched the house servant who was leading her inside through a silver gleam in the fold of her gown. The young woman was a few years her elder, but nevertheless, her head was low, and the tension in her shoulders was clear. Ling Qi thought that she might be the same person who had first opened the gate for her back at the beginning when she had first visited after hiring them, but she couldn¡¯t be sure. That kind of said it all, didn¡¯t it?


    Sixiang murmured.


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure she agreed. Her promise to Zhengui and Hanyi had made her think, and her recent integration had changed her perception a little as well. Not, admittedly, about her mortal household, but about the dismissal she had delivered to her own mother for expressing the same concern as her spirits. It was just that those things tied together. The people she had hired were friends of her mother, or at least, people her mother cared about. What did it say about her that she dismissed their existence so easily?


    Ling Qi hummed to herself as she stepped inside, and she waited as the young woman closed the door behind them, allowing the servant to take the lead again. It wasn¡¯t necessary, but it was polite.


    She had spoken to Cai Renxiang on the subject before, and she probably hadn¡¯t understood properly then. So much of imperial society, its traditions and etiquette and laws, were built around keeping cultivators grounded and engaged. Elder Hua Su had poked fun at the idea of sitting in a cave for a hundred years back in the Outer Sect, but the truth was that the scenario was a very easy one to drift into. This time, she had disappeared for a day and a half, and at other times, she had vanished for longer. Those times would only grow in length as she ascended the realms of cultivation, she understood.


    Ling Qi had meditated on loneliness in her efforts to better control her domain, and the thought of the future had frightened her a little. She wouldn¡¯t stop climbing, couldn¡¯t counteract the separation wrought by cultivation and didn¡¯t want to, but she couldn¡¯t become unmoored either. Her mother was important to her, and so for her sake, she had to try at least a little with the people her mother cared about.


    Sixiang teased.


    Ling Qi frowned in consternation, wondering what Sixiang was talking about. Then, it struck her. The mortal woman¡¯s footsteps made faint sounds on the polished floor, and her gown rustled with her movements and her breath disturbed the air, but Ling Qi was silent, utterly so. The only noise Ling Qi made was a distant, eerie piping. She concentrated, and a twitch of her qi normalized things. ¡°How has my mother been since the attack?¡± she asked, adjusting her qi flow so that it wouldn¡¯t accidentally happen again.


    The woman in front of her startled, but to her credit, Ling Qi was sure a mortal wouldn¡¯t have noticed. ¡°Madame Ling has been anxious, but she is doing well,¡± the servant answered. ¡°She was greatly reassured by Lady Li¡¯s work.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed thoughtfully. ¡°And you? Are the others handling things well?¡± She had offered to let any household servant leave, but no one had taken her up on it.


    ¡°We are most thankful for your patronage,¡± the woman replied carefully, keeping her head down.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask that,¡± Ling Qi said. She came to a halt. ¡°I asked how you and the others are holding up. I was genuine when I said that any of you could leave.¡±


    The young woman paused, alarmed at the questioning or more accurately, Ling Qi¡¯s attention. Was she really that bad? ¡°It has been trying,¡± the woman admitted. ¡°But no one wants to go back.¡±


    Ling Qi regarded the young woman with some surprise. The servant was being honest. ¡°You aren¡¯t afraid of the coming conflicts?¡±


    The girl said guiltily, ¡°I am, but it¡¯s still better here, isn¡¯t it? At least we are being protected. You and the other immortals will not let the barbarians through, right?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Ling Qi replied. She was uncomfortable with the expectation she saw there. It was one thing to be told she was responsible for people, but it was another to actually feel it. ¡°We won¡¯t lose. You¡¯ll be safe.¡± It wasn¡¯t a lie. She was sure that no one would let this place, the gateway to the Sect, fall.


    ¡°Then there is no reason to talk about going back. The others feel the same. That is, if our service has been satisfactory? Madam Ling has said we have been doing well.¡± The young woman grew more anxious as she spoke, clutching at her gown.


    Ling Qi was quick to reply. ¡°I have no complaints. Please, let¡¯s continue,¡± she added, gesturing down the hall.


    Sixiang huffed.


    Ling Qi thought dryly, resuming her walk toward the garden. She glanced at the young woman¡¯s back and reminded herself to take the time to memorize some of her household¡¯s names later. It was good to know that her household was staying around because they actually wanted to, even if it was only because Tonghou was worse.


    She gave the young woman a nod of acknowledgement as she stepped out onto the porch overlooking the garden. The sun was beginning to peek over the horizon so it only took a moment to spot her mother.


    Ling Qingge stood by the garden pond dressed in a plain brown gown. She held an unusual pose, one of the stances of the cultivation art Ling Qi had provided her. Ling Qi stood for a moment at the edge of the porch, observing the flow of her mother¡¯s qi, such as it was.


    She was doing better. The cracks of age and wear remained on her dantian, but the light of awakening had been kindled inside of it. Growth would still be fraught, but her mother¡¯s cultivation was at least stable. There was no danger of regression. Mother¡¯s attempts at physical cultivation had made some progress, and it seemed like the exercises in the cultivation art were helping.


    Ling Qi ghosted down through the banister, landing lightly on the garden path, and then let her next footfall sound normally. Her mother opened her eyes at the sound.


    ¡°Ling Qi, I did not expect you so early. Is everything well?¡± her mother asked, lowering her arms.


    ¡°Everything is fine. My cultivation just took less time than expected,¡± Ling Qi deflected. ¡°I thought I would come a little early. Sorry for interrupting you.¡±


    Her mother looked at her with a frown. Was she really that obvious?


    Sixiang whispered.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not wholly right. I did want to talk,¡± Ling Qi added before her mother could voice her question. Sixiang was right, of course; there was no value in deflections here.


    ¡°Of course,¡± her mother replied, seeming hesitant. ¡°Did your exercise proceed properly?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ling Qi said with a half smile, moving to take a seat on one of the stone benches in the garden. ¡°Integration went fine. See?¡± Her domain weapon shimmered into view across her lap, and a pale transparent mist rolled out around them, cloaking the garden. She had spent some time practicing so there were no embarrassing manifestations, but the mist still settled about her mother¡¯s shoulders like a warm winter mantle.


    The older woman blinked in surprise, reaching up tentatively to touch it, but the mist parted before her fingers. ¡°I see. I admit I do not quite understand what has changed, but I am glad you succeeded.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Ling Qi fingered the wooden grip of the domain blade absently. ¡°But I actually wanted to apologize.¡±


    Carefully, her mother took a seat beside her. Ling Qi could see all the little aches that still plagued her in every movement. ¡°I see.¡±


    Ling Qi smiled to herself. She was glad mother hadn¡¯t tried to appease her or say that there was nothing to apologize for. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being so dismissive. I¡¯m not going to apologize for my actions, but I am sorry for being so short with you about it.¡±


    ¡°That hardly sets me at ease,¡± her mother said stubbornly. ¡°I still do not understand why you would do such a thing.¡±


    Ling Qi considered her words. The lessons of the Playful Muse¡¯s Rapport art flitted through her head as she turned to meet her mother¡¯s pleading gaze. ¡°Because I am strong and greedy,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to lose anything. Because I won¡¯t let fear guide my hands or my feet. I hope you can understand, Mother. I don¡¯t intend to die.¡±


    Ling Qingge closed her eyes. ¡°This is the sort of conversation I would expect to have with a son going to war.¡±


    ¡°I was always pretty bad at being a girl. Sorry, Mom,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t,¡± Ling Qingge disagreed. ¡°You were no more rambunctious and restless than any other child.¡±


    ¡°No need to spare my feelings.¡± Ling Qi sighed. ¡°I understand¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ling Qi, I was never prepared to be a mother at an age barely older than you are now. My conditions may have left me in a poor state, but that only explains my mistakes. It does not excuse them,¡± Ling Qingge interrupted sharply. ¡°So do not spare my feelings.¡±


    Ling Qi was silent, and so was her mother. Finally, Ling Qi blew out a breath, sending eddies through the mist. ¡°I guess neither of us know much about what we¡¯re doing, huh?¡±


    ¡°It seems so,¡± her mother replied. ¡°Ling Qi, I cannot pretend to understand matters of cultivation beyond the most basic. Answer me this. Were you certain that you would survive that knife?¡±


    She had not expected the potency of the poison, but looking back at the moment of decision¡­


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ling Qi said with conviction.


    ¡°Then I must trust your judgement,¡± her mother said wearily. Ling Qingge was not happy, but she had accepted it. There was nothing else to say.


    ¡°How is the household handling the new security?¡± Ling Qi asked, turning her eyes to the garden.


    ¡°As well as can be expected. I have not explained to them the precise nature of the guardians in the basement,¡± Ling Qingge replied. Probably for the best. ¡°Miss Li explained the upkeep necessary very well.¡±


    ¡°Will you be alright taking care of it?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    Mother looked down at her hands, flexing her fingers thoughtfully. A single pale and guttering spark of qi leaked from her fingertips. ¡°Yes. It is simple enough, if tiring.¡±


    Ling Qi could manage it with no more effort than the time taken to come to the house, but she wasn¡¯t going to take that away from her mother. ¡°Good. Has everyone in the house been acclimating well?¡±


    Her mother gave a surprised look. ¡°Yes. Despite the disturbance, the town¡¯s laws are well enforced and the sect guards are disciplined and do not bother the girls.¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t be afraid to come to me if there¡¯s trouble. I can spare the attention,¡± she said. ¡°Think you can get me a list of names? That¡¯s something else I should be better with.¡±


    ¡°I suppose.¡± Mother sounded so dubious. She really was that bad, wasn¡¯t she?


    Sixiang agreed.


    ¡°Well, enough chit-chat,¡± Ling Qi said with false cheer. ¡°I don¡¯t want to take away from your cultivation, Mother. Why don¡¯t I help you out with your exercises?¡±


    It was well beyond time that she stepped up her aid. She had said that she wanted to help Zhengui and Hanyi keep up, and although her mother would never see violence again if she had her way, there was no reason to slack off. Everyone was better off with more cultivation.

 Threads 86-Household 2

    It was not a matter of figuring out what exercises her mother could physically handle, Ling Qi thought, but in figuring out what they could do that mother could repeat on her own and not end up getting discouraged.


    It made her look back on her time training under Elder Zhou with new eyes. How much thought had he given to their lessons? Although some had dropped out, quite a few even, she didn¡¯t think he was quite as callous toward that result as he had appeared. His lessons seemed to have been carefully calibrated from the beginning to instill good habits in both health and cultivation. Elder Zhou¡¯s lessons were still the bedrock of her physical regime, even now.


    Unfortunately, she was not nearly as good a teacher as the late elder.


    Sixiang whispered.


    Ling Qi looked over at her mother out of the corner of her eye and held back a grimace. Mother was red-faced, her breath coming hard as she recovered from the exertion of the last hour. Sixiang was right though. Ling Qi had found a lot of inefficiencies in her mother¡¯s breathing and qi condensation routines. Ling Qingge was still losing a great deal of the qi she attempted to cultivate, but Ling Qi had a feeling that this was unavoidable given the state of her mother¡¯s dantian.


    ¡°It gets easier as you go on,¡± Ling Qi said encouragingly, reaching over to pat her mother on the back. It was only a little awkward. ¡°You did well.¡±


    ¡°Did I?¡± Ling Qingge asked, her usual composure lost. Her mother¡¯s hair was in disarray, and her forehead was marked by sweat. ¡°I cannot see it.¡±


    ¡°The exercises will strengthen your limbs and more importantly, your heart and lungs. Even if you never awaken to gold physique, these exercises will leave you in better health,¡± Ling Qi parroted from a lesson long past. ¡°With cultivation, it will do much more.¡±


    Sixiang muttered.


    Ling Qi sighed, thinking back to the misery that had followed her lessons the first week she was here. Would she really have been able to push through that without the desperation driving her?


    ¡°I know it doesn¡¯t feel like it now, but I promise, you¡¯ll feel better if you keep at it. You¡¯ve already made some progress. If you just do a little more each day, I think you¡¯ll break through by the end of the year.¡± Having observed her mother¡¯s rate of progress and the improvements she had made through some better practices, she was sure Ling Qingge could do it. So Ling Qi spoke with confidence, willing her mother to take belief from her.


    Ling Qingge¡¯s breathing was easing up, and the older woman soon straightened her shoulders. ¡°I suppose I should work to be a good example,¡± she said.


    ¡°Do it for yourself, too,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Mother, I really can¡¯t put into words how even the most meagre cultivation improves your life.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± her mother said with a huff of quiet laughter. ¡°I will see how my schedule might be rearranged. But first, a bath, I think.¡±


    Ling Qi wrinkled her nose and glanced at the patches of sweat on her mother¡¯s exercising gown. That was another problem cultivation would take care of. ¡°Fair enough. Why don¡¯t I go see Biyu while you do that?¡±


    ¡°Please do,¡± her mother said, standing and grimacing. ¡°She behaves much better at meals with family about.¡±


    Ling Qi laughed, resting a steadying hand on her mother¡¯s shoulder. She could do that much.


    ***


    To their credit, their household did their best, but Biyu was a very restless young girl. It was also probably at least a little bit Ling Qi¡¯s fault, she admitted to herself. Her domain, even in its dormant state, spread all around. It had been helpful for getting Mother through her exercises, but it was also contributing to Biyu¡¯s energy.


    ¡°Listen to the nanny, and eat your breakfast. Then you can go play,¡± Ling Qi explained, calmly crouching in the doorway Biyu had been making an escape for when she had entered.


    ¡°Already did,¡± Biyu huffed unhappily, scuffing her foot against the floor. ¡°Not hungry.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced up at the frustrated older woman standing by the table and the bowl of rice porridge still sitting mostly untouched on the table. ¡°You didn¡¯t eat it all. You¡¯ll just complain about being hungry later if you don¡¯t finish now.¡± Biyu¡¯s nanny was doing a good job of concealing her frustration and tension, but Ling Qi had a feeling that Biyu had woken up buzzing with energy.


    ¡°Sis-y doesn¡¯t eat,¡± Biyu retorted.


    ¡°That¡¯s because Sis-y is magic,¡± Ling Qi replied, poking her little sister playfully. ¡°Biyu has to eat and grow up before she can be magic too.¡±


    The little girl giggled and swatted her hand away. However, there was still a mutinous gleam in her eyes. So Ling Qi played her trump card.


    ¡°If you go back and eat, I¡¯ll stay and eat too.¡± She was going to do the first part anyway, but she didn¡¯t need to say that.


    Biyu¡¯s resistance crumbled. ¡°Kay!¡± she said brightly, toddling back to the table.


    She stood up, and Biyu¡¯s nanny bowed her head. ¡°Thank you, Lady Ling. What should I get you from the kitchens?¡±


    ¡°Just some sliced fruit,¡± Ling Qi said. She didn¡¯t actually need it since she had eaten a good meal last week, but it was nice to eat just for the flavor. ¡°And thank you for your work. I know Biyu can be a handful.¡±


    The older woman bowed even lower. ¡°Lady Ling¡¯s praise is unnecessary, but I am honored all the same.¡± She was better at hiding her nerves than the younger girls. She seemed a little more trained in etiquette than they did, too. Briefly, Ling Qi wondered what her story was, but she could ask Mother later when she got the names.


    Gliding over to the table, she took a seat beside Biyu with a smile and listened to the young girl babble happily about what she had been up to for the past few days. It was a little melancholic, she had to admit. Biyu was three years old and would be four this winter, and she was just¡­ carefree and happy. Perhaps even more than Mother¡¯s recovering health, it reminded Ling Qi that she had accomplished something beside her own empowerment.


    As Biyu described to her with childish awe a big fuzzy dog she had seen at the market the other day, Ling Qi let her senses expand a little. She sensed Biyu¡¯s nanny emerging from the kitchen with a plate of freshly cut apple slices and the girl in the kitchen doing the dishes. She sensed her mother upstairs in the bath, letting the hot water soak away the pain of sore muscles. She sensed the girl sweeping the front path and the girls now filtering out to care for the garden, and the ones upstairs, seeing to the cleaning.


    Some were stressed or tired. Some were bored and lost in thought. None of them were starving though, and none of them were miserable or afraid. She couldn¡¯t take all the credit of course, but this was something that was only possible because of her growth and cultivation. It was only possible thanks to the path she had chosen to walk.


    ¡°Sis-y?¡± her attention snapped back fully to Biyu, and she reviewed the last thing her little sister had said.


    ¡°Some of the disciples do have dogs. I¡¯ve even seen one big enough for a grown-up to ride. He was really fluffy too,¡± Ling Qi explained with a smile. While Zhengui was infinitely better, she could understand the appeal.


    Biyu¡¯s eyes were wide, and she didn¡¯t seem to notice the smear of rice porridge on cheek where the spoon had missed. ¡°I wanna see!¡±


    ¡°Maybe someday,¡± Ling Qi hedged. She wasn¡¯t intending to bring her sister to a Luo gathering anytime soon. ¡°Do you really like dogs, Biyu?¡±


    ¡°Mmhmm,¡± her little sister confirmed through a mouthful of porridge. ¡°Puppies are nice!¡±


    That wasn¡¯t exactly Ling Qi¡¯s experience with dogs considering their prevalence as house guards, but Biyu obviously had a different experience. There was the seed of an idea there. The Luo bred dogs aside from their family line. Perhaps a puppy would make a nice present for a future birthday. She¡¯d have to run it by her mother first.


    Absently, she accepted the plate of fruit slices from Biyu¡¯s nanny and took a bite, enjoying the crisp flavor. She nodded a thanks to the woman, who returned it with a bow and retreated to the wall of the room, leaving Biyu to her.


    On the matter of birthdays, Biyu¡¯s was coming up soon. While four wasn¡¯t an important birthday, it still warranted a present. It was too soon for a puppy, but surely, there was something she could give.


    She thought about it.


    She thought about it more.


    It turned out, Ling Qi thought, that she was terrible at thinking of presents.


    Sixiang thought to her.


    So something simple and fit for an energetic young girl then¡­


    Sixiang laughed.


    Dance instruction would probably go a long way toward tiring Biyu out, Ling Qi thought. She had seen dancers performing at the noble parties she had attended last year, so something like that wouldn¡¯t even raise too many eyebrows. Besides, Biyu was a much more normal girl than her, and little girls appreciated pretty things, right? A pair of dance shoes would make a nice present. She could even invest a stone or two to make them adjustable, so Biyu wouldn¡¯t outgrow them right away.


    Biyu had continued chattering away while she had been thinking, not noticing her distraction. Not that Ling Qi had shown it. It was surprisingly easy to split her attention and answer her little sister¡¯s endless stream of questions about birds and flowers and garden fish while simultaneously debating with Sixiang on the pros and cons of gifts.


    It was even possible to do both and still keep track of everyone in the house. So, Ling Qi was not surprised when Ling Qingge entered the dining room, her hair still faintly damp from the bath.


    ¡°Momma! Morning! Sis-y is here!¡± Biyu announced happily, seeing their mother.


    ¡°She is,¡± Ling Qingge agreed, taking in Biyu¡¯s empty bowl, the nanny standing quietly by the wall, and Ling Qi¡¯s own plate with one slice of apple left at a glance. ¡°Good morning, Biyu.¡±


    Ling Qi dipped her head toward her mother, savoring the crisp flavor of the last slice of fruit. ¡°Feeling better, Mother?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± Ling Qingge agreed, taking a seat at the table. She gave Biyu¡¯s nanny a thankful nod, and the other woman offered a bow and quietly sidled out of the room. ¡°My recovery was surprisingly quick.¡±


    ¡°And just think, you¡¯re only getting started,¡± Ling Qi said with a smile. ¡°Ah, what are your plans for today? I have some extra time, but I also don¡¯t want to be a bother.¡±


    Her mother gave her a curious look as she reached out to begin carefully cleaning Biyu up. The little girl squirmed under her attention but didn¡¯t complain aloud. ¡°It is a market day. I had intended to show my face there, along with Biyu.¡±


    ¡°Candy!¡± Biyu agreed.


    ¡°If you behave yourself,¡± Ling Qingge chided.


    Ling Qi nodded in understanding. Becoming a part of the community was important for her mother, who obviously didn¡¯t want to isolate herself in the house. ¡°Why don¡¯t I go along today then?¡±


    Ling Qingge gave her a surprised look. She seemed hesitant but didn¡¯t look like she wanted to voice her concerns. For a moment, Ling Qi didn¡¯t understand.


    Sixiang chuckled.


    Ling Qi winced. She really did¡­ stand out. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mother. I like to relax at home, but I can restrain myself.¡±


    ¡°No, I did not mean to imply¡ª¡± her mother began, but Ling Qi waved her off.


    Ling Qi took a single deep breath and took hold of herself, dispersing the thick, invisible manifestation of her aura. The room immediately grew a touch brighter and a touch warmer. The faint twinkling light in her hair went out, and the music that followed her at the edge of hearing went silent.


    Biyu was the first to respond, staring at Ling Qi with wide eyes. ¡°Sis-y is different. Why?¡±


    Ling Qingge merely looked at her in surprise. ¡°Well, if it doesn¡¯t trouble you, that is fine. Just allow me to get a bite to eat before we set out.¡±


    It was uncomfortable, but she could manage. Honestly, having thought about it, she was curious to see her mother interact with the other people of the town.

 Threads 87 Household 3

    The Sect¡¯s war footing was not immediately obvious here at the foot of White Cloud Mountain, at least, not if she wasn¡¯t looking for it. The town guards had been supplemented by soldiers, and their equipment had seen recent upgrades and refitting. Beneath the paved streets of the inner district of the sect town, dormant formation work hummed with new life, and on the walls, the squads on duty had been subtly reinforced.


    As for the people themselves, they seemed remarkably unworried. The general atmosphere was one of wary cheer. It made Ling Qi wonder how much information the mortals in town really got from the Sect. Ling Qi didn¡¯t say anything about it to her mother; Ling Qi suspected that she already knew more than most.


    The market itself was a familiar sight, a square of beaten dirt ringed by stalls and street hawkers and crowded with people. It had its differences though, and she did not think them merely one of perspective. Whatever the reason, the Argent Peak Sect¡¯s town was a happier place than the outer ring of Tonghou.


    It certainly seemed to have done her mother good. She watched her mother engage with people, both customers and vendors, and what she saw was encouraging. Ling Qingge seemed more confident in her dealings, less withdrawn and bowed than she had been when she had first arrived from Tonghou. It felt good to see.


    For her part, Ling Qi kept her own peace, using subtle flows of qi to downplay her presence and appearance so that she didn¡¯t cause too much of a stir as she followed her mother, holding Biyu¡¯s hand. She was content with that until she spotted a familiar head of shaggy dark hair through the crowd.


    ¡°Su Ling!¡± she called, and her friend¡¯s furred ears twitched. She wasn¡¯t the only one surprised. Ling Qi noted sheepishly that several people near her had startled, her greeting having overridden her effort to remain inconspicuous.


    Sixiang teased.


    Su Ling looked Ling Qi¡¯s way, her gaze flicking from Ling Qi to Biyu to her mother. Only then did she raise her hand in greeting and make her way over. ¡°Ling Qi. Didn¡¯t expect to see you here of all places.¡±


    ¡°I had some extra time,¡± Ling Qi said. She glanced down at her little sister, whose wide eyes were following the irritable twitching of Su Ling¡¯s tails. ¡°Say hello, Biyu.¡±


    ¡°Hi,¡± her little sister said shyly.


    ¡°Hi,¡± Su Ling replied, visibly unsure of how to deal with the little girl¡¯s attention. Around them, traffic was resuming. Surprisingly, it seemed that Su Ling¡¯s friendly greeting had caused the townspeople to relax. ¡°Still, never knew you to spend spare time not cultivating.¡±


    Sixiang whispered.


    Ling Qi took a mental swat at the muse. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten better at time management,¡± she said aloud. ¡°What about you? You¡¯re not much for spending time in town, last I heard.¡±


    Su Ling scuffed her foot against the ground. ¡°Helping keeps the people relaxed. Couple a busybodies pestered me into doing it. S¡¯pose just walking around town for a couple hours a day isn¡¯t so bad.¡±


    ¡°Your efforts are appreciated, Miss Su,¡± Ling Qingge said, returning from the stall she had been at. ¡°Many people are thankful for your efforts during the troubles.¡±


    ¡°... Yeah,¡± Su Ling said. She hid it well enough from mortal eyes, but Ling Qi was increasingly certain that Su Ling was very uncomfortable with Ling Qi¡¯s mother. She wouldn¡¯t speculate as to why.


    ¡°Well, since we¡¯re both out, why not walk together? You can help reassure everyone that I¡¯m not too scary,¡± she said self-deprecatingly. While she was keeping her qi suppressed, she knew the richness of her garb was still alarming.


    Ling Qingge shot Ling a curious look but didn¡¯t object, dipping her head slightly. ¡°It would be our honor, Miss Su.¡±


    ¡°No need to call me that,¡± Su Ling grumbled half-heartedly. She hesitated then shrugged. ¡°Fine. Guess I can¡¯t let you go ¡®round jump-scaring people.¡±


    There were a few more pleasantries to exchange, but soon, they were following Ling Qingge on the woman¡¯s rounds again. Su Ling wasn¡¯t much for small talk so it fell to Ling Qi to resume conversation.


    ¡°Any more news you can share on that expedition?¡± Ling Qi asked casually.


    Su Ling grunted. ¡°It¡¯s happening before the month is out. I¡¯ll be going. Suyin won¡¯t be.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°That¡¯s surprising. I would have thought she would be an obvious choice.¡±


    ¡°She is. That¡¯s why they don¡¯t want to risk her, third realm or no,¡± Su Ling snorted. ¡°I don¡¯t know the details, but they want to send us deep.¡±


    Sixiang mused.


    Ling Qi mulled that over as they moved through the crowd and stopped, letting her mother speak to someone else. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind being able to watch your back on the trip, assuming you¡¯re willing to put my name forward.¡±


    Su Ling cocked her head to the side. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Gotta keep climbing,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°And I thought you could use a familiar face.¡±


    ¡°Sis-y going on a trip?¡± Biyu piped up, pulling her eyes away from Su Ling¡¯s tails.


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Ling Qi tussled her hair.


    ¡°I hope it is one you are well prepared for,¡± her mother said warily, returning.


    ¡°I think I am.¡± Ling Qi met her mother¡¯s eyes confidently.


    ¡°And you, Miss Su?¡± Ling Qingge asked, breaking eye contact after a tense second.


    ¡°Ling Qi¡¯s more capable than I am,¡± Su Ling grunted, looking unhappy at the question. ¡°S¡¯pose I¡¯d be glad to have her along.¡±


    Ling Qingge frowned. ¡°I cannot object then, although I hope my daughter remembers her words.¡±


    Ling Qi sighed. She was never going to live down stopping a knife with her collarbone, was she? The maneuver had even been successful! ¡°I¡¯m not quite that flighty, Mother. I won¡¯t be gone long.¡±


    What was with Ling Qingge looking to Su Ling for confirmation!


    ¡°Probably not more than a week,¡± the other girl grudgingly confirmed.


    ¡°Sis-y be good,¡± Biyu added gravely.


    Ling Qi huffed. ¡°Should we really be loitering like this?¡± she asked with great dignity, gesturing to the man whose stall they stood in front of. He was looking nervous.


    ¡°The hell kinda word is ¡®loitering¡¯?¡± Su Ling snorted. ¡°But yeah, c¡¯mon, let¡¯s not give this guy any trouble.¡±


    ¡°Of course. My apologies, sir,¡± Ling Qingge added, bowing her head


    Ling Qi still didn¡¯t much like getting ganged up on, even if it did feel nostalgic. She stole a glance at the back of Su Ling¡¯s head. Xiulan might have left, but that had just shown her that she needed to keep her friends close while she could.


    Like hells she was going to let Su Ling go diving into that pit without her.

 Threads 88-Deals 1

    Ling Qi skipped across the roiling ground, trailing a train of flickering images, ephemeral and dreamlike, in her wake. All around her, phantoms in dark and refined garb circled and danced in the mist to an eerie melody. Beneath her feet, the dirt writhed and spearing roots, smoking with superheated sap, erupted from it, grasping and reaching only to catch the trailing hems of phantom gowns.


    A great bulk stomped through the mist, scattering phantom revelers around his trunk-like legs. His shell glowed with a dull volcanic heat, leaving a wake of hissing steam in the mist, and a serpentine head wove above, molten eyes tracking her movement through the crowd. A boiling jet of liquid flame jetted from the serpent¡¯s open maw and splattered across the earth, melting dirt into glass.


    A voice rose in the mist, a young girl¡¯s voice raised sweetly in song, and in unison, two reptilian heads flinched and turned to the new threat.


    the muse whispered.


    Around a slim young girl whose eyes glittered like chips of ice, the mist boiled with potential, dream images emerging, trailing the girl¡¯s limbs, and echoing her motions just a few moments out of step. A root grabbed for the girl¡¯s bare foot and caught only mist and laughing air. The girl¡¯s voice rose, and frozen wind lashed the great beast, cooling and darkening his volcanic shell before a renewed burst of heat returned its glow.


    As they clashed, Ling Qi circled and continued her dance, leaping from one grasping rootlet to the next on light feet with only half of her attention. Between her revel and the muse¡¯s illusions, she could feel the thinning in the air, the flows where dream was near the surface, touching on the waking world. It was still difficult. Dream qi was slippery and ephemeral, and its flows resisted her manipulation more than any other qi she had tried, and even now, despite Sixiang¡¯s instruction, she couldn¡¯t quite grasp it.


    The earth shook as her toes briefly touched down on a patch of undisturbed dirt. They had been at this all morning now, and she was beginning to wonder if they should be ending the exercise. While Gui was taking the spar in good humor, she could feel Zhen¡¯s frustration, rising and boiling like the venom that dripped from his fangs.


    The task she had set for Zhen wasn¡¯t easy. While she was handicapping herself by only using techniques from the Phantasmagoria of Lunar Revelry art, she knew that she was very hard to hit. Since she had renewed her devotion toward helping her spirits improve, Zhen¡¯s accuracy had grown so much better, but it seemed that wasn¡¯t enough to tag her.


    As she mulled over calling an early halt to the exercise, her eyes widened. Something had changed. The flow of Zhengui¡¯s qi had shifted, and the heat of his body was growing. It shrank and condensed in a way that she had only felt during his practice of the Rebirth Inferno. She needed to stop him now. That was going way too¡­!


    Sixiang cut her off.


    She shut her mouth with a click. She had promised to help Zhengui. Stopping him from developing a new technique would hardly help that. She felt the heat condense again. It felt like a white hot sphere, a miniature sun churning with impossible heat. Then, as Zhen glared with affronted dignity at Hanyi past the frost crawling across his scales, the sphere of heat dropped, passing seamlessly into the earth.


    Beneath her feet, Ling Qi felt the stone boil. Instantly, shimmering green qi shrouded her and Hanyi both, just before the earth exploded. All around Zhengui, plumes of molten rock erupted in an expanding ring, pockets of boiling stone shooting upward under sudden and intense pressure. A wave of molten stone washed over Hanyi, and she yelped as her dream images shattered, but molten rock slid off of the verdant light that armored her.


    The hill rocked with explosions and noise, but Ling Qi¡¯s voice cut through the sound like the howl of a blizzard. ¡°Zhen, stop.¡±


    The young serpent startled as she materialized atop his other half¡¯s shell. Where her hand met his burning scales, the air hissed and steamed, adding to the mist. ¡°Big Sister, why¡­?¡±


    ¡°Look around you,¡± she said, and he did. The hill was ruined. For nearly two hundred meters all around, cooling magma lay burning on the ground. It had escaped beyond the protections the Sect had laid down, and even now, she saw several fires smoldering in the underbrush. ¡°Best not to set the forest on fire.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, reckless Zhen should warn Gui,¡± his other half complained. ¡°Don¡¯t do weird things by yourself!¡±


    Below, Hanyi vanished in a flurry of snowflakes, reappearing on one of the remaining islands of intact soil. ¡°Be more careful,¡± the snow maiden grumbled, eyeing the cooling droplets of molten stone still clinging to the hems of her gown.


    Zhen lowered his head, looking a little shamed. ¡°Zhen apologizes to Big Sister. I just wanted to win.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. You just need to keep the surroundings in mind,¡± Ling Qi encouraged. ¡°Congratulations on figuring out a new technique!¡±


    ¡°It was pretty cool,¡± Hanyi huffed. ¡°Dummy.¡±


    ¡°Still, why don¡¯t we take a break and cool our heads?¡± Ling Qi cut in. ¡°Hanyi, go put out the fires. Zhengui, can you start reseeding the hill?¡±


    Her spirits answered with a chorus of ¡°Yes, Big Sister,¡± and got to work. Really, they were good kids when it got down to it.


    ***


    ¡°Sis, when are we gonna do some exercises where I can show off?¡± Hanyi complained as they sat down for a rest in the aftermath of the cleanup. Zhengui took up much of the hilltop so Ling Qi and Hanyi sat on either side of him on flattened stones.


    ¡°Sorry, Hanyi. It¡¯s difficult to think of a group exercise for your techniques. I promise we¡¯ll go out together later,¡± Ling Qi replied.


    She had elected to work with Hanyi on something they had neglected. The effects they were working on, her ability to draw on others with a siren song and drain the life and energy from them, were fundamental to Hanyi¡¯s nature, but Ling Qi had trouble helping her with them. Ling Qi had never learned the Lonely Winter Maiden art from Zeqing.


    She had been taking Hanyi on trips up to the mountain peaks to practice though, and it was paying off. Hanyi¡¯s voice and song were more confident and potent, able to ensnare more enemies and more efficiently, and her lethality had risen in accordance. That was what made it hard to train in a group. Like Zhen¡¯s new technique, Hanyi¡¯s techniques were lethal to their targets.


    ¡°Mm, actually, you want to come to our dance lessons, snowflake? You might not be able to step into Dream like your Sis and I, but I think you¡¯d benefit from some more grace,¡± Sixiang said on the wind.


    Ling Qi thought.


    Sixiang replied with a mental shrug.


    ¡°I¡¯m not clumsy,¡± Hanyi snapped, unaware of the exchange. ¡°I can move around just fine!¡±


    ¡°Ah, well, if you think you can¡¯t handle it...¡± Sixiang trailed off, their voice echoing from the empty air.


    Ling Qi sighed as Hanyi immediately snapped back and agreed to attend. She really was going to have to work with Hanyi on that; she was way too easy to manipulate. She left her spirits to talk and bicker for a time, letting herself focus on cultivating the little scraps of insight she had accumulated during the spar into dream qi. She was making progress, but it was slow. However, that couldn¡¯t last forever. There was still business to see to today.


    ¡°Zhengui, Hanyi, we¡¯re going to have a visitor today,¡± Ling Qi said, having let them get the bickering out of their systems. ¡°Obviously, I¡¯m going to need you both to behave.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Who did Big Sis invite? Is the bright lady coming again?¡± Gui asked curiously.


    ¡°Not this time,¡± Ling Qi denied. Cai Renxiang had been sparring with her more often, which included her spirits at times. She was able to press the heiress a lot more with the extra combatants. ¡°I¡¯ve invited Bao Qian. Do you remember him?¡±


    ¡°I, Zhen, recall the shiny man,¡± Zhen said proudly. ¡°He wanted to buy Zhen¡¯s ash, so that Big Sister could get more cultivation stones.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the one,¡± Ling Qi replied, smiling. ¡°We¡¯re going to be talking about some business like that today.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Gui will be good then, so that Big Sister can have more stones!¡± Gui agreed cheerfully.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this, Zhengui. I am getting by fine regardless,¡± Ling Qi said. Her stock of green stones was steadily dwindling, but she didn¡¯t want Zhengui to feel forced into it.


    ¡°No, Big Sis will let Zhengui help,¡± they both said stubbornly, their voices emerging as one.


    Sixiang chided.


    Ling Qi sighed and nodded her assent before glancing at Hanyi, who had been oddly silent. ¡°Hanyi, something on your mind?¡±


    ¡°Sis, that guy, he said he could sell your songs too, right?¡± Hanyi asked. ¡°I saw you using that stone thing to record.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ling Qi said slowly. ¡°I wasn¡¯t selling that though.¡±


    ¡°Well, I wanna sell some songs! That way I can have stones myself and buy pretty dresses and jewelry without having to get them from Big Sis,¡± Hanyi said in a rush, leaning forward.


    Ling Qi blinked and immediately felt a pang of guilt. ¡°Hanyi, we can go shopping sometime if you like. It¡¯s just been very busy lately.¡±


    ¡°But I wanna get my own stuff! You worry about enough things,¡± Hanyi said. ¡°C¡¯mon, will you please talk to the guy?¡±


    Ling Qi hesitated, then said, ¡°I¡¯ll speak to him.¡± Making a request would cost her some in the negotiations, but she doubted it would be too bad. Although she could not say she knew Bao Qian well, taking advantage too much would run counter to his goals. Self-interest was at least something she could trust in.


    Hanyi grinned, hopping to her feet to wrap her arms around Ling Qi. ¡°Yeah! Thanks so much, Big Sis.¡±


    Ling Qi patted her awkwardly on the back. She really didn¡¯t know how to handle physical affection.


    Sixiang commisserated.


    Ling Qi wondered if she should be insulted for the sake of her species. Probably not. It wasn¡¯t like Sixiang was wrong. ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Hanyi. Now, let up. We need to get ourselves cleaned up before we go to meet him.¡± While her gown was fine, her hands and face had gotten smudged with ash and dirt, and her hair could probably use a little touch up. Crinkly strands were starting to escape. Hanyi wasn¡¯t better.


    ¡°What should Gui do then, Big Sister?¡± Gui asked curiously.


    Hanyi sprang from her lap as she stood up and glanced over at Zhengui. ¡°A little clean up might not go amiss for you either,¡± she said. He was covered in dirt, ash, and dried glass.


    ¡°Hmph, leave it to slovenly Gui to forget that,¡± Zhen harrumphed. ¡°We must make our scales shine!¡±


    ¡°But Gui doesn¡¯t like the water,¡± his other half complained, a childish whine touching his deep, rumbling voice.


    Ling Qi chuckled to herself. It was as she had thought. No matter how it seemed, they were still children at heart.

 Threads 89-Deals 2

    The meeting place they had decided on was out near the quarry site that they had investigated together shortly after Bao Qian¡¯s arrival. When Ling Qi arrived, she found Bao Qian and his wagon parked about half a kilometer from the work site. As she descended from the sky, he was standing before a collection of stone blocks, half a dozen in various shades and textures. As she alighted on the ground, Bao Qian looked up and grinned, abandoning his geological contemplations.


    ¡°Miss Ling, you¡¯re early, I see. Eager to conduct our business then?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s better to be early than late,¡± Ling Qi replied politely. If only to get a better chance to scope out the venue, she thought. ¡°I hope you do not mind if I let my spirits out. They will be part of the negotiation as well.¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course, ¡°Bao Qian said, gesturing for her to follow him to the other side of the wagon. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll excuse me if Yinshi isn¡¯t about. She¡¯s taking care of some, ah, blunt discussions with the local spirits of earth and stone regarding her diet and the quarry here.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t take offense,¡± Ling Qi said. A silent thought went out, and behind her, two shapes, one large and one small, began to materialize as she followed Bao Qian to where a polished wooden table and a pair of field chairs had been set up. A tea pot was steaming merrily. ¡°How have things been going out here?¡±


    ¡°Well enough, well enough,¡± Bao Qian said agreeably. ¡°It seems that the, hah, seams of valuable material are ready for a bit of careful harvesting.¡± Arriving at the table, he turned back to face Ling Qi and her spirits. ¡°In any case, welcome, guests! I hope you will forgive the humble accomodations and lack of refreshment.¡±


    ¡°That is also fine,¡± Ling Qi said dryly. ¡°Thank you for not trying to overwhelm me with wealth and finery.¡±


    ¡°Tch, Big Sister is way too humble,¡± Hanyi grumbled, eyeing their surroundings and Bao Qian with a devious gleam.


    ¡°Hanyi is just greedy,¡± Zhen said with a haughty flick of his tongue. ¡°Big Sister knows that she does not need to show off.¡±


    Bao Qian just chuckled at the interplay and gestured for her to take a seat as he did so himself.


    Ling Qi eyed the table where there were only two seats. That was well enough for Zhengui, but it left Hanyi out. Was it an oversight or an expectation? She supposed it didn¡¯t matter. He had asked that she be blunt and open, so that was what he would get. Pulling out her seat, she gestured for Hanyi, and the young spirit grinned brightly, jumping up into her lap. For once, her height did her some good in allowing it despite Hanyi¡¯s growth.


    She met Bao Qian¡¯s eyes as Zhengui settled down beside the table, his head still level with theirs despite lying down on his belly. He chuckled and offered a brief bow of apology.


    ¡°Since we are all here, why not begin by laying out our starting positions?¡± Bao Qian continued smoothly, moving to pour himself a cup of tea. It was a very dark blend, nearly black and had a rich fragrance.


    Ling Qi eyed him curiously. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°This is a friendly negotiation, so it would be better if we both stated our goals for negotiation, would it not?¡± he asked. ¡°I can go first if you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Gui wants to contribute to his sister so that she can have as many shiny stones as she likes,¡± Gui announced bluntly, looming over the table.


    ¡°I, Zhen, concur,¡± his other half announced proudly. ¡°But Zhen will not allow the Sparkly Man to tread on either my or Big Sister¡¯s pride either.¡±


    There was a moment of awkward silence, Ling Qi coughed into her hand to hide the slight darkening of her cheeks. ¡°Thank you very much, Zhengui.¡± Maybe they should have rehearsed this before arriving.


    Sixiang whispered.


    ¡°That is certainly a clear declaration of intent!¡± Bao Qian laughed. ¡°Very well then. I wish to make a profit as the go-between for a unique spirit and his lovely sister to fund my other business in the region.¡±


    ¡°Other business?¡± Ling Qi queried.


    ¡°Prospecting, and the business with the recordings,¡± he answered. ¡°Recent developments have significantly reduced the cost of high fidelity spiritual recordings. I was not just flattering you, Miss Ling. I smell a genuine opportunity for a new market.¡±


    Ling Qi kept her expression blank. She had paid him a green stone for a single recording device. That was reduced? ¡°I see. Well, I wish to ensure that my cultivation funds remain steady and that I have savings remaining after I take leave of the Sect. I also wish to have a friendly relation to the Bao family.¡± She paused, and she could feel Hanyi vibrating in her lap, clearly eager to break in. ¡°And I would also like to arrange matters so that Hanyi can begin to make use of your services to distribute her songs.¡±


    Bao Qian¡¯s eyebrows had begun to rise as she made her additional request and had climbed to his hairline by the time she had finished. ¡°That is an unexpected request,¡± Bao Qian said with a hint of doubt. ¡°Is she¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not as good as Big Sis, but I am a really good singer!¡± Hanyi boasted.


    ¡°Her mother was a mentor of mine,¡± Ling Qi explained. ¡°She has a lot to learn, but I can vouch for her talents.¡±


    Bao Qian considered this. ¡°Mm, there will be a stigma to deal with in the northern markets. Not what I would have wanted for my launch piece,¡± he thought aloud. He fell silent, studying Ling Qi. She could not easily read his face or thoughts on the matter.


    ¡°I would consider it a personal favor,¡± Ling Qi said bluntly.


    Bao Qian let loose a sharp bark of laughter at that. ¡°How can I refuse then?¡± He scrubbed a hand through his short hair in consternation. ¡°I suppose I can attempt to spin it as promoting a local fashion to the regional level and go from there. Yes, that might work¡­¡± He shook his head. ¡°In any case, let us discuss our main business, and then, we can discuss the logistics of Miss Hanyi¡¯s performances. How much ash can Sir Zhengui produce in a week?¡±


    ¡°Many, many wheelbarrows when the food is good,¡± Gui announced proudly. Ling Qi wondered how he knew that.


    Bao Qian grinned wolfishly. ¡°Tell me more.¡±


    ***


    They continued to speak for several hours as the sun crawled toward the horizon, hashing out the many, many details of delivery, sales percentages, and other things that left Ling Qi feeling tired out. Even then, the negotiations paled in comparison to the needs of setting things up for Hanyi, such as how many songs she would compose for the initial run, by what deadline, the subject matter of the melodies, and on and on.


    In the end, they worked out what Ling Qi thought was a fairly good deal. Bao Qian would pay her five green stones for one month¡¯s worth of Zhengui¡¯s ash, to be collected at her expense. Bao Qian would keep the profits from the first month¡¯s sale. For each month following, he would provide one green stone for the ash, but he would also split the profits of the sale with her, fifty five parts to forty five in her favor.


    Hanyi¡¯s situation was less clear cut. It would take some time for him to ¡°promote¡± her and receive significant sales. Ling Qi would pay two green stones, taken from Zhengui¡¯s end of the deal, to help cover the material costs of the first run, and they would split the initial sales, sixty parts to forty in Hanyi¡¯s favor. They would renegotiate at the end of the year when the situation became more clear.


    Ling Qi could end either contract without penalty, but there would be a three months grace period from the date of cancelation.


    Ling Qi leaned back in her seat with a sigh as they finally hashed out the last of the contract language. It all looked fair to Ling Qi, but all the same, she was going to ask Cai Renxiang to review it before she signed. Bao Qian might have an advantage in cultivation, but she trusted her liege to cut through any legal deception like a sword through paper.


    Hanyi and Zhengui had made a valiant effort to stay interested and engaged, but after the second hour, she had excused them to go ramble through the local woods.


    ¡°Best get used to this sort of thing,¡± Bao Qian said, carefully folding his copy of the contract before vanishing it into storage with a flick of his wrist. ¡°Such is life for those of us who choose to remain engaged with the world.¡±


    ¡°Never before have I heard such a strong argument for going hermit.¡± Ling Qi eyed the darkening sky. ¡°We¡¯ll reconvene in two days to sign the contracts then?¡±


    ¡°As the lady wishes.¡± Bao Qian stood up and bent backwards, eliciting a sharp crack from his spine as he stretched. Ling Qi kept her eyes fixed upward. ¡°There was another, more personal matter I wanted to question you about.¡±


    Ling Qi tilted her head back down slightly. ¡°And what might that be?¡±


    ¡°It is my cousin,¡± Bao Qian said. ¡°She approached me the other day to acquire some seafoam jade, but she wouldn''t tell me what sort of project she was working on.¡±


    ¡°Is that strange?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°Your cousin is very private.¡± An idea germinated in her mind.


    Sixiang giggled. Ling Qi kept her expression straight.


    ¡°No, it is not. Usually, she is proud enough of her projects to brag with a bit of prodding though,¡± Bao Qian mused. ¡°Her demeanor was just¡­ strange. She seemed very pleased, but not in the usual vindictive or superior way.¡±


    Ling Qi pressed her lips together in a thin line. ¡°I can¡¯t say.¡±


    He eyed her suspiciously, and she looked back blandly. ¡°I suppose I shouldn¡¯t pry,¡± he grumbled. ¡°In any case, could I interest you in accompanying me to dinner tonight, Miss Ling?¡±

 Threads 90-Dinner 1

    Ling Qi almost, almost blurted out a denial and a change of subject. ¡°That sounds fine,¡± she managed instead. ¡°Did you have a place in mind?¡±


    It happened so fast that she could have imagined it, but she thought she saw Bao Qian do a double take. ¡°Nothing ostentatious. Perhaps the Silver Orchid?¡±


    That was a teahouse and eatery in the central part of the village. It mostly served traveling cultivators and sect disciples with loose income. That didn¡¯t sound so bad. It was an open floor place. ¡°Fine,¡± she replied mechanically.


    Sixiang murmured.


    Bao Qian, too, was eyeing her stiff expression with a critical eye. ¡°Miss Ling, if you are busy, just say so. I am not attempting to call in a favor or anything of the sort.¡±


    Ling Qi gritted her teeth. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if it seemed that way,¡± she said. ¡°I really don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°As you say,¡± he said dubiously. ¡°Well, I won¡¯t retract my invitation. I will meet you there in one hour?¡±


    Ling Qi gave a shallow bow. ¡°I will see you there,¡± she said politely before turning away.


    What had she gotten herself into?


    ***


    Sixiang reminded.


    ¡°I know that,¡± Ling Qi hissed as she approached the gate of the town. She had settled Zhengui and Hanyi in for the night, and now, there were no more ready delays.


    She knew she was being irrational. She wasn¡¯t being coerced into going to some seedy bar. They would be sitting in the open at a restaurant run and staffed by retired disciples of the Sect. Given her appearance, Bao Qian could not, despite his ready compliments, be particularly interested in her physically. Even if she somehow was in danger, she was strong. She was a direct retainer to Duchess Cai¡¯s heir. Her best friend was Bai Meizhen. And she had defeated whole bands of bandits and driven off barbarians by the score.


    There was nothing to be scared of. She had power. She had control. She was not selling herself. It was fine.


    Sixiang muttered awkwardly.


    Ling Qi stepped through the village gates. No more dithering. She could do this.


    She found Bao Qian waiting outside the establishment, his arms clasped behind his back. He had changed into a different robe since she had seen him last. It was a thing of dark greens and blacks with an only mildly ostentatious gold sash wrapped around his waist. More casual than his usual wear, it hung partially open at the top displaying a slice of his broad chest. She kept her expression even.


    ¡°Greetings, Miss Ling. I admit I was growing concerned that you had changed your mind,¡± the older boy greeted her as she approached.


    ¡°My apologies. Zhengui was still a little energetic,¡± she replied. It wasn¡¯t really a lie.


    ¡°Partially my fault, I suppose. I know business negotiations can be dull for children. Shall we go in? I sent ahead to reserve us a table.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced inside to the brightly lit interior. Paper lanterns hung from the awning, and inside, faintly glowing lamps hung from the walls, casting the interior in warm colors. ¡°Lead on.¡±


    Bao Qian nodded affably, leading her inside. Thankfully, he made no move to take her hand or arm. The inside of the Silver Orchid was nice. The floor was richly carpeted, the furniture well made, and the scent of the kitchens was enticing enough, too. Ling Qi distracted herself by focusing on these little details as a server led them to their table set against the rear wall of the room.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised that places that only cater to cultivators like this exist,¡± Ling Qi said a touch nervously as she sat down across from Bao Qian. ¡°It¡¯s not like we need to eat often.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but there are many things that we do not fundamentally need that we want. If needs were all that mattered, we would hardly have empires or cities,¡± Bao Qian replied, taking his own seat as the server gave them a quiet bow and stepped away.


    ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right, but it still feels wasteful,¡± Ling Qi said, looking at the ostentatious meals being eaten by people who needed little more than a bit of bread and water every month or so.


    ¡°If it makes you feel better, most ingredients used in cultivator cooking come from spiritually rich material,¡± Bao Qian said. ¡°Hardly palatable for mortal bellies.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Ling Qi asked, perking up. ¡°Are there any cultivation benefits?¡±


    Sixiang sighed.


    Bao Qian chuckled. ¡°Not for the fare in a place like this. Culinary cultivators do exist, but it is considered a branch of pill and elixir craft. My great-aunt Qiao is one such, and I must tell you, her meals are an experience.¡±


    Ling Qi raised her eyebrows at the emphasis he put on the last word. ¡°I think I might like to try that sometime,¡± she said before she could catch herself. Spirits, that was such an obvious opening¡­


    ¡°Not too difficult, I think. While I must be filial, lesser culinary cultivators are not rare. You simply need to go to a proper city.¡±


    ¡°I hope I can find time to travel then,¡± Ling Qi said carefully.


    ¡°Your liege will likely have to tour the province or even the Empire at some point. I am sure you will have the opportunity for sightseeing then.¡±


    Ling Qi hadn¡¯t really considered that.She did have a problem with being so focused on the immediate term that she was forgetting about the more distant future. ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask Lady Cai about that,¡± she demurred.


    ¡°Naturally, naturally,¡± Bao Qian replied, leaning back in his seat.


    A not quite awkward silence fell between them. ¡°So¡­¡± Ling Qi trailed off, toying with the tablecloth. ¡°Why do you seem so interested in this music business? Is it just because your clan sent you to me?¡±


    ¡°It is part of the reason I took the opportunity,¡± Bao Qian explained. ¡°I enjoy music, but I have something of a tin ear, so I never followed that path myself.¡±


    Ling Qi regarded him suspiciously. ¡°I doubt you would have any trouble listening to any musician you wanted to.¡±


    ¡°You would be surprised,¡± he said. ¡°I think the province could use more music. There is something to be gained in an art being shared more widely. Of course, it is also because I think I could grow quite wealthy and famed for proliferating such a movement.¡±


    Was he throwing in that last part as a self-deprecating dig to make him look better or was he just being honest?


    Sixiang analyzed.


    ¡°What about you, Miss Ling? What ambitions do you nurse in your heart?¡± Bao Qian asked.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t answer at first. Because she didn¡¯t have much, did she? She wanted power, of course, and maybe recognition, but there were few ways to word her lofty ambition that didn¡¯t sound¡­ childish. ¡°I suppose I want to establish a strong foundation for my family and support Lady Cai¡¯s efforts.¡±


    Bao Qian frowned. ¡°It is fine if you do not want to reveal anything private, but surely, you must have some ambition more personal than that. Something you want to do?¡±


    Ling Qi huffed irritably. ¡°Fine, I want to achieve the peak of cultivation. I want to rise to the eighth realm on my own strength.¡±


    She expected polite laughter or perhaps a joke to break the awkward atmosphere. Instead, Bao Qian regarded her curiously, as if waiting for her to continue. When she did not, he frowned. ¡°But what do you want to achieve? Is there some matter of the spirits you wish to change? Some goal you wish to achieve that only the peak of temporal power can allow?¡±


    Ling Qi shrugged uncomfortably. ¡°It¡¯s a private matter,¡± she said because she didn¡¯t have an answer.


    Once again, awkward silence descended before Bao Qian coughed into his hand. ¡°Yes, well, let me call the server over so we can make our order.¡±


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s.¡±


    Maybe her worst fears were silly, but she still felt like this was going to be a long evening. She remained silent over the next few minutes, speaking up only to indicate that she would have whatever Bao Qian was having. It wasn¡¯t like she had any preferences for a place like this.


    ¡°I was half inclined to order the mapo tofu when you said that,¡± Bao Qian grumbled good-naturedly, drumming his fingers on the table. He was still studying her, and it made her shift uncomfortably.


    Ling Qi made a vague sound of acknowledgment. That wasn¡¯t a dish she was familiar with. It also surprised her that a place like this would serve such a dish. In Tonghou, tofu was a poorer food for people who could not afford meat. Maybe cultivator tofu was made from thousand year old blood drinking beans or something.


    He shook his head in bemusement. ¡°You had no idea what to order, did you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve researched my history. Why are you surprised?¡± she asked defensively.


    Bao Qian leaned back in his chair, looking mildly frustrated. ¡°I did, but your first impression is deceptive, Miss Ling.¡±


    ¡°My apologies,¡± she replied coolly, and Sixiang sighed.


    He clarified, ¡°I mean only that you are surprisingly inexperienced in many things. You make a good show of having integrated with cultivator culture, but it seems that it''s rather shallow. I have misjudged you, and I find my failing irritating.¡±


    She eyed him warily, but the recently learned lessons of the arts she had been studying stopped her knee-jerk reaction to the seeming criticism. ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I? I want to keep climbing. I have to keep up with Cai Renxiang and the Duchess¡¯ expectations if I¡¯m going to keep getting the resources I need, and that¡¯s a full-time job. Lady Cai does her best to nudge me into keeping up with other things, but she¡¯s busy, too.¡± She didn¡¯t even remember the last time Renxiang had stopped for anything more than a cup of tea.


    She remembered Cai Shenhua¡¯s ultimatum. She wouldn¡¯t let herself be discarded, both for herself and her burgeoning family and for Cai Renxiang, who might crack under the weight if left alone.


    Bao Qian¡¯s brows drew together in consternation. ¡°You are surprisingly difficult to categorize, Miss Ling. My apologies, but in the future, if you lack understanding in something I ask of you, simply tell me. They do have a menu for first-time customers.¡±


    Ling Qi let out a breath she had been holding in. She knew she was still being a little absurd, and the knowledge that she could have asked for a menu left her feeling sheepish. ¡°Right. Do you mind if we start over, Sir Bao?¡±


    ¡°Deal,¡± he said with a weak chuckle. ¡°Let us move on to lighter topics! So, what sort of inspirations do you take for your compositions, Miss Ling? From descriptions I have heard, you seem to follow Grandmistress Lei¡¯s style, but that can hardly be the whole story. You mentioned that spirit girl¡¯s mother?¡±


    She stared at him blankly, and his wide grin once again slipped. Things had become awkward enough, and her ignorance was already clear at this point. Ling Qi felt the phantom sensation of Sixiang¡¯s hand on her shoulder and breathed out. With that breath came the Carefree Mantle of the Playful Muse¡¯s Rapport art.


    Ling Qi coughed into her hand. How would she go about describing her mentor¡¯s music to someone who had never and could never listen to it? Her own compositions held shades of it, and in the Frozen Soul Serenade, she aped Zeqing¡¯s fury and deadliness, but it wasn¡¯t the same thing. ¡°Sir Bao, while I would be happy to talk about my mentor in the Sect, perhaps you could tell me a little about some famous styles of the Emerald Seas. It might give me a better framework to speak in.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that seems like a fine idea,¡± Bao Qian agreed, rallying quickly.

 Threads 91-Dinner 2

    Ling Qi had a feeling that Bao Qian was out of his depth in some ways as well, though not as badly as her.


    ¡°I shall explain from the basics,¡± Bao Qian began. ¡°Please inform me if I am saying something you already know, Miss Ling.¡±


    An out. An unsaid assurance that he wasn¡¯t trying to insult her intelligence. That was fine. She nodded and gestured for him to continue.


    ¡°In the Emerald Seas, there are considered to be three primary schools of musical style. Only two, if you ask some,¡± he explained with a harrumph. ¡°I do not truck with it, but certain types do not consider Grandmaster Fu¡¯s style a school of the Emerald Seas because he achieved his greatest works in the imperial capital.¡±


    ¡°The more traditional clans then?¡± Ling Qi queried.


    ¡°Not just the clans. You would be amazed at the snobbery found among the small circle of those who follow musical trends,¡± Bao Qian said. ¡°But regardless, I will begin with Grandmistress Lei. She was a musician of the mid Weilu period. Her original home lay in the west of the province. The name and location are no longer known, lost in the chaos. She was a lone cultivator, preferring hermitage to society. Her style was raw, and some say uncivilized, emphasizing the elements in their more primal form and often carried themes of the inevitability of natural processes and the fundamental beauty and ugliness of the world. Her preferred instruments were woodwind.¡±


    Ling Qi supposed that she could understand the comparison. Someone from so long ago¡­ Well, Zeqing or some incarnation of her had been around for a very long time too. She wondered if this GrandMistress Lei had learned her early songs from some spirit of a remote and lonely fen. ¡°You said she was a hermit cultivator. How does anyone even know about her then?¡±


    ¡°Oh, she married into the Meng clan eventually,¡± he said. ¡°It is hard to call tales from that period history, but it is said that Patriarch Meng Hao heard her songs while on a journey to the south and wooed her for thirty days and nights, offering gift after gift until he was left in naught but rags. It was only his final gift, a poem written from his own lifeblood and shen, that she acquiesced.¡±


    Ling Qi smiled politely. That sounded a little ridiculous, and she quashed the part of her that wanted to think it was merely a cover for a less pleasant story. The patriarch of a clan would have a great deal of power over a mere hermit musician.


    Sixiang whispered.


    Maybe she was letting her own cynicism put blinders on her. Still, it was difficult to match the recalcitrant and xenophobic Meng she had read of with that kind of passion. ¡°I suppose I won¡¯t be able to find any recordings of her songs lying around.¡±


    ¡°Not unless you intend to marry into the Meng,¡± he joked. ¡°And even then, it seems unlikely. But many arts descend from the teaching of her disciples. Your song, the Forgotten Vale Melody, was it? I have heard others say that there are strong elements of her teachings in that. It was created a dozen odd generations removed, but still.¡±


    ¡°And the others?¡± Ling Qi asked curiously. It was easier to talk with Bao Qian when it was something like this. Keeping the lessons of her rhetorical art in mind helped, blunting the edge of her anxiety, but it wouldn¡¯t have mattered if the subject were less comfortable.


    Bao Qian drummed his fingers on the table, the flashy rings adorning them glittering in the lantern light. ¡°There is Grandmaster Fu, who was born in Xiangmen during the second dynasty. He was able to sign on with a sect in the Celestial Peaks and grew to prominence there, being called upon to perform for the emperor more than once. He pioneered the combination of multiple, disparate regional instruments and developed some of the earliest orchestral scores. The last was the somewhat unfortunate Grandmaster Jiang.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunate? What happened to him?¡± Ling Qi asked. She felt like she had an idea.


    ¡°He ran afoul of Hui internal politics. A member of a branch clan, his music, which focused on passionate string and percussion performances and tended to emphasize the human element over nature or grand scores, was considered too radical. He had an unfortunate overdose of cultivation elixirs that led to his early death,¡± Bao Qian replied gravely.


    Ling Qi read his expression. ¡°He was killed, wasn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°It seems highly likely, considering the efforts to quash his disciples in the aftermath,¡± Bao Qian agreed. ¡°Alas, there is no proof, but happily, our benevolent duchess lifted the ban on his music shortly after her ascension to the provincial throne. A good thing, too, as I quite like his tenet of spreading music to as many listeners as possible.¡±


    Well, he was certainly persistent in trying to subtly sell her on the recording idea. She supposed she would be happy that he wasn¡¯t going to be pushy about it. Over the next several minutes, she listened in attentive silence as Bao Qian went on about interactions between styles and the emerging divides between more modern musicians, filing away a few names into memory. She even caught some hints of the influences that arose from other provinces, though they were never the focus.


    Their meal arrived partway through Bao Qian¡¯s lesson. It was a roast duck dish, slathered in sauce and stuffed with fragrant herbs. It seemed a terrible indulgence to her, but she had to admit that it was good, the rich flavor burned on her tongue and the wind and water qi in her channels danced, making her feel almost as if she were drifting along on a gentle river current with a clear sky overhead.


    It was only as they were finishing their meal that she finally decided on her answer to Bao Qian¡¯s original question.


    ¡°I think the comparison to Grandmistress Lei was not entirely wrong,¡± Ling Qi said, picking at a spot of leftover herb in the sauce that marked her plate. ¡°My mentor, Zeqing, embodied inevitability. She was not kind, nor human, though she could act like it pretty well, sometimes.¡±


    ¡°She sounds formidable,¡± Bao Qian said. He was studying her again.


    ¡°That might be putting it too simply. She was more like a force, an aspect of nature with a woman inexpertly perched atop it,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°She was her music. She was the howl of a blizzard through cold mountain peaks, the sound of wind blowing across snow drifts, and the warmth that calls a man freezing to death to his rest.¡± Zeqing was, after all, a spirit.


    Bao Qian didn¡¯t reply, listening intently. Even when she paused, he didn¡¯t interrupt.


    ¡°Her songs were harsh and stark,¡± Ling Qi mused. ¡°But they could also be gentle in their own way like the peace of a well kept graveyard. I originally took her up on her offer of teaching because I didn¡¯t have anyone else, but¡­ it spoke to me. The winter is cruel, but it''s just the world at its most honest.¡±


    The cold of winter would kill a person, but it didn¡¯t deceive them and didn¡¯t pretend to be safe. There were no pretensions to kindness or charity in the winds of winter, only the death of a year and all those without the luck or ability to stay warm, preparing the world to be born again in spring. She wanted the warmth, but in the end, she knew she belonged in the cold.


    That was Zeqing¡¯s voice and song, the ice, cold and final, that would consume all things in the end, that said that nothing was forever, so she must cherish what was hers.


    She blinked as she realized that she had said that part aloud. That was the Carefree Mantle at work, loosening her lips as she mused on philosophy.


    ¡°I cannot say I wholly agree,¡± Bao Qian said slowly. ¡°But it is interesting to hear your view all the same.¡±


    Ling Qi smiled sheepishly, and for once, it wasn¡¯t particularly forced. ¡°My apologies. You must think I¡¯m a little mad.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°Miss Ling, we are both practitioners of the third realm. If we were not a little mad, we would not have gotten this far.¡±


    She raised the cup of cider she had been served in a mock toast. ¡°At least you¡¯re honest about it,¡± she said wryly. ¡°What madness is yours then?¡±


    ¡°The gold madness, Bao-sickness,¡± he confessed. ¡°No matter how masterful our works or how great our success, it will never be enough. This, I know, but I will chase the elation of success regardless.¡±


    Well, she could hardly chastise him for that.


    ***


    The rest of dinner had gone well enough. They had parted amicably only a quarter hour later.


    It had been¡­ not terrible. Once she had managed to stop flailing, it had even been educational. She still had no desire to even think of matters regarding marriage, but she could see herself working with that young man for business, maybe even becoming friends.


    She could always use more people to talk music with. She had been so busy that it slipped her mind, but she could probably do something about that. She couldn¡¯t just coast along doing the bare minimum to interact with her peers anymore.


    ¡°Big Sis?¡± Hanyi looked up as Ling Qi approached her under the moon. The young spirit leaned against Zhengui¡¯s shell. Her little brother was asleep, rumbling like a steelworker¡¯s forge. ¡°What are you doing here so late?¡±


    ¡°Just thinking,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°You don¡¯t mind if I cultivate here tonight, do you?¡±


    Hanyi grinned. ¡°No way! I was just thinking about what kind of song I wanna compose first, but this big doof fell asleep while I was thinking!¡±


    ¡°He does that,¡± Ling Qi said, smiling. She sat down on the hard packed dirt, leaning against Zhengui¡¯s shell. He was warm, not like Hanyi and not like her. She supposed he had to make up for the two of them. ¡°Hanyi, do you want to try one or two of Zeqing¡¯s songs? You shouldn¡¯t copy your mother, but you should still learn from her.¡±


    Hanyi nodded eagerly. ¡°Yeah! Will you sing too, Big Sis?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± she replied, reaching over to tousle the young spirit''s hair. She might not really be ready for the games of nobles or courting, but she could take care of her family.


    She stayed with Hanyi until morning, and that night, snow and fog gathered around the little hilltop, save for the circle of warmth at its center.

 Threads 92-Diplomacy 1

    ¡°So, how are things with your new spirit?¡± Ling Qi asked as she entered the archive with Yu Nuan.


    Yu Nuan had changed since the last time she had seen her. Streaks of blue and white marked her spiked hair, and a few of the little metal studs that pierced her ears and other parts of her face had been switched out for nodes that crackled with thunder and lightning qi. The other girl still seemed a little out of her depth, having taken Ling Qi¡¯s sudden invitation to join her at the archive with bewilderment and hesitant acceptance. Ling Qi wondered if this was what it had felt like to be Xiulan early last year.


    ¡°He¡¯s a good boy,¡± Yu Nuan replied uncertainly. ¡°I expected him to be more rambunctious, but he¡¯s actually kinda¡­¡±


    ¡°Kinda what?¡± Ling Qi asked as they passed the entrance desk. They both had permissions for the first floor so there was no reason to stop. She searched the trails of qi drifting through the air before turning down one of the narrow halls between the towering book shelves.


    ¡°Kind of a big friendly doof.¡± Yu Nuan sighed. ¡°Slobbers on everything, leaves scorch marks everywhere. I come outta cultivation and find he¡¯s decided to sprawl on my lap like a giant electrified sandbag.¡±


    Ling Qi gave her a sidelong look. ¡°Not quite what you were looking for?¡±


    ¡°S¡¯not that bad,¡± Yu Nuan grumbled. ¡°Got into a scuffle in the woods ¡®n he pulled his weight. Just not what I expected.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you''re getting along.¡± Ling Qi glanced at the intersection ahead before turning left.


    ¡°What are we here for?¡± Yu Nuan asked, trailing a step behind her. ¡°I know I said I was going here anyway, but I was intending to go to the upper floor, and the stairs are the other way.¡±


    ¡°Obviously, we have to head up,¡± Ling Qi said with a snort. ¡°First floor arts are no good for us unless it¡¯s for tinkering.¡± She hadn¡¯t had a chance to try that yet. Too many obligations getting in the way. ¡°We¡¯re meeting some people.¡±


    ¡°Who¡ª¡± Yu Nuan began.


    Ling Qi interrupted her as they emerged into one of the sitting areas and raised her hand to wave. ¡°Senior Brother Ruan!¡±


    The older boy raised a hand to wave, closing the slim volume he had been scanning through and setting it aside as he stood up from one of the comfortable study chairs. ¡°Junior Sister, was I ever surprised to hear from you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been getting some things straightened out,¡± Ling Qi said. She was getting the hang of the rhetorical lessons in the Playful Muse¡¯s Rapport, and she liked to think it was beginning to show. She didn¡¯t have to spill her guts to every person she met, but an air of friendly openness served better than what she had been trying to do before. Though it tied in with the same lessons of affected confidence she had learned on the street, it took her in a different direction than her previous efforts.


    Sixiang murmured.


    ¡°It seems that¡¯s working out for you. You¡¯re looking good these days, Junior Sister,¡± the handsome boy said. ¡°Who¡¯s your friend?¡±


    ¡°This is Yu Nuan,¡± Ling Qi introduced. ¡°I thought she might have an interest in this too. Is Senior Sister Bian not available?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s deployed at the moment,¡± Ruan Shen replied, the strumming strings of his spirit wavering. He was worried. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯d love to come some other time.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t ideal, but needs must.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s nice to meet you and all,¡± Yu Nuan said, dipping her head briefly to Ruan Shen. ¡°But again, what are we doing here?¡±


    ¡°Workshopping, I believe, was the plan?¡± Ruan Shen asked, looking to Ling Qi.


    She nodded. ¡°I thought it might be fun to get together with some other music cultivators and talk shop, maybe discuss compositions and arts. I need to replace some of my arts with better fitting ones soon, and I thought to ask for some advice.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s weird. You¡¯re gonna let other people talk you into what arts you¡¯re gonna use?¡± Yu Nuan asked, bewildered.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that strange, but it¡¯s usually more of a family thing,¡± Ruan Shen said. ¡°Think of it more like using the conversation as an avenue of reflection.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that,¡± Ling Qi replied confidently, the Carefree Mantle singing in her meridians. She still wanted to complete her cultivation of the Harmony of Dancing Wind Arts too, and its lessons on the nature of connections could use more active study. ¡°I¡¯m not going to tell you what to do, but if we each talk a little about what we¡¯re doing, there might be some insights, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already learned that it looks like my cute, shy Junior Sister is likely to outgrow me within a year or two.¡± Ruan Shen sighed as he moved to join them. ¡°It¡¯s been a real blow.¡±


    She gave him an unimpressed look as she began to head for the stairs to the next floor. ¡°And how do you think I feel, seeing my Senior Brother slacking off?¡±


    He winced. ¡°Hey, now, that¡¯s just mean.¡± He sheepishly scratched his head. ¡°I¡¯m working on it!¡±


    Yu Nuan was still watching them with a frown on her lips. ¡°You two are weird.¡±


    ¡°If being good humored is weird, I¡¯ll happily claim the title,¡± Ruan Shen said lazily. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m mostly looking to refine my arts into something personal. What are you girls up to?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for a new movement art. I¡¯m feeling deficient with that right now,¡± Yu Nuan said, giving Ling Qi a look.


    Ling Qi smiled sheepishly. She had a few vague ideas of what she wanted. She wanted a support art that would bolster her music against people like Cai Renxiang, who could wipe out her accumulated effects and force her to start over. She wanted to see if there were arts which could synergize to some degree with Zhengui, making use of the threads of wood and flame now rooted in her dantian, even if the threads were awfully thin. ¡°I was thinking of an art that would enhance my other arts, or perhaps an art that could synergize with Zhengui. But I¡¯m not sure what theme or type I should be looking into. Suggestions?¡±


    ***


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised that bonding that spirit affected you so much already,¡± Ling Qi commented, flipping through a book on musical enhancement effects. She had never really considered the way things like the stage, venue, local qi flows, and other little details could alter her performance and its perception. That there were arts which allowed a musician to manipulate those effects to enhance or alter their songs were an obvious leap.


    ¡°I just dyed and styled my hair,¡± Yu Nuan said blankly, giving her an unimpressed look. She kept the wriggling ozone-scented scroll in her hands pinned to the table.


    Ling Qi blinked, looking up from her text. ¡°Ah, right. That makes more sense.¡±


    Sixiang chuckled.


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyebrow twitched. She suddenly had the image of her hair done up in a glittering rainbow updo. She would probably pass on that one.


    Sixiang huffed.


    ¡°Having a disagreement, Junior Sister?¡± Ruan Shen asked, the pages of the book in his hands flickering by in a blur.


    ¡°Nothing like that,¡± she replied. ¡°Thanks for helping me look into Grandmaster Fu¡¯s works and style.¡± She had enough actual songs. What she needed were ways to support her performances properly, whether in a fight or a party. Bao Qian¡¯s words had given her a lead, and Ruan Shen had helped her capitalize on it with his familiarity with the subject.


    ¡°It¡¯s no trouble,¡± he said airily. ¡°Stage play and presentation is an important part of a performance. Besides, it¡¯s hard to get enough musicians in one place to do a band or orchestra properly. Gotta make do.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see much point in tryin¡¯ to get a bunch of us together. Just going to give a muddy performance with the clashing ways, isn¡¯t it?¡± Yu Nuan had relaxed since they had arrived and started studying, seemingly content that there was no ulterior motive to this get-together.


    ¡°You would be surprised. Put a few musicians on the spot for an impromptu performance, and you¡¯ll have quite a din. But a little coordination can make some lovely things,¡± Ruan Shen said. ¡°If the musicians really get each other and gel, you get more out than is put in.¡±


    ¡°That might be interesting to try sometime,¡± Ling Qi mused. ¡°I guess you only get performances like that in the capital though.¡±


    ¡°Mostly. My clan does a lil¡¯ of that on the side. I¡¯m not much good at it though. I¡¯m more a leading man type,¡± Ruan Shen replied, setting his book aside.


    Ling Qi gave him a look over the top of her own book, the pages flickering by as she absorbed the information at a glance.


    ¡°Man, what happened to my shy Junior Sis? You¡¯ve gotten some sass now,¡± he complained.


    ¡°She was shy?¡± Yu Nuan asked disbelievingly.


    ¡°More than you¡¯d believe, I¡¯m sure.¡± Ruan Shen chuckled, much to Ling Qi¡¯s displeasure.


    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised how much of what goes on in here is still awkward flailing,¡± Sixiang cut in, their voice tickling Ling Qi¡¯s ear.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough of that,¡± Ling Qi groused.


    ¡°Oh, but it¡¯s fine to tease me,¡± Ruan Shen complained good naturedly. ¡°Well, I guess I can let it go.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure you should,¡± Yu Nuan said dryly, looking at Ling Qi out of the corner of her eye. Ling Qi glowered at her.


    ... This really wasn¡¯t such a bad thing, was it? She couldn¡¯t honestly call either of these two good friends. Yet, just relaxing herself, not trying to think too far ahead and tying herself into knots over the proper responses or their reactions. There was something freeing about it. She really wasn¡¯t very well suited to playing someone other than herself.


    ¡°You figured out what you¡¯re wanting to work on yet, Junior Sis?¡± Ruan Shen asked idly, he tossed the book in his hands with a flick of his wrist, and the volume slid back into the empty space on the shelf beside him.


    ¡°I¡¯ve narrowed it down,¡± Ling Qi said, glancing at the four scrolls lying on the table in front of her.


    The first was an art that meditated on the nature of home and family. Created by a clan in the southern Emerald Seas during a time of civil strife, Winter Hearth Resounding acted as background music that enhanced the cultivator¡¯s compositions. The second was an art inspired by the interplay of lunar qi and the frozen waters. Created by a cultivator of the western fens, Frozen Lake Gleaming sought to punish others who attempted to dispel the cultivator¡¯s techniques. The third was an art created after observing the resilience of nature after the fire. Created by the eastern clans of Emerald Seas in the wake of the Purifying Sun¡¯s death, Burning Glade Restoration lent the cultivator¡¯s compositions a reverberating quality, allowing them to last beyond the fading of the notes.


    Collectively, the options were a little unusual for her, but maybe, that wasn¡¯t such a bad thing. However, she didn¡¯t have time or the meridians to learn them all.


    ¡°But I can¡¯t decide which one to focus on,¡± Ling Qi continued.


    ¡°A little dabbling is usually fine,¡± Ruan Shen said lightly. ¡°So normally, I¡¯d suggest trying out a few of them.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t have¡­¡±


    He raised a hand to forestall her. ¡°But I know your type now, Junior Sis. You either can¡¯t or won¡¯t slow down. Given your position and your pressures, I get it, but that kind of path has its troubles too.¡±


    Ling Qi understood. Between the Duchess¡¯ ultimatum, the onset of war, and her own ambition, she found it hard to stop cultivating for even a moment. She made herself do it, told herself that other things were important too, but it couldn¡¯t quite kill that niggling itch. She loved her family, so she made time to help and spend time with her mother and sister. She loved Zhengui, so she promised to work even harder to make sure he wasn¡¯t left behind. She loved her friends, so she did frivolous things to spend time with them. She worked for Lady Cai, so she spent time with the nobility and went on da¡ª no, dinners¡ªwith people like Bao Qian.


    Ruan Shen continued, ¡°That¡¯s why I don¡¯t push myself faster. Even if it means I won¡¯t get to the top, I¡¯ve seen enough folks who push on and set themselves in stone before their second decade. It¡¯s kinda scary.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you brave,¡± Yu Nuan commented with a sardonic smirk. ¡°You tryin¡¯ to say something about the folks in charge?¡±


    ¡°Nothing of the sort,¡± Ruan Shen shot back. ¡°It¡¯s just easy to lose things when you¡¯re in a rush.¡±


    ¡°I get that,¡± Ling Qi said. Elder Jiao had spoken similar words. Her eyes lingered on the Frozen Lake Gleaming art, but it wasn¡¯t what she was looking for, she felt. In some ways, going too far in that direction might be a mistake. ¡°But it¡¯s too late to slow down, even if I did want to.¡±


    And she did not want to. Even if she was beginning to wonder if there shouldn¡¯t be some greater purpose, even if her spirits¡¯ concerns were valid, she didn¡¯t want to stop. She didn¡¯t want to see Meizhen¡¯s back growing more distant again. She didn¡¯t want to leave Cai Renxiang to walk her path alone. She didn¡¯t want to feel the helpless terror at the sight of a mountain shattering before her eyes again.


    There was a cough from her left, and Yu Nuan spoke up. ¡°Might want to dial it back. You¡¯re frosting the table.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked and looked down, then grimaced, hastily brushing the forming frost off the table and scrolls as she restrained herself.


    ¡°Sorry ¡®bout that,¡± Ruan Shen apologized. ¡°I figure you have your reasons, and I won¡¯t pry. Well, not more than I need to to give advice. What do you feel like you¡¯re missing?¡±


    ¡°I already answered that,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°Tch. Even I can tell that¡¯s not what he¡¯s talking about,¡± Yu Nuan drawled, letting the sparking scroll wriggle out of her hands to flutter back to the shelves.


    Ling Qi gave her a grumpy look. She knew that. ¡°How about you then? And don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s just dye. What¡¯s with the sudden flip to thunder and lightning?¡±


    Yu Nuan scowled briefly at her. ¡°Been stuck for a while. Figured I¡¯ve just been burning undirected.¡±


    ¡°At least you recognize it. Your first song might as well have been a wildfire,¡± Sixiang commented.


    ¡°Anger and passion are useful things, but being directionless is no good,¡± Ruan Shen agreed.


    ¡°And what do you know?¡± Yu Nuan challenged. ¡°Never even met you before.¡±


    ¡°I like to keep track of any cute and talented juniors who show a spark for music,¡± Ruan Shen replied smoothly. ¡°And you certainly did last year.¡±


    The other girl¡¯s cheeks reddened, but her scowl only deepened.


    ¡°And what are you looking to do, Senior Brother?¡± Ling Qi cut in. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you¡¯re really holding back out of fear.¡±


    Ruan Shen considered her. ¡°Will I get an answer in turn if I tell you?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ling Qi agreed grudgingly


    ¡°Then, for my shy Junior Sis, I¡¯ll give an answer,¡± he said lightly. ¡°I don¡¯t need something to blast or burn or overwhelm. I just have some conflicts I want to see settled and old wounds I want to see healed. Family isn¡¯t always a happy thing.¡±


    Ling Qi bowed her head at that. She wasn¡¯t going to ask for more details, but she appreciated that even though they were not really close, he had answered. If Ruan Shen was willing to say that much, she could find words for the snarl in her own heart. A moment passed in silence as Sixiang helped her find the words.


    ¡°I¡¯ve mostly been alone in life,¡± Ling Qi picked out. ¡°Here, I¡¯ve tried to work against that, but I default to doing things on my own.¡± Had she not meditated on the way that loneliness was a keystone of her mind and spirit, a central drive to everything she did? ¡°But I don¡¯t want to. I want to include other people without having to consciously remind myself of it all the time. At the same time, I can¡¯t stop either.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got a bit of a problem there, but if I had to make a suggestion¡­¡± Ruan Shen reached across the table, tapping his finger against one of the scrolls. ¡°This one might be a good place to start. Sometimes, you have to make sharp distinctions between parts of your life. Things you do, and things you are. Clan and family. Wants and needs. Allies, enemies, and friends, too, of course.¡±


    Ling Qi took the scroll in her hands. Winter Hearth Resounding¡­ An art with some lessons on boundaries. She had put it on her curated short list because of the duality in it, which she felt might help her better understand Zhengui¡¯s own duality. The aid in parsing her techniques to exclude allies from their negative effects had also attracted her eye. It might be a useful contrast to Harmony of the Dancing Wind. Boundaries to contrast connections, huh? Maybe there was something to that.


    ¡°I guess I can give it a try.¡±

 threads 93-Diplomacy 2

    They spent a while longer at the archive, discussing lighter topics of cultivation and music. Ling Qi workshopped the songs she was intending to play at Lady Cai¡¯s next gathering. Ruan Shen shared some details of a composition he was working on as part of his training with an elder which he had won through a trial before the incursion started. Even Yu Nuan had been coaxed to share a few bars of a song she was working on for a visit to the Thunder Palace.


    So it was with a light heart that Ling Qi found her way back home to the balcony that overlooked the garden to cultivate the Harmony of Dancing Winds. With the soft strains of that melody drifting through the house, Ling Qi found her awareness drifting. She could feel Biyu valiantly fighting sleep as her mother read to her a story of a brave princess and her animal friends questing against an evil spirit. She was aware of the servants, gathering in the kitchens to have their own meal, full of chatter and laughter and gossip about their lives in the greater town. She felt the shadow of other households, warded by muting formations, and people in the streets returning home with one eye on the sky.


    It was, in a way, like a pond where one set of ripples would spread and spread, affecting others, or perhaps, as her liege might say, a loom where each individual was a thread, intersecting and weaving through others¡¯ lives. The lessons of the Harmony of Dancing Winds arts slipped through her thoughts as she played, refining the notes to mastery.


    Ling Qi had long decided that she would not stop walking the path forward. She would do so even when obstacles presented themselves and even when things grew difficult. She had decided that on some matters, there could be no compromise or retreat and that small endings were both acceptable and inevitable. But she did not want to be alone again.


    The words and emotions of her family at her decision during the three villages sect defense mission stung, and the pain in her dantian, that grinding feeling of something broken, was real.


    She needed to race forward without slowing.


    She did not want to be alone.


    Her melody faltered as her breath hitched, a sharp pain traveling up her spine. The distress arose from her, but its source was elsewhere. It came from the faint strands that stretched back into the house away over the hills where Zhengui rested and Hanyi composed. It came from up in the mountains where her friends resided.


    In moving forward blindly, she hurt others. Through others, she hurt herself. By hurting herself, she had slowed down. This thought circled in her mind, chasing its own tail. She half expected Sixiang to comment, but the moon spirit was silent, respecting her need for introspection.


    There was something to that thought, Ling Qi mused, even if it did not soothe the pain in her spirit. It wasn¡¯t an answer, just an observation. It was a good one though, she thought. It might not solve her current problem, but if she wished to avoid further wounds in the future, then she could not afford to let her vision be so narrow.


    After all, even walking alone, her footfalls echoed beyond her hearing.


    ***


    Zhengui asked curiously, his thoughts echoing in her mind as she soared between mountains, heading for the peak that contained many of the Inner Sect training grounds.


    ¡°We¡¯re going out to do a little training, hopefully,¡± Ling Qi said. With no one to hear, she felt no need to keep her dialogue with her little brother silent. Of course, she had some more specific reasons for taking Zhengui along other than just getting him out of Hanyi¡¯s hair while she composed.


    Sixiang murmured.


    She was. With the imminent arrival of what might be Cai Renxiang¡¯s last big gathering in a while, Ling Qi really had no excuse not to act on her liege¡¯s commands.


    It wasn¡¯t like she had been slacking off in the interim; she had spent time looking into Wang Chao and the Wang clan in general, searching for a good way to approach them. What she had found surprised her a little. The Wang had been a viscount clan focused on architecture of all things before the rise of their current matriarch to the sixth realm at Cai Shenhua¡¯s side.


    Wang Chao was that matriarch''s grandson, but he wasn¡¯t particularly high in considerations of succession. One of his aunts was the head of the clan, and one of her adult sons was the heir. His father was one of their generals, and his mother was a courtier from the Celestial Peaks. He wasn¡¯t the least talented of his siblings and cousins, but neither was he the most. He was just middle of the pack. This was something he was prickly about, going by what she had picked up.


    She did have an opening gambit, but she would have to be careful not to prick his pride too much. After all, he was eighteen years old, but she was already swiftly catching up to his cultivation.


    Ling Qi planned to go with Sixiang¡¯s original suggestion. With the Sect at war, she could use some more pointers on tactics and battlefield planning, particularly in incorporating Zhengui. She had promised to work harder to include him in her plans, and she meant to keep that promise. Because the Wang family¡¯s warriors specialized in tactics centered around fortresses and hardpoints, Wang Chao would be well suited to assisting her in this regard. And as Sixiang had noted, asking Wang Chao for a small favor, one he¡¯d be able to fulfil, making him look good and magnanimous toward her, granting him some social leverage, would make him well inclined toward her. That she really could get practical use out of the instruction was a bonus.


    Ling Qi descended onto the mountain, banking toward the lower side she had tracked the young man to. She kept her qi restrained and peered down, her eyes flashing silver as she studied the training grounds. It was a public one, rather than a private one, and there were a handful of disciples about. Most, she didn¡¯t recognize, but a few¡­


    She spotted Wang Chao, the stout young man armed with a heavy pike balanced on his shoulder and armored in a suit that was enameled in dark green. It wasn¡¯t quite the full plate that Gan Guangli liked to thunder around in, but it was relatively heavy by the looks of it. He was laughing about something in one of the training rings, reaching down to help up his downed opponent. She glanced at the other boy, only to furrow her brow. Did she recognize him from somewhere¡­?


    Sixiang reminded her.


    ¡°You did that on your own.¡±


    Ling Qi shook her head as Sixiang chuckled, deliberately ignoring the flash of well exercised pectoral muscles that the spirit flashed in her thoughts. Liang He, that was the name. If Wang Chao knew him, she supposed his grumpiness at the party made more sense.


    Her eyes wandered over the rest of the field, and she blinked in surprise as she spotted a third person she recognized. Alingge, the girl from the hunting party hosted by the Luo, was at the other end of the field, squinting down range at the targets, a long bow of white wood in her hands.


    Interesting. Maybe she could make the approach more natural if she approached Alingge first¡­ No, she was overthinking things again. It was an unnecessary flourish which didn¡¯t even offer much advantage.


    Sixiang declared in amusement.


    Zhengui asked, blissfully unaware of her indecision.


    Yes, Ling Qi thought decisively, resuming her descent. She brought her scattered qi back together as well, returning her presence to a more normal level. Several people glanced up, the people she knew among them. Ling Qi offered a polite wave to Alingge, but she headed toward the training pit where Wang Chao and Liang He stood.


    She landed gracefully in a flutter of wind, bringing her hands together to offer a polite greeting bow. ¡°My apologies for the disturbance, Sir Wang.¡± The less involved were already going back to their own business. ¡°I have been looking to speak with you.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± the stout young man asked dubiously, peering at her from under his helm. He straightened up, resting his pike on the ground and offered a short bow himself. ¡°Does something trouble our Lady Heiress then?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing of the sort. Recent events have led to some troubles that I was hoping for your aid with¡­ It can wait if I am interrupting something.¡± She glanced at Liang He, who avoided her eyes. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware that you were acquainted with Sir Liang.¡±


    Wang Chao was still looking at her like she was a snake preparing to strike, but he cracked a slightly forced grin and clapped Liang He on the back regardless. ¡°The Liang family are soldiers in my Wang clan¡¯s capital lands. He has been doing very well! When the barbarians came, he held a village alone until core sect reinforcement arrived.¡±


    ¡°I would not take credit from the brave soldiers who manned the walls with me,¡± Liang He demurred with a bow. He really seemed to have trouble looking at her. Had she scared him that badly at the end of the duel? Now, she felt a little bad.


    Sixiang sighed.


    ¡°Congratulations on your achievement anyway. I know it couldn¡¯t have been easy,¡± she said, smiling. Ah, the relationship was even stronger than she had speculated. It couldn¡¯t hurt to compliment Liang He too.


    ¡°Miss Ling¡¯s achievements were more impressive,¡± Liang He replied sincerely, raising his head and finally meeting her eyes. ¡°You not only held the barbarians back, but also drove them off.¡±


    ¡°Bah, you are too modest, Liang He,¡± Wang Chao complained. ¡°But yes, I had heard that Miss Ling acquitted herself well against the barbarians as well.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate your words,¡± Ling Qi replied. She didn¡¯t play down her efforts, because why should she? ¡°It was actually my experiences there which brought me to you, Sir Wang.¡±


    ¡°I assure you,¡± Wang Chao said stiffly, ¡°the Wang clan did our utmost against the incursion. The Sect was not the only place struck.¡±


    Ling Qi spoke up hastily in reassurance. ¡°I have no doubts about the Wang clan¡¯s defenses. It was actually your experience with such things that I was interested in.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± he said, seeming nonplussed, and his fading grin became genuine. ¡°Hah. My apologies for assuming.¡±


    Beside him, Liang He gave Wang Chao a sidelong look.


    ¡°The incursion was my first real experience with a concerted enemy attack,¡± Ling Qi explained, bowing her head. The bandits didn¡¯t count. ¡°And I found myself at a bit of a loss on how best to utilize my spirit Zhengui in such a battle.¡±


    Wang Chao¡¯s thick eyebrows drew together. ¡°The xuan wu? I would think it obvious.¡±


    Ling Qi restrained the urge to let her eyes twitch in annoyance at his condescension. ¡°My confusion regards how best to cooperate with him given my preferred style. I was hoping for some advice on how to marry high mobility tactics with more stationary ones.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I think I understand your trouble then,¡± Wang Chao realized. ¡°I do not necessarily mind giving you some pointers, Miss Ling, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Please do not worry on my account, Lord Wang,¡± Liang He said with a bow. ¡°I do not mind postponing our spar.¡±


    Wang Chao shot him a frustrated look, but she couldn¡¯t quite figure out why. She didn¡¯t get the feeling that he was trying to blow her off, more like he didn¡¯t want Liang He to excuse himself. Ling Qi hid her puzzlement.


    ¡°Well, then,¡± Wang Chao said grudgingly, tapping the butt of his pike against the packed dirt. ¡°Is the spirit with you? I need to get a look at what we would be working with. You don¡¯t mind if Liang He tags along?¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Ling Qi replied. It was a small request, and it wasn¡¯t like she disliked the other boy. ¡°Actually, do you mind if I invite Miss Alingge over as well then? I promised to show her Zhengui at Luo¡¯s last party.¡±


    He blinked in surprise and then nodded enthusiastically. ¡°Certainly. Let us make a small gathering of it then!¡±

 Bonus: haunts of the Primal Forest

    Every province in the Empire has its perennial dangers. In the Celestial Peaks, nameless beasts and remnant constructs stalk the undermountain regions left behind by the Strife of the Twin Emperors. In the Thousand Lakes, the manifold children of the Face Stealer, slain by Yao the Fisher, haunt the fens throughout the province, and the foul creatures of the red jungle plague the west. The plague of the Ashwalkers scourges the Golden Fields, even millennia after the Cataclysm. Ebon Fields sees the Zheng war forever with the man eating spirits of mountain and river. Even the Alabaster Sands must content with nightmares left behind by the terrible engines of the strife.


    However, the Emerald Seas has suffered more and longer than any province save for the Golden Fields. This is of course a contentious point. Yet it must be pointed out that even under the Weilu, these lands were not free of war. The Weilu were not the stalwarts of the Celestial Peaks, the unquestioned rulers of the Bai, nor even the bizarrely stable mob which are the Zheng. They were themselves a confederation of tribes, well prone to civil war.


    This passed on to their descendants, the Xi and Hui, who have at best simply kept the violence of these lands to lower simmer. This fractiousness impedes the advancement of human authority, and so it is that the great province of Emerald Seas is filled with regions where man does not walk, and beings which haunt our roads and towns. In the wake of the horror that was the great Khan, this has only grown more true, who knows the true number of unconsecrated battlefields, ruined, overgrown villages and other sites of woe which dot the south even now.


    Before discussing the dangers and challenges of the Emerald Seas in more detail, it must be said that the Ministry of Integrity has done much good. In the destruction of the Bandit Kingdoms and the death of the destruction of proscribed cults across the province, they have done much good. Never let it be thought that the purpose of this document is to denigrate their works. The Emperor¡¯s burden is beyond the humble imaginings of a mere scholar, and this document purports only to catalogue those places and things which human ingenuity and drive has yet to conquer.


    The dangers laid out in this book shall be divided into three categories. The Unquiet Dead, the Vile Spirit, and the Deep Places.


    The unquiet dead are most common in the south, where the ravages of the Great Khan lie close to memory. In that chaos there was no time to give those slain their proper rights, nor in many cases access to the sites of those deaths. The least of these dangers are lost hamlets and watchtowers where a few hundred mortals or common soldiers met their end, tainting the land with their anger and despair. They are beyond a single exorcism and the solution to them is the construction of proper shrines to death gods and regular offerings to slowly put those suffering to rest. The Greater among these are whole towns or minor battlefields, which must be violently cleansed by noble and honest cultivators to allow the exorcists and priests to begin their labor. The greatest example of these lies far in the southeast, Hushao pass, Hushao pass was the site of single largest slaughter of imperial forces by the Great Khan, here the Patriarch Wu was overwhelmed and his clan near destroyed as they waited for promised reinforcement that would never come. The deaths of so many potent cultivators in the throes of hate and betrayal has transformed the once peaceful land into a terrible wasteland.


    Vile spirits are unfortunately far more common, these are individual spirits, or courts of spirits which, for whatever reason refuse to negotiate or coexist with humankind. In truth it is difficult to categorize these. The spirits of disease born from improperly salted meat technically meet the requirements, but this section is primarily concerned with spirits capable of higher thought, and who have caused more long term harm than making a peasant a bit ill. The destruction of the bandit kingdoms has been a great boon for the battle against them, for the most common method for such misanthropic spirits to gain power was through the promotion and protection of such malcontents that fed their hunger for death and misery. Of those that remain, perhaps the most notorious is the entity known in common circulation as the Grinning Fox of Xuzhen, or Madam Grey. This four tailed fox spirit has haunted the viscounty of Xuzhen and its neighbors since the late Xi period. This key to this beasts longevity is in the relatively low lethality of its activities, only taking some scores of mortal men and the occasional soldier in a year. Still attempts have been made to hunt the beast and it has thus far evaded all attempts, even those led by those in the fourth realm.


    The last category comprises those locations which are fundamentally hostile to human life and settlement. The name chosen for it is somewhat fanciful, but descriptive. The dead might be put to rest, and even the greatest vile spirits slain if sufficient force can be gathered. These places however are those which resist the will of all but the mightiest cultivators. The heart of whole regions of woodlands, the dwellings of a great spirits avatar and other such locations. With the death of the bandit kingdoms, it is these regions which are most like to appear marked as ¡®wilderness¡¯ upon maps of the province, for it is considered ill luck to even claim ownership of them. The most well known example is the Fantasia, a stretch of fenland in the west which it is whispered once held the greatest dream palace of the Weilu clans and is now known to be the preferred haunt of the Moonlight Dancer a well known avatar of the Great Dreaming Moon. It is a place where the logic of dreams seeps into reality, and to merely navigate its foggy waters and pass through its shallows is a great achievement. It is said that the Meng clan may even use it as a testing ground for the greatest of their scions.


    Much effort has gone into cataloguing the multitude of dangers which pepper the Emerald Seas, for as any cultivator knows, danger is opportunity for the lucky and the skilled. The rest of this volume shall take on an encyclopedic format, listing the facts and rumors associated with each, as well as some suggestions on how a discerning individual might profit from them¡­


    -Forward of Adventure in the Sea of Trees, by Chen De, a merchant later charged with fraud and trafficking of illegal goods.

 Threads 94-Diplomacy 3

    ¡°Many thanks for your invitation,¡± Alingge said as she strolled with Ling Qi to the empty end of the training field they had decided on.


    ¡°It¡¯s no trouble. I was surprised to see you here though. I didn¡¯t think still targets would offer anything to an archer of your skill,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°It is the waking meditation, I believe you call it,¡± the other girl replied. ¡°Difficulty is not the purpose.¡±


    Something like what she did with sneaking around in her spare time or composing music with her mother then. That made more sense.


    Sixiang joked. Ling Qi gave them a mental swat.


    ¡°Miss Alingge, it is good of you to join us,¡± Wang Chao greeted as they arrived.


    ¡°I have said that such formality is unnecessary for me. Please leave off such things¡± the girl said coolly, not friendly but neither unfriendly. Ling Qi wondered how they knew each other.


    ¡°It is inappropriate to refer to a lady by name alone,¡± Wang Chao said, looking uncertain. Beside him, Liang He put a hand on his shoulder. These two were a bit odd. Idly, Ling Qi wondered if the two of them were like Meizhen.


    ¡°Do as you will then,¡± Alingge said before looking to Ling Qi. ¡°You have the xuan wu here?¡±


    Ling Qi shook off her distracting thoughts and ignored Sixiang¡¯s fit of laughter. ¡°His name is Zhengui,¡± she corrected and gave her little brother the signal to materialize. There was an awkward silence as nothing happened, and Ling Qi felt her eyebrow twitch. She gave Zhengui a sharp mental prod.


    She held back a sigh at his exclamation as Zhengui began to materialize in front of them. At his full size, Zhengui loomed over them, eight meters long from one end of his shell and about a third of that at the shoulder, and Zhen arching his body over Gui¡¯s shell only made him seem larger. Ash drifted from his mouths and lines of fiery red pulsed in his shell as Zhengui struck a pose in the afternoon sunlight.


    ¡°I, Zhen, greet Big Sister¡¯s human friends,¡± Zhen said proudly, his tongue flicking and leaving heat ripples in the air.


    ¡°Hello!¡± Gui chirped in a basso rumble.


    ¡°Such majesty,¡± Alingge breathed. Her wide, almost sparkling eyes made the taciturn girl look ten years younger. ¡°I did not imagine such a potent furnace of beast qi.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced at her in askance, not entirely sure what she was referring to. Zhen was going to be insufferable in the next few days.


    ¡°Indeed, a most impressive beast,¡± Wang Chao praised, examining Zhengui with a workman¡¯s eye. ¡°Your fortune is truly enviable, Miss Ling.¡±


    ¡°I suppose it is a good thing he was not included in our duel, else it would have been more one-sided,¡± Liang He said with self-deprecation.


    ¡°Yes, Zhen is very great, but he needs to learn to fight alongside Big Sister,¡± Zhen agreed pompously; She could practically see the serpent¡¯s ego swelling.


    ¡°Just so,¡± Wang Chao agreed. ¡°Miss Ling was right to come to me, for I have much wisdom to share!¡± Ling Qi wondered if there was going to be space for the both of them and their respective egos. ¡°How to test the beast¡¯s abilities though?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you could spar with him? Zhengui rarely gets to face enemies other than myself,¡± Ling Qi suggested.


    Wang Chao eyed her little brother up and down. ¡°Not a bad idea,¡± he said, glancing back at her and the others. ¡°If I¡¯m to give you proper instruction, I¡¯ll need to see the two of you together though.¡±


    Ling Qi did not want to risk embarrassing the older boy. He was a step above her in cultivation of course, and as a comital scion, his arts were surely high quality. But she was aware of just how frustrating it was to fight her. It might be better to spar with Wang Chao in a private training ground after they had obtained a proper sparring license. ¡°I was hoping that you could assess his abilities individually first.¡±


    ¡°I, too, wish to see the great beast¡¯s abilities in action,¡± Alingge agreed, her eyes not leaving Zhengui. ¡°The mists and ice are not good for spectation.¡±


    ¡°I, Zhen, will face whoever Big Sister likes,¡± Zhen hissed haughtily.


    ¡°Gui, too,¡± his other half agreed. ¡°Are we gonna fight Mister Avalanche?¡±


    ¡°It seems so.¡± Wang Chao seemed fairly chuffed, rolling his shoulders as he surveyed the xuan wu. ¡°Let it not be said that Wang Chao would ignore a lady¡¯s request. Liang, will you see to the field settings? Then you can join the ladies.¡±


    The other boy chuckled, glancing over at the two of them nervously. ¡°Of course, Lord Wang. I hope you enjoy your spar.¡±


    ¡°It should be good fun. I assume your spirit does not need to be coddled, Miss Ling?¡± Wang Chao asked.


    ¡°I will trust your discretion,¡± Ling Qi forced out. She felt a pang of pain at the thought of leaving Zhengui to fight a stronger opponent unsupported, but it was only a spar. She couldn¡¯t baby him if he was going to keep up with her. ¡°Zhengui, fight hard, okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Big Sister!¡± they both announced in unison.


    Together with Alingge, Ling Qi withdrew to the edge of the training field as the air around it shimmered, preventing any stray qi or objects from flying out and disrupting the rest of the training grounds. Ling Qi glanced at the fur-clad girl at her side. ¡°Do you actually have trouble seeing through my mist?¡±


    ¡°It is an effort,¡± Alingge replied shortly, watching as Wang Chao and Zhengui walked apart, giving each other some starting distance. ¡°Effort better spent elsewhere. Though it was amusing to watch you hunt in the tournament.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed, noting the faint circulation of qi through the girl¡¯s eyes, ears, and nose. She was activating some kind of perception art. ¡°And I have improved quite a lot since then,¡± she mused.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the other girl agreed.


    Out in the field, Wang Chao leveled his pike at Zhengui. ¡°Let us begin then! Sir Ling, I will give you a five count to prepare yourself!¡±


    Ling Qi blinked. Referring to Zhengui that way¡­ Wang Chao was taking her claim of him as her little brother seriously. She wondered whether that actually was a thing she could do, legally speaking.


    ¡°You better not look down on Gui!¡± her little brother warned, even as his shell flared with volcanic light and Ling Qi felt his root system spreading under the field. The air around Zhen distorted with heat.


    ¡°He¡¯s surprisingly earnest,¡± Ling Qi commented.


    ¡°Lord Wang is very straightforward.¡± She glanced over to see Liang He approaching them. She took a moment to study his face. All playfulness aside, he really did seem slightly afraid of her.


    ¡°I am glad I came to him for help with this then,¡± Ling Qi said, dipping her head politely. ¡°And I apologize for injuring you so badly. It only seemed respectful to use my finisher after you used yours.¡±


    Wang Chao began to move toward Zhengui, ripples of qi echoing from his feet with each step. Every pulse pinged out and reverberated back, flooding back into his meridians. Each pulse was weak, but with every step, the pulses were growing stronger. The earth between him and Zhengui erupted with crawling, surging branches and vines, a fortress wall rising from the earth as Zhen¡¯s throat swelled with superheated qi.


    ¡°I understood,¡± Liang He said with a weak chuckle, turning his eyes to the battle. Ling Qi considered the way he regarded Wang Chao¡¯s back as he charged into the teeth of Zhengui¡¯s defenses. Her earlier musing had been off-base. His look seemed more like the way Han Fang looked at Han Jian. There was nothing romantic there, just loyalty and something vaguely familial.


    ¡°Not a bad barrier!¡± Wang Chao complimented. ¡°But the foundation is unstable!¡± Ling Qi blinked as he thrust his pike right into the grasping, regenerating vines with no sign of a more powerful technique. Then the qi of Zhengui¡¯s Paradise Rampart cracked and violently shattered around the point of impact, taking its physical manifestation with it.


    Of course, her little brother was alert, and before the debris had even struck the ground, a massive glob of molten glass and liquid fire struck Wang Chao full on.


    ¡°Your Zhengui has considerable power for his cultivation,¡± Alingge observed. She stood with her arms crossed under her fur cloak, wholly still except for her eyes. Her composure had obviously recovered. ¡°Is that natural, or have you used some technique to bolster him?¡±


    ¡°Elder Ying gave me some lessons on spirit bonding and aiding their growth, but nothing like an art,¡± Ling Qi answered. ¡°Is that a thing?¡± If so, some parts of her Songseeker¡¯s Ceremony cultivation art made more sense


    The other girl glanced at her. ¡°There are cultivation arts for this, yes.¡±


    Laughter rang out from the clearing smoke as Wang Chao barreled through, glowing, molten droplets flying from his armor. It was a deep belly laugh too. It seemed that he was that type of fighter. It was too bad that Gan Guangli was not here, Ling Qi privately lamented. Gan would probably be better at this.


    Wang Chao crossed the remaining distance to her little brother in barely a moment, grasping roots torn wholesale from the earth when they tried to hinder his feet. His pike swung out, and Zhengui¡¯s head pulled back into his shell as he stamped forward, presenting his shelled shoulder to the blow. There was a ring like a temple gong being struck as metal met shell, and the hard packed earth beneath them shattered in a shower of grit and stony shrapnel.


    Zhengui seemed to be having fun, going by the excitement strumming through their bond.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably not a bad idea to let him play around with some other folks. You are kind of an ass to fight,¡± Sixiang chuckled.


    ¡°He¡¯s holding back though,¡± Ling Qi said absently, only realizing that she had spoken aloud a moment later.


    ¡°It is not typically the point of a spar to immediately crush your opponent,¡± Liang He said.


    ¡°I know that.¡± All the same, the ugly feeling that sometimes rose up after a spar with Meizhen or Cai Renxiang stirred in her stomach. Watching her little brother be on the other end of it was no less dissatisfying.


    Wang Chao skidded back, catching Zhen¡¯s striking fangs on his forearm. As her little brother pushed him away, the crack in his shell left by their clash was already sealing up with oozing, liquid green qi drawn from the earth under his feet. She clenched her fists as Wang Chao punched Zhen directly in the snout with such force that the serpent¡¯s head flew backward, molten spittle flying from his jaws.


    ¡°It is not as uneven as it looks. Wang is ramping up now that he has tested your Zhengui¡¯s toughness,¡± Alingge said. ¡°What a strange beast qi.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Ling Qi asked, not looking away from the fight. The hole in the Paradise Rampart technique had sealed itself, cutting off retreat as Gui hunkered down, drawing vitality from his roots, and Wang Chao traded blows with Zhen, liquid fire going everywhere and setting the grass alight.


    ¡°It is the way of my clan to cultivate through observation and study of beasts and plants,¡± Alingge explained. ¡°This is why I thank you for the opportunity. Beast qi are the energies which make up a beast¡¯s natural functions.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so it¡¯s all beast qi, even if it¡¯s fire or wood or whatever else,¡± Ling Qi caught on easily.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Alingge agreed.


    The earth roiled as spearing stabbing roots erupted, shattering on Wang Chao¡¯s armor as he charged back into melee with Zhengui, the ripples echoing from his footfalls quite dense and potent now. As his armor and flesh took on a stony feature, the ground shook when he walked. Stone peeled away and burned as he took another volcanic shot directly to the chest.


    The difference in potency between the arts of a cultivator at the fourth stage of green and a beast at the second was telling.


    ... And she had underestimated Wang Chao.


    Wang Chao leaped, the force of his jump cracking the already ruined field. A dark grey shell of qi that had been building with each pulse exploded off of him, forming a spheroid shell as he fell back to earth on a collision course with Zhengui.


    To his credit, Gui let out his own earthshaking bellow of challenge as he hardened his stance, preparing for impact. The resulting blast sent a powerful gust outward, sending her hair and gown fluttering.


    ¡°It looks like he needs a little more work,¡± Ling Qi said with a wry chuckle. ¡°I might have to cut back on cultivation to train him more.¡±


    ¡°That is a strange conclusion,¡± Alingge replied absently, peering into the rising cloud of smoke and grit that consumed both combatants. ¡°Empowering clan and companions is cultivation.¡±


    ¡°And he hardly showed himself poorly,¡± Liang He offered tentatively.


    Sixiang pointed out.


    ¡°Hoho, you are a sturdy one!¡± Wang Chao¡¯s voice interrupted the conversation as the smoke began to clear. The field was cratered inward, and Zhengui lay at the bottom of it. It was perhaps more accurate to say Zhengui was embedded in the bottom of the crater, only the top of his shell sticking out of the dirt. Several spikes were cracked or broken, and a spider web of fractures spread across the whole structure, but she forced herself to acknowledge that Zhengui was fine. He was already beginning to regenerate the damage.


    Zhen wormed his head out of the earth, emerging from the shell covered in dust and grit. He looked distinctly displeased. ¡°I, Zhen, am not defeated!¡±


    ¡°Perhaps not, Sir Ling, but there is nothing more to be gained. I have your measure. Anything more will need to involve Miss Ling,¡± Wang Chao called down from the top of the crater. He was dusty and a bit scorched, but otherwise unharmed.


    ¡°Looks like that¡¯s my cue.¡± Ling Qi took a step and appeared at the lip of the crater. ¡°You did a very good job, little brother!¡±


    Gui¡¯s head emerged from the dirt next as he continued to dig himself out. ¡°Big Sister, I can still fight!¡± he complained.


    ¡°I know how tough you are, Zhengui. But you have to save some energy for when we fight together later, okay?¡±


    Zhengui grumbled but began to climb out of the crater.


    ¡°You had quite the good fortune in finding this one, Miss Ling,¡± Wang Chao said.


    ¡°Thank you. I am very proud of Zhengui,¡± she replied. ¡°Do you think you can help me?¡±


    ¡°Defenses have certainly been built on worse foundations,¡± the stout boy said, looking at the approaching Alingge and Liang He. ¡°I think I can manage some advice. It will give me something to do until those crawling cowards and barbarians show themselves again!¡±

 Threads 95-Diplomacy 4

    Ling Qi had secured an in. Wang Chao seemed to be in a pretty good mood so she suspected he¡¯d be amenable to more weekly training sessions. But Ling Qi thought maybe she could push for more.


    ¡°It might be interesting to make something more of it,¡± Ling Qi mused.


    Sixiang silently encouraged her.


    ¡°What did you have in mind, Miss Ling?¡± Wang Chao asked.


    Rather than answer directly, Ling Qi asked, ¡°Alingge, do you think you might be interested in training with us sometime?¡±


    Alingge came up short, looking briefly bewildered by the sudden invitation. ¡°I would not be opposed.¡±


    ¡°I assume you wouldn¡¯t be opposed to allowing Liang He along either,¡± Ling Qi said, turning back to Wang Chao. ¡°And maybe one or two others from time to time?¡±


    ¡°It would be more difficult to pass on the lessons you are looking for like that,¡± Wang Chao said slowly, but he was not dismissing her suggestions out of hand. She caught him looking briefly at Alingge. ¡°Would your lord truly be fine with that, Miss Alingge?¡±


    The girl twitched. ¡°Lord Luo does not seek to leash his followers.¡±


    Wang Chao held up his hands, speaking quickly. ¡°I meant no offense!¡±


    Her head really was in the gutter. Ling Qi blamed Sixiang.


    they whispered unrepentantly.


    That aside, looking at them talk, she didn''t get the sense that Wang Chao was interested in Alingge that way. Ah, that was it. Wang Chao was isolated. The Wang were new to their lands and position, so they had few vicontiel vassals, and not even that many baronial vassals. So compared to someone like Luo Zhong, Wang Chao wouldn''t have the wide base of vassal acquaintances needed to really play the same game as the other comital scions. But a comital scion was still comital, and together with someone of her position pushing it...


    ¡°I¡¯m just not very skilled at setting up gatherings,¡± Ling Qi hinted heavily. ¡°I was hoping you might assist me with that as well. Of course, I¡¯d be happy to accommodate anyone you wanted to invite as well.¡±


    Wang Chao brightened up considerably, and she was certain that she had hit the mark. ¡°Oho, I see. That is what you mean! An interesting proposition, Miss Ling!¡±


    ¡°Gui doesn''t quite get it, but Big Sister wants to fight lots of people?¡± her little brother questioned. He was resting his forelegs on the lip of the crater, peering up at them.


    ¡°Something like that. You could meet other spirit beasts as well, I¡¯m sure,¡± Ling Qi said, crouching down to rub his dusty head. ¡°I think it¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    ¡°Miss Ling¡¯s ambition has grown since we traded our first words,¡± Liang He said dryly, only to quail as she shot him a look.


    ¡°Do not be like that, Liang He,¡± Wang Chao said, clapping him on the back. ¡°We can use more sparring partners.¡± Wang Chao was increasingly taken by the idea of having something like Luo Zhong¡¯s parties to his name. ¡°Hm, hm, I¡¯ll have to look into booking one of the good training grounds. And we would need sparring licenses¡­¡±


    ¡°I can see to those if you give me a list of names,¡± Ling Qi offered, standing back up. ¡°I would not want to make you do all of the work.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course,¡± Wang Chao said. ¡°We¡¯ll have to speak of things later. Still, that¡¯s going to take some time to arrange, particularly with deployments!¡±


    Ling Qi winced. ¡°Ah, I hadn¡¯t thought of that.¡±


    The stocky boy nodded enthusiastically. ¡°Things slip by all of us. So for now, why don¡¯t we just decide on a time for me to give you some of that advice you sought?¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much,¡± Ling Qi replied, clapping her hands together and bowing her head. She found her smile was genuine. This¡­ wasn¡¯t so bad.


    ***


    They scheduled their lessons for later that afternoon, and with a bit of wrangling, every third day for an hour in the evening. Wang Chao was not an inspired teacher, but Ling Qi listened carefully to his words anyway as he began to walk her through hardpoint tactics, herding maneuvers, and other such things. There was a surprising amount of social maneuvering and manipulation when it came to battlefield tactics. A cultivator could just blast away with their biggest techniques, overrunning enemies with superior power, but it was wasteful.


    Instead, Ling Qi could accomplish so much more with a little cunning and tactical sleight of hand. Perhaps she had been engaging with full battlefields entirely wrong. Rather than thinking of it like a duel with a whole mess of people on either side, she should have been thinking of battles more like¡­ very violent heists.


    However, even as she drank in everything that Wang Chao had to say on matters of tactics and war, she found herself frustrated in other ways. Her cultivation still felt sluggish. Each cycling of her qi sent a twinge of pain up her spine, making it difficult to relax and meditate. Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t so bad as to cause her to fail in opening meridians. With the help of Suyin¡¯s meridian clearing tool, all eight of the meridians she needed to open for cultivating techniques next month were open, but¡­


    She still felt slow.


    Ling Qi did not need Sixiang¡¯s advice to know not to mention her complaints in Wang Chao¡¯s hearing, not when she was closing in on the fourth stage of the green soul realm despite her sluggishness. Besides, Zhengui was really enjoying himself, as far as she could tell. She wouldn¡¯t want to dampen his spirits.


    ***


    ¡°You have been quite the butterfly recently,¡± Meizhen said dryly, entering the worn down circle of foundation stones. ¡°Beast, inform me where you have hidden the real Ling Qi.¡±


    ¡°Ha ha,¡± Ling Qi said, saying the sounds flatly. ¡°I wasn¡¯t that bad.¡± She didn¡¯t turn from her seat on the round boulder, keeping her eyes on the glittering beam of moonlight ahead of her. Sixiang was working hard, but they couldn¡¯t quite manage to manifest without expending a great deal of qi yet.


    ¡°You were,¡± Meizhen disagreed, her flowing steps carrying her to stand beside Ling Qi. ¡°I was as well.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve improved more than I have. I barely managed to stumble through a dinner with Bao Qian without making a total ass of myself. But you...¡± Ling Qi gave her friend a sidelong look, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve had success.¡± Tinkling laughter, Sixiang¡¯s laughter, drifted on the wind.


    Meizhen¡¯s eyes flew open wide, and her cheeks pinked. ¡°What?! How did you¡ª?!¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t. She¡¯s guessing,¡± Sixiang¡¯s disembodied voice called out. ¡°We just heard that Bao Qingling came to her cousin in a fluster.¡±


    ¡°Gotta work on that reaction,¡± Ling Qi teased.


    ¡°Wicked girl,¡± Meizhen hissed, turning her face away. ¡°Is that why you invited me out to this ruin?¡±


    ¡°Partially,¡± Ling Qi said, still grinning widely at her friend''s flustered expression. This kind of thing¡­ She was still deeply wary of it in her heart, but Bai Meizhen was strong. No matter what happened, she was sure that Meizhen was in control. ¡°So,¡± she said eagerly, ¡°tell me what happened.¡±


    ¡°I do not see why I should share such private matters,¡± Meizhen said huffily, refusing to look at her.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, I¡¯m sorry for teasing,¡± Ling Qi cajoled. ¡°But please, I have to know how you managed to get that girl to notice what you were trying to do.¡±


    ¡°She is not half as dense as you,¡± Meizhen shot back.


    Ling Qi recoiled dramatically as if wounded, and the wind echoed with snickering. ¡°She¡¯s got you there,¡± Sixiang said.


    ¡°Now you¡¯re just being cruel,¡± Ling Qi complained. ¡°Please tell me?¡±


    Meizhen finally turned to look at her, though her cheeks were still pink. ¡°If you must know, I¡ª That is¡ª¡± It was bizarre to see the usually perfectly composed Bai Meizhen stumbling on her words.


    ¡°If you really don¡¯t want to say, I won¡¯t keep pressing,¡± Ling Qi backed off.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just¡ªI was aiding her with the cataloguing of factors to the toxins which the medicine hall was studying, and conversation turned to issues of betrothal. She mentioned finding all of her suitors to be blithering irritants, and I concurred,¡± Meizhen said.


    It was weird that Ling Qi could picture that conversation so easily in her head. She remained silent, not wanting to interrupt her friend¡¯s momentum.


    ¡°She then lamented that she could not get a match with someone as competent as I, and¡­ I also agreed.¡± Meizhen coughed. ¡°I may have¡­ complimented her as well, and er¡­ lamented that I was not in position to grow closer to her.¡±


    ¡°And then what happened?¡± Ling Qi asked, unable to help herself as she leaned forward.


    ¡°She told me to stop making fun of her,¡± Meizhen said. ¡°I... told her I was not.¡±


    Ling Qi almost winced at the high-pitched squeal Sixiang let loose inside of her head before the muse devolved into babbling about how cute the scenario was. ¡°She believed you?¡±


    ¡°... There may have been some convincing involved,¡± Meizhen replied evasively.


    ¡°You kissed her,¡± Ling Qi accused.


    ¡°I asked permission first,¡± Meizhen defended. ¡°Qingling¡­ may have thought I was still jesting however.¡±


    It was only her familiarity with Meizhen that told her how very tense the girl was. She couldn''t imagine how hard that must have been for her after¡­ ¡°Congratulations, Meizhen.¡±


    ¡°I even,¡± Meizhen said, flushing further, ¡°embraced her briefly at our parting.¡±


    Ling Qi and Meizhen ignored Sixiang¡¯s wolf whistle. ¡°I don¡¯t understand how you can be so forward. You¡¯re so much braver than I am.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever met an individual that you would consider doing such things with?¡± Meizhen asked, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°No,¡± Ling Qi admitted. It was a hard thing to even picture without uglier thoughts corrupting it. ¡°But my statement stands.¡±


    ¡°You are braver than you think, Qi,¡± Meizhen said, briefly resting her hand on Ling Qi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Now, what is it you are working on out here?¡±


    ¡°Sixiang has been trying to teach me to move more like they do.¡± Ling Qi sighed. ¡°But I¡¯m having a hard time with it.¡±


    ¡°Sixiang is an immaterial spirit,¡± Meizhen pointed out.


    ¡°Right, right, and I¡¯m not at a level where I can replicate that,¡± Ling Qi said, frowning at the worn stones. ¡°Not for long anyway. We¡¯re trying to meet each other halfway.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you are trying to step into the liminal realm,¡± Meizhen said, understanding dawning on her.


    ¡°Pretty much! I can pull her in when she¡¯s asleep, but doing it consciously is hard!¡± Sixiang agreed.


    ¡°Wait, what¡¯s that term?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°It refers to the space where certain spirits dwell, not wholly outside the material realm, yet not wholly part of it either. It is also called the realm of consciousness, or the Father¡¯s Hearth by some,¡± Meizhen explained academically, elegantly seating herself on another stone. ¡°It is typically accessed through dreams and mirrors. The technique which allows communication with Grandmother Serpent makes use of it as well, or so I have been taught.¡±


    ¡°Huh. I just call it the Dream.¡± Ling Qi shrugged.


    ¡°Not inaccurate,¡± Meizhen conceded. ¡°I am not sure I can assist much on the matter.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°Despite what you said earlier, I mostly wanted to hang out with my best friend, even if I¡¯m taking dance lessons while I do it. Gotta learn to split that focus, you know?¡±


    Meizhen let out a sigh, rubbing the bridge of her nose. ¡°Well, I cannot say that I object.¡±

 Bonus: Snake and Spider (3)

    When was it, Bao Qingling wondered, that she had grown used to having a peer in her workshop? She listened to the swish of a gown over the sound of clinking vials and the rustle of bundles of herbs being moved. The cohabitation with Li Suyin had not been comparable. There, the roles were clear. She was the master, and Li Suyin the student.


    The imperious serpent who had made herself at home here was not the same at all. It was her workshop, and Bai Meizhen respected that and deferred to her on these grounds. Their relationship remained frustratingly unclear however. The Bai¡¯s skill and knowledge matched hers in the field they shared, so neither was the student or assistant.


    Bao Qingling still did not know what the Bai wanted from her, but she had given up on investigating the matter. Bai Meizhen¡¯s aid and company was invaluable, even if, on occasion, Bao Qingling had to spend time clearing her head of the useless musings born by physical reactions. The minor loss in productivity was outweighed by the aid in her work and the inspiration to her cultivation. For now, she would simply take advantage of the assistance. Given recent events, it was required.


    Hmmm, Perhaps that was the source of her comfort with the situation. It was a well known phenomena that shared experience in lethal combat bred familiarity. Bao Qingling scowled as her fingers danced over the cluttered table top, snatching the next sample out of a disorganized container. She had not expected her workshop to come under serious attack. Her defenses had been lacking.


    ¡°It is unlike you to fall behind in your tasks,¡± Bai Meizhen noted.


    Bao Qingling paused but did not bristle as she would otherwise at such an accusation. ¡°Certain familial matters have recently overtaken my time. My apologies for seeking your assistance with such menial tasks.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Bai Meizhen said over the clink of glass. ¡°It is no bother.¡±


    There were so many tissue and fluid samples that required review. Bao Qingling had been confident in taking the load that she had, but that had been before those wretched letters had started coming.


    ¡°Betrothals,¡± Bao Qingling bit out. She did not bother to hide the venom that dripped from her voice. Then, she regretted voicing such bile; it was pointless, and she would only be chided for childishness. ¡°So many suitors, all seeking to ask after my health, to express their concern. To make their offers again. As if I could not maintain my own safety.¡±


    That was not even considering the persistent pest right here in the Sect.


    She felt Bai Meizhen still, and the thrumming threads of Bao Qingling¡¯s senses twisted and broke under the brief pulse of pressure that the other girl exuded.


    ¡°I was not aware that you were so sought after,¡± Bai Meizhen said quietly with a voice like a knife.


    It was pleasing to be understood for once. Despite herself, Bao Qingling felt a thread of satisfaction. Bai Meizhen, it seemed, shared her irritation with such nonsense. Bao Qingling closed the sample container a touch harder than was necessary, and the sound echoed dully through the workshop.


    ¡°There are always those seeking connection to the Bao, and my Father is not a particularly fecund man,¡± Bao Qingling said bitterly. ¡°I am his last unmarried child, and so the wolves circle, desperate for a scrap of favor from the wealthiest man in the province. It has nothing to do with me.¡±


    Of that, she was quite certain. She had met few of her suitors in person, but in every instance, their vapid pleasantries and clear disinterest in her work had made it difficult not to scream at them. It was saying something that Luo Zhong was among the best of her suitors. For all of his irritating persistence, he at least respected her abilities, if not her person.


    ¡°That seems unfortunate,¡± Bai Meizhen said stiffly. ¡°Perhaps you should speak to your father about¡­ quality control.¡±


    Bao Qingling frowned again, closing the latches on the sample case. One click followed after another as she activated the sixteen locks, and a pulse of heat warmed her hands as the security formation activated. The samples were ready for shipment. Unfortunately, she was not able to feel much of the satisfaction at a completed task.


    ¡°It is my responsibility.¡±


    Father had granted her the control to make her own decisions in the matter. If she gave that up, or offended too many, he would take it back.


    ¡°It is merely unfortunate then,¡± Bai Meizhen said quietly. Bao Qingling turned toward her, striding over to observe as Bai Meizhen finished her own case.


    ¡°It is inevitable that my suitors will only be interested in my familial wealth. I lack any attractive personal qualities to a partner,¡± Bao Qingling said flippantly. She was perfectly comfortable with herself naturally, but she was aware that both her appearance and personality were distinctly suboptimal by standard measures. She knew because it was at least partially by design.


    She could, if she was stubborn and valuable to her family, avoid the nonsense altogether. She had a great-uncle who had never married. She had never met him since he was both a clan elder and only rarely emerged from the labyrinth of tunnels, gears, steam, and clockwork that he made his home.


    It was aspirational.


    Bao Qingling leaned in as she studied Bai Meizhen¡¯s work. Every sample was tested, organized, and properly arranged. Through her threads, Bao Qingling felt the precise and graceful movements of her fingers, and the scent of Bai Meizhen¡¯s hair reached her nose.


    It was something exotic and floral. Pleasant. Discard.


    ¡°Hmph, if one of them was like you, perhaps it would not be so bad.¡±


    ***?


    The sound of her own heartbeat was loud in Bai Meizhen¡¯s ears. Bao Qingling peered over her shoulder, a step closer than was really appropriate. It was, in Bai Meizhen¡¯s opinion, a victory for her efforts to familiarize herself with the other girl. But by the Eight did it make things difficult in some ways.


    Bai Meizhen placed the last sample in the case and began to arrange the packing. She had decided that she wanted more than friendship from Bao Qingling some time ago. She was even quite certain that this time, the target of her affection was at least slightly attracted to her in a physical sense.


    Still, it was hard to move past the fear born that night by the lake.


    But she had promised herself that she would move forward. So, when Bao Qingling said those words, her response came to her lips almost unbidden. ¡°It is truly a shame that I am not in position to press my suit.¡±


    There was a pause, and then, a snort. Bao Qingling let out a rare bark of laughter. ¡°You are not usually the type to jest, but even I must admit to the quality of your timing.¡±


    Bai Meizhen squared her shoulders, turning so that she could meet the other girl¡¯s half-focused eyes. ¡°I am not joking. Your intelligence and dedication to your tasks are most admirable. I would not object to courting you if I could.¡±


    Bao Qingling¡¯s wry expression slowly became blank. To Bai Meizhen¡¯s distress, she saw a shift in the girl¡¯s body language, closing her off. ¡°Stop. It is not amusing any more.¡±


    ¡°Neither are you as unlovely as you think. Though you work hard to avoid flattering yourself, it is not truly effective,¡± Bai Meizhen pressed on instead.


    ¡°Stop mocking me,¡± Bao Qingling said. ¡°Why are you doing this now?¡±


    Bai Meizhen closed her eyes for a moment, her grip on the edge of the specimen case tightening. The wood groaned. Why was this so hard?


    ¡°Because of the attack on the Sect,¡± Meizhen admitted. Her eyes remained shut.


    ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡± Bao Qingling now sounded more nonplussed than anything.


    ¡°It reminded me that we do not have all the time in the world,¡± Bai Meizhen said. ¡°And you gave me an opening to strike.¡±


    Bao Qingling was silent.


    ¡°I am attracted to you, you dense girl,¡± Bai Meizhen said, opening her eyes to glare up at her. ¡°How much more plainly must I state it?¡±


    ¡°I do not understand what you think you have to gain out of doing this,¡± Bao Qingling said coolly. ¡°I was already prepared to return the favors you have given me.¡±


    ¡°What are you speaking of?¡± Bai Meizhen asked. ¡°Do you believe that I was seeking some favor from you?¡±


    Bao Qingling¡¯s blank stare was her answer.


    ¡°Bao Qingling,¡± Bai Meizhen began, speaking slowly and distinctly, ¡°I began spending time with you in order to indulge my hobbies. I continued doing so because I enjoyed your company, and in time, more.¡±


    ¡°I do not believe that that is your only reason,¡± Bao Qingling scoffed, crossing her arms. She looked away, and Bai Meizhen saw discomfort in her frame.


    ¡°Will you allow me to show you then?¡± Bai Meizhen asked.


    The other girl gave her a suspicious look. ¡°What do you intend?¡±


    Bai Meizhen turned to face her fully. Her mouth was dry. Was she really going to be this bold again? ¡°I propose a kiss. Do you think I could fool you with such a thing?¡±


    Bao Qingling was off-balance, visibly so. Bai Meizhen stepped forward. Bao Qingling stepped back. Even if this was not a battle, she knew that she had to press the attack.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious,¡± the other girl muttered, still not looking at her. ¡°Fine. If you wish to push this far with this, I will call your bluff.¡±


    Bai Meizhen felt a thrill, both fear and anticipation as she stepped up. It was only then that she realized a problem.


    ¡°Well?¡± Bao Qingling challenged, looking down at her.


    ¡°You¡¯re too tall,¡± Meizhen muttered. She felt her cheeks burning. ¡°You - that is, you would need to bend down.¡±


    Her voice sounded so horribly awkward that she almost wished to fall into her own shadow and disappear.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Bao Qingling said, once more off-balance. ¡°... Fine. I won¡¯t give you an excuse to back out.¡±


    Bao Qingling lowered her head. Bai Meizhen raised herself on her toes.


    Their lips met.


    It wasn¡¯t like the night on the lake. There was no drawing back, no fear, no perceived disgust.


    She hadn¡¯t made a mistake this time.

 Threads 96-Contemplation 1

    Ling Qi centered herself as she viewed the world through the lens of spirit. She saw the whorls and eddies of qi that gathered in this place where the world was thin and the streaming curtains of silver lunar qi that wafted down from the night sky that mingled with the free-flowing streams of wind and water and streamed down to permeate the stolid earth beneath her feet. She hummed the Spring Breeze Canto, and it came into even sharper focus.


    She glimpsed the immaterial, fleeting traces of dream that hung over the Silent Stones like a curtain of invisible lace. She traced the dissolving current of one and took the first step of the dance, as Sixiang had instructed her many times.


    ¡°Jesting aside, are you truly well, Qi?¡± Meizhen¡¯s voice reached her ears on subtle rhythms of thunder, emanating from the pillar of black water which occupied her friend''s place in the spiritual world. The predatory plate-sized golden eyes which stared out from those depths implied a horror that lay beneath, but Ling Qi knew those slitted eyes held only concern for her, and so the primal fear washed from her mind.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ling Qi replied, stepping to the unheard rhythm that Sixiang was humming in her head, following the phantom guidance of immaterial fingers tugging at the sleeves of her gown as she tried to match the flow of the dream. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    Her friend was silent for a moment, and Ling Qi twirled along with a whirl of energy, feeling her skirts fly out with the motion. ¡°You cannot tell me that Gu Xiulan¡¯s exit from the Sect did not affect you. Nor that the danger to your mortal family from the attack left you unruffled.¡±


    Ling Qi faltered, and the wave of dream qi escaped her. She kept her eyes closed but put on a smile. ¡°Mother actually broke through to red,¡± she deflected.


    ¡°I am pleased for both her and you,¡± Meizhen said tersely. ¡°But that is not the point.¡±


    Ling Qi took a shuddering breath and reset her stance to the start of the dance. ¡°It hurt to see Xiulan go. It hurt even more to know that my family was in danger and I was nowhere near,¡± Ling Qi said, forcing herself to resume the exercise. She felt Sixiang¡¯s arms around her shoulders and her friend¡¯s genuine concern, and the cold feeling that had arisen receded. ¡°But what can I do?¡±


    ¡°Little,¡± Meizhen replied sadly. ¡°But I worry, Ling Qi. What I have heard from you recently¡­ You have always been adaptable for the most part, but it is a large change. Are you certain that you are not haring off with new cultivation and arts to bury other concerns?¡±


    ¡°Maybe a little,¡± Ling Qi said, the honest words coming easily because it was Meizhen. It was easier to keep advancing, to keep marking off tasks from her mental checklist, to keep going with her day.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be unfair to yourself,¡± Sixiang said, their voice tickling her ear. Their volume increased, clearly addressing Meizhen. ¡°I wasn¡¯t helping. I had my own troubles, and she helped me out, but the realization she had in doing it was genuine.¡±


    Again, Ling Qi stepped, and she spun, riding out the whorl to glide across the ruined stones as her friend replied. ¡°And what realization was that, spirit?¡±


    ¡°That I had been making a lot of mistakes,¡± Ling Qi cut in wryly. ¡°Out of apathy, out of pride, out of a lot of things. The art I dug out of the archive helped, but I doubt the lessons it''s trying to teach would have sunk in without Sixiang.¡±


    The pillar of black, poisonous waters which represented Meizhen in her vision shuddered and swelled as the eyes within cut through her like knives, peering past her words and into her heart. ¡°I am not unhappy that you are no longer emulating my poorer habits,¡± Meizhen said. ¡°If you feel that what you are doing now is truer to the self you wish to be, than I will merely be happy for you.¡±


    ¡°I chose to walk the path I do now. I¡¯m just going to make myself miserable if I keep thinking that dealing with others is a chore. It¡¯d be doing a disservice to Lady Cai too,¡± Ling Qi said. She felt the tingling feeling of the dream¡¯s currents curling about her ankles, and for a second, her feet touched polished flagstones rather than yellow grass and crumbling rock. The moment passed, and she lost the eddy which had briefly carried her there. This was surprisingly tricky.


    ¡°Then that is good,¡± her friend agreed. ¡°Yet, I still sense that you are troubled. Please, Qi, I would know what it is that weighs on you. Is it that heart demon which you mentioned at our last tea?¡±


    This time, Ling Qi avoided missing a step and continued to pick up the tempo of her dance, whirling more quickly in the eddies of dream, but Meizhen¡¯s words still struck home hard. She had been avoiding thinking about it. She was working with Zhengui and Hanyi more, but it wasn¡¯t helping. It made her feel like she was missing some insight. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do about it,¡± Ling Qi revealed helplessly.


    ¡°Is it something you are willing to speak of?¡± Meizhen asked cautiously.


    If anyone else had asked, she would have said no. She wouldn¡¯t have mentioned it at all. Only Sixiang was really properly aware of her trouble, and that was because it was incredibly difficult to hide something from someone living in her head.


    Sixiang chuckled silently.


    ¡°I can¡¯t stop pushing forward. I can¡¯t slow down. There¡¯s still so much of my path to travel,¡± Ling Qi said, frustrated. ¡°But I feel like I keep hurting the people I care about in pursuing my goal. Zhengui wants to fight beside me, but I keep leaving him behind. It always seems like the best option in the moment. My mother wants to be part of my life, but she¡¯s only barely a cultivator, and there¡¯s so little she can do. And if it keeps going like this, I¡¯m going to leave others behind. Li Suyin just barely reached the full third realm, and I¡¯m already heading for the fourth step. Xiulan almost killed herself trying to keep up with me!¡±


    The words poured out in an ugly torrent, and she lost the step of her dance, stumbling as reality reasserted itself. She opened her eyes, turning to look at Meizhen seated upon the stone, looking at her with worried eyes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be alone again, but I can¡¯t stop growing stronger.¡±


    In a way, Meizhen¡¯s own unceasing growth was a great comfort. As much as it frustrated her in spars, knowing that her friend would always be there, a step or two ahead, was a balm in other ways.


    Meizhen stared at her for a long moment, her eyes fractionally wider than usual, an expression that would have been gaping in surprise for anyone else. ¡°Ling Qi, you cannot expect everyone in your life to match your cultivation. That is a path which holds only pain.¡±


    ¡°I know that,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°What would you do, if Cui stalled out in the third realm? How would you deal with that?¡±


    ¡°Do not ever let her hear you posit such a thing,¡± Meizhen warned. ¡°I would make room in my life for my cousin, no matter her strength. Those who rule must be the strongest, else we would collapse into warlordism and chaos, but there are many roles in this world which are not ruling. You cannot remain connected to others without giving of yourself. To imagine otherwise is utter selfishness, more than even you have displayed at your worst.¡±


    Meizhen¡¯s words cut, but she wasn¡¯t wrong. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt them,¡± she whispered. ¡°I know I can¡¯t be like that, but how do you reconcile that with cultivation?¡±


    Meizhen pursed her lips. ¡°It is impossible to relate to others without hurting and being hurt in turn. We fear, and we are feared.¡± Her words sounded final, as if to her, it was some absolute truth. ¡°But pains and fears have worth when they bring us the happiness of companionship. There is more to strength than raw might.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s hands curled into fists, but slowly, they loosened. ¡°I get it in my head, but I don¡¯t know how to accept it yet in my heart,¡± she said tiredly.


    ¡°You will find your answer. You are not one who will falter long. That, I believe,¡± Meizhen said sincerely.


    Ling Qi sighed, looking ruefully upon the scattered lunar qi, disrupted by her turbulent emotions. ¡°Looks like I might need to resume cultivation tomorrow evening.¡±


    ¡°You got pretty far despite the distraction,¡± Sixiang said encouragingly. ¡°You probably just need a few more nights of practice.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Ling Qi said, flopping down upon her favorite stone. ¡°We¡¯re running out of time though.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Meizhen asked sharply.


    Ling Qi blinked, and then, she grinned sheepishly. ¡°Ah, that was the other thing I wanted to tell you. It looks like I¡¯ll be joining one of the first expeditions going down.¡±


    ¡°Of course you are,¡± her friend said, squeezing her eyes shut. ¡°Please, Qi, do not be reckless.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t be,¡± Ling Qi promised. ¡°How about you? What is the Bai¡¯s take on the Sect¡¯s mobilization?¡±


    ¡°I will not be participating in any offensives.¡± Meizhen looked conflicted about that. If Ling Qi had to guess, Meizhen was pleased at the clear indication that she was valued but displeased at being prevented from raising her clan¡¯s name. ¡°I will fully cooperate with any defensive measures the Sect wishes to take. I will be receiving some training in Argent Peak Sect¡¯s tactics and warfare under a core disciple for the next month.¡±


    ¡°Congratulations,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I hope you do well.¡±


    ¡°You as well. Let your enemies be driven before you,¡± Meizhen replied, looking up at the sky.


    Ling Qi nodded, following her gaze up to the clear night sky. It was as clear as it could be, what with the titanic dragon floating up there. ¡°Ah, are you still up for a little shopping?¡±


    Meizhen gave her a questioning look.


    ¡°For Hanyi,¡± Ling Qi clarified. ¡°She¡¯s going to be performing with me at this weekend¡¯s party, and Lady Cai put together some equipment funds.¡±


    ¡°I do not see why not,¡± Meizhen said with a touch of amusement. ¡°I suppose someone will have to take the place of your taste with Gu Xiulan absent.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not that bad,¡± Ling Qi scoffed, leaning back in her seat. It was good to spend time with her best friend.

 Threads 97 Contemplation 2

    With Sixiang¡¯s instruction and her ability to better tap into the flow of the qi at the Silent Stones, her refinements of the Phantasmagoria of Lunar Revelry art came easily to Ling Qi. The ways in which she had been weaving the flows of qi had been subtly wrong in ways that now seemed obvious, and correcting them was merely a matter of practice.


    She could, using the techniques of the art as a guide, briefly step completely outside of the physical realm, and sometimes even do so with guests, but for now at least, doing so without the art acting as a crutch remained beyond her. She thought that she might just need to grow more acclimated to using the art.


    Ling Qi couldn¡¯t say she minded the practice though. Sixiang was a good teacher, particularly when she was on the cusp of unreality and she could feel their phantom hands on hers, guiding the steps.


    She still preferred composing, but dance had its own charms as a relaxation method.


    Chaperoning Hanyi through the sect shops was a significantly more stressful measure. The girl wanted to touch everything. Thankfully, with Cai Renxiang¡¯s silent presence to keep the shopkeepers calm and Meizhen¡¯s help, she managed to wrangle the spirit¡¯s excitement without causing any trouble.


    The first task was getting Hanyi to hold still for the dressmaker and guide her away from anything too outrageous. That concern, at least, proved unnecessary. Hanyi had a rather conservative taste in dresses. The one she chose in the end was an elegant white dress with a midnight blue underlayer and swirling embroidery patterns that spoke of wind and clouds. It had a full length hem, a closed collar, and wide, flowing sleeves that covered her hands.


    Unfortunately, no amount of cajoling could convince Hanyi of the utility of shoes but with the length of the pale nightgown, she wasn¡¯t flashing her feet and ankles about everywhere anymore.


    Selecting a talisman was actually harder, not only because they had used most of the funds provided on the gown, but also because Hanyi seemed to actually want Ling Qi¡¯s input there. Without Xiulan, she was a little lost in that realm. In the end, together, they decided on a small teardrop-shaped white jade locket on a silver chain that would hold a portrait in it.


    It was embarrassing to sit with Hanyi in her lap while an artist did a miniature portrait to complete the Argent Remembrance Locket, but Hanyi insisted, and Ling Qi would have felt terrible if she refused in the face of that expression. She didn¡¯t miss the way that Meizhen had covered her mouth with her hand and looked at her with laughing eyes afterward either!


    All in all, it was practically a relief to start working on the setup for Cai¡¯s party.


    ***


    Or at least it had been.


    ¡°Good evening,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°Fair eve to you,¡± Xuan Shi said somberly. Ling Qi had been taking a moment¡¯s breather from performing when he approached her near the refreshment table. Xuan Shi looked much the same as he had when she had seen him last, although he appeared to have gotten new robes. His dark green, shell-patterned robe was rather bulky, speaking of many layers or perhaps even armored padding. Xuan Shi didn¡¯t quite seem as energetic as he had been at the start of the year.


    Ling Qi glanced away, uncomfortable. It wasn¡¯t like she blamed him for taking her to a place that had turned out to be¡­ inappropriate. He had been just as horrified as her, but things remained awkward after. She couldn¡¯t really bring herself to approach the boy again over the course of the last few months. She had told herself it was fine, that they were both giving each other space, and while that was true in some ways, she also knew that she was afraid and that she had been letting that fear guide her.


    Sixiang encouraged.


    Ling Qi took a sip of her drink to break up the staring contest and put on a smile. ¡°It¡¯s been awhile, Sir Xuan. Has your cultivation been going well?¡± There. A nice safe topic. No need for awkwardness there!


    ¡°As the tide advances, so do I,¡± he said evenly. Xuan Shi was sitting firmly at the threshold stage, as expected of a ducal scion. His physical cultivation felt a little unsteady; he must have just recently broken through. ¡°Miss Ling¡¯s rise belies the advancing storm still, I see.¡±


    She took a second to decipher that and then nodded, smiling. ¡°Sir Xuan is too kind. And your talisman work?¡±


    ¡°Steady,¡± he said after a moment. ¡°Miss Ling¡­¡± he began, trailing off awkwardly.


    She stared back, not quite sure what to say either. Sixiang sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°This one apologizes.¡±


    They spoke in unison over each other, leaving them both blinking in befuddlement. Ling Qi took a deep breath, wrapped herself in the Carefree Mantle, and pushed on.


    ¡°I should not have avoided you these past months,¡± she said, bowing her head in apology. ¡°It was both rude and unkind.¡±


    Xuan Shi looked mildly alarmed under his hat and high collar, raising his hand to hastily wave off her apology. ¡°Nay, Miss Ling¡¯s reluctance is wholly reasonable given past circumstances.¡±


    ¡°Nothing happened which deserved any ire,¡± Ling Qi disagreed firmly. ¡°You did nothing wrong, even if the situation was somewhat embarrassing.¡± She was glad for the ducal grade screening technique she could sense around them, as impenetrable as a xuan wu¡¯s shell. This conversation could be taken in such wrong ways.


    He looked like he wanted to disagree, but eventually, he shook his head and bowed back, lower than was strictly proper given their respective positions. ¡°This one is relieved by Miss Ling¡¯s forgiveness. This one imagined many paths which might have arisen from that day, but the result has been deeply regrettable.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°I hope we can be more friendly in the future and put this behind us.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t quite read his expression with his hat in the way and the rock solid polish of his social arts, but he seemed conflicted at hearing that. ¡°Yes,¡± he finally agreed as he straightened up.


    ¡°Good. I hope you have been enjoying the party then?¡± Ling Qi asked, relieved that this problem at least didn¡¯t require much solving.


    ¡°Always,¡± Xuan Shi agreed. ¡°Lady Cai and Miss Ling¡¯s gatherings are a bright day in the midst of the storm season.¡±


    Was he actually still nursing something for Cai Renxiang? She didn''t think so. He was just being a bit over the top with his compliments then.


    ¡°This one has greatly enjoyed observing the evolution of Miss Ling¡¯s composition,¡± he continued, only to shake his head. ¡°But that is not the purpose of my approach.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What is?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Given Miss Ling¡¯s forgiveness, it feels as if these words might be mere wasted air, but this one wished to inform you that the expedition below will count him among their number and that Miss Ling could rest her mind at ease that this one would behave appropriately.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, then blinked again as she parsed his statements. Xuan Shi was going to be going below as well. ¡°I am reassured to have someone so skilled along. Is the Xuan clan truly allowing this though?¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°This one is not nearly as important as Miss Ling assumes. But the Xuan clan requires knowledge, and this one is in position to provide.¡±


    Ling Qi digested that information. If she had to guess, the Xuan clan were probably getting an information sharing deal with the Sect to investigate these creatures. But in the end, that was all above her head. ¡°I suppose I can take it easy then. It¡¯s not like anyone is going to get through your defense.¡± She felt a lot better about Su Ling¡¯s presence in the group now.


    He tugged at his collar, embarrassed by the praise. ¡°This one will endeavor not to disappoint.¡±


    ¡°Big Sis! Big Sis! It¡¯s time to get back on stage!¡±


    Ling Qi looked up as Hanyi ran over, weaving between disciples. Ling Qi had been reluctant to let Hanyi be on her own, but the spirit had promised good behavior yesterday. There hadn¡¯t been any angry shouts yet, so she assumed it was holding.


    ¡°Is it that time already?¡± Ling Qi asked. Looking up, she saw that the poet who had been filling her off time was stepping down. ¡°Please excuse me, Xuan Shi.¡±


    He bowed again, and she stepped past.


    Mounting the stage with Hanyi at her side, she rubbed her fingers along the length of her flute in thought, scanning the crowd for potential conversations to pay particular attention to. Smiling politely, she began to play her first piece.


    ***


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes remained demurely half-closed as she played her latest composition, and beside her, Hanyi sang. Drifting on the sound of song, her senses carried throughout the room, showing her dozens of faces and letting her hear dozens of voices. Some faces and voices were garbled beyond recognition by effects with as much variance as there were people.


    Like this, she absorbed the gossip of the Emerald Seas, as understood by the disciples of the Argent Peak Sect. Many spoke of war and battle, bantering about who would win the most glory. In some, it was mere posturing, but in others, she saw and heard a genuine resolve. However, the one thing which all had in common was confidence. While there was a very personal fear of injury or death, not one person showed any fear that the Empire would lose to the barbarians.


    Ling Qi heard the Duchess¡¯ name whispered in fearful reverence, whispers of soldiers being organized across the province and clan musters being raised and drilled by men and women with white-plumed helms, as well as harsh punishments levied against those who had been found to have allowed their defenses to grow lax. There was something of a divide in the room between those who spoke of such things with pride and admiration and the ones who seemed disturbed and apprehensive at their peers'' easy acceptance of the intrusion of ducal authority on their clan affairs. The former outnumbered the latter, so far as Ling Qi could tell.


    But even as she quietly catalogued who was saying what in the back of her head, Ling Qi could not help but focus on more familiar faces. Her liege was speaking with Sun Liling, who had shown up again for the first time in months. Neither girl appeared in any way upset. Meizhen stared up at Meng De with an icy expression, the two of them trading clipped but ¡°polite¡± barbs in some kind of passive-aggressive standoff. But she didn¡¯t focus her gaze on either of those. There was little she could do regarding Sun Liling, and Bai Meizhen could take care of herself. And if any of it concerned her, Cai Renxiang or Meizhen would just tell her later.


    Her attention was drawn to a pair she was less familiar with and the subtly growing space around them. Through the flowing notes of her song, she had felt a distortion growing around the tall, lanky girl that Meizhen had taken such an interest in and the frowning scion of the Luo clan. A big part of the reason it drew her attention was the simple fact that she could actually hear parts of their conversation. When she had first passed her attention over them, she had heard only the baying of hounds, but after an angry vibration, she felt like a curtain had been torn. Considering that Bao Qingling and Luo Zhong were both levels above her in cultivation, that was an oddity in and of itself.


    ¡°... are being childish, Bao Qingling.¡± Luo¡¯s voice was low and harsh, but he had barely finished his sentence before he glanced to the side, seemingly aware that his words could now be overheard.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure why you think your opinion should matter to me,¡± Bao Qingling replied dully. Her grip on her wine cup was white-knuckled, and she looked like she was contemplating throwing her drink in Luo Zhong¡¯s face. ¡°It is not my fault you are choosing to be naive.¡±


    ¡°It is not naivety! I have tried to explain this,¡± he said irritably. ¡°I had thought you had decided to be reasonable by making a showing at this gathering, but as usual, you refuse to listen!¡± There was a sort of tugging at the qi around them, and his voice warbled at the end, distorted.


    ¡°I came to show my support for the Cai and the war effort, not to engage in your stupid games, Luo Zhong. It was you who approached me,¡± she retorted flatly. ¡°I have no interest in you. I have told Father this. Go away.¡±


    He frowned, eyeing her reproachfully. ¡°It is not as if I care for you either. But that is no reason why we¡­¡±


    Unfortunately, the damage to his technique was repaired, and Ling Qi could hear no more as the sound of baying dogs began to reassert itself. Their conversation only went on for a few more moments before Bao Qingling spun on her heel and marched away while he was in mid word, leaving the Luo scion looking intensely frustrated.

 Threads 98-Contemplation 3

    On the stage, Ling Qi smiled and bowed as her first song with Hanyi came to an end. They began the next song, and Ling Qi pondered what she had heard. The short snippet wasn¡¯t much to go on. It almost seemed like just a personal conflict, but wasn¡¯t this sort of conflict between vassal groups the sort of thing she was supposed to keep an eye on? Also, she was curious about the girl who had attracted Meizhen¡¯s interest.


    Ling Qi continued to listen in to the conversations of lesser nobles. She paid special attention to those who seemed to lie on the edges of groups and blocs. Wang Chao could probably use a nudge toward more potential friends. The rest, she just filed away in her head to be reported to Cai Renxiang later.


    When the performance was over and Hanyi had danced off to the refreshment tables, Ling Qi descended from the stage, trading polite words with other partygoers. Quite a few seemed to be thrown off by her new attempts at a more friendly demeanor, and she caught more than one wary look at her back as she passed through the crowd. It was like they were waiting for the other shoe to drop.


    She found Bao Qingling standing with her back to the pavilion''s railing, arms crossed and shoulders hunched. She looked rather unapproachable. Naturally, Ling Qi ignored this. She honestly wasn¡¯t sure what had attracted Meizhen to this girl. The only thought that came to mind was their shared height and general build.


    She tried to picture the scowling girl in front of her willingly embracing someone. She failed.


    Sixiang murmured.


    Bao Qingling¡¯s head jerked in her direction as she approached, and Ling Qi stopped to bow. ¡°Miss Bao, did you enjoy the song?¡±


    ¡°It was highly proficient,¡± she replied shortly, and Ling Qi suspected that was the best praise she would get from the girl. ¡°I do not have much use for open skies and blooming spring fields however.¡±


    ¡°No song can be for everyone,¡± Ling Qi said agreeably, moving to lean against the railing beside her. ¡°How is Li Suyin? I haven¡¯t seen her all month.¡±


    ¡°The Sect has her locked away in a workshop,¡± Bao Qingling said. Her eyes stared ahead, twitching with the movement of the crowd in front of them. Her sleek grey boot tapped the floor impatiently. ¡°Not how I expected her to catch the elders¡¯ attention.¡±


    ¡°Li Suyin is very talented,¡± Ling Qi said. Working directly with the elders? That was¡­ definitely something.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Bao Qingling sniffed. ¡°I taught her properly.¡±


    Ling Qi gave her a sidelong look. Despite her sour tone, Ling Qi didn¡¯t detect any envy there, just a sort of spiteful pride.


    ¡°And what about you?¡± She was surprised when Bao Qingling spoke up again. ¡°Handling my cousin¡¯s attempts at negotiation well?¡±


    ¡°We have worked out an initial deal,¡± Ling Qi revealed easily.


    ¡°Whatever you¡¯re doing, keep doing it.¡± Bao Qingling snorted. ¡°You have him puzzled, that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    Sixiang said dryly in her head.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that under advisement,¡± Ling Qi replied, keeping a straight face.


    ¡°Do so,¡± Bao Qingling said bluntly.


    Finally, she turned her head to look at Ling Qi. Even cleaned up without the goggles or a mask on her face, Bao Qingling definitely wasn¡¯t pretty. Her complexion was more pallid than pale, there were dark circles under her eyes, her lips were thin, and her features were sharp. Compared to the many young women here, she was very plain. But then again, so was Ling Qi. ¡°Tch, it seems that we are entangled, one way or another.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded slowly. On several levels even. ¡°We are. Funny how that works.¡±


    Bao Qingling grunted in agreement. ¡°Don¡¯t expect me to start coming out to shop and braid your hair. You are an associate of an associate.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t friends,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°But I feel like we should at least be friendly given the growing number of connections we have.¡±


    Bao Qingling gave her a narrow-eyed glare, and a faint touch of color rose in her cheeks. ¡°And what is that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°Just that we should talk now and then,¡± Ling Qi said lightly. ¡°Care to vent about what¡¯s troubling you? Lady Cai might need to know if her vassals are going to be squabbling on the eve of war.¡±


    The other girl huffed, turning back to watch the crowd. ¡°It¡¯s not clan business,¡± she answered shortly. ¡°Not yet.¡±


    Ling Qi cocked an eyebrow. When Bao Qingling didn¡¯t continue, she cleared her throat. ¡°Now you¡¯re the one being vague.¡±


    ¡°Feh,¡± the girl spat. ¡°Just echoes of conflict before our time. Luo Zhong wants to have patching things up under his belt and a line of Bao family credit. He started courting me the second I hit the Inner Sect. As if I have time for that.¡±


    ¡°I would have thought your parents would be deciding that kind of thing,¡± Ling Qi said carefully.


    Bao Qingling shrugged. ¡°He seems to have convinced his parents. Mine are content to leave me be. I am a poor asset for the usual business, but I¡¯ve shown enough talent to put that nonsense off. If I can angle for an apprenticeship in the Duchess¡¯ court, that is worth more than a line with a bunch of herders.¡±


    ¡°Why not just go for a different Bao then? I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve got sisters or cousins.¡± Ling Qi felt gross talking about this topic, but Luo Zhong¡¯s insistence on Bao Qingling in particular seemed strange given how large clans were. Still, she felt like calling a scion of another count clan ¡°a bunch of herders¡± was more than Qingling¡¯s habitual bluntness. Was there conflict between the Bao and the Luo?


    ¡°Not unmarried. He¡¯s just too impatient to wait a decade or two for the younger ones to grow up,¡± Bao Qingling explained flippantly. She pushed herself up from the railing. ¡°I will give Lady Cai my respects now. This place isn¡¯t good for my nerves.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded as the other girl left, following her path through the crowd.


    Sixiang mused silently.


    Ling Qi considered following up on this, but she might be getting ahead of herself. She was more confident in herself now, but there was confidence, and then there was arrogance in trying to weasel out more context from a comital scion who appeared to pride himself on social manipulation. And using her co-project with Wang Chao as a conversation opener might be insulting to Wang Chao.


    Ling Qi cast one last glance at Luo Zhong. He stood off to one side, chatting pleasantly with a handful of barons and viscounts she recognized from his party. He seemed fine, but there was still a hint of tension in the air. She mentally appended this disagreement to her to-do list. Once the expedition underground was over, she would ask Bao Qian for more information about this.


    Ling Qi caught sight of Hanyi, and she began to head her way. Something about the way Hanyi was grinning at Xuan Shi made her nervous.


    Sixiang asked innocently.


    Ling Qi picked up her pace. Why did Xuan Shi¡¯s social screen have to be so good!?


    ***


    ¡°Right? Big Sis is just the best, but she won¡¯t admit it, so you should¡­¡± Hanyi¡¯s voice suddenly snapped into focus as Ling Qi stepped into range.


    ¡°Hello again,¡± Ling Qi said cheerfully, cutting Hanyi off without remorse. ¡°I hope my little sister hasn¡¯t been troubling you.¡±


    Hanyi shot her a look and huffed, crossing her arms. ¡°Big Sis, I was being good! I didn¡¯t do anything you said not to.¡±


    Ling Qi gave her a suspicious look. Hanyi grinned. Xuan Shi looked uncomfortable.


    ¡°Thy sibling offered no offense. Do not be harsh,¡± Xuan Shi said hastily. Well, hastily for him, anyway.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ling Qi said evenly. ¡°What were you discussing then?¡±


    ¡°I was just talking about how good you are at composing, Sis, and all the help you¡¯ve been giving me,¡± Hanyi said sweetly.


    Partial lie, her instincts told her. Considering Hanyi¡­


    Sixiang stated bluntly in her thoughts.


    Ling Qi sighed. Hanyi was trying to ¡°help.¡± Thankfully, Xuan Shi did not seem to have taken offense. ¡°There is no need to praise me too much, Hanyi. You will make people think I have a swollen head,¡± she chided gently.


    Hanyi looked defiant but nodded, mumbling under her breath. ¡°Big Sis should be less humble.¡±


    Ling Qi chose to ignore that and smiled at Xuan Shi. ¡°Thank you for being patient with Hanyi.¡±


    He waved his hand dismissively. ¡°Miss Ling¡¯s praise is welcome but unneeded. This one would instead offer thanks for the superb performance.¡±


    ¡°It was hardly something so praiseworthy,¡± Ling Qi demurred. ¡°And my name is fine.¡±


    ¡°As you say,¡± he said, tugging his hat low. ¡°How fares thine younger brother?¡±


    ¡°He is growing quite steadily. He reached the appraisal stage just a short time ago,¡± Ling Qi replied cheerfully. She was always happy for an opportunity to praise Zhengui.


    ¡°If anyone has a swollen head, it¡¯s Zhen,¡± Hanyi said petulantly. The two must have had a little spat recently. Ling Qi did not let herself worry about it. They were friends and squabbled frequently, but their enmity never lasted for more than a day or two.


    Sixiang accused.


    Ling Qi ignored the muse¡¯s prodding.


    ¡°A good omen for growth to come,¡± Xuan Shi said, oblivious to her internal byplay. ¡°This one has noticed a certain change in thee as well. A successful assimilation?¡±


    Ling Qi took but a moment to understand. Xuan Shi¡¯s speech had become much more comprehensible since last year or perhaps, he was simply becoming more familiar with southern dialects. ¡°I did succeed in integrating my domain weapon recently. Lady Cai was most helpful with her instruction. Given your cultivation, you must have as well.¡±


    He nodded amiably. ¡°This one¡¯s own efforts were somewhat fraught, but success came in the end.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ve ever seen your domain weapon,¡± Ling Qi noted. She couldn¡¯t quite recall. It would be rude to ask him to bring it out here though. ¡°I suppose I will have the opportunity soon. Would you mind telling me about your more recent projects since we will be fighting together?¡±


    ¡°Certainly.¡± Xuan Shi looked pleased. She had a feeling he would enjoy talking about his work, and it would be tactically helpful. She was a little amused at the way Hanyi subtly rolled her eyes. Silly little sister, it wasn¡¯t so easy to make things awkward any more!


    ***


    Ling Qi stood by Cai Renxiang¡¯s side as the last of the guests descended the hill and left their site. The rest of the party had gone by quickly.


    Xuan Shi¡¯s projects were interesting. It seemed that his focus was on expanding his project from last year¡¯s crafting competition from personal defense to rapid deployment fortifications. A great deal of his words had gone over her head; she had not kept up with her formation studies. However, the talk of self-reinforcing and resonating defences certainly sounded powerful. She would feel a lot better about scouting ahead knowing that she had such a sturdy foundation behind her.


    She may have overstepped herself in inviting him to take a look at her home defenses though. He had been quite eager actually, but now, Ling Qi had to explain to her mother that a member of a ducal family was coming by and prevent her from hyperventilating. A concern for after the expedition.


    ¡°You performed well,¡± Cai Renxiang said, disturbing her thoughts. ¡°I was somewhat ambivalent about adding your spirit to the performance, but it turned out well. A worthy expense.¡±


    Ling Qi could feel Hanyi being smug at her from inside of her dantian. She would need to puncture that ego a little, come training.


    ¡°It was amusing,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°I expected some trouble with the more Peaks-inclined nobility, but the consensus seemed to be that I was skilled for taming such a notoriously unruly spirit.¡±


    Hanyi blew a silent rasberry at her.


    Sixiang chuckled.


    Hanyi complained.


    Ling Qi struggled to keep a straight face as her spirits bickered. Cai Renxiang looked at her out of the corner of her eye, and Ling Qi flushed. She was pretty sure that Cai Renxiang knew what was happening. ¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t all good,¡± she allowed. ¡°Some people still thought having her walk around on her own was boorish.¡±


    ¡°You cannot please everyone with every action,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°Nonetheless, I am satisfied with your efforts.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ling Qi acknowledged. ¡°Might I ask what matter brought Sun Liling here?¡±


    Cai Renxiang¡¯s lips quirked down. ¡°She was interested in a truce.¡±


    Ling Qi raised her eyebrows. ¡°I didn¡¯t know we were still at war with her.¡±


    ¡°The Princess has focused her competitiveness upon myself and Bai Meizhen,¡± her liege corrected. ¡°Regardless, it seems that Ji Rong has also been selected as part of the team for your upcoming expedition, and she wished to offer assurances that there would be no ill will during that mission¡­ and request the same.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked. ¡°He will? But why?¡± she asked.


    ¡°His arts proved unusually effective against the beasts of the deep,¡± Cai Renxiang explained calmly. ¡°The Sect is trusting the members to act professionally.¡±


    That was certainly fine for her and for Xuan Shi. Could Ji Rong really be trusted to do the same? She rubbed her forehead in consternation. ¡°I have no personal grudge.¡±


    ¡°I told the princess such, and I trust your discipline regardless,¡± Cai Renxiang said, stepping out of the pavilion. ¡°Come. I wish to have one final spar before you set about your last stretch of cultivation.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lady Cai,¡± Ling Qi replied immediately, falling in behind her. Ugh. She really didn¡¯t know how to feel about working with Ji Rong.


    Over the course of the next few days, Ling Qi made her final preparations. She cultivated the next level of the Roaming Moon¡¯s Eye art. Divination had been a useful tool before, and developing it further would only make it more so.


    When she wasn¡¯t cultivating, she was working with Hanyi and Zhengui, spending just a little more time familiarizing herself with their fighting styles.


    Soon, the time had come.

 Threads 99-Descent 1

    The caverns had changed.


    The crevice which Li Suyin and Ling Qi had descended had been widened into a veritable canyon, cutting through the still recovering wilderness. Around it, a guard post had been raised, which bristled with soldiery and weaponry leveled downward. The path beneath the earth had been widened, flattened, and shaped into a thoroughfare.


    And hundreds of meters beneath the earth, a forward base had been carved.


    Ling Qi glanced at the fluted pillar of metal and bone which marked the camp¡¯s edge. It was as tall as she and gleamed dully in the light of the lanterns and torches. Holes marking its length let out a faint hissing sound, and she could feel the currents of wind swirling around it as it spewed fresh clean air into the noxious cavern. It was only one of many lining the cavern that had been carved out. So this was the fruit of Li Suyin¡¯s elder-assisted labors.


    The cavern thronged with activity, soldiers and disciples moving swiftly about on various tasks, moving supplies, raising barricades, and assembling weapons emplacements and fortifications at the tunnel entrances. Off to one side, Ling Qi saw the hulking corpse of one of the beetles she and Suyin had faced before being butchered and disassembled by disciples in bloody smocks with cleavers and saws.


    On the mountain peaks, it was easy to forget, but here, it was made clear. The Sect was planning war. Stepping past the checkpoint which led to the surface, Ling Qi wove her way through the crowd. Although she did her best to avoid disrupting others¡¯ movements, there was no need to hide her nature as she did in the sect town. Each step was a flickering movement, carrying her further than a single human stride could match, moving between spaces too narrow for a human form to pass. The echo of her music caused shoulders to imperceptibly straighten and fatigue to fade.


    Even if she didn¡¯t know their faces, these were allies against the enemies that had threatened her family.


    It did not take long to cross the cavern like that, and soon, Ling Qi approached the command tent. A veritable pavilion of black and silver silk, she would have thought it ostentatious and out of place if it didn¡¯t burn in her spiritual senses, a blazing star that bristled with the promise of swift, unyielding death. Even as she stepped through those defenses unhindered, it felt like a thousand blades grazed her skin and a thousand eyes scrutinized her form.


    Inside, she found the pavilion occupied by a wide round table surrounded by camp chairs. A number of large maps, each seemingly depicting a different elevation, lay across the table. Ink brushes danced across the surface, drawing out new tunnels in real time and detailing the cave system. At the far end of the table lay a map that was still mostly empty.


    Naturally, she was not alone.


    Su Ling was seated in the chair furthest from the door. Her arms were crossed, her shoulders hunched and her vulpine ears laid straight back against the side of her head. She wasn¡¯t so much broadcasting her discomfort as screaming it. Su Ling had acquired actual armor, a thick padded vest of black stained leather, as well as bracers and greaves lacquered in earthy tones.


    A few seats down, Xuan Shi sat straight-backed in his chair, his hands on the table. His high collared robes were dark green, almost black, and seemed even stiffer than last she had seen. If she had to guess, his robes had been inset with armored plates. He had a new hat as well with the usual turtle shell pattern, but little silver bells gleaming with earthen qi hung from the brim.


    Beside him was her first surprise. Bian Ya, her one time tutor, leaned casually on the table, dressed in a pale green gown. It was plainer than her usual fare, but the silk rippled like liquid, drawing the eye into hypnotic patterns. Her hair was done up elaborately, woven through golden ornaments. She was smiling at Xuan Shi, who seemed to be all but squirming under her attention, while Su Ling shot dirty looks at her.


    ¡°Oh, Ling Qi. I had heard you would be joining us. Welcome,¡± Bian Ya said to her as the tent flap fell closed behind her.


    ¡°Senior Sister Bian,¡± Ling Qi greeted, offering a short bow. ¡°I had not heard you were coming. You were already deployed last I heard.¡±


    The older girl¡¯s cheerful smile grew brittle. ¡°My skills are in quite high demand. I will be serving as our communications officer to ensure that we all remain in contact.¡±


    ¡°How reassuring,¡± Ling Qi replied with a smile. She even meant it. Another disciple at the fifth stage of green was very welcome in her mind. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re already familiar with Xuan Shi and my friend Su Ling?¡±


    ¡°Of course, though we have not had a chance to speak much.¡± Bian Ya tittered. ¡°Such stoic sorts.¡±


    A quiet growl escaped Su Ling¡¯s throat, but she glanced at Ling Qi and forced herself to relax. ¡°I just don¡¯t see the point in small talk. This is a job, not a party.¡±


    ¡°This one has intended no offense,¡± Xuan Shi said stiffly.


    ¡°We¡¯re not here to have fun, but it is important to be familiar with your squadmates,¡± Ling Qi placated as she circled the table, taking a seat between Su Ling and Xuan Shi. ¡°It doesn¡¯t do any good to be too tense before the mission even starts.¡±


    ¡°Well said, Junior Sister,¡± Bian Ya said. ¡°If I have come across as too overbearing, please accept my apologies.¡±


    ¡°A divided crew makes for a poorly steered ship,¡± Xuan Shi acknowledged. ¡°I, as well, hope that we may¡­¡±


    The tent flap rustled, and Ji Rong stepped through. Ji Rong had not changed much in appearance since she had seen him last. His shaggy hair was maybe a little longer, and he had grown a little taller, his profile a little more filled out. He had picked up a new scar, deep claw marks that ran across his chest from collarbone down to disappear beneath his half-open shirt. His clothing was still simple, a dark brown tunic and trousers with only a bit of gold thread at the sleeves and collar to break it up. The only splash of color was a golden sash cinched around his waist.


    Ji Rong glowered at them in the beat of silence that followed. ¡°Sup,¡± he grunted, giving them a jerky nod. His expression hardened when it fell upon Xuan Shi, and he sneered.


    Xuan Shi fell silent, staring back. ¡°Greetings, Sect Brother,¡± he returned, and Ling Qi didn¡¯t miss the undercurrent of distaste in his voice.


    ¡°Feh,¡± Ji Rong scoffed, ambling over to drop into a chair opposite the rest of them.


    For a minute, the room fell into an awkward silence. Su Ling glared at everyone, Xuan Shi and Ji Rong continued to stare at one another, and even Bian Ya seemed moderately taken back. Thankfully, the moment did not last long.


    The tent flap fluttered open, and all the tension was crushed under the churning, oppressive presence that fell over the room like a death shroud.


    Elder Sima Jiao was, in her experience, an irreverent, lackadaisical man prone to bickering and pettiness. There was no sign of that in the man who had just entered the room. He still wore his loud and gaudy robes, bright and eye-searing magenta this time, but the expression on his face was certainly not humorous. His ash-grey face was cold, and his eyes pinned each of them in place for a moment. Beneath their chairs, Ling Qi could feel their shadows writhing with awareness and eyes that rose and swelled and popped like the bubbles in boiling water.


    It was almost enough to make her miss the two that entered behind him. On one side was Guan Zhi, her expression grim and her arms folded behind her back. She wore a form-fitting vest of glittering azure scales that left her muscular arms bare and similarly fitting trousers and armored knee-high boots. On the other side was Liao Zhu, who, despite the situation, gave her a roguish wink. He looked much the same, but as her eye fell upon his right arm, which seemed to have been miraculously regrown, her eyes caught a faint silvery shimmer.


    Sixiang spoke up quietly.


    Ling Qi could only nod faintly, and in her dantian, she felt Zhengui and Hanyi stir. She had driven them hard yesterday, and they were both getting their rest before the expedition started.


    Elder Jiao gestured, his sleeve billowing in an unseen wind, and Guan Zhi and Liao Zhu separated, taking seats. He remained standing. Elder Jiao seemed so much taller somehow in the dim interior of the command tent.


    ¡°I should hope that I do not need to tell you how serious this matter is,¡± he began. His voice was cold and clipped, devoid of humor. ¡°Each of you has been carefully considered for a position in this squad. Each of you has abilities which are of great import to this mission, enough so to override other concerns.¡±


    Ling Qi dipped her head as his gaze passed over her, as did everyone else. Even Ji Rong, haughty as he was, didn''t try to maintain eye contact with the elder.


    ¡°We know unfortunately little about these enemies, only that the deepest parts of the world are difficult, but not impossible, to penetrate for those of us further along the path. But it is difficult enough that it would be foolish and wasteful to place ourselves at such a disadvantage against potential peers.¡±


    That raised Ling Qi¡¯s eyebrows, but it made sense. One of those¡­ things had helped to kill Elder Zhou.


    ¡°All is toxic below, and the greater a cultivator¡¯s cultivation, the greater the toxicity to them. When you descend beyond this strata, it will become impossible for even you in the third realm to recover qi naturally. You will be supplied with medicines to maintain your stamina, but you will need to conserve your energies,¡± Elder Jiao continued bluntly. ¡°Battle techniques which drain an opponent''s qi may offer some function, but do not rely upon them.¡±


    ¡°Does our enemy operate under similar limitations, Elder Jiao?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Likely. Regardless, the use of higher energies is nigh impossible to hide in the vaults below, else I would do this myself. The first of your objectives is to enable me to do so.¡± The elder raised his arm and turned over his hand, revealing a handful of what looked like tiny black specks. On closer look, she saw that they were the husks of spiders, jerking with unnatural life. ¡°These constructs are the fruit of the last two months of development. Each one is capable of holding a sliver of my perception for a time without being damaged by ambient energies or revealing myself. You are to descend into the enemy¡¯s settlements and spread them wherever you may.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯re those of us who aren¡¯t sneaks supposed to do then?¡± Ji Rong asked warily. ¡°We just backup?¡±


    Elder Jiao smiled thinly. ¡°You are back up, yes. You are also required for the second objective. Once you have placed the spy constructs, you are to find an appropriate target among the enemy and test their response to attack. Disciple Guan will be the one to draw the most attention, but you will all be required to make this seem a legitimate attack.¡±


    Ling Qi bit her lip. Starting a fight in the middle of enemy territory seemed¡­


    ¡°You will, naturally, be supplied with an escape talisman.¡± Elder Jiao¡¯s words cut off her thoughts. ¡°While such things would normally fail due to the twisted space in the deep, I have made this myself. As such, you will only need to wait two minutes from activation for it to calibrate. It will be in Disciple Guan¡¯s possession. Obviously, do not make use of it unless you will be overwhelmed. Retreat normally if possible.¡±


    ¡°I am honored by your confidence, Elder Jiao,¡± Guan Zhi said. She looked at the rest of them then. ¡°I shall be relying upon you all. I will need to keep my own exertions to the minimum until the first objective is complete.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Elder Jiao said sourly. ¡°We suspect that the effects of the toxin will grow worse as you delve deeper. It is possible that the corrosive effect will increase until every technique used drains your energies at twice or more the usual rate. However, we need to test the matter. This is also your responsibility.¡±


    ¡°Elder Jiao, I assume we are only one part of this plan?¡± Bian Ya asked carefully. ¡°It would not be much of a false attack with only one squad.¡±


    ¡°Yes. You will signal us when you are about to begin. We have several other squads organized to strike at the enemy¡¯s own forward fortifications,¡± Elder Jiao replied. ¡°We plan to begin harrying them shortly after you take your leave. It will be Disciple Su¡¯s task to provide you with the intelligence to avoid their upward movements. Disciples Guan and Liao will explain further details. I need to put the finishing touches on your equipment.¡±


    With that, the elder swept out, leaving them alone in the tent.


    ¡°We will begin the final briefing in half an hour. Take the next thirty minutes to prepare yourselves. If you require a refreshment, there are rations in the next room. We will not be taking any foodstuffs save for water below. Until then,¡± Guan Zhi said, standing from her seat, ¡°please speak among yourselves. Do not leave the pavilion.¡±


    With a final nod, Guan Zhi turned her attention to the maps laying upon the table.

 Threads 100 Descent 2

    Ling Qi considered the room for a moment. There were definitely fault lines in this group. She could have seen that even without her more advanced arts. However, the problems that existed¡­ weren¡¯t really things that could be easily dealt with. Certainly not by her. Rather, by trying to fix them, it was possible that she would just make them worse.


    Sixiang whispered.


    They weren¡¯t wrong. Ling Qi¡¯s eyes slid over to Su Ling, whose body language was still closed off and wary. She could be there for her friend, but that alone wasn¡¯t going to help Su Ling get more comfortable with the group.


    Ling Qi looked up and caught Liao Zhu¡¯s eye. That could work. She tilted her head toward Su Ling, and Liao Zhu¡¯s eyes crinkled in what she knew to be a smile.


    ¡°Congratulations on your breakthrough to bronze,¡± Ling Qi said, turning to Su Ling.


    Around them, people in the room were beginning to move or talk. Bian Ya had turned back to Xuan Shi and looked to be trying a different tack with drawing the boy into conversation. Ji Rong stood up to pace, turning his back to them all.


    ¡°Feh, that hardly feels good coming from you,¡± Su Ling grumbled.


    Ling Qi rolled her eyes, recognizing the words for what they were. ¡°Oh, just take the compliment. You don¡¯t have to always be difficult about it.¡± She peered at Su Ling. Curiously, the girl still only had two tails. She had half-expected her to have grown another one as she did when reaching the second realm.


    Sixiang commented.


    Su Ling grumbled. ¡°How can you be so calm about this?¡±


    Ling Qi hummed to herself. ¡°How will being worked up and nervous help?¡±


    Su Ling shot Ling Qi a sour look, and Ling Qi held her hands up defensively.


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying, all of this tension isn¡¯t going to help you. It¡¯s definitely dangerous, but we¡¯re cultivators. This is our duty.¡±


    The word felt odd to Ling Qi¡¯s lips. Odder still was that she didn¡¯t feel like she was being facetious. Her mother and sister couldn¡¯t deal with problems like this. She didn¡¯t want to have to look at Mother and tell her that one of her friends was dead or have to look at Biyu and explain that her nanny was gone because the Sect wasn¡¯t doing its job.


    To protect what was hers, the people and things around them had to be protected too.


    Su Ling gave her a hard look but seemed nonplussed at what she saw. Silence fell between them.


    Naturally, this was when Liao Zhu chose to approach. He stood over them, leaning casually on the back of one of the camp chairs. ¡°Junior Sister Ling, it has been too long! You¡¯ve recovered nicely, I hope.¡±


    ¡°I have. Hardly a mark at all,¡± Ling Qi replied blithely. She was well used to Liao Zhu by now, and his partially open vest was only a little distracting. ¡°It looks as if you are doing better than expected too, Senior Brother Liao.¡±


    ¡°Only an appearance, I am afraid,¡± he said, his normally bombastic tone a touch more somber. ¡°While my friend is filling in for my arm, they cannot fight. I shall be looking forward to your support, Junior Sister. But I am being rude. I have not met your friend, our esteemed diviner!¡±


    Su Ling regarded the boy warily and glanced at Ling Qi.


    ¡°This is Su Ling,¡± Ling Qi introduced, giving the girl a subtle nudge with her elbow. ¡°Su Ling, this is Senior Brother Liao Zhu. He was my tutor once and my trainer in the Sect¡¯s scout force.¡±


    ¡°I would like to say that I have heard much about you, but my Junior Sister is surprisingly focused on her tasks,¡± Liao Zhu teased. ¡°She tends to forget about things that are out of her sight.¡±


    Ling Qi scoffed. She was getting better about that.


    She felt Sixiang¡¯s hand on her shoulder. The spirit left unsaid that she had needed the improvement in the first place.


    ¡°That does sound like Ling Qi,¡± Su Ling replied grudgingly.


    ¡°I admit, I am curious as to your methods,¡± Liao Zhu continued. ¡°I smell a touch of the Bloody Moon about you. My own talents with the lady lie more toward investigation and elimination than precognition. What do you practice? I had thought lunar divination was somewhat hobbled by our current enemies.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just noticing my partner,¡± Su Ling replied reluctantly. ¡°I¡¯m not the type to get fancy spirit attention. It¡¯s just a blood thing. I get hunches about things now and then.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I think you undersell yourself, Junior Sister. A disciple with a mere underdeveloped spirit quirk would not have been selected for a mission such as this,¡± Liao Zhu said. ¡°Your talent must be at least somewhat impressive.¡±


    ¡°Pyromancy,¡± Su Ling finally answered. ¡°I have a knack for pyromancy, reading fires, alright?¡±


    Ling Qi gave her friend a surprised look. Su Ling had never bothered to explain the method of her divination to her. ¡°So that¡¯s what you do. How¡¯d you even discover a talent like that?¡±


    Su Ling grimaced. ¡°I started noticing stuff outta the corner of my eye after I¡­¡± She glanced over her shoulder at the tails curled tightly around her chair. ¡°... broke through to the second. Images in torches and fires ¡®n shit.¡±


    ¡°Hoh, not a common talent these days,¡± Liao Zhu said. ¡°If I recall my history, is it not more effective when used to read queries carved into bones or shells than the fires itself?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, been getting a crash course on that,¡± Su Ling grumbled, her ears lying flat against the back of her head. ¡°The Sect dug out a bunch of old tomes that were more dust than paper and sent a Core Sect guy to tutor me on bone carving and calligraphy.¡±.


    ¡°So that is what you¡¯ve been up to,¡± Ling Qi mused.


    ¡°Feh, it wasn¡¯t pleasant. I thought Li Suyin was a hardass about handwriting. Barely got an ¡®acceptable¡¯ out of him in the end,¡± Su Ling huffed.


    ¡°I suspect I might know the man in question. ¡®Acceptable¡¯ is indeed high praise,¡± Liao Zhu said. ¡°I shall look forward to relying upon your abilities, Junior Sister.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m barely in the third realm. Cut that out,¡± Su Ling said bluntly.


    ¡°Perhaps so, yet you are the only one here with such capabilities,¡± Liao Zhu said lightly, pushing himself up to stand straight. ¡°And so rely upon you, we will.¡±


    ¡°I trust you to have my back, Su Ling,¡± Ling Qi added. She gave her friend a grin and another nudge. ¡°Just like old times, right?¡±


    Su Ling¡¯s lips twisted downward, and she looked down at the table. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯ll try to keep you both from getting eaten by bugs. What about you two, huh? What can I expect out of you?¡±


    Sixiang chuckled.


    Ling Qi glanced briefly at the others. Ji Rong was standing a few steps to the side of Guan Zhi, staring down at the maps with a furrowed brow, and Bian Ya and Xuan Shi were quietly chatting while he traced glittering characters in the air demonstratively. She gave a silent thanks to Sixiang, then grinned at Su Ling. ¡°Well, for starters, I¡¯ve gotten a lot faster¡­¡±


    Su Ling was still tense when their time had run its course, but it did feel like a healthier kind of tense by that time.


    Of the others, Sixiang whispered what they had heard as Liao Zhu returned to his seat. Bian Ya had finally found success with Xuan Shi by asking after his work and prodding him for knowledge on amplification and communication arrays. Once the subject matter turned that way, she had an easy time keeping him talking, even if she was definitely still toying with him a little.


    There was less to say about Ji Rong and Guan Zhi. He had asked her a few terse questions about the map and gotten polite clipped answers in reply. Guan Zhi had taken a single step to the side to give him room to scowl down at the tabletop with her. It was good that Ji Rong was taking this seriously, she supposed.


    Sixiang fell silent as the last of them took their seats and Guan Zhi strode to the head of the table.


    ¡°Elder Jiao has already spoken of our objectives,¡± she said crisply. ¡°I will inform you of our equipment and methods. Each of you will be supplied with a purifying mask to mitigate the negative effects of the environmental impurities. You will wear this mask at all times, without exception. If your mask is damaged or corrupted, I have a limited supply of replacements. Do not be reckless with this. They are vital to our mission.¡±


    Ling Qi inclined her head, as did everyone else. Before, she and Suyin had not gone down far enough to really be in danger, but in the depths they were descending to, it would be different. ¡°May I ask what provisions there are for our spirits?¡±


    ¡°Custom pieces have been made for the spirit beasts of participating disciples,¡± Guan Zhi replied. ¡°You will apply them to your spirit beasts before we descend. I do not have replacements for those.¡±


    She would have to warn Zhengui to be careful then. He might be resilient enough to do without for a time, but she would rather not test it.


    ¡°There are two additional pieces of equipment which we have been provided,¡± Guan Zhi continued. ¡°First, a portable hearth for Disciple Su to use for her divinations, and second, a clouding beacon constructed by Elder Jiao himself. So long as we do not directly encounter foes, we will not be detected until I begin fighting.¡±


    Ling Qi supposed the beacon must be like a massively improved version of the clairvoyance blocking talismans she had used during her conflict with Yan Renshu. They really would be relying on Su Ling though. She gave her friend a look out of the corner of her eye. Su Ling had her arms crossed, but her expression was one of determination.


    ¡°As for our methods, the initial plan is simple. Disciple Ling and Disciple Liao will take point, and I will be the rearguard. Disciples Ji and Xuan will take the center and protect Disciple Bian and Disciple Su.¡± Neither Ji Rong nor Xuan Shi looked particularly happy about this. ¡°Disciple Bian¡¯s attention will be consumed by her use of cartographic arts to keep our position updated and current within the region of distorted space.¡±


    Guan Zhi¡¯s expression turned severe. ¡°This is vital. If Disciple Bian is unable to perform her duties, it will exacerbate the delay of our retreat talisman and may even cause it to fail altogether. If Disciple Su is rendered unable to make her divinations, avoiding enemy movements may become nigh impossible. If I am forced to step in for any reason before the final action, the mission will be a failure.¡±


    Xuan Shi gave a sharp nod. Ji Rong looked like he had bitten into a lemon. Guan Zhi surveyed them for a moment longer. ¡°Am I understood?¡±


    Ling Qi joined the chorus of ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am¡± that followed.


    ¡°Good. Disciple Su, let us begin the initial divination for our path then,¡± Guan Zhi said, seemingly satisfied with their assent.


    Ling Qi leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. It was time to start rousing her spirits.


    The portable hearth was a stone cube about a meter wide on a side inscribed with precise formations. It was open on one side, revealing the merrily burning fire held within. However, no smoke escaped, nor the scent of burning fuel, only the flickering light of the flames. She watched with some interest as Su Ling sat down in front of it and pulled a bag and a satchel full of carving tools from her storage ring.


    It was¡­ very slow. The bag was full of smoothed chitin plates from the beasts down in the caverns, and Su Ling had to painstakingly carve questions and potential answers along the pieces¡¯ fracture points. Only then could the chitin be cast into the fire. Su Ling then observed the crackling green-tinted flames intently to study the way the chitin cracked and the flame danced to divine her answers.


    Frankly, Ling Qi could see why this method had fallen out of favor. Compared to even her own simple divination art, the process was slow and laborious and reliant upon the cultivator¡¯s exact wording and placement of questions and answers on the pieces. It was hard not to feel impatient.


    Eventually, they charted their route down to the bottom of the mapped part of the cave system. Su Ling projected that it would take between thirty-two and thirty-six hours to navigate due to the circuitous route, but she would conduct another divinition after the first day.


    With that done, all that was left was to outfit themselves and their spirit beasts. The silk mask Ling Qi was provided fit snugly over her mouth and nose, its edges adhering to her skin without need for any kind of strap or attachment. The air she breathed through it was as fresh and clean as if from an untouched mountain vale.


    Getting the masks on her spirits was a little more bothersome.


    ¡°I, Zhen, deserve better than this,¡± the serpent grumbled as Ling Qi fiddled with the straps of his mask. Unlike her, his was made of metal, a curved plate that was affixed to his snout and rose to a point in the center like a horn. A faint floral scent drifted from it.


    ¡°Zhen should not complain. At least he can open his mouth,¡± Gui grumbled, his voice muffled by the boxy construction of leather and wicker that covered the front half of his face.


    Hanyi merely crossed her arms, looking like she was struggling not to mess with the mask affixed to her own face.


    ¡°No complaints,¡± Ling Qi said sharply. ¡°You want to come with me, you need to wear these.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Big Sister,¡± they chorused, chastised.


    Around her, similar scenes were playing out, so at least Zhengui wasn¡¯t the only one looking a little odd with the masks on.


    ¡°Could you not have designed something more resplendent?¡± The young dragon Ji Rong had released looked positively mutinous as Ji Rong finished affixing the muzzle-like tube of wood and leather to his snout. The dragon had grown since she last saw it, now being about two and half meters long.


    Ji Rong scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re lucky I¡¯m even bringing you, breaking through at the last damn minute.¡±


    ¡°We shared blood,¡± the dragon protested stiffly. ¡°I will not be left behind.¡±


    ¡°Then hold still, and quit bitching,¡± Ji Rong groused.


    Su Ling¡¯s companion, Cibei, clung to her thick hair, peering suspiciously at everyone around them. She was still only about two handspans wide and in the second realm, but the little wicker basket on her nose was kind of cute.


    Meanwhile, Su Ling was standing away from the rest of them, and her mood had fouled again as she glared across the staging area at Bian Ya. The older disciple was humming a soft melody as she brushed the fur of the horse-sized three-tailed fox which she had released. The fox, for his or her part, merely looked back at Su Ling with impassive disinterest.


    She didn¡¯t even know how to describe the spirit beast Liao Zhu had revealed. It was a weird chimera of a beast. It had the wings of a bird, the body of a lion, and the scaly reptilian head of a dragon but with only a single horn. It accepted its mask with stoic dignity.


    ¡°You should still be recovering, you clown,¡± the chimera grumbled in a deep voice, padding over to the tunnel entrance to lower his nose to the ground.


    Liao Zhu ambled after him with a light step. ¡°Neither duty nor glory wait, my friend.¡±


    ¡°Neither does death,¡± the beast grumbled.


    Xuan Shi stood off to the side, his hat pulled low over his eyes, tapping the butt of his ring staff against the ground as he waited. Beside him, Guan Zhi stood still, studying them all.


    It was strange that she didn¡¯t have a spirit, Ling Qi thought.


    Sixiang murmured.


    Ah, something more like Sixiang then? She supposed that made sense for such a physically focused cultivator. She finished adjusting the last buckle on Zhen¡¯s mask and patted his head.


    They were ready to go.

 Threads 101-Descent 3

    There was not much to say about the first day traveling downward. She and Liao Zhu blazed through the path ahead, scouting out the tunnels Su Ling had marked for travel. They worked their way through winding, often tight tunnels and caverns aglow with fungal wonders and crawling chitinous wildlife. They marked down dangers and reported back, allowing the others to prepare to push through the caverns¡¯ natural fauna.


    All the while, they descended, and the air changed. Where before it had merely been unpleasant and stale, touched by rot and decay, it soon began to burn. Although Ling Qi was strong enough to resist the effects, it nonetheless made her feel oily and unclean like she had wallowed in a sewage pipe. On a whim, she had tested the air by plucking out a hair and casting it away. The hair had sizzled and disintegrated before it touched the ground.


    All the while, the beasts around them began to grow stranger in form. The caverns grew more verdant, bursting with swollen and unpleasant life. As they approached their first campsite, they had to push through a veritable jungle of fleshy, pale blue ferns that glowed faintly in the dark and grew around the bases of towering, black mushrooms the size of trees. Twisted and misshapen things ambled and skittered in the dark on either too many or too few limbs.


    It had been well over two hours since she had last sensed a first realm creature. Even the clinging fronds that swayed and grasped at her as she passed through them were filled with an unpleasantly viscous energy dense enough to feel analogous to the second realm.


    ¡°There is another blockage ahead.¡± Liao Zhu¡¯s voice echoing in her ear did not make her jump; she was more than used to it by now.


    ¡°Collapsed passage, or something more lively?¡± Ling Qi asked under her breath, trusting in his communication art to carry her words as she moved along the perimeter of the cave, searching for gaps and side tunnels which might contain foes.


    ¡°The former, happily enough. I shall require your brother¡¯s most generous assistance again,¡± his voice answered back.


    ¡°Almost finished with the perimeter. Be there shortly,¡± Ling Qi replied in a whisper. she thought.


    Hanyi grumbled.


    Ling Qi smiled. Zhengui had already proven useful; the roots and trunks that he grew could prop up unstable tunnels, which were quite common on the route they had taken. That must be why their enemies didn¡¯t use the route they took. Hanyi, on the other hand, didn¡¯t have much to do while they were avoiding going loud.


    she chided. She felt Sixiang tug at her senses then and turned her eyes toward a man-sized crack in the ceiling. She still had more investigating to do.


    Happily, it was just another brief dead end. Ling Qi was happy to emerge from the frond forest as she finished her search. Liao Zhu stood by their tunnel exit, his chimera beast already digging through the rubble, burning away stone with silver fire that bled from his eyes and brushing aside ash with his paws.


    Ling Qi gave Zhengui a nudge, and he materialized just outside the tunnel. It was almost routine by now, and she soon felt the subtle fluctuation of wood qi as roots began to break the surface, crawling up the sides of the tunnel.


    ¡°The next cavern is where we planned to camp, right?¡± Ling Qi asked as she stepped back with Liao Zhu to let their spirits do their work.


    ¡°Yes. Given that we have had to deviate slightly already, it would be best to allow Junior Sister Su to cast the bones again,¡± he answered.


    She gave him a look out of the corner of her eye. ¡°You seemed a bit different talking to her. Why was that?¡±


    ¡°Bombast and flirtation were not what she needed,¡± Liao Zhu replied blithely. ¡°Rather, affirmation of her skill was the most important factor.¡±


    ¡°I suppose so,¡± Ling Qi said, only to narrow her eyes. ¡°Wait, are you saying I needed those things?¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°Come, Junior Sister. They have broken through. We must prepare the camp for our comrades.¡±


    She huffed as he strode away and vanished between one step and the next. He just couldn¡¯t stop messing with her, could he?


    With Liao Zhu sending the all clear back, it did not take too long for the others to catch up. While no one was wounded, the main group was still a little worse for the wear. Ji Rong¡¯s tunic was stained with unpleasant fluids, and Xuan Shi¡¯s defensive constructs buzzed and flitted around him agitatedly. Bian Ya was pristine, sitting side-saddle on her companion, her eyelids fluttering rapidly while she communed with the Sect¡¯s base. Su Ling just looked agitated.


    She and Hanyi had prepared a small part of the next cavern, freezing and destroying the unpleasant flora to give everyone a place to sit and rest while Su Ling performed her divinations. It was not a long rest however, and soon, they had a choice before them. They were approaching the edge of the Sect¡¯s mapping, and Su Ling¡¯s divination revealed the passages they had been planning to take had collapsed, and it was beyond their ability to dig them out in a timely fashion.


    That meant that they were going to have to venture into the unknown sooner rather than later. The fires revealed two potential paths which their enemies did not occupy. So, Ling Qi and Liao Zhu set out again to do some preliminary scouting of the two paths.


    ***


    ¡°It¡¯s some kind of massive fungus thing,¡± Ling Qi said with a grimace as she returned. "It¡¯s spongy and black, and it fills this whole huge cavern. There are passages we can move through in it though, and I didn¡¯t detect any activity from the thing.¡±


    Sixiang whispered.


    ¡°There was no activity in the material world,¡± Ling Qi amended.


    The others sat or stood in a small circle in the clear portion of the cavern. Guan Zhi nodded to her. ¡°And the other, Liao Zhu?¡±


    ¡°It is a most direct route indeed, a ravine many kilometers deep whose bottom was beyond my sight, Commander,¡± he replied, bowing with a flourish.


    Su Ling chewed her lower lip. ¡°The first passes close to our enemy and is slower beside, but the second¡­¡± She trailed off, looking at the chitin plate inscribed with characters representing various levels of danger from spirits and beasts. It was shattered to fragments.


    ¡°An ill-omen indeed,¡± Xuan Shi said gravely.


    Guan Zhi closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°I would hear your thoughts.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to say?¡± Ji Rong scoffed. ¡°We can¡¯t let the rats know we¡¯re coming, so we go down the ravine. We just gotta deal with the danger.¡±


    ¡°Miss Su did indicate that the fungal passages merely pass close. Should we exercise a little subtlety, I am sure we can slip by,¡± Bian Ya suggested. Su Ling¡¯s mouth snapped shut, and Ling Qi was certain that she had been about to say something similar.


    ¡°I am inclined toward the more efficient path,¡± Liao Zhu said. ¡°Between Ling Qi and myself, I believe that any dangers may be bypassed or mitigated.¡±


    Xuan Shi frowned silently.


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like it¡¯s the best idea to tempt the unknown,¡± Ling Qi said slowly. ¡°How close is ¡®close to the enemy¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Estimating based on known enemy locations, the passages nearby are likely a supply route,¡± Guan Zhi answered.


    Su Ling grunted. ¡°That about matches up with the divination. Low concentration but near.¡±


    ¡°Then I think it¡¯s the best path,¡± Ling Qi said, shooting an apologetic look at Liao Zhu.


    He merely chuckled. ¡°I was merely expressing confidence in our abilities. This will be a different sort of challenge.¡±


    ¡°My agreement lies with Miss Ling. This one has prepared resources for such trials, even if the hour has come sooner than not,¡± Xuan Shi agreed, giving her a nod.


    ¡°Hope you put as much effort into them as you do sucking up to girls,¡± Ji Rong sneered.


    Hanyi complained in her head.


    Xuan Shi scowled at Ji Rong from behind his collar, but Guan Zhi silenced both of them with a look. ¡°I am inclined to avoid unknowns at this point in the operation as well. The Sect has studied the enemy¡¯s scouting patterns.¡±


    ¡°What do we call these fuckers anyway?¡± Ji Rong asked. ¡°Can¡¯t just keep saying ¡®the enemy.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Shishigui,¡± Bian Ya said quietly. ¡°The corpse eaters.¡±


    Guan Zhi glanced at Bian Ya. ¡°That is the term which has spread among those on the front line. The Sect has not yet officially adopted the term, but it will do.¡±


    Sixiang mused.


    There was a difference, Ling Qi thought. Despite seeming similar, the words used had different connotations.


    Sixiang whispered dubiously.


    ¡°Disciple Liao, Disciple Ling, continue ahead, but keep the distance short. We will be coordinating more closely for this leg of the journey,¡± Guan Zhi ordered crisply. ¡°Everyone else, back into battle formation.¡±


    Ling Qi stood, smoothing her dress as the others rose as well. For better or for worse, the choice was made.


    The passages that led on were less steep than some of the proceeding ones and far narrower at that, only wide enough for two men standing shoulder to shoulder at their widest. For Ling Qi and Liao Zhu, it was about a ten minute trip before they started to see signs of the fungal growth. It spread weblike through the corridors, clinging to the ceiling and walls in thick fleshy strands. Here and there, the fungal growth had peeled away from the ceiling to hang in drooping loops.


    As they proceeded down the tunnels, the growth grew thicker. Soon, they strode across a spongy mat of fungus, and the walls grew ever harder to make out. The whole of it tugged at her senses as well. The presence of the stuff seemed to fill her spiritual senses with a sort of blurriness.


    ¡°Are you well, Junior Sister?¡± Liao Zhu asked. They stood outside the mouth of the passage that opened into the main body of the growth, a dark, circular tunnel that pulsed imperceptibly as if it were breathing.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s just distracting. No signs of hostility,¡± she said, shaking her head.


    her little brother proclaimed. She could feel his suspicion as he glared at the odd growth through her senses.


    ¡°I suppose with your attunement, it would be,¡± he said. ¡°In that case, while I travel ahead to mark out the presence of our foes, you will travel behind to map and study the environment.¡±


    For a moment, she wanted to object, but it made sense. One way or another, Liao Zhu was the better scout. She nodded.


    ¡°Good. Relay reports at intervals of five minutes,¡± he instructed crisply. There was no playfulness in Liao Zhu¡¯s voice. ¡°You recall the emergency codes?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Senior Brother,¡± Ling Qi said, already feeling for the connection which Bian Ya had bound to them before they left the main group. Like her spirit bonds, she merely needed to think in the proper way and the message would be sent.


    ¡°I will see you soon, Junior Sister.¡± By the time his quiet words had faded, Liao Zhu was already gone, and she only caught the faintest flicker of silver to mark his passage.


    Ling Qi breathed out and turned her eyes to the fleshy fungal wall, reaching out to brush her fingers over the surface. It was warm, less warm than a human body but not by much. There were spores in the air, but they did not cling aggressively. She felt no fluctuations in her qi that would indicate harm.


    Zhengui thought to her.


    Hanyi disagreed.


    Sixiang decided.


    Ling Qi thought wryly. She squared her shoulders, gave her spirits a reminder to stay alert and ready, then flowed into the tunnel as a whisper of shadow.

 Threads 102-Descent 4

    Silver lights, the only sign of her activating techniques, winked in the darkness as Ling Qi began to explore. Knowing that Liao Zhu was moving to scout for the enemy, Ling Qi focused her attention on the odd growth that made up the tunnels themselves, feeling the traceries of qi that surrounded her.


    Sixiang was right. This growth was very large indeed. It stretched beyond her senses in some directions. Above, she could feel the solid qi of rock and earth only a few dozen meters above, and behind her, she could feel the same not so far away at all. But below, the growth stretched past her knowing. Yet it didn¡¯t feel like one entity. The closest analogue that came to mind was a hive of bees. The fungus was distinct but united, only a single ¡°mind¡± or spirit shared between them but assembled from smaller pieces like a child¡¯s blocks.


    All around her, the fungus breathed, the fleshy walls expanding and contracting imperceptibly. It did not seem aware of her. It did not seem aware of anything, so far as she could tell. However, she could feel things within it that put her on guard. Here and there, dotted throughout the mass, she could feel other creatures, beasts, trapped inside, not struggling, merely asleep.


    Sixiang pointed out.


    Ling Qi frowned at the muse¡¯s flippancy and came to a stop in a secluded bend of the narrow tunnel. She rested her hand on the slightly warm fungus. It vibrated slightly under her fingers, but she sensed no other reaction. The beasts it held within were all weak things, mostly first realm with a handful of low second grades slumbering deeper within the fleshy mass. A passive feeder then? It was hard to get a handle on the thing¡¯s power, but she didn¡¯t think it was beyond the third realm.


    Sixiang judged.


    Ling Qi narrowed her eyes, and the silver flecks in them intensified for a moment. It was subtle, so subtle that she had actually missed it before, but miniscule flecks of dream qi were drifting in the air. They were too weak to affect her, which is why they had escaped her notice, but they would put someone from a lower realm asleep given time.


    Sixiang murmured.


    Hanyi asked impatiently. In the back of her mind, Zhengui shifted as well, seeming agitated.


    Ling Qi thought, examining the tunnel. She shifted her thoughts, focusing away from her spirits and instead thinking of Bian Ya, and the flickering node of wind qi that Bian Ya had attached to her flared. She relayed what she had found so far in terse and clipped terms as she continued down the passage.


    ¡°Relaying Disciple Liao, enemy presence minimal, chart path, keep east. Ten minutes until group arrival.¡± Bian Ya¡¯s voice echoed quietly in her thoughts.


    Ling Qi nodded to herself. No time to waste then.


    She breathed out and merged with the darkness of the tunnel.


    Over the course of the next ten minutes, Ling Qi carefully catalogued the tunnels she traveled through in her mind, relaying the information back to Bian Ya as she did so and pausing only to listen to relayed reports from Liao Zhu. The passages through the fungus were twisted, often ending in dead ends, turning back on themselves, or otherwise going nowhere, but she did manage to chart out a route that traveled downward, doing her best to keep east, not only to avoid enemies but also to keep the stone she could feel in range. If nothing else, Xuan Shi could probably set up a passage through a wall if she could find another passage that came near the fungal crevice.


    However, the further she descended, the more difficult it became to go forward. The dream qi in the air grew thicker and thicker until it clung to her like a fog. It didn¡¯t harm her, but, when she would take a step, she would find herself turned around or in a passage she had already been in. Once, she had even found herself in a wholly unfamiliar tunnel, and only Sixiang¡¯s careful guidance had enabled her to step through the veil in just the right way to return back to her starting point.


    So it was that Ling Qi returned to the entrance to report in person without having found a clear path through. Between Elder Jiao¡¯s cloaking talisman and Xuan Shi¡¯s own concealing arrays, she could not even feel her allies until she was directly looking at them. It was an odd and disconcerting feeling. But she didn¡¯t let that show, instead making her report on the phenomena.


    ¡°Do you believe you can penetrate the obstacle given further time?¡± Guan Zhi asked her. The older girl stood before the others, her arms behind her back.


    ¡°It is possible that I could brute force matters,¡± Ling Qi answered, thinking of the technique she had so recently mastered. Ephemeral Dreamlit Dancer would allow her to cross the space unhindered, pulling a few people along at a time, but the cost to her qi would be prohibitive given the distances involved. ¡°I do not know how much use I would be afterwards though.¡±


    Guan Zhi frowned, glancing at Su Ling, who stood stiffly next to Bian Ya and between the two boys.


    ¡°The divination was clear. This is a viable path,¡± Su Ling replied defensively. ¡°Must be something we¡¯re missing.¡±


    ¡°Could burn through,¡± Ji Rong said, raising a fist. ¡°I got a few things for shredding through shitty dreams.¡±


    He met Ling Qi¡¯s eyes, and she huffed in amusement. Was he thinking of challenging her to a rematch? Some guys were just like that, she supposed.


    ¡°And bring down all of our foes upon us, no doubt,¡± Xuan Shi noted tetchily.


    ¡°Your toys not rated for a bit of door busting?¡± Ji Rong taunted.


    ¡°Sect Brother Liao continues to report that the shishigui use only the higher, less infested passages,¡± Bian Ya relayed. ¡°Messengers, a handful of sentries, and no more. He also reports that the creatures regard this region with suspicion and wariness and move with greater haste and less caution through it.¡±


    Guan Zhi was silent as they spoke, only holding up a hand to quiet their words after a long moment. ¡°Disciple Ling, you are familiar with spirits of darkness and dreams, correct? Do you believe that this entity is capable of negotiation?¡±


    ¡°I am unsure,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°Its power would make it seem so, but its nature makes me uncertain. Sixiang?¡±


    ¡°I can probably translate, if that¡¯s your meaning. I have weirder cousins. You¡¯ll have to go pretty deep to get its attention properly though,¡± her muse responded aloud, earning a twitch from Ji Rong.


    ¡°That seems the optimal path for the moment. Attempting violence would also alert the entity before us, so attempting speech first is only sensible,¡± Guan Zhi said crisply. ¡°Disciple Ling, you will attempt negotiations for passage. Should this fail, we will use Disciple Ji¡¯s methods. Disciple Ling, lead us to the furthest stable point first before you try.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, clasping her fists together and bowing her head. She tried not to let her nerves show. She knew what rumors said of her, but really, it wasn¡¯t like she often negotiated with spirits. But they needed Liao Zhu to focus on keeping track of their enemies, so the duty fell to her. She had to hope that what she had studied of the Melody of the Spirit Seekers would help.


    Sixiang thought encouragingly. Hanyi and Zhengui affirmed the words, and Ling Qi felt her tension bleed away. She wasn¡¯t alone here. She could handle this.


    And so, they descended.


    ***


    It was just her and her spirits. She had left the group a short distance behind at the point where the tunnels had just begun to warp. They were only moments away if the need arose.


    Sixiang murmured, and Ling Qi felt phantom hands on her own. She nodded and glided forward, stepping into the eddy of dream qi that filled the tunnel. She felt the world shift, but this time, she didn¡¯t step through. She flared her qi and stepped in.


    Between one eyeblink and the next, the fungal tunnel was gone. Ling Qi stood atop a shimmering rainbow sea, her boots sending out ripples across the ¡°water.¡± Hanyi stood at her side, holding her hand, and on her other side, Zhengui towered.


    All around them was chaos. Where the shimmering rainbow pool ended, a maelstrom began. Blurred images, fragments of creatures and environments, mingled and melted too fast to track. However, the images were not what drew her attention. No, that was the eyes.


    Thousands, tens of thousands, of eyes in every shape and size floated, drifted, and spun through the chaos. It reminded her of Elder Jiao but without the laser-like focus or singular will. The eyes gazed upon broken fragments, observing, watching, and longing. As she watched, an eye split open lengthwise along its reptilian pupil and devoured a fragment of hope and longing, another nibbled at an image of a dark and glittering city festooned with bones, and yet another snapped up a simple sliver of animal hunger.


    It all stopped, however, as the ripples of her footsteps reached the edge of the pool, and the eyes all turned to look at her. The hairs on her neck rose, and she very nearly expressed her flute then and there.


    But the eyes didn¡¯t attack. A susurrus of whispers struck her ears like the scratching of fingernails on wood, and Zhengui let out a low rumble of distress, lines of magmatic light flaring on his shell. She rested a hand on his head.


    ¡°I come only to speak,¡± she said clearly, focusing her attention on the largest eye, a dark green, nearly black, thing with a pupil like a goat.


    Beneath her, the pool, Sixiang, rippled, and she felt the muse¡¯s qi travel outward into the maelstrom. Translating, as it were.


    The eyes hissed and twitched, spinning and rotating around her. Then the scratchy whispering intensified, and Ling Qi hunched her shoulders as they ¡°spoke.¡± Even filtered through Sixiang, it was uncomfortable.


    [Our Prey. Ours. Go. Go, Silver Dreams. No Sky. No Star. Go. Go. GO. &^%***]


    Ling Qi winced at the incomprehensible noise that the eyes¡¯ words turned into, hammering at her thoughts. It was like a hundred thousand voices all screaming at her at once. At her side, Hanyi shuddered, clenching her eyes shut, and the threatening rumble rising from Zhengui intensified. Zhen let out a hiss like steam escaping from a volcanic vent.


    her little brother threatened.


    The eyes shuddered and spun, shying away. This thing¡­ It really was afraid of them, wasn¡¯t it? Despite the deep, deep well of power she could sense from them¡ªit?¡ªonce she forced herself to look past the disturbing imagery, the greatest thing she could sense from it was fear. Her earlier thoughts returned. The creature fed on the weak, passively consuming those who fell asleep within. Why, then, did their enemies fear and avoid the deeper parts of the crevice?


    With the Melody of the Spirit Seekers echoing under her breath, Ling Qi considered how to approach this fungus.

 Threads 103-Descent 5

    There was a time and a place to hurry, to bluster and threaten. Ling Qi did not think that now was that time. Liao Zhu had not reported threatening movements from their enemies, and her group was not under immediate threat. And if she messed this up and started a fight, both of those things could change quickly.


    Ling Qi looked up at the circling swarm of chittering, inhuman eyes, the quiet harmony of her arts echoing in her thoughts. She needed to understand this thing if she was going to talk to it, and yet, as she reached out with her spiritual senses and tried to submerge herself in the flows of the creature¡¯s qi, she found¡­


    Chaos. Filth. Rot. Ling Qi almost gagged as her spirit brushed against the creature''s putrid, churning essence. Without the filter of Sixiang, the creature''s voice was like a thousand screaming animals in the midst of slaughtering. She swayed on her feet, and only a quick pulse of reassurance through her bond stopped Zhengui from stepping forward with wrath in his eyes.


    ¡°Hey, now. Don¡¯t try to steal my job,¡± Sixiang joked nervously, the ¡°water¡± at her feet rippling.


    Ling Qi thought, wincing.


    And her efforts had not been for nothing. She now understood just why Zhengui was so on edge. The core of this creature was something utterly repulsive. It was not death, not consumption, but [Stagnancy]. It was a beast of the dark, a thing of hunger and want, but it did not move. It did not act. It only reacted. It fed on the things which happened to wander within. There was no drive to it other than that.


    Ling Qi was feared because she was not food. She was poison, poison which it had never before encountered. The creature was strong, probably stronger than her given its enormous size and well of not-qi, but it was not a creature used to what she would think of as combat.


    she thought. She did not want to touch this thing again. Even thinking of her physical body touching it made her skin crawl now.


    ¡°I understand that prey is scarce,¡± she said, choosing her words with care. ¡°But my companions and I do not draw sustenance from such things.¡±


    Sixiang rippled beneath her feet, and Ling Qi cocked her head, listening to the dream echoes of her own words and the way the muse subtly altered the imprecise connotations born by spoken language. It wasn¡¯t quite the same as conveying something with music, if only because she wasn¡¯t certain she could really understand the creature¡¯s perspective well enough to convey her feelings to it.


    But she watched and listened to Sixiang¡¯s echoes all the same.


    [Trespasser not hunger? Lies / deception / prey?]


    Alien eyes narrowed and swirled, chittering as pupils split into sharpened teeth and closed in, only to squeal in pain as they brushed against the perimeter of Sixiang¡¯s being. She could feel the creature¡¯s confidence growing, new eyes being born in the dream maelstrom as it began to puff itself up in a blustering display.


    ¡°No!¡± Ling Qi shouted, and cold rippled out through the dream. The creature squealed as images of frozen mountain peaks and howling blizzards, of frozen streets and weeping voices in the dark, wormed through the storm of color.


    Beside her, Zhengui let out a bellow, and green surged out, impaling eyes upon writhing roots and branches, and Hanyi puffed out her chest, joining her own voice to Ling Qi¡¯s in a wintery howl.


    ¡°We are not prey,¡± she said harshly, letting her voice ring with a hint of threat. She had been too soft and conciliatory, and the creature had taken it as a sign of weakness. ¡°We do not seek to devour you though. Our prey is elsewhere. We want to pass through, and no more.¡± The cold wind stopped blowing, and Ling Qi withdrew back into herself, icy mist resting about her shoulders like a cloak. ¡°We do not need to fight each other,¡± she added more softly, her mind racing as she worked to immerse her thoughts in the creature¡¯s stark mindset.


    It was easier than she liked to admit.


    ¡°We would only¡­[expend / tire / wound] without [gain / sustenance].¡± Ling Qi almost startled as she heard her voice waver into the bizzarre not-words that sometimes punctuated a spirit''s speech.


    The swarming eyes shied back, and the large goat-like eye glared down at her as it circled around. Some eyes nipped at memories of deathly chill, and others withdrew as frozen teeth shattered. It occurred to her that down here, in the tepid and temperate caves, neither the creature nor its prey had ever experienced such extremes of temperature.


    [Not prey / food / sustenance,] the thing agreed grudgingly. [Entropy / Poison / Emptiness and Silver. Seek Elsewhere?]


    Ling Qi held in a sigh of relief as she contemplated her next words. While she had wished to stay friendly, she would need to make sure not to speak in a way that implied uncertainty or weakness.


    ¡°We seek to go below where the¡­¡± She frowned and did her best to picture and convey the image of the assassin thing she had faced. ¡°... dwell. We need you to stop obstructing the path.¡±


    [Silver Dream would Starve US!] The thing''s chittering voice was growing clearer in her mind, though it still felt like clammy slime across the surface of her thoughts. [No fight / struggle / kill, but go. Go around. Seek Land of Bones and Worms. Leave US.]


    ¡°No,¡± Ling Qi disagreed, ¡°you would only need to withdraw for a short time. We must go down.¡± She thought of Bao Qian and moving hills, of prideful rivers and more prideful dragons. ¡°We are not prey, but we can¡­ make an exchange.¡±


    Her words rippled out through the dream realm, carried by Sixiang to propogade as whispers among the swarming eyes.


    ¡°Are you sure that was a good idea, Sis?¡± Hanyi asked quietly. ¡°This thing feels greedy.¡±


    Zhengui rumbled his agreement, watching the swimming eyes suspiciously.


    Ling Qi flexed her hand, causing tiny chimes to sound, and drew upon [The Mist], thickening the cloudy mantle around her shoulders. ¡°There is no need to make this come to violence. We need to save our energy for actual enemies.¡±


    [Feed US the shard of Entropy / Desire.]


    As if to rebut her words, the thing¡¯s demand and the way its gaze shifted to Hanyi nearly made her lips twist into a snarl. ¡°No. You will not have her or any of my companions,¡± she said furiously.


    The fungal mind let out a keening, displeased wail. Hanyi glared at it.


    ¡°There is no need for conflict. That does not mean that we can¡¯t,¡± Ling Qi said. Drawing upon the lessons of the Playful Muse¡¯s Rapport art, she stared down the large eye and put both power and sincerity into her words. ¡°My leader is far stronger than you or I.¡±


    It was a bluff. Guan Zhi could not afford to fight here, but it wasn¡¯t a lie either. It was merely an omission. It was not her fault that the creature lacked that piece of context. In that way, she could be wholly sincere and yet not convey the fullness of truth.


    In her thoughts, a minor conflict between her insights and duties seemed to click. Honesty was not naivety, and sincerity did not mean showing her whole hand. She could be a sincere negotiator while maintaining her advantages.


    ¡°Of course,¡± she continued, ¡°there are many things which I could offer you, dreams which you have never tasted. I am trying to be generous, but if you test me, I may not be able to continue doing so.¡±


    The thing around her rumbled and whispered, its uncertainty returning. Ling Qi leaned forward, pressing on without giving the creature too much time to think.


    ¡°If you worry about your belly when withdrawing your nets, you can speed things up by offering the shortest path to your bottom-most exit. It would only be to your benefit, and perhaps more prey might follow us back,¡± she cajoled, Sixiang¡¯s ripples speeding up to keep up with her more rapid words. ¡°We would both stand to gain.¡±


    The thing hissed violently like dozens of teakettles going off. Ling Qi wisely stopped speaking before she pressed too far.


    [A dream. A strong dream for a clear path and the way to the Land of Bones and Worms,] the fungus chittered. [This is our offer, creature of Sky and Stars.]


    ¡°Big Sister, you can¡¯t let this thing chew on you!¡± Gui complained, finally breaking his silence to look at her incredulously. ¡°At least let it take a bit of Gui! He heals quickly!¡±


    ¡°I, Zhen do not like this,¡± his other half said bluntly, shooting the eyes a dirty look. ¡°But if Big Sister needs this, I comply.¡±


    [Earthblood is fine too,] the eyes crooned hungrily.


    Ling Qi frowned. Her immediate instinct was to refuse and do it herself, but¡­


    Sixiang whispered to her.


    Ling Qi sucked in a breath through her teeth. In this place on the border of Dream, it did nothing. The body she perceived was no more than a construct of her mind. Even so, it felt steadying. ¡°You¡¯re certain?¡± she asked. It felt like she was dragging the words from her lungs by force.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Zhen and Gui spoke as one. There was no doubt.


    ¡°Sixiang, I want to be connected while you keep watch,¡± Ling Qi said tersely, not bothering to cloak her words from the listening fungal spirit, which looked on with wary hunger.


    ¡°Will do,¡± Sixiang murmured.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have your dream in a moment,¡± Ling Qi said, addressing the creature. ¡°You will not take anything which is not offered.¡±


    The sibilant chorus of agreement from the swarm scratched painfully at her ears. ¡°Zhengui, do you know what you want to offer?¡± she asked quietly.


    Gui craned his neck to look up at Zhen, and Zhen hissed back irritably, flicking his tongue. ¡°Gui thinks so.¡±


    At her side, Hanyi shifted from foot to foot, unhappy.


    ¡°Can I see?¡± Ling Qi asked gently. ¡°Sixiang and I need to make sure it doesn¡¯t try to take anything else.¡±


    Gui bobbed his head, and she reached out, Sixiang¡¯s multihued mist drifting from her sleeve. She touched his head, and the world whirled away in a stream of images.


    Zhengui¡¯s perceptions were difficult for her to parse. It was only her practice with clairvoyance arts which allowed her to understand the multiple points of view he lived his whole life with. Zhen¡¯s view was fuzzy and colorless, constructed more out of sound, scent, and taste than sight.


    Gui¡¯s, on the other hand, was indescribably vibrant, rioting with colors that she didn¡¯t have words to describe, but his hearing was dull and muted, and his sense of smell almost alien, blending with his sense for vibrations picked up through the roots which sprung up beneath his feet wherever he went. Down here, surrounded by stone, Gui had felt half-blind and had been relying on Zhen to get around properly.


    His thoughts were just as difficult to categorize. One mind with two expressions made for an alien train of thought, yet¡­ She understood him the moment she immersed herself, even if processing the information of his senses took longer. She felt his pride and determination. She felt his stubbornness and affection. She felt the buried scars of fear.


    For all that, Zhengui¡¯s mind was young and simple. He wanted to be strong. He wanted to help and impress her, the one who had raised him. He wanted tasty food and to play with Hanyi. He missed spending time with Cui and Linhuo. He wanted to meet new friends when they started their sessions with Wang Chao. He wanted to step on or eat the shishigui because they had hurt her and scared her family. He was excited to have another chance to fight beside and support her.


    His feelings flowed around and through her, a thousand, fleeting images passing by in each second. Like a school of startled fish, the fragments of thought and memory scattered as he pushed something else to the fore. It was a project he had been struggling with, something he wanted to do but lacked the knowledge to do properly. It was something he had avoided sharing with her because he wanted it to be a surprise.


    His own garden. Zhengui had daydreamed of creating a beautiful place, a place where everyone he liked could come and relax and play. The beatific image in his dreams were marred by flashes of his actual attempts, overgrown clearings that were riots of overgrowth and disorder, contained and removed by his fires. The dream still shone through, a beautiful garden vale filled with ordered and sculpted trees, a babbling brook of clear waters, and flowers and fruit and plenty, not something that was found, but something that he had made.


    It made her feel awful to accept the dream and push it out into the hungry storm of eyes and teeth that hung like a stormcloud overhead. But she could feel Zhengui¡¯s certainty and determination.


    And she had promised not to be the only one who sacrificed in this family.


    Teeth tore into the bright blue sky. They shredded the green grass and the clear waters. They chewed the trees and gnawed at smiling faces. The dream was dragged out into the morass of lost thoughts in which the creature swam, and Ling Qi was once again herself. A whiplike tendril of colorful water snapped out, slapping a mouth away from a drifting figment of Zhengui¡¯s memory.


    ¡°You have your payment. Clear the path now,¡± Ling Qi said. She rested her hand on Zhengui¡¯s shell. He looked fine. He felt fine. But she could tell that he felt drained and morose. Zhen drooped, and Gui hung his head.


    For a second, just a second, the fungus ignored her, chittering and whispering and swarming.Her voice cracked out like a sudden gust of frozen wind, echoing with the howl of blizzard. ¡°Now!¡±

 Threads 104-Descent 6

    An eye that had strayed too close froze solid and shattered at her word.


    The creature shied back and hissed. [Go, go, Silver Thing. The way is clear¡­]


    She stumbled backward as a tremendous jumble of images crashed into her mind, impressions of height and depth, stone and metal, and labyrinthine tunnels which wrapped around her like a vice, containing and constraining. It was followed by a tremendous push, and the dark tunnel reasserted itself.


    Hanyi asked her in her head.


    Zhengui asked glumly.


    Ling Qi merely nodded, turning on her heel away from the winding lower tunnels to return to her group. She found them where she had left them in a wider section of tunnel. She swept her gaze over them all. No one seemed any more tense than normal. As expected, Xuan Shi and Ji Rong stood on opposite sides of the hall flanking Bian Ya and Su Ling. Guan Zhi stood at the front, awaiting her return.


    ¡°Report, Disciple Ling,¡± Guan Zhi ordered.


    ¡°I have negotiated passage with the spirit and obtained intelligence regarding the paths ahead. I can share this knowledge with Disciple Bian,¡± Ling Qi said evenly.


    Ji Rong looked like he was going to say something, but then, he glanced at her face and shut his mouth. Xuan Shi looked at her with concern.


    ¡°And do you estimate that the spirit both understood and clearly communicated the potential dangers ahead?¡± Guan Zhi asked.


    Ling Qi contemplated that, pushing her ill feelings aside. ¡°I do not think that it lied or concealed information. It does primarily operate on a spiritual level though. It is possible that it does not notice things that would be dangerous to us.¡±


    ¡°Guess I need to keep earning my keep then,¡± Su Ling huffed.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Guan Zhi said gravely. ¡°Disciple Ling, do you believe this spirit to be reliable for long term dealings?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Ling Qi replied instantly. ¡°It is hungry and bestial and nothing more. It would be possible to feed it again, but I do not think it would be amenable to more than that. I believe my method only worked because it had difficulty discerning my power. In the future, you would need a stronger cultivator to cow it.¡±


    Guan Zhi gave her a hard look but nodded. ¡°Some potential then, if only in the long term. Let us move on. Disciple Bian, convey my signal to Disciple Liao to begin his operation.¡±


    Bian Ya nodded, closing her eyes as everyone prepared to move.


    Ling Qi glanced at Guan Zhi. ¡°What is Senior Brother¡¯s operation?¡±


    ¡°He has determined the local ecosystem on the far side of this creature and communicated with the apex predators there to create a distraction which will prevent our enemies from discerning that something is amiss with these halls,¡± Guan Zhi explained. ¡°Disciple Ling, take the lead until we are free of this creature.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, turning back to the tunnel she had emerged from. The sooner they were out of here, the better.


    ***


    They descended in silence through the winding fungal passages through tunnels that doubled back and looped and sometimes dropped straight down. On and on it went, only Bian Ya¡¯s regular base reports allowing her to keep track of time. Liao Zhu rejoined them three hours in, and they reached the base of the fungal growth six hours later, reaching tunnels of black stone that seemed to drink in any light cast on their surface.


    As they left the last tendrils of roots behind, they paused to allow Su Ling to make her divinations, and Ling Qi dutifully recited to Bian Ya every detail of the surrounding passages that the fungus had shared so that it could be communicated to the Sect. It was, objectively, quite a coup. Dozens of square kilometers of maze-like passages mapped out in mere moments rather than days.


    Ling Qi found it difficult to be happy with the bargain.


    Over the course of the next day, they descended further and further, sometimes traveling east or west or south but always, always down. Their surroundings grew oppressive, the alien ecosystems of the upper region giving way to lifeless darkness, silence, and the tremendous weight of the world overhead. The mask on her face began to feel warm and slick, and her whole being felt as if it were drenched in something filthy.


    It was a miserable, grinding slog, and soon, even Xuan Shi and Ji Rong¡¯s occasional bickering ceased, leaving only tense silence.


    At last, as the second day waned, they reached the bottom.


    Peering out of the tunnel mouth, Ling Qi beheld a vast vault. The tunnel opened out into the abyss, a drop of multiple kilometers to the floor of the cavern below.


    Below was a bizarre landscape. It seemed almost like a scene from the surface, transplanted deep below the earth. Beneath her stretched rolling hills and forests. The ¡°grass¡± was a dark and feathery sort of growth, and the trees were pale grey things that glittered with a strange phosphorescence and dark blue ¡°leaves¡± that were far too thick and fleshy. In places where ¡°earth¡± was clear, she saw yellow-ish white soil, and the places where white and grey boulders jutted forth left her feeling unsettled. There was something unnerving about their shape that she could not quite place.


    The vault overhead was concealed by a thick grey mist like a single vast cloud, but there was something odd about it. It made her eyes tingle when she looked at it.


    ¡°It is casting light, but not light which the human eye is built to see.¡± Liao Zhu¡¯s quiet voice caused her to glance at where he crouched at the lip of the tunnel.


    ¡°I wonder, is this a fine summer¡¯s day in these lands?¡± Liao Zhu mused.


    Ling Qi shrugged. She had dismissed her cloak and mantle long ago, the cloying, humid warmth of the tunnels proving unpleasant. More importantly, peering into the distance, she could see the signs of artificial construction. The forest ended in a straight line, a too uniform silhouette at the edge of their vision.


    They were well and truly in enemy territory now.


    ¡°Come. Let us report back. We will need a moment to rest before we begin the next stage of the operation.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded and turned to follow.


    ***


    Ling Qi hummed a soft tune as she leaned against Zhengui¡¯s side.


    After returning and reporting, Guan Zhi had ordered them to retreat a short distance to a more spacious cavern to set up camp. They were to rest and collect themselves, she had said. It was hard not to feel like those words had been directed at her, even if she knew they weren¡¯t. The atmosphere down here had everyone on edge.


    Ling Qi could not bring herself to mingle. She retired to a far corner of the cavern and expressed her spirits. She had wanted to talk, but somehow, words didn¡¯t come to her. She had defaulted to music instead, spinning a melody from whole cloth. It was a jumbled thing; she wasn¡¯t sure what she wanted it to say. At her side, Hanyi perched on Zhengui¡¯s shell, kicking her bare feet. Her dissatisfaction was obvious.


    It was only when Zhengui shifted behind her and Zhen arced his serpentine body down to look her in the eye that she was startled from her musing.


    ¡°I, Zhen, helped. Even foolish Gui helped, so why is everyone so sad?¡± Sparks sizzled on his forked tongue as Zhen spoke. ¡°Zhen and Gui were hurt, but Big Sister is hurt all of the time and gets better, so why?¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, startled by the almost accusatory tone of his words. ¡°Of course I¡¯m not going to be happy you were hurt!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯m glad you helped, but¡­¡±


    She fell silent as Zhen¡¯s eyes bored into hers and gritted her teeth as she realized the hypocrisy in what she had been about to say.


    ¡°I shoulda offered too,¡± Hanyi mumbled. ¡°You just had to upstage me, you big idiot.¡±


    Gui spoke up in a low rumble. ¡°No, Hanyi didn¡¯t need to. Gui is tough. He should be the one who gets hurt.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying I¡¯m weak or something?¡± Hanyi asked furiously.


    ¡°If Hanyi was hurt, it would hurt Gui, too!¡± her little brother complained.


    ¡°It¡¯s the same for me, you dummy!¡± Hanyi shouted, throwing up her hands.


    Sixiang said wryly in her thoughts.


    It hit hard, watching them argue like this. They were just following her example. Zhen still stared down at her, waiting for her answer.


    ¡°I¡¯m proud of you, Zhengui. I really am. Thank you,¡± she said, reaching up to stroke the ridges above his eyes. Her voice cut off the bickering. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I didn¡¯t show it.¡±


    Even seeing it from the other side, feeling the distress of watching someone she cared about taking on pain for her sake¡­ She didn¡¯t regret doing it herself. It hurt, but it was right. She couldn¡¯t scold someone, especially a part of her family, for doing the same.


    What was it Meizhen had said? We hurt, and we are hurt. By choosing to care, she opened herself to pain. When others chose to connect themselves to her, they were accepting pain. It was true that she should try not to hurt those she cared about with her actions. It was also true that doing so was inevitable as long as she and her family were separate people with individual drives.


    She could not stop being herself. She should not stop trying to be herself.


    And neither should Zhengui or Hanyi or anyone else. They had to work together, to compromise their interests at times, because that was what family was. It could not always be one person who compromised. If they were going to support each other, then everyone had to offer support.


    ¡°So why is Big Sister so sad?¡± Zhen hissed in frustration.


    ¡°You know the answer to that,¡± she replied. ¡°You¡¯re not slow, Zhen.¡±


    ¡°Gui is the slow one,¡± he agreed sulkily. ¡°We will get better. We will be fine.¡±


    Ling Qi rubbed her hand against her collarbone where she knew a thin white line lay beneath layers of cloth. ¡°And so did I. I promised to let you help. I didn¡¯t promise not to be sad when you get hurt. I¡¯m proud of you, Zhengui. And you didn¡¯t do anything wrong, Hanyi.¡±


    ¡°Sis is unfair sometimes,¡± Hanyi huffed, turning away.


    ¡°I know I am,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°That¡¯s the kind of girl your Big Sister is though. Do you think you can forgive me?¡±


    ¡°Gui wants to rest by himself for a while,¡± her little brother said tiredly. ¡°Gui will be ready to help Big Sister tomorrow. Even if it makes Big Sister sad.¡±


    That hurt, but hadn¡¯t she just had the same realization? She just couldn¡¯t hide her feelings from Zhengui, not over this. She stood up, resting a hand on his shell as he withdrew into it and settled to the floor. ¡°How about you, Hanyi?¡±


    ¡°I wanna be back home, making songs with you or talking to that Bao guy about performing,¡± Hanyi said, grimacing as she reached up to touch her mask. ¡°I don¡¯t like this place. I don¡¯t like these spirits. They¡¯re nasty, smelly jerks.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t get any argument from me there,¡± Ling Qi said with a laugh. She cast a brief look at Zhengui, feeling regretful as she stepped away, but Zhengui clearly wanted some time to himself.


    Hanyi hopped down from Zhengui¡¯s shell to follow after her. ¡°But I¡¯m gonna fight anyone Sis says to fight. I¡¯ll help Sis kill as many as she needs to kill. I can do that, at least.¡±


    How morbid, Ling Qi mused, ruffling her hair.


    Sixiang drawled.


    It was, though it made her wonder what Sixiang thought of things. They were being very quiet.


    Sixiang replied.

 Threads 105-Descent 7

    Ling Qi noticed someone approaching her, their presence loud, a beacon almost as obvious as Cai Renxiang. Her expression smoothed into neutrality as she faced Ji Rong. Hanyi almost bumped into her at the sudden stop, but it only took her a moment to recover, peering around Ling Qi¡¯s skirts to see what had drawn her attention.


    Ji Rong studied her warily as he came to a stop a few strides away. He really hadn¡¯t changed his manner much. He still stood with hunched shoulders, his hands stuffed into his pockets. Only the golden loops of scales that hung about his shoulders and the peering lizard-like head of his companion resting on his shoulder was any different. ¡°Yo. Your boy going to be good for this?¡±


    Ling Qi regarded him, trying to pick out just what he wanted, why he could possibly be approaching her. So it was that Hanyi beat her to responding.


    ¡°Zhengui is fine, obviously,¡± Hanyi retorted. ¡°Don¡¯t look down on him or my Sis!¡±


    Sixiang snorted out a laugh in her thoughts, and Ling Qi tried to keep her eyebrow from twitching. This girl¡­ She really could change gears quickly.


    Ji Rong glanced down at her. ¡°That so?¡±


    Hanyi huffed, but Ling Qi held up a hand to quiet her before she could respond again. ¡°Zhengui is just tired. Why are you asking?¡±


    He met her eyes and rolled his shoulders, drawing a grumble from his own spirit. ¡°Look, I¡¯m not tryin¡¯ to start a fight. It¡¯s obvious he¡¯s hurt though. I just wanna know if we¡¯re down a fighter.¡±


    ¡°And why is that? Does he look wounded to you?¡± Ling Qi shot back.


    He snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that. I saw your face back then. Parents don¡¯t get that face when their kids ain¡¯t hurt. You looked like you were gonna gut someone.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes widened, and internally, Sixiang sighed. ¡°He¡¯ll be fine. It¡¯s nothing that will impair him in a fight,¡± she said tightly. She didn¡¯t bother responding to his provocation regarding their relationship. ¡°How about you? Isn¡¯t it reckless to bring a spirit just on the edge of green down here as a combatant?¡±


    The shrunken dragon gave her an outraged look, his gleaming golden scales puffing out around his neck in a way that made him seem bigger. ¡°You! Don¡¯t imply that I can¡¯t fight. You dare¡­!¡±


    ¡°Chill, Relong. She¡¯s just tryin to get a rise out of ya,¡± Ji Rong snapped. ¡°I put down my conditions. He fulfilled ¡®em. If he gets his fool self killed, that¡¯s his own business. He¡¯s my sworn brother, not my kid or my servant.¡±


    Ling Qi stared at him. How could he be so unconcerned? Well, no, she knew how. Somehow, she had just expected¡­


    Sixiang remonstrated with her in her thoughts.


    ¡°I wonder how useful he¡¯ll be though. Has he even had time to practice like that?¡± Hanyi asked snootily. ¡°Zhengui is definitely way better.¡±


    Ling Qi almost winced. Even with the small amount she knew about dragons¡­


    She had already stepped in front of Hanyi before the young dragon had even finished coiling to spring, and Ji Rong caught him by the scruff of the neck before Relong could make it off of his shoulder. ¡°We can¡¯t afford to fight right now, Re,¡± he barked. Toward her, he said, ¡°I¡¯d appreciate it if you¡¯d quit needling him.¡±


    Ling Qi breathed out. Sixiang was right. She was letting things get to her and taking it out on Ji Rong. She gave a short nod. ¡°Less teasing, alright?¡± she said to Hanyi. ¡°If you want to pick a fight, do it when we get back.¡±


    ¡°Like I¡¯m afraid,¡± Hanyi sniffed.


    ¡°Say those words again when I am not restrained by duty,¡± the dragon grumbled, dangling from Ji Rong¡¯s fist in a way that reminded her of a kitten being carried off by its mother.


    Ling Qi closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°What did you need, Ji Rong?¡±


    He released his spirit, leaving Relong to coil back around his shoulders, and scrubbed a hand through his hair. ¡°Seriously, I wasn¡¯t trying to start a fight,¡± he grumbled. ¡°You know things are gonna go to the hells down there, right? We might have a fancy escape route, but we¡¯re still being used as bait.¡±


    Ling Qi wouldn¡¯t quite put it that way, but he wasn¡¯t wrong either. Sixiang¡¯s phantom finger prodded her in the side, and she nodded. ¡°I get it. My little brother,¡± she emphasized, ¡°isn¡¯t going to be a weak link.¡±


    He snorted, and her eyebrow twitched. ¡°Good, but there was something else I was gonna ask you.¡±


    Ling Qi lifted an eyebrow and gestured for him to get on with it.


    ¡°I want to fight you,¡± he said bluntly. She gave him a blank look. ¡°Not here, obviously,¡± he clarified.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Cause you¡¯re the only one who¡¯s beat me without being years ahead or a damned ducal,¡± he spat.


    ¡°And you think you¡¯re going to win now?¡± she asked dryly.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to get my ass kicked, but I don¡¯t know how hard,¡± he said, making her blink.


    ¡°Brother¡­¡± Relong mumbled uncomfortably, squirming around the boy''s neck.


    Ling Qi shot a look at Hanyi to wipe away the smirk that she knew would be forming.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be blunt in return. I don¡¯t know what you''re getting at. Why now? You could have challenged me any time this year,¡± Ling Qi questioned.


    He grimaced in frustration. ¡°Because I need to know if you¡¯re just keeping pace or if you''re pulling ahead. And I¡¯ve been putting it off, but I can¡¯t anymore.¡±


    ¡°And why is that?¡± Ling Qi asked, feeling the first thread of real curiosity.


    He glanced away grumbling. ¡°She¡¯s gonna kick my ass for this,¡± he mumbled. ¡°End of next month, Sun Liling and me are leaving. She¡¯s got family business back home, and I gotta do some formal crap myself. We¡¯ll be back for the New Year¡¯s Tourney at the end of this year, but I wanna do this before that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± Ling Qi said noncommittally, giving him a dubious look.


    Ji Rong looked unsatisfied but didn¡¯t press her further.


    They parted ways, and Ling Qi shook her head. She¡¯d have to pass the information about Sun Liling¡¯s plans along to Cai Renxiang.


    ***


    When ¡°morning¡± came, Ling Qi and Liao Zhu descended into the cavern. Foul and humid, the air left oily sweat to congeal on her skin as they carefully scouted out the abyssal plain at the edge of the cavern. Beneath their feet, the earth and grass had an unpleasant texture and malleability, an unwholesome spongey springiness that made her flesh crawl every time feathery grass fronds brushed her ankles.


    She knew on some level that it was irrational, that she had seen and experienced worse, but everything about this place seemed to trigger an instinctive loathing that was hard to dismiss. Even Liao Zhu, unflappable as he was, had a certain tension in his shoulders and tightness around his eyes as they scouted the immediate area.


    As unpleasant as it was, the tall, feathery grass was something of a boon, giving them cover to move through the rolling hills. At the edge of the twisted fungal forest, they found the first signs of real activity, a muddy track winding between the swaying trunks. Carefully following the path at a good distance revealed none of their enemy, but it did take them to the other side of the forest. The path itself terminated around a partially excavated boulder-topped hill, which looked much like a quarry on the surface.


    Seeing it revealed why the shape of the boulders Ling Qi had seen bothered her. Those oddly shaped protrusions emerging from the tops of the hills were not mere boulders. As Ling Qi looked down into a quarry where an immense ribcage lay partially exposed, she realized they were the scattered spinal bones of titanic beasts. The sheer scale of what she was looking at was difficult to accept. She had heard stories of the immenseness of certain beasts, even seen something similar at a distance in the form of the Sect Head''s companion, but never before had she seen a ribcage that could have contained all of Tonghou from only a few dozen meters away.


    And it was not alone. At the bottom of the quarry, the spongy earth had been removed, revealing not stone bedrock, but an endless, uncountable number of smaller bones, smashed and fused and petrified together. On one side of the quarry sat a single meters-wide block of the stuff upon an unmanned sledge. Skulls and ribs and other bones from too many creatures to identify were visible in its contours.


    She recalled what the fungus had called this place and understood. Land of Bones and Worms¡­ She¡¯d seen the bones now. She wondered where the worms were.


    They did not linger long at the quarry. For whatever reason, it was abandoned. Of more immediate interest was the road they found and the structures visible now that they had traveled beyond the fungal forest. This road was not merely a packed dirt path; it was made of regular bricks of off-white ¡°stone.¡±


    ¡°Hoh, not exactly the work of savages,¡± Liao Zhu murmured as they crouched in the underbrush, watching the empty road.


    ¡°They¡¯re just bricks,¡± Ling Qi replied.


    He shook his head. ¡°No, I only dabble in such things, but the design is advanced. Look at the drainage along the sides, the regularity of the stones, and the even mix of the mortar. These are not unsettled creatures.¡±


    Ling Qi was silent. She recalled Bao Qingling¡¯s words. ¡°It just means we need to be more careful,¡± she said.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Liao Zhu peered at the structures visible in the distance. ¡°We will need to split here to cover more ground.¡±


    Ling Qi breathed out, reaching inward for support from her spirits. ¡°Yes, Senior Brother. Should I take the outward path?¡± she asked, gesturing toward the road where it went toward the wall.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he agreed. ¡°But first¡­¡± He flicked his wrist, and a small silver ring appeared in his palm. He held it out to her.


    Ling Qi blinked. She took the ring out of instinct. ¡°Senior Brother, what is this?¡±


    ¡°It contains a technique of mine. So long as you wear it, you should be able to understand the creatures¡¯ tongue,¡± he explained. ¡°Please keep it safe. I shall have to return it to its original owner when we return to the surface.¡±


    ¡°O-of course,¡± Ling Qi agreed, slipping the ring onto her finger. Now was not the time to feel awkward and uncertain.


    He looked at her a moment longer and then shook his head with a quiet chuckle. ¡°Do watch yourself. A hero I might be, but this is no time nor place for damsels and daring rescues. Good hunting, Junior Sister.¡±


    ¡°Good hunting, Senior Brother,¡± she echoed. A moment later, he was gone.


    Ling Qi turned her eyes back to the bone brick path. Skulking through the undergrowth, flitting from shadow to shadow, keeping close to the ground to avoid expending qi or revealing herself, Ling Qi made her way further toward the curving edge of the cavern.


    The fields caught her eye first. They were bright and colorful things, full of strange plants she did not recognize, odd things with big, ripe, flowering growths like puffy gourds. Wandering the fields were low-slung loping shapes with grey, rubbery skin and canine faces. She recognized her foes from the last time she had ventured into the caverns with Li Suyin. They were all nearly naked, their only clothing belts or bandoliers hung with tools. They were also performing what seemed to be mostly mundane farm labor. They weren¡¯t mortal though. It was hard to judge, but they seemed to be roughly first realm.


    The laborers didn¡¯t keep her attention as she moved around the edge of the field. Soon, a large structure, a dome of black metal and pale stone, came into sight, and here, she saw another familiar sight. Scampering, rushing, and crawling through ripened fields were swarms of the ugly human-rat things that had erupted into the cavern on Li Suyin¡¯s expedition, only they seemed much smaller and less ravenous. The ones she saw in the fields were only the size of a small human child, and they seemed mostly interested in gorging themselves on the gourd fruits and tussling in a way reminiscent of other young animals, even if they were utterly hideous.


    Here and there around the field, loping around and occasionally prodding particularly violent scufflers apart with long sticks of bone, were more of the shishigui. These were more familiar, low third realm like the herders she had fought before. As she watched, one led another pack of the rat-things out of the dome while another took a pack inside.


    Circling further toward the wall of the cavern, the sound of flowing water reached her ears as the silhouettes of buildings came into view. They were tall, semi-conical things like artificial stalagmites. The village had no wall and sat astride a rushing river of tar-like liquid, which flowed from the interior out to the wall and then disappeared under the stone. Many bridges crossed the river, and the bridges teemed with shishigui, who were hauling¡­ something out of the water and throwing other things back in. She was too far away to make out what precisely they were doing.


    She had to decide what to investigate first.

 Threads 106-Descent 8

    While she was curious about the purpose of the dome, even if it did have a military purpose, Ling Qi had a feeling that she would get more information on their enemies by infiltrating the actual settlement. Ling Qi cast one last glance back at the fields and then darted off into the tall grass without even a rustle.


    The approach to the village was eerily quiet despite the shishigui crowding the streets. The noise that she would have expected to hear in a human settlement of this size was absent. The creatures made sound, but they didn¡¯t seem inclined to shout and chatter, and their bare feet only made a whisper of sound on the paved roads. The clatter of carts and the unsettling sticky-sounding flow of the river were the main sounds that she heard on approach.


    The layout, too, was strange. Without a wall, the village splayed out like an organic nest. It was like the worst parts of Tonghou writ large where twisting and meandering paths replaced the clean, straight lines of the inner city. Her first impression, that of artificial stalagmites, proved enduring. Their buildings were round, conical things with fat bases and varying numbers of thin spires which rose to different heights. The tallest buildings had multiple spires over four stories high, many of which emitted a foul, drifting miasma.


    Hidden within an irregular ¡°ripple¡± in the sculpted stone on an outlying building, Ling Qi observed the creatures loping through the street below. Even here in their town, they seemed to spend as much time on all fours as standing upright, only seeming to bother when their hands were otherwise occupied. They scampered in and out of buildings through entrances which resembled the mouths of burrows more than doors, and in the moments when she was able to peer inside, she spied spiraling ramps going down.


    Of course a significant part of the town was under the ground. They obviously weren¡¯t deep enough yet, Ling Qi thought irritably. She began to make her way through the chaotic sprawl of the village, a flitting shadow moving from one rippled or scalloped facade to the next.


    One thing that struck her as odd when she glanced down into the streets was that she saw no children, no elderly or infirm members. Even barbarians or monsters should have had children and elders, right? But no, every grey-skinned creature was roughly the same size and seemingly in their physical prime. She saw some that were scarred, missing fingers or ears, or suffering other lesser disfigurements, but there was little else to separate them. They were all first realms, too, so far as she could tell.


    It wasn¡¯t until she began to get closer to the river that she spotted more powerful enemies. There, on the road that paralleled the river, loped a pack of second realm creatures armored with patches of spiky chitin with a single, emaciated third realm festooned with bandoliers and pouches at their head.


    Similar figures perched here and there among watchtowers built into the supports and arch of the great bridge, clutching spears made of fungalwood and black stone. Seeing enemies who could be a threat, Ling Qi paused, observing the river and the groaning, busy bridges.


    The first thing she noticed was that the river did not flow under the edge of the cavern as she had suspected, but rather flowed up, frothing and bubbling as it flowed toward the village and wound its way deeper into the cave. In several cases, the river moved uphill, defying common sense.


    Peering at the edge of the cavern, she could make out a squat bridge structure huddled right against the cavern¡¯s edge, arching over the river. She could just make out the figures of many shishigui pacing its walls, bristling with arms and armor.


    Well, that would be her next target.


    For the moment, Ling Qi focused on what was before her, trying to figure out just what they were doing on the many bridges over the river. At first, she had just thought it was some kind of strange, oversized fishing setup, but that wasn¡¯t quite it.


    No, she could see large, heavy nets made of some kind of braided wire floating in the water, attached to sturdy ropes and cranks. On one bridge, particularly brawny members of the village growled and yipped and grunted as they worked on heavy cranks to raise nets that were full.


    The nets that rose from the water were filled to the brim with wriggling, phosphorescent masses of material. The things in the net thrashed as if alive, but they resembled no kind of fish she had ever seen. The closest thing she could compare them to were eels or hagfish, but even that wasn¡¯t quite right. They had featureless, bulbous heads and dozens of wriggling tendrils lining their sides.


    But peering at those nets with eyes tinged silver, their auras didn¡¯t seem like living creatures or even like the shishigui. No, if anything, they felt like¡­ spirit stones.


    Once they reached the bridge''s platforms, shishigui wrapped in thick leathery garments that covered the whole of their bodies would step forward to manipulate the catch into metal crates arranged on carts, which then crossed to the far side of the river. On the opposite side of the bridge from where the nets were raised, things were reversed.


    Carts from the far side of the river trundled toward her and were unloaded by workers, pried open, and emptied into the tar-river below. Corpses, she saw. They were dumping corpses into the river, corpses of their own kind and those of beasts. The corpses they were dumping were badly mutilated, seemingly harvested for some parts.


    There were even, she noted, a few crates containing more familiar corpses. Stinking and slick with rot, she watched a badly mangled human body tumble into the river below. It bobbed once, the thick slurry of black liquid seeming to soak into bloodless flesh, infecting and darkening it before the current pulled it under and away.


    Ling Qi wrinkled her nose and looked away. She wasn¡¯t going to understand what was happening just from watching. She needed to put Senior Brother Liao¡¯s gift to use. To that end, she flowed downward, one shadow among many, to slip under the feet of the workers.


    It was hard to understand at first. Even if they were less noisy than a similar crowd of humans, there were a lot of them, and although she could feel the qi within the ring working to turn their noise into something understandable, so many conflicting inputs were scrambling it.


    Ling Qi worked to focus as she slid into the shadow of an empty metal crate. There, she spotted a pair of shishigui crouched beneath one of the bridge supports, conferring quietly. In their paws, each held a long blackened stick on which was impaled what looked like a fried millipede the size of a garden snake.


    ¡°Haul is still bad.¡± The one that spoke first was one of the brawnier ones. It, or he, wore very little, even by their standards, a single belt on which hung a handful of basic and recognizable tools. Thankfully, the creatures seemed to lack¡­ features which would make their nudity even more grotesque.


    ¡°It¡¯s picked up.¡± The other one was a narrow shouldered creature whose rubbery hide was marked by patchy black bristles around its ear and jaw. ¡°Better than last month.¡±


    ¡°Still worse than last year,¡± the first grunted, biting the head off his snack with a crunch. ¡°Which was worse ¡¯n the year before that, which was worse ¡¯n the year before that, too.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll recover,¡± the scrawny one replied, sullenly nipping legs off of his meal. ¡°Has to. Just needs fertilizing. Might take a while, but there¡¯s been slumps before.¡±


    The bigger of the two let out a raspy growl that was probably the equivalent of a noncommittal grunt. Swallowing the last of his snack, he reached into one of his pouches and pulled out a dented, scratched little tin full of something viscous and brown. Whatever the nasty smelling gunk was, he popped a piece into his toothy maw and began chewing the sticky lump.


    ¡°You think they¡¯re still taking volunteers for up top?¡± the scrawny one asked, grinding his teeth in a way that she couldn¡¯t help but interpret as anxious. ¡°Just a couple meldings like the Caretakers doesn¡¯t seem so bad.¡±


    The brawnier creature remained silent, noisily chewing his sticky tar. He let out a faint whuff, wrinkling his muzzle. ¡°Seems stupid. Hack a hundred years off your life, and for what, a bit of power?¡±


    ¡°My packmates want a pup,¡± the scrawny thing admitted. ¡°But not many are awakening any more. Waiting list goes on for years. You volunteer, you can skip the line, get a place in the city.¡±


    The brawny one spat his glob of chewy resin into the river. His fangs were stained an ugly brown. ¡°Gonna get your fool self killed fighting those ugly ape things, ¡®n then what use are you?¡±


    Ling Qi turned her attention from the pair. The wisps she had scattered through the throng at the base of the bridge allowed her to see many such little moments, and it seemed to confirm what that one implied. There seemed to be a general malaise about, a concern for the haul from the river shrinking, grumbles about lessening rations, and complaints about people in the city.


    There was a secondary concern, too, about the population shrinking, which may be related. Maybe that¡¯s why she hadn¡¯t seen any children.


    Sixiang thought.


    Ling Qi acknowledged Sixiang¡¯s words as she slipped across the bridge, one shadow at a time, her presence well hidden from the creatures tramping around above. Every so often, she would have to be more careful, circling around a creature that felt like a third realm, but none came close to detecting her.


    She did notice something odd about the way the weaker shishigui regarded the ones with higher cultivation. There was respect, of course, but there was also¡­ pity. She remembered the words she had heard a short time ago. Did their cultivation actually shorten their lives? How in the world had they produced an expert who could fight Elder Zhou then?


    Pondering that, Ling Qi crossed to the far side of the bridge, which seemed like something of a foundry or crafts district. Silently, she shadowed one of the wagons holding the wriggling river things, hiding in the undercarriage as it rattled its way into a large structure with three smoke-spewing points.


    Here, she was carried through winding labyrinthine tunnels which grew hotter by the moment until at last they came to a large chamber that sweltered with heat. On its far side was something like a wood furnace writ large embedded in the wall, and inside of it, sickly green flames roared. For just a moment, Ling Qi stiffened in alarm as she felt a mighty presence within the furnace, whose awareness nearly brushed her, but whatever spirit inhabited the flames was not looking for her. The weight of its focus was on the phosphorescent things that were even now being fed to it.


    Covered shishigui hauled crates down from the wagons and dumped the writhing, squealing things into the flame. There, they withered and burned, and from the bottom of the furnace, brownish-black fluid flowed through a metal channel into a grate set in the floor.


    Ling Qi tasted vomit in the back of her throat the second she looked at the stuff despite her currently immaterial form. Instinctively, she could feel that it was the same gunk she had cleansed herself of in physical breakthroughs, but somehow, more distilled.


    Ling Qi shuddered as she slipped out from under the wagon, flitting into the shadows. Carefully, she planted a tiny spider husk on the wall and left the room behind.


    From there, she began to explore their warren. She would plant another spider on the bridge on the way out, but right now, she wanted to see if she could find something like leadership among them, the barbarian equivalent of a governor¡¯s office.


    It didn¡¯t really work out.


    She found places where overseers seemed to congregate to pass reports and records, and dutifully, she ¡°bugged¡± them, but she could find no signs of an overall leader. Perhaps because this was a small village, they had their central office elsewhere. Unfortunately, even listening in, no one seemed to refer to a king or a chieftain or even a sub-chief. She did find one grouping of overseers arguing about who was going to represent them at the city this year so maybe that was where their leader lived. She bugged that room, too.


    It seemed like it would be unwieldy to have no local leadership.


    Once she had carefully mapped out the warren beneath the village, she slipped back out and placed one last spider husk at about the midpoint of one of the bridge¡¯s underside, along the thick beams which supported it.


    From there, she took a moment to poke around underground on the near side of the river, but the warrens beneath seemed to be nothing but residences. There were still no children or elders below.


    Having explored the village, Ling Qi turned her eyes toward the fort which straddled the ¡°mouth¡± of the river. It was a squat structure, a thick arch of stone with carved bone battlements and no apparent entrance from the surface except for at the top.


    It was also thick with what could only be soldiers and warriors. Second and third realm shishigui patrolled the battlements, and she could feel even more inside, including enemies whose cultivation were difficult to read. She felt sure there was at least one shishigui near, if not slightly superior, to her own. She did not quite dare to fly above to get a view inside just yet. Did she want to risk trying to infiltrate?


    It was possible that this was where the real leadership for the region was. It would make sense. This was where all the strong cultivators were. Maybe she could¡­


    Sixiang whispered flatly.


    Zhengui said immediately.


    agreed Hanyi.


    She hadn¡¯t seriously been considering that, Ling Qi thought irritably as she hid in the boughs of a fungal tree, staying solid for the moment to give herself a breather. No, she would have to use her wisps then move through the walls.


    This would be so much easier if these things didn¡¯t seem to hate the idea of windows.

 Threads 107-Descent 9

    For just a moment, Ling Qi¡¯s mind flashed back to the last time she had tried to infiltrate a fortress. It hadn¡¯t gone well, even though it had only been a ¡°play¡± set.


    But she had grown a great deal since then.


    Sixiang whispered, and the murmur of her other spirits joined them.


    She wasn¡¯t alone either. So she could afford mistakes even less. Ling Qi inclined her head in acknowledgement of the well wishes of her spirits and flowed down the trunk of the fungal tree she had been hiding in.


    She slipped through the grassy ferns toward the fortress as little more than a shadow and a wisp of mist before reforming next at the base of the fortress wall. Drawing moonlight to her eyes and lungs, she moved across the clear cut ground along the fortress walls. Tiny glimmers of silver blinked into being, muted and clouded.


    Those silver sparks shot ahead of her, vanishing into the wall, and Ling Qi took a steadying breath while different perspectives flashes through her mind.


    At first, there was only the darkness of solid stone, the wisps of moonlight created by her Roaming Moon¡¯s Eye traveling in careful, criss-crossing lines as they searched for open space. In a matter of moments, they found purchase. One emerged in an empty gray hallway with a floor of carved bone tiles of irregular shape. One, which had traveled down, poked out of the ceiling of a large chamber where over a score of second realm shishigui were fighting in trios and quintets, undergoing some kind of drill.


    Ling Qi blurred back into mist and shadow, soaking into the dark grey stone. Traveling through a solid object always felt strange, and this was no different. What was different, however, was the burning pain sensation that assailed her. The very rock was poisonous, she could feel, and it was only the protective effects of the talisman mask she had been given that stopped her from having to burn more qi to stave off harm from intermingling her being with the stuff.


    Resolving herself back into shadow on the arched ceiling of the training room, Ling Qi took a moment to breathe. She would have to avoid overusing that method down here. While she cycled her qi, purging the lingering toxin, she peered down at the creatures below in the midst of their drilling. She only glanced over the majority, noting their armaments. Lots of straps, but they included light chitin armor covering vital points. If the coverage was any indication, the creatures had similar layouts of arteries and organs to a human, barring their lack of apparent eyes.


    Yet as she turned her gaze to the instructors, a discrepancy stood out. Scattered among the second realms, they stalked along, standing out like beacons to her senses, even though she was sure that they were only early third realms. These had the characteristic plethora of bandoliers and pouches, and their armor more ornate, though just as colorless. There was something distinctive about it.


    Sixiang noted.


    Huh. Perhaps that was the shishigui equivalent of an officer''s bright plume or banner? That might be useful for disruption tactics, Ling Qi thought as she eavesdropped.


    ¡°Stop resisting the instincts,¡± one instructor barked, swatting a second realm who had stumbled mid-combat maneuver with the padded rod held in its paws.


    ¡°Cooperate with your meld!¡± another barked


    ¡°Harness the pain.¡±


    ¡°Accept the fear.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned as she watched them. Without context, it was difficult to really understand, but the mistakes that the second realms were making were not the same kind of mistakes that she would expect of untrained soldiers. They would execute perfect maneuvers with their weapons, only to stumble or jerk halfway through. They collapsed, not out of physical exhaustion, but something that looked very much like panic, curling up on the ground and letting out canine whines as their limbs twitched spasmodically.


    Ling Qi watched a moment longer as her wisps searched out the layout of the halls above and below. Like their construction in the village, the shishigui still seemed to favor curved and rounded rooms, even if the exterior of the fort was more angular. It seemed her instinct to go down was right. Above, she found equipment storage, guard posts, and other things of the sort but relatively few shishigui walking the halls. Like the village, the majority of actual activity was taking place underground.


    With one last glance at the trainees, Ling Qi, deposited a spider into a crevice in the ceiling and flitted down one of the halls that left the room, sticking near the ceiling as a current of mist.


    Like that, she began to work her way through the fort, vanishing into the cracks and spaces between blocks of bone and stone whenever a particularly potent enemy passed by. She was able to avoid having to directly pass through the impurity-stained material again this way, conserving her energy.


    The halls were very busy, and it was obvious that the building was operating at or just above its intended capacity. The chamber that she tentatively considered the war room did have some kind of odd mural which seemed to occupy the place of a map, but it was just a lumpy frieze of meaningless shapes encoded with indecipherable trails of heat.


    She left one of her dwindling supply of spider constructs there as well, and she slipped out before the framing stage presence moving down the hall could enter the room.


    Leaving that room behind, Ling Qi began to skulk her way down the less busy halls which, if her sense of direction had not failed her, were leading down and back into the wall of the cavern toward what she hoped would be the river''s source.


    All the while, she had her wisps slipping down different corridors and traveling ahead, mapping out tunnels and marking paths while the ceiling overhead grew damp and warm like the slick heat of a rotting corpse. It was because she had a wisp traveling well ahead that she stopped suddenly slipping into a shallow cubby in one of the increasingly natural tunnels.


    She did so because her wisp had just slipped into something that made her instincts cry out.


    At the end of a passage on the layer below, there was a great amphitheatre. Its shallow carven seating was filled with only a scattering of shishigui, but it was the great ravine at the bottom which drew her attention. From the ravine roared a rising vortex of black tar-liquid. With the distance and only the presence of a single wisp, it took her a moment to pick out what was bothering her about the ravine.


    The floor wasn¡¯t stone. It was flesh. Quivering and rubbery, oozing with rot, the black liquid poured from an open wound that could have swallowed the governor''s mansion of White Cloud Town and around the wound, little shapes cavorted.


    The six lithe creatures cavorting were all too similar to the one which had nearly opened her throat only a month ago. It occurred to her that these figures were the first shishigui that had the same feminine outline as the assassin she had faced. Ling Qi felt her expression screw up in disgust. It was even more obvious now, naked as they were, with only trailing scarves of some pale white cloth bound to their wrists and ankles.


    Despite herself, Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help but glean meaning from the spinning, agile dance they performed around the roaring column of ¡°water.¡± Propitiation, ecstasy, worship, hope and longing and sadness. They performed in perfect synchrony, and it was only then that she noticed the blades in their hands, dark metal shot through with veins of green, matches to the one she had carelessly stored away in her storage ring.


    Blades flicked across flesh as they danced, drawing droplets of brackish red, and lithe limbs flicked, flinging the droplets of blood into the roaring column.


    She pulled her eyes away from the dancers and focused on the figure at their center, standing before a low-slung block of stone. Like the dancers, the figure was feminine in profile, but this one was shrouded in what she at first took to be a wet black cloak. As the creature turned slightly, gesticulating with a knife in one hand, she saw its withered, near skeletal limbs and the gaping tears in its flesh where skin stretched too tight over bone had torn. Liquid impurity poured forth from the tears, something squirming inside of those wounds, and the creature¡¯s bald head was marked by spikes of deep green metal driven into her skull in three even rows from front to back. The largest nails protruded from where eyes should have been and gleamed with oily light.


    Before her on the slab lay another shishigui stripped wholly bare. The creature¡¯s ribs and abdomen were flayed open, and as she watched, the rotting creature thrust an arm into the rising column and ripped forth a writhing mass. Shot through with veins of phosphorescent light, it resembled a squealing, toothy worm covered in wriggling, hairy cillia.


    Ling Qi¡¯s moment of horrified fascination ended when the creature¡¯s chanting faltered and that grotesque face twitched in the direction of her wisp.


    Ling Qi cut the connection immediately and shot upward, uncaring for the burn of toxic bone against her being as she passed through the floor. She fled for the exit through twisting halls and tunnels as a shadow, and as she did, she watched and listened through her other wisps. Alarm was going out through the fort from that ¡°temple,¡± but from the snippets she caught barked and babbled between soldiers, they weren¡¯t looking for an intruder.


    She almost laughed in relief as she picked apart the unfamiliar words. There was an alarm for an escaped and wild spirit, and they were scrambling to check and recheck their wardings.


    Still, it was probably best not to push her luck after a close call like that.


    As her foes hunted for a wraith, Ling Qi slipped out through the stonework and vanished back into the tall grass.


    ***


    Since the morning, the better part of a day had passed by the time she finished giving her report to Guan Zhi.


    ¡°Retreat was the most prudent option given the situation. Your judgement was sound,¡± Guan Zhi said. ¡°Disciple Liao?¡±


    Beside her, Senior Brother Liao sketched a shallow bow as he stepped forward to make his own report. Around them were the rest of the group. Su Ling was looking agitated again, and Ji Rong had an impatient air about him. Even Xuan Shi seemed on edge. Only Bian Ya was less than tense, and that was likely only because she looked tired and wan like a wilted flower.


    ¡°I concur with Junior Sister Ling¡¯s conclusions on the enemy¡¯s leadership,¡± Liao Zhu reported. ¡°While ranging, I discovered another river similar to the one she described, flowing upward toward the cavern center. I was not able to reach the ¡®city¡¯ of which I heard mention, but its existence as an administrative and industrial hub is nigh certain.¡±


    ¡°And what is it that stopped you from reaching the settlement?¡± Guan Zhi asked in a clipped tone.


    ¡°Defenses. A great wall, likely the destination of the blocks from the quarry we discovered, surrounds their inner lands. While I could likely have slipped their net, I was able to sense the presence of fourth realm combatants. I deemed such a zone as beyond our mission parameters.¡±


    ¡°Accurate. You placed constructs upon this wall, I expect?¡± Guan Zhi asked.


    ¡°Of course, Commander,¡± he said. ¡°Once I had determined the perimeter, I moved out, seeking sites of significance. I believe I have discovered the forward base from which surface operations are being launched. I was able to discern a number of principles behind their strategic movements. It is quite a daunting little fortress with a five tower pattern.¡±


    ¡°So the grave beasts have knowledge of numerology then,¡± Xuan Shi mused.


    ¡°Just so, Sir Xuan. It is heavily fortified, but if there is a fourth realm commander, they are not immediately present,¡± Laio Zhu finished


    ¡°Disciple Bian, relay a message to the surface. There is a potential fourth grade in the tunnels,¡± Guan Zhi ordered, and Bian Ya nodded, wincing as she raised a hand to her temple.


    The commander stood silent for a moment, staring down the tunnel.


    ¡°There are arguments for striking the village, the rivermouth, or the forward base. The village tests their response to infrastructure damage, the rivermouth holds the potential to damage what these creatures regard as a vital resource and a source of cultivation, and the base has obvious strategic benefits.¡± Commander Guan looked up, meeting each of their eyes in turn. ¡°I would hear your words.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say, hit the river place since it seems real important to ¡®em, but that¡¯d ruin the spy crap those two just did, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Ji Rong was the first to speak, and Ling Qi¡¯s eyebrow twitched a little as he stole the words from her mouth.


    ¡°A fair point. The principle of reciprocation would indicate a strike at the village,¡± Liao Zhu said blithely, ¡°given their own attempt on our civilians. If we were to limit our strike to a piece of vital industry, such as that bridge, we would also get some intelligence on their ability to repair infrastructure in a timely fashion.¡±


    ¡°We should just hit the soldiers,¡± Su Ling grunted, looking displeased. ¡°That¡¯s the important bit.¡±


    ¡°I have to agree. I think focusing on their military response would be for the best.¡± Ling Qi did want to kill these things for their assault on her home, but she couldn¡¯t muster any enthusiasm for killing a bunch of noncombatants.


    ¡°Breaking armies is important, but breaking economies is much more effective. This was the lesson that Ogodei taught us,¡± Bian Ya said. ¡°However, I do not believe that is our role.¡±


    ¡°This one must agree with the sentiment. The shipyard is far more vital than the admiralty. To strike it with these forces would be hubris,¡± Xuan Shi said.


    ¡°Just use normal words. There¡¯s not a damn boat in sight,¡± Ji Rong complained under his breath.


    ¡°Fair points, all,¡± Liao Zhu admitted. ¡°Commander?¡±


    Guan Zhi was silent for a moment. ¡°My inclination is to strike at the most vital point within our reach, but it is correct to say that this is not our role in this mission. For our current objective, striking a military target will be the most effective. If this disrupts their current attempt to organize and grants the Sect and the Empire further time to prepare, so much the better. Disciple Liao, sketch out the layout of our target. Disciple Xuan, study his notes and determine which of the five anchor points is most vital to the construction. It is time to plan our assault.¡±


    A thrill went up Ling Qi¡¯s spine, warring with her worry and caution. Soon, she would once again be taking part in a real battle.

 Threads 108-Descent 10

    Ling Qi was a little surprised by the simplicity of the plan. Some part of her still expected grand and intricate gambits from a cultivator strategist, but she supposed it made sense. This wasn¡¯t a heist or a burglary; this was smashing a shop''s front window to test the response times of the guard, or a gang burning a stall to prove that yes, they were serious about the money.


    They stood amongst the thick fungal trees on the hill overlooking the fortress, which was situated several kilometers north and west of their entry point to the cavern.


    ¡°Are you ready for this?¡± Ling Qi asked Su Ling as a single silver wisp drifted out to the edge of the forest.


    ¡°As ready as I am for anything involving you,¡± Su Ling retorted dryly.


    ¡°You can¡¯t blame me for this one. I was following you,¡± Ling Qi joked back. ¡°Seriously though, Su Ling, do you think you¡¯re ready?¡±


    Su Ling grimaced, her ears lying flat against the sides of her head. ¡°Nah, but it¡¯s not like I have the hard part. Me and Flowers just gotta protect the beacon and make sure the rest of you can bug out.¡±


    ¡°Not really the point, but I get it,¡± Ling Qi murmured, glancing toward Bian Ya, who stood a short distance away, crouched in front of her spirit beast. They seemed to be having a private conversation. ¡°I trust you to have my back.¡±


    ¡°I guess I trust you to have my front, crazy girl,¡± Su Ling said huffily. ¡°Besides, we have that Xuan guy. He¡¯s some kinda ducal boy like the snake princess, right?¡±


    ¡°This one will endeavor to match the praise of Sister Su.¡± Xuan Shi kneeled a few meters away, examining the scores of ceramic plates which Ling Qi knew to be a potent defensive formation. ¡°It is the pride of Xuan that the land itself shall break ere we will.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope we don¡¯t have to test that down here under a few million tonnes of rock,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°We¡¯ll be relying on all of you though. It¡¯s only a matter of time till we¡¯re going to have to retreat.¡±


    Xuan Shi dipped his head. ¡°This one will see to his duty. Miss Ling may rely upon that.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Bian Ya said, brushing dirt from her gown as she straightened up. ¡°Ling Qi, you are being called to the front.¡±


    Ling Qi dipped her head in acknowledgement. ¡°Good luck, everyone.¡±


    As the others reciprocated her farewell, she turned and faded into the shadow of the trees, heading for the edge of the forest.


    Ling Qi could already see her destination. Their position lay at the bottom of a valley whereas the fortress occupied a hilltop. Built from blocks of white bone, the thing bristled like the shell of an insect. Five pointed towers rose, equidistant from one another, joining sturdy walls whose upper reaches were marked by angular spikes. The central structure was a stepped pyramid of black stone marked by luminescent and foreign carvings.


    Ling Qi thought as she flitted forward.


    Ling Qi chuckled to herself. Good enough. After Guan Zhi broke a hole in their defenses with the initial assault, she and Liao Zhu were to move into the breach and begin laying about while avoiding stealthier tactics. Ji Rong was paired with her to assist with enemies who proved too tough for her to run over or who would otherwise impede her general havoc-raising, attention-gathering role.


    It was a little ironic that he was acting as her support.


    Ling Qi thought.


    Hanyi boasted.


    Guan Zhi would have to pace herself due to the cost of using fourth realm techniques down here, saving her strength for the inevitable reinforcements.


    Ling Qi thought as she approached the wood¡¯s end.


    Sixiang replied.


    She arrived at the forest''s edge a moment later, landing in a crouch beside Guan Zhi. ¡°Reporting in,¡± she said evenly as she stood up.


    ¡°Very good. Our retreat route is plotted?¡± Guan Zhi asked.


    ¡°The route is plotted out,¡± Ling Qi agreed. She had already shared the map with Bian Ya, who would be guiding the retreat.


    ¡°Finally. Time to actually do something,¡± Ji Rong said, grinning as he looked down the hill.


    Liao Zhu, crouched on a branch, was not so crude in his expression, but there was a visible tension in his shoulders.


    Her commander merely nodded, standing with her arms behind her back. ¡°Get to your positions then. I am not my uncle. It would be unwise to be near while I unleash my power.¡±


    Ling Qi joined the others in acknowledging her words. She leaped away from the little clearing, flitting through the tall grass where the very last of the fungal trees grew.


    But she couldn¡¯t help but keep an eye behind her where she could feel the gathering of power.


    Guan Zhi, standing in the knee-high grass, exhaled and rotated her arms, bringing her hands together in front of her chest, elbows pointed out. The air vibrated. The valley shook. In a circle two meters around her feet, grass flattened as if crushed by an immense weight. The fungal trees shook and bowed, branches ripped down to be crushed into the flattened dirt. Then the circle widened.


    Four meters.


    Tree trunks groaned and strained and screamed and shattered to splinters.


    Eight meters.


    Dust and wood shards failed to fall to earth, pulled irresistibly toward Guan Zhi, an orbiting sphere of debris. The air shimmered, and Ling Qi could feel what little light there was distorting.


    Sixteen meters.


    Naught stood higher than her feet in the whole of the circle, and Guan Zhi¡¯s hand darkened to the color of blackened bronze, snapped out, catching a stone from the cloud of debris.


    Thirty-two meters.


    Only a handful of seconds had passed. Cries of alarm were beginning to rise from the fortress, and Ling Qi could hear the faint sizzle of impurity burning flesh from within the warped and darkening cloud.


    Sixty-four meters.


    As Ling Qi completed the arc of her leap and landed atop a still standing tree, she saw the blurry form of Guan Zhi move, cocking her arm back, and then a boom of thunder as a projectile whizzed out. Ling Qi tightened her hands upon the branch as the wind screamed and her perch rocked in the passage of the missile.


    Ling Qi was just barely able to see it, the ragged stone Commander Guan had thrown. When Guan Zhi had snatched it, the stone had been the size of a fist; now, it was a perfect sphere the size of a marble, and air and light alike warped around it.


    The stone struck the tower with an echoing boom. Ling Qi shielded her eyes from dust, and the noise of crumbling masonry rang out, washing over her as the sphere of warped light expanded a dozen times over. Blocks of bone, enhanced by the shishigui¡¯s foreign formations, crumbled to powder, ripped inward toward the center of the distorted, smoky gray sphere two score meters wide that expanded outward from the point of impact.


    Ling Qi could feel the screams from within the vanishing tower, even if the actual sound was unable to escape the circle. It lasted only a second, and when it vanished, a compressed sphere of dust and stone the size of her head dropped to the ground, oozing pinkish froth, leaving a perfect spherical scoop missing from the tower. At the edges of the scoop, severed formations sparked and spat, and the air trembled with the fluctuations of the destabilized array.


    Inside, Ling Qi saw a scene of confusion and alarm. Shishigui who had been patrolling the walls had fallen back on the floor and stared, those inside the tower gaped at the hole in their defenses, and the many individuals in the courtyard were scrambling to respond.


    Ling Qi leaped from her perch.


    Zhengui landed in the courtyard with a ground shaking boom.


    Balanced on her toes at the highest point of his shell, Ling Qi raised her flute to her lips as The Mist rolled forth from the singing blade which circled overhead. Standing on a lower spike, Hanyi laughed and raised her hands and her voice in the Spring¡¯s End Aria.


    Ling Qi joined her, and together, they brought winter to the underworld. Frost spread across stone and flesh alike as the temperature dropped, and in The Mist, frost coalesced into haunting skeletal shadows whose raspy voices joined the song, even as frozen claws tore into rubbery grey flesh.


    Below her, Gui bellowed, and the frozen earth cracked as tendrils and roots reached up to spear unready foes. The roots continued to spiral and climb up crumbling bone walls to stab and grab at enemies in the broken halls. Above, smoke rose from Zhen¡¯s maw as he snapped down lightning fast, sinking his fangs into a squealing shishigui and flung it away, flames leaping from its wounds.


    Yet her enemies were not overwhelmed. In the handful of seconds after she had appeared, the wide open and chaotic courtyard saw order already forming, drill sergeants and officers howling and yipping for their comrades.


    To her left was something like a kennel where shishigui stood gaping as dozens of rat beasts cowered and yowled in confusion. A single shishigui almost twice as tall as the others and clad in heavy chitin armor let out a bellowing bark which silenced the yowling, and before Ling Qi¡¯s eyes, the chaotic mass began to fall into order as lesser herders joined in, their qi propagating through the pack and each other.


    To her right was a short, twisting tower which looked like a carven waterspout. Two of the dancing assassins stood at the entrance, already recovering their poise.


    And in the center was the pyramid keep from which she could sense many gathering auras.


    Just a short distance away, a squad of the creatures armed with slings seemed to be forming up, preparing to barrage her, guided by a pair of low third realm officers.


    Then Liao Zhu landed in their center, and his arms blurred. Weeping red wounds opened across one of the third realm officer¡¯s throat, wrists, and inner thighs, and the creature let out a strangled scream as he collapsed, gushing blood from his everything. The creature''s companion struck out, and his spear slashed through Liao Zhu¡¯s mask only for his form to blur. Then, there were two Liao Zhu, arms blurring and flashing as his knives butchered the squad like animals being carved up for market. His twin forms strode untouched through them like a whirlwind of steel and death, heading for the entrance of the pyramid.


    Even as Zhengui took his first stomping steps forward and Ling Qi prepared to lash her still gathering foes with ice and death, the air surged with the crackle of lightning, and the shishigui nearest to her screamed as jagged bolts of white light exploded among them, charring flesh to ash. Ji Rong arrived at her side, his hair spiked and sparking with crawling arcs of static.


    Taking in the scene, Ling Qi prepared herself to move toward the kennel.


    Silently, she conveyed her intentions to Zhengui, and he turned, his ponderous steps carrying her to the left of the breach where the tall shishigui rallied his beasts. Unlike the cone structure of the central fort, the kennel was a dome of black, glassy stone surrounded by a fenced-off yard.


    The brutish Houndmaster was different from his kin in many ways. He was taller, taller than even the thin and lanky dancers, taller than Ling Qi, and taller than even the Duchess had been, and his posture was less hunched, causing him to tower over two meters in height. His frame bulged with muscle, but there was something ugly about it, a subtle and repellant wrongness to the creature¡¯s proportions, and when his limbs flexed to raise his strange two-pronged polearm, black ooze dripped from open tears in his skin under which exposed muscle flexed. His helm was a strange lumpy thing made of some kind of grey-blue metal rather than chitin or stone like so many of the other shishigui, though the rest of his garb was hardened leather and chitin.


    From across the field, Ling Qi met his eyeless gaze as Zhengui stomped across the hard-packed field, growing roots proceeding and clearing his path of straggling soldiers caught out of position. Wraiths continued to coalesce from the mist which poured from the singing sword circling her head, and their icy claws began to tear at his hounds and soldiers alike.


    The Houndmaster let out a deep bark, and in the back of her mind, Liao Zhu¡¯s ring translated. ¡°Retain order! Rally!¡± he roared, and power poured forth, meeting The Mist and clashing.


    Sharp-edged symbols flickered in the corners of her vision, and an invisible banner unfurled at his back, a twisting sigil composed of mingling lines of heat and cold. Ling Qi felt the flare of energies across piercings throughout the brute¡¯s body, visible and not. Were those his domain weapon then?


    His hounds barked and bayed and yipped in response, and her wraiths¡¯ talons failed to find purchase on their hides.


    Ling Qi turned her eyes from him, her gaze falling upon a smaller but still armored shishigui standing to his right, a node in the network of power that was beginning to form among hounds and their masters alike. She played a song of winter and endings, and the soldier screamed as the caress of hoarfrost entered his veins, turning blood to ice and rupturing his flesh. Around him, the rat hounds writhed and yowled under the echoes, patches of flesh and bristly fur freezing and shattering as they died. At her side, a young girl¡¯s laughter and song rang out, and beasts threw themselves toward Hanyi in desperate adulation only to be captured by snaring roots and biting fangs.


    The Houndmaster bounded forth, his canine maw open in a bark of challenge, but only a shimmer of green in the folds of her gown showed her attention to the threat. Dueling wasn¡¯t her goal here.


    His bounding leap was met by a crackling comet. Ji Rong roared his own challenge back as he leapt up in a shower of cracked stone and dirt, crackling sheets of lightning pouring off of billowing sleeves, and his fist met the creature¡¯s polearm with a muffled boom. Around Ji Rong¡¯s shoulders, light bloomed, and golden discs, nine of them, materialized, arranged in a circle behind his back and connected by a snapping ring of heavenly power. As the two combatants exchanged a flurry of blows midair, the black enameled lotus petals engraved on the topmost disc¡¯s flat side flared with azure light.


    From behind her, Ling Qi felt the hostility of creatures in the drillyard, but before she could even articulate the thought, Zhengui stamped his feet on the ground and huge roots and trunks erupted. Pale green as new saplings, they twined together, erupting in a curving line across the fortress yard to split the kennels from the main area, cutting off a bare few dozen shishigui soldiers from those gathering in the drill yard.


    Ling Qi swayed through the barrage of slingstones and javelins that rose from those remnants, only a few coming close enough to scatter verdant sparks from her Hundred Ring Armament. But as she wove the chorus of her melody again, preparing to scour the kennels, Ling Qi could not help but worry.


    Her qi was not recovering. She could feel Zhengui¡¯s energies recovering, if sluggishly, but her own breathing techniques and the Ten Ring Defense were failing to draw in and convert excess battle qi back into her own.


    Once more, her song rang out, but this time, her target didn¡¯t die. The icy qi that swirled around him whirled and screamed, condensing inward only to scatter on contact. Her technique shattered into fragments that peppered all of the hounds and their masters alike like a light flurry rather than a screaming blizzard.


    She saw out of the corner of her eye that the brute was grimacing with effort as he wove through Ji Ring¡¯s fists, blocking and parrying with his two-pronged spear and weathering the lightning that poured out of Ji Rong. Ji Rong¡¯s bolts were scattering into useless sparks across the Houndmaster¡¯s armor. It was the same effect, distributing the force of their attacks across the whole group, and thus, rendering them nigh useless.


    No, that wasn¡¯t quite right¡­


    Sixiang realized in her head, and the thought was confirmed a moment later as Zhen snapped a leaping hound out of the air and flung it away.


    Wisps of light whirled around her, and Ling Qi¡¯s eyes flashed silver as she studied the flows of energy webbing their way across the battlefield. Hoarfrost Caress wasn¡¯t the best choice then; she was going to need a bit more power to make it work.


    But her enemies weren¡¯t just sitting still.


    The mass of hounds were no longer a disorganized mob. They were forming up into packs, each led by a houndmaster, ranging from a few dozen individuals down to groups of five or so, and beginning to scatter. Those of lesser cultivation broke from the main mass to circle around her and Zhengui like hunting wolves, their high-pitched yipping echoing and beginning to reverberate, the cacophony eating away at her concentration and making it harder to focus. Others dove into the ground, burrowing into the earth like worms. At the center of their formation, a dozen much larger and brawnier hounds loped forward, a houndmaster riding on the largest specimen¡¯s back, and as he raised his spear, they opened their jaws in unison and screamed.


    Zhengui planted his feet as earth and stone rippled under the physical force of the noise, and at her side, Hanyi let out a cry of pain, clapping her hands over her ears. Ling Qi merely grimaced, the shroud of her Deepwood Vitality over them both shattering under the concerted assault. She felt a single drop of blood trickle from her nose.


    That had hurt, but the shishigui would have to do better than that. Green light flared as she restored the armor broken under the assault.


    Ling Qi thought tersely.


    As soon as the thought was complete, she leaped down from his shell, landing a few meters ahead. As she landed, she spun, her gown flaring outward as she began to dance. All around her in The Mist, phantom dancers emerged from skeletal wraiths, frost and rime transforming into glittering finery and grinning skulls transformed into coldly mocking faces.


    Many of the shishigui let out barks and yips of terrified panic as phantom dancers seized them and whirled them away from their comrades, disrupting nearly their formations and packs. Of her targets, only the spear-wielding rider of the larger hounds resisted the festival¡¯s grasp as the spinning haft of his spear disrupted Ling Qi¡¯s attempt, smiting the phantoms back into drifting mist.


    However, there were still scores of enemies, and as with the barbarians she had encountered in her last sect mission, it seemed to actually matter. Hounds leapt at her wildly as they burst from the ground, clawing and biting; glowing stones flung at her from slings exploded into noxious gases and goo.


    Ling Qi wove through them all, but it was a closer thing than she liked. She could not simply ignore her weaker foes given the weaves of qi empowering claw and fang and stone.


    But she wasn¡¯t fighting alone.


    Roots erupted from the ground around her like a circle of spears, driving enemies back and giving her room to breathe, and snapping fangs caught leaping hounds midair and flung them away, burning. Hanyi¡¯s voice rang out through the cold laughter and noise of the revel, and her phantoms clapped in adoration as hounds flung themselves at her with worshipful yips. Some died on Zhengui¡¯s roots, some burned on his volcanic shell, and others, Hanyi caught in her arms, grinning brightly as she inhaled their warmth and vitality before dropping the broken corpses behind her like withered leaves.


    Ling Qi spotted Ji Rong driving his fist into the Houndmaster¡¯s jaw, snapping the creature''s head upward and scattering broken chips of his enemy¡¯s helm. His spirit¡¯s jaw¡¯s were clamped around the Houndmaster¡¯s spear, yanking it aside to allow the blow through. Thunder boomed, and a jagged bolt of lightning half a meter wide slammed down on them both, sending up an explosion of dust and debris. On his back, a second and a third lotus bloomed with azure light.


    It really was chaos all around. Through a wisp, she saw rapidly organizing shishigui pounding on Zhengui¡¯s wall. Their spears and claws did little against the growth, but she saw axes being expressed, and strange objects like large bellows were being hauled out by officers to spray clouds of noxious gas that left wood withered and black. The dancers were nowhere to be seen.


    The fortress¡¯ wall continued to shake and crumble as Guan Zhi pelted it from outside. Stone rumbled as a tower collapsed, and a pack of hounds and their shishigui leader screamed as a blackened stone ricocheted off a piece of broken masonry and consumed both them and the ground they stood upon in a sphere of misty black.


    But all this was happening on the periphery. Ling Qi spun and danced through the revel. All around her, the laughing moon fairies snatched at shishigui squad leaders, dragging them in to dance, while their billowing robes and caressing hands drew blood as if from a sharp wind. Ling Qi grimaced as a horrible scream ripped through the air, making her steps falter just a moment as her head pounded. Her distraction cost her, and a ceramic sphere shattered against her chest, a wave of noxious sludge splattering over her that burned and itched even through her gown.


    Her eyes narrowed as she glared at the leader of the largest pack, a third realm, if weaker than her. He and his hounds were troublesome.


    the muse confirmed in her head.


    Ling Qi thought.


    ¡°Yes, Big Sister!¡± he cried, and she was already moving.


    She spun to the side, ducked under a leaping hound, and vanished into the shadow of a digger¡¯s tunnel before appearing directly before her vexing foe. He jerked back as she rematerialized in midair before him, and Sixiang¡¯s chaotic qi roiled out, disrupting the technique shielding him from direct harm. The revelers roared their approval, and from Ling Qi¡¯s flute came the Hoarfrost Refrain.


    Stripped of his protection against a technique bolstered by her revel, the shishigui lieutenant let out a scream as his flesh split open and veins burst from freezing blood. Around him, his hounds howled in pain as they, too, were lashed by ice.


    More importantly, as he fell, combined with the other leaders seized and drained by her revelers, a significant part of the gathering power among them collapsed.


    Zhengui let out a bellow, and the earth bellowed with him. All around her, liquid magma geysered from the ground, scouring flesh, boiling blood, and consuming unprotected hounds.


    It was not all of them. Many held on, shielding themselves and their charges with techniques too numerous to name, protected by the blurring heat sigil of the Houndmaster still fighting Ji Rong, but it was a strong blow all the same. All but the hardiest hounds had been slain.


    ¡°Ling Qi! Watch out!¡± Sixiang shouted, and Ling Qi bent backward without thinking as a glittering green knife hissed through the air where her neck had been, clasped by a too familiar, thin-fingered hand.


    There was a crash, and Zhengui cried out as a blazing meteor struck his side, revealing Ji Rong, rising from his knees, bloodied and wounded, and cradling his spirit beast in his arms. His foe stood from the crumbling rubble of the kennel, badly burnt but unbowed.


    And behind them, there was a splintering crack as Zhengui¡¯s Paradise Rampart collapsed under its own weight, rotted from the inside. The shishigui behind the rampart let out a full-throated roar of triumph as they poured through, an advancing line of spearmen shielded by a thick miasma of impure qi.


    Near the entrance to the fort, Liao Zhu spun and slashed blindingly fast, dueling four third realms of worrying potency.


    However, before Ling Qi could so much as reorient herself, the cresting tip of the charging enemy formation crumpled. Across their line, a smear of red bloomed. To Ling Qi¡¯s eye, it was as if some divine painter had dragged a red brush across the world. Flesh, bone, and armor alike liquified in a line a quarter meter wide, and enemies tumbled to the ground in severed chunks.


    The cause was only made clear a beat later as the blur across her vision resolved into Commander Guan Zhi, her raised leg coming back to rest on the ground. The young woman was an ominous sight. Around her, the qi of light and air bent and warped, making her look as if she were carved from black stone. Rocks and soil and droplets of blood alike floated around her, torn between the pull of her power and the pull of the earth.


    Before the stumbling shishigui line could so much as buckle, the dancer beside her let out an ecstatic cry, and Ling Qi¡¯s gaze snapped upward toward the feeling of power that erupted. There, crouched atop the pinnacle of the fort, was a silhouette much like the vile priest she had spied at the river¡¯s source, an emaciated figure cloaked in liquid rot with lines of thin nails driven into her skull. Gleaming piercings festooned the creature''s body, rods of bright steel that had been driven through the gaps between bones and weaved between emaciated ribs. The nails buried in the creature''s skull where eyes should have been flashed with vile green light, and Ling Qi felt her stomach turn as the world warped.


    Pain.


    She felt her arm snap as the man brought his boot down.


    She sobbed in an alley as hunger clawed at her stomach and cold clawed at her flesh.


    Sun Liling¡¯s spear tore through her stomach.


    The foul man reached for her with sweaty fingers.


    He watched helplessly as Big Sister fought and he cowered, tiny and afraid. She watched her mother die, scattering into the snowstorm. He snarled in defiance as the screaming noble''s knee struck him in the stomach again, holding tight even as the burning roof collapsed. He despaired in his hiding place as Father and Mother died under the hunter¡¯s spears. She / he / they squealed in pain as the monster apes from the surface crushed/broke/burned them.


    HungerfearpainlossdeathagonytormentpainpainpainPAIN.


    Then the world warped again, and Ling Qi had to hold in a sob of relief as the crushing overload on her senses lifted. She saw Guan Zhi standing before them, her fist outstretched, glaring up at the fourth realm on the roof. Ling Qi could almost imagine that she saw the scattering ashes of a thousand memories twisting away in the air from the commander¡¯s knuckles.Bian Ya¡¯s voice sounded in her ears. ¡°Begin the retreat now.¡±

 Threads 109-Descent 11

    Ling Qi took in her enemies, blanketed in their leader''s power. They were not writhing in pain as she had, as her allies had. If anything, the set of the bodies and the sound of their battle cries had only grown more fervent. She saw, out of the corner of her eye, a shishigui covered in horrible burns hauling himself back to his feet. There was another, caught on the edge of Guan Zhi¡¯s kick, ignoring the blood pouring from his severed arm to raise his spear.


    She felt the clash of power in the air above her, the power of two fully formed domains warping the world, and the way that the qi of the world bent and buckled unnaturally under their clashing wills.


    She would only be a hindrance here.


    Ling Qi leapt away from the dancer spinning to face her and blinked through the shadows, appearing beside Zhengui and Ji Rong. Her dancing phantoms danced inward and flung away the drained enemies they had seized. Ling Qi took a step and left the fortress, dragging her allies along.


    The world parted like a curtain, and for just a moment, she stood in an unending field of psychedelic color where thoughts danced and dreams bloomed like a field of flowers. Sixiang stood at her side amidst the revelers, one hand on her shoulder.


    Then they were outside, well into the fungal forest.


    Ji Rong stumbled, looking around wildly, only to round on her. ¡°The hell?! Why¡¯d you pull us out like that?¡±


    ¡°Because we had no business being involved in that,¡± Ling Qi shot back. She glanced around nervously. Something was bothering her like a fly buzzing around her ears.


    ¡°We could have fought in retreat,¡± Relong hissed, raising his head. ¡°Our lords remain!¡±


    Ji Rong glanced down at the bloodied dragon and looked as if he had bitten into a lemon.


    ¡°You dummies should stop arguing with Big Sis. You¡¯re just wasting time,¡± Hanyi retorted.


    ¡°Brother and I¡ª¡± Relong began, puffing up the scales around his neck to look bigger.


    ¡°Enough,¡± Ji Rong said gruffly. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Choice has been made. Relong, stay close.¡±


    Ling Qi shot the boy a surprised look as he turned and dashed off into the forest, but she didn¡¯t have time to ponder his actions for now. The qi maintaining the revel quivered as she drew it in, keeping the Mist and her phantoms close as she took off after him.


    Behind her, the noise of battle only rose. The booming of air, the thunder of crumbling stone, and the cries of battle echoed after them. Through her wisps, Ling Qi could see smoke and debris rising from the fortress. She could see the twin points of distortion rising above the walls, and she felt the wave of pressure as the two fourth realms clashed, splintering and bowing the trees they ran through.


    But there was still something bothering her. She couldn¡¯t quite place it. Were her nerves just rattled?


    Sixiang thought. The two of them focused, wisps whirling to face the greater bulk of the cavern.


    Drums. There were drums in the dark.


    She couldn¡¯t hear them, but she could feel them, a ceaseless beating of drums echoing through the endless twilight of this underworld. Dozens, scores, even hundreds of drums, each beating a pattern that echoed through the dark. It was not merely the wild beating of a tribesman¡¯s drum or the rhythmic pounding of a drill.


    They were communicating something. There was an order to the rhythm, urgent but regimented and disciplined. It almost reminded her of Lady Renxiang. Yet no matter how foreign, it was music, and she understood in parts.


    [Enemy movement detected¡ªForces gather¡ªZone *&^*¡ªAdvance units launched.]


    ¡°We need to move faster,¡± Ling Qi said tersely.


    Ji Rong barely had time to glance back at her in surprise before she twisted her sprint into a pirouette and carried them back into Dream.


    The toe of her slipper touched down on a swell of portent, and Ling Qi peered through the haze of potential, spying three bright stars. Behind , she felt the threads of Other, dreams foreign and incomprehensible, swelling like storm clouds on the edge of her senses.


    She stepped again, and they emerged amidst Xuan Shi and the others. She heard Ji Rong curse again. She saw her allies almost raise their weapons at their sudden intrusion.


    ¡°Pick up the pace! We have more enemies incoming,¡± Ling Qi snapped out, hitting the ground and barely slowing her pace. They were already running, but they weren¡¯t sprinting. With a thought, she reached out through her connection to Zhengui and Hanyi and pulled in a way she rarely did. They both dematerialized immediately.


    Ji Rong rolled back to his feet and shot her a dirty look. Bian Ya bounded ahead on the back of her mount. Su Ling sat behind her on the three tailed fox, clutching her back and looking mutinous. Xuan Shi flew off to her side, standing atop five linked hexagonal plates which hovered a few inches above the ground.


    Zhengui complained, and Hanyi gave a wordless cry of protest as well.


    Ling Qi thought back hastily.


    ¡°What are you speaking of?¡± Bian Ya asked, clutching tightly at the silk wound around her fox¡¯s chest as the horse-sized beast bounded through the dark. ¡°Obviously, there are reinforcements, but we have much distance to cover. We cannot exhaust ourselves¡ª¡±


    ¡°Not from the fortress,¡± Ling Qi interrupted. ¡°Look behind us, and listen.¡± If anyone here could sense what she had, it would be Bian Ya.


    The girl shot her a dubious look, but Ling Qi felt the thrum of energies flowing to her eyes and ears, the shift in the air as she took hold of the still, underground air. Bian Ya paled behind her veil. ¡°S-such a response to a mere raid,¡± she murmured.


    At least she understood, Ling Qi thought grimly. It was hard for her to put into context what she had felt, the reverberation of the drums carried by hundreds of drummers, echoing to thousands of ears. There was only¡­


    She remembered a vision of a city in the rain consumed by a tornado.


    ¡°That¡¯s the mustering of an army,¡± Sixiang realized, alarm in their voice.


    She could see something of it now at the very edge of her vision, backlit by the strange glow of the cavern¡¯s ceiling. They were nothing but tiny dots of blackness, rising into the sky, but they numbered in the thousands.


    ¡°Commander Guan Zhi approves of speeding up the timetable,¡± Bian Ya said grimly, snapping her out of her thoughts. Far behind them, there was a muffled boom as the clashing stars in the sky came together. ¡°Sect forces above are moving to entrench. Brother Xuan, full defenses.¡±


    Ling Qi could see entire chunks of the fortress drifting lazily into the air around the clashing cyans and could feel flashes of stabbing pain, bottomless despair, and shivers of religious ecstasy wafting from their enemy, dripping across her thoughts like stray droplets from a storm. Then, the swirling sphere of warped light that was her commander crashed down, and Ling Qi felt space bend as the stars clashed only to be launched in opposite directions at terrible speed. The enemy priestess flew backward into the underworld twilight, and Guan Zhi¡¯s star crashed home into the cavern wall far ahead.


    It was only seconds after her passage that the shockwave hit, sending Ling Qi¡¯s hair and gown whipping and nearly blowing Su Ling from her seat. The cavern filled with noise as tons upon tons of stone crashed down from the crater in the wall.


    They didn¡¯t stop running. Su Ling grimaced, and grey qi shimmered as she yanked herself back up against Bian Ya. Foxfire bloomed around their mount¡¯s feet, turning them into a blur. Ji Rong snarled, five lotuses of burning blue on his back, and lightning sparked from his heels as flesh and bone began to fade into snapping lightning. The faint sparkling lights emitted by Xuan Shi¡¯s platform flared into jets of sea green qi, launching him forward through the whipping air.


    Ling Qi became one with shadow, and they ran.


    The full speed of a group of third realms was a fearsome thing. Wind ripped trees and plants from the soil at their passage, and the ground crumbled beneath the force of pounding feet. The world was a blur, and still, it would take them minutes to cross the distance to the cavern wall.


    They were more than halfway there before things began to go wrong.


    Xuan Shi was the first to notice. In the midst of their dead run, the stocky boy suddenly turned his head to the side. ¡°Ware!¡± his voice, normally quiet, boomed. Off to their left side, there was a crack and an agonized shriek as the spindly shape of a dancer bounced off of the flaring shield of interlinked pentagons, green energy crackling from her limbs.


    Light flared again on the other side, and the shield rumbled. Both figures bounced back from the wall, flowing like mist back into the shadows, only for Xuan Shi to crack the butt of his ringed staff against the platform under his feet. The creatures let out cries of surprise as vibrant white light bloomed from their silhouettes, ruining their efforts.


    Ling Qi began to emerge from shadow, ready to take a shot, and she could see Ji Rong tensing to do the same, but Bian Ya¡¯s voice cut them off, echoing directly in their thoughts.


    ¡°Do not engage. Conserve qi. Disciple Xuan is on defense.¡±


    Ling Qi cursed internally, but she knew Bian Ya was right. They couldn¡¯t afford to slow down, not with the force chasing them. She could actually make out their shapes now, those flying things. They were black and oily with thin humanlike bodies, the shimmering wings of moths, and heads like those of men with the features wiped off save for twisting horns that rose from their temples and twitched like an insect''s antenna. Each one carried a shishigui warrior clad in armor of chitin and unknown metal in their dangling, large claws. Even from here, Ling Qi could feel a worrying ratio of third realm power among them, one in five or one in eight at least, akin to the Sect¡¯s forces at full muster.


    Stripped of the shadows, the dancers did not retreat, weaving a wide circle around Xuan Shi¡¯s shifting barrier of light and ceramic. Their knives carved skittering sparks along the barrier, leaving lines of corruption and rot in their wake, but Xuan Shi merely rang the rings of his staff and new panels rose to replace those that rotted while broken panels whizzed out like throwing knives to impact and explode on contact with the trees and ground, forcing the dancers to dodge and weave through a barrage of returning fire.


    As they closed the distance to the wall, matters only grew worse. Ling Qi felt a twinge travel through the darkness, an unfamiliar and unwelcome sensation of something moving through a space that she had long considered hers. Across the blurring landscape, shadows writhed and boiled.


    Ribbons of blackness, edged in searing crimson, crashed down all around the perimeter of the barrier. A dozen in all, they stabbed like blades into the interlocking plates of Xuan Shi¡¯s barrier talisman, causing seafoam sparks to shower out along with a horrible grinding sound like nails on glass. Xuan Shi grunted in effort, his shoulders hunching before the qi running through his spine doubled in density and the barrier became nearly opaque in its brilliance.


    Through a drifting wisp, Ling Qi saw their newest assailant, a pale white figure floating in the midst of a sphere of black and red ribbons. The shishigui¡¯s pure white hide gleamed, save for the dark hole in his chest where ribs were flayed open to bare his beating heart. On the pulsing organ, a single overlarge eye spun, run through with black veins, and the creature¡¯s spider-like fingers twitched like a wielder of puppets as the strands of shadow and blood respun themselves for another assault. The creature was at the fortification stage.


    But as he raised his hands for another assault¡ªLing Qi felt the shadows bend under her grip, forcing her to leap out before the thing¡¯s vile qi could soak into her¡ªa silver flash engulfed it. The creature let out a warbling cry as a pool of liquid silver opened at its feet, and it dropped as if it stood on the surface of a lake. As it sank into the pool, Liao Zhu emerged, cut, bruised and burned. He somersaulted away from the already rippling and bulging pool to land atop Xuan Shi¡¯s barrier.


    ¡°Activate the beacon! There is too much force coming down!¡± he shouted.


    Bian Ya paused, and Ling Qi recognized well enough the look of her listening to silent orders. She flicked her wrist, and Elder Jiao¡¯s totem appeared in her hand. It was a simple thing, a black, many faceted gem, but it pulsed with power.


    So they ran, and the beacon charged.


    Ling Qi could not help but feel uneasy. Her skin crawled, and bumps rose on the back of her neck. Something was wrong. There was something in the air, something beyond the beat of wings and the incessant sound of drums.


    There was a twisting in the air, a subtle unnatural feeling that she could not place. As Guan Zhi crashed down among them, swatting away a dancer like it was a mere child¡¯s toy despite the angry red burns that covered her arms and hands, it clicked.


    There was attention upon them. It reminded her of Zeqing¡¯s domicile with its twisting space and endless darkness. The beacon¡¯s qi rippled out as it activated, but it was wrong. It opened a curling hole through space, but there were holes, gaping tears in the path through which a person could fall and never stop.


    As the beacon¡¯s qi engulfed them and the others cried out as they began to fall, Ling Qi desperately twisted in the broken space and poured everything she had left into the meridians which channeled the power of the Dreaming Moon¡¯s arts. Her lungs and spine burned as she overloaded it and ripped everyone sideways into the realm of Dream.

 Interlude: Precious Dreams

    It hurt.


    Resonating through two minds, the hole that had been torn in them throbbed. [Growth] failed to restore the memory that was lost. [Renewal] failed to cleanse the oily taint of the predator¡¯s touch from their spirit.


    It was hard to think, but Gui hadn¡¯t minded. He was glad to have helped Big Sister. In feeling this pain, he had spared her from it. It had only hurt that she hadn¡¯t appreciated it. Zhen¡¯s temper bled into Gui, and he let out a rumble as his other half hissed.


    ... and it hadn¡¯t even mattered. Zhengui had tried as hard as he could and fought as hard as he could, and Big Sister had still had to hurt herself to save them. Now they were lost in this weird place with no ground or sky, no beasts or trees.


    Gui felt small and blind and hated it.


    Zhen felt weak and useless and hated it.


    ¡°Fishy Man messed up again!¡± Gui growled, glaring at their companion.


    ¡°I, Zhen, think he is just not trying very hard,¡± Zhen sneered.


    ¡°This one can only apologize,¡± the not-xuan wu hid his face, and Zhengui felt his fury swell. He had always disliked him and his presumption. Everything about him screamed untrustworthiness. Nest-Mimic. False-Brother. Deepwater-Child. Liar!


    ¡°Gui does not want stupid apologies!¡± he snapped, stomping forward. His other hissed in wordless rage


    ¡°Will you just shut up already, you dummy!¡± Hanyi¡¯s frustrated shout brought him up short, her cold biting at his shell. ¡°Are you really that dumb? He¡¯s not doing this on purpose! Big Sis is¡­¡±


    Gui closed his eyes, unnaturally aware of the featherlight weight on his back, the tingling feeling of the strands of [Joyful Muse] that clung to his back, anchoring Big Sister. Zhengui had not understood everything the Sixiang had said, but he knew enough. Big Sister was wounded. She had broken something, carrying everyone here.


    Hanyi was scared, too. She sounded like she wanted to cry. Zhengui felt the volcanic heat in his shell grow further. She didn¡¯t understand. He knew she didn¡¯t see the not-xuan wu the way he did. He knew instinctively that she couldn¡¯t. Neither could Big Sis. It was why he had never spoken up and simply held himself back to watching the not-xuan wu.


    Now, they were lost in the not-place of sleep, and the only one they could rely on was the liar. Even if he was lost, too, that was no reason to trust him! And that was if he was even actually lost instead of leading them in circles!


    ***


    Hanyi looked at the bundle on Zhengui¡¯s back.


    It looked like a giant cocoon woven of seven colored silk, anchored to Zhengui¡¯s back by threads of spun dream. Faint silvery mist leaked constantly from it, pooling around their ankles, wrapping around them in wispy strands. Ling Qi, her Big Sis, was hurt. She didn¡¯t understand the stuff Sixiang had babbled as they spun themselves into a cocoon, but she knew that her Sis was in trouble. She had gone too far with her technique and hurt herself dragging everybody into Dream. Sixiang had said that she had to be isolated until they got out or else she would leak and lose important stuff.


    It wasn¡¯t fair. Big Sis wasn¡¯t supposed to get hurt like this. Momma never got hurt like this!


    In the shimmering nothing that hung around them, a clear night sky shimmered, and cold snowflakes fell. There was a tall outline, a graceful and lovely woman reaching out for her.


    Hanyi shut her eyes and tried not to scream. She hated this place. She hated hated hated it! Momma was gone, Papa was gone, and she had promised to grow up. She wasn¡¯t going back.


    She couldn¡¯t go back, even if she wanted to.


    ¡°Hanyi does not know that,¡± Gui snapped stubbornly. ¡°Fishy man is¡ª¡±


    ¡°What is even your problem?¡± Hanyi demanded. ¡°Do you know how to get out? Cause I don¡¯t!¡± She threw up her hands. Ever since they had gotten here, Zhengui had been like this. She knew he had been hurt and angry, but this was ridiculous. What was his problem with this Xuan guy anyway? She had never seen him do anything bad, but Zhengui treated him like he was a food thief or something.


    And he wouldn¡¯t tell her why. It made her so mad! Why couldn''t boys just talk?!


    ¡°Do not quarrel among yourselves,¡± Xuan Shi said warily. ¡°Sir Zhengui¡¯s disposition is understandable. This one is not offended.¡±


    She shot him an incredulous look. She had been thinking of trying to help Big Sis bag him since Sis was so bad at it, but she was starting to wonder if she should if Xuan had this little spine. She eyed the slate grey stone under their feet and the cracks running through it.


    ... Maybe Zhengui had a point. Could they really trust this guy¡¯s will to guide them through here?


    ¡°This one will attempt to divine a path forward again,¡± Xuan Shi said, turning away to face the formless chaos ahead of them. ¡°The others are adrift as well. If we can but link up with Brother Liao, we may yet ride out the storm.¡±


    ¡°We should search for a way out,¡± Zhen hissed sulkily.


    For just a second, Hanyi saw Xuan Shi¡¯s grip on his staff tighten, whitening his knuckles. ¡°This one does not know such ways and has said such before, Sir Zhengui. Perhaps thou might consider cycling thy qi to clear obstructions?¡±


    Not hopeless after all. Hanyi huffed.


    Hanyi leapt from the stone to Zhengui¡¯s back, leaving the boys to bicker. She rested a hand on the glittering curtain that enfolded her sister. Sixiang was a jerk who always acted like they were older and better. Look at them now.


    Hanyi crouched beside the cocoon. ¡°Couldn¡¯t have maybe given us some directions before you went to sleep, idiot?¡± she muttered.


    She knew it wasn¡¯t that easy though. She had seen Big Sis practice. What she did to step through layers was hard, and it wasn¡¯t like Sixiang knew how to move people back and forth. Hanyi squeezed her eyes shut, racking her memories for any scraps she could recall from watching Ling Qi practice.


    You could kinda relate it to music? Something about expression and will. Momma could have gotten them out without a problem, she knew. Momma wasn¡¯t a dumb girl who was too heavy and too solid and too human to act like a real lady. Big Sis had started as a human, and she was still better than Hanyi. Who did she think she was kidding?


    The Mist around her thickened, and Hanyi hunched her shoulders. She stared out into the formless Dream around them, ignoring the flickering images that danced in the corners of her vision and began to hum to herself, one of the songs Momma had sung when brushing her hair.


    ¡­ She had to stop sulking. Big Sis was counting on her, and Zhengui, too. She had promised to trust them, to fight with them. They couldn¡¯t fail her now. There had to be something she could do, if she could just figure out how to move in this place¡­


    Hanyi paused then, blinking. She had just sensed something weird.


    ¡°Hey, will you quiet down for a second?¡± Hanyi interjected, glancing up to Zhen to cut him off mid bicker.


    ¡°Hanyi should stop being so rude.¡± The serpent glowered. ¡°I, Zh¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, keep arguing if you want, afterward,¡± Hanyi dismissed. ¡°I think I felt something, so I want you to quiet down for a second.¡±


    Zhen looked affronted, but he stayed quiet, and Gui stopped walking. Xuan Shi turned to look at her.


    Hanyi huffed and turned away, closing her eyes. She hummed the first bar of the tune again and focused on the ripples it sent out through the dreamspace.


    She felt something ripple back, warm and melodious.


    Hanyi¡¯s eyes widened. She recognized that! She¡¯d been feeling it all the time these past couple days! ¡°Ah, it¡¯s the Flower Lady!¡± Hanyi exclaimed, clapping her hands.


    ¡°This one feels nothing. What is it you sense?¡± Xuan Shi asked, frowning behind his collar.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Hanyi said smugly, standing up atop Zhengui¡¯s shell. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault that you two are tone-deaf.¡±


    ¡°Is Hanyi sure that she isn¡¯t just imagining things?¡± Gui asked suspiciously.


    Hanyi puffed out her cheeks in irritation. ¡°Of course not!¡±


    ¡°It is a destination, is it not, Sir Zhengui?¡± Xuan Shi asked. ¡°Brother Liao remains elusive.¡±


    ¡°Maybe Flower Lady will have a better sense of direction than Fishy Man,¡± Gui grumbled. ¡°Where should Gui walk?¡±


    ¡°This way!¡± Hanyi instructed haughtily. Not that the physical direction really mattered, but they did have to move to cover distance. She hummed her song again and waited for the response.


    They were finally getting somewhere!


    ***


    He did not know how long they spent walking, but Gui had forced himself to keep going on. He forced bubbling irritation and fear down and made himself trust in Hanyi.


    And they were rewarded for it. One moment, there had been nothing but chaos and shifting dream landscapes, and then, in front of them were some of Sis¡¯ companions. Bian Ya stood with her hands on her forehead, murmuring under her breath, and beside her stood another woman. Behind them, Su Ling sat, leaning against the side of a large fox and pressing a bandage to her forehead.


    ¡°Thank goodness.¡± Flower Lady was wilted; she looked like she needed a very long nap. ¡°Someone heard.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Ling Qi?¡± Zhen was glad to see the Su Ling as she leapt to her feet. Her spirit was weird and scarred, but Zhen had no doubts that she was a friend of Big Sis.


    The two girls looked battered. Their cloth-shells were ripped and torn and missing pieces. That worried Gui.


    ¡°Big Sis is here. She¡¯s just hurt,¡± Hanyi announced.¡°Sixiang is taking care of her, but she¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Gui was thankful for the Sixiang. He would not complain when they teased next time.


    ¡°Hehe, how lucky, right? Told ya it was worth the gamble.¡± Zhen felt a frisson of discomfort as the other thing spoke though. The spirit looked like a fox with a human face, but it wasn¡¯t. It was something wrong.


    It was like the not-xuan wu. It was a liar and a nest-mimic. A mask over a mask over a mask.


    Gui instantly distrusted it and was glad to see Flower Lady frown at it. At least he was not the only one to distrust it.


    Xuan Shi stepped forward and bowed his head. ¡°This one must offer his deepest apologies, Sister Bian. As a defender, this one failed in his task and allowed your concentration to be muddled.¡±


    ¡°Izzat what you think happened?¡± the spirit chuckled. ¡°What a responsible guy.¡±


    Zhen hissed softly, observing them both. Were they collaborators? Zhen would watch, and Zhen would bite them both.


    Bian Ya shot the spirit a quelling look. ¡°It was not your failure, Brother Xuan. Something beyond us interfered. It was only Sister Ling¡¯s emergency maneuver which allowed us to escape unscathed.¡±


    Xuan Shi frowned in dissatisfaction.


    Zhengui stomped forward. ¡°How do we get out? Big Sister needs to get out now,¡± Gui said bluntly, overriding everyone else with his booming voice. He did not want to be here any longer.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid we may need to wait some time yet. If you were able to detect my signal, surely the Sect will as well, but...¡± Bian Ya began. Zhen felt despair and then anger. The longer they spent here, the more danger they were in!


    ***


    Hanyi¡¯s eyes widened as she felt the volcanic shell beneath her feet warm. Zhen let out a hiss like a steam vent. ¡°Hey, d-dummy! Don¡¯t take it out on everybody else!¡± she shouted up at him.


    ¡°Hanyi¡­¡± Zhen hissed in irritation, and for the first time, she felt a little worried by Zhen¡¯s temper.


    Su Ling, who had walked closer to peer at Ling Qi, shot him a worried look. ¡°Hey, I want to get out of here too, but at this point, wandering around won¡¯t do any good. This place¡­¡±


    ¡°Nightmares are quite a thing in the proverbial flesh,¡± the blonde spirit chuckled, her grin stretching wider than a human face could normally manage. ¡°You held up pretty well, cuz.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t your cousin,¡± Su Ling snapped.


    Hanyi grimaced. Everyone was still fighting. It was really making her head hurt. The churning of the Dream wasn¡¯t helping. She turned away. At least the part they¡¯d come from seemed quiet¡­


    Churning darkness writhed, stilling and devouring raw dreamstuff. Hanyi¡¯s eyes widened as she saw a pale figure rise from the center, surrounded by ribbons of shadow. A single black-veined eye, growing like a pustule from a pulsating heart, spun and met her gaze.


    ***


    ¡°Heh, well the deal was to make your song carry, I never said that no one else would listen in,¡± said the blonde spirit.


    Those words shattered the moment of stillness. Zhengui bellowed in alarm and tried to turn. He had to protect everyone!


    ***


    Above her, Zhen spun and bared searing, white hot fangs as veins of sickly black corruption spread through the psychedelic dreamstuff all around them, pulsing and wet like exposed veins. Gui began to turn ponderously, far too slow as those veins flattened and sharpened, forming ribbons of black and red.


    Behind them, that smug spirit cackled and dissolved into drifting motes of pale blue light, and Bian Ya¡¯s eyes widened in alarm. Her hand swept up, a war fan shimmering into existence as the wind kicked up, wrapping around them like a cloak, filling Hanyi with a lightness she had not felt since descending the mountain.


    Her fox companion was rising to her feet, and Su Ling was mid turn. Hanyi¡¯s voice was just beginning to rise into Mother¡¯s Aria.


    The rat-thing¡¯s power finished gathering. A cage of ribbons closed around it, flat as paper, flatter perhaps as if it would disappear if viewed from the side. Two dozen ribbons writhed, coming together about its head, twisting into a spiralling lance that bloomed with power.


    It was power that was too familiar. Hanyi felt her stomach drop. She had tried so hard to access power like that. It was her birthright, it was! She just couldn¡¯t get the hang of it! She could hear the faint wail of the Dream that touched it and felt it disintegrate, felt it End.


    The lance of Consumption shot forward, trailing ribbons of darkness, aimed squarely at Bian Ya.


    It struck Xuan Shi instead.


    It didn¡¯t change course, and Xuan Shi didn¡¯t move. Instead, Hanyi felt something in the world bend, and suddenly, the lance was flying toward Xuan Shi¡¯s outstretched hand instead as if it had never been aimed anywhere else.


    The lance struck with a sound like a vast temple gong being struck. The scent of the sea tickled Hanyi¡¯s nose as interlocking pentagonal planes bloomed out from Xuan Shi¡¯s palm. Three layers thick, they exuded weight and solidity, each one looming like the wall of a fortress.


    The first layer shattered instantly, ground down, broken, Consumed. Xuan Shi¡¯s sleeve was shredded, revealing a thick arm marked by patchy black scales.


    The second shattered, and ribbons of nothing split and splintered, shrinking the spiralling lance. Xuan Shi¡¯s collar tore, and he grimaced as strips of skin were flayed back from wrist to shoulder.


    The third layer shattered, and gray lightning rippled out from the diminished lance, now more a beam of solid black. It struck his palm, and for just a moment, it looked as if Xuan Shi had caught the attack and stopped it cold in his hand.


    Then there was a spray of blood, and his shoulder erupted in gore as the lance shot off into the sky. But even as his left arm dropped uselessly to his side, he leveled his staff at the rat-thing and growled out a single word.


    ¡°Return.¡±


    The will-hewn stone at their feet cracked, and the Dream howled as a hammer of force equal in power to the lance and more roared out like a tsunami.

 Threads 110-Descent 12

    Inside the cocoon, Ling Qi tried not to scream.


    Outside of her confinement, Hanyi sang at the top of her voice and called winter into the Dream. Falling snow mingled with swirling ash in a flurry of steam as Zhengui bellowed a challenge.


    A fox pounced and rippled midair, transforming into a woman with blonde hair and a rose pink dress, identical to the face that spirit had worn, save for lacking the cruel and smug cast of the other spirit¡¯s features. The fox seized Su Ling and spun her out of the way of a lashing black ribbon as four points of blue-white fire bloomed in an arc around Su Ling¡¯s shoulders.


    Bian Ya rose into the air on a billow of wind, and her fan flared a verdant green as flowers bloomed from the stone under their feet, filling the air with an empowering pollen.


    And Ling Qi was trapped.


    She had been half-conscious, delirious on arrival, but she could feel the damage she had done to herself. Too much Dream qi, too quickly, flooding meridians not attuned for its use. It had been more painful than anything she had ever experienced. Ling Qi could still recall the feeling of part of her spirit melting like she was stone under Meizhen¡¯s venom, the tangle of color and sound and memory that had threatened to drown her and wash everything away before Sixiang had spun themselves into a barrier between Ling Qi and the sea of Dream.


    She could see and hear, but she couldn¡¯t express herself outward. She couldn¡¯t tell Zhengui that she would be alright. She couldn¡¯t tell Hanyi not to worry. She could only watch them bicker and fight, clearly pained by what had happened to her.


    Outside, black ribbons spiralled together into a rippling portal big enough to swallow Zhengui, and only a desperate sweep of her fan blew Bian Ya far enough away to avoid its touch. Xuan Shi tore open a belt pouch with a hand that should have been useless, and fourteen ceramic plates spun out, blazing with sea green qi to nail ribbons in place with barriers.


    And now, she lay helpless while friends and allies fought an enemy above any of them.


    She hated this.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pretty bad situation,huh?¡± a voice whispered in her ear.


    If she were able to move, she would have jerked. ¡°Who¡­?¡± Ling Qi¡¯s voice echoed back to her, bouncing from the shimmering barrier that Sixiang had formed around her. Then she recognized that voice, not the sound of it, but the feel of it. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you helping them?¡± Ling Qi hissed.


    ¡°Why should I? There¡¯s quite a nice little story going on out there,¡± the voice replied. It no longer sounded like a woman, the voice of that other spirit, but the unpleasant edge remained. ¡°I¡¯m a sucker for desperate last stands.¡±


    Ling Qi felt her prison shudder as Zhengui pulled back into his shell under the lash of ribbons and felt him tremble as they bit into his shell and drew blood. This thing wasn¡¯t Bian Ya¡¯s spirit, that much was now clear. Bian Ya wouldn''t bind an unwilling spirit, and a willing one would help. What was it though? A muse like Sixiang? That didn¡¯t seem quite right. ¡°How are you even talking to me? Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Heh. Good dreams can never keep nightmares at bay. You know that pretty well, I¡¯d think,¡± the voice whispered. ¡°And wow, I have to give it to you. What have you done to my sappy cousin here? Great stuff. Never would have thought I¡¯d see one of them twisted until they could still themselves like this on purpose. That¡¯s gotta hurt.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything to Sixiang,¡± Ling Qi snapped. They had done this on their own by their own choice. She couldn¡¯t feel any pain from them. This thing was just messing with her.


    She watched Zhengui and Xuan Shi stomp forward, shrouded in ash and snow, weathering the hissing ribbons that slipped through Xuan Shi¡¯s barriers while Hanyi sang her heart out, lashing their surroundings with cold.


    Overhead, foxfire wisps whirled and gathered, multiplying by the moment even as they rained down like shooting stars.


    ¡°Whatever you say, you greedy little thing.¡± The wheedling voice bit at her ears like a fly.


    The shishigui stalker stood unbowed, shrouded in his ribbons. Only Xuan Shi¡¯s initial counter-attack had wounded it; one of the creature¡¯s hands was bent and broken where it had received the attack, and black blood dripped from the corner of the shishigui¡¯s maw.


    Su Ling floated above everyone on a wispy platform of cloud, clutching her saber desperately as her eyes flicked back and forth, trying and failing to fully follow the action.


    ¡°Mmph, that¡¯s some good stuff, too. That girl is a feast, but that boy out front¡­ Look at him go. Gonna kill himself for a bunch of people who barely know his name. How tragic.¡± The open ecstasy in the spirit''s voice was deeply unnerving.


    ¡°Fuck off,¡± Ling Qi spat out. It took everything she had not to flex her power against the entrapping cocoon. Even if she was hurt and weakened, she could do something. She could help, but she didn¡¯t know if she could without hurting Sixiang


    ¡°Oh, do you want out? I might be able to help with that,¡± the voice wheedled. ¡°Just cause I like you, you greedy girl. Kongyou¡¯s pretty good at getting where they need to be. Want a hand? They''re gonna die anyway if things stay as they are.¡±


    Ling Qi grit her teeth. The spirit just kept talking. The sound of their voice grated on her ears, but could she really say that it was wrong? They were fighting a fortification stage cultivator, and although the enemy had been wounded in the opening exchange, nothing since had so much as phased it.


    Hanyi just wasn¡¯t strong enough. Her songs barely spread frost across the growing serpent¡¯s nest of striking ribbons. Zhengui was enduring, but that was all. Xuan Shi was being ground down inch by inch while Bian Ya flitted ineffectually overhead.


    If she had just been stronger than this¡­


    ¡°If you hadn¡¯t wasted so much time, maybe you could have been,¡± the spirit, Kongyou, murmured. ¡°But hey, no judgement. It¡¯s easy to get complacent you know? You thought you could afford to play around with the kiddies. Well, here we are. Look how much difference it¡¯s made.¡±


    Hanyi yelped and dove off the side of Zhengui¡¯s shell in a flurry of snowflakes as a ribbon slashed through where her neck had been, and Zhen¡¯s boiling venom cooled and soaked uselessly into the shell of ribbons it splashed across, giving him only a few bloody slashes across the snout for his trouble.


    ¡°But it¡¯s fixable. I could give you a little assist, a lil mid-fight power-up. C¡¯mon, you have to take care of this lot, right? No one else is going to.¡±


    ¡°And what do you get out of this?¡± She wasn¡¯t stupid. She knew there had to be a catch.


    ¡°A story is a story. One person¡¯s victory is another''s loss. Confidence and surety crumbling into helpless rage as you die far, far from home or anyone who could save you, knowing that your people, the ones you swore to protect, will be next... That¡¯s a flavor too.¡±


    It took Ling Qi a second to understand. The spirit was talking about the shishigui fighting them. She shoved the thought out of her head. But¡­


    Wait. What was she thinking?


    Ling Qi blinked as the thought rose through her increasingly panicked thoughts, cutting through the noise in her head.


    ¡°Tch,¡± Kongyou hissed in annoyance. ¡°That¡¯s a really annoying domain trait.¡±


    Somehow, that was what finally broke it. The battle still raged around her. Everyone was still fighting. Nothing she had seen was wrong, but her perspective had been warped. The fighting was far from one-sided.


    Bian Ya circled above, and the flowers that bloomed below rejuvenated flagging spirits, their pollen mingling with Zhengui¡¯s ash to mend wounds. Xuan Shi was battered and wounded but unbowed, and barriers by the dozen bloomed across the battlefield, pinning ribbons, shielding allies, and forming the lines of an increasingly complex pattern around their foe.


    Su Ling stood with Bian Ya¡¯s spirit with a white-knuckled grip on her saber, but her qi was being channeled upward into the growing cloud of foxfire hanging over the battlefield. The rippling lines of explosions that rained down from the sky harried the shishigui, keeping it from holding still, hemming in his movements.


    And Hanyi and Zhengui were at the front with Xuan Shi. Roiling roots were growing through the stone under their feet, growing and growing, and although Hanyi¡¯s new gown was stained red from wounds, she was still singing, always staying near, hovering over Ling Qi¡¯s cocoon.


    Ling Qi looked at herself. She saw a girl who was held together only by the help of her friend. If she got out there, she would only hurt herself more, and she might even distract someone at a crucial moment. Her qi was depleted, and her spirit was wounded. What had she been thinking?


    The Dream thrummed with satisfaction, and the fly in the ear feeling of the other spirit faded away with one last irritated grumble. A one-armed shadow bloomed behind their foe, and a knife flashed.


    Ling Qi forced herself to close her eyes.


    She could trust them.

 Threads 111-Intermission 1

    ¡°Hoh, and what happened next?¡± Bao Qian asked distractedly.


    ¡°After Senior Brother Liao helped to finish things, he was able to lead us to the Commander and then out of the Dream through a relatively safe exit,¡± Ling Qi continued. Seated on a fence post, she idly kicked her legs back and forth. It felt good to move again.


    Bao Qian squinted up at the axle of his wagon. He crouched, holding the vehicle up at an angle over his head. ¡°You came out in the underground still, I assume? I heard that the attack was repulsed, but I suppose it must have still been ongoing.¡±


    Ling Qi thought back to their emergence into those dark tunnels and the twisted shapes of shishigui monsters clogging the earth with rotting liquid flesh. Commander Guan Zhi had carved them a path to safety with her fists alone once they had returned to the material world. ¡°It seems that the shishigui realized that there wasn¡¯t a full attack ongoing by that point, so they retreated, leaving those constructs of theirs behind to block the path.¡±


    Bao Qian nodded, carefully maneuvering the ink brush in his other hand to fix a worn stroke in a formation character. ¡°But their original reaction was quite telling?¡±


    Ling Qi thought about their debriefing. Elder Jiao had been deeply irritated for all that he had only let it show for a moment. He had picked apart their reports in a matter of moments, and the picture he painted with them was worrying. ¡°They were expecting a heavy reprisal, and their mobilization was impressive. It seems that space manipulation techniques cannot be relied upon in areas under their control either.¡±


    Bao Qian set down his wagon with a shuddering thud. Standing, he twirled his ink brush between his fingers, dismissing it back to his ring. ¡°Not an easy enemy, hm?¡±


    Ling Qi remembered the sour looks on the faces of the army officers and core disciples present at the debriefing when the truth had become clear. The shishigui were a sophisticated enemy, one which would respond in a swift and organized fashion to any probes or attacks. ¡°Of course. I bet you already knew that.¡±


    Bao Qian gave her a wry look. ¡°One tribe or kingdom of foreigners is not the same as another. It would do many of us well not to assume such things.¡±


    Ling Qi huffed. ¡°They¡¯re not just barbarians. They¡¯re monsters.¡±


    ¡°There are many monsters in the world,¡± Bao Qian said agreeably, dusting off his knees. ¡°In any case, congratulations are in order. Your contributions were truly superb, or so I have heard.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know it, looking at the rankings,¡± Ling Qi complained a little irritably.


    ¡°Petulence does not suit you, Miss Ling.¡± Bao Qian chuckled. ¡°I think you are underestimating your gains. You salvaged a truly unforeseeable situation. I would expect that to be a consideration in the future as well.¡±


    Ling Qi knew that. She had discussed it with Cai Renxiang too. It was likely that her gains in coming months would receive a subtle bump as well, assuming she continued to contribute to the Sect¡¯s war efforts.


    With the start of the new month, the ninth month, she had made a significant jump in rankings. A jump from rank 730 to rank 705 had moved her into the next tier of rewards from the Sect, enabling her to take intermediate lessons from the elders, assuming they were still happening. She was just frustrated at being stuck on the edge. If she had made it under rank 700, she could have gotten another green stone in her monthly distribution from the Sect, and she could have moved to a residence with a greater argent vent.


    The rest of the team had been similarly rewarded, aside from Liao Zhu, who maintained his rank 2. As for Su Ling, she could no longer avoid the Inner Sect even if she wanted to. The Sect had promoted Su Ling into the Inner Sect at rank 800, skipping her past the tournament qualifications entirely.


    ¡°But I doubt you are here to fish for praise, unless my impression of you is wholly mistaken?¡± Bao Qian asked.


    ¡°Not this time,¡± Ling Qi shot back with a touch of humor. ¡°I¡¯m here for business.¡±


    ¡°You should not so easily speak such alluring words,¡± Bao Qian joked. Flicking his wrist, a small pouch that bulged with stones appeared in his hand.


    Ling Qi reached out, allowing him to press it into her hand. She tugged at the drawstring, peering inside. ¡°Not bad at all,¡± she said. There were five green stones and eighty yellow ones inside. That was enough to fuel most of her cultivation needs for a month.


    ¡°I am pleased by your praise, but I assure you this is not my limit,¡± Bao Qian replied, puffing out his chest. ¡°Once the material has proven itself, demand will rise, and with it, our profit margin.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pretend I know what that means,¡± Ling Qi said facetiously.


    Sixiang chuckled sleepily in her head. The muse was still lethargic after their escapades.


    More cultivation resources always put her in a good mood. It would be much easier to maintain her pace with this boost of income. ¡°And how are things on Hanyi¡¯s end?¡± Ling Qi asked, vanishing the pouch.


    ¡°I admit some difficulty there,¡± Bao Qian said. ¡°I believe I may have a lead on a promotion venue in the near future. Please have the young miss continue filling out her repertoire.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s been surprisingly on task, so that should not be hard,¡± Ling Qi commented. She stretched her arms overhead and winced. There was still a painful twinge in her spine. Xin had done¡­ something, but she would still be feeling her wound for the rest of the week.


    Bao Qian nodded agreeably. She could see in his eyes that he had seen her wince, but he hadn¡¯t said anything. ¡°Good to hear. Did you need anything else, Miss Ling? I might be able to spare the time for an outing if you are interested.¡±


    ¡°Not just this moment,¡± Ling Qi said a little too quickly. ¡°I have a meeting at my home. My family''s security needs to be improved.¡±


    ¡°Understandable,¡± Bao Qian replied, although he looked disappointed. Ling Qi wasn¡¯t quite sure how to feel about that. ¡°If you will excuse me, Miss Ling¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment,¡± Ling Qi said as he began to turn away. ¡°I did have one other question.¡±


    Bao Qian turned back, one eyebrow raised. ¡°What has captured your interest, Miss Ling?¡±


    ¡°Where would I look to investigate disputes between the Bao and the Luo clans?¡±


    Bao Qian stared at her for a moment and then let out a laugh. ¡°I wonder if I should feel hopeful,¡± he said, and she flushed. ¡°It might be best to study Emperor Si¡¯s reign. There were a number of land disputes at that time.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ling Qi replied, bowing her head as she slid down from the fence post.


    ¡°It is no trouble. Good day, Miss Ling.¡±


    ***


    When Ling Qi alighted in the garden of her mother¡¯s home, Zhengui was there where she had left him. It had been a strange request, but he had gotten so much better at limiting his size, so she had seen no trouble with letting him idle in the garden.


    Zhengui stood by the clear garden pond at only a meter and a half long, not including his serpentine half. He almost looked like an exquisitely carved and painted garden statue. If he hadn¡¯t been moving, anyway


    One of the house servants, a younger one only a few years Ling Qi¡¯s senior, crouched nearby with a basket of berries. Gui was eating out of her hand. She startled when Ling Qi landed, shooting to her feet. Only Ling Qi¡¯s steadying hand stopped her from tripping into the garden pond.


    ¡°Careful, there,¡± Ling Qi said, amused.


    ¡°I am sorry, Lady Ling,¡± the young lady replied, bowing profusely the moment she had regained her balance. The girl was clearly nervous, but at least she wasn¡¯t afraid, so Ling Qi had made some progress with her household. ¡°Please forgive this humble servant¡¯s lack of attention.¡±


    ¡°No, I should have announced myself,¡± Ling Qi dismissed. ¡°Thank you for seeing to Zhengui.¡±


    ¡°It was my honor, Lady Ling,¡± the gardener said, bowing again. ¡°I will inform Madam Ling that you have arrived.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded absently as the girl hurried off and looked down at Zhengui. ¡°Have you enjoyed your chance to rest, little brother?¡±


    Zhen and Gui both peered up at her, but it was Gui who responded. ¡°Gui is feeling fine.¡±


    ¡°But is Big Sister?¡± Zhen asked, examining her carefully.


    Ling Qi crouched down next to him and ran her fingers over the serpent¡¯s brow ridges. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Thanks to you, I just need a little more rest.¡±


    ¡°Zhengui did not do much,¡± they both replied, and Ling Qi frowned at the synchronicity.


    Ling Qi examined him, and her frown only deepened. He had not come out of that battle unmarked. Even with his prodigious vitality, scars remained. Her eyes marked every chipped spike on his shell, every scratch on his scales. There was a line just above Zhen¡¯s right eye and a spiralling scar on his left foreleg where a ribbon had curled, trying to tear his leg from under him. Those were only the most prominent marks.


    ¡°You did very well, Zhengui. You protected me, and I¡¯m proud of you,¡± Ling Qi said.


    Both of his gazes looked away. She could tell he couldn¡¯t quite believe it. She could also tell that pushing the matter would only be detrimental at the moment. She had gotten better at that.


    ¡°It looks like you were enjoying yourself,¡± Ling Qi said, bypassing the subject. ¡°Did you like those berries?¡±


    ¡°Li-Li is a nice human,¡± Gui rumbled. ¡°The treats were empty, but they were still tasty.¡±


    ¡°Li-Li?¡± Ling Qi asked, raising an eyebrow. That was a child''s nickname.


    ¡°Mm, the older human called her that, and she does not have a Name,¡± Gui agreed.


    She was probably a younger relative of the main gardener then.


    ¡°The not-family makes offerings. This is proper,¡± Zhen said. ¡°See, Big Sister? I, Zhen, have been given a shrine.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s our shrine,¡± Gui complained.


    Ling Qi blinked, bemused, and followed Zhen¡¯s gaze. Only then did she see it. There, toward the back of the garden, was a little building. It was a small shed with folding doors and a little altar and incense burner inside. She was aware of it, there were representations of some common and local spirits inside. Looking again though, among their representations was a wooden carving of Zhengui placed among the others. It was brightly painted, if a little crudely made.


    ¡°Congratulations,¡± Ling Qi said after a moment. It made her feel odd to see her little brother represented as an object of worship. ¡°You¡¯ll have to make sure the garden blooms well then.¡±


    ¡°Obviously,¡± Zhen hissed, some of his pride returning.


    Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help but laugh. Her little brother, a house deity. ¡°I¡¯ll be relying on you then,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Zhengui agreed, once more in sync.


    Ling Qi hummed to herself, resting a hand on his shell. It was warm and rough. ¡°Xuan Shi will be coming soon.¡±


    ¡°Zhengui knows,¡± he replied tightly.


    ¡°You¡¯ve never explained. Why do you dislike him so much?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Fish¡ªSeaseeker is not family. Big Sister is family,¡± Zhen muttered, petulant. ¡°He is greedy and wants things that are not his.¡±


    ¡°Gui does not like how he smells,¡± Gui grumbled. ¡°But Gui will try to be polite.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed to herself. ¡°That¡¯s all I can ask. He¡¯s going to help protect my mother and sister.¡±


    ¡°Zhengui knows,¡± he said grudgingly. ¡°Can we stay in the garden?¡±


    ¡°You can,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°But make sure to let the gardeners work, okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Big Sister,¡± they chorused, and she stood. Her mother was waiting for her on the porch.


    Ling Qi thought.


    Sixiang murmured sleepily.


    Ling Qi mounted the porch. ¡°Mother,¡± she greeted, bobbing her head to the older woman.


    ¡°Ling Qi,¡± Ling Qingge replied. She was looking stressed. ¡°Are you sure you are quite well?¡±


    ¡°I am, Mother,¡± Ling Qi replied. They had already talked after her return. She was to take it easy for a week or so, but thanks to Sixiang, she had not been in any serious danger. ¡°And I apologize for the suddenness of our guest¡¯s arrival.


    After witnessing the forces arrayed under the earth, Ling Qi had been eager to get more protections in place. Quickly.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Ling Qingge said. Ling Qi had not shared the details, but her mother knew she was worried about the danger. ¡°Still, a guest of this rank¡­¡±


    ¡°Xuan Shi is only visiting to do a favor for me. It is hardly a state visit, Mother,¡± Ling Qi replied wryly as they entered the house.


    Ling Qingge shot her a dubious look, as if to say ¡°that does not make it better.¡±


    Ling Qi could understand, but this was Xuan Shi, even if he was from a ducal family.


    They arrived at the entrance of the house only shortly before the doorman¡¯s voice called out. ¡°Announcing, Sir Xuan Shi!¡±


    He was looking a little worse for wear, if Ling Qi was honest. His dark robes had been replaced by one in a lighter shade of green, and his left arm was still in a sling cradled against his chest. Ling Qi did not let her eyes linger on his temporary infirmity. It would be rude. Instead, as she stepped inside, she clasped her hands and bowed.


    ¡°Thank you very much for accepting my invitation,¡± she said formally.


    ¡°Please be welcome in our humble home, Sir Xuan,¡± her mother intoned, bowing lower still. ¡°I hope that our simple offerings are sufficient for your needs.¡±


    Xuan Shi gave a smaller bow in return. ¡°This one is honored to receive your invitation, Lady Ling. Your welcome is more than sufficient, Madam Ling.¡±


    ¡°You are too kind, Sir Xuan,¡± her mother replied. ¡°Please enter and make yourself comfortable. I hope that my daughter has not troubled you overmuch.¡±


    ¡°Thy daughter is a most impressive young woman. This one is not troubled by assisting her at all,¡± Xuan Shi said earnestly.


    Mother shot her a look out of the corner of her eye, and Ling Qi held in a sigh. Xuan Shi¡¯s formality was giving her the wrong ideas. ¡°I believe you prepared some refreshments, Mother?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°Shall we see to our guest and discuss business then?¡±


    Her mother was still giving her that look. ¡°Yes, let us do so. Sir Xuan, if you would?¡±


    He nodded easily, moving to follow them a pace behind as they headed to the dining room. ¡°Miss Ling, may this one ask what manner of fortification is in your thoughts?¡±


    ¡°My friend, Li Suyin, has already done a great deal of work on the house,¡± Ling Qi began.


    ¡°The sculptor of bone?¡± Xuan Shi asked in clarification, glancing around at the halls. ¡°Her skill has bloomed.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, pleased at the observation. ¡°Yes, Li Suyin did very good work. But there is something that I think only your expertise at barriers can accomplish.¡±


    They entered the dining room then. The table had been set with refreshments, and one of the house servants stood nearby to serve. The girl looked ready to faint. Xuan Shi¡¯s gaze swept over her without pause though, only briefly stopping on the table settings before returning to the walls where Li Suyin¡¯s work was concentrated. ¡°A shell vault, I assume?¡±


    ¡°I am not familiar with the term, Sir Xuan,¡± Ling Qingge asked after the beat of silence that followed. It saved Ling Qi from having to ask the same question, though she had an inkling.


    Xuan Shi paused. ¡°Apologies. A chamber to shelter the vulnerable when the isle goes to war.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that,¡± Ling Qi said easily as they were seated. ¡°Li Suyin designed something of the sort already, but I don¡¯t want to spare any expense. I want the best protection possible for my family.¡±


    Briefly, her mother looked troubled, but she didn¡¯t gainsay Ling Qi. She wouldn¡¯t do so in front of a guest.


    ¡°It would be wrong to say that mine skills are ¡®the best¡¯ when so many masters stand ready within the Sect, but thy compliment is accepted,¡± Xuan Shi said slowly. ¡°However, this one¡¯s work will be¡­ impeded by injury.¡±


    ¡°I will be happy to assist with the work. It¡¯s not as if I can cultivate easily at the moment,¡± she said, keeping the frustration she felt about that out of her voice.


    ¡°That would be most welcome, Miss Ling,¡± Xuan Shi said.


    ¡°I look forward to seeing your work, Sir Xuan,¡± Ling Qingge said demurely. ¡°But please, let us offer our hospitality first.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Madam Ling,¡± Xuan Shi said respectfully, dipping his head.

 Threads 112-Intermission 2

    Xuan Shi had seemed to enjoy the tea, and Ling Qi made a note to thank Lady Renxiang for her suggestions in that regard. His tastes in food had been pretty simple; he had stuck largely to steamed vegetables and rice crackers, avoiding dishes with meat or fish.


    ¡°I¡¯m curious. Do you just not like meat, or is it a bloodline matter?¡± Ling Qi asked as she trailed her fingers over the wall, brushing her qi against the formations worked into the wood. The characters lit with faint ghostly light.


    Xuan Shi studied them intently from a pace or two behind her. ¡°This one has always been ill equipped for the consumption of animal flesh. Though cultivation transcends such matters, the preference remains.¡±


    ¡°That must have been hard. Aren¡¯t most Savage Seas dishes fish?¡± Ling Qi asked. Right now, they were just reviewing Li Suyin¡¯s work so that Xuan Shi could plan out his upgrades. Of course, only Ling Qi, Li Suyin, or her mother could activate them, so she was assisting already.


    ¡°Many, but not all,¡± Xuan Shi replied simply.


    ¡°What sort of food do you enjoy then?¡± Ling Qi asked, continuing along the wall.


    The panic room Li Suyin had constructed was on the ground floor for structural and spiritual reasons. It was mostly bare of decoration, and the formations on the polished wooden walls were openly visible. It was furnished with a table and a number of chairs, as well as a few simple beds. In one corner was a preservation box containing enough food for the household to live off of for two or three days. Thick bands of polished steel ran around the perimeter as well as the corners where the wall joined the ceiling or floor.


    Xuan Shi paused, considering her question. ¡°The Savage Seas cultivates many breeds of kelp with rich flavour. The dishes which can be made from them are numerous.¡±


    Wasn¡¯t kelp some kind of water weed? She supposed that people ate stranger things. They soon finished the circuit of the room. ¡°So, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°Miss Li has done superb work with her materials,¡± Xuan Shi said thoughtfully. ¡°Foundation and framework alike are sturdy and will allow significant enhancement. There will be significant material expense for such a large chamber. This one is unsure if current stocks are sufficient.¡±


    ¡°I will purchase what you need. Please do not empty your own supplies,¡± Ling Qi said firmly.


    ¡°Miss Ling, there is no need¡ª¡± he began.


    ¡°Xuan Shi, I don¡¯t want to keep taking advantage of your kindness,¡± Ling Qi said, turning around to face him. ¡±Please allow me to at least purchase the supplies.¡±


    Xuan Shi hesitated and then tugged his hat down, covering the narrow slice of his face that was visible. ¡°As you say. This one can begin the outlining work tomorrow. Will the pre-dawn hours be a viable time?¡±


    ¡°I think so,¡± Ling Qi said. There were other things she needed to do tomorrow, such as helping her mother cultivate, taking part in the planning for Biyu¡¯s birthday, spending time with friends, and making plans for her arrangement with Wang Chao, so an early start was fine with her. ¡°Thank you again for this.¡±


    ¡°There is no need for such repetition,¡± Xuan Shi replied, turning back to study the walls.


    ¡°I think there is. I have been rude before.¡± Avoiding him for months on end certainly counted. ¡°And I know Zhengui has been trying about your presence.¡±


    ¡°It is only to be expected,¡± Xuan Shi said shortly.


    ¡°Why is it expected?¡± LIng Qi asked. ¡°Sixiang thinks it might be some misplaced territorial instinct, but I¡¯m not sure if xuan wu are like that. Texts on their nature are scarce.¡±


    Xuan Shi didn¡¯t respond at first, tracing his finger along the curve of a painted character. ¡°Within the shoal, xuan wu are communal creatures, caring little for territory or personal items. Conflict arises when shoals meet.¡±


    A shoal was the word for a group of xuan wu, if Ling Qi remembered right. ¡°I thought all xuan wu were members of the Xuan though,¡± she said. ¡°Or are you talking about sub groups?¡±


    Xuan Shi let out a huff of dry laughter. ¡°The Living Isle¡¯s brood is the mightiest and most fecund shoals, but others swim in distant seas. There are shoals on the coast of distant Khem in the north and far to the west beyond the land¡¯s end where the Great Maelstrom churns. Those more kin to thy brother once walked amongst the lands beyond the Golden Fields as well, though none now know their disposition.¡±


    ¡°So it is something of the sort,¡± Ling Qi said to herself. She couldn¡¯t help but feel like he was deflecting though, but she could also tell that there was no good in prying more. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here, so I can let Mother know that the staff can relax.¡±


    ¡°This one apologizes for the inconvenience,¡± Xuan Shi said wryly, turning to the door.


    ¡°I think my mother enjoys putting them through their paces, at least a little,¡± Ling Qi said with a small smile. ¡°She has some pride in what she has accomplished here. Even if I do end up exasperating her.¡±


    ¡°Thy mother seems formidable and perceptive, so far as her state allows,¡± Xuan Shi agreed. ¡°Miss Ling is fortunate.¡±


    ¡°I am glad that I can provide her and my sister with comfort and safety. I am glad that I can keep them close,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Is it troubling for you? I know your uncles came to visit last year, but did your parents?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Xuan Shi replied. It was surprisingly curt.


    Ling Qi winced. ¡°I apologize for my presumption. I didn¡¯t mean to offend. Are¡ªDo they¡ª¡± She stumbled on her words. Ling Qi silently cursed; she¡¯d gone and made a mistake again.


    ¡°Miss Ling did not offend. I do not know their faces, so there is no pain in absence,¡± Xuan Shi said evenly. ¡°This one is grateful for the attention given by the Honored Admirals.¡±


    Had he never met his own parents, or was not knowing their faces a metaphor? She didn¡¯t think he was implying that they were dead, but she couldn¡¯t be sure.


    ¡°Regardless, thank you again for your help. If you ever need anything, please let me know,¡± Ling Qi said, recovering. ¡°Maybe I could help you get a spirit of your own? I¡¯ve had some success with that.¡±


    Xuan Shi chuckled, but it still sounded forced. ¡°A tempting offer, but in that, at least, this one has recently encountered some good fortune, Miss Ling.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Ling Qi asked. She hadn¡¯t sensed anything different at all. ¡°When did that happen?¡±


    ¡°Just after our escape from Dream.¡± Xuan Shi looked pleased. ¡°In my meditations, a spirit of the liminal approached and wished to make a pact. It is temporary yet, but this one is hopeful.¡±


    Sixiang murmured blearily.


    Well, neither of them had been in great condition, Ling Qi thought. ¡°Congratulations,¡± she said earnestly. ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll just have to find another way to help.¡±


    ¡°This one does not doubt thine abilities, Miss Ling,¡± Xuan Shi replied as they neared the door. ¡°Farewell.¡±


    ***


    Ling Qi joined her mother in the garden after Xuan Shi left, taking a seat beside her on the stone bench that overlooked the pond. She was still pondering what she had learned from him.


    ¡°Ling Qi, can you truly afford to spend even more coin on this temporary home?¡± Ling Qingge asked quietly, startling her.


    ¡°Of course I can, Mother,¡± Ling Qi responded quickly. ¡°Why would you even ask that? You¡ª¡±


    ¡°I ask because I have been studying cultivation,¡± her mother said firmly. ¡°And I have become aware of how much wealth you need to continue growing as you do.¡±


    ¡°You and Biyu are more important than wealth,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°I do not doubt that,¡± Ling Qingge replied. ¡°But you did not answer my question. Can you afford such expenses without harming yourself?¡±


    ¡°I should be able to afford this one.¡± Numbers danced in her head, the budget of green stones she had remaining and her month-to-month needs. Ling Qi¡¯s savings were dwindling given the price Xuan Shi had named for the materials.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t just been spending,¡± Ling Qi said uncomfortably. ¡°Bao Qian has come through on our deal, and I¡¯ve gotten my first income from the sales.¡±


    ¡°Who is Bao Qian?¡± her mother asked with some concern.


    Ling Qi blinked. Had she really not¡­? She bowed her head in apology. ¡°It must have slipped my mind. Bao Qian is a scion of the Bao clan who came here to establish business with me. We worked out a deal for the sale of some of Zhengui¡¯s byproducts.¡±


    Ling Qingge was still frowning. ¡°A member of a count clan came just for this? It must be quite valuable.¡±


    Ling Qi looked away, feeling guilty. ¡°He may also be trying to court me¡­ Sort of,¡± she added, trailing off into a mumble.


    She didn¡¯t miss the way that her mother¡¯s back stiffened at her words. ¡°Ling Qi,¡± she said, and the full weight of her frustration was conveyed by those brief syllables.


    ¡°It¡¯s not really official or anything,¡± Ling Qi explained. ¡°Well, his clan is fine with it, but they seem to be willing to play a longer game, and¡­¡±


    ¡°Ling Qi, please tell me that you have observed propriety,¡± her mother cut her off with a plea.


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes flew open at her mother¡¯s implication, and she gave her a hurt look. ¡°Mother! Of course I haven¡¯t done anything like... like...¡± She couldn¡¯t even put it into words.


    Ling Qingge squeezed her eyes shut, taking a deep breath. ¡°I am sorry, Ling Qi. I only¡­¡±


    Ling Qi tried to see things from her mother¡¯s perspective. It probably looked like she had been trying to conceal something. Given everything in their lives, could she really blame the older woman? ¡°I understand how dangerous men can be. I do, Mom.¡±


    Ling Qingge didn¡¯t reply at first. ¡°I hope that you do, but your interactions with that young man gave me doubt.¡±


    ¡°Xuan Shi?¡± Ling Qi asked in confusion. They were friendly enough, but he was¡­


    ¡°Ling Qi, even I could see that he held an interest in you,¡± her mother chided. ¡°Are you truly saying that you were not making use of that?¡±


    Ling Qi gave her a horrified look. Her mother examined Ling Qi¡¯s face and then slowly lowered her face into her hands.


    They both sat in awkward silence as the evening song of the crickets began.


    ¡°I do not think that he is the sort of man to perceive obligation from favors such as this,¡± Ling Qingge finally said, raising her head. ¡°But Ling Qi, please exercise further caution in the future.¡±


    Ling Qi stared ahead at the garden pond, reviewing her memories. She still couldn¡¯t see it. Yes, he was willing to help her and seemed impressed with her at times, but she had never noticed anything that she would take as that kind of interest, just friendliness.


    She had a difficult time picturing Xuan Shi even being able to do that. The boy was too reserved.


    Sixiang murmured.


    She did so. Did this change anything? Some part of her wanted to scream that yes, obviously it did. ¡°I will be more aware in the future,¡± Ling Qi said, looking down at her hands. She couldn¡¯t really picture him as being dangerous in that way. ¡°I think you¡¯re right, Mother.¡±


    ¡°It is good fortune,¡± Ling Qingge agreed, ¡°that this young man seems a good sort. But this is exceptional. So Ling Qi, please tell me about this Bao Qian.¡±


    Ling Qi sighed. It was going to be a long evening.


    And she still had to figure out how she was going to talk to Xuan Shi tomorrow.

 Threads 113-Intermission 3

    Ling Qi held the stencil perfectly still and tried not to think about how close Xuan Shi was standing as he carefully marked down the outlines of characters in ink.


    It helped that she still didn¡¯t see it. He hardly looked at her, keeping his gaze fixed on his work, but that was probably just professionalism. But even before they had started with her paying much closer attention, she hadn¡¯t seen any sign that she was being looked at in that way. Were his social arts simply that much superior to hers?


    Sixiang chided.


    Ling Qi kept her thoughts from her face, but she was frustrated. Bao Qian was one thing. She didn¡¯t expect him to be rude, she had a handle on him, and he was here first and foremost for business, even if he was trying to build a personal rapport with her. Senior brothers like Ruan Shen and Liao Zhu were just playfully teasing. There was no actual interest there. In fact, she suspected in Liao Zhu¡¯s case that he was simply helping her build composure in a subtle way.


    For the life of her, she could not figure out a similar motivation for Xuan Shi. Relations with Zhengui perhaps, but that didn¡¯t explain being interested in her.


    She trusted her mother¡¯s words, and Sixiang¡¯s confirmation made her doubt that her mother was being fooled. She just couldn¡¯t see it.


    ¡°This section is complete,¡± Xuan Shi said calmly, withdrawing in a rustle of cloth. He stepped away quickly, giving her space.


    Ling Qi removed the stencil and laid it on the table with the others. Today, they were just marking out the necessary characters to allow for examination and adjustment before the etching and carving began. ¡°Which one is next?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    Xuan Shi carefully examined the wall and the already inked characters. ¡°Plates nine and seventeen.¡± It seemed that even his flowery speech gave way to simplicity when describing business.


    Ling Qi nodded to herself, quickly selecting the stencils he had described. They were made of thin and flexible metal, a qi-inert alloy that she had not heard of before. Moving back to the wall, she glanced down at the items. ¡°Where should I place them?¡±


    ¡°Nine, first. Here,¡± Xuan Shi replied, tapping his finger on the wall. She placed the stencil, and he eyed it critically. ¡°Left three, down two.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, shifting the stencil left three centimeters and down two. She was silent as he began to carefully ink in the characters. She tried to pay close attention to the way the blocks of characters aligned with the previously done sections, but it was hard to concentrate.


    She needed to figure out a way to talk to him.


    The trailing hem of his sleeve brushed her arm. Ling Qi kept herself from flinching. His eyes were still focused on the wall. Ling Qi did the same.


    Behind them, the door slid open, and almost in unison, they both twitched violently. The stencil shifted, and Xuan Shi¡¯s brush went off course.


    Ling Qi hurriedly turned and found herself staring at the pale and wide-eyed face of one of Mother¡¯s girls. She held a tea tray in her hands, trembling.


    It was only then that Ling Qi noticed the mist curling around the floorboards and the distorted shadows dancing in the corners. The light was dim, the air heavy, and a faint ghostly tune mingled with the sound of surf on a stony shore.


    They were both on edge. Somehow, that helped her somewhat calm her nerves. With an effort of will, she dispersed her own domain manifestation and put on a smile. ¡°Ah, the tea is ready? Thank you. Just set it on the table. We will serve ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lady Ling,¡± the girl squeaked. To her credit, she managed to look like she wasn¡¯t hurrying as she set things out.


    Xuan Shi stood stiffly, still facing the wall.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we take a break for a moment, Sir Xuan?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°A good suggestion, Miss Ling,¡± he replied. ¡°Better to avoid fatigue of the mind now than correct errors later.¡±


    Was her discomfort the source of his? She thought she had been hiding it well, but she probably shouldn¡¯t doubt the senses of a ducal scion.


    She still didn¡¯t know how to approach this.


    In the back of her mind, Sixiang stirred, and memories of a temple stirred, along with the whisper of pages flipping. Ling Qi frowned. Certainly, if he had invited her out then, there had to be some intention at the time, but he had been as surprised and horrified as her at the ending. She was certain that his reaction had been genuine. What would¡­?


    It struck her.


    As she poured their tea, the servant having scurried out already, she asked, ¡°What were you expecting to find at the end of our last expedition together?¡±


    She could practically feel him grimacing behind his collar. ¡°Miss Ling, this one can only apologise again for the appearance of¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not asking for that,¡± Ling Qi said, keeping her eyes down as she prepared the tea. ¡°I mean, you did know it was supposed to be something from your books, right? You said something about the events, but you were evasive.¡±


    Xuan Shi was silent as he accepted his tea. ¡°This one will require time to establish context.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Ling Qi replied, chilling her own tea with a thought. She did not have time for fiction, but that wasn¡¯t really the point of this.


    Xuan Shi awkwardly undid the clasp of his collar with his good hand in silence. ¡°The hero, Yu Long, is the third son of a third son. Born into a clan of carpenters and woodcutters, no wealth or position awaits him. He is less than his siblings and chided for his lack of skill or interest in the family arts and trades. In this home that does not welcome him, Yu Long dreams of the sea.¡±


    Ling Qi gave a hum of acknowledgement, taking a sip of the dark blend. It wasn¡¯t a particularly sympathetic backstory to her.


    Xuan Shi stared down into his teacup. ¡°One duty only he is enthusiastic for is accompanying the clan¡¯s caravan north to the shore where his family¡¯s goods is sold to traders. One day, while there, he encounters a group of ruffians troubling an elderly mendicant and intervenes. He is beaten for his trouble, but the tough¡¯s rage is spent. The beggar is thankful and offers him a trinket, a wooden carving of a ship which fits in his pocket. A charm of good fortune, the beggar assures him. If ever he needs aid, he must simply cast it into the sea.¡±


    Ling Qi still couldn¡¯t say she was particularly hooked, but she didn¡¯t say anything. Xuan Shi¡¯s visible expression told her that he was. However trite the tale seemed to her, it was clearly important to him.


    ¡°Yu Long thinks little of the matter. He returns home, drudging away at his tasks. Time passes, and it comes to pass that Yu Long¡¯s father makes a contract with another family, an alliance in trade for one of his sons. It is a beneficial bargain for the family, and a good deal for his layabout son as well,¡± Xuan Shi continued. ¡°But Yu Long is familiar with his wife-to-be, a greedy and elderly woman of a merchant clan known to never allow her young husbands beyond the walls of her house, and finds the match abhorrent.¡±


    That was significantly less amusing. It also felt bizarre to her. If the genders had been flipped. it would be a horrifying story, but as it was, she had trouble taking it seriously. Could an elderly woman truly imprison a man? She chastised herself. Among cultivators, power was not so limited to the physical.


    ¡°Despairing, Yu Long remembers the trinket he received from the beggar. Though he expects nothing, he steals down to the docks and casts the carving into the water.¡± Xuan Shi hadn¡¯t drunk a drop of tea yet. ¡°From the ripples rises a ship, tall and proud. Yu Long steps aboard and never looks back.¡±


    ¡°And then comes the temple?¡± Ling Qi asked. Xuan Shi startled but nodded.


    ¡°Other adventures come between,¡± Xuan Shi said. ¡°Yu Long discovers a hidden cultivation art among the ship¡¯s stores, and in his voyage, he clashes with the sorceress Hotene, a hermit from the cold and fog-shrouded northern isles who desires his ship, which he comes to find is an artifact of considerable value, capable of sailing the impassable Maelstrom. The climax is the temple however, and cooperation between the rivals is required to escape its confines.¡±


    ¡°Cooperation that ends with them becoming romantically involved,¡± Ling Qi said, keeping the accusation out of her voice.


    ¡°That is the structure of the character''s arc,¡± he admitted, looking pained. ¡°But the book does not end so. Such events develop over many volumes and adventures, and in each one, the ship fills more and more as new crew is taken on and new bonds forged. It is a story of belonging, of the lonely and outcast acquiring home and love through their own efforts. Whatever the first draft¡¯s intent, that is the theme of the passages this one has committed to memory.¡±


    Ling Qi stared at him. With his hat tilted back and his collar open, Xuan Shi seemed strange to her eyes. The uncharacteristic passion in his voice was even stranger, almost as if he were an entirely different person for a moment. ¡°It seems strange to be so invested in a story,¡± Ling Qi admitted.


    For just a second, shame flitted across Xuan Shi¡¯s features, but it was gone by the time he had lowered his head. ¡°It is so, Miss Ling.¡±


    Ling Qi toyed with a strand of her hair, twisting it between her fingers. ¡°It is¡­ not necessarily a bad thing.¡± In the end, a story and a song were both similar things, vehicles to carry an artist''s meaning to their audience. If this tale had spoken to him so strongly¡­ That was simply down to the writer''s skill. ¡°You see yourself in Yu Long then?¡±


    ¡°This one is far more fortunate,¡± Xuan Shi replied swiftly. Perhaps a little too swiftly. She remembered his words yesterday, about not knowing the faces of his parents.


    ¡°I see,¡± Ling Qi sighed. ¡°Xuan Shi, why are you so willing to spend such time and effort helping me?¡±


    She met his eyes, and this time, it was Xuan Shi who looked away. ¡°Those who spend their days in thy presence are fulfilled. Miss Ling seems to have skill for defeating the isolation of others, and thou art always surrounded by friends and companions. This one¡­ had perhaps hoped to capture some of that for himself.¡±


    Ling Qi felt bewildered. Was that how he really saw her? She wasn¡¯t¡­ She had never been¡­ ¡°So it is not really about me?¡± Ling Qi asked. It seemed that it really was a misunderstanding, after all.


    Xuan Shi¡¯s expression flattened, and for a moment, he seemed to be at odds with himself. ¡°This one is not certain if Miss Ling is mocking him.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s face fell. ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    Xuan Shi closed his eyes. ¡°This one would be deeply thankful if Miss Ling could forget the matter. Know that this one has no ill intentions. Miss Ling¡¯s friendship is more than enough.¡±


    ¡°I apologize for delving into uncomfortable topics,¡± Ling Qi said, bowing her head. She paused, unsure of herself. ¡°Xuan Shi, please understand. It is not you at fault. I am simply not comfortable with such things. I¡ªIt may be difficult to understand for you, but my experiences with¡­ romantic attention... are all unpleasant. I would be glad to call you friend.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Xuan Shi said. Swiftly, he finished his tea and turned back to the wall. ¡°Shall we resume then?¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, heading back to the end table where the stencils had been placed. ¡°Yes. Nine and seventeen, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Xuan Shi agreed.


    Even if things were still a little awkward, Ling Qi felt like they had really cleared the air.


    Somehow, she still felt exhausted though.

 Threads 114-Intermission 4

    There was a dull thunk as Ling Qi¡¯s head struck the surface of the table.


    ¡°Quit sprawling over my table,¡± Su Ling grumbled.


    Ling Qi cracked one eye open, peering at the girl sitting across from her. ¡°Aren¡¯t friends supposed to be more sympathetic to this kind of thing?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know where to start with what you told me,¡± Su Ling said bluntly. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. from what you said, the guy is the most harmless sort around. Besides, don¡¯t you have other folks you can talk to about this kind of thing?¡±


    Meizhen was currently deep in collusion with Bao Qingling. She had checked. Suyin was busy with the elders, and Cai Renxiang¡­ Ling Qi made a face. She wasn¡¯t going to try and talk about this with Cai Renxiang. ¡°I¡¯d think you of all people would understand where I¡¯m coming from,¡± she moaned sitting up. Su Ling was, after all, the one whose past was most similar to hers.


    Su Ling gave her a hard look, her pointed ears twitching. Then, deliberately, she bared her teeth, the fangs of a predator. ¡°I¡¯ve never worried about that particular thing,¡± the girl said a moment after, and her sharp black nails clicked as they drummed on the table. ¡°A bunch of assholes with torches and clubs deciding to get rid of the monster once and for all? Sure, but not what you¡¯re talking about. Never really had a thought for my virtue.¡±


    Ling Qi looked at her friend. ¡°I guess you¡¯ve never really been completely helpless,¡± she said. She hadn¡¯t really thought about the difference in their conditions.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that,¡± Su Ling said. ¡°Just that I¡¯ve never really had that fear. After all, my mother¡¯s the monster. My dad was the victim.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one thing I¡¯ve never understood,¡± Ling Qi said, leaning back in her chair. ¡°Why do you care about your father? You never met him, obviously.¡±


    Su Ling shrugged. ¡°Maybe he woulda been a drunk or a layabout, maybe he woulda been the best dad ever. I¡¯ll never know, will I? So fuck that bitch for taking him.¡±


    ¡°You really have to watch that language, Baroness Su.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you start,¡± Su Ling replied darkly, making a disgusted face. ¡°I have no idea how I¡¯m supposed to deal with that.¡±


    ¡°Pretend that you know what you¡¯re doing, and study like mad in the background,¡± Ling Qi suggested.


    ¡°Speaking from experience?¡± Su Ling asked dryly.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Ling Qi replied with a grin. ¡°Seriously though, congratulations, Su Ling.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I never thought I¡¯d make Inner Sect.¡± Su Ling sighed.


    Ling Qi patted the other girl¡¯s hand in commiseration.


    ***


    Ling Qi stretched her arms overhead, enjoying the light of the early morning sun. The twinge in her back had faded, and she was once again approved for cultivation. Sitting atop Zhengui¡¯s back as they trundled down the mountain path, she found that she was actually looking forward to this gathering.


    Below, she could see the brightly colored pennants marking out the edges of the grounds Wang Chao had rented out. It seemed like the setup had gone well. Most of the field was left open for cultivation activities and sparring, but a small pavilion had been erected at the far east end, which would contain tables laden with refreshments and a few temporary meditation chambers for those who needed privacy for some cultivation.


    She had, on Cai Renxiang¡¯s advice, helped with the planning for that part. She could already see a half dozen odd disciples, including Wang Chao, clustered near a sparring circle, having a discussion. There were a few spirit beasts already present as well, a pair of dogs, a big tawny mountain cat, and a preening eagle. The only one which stood out to her was the horse-sized shaggy black mountain goat that she knew belonged to Wang Chao.


    The other beasts gave the creature and its tall curling horns a wide berth.


    ¡°Are you excited to get some exercise, Zhengui?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Gui agreed, but she couldn¡¯t help but notice that his cheer was a little strained.


    ¡°I, Zhen, doubt that there will be much to learn here,¡± Zhen scoffed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. We¡¯re here to work together and meet some new people,¡± Ling Qi scolded. ¡°Just remember that we¡¯re here to enjoy ourselves, too. You¡¯ve earned some fun, you know?¡±


    ¡°It would be fun if Hanyi was here,¡± Gui grumbled.


    Ling Qi frowned. ¡°I know, but she is very inspired right now.¡± Hanyi had been withdrawn since their return, and she was hard at work composing something. Ling Qi didn¡¯t want to interrupt her because she recognized that sort of fugue.


    Sixiang whispered.


    ¡°Please, Zhengui, let¡¯s try to enjoy ourselves, okay?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Zhengui will try,¡± he replied, but he didn¡¯t seem enthusiastic.


    She hid her frown, trying to think of what else she could say, but soon, they were no longer alone.


    She glanced up as she felt someone approaching from one of the other paths. It only took her a second to recognize Alingge, the girl she had met at Luo Zhong¡¯s party. She was dressed much the same as always in a surprisingly scant combination of tunic and skirt, but she had replaced her white fur cloak with one of darker red. She rode on the back of a tawny female deer fitted with a saddle but lacking a harness.


    ¡°Ling Qi,¡± Alingge greeted as her mount cantered up beside them. ¡°Honored Zhengui, it pleases me that you emerged from your hunts unmarred.¡±


    ¡°It pleases me, too,¡± Ling Qi said wryly. ¡°It looks like you¡¯ve been busy. Is that a trophy?¡± she asked, nodding to Alingge¡¯s cloak. It looked to be made from the pelt of one of the cloud barbarian¡¯s horses.


    ¡°Yes, my deployment was successful as well,¡± Alingge agreed. ¡°The raiders did not pass us.¡±


    As they spoke, Zhen had met the eyes of Alingge¡¯s mount, and they appeared to be having a staring contest. Zhen preened, looking proud and fierce, but Alingge¡¯s companion merely looked placid.


    ¡°Congratulations,¡± Ling Qi said. She could listen to what Zhengui was communicating, but there was no need to pry.


    ¡°Your praise is welcome, though your deeds are the greater ones. Regardless, let me apologize for my rudeness. This one is called Sembidun,¡± Alingge introduced, patted the neck of the deer she rode.


    The beast turned her eyes to Ling Qi. ¡°I greet you, Singer, and the Young Growth as well.¡±


    ¡°It is good to meet you,¡± Ling Qi said politely, and she subtly tapped Zhengui¡¯s shell.


    ¡°Gui greets Whispering Wind and the Beastkeeper too,¡± Gui said.


    Zhen remained haughty, but at least he lowered his head a little.


    ¡°Is Sembidun your only spirit beast?¡± Ling Qi asked curiously. ¡°Or are your others not coming today?¡±


    The two of them looked briefly at one another. ¡°She is my heart companion,¡± Alingge explained slowly. ¡°My pact with the others is different. This is not a matter which I may explain.¡±


    Clan secrets, Ling Qi understood.


    ¡°I won¡¯t press,¡± Ling Qi reassured her. ¡°I apologize if I gave offense.¡±


    ¡°I have taken none,¡± Alingge agreed. ¡°But let us not tarry longer. The field awaits.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Miss Ling! Welcome. I was just discussing our program with our junior peers,¡± Wang Chao greeted bombastically as they approached.


    A few of those gathered, who were most certainly older than Ling Qi, looked mildly irritated.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve decided on that already?¡± Ling Qi asked. She had ceded planning of the actual training to Wang Chao since that was what she had originally planned to ask for his help with.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he said, just a little pompously. ¡°While we will spar together obviously, I was thinking that between the two of us, we could demonstrate to our peers the two extremes of high level cultivator combat. Singular overwhelming physical force for myself and¡­¡±


    ¡°Encompassing spiritual field effects for me,¡± Ling Qi said, finishing in the pause he gave her. ¡°I think that will work nicely with the arts I am intending to cultivate.¡±


    ¡°Hoh, you have something new in mind, Miss Ling?¡± Wang Chao asked.


    ¡°Lady Cai is generous,¡± Ling Qi explained. ¡°I cannot yet make my own arts, so she elected to see the gap in my capability filled.¡±


    ¡°The Cai are indeed generous to those who earn it,¡± Wang Chao agreed seriously. ¡°And from what I have heard of your expedition, you have certainly done that.¡±


    ¡°Your own deeds were admirable as well.¡± Ling Qi knew this dance well enough by now. She had checked up on it. Wang Chao had indeed done well in his assignment to defend one of the inner passes, so she didn¡¯t even have to embellish. Still, she felt Zhengui shifting impatiently beneath her. ¡°But I am sure everyone is looking forward to a little exercise.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, of course,¡± Wang Chao agreed. ¡°So, this is the schedule I have worked out for the morning¡­¡±


    Such was the beginning of Ling Qi¡¯s cultivation routine for the month. Over the next few days, she began to cultivate two arts she had received in her Cai-gifted arts package, the Unstoppable Glacier¡¯s March and the Beast King¡¯s Savage Dirge, while working on coordinating her tactics with Zhengui.


    Each day, she found a few more people trickling in, most of whom were in the appraisal and foundation stages. This was most helpful for the open sparring section of the day. It meant that she always had sparring partners to match with when practicing her developing arts.


    ***


    Ling Qi¡¯s fingers came down on the holes of her flute, sounding the deepest note possible. Before her, the three disciples who had advanced through the tangle of Zhengui¡¯s grasping roots and Paradise Ramparts blanched as a snowstorm screamed around her.


    The force of the note rippled out, freezing the moisture from the air as she took a single step forward in time with the next note.


    The frontmost attacker, a young man at foundation, planted the butt of his spear in the ground as he was driven backward, heels and spear alike digging furrows through the writhing earth. The young man to his left was less lucky. Forearms shrouded in crackling storm clouds crossed in front of his face to block the worst of the cold, but he was flung backwards to slam into one of Zhengui¡¯s ramparts with a meaty thwack. The girl on the left in her pale green gown at least managed a controlled flight as she was flung away like a leaf in a storm, the twin iron fans in her hand guiding the wind currents enough that she sailed through a gap rather than directly into the thorny wall.


    The Unstoppable Glacier¡¯s March art had come to her as naturally as breathing. It was an art that sought to capture the crushing inevitability of the eons long migration of the great entities of ice in the Wall from which the rivers that wind through and water the Emerald Seas were born. She had mastered the first stanza easily, and the refinement of the second had not been much harder.


    As the second boy struggled to pull himself away from the wall, Ling Qi felt the earth rumble as Zhengui followed in her footsteps, and grasping roots rose to pin him in place.


    The disciple with the spear lunged, the polearm in his hands burning like a brand. She swayed to the side, and it passed her head. Ling Qi took another step and was inside his guard. The chorus of the Grinding Glacial Melody sounded again, and he tumbled backward.


    The other boy, trapped against the wall, let out a cry of pain as icy wind and pressure crushed him into his restraints. He fell as molten venom impacted his chest in a burst of sizzling steam.


    Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the other girl again, gliding on currents of wind to strike at her back. Ling Qi¡¯s fingers danced, and she played a very different stanza. Pitched high, the wild melody transformed into the piercing shriek of an enraged eagle. The sun overhead, already dimmed by her Mist and Zhengui¡¯s ash, went out, shadowed by vast wings.


    The phantom summoned by her song, a mighty raptor with a wingspan twice the height of a man and more with plumage of dark grey and pale blue, beat its wings once and dove. The girl cried out as she was seized in gleaming silver talons and carried away back into the depths of Zhengui¡¯s killing field.


    The Beast King¡¯s Savage Dirge was a more difficult and complex piece, one which did not so easily flow for her. Nevertheless, it was potent. An art supposedly composed for the last Weilu dukes, the ballad memorialized the eight Beast Kings who came together in council of war and marched to bring down the Horned Lord and the Diviner¡¯s descendents. The Eagle God¡¯s Defiance technique summoned the aerial phantom, fastest of the Beast Kings and lord of those who flew and preyed on the world below.


    She saw the spear-wielding disciple¡¯s expression fall as beasts of black mist began to rise from the ground in thick ranks, their yowls and barks drowning out all sound. Claws and fangs glistened with rime. Primal War Calling was not like the Dissonance technique, summoning scattered nightmares to worry and distract; reminiscent of the muster of beasts across Emerald Seas by the Beast Kings for the final march, the call summoned the shades of long dead beasts from the shadows that would viciously attack enemies within range.


    Ling Qi stood surrounded by a howling regiment, and the shadow of her little brother loomed over them all.

 Interlude: Companion Quest

    He truly was a foolish man.


    In the shade of a tree outside of White Cloud Town on a hill overlooking the fields, Xuan Shi sat down, careful to be mindful of his injury. He let his head fall back against the trunk with a thunk. His hat tipped forward, falling down over his face, blocking out the world outside.


    He did not know what he had expected. He should have learned by now that stories did not reflect reality.


    An unusual bloodline only led to isolation.


    The distant school, so far from the empty home, was not a place where the friendships of lifetimes were forged. The isolated and lonely heiress who buckled under the weight of expectation did not have any need for love to lighten her burden. Winning tournaments changed nothing. The mysterious and confusing girl who had intruded upon his life had never held any particular interest in him beyond friendly acquaintance, and in fact, his interest had frightened her.


    Father had never intended to return for him. It had been a lie from the beginning.


    a soothing voice whispered.


    Xuan Shi did not think he had been particularly heroic. He had faced that creature out of desperation, knowing that Lady Bian¡¯s skills were the only ones in their group which could hope to reach others. The pain of the blow he had suffered nearly overwhelmed him, and even now, his thoughts felt slow at the medicinal energies flowing in his veins, dulling the pain as the bones in his lower arm were regrown from shards.


    Few Xuan were accustomed to pain, a side effect of their natural toughness. He had nearly fumbled his counter.


    the spirit said patiently.


    ¡°This one apologizes, Kongyou. This sulking is unbefitting,¡± he murmured aloud.


    she whispered.


    ¡°In Miss Ling¡¯s position, such fears are not to be advertised,¡± he said quietly. Still, it hurt. He had thought things were going well.


    the spirit said, and he almost missed the hint of doubt in her voice.


    ¡°This one is unworthy of such titles,¡± Xuan Shi replied. He sat up and reached up to adjust his hat. ¡°This one is no child that needs constant reassurance.¡±


    Kongyou said archly.


    To that, he had no reply. Xuan Shi looked out over the fields where mortals performed their toil in silence. Despite himself, such words felt good. Even from his uncles, kindest of his caretakers, such direct praise was rare and sparing. Attracting the attention of a spirit of dream was the only good thing which had happened to him this year.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said quietly.


    Kongyou reminded him gently.


    He remembered. She had explained from the beginning that she was a regional spirit and that she would not leave her home here in the south. That was¡­ fine.


    the muse said lightly.


    Xuan Shi let out a dry chuckle. He appreciated the attempt to cheer him. Slowly, he stood back up, holding back a wince as the motion managed to jostle his arm, sending a sharp pain through the veil of medicinal energies in his thoughts. ¡°This one has little idea of where to begin,¡± he admitted.


    In the Savage Seas, children were allowed to mingle with young xuan wu, and the companionships that were born there became spirit bonds. There were ever less xuan wu than Xuans however, and of the four times he had attended the meetings, he had never attracted companionship. No one had taught him what to do after he became too old to attend those meetings.


    Such things were a parent¡¯s duty.


    ¡°Perhaps this one should study the interactions of the region?¡± Xuan Shi mused. Understanding the spiritual ecosystem seemed a good place to start in finding a suitable companion.


    Kongyou chided.


    There, Xuan Shi was uncertain. While spirits would not be put off by his people¡¯s mode of speech, it was not as if his demeanor and inclinations had earned him friends among his own generation. Adults of the clan liked him well enough, but peers were a different matter.


    ¡°Miss Kongyou makes the task sound like such a trifle,¡± Xuan Shi said dryly as he began to descend the shallow hill he had sat on, returning to the road.


    the spirit grumbled.


    ¡°If titles may be applied to this one, they may be applied to thee as well,¡± Xuan Shi said in amusement.


    Kongyou made a sound of irritation, but there was no anger in it. Was this, then, what it was like to banter with a friend?


    Kongyou muttered irritably.


    ¡°This one can only apologize,¡± Xuan Shi said, but despite his renewed cheer, anxiety still chewed at his thoughts. Did he truly have the chance of acquiring a spirit companion? His every attempt to forge connections with others had failed again and again. Why should now be any different?


    Kongyou¡¯s voice was thick with confidence and glee.

 Threads 115-Intermission 5

    ¡°I think they¡¯ve had enough, Miss Ling!¡± Wang Chao¡¯s voice echoed from outside the mist. Ling Qi glanced at the remaining young man, who was nodding fervently.


    They had been at this for a while.


    Lowering her flute, Ling Qi let the phantoms fade. ¡°You can let up, Zhengui,¡± she said, turning to face her little brother.


    Behind Zhengui was the hastily constructed stone ¡°fort¡± that was the object of the exercise. Around them was a maze of ash clouds and root ramparts, which he had raised over the course of it, choking off approaches more and more while Ling Qi flitted around buying him time.


    It had been an enjoyable little exercise.


    Ling Qi smiled as she rested a hand on his blunt snout. ¡°Good work. I think our strategy worked pretty well.¡±


    Gui didn¡¯t look fully pleased. ¡°Big Sister was holding back.¡±


    Ling Qi snorted. ¡°Of course I was. Everyone was working with new arts. That was the point. It¡¯s important to practice my new arts to fully understand them.¡± She hadn¡¯t even gotten to starting to learn her replacement for Thousand Ring Fortress yet. ¡°With this practice, you¡¯re improving your ramparts, too. You¡¯ve gotten much better and faster with them.¡±


    ¡°Foolish Gui should cease doubting his own power,¡± Zhen hissed. ¡°We are mighty, and we will only grow mightier still.¡±


    ¡°A good attitude to have!¡± They both looked up as Wang Chao spoke, striding through the withering remains of the walls. ¡°I must say, it is a good thing that between your beast and I, repairing the landscape is so easy.¡±


    Ling Qi turned to him and bowed. ¡°It is good to let loose without worry.¡±


    ¡°Using our explosion is fun,¡± Gui muttered.


    ¡°It is enjoyable to watch,¡± Wang Chao agreed, turning to survey the other disciples, who were only now climbing to their feet. Those who had more notable injuries were heading back to the pavilion where a medical disciple was waiting. ¡°It would have been a better test if your enemies had better tactics,¡± he added with a frown.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t blame them,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°It takes a lot of drill to turn random cultivators into a unit, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It does. Perhaps I am being unreasonable,¡± he pondered. In a much louder voice, he called out, ¡°That was fine work facing a stronger foe, everyone!¡±


    There was a ragged cry of agreement.


    ¡°Will I be facing you soon, Sir Wang?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°I intend to put on a proper lesson and spar tomorrow,¡± Wang Chao agreed, turning back to her and Zhengui. ¡°Your beast has taken quite well to my words on battlefield control.¡±


    ¡°Mister Avalanche gives good advice,¡± Gui agreed, seeming to perk up. ¡°Gui was not sure he could control so many walls at once.¡±


    ¡°It is not my personal specialty, but I remember my lessons. You will be quite a boon to any battle with a little coordination, even if you lose focus easily sometimes, Sir Zhengui. Being able to set and manipulate the approaches of a battlefield is very useful.¡± Wang Chao grinned. ¡°And of course, Miss Ling is quite frightening in her ability to deny enemy cohesion.¡±


    ¡°Not frightening enough I think,¡± Ling Qi said, thinking back to the underground fort and the enemy commander who had so easily denied her.


    ¡°Hah, Miss Ling is too modest. You are a very frightening woman indeed, according to most!¡± Wang Chao laughed.


    Ling Qi frowned. Somehow, the way he said that made it seem bad.


    ¡°Big Sis is the scariest one,¡± Gui said proudly.


    That just made her feel worse.


    ¡°Hey, you get the reputation you earn,¡± Sixiang teased.


    Ling Qi huffed. ¡°I think I need a few moments to cultivate my reserves back to full, if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I think I would like to slake my thirst myself,¡± Wang said affably, turning away. ¡°Will you join us in the pavilion after?¡±


    Ling Qi considered, eyeing the other end of the field where Alingge and the disciples¡¯ spirit beasts were gathered. Despite her efforts, Zhengui had not been particularly social yet, and she did want to speak with the girl about some things. If anyone could help her work through her conundrum regarding her spirits, surely it was someone who even Zhengui called ¡°Beastkeeper.¡±


    While she was supposed to be here primarily to influence Wang Chao, she was also going to spar with him tomorrow.


    ¡°Yes, I will be along shortly,¡± Ling Qi said, dipping her head deferentially.


    ¡°Very good. I will see you there,¡± Wang Chao said with a grin. He really seemed to be enjoying himself at these gatherings.


    As he strode away, Ling Qi turned back to Zhengui and held back a frown. She could tell that her little brother was still discontent. ¡°I¡¯ll only be gone for a little while. Do you think that you¡¯ll be fine?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Big Sister should not doubt,¡± Zhen hissed. Gui remained silent.


    Ling Qi studied him. ¡°Zhengui, you really are doing well, okay?¡±


    ¡°Gui is glad,¡± he said, but it didn¡¯t feel sincere.


    Sixiang murmured.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t like it, but Sixiang was right. Still, she reached out to pat Zhengui on the head, trying to convey the pride she felt in his ability. He pressed his head against her hand before turning and lumbering away to begin spreading ash to restore the field.


    Ling Qi sighed and sat down to meditate and recover her qi. If a silver wisp escaped the hem of her dress to hide among the tall grass and keep an eye on Zhengui, no one was going to notice.


    ***


    A few minutes of meditation did much to help her center herself and prepare for interacting with others again. Honestly, the people here were a relatively straightforward lot. The disciples consisted of a few baronial scions, as well as the children of soldiers and crafters, here to raise their family¡¯s status or deepen connections to the Sect.


    It was not exactly a gathering of the politically connected.


    It was with that thought firmly in mind that she entered the pavilion.


    Outside, Zhengui was still wandering the field, idly scattering ash and regrowing burnt plant life. There were a handful of other disciples out there, still sparring or talking, as well as Alingge and the many spirit beasts, but none seemed inclined to approach him.


    She hoped he wouldn¡¯t spend the whole time alone.


    ¡°Welcome, Miss Ling. Feeling recovered?¡± Wang Chao asked, interrupting her thoughts.


    Ling Qi smiled politely. ¡°I am. I hope everyone else is feeling well, too.¡±


    Ling Qi scanned the people present. Liang He was present, standing off to one side. There were also a half dozen people, including the girl with the iron fans who had been participating in the exercise. Ling Qi had made sure to learn everyone''s names this time.


    Sixiang piped in silently.


    ¡°We are not all so fragile,¡± the girl with the iron fans, Hou Min, said, giving one of the others a haughty look.


    Bo Jun, the one who had been wielding the spear, gave her an irritable look. ¡°Of course, Miss Hou. You are welcome to take the vanguard for the next¡­ How many times was it?¡±


    ¡°Five, at my count,¡± Wang Chao cut in, bulling heedlessly into the conversation. ¡°Even if you were wavering on that last one.¡±


    ¡°It was an impressive effort.¡± Ling Qi had to admit, she couldn¡¯t fault him for being eager to see the end of the exercise after how many times they had reset the field. Still, she wished that she had been able to cultivate the social art she had intended to work on before this, but with her injury, there just hadn¡¯t been enough time.


    ¡°Miss Ling is most impressive, there is no shame in a loss to her,¡± Liang He said.


    ¡°With a cultivation schedule such as hers, it should be no surprise,¡± one of the other disciples commented.


    ¡°Practically a hermit, some say,¡± another said lightly.


    Ling Qi smiled, ignoring the implication. ¡°Naturally, one must work very hard to meet the expectations of Lady Cai. I would never wish to shame her by appearing to slack in my growth.¡±


    ¡°Mm, Miss Ling likes to play at mystery, but she is surprisingly practical,¡± Wang Chao said. ¡°I think you have done too good a job with your public image!¡±


    ¡°I may have presented too hard a face at first,¡± Ling Qi admitted demurely. It wasn¡¯t a bad time to admit a small fault. ¡°It does sadden me that I may have made myself unwelcoming to the less brash of my peers.¡±


    Of course, there was no need to take all of the blame.


    Outside, Zhengui was surveying his work. One of the spirit beasts, a tiny sparrow, alighted on a fence post nearby and began twittering. Zhengui looked confused.


    ¡°I think Miss Ling¡¯s achievements speak for themselves,¡± said another of the gathered disciples, a mousy girl with dark brown hair and a complexion similar to Ling Qi¡¯s.


    ¡°On that, we can agree. Already, stories of your quick thinking down in the caverns have begun to spread,¡± Wang Chao said pompously. ¡°They say that it was only your efforts that saved the expedition from ruin.¡±


    ¡°That overstates matters,¡± Ling Qi demurred. It felt odd to see so many people hanging on her words. It would be one thing if she were performing, but she was only trading words. ¡°Commander Guan Zhi and Senior Sect Brother Liao Zhu were ultimately responsible for our success. I merely had the ability to blunt the damage from the transport malfunction.¡±


    ¡°It is worrying that a work by our Elder Jiao failed in such a way,¡± Bo Jun said with a frown.


    ¡°It was an unforeseen environmental effect,¡± Ling Qi said smoothly. That was the line they were told to stick to. ¡°Discovering such things was, after all, the purpose of our expedition.¡±


    ¡°And it was certainly a brave thing to volunteer for such a task,¡± Wang Chao said cheerfully. ¡°Too often do those who eschew valour wheedle their way to prominence. Despite your background, you are quite the warrior, Miss Ling.¡±


    Ling Qi kept her expression neutral as she moved to take a cup of cider from the refreshments table and the others began to discuss their own experiences with the war effort so far. That was¡­ probably meant as a compliment. Wang Chao was not, as she learned him to be, backhanded; he was just somewhat inconsiderate.


    Outside, the bird had fluttered away, and Zhengui was heading toward the feeding troughs that had been placed out for the larger beasts. Unlike the pavilion where the majority of the disciples were standing near the tables sipping and nibbling at treats, the troughs were occupied by only a single beast, Wang Chao¡¯s black mountain goat.


    As Zhengui trundled up, the other beast paused in his chewing and turned a gimlet eye to her little brother. Zhengui stopped, and something passed between them. Zhen hissed, arching his body to look down, and the goat turned, staring him down fearlessly.


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyebrows rose as Zhen let out a sizzling hiss. The goat lowered his horned head, thick neck muscles tensing under shaggy fur. Gui stamped his feet, and the goat pawed the ground.


    She turned toward the entrance to the pavilion, but before she could open her mouth to speak, there was a massive thunderclap from outside, and the cloth of the pavilion rustled in the wind.


    Outside, Zhengui had skidded backward some six or seven meters, digging deep furrows with his feet and leaving a trail of snapped off roots. The goat, on the other hand, had steaming venom running down the front of his head, and he shook himself irritably, flinging away sizzling drops.


    ¡°Sir Wang¡ª¡± she began.


    She was cut off by the stout young man¡¯s laughter. Wang Chao was peering out of the tent. ¡°It looks like our beasts are having a bit of fun without us, Miss Ling.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyebrows rose as she saw Zhengui stomping on the ground, raising spearing roots that deflected off of shaggy fur. The goat responded by lowering his head and launching himself forward horns first again. Gui pulled his head back into his shell, and there was a thunderclap of impact again. She saw Zhengui¡¯s feet actually leave the ground for a second as he was launched backward.


    ¡°Sir Wang, perhaps we should go out and settle things down,¡± she said, resisting the urge to rush out. It wasn¡¯t like Zhengui was actually hurt, but¡­


    ¡°Ah, do not be so concerned, Miss Ling. Such is just Fensui¡¯s way of giving greeting. He certainly knocked me for a loop the first time we met! That beast of yours is more than tough enough to handle his hello,¡± Wang Chao dismissed.


    Ling Qi was about to express her doubt, but looking outside, as Zhengui hit the ground with a thump and shook himself, the goat, Fensui, had already turned back to the trough. Zhen hissed angrily, and Fensui raised his head briefly, ears flicking irritably. Something passed between them again, and Zhengui stared in bafflement. When he took a step forward, it was a cautious one, but there was no reaction. Soon, he was at the feeding trough again.


    Sixiang advised.


    ¡°Your beast truly is remarkable. Where ever did you find such a creature?¡± Hou Min asked casually, bringing back the conversation that had fallen silent with the thunderclap.


    ¡°Zhengui was a bit of incredible good fortune,¡± Ling Qi said, still keeping an eye on the two spirit beasts through the wisp. They were clearly still communicating, and it seemed semi-hostile to her still. ¡°I found his egg on the grounds of the Outer Sect. I can¡¯t say any more than that.¡±


    ¡°I wish I had been half so fortunate in my findings during my year,¡± Bo Jun lamented. ¡°I suppose that explains the odd match the two of you make though.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ling Qi asked, glancing at the older boy.


    He straightened up under her gaze. ¡°Ah, only that your cultivation elements do not match well,¡± he said hastily.


    ¡°It is a little unusual,¡± Wang Chao said. ¡°I suppose you had your style laid out before you found him?¡±


    ¡°To an extent,¡± Ling Qi hedged. ¡°Is it really so odd to have a spirit beast which does not match your elements?¡±


    ¡°It is unusual,¡± Liang He repeated carefully from his spot near the table. ¡°Most cultivators choose their beasts to match, or they cultivate with a companion who matches their blood in older clans.¡±


    ¡°It might be unusual, but I do not think there is anything wrong with it,¡± the mousy girl who had spoken up before said. ¡°It does not harm the beast or the cultivator.¡±


    ¡°I imagine it can be quite trying though, bonding with a beast which you have so little in common with,¡± Wang Chao mused.


    Ling Qi tried to hide her growing unease. ¡°I would not call Zhengui ¡®trying.¡¯ What about you, Sir Wang? Going by what you said, your Fensui was always surly. Is that not more difficult?¡±


    Wang Chao laughed. ¡°Not at all! Fensui and I get along quite well. Since the day we met on the painted cliffs of Mount Lengjin, we have understood each other quite well. We have climbed every peak in the Wang holdings together, and we will see the tops of higher peaks still before ascension to the fourth realm comes and takes the fun out of it.¡±


    ¡°Sir Wang is fortunate to be so confident,¡± one of the others muttered.


    Ling Qi was silent as the conversation moved on, letting others move in to fill the silence.


    There were things Zhengui and she had in common. Weren¡¯t there?

 Threads 116-Intermission 6

    Later that evening, Ling Qi was silent as she sat astride Zhengui¡¯s shell, returning with him to the hill given to him by the Sect. Zhengui was quiet as well.


    It was only as they began to mount the steam-pitted hilltop that Ling Qi spoke up. ¡°Are you okay Zhengui? I saw that you had a little conflict.¡±


    ¡°Dumb Rockhead did not hurt Gui,¡± he huffed.


    ¡°I, Zhen, could have beaten him, but since he was Sir Avalanche¡¯s friend, I was kind,¡± Zhen said irritably.


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t entirely sure of that. Fensui was, like his partner, at the fifth step of the third realm. ¡°Why did he confront you anyway?¡±


    ¡°Gui thinks¡­ he said something about the strongest getting the first pick of treats?¡± Gui said. ¡°Gui thinks that is dumb. There was enough for everyone.¡±


    ¡°Greedy Rockhead,¡± Zhen grumbled.


    Ling Qi sighed as she leaped down from Zhengui¡¯s shell, having reached the top of the hill. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that you didn¡¯t get a chance to meet anyone nice.¡±


    ¡°Um, Little Singer was nice,¡± Gui said, pawing the ground. ¡°But I did not talk to her much.¡±


    Ling Qi thought and then realized, ¡°Ah, that sparrow, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Zhen agreed. ¡°At least there, I, Zhen, was given proper respect.¡±


    There, conversation petered out. Ling Qi looked down. She hated this awkwardness, this distance that had started to grow between her and Zhengui. Yet she did not know how to check that growth.


    Sixiang muttered.


    ¡°Big Sister, is something wrong?¡± Zhengui asked.


    ¡°I think there might be quite a few things wrong,¡± Ling Qi said wryly.


    she simultaneously thought to Sixiang.


    Sixiang murmured, receding from her thoughts.


    ¡°Gui does not understand,¡± her little brother said, oblivious to the interplay. He gave the impression of frowning.


    Ling Qi closed her eyes. Even now, she really had no idea how to articulate the problem. She would just have to speak and hope for the best.


    ¡°Little Brother, you know that I love you, right?¡± Ling Qi asked. It was uncomfortable to say something like that so bluntly, but they were alone right now. ¡°I want you to be strong and happy and¡­¡±


    She trailed off, not sure what else to say. Distance had come between them, but Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure of the source.


    Two pairs of eyes stared down at her. ¡°Gui wants to be strong too. Big Sister should not worry¡­¡±


    ¡°But I do,¡± Ling Qi insisted. ¡°Is it the damage from that fungus? Do you still hurt? I do not mind taking you to the medicine hall.¡±


    ¡°I, Zhen, would like Big Sister to stop that,¡± Zhen said sulkily.


    ¡°Big Sister always acts like Gui is still tiny. It is not fair. Big Sister does not treat Hanyi like this. Hanyi is allowed to go off on her own, and fall off cliffs, and get in fights, and Big Sister does not treat her like this! Even when Gui helps, Big Sister just gets angry and sad!¡±


    It was Gui¡¯s vehemence that really brought her up short.


    ¡°Big Sister treats us like Grandmother treats littlest sister,¡± Zhen hissed. ¡°Zhen is not little anymore, even if Big Sister is stronger.¡±


    ¡°I know that,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Zhengui, I know you¡¯ve gotten strong, but you can¡¯t expect me to not worry. It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t worry about Hanyi as well, but...¡±


    ¡°Big Sister shouldn¡¯t lie!¡± he insisted in a twinned voice. He stamped one of his forefeet in frustration, and the hill shook.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± Ling Qi began, only to trail off. It¡¯s different, she wanted to say. Hanyi was a bit of a troublemaker, but the troubles she got into were minor things, and in a fight, Hanyi was always close to someone who could defend her whereas Zhengui was the defense. He was the one that took hits from the enemy. The one who got hurt. It was different, she wanted to insist.


    But why was it different?


    ¡°If Big Sister wants to be a sister, then she should let Zhengui be a brother,¡± Gui rumbled. He seemed to have lost the energy to shout, as he had previously.


    Ling Qi flinched. Those words stung because her own treacherous mind wouldn¡¯t let her ignore the implication. It hurt to try, a deep ache that emanated from her core. Balling her hands into fists, Ling Qi had to look away.


    ¡°I never meant it that way,¡± she said quietly. ¡°It.. It would just be strange for anyone to call me ¡®mother,¡¯ you know?¡±


    ¡°Zhengui does not want to hurt Big Sister, so she is Big Sister,¡± Zhengui agreed, scuffing at the ground with his foot. ¡°Even if Big Sister cannot trust him to be the brother.¡±


    ¡°I trust you, ¡° Ling Qi said.


    ¡°It is easy to say words,¡± Zhen said glumly.


    Ling Qi closed her eyes. It really was different, she had to admit to herself. She simply didn¡¯t see Hanyi the same way she did Zhengui. Her first impression of that girl was a brat, messing with her on a high mountain pass. Her first impression of Zhengui was¡­ She remembered seeing his shell split open. He had been tiny and weak and utterly dependent on her in a way that no one had ever been before or since.


    That had changed, and she had changed with it. She had cultivated his strength, made him practice, made him strong. But she could never really shake that initial first impression. The thought of Hanyi getting hurt filled her with cold anger; the thought of Zhengui getting hurt made her feel frighteningly empty in a way that caused the meridians aligned to the Frozen Soul Serenade to thrum with resonance.


    But just as he was no longer tiny and vulnerable, Ling Qi was not the same person she had been last year. ¡°I haven¡¯t always treated you the way you would want, but I do trust you,¡± Ling Qi insisted. ¡°I could have chosen to help you fight back in the Dream.¡±


    Sixiang corrected grumpily. Ling Qi ignored them.


    ¡°Big Sister was sleeping,¡± Zhen said dubiously.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t,¡± Ling Qi replied, stepping forward. ¡°Zhengui, I trusted you and Hanyi to protect me.¡±


    ¡°It was not Zhengui that did most of the protecting,¡± Zhengui muttered.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t do it by yourself, but I was relying on you all the same,¡± Ling Qi insisted. ¡°Zhengui, please understand. I am not a very good Big Sister, or¡­ anything else. I have no idea what I¡¯m doing. I¡¯m just¡­ always afraid of losing things.¡±


    ¡°Zhen understands that Big Sister is like Miss Zeqing,¡± the serpent hissed.


    ¡°But Gui will not leave or disappear, no matter how fast Big Sister goes,¡± Gui finished. ¡°Big Sister should not always act like we will.¡±


    She knew that, but it was hard to accept. The world was unkind. It didn¡¯t care what she wanted. Sometimes, she lost things and people regardless.


    But that was a lonely thought, and she was tired of loneliness.


    She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before responding. ¡°I¡¯ll try to remember. In turn, can you be patient with me, too?¡±


    ¡°Gui can try, if Big Sister tries too.¡±


    ¡°I, Zhen, can agree to this.¡±


    It hurt that he seemed unsure if she would keep her word, but she couldn¡¯t blame him too much. Her thoughts drifted back to the words that had shaken her, back at the training camp. She just wasn¡¯t sure how to close the gap with Zhengui in a way that respected him as he wished.


    With Hanyi, they could compose together or cultivate their similar arts. It was the same with Sixiang. For Zhengui, there was really only cultivation and combat training. When he had been smaller, they had played hunting games to help supplement his voracious diet, but wasn¡¯t that training also?


    It wasn¡¯t just about what she wanted, was it? If something was going to change, if she was going to keep calling him ¡®little brother,¡¯ then they needed to decide on something together.


    ¡°Big Sister is thinking hard,¡± Gui said, peering down at her. ¡°Gui hopes that she is not planning something silly.¡±


    She frowned at him. ¡°I was just thinking that it¡¯s a shame that we have not done much together outside of training since your breakthrough.¡±


    Zhengui was quiet in the wake of her response.


    ¡°I, Zhen, am too big to play hide and bite anymore,¡± the serpent said. ¡°Training is fine.¡±


    ¡°I bet we could still manage,¡± Ling Qi said wistfully. ¡°It would take some doing though.¡±


    ¡°Gui does not want to give up on making pretty things grow,¡± the tortoise put in quietly.


    ¡°But if Big Sister wants to play, it should be a game she wants to play too,¡± they said together.


    Ling Qi closed her eyes, considering. ¡°...You said before that you wanted a garden. Even if the original idea is gone, I¡¯d like to make something of our own, I think.¡±


    Gui looked unsure. ¡°But Big Sister doesn¡¯t do growing things.¡±


    ¡°Maybe not, but I do know how to compose.¡± Ling Qi proposed, ¡°If I can give you ideas, maybe you can make them real?¡±


    Her little brother hesitated a moment more, and when he answered, it was as one. ¡°Let¡¯s try.¡±


    ***


    It was morning, and the sparring field had been restored to a pristine state. The weather was good, and the sun shone brightly on the waving grass.


    ¡°Hoh, the two of you seem to be in good spirits this morn,¡± said Wang Chao as he met them on the training field.


    Ling Qi smiled politely and offered a shallow bow of greeting. ¡°I had a restful and productive evening,¡± she replied.


    She and Zhengui had talked for some time about his gardening project. To be frank, while Zhengui had skill at making plants grow, and Ling Qi had some basic theories on composition and color palettes from incidental contact with Sixiang, neither of them had any particular skill in artistic endeavors.


    But that was fine. It was something they could learn together.


    And if after Zhengui went to sleep, Ling Qi began some preparatory cultivation of the social art she was working through this month, then that harmed no one.


    Sixiang .


    ¡°Gui is ready to fight Mister Avalanche.¡± Gui was enthusiastic, but he still sounded a little drained.


    ¡°Do not think it will be so easy this time!¡± Zhen announced haughtily.


    ¡°I would not expect it to be!¡± Wang Chao laughed. ¡°I hope Miss Ling will not be offended if I do not hold back.¡±


    ¡°Naturally not,¡± Ling Qi replied, straightening up.


    He was two stages above her. There was a fine line to tread on how to behave. If he held back too much and seemed to struggle, he would look bad, but if he crushed her immediately, then it would seem like bullying. Thankfully, Ling Qi was confident that she could avoid the latter. It was somewhat arrogant to think, but she was quite difficult to put down.


    Even more so with Zhengui bolstering her vitality.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not keep our audience waiting then!¡± Wang Chao boomed cheerfully, pausing to wave at the watching disciples. ¡°I¡¯ll warn you all to stay well back. I expect this to be quite destructive!¡±


    Ling Qi glanced detachedly at the other disciples. They were watching eagerly, and it did not even seem malicious for the most part. She was sure that one or two would take some glee in seeing her beaten, but most were simply anticipating a good match.


    ¡°What will be the terms of our match, Sir Wang?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°The same as the previous day, I think. You will have your structure to defend, and I will attack it,¡± Wang Chao proposed. ¡°Does that appeal, Miss Ling?¡±


    ¡°I think that sounds fair,¡± Ling Qi said. Practice in getting into that kind of mindset was helpful for the future, even disregarding her need to learn to coordinate with Zhengui.


    ¡°Very well then! Miss Nie, please reinforce the dummy tower while I take up my starting position,¡± Wang Chao called out to one of the disciples on the sideline before he jogged out to the attacker¡¯s starting position.


    A year ago, she would have figured a one kilometer starting distance absurd for any kind of spar. Now, she knew it would only buy her precious seconds to begin setting up her defense. Ling Qi kept half an eye on the dummy tower as Nie Ai laid hands on it, channeling qi into the piled rock to reinforce its foundations and construction.


    It wouldn¡¯t be able to handle a direct hit, but at least it wouldn¡¯t fall over from the quakes and aftershocks likely to ensue in the spar. The girl doing the work shot her an uneasy smile, and Ling Qi blinked before smiling back. She put the girl out of her mind as she hurried off, and she focused her eyes on the sky where the starting signal would come.


    She didn¡¯t have to wait long. There was a bang, and a shower of sparks lit the sky.

 Threads 117-Intermission 7

    By the time the first spark was fading, Ling Qi had raised her flute to her lips and released her grip on her domain.


    The Mist flooded out, even as the lonely tones of Spring¡¯s End Aria flowed out, calling the frozen chill of an unending winter to the subsonic background beat of Implacable Advance.


    Around her, walls of fresh green wood erupted, twitching roots curling and weaving through one another to form curved barricades. Smaller than the vast rampart which Zhengui had summoned the first time, the bulk of Zhengui¡¯s power manifested in a number of structures, a layered set of fortress walls three layers deep, their tops marked with jagged, spiked roots.


    Ling Qi felt the earth tremble beneath her feet in the beat of a mighty tread.


    Silver wisps spun out of the folds of her gown, fleeing into the frost-touched grass to give her eyes throughout their fortification. The winged mantle of her gown fluttered, and her gown rustled as stray wisps of hair and the hems of her skirt alike trailed off into smoky shadow, and her whole frame wavered.


    The walls groaned as they thickened and expanded, ramparts reaching for the sky as the misty air grew dark with burning ash.


    Outside, a wisp of silver glimpsed a growing black silhouette. Wang Chao stood upright on the shaggy back of his black goat, and in his hands was an immense metal club as long as he was tall, the thicker end studded with metal knobs. The goat, Fensui, moved in bounding leaps, which did nothing to inconvenience the young man standing on his back, and each time the beast¡¯s cloven hooves touched the ground, the earth cratered inward as if something many times larger had just landed.


    As Fensui kicked off the ground for another leap, Ling Qi played a single sustained high note, and great black wings opened in the sky. An eagle''s scream shook the air, and the shadow fell upon the leaping Wang Chao just before he reached the apex of his leap. Phantom talons seized his shoulders¡­


    And Wang Chao crashed through the eagle like a catapult stone, scattering the phantom into mist and shadow.


    Ling Qi grimaced. She had expected that, but it was good to have confirmation. She could not know the whole of his domain, but [Momentum] seemed key to it. Trying to reverse his course would be just as futile as a disciple trying to contain her own movements.


    Regardless of the eagle¡¯s failure, around her, a bestial regiment rose to man the walls, trailing frost from their maws and talons as they opened icy blue eyes.


    Behind her, Zhengui enacted the first part of their plan. More walls rose, low and sturdy, and their inner surface, rather than their ramparts, were jagged with spikes.


    There was a tremendous echoing boom of thunder and splintering wood as Wang Chao¡¯s spirit beast hit the ground and launched itself forward. Fensui¡¯s tremendous curling horns struck wood, and the rampart cratered inward for three meters in every direction, splintering as the beast crashed through the first barrier and then the next, barely losing any speed along the way.


    As the third wall began to bow inward and splinter, Sixiang bent light and sound, crafting a mirror image of her as she flowed into shadow and through Zhengui¡¯s wall. There, she rematerialized behind Wang Chao just as he crashed through, club raised to swing at the image. Only then, crouched low to the ground, did she dart forward, playing the steady notes of the Grinding Glacial Melody.


    Wang Chao could not be pushed or held back, but she was gambling on the idea that he could be steered.


    ¡°Woah, there!¡± Wang Chao exclaimed in surprise as her melody, joined with his own unstoppable momentum, launched him off of Fensui¡¯s back and past the dummy tower and Zhengui, directly into the raised spike walls Zhengui had summoned.


    She did not have the time to savor the minor victory though. A pair of hooves kicked backward, and even as she dissolved into wisps of shadow, she still felt the impact of the shockwave that ripped through the earth and shattered walls where she had stood. She rematerialized in front of the beast, ribs aching but intact.


    Before the beast could so much as lower his horns again, a glob of molten glass and stone struck him head on, causing the beast to step back, violently shaking its head to scatter the blinding mass. Her beast phantoms closed in, clawing and biting.


    Ling Qi was already dancing backward, ghosting through Zhengui and turning to face Wang Chao, who had crashed through all three walls and had the splinters to show for it. He was not hurt much, just scratched and scuffed, and he met her eyes from across the field as he swung his club and dispelled charging phantoms.


    He grinned, and she saw his eyes flick over her shoulder to the dummy tower as he raised his foot.


    Ling Qi played the Hoarfrost Refrain.


    She took some satisfaction as he hastily brought his foot back down and clamped a second hand on the leather-wrapped handle of his club. It was significantly less satisfying when that club swung, and she felt it impact the qi of her technique. The quiet, icy notes of the Hoarfrost Refrain shattered into discordant noise as the qi in the air was smashed as surely as Zhengui¡¯s walls.


    She couldn¡¯t say she much liked that even more physically inclined opponents were starting to be able to interact with her music that way.


    However, she didn¡¯t let that disgruntlement stop her from ghosting backward, fading into shadow as Zhengui barreled through, his each footfall spreading heat through the earth.


    He had improved the focus on that technique as well.


    But Ling Qi had to focus on her own opponent as they switched again. The black goat was already barrelling forward, head lowered as he charged toward. Ling Qi came in from his side, flying inches above the ground, and played a glacial stanza. Icy wind screamed, and force struck the beast¡¯s side. For a second, she thought it wouldn¡¯t be enough as Fensui charged steadily forward, but her worry was for naught. The goat let out a bray of frustration as her push shoved him aside just enough for his charge to miss the tower.


    She felt the earth tremble again, an explosion of heat on her back, as she saw, through a wisp, a line of magmatic geysers erupting out from Zhengui¡¯s front. Wang Chao took one head-on, the force of the plume of molten rock launching him into the sky.


    She realized the problem a moment before his booming laugh rang out. Wang Chao raised his club overhead, and in defiance of his own airborne state, he started to spin, shedding a dark grey glow.


    Ling Qi had only a moment to curse and fortify herself. Then, he descended.


    ***


    Ling Qi grimaced as she plucked pebbles and dirt from her hair. The dummy tower lay on its side in the churned-up dirt of the crater where the field had been.


    ¡°I am not certain how it was possible to defend such a fragile installation from an attack like that,¡± Ling Qi said grumpily. The crater they stood in was some four or five meters deep and nearly twenty across.


    ¡°One should always take into account anti-fortress attacks,¡± Wang Chao said in amusement. ¡°Depending on how vital the target is, it may be expected for the commander to take the blow.¡±


    ¡°Zhen is sorry, Big Sister,¡± her little brother said, tramping over. He was covered in dust and dirt himself.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t be sorry, Zhen. I didn¡¯t take that into account in our plan,¡± she said with a sigh. It had been foolish. She had seen Wang Chao use a jumping attack before, so it should have naturally followed that launching him upward would have poor results. If it had just been a duel, she could have simply dodged the attack, but as it was¡­


    ¡°You did have a clever approach to things. Not many can even manage to divert my path,¡± Wang Chao consoled. ¡°In any case, will you be ready for another round, Miss Ling?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said, glancing at Zhengui, who nodded both of his heads determinedly. ¡°I think we will need time to fix the field though.¡±


    Wang Chao frowned up at the crater¡¯s rim, which Fensui had already climbed, ignoring them all. ¡°I suppose so. You¡¯ll need time to plan as well! I won¡¯t fall for the same tricks twice!¡±


    ¡°I would hope not,¡± Ling Qi said dryly. ¡°Let us both prepare for the next round then.¡±


    Losing irked her in a way that was hard to describe. She had thought she was prepared for it, but it seemed her feelings were not really so simple. Still, as she floated up and out of the crater, Ling Qi cast a considering eye over the gathering, pushing her irritation aside.


    She couldn¡¯t afford to forget that she had other purposes here.


    ***


    Missiles of pale green wood fell upon Ling Qi from every direction. The air sizzled with the virulent venoms infused into the wood. Ling Qi did not open her eyes, nor did she move. The arrows struck her.


    They sank in, as if biting deep, and flew further until they should have been spearing out of her back and chest. Instead, the fletching vanished, and the only sign of where she had been struck was a faint distortion in the air.


    Ling Qi opened her eyes and reached up to gingerly press her fingers against her shoulder where one arrow had struck. She still wasn¡¯t used to the sensation, the faintest phantom of pressure and then something like the feeling of a clump of thrown sand or dirt scattering on impact.


    ¡°The technique is mastered, so far as I can tell,¡± Alingge, her training partner of the moment, said as she landed with a faint rustle of furs.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re right. There¡¯s nothing more to do with this technique right now,¡± Ling Qi said, lowering her hand. Starless Night¡¯s Reflection was her replacement for the Thousand Ring Fortress, whose potency was beginning to fall behind her level of cultivation.


    Starless Night¡¯s Reflection was an art of silence and stillness, modeled on the pure and unruffled reflection of the night sky on a lake during a moonless night. It might have seemed an odd choice for a musician, but Ling Qi knew well enough that the negative space, the silence between notes and bars, was just as necessary to a composition as the sounds themselves.


    And in the end, it was not so different from the finale of the Frozen Soul Serenade. The Starless Night¡¯s reflection had come to her so very easily. Compared to the Thousand Ring¡¯s Fortress, which endured attacks, dispersing an attack in the same way that she dispersed herself into shadow when hiding or moving with the Sable Crescent¡¯s Grace technique was far more natural.


    ¡°Still, it is a strange choice,¡± Alingge said as she dismissed the bow of lacquered horn in her hands back into storage. She didn¡¯t need to say any more for Ling Qi to understand.


    Through one of the wisps scattered through the grass, Ling Qi watched Zhengui where he stood among the other spirit beasts. Gui was speaking animatedly with a small black bear with dark green markings, and Zhen was staring cross-eyed at a tiny sparrow perched on his snout. Since that night they had discussed Zhengui¡¯s gardening vision, Zhengui had been a little less withdrawn and had at least made some acquaintances. While she wouldn¡¯t call them friends, Zhengui spoke of the other spirit beasts in positive terms.


    Things had¡­ settled since that evening. But she could not help but worry that she was making a mistake in dropping her only wood art, the only art seemingly connected in some way to Zhengui.


    ¡°Do you think I am acting in error?¡± Ling Qi asked lightly.


    Alingge did not respond immediately, turning to face the spirit beasts with her arms crossed. ¡°A week ago, I might have said so.¡±


    She probably would have too, Ling Qi thought. Alingge could be distressingly blunt. It didn¡¯t bother Ling Qi much, but keeping feathers unruffled among the other participating disciples had certainly given the other art she had been practicing some good use. Moonless Saboteur¡¯s Smile taught many lessons in social awareness, and one of them was how to use a good word and better timing to avoid bad impressions.


    ¡°And what changed?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°I have had more time to observe the two of you,¡± Alingge said simply. ¡°You are not partners.¡±


    Ling Qi began to open her mouth to reply, but Alingge was not done.


    ¡°Rather, he is your child.¡±

 Threads 118-Intermission 8

    In her head, she felt Sixiang wince, and her own expression froze. ¡°I would call him a sibling, as you well know.¡±


    ¡°Is the adult sibling who raises the infant alone not a parent? My experience says that it is so,¡± the other girl replied with a shrug. ¡°Perhaps I am wrong, but to me, your bond does not hold that tenor. My only point is that a parent and a child need not share interests to the same extent. The relationship is different.¡±


    Ling Qi was glad that between herself and Sixiang, they could manage a reasonable social screening technique to avoid eavesdroppers. ¡°While I appreciate the advice, I would also appreciate it if you would not say such things,¡± Ling Qi said evenly.


    Alingge gave her a searching look, seeming nonplussed by her reaction. ¡°Know that I do not mean to¡­ impugn your virtue,¡± she said as if the words were foreign. ¡°I speak only as one raised by her own sister. Whatever the ties of blood say, it is actions which define relationships.¡±


    Ling Qi paused, brought up a little short. That¡­ It killed her irritation in the crib. It still wasn¡¯t the same, but she could at least understand the chain of logic.


    Sixiang grumbled. Ling Qi ignored them.


    ¡°It is fine. The line between sibling and parent can be blurry.¡± It was difficult to say, and Ling Qi could not hide her reluctance in saying it.


    ¡°As you say,¡± Alingge said slowly. The girl was not blind. Alingge could tell when she had offended someone, even if she seemed oblivious as to why. ¡°If I may offer a suggestion?¡±


    ¡°You may,¡± Ling Qi said as they started toward the pavilion.


    Alingge was silent for a time, as if formulating her words carefully. ¡°Having observed you, I have noticed that all of your arts are things of battle or conflict.¡±


    ¡°Every art has such potential,¡± Ling Qi replied dryly.


    ¡°Perhaps, but it is not unusual to practice some minor cultivation of lesser arts as a hobby. Simple first realm things are trivial for we of the third realm to cultivate,¡± Alingge said. ¡°I am no crafter, but nonetheless, I have mastered some minor artisanal techniques for use in times of peace. If you still feel that you require something more in common with your sibling, this may be a solution.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded once shallowly. ¡°I had considered the same thing.¡±


    After speaking with Zhengui, Ling Qi had reviewed the arts contained within the family art tablet. There were a few arts which might be of use in gardening.


    Sixiang teased her.


    ... There was that. It didn¡¯t feel like a solution, but perhaps it would do until she found one. ¡°I will give the matter more consideration,¡± Ling Qi said aloud.


    Alingge gave her one last examining look as they reached the pavilion. ¡°I will wish you good luck with your endeavors then. It has been a pleasure to share pointers with you.¡±


    ¡°The pleasure was mine,¡± Ling Qi said politely.


    Ling Qi parted ways with Alingge and made her way to the refreshment table. There, she put her familial troubles out of her mind and observed the other disciples. Over the past week, she had gotten a better feel for those Wang Chao had invited. They were almost all the children of common soldiers or first generation commoners who had now become barons. There were only a handful from established baronial houses and one vicontiel scion.


    It had taken some time to recognize, as many of them were doing what she had done, overperforming the roles they now felt they occupied and stumbling for it. It made an unfortunate amount of sense.


    The Wang family was a new comital house with new lands. The families which did exist under them did not have nearly as many spare children to throw into the sects. Being so far from the centers of power, many of their people were drawn from the peoples of the southern hills, so while the Wang were a heavily imperial clan in presentation, in practice, many of their vassals were at least tacitly in favor of older traditions. There were upsides to this type of demographic, mainly in that relations seemed relatively simple compared to the complications of Luo¡¯s entourage.


    Of course, it was just that. Tacitly. Some few held hard to the trappings of the imperial court, but the vast majority of those from the Wang clan lands were focused on war and the making thereof. She got the feeling that cultural trappings were simply less important overall among these people.


    That did have its advantages. Even most of those who seemed to dislike her were rather tepid about it, and her recent martial achievements seemed to count for quite a lot in this crowd.


    It was with this backdrop in mind that she had chosen to focus her attention on the people who seemed well inclined to her in the first place. After all, if no one was outright hostile, it made more sense to try and make some people actually like her.


    So, she selected a cup of cider and put on a smile before turning to the pair of girls at the end of the table. Stepping closer, their voices went from muffled nonsense to clarity in an instant.


    ¡°I just think it is an ill use of time to focus on something I have no talent for,¡± the first girl said, ducking her head. She was the girl who had spoken in praise of Ling Qi the first day and had reinforced the dummy tower for spars. Nie Ai was a positively tiny girl, of similar height to Li Suyin. Her hair and skin were similar to Ling Qi¡¯s, though she wore her hair loose down to her shoulders.


    ¡°And I think your lack of initiative on matters of combat is going to hurt you one day. One in your position cannot seriously afford to neglect such things.¡± The other girl, Hou Min, was one of her first sparring partners, the one who had wielded iron fans and wind arts. She was a little more striking than the other girl, being only a head shorter than Ling Qi and having much sharper features and longer hair. Her bright green gown stood out in comparison to the other girl¡¯s more earth-toned clothing.


    It was at that point that she was noticed, and both paused to bow their heads in her direction, murmuring a shared greeting of ¡°Miss Ling.¡±


    ¡°Miss Hou, Miss Nie,¡± Ling Qi greeted back. Technically, as an ascended commoner, Nie Ai shared a rank with her, but thanks to Cai Renxiang, their status was different. Hou Min¡¯s family, on the other hand, had been barons for three generations now. ¡°Did something happen on the training field today?¡±


    She had spent the last week getting familiar with many of the attendees, but these two were the ones which she had found it easiest to talk to.


    ¡°Only my timidity,¡± Nie Ai said softly, twisting a strand of her hair nervously. ¡°I am really not suited to martial pursuits.¡±


    Ling Qi caught Hou Min¡¯s growing frown and spoke before she could. ¡°It doesn¡¯t help anyone to be too modest. You might not be leading raids any time soon, but your defensive arts are fine for your level.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t right for a baroness to be too retiring. How many times must I repeat my words?¡± Hou Min grumbled.


    Nie Ai laughed quietly. ¡°My apologies. This thick head of mine sometimes takes time to absorb lessons. So at least once more.¡±


    Ling Qi had kind of caused this pairing by accident. Neither had seemed well inclined toward each other at first, but in some ways, Hou Min had reminded her of Xiulan, and so she had ended up insinuating that it would reflect well on her if she could help Nie Ai find her feet. Nie Ai herself was a production cultivator first and foremost, but Ling Qi could see that rather than being naturally reticent, she was the sort who just needed a bit of a push. So she had arranged to make it so. In the end, she didn¡¯t have the time to make close friends with everyone, but perhaps she could help others become close friends instead.


    ¡°I have confidence in the both of you,¡± Ling Qi said lightly.


    ¡°Miss Ling is too kind,¡± Nie Ai said.


    ¡°Most certainly,¡± Hou Min agreed. ¡°In any case, Miss Ling, are you aware that some miscreants are attempting to paint your accomplishments in the underground as a mere lucky mistake? That you nearly caused the party¡¯s loss? I actually heard two disciples saying so aloud on my morning run!¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Ling Qi inquired. ¡°Please, tell me about it.¡±


    That it meant that she had more ears out, well, that was just the benefit of having many friends.


    ***


    On the roof of her mother¡¯s home in the sect town, Ling Qi meditated. She allowed her senses to fly far and wide on wisps of silver. There was little activity. The sun was still an hour or more from peaking over the horizon. Seated there, observing the quiet rousing of the many households of the town, Ling Qi cultivated.


    Winter¡¯s Hearth Resounding was an interesting little art. Rather than being a melody of its own, the art taught subtle ways of reinforcing the structure of other arts. It was also a philosophical meditation on the nature of home and family. It spoke of warmth in winter and the need to keep family close.


    But in the echo of the lessons was history. It spoke of a long winter where treachery, lies, and greed were the primary virtues when structures taken for granted had begun to buckle under the weight of myopic self-interest. It was an unpleasantly familiar beat without even the excuse of desperation to soften it.


    Here, in the town at the entrance of the Sect, Ling Qi could feel the thousand small flames that the art¡¯s musing spoke of, each one a hearth in the dark, a small circle of warmth against the cold that lay ever outside. Some were bright, some were dim, some were subtly broken in ways that she could not begin to put into words with only this distant observation. They were each real, each important to those within their light. They were still not hers.


    Her hearth was below her in the slow stirring of the morning staff and her mother rising, preparing to cultivate in the garden. It lay on the distant mountains of the Inner Sect, in scattered embers, and far, far away in a desert she had never seen.


    Even knowing, feeling the reality of those other lights, they did not warm her as this one did. She suspected that they never would. She had come to believe in Cai Renxiang, but it was still a selfish thing. She wanted her family to live in a province that was like what the heiress envisioned.


    However, she did not think that this was wrong. The circles were not separate. She saw her mother quietly greet a woman of similar age, trading quiet words in the pre-dawn light. In turn, she could feel a strand of connection from the other woman to the houses in the outer village. Her mother''s circle of warmth was not hers, and her mother¡¯s friend in turn had her own, but there was an intersection there.


    That, Ling Qi thought, was probably what Cai Renxiang meant when she spoke of patterns and structures, the intersection of a thousand, thousand lights, all suspended in the cold. That was where comfort and companionship and society arose. Shatter those connections, let them degrade and rot as they did in the streets of Tonghou, and the cold came in, as surely as it would through a broken window or an ill sealed roof.


    Even if she couldn¡¯t care about hearths other than her own, she could see the value in them, the value in not forgetting them, and even in letting them share her hearth for a time, however brief. It was only to everyone¡¯s ill that fires were allowed to go out in the cold after all.


    Sixiang murmured.


    That was comforting, Ling Qi thought. She had worried that she was wandering too far afield. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m making a mistake with Zhengui? That I¡¯m trying to force a connection that isn¡¯t there?¡±


    Sixiang was silent for a time, and Ling Qi meditated.


    Sixiang finally said.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t question what they meant. The answer was obvious enough. They both had a strong protective instinct toward the other, but for so long, Zhengui had been unable to act on it.


    Sixiang grumbled.


    ¡°Neither of us cultivate earth,¡± Ling Qi deadpanned.


    Sixiang shot back.


    ¡°That¡¯s probably fair,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°But you didn¡¯t answer my question.¡±


    ¡°Unhelpful,¡± Ling Qi huffed, rising to her feet on the dew-slick roof tiles. There was no use fretting more over it until they began. ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll be ready to practice my dream walking soon?¡±


    ¡°Give it till the end of the week,¡± Sixiang advised, voice drifting on the breeze. ¡°I¡¯d rather be sure, and you still have a little time before that duel with Sparky.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Ling Qi said, walking towards the roof¡¯s edge. She would start cultivating the Laughing Flight of the Wind Thief art tomorrow then.


    ¡°Now quit worrying for a bit. The party¡¯s today, remember?¡± Sixiang said.


    Ling Qi smiled at the reminder. It was Biyu¡¯s fourth birthday today. There was nothing extravagant planned, but she was glad to spend the day with her family. ¡°Right. I suppose I should go down and help Mother with her cultivation then.¡±


    Ling Qi stepped off the roof.

 Threads 119-Wind Thief 1

    It was nothing extravagant, this celebration. Biyu awoke to her nanny¡¯s smile and the fond expressions of the household. For breakfast, the cook made jianbing, one of Biyu¡¯s favorites, and they ate together as a family. The wheat flour crepes and their simple fillings were certainly not made of any special ingredients, but Ling Qi found herself enjoying the flavor more than she had far more extravagant foods.


    After, they had gone out to the garden where Zhengui had been waiting, and there, they had played. Shaping tiny expressions of her Mist, Ling Qi gave her little sister phantom animals to chase and play with while sitting and chatting with her mother and Zhengui, who had shrunk down to the size of a small dog.


    When Biyu had tired, Ling Qi and Ling Qingge had taken turns reading to her from a storybook until she fell asleep in Mother¡¯s lap.


    The day passed like that in quiet enjoyment of each other¡¯s company, culminating in the evening when they sat together in the hearth room while Ling Qingge played a new composition.


    Ling Qi sat at one one end of the long couch which filled the far side of the room, and at her feet on the carpeted floor, Zhengui and Biyu lounged. Part way through the day, her little sister had pleaded with him to let her ride on his shell, and Zhengui had eventually allowed it. Ling Qi had made sure it would be safe, and so throughout the day, the little girl would happily hop on and let Zhengui carry her through the halls.


    Biyu was leaning against his shell now, blinking drowsily while their mother played.


    Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help but give a small smile as she leaned against the arm of the couch. Her mother really was good. Ling Qi had surpassed her through cultivation, but her mother was genuinely talented, and now, with the rust of disuse gone from her skill, that musical talent was showing again.


    The gentle sound of her mother¡¯s flute drifted through the warm room. It was a song of comfort and warm summer days and a faint hope that was growing, slowly but growing all the same.


    When the song finished, Ling Qi offered polite applause. ¡°That was lovely, Mother,¡± she said warmly.


    ¡°Happy songs are nice!¡± Biyu added her own exuberant praise, clapping her own hands.


    Sixiang laughed silently. Ling Qi smiled wryly.


    ¡°It is nothing so worthy of praise,¡± Ling Qingge said. ¡°But I am glad that my daughters found it enjoyable.¡±


    ¡°It was a nice song,¡± Gui said quietly. He had not been the most talkative today, but she thought that he had still enjoyed himself.


    ¡°See, even Zhengui agrees that it does deserve praise,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°Precious is a good turtle,¡± Biyu agreed, patting his shell.


    Zhen looked conflicted at the praise.


    Ling Qingge smiled, and for once, there was no strain in it. She nodded her head in acknowledgement of Zhengui. Mother had grown comfortable around him, at least when he was in his smaller form.


    Biyu yawned then, only to blink and hastily raise her hands to cover her mouth. ¡°Not tired,¡± the little girl said reflexively.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Ling Qingge said gently.


    ¡°But just in case you get sleepy later, would you like a present from your Big Sister now?¡± Ling Qi asked. She had been trying to find a good time for it all day, and it was now or never at this point.


    Biyu¡¯s expression brightened as she turned her head to look at Ling Qi. ¡°Present?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Ling Qi said, earning a curious look from her mother. In her hands, a carved wooden box appeared. ¡°The present has two parts, and this is the first one. Go ahead and open it,¡± she said, lowering the container.


    Biyu turned herself around, looking curiously at the lacquered wooden box. She took the lid in both of her hands and lifted it up. Inside, padded by a soft cushion was a pair of pale blue silk shoes. They weren¡¯t really proper talismans but Ling Qi had invested a little in them. They were stain resistant, durable, and just adjustable enough that they would last a couple years rather than a couple months on a growing girl.


    ¡°Pretty shoes?¡± Biyu asked curiously, picking one up and turning it over in her hands. She peered inside. She didn¡¯t seem too excited yet, but that was fine.


    ¡°Like I said, the shoes are only the first part,¡± Ling Qi said lightly, leaning down to poke Biyu in the nose. The little girl snorted in laughter and swatted her hand away. ¡°They¡¯re dancing shoes. Do you want to be able to move like Big Sis?¡±


    Now, Biyu¡¯s eyes brightened. ¡°Oh! Yes, I wanna be a pretty fairy!¡±


    ¡°Well, with these, we can get started.¡± Biyu was too young to learn anything complicated, but it would be good enough to just start working on a sense of rhythm and balance. ¡°But you can¡¯t use my lessons to get away from Mother or Nanny, alright?¡±


    Her mother gave her an unimpressed look but smiled nonetheless, giving Biyu a nod of approval.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be good,¡± Biyu chirped eagerly, setting the shoe back in the box.


    ¡°I am sure you will,¡± Ling Qingge said with a touch of doubt. ¡°In any case, I believe dinner should be prepared. Let us go to the garden.¡±


    Ling Qi smiled as she stood up, and scooped the box back up. She would put it in Biyu¡¯s room later. She was looking forward to being able to teach her little sister too.


    That would come later though. She had already had quite a full day after all.


    And tonight, Ling Qi was going to begin learning to really move.


    ***


    ¡°What brought this on?¡± Sixiang asked curiously.


    Ling Qi was silent as she stared down at her dress, lying spread out on the bed. The silk seemed to ripple under the light, the intricate patterns stitched along the hems shifting and dancing subtly.


    Standing here, wearing mundane silks, Ling Qi felt deeply uncomfortable. Contrary to what some rumors said, she did change out of her clothes at times. She still bathed, and she still set the dress aside when going to sleep, though that was rare. Sometimes, on particularly lazy days, she would even wear her sleeping shift into the meditation room.


    This would be the first time she had gone out without her Cai robe in a long time.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can cultivate Wind Thief well while wearing this,¡± Ling Qi said, still looking down at the dress. ¡°At least¡­ not at first.¡±


    She felt pressure, as if Sixiang was resting their chin on her shoulder and leaning against her back. ¡°I don¡¯t think talismans interfere with cultivation, even ones like that.¡±


    ¡°The dress won¡¯t interfere, but I think my mindset will,¡± Ling Qi said thoughtfully. ¡°It¡¯s too safe.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to get the full lessons of the art if you¡¯re feeling safe?¡±


    ¡°No. That¡¯s why I¡¯m going off alone, too,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°If you could, I¡¯d like you to stay dormant or cultivate internally while I¡¯m doing this.¡±


    ¡°Ling Qi, are you planning to do something crazy?¡± Sixiang asked warily.


    ¡°I¡¯m not planning to,¡± Ling Qi said lightly.


    They sighed. ¡°Just stay safe, crazy girl. We still have dance lessons to do.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t miss it for the world.¡± Ling Qi laughed.


    Sixiang faded, and she was left alone.


    Except, that wasn¡¯t really true, was it?


    Ling Qi reached down and traced her fingers along the folds of her gown. The silk was cool, and the energies infusing it thrummed at her touch. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon, okay?¡±


    And then she was gone, a shadow passing through the door.


    She had to go before she could change her mind.


    ***


    She left things behind one by one as she traveled north into the depths of the forest which surrounded the Sect. One by one, meridians that thrummed with energy went still and quiescant. For the first time in over a year, she let the layered protection of her arts go silent.


    For the first time in many months, Ling Qi felt the faintest thrill of fear at the thought of traversing the woods. Her senses felt dull and muted, and her limbs felt too heavy and too light all at once. The faint sounds of the forest beasts and the rustling of leaves raised the hairs on her neck. She felt small and weak and vulnerable, and it made her stomach clench.


    But she wasn¡¯t a mortal anymore.


    She leapt and sailed meters through the air to land on a branch which did not bend under her weight. She ran, and rough bark, stones, and thorns tore at her mundane clothing, but her flesh was inviolate. The darkness did not impede her eyes, and the cold chill of the night did not touch her. The mist that curled in the roots rose to her call and trailed after the ragged hem of her dress like a noblewoman''s train.


    She had changed, and the things she wore and the arts she practiced were only the outermost difference. When she arrived at the moon drenched tower where lunatic revelers sometimes danced, she did not strain as she lifted the boulder which had fallen across the entrance. Ascending the crumbling stairs, she did not need an art to hear the echoes of revelry gone.


    The tower was empty tonight. There was no gibbous moon hanging above, only a thin grinning crescent, half-hidden behind the clouds. But even if the dusty stones were quiet, the air was thick with moonlight. A single jump carried her twelve meters into the air to alight upon the splintered end of a long petrified rafter, a second carried her to the highest point of the crumbling tower, and her bare feet came to rest on broken stone.


    There, Ling Qi looked out over the darkened canopy of the forest and the twinkling night sky above. She looked down at her hands, flexing her fingers. Gone were the little scars and calluses of a hard life. Her skin was as smooth as the most sheltered of courtesans. She was not a beauty, but there was none save her mother who would connect the ragged and desperate child of Tonghou to the immortal who stood here now.


    Ling Qi could not call herself a thief anymore. She was a musician, a sister, and a soldier. She was a burgeoning diplomat, taking the first shaky steps into intrigue. She had abandoned her apathy and chosen to believe that the idea of an improving world was not a childish fantasy.


    ¡°I¡¯ve left a lot of your lessons behind,¡± Ling Qi said to the empty sky. There were many things from those cruel years that she had put behind her, and although she retained some, others, she had rejected one by one. ¡°Total freedom is a lie,¡± she said softly.


    The moon twinkled overhead, silent.


    ¡°Living only for yourself is empty and childish, and only the mighty and the foolish can pretend that it offers anything but misery and destruction,¡± Ling Qi said thoughtfully. ¡°Such a life is the life of a rabid beast.¡± Ling Qi held out her hand and watched the play of moonlight, filtered by the clouds on her skin. ¡°But it isn¡¯t wrong to do things for yourself. Some chains should be broken. Some rules are wrong. It isn¡¯t wrong to want to fly as long as you remember your landing.¡±


    There was a charge in the air now, an attention that she could feel, beating down on her mind.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t wrong to steal the wind from its vault to let it out into the world.¡±


    Beneath her, the ground, the forest, and the Sect dropped away. She stood now on a promontory of crumbling stone over a ravine miles deep, its bottom hidden even to her eyes. It was a fall that even she could not survive. Below were the gods, cruel and greedy, with all the riches and wonders of the world in their vaults.


    And she was just one girl, so very small in the end. What madness could possess her, to think that she could defy the gods so?


    Ling Qi smiled to herself and stepped out into the open air.

 Threads 120 Wind Thief 2

    The wind screamed in her ears as she plunged downward, and Ling Qi¡¯s heart pounded with it. The walls of the ravine blurred by, and the cold stone below beckoned. This was a dream, but dreams were real enough in their own way.


    The Grinning Moon was many things. It rejected constraints, all constraints, and this, she refused. It loved cleverness and tricks, and this, she accepted. She recalled vaguely a text she had read last year, claiming that the Grinning Moon was the patron of clever investigators. She had found it odd at the time, but she now knew it was not wrong.


    The Grinning Moon did not care about goals. It did not care about motivations. Perhaps its various local manifestations and avatars did, but the moon itself did not. The Grinning Moon was a thing of action and movement. Call it a heist or a sting, a casing or an investigation, the moon cared not. It only cared that she acted, that she sought to live and run and fly, to match her mind against others and come out on top.


    As the ground approached, solid and inviolate, Ling Qi came to understand the core virtue of the Grinning Moon. That which underlaid all the rest.


    Self-assurance.


    Ling Qi looked at the approaching ground and felt dormant meridians churn to life. The howl of the wind transformed into her laughter, and the shadows of the ravine closed in as a welcoming embrace.


    She looked at the ground and decided that she wasn¡¯t falling anymore.


    Yes, she could not defy the Law of Earth, any more than any infant could defy the Law of their mother. But what parent did not know the mischief which a child could get up to before the Law could be enforced?


    Ling Qi became the wind and the shadow, and her momentum changed. She shot through the air, parallel to the ground, at a speed fit to strip a mortal''s flesh from their bones. As the wind, she cared not. Feet and toes grew solid for one moment as her slowed descent carried her down into the depths of the ravine. There, her feet skipped across stone, and muscles filled with the force of a hurricane flexed, granting her flight for a few more glorious moments.


    She passed into the winding tunnels of the gods¡¯ vaults, a mere whisper and laughing breeze. She passed the halls of the gods where they lounged in great coiled masses of muscle and umber scales, lying redolent before the great and never-ending feast of meat and wine laid out at their feet. Power and luxury beyond comprehension, treated with lax contempt.


    But their own might was their undoing, and Ling Qi became one of the numberless and faceless slaves who served the meal, a mere mote of dust under the notice of the mighty. So vast was their excess that none noted the disappearance of even the most potent wine nor the fleeting shadow that had once been a servant.


    In the halls were innumerable defenses, mighty runes carved into stone to bar the entrance of foes and thieves alike. Alas for pride that none deigned notice the movements of a mouse, designed as they were to fend off the machinations of gods. Beyond them lay the vault of winds.


    How mighty the door, how glittering the gems, all the riches of the deep earth on display. How impenetrable and secure, ten thousand locks bound by ten thousand spirits!


    How neglected the beauty, dust dimming the fire of the earth''s riches. How lax the care, locks rusted and spirits disquieted by disuse. How foolish the gatekeeper, who accepted a bowl of most potent wine from a humble servant, a gift from his masters!


    Within lay a simple bag of golden hide, bulging with the pressure of the winds, and her deft fingers undid the ties. Ling Qi laughed as a warm wind ruffled her hair. The west wind was the first to emerge, warm and inviting, herald of spring and summer in its coming and herald of fall and winter in its going. The wind enwrapped her, and Ling Qi knew that whatever artifice had captured it in the first place would never come again.


    The wind was stolen, and things would never be the same.


    Carried on rising warm winds, Ling Qi spiraled upward as the other winds howled free. The wind of the northern storm howled, fierce and unrestrained, shaking the vault. The south wind screamed the song of a blizzard and lashed with mighty gales, making hinges groan and indolent gods raise their heads in alarm. The east wind whispered softly, and locks and bindings came loose.


    Borne on the four winds, the thief burst forth, and the long neglected gates boomed open and shattered upon the walls, scattering the gods¡¯ riches back into the earth.


    How the gods howled, enraged by the theft of riches unremembered and unused!


    But in the face of wrath fit to break the world, Ling Qi could only grin. Flying on the winds, the halls became blurs, and the flabby talons and claws of the gods and their creatures could not touch her. In the face of fury, she laughed, and the mighty raged!


    The winds cackled along with her, and so the final blow was struck. Stolen were not only their riches but their pride, and that was a trespass the mighty could never forgive.


    From the halls of the gods, the wind thief flew, and behind her, stone trembled and broke as the gods tore their own home asunder in fury and haste to chase her. Into the bright sky, Father¡¯s embrace, she flew with all the gods of the earth at her back.


    But it was futile. Their claws and fangs and paws, she flitted and spun through, their artifice, she escaped, their sovereignty, she flouted.


    For she was not the girl any longer. She was the Thief of Winds, and she had changed the Law of Skies forevermore.


    The cool night air struck Ling Qi like a flung glass of water, and she blinked as she looked up at the clear night sky and the twinkling stars. The wind tugged at her gown and hair as she fell from the apex of her leap, some thirty meters in the air.


    She fell, and Ling Qi smiled as she took hold of the wind and shot off to the east, sending the canopy of the trees rustling in her wake. She spun, she flew, and she danced in midair. She could not restrain her laughter at the sheer joy of her movement. A second and a third time she guided the wind until at last she had to allow her foot to lightly touch the top of a hill and grant her new momentum.


    Through forest and glade she flew, and one by one, she restored function to her other arts. Through a maze of webs in which she had once carefully snuck, she flew freely, scattering and startling the dreamweaving spiders in her wake, untouched by their threads. Around an old forest shrine, she circled and danced, and an old and hoary stag raised his head to watch her flight in bemusement.


    And somewhere, far under the earth behind a maze of broken space, an ancient corpse¡¯s horned skull shifted, and black flower petals drifted to the carpet of bones at its feet.


    ***


    Ling Qi was humming cheerfully as she returned to her sect housing. The mundane gown she had worn was ragged now, worn threadbare by twigs and leaves and the rush of wind. But it was fine. None of her peers had noted her passage, only the faint blowing of the wind. Through the cracks in her window slats she flowed, only rematerializing as her feet touched the smooth stone of the interior.


    Lately, she had been feeling pressured, tasks and worries and goals clouding her mind and distorting her focus. Her chest still ached with the crack in her nascent way, and the Duchess'' task still loomed. Thoughts of courtship and cultivation and social activities crowded the edges of her thoughts. They were not gone, but she just felt so refreshed now.


    Ling Qi blew out a breath and smiled as she strode down the hall to her bedroom. She would handle them all. Even those tasks which had been imposed on her,¡­ it was her choices that had led to those impositions. And if she had decided she was going to do something, it was going to be done. It was only a matter of finding the how. She was going to succeed. She would not accept any other outcome.


    Her confident smile vanished as she opened her bedroom door.


    Her dress was gone.


    It had been laid out on her bed, and now, it wasn¡¯t there. Her bedding was gone too, the bed stripped down to the frame.


    Ling Qi stood there and stared and wondered if the low sound of distress she heard was coming from her own throat.


    But then, out of the corner of her eye, she caught motion. The door to her wardrobe was partially open and beginning to swing in the breeze kicking up around her. Dangling from the wardrobe, she saw a corner of one of her sheets.


    Ling Qi cautiously approached the wardrobe and opened the door the rest of the way. There, she could only stare blankly at what she saw.


    Her dress was pooled in the corner of the wardrobe, its layers in disarray, sleeves wrapped around a bundle of fabric that she recognized as the tatters of her bedspread. She reached down, picking up her dress, and the ragged cloth dropped away, but a few threads still dangled from her gown, slowly being drawn into its fabric.


    Had her dress been stress eating? The silky garment hung between her hands, inert and inanimate, save for the rapidly disappearing stray threads. She had thought that her dress was not yet conscious, but¡­


    Ling Qi peered down at the wrinkled fabric and reached out with her thoughts.


    She could not feel anything to contact, just the flows of qi that made up the arrays worked into the gown. Just a simple animal reaction? She knew that the talisman drew on her qi to function, but it was supposed to go dormant when not in use. Maybe the Cai thread made it different?


    ¡°Let¡¯s get you cleaned up. You¡¯re all wrinkled now,¡± Ling Qi murmured, turning away from the wardrobe and the scraps. She felt a little odd, talking to her dress, but she supposed she should probably get used to the idea.


    ***


    Sixiang snorted out an inelegant laugh as they spun through the steps of a new dance. ¡°You¡¯re so cruel, Ling Qi,¡± they chuckled.


    Ling Qi made an irritated sound, her gown swaying around her feet as they separated, reaching the end of the set. ¡°I¡¯ll just have to remember to leave a few spirit stones out for the dress the next time I¡¯m out like that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you plan on there being a next time,¡± Sixiang said, resting their hands on their hips. Here, among the standing stones, it was easier for them to remain manifested.


    ¡°It¡¯s always possible,¡± Ling Qi hedged. She certainly hadn¡¯t intended her little cultivation trip to take three days. She had thought that she was gone for only a single evening. Thankfully, this sort of thing was not uncommon with third realm cultivators, so no one had raised a fuss. What few people didn¡¯t think she had just been on a cultivation trip seemed to figure that Cai Renxiang had set her some secret task.


    ¡°If you say so,¡± Sixiang said in amusement. ¡°Anyway, I think you¡¯re fully healed. I didn¡¯t sense any leakage.¡±


    ¡°Do you have to say it like that?¡± Ling Qi complained. It made her sound like she was incontinent or something.


    ¡°Not my fault you¡¯re still a bag of meat and fluids,¡± Sixiang teased, sticking out their tongue. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯re solving that, too.¡±


    Ling Qi rolled her eyes, and Sixiang yelped as a gust of wind sent them scattering into multihued particulates.


    ¡°Hey! My projection is still fragile!¡± they complained, voice echoing from near her ear.


    ¡°Not my fault that you''re a bag of bad humor and dream gunk,¡± Ling Qi replied dryly.


    ¡°Hmph, you¡¯ve gotten mean,¡± Sixiang grumbled, spinning a new face from moonlight and wind. ¡°I¡¯m funny.¡±


    ¡°Sure you are,¡± Ling Qi said with amused condescension.


    Sixiang stuck out their tongue again as they took a seat on a flat stone. For a moment, there was silence between them as Ling Qi arranged herself on her own favorite rock.


    ¡°So what happened?¡± Ling Qi asked quietly. She still couldn¡¯t easily step back and forth between dream and material without a technique, but in cultivating the Phantasmagoria of Lunar Revelry, she could feel that something had changed.


    ¡°You flooded yourself with way too much dream qi,¡± Sixiang explained. ¡°Even if you held onto yourself, you¡¯re less material than than you were before. I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be too much of a problem for you, but¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be something to keep an eye on,¡± Ling Qi finished. It was something she had checked after her sojourn without her arts. She really was physically lighter now, as if she had lost a dozen kilograms without changing her appearance one bit.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you aren¡¯t going to drift away. You¡¯re too stubborn for that,¡± Sixiang joked. ¡°So, what do you say? Wanna try another dance?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Ling Qi agreed. She would be more cautious with the liminal realm in the future, but for now, there was no need to worry.

 Threads 121-Reverb 1

    With the end of the month looming, Ling Qi soon turned her attention to one last art. Ephemeral Night¡¯s Memory was a subtle little art and not something she had made great use of since she had begun cultivating it earlier this year. It was an art for muddling and snatching fragments of memory, enabling the user to more easily sneak around and avoid leaving traces. She had mostly used it as a combat trick to disorient an enemy right before striking by making them forget her position.


    Compared to the likes of the Laughing Flight of the Wind Thief, she found its cultivation incredibly simple compared to the other art, mastering its remaining lessons in a very short time. Ling Qi found herself pondering its lessons as she worked out the last flaws in her usage. She knew very well that memory was a tricky thing, something people could rewrite to avoid facing contradictions. She had done it herself, unconsciously, in blowing up her mother¡¯s stress and lessons into something they were not to reinforce her justification for leaving home. No, memory was not always reliable at all, even before considering arts like this. False memory could easily supplant reality.


    Ling Qi let out a breath and opened her eyes.


    Memory could be tricky, but that simply meant that it needed to be guarded well. That was all. Ephemeral Night¡¯s Memory was a step in that direction.


    ¡°Memories degrade and change, and there¡¯s nothing wrong with that,¡± Sixiang said. The air beside Ling Qi shimmered, and the ghostly outline of the muse, wearing robes of glittering moonlight, appeared.


    ¡°You would know,¡± Ling Qi acknowledged. She had swam in the memories that made up Sixiang. They were fragmented things, wisps of sensation and experience without logic or coherence. Only the most recent memories, those of their most recent incarnation, were anything clear. ¡°I¡¯ve already accepted the truth of impermanence. Something like this isn¡¯t going to bother me.¡±


    ¡°I wonder how much you have. Acknowledging the ending, the big capital E one, is one thing, but it¡¯s so far away.¡± Sixiang leaned back to look up at the stars. ¡°You certainly didn¡¯t accept my Ending. I¡¯m thankful for that, even if I think you¡¯re silly for looking at it that way.¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t reply. She knew Endings. It was the light going out of a man¡¯s eyes as frost crept over them. It was a bead of colorless radiance on the end of a saber and howling missiles of spiralling wind. It was winter in the streets where the unlucky never saw another spring. It was that glimpse of lightless, heatless nothing which Zeqing had given her.


    Her teacher had been right. She was not really ready yet to contemplate the full truth of the End. Even understanding implicitly that it would come, she didn¡¯t want it to. ¡°I couldn¡¯t just let you be lazy and drift off,¡± Ling Qi said lightly. ¡°You¡¯ve put a lot of work into this incarnation. It¡¯d be a shame to waste it.¡±


    Sixiang gave her an amused look. ¡°I guess. I doubt the next one will be as interesting either.¡±


    For a time, they sat in silence under the moon.


    ¡°Time has been flying, huh?¡± Sixiang mused. ¡°Seems like this month has passed by so quickly. Almost time for another tournament in the Outer Sect.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded. ¡°In a few months. At least this year, I might not come across as completely out of my depth,¡± Ling Qi said wryly. The practice she had gotten with the sect¡¯s disciples this year would hopefully serve her well with the noble visitors Cai Renxiang would no doubt expect her to mingle with.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine,¡± Sixiang encouraged. ¡°Worried about the match you have coming up?¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± Ling Qi denied, letting her eyes drift back shut. In the end, it was only an exhibition match. She wanted to win, but faced with the reality of the barbarians under their feet and in the skies and of the politics she was becoming aware of, it seemed so small a thing.


    ¡°That¡¯s a little arrogant, isn¡¯t it?¡± Sixiang questioned, letting their bare legs dangle from the rooftop. ¡°At least take it seriously.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± Ling Qi reassured. She would definitely give the fight her all. After all, that was the polite thing to do, and she had come far in terms of politeness. Even if she didn¡¯t like him much, Ji Rong was still a peer, and in the end, they were on the same side, whatever rivalry their patrons had within the Empire.


    ***?


    ¡°I shall be disappointed in you if you lose,¡± Bai Meizhen said from behind her.


    Ling Qi met her friend''s eyes in the mirror as the girl finished arranging the pins in her hair. ¡°I¡¯m starting to think that you¡¯re more invested in this duel than I am,¡± Ling Qi said dryly.


    Bai Meizhen gave her a disdainful look as she stepped away. ¡°You are too lackadaisical.¡±


    Ling Qi stuck out her tongue. Bai Meizhen scrunched up her face in disgust.


    Ling Qi stood, laughing under her breath, and Bai Meizhen let out an amused huff.


    She eyed herself in the mirror. Everything about her image was in place. Her hair was done up with only a few thin streamers hanging down her back. She had adjusted her mantle, going for a lighter, gauzier blue silk than the usual low hanging ¡°wings.¡± Pale white lace shrouded her hands in voluminous sleeves.


    It didn¡¯t look too bad, she thought. And that did matter because in some ways, this was a show. They would be fighting in one of the bigger training fields, and there would be quite an audience given that the two of them were both ducal representatives in a way.


    The Sect was at war. Their duel would be overseen by a core disciple on medical leave, rather than an elder. It had occurred to her that the duel might not even get sanctioned in the first place, but it seemed that the Sect still had an interest in maintaining normality.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get going. We don¡¯t want to give them any reason to complain,¡± Ling Qi said, heading for the door. Bai Meizhen nodded her assent.


    Outside the preparation room, three people waited. Her spirits, Zhengui and Hanyi, were there, and Bao Qingling as well, although she stood well off to the side.


    ¡°You look pretty, Big Sis,¡± Hanyi said from her seat on Zhengui¡¯s shell. ¡°Can we wreck this jerk now, so I can get back to work?¡±


    ¡°Be polite,¡± she chided. Hanyi¡¯s drive hadn¡¯t disappeared. It was only stoked by the news that Bao Qian was closing in on a deal for a performance. They had been given a date for next month.


    ¡°Hanyi should not be so pushy,¡± Gui scoffed.


    ¡°I, Zhen, am ready to win though,¡± Zhen insisted.


    Bao Qingling only glanced at them as Meizhen paced to her side. There was a subtle awkwardness there, like a clockwork missing a gear.


    Sixiang whispered.


    No spying, Ling Qi thought back, keeping her expression even.


    Sixiang grumbled.


    ¡°I will leave you to it, Ling Qi,¡± Bai Meizhen said. Looking up at Bao Qingling, Meizhen continued, ¡°You secured our seats?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the taller girl grunted. ¡°Lower seating, east side.¡±


    Ling Qi gave Bai Meizhen and her¡­ friend a nod, and they split up, Ling Qi heading for the field and they, to the audience. Zhengui trundled along behind her with a confident stride.


    She emerged onto the field and into a buzz of noise. At the four corners of the combat field were four familiar structures, gem-set pillars like those that marked the tournament arenas. These weren¡¯t as advanced; they would only contain the fight and warp space a little, making the battlefield larger within the perimeter, but the need for their presence still spoke to her recent growth.


    And her opponent¡¯s, she supposed.


    Ji Rong stood on the far side of the field, his arms crossed. His foot tapped impatiently against the hard packed dirt of the field, but his scarred features were set in concentration. His Spirit, Relong, hovered in midair, his looping coils a miniature of the gargantuan beast that even now loomed over the Sect.


    Sixiang thought curiously.


    Ling Qi thought back silently. She might have taken steps to leave it behind, but in the end, Ji Rong was too close a reminder of unpleasant memories.


    ¡°I never got a chance to say thanks for getting us out of there,¡± Ji Rong said gruffly as she took her place.


    ¡°I have had a full schedule,¡± Ling Qi said neutrally. Zhengui came to a stop behind her, and Hanyi stood up, doing her best to match Ling Qi¡¯s pose.


    ¡°Yeah, you have,¡± Ji Rong said. His lips quirked into a self-deprecating smirk. ¡°You really did beat me last year, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Ling Qi was silent, knowing that he wasn¡¯t just referring to the tournament. ¡°We both made our choices,¡± she said carefully. ¡°I just chose to apply myself differently.¡±


    He grunted irritably, rolling his shoulders. ¡°Tch, you knew how to change skins when you needed to and had a lil¡¯ less pride.¡±


    ¡°I would say that my pride was different,¡± Ling Qi corrected evenly. She wasn¡¯t insulted, not when he said the word pride with that bitter twist.


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Ji Rong allowed, lowering his arms to his sides. There was a faint static in the air, a crackling just beneath the level of hearing. ¡°I¡¯m lookin¡¯ forward to sharing some pointers, Sect Sister.¡±


    ¡°Yes, let us have a good match, Sect Brother.¡± Around her, the air was already growing damp and cold, fingers of mist worming through the grass.


    Even though there was nothing material at stake, she really didn¡¯t want to lose.

 Threads 121-Reverb 2

    As the core disciple overseeing the match raised his hand to signal the start, Ling Qi briefly reviewed her plan. Ling Qi had considered trying to beat Ji Rong at his game, rush him down, freeze and defeat him before he could build up a charge, but that was not what she had spent the month practicing. Playing at his game would allow him to dictate the pace.


    The referee¡¯s hand came down, and everything outside the field distorted as it expanded, putting hundreds of meters of distance between them. A trilling wintery melody rang out as her Singing Mist Blade materialized above her head, and the Mist spilled forth.


    Across the field, thunder boomed, and a ring of inscribed discs appeared behind Ji Rong¡¯s shoulders. His fists rose, static crackled in whitening hair, and his silhouette seemed to frizz and jump.


    In the field between them, Ling Qi felt their domains clash. Both were still formless, nameless. The Mist spilled into the world and sang of winter¡¯s hardship, but Ji Rong projected nothing outward.


    He had become the lightning.


    In that moment, she met his eyes and found commonality. Neither wind nor lightning could be caged. She would not be able to trap him with laughing revelers again.


    Then he was in front of her, his fist outstretched, sparking knuckles nearly touching her nose. Ling Qi became the wind and scattered as the heavenly bolt crashed through her. In the boom of thunder, her laughter could be heard.


    Even as her silhouette reformed, she heard glass shatter as his heels dug into the melted dirt and launched himself back at her.


    This time, a palisade of writhing wood rose to stymie him, even as a young girl¡¯s laughter mingled with a dragon¡¯s roar.


    As new grown wood blackened and bulged inward, Ling Qi used the moment bought and played the first notes of the Spring¡¯s End Aria, calling upon the echoes of true winter. Hoarfrost spread across the ground, and icy mist trailed from the hems of her dress as she ghosted backward, carried on the wind, riding the shockwave of the explosion that tore through Zhengui¡¯s barrier. When Ji Rong ripped through the wall, a battlecry on his lips, she met him with a Hoarfrost Refrain.


    The screaming howl of a blizzard lashed him, and the scouring cold poured into his channels. Ji Rong, suspended in midair, shattered like fine glass, a great waterfall of sparks and static falling to earth amidst sparks of ice.


    A fraction of a second later, she felt an impact on her cheek. From a scattered crackle of static, Ji Rong¡¯s fist materialized, followed by the rest of him. Her head snapped to the side as heavenly power ripped through layers of defensive qi. The follow-up punch deflected off a ringing note in the air, and the third and fourth crashed through naught but air. The fifth struck her in the chest. Then, within her mind, Sixiang stirred, and chaotic qi rippled out, disrupting Ji Rong¡¯s technique.


    They flew apart to re-materialize on the ground. For a second time, their eyes met. Ling Qi¡¯s cheek stung where his hit had landed, and frost clung to strands of Ji Rong¡¯s hair.


    Ling Qi smiled thinly behind her flute and flew backward toward Zhengui without turning, flaring her qi in a prearranged signal.


    Her little brother was engaged with Ji Rong¡¯s dragon, stabbing roots leaving scrapes and cuts across flying golden coils, but the moment that she gave the signal, he stopped, allowing the beam of liquid lightning that the young dragon spat to splash across his face to no effect.


    Hanyi¡¯s voice rose in song and drove Relong back with the voice of winter. She hopped from Zhengui¡¯s shell onto a squirming root, following as he retreated. That was part of the plan. Ling Qi trusted Hanyi to handle the dragon.


    Ling Qi had managed that situation perfectly well herself at that level after all. And unlike Heizui, Relong was at the same level as Hanyi rather than one stage above.


    As Ji Rong cut through the air, hot on her trail, a massive quantity of qi flowed down through Zhengui¡¯s legs and into the field below.


    The earth roiled with life. Roots the size of entire saplings erupted, interposing themselves between her and Ji Rong. A flurry of fists tore apart a score, but a score more sprouted in their place. Ling Qi landed atop Zhengui¡¯s shell, his volcanic heat only a pleasant warmth to her, and played a single ear-piercing note.


    As Ling Qi knew from sparring with Wang Chao, even if something could not be stopped, it could be redirected. Ji Rong, rocketing toward her still despite the lashing and obstructing roots, was taken by surprise when an eagle screamed and talons seized his shoulders from behind, using his momentum to fling him across the battlefield above her. Amidst the grasping roots, the phantoms of beasts rose, and the song of her sword and the Mist girded their claws and fangs in frost.


    She wondered briefly what she looked like to the audience, shrouded in mist standing atop Zhengui¡¯s back and surrounded by a growing phantasmal army that stalked among root and branch.


    Ji Rong landed with a thunderous boom at the end of his flight, and a crackling fan of lightning rippled outward, ripping apart the phantasmal eagle. He glared across the field at her, crackling static pouring down his limbs and blackening the grass as he crouched there.


    Two of his nine discs were burning blue.


    Then, he did something that surprised her.


    His hand rose, two fingers extended. He stabbed them into his own chest, lightning-shrouded fingertips parting flesh like paper, and roared.


    It was not a sound which was meant to come from a human throat. Pebbles rattled and rose from the earth, and Ling Qi felt the wind vibrate and shake. Blinding lightning erupted outward in every direction from his position, and bolts fell from the clear sky. Reflexively, Ling Qi called on the Starless Shroud technique, and the bolts which fell upon her and her spirits vanished with nary a ripple.


    Ling Qi focused through the lightning, eyes flickering silver, and she saw him. A tracery of curling red lines like tattoos marked his flesh, and the wound in his chest bled freely, a crimson line running down his chest. Sparks crackled around his fingers, and his eyes burned blue.


    A third disc was burning.


    Ji Rong flung his hand outward, and crimson droplets scattered, each holding a single catalyzing spark, and orbs of lightning the size of a man¡¯s head bloomed in the sky. Beneath her, Zhen¡¯s throat swelled as he spat a boiling mass of glass and magma.


    It struck Ji Rong head on, but he erupted from it, bearing no more than scorched clothes and smoking skin.


    A fourth disc burned.


    Ji Rong charged, a roaring tail of lightning following him as if he were a comet.


    Ling Qi leapt down from Zhengui¡¯s shell, her dress trailing behind her limbs like ripples of the night sky, and called forth the memories of revelry, the last link she needed to complete her defenses. Around her, howling beasts rose onto their hind legs, snarls turned into callous laughter, and robes and intricate armor bloomed across fur and hide. Ling Qi felt the brush of a dream.


    Zhengui tensed, and ash began to fall like snow. The aches of what few hits Ji Rong had landed began to fade.


    Overhead, orbs of lightning pulsed, and Ling Qi prepared herself to defend, only for the jagged bolts that erupted to strike Ji Rong. With each one, his aura flared brighter, and she felt his qi surging, building up power.


    A fifth and sixth disc glowed.


    He hit the front lines of her phantasmal army and howled like a beast himself as he tore them apart, fists flickering faster than her eye could track. Phantoms were torn into scraps of mist and dream. On his forehead, a third eye blazing with golden radiance burned, and behind his head, she caught a flickering vision of a thousand petaled lotus.


    The area he plowed through stayed clear. The Mist rolled back in, but new phantoms and revelers did not arise in his wake.


    He was paying for his advance. A great black wolf the size of a horse tore gashes in his right arm with its fangs before lightning ripped it apart, a screaming hawk tore at his face before a fist crushed it, and a striking serpent¡¯s fangs found his leg before he trampled it. Slowly but surely though, he was carving a path of violence toward where she stood.


    Zhengui¡¯s roots stabbed at his feet and snatched at his limbs, but they failed to slow him down.


    Ji Rong charged, and Ling Qi remained still as the air around her shimmered, faint and dreamlike afterimages trailing her limbs as she raised her flute to her lips once more. Dissolving, she rematerialized behind him.


    The pressure of her spirit smashed into him with the weight of a glacier, and ice burns spread across his back, visible under his tattered robe. Ji Rong stumbled, and for a moment, she thought that he would be launched forward, ready to take another plume of magma from Zhengui.


    Instead, his feet dug into the earth, and he spun, throwing a punch at the open air.


    Ling Qi dissolved, but this time, it didn¡¯t help. A ten meter-wide gash opened in the earth as the wind roared, and Ling Qi felt dizziness as the tremendous force tore apart the currents of wind on which she flowed, scattering, for a brief moment, her perception into a thousand whirling sparks of color and noise.


    Dizzy, she was struck a hundred times and more, sparking fists battering her spirit.


    Ling Qi reformed, crouching on the ground, feeling as if she had been run over by a cart. Ji Rong stood above her, and Ling Qi prepared to step into dream, dragging them all away to reset the match.


    The seventh and eighth disc activated.


    Around her, she felt the dream deepen, the world blurring and rippling. In a moment of communication with Sixiang, she understood. As Ji Rong drew back his fist, the world bent, and Sxiang manifested, slender arms wrapping around his chest. Their features were feminine, and as they leaned forward to nip at Ji Rong¡¯s ear, space bent, and his movements slowed.


    ¡°Heeeey cutie, things are about to get hot.¡± Sixiang giggled.


    It was at that point that magma concentrated down to a single point erupted under Ji Rong¡¯s feet, and Ling Qi flowed back to her feet, the revelers around her beginning to cheer and stamp their feet.


    The ninth disc burst into light, and the magma was blown away.


    Ji Rong was far from unharmed. Burns marred his skin, his clothes tattered and charred, and she could see a trembling in his right leg that spoke of coming collapse. None of that changed the ring of scintillating lightning that burned overhead like a god¡¯s crown. None of that changed the exultant cry of falling lightning that fell upon them, a blast which she could only compare to Cai Renxiang¡¯s light in experience.


    The silence did.


    The roar of lightning, the music and revelry and howls of beasts, and even the distant sound of Hanyi¡¯s laughter all fell silent. Starless Night¡¯s Reflection was an art that mimicked the bottomless lakes of the Thousand Lakes. Its Black Mirror technique was its most potent defense, and she used it now, draining her qi reserves precipitously. Darkness bloomed from Ling Qi and swallowed them all.


    A moment later, it shattered, but the lightning was gone. The field lay unchanged as if nothing had happened at all.


    Ling Qi stepped forward and laid her hands on the gaping young man¡¯s smoking shoulders.


    She sang silence, and the revelers roared.


    ***?


    ¡°It was a good match,¡± Ling Qi said, offering a hand to her opponent.


    It was to Ji Rong¡¯s credit that he hadn¡¯t needed intervention from the Call to Ending. He knelt there, blackened skin cracking under the returned heat. His qi was gone, but he was still conscious.


    ¡°Yeah, you win. I yield,¡± he said through frost-cracked lips.


    Off to one side, Hanyi stood proudly atop his defeated dragon. Her dress was a little charred, and she¡¯d gotten some cuts and scrapes from the brawl, but she was in good humor.


    Zhengui stood ominously behind her, glaring down at Ji Rong.


    Ji Rong stared at her hand as if it might bite him.


    ¡°It¡¯s not enough to just fight on my own, is it?¡± he mumbled.


    Ling Qi¡¯s silence was her answer. She thought it was obvious.


    Ji Rong took a shuddering breath and took her hand. She helped him to his feet as the referee deactivated the field and the crowd erupted into noise.

 Interlude: Welcome to the Jungle

    ¡°Can¡¯t believe you lost again,¡± Sun Liling jibed. She leaned back against the wall of the closed carriage, her hands behind her head. ¡°The hells do I even keep you around for?¡±


    ¡°Tch, you¡¯re the one who told me I was probably gonna lose,¡± Ji Rong scoffed. ¡°You can¡¯t rile me up that easy anymore, Liling.¡±


    She paused a beat, waiting for Dharitri¡¯s bloodthirsty whisper, urging her to punish failure and disrespect. It never came. Sun Liling shifted uncomfortably. ¡°Feh,¡± she grumbled, peering out the window. The Sect mountain retreated into the distance as their horses picked up speed.


    ¡°Sides,¡± Ji Rong said, ¡°not sure what else I could do.¡±


    ¡°You need to improve your efficiency with the Gates of Shura art,¡± Liling commented. ¡°You had waste qi spraying all over the place, and the impurity purging effect wasn¡¯t working right.¡± He hadn¡¯t been able to purge that cold toxin effect. If he had, the girl¡¯s setup would have failed.


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have been enough,¡± Ji Rong said stubbornly.


    Liling looked at him out of the corner of her eye. Once again, there was no commentary in her head. ¡°She¡¯s a bad matchup,¡± Sun Liling said bluntly.


    Ling Qi, the ridiculous twit, had turned herself into a control cultivator, and she seemed like she was actually doing it on purpose now. Between her and her spirits, she was a mobile hardpoint, the sort of officer battle formations would hinge around. That was a bad matchup for duelists like the two of them.


    In a duel, a disruptor type worked best to destabilize a controller¡¯s constructs and setup, slipping the knife in when a gap came up. In war, the best answer was a disruptor keeping the controller busy until strategic range blasters burned down the layers of defense through continuous bombardment.


    She didn¡¯t say any of that out loud. If Ji Rong didn¡¯t remember his lessons, that was his problem. She turned back to the window.


    The carriage rolled along in silence for a while.


    ¡°You know, I lost a duel. What¡¯s your excuse for brooding?¡± Ji Rong asked, breaking the silence.


    Sun Liling shot him an irritated look. ¡°Do you think I won¡¯t boot you out of the carriage and make you run or something?¡±


    He just crossed his arms and glared at her. ¡°Something¡¯s bothering you.¡±


    The bastard had gotten pushy, hadn¡¯t he? She supposed it was her fault. After the tournament, she¡¯d relied on him too much, giving him a big head. Sun Liling glared at Ji Rong, and he glared back defiantly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m being called back,¡± Sun Liling finally ground out. ¡°And I can¡¯t think of any good reasons.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we both getting some one-on-one training time?¡± Ji Rong asked, furrowing his brows.


    Gods and spirits, this thickheaded dunce was going to make her burst a blood vessel, Sun Liling lamented. He was like a big stupid dog, all loyalty and barking and running face first into invisible formation barriers.


    ¡°Rong, do you really, really think that we''d be crossing the continent just for some training?¡± she asked incredulously.


    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not like your gramps can just drop by to visit,¡± Ji Rong defended.


    ¡°Sure,¡± she said, rubbing her temples. ¡°But he could impress lessons on a jade slip, he could send a few retainers over, he could do a lot of things that aren¡¯t pulling us across the continent.¡±


    ¡°Then why? Is it something to do with that other branch of your family?¡± Ji Rong asked, scowling. ¡°Or are the Bai trying something?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Sun Liling said irritably. ¡°Grandpa didn¡¯t tell me. He just said I needed to come home for a couple months.¡±


    Once again, silence fell between them.


    ¡°You know I have your back, no matter what, right?¡± Ji Rong asked, not looking at her. ¡°So¡­ relax a little.¡±


    Sun Liling grunted. Rong might be a big dumb hound, but sometimes, that was comforting in its way. Well, assuming he didn¡¯t get his fool self eaten by a Sunflower Child like her last dog. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I should trust you with my back when your eyes end up glued to my ass.¡± There was no reason to get sappy.


    Ji Rong¡¯s face reddened. ¡°Oi, you told me that there¡¯s nothing wrong with looking!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s looking, and then there¡¯s slavering,¡± Sun Liling distinguished. ¡°Honestly, half the time I think you let me pin you on purpose. If you want a closer look that bad, then just join me in the baths already.¡±


    He let out a flustered growl, and Sun Liling had to hold back a snicker. Fuckin¡¯ easterners. They couldn¡¯t even handle a little flirting.


    She was glad the dumbass was coming with her.


    ***?


    Even with worries weighing on her mind, it was good to be home, Sun Liling reflected.


    She¡¯d left Ji Rong behind in the city. He had work with the paper-pushers to do. They¡¯d get him situated. Not like the residency office was ever busy.


    As for her, Sun Liling enjoyed the heat and the scent of flowers in the air as she stood alone on the lift that carried personnel and goods from the crater city to the Sun family fortress.


    The palace complex of Kailasa was just as she remembered. The first tier was a great garden cut from the jungle around it, surrounded only by a simple two meter-high wall. It was arranged in a vast cross visible from the air. Here were the canals and flowerbeds, and where the structure overlooked the city crater, twin rivers poured over the cliffs to collect in pools below that supplied Kailasa. It was the only place where the jungle was fully tamed.


    The next tier followed the contours of the first, a smaller cross inside of the first resting on a four meter-high terrace. Red stone walls with petal-like battlements rose around the perimeter. The upper terrace was accessible only by the great stair in the center with all other approaches fortified by men and formations. Within the walls were the barracks of the city''s soldiers and the offices and armories that were its beating heart.


    Finally, past that was the palace. It was smaller than some of the more opulent manors of the east. The red stone structure was covered in every inch by bas-relief carvings of the Red Garden¡¯s history from its square base to its conical domed roof a hundred meters above. It had once been the great temple capital of the Red Garden. Now, it was their palace, the surest trophy of their conquest.


    But mostly, to Liling, it was home.


    Reaching the top, she received the low bows of the guards with a casual nod. Sun Liling strode through the riotous color of the gardens filled with fountains and flowers and felt a tension she had not even noticed ease out of her shoulders. Mounting the great stairs, she felt the comfort of the gates¡¯ bristling defenses, the crackle of refined death in the air showing that her people hadn¡¯t gone soft.


    Through the barracks district, she walked with confidence. Even after her humiliation, none of the tens of thousands of soldiers looked upon her with anything but respect. Here, in the palace, there were only her Great-Grandfather¡¯s people and their descendants. The bonds of battle were not so weak as to be severed by petty politics.


    Sun Liling felt her customary smirk fade. Last year had been enlightening. She¡¯d started off thinking that the Empire was a bunch of soft lumps but mostly aligned with them. She¡¯d been naive.


    Two-faced fuckers, they were suddenly tip-toeing around the Bai like they hadn¡¯t been lining up to kick dirt in their faces just a second ago. Like that would save them from the snakes, even if the Bai were playing nice at the moment.


    The gates of the palace stood open and welcome.


    Grandpa was waiting for her in the main hall. His embrace was warm and comforting, just like it always was.


    ¡°It is good to see you again, granddaughter,¡± the old man said as he released her. Some part of her felt ashamed. It was likely her imagination, but his face seemed to have new lines, and his wild mane of hair seemed just a little whiter, a little thinner.


    It brought the sour taste of failure back to her mouth, mud and blood and a serpent¡¯s venom. ¡°It¡¯s good to be home, Grandpa,¡± she said, belatedly bowing her head and offering respects. ¡°I¡¯ve missed everyone greatly.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am sure you have,¡± Grandpa said, but the twitch of his snowy whiskers showed discontent.


    Sun Liling shrank in on herself and kept her head low.


    Grandpa¡¯s hand fell on her shoulder, rough and reassuring. ¡°You are not to blame for these matters, Liling. My enemies merely chose to use you in their plots. The fault is mine for not seeing them. I have told you this already.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Grandpa.¡± Sun Liling just couldn¡¯t convince herself.


    He looked down at her sadly, and Grandpa really did seem old in that moment. ¡°Come along, Liling. I must give you news.¡±


    Sun Liling straightened up as Grandpa turned around, hurrying to follow his longer stride without stepping on the trailing train of his red robes. She didn¡¯t speak.


    All around them, servants scurried out of their path, and soldiers bowed as they traveled through the halls of the Outer Palace. They passed through the thousand rooms that were designated for housing foreign dignitaries, and Sun Liling could not help but notice the quiet. More than a third were empty. They passed the throne room where another of Grandpa¡¯s simulacra presided over matters of state.


    It was only as they descended the stairs to the family¡¯s residences, buried in the bedrock of the cliff, that she finally spoke the question in her thoughts


    ¡°Grandpa, why did you call me back?¡± Sun Liling asked. It was eerily silent down here, but it was the middle of the day. It wasn¡¯t that unusual for everyone to be about their business.


    ¡°You recall your Great-Aunt?¡± Sun Shao asked, melancholy tinging his voice.


    Blurry memories of a deeply wrinkled face swam to the surface of Sun Liling¡¯s thoughts. Sun Lin was her great-grandfather''s youngest and only living sibling. She had met her once or twice on visits to the Peaks. She was married to the Patriarch of the Kang clan. ¡°Yes, Grandpa.¡±


    ¡°She has discovered degradation within her lower dantian,¡± he said sorrowfully as they came to the doors of his apartments. ¡°It is unlikely that she will last the decade.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Grandpa,¡± Sun Liling whispered. It made her feel cold. She had never known her Great-Aunt well, but it was impossible not to remember the day Father¡¯s guard had come home from the coast with a covered palanquin to present Grandpa with his broken spear.


    Sun Shao paused before the doors. ¡°Death is the way of this world. It comforts me that she at least lived a full life.¡±


    They slid open, and she followed Grandpa into his rooms. She did wonder where they were going. His personal archive, maybe? Grandpa¡¯s rooms were incredibly spartan, and why not? She knew that they were largely a formality. The only spot of color was a masterfully painted map of the Western Territories, showing each of the ten settlements that had been founded over the centuries since the conquests¡­ and the four failed ones, including the black mark in the north.


    ¡°Family is everything,¡± Sun Shao said as he approached the map. ¡°It is unfortunate that my nieces and nephews, and their children in turn, scorn this. The Sun clan is troubled, Liling.¡±


    Sun Liling held back a grimace. She knew that Kang Zihao was something like a third cousin or something, but that wasn¡¯t really family. She took Grandpa¡¯s meaning though. Their support in the capital was only going to weaken without Great-Aunt Lin to push it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Do they think the Bai are just going to forgive them?¡± Sun Liling asked. ¡°They were weak. They¡¯ve never been weaker! Stopping now¡­¡±


    She could wrap her head around Cai''s thinking. Emerald Seas had always been something of an undeveloped backwater outside of the northern crescent. Indebting an ancient clan, even a weakened one, sort of made sense, but the throne¡­


    ¡°Empress Xiang prefers to play with her building projects,¡± Sun Shao said bitterly. ¡°She leaves the greater works of her father to rot while building her walls ever higher, lavishing attention on mortals and artisans. Some days, I suspect that woman is sick of the Empire in its entirety.¡±


    Sun Liling stared at her Grandpa¡¯s back as he reached out to touch the map, his fingers tracing along the western border where the remnants of the Red Sun barbarians still roamed. She¡­ had never heard Grandpa say something so explicitly negative about the empress.


    The map in front of him rippled, and both it and the wall it hung on dissolved, revealing a small space big enough for only two or three people. On the stone floor, a transport formation burned with dull crimson light.


    Grandpa turned to face her with a face lined by sorrow.


    ¡°Come, Liling. There is a family matter we must attend to.¡±


    ***?


    They emerged among ruins.


    All around them was the stink and sizzle of acid and rot. For as far as she could see in every direction was death. The soil was toxic, a mixture of brown and purple that spoke of a festering wound, and the air itself burned and sizzled with toxicity. New growth struggled through the muck, saplings and shoots and vines emerging from the morass, growing and burgeoning only to sicken, wither, and burn in quick succession.


    Liling could feel the toxic qi in the air against her skin and knew the only reason her skin wasn¡¯t melting, her every organ failing and rotting, was because Grandpa stood beside her.


    The only exception was right in front of them. Growing from the muck, a bare hundred meters wide, was a thick platform of vines supporting a crown of healthy soil and a riot of sunflowers that grew many meters high.


    This was where Grandpa had met the reprisal of the Bai clan.


    ¡°Do not stray from my side, Liling,¡± Grandpa said, stepping between the sunflower stalks.


    Dharitri, so silent for so long, let out an ecstatic sigh that made Sun Liling¡¯s skin crawl. She hurried after Grandpa, unease worming its way into her thoughts.


    ¡°Grandpa, what are we doing here?¡± Sun Liling asked, unable to keep the worry out of her voice. She couldn¡¯t sense anything here, only Grandpa¡¯s presence; the environment was too overwhelming.


    They emerged from the sunflowers at the edge of a glade of grass and flowers. Sun Liling felt a buzzing discomfort as they stepped in, the feeling of warping space. The glade now stretched in every direction, and the toxic swamp of the Bai¡¯s vengeance seemed so very far away.


    Beside her, Grandpa looked out over the idyllic field with its sweet fragrance and swaying sunflowers with an inscrutable expression. Sun Liling peered at the field, searching for what he saw, but there was only a narrow trench across the middle of the field as if a farmer had hoed a single furrow.


    ¡°Grandpa,¡± she began, meeting sad green eyes that burned with inner fire. ¡°Why are we here?¡±


    ¡°Because there is someone you must meet, Liling,¡± he said tiredly.


    She felt the ground quake, and the furrow pulled apart, soil and grass and flowers all pulling away in opposite directions.


    Before them was an eye. Wider than the palace complex of Kailasa, it burned verdant green.


    Sun Liling heard a song.


    It rose from the sway of the sunflowers and the rustling of stalks. A warm song, a loving song, it was an invitation and enticement to lie among the flowers and be embraced by the earth. Yet it was also a sad song, the singer wounded and in pain. For a moment, Sun Liling saw, with the eyes of her spirit, not only an eye, but also a whole woman¡¯s face in the contours of the land with green hair that stretched for kilometers and a wide and inviting smile that could swallow a city.


    The sunflowers around them turned from the sun to face her, and Sun Liling felt her vision fading, her thoughts unraveling. Why did she need to think when she could stay right here and let her roots drink deep, forever and ever, loved and cared for?


    Grandpa¡¯s hand fell upon her shoulder, and the feeling fled as his power roared.


    The sky burned crimson, and a titan of bone and blood stood over her. How high he stood, his ten heads crowned by scarlet fire, his fierce faces burning away the clouds. Black pitch drenched the titan¡¯s body, and in it writhed men and women, beasts and spirits. The dead cried out, a hundred thousand, two hundred thousand, and more tattered spirits wrought into being, armament fit to withstand the wrath of the gods.


    In his one hundred hands were clenched one hundred weapons, each fit to sunder mountains and ruin countries, but none more so than the terrible spear leveled at the smiling woman with sunflowers in her hair. A haft wrought of bloodstained bone, tasseled by sinew and jungle thorn, its head was a pale shocking white, pure as snow, and beneath the surface of the gleaming blade, a score of golden-eyed faces screamed their hate.


    The titan¡ªGrandpa¡ªspoke, and the words were lost to her ears, too loud, too mighty for her to comprehend.


    Her vision spun, and the song of the sunflowers became the sigh of a woman in love, and the sunflower petals caressed the ten-faced visage of the titan of war, leaving trails of oozing black blood.


    And then, they stood once more in the garden. Beside her, trickles of blood dripped from cuts on Grandpa¡¯s cheek, staining his beard red. From the vast eye before them, something rose. It was a hundred different jungle beasts all at once. It was a tree wrapped in thorny parasitic vines that bloomed with yellow flowers. It was a tall woman with caramel skin and verdant hair, all but nude save for trailing scarves of red.


    It was a bared blade, stained with dragon¡¯s blood.


    Sun Liling could not even look at it without a spike of pain burning in her head.


    ¡°If only the might of Sublime Ancestors is to be respected, then our choices are few,¡± Grandpa said softly. His voice was sad, defeated even, as he looked upon the blurring form directly. ¡°Liling, give respect to your Great-Grandmother.¡±


    Sun Liling¡¯s mouth went dry at the implication. They used barbarian arts, tamed barbarian spirits, but¡­


    The figure was before her, and Liling felt her heart thundering as the spirit¡¯s disapproval fell upon her. Grandpa¡¯s hand tightened on her shoulder. Whispers of song battered against Grandpa¡¯s power.


    ¡°You accepted my proposal,¡± Sun Shao, King of the Western Territories, ground out, and the earth trembled. ¡°I am yours, but my great-granddaughter is your great-granddaughter. The bargain was struck.¡±


    The figure before her shifted, and Sun Liling shivered as she felt the touch of a bloody scarf, a talon, and a sharp blade all in one.


    ¡°Sun Liling,¡± Grandpa repeated, ¡°give respect to your Great-Grandmother.¡±


    She could only obey. Sun Liling brought her fists together and bowed her head to the Goddess of the Red Garden. In her head, Dharitri laughed.


    ¡°Your adoption will be painful, as all births are. You will be strong enough to survive it,¡± Grandpa ordered as something, a vine or a scarf or a jungle serpent, she knew not, wrapped around her. ¡°Family is everything.¡±


    Sun Liling could only scream as thorns erupted from her skin, verdant deific qi overrunning her channels.


    Distantly, she heard Grandpa answer himself. ¡°Everything for the family.¡±

 Interlude: Imperturbable Stars

    When the world was young, we feared the stars.


    The battle of the Unnamed was fierce, and the Mother weathered many blows defending her children. Their poison coursed deep in her veins and so when the world was wrought, the Sun blazed bright in defiance against the mocking stars, but his sister, the Moon, was born weak, her light pale and pallid. So it was that we feared the stars and the night.


    We lived beneath the earth, digging burrows like beasts, so that the Mother¡¯s cooling flesh could shield our bodies from the poison in the sky. This was a time of woe and fear when things unnamed, the children of those laughing stars, stalked forest and glen to hunt beast and human alike. Under the sun¡¯s light, they quailed, but during the night, they rose again to hunt. So it was that we slept only fitfully, full of fear, and rose to exhaustion in the day. All was bleak.


    Among the people was a young woman. Born under the moon, she was given to the Eldest Sister to serve, offering her meager strength to the Moon through prayer and offering. Swiftly, she rose among the priests of the moon for her wit was quick and her eyes sharp.


    Where others struggled, she found the best herbs and flowers for the incense with ease and spoke the words of offering more clearly than others. She was a brave girl as well, and in her wandering, she spoke with the beasts of the wood and learned their tongues. From the birds, she learned the secret language of wind and branch, and from the beasts of the earth, she learned the secret song of hill and mountain.


    All feared the power of the stars, the enemies of life. The Father and the Mother had slain many foes, but many more remained, uncounted and uncountable, and they, the stars, circled creation, forever eager to destroy what the Unnamed had wrought. The stars were not of the world, and so could not be defended against nor understood.


    This offended the girl with the sharp eyes. For her, all things could be counted and named, and no thing was without description. Yet she could not deny the truth of her senses. To look upon the stars long enough to count them, one would surely die. To name the stars, one would surely be cut down by their children.


    This frustrated the girl, and for a time, she lived life in a state of irritation. The girl became a woman, then a mother, and in time, a grandmother. It came to pass that the People¡¯s Speaker passed, and among them, none was deemed more worthy to replace him than the sharp-eyed woman. For though her shoulders were stooped with age and her bones ached, her mind and her eyes had never dulled.


    However, though years and years had passed, the woman¡¯s frustration had never faded, and so when she immersed herself in the pool of the moon and spoke to the spirit, she asked the question that had burned in her heart.


    ¡°Are the enemy truly unnameable and uncountable? Can they never be defeated, O Eldest Sister?¡±


    The Moon was taken aback, for the Speakers of the People had never spoken to her before with such demand. They pleaded for her blessings and protection and asked after the health of their young and the whims of the seasons. Such a question had never occurred to the Moon, who existed only to protect and guide her younger siblings to safety. Even her brother, the Sun, did not speak of such things and thought only to fight and fight and fight until all was dust.


    ¡°This is not known to me, child. Without my attention upon the land, all would perish in the nightly hours. Mine eyes do not look at the stars.¡± And though the Moon answered true, for the very first time, the thing called dissatisfaction was born in the Moon¡¯s mind, for never before had one of her siblings asked a question that could not be answered.


    The sharp-eyed woman was distressed to know that even the great Sister Moon did not know the answer to her question and left the pool with her eyes low. Yet, even knowing that the answer was forever beyond her reach, her frustration still burned like a hot coal pressed against her back. Each day that passed only hardened her resolve. Thus, when the next Speaking Day came, she had a new question.


    ¡°O Eldest, will thou allow this one to be your eyes upon the stars? I will count them, and name them, and see thy burden lightened if thou but offer the means.¡±


    The Moon had not forgotten the woman¡¯s previous question, and it had vexed her greatly. Her brother, the Sun, had not known the answer either. To him, the number and name of the enemy did not matter, only that they were anathema and so would be fought. So it was that the Moon looked upon her young sibling and did not reject her proposal out of hand.


    ¡°My power is feeble, child. Mother¡¯s wounds lie heavily upon me. My scars were with me since birth. Should thou perform this task, I will not be able to shield thee from pain. Thou will not die, but thou wilt suffer. To give more to one would endanger all. Can thou truly say that this is thy wish?¡±


    The sharp-eyed woman thought of the People and her sons, daughters, and grandchildren, few of which had lived to see even their tenth year, pale and sickly in the burrows and caves. The sharp-eyed woman thought of her husband and siblings long since passed, taken by illness and exhaustion. Most of all, the sharp-eyed woman thought of the twinkling and mocking stars hurling their hate down upon the land. In her heart, frustration and resolve curdled into something else.


    ¡°This is my wish, O Eldest.¡±


    ¡°Then go from my pool one last time and say thy farewells. Thou will not see thy people again,¡± commanded the Moon.


    So the woman went, and among the People, there was much grief. The sharp-eyed woman named her eldest daughter the successor of her title, and taking the gifts of her People, left.


    In the woman¡¯s heart, knowledge was born, and her path was sure. Beasts of field and wood did not bar her path, for she knew their secret words, and for the most recalcitrant, the terrible silver that burned in her eyes bowed their heads.


    The sharp-eyed woman marched through day and night, untiring, and when the stars twinkled overhead, though her skin burned and she wept in pain, she did not stop. When the star children barred her path, the silver light of her eyes flashed and drove them back, and she spoke the secret words of wind and water with the might of the Moon on her tongue to call up a storm to wash them away.


    Soon enough, the sharp-eyed woman reached the towering mountain which the Moon had guided her to. It rose high into the sky, parting the wispy clouds. The pale disc of the Moon seemed to rest upon its craggy peak. So it was that with aching bones and burning skin, the sharp-eyed woman began to climb.


    Many trials awaited her on the mountain, for the star beasts had begun to come in force, and by the time she reached the peak, the sharp-eyed woman was in a terrible state indeed. Her skin was scarred, and her limbs were broken. She leaned heavily upon a stick of ebony soaked in her own blood. Only the Moon¡¯s power and the feeling in her heart drove her on.


    At last, the sharp-eyed woman reached her destination. On the high and windswept peak, she found a shallow depression and sat down. Settling her stick across her knees, the woman looked up and with trembling hands, she removed the last items from her bags, a thick tome bound in black leather and a single quill.


    With the book open in her lap, the sharp-eyed woman fixed her gaze on the night sky and stilled.


    Hours passed, and then days, and with each passing day, the malice of the stars grew as they felt the mortal gaze that dared look upon them. At night, their hissing voices began to echo, and the woman¡¯s ears bled at the sound, even as her eyes smoked in their sockets.


    ¡°Little doll of mud, so full of pride, do you imagine thou that thou might succeed where the mighty failed?¡± crooned the stars, and under their light, the woman¡¯s skin blackened and bled.


    ¡°Feeble thing, fleeting thing, flawed thing, die as thou should have so long ago. Thy Parents crumbled before us and wove this porous shell. Already, it weakens. Already, it crumbles as they did, and the flawed ones will be no more,¡± mocked the stars.


    ¡°Beyond thee, we are. We are the unnamed and unnameable, uncounted in our legions. We are all things that cannot be known. Lie down and die, mud doll, and spare thyself the suffering,¡± jeered the stars.


    Ten thousand curses, mockeries, and imprecations rained down on the woman each night, lashing her skin until it barely clung to her bones. Yet her gaze never turned away. Even when the sharp-eyed woman¡¯s eyes burned away entirely, leaving behind only liquid moonlight, her gaze never wavered.


    Days became years, and years became decades, and decades became centuries, and then at last a millenia and the anger of the stars grew. Across the lands, their poison lessened in potency as their ire fell upon a single point, yet in doing so, their own defeat was wrought as the Moon, too, could focus her power upon that single point.


    At last, one thousand years after the day the sharp-eyed woman had first sat down, something changed. The dust of a millennium rained down as the woman¡¯s head turned down to look upon the blank pages of her book. Above, the stars jeered and mocked her, certain that their victory had at last come, and yet, as the sharp eyed woman¡¯s withered arm creaked and put quill to paper at last, she spoke. Puffs of dust and dirt fell from her lips with each word.


    ¡°Be silent, O charlatans, thou mocking vermin. I have had enough of thy venom, and so have we all.¡±


    The words echoed through the night and beyond the sky, and for just a moment, some among the stars trembled. Yet most were merely enraged.


    ¡°Thou dare,¡± they hissed, and the few hairs still clinging to the sharp-eyed woman¡¯s scalp withered and crumbled to dust. ¡°When thy bones barely cling to their neighbors and thy organs fail, held together only by moonlight and will, thou think to speak such to the pure ones, thy betters?¡±


    ¡°I am the daughter of your conquerors,¡± the sharp-eyed woman said, her voice as a dry fall wind. Her quill began to scratch the page, leaving trails of moonlight in the shape of letters never before seen by mortal eyes. ¡°And I name you cowards all.¡±


    ¡°We laid thy parents low,¡± hissed the stars. ¡°Speak not of conquerors, little doll of mud.¡±


    ¡°I have gazed upon thy light for one thousand years and learned thy tongue in the same, O feeble vermin. I know the lie of thy words. The blood of warriors boils in fen and ocean deep; it churns deep in Mother¡¯s veins and clings to Father¡¯s heights. Thou art laggards and cowards all, as sneaking vermin and scavenger birds. Thou feared Mother, and thou feared Father, and thou fear their children most of all. Know this, O malicious ones: Thou art counted, and thou art named.¡±


    The woman¡¯s quill completed the first character, and the world shook as the great northern star, brightest of the stellar host, howled. The star¡¯s light dimmed and softened, and a drifting thread of silver filtered down from the sky to coil around the sharp-eyed woman.


    ¡°To the Moon do I offer thy names and thy light,¡± the woman said, a thousand years and a lifetime of spite in her words. ¡°Peer through the curtains as thou wilt, but never again shall thy malice reach any but the highest of peaks. To the Moon I offer thy light and thy hunger. Though the dark might remain full of terrors, never again will the night sky bring fear of its own.¡±


    With each character that was written, a star dimmed, and the world shook. With each dimmed star, the woman¡¯s flesh was restored. At last, when the last star dimmed, the woman stood, and she was cloaked in glittering starlight. No more withered bones with a skull-like visage, the sharp-eyed woman looked upon the stars with eyes of moonlight as an elder hale and hearty. Clothed in the glittering finery of the subdued night sky, she nodded in satisfaction, and her book snapped shut, shaking the world one final time. Above, the stars no longer winked and mocked but hung still, silent and unperturbed.


    ¡°I am ready, O Eldest. These bones are weary, and this life has passed. Might I be with thee and keep an eye upon these miscreants forevermore?¡±


    There was no answer in the tongues of men, only a soft sigh as the sharp-eyed woman dissolved into a beam of moonlight and left the world forever. And above, the pale light of the moon grew bright with reflected starlight.


    For the first time, the Moon turned her bright face from the earth, and the stars quailed.

 Threads 123-Convergence 1

    ¡°Thus, the quality of the water is as important as the provenance of the leaves in achieving the proper flavor,¡± Cai Renxiang explained. As she spoke, she poured heated water into the teapot over the waiting leaves.


    Ling Qi had to admit, the rising fragrance was pretty nice. However, she had to sigh at the knowledge that depending on the blend, she could ruin tea by using the wrong water. ¡°Can I ask why you chose to heat the water manually?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°The pot has adjustable heating formations, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    They were seated in Cai Renxiang¡¯s dining room. It was as plain and spartan as her own, the heiress not having bothered with much decoration for a temporary home. Between them was laid out an incredibly fine tea set made of white porcelain with patterns of the palest green painted onto the surface. If her senses were correct, the patterns were using what Ling Qi was quite certain was literally powdered green spirit stones as pigment. Ling Qi had to work not to stare when the girl brought it out.


    Cai Renxiang did not raise her eyes until she had finished pouring, letting the steaming water overflow into the bowl the teapot rested in. ¡°While commercial quality formations are well enough for casual use, I am showing you the proper method. For truly high quality blends, such formations are insufficient. Instead, you must know and achieve the proper temperature by hand.¡±


    Ling Qi eyed the masterful strokes of the formations worked into the designs on the porcelain. She had to wonder what Cai Renxiang would think of the far more primitive heating formations on her own home¡¯s tea set. ¡°I see, and how do you know the proper temperature?¡±


    ¡°By reading instructive materials on the blend you are brewing,¡± Cai Renxiang said. She placed the lid on the teapot. ¡°Unless you consider your senses fine enough to pick out the minute fluctuations in the qi of the tea and recognize them for what they imply.¡±


    ¡°I think I will stick with the former,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°A wise choice. I myself have learned to recognize such changes, but it is not necessary for the casual practitioner,¡± Cai Renxiang said, leaning back in her seat. ¡°Now, Cloud Grotto Ginseng must be allowed to brew for precisely twelve minutes and thirty eight seconds, so we must wait. Tell me, Ling Qi, what have you learned in your time with Wang Chao?¡±


    Ling Qi hummed to herself, drumming her fingers on the polished tabletop. ¡°I am afraid that I only have some small gossip,¡± Ling Qi apologized. ¡°While I believe I have made a good impression on those attending, they hardly share any deep secrets.¡±


    ¡°That is fine,¡± Cai Renxiang said serenely. ¡°I do not expect the impossible.¡±


    ¡°Most kind of you,¡± Ling Qi shot back. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Personal gossip aside, it seems that most disciples have a positive view of you. Your participation in the destruction of the raiding force in the eastern region last month was greatly acclaimed.¡±


    ¡°Because you were listening?¡± Cai Renxiang asked to clarify, quirking an eyebrow.


    Ling Qi smiled. ¡°I thought so too at first, but no, at least among the group I was in, the admiration was sincere. That none of the raiders escaped was credited to you.¡±


    ¡°My arts allowed for those fleeing to be brought down, but I cannot claim credit for baiting them into the position that allowed it in the first place,¡± Cai Renxiang said slowly. ¡°And it was a small force. I would only call it a victory for morale.¡±


    Ling Qi could only shrug. That was not how the disciples saw it. After months of hit-and-run and skirmishing, a force being pinned down and destroyed was cheered loudly. ¡°That aside, I have made some progress on discerning the Wang clan¡¯s position. It was only a comment from Wang Chao, but¡­¡±


    Ling Qi recalled the conversation.


    ¡°You understand, Miss Ling, those forest dwellers think of the folk of the hills and mountains as upstarts and newcomers as if we were not here, weathering the tribes while they were sitting pretty in their palaces playing court games! Just hold, they say. Don¡¯t expand your holdings. Don¡¯t retaliate! Bah, they wouldn¡¯t be saying that if those brutes did more than pick at their periphery every year,¡± Wang Chao had groused over a cup of cider.


    ¡°They do have something of a point,¡± Ling Qi had said carefully. ¡°Surely we do not have enough people to hold all the mountains of the Wall.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to,¡± Wang Chao had grumbled. ¡°Let us build outposts, and the beasts can take the rest. It would be better than leaving the cloud tribes be. Besides, don¡¯t let the nonsense from the north fool you. The tribes can be brought to heel. They¡¯re men as much as us. Slay their warriors, and the rest fall in line. Half of the villages in our holdings are of cloud tribe blood. There¡¯s the occasional rebellions, of course, but put it down a few times, give them a taste of a proper civilized lifestyle, and make sure the children are taught properly, and they''ll be proper citizens in no time. Why, one of Grandfather''s favored generals is the grandson of a Khan who surrendered.¡±


    ¡°I will have to defer to your experience,¡± Ling Qi had replied carefully. Something about his words bothered her, but she couldn¡¯t say exactly what. ¡°Still, doing all of that takes time, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It does,¡± Wang Chao had allowed grudgingly. ¡°It just seems as if the rest of the province seems to think the blighted raiders aren¡¯t a real problem any longer. Even the Jia have left us to our own devices these days, cozying up with the northerners. And look where it''s gotten us! The throne did more for us with the Sects than the rest of the province has ever done before Duchess Cai rose. You would think they would remember that!¡±


    ¡°If his view is at all common, the Wang clan is feeling somewhat isolated and abandoned,¡± Ling Qi explained. ¡°They still support the Duchess, but they are growing very agitated with the status quo.¡±


    ¡°As expected.¡± Cai Renxiang sighed. ¡°Continue working with him if you would. It will be a good connection to build.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Lady Renxiang,¡± Ling Qi said. She didn¡¯t even mind doing so anymore. While it could be a little tedious, there was enough good to make up for it, and she could still cultivate at the gatherings.


    ¡°That said, I must congratulate you on recently reaching the green threshold stage,¡± her liege said. ¡°It is an impressive achievement.¡±


    ¡°Only as impressive as yours,¡± Ling Qi said. Cai Renxiang was fully threshold and had beaten her to threshold by the better part of a month, but the gap in base cultivation was closing.


    Cai Renxiang gave her an unamused look. ¡°Do accept the compliment, Ling Qi. I will see to speaking with Mother about increasing your cultivation stipend come year¡¯s end.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Lady Renxiang.¡± Ling Qi was looking forward to keeping her full pace of cultivation. She glanced toward the teapot, inhaling the rising fragrance. Twelve minutes, the heiress had said. It smelled like it was ready to drink now. ¡°What should we do about our sect rankings though? We need to continue rising, but I haven¡¯t gotten any leads on other big missions I could volunteer for.¡±


    ¡°On that matter, I have my own leads. Core Disciple Jia has been grateful for my support in some matters, and I have received some insights into upcoming missions. I believe it is time that we undertook an assignment together to show your ability to support me in a more direct fashion. There are a pair of high profile assignments which I believe would be suitable.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s gaze drifting back to Renxiang, curious. ¡°Oh, what is the Sect planning?¡±


    ¡°Firstly, the Sect¡¯s intelligence has discerned where a number of the barbarians¡¯ lower-level leadership is meeting to coordinate. It is believed that the site is also of some ritual importance. A group is needed to assault it,¡± Cai Renxiang answered. ¡°Alternatively, the Sect is constructing a new forward base underground. Its geomantic properties will be used to allow more powerful cultivators to function in that toxic environment. The Sect expects heavy resistance to its construction.¡±


    ¡°This sounds like there¡¯s going to be higher realm enemies in both cases,¡± Ling Qi said warily.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Cai Renxiang said bluntly. ¡°We will have our own allies, but it will be a dangerous matter regardless. Do you have a preference?¡±


    Ling Qi looked down at the table, staring at her faint reflection in the polished surface. She recalled the caverns and the shishigui. She remembered the legion born on silent wings and their mutilated upper realms.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather avoid the caves if it¡¯s all the same to you, Lady Renxiang,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°Not your most well thought out reasoning,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°Although I can empathize with the reasoning.¡±


    Ah, that was right, Cai Renxiang had been incapacitated in the initial assault by the activation of Liming.


    ¡°I think from the perspective of earning sect rank, an attack is also better. It is more visible and a more obvious victory,¡± Ling Qi said after a moment of thought.


    The corners of Cai Renxiang¡¯s lips quirked up. ¡°Better, but not yet fit for the public.¡±


    Ling Qi huffed. ¡°Fine. Between the two of us, it is highly unlikely for any barbarians in our assigned zone to escape. We will be more of an asset in such an operation.¡±


    Cai Renxiang looked back at her impassively then gave a small nod. ¡°Very good.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed. ¡°Can I ask what your opinion on the matter is?¡±


    ¡°In truth, I am ambivalent,¡± Cai Renxiang said after a moment. ¡°I believe our talents to be useful in both situations. However, I lean toward your reasoning. And I also find the under earth unpleasant.¡±


    ¡°How irresponsible of you to base your choices on such a thing,¡± Ling Qi returned.


    Cai Renxiang ignored her, turning back to the tea. ¡°Cloud Grotto Ginseng requires the use of the type three wind-natured strainer to achieve the optimum flavour. To strain the brew properly, you must¡­¡±


    As the heiress went on, Ling Qi settled in to listen. She could worry about the mission later. After all, it wasn¡¯t like the objective was anything crazy this time.


    ***


    ¡°What a pleasant surprise, Junior Sister!¡± Liao Zhu said brightly, speaking over the high wind.


    Sixiang chuckled in her head.


    Ling Qi silently hushed the muse and offered a bow. ¡°Senior Brother Liao,¡± she greeted, glancing to his side where another young man stood. ¡°Senior Brother Ruan?¡±


    Ruan Shen gave her a wan smile. ¡°Indeed. It seems we will be working together, Junior Sister.¡±


    In her head, Hanyi let out a wholly inappropriate giggle. Zhengui just seemed confused.


    They were standing within the Sect¡¯s forward encampment. Temporary wooden walls rose around pavilions and tents, and first and second realm soldiers scurried back and forth through the pouring rain taking care of a multitude of tasks.


    For the three of them, rain poured around them. It was a simple enough thing for Ling Qi to manipulate the air around her to deflect it. ¡°Do the two of you know each other?¡± she asked.


    ¡°This senior brother may have once tutored a young fellow going through his brooding phase,¡± Liao Zhu said, eyes crinkled in amusement.


    ¡°Is it really necessary to speak of such things?¡± Ruan Shen made a pained face. ¡°How have you been, Junior Sister? I must express my regret that we were not able to have our meeting this last month.¡±


    ¡°I am doing well. My wounds are healed,¡± Ling Qi said politely. ¡°How is Senior Sister Bian?¡±


    ¡°She is recovering well from her exhaustion,¡± Ruan Shen said, scrubbing a hand through his hair.


    ¡°You would know, having spent the better part of a week camped at the medicine hall,¡± Liao Zhu said lightly. ¡°So dedicated.¡±


    Ling Qi smiled. ¡°I am sure that Senior Sister appreciated it.¡±


    Hanyi grumbled in her head. Ling Qi ignored her.


    ¡°Why do I feel like a rabbit caught between two snakes?¡± Ruan Shen grumbled. ¡°In any case, Bian Ya would like to join our discussions. If you have the time this month, Junior Sister, the invitation stands.¡±


    Ling Qi considered her tentative project with Zhengui and Ruan Shen¡¯s musical preferences. ¡°I would be happy to, if you would still have me, Senior Brother.¡±


    ¡°Alas, to be left alone. Such is the fate of the idealist,¡± Liao Zhu lamented. ¡°Left out in the cold due to my path of justice!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more that you have a tin ear and cannot tell an erhu from a guqin,¡± Ruan Shen said dryly.


    ¡°Cruel, Junior Brother, to mock my disability so,¡± Liao Zhu said, laying a hand over his chest. ¡°Sweet Junior Sister Ling, will you stand for this?¡±


    ¡°Senior Brother Liao should perhaps tone it down just a little,¡± Ling Qi said flatly.


    He staggered as if struck. Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help herself. She chuckled. Some of the tension in her shoulders eased away.


    Ling Qi looked back over her shoulder as she felt the air shift, light falling on her back. She turned and bowed. ¡°Lady Cai, you have completed our arrangements?¡±


    ¡°I have,¡± Cai Renxiang said evenly. ¡°We are recorded among the volunteer officers.¡±


    Ruan Shen and Liao Zhu both bowed low. ¡°Lady Cai.¡±


    Cai Renxiang glanced at them both. ¡°Raise your heads. Liao Zhu, has your father been well?¡±


    Liao Zhu straightened up, his customary good humor twinkling in his eyes. ¡°Father is most honored by his position. But age leeches at his bones. He hopes that my eldest sister might be ready to take up the family''s mantle soon.¡±


    ¡°Physician Liao is truly skilled, but if it is Liao Jiu, then I believe his shoes will be well filled,¡± Cai Renxiang replied diplomatically. Her eyes flicked over to Ruan Shen. ¡°Sir Ruan, it is unlike you to join such operations.¡±


    ¡°Ha, well, Sister Bian made it clear that I should make myself useful,¡± he said. ¡°It will be an honor to serve with you, Lady Cai.¡±


    ¡°It will please me to attain victory at your sides,¡± the heiress replied. ¡°May I ask what matters were being discussed in my absence?¡±


    ¡°Only small personal matters, my lady,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Ruan Shen and I sometimes discuss musical matters with a few other disciples.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Cai Renxiang inquired.


    ¡°Junior Sister Ling can be quite insightful in her way,¡± Ruan Shen put in.


    Cai Renxiang gave Ling Qi a look out of the corner of her eye. ¡°Hmm, quite. In any case, I believe we should be taking our places for the orientation meeting.¡±


    ¡°Ah, is it truly so late already?¡± Laio Zhu peered up at the iron gray sky. ¡°It is so difficult to tell when the barbarians are about.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced up, considering the storm. The roiling clouds stretched to the horizon in every direction except for the north where they curved unnaturally around the mountains of the Sect, curbed by its wards.


    They certainly weren¡¯t going to be interrupting something small, it seemed.

 Threads 124-Convergence 2

    The pavilion where the meeting was to take face was filled with third realms, around two scores of Inner Sect disciples. Most, Ling Qi judged, were from the lower ranks with cultivation in the first or second stage of the green realm and bronze physique. Ling Qi nodded politely to a few who she recognized from Wang Chao¡¯s gatherings, but she remained at Cai Renxiang¡¯s side as they filed in.


    Leaving aside herself, her liege, Liao Zhu, and Ruan Shen, there were only three other disciples at or above the foundation stage. Those three stood at the center of the tent.


    One was a familiar face. Guan Zhi stood at attention to the left side of the tent, only briefly glancing Ling Qi¡¯s way as she entered. The only change in the girl since last Ling Qi had seen her was a hair thin scar that traveled from the corner of her right eye up beneath her hair. It must be a relic of whatever encounter she had deep in the Dream before finding them.


    Across from her stood a young man with brilliant green eyes. He was a handsome sort, putting her in the mind of Han Jian. He had dusky skin and wavy brown hair that framed aristocratic features. He wore pale green and brown clothing with light armor on his arms, chest, and lower legs.


    The third was, surprisingly, the short, portly elder who had overseen her duel with Liang He months ago. The soft featured man wore robes of pale yellow, matching the golden sheen of his skin. His expression was that of drowsy contentment, but Ling Qi knew better than to think an elder was inattentive. With him were two other''s their was the masked Elder which had overseen her challenges, Elder nai, and an imperious woman in blue, who she had met only once. It was the dragon who had attended her birthday party at Zeqing''s home,so long ago.


    It was the young man who spoke as the last of the inner disciples filed in. He clapped his hands once, silencing the stray murmurs. ¡°Welcome, my junior siblings. For those that are unaware, I am core disciple Diao Gen. At my side is core disciple Guan Zhi, and with us today is the Honorable Elders Bei Yongrui, Elder Nai Zhu, and representing Elder Zhuge, the river dragon QIngshe.¡±


    The golden elder gave them all a paternal smile, his hands resting on the swell of his belly. The other two merely regarded them impassively.


    Daio Gen continued, managing in that way good speakers had to seem like he was looking at everyone at once. ¡°I would firstly thank all who volunteered for this duty today. Your contributions to the Sect will not be forgotten. The matter today is one which the Sect¡¯s leadership has debated fiercely,¡± he said gravely, ¡°for there is every possibility that it is intended as a trap.¡±


    There was only a little noise at that revelation. Ling Qi shared a look with Cai Renxiang. They had, in the intervening days, spoken further on the mission, and the possibility had come up.


    ¡°Divination within the Sect remains troubled and inconclusive,¡± Diao Gen said, shaking his head sorrowfully. ¡°Such sources as we have indicate both the potential for great fortune as well as great danger, and so, it was decided that we must strike. However, we are not foolish. Elder Yongrui will ensure that we are not overwhelmed by a potential high cultivation foe, and if need be, he will call upon reinforcements, who will be lead by the other two Elders. If the barbarians intend to trap us, then they will find themselves trapped in turn.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced at the smiling elder. He was in the sixth realm, as potent as anything that the barbarians could muster, yet Elder Zhou¡¯s fate worried at her mind.


    ¡°The target is thus,¡± Diao Gen continued, gesturing at the empty stone between the expedition¡¯s three leaders. The flat ground rippled like water, and shapes arose, mountain peaks, valleys, and hills rendered in miniature. The detail of the ¡°sculpture¡± was exquisite, tiny trees and plants rendered in darker stone and rivers glittering in crystal. Diao Gen¡¯s extended hand pointed to a peak in the center as it finished. It was shorter than the others, as if someone had come along and scooped the top half of the peak away, leaving a cavernous pit. ¡°Earthwound Peak is believed to be a dormant volcano, although it has never erupted in the history of the Empire.¡±


    ¡°The obvious implication is incorrect, however,¡± Guan Zhi said crisply. ¡°To awaken the mountain would be beyond the abilities of any cloud tribesman yet recorded. There is some possibility of cooperation with their allies, but we do not believe that to be the purpose of the meeting taking place.¡±


    ¡°Regardless, we may investigate after we have broken them, yes?¡± Diao Gen said lightly. It earned him a smattering of polite laughter. ¡°For our purposes, the assault will be split into two groups. One will strike directly against the foe, and the other will encircle the southern end of the battlespace to catch those who flee. I will lead the perimeter group, and Sect Sister Guan will lead the assault. And should they flee east, west, or north¡­¡±


    ¡°They will find my brothers and sisters waiting,¡± Elder Yongrui finished cheerfully.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Diao Gen said. ¡°Now, who wishes to join which group?¡±


    Ling Qi shared a look with Cai Renxiang.


    ¡°Are your thoughts running similar to mine, Lady Cai?¡± Ling Qi asked quietly.


    ¡°I believe so. The main force?¡± Cai Renxiang murmured. For their purposes, one choice was the clear superior. Remaining on the perimeter to perform captures was all well and good, but if they could prevent tribesmen from escaping the caldera in the first place, that was much better and higher profile.


    Ling Qi nodded her assent.


    ¡°We will participate in the assault,¡± Cai Renxiang called out, speaking over the murmurs of the other disciples as they discussed the matter.


    Diao Gen smiled. ¡°Of course, Lady Cai.¡±


    ¡°It will please me to have your participation,¡± Guan Zhi added evenly. Ling Qi met the older girl¡¯s eyes and received a small nod of acknowledgement.


    Soon, other disciples followed suit, announcing their decisions. Liao Zhu would join the perimeter, and Ruan Shen, the assault. The other disciples split, mostly in favor of the assault. Of the third realms present, the assault would have twenty-eight, including them, and the perimeter twenty-three.


    ¡°Now that these matters are settled, let us move to the next part of the briefing,¡± Diao Gen continued smoothly as the last disciple made their decision. ¡°While it has not been possible to divine certainties of the enemy composition, certain matters have become clear.¡±


    ¡°This meeting or ritual involves more than just the northernmost tribes,¡± Guan Zhi said gravely.


    Diao Gen crossed his arms, giving his peer an unreadable look. ¡°Quite. Thus far, this conflict has, so far as we have determined, involved only a confederation of the tribes whose traditional routes take them through or near the borders established in the wake of Ogodei.¡±


    ¡°It is a common misconception to imagine the cloud tribes as a homogenous group,¡± Guan Zhi said bluntly. ¡°This is false. Imperial cartographers have measured that the whole of the Wall spans a region as large as the Emerald Seas itself, larger still if we count the foothills where the mountains give way to the lands of ice.¡±


    ¡°There are, in these mountains, more than a hundred tribes with which we have had very little contact,¡± Diao Gen said, drumming his fingers on his elbow. ¡°And many dozens more of whom we are aware, but which have so far disdained this conflict. However, we have divined unprecedented movements among these more distant tribes. While the barbarians¡¯ great gathering at Star¡¯s Throne Peak this past year is a known factor, a sort of primitive diplomatic moot which occurs once every decade, sect observers were becoming concerned at the tribes¡¯ strange movements and mergers of more southerly tribes in its wake, even before the current war began.¡±


    ¡°It is known that before this storm bloomed and made reconnaissance difficult, members of uninvolved tribes were beginning to move in this direction, if only in small numbers,¡± Guan Zhi said.


    ¡°You suspect alliance and confederation,¡± Cai Renxiang observed.


    ¡°Just so, Lady Cai,¡± Diao Gen said. ¡°Given the lack of presence from true chieftains, it is unlikely that matters are so advanced yet.¡±


    So, this was also meant to discredit the efforts of the tribes at war with them then. By crushing it early, the Empire would dissuade other tribes from joining the cause.


    Still, something about that logic niggled at her.


    Sixiang observed.


    Even if they did, the Empire was the stronger party, Ling Qi thought. In the end, the Emerald Seas wasn¡¯t disorganized in the same way they had been for Ogodei. The Duchess was here, and even if there was some internal conflict, the rest of the Empire would be behind her. She wouldn¡¯t refuse external aid repeatedly the way the Hui had.


    A lot more people would die though if it came to that.


    However, Ling Qi did not speak. She had learned a lot about etiquette and nobles over the course of the year. In doing so, she had learned more about what was expected by imperial cultivators. She knew that saying such things would only brand her a coward.


    She shot a sidelong look at Cai Renxiang and saw the hints of a frown on the girl¡¯s face. Were her thoughts wandering in the same direction?


    The rest of the briefing was spent on simpler matters, discussing the terrain and the movements of the units in the field. Ling Qi had a better understanding of such things now than she had just a few months ago. By the very nature of their target, they would not be able to bring large numbers to bear without alerting the tribes. Since she was on the assault team, she, in conjunction with a young man on communications duty and with the aid of layered stealth-empowering techniques from the half-dozen scouting disciples with them, would be taking the lead to get them eyes on the caldera itself.


    It would be she who relayed to Guan Zhi and Cai Renxiang the information on where to place their opening strike. It was a dangerous position since it would take time to bring the rest of the forces up, but Ling Qi was confident in herself and her spirits. Even against stronger opponents, she expected that they could hold out for a short time at least.


    Once the briefing was done, there was only organizing for the move. The pouring rain outside had not stopped and would not stop for the entire trip. It would slow them down a good deal, not because of the rain itself, but because it was known that cloud tribe shamans could use the falling rain as a medium for perception arts, and so they would have to move slowly and use decoy marchers to confuse them.


    Elder Yongrui was not the subtle sort, and Elder Jiao was busy.


    The trip took nearly half a day under those conditions. Ling Qi did not have much time to speak with anyone. Together with Liao Zhu, she was assigned to circling the perimeter, observing their surroundings and reporting back so that the decoy marches and such could be adjusted and the main group¡¯s route could be planned to avoid the scattered tribesmen who rode through the storm.


    Finally, Earthwound Peak came into view, towering overhead. The mountain was an ugly, lopsided thing of black stone, and the caldera was a deep and shadowed thing as if something tremendous had struck obliquely, shearing off the peak and digging a massive chasm in its side that left one part of the rim looming high and jagged over the smoother lower rim.


    Even here at its base, the cloud tribes¡¯ presence was not obvious. Whatever shamans were responsible for the storm, they were not present.


    Elder Yongrui had departed their group long before they reached this point to avoid detection, flying high above the clouds, higher even than all but the strongest cloud tribesman could stand. Diao Gen and the perimeter group had also split off, circling wide around the mountain to the south.

 Threads 125-Convergence 3

    ¡°Do you believe yourself to be prepared, Ling Qi?¡± Cai Renxiang asked as they approached the departure point. The forward part of the assault group was hidden in a shallow cave, while the main body waited in a river valley some kilometers back. The moment the signal was given, they would go loud, discarding stealth to move in at top speed, reducing the distance to a matter of a minute or two at most, barring interference.


    ¡°I think so,¡± Ling Qi said. She had been preparing for such missions for a while now. She smiled wistfully. ¡°I am the wind thief after all.¡±


    Cai Renxiang raised an eyebrow, as if asking for an explanation. Ling Qi didn¡¯t give one. The heiress shook her head. ¡°I suppose it is enough that you are confident.¡±


    ¡°Lady Cai¡¯s belief in this one is an honor,¡± Ling Qi said dryly.


    ¡°Failure is forbidden.¡± The heiress bore an unamused expression. ¡°Do not betray my confidence.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed, not worried by the ominous words. She could feel the thread of emotion weaving through that mechanical statement, hidden from the other disciples warming up for their part in the assault. ¡°Naturally. Am I not your left hand?¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed, perfectly serious. ¡°I look forward to your success.¡±


    ¡°And I look forward to not being on the business end of my lady¡¯s techniques for once,¡± Ling Qi jested.


    Cai Renxiang smiled faintly, turning away without a word.


    Ling Qi breathed out, turning her attention inward as she strode toward the mouth of the cave.


    she thought.


    her little brother said, determination coloring his voice.


    Hanyi said confidently.


    Sixiang thought.


    There was nothing else to be said then.


    When Ling Qi left the camp to soar up the slope of the mountain, it was as a shadow and a breeze. Rain filtered through her as if she were not there. Light bent from her, reflecting back nothing to the eye of the beholder, and in the realm of spirit, her passage caused not a ripple.


    And that was before she activated Zephyr¡¯s Mocking Escape and Breeze in the Vault techniques. With them, she was no more than the wind between the raindrops, not even a shadow upon the black stone of the mountain. Behind her eyes, she could feel the determination of the communications disciple observing through her.


    She flitted over the rim of the caldera right beneath the hooves of the warriors who guarded it, and saw into the caldera below. Flitting around the rim were more than a hundred second realms, and a scattering of early green riders, six in all by her count, were overseeing them.


    Descending further into the caldera, she noticed that in the twenty one people below, there were three obvious groups. And there was a cyan cultivator in one of them.


    As she wound down into the shadows, she moved ever so carefully to avoid the idle notice of the higher realm cultivator. As she slunk close enough, she began to make out the guttural speech of the tribesmen.


    ¡°Why, then, should the people of the sky trust in one sort of lowlander over another?¡± asked the mightiest among them. The cyan tribesman was of average height and wore armor of bone and scale. He perched on the back of a massive eagle with dark blue and pale white feathers. Wisps of cloud and rain mist trailed from the bird¡¯s folded wings, and the beast glared balefully down at the other groups. His mask, however, drew her attention. It was a thing of iridescent crystal gleaming with prismatic light, and she felt her eyes recoil from it. It sent a shudder through her, even as it left her eyes burning as if saltwater had been splashed in her face.


    ¡°Starstone,¡± the communications disciple murmured. ¡°Ogodei was said to use it in his arrows. Its properties in inducing rapid entropy in qi constructs are well recorded, but for a mere fourth realm to be using such a large piece is¡­¡±


    With him were ten warriors, the weakest five a step below her in cultivation. Three matched her, and two were a step above.


    ¡°We have said many times that our allies are different, if you¡ª¡± Another, younger barbarian spoke up, his voice hot and irritated. Surprisingly enough, she recognized him. She remembered the ozone crackle of lightning and the taunting song that had almost baited her into chasing the raiders. There, on his red-maned horse, was the barbarian singer she had faced in defense of the northwest village. He wore a mask of painted bone and thick armor of leather and metal studs.


    He was silenced as one of his companions raised a clawed hand. Beside him was a shishigui. It was unusual for its kind, standing straight without the usual hunch. Because of that, it towered over the singer, more than two meters tall. Its spindly body was armored in gleaming blue-black chitin like the carapace of a beetle, an impression only made stronger by the pronged horn that rose from its helm. The creature was at the seventh stage of the third realm.


    ¡°The people of Ya-lith-kai have common purpose with the people of the sky,¡± the thing spoke, its high-pitched voice ill matched to the bass growls of the cloud tribe tongue. ¡°As you are of the sky, we are of the depths. Never do our peoples need to be at cross purposes unlike the plunderers who contaminate, break, and steal.¡±


    There were two other shishigui with him, hunched and crouching as was more common, although they were only at the appraisal stage. The four barbarians with them were a step higher, and their mounts shifted uneasily beneath the gaze of the other tribes¡¯ raptors.


    The last group was the smallest with only two people. One was an unassuming barbarian mounted upon a winged horse with pale blue fur and feathered wings as white as a cloud. A sixth stage cultivator, he wore heavy furs in place of armor, and his mask was a thing of glittering ice.


    Beside him was a strange, pale woman. She was tall, taller than any of the men present, except for the shishigui speaker. Her hair was a pale yellow shade like faded gold, and it was worn in a thick braid gathered around her throat. Her features were odd and foreign, the shape of her grey eyes strange. She wore a dress of pale blue and white, and while it was made of fur like the other barbarians, it seemed oddly well cut and elegant, for lack of a better word. It was almost like imperial tailor work.


    Ling Qi felt uncomfortable looking at her. The woman felt familiar despite her clear foreignness. She felt like a cold winter¡¯s night, fierce and independent like a more aggressive Zeqing, and she was peak third realm. As she watched, the woman leaned in to whisper to the man.


    ¡°The White Sky Confederation sees no value in treating with demons,¡± the man said. Several of the warriors among the first group shot him disgusted looks. ¡°If our brothers in the north are so desperate, the Sky Palace Koliada will welcome them. More hands will only make work proceed faster.¡±


    The cyan cultivator glowered at the pair before turning back to the others. ¡°The Twelve Stars Confederation agrees to an extent. Your strike was foolish. It is too soon, even though you succeeded. Great Khan Galidan is still organizing his strength, and while the First is acclimated, the Third and Seventh are not yet ready for war.¡±


    ¡°We do not ask for your assistance without gifts,¡± the shishigui barked. ¡°We, the deep people, know what sleeps here.¡±


    ¡°If you have desecrated the cradle of the Twelfth, you will regret it,¡± the more powerful cultivator threatened.


    ¡°We know you seek the fallen stars, son of the skies,¡± the shishigui growled. It clapped its hands, and the air shimmered. The center of the caldera shook with a weighty thump as a lump of prismatic stone more than ten meters wide rose from the earth as if it were water. ¡°My people are of the deep earth. We can deliver your stars.¡±


    Ling Qi stared at the lump of starstone despite the burning in her eyes as the communication disciple in her head babbled incoherently. The very air around the thing warped, and the stone beneath it began to flow and melt into iridescent ooze as the bonds of qi began to distort and decay. She could feel the energies in the stone, potent beyond anything else in the caldera, yet sleeping.


    The communications disciple¡¯s voice was suddenly cut off, replaced by Guan Zhi¡¯s.


    ¡°Secondary objective: secure the starstone object.¡± Her voice was curt.


    Ling Qi pulled her eyes away from the thing as she circled the caldera as a breeze. Right, what was one more objective?


    She had listened for as long as she could; some of the techniques empowering her were beginning to run out. She needed to choose targets for Guan Zhi and Cai Renxiang.

 Threads 126-Convergeance 4

    This was a mistake.


    For the hundredth time since Ling Qi had begun reporting back, the thought flitted through her mind, a stray thread in the loom. Continuing this operation in its current form was the incorrect choice. That was not to say that seeds of alliance being planted should be allowed to grow, that their enemies should return home unmolested, new resources in hand.


    It was said that in the opening salvo of Ogodei¡¯s war, a single iridescent arrow from beyond the horizon had pierced the millenia old mountain fastness of Black Lotus Peak and struck Patriarch Li through the middle dantian in his own meditation chambers. Enemies of the Empire could not be allowed such weapons. But this was the wrong way to go about it, and not all here were enemies just yet by her measure. Nor could she see any path from this that would weaken their enemy¡¯s suit for allies. This was a hammer being applied to a half painted canvas. But her opinion was not yet relevant in the grand scheme of things.


    Her gaze flicked to the disciples far below where she stood in the sky. Her objection had been logged, and it had been dismissed. The elders involved in the operation had relayed the order to proceed. Cai Renxiang felt a spark of anger, incandescent in its unfamiliarity. Was this a shadow of what Mother had felt before her ascent when the warning bought with Grandfather¡¯s blood was ignored in the court of the Hui?


    A childish comparison, perhaps. The situations were not even close in severity.


    ¡°Prepare to fire,¡± the communications disciple said crisply, his earlier babbling gone. Power from a dozen disciples washed over her, bolstering the flow of her qi. She saw through Ling Qi¡¯s eyes and beheld her target.


    Cai Renxiang¡¯s misgivings wrought no hesitation. Whatever her thoughts, she did not intend to leave Ling Qi unsupported. Cifeng¡¯s sheath unspooled, shimmering thread revealing reflective steel, and in her hand, the blade purred.


    Around her, rain evaporated, shredding into its component motes of qi as her Light burned. It spilled from her pores, casting the valley below in harsh light. Radiance spilled from her eyes, and mortal vision faded away, revealing the pattern that lay beneath, infinite in complexity and beyond all but the meanest comprehension by a mind as young as hers.


    In the layer below conscious thought, Liming¡¯s presence bubbled up. The whispers of her gown were not words; they never were. They were animal things, urging animal acts. They were rage and passion and the desire to act. The desire to break and remake.


    From the spool of power that lay beyond her reach, Cai Renxiang pulled, and Liming howled in rage, hurling itself against her control, tearing at her mind, seeking to seize her limbs as she took its power into herself, drawing more than she ever had before. She felt her very bones vibrating under the power she drew, and she knew that her face had vanished into featureless incandescence. She had advanced since that day in the swamps.


    The mastered Judgement of the Broken World could not be used with her own piddling power.


    Her limbs trembled under Liming¡¯s assault as the radiance bloomed outward, bleaching stones and plants hundreds of meters below. Cai Renxiang raised Cifeng in a two-handed grip above her head, the blade replaced by a bar of empyrean light, too bright for even immortal eyes to look upon.


    Cifeng sang as Liming¡¯s threads were severed, and resistance ceased.


    Radiance fell.


    ***


    Trepidation touched Ling Qi¡¯s thoughts as she considered her targets. This was, she knew, going to be dangerous. Around her were arrayed so many powerful cultivators. This would not be a battle where she would be able to simply shrug off everything hurled her way. It didn¡¯t help that there was still that niggling doubt in her head, wondering if this was a good idea at all.


    But the stunned silence that had followed the shishigui¡¯s offer was fading. The fourth realm barbarian was leaning forward in his saddle, and she could feel the sparks of qi beginning to burn in his eyes and ears, presumably checking to see if the sight before him was an illusion.


    She was out of time.


    Ling Qi fixed the fourth realm tribesman and the beetle-armored shishigui in her eyes and felt the communications disciple¡¯s technique take hold, sending what she saw down to the smallest mote of dust to her allies.


    The fourth realm¡¯s eagle screamed a deafening warning.


    The storm clouds overhead blew apart in a wide circle around the black sphere that fell. A perfect marble of blackness, thunder boomed and contrails of broken air trailed its path. Overhead, barbarians screamed in alarm as they were yanked upward like puppets on strings, barely able to cling to their mounts. Chunks of the caldera rim were ripped loose, rocketing into the air and smashing into the bodies of men and beasts similarly dragged.


    On the opposite side of the Caldera, a mathematically perfect circle of the clouds evaporated under a pillar of incandescent light wide enough to swallow a city block. Three unlucky barbarians circling overhead vanished as the light touched them, seared away beyond even ash at its merest touch.


    An eagle¡¯s wings flared, and the wind rose with a roar. A long, spindly arm clad in chitin seized the young musician standing beside its owner and yanked the man and mount alike against the shishigui¡¯s narrow chest.


    The black sphere struck the fourth realm''s upraised sword, and men screamed as the caldera shook and stone crumbled, bodies and objects dragged violently toward the epicenter. In contrast, the light fell upon the stone with eerie quiet, swallowing the screams of those beneath it.


    Ling Qi was already moving, her own role decided. She didn¡¯t wholly understand the danger of this starstone, but she knew enough. A hundred ideas flickered through her head as she descended into the chaos of the caldera. She needed to make sure it couldn¡¯t simply be pulled back into the earth as easily as it had been raised. She saw the way it warped qi at a mere touch, a virulent ooze forming around its bottom. But it was still resting there on the ground, was it not? In some way at least, it still obeyed the Law of Earth.


    Her eyes flicked toward the side of the caldera bleached by Cai Renxiang¡¯s light, already fading into twinkling stars, and an idea was born. A moment of silent communication passed between her and Zhengui, and she released her spirits.


    There was a muffled sound of displaced air as Zhengui appeared in midair, falling with the force of a meteor toward the center of the cavern, Hanyi clinging to his back. Cold stone warmed to heat as stones were made to remember their fire, and the ground rocked as a plume of lava roared forth, launching the starstone into the air.


    Ling Qi materialized beside it and sang the grinding melody of winter, and the force of a glacier slammed against the slowly spinning, airborne stone. It flew downward as if flung from a catapult into the fading curtain of sparkling light from Cai Renxiang¡¯s attack. She saw the stone there bleached a perfect pearly white. There were two ashen shadows where the two attendant shishigui had been and four barbarians gathered together on their horses. Horrid burns marked the beasts¡¯ flanks, and she could see exposed muscle where fur and skin had burned away. Their riders were hardly better, their armor in tatters and their skin covered in burns.


    The starstone crashed into the middle of them, and the barbarians scattered like pins, but one was too slow. An ugly crunch and a hideous sizzling ensued as the starstone struck him. Ling Qi did not look at what remained when the starstone rolled ponderously away across the scoured ground.


    It was only then that she was able to get a proper look at the battlefield. Zhengui was in the center, roots already bursting from the ground beneath his feet. She soared just above him, and Hanyi clung to his back, hiding in the shadow of a shell spike.


    Sterile, bleached stone crumbled to powder as the shishigui envoy rose from the less damaged stone beneath it, chalky chunks clinging to his scorched armor. Where his armor did not cover, his skin was an angry red. The barbarian musician he had dragged down with him gasped for breath, and his horse screamed, cantering away across the powdery stone.


    Muffled booms sounded rapidly from the other side of the caldera. Men lay moaning and broken like sticks across the ground there, and a new crater, meters deep, had been formed. Even now, men and beasts above struggled to fly away from the stones and bodies strewn across the ground, but marked as they were by the hazy darkness of Guan Zhi¡¯s qi, it was slow going.


    In midair, the two fourth realms dueled. Guan Zhi¡¯s entire body was the color of blackened bronze, and her limbs blurred beyond sight as she doggedly chased the fourth realm barbarian trying to gain altitude and distance. Fists struck planes of solid wind, and the force of the eagle''s shrieks released muffled booms that shook the mountain.


    Below, the Twelve Stars Confederation warriors rallied. Two of the weakest lay on the ground, struggling to rise on shattered limbs, their eagles letting out piteous shrieks. The rest rose, but Ling Qi could see damage in more than a few of their movements.


    Only the White Sky barbarians stood unharmed. The man had taken to the air on his winged horse, but the woman stood in a circle of frost. Cloth and fur had become armor, stiffened by blue-white rime. A crown of seven points had formed on her brow, and in a hand clad in a gauntlet of ice, she held a scepter of dull iron, its head wrought in the shape of a snarling demon, menacing with spikes.


    Ling Qi was not sure she liked the way the woman was staring at Hanyi.


    But she didn¡¯t have time to think about that.


    Near a hundred arrows fell upon her position, warriors shouting in outrage at her intervention. The arrows crackled with lightning, screamed with wind, and whispered with frost, and Ling Qi wove through them like wind through the rain, spiraling down to Zhengui, who stomped forward, head down toward the starstone.


    ¡°Stop her!¡± a man roared, his voice halfway to an eagle¡¯s shriek himself.


    This was going to be terrible, Ling Qi thought faintly. A booming song rang out, a melody of war and defiance. It was a thousand stamping hooves and a thousand raised fists rendered into song. It battered her ears and shook her vision, but a pulse of Sixiang¡¯s qi reduced the effect to a mere ringing.


    An eagle screamed, and she struggled to control the wind, her dominance warring with that of the barbarian warriors. In the end, she remained whole and unscattered, but a vortex whipped up around her, hemming her movements. The sky, so badly rent, rumbled, lightning burning in the bellies of the clouds, and the storm fell upon her, jagged bolts striking into her prison of wind.


    Ling Qi grimaced as they diffused through her, sparks dancing under her skin. It was almost enough for her to miss the marble of liquid filth that bloomed beside her ear, a churning viscous droplet that swelled and bubbled, the air hissing on contact with it.


    Carried on the Western Wind, Ling Qi moved just as the boil burst, filling the air with a stinking miasma of black smoke that burned and sizzled. She rematerialized beside Zhengui and met the eyes of the tall shishigui envoy. The creature¡¯s gaze burned with anger, and as he leveled his outstretched hand, five more droplets of filth bloomed on the tips of his claws.


    Zhengui didn¡¯t need her signal.


    Roots ripped from the ground, cutting off her vision and granting just a moment to think and act. Mist spilled from her robes, and a singing blade shimmered to life over her head. It sang and shot upward, and a man ordering his troops let out a cry as he found himself alone in a world of endless mist. Her own flute materialized in her hand as her feet touched stone.


    That was when the dancer struck. Rising from Zhengui¡¯s shadow, the creature¡¯s knife flashed, and Ling Qi spun, the hem of her gown flaring out as she dodged, and a riot of color erupted. A drunkenly singing bear wrought of moonbeam and dream danced into existence, and it clasped the creature to its chest, spinning them off into the revel.


    But that wasn''t the only dancer. Her heart almost stopped when she heard Zhengui scream. She whipped around in time to see a second dancer rising beneath him, her knife held in a two-handed grasp as she drove it down into Gui¡¯s neck. Her voice wasn¡¯t the only one that rose. Hanyi leaped onto the thing¡¯s back, her voice the scream of an early winter descending on the world. The dancer twisted, already beginning to vanish back into shadow until roots bound its ankles.


    The dancer let out a cry as flesh blackened and withered under Hanyi¡¯s hands, and Zhengui shook them both off with a bellow. The knife had cut a deep gash wound in his throat, but already, magmatic blood was congealing, hardening into a stony scab.


    Wood rotted and cracked, and Zhengui¡¯s barricade crumbled in the center where the shishigui envoy strode through. Around him were a hundred droplets of sizzling black impurity or more, each one burning with a spark of baleful qi. Ling Qi barely had time to turn again before they shot out, spinning crazily in different directions. Elongating into blades, twisting into cutting cords, and expanding into exploding spheres, they carved through her revel, tearing apart phantoms, shearing dancers to pieces.


    Ling Qi hissed as one particularly large explosion splashed across her back, another over her ankles as she leapt over a blade. Burning and blistering flesh marked its passage even as she blurred into wind.


    It was only going to get worse. More droplets were blooming around the envoy, rising from his armor and skin, and they were steadily forming a dense cloud in the area, forcing her to flow between droplets or be burned yet again. Desperately, she stepped through the wind, escaping the vortex hemming her in.


    Arrows fell upon her, wind tore at her, and she somehow managed to avoid them all, spinning back up into the air to see the surviving barbarians of the shishigui-allied group approaching the starstone. Before she could do anything about that, a bolt of lightning, carried on the strum of an instrument, slammed into her back, sending her crashing to the ground in a plume of powdered, sterile stone.


    Ling Qi hissed in pain as she dissolved and reformed back on her feet, and this time, when she spun in a graceful dance, her limbs were trailed by phantom images. For one moment, Ling Qi was aware of space beyond the base physical, and her next step carried her across the caldera, carrying the revel with her. One dancer, still struggling in the grasp of the suit-clad bear came with, and so did the other. She was attempting to throw Hanyi off, but that was difficult to accomplish when Gui¡¯s jaws were locked onto one of her arms and Zhen was biting her again and again.


    They all materialized near the wall of the caldera where the stone had come to rest.


    The barbarians approaching the stone wheeled on her immediately, the cries of their horses loosing lightning. Gui merely reeled back, sparking bolts causing him to release his jaw, but Ling Qi felt her breath hitch as Hanyi let out a cry and fell from the dancer''s back with an ugly scorch mark across her back.


    Hoarfrost tore through the air, crystallizing moisture into falling snow as the already wounded barbarian at the head of the trio reeled back, dripping blood freezing as his fingertips blackened and cracked.


    But whatever her anger, she could see that she was going to be cornered. Already, half of the Twelve Star warriors were reorienting on her. Arrows were being drawn back, and liquid filth was bubbling from the earth, gathering to engulf her revel. The second dancer had slipped back into shadow.


    Only the White Sky were yet aloof. The man on his flying horse eyed everyone warily, a spear of glittering glass in his hands, but she could feel his qi drifting out like a warm wind and clean sunlight, bolstering other cloud tribe warriors. On the ground, warriors climbed painfully to their feet with renewed vigor, broken limbs straightening out. The foreign woman remained on the ground, and around her, there was cold. Stray pebbles and stones, deflected arrows, and more flew toward her, but they all lost all momentum and clattered to rest a dozen meters away. The only difference from before was that now, the foreigner was looking at her instead of Hanyi.


    A shockwave rippled through the caldera as Guan Zhi struck a clean hit across the eagle¡¯s beak, sending the massive raptor tumbling back. Ling Qi¡¯s hair was sent fluttering from a hundred meters and more away, but she had to raise her arms in front of her face as cutting arcs of wind tore into her from all sides, their edges gleaming with iridescent light that left hair thin cuts in her bronze dark skin.


    Then, the light crashed down for the second time. This time, it came not as a column, but as a blooming radiance that scoured away filth. The shishigui envoy hissed in irritation as a massive chunk of his constructs evaporated and leapt back as a blade crashed down, splitting stone in a six-meter-long trench


    Cai Renxiang had arrived, wrapped in radiance. Zhengui bellowed, raising a half circle of wooden walls that cut them off from the rest of the battlefield as Hanyi rose unsteadily to her feet, tears in the corners of her eyes.


    Against the wall, the starstone gleamed, slowly sublimating its way through the bleached caldera wall.


    Ling Qi grit her teeth. Surely, the rest of the reinforcements couldn¡¯t be far behind now!

 threads 127-Convergence 5

    The most effective thing Ling Qi could do would be to keep the barbarians'' attention until the reinforcements arrived while Cai Renxiang duelled the shishigui envoy. Ling Qi¡¯s eyes flicked upward to where the barbarian musician was turning, reorienting on Cai Renxiang as her saber met a fluid whip of impurity with the screaming hiss of a blazing coal being dropped into cold water.


    In the cacophony of the ongoing battle, he didn¡¯t react to the scream of one more eagle. It was a mistake.


    The notes of the man¡¯s song stumbled over one another as phantasmal talons seized him and his mount and flung him toward Ling Qi and her spirits. Ling Qi was already dancing backward, a wordless pull on her connection to her spirits urging them to retreat with her toward the starstone. All around her, bestial phantoms rose among and from the dancers of the revel, girt in rime and frost. Her gathering host yowled a challenge as they gathered around the stone, although at a distance as those that drew too close broke down into shimmering lights and motes of frost. Above her, the song of her sword rang out, and another barbarian was lost in the depths of the Mist.


    For a moment, the challenge rang unopposed in the caldera as Ling Qi landed lightly beside her little brother.


    Then the response came.


    From above, a renewed song clashed with her Mist, wresting her victims from its grasp. Three bowstrings sounded, and three lightning bolts fell, stakes of snapping electricity slamming into the ground around her, forming a perfect triangle as lightning arced from one to the next. Electrical current roared out, spilling to fill the whole of the area, and Ling Qi raised her hand. Three bells chimed as the lightning arced into her hand, her Three Moons Chime drinking in the field of lightning before it could finish coalescing.


    Dozens of screaming and slicing arrows flew wild, striking phantoms and shadows, and Ling Qi wove between dozens more as they fell upon her through sheer chance, a frantic spinning dance made all the more desperate by the gathering power from across the cavern.


    There was a crash and muffled boom as the fourth realm barbarian slammed Guan Zhi, grasped in his eagle¡¯s talons, against the caldera wall. Rock cracked and splintered, letting in light as her commander was plowed through meters of volcanic stone.


    The cry of her phantom eagle was drowned out by the furious screams of seven real eagles, and at her feet, powdered, sterile stone exploded into a cloud of chalky dust as the echoing noise shattered it into dust. Ling Qi felt a tightness in her ears, as if something was straining, ready to pop. Around her, phantoms wavered on the verge of breaking apart.


    But her winter did not recede. A warmth in her chest burned, and phantoms snapped back into solidity. The power of the winter hearth refusing to be extinguished. Her next step carried her on the wind, and Ling Qi dissolved into whispers and shadow, slipping into the silent spaces between echoes to avoid the ear-splitting wall of sound.


    But even through the shriek, she could still feel the hum of bowstrings.


    Zhengui let out a challenging bellow as he stepped in front of Hanyi and Ling Qi both and bore the brunt of the volley. Two layers of roots and wood sprang up, only to be shattered in moments by screaming, slashing wind. His shell rocked as a dozen arrows and more battered into his side, and centimeter by centimeter, his four stout legs dug furrows in the chalky stone as he was pushed backward. The boxy spikes of his shell shook and crumbled, bits and pieces of bone breaking and scattering, leaving their smooth edges jagged.


    The last missile struck the hardest, a spinning drilling missile of wind that howled like a thousand clashing blades fired from the bow of the strongest of the Twelve Stars¡¯ retinue. It struck Zhengui¡¯s shell dead on, and Zhengui skidded backward a full meter.


    Zhengui¡¯s shell was cracked on the side that had faced the barbarians, a dozen tiny fractures surrounding a great bleeding wound where the last arrow had struck with cracks radiating around it. Blazing blood like liquid magma dribbled to the floor in hissing, molten drops.


    Ling Qi materialized in front of Zhengui, even as veins of green began to glow across his limbs and the ash in the air started to shimmer. The next arrow that flew struck her and vanished without a ripple, and so did the next. Hanyi joined her, her song of cold and winter stealing momentum from incoming attacks as the cracks in Zhengui¡¯s shell healed ever so slowly.


    To her right, Cai Renxiang was holding out well, the tendrils of light that formed her wings hissing and sizzling as they beat away droplets of impurity. Several glowing scars marked the shishigui envoy¡¯s armor, but in turn, droplets of corruption stained Renxiang¡¯s luminosity, dimming her light where blackened droplets marked her, each one seeming to vibrate as they struggled to expand against her purifying light.


    But they weren¡¯t being cleansed. They were only being contained, and Cai Renxiang was being pushed back.


    Ling Qi grit her teeth as she took in the battlefield, and her eyes fell on the barbarian marked by her hoarfrost, already joining the others in drawing back his bow, while the barbarian musician and others were looking toward Cai Renxiang again. She had to keep their attention on herself.


    Ling Qi called her sword, and it shot downward like a falcon, its point diving for the barbarian musician¡¯s throat, forcing him to canter back and deflect it with a shout. Ling Qi might not be able to touch him, but she didn¡¯t need to to stop him from defending his shishigui ally.


    She raised her flute and felt an arrow slice across her cheek as she looked to the barbarian already marked by her hoarfrost. Her fingers danced, and her flute played silence. She didn¡¯t look away, even as a second and a third arrow struck her gown, feeling like the strike of fists. The barbarian died as he crashed to the caldera floor and shattered.


    The barbarians were swift in their reply. Once again, she dodged like the wind through a storm of missiles, but the barbarians were learning. Just as she rematerialized, toes touching the floor, a vortex arrow like the one that had nearly bored through Zhengui came. Gritting her teeth, Ling Qi pulsed her qi, and the Black Mirror technique swallowed it.


    There was a sharp report then, a singular, deafening noise of grinding shifting stone from the far side of the caldera. A single crack raced up the caldera wall from where Guan Zhi had been buried. Stones and pebbles burst out as the crack reached the rim. The caldera wall broke apart in a roar of falling rock, uncounted tonnes of stone exploding outward around the flexing limbs of the furious woman. Over her head, a single boulder, perhaps half the size of the starstone, cracked and compressed inward, becoming a perfect black sphere. The remains of the wall shot toward it as if dragged in by the earth. Even Ling Qi felt a harsh tug toward the sphere, and she planted her feet in the chalky dirt as her hair and gown alike whipped around her limbs.


    Perhaps she didn¡¯t need all the attention, Ling Qi thought faintly as the man with the starstone mask raised his blade, and the storm answered. A funnel of wind descended from the sky to armor him and his retinue, the churning wind burning with iridescent light.


    Ling Qi forced her eyes away and threw out her hands, activating the Rippling Starless Shroud technique, dimming her surroundings under a shroud of liquid darkness that twinkled with faint frosty moonlight. She felt Cai Renxiang¡¯s qi flare in response, and the dark shroud that settled around her and her spirits gained an edge of burning radiance. Zhengui finally straightened up, flesh no longer visible beneath the hole in his shell as howling arrows bounced off his hide and flew wildly into the revel. The next sheet of lightning that erupted through their space sparked off of them, no more harmful than static. Her qi was starting to flag from activating all of these defenses, and once she had no more qi...


    Ling Qi saw the phantom of the suited bear that had seized the dancer fading away, its head cleft from its shoulders. She spun immediately and blew a single sharp note that wobbled as it met a descending blade of green stone. The note went silent as it was sundered, and Ling Qi spun away into the revel, blinking meters away to let a laughing phantom made of rose petals and thorny vines be slashed apart in her place. The dancer did not have time to regret her miss before Zhengui¡¯s anger erupted beneath her feet in a column of magma.


    Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her own shadow twitch and felt a ripple through her qi and reacted in time to play a Hoarfrost Refrain right into the masked face of the second dancer. The dancer spasmed violently as her flesh blackened and cracked, and she leaped away into the shadows again. Ling Qi began to follow her, only to realize something else.


    The ice woman was standing there, barely three meters away.


    Ling Qi¡¯s phantoms turned to attack, but it was as if they were moving through molasses. Even so, the press of bodies should have harmed her, but claws struck her armored gown with the force of feathers, and fangs cracked and shattered where they bit down on her limbs. The ice woman looked through the revel as if it was not there, even as the elegy of the mist continued to swallow up barbarians above.


    Zhengui saw her, and Zhen hissed out a warcry, striking as a blur. Ling Qi saw the woman¡¯s left hand, holding that ugly iron scepter, twitch, and she knew she wasn¡¯t going to be fast enough. Then, the woman met her eyes, and she saw the swing aborted. The woman''s right hand rose instead, and Zhen¡¯s striking fangs hit her palm and glanced off, his entire head and body jerking backwards as if he had been struck by something twice his size.


    Air rippled, and Ling Qi felt the moisture in the air flash freeze. A wall of frost rose behind the woman, curving over their heads in a dome that met the caldera wall, cutting them off from Zhengui, Hanyi, and the other barbarians.


    Then a second layer sprang up, cutting off her spirits from the barbarians, too.


    The woman took another step toward her, ignoring the grasping roots that withered and died around her feet before even touching flesh. The woman stared hard at her and spoke something in a hard, consonant heavy language, gesturing between her and the starstone with her scepter. There was something familiar about the language. It wasn¡¯t quite hill tribe speech, but it was close in a way.


    There was something about lineage. A question. Why was she here? And, uh, something about aid, maybe?


    Ling Qi sucked in a breath, feeling everything that was going on outside the dome. The reinforcements were arriving at the rim, and the barbarian attention was being forced toward the newcomers and the now unchecked brawl between the cyans. Cai Renxiang was losing ground, and she could feel an ugly corrosion nipping at the edges of the girl¡¯s qi. And in the storm above, there was a charge, something that made her instincts scream danger.


    Dome or no, Ling Qi could slip out of this cage. But her mind flew back to the meeting and the words of the White Sky representatives and their actions after the fight started. They didn¡¯t seem to want any part of this fight.

 128-Convergence 6

    There was only one reason that Ling Qi could think of for why the barbarian had approached her like this. The proof was in the rime spreading across the bleached stone at their feet and the cold howl of the wind under the pressure of their respective domains. Standing so close, meeting the woman¡¯s eyes, it was impossible not to feel something familiar.


    But it only made the differences starker. The foreigner¡¯s cold was not hers. It was not merely a matter of potency between their cultivation. The woman before her felt stark and bleak in a way that even Zeqing had never been. She was not a winter storm falling upon a temperate vale, part of a greater cycle, but something endless, a cold which knew no summer and knew even the sun as only a periodic visitor.


    She didn¡¯t know what the woman wanted. She knew, though, that the sect forces didn¡¯t need more enemies right now, much less a peak green, but she also knew that she couldn¡¯t just stay in this dome. She had to help in the fighting outside. So she would answer the one question that had come through to her.


    Ling Qi ghosted backward, ephemeral afterimages spun from moonlight flickering around her limbs as she opened up space, lowered her flute, and sang. She sang her mentor¡¯s Name, as well as she could. She had never comprehended the fullness of Zeqing¡¯s true name, but she could approximate well enough. She sang her apprenticeship and stewardship of Zeqing¡¯s daughter. Last of all, as she began to spool up the qi to transport herself and her spirits back into the battle, she sang, not quite a challenge, but a query and an offer.


    If this woman wanted to join Ling Qi on the stage, it was up to her, but Ling Qi wouldn¡¯t start the fight.


    For the first time, the barbarian¡¯s severe expression changed. First, her face showed confusion, then it changed to disbelief and at last, confusion. Ling Qi¡¯s eyebrows rose as she read the break in the foreigner¡¯s decorum. The woman spat out a few words, which only confused Ling Qi further. There was that word for lineage again and something about loss. Ling Qi had no idea what excrement had to do with the situation though. It was obviously another word whose meaning had changed. When the woman repeated that word twice more under her breath, it only confused her further.


    The woman cast a glance at the starstone, and Ling Qi tensed up. But the woman didn¡¯t go for the stone. Instead, she pressed the thumbnail of her right hand into the sceptre''s head, digging into the ugly metal. Ling Qi belatedly noticed that the woman¡¯s fingernails were iron as well.


    She very nearly dodged the sliver of wrought iron flicked her way, stymied only by the lack of hostility in the air and a nudge from the so far silent Sixiang. She caught it instead, stifling a wince. The iron sliver was painfully cold, even for her.


    The woman spoke again, and this time, it was slow and careful, similar to how she would talk to a young child. It rankled a little that it did make the woman¡¯s words more comprehensible. Something, something, offering sanctuary?


    It was at that moment that the dome of ice over them began to shake and crack. Ling Qi didn¡¯t take her eyes off the woman, but she did feel several familiar auras perched atop, their qi rising as techniques tore into the ice construct.


    The woman cast an irritated look up as a section of the ice shattered to the tune of a strumming lute. She vanished in a swirl of frost as the construct began to crumble.


    Above, Ruan Shen descended on a platform of flowers, a vibrant ramp that bloomed in front of him and withered behind him, leaving a rain of falling petals. With him came three disciples, an appraisal and two early greens, armored in flowering vines.


    ¡°Junior Sister!¡± he called as he reached the floor. ¡°You were cut off from communications!¡±


    Ling Qi blinked. So she had. Everything had happened so quickly that she hadn¡¯t noticed.


    Sixiang murmured.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she called back. Outside the crumbling ice dome, she saw the woman, now mounted behind her barbarian partner on the winged horse, her arms wrapped around his chest. He was circling upward, and the handful of lower realm barbarians with the same mount were following him, dodging incoming disciples. ¡°I convinced the White Sky Confederation to retreat, I think,¡± Ling Qi said uncertainly.


    Ruan Shen raised his eyebrows but shrugged. ¡°Well enough. Let them get caught up in our reinforcements. We have enough on our plate here.¡±


    Overhead, the battle between Guan Zhi and the barbarian commander was escalating. Guan Zhi was in midair, the floating rubble behind her taking on a more coherent form, pressure compressed stone shaping into a curling black mandala that hovered about her back and shoulders. She blurred through the sky, fighting a brewing storm with her fists alone. Under the weight and pressure of her blows, thrown so quickly that Ling Qi could only see her in those brief moments when she clashed, the whole mountain was beginning to rattle and shake.


    Ling Qi nodded, relaying the message through the restored communications. The response was much the same as Ruan Shen¡¯s.


    ... She wasn¡¯t sure if she hoped that the White Sky group got away or not.


    Those thoughts vanished as she felt nauseous qi flare up and blinding radiance burst from the other side of the caldera. Ling Qi spun on her heel in time to see Cai Renxiang slam into the ground in a plume of dust, the shishigui envoy¡¯s hand around her throat. Zhengui was looking around in confusion, Hanyi crouching warily under him. The shishigui-allied barbarians and their musician had stopped fighting her spirits and were circling around to support the envoy.


    Beside her, Ruan Shen was already turning to face the other battle as well, but there was no time to talk. Ling Qi felt the presence of her allies through the revel. As beastly dancers cheered and stomped, Linq Qi took a step and felt her feet brush the shallows of dream, but she could feel a strain. She couldn¡¯t move everyone. She stepped again, and two of the disciples Ruan Shen had brought with him were pulled along by laughing dancers, leaving one behind.


    Then they were in front of the shishigui envoy. One hand pinned her liege beneath him, and in the other, a marble of impurity gathered, the stench from the hideous boil making her eyes water and her stomach churn. His armor was scoured and bleached by Cai Renxiang¡¯s own attempts to escape.


    The revel roared, and when her flute sang, it was the sound of a glacier grinding down a mountain. The force of her song struck the envoy full in the chest, rocking him back, and his attack fizzled away as he raised his hand to shield himself.


    A second song joined hers as Ruan Shen stepped up beside her. Like spring after winter, soft strumming flowed like water, and in the chinks of the creature''s armor, colorful flowers bloomed, and roots and vines sprouted, entangling limbs. As the other two disciples did their part, a pair of metallic fans, heated white with flame, scoured across chitin with a metallic shriek, and Ling Qi felt resilience flowing into her through her feet.


    Hanyi joined her song, and scouring frost rippled across bleached armor. Bit by bit, the shishigui was forced back, his grip on Cai Renxiang¡¯s throat slowly coming loose. Spearing roots as thick as tree trunks erupted from the crumbling stone to slam into his breastplate as Zhengui bellowed, and another finger was pried free.


    Cifeng¡¯s point touched his chest, her liege given just a single breath to maneuver, and erupted in light.


    Cai Renxiang shot to her feet as the creature flew back, a smear of blackness hidden within the inferno of radiance she had unleashed. Where the shishigui had touched her, her skin was red and raw, covered in blackened blisters. As she rose into the air, a grimace of pain on her lips, the light of her technique faded.


    The shishigui envoy was still on his feet. Another scorch marked his breastplate and a few flowers clung to his armor, but he was only a little worse for wear.


    Twin bolts of lightning crashed down. Ruan Shen¡¯s song rose to a screaming riff, and the bolts aimed for their weakest members shattered apart into sparking petals. A booming melody answered, and Ling Qi grimaced as she felt their foes¡¯ already potent aura just that little bit more bolstered. Overhead, the musician and his two remaining companions joined the fight.


    More disciples were coming, even if most were swarming to surround and batter the Twelve skies warriors. There was no time for regrets though.


    Her revelers spat and catcalled as the air thickened with the stench of impurity and viscous black droplets swarmed the air. The shishigui envoy exploded into motion, twin whips of filthy fluid emerging from his gauntlets to snap through the air with a thunderous crack. Ling Qi blinked away, materializing atop Zhengui¡¯s shell as an afterimage was torn apart by one lash, and Cai Renxiang parried the other in a shower of disgusting steam with the edge of Cifeng.


    Ling Qi felt her lungs burning and her eyes watering despite that though. The field of impurity around the creature was nearly as potent as the underground itself. Every flex of her qi felt just that little bit more sluggish.


    Above her, Cai Renxiang raised her blade in front of her face and let out a wordless shout. Celestial light bloomed, burning away impurity. Ling Qi straightened up, and she felt Zhengui do the same. Liquid light painted his shell a pearlescent white, and the fires of Zhen¡¯s venom burned with new radiance. Ling Qi herself felt stronger and faster, her gown outlined in radiance, and the noise of the revelry around her rose to a cacophony.


    A dozen beastly revelers hurled themselves at the shishigui envoy and burned away before they could even touch him. A dozen more followed, and claw and fang scrabbled for purchase at his armor. Overhead, a laughing phantom woman with the eyes and wings of a moth seized one of the barbarian archers and dragged him into a patch of thick and cloying mist.


    Atop Zhengui¡¯s shell, Ling Qi took a deep breath of briefly clean air and felt for the warmth she had tended in her heart this past month. A new song rang out as Ling Qi played the song of the Winter Hearth Resounding. Chill wind screamed out, lashing their foes, but for her allies, there was only warmth. Surrounded by her spirits and allies, Ling Qi felt her own qi begin to recover, drip by drip.


    Even as she sang, Zhen arched over her, Hanyi perched on his head, and his throat bulged as he disgorged a mass of molten glass and stone, forcing another barbarian to dart away, only to flinch as Hanyi¡¯s Hoarfrost Refrain flash froze his mount¡¯s mane. He barely raised his bow in time to deflect cutting crescents of hot metallic qi and failed entirely to block the meter-long spear of stone that crashed into his chest, nearly knocking him from his mount.


    And still, overhead, the storm grew darker.


    ***


    Bei Yongrui was not a warrior.


    He did not wish for war the way many of his comrades did. He did not glory in battle or death. Building things, building people, and helping others rise, those were his talents.


    Yet, with the single mote of attention which was on the caldera below rather than the sky around, he could admit to some satisfaction as he saw his disciples descend upon the barbarians. He saw the barbarians wheel to defend that odious stone. He saw them die, frantic and confused.


    Lightning-struck fires burned, and in their wake, only the victorious scream of horses and the rushing of wind could overtake the hungry crackling. The walls were broken, the warriors dead, and his younger siblings gone, screaming into the sky.


    And in the morning, the beasts had come.


    Oh yes, satisfaction was the right word, he thought, resting his hands on his belly, sitting meditatively above the churning clouds. Those, he watched more closely. The heathen shamans were clearly up to something. He was not about to allow his growing disciples to be drowned under a downpour of lightning or suchlike.


    Things were going well at the moment with the main operation. The southern group had ended up entangled, intercepting reinforcements, but the group was holding up well, and the battle was tilting in their favor. Detachments of the larger forces in the east and west were approaching and would soon be here to reinforce both groups since the force concentration had been a bit higher than expected.


    He was quite proud of that girl, Ling Qi, for holding up so well. He was less proud of her odd action in regard to that strange woman, but he did not condemn her for it. It was only good sense to scatter her foes, however she did it.


    That group was not actually fleeing though. They had withdrawn and vanished from lesser sight, but they circled the caldera still.


    My, that was a potent artifact the woman wielded though. He would want a closer look at it after this. And she was certainly not a cloud tribe member with a soul like that. They would have to capture this group if possible.


    Bei Yongrui frowned then. There had been a frisson there, a change in the sea of probability. He would have to consult his coins when he returned. It had felt like something of great import. It was almost enough to distract him from his vigil.


    Not enough though.


    Bei Yongrui raised his head, cracking open his right eye to gaze upon the stars, so suddenly mobile. Subtle, but not subtle enough. He and the other elders of the Sect had learned that qi well. Oh yes, they had. That wretched verminous thing might have died on the battlefield, but the barbarian who had struck Senior Brother Zhou down in his weakened state? No, that one was still alive.


    And here he was, just as the Sect had suspected. This meeting was too important to the embattled, shishigui-allied tribes of the northern wall for him not to be.


    Bei Yongrui rose, shaking out his sleeves as ten thousand new stars were born in the sky overhead, falling fast, each a miniature sun. Silently, he pulsed his qi, sending the signal to his sect brother and sister in the east and west.


    If the stars were falling, he would just have to catch them.

 Threads 129-Convergence 7

    The roaring of beasts and the sound of song drowned out all else.


    Snarling beasts leapt, stalked and crawled over one another to get to the enemy. They were a veritable lake of fur and feathers and claws. Yet the shishigui was like an island in that lake, unmoved by the lapping of the waves.


    That was starting to change. Ling Qi could feel it, a burgeoning warmth, the notes of her own melodies growing stronger and more pronounced, their volume rising. Below her, Ruan Shen strummed his instrument, and a second lute whirled wildly around him, playing itself, a one person duet.


    From their supporters, twin flying swords, one carved of rock and the other of steel, shot out and were parried by whips of filth, carving sizzling arcs through the air. Yet as the armored creature strode forward, a shadowy beast, eyes aglow with the light of spring, lashed out and scored a line across scorched armor with its claws.


    Above her, Cai Renxiang''s star blazed, and Ling Qi felt her dantian burn. Power rushed through her meridians, and she felt light surge through her. She knew at this moment that she looked like no more than a wraith of liquid shadow outlined by burning light. She sang the Hoarfrost Refrain, and the creature slid back on the frosted stone, patches of flesh on its crossed arms blackening from the cold.


    Roots lit by incandescent green light from within erupted from the caldera wall overhead, and the barbarians nearly crashed headlong as they tried to gain altitude and instead met the same harsh refrain from a younger voice and missiles of stone and steel.


    Despite Cai Renxiang¡¯s scouring light, the air darkened and putrefied. Black droplets sizzled and boiled under the radiance but did not evaporate. It burned Ling Qi¡¯s lungs with every breath, it sapped her qi, and it left her skin itching. She heard the fan-wielding girl below her cough, and her breath emerged as a mist of red.


    Whips of frothing filth put all other thoughts from her mind. Even as she sang her Hoarfrost Refrain, she was spinning in midair, dodging to avoid their touch. The lashes had split, two becoming four, becoming eight, becoming sixteen. Ling Qi bit back a scream as one carved across her back, its acid touch dissolving every defence to leave a line of blistered skin and tattered silk.


    Everyone scattered to avoid the lashing tendrils. Ruan Shen scooped up the coughing girl under one arm and vanished in a burst of flower petals, and the young man wielding twin swords shielded himself beneath a dome of stone that burned with Cai¡¯s light. Zhengui rumbled and endured, volcanic ash already drifting from his shell.


    Hanyi fell, her song dissolving into a scream as a whip carved through the mass of snowflakes she had dissolved into. Hanyi rematerialized in an instant, clutching her neck where an ugly black welt stretched across her throat.


    The caldera shook with the stamping of paws and hooves, and the air vibrated with roars and brays of reveling beasts, a hundred voices raised not in cheer but demand. Ling Qi¡¯s song rose into the shriek of a blizzard, rising until it became the silence of the End.


    The shishigui vanished in an explosion of snow and rime as every droplet of moisture within a dozen meters flash froze. The cloud of snow exploded outward. Steam rose from a rippling armor of liquid filth that wrapped around the creature like a second skin. Chunks flaked off from it into mounds of filthy slush, revealing unharmed armor and flesh.


    Cai Renxiang fell upon him even as he raised a hand toward her. Ruan Shen¡¯s melody rose to crescendo, and Cai Renxiang¡¯s colorless radiance blazed like a second sun. Liming¡¯s spiritual shriek reached such volume that Ling Qi felt her ears ring, and as Cifeng¡¯s edge met the beast''s upraised bracer, the floor of the caldera shattered, and the ground beneath the creature''s feet sank downward three full meters.


    Deep in the smoke and dust, Ling Qi heard a thump as a single armored claw fell to the ground.


    Another beat of silence ensued as the smoke cleared and revealed the shishigui, his right arm severed halfway to the elbow, black blood pouring from his stump. Cai Renxiang hovered overhead, sword already rising again. Ruan Shen and the others stood at the rim of the crater to her right, and on her left, Zhengui hunkered down surrounded by a writhing rampart of wood, Zhen curled protectively around Hanyi.


    Above, only the barbarian musician remained, battling a half-dozen disciples, who leaped and fought from the platforms of wood that Zhengui had summoned from the caldera walls.


    It was at that point that the sky tore open.


    Despite the danger, despite the anger and adrenaline and everything else, Ling Qi found her attention dragged upward to the clear blue sky above the raggedly torn clouds. The stars were falling. Ten thousand burning lights lit the sky and drowned out the sun. Her senses burned at the raw power born above her, each one fit to shake mountains and obliterate towns. The pressure that fell upon her, seeking to crush them all to the ground, was so much worse than that day in the New Year¡¯s Tournament, the will of a greater cultivator to kill far surpassing the power unleashed in a spar. The stars fell, and in that moment, Ling Qi knew fear.


    She could not escape the light that would cleanse the mountain.


    She could not endure the burning heat of the sun.


    She could not protect even a single thing.


    All she could do was die.


    A temple gong rang, and a corona of golden light consumed the sky. A tremendous palm shining like liquid gold, large enough to cup White Cloud Mountain in its grip, rose into the sky. The stars fell, and a titan of gold caught them in his hands.


    Standing astride two peaks, one foot upon each mountaintop, vast and shining and stretching kilometers into the sky, there was Elder Bei Yongrui. His robes hung open, hundreds of meters of silk trailing from his waist, baring a body that was as thick with muscle as it was with fat. Around his neck, the thick prayer prayer beads he wore had transformed, each one a globe of liquid white flame a dozen meters across. His hands were clasped before him in prayer, and behind him floated one hundred titanic golden hands.


    So that was what Gan Guangli was going for, Ling Qi thought absently.


    Awareness of her own fight crashed back down as the elder¡¯s presence shielded them from the mind-blanking presence of the enemy''s elder. Ling Qi¡¯s attention snapped back to her enemy, and she saw Cai Renxiang sailing backward, carried on a cresting wave of black sludge only slowly parting before Cifeng¡¯s edge.


    Even as the world began to shake apart from the clash above, she saw the shishigui kicking his own severed arm up into the air and felt another thrill of dread as she felt the power gather in the twitching severed limb.


    Sacrifice. The shishigui¡¯s most powerful arts involved sacrifice.


    Atop Zhengui¡¯s shell, Hanyi, still cradling her wounded neck, dissolved, pulled back into her dantian. Around her, she felt the disciples activating their defensive techniques. Cai Renxiang¡¯s radiance bloomed, and her features were lost, leaving only a silhouette of light as she plowed through the sludge and leveled Cifeng, a great bulwark of colorless light blooming between them and the swelling knot of corruption. Ruan Shen¡¯s fingers danced across the strings of his instrument so quickly that they trailed flames, and all the caldera was filled with flowers and revitalizing qi. Ling Qi channeled the stillness of the lakes, and darkness bloomed as she summoned the Black Mirror.


    It wasn¡¯t going to be enough.


    Ling Qi¡¯s Mist stirred.


    Energy drew in. Light curdled, air warped, and the qi of the world screamed. The forward edge of the blast appeared as a roiling miasma of gaseous sludge, rapidly expanding outward. She felt a sharp spike of pain through her dantian as the stillness of the Black Mirror technique first rippled and then shattered, the force of the explosion barely reduced.


    She felt her phantoms wail, and even as they threw themselves at the shishigui in fury, their limbs dispersed into mist. She felt Sixiang strain, trying to resist the shredding of her constructs.


    Ling Qi saw Cai Renxiang being pushed back, her blade screaming against the edge of the pressure wave. Zhengui pulled his limbs into his shell so quickly that it might have been comical in another situation, but any humor fled at the still deep cracks in his shell oozing magmatic blood. Flowers bloomed in a circle around Ruan Shen. They withered faster than they bloomed, even as his eyes burned green, the sheer vitality of spring cleaning a shrinking sphere of air around him.


    She felt the terror rising from the other disciples, turning away from their battles, knowing that their techniques would not be enough. Her hair started to burn, and she felt her hands, exposed to the air, start to blister. She would endure, and her friends would endure, but so many of her allies of lesser cultivation would not.


    And even if they weren¡¯t her friends, Ling Qi really didn¡¯t care for that. Her fellow disciples could be obnoxious, but they were people. They didn¡¯t deserve to die out here to this monster''s desperation move.


    Overhead, a curving ebony blade rang with new vigour, and the Mist grew deep. Ling Qi had read that in some distant vales, the mist never cleared, and the earth never knew the unfiltered light of the sun. Here and now, her Mist had to become like that, a Thousand Year Impenetrable Mist.


    Ling Qi felt her awareness spread far beyond her body in the thickening mist. Zhengui, she wrapped in her arms, and he vanished behind a wall of mist. Cai Renxiang fell beneath her sleeve, tendrils of light mingled with a mantle of shadow. Ruan Shen¡¯s bright spring grew cloudy, and petals bloomed under friendly rain. For the others, she had less attention, but the train of her gown shielded them all the same.


    Then the impact struck, and Ling Qi found her awareness very much in her own body as she was tossed backward, tumbling end over end. Her layered defenses shredded apart, and she only managed to hold onto the energies of the Laughing Flight of the Wind Thief, dispersing her tangled limbs into wind and reforming with her feet touching the caldera floor.


    Pain immediately assaulted her, and Ling Qi let out a hiss as she saw the burns on her hands and forearms and felt her qi gutter low, lower than it had been in a very long time.


    Before her was a crater. Twenty meters deep, it looked as if a huge scoop of stone had simply vanished. Her eyes flicked to Zhengui, struggling to his feet, his shell pockmarked and bleeding from a thousand cracks but still intact. Ruan Shen knelt in the midst of his flowers, breathing heavily as smoke rose from his raw fingers. He, too, was covered in ugly burns, and half of his hair was gone, but flesh and hair alike were regenerating in flashes of green. A half dozen other disciples lay scattered about, burned and broken by the shockwave, but they were still breathing.


    Above, a sphere of radiance floated, only to split apart into wings of light, revealing a frowning Cai Renxiang. The sleeves of her gown were gone, baring her arms to the shoulders.


    Of the shishigui and his barbarian allies, there was no sign.

 Threads 130-Convergence 8

    A hurricane of wind ripped through the broken wall of the caldera, and it was everything Linq Qi could do to not be blown away. She stared out through the gap at the rising cloud of smoke and debris, a tall pillar with an expanding cap which rose from a blackened crater where a valley had once been. Ling Qi dragged her eyes upward and beheld the clouds rising in a kilometers-wide funnel above the caldera, whirling walls of wind that screamed at speeds fit to tear trees and whole hills from the earth. The circle of visible sky was awash with light, countless burning stars blooming and dying.


    The elder stood motionless. No, that wasn¡¯t right, she realized as a mountain peak caved in, crushed in the shape of a foot, and a second falling sun detonated kilometers away and still ripped at her hair and gown. He appeared to be still because she could not see him moving. She saw a thousand, two thousand, detonations of light in the sky, and the air wailed with unending thunder. She could feel the wind around her distorting, the world''s natural flows bending and buckling under their weight. She could feel the storm deforming, heaven, water, and wind qi carving itself into the world in unalterable grooves.


    The spirits of the world were going mad with panic, and she could feel even the slow spirits of the mountains themselves awakening, hardening their stony hides in the face of ruin.


    She ripped her eyes away from the battle that she could not hope to comprehend, let alone affect. The ring of lesser nomads overhead was nearly gone, dead or scattered, with only a handful left, but even they were fleeing the clash of the titans. Ling Qi crossed the battlefield in an eyeblink, wrestling the chaotic winds all the way.


    As she appeared at Zhengui¡¯s side, two sets of eyes blinked dazedly at her. ¡°I¡­ did good, Big Sister?¡± he asked in his twinned voice.


    ¡°You did,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°So take a break now, alright?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he muttered, eyelids drooping as he dematerialized.


    Around her, Ling Qi noted the other disciples climbing out of grasping roots that prevented the wind from hurling them about like matchsticks. Most were struggling to their feet, but Ling Qi could sense the impurity in their auras, eating away at them. She could even feel it on herself, clinging to her skin like oil. Ling Qi grimaced. If she had saved them just to have them die now¡­


    A bell rang, clear and high. Harsh light washed over the crater, but its touch was kind. Not soft, never that, but kind all the same. Ling Qi let out a breath as she felt the oily weight of impurity vanish from her channels, and inside her dantian, her spirits¡¯ presences pulsed with relief.


    Sixiang mumbled.


    Hanyi whispered.


    Ling Qi hushed her, willing her to rest. Renxiang landed at her side, a ribbon of liquid light swimming through the air and casting its purifying light despite the frayed edges and spots of black that marked it.


    ¡°That was good work,¡± the heiress said quietly, and Ling Qi knew only she could hear. ¡°Liming gave me some difficulty in those last moments.¡± Renxiang¡¯s voice was rough. There was a raggedness to it, sourced from the ugly burns that marked her throat.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you ladies are well!¡± Ruan Shen called from the crater¡¯s lip. A shock of his hair was still bright green, and flower petals still clung to his skin, masking steaming burns. ¡°If you gather everyone up, I can play a little pick-me-up!¡±


    Right, they weren¡¯t done, Ling Qi thought. Just because the immediate enemies had fled didn¡¯t mean that they weren¡¯t still on the battlefield. Even if she refused to look, the battle above roared in her mind.


    The storm raged, and a titan with lightning for bones and clouds for flesh grappled with a great golden mountain among the jeering stars. Rays of harsh sunfire and heavenly bolts tore at the mountainside, sending a million tons of stone crumbling down. Within the mountain, dawn¡¯s light bloomed, a thousand colors spilling from painted caverns. Harsh and soft sunlight clashed and lit the vault of heaven aflame.


    ¡°I will provide vigil. Ling Qi, help get the others on their feet,¡± Cai Renxiang ordered. ¡°Recovery formation on Disciple Ruan!¡±


    Ling Qi shook out the pressure invading her thoughts. ¡°Right,¡± she grimaced.


    Swiftly, she scanned those climbing to their feet and blinked to the side of a young man as a broken ankle collapsed under his weight. She caught him halfway to the ground, and a swift leap carried him to Ruan Shen¡¯s side. She vanished on a whisper of wind, repeating the action twice more.


    Even with the pressure above, Ling Qi could not help but notice a change in her peers¡¯ attitudes. There was no hint of the jealousy and sullen dislike that had simmered beneath the polite surface. She wasn¡¯t sure it would last, but for now, the battlefield had stripped it away.


    Ling Qi returned to Ruan Shen¡¯s side with the last of the disciples in time to hear Ruan Shen¡¯s soothing song and feel the soft spring melody wash over her. She felt aches ease and pain grow dull, although she could tell that the effect was temporary. Around her, others straightened up as broken bones slid back into place, and flower petals fell, clinging to and staunching wounds.


    ¡°We¡¯ll all need a visit to the medicine hall, but I can keep us on our feet,¡± Ruan Shen said, running his fingers nervously over his scorched scalp. ¡°Now, what¡¯s¡ª¡±


    A hundred thousand arrows roared from a bowstring, each one a shard of sunfire fletched with the storm. They flew unerring, and one hundred fists the size of hills shattered the air, punching them from the sky, and battered the Cloud Titan, but could not catch the scattering sky. Behind the fists, a mountain bled liquid sunlight from a thousand tiny wounds.


    Ruan Shen shuddered, his smile transforming into a grimace. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± he finished, his voice strained.


    ¡°I have received our orders,¡± Cai Renxiang spoke from above. The line of her gaze was visible in light as she scanned the caldera for threats. ¡°We are to retreat and secure the starstone until we rendezvous with our reinforcements. Communication is breaking down due to the intensifying storm. We must assume that the enemy is reinforcing as well.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced to the other side of the caldera where the stone still rested. The moisture-thick air around it glimmered with rainbow light. ¡°I suppose I can move it,¡± Ling Qi said. She had enough qi to use her Grinding Glacial Melody technique quite a few times.


    ¡°I will pierce the caldera wall,¡± Cai Renxiang said grimly, ¡°and assist with the movement. Sir Ruan, bolster our efforts. The rest of you, form a perimeter and watch for foes.¡±


    The chorus of agreement was perfunctory. No one wanted to stay in the caldera. They moved toward the wall where the stone rested, and Cai Renxiang descended, drawing back her saber. Three swift slashes carved through the already dissolving rock.


    When the tip of Renxiang¡¯s blade bloomed with light and unleashed a small ray of scouring light over the stone and the wall however, something strange happened. The stone, so inert up until now, wobbled violently. Cai Renxiang let out a choked off grunt of pain. Her free hand flew up to press against her temple.


    Behind the starstone, the wall that had been targeted still crumbled away under the blast.


    Everyone scattered as the stone rolled toward them, defensive techniques activating only for it to rock to a stop when it reached a small upward slope in the broken floor. They all eyed it warily.


    ¡°Maybe I should handle the moving on my own,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Cai Renxiang glared suspiciously at the starstone.


    ¡°Seconded,¡± Ruan Shen said nervously, continuing to strum out a bolstering tune.


    A single icy stanza sent the stone rocking back, tumbling through the hole and down the mountainside. They chased after it, not having the time to give the matter more thought.


    Outside, Ling Qi finally caught sight of the battle between the fourth realms. Guan Zhi was being pushed back, but Ling Qi knew it wouldn¡¯t matter. She could feel the incoming tide of sect reinforcements.


    As they dashed down the mountainside following the bouncing stone, she felt the attention of the leader of the Twelve Stars group turn toward them. The cyan wasn¡¯t visible as a person any longer, only a screaming funnel of iridescent wind, but Ling Qi could imagine that she saw glowing eyes widen in fury.


    Then Guan Zhi let out a warcry that shook the mountainside, and blackened bronze hands seized the narrow end of the towering wind funnel. Even as arrows and lightning scoured her flesh, the funnel spun wildly through the air in two revolutions before slamming into the ground in a plume of dust that was swiftly ripped away by the roaring storm overhead.


    The starstone caught on the lip of a cliffside, and Ling Qi belted out another grinding stanza. The cliffside crumbled. The stone rolled on. They ran and flew after it.


    From the east came a river. Torrential and furious, it made its bed in the sky, whitecapped currents howling above the thunder of fists and the rumble of stone. On the river came a great ship, a sleek thing of bronze with sails of purest silver. Beneath its deck whirred clockwork of unimaginable complexity. Upon the sides of its hull, panels drew down revealing a thousand weapons of innovative and cruel design.


    From the west came an inferno, all consuming and vast. The flame ate the clouds and hissed and crackled with joy among the steam. In the burning depths was a platform of soot and ash. There, demons and ogres beat out a warsong upon drums carved from magma and fear. A hundred devils in soot-blackened bronze cavorted before the burning throne of skulls at its core. Lo! The Burned Queen had come, and the court of devils marshalled for war! A paneled mask whirred and clicked, transforming a cruel smile into a bloodthirsty shout, and a tremendous gauntleted hand rose and clenched into a fist.


    But they were far from safe. Ling Qi nearly stumbled as a wave of pressure from the battle behind and above them ripped through whatever Elder Yongrui had been doing to shield them. The coming of the other two Elder¡¯s made pain spike in her temples and blood drip from her nose. They fled down the mountain, and what few barbarians remained scattered.


    For a single moment, something drowned out all sound, the sound of the rolling stone, their feet, and even the continuous thunder of the clash overhead. It wasn¡¯t a sound; it was the antithesis of sound, and before it, sound rotted and crumbled.


    Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Twelve Stars group leader, once more a man and an eagle, soaring in the sky. His mask was gone, revealing a wind-weathered face. In his hand was a warhorn hewn from starstone, gleaming wetly in the rain. The awful not-sound emanated from it, full of fear, a child''s cry for help.


    The rain hissed and steamed, the light of the sun turned red as blood by the flames devouring the heavens. Ling Qi tried not to gag as the stench of burning flesh assaulted her nose and tried not to stumble as the rain began to pound down with enough force to crack stone, every drop stinging on her skin. She didn¡¯t dare to look up, even as the mountain groaned and grumbled and the ground beneath her feet began to give way.


    All around her, trees tipped crazily as weakened soil began to slip downward, a vast mudslide picking up momentum under her feet. She could barely hear Ruan Shen¡¯s song or the voices of her allies over the cacophonous noise. Despite the unsure footing, Ling Qi darted downwards, keeping the rolling starstone moving even as the muck tried to bury it once more.


    They ran on, and behind them, the world came apart.


    The storm screamed as barbed hooks of silver and wit punctured the clouds and hooked upon lightning-wrought bone and nets of steel and resolve tangled its currents. The devils swarmed, laughing their cruel laughs even as lightning unmade them, a thousand slain only for a thousand more to emerge, born from the inferno¡¯s embers. The drums did beat, pounding a mocking funeral dirge. The river crashed down with a dragon¡¯s roar, scouring away the whirling winds to expose the titan at the core.


    Through the river waded the scarred golden mountain, his hundred fists raised not in defense, but with intent to strike.


    The wind and pressure nearly crushed her. Trees and stones the size of houses whirled into the air, dragged into the sky. Stone and mud caught fire, even amidst the pounding rain. All fought to keep from being entangled in the battle of the mighty forces above save the starstone, which seemed to care not at all. Yet it responded to her melody all the same, even as the song was drowned out.


    The barbed lashes forged from hate tore apart the flesh of clouds, and the devils shrieked in delight at the touch of the sky¡¯s blood.


    Suffer, crackled the flames.


    Vengeance, roared the river.


    Die, spake the mountain.


    One hundred fists crashed down, and bones of lightning fractured. The ship cut unerring through the raging waters of the river as it coiled around the storm, the chains of its grapnels binding the storm even as a hundred new weapons wrought of a war-forged mind wheeled forth onto the decks to speak.


    But the storm did rage. The mountain earned new scars as suns bloomed upon his sides and sent a million tons of stone and gold sloughing off. The Burned Queen laughed as lightning struck deep into her court, slaughtering demons and blackening her flesh. The river boiled with sunfire, the rising steam a scream. Only the ship was pristine, darting through ten thousand arrows untouched.


    A girl at Ling Qi¡¯s side stumbled and fell, and it was only Ling Qi seizing her arm and dragging her up that kept her from being devoured by the mud. They were nearly at the bottom of the mountain, and Ling Qi could faintly sense the qi of imperial cultivators ahead. They only needed to cover a few more kilometers.


    Lightning fell from the sky, a river of electricity.


    Cai Renxiang¡¯s light flared, and for just a moment, there was no rain. The lightning sparked and crawled over the smooth aegis of light that had bloomed.


    ¡°Their shamans are going active,¡± Ruan Shen hissed. ¡°We have to¡ª¡±


    The storm bled. Swathes of cloud flesh boiled under the heat of the inferno and the beat of the drums. Bone broke under the mountain¡¯s fists, and its winds slowed under the machinations of the ship. The river crashed down, and this time, the current punched through, raging water breaking through the storm and out the other side.


    The storm raged against inevitability, and winds fit to scour the very world began to shriek. It¡­


    Dawn came in the south. Unlight rose over the mountains. The sk#@%^^&@@^%#


    Radiant Titan, trailing hair the veil of glittering stars in negative. Eyes of crimson fall upon the impure world. [email protected](*&())&^%%&*())))^%^%$&%^&^%&^ Seven Colored Sword of Ruin ris%&^*(^*%***&(&^&^&


    And all the world crumbled.


    A strange static of incomprehension assaulted her mind, and Sixiang let out a pained whimper in her thoughts.


    Ling Qi fell to her knees under the wave of pressure that struck her back, and droplets of red spattered the mud as the air was driven from her lungs in a spray of blood-flecked breath. Her eyes burned with the shadow of the light that just bloomed across the sky. Her ears rang in the eerie silence that was the end of the continuous ringing of thunder from above. Around her, allies lay scattered and groaning, and only Cai Renxiang had not been bowled over.


    Before her lay the starstone, come to rest against piled trees and stones.


    Through its center was a jagged crack.

 Threads 131-Convergence 9

    A spiderweb of fractures spread out from the central crack. A sickening unlight radiated out from them, and to Ling Qi¡¯s alarm, she felt a disquieting sensation as if she were dispersing herself to hide, but involuntarily. Ling Qi seized control back of her own qi just as her fingertips began to dematerialize and drift away. The effort brought a sharp pain like a hundred needles had been jammed into her fingers at once.


    She was back on her feet by then, and the others were clambering up as well, many fixing wide eyes on the sky. Ling Qi couldn¡¯t pull her eyes away from the stone.


    There was another sharp crack, and then a sound like soft stone crumbling and a whole section of the stone caved inward as if it were hollow. She saw fragments scatter, and it became clear that the ¡°stone¡± was actually a shell. The unlight blazed from within.


    $^%^(&&^&%^$ept back, and seven rays of light hewed the sky again. The mountain of gold blazed with all the colors of the dawn and set itself in their path, one hundred hands raised in warding.


    Unlight pulsed, and the starstone exploded outward. Ling Qi drew upon darkness and lake qi and summoned the rippling starless shroud even as the Mist descended. She hissed in pain as the shroud tried to absorb the fragments only to violently reject them. Yet, the defensive technique held.


    The bleeding clouds fled, carried on the winds of a typhoon, and a thousand wounds wept rain upon the land, drowning it in pain. The Inferno howled in rage, and ten thousand devils rent into a hundred thousand pieces dogged its heels, broken bodies and severed limbs hurling themselves after the fleeing clouds in a frenzy. The beat of the drums broke the earth in their fury.


    Ling Qi heard someone shouting something, but the sound of the world was washed out as the dust cleared and revealed a radiant figure standing in the ruin of the stone. Bright as a star, too bright to look at directly without pain spiking in her skull, it was nonetheless small, a bead of starlight no bigger than a small child.


    Ling Qi felt her stomach drop as the thing¡¯s attention fell upon her. Sixiang¡¯s qi flared inside of her, and for just a moment, the eye-searing light seemed to dim, and the burning on her skin grew less. She met curious red eyes.


    The figure looked superficially like a young boy with dusky skin like her own and long white hair that trailed down to where his feet should have been. At the bottom of his ribs, flesh transformed into prismatic light, and she saw the shadow of a half-formed spine within, but nothing more.


    The spirit¡¯s head cocked to the side as it observed her. Curiosity faded, replaced by cold.


    Enemy.


    An arm rose, and flesh tore apart. Spikes of seven-colored crystal formed a blade.


    Ling Qi drew on her depleted reserves and leapt back, even as she struggled to keep herself from scattering, knowing somehow that if she did, she wouldn¡¯t reform. Light, clean and colorless, crashed down.


    A mountain crumbled. Gold burned black, and painted caverns were shorn of color. The light of dawn fled, and there was only night. There was a hole in the sky, bright blue replaced by starry black.


    Cai Renxiang stood in front of her, expression strained. Hungry crimson light bled into her aura,and Liming rippled. The gown¡¯s hem grew frayed, thread unspooling to reveal the girl¡¯s boots. Ruan Shen was at her side, strumming a tune that eased the strain on her spirit and made her feel less like she was dissolving in her own skin. A half-dozen defensive techniques, earth and fire, wind and mountain, all washed over her, a conflicting multitude of light.


    And before them, the spirit paused, bladed arm mid-swing, staring at Cai Renxiang in confusion.


    Horns of war called from the north, and in the valley ahead, Ling Qi saw the flash of banners.


    The false dawn reversed, and unlight bled away behind the southern peaks. A curtain of stars descended from the hole in the sky left in its wake.


    The spirit blinked, and it gazed to the south where the ineffable pressure was receding. Its mouth opened. No sound escaped, but Ling Qi heard the plaintive cry that echoed through the realm of spirit. It shot into the sky, trailing a rainbow.


    Ling Qi¡¯s knee hit the dirt as the suffocating presence receded. After the battle, the run, and now, this, her qi was depleted, and she was exhausted. From the valley in the north, she saw the leading edge of a sect force emerge. Three cyan cultivators soared above, and green, yellow, and red realm forces marched below.


    Their part was done.


    ***


    Ling Qi held in a groan as she squeezed her eyes shut.


    Was this what qi exhaustion felt like? Her head was pounding, her senses felt fuzzy, and her whole body felt like a wrung-out rag. Yet still, they could not rest. Ling Qi stood at attention beside Cai Renxiang among the gathered disciples from the mission. The group was not as large as it had been at the start.


    The perimeter group had been savaged. When the event in the south had transpired, they had found themselves the primary target of the shamans commanding the storm, and worse, they had suffered from being caught in the eddies of the event. Three disciples had died outright, their bodies rendered to dust. The rest were suffering from some terrible toxin, and while the Sect was keeping them alive, they were not waking up from their coma. Liao Zhu was among them.


    She had seen him in the infirmary, and the memory still felt bizarre. Liao Zhu was not meant for stillness, she felt. Though he looked unharmed, Ling Qi had been able to feel the sickness in his spirit, that awful dissolving sensation that had brushed her when she had met the spirit that emerged from the starstone.


    Elder Yongrui was said to be in similar condition, though the facilities for his treatment were far beyond the Sect¡¯s common medicine hall.


    Before the gathered disciples stood two of the Sect¡¯s elders. One, she had never seen before. Elder Zhuge Ke was a square-jawed man with salt and pepper hair, his face deeply lined with age, and the human binder of the dragon Qingshe. He was not quite as tall or muscled as Elder Guan Zhou, but he was imposing all the same. Garbed in heavy bronze armor, which was currently quite battered, he scowled deeply. He was, Ling Qi had learned, the Sect army¡¯s commander and Core Disciple Guan Zhi¡¯s father, having been married to Elder Zhou¡¯s younger sister. Zhuge Ke had been divesting himself of duties, preparing for retirement, when news of the Elder Zhou¡¯s death had come.


    Elder Nai Zhu, stood beside him. Swathed in heavy robes and not showing an inch of skin, the paneled and articulate ceramic mask and headdress which covered her head and face displayed a frightful expression.


    ¡°You are, all of you, to be commended for your performance on this mission,¡± Zhuge Ke said stiffly. ¡°Matters escalated to a degree which could not have been predicted, but this cannot be blamed on you, the rank and file of the Sect.¡±


    ¡°This is no longer merely a sect matter.¡± Nai Zhu¡¯s artificial voice was bland and without tone, and Ling Qi could not read a single thing of the woman¡¯s feelings in her body language. ¡°Messages are already en route to the provincial capital.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Elder Ke said with a hint of irritation. Whitewater currents and the roar of war machines rumbled in his voice. ¡°As of now, the Sect is entering a defensive stance. We will be fortifying our outposts and villages. You will all be of great assistance in this. Sect Head Yuan was not able to safely pursue the entity which woulded Brother Yongrui, but it will not survive an assault on the Sect.¡±


    ¡°However, certain matters must also be addressed,¡± Elder Zhu said. ¡°The fortifications beneath the earth were completed, but at cost. Many were slain, and Senior Brother Jiao received a significant wound. He will be recovering for some time.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes widened. The idea that Elder Jiao, a seventh realm cultivator, had been seriously wounded was more than a little alarming. The whispers that broke out around her showed that she wasn¡¯t alone in that thought.


    ¡°The Sect has suffered setbacks,¡± Elder Ke said, his sharp voice cutting off the whispers. ¡°This is true. However, we remain strong. This is not the first time, nor the last, that the mountain scum will inflict hurts upon us, but remember always that we are the Empire, and they, merely barbarians. They will be punished for this.¡±


    ¡°They will suffer,¡± Elder Zhu agreed, a faint whirr behind her voice. A panel in her mask shifted, and for just a second, Ling Qi felt hate wash out, old and deep. ¡°As Zhou¡¯s killer will.¡±


    ¡°Take comfort in that much, disciples. None may recover easily from Sister Zhu¡¯s fires.¡± That seemed to cheer the older man a little. ¡°Now, disciples, rest and prepare yourselves for what is to come.¡±


    The elders turned away, and the disciples began to disperse, slumping off to take their rest.


    Beside her, Cai Renxiang remained still, bandages wrapped her throat. When she spoke, her voice still had an ugly rasp, though the healers had assured the two of them that it was a temporary matter. ¡°Unfortunately, our trials are not done,¡± Cai Renxiang said quietly. The faint hum of the girl¡¯s social screening art whispered in Ling Qi¡¯s ears.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ling Qi asked warily. She dearly wished to leave. Zhengui and Hanyi should have been cleared by the sect physicians by now, and she very much wanted to be with them.


    ¡°I have been given the tools with which to contact Mother, if necessary. I cannot say that this situation does not qualify,¡± Renxiang said. ¡°As my retainer and a direct witness, you will need to give your account.¡±


    Ling Qi paused. She knew that Cai Renxiang had a certain, very expensive communications array for official business, one that outright projected the user¡¯s presence across the province. ¡°I see.¡±


    She was going to have to get used to public speaking real quick, wasn¡¯t she? Humor was a good balm for nerves.


    However, that did bring up another matter in the shard of icy iron stored away in her ring. No one had mentioned it, nor asked her about it. Ling Qi¡¯s gaze turned to Elder Zhu, who was conferring with a core disciple in the far corner of the room.


    She was a little hesitant to bring it up to the Sect after feeling their reactions to the barbarians.


    ¡°You are distressed by something,¡± Renxiang observed.


    Ling Qi looked away from Elder Zhu. ¡°Yes. This isn¡¯t the place for it. When do we start preparing for the meeting?¡±


    Renxiang considered her for a moment. ¡°The third hour. The communications array requires the light of dawn to activate, and three hours time should be sufficient to prepare. Your time until then is free.¡±


    She had a lot of people to check on, Ling Qi thought, and things to consider as well. ¡°What will you be doing with your time, Lady Cai?¡±


    ¡°Recovering and cultivating,¡± the heiress replied immediately. ¡°In addition, I will be penning a number of missives and messages.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced at Renxiang out of the corner of her eye. ¡°I¡¯ll be there at the first hour.¡±


    ¡°As you wish. We may cultivate and speak simultaneously if need be,¡± Renxiang allowed.


    Ling Qi smiled faintly as they turned away from each other. That was a sentiment she could get behind at least.


    Sixiang thought in exasperation.


    Ling Qi felt the humor drain away as she left the debriefing room. She dearly hoped that everyone was alright.

 Threads Interlude: Summers End

    ¡°Junior Brother Yan, you are in charge of completing the stabilization arrays,¡± the core disciple said distractedly. ¡°I have been called to assist the front line.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Senior Brother,¡± Yan Renshu grunted, keeping his eyes fixed on the smoothed stone in front of him. Already, tens of thousands of characters had been carved, inked, and etched into it. The formation arrays being established here were of staggering complexity. Even his own intellect could only begin to truly decipher them.


    Resentment stewed in his gut. He would have understood them better, been able to complete this working already, if he had received the instruction he deserved.


    ¡°Very good, Junior Brother. I will trust in your abilities,¡± the core disciple said, wearing an infuriatingly patronizing smile as he clapped Yan Renshu on his good shoulder and vanished in a rainbow streak through the floor. How hasty.


    Not that Yan Renshu did not understand. The clash was escalating.


    Tens of kilometers of flesh rose through the tunnels, marching feet and scrabbling claws beyond counting. The World-Corpse spasmed and vomited forth power from her wound womb into the waiting hands of the Weavers. Those Who Crawled rallied to the call of the Incarnate Assembly, and their Corpse Champion, the Prince of Millions, crawled forth to make war upon the intruding sky.


    Cruel Virtue met his advance, and ten thousand eyes of judgement slashed away one hundred thousand hands with their gaze, even as the breath of the World-Corpse ate his flesh. Yet from each hand rose a warrior, bearers of the word Pain, and the prince spoke from countless mouths¡­


    Yan Renshu grimaced as he took a tighter hold of his senses, feeling the trickle of wetness on his upper lip. Yes, escalating indeed.


    ¡°Sect Brother Yan?¡± a voice spoke up to his side.


    The chamber he was in was one of five like it laid out exactly around the central array of this sector. Each sector was, in turn, a point on the larger pentagon surrounding the central camp. Shaped from the surrounding stone, each chamber was an exact cylinder, three meters in height, connected to the others by narrow passages, intersecting and punching through the many natural caverns and tunnels.


    ¡°Continue your task,¡± he replied, barely looking at the speaker. The three others with him in this chamber were disciples in the nine hundreds, and he felt little but contempt for them. Each was many times his age but a fraction of his cultivation. Ambitionless creatures, they were broken to the boot, happy to wag their tails for their masters.


    Yan Renshu held in the sneer that wanted to form as he carved a new stroke with each movement of his chisel, rapidly forming the next character in the chain that would stabilize the arrays in this sector.


    This situation was a microcosm of everything wrong with the Sect and the Empire it was a part of. He, an unparalleled genius, was reduced to scutwork on the front lines of a petty battle, his education and cultivation stunted, all because those above him had decided that he offended them.


    His chisel struck the stone fiercely. That was not entirely true. His final ruin had come at that girl¡¯s hands. A genius as well, he might have considered her a peer. Sadly, his effort to separate her from the fat noble leeches had ended in failure. She certainly would not have understood it as a favor. He would give the Cai and the Bai that; they were quite good at taming their pets.


    Even the elders, whose approval he had assumed when his operations had been allowed to run for a full year unchecked, had turned against him in the end. He had been used. Left alone to serve as an obstacle, when it all came down around his ears, he had been the one admonished and chided like a child. Only his value as a crafter had given him this ¡°second chance.¡±


    A new character carved, Yan Renshu took to the left to begin the next. It carried him within arm¡¯s reach of the central array, already glowing fiercely with the energies of the vast formation flowing through it.


    Yes, the Sect had only been another oppressor, a pet of the Duchess and her nobles, Yan Renshu thought scornfully, their vaunted independence from petty local politics a lie.


    His sleeve slid down as he reached high to begin chiseling the next character, revealing a bangle of bone on his wrist. To any other senses, it was just a talisman, but in truth, it was a welcome gift from the being he had met in the deep caverns where he had been forced to go harvesting with his own hands. The bone talisman shielded his thoughts from prying elders and senior disciples alike.


    The Empire was not the only polity in this region, whatever it claimed. How arrogant the Empire was, never considering those who dwelled below, those who had watched their squabbles and their infighting for millenia, those whose lands the Sect callously poisoned with their vents.


    Yes, Yan Renshu could understand how that would feel. His contact, too, understood his situation. Understood how he had been wronged. Gutou, as the being called himself for ease of communication, had been watching the Sect for a very long time, and he, inhuman as he was, had been the one to notice Yan Renshu¡¯s talent.


    Yan Renshu eyed the central array as he shuffled further to the left and felt in his bones the spiritual rumble of a battle far beyond his ability below. He could feel the elder and the core disciples, their power burning in his mind¡¯s eye and all of it focused on the spirit wrought by the Deep Dwellers.


    Yes, this array was beyond his ability to construct, but as that insolent girl had shown last year, one did not need to fully understand something to break it, especially when it was only half finished.


    When his chisel came down, severing the seventh stroke of the eighth power storing character, the stone began to crumble, spewing toxic underground air.


    When portions of the array throughout the room began to erupt, unable to contain unrouted power, he relished the screams.


    He would get the recognition he deserved one way or another.


    ***


    Shen Hu¡¯s knee struck the ground, the quiet thump echoing like thunder in the empty tunnel. His robe hung heavy and wet from his shoulders, tattered and soaked with foulness. Around him lay a charnel house. The narrow, round tunnel was studded with spikes of stone and crystal, stained with black blood and adorned with limp bodies.


    Ahead lay a barricade, but he had been retreating. Ever since the perimeter camp¡¯s defenses had broken, everyone had been falling back from post to post, tunnel to tunnel. The enemy had come in a black tide, endless warbeasts ridden and herded by pallid drivers, the rat men, the corpse eaters and twice born.


    The twice born had earned the name. In death, they rose again, eyes and mouths and tongues grasping in the dark, a nightmare of faces and limbs mashed together. Twice, Shen Hu had seen disciples fall and jerk back up, black ooze leaking from their wounds, corpse pieces flowing toward them on rivers of filth, dead meridians churning qi back to action. Twice, he¡¯d cut them back down with his own claws.


    Shen Hu¡¯s arms had never felt so heavy.


    A piece of the iron barricade before him groaned and fell backwards with an echoing clatter, acid-eaten metal giving up in the face of the tide. He dragged in a raspy breath as he straightened, focusing on the tunnel ahead. If he focused, he could still feel them in the deeps.


    Ten thousand eyes burning with Virtue, greyed with the cataracts Falsity and Failure, met in the dark ten thousand eyes below bright with Faith, and Virtue of Thrones did falter. Ten thousand limbs dripping with rot spread in the offer of embrace, sympathetic to the pain. And Virtue was so very tired.


    The world of pallid flesh and faith below quaked, its blood pouring in rivers from exacting wounds. A sharp-edged quill forged of theorem and logic cut deep into quivering iron bound flesh, and the grasping hands of the dark met a weave of equations presenting irrefutable proofs that the Archivist of Vice, daughter of Hidden Moon, was untouchable.


    Shen Hu tasted bile in his throat, hacking painfully as he cut off his spiritual sense. He didn¡¯t let himself think about the fact that even Elder Jiao was being pushed. It was funny, he thought. He¡¯d always imagined so much more noise when he thought of an elder¡¯s battles. But the tunnel was still and silent but for his breathing.


    He was so tired.


    Warmth bloomed in his chest, and for just a second, he smelled not gore and rot but the fresh scent of the harvest and the feeling of sun on his back. For just a second, he remembered home.


    The warm sun chilled in his chest, and a quiet, sleepy voice counseled retreat.


    All around him, the armor of clay pressed like a second skin to his chest rumbled in agreement. He couldn¡¯t retreat though. The others had fallen, and the work site behind him was still cut off. This was the last place to hold.


    Lanhua, compressed against him, groaned more strenuously.


    Shen Hu frowned as he caught movement in the shadows of the tunnel, skittering things, halfway between rat and insect. They were always first, preparing the ground, laying down corpses to be absorbed by the others.


    ... He was going to die if he stayed here.


    The realization didn''t hit as hard as it had all the months ago in the dream.


    He swept forward, and his claws carved apart a leaping rat thing. Across the ground, clay and murky water rippled, sucking still more down. The scent of summer filled his nose even as he gutted a second, and a flung stone pulped the head of a third. Wriggling entrails clung to his arm like worms, spilling acid across his crystal clad arms. Sprouting mineral thorns tore them apart in time for him to catch another beast, leaping for his face.


    He thought of the faces of the production disciples behind him, working so hard to reconnect the arrays. If he fell back now, it would be ruined.


    Acrid gore splashed across his lips as he tore another rat beast apart. He felt pebbles rattling, heavy motions vibrating the earth. Shen Hu raised his arms as he leapt backward and caught the great jaws of the beast that erupted from the earth, a great slick black worm, its open jaws spewing corruption. Lanhua caught him, and he ceased to fly back. The worm¡¯s jaws broke, and soft flesh split like wet paper where it met arms of stone.


    Beasts erupted from within the carrier.


    He didn¡¯t know them well, but the production disciples didn¡¯t deserve to be buried here. All of those craft disciples working furiously in the camp. They needed his protection. His seniors had gone below,to assist the Elder.


    Lanhua¡¯s plea rumbled in his ears, but his other spirit was silent.


    A tentacled thing with vertical jaws that split its asymmetric ¡®face¡¯ seized his neck in slick coils. He snapped his head forward and felt teeth shatter on his forehead. His claws lashed out, blurs of black diamond, and a half dozen abominations fell. He stamped his feet, and the earth rose to swallow a half dozen more, rising in a cresting wave of mud that pushed the mass of bodies back.


    He saw the end of the tunnel and saw the face of his foe. Armored in blue black chitin, the shishigui crouched atop the back of a hulking thing that was more hound than rat. Despite its eyeless face, he could feel it watching him. He took a step back.


    There were more coming. Armored and mounted, beasts teemed at its feet and squirmed in the walls.


    Even collapsing the tunnel wouldn¡¯t stop them long, Shen Hu thought absently. Not without a cultivator here to contest command of the earth. Something had gone wrong with the sealing arrays, and now he alone held this path to the camp.


    Lanhua rumbled again, and he felt the plea in her tone. She was tired and drained; it was everything she could do to armor him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, girl,¡± he murmured. There was no need to explain what he was apologizing for.


    He would not run while people were relying on him.


    He could no more retreat than he could fly.


    The corpse beasts came on, writhing and flopping and crawling.


    Shen Hu remembered the little stream where the thrushes grew thick. He remembered being an odd quiet little boy with a bucket, playing in the mud where he¡¯d met his best friend.


    he thought gently.


    He caught the point of a lance made of bone between his palms and turned it aside before driving his talons into the rubbery flesh of the broken corpse that wielded it.


    She refused. He insisted, falling back, step by step.


    A gash opened on his arm as crystal shattered, acid burned on his cheek, and he felt stagnant air in his mouth.


    He pleaded, and she refused. It hurt his heart, but¡­ would he have left his best friend behind?


    Shen Hu thought to his hidden second spirit, his trump card in many battles. They didn¡¯t need to stay either. His body moved by instinct now, far beyond conscious thought.


    His only response was a warmth in his limbs, the fading of exhaustion. In his mind, the summer sun set, and the cool breeze of fall blew on. He sharpened his claws, hardened his hide, for one last stand.


    Well, that was true. Summer never really died; it just went away for a while. Shen Hu sharpened his claws, hardened his hide, for one last stand.


    He would have liked to see the sun again.

 Threads 132: After-Action 1

    The medicine hall was a hive of frantic activity. Disciples rushed back and forth with supplies and equipment. Potent medicinal energies suffused the air, filling it with conflicting scents of flowers and spices and blood.


    Ling Qi stood in the entrance hall, one among many. On the wall before them was posted a roll of names. There were fifteen of them in total now, but Ling Qi knew that more had been added since the first posting. It was a list of the Inner Sect disciples who had died.


    There was a name there that she recognized.


    Shen Hu had been assigned to the mission below to defend the construction and formation disciples. Already, there were rumors, a whisper from one of the production disciples he had defended. He¡¯d taken one of the tunnel entrances and held it against all comers until the defensive arrays behind him had finished and Elder Jiao¡¯s project had snapped into place.


    It seemed Shen Hu had really taken the Bloody Moon¡¯s Dream to heart.


    It was a relief that it hadn¡¯t been someone she knew better. That it had not been Li Suyin or Su Ling, or even Xuan Shi. The thought shamed her, but it was there all the same. She had liked Shen Hu well enough, but there had just never been time to get to know him better. Now, she never would. It was a bitter feeling.


    Sixiang whispered.


    It was probably a little wrong that she didn¡¯t feel something more though, Ling Qi thought. He was only an acquaintance, but shouldn¡¯t she feel something more than a muted sadness?


    Sixiang thought carefully.


    ¡°Ling Qi?¡±


    Ling Qi looked away as someone called her name. There was Li Suyin, looking haggard and exhausted and wearing a physician''s smock spattered with blood and other things.


    ¡°Li Suyin? Are you alright?¡± Ling Qi asked, stepping out of the crowd. She scanned her friend for injury, silver gleaming in her eyes. She saw only exhaustion, an echo of burns, and the lingering marks of cleansed shishigui corruption. ¡°Were you one of the ones down there?¡±


    Li Suyin nodded and swayed. Ling Qi was at her side in an instant, catching her before she could fall. At some point, her friend had reached the appraisal stage in her cultivation.


    ¡°I was, but I wanted to keep helping. Went to the medical wards after,¡± Li Suyin muttered as Ling Qi helped her move out of people''s way. ¡°The elder just sent me away, ordered rest.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. That sounded like Li Suyin alright. ¡°Was Su Ling down there too?¡± she asked, dreading the answer.


    Li Suyin leaned against her, eyes drifting shut. ¡°No.¡±


    That was something. ¡°Li Suyin, what happened down there?¡±


    ¡°They just kept coming,¡± Suyin whispered, her voice barely audible over the noise of the hall. ¡°They fought, and they died, and it just didn¡¯t stop. Dying only made them stronger.¡±


    Suyin paused and took a shuddering breath. ¡°Elder Jiao was fighting, and it felt like we were the infection, and they, the body fighting back. There was so much pain.¡±


    Ling Qi thought back to the fourth realm she had encountered down there, the nails driven into its flesh, and the self-mortification she had witnessed in their rituals. She tried to imagine what it would feel like to be in the presence of something like that except scaled to fight an elder, one whose cultivation would match the thing that had come from over the southern mountains.


    Ling Qi felt a chill.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, let me help you get home,¡± Ling Qi said quietly, turning her friend toward the door. ¡°You should rest.¡±


    She cast one more look at the list, eyes scanning down the names. She paused briefly as her name caught the last name on the list. She hadn¡¯t noticed it before, focusing on Shen Hu.


    It seemed Yan Renshu had died down in the dark as well.


    At least she didn¡¯t have to feel bad for not mourning him.


    ***


    ¡°It feels a little surreal, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    They sat together in Renxiang¡¯s study. The furniture had been pushed aside to make room, and yet, even then, Renxiang¡¯s rooms were a study in clockwork precision. Everything was spaced just so. Her liege sat across from her at the center of part of the repeating geometric pattern in the carpet. Ling Qi sat opposite in the center of another. Briefly, she had considered seating herself just a touch to the right, but she didn¡¯t have the energy for jokes.


    She kept remembering that list of names. Had she known any of the others on that list? Had she spoken to them before and immediately forgotten their faces?


    ¡°We were already at war,¡± Cai Renxiang replied.


    ¡°It didn¡¯t really feel like it before,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°The barbarians just got a sucker punch in, using a method we didn¡¯t expect. That was what it felt like, didn¡¯t it? They weren¡¯t a real threat. That¡¯s why we were still worrying about sect ranks and the elders were still taking volunteers instead of giving orders and¡­¡±


    Cai Renxiang¡¯s fingers tightened on her knees, and Ling Qi fell silent. For anyone else, it would have been nothing, but she could read the frustration and regret in the girl¡¯s posture. Their talk from before the mission felt wrong now.


    Sixiang whispered.


    ¡°Matters have indeed escalated beyond heightened raiding,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed blandly. ¡°Tell me, Ling Qi, are your spirits well?¡±


    Ling Qi ducked her head and accepted the deflection from the subject. She tried to focus inward as she organized her thoughts. The cultivation of Playful Muse¡¯s Rapport was not coming easily to her right now.


    Sixiang muttered, uncharacteristically bitter.


    ¡°Zhengui is well. He¡¯s very tough. Even the injuries he took will be better in a couple of days, now that the impurity is out of his system,¡± Ling Qi replied. She had visited them after their release from the physicians. Zhengui seemed satisfied by his performance for once. ¡°Hanyi¡­ She¡¯ll be fine too in time.¡±


    ¡°I believe you had an event planned for her. Will her wounds allow it to go forward?¡± Cai Renxiang asked. Faint radiance flickered in the room, casting shadows at perfect right angles.


    ¡°She won¡¯t let it stop her, even if it takes awhile to heal. It¡¯s not like she actually needs her throat to sing, any more than I need my flute to play,¡± Ling Qi responded. She was confident in Hanyi because Hanyi was confident in herself. Half of healing the body came from the mind. Her eyes strayed to Renxiang¡¯s own bandaged throat. ¡°What about you? I saw those stains on your domain weapon.¡±


    Renxiang continued to breathe steadily and rhythmically in her mediation. ¡°The stains will out. It is merely a matter of time. Their resistance is vexing however.¡±


    ¡°Do you think your mother will notice?¡± Ling Qi asked. It wasn¡¯t the real question. Obviously, the Duchess will notice, but will she react?


    ¡°They are not permanent,¡± Cai Renxiang said. Ling Qi didn¡¯t comment on the faint tremor that entered the girl¡¯s voice. ¡°We performed above any reasonable expectations given the situation.¡±


    Did they perform above the Duchess¡¯ expectations though? She had to hope that they at least met them.


    Of course, that left aside the matter she had been avoiding. After the medine hall, she had almost gone back to the elders. But if there was a chance to make those lists shorter in the future, shouldn¡¯t she take it?


    Sixiang whispered.


    Thanks for the vote of confidence, Ling Qi thought wryly.


    they protested.


    ¡°Lady Cai,¡± Ling Qi said, speaking up carefully. ¡°Before we start preparing, I think there is something I should tell you.¡±


    Maybe it was her tone, but when Renxiang opened her eyes, Ling Qi thought she saw a hint of dread there, even with the radiance shining from her pupils.


    ... She wasn¡¯t that bad, was she?


    ***


    The court of Xiangmen was overwhelming.


    It was not merely the crowd of cultivators standing in, the very weakest of which matched or exceeded her cultivation. She had endured crowds before after all. Last year¡¯s tournament had let her experience that. It was not the baleful radiance shining down from the throne above, the terrible pressure that crushed down on her shoulders. After the attack, she could endure the mere passive attention of the Duchess.


    No, it was Xiangmen itself.


    This place thrummed with power. Even projected here by the formation¡¯s device, Xiangmen itself threatened to overwhelm her. Each of the twelve bone columns that supported the ceiling hummed with a primal beat. The stamp of hooves, the howl of wolves, and the shrieks of birds resonated in her ears, cacophonous and distracting. It was the last march of beasts at the dawn of the rule of men. The disc of marble which made up the floor of the court, held in tightly curled branches, practically vibrated with uncounted ages of formationwork.


    The air was thin here. There was so little wind, but solar and lunar qi were thick here, so thick that even as she watched, motes of it congealed into the fluttering forms of faeries that drifted about providing light to the court.


    Then there was the tree itself. Stretching out in the sky beyond the court, immense branches supported a canopy of leaves that stretched for kilometers in every direction, penetrated by dappled beams of sunlight. There was power in the ancient bark that supported the platform, power in the sail-sized leaves that drifted down on the wind, and power in the immense branch which supported the Duchess¡¯ throne. It was a quiet, steady, and patient power. It was power fit to endure the world¡¯s ending.


    It was one thing to know that the tree Xiangmen had been here before the Sage, before the Diviner, and before even the meanest of recorded history.


    It was another to feel it.


    Ling Qi shook out the distractions from her thoughts as she followed Cai Renxiang down the central carpet which led upward to the Duchess¡¯ throne sheltered in the curl of a single branch, so high above. She maintained a perfectly appropriate distance, five paces behind, no more and no less.


    She didn¡¯t let herself meet any of the many gazes around her. Instead, she focused on the speech in her head, the one she had rehearsed with Renxiang in those early hours of the morning.


    But although she kept her eyes low, she could not help but fix her gaze on the throne. Cai Shenhua sat straight-backed in her throne, and around her burned a colorless sun. It was difficult to make out more than her silhouette.


    At her side was Prime Minister Linqin dressed in a resplendent rose pink gown. A circlet of roses adorned her wavy brown hair. Her hands were hidden in voluminous sleeves, and she looked down upon them with a cold and blank expression.


    At the base of the throne branch were arrayed warriors in shining and ornate plate armor. Plumes of blinding white rose from their helms, and their faces were hidden behind blank steel masks with only eye holes for features.


    One among them stood out, a slender woman as tall as Shenhua herself who stood in the direct center of the path leading up to the Duchess. In her hands, held point down to the floor, was a thin naked blade inscribed with etchings of herons in glittering diamond. Her helm lacked even holes for sight. Renxiang had coached her on the important faces. Heron General Xia Ren was the Duchess¡¯ primary military commander and among her most loyal supporters.


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes strayed briefly to the sides. She marked out the representatives of each of the comital clans, the ambassador from the Empress, and a few other notables.


    Cai Renxiang knelt, Liming pooling around her feet, and Ling Qi followed her, lowering her head to almost touch the rich red carpet.


    ¡°My daughter, I see that you bear the scars of war. Rumor swirls, and messengers fly, scattering tales of matters in the mountains.¡± Cai Shenhua spoke, and her voice was light and sensual, almost idle in tone, despite her posture. ¡°I would have you provide me with a clear vision on events.¡±


    ¡°Honored Mother, it pleases this dutiful daughter that I might be your eyes and ears in this matter,¡± Cai Renxiang said. Her voice rang clearly as she raised her head. She remained kneeling, but no longer in full kowtow. Nonetheless, the faint rasp in her voice was all too audible in the silence of the court.


    ¡°On yesterday morn, we set out on a mission from the Sect, a punitive expedition against a barbarian gathering. Thought to be a trap, the Sect spun an ambush to entrap the enemies and slay those that were gathered there,¡± Cai Renxiang said, speaking with machine-like precision. ¡°My retainer and I chose to join the initial assault in order to bring victory to the name of the Cai. She was chosen for the role of scout and spotter, and I was given to be the tip of the spear.¡±


    ¡°It does not appear to have gone well,¡± Minister Linqin said evenly.


    ¡°Baroness Ling performed most admirably in her role, reaching and observing the meeting without detection,¡± Cai Renxiang continued. ¡°We discovered that it was a meeting between factions, discussing tribal alliance and attended by those allied with the underground beasts. They revealed a cache of potent material, known as starstone, as a token for alliance.¡±


    Cai Shenhua hummed to herself, and Renxiang immediately fell silent as the faint tap of a fingernail on wood echoed through the court. ¡°How large, precisely, was this cache, Renxiang?¡±


    ¡°Eight meters and thirty seven centimeters in diameter,¡± her liege answered immediately. Ling Qi wondered how she had been able to measure it so closely. ¡°It was roughly spherical in shape.¡±


    The radiance above pulsed as whispers broke out throughout the court. The jewel-encrusted representative of the Bao stroked his beard, a glint of avarice in his eyes. The Luo representative¡¯s hand tightened on the hilt of his blade, and he looked ready to spit. The Wang representative, who looked like a much older, much hairier Wang Chao, drew together bushy brows that threatened to devour his eyes. The Meng representative, a thin and willowy woman in heavy stylized makeup, merely pursed her lips. The Jia representative tugged nervously at his oiled beard.


    ¡°I see. This asset was denied to them?¡± the Duchess asked.


    ¡°The starstone itself was, thanks to the Baroness Ling,¡± Cai Renxiang said carefully. They had talked about this. In order for her words to have even a little weight with the court, she had to be talked up a bit.


    ¡°Continue your recounting of events,¡± Cai Shenhua said flippantly, waving her hand.


    And Renxiang did. In great and precise detail, she described the events of the raid, including her own duel in the caldera, Ling Qi¡¯s stand against the bulk of the barbarian forces, and the clash of elders. She described their escape and the coming of the thing in the south. She described the hatching of the starstone and the spirit within.


    By the time she was done, the atmosphere of the court had darkened, and there was much grumbling and whispers among the courtiers. Cai Shenhua raised her hand, silencing them all at a gesture.


    ¡°It seems that you became involved in matters significantly above your head, my daughter,¡± the Duchess said. ¡°It is good that you sustained only minor injuries.¡±


    Ling Qi saw a tiny bit of tension bleed out of her liege.


    ¡°But your report is not done, is it?¡± the Duchess asked rhetorically, and Ling Qi had to work not to swallow nervously. ¡°You have brought your retainer here today. I assume she has some important insight.¡±


    ¡°Baroness Ling was able to observe certain events with far more clarity due to her role and position,¡± Renxiang said. ¡°I thought it prudent to allow her to describe them herself.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Cai Shenhua did not sound particularly approving or disapproving. Minister Linqin looked as if she was about to speak up, but she fell silent as a radiant hand clasped her own. It was a bizarrely intimate gesture given the setting. ¡°You have not erred in your judgment thus far. Baroness Ling, you may raise your head and speak.¡±


    Ling Qi could hardly breathe as she straightened up. She scanned the crowd. Most seemed indifferent to her. They didn¡¯t really expect anything from her, thinking the Duchess was merely indulging her daughter. A few eyed her with something more like interest or disdain, but it was only a few.


    Of the representatives, the Bao gave her an encouraging smile. The Wang representative seemed generally approving, though it was hard to read his face behind his beard and brows. The Luo and the Jia watched with disinterest. The Meng frowned at her but didn¡¯t seem too hostile, actually.


    The ambassador from the Peaks, a man who reminded her of an older Kang Zihao, simply continued to observe in silence, his arms crossed over his chest.


    Ling Qi prepared herself and began to speak.

 Threads 133 After-Action 2

    It was a frightening thing to have the attention of the court of Emerald Seas. It was a pressure weighing down on her, a static skittering across her mind, and a prickling on her skin. It made her wonder what in the world had possessed her to want to speak here and why Cai Renxiang had agreed to allow her to.


    But Ling Qi was reminded of the last time she had faced power like this in the Bloody Moon dream. She did not intend to let fear control her again.


    ¡°Because of my role as scout, I was able to observe the barbarian meeting in more detail than may have made it into reports,¡± Ling Qi began smoothly. She kept her eyes fixed downward, using the point where the branch holding the throne pierced the floor to hold her gaze. Ling Qi kept her voice clear and steady. ¡°I believe that I may be able to share some details which may have been judged beneath notice, Your Grace.¡±


    They had practiced this part. There was no avoiding the appearance of going over the head of the Sect to some degree. However, it could be mitigated with the right words.


    ¡°You consider your judgement superior then?¡± Diao Linqin asked mildly.


    ¡°My lady and I believe that viewing certain matters from multiple points of view is valuable,¡± Ling Qi said humbly. She did not raise her eyes or even shift her posture. She held respectfully still under the scrutiny of the court.


    Cai Shenhua''s chuckle was deep and throaty. Ling Qi hoped that the approval she heard in it wasn¡¯t just her imagination. ¡°That is enough justification, young lady. Speak, and I will decide whether you are correct.¡±


    ¡°The meeting was not simply between tribes,¡± Ling Qi continued. ¡°Two of the groups present specifically referred to themselves as ¡®confederations¡¯ and made no mention of tribal affiliation. The last group was the tribe which had brought the underground people to the meeting.¡±


    ¡°Shishigui¡± was a local name coined by sect forces. She had no idea if anyone at the capital would recognize it.


    ¡°It is not unusual for the tribes to form alliances,¡± the Luo representative said. ¡°But she is correct that such terminology is not common. The last time the barbarians spoke of such a thing¡­¡±


    ¡°Ogodei,¡± the Wang representative grunted.


    ¡°But the meeting was not harmonious,¡± Ling Qi said once she was certain that there would be no more interjections. ¡°The underground-allied barbarians were suing for aid. The starstone was their bargaining piece. The Twelve Stars Confederation seemed intrigued by this. It is the other, who called themselves the White Sky Confederation, that I wish to speak of though.¡±


    Ling Qi had to stop herself from licking her lips. This was the tricky part.


    ¡°The White Sky had the least numerous representation. There were only two. One was a cloud tribesman whose mask style and equipment led me to believe that he belonged to the furthest southern tribes. The other was a woman who was clearly not of the cloud tribes. I do not believe her to have been a prisoner either given the disparity in power between the two.¡±


    ¡°What makes you certain of this?¡± The Meng woman asked. Her voice was soft and whispery, barely audible behind the fluttering fan which shielded her face.


    ¡°She lacked the beast bond of the tribes, and her features were foreign, neither imperial nor tribe,¡± Ling Qi answered. ¡°Her garments bore the marks of civilized hands. It was nothing to match imperial finery, of course, but it was not the rough furs and stolen patchworks which the barbarians use. She did not seem to speak their common tongue either.¡±


    ¡°Of those, only a lack of beast bond is convincing,¡± Diao Linqin said. ¡°And even then, it is known that some of the southern tribes behave strangely compared to their kin.¡±


    ¡°If it were only such circumstantial things, I would agree, Prime Minister,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°However, the White Sky also showed little interest in the starstone, and what is more, not even slight interest in alliance. In fact, the Twelve Stars seemed to regard the woman in particular with the same distrust with which the underground envoy was viewed. Together, this gave me an inkling that she may have been an outsider as well.¡±


    ¡°But,¡± Ling Qi continued swiftly before she could be interrupted, ¡°I only became firm in this belief after the foreigner attempted to speak to me in the middle of the battle, using a maneuver that made it appear as if she was containing me but which conveniently shielded both myself and my spirits from attack.¡±


    There was silence in the wake of her words, and here, Ling Qi could not help but swallow nervously.


    ¡°Hoh, interesting.¡±


    Cai Shenhua¡¯s words echoed in the vast hall, and Ling Qi felt her shoulders buckle as twin beams of radiance fixed upon her back. She didn¡¯t have to look up. She could see the limitless pools of light in her mind''s eye, the punctures in the human face worn by the Light that was Cai Shenhua.


    ¡°It is my belief that the foreigner saw some similarity in our arts. ¡°Ling Qi croaked out. It was hard to breathe. Sweat broke out on her skin. It felt like something was intruding in her skull, precise and clinical. ¡°If it may please the court to know, I practice an art passed down directly from the ice spirit of White Cloud Peak and am as a sister to that spirit''s daughter, now that my teacher has passed. I think the foreigner mistook me for kin of some kind.¡±


    Someone said something, but it was hard to hear. One of the representatives murmured something about honorable lineages. The imperial ambassador said something less kind. Someone else said something sniping back. Tears sprang up in the corners of her eyes as the pressure mounted. Ling Qi¡¯s arms shook as she struggled to stay upright and kneeling.


    She didn¡¯t allow her back to bow.


    ¡°You state that this barbarian did not speak the tribe''s common tongue. How, then, did you communicate?¡± A voice, Diao Linqin¡¯s, cut through the pressure. Pale pink rose petals closed around the burning radiance that threatened to crush her, loving and covetous.


    Through bleary eyes, Ling Qi saw the throne. Cai Shenhua¡¯s radiance had grown less diffuse. Ling Qi could see her figure now, leaning forward in her seat. She wore a sheer and scandalous gown, a pure white thing with a deep cut that could not be called a neckline, a deep ¡°V¡± that went all the way down to her navel with only thin strips of fabric preserving a hint of modesty. A feathery white shawl, a pibo, floated around her shoulders and coiled around her bare and muscular arms.


    Diao Linqin¡¯s hand rested on her back. Or at least she thought it did. Nothing aside from blazing light was visible above the Duchess¡¯ shoulders.


    ¡°Due to some good fortune and scholarship, this one had reason to learn some of the old hill tribe tongues,¡± Ling Qi whispered. ¡°Though the language the foreigner spoke was not the same, I understood enough to have some comprehension.¡±


    The worst part, Ling Qi thought, was that she was almost certain that the Duchess had not been angry or even excited. Her words had said it all.


    That had only been interest.


    ¡°She offered aid, I think, and asked after my¡­ Lineage,¡± Ling Qi continued, despite the dryness of her throat. ¡°I did not have time to decipher much¡ªLady Cai was battling the underground beast even then¡ªbut I sang my teacher''s Name, and it seemed to distress her. She threw a sliver of iron from her weapon at me before disappearing to flee the battle.¡±


    ¡°I do have to wonder why you bothered with even that much for a barbarian,¡± the imperial ambassador said disapprovingly.


    ¡°We were outnumbered,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°It seemed foolish to bring another peak third realm into a battle in which we were already struggling.¡±


    ¡°Reasonable enough,¡± the Wang representative grunted. ¡°No use holding principles above effectiveness.¡±


    ¡°An intelligent action,¡± the Luo agreed, casting a sour look at the ambassador.


    The ambassador sniffed dismissively. He obviously disagreed.


    ¡°Produce the sliver,¡± Cai Shenhua spoke, and all other conversation ceased.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t hesitate. She was only an image here in the court, but she doubted that would matter to Cai Shenhua. The sliver appeared, painfully cold in her palm, and she presented it. Before Ling Qi¡¯s eyes, it jerked into the air, and radiance crawled across the iron, sinking into invisible imperfections and cracks and suffusing the item.


    However, so close to what was happening, Ling Qi saw Shenhua¡¯s radiance pause, stymied if only briefly by the cold darkness that slept in the metal. She might have imagined it really, so brief as it was. The sliver dropped back into her hand.


    ¡°It is good that you brought this matter to my attention,¡± Cai Shenhua pronounced. ¡°It is an organically developed escape talisman meant to draw the smaller piece to the larger one. Mistaken for kin, indeed.¡±


    Her amusement was echoed, if less enthusiastically, by the court. Ling Qi felt Cai Renxiang¡¯s eyes on her back. This was going to be the hard part.


    ¡°Is it possible that she was not wholly mistaken?¡± Ling Qi asked. She steeled herself against the returning pressure of the court¡¯s attention. ¡°Speaking the tongue as she did with her civilized accoutrements¡­ The tribes of the hills are ancestors to many of us, are they not? They were enemies of the cloud tribes, even before they were brought into the fold by the Weilu and the Hui.¡±


    Ling Qi felt the whisper of steel on her skin first, the caress of a blade. She caught movement from the figure in gleaming steel in front of her. General Xia Ren was looking at her now, rather than staring straight ahead.


    ¡°You are suggesting something absurd, young lady.¡± Diao Linqin said coolly.


    ¡°Not so much,¡± whispered the Meng woman, the fan in her hands fluttering. ¡°It is simply a truth too many are eager to forget.¡±


    The Luo representative gave the Meng a sidelong look but made a sound of agreement.


    ¡°Young Miss,¡± the Jia spoke uncomfortably, ¡°it is true that the lotus grows from mud, but it is not the mud. To suggest otherwise is insulting.¡±


    ¡°Pfah, fancy nonsense,¡± the Wang representative snorted. ¡°Truth is truth. You¡¯re thinking we need not fight these ¡®White Sky¡¯ yet, girl?¡±


    ¡°I think they may be amenable to peace in a way that the cloud barbarians are not,¡± Ling Qi said carefully. ¡°It is true that we are not primitive tribes like our distant ancestors, but may the same not be true? If, as it seems, they grew from the same mud which we did¡­ I only believe the evidence of my eyes. They are not friends of the Twelve Stars and their monster. Perhaps we might find common ground in shared ancestry and enemies?¡±


    ¡°It is known that the Xuan, our allies, have dealings with foreigners of sufficient culture,¡± Cai Renxiang interjected. Her support had been clear, but putting it into words helped. ¡°Even if it proves impossible, it may give us time to finish our first foes.¡±


    ¡°It is a tenuous link at best,¡± Diao Linqin said. Her lips pursed irritably, and she looked down toward Cai Shenhua. ¡°However¡­¡±


    ¡°It is difficult to say that it is wholly wrong given our recent conquest, is it not, my rose?¡± Cai Shenhua smiled.


    Diao Linqin looked like a woman who had recently lost an argument and was still less than pleased about it.


    Ling Qi just felt confused. She was happy to see that others in the court all looked confused, too.


    ¡°It was my intention to save this announcement for year¡¯s end, timed with the arrival of the first year''s tribute,¡± Cai Shenhua said idly, leaning back to lounge on her throne once more. ¡°But given recent events, it seems necessary to alter the timetable.¡±


    ¡°Your Grace, might I ask you to clarify?¡± the Bao representative, who had previously been silent and smiling, asked. He looked a touch worried. It was the sort of look Cai Renxiang had worn when Ling Qi mentioned this whole matter.


    ¡°I have secured the surrender and tribute of the foes beneath Xiangmen,¡± Cai Shenhua said as if she were discussing the weather. ¡°The people of Ha-yith-kai, as they call themselves. The barbarians of the underground lands organize themselves into city states. These have surrendered and agreed to become tributaries of the Emerald Seas. Others will follow. The words spoken during my strolls have been most effective.¡±


    ¡°Obviously, negotiating surrender and tribute is possible,¡± Diao Linqin said, sounding aggrieved. ¡°However, treating barbarians as kin is a step too far.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Cai Shenhua said lightly. ¡°Baroness Ling, do you truly have confidence in your words?¡±


    Ling Qi swallowed, but she could hardly say no. She tried to keep her thoughts clear of the questions bubbling up. ¡°Yes, Your Grace.¡±


    ¡°Then, you will have a prominent place in the delegation. That sliver is bound to a location in the central wall. A meeting point, no doubt. You will begin making preparations for a journey,¡± the Duchess said easily. ¡°General Xia?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Grace?¡± Xia Ren answered, and it was so deep and echoing that it seemed as if she spoke from the bottom of a well.


    ¡°Prepare one hundred of your warriors, and begin heading south. Regardless of this matter, it is clear that the south of the province requires my direct attention.¡± The Duchess¡¯ lax tone hardened into steel by the time she finished. ¡°And select one of your adjutants to accompany my daughter and her retainer.¡±


    ¡°As for you, Renxiang,¡± Cai Shenhua said, ¡°you continue to perform well. This pleases me. I shall see to providing further resources for your growth and the cultivation of subordinates. Should this diplomatic effort bear fruit, I shall consider granting you a boon.¡±


    Left unsaid was how badly failure would reflect on them.


    Ling Qi finally lowered her head as attention left her. Behind her, Cai Renxiang gave her thanks.


    She really hoped that she hadn¡¯t made a mistake.

 Threads 134-After Action 3

    Ling Qi closed her eyes as she caught her breath. The dirt of the training field was warm under her feet, and the crackle of the small fires and patches of ice throughout the field loud in her ears. She was no Gan Guangli, but there was a certain peace in physical exertion, a comforting simplicity to it.


    ¡°Ho, there! That last attack wasn¡¯t too much, right, Miss Ling?¡± Wang Chao¡¯s voice boomed in her ears.


    Ling Qi smiled, idly brushing dust from her gown. She stood at the bottom of a crater with the fading ripples of black lake water fading around her in the air. Zhengui stood beside her, ash streaming from both of his mouths. ¡°Not at all, Sir Wang!¡± she called to the top.


    ¡°The growth of your resilience is nothing short of absurd!¡± Wang Chao called back down, tapping the butt of his spear against the dirt. ¡°I don¡¯t think any here will doubt tales of your exploits!¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Who would dare call the sister of I, Zhen, a liar?¡± her little brother scoffed.


    Ling Qi chuckled as the smoke and ash rising from the dirt under their feet began to form back into the wispy figures of dancers. The world blurred into a smear of conflicting color, and she stood on level ground once more, Zhengui beside her.


    There were more people at the training field than there had been last month. Ling Qi recognized some of the new faces, people who had been in the caldera with them. Others had been brought along by those disciples. Ling Qi smiled politely to those looking their way.


    ¡°Hah, few enough,¡± Wang Chao laughed, resting the haft of his spear on his shoulder.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not worry about rats in the corners during fun occasions, Sir Wang,¡± Ling Qi said dismissively. ¡°I hope you received some insights during our spar.¡±


    Wang Chao nodded agreeably. He was honestly not a complicated guy. Ling Qi wouldn¡¯t call him a friend, but she didn¡¯t dislike him either. ¡°Your growth is a bit daunting, Miss Ling. To think that you have already reached the threshold stage of green.¡± He shook his head, looking frustrated. ¡°Perhaps I need to seek permission from the family to take on more dangerous sect duties as well!¡±


    ¡°I am sure the Sect would appreciate it,¡± Ling Qi said, resting her hand on Gui¡¯s blunt snout. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to recommend it though. The image of the list in the medicine hall flashed through her thoughts. ¡°I think you are making good progress toward bronze formation.¡±


    ¡°Sparring you does offer some insights,¡± Wang Chao said thoughtfully. ¡°How does one break through the surface of a lake when the waters only close behind your strike?¡±


    There were plenty of pithy replies, but Ling Qi could recognize the tinge of internal philosophical dilemma.


    ¡°Gui thinks Mister Avalanche is doing good at trying,¡± Gui said helpfully.


    ¡°Ha, perhaps,¡± Wang Chao said. ¡°In any case, do you care for another round, Miss Ling?¡±


    Ling Qi glanced up at the sun, noting its position, and put on an apologetic smile. ¡°Not today, I¡¯m afraid. I have an appointment with Core Disciple Lin about a talisman commission.¡±


    When she had returned from the court to find that man''s seal stamped on her request, she hadn¡¯t been surprised.


    Wang Chao¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°Well, don¡¯t let me keep you then!¡±


    ***


    On the path leading up to Lin Hai¡¯s home and workshop, Ling Qi stopped and blinked in surprise.


    ¡°Looks like Mr. Tailor double-booked your appointment,¡± Sixiang said in amusement.


    There, on the porch which surrounded the main building, stood Li Suyin and Su Ling, the latter of whom stood with her arms crossed, looking suspiciously at everything around her.


    ¡°Ling Qi?¡± asked Li Suyin. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I have an appointment,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°What about you? I¡¯m surprised that you would be commissioning a talisman, Li Suyin.¡±


    Her friend liked making her own things.


    ¡°She¡¯s getting a reward,¡± Su Ling grunted, tapping her foot as Ling Qi mounted the stairs to join them on the porch.


    ¡°Really, it¡¯s too much taking time from such an esteemed craftsman when I am not even spending my contribution points,¡± Li Suyin mumbled, plucking nervously at her gown.


    ¡°Oh come off it, Suyin,¡± Su Ling replied, rolling her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re the one that kept the activation ceremony going for the formations in that underground base after the elder and the core disciples got dragged into a fight.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyebrows rose as she turned to look at Suyin, whose fidgeting only got worse. ¡°Suyin?¡±


    ¡°I was just the one who happened to be there,¡± Li Suyin protested. ¡°I was only following Elder Jiao¡¯s instructions. Anyone could have done the same.¡±


    She yelped as Ling Qi rapped her knuckles against the top of the girl¡¯s head. ¡°Quit that,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I thought you¡¯d moved past that kind of false modesty, Suyin.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I told her,¡± Su Ling grumbled, eyeing the doorway.


    ¡°It¡¯s just too much,¡± Li Suyin murmured. ¡°There were so many other stronger, more experienced disciples about. And¡­ so many didn¡¯t make it when someone like me did.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s expression softened. She knew that Suyin hadn¡¯t really seen a fight like that before or its consequences. ¡°Even so, saying you don¡¯t deserve a reward at all is too much, Suyin.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just the talisman,¡± Li Suyin said glumly.


    ¡°She¡¯s getting promoted into the upper five hundred,¡± Su Ling disclosed. ¡°Can¡¯t think of anyone who deserves it more.¡±


    Li Suyin made a face at her. It seemed that they had repeated this conversation several times already.


    Before Ling Qi could reply further however, the door of the workshop slid open.


    ¡°Master Lin will see you now.¡± Ling Qi¡¯s eyes fixed on the figure in the doorway as they spoke. She had glimpsed them before last time she had been here. The spirit, who wore the shape of a curvaceous woman, had an air of deliberate dishevelment, her golden hair mussed and one side of her pale pink gown hanging carelessly off of her shoulders, revealing a darker red underlayer. Five fluffy golden tails waved lazily in the air behind her.


    Su Ling was glaring again. The spirit didn¡¯t even glance at her.


    Ling Qi bowed her head politely to the fox spirit. ¡°Thank you, Miss. Is Sir Lin going to deal with both of us at once, or should I wait?¡±


    ¡°Master Lin will see you both,¡± the fox spoke over her shoulder. She was already turning to lead them back inside.


    Ling Qi shot Su Ling a quelling look, and the girl huffed. Li Suyin gave Su Ling a concerned look but hurried to follow as Ling Qi followed the spirit inside.


    ¡°I do not think I received your name at my last visit,¡± Ling Qi said politely. She glanced around at the darkened halls; it seemed the layout of the building had changed.


    ¡°You may call this one Luli,¡± said the fox, not looking back. ¡°It is as good a name as any for this one to wear.¡±


    ¡°Tch, can¡¯t even give a straight answer to that,¡± Su Ling grumbled under her breath.


    The woman¡¯s gold furred ears flicked irritably. ¡°Do not concern yourself, little nightkin. You are certainly no kin to the children of dawn. It would please this one if we could exist in mutual silence.¡±


    Su Ling almost missed a step, but she just grunted and looked away when Li Suyin rested a hand on her shoulder.


    The rest of the trip through the halls passed without words.


    Soon, they reached a room that Ling Qi found familiar, the wide chamber with the sliding doors at the rear. Luli vanished in a whirl of sunlight motes as they entered, leaving her friends looking around the room, searching for their host. Ling Qi remained quiet. She wasn¡¯t going to ruin Lin Hai¡¯s fun.


    She had her grin behind her hand when the doors at the rear of the room jumped open with a bang and her friends startled. Four beams of prismatic light shot forth from the dark interior, rays of light dancing across the room, and thick and colorful fog poured across the floor. The beams swept back, and they lit upon the figure in the center, casting him in stark relief.


    Lin Hai stood there, one hand thrown out, the other splayed open in front of his face. He wore an open-chested tunic of crimson silk split down to his navel to show off his slim chest, and a feathery black pibo wrapped around his shoulders, floating on unseen winds. He was also, fortunately, wearing much less tight pants, instead going for flowing silk that flared widely about his ankles and pointed slippers.


    ¡°Greetings to you, O seekers of beauty!¡± said the flamboyant man, lowering his hand to show his grinning face. He had a bit of color to his lips this time. ¡°Lin Hai, Weaver of the Dawn, welcomes you to his sanctum!¡±


    Sixiang mused.


    Ling Qi brought her hands together, applauding as her friends stared blankly at Lin Hai. ¡°It is good to see you again, Senior Brother Lin.¡±


    Li Suyin managed to bow as her brain caught up. ¡°S-Senior Brother Lin, it is an honor to be allowed to make use of your time.¡±


    Su Ling¡¯s face was still blank. It was the same sort of face she wore when Ling Qi invited her to do things.


    Lin Hai chuckled, brushing the blue frosted tips of his hair out of his eyes as the light and fog faded away and more normal lighting filled the room. ¡°No, no, it is always the honor of the craftsman to perform his work,¡± he reprimanded lightly. ¡°Raise your head, young lady. I¡¯ll have no bowing and scraping here.¡±


    ¡°Ah, as you say, Senior Brother,¡± Li Suyin said, raising her head. She was trying so hard to retain her composure, but Ling Qi could tell that she was having a hard time categorizing Lin Hai. ¡°Um, how precisely are we going to handle¡­¡±


    Lin Hai blurred, his silhouette stretching before snapping apart into two separate but identical figures. He raised a carefully manicured eyebrow.


    ¡°Try to relax a little.¡± Ling Qi nudged her friend¡¯s shoulder before starting after the simulacrum on the left.


    Su Ling shot her an unamused look as she followed after the still fidgety Li Suyin.


    ¡°What a good girl that one is,¡± Lin Hai mused as she fell in step beside him and they moved into his workshop. Skeins of cloth and tools were arranged on the tables.


    ¡°Too good, sometimes.¡± Ling Qi sighed.


    ¡°Hm, hmm, no such thing, I think,¡± Lin Hai said. ¡°It seems I must congratulate you, Young Miss. You held up quite well under your first experience at court.¡±


    ¡°Did I?¡± Ling Qi asked. She remembered barely being able to keep her composure under the Duchess¡¯ scrutiny.


    ¡°You did, or so I have heard,¡± Lin Hai reassured her. ¡°It is not easy to deal with Master¡¯s interest, and you certainly gave her an opportunity.¡±


    Ling Qi still wasn¡¯t sure how she felt about the Duchess having entered into a deal with the shishigui. Negotiating with barbarians was one thing, but monsters like that¡­


    ¡°Our clothes and finery are most important, Young Miss. They show the world what we wish to be, but it is not good to forget that more lies beneath,¡± Lin Hai said.


    Ling Qi blinked at the non sequitur.


    Sixiang whispered, and Ling Qi found a memory of a disturbingly mundane town deep beneath the earth intruding into her thoughts.


    ¡°Still, while your words pleased many, it has not pleased the Sect,¡± Lin Hai warned. ¡°I understand your reasoning. First impressions are so terribly important, and if these foreigners of yours had been reported by the Sect¡¯s messengers first, things may not have gone so smoothly.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m being foolish or naive?¡± Ling Qi asked. She had been trying not to think about it much yet, but the Duchess had put a great deal on her shoulders with this assignment. If she was wrong¡­


    ¡°I think it costs us little to try, save for pride,¡± Lin Hai answered. ¡°And the Empire certainly has a surplus of that.¡±


    Ling Qi laughed at that.


    ¡°Now, Young Miss, what sort of piece are you looking to commission today?¡± Lin Hai asked as they arrived at a part of the workshop filled with jeweler¡¯s tools.


    ¡°It looks like you already have an idea,¡± Ling Qi said wryly. ¡°But I was thinking, some earrings, maybe?¡±


    Lin Hai eyed her critically. ¡°Hm, hm, I see some designs. Silver, naturally, or mayhap, platinum. Sapphire for highlights¡­¡± The designer trailed off and shook his head, but she could still see his mind working behind his eyes. ¡°And the desired effect?¡±


    ¡°Sense enhancement,¡± Ling Qi replied immediately. She still remembered those dancers, still so easily able to slip out of her sight. She disliked being on the receiving end of that.


    ¡°Simple enough then,¡± Lin Hai said. Clapping his hands, tools, jewels, and flasks filled with liquid metals began to float off the shelves, and tables started to whirl around the craftsman.


    ¡°Take a seat here, if you would.¡± Lin Hai pointed to a softly padded stool.


    Ling Qi took her seat and held still as tools began to take measurements of her ears and around her head. ¡°Senior Brother Lin, do you think there is anything I can do to prepare?¡± She honestly had no idea how she was going to handle this upcoming expedition.


    ¡°You must sew your own success here,¡± Lin Hai advised, ¡°for it is your project, but¡­ perhaps you should seek out those who have knowledge of dealings with foreigners? They do exist, here and there.¡±


    Ling Qi recalled her conversation with Cai Renxiang when they had been hashing out her speech to the court. Hadn¡¯t she mentioned that the Xuan dealt with foreigners? Xuan Shi certainly seemed like the sort to be interested in that sort of thing.


    Well, that was an idea.

 Threads 135 After Action 4

    Ling Qi held her new earrings in her hands, watching how they glimmered in the workshop''s light. The Dusk Wind Studs were silver, relatively plain in make, but each was set with a dark blue gem which darkened to near purple at the center. Peering at them, Ling Qi could see the shimmer of the sky at dusk in their depths.


    ¡°They¡¯re as beautiful as I¡¯d expect,¡± Ling Qi said, looking back to Lin Hai.


    ¡°They are not too complex on their own, but such accessories are more a component than a statement unto themselves,¡± Lin Hai explained, pressing a fingertip to his lips thoughtfully. ¡°I was somewhat disappointed that you did not allow me to give you something a touch more eye-catching.¡±


    Ling Qi chuckled awkwardly, glancing at Lin Hai¡¯s extravagant garb. ¡°It really isn¡¯t my style to do so.¡±


    ¡°Naturally, and that is why I did not push,¡± Lin Hai said, nodding affably. ¡°If there is one lesson I know all too well, it is the difference between pushing one to seek their boundaries and forcing one beyond them.¡±


    Ling Qi rubbed her thumb over one of the gemstone studs. It was cool and smooth, the line of the cuts almost undetectable. She recalled Lin Hai¡¯s words at their last meeting. They had confused her at the time, and they still did honestly. It was difficult to imagine Lin Hai as anything but what he was. ¡°I did actually have another thing I wanted to ask you about.¡±


    ¡°For dear Lady Ren¡¯s retainer, I can spare a few moments more,¡± Lin Hai said. He gestured airily, and the numerous tools floating in the air began to spin and bob, flying their way back to the tables and shelves.


    ¡°Is it normal for one of your gowns to, uh, eat other clothing if left alone for a while?¡± Ling Qi asked. She stumbled over the question despite herself. She was still baffled.


    Lin Hai blinked.


    ¡°Not particularly,¡± he said slowly, sounding nonplussed. ¡°Deprived of your energy, she should have simply gone dormant. Unless she received some damage?¡±


    ¡°No, I left it¡ªher¡ªin my room. When I came back from my training, I found my gown in the closet with a bunch of frayed bedding.¡±


    Lin Hai¡¯s darkly painted eyebrows drew together, and he reached out, tracing his finger through the air a hair''s breadth away from her shoulder. Faint glimmering threads rose to meet him, and Ling Qi felt her gown cling tighter for just a moment.


    ¡°Ah, Master,¡± Lin Hai breathed out. ¡°How your works still confound¡­¡±


    Ling Qi shifted uncomfortably. Having been on the receiving end of Cai Shenhua recently, those words were not a comfort.


    ¡°It seems your choice to wear her at all times has had some effects on her development, which is proceeding faster than I thought possible,¡± Lin Hai said. ¡°It seems that she is only waiting for your cultivation to reach a sufficient level before achieving her own evolution.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced down in surprise. ¡°What level is that?¡±


    ¡°Formation green and bronze, I would estimate,¡± Lin Hai answered, withdrawing his hand. ¡°Until then, if you need to remove your gown for a lengthy period, it may be best to put her in your vent chamber. The qi-rich air there should prevent any mishaps.¡±


    Ling Qi brushed her fingers against the silk of her gown and felt the thrum of qi running through it, transforming silk into something far stronger than steel. If she focused, could she feel something foreign, an energy that was not just her own percolating through the talisman? Maybe it was just her imagination.


    ¡°In any case, Miss Ling, you will need to hold your seat for a moment longer,¡± Lin Hai said. His fingers twitched, and between them, a large, steel needle appeared. Inscribed with countless formations so small that they appeared as no more than spidery lines, the needle crackled with heavenly power fit to pierce stone, metal, or immortal flesh. ¡°You¡¯ll need to try your talisman on, after all.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. She hadn¡¯t been looking forward to this part.


    ***?


    Over the course of the next few days, Ling Qi worked on putting her idea into practice while continuing to cultivate. She began the process of opening a new meridian, slowly and painstakingly working open the densely clogged channel. With each one she opened, it was getting harder.


    It wasn¡¯t too hard to talk Li Suyin into setting up a meeting, and Xuan Shi wasn¡¯t much harder to convince. However, as she arrived at Suyin¡¯s workshop and opened the door, it occurred to her that she might have forgotten something. In the dim light of the workshop, more than two dozen eyes stared back at her from the opposite wall.


    Suyin did not have any visitors.


    They floated in jars, hung suspended between crackling metal prongs, and lay neatly stacked upon trays. Some were human, some were animal, some were even insect-like or glittering things of gemstone and precious metal.


    Below them was a line of eerily lifelike wax heads, each missing their left eye. One of the heads was melting slowly against the table, half of it carved away by some blast, and scraps of wax and ocular tissue were being cleaned up by the assistants. These assistants were not the tiny mouse skeletons that scurried to and fro across the floor, but the humanoid and human-sized figures with the skulls of beasts, wrapped in spider silk and garbed in the robes of servants.


    Behind her, through a silver wisp, Ling Qi saw Xuan Shi very slowly blink.


    ¡°Ah, my apologies, Ling Qi. Is it really so late already?¡± Li Suyin looked up from the half-exploded wax head, looking startled and contrite. There was a bit of wax brain matter and too realistic blood clinging to her cheek. A nearby skeleton with the skull of a doe helpfully dabbed it away with a silk kerchief. ¡°I got caught up in the testing¡­. This is so embarrassing.¡±


    Li Suyin had changed a lot since the last time they had met Xuan Shi, huh?


    Sixiang asserted.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t pause more than half, no, a quarter, of a beat as she stepped inside and smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, Suyin. This isn¡¯t anything too formal. I¡¯m sure Xuan Shi has lost himself in a project too now and then.¡±


    Xuan Shi startled when she said his name, pulling his eyes away from the skeletal constructs moving through the room. They were already disassembling and carrying away the workbench, tools, and materials. ¡°The fugue of the craftsmen is not unknown. Rather, this one would apologize for the short notice.¡±


    Li Suyin stood and brought her hands together to bow. She was wearing the mantle Lin Hai had made for her. Pale grey with a striking dark violet underlayer that peaked out as it billowed with her movements, it was surprisingly utilitarian for one of his works. It had a high collar from which protruded a touch of dark purple lace and was otherwise only accentuated by spiderweb patterns embroidered into the shimmering grey silk.


    Of course, the pale grey fabric seemed to swim and shimmer, presenting phantasmal faces, if Ling Qi looked at it too long.


    It was downright staid really.


    ¡°Regardless, I apologize. It is an honor to have such a skilled craftsman in my home. I hope my simple works don¡¯t bore you too much,¡± Li Suyin said demurely, clasping her hands together.


    She wore two gloves now, but only one was that clawed contraption she had put together.


    ¡°Sect Sister Li¡¯s words are too humble. The works performed by your hands are known throughout the Sect,¡± Xuan Shi said. He seemed to pause, listening to something. ¡°You give this one too much esteem.¡±


    Ling Qi thought to Sixiang. She stepped back, and pulled the door shut.


    Sixiang replied, amused.


    ¡°The fame of the Xuan clan is well earned,¡± Li Suyin said politely, straightening up. Skeletons emerged from other rooms, carrying tables, chairs, and even a tea set. ¡°And your project last year truly earned its place in first. I could not have managed such a complex enhancement.¡±


    ¡°This one wonders at that,¡± Xuan Shi said, tugging at the brim of his hat. ¡°To break the earth in a new field is more impressive than to merely tread anew old ground.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Li Suyin insisted. ¡°The complexity of your reaction matrices still baffle me. How in the world did you encode so many behavioral variations into each individual tile with so little material real estate? I was not able to discern any core command processing talisman, nor thought-based transmission, so each piece is obviously autonomous.¡±


    Ling Qi smiled faintly as she took her seat, and Xuan Shi replied with a string of words that she knew all the individual meanings of, but which, together, represented only highly technical gibberish. It seemed like despite a little stutter at the start, things were going well.


    Ling Qi kept her own contributions minor for a time, only slipping in to smooth over awkward silences or cover for Xuan Shi when he spaced out. His new spirit seemed to have a somewhat poor sense of timing compared to Sixiang. But if they were new to the material world, that made sense.


    Still, after the tea had been served, and the last subject, a discussion about vehicular formations, reached its natural conclusion, Ling Qi found the chance to ask her own question.


    ¡°So, with everything you¡¯ve said about the operating ranges of Xuan ships, does that mean that it¡¯s true that Savage Seas has contact with foreigners?¡± Ling Qi asked. Li Suyin¡¯s constructs had provided them each with a little slice of tea cake as well. Ling Qi found it a little too sweet for her tastes.


    Xuan Shi glanced her way, and thankfully, he didn¡¯t seem offended by the question. ¡°The ports of the Isle have hosted men of foreign shores, it is true. Not all barbarians are eager for battle.¡±


    He did sound reflexively defensive though.


    ¡°How curious,¡± Li Suyin mused. ¡°However did the Xuan manage to come to arrange such a situation?¡±


    ¡°Our voyagers typically do not seek battle and plunder as some explorers do,¡± Xuan Shi replied. ¡°Thus, on occasion, those who would rather trade come to find the Isle.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever seen them? Foreigners, that is?¡± Ling Qi asked casually, taking a sip of her tea. The blend was a little bitter.


    ¡°This one has witnessed the foreign quarter in use a time or two,¡± Xuan Shi said wistfully. ¡°The folk of Khem are the most numerous, and their mein hard to miss, but at times, a dark-faced man of Banu comes bearing a hold full of blue adamant. Once, I saw one who claimed to be of far-off Nidalvar, whose inhabitants are said to dwell at the upper peak of the world.¡±


    ¡°How startling that must be,¡± Li Suyin said. ¡°And they truly keep imperial peace well enough for the Xuan to allow them into port?¡±


    Xuan Shi frowned. ¡°Strange as they may be, it would be madness to assault the Living Isle.¡±


    ¡°What are they like though?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°I mean, it has to be hard for everyone to not offend each other, right? How do the Xuan manage?¡±


    ¡°It is the voyagers who learn such things,¡± Xuan Shi admitted, looking down. He toyed with his plate. ¡°This one¡¯s father did not teach the craft afore he left on his last journey eight years ago.¡±


    Ling Qi thought as Li Suyin offered an apology. Hasn¡¯t Xuan Shi previously said that his parents were alive? Was that just wishful thinking, or did he actually know?


    Well, this wasn¡¯t exactly the time to challenge him on it.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Ling Qi offered as well. She considered her situation. Her mission wasn¡¯t exactly secret, even if it hadn¡¯t necessarily spread to everyone yet. ¡°Recently, I¡¯ve been commanded by the Duchess to take part in an expedition to speak with some foreigners. We¡¯ve discovered a group not of the cloud tribes, hailing from south of the Wall.¡±


    Li Suyin looked shocked, and Xuan Shi tipped his hat back, looking at her in surprise.


    ¡°I was hoping that you might be able to give me some advice on acquitting myself well,¡± Ling Qi continued.


    ¡°Such a duty for one so young,¡± Li Suyin murmured. ¡°No, given the heiress, it makes sense¡­¡±


    ¡°This one has only limited experience,¡± Xuan Shi said slowly. ¡°A few youthful explorations, driven by curiosity.¡±


    ¡°Anything would be helpful,¡± Ling Qi said, bowing her head.


    Xuan Shi was silent, seemingly listening to his spirit. ¡°Once, this one spoke with a woman of Khem while a cousin haggled with her husband. Tall, she was, a mountain in flesh, her face brightly painted, and hair black as ink. This one was in shock at the sight of her, garbed only in a transparent skirt and glittering jewelry that bore all to the sun.¡±


    Ling Qi stared in disbelief. Someone just¡­ walking around in a town, basically naked? And they were supposed to be civilized?


    ¡°The Khemite found the sputtering child before her amusing and gave this one a candy from their goods.¡± Xuan Shi¡¯s expression screwed up. ¡°The taste was of raw meat and blood with a foreign spice. Another trip, this one encountered a boy of Banu. His father had business with mine. Even at such a young age, twelve bars of steel, gold, and other metals pierced his features, and bangles of the same hung heavy on his limbs. We spoke not the same tongue, and yet words were unneeded to play a child''s game with the strangely bouncing ball in his possession.¡±


    ¡°So mundane,¡± Li Suyin commented. ¡°You make it sound as if they are merely oddly dressed people.¡±


    ¡°It is more complex. It is possible to give offense without intent, for innocuous gestures to lead to unexpected responses, but¡­¡± Xuan Shi shrugged helplessly.


    Ling Qi understood. It struck at the uncomfortable feeling that had been growing in the back of her mind. Rather than imagining a confrontation with a strange spirit, she really should be thinking of them as people.


    Dealing with people was so much harder.

 Threads 136 Preparations 1

    There were more pieces of advice, both from Xuan Shi and from loaned books. Avoid assuming their intentions, clarify her own, cut idioms out of her speech where she could, be observant, and try to decipher body language as well as speech. In the end, it mostly boiled down to being mindful and observant, the same sort of skills she had been working to polish for interacting with other nobles.


    The stakes were just higher in this case. It helped to shake off her lingering dislike for the subject.


    To that end, she continued to cultivate the Playful Muse¡¯s Rapport art. Its lessons on presentation would be helpful for her upcoming mission, and refining her speech couldn¡¯t hurt. Similarly, she had always intended to continue cultivating the Songseeker¡¯s Ceremony cultivation art when her cultivation had advanced, but now, she had even more reason.


    Sitting on a high cliff, meditating upon her cultivation art, Ling Qi could not help but feel a tiny bit of dissatisfaction. She had not ventured out on her own in awhile. She wasn¡¯t seeking songs. Her schedule was too rigid, the needs of Sect and duty, friends and family, used what free time she had.


    Of course, she had quite a trip planned, didn¡¯t she? She had plans with both Zhengui and Hanyi coming up. And she had something of an idea, a song that needed writing, for the lost and the hurt and not-quite friends.


    One way or another, Ling Qi had a feeling that things were going to be changing. It felt like standing on the precipice of a high tower under the moon without the wind to catch her.


    ***?


    ¡°So, those are the relations between the common visible colors and what they represent. There¡¯s more complicated stuff once you jump off the normal visible spectrum and get into spiritual colors, but you should probably master the easy part first. Any questions?¡± Sixiang clapped their hands to punctuate the sentence.


    Sixiang ¡°sat¡± on a fallen log, silhouette shimmering under the dappled sunlight. The muse spirit was getting better at projecting images and maintaining them, but a proper manifestation was too tiring still.


    Ling Qi leaned back, resting her hands on the warm stone beneath her. She did like this look for the muse. With wider shoulders and a less effeminate face and a little more muscle on their chest, visible through the open robe of shimmering colors, Ling Qi thought that Sixiang was taking quite a few cues from Lin Hai. Sixiang was clearly having fun, going by the number of times the cut and shape of their clothing had changed since the start of the lesson.


    Unfortunately, she wasn¡¯t sure if that fun was being shared. Zhengui lay belly down on the grass beside her, shrunk to only a couple meters long. Zhen had been bobbing his head in time with Sixiang¡¯s speech, and Gui¡¯s gaze had only occasionally wandered to the pile of fresh fruit she had ordered delivered for their lunch. However, despite Zhengui listening intently, she got the distinct sense that his heart wasn¡¯t entirely in it.


    His words confirmed it. ¡°Is it really okay for Gui to distract Big Sis like this? Gui is not a baby who will get mad if Sister needs to do other things.¡±


    Ling Qi shared a look with Sixiang before looking back to Zhengui. ¡°Zhengui, we planned this out ages ago. I don¡¯t have anything else I need to be doing right now." Well, observing Sixiang¡¯s speaking was technically part of cultivating her Playful Muse¡¯s Rapport art, but that was just being efficient.


    ¡°I, Zhen, think that simple Gui is not speaking well,¡± Zhen hissed. ¡°Should Sister and I not be training? War is at the Sect.¡±


    Zhengui had done well, more than that really, in the last mission. He had done everything that she could have expected of him, and she had thought he was satisfied with his performance.


    ¡°Do you really think being stronger would have helped much back there?¡± Sixiang asked, resting their chin on their hands. ¡°Realistically stronger, I mean.¡±


    Zhen flicked his tongue irritably but didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°I think focusing wholly on fighting is a mistake,¡± Ling Qi said, having taken the chance to assemble her thoughts. ¡°I was helping Mother with her cultivation earlier today. She¡¯s not going to be able to fight though. Does that make that a mistake, Zhengui?¡±


    Outside of some extreme circumstances, Ling Qingge was never going to have the temperament for combat. But Ling Qi didn¡¯t resent spending time with her in the garden, working through the simple physical exercises of her chosen cultivation art, even if Ling Qi had mastered the thing in a few days. Mother was advancing slowly, but she was advancing, and Ling Qi thought she might reach gold physique by the end of the year, securing her from the sort of illnesses that could take mortals.


    ¡°Gui doesn¡¯t think so,¡± her little brother said after a moment. ¡°Is playing around really okay?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think of it as playing around. Think of it as taking care of yourself,¡± Sixiang said. ¡°If all you do is fight, then what are you going to do when the enemies are gone? There has to be more to you than violence.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Ling Qi said, twisting a strand of her hair between her fingers. She didn¡¯t think she would much care to live that way. Her memory wandered back to the court and the woman she had seen at the foot of Shenhua¡¯s throne with eyes as sharp as a blade. That was what someone who had nothing but violence looked like. She didn¡¯t think she wanted to ever see that in the mirror.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, Zhengui, any questions about what Sixiang actually said?¡± she asked, leaning over to pat him on the shell.


    ¡°Um, Gui does not see all of the colors, but Zhen does, so it should be fine,¡± he responded, leaning into her touch.


    ¡°Hmph, I, Zhen have understood the lesson,¡± he said haughtily. Ling Qi saw the slight hopeful tilt of his head though.


    Ling Qi flicked him a beast core. He snapped it out of the air with a happy hiss.


    ¡°Well, in that case, we should probably move on.¡± Sixiang chuckled as Gui gave Ling Qi a pleading look. She flicked him a core too. ¡°Next thing we need to talk about is the theme.¡±


    ¡°Theme?¡± Zhen asked. ¡°Like Sister¡¯s songs?¡±


    Sixiang nodded. ¡°Right. Song or painting or poem, you gotta think about what you''re trying to say with your project. It¡¯s fine to be spontaneous in execution, great even, but you have to have a vision, a goal in mind, or you''re just gonna end up with a mess.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Gui was just trying to make something pretty before, but that isn¡¯t right,¡± Gui muttered.


    ¡°You have to be a little more specific than that,¡± Ling Qi said wryly.


    ¡°So, what do you want your art to say?¡± Sixiang asked, leaning forward.


    Ling Qi followed up. ¡°What do you want people who see our garden to feel?¡±


    Surprisingly, it was Zhen who answered her question.


    ¡°It should be a bright place where bad things burn away. No one appreciates pretty things when they are afraid,¡± Zhen said.


    ¡°I think we both know some people who would disagree,¡± Sixiang said, amused, leaning back on the rock.


    ¡°Gui thinks Zhen isn¡¯t wrong. Zhen and Gui are not them,¡± Gui replied. ¡°Even if a garden isn¡¯t safe, it should be bright.¡±


    Ling Qi let out a thoughtful hum. She wasn¡¯t typically one for brightness, but¡­ moonlight reflecting off ice, the first rays of dawn on a late winter morning, these things were not wholly outside of her repertoire.


    ¡°Hmph. The work of I, Zhen, should inspire awe, not fear,¡± his other half hissed.


    ¡°Zhen just likes flashy things,¡± Gui grumbled. ¡°Even if people are a little afraid, they still respect Gui.¡±


    Ling Qi cocked her head to the side as they bickered. What were they talking about? She recalled then a little statuette in the garden shrine and offerings made at a village in the mountains. ¡°Zhengui, have you still been receiving offerings?¡±


    ¡°Only a little,¡± said Gui.


    ¡°I, Zhen, feel their words sometimes,¡± Zhen agreed. ¡°It tickles.¡±


    Ling Qi just nodded, keeping an even expression. She glanced at Sixiang, who shrugged. It looked like there was another subject she needed to research.


    ¡°Leaving that aside, how do you feel about something themed on spring?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°You know, that early time when things are still a little wild, the rains are on, and the sun is out, but there¡¯s still frost on the ground and chill in the air.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s fingers twitched, itching for her flute. She had an idea for a song there.


    Zhen flicked his tongue thoughtfully, leaving streamers of steam in the moist fall air.


    ¡°Not fall and fading?¡± Gui asked. ¡°The leaves could be pretty¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think fading fits you, little brother,¡± Ling Qi said. The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea of the first sun of spring. She didn¡¯t want to be the winter that smothered warmth and growth in this project. She wanted to encourage him, and so it made much more sense for her to play winter¡¯s other role.


    ¡°I, Zhen, approve,¡± Zhen murmured. ¡°The garden should be like the sun¡¯s rays burning on the frosty ground.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably enough to start on,¡± Sixiang said, clapping their hands. ¡°So, we have a theme, but now, we need to think on how to translate that theme into the medium you¡¯re working with! That can be a really tricky part for any artist, and it¡¯ll probably take you a while. So, let¡¯s start hashing out some ideas!¡±


    Ling Qi leaned back on her seat as first, Gui, and then, Zhen, began speaking, spitting out ideas one after another. She thought this was going rather well.


    Over the course of the next week, they began to put some ideas into practice. Ling Qi took on the task of purchasing and organizing supplies while Zhengui worked on clearing a space for their project on his hill, devouring brush and uprooting scraggly trees to give them a clear canvas. Thankfully, even ordering a few expensive packets of seeds and gardening supplies was easily within her budget.


    With everything in place, Ling Qi took to composing her song, a melody of early spring, of rainstorms and warmth and blooming life. Together with Sixiang, she spun her mist into a canvas reflecting the dream of what they hoped to achieve, a garden of blooming flowers and trees touched by frost. Mist would hang in the air, and gentle rain would fall, refracting light into a prism of colors.


    There was something nice about working alongside Zhengui on this, digging into the earth with a trowel, working with Zhengui to stimulate the growth of the plants, and designing the layout together. This all combined to put stress and grief and worry out of her head, if only for a few hours each day. And in those few hours, she spoke to Zhengui more than she ever had before.


    It wasn¡¯t about anything serious, and there were no great revelations. They just talked and worked, and it felt good. She couldn¡¯t help but feel a touch of the excitement Zhengui felt when they finally broke ground and started to put their plans into practice.


    ***


    Days later, Ling Qi plucked crumbling grains of baked mud from her hair and looked upon what they had wrought.


    The whole hill was not on fire at least. The mudslide had extinguished most of it.


    ¡°I told dumb Zhen that he was making too much rain!¡± Gui groaned, stomping his feet.


    Between her and Zhen, making localized weather phenomena wasn¡¯t hard. Not a combat useful trick, but Ling Qi filed it away anyway.


    ¡°And I, Zhen, told foolish Gui that the Dawn Azaleas and Rimegrass did not have deep enough roots!¡± Zhen blustered.


    ¡°They would not have needed deeper roots if Zhen¡¯s floaty fires had not made Sister¡¯s clouds spit lightning!¡± Gui shouted, craning his neck to glare up at his other half.


    ¡°It was my mistake for drawing in too much of the surrounding moisture,¡± Ling Qi interjected. There was a puff of air as her gown rippled, expelling mud, dry and otherwise.


    ¡°Eh?! No, Gui should have figured out that the dirt was too thin and crumbly,¡± Gui backpedaled.


    ¡°I, Zhen, should have adjusted to match Big Sister,¡± Zhen concurred.


    Ling Qi huffed. ¡°Quit that. We all made mistakes. There¡¯s no need to try and absolve me of blame too.¡±


    ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I¡¯ve seen worse first drafts,¡± Sixiang said, their face appearing in the flickering flames. ¡°I think you guys were on to something interesting there!¡±


    ¡°But it still ended in a mess again,¡± Gui said glumly.


    ¡°I had fun though,¡± Ling Qi said. Composing songs for Cai Renxiang¡¯s parties had always felt perfunctory. Composing her own songs was more enjoyable but ultimately, just idle fancy. This was more like cultivating. They had a concrete goal to work toward, things they could improve on, and visible progress had been made.


    Yes, Ling Qi thought, she really had enjoyed this.


    ¡°... but it was a waste of time,¡± Zhen said, deflated of his usual haughtiness.


    ¡°You don¡¯t give up on a technique just because you fumbled the first try.¡± Ling Qi smiled, reaching up to pat his drooping head. ¡°We learned plenty from this attempt, and that means we can do the next one better.¡±


    ¡°It was kind of fun,¡± Gui mumbled, scraping his foot against the ground. ¡°I liked planting flowers for Sister to sing to.¡±


    ¡°Making rainy clouds with Sister is challenging. A task worthy of I, Zhen,¡± the serpent huffed.


    Ling Qi hummed in agreement. She spent so much time on combat cultivation, but it had been fun to play with effects like this. It had even been fun, in its way, to get her hands dirty with a trowel. She understood why even an elder like Ying could enjoy a hobby like this.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad we did this.¡± Ling Qi had, for a long time, just accepted that she and Zhengui were not going to match. However, rather than stressing over those things, maybe she should have been seeking ways that they could interact all along. ¡°I¡¯ll be looking forward to next time.¡±


    ¡°When will that be?¡± Gui asked.


    Ling Qi grimaced. Since they were going on a journey soon, it was hard to imagine they would have time.


    Sixiang whispered in her head.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to see what we can do. We¡¯ll definitely make a try when we can get back to the Sect,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Zhengui agreed enthusiastically.


    Ling Qi nodded in satisfaction, then clapped her hands. ¡°Let¡¯s get this mess cleaned up.¡±


    Zhengui was less enthusiastic about that.

 Threads 137 Preparations 2

    Ling Qi had not been idle on other tasks while working on the garden. Each morning, she would either attend sparring with Wang Chao and his group or perform some private cultivation, further refining her new combat arts.


    Starless Night¡¯s Reflection continued to come easy to her, and she soon ironed out inefficiencies in the techniques, and prepared to begin working toward the art¡¯s capstone technique. She still had some ways to go, but she was confident that she would soon have the art mastered.


    Beast King¡¯s Savage Dirge, on the other hand, was a more daunting art. There was much more to it, more techniques, more little twists to master. She refined its first two techniques further and began to work on its next technique, the Wolf God''s Cunning. There was no spectacular growth, just a simple polishing and deepened understanding of the art¡¯s fundamentals.


    In the evenings, she checked in with Hanyi. It was hard to talk to her because Hanyi didn''t want to talk. She was being willful again, refusing to engage with Ling Qi when Ling Qi had tried to broach the subject of Hanyi¡¯s battle performance. Instead, Hanyi focusing an almost manic energy on preparing for her performance. Sixiang thought the winter spirit needed space to work out frustrations, so Ling Qi had backed off. The last thing Hanyi needed was Ling Qi¡¯s smothering. So she had elected to finish some other tasks.


    Ling Qi shifted uncomfortably in her seat at the archive. Across from her sat Bian Ya and Ruan Shen, who were being incredibly inappropriate.


    Ling Qi averted her eyes as the older girl sighed in content, letting her head rest on Ruan Shen¡¯s shoulder, mussing her carefully braided hair. Their hands were intertwined atop the arm of the archive chair.


    Ling Qi coughed awkwardly into her hand. ¡°Congratulations on your betrothal.¡±


    Ruan Shen smiled at her, a teasing twinkle in his eye. ¡°It just seemed like the time to stop dragging my feet.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, it took you long enough,¡± Bian Ya said primly. ¡°I had cleared this courtship with my parents ages ago.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sorry.¡± Ruan Shen held up his hands. ¡°I¡¯ll be more diligent from now on.¡±


    ¡°I will hold you to that,¡± Bian Ya said, not bothering to lift her head or open her eyes.


    Was she really fine being like this in public?


    Sixiang complained.


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyebrows twitched. How was it that the gutter-girl had a stronger sense of propriety than the nobles?


    ¡°So, what was it you wished to ask, Junior Sister?¡± Bian Ya asked.


    ¡°I want to modify an art, and it¡¯s my first modification. Have you heard of the Harmony of the Dancing Wind art?¡±


    ¡°Mm. That is a funny little art,¡± Bian Ya mused, cracking an eye open. ¡°A bit awkward in execution. It¡¯s a good choice for your first modification.¡±


    ¡°I thought so too,¡± Ling Qi said, fixing her gaze a few centimeters above their heads. ¡°Would you be willing to provide some advice?¡±


    ¡°Well, you did help keep this wonderful pillow intact,¡± Bian Ya said lightly. ¡°What is it you wish to change?¡±


    ¡°I want to remove the active element,¡± Ling Qi said, after considering for a moment. ¡°The effects I find most useful are the extension of my perceptions. I want to make that two-way. The rest of the art is something I¡¯m willing to discard; I have better arts for those purposes.¡±


    Harmony of the Dancing Wind had been a useful stopgap when she had lacked social arts entirely, but now, between Playful Muse¡¯s Rapport and Moonless Saboteur''s Smile, she had better options.


    Bian Ya raised her head from Ruan Shen¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I understand why you wished to speak with me on this matter.¡±


    ¡°Senior Sister is the best expert I know,¡± Ling Qi said humbly.


    Bian Ya snorted at the flattery. ¡°Perhaps in a year or two when you¡¯ve expanded your circle of acquaintances, that might even be flattering.¡±


    ¡°Give her a break. Junior Sister Ling has been trying pretty hard of late,¡± Ruan Shen teased.


    Ling Qi just crossed her arms and huffed at them. At least they had stopped¡­ cuddling.


    ¡°It¡¯s not too difficult a task,¡± Bian Ya admitted. ¡°I would normally suggest removing the musical element to achieve what you¡¯re looking for, but your focus makes that a poor choice.¡±


    ¡°You still practicing that art you were looking at before?¡± Ruan Shen asked, leaning back in his chair.


    Ling Qi nodded. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s proved pretty useful.¡±


    ¡°You can probably use Winter¡¯s Hearth Resounding as a model then to convert the Harmony of the Dancing Wind into a secondary background effect,¡± Ruan Shen suggested.


    Bian Ya shot him an unamused look. ¡°I believe I was the one being asked for advice?¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Ruan Shen apologized with a playful smirk.


    ¡°In any case, I would suggest leaning into your command of the wind,¡± Bian Ya said. ¡°It is an element of transmission, the medium through which light and sound alike must travel. For this art, I would suggest focusing on sound. Attempting to add visual elements would simply snarl the qi flows.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded slowly. ¡°I see. I would probably need to shift the art¡¯s heart meridians to head meridians.¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Bian Ya disagreed. Ling Qi felt the wind in the room shift, and then, fluttering lightness and energy. When she heard Bian Ya¡¯s voice again, it whispered directly in her ear without the girl¡¯s lips moving. ¡°It can be of use to provide some bolstering effect to those you are in communication with.¡±


    ¡°Of course, that¡¯ll cost you in other areas,¡± Ruan Shen said.


    ¡°The Harmony of the Dancing Wind is unsuited to long range communication.¡± Bian Ya gave Ruan Shen a quelling look. ¡°I do not believe it can be adjusted past the battlefield coordination level. As communications are not your specialty, for your purposes, that level should be enough.¡±


    Fair enough. If she went all in on the communications aspect, Ling Qi probably could squeeze more range out of the technique, but she wasn¡¯t sure how useful that would be given her usual battlefield role. ¡°Alright, thank you for your advice, Senior Sister. Do you think you could assist when I go to make the adjustments?¡±


    ¡°I can certainly observe,¡± Bian Ya agreed. ¡°And I can warn you if it seems that you are in danger of breaking the art.¡±


    ¡°That is all I ask,¡± Ling Qi replied. She knew the process was too personalized for anything more.


    ***


    The alteration of the Harmony of the Dancing Wind art took place over several days, spread out in six hour sessions during which Ling Qi had Bian Ya¡¯s assistance.


    Altering an art was a meticulous task. It was not something she had thought of while cultivating, but an art was an extremely delicate and complex framework of qi, and each and every twist and slight variation in the flows could have cascading effects on the rest. This was a problem considering that modification was done while the art was equipped, and something going wrong could mean blowing out some of her meridians. However, Ling Qi had her advantages.


    ¡°You need to lower the frequency of the emanation in the fourth ear channel,¡± Bian Ya said clinically. She touched a finger to the pale green vein of pulsing light. ¡°Here, I think. Just a small adjustment of two pulses per cycle.¡±


    Ling Qi grunted an agreement, keeping a tight hold on her internal energies. She sat upon a meditation mat, and Bian Ya stood before her, observing the glowing tangle of lights that represented the structure of Ling Qi¡¯s channels. Sixiang had been very helpful in generating the model.


    Letting out a breath through her nose, Ling Qi made the adjustment to the qi structure in her newest head meridian. She immediately felt the mounting pressure in her right temple release as the flows smoothed and ceased struggling to go wild.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s the last one,¡± Sixiang chirped cheerfully. On her shoulder, the image of the muse in miniature kicked their bare feet cheerfully. ¡°I¡¯m not feeling any more irregularities.¡±


    Bian Ya circled the floating meridian model. ¡°No outstanding issues, but you require further efficiency. The flows are rough, and you are wasting qi.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, rolling her shoulders. ¡°That¡¯s just normal art cultivation though.¡±


    ¡°Exactly so,¡± Bian Ya said with a smile. ¡°You have done good work, Junior Sister.¡±


    Ling Qi was just glad to have completed the project. While it hadn¡¯t taken long, it had been very uncomfortable. Her head still ached from what she had put it through.


    ¡°It¡¯ll get easier, I think. Your head hurts cause there¡¯s still so much mortal-y stuff in there interfering with things,¡± Sixiang said brightly. ¡°Course, later you¡¯ll have to be careful not to alter yourself too much in the process when the mortal bits aren¡¯t holding things in place.¡±


    ¡°Not how I would describe matters, but not wrong,¡± Bian Ya mused as the model faded away. ¡°But, Junior Sister, I am curious about one thing.¡±


    ¡°What is that, Senior Sister?¡± Ling Qi stood, rubbing her temple. They were in her living room, and the hearth had burned down. She should probably start it back up. It would be polite to offer Bian Ya some tea or something for her help.


    ¡°The South Wind Blows Unerring technique, why did you choose it?¡± Bian Ya asked. ¡°I am aware of the task you have been assigned by the Duchess, but surely, you can expect to be provided with talismans which will deal with the issue of translation.¡±


    Ling Qi paused. It had occurred to her. She had worn Liao Zhu¡¯s translation ring when spying on the shishigui underground after all. ¡°I don¡¯t think I would be satisfied, relying on a tool,¡± she explained. ¡°The Duchess gave me the task. If a talisman is doing the work, then anyone could do it.¡±


    ¡°I suppose I can see your logic,¡± Bian Ya said dubiously. She graciously followed Ling Qi out to the dining room as they spoke. ¡°But I cannot help but find it suspect.¡±


    ¡°Mm, yeah, that doesn¡¯t feel quite right,¡± the miniature Sixiang murmured, resting their chin on a fist.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to articulate. But this task is going to be all about understanding strange people. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll succeed if I¡¯m relying entirely on a talisman.¡±


    It felt lazy like she wasn¡¯t really taking things seriously. That felt disrespectful given¡­ everything.


    ¡°I think I understand.¡± Bian Ya gave her a thoughtful look. ¡°Let me wish you luck on your journey.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much, Senior Sister,¡± Ling Qi said, offering a short bow. ¡°Would you care for some refreshments before you go?¡±


    There was just one more thing she had to see to before she could focus on Hanyi¡¯s recital.


    Ling Qi thought.


    the muse sent back silently, their voice subdued.


    ***


    The melody¡¯s theme was regret.


    Ringing softly over the mist-shrouded hills, the nameless melody Ling Qi had composed echoed between the stone plinths half-hidden in the morning fog. The air quavered with the sound, and the Mist twisted into the whispers of human shapes. The phantoms of fog fought, danced, gestured, and spoke wordless whispers.


    And in time, each one faded.


    Here, in the field of gravestones representing the Sect¡¯s dead, Ling Qi played her song as a stick of rich incense burned down on the small altar before her.


    There were no bodies here, but the dead had to be respected all the same. Ling Qi had spent much time earlier, wandering the older stones which filled the hills, and the mist never lifted, even when she was long gone.


    Ling Qi wore pure white today, the color bled from her gown. An unobservant watcher might think her a ghost.


    It was important, Ling Qi thought, as she reached the refrain, fingers dancing across the length of her flute. It was important to be here, even if she wasn¡¯t really grieving.


    ¡°You¡¯re being way too unreasonable with yourself,¡± Sixiang sighed, even as the wind stirred around her, the faint sound of a bow being drawn across strings serving as an accompaniment.


    Ling Qi disagreed. Grief was a much stronger emotion. Claiming what she felt as grief was disrespectful. She was sad, certainly, but that wasn¡¯t the same. Regret was the right word.


    ¡°You can be obnoxiously stubborn,¡± Sixiang grumbled.


    Ling Qi played, and the incense burned down. The faint flickering light gleamed in the grooves that carved out a familiar name.


    She had contemplated death before. When she had dealt it out to her enemies and risked it herself, she had found her peace. It wasn¡¯t the first time someone she had known had died. Zeqing had been her teacher, after all, much closer than a mere acquaintance. However, Zeqing¡¯s death had been by her own hand, her own choice. It was different.


    Then again, perhaps that was unfair to Shen Hu. By all accounts, he had known what choice he was making, being the last to retreat.


    The last melancholic notes of the melody echoed out, and Ling Qi let her eyes drift open. Around her, the phantoms in the mist shaped by her song faded away, sinking back to earth. Yes, even if she didn¡¯t grieve herself, she understood that others did. Each of these stones marked a memory, a discordant absence in a well-played meter.


    She had no responsibilities or obligations to any of them, not even Shen Hu, but a dissatisfied feeling churned in her stomach. Ling Qi could not help but wonder if something like this was what drove Cai Renxiang¡¯s ideals.


    Only one of these deaths had affected her, and even then, not heavily. However, when she looked upon these newly planted stones¡­ In the future, more people were going to die. This field was going to grow. But it would be good if it grew less. If fewer people had to grieve here. If less connections were snapped by loss.


    So she was going to have to work hard and do her utmost to make sure that her mission succeeded.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got this. You¡¯re the girl who got three Moon Aspects to share. What¡¯s convincing some humans to play nice?¡± Sixiang asked.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Ling Qi whispered.


    She cast one last look at the gravestone. The incense had burned down, only an offering, a little cup of pale cider that she knew Shen Hu had enjoyed, remained. Ling Qi crouched and poured the libation out.


    She wouldn¡¯t be back. By the time she returned, Shen Hu¡¯s remains, and his shrine, would be with his family. All that would remain would be a name carved on the memorial stone.


    ¡°Heeeey! Big Sis! C¡¯mon, it¡¯s time! You said you would listen to me practice!¡± Hanyi¡¯s voice rang out of the mist.


    Ling Qi smiled wryly. She should get going before Hanyi did something disrespectful.

 Threads 138-Concert 1

    On a high mountain peak, a soft wind blew, whispering through glittering teeth of hanging ice. Below slept a valley under cover of snow, blanketed in purest white.


    Peace, whispered the wind, stirring snow as light as powder. Crystals of ice danced in the air, tracing fanciful shapes to the tune of the groaning ice that capped the valley stream. On worn and weathered bark glittered frost and clear ice, gleaming elegantly under the moon.


    And lo, there was winter¡¯s maiden, dark hair stark among the pale snow. Her voice was the tinkling of bells and the song of the winter wind. Amid the swirling snow she danced, her voice raised in song, soft and light as the winter breeze blowing amongst the boughs.


    Under the moon, the frozen river was her stage. Delicate feet danced soundlessly upon groaning ice, and the maiden twirled, her soft voicing echoing like the ringing of bells from ice laden boughs. Ice clad trunks swayed in the cold winter wind as the maiden danced among phantoms of blowing snow.


    Peace, whispered the wind, and all the land was quiet, save the maiden¡¯s song.


    Ling Qi clapped politely as Hanyi¡¯s song wound down, and the phantom of a peaceful winter night faded from her thoughts. With how much time Hanyi had spent practicing in this grove, one could hardly tell that it wasn¡¯t the dead of winter in truth. Frost dusted the withered grass, and gleaming icicles hung from branches which still held leaves, glistening and frozen. Hanyi stood atop a crude stage formed of a frozen tree stump, flowers of pale blue ice blooming around her feet.


    ¡°So, what do you think?¡± Hanyi asked brightly, hopping down from her stump. ¡°I don¡¯t think the last verse is really ready yet, but the rest was good, right?¡±


    ¡°It was beautiful, Hanyi,¡± Ling Qi said. Hanyi was not quite as good as her on pure technical skill, but she could feel that Hanyi had been putting her all into the song. ¡°I¡¯m surprised at your theme though.¡±


    Something so bright and whimsical seemed an odd thing to make for Hanyi¡¯s main piece.


    Hanyi twisted a strand of her hair between her fingers. ¡°Well, there¡¯s no point in just copying. Yours and Momma¡¯s songs are always so¡­¡± Hanyi trailed off uncomfortably.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Hanyi,¡± Ling Qi said hastily. ¡°I think Zeqing would be happy that you¡¯re branching out. It¡¯s just not the way I¡¯m used to thinking of things. Like I said, your song was very pretty.¡±


    ¡°I get it. But, winter is really pretty. It¡¯s not all gloomy stuff. It¡¯s fields of white, glittering as far as you can see. It¡¯s sledding down the cliffs and listening to the wind and the snow blowing through the ravines,¡± Hanyi said quietly. ¡°It¡¯s home. I want people to know how nice it is.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, stepping forward to rest her hand on Hanyi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s a great inspiration even,¡± she said encouragingly.


    ¡°You miss it though, huh?¡± Sixiang murmured. Their face was reflected in the hanging sheets of ice. ¡°Hopping up to the mountaintops just isn¡¯t the same?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not ¡®cause Sis¡¯ home is down here. Everything down here is just so noisy with the bugs and the birds and the people. And it¡¯s always so hot. I just miss Momma¡¯s peak sometimes,¡± Hanyi huffed. ¡°I want to make a song about how nice the cold can be.¡±


    Ling Qi supposed that perspective could really change even the most fundamental meanings. ¡°So that¡¯s what was bothering you,¡± she mused. ¡°And here I was worrying that you were worried about the battle and your wound.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Hanyi asked, blinking. ¡°It was scary, but it¡¯s done now. Why would I worry about that?¡±


    Sixiang snickered, and Ling Qi sighed.


    Hanyi shifted from foot to foot, not quite meeting her eyes. ¡°I mean, I know I have to help you out, Sis, but fighting kinda sucks. If food can fight back, that¡¯s no fun at all.¡±


    Ling Qi gave Hanyi a searching look and found that there really was no deception in Hanyi¡¯s words. Her thoughts on battle were really that simple. It reminded her that despite her appearance, Hanyi really was a spirit. She really didn¡¯t think anything of battle and death, except that she didn¡¯t like getting hurt.


    ¡°I guess not,¡± Ling Qi said wryly. ¡°You¡¯re not much of a hunter, huh?¡±


    ¡°Well, duh,¡± Hanyi scoffed. ¡°A real lady shouldn¡¯t have to traipse around and pick fights like that.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s lips quivered, and Hanyi¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°Not that Sis isn¡¯t a lady!¡± Hanyi defended quickly. ¡°You''re super cool and elegant! It¡¯s okay for people to have weird hobbies!¡±


    ¡°I dunno. I think you kind of have a double standard there. And elegant? This dork?¡± Sixiang mocked.


    Ling Qi swatted away the wisp of wind that poked her in the side.


    ¡°You take that back,¡± Hanyi pouted, glaring up at the ice that reflected Sixiang¡¯s visage. ¡°Sis is totally elegant when she tries!¡±


    Somehow, Ling Qi was really feeling attacked here.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Hanyi,¡± she repeated before Sixiang could goad her again. ¡°Anyway, you were just worried about your song?¡±


    Hanyi nodded reluctantly. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s nothing like what Momma or you perform, so I was nervous. And, um¡­¡±


    ¡°And what?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°I want to try some stuff other than singing. Not now, obviously. It¡¯s way too late to start something new, but after this, I want to try out some instruments and stuff.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed to herself. ¡°You know that we¡¯re going on a journey soon. There probably won¡¯t be time to shop around for talismans.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Hanyi rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not dumb. But I¡¯ve been studying! You can get mortal practice stuff super cheap, and I should get at least a little bit of money after this recital, right?¡±


    ¡°I suppose so,¡± Ling Qi allowed. ¡°But when we¡¯re traveling, we¡¯ll have to be careful, alright? No practicing with noisy things if I¡¯m not around to damp the sound.¡±


    Sixiang fake coughed, concealing a word that sounded like it started with a ¡°M.¡± Ling Qi ignored them.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be good,¡± Hanyi said. ¡°But, anyway! For the last verse, I wanted your advice, Big Sis, since I¡¯m stuck. I wanna clean up the rest too. Can you and Sixiang help?¡±


    Ling Qi shared a considering look with the muse before flicking her gaze downward, indicating that she would let Sixiang take the lead on assisting Hanyi. When it came to technical skill, Hanyi wasn¡¯t far behind her, especially when it came to singing, rather than Ling Qi¡¯s preferred instrument.


    Besides, Hanyi was trying to differentiate herself from Zeqing. Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure her advice would be the best way to achieve that. Not that she intended to go anywhere; she had promised Hanyi help with her composition, and she wasn¡¯t going to break a promise to her teacher¡¯s daughter.


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll help, squirt!¡± Sixiang announced. ¡°Just want to clear something up first. The girl in the song isn¡¯t meant to be you, right?¡±


    ¡°Tch. Obviously not,¡± Hanyi scoffed. ¡°She¡¯s supposed to represent, like, the mystique of winter and stuff. You can¡¯t make a song about yourself until you have something to brag about.¡±


    ¡°Naturally,¡± Ling Qi said, covering her smile with her sleeve. It looked like Hanyi was at least a little self-aware.


    ¡°Right, just figured I would make sure.¡± The rays from the sunset refracting from the hanging icicles shimmered, forming the muse¡¯s silhouette as they took on a lecturing pose. ¡°So, the main problem I see so far is that the song is kind of directionless. It¡¯s pretty and all, but it doesn¡¯t feel like it¡¯s about much.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be about the first deep snow of the season,¡± Hanyi rebutted. ¡°And how cool and pretty and peaceful it is right after the snow settles.¡±


    Sixiang nodded agreeably. ¡°Mhm, in that case, I think you¡¯re missing something by starting the song after everything is settled. You might want to work on the beginning of the song. A song isn¡¯t like a book, but you still need something of an arc to help keep your listeners¡¯ attention.¡±


    ¡°I guess so,¡± Hanyi said slowly, looking back and forth between Ling Qi and Sixiang. ¡°What do you think, Sis?¡±


    ¡°I think a good song can¡¯t be the same intensity all the way through,¡± Ling Qi mused.


    ¡°Buildup and payoff,¡± Sixiang agreed. ¡°Then we can figure out the wrap up. If the song¡¯s about a winter morning, what do you want to try and say with that?¡±


    Hanyi blinked, cocking her head to the side cutely. It made Ling Qi want to ruffle her hair. ¡°Huh? I want to say that the morning is pretty and quiet.¡±


    Sixiang pursed their lips. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ fine. I mean, what feeling are you trying to evoke in the audience?¡±


    Ling Qi laughed under her breath as she found a seat on a fallen trunk. Hanyi swiftly took a seat beside her. They were probably going to be here for a while yet.


    But if this was what it took to make sure Hanyi¡¯s first performance was a success, she would stay right up until the day of the concert if she had to.

 Threads 139-Concert 2

    Thankfully, it hadn¡¯t come to that. Hanyi was pretty quick when she was trying, and Sixiang was naturally good at teaching. Ling Qi was looking forward to seeing the finalized performance tonight.


    Sixiang thought.


    Ling Qi thought back.


    The venue Bao Qian had secured was in a town a few hours to the north of the Sect. She had taken a carriage, separately from Bao Qian, of course. Bao Qian hadn¡¯t been so bold as to suggest that she join him in his carriage unchaperoned.


    The performance hall lay in the center of the town past the innermost walls. The hall mostly hosted performances from journeyman musicians, common cultivators seeking patronage, and minor nobility seeking to make a name for themselves outside of their parents¡¯ courts.


    The baron of this town was an eighth generation cultivator with an ear for the arts. Due to Bao Qian being friends with said baron¡¯s son, he had pulled a string or two, calling in a favor to allow Hanyi to perform at the location.


    The hall itself was a brightly painted building that, including its surrounding grounds, took up half of a city block on its own. Brightly lit paper lanterns hung from the eaves, lighting the street as the sun continued to sink below the horizon. Its peaked roof rose three stories into the sky.


    Ling Qi stood inside, gazing out of a window on the second floor. Hanyi was in the room behind her, probably making trouble for the young ladies who had been assigned to help her get ready for the stage. Ling Qi didn¡¯t particularly envy them. Zhengui was napping, and she didn¡¯t plan to wake him up before the actual performance.


    The door at the end of the hall opened.


    ¡°Sir Bao.¡± Ling Qi turned, offering a bow.


    Bao Qian was dressed in more formal robes today, colored in dark greens and earth tones, with only a glittering belt of jewels to show off his clan allegiance.


    She had opted to follow his lead. Her gown was black with the innermost layer a dark purple. The only ornaments were a few embroidered flower petals around the hems. Rather than a cloak, a gauzy, pale blue pibo scarf floated around her shoulders, supported by the wind. She¡¯d even resigned herself to doing up her hair a little, showing off the silvery glint of her new ear studs.


    ¡°Miss Ling,¡± he greeted back with a bow of his own. ¡°How is our performer?¡±


    ¡°Excited,¡± Ling Qi said absently, listening with half an ear to the sounds coming from the room. ¡°Although she doesn¡¯t much like applying cosmetics, it seems.¡±


    ¡°Understandable.¡± Bao Qian stopped a few respectful paces away. ¡°Still, I hope she has prepared well. We have a surprising number of guests.¡±


    Ling Qi knew Bai Meizhen and Bao Qingling were going to be here, and she had extended an invitation to Suyin and Renxiang too, even if both girls had turned out to be too busy to attend. She had even wheedled Wang Chao and a few others from the sparring gatherings into coming just to boost the event.


    ¡°I am a little surprised we even managed to still have the event,¡± Ling Qi commented.


    ¡°With the events in the south, you mean?¡± Bao Qian asked, leaning against the wall a few steps away from her. ¡°People of the Empire cannot be so easily spooked.¡±


    Ling Qi noted the wryness in his tone. She knew what he actually meant. It was a matter of face. Everything was fine. It was handled. Just a little scuffle in the mountains. Yet, for all that, Ling Qi had not missed how many soldiers were on the walls of the town nor the new bolt and net throwers being installed on the towers. Even the hum of qi under the paving stones spoke of furious maintenance and readiness. Despite the face being put forward, Emerald Seas hadn¡¯t forgotten the lessons from the last incursion.


    ¡°And what do you think of news from the capital?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°I think that it is good that our wise Duchess sought an end to conflict that would not harm our prosperity,¡± Bao Qian said formally. ¡°Why, it¡¯s almost as if she didn¡¯t have to battle the barbarians under Xiangmen at all. Merely¡ªhow did she put it?¡ªgo for a stroll. Perhaps have a chat.¡±


    Ling Qi gave him a sharp look, noting the humming of qi in the air, sealing their conversation. ¡°Yes, I was surprised. With what I saw under the earth, it did not seem like it should have been so easy, or at least, Xiangmen should have felt more of the Duchess¡¯ wrath.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Bao Qian said, ¡°some people are more reasonable than others.¡±


    Ling Qi looked at him, and he met her gaze evenly. Bao Qian was being remarkably candid in so openly implying what he was. Cai Renxiang suspected that the Bao knew something, but¡­


    Perhaps they knew someone.


    It was a bitter pill to swallow, and it stirred memories of misty graves, stoking an ember of anger. However, could she really say anything given her own mission?


    ¡°I certainly hope that you are right.¡±


    ¡°I certainly hope I am as well,¡± Bao Qian said. ¡°It can only take a few unreasonable people in the wrong places to ruin things for everyone.¡±


    ¡°I will have to hope I can speak to... reasonable people then,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°Did you ever investigate that matter we spoke of regarding the Bao and the Luo?¡± Bao Qian asked.


    Ling Qi blinked at the change in subject. ¡°I haven¡¯t had much time,¡± she admitted. ¡°It was some kind of land swap that went sour, right?¡±


    ¡°Something like that. During the conflict with Ogodei, we sold them an iron mine and its surrounding infrastructure. The Luo needed it for armaments, and all we asked in return was a small payment and a swap of a defunct barony nearby. Of course, shortly thereafter, there was a fortuitous find in the swapped land. There was a vein of spirit stones deep in the earth in the defunct barony¡¯s land, and as for the iron mine, well, without Bao techniques, the vein would swiftly go dry. Terrible, but we could provide service¡ªfor a fee.¡±


    The Bao had tricked the Luo, Ling Qi thought, although she wasn¡¯t so rude as to say it. ¡°How unfortunate.¡±


    Bao Qian nodded along. ¡°Isn¡¯t it? Seeking the Law of Wealth in such a destructive way is so very tempting, but the costs always outweigh it in the end, or so I believe, even if it is your descendants that pay them. Much better to be a reasonable man and accept a little less now for far more later.¡±


    It seemed the Bao had their own internal conflicts and buried skeletons. ¡°I don¡¯t disagree.¡±


    ¡°That is enough philosophy though,¡± Bao Qian said cheerfully. ¡°I wanted to speak with you about our guests.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°Not a problem per se,¡± Bao Qian said evasively. ¡°Rather, do you know what Lady Meng Diu is doing here?¡±


    Ling Qi frowned. Who was that? It came to her a moment later, one face among many in that opulent court at Xiangmen. She had simply thought of her as ¡®the Meng representative,¡¯ although Cai Renxiang had drilled her on names. ¡°Perhaps she is just here for the performance.¡±


    Bao Qian shot her a dubious look. ¡°Ling Qi, below is an audience composed entirely of young men and women not beyond the third realm, drawn by our invitations and the novelty of the event, and in the rearmost seating, there is a fifth realm who is the younger sister of a sitting count.¡±


    Well, when he put it like that.


    Sixiang snorted in her head.


    That was¡­ probably good?


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure why she would be here,¡± Ling Qi said slowly. ¡°She did seem to approve of my arguments at court, but¡­¡±


    Bao Qian nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Regardless, as the hosts, we should be mingling with the guests.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. Of course. She had been quietly hoping Bao Qian would take care of that, and she could just chat with Meizhen until the performance started. Then after that, Hanyi would hopefully be the center of attention.


    ¡°If you would like, I can speak with Meng Diu,¡± Bao Qian offered. ¡°I do have more experience with such individuals.¡±


    ¡°No, she¡¯s likely here for me. I¡¯ll meet her,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°As you wish,¡± Bao Qian said, stroking his chin. ¡°I will put my time toward mingling with the guests who require less individual attention then.¡±


    ¡°Yes, please.¡± Ling Qi hoped that this meeting went well.

 Threads 140 Concert 3

    The area set for guests below the stage was an open floor with a high ceiling surrounded by balconies where more people could stand or sit as they liked. Staff carrying trays with refreshments moved quietly to and fro, providing for the guests. Given the size of the hall, the number of people attending did seem kind of small to Ling Qi. There were, at her count, less than fifty people, not including staff and bodyguards or personal servants.


    She saw Bai Meizhen, seated in one of the front rows with her hands held patiently in her lap. A handful of brave, if nervous-looking, young men and women seemed to be trying to engage her in conversation. Bao Qingling stood on one of the balconies above, leaning on the railing, putting off an unapproachable air.


    They might have arrived together, but it looked like they were avoiding being too obvious away from the Sect. Ling Qi felt a pang of annoyance on Meizhen¡¯s behalf, but that was just how things were.


    Continuing to scan the crowd, Ling Qi heard Wang Chao¡¯s braying laugh. At least he was having fun boasting about his military assignments to a gaggle of lesser nobles. Her lips quirked up when she heard him throwing in a comment praising her as well. Wang Chao was really unsubtle, but he was honest in his intentions at least.


    However, Ling Qi soon found what she was searching for. Seated in the rearmost of the seating against the back wall was an older woman whose bearing and aura stood out from the young baronial scions milling about. Meng Diu wore a many layered gown of pale green and blue silk, which left not an inch of skin below her chin uncovered. Wide, billowing sleeves embroidered with falling leaves that danced animatedly across the fabric concealed her hands, and whorls of stylized water currents shifted and flowed across the lower hems.


    Meng Diu¡¯s face looked much the same as it had in her visit to the court of Xiangmen. She wore heavy, stylized makeup that left her face nearly ghost white with a spot of crimson color on her lips and darker colors around her eyes. Her honey-brown hair was done up in an elaborate bun and looping braids that framed her face.


    Every time one of the other guests looked her way, their attention seemed to slide off of her. She tilted her head, meeting Ling Qi¡¯s eyes.


    Sixiang remarked.


    Ling Qi hummed in agreement, and murmuring a short farewell to Bao Qian as they split up, she began to work her way over toward the rear of the room. She smiled and greeted guests as she went, trying to remain welcoming while still advancing. Thankfully, she had gotten better at this because no one seemed offended when she left them behind.


    She had her suspicions about one particularly chatty boy whose eyes had seemed to go a little glassy before he excused himself. As she approached the rear of the room however, the interruptions lessened until at last no one seemed to notice her anymore.


    ¡°Lady Meng.¡± Ling Qi stopped a respectful distance away and offered a formal bow, hands clasped in front of her chest. ¡°I am honored that one such as you would choose to attend this small performance.¡±


    ¡°It is an unusual event,¡± Meng Diu replied, studying her. It was hard for Ling Qi to make out her eyes or expression. To her consternation, there seemed to be an odd, blurry filter over her eyes. ¡°Not many cultivators would see their honored companions perform for human amusement, even in these days.¡±


    Ah, there was the first thrust.


    ¡°I am afraid that Hanyi was insistent,¡± Ling Qi said, not raising her head. ¡°Due to her lineage, she is more human of mind than most. She wished to earn an allowance without straining this humble baroness¡¯ limited funds.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± asked Meng Diu. Up close, Ling Qi noticed there was a faint melody in the air which spoke of autumn evenings and the song of crickets in the woodlands. ¡°Unusual indeed. Do you intend to allow your spirit their own income? Many would look down upon you for this.¡±


    ¡°While I will check her expenses, which is my duty as her elder sister under my former teacher, Hanyi¡¯s earnings will be her own,¡± Ling Qi said evenly. On matters of family, she had no intention of bending.


    Meng Diu hummed noncommittally. ¡°Sit, young lady. I¡¯ll not strain my neck looking up at you.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked. The older woman¡¯s presence was large, a warm, buzzing hum that seemed to hang oppressively over them, but she only now realized that Meng Diu was not much taller than Li Suyin. ¡°Of course. Thank you, Lady Meng.¡± Taking her seat beside Meng Diu, Ling Qi considered her next words. ¡°If I may, Lady Meng, what are your thoughts on recent events?¡±


    ¡°Concern,¡± Meng Diu replied brusquely. Ling Qi couldn¡¯t tell if Lady Meng was turning her head to look at her or not. ¡°Many matters are moving quickly. When matters move quickly, many lives are lost, one way or the other.¡±


    Ling Qi took a moment to digest that, drumming her fingers nervously on the arm rests. ¡°Unfortunately, I believe the pacing may be out of our hands,¡± she said carefully.


    ¡°The wheel turns ever on,¡± Lady Meng said, and Ling Qi thought that was an agreement. Sixiang agreed with her assessment, which gave her some comfort. ¡°Yet, all the same, I find some agreement with my brother. Certain elements are accelerating that turning.¡±


    This time, Ling Qi was able to follow her gaze across the room to where Meizhen sat, chatting with a girl who seemed to have gotten over her aura.


    Ling Qi was quiet for some time, composing a reply in her head with the help of Sixiang. ¡°Bai Meizhen has, in my short time, ever been an ally. While I cannot speak for the past, I believe that the Bai are in their own way seeking to move forward. While there will be troubles, I am sure the alliance is in the interest of Emerald Seas.¡±


    ¡°I am certain you do.¡± Meng Diu¡¯s gaze remained fixed upon Meizhen. ¡°Yet, individuals aside, you know little of the Bai clan, I suspect.¡±


    ¡°I lack experience,¡± Ling Qi replied humbly. If nothing else, perhaps she could understand more the source of conflict. ¡°Would Lady Meng care to share an insight?¡±


    ¡°A small anecdote, perhaps,¡± Meng Diu mused. ¡°During the rampage of Ogodei, my grandfather reached out to the Bai in desperation, seeking to evacuate mortals and common cultivators from the flooding and raids. Our reply was silence.¡±


    Ling Qi waited for Meng Diu to continue.


    ¡°Matters grew worse. The flooding from the storms drove the spirits of the fens mad,¡± Meng Diu said. ¡°My uncle was sent north to beg for aid. There was none. The war worsened further. Our armies were confined to the cities, lest the barbarians slip behind our lines to sack them. People fled north. At the borders of the Thousand Lakes, they were greeted with spear points and bolts. The Bai slew any who dared pass the boundaries, no matter how desperate their plight. After the rampage, they demanded reparations for the trespass.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded faintly. ¡°That is cruel.¡±


    ¡°I am not unobjective,¡± Meng Diu said contemplatively. ¡°It was at least partly a matter of politics. The Hui were vehement about their sovereignty and would have used their connections to the Imperial Court to cause troubles if the Bai had sent us aid. Yet the Bai are mighty, are they not? Certainly, they were in those days before the rise of Sun Shao, but they were also arrogant and apathetic to our plight. When the situation was reversed and the folk of the Lakes flooded south from undefended settlements after the exodus, the Bai threatened us for the return of their people, and the Hui ordered the border closed.¡± She sneered. ¡°Ten thousand years of this, and I am to believe that they have changed now?¡±


    Sixiang winced.


    Ling Qi took another long moment to organize her thoughts. ¡°I can¡¯t speak for past events, but I think the damage wrought on the Bai clan recently is without precedent. Their eldest and most powerful were slain in one terrible blow, and their power gutted. If there were to be any catalyst for change, would it not be that?¡±


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t entirely ignorant. She wasn¡¯t privy to the highest level of politics, but even she had picked up that the recent opening of the Thousand Lakes was, if not unprecedented, at least highly unusual.


    ¡°A fair point,¡± Meng Diu allowed, surprising her. ¡°And there is prosperity to be found in trade, even if the Lakes return to form at a later date. But I am not unsympathetic to my kin, who remain wary of any opening. It is not only the Bai whom we fear.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your explanation, Lady Meng.¡± Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure what to do with it yet, but more knowledge was better than none. ¡°I hope you will not take offense if I say that I hope my lady and her mother prove your fears incorrect.¡±


    Meng Diu let out a dry laugh. ¡°Indeed, young lady. There is a reason we are speaking. You are an interesting one. You are small yet, but some few are beginning to notice you.¡±


    ¡°I am flattered,¡± Ling Qi said warily. Worried. The actual word was ¡°worried.¡±


    Meng Diu let out a harrumph. It was clear what Meng Diu thought of her substitution. ¡°I have an offer to make you.¡±


    ¡°I would be honored to hear it.¡±


    ¡°I wish to have further investment in the young heiress,¡± Meng Diu said bluntly. ¡°I want to send one of my grandsons along on this expedition the Duchess has mandated. The Duchess has said that it is a matter of the heiress¡¯ choice. So I ask you to convince her. Given the chance, I believe that he will prove himself capable in the circle of retainers she is building.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes widened.


    If she spoke for it, Ling Qi knew Cai Renxiang would accept the deal. Normally, she might be able to influence her liege¡¯s thoughts one way or the other, but right now, she was in a unique position. She was the one with the invitation. Others might be able to better parley with these foreigners, but she was the only one who could even open a dialogue. If she declined this and spoke to Cai Renxiang about not wanting to endanger the main task, she thought the heiress would listen.


    But this was an opportunity. The Meng were notoriously closed off, much like the Bai had been. A chance to begin a good relationship with one of their main family was not to be scoffed at. Perhaps there was some additional motive as well, but Ling Qi did not believe that outright sabotage was on the table.


    ¡°I will speak in favor of your offer, Lady Meng, although Lady Cai must have final say.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Meng Diu agreed, dipping her head in acknowledgement.


    ¡°If I may,¡± Ling Qi began carefully, ¡°may I know something of your grandson, so that I may speak more clearly in my recommendation?¡±


    ¡°Meng Dan is a scholar,¡± Meng Diu answered, turning her gaze back to the rest of the guests. ¡°He attends the Blue Mountain Sect, and he follows the Way of the Hidden with more singularity than yourself.¡±


    Sixiang chuckled in her head, and Ling Qi coughed uncomfortably. She didn¡¯t think Meng Diu was speaking directly against her scattered focus, but still. ¡°I see. You believe his knowledge will be useful then?¡±


    ¡°That child has always been focused on the past to his detriment at times,¡± Meng Diu said. ¡°However, his mind is sharp, and his ability to collate and analyze large amounts of information into useful form is exceptional.¡±


    Sixiang thought.


    ¡°Thank you very much, Lady Meng.¡±


    Again, Meng Diu gave a shallow nod. ¡°Indeed. You may take your leave now, Baroness. The performance will begin soon, and I am certain that you would rather be in the company of your peers.¡±


    ¡°I would not reject Lady Meng¡¯s company,¡± Ling Qi said, standing and giving a polite bow. ¡°But I will thank you for releasing me to see to my other guests.¡±


    The older woman dismissed her with a wave of her sleeve. ¡°Go. We may have more to speak of in the future.¡±


    One more bow, and then, Ling Qi turned to leave, not letting out the sigh of relief that wanted to escape out into the world. Leaving the range of Meng Diu¡¯s domain, she was soon greeting guests again for a short time before she took a conspicuously empty seat next to Meizhen.


    ¡°You are well?¡± her friend asked evenly. She didn¡¯t turn her head from the stage as the lanterns arrayed around the room began to dim, signalling that the performance was nigh.


    ¡°Yes, just some negotiations.¡± Ling Qi leaned back in her seat as she mentally prodded Zhengui to wakefulness. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about it later.¡±


    Meizhen glanced her way, raising an eyebrow, but made no more of it.


    The curtain on the stage rose. If Ling Qi wasn¡¯t intimately familiar with Hanyi¡¯s aura, she might not have recognized the winter spirit. Hanyi¡¯s hair was done up and threaded through with pale white flowers, and somehow, between the lighting and the cosmetics, her deathly pallor looked ethereal instead. As the curtains rose, Hanyi stepped forward, her hands clasped together, and began to sing.


    Ling Qi breathed out, and let the melody wash over her and carry her away.

 141-Concert 4

    A soft wind blew, cold and brisk. The flakes began to fall, dancing like airy crystals under the pale silver light of the moon. The cold wind blew from the mountain high where the eternal cold lives, and with the wind descended the maiden of winter, the daughter of ice. With a train of purest white and lilting song, the maiden descended to the valley below, and with her came the snow.


    Peace, whispered the wind. Peace.


    And the snow did fall.


    Branches bare of leaves swayed in the soft, cold wind, and they whispered along to the maiden¡¯s song as the flakes fell to paint the world in white. Across the valley brook danced the maiden with long hair of black, woven with crystal flowers. In her steps trailed calm, burbling waters falling silent under the spread of ice. In the forest around did the tall and tired trees bow at her passing, branches heavy with snow. They passed into slumber well earned through the year, and the creaking of wood joined the song of the wind and snow.


    Under falling snow, the detritus of fall hid away, painted smooth by drifting white. Under maiden¡¯s feet did signs of toil vanish, leaving only a land pristine and stark. Under the light of the moon, the maiden sang the silence of winter sleep. O beautiful maiden, most lovely of all; gone was the wilting decline of autumn, and distant were the chaos of spring and the toil of summer!


    O winter, time of preservation and tales, when all the world quiets.


    O winter, when the people gather and share the spoils of a year hard won.


    O winter, time of remembrance, when past becomes present in the mind, and memories of days gone by warm the soul.


    O winter, the time of cherishing, to hold tight what you have in the face of the cold.


    O winter, who lives eternal upon the high mountaintop, forever and ever.


    Outside danced the maiden. Her train was the wind, and her laugh, the rattle of window frames and the groan of roofs heavy with snow.


    Outside was the maiden, who would never return home. Daughter of ice eternal, the drifting snow, and the whispering wind, who belonged now to the valley below.


    ***?


    Ling Qi breathed deep as the song went on, the images of deepening winter dancing in her mind¡¯s eye. Hanyi had been a little dishonest to say that the maiden was not her.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve been trying too hard to be different from Momma,¡± Hanyi had said dejectedly. ¡°I want to do new things and live like she said, but I still want to be her daughter.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong with that,¡± Ling Qi had said. ¡°It can be hard to find the right balance between who you were and who you want to be.¡±


    ¡°Especially when most of us can¡¯t even easily say what we want to be,¡± Sixiang had interjected, their voice a chime among the hanging ice.


    Hanyi had nodded, scuffing her foot in the dirt. ¡°I¡¯m not like Momma, but I¡¯m still the winter. I don¡¯t think I can be anything else. And I don¡¯t really wanna be.¡±


    ¡°And there¡¯s nothing wrong with that,¡± Ling Qi had said, resting her hand on Hanyi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°So, let¡¯s figure out how to work that feeling in, okay?¡±


    Ling Qi closed her eyes as the song reached its climax, a clash with the oncoming spring, a doomed battle that the maiden could not win.


    With the spring came the melting of the snow and the rain, deluge, and chaos.


    But winter would be back, and peace with it, if they only endured.


    Polite applause rang out through the hall. Ling Qi gazed around her and saw that the guests seemed in good humor. Most did not seem particularly excited or touched by the song, but here and there, a few were.


    Beside her, Meizhen offered quiet applause with a thoughtful look, and somewhere behind them, she heard Wang Chao giving loud approval.


    Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Meng Diu, her expression indecipherable. As she watched, she saw the older woman shake out her sleeves, revealing dainty hands as powder white as her face. Meng Diu clapped three times.


    On the stage, Hanyi beamed as she lowered her upraised hands and bowed to the audience as the curtain fell.


    In the time after the show, Ling Qi mingled with the rest of her guests. Hanyi stayed at her side the whole time and was unfailingly well behaved, almost sweet. It took Ling Qi a bit of effort not to laugh at what an inaccurate picture these young men and women were getting of her spirit, but she wasn¡¯t going to ruin Hanyi¡¯s fun.


    Eventually, things wound down, and guests got on their way, leaving Ling Qi with her spirits and Bao Qian backstage. Hanyi sat balanced on Zhengui¡¯s back, who had shrunk himself down to the size of a big dog to avoid doing any damage, and Bao Qian stood before them, counting out the night¡¯s proceeds.


    ¡°And this is your share, Young Miss.¡± Bao Qian theatrically placed a small pouch in Hanyi¡¯s hands. ¡°A wonderful first performance. I hope you are ready to compose more songs in the future.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh!¡± Hanyi said excitedly, tugging the drawstrings of the pouch open. Inside were many glittering yellow stones and a single green one, shining like an emerald.


    ¡°That¡¯s surprising for just entrance fees. How does this place stay open, charging in green stones?¡± Ling Qi asked. It didn¡¯t seem like the clientele was that wealthy.


    ¡°They do not,¡± Bao Qian answered. He cast her a searching look. ¡°However, Lady Meng approached me to commission the first recording. That includes Miss Hanyi¡¯s part of the initial fee.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Somebody wanted to buy my song already! Isn¡¯t that great, Big Sis?¡± Hanyi said happily, picking through and counting her stones.


    ¡°Mmhm, Hanyi is good!¡± Gui agreed cheerfully.


    Bao Qian gave her another look, and Ling Qi just smiled. ¡°I¡¯m glad. You¡¯ll definitely be really popular,¡± Ling Qi said, reaching down to muss Hanyi¡¯s carefully arranged hair. ¡°Did anyone else see Lady Meng buy?¡± she asked Bao Qian.


    ¡°They did, although I am certain no one immediately recognized her. She was quite restrained.¡± Bao Qian said shrewdly, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be surprised if word gets around however. I may have to prepare more materials.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded. She was definitely involved in matters beyond the Sect now, and it was way too late to go back.


    ***


    ¡°The situations you embroil yourself in never cease to amaze,¡± Meizhen said dryly. The embroidery needles in her hands danced, picking out the stitching of a pattern depicting a violet serpent arranged in a spiral on a background of blue.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wholly be blamed for this one,¡± Ling Qi defended. Her own work was much slower going. Individual snowflakes on a field of black were a bit fiddly.


    ¡°Indeed. That the Meng would make such an offering is both encouraging and troubling,¡± Cai Renxiang put in. The pattern of a sun crowning a stylized depiction of the tree of Xiangmen marked the pure white cloth in her hands.


    ¡°I suppose they cannot entirely be blamed for having dealings with the Sun,¡± Bai Meizhen said grudgingly. Her needles stabbed into the cloth with a touch more force than necessary.


    They all sat around a table perched on a rock outcropping at the base of Zhengui¡¯s hill. The air was cool and brisk, and the leaves of the forest were a riot of autumn colors. The sky was still dark, but this far out, the storm clouds were light.


    Ling Qi glanced sidelong at her friend. ¡°Lady Meng said some things regarding their feelings on the Bai. Do you have any insights from the other side?¡±


    ¡°I do. My aunt has been providing me with study material regarding historical diplomacy, which I have absorbed swiftly. One must pursue their ambitions diligently.¡±


    ¡°Naturally,¡± Cai Renxiang said absently, looking down at her project with a judging eye.


    ¡°Naturally,¡± Ling Qi agreed, picking out the pattern of a new snowflake.


    ¡°The clan has, at times, been somewhat¡­ high-handed with outsiders,¡± Bai Meizhen admitted. ¡°The Emerald Seas especially. It has often been seen somewhat negatively by my ancestors. The Meng bore the brunt of this.¡±


    ¡°Not the Bao?¡± Ling Qi asked. Remembering maps of the province, she knew that the Bao shared a border as well.


    ¡°The Bao¡¯s expansion to their current borders was recent. They absorbed significant amounts of the Hui lands in the west during Mother¡¯s rise,¡± Cai Renxiang explained.


    ¡°Ah, that makes sense,¡± Ling Qi said. When she did look into history, it was usually in regards to older events.


    ¡°Indeed. So, while there have been border and trade disputes begun by both sides, I must reluctantly admit that many negative feelings for my clan among the Meng are likely legitimately founded.¡±


    ¡°I never imagined I would hear you say that,¡± Ling Qi said in surprise.


    ¡°I would not, were I not in private among trusted allies,¡± Meizhen replied.


    ¡°Do you believe allowing them influence on this matter will trouble the Bai?¡± Cai Renxiang asked.


    ¡°I am not yet an expert regarding the Bai clan¡¯s internal affairs,¡± Meizhen said with some frustration. ¡°I do not believe my aunt¡¯s supporters will be troubled. They are somewhat forgiving of petty grudges. Others are less so.¡±


    Ling Qi wondered what exactly counted as a petty grudge among the Bai and what it meant to be ¡°somewhat forgiving.¡± She still remembered Bai Suzhen praising Meizhen¡¯s kindness. ¡°Do you think the Bai are interested at all in recent events?¡±


    ¡°My aunt approves of Duchess Cai¡¯s swift subjugation of one of her enemies,¡± Meizhen replied immediately. ¡°Regarding your matter¡­ I believe reception is mixed.¡±


    ¡°Not unexpected,¡± Cai Renxiang said, setting her needles aside. ¡°As the saying goes however, success needs no forgiveness.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Bai Meizhen agreed.


    It was at that moment that a fluttering paper message bird descended, landing before Cai Renxiang at the table. They fell silent as the heiress read the message.


    ¡°It seems that General Xia is arriving shortly. We will have to end our session prematurely.¡±

 Threads 142 Spear 1

    The Cai force¡¯s arrival was marked by a plume of rising dust, visible from kilometers away. The northern road was cleared of traffic, commerce and civilian traffic alike coming to a halt as the cleared fields north of White Cloud Town were made ready to receive visitors.


    Sect Head Yuan He waited at the entrance of the town. His flowing storm gray robe snapped and flapped in the blowing breeze. His intricately bound beard and naturally spiked white hair crackled with static, and the gnarled wooden cane clasped in his hands thrummed with power.


    Far away in the sky, the kilometers-long coils of a dragon churned among the storm clouds, and a rumbling that was not thunder could be heard from the black depths of the storm where twin blue-white lights burned at attention.


    Behind Sect Head Yuan was a small, gathered force of the Sect, eclectic in make-up but all core disciples. The disciples stood at attention, a multitude of weapons held on shoulders or sheathed at hips, the only commonality among them the silver sigil of the sect on their armor.


    It took a great effort of will for Ling Qi not to shift uncomfortably. She and Cai Renxiang stood off to one side. They were not with the Sect¡¯s forces because right now, they were not acting as disciples, but as the representatives of the Cai.


    Likewise, Bai Meizhen stood a step behind them, standing perfectly still with an imperious expression. As of right now, she, too, was representing her clan, if only because the Bai had not yet deigned to send a full representative to observe the military operations.


    Ling Qi felt the earth shaking under her feet from the pounding of hooves. She felt the wind disturbed by the passage of many bodies.


    The vanguard of the Cai force emerged from around the bend in the northern road. The horses were armored in plated barding, hung with tassels of gold and white. Behind the lead horseman fluttered a banner of pure white splashed with the official sigil of the Cai, a crimson butterfly emerging from a shattered cocoon with prominent golden eyespots on its wings.


    The rest of the force came behind. Each soldier bore armor of overlapping bands of flexible steel, enamelled in white. The soldiers in the frontmost ranks bore halberds with crimson tassels and golden blades while the ones who came behind bore a saber at their hip and on their back, an immense thing that looked like the halfway point between a crossbow and a siege engine. In the rearmost ranks were more halberdiers mingled with men and women who bore no obvious arms but who wore crossed bandoliers lined with dozens of pouches.


    There were one hundred of them. Eighty third realms varying from green appraisal to threshold in power were accompanied by eighteen fourth realm lieutenants, bearing a second white plume on their helms. Two fifth realms rode among them as well, commanders distinguished only by the crimson cloaks on their shoulders and their aura of power.


    At the center of the formation rode General Xia Ren herself. Armored in a gold enamelled plate, her faceless silver helm flashed under the light of the crackling clouds, and the spread wings of a heron marked her breastplate. The wind parted around the general and her warhorse as if cloven by a blade and not a drop of moisture or a speck of mud touched any part of the woman or her mount.


    Sixiang whispered, shivering.


    Ling Qi kept her expression even. She did see the eerie synchronicity of the Cai force¡¯s movement. It wasn¡¯t just discipline. Each soldier and each horse moved perfectly in sync with their fellow soldiers and mounts, and in her more spiritual senses, Ling Qi could not see anything individual about their auras. They felt like a single entity, a machine of gleaming clockwork whose ticking heart was the General.


    They felt unnatural to her senses, so recently attuned to the flows of Dream.


    The White Plumes flowed into the space left for them, hooves that glinted metallically churning the dirt. As one, they dismounted and formed perfect ranks without a single shouted word from the officers or visible signal. Their armor gleamed and crackled with nascent power.


    Cai Renxiang had told her the difference between a regular soldier of the Cai and a member of the elite White Plumes was that each one of the thousand soldiers that comprised the White Plumes bore equipment, arms, and armor crafted by the Duchess herself.


    General Xia Ren stepped forward from the ranks to face Sect Head Yuan. ¡°I come, commanded to render aid in the name of her grace.¡± Xia Ren¡¯s voice was cold and dry, her words clipped and utterly without affectation or ornament, more mechanical than Renxiang had ever been at her worst. ¡°I offer my full cooperation with your leadership, Sect Head Yuan of the Argent Peak Sect.¡±


    Sixiang noted.


    For a moment, the air crackled with tension, and not a few core disciples subtly bristled. However, Sect Head Yuan He tapped his cane on the ground. ¡°I, Yuan He, do accept my liege¡¯s aid gratefully. Be welcome, General Xia of Xiangmen.¡±


    Xia Ren nodded sharply and swept off her helm. Her face bore similarities to Alingge¡¯s in general shape and structure, but her scalp was bare, bearing only a slight layer of dark fuzz, and her features were hard and scarred. A thick line of scar tissue extended from her right temple down to the left side of her chin, an ugly scar marked the flesh around her left eye, almost as if an arrow had been ripped out there, and a pair of faded geometric tattoos marked the general¡¯s cheeks, reminiscent of the old tribe tattoos Ling Qi had seen. But Xia Ren¡¯s eyes were both intact, the color of liquid steel and solid without a pupil or iris.


    The intimidating woman gave a short bow at the waist. ¡°Sect Head Yuan is wise. Where are we to be quartered?¡±


    ¡°Space has been prepared on the Argent Peak,¡± Sect Head Yuan replied, naming the centermost peak of the Sect where elders and their chosen core disciples lived. ¡°My disciples will stable your steeds. I will show you the way. Do you require time for other business first?¡±


    Ling Qi saw the way the old man glanced in their direction.


    Xia Ren tilted her head, her steel gaze falling upon them. ¡°If the Sect Head allows. A simulacrum will be sufficient.¡±


    ¡°By all means, General,¡± Sect Head Yuan said. ¡°Allow me to show you the way then.¡±


    Ling Qi felt the air in front of them carved apart, and the earth in front of Cai Renxiang split open. Before her eyes an exact copy of the general stepped out as if from a portal in the air. There was a brief shimmer of steel qi across her form, and to Ling Qi¡¯s senses, the woman before her felt hollow like a structure of spun glass, filled with air.


    She bowed low all the same.


    ¡°Young Mistress, Lady Bai,¡± General Xia greeted shortly. ¡°Your continued good health is pleasing.¡±


    ¡°It lightens my concerns that my gracious mother has assigned you to the southern border, General,¡± Cai Renxiang said.


    ¡°It pleases the Bai to know that our allies are handling their affairs with rigor and competence,¡± Meizhen said, bowing as well. ¡°My aunt apologizes for the lack of a more experienced observer.¡±


    ¡°The Emerald Seas can stand on its own feet,¡± the General said flatly. ¡°But our ally¡¯s concern is appreciated.¡±


    Bai Meizhen raised her head. ¡°The Bai offer our full confidence in your endeavors.¡±


    The older woman¡¯s eyes moved back to Renxiang, who stood patiently, waiting for the General to finish. ¡°Young Mistress, Her Grace has words which I am to convey to you in private.¡±


    Cai Renxiang¡¯s eyes widened marginally. ¡°Very well, General. Is this regarding the task which faces us?¡±


    ¡°Partially,¡± Xia Ren replied. The woman raised her right hand from her side. ¡°Sergeant Xia Lin!¡±


    Ling Qi felt the rush of displaced air that accompanied a swiftly moving cultivator as she partially raised her head. She saw a young woman standing behind and to the left of the General. Xia Lin looked to be about the same age as Ling Qi with similar cultivation. She appeared to be one of the halberdiers of the army, the weapon on her back gleaming in the dim sunlight. Her helm was under her arm, revealing a girl who looked somewhat like a younger Xia Ren. Her dark, curly brown hair was shorn at her ears rather than wholly shaved however, and her scars much less severe. There were only a few thin white lines across her cheeks and lips. Her eyes were a natural storm grey with only a few steely sparks.


    ¡°Sergeant Xia Lin will be your adjutant,¡± the General said brusquely. ¡°Her Grace has determined that excessive cultivation and preconceptions would be counter-productive to your task. The sergeant is the best of my soldiers in the Young Mistress¡¯ generation.¡±


    ¡°It is my honor to serve the heiress of Cai,¡± Xia Lin said, striking her breastplate with her fist as she bowed low. ¡°I will not fail to meet your expectations.¡±


    ¡°I am certain that General Xia¡¯s recommendation is a good one,¡± Cai Renxiang said.


    Ling Qi thought that she saw the younger Xia¡¯s expression briefly become happy. It was odd given that she still couldn¡¯t feel anything from her.


    ¡°There is the matter of the request you made of the Duchess, however,¡± Xia Ren continued, not missing a beat. Ling Qi shot Cai Renxiang a look, wondering what she was talking about. ¡°However, Her Grace¡¯s reply is to be delivered in private.¡±


    Cai Renxiang looked briefly concerned, but then dipped her head. ¡°I see. In that case, Baroness Ling, would you accompany the sergeant? It would be best for us to familiarize ourselves with one another.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Lady Cai,¡± Ling Qi replied reflexively.


    ¡°If it pleases, I may stay as well,¡± Bai Meizhen said smoothly. ¡°It is good for the Bai to continue familiarizing ourselves with our allies.¡±


    General Xia gave a short nod. ¡°Practical. Sergeant, familiarize yourself with the local situation and mission parameters. If you would, Young Mistress?¡± she asked, extending her hand.


    Cai Renxiang took the general¡¯s hand, and they were gone.


    Ling Qi stared at Xia Lin, who stood at attention before her, studying Ling Qi just as Ling Qi studied her.


    ¡°Please follow me then, and I will show you the lay of the land,¡± Ling Qi said cheerfully, clapping her hands. She paused. ¡°Should I refer to you by rank, or would you prefer a civilian honorific?¡±


    Xia Lin tilted her head to the side. Her tone was polite without the clipped edge that the elder Xia had. ¡°Protocol is a little unclear, is it not? You may call me ¡®Miss Xia.¡¯ Do you require your rank to be stated, Baroness?¡±


    ¡°No, no, Miss Ling will be fine,¡± Ling Qi said before glancing over to Meizhen.


    ¡°Miss Bai will be fine for me as well,¡± Meizhen said, inclining her head. ¡°I have no great status in the clan after all.¡±


    ¡°So humble. Miss Bai¡¯s modesty is impressive,¡± Xia Lin said with a touch of a smile.


    The three of them set off from the area outside of town where the White Plumes had arrived and entered the town. Traffic was still low due to the presence of so many powerful cultivators.


    ¡°So, what do you already know of our mission, Miss Xia?¡± Ling Qi asked as they passed down the main street.


    ¡°We are to open talks and secure a ceasefire with an unknown foreign group,¡± Xia Lin replied crisply. She walked tall and straight with her hands at her side. There was a faint hint of confident swagger in her steps, but nothing untoward. ¡°Opening further diplomatic channels is the secondary priority.¡±


    ¡°That seems mostly accurate.¡± Ling Qi watched her closely.


    Sixiang whispered in her head.


    ¡°Am I missing some part in my summary?¡± Xia Lin asked politely.


    ¡°No, not really, only that we are attempting to establish understanding via shared ancestral connection,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°Yes, Miss Ling¡¯s mentor,¡± Xia Lin said. ¡°I am sorry. I did not think the pretext was relevant to the strategic assessment.¡±


    Ling Qi mulled over the words. She wasn¡¯t quite sure how she should take that¡­


    ¡°The method used to establish rapport is important,¡± Meizhen said, walking with her hands clasped behind her back.


    ¡°Miss Bai is correct,¡± Xia Lin agreed, lowering her eyes briefly. ¡°The rhetoric a diplomat chooses is as important as a warrior¡¯s choice of arms and armor. I am not a diplomat though. My role is to ensure that the Young Mistress and Miss Ling reach their destination safely. My assessment was based upon my role in the group.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°In any case, I was curious. Is General Xia your mother? I¡¯m afraid I haven¡¯t had the time to study all of the province¡¯s lineages yet.¡±


    Xia Lin¡¯s lips twitched, and she raised her hand to cover her mouth. It almost looked like she was going to laugh. ¡°No, the General is not my mother. By blood, she is my great-aunt.¡±


    ¡°You seemed to find the question amusing.¡± Bai Meizhen raised an eyebrow.


    The three of them strolled past the town gates, starting on the winding road into the sect lands.


    ¡°It is absurd to imagine the General as a mother,¡± Xia Ren explained.


    ¡°Really?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°Even Her Grace has children. It doesn¡¯t seem too absurd to me.¡±


    ¡°You are unfamiliar with the General. Her Grace is much more suited to motherhood than the General,¡± Xia Lin said, conviction strong in her voice.


    Ling Qi had to stop herself from staring. She remembered the pressure of the Duchess¡¯ attention and the pitiless scouring radiance of her eyes. She wanted to object to those words, but the certainty in Xia Lin¡¯s eyes stopped her.


    ¡°My apologies for the rude question,¡± Ling Qi said instead.


    ¡°No, it is a valid concern. Nepotism is a significant issue still,¡± Xia Lin said, seeming unoffended. She was also misinterpreting Ling Qi¡¯s intent. ¡°The General does not favor her kin. I am the only member of the Xia¡¯s youngest generation to meet her expectations thus far.¡±


    ¡°I have no reason to believe you are unqualified, at least no more than I am,¡± Ling Qi said easily.


    ¡°Miss Ling is humble as well, I see,¡± Xia Lin said in amusement.


    ¡°I try.¡± Ling Qi shrugged.


    ¡°She really does,¡± Meizhen said dryly.


    Sixiang muttered.


    Ling Qi glanced toward Xia Lin at Sixiang¡¯s words. The steel aura that shrouded Xia Lin seemed to have little gaps through which flickers of feeling showed through. Was it a social defense art then? It felt more intrinsic than that, but it was good to know that her first impression had been in error.


    ¡°So, Miss Xia, is there anything in particular which would interest you on the sect grounds?¡±

 Threads 143-Spear 2

    Granting Xia Lin the lead in steering their ¡°tour¡± took them away from the sect peaks themselves to inspect the terrain and climate and fauna of the surroundings outside the carefully controlled skies above the peaks. Xia Lin seemed to know a surprising amount of wilderness lore given the more urban nature of the White Plumes and the initial impression. She questioned Ling Qi on every detail of the terrain, climate, and ecology of the lands she had encountered thus far, absorbing information at a ferocious rate.


    Where conversation broke down a bit was when they crossed ways with spirits that could not simply be waved away. It wasn¡¯t easy to read, but Ling Qi didn¡¯t miss the way Xia Lin¡¯s hand twitched toward the haft of the halberd on her back whenever they had such an encounter. Happily, she seemed willing to let Ling Qi handle the encounters with words, even if violent intent shone through her eyes.


    Maybe it was unfair to judge Xia Lin for that. It wasn¡¯t like Meizhen¡¯s method of exuding a primal, predatory threat was much friendlier.


    ¡°Are you certain, Miss Bai, that you are not inconvenienced by this?¡± Xia Lin asked as they passed one by one over a stream in their path. Ling Qi had simply appeared on the other side, Xia Lin had hopped across, and Meizhen strode across the water as if it were solid ground.


    That was another thing she had noticed. Xia Lin seemed more interested in Meizhen than her. She wasn¡¯t rude, and she engaged with Ling Qi whenever she spoke, but after the third time it happened, Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help but notice that Xia Lin was taking every opportunity to draw her taciturn friend into the conversation.


    ¡°No, this is somewhat refreshing,¡± Bai Meizhen replied, scanning their surroundings with a relaxed air. ¡°I have not had occasion for an outdoors stroll in some time. My cultivation schedule does not allow it.¡±


    ¡°I would bet Cui has been getting restless,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°She has been somewhat petulant of late. Cui is at that age unfortunately.¡± Meizhen sighed. ¡°She is growing bored with hunting alone.¡±


    ¡°I could speak to Zhengui. He would be happy to accompany her, I think.¡± She wasn¡¯t unaware of how her little brother seemed to feel toward Cui; it was cute.


    ¡°That might be helpful. My cousin¡¯s pride would never allow her to ask,¡± Meizhen said, smiling.


    ¡°I wonder where she gets that from,¡± Ling Qi said dryly.


    Letting a low hanging branch pass through her dematerialized shoulder, Ling Qi glanced toward Xia Lin, who was observing them with a small frown. She winced internally. She had been forgetting herself, being more familiar with Meizhen than was strictly proper, but in her defense, Meizhen was going along with it.


    Sixiang noted.


    ¡°It is perfectly normal for a young lady to hold herself aloof from suitors,¡± Meizhen said primly. ¡°Do you not agree, Miss Xia?¡±


    ¡°I have no relevant experience in the matter,¡± Xia Lin replied. Ling Qi thought she seemed a little evasive. ¡°You speak of a cousin, but I was not aware of any other Bai present in the Sect aside from the Xiao?¡±


    ¡°I speak of Bai Cui, my cousin who accompanied me,¡± Meizhen answered, casting a cool look toward Xia Lin.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Xia Lin said, stepping around some brush. ¡°Bai traditions include spirit beasts among your clan rolls, yes?¡±


    ¡°Kin is kin, whatever flesh they wear.¡±


    ¡°That is an admirable thing, I think,¡± Xia Lin said quietly.


    ¡°It certainly is,¡± Ling Qi agreed. She hardly needed Sixiang¡¯s prod to notice the flash of melancholy there. ¡°Do you have any bound spirits, Miss Xia?¡±


    ¡°My halberd,¡± Xia Lin replied instantly. ¡°Though she has not yet earned her name.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced up to the golden head of the weapon on the girl¡¯s back. Made by Shenhua herself, that was not too surprising. ¡°Is that why you do not use a storage ring? I had wondered about that.¡±


    ¡°Storage formations do not function well with our armaments,¡± Xia Lin said. ¡°Her Grace¡¯s work does not take well to being concealed.¡±


    ¡°True masterworks often have issues with common storage formations. It¡ªNo, ¡®she,¡¯ you said? She is certainly beautiful work,¡± Meizhen said.


    The gleaming blade seemed to hum at that, vibrating in the cool autumn air.


    Sixiang realized.


    Ling Qi focused her spiritual senses, following Sixing¡¯s internal nudging. Studying very carefully, she could see that the ¡°joinings¡± were where one spirit met the other. Despite how mechanical it felt, Ling Qi¡¯s impression was closer to that of two young trees which had grown together, branches and boughs fusing.


    A piece of Xia Lin was within the weapon, and a piece of the weapon was within Xia Lin.


    ¡°She cannot speak yet, but she enjoys the compliment,¡± Xia Lin said, reaching back to brush her fingers along the haft.


    ¡°She certainly looks well cared for,¡± Ling Qi said, not letting her conclusions show on her face. ¡°What of your mount?¡±


    ¡°Zaofu is a good fellow,¡± Xia Lin said with a touch of cheer. ¡°If very vain. I have not yet fully earned his trust; he lost his last rider to a night parade in the eastern wilderness zone. We do not bond our mounts, however.¡±


    Night Parade was the colloquial term for when sufficient spiritual malice gathered in one place to cause whole swarms of spirits to go mad. Such things had been mere stories as a child, and not much more in the Sect.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll manage in time,¡± Ling Qi said, earning herself a nod. ¡°That¡¯s an idea. My own spirits are going to be a significant part of the expedition. Do you want to meet them after we complete this circuit?¡±


    ¡°That seems sensible. Miss Bai, do you object?¡± Xia Lin asked.


    ¡°No, that seems a fine enough finishing point for our walk.¡±


    ***?


    ¡°Ugh, Zhengui, you doofus! I can¡¯t believe you!¡± Hanyi¡¯s voice echoed from the top of the hill, carrying the edge of a cold autumn breeze.


    ¡°It was foolish Hanyi who messed up! Do not blame I, the wise Zhen,¡± her little brother retorted.


    Smoke and thick clinging mist was rising from the top of the hill. Something had obviously exploded. Ling Qi closed her eyes and rubbed her temples.


    ¡°Perhaps we should return later?¡± Meizhen asked.


    ¡°No, please just give me a moment,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°My apologies, Miss Xia.¡±


    ¡°It is no trouble,¡± she replied, eyeing the looming shadow of Zhengui at the top of the hill.


    Ling Qi appeared between her spirits, startling them from their quarrel. Hanyi had dirt on her gown and bits of mulch in her hair. Gui¡¯s snout was covered in frost and looked to have suffered ice burns. They were already visibly healing. Between them lay a patch of frozen ground and what looked like scattered chunks of hard blue ice from which the fog was rising.


    The grass was also on fire, but that was normal.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Ling Qi asked simply, fixing them both with a look. They both started to respond at once, and she held up a hand. She pointed to Zhengui. Hanyi pouted.


    ¡°Hanyi saw someone in the Sect with weird ice that made fog, and she wanted to make some,¡± Gui explained. ¡°Then she wanted to see what other kinds of ice she could make, so she came to Gui to help bring up the weird airs inside the hill to freeze.¡±


    ¡°Hanyi could not do the freezing right, and the ice exploded,¡± Zhen hissed. ¡°I, Zhen, was stung many times!¡±


    Ling Qi looked to Hanyi who huffed and planted her hands on her hips. ¡°So that¡¯s true, but it was his fault. I told him not to bring up so much stinky air at once, and one of his sparks set it off.¡±


    Ling Qi had a feeling that there was some fault on both sides. ¡°Both of you should be more careful when trying new things like this,¡± Ling Qi admonished. ¡°But since you¡¯re both okay, we¡¯ll leave that aside. I brought someone here to meet you.¡±


    Hanyi started frantically brushing off her dress.


    Gui merely cocked his head curiously. ¡°Who does Big Sister want us to meet?¡±


    ¡°One of the people who is going to be accompanying us on our trip and Bai Meizhen,¡± Ling Qi answered.


    Zhen hissed in alarm and started using Gui¡¯s shell to rub the frost off his scales.


    ¡°Please get ready,¡± Ling Qi instructed before flickering back down to Xia Lin and Meizhen.


    ¡°No real problem, just some experimentation with a combination technique,¡± Ling Qi said lightly, clapping her hands. She probably should have planned ahead more.


    Xia Lin was giving her a measuring look. ¡°Initiative is a positive trait. I think I understand Miss Ling¡¯s methods better now.¡±


    ¡°Miss Ling¡¯s initiative has certainly been passed on to her companions,¡± Meizhen agreed. It was only her familiarity with the girl that let her notice the touch of amused sarcasm.


    Ling Qi laughed a little self-consciously. They ascended the hill.


    Her spirits waited for them. Zhengui stood atop the patch of broken earth and weird ice. Hanyi sat on the edge of his shell, smiling beatifically and kicking her bare feet.


    ¡°Hello! My name is Hanyi. It¡¯s an honor to meet you!¡± She hopped down and bowed.


    ¡°We are Zhengui,¡± her little brother rumbled in two voices. ¡°It is good to meet Big Sister¡¯s friends.¡±


    ¡°It pleases me to see you both in good health,¡± Meizhen said with a twinkle of amusement in her eyes.


    Xia Lin offered a very small bow of her head. ¡°I am Sergeant Xia Lin of the White Plumes. It seems that we will be cooperating in the future.¡±


    ¡°Oh, wow. You look really strong, and your armor is so cool!¡± Hanyi said cheerfully, looking Xia Lin up and down.


    ¡°Gui is glad to meet more people who will fight with Big Sister,¡± her little brother added.


    Zhen appeared to be surreptitiously looking around Meizhen, as if looking for someone else.


    ¡°Hey, now, don¡¯t forget about me,¡± Sixiang said, appearing in miniature on Ling Qi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Sorry I didn¡¯t introduce myself earlier. Name¡¯s Sixiang.¡±


    The soldier girl blinked slowly, glancing back and forth between Sixiang and Hanyi. She seemed overwhelmed.


    ¡°I have quite a menagerie, as you can see,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°... Yes,¡± Xia Lin agreed.


    She met Meizhen¡¯s eyes over the girl¡¯s shoulder. Her friend tilted her head and nodded. She would help keep things running smoothly.


    ¡°So, Miss Xia, do you think you would like to see a demonstration of some of their abilities?¡± Ling Qi asked politely.


    ¡°That seems agreeable, Miss Ling.¡± Xia Lin¡¯s brief moment of confusion disappeared behind professionalism again.


    ¡°I have not had a chance to see your spirits¡¯ growth either,¡± Meizhen mused. ¡°Excepting Hanyi¡¯s performance, of course, which was impressive.¡±


    Hanyi beamed up at Meizhen.


    Xia Lin looked to Meizhen in askance, but it was Ling Qi who answered the unspoken question.


    ¡°Hanyi has begun singing at local concert halls. I would be happy to invite you at some point,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°I will consider it,¡± Xia Lin replied.


    ¡°You should definitely come, and buy a recording carving too! The prices are really good,¡± Hanyi invited cheerfully. Ling Qi supposed she couldn¡¯t expect Hanyi to be subtle yet.


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Xia Lin said noncommittally before turning back to Ling Qi. ¡°The demonstration?¡±


    ¡°Right. Zhengui might be the best to start with. Am I right in assuming that you prefer the front lines, Miss Xia?¡±


    ¡°I am a vanguard,¡± Xia Lin replied with a touch of pride. ¡°My role is to charge into enemy formations and disrupt their cohesion and group arts so that the main force¡¯s assault is more effective.¡±


    Something like that did sound useful when fighting the cloud tribes. ¡°Well, how about that. I think Zhengui and you will be a compatible front line. Little brother, what would you say your role is?¡±


    ¡°I, Zhen, am the center of attention who enemies cannot ignore even as Big Sister freezes and breaks them,¡± Zhen said, arching his body proudly. ¡°I, Zhen, am very tough.¡±


    Ling Qi struggled to keep herself from laughing at his preening.


    ¡°Zhen should not forget that Mister Avalanche says that we are¡±¡ªGui closed his eyes in intense concentration as he worked to recall the words¡ª¡°terrain manipulation and hard point generation specialists.¡±


    He looked proud of himself for remembering the whole thing.


    Off to the side, Meizhen had begun to ask Hanyi about her plans for future performances and potential wardrobes. Ling Qi was thankful that her friend would keep Hanyi from feeling left out.


    ¡°A valuable skill set indeed,¡± Xia Lin said, glancing Ling Qi¡¯s way. ¡°Although I have heard that Miss Ling is hardly as fragile as her skills might imply.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not all her,¡± Sixiang said. ¡°I am pretty good at making sure nothing nasty sticks to her.¡±


    ¡°But I am proud of my endurance, yes. All the same, every foe who Zhengui occupies is one less diverting my focus from offense and controlling the battlefield.¡±


    ¡°I can see the efficacy,¡± Xia Lin noted, ¡°particularly with the Young Mistress¡¯ power backing it up.¡±


    ¡°Lady Cai has not often had the opportunity to fight with us,¡± Ling Qi admitted.


    ¡°Gui thinks it would be fun though!¡±


    ¡°With any luck, it will remain so off the training field,¡± Xia Lin said. Ling Qi could tell that she didn¡¯t believe it, but she couldn¡¯t blame her. Their destination was well off the map, far from lands that any imperial cultivator had even tentatively tamed.


    ¡°We can definitely hope for it,¡± Sixiang said brightly. ¡°Plenty of spirits can be brought down with a quick tongue and a little cajoling. Not every confrontation has to end in blades.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Xia Lin repeated. ¡°Just the same, wild spirits are not the same as those with a close connection to humanity, barbarian or otherwise. Some violence is inevitable.¡±


    ¡°Not untrue,¡± Ling Qi said, giving Sixiang an internal nudge. ¡°In any case, would you care to test some of Zhengui¡¯s constructs for yourself, Miss Xia?¡±


    Xia Lin gave a small smile as her halberd vanished from her back and appeared in her hand. ¡°If Zhengui is amenable.¡± She gave the weapon a casual twirl before bringing it to rest on her shoulder.


    Zhengui was, of course, always happy to show off.

 Threads 144-Tome 1

    Although they didn¡¯t have a proper spar, Ling Qi was glad to see her little brother was continuing to grow more adept with his terrain manipulation. His reactions were improving a great deal, as was his ability to coordinate multiple vectors of his ramparts and barriers.


    Beyond that, Ling Qi also got her first good look at Xia Lin¡¯s abilities. The girl was very fast, fast enough that Ling Qi was unsure of whether she was faster. Ling Qi could feel the masterful flows of the wind in her steps and every twisting movement of her body and spear. Xia Lin was wind and metal, and her halberd pierced through whatever its blade touched, leaving gaping wounds in the underlying qi constructs of Zhengui¡¯s structures that left them struggling to regrow.


    That they did regrow at all seemed to impress Xia Lin all the more.


    They parted ways a short time after, and Ling Qi thought that the initial meeting had gone well. If they encountered difficulty on the road, she was more confident than ever that their group would be able to handle it quickly and without trouble.


    ***?


    For the second time in as many days, Ling Qi found herself waiting outside the sect town beside the large inn that marked the town¡¯s outskirts and where she had previously met Xiao Fen the first time. This time, there was no great entourage. Leaning against the wall, she kept half an eye on the road and watched the foot traffic as vendors and market stalls began to creep back into the open space where the White Plumes had arrived yesterday.


    Sixiang thought.


    Ling Qi thought.


    Sixiang admitted grudgingly.


    Ling Qi thought as a laborer passed by her, balancing a long wooden beam on his shoulder. He never even glanced her way. She didn¡¯t want to disturb anyone after all.


    Sixiang asked, giving the impression of a raised eyebrow.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t reply at first.


    In this one instance, she might have been able to convince Renxiang to reject the offer because of the stakes and her prominent role in the upcoming events. Outside of this, she considered most of her influence on Renxiang to lie in matters outside of politics.


    Sixiang corrected.


    Sixiang was being uncharitable, but Renxiang was too hard on herself.


    Sixiang whispered.


    Ling Qi tilted her head toward the northern road and felt the whisper of wind through marsh weeds in the air and the faint ripples on a pond reflecting a starry sky. A moment later, a carriage came around the bend. It was a plain thing as noble carriages went, polished black wood with a flash of silver about the wheels. It was pulled by a pair of stout horses with silver gray fur and long untrimmed manes.


    She watched as it rolled past, other traffic on the road clearing out of its way as the driver guided the horses toward the inn¡¯s stabling grounds. The driver was, despite his hidden face and mysterious form-covering robes, just a second realm cultivator. He was probably from a servant clan of the Meng. She watched as the man parked the carriage and stepped down to confer with the owner of the building.


    One short conversation later, the driver was knocking politely at the carriage door. From where she stood, she could hear him murmur. ¡°We have arrived, Young Master.¡±


    The driver stepped back, and the door slid soundlessly open. The young man who stepped out was tall, perhaps even a centimeter or two taller than her. He wore robes of dark blue and black, heavy layered things that shrouded his figure as well as any woman''s gown. Despite that, from his proportions and movements, she could see he was whipcord thin.


    He had a handsome if somewhat effeminate face, and his shoulder length hair was chestnut brown. As he reached the bottom of the carriage steps, he reached up with one gloved hand to adjust the narrow half spectacles that rested on his nose. Ling Qi caught the glimmer of qi that flashed in the silvery lenses. They were a pretty potent talisman.


    He glanced toward her and met her eyes directly.


    Ling Qi smiled without shame. It wasn¡¯t like she was actually trying to hide. It would have been disappointing if he had missed her. She waited until he had dismissed his manservant to stable the horses before she approached.


    ¡°Sir Meng, welcome to the Argent Peak Sect,¡± Ling Qi said politely, clasping her hands and bowing her head.


    Meng Dan bowed in return. ¡°Baroness Ling, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡±


    He had a pretty soft and feminine voice. If his grandmother hadn¡¯t specifically used male pronouns, Ling Qi might have been unsure of his gender.


    ¡°The pleasure is mine, Sir Meng,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Did your journey go well?¡±


    ¡°It passed without troubles,¡± he replied, smiling pleasantly. ¡°Bandits are hardly a common problem these days.¡±


    Ling Qi cocked her head a little. She wasn¡¯t sure if he was trying to imply something. ¡°Her Grace¡¯s rule has been most beneficial, hasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It has,¡± he agreed easily. ¡°I hope to see matters continue improving. The Emerald Seas has long been at a nadir, historically speaking.¡±


    ¡°I suppose you would know,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Do other scholars of Blue Mountain Sect agree?¡±


    ¡°Heavens, no,¡± he replied with a chuckle. ¡°We spend near as much time shouting at each other as we do keeping the Library tame.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked.


    ¡°It is a common misconception that history is a simple recounting of events,¡± Meng Dan elaborated easily, removing his spectacles to polish them on a corner of his robes. ¡°In truth, it is a war of perceptions.¡±


    ¡°One which I would hope is grounded in facts,¡± Ling Qi replied, finding her rhythm again.


    ¡°Of course, but facts are funny things,¡± he said. ¡°I naturally believe my interpretations are correct, but so do my peers, and a skilled orator can make facts mean anything they like. Ask that muse that I can feel behind your eyes.¡±


    She got a feeling of a helpless shrug from Sixiang. Ling Qi narrowed her eyes. Meng Dan was communicating with someone¡­


    Ah, she understood. Ling Qi was not the only one with the voice of a moon phase in their head. ¡°It seems we have both neglected to introduce everyone involved in the conversation,¡± she said lightly.


    ¡°I am sure that you are aware that most people do not bother,¡± Meng Dan said. His small smile never faded as he replaced his glasses.


    It was easy, Ling Qi thought, to arrive at the conclusion that he was amused by her, but she didn¡¯t think that was right. No, the impression she got was that Meng Dan was a little amused at everything.


    Sixiang concurred.


    ¡°Well, as peers, let us not be rude,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Sixiang, introduce yourself.¡±


    The air at her side shimmered, and Sixiang faded into view wearing an androgynous face. ¡°Hello there! I gotta say, it¡¯s nice to meet a cousin again.¡±


    ¡°The feeling is mutual.¡± The soft spoken voice that whispered over Meng Dan¡¯s shoulder was barely audible. A face shimmered in the air there like the reflection of the moon on water. Long black hair in two braids bound by silver ribbons framed a soft, ghostly pale female face. Distinctively, her eyes were hidden behind a tightly bound strip of black silk. ¡°This Yinhui greets cousin Sixiang and Scholar Ling alike.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone has ever called me a scholar,¡± Ling Qi mused.


    ¡°I doubt one with no interest in the past would have spoken as you did at court,¡± Meng Dan said.


    ¡°The Keeper cares not for the orthodoxy of methods,¡± Yinhui murmured, fading away. ¡°Scholar Ling is one of hers in the end.¡±


    ¡°I think she¡¯s more Grandmother¡¯s type, but you Hidden gals are always the possessive type.¡± Sixiang faded away in turn.


    ¡°Interactions between the phases are always fascinating.¡± Meng Dan chuckled. ¡°But enough. Would you care to come inside, Miss Ling? I presume we are to bandy words longer still, but I would rather do so with a cup of fresh tea to soothe my throat.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ling Qi said, falling in a step behind him.


    ***


    ¡°This is a fine blend. Very rich,¡± Meng Dan praised, setting his cup down with a faint clink.


    Ling Qi and Meng Dan sat at a small table in the corner of the common room. Around them was the mild susurrus of conversation from the rest of the inn¡¯s common room. The room was open and airy with pleasant lightning. The scents wafting from the kitchen added to the homely atmosphere. Most of the guests were disciples and servant cultivators, messengers, and drivers.


    She had been surprised when Meng Dan had ordered a table rather than a room, but she couldn¡¯t say that she objected.


    ¡°It is pleasant enough,¡± Ling Qi agreed. She had come to enjoy cold brews and more bitter blends. It was all still frippery in her mind, but one could not spend so much time learning the art of tea making without developing some preferences.


    Meng Dan¡¯s air of amusement didn¡¯t waver. They had spent the last few minutes while their tea was brewing in companionable silence. Watching him during that time, she had seen his attention drift from table to table, observing their fellow guests one after another. Not for a moment did he ever seem less than pleased with what he saw.


    It made her wonder precisely what he was seeing.


    Sixiang whispered. Their mental voice was more ¡°quiet¡± than usual since it seemed possible that Meng Dan could overhear them.


    ¡°So,¡± Ling Qi began, swirling her tea in its cup. ¡°I¡¯m curious about what insights you have on the hill tribes. Lady Meng indicated you have some specialty on the subject.¡±


    ¡°It is a subject of significant interest to me,¡± Meng Dan said. ¡°To begin, I must unfortunately turn the question around. What do you know of the province''s past, Baroness? I would hate to waste precious time explaining things you already know.¡±


    Ling Qi dipped her head in acknowledgment. ¡°I know that the Weilu were primarily a northern polity, although they had interests in the south.¡±


    The Blue Mountain Sect that Meng Dan belonged to was one, formerly a great temple of the sun and moon. Then, there was the site of the Bloody Dream. The Weilu rebels may have fled to it, but it was still a point of interest. There was also the tomb on sect lands where a horned skeleton sat, bleeding forever in a maze of broken space. In the depths of her dantian, Ling Qi felt her domain blade stir at the memory.


    ¡°I know at some point that they had a civil war and that the groups that lived to the south of the Weilu were independent and had their own traditions. Under the Xi clan, they were gradually brought into the Empire.¡±


    ¡°A simple summary, accurate as far as it goes,¡± Meng Dan said. ¡°I am surprised you know of the Mason¡¯s War. It is not a commonly taught subject.¡±


    It took only a second to make the connection. ¡°Mason¡¯s¡­ because the rebelling faction was using stone building materials and practicing northern city building.¡±


    ¡°Quite.¡± Meng Dan seemed pleased. ¡°It was as much a religious schism as a practical matter given the spiritual pacts in those days. Might I ask where you got your information?¡±


    ¡°There is a location steeped in Dream that causes some events from the war to play out again and again,¡± Ling Qi said quietly, flashes of blood and death in her memory. For a second, she tasted blood on her fangs again. ¡°It operates under the auspices of the Bloody Moon.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Meng Dan grimaced. ¡°It is a shame you had to experience such a thing.¡±


    ¡°I would think a historian would be more excited for a primary source,¡± Ling Qi said wryly, dismissing the lingering discomfort from her thoughts as best she could.


    ¡°I would be, save that such¡­ records have their own distortions,¡± Meng Dan replied. ¡°The will of the Great Spirit involved, the participation of dreamers in the events¡­ Are you familiar with Master Lao¡¯s First Principle of the Liminal?¡±


    ¡°My study of dreams has not been academic,¡± Ling Qi admitted.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Meng Dan said. ¡°The First Principle is that observation of a dream alters a dream. Memories and dreams are fundamentally personal, and viewing another¡¯s memory inherently alters it as it is filtered through your perceptions. That is before actual personal interaction with the events is considered. In the case of long lasting phenomena such as you describe¡­¡±


    ¡°It will have been viewed many, many times,¡± Ling Qi said slowly. ¡°Do you mean to say that what I experienced was false?¡± She wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that.


    ¡°I am certain that the general shape of events is correct, but I would not trust the details, no,¡± Meng Dan replied, tracing his finger around the rim of his cup thoughtfully. ¡°¡®False¡¯ is the wrong word.¡±


    ¡°I suppose I had thought in light of such things that determining the truth of history should be easy.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately not. We have many resources, but none are perfect.¡± Meng Dan was scanning around the room again.


    Ling Qi let out a sigh, despite it being a little rude. ¡°The tribes then?¡±


    ¡°Not anything like a unified culture,¡± Meng Dan answered, switching subjects easily. ¡°Common parlance calls all who lived south of the Weilu and north of the cloud tribes ¡®hill tribes,¡¯ but this is misleading.¡±


    ¡°I had some inkling,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°There was a group that lived high in the mountains and practiced self-mortification. Nomadic groups and settled groups lived in the hills.¡±


    The burning library of lost knowledge she had briefly browsed on her trip with the moons to Tonghou had been helpful.


    Meng Dan¡¯s perpetually amused expression didn¡¯t fade, but he did give her an assessing look. ¡°Quite. Why, recently, the Library discovered a number of old Xi era poems. The translation butchered the meter, but they have been informative.¡±


    Ling Qi did not react. ¡°How fortunate.¡±


    He hummed to himself but didn¡¯t pursue the subject further. Instead, he began to pour a second cup of tea before the empty seat on his side. ¡°In any case, getting back on subject, the grouping known as the hill tribes consisted of three major groups. There were the nomadic tribes, the settled tribes, and the mountain tribes. However¡­¡±


    ¡°However,¡± Ling Qi repeated, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°This is not considered polite conversational material, but¡­¡± Meng Dan began, a twinkle of humor in his eye.


    ¡°Regional human physiology did not diverge until the introduction of beast blood,¡± Yinhui said, blowing softly on a cup of tea. Around the just materialized spirit, a fading silver light suffused the air.


    Ling Qi pursed her lips. ¡°You are saying the Weilu were hill tribes themselves.¡±


    ¡°I am saying that academic distinctions aside, there were few hard lines between the cultures of the Emerald Seas in the pre-Tsu era,¡± Meng Dan clarified. ¡°There are numerous records of Weilu mingling with tribesmen, allying and warring in turns even after the Diviner¡¯s rise. What scattered records remain show a great migration of the southlands in the face of advancing ice and the end of the dragons. It was only after arrival that differences began to show.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned, wondering just how far that went. ¡°Advancing ice. That sounds like it may be relevant.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Meng Dan replied, seeming delighted. He rested a hand on Yinhui¡¯s head. In human form, she was tiny, shorter even than Li Suyin. ¡°The mountain folk are our likely link. We have few enough records of them. It seems that they were well into decline by the time of Tsu with most of their people following the glacial ice back into the Wall. They are the most mysterious of the three groups.¡±


    ¡°But you have something obviously,¡± Sixiang drawled aloud, materializing in the chair beside Ling Qi. They leaned forward, elbows on the table. ¡°Man, you¡¯re theatrical. You sure you¡¯re not one of ours?¡±


    ¡°He is not,¡± Yinhui said, not looking up from her cup.


    Meng Dan chuckled, rubbing the spirit¡¯s head affectionately. Ling Qi eyed the two of them, wondering if he was like Elder Jiao, but that didn¡¯t seem right. She was hardly experienced in that kind of thing, but his affection seemed more like a sibling¡¯s.


    It hadn¡¯t made her uncomfortable after all.


    ¡°I do, in fact, have something. In my own research and expeditions into the Deep Archive, I turned up a partial journal and some fragments of a treaty signed by the Successor of Tsu, marrying one of his daughters to the son of a Queen of the Frozen Sky. The journal is that of a court diviner and contains a number of observations on the young man in question and his people. I have since been able to collate further information.¡±


    ¡°How useful.¡± Ling Qi shared a look with Sixiang. She was almost certain that he was referring obliquely to a moon quest of his own. ¡°What happened to them?¡±


    ¡°Unknown,¡± Meng Dan replied, some mild frustration bleeding away his humor. ¡°They were a significant polity, but the next records a few centuries later refer to them as a remnant. My professors concluded that they had simply gone the way of the others, assimilated or destroyed by the cloud tribes in their southern migrations.¡±


    ¡°Then, your report occurred,¡± Yinhui said.


    ¡°Just so,¡± Meng Dan said. ¡°Rather convenient, no?¡±


    ¡°Convenient,¡± Ling Qi agreed slowly. She was beginning to feel even more nervous. It seemed very much like whatever was happening, even Great Spirits had an interest.

 Threads 145-Tome 2

    ¡°So, let us grant that I believe your studies are relevant to our task.¡±


    ¡°Most generous of you, Baroness,¡± Meng Dan said, resting his chin in his hand.


    ¡°What skills do you have to offer to my lady in the field?¡± Ling Qi asked, ignoring his interjection.


    ¡°Mm, I agree. You¡¯d obviously be a real good study buddy, but how¡¯s your practicals?¡± Sixiang asked flippantly. Normally, Ling Qi wouldn¡¯t be so casual, but she thought she had a decent measure of Meng Dan now.


    ¡°While I do not spend a great deal of time in the wilderness, the Deep Archive is not so very different for cultivators of our level,¡± Meng Dan replied smoothly.


    ¡°That¡¯s the second time you¡¯ve mentioned that,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°What is the ¡®Deep Archive¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Scholar Ling is familiar with the struggles of the Argent Peak Sect librarians,¡± Yinhui said. ¡°Argent Sect¡¯s archive is a very young library.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed to herself. She was aware that plenty of the older books and scrolls had some bite to them and that the archivists had to do significant work in keeping everything orderly and peaceful.


    ¡°Blue Mountain Sect¡¯s Library of the Diviner is one of the oldest surviving structures in the Empire,¡± Meng Dan explained. ¡°And has at times been left understaffed.¡±


    ¡°The stacks are as deadly as any bramble patch,¡± Sixiang summarized.


    ¡°Just so,¡± Meng Dan agreed. ¡°There are many wings and sub-basements which are essentially naturally reinforcing spirit ecosystems, some of which extend entirely or partially into the liminal. When I describe making an ¡®expedition¡¯ into the Deep Archive, I am not making use of hyperbole.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded slowly. She knew that all things developed spirits in time, so a building that, by inference, dated back to the time of Tsu the Diviner, the half-mythical founder of the Emerald Seas, would likely be strange indeed. ¡°Fair enough. So you have experience with survival skills and spirit negotiation then.¡±


    ¡°I would humbly claim some proficiency, yes,¡± Meng Dan replied. ¡°However, I believe my greatest skill, and the asset which I could provide to your lady, is my ability to organize, decipher, and interpret large amounts of information.¡±


    ¡°Most cultivators can claim to be able to quickly absorb information,¡± Ling Qi pointed out.


    ¡°Knowledge and understanding are separate tasks,¡± Yinhui said, barely touching her teacup to her lips.


    ¡°It is indeed trivial for any cultivator of the third realm to memorize great reams of information,¡± Meng Dan said, pushing his glasses up. ¡°But the skill of dissecting, discarding, and interpreting that information into useful data is another. One which, and I mean no offense, Lady Cai¡¯s small court yet lacks in its retainers.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed to herself, drumming her fingers on the table as she met Meng Dan¡¯s eyes. Behind her eyes, she felt Sixiang focus as well. To her eyes, Meng Dan seemed sincere. His perpetual smile and manner did seem a little condescending, but it did not feel malicious in the way it could for some individuals.


    She didn¡¯t get the feeling that he thought he was better than her.


    Ling Qi traced her finger along the edge of her tea cup. ¡°One more question. What is it exactly that you find so funny, Sir Meng?¡±


    His smile became a little thinner, his eyes practically twinkling with humor. ¡°Lady Baroness, when you study people and their institutions as closely as I, laughter is the only rational and healthy reaction.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded. Whether she agreed or not, those words held the thrum of Truth. His Truth, at least.


    ***


    ¡°Your impressions?¡± Cai Renxiang asked crisply as they faced one another beneath the evening sky. They stood in an empty training field, a small field of grass atop a steep cliff.


    Ling Qi shifted, adjusting her footing, along with the grip on the blade in her hand. She had reached the vague point of ¡°good enough¡± with blades. Yet, sometimes, she still faced Cai Renxiang like this, without techniques or active arts.


    Some people had odd ways of relaxing.


    ¡°I believe both of them will be assets in different aspects,¡± Ling Qi answered as she slid forward, bringing her blade up in a textbook perfect upward slash.


    She was met by a similarly perfect deflection, metal sliding off metal. Ling Qi turned with the motion of the slash, ducking beneath the countering blow. They were only moving a bit faster than mortals. This wasn¡¯t even a spar really, just moving meditation.


    ¡°I am not concerned with Meng Dan¡¯s intentions, and Xia Lin is¡­¡± Ling Qi began.


    ¡°Loyal.¡± Cai Renxiang finished shortly. ¡°General Xia is unwavering in her devotion to Mother. She would not give a recommendation lightly.¡±


    Twice more, their blades clashed. Cai Renxiang pressed forward. Her style was offensive and overbearing. Ling Qi retreated and circled, the saber style she practiced in moments like these was more than a little dance-like. There was no reason to be inefficient after all.


    ¡°And your business?¡± Ling Qi asked. The General implied that Renxiang had made a request of her mother. That seemed¡­ odd.


    There was the faintest waver in the upheld edge of the practice blade in Renxiang¡¯s hands. ¡°It is because of the two of you.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s knees bending as her upraised blade absorbed the force of Renxiang¡¯s downward sweep. She tilted the blade, letting it slide off of her and circled left. ¡°Meizhen and I?¡±


    The heiress¡¯ nod was stiff. ¡°Accepting and reacting to Mother¡¯s directives is not enough. My failure in finding insight is proof of this.¡±


    Ling Qi remembered the very awkward tea party where that had come up and held back a grimace. ¡°I did not mean to unsettle you so.¡±


    ¡°You were¡­ not wrong. If I damage myself unnecessarily in the course of my duty, this is also a disservice to those I am responsible for,¡± Cai Renxiang stated coolly. ¡°So¡­ maintenance of the self.¡±


    Ling Qi stepped back as Renxiang did, letting the saber fall to her side. ¡°I¡¯m glad, Lady Renxiang. You haven¡¯t answered though. Evasion is unlike you.¡±


    ¡°I chose to make a selfish request,¡± Cai Renxiang said. For a moment, the girl¡¯s normally overbearing presence shrank. ¡°Gan Guangli will be accompanying us on this journey.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, then smiled. ¡°That¡¯s great! It will be good to have another familiar face along.¡±


    ¡°I could likely have secured further material support for you and our expedition, if I had not spent my capital so,¡± Cai Renxiang elaborated bluntly.


    Ling Qi¡¯s smile faded. ¡°Lady Renxiang, my stipend is generous enough. I am not going to begrudge you this. Although naturally, I will accept any further windfalls.¡±


    ¡°Naturally,¡± Cai Renxiang repeated dryly.


    She would not pretend that she really understood the heiress¡¯ reasons. She knew that even if both of them would deny the title, Cai Renxiang and Gan Guangli were friends. ¡°When will he be meeting us?¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow,¡± Cai Renxiang replied, bringing her saber up to rest on her shoulder. ¡°We are departing in two day¡¯s time. I wished to speak with you regarding that. I believe it would be good to undergo some manner of group exercise before our departure to test our cohesion. I am inclined to do a military exercise given the presence of the General¡¯s forces, but I would know your thoughts.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed thoughtfully to herself as she followed her liege over to the weapon rack to deposit her saber.


    Sixiang suggested.


    ***


    Two metal clad fists crashed together. ¡°Greetings, honorable allies!¡±


    Gan Guangli was much the same as he had been when Ling Qi had seen him last. He had gained a few centimeters in height, his shoulders were a touch more broad, and his short blonde hair had grown out just a bit. Yet he was still Guan Guangli, tall and boisterous, a hulk in gilded white and red armor.


    ¡°My, aren¡¯t you a bright one.¡± Meng Dan tilted his head as he examined Gan Guangli.


    Xia Lin eyed him in silent appraisal, her arms crossed over her breastplate.


    Cai Renxiang stood beside him, any hint of uncertainty she had shown the previous evening gone from her austere expression. ¡°This is Gan Guangli, oldest of my retainers. He will be accompanying us on this journey as well.¡±


    Xia Lin clasped her hands and bowed very precisely. ¡°Greetings, Baron Gan. I am Sergeant Xia Lin of the White Plumes. I have been assigned the duty of guarding your mistress.¡±


    She seemed slightly nonplussed when Gan Guangli beamed at her.


    Meng Dan toyed with the frames of his glasses, casting an unreadable look at Xia Lin. ¡°And I am Meng Dan. Your lady has invited me for my expertise on ancient cultures.¡±


    ¡°And I would hope that you remember me, Gan Guangli,¡± Ling Qi said dryly.


    They stood under the eaves of a stone pavilion on the Inner Sect Peak where Cai Renxiang currently lived. The sun was still low in the sky, having only recently risen over the horizon.


    ¡°Of course, Miss Ling. It pleases me to make your acquaintance as well, Sir Meng!¡± Gan Guangli greeted cheerfully, straightening to his full height. ¡°As for you, Sergeant Xia, it is reassuring that my lady will have a soldier so elite at her side! My own circumstances have caused me some trouble in keeping pace.¡±


    At foundation green and bronze, Gan Guangli was a half, if not full, stage behind everyone. There was no shame in his voice though. Gan Guangli really was irrepressible.


    ¡°... Lady Cai¡¯s safety will be secure,¡± Xia Lin said. Her gaze flicked away from Gan Guangli¡¯s face down to Cai Renxiang. ¡°On that matter, my lady, what are the plans for our expedition?¡±


    ¡°We have two days of preparatory time. During the first half of our journey, we will be traveling with a combined war party from the Sect and the White Plumes, which will be cooperating with Wang and Meng forces in a limited offensive against the barbarians. This will provide us with cover during the second half when we split from the main forces.¡±


    ¡°Oh my. How delightfully bold,¡± Meng Dan said. ¡°As expected from Yuan He and the Heron General.¡±


    Cai Renxiang simply inclined her head. ¡°We will leave the main force and travel to the edge of the territory known to be held by tribes which are participating in the current hostilities with a scouting element. Then, we will split again for the final leg of the journey.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed to herself. She had heard this already when she had been discussing potential trips with Renxiang the night before. They would probably have an observer as well, but since interference would mean failure, it was best to plan as if they did not.


    ¡°What are our plans for extraction?¡± Xia Lin asked. ¡°I have reviewed the documentation, and the target location is very deep in the Wall, near the edge of reliable mapping.¡±


    ¡°Mother has crafted us a single use transportation talisman,¡± Renxiang replied. ¡°We are to attempt to negotiate the placement of a transportation tag at a designated meeting location if possible.¡±


    It shouldn¡¯t be an impossible ask. Allowing a potential enemy to mark their location was dangerous, but in controlling the placement, the White Sky Confederation would be able to prepare defensive measures as they liked.


    Sixiang thought.


    ¡°I mean no offense, but what is to be done if the talisman fails or is interdicted? I had heard that our foes have some proficiency in that.¡± Meng Dan questioned.


    There was a moment of bewildered silence. Xia Lin and Gan Guangli alike stared at Meng Dan blankly. Even Ling Qi shifted uncomfortably. The mere thought of a talisman from Cai Shenhua, a cultivator at the highest realm known for her crafting abilities, failing was alarming, but¡­ Elder Jiao¡¯s talisman had been interfered with.


    ¡°It is a relevant concern,¡± Ling Qi said carefully. ¡°Underestimating foes is foolish.¡±


    ¡°Ling Qi is correct,¡± Renxiang said crisply. ¡°We will also have emergency communications with one of the Duchess¡¯ apprentices. They will begin a rescue operation if need be.¡±


    ¡°That is relieving,¡± Meng Dan said, bowing his head. ¡°The Duchess is wise.¡±


    ¡°It is good that we are prepared for even the most unlikely contingency,¡± Gan Guangli said with a firm nod.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Xia Lin said slowly. Ling Qi couldn¡¯t be sure what she was thinking. Her aura was as unreadable as her expression. ¡°What, then, are we to do until departure? Will we be participating in the cooperative drilling with the Sect?¡±


    ¡°I believe I have a more fruitful exercise in mind,¡± Renxiang said. ¡°The core of our mission will be its final leg, and most of us are familiar with military protocol already.¡±


    ¡°And even I know to stay out of the way and obey orders,¡± Meng Dan said lightly.


    ¡°Just so,¡± Renxiang said, gesturing for Ling Qi to come forward to the table in the center of the pavilion. ¡°Ling Qi has a lead on a more useful exercise.¡±


    Eyes fell on her, and Ling Qi dipped her head humbly as she stepped forward. ¡°I have, in the course of my cultivation, gained a number of treasures. Among them is a map of the sect grounds marking numerous sites of interest.¡±


    ¡°Intriguing,¡± Meng Dan said, leaning forward eagerly as Ling Qi gestured and the map materialized on the table. ¡°You are fortunate indeed, Miss Ling.¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± Ling Qi agreed. She looked upon the silvery surface with some trepidation. She had used the map very sparingly since her last major use, visiting the trial site of the Bloody Moon.


    She would not be so weakly resolved again.


    ¡°A shorter expedition in safer ground as a test then,¡± Xia Lin said, stepping forward herself to peer at the map. ¡°Practical enough.¡±


    ¡°I have not been able to quest into the sect grounds often,¡± Gan Guangli boomed. ¡°What a wonderful opportunity!¡±


    ¡°Indeed. It is possible that we may achieve some additional benefit,¡± Renxiang said.


    ¡°Sect-cultivated spirits are often beneficial,¡± Xia Lin acknowledged. She looked at Ling Qi. ¡°Have you selected a destination?¡±


    ¡°I have some ideas, but I had hoped to ask Sir Meng¡¯s assistance,¡± Ling Qi replied easily. Really, when inspecting the map, she simply got hunches about where best to go. ¡°There is some element of divination in the map¡¯s use, and a fellow expert¡¯s opinion would be welcome.¡±


    Calling herself an expert of divination was a stretch, but she managed to say it with a straight face. Meng Dan¡¯s amused gaze told her he saw through it. ¡°Naturally, Miss Ling. What portents have you deciphered thus far?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Ling Qi said, sweeping her hand over the map. ¡°The signs seemed to point to these¡­¡±

 Interlude: Management

    ¡°And that is a deal struck, my friend!¡± Bao Qian said cheerfully. He extended his hand, and Baron Fu grasped it. Their storage rings flashed, and Bao Qian felt the satisfying clatter of spirit stones spilling into his emptied storage space.


    Baron Fu gave a sharp nod as he stood. An older gentleman just getting into his second century with a short, well kept beard and topknot shot through with grey, he was the first customer Bao Qian had on the agenda today. The sale couldn¡¯t have gone better. The crate the baron had been examining lay open, filled with soft gray ash that still smelled faintly of burning wood.


    ¡°You were not exaggerating about the potency of the material, young man,¡± the baron said gruffly, releasing his hand. ¡°This will serve my clan¡¯s fields well in the spring.¡±


    Bao Qian nodded enthusiastically. This would boost business significantly. So far he¡¯d dealt with intermediaries and lesser clan members. Gaining the baron as a customer was quite a coup. The Fu family were among the more prosperous southern farming clans, providing elixir and pill materials for all manner of staple mixtures. More importantly, the Fu clan¡¯s competitors would not leave them with an advantage for long.


    ¡°I certainly wish you the greatest prosperity, so that you might be inclined to purchase in higher bulk next time,¡± Bao Qian said easily. His clan had a reputation, and he found that things worked out better when he leaned into it.


    The baron let out a huff of laughter. ¡°Naturally, we will have to see how the testing with our crops proceeds,¡± he grunted, stroking his beard.


    There was a faint rumble of thunder then, and Baron Fu glanced to the south, good humor draining from his gaze. The clouds on the horizon were dark, as they had been for weeks now. Bao Qian had seen the people of the Ganshu valley preparing the floodworks throughout his journey.


    ¡°Assuming we have a next year,¡± Baron Fu said.


    ¡°Worry not, my friend,¡± Bao Qian said. While some might look to emergency as a chance for a quick profit, he was of the mind that customers looking to the future were better for business. ¡°Have you not heard? Her Grace intends to come south herself. The tribes won¡¯t know what hit them!¡±


    The older man slowly shook his head. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t expect another Ogodei, and my great-grandfather lived through that, too. But that doesn¡¯t mean my fields will be here afterward.¡±


    Bao Qian felt his smile dim and nodded more gravely. ¡°If it comes to that, I will put a word in for you with my father. I am certain a little loan will get things running smoothly again in short order.¡± He disliked trading on his father¡¯s name, but pride had no place when speaking of the devastation warring high realms could bring.


    ¡°I am not so certain my own liege would appreciate the interference,¡± Baron Fu said dryly.


    ¡°I am certain the Wang would be reasonable,¡± Bao Qian said humbly. ¡°We are all folk of the Emerald Seas.¡±


    The baron gave him the sort of look which only an old man could give to a young man spouting foolishness but nodded. ¡°Perhaps. I¡¯m afraid I have other business to attend to today, young lord, as do you, I am sure. We will meet in three months to discuss the next sale?¡±


    Bao Qian agreed, and they traded a few more customary pleasantries. Unfortunately, the sour subject matter had removed his chance to improve the man¡¯s disposition much. Strolling back toward his wagon, Bao Qian manifested a single red stone in his hand to idly flip between his fingers. It didn¡¯t help that the baron was not wrong. The other counts had many reasons to distrust Bao deals.


    His grandfather had seen to that with his predatory practices during the time of Ogodei and after. Although his own father and uncles had ousted the man before he could complete his attempt to join the Celestial Peaks during Duchess Cai¡¯s rise, too many had known of the attempt for it to remain secret.


    It was a shame, Bao Qian mused, listening to the sound of the stone clicking against his rings. The seed that the Duchess had planted, and that his uncle, Count Bao, was tending, was such a fragile thing. The idea of an Emerald Seas as a place beyond a location and a collection of squabbling clans was so very fragile.


    Reaching his wagon, Bao Qian flipped the stone up and caught it, letting it vanish back into storage. Well, plans were plans, but he had three more meetings before it was time to return to the Sect and indulge in his little¡­ passion project.


    ***?


    ¡°You¡¯re late,¡± the corpse-child said, tapping her bare foot impatiently.


    ¡°I,¡± Bao Qian said with great dignity, letting his wagon roll to a stop in the yard he had rented, ¡°am exactly on time. You were early, Young Miss.¡± Meeting the girl¡¯s dead white eyes was no longer unsettling.


    She huffed, the very picture of a young girl trying far too hard to be an arrogant young miss. It reminded him of his own younger sister, trailing after his mother like a duckling. Beside her, the snoozing lump of a legendary beast, shrunk to the size of a large boulder, let out a rumbling snore. Because naturally, it would be inappropriate for a young lady to meet an unrelated man alone.


    ¡°That¡¯s the same thing. You shouldn¡¯t make ladies wait.¡±


    Bao Qian let out a chuckle as he climbed down from the driver''s seat. Dealing with Miss Ling¡¯s siblings was always a touch surreal. It presented an interesting puzzle though, that he could admit.


    Yes, an interesting puzzle was the best way to describe Baroness Ling Qi. ¡°Ah, but a polite young lady does not put herself in a situation in which she must wait,¡± he chided. ¡°Both sides must play their parts.¡±


    She narrowed her eyes at him, clearly wondering if she was being humored, made fun of, or given legitimate advice. The answer was all three, of course. ¡°Whatever,¡± she said. ¡°You wanted to talk about new songs? Big Sis is busy with her boss.¡±


    ¡°I had wondered why she was not present,¡± Bao Qian said. He had made the offer to speak with her spirits on their own, but he¡¯d never expected her to take him up on it. It was so difficult to tell where the lines of her trust lay. ¡°The expedition, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Hanyi said, hopping up onto the shell of the xuan wu to sit down, her chin in her hands. ¡°She¡¯s super busy.¡±


    ¡°Well, no trouble,¡± Bao Qian said breezily. It was unfortunate; he¡¯d have liked more time to work on her, especially as she would be gone for a month. ¡°I¡¯d wanted to discuss some themes for future performances. I¡¯ve gathered information, and I believe that your appeal could be improved during the winter if you present yourself as a ward against its ills for those places which host you. Do you think that within your sphere?¡±


    The south Emerald Seas was still a deeply religious place. There was a strong benefit to playing into that market.


    Hanyi frowned in thought. ¡°I guess. I don¡¯t really understand spirit stuff. I think I could probably bully little spirits into being nice though. Do you think people will like that? Won¡¯t it make bigger spirits mad?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t present it as bullying,¡± Bao Qian said with a straight face. This girl was really not half as elegant as she liked to pretend. It was amusing in its way. ¡°We would be careful not to intrude into larger spirits¡¯ territories, but there are few major spirits of winter in the lowlands. Besides, would their adoration not make you the ¡®bigger¡¯ spirit?¡±


    ¡°Huh, that sounds pretty cool,¡± Hanyi said. ¡°Like this doofus and the village.¡±


    Bao Qian nodded, having little idea of what she was speaking, but the context gave him a guess. He had noticed that Hanyi had little direction to her domain, an oddity for a spirit at her level. He may as well help out. ¡°Because of that, I¡ª¡±


    She held up her hand. ¡°Wait, before I forget, there¡¯s something I wanted to ask since Big Sis isn¡¯t here.¡±


    Bao Qian raised an eyebrow, curious at what made the young girl sound so grave. ¡°And what is that?¡±


    ¡°Are you actually pursuing Sis or not?¡± Hanyi asked bluntly.


    He frowned in consternation. ¡°I would not think of it as a ¡®pursuit.¡¯ I am seeking an amicable agreement between us.¡±


    Bao Qian had in some ways been disappointed with the baroness. As a lover of music, he had thought that they would have something in common, but as that dinner had shown, she was not interested in the field as a whole. As an artist, she was very isolated.


    However, he did find her playing enchanting on those rare occasions he had caught snippets coming to a meeting. The bleak loneliness spoke to the drive that had seen him leave the halls of the Bao behind, seeking fortune in the margins.


    ¡°Yeah, whatever, that¡¯s nice and polite and all, but you''re losing your chance being all passive and stuff,¡± Hanyi said dismissively.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Bao Qian asked. ¡°I will be honest, young miss, but I do not think your Senior Sister would appreciate an aggressive approach.¡±


    Hanyi¡¯s expression screwed up. ¡°Okay, you¡¯re not wrong. But like, you¡¯re still not doing enough. Sis is more like Momma than she likes to admit. She¡¯ll totally just leave things as they are forever unless something gives her a kick.¡±


    ¡°A kick?¡± Bao Qian asked, morbidly curious where she was going with this. He had not planned for this turn of conversation, but that was what happened when dealing with Ling Qi and her spirits.


    ¡°I dunno, I¡¯m not a guy, and like you said, Sis doesn¡¯t like aggressive guys. But you need to keep putting yourself in front of her. Sis is kind of a blockhead sometimes. If you let her, she¡¯ll just dismiss you as that guy she talks money with,¡± Hanyi said authoritatively.


    ¡°I¡­ will take that under advisement,¡± Bao Qian said. ¡°If we might turn the discussion back to your performances?¡±


    Receiving romantic advice from a spirit of winter and desire was not in the itinerary for today, but there might be something in it though. His spirit beast would soon be returning from her scouting. Perhaps when the baroness returned, he could invite her again, this time to a site guaranteed to have something of interest.

 Threads 146-Old Ways 1

    Meng Dan spent the better part of an hour examining the map, questioning Ling Qi on her feelings regarding specific sites, flipping through a regional atlas drawn from his storage ring, and scattering odd platinum coins carved with different characters across the map before he delivered his verdict. The signs for best fortune pointed to a site on the southeastern edge of the map, marked by three concentric circles of carved silver trees.


    With the destination selected, Ling Qi fell back from the forefront as Cai Renxiang organized the expedition, taking a slow pace to simulate moving carefully through hostile territory. The mini-expedition would be a one day trip. She and Meng Dan were set the task of gathering information on the site from other disciples while Gan Guangli and Xia Lin were set to the task of determining the best route.


    Ling Qi rather wished that she had done such research in advance the last time she had made an expedition based on the sect map, but then again, it probably wouldn¡¯t have been so easy before. There were far fewer people willing to give her the time of day back then.


    She found her best source of information to be one of the disciples who had been part of the caldera assault group. He had been there at the end, and he was more than willing to share what he knew.


    The destination was a defunct trial site where the spirit companion of a deceased elder slept away their remaining days. It was no longer a proper challenge site, but the dreams of the fading spirit that lived there made it dangerous, twisting the forest into a maze and filling it with hostile figments. He had made it to the second circle of trees before leaving and had gotten valuable materials for medicinal crafting, but he had heard from his older brother that the spirit at the center could sometimes awaken and give disciples boons.


    Returning to Meng Dan, she delivered her information, and he was able to cross-reference that with his own knowledge and determine that it was likely the place where Elder Lang had fallen, buying time for the Sect¡¯s evacuation when Ogodei had arrived. Meng Dan seemed very enthusiastic about visiting the site.


    That had drawn Ling Qi up short. She had heard that name before. It was the name of the elder who had written Xuan Shi¡¯s books. She filed that away for later.


    It was strange though. According to Meng Dan¡¯s records, the man was a peerless swordsman from the Alabaster Sands, who had come south to retire after a century of exploring outside the Empire. Ling Qi would not have thought that one of the last men to hold the title of Sword Saint before it passed from common use would be the author of a bunch of silly books.


    The trip itself was uneventful, but they used it as practice for coordination. Together with Xia Lin, Ling Qi played outrider, scouting ahead and weaving their way through the interlocking grid of spirit territories to avoid conflict. Xia Lin was surprisingly adept at hiding her presence, and so was the silent war horse she rode.


    The others stayed together. Meng Dan used the information they delivered back to further extrapolate their path and avoid snarls that the two of them had missed. When they reached a twisted copse that couldn¡¯t easily be bypassed, Gan Guangli and Xia Lin took point in carving a path while Ling Qi picked off and drank the energy of the lesser spirits that tried to swarm them.


    Only Cai Renxiang herself did little, but that, too, was part of the plan. The arts of the Cai were unsubtle and distinctive, and although she could tell that it frustrated her liege, Renxiang stuck to enhancing everyone else''s efforts.


    They soon reached the site itself, a towering circle of old growth that reached a hundred meters into the sky and whose bark glimmered with veins of steel. Dark fog seeped from between the ancient trunks, and the canopy blotted out the already dim fall sun.


    ¡°This place is dying,¡± Meng Dan said with a rare frown, peering upward at the gentle rain of withered brown leaves.


    ¡°According to your information, that should not be a surprise,¡± Xia Lin said, sliding down from her horse. ¡°The spirit here is supposed to be fading.¡±


    ¡°It is not just one spirit dying here,¡± Meng Dan corrected.


    ¡°This is a place of despair,¡± Gan Guangli rumbled, crossing his thick arms across his chest. He peered up at the withering trees and the veins of rusted steel that ran through their bark with an expression of dislike. ¡°Miss Ling, Sir Meng, are you certain of your divinations?¡±


    Ling Qi understood his disquiet. The fog felt like Tonghou in the depths of winter. Cheer curled up and died here among the gnarled roots. Yet all the same, the map had never directed her to an unhelpful place.


    ... Even if she may not have liked all of the results.


    Sixiang murmured.


    ¡°I am confident. Don¡¯t let the aura of the place pick at your resolve,¡± Ling Qi said, idly rubbing her arms. There was a chill here that had nothing to do with temperature.


    ¡°Just so. This is but one of the many scents of history,¡± Meng Dan agreed.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Renxiang said, stepping up past them all. Her light seared the twisting fingers of mist and scattered the gloom.


    Ling Qi felt the chill fade, and in that moment, she fully recognized the pall that hung over this place. It was death of purpose, the cessation of ambition and drive.


    No wonder Cai Renxiang so easily parted it.


    ***


    Sixiang was right. This place wasn¡¯t dangerous in a conventional way. They were, as a group, too strong for mere figments to impede. Phantoms of glinting steel melted before them, and twisting passages of dream stuff and bent space parted before her fledgling experience and Meng Dan¡¯s navigational techniques.


    No, the trouble was the growing whispers of doubt and ennui in her thoughts whenever she ventured from the group to scout. She could see its effects in everyone, although aside from Renxiang, Gan Guangli seemed to bear it the best. She could tell that he didn¡¯t like this place from the set of his jaw, but there seemed to be an inner light in his eyes, not quite like the harsh and colorless radiance her liege gave off. As they worked their way through the first and second rings of trees, Ling Qi didn¡¯t miss the way all of them seemed to unconsciously shift toward tightening their formation, moving closer to Renxiang, who was the only one untouched by the fog.


    Soon, they found their way to the final circle where they saw an archway formed of trees grown together, filled by cloying fog impenetrable to all senses. It was, Ling Qi thought a touch sourly, probably a lot like what she inflicted on other people.


    Sixiang teased half-heartedly.


    She supposed that to Sixiang, this near palpable aura of listlessness was probably equivalent.


    ¡°What is our plan from here, Lady Cai?¡± she asked.


    Her liege frowned at the nearly solid wall of fog. Even her ambient glow failed to penetrate it. ¡°Given the intelligence we have, brute force is a poor choice. The entity here is not an enemy. However, peaceful contact cannot be guaranteed. Gan Guangli, Xia Lin, you will take the point and press through. I will fortify your spirits.¡±


    Xia Lin Lin grimaced, withdrawing her hand from the fog. It clung like liquid mud to her fingers. ¡°By your command.¡±


    Gan Guangli squared his shoulders and gave a simple nod.


    ¡°Ling Qi, Meng Dan, prepare your divinatory arts. I will require your assistance to coordinate should our senses be scrambled,¡± Renxiang ordered.


    Ling Qi nodded, silver flickering in her eyes as she renewed her sense-enhancing arts. Meng Dan simply bowed, showing no visible change.


    They pressed through the fog and emerged in a graveyard.


    They stood on the edge of a great, rounded depression in the ground surrounded by the innermost ring of trees. Below them lay a field of bones. Ling Qi found her grip on her flute tightening as her mind flashed back to another graveyard seen in a dream.


    But it wasn¡¯t the same. These bones were half returned to earth, overgrown with moss and buried in loam. She saw the bones of men, horses, and more exotic things, all of which had been cut. Skulls lay where they had fallen, bisected at the eye sockets, rib cages lay on their sides, cut vertically through the center, and at the bottom, what she took as white moss was a fine powder of bone shards, cut too small to hold any shape.


    ¡°Do you see the pattern?¡± Meng Dan asked, his voice sounding muffled to her ears.


    Ling Qi squinted, following where his finger pointed.


    She realized then the pattern in the bones traced out the gigantic figure of an old man lying on his side, curled in on himself.


    The air thrummed, and she tore her eyes away to zero in on the source. There, lying among the bones, lay a broken sword. It was rust-pitted, its handle bare of padding, but it still hurt her eyes to look at the edge.


    ¡°Hoh, is it my time to burn at last, Daughter of Wildfire?¡± The voice was a corroded whisper, the sound of a smooth draw corrupted by rust.


    Ling Qi frowned, glancing around at the others. No one here was a fire cultivator of any note.


    ¡°Honored ancestor,¡± she said, stepping forward and allowing the smooth flow of her Melodies of the Spirit Seekers art to take effect, dulling the cutting edge in the air. ¡°Although we are not all disciples of the Sect, we mean no harm.¡±


    ¡°... Too bad,¡± the voice whispered. ¡°I had thought the fire cleansing the land had come for me. Why then?¡±


    Ling Qi glanced at Renxiang then, and she thought she understood. One could liken the Duchess to a fire in some aspects. ¡°We are on the eve of an important mission, which may save the Sect from great harm. Divination indicated that this was an auspicious place to explore.¡±


    She eyed the others. Gan Guangli and Xia Lin stood on either side of Renxiang, watching their surroundings intently. Xia Lin¡¯s eyes, though, tracked back to the broken blade again and again, the halberd in her hand seemed to vibrate with dissatisfaction.


    Meng Dan was beside her, studying everything with faint interest in his eyes.


    ¡°There was no need to come so far then. Harvest materials, sharpen yourselves on my nightmares, I care not,¡± the voice whispered.


    ¡°Why would the Sect leave such a superlative blade to moulder?¡± Xia Lin hissed to her. ¡°It is a disgrace. If this is meant as a memorial, it is a poor one.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced to her, but before she could reply, the blade itself did.


    ¡°I will not cut again, Blade of Glass. I will die here. It is not the scabbard I had hoped for, but it serves well enough,¡± the voice ground out. ¡°Take that as your lesson, if you like. There is no other end than this for a weapon, no matter how you strive.¡±


    She glanced at the other girl, silently beseeching her to hold her tongue. Xia Lin glared down at the sword, but she didn¡¯t speak.


    ¡°There is something of value to be gained here,¡± Meng Dan murmured. She glanced his way. Although his lips were not moving, his voice whispered directly in her ears. ¡°I am certain of that. It is the specifics of the matter I am unsure of.¡±

 Threads 147-Old Ways 2

    Ling Qi pondered what to say. It occurred to her that the master of this old blade was an explorer.


    ¡°Honored Ancestor,¡± Ling Qi said, ¡°before we leave you to your rest, might you have any wisdom on the lands beyond the Wall? Your wielder is well known for his travels.¡±


    ¡°Those days were ending afore we departed the blood-slick sea and left the treasure fleet behind,¡± the sword spirit murmured.


    Beside her, Meng Dan looked fit to burst at holding back the questions on his lips.


    ¡°Still, can it be true that such a man never ventured far?¡± Ling Qi pressed. ¡°We will be journeying there, or close at least. Any knowledge you have to give would be helpful.¡±


    The swirling mists of the graveyard thickened around them, and silence answered her words. Carefully, Ling Qi prepared the weaves of qi that might aid in their flight if need be, and she felt the others doing the same.


    Eventually, the grinding voice answered. ¡°The endless wind upon the frozen plain is a blade, shearing away chaff. It is a place where the sun shows not his face for weeks and months, and the dark is full of terrors that cannot be cut. It is a place of obstinate refusal of inevitability where each blade of grass clings to life with vitality beyond the limits of its frame. It is a place where the Law of Man does not rule supreme. Ware the demon lights in the southern sky and do not linger under their gaze. That is all a blade can say.¡±


    Ling Qi shuddered at the spiritual weight that hung in the air, carving images into her mind¡¯s eye. She saw: wind that would cut immortal flesh; a plain of hardy grass stretching out beyond sight, interrupted only by blots of huddled black trees; a sky with no sun where the moon was wan and far away and the stars shone cold; and a wall of fiery peaks far, far to the south, beyond which a curtain of wicked daemon lights winked and flowed in an alien sky.


    The pressure let up, and Ling Qi took a sharp breath, the sound loud in her own ears. ¡°Thank you for your words, Honored Ancestor.¡±


    The words and visions spoke to her of the depths of Zeqing¡¯s demesne, made more cruel and hostile still. Even if they were not to descend on those hostile plains, they would need to prepare well to traverse the southern mountains.


    What kind of people would live in such a place? It was a question she thought she would be pondering for some time. Still, she sensed the simmering irritation in the air and knew that their time was up.


    For now.


    She was going to be back here after the expedition to the south, albeit in different company.


    ¡°Thank you again for your words, Honored Ancestor,¡± Ling Qi said, offering a final bow. She glanced at the others and jerked her head toward the exit.


    As they turned to go, however, the sword spoke again. ¡°Child of Wildfire, what is the blade at your side?¡±


    Cai Renxiang, who had observed the proceedings in impassive silence until then, frowned, her fingers brushing the hilt of her saber. ¡°It is one tool among many. No more,¡± she answered.


    The mist churned, but whether in approval or disapproval, Ling Qi could not say.


    ¡°Go,¡± rumbled the sword.


    And so they did.


    ***


    ¡°I will see that we are provided with sufficient environmental gear from the underground stockpiles on our return,¡± Renxiang said as they stepped back into the lighter mist of the second ring.


    ¡°I had not been under the impression that the lands beyond the wall were as hostile as the western jungles or the deeplands,¡± Meng Dan said. ¡°An odd oversight in the records.¡±


    ¡°If clans and individuals shared their findings freely with the wider province, the world would be unrecognizable,¡± Xia Lin replied a touch sourly. She still seemed very unhappy with what she had seen in the graveyard.


    ¡°Still, I think that was at least productive?¡± Ling Qi ventured tentatively.


    ¡°It was. I have a wider view of everyone¡¯s capabilities,¡± Xia Lin agreed, striding ahead. The bent space was lighter now that they were leaving, the paths direct instead of twisting.


    ¡°I would have liked a more in depth interview with a survivor of the first treasure fleet,¡± Meng Dan said, sounding a little dissatisfied. ¡°Alas, primary sources are always so difficult.¡±


    ¡°It is a shame for a relic to be left in a place like this,¡± Xia Lin agreed.


    ¡°It is better,¡± Gan Guangli disagreed, less boisterous than normal. ¡°Despair such as this is poison of the mind. No good would come of this spirit¡¯s return. Let the Sect remember the Elder Lang as the hero he was.¡±


    Ling Qi watched out of the corner of his eye as Gan Guangli rubbed his cheek as if remembering some phantom blow.


    Meng Dan hummed thoughtfully but didn¡¯t say anything further.


    The mini expedition was over. It was time to prepare for the real thing.


    ***


    The army camp was a hive of activity as the Sect prepared to move out in force for barbarian lands. Elder Jiao had recovered from the worst of his wounds, and so Sect Head Yuan himself, along with General Xia Ren, would be sallying forth.


    In addition to soldiers and combat disciples, there were a great deal of production cultivators and disciples and a multitude of wagons and vehicles full of supplies. The Sect planned to march and claim territory, building roads and temporary fortifications as they went, which would require far more material than simple storage formations could hold.


    On the initial march, Zhengui volunteered to work among the other spirit beasts hauling material, and the quartermaster was happy with his presence. Hanyi planned to stay with her, not caring much for the regimented atmosphere. Soon enough, the march was on.


    It felt painfully slow to Ling Qi, moving at the pace of this great mass of people. Even when she was assigned to scouting duty, she found herself feeling restless, knowing that no matter how far out she ranged, she always had to circle back. Her restlessness wasn¡¯t helped by the endless storm that rumbled overhead, stretching for kilometers in every direction. Heavy black clouds hung fat in the sky, never releasing their rain and lightning, instead gathering around the golden coils of the Dragon King that flew overhead.


    Ling Qi swiftly began to miss the moon and the stars.


    Still, for these first few days at least, they were in friendly territory, and so there was not too much need for vigilance. Ling Qi was left with some time free of duty. She found herself spending time with Gan Guangli and Zhengui in the company of the road layers.


    ***


    From a great enough height, it really was like watching ants at work, Ling Qi thought. She sat atop a scraggly tree clinging to a high cliff, overlooking a wide and shallow valley that lay at the edge of the Sect¡¯s territory.


    ¡°It¡¯s not such a bad comparison,¡± Sixiang said from beside her. They fluttered around at the edge of her vision, a bird of indeterminate species with shimmering rainbow feathers. ¡°Humans aren¡¯t that much different from us. We¡¯re all just a bunch of smaller pieces acting as part of something bigger.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed thoughtfully. She didn¡¯t fully agree, but she couldn¡¯t say Sixiang was entirely wrong. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why no Great Spirit of the Empire ever formed.¡± Ling Qi stared down at the hundreds of people and beasts tearing up the valley to lay down a road. ¡°It¡¯s been here all along.¡±


    ¡°Why are they bothering with this?¡± Sixiang asked, alighting on her head. ¡°It¡¯s not like you cultivators really need a road.¡±


    ¡°This is how you defeat the cloud tribes,¡± Ling Qi replied, thinking back to the Sect¡¯s lessons and books. ¡°If you just defeat them and drive them away, even if you kill tribes entirely, new ones will flow back in like water into an empty river bed. If you want to keep them out, you need to take and hold the land.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I think I get it,¡± Sixiang said. ¡°It¡¯s about making the land and the spirits yours and not theirs.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded absently, watching as production disciples armed with trowels and formation-carved stones climbed down into the trench to place the foundations. In doing so, they were performing geomancy, that is, shaping the flows of qi in the land. Even mortals did it with dikes and irrigation and windbreaks, but cultivators could do so much more.


    Towns and cities were the same. There was a reason the safest settlements in the Empire were the oldest ones. Those were the ones deeply enmeshed in a network of roads and satellite settlements, places where the spirits of the land had been tamed and bound by millenia of agreements and simple human presence.


    ¡°You start with a road and fort, and then more roads and forts, and then towns and villages.¡±


    ¡°Real expensive and slow though,¡± Sixiang said, taking flight once more. They were having fun with their constructed bodies. ¡°Seems easy to disrupt.¡±


    Below, her eyes caught a commotion among the people and a flare of magmatic light.


    The thin and clinging tree swayed slightly as she vanished.

 Threads 148- South 1

    ¡°ORRRAAA!!¡± Gan Guangli¡¯s bellow echoed through the valley.


    From above, Ling Qi saw him wrap his enlarged arms around the trunk of a squirming pine, ignoring the lashing branches clattering against his armor. He leapt, ripping grasping roots from the earth, and slammed the canopy backward over his shoulder with a thunderous crack, shattering branches and cracking the trunk.


    The tree, now buried upside down in the dirt, its roots wriggling like frantic wooden worms, thrashed all the harder as a spray of boiling venom coated it from top to bottom and it began to burn.


    Ling Qi reflexively rubbed her ear with her palm, despite the fact that its cries were wholly spiritual.


    All around were shattered and burned stumps, and already, disciples were digging them out with tools and techniques.


    ¡°Everything going smoothly?¡± Ling Qi called out, alighting on top of Zhengui¡¯s shell.


    ¡°Just a momentary inconvenience, Miss Ling!¡± Gan Guangli called back, dusting the splinters from his gauntlets. ¡°This copse was quite recalcitrant!¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Stupid trees dared reject the kindness of I, Zhen,¡± her little brother scoffed from above her. ¡°Now they see their error!¡±


    ¡°It would have been nice if they listened,¡± Gui said.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been talking to the tree spirits?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Uh huh. Gui has gotten many to move!¡± her little brother chirped.


    She followed his gaze to the workers around. Here and there, she saw trees that were being carried by teams of disciples, their roots removed rather more carefully from the dirt. Along the road, she saw others that had already been replanted with new loam gathered around the base of their trunks.


    ¡°Sir Zhengui has been most helpful,¡± Gan Guangli praised. ¡°He has grown quite well since last year, hasn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°He really has,¡± Ling Qi said fondly, reaching up to stroke Zhen¡¯s eye ridges.


    Zhen preened.


    ¡°Gui is having fun. The other road people are very nice. They do not mind answering Gui¡¯s questions,¡± his other half said cheerfully. ¡°Mister Gan is funny, too.¡±


    ¡°Is he now?¡± Ling Qi gave Gan Guangli an amused look. Below her, Gui began to trundle forward, making room for workers to come and clear the debris of their brief battle


    ¡°I am merely doing my duty in keeping spirits up.¡± Gan Guangli chuckled, falling in beside Zhengui, and he began to shrink from stride to stride, returning to a human height. ¡°Sir Zhengui has had many stories to tell of the Inner Sect.¡±


    ¡°It has been quite a year.¡± Ling Qi had spent enough time brooding like an overgrown crow for now.


    Sixiang teased in her head.


    ¡°It has,¡± Gan Guangli agreed. ¡°Ah, might I ask how Miss Su is fairing?¡±


    Ling Qi tilted her head curiously. She had hoped that Su Ling might make friends with the Cai remnants in the Outer Sect, but this was the first time she had heard of these two knowing each other.


    Sixiang whispered.


    ¡°She¡¯s adjusting. Last I heard, she was finishing up her calligraphy lessons,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°It¡¯s been a bit difficult to find time to talk to her, thanks to our schedules.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Gan Guangli said, stroking his chin. ¡°Unfortunate. Miss Su can forget to take care of herself sometimes, I think.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong,¡± Ling Qi agreed.


    ¡°Crescent Lady is a grouch, but she is not mean. Gui hopes that she is doing okay,¡± Gui said.


    ¡°Why the road work, Gan Guangli?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°I think it is where I am best positioned,¡± he replied thoughtfully. ¡°And as we are currently auxiliary, that is the best I can do. I may as well act to protect those most likely to need it.¡±


    ¡°I would have expected you to stick to Lady Cai¡¯s side,¡± Ling Qi admitted. Even if the girl was deep in the center of the camp, receiving instruction from General Xia on her bladework, she would have thought Gan Guangli would take advantage of this opportunity to spend more time with Renxiang.


    ¡°There is little I can contribute to the bladework lessons,¡± he said. ¡°Though I will enjoy taking my evening refreshment at her side. There is much for me to be caught up on.¡± Gan Guangli shook his head, the shadow of a troubled expression vanishing from his features. ¡°Regardless! Miss Ling, you should be most proud of Sir Zhengui. He has taken to this work with great talent. It seems he has a natural head for geomantic principles.¡±


    ¡°I, Zhen, am naturally talented,¡± Zhen said proudly.


    ¡°Once Gui figured out that all the big words were just talking about making the funny lines look right, it was easy,¡± Gui said guilessly. Zhen gave him a dirty look.


    ¡°Is this something you¡¯re interested in, Zhengui?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°I, Zhen, think that we could fix the garden if we understood better,¡± Zhen hissed self-consciously.


    ¡°Garden?¡± Gan Guangli asked.


    ¡°Something we¡¯re working on together,¡± Ling Qi answered. ¡°A little joint cultivation project.¡±


    ¡°Ah, how wonderful!¡± Gan Guangli boomed. ¡°I am sure it will be a beautiful sight!¡±


    Ling Qi remembered the mud slide and smiled a little stiffly.


    ¡°Yes, it will be very pretty,¡± Gui said determinedly.


    Ling Qi immediately felt bad for her doubt.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that our work will bear fruit,¡± Ling Qi said encouragingly.


    Sixiang thought confidently.


    ¡°How have you been though, Gan Guangli?¡± Ling Qi asked. Their walk was taking them toward the front of the work crews where a variety of earth cultivators were at work adjusting the ground and sinking the trench that would become the road, following the contour of the small river that ran through the valley. ¡°I¡¯ve heard the reports of the Outer Sect, but after last year¡­¡±


    Gan Guangli¡¯s expression sobered. ¡°I appreciate the concern, Miss Ling. I will admit I was out of sorts in those first few months, but I have found my motivation and my balance. I see now that I had become complacent. Although the odds were stacked against me, I cannot allow myself to become discouraged. It is only our own selves which we may truly command.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like you,¡± Ling Qi said in surprise. ¡°You were all about others before.¡±


    ¡°That has not changed,¡± Gan Guangli replied confidently. ¡°However, my trials have taught me that mastery of self must come first. Achieve excellence, and others will follow you there. Achieve that excellence and inspire them as well? This is what makes loyalty unbreakable.¡±


    Ling Qi gave him a sidelong look. Around her, she saw people straighten up and begin to walk a little faster, performing their tasks with just a little more zeal. Even she felt a certain stirring of confidence and drive. She looked at Gan Guangli and saw the way his armor gleamed just right, the way the fading sunlight caught his hair and gleamed on his smile, projecting confidence and charisma.


    She recognized the feeling of qi coming from within.


    Sixiang muttered.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you found your answers,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Did one of those trials happen to be at a site dedicated to the Sun?¡±


    Gan Guangli grinned. ¡°Just so, Miss Ling.¡±


    Ling Qi had never studied much of the Sun. She knew of the Dawn aspect, which was similar enough to the Dreaming Moon.


    Sixiang protested.


    Ling Qi thought dryly.


    Sixiang made a show of grumbling further.


    ¡°Miss Ling, are you well?¡± Gan Guangli¡¯s concerned voice interrupted.


    Ling Qi blinked, realizing that she had fallen silent for a long moment. ¡°Sorry about that. I was conversing with Sixiang. I don¡¯t usually get lost like that any more.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Though my own companion is a taciturn one! I hope you will not fault my lack of introduction.¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Ling Qi replied. Gan Gaungli was probably keeping his spirit¡¯s existence quiet for the upcoming New Year¡¯s Tournament. Revealing it in front of so many eyes would pretty much guarantee that secrecy was lost, no malice among the onlookers needed. ¡°May I ask what aspect they are?¡±


    Their conversation at least was screened from eavesdroppers.


    ¡°Jinzha is of the Rising Sun,¡± Gan Guangli said cheerfully, his booming voice lowered somewhat. ¡°I could not ask for a more valorous companion.¡±


    Sixiang muttered.


    Ling Qi was glad she didn¡¯t need to ask about the Rising Sun. ¡°That certainly suits you.¡±


    ¡°Big Sister, Gui needs to start talking again,¡± Zhengui cut in, pointing his head toward a copse of trees standing atop a rocky hill. next to a river that poured down in a burbling spray.


    Ling Qi cocked her head to the side, considering the auras of the land ahead. There was already a disciple there, performing placation ceremonies to the river spirit and smoothing the jagged edges of the energies flowing through the valley. In the trees and plant life, she read stubborn defiance.


    Part of her wanted to insist on helping, but Zhengui had been successful before, barring a handful of exceptions.


    In the end, there was only one reasonable thing to do. ¡°Okay. Do you want me to stay and help? I¡¯m not busy right now.¡±


    ¡°I, Zhen, would be pleased with Sister¡¯s help,¡± Zhen said eagerly.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Gui agreed cheerfully.


    ¡°Alright, you take the lead. Let me see how you handle it,¡± Ling Qi said. She was glad he hadn¡¯t denied her.


    She glanced to the left and saw Gan Guangli watching her with a thoughtful expression. She raised an eyebrow. ¡°Do you have any objections?¡±


    ¡°None at all, Miss Ling,¡± Gan Guangli denied. ¡°It is a pleasure to work with you again.¡±

 Threads 149-South 2

    It had been a relaxing afternoon, negotiating with the spirits of the valley. The Sect¡¯s planners had easily worked her into things. As it turned out, they were quite good at wrangling highly individual volunteers. Who would have thought?


    She really didn¡¯t credit Zhengui enough sometimes. She had not had to do much. With spirits closer to his own nature, he was even better than her in some ways. In the not-words used to communicate with inhuman spirits, his own instincts served where she needed the lessons of her art. That wasn¡¯t to say she hadn¡¯t helped, that her songs had not soothed temperamental spirits and given him more leeway to speak, but somehow, in the back of her mind, she had still been expecting to be more necessary. There was something to ponder in that.


    Ling Qi opened her eyes, letting the cycling of the qi in her dantian still. She sat atop the cushion-hill of Sixiang¡¯s realm, looking over the spirit¡¯s sea of colors. In the noise and motion of the Sect¡¯s war camps, Sixiang¡¯s realm was quite a useful cultivation aid since she couldn¡¯t stray too far up the looming hills and cliffs to find natural silence and starlight.


    ¡°Are you almost ready?¡± she asked the empty air.


    ¡°Getting there,¡± echoed Sixiang¡¯s voice from everywhere and nowhere. The glittering rainbow stars winked and blinked down at her. ¡°Zhengui¡¯s almost through. You can head down to the shore.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded absently, and with a thought, she was there, standing ankle deep in the cool ¡°water.¡± As she watched, the rippling waves began to bubble and churn a hundred odd meters out. From the multihued waters, land emerged, black and fertile, bare of life, first a great hill in the center, and then plains spreading around.


    Dull spikes erupted from the earth, followed by a fiery hiss, dirt glowed and melted, and a serpentine head punched through. The shell rose, and blunt limbs churned the dirt, dragging Zhengui up and into the realm.


    ¡°Welcome, little brother,¡± Ling Qi said, resting her hand on his head, brushing away stray dirt. The waters around the new island rippled, turning white as the landmass Zhengui and she stood on began to move away from the shore.


    ¡°This is kinda weird,¡± Gui said, peering around.


    ¡°Is the Sixiang sure we are not all the way into the Dreamplace?¡± Zhen asked, flicking his tongue warily.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t going in deep,¡± Ling Qi said soothingly. ¡°This place is just Sixiang.¡±


    Gui¡¯s eyes narrowed in concentration. ¡°But if Gui is in Sixiang, who is in Sister, and Sister and Zhengui are in Sixiang, how does¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think about it too hard, yeah?¡± Sixiang chuckled, their face shining down from the moon. ¡°Doesn¡¯t do anybody any good.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Ling Qi said. There was a time for thinking about the actual mechanics of liminal movement and location, but she wasn¡¯t in the mood for a headache right now. ¡°Are you ready to get to work today?¡±


    ¡°I have had many ideas,¡± Zhen said. ¡°I, Zhen, think that it has been good to get away from the Sect.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Gui has not paid much attention at other times, but the Sect is weird,¡± Gui said thoughtfully as they began to walk toward the sailing island¡¯s shore. ¡°Um, it is¡­¡±


    ¡°Artificial,¡± Zhen finished. He looked proud of his vocabulary.


    ¡°You really think so? The Sect is definitely more ordered, but it¡¯s still wild enough.¡±


    ¡°Gui does not think it is like the human homes,¡± her little brother disagreed. ¡°But it is not wild either. Gui thinks¡­¡±


    ¡°There is no room for I, Zhen, to be,¡± his other half said. ¡°Outside, there are such places.¡±


    It came back to the little things. Ling Qi had seen the small idol in the family¡¯s shrine, and she had heard him mention hearing prayers from the villages he had protected. Zhengui was really not an average spirit beast.


    ¡°Well, we won¡¯t be at the Sect forever.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Then Sister and Gui can make a place for Grandmother and Little Sister and Hanyi too,¡± Gui agreed. He seemed to hesitate at the end, and Ling Qi shot him a concerned look.


    ¡°Is that what Sister wants though?¡± Zhen asked.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Gui just wonders why Sister is doing this sometimes. Gui worries that she is just humoring him,¡± he said, looking out over the water.


    Ling Qi frowned, feeling a pang in her chest. She wasn¡¯t humoring him. She wanted to do this.


    ¡°This is something that makes you happy, and I want to be part of that,¡± Ling Qi said firmly. There really didn¡¯t need to be any more to it than that.


    It took a second for Zhengui to answer as they walked along the shore. When he did though, it was in two voices. ¡°Okay.¡±


    But despite the fact that she had her answer, Ling Qi still felt dissatisfied. Whatever her intentions were, Ling Qi knew that she had fumbled many times with Zhengui, causing pain where she hadn¡¯t intended. In the end, were good intentions enough?


    ¡°You said something earlier about not having a place. Is that why you want to make a garden?¡±


    ¡°Gui wants to make a pretty place for everyone,¡± he replied, and flowers bloomed in the dark loam around his feet.


    It wasn¡¯t a lie exactly, but it wasn¡¯t the whole truth either. ¡°Zhengui, it¡¯s fine to have some selfish motivations,¡± Ling Qi said gently.


    The flowers withered, replaced by creeping vines spreading in a quick mat through the dirt. ¡°The Sect is too small,¡± Gui muttered.


    ¡°I, Zhen, am meant to reign,¡± Zhen hissed. ¡°But I am also too small. There are many big kings at the Sect and no room for Zhen.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned. Even once she had her fief, she was still going to be subordinate to the Cai. She didn¡¯t see that changing. Even if she fantasized a scenario where she had the power, she would be a terrible duchess, mostly because she didn¡¯t even want to be one.


    ¡°We¡¯re never going to be the ones completely in charge of things.¡±


    Zhen shook his head as they turned back toward the core of the island. ¡°No, Sister does not understand. It is not about human things.¡±


    ¡°Gui isn¡¯t renewing anything at the Sect,¡± he said, his voice tinged with frustration. Yet some part of his words resonated in the Dream, an echo of something more than mere sound.


    Ling Qi both regarded the dark soil. From her thoughts, the soil grew slender pines, resilient and green even in the depths of cold. Around their roots bloomed flowers of spring, quick to live and quick to die.


    Maybe she had been misunderstanding Zhengui.


    ¡°Hey, little brother,¡± Ling Qi said thoughtfully. ¡°Will you explain what you mean?¡±


    Gui looked up from his flowers in confusion. ¡°What does Big Sister mean?¡±


    ¡°Renewal. What does that mean to you?¡± Ling Qi asked. She watched silvery ice spread across the branches, making the eaves hang low.


    Gui¡¯s eyes scrunched shut in thought. ¡°It¡¯s new things growing from old things.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about recovery and endurance?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°That is part of it,¡± Gui said. ¡°But Gui thinks it is more important for things to grow back even after they are ash.¡±


    ¡°Old things choke new things with hungry roots and heavy leaves,¡± Zhen said. ¡°Without destruction comes stagnation.¡±


    ¡°Without renewal, destruction is stagnation too,¡± Gui said huffily.


    Ling Qi nodded absently as the two of them stared each other down. Zhengui was very hard to hurt, but the real thing that had allowed him to endure enemies so much above him was his regeneration.


    Really, had she been thinking too hard all this time? She knew well the nature of the world, a chain of endings, each followed by a beginning. A forest fire cleared old growth and made room for new, and a glacier crushed all beneath in its advance but left behind clear land in its retreat. It was the same concept, expressed through different elements and frames of time.


    Ling Qi eyed the trees she had crafted and let them wither away into dream mist.


    ¡°Sister?¡± Gui questioned, looking up at her.


    ¡°I was just thinking that I¡¯d like to try something a little different,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°If I mess up, I¡¯ll apologize in advance.¡±


    ¡°No apologies,¡± Zhen insisted. ¡°We practice now, so we don¡¯t break real things.¡±


    ¡°I suppose we do,¡± Ling Qi mused.


    ***?


    In the end, they didn¡¯t make much progress that first night. Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure what she was doing, toying with meltwater and moving ice, but she felt like she was on to something, even if she wasn¡¯t quite sure what yet.


    As the days passed, Ling Qi cultivated where she could as the Sect¡¯s forces moved on, stealing moments to meditate on cliff sides and trees under the light of the moon. It felt strange. After so long using her argent vent and other cultivation sites at the Sect, the cycling of her qi felt almost sluggish. Still, with focus and some help from Li Suyin¡¯s meridian wand, she managed to painstakingly clear three more meridians, giving her more avenues to channel the increasingly complex patterns of her arts.


    Hanyi often joined her at night, if not to cultivate, then at least to compose. Ling Qi was starting to think that those two things might not be so different.


    During the day, she mostly continued assisting Gan Guangli and Zhengui. As the first week of travel passed, here and there, they ran into conflict, hostile spirits, minor groups of barbarians trying to slip around and sabotage their lines, and such, but nothing truly worrying.


    Well, unless she counted the continued tension in the roiling clouds overhead. The Sect Head was clearly at full alert, and yet those small problems slipped through. His attention was obviously elsewhere, and that was at least a little worrying.


    Still, they had reached the site of the new fort, and in the morning, she would be meeting Cai Renxiang and the others before they split off from the main force.


    The easy part was over.

 Threads Interlude Clockwork Blades

    This exhaustion had become unfamiliar, Cai Renxiang thought.


    It was not a thing of the body, borne of a pounding heart and bruised flesh.


    The blade resting less than a hair''s breadth from her throat withdrew with a soft hiss, its gleaming blade shimmering blue as its impossibly sharp edge severed the air.


    No, the immaculate weapon that was the Heron General Xia Ren would never need be so crude as to inflict the slightest harm on a student''s body.


    Cai Renxiang had felt what it was to die three hundred and twenty-seven times in the last hour. Although the General had limited herself to mere third realm abilities, the difference in skill was too great. Cifeng whispered frustration; her edge yearned to repay humiliation in blood. It was a titanic effort to merely maintain grasp of her hilt.


    ¡°Length of time until defeat has improved by two and thirty-eight hundredths of a second since we have begun,¡± the General said crisply. Her shining blade vanished into its scabbard with a soft hiss. Unlike Cifeng, it was silent. ¡°A great improvement for a recruit. An acceptable improvement for a scion of Cai.¡±


    They stood in the center of General Xia¡¯s sparring chamber. Walls of pristine white cloth unadorned by any decor surrounded them. The mirror shine of the metal beneath their feet reflected them both, perfectly flat in angle, perfectly round in shape, and bereft of the slightest flaw or scuff.


    Cai Renxiang lowered her saber and bowed to her instructor. ¡°I am pleased to have improved under your instruction, General Xia.¡±


    It was normal in etiquette to imply that praise was excessive. This was not the case for the General. Only a mad fool would imply Xia Ren was in any way imprecise. Like Mother, the woman before her was more ideal than flesh. Some wondered why the woman had not claimed or been given the title of Sword Saint. Cai Renxiang knew that it was because Mother did not require a mere sword.


    Swords did not win wars.


    ¡°You have altered the Duchess¡¯ forms beyond the adjustments created for your height and frame.¡± The General spoke plainly without embellishment or accusation. The demand for explanation was clear.


    Cai Renxiang met the thing of fire, steel, and numbers that lurked behind the eyes of the armored woman before her despite the black spots in the corners of her vision. ¡°Adjustments to style are necessary for growth.¡±


    ¡°You believe your judgement is superior in this matter?¡± Xia Ren asked.


    ¡°Mother does not waste her effort on managing things beneath her notice if her chosen subordinates have not failed her,¡± Cai Renxiang replied.


    She felt no fear under the General¡¯s examination. She had found her certainty. Cai Renxiang was not Cai Shenhua. She wielded the cutting words of Cifeng, not the pitiless Truth that was her mother¡¯s saber, Zhenxiang. She could not achieve that perfection. She had not been made for it.


    It had hurt her in a way that she did not think that she could still be damaged to admit that.


    However, there was no benefit in maintaining self-delusion. Cai Shenhua was the sundering of the past and a new beginning. Cai Renxiang was the ticking hand of progress taken one step at a time.


    ¡°Your efforts remain acceptable.¡± Xia Ren was inscrutable. ¡°Your continuing collusion and collection of outdated elements is of concern. To preserve the past is stagnation. Stagnation is death.¡±


    ¡°The Cai rule the province of the Emerald Seas,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°All of the Emerald Seas. In order for all to reach the future, I must understand where they are beginning.¡±


    It was true that the ways of the past would change. This was inevitable, but the seeds had been sowed. They would change, one cut and tick of the clock at a time.


    ¡°The rot of ages breaks easily with a well-aimed blow,¡± Xia Ren said. ¡°But I have tasted your resolve. You still walk the forward path. Your methods are not yet unacceptable.¡±


    Cai Renxiang bowed her head in acknowledgement. Those words were not idle, coming from a woman who was amongst the highest in Mother¡¯s council.


    General Xia turned toward the side of the sparring chamber, and its walls shimmered, the privacy formations fading. ¡°Sergeant Lin, escort the Young Mistress to her tent. She requires spiritual recovery.¡±


    The cloth wall of the chamber rustled, and the younger Xia entered, her hands clasped and her head bowed. ¡°Yes, General!¡±


    Cai Renxiang took a deep breath and allowed Cifeng¡¯s sheath to be respun. The General was not wrong. She could recognize the fatigue clouding her mind. The spar had stopped before it could become damaging exhaustion.


    Her boots clicked faintly on the mirrored floor as she marched out, following Xia Lin.


    The General remained, still and silent as an array of lights mapping the region bloomed on the wall before her.


    ¡°Is there anything you might require, Lady Cai?¡± Xia Lin asked as the tent flap fell shut behind them.


    ¡°Just rest, as the General said,¡± Cai Renxiang replied. Around her was the White Plumes camp where Mother¡¯s finest soldiers were drilling and performing their camp duties.


    Each piece in its place. She watched the men and women performing their duties with confidence and pride, recognizable to her even through Mother¡¯s artifice. It was the pride of those who were working for something more inclusive than the self or the family. This, Cai Renxiang thought, was a small part of what might be, if she continued Mother¡¯s work.


    At least on the surface.


    ¡°Lady Cai?¡± Xin Lin asked.


    She blinked, realizing that she had stopped to observe. It seemed she required rest more urgently than expected. ¡°Just passing thoughts,¡± she dismissed, resuming her walk.


    ¡°I am at my lady¡¯s disposal,¡± Xia Lin said, resuming as she did.


    Cai Renxiang considered Xia Lin, scion of the General¡¯s clan and among the youngest of the White Plumes proper. It was difficult to judge her. That, in itself, was troubling.


    Xia Lin¡¯s martial skill and behavior were exemplary in almost every aspect. She stood as an example of what could be accomplished by the training of the White Plumes. Yet Cai Renxiang found herself uncertain in her judgement.


    ¡°I have not asked before. What are your thoughts on our mission?¡±


    ¡°I am certain that Lady Cai will live up to expectations,¡± Xia Lin replied.


    Despite herself, Cai Renxiang frowned. It was an honest answer. She was not being placated, and yet, it rang hollow. Perhaps she had spent too long in the company of her other retainers. ¡°I would prefer your opinion on the mission itself and its efficacy.¡±


    Xia Lin paused briefly. ¡°Multi-front conflicts are suboptimal in almost all cases. I¡­¡±


    She trailed off, and Cai Renxiang watched her out of the corner of her eye. There it was, the reticence that hid beneath discipline. A flaw in the steel.


    ¡°I believe that achieving a ceasefire with the barbarians is a reasonable choice of action, but the pretext seems thin,¡± Xia Lin finished.


    She sounded uncertain. Cai Renxiang understood.


    Xia Ren had said it herself. A strong blow could shatter tradition well enough. In forging the Xia from the ruin of the Sadala, the General had struck many strong blows. Cai Renxiang thought of the General and the girl before her. The engine of war and the rootless soldier, hiding within her armor. How many of the other White Plumes were as such beneath their helms?


    Could plans which produced such things be perfect?


    Cai Renxiang dismissed that traitorous and errant thought. Even perfection had to contend with reality and flawed tools. That was the nature of the impure world.


    ¡°I do not believe it is as thin as you believe. Such arguments may be more convincing than any recounting of facts,¡± Cai Renxiang disagreed. The spots in her vision were getting worse. ¡°Let us say that you are correct, however. The logical reasons remain. Peace is more beneficial than war when interests are not in conflict. Exchange of goods produces more value than theft. Is it wrong, then, to craft a story which presents a foundation on which to build those things?¡±


    ¡°I suppose not,¡± Xia Lin said. ¡°I will bow to your greater expertise.¡±


    Cai Renxiang closed her eyes for a moment as they arrived at her tent. She wished that Xia Lin would disagree. Xia Lin reminded her far too much of herself, a doll who once arrogantly believed that she could clearly see her own strings.


    ¡°You are dismissed to your other duties,¡± Cai Renxiang said coolly, not allowing her thoughts to show.


    ¡°As you say, Lady Cai,¡± Xia Lin said, a faint crease in her brow. She had likely noticed Cai Renxiang¡¯s dissatisfaction. Another sign that she needed her rest.


    Tomorrow, they would depart the main force. She would need to be at her peak.

 Threads 150-South 3

    The marriage ceremony is past us, fraught as it was, but I find that my misgivings have not faded. Although the High King¡¯s effort to blend our ceremonies with those of the mountain folk seemed to have not roused any spirits of ill fortune, it displeased the people.


    Few have kind words to speak of the mountain prince. His shrinking, womanly demeanor earns no respect among the warriors, and his foreign traditions bring much dislike from the mystics. How can a man be a husband if he cannot even provide his wife with the marriage dinner using his own hands?


    The dissatisfaction among the lesser kings who had hoped for the princess¡¯ hand is immense.


    The High King pays too much mind to foreigners.


    ~~~


    The High King has, I suspect, worsened this matter in his attempt to reach reconciliation. The Mystics of the Five Suns Temple will not be mollified that Prince Erkin¡¯s foreign rites do not conflict with their rituals nor demand participation from outsiders. They say that the spirits will be confused and angered by the disorder foreign rituals will bring.


    On this at least, I am ambivalent, having spoken to the Prince and observed his rites. Although the worship of the seasons manifested through the sun and moon is strange and backward, I do not see the point of conflict. This Spring Sun seems like an aspect of Dawn to me. There is no wrong in the propitiation of lesser aspects, so long as the Five maintain primacy in the state rituals.


    Despite my misgivings then, I will need to advise the High King that this matter has likely been instigated by less spiritual concerns. Disagreeable as his personage may be, this is simply a pretense to undermine Prince Erkin¡¯s legitimacy. The Conclave of Kings is but a few decades away, and it seems likely to me that he will meet challenge for his seat there.


    Despite how helpful the prince¡¯s people have been in curbing the threat of the cloud tribes, I begin to wonder if this alliance has been in error, if it exposes such faults among our people.


    ***


    Ling Qi grimaced, setting down the sheet of paper on which the journal entry had been transcribed. The page was a study in contrast, the elegant script of modern imperial written above the simpler characters of the old Weilu dialect.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure your findings bode all that well for our mission,¡± Ling Qi grumbled.


    ¡°It does seem that relations were quite fraught,¡± Meng Dan agreed, peering at her over his spectactles. ¡°This was in the period leading up to the Mason¡¯s War, and this was, so far as I have been able to discern, the last time the Weilu would reach out to outsiders before the Sage Emperor brought the Conclave of Kings to heel.¡±


    Ling Qi rubbed her temple with one hand. And wasn¡¯t that a weird idea. She knew that new emperors were chosen among the previous emperor¡¯s children, or if necessary, siblings, by the imperial clan¡¯s elders, but having what were basically the counts all come together to choose who among them would be duke seemed like it could only end in war.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how this fits with what we were told about the land they live in either,¡± Ling Qi admitted, reaching out to place the page back atop the others. Meng Dan was still working out the chronology of the entries; the fragments he had found had been scattered out of order. ¡°This prince seemed like he was very soft.¡±


    She had expected an account of a domineering sort of man, a gender-flipped image of the imperious woman she had met in the caldera.


    ¡°Not all members of a given society match its archetypes,¡± Meng Dan pointed out. ¡°Although ¡®soft¡¯ is not the word I would use. You recall the seventeenth fragment?¡±


    Ling Qi thought back a moment. That was the one¡­ The one with the duel. Some high ranking warrior had challenged the prince, and he¡¯d just stood there and accepted a beating until the challenger gave up. The journal writer had seemed somewhere between disgusted and impressed.


    ¡°Crazy then,¡± Ling Qi corrected. She genuinely could not fathom a mindset like that. She could see enduring hardship, but just accepting hurt without trying to retaliate or escape?


    That was alien.


    ¡°As you wish,¡± Meng Dan replied. ¡°But I believe such appellations are futile when applied to those who cultivate. All of those who are drawn to the peak of power are mentally aberrant.¡±


    ¡°That must be a popular opinion,¡± Ling Qi said dryly. Meng Dan smiled mysteriously.


    She sighed, glancing back down at the sheaf of papers. Should she reread a few and try to glean more from the scraps?


    ¡°It¡¯s time to go.¡± Sixiang¡¯s voice put an end to her thoughts.


    ¡°Is it so late already?¡± Meng Dan asked. He glanced around at the empty carriage, now cleared of all his things. She had originally come here on the pretense of helping him pack and to pick up Hanyi since she had been hanging around Meng Dan to pester Yinhui, but it had turned into a shared study session in the wee hours of the morning.


    Well, it had been productive enough, even if she¡¯d gotten sidetracked from getting to know him.


    ¡°It seems so,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Thank you for giving me access to your notes.¡±


    ¡°It is always a pleasure to share with someone genuinely interested in the past,¡± Meng Dan replied as he stood, smoothing his robes. ¡°Hopefully, we might discern more of use as I continue piecing things together.¡±


    ¡°Opportunities might be a little thin, but I agree,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I will see you at the rendezvous.¡±


    ***


    The main sect force had reached its initial stopping point and had camped on a low mountainside that seemed like a hill among the immense peaks of the Wall. Construction on a new fortress was already underway; dirt and stone were being shaped and foundations were being laid.


    From here, they would set out on the second leg of their journey. Joining one of the dozen odd scouting forces that would be ranging out, they would hopefully slip through without significant notice further to the south. Collecting her spirits, Ling Qi met Cai Renxiang and the others at the foot of the mountain.


    The heiress looked strange, wearing the presence-damping cloak of the Sect¡¯s scouting forces. Cai Renxiang seemed so small without the radiance reflecting from Liming¡¯s glittering threads. The others wore them too, but even on Gan Guangli, it didn¡¯t seem so odd. The only one going without was herself.


    Her skill at stealth had surpassed the cloak¡¯s ability to enhance.


    ¡°Lady Cai,¡± Ling Qi greeted as she touched down on the beaten dirt of the staging ground.


    ¡°Ling Qi,¡± Cai Renxiang acknowledged, glancing up from the unrolled map which Xia Lin was helpfully holding out. ¡°You have acquired the rest of our supplies?¡±


    ¡°I have,¡± Ling Qi said, holding out her hand. In it was a white jade ring. Inside it were the group¡¯s supplies for the mission: medicines to help with recovery from battles or exhaustion, a short range escape talisman for each of them, the reagents for a temporary emergency shelter, environmental protection talismans, and more. In addition, it contained diplomatic tokens, gifts to provide to envoys, and guidelines for a transport agreement and a treaty of nonaggression.


    Cai Renxiang accepted the ring with a simple nod.


    ¡°Then, we may move to the main discussion, I think?¡± Meng Dan proposed, toying idly with his sleeves.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Gan Guangli rumbled. ¡°We must determine which scouting route best serves our interests.¡±


    ¡°Have you all come to any conclusion on that?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Lady Cai has narrowed the choices,¡± Xia Lin replied.


    She glanced at Renxiang, who turned back to the map. ¡°Based on the movements that the Sect has shared with us, I have discerned the paths least likely to lead to discovery by the cloud tribes.¡±


    Ling Qi leaned in as Renxiang traced her finger along a circuitous path leading west and then south.


    ¡°This region is known to be at the edge of the territories of conflicting tribes, which are not known to have entered into the Twelve Stars Confederation. With current hostilities, the barbarians are keeping to their camps. Still, while the land is tame, it would present us more risk of discovery.¡±


    ¡°The tribes in that region are quite weak,¡± Xia Lian said. ¡°It is likely that with our abilities, any hunting parties which happened upon us could be eliminated without difficulty, and our group gone before their disappearance could be investigated.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Cai Renxiang said. Renxiang shifted her finger to the east where a black line indicated a deep pass between two mountains. ¡°This is another. It is the lair of a fifth realm underworld dragon, and the barbarians avoid it. The creature has been amenable to speaking with imperials in the past. We may be able to negotiate passage.¡±


    ¡°The pride of dragons is quite a thing however, and the beasts of the underworld are more prone to whimsy than most,¡± Meng Dan noted. ¡°The last reports available are two decades out of date as well.¡±


    ¡°That is a deterrent, but new scouting does at least indicate the creature still lives,¡± Cai Renxiang replied. ¡°The last route which seems viable is this valley here.¡±


    Her finger moved down, tracing a path due south and then west. ¡°This region is heavily forested for the Wall, but the spirits are wild, not well inured to human contact and poorly documented. The terrain is, however, much to our advantage.¡±


    ¡°It seems to me that it would be the shortest route as well,¡± Gan Guangli thought aloud. ¡°It may behoove us to quickly move out of the region. I doubt the barbarians will leave the Sect uncontested for long.¡±


    ¡°A good point,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°Speak freely now. What do you believe is the best path?¡±


    Ling Qi frowned and considered the various routes.¡°I think I am inclined to the forest path. Is there really no other information on it though?¡±


    ¡°The last significant survey of this region took place in the days just after Ogodei,¡± Cai Renxiang replied. ¡°And that was not truly thorough.¡±


    Xia Lin frowned. ¡°Unfortunate. I still believe dealing with and silencing human foes would be more reliable than dealing with either unknowns or dragons.¡±


    ¡°I do not doubt everyone¡¯s martial prowess, but stirring up the wrath of foes upon our prospective ally¡¯s doorstep strikes me as rude,¡± Meng Dan said.


    ¡°If they become allies, those tribes will be foes regardless,¡± Xia Lin challenged.


    ¡°That may be true, but is it worth risking greater attention?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°I trust in Sect Head Yuan and the General, but we do not know the full extent of our enemies¡¯ forces.¡±


    Xia Lin continued to frown, but eventually nodded. ¡°A fair argument. If we must deal with spirits then, the forest seems the better path. Should the dragon be recalcitrant, we would have no recourse but to retreat. Scouting has shown no sign of such a spirit in the forest.¡±


    ¡°I am sure that there will be a fourth realm or two in such a region,¡± Meng Dan mused. ¡°If things go poorly, that would still be within the realm of our scout commander to intervene.¡±


    ¡°That is true, but I trust in Miss Ling and Lady Cai to avoid that,¡± Gan Guangli said confidently. ¡°That is why I believe the forest to be the best path.¡±


    With their arguments made, they fell silent, waiting for Cai Renxiang to give the final decision. The heiress stared at the map in Xia Lin¡¯s hands for a moment later before nodding. ¡°The forest then. Let us prepare to depart.¡±

 Threads 151-South 4

    They left the camp within the hour, joining the outgoing scouting platoon. The platoon was composed of twenty-five soldiers, two in five of which were in the third realm with an accompanying spirit beast, led by a core disciple of the fourth realm. Their task was to survey the region, and as such, they wouldn¡¯t be following them directly into the forest. Instead, they would provide a cover for their presence from any watchers afar and above.


    With the scouts, their path led south over the rocky hills and valleys that lay between the greater peaks in the Wall. For two days, they traveled straight south at a swift march, and the climate swiftly cooled. Although it didn¡¯t bother Ling Qi, by the time they reached the forest¡¯s edge, many of the soldiers had begun to don gear for the cooler temperature.


    The forest itself was a strange sight. It grew from a steep V-shaped chasm between two cloud-piercing peaks with thick, old growth trees growing at odd angles from sharply angled rock. Thick, knotty roots pierced the stone and dirt, forming a rough ground, and curved trunks sprouted upward to face the sky with a dark canopy of needles. The bottom of the chasm was as dark as night even at midday, lit only by the faint phosphorescent light of fluttering insects that hung over the shallow, sluggish river that ran down the center. Viewed from above, Ling Qi saw it as a curving line of green that ran for many hundreds of kilometers toward the south horizon.


    The first task would be one of pathfinding. Xia Lin and Ling Qi were going to go ahead of the group and determine the best path before returning to the others.


    Ling Qi materialized on the low hanging branch of a tree at the forest¡¯s edge, sending fragrant needles raining down into the water below, while Xia Lin strode up through the ankle-deep waters. She bounced her halberd on her shoulder as she peered into the darkness that lay ahead.


    ¡°What are your orders going forward?¡± Xia Lin asked. She stepped out of the shallow water and onto the tiny strip of stony shore that lay beneath Ling Qi¡¯s perch.


    Ling Qi raised an eyebrow as she peered down. ¡°I don¡¯t think I am in charge like that.¡±


    Xia Lin cocked her head, peering upward at her. ¡°I think we are both aware of who Lady Cai favors, Miss Ling. You are my senior in her service besides.¡±


    ¡°Lady Cai doesn¡¯t think like that. I am sure she means for us to cooperate,¡± Ling Qi replied. She peered into the forest. The persistent gloom was hardly a bother. Ahead, the shallow river fell over a short cliffside, leading deeper into the valley. The trees were silent save for the occasional twittering birdsong and the rustling of grass.


    Under her spiritual senses, the dark branches teemed with spirits. Among the trees, thousands of mismatched knothole eyes peered back at her. Little spirits of wood and growth hid behind every clump of needles and clung to every trunk. The river¡¯s burble was a low-pitched song, echoing from the deep forest deeps. Faeries of cold and wind danced among the frost-dusted canopy, fragile snowflake frames tinkling like bells.


    she thought.


    Sixiang thought back cheerfully.


    her little brother grumbled.


    Hanyi scoffed.


    Ling Qi did not allow the byplay in her head to distract her as she moved to the next branch, peering over the short cliff. It was only ten or so meters deep. Unfortunately, down below, the trees grew right down to the waterline, their gnarled roots forming a twisted bed that left not a spot of ground to walk freely on.


    Xia Lin followed her, and where the faint light cast by her halberd passed, the tree spirits and faeries retreated, shying away. Things of shadow nesting in the darkness stirred, opening blinking yellow eyes that tracked the passing light with longing.


    ¡°Miss Ling, it is not necessary to humor me,¡± Xia Lin continued, looking down into the dark as well. ¡°Your skillset is the more valuable one here.¡±


    Ling Qi paused, glancing down at the other girl. She wondered what had brought this on.


    Sixiang analyzed.


    Ling Qi blinked at the odd turn of phrase but understood the intent. On the other hand, Xia Lin wasn¡¯t wrong. They wanted to avoid conflict wherever possible.


    ¡°If you insist. I think it would be best for you to stay on the river. The spirit of it seems calm, so you can check down the run and see if there¡¯s any obstruction to just using it. I can scout the periphery.¡±


    Xia Lin nodded sharply. ¡°Understood. Meet here in one hour?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ling Qi agreed.


    Xia Lin stepped over the edge and fell into the dark, landing in the frothing water below without a splash. Ling Qi watched her stride forward through the now calf-deep water for a moment before turning her attention back to the closely packed trees.


    Ling Qi kept a tight leash on her qi as she explored the forest, not letting her power leak out into the surroundings as she made her silent way through the branches. She didn¡¯t even flex her aura when faeries swirled close to toy with her hair or wood spirits clung to her hems with little claws of sap and bark, letting her carry them for a time before dropping onto new trees or rare patches of unoccupied soil.


    It made it easier to listen. It made it easier to hear the meaning in the soft song of wind in branches and the rustling of needles. The trees here were old and gnarled things, jealous of their places in the vale. For all the apparent silence and tranquility, the whispers of bark and root were harsh things, a silent competition in which they jostled for soil and sunlight.


    Among the trees, she found few beasts, mostly birds and rodents, though she saw signs of wolves and game beasts further from the river where the grade of the valley lessened and fallen trees had cleared trails. But deeper in the valley, she began to find webs. At first, she only found small patches but soon, she found them growing more thickly strewn. In the shadows, many legged silhouettes skittered, both tiny and large.


    As she continued to descend on the path through the chasm, it only grew worse. Only near the river did the webs grow thin, though a few delicate structures connected branches on either side. For Ling Qi, the webs did not provide any obstacle, but for her less dextrous companions, she could see it being trouble. There was little room to traverse without ruining the creatures'' homes.


    Unless Xia Lin found something very troubling, the river would likely be the best path.


    Upon meeting back with her and explaining this, Xia Lin¡¯s expression failed to instill confidence.


    ¡°The river is clear of hostiles so far as I went. The fish are not carnivorous, and the waters are calm,¡± Xia Lin reported. They stood back at the forest¡¯s edge where the faint light of the autumn sun was allowed to reach the ground. ¡°However, at the lowest point of the valley, there is a significant anomaly. At first, I believed it to be a grove of petrified trees, but upon closer inspection, I noted the signs of artificiality. Upon further inspection, I noticed signs of energies being conducted into the further portion of the river and valley.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any idea what it is doing?¡±


    ¡°I do not specialize in formation craft, but I suspect some form of large-scale misdirection effect,¡± Xia Lin replied, tapping the butt of her weapon thoughtfully against the ground. ¡°A number of the northward ¡®trees¡¯ have suffered environmental damage, which may explain the lack on this side.¡±


    Ling Qi pinched the bridge of her nose. Cloud nomads didn¡¯t do stonework or formations. Some other unknown group then? She thought that was unlikely. A ruined imperial outpost? Wouldn¡¯t they know about it then?


    Ling Qi glanced toward the web-filled forest warily. There was one group associated with spiders, known for their skill at illusion and subterfuge, the Hui, deposed dukes of the Emerald Seas. She met Xia Lin¡¯s eyes and understood the grim set of her features.


    ¡°You said the construction was weathered, suffering environmental damage, right?¡±


    ¡°It was,¡± Xia Lin replied. ¡°It implies a lack of active upkeep and hasty construction.¡±


    So it did, Ling Qi mused. They still had some time. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go and clear the obstacle.¡±


    ***


    The site was as Xia Lin had described it. Apparently petrified trees, dozens of them, grew from the wide, shallow water. On the northern side, a few had fallen and taken their neighbors with them, scattering rubble throughout the river.


    With silver gleaming in her eyes, Ling Qi examined them and confirmed Xia Lin¡¯s suspicions. The pillars were part of a large-scale formation effect, a labyrinthine illusion that should have rendered the forest impassable. Perhaps Cai Renxiang could brute force her way through the decayed illusions, but that would probably be quite noticeable. Exploring the site, Ling Qi considered just asking Xia Lin to knock down a few more pillars to finish disabling it.


    However¡­ She was not expert enough in formations to know which could be broken without setting off a feedback explosion like she had so long ago in Elder Ying¡¯s sect trial. And for a formation this size, the blast would not be tiny. To disable it effectively, they needed to find the power source.


    Luckily, Ling Qi was skilled enough to trace the lines of energy back and up the western bank to a boulder that was not a boulder at all.


    As the two of them peered down into the damp tunnel that descended beneath the ground, Ling Qi glanced at Xia Lin. Ling Qi toyed with the thought of letting Xia Lin take command to help bolster her confidence, but there was no point in confusing things now.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go down first. Follow after and hold position at the entrance while I divine the surroundings,¡± Ling Qi ordered. A small wisp of silver light spun out from her palm, descending into the tunnel. It went down quite far.


    Xia Lin nodded, and faint lines of light bloomed along the joints of her armor, barely visible under the scout¡¯s cloak she wore.


    Her wisp descended far enough to make out the floor. It was conspicuously damp, another sign of poor repair. There were signs of security formations spiralling down the shaft, but they, too, were worn by water damage and showed no signs of activation.


    she asked silently.


    Sixiang affirmed.


    Ling Qi ordered.


    She descended in silence, her other diving wisps circling her head.

 Threads 152-Rot 1

    Landing in a crouch, she sent the wisps spiralling out into the chamber at the bottom. It was small, only a few meters across, but three tunnels reached out. Small and cramped, they were roughly carved, most likely shaped by the quick excavation of an earth technique.


    As the wisps began sending her information from down the tunnels, Xia Lin dropped down beside her, making only a slight thump despite all of her armor. She held her halberd in a low guard position, eyes flicking from one tunnel to the next.


    There were spirits down here as well, Ling Qi thought, as images from all of her wisps fed in at once. Little creatures of mud and river water crouched in corners and floated in stagnant puddles. More of the little knot-hole eyed creatures clung to damp roots that poked through the ceiling as well, and down the third tunnel where stone had caved in, fungal creatures clung to muddy stones, supping on a rotting log.


    Ling Qi gestured sharply to the leftmost path. ¡°Dead-end, tunnel collapse,¡± she said quietly.


    ¡°And the other paths?¡± Xia Lin asked just as quietly, smoothly orienting toward the other tunnels.


    Ling Qi sorted through the information. Down the middle path, there were a few rooms filled with the rotted remains of furniture. It seemed like a small barracks or waystop. There were beds, a few racks of weapons, and a small chest that radiated the energies of spirit stones. Something to check later. Down the right path was a room with three equally spaced pools of clear clean water over which hung a contraption of brass and mirrors, now tarnished and cracked. She wasn¡¯t expert enough to say for sure, but it looked like some kind of clairvoyance set up.


    ¡°Disused scrying chamber on the right path. Barracks in the middle path,¡± Ling Qi answered.


    ¡°Unsurprising,¡± Xia Lin muttered. ¡°We are fortunate that the site seems abandoned. The Hui were fiendish in their trapmaking.¡±


    Ling Qi eyed the many intricate formations carved subtly into the walls around them. Comparing the style of the arrays to Xuan Shi¡¯s or the Sect¡¯s work she had studied, it seemed terribly fragile to her. Too much complexity. Relying on cascading energies would no doubt be powerful, but without maintenance, the formations had broken easily.


    ¡°Do you have any experience with this sort of thing?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Indirectly,¡± Xia Lin replied. ¡°My elders in the regiment have passed down their experiences rooting out the many boltholes of the Hui. I myself have only experience in removing proscribed cults from abandoned locations.¡±


    Ling Qi pursed her lips. She had never been deeply involved in the temples or cults. She was pretty sure the Empire took a light hand with them though, so to be proscribed... ¡°That must have been unpleasant.¡±


    Xia Lin simply nodded, her lips set in a thin line.


    Ling Qi jerked her head toward the scrying room tunnel, sending a silent whisper to Sixiang to watch their back. ¡°Anything I should be aware of?¡±


    ¡°Hidden entrances, dream labyrinths, and blood locks,¡± Xia Lin answered. ¡°Be wary of using your insubstantial movement to pass through things. The Hui were more paranoid of their own than enemies.¡±


    Of course they were, Ling Qi thought grumpily. The web of energy for the formations above ran deep through the stone, too deep to be easily disrupted. She did not have any arts suitable for large-scale destruction. Even Call to Ending was not suited for attacking earth and stone that did not have flesh beneath.


    ¡°Do you have any formation breaking methods?¡± Ling Qi asked as they entered the hall.


    ¡°My blade pierces and shatters the works and lies of the wicked,¡± Xia Lin replied confidently. ¡°Her Grace made it with that purpose in mind.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced toward the halberd head, pointing out in front of them, and watched the faint buzz of radiant qi that hummed along the grain of the metal. It brought to mind Meizhen¡¯s tool from last year, the one she had brought from her clan vaults to shatter Yan Renshu¡¯s defenses. The skein of energies in Xia Lin¡¯s weapon were so much more refined and sharp than the obsolete siege rod Meizhen had used.


    ¡°Let me try my hand at any obstacles first. If there is anyone left, we don¡¯t want to alert them. I¡¯ll have Sixiang signal you if I want you to strike.¡±


    Xia Lin nodded her assent. There were no more words as they traversed the tunnel and entered the clairvoyance chamber. It was as old and abandoned as the rest, but entering herself, Ling Qi noted details that her wisps had missed. The contraption above was corroded and hung with webs, and the shadowed ceiling teemed with normally sized spiders. Hissing, they scurried from their presence as they entered and lurked between brass gears and fittings. Withered spirits, half drained, twitched feebly in their webs.


    Ling Qi crouched down by the closest of the water pools. It was rounded and lined with fired clay tiles, shaped and sized for use with divination arts not much different than hers. If she had to guess, the tarnished mirrors hanging above were some kind of focus for a more advanced form of divination. Ling Qi pondered whether she could make use of it for anything or whether it would be better just to break it.


    ¡°There is an entrance here,¡± Xia Lin said quietly, making her look up.


    She followed the girl¡¯s pointed finger to a section of wall to their right. Squinting for a moment, she saw the shimmer of illusory qi. Stone swam before her eyes and became a sheet of webbing covering a narrow gap. With a thought, she sent a wisp flying toward it, only to frown as the glimmering qi construct stuck to the strands like a fly in a web when it tried to pass.


    She dismissed the wisp and stood, studying the barrier. There was no formation work that she could see, just the natural workings of a spirit in the spidersilk. Was it worth pushing through?


    She narrowed her eyes, peering through the strands. Inside was a funnel of webbing covering every surface, transforming the stone passage into a round tunnel.


    She eyed the little spiders above. Some of them were developed enough to be minor spirit beasts. Perhaps¡­


    ¡°What was the disposition of the spirit beasts associated with the Hui afterwards?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    Xia Lin paused in her study of the webs. ¡°Scattered and disjointed. Some followed the Hui unto death, some retreated to the woods and reverted to feral behavior, and others merely requested a renewal of contracts with the Duchess.¡±


    Ling Qi grunted in annoyance. No easy answers then.


    She pinned a particularly fat and fuzzy brown specimen with a stern look, causing the hand-sized arachnid to freeze in place. It was mid red in power, and she sensed just enough spiritual potency that it could probably understand intent.


    Letting musical flows of qi tinge her voice, she spoke softly but authoritatively. ¡°If there is one who rules this place, I would parley with them. Go and inform your ruler.¡±


    She let the weight of her attention fall, and the spider bolted away, scurrying up into a crevice in the rock.


    ¡°You give up our advantage of surprise?¡± Xia Lin asked, more curious than accusing.


    ¡°If I had you cut through that barrier, it would do the same. And even if I could probably slip through, that would leave me alone with too many unknowns. If they¡¯re hostile and too strong, we can run and get the others, or we can just bypass this place and risk the illusions with Lady Cai.¡±


    she thought.


    her little brother asserted cheerfully.


    Xia Lin seemed satisfied with her answer.


    It was not long before the webbing blocking their path twitched, and the strands drew apart, fully revealing the funnel beyond, offering silent invitation. The moment that the strands parted enough, a wisp, dimmed to invisibility, darted down the tunnel, and in her thoughts, she felt Sixiang focus in on the feed of information coming from it.


    What lay at the end of the tunnel was a chamber woven of webs anchored to the chitinous limbs of a genuinely massive spider. The spider was still and empty of spirit though, an empty corpse and no more. Within the chamber itself, there were many hundreds of lesser spiders, six of them worth individual attention. Each one was larger than a human, closer to the size of a horse. It was difficult to get an accurate read on their cultivation¡ªeach one was covered in twitching hairs that disrupted the vision of her wisp and Sixiang¡¯s wind¡ªbut they were certainly within a stage of her and Xia Lin.


    They hadn¡¯t noticed her wisp. Instead, they seemed to be engaged in debate among themselves. Their frontmost limbs wriggled as they gesticulated at one another, filling the chamber with the sound of scraping carapace.


    She narrowed her eyes a touch as she realized the meaning of their movements and the vibrations they were sending through their webs. They were frantically planning an ambush.


    Such a blatant use of a good faith request annoyed her.


    Ling Qi thought to Sixiang.


    Ling Qi glanced over toward the other girl in time to see her eyebrows rise slightly. Xia Lin¡¯s eyes flicked over to meet hers, but no more than that. She tapped the side of her helmet once, and a blank facemask shimmered into existence across her face. Any trace of emotion or personality vanished behind a veil of studious patience and professionalism.


    That was good enough. Ling Qi would be doing the talking here.


    Ling Qi began to walk toward the tunnel and nudged Zhengui and Hanyi to be ready in her thoughts. Xia Lin fell in a step behind and to her side.


    As they walked, Ling Qi began to hum softly under her breath, letting a trickle of qi into her voice. Her senses followed the sound, the modified technique of the Harmony of Dancing Winds art, and she joined Sixiang on the breeze to widen her sphere of awareness, slipping through the hair-thin gaps in the webbing that would have caught her wisps.


    The short journey down the tunnel was made in silence, save for the faint sound of metal-shod feet pulling away from sticky threads. Ling Qi began to get a feel for the crumbling stonework that lay beyond the tangled webs. The chamber where the dead large spider lay was the center of a suite of rooms, their walls long broken apart to create a larger chamber, although a couple were intact.


    Emerging into the main chamber, Ling Qi put on a smile and looked up to where four large brown spiders now hung. Their forms bristled with sharp brown hairs that quivered with every motion in the air. The other two had crept off somewhere. The webbing still distorted her senses where it lay thick, and it was taking time to decipher the movements within the narrow funnel tunnels that crisscrossed outside.


    Ling Qi brought her hands together and bowed, smiling as she did so in the center of the chamber. ¡°Greetings, Honorable Matriarchs. This envoy apologizes for the somewhat rude intrusion into your home.¡±


    Through the wisp still bobbing unseen in the room, Ling Qi watched them, the faint rustling of limbs and the fluctuations in their qi. The largest spider, crouched in the webs directly ahead of her, rubbed its two front limbs together, fangs quivering as it emitted a dry voice. ¡°Your apology is accepted, but only this once.¡± Haughtiness, pride, and self-assurance; these, Ling Qi read in the creature. No indication that it was speaking for another. ¡°What brings you before us?¡±


    Ling Qi grew more confident that there was no hidden higher realm lurking about. The echoes of her humming continued to whisper through the webs, and she found two of the spiders creeping close to the entrance, likely to close off the retreat.


    ¡°We seek passage through the lands of your kin above¡ª¡±


    ¡°Not kin,¡± whispered a smaller spider to her right. Its whispery voice was joined by a sussurruss of others, angry and low. One of the larger spider¡¯s legs drummed on the webbing.


    ¡°Those above have betrayed the true-clan. They are not kin,¡± the largest spider said.


    ¡°My apologies again,¡± Ling Qi said obsequiously. She even meant it. After all, it was rude of her to conflate the spiders above with these, so crudely intending to betray hospitality. ¡°Nevertheless, the mighty working of illusions above bars our path. Might I be able to convince you to lower its protection for a time while we pass?¡±


    There was a rustling among the gathered spiders, and Ling Qi caught a little of the communication moving through vibrating webs. In the end, communication was an expression of qi between individuals, and her arts had taught her to read them regardless of medium. They were aware of the illusion formations and perhaps how to turn it off.


    ¡°The true-clan may be willing to bargain for this service,¡± the largest spider whispered, crawling a meter or two further down. Optimal range for a technique?


    Above, Ling Qi finally tracked down the other two spiders which she knew to be hidden. They were of a size with the one she spoke to, and they were directly above, weaving a technique between them, an entrapping web that would leave them vulnerable to the others.


    Through Sixiang, she relayed the positions of all the hidden spiders to Xia Lin. Xia Lin remained as still as a statue of steel.


    ¡°I see. And what might we do for the true-clan in exchange?¡± Ling Qi asked, finally straightening up.


    ¡°News,¡± whispered one spider. Again, the word was repeated throughout the swarm again and again.


    ¡°Yes,¡± whispered the larger spider. ¡°Have the traitors been driven from the great Heavenly Pillar?¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s smile was bright indeed as she nodded. She had heard enough from her liege and the history books and other people to qualify the last generation of the Hui as such. ¡°Though it seems the fight is ongoing.¡±


    That sent a thrill through them, whispering in the webs. She felt the vibrations murmuring of ¡°The Return¡± with almost religious intensity.


    The two far above weaving their trap paused just a moment, and she heard the whisper of something, a name or a title. ¡°Lord Scribbler?¡± That was a little concerning. All of the larger spiders were female.


    Was there actually a surviving Hui about? She wondered at the name, but spirits often referred to humans in odd ways.


    ¡°May I ask, Honored Matriarchs, what you are doing so far in the south? I was not informed of your presence before beginning my own expedition.¡±


    ¡°We wait, and we watch,¡± the larger spider whispered, fangs rubbing coarsely against one another, ¡°until the time comes. Many were weak, many disloyal. Not we. Never we.¡±


    The spiders in the rear were now just above the exit, waiting at hidden tunnels to strike. Those above were finishing their weave. Time was growing short.


    ¡°Are there humans among you yet?¡±


    ¡°Lesser-kin, like you, envoy, fled their duty and joined the cloud riders. The lord remains,¡± the spider said smugly.


    She didn¡¯t sense anything below. Maybe one of the sealed chambers?


    Ling Qi felt some worry at the spiders calling her and Xia Lin ¡°lesser-kin.¡± Did they just mean not full-blooded Hui? She was just going to ignore the nonsense about imperials, even renegades, joining the cloud tribes. It was more likely they had just fled and died or hidden themselves in the province.


    More importantly, the fading echoes of her song revealed the flows of energy beyond the obscuring webs. The power source for the formation above lay here in the one chamber still fully intact.


    ¡°I see. Thank you for your time, Matriarch,¡± Ling Qi said politely. ¡°Might I ask that you disable the illusion for a day then?¡±


    ¡°Worry not, envoy,¡± crooned the spider. ¡°Your illusion is coming to an end.¡±


    All around them, beautiful colors began to shift and dance along the webbings¡¯ strings, hypnotic and soporific, and from the ceiling drifted a gentle web of wonderful dreams, falling upon them with the weight of exhaustion. As one, three spiders crouched and prepared to leap down, fangs wet with venom, as the fourth and largest wove her limbs in a dance that spread venomous power through the others¡¯ fangs.


    Ling Qi narrowed her eyes. ¡°Rude.¡±

 Threads 153-Rot 2

    Ling Qi rose from the net of dream webbing as if it were no more than air, no longer smiling. Beneath her, the solid shell of Zhengui, already aglow with volcanic light, formed and beside her was Hanyi, smiling viciously. Caught in mid-leap, the three spiders screeched in unison as she played the howl of a blizzard on her flute.


    Behind her, the lump of webbing where Xia Lin had stood blazed with pitiless radiance before ripping apart, the thicker structural webbing beneath shattering and leaving a ragged hole where she had stood. A comet of white light roared through the air, and the largest of the spiders screamed as a radiant blade cracked open her chitinous abdomen and severed the strings of power that radiated from her, causing the hypnotic colors and venomous qi shrouding the others to fade.


    Two spiders hung behind them in confusion, weaving a net to prevent a flight that wasn¡¯t coming.


    Ling Qi smiled as her domain weapon emerged, and The Mist flooded out, drowning the hundreds of lesser spiders in further confusion as she focused on the three frostbitten spiders scrambling back onto their webs in front of her. From her flute came the Spring¡¯s End and the Echoes of Winter, the air around her cooling frighteningly fast as Hanyi sang along. Webbing cracked as the moisture in it froze and expanded.


    The damage to the web chamber grew worse as Zhengui rumbled angrily beneath her and winter¡¯s chill met volcanic heat, transforming cold mist into scalding steam as a ring of magma erupted from below. Spiders shrieked in their hundreds as silk withered, melted, and caught on fire.


    Above, Xia Lin zipped past, leaving a blinding trail as her boots stamped down on the first spider¡¯s face, launching her upward to pierce the ceiling and the belly of one of the spiders above, severing another web of enhancing energies before it could finish forming.


    But their enemies were already beginning to regain their bearings. Three spiders leapt over the roiling ring of magma, skittering on webs of qi through the air and seeming to blink from one place to the next as they circled and closed in on her. Ling Qi and Hanyi vanished before their fangs could find purchase, leaving a trail of shadows and snowflakes as they reappeared in midair, Hanyi dangling from her back.


    It left the spiders skittering across Zhengui¡¯s broad and expanding back as he took advantage of the growing space in the ruined chamber. A flicker of silver zipped past in the corner of her vision, and Ling Qi saw one of the two rearguard spiders squeal as an arming sword buried itself in the creature¡¯s face, and radiant energy crackled through its spirit, causing its whole body to seize and convulse.


    Ling Qi swooped forward toward the recovering spider matriarch, and Hanyi leapt off of her back with a laugh as she passed over Zhengui, grasping onto one of the three spiders there. Her Singing Mist Blade shot toward the second with the melancholy wail of a lost child, and Zhen¡¯s fangs pierced the third. Behind her, song became silence, drowning the sounds of battle.


    Ling Qi played the song of an advancing glacier as she bore down on the matriarch, and the force of her qi punched the beast through the gray and sagging webbing, weakened by flame and radiance.


    Following through, Ling Qi emerged among shattered walls and dark stone to face the hissing spider matriarch, whose sword-like limbs sliced through the air, leaving ripples where they passed through Ling Qi¡¯s form. Webs of illusion and sleep wove around her, but she passed through their net as if they were not there, and the echo of the glacier smashed the spider against the stone wall again, cracking carapace further.


    Ling Qi alighted upon the creature¡¯s bleeding back and sang of hoarfrost, and ichor froze as a lethal cold crept into the beast¡¯s wounded body. Behind her, radiance washed out, lighting the expansive cave as Xia Lin erupted from the sagging cocoon of webbing with a spider impaled, wriggling on the end of her blade. She spun her weapon twice over her head and flung the creature off with a thunderous boom, followed shortly after by a wet splat of impact on the cave¡¯s far wall.


    Ling Qi looked down at the struggling spider with a touch of pity. They could not have known that Ling Qi and, it seemed, Xia Lin so perfectly countered their abilities. Even now, the spider below her was confused and shocked, barely able to understand how swiftly things had gone against her. Ling Qi felt the gathered power in her lungs, the silence that would spill forth with just a little push.


    She sang, and the spider matriarch grew still.


    Ling Qi returned to the central nest on a gust of wind to find that Xia Lin had already returned, punching back through to the finish one of the lesser spiders. She politely averted her eyes from Zhen, whose throat still bulged with a half-swallowed spider, its twitching legs poking out of his mouth. Observing the last thrashings of the spider Xia Lin was finishing, Ling Qi pursed her lips.


    Looking upon it now, it seemed that her estimations of the spiders¡¯ power had been off. While the matriarch at least had been an equal, this one was only in the early stage of the green realm.


    ¡°It is an uncommon but not unknown effect among Hui-aligned beasts,¡± Xia Lin explained when Ling Qi voiced her thoughts. There was a crack and a wet noise as she twisted her halberd once, and the gleaming arming sword circling her shoulders flitted down, embedding itself to the hilt in the creature¡¯s body. ¡°It is a sort of linking. It offers the most powerful creatures in the link a measure of control over their lessers in exchange for a blurring of the lines between cultivation stages. I had thought it strange that so many of such close cultivation would cooperate.¡±


    ¡°I did not give you a chance to relay information,¡± Ling Qi said, dipping her head in apology. ¡°You destroyed the effect in the initial exchange?¡±


    ¡°She did,¡± Xia Lin answered, tightening her grip on her halberd and pulling it free. The polearm spun expertly in her hands until its head faced up again, splattered ichor already boiling from the intricate blade in a cloud of acrid smoke, leaving it clean and unblemished.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ling Qi acknowledged. She glanced away at the sound of bare feet on stone, and Hanyi ran up to her, grinning.


    ¡°Did you see, Big Sis? I totally ruined one of them by myself!¡± Hanyi said proudly, holding a handful of red globules that took Ling Qi a moment to recognize. They were flash frozen spider eyeballs.


    She rested her hand on Hanyi¡¯s head and smiled. ¡°Good job, little sister.¡±


    Xia Lin looked at both of them pensively. ¡°I will admit, I had some misgivings about your plan, but it seems that I have misjudged you somewhat.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. When Big Sis is confident, it''s for a good reason,¡± Hanyi huffed, annoyed at her praise being interrupted.


    ¡°I like to think so,¡± Ling Qi said dryly. ¡°I knew that I would not need to worry about being entrapped, and I was certain I could free you if need be.¡±


    ¡°Your thoughts mirrored mine then,¡± Xia Lin said. ¡°But it seems that we both know the truth that one must never cease moving forward.¡±


    Ling Qi met Xia Lin¡¯s eyes then, and with The Mist still shrouding the battlefield, she really looked at the girl with the full power of her domain thrumming beneath her armor.


    Forward, forward evermore. Bound by thy honor alone, strive for the gleaming dawn.


    Ling Qi gave Xia Lin an acknowledging nod. It seemed they had more in common than she had thought. Then, her Singing Mist Blade shimmered, and the mist began to fade. The arming blade embedded in the corpse at their feet flashed. They were once again just two young women standing in the ruins of a burnt out nest.


    ¡°What do we do now, Big Sister?¡± Zhengui asked, trundling over. ¡°Gui does not think the little spiders will talk.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t need to,¡± Ling Qi replied. She looked toward the one part of the broken-up suite of rooms still whole, just visible beyond the dead bulk of the spider carcass the nest had been built into. ¡°I can see where the energies flow now.¡±


    ***


    Making their way across the ruined floor, Ling Qi was wary. She would have thought that if the spiders had any other allies present, like this ¡°lord,¡± they would have noticed and joined the fight, short as it had been. She supposed it was possible that they were being watched or that any observers had retreated instead.


    Ling Qi¡¯s wisps spun throughout the dusty chamber but found nothing.


    ¡°This is the target then?¡± Xia Lin asked quietly, pointing her blade at the small stone chamber surrounded by rubble.


    ¡°Inside,¡± Ling Qi agreed, gesturing at the wooden door set in the closest wall. It was a finely fitted thing, still holding its polish, preserved by formations which had failed everywhere else. The twisting, spiralling lines of energy which flowed through the complex converged here, wrapping around a stone column that extended from the ceiling before meeting at some hidden source inside.


    Behind her, Zhengui lumbered along at a bit over half of his full size with Hanyi perched on his back. There was no point in concealing them now.


    Humming to herself, Ling Qi observed the door. It was sealed tight. Not a single wisp got through to the interior.


    Sixiang murmured.


    What a troublesome room. Ling Qi examined the door and its frame, studying the characters etched into the wood, filled with powdered silver. There was no handle or lock. Her fingers itched for her formation-breaking tools, but she was stymied by the complexity. They were already going to be cutting it close on reporting back.


    ¡°Xia Lin, do you believe you can remove the obstacle without setting off any defenses?¡±


    Her companion stepped forward, assessing the doorway. She nodded sharply. ¡°These patterns are old. They have not been updated against modern countermeasures.¡±


    Ling Qi raised an eyebrow. ¡°Are there countermeasures to Her Grace¡¯s work?¡±


    Xia Lin made a disgruntled sound as she gestured for Ling Qi to step back. ¡°Nothing is absolute, and my equipment and techniques are hardly the pinnacle of the Duchess¡¯ craft.¡±


    Ling Qi fell back beside Zhengui, who turned his heads curiously. Hanyi was inattentive, rolling a frozen spider eye around in her mouth like a piece of sugar candy.


    ¡°What are you waiting for, Big Sis?¡± Gui asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s no reason for me to risk the defenses. We can hardly be quiet at this point,¡± Ling Qi said, patting him on the head. ¡°Just be ready in case whatever is inside attacks.¡±


    Her little brother bobbed both of his heads intently, focusing on the door and Xia Lin. Hanyi gave her a grin stained red by her ¡°candy¡± and a thumbs up.


    Ahead of them, Xia Lin brushed her fingers across the curved head of her halberd, and gleaming white light spread behind her touch, transforming metal into liquid light. The haft of the weapon hummed visibly in her hand as she took a short grip and stabbed forward. The blazing head punched through stone like soft clay, droplets of molten stone splashing across Xia Lin¡¯s armor as she began to drag the blade upward from the base of the doorframe.


    Formation chains sparked and sputtered as they were carved apart, and veins of white crawled through stone and wood as threads of radiance wormed outward through them. It was, Ling Qi thought, a sight she had seen once before in a dream. But this doorway was not the shadow of an ancient king, and where the white threads crawled, the intricate work unraveled and went dead. Xia Lin carved a rough rectangle around the doorway.


    With her senses enhanced to search for watchers, Ling Qi was able to see as the bonds between particulates of qi that made up the door dispersed in a flash of white, the cut-out material disintegrating before her eyes into a loose cloud of glittering, gauzy thread that itself dissolved like the tatters of a dream before the morning sun.


    The putrid air that rolled out of the newly open chamber almost made her retch. Through watering eyes, she saw Xia Lin herself stagger, reflexively covering her mouth and nose with her hand. Zhen and Hanyi reeled back as if struck, and even Gui shook his head violently as if bothered by flies.


    And flies there were. They boiled from the room in a great cloud, greying the air with their bodies and filling the chamber with the buzzing of their wings. She saw a hundred tiny sparks of radiance as flies impacted Xia Lin¡¯s armor and died.


    She saw then what lay inside. It was a small room that once might have been partially furnished, but what remained of that lay in rotten ruin on the floor, crawling with flies and maggots and other verminous shapes.


    However, the bare stone walls were not unadorned. Paper and parchment were pinned up all across them, haphazard and wild, covered in scribbled text and drawings. She saw fragments of wild plans, plots to infiltrate clans and sow plagues, to subvert individuals, and to sabotage road wardings. She saw drawings of cities aflame and people who might have been members of the province¡¯s comital clans humbled and on their knees, and images of proud and haughty folk, mounted on spiderback, riding in triumph down city streets.


    Most of all, there were dozens of portraits of what could only be the Duchess painted in stark black ink. Some were torn apart, and some were marked by wild strokes of the brush or smears of blood and fouler things.


    In the center of the room sat a corpse. Sallow grey-green flesh hung from its bones, quivering with the influx of air. The meat of the corpse writhed with maggots and teemed with flies, but it wore resplendent robes of green and silver, cut in a somewhat archaic fashion. Smooth black hair, incongruously clean and intact, flowed like silk down the corpse¡¯s back and hid its face from view.


    It was only when she saw its hand move that she realized that it was not simply a corpse.

 Threads 154-Rot 3

    A lacquered black inkbrush drew itself across a page of charred parchment, painting characters in the wild handwriting that filled every wall of the chamber, and a rattling breath emerged from the corpse¡¯s hidden face, emitting another stream of buzzing flies to join the swarm.


    Xia Lin fell back to where she stood, a disgusted look on her face. ¡°A corpse immortal,¡± she spat. ¡°To think that even a Hui would be so debased.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s cloak writhed on her shoulders, transforming into a scarf of pale blue silk that wrapped her mouth and nose. ¡°What in the world is that?¡±


    Focusing her spiritual senses, she could feel the thing¡¯s aura, and it was just as rotted as its flesh. She could see the glow of its dantian, sickly and cracked, and see the flows of meridians that had swelled until they drew visible lines under squirming flesh. Half of them had burst open like a dead animal left to rot in the sun, and chaotic qi leaked freely. More worryingly, she felt a knot of energy in its chest, a second dantian, albeit shattered and broken. Not even a memory of more potent energies clung to the fragments.


    ¡°When a cultivator reaches the end of their span, they may attempt to cling on regardless. This is the result,¡± Xia Lin said grimly. ¡°Mind and spirit rots along with the body, leaving an increasingly mad thing focused on whatever task it had obsessed over in life.¡±


    ¡°I want to kill it,¡± Zhen spoke, startling her. His crimson eyes fixed intently on the fly-shrouded thing. Hanyi looked a little ill, having abruptly swallowed her snack at the sight.


    ¡°As well you should,¡± Xia Lin agreed, scowling. ¡°Is our target visible?¡±


    Ling Qi looked past the disgusting thing in the center to scan the walls. There, under the hanging papers, she saw a soft blue glow, faltering and intermittent.


    Even Sixiang seemed disgusted.


    ¡°Do you think we can kill it?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°And why hasn¡¯t it noticed us?¡±


    ¡°Such things can be unpredictable¡­ but their obsessions consume them and can make them easy to trick if one plays to their delusions,¡± Xia Lin said, warily eyeing the creature. ¡°It may once have been a higher realm, but the older a corpse is, the more its power has rotted. No corpse immortal lasts more than a century or so. I believe we can eliminate it, particularly with a hard first strike.¡±


    Ling Qi was less sure. Power still burned in its maggot-ridden flesh and lower dantian, even if most of its meridians were in ruins. She could probably slip in and remove the stone, depowering the formation without having to fight it. It might notice her, but if what Xia Lin said was true, if it did, she could probably trick it anyway. They could then return easily with everyone to eliminate it.


    On the other hand¡­ Ling Qi¡¯s eyes lingered on the resplendent robe and inkbrush that glowed with powerful qi in her senses. There, too, was a silver ring whose contents were opaque to her eyes. How often did one get the chance at such treasures, divided between only two cultivators?


    "What are your thoughts on the spoils of battle?" Ling Qi asked casually.


    "They are a soldier¡¯s due," Xia Lin replied evenly, "the reward for high achievement."


    Ling Qi smiled. They really weren''t that different under the exterior, were they?


    ¡°We can do this. Do you think it will react if we prepare ourselves?¡±


    ¡°It may,¡± Xia Lin allowed, cracking her neck. ¡°We strike the moment it shows awareness?¡±


    Ling Qi hummed in agreement. ¡°My most potent damaging art requires physical contact. Can I trust you to pin its movements when signaled?¡±


    ¡°You can,¡± Xia Lin said. Traceries of light began to fill the engraved grooves in the head of her weapon again. ¡°My most potent damaging arts require me to shed my own defenses. Can I trust your arts?¡±


    ¡°You can,¡± Ling Qi parroted back, summoning her flute with a flick of her wrist. Lake qi, dark and still, began to ripple out. ¡°Zhengui, I want you to bring up your lava when we strike. After that, focus on supporting us, okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Zhengui agreed in two voices. His shell began to glow, and beneath their feet, Ling Qi sensed the movement of roots.


    The wind began to kick up around her, playfully tugging at her hair and gown, wafting away the stagnant air, and Ling Qi began to play the Spring¡¯s End Aria. Sixiang hummed along, weaving their qi through Ling Qi¡¯s to empower the art, ensuring that it would not end mid battle.


    ¡°Duet time!¡± Hanyi said excitedly, hopping down beside her. She was already beginning to hum the Aria, shrouding herself in glittering snowflakes.


    Beside them, white radiance flared through the eye slits of Xia Lin¡¯s mask and the joints of her armor. The girl¡¯s outline sharpened as if her very silhouette was a blade''s edge, and Ling Qi felt the wind hiss, parting around her as Xia Lin lowered herself into a crouch, halberd pointed forward.


    Pebbles around their feet began to rattle under the gathering power, and soft gray ash began to fill the air. Two weapons, one an intricate singing blade and the other a utilitarian thing of straight lines and humming gears, formed over their shoulders, spilling mist and radiance into the air.


    In the fly-shrouded chamber, a rasping breath hitched.


    Stone shattered in a deep circle where Xia Lin had stood as she launched forward in a streak of unforgiving light. The soft sound of Ling Qi¡¯s flute rose to a crescendo over the rumbling of the earth. Magma erupted beneath the corpse immortal, and twin voices raised in song lashed it with the icy cold, blackening rotting flesh even as fat and flesh boiled away and flies and maggots burned.


    Xia Lin struck the creature¡¯s back with a tremendous boom, sending magma splashing outward, and stone shattered into dust and pebbles.


    There was a rumble, and a tremendous roar shook the chamber as a tide of black liquid looking like stylized waves swept out of the chamber, carrying Xia Lin with it. Ling Qi¡¯s eyes widened as she seized Hanyi¡¯s hand and flew straight up over the wave of ink. Below, Zhengui braced himself, and a wedge of roots parted the tide before it could sweep him away.


    In the doorway of the now ruined chamber, she saw the corpse-immortal. ¡°Lord Scribbler¡± stood hunched, almost apelike in posture, its glittering green robe falling open to reveal ribs wrapped in paper-thin flesh. Oozing black taint flowed through a rupture in its sternum, revealing the shattered dantian in its chest. Its legs were burned, down to the bone in some places, and as she watched, strips of frozen flesh sloughed off. A gaping wound had been carved down from its shoulder nearly to its pelvis, leaving a slice of its torso and its right arm hanging oddly. Maggots writhed, trying to stitch flesh back together, but blazing radiance crawled along the wound, searing the vermin.


    There was a sickening, crackling sound as the creature turned its head upward, revealing a dried, sunken face wrapped tightly around a skull. Blackened lips pulled back from teeth the color of mud. One eye socket was empty, teeming with tiny spiders, and the other held a blank white orb. As she watched, it rolled in its socket, revealing a sickly yellow iris and a glowing pupil that focused on her.


    ¡°Caaiiiiiiii¡­.¡± hissed the corpse in a voice that echoed as if from the bottom of a well.


    A thread of Liming outshone even the arms of the White Plumes, Ling Qi thought faintly.


    Xia Lin returned in a clap of thunder, midnight blue ink dripping from her gleaming armor, and the corpse bent backward as the halberd clove through the space where its neck had been. The brush in the corpse¡¯s hand flicked, and ink flowed. Three soldiers clad in black and green appeared, living drawings whose spears locked with Xia Lin¡¯s, forcing her to rebound, her blade trailing boiling ink.


    At the same time, the buzzing swarm wreathing the corpse rose into a terrible crescendo, a whirling vortex of buzzing wings and chitinous bodies. But Ling Qi was experienced with vermin by now. Thousands died, frozen in the air, and thousands more fell, choked on ash. Ling Qi¡¯s mist churned into dozens of dark feathered birds as she shifted melodies into the Primal War Calling, and The Mist girded their talons and beaks in winter¡¯s rime.


    ¡°Upstart and thief!¡± the corpse spat. Its one burning eye never left her, even as Xia Lin clashed with its ink soldiers barely a half dozen meters away. The whirl of blades tore gouges in stone with their passage and left stinking clouds of boiling ink where drawing met reality. There were six of them now, new soldiers sprouting up where ink pooled on the ground.


    Silently, Sixiang relayed her signal to Zhengui. Ink soldiers stiffened as roots grasped their feet, drawing their dance to a brief pause as Xia Lin lit up like a comet and punched through their line. Her whirling polearm forced the corpse to scream like a steaming kettle as it was driven back by blade and haft, each splitting the air in a continuous stream of thunderclaps that tore chunks of rotting flesh free.


    With Ling Qi still clinging to Hanyi¡¯s hand, they moved, dissolving into wind and falling flakes before materializing just behind the creature. She played, Hanyi sang, and both of them reached out to seize a scrap of trailing robe.


    Together, they sang the Call to Ending. The air, heated by Zhengui¡¯s magma, exploded into steam.


    Hanyi cried out in pain as a rotting foot struck her in the chest, and she rocketed back, impacting the corpse of the giant spider with a resounding crack and punching through its hollow chitin. Ling Qi choked as a skeletal claw seized her around the throat. For just a moment, Ling Qi stared directly into the thing''s hideous face, trapped by the echo of higher realm power that remained in its bones. Flies bit and stung her face, and fetid claws left pinprick wounds on her neck..


    ¡°You¡­ slave. You dare wield art against me?¡± the corpse immortal snarled. Entire sections of flesh had frozen and shattered under the power of her and Hanyi¡¯s song, leaving the corpse near skeletal, but still, it stood. Her screaming phantasmal birds tore at its frosted bones, but it seemed not to care. She saw its gaze flick down then, and the creature paused in confusion, staring at its own hand.


    Xia Lin¡¯s halberd slammed down upon its back, and Ling Qi whirled away on the wind, reappearing meters back. Zhengui bellowed, his full mass ramming into the expanding crowd of ink soldiers seeking Xia Lin¡¯s back, a wall of roots and branches erupting to cut off their path.


    The corpse ducked, twisted, and dodged through the whirling storm of Xia Lin¡¯s assault, shying away from the trailing lines of burning light left in the blade¡¯s wake. With every step, Xia Lin grew faster, her limbs becoming a blur even to Ling Qi¡¯s eyes, and a cage of radiance was being slowly built.


    All the while, the corpse muttered to itself. ¡°No, no, no, not right, not right.¡± Words tumbled over one another into an unintelligible gibbering.


    Narrowing her eyes, Ling Qi flew to follow the trail of their fight, and positioning herself just right, she played a harsh note that pulsed with the power of an avalanche. The corpse screamed in rage as the icy qi struck its back, making it stumble forward, open to Xia Lin¡¯s skull-cleaving blow.


    Ling Qi felt Sixiang let out a grunt of discomfort as something in the liminal realm jerked violently. Where Xia Lin¡¯s halberd came down, a rainbow of color erupted, washing away her light. Ling Qi saw the halberd¡¯s blade strike the palm of an outstretched hand, lightly tanned and manicured to perfection.


    Smoke, ash, mist, and light all blew away, revealing a man. He was tall and proud in features, his loose open robe displaying a musculature of perfect fitness like a monument to male beauty. His flowing black hair wafted upward on an invisible breeze, crowning his haughty features with a midnight halo.


    His free hand lashed out in an open palm strike, and although black qi rippled out around Xia Lin, a featureless mirror to absorb all blows, the man¡¯s hand punched through it like paper. Ling Qi heard metal squeal as Xia Lin¡¯s breastplate dented inward, and she flew backward.


    ¡°Toy soldiers and philistines, this is what that woman sends to slay Hui Peng?¡± the man sneered.


    Ling Qi felt a thrill of fear, but then, Sixiang tugged at her attention. The face was a shell of dream, an echo long imprinted on the liminal space within the room. Beneath, there was still only rot. She felt Xia Lin getting back up, and she felt Hanyi limping back around, hidden in the shadows. Zhengui was shrouded in burning ink, tearing apart the last of the soldiers.


    If she could get his attention again¡­


    ¡°Not sure what you¡¯re so proud of,¡± Ling Qi taunted. ¡°Maybe if you didn¡¯t sit around in your own waste, you¡¯d have some worthwhile works to your name.¡±


    ¡°A slave of Cai and her dull art has no right to lecture a Hui on beauty,¡± the man retorted. ¡°Your performance and presentation are insipid. Do you think I did not hear the mortal mud staining your childish melodies? Like your master, you are mired in the petty mortal nonsense of this world. True art arises from those who are above such concerns.¡±


    Ling Qi cocked her head, thinking fast as the others recovered. ¡°Sounds vapid and empty to me, but I suppose that is all I should expect from a clan who lost to one woman¡¯s vision.¡±


    The man¡¯s handsome face distorted, lips peeling back to show rotten teeth once more as he let out a snarl. ¡°Then let me show you, slave, the transcendent truth.¡±


    Ling Qi felt her stomach drop as the inkbrush in his hand blurred, tracing an intricate pattern in the air, and behind her, an eagle screamed. Ling Qi dissolved into wind, but she still felt a prick of pain as talons passed through her. In the distance, a wolf howled as she tumbled downward, and Ling Qi hit the ground in a roll, rising back into the air as the fangs tore at her dress.


    A bear¡¯s paw the size of a house slammed down on her and smashed her back to earth. Ling Qi tasted blood in her mouth as stone turned to powder under the impact, burying her in grit. Gentle birdsong began to waft through the air, drawing her qi out through her meridians.


    She felt the barrier between dream and reality bending around the man as his brush whipped back and forth through the air, rainbow light blazing around him. Birds took flight, wolves prowled about his feet, and soldiers took shape from the ink bleeding through the air.


    As Ling Qi took to the air once more, air distorting as Sixiang began to push the veil, Zhengui barreled into the fray. Expanded to his full size with ink soldiers clinging to his shell and legs, his bulk slammed into the corpse immortal like a collapsing hill.


    He stopped dead, the corpse man holding him back with a single hand pressed to his snout. ¡°Fool. Be¡ª¡±


    Lava erupted, drowning him in liquid rock, and the corpse screamed in rage as his soldiers turned their blades upon Zhengui, inky weapons carving into scaly flesh.


    But he was open. The deranged creature had forgotten Xia Lin already. She met the girl¡¯s eyes from across the cavern, and Xia Lin wiped a bloodied hand across her blade, causing qi to flare in a familiar way.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t even have to lie for her taunt. Echoing through the dream, she could feel nothing but self-aggrandizement in this corpse¡¯s art. He painted a world where he was master, not for any reason, but simply because it was his birthright.


    ¡°Ugly! The ugliest I¡¯ve ever seen! You call that truth?¡± she mocked even as the glittering cloud of songbirds around him turned themselves upon her, and she felt her qi weaken precipitously. The eagle was coming back around, a new scream building in its throat, and the titanic bear he had summoned was rising on its hind legs to reach her.


    The corpse of Hui Peng leapt into the air, dripping magma and ash, an enraged snarl on his face as something terrible bloomed from his brush.


    The spike of a halberd, burning with colorless radiance that scorned all defense, punched through his sternum, and the rest of the blade followed. The blade pulsed, and flesh and gore disintegrated. The illusion shattered, and then, there was only a tattered corpse in truth.


    Like soap bubbles, the ink phantoms popped and vanished, and frozen bones clattered to the floor in disarray.

 Threads 155-Past 1

    ¡°Is it actually dead?¡± Hanyi asked suspiciously as she peeked her head out from behind a fallen chunk of stone.


    ¡°It feels dead,¡± Gui said suspiciously. His scales were stained with blue and black ink, glistening wetly in the faint light cast by the cooling magma.


    ¡°I felt its dantian shatter,¡± Xia Lin said, rising from the crouch she had landed in. One of the frosted bones at her feet shifted as it cracked. Everyone stiffened up for a moment before relaxing when nothing else happened.


    ¡°Well, you weren¡¯t wrong. We did handle it, even if I was a little worried at the end there,¡± Ling Qi said, lowering her flute as her feet touched the floor.


    Her back and chest hurt; the raw force which had slammed her into the floor had definitely left some bruises. Carefully, she prodded at her lower ribs and hissed. That was a fracture. Hairline though. She would be fine by tomorrow morning if she didn¡¯t get in another fight.


    ¡°You are certainly skilled at seizing attention,¡± Xia Lin agreed.


    ¡°I had some advantages in this case,¡± Ling Qi said, shooting the bones a look of dislike. Although the thing¡¯s death-addled mind hadn¡¯t let it articulate its points well, she had felt the intent permeating the air. Whatever Hui Peng had been, she did not think he would have been a man she liked, even if he wasn¡¯t a senile corpse. ¡°Please search the body. Hanyi, keep watch. Zhengui, with me. I want you to shield me in case something goes wrong with the formation.¡±


    Xia Lin gave her a professional nod, and Hanyi winced a little as she hopped up onto the rock. Ling Qi bit her lip for a moment but forced herself forward. Hanyi was fine, just a little bruised. There was no need to fuss over her.


    Sixiang huffed.


    Ling Qi restrained herself from rolling her eyes as she stepped forward over the cooling ripples of magma toward the corpse¡¯s chamber. Unsurprisingly, it was ruined. The furniture which had remained was ash, and so, too, were most of the papers and drawings. A few tattered scraps remained on the walls, but it was not enough to block her sight of the formation on the far wall.


    Her eyes widened as she saw the source of the glow. There, embedded in the center of intricate overlapping circles of characters etched in silver, was a single cyan-colored stone the size of a baby¡¯s fist. Elation quickly dampened as she saw the many cracks running through it and the gray dust steadily trickling from the bottom of the stone.


    With Zhen poking his head through the door to watch over her shoulder, Ling Qi approached and examined the formation and the stone powering it. Thankfully, this was something she could do. In formations, power sources inevitably required changing and so were typically not too difficult to remove. After all, if someone had already reached the center of your power, the security had already failed. For the first time in quite a while, Ling Qi gestured, drawing forth the etching tools she had commissioned last year from her ring, and set to work carefully removing the blood access function from the locks holding the stone in place.


    Ten minutes of careful work later, the formation hummed and went silent as the stone tumbled out into her hands. She hadn¡¯t lost her touch after all.


    A little more of the stone flaked off as it landed in her palm. While it still held plenty of energy in it, she wasn¡¯t sure if it could even be used for cultivation any more. Still, a cyan stone was a cyan stone. Spirit stones above green quality had no set price because they were effectively strategic resources. She was sure that it would still sell for quite a sum.


    ¡°The shiny web didn¡¯t explode, Miss Gust!¡± she heard Gui call out behind her, presumably to Xia Lin.


    ¡°Indeed it did not,¡± Ling Qi said wryly, materializing outside in a swirl of glittering shadow.


    ¡°A good thing indeed,¡± Xia Lin replied with a straight face. She stood with her arms crossed over her dented chestplate, and the face covering of her helm was off. Ling Qi noted the flecks of blood on her lips.


    ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t ask before, but you are well?¡±


    ¡°I am combat ready,¡± Xia Lin answered, tapping her fist against the breastplate. Ling Qi heard a tiny pop and squeal as the shining metal straightened out just a tad. ¡°No significant breaks or organ damage. I believe your own condition is similar?¡±


    Xia Lin had sharp eyes.


    ¡°Yes, though I have less qi left than I¡¯d like. The formation is down, and I did acquire this.¡± Ling Qi held out the cracked stone.


    Xia Lin¡¯s eyebrows rose marginally as Zhengui trundled over to peer down at what they were doing. ¡°Oh! Is it¡ª¡±


    ¡°It is not suitable for cultivation,¡± Ling Qi said sadly.


    ¡°Ah, of course,¡± Xia Lin said unhappily as she studied the stone. ¡°Still, a valuable find. Among the enemy¡¯s equipment, his robe was unfortunately damaged.¡±


    Ling Qi gazed in consternation at the scraps of green silk that materialized in Xia Lin¡¯s hands. It was still high quality, and power ran through it, but it was definitely not a whole talisman anymore. But Ling Qi thought back to her ruined bedsheets and glanced down at her dress.


    ¡°However, his weapon was intact,¡± Xia Lin continued, opening her other hand to reveal a slender brush of dark wood, its head a fine tuft of hairs from some unknown beast. It practically glowed in her spiritual senses, so infused with potent powers. Even if she wasn¡¯t a painter or calligrapher, its value was obvious.


    Ling Qi hummed to herself. ¡°I¡¯ll swap you the stone for both. My funding is taken care of at the moment, but my clan doesn¡¯t exactly have a lot of treasures yet.¡±


    Xia Lin pondered this for a moment, then nodded. ¡°That seems a fair trade, but I have some ill news about the ring.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned. ¡°Is it sealed?¡±


    ¡°Surprisingly not,¡± Xia Lin said as they swapped items. Vanishing the stone into her ring, she fished the corpse¡¯s storage ring out of a belt pouch. ¡°I think it¡¯d be better if you see for yourself.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned as she dismissed her own loot and accepted the ring in her hand.


    Concentrating, she peered inside and blanched. Her own ring, when she peered into it, manifested in her mind¡¯s eye as a small hollow stone cube, large enough to fit a goodly amount of materials. Peering into this ring, she saw entire rooms and corridors of gray stone that stretched out beyond her sight. She could sense within that the total volume was larger than her mother¡¯s house, though its exact size seemed fuzzy to her.


    Worse, from floor to ceiling in every single space she could sense, were the stacks of papers, books, and scrolls. What must have been multiple tonnes of paper flooded the ring, most of it packed with tiny, elegant script.


    She frowned as she felt it tug at her, and Ling Qi sensed that she could enter the ring, much like she did Sixiang¡¯s dream space. She supposed that made sense. So far as she knew, storage techniques worked by pinching off a bubble of liminal space.


    ¡°I think we¡¯ll need help organizing this.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Xia Lin sighed. ¡°Given the source, there is too much chance that there are important documents within.¡±


    That was disappointing. The full extent of looting was going to have to be delayed.


    At least a last search before they left revealed quite a number of yellow stones and red stones in a hidden stash. Cheerfully, the two split the stash, and Ling Qi tucked her share away.


    ***?


    ¡°And that, my lady, is what we have discovered of the terrain ahead.¡± Ling Qi completed her report to Cai Renxiang with her head bowed. They were just under the eaves of the outermost trees of the forest. Renxiang stood in the center, flanked by Meng Dan and Gan Guangli, while Xia Lin stood behind her, bowing as well.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t need to look up to know that her liege was wearing that slightly pinched look that she got when things escalated beyond initial parameters.


    ¡°A surviving Hui corpse immortal, Ling Qi? I would ask if you were jesting if I did not know perfectly well that you are not,¡± Cai Renxiang said flatly.


    To her side, Ling Qi saw Gan Guangli blink and give the heiress a surprised look.


    ¡°I can confirm Lady Ling¡¯s report, Lady Cai,¡± Xia Lin said.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Cai Renxiang said without hesitation. ¡°You disposed of the corpse properly?¡±


    ¡°We burned it as well as we could,¡± Ling Qi answered. Zhengui had been helpful. ¡°It may be a good idea to message the Sect. Neither of us are qualified to perform death rites. I can confirm that the formation is shut down fully though.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°However, for the remainder of the trip, I will not have you range so far ahead. Ling Qi, I sense that your energy is significantly depleted.¡±


    She grimaced and dipped her head lower. ¡°The enemy had potent techniques.¡± She hadn¡¯t noticed it at first, but her qi had continued to slowly dwindle away for a while after the fight. The Hui¡¯s technique had clung to her like her own hoarfrost until it had weakened enough for Sixiang to cleanse.


    ¡°Then you will remain with the group even after we reach the halfway point. Xia Lin, you will take point until the baroness¡¯ energy has recovered, but remain within one kilometer of the group.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lady,¡± Xia Lin said, thumping her fist against her repaired breastplate.


    That didn¡¯t sound too bad, but Ling Qi stiffened as Renxiang¡¯s gaze fell back on her.


    ¡°The contents of the ring you spoke of must be catalogued. While our mission is important, so is such an unprecedented find. Ling Qi, while you rest, I expect you to aid Meng Dan in this. Your spirit beast will suffice to carry the two of you while we move,¡± Renxiang said, clasping her hands behind her back as she stepped past Ling Qi.


    There it was. Ling Qi sighed, straightening up. She shot Gan Guangli a wan smile, and he shook his head, stifling a guffaw.


    ¡°My, you do not waste any time on keeping things interesting, do you?¡± Meng Dan asked, smiling faintly as he passed her as well. She fell in beside him.


    ¡°I would say that I try, but I really don¡¯t,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°It is the nature of the talented to bend fortune around them,¡± Meng Dan said pleasantly.


    Ling Qi gave him a look out of the corner of her eye. ¡°Is that an actual thing, or just a saying?¡±


    ¡°Just a saying. Although it is true that attention from spirits does correlate strongly with talent.¡±


    ¡°So not just a saying at all.¡± Ling Qi sighed.


    ¡°As you like,¡± Meng Dan said. ¡°I rather expect the correlation between talent and fortune to be circular myself.¡±


    Sixiang thought.


    ¡°So how are we going to do this?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°I think we should just organize the contents for now. Reading and identifying everything would likely take too long,¡± Meng Dan suggested. ¡°Where do you think you will be most useful?¡±


    ¡°I think my abilities would be best spent sifting out any arts from the texts or identifying bits of formationwork among the texts,¡± Ling Qi said after a moment.


    ¡°Not a bad idea. I certainly don¡¯t have much of a head for interacting with formations.¡±


    ¡°Really? I would think that dealing with old libraries would require some skill at that kind of thing.¡±


    ¡°I leave those matters to Yinhui,¡± Meng Dan replied, his habitual smile turning fond. ¡°She does love her maths and puzzles.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed noncommittally. It did make sense to specialize differently from one¡¯s spirits, she supposed.


    Sixiang teased.


    Ling Qi was sure that she didn¡¯t know what Sixiang was talking about.


    Hanyi asked.


    Ling Qi pursed her lips. An image of Hanyi lackadaisically wandering the stacks, plucking out anything interesting, flittered across her mind. Hastily, she thought,


    Hanyi seemed suspicious in her head, but in the end, she couldn¡¯t deny Ling Qi¡¯s sincerity.


    Zhengui grumbled.


    ¡°It must be very noisy in your thoughts,¡± Meng Dan said, glancing up at the dark canopy overhead. They trailed a short distance behind Cai Renxiang and Gan Guangli. ¡°I am surprised that you can manage without feeling harried at all times.¡±


    Ling Qi smiled, despite Zhengui and Hanyi beginning to bicker in her head. ¡°I find I don¡¯t mind. It¡¯s comforting, not being alone.¡±


    Meng Dan nodded agreeably, but she noted he did not actually reply. Ling Qi focused her eyes forward on a clear patch of ground before drawing Zhengui¡¯s bulk from her dantian.


    Time to finally check out the rest of the loot.

 Threads 156-Past 2

    Ling Qi inhaled the scent of stagnant air and ancient parchment, nearly sneezing. She grimaced, restraining the urge to scrub at her nose. The air in here felt thick and heavy.


    She opened her eyes to see that she stood between two tottering stacks of hastily bound books of notes, looseleaf papers sticking out haphazardly from between covers that smelled of poorly cured leather.


    Outside, she knew, her body was perched on the shelf formed by one of Zhengui¡¯s shell spikes. Hanyi was in her lap, and Zhen loomed watchfully above. The ring was held in her cupped hands, and Meng Dan sat below, perched meditatively on a lower plane of Zhengui¡¯s shell.


    There was a faint rustle, and then a sound of leather and paper sliding. Ling Qi spun to face the sound as a stack of notes collapsed to the floor in a cloud of dust.


    Sixiang stood there sheepishly, covering their mouth and waving off dust. ¡°Haha¡­ Whoops?¡± the muse said sheepishly, cracking one eye open.


    ¡°This is why I left Hanyi outside,¡± Ling Qi said pointedly. She tugged at her cloak, and once again, it added a pale blue scarf that she tugged up over her mouth and nose to keep out the dust. Briefly, she ran her fingers over the silk. Her robe was very helpful.


    ¡°Aw, don¡¯t be like that. You know you want to go treasure hunting with me.¡± Sixiang bumped a shoulder against hers. ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s find Meng boy and my cute lil cousin.¡±


    Ling Qi rolled her eyes fondly as she followed Sixiang out through the stacks. She could feel Meng Dan ahead through the twisting lanes of paper. His aura shone like a well-fueled table lamp, steady and calming.


    They found him soon enough at an intersection of lanes where there was a small, clear space. Meng Dan sat, having acquired a dusty antique looking chair etched with gold filigree from somewhere. A trio of texts hovered around him, circling his head slowly as their pages flipped with blinding quickness. Yinhui lay on the floor, tracing her fingers across neat lines of characters. She kicked her feet idly in the air, not raising her head as Ling Qi approached.


    ¡°Getting right to it, I see,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°You have a poor impression of me if you had imagined otherwise, Baroness,¡± Meng Dan teased, glancing her way. The pages of the books did not stop turning. ¡°I am quite ecstatic right now. Primary sources from an internal clan perspective are very rare.¡±


    ¡°Are they? The Hui are, obviously. They burned their library after all, but don¡¯t most clans keep good records?¡±


    Maybe Cai Renxiang¡¯s exhortations on the subject were not the norm.


    ¡°Excuse my mispeaking. Access to such records is rare. There is no doubt that the ancient clans hold records which any scholar would prostrate themselves in the dirt to access, but they do not share,¡± Meng Dan clarified. ¡°I should know. My own clan certainly does not.¡±


    That made a lot more sense. Ling Qi nodded. ¡°Anything interesting yet?¡±


    ¡°The texts in this area seem relatively recent,¡± Meng Dan noted. ¡°Journals and reports speak of communications with hidden cells. Destroyed, of course. There was a great hunt for the surviving Hui after their fall. I will log them regardless. This fellow does seem to have become rather unhinged as time went on.¡±


    ¡°What kind of unhinged?¡± Sixiang asked, peeking under the cover of a journal at the top of a stack.


    Meng Dan flicked his sleeve, and a narrow folio flew up in a cloud of dust, covers parting. Inside, scrawled on page after page, were the words ¡°traitor,¡± ¡°cowards¡± ¡°half-barbarian trash,¡± and more rude things in the same vein scribbled tightly across dozens of pages, interspersed with highly unpleasant screeds about the fates deserved by such.


    Ling Qi swallowed a lump of distaste as the book snapped shut, and beside her, Sixiang nodded knowingly. ¡°That kind of unhinged. Gotcha.¡±


    ¡°Quite,¡± Meng Dan said.


    ¡°What did you find there, Yinhui?¡± Ling Qi asked, glancing down at the young spirit.


    Slowly, Yinhui raised her head, peering up at Ling Qi through her black blindfold. ¡°It is a dream journal. This man was most unseemly,¡± she said solemnly.


    Ling Qi blinked, glancing down at the pages. Then, she frowned. Why would you do that with a¡­


    Her cheeks flushed scarlet, and she swiftly looked away. ¡°Why are you reading something like that?!¡±


    ¡°Cataloguing a human¡¯s carnal desires is sometimes useful for constructing a psychological profile.¡± Yinhui returned to running her fingers over the characters. ¡°And such things do not disturb me. Secrets like these are the most common of all due to social mores which discourage open expression.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced at Meng Dan, and he shrugged helplessly. ¡°She is a Hidden Moon spirit. Secret trysts are secret too. You would be surprised how many historical events proceeded from such motives.¡±


    While they had been speaking, Sixiang had crouched down beside Yinhui, eyes flicking over the exposed pages. ¡°Technically speaking, he¡¯s not a bad writer. I¡¯d probably enjoy it better if I didn¡¯t know he was a jerk though.¡±


    ¡°Probability of the subject being a ¡¯jerk¡¯ even before deterioration approaches one hundred percent,¡± Yinhui agreed in a bored tone, flipping a page.


    Ling Qi coughed into her hand and hauled Sixiang upright by the back of their robe, drawing a startled yelp. ¡°We should get hunting. Will you be in this section long, Meng Dan?¡±


    ¡°I will have to stop indulging and begin cataloguing.¡± Meng Dan sighed. ¡°This is not the time for a deep study unfortunately. I will keep my aura extended however, so I should not be hard to find. It seems likely to me that items that are not this man¡¯s writings will be deeper inside. There is certainly a natural organization by age to these, like the rings of a tree.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded once. If the crazy hermit was endlessly writing and tossing things inside, they¡¯d pile up with the oldest stuff being on the figurative ¡°bottom¡± of the ring. Meng Dan returned her nod as she left, pulling a sulking Sixiang, and rounded the corner of a stack.


    ***?


    It was hard to move here, Ling Qi found. Not physically, but via her techniques. She couldn¡¯t move through the solid stacks, and even flying took far more effort than it was worth. She wondered if it was because this projected space was a bit of someone else''s dream, and so its Laws were a little different.


    It didn¡¯t slow her down too much.


    Sifting carefully through ancient papers as she wound deeper inside, she found the crazed journals thinning out. She began to find sketchbooks, full of pages of beautiful ink paintings, and even texts by other authors, mostly dry things on natural philosophy that were a bit over her head.


    It was Sixiang who found the first item of interest. Under a fallen stack of books was a small wooden chest whose ancient formation lock crumbled with only a bit of prodding. Inside were a handful of jade slips and row upon row of glass vials filled with long dried paints in every shade.


    The excitement hadn¡¯t lasted long though. The slips held a collection of first and second realm utility and cultivation arts, all related to painting and calligraphy. Only one had any combat application at all, but it was far beneath her. She took them anyway. Who knew. Perhaps one day, Biyu would discover a liking for that kind of thing. Or maybe her mother? Qingge¡¯s writing was quite good for a mortal.


    Beyond where she had found the chest, more artwork began to turn up. She discovered a dusty tapestry depicting the great tree of Xiangmen, a slat painting of a web-shrouded forest at twilight, and in one corner, a tall painting of a stern faced elderly man wearing ornate robes of state, seated upon a throne which she recognized from her brief appearance in court. That, she had briefly studied, feeling an echo of qi, but whatever power it had contained had rotted along with the edges of the canvas.


    All the while, the stacks wound in an ever-expanding labyrinth. Ling Qi was careful of course, circling back and using her wisps to trace her backtrail, ensuring that they did not shift behind her and that she knew the path back. Only two or three times did she find that the books had moved on their own!


    Still, most of what she found and collected up in a central space seemed like knickknacks. This included a statue of a rearing elk carved from some kind of dense bone with glittering emeralds for eyes and a few more paintings of people she didn¡¯t recognize. Sixiang had found a few books they insisted were interesting, but Ling Qi really wasn¡¯t a fan of fiction, even if the watercolor illumination was lovely.


    Still, with each minute that passed with only mundane art to show for her efforts, she searched even more determinedly. There had to be more here! And so, Ling Qi followed the twisting trails of dusty, forgotten qi further and further until at last she found a stone wall at one of the edges of the space. There, painted upon it, was a mural of unsurpassed beauty. It depicted something that stirred memories of her first encounter with Sixiang.


    Spread across the wall was an incredibly realistic painting of a great gala filled with dancing lords and ladies in elaborate and immaculate robes. Drifting mist blurred the details of the hall, and little half masks hid the dancers¡¯ faces. Before her eyes, they seemed to move, swaying under the moonlight. She could hear their laughter and the gentle song of the wind in the eaves outside the airy hall.


    Ah, what a joy it would be to dance under the moon.


    Ling Qi closed her eyes and breathed out.


    ¡°I¡¯d have been embarrassed if you fell for a fake after experiencing the real thing,¡± Sixiang drawled, resting an arm on her shoulder. ¡°Not a bad rendition though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± Ling Qi agreed.


    Opening her eyes, she panned over the painting. It was still just as lifelike, still subtly animated, moving out of the corner of her eye. She smiled as she reached out to the painted stone and pressed her hand against the darkness within a painted archway.


    There was a rumble as stone sank into the ground, revealing a flight of stairs.


    ***


    ¡°My, what a paranoid device.¡± Meng Dan stroked his chin as he examined the painting and the stairwell.


    ¡°How does it even work anyway? I can¡¯t detect any kind of formations to it.¡±


    ¡°Because it is just a manifestation of the arrays embedded in the ring,¡± Meng Dan explained.


    ¡°This space is as much metaphor as material,¡± Yinhui elaborated, standing by his side.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s as much an impulse toward secrecy on the maker¡¯s part as a deliberate defense,¡± Sixiang realized.


    ¡°Mm, that may be too far. There is a market for storage spaces which hide some of their content from casual perusal,¡± Meng Dan said.


    ¡°It seems kinda ineffective for that,¡± Sixiang pointed out. ¡°We found it pretty easy.¡±


    ¡°He means theft, Sixiang,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Locks and such don¡¯t exist to stop people getting in. They exist to make it inconvenient, noisy, or time-consuming to bypass.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right,¡± Sixiang said, nodding sagely. ¡°That makes more sense.¡±


    ¡°An interesting point of view.¡± Meng Dan cocked an eyebrow.


    Ling Qi glanced at him with a touch of embarrassment. ¡°I only mean that security measures are not meant to stop someone with unrestricted access to the security device.¡±


    ¡°I meant no offense.¡± He dipped his head. ¡°It is a genuinely interesting perspective.¡±


    Ling Qi was not sure if she was being made fun of. He seemed sincere, but she wasn¡¯t sure. ¡°Regardless, I wanted your company before descending. Have you made any progress up here?¡±


    ¡°Somewhat,¡± he replied, dropping the subject easily. ¡°As it turns out, a fair amount of the clutter up here is spiritual detritus.¡±


    ¡°Copies of scribblings and texts exist as multiple recurring copies, propagated by decades of intense focus of the owner,¡± Yinhui added.


    ¡°That is not to say that there is not still an immense volume of writings strewn about. I have been able to discern the dividing lines between the¡±¡ªMeng Dan searched for the proper word¡ª¡°rings, as it were, and I¡¯ve begun to tidy things up and disperse the more phantasmal scraps.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, staring down the dark stairwell. That, too, was novel. How long had it been since darkness had last been any bar to her vision? ¡°Are you ready to descend then?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± Meng Dan agreed.


    Wary and alert, they descended.

 Threads 157 Past 2

    Together, they descended into the unnatural darkness of the stairwell.


    Together, they found more confounding effects. There were places where the space of the stairwell warped, turning back on itself in a recursive loop. There were other places where the fabric of this space thinned, threatening to drop intruders into bubbles of corrosive not-reality or spill the stuff into the ring itself. And yet other places sang softly in their minds, showing visions of riches and secrets uncounted.


    Between her instinct and Meng Dan¡¯s sight, they traversed safely. Illusions were revealed as the pale shadows they were. Ling Qi found the thread of a path that snaked through recursive space, and Meng Dan¡¯s fluttering paper talismans sealed the planned rifts that sought to spill corroding dreamstuff into the ring¡¯s internals.


    During the descent, the four of them did not speak overmuch, their focus squarely placed on traversing the stairs, but when at last they reached the foot of the stairs, the silence was broken.


    Sixiang whistled long and low at the glittering hoard before them.


    Despite herself, Ling Qi felt her eyes widen as she beheld it all. Piled almost waist-high through a space some forty meters across were treasures. Jewelry, gemstones, statuary, paintings, and tapestries and other treasures were strewn haphazardly across the stone floor, as if they had been thrown carelessly into a pile with great haste.


    But like above, the most prevalent thing down here was books. Shelves of polished wood, still gleaming and near reflective, stood crookedly throughout the chamber, filled with books, and other books lay on the ground or rested haphazardly on piles of goods.


    She didn¡¯t think it was an illusion this time. She glanced at Meng Dan and saw his eyes were narrowed, strings of shining qi crawling across the lenses of his glasses. Carefully, she sent her wisps bobbing out, not touching any of the treasures within as they began to search the piles.


    ¡°What do you think? The real thing?¡±


    ¡°It seems so,¡± he said slowly. ¡°We must be careful though. I sense great instability in this space. I would not step on the tile in front of you.¡±


    Ling Qi paused and traced her eyes over the painfully rich contents of the ring, feeling the flows of the dreamstuff that made up the structure itself. The weave of it was thin here like a technique half-dispelled. Carefully, she stretched her foot out and pressed it against the stone tile just in front of them. Rock dissolved under the slight pressure, falling away into a hole that led to a kaleidoscope of shifting formless color.


    ¡°Very unstable,¡± she agreed.


    One of her wisps passed over a gaping rent into the floor, and she watched as a jeweled hairpin teetering on the crumbling edge fell, dissolving like mist in the sea of dream.


    ¡°Our entry into this space has sped up the rate of corrosion,¡± Yinhui said calmly, peering out from behind Meng Dan. Both of her hands were clasped around one of his.


    Sixiang¡¯s lips were pressed together in a thin line. ¡°It¡¯s too much to stabilize, but I can probably give you guys more time. Gonna be tuckered out after holding it together though.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded sharply. ¡°Do it. Meng Dan, do you think the upper part of the ring is going to crumble too? Is this another trap or just age?¡±


    ¡°I suspect both given previous obstacles. A ring of this calibre should not be breaking down after a mere few centuries. The security functions have broken though. How shoddy,¡± he criticized. ¡°Yinhui?¡±


    ¡°Overall integrity should remain for one year and thirty seven days,¡± the small spirit replied.


    ¡°Long enough then. It is a good thing that we have cleared the stairwell¡¯s defenses. I suggest we begin moving as much of the treasures as we are able,¡± Meng Dan said. ¡°Have your scouts noted anything of particular value, Miss Ling?¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s vision flickered through multiple viewpoints at once. ¡°Yes, there is¡­¡±


    Ling Qi trailed off as she saw a great tapestry as long and thick as the trunk of a tree, vibrant with qi. On the floor near the tapestry was a small chest, slips of white jade glittering within. All around it were shelves holding thick volumes. One title in particular caught her eye. It was A Complete Genealogy and Accounting of the House of Tsu.


    ¡°I believe I see some very valuable books along the right wall,¡± Ling Qi said faintly.


    ¡°How valuable?¡± Meng Dan asked, raising an eyebrow as he considered the shelves already before them with a hungry gleam in his eyes.


    ¡°How valuable would you rate a completed genealogy of the Weilu?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    Beside her, Meng Dan stilled. He didn¡¯t blink, or adjust his glasses, or even draw another breath for a long moment. Then the moment broke, and the perpetually smiling young man licked his lips nervously. ¡°We should hurry, I think.¡±


    ¡°We should,¡± Ling Qi agreed.


    ¡°On it.¡± Sixiang¡¯s laughed, their physical form dispersed into a cloud of glittering mist, and the chamber groaned as stone settled, solidified, and became more real.


    Ling Qi sprang off, following the curve of the left wall. Even with her mobility limited, she could still move quickly, her feet barely touching stone as she scanned the floor for weak points. Behind her, Meng Dan followed, Yinhui clinging to the back of his robe. His movement technique was interesting. She saw characters and numbers in the shadows and wind around him, flickering with silver, and then he would take a step and simply move, crossing meters of distance in a blur.


    He followed after her in a zigzagging path that wove through the weakened parts of the floor, never seeming to do more than take individual small steps. Yet she could feel the wind parting around him as he moved, so it wasn¡¯t like her own quick shadow stepping.


    It only took a matter of moments to circle the room to where she had seen the books and the oversized tapestry, and all the while, her wisps zoomed over the room, noting things that looked of special value.


    ¡°Miss Ling,¡± Meng Dan said as she alighted beside the shelf. ¡°Do I have your permission to access your divinatory constructs?¡±


    ¡°Is that something you can do?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Of course,¡± he chuckled. ¡°It is much easier if you do not resist.¡±


    ¡°That sounds very suspicious.¡± Yinhui sighed.


    It did, but they were in a hurry. ¡°I will try not to throw off your technique, so go ahead. But why?¡±


    If he tried anything untoward, they were literally sitting beside Cai Renxiang, who would, no doubt, notice.


    ¡°It will enable me to catalogue all of this and calculate the most optimal gathering¡­¡± Meng Dan began cheerfully, only to trail off. It took her a moment to realize that he had come into sight of the books and their titles.


    For just a moment, she saw the excitement of a child whose parents had just given them a free run of a sweet shop.


    ¡°Sir Meng?¡± she inquired politely. It would be rude to comment.


    He shook himself. ¡°Yes, of course. Please allow me a moment, Miss Ling.¡±


    Meng Dan brought his hands together in front of his face, traceries of silver light gleaming on his fingernails and from beneath his half-closed eyelids. Ling Qi felt an odd sort of tingling through the meridians which powered her divination techniques. It felt a bit like when Sixiang would actively peer through her eyes.


    This technique was insidious. If she hadn¡¯t been prepared and waiting for it, she felt like she could have easily missed it. A dangerous skill, but one that made sense for a technique from the Hidden Moon.


    Ling Qi reached down to pluck the book which had caught her eye from the shelf. It was a massive thing, as thick as one of Renxiang¡¯s unabridged legal codes, and was bound in supple green leather with its title inked in shimmering characters that flowed from silver to gold and back.


    Ling Qi moved to open it and take a peek at the pages inside, only for the cover to resist her. She frowned and tried to simply flip it open to the middle, but the pages stayed as they were as if she were holding a stone sculpture of a book. In her arms, the tremendous tome let out something like a whispery growl, like a cat who had just had its fur rubbed the wrong way.


    ¡°Do be careful, Miss Ling,¡± Meng Dan said anxiously. She was a little startled when he snatched the book right out of her hands. Meng Dan didn¡¯t look at her at all; instead, he was preoccupied with running his fingers soothingly up the book¡¯s spine. ¡°A tome like this requires a tender touch.¡±


    Ling Qi stared blankly at him, only to glance down as she felt a tug at her sleeve. Yinhui looked up at Ling Qi and very slowly shook her head. ¡°Please excuse him, Scholar Ling. He is right though; it is best to be careful with old books. They are often very picky.¡±


    ¡°I will keep that in mind,¡± Ling Qi huffed. It wasn¡¯t like they had time to study or read right now anyway.


    She turned her eyes to the massive tapestry, noting the powerful flows of qi in the fabric. She brushed her hand along its side and felt a thrum of awareness.


    She really should have expected this.


    ***?


    The chamber¡¯s existence, bolstered by Sixiang, lasted for nearly half an hour. Unable to put things into storage while in the ring, they were forced to physically carry things out to the upper levels. However, even with their abilities limited, thanks to both Ling Qi¡¯s speed and Meng Dan¡¯s ability to swiftly organize their loads for maximum efficiency, they managed to save most of the materials that had not already fallen into the void.


    It still hurt to see so many talismans, books, and works of art go. She had earned these, damn it.


    Ling Qi sat the last pile of items down, watching a handful of hairpins and jewels go rolling across the floor. They had knocked over and shoved aside several stacks of Hui Peng¡¯s scribbling in moving the contents up here, and the floor was now practically carpeted in looseleaf papers and sketches.


    Well, where it wasn¡¯t covered in actual carpets. They had found quite a few of those.


    ¡°Good work, Miss Ling,¡± Meng Dan¡¯s voice called to her from over the piles. ¡°Do come over here. You have to see this.¡± He was still sounding so energetic, even though he¡¯d carried just as much as she had.


    Beside her, Sixiang reformed with a small laugh, jabbing her in the side with their elbow. ¡°It¡¯s not like you aren¡¯t excited by all this loot.¡±


    Ling Qi turned up her nose as she wound around the transported shelves. That wasn¡¯t the point. While most of what they had brought up wasn¡¯t particularly potent, they were all clearly cultivator work. She had seen paintings which moved with inner animation and sculptures which felt almost real to the touch. She had lost count of the number of second and third grade talisman accessories mixed in among items whose power was fully in the sheer quality of their craftsmanship.


    ¡°What did you¡ª¡± Ling Qi began as she rounded a shelf, only to stop and blink.


    Meng Dan stood before the great tapestry unrolled haphazardly over piles of parchment and paper. The sight took her breath away. Before her eyes, the eaves of Xiangmen moved, and the stars twinkled amongst its canopy. Among the leaves, along the branches, and twining down the trunk were hundreds of names picked out in gold and silver stitching.


    Meng Dan stood before it, the book which he had taken from her still cradled in his hands, but now, the cover was open, revealing a beautiful watercolor illustration of a wise-looking sage garbed in resplendent robes which were vibrant with flowers and plant life. A crown of stars shone about his head in the shape of great antlers. She knew without a doubt that it was intended to be a depiction of Tsu the Diviner.


    ¡°It seems that the tapestry is a companion piece,¡± Meng Dan said, staring intently at the cloth. ¡°And look at this.¡±


    He reached out, pressing his finger against the the tapestry, and before her eyes, the names changed, seeming to zoom like startled birds across the tapestry until a whole new set of names became clear. Directly under his thin finger was the name ¡°Duzhi.¡±


    ¡°A bloodline tracking device, obviously made to reinforce Hui legitimacy, but still,¡± he said, finally looking up as she stepped up to his side. ¡°Meng Duzhi was the third son of Duke Angguo. He took an imperial wife and received the right to settle the western fens from his father. The reasons for the split are unclear, but I¡¯ve posited that it was a move to remove some bloat from the council of kings and avoid a succession crisis.¡± Meng Dan spoke quickly. ¡°Ah, I know so little of the founding period! Only the direct descendants of the Patriarch typically have access to our inner archives¡­¡±


    Ling Qi listened to him speak, but her eyes were on the tapestry. She felt a little thrill of curiosity. What would happen if she laid a finger on it?

 Threads 157 Past 3

    Together, they descended into the unnatural darkness of the stairwell.


    Together, they found more confounding effects. There were places where the space of the stairwell warped, turning back on itself in a recursive loop. There were other places where the fabric of this space thinned, threatening to drop intruders into bubbles of corrosive not-reality or spill the stuff into the ring itself. And yet other places sang softly in their minds, showing visions of riches and secrets uncounted.


    Between her instinct and Meng Dan¡¯s sight, they traversed safely. Illusions were revealed as the pale shadows they were. Ling Qi found the thread of a path that snaked through recursive space, and Meng Dan¡¯s fluttering paper talismans sealed the planned rifts that sought to spill corroding dreamstuff into the ring¡¯s internals.


    During the descent, the four of them did not speak overmuch, their focus squarely placed on traversing the stairs, but when at last they reached the foot of the stairs, the silence was broken.


    Sixiang whistled long and low at the glittering hoard before them.


    Despite herself, Ling Qi felt her eyes widen as she beheld it all. Piled almost waist-high through a space some forty meters across were treasures. Jewelry, gemstones, statuary, paintings, and tapestries and other treasures were strewn haphazardly across the stone floor, as if they had been thrown carelessly into a pile with great haste.


    But like above, the most prevalent thing down here was books. Shelves of polished wood, still gleaming and near reflective, stood crookedly throughout the chamber, filled with books, and other books lay on the ground or rested haphazardly on piles of goods.


    She didn¡¯t think it was an illusion this time. She glanced at Meng Dan and saw his eyes were narrowed, strings of shining qi crawling across the lenses of his glasses. Carefully, she sent her wisps bobbing out, not touching any of the treasures within as they began to search the piles.


    ¡°What do you think? The real thing?¡±


    ¡°It seems so,¡± he said slowly. ¡°We must be careful though. I sense great instability in this space. I would not step on the tile in front of you.¡±


    Ling Qi paused and traced her eyes over the painfully rich contents of the ring, feeling the flows of the dreamstuff that made up the structure itself. The weave of it was thin here like a technique half-dispelled. Carefully, she stretched her foot out and pressed it against the stone tile just in front of them. Rock dissolved under the slight pressure, falling away into a hole that led to a kaleidoscope of shifting formless color.


    ¡°Very unstable,¡± she agreed.


    One of her wisps passed over a gaping rent into the floor, and she watched as a jeweled hairpin teetering on the crumbling edge fell, dissolving like mist in the sea of dream.


    ¡°Our entry into this space has sped up the rate of corrosion,¡± Yinhui said calmly, peering out from behind Meng Dan. Both of her hands were clasped around one of his.


    Sixiang¡¯s lips were pressed together in a thin line. ¡°It¡¯s too much to stabilize, but I can probably give you guys more time. Gonna be tuckered out after holding it together though.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded sharply. ¡°Do it. Meng Dan, do you think the upper part of the ring is going to crumble too? Is this another trap or just age?¡±


    ¡°I suspect both given previous obstacles. A ring of this calibre should not be breaking down after a mere few centuries. The security functions have broken though. How shoddy,¡± he criticized. ¡°Yinhui?¡±


    ¡°Overall integrity should remain for one year and thirty seven days,¡± the small spirit replied.


    ¡°Long enough then. It is a good thing that we have cleared the stairwell¡¯s defenses. I suggest we begin moving as much of the treasures as we are able,¡± Meng Dan said. ¡°Have your scouts noted anything of particular value, Miss Ling?¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s vision flickered through multiple viewpoints at once. ¡°Yes, there is¡­¡±


    Ling Qi trailed off as she saw a great tapestry as long and thick as the trunk of a tree, vibrant with qi. On the floor near the tapestry was a small chest, slips of white jade glittering within. All around it were shelves holding thick volumes. One title in particular caught her eye. It was A Complete Genealogy and Accounting of the House of Tsu.


    ¡°I believe I see some very valuable books along the right wall,¡± Ling Qi said faintly.


    ¡°How valuable?¡± Meng Dan asked, raising an eyebrow as he considered the shelves already before them with a hungry gleam in his eyes.


    ¡°How valuable would you rate a completed genealogy of the Weilu?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    Beside her, Meng Dan stilled. He didn¡¯t blink, or adjust his glasses, or even draw another breath for a long moment. Then the moment broke, and the perpetually smiling young man licked his lips nervously. ¡°We should hurry, I think.¡±


    ¡°We should,¡± Ling Qi agreed.


    ¡°On it.¡± Sixiang¡¯s laughed, their physical form dispersed into a cloud of glittering mist, and the chamber groaned as stone settled, solidified, and became more real.


    Ling Qi sprang off, following the curve of the left wall. Even with her mobility limited, she could still move quickly, her feet barely touching stone as she scanned the floor for weak points. Behind her, Meng Dan followed, Yinhui clinging to the back of his robe. His movement technique was interesting. She saw characters and numbers in the shadows and wind around him, flickering with silver, and then he would take a step and simply move, crossing meters of distance in a blur.


    He followed after her in a zigzagging path that wove through the weakened parts of the floor, never seeming to do more than take individual small steps. Yet she could feel the wind parting around him as he moved, so it wasn¡¯t like her own quick shadow stepping.


    It only took a matter of moments to circle the room to where she had seen the books and the oversized tapestry, and all the while, her wisps zoomed over the room, noting things that looked of special value.


    ¡°Miss Ling,¡± Meng Dan said as she alighted beside the shelf. ¡°Do I have your permission to access your divinatory constructs?¡±


    ¡°Is that something you can do?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Of course,¡± he chuckled. ¡°It is much easier if you do not resist.¡±


    ¡°That sounds very suspicious.¡± Yinhui sighed.


    It did, but they were in a hurry. ¡°I will try not to throw off your technique, so go ahead. But why?¡±


    If he tried anything untoward, they were literally sitting beside Cai Renxiang, who would, no doubt, notice.


    ¡°It will enable me to catalogue all of this and calculate the most optimal gathering¡­¡± Meng Dan began cheerfully, only to trail off. It took her a moment to realize that he had come into sight of the books and their titles.


    For just a moment, she saw the excitement of a child whose parents had just given them a free run of a sweet shop.


    ¡°Sir Meng?¡± she inquired politely. It would be rude to comment.


    He shook himself. ¡°Yes, of course. Please allow me a moment, Miss Ling.¡±


    Meng Dan brought his hands together in front of his face, traceries of silver light gleaming on his fingernails and from beneath his half-closed eyelids. Ling Qi felt an odd sort of tingling through the meridians which powered her divination techniques. It felt a bit like when Sixiang would actively peer through her eyes.


    This technique was insidious. If she hadn¡¯t been prepared and waiting for it, she felt like she could have easily missed it. A dangerous skill, but one that made sense for a technique from the Hidden Moon.


    Ling Qi reached down to pluck the book which had caught her eye from the shelf. It was a massive thing, as thick as one of Renxiang¡¯s unabridged legal codes, and was bound in supple green leather with its title inked in shimmering characters that flowed from silver to gold and back.


    Ling Qi moved to open it and take a peek at the pages inside, only for the cover to resist her. She frowned and tried to simply flip it open to the middle, but the pages stayed as they were as if she were holding a stone sculpture of a book. In her arms, the tremendous tome let out something like a whispery growl, like a cat who had just had its fur rubbed the wrong way.


    ¡°Do be careful, Miss Ling,¡± Meng Dan said anxiously. She was a little startled when he snatched the book right out of her hands. Meng Dan didn¡¯t look at her at all; instead, he was preoccupied with running his fingers soothingly up the book¡¯s spine. ¡°A tome like this requires a tender touch.¡±


    Ling Qi stared blankly at him, only to glance down as she felt a tug at her sleeve. Yinhui looked up at Ling Qi and very slowly shook her head. ¡°Please excuse him, Scholar Ling. He is right though; it is best to be careful with old books. They are often very picky.¡±


    ¡°I will keep that in mind,¡± Ling Qi huffed. It wasn¡¯t like they had time to study or read right now anyway.


    She turned her eyes to the massive tapestry, noting the powerful flows of qi in the fabric. She brushed her hand along its side and felt a thrum of awareness.


    She really should have expected this.


    ***?


    The chamber¡¯s existence, bolstered by Sixiang, lasted for nearly half an hour. Unable to put things into storage while in the ring, they were forced to physically carry things out to the upper levels. However, even with their abilities limited, thanks to both Ling Qi¡¯s speed and Meng Dan¡¯s ability to swiftly organize their loads for maximum efficiency, they managed to save most of the materials that had not already fallen into the void.


    It still hurt to see so many talismans, books, and works of art go. She had earned these, damn it.


    Ling Qi sat the last pile of items down, watching a handful of hairpins and jewels go rolling across the floor. They had knocked over and shoved aside several stacks of Hui Peng¡¯s scribbling in moving the contents up here, and the floor was now practically carpeted in looseleaf papers and sketches.


    Well, where it wasn¡¯t covered in actual carpets. They had found quite a few of those.


    ¡°Good work, Miss Ling,¡± Meng Dan¡¯s voice called to her from over the piles. ¡°Do come over here. You have to see this.¡± He was still sounding so energetic, even though he¡¯d carried just as much as she had.


    Beside her, Sixiang reformed with a small laugh, jabbing her in the side with their elbow. ¡°It¡¯s not like you aren¡¯t excited by all this loot.¡±


    Ling Qi turned up her nose as she wound around the transported shelves. That wasn¡¯t the point. While most of what they had brought up wasn¡¯t particularly potent, they were all clearly cultivator work. She had seen paintings which moved with inner animation and sculptures which felt almost real to the touch. She had lost count of the number of second and third grade talisman accessories mixed in among items whose power was fully in the sheer quality of their craftsmanship.


    ¡°What did you¡ª¡± Ling Qi began as she rounded a shelf, only to stop and blink.


    Meng Dan stood before the great tapestry unrolled haphazardly over piles of parchment and paper. The sight took her breath away. Before her eyes, the eaves of Xiangmen moved, and the stars twinkled amongst its canopy. Among the leaves, along the branches, and twining down the trunk were hundreds of names picked out in gold and silver stitching.


    Meng Dan stood before it, the book which he had taken from her still cradled in his hands, but now, the cover was open, revealing a beautiful watercolor illustration of a wise-looking sage garbed in resplendent robes which were vibrant with flowers and plant life. A crown of stars shone about his head in the shape of great antlers. She knew without a doubt that it was intended to be a depiction of Tsu the Diviner.


    ¡°It seems that the tapestry is a companion piece,¡± Meng Dan said, staring intently at the cloth. ¡°And look at this.¡±


    He reached out, pressing his finger against the the tapestry, and before her eyes, the names changed, seeming to zoom like startled birds across the tapestry until a whole new set of names became clear. Directly under his thin finger was the name ¡°Duzhi.¡±


    ¡°A bloodline tracking device, obviously made to reinforce Hui legitimacy, but still,¡± he said, finally looking up as she stepped up to his side. ¡°Meng Duzhi was the third son of Duke Angguo. He took an imperial wife and received the right to settle the western fens from his father. The reasons for the split are unclear, but I¡¯ve posited that it was a move to remove some bloat from the council of kings and avoid a succession crisis.¡± Meng Dan spoke quickly. ¡°Ah, I know so little of the founding period! Only the direct descendants of the Patriarch typically have access to our inner archives¡­¡±


    Ling Qi listened to him speak, but her eyes were on the tapestry. She felt a little thrill of curiosity. What would happen if she laid a finger on it?

 Threads 158 Past 4

    Curiosity was a funny thing, Ling Qi mused, reaching out to touch the shimmering fabric of the tapestry. She¡¯d never cared much for any ancestors further back than her own mother, but she just couldn¡¯t fight back the urge to know.


    Beside her, Meng Dan had withdrawn his hand, flipping rapidly through the pages of the tome in his hand, but she saw him glance up as her fingers brushed the tapestry. Ling Qi felt a tingle in her fingertips and a faint pressure as the object tugged at her qi. She didn¡¯t resist, letting the energy flow as if she were activating a formation.


    The embroidered names rippled, and the leaves of the great tree shook, whole flocks of birds taking flight from its boughs as names blurred by too fast to read. The tingling grew stronger as the names continued to move, seconds ticking by, five, then ten, then thirty. Ling Qi raised her eyebrows as it went on. It was taking much longer than it had for Meng Dan. She felt the spirit of the tapestry rumble in the spiritual realm, a noise much like the harrumph of an elderly man.


    Finally, the names blurred to a stop. Under her fingers was an archaic name, Duosi, connected to the name of a woman, Liangyu. There were many names above and below, so it seemed that he must have been¡­


    Before she could finish the thought or scan other names close by, the fabric under her fingers rippled, and the names jerked to the side. From the man¡¯s name, a single crimson thread tugged itself free, weaving into the fabric to spell out a single word.


    ¡°Illegitimate.¡±


    That was about what she should have expected. If there was going to be a tangential connection to her, it would have to be something like that, wouldn¡¯t it? Her great, however many times, grandmother had probably been a handmaiden or a servant who had caught this Duosi¡¯s eye. Ling Qi could feel the tapestry spirit practically glowering at her.


    ¡°Wow, jerk.¡± Sixiang startled her when they leaned over her shoulder to stare at the names. ¡°Ling Qi¡¯s still around. Pretty sure that makes her more legitimate than a bunch of dead people.¡±


    Ling Qi rolled her eyes but smiled, withdrawing her hand. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you know that¡¯s not how this kind of thing works,¡± she said.


    The Tapestry let out another spiritual grumble as the names reset, once more showing Tsu and his immediate descendants.


    ¡°Indeed not,¡± Meng Dan agreed. ¡°Still, isn¡¯t it interesting how even the most unassuming lineages have their ties to the original Kings of the Forest?¡±


    ¡°I suppose,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I¡¯m still a little curious. Is there anything about this Duosi in that book?¡±


    ¡°There are several dozen,¡± Meng Dan replied. ¡°Luckily for you, I was able to note the context to identify which one he was.¡± He glanced down at the book, briefly thumbing along the pages before flipping open to a section about a third of the way through.


    ¡°Just like that?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Could you imagine how long it would take to research anything if I could not navigate my sources instantly?¡± Meng Dan asked rhetorically. ¡°There is some advantage to being able to commune politely with book spirits.¡±


    ¡°That is definitely an advantage,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°What does it say?¡±


    Meng Dan hummed, scanning a thin finger along the line of neatly inked characters. ¡°Born under the reign of the third Weilu duke. The fifth son of a general. Married to Liangyu, seventh daughter of the petty king Mulu, a favor to his father. Achieved martial success in the central valley campaigns, subjugating dissident tribes. Granted overseership of a small region in the valley in recognition for his deeds and bloodline.¡±


    Here, Meng Dan¡¯s smile became more of a grimace.


    ¡°Sixty-five years into his rule, neighboring chieftains presented a suit to their king, and he was reprimanded for agitation and attempts to expand against them, as well as dishonouring his lady wife. Removed from his position and his son was elevated. Died at the age of two hundred and eighty-seven in the fourth realm, slain on a campaign against the cloud tribes.¡±


    He spoke at a rapid but easily understandable clip, and Ling Qi found herself smiling.


    It really was nothing, she thought in amusement. Some mediocre warlord who had never stepped beyond the fourth realm, despite the resources of a ducal house. She chuckled, and Meng Dan gave her a curious look.


    ¡°Miss Ling?¡± he asked, studying her face. ¡°It is not the most pleasant reveal, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not distressed. It¡¯s just funny, how little things change,¡± Ling Qi said, fighting a laugh. ¡°Now, I¡¯m a little curious about the other side of the lineage.¡±


    Meng Dan blinked, his smile becoming awkward.


    ¡°The grip of the past is strong,¡± Yinhui said. The spirit had been silent for quite a while, perched atop a stack of lockboxes that contained a great deal of jewelry and ornaments. Her blindfolded face was turned toward the tapestry, regarding it with a certain hunger that seemed out of place on her youthful seeming face. ¡°Only truly terrible struggle ever sees it broken.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t necessarily need to break something right away,¡± Sixiang said, resting their chin on her shoulder. ¡°Time is the enemy of tradition. Even folks who think they¡¯re keeping to it will change it a little at a time, just as a dreamer will never dream the same dream twice.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you getting philosophical,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I¡¯m curious though. Sir Meng, you mentioned dissident tribes. What were those, a rebellion of some sort?¡±


    All this talk of petty kings and tribes. It occurred to her that she was still unclear on how the Weilu organized themselves. She¡¯d been assuming it was just the same as now, but with the titles switched out.


    ¡°On that matter, I can pontificate with some confidence,¡± Meng Dan said graciously. He was still looking at her with considering eyes, despite the easy smile back in place on his lips. ¡°The thing you must understand, Miss Ling, is that our ancestors, the Weilu, were not truly one people. Even the name, Weilu, was an imperial moniker, and the conception of them as a single clan is quite modern, only becoming true in the final millenia of their reign.¡±


    Ling Qi eyed the names descending from Tsu on the list. She¡¯d thought it odd that the names didn¡¯t carry a surname for the most part. ¡°They had a high king though.¡±


    ¡°And, great heroes such as the Diviner aside, the position of High King was often more spiritual than secular,¡± Meng Dan lectured. ¡°He was the head arbiter between man and spirit, the master of rituals, and a settler of disputes between Kings. It is true that he often had significant temporal might, but this was often the cause of achieving the high kingship, rather than the effect of the high kingship.¡±


    That still did not sound so different than how things were now, but the demons were in the details. No doubt Cai Renxiang could give a long lecture, if she liked. ¡°So by dissident tribes, it meant other Weilu, and rather than being a rebellion, it was just the normal shape of things.¡±


    ¡°A loyalist under one high king might be a dissident under the next," he concurred. "We of the Emerald Sea are not like the Bai, who mastered the Thousand Lakes with an iron-fisted Queen ruling by rivership and legions of disciplined spearmen. Nor do our people have the near fanatical community of the Zheng to allow their lazy anarchy to reign for tens of millenia without visible internal dissent. What many choose to ignore is that the people of the Emerald Seas have always been many tribes. Even after the Sage came and demanded a king who could kneel to him, this did not change.¡±


    ¡°What of the Mason¡¯s War then?¡± Ling Qi asked, shooing Sixiang aside to give her room to sit atop a stack of dusty notebooks. ¡°Why was it so¡­¡±


    ¡°Because it was a war of belief.¡± Meng Dan peered down at the pages of the book in his hand. ¡°It was not merely a thing of petty rivalry and resources, of honor against honor, but an open challenge to the shape of the region¡¯s society and structure as a whole. Such challenges only ever end with one side trampled to mud and dust.¡± As he spoke, Meng Dan¡¯s smile faded by inches, and his voice became grave.


    ¡°Either the seekers of change are defeated, and their hopes of a different world are broken, or the holders of tradition break, and their way of life disappears,¡± Yinhui said, idly kicking her feet. ¡°But even in victory, tradition weakens with every challenge. It breaks eventually, if not always the way the challengers like.¡± ¡®


    ¡°Ideals aren¡¯t so easy to break,¡± Sixiang contended, folding their legs beneath them to sit in midair. ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s ever just one big fight.¡±


    ¡°You are not wrong,¡± Meng Dan replied. ¡°You can choose to give up bits and pieces, little things to prolong the coming of the ¡®big fight.¡¯ But to resist change forever? You can ask the ghosts of the Hui how that went.¡±


    Knowing such things, was it any wonder that the Emerald Seas was a splintered mess?


    ¡°I¡¯ve never looked into it, but does anyone know what actually happened to the Weilu?¡±


    ¡°There are many theories, most of them quite fantastical,¡± Meng Dan answered. ¡°The facts are that the population who bore clear marks of the Horned Lord''s blood were shrinking century by century, and the Weilu, in turn, came together more and more in their secret palaces, leaving administration to their vassals. Then, after ten years of complete silence, all realized that they were gone in truth.¡±


    ¡°Then came war, and much knowledge became secrets, sealed in ash and blood,¡± Yinhui continued.


    ¡°Just so,¡± Meng Dan said. ¡°But, before we go on, might I ask you a question, Miss Ling?¡±


    Ling Qi raised an eyebrow, curious at what he wanted to ask. ¡°You may.¡±


    ¡°Her Grace is unlikely to confiscate such things, as other rulers might,¡± Meng Dan said, gesturing to the book and tapestry. ¡°And while I cannot speak for the Meng clan as a whole, I do believe I speak for my grandmother in saying that our branch of the family would be most interested in them.¡±


    ¡°Are you seeking to buy treasure from me already?¡± Ling Qi asked, cheered by the change in topic.


    ¡°Right of first refusal at least, on behalf of my family,¡± Meng Dan said.


    ¡°I do have to split this. Xia Lin might end up owning it,¡± Ling Qi pointed out.


    ¡°If that is your prerogative, I will speak with her,¡± Meng Dan replied.


    Ling Qi considered. She had no doubt that she would end up entertaining many offers if she took the item as part of her share, but for that reason, it would take up a lot of her share.


    ¡°I think we should review the rest of the contents before I answer that,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°You are certainly practical.¡± Meng Dan laughed. ¡°Very well. Let us organize, and I will begin searching for information on our erstwhile mountain prince and his lineage.¡±

 Threads 159-Past 5

    ¡°Oh, this is a shiny one. I like it,¡± Sixiang said, lying back on the polished surface of an antique table. They held a slip of white jade up to their face as if they could look into it with their eyes.


    Ling Qi glanced up from the near empty box in front of her and the jade slips arranged on the cover of a massive atlas of the Emerald Seas that lay on the floor before her. ¡°Oh, what do we have there?¡± she asked cheerfully.


    Sixiang flicked it to her, and Ling Qi caught it out of the air, threading qi into the talisman to read the encoded information. Ling Qi frowned only a moment later. ¡°Sixiang, this is another play.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s really intriguing, you know? I want to see how things turn out for the general and the prince. Can¡¯t we watch it?¡± Sixiang pleaded, letting their head hang off the table to peer at her upside down.


    ¡°And I told you we could see about investigating things more closely later. We¡¯re organizing right now.¡±


    Despite her words, Ling Qi did want to look into it further. Many of the jade slips recorded performances, poetry, and songs. While they didn¡¯t seem to contain techniques or arts, she could tell that there were insights to be found. As a musician, she had the itch to study the scores and the meter, but she just didn¡¯t have time right now.


    Sixiang booed. ¡°I¡¯m gonna hold you to that later,¡± they threatened.


    ¡°They¡¯re not even full recordings. If anything, you should be bothering me to sell them to a theatre troupe so we can see them performed properly,¡± Ling Qi shot back. There was no heat in it though. She really had hit the treasure trove here.


    There were dozens of arts, mostly minor second realm things, but a few breached the third realm. From her inspection, they did not seem much lower in quality than her old Thousand Ring Fortress art. She was beyond them herself, but she could still see their value. She would have to split the treasures with Xia Lin of course, and she could already see ones the girl might be interested in. Even so, her share would be a great boon for her burgeoning clan library.


    More important though were the five jade slips that she had added to a third pile. They contained teachings on the crafting and modification of arts, and even a cursory glance had shown that their lessons were far deeper than the basic instruction offered by her sect lessons. There was musing on the shape of meridians, on insights and tribulations and breakthroughs that she knew she would want to study more closely later.


    It took a moment for Ling Qi to tear her eyes away from the remaining jade slips and turn her head to see how Meng Dan was doing. All around him were neat stacks of documents, books, and treasures, and dozens more floated around him, swiftly organizing themselves even as Meng Dan himself remained standing before the tapestry, rapidly going back and forth between it and the book. ¡°Any luck so far?¡±


    ¡°I believe I may have found the trouble,¡± Meng Dan said sourly. ¡°The reason our prince has been so hard to find.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced from Meng Dan to the tapestry. He was glaring at it, and the tapestry was giving off an air of haughty indifference. ¡°What is the problem then?¡±


    ¡°Whichever miscreant embroidered the earlier names changed those that did not fit the dominant imperial and Weilu naming schema,¡± Meng Dan said. He sounded as if he had been gravely insulted. ¡°I have enough context that I was able to locate him by the princess and her relations.¡±


    Ling Qi gave the tapestry a long look and considered the ravings of Hui Peng, written and otherwise. ¡°I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. Does he even have an entry in the book?¡±


    ¡°He does,¡± Meng Dan said primly. ¡°Albeit, he is recorded merely as a ¡®southern prince¡¯ with few accomplishments. It seems that the High Kingship moved to a more northerly line after his father-in-law¡¯s passing.¡±


    ¡°The line continues though, right?¡± Ling Qi asked in concern. It would be problematic for their argument if the line just ended.


    ¡°I am determining that. He and the princess certainly had children at least,¡± Meng Dan replied. ¡°Tracing those lines is proving more difficult however.¡±


    Ling Qi looked back to her own work as she took up another jade slip. Threading qi through the formation, she peered at the information, and this time, she paused.


    ¡°Heh, I know that look. Found something you like, huh?¡± Sixiang asked.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Ling Qi said. The jade was partially locked, revealing only a few tantalizing bits of information. It was a recipe for a potent breakthrough elixir called Heart¡¯s Dream Elixir meant to aid in achieving the fourth realm and the opening of the middle dantian. But the information encoded within was clouded from her sight. It was going to take time to puzzle through, and what scraps she could make out told her that its ingredients would not be easy to acquire.


    It looked like she might have picked up a new long term project to be done with Suyin.


    ***?


    Ling Qi was not certain how long it was before the last old talisman was placed in a pile. Time was hard to keep track of in this sunless little pocket realm. But it was at last done.


    Ling Qi stretched her arms overhead as she surveyed the contents of the ring. Things were still a mess, but they were a catalogued mess. Sort of.


    Things were mostly piled with similar things anyway.


    ¡°Any luck yet?¡± Ling Qi asked, turning back to Meng Dan. He had fallen back into a chair at some point with Yinhui perched on its arm. The book lay open in his lap, and a pile of densely written notes had begun to pile up beside his chair.


    ¡°I have begun to gain a picture of events,¡± Meng Dan said with some satisfaction. ¡°The minor civil strife which ended the High King¡¯s rule, the passing of his grandchildren into the care of other tribes¡­ I have traced a few generations. They seem to have been on the winning side of the Mason¡¯s War at least. Signs seem to indicate that their blood was concentrated in the southwest. There may be some connection to the fallen Li.¡±


    ¡°Is that bad?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°That¡¯s still the dead end problem again.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but both my family and the Diao adopted refugees from that clan when absorbing their lands,¡± Meng Dan noted. ¡°Not to mention intermarriages. If I am correct, our argument remains solid.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Ling Qi said in relief. ¡°Do you need any more help, or should I head out and let Lady Cai know that the organization is mostly done?¡±


    She was feeling significantly better, her qi beginning to recover well. So they must have been in here for a while.


    Meng Dan closed the book in his lap and gathering his notes as he stood. ¡°I believe so. Meaning no offense, but the work remaining is rather more in my realm of expertise.¡±


    ¡°I take none,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Are you coming out as well then?¡±


    ¡°I think I shall. This place is rather dreary,¡± he agreed.


    ¡°I will remain unless called,¡± Yinhui murmured, sliding into his chair with a tome the size of her torso in hand. ¡°It is comfortable here.¡±


    ¡°Only for you,¡± Sixiang said. ¡°I¡¯ll be glad to get out.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, preparing to leave the ring, only to pause as Meng Dan extended a hand to her, holding a sheet of paper packed with his dense handwriting.


    ¡°A small gift, Miss Ling,¡± he said, dipping his head. ¡°While I acknowledge your earlier words¡­¡±


    Ling Qi took the paper as he spoke, glancing down to see names and deeds. A musician in court of the second Weilu duke, a brave general who had been lauded for saving a burgeoning city from an eruption of malignant spirits, and a playwright whose performances were in circulation until their loss in the disappearance were the first to catch her eye. There were more than a half dozen others as well. They were not dukes or provincial heroes or truly notable historical figures, but at a glance, they seemed like good people at least.


    ¡°I do not believe it is a good thing to dismiss one¡¯s ancestry wholesale. Many of our predecessors were foul, this is true, but many were admirable as well,¡± Meng Dan continued. ¡°A single man is not a family tree.¡±


    Ling Qi paused. She had already dismissed thoughts of ancestry from her head. It was a curiosity, and there¡¯d been no reason to give it more thought than that. ¡°There was no need.¡±


    Meng Dan shrugged. ¡°I am being somewhat presumptuous, I know, in putting my own belief upon you. But I think it is a sad thing to have no roots.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ling Qi said after a moment. Some names looked a little familiar. Hadn¡¯t there been a few talismans with that name etched upon them, and a sculpture matched to that one?


    It might not be the worst thing to put those in her claims.


    ¡°If you wish to track the ¡®other side,¡¯ I may have to charge.¡± Meng Dan smiled. ¡°That cantankerous old talisman does not much like maternal bloodlines.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked. The man had ruled other Weilu, so it made some sense that his dalliance would be somewhere in the Tapestry as well.


    ¡°I¡¯ll consider it,¡± Ling Qi said, folding the parchment. ¡°But let us get out for now.¡±


    ***?


    Ling Qi had not been certain what she expected to see when she emerged, but this was not it.


    Under the dark canopy of the valley, lit by the fey lights and the eyes of the wood spirits lurking among every bough, were spiders in their thousands. They stood in a glistening castle of webbing woven among millenia-old trees. In the center, hovering above the form of a great brown spider the size of a small house, Cai Renxiang burned like a star with wings of radiance on her shoulders.


    The spiders bowed, one and all, pressing their bodies to the ground, to the webs, and to the branches. It was a gesture of supplication, obvious despite their inhuman frames.


    ¡°Negotiations are complete then. The House of Cai accepts your reparations and your oaths,¡± Cai Renxiang proclaimed.


    Looked like they all had some things to share.

 Threads 160 Always Winter 1

    ¡°So, you are saying that enough generations had passed for these spiders that stories of their exile had been mythologized almost entirely,¡± Ling Qi said blankly, descending the stony mountain gorge that lay beyond the forested vale.


    ¡°That is accurate,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed.


    ¡°Spirit beasts of the chitinous type are generally very short lived until mastery of Shen is achieved,¡± Meng Dan commented. While the main genealogy had been left inside the ring for safekeeping, he was paging through one of the other treatises found alongside it. ¡°Two or three decades in the third realm is typical among most types.¡±


    ¡°And the Duchess was basically treated as¡­¡± Ling Qi continued.


    ¡°A wrathful deity,¡± Xia Lin said, deeply amused. ¡°It seems that those who fled their master sensed his craven fear of justice, despite his ramblings. His own focus on past glory did him a disservice, I think.¡±


    ¡°So the split ended up as a kind of religious schism,¡± Ling Qi concluded, rubbing her forehead. ¡°When the Hui and his original partner died, the spiders that were left split on whether they should keep following or seek forgiveness and return.¡±


    ¡°Miss Ling observes correctly,¡± Gan Guangli said. ¡°It was a little odd to hear, but I do believe I like these fellows. I am sure that they can be integrated well!¡±


    ¡°Gui agrees. The spinners were much nicer!¡± her little brother said, each of his steps sending up puffs of dust and bouncing gravel.


    Ling Qi observed the billowing cape of shimmering spidersilk thrown around Gan Guangli¡¯s shoulders. Woven from the silk of the single fourth realm spider present, it was obviously potent even without being a proper talisman yet. There were many more such garments, Ling Qi knew, packed away in Cai Renxiang¡¯s storage ring.


    ¡°The spirits were deeply enthusiastic in their attempts to placate their perception of her. I have no doubt that Mother will find a use for them,¡± Cai Renxiang said as they reached the bottom of the gorge, looking at the long, gravel-filled passage ahead. ¡°For now, let us focus on our progress. We still have a long distance to travel yet.¡±


    They did at that. Even in ideal conditions, they were several days out from the location that the iron sliver was drawn to. She glanced up at the cloudy sky, feeling the churning icy qi in their depths. She suspected they would not have ideal conditions.


    Over the course of the next few days, they continued to travel south, and with every step, the air grew colder and the mountains bleaker. Scraggly trees and plant life gave way to tough grasses and lichens, and the caps of white on the cloud-piercing peaks of the Wall crept lower and lower.


    By day, they began to face increasing snowfall and encountered valleys filled with many meters-deep white powder. Even what ground was bare to begin with grew slick with ice. It probably did not help that they were traveling in the early months of winter.


    Increasingly, they began to run into minor trouble with spirits, who troubled their path until Ling Qi managed to placate or drive them off.


    At night, the skies would sometimes clear, showing the sky as a twinkling tapestry of infinite blackness, undimmed by any light of civilization. But in the southern sky, they began to see something new. Ribbons and sheets of twisting color, peeking out between the southernmost mountains, danced in the sky and undulated silently and unnervingly. The first time she had spied the lights, Ling Qi had frozen still, staring blankly. The icy qi in her meridians had flared, sheathing her skin in frost and rime.


    She was needed. That was what she had felt. Something terrible was happening, and she was needed.


    Only Cai Renxiang¡¯s hand on her shoulder had stopped her flying south then and there. She¡¯d been embarrassed when she had come back to herself, but she hadn¡¯t been the only one affected.


    Cai Renxiang had been afflicted with a terrible revulsion. The others had merely been frozen in some kind of blank terror instead. They had been careful to not look directly at the lights after that.


    However, as they traveled south, the weather only grew worse. Screaming winds assailed them, icy cold fit to carve a lesser cultivator''s flesh, and the falling snow was so thick that all the world became blank white nothingness, even with all of their senses. The air was thick with potent cold qi, and Ling Qi could feel powerful spirits, things comparable to her mentor, lurking in the seemingly infinite expanse.


    So it was that on the third day of travel after several hours of meagre progress, they elected to make camp and prepare for negotiating passage on the next day.


    ***?


    Ling Qi hummed softly to herself, and the howl of the blizzard stole the sound from her lips. The snow and ice crusted the hems of her gown and dusted her hair, but no more than that. The endless white expanse had been parted just a little to leave her in a pocket of calm, seated on a shelf of rock halfway up the gorge they had stopped to rest in. Below, she could feel Zhengui, his heat standing out like a beacon in the frost. He was in the center of their little camp, providing extra heat to the space closed off by the formation-inscribed cloth of their pavilion.


    The hostile weather shelter provided by the Sect was a powerful thing, shielding those inside from notice and hostile qi, as well as regulating temperature. Cultivators inside could rest and meditate without expending energy protecting themselves.


    Ling Qi had elected to stay outside for now. The cold and the wind called to her, and even if she couldn¡¯t see it, she could feel the moon shining brightly above. Even if they weren¡¯t arts, she had so many songs to study now.


    ¡°Hah! And you were acting so uninterested before,¡± Sixiang teased.


    ¡°Because we had a job to do,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Now, I can relax.¡±


    Earlier, Ling Qi had discussed the shares of the loot from the ring with Xia Lin and Meng Dan. Xia Lin had been agreeable to a larger share of the auction proceeds in exchange for Ling Qi taking the Tapestry as part of her share, and Ling Qi had agreed to grant the Meng a right of first refusal on the Tapestry while Meng Dan had offered his services for the auction to be held. The remainder of the loot had been quickly split according to interest.


    ¡°How¡¯re things with that talisman anyway?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how you lot do clothes and stuff if just holding a mirror feels this odd,¡± Sixiang admitted. ¡°I haven¡¯t worked out how to use it yet.¡±


    The Liminal Labyrinth Gate that Sixiang held was a circular mirror set within a silver frame composed of delicate looping threads. The mirror reflected an endless kaleidoscope of color and mist and seemed to waver and fade when Ling Qi didn¡¯t look directly upon it. Sixiang had asked Ling Qi to take it as part of her share. Apparently, it could help move objects and people back and forth between the physical and liminal realms.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably meant to be used together with the compass,¡± Ling Qi analyzed. The Dream Drenched Compass was another talisman that Ling Qi had secured as part of her share. It was an odd round device carved from dark red wood and inked with shifting characters that indicated directions far more complex than a material compass. A glimmering crystal of solidified dream spun lazily under the crystal glass.


    ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll have to take our own little field trip later,¡± Sixiang said.


    Later, Ling Qi thought, focusing back on the sheets of musical notation in her hands. The old paper remained crisp and dry, its edges barely fluttering despite the scream of the wind.


    It was honestly a little humbling, looking through these. She was proud of her music and proud of her songs, and she thought privately that her own work was a match for the skill of many of these old artists.


    There were some, however, that she could barely follow the notation of. They were dense with layers of meaning and intent, utterly beyond her ability even now. They were genuine masterpieces, and she suspected that some of the incomprehensible notation referred to the use of shen in their performance. She wasn¡¯t going to sell these.


    But even if she had trouble with them, she found herself drawn to the music of Hui to understand it, and through it, them and the Emerald Seas their reign had wrought. She didn¡¯t have the full picture, but she felt like she was beginning to understand, more than the corpse¡¯s insults had given her. The music of the Hui was about transcendent things. It was about the interplay of the elements of the natural world and high ideals of beauty. It was about dreams and things that ought to be. It was like love as an ideal rather than an experience.


    She could understand why that corpse had disliked her so. Ling Qi knew that her own music was always touched by the grime of the ground. If she wrote a song about the beauty of a lotus, a stanza would most certainly touch on its muddy roots. In contrast, the Hui perspective was one that looked down always from above. Perhaps they had just spent too long among Xiangmen¡¯s branches. Still, it couldn¡¯t be said that there wasn¡¯t beauty in that. While it would never be her style, she could still learn from the Hui¡¯s style.


    But she couldn¡¯t focus fully on cultivation just yet. While Zhengui was below with everyone, warming their pavilion, Hanyi was out here with her. She glanced up to the higher ledge where her junior sister sat, formally for once, gazing up at the sky where the powerful spirits of blizzard and mountain peak danced unseen.


    Hanyi¡¯s expression was a complicated one. Longing, fear, pride, and other emotions warred on her face.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be treating with them later,¡± Ling Qi said as she materialized beside her spirit with a faint rustle of cloth. Ling Qi let her feet dangle from the high ledge as she turned her eyes up as well, tracing the eddies of power she could feel behind the driving wind and the driving snow.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Hanyi said.


    Ling Qi looked at Hanyi out of the corner of her eye, trying to determine the problem. ¡°You want to talk to them yourself?¡±


    ¡°I dunno. They¡¯re like Momma, but they¡¯re not Momma. They definitely aren¡¯t like me. What if they get really mad like Momma was before the End?¡±


    Ling Qi admitted that it was a valid concern. Hanyi was¡­ not natural. What Zeqing had gone through was not natural. How would these wild spirits react to not only Hanyi, but herself?


    Or were they wild at all? They were getting close to their destination.


    Ling Qi let out a breath and slipped her arm around Hanyi¡¯s shoulder. They listened for a moment to the deep and powerful song that underlaid the blizzard, noting its harmonies and its differences. One way or the other, they were going to have to talk their way through this. She doubted that Cai Renxiang would be able to cow these fourth realms.


    ¡°Their song is pretty,¡± Hanyi said quietly, not lowering her eyes. ¡°I like this place, Big Sis.¡±


    Ling Qi looked around to the frigid gorge so swiftly filling with snow and ice where even she could not see more than a meter from her face.


    ¡°It is a nice place,¡± Ling Qi agreed, especially with those demon lights hidden by the storm. ¡°Do you want me to stay here while I cultivate?¡±


    Hanyi nodded, leaning against her side as Ling Qi returned her focus to the music notes in her lap. She would need to rejoin the others later to plan their next move, but now was her time to cultivate song.

 Threads 161-Always Winter 2

    Ling Qi smiled to herself as she alighted atop the packed snow in the bottom of the gorge. To mortal eyes, it stretched unbroken in every direction, a solid field of white. If Ling Qi didn¡¯t know better, she would be convinced that she was alone here. Naturally, she did know better.


    Focusing on a tiny spark of warmth beneath the snow, only perceptible because she knew it was there, Ling Qi let herself sink into the packed snow as mist.


    A moment later, roaring heat struck her face as she stepped through the flaps of the pavilion. Snow spilled in briefly after her, stopping only when the cloth flaps snapped shut again, cutting off the flow.


    ¡°Satisfied with your cultivation for the moment, Miss Ling?¡± Xia Lin asked, her halberd falling back into a rest position.


    Ling Qi nodded to the girl, smiling. ¡°No, but my allotted time is up. I believe that means it is your turn?¡±


    Xia Lin smiled thinly. ¡°It is so. Sir Gan?¡±


    ¡°Haha, so that time arrives already,¡± Gan Guangli boomed from where he sat cross-legged further inside.


    The pavilion was quite large on the inside, and its canvas walls gave no indication of being buried deep under the snow. The floor was a polished wooden platform laid out with thick rugs and cushions in dull earth colors. Gan Guangli had been seated on one of the larger examples. When he sprang to his feet, his head nearly brushed the ceiling.


    In the center of the pavilion, there was a stone pit which should have held a bonfire. Instead, her little brother lounged there, shrunk to a more reasonable size to fit in the pavilion. The smoldering heat in the room radiated from his shell.


    ¡°Where is Hanyi?¡± Gui asked of her as she approached, passing Gan Guangli as he moved to take Xia Lin¡¯s place.


    Out of the corner of her eye, Ling Qi observed as the girl gave him a terse nod. It seemed like that matter at least had a lid on it. Xia Lin¡¯s dislike was tempered for the moment.


    Receiving the inventory of items they would be splitting had probably helped Xia Lin¡¯s mood.


    ¡°Hanyi is staying outside for now,¡± Ling Qi explained, resting a hand on his head. ¡°She¡¯ll stay close to the pavilion though.¡±


    Zhen flicked his tongue quickly, a sign of dissatisfaction. ¡°Hmph. Hanyi should stay inside too,¡± he grumbled.


    Ling Qi rubbed her hand across his scaly head and passed him by. She didn¡¯t disagree, but she felt like Hanyi needed this.


    The hours she had spent out in the storm, observing it and feeling it, had pushed her understanding of cold. Witnessing the flows of qi in the storm had given her the final inspiration she had needed to fully refine her master¡¯s art. She could call on its full power with only a single pair of meridians now. So if Hanyi wanted a bit more time outside, she would let it go. They were close enough that she could be out there in an instant anyway if needed.


    On the other side of Zhengui, she found Cai Renxiang sitting in a meditative pose on a rug of white fur. Her ever-present radiance traced the pale lines of an indecipherable mandala behind her. At her side was Meng Dan, who sat looking down in deep concentration at a set of three large bronze rings laid out on the floor. The rings were each two handspans wide and wrought of bronze and inlaid with formation etchings of glittering green jade. The third of the talismans that Ling Qi had deemed immediately useful, the Practitioner¡¯s Divining Rings were a tool for refining clairvoyance arts like her Roaming Moon¡¯s Eye art.


    ¡°Have you figured out how to use them?¡± Ling Qi asked, sitting down across from Meng Dan.


    ¡°Oh yes, the activation was simple enough to decipher,¡± Meng Dan replied. He traced his fingers along the rim of the closest ring. Light pulsed in the inlaid jade, racing along the curving lines carved in the metal. Ling Qi followed its path, memorizing the pattern of qi. ¡°Useful things. Not as good as a dedicated farseeing chamber, but certainly better than most could afford in the field.¡±


    Following Meng Dan¡¯s example, Ling Qi channeled the qi of her own clairvoyance technique into the third ring. The air within its circumference shimmered as if it were a pool of water, which she would normally need for her techniques. The view within the ring soon zoomed in on Hanyi still perched on the ledge outside. The image was sharp and crisp without any of the usual blurring.


    ¡°Huh. That is pretty useful,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°I would hope so,¡± Cai Renxiang said, cracking open one eye. Radiance bled from her iris, causing Ling Qi to shade her eyes. ¡°I wish for the two of you to search our route ahead and determine the best path for the morrow.¡±


    ¡°I assume you can join in on my vision like before, Sir Meng.¡±


    ¡°I can indeed.¡± At a gesture, a wide roll of tough parchment appeared in Meng Dan¡¯s hands, along with a writing set. ¡°I am sure the Sect and Her Grace will enjoy a recent topographical and spiritual map of the region as well, if we are to operate here.¡±


    ¡°They will,¡± Ling Qi said. Normally, her art was not much use unless she was looking for something specific, but using it to map the immediate region would be fine. ¡°There are three separate spirits mingling in this storm by the way. I was able to pick them out from the background.¡±


    ¡°Troublesome,¡± Cai Renxiang said, closing her eyes once again. ¡°Determine if we will need to propitiate all three, or if it will be possible to merely treat with one for passage, and if so, how the others can be avoided.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lady Cai,¡± Ling Qi said obediently. ¡°Are you ready to begin then, Sir Meng?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± A spark of pale green wind qi from his fingertips causing the image in the rings to ripple. ¡°And if you will allow, I can show you how to use the other rings to magnify the image or increase the width of the display¡­¡±


    Ling Qi listened intently as he began to show her how to work the rings. They had quite a bit of work to do before the sun rose beyond the churning clouds.


    ***?


    The region they were in was rough, the last bastion of the highest peaks before the mountains began to grow wider and shorter with gentler slopes worn down by the glaciers that now nestled in the peaks and valleys beyond. Very little physical flora or fauna flourished here in the depths of winter. Together with Meng Dan, she mapped out the contours of the land, and more importantly for them, the ebb and flow of the spiritual realm.


    Through the rings, she was able to study the winter storm and determine where the boundary lines between the three spirits lay. By finding the places where her farsight failed, she was even able to determine the general vicinity of where the centers of their power lay.


    One spirit was the scream of the wind and the force of the driving ice shards, a thing of wind as much as cold, eroding all before it. Its power, wild and frantic, lay in the sky above and to the south of them where the storm clouds were thickest.


    The second spirit lay in the glacier which rested in a high cleft at the end of the gorge they had rested in. Its qi was solid and immovable, ten thousand layers of ice laid down over ten thousand years, compacted again and again until it may as well have been stone. With every passing winter, it carved the stone ahead of it, millimeter by millimeter.


    The last spirit reminded her the most of Zeqing. It was the purest cold. It lived in the whiteout and on the high peaks, dancing with the first spirit as they drowned the world in white together. In winter, it descended to blanket the land in life-ending cold as it did now. Its power was centered on a low mountain southeast of them, overlooking the gorge.


    Unless they wanted to detour a very long way, the group would need to pass through at least one of the spirits¡¯ territories. To do so, they would need to seek the blessing of one of the spirits, or at least secure their noninterference.


    ***


    ¡°What is our plan of action?¡± Cai Renxiang asked.


    It had been several hours, and now, it was nearly morning. With Meng Dan, Ling Qi had exhaustively gone over their surroundings again and again, and the results lay on the table before them, a highly detailed topographical map with only a few blanks where their combined senses had failed to penetrate.


    ¡°I believe the best route is this one.¡± Ling Qi traced her finger along the more weathered mountains on the east side of the gorge. ¡°There is a narrow path here. Following it will let us avoid directly traversing the glacier, and it¡¯ll be low enough to avoid the worst of the winds.¡±


    ¡°Although it is broken, the gaps should be little obstacle to travelers of our caliber given the climbing gear we have been provided,¡± Meng Dan said confidently.


    ¡°It would be unwise to let our feet leave the ground too often given the fury of the wind spirits outside,¡± Xia Lin agreed, examining the map. ¡°You have already worked the delay into our schedule?¡±


    ¡°I have,¡± Ling Qi said, dipping her head. ¡°But the path is not wholly safe. There are three spirits in this gorge, and there is no way to bypass them all.¡±


    ¡°You are more confident in negotiating with the one which presides over the lower mountainside then?¡± Gan Guangli asked, looming over the table. ¡°Why so?¡±


    Within her dantian, Ling Qi felt Hanyi¡¯s mixed emotions, so closely mirroring her own.


    ¡°The spirit of the snow seems to be most human-like. I¡¯m not sure I could even get the glacier¡¯s attention, and the spirit of the winds seems less likely to stick to any deals, even if it might be easy to distract. I feel that the snow spirit is the one I may be able to successfully negotiate with.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t fool enough to think that the potential similarity to her mentor would make it easy, not when she knew, in her bones, what had lay beneath Zeqing¡¯s ¡°civilized¡± facade. Endless desire was a human trait certainly, but that did not make it any less deadly.


    ¡°I will trust that your judgement of the matter is sound.¡± Cai Renxiang said simply, cutting through her thoughts. ¡°Gan Guangli, you will join me in warding our party from harm during the climb. Xia Lin, you will take point just ahead of Ling Qi and watch for other dangers while Ling Qi focuses her attention on the spirit. Meng Dan, simply remain close and observe as well as you can.¡±


    They all nodded as the heiress spoke. No objections were raised. Shortly thereafter, they began to break down the camp, digging the pavilion free and packing up. The storm had lightened briefly, so it would be good to get started now.


    Ling Qi just hoped that her judgement was sound.

 Threads 162 Always Winter 3

    The trip was slow going. The others wrapped themselves in heavy cloaks and coats lined with the warm fur of fire-aspected beasts to ward against the extreme chill and the cutting wind without constantly expending qi. The path was a narrow thing, barely more than a meter wide at its greatest extent, and only the constant shrieking wind kept the snow from piling it to impassibility.


    They made progress though, slowly creeping along the mountains, avoiding traipsing across the treacherous glacier below. They had to pause often when the wind picked up, and during those times, even Ling Qi needed to hold tight to the high quality climbing cord strung between them while Gan Guangli sank his feet into the mountain stone and anchored them.


    It had been so long since Ling Qi had thought to worry about the wind and cold, but out here, the very air was suffused with dense and potent qi bringing back the bite of the wind. Although she needed no coat for the cold, she transformed her mantle into a thick scarf and head wrapping to contain her hair and shield her eyes. She was wary of trying to exercise any command of the wind here if she didn¡¯t have to.


    She almost felt as if she had crossed back over into Dream as they progressed and the storm picked up. The dense white snowfall erased everything beyond arm''s reach with only the radiant glow of Xia Lin¡¯s halberd ahead and Cai Renxiang¡¯s glow behind.


    The hike was exhausting. The cold laid heavily upon them and as they progressed further, the snow only fell more heavily. Wet and clinging, even Ling Qi had to pause and shake it from her shoulders now and then. It wasn¡¯t only physical weight, but a mental one, making it a struggle to not just sit down and close her eyes. But they persevered, and Ling Qi felt warm qi spreading in her chest, even as the hems and folds of her gown lit with colorless light, bolstering her against the wind and the unnatural exhaustion.


    All the while, Ling Qi hummed under her breath, not the Frozen Soul Serenade, but one of the idle melodies she had heard her mentor singing in moments of idleness under her breath, letting her qi flow freely into the snow all around. She focused on broadcasting supplication, friendliness, and the desire to speak. She began to notice now and then, a shadow in the corner of her vision who appeared between snowflakes. Once, she glimpsed it crouching on a ledge above, then in the sky off to their left, and last, standing upon the ledge in front of them just before the stone had collapsed under Xia Lin¡¯s feet, nearly carrying the girl down the mountainside along with several tons of ice and snow, unnatural weight hampering the normally nimble girl¡¯s reflexes.


    As they regrouped in the aftermath of that, Ling Qi gritted her teeth behind her scarf as she gazed up into the whiteout. Just passively calling out for the spirit to contact them wasn¡¯t working.


    Hanyi whispered in her thoughts.


    ¡°Everyone, we should stop for now,¡± Ling Qi called, her mastery of music carrying her words over the screaming wind. ¡°I¡¯m going to need to actually call the spirit if I want to talk to her.¡±


    Cai Renxiang, her face all but hidden in the fur lining of her coat¡¯s hood, made a single sharp gesture, indicating that she should proceed. Xia Lin and Gan Guangli gathered beside the heiress, watching the snowfall warily, and Meng Dan stood just behind, huddled in his thick coat.


    Ling Qi pursed her lips as she turned back to the storm. The cloying feeling in the air was only growing worse. They couldn¡¯t just keep pressing through without the spirit¡¯s permission. That didn¡¯t mean the decision to outright call the spirit¡¯s attention weighed any less heavily.


    She raised her voice regardless, letting power flow through her meridians as she sang into the storm. Focusing on the flows of qi that rippled through the falling sheets of snow, she could see further into the nature of the spirit. In many ways, it was simpler than Zeqing, not less powerful, but simply less complex. This spirit would not, she thought, really have the capacity to question her own nature like Zeqing had. But their nature was fundamentally the same: emptiness and the desire for heat and warmth and companionship.


    If they really had gone on deeper into its power, they would have each found themselves drawn off, lost one by one to the freezing snow. But the spirit had noticed her, and she knew that the spirit had. So this time when she called for the spirit, there was an edge of demand in her song, a tugging on the bond of kinship, however tenuous, resonating with the vibrations of the iron sliver she had palmed, which now grew so cold in her palm that it seemed to wrap around to heat.


    The wind picked up, and the veil of snow thickened. Beneath the shriek of the storm, Ling Qi could feel the notes of a song. She saw the figure, standing out in the snowy sky. The spirit¡¯s robe was black and unadorned, its hems drifting away in ragged threads that merged with the snowy shadows. The spirit¡¯s shoulders were hunched, empty sleeves hanging down in front of her body. Her hair billowed across the sky, and there was no point where Ling Qi could say for certain that the snow ended and the crystalline strands began. That same hair, wild and untamed, blew ceaselessly, cloaking the spirit¡¯s visage, save for a single glimpse of a cold black pit in the shape of an eye with a single white spark of light at its core.


    Ling Qi couldn¡¯t feel the stone under her feet anymore. It felt as if she were standing in the air.


    Sixiang whispered nervously.


    Hanyi muttered.


    Zhengui grumbled.


    Ling Qi brought her hands together and very carefully bowed, letting the song flowing from her lips ring with supplication and the desire to speak.


    ¡°Lost one tresspasses.¡± The spirit didn¡¯t really speak, so much as meaning impressed itself directly into her thoughts, carried on the ethereal melody underlying the storm. ¡°Such riches you have. Joining?¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced at the coldly envious song, so full of dark yearning to embrace and consume.


    ¡°I cannot,¡± she answered. ¡°I belong to another. We only want to pass through. Can we arrange passage?¡±


    Jealous and possessive, the spirit was, but it recognized kinship. There were some threads of humanity to it, which she could read in the spirit¡¯s qi, threads going south.


    There was a rumble like the start of an avalanche as the spirit¡¯s head twitched to the side at an angle that would have broken a human¡¯s neck. Ling Qi saw the flash of fangs of clear ice beneath billowing hair.


    Then the spirit was beside her, close enough that Ling Qi could feel the tickle of crystal hair through the too thin fabric of her scarf.


    ¡°Compact of Iron. Compact of Blood.¡± The wind whistled a song of chains older than mountains. ¡°Lost one carries iron, is not of the blood. Why should Black Skies Yearning deal with pretenders?¡±


    ¡°You take that back! Big Sister is not a pretender! I know you can feel Momma¡¯s mark!¡± Hanyi shouted, peeking out from behind her skirts.


    Wait, when had Hanyi¡­


    ¡°Wibbliness is increasing by the second here,¡± Sixiang said warily, and Ling Qi could not be sure if the muse had spoken aloud or in her mind.


    Ling Qi felt the hiss of a cold breath as the spirit turned its black gaze on Hanyi. ¡°Broken Thing speaks of lost Warm Breath¡¯s Ending slain by its hand? Claims new blood?¡±


    Ling Qi felt Hanyi flinch and stepped in front of her, meeting the spirit¡¯s deadly gaze. ¡°I am sorry that you perceive things so. Deny my connection if you will, but not hers.¡±


    Ling Qi felt cold pressing down, but she remained upright and unflinching. The spirit reached out, a sharp digit of frozen bone protruding from her sleeve to press against Ling Qi¡¯s cheek. Ling Qi took in a sharp breath as she flared her own ice qi.


    For just an instant, the howl of the wind ceased, and clear ice wrapped around bone turned black.


    ¡°New blood,¡± the spirit sang grudgingly, withdrawing and drifting back to a more comfortable distance. ¡°Compact holds. Lost One and the Broken may pass.¡±


    Ling Qi felt a moment of relief, only for it to end as the spirit sang again.


    ¡°Offerings stay.¡±


    Ling Qi spun around, only now realizing that she hadn¡¯t even noticed a reaction from her companions. They stood where she had left them, though the ground had vanished, frozen, eyes staring blankly into the snow. Their qi was still, not dead but quiescent, with only one exception.


    Beneath Cai Renxiang¡¯s coat, radiance gleamed, and hungry threads seethed, stirring to wakefulness.


    ¡°That is not acceptable,¡± Ling Qi gritted out. ¡°An offering can be arranged, but not my companions.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t be greedy!¡± Hanyi piped up with false confidence. ¡°Besides, you don¡¯t want to mess with Boss Lady¡¯s dress!¡±


    The spirit, now looming tall over them, paused again, head tilting at an unnatural angle. Hanyi¡¯s words were ignored as she traced a bony finger along Gan Guangli¡¯s jaw. ¡°Lost One has no claim, no blood nor mark on these. They are not yours. So they are mine.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s thoughts spun as she tried to think of how to convince the spirit otherwise. ¡°I would contest that.¡± She eyed Cai Renxiang; Liming was doing something, and power was rising independent of her liege. Somehow, the spirit didn¡¯t seem to notice that. Considering the dress¡¯ source, it was nearly as alarming as the snow spirit.


    Ling Qi thought.


    Sixiang whispered.


    ¡°They wish to stay in desirous dreams,¡± the spirit crooned, and already, Ling Qi could feel heat being drawn from her companions. ¡°My claim is stronger.¡±


    ¡°Then you would not object to my trying to convince them otherwise,¡± Ling Qi shot back. ¡°I ask only for a fair chance.¡±


    Her words seemed to amuse the spirit, whose lolling head shifted her way. ¡°You think yourself more convincing than desire, Lost One? Even the Hollow Child has enough darkness to fall,¡± the spirit mused, peering at Cai Renxiang.


    ¡°I do,¡± Ling Qi replied evenly. This was the spirit''s weakness. It was a simple, primal thing. Ling Qi knew that people could break from their most fundamental urges. ¡°Will you give me the chance?¡±


    Black Skies Yearning mulled over her words. If nothing else, Ling Qi would buy time until Liming did¡­ whatever it was going to do. ¡°A bargain. Convince one, and I will take but a small tithe from you all. Fail, and I shall have you too, Lost One, and the Broken can wander on.¡±


    Ling Qi swallowed, putting her hand on Hanyi¡¯s head. ¡°Deal.¡±


    ¡°Then choose,¡± whispered the spirit.

 Threads 163-Dolls 1

    In the end, it was hardly a choice. There was only one person who she really knew well out of the four. She doubted Cai Renxiang would be pleased to have her privacy invaded, but she was also pragmatic. Her liege would understand.


    Ling Qi nodded tersely to the spirit and stepped up to the other girl, a single stride crossing the gulf of white. She had never taken the step of entering someone else¡¯s dream before, but here, with the world thinned by the power of the ice spirit, she was sure she could do it.


    Sixiang murmured.


    Ling Qi looked at Cai Renxiang¡¯s frozen expression and the ominous glow under her cloak. She could ¡°see,¡± if she really focused her senses, the fragments of imagery in Renxiang¡¯s spirit, the pulse of thought traveling through her aura.


    ¡°Hanyi, Zhengui, keep an eye out for me while I do this,¡± she ordered. She didn¡¯t want to bring them in with her. Not only would it be harder, but also there was no reason to expose whatever dream her liege was in to others if not necessary. Her spirits¡¯ grumbling responses were expected, but she wouldn¡¯t budge on this.


    Taking a deep breath, Ling Qi reached out, giving herself a focus for contact with the girl¡¯s unyielding spirit. The feeling translated felt like grasping unbending steel with the texture of porcelaine.


    With Sixiang¡¯s guiding whisper in her ear, she tugged aside the veil.


    ***?


    Ling Qi gasped, her hand flying to her chest as her heart thundered in her ears. Entering Cai Renxiang¡¯s dream had been incredibly uncomfortable, like being pulled apart, reassembled and then forced through closely spaced metal bars. However, she could feel she was not in the material world anymore. Why, then, was it so dark?


    A faint sound drew her attention, and she glanced down to see something strange rolling out of the slowly lightening dark. It was a child¡¯s toy, a carved wooden horse set on a wheeled platform. Richly painted with white fur and a golden bridle, it seemed almost real in its detail. It slowly rolled across the polished wooden floor to her feet, making a quiet squeak with each rotation of its wheels. One of them was worn or damaged.


    It bumped up against her foot, and only then did Ling Qi notice the line of dark liquid trailing its path. Raising her head, peering back along the toy¡¯s path, she met yellow and crimson eyes. She flinched without thinking, stepping back from the ominous weight of those eyes before she even had time to take in more than their color. When she did, she wanted to take another step back.


    It bore the shape of a young woman sitting haphazardly on the floor, chin resting on one knee. Before it was an array of toy soldiers, their paint shining like real steel. It was a grand collection with many horses like the one by her foot, save that they still had riders, officers with colorful banners upon their backs.


    The missing rider was held loosely in the thing¡¯s porcelain white hand. The hand wasn¡¯t flesh though, but white cloth or silk constructed with stitchwork so fine that Ling Qi would not have been able to see it if not for the welling blood which dripped from beneath the seams, staining the toy in its hand.


    Ling Qi swallowed hard as she stared into the thing¡¯s eyes. They weren¡¯t natural and looked instead like the painted glass eyes of a doll, glowing beneath a veil of black hair that concealed the rest of its face.


    ¡°... Liming?¡±


    The spirit let out a growl so low that Ling Qi could feel in her bones more than hear it in her ears. More details of the room continued to resolve. There was a small but richly upholstered bed and bright wall hangings. An entire wall had been taken up by polished bookshelves stuffed with tomes large and small, their spines smeared with bloody handprints.


    She glanced behind her where the dream mist remained and saw Sixiang, looking frustrated as they stood on the other side of bars of polished steel. Their lips moved, but no sound escaped, and the sight of the lips was blurred beyond reading.


    Ling Qi looked back to see the spirit, Liming, stand. Its movements were unsettling. The movements weren¡¯t jerky or inhuman in the slightest, but nevertheless, watching them was deeply distressing in a way Ling Qi could not put to words. Its body was a rich gown of white and gold embroidered with dozens of crimson butterflies, each of which glittered wetly in the dim and sourceless light. A bare foot kicked over rows of soldiers as it stepped forward, and Ling Qi could swear she heard screams in the clatter of wood.


    Ling Qi took another step back, raising her hands. ¡°Liming,¡± she placated. ¡°I¡¯m only here to help. I need to wake Cai Renxiang up. That¡¯s all.¡±


    Liming paused, staring at her with burning, glassy eyes. As her senses grew used to this place, Ling Qi could feel the texture of the power that boiled up between Liming¡¯s bleeding seams. It was anger and pain and resentment, so thick that she could nearly taste copper and ash on her tongue.


    But little of that feeling seemed focused on her, and she saw the spark of comprehension in its eyes.


    Liming was capable of understanding her. That was good. Licking her lips, Ling Qi continued, ¡°If things go badly here, then the mission the Duchess¡ª¡±


    The room rattled as Liming snarled, its gown rustling as a sourceless wind erupted from the force of the sound, and Ling Qi saw the spirit¡¯s face for the first time. Her eyes widened in shock as she stared at the face of her liege.


    Its face was flesh, not like the cloth that formed the rest of the spirit, and its glass eyes were rimmed in red where the artificial met the natural. But Liming¡¯s lips were stitched shut, held closed by a neat cross stitch of steel thread, binding its lips completely shut. Ling Qi was thankful the high collar of its gown hid any further seams.


    Ling Qi felt her stomach churn at the implication of the shared face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she apologized quickly, not entirely certain what had set the spirit off. The Duchess? She was the one that had made the spirit!


    ... She supposed that Cai Shenhua had made Cai Renxiang as well.


    ¡°I just want to help,¡± she continued. ¡°Please let me talk to Renxiang?¡±


    Liming approached, gown and hair settling, and Ling Qi held very still as it looked her over. There was a deep inhaling of air, and Ling Qi felt her hair flutter as the shadows behind Liming deepened into the vague shape of something far larger. It reached toward her with bleeding fingers, fingers she now noticed were marked by rougher stitching at their tips. It was as if they had been chopped off and replaced.


    Then a flush of heat emanated from her gown, and Liming¡¯s hand stopped short. The spirit let out a low hiss, less enraged than its other exclamations. Ling Qi felt, for the first time, the pressure of its¡ªher¡ªpresence lessen.


    Ling Qi kept her peace. She didn¡¯t know enough to say what would convince the spirit and what would anger her.


    Liming turned away from her, and there was a click as the bedroom door creaked open, just a little. Ling Qi breathed a sigh of relief as the spirit padded away, crouching down to begin sorting through scattered toy soldiers, reassembling their exacting formation.


    Looking over her shoulder, she shot the worried looking Sixiang a smile. Sixiang frowned at her but nodded, giving her a thumbs up.


    Ling Qi headed for the door. That was the first obstacle down.


    ***?


    The light that struck her eyes was nearly blinding. Ling Qi shaded her eyes, blinking away the spots born of the sudden change.


    She stood on the roof of a large home in the middle of a bustling town. Faintly, she heard the click of a closing door behind her, but glancing back, there was only air. Even feeling at the fabric of the dream, she felt only an impassable wall of unwelcomeness.


    That was fine. She had no desire to re-enter that unsettling room.


    She turned her gaze back to the town, letting three silver wisps spin out to widen her range of vision. What she found was shockingly mundane. People worked and traded and talked, going about their day on streets laid out in geometrically perfect rectangles. The streets were paved with clean gray stone, marked only by the day¡¯s dust. Even as her wisps rose, peering out past the high curtain walls, she found the town only continued much the same, minus a certain degree of lavishness.


    Something about it bothered her, and it took her a moment to realise what it was. People were happy, but it wasn¡¯t some unnatural forced cheer. She watched an official and a merchant dicker over fees. Coin changed hands, but the merchant showed no resentment and the official lacked the smug air she associated with governing officials. Further out, a pair of guards patrolling the dusty but well kept lanes in the farmers market chatted amiably with a man and his wife, their weapons holstered.


    There weren¡¯t any beggars. No dirty children looked for marks among the crowded market stalls. No glowering toughs shied like beaten dogs from the guards and raised their hackles to everyone else.


    When Ling Qi landed in the street below her rooftop entrance, people startled, and many bowed, but it was in respect rather than fear. It was bizarre enough that she didn¡¯t notice the cracks at first. Individuals she didn¡¯t focus on were subtly artificial in their movement, their faces blurred. There was a repetitiveness to the actions taking place that gave everything in her peripheral vision an uncanny air.


    She suspected a vision like this was a strain on a spirit as wild as Black Skies Yearning. The spirit was, Ling Qi knew too well, a personal sort of desire, a mismatch for the desires of one such as Cai Renxiang. How then was she tricking the girl? Sheer brute power overriding her senses or¡­?


    Ling Qi¡¯s wisp spun toward the innermost ring of the city where a modest manor in the town¡¯s center saw a long line of officials entering and leaving the well kept grounds in a continuous stream. Of course, Renxiang would be buried in work, even in her dream of a perfect world.


    Ling Qi cast one more glance at the imperfect illusion around her and then away. Somehow, even when she had resolved to follow Renxiang, some part of her had still failed to even picture the world the girl wanted. She¡¯d thought of immaculate figures dancing in the Duchess¡¯ City of Steel.


    This didn¡¯t seem so bad.


    No one barred her path as she made her way to the governor''s manor. The guards at the gates even ushered her past the line of waiting officials, who bowed their heads when she looked at them.


    It took little effort to find Renxiang either. The maze of bureaucracy parted before her like water, leading her eventually to a well lit study. There, she found Renxiang sitting behind a large desk arranged such that it was perfectly centered between a pair of high corner bookshelves. The girl sat in a low backed and austere chair of pale wood. She looked older, Ling Qi realised. It wasn¡¯t the matured lines of her face that made Ling Qi stare though; it was the girl¡¯s clothing. Renxiang wasn¡¯t wearing Liming.


    Her gown was still mostly white and gold, but the red was reduced to small butterfly-shaped broach at her throat and the underlayer of the gown was a pale sky blue. Her hair was trimmed short as well, cut just beneath her ears. It was such a small, austere change, and yet for Cai Renxiang, it stood out as sorely as a second head.


    ¡°Did something urgent turn up on your inspection, Baroness?¡± Cai Renxiang asked, not looking up from the document on her desk. The brush in her hand continued to move quickly and precisely, filling in the text, a set of promotion announcements, it looked like.


    ¡°Nothing of the sort.¡± Ling Qi stepped inside the office. ¡°I have my eyes out though.¡±


    ¡°You are early then. Our tea luncheon is scheduled for sixty-five minutes hence. There is still a great deal of work to do yet on the transfer.¡±


    ¡°Transfer?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    Finally, Cai Renxiang looked up, exasperated. ¡°Yes, Ling Qi, the transfer to the capital. Mother sent her announcement that she would be retiring to closed door cultivation just this morning. Do not tell me it somehow slipped your mind.¡±


    ¡°Of course not. It just seems unreal still,¡± Ling Qi deflected, studying the girl more closely.


    Despite Renxiang¡¯s exasperated expression, there was something which felt off about her. Again, it was such a simple thing that it took a moment to process. Renxiang was happy. The habitual closed nature of her body language and expression was lightened in a way that felt bizarre.


    Cai Renxiang shook her head slightly, turning her eyes back to her work. ¡°You are qualified for your promotion to viscount, Ling Qi. We have had this conversation before. You have my full trust that the administration of this region will remain in good hands. Now, we have our luncheon scheduled, and we can speak further then. I need to finish these documents before¡­¡±


    ¡°Lady Ren, it is time for your appointment!¡± a voice called.


    ¡°Before that, yes.¡± Renxiang sighed.


    Ling Qi turned toward the source of the voice. There, behind her, stood Lin Hai in all of his fabulous glory. He leaned languidly against the doorframe, smiling impishly. ¡°Oh, Lady Ren, don¡¯t be like that. I know you have been looking forward to seeing what I have come up with for your coronation gown.¡±


    Ling Qi stifled a frown. Unlike the people outside, the officials, the supplicants, and the citizens, there was no edge of unreality or unfinished air to Lin Hai. The fabric of the dream was so much more solid here in this office and in his person.


    Behind her, Renxiang sighed as she carefully blotted the ink on the document before her. ¡°I suppose I have, Uncle.¡±


    Lin Hai glanced toward her. ¡°Something wrong, Miss Ling?¡±


    ¡°Just surprised to see you here,¡± Ling Qi said quietly.


    It looked like the spirit was right. There was at least a little selfishness in her liege. She was beginning to see the shape of this dream.

 Threads 164-Dolls 2

    ¡°Where else would I be?¡± Lin Hai beckoned Renxiang out as he straightened up. ¡°You are an odd girl at times, Baroness.¡±


    ¡°She is,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed. ¡°But if you are here, would you like to attend the fitting? Your perspective may offer valuable critique.¡±


    There was a sinking feeling in Ling Qi¡¯s stomach. She knew¡ªknew for certain¡ªa way to break this fantasy. Cai Renxiang had already been fitted for coronation¡ªand everything else. She had met Liming after all, and she remembered Cai Renxiang¡¯s words regarding the fitting.


    To bring it up here though, in this land of memory and dream, would be painful.


    Yet it would be certain.


    There were other lines of attack, true. She could prod her liege about this coronation. Did Renxiang truly believe her mother would retire when they were both still so young? She could prod her to look outside and see the gaps in the illusion. She could point out to her liege at how easy this all was. That Renxiang had achieved such change in such a short time when they both knew that their path was going to be hard and arduous didn¡¯t make sense.


    Yet they were all arguments of logic. And logic was a soft and easy thing to mold and twist into rationalization. All the same, if anyone could be pulled from their dreams by logic, it was Cai Renxiang.


    ¡°Ling Qi?¡± asked Cai Renxiang, raising an eyebrow.


    Ling Qi¡¯s hands balled into fists. Her mind spun out a thousand lines of argumentation she could raise, but it all came back to one thing. Their lives were in danger right now. Perhaps Liming would save Cai Renxiang, but what of the rest of them? It would ruin the mission in so many ways if they had to be saved by Liming or whatever other observer the Duchess had sent along. It would end the chance to lessen the impact of war in the south.


    She couldn¡¯t imagine Cai Renxiang approving of the decision to risk that if they didn¡¯t have to, especially if it was done just to spare her pain. Yet for Ling Qi deliberately hurting a friend twisted something in her chest.


    ¡°Ling Qi, you are beginning to concern me,¡± Cai Renxiang said, watching her from the doorway. She stood with her arms crossed, frowning faintly. The simulacrum of Lin Hai stood behind her with a look of faint concern as well. ¡°Are you certain you are well?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think I am,¡± Ling Qi said precisely. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for deflecting before, but I am actually here to remind you of something.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying our lady has forgotten something?¡± Lin Hai made an exaggerated gasp of surprise. He laid a hand on Cai Renxiang¡¯s shoulder. ¡°How scandalous of you, Baroness. We have certainly been busy, but Lady Ren has not been that distracted.¡±


    Cai Renxiang, however, looked disquieted and raised her hand to place over his. ¡°No, Ling Qi has my trust. If she believes I have overlooked something, I will listen.¡± She paused then and shook her head. ¡°Perhaps it would explain the distraction I have felt today.¡±


    Ling Qi pursed her lips. She wondered if that was a sign of her liege¡¯s mental struggle. ¡°Renxiang, you¡¯ve already had your dress fitting.¡±


    ¡°She most certainly has not,¡± Lin Hai disagreed immediately. ¡°As her tailor, I think I would recall that.¡±


    Ling Qi ignored him and the glint of blue-white ice in his eyes. She met Renxiang¡¯s gaze steadily. ¡°Renxiang, you only have one dress, and your mother made it. She made it years ago, and you¡¯ve never worn anything else since.¡±


    ¡°Ridiculous!¡± Cai Renxiang¡¯s frown deepened into a scowl. ¡°My Honored Mother would not waste her craft on a child. That is why she had always refused my childish demands to meet her face-to-face before I achieved the third realm. It would be¡­¡± Her face scrunched up in discomfort, and in a disquieting display for the stoic girl, she visibly shook herself. ¡°...pointlessly cruel,¡± she breathed out.


    ¡°Just so,¡± Lin Hai said, resting his hand on his hip. ¡°Really, Baroness, what has gotten into you, speaking such strange things? Are you ill perhaps? Wading into Dream as you do can befuddle the mind.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that must be so. My apologies for misunderstanding your limits, Ling Qi,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°I will see a physician brought in at once. Please take the rest of the afternoon to rest.¡±


    She sounded distracted and uncertain, and Ling Qi grimaced, shooting a dark look at the simulacrum behind her liege. Cai Renxiang¡¯s discomfort was already fading. This spirit was laying her thumb on the scale.


    Ling Qi stepped forward within arm¡¯s reach of her liege. ¡°Renxiang, listen, you can¡¯t change the past, even if it¡¯s painful, even if it¡¯s awful. You know that. I know that. Isn¡¯t that why you always talk about the future?¡±


    Cai Renxiang narrowed her eyes. ¡°Baroness, you are really being too familiar.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but how else would you know it¡¯s me?¡± Ling Qi asked.¡°I wouldn¡¯t be who I am if I did not know loneliness. If you don¡¯t remember what it is you''re trying to replace, do you think you can really build this?¡± She gestured to the window through which the image of the idyllic city lay. ¡°Make it more than a dream?¡±


    Cai Renxiang grimaced, pain blooming on her features.


    ¡°That is quite enough, Baroness!¡± the not-Lin Hai snapped. He moved to push her away with all the implacable strength of a higher realm. ¡°I know not what has disturbed your mind so, but Lady Ren does not need¡ª¡±


    His hand went through her shoulder as Ling Qi took hold of the dream¡¯s fabric and twisted it, stepping closer still to place her hands on Renxiang¡¯s shoulders. When she spoke again, Ling Qi¡¯s words felt sour on her tongue. ¡°Remember Liming.¡±


    The world bent around her as she spoke the spirit¡¯s name, the sound of it distorting the air. Like water into which a stone had been dropped, the dream rippled. She was close enough to see Renxiang¡¯s eyes widen and her pupils shrink in terror.


    ¡°Mother... Uncle... Why?¡± The words that passed Renxiang¡¯s lips were little more than a whisper, but they reverberated through the dream like thunder.


    The light of the bright summer¡¯s day outside changed. Warm sunlight became harsh radiance, and the city boiled away into light. The mansion groaned as polished wood split apart, giving way to walls of gleaming metal. The office shuddered, and not-Lin Hai¡¯s expression twisted into a snarl as he dissolved, scoured away like the morning mist at the dawn. But Ling Qi felt the spirit¡¯s lingering malice bloom in the dream.


    She was here.


    Ling Qi could feel the power crushing down on her back. She could see Renxiang looking over her shoulder, pain turning to terror in her eyes.


    Radiance. Radiance beyond description. A light that scoured and bleached and crumbled.


    Ling Qi felt the breath driven from her lungs, and her heartbeats quickened to near the point of bursting. She saw it without her eyes, for what were such pitiful mortal organs in the face of the Tyrant? She saw truth unfettered by the thin mask of human flesh and languid wit, the light of creation and destruction in all its terrible glory.


    Witness the implacable and infinite. Behold the Tyrant Progress whose breath is the end of kings and whose hands are the builders of thrones.


    Cai Renxiang¡¯s shoulders shook under her hands even as the world was consumed in white.


    Ling Qi saw the shadow of a workshop through tears and blood-blurred eyes. The workshop had walls of resplendent cloth, and the tools of a weaver and tailor, wrought of the wood and metal of gods, laid upon the tables.


    She stood horrified/she laid flayed out upon the loom. She felt bile in her throat/she felt her flesh unspun. She heard a child scream/she felt fingers like merciless razor-edged shears plunge into her soul, severing some threads to lie on the floor. She felt her stomach heave/she felt threads of herself wound round a spindle, prepared to be woven into a half-finished gown of gold and white. She felt her eyes burn/she saw the Tyrant pluck gleaming threads of diamond and adamant from her own self and pass them through the eye of the embroidering needle.


    It was the echo of an echo, a child¡¯s memory of pain and incomprehension made as clear as it was only by the nature of the liminal. She knew that the light failed to truly scour her only because it was filtered through a child¡¯s memory. She knew that the tiny fragment of the Duchess¡¯ truth she had witnessed was just that, else she, too, would have been broken at the sight.


    Even as the taste of acid burned her tongue, she did the only thing she could think of. Ling Qi stepped through the dream and wrapped her arms around Renxiang, the real Renxiang, who stood frozen before her.


    ¡°You¡¯ve withstood this already!¡± It wasn¡¯t just physical pain that made it hard to think. It was the feeling of betrayal, the intense emotion of a child¡¯s incomprehension and hurt at a pillar of their life performing an unforgivable hurt. ¡°Renxiang, you¡¯ve withstood this already! This is only a memory!¡±


    Cai Renxiang shook like a leaf in her arms, but as Ling Qi repeated herself, all but shouting in her ear, she felt the shaking stop and heard the grinding of gritted teeth. She felt her liege¡¯s hand on her shoulder, not quite returning the embrace, but not rejecting it either.


    The luminous workshop shattered like spun glass under a boot.


    They stood in a child¡¯s playroom, lit only by a faint, sourceless gray light. Ling Qi heard a deep, rumbling growl and felt the heat of bloodlust on her back. She felt Cai Renxiang¡¯s tension return in an instant, and the hand left her back as Cai Renxiang stepped out of her embrace, leveling Cifeng¡¯s curved blade at the slouched figure of Liming.


    ¡°Not one step closer,¡± Cai Renxiang demanded, the point of her saber pressing directly against the spirit.


    Liming cocked her head slowly to the side, long black hair falling away to reveal one gleaming eye of glass. Ling Qi swallowed as the spirit briefly looked at her, then locked its gaze on Renxiang. There was something different about the spirit that Ling Qi could not quite place.


    Then, with a deep rumble in its throat, the spirit reached out, and smeared its bloody hand along the length of the blade. It took a step closer, and Cifeng punched through its chest and out of its back in a shower of blood. Liming grasped Cai Renxiang¡¯s wrist and let out a low hiss.


    Ling Qi realized what was different. The cloying hate the spirit exuded like mist was banked when it looked at Renxiang. It was replaced by ice cold contempt.


    Cai Renxiang¡¯s eyes flicked over to her and then back to Liming. ¡°Ling Qi¡ª¡±


    Whatever she might have said was lost as the playroom vanished in a flurry of snow.


    Ling Qi almost stumbled as she came back to herself high on the mountain ridge as a pulse of power reinforced the material world like the gate of a castle slamming shut. She stood on solid stone, surrounded in white, but it was the natural haze of an intense blizzard. She heard gasps of startlement from her companions, and the babble of her spirits in her head.


    Sixiang said in her mind.


    Ling Qi looked ahead and saw Black Skies Yearning, hovering in the air. Her mask-like face was twisted in an expression that was both angry and worried.


    Ling Qi only realized that the spirit¡¯s attention was on something behind her when she heard stone shatter. Whipping her head around, she saw Cai Renxiang, her left arm buried up to the elbow in the mountainside, pebbles and grit still flying outward from where her fist had pulverized stone.


    The others behind her looked on in bewilderment as they shook off their dreams, but Ling Qi saw Cai Renxiang¡¯s face. Her eyes were beacons of pale radiance, and the stoic girl''s expression was twisted in hatred, glaring at the spirit in the snow beyond. It felt wrong seeing that expression on Cai Renxiang.


    Ling Qi looked at the others. Xia Lin surreptitiously wiped moisture from her eyes. Gan Guangli watched their liege with concern even as his fists clenched and unclenched. Meng Dan still smiled, but a distant look haunted his eyes.


    She glanced down to the light still shining from Liming¡¯s eyes. The heavy scent of blood and steel hung in the air.


    ¡°I believe I have won our wager,¡± Ling Qi said coolly. ¡°It would be best if we passed through now, I think.¡±


    The ice spirit looked back at her with empty black eyes, and she felt its resentment, but there was something else too, the wariness of a predator that had just been bloodied by its prey. Ling Qi had felt the ripple of power that had yanked them fully back into the material world. What had Black Skies Yearning felt?


    ¡°The victory is yours, Child of Winter,¡± the spirit whispered sulkily. Its physical form dissolved. ¡°Pass with my blessing.¡±

 Threads 165-Dolls 3

    Silence, heavy and cloying, fell in the wake of the spirit¡¯s words. Even the shriek of the wind seemed dampened, and the cold less biting. Ling Qi turned to face her companions, and clasping her hands together, she bowed low.


    ¡°I apologize sincerely for the trouble my choice has caused,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I accept fault in the matter.¡±


    ¡°Any path would have seen us face such a creature. There was no avoiding pain of some kind,¡± Xia Lin responded first, her voice a little thick. ¡°I was, and am, prepared to accept some pain for my duty.¡±


    There was a crack and the sound of falling stone, and Ling Qi saw pebbles and dust falling into the snow, even with her eyes down.


    When Cai Renxiang spoke, her voice was even and controlled with no sign of the intense emotion that Ling Qi had seen on her face beforehand. ¡°Xia Lin is correct. The Wall is riddled with dangerous spirits, and your actions have achieved our purposes. Raise your head, Baroness, and lead on. I do not care to stay here.¡±


    Ling Qi straightened up reluctantly. ¡°Of course, Lady Cai.¡±


    She hoped Renxiang would forgive her for what she had done.


    Sixiang thought as she turned around.


    Ling Qi thought back, stepping forward on the narrow path.


    Snow was still falling, but the cold no longer seemed to sap at her bones, and the wind no longer threatened to tug her from the path. Black Skies Yearning was upholding her end of the bargain. Such was the advantage of dealing with spirits.


    Sixiang rebutted.


    Ling Qi trudged on without replying. She hated that she had caused pain to someone she cared for. It felt wrong.


    Zhengui murmured.


    Hanyi muttered sullenly.


    Ling Qi sent back tiredly.


    Let others think what they wanted. Zeqing wasn¡¯t wrong in what she did. Black Skies Yearning had admitted she was kin. If that was so, they would just have to accept the difference in her line.


    She glanced back to Renxiang with another twinge of guilt. There were things she shouldn¡¯t bend on. If only it was always so easy to tell where that line was.


    ***?


    The hike through the glacial gorge took the rest of the day and more than half of the nex. Never during that time did the storm seem as intense as it had been, but it was still an unpleasant journey. The mood of the group was lower than it had ever been. Cai Renxiang gave out clipped orders when necessary and otherwise remained silent. Xia Lin scouted the path ahead and returned, never spending more than a few minutes with the group.


    Meng Dan seemed to recover quickly; he had his nose back in his studies within a few hours. He kept drawing Gan Guangli into conversation, distracting the larger boy from his own brooding. Ling Qi didn¡¯t listen in, but she was glad to see at least some of them didn¡¯t have their thoughts occupied by dark things.


    Ling Qi distracted herself with the rhetorical exercises of her speech arts. Soon, she would need to be in top form for negotiations. That alone was a valid reason to put away the unpleasant thoughts in her head, was it not?


    Despite that, Ling Qi found it difficult to focus on arts like the Playful Muse Rapport when her head was like this. She was glad then that she had done much of the cultivation necessary during the early journey. She found herself doubting if she could really convince total foreigners of a connection to the Empire when her only practice with rhetorical arts were the sort of things useful for court parties. How could she convince these foreigners to agree to a ceasefire when she had been forced to use crude methods just to shake her friend out of a dream?


    At last, their journey became an ascent as the narrow rocky path came to the end of the glacial gorge and rose along the sheer cliffs of the high snowy plain at its top. They were very far to the south now, off of any of the province¡¯s official maps, and here, the Wall began to thin out. Mighty peaks were no longer packed so densely, granting a view of the great scrub plains of hardy grass that lay beyond the mountains.


    But it was not that view which brought them up short. No, it was the unnatural peak that jutted from the plateau. It was a dark grey cone half visible through the snow, too regular to be natural, but too jagged and weathered to seem intentional. It was a heap of smelted iron ore in the shape of a mountain, piled and fused by forces unknown.


    Ling Qi could feel a resonance in the iron shard as she looked upon it. That was their destination.


    She didn¡¯t object when Cai Renxiang called for a halt to allow them a short rest before they made contact.


    With Cai Renxiang secluding herself in the pavilion to meditate, Ling Qi found herself meditating as well.


    ***


    Ling Qi opened her eyes and looked out over the sea of dreams in her mind.


    Sixiang¡¯s presence had not changed too much since her last visit. She sat atop a hill formed from cushions and silks and furniture, but it was a little neater now. Little rolling hills like this stretched on from the shore, natural in contour and only surreal in their composition. Sixiang had begun to fill in details though. Here and there, thin silver barked tree trunks sprouted from the ¡°soil.¡± Their canopies were masses of twinkling dream figments and starlight, wrapped like mist around slender branches.


    Ling Qi took a deep breath and scented flowers on the air.


    ¡°What can I say? You and Zhengui got me on a gardening kick,¡± Sixiang said.


    Ling Qi glanced to the side where an avatar of her muse rose from the cushioned hills. Sixiang had changed their avatar a little. Their wispy hair was longer, and the silks they wore were loose, hanging off the avatar¡¯s thin shoulders.


    ¡°It looks lovely,¡± Ling Qi said quietly, smoothing her gown.


    Sixiang winced, putting a hand to their chest. ¡°Ouch. You really going to be that formal with me?¡±


    Ling Qi rolled her eyes. ¡°Quit that. You know I wasn¡¯t trying to be formal.¡±


    ¡°Nah, but the mask is starting to bleed in a bit, isn¡¯t it?¡± Sixiang asked, leaning back to stare up at the false stars in the sky.


    When Ling Qi had begun to move in noble circles, that mode of speech had been an affectation, something she had to consciously use. Now, it came out naturally. It was such a small thing, but it was emblematic.


    Ling Qi was changing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s all bad,¡± Sixiang said to the sky. ¡°But, you know, it feels like your problem is like you¡¯re still feeling the opposite.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still a coward,¡± Ling Qi whispered.


    The only sound was the surf below and the whisper of the wind.


    Ling Qi clenched her fists, fingers digging into the silk she sat on. That¡¯s what it came down to when the other rationalizations were stripped away. Once again, she had hurt someone because she was afraid. Just like the dream of blood. Just like in the streets. Just like when she had abandoned her mother.


    Her mannerisms had changed, but she hadn¡¯t. Even the problems with Zhengui and with Hanyi came because she was afraid. She was afraid to let them stand on their own.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s right,¡± Sixiang disagreed. ¡°You decided to do something hurtful for a more certain result, but there was more to it than fear, wasn¡¯t there?¡±


    ¡°If that had been anyone but Renxiang, they¡¯d have broken,¡± Ling Qi said. Even the echoes of that memory she had experienced indirectly made her stomach churn.


    ¡°Yeah, but it was little miss sparkles, wasn¡¯t it? I mean, you have a point¡ªshe¡¯s the kind of girl who breaks instead of bends¡ªbut you¡¯d need a lot more pressure than that to do it. I think you knew that deep down. I might not totally get it, but that¡¯s the difference with your boss, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you mean.¡± Ling Qi met the spirit¡¯s sparkling black eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s the difference between blocking a knife with your throat so a friend can take a shot at an assassin and cracking someone upside the head with their trauma to break ¡®em out of an illusion,¡± Sixiang replied. ¡°Instinctively, you only trusted one of those people to be fine.¡±


    Ling Qi opened her mouth, then closed it. Her brow furrowed.


    ¡°That¡¯s why it felt so bad, seeing her lose composure like that,¡± Sixiang continued.


    ¡°Of course, I would be upset, seeing my friend hurt like that,¡± Ling Qi shot back. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure if Liming was taking control of her for a moment there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m totally off base though.¡±


    Were they? Ling Qi wanted to say so, but there might have been something to it. So much of her was still rooted in fear. What was loneliness but the fear of isolation?


    Well, it was desire, too.


    That was the crux. Fear and desire together too easily became the sort of darkness embodied by Zeqing, clinging, smothering, and ultimately deadly. She didn¡¯t want to become that. She had to extend those around her their own agency, but if she did¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll ever not be afraid,¡± Sixiang said bluntly. ¡°But I think you¡¯re letting that distract you.¡±


    ¡°So you think I chose to hurt Cai Renxiang because I thought she could take it?¡± Ling Qi asked bitterly.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s about right,¡± Sixiang replied, surprising her. The spirit cocked an eyebrow as she stared at them. ¡°What, are you thinking that¡¯s bad?¡±


    ¡°Of course it is,¡± Ling Qi spluttered.


    ¡°Is it though? Maybe it¡¯s just me, but I think you should trust people to get hurt more often,¡± Sixiang said with a shrug. ¡°Not like, hang ¡®em out to dry or anything, but yeah, you should trust people more.¡±


    ¡°I trust¡­¡± Ling Qi bit her own tongue. ¡°I feel like you¡¯re just trying to give me an out.¡±


    ¡°Maybe! I like you more than her after all,¡± Sixiang said cheerfully. ¡°More importantly, you''re annoyed at me instead of being gloomy about yourself now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re horrible,¡± Ling Qi accused.


    It was more annoying that Sixiang was right. This wasn¡¯t the same as the bloody dream or the streets. What she had done wasn¡¯t solely in the service of selfish cowardice. She had been talking herself into a spiral of depression.


    But all the same, it had made something in her spirit twinge, the same wound that had been aching for months now, brought on by her spirits¡¯ request. She still didn¡¯t fully understand the cause of her pain.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure trust is a part of it,¡± Sixiang said.


    ¡°You sound like a mountain echo,¡± Ling Qi grumbled.


    Here in her head, she could admit that she was afraid her spirits could not keep up and that she¡¯d just be alone again.


    ¡°Your first instinct is to smother, but you got front row seats to the extreme of that,¡± Sixiang analyzed. ¡°Think that might be a part of it?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Ling Qi sighed. She didn¡¯t think that was the real root either though. Did it really all come back to power? She was still so very small and weak. Her path stretched on, infinite and difficult. There was so much more distance left to run, and yet, there were so many things she had chosen to binder herself to.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s that fundamental.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t stop, Sixiang,¡± Ling Qi murmured. ¡°That ice spirit, that barbarian titan¡­ Even the Duchess. There are so many people and things who can crush me. But I don¡¯t want to be alone again either.¡±


    Cultivation was an exercise in isolation. To be powerful was to be lonely, as Elder Ying had taught. With each step she took, more peers fell away. The longer she lived, the more of her family and friends, those who could not keep up, would die off. She hated the idea of that.


    Having looked on the face of the Duchess, even in memory, she hated it even more. If she got the power she needed, would she become like that? Not the same of course, but something equally inhuman in a different way?


    One day, would she do something so awful to a child who just wanted to meet their mother?


    ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, I can¡¯t see you doing that with the path you¡¯re on,¡± Sixiang reassured her. ¡°But deciding to go all the way isn¡¯t without cost.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded in acknowledgment.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you can stop either though,¡± Sixiang said sadly. ¡°It¡¯d break you. I believe you¡¯ll find a solution though. Just because you can¡¯t stop doesn¡¯t mean you have to sprint and leave everyone behind.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to slow down either,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°I¡­ I at least have to keep up with Renxiang.¡±


    She didn¡¯t care for the idea of the girl advancing alone. Not when she saw what the end of that path could be.


    ¡°Stubborn,¡± Sixiang huffed. ¡°You¡¯re gonna have to make a choice somewhere.¡±

 Threads 166-Emmisssary 1

    Ling Qi opened her eyes with those words still echoing in her ears, brought out of her meditation by a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she met Cai Renxiang¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°We must begin planning our approach,¡± the other girl said. Her expression was stoic again, no sign of unpleasant emotion in her expression or voice.


    ¡°Ah, my apologies, Lady Cai,¡± Ling Qi replied, standing up and offering a bow.


    ¡°There is nothing to apologize for,¡± Cai Renxiang replied stiffly. ¡°Do not cause me to remind you again.¡±


    Ling Qi kept her head bowed for a moment before straightening. ¡°As you like, my lady. All the same, please do not misunderstand my concerns.¡±


    Cai Renxiang squeezed her eyes shut for just a moment. ¡°Later,¡± she said roughly, ¡°we may have a conversation on what you witnessed, Ling Qi.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lady Cai,¡± Ling Qi agreed.


    The other girl turned away and led her from the curtained-off meditation area. The others were already gathered. Zhen¡¯s head snaked in through the entrance, resting on a cushion. Xia Lin stood stoically in the doorway, and the boys sat at attention while Hanyi lounged on a cushion, looking bored and unhappy.


    ¡°We have all had a moment to gather ourselves,¡± Cai Renxiang began as Ling Qi took a seat beside Gan Guangli. ¡°We now come to the most important part of our mission: gaining a peaceful audience with these foreigners. It is likely they are already aware of our presence, which may bode well. We must decide how we are to approach our introduction. I believe it would be best for us to review our knowledge of the targets.¡±


    Ling Qi felt eyes on her and began to speak. ¡°I have only had limited interactions, but the group I witnessed at least seemed disinterested in war. There was some mention of a large building project, a ¡®sky fortress.¡¯ The woman who attempted to speak with me seemed even-tempered and perceptive.¡±


    ¡°My studies support similar conclusions to Miss Ling¡¯s,¡± Meng Dan said, pushing his glasses up. ¡°While my information is naturally much out of date, it does not indicate a particularly insular culture. Records indicate that they were not, then at least, a terribly expansive people. I believe that an emphasis on culture over the martial would be best.¡±


    Cai Renxiang nodded once. ¡°That much is agreed. However, there is the matter of our opening posture, which I think must be discussed.¡±


    With a gesture, Cai Renxiang opened the conversation.


    ***


    The mountain of iron loomed ahead. The ever-present snow was less here, but the wind was just as harsh, howling across the icy plateau they were crossing. A strange serenity suffused the air, a feel of meditative calm that reverberated between flakes of snow, thrumming through the energies that suffused stone and air.


    The group had slowed down, walking openly at a quick but mortal pace to avoid the appearance of threat. Xia Lin and Ling Qi were at the head of their formation, followed by the others with Zhengui and Gan Guangli bringing up the rear.


    ¡°Do you see what I see?¡± Xia Lin asked lowly, leaning toward her. The armored girl pointed ahead to the silhouette of the mountain.


    Ling Qi gave a shallow nod as she traced the contours of the mountain with her eyes. The odd shape of it, irregular and strange, had become more clear. Crude, weathered, and half-covered in sediment and hardy growth, the vast pile of iron held the shape of a man buried to the hips in the earth, hunched forward with immense hands clasped before his face.


    ¡°I do,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°It is not just a mountain spirit.¡±


    Xia Lin gave a grunt of agreement. Ling Qi had felt the auras of mountains. They were difficult to make out, so slow and stolid that it was difficult to pick them from the background of the world, alien to the fleeting thoughts of humans and beasts alike. This being slumbered, ancient and distant, dreaming slow dreams, but there was a spark of liveliness in the calm qi unlike any mountain Ling Qi had ever seen.


    If she didn¡¯t know better, she thought it might have been human once.


    ¡°Just be prepared with your escape talisman,¡± Xia Lin said, looking unhappy. She tightened and relaxed her grip repetitively on the weapon leaned against her shoulder.


    Ling Qi gave a hum of agreement and glanced down at the iron sliver she clasped in one hand. It thrummed in her grip, radiating chill. It felt as if the energies of the mountain were tugging gently at it. If she let it go, she felt like the sliver would fly toward their destination on its own.


    They were near the base of the mountain now, no more than a few kilometers away. With the increasingly energetic shard in mind, Ling Qi raised her other hand, signaling a halt. She looked back to the others, receiving her liege¡¯s nod. It was time.


    Ling Qi stepped forward from Xia Lin, and Hanyi appeared at her side in a swirl of snowflakes. Her little sister regarded the mountain with wariness, her curiosity banked after the encounter with Black Skies Yearning. Back at the pavilion, they had workshopped their greeting; she just hoped it would be accepted.


    Sixiang murmured, and Ling Qi nodded again, feeling them take hold of the wind, weaving musical qi into the air.


    Hanyi took her hand, and they held the shard of iron between them as they began to sing. It was only a short little hymn, a greeting and an affirmation of invitation in one. They were guests, here to request the warmth of the hearth. They bore weapons for the sake of the mountain dangers and not for their hosts.


    The song echoed across the plain, carried by their voices and magnified many times by Sixiang. They waited. If there was no reply they would trek closer and try again until there was.


    As they waited, eyes on the mountain, Ling Qi could feel the tension in Xia Lin behind her and the attention of the others. She dearly hoped that this worked. She did not want to have to traipse all over the mountain like a fool.


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes flicked to the side, catching motion at a spot perhaps halfway up the iron mountain. Then she saw the movement of wings and a shadow on the plain. There was a pale furred winged horse in the air, and on his back was a barbarian rider. He wore a mantle of thick black fur over a shirt of banded armor shaped from blue ice, and his mask and helm were carved of white bone.


    He was not alone, and the glitter of ice drew Ling Qi¡¯s eyes back down. There, she saw a strange vehicle like a chariot, but with its wheels replaced by lengths of sharpened iron. It was pulled by four beasts. At first, she thought they were thickly built stags with thick brown coats, but at a second glance, they seemed something else entirely. Their heads had a different shape, and their antler points seemed fused into single plates for most of their length.


    In the wheeless chariot, she saw three people. They wore armor of ice like the barbarian and thick fur mantles that cloaked their figures. Unlike the barbarian, they wore only a cap of iron without a mask, revealing ruddy faces and braids of dark hair. It took a moment as they flew out, their beasts¡¯ hooves and vehicle¡¯s ¡°blades¡± carving a road of frost through the air, for her to realize that they all seemed to be women.


    Ling Qi remained still as they approached, although she kept her qi ready for defense, studying them. Of the three in the strange chariot, one acted as driver. The other two held iron-tipped spears, of which there were spares in a rack on the chariot. All of them had round iron shields on their backs. The ¡°road¡± on which they drove broke apart a meter or two behind them, yet the whole of the thing remained suspended.


    The barbarian seemed normal enough save for the composition of his armor. She saw the bowcase on the side of his horse and the quiver on his back, and she felt the lingering static on the wind around him.


    Thrice, they circled, and Ling Qi remained where she was, holding Hanyi¡¯s hand, refusing to show any fear. It was no easy thing to do. While she didn¡¯t think this party was beyond them, there were surely more warriors inside.


    And then, there was also the mountain itself to consider.


    On the completion of the third circuit, the chariot and the horseman began to descend until at last, cantering hooves churned up snow and dust several meters in front of them. The stern-faced women in the chariot regarded Ling Qi with wary respect and glanced at the rest of their party with more confusion. The driver of the chariot, seeming the eldest with a heavily lined face and streaks of silver in her dark braids, looked away from Ling Qi and made a sharp gesture to the cloud tribesman.


    He reached up and removed his mask. It was, Ling Qi thought, the first time she had gotten a good look at a living tribesman¡¯s face. His skin was not much different than hers in coloration, a shade lighter perhaps, but his eyes were the same shade of blue. He seemed young, no more than a few years older than her, with square, windworn features and a thin mustache.


    There was little expression on his face. Whatever he felt about this situation was hidden behind a stoic mask. ¡°You are far from your homes,¡± he said neutrally. ¡°Why?¡±


    Ling Qi was glad for the translation-assisting talismans with which they had been furnished because the dialect of the cloud tribe tongue the man spoke might have been only half comprehensible otherwise.


    Ling Qi acknowledged his words with a dip of her head. ¡°We are, but I believe I have an invitation.¡± She raised Hanyi and her clasped hands to show the sliver of iron.


    The woman driving the chariot gave the sliver a scrutinizing look, and Ling Qi felt power in the woman¡¯s eyes. There was no feeling of channeled qi. It felt more like power was being pulled from the world instead. The driver glanced at the barbarian. She instructed, ¡°Ask her where she acquired that.¡±


    Before the young man could repeat her question, Ling Qi spoke instead. ¡°I received it from a woman with pale hair and an iron scepter, who was at the meeting between confederations. I was not equipped to speak with her at the time, but now, I am.¡±


    ¡°A conclave you lowlanders attacked, or so I have heard,¡± the cloud tribesman said darkly.


    ¡°A gathering of foes, or so we thought,¡± Ling Qi corrected. ¡°But it is our hope that we were wrong. Since I received the invitation, my leaders have asked that I make contact with the White Sky Confederation.¡±


    ¡°That is a beacon, meant to rescue those lost far from home,¡± the older woman said directly to her. ¡°Not an invitation for such a party.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Ling Qi said, bowing her head. ¡°And there were certainly miscommunications between myself and the woman who gave it to me, but I would like to repay the effort at least, even if I did not need to be rescued. With me is the daughter of my ruler, who wishes to discuss ways to avoid violence between us as we clash with the Twelve Stars.¡±


    Cai Renxiang, standing well behind her, took a small step forward, offering her own formal bow. ¡°It is the wish of my mother, Duchess Cai, that our people not be in conflict.¡±


    The cloud tribesman¡¯s expression looked sour, but Ling Qi found the slightly pinched look on the older woman¡¯s face familiar. She looked like Cai Renxiang when Ling Qi brought something new and¡­ interesting. ¡°It is not my responsibility to decide such things. If Emissary Jaromila wishes to give gifts, then the matter is her responsibility.¡±


    Ling Qi considered the odd way the title given to her apparent benefactor translated to her. She would have expected a noble title, but that didn¡¯t seem right.


    ¡°Warleader,¡± the cloud tribesman said unhappily, ¡°it is unwise to trust the peace oaths of lowlanders.¡±


    ¡°I will not be the one to turn away an emissary seeking guest right, no matter how strange their clan. All else is a matter for our emissaries and the [Singer/Hierophant/Voice],¡± the woman said. ¡°And if they intend violence, they may contend with Damir.¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t miss the way the man glanced back at the mountain, even as she puzzled over the imperfect title translations again. Was their leader a priest of some kind too? She knew that nobles in the Empire all the way up to the Empress had some religious roles, but it was not usually emphasized.


    ¡°We have no intention of initiating violence. My lady and I wish only to be heard by those who may make decisions for your people.¡±


    The woman nodded. ¡°We will convey you and your Oathholder to the lower hall with your champion and your husbands. You will remain there and not seek entrance further into the redoubt. Emissary Jaromila and her husband will be called to speak with you. Is that acceptable?¡±


    Ling Qi thought about correcting her before electing not to. The minor point of confusion probably wasn¡¯t worth hashing out here in the field. She looked back at Cai Renxiang, who gave a sharp nod.


    ¡°That is acceptable,¡± Ling Qi agreed.

 Threads 166-Emissary 1

    Ling Qi opened her eyes with those words still echoing in her ears, brought out of her meditation by a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she met Cai Renxiang¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°We must begin planning our approach,¡± the other girl said. Her expression was stoic again, no sign of unpleasant emotion in her expression or voice.


    ¡°Ah, my apologies, Lady Cai,¡± Ling Qi replied, standing up and offering a bow.


    ¡°There is nothing to apologize for,¡± Cai Renxiang replied stiffly. ¡°Do not cause me to remind you again.¡±


    Ling Qi kept her head bowed for a moment before straightening. ¡°As you like, my lady. All the same, please do not misunderstand my concerns.¡±


    Cai Renxiang squeezed her eyes shut for just a moment. ¡°Later,¡± she said roughly, ¡°we may have a conversation on what you witnessed, Ling Qi.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lady Cai,¡± Ling Qi agreed.


    The other girl turned away and led her from the curtained-off meditation area. The others were already gathered. Zhen¡¯s head snaked in through the entrance, resting on a cushion. Xia Lin stood stoically in the doorway, and the boys sat at attention while Hanyi lounged on a cushion, looking bored and unhappy.


    ¡°We have all had a moment to gather ourselves,¡± Cai Renxiang began as Ling Qi took a seat beside Gan Guangli. ¡°We now come to the most important part of our mission: gaining a peaceful audience with these foreigners. It is likely they are already aware of our presence, which may bode well. We must decide how we are to approach our introduction. I believe it would be best for us to review our knowledge of the targets.¡±


    Ling Qi felt eyes on her and began to speak. ¡°I have only had limited interactions, but the group I witnessed at least seemed disinterested in war. There was some mention of a large building project, a ¡®sky fortress.¡¯ The woman who attempted to speak with me seemed even-tempered and perceptive.¡±


    ¡°My studies support similar conclusions to Miss Ling¡¯s,¡± Meng Dan said, pushing his glasses up. ¡°While my information is naturally much out of date, it does not indicate a particularly insular culture. Records indicate that they were not, then at least, a terribly expansive people. I believe that an emphasis on culture over the martial would be best.¡±


    Cai Renxiang nodded once. ¡°That much is agreed. However, there is the matter of our opening posture, which I think must be discussed.¡±


    With a gesture, Cai Renxiang opened the conversation.


    ***


    The mountain of iron loomed ahead. The ever-present snow was less here, but the wind was just as harsh, howling across the icy plateau they were crossing. A strange serenity suffused the air, a feel of meditative calm that reverberated between flakes of snow, thrumming through the energies that suffused stone and air.


    The group had slowed down, walking openly at a quick but mortal pace to avoid the appearance of threat. Xia Lin and Ling Qi were at the head of their formation, followed by the others with Zhengui and Gan Guangli bringing up the rear.


    ¡°Do you see what I see?¡± Xia Lin asked lowly, leaning toward her. The armored girl pointed ahead to the silhouette of the mountain.


    Ling Qi gave a shallow nod as she traced the contours of the mountain with her eyes. The odd shape of it, irregular and strange, had become more clear. Crude, weathered, and half-covered in sediment and hardy growth, the vast pile of iron held the shape of a man buried to the hips in the earth, hunched forward with immense hands clasped before his face.


    ¡°I do,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°It is not just a mountain spirit.¡±


    Xia Lin gave a grunt of agreement. Ling Qi had felt the auras of mountains. They were difficult to make out, so slow and stolid that it was difficult to pick them from the background of the world, alien to the fleeting thoughts of humans and beasts alike. This being slumbered, ancient and distant, dreaming slow dreams, but there was a spark of liveliness in the calm qi unlike any mountain Ling Qi had ever seen.


    If she didn¡¯t know better, she thought it might have been human once.


    ¡°Just be prepared with your escape talisman,¡± Xia Lin said, looking unhappy. She tightened and relaxed her grip repetitively on the weapon leaned against her shoulder.


    Ling Qi gave a hum of agreement and glanced down at the iron sliver she clasped in one hand. It thrummed in her grip, radiating chill. It felt as if the energies of the mountain were tugging gently at it. If she let it go, she felt like the sliver would fly toward their destination on its own.


    They were near the base of the mountain now, no more than a few kilometers away. With the increasingly energetic shard in mind, Ling Qi raised her other hand, signaling a halt. She looked back to the others, receiving her liege¡¯s nod. It was time.


    Ling Qi stepped forward from Xia Lin, and Hanyi appeared at her side in a swirl of snowflakes. Her little sister regarded the mountain with wariness, her curiosity banked after the encounter with Black Skies Yearning. Back at the pavilion, they had workshopped their greeting; she just hoped it would be accepted.


    Sixiang murmured, and Ling Qi nodded again, feeling them take hold of the wind, weaving musical qi into the air.


    Hanyi took her hand, and they held the shard of iron between them as they began to sing. It was only a short little hymn, a greeting and an affirmation of invitation in one. They were guests, here to request the warmth of the hearth. They bore weapons for the sake of the mountain dangers and not for their hosts.


    The song echoed across the plain, carried by their voices and magnified many times by Sixiang. They waited. If there was no reply they would trek closer and try again until there was.


    As they waited, eyes on the mountain, Ling Qi could feel the tension in Xia Lin behind her and the attention of the others. She dearly hoped that this worked. She did not want to have to traipse all over the mountain like a fool.


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes flicked to the side, catching motion at a spot perhaps halfway up the iron mountain. Then she saw the movement of wings and a shadow on the plain. There was a pale furred winged horse in the air, and on his back was a barbarian rider. He wore a mantle of thick black fur over a shirt of banded armor shaped from blue ice, and his mask and helm were carved of white bone.


    He was not alone, and the glitter of ice drew Ling Qi¡¯s eyes back down. There, she saw a strange vehicle like a chariot, but with its wheels replaced by lengths of sharpened iron. It was pulled by four beasts. At first, she thought they were thickly built stags with thick brown coats, but at a second glance, they seemed something else entirely. Their heads had a different shape, and their antler points seemed fused into single plates for most of their length.


    In the wheeless chariot, she saw three people. They wore armor of ice like the barbarian and thick fur mantles that cloaked their figures. Unlike the barbarian, they wore only a cap of iron without a mask, revealing ruddy faces and braids of dark hair. It took a moment as they flew out, their beasts¡¯ hooves and vehicle¡¯s ¡°blades¡± carving a road of frost through the air, for her to realize that they all seemed to be women.


    Ling Qi remained still as they approached, although she kept her qi ready for defense, studying them. Of the three in the strange chariot, one acted as driver. The other two held iron-tipped spears, of which there were spares in a rack on the chariot. All of them had round iron shields on their backs. The ¡°road¡± on which they drove broke apart a meter or two behind them, yet the whole of the thing remained suspended.


    The barbarian seemed normal enough save for the composition of his armor. She saw the bowcase on the side of his horse and the quiver on his back, and she felt the lingering static on the wind around him.


    Thrice, they circled, and Ling Qi remained where she was, holding Hanyi¡¯s hand, refusing to show any fear. It was no easy thing to do. While she didn¡¯t think this party was beyond them, there were surely more warriors inside.


    And then, there was also the mountain itself to consider.


    On the completion of the third circuit, the chariot and the horseman began to descend until at last, cantering hooves churned up snow and dust several meters in front of them. The stern-faced women in the chariot regarded Ling Qi with wary respect and glanced at the rest of their party with more confusion. The driver of the chariot, seeming the eldest with a heavily lined face and streaks of silver in her dark braids, looked away from Ling Qi and made a sharp gesture to the cloud tribesman.


    He reached up and removed his mask. It was, Ling Qi thought, the first time she had gotten a good look at a living tribesman¡¯s face. His skin was not much different than hers in coloration, a shade lighter perhaps, but his eyes were the same shade of blue. He seemed young, no more than a few years older than her, with square, windworn features and a thin mustache.


    There was little expression on his face. Whatever he felt about this situation was hidden behind a stoic mask. ¡°You are far from your homes,¡± he said neutrally. ¡°Why?¡±


    Ling Qi was glad for the translation-assisting talismans with which they had been furnished because the dialect of the cloud tribe tongue the man spoke might have been only half comprehensible otherwise.


    Ling Qi acknowledged his words with a dip of her head. ¡°We are, but I believe I have an invitation.¡± She raised Hanyi and her clasped hands to show the sliver of iron.


    The woman driving the chariot gave the sliver a scrutinizing look, and Ling Qi felt power in the woman¡¯s eyes. There was no feeling of channeled qi. It felt more like power was being pulled from the world instead. The driver glanced at the barbarian. She instructed, ¡°Ask her where she acquired that.¡±


    Before the young man could repeat her question, Ling Qi spoke instead. ¡°I received it from a woman with pale hair and an iron scepter, who was at the meeting between confederations. I was not equipped to speak with her at the time, but now, I am.¡±


    ¡°A conclave you lowlanders attacked, or so I have heard,¡± the cloud tribesman said darkly.


    ¡°A gathering of foes, or so we thought,¡± Ling Qi corrected. ¡°But it is our hope that we were wrong. Since I received the invitation, my leaders have asked that I make contact with the White Sky Confederation.¡±


    ¡°That is a beacon, meant to rescue those lost far from home,¡± the older woman said directly to her. ¡°Not an invitation for such a party.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Ling Qi said, bowing her head. ¡°And there were certainly miscommunications between myself and the woman who gave it to me, but I would like to repay the effort at least, even if I did not need to be rescued. With me is the daughter of my ruler, who wishes to discuss ways to avoid violence between us as we clash with the Twelve Stars.¡±


    Cai Renxiang, standing well behind her, took a small step forward, offering her own formal bow. ¡°It is the wish of my mother, Duchess Cai, that our people not be in conflict.¡±


    The cloud tribesman¡¯s expression looked sour, but Ling Qi found the slightly pinched look on the older woman¡¯s face familiar. She looked like Cai Renxiang when Ling Qi brought something new and¡­ interesting. ¡°It is not my responsibility to decide such things. If Emissary Jaromila wishes to give gifts, then the matter is her responsibility.¡±


    Ling Qi considered the odd way the title given to her apparent benefactor translated to her. She would have expected a noble title, but that didn¡¯t seem right.


    ¡°Warleader,¡± the cloud tribesman said unhappily, ¡°it is unwise to trust the peace oaths of lowlanders.¡±


    ¡°I will not be the one to turn away an emissary seeking guest right, no matter how strange their clan. All else is a matter for our emissaries and the [Singer/Hierophant/Voice],¡± the woman said. ¡°And if they intend violence, they may contend with Damir.¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t miss the way the man glanced back at the mountain, even as she puzzled over the imperfect title translations again. Was their leader a priest of some kind too? She knew that nobles in the Empire all the way up to the Empress had some religious roles, but it was not usually emphasized.


    ¡°We have no intention of initiating violence. My lady and I wish only to be heard by those who may make decisions for your people.¡±


    The woman nodded. ¡°We will convey you and your Oathholder to the lower hall with your champion and your husbands. You will remain there and not seek entrance further into the redoubt. Emissary Jaromila and her husband will be called to speak with you. Is that acceptable?¡±


    Ling Qi thought about correcting her before electing not to. The minor point of confusion probably wasn¡¯t worth hashing out here in the field. She looked back at Cai Renxiang, who gave a sharp nod.


    ¡°That is acceptable,¡± Ling Qi agreed.

 Threads Interlude: Faceless

    Once, there was a child who lived in the roots of the great World Tree. In the wondrous city of dreams, ruled by the Lord of Heavenly Lies, they lived in base reality, in dirt and muck and blood. They lived in the dark in chains of coin and paper. Owned, they were. Used, they were. In the lowest roots, there was only cruelty and the laughter of petty little gods.


    Once, there was a child, but unlike the countless others, they heard the dark, and the dark heard them. They welcomed it, they loved it, and in the dark, there was no more pain. They fed it blood, they fed it memory, they fed it their face, and in return, they were given power.


    The first pleasure in their life was the feeling of a brightly colored man¡¯s throat breaking under their fingers. O, how the man¡¯s fists had once hurt. O, how useless the man was, flailing against the child now. They took the color, they took the light, and both the faceless child and the dark hungered for more. This, thought the faceless child, was justice.


    There was no time in the dark, no light in the roots to track the days. In the beginning, they were drawn to little flesh peddlers like the colorful man before. They learned to stalk, to skulk, wrapped in the dark. They studied, they searched, and they picked off the men, one by one, drop by drop, feeding on fear and paranoia. The men hid, babbling, crying, and dying. The faceless child''s fingers found their throats every time. There was no mercy for the children, the men, or the women in the dark. Why, then, should there be mercy for monsters? This was justice.


    The dark grew in them, and its hunger grew too. The faceless child grew tall and strong. They began to take more than the colorful men, the flesh peddlers. They sought their masters, the paper lords, whose ink brushes wove the chains. They sought the alchemists whose hunger for reagents exceeded even the lusts of the peddlers. They sought the lord¡¯s enforcers who made new laws in their minds for each victim of their violence.


    They hunted, and they grew. The cruel ones in the rootways began to know fear. People began to leave offerings and signs of thanks. Their whispers told them of those who deserved justice.


    Then, the day came when they had drawn the attention of the high ones. The faceless faced a lord of lies, descended from heaven to discover what the commotion among his servants was.


    It was the end. They were caged, chained, and bound once more. The faceless wished to scream with a voice they no longer had. They had not been strong. They had only been an amusement for the lord, now kept in bondage.


    But one day, after a day of terrible sound and fury, their captor had not returned. The cruel ones were in chaos, and with none maintaining their cage, the faceless slipped free. They were hungry and weak, and so they slipped out to hunt and feed once more


    But it was not to be. A star descended into the dark.


    The star had many hands, silver metal and plumed in white. The flesh peddlers burned. The alchemists boiled. The paper lords were bound in their own chains or cast down among their victims. The enforcers¡¯ skulls lined the streets. Nightmares of the liar lords melted under the star¡¯s light.


    This was justice.


    The faceless had gone to the star and knelt. She had thanked them for their hard work and praised them for their devotion to justice. She had chided them for focusing too much on destruction. She had rewarded them with a new face and a new name, woven from moonlight and hope, and made them her disciple.


    Shu Yue idly traced the contours of their face with their fingers. Even after two hundred years, it felt strange. They did not know who they had been before they had embraced the dark, and in truth, it did not matter. They had been a child, one of many or perhaps many made one.


    What mattered was their justice and their lady¡¯s justice.


    They crouched now on the sheer cliff overlooking a snowy plane, observing the advance of Her Grace¡¯s daughter and companions. They disliked this. To be so far from the people, so far from the cities which needed them, rankled on a deep level. Yet this was what was needed of them. To ensure no sabotage occurred. To ensure that Lady Renxiang came home.


    They were not like Lin Hai, who loved the young miss, but they did love Lin Hai. It would hurt him if the heiress was lost, so they had not objected to the assignment too much.


    So Shu Yue watched from within the mountain¡¯s shadows as they met with the foreigners and advanced toward the mountain of iron.


    Embraced by the dark, they could feel the mountain¡¯s gaze, feel his attention and protective instinct. It was not so dissimilar to them. They were the shadow in the night, punishing the wicked already inside. The mountain was the wall which kept the predators from the den.


    They were seen. They were acknowledged. In the world beyond the physical spindly, too long fingers met an iron palm, and understanding passed. Their purpose was the same. Guard the children. Guard the future. Acceptance, awareness, and acknowledgement of conflict should their children come to blows was exchanged.


    Shu Yue nodded in satisfaction as the contact ended, peering back down at the children again. Their gaze fell on the tall girl who followed in the Young Miss¡¯ steps, the one who had entered Lady Renxiang¡¯s mind and drawn her out of the snow hag¡¯s lies. There were parallels there, they thought. The little shadow used the dark also, but the Young Miss¡¯ shadow did not love it. Their purpose was not so honed, their origin not so dark.


    In their mind, this was good. Shu Yue had been born from abomination. If there had been a second like them, their fingers would need to seek many throats. No, in truth, their similarities were few, just as the Young Miss did not truly resemble Her Grace.


    The Young Miss and her shadow were born of the world which had come after, and so they were less hard, less violent. Softer. Many called this weakness, that the youth, unknowing of hardship, would bring ruin.


    The child born in the dark knew better. That was the secret they had been given at the feet of the star. It was not enough to destroy the wicked for they, too, were wicked in their way.


    Their replacements would be better.

 Threads 167-Emissary 2

    Ling Qi saw no reason to give away their own flight capabilities so the group travelled along the ground. The young cloud tribesman took off ahead to carry word back to the redoubt, and the women in the chariot remained to lead them.


    She learned the vehicle was called something like ¡°sani.¡± The word didn¡¯t translate, so she was forced to try and pronounce it with middling success. There was a minor incident when the huge beasts pulling it had grown restless at Zhengui¡¯s approach, snuffling and pawing at the icy ground, but she had been able to ease through that by asking him to stay at the rear of their formation.


    The trip was swift. They weren¡¯t far to begin with, and the riders knew the route most free of quagmires and obstacles. Within ten minutes, the iron mountain loomed overhead, blocking the sky. They climbed for a short time while the sani and its riders taking back to the sky. They left one of the thickly built women to lead them.


    Mounting the wide base, they followed a carved trail wide enough for two men abreast that rose along the mountainside. At its top, Ling Qi saw two immense slabs of dark iron sliding apart, revealing a wide doorway carved with elaborate scrollwork and topped with a stylized depiction of the sun.


    On the steps leading inside, Ling Qi was forced to recall Zhengui, which seemed to spook their guide. She seemed incredulous at Ling Qi¡¯s hurried explanation, but like her warleader, she also seemed eager to make it someone else¡¯s problem.


    The inside was not as dank and cramped as Ling Qi might have expected from an underground dwelling. The ceiling and upper walls were elaborately painted in blues and whites, depicting an open sky. It reminded her a bit of the roof of the throne room in Xiangmen,.


    They walked through the wide halls for a time, mounting several short flights of stairs before the hall narrowed at obvious defensive chokepoints. But the simmering hostility that burned in the symbols worked in among more mundanely decorative carving was quiescant for now. Soon, they came to the end of the hallway and entered a wide gallery.


    Like the hallway, its ceiling resembled the open sky, only more convincing for its height and expanse. Six large pillars, which Ling Qi first took for tree trunks but swiftly realized were painted iron, upheld the roof, joined by arches near the ceiling''s apex.


    The walls drew her attention next. Painted on them were a pair of murals that seemed to depict a stylized battle. Tracing the scene with her eyes, she realized it was a kind of story. At the beginning, ill equipped folks were pressed by strange enemies. It was difficult to tell what the enemies were meant to be. There were masses of different shapes, some like beasts, some like humans, and some that Ling Qi thought might be dragons of a sort. They all had the same eyes though, deep and black, standing out from pale skins and hides.


    As the story progressed, she saw the ill equipped people joined by a depiction of what she took for a mighty ice spirit paired with a figure of blazing sunlight. The two drove back foes with wind and ice and light. The ice and snow flowed into the image of a mighty host clad in strong armaments with female figures soaring above, and men in white robes among the soldiers radiated sunlight.


    On the other side showed what Ling Qi thought was meant to be a series of fortresses or great walls of ice and iron crewed by proud soldiers. Under a sky of shifting color, battles with the black-eyed foes were shown, ending at last in a great wall of flame that roared from the earth, burning the last of the enemies to ash.


    ¡°I will ask that you wait here a short time longer, guests.¡± Their guide¡¯s gruff voice drew her attention back to the sturdy woman. ¡°The Emissary will be here soon, and her entourage will bring refreshment. Until then, please rest from your journey.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced at the rest of the room, seeing plain but sturdy furnishings, including two long tables set with equally long benches on either side, and firelight from evenly spaced hanging braziers. The tables had been pushed up against the walls with their benches, showing hasty abandonment. Ling Qi strongly suspected that this was some kind of garrison mess and meeting hall. In the center, a smaller but more polished and decorated round table had been set with two chairs on one side and one on the other. A pair of leather padded benches had been set behind the table as well.


    ¡°I apologize for the inconvenience to your soldiers,¡± Ling Qi said, inclining her head slightly. ¡°The current accommodations are satisfactory.¡±


    The woman gave a grunt of acknowledgement. ¡°If this draws complaints, they need more drill,¡± she dismissed. Her eyes flicked down to Hanyi, and then away. Ling Qi caught a trace of discomfort in her expression, not the first she had noticed among the foreigners when they happened to look her way. ¡°Does your sister require any special accommodations, Emissary Linchee?¡±


    Ling Qi blinked slowly, the mispronunciation of her name hardly registering . ¡°No. Hanyi is quite well, aren¡¯t you, Hanyi?¡±


    Hanyi put on a smile, but Ling Qi could tell she was confused too. ¡°Yeah, I like this place. It¡¯s very comfortable.¡±


    The woman cleared her throat and nodded. ¡°Then I will take my leave. Emissary Jaromila will be here soon.¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t think she had ever met someone who had immediately called Hanyi her sister.


    As the woman left, Ling Qi glanced toward the table set out for them. The intended seating was rather obvious since the single chair on the far side of the table was a fancy thing of wrought iron and blue fabric while the closer pair were both carved from bone like the long garrison tables and benches.


    With them left standing awkwardly under the gaze of the guards, Ling Qi sighed, letting the translation effect of the ring she had been given fade. ¡°Less friendly than I hoped. More friendly than I feared,¡± she said quietly.


    ¡°I have seen meetings between neighbors which harbored more tension,¡± Cai Renxiang observed. She stood straight with her arms crossed beneath one of the braziers. ¡°Remain confident. This is the best welcome that could have been expected.¡±


    ¡°They seem a doughty enough folk.¡± Gan Guangli rolled his shoulders, glancing around. He seemed a bit invigorated by the subtle sun qi filtering down from the ceiling. ¡°I am sure that your words will reach them.


    Xia Lin merely grunted in acknowledgement, remaining close to Cai Renxiang¡¯s side as she studied each of the guards in turn. ¡°I do not like that I cannot read their meridians.¡±


    ¡°And that is fascinating, isn¡¯t it?¡± Meng Dan mused, standing with his hands hidden in his sleeves as he gazed up at the ceiling. ¡°Similar enough for me to read their realm and stage, but missing something so fundamental.¡±


    ¡°I think it is more interesting that their focus remained on me, even after I explained Lady Cai¡¯s position,¡± Ling Qi said as she took one of the seats at the table.


    ¡°I do not believe our words necessarily translated well,¡± her liege replied, taking the seat beside her. The heiress tapped her fingers on the polished tabletop, an uncharacteristically nervous gesture. ¡°They misunderstand our hierarchy, and I similarly remain unsure of theirs.¡±


    ¡°Something to clear up in the talks then,¡± Gan Guangli said, the bench behind them groaning under his armored bulk. Hanyi hopped up beside him, looking around curiously. Xia Lin and Meng Dan occupied the other end.


    ¡°Implying that Lady Cai has such a relation with one of you two... Unacceptable,¡± Xia Lin grumbled.


    ¡°Unacceptable indeed,¡± Gan Guangli said agreeably.


    Ling Qi caught Xia Lin looking surprised out of the corner of her eye. ¡°... Yes. Baroness, I trust you will clear the matter up quickly.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ling Qi replied, reaching down to pat Zhen¡¯s head. He had taken up a spot beside her and was peering around warily. Looking back, she saw that Meng Dan¡¯s gaze was fixed on the murals, his expression intent.


    The quiet banter fell off the moment Cai Renxiang raised her hand for silence, turning her eyes toward the doorway leading further into the redoubt. A moment later, Ling Qi felt what she must have felt, the approach of a strong spirit, a cold clear sky, deadly and dry, fit to sap the life from all under it.


    It was familiar to her.


    The heavy door opened, revealing the woman she had met in the crater. She did not look much different, save that her golden hair hung about her shoulders, and she wore a glittering gown of midnight blue trimmed with white fur now. Her stern expression swept over them, and Ling Qi caught a hint of curiosity there.


    A few steps behind her came her husband. Barbarians, it seemed, could clean up well. He wore a knee-length robe of blue and white, cinched at the waist with a belt of golden hide. It was embroidered with stylized windlines and falling snowflakes. On his head, he wore a round, pointed cap of dark fabric ringed by black fur. Like the younger barbarian, he had a mustache, but a well kept beard covered his chin as well. Separate from his steed, Ling Qi could see that the man was as tall and nearly as broad as Gan Guangli. Ling Qi was left with the bizarre thought that the barbarian was rather handsome.


    Sixiang muttered dryly in her head.


    They all rose to their feet, and Ling Qi clasped her hands respectfully. ¡°I am glad to meet you again in better circumstances, Emissary Jaromila.¡±


    ¡°I see we will not be attempting to sing at one another this time,¡± Jaromila said somewhat dryly, studying them all. ¡°I am told you are called ¡®Linchee¡¯?¡±


    ¡°That is correct, Emissary,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°I was not prepared to speak at our last meeting.¡±


    ¡°No, it is quite clear what you all were prepared for,¡± the man beside her said, his arms folded across his chest.


    Jaromila made a subtle gesture to her husband, quieting what he might have said next. ¡°We will approach the matter, Ilsur. First, I would have introductions while my servants bring us refreshment.¡±


    Ling Qi began to introduce them all as everyone took their seats. The barbarian, Ilsur, remained standing behind his wife¡¯s chair, eyeing the rest of them with the air of a hunter. The servants who came were folk of the same type as the soldiers, stocky and ruddy skinned with black or brown hair. Most were women, but a pair of men accompanied them, wearing paler colors and more fancifully stitched robes. They seemed to be the ones directing the others as they set out drinks and small trays of simple foodstuffs.


    Soon, the introductions were finished, and Jaromila closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°I see now that my impression of you was mistaken.¡±


    ¡°May I ask what that impression was?¡± Ling Qi inquired. ¡°Why did you come to me in the middle of a battle?¡±


    The foreign woman considered her words. ¡°I believed at first that you were the agent of another clan. You have the look of the Sibiar about you.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned down at the cup of clear blue liquid that she had been poured. Frost marked the clay cup. ¡°That is why you were surprised that I could not understand you. Sibiar¡­ Is that the name of another group of your people?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Jaromila admitted, throwing back her own drink. A swift tap of the cup on the wooden table drew a servant to pour another from the iron decanter in her hands. ¡°They are members of the White Sky, along with my Alaniar. I was angered that such an agent would damage our negotiations this way.¡±


    Her words were sharp and cool, and Ling Qi felt the room''s tensions rise. Squaring her shoulders, Ling Qi replied, ¡°I will not apologize for interrupting a council of war against my people.¡±


    Cautiously, she took a long drink from her cup, trying to match the other woman. The liquid burned her throat on the way down despite its incredible chill. It took a strong effort to not cough as she set it down, still half full.


    There was a faint chuff of laughter, and her eyes flicked to the man standing behind Jaromila. ¡°No twisting words or false apologies? I would ask if you were ill, lowlander, if I did not know better.¡±


    Ling Qi could feel Xia Lin glowering at him, and Gan Guangli to a lesser extent. Cai Renxiang sat beside her, a cup of something amber colored clasped in her hands.


    ¡°I do not think it is necessary,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°The people of the Emerald Seas and the men of the clouds have always fought. I do not know your tribe in particular, but the tribes which joined with those creatures have done us great harm very recently.¡±


    ¡°That is true,¡± said the man, leaning back. ¡°Our blood feud is as old as the hills and the mountains. Near as old as Father Sky himself. But we of the southern tribes know you only by word, so I will not judge harshly your attack. Of my men who were slain, it is another matter.¡±


    ¡°This is an unfortunate point of contention,¡± Jaromila followed up. ¡°If you wish to speak of matters of peace, I must be able to present my people with recompense for the blood already shed between us.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced between them. ¡°Blood price is not unknown to us,¡± she said slowly. ¡°But neither will I be taken advantage of. Much of the harm done came from the power unleashed by the Twelve Stars as well.¡±


    ¡°And we have sent word to them as well,¡± Jaromila said sternly. ¡°But despite your nature, I cannot go further without an agreement on this matter.¡±


    Cai Renxiang spoke. ¡°A reasonable price can be arranged.¡±


    Jaromila leaned back in her throne-like chair studying the other girl. ¡°You, I recall as well. The Tsai of the Emerald Seas Confederation, you call yourselves. Have your clans empowered you to speak for them, or do you speak only for the Tsai?¡±


    Cai Renxiang shook her head. ¡°All in the Emerald Seas owe fealty to the Cai and will obey my mother¡¯s words. I speak for her in this matter.¡±


    Jaromila frowned deeply for a moment, but her features swiftly smoothed. ¡°Ten wagon loads of good hardwood, and six of good softwood. Both are to be cut no more than one month prior to delivery. Our measurements will be used.¡±


    ¡°Done,¡± Cai Renxiang said instantly, and Ling Qi didn¡¯t blame her. Even if a wagon load was measured by a very big wagon or sanki, which the translation may have flubbed, that was nothing at all to the Emerald Seas. ¡°We will require a place where the resources may be delivered.¡±


    Jaromila stared at her for a long moment. Ling Qi was quite sure she had expected negotiation.


    Her husband gave Cai Renxiang a suspicious look but shrugged. ¡°It is good that you are willing to be generous.¡±


    Their momentum in the conversation faltered.

 Threads 168-Emissary 3

    Ling Qi¡¯s thoughts raced. She didn¡¯t want to undermine Cai Renxiang, but neither did she want to leave a potentially insulting misunderstanding.


    ¡°On that note,¡± Ling Qi said, ¡°we were given some small gifts to present as part of our suite.¡±


    Reviewing what she had placed in her storage ring, Ling Qi plucked forth a few examples. Jade rings and jewelry, including a torc, carved with potent defensive formations, a steel cavalry saber sheathed in luxurious leather, and a number of art pieces, figurines and carvings of wood, jade, or metal, appeared on the tabletop between them.


    Thankfully, their appearance did not seem to surprise their hosts. Jaromila¡¯s eyes flicked down to the tabletop, and her husband merely cocked his head to the side.


    ¡°Our people tend to place more value on metals and stones,¡± Ling Qi explained. ¡°We have many fine artisans.¡±


    Ilsur looked to his wife, and she gestured him forward. The barbarian reached for the handle of the saber and drawing it a centimeter from the sheath, tested his thumb against the edge. Jaromila traced a pointed iron nail across the carved fur of the racing lion dogs carved into the torc.


    ¡°It is good metal,¡± Ilsur said quietly. ¡°It does not sing, but the embers of sun and river ring true, and the blade is sharp.¡±


    ¡°It is good that you recognize our craftsmen¡¯s work,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°I had some concern that such gifts might seem petty in the face of your mineral wealth.¡±


    Ling Qi was glad that Cai Renxiang could so easily adjust to the flow of the conversation.


    ¡°Our lands are blessed with the gifts of the Skyfather,¡± Jaromila agreed. ¡°Yet skilled smiths are rare, so far in the north as we are. Your gifts are appreciated, but the life price will be more important to my people, I think.¡±


    Ling Qi inclined her head slightly. It seemed they really would prefer the wood, regardless of the differences in their value to Emerald Seas. Still, it was a potential point of contention defused. ¡°I offer them in good faith regardless, and more as well, should negotiations go well. It was my understanding though that the people of the cloud disdain digging in the earth.¡±


    ¡°We do,¡± Ilsur said with a shrug. ¡°Yet it is easy to keep taboos when your sheep and horses have grazing grounds, and your children have warmth. The tribes of the frozen hills and low peaks do not have these luxuries.¡±


    ¡°To live under the open sky is best, but it is not always possible,¡± Jaromila agreed. ¡°Crone Winter protects us, but her touch is cruel, even to her true sons and daughters.¡±


    ¡°That is reasonable,¡± Ling Qi said. She could hardly disagree with such a sentiment. ¡°Do all of your people live in redoubts like this then?¡±


    ¡°No. Many settlements center around great gifts of the sky, but most are not like this. The folk care for the earth and cultivate the grazing grounds, the wanderers protect them, facing the night demons in their travels, and we, the Emissaries, connect the gords and speak to the gods,¡± Jaromila answered fondly.


    Ling Qi mulled over the translation. ¡°Gord¡± seemed to be a word indicating a walled city, but it was hard to imagine cities existing on the barren plains she had seen beyond the mountains.


    ¡°How, then, do your folk live?¡± Jaromila asked, taking a longer draw from her drink. ¡°I have only the accounts of my husband and their kin.¡±


    ¡°It is said that you live in great hives like ice mites or wood rats,¡± Ilsur said, drawing some irritated looks from her companions. ¡°But foes often spin fanciful tales.¡±


    Cai Renxiang was the one who answered. ¡°Rivers are typically the focal points of our civic engineering. For transport and for water access, this provides the best results. Our people till and harvest, and we protect them from the dangers and make use of the resources which they provide. As a city grows, new towns are founded further away in a pattern like the spokes radiating from a spinning wheel. Individual towns devote themselves to different specializations, and all prosper.¡±


    There was a brief pause as their cups were all refilled and small refreshments were offered.


    ¡°What is a ¡®gift from the sky¡¯?¡± Cai Renxiang asked, accepting her new cup. ¡°Is it a place of unfrozen waters, or some other point of interest?¡±


    Ling Qi cocked her head, thinking about it. That translation did all seem to be one word in their tongue.


    Jaromila glanced at Ilsur.


    ¡°I have told you before that I have heard of no such thing beyond children¡¯s tales before our wedding upon the walls of the White Sky Citadel,¡± he grunted. ¡°Of course the lowlanders would not know.¡±


    After a moment, Jaromila spoke. ¡°They are the blood of the Sun, cooled and fallen to earth in great masses of metal. Even cooled, the larger cores change the land for many leagues around.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, and she wasn¡¯t the only one. Such a thing was difficult to imagine.


    ¡°And that finishes my answer, lowlander emissary. To take from the gifts granted by the Sky himself breaks no taboo,¡± Ilsur finished.


    ¡°I have,¡± Cai Renxiang said slowly, ¡°heard once of such a thing in the imperial vaults. A shard of the sun was found in the days of the first dynasty. I believe the Empress commissioned a number of scholars to begin a study of it just last decade.¡±


    ¡°What is this ¡®huang-di¡¯?¡± Jaromila asked, studying Cai Renxiang¡¯s expression. ¡°You speak of it with great respect, yet you indicated that your clan was sovereign?¡±


    Ling Qi shared a look with Cai Renxiang before Cai Renxiang took the lead.


    "The Emerald Seas is a collection of clans, each of which rules many smaller clans, and are ruled by my mother,¡± Cai Renxiang explained. ¡°She, and the lords of the other five regions, owe fealty then to the Empress, who is sovereign over them all.¡±


    Ilsur wrinkled his nose in seeming dislike. ¡°Rulers and rulers stacked atop one another. It is a wonder that you lowlanders do not walk with your backs bent like mountain apes.¡±


    ¡°Do not be rude, Ilsur,¡± Jaromila interjected, tapping her knuckles against the table. ¡°To clarify then, you speak only for your confederation, not this huang-di?¡±


    ¡°That is accurate,¡± Cai Renxiang said, dipping her head. ¡°Though again, I must stress that we call it a province. We have latitude in matters of foreign policies. The Empress concerns herself with internal matters.¡±


    Mainly in that the Empire didn¡¯t actually recognize any kind of equivalent powers. It felt bizarre to even imagine such a thing, Ling Qi admitted to herself.


    ¡°If I may ask, Emissary,¡± Ling Qi ventured, ¡°how do your own people organize themselves? It would be helpful to get a more accurate picture of where we stand.¡±


    Jaromila drummed her fingers on the tabletop, the metallic sound ringing through the hall. ¡°The White Sky Confederation is the union of three great clans in alliance with the cloud peoples. We answer to the White Sky Althing and our Winter Matron. The White Sky Althing and our Matron in turn answer to the Great Althing and the Heirophant.


    Ling Qi was the one who responded, processing the implication. ¡°The White Sky belongs to a larger group then?¡±


    ¡°The White Sky is one of four confederations belonging to the Nation of the Polar Gates,¡± Jaromila replied. ¡°Under the guidance of the two hundred and twelfth Great Althing and the thirty-second Hierophant. But as you say of your huang-di, the Great Althing does not concern itself with such matters.¡±


    Again, Ling Qi looked over to Cai Renxiang. Beyond the surprise that the White Sky was part of a larger network of alliances, one thing stuck out to her. The word ¡°Althing,¡± which her ring provided no translation for, seemed like an intrusion from another tongue.


    Sixiang, quiet so far, murmured in her head.


    As Ling Qi pondered this, she found Jaromila¡¯s eyes back on her. ¡°I think before we go on however, you should explain yourself, Emissary Linchee, or I will be troubled by my superiors.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. ¡°First, I should tell you that I do not have any proper claim to that title, nor do I know what it really means.¡±


    ¡°I would be willing to explain, but not before you explain the state of your lineage,¡± Jaromila replied, undeterred.


    ¡°In that case, there is only Hanyi and I,¡± Ling Qi said, gesturing to the girl on the bench behind her, who smiled as angelically as she could manage. ¡°My mentor is no more, and her song lives on in us alone.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunate, and you have my condolences,¡± Jaromila said unhappily. ¡°Does your godmother no longer answer your prayers then? It may be possible to restore the connection when you have achieved further mastery.¡±


    Ling Qi kept her expression studiously blank as she tried to decipher Jaromila¡¯s meaning. She knew what a ¡°godmother¡± was but not in this context. ¡°I feel as if I should clarify,¡± Ling Qi repeated. ¡°I learned my arts directly from the spirit I described to you in our earlier interaction, who called herself Zeqing in our tongue. She was my mentor, and although her essence may return in some form, she is no more.¡±


    Jaromila furrowed her brows in confusion, shooting a look at Hanyi. ¡°You were taught directly by your godmother? Did your mother pass in the¡­ complications then?¡±


    Hanyi¡¯s smile dropped a little.


    ¡°Hanyi is Zeqing¡¯s natural daughter,¡± Ling Qi explained.


    ¡°Yes, a godmother must bless a child in conception, and sometimes, this goes wrong,¡± Jaromila replied patiently but not unkindly. ¡°We are not savages. We understand the dangers of birth. It is good that you keep your sister close despite her injury.¡±


    Ling Qi felt annoyed. ¡°No,¡± she stressed. ¡°My mother is alive and well. Hanyi is Zeqing¡¯s daughter, born between her and a human man. Zeqing only chose to begin teaching me a short time ago, but she did accept me as a true student before the end. What is this ¡®godmother¡¯ business?¡±


    Jaromila stared at her like she had just claimed to be the secret true heir of the Sage Emperor.


    Ilsur glanced at his wife, seeming somewhat concerned. Cai Renxiang had her lips pressed together in a thin line, watching Ling Qi out of the corner of her eye. Ling Qi winced; she might have been too short there.


    Surprisingly, it was Ilsur who answered her question.


    ¡°I do not know all truths of the matter, but I know that when our daughter was conceived, the ¡®godmother¡¯ was present as well,¡± Ilsur said with a grimace and a shiver. ¡°This is how the blessing of winter is propagated, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jaromila agreed shortly, now staring at Hanyi, who shifted uncomfortably. ¡°Spirits of winter do not create life on their own. They must take or touch life that already exists.¡±


    ¡°Well, Momma had me, so you¡¯re wrong,¡± Hanyi muttered.


    Ling Qi shot her a quelling look. There was a tension in the room now. The servants who remained looked to be hiding scandalized or frightened looks, and her companions were tensing up in response.


    ¡°Will this be a problem between us?¡± she asked bluntly.


    ¡°You are clearly of this Zeqing¡¯s lineage. The marks on your soul are clear. It seems that you are the beginning of a lineage rather than the end of one.¡± Jaromila rationalized. ¡°But this daughter¡­ I will need to speak to the Voice on this.¡±


    ¡°Will we require a break in our deliberations then?¡± Cai Renxiang asked politely.


    ¡°Yes. This matter cannot be put aside,¡± Jaromila said. ¡°Your intentions, at least, I believe may be trusted. I will show you to the guest rooms, and we may resume soon.¡±

 Threads 169-Emissary 4

    ¡°This is unfortunate.¡± Cai Renxiang pinched the bridge of her nose.


    They stood in the central room of the small guest suite Jaromila¡¯s servants had guided them to. It was somewhat cramped, but it was warmed by a roaring fire in the gated hearth on the north wall. A low table carved from darkly painted bone sat in the middle, surrounded by sturdy chairs upholstered in thick hide and fur. Four doors arrayed around the room led to small bedrooms.


    Hanyi had flopped back in one of the chairs, the beginnings of a pout on her face. Zhengui, shrunk to his most minimal size, had scuttled beneath her chair.


    ¡°I wanted to avoid misunderstandings over Hanyi¡¯s and my own status,¡± Ling Qi defended. She knew that she had not handled it as best she could however.


    ¡°I am aware of the quirks of your own cultivation, Ling Qi. That does not mean I do not expect you to control them,¡± Cai Renxiang rebuked. ¡°I know that you could have handled the matter more delicately.¡±


    ¡°It does seem like something of a setback, but it is not so bad,¡± Meng Dan offered, resting his hands on the back of a chair. ¡°Are we not still guests? Miss Ling will need to clear up this theological quandary, but in this, too, I believe we may find opportunity yet.¡±


    ¡°I apologize if it is rude, but I would very much like an explanation of this matter,¡± Xia Lin said. She stood ramrod stiff with her arms crossed over her breastplate, casting occasional glances at Hanyi.


    Ling Qi grimaced, understanding her distress. Cai Renxiang was aware of Hanyi¡¯s unique circumstances, but she did not mention it to others, precisely because of the potential misunderstandings. ¡°Hanyi is not human despite her father. She is wholly a spirit due to the circumstances of her conception.¡±


    ¡°I do not think we need to know the precise details,¡± Gan Guangli rumbled, leaning against the wall beside the hearth. Despite his words, he looked uncomfortable. ¡°I trust that Lady Cai would not let anything untoward pass by.¡±


    ¡°As your own senses may tell you, she is no spirit blooded, and the Baroness¡¯ binding is wholly normal,¡± Cai Renxiang summarized shortly.


    Ling Qi understood their discomfort. It was not a thing talked about, but sometimes, the lines between spirit blooded and spirit could be blurry, and sometimes, that led to¡­ problems. Attempting to perform some form of the beast binding ritual on another cultivator was a crime. Successfully doing so required rituals that were also crimes.


    ¡°Please do not take my words as distrust, Lady Cai,¡± Xia Lin said, bowing her head. ¡°The context of this was alarming.¡±


    ¡°It is not normally something worth bringing up for that exact reason,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I admit, it is a little hurtful that you would think such of me though.¡±


    Xia Lin pursed her lips, glancing once more at the now openly pouting Hanyi. ¡°I apologize. This matter is close to my heart, and my reaction was poor.¡±


    Ling Qi wondered at that, but she accepted the apology. ¡°Given the circumstances, I cannot blame you for a mild overreaction.¡±


    Gan Guangli shook his head slowly, still seeming bewildered. ¡°It is good that we do not fight between ourselves, but what are we to do now that we have been left to wait?¡±


    ¡°We must wait, but we should not be idle,¡± Cai Renxiang said. The faint tap of the toe of her boot on the floor was strange; Cai Renxiang was not given to nervous ticks. ¡°We have been instructed to remain on this floor and not to attempt the stairs, nor leave the redoubt without informing them first.¡±


    ¡°Which does not mean we must remain in these rooms,¡± Meng Dan concurred.


    ¡°Yes. I believe it would be good for us to learn more of our hosts in the time we have been given to avoid any further misunderstandings,¡± Cai Renxiang said.


    ¡°Lady Cai is wise,¡± Gan Guangli said. ¡°I am interested in the fellows at the sun shrine we passed on the way here.¡±


    Ling Qi recalled the brightly lit room she had glimpsed with its central pillar carved with many faces and scenes and gilt in gold. Serene men in white robes had been within.


    ¡°I would like more time to focus on examining the mural in the garrison hall,¡± Meng Dan said. I am sure I can manage to draw some of our fine hosts into discussion on their tales.¡±


    ¡°If I am to split from Lady Cai,¡± Xia Lin began slowly. The heiress nodded once, and Xia Lin continued, ¡°Then perhaps, I shall inspect the training hall. If I am to be of use, let me test the ways of their warriors.¡±


    ¡°I will seek out this Ilsur,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°Interrogating his position within this ¡®confederation¡¯ and his influence upon these negotiations is important.¡±


    ¡°I will have to consider my best path, but I need to take a moment to myself first,¡± Ling Qi asserted.


    With that, the group split to their identified tasks.


    ***?


    ¡°I messed things up again. I¡¯m sorry, Big Sis.¡± Hanyi sat on the bed in the little room they¡¯d been provided, kicking her feet.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t.¡± Ling Qi crouched in front of her. ¡°You did nothing wrong. I¡¯m the one who made mistakes.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m the one who¡¯s messed up,¡± Hanyi said glumly. ¡°That mean auntie said I¡¯m broken, and these people think there¡¯s something wrong with me, too.¡±


    Ling Qi scowled, and she felt a faint pressure on her shoulder. Glancing up, she saw Sixiang¡¯s face. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t go getting yourself down in the dumps, squirt. That other ice spirit was a nasty thing, and these folks just don¡¯t know you yet.¡±


    ¡°Sixiang isn¡¯t wrong,¡± Ling Qi insisted. ¡°We don¡¯t know what they think of you yet. I¡¯m sure we can clear things up.¡±


    ¡°I, Zhen, think that Hanyi worries too much as well,¡± the serpent hissed from the bedside. Still shrunken, he barely rose above the bed spread.


    ¡°I think I was just hoping that Momma¡¯s relatives would like me,¡± Hanyi muttered.


    ¡°Hanyi has all the relatives she needs right here,¡± Gui scoffed.


    Ling Qi shot her little brother a look. ¡°I won¡¯t say you''re wrong to feel the way you do, Hanyi,¡± Ling Qi said gently. ¡°But we did just get here. People are still unsure, so let¡¯s try and make a good impression, okay?¡±


    Hanyi let out a little huff as Ling Qi wrapped her in a hug. ¡°I¡¯m not a baby. Big Sis doesn¡¯t have to coddle me.¡±


    She didn¡¯t push Ling Qi away though.


    After a moment, Ling Qi straightened up and offered her hand, helping Hanyi off the bed. With Hanyi and Zhengui following along at her heel, Ling Qi made her way out of the suite of guest rooms and into the hall outside. A single guard from their hosts stood outside, a courtesy more than anything else.


    ¡°Have my companions all gone out?¡± Ling Qi asked briskly.


    The woman, a full head shorter than her, if twice as broad, gave a short nod, her dark braids bouncing with the motion. ¡°They have, Emissary. Do you require guidance?¡±


    Ling Qi hummed to herself, feeling the energies emanating through the cavernous halls. She could sense them well enough to navigate on her own. Harder to miss than those energies was the unnerved looks the guard was shooting at Hanyi.


    ¡°Hey, Miss, I¡¯m not gonna eat you or anything,¡± Hanyi said, putting her hand on her hip.¡±My Big Sis has taught me better than that.¡±


    The guard coughed into her hand, looking uncomfortable. ¡°I am sorry. No offense was meant, Emissary.¡±


    ¡°I am not the one to apologize to,¡± Ling Qi said firmly. ¡°May I ask what it is that has made your folk so uncomfortable around my sister? It predates my hasty words.¡±


    The woman looked like she wanted to squirm under their gazes, but her discipline prevented it. After a long moment, she replied, ¡°Ice children need to feed as the gods do, not as humans do. Most do not act so civilly as your sister, Emissary.¡±


    ¡°Ice children are those who are born wrong?¡± Ling Qi asked to clarify, remembering Jaromila¡¯s words. ¡°Those who don¡¯t take the blessings of winter well?¡±


    The woman nodded, looking deeply uncomfortable. ¡°My aunt, she has a child like that. They are older than I yet have the mind of a child and the hunger of a great wolf¡­ It is not shameful, but sad, yes. Most are worse and must be given to the care of the Maiden and the Voices. I truly mean no offense.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Ling Qi sighed, squeezing Hanyi¡¯s hand for comfort. Maybe it was a good thing she had spoken. Perhaps if Hanyi¡¯s difference was acknowledged by their leaders, those looks would fade.


    Ling Qi led her spirits down the hall under the false sky. It would be best, she thought, to check in with some of her companions before deciding what to do herself.


    ***


    The warmth was palpable in the iron halls long before Ling Qi came into view of the sun shrine. Elsewhere in the foreigners'' redoubt, the air held the chill of an early spring morning, but here, in the hall leading to the shrine, it approached the warmth of a cool summer.


    The shrine itself was a circular chamber with several entrances spaced around its circumference. It was paneled with what Ling Qi now knew to be expensive white wood. The walls were decorated with columns of carved bone depicting spirits and beasts in stylized form. Each was topped by three faces. Facing forward toward the center of the room was the visage of a young man, bright and smiling, with a crown of sunbeams in his golden hair. On the right of the columns was the face of a red bearded man, whose visage was wild-eyed, his teeth bared in what seemed more a snarl than a smile. Last was an old and withered man, whose carved, flowing white beard flowed into the art lower on the column. The man¡¯s face was deeply wrinkled, and his sunken eyelids implied that nothing lay beneath.


    In the center of the shrine was a pool of clear water which sparkled under the light of intense sunlight that emanated from the round stone that floated above it. It seemed like an immense mass of amber shaped carefully into a perfect sphere, and it shone with an inner radiance that was near blinding to look at even for her.


    Ling Qi¡¯s attention was drawn away from the shine and the art by the sound of a familiar strained grunt of effort. She blinked as she looked beyond the shining mass of amber and saw what was happening on the other side.


    There, set in front of the glittering pool, was an altar of black iron topped with speckled white stone, smudged by the ash of countless ceremonies. Around it were gathered the men she had glimpsed before dressed in robes of white marked by varying degrees of stitch and beadwork to break up the plain white. Two chairs were set upon either side of the altar.


    In one of them sat Gan Guangli, and in the other sat an immense foreign man with dark brown hair held in place by an iron circlet that glowed faintly orange with heat and a short beard. A gleaming golden mantle wrapped around his wide shoulders. Their hands were clasped over the altar, their elbows resting upon it, and both were straining mightily against one another, apparently seeking to push each other¡¯s arms one way or the other.


    She could see the veins standing out in Gan Guangli¡¯s neck and the sweat on his brow as millimeter by millimeter, he was forced to give way. The strain on his opponent¡¯s face was no less apparent. A moment after she stepped into the room, the slam of Gan Guangli¡¯s fist hitting the altar top echoed through the shrine followed by laughter from the men around and hearty slaps on the back for both.

 Threads 170-Emissary 5

    At least Gan Guangli seemed to be getting along with them.


    ¡°While I stand by my word. I will not deny your dedication to excellence,¡± the foreign man rumbled as he stood up, flexing his hand.


    ¡°I apologize for my earlier words, Sir Ostrik. They were spoken in ignorance,¡± Gan Guangli said. Standing as well, he bowed his head.


    ¡°Youthful impetuousness, I am well acquainted with it,¡± the older man said, waving off his apology. ¡°But we have guests! My apologies for not noticing your entry, Emissary!¡±


    Ling Qi felt a faint stirring of her old nervousness as all the eyes in the room turned to her. She put aside her discomfort and offered a small bow. ¡°Please do not mind me. I was just hoping to check on my companion and view your shrine.¡±


    The man, Ostrik, gave her a toothy grin and spread his arms wide. ¡°Be welcome then, though it is but a humble place we have built, so far into the wilderness we are.¡±


    ¡°Your carvers and painters have certainly done amazing work,¡± Ling Qi complimented. The faces carved upon the pillars seemed almost alive looking down on her.


    Sixiang murmured.


    ¡°But please, let me introduce myself. I am Ling Qi, and this is my junior sister, Hanyi,¡± Ling Qi said politely. ¡°And Zhengui, my brother, is on my right.¡±


    ¡°I am Ostrik the Sunsoul, keeper of this little place. Be welcome, Lingchee of Tsai,¡± the man boomed. He waved his hand, scattering the lesser priests back to their duties. Gan Guangli followed him as he came around the well. His gaze turned down to her companions, and for once, his expression didn¡¯t fall or change as he stopped in front of them. Ling Qi blinked as he knelt down, reaching under his mantle to rummage for something.


    His hand emerged holding a faintly glowing object. At first, Ling Qi thought it was a spirit stone, but the qi was not right for that. In fact, it looked almost like a sugar candy. He extended his hand to Hanyi and smiled kindly. ¡°Hello there, young miss. I¡¯ve heard good things about you. Do you think you would care for a treat?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not some kind of baby,¡± Hanyi huffed, but she glanced up at Ling Qi. ¡°I guess I¡¯m a little hungry though.¡±


    Ling Qi met Ostrik¡¯s gaze and gave a little nod.


    ¡°I, Zhen, hope that Sir Sunsoul is not going to be stingy,¡± Zhen hissed.


    Ostrik blinked. ¡°What an odd little god to speak like a man, but let none say that I am ungenerous.¡± Two more candies were flicked out and caught in two mouths. Both of Zhengui¡¯s heads hummed in happiness.


    Ostrik dusted off his trousers as he rose back to his full height, towering near a full head over even Ling Qi. ¡°I apologize if I might have overstepped myself, Emissary, but I know it can be difficult to care for children.¡±


    ¡°I do not mind,¡± Ling Qi said slowly, watching Hanyi. She was rolling the candy around in her mouth. Her eyebrows were scrunched together, and she seemed intensely focused on the flavor. ¡°What was the contest between you and my companion about?¡±


    ¡°I spoke too quickly,¡± Gan Guangli explained, dipping his head. ¡°I still find it strange that you would disdain martial valor so, Sir Ostrik, when you are clearly a man of great might.¡±


    ¡°It is not a matter of disdaining valour,¡± Ostrick grunted. ¡°A man should not raise his hands against his fellow man, save in friendly sport.¡±


    ¡°If you do not mind my asking, why is that?¡± Ling Qi asked. It seemed that what she and Meng Dan had learned from the letters was accurate at least.


    The foreign man rubbed his chin thoughtfully, considering her for a long moment before gesturing to the columns. He spoke in a clear, rolling voice that commanded attention. ¡°It is as you see around you. The three aspects of the sun are the three aspects of men: joyous, inspirational Koliada, Lord of the Dawn; raging, mercurial Perkunas, the Stormbringer; and the wise, mysterious Crowfather, who walks beyond the Gates. A man who raises his hands to other men has allowed Perkunas to master him, giving in to his natural tempestuousness and rage. Such a man cannot stand among the suntouched for he is open to the whispers of the Outer Night.¡±


    Gan Guangli frowned during the speech, but she got the impression that he had already heard it. ¡°I am not inclined to agree. Discipline and martial practice go hand in hand.¡±


    ¡°It is good then that you speak to a man as radical as I and my comrades,¡± Osrik said in amusement. ¡°Some of my crustier colleagues regard even sport as too much. But you held up against me in Koliada¡¯s light, so let us argue no more. Perhaps in your strange, northern lands where the Night is weak and the Sun is ascendant, things are different.¡±


    ¡°I will say no more on the matter, Sir Ostrick,¡± Gan Guangli said. ¡°I must say, I was expecting you to defeat me more easily given your power.¡±


    Ostrik¡¯s thick eyebrows rose. ¡°Under the light, such contests are not a matter of strength, but spirit and discipline.¡±


    Ling Qi had been wondering about that. Ostrik seemed like he was at the peak of the third realm, although she was unsure how accurate her senses were among these people. Still, it was a good thing to know that these people differed from their more southerly peers. Something to note for her report.


    ¡°Is that how you come to accept the men of the cloud tribes?¡± Ling Qi asked, drawing his attention back.


    Ostrik¡¯s lips briefly twitched into a grimace. ¡°Yes, it is a hard thing, but they are not quite men as we are, yes? Their beast souls protect them from the whispers of Night. They cannot be suntouched, but their ways do no harm, so far from the Gates.¡±


    He must be referring to the cloud tribes¡¯ cultivation method where they bonded with their mounts to the point of combining cultivation.


    ¡°Let me ask you a question in turn, Emissary,¡± Ostrik said. ¡°Could you explain to me this business with you and these children? The being behind your eyes is certainly the sign of your pact, as your husband¡¯s sun shadow is, but I do not understand what I feel between you.¡±


    She and Gan Guangli shared a look, and Ling Qi grimaced. ¡°Ah, that is another misunderstanding. There are no marriages among our group.¡±


    Sixiang stifled a chuckle in her head.


    Ostrik blinked, a look of mild surprise crossing his features. ¡°Are you seeking to seal a marriage alliance then? That seems hasty for a first meeting.¡±


    ¡°No, we are not,¡± Gan Guangli said a little too quickly.


    ¡°We are not,¡± Ling Qi agreed.


    Ostrik shook his head. He seemed a little disapproving in the look he gave Gan Guangli now. ¡°Well, regardless, you haven¡¯t answered my question, Emissary.¡±


    ¡°It is difficult to explain quickly,¡± Ling Qi said, looking down to Zhengui, who was now peering around curiously at the room. Zhen seemed a little hypnotized, staring into the light radiating from the amber at the center of the chamber. ¡°Under the imperial methods, a cultivator¡±¡ªseeing Ostrik''s incomprehension of the word, she corrected herself¡ª¡°a person of power can choose to join their qi with a spirit or beast. The spirit or beast provides strength and companionship to the person, and the person offers the spirit or beast new avenues of growth.¡±


    ¡°So it is like the bonds of the cloud folk, but less deep and permanent,¡± Ostrik mused, combing his fingers through his beard. ¡°Yes, I suppose that makes some sense.¡±


    Ling Qi pressed her lips into a thin line. It really wasn¡¯t the same at all.


    Sixiang chided.


    Maybe, Ling Qi allowed grudgingly. It wasn¡¯t worth arguing over.


    ¡°Hey, Mister Ostrik, do you have another one of those candies?¡± Hanyi piped up from her side, smiling sweetly.


    The foreigner let out a chuff of laughter and reached under his mantle to procure another. ¡°Only one more, young miss. You¡¯ll get yourself sick otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Hanyi chirped, all but snatching it out of his hand.


    It was amazing how fast that girl¡¯s mood could turn around. ¡°Well, thank you for your time and kindness, sir. Will you be staying a while, Gan Guangli?¡±


    ¡°I think I should like to,¡± Gan Guangli said. ¡°If Sir Ostrik would allow it, I would enjoy conversing further on our differences and similarities.¡±


    ¡°I can free the afternoon, particularly for a young man in so much danger given the sensitivity of all this,¡± Ostrik said primly. ¡°Better you stay with me than find yourself in the barracks.¡±


    Ling Qi coughed. The implication was bizarre. The foreigner sounded like a scolding grandmother. Gan Guangli¡¯s expression screwed up in disbelief as well.


    ¡°Well,¡± Ling Qi said a touch too loudly, ¡°I meant to ask, Sir Ostrik, is there a place like this for those of my type? If I am to speak in the role I have been labeled as, I think I should understand your customs better.¡±


    The sun priests were interesting, and she had definitely learned more about how these people organized themselves socially, no matter how strange it was, but she still needed to learn what the title they assigned her meant.


    Ostrik looked thoughtful as he nodded. ¡°I suppose so. You¡¯ll find the shrine of winter, the lesser one at least, further along this hall here.¡± He gestured to the entrance on the far wall. He gave her a series of directions, and with a final bow, Ling Qi parted ways, leaving Gan to his discussion on the nature of the Sun with the older man.


    The path she took was not a long one, though it took many turns. This place, Ling Qi decided, would be a nightmare to invade with peer forces. She trailed her fingers along the wall and found herself unable to press through the dense, qi-rich iron. It was like trying to push through another cultivator.


    As she drew closer to the shrine, the painted sky overhead began to burst into the rich colors of sunset and then faded into black. With every step she took, the light dimmed. Had she been a mortal still, it would have been pitch black by the time the passage opened into a tall cylindrical room with a domed roof.


    Arranged around the room, she saw three statues of iron, their heads near the ceiling some five meters up. On the left was a young woman in rich furred regalia. A spiked crown similar to what Jaromila had worn in battle rested on her head. A scepter was clasped in her right hand and raised toward the roof, and her left hand clasped a sparkling orb of crystal to her chest.


    In the center was a mature woman, whose hands held weapons of gleaming blue ice, a pair of axes raised over her head. The mature woman¡¯s expression was a defiant snarl, and her hair hung loose and wild about her shoulders. Scandalously, the woman was garbed in only the hide and fur of some unidentifiable beast, wrapped around her shoulders like the cloak. The rest of her body was wholly bare and rendered in uncomfortable detail.


    On the right was a crone. Hideous, with sagging jowls, a pointed chin, a bulbous nose, and wild straw-like hair, the crone bent over a table and held a mortar and pestle in her hands. She was garbed in shapeless robes and furs, and her expression was a snaggle-toothed smile exposing crooked fangs. A necklace of human skulls hung about her neck.


    For a long moment, Ling Qi¡¯s gaze lingered on the crone. Something in the cold iron visage resonated with the chilling note of silence and endings which she had cultivated in the form of the Frozen Soul Serenade and the Starless Night¡¯s Reflection arts. More than that, there was something lonely there in the hunched shoulders and shadowed, wrinkle-lined face.


    Ling Qi felt Hanyi squeeze her hand then. She glanced down at Hanyi, and the spirit looked back curiously. ¡°Why¡¯d we stop, Big Sister?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Ling Qi said quietly. It seemed disrespectful to speak loudly in this place. ¡°Let¡¯s take a look.¡±

 Threads 171 Emissary 6

    She wasn¡¯t sure what she had expected. Something more like the sun shrine, perhaps? But this place was empty save for her and her spirits, and the silence in it hung heavy like a thick cloak. Overhead, the ceiling twinkled with a thousand points of light like a clear night sky, and frost dusted the bare iron floor. The walls behind the statue were bare, but Ling Qi could sense twisting patterns of temperature in the black iron. She thought the patterns might have formed images, but her sense for that sort of thing wasn¡¯t clear enough to make them out. At her side, Zhengui¡¯s every step made a faint sizzling sound as the frost under his feet melted, and twin risers of steam arose from his mouths.


    The eyes of the statues seemed to fall upon her, twinkling and aware. The feeling of being watched made the back of her neck itch. As she approached the statue of the young woman, she glanced down at the floor and the pattern on tile that lay under the carpet of frost. At the center was a circle of polished blue and white surrounded by larger and larger concentric rings. On the next ring out was a sphere of tarnished silver, and the next ring had a circle of gold on the opposite side. Smaller circles of varying colors marked the rings that radiated out. It took a second for Ling Qi to realize what it was. Images from a book she had read while figuring out the vagaries of stellar and lunar qi came to mind. It was a depiction of the heavenly spheres.


    The people of the Polar Gates had pretty advanced astronomy.


    ¡°Gui does not like this place very much,¡± her little brother muttered, stretching his neck from his shell to look at the statue depicting an older woman¡¯s snarling face.


    ¡°Gui should not whine,¡± Zhen hissed. He faced backward, eyeing the crone statue suspiciously.


    His voice shook her from her thoughts, and Ling Qi looked up at the statue looming overhead. The statue of the young woman was cold and metallic, yet nearly alive in its shape and silhouette. The folds of her iron gown seemed ready to rustle and move with the wind, and her chest seemed ready to begin rising and falling. An orb held to her chest gleamed with contained power. The young woman¡¯s expression was resolute, and the line of her back and the set of her shoulders screamed of confidence and poise. Blue light sparked in the eyes of cold iron, and Ling Qi¡¯s breath hitched.


    Pride.


    Pride and rule. Guidance and responsibility.


    She felt as if she knelt once more before the throne of Xiangmen, pierced by the sight of something wholly beyond her.


    She felt small. What pride did she have? What right did she have to guide anyone? She was just a foolish girl who struggled to balance her own time and family. Even now, she wasn¡¯t strong; she was always trailing behind others.


    She was still so often afraid.


    Imperious blue eyes stared back at her. They judged her.


    Ling Qi caught her breath then, staring once more at a visage of iron. She found herself subtly straightening her own shoulders as she looked on, feeling a stirring of pride in her chest. It was a spark of heat at first, and then a growing warmth.


    Though the final leg had been dangerous and painful, had they not made it here? Had they not crossed through most of the Wall in a matter of weeks? Had she not grown as far as she had in less than two years, shooting up to tread just behind the prodigies of great houses? Had she not done so without abandoning her family and responsibilities and becoming a hermit cultivator?


    Things were far from over, and their actions--her actions¡ªmight still change the path of nations, if only in a small way. She couldn¡¯t claim full credit for that, but there was no point in shrinking from the accomplishment.


    Yes, she was still just a child lacking in clarity and decisiveness, but that would come in time.


    The moment passed, and worry and self-recriminations for mistakes returned to nibble at her thoughts. The injection of pride still burned in her spine, but she had to wonder what it had meant. Why had she thought of herself as a child? Was it Black Skies Yearning¡¯s words haunting her? Was it simply her weakness?


    Ling Qi took a shuddering breath and lowered her eyes from the statue¡¯s face. Clapping her hands twice, she bowed her head.


    ¡°I think I like her,¡± Hanyi said. Beside her, the young spirit looked up, her expression one of admiration. There was no sign that she had felt any of what Ling Qi had. ¡°I wanna be a lady like that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get there,¡± Ling Qi said, touseling her hair. She couldn¡¯t even disagree. It would be nice to be so self-assured and powerful.


    Sixiang murmured.


    ¡°You¡¯re not, most of the time,¡± Ling Qi agreed, drawing a curious look from her other spirits. Despite Sixiang¡¯s words, it did come down to power though. Without it, she couldn¡¯t accomplish anything.


    Examining the lower portion of the statue, the dais it stood upon, Ling Qi wondered what the appropriate offerings for these foreign gods were. She saw no place for incense, but¡­ Ah, there was a well hidden grate. Libations, then?


    As she was pondering this she heard the faint brush of cloth against the floor at the entrance of the chamber and turned her head. There, she saw a young woman in a plain brown robe belted at the waist and marked by repeating, stitched patterns. Her head and the upper half of her face was covered by a black headwrap. In one hand, she held a stone bucket filled with water, and in the other, a somewhat ragged piece of cloth.


    They were clearly the tools of a cleaner, but bafflingly, the girl felt like a third realm, if a new one, to her senses. It was more startling that she hadn¡¯t noticed the other girl sooner.


    The most alarming thing though was that the girl had no heartbeat. Ling Qi could feel her breathing, but there was no pulse in her chest nor warmth in her veins. Yet Ling Qi was quite certain that she was human and not a spirit.


    The other girl seemed startled as well. The water in the bucket sloshed as she came to a sudden stop. ¡°Forgiveness for my intrusion, Emiss¡ª¡± the girl began to say only to stall and fall silent as she turned her blindfolded head, first toward Hanyi and then Zhengui.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I am only a visitor,¡± Ling Qi said, studying her. The other girl¡¯s hands were covered by dark blue gloves. In fact, the only part of the girl visible was the narrow slice of flesh around her pale blue lips, as well as her neck. ¡°I apologize if my presence is inappropriate.¡±


    ¡°The lesser shrine is open to all. I am merely here to clean, Emissary,¡± the girl demurred, holding the rag up to her chest. The liquid in the bucket sloshed with the motion and Ling Qi realized that it must be some kind of oil, both from the scent and the fact that it wasn¡¯t frozen. ¡°I will wait if you require more time for communion.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine,¡± Ling Qi said with a faint frown. Hanyi ignored the newcomer, continuing to stare up at the statue of the young woman. Gui eyed the girl warily at her side, though Zhen¡¯s gaze remained fixed on the statue of the old lady. She turned back to the statue. ¡°Why is no one here? The other shrine was much more lively.¡±


    She heard the shuffle of the girl¡¯s cloth slippers on the frosted ground as she entered the shrine behind Ling Qi, moving toward the central statue of the older woman. There was still no heartbeat, even as she strained to hear it. ¡°This is a small and peaceful outpost. The warriors do not need to offer blood to Fryja, nor silver to the Crone often outside of their holy days, and Lady Jaromila and the Voice have their own worship place for Sudica.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed in response, looking up at the regal figure before her. ¡°This is ¡®Sudica¡¯ then?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Emissary.¡± The girl knelt before the middle statue, and there was a sound of splashing liquid before the girl began to polish the dais, scrubbing away the faint stains of old blood. That made the scandalous woman with the axes ¡°Fryja¡± by process of elimination.


    ¡°I admit, I am very far from home. These names and faces you give to the great...¡± Calling great spirits ¡°gods¡± wasn¡¯t in fashion among imperial cultivators, but it seemed to be here. ¡°... the gods are unfamiliar to me. It seems to me that the Sun should be matched to the Moon, but that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case here.¡±


    There was a moment of quiet as the girl continued her cleaning work.


    ¡°The moon is only part of the night sky and the cold it brings.¡± The girl seemed bemused. ¡°The bright moons are the lantern of Sudica illuminating the night and its terrors. The crescents are the axes of Fryja, raised against the stars. The black moon is the cloak of the Crone, thrown over the world that good folk know to close their homes and pray, so that her curses touch only the demons of the night.¡±


    Sixiang complained to Ling Qi.


    Perhaps, Ling Qi thought, considering the statue above her. Or perhaps they just didn¡¯t know enough to see the connections yet.


    ¡°Hey, how come you¡¯re dead?¡± Gui asked sharply, startling her. He rarely spoke out of turn. At her side, he had grown larger, not taking his eyes off the girl.


    ¡°Zhengui,¡± Ling Qi hissed chidingly. She gave him a stern look, and his head sank. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. That was a rude insinuation.¡±


    The girl looked puzzled, turning her head towards them from where she knelt on the floor. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I think?... Lady Emissary, what is that spirit at your side?¡±


    ¡°Zhengui is my companion and...¡± Ling Qi paused. It was probably better to avoid confusion. ¡°... little brother. Not by blood, of course.¡±


    Zhen briefly pulled his eyes away from the Crone to peer up at her.


    The girl looked even more puzzled after her answer. ¡°I see. Do your lands lie at the northern gates then?¡±


    Ling Qi was growing concerned that she and the girl were talking past each other now. ¡°I do not think so,¡± she said slowly.


    ¡°Oh, that makes more sense,¡± the girl said to herself. ¡°The tales always said the northern gates were a world away. Your spirit feels like the spirits of the earthflames that ring the Polar Gates.¡±


    Gui perked up. ¡°Gui is new, but Gui is very good at making fire come out of earth.¡±


    ¡°I, Zhen, am better,¡± his other half muttered. ¡°But why does Nameless Girl have no heart if she is not dead?¡±


    Ling Qi winced. He wasn¡¯t letting that go. ¡°Zhengui, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s just an effect¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± the girl said, wringing out her rag. ¡°I offered my heart and eyes to my godmother as my ascension price,¡± she said proudly. ¡°It was a dangerous choice, but I¡¯m certain it was the right one. I will complete my first quest and craft a new heart before my mortal one decays.¡±


    Ling Qi stared at the blindfolded girl. She couldn¡¯t actually mean¡­


    Sixiang observed.


    For once, Ling Qi didn¡¯t even chide Sixiang for peeping. Instead, she just recalled her time in the burning library and the book Hanyi had brought about the mountain folk and their self-mutilating cultivation practices. She had thought it was just an imperial exaggeration.


    Apparently not.


    ¡°Oh, wow. You can just make yourself a new one? That¡¯s so cool!¡± Hanyi piped up, finally drawn into the conversation.


    The girl beamed, looking pleased at the praise.


    Ling Qi looked back at the statue of Sudica. Clearing her throat, she said, ¡°If I may ask, I am unfamiliar with the names that your people give to the great¡ªthe gods. Could you tell me more of Sudica? She seems like the patron of emissaries.¡±


    ¡°She was the first,¡± the girl explained. ¡°When the Daniar and the other new tribes arrived through the gates, Sudica and her sisters were those who wisely saw that allowing old and new tribes to war would only bring victory to the Outer Night. She gathered the first Great Althing and laid down the first laws of the confederation. In her apotheosis, she became the face of early winter who prepares us for the Night.¡±


    So, an ascended cultivator. Something kind of like the Sage Emperor for them then. ¡°Is that what the emissaries do then? They keep everyone connected?¡±


    Nodding, the blindfolded girl set down her rag. ¡°Yes, to be an emissary is to be one who speaks to both the gods and kings and ensures that the conflict between wanderers and landsfolk does not rise to the level of kinstrife. To have been given as an initiate to the cult of the Threefold Winter is a great honor.¡±


    Well, they said that these three were not just the Moon, but it certainly sounded similar enough, albeit with three aspects instead of eight. This Sudica seemed to blend the Reflective and Guiding Moons.


    ¡°Thank you for your time,¡± Ling Qi said, bowing her head. It was a small thing, but Ling Qi felt more certain about how to act now. She was glad that she had approached the way she had thus far. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry, but your name¡­¡±


    ¡°I have not earned my true name, but right now, I am Initiate Sveta, Emissary,¡± the girl replied.


    ¡°And I am Emissary Ling Qi,¡± she returned. ¡°I will let you get on with your tasks and stop distracting you then.¡±


    ¡°It is no trouble. I can clean and speak,¡± Sveta said cheerfully. Really, her attitude was disconcertingly at odds with her appearance. ¡°If time allows, might I be allowed to ask what faces of the Goddess you follow, Emissary?¡±


    ¡°I suppose,¡± Ling Qi replied. It would only be polite.


    ***


    By the time she left the shrine, a fair amount of time had passed. Sveta had been baffled by her explanations. She saw the Crone in the Hidden Moon, but Ling Qi¡¯s other patrons seemed to not match up well.


    They were very manly apparently. Sixiang hadn¡¯t stopped snickering for a while after that.


    Still, as they left, Ling Qi¡¯s gaze turned back to her little brother. He had been quiet during the ensuing conversation. ¡°What were you seeing, Zhengui?¡± she asked gently as they left the shrine and Sveta behind.


    ¡°Destruction,¡± hissed the serpent, bereft of his usual aplomb. ¡°Zhen sees Winter. It is as hungry as fire.¡±


    ¡°Well, duh, I could have told you that,¡± Hanyi said. She walked with her hands behind her head, wholly relaxed. She had liked the shrine.


    ¡°Hanyi eats a lot, but not that much,¡± Gui muttered.


    Hanyi shot him a dark look, which seemed not to affect the shrunken tortoise.


    Ling Qi¡¯s attention remained on Zhen.


    ¡°I, Zhen, think I have learned something. I am looking forward to working with Big Sister more,¡± he said, still seeming lost in thought.


    ¡°Me too,¡± Ling Qi agreed. It really was past time for her to stop waffling on some things. She had no right to the pride the statue had thrust into her head, but it was true that she had let herself lack clarity for too long on some matters.


    A heavy footfall reached her ears from up the hall. Ling Qi looked up curiously and felt the approach of Gan Guangli. He rounded the corner shortly thereafter. He looked both thoughtful and a little harassed.


    ¡°Ah, Miss Ling, there you are!¡± he said, waving to her from down the hall.


    ¡°Gan Guangli?¡± Ling Qi asked, nonplussed. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, no,¡± he dismissed with a nervous chuckle as they met in the hall. ¡°Sir Osrik was just insistent that I find you if I was leaving.¡±


    Ling Qi raised an eyebrow.


    Gan Guangli¡¯s shoulders sagged, and when he spoke, it was at a much lower volume than his usual boom. ¡°Is this what it is like to be an unmarried young lady? Treated as if you cannot possibly fend for yourself?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know,¡± Ling Qi said wryly. ¡°I¡¯ve hardly been a lady long.¡±


    Gan Guangli sighed. ¡°I suppose. Still, as kind and knowledgeable as Sir Osrik was, I found the need to go somewhere less stifling. Where did you plan to go next?¡±


    Ling Qi hummed to herself. The group should start gathering back up soon to discuss their findings.


    ¡°To the dining hall,¡± she decided. ¡°I can sense Meng Dan around that way.¡±


    ¡°Allow me to follow your lead then, Miss Ling.¡±

 Threads 172 Emissary 7

    ¡°Big Sister, Zhen and Gui are going to go back now, okay?¡± Gui spoke up, surprising her. She looked down at him to find Zhen coiled atop their shell, looking pensive, and Gui looking up at her.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Ling Qi reached down to pat each of his heads once. He seemed really deep in thought about something. Zhengui¡¯s form wavered and then dissolved, returning to her dantian.


    Hanyi frowned at the space he had been standing in, but just shook her head as Ling Qi straightened back up. ¡°Hmph, just running off to nap again. Guess I could use a break too.¡± She vanished into her dantian as well.


    ¡°Is Sir Zhengui well, Miss Ling?¡± Gan Guangli asked as they started down the hallway. The startled servant in the hall stared at them with wide eyes as they passed.


    ¡°He is.¡± Ling Qi didn¡¯t think he was hurt or sad, just thoughtful. ¡°Anyway, what did you and Sir Ostrik end up talking about?¡±


    ¡°Mostly the nature of the Sun and its meaning to their people,¡± Gan Guangli answered. ¡°It seemed strange to me that they would acknowledge the Sun as a fighter, one who banishes the dark, yet thinks of his devotees the way they do.¡±


    ¡°That is odd,¡± Ling Qi agreed. She hadn¡¯t really thought of that.


    ¡°It seems that it was not always so, but those devoted to their Sun¡¯s warrior aspect were the party of some great failure or betrayal,¡± Gan Guangli said pensively. ¡°Sir Ostrik did not speak of it directly, but it has caused them to see men as being inherently unstable and violent, and only intense self-discipline and pacifism allows them to control their emotions and actions as well as a woman. It is¡­ frustrating.¡±


    Gan Guangli sounded aggrieved. Ling Qi had to wonder about what could have caused such an attitude. ¡°Why, then, is their war aspect still worshipped in their temple?¡± Ling Qi wondered.


    ¡°He is regarded as a bringer of storms and strife, but also fertility. He is¡­ appeased until the great spirit called Fryja can¡±¡ªGan Guangli grimaced¡ª¡°tame him each year. It seems that there are some devoted to him specifically as well, but Sir Ostrik would not discuss them. He seemed to regard it as scandalous.¡±


    ¡°And he wouldn¡¯t want to put any ideas in your poor impressionable head,¡± Ling Qi said dryly as they rounded a corner. A pair of torches lit the way ahead, warming the icy halls.


    Gan Guangli grunted in affirmation. ¡°Their Crowfather seems an oddity. None begin devoting themselves to his path. He is a spirit of fall, wisdom, old age, and widowers. It seems common for men of their land to outlive their wives, and among their priests, this means making oaths to the Crowfather. They, it seems, are trusted to do violence as they leave their communities to wander and carry news and stories between settlements during the deep winter. They are empowered to hunt demons and outlaws. How can one change their way so drastically late in life though?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Ling Qi admitted. It seemed bizarre. Anyone of the third realm or above would probably be set in their way by the time they reached old age. Anyone less powerful wouldn¡¯t survive outside in the winter, surely?


    ¡°Indeed. Sir Ostrik did not seem to understand the question.¡± Gan Guangli grunted, crossing his arms. ¡°We spoke on it for a time, but I believe we only succeeded at confusing each other. I begin to think their cultivation does not resemble ours nearly so much as our senses indicate.¡±


    Ling Qi thought back to the girl who had removed her own heart and eyes as an act of cultivation and couldn¡¯t help but agree.


    Sixiang thought. Ling Qi supposed that was true.


    ¡°Still, although I understand them better, I cannot accept what Sir Ostrik says,¡± Gan Guangli said with a frown. ¡°I cannot accept the idea that a man should be so passive. What use is the strength in my arms if I do not use them?¡±


    ¡°Well, unless our lady decides you¡¯re going to be a permanent ambassador, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem, right?¡± Ling Qi chuckled.


    ¡°I suppose you are right, Miss Ling,¡± Gan Guangli said. ¡°Now, let us find our companion and hope that he has had a less distressing time.¡±


    ***


    They found Meng Dan standing before the murals in the dining hall, flanked by a pair of the foreigners. It was two women divested of the thick furs and armor they wore outside; they looked a bit less broad than had been Ling Qi¡¯s initial impression, but they were still rather thickly built and muscular. As they approached, she heard Meng Dan say something masked by the pleasant tune of his screening art, and both of the women seemed to laugh.


    The dining hall was otherwise nearly empty, other than the quiet servants doing the cleaning and a handful of other soldiers still nursing cups. It seemed that dinnertime was well past. Ling Qi wondered at that. Did they not lose their appetites as they cultivated? That could be a disadvantage. Then again, perhaps it was simply a cultural more or matter of morale.


    As Ling Qi¡¯s wisp fled back to her and she approached the room, one of the women clapped a hand on Meng Dan¡¯s shoulder and leaned in to whisper something in his ear. She couldn¡¯t get a look at Meng Dan¡¯s reaction though. As they entered the room, the women turned to leave through the other exit and Meng Dan turned toward Ling Qi and Gan Guangli.


    ¡°Hello, Miss Ling, Sir Gan. You¡¯ve finished your own investigations then?¡± he asked pleasantly.


    ¡°As much as was polite,¡± Ling Qi said, dipping her head in his direction.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Gan¡¯s voice was regaining a bit of his usual boom. ¡°It seems you¡¯ve managed to find friendly conversation as well, my friend.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes, these folk are quite friendly and accommodating,¡± Meng Dan said cheerfully, turning back to face the mural. ¡°They were quite impressed with my capacity for drink.¡±


    ¡°Impressed with your what?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°That is an amusing face, Miss Ling.¡± Meng Dan laughed, covering his mouth with his sleeve. ¡°But yes, due to my clan¡¯s cultivation arts, I am quite immune to even very powerful befuddling substances. I certainly appreciated the unique flavor of the liquor though. Some manner of barley derivative at base, I think. I would need some study and time to discern the other ingredients.¡±


    Gan Guangli laughed as well, drawing looks from several of the servants. ¡°Truly not a method I would expect of you, Sir Meng!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t take you for a carouser,¡± Ling Qi put in.


    ¡°I am not, not near as much as my kin at least.¡± Meng Dan adjusted his spectacles. ¡°But the Meng venerate the Dreaming quite strongly. I could hardly be a teetotaler.¡±


    ¡°What did you find while you were socializing then?¡± Ling Qi asked, leaning against one of the columns.


    ¡°A few useful things, and very many interesting ones,¡± Meng Dan replied. ¡°For example, I am quite certain that our prince and the mountain folk he came from were largely the members of this Sibiar polity, rather than our hosts, Alaniar.¡±


    Gan Guangli stroked his chin thoughtfully. ¡°That is a misfortune then. Our arguments will be weakened, won¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Less than you may think,¡± Meng Dan disagreed. ¡°Ultimately, full agreement of our desired treaty will require conferring with the other members of their confederation, and the two seem to be close allies, or at least I detected no more than a sense of friendly rivalry toward them when speaking with my companions.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not ideal, but I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a fair amount of intermarriage between them,¡± Ling Qi mused. If tribes were comparable to clans and confederations to provinces, it would be stranger if there weren¡¯t familial relations between them.


    ¡°Right you are, Miss Ling,¡± Meng Dan said. ¡°One of my companions mentioned having a Sibiar grandfather. It seems such a thing is not uncommon. More importantly, I have managed to discern some other matters. It would be better to speak of them with everyone though.¡±


    ¡°Understandable,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°What about their history then? I¡¯ve picked up a few things, but they don¡¯t make much sense.¡±


    ¡°Now that is a fascinating topic,¡± Meng Dan said, a twinkle of excitement in his eyes. ¡°The mural behind us depicts something of a myth history.¡±


    ¡°Like the exploits of the three kings?¡± Gan Guangli asked, looking up toward the mural.


    Zhi the conqueror, Yao the Fisher, and Tsu the Diviner were the three legendary kings who ruled great kingdoms before the Empire formed, Ling Qi knew. Bai Meizhen and her clan claimed direct descent from the Fisher, making them one of the oldest clans in the Empire.


    ¡°Quite so. You see here,¡± Meng Dan said, pointing toward the beginning of the mural. ¡°In their early tales, they speak of a period not unlike our early histories of misery and woe, mankind living in fleeting bands under harsh conditions. There are few references to dragons and beasts however. Instead, their early cultural foes seem to be these giants.¡±


    Ling Qi squinted at the part of the mural he was pointing at. She had taken the dark shapes looming over the ragged wanderers to be hills or mountains in the stylized style, but now that she looked closer, she saw subtle indications of faces and limbs. ¡°I¡¯d say it reminds me of the fortress we stand in.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I was able to hear a few tales of the theft of power and runes from these giants,¡± Meng Dan said. ¡°But that is not what is depicted here. Instead, it is the formation of their nation. The inciting event seems to be the arrival of people from ¡®beyond the gates.¡¯ It is difficult discerning what they mean by that.¡±


    ¡°The young priestess I spoke to did mention something about the arrival of the ¡®new tribes,¡¯¡± Ling Qi offered, examining the next panel.


    ¡°So far as I can tell, there seems to be a place far in the south where the material world breaks down entirely into the liminal,¡± Meng Dan said, peering up at the white swathed figures depicted in the mural. ¡°Their legends state that the new fair-haired tribes arrived through it, fleeing some calamity. This calamity followed them and sealed the path behind. Then there is more familiar ground. Supposedly, malevolent spirits descended from the stars and emerged from the ¡®gates¡¯ to make war on them. They seemed to be wraiths of some sort, twisting and possessing other creatures rather than possessing forms of their own.¡±


    ¡°That would seem to mesh with my own findings,¡± Gan Guangli said, drumming his fingers on his elbow.


    Ling Qi hummed her own agreement. She had wondered why Jaromila seemed so different from her kin in coloration. She had thought it might be a matter of cultivation, but perhaps she just had blood from one of these new tribes.


    ¡°I suppose this must be their founding and the building of the gates then,¡± Gan Guangli said, peering at the scenes of war and turning to follow it across the other wall.


    ¡°Yes, that is where the most confusing bit of terminology crops up,¡± Meng Dan agreed. ¡°The Polar Gates seem to refer specifically to the great fortification built to keep these enemies out, as well as the spatial anomaly that lies beyond it. Or so my translating arts tell me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s definitely interesting. I wonder if that thing in the sky is a manifestation of that,¡± Ling Qi mused.


    Sixiang grumbled.


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Meng Dan allowed. ¡°My companions were quiet on the matter and refused to speak of the phenomena in the sky. Some cultural taboo, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°We will have to investigate matters further then,¡± Gan Guangli rumbled. ¡°Whatever it is, it is a hazard.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°But now that we¡¯ve found you, Meng Dan, I think we should head back. We need to see what everyone has found.¡±


    ***


    Ling Qi stepped back and sat down as she finished delivering the information she had gathered. They were once again gathered in the guest suite they had been assigned, gathered around the round table in the center of the room. Cai Renxiang sat across from Ling Qi with her hands steepled in front of her face.


    ¡°The insight you have gained into their cultivation methods is useful,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°These people are rigid in their cultivation, I think. Their ways do not seem to promote deception. If the history Meng Dan has recounted is true, it seems to have served them well.¡±


    ¡°It does seem so,¡± Meng Dan agreed, leaning back in his chair. ¡°Though it makes me wonder at the cloud tribes¡¯ part in this alliance. I would expect them to chafe badly under such a restrictive society.¡±


    ¡°It seems likely that it is less a matter of alliance and more one of vassalization. The cloud people can be made to submit,¡± Xia Lin said. ¡°Perhaps these White Sky folk are simply wise enough to allow them to keep some pride during the assimilation. Their social structure seems to allow such regionalism.¡±


    ¡°It is possible,¡± Cai Renxiang allowed. ¡°But I do not believe it is so simple. Despite my difficulty in dealing with that tribesman, nothing in his demeanor indicated defeat or submission to me.¡±


    ¡°It is not strange for the loyalty of a subjugated peoples leadership to be bought with status and favor,¡± Gan Guangli pointed out. ¡°However, that is not the impression I received either.¡±


    ¡°What were you able to learn from Jaromila¡¯s husband, Lady Cai?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    Cai Renxiang furrowed her brow in frustration. ¡°Very little. He remained upon the very edge of politeness during our conversation until he simply left without a further word and retreated up the stairs where we are not permitted. I received the impression that he found my presence unpleasant, but it seemed more disquiet than hate or anger.¡±


    ¡°Odd. He did not seem much bothered during the meeting of our groups,¡± Meng Dan noted .


    ¡°Regardless, I was able to determine that he is the youngest son of his tribe¡¯s khan, and that his father has also married into the Alaniar. There are other tribes than his that have been made part of this as well, though I was not able to learn specifics. There was some mention of a schism after a great meeting of the tribes held far to the east of here. It seems there is a tribal holy site in the lands south of the grave.¡±


    ¡°Strange that he would reveal that,¡± Xia Lin said. ¡°The cloud people are wary of letting important locations slip given the strategic weakness they have on the defense.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Cai Renxiang acknowledged. ¡°Xia Lin, did your tour offer anything of interest?¡±


    Xia Lin, who stood at attention beside Cai Renxiang, nodded once. It was hard to read her emotions as she seemed to have adopted the shell of near mechanical discipline that she had worn at their first meeting. Ling Qi thought that she must be feeling stressed.


    ¡°Our hosts seem to be a boisterous people and open to contests of martial skill from visitors,¡± Xia Lin reported in a clipped tone. On the other side of Cai Renxiang, Gan Guangli looked briefly disgruntled. ¡°If I might offer some small insight, their warriors seemed very bored.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± Cai Renxiang asked.


    ¡°It is difficult to put into words,¡± Xia Lin said slowly. ¡°But their demeanor held a certain... silliness that I have only seen among soldiers too long left on light duty or deployed in a peaceful region.¡±


    ¡°Silliness?¡± Meng Dan asked, cocking an eyebrow.


    For a second, Xia Lin¡¯s eyes darted to the side, and Ling Qi could have sworn she saw the girl¡¯s cheeks darken. Sixiang hummed thoughtfully in her head.


    ¡°A coping mechanism. In the lower realms, discipline will inevitably suffer some decay when there is no action, even under the best of drill,¡± Xia Lin said stiffly. ¡°It is thus my belief that this fortress is likely considered a light duty station.¡±


    ¡°Useful information.¡± Cai Renxiang nodded toward Xia Lin. ¡°We might assume that any tribes within easy striking distance have been pacified then¡­ one way or another.¡±


    ¡°Their reach is longer than we thought then,¡± Gan Guangli said. ¡°What I would give for a well made map¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have contributed to the first steps toward getting one,¡± Ling Qi said thoughtfully. ¡°Meng Dan, you said earlier that you had something you didn¡¯t want to speak of out in the open, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Cai Renxiang¡¯s gaze flicked from her to Meng Dan, who dipped his head.


    ¡°I was able to get a small amount of information on this ¡®Sky Palace,¡¯¡± Meng Dan said, drawing surprised looks from everyone else. ¡°My hosts underestimated their own fortitude.¡±


    Ling Qi thought that Meng Dan¡¯s usual smile looked a little smug for a moment there.


    ¡°Firstly, the project seems to be a matter of some pride as they spoke of it as something which would improve their standing within the Confederation significantly,¡± Meng Dan continued. ¡°It also seems that the cloud tribes are not merely a labor force for the project. Something about their contribution is vital to it.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned. They had assumed the cloud tribes were merely doing labor because their grasp of formation craft was generally primitive by imperial standards, relying on the quality of the material and binding minor spirits to the objects rather than proper enhancement.


    ¡°Were you able to get more information than that?¡± Cai Renxiang asked.


    ¡°Alas, my new friends caught themselves. Luckily, the demeanor of oblivious simplicity I had put on kept them from being incensed by my prodding,¡± Meng Dan replied. ¡°I could not push my luck further though.¡±


    ¡°Still, also useful information. More than we had acquired so far.¡± Cai Renxiang gave him a nod as well.


    They all fell silent then, sensing the approach of a person other than their perfunctory guard at the door. A moment later, there was a quiet knock. Cai Renxiang glanced toward Xia Lin and gestured toward the door. Making her way way over with swift strides, Xia Lin opened the door. On the other side was a meek looking young man with dark brown hair, wearing the plain white clothes of the serving folk.


    ¡°What is required of us?¡± Xia Lin asked simply.


    ¡°Guests, Emissary Jaromila wishes to inform you that the Voice will meet with Emissary Lingchee and her sister,¡± the young man said solemnly, lowering his head in deference. ¡°I am here to give notice so that you may prepare. Someone will be down shortly to escort her to the Voice¡¯s orrery.¡±


    ¡°They are to meet your Voice alone?¡± Xia Lin asked, voicing the question that flashed through Ling Qi¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡°The Voice has only requested her,¡± the young man said apologetically, withering a little under Xia Lin¡¯s stare.


    ¡°That is acceptable,¡± Cai Renxiang said, not rising from her seat. ¡°Please inform your superiors that we will be ready.¡±


    Ling Qi met Cai Renxiang¡¯s gaze and inclined her head. In the end, it wasn¡¯t something worth arguing. All it would accomplish was potentially offending their host. She wasn¡¯t going to jeopardize negotiations out of fear. Besides, if the Alaniar had ill intentions, there was little they could do except rely on their escape talismans anyway.


    She would just have to mentally prepare herself.

 Threads 173-Emissary 8

    Ling Qi¡¯s eyebrows rose in surprise as she faced her escort in the hall outside of their suite. Ilsur looked back at her impassively, arms crossed over his chest.


    ¡°You are prepared for the meeting?¡± the barbarian asked.


    ¡°I am,¡± Ling Qi replied, squaring her shoulders and meeting his gaze. ¡°I am surprised that you will be my guide.¡±


    ¡°It is a gesture of trust.¡± Ilsur smiled, but it did not reach his eyes.


    Sixiang mused.


    ¡°Please lead on,¡± Ling Qi said, dipping her head. It did make sense given what they had learned. She wondered if the nomad¡¯s pride as a man chafed at the role or if he had already come to accept such things.


    They began to walk, Ling Qi remaining a step behind, keeping the older man in her sight as they walked. The guards at the bottom of the stair stepped smoothly aside, letting them mount the dark iron stairs.


    ¡°You do not care for me, do you, ¡®Emissary¡¯?¡± Ilsur asked as they climbed, not bothering to turn his head.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t allow her expression to change. ¡°I have no conflict with you.¡±


    He snorted in amusement. ¡°Your kin would strike me down if they had the chance. Do not ruin your honesty now, lowlander.¡±


    Ling Qi pursed her lips, acknowledging Sixiang¡¯s prod to not reply too swiftly. ¡°The cloud people and the people of the Empire have fought for a very long time. Your kin raid and steal and kill. It would be stranger if I did like you.¡±


    ¡°This is fair,¡± Ilsur replied, his footfalls echoing on the metal stairs. ¡°Yet this is true of all people. There is never enough for all. One tribe takes what it can from another, and the one who has been taken from plots to reverse these fortunes. So it has been since the Pure World was shattered.¡±


    Ling Qi did not reply, and Ilsur peered back over his shoulder. ¡°Hah, you understand, of course. I can hear your song of privation, lowlander. You know what it is to have your hollow belly devour all other concerns.¡±


    ¡°People do not need to be that way,¡± Ling Qi rebutted. ¡°Your kin could trade for the things they need. It is not acceptable in the Empire to kill your neighbors for their things.¡±


    She, of all people, couldn¡¯t say anything about theft.


    ¡°It is not?¡± Ilsur asked. ¡°You are strange then. My wife¡¯s people, they say such things. But in the end, if you tell a village they cannot fight their neighbor¡¯s warriors for the chance to hustle their sheep, it seems to me that they simply make the arrangement of who takes and who is taken from never changes.¡±


    It took a moment for Ling Qi to respond, mostly because she couldn''t say that he was wholly wrong. "Sometimes, that is true. But that does not mean that it isn''t better than just stealing back and forth forever."


    ¡°So my father believes,¡± Ilsur allowed, mounting the stairs landing. Ahead lay the hall of the redoubt¡¯s second floor. Its iron walls were painted with blue sky overhead and green fields on either side, and the hard floor was carpeted with thick wool. ¡°Follow closely, lowlander.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded coolly, watching his back. Whatever problem Ilsur had with Cai Renxiang, he seemed, if not friendly, then at least less guarded with her. Perhaps she could learn a little more from the odd barbarian.


    ¡°Having met and spoken to your wife¡¯s people, I have to wonder what it is like for you, living among them?¡± Ling Qi asked, following Ilsur into the well lit hall. The cloud tribes were known for being fairly patriarchal; there were no women khans as far as she knew. If even Gan Guangli was bothered by their proscriptions, then surely barbarians must chafe a great deal.


    Ilsur did not answer her immediately as he led her past several closed doors. ¡°It is strange, having warmth at all times and unending resources. Their expectations are stranger still, but at least here, only that fussy lump of a sun shaman is bothered by my hunting. I am pleased enough to suffer some discomfort for the future of my tribe.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned. ¡°I had gotten the impression that their opinions on the place of men and women were rather stronger.¡±


    ¡°They are in the south where their citadels stand and among those close to their gods.¡± Ilsur shrugged. ¡°It is easy to say ¡®this is how all things must be¡¯ in the seat of power and comfort.¡±


    ¡°Your wife is one who is close to their gods though,¡± Ling Qi pointed out.


    Ilsur gave a grunt of acknowledgement as they turned a corner. Ling Qi glimpsed a room through an open door, a warmly lit room hung with thick furs and trophy heads of animals both familiar and not. ¡°Jaromila is different. Why do you think she is here among us?¡±


    It confirmed what she had suspected. Those members of the Alaniar assigned here were people who did not fit perfectly with their wider society''s beliefs. ¡°Still, I can hardly believe your people have gone along with this all smoothly."


    ¡°Access to much richer land and graze and knowledge of rituals to propitiate the worst spirits goes a very long way.¡±


    Her eyebrows rose. ¡°What spirits do you speak of?¡±


    Ilsur looked at her, a mirthless smile on his face. ¡°Crone Winter terrifies the dark itself, but she requires sacrifice. If you are not of her people or fail to perform the correct rituals, she will instead take what she wishes.¡±


    Something about the way he said ¡°sacrifices¡± sounded ominous. These people seemed so pleasant and civilized, but she supposed considering the girl she had met in the shrine, it made sense.


    Sixiang murmured.


    Ling Qi knew that. Even in the Empire people poured out libations, burned offerings, and sometimes even sacrificed animals, though that was rare in cities outside of big festivals. Still, something else about what he had said bothered her.


    ¡°You make it sound like Crone Winter is active in the world, taking things herself. I had thought her to be a great spirit,¡± Ling Qi said with a frown.


    ¡°Because she is. I have seen her vessel twice, once amongst the clouds at my father¡¯s second wedding, and once in the harshest winter of my youth when the tribe lost many children to the cold. It is a horrible thing, and I hope I do not see it again.¡±


    Ling Qi felt disquiet at Ilsur¡¯s words. The fear in them was real, yet how could they be true? Having been in that shrine to the moon and the night, she was certain that the aspects were great spirits. What then had Ilsur seen? Something like Xin perhaps? An avatar of a greater spirit?


    ¡°I am sorry to bring up such distressing memories,¡± Ling Qi acknowledged. She supposed even barbarians weren¡¯t happy to lose their children. Ling Qi elected to change the subject. ¡°Do your people actually interact with the White Sky, or is it just a matter of these marriages?¡±


    ¡°We have joined their alliance. We are ¡®wanderers,¡¯ as they put it,¡± Ilsur answered simply. ¡°It is not so different. Our yearly route is more defined, and we winter now at a gord, and our warriors defend them from demons and hunt beasts that they cannot. It is not unlike defending a very large camp.¡±


    ¡°And there are no problems with that?¡± Ling Qi asked dubiously. Giving up so much autonomy had to bring trouble, both for the tribe and the men doing it.


    ¡°There is strife, and we leave interacting with the settled folk to the women while the men hunt and slay. It makes less trouble for everyone. It is not as if our women are not warriors as well. It is foolish to leave any person defenseless,¡± Ilsur said, his voice dropping low at the end.


    Ling Qi watched as the painted sky overhead began to darken. The hallway they were in was still beautiful, its paneled and painted walls showing a landscape painted in the colors of twilight. ¡°What is it they are trying to protect their men from? I haven¡¯t been able to get a straight answer.¡±


    ¡°There are bodiless demons that may take a man¡¯s mind in the south,¡± Ilsur explained. ¡°They seem rare, but I gather this was not always so. Their possession makes even weak beasts into terrors. They may make men do terrible things in the dark of winter, even to their own kin. And it is said that the Crone does not take sacrifice idly, but to fuel her war with the malice that lies between the stars which births the demons.¡±


    ¡°You mean of the stars, I presume,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°I do not. The stars are fickle and may be cruel or kind as they wish. It is from the darkness between which malice comes. I do not know if it is true that men who make violence are more easily possessed though. Regardless, it is said that when the tribes fought a great war against these demons and cast them out, the menfolk warriors of the new tribes betrayed the alliance, seeking to break the althing and make themselves kings. It is said this was the demons¡¯ whispers, but...¡± Ilsur trailed off, offering a shrug.


    Ling Qi understood his meaning. That didn¡¯t sound like something that would need a demon¡¯s whispers to happen. Then again, even if her hunch was right¡­ it didn¡¯t actually change the rationale much.


    ¡°Let me ask you this, lowlander,¡± Ilsur said, interrupting her thoughts, ¡°why go through this effort?¡±


    ¡°I think it would be better for less people to lose their lives,¡± Ling Qi answered. The ceiling overhead glittered with starlight, casting them both in shadow. At the end of the hall, she could feel the presence of Jaromila and something greater, a nexus of cold that felt like a gnarled forest snowed under.


    Ilsur let out a bark of laughter. ¡°Hah, simple but honest. I do not dislike that answer.¡±


    ¡°If I may ask, how did your people meet each other? How did you meet your wife?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°They met us,¡± Ilsur replied. ¡°Always, we have had tales of the lands of Always Winter, but we thought them spirits, not men.¡±


    ¡°And that is why you shot me when I saved you, yes?¡± Jaromila asked as they approached. She stood beside a thick door carved from beams of dark wood, its surface covered in frost.


    ¡°I had already fallen, my legs broken and my wings lamed. If I was to die, I would prefer to be eaten by a beast or slain in battle than lulled to a final sleep by a hungry ice wraith,¡± Ilsur said dryly.


    Jaromila clicked her tongue and shook her head. ¡°You are such a strange man, Ilsur, though that, too, is charming.¡±


    ¡°There is your answer, lowlander. She sought us out and happened to take a liking to this fool,¡± Ilsur said with a snort. ¡°May your meeting go well.¡±


    Ling Qi lowered her head, murmuring a farewell as he turned on his heel, marching away from them. She glanced then to Jaromila, who was watching him go with a fond look.


    The foreign woman smiled at her. ¡°He is an odd man, far different than any man of the Alaniar. I am perhaps weak to exotic things.¡±


    ¡°Is that really the only reason?¡± Ling Qi asked cautiously, not just speaking of Ilsur.


    ¡°No, but it will have to do for now. The Voice awaits.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, and Jaromila turned away laying her hand on the rime-crusted door. Silently, it swung open. The room inside was pitch black, much like the shrine had been. The only light came from the faint glint of light from her own hair, reflecting endlessly off the icy formations hanging from the ceiling.


    Stepping inside, she found herself treading on an uneven tangle of thick roots and realized swiftly that the columns arrayed along the length of the room seemed to be living trees. Their canopies brushed up against the ceiling, leafless and stark, rustling with unseen movement. Peering closely at the bark, Ling Qi blinked in surprise as she realized that what seemed like tree bark seemed to actually be dark ore, patterned and textured like bark. It had even fooled her qi sense for a moment.


    She followed Jaromila, picking over the tangle of roots burrowing into the iron floor. A dusting of snow fell on their heads, falling from the mist-shrouded ceiling overhead. When the door swung shut silently behind them, she didn¡¯t look back or flinch. They were within the aura she had sensed outside the hall now, but still, Ling Qi did not see this Voice.


    There were more trees lining the walls, sprouting leaves of copper and brass. At the end of the room was the largest tree, a thick trunk with bark of silver whose roots spread across the shallow steps of the dais it grew upon. There was a powerful qi in the metallic wood, and Ling Qi considered that it may be a sort of throne or portal.


    ¡°Voice of the Far Foothills, I bring our guest before you,¡± Jaromila said politely, lowering her head and curtseying.


    Ling Qi brought her hands together and bowed. ¡°Emissary Ling Qi offers her greetings to the Honored Voice.¡±


    She expected someone to step out or a disembodied voice. She did not expect the whole tree to groan and shift, metal bark writhing to life. It twisted and changed until something shaped vaguely like a woman stood before them. She was tall, taller than even Cai Shenhua had been, and her wiry bone white hair nearly brushed the misty ceiling, hanging down well past her shoulders and kept tame by a circlet of black iron and pale green wood curled around one another. The woman''s face was deeply lined and looked more like tree bark than skin. Her eyes were deeply sunken knotholes, gleaming with pale blue light within.


    The woman wore a dress of fused vines and withered plant life, creating an unsettling rustling as her chest rose and fell. Her hands, curled at her sides, had too long fingers like skeletal branches, each tipped by long iron talons. The roots which grew all along the dais vanished beneath the leafy hem of her dress.


    ¡°You are welcomed.¡± The old woman¡¯s voice was slow and very deliberate, and Ling Qi felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise under the woman¡¯s scrutiny.


    Despite everything, she was quite sure that this was a human woman. What¡¯s more, if Ling Qi¡¯s senses were to be believed, she was in the fifth realm.


    Sixiang grumbled quietly.


    ¡°Emissary Lingchee is the representative of the unknown bloodline I have spoken of,¡± Jaromila said. Ling Qi followed her lead in keeping her eyes down. ¡°While I would not insult you by bringing matters temporal before your eyes, O voice, she has an unusual tale of her godmother which I felt required your interpretation.¡±


    Ling Qi stilled as she felt the full weight of the woman¡¯s gaze fall upon her. ¡°Yes, she claims life from ice. I would like to see this child through human eyes.¡±


    Ling Qi swallowed nervously and gave Hanyi, who had thus far been silent, a nudge. She could only hope that this went well.

 Threads 174 Emissary 9

    Hanyi materialized before her, and Ling Qi immediately put her hands on her sister¡¯s shoulders for comfort. Beside her, Jaromila¡¯s expression twitched in discomfort. It was a small thing, and Ling Qi nearly missed it, focused as she was on the Voice. Something else she needed to figure out.


    In front of her, the tree woman bent her head down, a dusting of snow falling from her twiglike hair and leafy gown. Her every motion was accompanied by the groans and cracks of bending wood, making it seem as if motion was no longer natural for her.


    Hanyi swallowed as she faced the Voice¡¯s piercing gaze, and she bowed her head and clasped her hands with proper respect. ¡°Hanyi greets the Voice of the Far Foothills.¡±


    The Voice made a deep sound in her throat. ¡°Not ice and not human. What are you, child?¡±


    Hanyi¡¯s shoulders tightened under her hands, and Ling Qi gave them an encouraging squeeze. ¡°I¡¯m my mom¡ªmother¡¯s daughter, and nothing else.¡±


    ¡°Zeqing was my teacher in the arts of winter and Hanyi¡¯s mother,¡± Ling Qi elaborated. ¡°In truth, fully letting go of Hanyi is what destroyed her current incarnation. Such a great change in her way could not be withstood.¡±


    Beside her, Jaromila¡¯s eyebrows rose, but the other woman remained silent until the Voice¡¯s head tilted towards her. ¡°Emissary, explain what this word ¡®way¡¯ means. I interpret it as road or path.¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t let her confusion show. ¡°It is our word for the path one who cultivates is on, the direction and concept which they use to build their power.¡±


    ¡°Momma was all alone until she had me,¡± Hanyi murmured. ¡°But it¡¯s because she was born alone. It was supposed to be that way.¡±


    Once again, Ling Qi squeezed her shoulder. Just because something started in a way didn¡¯t mean it was supposed to be that way. She let Sixiang carry that thought to Hanyi¡¯s ears.


    ¡°The mantle,¡± croaked the Voice. ¡°This, I understand. Her Name, what was it?¡±


    Ling Qi glanced at Hanyi. They both understood what the Voice was asking. Mist drifted from the hems of Ling Qi¡¯s gown, softening their silhouettes as it billowed out into the chamber. Ling Qi took a deep breath and let the flow of the Frozen Soul Serenade¡¯s qi rise through her body. Hanyi let forth the song of the Lonely Winter Maiden, and their voices rose as one to sing the Name of their teacher, as well as they could.


    Their voices echoed through the metal forest, and the wispy snowfall intensified, raining down on the chamber. A cold wind blew, sending a few metallic leaves jangling. On the dark walls, the frost shifted, forming serene faces before shifting again and carrying those faces away. Before them, the Voice stood straight, the music echoing in the frozen air around her. One of her hands rose with a weighty creak, and Ling Qi restrained an instinctive flinch as an iron talon pressed against her forehead. She felt a presence in her mind, following the song back to the channel that carved its melody into her spirit. Another branchlike finger pressed to Hanyi¡¯s head, presumably doing the same.


    The Voice withdrew her hands as they reached the end of their performance and let the last echoes fade.


    The lights in the Voice¡¯s sockets had darkened, and for a long moment, ominous silence reigned.


    ¡°The line of the [Songstress of Endings], lost in the Second Great Retreat is acknowledged. She is splintered. She will return.¡± The tree-like woman¡¯s voice tolled like a bell. ¡°Questions remain.¡±


    ¡°You have claimed that your sister had a human father,¡± Jaromila said. ¡°Will you explain this?¡±


    ¡°I am not certain what you want me to say,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°There was once a man who courted my teacher, and he succeeded for a time.¡±


    ¡°Daddy was nice and taught me a lot of things, even if he was just an echo momma made for me,¡± Hanyi said sadly. Ling Qi shot her a surprised look. She didn¡¯t know that Hanyi had figured that out. Still, she seemed unaware of the more unpleasant parts.


    ¡°As she said,¡± Ling Qi continued. ¡°Although creating life was against her way, spirit bindings allow spirits to change, yes?¡±


    Their hosts were silent. The Voice¡¯s eyes bored into hers, and she felt the whispering touch of foreign spirit against her mind.


    ¡°Yeah, my sister has taught me lots of stuff. She even taught that big doof, Zhengui, how to shoot and hide and build stuff,¡± Hanyi said, losing a bit of her formal tone as she puffed out her chest proudly.


    ¡°Spirits do not change. That is the province of humans,¡± the Voice said.


    ¡°Sometimes, a spirit splinters and is remade, but this is not change,¡± Jaromila said, sounding troubled. ¡°It is rebirth, the creation of a spirit with a new mantle. What is this spirit binding? Is that what allows you to absorb and reform your spirits¡¯ bodies?¡±


    Ling Qi blinked. It seemed such a bizarre thing to have confounded them. ¡°Do you mean to say that your people do not bind spirits or beasts to themselves at all?¡±


    ¡°There is some precedence for beast bonding, as my husband¡¯s people do, but it is not what you describe. Do you truly purport to be able to change a beast¡¯s nature?¡± Jaromila asked.


    ¡°It is possible,¡± Ling Qi said slowly. ¡°Emissary Jaromila, Honored Voice, to avoid confusion, what is a ¡®mantle¡¯ by your understanding?¡±


    ¡°It is the concept of self and being which composes the form of an ephemeral spirit and which a human may learn to wear and change to fit themselves,¡± Jaromila replied.


    ¡°It is what one becomes as they leave humanity behind. As I have begun and as Iron-Crow-whose Wings-are-Wide has reached completion,¡± the Voice rumbled, gesturing to the chamber around.


    This strange iron mountain had been a man then?


    ¡°Huh. Is that why you feel different from the caldera, Miss Jaromila?¡± Hanyi asked in her stead. ¡°You seemed a lot meaner then.¡±


    ¡°I was attuned to a mantle for war at the time, yes,¡± Jaromila answered distractedly.


    ¡°You mean to say that you can just¡­ change your way at will?¡± Ling Qi asked. That seemed terribly unfair.


    ¡°One can only become a mantle which is compatible with one''s nature,¡± Jaromila replied. ¡°Do you mean to say that by your mere third ascension, you can no longer change your mantle?¡±


    Ling Qi nodded. ¡°I am still developing my way, but the foundations I have laid down are just that.¡±


    ¡°But you are only¡ª¡± Jaromila began.


    As she and Jaromila spoke back and forth, the Voice¡¯s limbs creaked as she leaned back, and the wind picked up, gusting through the room and carrying powdered snow into the air in violent flurries. ¡°These are human matters. Emissary, you wished for my judgement?¡±


    ¡°My apologies, great one,¡± Jaromila said, lowering her head. ¡°It was not my intention to be distracted.¡±


    Wood groaned as the Voice turned her head back to the two of them. ¡°This Emissary is immature but true. The child¡ª¡± There was a deep rumbling sound as roots writhed under their feet and branches twisted overhead. ¡°The child is a splinter of [Songstress of Endings]. One mantle, one truth, may sometimes become two. The methods are irrelevant.¡±


    The woman or spirit¡ªLing Qi wondered which was really appropriate¡ªspoke in tones which brooked no disagreement. In front of her, Hanyi didn¡¯t look wholly satisfied, but she held her tongue.


    Sixiang murmured.


    ¡°Your wisdom is most appreciated, Voice of the Far Foothills,¡± Jaromila said.


    ¡°There is one matter remaining,¡± the Voice said, looking down at Hanyi. ¡°Observing the splinter child would be of interest.¡±


    Ling Qi shared a glance with Hanyi, who squared her shoulders. Ling Qi took a deep breath. ¡°Hanyi would be willing to accompany you, Honored Voice, for the duration of our visit.¡±


    ¡°One half a year,¡± the Voice corrected, ¡°with oaths of good health and protection. Your line would be compensated.¡±


    Zhengui protested immediately in her mind.


    Ling Qi blinked, startled into silence by the sudden demand. Hanyi looked just as surprised. Beside them, she caught a brief frown on Jaromila¡¯s face before it was smoothed away. This, Ling Qi knew, would guarantee their success. There would be a connection. Transportation would have to be set up. They would still have to negotiate the details, but the minimum they needed would be guaranteed.


    All she would have to do is give up her sister for half a year, trusting a bunch of strangers to do right by her.

 Chapter Threads 175-Emissary 10

    No matter how their Alaniar hosts seemed at this first meeting, Ling Qi could not countenance leaving her sister behind. She could feel Hanyi tensing up under her hands, and the young spirit looked like she was going to say something


    Ling Qi kept her mouth shut, sealing back her instinctive denial, and tapped her finger on Hanyi¡¯s shoulder. The young spirit paused, looking up to meet her eyes. Ling Qi gave a small nod of acknowledgement. Hanyi had the right to speak, but Ling Qi wanted her to be polite. The whole exchange only took a few seconds. Then Hanyi was looking back up at the towering tree woman.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Hanyi said sweetly, smiling up at the Voice. ¡°But I have too many responsibilities to just leave for that long.¡±


    Ling Qi kept her expression even. She wasn¡¯t sure what she expected, but that line wasn¡¯t it.


    ¡°You are unmoored with no place,¡± the Voice said dubiously.


    ¡°Mhm, I don¡¯t have a place of my own, but that¡¯s okay. I like traveling!¡± Hanyi said. ¡°And I already promised a whole lot of people I would sing for them. If I don¡¯t give them my blessing, who knows what¡¯ll happen when winter comes? I gotta keep my word.¡±


    For a long moment, the Voice and Hanyi remained still, meeting each other¡¯s gaze. Ling Qi felt the cold whispers of qi in the air as the fifth realm examined her for duplicity.


    ¡°You are small to carry word between men and gods,¡± the Voice retorted.


    ¡°I am,¡± Hanyi agreed. ¡°It¡¯s probably not a lot to you, but I don¡¯t wanna disappoint them.¡±


    Branches creaked, and there was a long, tense moment of silence.


    ¡°Oaths must be kept,¡± the Voice finally rumbled. There was a note of dissatisfaction there.


    ¡°Thank you for your understanding,¡± Ling Qi said politely. ¡°Perhaps in the future, there will be such an opportunity. Your people''s hospitality has been exemplary. Thank you very much for judging our case.¡±


    ¡°Your gratitude is noted.¡± The speck of human emotion she had felt from the Voice was gone now. Only the cold observation of a spirit remained. ¡°Emissary, duty is returned to you. I must return my attention to the Land.¡±


    Sixiang chortled.


    Ling Qi had to acknowledge that. She would not have thought of Hanyi¡¯s performances as a ritual of sorts, but that framing was probably the right way to deal with the Voice. And if the Voice accepted that answer, then it seemed that Hanyi really did think of her performances that way. Ling Qi didn¡¯t give her enough credit.


    Ling Qi bowed respectfully as Jaromila made the appropriate genuflections and showed them the way out. The door boomed shut behind them.


    ¡°I apologize for that rudeness at the end,¡± Jaromila said.


    Ling Qi gave her a sharp look and glanced back at the door.


    ¡°She is not listening,¡± Jaromila dismissed her unspoken concern.


    ¡°I was not offended,¡± Ling Qi replied, not quite believing her.


    Jaromila cocked an eyebrow dubiously. She gestured for Ling Qi to follow her, and she did with Hanyi at her side. ¡°One must be respectful of the gods, great and small, but they are not always respectful back. This is why it is best to avoid involving those on the path of apotheosis in human matters.¡±


    Ling Qi studied her companion as they walked through the halls. ¡°You were the one who said that you needed us to speak with her.¡±


    ¡°It was necessary,¡± Jaromila said. ¡°Your words¡­ They are disturbing to us. Ice does not make life. At best, new life comes after the slate has been wiped clean. But if it is possible? That is a matter of interest to us.¡±


    ¡°The Voice did not seem to think it was wholly possible.¡±


    ¡°The Voice is on her first step of apotheosis and has enough human left in her to speak deceptively. If she truly believed those words, would she have made that request?¡± Jaromila asked.


    ¡°It had occurred to me,¡± Ling Qi allowed, ¡°but I did not want to make any accusations.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rude,¡± Hanyi said sourly.


    ¡°It was,¡± Jaromila agreed. ¡°This is why I ask your forgiveness, little singer.¡± She stopped in front of one of the closed doors that lined the hall. A tap of her fingernail against the blank iron plate that sat where a handle should have been saw the door creak open.


    ¡°May I ask where we are going?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°My rooms. I would like to speak with you, but if you would not care to, then I will simply offer you a drink for your troubles,¡± Jaromila replied, pausing in the doorway.


    It was a little pushy, Ling Qi thought, but she really had no reason to say no. ¡°I would not mind speaking with you, though I hope that you will not imply again that I am a child.¡±


    She still remembered that cut-off statement, and it rankled.


    Jaromila looked troubled as she showed them into the room. A bright fire burned in the air behind a grate on one wall, warming the room, and thick rugs covered the iron floor. Ling Qi felt awkward walking on them with her shoes, but Jaromila made no motion to remove her own.


    ¡°You are certainly a woman and not a girl. I will not dispute that. I will not lie and say that I am not troubled by your words though. Do all of your people bind themselves to a single way so young?¡±


    ¡°Not all have the talent to reach this level at the age my companions and I have,¡± Ling Qi replied. She took the offered seat at the small round table in the center of the room. Like most of the furniture in this outpost, it was carved from polished bone, but the thick upholstering made it comfortable regardless. ¡°What of you? I met a young initiate who said she had sacrificed her heart and eyes to reach the third realm. Is that normal?¡±


    ¡°Young Sveta?¡± Jaromila asked over her shoulder. She was standing in front of an open cupboard which held a great number of covered iron pitchers. ¡°She is precocious, but yes, it is, although normally one does not offer their heart upon ascension.¡±


    ¡°What did you offer?¡± Ling Qi asked, morbidly curious. Hanyi hopped into a seat beside her, and Jaromila returned with one pitcher and three large clay cups.


    The older woman smiled as she placed everything down. ¡°First, my tongue. Then, my hands, followed by my lungs and heart only later. What did you sacrifice to achieve your power?¡±


    Ling Qi said awkwardly, ¡°We don¡¯t do things quite the same way.¡±


    Jaromila studied her for a long moment. ¡°Your sacrifices are wholly of the spirit. Our way is painful and dangerous, but I do not think I should like to try your way.¡±


    ¡°The feeling is mutual,¡± Ling Qi said. She watched as Jaromila poured out a thick reddish-brown liquid into each of the cups. ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? It is kvass. We are not speaking as emissaries so there is no need for harder drinks.¡± Jaromila finally took her own seat. The pale woman looked so different settling into a comfortable seat than she had clad in ice and striding across the caldera.


    Ling Qi gave her cup a surreptitious look. The word Jaromila had used translated to something like ¡°black-bread-water.¡± Still, it wouldn¡¯t do to be rude. Taking a sip, she found it very thick with a rich flavor. She thought she tasted a bit of honey too.


    ¡°Why did you want to talk to Big Sis like this?¡± Hanyi asked as Ling Qi drank.


    ¡°I wish to understand her better,¡± Jaromila answered. ¡°When we gather everyone again, we may speak of ancestors¡¯ coins and trade again, but for now, I would like to speak of Ling Qi.¡± The woman was much more careful with her enunciation of Ling Qi¡¯s name this time. ¡°What is it which fuels the drive that I see in your spirit?¡±


    Ling Qi considered her answer. ¡°Why would I not be driven?¡± she returned. ¡°It is only my power that lets me affect events at the caldera, and it is only my power which lets me come to this meeting. Without strength, I would be no one and nothing. You are not so much older than me, I think. Surely you want to step into the fourth realm, right?¡±


    ¡°I am twenty-four so you are not wrong. Certainly, I wish to complete my ascension, but there is no hurry in that. I have centuries to see to that matter, and so do you.¡±


    ¡°Not if I want to reach the highest realms,¡± Ling Qi rebutted.


    ¡°Do you truly want to take the road of apotheosis?¡± Jaromila asked over the rim of her cup.


    ¡°Do you not?¡± Ling Qi shot back.


    ¡°It is a road I could imagine taking,¡± Jaromila said slowly, ¡°if one day I no longer desire children, if Ilsur passed away, and if I tire of people, but no, I do not particularly want to.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re happy with remaining in your position forever then? You don¡¯t have any higher ambitions?¡±


    ¡°I might like to become my people¡¯s speaker at the Althing, or perhaps even a Mother of my confederation if I am being ambitious, but what does this have to do with apotheosis?¡±


    Ling Qi frowned at her host, confused, and Jaromila frowned back.


    ¡°I had thought it strange, but you do not divide cultivation between ascension and apotheosis, do you?¡± Jaromila asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve worked out what you mean through context, but no, it''s all just steps on the same road to becoming a great spirit,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°It¡¯s the same for cloud tribes, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It is, and that is one of the reasons Ilsur and I believe they are so troubled,¡± Jaromila said. ¡°Those on the higher steps¡­ They have too much power, yes? Too much power to safely interact with humans without intermediaries. They have such power that it is only good for war and intervening with the Land. You saw the ruin wrought by those who walk that road at the caldera. My mother chose that path, though she might have lived a century more as a woman and not a spirit, and while she is mighty, she is no longer my mother.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with being a spirit,¡± Hanyi said, offended.


    ¡°Those who walk the way so high can be pretty monstrous,¡± Ling Qi acknowledged. ¡°But I think our ways are different. You can hold onto who you are if you cultivate properly.¡±


    ... For most of the way at least. The elders had their oddities, but they were still people. They weren¡¯t like Cai Shenhua. Probably. Maybe the Duchess was just worse at hiding it.


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Jaromila said. ¡°Your people, those who are above the fourth ascension, rule, don¡¯t they?¡±


    There was no point in hiding that. Ling Qi nodded.


    Whatever Jaromila thought of that, Ling Qi couldn¡¯t discern.


    ¡°I still wish to know you better,¡± Jaromila said after a moment. ¡°I propose an exchange of tales. One tale of the past that you think informs who you are for one of mine. Is that acceptable?¡±


    ¡°Is that a tradition among your people?¡± Ling Qi asked with a hint of a smile.


    ¡°It is, but not a formal one.¡±


    Ling Qi pondered a moment and nodded. She looked down at her reflection in the cloudy liquid that filled her cup, studying the ripples made by her breath. A story of herself to give insight into who she was? A few ideas came to mind. At the same time, some part of her shied away from the idea of sharing something so personal with a stranger.


    Sixiang thought.


    She had thought that. Ling Qi supposed, like most people, she wasn¡¯t great at applying her complaints to herself.


    ¡°I hope you won¡¯t mind a little stylization in the recounting,¡± Ling Qi said, more to delay than anything else.


    ¡°I would hope you are enough of an orator to avoid a dry recounting of events,¡± Jaromila replied. ¡°Or is storytelling such an obscure tradition among your people?¡±


    Ling Qi let out a self-deprecating laugh. ¡°No, I suppose not.¡±


    She took a small sip from her drink and leaned back in her chair. Her eyes drifted first to Hanyi, who watched her curiously from her slightly too large chair, and then up to the ceiling. The iron was painted and textured like leaves.


    ¡°Then let me tell you a tale of a daughter and mothers, of loss and growth.¡±

 Chapter Theads 176-Emissary 11

    Theads 176-Emissary 11


    ¡°Once, there was a girl and her mother. They lived in a sad and dying city where purpose had long been lost. The girl and mother loved one another, but her mother had a hard and ugly job, respected by no one, least of all herself.¡±


    Storytelling was not really a skill she practiced, but it was not so different from singing. There was a cadence to it, and it had the same effort of condensing complex meaning into more concise lines.


    She drummed her fingers on the table as memories came back. Mortal memories were such funny things, soft and fuzzy and unclear compared to memories after cultivation. But she still remembered the contours of their little apartment and the downcast expression her mother wore even then. Sixiang echoed her words in her mind, and together, their voices resonated, and the air shimmered with trace imagery.


    ¡°Her mother did her best for the girl, trying to teach the girl the things she would need to be something better, but the girl was impatient and disobedient as children often are.¡±


    How much had it cost them in ink and paper for her mother to teach her literacy and sums when so few in the Outer Tonghou had the time for such things?


    ¡°And her mother was young too, so young, and her clients were often cruel. One day, their trust was broken, and things were said that were not meant, and the girl fled her mother. She told herself it was because her mother was a petty tyrant. In truth, she had seen that her mother could not protect her. Foolishly, thought the girl, freedom from responsibility and ties would bring her fulfillment.¡±


    The memories that crept up were ugly things, and Ling Qi did not let them linger in her mind or taint the resonance around her much. They were things not forgotten nor forgiven, but they were less important now.


    ¡°It was cold that winter, and the girl nearly died were it not for a kind old man¡¯s blankets,¡± Ling Qi continued. ¡°But the ¡®freedom¡¯ she had gained left no room for kindness, and so she was alone. The world of freedom was cruel and lonely, and so the girl became cruel and lonely too, but the stubborn girl convinced herself that it was better all the same and she missed her mother not.¡±


    Across from her, Jaromila sat silently, nursing her drink. Ling Qi couldn¡¯t read her expression at all. But she had already started the story; she could hardly stop now.


    ¡°Eventually, there came a man who knew that the girl could hear spirits and touch the energy of the world. She was taken to a place to learn these things properly, but in the beginning, the girl was not really any different than she had been in the cold streets.¡±


    Snappish, paranoid, and suspicious. That was how she had been at the start, even as she told herself to be better.


    ¡°But there came a test, and there, she met a smiling spirit, a face of the moon who saw something in her and thought it good,¡± Ling Qi said. At the time, it had been buried by other concerns, but that really was the first time in many years that something like an adult had expressed confidence in her. ¡°And there she earned her first gifts: a song, a step, and a way of breathing. It was enough to let her make a path. She succeeded at the test, and when her peers doubted her, she found that she had a friend too.¡±


    That moment, when Fan Yu had been berating her while she had been surrounded by disinterested or amused disciples and then Meizhen had chastised and scattered them, was probably the moment when she had first begun to trust her best friend. But this was not that story.


    ¡°But though the girl began to prosper and even change, she was still missing something. Though she knew it not, the face of the moon knew and nudged things in her favor. On the high mountain paths, she met her teacher in music and her precocious daughter.¡±


    Ling Qi looked over to Hanyi, remembering their meeting and the game of tag in the snow. Hanyi smiled sheepishly, and Ling Qi paused to let out a small laugh as well. Her smile faded back into an expression of contemplation as she turned her thoughts back to Zeqing.


    ¡°In many ways, her teacher was what the girl wished her mother had been. She was strong and beautiful, seemingly unassailable and unflappable.¡±


    Hanyi¡¯s own good cheer faded away, leaving her looking down at her hands with her hair hanging over her eyes.


    ¡°Though her teacher rebuked her for it when the sentiment came out, it did not truly go away.¡± Ling Qi recalled that day on the mountain, bloodied and harried by Sun Liling, saved from humiliation and ruin only by the chance whim of Fu Xiang. All the strength she had cultivated had been shown to be nothing against the Sun Princess.


    ¡°And in time, when guilt drove the girl to use her new power to free her mother from that sad city, despite her best intentions, she did not really respect the bent, subservient woman she met there.¡±


    It was harsh, but it was the truth. In those first months, she had treated her mother like an ornament, precious, yes, but fragile and best kept insulated from the world.


    ¡°But the truth was, her teacher was not perfect and invincible either. The Songstress of Endings was never meant to be a teacher or a mother. Zeqing chose to be them all the same. Endings are inevitable, but everything before them can change.¡±


    Ling Qi blew out a harsh breath, remembering the last moments in Zeqing¡¯s domain, where a spirit of Inevitably chose to change her course.


    ¡°And that was the final lesson from her teacher. The next morning the girl spoke to her mother without holding back because she knew that there was no time to waste.¡±


    Beside her, Hanyi looked up, a thoughtful expression on her young face. In her dantian, she felt Zhengui stir.


    Jaromila¡¯s eyes had drifted shut somewhere during her story, but the woman¡¯s grip on her empty cup showed it wasn¡¯t drowsiness. As the silence stretched on, she opened her eyes. ¡°I suppose the story goes on from there?¡±


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been written yet,¡± Ling Qi agreed. Things were better now, but she was still struggling to organize her life and the many things she wanted to and had to do.


    ¡°It¡¯s your turn,¡± Hanyi said, looking at the foreign woman.


    ¡°It is,¡± Jaromila mused. ¡°For that tale¡­ there is only one I can share and call it equal.¡±


    ¡°Please go ahead,¡± Ling Qi said, settling in her seat and taking up her cup. It was, of course, still cold.


    ¡°Once, there was a woman of the oldest of the Polar confederations. She was of an old and storied family whose lands and wealth were among the greatest in the land,¡± Jaromila began. The tap of her fingernails against the tabletop matching the cadence of her words.


    ¡°From her youth, great things were expected of her and all the teachings of the nation were at her fingertips. A great emissary she would be, advancing the family¡¯s interests throughout the confederation.¡± Jaromila smiled faintly as she spoke as if in remembrance.


    Ling Qi listened attentively. It seemed that the regal air the other woman had on the battlefield was not just affectation.


    ¡°But as often happens with those who make plans within plans, the great family failed to account for the whims of fate and human feelings. There was a man in the Glittering City, a handsome, hard working and joyful man whose hearty songs brought warmth to the girl¡¯s heart. In time, the girl became a woman, and passing fancy became a deep bond.¡±


    Ling Qi listened intently, but the conviction in Jaromila¡¯s voice didn¡¯t leave any room for niggling doubts. Nonetheless, it seemed her first impression might be wrong if this wasn¡¯t a story of Jaromila herself¡­


    ¡°The woman¡¯s kin were enraged when she made her choice. The man was unacceptable. He was a man of the new tribes with hair of straw and pallid skin, shiftless and untrustworthy by definition.¡± Jaromila spoke the last words with only a slight bitter twist. ¡°Yet it is law that none may force another to choose their marriage. They could not stop her, but wealth is a law unto itself, and so they could punish her.¡±


    Some things were true, no matter how foreign a land was or how strange its laws and ways, Ling Qi mused. She was beginning to suspect the shape of this story. In the sparkling frost that glittered on the iron leaves of the ceiling, Ling Qi saw the faint images of a woman stout and sturdy, ruddy of skin and hair, hand in hand with a tall, thin man with pale skin and hair like straw.


    ¡°They went north, always north, chased by ill rumors and sabotage. Those who gave them shelter found the eyes of the summer traders cold and aid in the winter slow to come. Even the kindest headmen eventually asked them to leave, for the town¡¯s sake if nothing else. Yet in their travels, they were happy, for they had one another, even in the darkest trials.¡±


    Ling Qi saw the shadows of blizzards and beasts in the frost, but always, the man and the woman remained hand in hand. It stirred a complicated feeling in her chest that she couldn¡¯t quite identify. Doubt was a part of it, and yet, so was yearning for such a refutation of loneliness was something close to her heart.


    ¡°Eventually, they found their succor in the wild lands of the White Sky, far from the Glittering City and the wealth of the south. Here, it seemed the limits of her family''s influence finally ran dry. Among the hardy people of the north, they found home and companionship. There were few who spoke to the spirits that both found their labors needed, and soon, they built a life among their neighbors. Their years were not without sorrow¡ªtheir firstborn bore the touch of the Crone¡ªbut in time, there came a second, and both the man and the woman were overjoyed when a girl was born hale and healthy with the look of her father about her.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes flicked up to Jaromila¡¯s golden hair, so different from the other foreigners she had seen here.


    Here, at last, Jaromila paused, closing her eyes. ¡°But in a winter scant years later, sorrow came. As he had done often, the man, now a respected priest of the sun, took up the duty to guide a caravan through the fall snows and deepening twilight forming the veins of support between the settlements of the north. He did not return. Tales came of a ragged survivor, speaking of a sun priest who had given in the whispers of the void and ended them all before being slain himself.¡±


    ¡°The demons of Outer Night are weak in the north, so far from the gates,¡± Jaromila explained. ¡°And the woman knew the man to not be of weak and avaricious temperament. He would not fall so, she thought. Others humored her, thinking it grief until the day she went unto the survivors traveling south to hear their story. The woman had grown strong by then, and mighty in the emissaries¡¯ arts.¡±


    ¡°There had been no void demon,¡± Jaromila said tightly. ¡°And though the oaths upon the soldiers were strong and left her with no proof, she knew well where to turn her eyes.¡±


    That was¡­ Ling Qi couldn¡¯t call it unthinkable, to kill so many of your own people for such a petty reason. She knew well enough the vicious games that could be played among the nobility of the Empire. She had even seen the scars of it in many of her friends.


    ¡°It broke the woman, and her daughter saw every step of her decline. She learned the cruelty wrought of unthinking hate and refusal of understanding,¡± Jaromila continued. ¡°Through her mother¡¯s eyes and her lessons in the south, she learned the wages wrought by stagnation.¡±


    ¡°And when her mother chose to become part of the Land to end her pain, that girl gave herself over to the temple where she learned the role of emissary to connect and to speak, to foster understanding and strike down hate. She learned, too, how so many failed to live up to the words of the gods.¡±


    ¡°She would not be like them.¡±


    Ling Qi placed down her emptied cup as the other woman¡¯s words faded, feeling the emotions implicit in the words in her mind. Finally, as the silence began to stretch, she said, ¡°Ice is cold and privation. It is the truth that awaits out in the world for those who are alone. Family is what keeps us warm and protects us from the chill.¡±


    Jaromila smiled. ¡°Ice is the solid which is liquid. New layers, change, engenders motion, placing pressure on the old, and even the most stolid glacier must flow in time. This is winter, which ends the old and makes way for the new.¡±


    ¡°Ice is beauty. It gave people time to tell stories and make pretty things, and it makes them appreciate all the work they did when it was warm,¡± Hanyi muttered.


    ¡°Ice is many things, it seems,¡± Ling Qi concluded quietly.


    ¡°It is, isn¡¯t it? I find your interpretations pleasing as well,¡± Jaromila said. ¡°I cannot speak for your nation, Emissary Lingchee, but you, at least, I think I trust.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Ling Qi,¡± she said, emphasising the pause and tone. ¡°And I think I can say the same. Let¡¯s hope our superiors can be kept in agreement.¡±


    ¡°I believe I will toast to that,¡± Jaromila chuckled. ¡°Shall we have another drink?¡±


    ***?


    They had spent a while longer, just drinking kvass, keeping their talk to minor topics because they knew they would be back to negotiating in the morning. Eventually, Ling Qi was escorted back to the guest rooms, and like everyone else, she set to work clearing her head from the day''s activities.


    Naturally, she decided to cultivate. With Sixiang¡¯s help, she kept her practice of the chords of the Beast King¡¯s Savage Dirge from escaping the confines of her room.


    Yet as she played the song, she found her readings of the art mingling with the considerations brought to mind earlier. In her mind¡¯s eye, she saw the impetuous Eagle King die alone for his foolish charge, bound in grapnels and nets, brought to earth by the defenders of Xiangmen. She saw the cunning but imperious King of Wolves, spending his pack¡¯s lives like water, assured of his own superiority.


    Isolation, physical, spiritual, and mental, was the root of failure. Raw might could only take her so far, and when she reached that edge, what came after but the plunge?


    Ling Qi opened her eyes, looking over her room. Zhengui slept in the hearth, flickering red and green flames burning around his shell, and Hanyi sat in a chair by the single window, looking up at the night sky. Ling Qi placed a hand over her chest, feeling the ache there. But without strength, nothing she accomplished could matter either; it would be easily swept away by those who did have power.


    Sixiang murmured.


    That was true, too.


    So what was she to do?


    She still didn¡¯t know how to reconcile her thoughts yet.


    ¡°Are you okay, Big Sis?¡± Hanyi asked her, tilting her head.


    Ling Qi put on a smile and lowered her hand. ¡°I¡¯m fine, just thinking. What about you, Hanyi? It hasn¡¯t been the easiest day.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Hanyi agreed, resting her chin on her hand. ¡°But it helped, I think.¡±


    ¡°Did it?¡±


    ¡°A lot of Momma¡¯s relatives kinda suck. I don¡¯t think I wanna try and be like them either,¡± Hanyi decided. ¡°I think I just gotta keep singing. That¡¯s the thing that¡¯s most important.¡±


    That was such a¡­ Hanyi thing to say. Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help but laugh, and Hanyi pouted at her for it.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t laugh,¡± Hanyi complained, hooping down from her seat to put her hands on her hips. Ling Qi tilted her head. Had Hanyi grown taller?


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Ling Qi said, covering her mouth with her sleeve. ¡°I think it¡¯s good that you¡¯ve resolved to do something.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I have,¡± Hanyi said before looking at her in silence for a moment. Before Ling Qi could ask her what had brought on her silence though, she spoke. ¡°Hey, Big Sis, you know, even if I can¡¯t always follow you into fights and stuff, I¡¯ll still be helping, right? That¡¯s what a junior¡¯s supposed to do when the senior¡¯s busy with big stuff.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s smile fell as Hanyi broached her thoughts. If she left Hanyi behind though, was that really alright?


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± she acknowledged.


    She should get back to cultivating Beast King¡¯s Sage Dirge. She knew she was on the verge of mastering the next technique, one that would allow her to call on the cunning Wolf God.


    She wondered how things were going back home.

 Chapter Threads 177- Emissary 12

    Threads 177- Emissary 12


    Ling Qi quietly shut the door to her room behind her, leaving Hanyi and Zhengui to their rest and cultivation. They wouldn¡¯t be participating in the talks today.


    ¡°Join us, Ling Qi.¡± She looked up at the sound of her liege¡¯s voice. Cai Renxiang and Gan Guangli were already seated at the table in the main room. She had felt their presences from within her room; a beckoning pulse of Cai Renxiang¡¯s light had brought her out so early.


    ¡°Of course, Lady Cai.¡± A flicker of shadow carried her to an open seat opposite Gan Guangli. ¡°May I ask what you were discussing?¡±


    ¡°Small matters of philosophy,¡± Gan Guangli said. ¡°And what matters are reasonable expectations for the future.¡±


    Cai Renxiang gave a small, assenting nod. ¡°But we have not the luxury of long ruminations. We should prepare ourselves for the meeting coming later this day.¡±


    ¡°Should we not wait for the others then?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°I believe we agreed Meng Dan¡¯s presentation would be our opening move.¡±


    ¡°It is. Prompting a reciprocation of information on their history will be important to avoiding misunderstandings in the future. However, there is something I need to discuss with the two of you before that. At this point we are unlikely to fail at our expedition''s goals. Are you two in agreement?¡± Cai Renxiang looked at each of them in turn.


    ¡°It would seem so,¡± Gan Guangli said. ¡°These people are not greatly inclined to war. I do not think it is a weakness of character though, as most would think of such timidity. Although I have only spent a short time with them, I think there is a deep resolve in their hearts which should not be underestimated. So long as our demands do not become insulting, they should remain accommodating.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say much about martial virtues, but I believe I understand Emissary Jaromila and her position well enough now to be certain that she wishes these negotiations to succeed. For her, additional ties with foreigners would only strengthen her position,¡± Ling Qi said thoughtfully. ¡°We do not need to worry much about higher realm intervention either so long as we avoid offending their religious sensibilities.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you did say that their higher realms abrogate temporal rule,¡± Cai Renxiang recalled. ¡°I find it odd that the wisest and farthest seeing do not rule, but I suppose that their power remains as backing for government decisions. Given their focus on religious institutions and consultation with them, I suppose it is not so different from the patriarch, head, and heir systems most clans observe.¡±


    Sixiang muttered.


    Ling Qi nodded silently, gesturing to indicate that she had nothing else to say.


    ¡°It is true that the abilities of those beyond the fourth realm are not necessary in most situations, except to counter their peers,¡± Gan Guangli mused, drumming his fingers on his elbow. ¡°But I still find it strange.¡±


    ¡°I do not completely understand their cultivation,¡± Ling Qi admitted. Gan Guangli¡¯s point bothered her, but she couldn¡¯t quite say why. ¡°So I do not want to judge overmuch.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°What I wish to ask you two then, is what you would advise we do with this accomplishment.¡±


    ¡°You think the Duchess will grant us a boon?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°I believe she will be inclined to give more duties to those who prove they can handle it,¡± Cai Renxiang corrected levelly. ¡°Assuming we succeed beyond the parameters of the expedition, it will be possible to make choices on where those duties lie.¡±


    ¡°You are wondering whether it is wise to remain where you are?¡± Gan Guangli asked to clarify.


    ¡°I have been reminded of late that my accomplishments are still very thin on the ground,¡± Cai Renxiang answered. Her fingers tapped a steady beat on the hilt of her saber which was laid across her lap. ¡°The path we are on, of achieving high rank in the Sect and being its champions at the intersect tournament, I have begun to wonder if it is enough. Excellence is the only thing Mother cares about, and this is the chance to pursue something more.¡±


    ¡°You know, my lady, that the tournament is no small thing. Attendance and performance there will be seen throughout the province and the Empire beyond, particularly with the greater number of disciples from out of province arriving in recent years,¡± Gan Guangli pointed out. ¡°The connections that can be forged there among the nobility of the Emerald Seas and its institutions will be tremendous.¡±


    Ling Qi was mostly worried that Renxiang was speaking of the task laid down by the Duchess herself could be ¡°insufficient.¡± She knew that the girl pushed herself tremendously at all times, and wondered if she was now intending to take that even further. She didn¡¯t know how healthy that was.


    ¡°I acknowledge this, but in the end, they will still be the achievements of students,¡± Cai Renxiang pointed out.


    ¡°But we are students,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°Nonetheless, we must think beyond a few years.¡±


    ¡°What is it you propose, Lady Cai? It is unlike you to be so evasive,¡± Gan Guangli said, furrowing his brow.


    ¡°I have found myself thinking that it may be best to stake my place in the province on this business,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°This matter we have stumbled into thanks to Ling Qi¡¯s actions is not an opportunity to come again soon. We are guaranteed to have martial achievements given the war coming to the south and Mother¡¯s participation. But we are uniquely positioned to gain influence over the relationship which develops here.¡±


    Cai Renxiang¡¯s gaze turned toward Ling Qi, and she knew what the heiress meant. By quirk of fate, she was someone that these foreigners would extend at least limited trust to, even before building a relationship with them.


    ¡°I am not sure this is a decision to be made now,¡± Gan Guangli protested. ¡°My lady, even if these negotiations succeed, it will be many months before we can realistically expect there to be further contact. The base location will need to be prepared, and matters of the war and the border counts will need addressing.¡±


    ¡°It is something which we must consider,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°Ling Qi, Gan Guangli, I will admit that I am considering a risky path, so please, consider it in your minds and later, when the time comes to debrief my mother, I would have your opinions.¡±


    Ling Qi crossed her arms. It was true that they had achieved something unique here, but did she really want to commit to that? The Sect remained a place of wealth and knowledge that she could continue to benefit from.


    Sixiang thought.


    Ling Qi acknowledged that at most, they would be with the Sect for another year. Was accelerating that in their best interests though?


    Sixiang whispered.


    ¡°I can see the benefits you speak of, Lady Cai, but I think that many of the lords of the Emerald Seas will not respect it as much as a more traditional position for an heiress,¡± Gan Guangli warned. ¡°That is unfortunate, but it cannot be denied.¡±


    ¡°This is true,¡± Cai Renxiang admitted. ¡°In the short term, it is likely that my¡ªour¡ªconnections with the bulk of the nobility will be less than they would otherwise. This can be mitigated through personal effort, but it is absolutely a disadvantage.¡±


    ¡°On the other hand, if we succeed in making something more here, we can use that success to boost those who do support us against the ones who didn¡¯t,¡± Ling Qi said thoughtfully. ¡° I don¡¯t know how that will work out though.¡±


    Cai Renxiang let out a long breath. ¡°Breaking traditions¡­¡±


    Ling Qi was silent, and so was Gan Guangli. She knew what the heiress¡¯ seeming non-sequitur was about. The image of the radiant titan burned in the back of her mind.


    It wasn¡¯t going to be an easy choice.


    ***?


    ¡°And so you can see, our people were allies once, and it would shame our shared blood to not at least seek to come to an accord,¡± Meng Dan finished smoothly, bowing his head at the conclusion of his speech.


    All of them were present again, this time on the upper floor of the redoubt. The hall here was more lavishly furnished, thick furs and wooden paneling softening the harsh iron edge of the chamber. They sat at a round table of polished marble set in the center of the room.


    This time, they were not just speaking to Jaromila and Ilsur. Two other emissaries of the White Sky were present, though they were junior to Jaromila. The most obvious addition was a thickset woman who by complexion and features would not look out of place in the south Emerald Seas. Their hosts had sent out a message to the closest outpost of their countrymen, the Sibiar, the day before. This woman, Emissary Khadne, had been the one to answer, riding hard through the night to arrive for the meeting in the morning. Her garb was much the same as that of their hosts, the Alaniar, save for a preference for green and white colors. She wore her hair in thick dark braids.


    ¡°You spin a very good tale, I will grant,¡± Khadne said. Where the others were seated, she stood, looking down over the documents and books on the table. She glanced to her left where they had set up the tapestry, which, to Ling Qi¡¯s amusement, seemed terribly indignant at the use they had put it to. ¡°But I am not so eager to call you kin.¡±


    Meng Dan¡¯s research had traced down the closest connections to the old prince, and in the modern Emerald Seas, they lay in the Meng and the Diao clans.


    ¡°Blood is, of course, not the only thing which determines kin, especially when such gaps in time are in play.¡± Meng Dan said humbly, ¡°It is only my intention to show that it is possible for our people to get along.¡±


    ¡°I will compare this to our records when I return. Granting that you are not speaking falsehood, the Sibiar will give their support to these negotiations.¡± Khadne gave Meng Dan one last considering look before sitting down. ¡°To business then.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Emissary Khadne.¡± Ling Qi stepped in swiftly as Meng Dan resumed his seat, gathering the props of his presentation back into storage with a sweep of his hand. ¡°If I might make a suggestion, could you ask your clan leaders to share any such findings when next our people meet? It would be to everyone¡¯s benefit if such matters could be proven to everyone¡¯s satisfaction.¡±


    ¡°Such old texts are not so easily shared. They contain many secrets of the Sibiar people. But your words do have some merit,¡± the woman said, mulling it over.


    ¡°I think, as matters stand, allowing all of our peoples to present more information would be beneficial,¡± Jaromila persuaded. ¡°I would be willing to press for the release of some records on the migration period as well. If you would be so kind, Emissary Khadne, I would consider this a favor.¡±


    The two women shared a look, which Ling Qi suspected passed something more between them, before Khadne responded. ¡°The era of the Khan Queens is over. We will see what texts can be safely shared.¡±


    ¡°Mother will see effort put toward unearthing greater information on our end as well,¡± Cai Renxiang promised from her seat beside Ling Qi. ¡°You understand that we had need to hurry with this delegation.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the cloud folk are stirring,¡± Khadne acknowledged. ¡°I suspect the echoes rolling through the land are your own folk¡¯s reprisals.¡±


    ¡°It is likely,¡± Ling Qi admitted. She didn¡¯t know what exactly the woman was talking about, but the Sect Head was taking the field. ¡°This is why we wished to make certain that we spoke with you to avoid any more unfortunate conflict.¡±


    ¡°On that note, I have compiled some documents regarding those tribes which are friendly to us,¡± Jaromila said. ¡°I hope that the clan of Cai will give this consideration.¡±


    Ling Qi gave Cai Renxiang a sidelong look. The other girl inclined her head slightly.


    ¡°So long as the clans of the Alaniar and Sibiar ensure that their allies know that certain actions cannot be overlooked,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°The people of the Emerald Seas will defend themselves.¡±


    Behind the women, Ilsur, standing beside a few other men, smiled thinly.


    ¡°I would respect you less if you didn¡¯t,¡± Khadne grunted. ¡°We will need to compare maps as well. We are far apart now, but the Sibiar claim portions of the Great Bulwark. I know the Alaniar do as well.¡±


    ¡°It would behoove us both to include cartographers in the next delegation,¡± Cai Renxiang proposed. ¡°We have a map available among the gifts we intend to give you, but it is best to avoid discrepancies.¡±


    ¡°Very much so. I believe that the Alaniar can provide maps as part of the document packages,¡± Jaromila said pleasantly.


    As friendly as things were going at the moment, Ling Qi was sure that their maps, like the one they were providing, were not going to include too much strategic information. She was also sure the lines on their maps wouldn¡¯t line up with the territory in the wall that was actually settled, any more than theirs did..


    ¡°Should we be expecting representatives from the other clans of your confederation when next we meet?¡± Ling Qi asked, moving things along.


    ¡°The diplomatic efforts in the north have largely fallen to the Alaniar and the Sibiar. We will speak with the Kirgia, but until more concrete arrangements are reached, it will likely only be our two clans,¡± Jaromila said. ¡°Should we expect more varied guests?¡±


    Ling Qi said apologetically, ¡°I cannot be certain who Her Grace will choose for the next delegation.¡±


    ¡°Eventually, all of the Emerald Seas¡¯ great clans will show interest,¡± Cai Renxiang intervened. ¡°But participants will likely be limited at first.¡±


    ¡°There is also the matter of where any further meetings are to take place,¡± Ling Qi added. ¡°Meaning no disrespect toward your hospitality, this redoubt is very far from our lands and the passage quite deadly. Something closer to the middle of the Wall would be better for both of us for many reasons.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we do not need foreign [Runy] in Demar¡¯s Rest. I would not know how to begin communing with him to allow it,¡± Khadne grumbled. The word she used didn¡¯t translate fully, but it seemed to be their word for formations. She glanced at Jaromila. ¡°The claims¡­¡±


    ¡°Such a working is within the abilities of the Alaniar¡¯s craftsmasters,¡± Jaromila observed. ¡°The expense would be significant if it is meant for more than one use.¡±


    ¡°My Honored Mother does not wish matters of distance to ruin relations,¡± Cai Renxiang said in response. ¡°We need but a location which the transportation anchor may be placed in.¡±


    ¡°If I may offer a suggestion,¡± Ling Qi offered. She had discussed this with Cai Renxiang already, and they had decided it was the best choice. ¡°There is a valley less than two weeks¡¯ journey from here which contains some ruins which might be refurbished for our purposes.¡±


    The Hui ruin was a useful midpoint particular since the Sect was occupying the territory north of it. It was also far enough away to avoid spooking either side.


    ¡°I would need more details on the location,¡± Jaromila said thoughtfully. ¡°Where is this valley?¡±


    Having anticipated this, Ling Qi dipped her head and allowed Cai Renxiang to take the lead. Her liege was better at laying out exacting details. They took the opportunity to unroll the map they were given, depicting the Emerald Seas and the Wall, and their hosts in turn called for a map that they had on hand. It lacked the luxurious illumination and color of their gift map, but their map was still useful.


    Ling Qi drank in the details as Cai Renxiang and the emissaries spoke on the placement of the valley and its geography. It didn¡¯t show much of their lands. She saw the mark for this redoubt and a dozen similar marks dotted throughout the southern Wall. The furthest east was well south of the Grave, and the furthest west looked to be south of the Western Territories. Most were clustered in the area directly south of the Luo lands. It also showed the delineation of territory between the Sibiar and the Alaniar. This region was apparently a neutral strip with the Alaniar¡¯s lands being further to the south and west.


    Soon, the matter was hashed out, and the valley was carefully marked on the other side¡¯s map.


    ¡°Workable,¡± Emissary Khadne grunted as they all sat back down, the maps left open on the table.


    ¡°We can have a small delegation provide the blood price to the site as soon as we return,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°It should not take more than a month to arrive.¡±


    ¡°I can have outriders available to watch the location,¡± Khadne said. ¡°They can be in place in a matter of weeks.¡±


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure if the woman was being competitive or not.


    ¡°Such a simple transaction will be good for mutual trust,¡± Jaromila said. ¡°But I think it would be best to think about future interactions more. We will need further time to speak with our leaders and make adequate preparations for the site.¡±


    ¡°And we will need time to collect the materials for our sharing agreement,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed. ¡°Do you wish to establish a timeframe for the next major meeting?¡±


    ¡°Being exact would just lead to problems,¡± Jaromila worried. ¡°We will no doubt both run into troubles and obstructions. Shall we tentatively set it for the midsummer of the next year?¡±


    Quickly counting in her head, Ling Qi clarified, ¡°Midsummer being about eight months from now?¡±


    ¡°That is roughly correct,¡± Jaromila said. ¡°We would agree to a wide span of availability at that time to avoid confusion until our scholars have determined how our calendars match.¡±


    ¡°That seems agreeable,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°Now if only we all had proper oaths we could agree upon,¡± Khadne muttered. ¡°This is enough for an initial meeting though.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I am sure that in the future, we will find commonalities which both of our peoples may swear upon. Until then, you have my word and the honor of the Cai.¡±


    ¡°And my word with the honor of the White Sky,¡± Jaromila said pleasantly. ¡°I hope we will see one another again, Cai Renxiang, Ling Qi. Will you be sharing our hospitality much longer?¡±


    Her pronunciation of their names was still stretched by the accent of her speech, but she was clearly improving already.


    ¡°I think it would be best if we carried word back quickly,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°But we still need to present the rest of our gifts and it would be rude not to allow you to share a meal with us before we take our leave.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed, placing the silver ring containing their gifts on the table, ¡°Please allow us to share the works of the Emerald Seas.¡±


    ***?


    All too soon, it was time to go back out under the cold winter sun. The trip would be short this time. They were only traveling to the edge of the snowfield before using their escape talisman, and from there, it would be a week from the small fortress in the mountains back to the sect lands. Whatever came in the future though, this expedition had been a success.

 Chapter Interlude: The Declining Storm

    Interlude: The Declining Storm


    The rain had not stopped for a week now.


    The garden had been churned to muck by the pounding rain, and the unpaved paths and roads in the town had become impassable. All industry had shut down as people huddled inside. The immortals were going to war against the barbarians, it was said. The storm was the wrath of the Sect¡¯s lord as he marched against their foes. Fields would be ruined, streets and homes damaged, but that was better than suffering under the hands of the Cloud Tribes.


    It was said the Sect¡¯s protection had given them many prosperous years. They could suffer one poor one. Besides, folk of the Sect had ensured the harvest was in before they began their march. What was a little winter flooding, especially when the worst of the water flowed unnaturally out of the town, filling the deep reservoirs that the townsfolk had been frantically digging in place of other labors?


    Ling Qingge had to admit, she still did not understand the minds of her neighbors. She almost spilled the tea in her hands as a tremendous boom of thunder shook the window panes, a blinding flash lighting the far silhouettes of the mountains.


    ¡°Hoh, that was a big one. I hope Lord Yuan is giving the scum a good drubbing,¡± the elderly woman across from her said. She smiled a toothless smile, peering out the window at the driving rain.


    ¡°I pray it is so,¡± Ling Qingge said, holding her cup all the tighter. Even in the warmth of their dining room, the moist chill of the air seemed to penetrate. ¡°Please excuse my nerves, Madam Fong.¡±


    The older woman chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re excused, Madam Ling. First time experiencing the Lords at work?¡±


    Ling Qingge nodded shallowly. Since her daughter had given her reign over the household, she had begun tentatively reaching out to other households. A lowly woman such as herself could not show her face to true nobles, but here, in White Cloud Town, there were many households like her own. They were the families of disciples who had reached the third realm, as well as the families of soldiers.


    Madam Fong was one of these. The grandmother of an officer in the sect army, her son had first brought her here, and now, his son had taken his father¡¯s place. Unlike Qingge, the old woman had fully achieved her awakening, and others in the district said that she was nearly a hundred years old.


    ¡°I¡¯ve experienced some measure of what my daughter is capable of, but it is not the same,¡± Ling Qingge admitted. It was simply accepted that this terrible storm, spanning the whole region, was the work of one man.


    ¡°They feel so far above us, but they¡¯re just striplings themselves,¡± Madam Fong agreed absently, still watching the rain. ¡°It¡¯ll drive you to distraction if you think too hard about it.¡±


    ¡°I am not certain how one can avoid doing so,¡± Ling Qingge replied. The wind gusted, and the rafters above their heads shook, creaking ominously. If she did not know that Biyu was napping in the ¡°panic room¡± her other daughter had commissioned, she was sure that she would not be able to sit still at all. Somehow, the expense did not seem so absurd any more.


    ¡°It takes practice,¡± Madam Fong said. Light flashed in the sky outside again, and the old woman didn¡¯t so much as flinch as the house rattled. ¡°Let me thank you again for letting me in. I told that woman last year that she shouldn¡¯t have put off reinforcing the roof.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re speaking of your late son¡¯s wife?¡± Ling Qingge asked cautiously, happy enough to have a distraction. ¡°Will she be fine in these conditions?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a realm higher than me, so I¡¯d hope so. That boy didn¡¯t choose so badly, but now and then, her frugality gets us in trouble. I hear your house has a bit of a problem in the other way though,¡± Madam Fong said thoughtfully, taking up her cup in a trembling hand.


    ¡°My daughter is very generous,¡± Ling Qingge allowed. When a member of a ducal clan was coming to their home so regularly, rumors were bound to fly. In this case, the truth had been the best remedy.


    ¡°I don¡¯t envy you, Madam Ling,¡± the old woman said. ¡°I have enough trouble with my grandson, and the immortal guests he brings about. Your girl, is it true that she¡¯s got the Duchess¡¯ ear?¡±


    ¡°She is sworn to Her Grace¡¯s daughter, no more,¡± Ling Qingge replied quickly.


    ¡°I see why you worry after your nerves then, Madam Ling,¡± Madam Fong observed.


    Ling Qingge sighed, restraining the flinch that tried to come as outside the thunder roared again. ¡°Do you have any wisdom on the matter, Madam Fong?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think about it,¡± the old woman said pleasantly, savoring her tea. She raised her cup as if to toast as the wind gusted again. She seemed to ignore Ling Qingge¡¯s flat look. ¡°If I¡¯m being less pithy, Madam, do you go about your day worrying about whether you¡¯ve offended the spirits?¡±


    ¡°I suppose not. I know the proper rituals well enough, and the temple is kind enough to instruct new residents on the local ones,¡± Ling Qingge replied. ¡°I¡¯m not sure your insinuation is correct.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it though?¡± Madam Fong asked. ¡°We make offerings and obeisance, and in return, we get protection and prosperity, but sometimes¡­¡±


    She trailed off, gesturing to the storm.


    Ling Qingge was silent as well, listening to the wail of the wind and the pounding of the rain. Once, when she had first arrived here, she had christened her daughter a ¡°little god¡± in her thoughts. It was a whimsical thing, but sometimes, it seemed she was not wrong. In the tales Ling Qi told her and in the things she left out, Ling Qingge had begun to have an idea of just how high the heavens were.


    The Sect¡¯s mobilization had simply made it obvious.


    She hoped that Ling Qi was safe. Her daughter had told her that she was not going to fight, but she was going to meet with some strange foreigners. Was that better or worse? At least if she was fighting, she would be under the protection of her Sect¡¯s elders.


    ¡°All we can do is pray for safety, triumph, and homecomings,¡± her guest murmured. ¡°Because even gods can die.¡±


    Ling Qingge silently observed the unrelenting storm as thunder boomed again and lightning tore the sky. In her heart, she prayed that her daughter would find her way home again.


    ***


    He flexes his fingers, and a unit of men splits in two before a scintillating missile from beyond the horizon carves the land in twain where they had just stood. His grip on his cane tightens, and three kilometers in the other direction, three men manning a net launcher adjust their aim just so and catch a particularly skillful raider in their trap. He breathes, and the storm winds howl, ripping free from the grasp of desperate shamans beating their drums.


    He is Yuan He, and he is the Storm.


    His body, grown so frail and withered, sits in the silent center, surrounded by spiralling golden coils that stretch far above the clouds. It does not escape him how much he has come to resemble his old foe. Where once he stood in defiance under the storm wracked sky, the thunderous stomp of a divine beast¡¯s hooves ringing in his ears, with only a ragged collection of survivors and volunteers at his side, now, he is the bringer of ruin.


    His rains flood the valleys, his lightning sets the fields aflame, and his winds scour the mountain peaks and skies. The Argent Peak Sect will never allow the Emerald Seas to be ravaged by the men of cloud again. His awareness is the storm, and within it, he knows every soldier as if they were his own fingers and hands. A squadron led by a young Inner Sect disciple falters under fire from swarming nomads, and he draws the power and layered techniques from five squadrons not engaged. The beleaguered soldiers¡¯ blades and arrows blaze, and the young disciple¡¯s eyes burn with power far beyond his limits as he leaps into the sky and cleaves the heads from horses and horsemen alike. A group circles silently under the rain seeking to flank their supply lines, and with hardly a thought, a task group abruptly changes routes to intercept. Every moment, a dozen, a hundred, obstacles are revealed, and men reorganized in response.


    He is the Argent Peak Sect, and yet, he is alone.


    He felt the champions of the Sect, the elders whose backs supported it all. He saw Zhuge Ke, standing astride the head of his own dragon companion, fighting a whirling duel in the sky with a barbarian khan, a duel whose outcome was already decided as the fool brute he fought was maneuvered into the dense labyrinth of formation traps that Zhuge Ke¡¯s very thoughts wrote in the air.


    There stood a haggard boy before the door of a ruined homestead. His eyes were as dull as his belly was sunken, and his pallid fingers were marked by dozens of scabbing cuts and pricks where blood had been drawn to paint the defenses that had shrouded the building.


    He saw Nai Zhu¡¯s cackling flames consuming the the sky along with the sledges and gers of a tribe forced to abandon all to flee, taking her time consuming the poor few who had been left behind to slow her down, for she knew that those fleeing wouldn¡¯t escape the grasp of the White Plumes¡¯ interception.


    He heaved off the crumbled shingles which muffled the wailing cries of a child. There lay a girl child in the ashen ruins of a baronial manor, barely more than an infant and already scarred terribly from burns. He scooped the child into his arms, knowing she lived only because of the silken talisman gown she had been wrapped in.


    Even the children of Ogodei¡¯s ruin were growing fewer now. Only those handful which had achieved the sixth realm remained. Of his companions who fought beside him that fateful day, only Shi Ying remained.


    The prodigal genius of the fallen Shi stood silhouetted in the sky, her smiling face twisted in hate. Her flesh burned with the energies and powers of all sixty-three of their surviving companions, her three dantians and scores of meridians blazing with such light that mere flesh was rendered a phantom. Hair whipped about her face in the wake of the great stone she had torn down from beyond the heavens to strike Ogodei in the dearly bought moment of weakness purchased with the life of Guan Zhong.


    And one other, he supposed.


    ¡°Pfah! It ill suits you to be maudlin, Yuan He.¡± The voice rumbled from beyond him, echoing a hundred times over among the golden coils, coming down far above.


    ¡°I know you understand it not, Xuelong, but I am old.¡± Yuan He did not speak through the withered husk sitting in the storm¡¯s eye, but on the wind and the crackle of the lightning. ¡°I have earned the right to be whatever I like.¡±


    There was a rumbling scoff from the sky, and then came the building of radiance. A group of nomads was rallying about a leader, far from the location of any of the elders. Through the eyes of a disciple¡¯s spirit beast, a mere third realm thing hidden away in a scraggly tree¡¯s boughs, he guided his long-time companion¡¯s shot.


    A river of lightning tore the sky asunder, liquified three hills, and reduced a score of men to ash in an instant. The little bird whose eyes he had used fluttered away, protected by his will despite the distance.


    Yet despite everything, their actions were not without loss. The nomads were canny and knew the land. They fought with the desperation of beasts cornered in their dens. Soldiers and disciples fell in ones and twos, and each was another pinprick on his flesh, a reminder of his failure, that no matter how mighty he was, one man could not protect the world.


    Tribes were missing, gone from the routes they had followed since Ogodei¡¯s defeat had settled, and there was little sign of the creatures below. He knew better than to accept it as good fortune or his foes¡¯ weakness. He had the reports. There was a great mustering under their feet, a clarion call that stretched far beyond the vault they had discovered, and a great gathering had been held in the far east in the hot lands south of the Sun¡¯s grave.


    Many had wondered if some power had protected those mountains from the Sun¡¯s wrath long ago. Now, he had to entertain the notion that such a power might be a foe. Yet, right now none of that mattered.


    In his ancient chest, heat burned, and on his forehead, heavenly light blazed, the power of a storm lashing out against the confines of his upper dantian. Though a nomad¡¯s hands had done the deed, those beasts were what had truly taken his successor from him, the man he had raised in his blood brother¡¯s, Guan Zhong¡¯s, place.


    After everything else, he had lost his boy too.


    Even across the battlefield, he heard Guan Zhong¡¯s last laugh, his arts giving his body such weight that no light or qi could escape his grasp. Ogodei¡¯s spear punched through his chest, even as his hands grasped the barbarian¡¯s throat, and for one glorious instant, held him still.


    The ancient body at the eye of the storm rose to its feet, and its open eyes revealed an infinite plane of crackling electricity barely contained by human flesh. Where its gaze fell, the lightning came.


    He saw his wife, withered beyond her years, spirit scarred and ripped full of holes by the terrible, forbidden ritual arts which had enabled them to grasp and shunt their foe to their chosen battlefield and confine the Sky for a battle that would only end when he and every one of his companions was dead.


    The scattered tribes fled the advance of his Argent Peak Sect.


    Through his Sect¡¯s forces, he hunted them down like dogs. He saw himself through their eyes, the awful figure at the center of an unstoppable storm.


    He saw the bubbling magma and melting stone at the center of the kilometers-wide crater move. He saw a bright horn of solid lightning rip from the stone, and lightning fell at the sound of the spine-chilling whinney. He saw the face of a man, cold and hard, his eyes burning with the fury of the righteous. A burned husk fell from the man¡¯s spear into the magma. The man¡¯s armor was cracked, his beast¡¯s scales were scorched, and blood ran from a hundred wounds, yet still, Ogodei stood, and the storm came at his call. He felt despair, knowing that even now, all of their sacrifices had not been enough.


    Yes. Yuan He could see that same despair in the eyes of khans great and petty.


    Such was war.


    A stab of pain echoed through his being, and although he did not falter in his command, he did turn his gaze inward to the hair-thin rupture in his lower dantian.


    At least this would be his last one.


    His time was ending. Perhaps, if an old man could deign to dream, the youngsters would do better than he.

 Chapter Threads 178-Dawn 1

    Threads 178-Dawn 1


    When Ling Qi found Cai Renxiang in her office, she stood in front of a mirror. It stood out in the perfectly ordered room, a foreign thing disrupting the geometric perfection of her liege¡¯s decor. Full length and plain as such things went, it sat against the far wall of the study. Cai Renxiang stood in front of the mirror, arms behind her back as Ling Qi quietly closed the door behind herself.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even know you owned a mirror,¡± Ling Qi said, breaking the silence.


    ¡°How did you imagine that I arranged my appearance?¡± Cai Renxiang asked absently, not turning toward her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe you used the flat of your saber?¡± Ling Qi joked lightly, crossing the room to stand behind her. Looking over Renxiang¡¯s shoulder, she studied the contrast between them, white and gold to blue and black. She could almost be mistaken for a shadow. The way her reflection blurred at the edges didn¡¯t help.


    ¡°Amusing,¡± Cai Renxiang said, though she didn¡¯t really sound amused, even in the subtle way that she sometimes showed. ¡°You know why I asked you here.¡±


    Her smile faded. They had only just arrived back at the Sect; Ling Qi had not even greeted her mother again yet. Now, she wouldn¡¯t have time until after the report to the Duchess. She didn¡¯t hold the delay against Renxiang though. ¡°I understand. What I saw¡­¡±


    ¡°I trust that you will not speak of such things to others,¡± Renxiang uncharacteristically interrupted. Her voice was stiff, and there was something unpleasantly fragile about it.


    Sixiang scoffed, but there was no heat in the thought.


    ¡°Of course not, Lady Renxiang,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I¡¯ll swear it, if you like.¡±


    ¡°That is not necessary,¡± Cai Renxiang said, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment. ¡°You have questions.¡±


    ¡°I do not want to pry where I am not wanted,¡± Ling Qi demurred.


    ¡°I would rather answer than leave you to imagine answers,¡± Cai Renxiang insisted.


    Ling Qi bit her lower lip, remembering what she had seen in Renxiang¡¯s dream. Sixiang hissed in discomfort as the memory of searing light and a doll with bloody hands surfaced. ¡°Liming¡¯s appearance is¡­¡±


    ¡°It has always looked like that,¡± Renxiang said.


    ¡°... She,¡± Ling Qi corrected without thinking.


    In the mirror, her liege¡¯s eyes flicked toward her. ¡°Rather, it has always mirrored my current appearance. I do not believe any others have perceived that before however.¡±


    She didn¡¯t acknowledge the interruption at all.


    Sixiang advised.


    Ling Qi was surprised too. Perhaps it was just that conversation with Lin Hai surfacing. Perhaps it was her musing on what a person was. Somehow, depersonalizing Liming just didn¡¯t seem right. ¡°Is the resemblance because of what Her Grace did?¡±


    ¡°I can only assume. I am not privy to her methods,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°I do know that I am unable to form normal spirit bonds and that Liming cannot be attuned to any other person. I cannot even be very far from it for long periods of time.¡±


    In the mirror, bloody light gleamed along the threads of the crimson butterfly splayed across her chest.


    Ling Qi knew that Cai Renxiang had never had other spirits, but knowing that she was unable¡­ She swallowed, storing the implications away. ¡°Cifeng then¡­¡±


    ¡°A custom work. Mother made it work,¡± Cai Renxiang said, quietly stroking the hilt of the blade at her hip. Ling Qi felt the unhappy rumble in the room''s spiritual qi contrasted against the metallic purr. ¡°Presumably, she believed a control instrument was necessary. I would not be surprised if Cifeng was a planned portion of the project to begin with, however.¡±


    Ling Qi wondered about that, Liming hadn¡¯t seemed terribly inconvenienced when she stepped into the blade in the dream. Perhaps because it was not the actual blade spirit? ¡°I am sorry for breaking the dream as I did,¡± Ling Qi apologized.


    ¡°That foolish thing? Do not apologize.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t foolish,¡± Ling Qi argued.


    ¡°It was a shallow and childish recreation of what I sought,¡± Cai Renxiang said harshly. ¡°Perhaps because I am still a foolish child who even now cannot properly envision the world I wish to usher in.¡±


    ¡°Or perhaps because it was an illusion crafted by a mountain hag who had never experienced the existence of a hamlet, let alone a city,¡± Ling Qi shot back. ¡°You are placing too much on your own shoulders again, Lady Renxiang.¡±


    Their eyes met in the mirror, and to Ling Qi¡¯s surprise, it was her liege¡¯s eyes who flicked downward first. ¡°Perhaps.¡±


    ¡°Regardless, it was my method that I regret,¡± Ling Qi continued. ¡°But in the end, I knew you would not want me to risk our mission with something less certain.¡±


    ¡°You know me then,¡± Renxiang said. ¡°Through our actions, we might yet spare many lives, now and in the future. I would not sacrifice that for my own comfort.¡±


    ¡°All the same, please remember to think of yourself too, Lady Renxiang,¡± Ling Qi said softly. ¡°Once we have reported to your mother, you deserve rest.¡±


    Renxiang didn¡¯t answer her for quite a while, instead looking toward the mirror. Just as Ling Qi was thinking to speak up again, the heiress moved. Still staring into the mirror, Renxiang traced her fingers along the red pattern on her chest. ¡°I wonder sometimes if I am the craftwork, and Liming, the girl.¡±


    ¡°Why would you¡­¡±


    ¡°I am aware that my rigidity and the justice I seek are not natural. My¡­ focus and drive are not normal. Rather, is not an unending well of anger the far more human thing to feel in the face of what was done?¡± Cai Renxiang spoke over her, not really seeming to notice her words.


    The light in Liming¡¯s threads burned, and Ling Qi swore she could see the eyespots in the pattern narrowing in the mirror. The air thrummed with bloodlust even as Cai Renxiang¡¯s grip on the hilt of her saber turned white-knuckled. She could almost hear the scream of rage locked behind the blade.


    Ling Qi moved forward and laid her hand on Renxiang¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Lady Renxiang, leaving aside philosophy, you¡¯re the one I swore myself to, not Liming. Whatever your mother did, you are Cai Renxiang.¡±


    The girl¡¯s shoulder was stiff under her grip. After a long moment, Renxiang put her hand over Ling Qi¡¯s and squeezed her eyes shut again. ¡°We should prepare to meet the others.¡±


    In the mirror, Liming glowered at them both, but the screaming had stopped.


    ***


    All traces of uncertainty were gone from Cai Renxiang¡¯s expression and body language by the time the others had arrived. The farspeaking talisman array had been set up already and was now beginning the hours-long cycle of powering its formation properly. Their appearance in court was scheduled for ten minutes after it would be finished to account for any variance.


    For now, all five of them sat around the hearth in Cai Renxiang¡¯s front room. Renxiang was by herself in a regal seat set at the top of the half circle formed by the furniture. Ling Qi and Gan Guangli occupied the couch set to her left, and Xia Lin and Meng Dan the one on her right.


    ¡°Firstly, allow me to thank you for all of your efforts in this expedition,¡± Cai Renxiang began formally. ¡°Each of you performed your roles very well, and thanks to those efforts, we achieved success in all of our goals.¡±


    Everyone bowed their heads slightly, murmuring the proper thankful responses. Cai Renxiang paused a moment to let the noise die down before continuing.


    ¡°Now, we must present our efforts to court, and that is a challenge unto itself,¡± she continued. ¡°If the seeds we have sowed are to become something more, we must show that it will be worth the effort to my mother and the lords of the Emerald Seas. Xia Lin, I would like you to present the tale of bringing down the Hui remnant you and Ling Qi discovered.¡±


    ¡°I will endeavor to present the achievement well,¡± Xia Lin said humbly, bowing her head.


    Cai Renxiang acknowledged her with a nod. ¡°Meng Dan, you will present your findings among the treasures that reinforced our points. I give you allowance to make mention of the auction that the three of you have arranged among yourselves, but keep the focus on the new proofs you uncovered.¡±


    Ling Qi shared a look with Xia Lin and Meng Dan.The treasures she and Xia Lin had acquired were quite a trove, and it would take some time, a number of months at least, to set up a venue for their sale. Meng Dan had, in exchange for his clan¡¯s first sale rights to the tapestry talisman, offered to help them arrange it.


    ¡°You do me honor, allowing me to speak before Her Grace,¡± Meng Dan said. ¡°I have already collated my reports into something presentable to non-academics, of course.¡±


    ¡°Very good,¡± Cai Renxiang said crisply. ¡°Gan Guangli, you will present the journey after the valley up until we made contact. On the matter of the cyan spirit, simply state that Baroness Ling was able to negotiate us safe passage.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lady Cai,¡± Gan Guangli rumbled. ¡°I will ensure that the trials of our travel are known.¡±


    Ling Qi wished him luck. Occupied as she had been in searching the inside of the dream space with Meng Dan, she had only heard about those minor trials and troubles secondhand.


    ¡°You and I, Baroness,¡± Cai Renxiang said after acknowledging Gan Guangli¡¯s response, ¡°will handle the narrative of the negotiations. Our reports will be interrelated. You will speak of the cultural and spiritual matters while I will discuss the material aspects of our dealings. Do you believe this is acceptable?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Ling Qi agreed, turning over the events in the south in her head and considering how she would present them. She had already done some thinking in that regard, but it would be good to finalize things.


    Sixiang corrected.


    That was the same thing, Ling Qi thought. Sixiang was her muse after all.


    Ignoring the spirit''s snort of laughter, Ling Qi kept her attention on Cai Renxiang.


    The heiress had paused, turning her gaze to Xia Lin and Meng Dan. ¡°I am not unaware of the secondary purpose of your presence on this expedition. What are your thoughts on this matter? Speak plainly, please.¡±


    ¡°You are all quite fun, I think,¡± Meng Dan said with a faint smile. ¡°I think I should like to return to the library for a time, but perhaps when we meet again for the auction, we can speak more on the future.¡±


    Xia Lin hesitated before answering. ¡°I¡­ have some disagreements with the style of your command, my lady, but I believe your choices advance the health of the province. If you would have me, I would not object to remaining at your service.¡±


    ¡°I will consider your application then,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°Sir Meng, I will look forward to speaking with you and your grandmother on such matters in the future.¡±


    Renxiang changed the subject. ¡°However,¡± she continued, ¡°there is one matter that must be resolved before we make any further plans for our presentation. ¡°We must decide how involved we intend to be in the diplomacy with these foreigners in the future. We have already spoken of the virtues and vices of staying our current course or taking advantage of this opportunity. So let us choose.¡±

 Chapter threads 179-Dawn 2

    threads 179-Dawn 2


    The magnificence of the court of Xiangmen had not changed. The faces in the crowd had. The great stone platform held in the curled branches of the great tree was more crowded than it had been the last time Ling Qi had seen this place through the projection array. She could make out the distinctions between the coimital clan contingents, now no longer represented by a single ambassador and their attendants.


    The newcomers had the look and feel of soldiers and officers to Ling Qi¡¯s eye. Perhaps they were here to aid coordination of the province¡¯s forces? She didn¡¯t know, only that the remaining courtiers, the ones belonging to the court clans, had a distinctly nervous air. She supposed that the last time that there was so much military presence in the capital, things had been very unpleasant.


    She kept her idle thoughts to herself as she knelt in full kowtow beside Xia Lin, Gan Guangli and Meng Dan before the burning radiance that sat upon Xiangmen¡¯s throne. Cai Renxiang knelt in front of them, her head held only marginally higher.


    ¡°Welcome, my daughter,¡± proclaimed the Duchess, lounging upon her throne. As always, Diao Linqin stood quietly at the arm of her throne. ¡°From your disposition, it would seem that you found some success?¡±


    Although she phrased it as a question, it was a statement in tone.


    ¡°We achieved all that you directed us to, Your Grace,¡± Cai Renxiang said, keeping her eyes on the rich carpet. ¡°And more as well.¡±


    That brought a scattering of whispers among the court, silenced as Cai Shenhua leaned forward, the weight of her presence focusing down upon her daughter. The woman wore a surprisingly conservative gown this day, not so dissimilar to the way Liming usually appeared on Renxiang, and wore her hair in a single braid that wound about her shoulders and spilled like a cord of liquid night down the stairs of her throne. ¡°Oh? Do tell. If you are so confident, I will hear as much as you wish to say.¡±


    Ling Qi swallowed, her mouth suddenly feeling dry. She had known what they were getting into, but it didn¡¯t make the feeling of pressure any less oppressive.


    Cai Renxiang did not flinch or falter though, despite being the actual focus of the Duchess¡¯ attention. ¡°I feel it would be best to split our report between those of us with the most expertise on each route. To that end, Xia Lin, your report on the Hui corpse immortal.¡±


    Noise, the low susurrus of voices from the court, and the faint shimmering of light as the Duchess tilted her head in curiosity followed Cai Renxiang¡¯s words. Xia Lin raised her head promptly, though no higher than Cai Renxiang¡¯s.


    ¡°On the day of departure from the main sect force, we chose to travel south through a heavily forested valley which saw little nomad activity,¡± Xia Lin began crisply. Only a faint tremble in her hands gave away that she, too, felt the Duchess¡¯ eyes. ¡°In service of this, Baroness Ling and I set out ahead of the party to scout for dangers and obstacles. We found that the forest was under the effect of a large scale illusion that confused passage and that it was heavily infested with spiders. In our search of the valley, I discovered a crumbling imperial formation array which seemed to be the source of the problem. Baroness Ling determined that further breaking the formation would draw too much attention, and we instead sought the power source, and in doing so, we discovered an underground bunker.¡±


    ¡°To think one of those odious little holes could have been missed,¡± a woman in Jia colors said. ¡°I believe we were informed that all of their communications had been cracked a century ago.¡±


    ¡°I can only accept shame for this.¡± A thickset man wearing the colors of the Wang clan shook his head


    ¡°Honored lords, the bunker was far from imperial lands, even accounting for recent expansion. Who would imagine that even the Hui would run so far? Neither I, nor General Xia, believes that this reflects poorly on the Wang clan,¡± Xia Lin said politely. She waited a moment, and the man waved her on. ¡°Below, we found a nest of giant spiders who seemed convinced that they were but waiting for a ¡®Day of Return.¡¯ Upon dispatching them, we descended below and found the corpse immortal lurking in a sealed chamber writing foul screeds denigrating the rightful lords of the province as traitors. Luckily, though he had once been a higher cultivator, his powers had rotted enough that the Baroness and I were able to slay him. He gave his name as Hui Peng.¡±


    There was silence for a moment, and then, Ling Qi felt the pressure shift away as Cai Shenhua turned her gaze on Diao Linqin. ¡°Darling, remind me, which one of the vermin was that? You have a better memory for these things.¡±


    ¡°There were four living Hui Pengs at the time of your ascension,¡± Diao Linqin answered demurely. ¡°Three were accounted for, which would make this one¡­ the Duke¡¯s herald. I believe he announced your first petition to the court.¡±


    No one spoke while the minister was speaking, nor in the aftermath, as Shenhua pondered the answer. Then, the Duchess began to chuckle. It was not a happy sound, and it sent a chill down the back of her neck. Going from the faint unease rising from the court, they didn¡¯t care for it either.


    Thankfully, the Duchess¡¯ humor faded quickly. ¡°Rotting in a hole for two centuries¡­ How very fitting. I might be cross that you put him out of his misery, young lady.¡±


    ¡°I¡ªThat is¡ª¡± Xia Lin stuttered, undoubtedly pressured by Her Grace¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°I am not, of course. You did well in cleansing such a lingering pustule. He was surely too mad to suffer further by this point,¡± the Duchess said dismissively.


    Despite the dismissal, Ling Qi still felt a frisson of discomfort. The tinge of scorn and cruelty in Cai Shenhua¡¯s tone felt foreign compared to her previous experiences with the Duchess. Even with everything she had experienced through Renxiang, such emotion did not suit the Duchess.


    ¡°I will be certain to update the lists of those who are accounted for. By your story, he was alone. Was there evidence of others having occupied the redoubt?¡± Daio Linqin inquired calmly, and Ling Qi saw the woman lay a hand on the Duchess¡¯ shoulder.


    ¡°It was constructed to hold somewhere between twenty and fifty individuals,¡± Xia Lin said, recovering. ¡°If my judgement is correct. As to whether it did, I must defer to Sir Meng, who organized the records and treasures we found.¡±


    Xia Lin had managed to stay on script, despite the hiccup.


    The other girl lowered her head, and Meng Dan raised his, the faint sheen of sweat on his forehead the only sign of his nerves. ¡°And quite a fine trove of treasure it was, Your Grace,¡± he took over smoothly. ¡°The corpse immortal¡¯s particular madness was useful in this regard since it compelled him to write many records among the more incoherent screeds. His writings indicate that his original group consisted of about thirty individuals, six of which were junior members of the clan and the rest of which were servants dragged along with their masters.¡±


    Ling Qi thought that sounded right given the space available in the bunker. She wondered what it must have been like when all of them were there, jammed together in isolation. If Hui Peng were any indication of Hui disposition, it must have been awful.


    ¡°The servants suffered attrition first, some dying of old age within the first fifty years, and more still vanished while performing tasks outside for their masters,¡± Meng Dan continued. ¡°Records indicate that encounters with barbarians dwindled their numbers further until roughly one hundred years ago when only three other Hui remained. The corpse¡¯s scribblings indicate that at this point, two betrayed the third, killing him, and left the bunker of their own volition. Rants about the ¡®traitors¡¯ temporarily eclipsed complaints about your own person for some years after that, Your Grace.¡±


    ¡°How predictable,¡± Cai Shenhua commented. ¡°Even in a crisis, they did not change one bit. Although, we already knew this.¡±


    There was a general rumble of agreement from the court, many of its older members wearing sour expressions of remembrance. The noise fell silent at the Duchess¡¯ raised hand.


    ¡°You have records regarding these two Hui.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Your Grace. I have compiled that knowledge in a written report,¡± Meng Dan replied. ¡°Such matters need not be spoken of publicly.¡±


    ¡°You have been educated well. We will have your report brought here for perusal,¡± Diao Linqin said coolly. ¡°You may continue with your findings.¡±


    Meng Dan lowered his head in acceptance. ¡°In the creature''s storage ring, buried beneath the mountain of mad and seditious scrawling, we discovered a significant fraction of the lost Hui archive.¡±


    That drew some appreciative and dubious noise from the court, and Ling Qi was quite sure that Meng Dan¡¯s grandmother, standing among others of her clan, looked more than a bit pleased.


    ¡°Although there were not many arts, I estimate that the volumes within may account for nearly a quarter of their mundane library going by the records of it at its height. In addition, it contained a truly staggering amount of art and artifacts, much of which even date back to the Weilu era. Truly a lucky find for Sergeant Xia and the Baroness.¡±


    ¡°Lucky indeed,¡± his grandmother, Meng Diu, said, ¡°that so much that was lost may be returned.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I intend to aid the Baroness and the Sergeant in seeing an auction organized so that the artifacts may find worthy owners,¡± Meng Dan agreed.


    Ling Qi was glad for that. Some of the considering looks she had felt falling upon her and Xia Lin were less than friendly. She knew well enough that even if she wanted all the historical junk, it would be a bad idea to try and keep it all.


    ¡°But most importantly, I was able to find historical records which confirmed that in the past, the Weilu and the people of the southlands had intermarried at least once in their royal lines and otherwise interacted. This proved most useful in our negotiations,¡± Meng Dan announced proudly. ¡°Although it is distant, both the Meng and Diao clans have some small measure of blood connection to one of the great clans of the southlands.¡±


    The reactions of the people around them were mixed. Meng Diu looked pleased, but some of the other Meng with her looked ambivalent. So it was with the Diao as well. Some of the more scholarly types in their clique looked intrigued, but there was little interest otherwise. Some of the more imperial-aligned courtiers looked faintly repulsed.


    ¡°One of the ¡®great clans¡¯? You¡¯re implying some things there, boy,¡± chided a richly dressed Bao man, stroking his short oiled beard with ring-adorned fingers.


    ¡°I should leave such explanations to Lady Cai,¡± Meng Dan deflected. ¡°But first, I believe Sir Gan must give an accounting of the journey into the unexplored lands.¡±


    There was a brief pause as they waited for the Duchess to gesture for them to continue. Meng Dan lowered his head, and Gan Guangli raised his, though she could see from his whitened knuckles and shaking shoulders that the Duchess was not being particularly kind in her attention as it turned to him. To his credit, he did not stutter as he began to speak.


    ¡°With Sir Meng and Baroness Ling occupied with cataloguing our findings, determining the route and pressing forward was left to Sergeant Xia and I. Our first task was navigating the remainder of the forest and dealing with the concentration of spiders remaining above ground. As it happened, these descendants of Hui beasts were those which split from their loyal kin, deciding that if the Cai their wretched master spoke so highly of were so mighty, that it made more sense to offer them obedience instead. Lady Cai naturally took advantage of this, and now, this nest merely awaits orders from the capital.¡±


    ¡°Amusing,¡± Cai Shenhua said languidly. ¡°Beasts are often wiser than men.¡±


    There was some polite laughter among the courtiers.


    ¡°The truth of their loyalty will need review, but it is a boon regardless. I don¡¯t believe silk exports have yet recovered, have they, darling?¡±


    ¡°Bulk output remains under half of the pre-war production, although specialty processing has largely recovered,¡± Diao Linquin replied briskly. ¡°Young man, can you give me a population estimate?¡±


    Ling Qi had a feeling that Shenhua could probably give them the numbers down to several decimal places. She supposed that the Duchess was just giving the Minister the chance to speak because she could. Or perhaps because it was considered beneath Her Grace to know such things exactly? She was always a little unclear on what level of involvement with trade and coin the nobility was expected to have.


    ¡°We detected somewhere in the range of one hundred third realms and a fourth realm leading the nest. Beyond that, I am afraid it was not possible to count,¡± Gan Guangli answered.


    ¡°Significant,¡± the Prime Minister said. ¡°Continue your report.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Gan Guangli agreed, gathering himself. He began to give account of the frozen lands that had awaited them to the south and of the spirits and storms that had hindered them and complicated their path. It was not until he got to the point of describing the strange lights of the southern sky that his words drew further comments from the court.


    ¡°You say that the lights in the sky affected your minds, despite you never leaving the mountains?¡± asked a scholarly looking man from among the court clans. He wore an elaborate silvery robe and headdress with a single glass lens over his right eye.


    ¡°It did. It had the effect of a paralyzing fear, not unlike a higher realm beast¡¯s ire. Our hosts did not speak much on the subject, but they regarded the lights as a hazard as well. They spoke of a weakness in the sky wrought by the Sun¡¯s and the Moon¡¯s absence for large portions of the year.¡±


    ¡°Is that a plausible theory?¡± Cai Shenhua asked, her attention leaving Gan Guangli to look upon the man. ¡°Astronomer Wu?¡±


    ¡°According to certain theories, Your Grace, the rotational path of the solar and lunar spheres should leave the furthest north and south poles of the terrestrial sphere without light for around half a year. There have been many thought exercises on the effects this would have,¡± the astronomer said, bowing his head low. He seemed pleased. Ling Qi supposed that he must have been a believer of said theory.


    ¡°Perhaps you shall have a chance to see then if my daughter truly succeeded as well as she implies,¡± the Duchess said indulgently. ¡°Continue, boy. Your tale is near its end, is it not?¡±


    ¡°It is, Your Grace,¡± Gan Guangli said. ¡°Following our encounter with the lights, we faced one last obstacle, a glacial valley home to three higher realm spirits of wind and winter. After Baroness Ling and Sir Meng scried the paths, we were able to bypass two of the spirits, and the Baroness successfully used her understanding of such spirits to negotiate a safe path through the territory of the third. In the valley beyond, we found a mountain of iron in the shape of a man and met the scouting force of our hosts.¡±


    Cai Renxiaing raised her head again, and Ling Qi swallowed as the glittering radiance cast by the woman on the throne fell upon them.


    ¡°Gan Guangli does not exaggerate when he speaks of a mountain,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°It was over two kilometers in height, and to all of my senses, composed of a strangely alloyed iron.¡±


    ¡°Later, we would learn that this was a result of their method of cultivation,¡± Ling Qi said, following off of her liege¡¯s words. ¡°Those who achieve the higher realms become more akin to ancestors providing shelter, protection, and wisdom, rather than interacting directly in temporal matters.¡±


    They had discussed the best way to present the White Sky¡¯s method of government and approach to cultivation, and they had decided on this version to avoid more negative impressions. It wasn¡¯t really a lie or even a misdirection, just a careful choice of words.


    ¡°Such a method seems deeply at odds with that of the tribesmen,¡± said a Jia officer with pinched features. ¡°You have seen proof that it was not merely a strange spirit?¡±


    ¡°I was allowed to meet with the religious leader overseeing the settlement, who was a fifth realm. They were strange but still obviously human,¡± Ling Qi replied carefully. A flick of Cai Shenhua¡¯s hand silenced further questions for the moment. ¡°I was able, using the shard of iron and the songs taught to me by my mentor, to establish that we had arrived with peaceful intentions, and we were brought into the iron mountain to meet the Emissary in charge of the day-to-day operations of the fortress.¡±


    Ling Qi took a breath here, preparing herself for the more important part of the narration. ¡°The woman in question was the same one who had given me the shard. When I call her ¡®emissary,¡¯ it is her actual title. We learned that among them, there is a specific caste of priests and diplomats who bear the blessings of powerful ice spirits. I was given the shard because she believed me to be a junior member of a lost bloodline who was in need of rescue.¡±


    ¡°Fortune can truly be strange,¡± Cai Shenhua said, her gaze burning on the back of Ling Qi¡¯s neck. Sweat gathered on her brow. ¡°But then again, one needs a certain good fortune to advance as you have.¡±


    ¡°The Baroness is indeed fortunate,¡± Meng Diu spoke up. ¡°It seems likely that the great spirits have their plans.¡±


    Several of the other Meng gave Meng Diu sidelong looks, but none gainsaid her. Some of the more traditionally garbed among the courtiers and clan attaches were looking at Ling Qi assessingly.


    ¡°Plans in line with my efforts, no less.¡± The Duchess chuckled throatily. ¡°Will wonders never cease. Continue, then. How did the initial negotiations go?¡±


    ¡°We were brought to a hastily prepared meeting room in the entrance hall of their fortress, likely out of security concerns.¡± Cai Renxiang took up the speech as Ling Qi fell silent and tried to maintain composure under everyone¡¯s scrutiny. ¡°There, we met with the Emissary and her husband, the son of one the allied khans of the south.¡±


    They had to get this part out of the way.


    ¡°We learned there that there are a number of cloud tribes who have begun to abandon their old modes of living in the far south as encouraged by the White Sky, who are in the process of integrating them. This marriage was an example of that, and their presence at the caldera event was an effort to convince other tribes to do so as well.¡±


    ¡°Integration is all well and good, but I must wonder at their wisdom in letting new tribesmen hold such prominence. In my experience, it takes generations to beat the banditry out of them,¡± one of the Wang generals said. ¡°How in the world do they ensure good behavior?¡±


    ¡°If anything, Sir Wang does not go far enough with his suspicions,¡± a man in Diao colors said with a grimace. ¡°The Wang clan¡¯s methods are experimental. That these people would accept tribesmen on such a level very much undermines the narrative you are trying to construct, young miss.¡±


    There was further back and forth, and on her throne, Shenhua was silent. Ling Qi¡¯s eyes remained on her liege¡¯s back as the volume began to grow.


    ¡°Honored lords and ladies of the Court,¡± Cai Renxiang said loudly and forcefully over the growing noise. ¡°I feel it is necessary to remind you that the Wall is wide and that there are many tribes within it. The tribes of the far south have often never heard more than stories of the Empire. They are as often victims of their fellows, as anything else. Did I not say that they were only being encouraged to abandon their ways rather than being forced to?¡±


    Several individuals looked indignant at being spoken over, but Cai Shenhua¡¯s warm laughter silenced any retort. Ling Qi squeezed her eyes shut as the pounding in her head grew with the light shining from the throne, and she shuddered to remember the half-dreamed glimpse of that radiance unmasked.


    ¡°Speak, Cai Renxiang. I would hear your thoughts uninterrupted,¡± the Duchess said, and despite her earlier laugh, the words were spoken with utmost seriousness, reverberating in the air to silence and embedding themselves like nails in her mind and drowning out even the faintest whisper of other sound.


    ¡°I will not speak in defense of the tribes which have brought pain and ruin to the people of the Emerald Seas since time immemorial,¡± Renxiang said. ¡°But these are not those people. You have heard the breadth of our journey, more than ten thousand miles through mountains, valleys, and spirits. These tribes were not among the hosts of Ogodei. It is as foolish to judge them by their kin as it is to judge any of the great clans by the bonds of blood they share with the hated Hui. I will not say that our host¡¯s methods are perfect, but from what I was able to observe, they have found security, expansion, and profit together from this integration. The tribes have safety and civilization, and the Confederation of White Sky has found a great pool of warriors and hunters with which to tame their hinterlands. We must be watchful, but to dismiss a nation because of this is something I cannot countenance, Your Grace.¡±


    That¡­ had not been wholly planned. Ling Qi could hear bits and pieces of their planned speech in there, but the composition was off the cuff.


    ¡°Passionately said, my daughter,¡± Cai Shenhua said as the last echo of the words faded, the inhuman reverberations gone from her voice. ¡°As a matter of principle, I agree. Hasty judgement in a matter of this magnitude is¡­ unacceptable.¡±


    Those who had most loudly voiced their doubts looked as if they had bitten into something sour, but they did not dare gainsay the Duchess.


    Ling Qi found her voice very small as she launched into the next part of their presentation. ¡°It was because of this that we were asked to negotiate a weregild for the warriors lost during the caldera event.¡±


    She was certain had she spoken earlier she would have been interrupted here, but the atmosphere was such that she was able to continue immediately.


    ¡°We used this matter to discover something of what materials the White Sky values, and as it happens, what they value most is quality wood. Their request was for ten wagon loads of hardwood and six of soft. You can see why we agreed to this so easily,¡± Ling Qi finished.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± commented the Bao man who had spoken before, breaking the tense silence of the court. ¡°Did you happen to discern what they have in abundance, Baroness?¡±


    ¡°It was not our focus, but by its sheer prevalence, they have easy access to very large amounts of metal. In fact, the way they described their settlements, it seems that they are generally centered around what they call ¡®Blood of the Sun,¡¯ which are masses of metal which fall from the sky with some regularity and burn with a fraction of the sun¡¯s heat¡­¡±


    The atmosphere of the court eased a little as Ling Qi and Cai Renxiang traded off describing what they had learned of the White Sky¡¯s practices and culture, as well as describing the agreement they had secured, the neutral grounds they had negotiated to take place at the Hui ruins, and the rapport they had gained.


    ¡°One matter remains,¡± a Luo courtier said as they finished their presentation. ¡°You have spoken of this ¡®White Sky¡¯ in the terms of a peer polity. Why do you ascribe them such status?¡±


    Ling Qi responded with her head low. ¡°We have no reason to believe their maps are lies or fabrications, and although the territory they claim may be exaggerated, I do not think it is greatly so.¡±


    ¡°In addition to what the Baroness says, it was made clear that the White Sky is a smaller part of a larger polity, just as the Emerald Seas is part of the Empire. While it is impossible to judge their full scale with the information we have, I feel it is wise to assume that they may at least be a peer to an imperial province,¡± Cai Renxiang supported.


    There was some rumbling at that, but it seemed, of those willing to speak up, their explanation was accepted. There was silence as no more questions came, and they lowered their heads, presentation finished. When the silence was broken, it was by the tapping of the Duchess¡¯ fingernail upon the arm of her throne, a small noise made into a sharp report by the acoustics of the chamber.


    ¡°As expected of my daughter. It seems that you truly have succeeded at every goal I have given you in this expedition with additional accomplishments beside.¡± The Duchess¡¯ voice was not quite warm, but it was satisfied, at least. ¡°I will approve the terms you have negotiated and provide the small sum of the weregild from the Cai lumber yards. We will send forth messengers to scout the prospective neutral ground for their delivery as well. Should these White Sky maintain their end of the bargain, the province of Emerald Seas will speak with them.¡±


    A smattering of affirmative sound spread throughout the court, others, whatever their position, bowing to the will of the Duchess.


    ¡°Tell me, my daughter, what boon will aid you in continuing to succeed so?¡± Cai Shenhua asked, sinking back into her throne to resume her more languid pose.


    ¡°I wish for myself and my immediate retainers to maintain a central role in the diplomacy to come,¡± Cai Renxiang requested.


    There was silence from the courtiers, and above, Diao Linqin frowned at them while Cai Shenhua simply tilted her head very slowly to the side, making their shadows dance.


    ¡°You are young and have other commitments beside, my daughter,¡± Cai Shenhua said. Her words did not feel like a rebuke, but a simple reminder.


    ¡°I know, Your Grace, but it is my heartfelt belief that I will advance the interests of the Cai and the province more effectively by ensuring that this matter ends productively rather than continuing to simply act as a student,¡± Cai Renxiang replied. She did not raise her head.


    The Duchess let out a thoughtful hum that made Ling Qi¡¯s ears ring, letting them stew in silence. ¡°If this is your true desire, I will allow it, although by accepting this responsibility, you must be prepared for greater consequences.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Cai Renxiang said, pressing her forehead to the rich carpet.


    ¡°I will begin making some arrangements then. You will not be without oversight. I will assign an apprentice to oversee you and assemble a pool of advisors for you to recruit from. I will speak with the Sect as well,¡± Cai Shenhua said thoughtfully. ¡°Your successes are to remain at this level of quality, naturally.¡±


    Ling Qi let out a breath. One way or the other, they were committed now.

 Chapter Threads 180-Dawn 3

    Threads 180-Dawn 3


    ¡°I¡¯m home,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°Welcome back,¡± said her mother, bowing her head.


    Ling Qi itched to embrace her, but that could come later when they weren¡¯t standing in the front garden. Somehow, every time she saw the Duchess, she found her appreciation for her own mother growing. Following her mother inside, Ling Qi cast one more glance over the house and the town outside.


    It wasn¡¯t pretty. There were holes in the roof where shingles had been torn away, and several of the upstairs windows were covered by boards. Around them, the garden, once full of flowers, had been churned to muddy ruin. Her home seemed to have gotten off fairly lightly though, all things considered.


    Outside, things were worse. She had seen a handful of buildings which had simply collapsed and were now being rebuilt by workers from the Sect. The dirt roads outside the city center were still ankle-deep muck in places, and outside the town walls, she had seen two miniature lakes full of muddy, stagnant water. She was sure that some Outer Sect disciples would be earning sect points while cleansing and removing those soon.


    It seemed that even so far from the front, the effects of a seventh realm cultivator¡¯s power would be felt. The air still tingled with electricity and grief, and she was sure that weight wasn¡¯t helping with the more mundane problems.


    ¡°Were you and Biyu well while I was gone?¡± Ling Qi asked as they entered the front hall.


    ¡°We persevered,¡± Ling Qingge replied. ¡°It was easier for Biyu. Once I understood that the room that the young man installed blocked out what was happening outside, she was able to sleep again. She did become a little agitated with the enclosure as time wore on.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad some value has already come from it.¡± She relaxed a little. If her mother was talking about such a small problem, then there weren¡¯t any greater ones. ¡°But how were you?¡±


    ¡°I was able to keep myself busy between the neighbors and our household. I invited those who lived outside to stay with us during the storm,¡± Ling Qingge answered. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t believe that was a misstep.¡±


    Ling Qi shook her head slightly. Anyone who had a problem with that wasn¡¯t going to be someone she could really be friendly with anyway. ¡°That¡¯s fine. How¡­ were they? It was probably frightening.¡±


    They were her mother¡¯s friends and acquaintances, so it was only polite to ask.


    ¡°It shook some of them,¡± her mother admitted. ¡°But it was not so bad for adults, who could understand what was happening.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed in agreement as her mother continued speaking. It was good hearing her talk about others with the implication that she was doing more than just huddling down and focusing on herself. She was a little surprised to learn that her mother suspected that they might be losing one or two of the younger girls brought from Tonghou. It seemed they had found men they were interested in staying with in the town.


    Ling Qi made a silent note to herself to send a wisp or two out for a wander while she cultivated tonight.


    Sixiang sighed.


    It was only reasonable. She trusted her mother to have done the same, but there were tools only she had.


    Before Sixiang could respond further, her mother turned her head to look at her. ¡°Ah, are your spirits present? I do not want to be rude by not greeting them as well.¡±


    ¡°Hanyi decided to visit her mother¡¯s old home, and Zhengui is taking a nap. Being awake for so long at a stretch really tired him out,¡± Ling Qi explained.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry ¡®bout me, Momma Ling. Just focus on this troublesome daughter of yours,¡± Sixiang said aloud, letting their voice carry on the wind. At the far end of the hall, Ling Qi saw a cleaning girl who had been looking at them out of the corner of her eye startle.


    She saw her mother¡¯s shoulders stiffen, but she didn¡¯t jump this time. Progress. ¡°I will try to do so,¡± she said.


    They passed into the dining room then. It was a bit of a mess. Materials for repair were stacked about the edges of the room, but the table was clear, and Ling Qi was able to see the traces of dirt from workman¡¯s boots in the cracks in the floorboards.


    ¡°Ling Qi, how did your trip go?¡± her mother asked, turning to face her as they approached the table.


    ¡°Better than could reasonably be expected,¡± Ling Qi said wryly. ¡°That reminds me. I brought back gifts!¡±


    She gestured, and the air above the table shimmered along with a faint puff of air as objects materialized and settled on the table. They were small things: painting, vases, a folded tapestry, and other bits of decor. She still wasn¡¯t completely sure of Meng Dan¡¯s words, but she had accepted his help in picking out a few pieces to keep anyway.


    ¡°Beautiful,¡± Ling Qingge murmured, leaning over the nearest painting. It was a simple thing, depicting a winding stream that pooled in a pond filled with swimming ducks and sparkling fish. Wispy wind and water spirits gave the piece a more mystical feel, and the water of the pond and stream shimmered like real water. The positions of the animals and fish seemed to change a little when looked at from different angles as well. ¡°Where in the world did you acquire these?¡±


    ¡°We came upon a cache of art and artifacts after defeating a hidden traitor,¡± Ling Qi replied easily. She might explain more clearly later, but she would rather let her mother enjoy the gifts for now. ¡°I¡¯m selling most of it, but it seemed a shame not to keep a few, and these¡­¡±


    She paused, long enough for her mother to look up from her examination with a frown. ¡°These what, Ling Qi?¡±


    ¡°Well, one of my companions helped me do a genealogy. Technically, the makers of these works are ancestors, even if it¡¯s really distant and they¡¯re not really acknowledgeable,¡± Ling Qi said, her eyes wandering over the spread. It was a small thing, but she supposed she understood Meng Dan¡¯s words.


    She didn¡¯t put any great stock in ancestry still, but maybe future Lings would find them inspiring. She didn¡¯t think that would be a bad thing. ¡°Not a bad little foundation, right, Mother?¡±


    ¡°I¡ª¡± her mother began.


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes darted to the side as she heard a high-pitched cry, and she turned in time to catch a small form bounding into the room to embrace her legs. The blanket of the Sect Head¡¯s qi really was intense, Ling Qi thought, if she had missed her sister¡¯s approach.


    Ling Qi crouched down and embraced her little sister back. ¡°Missed you, Biyu,¡± she said, tousling the girl¡¯s hair.


    The little girl squealed happily, grabbing at her hand. ¡°Missed Sis-y! Bad air goes away!¡±


    Ling Qi glanced up to see a red-faced older woman huffing and puffing her way up the hall where Biyu had come from. She felt sympathetic to the woman; she had a feeling the power of her domain gave Biyu a certain energy that made her hard to keep up with for a mortal. The staff had probably noticed this too given the lack of surprise on the woman¡¯s face as she stopped near the entrance to the room.


    Sixiang pronounced mock-seriously.


    Behind her, Ling Qingge gestured to the other woman, who briefly bowed and took her leave. ¡°Biyu, please don¡¯t run in the house,¡± she chided gently.


    ¡°But Sis-y,¡± Biyu pouted, peering past Ling Qi.


    ¡°Listen to Mother,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I¡¯ll be here for a few days this time.¡±


    The little girl¡¯s eyes went wide, and she babbled happily at the news, but her mother gave her a concerned look. ¡°Is that truly alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve earned a little break,¡± Ling Qi said, laying her hand on Biyu¡¯s head. ¡°Unless there¡¯s a real emergency, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Dance!¡± Biyu blurted out before her mother could reply. ¡°Wanna show!¡±


    Ling Qi blinked and shot her mother a questioning look.


    ¡°One of the younger girls was once a ritual dancer at the Temple of the Bountiful Earth before her circumstances changed. Lessons helped distract Biyu from confinement,¡± Ling Qingge explained.


    ¡°Lei-Lei is nice,¡± Biyu affirmed. ¡°Show Sis-y?¡±


    Ling Qi felt a slight pang. She¡¯d intended to be the one who showed Biyu some basics of dance as a bonding thing, but it seemed she¡¯d been beaten to it. She didn¡¯t regret her trip but¡­


    Sixiang thought.


    ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t mind, if it''s fine with you, Mother,¡± Ling Qi said aloud, not letting her thoughts show.


    ¡°I discarded the day¡¯s schedule the moment I felt your presence,¡± Ling Qingge said with a small smile.


    ***?


    Ling Qi leaned back on the soft couch in the panic room. Her mother had seen it furnished since she had been here last with things likely commissioned from the town. Wall hangings concealed the faintly humming formation arrays, still partially active from keeping the atmosphere outside out, and in addition to the couch she sat on, there were a few other chairs and small tables, along with a pair of small but well appointed cots in one corner.


    Laying in her lap, Biyu turned over, murmuring in her sleep. They¡¯d spent a few hours letting her show off the first halting steps she¡¯d learned from Lei-Lei and then Ling Qi coaching her further. It was less about deliberate routines at this point and more a matter of instilling balance and rhythm. It was fun though, even if Biyu was too young to really get it yet.


    ¡°I am so glad you made it home safely,¡± her mother murmured from her seat beside Ling Qi.


    Carefully, Ling Qi wrapped an arm around her mother¡¯s shoulders. It still struck her sometimes how much taller she was than the older woman and how very frail her mother seemed. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten pretty tough, you know?¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± her mother responded weakly. ¡°But having felt the storm, I could not help but worry.¡±


    Ling Qi let her eyes drift shut. ¡°That¡¯s fair. I try to stay in my own league though. Were you really okay while worrying about everyone else, Mother?¡±


    ¡°I was as well as I could be,¡± Ling Qingge admitted. ¡°But I am glad that the campaign has halted for the moment.¡±


    ¡°So am I,¡± Ling Qi said.


    There was some trepidation there. The Duchess was coming south. And if what she had felt in the air was the mere distant echo of the Sect Head¡¯s actions, then she dearly hoped that Cai Shenhua never had cause to so much as lift a finger. ¡°I noticed that your cultivation has advanced.¡±


    ¡°Has it?¡± Ling Qingge asked, looking down at her hands. ¡°I merely found it good for focusing my mind.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re close to reaching gold physique,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Would you like my help tomorrow morning, giving it the last push?¡±


    Her mother closed her eyes, letting out a breath. ¡°I think I should like that.¡±

 Chapter Threads 181-Dawn 4

    Threads 181-Dawn 4


    Points of light winked and sparkled, circling above the garden pond and over the low walls that surrounded their property. The dampness remaining in the air and the qi exhaled from her lungs left a thin mist crawling along the muddy ground of the storm-wracked garden. The gravel paths were still visible though, and the decorative boulders remained in their places, giving Ling Qi a place to sit as she channeled the energies of the Roaming Moon¡¯s Eye art.


    Of her arts, it was one which she focused on often. It was useful and not particularly flashy, but she used it whenever she needed to search for something, channeling qi to her eyes and ears in the patterns she had learned from its lessons. The wisps gave her the ability to analyze her surroundings more quickly and effectively, and now and again, when she needed to look for something far away, the Viewing Pool was available wherever she could find a pool of water.


    Now, of course, she had a talisman to assist with that. It was one of many reasons she had to further study the art now that she had time.


    Sixiang thought.


    They did, and Ling Qi was looking forward to it, if only because it would make a fun project to work on with Sixiang.


    the muse jested.


    Ling Qi breathed out scattering sparks of silver qi across the ruined garden as she cleared her mind and returned to her cultivation. In truth, she had already mastered most of the secrets of this art. What remained were refinements, learning to achieve a higher clarity in her scrying, letting the wisps zip faster and further through air and shadow. With the insights she had gleaned from watching Meng Dan at his work, those things came to her easily enough. She thought it likely that she would complete the art very soon, and then, she could start on modifying the art.


    But, that was something to think about later. Ling Qi opened her eyes, pushing the views sent to her mind by the whirling wisps to the back of her mind. Her mother sat on the iron bench below, a warmed mat between her and the cold metal, eyes were closed in concentration.


    Over the past year, her mother had persevered with her exercise, helped greatly by the movements taught by the cultivation art she had picked from the archive of lower realm arts gifted to Ling Qi by the Cai. The rough exercises Guan Zhou had designed for young and vigorous mortals was less effective for her mother than the gentler movements that the art had taught.


    Her mother¡¯s condition had improved greatly since she had started practicing it in the garden. Now though, she had just one final step to fully awaken, having already awakened spiritually, and that was to begin weaving and layering qi into bone and muscle. Ling Qi remembered finishing this exercise in a short time, swiftly locking into place the foundations which would allow her to continue improving her body beyond mortal limits.


    Ling Qingge was far slower. According to her mother, she had been at this for most of the month, and still, Ling Qi could see how slowly and haltingly her mother wove the strands of spiritual energy which irregularly emerged from her tarnished dantian. There was a wavering uncertainty to the efforts even after Ling Qi had tried to give her instruction.


    Despite that though, she could tell that her mother was soon to reach the threshold. One wisp and then another drew back in lazily circling the bench where her mother sat, sharpening Ling Qi¡¯s focus on the tentative movement of her mother¡¯s qi. This was the first time she had watched someone else achieve the gold physique. She had thought when she first began to make regular use of her spiritual senses that mortals resembled phantoms. Their spirits were pale shades, and they seemed almost unreal in that sense compared to cultivators who burned so brightly.


    She had learned better, and thus, kept herself grounded. Though mortals did not shine brightly, if one bothered to look, they still had all the complexity to their spirit that a cultivator did, just more muddled. But all the same, she couldn¡¯t claim that it wasn¡¯t gratifying to see her frail, mortal mother beginning to shine just a little bit brighter.


    Completion came suddenly like a hazy image snapping into focus, and the weave of qi layered into bone and flesh thrummed with what Ling Qi recognized as the satisfaction and mild euphoria that came with awakening. The power her mother had attained was small, but qi now cushioned and supported flesh. It would hold back the wear and tear of time and atrophy, and it would enhance the memory of muscle and mind alike.


    Even if mortals were still people and deserved to be thought of as such, that did not change the fact that they were so fragile and fleeting. Now, her mother was a little less so.


    Ling Qi was beside her mother in an instant, wrapping her arm around the older woman¡¯s shoulders as Ling Qingge¡¯s eyes shot open and she sucked in a gasping breath.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good feeling, isn¡¯t it?¡± Ling Qi asked lightly, gazing up at the stars above.


    ¡°It is,¡± her mother murmured, staring down at her own hands as if she could hardly recognize them. The lines of stress and hard days still marked her face, but Ling Qi hoped that there would be no new ones for a while now.


    Sixiang¡¯s jab was playful but also purposeful. Ling Qi ducked her head slightly in acknowledgement. She had put things off for long enough.


    ¡°So, now that you have the energy for it. I think I need to tell you about some things,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°I knew that there were more serious issues on your journey,¡± her mother replied, opening and closing her hands.


    ¡°What gave me away?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Ling Qingge let her eyes drift shut. ¡°But even one such as I can recognize a pattern when it is repeated often enough.¡±


    Ling Qi stared blankly. Had her mother just ¡­?


    Sixiang let out an audible snort of laughter. Ling Qi grimaced. Fair enough.


    ***?


    ¡°You do not commit yourself to half measures, do you, Ling Qi?¡± Her mother broke the silence that had fallen after she finished explaining the choices she had made and what the Duchess now expected of them.


    ¡°I can¡¯t, if I want to keep climbing,¡± Ling Qi replied, leaning against the back of the bench.


    ¡°And you must keep climbing,¡± Ling Qingge said. Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure if it was meant to be a question or not.


    She chose to treat it as one. ¡°I¡¯m still ignorant about a lot of things, but I do know you need power before you can have anything else. You know where a person stands when they¡¯re powerless, Mother.¡±


    Her mother gazed up at the unclouded stars beside her. When she did reply, it was only a single word. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°None of us, not myself or you or Biyu or anyone else who comes after, should have to deal with that again,¡± Ling Qi said thoughtfully, entwining her fingers in her lap. Above their heads, the upward facing crescent of the moon shone pale on the town. ¡°I¡¯m still not sure what I¡¯m supposed to do with that power, but Lady Renxiang, even if she stumbles sometimes, she does know. So I want to support her. And¡­ I think less war can only be good. So until I figure out the more complicated stuff, this is what I can do.¡±


    In the end, she had given her support to the decision for personal, selfish reasons. She did not want war in the south of the province for any longer than necessary because she wanted to secure a place of peace and safety for her family. And although they had only spoken for a short time, she didn¡¯t really want to fight Jaromila. Her people were just an extension of that.


    The more cynical part of her said that such feelings were probably the point of their little meeting. However, even if that might be the motive, much of it was the simple fact that it was harder to think of someone who had shared warm drinks with her in a comfortable sitting room as a faceless thing to be fought.


    ¡°I only worry that you run ahead so quickly that you will inevitably trip,¡± Ling Qingge said. ¡°But I must trust you. What does this mean for us?¡±


    ¡°In the short term, little,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°In the coming year, we will have to survey the lands we are assigned and find a place to settle. I¡¯ll be away more often, but I¡¯ll be back often too. Once we have a site ready to move people too¡­ That¡¯s when things will change for you.¡±


    ¡°You will bankrupt your lady on security measures, I am sure.¡± Her mother smiled wanly.


    ¡°... Maybe not bankrupt,¡± Ling Qi muttered.


    Things kept changing from one day to the next, Ling Qi thought.


    ¡°We should head inside. You¡¯re not quite immune to catching the chills yet, Mother,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I think we could both use some warm tea.¡±


    ¡°I suppose, yet I do not feel as if I will be able to sleep either,¡± Ling Qingge said.


    ¡°I will teach you how to control that later.¡± Ling Qi stood up and offered her mother a hand. ¡°Perhaps we could compose until everyone wakes up.¡±


    She was glad to be home for now. She had so many people to catch up with still though.

 Chapter Threads 182-Return 1

    Threads 182-Return 1


    Near the ceiling of the archive, the quintet of silvery wisps danced, orbiting and circling one another in a complex pattern. As the strains of her music rose to a crescendo, their movements sped up until the flashing lights seemed like one strobing sphere, then in time with the descending tone, the orb shrank and the light inverted, leaving a tiny-two dimensional circle of wispy shadow hovering near the rafters. It darted upward then, passing straight through the warded ceiling of the archive¡¯s first floor.


    Ling Qi opened her eyes as a faint applause echoed in the study room to see the other members of her ¡°music club.¡± On the wide couch across from her, Ruan Shen and Bian Ya sat beside each other. Yu Nuan sat backwards on a wooden chair, resting her arms on its backrest.


    ¡°An interesting twist on a common technique, junior sister,¡± Bian Ya said politely, letting her applause fade. ¡°I think you might need further polish to the transformation given your intentions.¡±


    Ling Qi smiled sheepishly. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll need to make it more subtle for field use, but I think I like this more for performances.¡±


    ¡°Nothing wrong with learning to play with your lighting,¡± Ruan Shen commented, his fingers dancing across the strings of his lute, plucking silently and adjusting their tension. ¡°Stage presence is more than just songs.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯d you tear out the regular qi projection and replace it with music?¡± Yu Nuan asked. ¡°I¡¯ve tried that with a few things, but it usually just makes the technique collapse.¡±


    Ling Qi leaned back in her own heavily cushioned seat, luxuriating in the comfort of the plush armchair.


    ¡°I helped a lot,¡± Sixiang boasted, manifesting as a child-sized figure perched on the back of her chair. ¡°Heh, when your whole being is composed of song and expression, that kind of thing comes natural. She just copied some of my patterns.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a bit reductive,¡± Ling Qi protested. ¡°Copying some of Sixiang¡¯s manifestations helped, but it¡¯s mostly trial and error. You have to observe the original effect and compose new lines until you hit on one that makes the qi react in the same way as the base qi pattern.¡±


    ¡°There are methods which you can use to be more systemic about it, but that is the gist of it,¡± Bian Ya agreed.


    ¡°Oh, can you share those later?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why not,¡± Bian Ya said. Yu Nuan glanced over to her and nodded in thanks.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s my project. What have you all been up to this past month?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t had much time to work on anything serious,¡± Ruan Shen admitted. ¡°I want to start thinking about my first personal art, so when I¡¯m not deployed, I¡¯ve been doing research on places to journey to.¡±


    ¡°The Ruan family has plenty of resources and sites on hand,¡± Bian Ya pointed out.


    Ruan Shen looked away, plucking out a low note on his lute. ¡°And I told you, if you want me to do this, I¡¯m gonna do it right.¡±


    There was a moment¡¯s silence as Bian Ya pursed her lips unhappily, leaning away from his side. ¡°Well, junior sister, I have been deployed too often to come up with anything new, but I have refined a few of my songs. I do not mind showing you while we discuss theory.¡±


    ¡°Same for me. Too much time on the front line,¡± Yu Nuan said. ¡°Mostly been working on teamwork and my movement arts.¡±


    ¡°I was meaning to ask about that. What happened to¡­¡± Ling Qi trailed off as she looked down into the shadow under Yu Nuan¡¯s chair. Glinting azure eyes looked back at her. She realized that she had never learned the spirit¡¯s name.


    ¡°He goes by Qiu,¡± Yu Nuan said.


    ¡°Borf,¡± agreed the shrunken thunder hound. He did not look much like the gigantic herding dog made of lightning and clouds she had seen last. He was actually rather tiny and looked more like a limbless loaf of fluffy blue and white fur with a grinning canine face while lying down.


    ¡°Yeah, he figured out he can get more treats and pets looking like that,¡± Yu Nuan said dryly. ¡°He¡¯s a total attention hog. Don¡¯t indulge him too much, okay?¡±


    Qiu panted happily, looking back at Ling Qi with a certain performative innocence that she was all too familiar with via her dealings with Hanyi.


    Sixiang thought in her head.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± Ling Qi shared a chuckle with the others. ¡°But I should probably ask, how are things? What has been new over the past month?¡±


    The mood in the room dimmed.


    ¡°The Sect has been victorious in all clashes with the cloud tribes,¡± Bian Ya said. ¡°But Sect Head Yuan pressed us to a hard pace. It is good that we stopped. Many were becoming exhausted.¡±


    ¡°So much winnin¡¯ that you just don¡¯t want anymore, like wolfing down too many sweets,¡± Ruan Shen said lightly. Ling Qi didn¡¯t miss the slightly bitter twist to his lips.


    ¡°It¡¯s all pretty ugly,¡± Yu Nuan said quietly. ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯m much of a fan. Especially once the quakes started.¡±


    Ling Qi looked at each of them in turn, and eventually, it was Ruan Shen who followed up.


    ¡°The things underground started ramping up their presence toward the end of the month. Nothing that could stop us, but there¡¯s a lot of traps. Sudden ambushes from swarms of nasty things from below. Weird, explosive formation devices that everyone¡¯s perception arts missed. Sudden releases of plague spirits. The Sect didn¡¯t take a lot of losses, but it did bog us down.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not the only ones getting hit. Bunch of mines in the Wang lands collapsed. Heard there was a military outpost that went dark in Luo lands too,¡± Yu Nuan offered.


    ¡°But every time they have brought force, we have met it,¡± Bian Ya said, ¡°and came out superior. Once we discern the function of their tricks, the leaders of the Emerald Seas will stamp down on it.¡±


    ¡°Of course we will. Doesn¡¯t make it any less nerve wracking to be marching and wondering if the ground is gonna blow up and cover you in toxic gunk,¡± Ruan Shen said.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not a fan.¡± Yu Nuan rubbed the side of her neck, as if recalling an old wound. ¡°I made it out okay thanks to Qiu, but my squad wandered into a plague trap, and it wasn¡¯t pretty. We lost most of the lower realms, and the other officer is in the medicine hall¡¯s isolation rooms.¡±


    Beneath her chair, there came a low growl, deeper than the tiny frame of the dog below it should have been capable of emitting.


    ¡°Ah, but those caught in the caldera events have recovered for the most part,¡± Bian Ya cut in, her cheer sounding a little forced. ¡°Elder Yongrui is still not in combat ready condition, but he is awake.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s something at least,¡± Ling Qi said, thinking of Senior Brother Liao Zhu.


    ¡°What of you, junior sis?¡± Ruan Shen asked, leaning forward. ¡°There are already quite a lot of rumors circulating. Care to share the truth?¡±


    Ling Qi gave a wry smile. ¡°I¡¯m afraid to ask what people are saying. The truth is the meeting went very well. The people from the other side of the Wall are friendly and not inclined to war. Lady Cai and I negotiated for further peaceful meetings at a neutral ground in the mountains. They are strange but definitely not barbarians.¡±


    ¡°Well, that is welcome news,¡± Bian Ya said thoughtfully. Ruan Shen strummed an agreeing chord on his lute. Yu Nuan merely grunted in acknowledgement.


    ¡°Lady Cai has requested that the Duchess leave us at the center of negotiations due to our success,¡± Ling Qi added.


    That brought silence to the room, as all three of them stared at her. Eventually, it was Ruan Shen who broke the silence.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ ambitious,¡± he said. ¡°What does that mean for you exactly?¡±


    ¡°It means we¡¯ll be leaving the Sect a little sooner than intended,¡± Ling Qi replied, idly willing her wisp back down to circle her chair. ¡°It looks like I don¡¯t have to worry about the intersect tournament after all.¡±


    ¡°I will have to wish you good luck. Ah, perhaps that is why I heard that the Duchess was enquiring with the Clan Head about communications specialists,¡± Bian Ya murmured, rubbing her chin.


    Yu Nuan looked at her with a frown. ¡°Am I missing something or is that not really risky for a heiress? Aren¡¯t you supposed to use your youth to build up reputation with folks around the courts?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong,¡± Ruan Shen said.


    ¡°Lady Cai is aware that this is a risk, but all the same, she thinks this is the best place she can be for the good of the province¡­ and I agree with her. It¡¯s hard to explain, but I¡¯m really the best suited to dealing with these foreigners, at least until there is some trust built up.¡±


    ¡°It is not all risk, I think,¡± Bian Ya said. ¡°If this whole matter succeeds, it will be quite an accomplishment, even if there are some in the province who will not value it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought as well.¡± Ling Qi sighed. ¡°But for now, how about those lessons? I want to finish my modifications to Roaming Moon¡¯s Eye art to truly make it the Silent Songseeker¡¯s Regard art.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re slipping, junior sis. Not a bit of wordplay in your art?¡± Ruan Shen laughed.


    ¡°Quiet, you. There is nothing wrong with being dignified,¡± Bian Ya huffed. ¡°But yes, it is really just a twist on the application of common qi harmonics¡­¡±


    Ling Qi leaned back in her chair, listening to the older girl''s words. She still had time to learn yet.


    ***


    ¡°So you¡¯re really diving in head first, huh,¡± Yu Nuan said to her as they left the archive sometime later. The other girl held her hands behind her head, looking up at the evening sky. Qiu trotted along at her side, his short legs working furiously to keep up with their longer stride.


    ¡°That is one way to put it,¡± Ling Qi observed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how you can do that. Even with everything going on, I¡¯m still kinda glad I have service ahead. Someone like me doesn¡¯t have any business running a pig farm, let alone a town,¡± Yu Nuan mused.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s being overly harsh. Administration is a skill to polish like any other. You have time to learn it,¡± Ling Qi said encouragingly. It wasn¡¯t an enjoyable subject, but that was responsibility.


    ¡°I wonder about that,¡± Yu Nuan said. ¡°I think you need the right temperament for it too. Besides, what am I supposed to do with a ¡®Yu clan¡¯ that¡¯s just me?¡±


    ¡°Ling Qi slowed her walk, glancing over at the other girl with her wild blue hair and glinting piercings. ¡°No other family members?¡±


    ¡°Had a grandfather once and some aunts and uncles now. Don¡¯t really feel like inviting folks who didn¡¯t want anything to do with me until they scented gold on the air though,¡± Yu Nuan said. ¡°Nah, it¡¯s just me.¡±


    Ling Qi couldn¡¯t think of anything useful to say, and Yu Nuan seemed content with her statement for a time.


    ¡°Hey, the land you''re likely to get¡­ It¡¯ll be in the hills or mountains, right?¡± Yu Nuan suddenly asked.


    ¡°Most likely,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Before, we probably would have started with a small settlement, but we¡¯ll have to build from scratch now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to run off herding. Land up there is shit for farms,¡± Yu Nuan said idly.


    ¡°You have some experience?¡± Ling Qi asked, cocking her head.


    ¡°My grandfather¡¯s pastures were on the edge of Luo territory. Just first realm sheep and cows,¡± Yu Nuan said. ¡°Feh, bet you never thought I was a farm girl.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t give that impression,¡± Ling Qi admitted.


    ¡°Good. I tried hard at that,¡± Yu Nuan said. ¡°Still, I remember the ropes.¡±


    Ling Qi shot her a sidelong look. ¡°You¡¯re not usually so indirect. What¡¯s on your mind?¡±


    They stopped, and Yu Nuan looked at her for a long moment. ¡°Yu clan¡¯s never gonna go anywhere, and I can¡¯t say I like the idea of selling it off in a marriage either. Guess I¡¯m asking what¡¯s the Ling clan¡¯s adoption policy?¡±


    Ling Qi stared at Yu Nuan. The Ling clan in her mind was really just her family, not a noble clan. She knew intellectually that one of the ways for a young clan to grow was by merging with others, but she¡¯d never really considered the idea. ¡°You have your debts to the Sect still. I can¡¯t easily erase those.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but assuming I don¡¯t get melted, those¡¯ll be paid off eventually,¡± Yu Nuan said.


    It had been a reflexive excuse. In reality, Ling Qi strongly suspected that after the auction, she would be able to pay a tuition fee or two. Ling Qi found the thought that had been drifting through her mind as she completed the cultivation of the Roaming Moon¡¯s Eye Art drifting through her mind.


    The future changes with every step. Never be certain she knows what¡¯s coming.


    So much had changed in the last two years. So much continued to change every month and every day. The idea that someone would seek adoption into her near nonexistent clan would have seemed absurd just a couple months ago.


    ¡°You¡¯re not asking for a simple thing,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°My family is small. It¡¯s just my mother, sister, and spirits.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to suddenly care about me like a sibling. You know that¡¯s not how clans work,¡± Yu Nuan said with a small shrug. ¡°I get it if you don¡¯t want to answer me now though. You probably want to talk to the rest first.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned. ¡°That might not be how clans work in general, but I¡¯m not sure if I want my family to work like that. But I don¡¯t really object in principle. Yu Nuan, you should understand how important my family is.¡±


    There was the faintest frisson in the air, a quick gust of wind that sent the trees on either side of the road swaying. Sixiang chuckled in her thoughts, and Ling Qi felt phantom arms wrap around her shoulders.


    Yu Nuan looked worried, and the older girl ducked her head in apology. ¡°Right, I hope I didn¡¯t offend you too much. I wasn¡¯t trying to insult you or¡ª¡±


    Ling Qi held out a hand to stymie her apology. ¡°I¡¯m not rejecting you. My family is already half adoption by number.¡±


    It was a funny thing to consider. What did that make family even mean really? Ling Qi felt a faint tingling in her chest, a feeling of pressure. Her thoughts were circling the issue that had plagued her for months now. What did she want from her family? What did she owe it? How was she to carry it with her?


    ¡°You¡¯re right that I need to talk to the rest of my family about it, but I¡¯m not against the idea,¡± Ling Qi repeated.


    ¡°That so?¡± Yu Nuan inquired cautiously. ¡°Well, uh, thanks for the vote of confidence.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m unaware how unstable it is being the only significant cultivator in a clan,¡± Ling Qi said wryly. ¡°But you should understand that just being tied to Lady Cai doesn''t make us stable either. If anything, it makes our position more dangerous. The Duchess¡¯ scrutiny is¡­ rough.¡±


    Yu Nuan was silent for a long moment. ¡°I still think you¡¯re my best bet, if I want to be satisfied with myself. I¡¯m not cut out to rule, but I¡¯d not like being under a hundred layers of hierarchy either.¡±


    Ling Qi blew out a sigh and turned back to the path. ¡°Then I¡¯ll talk to my family and get back to you.¡±


    She didn¡¯t think her mother would object, nor Zhengui. Hanyi might be reluctant over the idea though. At least Biyu would be sold on the idea easily, she mused, glancing at the trotting dog.

 Chapter Threads 183-Return 2

    Threads 183-Return 2


    ¡­ And you would not believe how unbearably crass the man is! I understand that the Zheng have different ways, but there should be a limit. But leaving that uncouth cad aside, the rest of the journey through the borderlands and into the Golden Fields proper went well. I must admit, seeing the spires of Phoenix Home rising over the horizon brought a moment of weakness. I understand that you hold no special feeling toward your city of birth, so it must seem quite foolish to you, but¡­ it was as if a year¡¯s worth of homesickness struck me at once. Phoenix Home is a marvel of craft and beauty, and I should like you to see it someday.


    I suppose it is unlikely that you will find yourself with the time in the near future though, so perhaps I might commission a small painting for you. I haven¡¯t forgotten that I owe you a gift. Don¡¯t you dare tell me that I do not!


    As for how matters proceeded once I reached home, it was,better than I could have expected. Father has promised to train me further in the Gu arts that I may sooner heal some of my wounds. Mother is displeased with us, but it is my hope that she will calm herself in time. I do have to admit some small trepidation though. While I am certain of my lethality as a warrior, I am not so certain of myself as a soldier and leader. Father seems confident in me, and I do not wish to disappoint him.


    Despite that, I can only describe the feeling of receiving so much attention from my father to be satisfying...


    Ling Qi looked up as she heard footsteps approaching her seat on the fence surrounding the training yard. The small novel worth of pages which had sprung from the envelope containing Xiulan¡¯s letter was balanced on her knee. All around her was the sound of laughter, combat, and carousing. The group she had helped Wang Chao put together hadn¡¯t flagged in her absence.


    She turned her gaze to the one who had interrupted her, and the short brunette immediately made a small squeaking sound and bowed her head. ¡°My apologies for interrupting your correspondence, Miss Ling.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no trouble¡­¡± Ling Qi paused a second, searching her mind for the girl''s name.


    Sixiang murmured.


    ¡°Nie Ai,¡± Ling Qi finished, keeping her pause minimal.


    It was actually a little uncomfortable how pleased the girl looked to have her name remembered.


    ¡°I should probably read this at home. My friend has given me quite a lot to read,¡± Ling Qisaid with a smile, carefully restacking the papers. She returned them to their too small envelope and dismissed it to storage. ¡°Did you need something?¡±


    ¡°Ah, Sir Wang had asked for you to come to the entrance,¡± Nie Ai said, keeping her eyes lowered.


    Ling Qi frowned, turning toward the narrow channel road that made up the entrance of the valley they had taken for their gathering. There was a bit too much ¡°noise¡± in the air to readily read presences so far away. She could send a wisp, but that might be rude. ¡°Lead the way then.¡±


    The girl bowed again as Ling Qi hopped down from the fence, idly nodding her head toward those who acknowledged her presence. The story of their trip and what Cai Renxiang had asked her mother for had not yet become fully public knowledge, although those with an ear to the court like Bian Ya were aware (before Ling Qi had just straight up told her), but it was still seeping into the pool of public rumor. All they knew was that Ling Qi and Cai Renxiang had succeeded at an important mission in foreign lands.


    ¡°Nie Ai, how have things been at the Sect?¡± Ling Qi asked as they passed a ring where two young men were having a contest of strength with Zhengui. It was a game where teams of disciples would try to move him in exchange for small prizes. The crackling of thunder and crumbling stone joined human grunts of effort and calls of encouragement. ¡°I don¡¯t mean out in the war effort, but here,¡± she clarified.


    The other girl plucked at her sleeves nervously. ¡°It has been tense. Everyone is being rotated on and off duty, and the recent break in advancement has cheered everyone. More of the outer province students have left though. Ranks 993 and down are currently empty.¡±


    This meant the Sect hadn¡¯t managed to promote new blood from the military yet. She supposed everyone must be focused on the logistics of the war.


    ¡°How is Elder Jiao doing? I¡¯ve heard that the other wounded are awake again, but I hadn¡¯t heard of him.¡±


    ¡°Elder Jiao?¡± Nie Ai asked, furrowing her brow. ¡°Um, I believe he was focusing on the Sect¡¯s defenses against the underground. I think I heard a rumor that he and the Sect Head had a disagreement over something though¡­¡±


    Ling Qi gave her a questioning look, and the girl ducked her head low. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t know more than that.¡±


    Sixiang mused.


    Ling Qi sent back.


    Out loud, she said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miss Nie. It was just an idle curiosity.¡±


    The girl nodded, seeming relieved as they passed the pavilion, and she saw Wang Chao standing by the gate, his brow furrowed and his arms crossed. He looked both worried and contemplative.


    Ling Qi¡¯s thoughts drifted back to what she had been contemplating before Xiulan¡¯s letter arrived. Word had not yet spread far outside of the court, but should she mention what was happening to Wang Chao? While he was probably not going to be much help himself, she wondered if she could ask him to put her in contact with relatives who could be.


    There was a certain wisdom to giving more clans buy-ins to their project, but doing so would make things more complicated as well, giving them more interests to cater to. Cai Renxiang had given her latitude on the matter while Renxiang was focused on studying up on the names in the advisor pool that was already being filled with her mother¡¯s recommendations.


    ¡°Sir Wang, what is troubling you so?¡± Ling Qi asked, leaving Nie Ai behind as she approached her fellow event organizer. In the end, holding back was silly. She didn¡¯t gain anything by leaving him out of the loop.


    ¡°Oh, Miss Ling! Thank you for coming quickly,¡± Wang Chao said, looking up and blinking owlishly. He must have been deep in thought. ¡°I¡¯ve just received some requests to attend our gatherings that I want your input on.¡±


    Ling Qi cocked her head to the side curiously. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I know we agreed that we could be sparing about invitations,¡± Wang Chao said. ¡°But it isn¡¯t just some run-of-the-mill disciples asking here.¡±


    ¡°Who is it then?¡± Ling Qi asked, feeling the rumbling of the earth in her ears. She extended her own qi, cloaking their words in figments of inane small talk.


    ¡°It¡¯s that Luo,¡± Wang Chao grunted. ¡°It¡¯s true that we¡¯ve got a handsome number of his folk here, but I doubt it''s just benign interest. I can¡¯t fathom what he¡¯s up to, but I know that man is a plotter!¡±


    Ling Qi pursed her lips. Luo Zhong had not left her with the best of impressions, though she didn¡¯t think he was malicious. ¡°I¡¯m unsure as well. It is possible that it¡¯s a goodwill exercise. If he just wanted to spy for some reason, it would be easy enough to ask one of his people who already attend.¡±


    ¡°Well, of course, and it¡¯s not as if we¡¯re up to any skullduggery here, just good, honest exercise,¡± Wang Chao grumbled. ¡°Luo Zhong isn¡¯t the type for that sort of thing though.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps not,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°It¡¯s more likely that it has something to do with me.¡±


    He gave her an uncomprehending look.


    ¡°I spend most of my public time here. It¡¯s the most reasonable place to contact me without it seeming like untoward stalking,¡± Ling Qi pointed out. ¡°My recent business was quite high profile.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right, your trip,¡± Wang Chao realized. He seemed dissatisfied with her answer, and Ling Qi had to hold back a sigh.


    ¡°Naturally, he wouldn¡¯t want you to gain too much advantage from our friendship,¡± Ling Qi said.


    He blinked, and his brewing frown cleared up, becoming a grin. ¡°Aha, of course! Yes, that cunning hound. Trying to use me to get back to you after he was too boorish to keep your company. Why, I have half a mind to refuse him now!¡±


    Sixiang mused.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t acknowledge Sixiang¡¯s thoughts. ¡°I don¡¯t think a delay in answering is unreasonable. You don¡¯t want to appear too high-handed either.¡±


    ¡°Mm, you¡¯re right,¡± Wang Chao said, rubbing his chin. He squinted up at her. ¡°Are you comfortable with his coming? If he wants to question you, he could make himself a nuisance.¡±


    And there, Ling Qi supposed, was the reason that she did not mind Wang Chao despite his flaws. He had a good heart. ¡°I can handle myself,¡± she assured him.


    ¡°Right, right, no offense meant, Miss Ling,¡± he said. ¡°That does bring up the second request. Lady Bai asked if it would be alright for her to attend from time to time. Why did she not just ask you?¡±


    ¡°At a guess, I¡¯d say she was trying to be proper. You are the higher ranking one here, even if I am her friend,¡± Ling Qi said. She was a little mystified that Meizhen would bother, but her friend was becoming more outgoing.


    ¡°Of course. Whatever you can say about the Bai, they abide by propriety in their way,¡± Wang Chao said. ¡°Do you¡­ think it is safe? The Bai are not known to be friendly, even in the sparring ring.¡±


    Although it annoyed her to hear her friend stereotyped, she had to admit that there was a kernel of truth in that. ¡°I can speak with her. Bai Meizhen has spent enough time in the Emerald Seas to learn our etiquette. She is my friend, so I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be most interested in testing my skills.¡±


    Wang Chao nodded in understanding. ¡°You are a brave one, Miss Ling.¡±


    ¡°You are too kind,¡± Ling Qi said dismissively. ¡°Was that all that troubled you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I¡¯m glad you helped me clear my mind,¡± Wang Chao chuffed. ¡°How about we attend the pavilion, get a drink, and then we can have a spar? I have a new technique that I perfected against the barbarians.¡±


    ¡°Certainly,¡± Ling Qi agreed politely. ¡°Although, Sir Wang, have I had the chance to tell you about my trip?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think you have,¡± Wang Chao said amiably as they began to head to the pavilion. ¡°Something about descending the frozen pit beyond the Wall?¡±


    ¡°It was a little more eventful than that.¡± Ling Qi let their words spill out into public once more. ¡°The exciting part begins in an odd valley deep in the middle of the Wall¡­¡±


    By the time she was done telling the story, she had attracted quite a gaggle of listeners over by the refreshment table. It was kind of fulfilling, feeling the admiration of the crowd for her storytelling.


    Sixiang agreed.


    ¡°That¡¯s certainly an adventure!¡± Wang Chao said as she finished, and the crowd broke up into gossiping cliques. ¡°Pah, to think there was one of those traitors out there lurking about. Even if he was a corpse, it¡¯s good that you took care of it!¡±


    Ling Qi laughed. ¡°Well, that was hardly the most important part.¡±


    ¡°Mm, yes, these White Sky¡­ You are certain they are what they claim? It¡¯s not unknown for tribes to puff themselves up,¡± Wang Chao warned, crossing his arms.


    ¡°There were too many signs of more advanced living,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Even if they exaggerate a little, they¡¯re definitely not just another cloud tribe.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Wang Chao said. ¡°You do hear some things from the north now and then, so it isn¡¯t impossible. Be careful though, Miss Ling. You can¡¯t let yourself be tricked by foreigners.¡±


    ¡°Lady Cai and I will be most careful,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Actually, I had been meaning to ask you. Do you think you could put me into contact with those in the Wang clan that might be able to help with the project? The Duchess is giving my lady some advisors, but you know how Her Grace is.¡±


    Wang looked thoughtful, resting his chin in his hand. ¡°Hm, hm, Her Grace does prefer self-sufficiency. If you intend to settle in the mountains, then the Wang would be a good ally to have! Do you know where your land would be?¡±


    ¡°Close to the meeting point to be built in the valley, no doubt,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°If I had to guess¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be given some of the land the Sect has taken,¡± Wang Chao said. ¡°Their charter means they cannot expand without the permission of the Empress and the Duchess, so the conquered lands go to the Cai. It seems we will be neighbors, Miss Ling!¡±


    Ling Qi blinked as he pre-empted her. It seemed Wang Chao was familiar with the legalities. Cai Renxiang had determined the same thing. The new lands were Cai by default and had no one to administer them. Putting them in the region was the obvious solution.


    ¡°Perhaps, Sir Wang, though it would be more accurate to say Lady Cai will be your neighbor. But, my question¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, right!¡± he exclaimed, pounding a fist into his palm. ¡°I don¡¯t mind at all writing a letter to my father and siblings. Some might think you¡¯re a little too radical, but you¡¯ve given me some confidence in Lady Cai. I will definitely convey that to my family!¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much, Sir Wang. I appreciate it a great deal.¡±


    ¡°Although, Miss Ling,¡± he began thoughtfully.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Do you think you might speak with Lady Cai on my behalf?¡± Wang Chao requested. ¡°Praise from the heiress for my progress would go far toward letting me get Father¡¯s attention.¡±


    ¡°I think that can be arranged. Lady Cai trusts my judgement,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me of your own feats while we head out to the sparring yard?¡±


    Wang Chao grinned broadly as they made their way out of the pavilion. ¡°Ha! Well, I was at the head of the third roadworks company, overseeing the construction of a bridge, when the nomads came for us¡­¡±

 Chapter Threads 184-Return 3

    Threads 184-Return 3


    ¡°I¡¯d thought of trying to convince you to come, but I never thought you¡¯d seek it out.¡± Ling Qi¡¯s voice rang out sourcelessly from the churning mist in the ruined cavern


    ¡°And why not? I have every right to attend the gatherings of my peers,¡± Meizhen said imperiously. She stood upon a raised platform of stone, surrounded by clear air. Where tendrils of mist crept into her sphere, it grew dark and heavy, drizzling to the ground in fat droplets of rain to join the rippling pond of black water that had formed around her.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you thought them peers,¡± Ling Qi¡¯s echoing voice admitted. The mist shifted and rang with a cold aria. Ice spread across the black pond as freezing wind whipped the air.


    Ribbons of metal flashed and skirled, and the flexible blades captured the wind, guiding it to the ground where the pond erupted into an expanding line of spiky ice. A twitch of Meizhen¡¯s wrist sent the ribbons out, hissing like serpents as they punched holes in the mist, tearing apart shadowy phantoms. ¡°There is no harm in being polite.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve changed,¡± Ling Qi observed. She laughed, and her laughter became a hoarfrost wind, closing from all sides.


    ¡°I would hope so,¡± her friend retorted before she disappeared behind the snow and hail conjured by Ling Qi¡¯s song.


    The mist rippled and withdrew as Ling Qi landed on the uneven ground in a crouch, eyeing the blossom of crystal ice which had formed in the center. She barely had time to blink before the first cracks formed.


    ¡°I would be a failure of a cultivator if I had not,¡± Meizhen said as the ice shattered, scattering from her. Frost and slush clung briefly to the hems of her gown as she stepped down onto the gleaming black ice. ¡°The power behind your techniques has improved. If the potency of your art was higher, it would have broken my passive defences.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded as she rose to her full height. The Frozen Soul Serenade, the art taught to her by Zeqing, was beginning to fall behind as she rose through the stages of the green realm. But she was not yet ready to truly make it her own and develop her own version. She still felt some trepidation at the idea. There was a difference between tweaking a basic art from the archive and trying to make something equal to Zeqing¡¯s song.


    ¡°You have me at a disadvantage like usual.¡± Ling Qi sighed. She could feel Sixiang all but rolling their eyes. ¡°Why did you ask that way instead of talking to me?¡±


    Meizhen cocked an eyebrow, resting her hand on her hip where the sash gifted to her by Bao Qingling rippled with toxic qi. ¡°You were unavailable.¡±


    Ling Qi gave her a dead-eyed look, unimpressed by the excuse.


    Meizhen smiled thinly. ¡°You have described him well enough. A request from one of my stature put him in a good, malleable mood once he got over the initial alarm, did it not?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t put it like that.¡± Ling Qi grimaced. ¡°But yes, it did make him happy.¡±


    ¡°Whatever your preferred terminology is,¡± Meizhen said flippantly.


    ¡°You have changed,¡± Ling Qi repeated. Meizhen had always had an unshakeable confidence in her public persona, but it had deepened over the past months. In a way, Ling Qi was jealous. She still felt as if she were faking her own poise at times.


    ¡°For the better, naturally,¡± Meizhen agreed, stepping up onto solid stone once more.


    ¡°Yeah, who knew a few kisses could accomplish so much, or have you gone further than that?¡± Ling Qi asked idly, her lips twitching up into a smirk.


    Meizhen spluttered, color rising in her pale cheeks. ¡°Do not just say things like that, you vulgar girl!¡±


    Sixiang snickered along with her, but Ling Qi raised her head in surrender as Meizhen began to glare. ¡°Sorry, Meizhen. Someone has to tease you though, and unfortunately, I can¡¯t rely on Lady Cai for that.¡±


    Meizhen made a wordless grumble, giving her a look that promised vengeance. Ling Qi resigned herself to being embarrassed in the future. The vengeance of a Bai was unstoppable after all.


    ¡°I can sense when I am being made light of,¡± Meizhen warned.


    ¡°I would never,¡± Ling Qi said, giving a mocking bow. ¡°Really though, Meizhen, how have you been?¡±


    The other girl pursed her lips. ¡°In all honesty, I have been frustrated. I understand why I am not deployed, but I am beginning to find it stifling. Particularly when I am the only one.¡±


    Ling Qi dipped her head in acknowledgement. It went without saying that the comparison was the only one out of the people Bai Meizhen concerned herself with.


    ¡°But my growth has been good,¡± Bai Meizhen said. ¡°I will not be far behind Qingling in achieving the sixth stage. However, beyond that, Ling Qi, can you tell me what has happened to Cai Renxiang?¡±


    ¡°We have accepted a heavy responsibility,¡± Ling Qi replied.


    ¡°That would explain a certain level of stress, but I am certain you know that is not what I am talking about,¡± Bai Meizhen said.


    Ling Qi considered the encounter on the mountainside, Liming, and the conversation they had earlier this month. ¡°It is something only Lady Renxiang has the right to share. Please continue as you always do around her. She won¡¯t appreciate anything else, I think.¡±


    Meizhen crossed her arms, and although frustration passed over her features, she gave a single nod. ¡°Very well. It was somewhat rude of me to ask.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not rude to be concerned about a friend,¡± Ling Qi disagreed. ¡°But I guess I should ask, what do you think of what we¡¯re doing?¡±


    Meizhen paused, glancing back at the frozen pond and scattered ice. ¡°I worry for both of you. I worry that you are pushing too fast and trusting too quickly. I can¡¯t imagine my family looking upon this matter with approval.¡±


    Ling Qi lowered her head. She had expected that.


    ¡°This is why I expect you to be invited to speak with us, come the tournament,¡± Meizhen finished, and Ling Qi looked up in surprise.


    ¡°Well, Lady Cai will be invited. You will no doubt attend as her retainer,¡± Meizhen acknowledged. ¡°While my aunt will be busy, representatives from among her supporters will come, both for Xiao Fen¡¯s sake and to maintain the connection with the Duchess.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Ling Qi said nervously. ¡°Will they be ill disposed towards us, do you think?¡±


    Meizhen was quiet for an uncomfortably long time. ¡°... They will be the friendliest audience you can expect among my family.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t give me any confidence at all,¡± Ling Qi groused.


    ¡°I hope to give you and Cai Renxiang both a degree of coaching.¡± Bai Meizhen ignored her words. ¡°Do you think your schedules will allow it?¡±


    ¡°I already asked Xuan Shi to clear his schedule over the next few days. And I have a meeting with Bao Qian this month.¡± Ling Qi chewed her lip. She needed to clear time for Zhengui too, although that could be done in the evening and early morning. ¡°But yes, please, and thank you. I am sure Lady Cai will say the same.¡±


    ¡°Then it seems, we will be seeing one another more often, Qi,¡± Meizhen said, smiling slightly.


    ¡°That is a silver lining,¡± Ling Qi said, smiling back.


    ***


    Looking up at the polished stone door which bore Li Suyin¡¯s name on its replaceable placard, Ling Qi considered her own surprise. She had introduced Xuan Shi to her friend, but she hadn¡¯t expected to be invited here to meet him. Raising her hand to knock, she blinked as the door creaked open on its own. Her eyes flicked up to the strands of pale white webbing attached to the upper part of the door.


    Shrugging, she stepped inside, tracing the vibrating lines that traversed through the lacey cloud of cobweb which shrouded the ceiling, feeling the echo of [communication] and [alertness] embedded in the silk.


    Sixiang whispered in amusement.


    The door drifted shut behind her with a faint, eerie creak. Li Suyin was really dedicated to her theme, wasn¡¯t she? Walking deeper into the entry room, unconcerned, Ling Qi caught the movement deeper in the hall as the floor ground open.


    ¡°Welcome, Ling Qi! I¡¯m so glad that your journey went well!¡± Li Suyin said, beaming up at her from her seat on the back of the pony-sized white spider which had evidently carried her up the hidden tunnel in the floor.


    ¡°Well, I hardly wanted to let everyone down,¡± Ling Qi replied. She met the jeweled eyes of the construct staring blankly up at her from beneath the lip of the tunnel. It was definitely a construct rather than a living spider. ¡°You look well, Suyin. I hope you¡¯re not letting your exercise slip, riding about like that though.¡±


    Li Suyin pouted at her, an expression much at odds with her dress and surroundings. ¡°Ling Qi, it¡¯s not kind to lead with things like that when you return from a trip.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Ling Qi laughed. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you, Suyin. How have things been?¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Li Suyin said cheerfully. ¡°Oh, do hop on. Xuan Shi is down in the testing chambers with Su Ling.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Ling Qi asked as she circled the construct, eyeing the saddle bolted to its back. After a moment, she reappeared behind Li Suyin, letting her legs dangle off the side. It was a little snug being pressed against the shorter girl¡¯s back, but she wasn¡¯t quite as bad about that kind of thing as she had once been.


    Sixiang thought sagely.


    ¡°Yes, I wouldn¡¯t have imagined them getting along either,¡± Li Suyin agreed as their mount shuddered to life and began to skitter downward. The tunnel entrance slid shut behind them as the spider descended into the dark. ¡°Oh, watch your head. The tunnels are a bit snug.¡±


    Ling Qi stared at the back of her friend''s head, wondering if she was being teased in turn. Li Suyin glanced over her own shoulder, humor sparkling in her one eye.


    With much dignity, Ling Qi ignored it, peering instead at the winding tunnel descending into the earth. ¡°Why do you put so much work into these temporary homes anyway?¡±


    ¡°Practice for when I decide on something more permanent,¡± Li Suyin said cheerfully. ¡°Why are you seeking out Sir Xuan?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to share an interesting site with him,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Hopefully, it can provide some balance to the favors I owe him.¡±


    ¡°I do not think Sir Xuan really concerns himself with debts,¡± Li Suyin said thoughtfully as their ride skittered around a corner, descending toward a faint light. ¡°He can be hard to understand, but he¡¯s very generous.¡±


    Probably too much so, Ling Qi privately mused. Given her insights, she felt a niggling sense of shame for how many times she¡¯d asked for his aid. Before she could respond though, she heard a sound echoing up from below.


    ¡°Ugh. How is this time shit so hard?¡± Su Ling¡¯s voice, tired and full of frustration, reached up the passage.


    ¡°The Eldest does not deign care for us as our other divine siblings do.¡± She heard Xuan Shi next, patient and calm.


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna have to expand on that.¡± Su Ling snorted.


    Ling Qi shared a glance with Suyin, who mouthed back ¡°shared project¡± as they approached the closed latch that would lead into the lower workshop.


    ¡°Time is the Eldest, the weapon with which the Nameless wreaked vengeance for their children and introduced their siblings to death,¡± Xuan Shi explained. ¡°Carved from Mother¡¯s rib and tempered with Father¡¯s blood, they are immutable and unknowable, the first and the last weapon. Their secrets were never shared with the mortal children. To play in their yard, we must develop understanding without tutelage.¡±


    ¡°No shortcuts built into the sacred characters, huh? No wonder this is such a pain.¡± Su Ling paused. ¡°Ling Qi and Li Suyin are here.¡±


    The stone trapdoor ground open, and the two of them emerged high on the wall. The workshop they found themselves in was at once orderly and cluttered. On three sides were wide tables and workbenches filled with alchemical equipment and the tools of other trades, and above them were carved cabinets of tiny drawers carved with meticulous labels. In the center of the room was a table which currently held a scattered pile of ceramic tokens and the shattered remnants thereof. Su Ling, etching tool in hand, stood over a table covered with ink, brushes, and papers crowded with swarms of characters and numbers which Ling Qi found her eyes sliding off of.


    Su Ling didn¡¯t look much different from when last she had seen her, except that her tangled bushy hair was tied back inelegantly and a pair of half moon spectacles were perched on her nose. A half dozen lenses of varying thickness and tint hovered in front of one eye.


    Ling Qi started to smile. Su Ling glared at her.


    ¡°Shut it, you. It¡¯s a damn good perception talisman for fiddly work.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to say anything,¡± Ling Qi said airly, hopping down from spiderback to drift to the floor like a leaf.


    ¡°Greetings, Miss Ling,¡± Xuan Shi said. He was dressed in thick green and black robes as per usual, but Ling Qi noticed that his hands were both encased in blocky metal gauntlets painted a drab gray that contrasted with the differently colored jewels adorning the knuckles. ¡°Miss Li.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Sir Xuan. I gather the project isn¡¯t going well?¡± Li Suyin asked, waiting for her mount to reach the floor before sliding elegantly off.


    ¡°I¡¯ve picked up what he has to teach. I¡¯m figuring out the personalized bits now,¡± Su Ling grumbled. She glared down at the shattered token in the center of the table as if it had personally offended her.


    ¡°Miss Su learns quickly,¡± Xuan Shi complimented, dipping his wide hat in her direction.


    ¡°You don¡¯t gotta spare my feelings,¡± Su Ling retorted. ¡°That tutor made sure I understood that I¡¯m a no talent klutz with this delicate shit. I just know the value of banging my head against a problem till it breaks.¡±


    ¡°What are you working on anyway?¡± Ling Qi asked. Peering down at the table, she understood¡­ maybe a quarter of what she saw there. Some kind of boundary enhancing formation?


    ¡°I want something that can fix me and my surroundings in place,¡± Su Ling said. ¡°After that trip underground, I¡¯m pretty sick of getting jerked around by weird space labyrinths and dream nonsense.¡±


    Sixiang huffed.


    ¡°What does that have to do with time arts?¡± Ling Qi asked, tilting her head in confusion.


    ¡°A coin has two sides, but remains as one. So is the way of space and time. Although one face of the coin is more mysterious than the other,¡± Xuan Shi said, slowly standing up from the bench he had been seated on. The ring-headed staff leaning against the wall beside him rattled and jingled as it shook and then leapt to his hand. ¡°Miss Su, this one humbly begs his leave.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, have fun getting dragged into some nonsense by Miss Chaos over here,¡± Su Ling said dismissively. ¡°I¡¯ll have the basic part figured out by the time you come around next week.¡±


    ¡°Do enjoy yourselves,¡± Li Suyin said, bowing her head. ¡°You are both welcome back any time.¡±

 Chapter Threads 185-Return 4

    Threads 185-Return 4


    ¡°It seems you are getting along well,¡± Ling Qi said as they left Li Suyin¡¯s workshop.


    ¡°Mere collaboration of work, although Miss Li is most hospitable,¡± Xuan Shi replied, his staff tapping the ground in time with his footsteps. ¡°This one gives much gratitude for the introduction.¡±


    ¡°Well, you can find friends through work. I have my little club of musicians after all,¡± Ling Qi said. He was being too hard on himself. Su Ling had been quite friendly by her standards. ¡°If you would like, I can invite you to the training camp Sir Wang and I have arranged.¡±


    ¡°This one is uncertain that doing so would not disrupt the group.¡±


    ¡°Bai Meizhen is coming soon. I doubt that you could be more disruptive if you tried,¡± Ling Qi said.


    He paused, and she saw him blink under the brim of his hat. ¡°... Perhaps,¡± he hedged. ¡°What whim drives this calling then, Miss Ling?¡±


    ¡°You can call me Ling Qi,¡± she reminded him absently. ¡°I want to repay your generosity. When I was doing my part in researching the sect grounds for a pre-mission training site, we came across a site that I thought would interest you.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Xuan Shi tilted his head curiously as they began to descend the mountain path.


    ¡°It is the grave site of the author and elder you spoke to me about. His sword lies there and is willing to speak a bit,¡± Ling Qi explained.


    It was a little funny, watching the steady and redoubtable Xuan Shi nearly trip on his own feet as he came to a halt, leaving her to turn back and face him.


    ¡°How¡ªI have searched¡ª¡± He stumbled over his words.


    ¡±I had help. And it¡¯s possible that some parts of the grounds have become less restricted given everything.¡± She had considered why a site of such importance was less known and hit upon the thought that it had once been better hidden.


    He shook his head in disbelief. ¡°Still, the sword speaks? To have a chance to speak with such a being is¡­¡±


    Ling Qi held up her hands to halt him for a moment. ¡°I feel like I should warn you: the sword is very¡­ morose. You should temper your expectations on how communicative it will be.¡±


    The gleeful light in his eyes dimmed. ¡°Understandable. Still, the things it must have experienced at his side! The questions this one will need to ask¡­¡±


    Ling Qi smiled faintly as they resumed their walk at a quicker pace, the normally quiet young man¡¯s words spilling out like water from a burst dam.


    With their pace so accelerated, descending the mountain did not take long, and the hike out to the site would be a matter of hours. As they hiked, Ling Qi learned more than she had ever intended of the quasi-fictional sea routes and lands explored in the novels which Xuan Shi had so much affection for. She didn¡¯t interject much, content to let him speak, but despite herself, as they began to approach the mazed woodlands around the grave, she found herself drawn into the conversation more.


    ¡°... meaning no offense, but the plot lines really seem like they get a little repetitive around the halfway point and on,¡± Ling Qi said. They were walking on a forest trail, the afternoon sun dappling the path beneath the light canopy. The circle of taller, darker woodlands was visible when the terrain rose to a hill.


    From what Xuan Shi had described, the general pattern of the novels after the first was that the characters would arrive in a new land and become embroiled in some local struggle. Sometimes, this was a greedy despot after their ship or one of the crew. At other times, it was a strange cult and a cruel god or a powerful spirit or spirits. They would solve the problem, occasionally picking up a new member of the crew, and then return to the sea. Solving a mystery or hunting a treasure instead could happen, but those were more rare plots.


    ¡°Miss Ling¡¯s words bear some truth,¡± Xuan Shi admitted. She had given up reminding him to use her name. Xuan Shi was simply too formal for his own good. He would remember after being reminded, but he would then slip back into formal address all too quickly. ¡°However, this one believes that plot is secondary to characters. Plot is merely the instrument by which they are explored, and the true draw is the interactions of people.¡±


    ¡°I suppose I can see that point.¡± If she viewed it through the lens of isolation, engaging with fictional characters was a salve for loneliness when true interaction was unavailable. ¡°Still, you need new trials to vary up the interactions.¡±


    Sixiang complained.


    Ling Qi thought.


    As if on cue, Xuan Shi spoke. ¡°This is a truth. In the latter half of the series, this one¡¯s favored tales were when the crew was trapped by the storm god on the open sea and the incident with the nightmare trickster.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t speak for favorites, not having read them, but you do make the locales they visit sound interesting,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°You say they¡¯re not all made up?¡±


    ¡°In the northern and eastern seas, navigators have charted locales of great similarity to places in the early novels,¡± Xuan Shi enthused. ¡°Inspiration is all but certain, or so this one thinks.¡±


    That made the novels more interesting. ¡°You sound pretty enthusiastic about that. Is that what you want to do when you finish here? Be an explorer?¡±


    ¡°To walk the waves and follow the winds, this is my likely path, it is true. More like, though, this one shall ply a merchantman''s route as guardian or serve aboard a vessel of war.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I asked,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Why do you think that¡¯s more likely?¡±


    ¡°Without a companion, this one would not be approved for captaincy.¡± Xuan Shi lowered his head. ¡°And this one is no astrologer to provide navigation.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Ling Qi said awkwardly. ¡°Well, traders and soldiers do some exploration as well, right?¡±


    ¡°This is true,¡± Xuan Shi said. ¡°It is not good to complain when one does not lack opportunities. Childish things must be set aside in time. Thankfully, the Voyages are not childish! I should like to write about the Venerable Elder¡¯s life at least. His work deserves recognition.¡±


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure storybooks didn¡¯t count as childish, but maybe Sixiang was right that this was uncharitable and dismissive.


    ¡°Can I ask why you¡¯re so interested in exploration? Is it just wanting to experience some part of what was written?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Yes, and no as well,¡± Xuan Shi said. ¡°In truth, before ever a page was turned, this one has always wished to see just what wonders await at sea to keep sailors from their home shores so long.¡±


    Ling Qi pieced together his words with other knowledge. He wanted to know what kept his father at sea all of the time?


    ¡°We¡¯re nearly there,¡± Ling Qi said, dismissing the heavier atmosphere. ¡°The labyrinth is not too difficult, so just follow my lead¡­¡±


    As she gave him instructions, Ling Qi came to wonder though. This site was much more important to Xuan Shi than her, and in many ways, she almost felt like she would be an intruder when the meeting came. She would let Xuan Shi converse with the sword spirit alone then and simply listen in.


    ***


    ¡°The vision painted by Miss Ling¡¯s words were ill preparation,¡± Xuan Shi noted. He reached out, resting a gauntlet clad hand on the pale grey trunks of the trees that made up the labyrinth, peering up at the dark crowded canopy that arched overhead.


    Ling Qi glanced back past the curled and twisted portal formed by the pale trees, separating the melancholy labyrinth from the rosy light of the winter evening outside. ¡°Unless you wanted me to compose a song, I¡¯m not sure I could have really prepared you.¡±


    Sixiang murmured. Ling Qi felt their consciousness drawing back from her senses.


    The sadness of this place was a physical weight, heavy like a thick blanket soaked through by cold water, and the tendrils of fog that played about her ankles seemed to drag at her feet with every step. ¡°Even if I had, you¡¯d still have come though.¡±


    ¡°Miss Ling¡¯s intuition is accurate,¡± Xuan Shi said, glancing around at the brush-choked and narrow halls. ¡°Where should our steps lead?¡±


    Ling Qi let her awareness spread beyond her eyes, carried on glittering motes of silver. ¡°To the left. The path has shifted, but I can still trace it.¡±


    He nodded, letting his hand drop back to his side as he turned to follow. His heavy footsteps were muted here, and the jingling of the rings on his staff did not echo. They walked in silence for a time, the weight of the atmosphere making the idea of the light conversation that had come before seem disrespectful.


    ¡°May I ask what you¡¯re planning to speak with the sword about?¡± Ling Qi kept her voice quiet as the visions of her soaring motes flashed behind her eyes, tracing their path further inside, noting the places where space became strange and veils of illusion rippled.


    Xuan Shi squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, following a step behind. ¡°How frivolous some thoughts seem here. Yet, queries remain. I wish to know Elder Lang¡¯s purpose in authorship. I wish to know how much of his tales have basis in the world of flesh and earth.¡±


    Ling Qi cocked her head to the side. Xuan Shi had cut himself off at the end, a thought unfinished. ¡°If there is a personal matter, I can leave,¡± she offered.


    ¡°No,¡± Xuan Shi said. ¡°This one has reason to inquire after the existence of the storm folk and their witches, who appeared in the first two volumes. That is all.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded. If he didn¡¯t want to reveal the reason, it was his prerogative. They did not speak much more as they made their way through the labyrinth of melancholy and despair that shrouded the central gravesite. Soon enough, they came to the mist-shrouded gate that led to it.


    As Xuan Shi began to step toward the mist, he paused, raising a hand to his temple, his expression growing concerned.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°This one is well. Mine companion is ill affected by this place,¡± Xuan Shi said. ¡°Apologies, friend, but this one must speak with the elder. Please endure.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned in concern. His later words were clearly for his spirit. Ling Qi turned her own attention inwards.


    Sixiang sent back.


    Ling Qi turned her attention outward again, just in time to see Xuan Shi stepping through the gate. She shook her head. It would be fine. Probably. Lifting her gown, she stepped over the bramble-choked entrance and followed him.


    The innermost circle of trees looked just the same as it had at her last visit. The depression in the earth, the field of cut bones, and the vague silhouette of an old man in the osseous sediment were plainly visible. And of course, the rusted and broken sword, jutting from the earth, still presided over the clearing.


    Xuan Shi had advanced several steps ahead of her already. She could not see his expression as he stood on the edge where the earth swept down into the depression.


    ¡°Visitors again, so very soon.¡± The coarse whisper of rusted metal raised the hairs on her neck. ¡°The Sect is in peril, if his attention has wandered so much.¡±


    Ling Qi remained silent at the doorway, firm in her decision to leave this to Xuan Shi.


    ¡°Elder, war embroils the south, yet the Sect stands strong. All of the Emerald Seas musters at its side,¡± Xuan Shi said, bowing his head deeply. ¡°This humble disciple requests the elder¡¯s instruction.¡±


    There was a rasping sound like a jagged edge being dragged over rock, and so bitter it was that she tasted the salt of tears in her mouth. It took her too long to realize that it had been laughter.


    ¡°Fool child, your soul is not made for cutting. You have not even tried to sharpen it. Do not dash such wisdom now. That staff in thy hand is a superior thing,¡± the blade scoffed, sending a ripple of contempt through the air that saw Xuan Shi sway backward as if struck.


    ¡°This one is no swordsman nor does this one seek such mastery,¡± Xuan Shi acknowledged, his head remaining bowed as a student facing a master. ¡°Please, this one wishes to know what inspired the tales thy master wrote.¡±


    There was a deep silence in the wake of his words as the thrumming of the blade planted in the graveyard ceased. Ling Qi remained still, holding her breath.


    ¡°... Eh?¡± the old item spirit grunted, breaking the silence.


    ¡°The Voyages of Yu Long. What inspiration transformed sword saint to author? Why write such tales?¡± Xuan Shi asked again.


    Ling Qi saw the air in his hands shimmer as a book appeared there, worn and dog-eared. Its colorful cover, a painting depicting a laughing man in red standing on the prow of a golden ship, stood out in the gloom.


    ¡°Those childish things still exist?¡± asked the sword, and Xuan Shi visibly flinched.


    ¡°Under study, this one has determined that Sect Head Yuan saw to a small distribution under a penname,¡± Xuan Shi said, not raising his head.


    ¡°Sentimental fool,¡± whispered the sword. ¡°Why do you care for such things, disciple? Is it not past time to put such things away?¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s heart sank. This seemed to be going worse than she had imagined.


    ¡°No.¡±


    Xuan Shi raised his head.


    ¡°Perhaps as a sword, thou does not respect accomplishments off the sea of battle, but all the same, they are not to be dismissed. The venerable elder created something great,¡± Xuan Shi said firmly. It was only from close attention and experience that Ling Qi heard the tremor of frustration and fear in his voice. ¡°It is perhaps nothing to you, but this disciple would know what was in his mind in the writing.¡±


    The wind picked up, the whisper of a hundred dying voices, and Ling Qi felt an electric tingle of alarm travel up her spine as the light in the graveyard grove further dimmed.


    ¡°Regret, shame, and despair.¡± The sword¡¯s voice cut the air, and Ling Qi saw sparks as Xuan Shi took a step back, gauges appearing in the brim of his hat. ¡°These, for a life wasted and withered by blood. Does this please you, disciple?¡±


    Xuan Shi flinched and looked as if he were going to speak, only to hesitate, listening to an unheard voice.


    ¡°Do not whisper and sneak near me, night thing!¡± Again, the sound of grinding metal like an imperious snort ground through the air, and Ling Qi¡¯s eyes flew open wide.


    She clutched her stomach, letting out a wheeze as it rippled through her like a hard strike to the gut. Behind her, she heard a yelp and a thump. Through watering eyes, she looked back to Sixiang blinking up at the dark canopy as they lay in the grass.


    ¡°Ouch. Crotchety old bastard.¡± Sixiang winced as they rolled to their feet. They were cut off, Ling Qi realized, wholly cut off from the liminal realm.


    She heard a pained hiss and turned back toward Xuan Shi to see a crouching figure rising from the grass beside him. It was tall and gangly, long and thin limbs sticking out in its crouched pose. Around its shoulders were what she took at first for a cloak but swiftly realized were pale wings spotted with eyelike marks. A ruff of white fur concealed the figure''s neck. Their face resembled Sixiang¡¯s with glittering black eyes but instead of a rainbow-hued hair, they had a shifting hair of white and black.


    She heard an intake of breath from her side, and Sixiang spoke. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you, asshole.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked at the uncharacteristic vulgarity as Xuan Shi turned toward his own dream muse. ¡°Kongyou, have you come to harm?¡± he asked.


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes narrowed as she focused, penetrating the miasma-like apathy and despair that filled the grave to feel the muse¡¯s aura. Her memory flashed back to the underground expedition where they had been lost in the dream, and she, injured and confined by Sixiang. She remembered the giggling voice who had nearly convinced her to hurt herself further by trying to fight despite her injury.


    Kongyou gave her a helpless and not at all guilty grin as if to say ¡°oops.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, Shi. Don¡¯t you worry about me.¡±


    ¡°Xuan Shi, that thing is a nightmare spirit,¡± Ling Qi hissed.


    He blinked at her. ¡°This one knows that.¡±


    ¡°They tried to trick Ling Qi into getting herself killed back in the dream,¡± Sixiang accused, staring at their fellow muse with intense dislike.


    Kongyou put a finger to their lip, cocking their head to the side cutely. ¡°Ehhh? I was just trying to help.¡±


    ¡°As a spirit of the deeper dream, they do not understand mortals well,¡± Xuan Shi said apologetically, wincing.


    ¡°But Shi is a great instructor. I¡¯m getting better all the time!¡± The nightmare displayed a grin full of razor-edged teeth.


    ¡°Xuan Shi¡ª¡± Ling Qi began incredulously.


    ¡°Bicker elsewhere,¡± the powerful grinding voice of the sword cut in. ¡°Boy, are you still dissatisfied with my answer?¡±


    Xuan Shi grimaced, and Kongyou patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me! I¡¯ll just go stand with my cousin and their friend.¡±


    Ling Qi glared at the muse as they ambled over. Their feet were bare, and underneath their cloak of wings, they seemed to wear only a nearly skin tight pair of black pants that glittered like the night sky. Their narrow but well defined chest was wholly bare, but it was almost dollike in its lack of hair or features.


    The muse smiled at her. ¡°Hey, totally sorry about before. I¡¯m real sorry I almost hurt you,¡± they tittered.


    ¡°That lies more transparent than glass,¡± Sixiang snapped back.


    Ahead of them, Xuan Shi squared his shoulders as he prepared to speak again. ¡°Honored Elder, this one will not be driven off by such tactics. Although the Honored Elder has no obligation to speak, this one would have more than a vague platitude from thee.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Bold child. But foolish. You know what that thing is yet harbor it all the same.¡±


    ¡°Dreams change,¡± Xuan Shi said. ¡°Nature is not the whole of things. Thy master knew this and wrote it.¡±


    ¡°Stories are stories,¡± grunted the sword. ¡°He was wrong. You are a fool. You cannot change your nature once your path has begun.¡±

 Chapter Threads 186-Return 5

    Threads 186-Return 5


    Ling Qi glanced from the grinning nightmare to Xuan Shi.


    ¡°It feels nice to be believed in,¡± Kongyou drawled, clasping their hands. They glanced at Ling Qi and Sixiang with a smirk. ¡°Isn¡¯t friendship grand?¡±


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re up to?¡± Sixiang demanded, glaring at Kongyou.


    ¡°Same thing as you, cuz. Enjoying my human,¡± Kongyou said flippantly.


    Ling Qi raised her hand in a sharp gesture before Sixiang could respond. She never took her narrowed gaze away from Kongyou. ¡°The Esteemed Elder already chided us once for whispering. It would be very rude to force him to do so again.¡±


    She heard Sixiang shift behind her, and she could nearly feel the glare still being sent over her shoulder. ¡°Later, then,¡± Sixiang ground out.


    Kongyou¡¯s sharp-toothed smirk didn¡¯t waver, but their glittering black eyes narrowed. It passed in barely a moment, and then, the nightmare shrugged, brushing a hand through their hair as they turned to Xuan Shi. ¡±Aw, well, if you¡¯re gonna be boring, that¡¯s fine. Pretty sure he just meant interrupting my Shi though.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyebrow twitched, and her scowl deepened. Every word that emerged from the nightmare¡¯s mouth filled her with a deep irritation. There was nothing in them that she could point to as wrong, no deception that she could articulate, and there wasn¡¯t even any particular mockery in their tone. But to Ling Qi, their insincerity dripped and oozed, rankling her as much as if spittle were dripping down her face.


    She turned her eyes resolutely back toward Xuan Shi, ignoring the sidelong smirk the moth-like spirit gave her.


    ¡°Honored Elder,¡± Xuan Shi began, ¡°this one is a fool in many ways, it is true. Deride as you like, and this one shall accept thy words as true. But please, thy companion¡¯s work has been most important, and only thine memory holds answers.¡±


    ¡°You are a demanding child. I will ignore your idiocy with that creature since it is no business of mine. But I have answered your question. You dare say that you are unsatisfied with that?¡± The sword¡¯s grinding voice made Ling Qi wince, feeling a sharp pain in her inner ear. Under her breath, she began to hum, channeling qi through the Bastion¡¯s Melody technique of the Melodies of the Spirit Seekers¡¯ art to lighten the painful pressure of the spirit¡¯s presence.


    Xuan Shi¡¯s grip on his staff tightened, the wood groaning under his grip. ¡°Yes. This matter is of too much import to accept such an answer, even from thee.¡±


    ¡°Do you fancy yourself a writer?¡± The sword harrumphed. ¡°Less foolish than the road of a swordsman, but a hopeless path all the same. This Empire cares not for such things, but perhaps your clan means that you can afford to be idle, child of the Scholar Kings.¡±


    ¡°This one does not yet know his path,¡± Xuan Shi said. ¡°Where the current flows, these eyes cannot see. Where the wind blows, these ears cannot hear. All the same, thy companion¡¯s work has been dear to this one¡¯s heart for many of the few years this one has had. I beg you to treat this seriously.¡±


    In response, there was only the soft and eerie sound of wind passing between the tightly packed trees that ringed the grave.


    ¡°I was not lying or dismissing you,¡± the sword finally said. The anger was gone from its voice, replaced with a weary exhaustion. ¡°Keung sailed the northern sea under the flag of Jin for most of his life. Exploration is no romantic thing. You meet new people, and then, you kill them and take their things or otherwise arrange to exploit them. If they are too strong, you watch your captain seek weakness with which to divide and ruin them until you can. That is the soul of the explorer. Over centuries, a young soldier who sought the horizon became a bloody sword wielded by captains and then admirals. How many isles and small peoples litter the ocean far from any greater shore? I do not know, but there are less now than there were before.¡±


    She could see Xuan Shi¡¯s shoulders sinking, but he didn¡¯t look away from the sword.


    ¡°It is not merely the Jin either,¡± the sword spoke morosely. ¡°I have seen your kin devour entire isles in the northern sea, and I have seen them devoured in turn when the sea folk can manage vengeance. The three peoples of the Sea Dragon God¡¯s court are not so different as they like to pretend. You wish to know the genesis of Lang Keung¡¯s childish scribblings? They are the dreams of a man whose Sovereignty had crumbled because he chose to shatter his own edge rather than take one more life.¡±


    Xuan Shi¡¯s staff scraped against the dirt. ¡°Good dreams they were and are. There is no shame in that.¡±


    ¡°I will not chide you for that. They were good dreams. But they were nothing more. In the end, we still died as killers and were slain as killers. Swords can only be swords. Not one thing has changed.¡±


    Ling Qi felt a shiver down the back of her spine as the atmosphere of the grave grew heavier still, mist and wind leaving Xuan Shi as only a dim silhouette. She felt cold and tired. Was this how others felt in her mist? Ling Qi felt Sixiang grasp her hand and squeezed it in turn.


    Beside them, Kongyou swayed from foot to foot, looking pensive.


    As the air grew colder still, the whisper of the wind resolved into something more, the echo of a memory imprinted on the world.


    ¡°It was a fine thing while it lasted. Wasn¡¯t it, my friend?¡± A wistful voice, scratchy with age and sorrow, whispered. In the mist, there was a shadow of a long beard and a heavily lined face, dripping wet from the downpour that turned the garden they had worked so hard for under their feet to mush and mud. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to take your peace from you.¡±


    The simple bent walking stick in his hand trembled, and a more familiar voice spoke on the wind. ¡°The dream has been good. I would have liked to die peacefully by your bedside, but we both know that such could never be.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve always been a pessimist, [------].¡± The old man chuckled, running his thumb along a knot in the wood.


    ¡°You¡¯ve always been a fool, Keung,¡± whispered the sword. ¡°It has been good to pretend, but the time is over. Look to the sky where foes gather. Look behind where your children and disciples flee. Only violence remains.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I have made any difference at all with those youngsters?¡± the old man asked, gazing up into the sky.


    ¡°To tell, they must live,¡± whispered the sword. Worn and gnarled wood unraveled, revealing a lacquered scabbard and a plain hilt bound shut by a ribbon of white.


    The snap of cloth echoed in the ruined garden and drowned under the hiss of a drawn blade.


    ¡°No, nothing has changed at all,¡± ground out the voice of the broken sword, scattering the mist. ¡°Does that satisfy your curiosity?¡±


    After a long moment, Xuan Shi bent his back in a low bow. ¡°This disciple thanks the Honored Elder for taking his childish question seriously. But¡­¡±


    ¡°But? But? You vexing child, what more do you want?¡± the sword demanded.


    ¡°While this one cannot answer the question of whether thy companion made a difference to his disciples, he made a difference to this one. Dreams and stories may be childish, but ¡®should¡¯ is greater than ¡®is.¡¯ To seek the horizon is not foolish, even if one should never reach it.¡±


    Ling Qi toyed with the end of her sleeves. In the end, it was the same dilemma that kept her from fully believing in Cai Renxiang¡¯s vision. The sword was right. Violence would never stop being needed. The world was violent, and struggle was built into its bones.


    But there was more to it than that. Xuan Shi was also right, flowery as his speech was. It wasn¡¯t wrong to seek something better. She caught movement to her left then, and with a glare, she blew a gust of air into Kongyou¡¯s mouth, causing them to cough and sputter instead of speak.


    ¡°Hmph, you are at least half as much a fool as he then,¡± the sword said.


    ¡°This one shall take the Honored Elder¡¯s praise with pride,¡± Xuan Shi said. ¡°There is one more matter, if the elder will indulge this one.¡±


    ¡°You are a truly vexatious child,¡± grumbled the sword. ¡°One more question, then begone. I wish to continue dying in peace.¡±


    ¡°Is this something the elder recognizes?¡± Xuan Shi dismissed the book clutched in his hand to be replaced with a second object. It was an odd little charm carved from a light wood which Ling Qi did not recognize. Under her spiritual senses, it seemed drenched in the qi of the sea. Wrapped around the wooden idol was a lock of dark hair bound by twine. ¡°A keepsake of mine father, but the carvings seemed familiar to some of the descriptions in Elder Lang¡¯s work.¡±


    ¡°Sea folk work,¡± answered the sword. ¡°Northeastern region. Going by the material, done by the their surface colonists. Those people are real, if that¡¯s your true question. They¡¯re safe from the Empire¡¯s fleets.¡±


    There was a certain grimness to the sword¡¯s tone that said there was more to that, but Ling Qi was hardly going to inquire after the details.


    Xuan Shi let out a breath. It seemed like there was a small weight off of his shoulders. ¡°Elder has been too kind. This disciple offers his deepest thanks.¡±


    Ling Qi bowed silently as he turned around to leave, following him out and giving Sixiang¡¯s hand a tug. Their attention still laid on Kongyou, who followed after them with their arms behind their back. As they passed through the fog separating the grave from the labyrinth, there was a violent shift in the world around them, and Ling Qi felt her stomach briefly churn as they emerged into the fading sunlight outside of the labyrinth.


    ¡°This one thanks you for your patience, Miss Ling. Apologies are to be made for leaving you in such an awkward state,¡± Xuan Shi said. They were alone in the physical world again, their respective muses back in the realm of dream.


    ¡°There is nothing to apologize for,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I intended this trip as a favor to you. However, there is the matter of your spirit.¡±


    Xuan Shi grimaced behind his collar. ¡°That is¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you really believe they didn¡¯t understand what they were doing when we were trapped?¡± Ling Qi asked sharply.


    ¡°That is not what this one said,¡± Xuan Shi replied. ¡°Kongyou does not understand the wrong done. Muses do not live as we do. They are creatures of narrative.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. Sixiang had been very difficult to talk to at first as well because of the strange way they saw things.


    Sixiang huffed.


    Xuan Shi frowned, clearly listening to something in his head. ¡°It is true that this one was deceived for a time. However, the nature of Kongyou¡¯s narrative, the tragic drama, is known. On this matter, I believe they may change somewhat.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s frown remained. He seemed very certain.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the right to demand anything from you,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°All the same, can you tell me why you¡¯re even doing this? I¡¯m sure you could find a spirit companion that you wouldn¡¯t need to worry about changing so directly.¡±


    ¡°That is not so. Does Miss Ling believe that this one has not tried?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you have, and I can¡¯t guess why you haven¡¯t succeeded,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°If it¡¯s a matter of seeking out a spirit of the Dreaming Moon, Sixiang and I could help, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d not mind introducing you to someone nicer,¡± Sixiang said, voice emanating from the air over her shoulder. ¡°I can totally get a little revel together if you like.¡±


    ¡°It is true that this one has set his sights upon the Dreaming,¡± Xuan Shi said. ¡°And thy offer is appreciated, but is it a good thing to seek only that which is ¡®nice¡¯ in your patron? The Dreaming Moon is not wholly a thing of laughter and joy.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong,¡± Sixiang admitted.


    ¡°You¡¯re not, but that doesn¡¯t answer my question, Xuan Shi,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Why this spirit in particular? The stories you enjoy aren¡¯t the things a nightmare would fit in. I don¡¯t understand why you would wish to make one so steeped in lies and misery your companion.¡±


    Xuan Shi tapped the but of his staff on the ground, letting the jingle of hanging rings echo down the hillside. ¡°You think me a bit pitiable and childish, do thou not, Miss Ling? This one takes no offense. Miss Su is dismissive of fiction as well. Miss Li may listen, but her interest is academic only.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re being too harsh. It¡¯s true that I don¡¯t understand the appeal. My own condition hardly gave me the time to indulge such things when I was younger.¡±


    Xuan Shi smiled mirthlessly behind his collar. ¡°Just so, Miss Ling. Indulgence. This describes my interests well, and yet, they are important to me. Kongyou wishes to follow my tale, even if they believe it will end in futile tragedy. I wish for something brighter, but in walking the path of stories, it is good to be reminded of reality.¡±


    ¡°You can call it that, but you should know that they¡¯ll try to undermine your success. That¡¯s the nature of a nightmare,¡± Sixiang said.


    Xuan Shi paused in the midst of turning to descend the hill, looking as if he was listening to something. ¡°This one understands. All the same, if one cannot even overcome and change a single bad dream, how can one change anything greater? How shallow shall my tale be, if it engages not with nightmares?¡±


    Ling Qi let out a breath through her nose as she began to follow him down the hill. Was this how Meizhen had felt after her own introduction to the Dreaming Moon?


    ¡°You can still do better, even if you want to delve into Grandmother¡¯s darker side,¡± Sixiang insisted. ¡°Seriously, you should at least let us take you to a proper revel or two.¡±


    Sixiang whispered in her head.


    That would be fine. She was intending to put more work and attention into the Dream and its arts anyway. She hadn¡¯t engaged with that aspect of her patron in too long. ¡°I won¡¯t tell you what to do, Xuan Shi. I have no right to, and maybe trying to change a nightmare is right for your way. But I hope you¡¯ll accept an invitation or two.¡±


    Considering what Xuan Shi wanted, there could be an opportunity here. Of all the peoples in the Empire, only the Xuan had regular peaceful contact with foreigners. There was no sea in the south, but there were many unwalked paths. Xuan Shi struck her as rudderless, and perhaps she could assist with that.


    But it wasn¡¯t something she wanted to offer right now. It was just too important to bring up on a whim, especially when she didn¡¯t know if it was even possible.


    ¡°This one will continue to gracefully accept Miss Ling¡¯s kindness,¡± Xuan Shi said. ¡°But for now, this one really must meditate on this past day.¡±

 Chapter Threads 187-Return 6

    Threads 187-Return 6


    ¡°Big Sister is worried about something,¡± Gui accused. They stood on the much abused hilltop where their gardening efforts had taken place. The earth was dark and rich, tilled and fertilized with the shredded remains of their previous efforts.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious, Zhengui,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Just confusing human things.¡±


    ¡°Yep, just some social business,¡± Sixiang added. Their voice came from the tiny projection seated on Ling Qi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You didn¡¯t miss anything important, big guy.¡±


    ¡°Are you certain? I, Zhen, did not intend to sleep for so long. It has been weeks, yes?¡±


    ¡°It has been a couple weeks, but everyone is just catching their balance, and that goes for you two in catching up on your sleep,¡± Ling Qi chided. ¡°But you¡¯re awake now, and we still have plenty of time to take another try at this garden.¡±


    ¡°Hanyi is still up on the mountain though,¡± Gui protested. ¡°Is it really okay for Big Sister to be here?¡±


    Ling Qi thought of her other spirit. She had checked in on her a few times, but¡­


    ¡°Hanyi¡¯s figuring some stuff out too,¡± Sixiang said cheerfully. ¡°She doesn¡¯t need us poking our noses in right now. Besides, don¡¯t you wanna have something nice to show her when she finishes composing up there?¡±


    Ling Qi let out a breath; Sixiang had told her the same thing. Paradoxically, the right thing to do here was to not keep her junior sister closer. At least right now.


    ¡°Mm, Gui will believe the Sixiang. Did Big Sis collect the boulders?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡± Ling Qi patted her storage ring. ¡°I¡¯ll let you decide on the first arrangement. I have some new stanzas I want to arrange. You¡¯ll give me your opinion, right?¡±


    Three voices rose in the affirmative. Ling Qi was looking forward to this.


    As they worked over the rest of the afternoon and evening, the landscape began to change shape, and from atop Zhengui¡¯s back, she cultivated and played her songs, observing how the flows of mist and cold interacted with Zhengui¡¯s fire and wood qi.


    The Unstoppable Glacier¡¯s March was an art that she had received in her Cai-gifted library. An art of powerful movement and implacable advance, it was perhaps not the best suited to her. But as she wove a melody together with the rhythm of Zhengui¡¯s stamping feet to raise the heated waters that pooled beneath the hill she pondered that.


    Was implacability really unlike her? She was not like Cai Renxiang nor like Meizhen, who better embodied those words in her mind, yet all the same¡­


    In the cold of a city street, she clung to life.


    In a terrible blizzard of her mentor¡¯s making, she sang.


    A knife dug into her neck, and she grasped the wrist of its wielder.


    In the caldera of a volcano, she faced a superior foe, and ever so briefly held fast


    A glacier moved ever forward. It carved rivers and valleys, shaping the land under it over countless years. Yet, in the moment, it was still to human eyes. She recalled the great glacier the expedition group had passed over, stretching out to the end of her sight, serene and unbreaking.


    Stubborn. She could at least call herself that. Was that not something she shared with her little brother? Although she no longer used the Thousand Rings Art, she could still weather many blows. The art she had replaced it with, the Starless Night¡¯s Reflection, didn¡¯t feel quite right either. She understood the value of silence¡ªwithout it, any music would just be a meaningless stream of unbroken noise¡ªbut she wasn¡¯t sure she cared to make it core to herself.


    Perhaps there was something else there in the spaces between that could be made into hers.


    That was a thought for the future though. Often, she had thought about how her style and that of her brother¡¯s were in conflict, but was defense not a place where it converged? Endurance and regeneration. Resilience and draining. Any wound he suffered, he recovered swiftly, and any qi she spent, she stole back from her foes.


    Green shoots rose from churned black dirt, and roots curled around carefully placed stone. Shoots became saplings and then trees, their fragrant needles flowering across the sky. In the newly made darkness, mist hung low to the ground, and from boiling waters, steam rose into the evening sky. Pale flowers bloomed in the dark, and soft grass spread.


    The other art was the Winter Hearth¡¯s Resounding. This art, too, she had only been practicing for a few months, and her thoughts lingered on it as she wove the walking path through the garden, singing softly in duet with Sixiang to transform the mist beyond the paths into veils of glittering silver where those unwelcome would wander lost and to make that mist which clung to the glassy stone cool and welcoming.


    The hearth was a song of building a home, of placing up walls to keep out the cold and keep in the warm. Its weaves defended her works and made that which she crafted with song and voice harder to tear down. It gave friends a point of warmth to return to and recover from the cold night outside.


    She was not a builder, but Zhengui was. Every day, his control of wood and plants allowed him to craft more elaborate structures from root and branch, and the fire of the earth came at his call. It was not the same as her arts, but it was complementary.


    And that was more important than simply trying to ape her little brother¡¯s themes, even when they did not suit her.


    ¡°No weird storms this time!¡± Gui chirped. ¡°I think this is a good start!¡±


    "You see? I, Zhen, did not make anything explode," Zhen said smugly.


    ¡°Yeah, I agree,¡± Ling Qi said absently, rubbing her hand against his shell. ¡°Let¡¯s take a break while the snowfall settles.¡±


    Letting out a sigh of relaxation, Ling Qi sat down in the soft grass and leaned back against Zhengui¡¯s side. Just beyond where she sat, the soft earth crumbled away into a deep pool of opaque water that hissed and bubbled with boiling heat, sending streamers of steam up into the darkening evening sky.


    ¡°Hm, you might want some stones poking out of the pool. It¡¯d let you have something growing there for a few spots of color,¡± Sixiang advised. They sat on her shoulder projecting a fairy-sized body garbed in robes the color of the evening sky.


    ¡°The fire qi in the water means only a few of the plants will work. What do you think, Zhengui?¡±


    ¡°Red and yellow and orange,¡± Zhen hissed. ¡°Those should be the colors of the center like a merry fire burning bright. I, Zhen, do not know what plants will achieve this.¡±


    ¡°Gui agrees with Zhen for once. In the trees and the paths, pale and soft colors are okay, but here in the middle, it should be bright.¡±


    ¡°It might not be a bad idea to crack open a few other vents throughout,¡±Sixiang mused. ¡°Little springs of warmth and fire in the dark. I bet we can do some interesting stuff with the weird air from underground if you let me blend in some dream qi too.¡±


    ¡°Maybe the Ironsign Vines for the pond stones,¡± Ling Qi offered. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of metal in the waters here so that should give the blooms a nice dark orange color.¡±


    She cast a glance at the young trees that sprouted up around them, picturing their trunks wrapped in the faintly gleaming vines. If they planted flowers in the clear space around the pond properly, they could probably make something that looked like a flame or a volcanic vent without having to delve too deeply into the earth.


    ¡°Has Big Sister¡¯s cultivation been going well?¡± Gui asked, shifting his head from atop the low flat stone it had been resting on. ¡°Gui thinks he has been doing good with practicing his growing.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Ling Qi replied, patting his shell. She knew he didn¡¯t want to feel like he was slowing her down, but the fact that he felt the need to ask was evidence of a problem. ¡°Zhengui, what were you cultivating while we did this?¡±


    ¡°Smoke and rain,¡± Zhen hissed. His sinuous body shifted, carrying him out over the steaming waters, black scales skimming the bubbling surface as he luxuriated in the heat. ¡°I, Zhen, do not control the rain, but it comes after the burning anyway. This is the spring. Fire burns away the rotted and the stagnant, ash joins the soil, and the smoke brings the rain.¡±


    ¡°Gui thinks about the stuff we saw in the many cold places,¡± he answered in a deep rumble. ¡°Gui thinks it is not bad for needle-y trees to sleep in the winter and the cold. This is not stagnation. It is like the tough trees that are scorched on the outside but alive on the inside. Growing new is good, but so is being very tough! Gui appreciates the needle-y trees more now!¡±


    Ling Qi leaned her head back and inhaled, taking in the rich pine scent of the new growth around them and watched their branches sway in the breeze.


    ¡°Look at you workaholics. You¡¯re gonna make me feel bad for just playing coordinator here,¡± Sixiang drawled.


    ¡°Not all of us can be lazy,¡± shei teased. ¡°Zhengui, what did you think of the glacial valley we passed through at the end of our trip north?¡±


    ¡°It was very lonely,¡± Gui said. ¡°Too cold and frozen to change.¡±


    ¡°Too slow and sleepy. Even Gui and the Sixiang are not so lazy,¡± Zhen said. ¡°But there were others we passed.¡±


    Smaller glacial paths existed further north, partitioning wide valleys and plugging passes, surrounded by more fertile growth in soil left behind by their passage.


    ¡°Mm, Gui liked those ones better. You could see where they changed things, and you could see where they were going to change things.¡±


    ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right,¡± Ling Qi mused.


    Rather than motion and advancement, perhaps simple implacability was the path.


    ¡°Big Sister might be thinking too much. Gui is just glad that we can do things like this.¡±


    ¡°I, Zhen, am pleased to work Sister¡¯s melodies into reality,¡± his other half agreed, curling around her.


    Ling Qi rested her hand on his head and looked up at the night sky. Even if that was true, was it good enough?


    She was thinking too hard about this. Many would call her willful, stubborn, and implacable. That was the thing she most shared with her little brother and could be the vessel by which she could complement him.


    ¡°Gui likes it most when Sister is near but knows that Sister cannot always stay close,¡± Gui said suddenly. ¡°So it makes Gui happy to make things with Sister.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed to herself. Maybe that in itself was something to look at. The Hearth¡¯s techniques protected her music but not others¡¯ constructs. Could she do something with that? Infuse her little brother¡¯s constructs, his walls and his spikes, with a bit of her song?


    Why did it seem she never had time to do everything she wished to do?

 Chapter Threads 188-Return 7

    Threads 188-Return 7


    Leaning back against Zhengui¡¯s side, Ling Qi listened to the beat of his hearts. It was a strange sound, a subaudible rumble that belied his shrunken mass. If Ling Qi closed her physical senses and listened and felt with spirit alone, the rumble was that of the towering beast he was and was becoming.


    Two heartbeats, reverberating over each other, vied for attention. Fire and Destruction. Wood and Growth. A beast like Zhengui was as much spirit as flesh, not like the lesser beasts whose bodies conformed to mortal limits. Zhengui was the bubbling of fire beneath the earth and the rustle of fresh leaves.


    She extended her senses to the garden and listened. His qi was in every blade of grass and every swaying branch. It was a glittering web of life and light, growing from the ash and death of their previous attempts, lying thick in the churned soil.


    Music was not just sound. It was expression, a message conveyed from musician to listener. Sometimes, it was a truth of spirit, and sometimes, it was simply a tale or a scene like poetry or a painting.


    Was it different from what she had crafted here, together with Zhengui? She listened closely, and in the beat of Zhengui¡¯s hearts, she heard the slow pulse of sap in the trees and the faint current of the breath of plants, taking in the last of the fading solar qi from the sky. No, it wasn¡¯t so different. She hummed and felt the qi in the trees stir.


    ¡°What is Big Sister thinking about?¡± Zhengui asked, making her open an eye.


    The comparison she had made raised a question. What was it Zhengui was trying to express with this work?


    ¡°Sister?¡± Zhen echoed, peering up from where he had laid his head across her lap.


    ¡°I was just thinking about the garden,¡± Ling Qi replied, tracing the lines of qi radiating out. Even with the darkness and the mist cloaking the woods, wildlife was beginning to creep in. Insects, field mice, and wild faeries, all of them were drifting into or blinking into existence in this newfound environment. With each one that came, each one that alighted on glistening needles or nibbled at the waving grass, the garden was changing subtly, growing away from Zhengui.


    For all that, he remained at the core. Each newcomer flickered with the tiniest mote of her brother¡¯s spirit.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been feeling really stifled, huh?¡± Ling Qi observed.


    ¡°Gui is still growing, so this is fine,¡± he said.


    ¡°But you¡¯ll be happy to leave the Sect,¡± Ling Qi concluded. ¡°This¡­ It¡¯s fun, but it won¡¯t really give you what you need, will it?¡±


    ¡°I, Zhen, am looking forward to going on another adventure with Big Sister to claim a home,¡± Zhen answered. ¡°This is good practice¡­¡±


    ¡°So this makes us happy,¡± they said together.


    A xuanwu was not just a beast. They were in a class all their own like dragons. They were an embodiment of environments like the Storm Lord she had met with Yu Nuan, like Zeqing, or even like the ice spirits in the south. The greatest xuanwu of the north were living islands, carrying immense ecosystems around themselves. Feeling every creeping bit of life entering this place begin to take on some hue of his spirit made her realize that.


    In the growth around her, embers of fire flickered as well, the catalysts for their Ending and new birth. It wasn¡¯t so different from the death by winter and rebirth by spring intrinsic to some of her insights.


    ¡°Gui hopes Big Sister will be patient with Gui. He will definitely start growing better soon!¡± he said brightly.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°Yeah, she puts up with me, and I can barely be bothered to cultivate at all,¡± Sixiang said flippantly.


    Ling Qi rolled her eyes at the muse¡¯s joke.


    Ling Qi absently touched her chest where the pains of her heart demon occasionally emanated. She had not had the time to think about why that promise to her family had hurt her so much. She knew how valuable her companions were in battle. Against Ji Rong, it was one of the things that had allowed her to overwhelm him. In the caldera, the fire drawn by Zhengui had helped her survive those first few frantic moments without being wounded.


    What rankled her wasn¡¯t just a matter of her spirits not being able to keep up. She hadn¡¯t felt any twinges in her cultivation while assisting Zhengui. So what was it?


    Sixiang said in her thoughts.


    Ling Qi frowned a little.


    the muse said, giving the impression of a mental shrug.


    ¡°Big Sister is worrying again,¡± Zhen said. He had raised his head to look at her dead on, and his flicking tongue tickled her nose.


    Ling Qi began to raise her voice in denial but felt a twinge in her chest. ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°What is wrong, Big Sister?¡± Gui asked.


    Her first urge was to deflect, but looking out over the garden they had begun together¡­ Wasn¡¯t that the same urge that had led her to keep her mother out of the loop even after they reunited?


    She had made a promise to her family. Promised to hold back in certain ways. To be careful. To help. To burden herself with their concerns. But she was still reluctant to burden them with hers because she was the strong one now. She had to be so that the world couldn¡¯t hurt them. If she burdened them, then she was failing.


    Ling Qi shook herself, feeling her heart beat erratically for a moment. That thought had hurt. It almost felt like the ache of a bone that was setting wrong.


    She looked up to see Zhen hovering over her, and she felt Sixiang¡¯s concern in her mind. Both of them stung.


    ¡°I¡¯m just worrying about the promise I made you,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m... I¡¯m living up to it, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Yes, Gui is happy. Big Sister talks to us more and lets Gui also do the crazy things.¡±


    ¡°I, Zhen, am glad to be relied on, even a little,¡± his other half agreed.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Ling Qi raised a hand to stroke his head, but she still felt uncomfortable. Was it really alright?


    the muse whispered.


    Ling Qi thought.


    Wasn¡¯t that why she had to protect Zhengui? In her mind, the one blemish on the surface of the Argent Mirror flaked away.


    Sixiang retorted.


    ¡°Zhen feels as if he is being left out of something here.¡± The serpent narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°Just having a chat with Sixiang.¡± Ling Qi stood up, brushing off her gown. ¡°Zhengui, has it ever bothered you, calling me ¡®Big Sister¡¯?¡±


    He had stood with her, dust and gravel raining from his belly as he shook himself off, but he paused at her question. She found Gui looking pensive.


    ¡°When Gui was small, he did not understand the human noises very well. Gui learned from Sister¡¯s thoughts.¡±


    ¡°So we did not understand why Big Sister told us the word we learned was wrong,¡± Zhen said, his usual pompous tone gone. ¡°But later, we thought it was strange.¡±


    ¡°Gui still doesn¡¯t completely get it. Human sounds are strange and do not always mean what they are supposed to mean. So¡­ Gui is okay with Big Sister because it means what Gui wants to mean and does not make Big Sister unhappy.¡±


    Ling Qi closed her eyes for a moment then reached out and patted his blunt snout. ¡°Thank you.¡± Perhaps it was just her imagination, but something seemed to loosen a little in her chest like a strained muscle relaxing. ¡°I¡­ I think it might be strange to change what we call each other now. But I¡¯m glad you understand.¡±


    ¡°Gui would like to work more on the garden now. All of the talking hurts his head a little. Does Big Sister have the flower seeds?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do. I suppose that was a long enough break.


    It was still unfair of her, but she was glad, even if she couldn¡¯t quite say the words, to stop lying to herself.

 Chapter Threads 189-Concert 1

    Threads 189-Concert 1


    Cultivation consumed Ling Qi¡¯s days in the wake of her work with Zhengui. After the expedition and the flurry of activity that followed, it felt good to take some time to herself and simply grow stronger. Ling Qi focused on her physical cultivation and found herself reflecting on how much her routines had changed.


    The exercises the late Elder Zhou had taught her were a thing of the past now. They had been invaluable in training her mortal body to the limit of what mere flesh could do, but in the third realm, her body was no longer bound to mortal rules. Her muscles would never deteriorate, and no matter what she ate or drank, not a single ounce of fat would ever appear on her body.


    It made her wonder a bit at the looks of those like Elder Ying or the Senior Bao she had met at last year''s tournament. Appearing to hold some extra weight must be a choice, unconscious or otherwise.


    Regardless, this meant that physical cultivation was not so different from spiritual cultivation now. It was different for those who focused more on their bodies and physical arts, but for Ling Qi, her regimen consisted simply of meditative movements and carefully weaving new strands of qi into flesh, muscle, and bone, steadily increasing the density of qi in her body.


    These exercises were more difficult since her desperate jump into the Dream underground. Since that day, she always felt lighter, almost as if she would drift away in a moment of inattentiveness, and she had to focus more to keep her qi from simply dispersing rather than setting into her flesh.


    She didn¡¯t let it slow her though, and as the days passed, she pushed herself into the threshold stage of the bronze physique. It was the fourth of eight stages in the third realm, matching her spiritual cultivation. Although it could be said that she was halfway there, she knew that each step would be harder than the last.


    However, the next day, she received a message which brought her out from seclusion.


    ***?


    The mountaintop was empty and bleak, a field of featureless white that extended to the sharp cliff drops which descended to the rest of the Outer Sect mountain. The fruit tree which had once grown out of the rocky soil was gone, perhaps transplanted to another part of the Sect. Ling Qi could understand why. She hunched her shoulders as the icy wind shrieked across the landscape, whipping up a wall of stinging white.


    The peak had grown volatile in Zeqing¡¯s absence.


    She found Hanyi kneeling beside a pile of snow covered stones that were all the remains of her childhood home. Hanyi didn¡¯t look up as Ling Qi sat down beside her and slipped an arm around her shoulders. She sat in silence for a time, not looking at Hanyi, but at the fallen stones.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you didn¡¯t find what you were looking for.¡±


    ¡°It was kinda dumb to think that they¡¯d be like Momma just because they were born from winter too,¡± Hanyi said, resting her chin in her hands. She¡¯d undone the ties in her hair at some point, so her silvery hair hung down to her shoulders, fluttering lightly despite the violent wind.


    ¡°Well, you have us, for what it''s worth.¡± Ling Qi squeezed her shoulder. ¡°Come up with anything good while you were up here?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m gonna knock ¡®em out at my next performance,¡± Hanyi boasted, although her smile was still a little wan. ¡°What are you doing up here though, Sis? I said I was fine.¡±


    Sixiang murmured, keeping otherwise quiet out of respect for the moment


    ¡°I know that,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°You can be mature when you feel like it.¡±


    Hanyi squinted up at her. ¡°Hey, why do I feel like I¡¯m not being complimented at all?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just your imagination, little sister.¡± Ling Qi kept a straight face. ¡°Anyway, I came up here because Bao Qian sent me a message. He¡¯d like to speak with us.¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh, I bet I have to prepare and stuff.¡± Hanyi grimaced. ¡°I just want to sing. Other people should do the rest of the work.¡±


    ¡°Being a performer is definitely hard.¡± Ling Qi chuckled. ¡°But Bao Qian does take care of most of the side stuff though.¡±


    ¡°I guess so.¡± Hanyi huffed. ¡°He¡¯s a pretty responsible guy.¡±


    Ling Qi ignored the conniving look in Hanyi¡¯s eye as she glanced at Ling Qi. Like she wasn¡¯t unaware of her junior sister¡¯s desire to set her up. Thankfully, she didn¡¯t have to worry. Hanyi didn¡¯t understand enough about humans to do anything dangerous.


    Sixiang sighed.


    Patting her on the shoulder one more time, Ling Qi stood up. ¡°C¡¯mon. Let''s head down. Your hair¡¯s a mess.¡±


    Hanyi stood as well, and Ling Qi realized something. She didn¡¯t know if it had happened all at once or if it had been ongoing, but¡­ Hanyi had grown. She was taller than Suyin now and only a bit shorter than Meizhen. Her face still had some childish roundness to it, but she could also see more of Zeqing in her features.


    ¡°You know, I think I want to try something different than braids,¡± Hanyi said absently.


    ¡°We¡¯ll figure out something together,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Why don¡¯t we visit my mother? She¡¯s better at that sort of thing.¡±


    ¡°Kay,¡± Hanyi agreed cheerfully.


    In the end, they decided on a single plait rather than pigtails, something simple but elegant. Of course, Hanyi got excited about the idea of ornaments and wire, but that would be something for later. By the time they were done with her, the time had come to go and meet Bao Quan.


    Ling Qi and Hanyi soon arrived at the clearing north of the town where he had permission to set up. The first thing Ling Qi noticed upon her arrival was that Bao Qian¡¯s carriage had changed. Thin plates painted steel had been affixed over its top, and new formation arrays marked its shutters and wheels, heavy with the qi of metal and mountains.


    Sixiang grumbled.


    ¡°Greetings, Miss Ling!¡± Bao Qian called out to her as she descended from the sky, dusting off his trousers as he stepped down from the rear of the wagon where he had been seated on the steps.


    ¡°Sir Bao,¡± she acknowledged with a nod, releasing Hanyi¡¯s hand as the spirit''s bare feet touched the grass. ¡°I see you have been investing in security?¡±


    ¡°Mm. Well, the border has been a touch more dangerous of late,¡± Bao Qian replied. ¡°Worry not. I¡¯ve not encountered anything worse than unsettled beasts or spirits. I¡¯m not a warrior, but I certainly know how to craft a surprise or two.¡±


    ¡°It looks kinda ugly though,¡± Hanyi commented idly, squinting up at the plates bolted onto the vehicle''s roof.


    ¡°I have to agree, but it is hopefully a temporary measure,¡± Bao Qian said, stroking his chin. ¡°Regardless, thank you for coming, ladies.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no trouble. I won¡¯t find myself too busy until after the New Year¡¯s Tournament,¡± Ling Qi replied, settling down on the grass as well. ¡°What is this about though? You were a little vague in your message.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a matter of opportunity. The performance I arranged for early in the next month, along with my efforts to spread the word and your own exploits, have resulted in some smaller holdings in the same viscounty making requests. I wanted to talk the matter over with you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really? More people want me to sing?¡± Hanyi asked, excited.


    ¡°Indeed. We are a little helped by the year''s divinations¡­ It is likely to be a bad winter.¡± Threading his hands together, Bao Qian stretched them over his head, causing an audible pop from his back. Ling Qi glanced away.


    ¡°You did say you wanted to market her performances for more practical effects too,¡± Ling Qi said, recalling an earlier note. ¡°Was it that effective?¡±


    ¡°As I said, some part of the effect is external to our efforts,¡± Bao Qian explained. ¡°The Duchess¡¯ approval has benefits.¡±


    Hanyi pouted. ¡°Whatever. I guess that¡¯s fine. They¡¯ll want me back next year anyway after I perform.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, patting her junior sister on the shoulder. ¡°So what will we need to work out? Travel times and scheduling?¡±


    ¡°Mostly that, yes,¡± Bao Qian agreed. ¡°But before we get into the details, there is another matter I¡¯d like to ask you about.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re both busy people and so we haven¡¯t gotten as much opportunity to get to know each other as I¡¯d like,¡± Bao Qian said. ¡°Since I know you have some free time, I wanted to invite you out.¡±


    ¡°Out where?¡± Ling Qi inquired warily.


    ¡°I¡¯d hoped to give you a choice on the matter. You know I perform some odd services for local nobility, and being the active sort of woman that you are, I thought you¡¯d enjoy some light adventuring to something more idle like a dinner or theater performance.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned, glancing at Hanyi, who had adopted a perfectly innocent expression.


    Sixiang drawled smugly.


    ¡°I suppose I don¡¯t see the trouble with that.¡± It wasn¡¯t like she distrusted Bao Qian, and getting away from the Sect for a few days didn¡¯t sound bad. She doubted they would run into anything actually dangerous given the way Bao Qian spoke of the matter. ¡°What did you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°Of my current contracts, I can think of one that might appeal. The owners are rather busy with mustering at the moment, and they have been looking to reclaim an abandoned manor, but it requires a bit of survey and exorcism. I¡¯ve been given some rights of salvage in exchange.¡±


    ¡°That does sound like a fun afternoon,¡± Ling Qi allowed.


    ***


    ¡°I have to wonder: even if they¡¯re busy, isn''t hiring someone like you to do work like this pretty expensive?¡± Ling Qi asked. It was a nice day out, only a little cloudy. The wind was brisk and cold, blowing past her as the wagon trundled down the well kept gravel road.


    ¡°You are correct, although I have been discounting my services quite a bit,¡± Bao Qian replied cheerfully. He sat at the other end of the driver¡¯s bench, a warm red fur cloak wrapped around his shoulders.The reins hung loose in his hands, the horses pulling the wagon needing little guidance.


    ¡°Why would you do that?¡± Gui piped up. Her little brother, as their ¡°chaperone,¡± sat on the bench between them.


    ¡°More shiny rocks are better, yes?¡± hissed Zhen. Right now, Zhengui was only the size of a large dog, so their voices had regained some of that cute squeaky quality that Ling Qi sometimes missed.


    ¡°If I had to guess, it¡¯s probably a long term ploy in a way,¡± Ling Qi said absently. She glanced back into the shadow of the wagon where Hanyi had decided to take a nap, bored by the trip.


    ¡°Miss Ling is insightful,¡± Bao Qian praised, leaning back on the padded bench. ¡°I have said that I have many advantages, and this is one of them. With the wealth of my clan stipend at my back, I can easily cut my rates so much that no competitor can compete while I build relationships with my clients. Most troubleshooters of this type are second and third children of small barons who need to amass their own fortunes.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re fine with that?¡± Sixiang inquired, appearing as a phantom face peering over Ling Qi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to build something on your own?¡±


    ¡°Indeed I did, but this is not my business. It is merely networking,¡± Bao Qianclarified. A short tug on the reins brought them around a turn, trundling into the forested hills that abutted the Wall in this region. ¡°That said, there are other reasons why the local baron is not handling this ¡®in house.¡¯¡±


    ¡°What are those?¡±


    ¡°Mainly the value of priests capable of proper last rites. It is not a popular profession, and one way or another, it seems likely their services will be in high demand in the future. That is why we are going to demolish the building in the end and let wild spirits reclaim it. It is considered more economical than a true exorcism.¡±


    Ling Qi considered Bao Qian¡¯s explanation. So far, the battles had been contained, but they couldn¡¯t expect that to stay true. She supposed Bao Qian was right that priests would be getting a lot of work. Silence fell over them as the conversation petered out, leaving only the sound of horses¡¯ hooves, the south wind, and the wagon wheels.


    Eventually, Bao Qian coughed into his hand. ¡°I do hope my sudden request didn¡¯t give you any trouble with your mother. You mentioned informing her.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded. She was working to be better at keeping her mother informed of her activities. Her mother had worried, of course. ¡°Zhengui is a very dependable chaperone, aren¡¯t you, little brother?¡±


    ¡°Yes! We will keep an eye out for Grandmother,¡± they both chirped.


    Ling Qi rolled her eyes, and Bao Qian chuckled.


    ¡°To be serious, no, my mother trusts me with the matter.¡±


    ¡°That is good. I would not have minded meeting her to make my case though,¡± Bao Qian said casually.


    Ling Qi glanced his way. That would feel like taking a step she wasn¡¯t ready for yet. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessary.¡±


    ¡°Maybe after the tourney. Your mom is putting a lot of work into making things presentable,¡± Sixiang interjected.


    Internally, she sent a nasty look Sixiang¡¯s way. The muse whistled innocently in her head.


    ¡°I suppose if we¡¯re talking about that kind of thing, what about your parents?¡±


    ¡°Ah, that is a long way off. We would probably need to come to an actual agreement first,¡± Bao Qian replied carefully.


    Ling Qi caught what she thought was his meaning though and wrinkled her nose.¡±I suppose there is that much of a difference in status,¡± she noted neutrally.


    ¡°That was not my intention,¡± Bao Qian deflected. ¡°They are just very busy individuals. Even I only see them once or twice a year most of the time. Their business is such that it can only be set aside for major events and festivals.¡±


    ¡°My apologies.¡± Ling Qi should probably try to take these sorts of things less personally. ¡°What do they do?¡±


    ¡°My father is the overall administrator of the clan''s business in the eastern half of our county, serving under the clan head himself,¡± Bao Qian answered. Watching his face, she thought she saw some genuine pride there. ¡°Mother is one of the most renowned jewelers in the Empire and spends much of her time in her homeland of Celestial Peaks. Several princes and princesses are among her clients.¡±


    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t have much time then,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Do you have any siblings?¡±


    ¡°Only two. I have a brother and a sister some decades my elder. They¡¯re apprenticing under my parents at the moment.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded as Bao Qian, in turn, began to ask a few careful questions about her own situation. It wasn¡¯t an unpleasant way to while away the remaining hour of their trip.

 Chapter Threads 190 Concert 2

    Threads 190 Concert 2


    The old manor lay deeper in the forested hills, whatever ground which may have once surrounded it long reclaimed by nature. Her first glimpse of the building itself had come through one of the winking wisps which she had sent out to survey as they entered the woods.Through it, she had spotted a crumbling stone wall at the top of the ridge.


    They had left the wagon behind and followed the patchy gravel path up toward the manor. Given its age and abandonment, the manor was in surprisingly good condition. The garden wall stood mostly intact, and inside, although the grounds had been overgrown by leaves and vines, the building itself formed an arch shape with two wings built out from the central structure. One of those wings had wholly collapsed under the weight of a massive fallen tree, but the rest was still recognizable.


    Burnt, sagging, and rotted, but recognizable.


    Ling Qi grimaced as she peered down into the scum covered pool that had once been the garden pond. Zhengui, still shrunken, stood at her side, peering around in curiosity. She took his lack of agitation as a good sign. There probably wasn¡¯t anything truly nasty here.


    ¡°Ugh, what a dump,¡± Hanyi said, kicking a stone into the goopy pond.


    ¡°But it¡¯s a dump that might have some treasure,¡± Sixiang said cheerfully.


    ¡°I guess so,¡± Hanyi said dubiously.


    ¡°We do have the right of salvage, but I wouldn¡¯t expect too much.¡± Bao Qian bustled through the crumbling gates to stand beside them. On his back was a bundle of wood stakes roughly the size of fence posts, each carved with identical formation arrays.


    She had been recently studying formations, so she could easily divine their purpose. The stakes helped mark and contain an area in order to prevent any spiritual pollution from escaping. They would have to be placed at various geomantically significant points. Normally, the process to divine such positions was quite lengthy and tedious, but her own knowledge of the liminal realm made it much easier to divine such points.


    Ling Qi shaded her eyes as she looked up, squinting into the shadows that lay beyond the second floor window. The fact that she couldn¡¯t immediately see through them told her the darkness was unnatural.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised the barbarians left the place standing at all,¡± she mused.


    ¡°The fragmentary tribal alliances left in the Great Khan¡¯s wake did not have the might to raze all in their path to the ground,¡± Bao Qian said, starting down the path toward the front doors. ¡°They were dangerous and deadly, but not so overwhelming that they could act with impunity.¡±


    Nudging Zhengui with her foot, Ling Qi took Hanyi¡¯s hand and began to follow after him. Wisps carrying her vision darted out among the weeds, spooking the muddy crawling things that lurked there. ¡°I¡¯m still surprised that things remained so bad. Even really neglectful rulers should have been woken up by Ogodei, shouldn¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°I can only speculate,¡± Bao Qian warned, testing his weight on the sagging wooden steps. Ling Qi mounted them without a single squeak or groan. ¡°But the destruction of the southern counts left the region unadministered, and the sects aside, the Hui refused to parcel out the land they had gained to the remaining counts.¡±


    Ling Qi wrinkled her nose as the scent of mildew and wood rot reached her. A wave of her hand kicked up a breeze, pushing the scent away as she peered through the broken doors. Insects and other scuttling things scattered before her searching eyes. ¡°If they had time to absorb it, that much land would give them an advantage over the counts who were left.¡±


    ¡°Just so. Those old villains feared and despised their own vassals more than any foreigner,¡± Bao Qian agreed. ¡°I can put myself in the mind to understand it, but all the same, I find them a contemptible lot.¡±


    Ling Qi considered Hui Peng and his overweening arrogance, maintained even when nearly all else had rotted away. She doubted every Hui had been the same, but if he had been of average sort¡­


    ¡°I suppose so,¡± Ling Qi mused as they stepped inside. Haunting noises echoed in her ears: soft sobs, the crackle of flames, and the clash of flesh and metal. At her side, Zhen hissed and snapped forward to devour a squirming worm spirit that had been caught between bent floorboards and Hanyi peered in the direction of the ghostly sounds, looking vaguely hungry.


    Sixiang thought.


    It wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°If you would, Miss Ling, the ritual song I provided?¡± Bao Qian shifted the weight of the stakes on his back. ¡°We¡¯d best start in the basements, I think.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded absently and gestured, materializing her flute from storage. Bao Qian had given her a simple piece to memorize. It was meant to pacify the unquiet dead until their remains could be dealt with. Ina ruin this old, such spirits could no longer simply be put to rest but, this would keep them from interfering with their work.


    The melancholy strains of the funeral song echoed through the halls, and they set off.


    ¡°Sad though it is, I do like this song,¡± Bao Qian said. ¡°There is a polished elegance to works so old.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded faintly, not needing to actually physically play the flute for something so simple.


    ¡°It is a curious thing. It feels almost like a lullaby in construction,¡± Ling Qi analyzed, listening to the sounds merging from the flute in her hands and the rhythm in her spirit as she flexed her qi to create the sounds.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you weren¡¯t already familiar with it, to be honest.¡± The rotted floorboards creaked under Bao Qian¡¯s weight as they traveled down the ruined hall. ¡°It''s rather common among the funerary cults in the south of the province.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never attended a funeral, aside from the ceremony for the war dead at the Sect,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°My musical education is really just what my mother taught me in the time she could spare, Master Zeqing¡¯s teachings, and self experimentation.¡±


    They paused at a crossing in the halls. Bao Qian tapped his foot against the floor and nodded toward the left. She followed after, stepping around a patch of wet black mold. ¡°Mm, that is a shame. The Emerald Seas has very rich musical traditions, more so than any other province.¡±


    Sixiang appeared, affecting a haughty sniff.


    ¡°There is a reason spirits of your kind are more common in these parts!¡± Bao Qian laughed. The cheerful sound seemed muted by the soft music and chilled atmosphere, but not by much.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite a claim,¡± Ling Qi said curiously. ¡°Why do you say so?¡±


    They stopped, having reached the broken frame which had once held the door blocking the steps of the basement from sight. The steps were carved from stone and shone in the light of her wisps as they darted downward to explore the space. Shadows, insects, and minor faeries scattered in their wake.


    ¡°It is a legacy of the Weilu and our scattered nature like most things,¡± Bao Qian said, starting down the steps. Ling Qi glanced down and restrained the urge to reach for Zhengui as he struggled with the steps. His pride wouldn¡¯t appreciate her interference. ¡°It comes down to the cults and their use of music in their rites. Unlike the central state cults of the Bai, which inspired the structures built by the Sage and his descendants, the temples of the Emerald Seas have always been more scattered and independent.¡±


    ¡°So they developed more music for rituals independently, and that spread to regular life too,¡± Ling Qi realized. Tiny flies and other insects swirled in the air around her attracted by the light of her hair.


    ¡°You people have changed, but there¡¯s still a lot of little gatherings for me and mine all over,¡± Sixiang said. ¡°We don¡¯t get the big ticket venues as much anymore, but there¡¯s plenty of people out there who remember.¡±


    Bao Qian was smiling now as they descended to the basement floor. All that remained were the scraps of shelving and storage. Ling Qi wrinkled her nose at the faint scent of vinegar, still strong in the air. Those wine bottles she had spotted intact along the right wall certainly weren¡¯t salvageable then.


    ¡°The division of the Emerald Seas has always had its strengths. Competition breeds conflict, but also innovation,¡± he said, sliding the first of the stakes from the bundle on his back. ¡°Miss Ling, could you implant this in the far left corner?¡±


    ¡°Is it okay if Gui and Zhen go hunting a little?¡± her little brother asked as she set him down, eyeing the cringing shadows and insects hiding from their light.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s fine?¡± Ling Qi asked, glancing at Bao Qian as she accepted the stake.


    ¡°It won¡¯t harm anything, so long as the stakes aren¡¯t disturbed after placement,¡± Bao Qian agreed.


    ¡°Go ahead then,¡± she said, smiling faintly. ¡°Hanyi, do you want to go with him?¡±


    ¡°Cultured young ladies don¡¯t go pawing around in the dirt,¡± Hanyi said haughtily.


    ¡°I think Zhengui would have more fun with you though, wouldn¡¯t you, Zhengui?¡± she said, trying not to be too obvious in her prodding.


    ¡°Huh? Yes, Gui would like that. Hanyi has been missed,¡± he chirped.


    ¡°I guess I can,¡± Hanyi said with much dignity. ¡°C¡¯mon, Zhengui. I bet there¡¯s some actual juicy bits hiding around here.¡±


    As Ling Qi watched them go off, she became aware of Bao Qian watching her with a considering frown. She arched an eyebrow back at him.


    ¡°It¡¯s a curious thing. You truly do regard those spirits as family,¡± Bao Qian replied to her wordless question. ¡°I cannot say I understand it well.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to understand? I raised Zhengui from an egg, and Hanyi is the daughter of my mentor,¡± Ling Qi said with a shrug.


    ¡°What am I, scraps?¡± Sixiang muttered good-naturedly.


    Ling Qi rolled her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re the pushy cousin with boundary issues.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I should feel complimented or insulted.¡± The muse laughed. ¡°Mm, I¡¯ll go with compliments, I think.¡±


    Ling Qi looked back to Bao Qian. ¡°I know it''s not the norm, but I can¡¯t really feel differently about the people I spend so much of my life with. Isn¡¯t it stranger to be distant?¡±


    He frowned. ¡°For me, Yinhui is a friend and associate, but it would feel strange to call them family. I suppose it is foolish to try and apply one template to all situations though.¡±


    He sounded a little like he was trying to convince himself.


    ¡°We were talking about music, weren¡¯t we?¡± Ling Qi diverted, turning away toward the corner he had indicated.


    ¡°Yes, we were,¡± Bao Qian said, recovering his aplomb as he moved off to place his own marker. ¡°Really, as important as the work of grandmasters and their followings are important, it''s a must to listen to the trends among mortals and common cultivators too. Few will admit it, but even high art arises from the milieu of wider culture, and the diversity of that is one of Emerald Seas¡¯ strengths.¡±


    Ling Qi smiled faintly, imagining for a moment the screech of rage that would have been emitted by a certain twice-dead man at that statement. Approaching the left corner of the room, she paused as hissing smoke emerged from a crack in the wall. A low keening sound along with a stretched, screaming visage and phantom claws burst from the wall. Shei let out a single sharp whistle, and the phantom scattered, torn apart by her qi.


    ¡±Hidden room over here,¡± she called back. ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s an interesting point of view. I can''t imagine it''s too popular.¡±


    ¡°Hm? That would explain some of the energy flow down here,¡± Bao Qian was already on his second marker, the first glowing faintly and humming where it had been planted in the hardened dirt. ¡°I think you would be surprised. It has become fashionable to offer patronage to talented artists. This business I agreed to with your junior sister would not have been possible a hundred years ago.¡±


    Ling Qi brought the side of her hand down on the top of the formation stake, and the light chop drove the solid wooden post a quarter meter into the earth. Energy snapped and hissed as the warding formations came to life, tendrils of light briefly flashing in the ground under her feet.


    ¡°Ah, that makes sense.¡± People liked having new signs of status to promote themselves with. At least this practice gave some benefit to other people as well.


    ¡°It is a fine thing indeed. It is a shame for any talent to go unfulfilled, and it gives us something to pride ourselves in,¡± Bao Qian agreed. ¡°Let us resume talking after we¡¯ve finished the sealing of the basement. If you¡¯d like to step aside, I can crack our hidden chamber.¡±


    ¡°You needn¡¯t spare my feelings,'''' Ling Qi replied with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯ve already glanced inside. There¡¯s no sign of bodies.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to call you fragile,¡± Bao Qian said, looking pained as he turned to look at her. ¡±But you are my guest. It¡¯s polite to spare you any unpleasantness.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°So, the sealing?¡±

 Chapter Threads 191-Concert 3

    Threads 191-Concert 3


    The hidden doorway led into a crumbling escape tunnel supported by wooden beams. Formation arrays designed to hide the space from outside search marked the tunnel¡¯s arches. Sending her wisps flitting down the shadowed narrow path, Ling Qi felt the echoes of fear and anger that had long soaked into the dirt and wood, staining the passage. Here and there, she saw signs of flight: a golden hairpin trampled into the dirt; a scrap of rotten cloth clinging to a splintered beam; and the shattered remains of a child¡¯s doll.


    The path ended at a tunnel collapse a bare hundred meters along, rotten wood giving out under the weight of the earth. There was no sign that those who had fled this place long ago had failed to escape. All the same, the fact that the manor was here, empty and abandoned, told her that they must have met an unpleasant fate later.


    ¡°How does it look?¡± Bao Qian asked, peering down the passage.


    ¡°Short, only a hundred and twenty odd meters. Uniform dimensions all the way down. Not especially haunted.¡± Ling Qi¡¯s physical eyes were half-lidded as she peered through the wisps.


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t require too much adjustment,¡± Bao Qian said thoughtfully.


    ¡°Any idea what happened to the people here?¡± Ling Qi asked, letting the lights wink out, returning her vision to one viewpoint. ¡°I had made assumptions, but it does seem like they escaped.¡±


    Bao Qian paused at her sudden question. ¡°I do not know. Records from the era are spotty at best, and there has always been motivation for obfuscation of those records in the name of land claims. It isn¡¯t unknown for some courtier clans in the cities to claim descent from border barons and viscounts.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s part of Emerald Seas heritage too?¡±


    ¡°Our borders were never as hard as those of other provinces. Maps are often nasty liars after all. The same conflict that bred our traditions also preceded this. Perhaps that is why Her Grace found her ascension so smooth.¡±


    ¡°Not hard to see why,¡± Sixiang sighed in melancholy. ¡°You lot are more fragile than we are.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve studied a little. I know that the province has always been in conflict: conflict with beasts; conflict between the tribes that would become the modern Weilu; conflict with the hill tribes; conflict with the barbarians. It¡¯s a wonder anyone had time to build anything between all that.¡±


    ¡°Humans are industrious creatures,¡± Bao Qian said. ¡°It is hard to keep us down for long.¡±


    ¡°That is, of course, part of why the fighting never ends,¡± Ling Qi said wryly.


    ¡°Such a bleak outlook.¡± Bao Qian chuckled.


    ¡°That¡¯s my gloomy girl,¡± Sixiang huffed.


    ¡°Just something to keep in mind,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°It¡¯s not like people don¡¯t still recognize many of those old divisions even now.¡±


    Imperial, Weilu, Old Tribe. Bao, Diao, Meng, Luo, Wang, and Jia. Even these were only the beginning. She was sure that there were a thousand little rivalries and conflicts below the level she understood.


    Bao Qian was quiet at that, leaving them to walk along the narrow passage in silence. ¡°That is true, but is the solution to that not to give us all something to see as common amongst ourselves?¡±


    ¡°People are stubborn, but yes, that¡¯s probably the only way to solve it,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Though I wonder if that just moves the problem around.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, but one has to take little steps where we can.¡± Bao Qian squinted into the dark. He raised a hand to stop her as he studied the ground. ¡°Here. A stake here should include this part of the manor in the greater formation.


    Ling Qi nodded, taking a half step back as he made the placements. Their conversation had wandered a little far afield.


    Sixiang murmured.


    She supposed so. Ling Qi just hoped she was up to the challenge.


    ***?


    Once they were done with the basement, setting up the sealing field on the first floor didn¡¯t take long. Ling Qi understood why this was a low priority job for the landowner. The haunting here was born from sudden fear and the long melancholy of abandonment, rather than stronger, more dangerous emotions, and the manor had not been inhabited long enough to develop a true coherent spirit which could oppose their efforts. The only inhabitants were sad little phantoms and scraps of echoed memory, spirits of decay, and primitive faeries born of the mild malice that had soaked into every board and stone of the place.


    As they worked, they continued to chat about the music of the Emerald Seas. Hanyi occasionally joined them, but she quickly became bored and returned to following Zhengui in his hunt for decay spirits to burn and eat.


    While the Emerald Seas had always had many traditions in the arts, many artistic scenes had only truly exploded in the last two hundred years, and the reason for such was not only from the growing prosperity of a rebuilding province.


    ¡°I had no idea the Duchess made such a decree,¡± Ling Qi commented as they mounted the stairs to the second floor of the manor.


    ¡°It was among the early ones and oft forgotten among later, more obvious changes.¡± Bao Qian toyed with a red spirit stone as he climbed ahead of her. ¡°But in the Emerald Seas, only an Imperial Decree or the word of Her Grace can ban a performance or work.¡±


    ¡°I doubt that lower rulers fail to make things unpleasant for artists they don¡¯t like though,¡± Ling Qi said. She blurred and materialized at the top of the stairs.


    ¡°No enforcement is perfect, save under Her Grace¡¯s eyes,¡± Bao Qian agreed, giving her a look of consternation.¡±Was that not a bit petty as a use for your powers?¡±


    ¡°Stairs are for plebians,¡± Ling Qi sniffed, affecting her best noblewoman¡¯s voice. ¡°Are you truly so slow, Bao Qian?¡±


    ¡°Some of us need to worry about breaking fragile rotten wood if we choose to flex,¡± Bao Qian replied dryly. ¡°I hope your ladyship will forgive this humble craftsman.¡±


    ¡°I will consider it,¡± Ling Qi said with a small smile.


    Sixiang muttered.


    Ling Qi ignored Sixiang¡¯s byplay as she moved to the door at the top of the stairs and slid it open, only to pause as she peered inside. ¡°Huh.¡±


    ¡°Find something of interest?¡± Bao Qian asked, and Ling Qi leaned to the side to allow him to better peer past her shoulder.


    The room was better preserved than the rest of the house. Mold had only just begun to spread across the rich red carpet which covered the floor. It was not a particularly big room, large enough for one or two people to meditate in, and across from them was a small shrine covered in old toppled candlesticks and incense burners.


    At its center was a golden idol. The figure it depicted was androgynous and seated cross-legged, garbed in robes painted red with lacquer. One hand lay palm up in the figure''s lap, holding a lotus flower carved from a black jewel. Their other hand was held flat palm outward.


    Qi gathered thickly in the idol, drawn to something in its core. Ling Qi breathed deeply as she focused her senses. The veil of the waking world was thinner here.


    ¡°A dream shrine,¡± Bao Qian identified. ¡°I have not seen these often.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Her Grace outlaw the dream cults?¡± Ling Qi asked, not entering the room.


    ¡°Not precisely,¡± Bao Qian clarified. ¡°They¡¯re no longer sanctioned. That is, they no longer receive support from the government, and their temples were removed from Xiangmen, but they are not actually proscribed like the twilight and eclipse cults.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Ling Qi, do you think you can grab that fella for me?¡± Sixiang asked. ¡°With the help of the other goodies we picked up recently, I think I might be able to do something interesting with it.¡±


    The dream tools from the Hui¡¯s ring? Ling Qi wondered, receiving a feeling of agreement from Sixiang.


    ¡°I would advise some caution, Miss Ling. The dream cults are not proscribed, but they are not popular either among most of the province,¡± Bao Qian warned. ¡°Being seen with it in your possession would probably damage your standing.¡±

 Chapter Threads 192-Liminal 1

    Threads 192-Liminal 1


    ¡°What were the dream cults anyway?¡± Ling Qi asked, considering the idol. ¡°I keep hearing about them in passing but never any mention of what they actually did.¡±


    ¡°My own education on the subject isn¡¯t exactly extensive. They first appeared a short time after the disappearance of the Horned Lord as a sort of mystery cult among the Weilu.¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t directly worship Grandmother or the greater Dreaming Moon, so I dunno what they actually did,¡± Sixiang said. ¡°Well¡­ I kinda remember them seeking some specific point in the Dream? That¡¯s a really old fragment of experience though.¡±


    ¡°I do know that the original cult was ascetic in nature, but this was corrupted through the ages.¡± Bao Qian eyed the idol himself. ¡°If my tutors are to be believed in any case.¡±


    Ling Qi stepped into the room, feeling the hum of dream qi on her skin. ¡°If Sixiang thinks they can do something with it, I¡¯ll take it. If someone notices I have it, I¡¯ll just have to talk my way around the accusations they come up with.¡±


    ¡°As you say,¡± Bao Qian allowed, following after her. ¡°I think you may be underestimating how troublesome such rumors can be, but that is your choice.¡±


    ¡°It¡ª¡± Ling Qi began as she reached down and picked up the idol. Her words cut off as she spun around, feeling the attention of something on her back.


    An ancient, moldering skull shifts, and black petals rain to the ground


    But there was no one there, and the feeling was gone, so swiftly that she could have imagined it.


    ¡°Miss Ling?¡± Bao Qian asked, giving her a concerned look.


    ¡°We may have the attention of a spirit,¡± Ling Qi said slowly, extending her senses. She couldn¡¯t feel anything. She glanced down at the idol sitting innocently in her hands, sluggish flows of dream qi still being drawn into a point at its center. She was, if nothing else, certain that the source of the attention had not been a person, a human, that is. The qi was¡­ wrong for that.


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be unusual to pick up attention from local spirits when moving the core of a site,¡± Bao Qian said. She felt his own, much heavier qi rippling around as he peered about cautiously. ¡°I wasn¡¯t informed of any fourth realm or higher spirits with territory here, so we will likely be fine.¡±


    ¡°I suppose so.¡± Ling Qi felt a bit unsettled. She brushed her thumb over the golden features of the carved figure.


    ¡°Mighta been somebody on my side,¡± Sixiang said. ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye out.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded. Looking back up, she blinked as she saw Bao Qian gathering candelabra from the altar. ¡°... Really?¡±


    ¡°Waste not, want not,¡± Bao Qian quoted. ¡°I¡¯ve been running short on gold threading lately. So melting these down will serve nicely.¡±


    Ling Qi could hardly say anything against that. She sent the idol into her storage ring, wincing as she felt the conceptual free ¡°space¡± in the ring drop massively. The dream idol was quite hefty. ¡°Why do you need gold threading anyway? I¡¯ve heard that gold is terrible for conducting qi.¡±


    ¡°In broad terms certainly, but in modern talisman craft, it has niche applications where being mostly inert to external qi is helpful. More importantly, gold is pretty, and people like its look. That does not merely go for mortals,¡± Bao Qian said.


    Ling Qi made a sound of acknowledgment. She had never noticed a lack of gold filigree and other decorations, even if she saw less of it in larger quantities among cultivators. ¡°Let¡¯s finish up here, shall we? Just keep an eye out.¡±


    Once the room had been looted and the sealing stake pounded into the altar, they set out to finish their work. In the rest of the manor¡¯s second story, there was little else of interest. With the scorch marks and open rifts in the roofing, it was clear that most things of value had already been looted or long since rotted away.


    Still, there was some fun simply in the search, and Ling Qi did find a few more trinkets, pieces of jewelry forgotten in the cracks under floorboards and such. Once they were cleaned and cleansed, she¡¯d give them to her mother to dispose of how she pleased.


    Soon enough, she found herself back outside, walking through the overgrown garden beside Bao Qian, Zhengui, and Hanyi.


    ¡°This has been a relaxing outing. Thank you for your invitation, Bao Qian,¡± Ling Qi said as they exited through the gates. She knew she was odd, feeling less intimidated by the prospect of work than a more traditional outing. But that was where she stood at the moment.


    ¡°It was certainly an experience. I can¡¯t say I mind being able to pontificate at length about my interests.¡±


    ¡°I really do need to expand my horizons, so I didn¡¯t mind listening,¡± Ling Qi replied.


    ¡°If you like, I would not mind taking you to see some local theater or concerts in the future,¡± Bao Qian offered.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Ling Qi said for lack of a better response.


    ¡°Of course, I would be fine just giving you some recommendations,¡± Bao Qian continued casually. ¡°I know we are both busy people, and it may be difficult to align our schedules.¡±


    Sixiang thought.


    ¡°Oh, it might be cool to see a play sometime, Big Sis,¡± Hanyi said innocently.


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°In any case, are we done now, Bao Qian?¡±


    ¡°Just one last step,¡± he said cheerfully. ¡°If you¡¯d step aside and give me a bit of space, Miss Ling?¡±


    She nodded, doing so. It would be nice to see more of what the Emerald Seas world of art had to offer¡­ Hadn¡¯t she insulted that corpse for being high and mighty, ignoring what lay at his feet? She just wasn¡¯t so sure that she wanted to pair it with other concerns at the same time. Perhaps she could suggest some outings of the sort to Cai Renxiang.


    Bao Qian stood at the center of the path in front of the gates. The last of the sealing stakes was planted deeply in the dirt in front of him, its characters slowly lighting up as it activated. In her spiritual senses, she could feel the rigid sealing field coming to life, boxing in the lingering malice in the old manor. Already, she could feel the lingering unpleasantness in the air fading.


    Bao Qian set his feet widely as he looked up at the manor and took a deep breath. Ling Qi was silent, not wanting to interrupt his technique. His hands rose into the stance of a defensive style she did not recognize and closed into fists grasping at something that was not quite present. Under her feet, Ling Qi felt a small tremor. He brought his fists together, and the whole hill groaned and shook.


    Wood cracked, earth crumbled, and the manor began to cave in on itself, first slowly and then quickly as the tremors grew in intensity. The outer wall collapsed, sections falling haphazardly as the heaving earth shattered the foundations. Dust kicked up, obscuring the falling building from view.


    All the while, the sealing energies folded and changed in a way that she found difficult to follow. They flattened and spread, molding themselves to a wholly new geometry.


    When the dust settled, there was only a cleared hill and a few shattered fragments of wall here and there to show that there had ever been human construction.


    ¡°With the physical anchor gone, the malicious spirits trapped in the sealing will disperse themselves into the natural spirit courts of the area,¡± Bao Qian said, answering the unasked question. ¡°Now, we are done.Thank you for accompanying me, Miss Ling.¡±


    ¡°Ling Qi is fine. And it was no trouble at all.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± He turned his back to the cleared site. ¡°And if nothing else, Ling Qi, I would like you to keep me in mind should you require a prospector¡¯s services in the future. My prices cannot be beat.¡±


    ¡°Naturally, I will think of a reliable business partner like you first,¡± Ling Qi agreed. He had earned that much trust at least.


    ***?


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty weird to think that another year is almost past already, huh?¡± Sixiang asked as they looked out over the Sect, perched on a high cliffside.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. Sometimes, it feels like this year has been longer than the rest of my life combined,¡± Ling Qi joked, letting the stellar qi twist in her grasp as she wove the descending energy into her cultivation. Really, it was not much of a joke. So much had happened; so much had changed. It was sometimes difficult to wrap her head around.


    Below, she saw Outer Sect disciples diligently cleaning the arena. In the great open field beyond, colorful flags and ropes demarcated the zones reserved for visiting clans and their pavilions. The New Year¡¯s Tournament was happening again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me sound like a burden,¡± Sixiang complained.


    Ling Qi rolled her eyes. ¡°Since when did your skin become so thin?¡±


    ¡°Probably when I stopped having it,¡± Sixiang replied flippantly.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be happy to know that I have time before my schedule gets heavy again, so starting tonight, we¡¯re going to be working on the tools we¡¯ve picked up. I better not catch you slacking off.¡±


    ¡°Me? Never,¡± Sixiang laughingly protested. ¡±Besides, this isn¡¯t work. It¡¯s an adventure!¡±


    ¡°If you say so,¡± Ling Qi said with a smile.


    ¡°Seriously, though, this won¡¯t go like last time,¡± her muse reassured. On her shoulder, she felt the pressure of a phantom hand.


    ¡°I know,¡± Ling Qi said, standing up. ¡°Let¡¯s see what lies past the Gate of Sleep.¡±

 Chapter Threads 193-Liminal 2

    Threads 193-Liminal 2


    Ling Qi looked out over crumbling foundations and a single standing cherry tree. Here was the place where the three moons, or their avatars at least, had come to her nearly a year ago now to take her forth on a quest to examine her own past.


    It was here that she would start her own explorations of the Dream.


    ¡°Done moping around?¡± Sixiang asked, looking up from where they crouched over the three rings of bronze and jade which made up the ancient scrying device and gate she had pulled from the dead Hui¡¯s storage ring. The rings were placed carefully among the browning grass to line up with the faint lines of energy in the area.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t moping,¡± Ling Qi retorted. ¡°We needed to wait for the rings to charge. How¡¯s your manifestation holding up?¡±


    ¡°Easy peasy,¡± Sixiang said with a smirk, puffing out their slim chest. Sixiang had chosen to look more masculine today, keeping their hair shorter and their features sharper. ¡°Told you that thing would be useful.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced toward the golden idol which they had placed in the center point between the rings. It did seem to make the rings power up faster, as well as ease the effort it took for Sixiang to manifest.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see what we can do with this.¡±


    ¡°Onward to adventure,¡± Sixiang drawled, tracing their finger around the rim of the closest ring. It spat luminous sparks, and the air inside wavered.


    ¡°So, what are we doing today that¡¯s different from what we¡¯ve done before?¡±


    ¡°Before, when I taught you how to dance, I was teaching you how to skim along the edges,¡± Sixiang lectured, leaning an elbow on her shoulder. ¡°You were good at that since you already knew the trick of moving without moving.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, giving the spirit a gentle nudge to push them off her. Her very first movement art, the Sable Crescent Step, had been a lengthy lesson on the nature of darkness. Darkness was a state. Fade into it, and it was easy to simply appear wherever there was a lack of light. Of course, she was still limited by her human mind. She could only move to places that she could perceive, and she couldn¡¯t disperse herself completely for very long. Doing so felt a bit like trying to hold her breath for too long as a mortal.


    ¡°Yes, but I¡¯ve also done more. You¡¯ve taken me into Dream before.¡±


    Sixiang was already shaking their head. ¡°Nah. I¡¯ve let you experience my memories, but that¡¯s not the same. Today, I¡¯m gonna show you how to intentionally enter into Dream.¡±


    Ling Qi averted her eyes at the reminder of the desperate jump she had pulled herself and her fellow disciples into during their escape from underground, the one that had almost broken her open like a shattered vessel. ¡°How do we get started on that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be easier because of our setup here, but if you¡¯re gonna physically enter, the important thing is getting into the right state of mind,¡± Sixiang instructed. Ling Qi held back a snort as a small pair of spectacles materialized on their nose. ¡°You have to sleep while waking.¡±


    Ling Qi stared at Sixiang. Sixiang stared back.


    Ling Qi raised an eyebrow. ¡°Is that it?¡±


    ¡°Can you explain how to breathe?¡± Sixiang retorted.


    ¡°No,¡± Ling Qi agreed grudgingly. ¡°Then what good is this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m totally useless,¡± Sixiang drawled. ¡°For you solid folks, it''s about state of mind. Even when you¡¯re calm, your mind is still going on about a bunch of stuff in the background. You¡¯re not ever really not thinking about something.¡±


    ¡°Are you about to tell me I need to clear my mind?¡± Ling Qi asked sarcastically.


    ¡°That¡¯s the opposite of what you need to do. If anything, you need to fill your mind. Dream is ideas,inspiration, and thoughts. It¡¯s everything that goes on under the hood. That¡¯s why dreams are usually just weird mishmashes of thoughts and experiences from the waking world. So no, don¡¯t clear your mind. Lose your restraint entirely. Let yourself dream. I¡¯ll be careful not to let you float away.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned as she stepped into the closest ring, feeling the hum of qi on her skin. Inside the ring looking out, the view of the grounds of the Outer Sect was hazy. It was like looking outside on a hot summer day. Her eyes drifted over the town at the foot of the Outer Sect mountain where her family was to the faint curl of smoke that marked Zhengui¡¯s hill. Her eyes then wandered up to the cloudy sky where the immense coils of the Sect Head¡¯s dragon companion still loomed in the sky. She craned her neck, spying the endless mountain peaks to the south.


    If there was one thing that she had come to learn recently, it was that she was ignorant of so much still.


    ... And she wasn¡¯t satisfied with staying so anymore.


    Ling Qi closed her eyes. She let her mind wander, a hundred, a thousand thoughts boiling over one another, unrestrained by any attempt at focus. The rest of the world faded away as she let herself grow lost in the cauldron of her own mind. The last thing she heard as she reached a hand out and pressed it against something like the skin of a soap bubble was a chuckle from her muse.


    ¡°Knew you¡¯d get it, Ling Qi.¡±


    She felt her stomach lurch, and even the touch of ground vanished under her feet. Ling Qi felt a rising alarm as a sense of lightheadedness overtook her, and she felt her fingers begin to dissolve.


    Arms wrapped around her waist, and her weight snapped back. Ling Qi took in a sharp breath through lungs that no longer felt half-liquid.


    ¡°Told you I¡¯d stop you floating away,¡± Sixiang said, voice tickling her ear.


    Ling Qi shot them a dirty look over her shoulder as she opened her eyes and peered at their surroundings.


    They now stood in a bamboo grove before a humble shrine. The sound of a burbling spring reached her ears, and she turned to see a clear spring that had taken the place of the overgrown muddy pool which had been there in reality.


    ¡°I could have used a little more warning,¡± Ling Qi rebuked.


    ¡°You already knew the danger of the Dream.¡± Sixiang drew away. Wisps of colorful smoke rose from their limbs where their bodies had touched.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking of it,¡± Ling Qi grunted, raising her eyes to the source of golden light that illuminated the little shrine. The idol floated above their heads, twice the size that it had been in the physical world. Its expression was still serene, but an eddy of power swirled around it, and the lotus in its lap glowed with a dim unlight.


    ¡°That was the point,¡± Sixiang reminded her.


    Ling Qi grimaced, breathing in what felt like heavily qi-dense air. ¡°Is it always like that when crossing over?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, ¡®s dangerous. You solid people aren¡¯t really meant to be here, and you¡¯re still pretty attached to your body.¡± Sixiang clapped her on the shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s extra dangerous to go alone. Good thing you got me.¡±


    Ling Qi rolled her eyes but smiled as she turned away. Sixiang sniffed in mock hurt. ¡°Where are we? This isn¡¯t like last time.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah,¡± Sixiang agreed. ¡°Last time, you jumped right in the deep end. This place is closer to the Real, so it¡¯s more like a¡­ shadow or impression of your world.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Ling Qi murmured, casting one wary eye at the idol as she approached the shrine. Inside was an altar and an eight-sided mirror framed in black jade. The mirror shone with the gleam of moonlight on a clear night. Wisps of silver, infant faeries, drifted and flickered, their laughter like the soft ring of wind chimes in her ears as she reached inside and lit a stick of incense.


    It didn¡¯t matter that she had no fire techniques. The incense lit because what else would an incense stick do? She clapped her hands twice and bowed her head to a mirror that shimmered black then turned away, striding toward the dirt path that wound out of the bamboo grove. A halo of moon fairies followed after her, swirling and dancing around her head.


    Sixiang waved their hands, shooing them away as they caught up.


    ¡°Jealous of a bunch of kids, Sixiang?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Pfah, like a bunch of brainless babies can appreciate you. So what¡¯s the plan?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet,¡± Ling Qi admitted. She grasped inside her storage ring and pulled on the last piece of loot she had acquired, a compass of dark red wood with a sliver of rainbow-hued metal spinning under the glass. She paused and squinted at it, but the sliver of metal didn¡¯t stop spinning. ¡°Where do you think we should go?¡±


    ¡°Probably the wrong question,¡± Sixiang said as they resumed walking. Their words echoed weirdly here as if rising from the bottom of a deep pool.


    The bamboo grove stopped abruptly at a sheer cliffside, stretching infinitely down into darkness. Beyond it lay a forest, but nothing like she had ever seen before. The trees were immense beyond reckoning. They stood at a level with the lowest branches and yet the trunks stretched out of sight, and the glittering canopy overhead seemed as far away as the night sky. Mist drifted between trunks as wide around as whole townships, and the breeze sent branches larger than trunks a-swaying.


    She looked up, and there, in a single drop of dew clinging to an immense leaf, was a distorted image of the sect town, and beyond that in their own dewdrops were scattered bubbles. There, she saw the Outer Sect mountain, and there, the lowest of the Inner Sect peaks. Further beyond, she felt the distant rumble of thunder and caught a golden glow.


    She looked down into the infinite mist and caught movement, something vast but graceful passing between the titanic trunks. In the eddies of the mist, she saw the shadow of human construction carved into the dark wood, dozens, hundreds scattered about, stacked atop one another. There lived shadows flickering and quiet, yet no less real than the glittering dew above.


    ¡°So, Ling Qi, what do you want to dream about?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s one thing I picked up from Meng Dan that I think is right,¡± Ling Qi said, thinking back to the tapestry and its disappointing revelations. ¡°The past isn¡¯t the most important concern, but if you don¡¯t understand it, you won¡¯t really understand the present either.¡±


    Sixiang followed her gaze down into the dim mist far below and the teetering cities piled upon the platforms and low branches.


    ¡°I¡¯d probably have disagreed with you a year ago,¡± Sixiang said. ¡°The present is what matters, and maybe the future¡­ But I guess those nerdy cousins of mine have a point. Every dream comes from a memory.¡±


    Ling Qi studied the shadowed silhouettes below and willed herself to rise from the ground, only to blink as she failed to move at all. She glanced down at her gown, and the silky cloth seemed to almost shrink away in frustrated contriteness.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think you¡¯re going to be able to rely on that one. What they usually manipulate isn¡¯t here.¡± Sixiang stepped off the cliff, fell for a moment, and then bobbed back up like someone floating in the water. The air around their feet distorted.


    ¡°And she isn¡¯t developed enough to manipulate the dream,¡± Ling Qi realized, brushing her hand over her sleeve.


    ¡°Not without losing bits.¡± Sixiang offered their hand. ¡°Speaking of losing bits, Ling Qi, be seriously careful. No matter what happens, you gotta hold on to who you are. It¡¯d be awful if something snuck into your skin.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded faintly, taking Sixiang¡¯s hand as she focused firmly on her desire to descend. Was that the faint feeling of pressure on her mind? Was it the feeling of countless consciousnesses pressing down, threatening to bleed into her and change who she was? She¡¯d thought, from her study, that it would be more overt.


    ¡°Why would it be? This is the place where all barriers fade. Is it usually noisy when one cupful of water flows into another?¡± Sixiang asked. A sloping trail of starlight bloomed, and they began to slide swiftly downward along its curving trail, the wind tugging at their sleeves and hair.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be careful not to spill,¡± Ling Qi murmured. It would be a challenge. She was so used to dispersing when she wanted to hide that holding herself together was a more novel task.


    The two of them lapsed into silence as they rushed downward, new stars and beams of moonlight spinning into existence as they descended. Ling Qi¡¯s eyes darted from one shadowed edifice to another, seeking anything of interest. In her free hand, the crystal compass continued to spin wildly and without direction.


    Her eyes fell on a structure within one of the haphazardly stacked cities. It looked like the great hall at the central plaza of the Outer Sect, but smaller and humbler.


    It was as good a place to start as any.

 Chapter Threads 194-Liminal 3

    Threads 194-Liminal 3


    They landed without a sound on the crumbling courtyard in front of it, and Ling Qi found her eyes wandering to the withered trees and gardens. There was a deep melancholy here beyond the association of bare branches and dead flowers. Yet, in the corner of her eye, she could catch the shimmer of dreams, of people and life in what she knew instinctively to be the modern Sect. This was no abandoned ruin like she had went to with Bao Qian.


    It was an echo and a reflection.


    Somehow, she understood that it was on the edge of fading, and that one day soon, a new layer would appear atop it, and no longer would it rest upon the top of the tottering heap of human construction.


    Without a word, she entered the dusty hall, Sixiang tagging along behind. In the smaller, humbler entryway, she pushed through skeins of shadow and mist in the shape of people, letting the whispering thoughts that held them together brush off of her mind. She came to stand before the Sect¡¯s work board at the rear of the hall, looking at curled and yellow paper still clinging here and there.


    She brushed her fingers across one, uncurling it and revealing the crumbling wax seal of the Argent Peak Sect.


    It was good to be away from the clan. Away from relatives who looked on with disdain and cousins who sneered for his lack of ambition.


    Ling Qi shook her head, the scent of ink filling her nose.


    Home. This was home, not the cold and stifling manor house. Here in the library, she could study and research without concern for status among her sisters and dull men that she despised.


    She pressed a hand to her temple, grimacing as whispers beat against her concentration.


    It was good to be irrelevant. To not matter in the games of counts and duke. Here, children could be children for a time, not mere weapons and tools in the sharpening.


    He raged at the blank walls of the hovel they called his home, incensed that his family would banish him to this backwater. What use was there in these sleepy scholars and decadent philosophizing? A man wielded the sword against the foes of the Empire!


    Ling Qi let out a sharp hiss, banishing the whispers. Around her, the shades who had begun to gather scattered like dust before a gust of wind.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ve got it,¡± Sixiang praised. ¡°But there are a lot more where those came from.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± Ling Qi knew from studying basic history that the Argent Peak Sect had been a minor institution once, a place for arts and formation research like so many minor sects still were.


    ¡°A place to dump people who can¡¯t or won¡¯t get with the rat race,¡± Sixiang said mirthlessly, pacing around the room and peering at the faded paint upon its walls.


    Ling Qi knew that, but she hadn¡¯t really considered what it meant. She remembered that elaborate ¡°temple¡± Xuan Shi had taken her to, which hadn¡¯t even been an artificial tribulation but just a game for couples. It had seemed so absurd and frivolous that she had put it out of her mind.


    She wondered what it must feel like for the handful of elders who remembered to see their home transformed so completely. It was sad that the world didn¡¯t allow kind things to exist for long. You had to be strong to be safe, and to be strong, you couldn¡¯t afford such leisure.


    ¡°Not everyone has to be powerful,¡± Sixiang disagreed. ¡°I don¡¯t think things would be better if they were.¡±


    Ling Qi turned away from the job board. ¡°That¡¯s what Renxiang wants, I think. Maybe the foreigners have the best idea of it. The strongest go off to be spirits and protectors and leave everyone else to their own devices.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯d be rough to convince anyone of that if they¡¯re not already doing it,¡± Sixiang noted.


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep going.¡±


    At the back of the hall, the floor crumbled away into a twisting maze of broken foundation stones, supporting beams, and pieces of roofing. For the first time in many months, Ling Qi found herself physically picking her way along narrow paths and unstable footing. She couldn¡¯t move here as she could outside.


    Descending didn¡¯t change the pressure of whispers on her mind, but they were less clear and less forceful here. Soon, she found her way out onto a wooden span, sticking out of the maze-like pile like a loose rib poking out of an unmarked grave. It gave her a greater view of the ruins that spread out below, built or carved into the side of the titanic tree.


    It was a chaotic sprawl, uncounted layers of buildings piled impossibly atop each other. Roofs merged into foundations. The ruins hung like a dry and dead bush over the great platform of wood that supported it, and in the distance, she could hear the thunderous crumbling of material collapsing and falling endlessly into the mist below.


    ¡°What are you looking for?¡± Sixiang asked, standing beside her and looking out over the twisting labyrinth of castle, city, village, and more. Below, in the jumble, the streets thronged with both shades and faeries who lit the mad streets with their silver glow.


    ¡°I¡¯m not really sure,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°I want to see what I can learn from the past, but I don¡¯t quite know where to begin.¡±


    Maybe she was thinking too hard about this. If there was any place to simply follow her impulses, it was here.


    She trailed off as she felt a warmth in her hand and glanced down to see the compass. Its face was lit from within, and the crystal shard inside had stopped spinning and instead, vibrated in place, pointing out towards a mountain of jumbled palaces and rickety tree platforms.


    The whole city shook, and she saw a wide boulevard below split apart, spilling junk and ruins to either side as something sinuous and scaly surfaced. Its back was iridescent green and shimmered with psychedelic color. She saw a reptilian head surface far in the distance before plunging back into the ruin.


    It was burrowing in the same direction the crystal was pointing in.


    Ling Qi leapt down. Wind, dust, and whispers rushed past her ears as she twisted in midair, angling her body to land atop the rushing scales of the behemoth below. Wind bent and hardened, and this time, she jumped again off planes of hardened air.


    Her feet struck the moving scales with a hard crack, and Ling Qi felt the vibration of impact shooting up her legs, forcing her to bend her knees to absorb the force. She skidded backward, the soft soles of her shoes sliding along the scales as if they were polished marble.The wind from the creature¡¯s movement shoved her backward as well, resisting any attempt to control it. It was only as she neared the downward curve of the creature¡¯s back that she managed to hook her fingers into the seam between two scales.


    There, teetering on the edge of a fall into the chaotic ruins below, she finally stopped, wind whipping at her hair and clothes. She laughed.


    ¡°You''re definitely getting in the spirit of things!¡± Sixiang laughed as well, and only then did Ling Qi realize the muse had a grip on one of her sleeves. Sixiang was weightless and flapped freely behind her like a wind sock on a festival day. As she glanced back, the muse shimmered and shrunk, scrambling up onto her shoulder, no bigger than any of the infant faeries she had seen.


    ¡°Going to make me walk for you?¡± Ling Qi asked archly, squinting ahead.


    ¡°Why not? I¡¯m here for you, and I¡¯ve been told walking is overrated,¡± Sixiang shot back.


    Ling Qi grumbled and straightened up. Now that she had dealt with the initial impact, the tugging wind could no longer push her so long as she was careful of her steps and mindful of the smoothness of the scales under her feet. Moss and dirt clustered between the scales, providing just enough of a grip.


    She peered at her surroundings, the near modern construction whizzing past in her periphery, and the beast under her feet. It wasn¡¯t a snake, she realized. The back was too flat and wide, and deep in the detritus, she caught the churning of a stubby limb off to her right.


    Ling Qi squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, and after a few seconds of careful consideration, she opened her mind to the dreams in the screaming wind.


    My lord duke, the Li family will serve you faithfully always. The honor of being granted the three central passes is more honor than this humble one could possibly deserve.


    Miserable, bloated parasites crouching in their web. It is we who should rule the Emerald Seas. If only the other clans could see past their own selfishness, we would be free of their yoke.


    Ling Qi shuddered, feeling resentment and murderous intent slither across her mind like dripping tar.


    Not only have the barbarians been driven off with few casualties, my lords, but the Li clan¡¯s physicians have further refined our arts, and we freely tribute our newest methods. Even flesh and bone may be a canvas for the incomparable artisans of Hui now. Together, our glory will be everlasting.


    These jackals grow fat off the labors of our hands and our minds. When was it last that any Hui walked the battlefield? Faced the barbarians? No, if they had ever deserved it, they are unworthy of Xiangmen¡¯s throne, my bretheren. Contact with the Patriarch Wu has been established, and we are certain that we have evaded the webs. Of the southern lords, only the Chu¡¯s disposition is unknown, but I am wary of contacting a man who so clearly dotes upon his Hui spouse.


    Her eyes opened a crack, and she saw out of the corner of her eye the black silhouette of a mountain in the distance rising from a sea of debris. A great tunnel yawned through its center, and for all that it was only stone, she felt like she stared into an open bleeding wound.


    She let out a breath, contemplating those surface whispers and their implications. While it didn¡¯t much improve her opinions, it shifted the pieces in her head a little. Assuming the fragments of dream were more than the whispers of madmen and radicals imprinted long after their deaths, the Hui¡¯s intransigence gained a patina of sensibility.


    ¡°It¡¯s always been weird to me,¡± Sixiang commented, jarring her from her thoughts. ¡°Why did you chase after the Hidden Moon before coming to Grandmother? Was it just because of Auntie?¡±


    Ling Qi pursed her lips as she continued to walk along the great behemoth''s back. They had passed the churning legs and reached the widest part of the scaly spine, and ridges as tall as she rose, making her weave through the angular forest of scales.


    ¡°I think it was at first,¡± Ling Qi said thoughtfully. ¡°It just seemed ungrateful not to give her some due. Even now, I still just like her.¡±


    ¡°I get it, but you have to admit it¡¯s kinda flimsy to hang a third of your cultivation on.¡± Sixiang pinched her ear with tiny fingers. Ling Qi swatted at them, causing the muse to cry out and tumble from her shoulder, only to appear on the other.


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°But I think I¡¯m starting to get it now, and I understand why I didn¡¯t before. The Hidden Moon is the second born of the eight, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°That depends on who you ask.¡± Sixiang cocked their head to the side. ¡°What does it matter?¡±


    Ling Qi hummed to herself, listening to the whistling whispers that rushed by. ¡°I never really left Tonghou. Not for the longest time. Even as I got stronger, as I made friends with Meizhen, fought nobles, and learned from spirits¡­ Even when I swore myself to the Cai, I hadn¡¯t left yet. My mind was still back there, spending every moment panicking about how I¡¯d survive the next day. I¡¯m not quite sure when that changed, but once it did, there was room for other things. I think that¡¯s why the Hidden Moon was second. Once you know you can survive, the first question you start to ask is ¡®why.¡¯ I started asking that question more, and now, I don¡¯t think I want to stop.¡±


    ¡°Look at you, getting all philosophical. I¡¯m not supposed to do that: ask ¡®why,¡¯¡± Sixiang confided. ¡°I¡¯ve already existed way longer than most muses spend in one identity. It¡¯s weird to have a past and a future. It hurts.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. ¡°Sorry¡ª¡±


    ¡°Nah, none of that. I¡¯m the one who decided they¡¯d stick with you,¡± Sixiang dismissed airily. ¡°You¡¯re my artist now. No take-backsies. Even if you do turn into a nerd like Auntie.¡±


    Ling Qi rolled her eyes. ¡°I think I¡¯d be doing pretty well to end up like Xin.¡±


    ¡°You wanna marry a crotchety fashion disaster?¡± Sixiang asked, screwing up their face in mock confusion.


    ¡°Not like that. But she¡¯s powerful, beautiful, and smart, and she isn¡¯t¡­¡±


    Ling Qi thought of burning radiance barely hidden by a mask of human flesh and the sound of Renxiang screaming.


    ¡°Aunt Xin¡¯s not a bad goal to shoot for,¡± Sixiang agreed. They brightened up then. ¡°Still, maybe I should start going for a brighter wardrobe?¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡± Ling Qi made a face.


    Under their feet, there was a tremendous rumble, and everything shook. Parts of the maze city shook, and untold tonnes of debris and ruins spilled from the branch, raining down into the impenetrable mist below. Meanwhile, the direction of the burrowing beast changed, its path curving away from the dark tangle of manors and buildings where her compass still pointed.


    In the distance, she saw a rising shadow, and she glimpsed the silhouette of the behemoth¡¯s head. It was wide with a blunt snout and a thick neck. She remembered the sound of insects crawling over each other, and the sight of regenerating flesh stirring with verminous life in a cave deep under the earth. A flash of bright jade green, the opening of one of the creature¡¯s tremendous eyes, fell upon them for only a moment.


    It made her think of her little brother.


    She shook her head as she leapt off, drifting like a leaf on the rising wind as she floated toward the mountainous pile of twisted construction. This was not what she was here for right now.


    ¡°Seems like this is our stop,¡± Ling Qi said.

 Chapter Threads 195-Liminal 4

    Threads 195-Liminal 4


    In her hands, the compass was aglow, casting light on her face, but Ling Qi didn¡¯t notice at first because there, at the end of an long open hall that descended into the face of the debris mountain, she saw the dream idol floating in the air, casting a faint golden glow in the darkness. Light now glowed in slim crescents from beneath still closed eyelids. Ling Qi felt a sudden urge to begin walking down the hallway.


    On her shoulder, Sixiang sucked in a breath. ¡°Oi, get outta here!¡±


    At the muse¡¯s shout, the idol winked out, and Ling Qi felt more than heard the distorted laughter echoing up from the tunnel as if from a thousand voices.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Ling Qi hissed.


    ¡°That¡¯s nightmare territory down there. It¡¯s where the dreams have¡­ curdled.¡± Sixiang seemed unsure of the proper terminology. ¡°I don¡¯t think you want to contend with a whole swarm of those things in their home territory yet.¡±


    Ling Qi pursed her lips and glanced down. The compass was pointing to the right down a vine-lined path made of decaying roofs and awnings.


    She took the path downwards instead. It wound down the piled structures which were intermixed with earth and trees and more natural objects. Soon, the path turned inward under an archway of mixed greenery and masonry. The archway looked terribly unstable, but Ling Qi felt no fear of its collapse.


    She found more hesitation in the pits that marked the floor, each filled with a darkness her eyes could not see through and whispers of cruel laughter that put her hair on end. She stepped carefully around those, and Sixiang¡¯s glare dispersed the things that tried to crawl into her shadow.


    It was hard to track how long she spent walking down the corridor as it bent and twisted inside. There were splits in the path, but at each one, she followed the compass.


    Finally, the path opened out into a wide hall. Unlike the rest of the dingy, detritus-ridden labyrinth, it was brightly lit with a roof composed of living branches. Three wide tables were laden with food and drink, and dozens upon dozens of men and women with ruddy skin, black or brown hair, and swept back horns rising from their temples filled their benches and spilled across the floor, laughing and dancing.


    The sound of the place, music, laughter, and merriment, struck her like a physical force as she crossed some unseen threshold. In the center of the floor, a pair of athletic men stripped to the waist wrestled, cheered on by those around. On the right, a pair of women alternated in belting out lines of lyrical poetry in clear competition.


    The head of the table bore an empty throne of vines and wicker.


    No one looked up as she entered. The music wasn¡¯t interrupted, and no guardians stepped forth. As Ling Qi passed by a small knot of revelers on the periphery, they nodded to her as if she belonged.


    And for a moment, she felt like she did. After all, this was the grand harvest celebration and the great lord had invited all of the blood to celebrate a successful year in both campaign and harvest in his halls. Where else would she belong? Now was the time to make merry and cast away fear till the morrow!


    Ling Qi shuddered and shook herself, casting off the layer of ¡°other¡± which had almost consumed her thoughts. She became aware of Sixiang shouting in her ear and realized that she had already taken a seat at the nearest table, a half-filled cup of some kind of grain alcohol grasped in her hand.


    ¡°That hit me quicker than I expected,¡± Ling Qi apologized warily. She cast a look at her neighbors, but none seemed to have been alerted by her breaking the spell.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry me like that! You¡¯d already started to grow horns,¡± Sixiang complained.


    Ling Qi¡¯s hand rose to her temple, but she felt nothing. Still, she doubted Sixiang was lying. ¡°I¡¯ll be more careful,¡± she promised.


    She scanned the room, considering her next action. The compass was no further help. It had returned to spinning lazily. She could simply participate in the revel, now that she was on her guard. Who knew what she might be able to learn here? But it did worry her how easily she had fallen under the spell. And the more she looked, the more she was certain that these were not merely echoes, but spirits wearing them like scarves.


    The problem was the entrance she had come in by was gone. The only door remaining stood half-open behind the empty throne. It felt familiar, causing her to recall lapping black waters, a skull, and black flowers.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t what I¡¯m here for.¡± Ling Qi looked down at the table full of food and drink. She glanced to her left and right to take in laughing faces.


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t know what you were here for?¡± Sixiang asked. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this place?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll learn what I¡¯m looking for here,¡± Ling Qi said. She let out a breath and dispersed. Vanishing from her place on the bench, she reappeared midstep, taking advantage of the movements of the crowd to mask her appearance.


    ¡°Oh, did you figure that out?¡± Sixiang asked, their tiny voice tickling her ear.


    ¡°I said it before,¡± Ling Qi said, weaving between guests. She felt a longing in her heart to stop and observe, to listen to poetry and song, to drink from their cups. To belong here safe and content. She hardened her mind against the creeping intrusion of foreign identities, and when a laughing man grasped at her arm, she spun elegantly to the side, leaving him grasping a stylized phantom in her likeness who led him away in the dance he sought.


    ¡°I want to know why,¡± Ling Qi murmured, her eyes fixed on the door. ¡°This¡­ This is all how and what. That¡¯s important too, but I can¡¯t learn why things are as they are here.¡±


    ¡°Well, I won¡¯t gainsay you on it, even if I wish we could stay.¡± Sixiang sighed, looking out over the revelry.


    ¡°We¡¯ll find our time for fun,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°Liar,¡± Sixiang accused. ¡±You''re bad at that. How do you intend to get in there?¡±


    Ling Qi moved around a pair of laughing women, their arms thrown over each other''s shoulders. Her eyes fell again on the closed door, but now, a man stood in front of it. His expression lacked the merriment of the revelers, and she recognized his scanning gaze and alertness.


    It would not normally be a problem to avoid so mundane an obstacle, but she knew somewhere in her gut that trying to pass immaterially through that door would go poorly for her. Instinctively, she understood that she would need to turn the handle and open the portal manually.


    ¡°Let me assist. I think I¡¯ve finally found a new twist that works,¡± Sixiang offered.


    On her shoulder, the faerie-sized muse dissolved, and Ling Qi blinked as she felt a rushing feeling like the tide running over her feet and around her ankles. A few meters away where the man stood, she saw him blink and then grow slack for just a moment. Then, the man straightened up and shot her a grin, familiar but made alien by the features that wore it.


    Ling Qi covered the remaining distance swiftly, keeping an eye on the other revelers, echoes and spirits that they were.


    ¡°Fancy, huh?¡± asked the man in a voice with a touch too high a pitch as he stepped out of the way. Behind them, people were beginning to turn with furrowed brows, and the music faltered.


    Ling Qi twisted the handle and stepped through just as a keening wail began to rise from a hundred throats, dragging ¡°Sixiang¡± through the darkened portal after her. The door slammed shut behind them, and there was silence.


    ¡°Fancy,¡± Ling Qi echoed, shooting her companion a look. ¡°Explain.¡±


    Already, the form of the man was beginning to waver and dissolve, but he still wore Sixiang¡¯s grin, and Ling Qi saw a faint outline of rainbow flames burning like a crown upon his head. It glowed brightly in the sucking darkness of the cellar-like stone stairwell they found themselves in.


    ¡°I figured if I can manifest myself, why not just steal other people''s work?¡± The man¡¯s form collapsed, leaving only a glittering column of light from which Sixiang¡¯s voice emanated. ¡°Those folks were all constructs and spirits like me anyway. I don¡¯t think I could hijack a human or a beast for very long.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a bad influence on you.¡± Ling Qi sighed despite her smile. Whatever else happened, if these dreamwalks encouraged Sixiang to grow too, then it was worth it. Already, she was considering the uses their ability could have. Even if it was only limited to qi constructs and other immaterial spirits¡­


    ¡°How would you feel about being an eagle?¡± Ling Qi asked, thinking of her phantom summoning art.


    ¡°Ugh, that thing¡¯s so drab,¡± Sixiang muttered, rematerializing on her shoulder. ¡°Not fabulous at all. Besides, I¡¯m not sure it¡¯d offer much advantage over just controlling it yourself. I might be able to ride it away from you to jump into something else¡­¡±


    ¡°Something to work on,¡± Ling Qi said absently.


    There was no sound nor sign of the revel from the other side of the door, and Ling Qi did not need immortal senses to perceive that the wood of the door had swollen, fusing with its frame. She would leave putting her fist through the thing as a last resort. She gazed down the stone stairway, listening to the faint drip of water far below and eyeing the organic glisten of damp mold and moss on the ceiling and walls.


    Sixiang made a face. ¡°We left the party for this?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a baby, Sixiang,¡± Ling Qi replied absently, taking the first step down. They were wide and shallow, but surprisingly dry despite the moisture in the air. ¡°Are we descending into a nightmare?¡±


    Sixiang was quiet for a long moment as they descended. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a baby, Sixiang,¡± Ling Qi replied absently, taking the first step down. They were wide and shallow, but surprisingly dry despite the moisture in the air. ¡°Are we descending into a nightmare?¡±


    Sixiang was quiet for a long moment as they descended. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a baby, Sixiang,¡± Ling Qi replied absently, taking the first step down. Something twisted in her gut, and she felt intense nausea. They were wide and shallow, but surprisingly dry despite the moisture in the air.


    How many times had she taken the first step?


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a baby, Sixiang,¡± Ling Qi replied absently, taking the first step down.


    Ling Qi felt her temples throb, and on her shoulder, Sixiang hissed in pain.


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡ª¡± Ling Qi slammed her mouth shut, nearly biting her tongue as she focused hard and leapt off the first step. On her shoulder, Sixiang¡¯s qi rippled out, chaotic and disruptive.


    Ling Qi landed palm first on the third stair and vaulted forward as she felt her thoughts begin to run backward and twisted in midair, forcing herself away from the shimmering bubble of altered time. She landed, pressing herself against the wall, breathing harshly as moon qi flooded the meridians that ran through her head, intensifying her every sense.


    Even then, it was barely possible to make out the places where space broke. It was not the usual chaos of the dream realm. It felt jagged like she was standing in the midst of a hall full of glass shrapnel frozen in the moment just after an explosion.


    Ling Qi stayed where she was, eyeing her surroundings warily.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Sixiang winced. ¡°I should have noticed that before you stepped in it.¡±


    ¡°No, I should have noticed it too,¡± Ling Qi said. She didn¡¯t think she had become incautious. She was just used to the sharpness of her senses doing most of the work. Here, in the Dream, things just didn¡¯t quite work the same, and it left her struggling.


    ¡°Alright. Take two.¡± Ling Qi slowly turned to examine their path down. One foot in front of the other, she resumed her descent. It was difficult, and soon, her head was throbbing as navigating the maze of broken reality forced her to sometimes take steps in directions she couldn¡¯t give a name to or turn at angles which she was quite sure didn¡¯t exist in the material world.


    She paused upon a stair, kneeling and holding her head as she tried to shut off the painful feeling of having been thinking her thoughts in reverse while her body moved to signals arriving from somewhere sideways to the present.


    This was why time techniques were rare and so limited, she thought. Even cultivators were not meant for such things. Could reality as she knew it even exist without the Law of Causality?


    ¡°Oof. Even I feel a little nauseous.¡± Sixiang groaned, their face green.


    Ling Qi let out a weary laugh. ¡°What do you even have to feel nauseous with?¡±


    ¡°I dunno, but I¡¯ve managed it. Ling Qi, do you think keeping up this descent is a good idea?¡±


    She pursed her lips, peering down the stairs. Far, far away in the dark, something pale green glinted. ¡°No, but neither was attending your grandmother¡¯s party.¡±


    Sixiang raised a finger, opening their mouth as if to respond, then closed it. ¡°I have no reply to that. Darn, you really are a bad influence on me.¡±


    ¡°Having a survival instinct isn¡¯t bad,¡± Ling Qi rebutted, rising back to her feet. Sometimes though, you just had to know when the instinct was wrong.


    And right now, she knew in her gut that there was something worthwhile at the bottom of these stairs.

 Chapter Threads 195-Liminal 5

    Threads 195-Liminal 5


    In her hands, the compass was aglow, casting light on her face, but Ling Qi didn¡¯t notice at first because there, at the end of an long open hall that descended into the face of the debris mountain, she saw the dream idol floating in the air, casting a faint golden glow in the darkness. Light now glowed in slim crescents from beneath still closed eyelids. Ling Qi felt a sudden urge to begin walking down the hallway.


    On her shoulder, Sixiang sucked in a breath. ¡°Oi, get outta here!¡±


    At the muse¡¯s shout, the idol winked out, and Ling Qi felt more than heard the distorted laughter echoing up from the tunnel as if from a thousand voices.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Ling Qi hissed.


    ¡°That¡¯s nightmare territory down there. It¡¯s where the dreams have¡­ curdled.¡± Sixiang seemed unsure of the proper terminology. ¡°I don¡¯t think you want to contend with a whole swarm of those things in their home territory yet.¡±


    Ling Qi pursed her lips and glanced down. The compass was pointing to the right down a vine-lined path made of decaying roofs and awnings.


    She took the path downwards instead. It wound down the piled structures which were intermixed with earth and trees and more natural objects. Soon, the path turned inward under an archway of mixed greenery and masonry. The archway looked terribly unstable, but Ling Qi felt no fear of its collapse.


    She found more hesitation in the pits that marked the floor, each filled with a darkness her eyes could not see through and whispers of cruel laughter that put her hair on end. She stepped carefully around those, and Sixiang¡¯s glare dispersed the things that tried to crawl into her shadow.


    It was hard to track how long she spent walking down the corridor as it bent and twisted inside. There were splits in the path, but at each one, she followed the compass.


    Finally, the path opened out into a wide hall. Unlike the rest of the dingy, detritus-ridden labyrinth, it was brightly lit with a roof composed of living branches. Three wide tables were laden with food and drink, and dozens upon dozens of men and women with ruddy skin, black or brown hair, and swept back horns rising from their temples filled their benches and spilled across the floor, laughing and dancing.


    The sound of the place, music, laughter, and merriment, struck her like a physical force as she crossed some unseen threshold. In the center of the floor, a pair of athletic men stripped to the waist wrestled, cheered on by those around. On the right, a pair of women alternated in belting out lines of lyrical poetry in clear competition.


    The head of the table bore an empty throne of vines and wicker.


    No one looked up as she entered. The music wasn¡¯t interrupted, and no guardians stepped forth. As Ling Qi passed by a small knot of revelers on the periphery, they nodded to her as if she belonged.


    And for a moment, she felt like she did. After all, this was the grand harvest celebration and the great lord had invited all of the blood to celebrate a successful year in both campaign and harvest in his halls. Where else would she belong? Now was the time to make merry and cast away fear till the morrow!


    Ling Qi shuddered and shook herself, casting off the layer of ¡°other¡± which had almost consumed her thoughts. She became aware of Sixiang shouting in her ear and realized that she had already taken a seat at the nearest table, a half-filled cup of some kind of grain alcohol grasped in her hand.


    ¡°That hit me quicker than I expected,¡± Ling Qi apologized warily. She cast a look at her neighbors, but none seemed to have been alerted by her breaking the spell.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry me like that! You¡¯d already started to grow horns,¡± Sixiang complained.


    Ling Qi¡¯s hand rose to her temple, but she felt nothing. Still, she doubted Sixiang was lying. ¡°I¡¯ll be more careful,¡± she promised.


    She scanned the room, considering her next action. The compass was no further help. It had returned to spinning lazily. She could simply participate in the revel, now that she was on her guard. Who knew what she might be able to learn here? But it did worry her how easily she had fallen under the spell. And the more she looked, the more she was certain that these were not merely echoes, but spirits wearing them like scarves.


    The problem was the entrance she had come in by was gone. The only door remaining stood half-open behind the empty throne. It felt familiar, causing her to recall lapping black waters, a skull, and black flowers.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t what I¡¯m here for.¡± Ling Qi looked down at the table full of food and drink. She glanced to her left and right to take in laughing faces.


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t know what you were here for?¡± Sixiang asked. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this place?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll learn what I¡¯m looking for here,¡± Ling Qi said. She let out a breath and dispersed. Vanishing from her place on the bench, she reappeared midstep, taking advantage of the movements of the crowd to mask her appearance.


    ¡°Oh, did you figure that out?¡± Sixiang asked, their tiny voice tickling her ear.


    ¡°I said it before,¡± Ling Qi said, weaving between guests. She felt a longing in her heart to stop and observe, to listen to poetry and song, to drink from their cups. To belong here safe and content. She hardened her mind against the creeping intrusion of foreign identities, and when a laughing man grasped at her arm, she spun elegantly to the side, leaving him grasping a stylized phantom in her likeness who led him away in the dance he sought.


    ¡°I want to know why,¡± Ling Qi murmured, her eyes fixed on the door. ¡°This¡­ This is all how and what. That¡¯s important too, but I can¡¯t learn why things are as they are here.¡±


    ¡°Well, I won¡¯t gainsay you on it, even if I wish we could stay.¡± Sixiang sighed, looking out over the revelry.


    ¡°We¡¯ll find our time for fun,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°Liar,¡± Sixiang accused. ¡±You''re bad at that. How do you intend to get in there?¡±


    Ling Qi moved around a pair of laughing women, their arms thrown over each other''s shoulders. Her eyes fell again on the closed door, but now, a man stood in front of it. His expression lacked the merriment of the revelers, and she recognized his scanning gaze and alertness.


    It would not normally be a problem to avoid so mundane an obstacle, but she knew somewhere in her gut that trying to pass immaterially through that door would go poorly for her. Instinctively, she understood that she would need to turn the handle and open the portal manually.


    ¡°Let me assist. I think I¡¯ve finally found a new twist that works,¡± Sixiang offered.


    On her shoulder, the faerie-sized muse dissolved, and Ling Qi blinked as she felt a rushing feeling like the tide running over her feet and around her ankles. A few meters away where the man stood, she saw him blink and then grow slack for just a moment. Then, the man straightened up and shot her a grin, familiar but made alien by the features that wore it.


    Ling Qi covered the remaining distance swiftly, keeping an eye on the other revelers, echoes and spirits that they were.


    ¡°Fancy, huh?¡± asked the man in a voice with a touch too high a pitch as he stepped out of the way. Behind them, people were beginning to turn with furrowed brows, and the music faltered.


    Ling Qi twisted the handle and stepped through just as a keening wail began to rise from a hundred throats, dragging ¡°Sixiang¡± through the darkened portal after her. The door slammed shut behind them, and there was silence.


    ¡°Fancy,¡± Ling Qi echoed, shooting her companion a look. ¡°Explain.¡±


    Already, the form of the man was beginning to waver and dissolve, but he still wore Sixiang¡¯s grin, and Ling Qi saw a faint outline of rainbow flames burning like a crown upon his head. It glowed brightly in the sucking darkness of the cellar-like stone stairwell they found themselves in.


    ¡°I figured if I can manifest myself, why not just steal other people''s work?¡± The man¡¯s form collapsed, leaving only a glittering column of light from which Sixiang¡¯s voice emanated. ¡°Those folks were all constructs and spirits like me anyway. I don¡¯t think I could hijack a human or a beast for very long.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a bad influence on you.¡± Ling Qi sighed despite her smile. Whatever else happened, if these dreamwalks encouraged Sixiang to grow too, then it was worth it. Already, she was considering the uses their ability could have. Even if it was only limited to qi constructs and other immaterial spirits¡­


    ¡°How would you feel about being an eagle?¡± Ling Qi asked, thinking of her phantom summoning art.


    ¡°Ugh, that thing¡¯s so drab,¡± Sixiang muttered, rematerializing on her shoulder. ¡°Not fabulous at all. Besides, I¡¯m not sure it¡¯d offer much advantage over just controlling it yourself. I might be able to ride it away from you to jump into something else¡­¡±


    ¡°Something to work on,¡± Ling Qi said absently.


    There was no sound nor sign of the revel from the other side of the door, and Ling Qi did not need immortal senses to perceive that the wood of the door had swollen, fusing with its frame. She would leave putting her fist through the thing as a last resort. She gazed down the stone stairway, listening to the faint drip of water far below and eyeing the organic glisten of damp mold and moss on the ceiling and walls.


    Sixiang made a face. ¡°We left the party for this?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a baby, Sixiang,¡± Ling Qi replied absently, taking the first step down. They were wide and shallow, but surprisingly dry despite the moisture in the air. ¡°Are we descending into a nightmare?¡±


    Sixiang was quiet for a long moment as they descended. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a baby, Sixiang,¡± Ling Qi replied absently, taking the first step down. They were wide and shallow, but surprisingly dry despite the moisture in the air. ¡°Are we descending into a nightmare?¡±


    Sixiang was quiet for a long moment as they descended. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a baby, Sixiang,¡± Ling Qi replied absently, taking the first step down. Something twisted in her gut, and she felt intense nausea. They were wide and shallow, but surprisingly dry despite the moisture in the air.


    How many times had she taken the first step?


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a baby, Sixiang,¡± Ling Qi replied absently, taking the first step down.


    Ling Qi felt her temples throb, and on her shoulder, Sixiang hissed in pain.


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡ª¡± Ling Qi slammed her mouth shut, nearly biting her tongue as she focused hard and leapt off the first step. On her shoulder, Sixiang¡¯s qi rippled out, chaotic and disruptive.


    Ling Qi landed palm first on the third stair and vaulted forward as she felt her thoughts begin to run backward and twisted in midair, forcing herself away from the shimmering bubble of altered time. She landed, pressing herself against the wall, breathing harshly as moon qi flooded the meridians that ran through her head, intensifying her every sense.


    Even then, it was barely possible to make out the places where space broke. It was not the usual chaos of the dream realm. It felt jagged like she was standing in the midst of a hall full of glass shrapnel frozen in the moment just after an explosion.


    Ling Qi stayed where she was, eyeing her surroundings warily.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Sixiang winced. ¡°I should have noticed that before you stepped in it.¡±


    ¡°No, I should have noticed it too,¡± Ling Qi said. She didn¡¯t think she had become incautious. She was just used to the sharpness of her senses doing most of the work. Here, in the Dream, things just didn¡¯t quite work the same, and it left her struggling.


    ¡°Alright. Take two.¡± Ling Qi slowly turned to examine their path down. One foot in front of the other, she resumed her descent. It was difficult, and soon, her head was throbbing as navigating the maze of broken reality forced her to sometimes take steps in directions she couldn¡¯t give a name to or turn at angles which she was quite sure didn¡¯t exist in the material world.


    She paused upon a stair, kneeling and holding her head as she tried to shut off the painful feeling of having been thinking her thoughts in reverse while her body moved to signals arriving from somewhere sideways to the present.


    This was why time techniques were rare and so limited, she thought. Even cultivators were not meant for such things. Could reality as she knew it even exist without the Law of Causality?


    ¡°Oof. Even I feel a little nauseous.¡± Sixiang groaned, their face green.


    Ling Qi let out a weary laugh. ¡°What do you even have to feel nauseous with?¡±


    ¡°I dunno, but I¡¯ve managed it. Ling Qi, do you think keeping up this descent is a good idea?¡±


    She pursed her lips, peering down the stairs. Far, far away in the dark, something pale green glinted. ¡°No, but neither was attending your grandmother¡¯s party.¡±


    Sixiang raised a finger, opening their mouth as if to respond, then closed it. ¡°I have no reply to that. Darn, you really are a bad influence on me.¡±


    ¡°Having a survival instinct isn¡¯t bad,¡± Ling Qi rebutted, rising back to her feet. Sometimes though, you just had to know when the instinct was wrong.


    And right now, she knew in her gut that there was something worthwhile at the bottom of these stairs.

 Chapter Threads 196-Liminal 5

    Threads 196-Liminal 5


    She continued her descent, keeping her eye on the flicker of green that she had spotted. It helped to focus on a goal, rather than descending without purpose. It kept her thoughts running in the correct direction and her body reacting to her own commands rather than those of fragmented signals from fleeting alternate selves.


    Forward. No turning. No retreating. That was the key.


    When she came to the bottom of the stairs, it was abrupt. One moment, she had been placing a foot forward onto another dry stair. The next, her foot had sunk into swampy muck.


    She beheld the sight of a low, wide cavern with a sense of creeping familiarity. It had been over a year since she had seen this place last, but she had seen it. Sluggish black water lapped at the muddy shore, and she remembered the treasures she had pulled from it: the shard of solid darkness from which her domain blade had been carved; the deathly mirror which sale had funded her cultivation for a year now; and the near forgotten seed pods still resting in her storage ring in the material world.


    In the center was the horned skeleton wrapped in vines and covered in black flowers. It was still bleeding the liquid that filled the pool. Driven into the earth at its side was the same bronze spear she had seen before, but in the Dream, the spear flickered with a ghastly green radiance.


    As she beheld it, she sucked in a breath when the bare skull twitched and rose to regard her with sockets full of black flower petals.


    ¡°I see you.¡± The voice that emitted from the skeleton dug into her mind with claws of icy cold, painful and ragged. Yet, through the pain, Ling Qi could feel no malice in those words. If anything, they seemed almost filled with wonder.


    She felt a sharp pain in her chest then and felt something part her skin from within. She looked down to see the point of her domain blade pulling free, glistening and black. It shot from her chest, and it took everything she had to halt it middair, vibrating with tension. It felt like someone had just yanked on her arm hard enough to dislocate it.


    ¡°My blood, you will not come?¡± The worn whisper of the skeleton scratched at her ears. Its jaw didn¡¯t move, and its voice seemed to be born from the rustle of petals and dried vines.


    ¡°Honored Elder, you are mistaken,¡± Ling Qi ground out through grit teeth, feeling the strain of holding her blade in place, humming in the air between them. ¡°I only took the gifts freely offered. I am not your blood.¡±


    Somehow, she could feel the futility of her effort. She could feel the strength of the skeleton. If it exerted itself just a little more, she knew it would have her blade.


    ¡°Liar.¡± Its voice was scolding but fond. ¡°But what thief does not lie?¡±


    Air shimmered in a veil of glittering color, and chaotic qi washed out over the room like a tidal wave as Sixiang materialized in front of her at full height. "Let her go," the muse hissed, their expression strained.


    She jerked back as the pressure on her domain blade loosened, but the grip was not wholly gone.


    "How greedy," whispered the skeleton, seemingly not angered by the interference. "You would deny a lonely elder their first company in an age?"


    "If she doesn''t want to be here, you bet I do." Sixiang''s words no longer came from their lips but rather on the sounds of an increasingly violent tide.


    "Thank you, Sixiang," Ling Qi said with a wince, laying a hand on the muse''s shoulder. "Honored Elder, unfortunately, I cannot stay. I have many obligations."


    ¡°Young. So young. So much remains to be seen, to be taken,¡± the voice crooned. "Go, and come visit again. Bring with you your tales, and let us share as one thief to another.¡±


    The grip vanished, and Ling Qi nearly stumbled, staring at the skeleton warily. ¡°Why do you trust that I would come back?¡±


    ¡°Ling Qi, don¡¯t question the thing,¡± Sixiang hissed in alarm.


    Somehow, the thorny vines framing fleshless jaws seemed to convey a smile. ¡°Curiosity. Want. Power.¡±


    Ling Qi felt something like an impact against her stomach and a rushing sensation like flying at top speed. Her back slammed against wood, and cherry blossoms rained down. She found herself staring up at the boughs which surrounded her starting point. The dream idol floated soundlessly above the shimmering ring gates.


    A familiar dark oaken door now stood at the edge of the clearing. It had no frame nor hinges, just a simple handle.


    Ling Qi shut her eyes. ¡°I think that¡¯s enough for one session.¡±


    ***


    The sights she had seen in the realm of Dream still filled her mind even now, well after she had passed back through the ring gates and packed both them and the idol away. She still saw the crumbling city ruins balanced so precariously, lives and experience piled high atop their predecessors¡¯ until the oldest were but dust and sediment.


    The bleeding mountain and the behemoth with Gui¡¯s eyes stuck in her mind as well, mysteries she was itching to unravel. Then, there was that itching whisper.


    Power and Want.


    She couldn¡¯t deny that those simple words compelled her. Divorced from the immediate fear of the moment, she was left to dwell on what she had felt down in that moldering prison. She felt a draw to that whispering skeleton, a deeply uncomfortable kinship. Somehow, she was certain that they were similar.


    She couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that he would be sad if she never returned. It was lonely to be a prisoner.


    ¡°I can¡¯t feel anything influencing you, but he might just be better than me,¡± Sixiang answered her unspoken question.


    Ling Qi acknowledged that. Then again, they had known exploring the liminal realm would be dangerous.


    ¡°Nothing ventured, nothing gained,¡± Sixiang agreed.


    ¡°Hey, Big Sis! Are you alright? You¡¯ve been staring off into space since the wagon got moving.¡± Hanyi¡¯s voice brought her out of her thoughts, and Ling Qi cracked her eyes open.


    The young ice spirit, already somewhat dressed up, was sitting across from her in the cluttered and cramped workshop which took up the back of Bao Qian¡¯s wagon. She wore a dark blue gown that contrasted with her pale complexion, a graceful thing that Meizhen had helped her pick out. Her hair had been tied back in several braids and was threaded through with white flowers, which her friend had assured her symbolized the coming of winter.


    All in all, Hanyi looked like quite the little noblewoman, despite the bare feet kicking away and sending the hems of her gown flapping.


    ¡°Just thinking about things.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s cause you went on that weird trip! You should¡¯ve taken me and the dummy with you,¡± Hanyi accused, crossing her arms.


    ¡°Maybe another time,¡± Ling Qi said noncommittally. She didn¡¯t know how well they would handle it.


    Sixiang murmured.


    ¡°Besides, you were busy. Bao Qian has told me how much work you¡¯ve put into this,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°This isn¡¯t just one show. It¡¯s a whole tour.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Hanyi said proudly, either mollified or forgetting her previous annoyance. ¡°There was a whole bunch of work, and even though I didn¡¯t get most of it, there was a bunch of local spirits and stuff about each stop that I had to memorize since I¡¯m doing more than just singing.¡±


    ¡°I trust that you¡¯re well prepared,¡± Ling Qi said, glancing toward the front of the wagon. Whatever else she might say of Bao Qian, he was a dependable sort. Although, coming from the Dream¡­


    Ling Qi found herself eyeing the flows of energy through this wagon, lingering on the entrances and exits. Since her journey with Sixiang, she had found her senses sharpened in an unexpected way. The places between¡ªdoorways, boundary markers, and others¡ªstood out more sharply to her. Training her senses to interact with the realm of Dreams had left her more sensitive to other liminal spaces.


    She wondered what it was that made Bao Qian regard this cluttered wagon as his home over the manors and lands of the Bao.


    ¡°We will be arriving shortly, ladies and spirits. Prepare yourselves!¡± His voice called back to them.


    It wasn¡¯t really her business, Ling Qi thought. She smiled and leaned over to pat Hanyi on the head encouragingly. She was looking forward to her junior sister¡¯s performance.


    ***


    The first stop on the week-long tour was the largest venue.


    Bao Qian had begun by soliciting the barons of the south central valley region, and he had secured agreement from several before his efforts had attracted the attention of Vscount Chao. In this region, so close to the Wall, all but a handful of families were relatively young. This viscounty was no different, and its current owners had only held the title for some two hundred years.


    It was for this reason, Ling Qi suspected, that they were eager enough to try new things. Hanyi would be performing not in the viscounty¡¯s capital though, but rather, its largest agricultural settlement.


    Ling Qi had thought that she understood what farmlands looked like, having seen the rolling tea fields of the Sect and the walled fields and pastures of Tonghou. This was much larger. Empty, harvested fields set for winter stretched in every direction nearly as far as she could perceive. Neat roads cut between fields, and scattered structures gave the feeling of a dozen tiny villages rather than a large town.


    However, between her efforts at gardening and her recent journeys, it was easy to tell that this region was as walled as any town or city. Thick lines of growth marked the border between wilderness and civilization with trees packed so close together that they were a living bulwark, reinforced with formation arrays old enough to have become part of the living qi network of the trees themselves.


    The venue itself was near the center of the widely spread settlement, a grand pagoda with a green tile roof and walls of living wood. Like everything else here, the pagoda sprawled, taking up an entire hill with its structure and grounds.


    ¡°Quite a pretty structure, is it not?¡± Bao Qian commented casually as they walked up the winding ramp which led into the temple. Hanyi had left them, hurried away by attendants and junior priests to prepare for the show.


    ¡°It is.¡± Ling Qi looked over the scrollwork on the handrails of the ramp and the glimmering garden that lay beyond. The air was filled by the faint music of a small river which wound around the hill and watered the fields beyond. ¡°What did you say it was called again?¡±


    ¡°The Springmist Temple,¡± Bao Qian replied. ¡°It¡¯s the second largest temple in the south central valley, and it looks after the yearly flooding and the fertility of the valley.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure this is appropriate for Hanyi then?¡± Ling Qi asked, not wanting to fret but being unable to quiet her worry.


    ¡°I have been assured that it is. Winters have been growing harsher, but the priests have not yet been able to pin down a spirit to propitiate for this. I have exchanged numerous letters with the head priestess of the temple and Viscount Chao to confirm the details.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± She was being ridiculous.


    As they passed through the entrance of the temple, her nose filled with the smoky scent of burning incense and fragrant wood smoke. Inside the temple, she saw people gathered. Lay worshippers would be outside for the procession that would follow so these must be the gathered nobles of the region, here to oversee and view the rituals and the performance that was part of it.


    Bao Qian¡¯s voice tickled her ear, though he had not leaned closer nor had his lips moved. Indeed, he was smiling pleasantly at those who had looked up to see them. ¡°There are two main groups here. There are the nobles whose agricultural lands line the main road which currently ends in the ruins of Black Lotus Pass, and the others are nobles whose lands are further into the hills and produce the valley¡¯s metals and finished goods


    Ling Qi shot him a look out of the corner of her eye even as she bowed in greeting to the gathered nobles, and he looked back impassively. Well, it wasn¡¯t as if she didn¡¯t know the secondary purposes of these gatherings. Cai Renxiang and she had embarked on quite a difficult project, and they wouldn¡¯t be able to do it alone. The Wang and the Sect would support them militarily, but protecting their land, once appointed, was only the first step. To thrive, it had to be made prosperous. They couldn¡¯t expect to be directly supported by the committal clan of the area, the Diao, at least not at first.


    ¡°If I wanted to speak to someone about the old road, where should I direct my attention?¡± Ling Qi asked under her breath.


    It wasn¡¯t a completely vital route. Most of those went through the Wang lands in the foothills and outer mountains, but this pass at the extremis of the Diao¡¯s southern holdings did still have value, opening access to these valleys, the river, and potentially, the Meng to the West. Besides that, from her admittedly limited understanding of such things, it was good to keep many routes so that any one becoming blocked wasn¡¯t catastrophic to any trade they could develop. Having multiple escape routes and fences was always better than only having one.


    ¡°A good starting point would be Baron Suo,¡± Bao Qian answered. She followed his gaze to a middle-aged man standing with a small group of other nobles by the refreshments table. He had dark brown hair speckled with gray and a round, friendly-seeming face. ¡°Their land abuts the old road, and they are well liked by their neighbors. His father recently took up the role of patriarch so he is a newer clan head as well. He seems like a man open to innovation in my opinion.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Bao Qian,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I will see when the performance starts.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Good hunting, Ling Qi.¡±


    They split up, Ling Qi heading toward Baron Suo and Bao Qian moving off toward another gaggle of nobles.

 Chapter Threads 197-Concert 1

    Threads 197-Concert 1


    ¡°Baroness Ling.¡± Her target, Baron Suo, turned to her as she approached. Her initial impression held; he had a genial sort of air. His robes were well embroidered but not gaudy, and his unexpressed domain had a placid feel. He was of the seventh stage of the green realm. If she assumed his father, the patriarch, was fourth realm, it seemed that the Suo family were quite stable for a baronial clan. ¡°It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡±


    ¡°I am likewise honored that the idea for my junior sister¡¯s tour has been so well received. Thank you all very much for attending,¡± Ling Qi said politely, offering a bow slightly lower than was strictly necessary.


    She listened with half an ear as the others introduced themselves, trusting Sixiang to help her match faces to names where necessary. The others in this circle were not titled themselves. They were children, siblings, and cousins to those who were. She traded pleasantries with them for a time.


    ¡°It is an interesting endeavor you¡¯ve set out to organizing here,¡± Baron Suo commented. ¡°Spirits have been imported into the valley before, but it is typically a more gradual process.¡±


    ¡°My junior sister enjoys her performances, but she is still a spirit. It is my hope that she may have some positive effect beyond enjoyment of her music,¡± Ling Qi replied.


    ¡°Fine music is a reward all its own,¡± Baron Suo said. ¡°It is a sign of prosperous times that there is room for such events.¡±


    Ling Qi listened carefully to the words of agreement and watched the expressions of the other nobles. She could respect that kind of attitude, she thought. ¡°Well said, Baron Suo. To see that prosperity continue to grow and put down threats to it is my lady¡¯s fondest dream.¡±


    ¡°Young Lady Cai¡¯s ambition is most admirable,¡± one of the lesser nobles murmured.


    ¡°If only my own daughter could show even half of that drive and initiative,¡± an older woman sighed.


    ¡°I do hope she maintains her health. To take up such heavy responsibilities at this age¡­¡±


    She allowed the tide of well wishes and compliments to wash over her, keeping a smile in place.


    ¡°Your words and concerns are too kind,¡± Ling Qi said. Sixiang¡¯s whispers told her that not all were genuine. Although they would never voice it, a pair of teenagers being given such responsibilities was considered of dubious value. She marked out the faces that spoke of emotions darker than wariness or condescension. ¡°Lady Cai and I will work diligently to exceed your expectations.¡±


    ¡°I am sure you will. Lady Ling has already gained some reputation for unorthodox solutions,¡± Baron Suo said cheerfully. He gestured to the temple around with the cup in his hand. ¡°After all, here we stand.¡±


    ¡°It is important to keep in mind alternative solutions, even if it is sometimes best to stick with what already works,¡± Ling Qi said diplomatically.


    ¡°Wise,¡± said the baron, a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. She thought he was being genuine, but neither she nor Sixiang could be fully sure of her read on him.


    ¡°Regarding solutions that have worked in the past, is it not a shame that the old lotus trade road has declined so?¡± Ling Qi ventured.


    ¡°Ah, that old thing,¡± Baron Suo said. ¡°It is a shame that goods no longer flow from Black Lotus Mountain. Neither the Wang clan nor the Diao clan have been enthusiastic about exorcising the old Li lands. I cannot blame them.¡±


    Ling Qi listened as others voiced similar words, bemoaning the loss of medicinal products which had once made the road a rich one, and complained of the rising cost of maintenance on mostly unused spans. The thrust of her question wasn¡¯t missed, but again, she sensed a certain condescension as if she were a child proposing a plan that seemed obvious but wasn¡¯t possible.


    ¡°Is it truly so dangerous that it cannot be resolved?¡± Ling Qi inquired. She couldn¡¯t change that impression without more successes to her name, but she could play off of it to learn more of the situation.


    ¡°It¡¯s not unresolvable like that patch of the western fens,¡± one noble murmured.


    ¡°I am sure any of the great houses could do so, let alone Her Grace.¡±


    ¡°Expensive. Terribly expensive. Exorcists of that caliber are not cheap, even ignoring the troops needed to hold the ruins whilst they work.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but who would claim the ownership after? A sticky situation.¡±


    ¡°It is not only a matter of danger, Baroness,¡± Baron Suo interjected, making the others fall silent. ¡°In the chaos of Ogodei and the disposal of the Hui tyrants, many claims of land became confused. The southern pass is among them, and both the Diao and Wang have significant claims.¡±


    ¡°It is unfortunate that such matters would block such an important road from opening,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I hope that this matter can be resolved in the near future.¡±


    ¡°From your lips to Her Grace¡¯s ears,¡± Baron Suo said beatifically.


    Ling Qi shook her head. ¡°Oh no, you overestimate me, Baron Suo.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, but you have surprised others before, Baroness,¡± the older man said, dipping his head with a bit of respect. ¡°I know that I would be most eager to repair the roads and bridges in my land if it ever became so.¡±


    ¡°That is good to hear,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°If¡ª¡±


    ¡°Lady Ling.¡± Her words were cut off by the approach of a servant whose head was deeply bowed by the time she had turned her head to look at the woman. ¡°There is a matter in the preparation room which requires your attention.¡±


    Ling Qi pursed her lips but didn¡¯t direct any of her irritation at the servant. ¡°I apologize, Baron Suo. Please excuse me.¡±


    ¡°Of course. It has been pleasant speaking with you,¡± the Baron said, and similar murmurs echoed him.


    At least she had made a positive impression, Ling Qi thought, following the serving woman who bustled along to stay ahead of her stride. Being thought of as a well meaning, precocious child wasn¡¯t the worst.


    Sixiang snickered in her mind.


    Maybe. She would have to speak with Cai Renxiang for access to actually useful records on who owned what, and she was intending to speak with the Wang clan at the tournament. She could ask for their thoughts on the matter at that time.


    Sixiang asked as they passed from the temple''s great hall to a side passage. She could feel Hanyi¡¯s qi, along with a few other people¡¯s, at the end.


    That would be rude, Ling Qi thought. She was a guest not an infiltrator, and it wasn¡¯t like whatever problem was occurring was due to a physical threat. However, now that they were out of easy hearing of the guests, she could screen her conversation with a bit of effort.


    ¡°What is the nature of the problem?¡± Ling Qi asked brusquely.


    ¡°There seems to be a disagreement between High Priestess Chao Yanlin and your junior sister, Baroness,¡± the servant said meekly, keeping her eyes ahead and her head down.


    Ling Qi focused on what she could feel from past the door. ¡°Has Sir Bao been informed?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Would you like him to be called for, Lady Ling?¡± the woman asked as they approached the door.


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Ling Qi said after a moment. It was better that one of them remained out with the guests. ¡°You may go. I can send him a message myself if need be.¡±


    As the woman hurried away, Ling Qi turned the handle of the preparation room''s doors. Beyond the door, she found a room filled with shimmering mist. It appeared almost like a natural grove within the building centered around a burbling spring of clear, pure water. The spring filled a depression of pebbled stone carved to appear natural, and several slender trees sprouted up around it, their leafy boughs damp with dew.


    In the room, she found Hanyi standing with her hands on her hips, glaring across the spring at a taller woman.


    It struck her then that the woman, Chao Yanlin, was probably a daughter of the region''s viscountial clan. She was of middling height, a head shorter than Ling Qi herself, and wore an elaborate green gown and what Ling Qi at first took to be a blue mantle, but which turned out to be glittering liquid. Her hair was tied up in elaborate jingling ornaments, framing a doll-like face currently scrunched up in suspicion.


    ¡°Baroness Ling,¡± she greeted Ling Qi in a clipped but still polite tone. ¡°Thank you for your prompt arrival.¡±


    ¡°You are welcome,¡± Ling Qi said warily, letting the door drift shut behind her. The qi in the room was refreshing and pure, but the atmosphere was less so. She saw several servants and lesser clergy scattered around the perimeter of the room, looking as if they were trying to avoid attention. ¡°What seems to be the issue?¡±


    ¡°This lady is trying to tell me that I have to change my performance just cause some streams will get whiny if I don¡¯t,¡± Hanyi complained, glaring harder.


    The priestess¡¯ frown deepened. ¡°I have attempted to inform your spirit that the routine which she has presented to me is not what we agreed to in this cooperation. I will not have my charge¡¯s fields flooded because the pride of the spirit of the Seven Hills Stream has been trampled upon.¡±


    ¡°And I told you I followed all the directions in your letters. If you left something out, that¡¯s not my fault!¡± Hanyi said, stamping her foot.


    Ling Qi stepped forward, seeing the signs of a more petulant outburst in Hanyi¡¯s demeanor, and laid a hand on her shoulder. ¡°It seems that there has been some miscommunication between us, for which I apologize.¡±


    ¡°I cannot help but wonder at your motives, Baroness. Your bound spirit has been crass and disrespectful from the start,¡± the priestess accused.


    ¡°You started being a jerk the second you walked in,¡± Hanyi muttered under her breath. Ling Qi scattered the sound on her wind, but frowned herself.


    Sixiang thought.


    ¡°Hanyi, was there really no mention of this Seven Hills Stream in your communication?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°No, there were nine spirits in the directions they sent me,¡± Hanyi protested.


    ¡°I am doubtful that my people would make such a grievous error. There are ten spirits which must be seen to for the winter festivals,¡± Priestess Chao replied.


    Something was fishy here. ¡°Is it possible to just alter the choreography to fix this?¡±


    ¡°Even I can¡¯t memorize a whole new section in a couple minutes. I¡¯d probably mess it up and just make things worse,¡± Hanyi grumbled.


    Ling Qi bit her lip. If it was only a short section, then she could handle that part, but this was Hanyi¡¯s tour. Her involvement would turn it, in the eyes of the Emerald Seas, from Hanyi¡¯s into hers with Hanyi just being a supporting assistant.


    ¡°I cannot stop this from going forward if you choose to do so,¡± the priestess said stonily. ¡°It is too late to stop the ritual festivities. There will be consequences.¡±


    ¡°I am sure there will be,¡± Ling Qi said unhappily. ¡°And I think I will want to see the correspondence between the two of you later.¡±


    ¡°Agreeable, but what do you intend to do now?¡± asked the older woman.


    ¡°Seeing that you and the other temple staff are needed here, the only reasonable thing to do is to deal with the spirit in question myself.¡±

 Chapter Threads 197-Rite 1

    Threads 197-Rite 1


    ¡°Baroness Ling.¡± Her target, Baron Suo, turned to her as she approached. Her initial impression held; he had a genial sort of air. His robes were well embroidered but not gaudy, and his unexpressed domain had a placid feel. He was of the seventh stage of the green realm. If she assumed his father, the patriarch, was fourth realm, it seemed that the Suo family were quite stable for a baronial clan. ¡°It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡±


    ¡°I am likewise honored that the idea for my junior sister¡¯s tour has been so well received. Thank you all very much for attending,¡± Ling Qi said politely, offering a bow slightly lower than was strictly necessary.


    She listened with half an ear as the others introduced themselves, trusting Sixiang to help her match faces to names where necessary. The others in this circle were not titled themselves. They were children, siblings, and cousins to those who were. She traded pleasantries with them for a time.


    ¡°It is an interesting endeavor you¡¯ve set out to organizing here,¡± Baron Suo commented. ¡°Spirits have been imported into the valley before, but it is typically a more gradual process.¡±


    ¡°My junior sister enjoys her performances, but she is still a spirit. It is my hope that she may have some positive effect beyond enjoyment of her music,¡± Ling Qi replied.


    ¡°Fine music is a reward all its own,¡± Baron Suo said. ¡°It is a sign of prosperous times that there is room for such events.¡±


    Ling Qi listened carefully to the words of agreement and watched the expressions of the other nobles. She could respect that kind of attitude, she thought. ¡°Well said, Baron Suo. To see that prosperity continue to grow and put down threats to it is my lady¡¯s fondest dream.¡±


    ¡°Young Lady Cai¡¯s ambition is most admirable,¡± one of the lesser nobles murmured.


    ¡°If only my own daughter could show even half of that drive and initiative,¡± an older woman sighed.


    ¡°I do hope she maintains her health. To take up such heavy responsibilities at this age¡­¡±


    She allowed the tide of well wishes and compliments to wash over her, keeping a smile in place.


    ¡°Your words and concerns are too kind,¡± Ling Qi said. Sixiang¡¯s whispers told her that not all were genuine. Although they would never voice it, a pair of teenagers being given such responsibilities was considered of dubious value. She marked out the faces that spoke of emotions darker than wariness or condescension. ¡°Lady Cai and I will work diligently to exceed your expectations.¡±


    ¡°I am sure you will. Lady Ling has already gained some reputation for unorthodox solutions,¡± Baron Suo said cheerfully. He gestured to the temple around with the cup in his hand. ¡°After all, here we stand.¡±


    ¡°It is important to keep in mind alternative solutions, even if it is sometimes best to stick with what already works,¡± Ling Qi said diplomatically.


    ¡°Wise,¡± said the baron, a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. She thought he was being genuine, but neither she nor Sixiang could be fully sure of her read on him.


    ¡°Regarding solutions that have worked in the past, is it not a shame that the old lotus trade road has declined so?¡± Ling Qi ventured.


    ¡°Ah, that old thing,¡± Baron Suo said. ¡°It is a shame that goods no longer flow from Black Lotus Mountain. Neither the Wang clan nor the Diao clan have been enthusiastic about exorcising the old Li lands. I cannot blame them.¡±


    Ling Qi listened as others voiced similar words, bemoaning the loss of medicinal products which had once made the road a rich one, and complained of the rising cost of maintenance on mostly unused spans. The thrust of her question wasn¡¯t missed, but again, she sensed a certain condescension as if she were a child proposing a plan that seemed obvious but wasn¡¯t possible.


    ¡°Is it truly so dangerous that it cannot be resolved?¡± Ling Qi inquired. She couldn¡¯t change that impression without more successes to her name, but she could play off of it to learn more of the situation.


    ¡°It¡¯s not unresolvable like that patch of the western fens,¡± one noble murmured.


    ¡°I am sure any of the great houses could do so, let alone Her Grace.¡±


    ¡°Expensive. Terribly expensive. Exorcists of that caliber are not cheap, even ignoring the troops needed to hold the ruins whilst they work.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but who would claim the ownership after? A sticky situation.¡±


    ¡°It is not only a matter of danger, Baroness,¡± Baron Suo interjected, making the others fall silent. ¡°In the chaos of Ogodei and the disposal of the Hui tyrants, many claims of land became confused. The southern pass is among them, and both the Diao and Wang have significant claims.¡±


    ¡°It is unfortunate that such matters would block such an important road from opening,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I hope that this matter can be resolved in the near future.¡±


    ¡°From your lips to Her Grace¡¯s ears,¡± Baron Suo said beatifically.


    Ling Qi shook her head. ¡°Oh no, you overestimate me, Baron Suo.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, but you have surprised others before, Baroness,¡± the older man said, dipping his head with a bit of respect. ¡°I know that I would be most eager to repair the roads and bridges in my land if it ever became so.¡±


    ¡°That is good to hear,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°If¡ª¡±


    ¡°Lady Ling.¡± Her words were cut off by the approach of a servant whose head was deeply bowed by the time she had turned her head to look at the woman. ¡°There is a matter in the preparation room which requires your attention.¡±


    Ling Qi pursed her lips but didn¡¯t direct any of her irritation at the servant. ¡°I apologize, Baron Suo. Please excuse me.¡±


    ¡°Of course. It has been pleasant speaking with you,¡± the Baron said, and similar murmurs echoed him.


    At least she had made a positive impression, Ling Qi thought, following the serving woman who bustled along to stay ahead of her stride. Being thought of as a well meaning, precocious child wasn¡¯t the worst.


    Sixiang snickered in her mind.


    Maybe. She would have to speak with Cai Renxiang for access to actually useful records on who owned what, and she was intending to speak with the Wang clan at the tournament. She could ask for their thoughts on the matter at that time.


    Sixiang asked as they passed from the temple''s great hall to a side passage. She could feel Hanyi¡¯s qi, along with a few other people¡¯s, at the end.


    That would be rude, Ling Qi thought. She was a guest not an infiltrator, and it wasn¡¯t like whatever problem was occurring was due to a physical threat. However, now that they were out of easy hearing of the guests, she could screen her conversation with a bit of effort.


    ¡°What is the nature of the problem?¡± Ling Qi asked brusquely.


    ¡°There seems to be a disagreement between High Priestess Chao Yanlin and your junior sister, Baroness,¡± the servant said meekly, keeping her eyes ahead and her head down.


    Ling Qi focused on what she could feel from past the door. ¡°Has Sir Bao been informed?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Would you like him to be called for, Lady Ling?¡± the woman asked as they approached the door.


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Ling Qi said after a moment. It was better that one of them remained out with the guests. ¡°You may go. I can send him a message myself if need be.¡±


    As the woman hurried away, Ling Qi turned the handle of the preparation room''s doors. Beyond the door, she found a room filled with shimmering mist. It appeared almost like a natural grove within the building centered around a burbling spring of clear, pure water. The spring filled a depression of pebbled stone carved to appear natural, and several slender trees sprouted up around it, their leafy boughs damp with dew.


    In the room, she found Hanyi standing with her hands on her hips, glaring across the spring at a taller woman.


    It struck her then that the woman, Chao Yanlin, was probably a daughter of the region''s viscountial clan. She was of middling height, a head shorter than Ling Qi herself, and wore an elaborate green gown and what Ling Qi at first took to be a blue mantle, but which turned out to be glittering liquid. Her hair was tied up in elaborate jingling ornaments, framing a doll-like face currently scrunched up in suspicion.


    ¡°Baroness Ling,¡± she greeted Ling Qi in a clipped but still polite tone. ¡°Thank you for your prompt arrival.¡±


    ¡°You are welcome,¡± Ling Qi said warily, letting the door drift shut behind her. The qi in the room was refreshing and pure, but the atmosphere was less so. She saw several servants and lesser clergy scattered around the perimeter of the room, looking as if they were trying to avoid attention. ¡°What seems to be the issue?¡±


    ¡°This lady is trying to tell me that I have to change my performance just cause some streams will get whiny if I don¡¯t,¡± Hanyi complained, glaring harder.


    The priestess¡¯ frown deepened. ¡°I have attempted to inform your spirit that the routine which she has presented to me is not what we agreed to in this cooperation. I will not have my charge¡¯s fields flooded because the pride of the spirit of the Seven Hills Stream has been trampled upon.¡±


    ¡°And I told you I followed all the directions in your letters. If you left something out, that¡¯s not my fault!¡± Hanyi said, stamping her foot.


    Ling Qi stepped forward, seeing the signs of a more petulant outburst in Hanyi¡¯s demeanor, and laid a hand on her shoulder. ¡°It seems that there has been some miscommunication between us, for which I apologize.¡±


    ¡°I cannot help but wonder at your motives, Baroness. Your bound spirit has been crass and disrespectful from the start,¡± the priestess accused.


    ¡°You started being a jerk the second you walked in,¡± Hanyi muttered under her breath. Ling Qi scattered the sound on her wind, but frowned herself.


    Sixiang thought.


    ¡°Hanyi, was there really no mention of this Seven Hills Stream in your communication?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°No, there were nine spirits in the directions they sent me,¡± Hanyi protested.


    ¡°I am doubtful that my people would make such a grievous error. There are ten spirits which must be seen to for the winter festivals,¡± Priestess Chao replied.


    Something was fishy here. ¡°Is it possible to just alter the choreography to fix this?¡±


    ¡°Even I can¡¯t memorize a whole new section in a couple minutes. I¡¯d probably mess it up and just make things worse,¡± Hanyi grumbled.


    Ling Qi bit her lip. If it was only a short section, then she could handle that part, but this was Hanyi¡¯s tour. Her involvement would turn it, in the eyes of the Emerald Seas, from Hanyi¡¯s into hers with Hanyi just being a supporting assistant.


    ¡°I cannot stop this from going forward if you choose to do so,¡± the priestess said stonily. ¡°It is too late to stop the ritual festivities. There will be consequences.¡±


    ¡°I am sure there will be,¡± Ling Qi said unhappily. ¡°And I think I will want to see the correspondence between the two of you later.¡±


    ¡°Agreeable, but what do you intend to do now?¡± asked the older woman.


    ¡°Seeing that you and the other temple staff are needed here, the only reasonable thing to do is to deal with the spirit in question myself.¡±

 Chapter Threads 198 Rite 2

    Threads 198 Rite 2


    Chao Yanlin stared at her, and Ling Qi squared her shoulders, meeting the older woman¡¯s gaze. Finally, the priestess said, ¡°You cannot be serious. I have heard of your expertise. Surely, you could simply take up the missing part?¡±


    ¡°I am very serious,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°While I do not have your support, Priestess, I have experience wrangling upset spirits. I am certain the Seven Hills Stream can be brought to an amicable agreement in overlooking this error. I will not risk my junior sister''s success in integrating myself into something so complex on such short notice.¡±


    ¡°The management of a spiritual ecosystem is not something which can simply be¡­ done on the fly!¡± Chao Yanlin exclaimed incredulously. ¡°Spirits are not merchants which you simply haggle with to arrive at a new agreement. Even this performance is an unnaturally swift change. Now, you wish to disrupt things even further? Even if you succeed, it will disrupt all other agreements!¡±


    ¡°Spirits are more malleable than you imply. Regardless, this is the only way I see for the festivities to go off without disruption,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°What can you tell me of the Seven Hills Stream?¡±


    Hanyi smirked smugly behind her, and the priestess looked up at her with much more intense dislike. ¡°Arrogant girl. Why should I have expected otherwise? It is not your people who will suffer for this.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked at the unmasked and blunt hostility of her words. ¡°High Priestess, I have no intention of causing difficulty for the people of the valley.¡±


    Chao Yanlin¡¯s frown smoothed away, leaving her expression studiously blank. When she spoke, her words were short and clipped. ¡°The Seven Hills Stream is wide and shallow. It runs down from the high peaks and weaves between the seven eastern hills. He is patron to prospectors, who he gifts signs of lodes and veins in his sparkling waters. He is as vain as any of his siblings, but suspicious of flattery. Praise him sparingly. Do not speak his name last in any sentence which refers to more than one spirit. He loves the things which mortals make from his spoils, but despises disorder.¡±


    Ling Qi pursed her lips as the woman turned to go, and she offered a stiff bow. ¡°Thank you, High Priestess.¡±


    The woman gave her a dark look over her shoulder. ¡°I am only doing this to begin with because my uncle wishes to play for the favor of the Bao. Know that regardless of his wishes, I am reporting your interference to the Ministry of Spiritual Affairs. If you wish to play at our duties, then you may suffer our responsibilities as well.¡±


    Then she was gone, bustling off, surrounded by attendants.


    Ling Qi felt a small tug on her sleeve and looked down to see Hanyi looking up at her with a crestfallen expression. ¡°Thanks, Big Sis. I¡¯m sorry I messed up.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t mess up. Someone is messing with us,¡± Ling Qi said darkly. Her first instinct to accuse the priestess felt off. ¡°Just perform well, okay? Big Sis will take care of the background stuff.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Hanyi said, setting her expression in determination.


    ¡°Um, Baroness¡­¡± The meek voice of an initiate drew her attention away. ¡°Would you like me to show you the way?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to,¡± Ling Qi replied flatly. She was going to get to the bottom of this. To Sixiang, she thought,


    Sixiang replied.


    She strode away from the initiate, passing through a door and out onto a balcony overlooking the eastern part of the valley. With the name and the knowledge of the spirit''s nature and a passing understanding of the geography she had passed through on the way here, it would not be difficult to find.


    I don¡¯t need to go there physically, I suppose,¡± Ling Qi murmured.


    ¡°I alerted Bao boy,¡± Sixiang said. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going on a little jaunt,¡± Ling Qi said. She slid a foot forward, feeling at the fabric of the waking world, and stepped through the balcony.


    She emerged in a clear blue sky without end filled with countless drifting leaves. Some were tiny, normal curls of autumn color. Others were tremendous leaves the size of ships'' sails and every size in between. As she immediately began to fall, Ling Qi felt her foot alight on a palm-sized leaf, spinning soundlessly in the sky. It made a crinkling sound as she pushed off of it, jumping to a leaf nearby, and then another and another.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re getting into this quickly, but I gotta ask why.¡± Sixiang asked. When next her foot fell on empty air, it rippled like the surface of a multihued lake and her next leap carried her much further.


    ¡°Two reasons,¡± Ling Qi replied, catching the edge of a drifting red leaf and using it to swing forward, sending the giant thing spinning. At its core, she saw the stylized ink paintings of people moving through their lives, preparing for the winter. ¡°If I travel physically, I will need to explain myself to more people.¡±


    ¡°And the other?¡± Sixiang¡¯s voice asked her, coinciding with a gust of wind that carried her across a wide gap in the falling leaves.


    ¡°Less people know that I can do this,¡± Ling Qi said bluntly.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯d make sense,¡± Sixiang said. They materialized ahead of her, perched on a boat-sized leaf spinning lazily in place, hovering on unseen currents.


    The muse reached out, and Linq Qi caught their hand, landing on the leaf to peer at her surroundings. She closed her eyes, letting the words of the spirit''s name resonate in her head, not merely the syllables of the imperial tongue that made it up, but the faint resonance they left in the world.


    Her senses resolved the feeling as the gurgle of water flowing over stones. Ling Qi turned toward the ¡°sound¡± and leapt again, dashing through the endless autumn sky. Soon, from the way she came, she began to feel ripples of power, the soft strains of a song, and a cold breeze. Hanyi¡¯s show was beginning.


    Ling Qi picked up her pace until at last, solid shapes resolved in the distance. High misty peaks and sheer cliffs, verdant and green below and capped with white above, appeared. The sound of crashing water emanated out from a wide stream that fell gracefully from the higher cliffs to splash down into a wide pool before flowing further down. Here in the dream, there was no bottom, and Ling Qi suspected that should she climb, she would never reach the peak either.


    Grasping the points of a falling leaf, Ling Qi drifted down on the breeze to land on a great mossy boulder which sat by the edge of the pooling water. Ling Qi breathed in the mist-filled air and the scent of earth and greenery as she stepped up to the edge of the waters. Opening her eyes, she studied the mist and the way it curled, her eyes tracing the infinitesimally small fractal patterns which shaped it.


    She gazed down into her reflection in the water and watched as it stared back and cocked its head. Water rippled, and the patterns rearranged themselves.


    Ling Qi thought to Sixiang as her reflection rose from the water. Composed of clear spring water flecked with a thousand touches of gold and silver that refracted the light, it observed her with luminous blue eyes.


    By now, she could feel the ripples of the ritual more clearly and hear the echoing snippets of Hanyi¡¯s song. The cold wind was growing. As she observed the spirit, the first flakes of snow began to fall.


    ¡°Honored One, Resplendent Stream of the Seven Hills, I greet you,¡± Ling Qi said formally. She brought her hands together with a clap and bowed at the waist.


    ¡°Whence and wherefore comes Headwater¡¯s Maiden on the day of play? Does it wish to dance under moon and sky? Does it come with glittering toys of cleverness?¡± The spirit¡¯s burbling voice was difficult to understand. It echoed weirdly, rising not from the reflected avatar, but from the water and mist and stones, a hundred echoes speaking over one another. Its words were confused, seemingly unused to speaking human tongues. ¡°Go and come again. Mine festivities arrive, and I would drink.¡±


    ¡°Honored Seven Hills Stream, I have regretful news,¡± Ling Qi said, paring down her flattering phrasing. ¡°The singer of winter winds and the little folk were deceived terribly, and your rightful praises will not come today.¡±


    The mist and water grew still, and the watery avatar''s luminous eyes flared, a point of darkness appearing as pupils at their center grew into pools. Ling Qi bit her lip as the ground trembled and the thunder of the waters grew louder.


    ¡°But,¡± she continued loudly, letting loose her grip on her own power. The mist around her darkened and cooled, snow falling in a growing circle as she stared down the spirit. ¡°I am here. I will make amends for this error, Spirit of Falling Waters.¡±


    ¡°You come from the high peaks, as the Encroachment¡¯s winds that freeze our waters,¡± the spirit rumbled. ¡°You are not they. Pacts must be fulfilled by their makers. Overstep? Does the Maiden of Night Skies think she a tyrant?¡±


    Ling Qi let her aura settle down, the circle of snowfall no longer expanding. While showing her power was necessary, force and intimidation were not useful tools here. Power brought with it respect, enough to be heard, but she could not simply be a blunt instrument. ¡°I do not seek to rule you, O river,¡± she said. ¡°I wish to speak as a peer to a peer. These are not my lands, but the deception which wounds you was a sling aimed for my heart. Does this not grant me the standing to speak on the matter?¡±


    The watery avatar¡¯s head shifted from side to side, and it stepped forward into the circle of her power. Thin skins of ice formed and melted, creating a rustling crackling sound as the face that mirrored her own was pressed close. ¡°Harm, harms, words spoken many of outside harm, of the Sky Children who burn with Father¡¯s lightning, and of wars and wars. You are the cold of high vales and white peaks, not the salt and earth of valley and stream.¡±


    ¡°The lord of this land has granted me leave to speak,¡± Ling Qi replied, a slight twist on the truth. By Chao Yanlin¡¯s word, she had been given latitude for this event, though she doubted Lord Chao had meant it to go so far. ¡°Again, as thy peer, I ask that you speak to me regarding the injury done to you by my foeman.¡±


    Her own words felt weird and archaic, but they just came out that way as she spoke with the river spirit¡¯s face barely a centimeter from her own. She did not flinch as a glittering tongue of silver water snaked past its parted lips, tracing her features. She did, however, prepare her defenses in case it was more than mere perception.


    ¡°Your sound tastes true,¡± the spirit said grudgingly, drawing back. ¡°What then do you bring to salve this wound?¡±


    Ling Qi breathed in. Her foot was in the door here, but she had to be careful. She couldn¡¯t offer anything that the spirit would take as repeatable. It needed to be a single thing because she could not promise something that would require her to come back here again and again. A sacrifice then, or a service.


    Ling Qi knew instinctively that an offering of something trivial would not be enough. Here, ensconced in the river spirit''s power, she could feel along the channels that defined him. With the High Priestess¡¯ words in her mind, the pulsing lines of earth and metal made that clear. He loved mortal craft, but it was for the effort which went into its make and the value of the craftsman¡¯s effort. A trinket she had no part in the making wouldn¡¯t do.


    No, it would have to be an item of power, and she had few enough of those and none she wished to give up. She considered offering her effort to perform a task, but so many responsibilities¡ªthe diplomatic summit, the war, establishing herself and her family¡¯s name¡ªloomed ahead. She didn¡¯t have the time.


    All that remained was to offer some of her own power, the energy she had cultivated to empower herself, and something in her balked at that. To surrender even a sliver of her hard earned power made the darkness in her veins twist and pulse.


    But it was the right choice. If she satisfied the spirit, Hanyi would be able to continue her performances and grow her reputation. Ling Qi could look at the region''s nobles and smile, saying that there was no problem not easily resolved.


    Cultivation was key. Without it, she was nothing in the eyes of the Empire, but it was not the only power. It wasn¡¯t enough on its own, not unless she wished to live alone.


    ¡°Spirit of misty hills and cold waters, for your forbearance, I offer you a gift of my power, as the melting snows feed your headwaters,¡± Ling Qi said stiffly. Her words echoed with deeper meaning, a defining of the amount offered for which the human tongue had no sufficient words. ¡°A gift, once and done, not to be repeated. And with this gift, I offer the bonus of knowledge that I will seek the one which inflicted this embarrassment upon the both of us.¡±


    Even if it was the reasonable thing to do, that did not cool the coal of anger burning in her chest. She had not been prepared for unseen enemies to interfere already. Not in something as separated as her junior sister''s performances.


    The inky black pupils at the center of the river spirit¡¯s luminous eyes expanded and contracted unsettlingly as the river spirit stared her down. Ling Qi did not allow herself to blink or shift her posture. Confidence was key, whether dealing with humans or spirits. She was not here as a supplicant or tyrant, but as a peer.


    ¡°Vengeance promised in darkness of old winter satisfies. Waters run cold and shallow with freezing. A slaking of thirst Seven Hills Stream does accept from nameless scion of mists.¡± The river spirit¡¯s garbled voice echoed in the mist. There was still a note of dissatisfaction in his voice, but she could sense that the river¡¯s temper was cooled for now. No surge of power flowed through his channels which would bring flood and ruin.


    Ling Qi let out a breath she had forgotten she was holding and reached out a hand. The river¡¯s avatar rippled, and a sparkling tendril of water shot out, curling about her wrist. Pain shot through her arm like hungry teeth digging into her flesh, and a surge of numbness followed as qi flowed out like draining blood. Ling Qi grit her teeth and held her pose, pulling back on her qi to control the flow.


    Ling Qi could not say how long the transaction took in the realm of dreams, but she felt the moment that she had fulfilled her bargain, and she flared her qi, pulling back against the spirit¡¯s thirst. Ice crackled across the surface of the river spirit¡¯s avatar.


    She held its gaze before the watery tendril slid away.

 Chapter Threads 199-Rite 3

    Threads 199-Rite 3


    Ling Qi and the spirit stood there for a moment as the faint strains of music echoed through the dream. She gave a terse nod. The spirit¡¯s liquid avatar spasmed in a way resembling a bow. With a flex of her legs, Ling Qi shot back into the sky, catching a current of wind to drift her way toward a spinning leaf as they fell from the hills and cliffs of Seven Stream¡¯s domain.


    Sixiang materialized behind her, a hand on her shoulder. ¡°You did good there. That was probably the least messy way it could have gone.¡±


    Ling Qi breathed out, balancing atop the drifting red leaf. ¡°A few weeks, maybe a month,¡± she said tersely.


    Sixiang grimaced. ¡°That¡¯s what you gave up, huh?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not much,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Not when I have so much time ahead of me. Keeping up my reputation so Renxiang and I¡¯s project succeeds is much more valuable. Hanyi¡¯s performances are probably going to be more important than I thought.¡±


    ¡°The temple priests are gonna give you trouble on that. The fact you succeeded is just gonna prick their pride more, even leaving aside other stuff,¡± Sixiang noted.


    ¡°Some will, but I¡¯m not going to assume how many people will be. If the ones who don¡¯t like me are holding all the tiles, then I just have to find the right friends to give a boost to.¡± Ling Qi wasn¡¯t quite as confident as she portrayed, but she hadn¡¯t chosen an easy path. That was just how it was.


    ¡°Hm, I won¡¯t say I mind you being more aggressive.¡± Sixiang leaned on her shoulder.


    Ling Qi let out a huff of laughter. ¡°Let¡¯s get back and see if I can catch the end of the show.¡±


    ***?


    They weren¡¯t able to catch more than the final procession through the temple gardens in the end. She supposed the transfer of power must have taken longer than she had subjectively perceived. At least she had been able to slip in among the crowd to add her applause to the end as Hanyi took her bows. It seemed as far as the audience had been concerned, it was a splendid festival performance.


    She spent some time among them, mingling with her fellow nobles. After her negotiation with the river spirit, it was almost relaxing to field questions about the ¡°unique twists¡± to the ritual and deflect with a smile and some words about changing conditions.


    There was some legitimate unease, but between her confidence and the silence of the clergy, it was no more than that. It seemed that whatever their opinion on her, the priests had no interest in showing weakness either. Eventually, as the guests were called to the holiday feast set for after the ritual, Ling Qi was able to make her way back into the staging area and meet Bao Qian again.


    ¡°Of course I knew that there were ten rivers,¡± Bao Qian said, seeming a bit offended at her question. ¡°I was assured in our correspondence that the priests were planning a special individual ceremony for the Seven Hill¡¯s Stream since its source was in the snow melts and might view this as an intrusion.¡±


    ¡°I hope that you kept every piece of the correspondence then,¡± Ling Qi said stiffly. Her temper had cooled, but she still felt very irritated by all this.


    ¡°As do I, since I wrote of no such thing.¡± An older woman¡¯s voice reached them, and Ling Qi frowned as she peered through the door to their destination. It was a room filled with tables and benches for the ritual performers to relax in. Right now, it held only the older woman and Hanyi. Her junior sister was looking smug, and the two of them seemed to be studiously ignoring each other.


    ¡°High Priestess,¡± Ling Qi greeted, entering the room with a bow. ¡°I was able to prevent any immediate issues.¡±


    She didn¡¯t let her voice waver toward pride too much.


    Chao Yanlin narrowed her eyes. ¡°Yes, though we shall see what a river spirit drunk on darkness might do in the coming year. How did you achieve your negotiations so quickly, Baroness?¡±


    ¡°I must keep my methods to myself,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°As you see here, it is sometimes necessary to have some secrets.¡±


    The older woman¡¯s nostrils flared in irritation.


    ¡°Lady Ling''s privacy is not up for debate, but I do apologize for any trouble. You can be sure that the temple will receive a donation to aid in covering any lingering trouble,¡± Bao Qian said diplomatically, stepping in behind her. ¡°Lady Chao, might you want to share the other issue which came up during the procession?¡±


    Chao Yanlin shook out her sleeve, the tiny bells woven into the fabric ringing, and an iron cage appeared on the table between her and Hanyi. In it were a variety of pulsing lights bobbing and bouncing crazily in the confines. They were dark blue black and shimmering white. Winter faeries, if Ling Qi had her guess. ¡°There was further sabotage. An attempt to disrupt the ritual was made using a bound mortal servant.¡±


    ¡°Luckily, my own arts were able to detect something wrong with the man carrying the spirit cages since Lady Ling informed me that high alert was necessary. Unfortunately, there was little to be gained from the poor mortal.¡±


    Ling Qi squinted at the cage. The faeries shrank back under her gaze, huddling at the bottom of the cage. ¡°What would releasing these have accomplished?¡±


    ¡°Important rituals interact with the flow of the world''s energies. They are the region¡¯s meridians, if you must compare it to human cultivation. Introducing foreign qi into the midst of a ritual unplanned would confuse and anger the spirits of the land and may even cause them to lash out at the performers, perceiving an insult,¡± Chao Yanlin said sourly.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t there more security then?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Because open sabotage like this is not done,¡± the woman shot back. ¡°Not since Her Grace¡¯s reforms to the Ministry.¡±


    ¡°It seems really sloppy to me,¡± Hanyi said absently, watching the fairies dart around their cage. ¡°The Duchess is really scary. You¡¯d have to be pretty dumb to break her rules like that.¡±


    There was a shared moment of silence among the three of them. Truth from the mouths of children indeed.


    ¡°It does seem very hasty and ill advised,¡± Bao Qian agreed. ¡°But before we get too far, the letters?¡±


    Ling Qi was silent as the two of them spread letters across the table.


    Sixiang mused.


    She watched as Bao Qian and the priestess reviewed the letters, stabbing their fingers down at the suspicious ones and politely bickering over their origin. It was clear that someone had altered the mail as well. Most importantly, it was becoming clear that this was more than idle sabotage. Someone was looking to seriously undermine her and her sister.


    ¡°Whoever did this was quite a forger,¡± Bao Qian said sourly. There was no trace of his joviality. ¡°Although, I do believe they have made a mistake.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and what is that?¡± asked Chao Yanlin, looking as if she had bitten into something sour herself. ¡°By my measure, you were bamboozled completely.¡±


    Ling Qi bit her tongue to keep from pointing out that the priestess had been tricked as well. It wasn¡¯t helpful.


    Bao Qian rubbed a finger across the text of one of the offending letters. ¡°I had no reason to find it suspect before, but the ink used in the altered letters is different. The soot in it comes from a specific grove of valley pines.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± Ling Qi asked curiously.


    ¡°Family trade secrets,¡± Bao Qian answered.


    ¡°How¡­ convenient,¡± Chao Yanlin said.


    ¡°Hey, none of you are going to eat those, right?¡± Hanyi asked, interrupting them to point at the cage of fairies.


    ¡°Hanyi,¡± Ling Qi sighed.


    ¡°Hey, it''s not just cause I¡¯m hungry. I bet you I can tell you where they came from if you let me eat a few,¡± Hanyi said defensively. ¡°When Momma went wandering with her second soul to visit other ice spirits, she¡¯d bring me treats like this from all over the place.¡±


    Ling Qi paused. So did Chao Yanlin and Bao Qian.


    ¡°If neither of you object?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    Chao Yanlin pursed her lips. ¡°A more trustworthy method, I suppose. Spirits do not lie half as well as men.¡±


    ¡°By all means,¡± Bao Qian allowed.


    Ling Qi gestured, and Hanyi¡¯s hand shot out, kicking up sparks as it slipped between the bars of the spirit cage to snatch a pale blue fairy. The little thing let out a distressed shriek, its delicate wings fluttering furiously as Hanyi popped it into her mouth and brought her teeth together with a sharp crunch like a sugar candy being chewed.


    Hanyi spent several long moments chewing and rolling it around in her mouth before swallowing. She grinned, and the rest of the faeries in the cage cowered. ¡°Oh, this one''s easy. It''s from the Green Stone Gleaming. It¡¯s tangy.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned in confusion.


    ¡°Mount Tong,¡± Chao Yanlin identified. ¡°That would be¡­¡±


    ¡°In the same viscounty as the pine groves. It is the great quantities of copper in the soil which lend the pine soot its properties after all,¡± Bao Qian concluded triumphantly. ¡°Our letters would have passed through the Ministry of Communication¡¯s office in Ganjian, would they not?


    ¡°Yes,¡± said the Priestess.


    ¡°Then it seems we have a lead,¡± Ling Qi said.


    "This is a matter for the ministries to pursue," Chao Yanlin said. "Whatever my opinion, this is clearly a crime. Leave this matter to those who know their task.¡±


    ¡°I will cooperate with the Ministry of Law in all ways, but this matter is a personal attack as well,¡± Ling Qi said frostily. ¡°However, just because I am not acting on my own does not mean I will not be involved."


    She was, after all, a direct retainer of the Cai clan. If she could not use that influence now, it was useless. She did not think even Renxiang would see making sure any investigations were not lost or buried was wrong. Indeed, the mere fact that the heiress, through her, was watching should ensure it was not. Renxiang would probably tell her that it wasn¡¯t necessary though.


    Chao Yanlin gave her a measuring look, but eventually, she gave a nod. ¡°This is not my business going forward. What is, however, are the plans for the lesser festivals on your circuit. I believe a full review of your plans and ¡®my¡¯ advice is in order.¡±


    ¡°On that, we agree.¡±


    ***?


    Running through the plans for the rest of the tour took the remainder of the evening and well into the morning, but by the end, everyone was satisfied that the plans were correct. It seemed that their saboteur hadn¡¯t seen a reason to mess with them. Ling Qi supposed that if the initial festival had been ruined, there would be no need to sabotage the following rituals.


    Priestess Chao had left the moment that the last ritual was reviewed, leaving her alone with Hanyi and Bao Qian.


    Bao Qian broke the silence. ¡°Please accept my sincerest apologies. My diligence was lacking.¡±


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯d be totally crazy to expect you to check for something like that,¡± Hanyi said dismissively.


    ¡°Even if you had noticed a difference in the ink sooner, it wouldn¡¯t have necessarily been suspicious,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s healthy to live in a way that you perform divinations on every little thing.¡±


    ¡°Nonetheless, I will be more careful. This endeavor has turned out more important than I had thought it would be,¡± Bao Qian grumbled. ¡°Ugh, the licensing and inspections from the Ministry of Spiritual Affairs¡­¡±


    ¡°Why weren¡¯t they involved?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°That is, once you two had decided to look into this kind of performance.¡±


    ¡°As we were only acting as guests of Viscount Chao, supplementing his own priests, it fell into a gray area of the laws. I had intended to build up a little more and make sure the business was viable before seeking the Ministry¡¯s approval.¡±


    ¡°Plus, it sounded like a big pain,¡± Hanyi said around another mouthful of crunching fairy.


    ¡°Hanyi, finish chewing before you speak,¡± Ling Qi said repressively, and the young ice spirit wilted and closed her mouth. ¡°Well, what can I expect to need done?¡±


    ¡°Some testing. As a baroness, you technically have a license to act as a priest, but your lack of a fief makes the matter more confused,¡± Bao Qian answered. ¡°Her Grace has recently granted the Ministry some additional privileges in investigating nobility¡­ They will likely wish to exercise it.¡±


    ¡°But I suppose they won¡¯t want to be unfair to the heiress or her retainers either,¡± Ling Qi analyzed. ¡°More of a ¡®look how fair and effective¡¯ we are kind of thing?¡±


    ¡°Mm, I¡¯m gonna have to study, aren¡¯t I?¡± Hanyi asked forlornly. ¡°I know that look, Big Sis.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll both have to polish up a little,¡± Ling Qi consoled, patting her head. Her knowledge of spirit kenning was unorthodox, and the Ministry of Spiritual Affairs was a very orthodox organization from her understanding.


    ¡°I will cover any fees that might accrue, if only to make up for my error,¡± Bao Qian offered.


    ¡°And what do you intend to do about the perpetrators?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    Bao Qian¡¯s nostrils flared, his own irritation clear. ¡°My father has contacts within the Ministry of Communication. I am certain that they will understand how upset he might be to learn that individuals have trampled upon their hard fought neutrality.¡±


    Ling Qi laughed. That was helpful. ¡°I will focus on the Ministry of Law then. Lady Cai has a good relationship with them.¡±


    ¡°A pleasing plan. But, if I may have your leave, I have another meeting I need attend to,¡± Bao Qian said, standing.


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Ling Qi said. She didn¡¯t watch him go. ¡°How are you, Hanyi? it was your show.¡±


    Her junior sister¡¯s smile faded. ¡°I¡¯m mad, but I¡¯m also scared. Somebody tried to use me to hurt Big Sis,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°You can¡¯t blame yourself for that,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure you can say that,¡± Sixiang interjected.


    ¡°I get that. It''s why I¡¯m mostly mad,¡± Hanyi huffed, crossing her arms. ¡°But I¡¯m also really happy cause the show went well.¡±


    ¡°And that makes you feel a little bad too,¡± Ling Qi said wryly.


    ¡°Yeah, it just feels really great to perform, you know? I can feel all those people paying attention to me. Not just all those noble guys, but the workers and the people outside and even the spirits.¡± Hanyi¡¯s voice sounded a little dreamy. ¡°And they¡¯re all here for me. But now I know doing it is gonna make more people try to hurt you.¡±


    Ling Qi opened her mouth and then closed it. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t think of it that way.¡±


    ¡°How should I think of it then?¡± Hanyi challenged.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t give up what makes you happy,¡± Ling Qi replied. She rolled her shoulders, feeling a bit of tightness there. ¡±I won¡¯t say you shouldn¡¯t worry, or that you shouldn¡¯t think about how what you¡¯re doing could hurt someone, but you can¡¯t just give up on something because of what an enemy might do.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re my Big Sis though.¡± Hanyi fiddled with the locket hanging from her neck.


    ¡°And you''re my junior sister,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Family can¡¯t¡­. Family can¡¯t just go one way.¡±


    ¡°But you do everything,¡± Hanyi complained.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± Ling Qi said firmly. ¡°Because you know what we learned today?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Hanyi asked, cocking her head to the side.


    ¡°That someone thinks what you¡¯re doing is important. Maybe they think you''re supporting things with the ice people, maybe they think you''re influencing the temples in my favor, or maybe they just don¡¯t like my name getting out,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯m feeling like proving them right.¡±


    Hanyi blinked and then slowly smiled. It was a sly spiteful thing, much like the one she had worn in their first game of tag. ¡°Yeah, I like that idea too, Big Sis.¡±


    In her chest, Ling Qi felt an almost forgotten knot of tension begin to loosen.

 Chapter Threads 200-Festival 1

    Threads 200-Festival 1


    The garden had turned out well, Ling Qi thought. Thankfully, the rest of Hanyi¡¯s tour had been much less stressful. Traveling a circuit of the valley viscounty, she had the opportunity to speak with many more minor nobles, cementing an overall good impression. More importantly though, she was able to see Hanyi¡¯s smaller performances.


    Out in the countryside, the rites she took part in were not on stages surrounded by nobles, but in old growth groves, at important lakes, and in the center of fields, and though they held a respectful distance, the public came to watch.


    Ling Qi had never been familiar with priestly rites and organized festival days. In Tonghou, very few temples and shrines existed in the outer city. There were the quiet men and women who oversaw funeral rites and scattered shrines out in the agricultural lands. The people of the outer city had their personal rites, like the thieves whose slapdash shrine to the Grinning Moon she had observed once. The Liu clan that oversaw the Tonghou viscounty was content to leave it at that.


    So it had surprised Ling Qi to see so many mortals gather for these services. Even if they were dull to her senses, there was a certain solemnity that had struck her as she watched the rites performed in the face of the coming winter with Hanyi¡¯s song drifting through the air. The scent of burning candles held tightly in hundreds of hands, the sight of softly lit lanterns heavy with offerings drifting down the mountain streams, and the sound of prayers whispered too softly for mortal ears to hear all marked these smaller rites.


    The closest thing she could compare it to was watching new roads carved into wild earth.


    ¡°Ah, Big Sister is back!¡± Gui¡¯s voice reached her as she stepped into the shadow where two slender trees came together in an arch and emerged in the center of the garden where the heat from the boiling mineral springs sent streamers of steam into the evening air. Earth and stone shifted, gravel falling as Zhengui rose from the depression, the nest he had dug out for himself, his footfalls sending ripples through the bubbling waters.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Ling Qi said with a smile, reaching out to pat him on the head. ¡°There were some snags, but Hanyi¡¯s tour went well.¡±


    ¡°I, Zhen, suppose I will have to congratulate her then,¡± the serpent said haughtily. ¡°But she is not the only one who has been working hard. Look upon our work, sister!¡±


    Ling Qi looked behind them to the garden surrounding the mineral spring. The bright colors of the flowers contrasted with the cool shadows and drifting mist. Shaped stones had been raised throughout the garden center as well, silent silhouettes in the steam and mist. They were a little crude, and Ling Qi couldn¡¯t quite work out how they had been shaped. Passing Zhengui, she knelt down in front of the closest. It seemed like it was only a boulder at first glance, but a closer look revealed that the low slung stone was shaped roughly like a tortoise.


    ¡°How did you make this?¡± Ling Qi asked, brushing her fingers over the shaped stone. Already, moss was growing over it in the crevices that provided it detail.


    Zhen puffed up with pride, and Gui seemed to do the same. ¡°Well, Gui had the idea when he saw some crafty-humans. Since Gui can make wood very hard to burn, he can make ¡®molds¡¯ if he really tries.¡±


    ¡°And I, Zhen, can easily produce molten stone. Glass, too, will be within my reach,¡± Zhen said proudly.


    ¡°Glass is weird! Every time we tried, it was ugly and cloudy,¡± Gui grumbled. ¡°Rock is better.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Glass would be more beautiful if Gui could digest things properly,¡± Zhen hissed.


    ¡°It¡¯s a great idea,¡± Ling Qi said, cutting off their argument before it could really begin.


    ¡°Heh, he¡¯s pretty creative,¡± Sixiang piped up, their eyes materializing over her shoulder to look over the sculptures. ¡°Gotta admit, even I thought you needed hands to do sculpture.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Gui is very smart,¡± he chirped, earning a complaining hiss from Zhen. ¡°I wanted to make one of everyone, but Hanyi and Big Sis are hard. The Sixiang is harder.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t look right with rock anyway,¡± Zhen grumbled.


    ¡°Hm, hm, I bet I could figure out some tips now that I think about it,¡± Sixiang mused.


    ¡°Probably. We did need to add ward stones to the garden anyway,¡± Ling Qi mused. Their presences kept malicious spirits out, but if they let anyone in, it would be good for the developing spirits of the gardens to have boundaries. ¡°Sculptures would be more interesting than just stone posts.¡±


    It would be good practice, Ling Qi thought. Between the dream realm and thresholds and the creation of this garden, Ling Qi was beginning to come back around to her formation craft. Warding stones, which provided the boundaries between the lands of man and spirit, were something any noble needed. Her exploration of dream had given her some insights and renewed interest in formations relating to the liminal such as doorways, thresholds, and borders.


    ¡°Zhengui will keep making them better then,¡± her little brother agreed happily.


    Ling Qi nodded and stood. ¡°Anything else interesting happen while I was away?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Um, I don¡¯t think so. I went to play with Mr. Avalanche and the Rockhead, but I spent most of my time here.¡± Gui said.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Did you have fun?¡± Ling Qi asked, strolling to the edge of the mineral spring. They had come a fair way from blowing up the hilltop.


    Zhen made a hiss of agreement as he moved up beside her, his presence making the bubbling water snap and hiss more violently. ¡°Sister, do you really like the garden?¡±


    Ling Qi blinked. ¡°Of course, Zhengui. We¡¯ll get better with practice, but I think this attempt turned out really well.¡±


    Gui scuffed his foot across the flat stone that lined the pool¡¯s edge. ¡°But Gui knows Big Sister couldn¡¯t do everything she wanted with her art.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned. It was true that she had intended to work with the Winter Hearth¡¯s Resounding art with the idea of cultivating it alongside Zhengui. The art had advanced, growing past the early stages, but at the same time, it never felt like the cornerstone of what she was working on.


    ¡°Well, of course not. You had me helping too,¡± Sixiang chuckled. ¡°This has been a really fun project, you know?¡±


    Ling Qi shook her head, turning to meet her little brother¡¯s questioning gaze. ¡°I wanted to cultivate that to make the garden better, but our ideas changed. I¡­ don¡¯t really regret that.¡±


    Besides, although she had not gone through with actually altering the art, she did have some ideas for it still. Perhaps it was a little inefficient of her to change course like that, but this was more important.


    Zhengui looked at her for a long moment. ¡°Okay.¡±


    They looked out over the garden in silence for a few minutes in comfortable silence before Zhen spoke again.


    ¡°When can we show grandmother and little sister the garden, sister?¡± Zhen asked.


    ¡°We¡¯d need to finish up a few things, but we can probably show them before the tournament starts,¡± Ling Qi said thoughtfully. This was a place for Zhengui, but also because of that, a place for kin. It would be safe.


    ¡°Actually¡­¡± Gui began, trailing off. ¡°No, nevermind.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unusual,¡± Sixiang murmured.


    ¡°Speak up, Gui,¡± Ling Qi said curiously. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Gui wants the others to come. The shrine-maker, the dancer, and the others who talk to us,¡± Gui explained slowly. ¡°Um, Gui has made this place, but more people should come.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned for a moment. He wanted some of the staff to come too. That was¡­


    ... That shouldn¡¯t have surprised her.


    She¡¯d seen it on her tour with Hanyi. Mortals gathered, and spirits exalted. She had been in someone else''s lands, participating in someone else¡¯s rituals. But she wouldn¡¯t always be. People would follow the rituals she laid down, and those people who would be living under her power.


    ¡°Big Sister?¡± Gui asked, sounding worried.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, Zhengui,¡± Ling Qi said, patting him on the head. They¡¯re our people too, huh? Even if they¡¯re not family.¡±


    He brightened up.¡±Yeah! Even if this is just the first try, this is the place for Gui.¡±


    ¡°The place for Zhen,¡± his other half echoed.


    ¡°And for Big Sister,¡± they said together. ¡°Our people should come!¡±


    Ling Qi nodded absently. ¡°Well we have some work to do then. You¡¯ll need to work on some more sculptures and I¡¯ll work on inscribing warding arrays on the ones you already did.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ll work on placement,¡± Sixiang said cheerfully.


    ***


    ¡°A festival?¡± Ling Qingge asked, pausing in the act of setting down a plate of pear slices in front of Biyu.


    ¡°That might be overselling it,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°But it''s the best word I can think of for gathering everyone together like this.¡±


    ¡°Momma!¡± Biyu complained, reaching up to grasp fruitlessly at the plate from her raised seat.


    Ling Qingge blinked and set down the plate, drawing a happy cry from Biyu as she grabbed at the first slice of fruit. Ling Qingge patted her fondly on the head, even as she frowned thoughtfully at Ling Qi.


    They were in the dining room, the door to the gardens open to let in the increasingly rare warm air. Mother and she had tea set out for them while Biyu now had her snack.


    ¡°Why, if I may ask?¡± Ling Qingge queried after a moment.


    Ling Qi shifted under her mother¡¯s searching gaze. ¡°It¡¯s for Zhengui. I don¡¯t know how much you ever learned of spirits, but he¡¯s growing. This is the kind of thing he needs.¡±


    ¡°I will not pretend to understand completely, but I would have thought that it would just be Biyu and I,¡± Ling Qingge said carefully. ¡°He is¡­ part of the family after all.¡±


    Mother sounded uncertain, but she was educated on how noble families worked.


    ¡°Go see Big Turtle?¡± Biyu asked through a mouthful of pear, looking at her with wide eyes.


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯ll be able to see him soon,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Do you think Nanny and the others would want to see him too?¡±


    Biyu contemplated her question deeply. ¡°Scary. Big Turtle should be Little Turtle.¡±


    ¡°We have considered that,¡± Ling Qi said looking up at her mother. ¡°It would be voluntary. I do want you to make sure everyone understands that.¡±


    Ling Qingge merely furrowed her brow further. Ling Qi understood that such words held little meaning. When one who held so much power over you spoke of ¡®voluntary¡¯ actions, who would really believe them in their heart of hearts?


    ... That, too, was a consequence of power.


    ¡°I know I am not really involved with them, and they don''t know me. But you do, Mother. Do you think they can trust you?¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°I know you would not put any of them in harm''s way on purpose, Ling Qi. I will do my best to convey that to everyone. You wish to do this next week?¡± her mother asked.


    ¡°That is the most time I can give for this since the next day will be the tournament. I¡¯m still not the best at making plans for other people,¡± Ling Qi said wryly. ¡°Ah, even if they¡¯re not working, please make sure they know their wages will remain the same.¡±


    The last thing she wanted was even a sliver of resentment infecting proceedings.


    ¡°Yes, of course,¡± Ling Qingge said with a small sigh. She was smiling though. ¡°Do you have any other surprises to spring on your old mother?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Ling Qi said drawing out the word, earning a look of mock horror from the older woman and a giggle from Biyu. ¡°No¡­ Nothing else unexpected.¡±


    There were countless concerns that would be on her shoulders in the near future, but for now, she was pleased to just have a quiet tea time with her family.

 Chapter Threads 201 Festival 2

    Threads 201 Festival 2


    As she left in the afternoon, she found herself standing outside the gates, looking up at the sky. They¡¯d positioned and inscribed the sculptures Zhengui had already made and twisted the flows of qi to thicken the mist about them, cloaking their simple details, but there was still quite a lot to do, especially since they were planning to accommodate twenty odd mortals instead of only a few.


    ¡°Are you really okay with that? It seems like a weird decision for you,¡± Sixiang commented.


    Ling Qi hummed in agreement, strolling down the street toward the town''s gate at a mortal speed. It was a strange decision, but it wasn¡¯t for her.


    ¡°Ah, I guess the little big guy was really excited about more people,¡± Sixiang mused.


    His eyes, both sets, had lit up when she announced her decision. She didn¡¯t truly understand it, anymore than she understood how Hanyi could be so irritable with crowds and yet so comfortable on stage, drawing energy from her audience to perform more smoothly than she ever did in their practices.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of power in an audience,¡± Sixiang said. ¡°In any crowd.¡±


    Ling Qi thought of roads carved in mountains and endless cities built in towering piles, descending beyond sight in the depths of dream. Small pieces, making something greater and greater still.


    ¡°I¡¯m not one for the great crowds,¡± she said, passing down the slowly emptying streets. ¡°But it seems my siblings are. That¡¯s fine, I think.¡±


    ... Trying to drag others along her Way was probably futile, wasn¡¯t it?


    Yet, Ling Qi found, she couldn¡¯t yet arrive at a conclusion. She had seen a brief window of war. She had walked in the dusty streets of history and taken the tiniest measure. She had witnessed the adulation of people over the course of a week-long tour. What she was doing with Zhengui was another piece, she thought, perhaps the last one to find some satisfaction for the festering itch that had been in the back of her mind for months.


    ¡°Come on, Sixiang,¡± she said. ¡°Zhengui is expecting us.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Oh, Gui is so excited!¡± Her little brother practically vibrated with excitement.


    ¡°Foolish Gui is too undignified,¡± Zhen hissed. ¡°At least try to be serious!¡±


    Ling Qi smiled faintly as Zhengui bickered with himself, looking out into the mist-filled paths of the garden. They had finished the last of the wards in good time, leaving the last few days to decide exactly how this festival was going to proceed. She had tried to invite Hanyi to participate as well, but her other spirit had taken one look at the garden and said it wasn¡¯t her place. That hadn¡¯t stopped her from hanging around and critiquing their efforts though.


    Now, with evening falling on the last day, Hanyi was guiding her family and household to Zhengui¡¯s hill.


    ¡°I think Zhen is right this time,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°It¡¯s important to be serious for the first part.¡±


    ¡°Big Sister is right.¡± Gui stilled himself with an effort. ¡°But it¡¯s gonna be hard. Why do we have to wait at the center?¡±


    There was a bit of childish complaint in his voice.


    ¡°Because you¡¯re the king of the garden. Sixiang, Hanyi, and I are the guides,¡± Ling Qi admonished gently.


    ¡°Obviously,¡± Zhen hissed haughtily. He had been the one to insist most firmly on the idea. ¡°Besides, foolish Gui will be busy controlling the trees! Do not be distracted and ruin Zhen¡¯s first festival.¡±


    ¡°Gui is more worried about snotty Zhen scaring people and being mean,¡± Gui grumbled. ¡°Gui will do his part!¡±


    ¡°Hmph, do not imply that Zhen would be so careless around Little Sister,¡± his other half hissed.


    Ling Qi closed her eyes, knowing that it was just his nerves that brought out his bickering side.


    ¡°They¡¯re almost here,¡± Sixiang whispered.


    ¡°It¡¯s time, Zhengui,¡± Ling Qi said aloud.


    ¡°Okay, Big Sister!¡± they said together, and she could hardly tell their voices apart.


    Ling Qi dispersed herself into the shadows, traveling to the entrance of the garden.


    She saw them then, a dark patch on the green grass, snaking its way toward the hill. At the head of the line was Hanyi, walking with her head held high. Just behind her walked her mother, holding Biyu¡¯s hand. Behind them was the rest of the household, escorted by a handful of the Sect¡¯s soldiers whose service she was still renting. Watching them, she saw in their faces and postures a mix of trepidation, wariness, and curiosity. It was likely the first time that most of them had been out beyond the warding stones of a city or road.


    She remained silent as they reached the base of the hill and paused, looking at the garden. From the outside, it probably looked a little ominous, a crown of pale trees atop an otherwise scrub free hill, shrouded in a low lying mist, the needles and leaves of the densely planted trees whispering in the wind. At the entrance of the garden where Ling Qi stood were two sculptures, the best Zhengui had managed yet. A pair of stout stone tortoises that rose to the height of Ling Qi¡¯s weight, the sculptures were recessed back into the treeline so that their silhouettes could loom in the mist.


    Ling Qi stood still as the group ascended the low incline of the hill until at last, Hanyi and her family stood before her, their household just a little ways behind.


    ¡°Senior Sister, I¡¯ve brought everyone,¡± Hanyi said formally in a sweet voice.


    ¡°Good job, Junior Sister,¡± Ling Qi said politely. ¡°Mother, little sister, welcome to the garden.¡±


    ¡°We are pleased to come, my daughter,¡± Ling Qingge said. Biyu stayed quiet, looking up at the lights winking in the darkness behind Ling Qi with wide eyes.


    Ling Qi turned her gaze to the other women, who had shuffled into loose order, keeping their heads bowed before her. ¡°And to all of you, for easing the lives of my family and all of your work, know that you are safe and welcome here under the protection of Ling. We are here to tour the gardens and honor the one who brings us safety this night. Each of you, take one of the lanterns I have provided, and we will begin the procession.¡±


    She gestured to her right where a finely carved container held around a score of small wooden lanterns formed from naturally grown wood. She presented the first to her mother, and to her credit, Ling Qingge did not startle as a dull red light flickered to life behind the lattice of roots. The lanterns were simple things, inscribed with the character for light on the inside and infused with enough power for even a mortal to light them for a few hours. As the women of the household quietly shuffled forward to take their lanterns, dotting the growing darkness with lights of many colors, Ling Qi crouched down before Biyu and presented the special smaller lantern Zhengui had grown for her.


    As warm yellow light bloomed inside it and Ling Qi closed her little sister¡¯s hands around the handle, she smiled. ¡°Hold on to this tight, okay? This first part might be a little spooky, but just remember, nothing will hurt you while Big Sister is here.¡±


    ¡°Kay, Siss-y¡± the little girl said in a small voice, holding tightly to her lantern.


    Ling Qi looked up at her mother and nodded, rising to her feet. She turned, dissolving into shadow and appeared once again on the path between the tortoise statues. She clapped once for attention. ¡°Now, follow and remain on the path, and turn your thoughts to the future.¡±


    As Ling Qi stepped under the eaves, she released her grip on her domain, letting her spirit flow out to fill the space around her as her flute materialized in her hands. The mist thickened and rose, swirling about at around the knee height, but the path remained clear to any following her. The lantern light, fueled by the qi she had infused in the wood, cut through the darkness easily as she began to walk.


    Her mother followed a step behind, hand in hand with Biyu, and all the rest trailed behind, silent but for murmurs she was sure they thought were quiet. Ling Qi smiled faintly as she raised her flute to her lips and began to play. The sound of strumming strings joined the first notes of her flute thereafter, played on the wind by Sixiang.


    It was a somber song, but to Ling Qi, it felt familiar. It was winter wind in dusty streets, the scent of alleys and crowds. It was exhaustion and long day¡¯s work, lingering hunger and aching muscles. It was hardship, and it was a song everyone here knew save for Biyu.


    The women here were not her family. It was unlikely she would ever look at them that way, but if Ling Qi closed her eyes and lost herself in memory, understanding was not so far out of reach. The first path in the garden wound leisurely through the perimeter, lined with pale trees whose eaves came together above. White and black flowers grew amidst their roots, the monochrome colors glittering under the light of the lanterns that cut through the mist.


    The song continued all the while as they walked, and a cold winter breeze blew, causing some to shiver. She could feel spirits beginning to lower under the weight of the music.


    On the left, a pair of thick dark pines groaned as they pulled apart, and Ling Qi turned into the resulting passage. Beyond was the first of the flowerbeds. Mist reflected off of petals of a dozen colors, lighting the way ahead even before the lanterns followed.


    A new part of the song began, and the flute and the strings were joined by a heavy, regular beat that vibrated the earth. It was simple¡ªZhengui wasn¡¯t much of a musician¡ªbut the thump of the earth and the pulse of his qi changed the somber sound to something more upbeat. It was hardship rewarded and the hope of something better, a farewell to what had come before.


    It was, Ling Qi thought, not really her song anymore. As she strode into the flower field, following the narrow gravel path that wound through it, she observed her family and the servants. Biyu¡¯s wonder warmed her chest as did the unstressed posture of her mother¡¯s shoulders. The expressions of the rest brought her some satisfaction, but nothing more.


    She was a cold person and a selfish one. Her love was only for the ones closest to her.


    Her little brother, however, was warm. Both expressions of his being were things of vitality and life. It had started to creep in on her when they interacted with Wang Chao and the others. Zhengui joined the other spirits cheerfully. He interacted willfully. He liked people.


    Ling Qi was a cold person, but she coveted warmth, as surely as any wraith or snow spirit. Some part of her wanted to jealously keep his affection for herself.


    That was why she had decided to do this. She knew that the mere echoes of the war had been frightening for the mortals at its edge. She knew that there was uncertainty even now and trepidation at the arrival of so many nobles. Raising the spirits of so many, of people with whom she had no deep connection, was beyond her.


    It was not beyond Zhengui though. It was something only he could do for them.


    As with the spirits of the valley viscounty, power, as she understood it, was not enough.

 Chapter Threads 202-Festival 3

    Threads 202-Festival 3


    Her conception of power was too small. Flashing light and shattering cold were obvious, but in the end, power was the ability to change the world around her. And while violence was the easiest and simplest way to achieve that, it wasn¡¯t the only one.


    Ling Qi paused for a moment, standing still in the middle of a ring of raised stones which sat at the center of the flowerbeds The bright yellow and red flowers that bloomed there did not bend under her tread, and slowly, tentatively, her family and household began to walk the circular paths through the flowerbeds. It was pleasant, watching something she had put so much work into appreciated. It wasn¡¯t like Renxiang¡¯s noble gatherings where even if her music was enjoyed, there was a perfunctory feel to such enjoyment.


    Although she probably couldn¡¯t put all the blame on her audience for that.


    Sixiang whispered.


    Perhaps, but nonetheless, she hadn¡¯t taken the audience¡¯s appreciation as a goal.


    She watched through half-lidded eyes as caution began to give way to the urging of the music. The servants talked quietly among themselves as they observed the flowers, some crouching down to look more closely. Off to her left, her mother knelt by the edge of the path to pluck a flower and weave it into Biyu¡¯s hair. The flower sprouted back near immediately. Those close by saw, and with many glances back toward Ling Qi for any objections, they began to take flowers for themselves.


    Ling Qi let it go on, playing in time with the rumble of Zhengui¡¯s qi and the soft strings Sixiang played on the wind. Finally, the time for the next phase began. With one last rumble, Zhengui¡¯s part fell silent, and the air at the north end of the flower field shimmered, several trees fading into drifting mist to reveal a winding white path leading further in. Ling Qi took a single step and dematerialized, reforming at the entrance of the new path. She very carefully didn¡¯t smile at the sudden, surprised jerks of those who had been looking at her.


    She began to walk, shaping the sound of her melody on the wind to make the direction of her presence obvious, taking small steps until everyone was following her once again. The winding path leading into the center of the garden narrowed the procession, leaving room for only two people to walk abreast. In the shrouding mists outside the path, color and light flickered, refracting the light of the lanterns. Ling Qi saw nothing but blurs, but she knew as the song moved into the next phase, moving from reward to yearning that those who peered into the mist saw reflected there the objects of yearning motivation for future labors.


    If she closed her eyes, she could feel them all. Though their spirits were small and weak, the coal of Want smoldered in every soul. It was from that yearning that the tiny threads of qi she could feel twisting their way toward Zhengui arose. Want was the source of faith, the desire to to be safe, to have good fortune, for the world to make sense. Even malice hurt less than apathy.


    Sixiang murmured.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t interrupt her song, but it did make her think. She had been cultivating the Phantasmagoria of Lunar Revelry art since she had begun dreamwalking with Sixiang, and she had come to wonder how Joyous Toast fit with the rest of the art. How did it work and empower other arts, drawing great power from seemingly nowhere? But this was it, wasn¡¯t it? The liminal realm was naught but thoughts and dreams and faith. The shape of the technique merely created a channel with which to draw upon that for an instant.


    She saw in her mind¡¯s eye the flows of the technique, the patterns of qi that she saw now existed only to simplify its use. In that moment, she understood the truth of the technique. No phantoms nor music were needed, only a moment where narrative and reality could overlap into a Lunatic Crescendo.


    She thought she understood just a bit how the Hui had become so twisted if the arts of dream were so core to their clan. It was always so easy to accept an attractive narrative.


    They walked the path for several minutes as the song rose and fell until at last, two new lights broke the darkness ahead of them. The end of this path was marked by two trees, their bark the color of soot with heat glowing in its creases. Crimson leaves danced with embers that clung to their edges but never seemed to burn.


    Beyond lay the spring, its water bubbling merrily. Light from the burning trees glinted off the water along with the silvery light of the moon. Cool mist churned at their feet, rising in wispy edies on the heat generated by the bubbling water. The path here, entering and splitting around the spring and the stony outcropping which stood opposite the entrance, was not made of stone or gravel, but of living vines woven together. Under her feet, Ling Qi could feel the pulse of a tremendous heartbeat. The others could feel it too.


    But they hadn¡¯t the time to do more than whisper about it before greater concerns distracted them. Zhengui rose from the pit nest he had dug for himself, gravel and dirt splashing into the bubbling water. He did not conceal his true size here, nearing five meters at the shoulder and ten front to back. He towered over her. He towered over all of them. As his eyes opened, four more points of light in the dim center of the garden, Ling Qi¡¯s song rose to a crescendo, and the melody finished.


    Ling Qi stepped forward to the edge of the pool and turned for the first time, allowing her footsteps and the swish of her gown to be audible. ¡°Behold, the guardian of the Ling, Zhengui, he who is precious, he who protects, bringer of renewal from hardship! I bring you all here tonight to do him honor and in turn to honor you for your service and devotion.¡±


    Ah, she felt so ridiculous, making proclamations like this. She tried her best to ignore the faint smile tugging at the corners of her mother¡¯s lips.


    ¡°Zhengui loves the family, and Zhengui guards the family. Good fortune and health will come to all within our house,¡± her little brother spoke. His voices were deep and booming in the confines of the garden, two voices speaking as one. ¡°Zhengui says that all here are good, and all here are friends. Even if you are not family, Zhengui will protect you too.¡±


    ¡°So, come now, relax, and celebrate for a year is ending and a new one lies ahead,¡± Ling Qi said, spreading her arms wide. ¡°Partake of the fruits of the garden, and be rested for the future.¡±


    Sixiang twisted the air and cast a glow on the trees which filled the garden¡¯s inner circle heavy with fruit of many kinds, all carefully checked for safety of mortal consumption. On the carefully arranged ground, there were thick blankets laden with drink and good food. Faint flakes of drifting ash in the air burned briefly green, and restorative qi rippled out. She saw the moment that the qi filled the women here, aches, weariness, and the daily wear and tear of mortal life soothed away.


    Ling Qi stepped away from the center as she watched the group begin to spread throughout the garden center. Most went to Zhengui first, bowing low and offering respects. They might have to arrange something for proper offerings next time. Maybe food, a dish cooked by the supplicant themselves? It seemed like an idea.


    ¡°Mother, how did you find me so easily?¡± Ling Qi asked curiously, glancing up as she sensed the older woman¡¯s approach. Ling Qi had retreated back behind Zhengui to the shadow of the trees.


    ¡°You were not trying very hard,¡± Ling Qingge replied, earning a raised eyebrow from Ling Qi. ¡°And Sixiang gave me direction.¡±


    ¡°Sissy is a pretty fairy,¡± Biyu said solemnly. ¡°Nice garden!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you appreciated it, little sister,¡± Ling Qi said with a faint grin. She looked back to her mother. ¡°What did you think?¡±


    ¡°Your song was beautiful, and the garden fantastical,¡± Ling Qingge replied.


    ¡°Do you think it was too much for them?¡± Ling Qi asked, glancing back to where her household was beginning to filter out through the garden core. She watched one girl tentatively dip her feet in the water at Zhengui¡¯s urging. The temperature didn''t harm her in the slightest thanks to the power of their domains in this place, and soon, the girl was joined by a much older woman, Biyu¡¯s most regular nanny.


    ¡°I think your routine may need some polish and refinement. A formalized offering would make many more comfortable with your generosity¡± Ling Qingge said, echoing her earlier thoughts. ¡°But no, this is not too much. This¡­ is good.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed to herself as she watched her mother look out over the garden. It was a small thing, acquiring the fruit trees and the drink, but it was worth the effort, she thought, for her mother¡¯s sake if nothing else.


    ***


    It was only later after her family and their people had departed that Ling Qi was able to relax, leaning back in the crook between a pair of the dull spikes of Zhengui¡¯s shell.


    ¡°You enjoyed that quite a lot, didn¡¯t you?¡± Ling Qi asked idly.


    Gui made a sound of agreement, muffled and distorted by the bubbling mineral water he had immersed his head in as he gulped down great mouthfuls.


    ¡°It was good for I, Zhen, to receive the acclaim I deserve for once,¡± Zhen claimed, nuzzling at her side.


    Ling Qi nodded shallowly, letting her hand rest on his eye ridges. ¡°We¡¯ll have to work on something even better for next year.¡±


    ¡°Big Sis wants to do this again?¡± Gui asked curiously, raising his head from the water.


    ¡°Festivals are supposed to be regular,¡± Ling Qi chided lightly.


    ¡°The dates are probably going to be up in the air for awhile,¡± Sixiang mused aloud, their voice emanating from nowhere in particular.


    ¡°It should be near the end of the year,¡± Zhen said.


    ¡°I agree,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°But the exact day¡­ Yes, we¡¯ll have to be flexible.¡±


    ¡°Until we have our real home,¡± Gui chirped.


    ¡°Until then,¡± Ling Qi echoed. There was a small thrill to that. Even now, with two years as an immortal, she had only known borrowed homes. The sect housing, the manor in the village, none of them truly belonged to her.


    ¡°I think you could probably buy the place in town at this point. You¡¯ve probably invested more than it was originally worth,¡± Sixiang advised.


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Ling Qi agreed. She might need it one day after all. Biyu would probably need to attend a sect. Keeping up the relationship with Argent Peak Sect might assuage any hurt feelings from recent actions.


    Well, it would depend on what Biyu wanted.


    It still felt strange to look so far ahead. Ling Qi, the street rat scrabbling for the next day''s bread, still lived in her heart and mind. ¡°Thank you, Zhengui.¡±


    Zhen¡¯s tongue flicked out, sending a plume of ashy smoke up into the clear night sky. ¡°What does sister thank Zhen for?¡±


    ¡°She thanked Zhen and Gui,¡± Gui grumbled.


    ¡°For all this.¡± Ling Qi gestured around her. ¡°I would never have thought of it on my own, and I couldn¡¯t have done it on my own.¡±


    ¡°Gui should thank Big Sis for indulging Gui,¡± her little brother replied bashfully.


    Ling Qi let her eyes drift shut for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m not just talking about the garden. You know I love you, right, Zhengui?¡±


    She kept her voice light, but saying it out loud felt odd.


    Zhengui was quiet for some time. ¡°Yes, Zhengui loves Big Sister too.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°But¡­ your Big Sister is selfish. I love my family, but I don¡¯t think I can love land and people, not like you do. So thank you for helping me with that. I think I¡¯d be very bad at being a baroness on my own.¡±


    ¡°Big Sister is good at anything she tries,¡± he replied stubbornly, both voices overlapping.


    ¡°You¡¯re good at flattery. Who taught you that?¡± Ling Qi joked, sitting up.


    ¡°I can probably take the blame for that one,¡± Sixiang said, conveying a smirk without even lips or a face.


    But that was what it came down too, wasn¡¯t it? She couldn¡¯t just be strong in one way, not if she wanted to hold onto anything human. She had to get stronger. She had to keep racing for that radiant pinnacle, so that no one could ever threaten what was hers. But if she left everyone behind, she would only crumble in the end.


    Even if Zhengui, Hanyi, and everyone else ended up far behind her, she still needed them, doing all the things that she, in her solitary power, could not do. It wasn¡¯t enough that they were able to make their own choices. Her choices and theirs needed to come together.


    She felt a knot of tension in her chest uncoil, and Ling Qi looked up into the silvery light of the moon. ¡°When we find our home, let''s make it a beautiful one, okay, Zhengui?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Big Sister!¡±

 Chapter Threads Interlude: The White Blade Devil

    Threads Interlude: The White Blade Devil


    The first strike would be with the blade of the ninth sword law, striking at the intersection of Discipline and Pride where untempered ego rotted the roots of the General¡¯s Sovereignty. Piercing this defense, her heart pearl would be wounded, allowing unleashed passions to degrade all further decisions.


    ¡°On this matter, my authority supersedes yours, sister,¡± Bai Suzhen said calmly. ¡°And being blunt, I find your objections to be irrational besides. My efforts will grant the army of Zhengjian access to superlative equipment.¡±


    ¡°At what cost, sister?¡± asked her cousin, arching a perfect eyebrow. Like her, Bai Zhilan appeared by every physical metric as a paragon of the White Serpent. Her white hair spilled all the way to the ground, stopping just short of touching the base earth to be carried by invisible wind. A single dark violet flower, at her temple was its only adornment.


    The second strike would be with her primary armament. Its eight ribbons would strike to sever the strings between the General and her lieutenants. Failure was probable on the initial strike, but the attempt would place the General on the back foot.


    ¡°To use foreign goods to arm the first and greatest of our armies, even those crafted by a ¡®master¡¯ such as this Cai, is an insult to our clan, Bai Suzhen. Others have accepted the deals you have made for they have been trades of trinkets and common goods. This agreement is beyond the pale.¡±


    ¡°Father does not seem to believe so,¡± Bai Suzhen replied, running a gleaming fingernail along the grain of the wooden desktop which filled the larger part of her office.


    Zhilan stood opposite her, stern faced and unamused. Bai Zhilan was, unfortunately, a figure she could not ignore. She, too, stood in the seventh realm, though Suzhen doubted her ability to attain the eighth. Her Way held too many fault lines. However, this did not stop those who opposed her from rallying at her cousin''s call. It truly irritated Bai Suzhen that tradition called for her to call such a blunt instrument ¡°sister.¡±


    ¡°Bai Suzhen, it does not do you good to draw attention to your manipulation of our Clan Head¡¯s declining faculties.¡±


    ¡°That is a bold thing to say, Bai Zhilan.¡± Bai Suzhen let the General¡¯s name drip from her lips like venom. So Zhilan and her supporters were already willing to make such statements. Concerning. Her father was a cruel man. He was a bitter and angry man. Most of all, he was a tired man. However, no rot had yet touched his soul.


    Irritating.


    The third strike would require her to wield the seventh blade, anointed in the Sovereignty of Clan, to sever at the root, the blood that bound them, and enable her to act without restraint.


    ¡°It is the only reasonable answer to why he would give approval to such an agreement. It still shocks me that you would even dare voice a proposal to trade any part of Grandmother¡¯s body to an outsider,¡± Bai Zhilan claimed, golden eyes narrow.


    ¡°One vial of powdered scale shavings in exchange for five hundred sets of tailored gear crafted by the most skilled talisman maker of our age and a further thousand sets of equipment made by her apprentices? It is an easy deal to make,¡± Bai Suzhen retorted, steepling her fingers in front of her face. ¡°No, it is your sentimentality that I question, Bai Zhilan. As if Grandmother Serpent or Fabled Yao would disapprove of sharpening our fangs with every resource available when war is coming.¡±


    ¡°Our ancestors would be ashamed that you deem the Bai clan so weak as to require the aid of half-barbarous savages and their abomination of a queen to do so,¡± Bai Zhilan said coldly. ¡°But I see, as ever, that your brittle mind of steel is beyond reason. Know that your growing madness will not be unopposed.¡±


    ¡°I would not have expected anything else. I welcome your aid in being sharpened for the headship, sister,¡± Bai Suzhen replied.


    The worst thing, she supposed, was that her cousin¡¯s opposition was not even born wholly from the intrusion into her sphere of influence, the army. No, genuine ideology fueled the greater part of her rage.


    Troublesome.


    The other woman turned on her heel, silhouette narrowing down to a blade¡¯s edge as she vanished from Bai Suzhen¡¯s office, leaving behind the two silent guards, fourth realms the both of them, who had accompanied her to the doorway. Bai Suzhen¡¯s eyes fell upon them.


    For them, the first strike would also be the last. The man¡¯s stance was too loose, and he had a deformation in his respiratory pearl which would shatter under a single thrust of the second sword law, slaying him instantly. The woman¡¯s guard was weak on the right side, and her understanding of the Law of Steel was flawed. A single palm strike would shatter her. Brittle blades both. Shameful.


    The two of them bowed low, their faces pale as they made excuses and followed their mistress.


    As the door of her office closed, Bai Suzhen closed her eyes, and for a single moment, she allowed herself to grit her teeth. It often felt that she would need to fight her fellows as much as the accursed Sun to lead the Bai from these trying times.


    She sat in silence for a time, meditating on the actions she would need to take to shore up her support in the face of more openly hostile opposition.


    A gentle knock sounded on her door.


    ¡°Who comes?¡± Bai Suzhen called without opening her eyes.


    ¡°It is but humble Lushen with the lady¡¯s tea.¡±


    She knew, of course, but it was pleasurable to play at mortal foibles in this case. ¡°Be welcome and enter.¡±


    Her husband silently drifted through the door of her office, scentless, transparent vapor slipping between the cracks in wood and formation to appear before her. He was a small man, half a head shorter than her and thin even for a Bai. His complexion was a shade darker than hers, touched by the sun, and his hair hung in loose ringlets to his shoulders, a shade of violet so dark that it could have been mistaken for a Xiao¡¯s black in the right light. His face was as narrow and handsome as any proper Bai man, and a pair of small spectacles perched on his nose, which he adjusted as he bowed low, keeping the tea tray level with his chest.


    The first strike would not be needed for there was no threat to kith or kin here.


    ¡°You are two minutes and fifty seven seconds later than the appointed time,¡± Bai Suzhen said without heat.


    ¡°I apologize, my lady wife. I was caught up in a fascinating bit of experimentation,¡± Xia Lushen of the Violet Sea Snakes replied.


    ¡°More fascinating than our luncheon,¡± Bai Suzhen stated, leaning back in her chair as he placed out the tea. She inhaled the scent of the leaves. A relaxing blend.


    ¡°I would never imply such. I am but an absent-minded craftsman. Forgive me, Suzhen,¡± he said.


    ¡°Do try to be better, Lushen,¡± Bai Suzhen replied, and he bowed again, but his smile never left. It was that quiet confidence that had endeared her to the genius of the violet caste in the beginning.


    Well, that was not entirely true. Witnessing the work of engineered disease spirits in destroying the encroaching jungle flora of the north had been the first thing to bring him to her attention. Such death, wrought without a single soldier¡¯s boots upon the tainted earth, was a work of art.


    Personal affection had come later with time and understanding. Xia Lushen understood, better than any save her late sister Meilin, the urgency of undoing the complacent corrosion which had so weakened their clan.


    ¡°I was somewhat delayed. The palace is in a bit of turmoil,¡± he commented, pouring out their cups. He sat down upon a drifting strand of vapor which curled around his body, emitting from one of the many vials and flasks which poked from the pockets and pouches which studded and hid among his voluminous sea gray robes. ¡°I take it your cousins are moving?¡±


    ¡°They are,¡± Bai Suzhen said, and in the privacy of her husband''s company, she allowed herself to vent some frustration. She had underestimated just how much support rivals like Zhilan had been able to gather and the sheer strength of the isolationist thought which ran through her people.


    She herself was gaining strength and support. As the southern roads were repaired and rebuilt and the riverboats began to flow, prosperity was coming back to the Thousand Lakes. But it was slow.


    As the incident at the border with that idiot green caste child showed, stupidity could move with the speed of a lightning bolt. The problem was that she had not broken through to the eighth realm yet. The same stubborn conservatism which dogged her heels now would ensure obedience from most of the White Serpents once she had achieved the pinnacle of might.


    ¡°Power and victory need no excuses,¡± Xia Lushen said as her words slowed to a stop.


    ¡°Indeed. Yet to rush for ascendance is also foolish,¡± Bai Suzhen said sourly. The previous heir of the clan had shown that, crippling themselves and plunging all the way to the barest beginnings of the sixth realm.


    And in the end, despite everything, she was not looking forward to taking that last step.


    ¡°I understand what you must do. This has been coming for many decades, Suzhen,¡± her husband said calmly.


    Those of lower cultivation did not often understand well what it meant to achieve the highest realm. But she was of the seventh. She had glimpsed that summit, and she knew its truth. She had already sacrificed so much to rise to where she was, carving away everything which did not fit the Sovereign she had become.The eighth realm stripped even more than that.


    She was the White Blade Devil, the Carver of Roads and Rivers, wielder of the Sovereign word Prosperity. Yet she remained Bai Suzhen. To take the next step would be to surrender even that and become her Law in totality.


    ¡°I wonder at that. Our ally in the south raises many questions with her existence,¡± Bai Suzhen said.


    ¡°Suzhen, it is best not to contemplate another¡¯s ascension. That way is futile.¡± Her husband sighed. ¡°Particularly with that one.¡±


    Suzhen made a sound of agreement, and yet, she could not forget. She had seen behind the mask of flesh the being which had once been and seen the word which was at her core. It was not a word which should have allowed its wielder love.


    Lushen was right that that woman was an aberration among aberrations though. ¡°I hope that you will care for my niece when I am no longer able. I know you desired children, and I have regretted not being able to accommodate that.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Xia Lushen promised. ¡°I am looking forward to meeting her, come this year''s end.¡±

 Chapter Threads 203-Opening Day 1

    Threads 203-Opening Day 1


    ¡°Our itinerary is set then,¡± Cai Renxiang said. Ling Qi was familiar enough with her liege to detect the satisfaction in her cool voice.


    ¡°Well and truly organized, my lady,¡± Ling Qi said agreeably, leaning back in the seat across from her. On the desk between them lay a meticulously written document. Thin, straight lines divided clean white paper into a grid, and in each section, small, neat handwriting laid out dense information in brief words.


    It was, Ling Qi thought, the sort of thing that only Cai Renxiang would take such satisfaction in.


    Sixiang whispered wryly.


    Ling Qi let the corner of her lips quirk up in a smile. Said the rippling lake of dream and fantasy that lived in her head.


    ¡°You find something amusing?¡± Cai Renxiang asked, letting her chin rest on her hands.


    ¡°Just Sixiang and their jokes,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Thank you for taking my preferences into account, Lady Renxiang.¡±


    ¡°Gratitude is unnecessary. I laid out the tasks which required aid, and you selected from them,¡± Renxiang dismissed. ¡°I found your selection of the Diao surprising though.¡±


    Ling Qi tapped her fingernails on the desktop. ¡°We have our troubles with them, but I think I¡¯m better suited for addressing them. Your own reputation with them is fixed.¡±


    Prime Minister Diao Linqin did not care much for either of them, Ling Qi knew, but she was much more irrelevant in the seventh realm cultivator¡¯s eyes. It would be less difficult for her to make some basic inroads.


    ¡°Reasonable,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed. ¡°I will trust you to at least discern where the average Diao¡¯s opinions lie.¡±


    Sixiang complained.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t think that was a good idea. ¡°I¡¯m more worried about the things you¡¯ve told me I missed. You could have contacted me earlier.¡±


    ¡°I judged that it was better for you to complete your personal business,¡± Cai Rnxiang said, arching an eyebrow. ¡°What good would it have done you to know that my mother has delayed her arrival time?¡±


    ¡°Well, it wouldn¡¯t,¡± Ling Qi said unhappily. ¡°Still, I don¡¯t like surprises. She didn¡¯t tell you why?¡±


    ¡°Just that a matter encountered on her route had required her attention,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°She will only be delayed until this evening. I have been assured she will make it to the planned feast for our Bai guests.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, glancing worriedly out the window of the study. She saw only an early morning sky kissed by the first rays of the sun. She didn¡¯t see a second sun on the northern horizon, so surely the matter couldn¡¯t have been too critical. ¡°... and the other surprise you had for me?¡±


    Renxiang let out an actual sigh. ¡°You worry too much, Ling Qi. While it is strange for my father to be called to the same place as Mother, this does not change our plans beyond my needing to pay my respects before we begin today''s meetings.¡±


    Ling Qi studied her friend¡¯s face. She saw nothing but a faint exasperation. Perhaps earned, given that this was the third time Ling Qi had broached the matter. Maybe it was because she only knew the Duchess, but there was something that itched at her about her liege¡¯s apathy.


    ¡°As you say, my lady,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°On that note, we must be going soon if we are to maintain the schedule. Make your arrangements, and meet me at the entrance to the fairgrounds within the hour.¡±


    ***


    Ling Qi walked with her hands hidden in her sleeves. She had adjusted her gown for the occasion. She had shed her mantle in favor of a light, airy pibo of pale blue silk and altered the color to a mix of midnight blue and black. She had also extended the train and added more lace to the hems and her sleeves. Her hair was styled up, a silver ornament of a grinning crescent shining in her hair. It had taken some help from Sixiang to get just right. Overall, her look was the sort of traditional style favored by the Bai.


    Cai Renxiang walked a step ahead with her hands folded behind her back. The only change she had made to her appearance was to bind her hair in a single tight braid that glittered with rose gold thread that caught the early morning sunlight, seeming almost to burn. Still, even that much change was surprising for Lady Renxiang.


    The Pavillion of the Cai loomed high, overshadowing all others, even standing only half-raised as workmen huffed and sweated, moving support poles the size of entire trees and bolts of white and gold cloth bigger than wagons. The central part of the pavilion was already raised, two pennants, one in the imperial colors and the other in the Cai¡¯s, already fluttered from its high peak.


    They entered the dazzling interior, passing by silent white plumed guards, and immediately stepped from grass to polished marble tile. It extended under their feet in every direction. Polished furniture and stages were being hauled into place for guests and performers. In the center, there was a high fountain of gently spraying water surrounded by a ring of greenery and color. Workers and functioners paused and bowed, paying their respects as the two of them passed, heading for the small group of people standing before the central fountain.


    Ling Qi did not know what she expected from Cai Renxiang¡¯s father, Diao Luwen, but the man Renxiang stopped in front of wasn¡¯t it. He was a small man, his head barely coming up to Ling Qi¡¯s chin, with a face handsome in a sort of academic way and a narrow shouldered build. He wore a black minister¡¯s cap on his head, and a few curls of dark brown hair poked out from underneath. His complexion was a few shades lighter than hers.


    ¡°Hm, hm, no, this is all wrong,¡± he fretted, gesticulating toward the half-set up display in the center of the pavilion. His glittering green robes swished with the quick motions of his hands. ¡°The angles of these walking paths are utterly wrong in relation to the celestial pathways of qi veins of this region. Do you wish to make ill feelings and rivalry linger here in the very center of the arrangement instead of flowing naturally from the space? Imbeciles, imbeciles all! If you cannot handle even so basic a task, I will have to finish the arrangement myself!¡±


    Ling Qi stood behind Renxiang as the short man berated the cultivators, experts of the third and fourth realm all, for almost a full minute, spitting orders and terms that she almost recognized from her studies in formations and geomancy. In front of her, Renxiang waited patiently.


    Ling Qi found it difficult to read the man¡¯s aura. It was tightly controlled, but every time he waved his hand, wrenching up and rearranging tiles at a gesture, or sprouting meticulously shaped plant life or shrubbery in newly cleared spaces, she felt as if she had just tried to read a page from one of Renxiang¡¯s denser mathematical texts.


    They stood there, completely unnoticed, until Renxiang startled Ling Qi by clearing her throat and fluctuating her qi very slightly in the lull between orders being given.


    Diao Luwen paused, glancing over his shoulder at the two of them. For just a moment, Ling Qi saw his eyes, and they were dense circles of burning green formations, arrays and numbers. Then he blinked, and they were merely vibrant green but wholly human.


    ¡°Hm, hm, who interrupts my work?¡± he asked absently. ¡°Terribly busy. Thought my apprentices could be trusted with prep work, which they were clearly not.¡±


    ¡°It is Cai Renxiang, father,¡± her liege said calmly. Ling Qi bowed her head along with Lady Renxiang, though hers was lower. ¡°Your daughter wishes to pay her respects before proceeding with other duties.¡±


    Diao Luwen turned to face them fully, his eyebrows drawing together as if he was trying to remember something.


    ¡°Oh, yes, I remember now. You do attend this Sect,¡± he said absently, as if recalling a meal from the day previous. ¡°Well, hm, Inner Sect then? Very good. I am sure your mother is proud.¡±


    Perfunctory. Those words could not be said to be anything but perfunctory. There was no feeling at all behind them, save perhaps boredom. In truth, he was barely even looking at Renxiang, his eyes wandering to the works behind her. His gaze brushed over Ling Qi and his brows drew together again. ¡°Who is this then? Were you allowed a handmaiden?¡±


    ¡°This is Baroness Ling Qi, my retainer,¡± Renxiang said, raising her head. ¡°She has done much work to advance the interests of the Cai.¡±


    ¡°Has she,¡± he said dubiously, squinting at her. Ling Qi felt a prickling sensation like she was being measured, weighed, and numbered. ¡°Oh, yes, the one involved with those barbarians. Heard you killed one of those Hui vermin who had managed to run off to the Wall.¡±


    Interest sparked in his eyes, and Ling Qi found herself uncomfortable under his focused gaze. ¡°You dabble in dream work yourself, I see. Gates and thresholds? Not a bad focus for a young girl just building her house.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s gaze flickered to her liege¡¯s direction. Why was her father focused on Ling Qi? Lady Renxiang¡¯s blank expression was unhelpful.


    ¡°I have only just begun to study such things,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I was under the impression that liminal works were out of fashion.¡±


    ¡°Of a kind, of a kind,¡± he dismissed, waving a hand. His palms and fingers were cracked and calloused like a workman¡¯s, at odds with the rest of his appearance. ¡°The geomancy of towns and cities is about directing the flow of energy properly. That includes manipulating what thoughts and feelings linger in the region''s spiritual realm. So many old settlements are laid down with misunderstood principles, lazy and cheap formatting, or at times, I suspect, active malice. It''s been a terrible drain on the province. I am working to repair that as best I can, but you see what I have to work with.¡±


    He shot a venomous look over his shoulder. Apprentices redoubled their efforts.


    She glanced at Renxiang again. Still no help. ¡°I see. Sir Diao is an architect and geomancer then?¡±


    He sniffed haughtily. ¡°I am an urban planner, young lady, not a mere architect. It is my duty to modernize whole cities and towns.¡±


    ¡°My apologies, Sir Diao.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± The man squinted at her. ¡°I smell Hui on you, girl. Did you take any artifacts from the one you killed?¡±


    ¡°We acquired a great deal of treasure,¡± Ling Qi said slowly. ¡°But most are being reviewed and cataloged for auction. All I have right now is a brush.¡±


    ¡°Give it here a moment then. I won¡¯t have some child getting their fingers blown off or mind melted by one of their tricks. Enough of that in their trashy settlements and bunkers,¡± Diao Luwen grumped. ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll have to trust the auction house on the rest.¡±


    She shot a helpless look at Renxiang, whose expression had become thin-lipped. Renxiang offered a tiny shrug. Ling Qi flicked her wrist, producing the paintbrush that had been stored in her storage ring and presenting it to Renxiang¡¯s father.


    He took it, muttering to himself as numbers and characters formed in the air around his fingers. The brush glowed briefly in his hands, and then, he handed it back. ¡°Hmph, no surprises. Personal use item, I suppose. Be wary of any spirit that arises from that thing.¡±


    ¡°I have no personal use for it,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°My family is very new though so it seems foolish to waste a talisman of such potency.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. If that¡¯s the case, leave it in your home and not that ring. Let it absorb better feelings. Use it for mundane painting even,¡± he advised brusquely. ¡°It is potent, I''ll give you that. Infuses paint with Law. Makes more potent qi constructs.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your advice, Sir Diao.¡± Ling Qi took the brush back and dematerialized it back into storage.


    Diao Luwen nodded once, turning back to Renxiang. ¡°Hm, hm, I got distracted there. I acknowledge your respect, and you¡¯ve fulfilled your duty. Go on, and let me get back to my work.¡±


    ¡°Of course, father,¡± Cai Renxiang replied, seemingly unperturbed at being largely ignored by her own father. ¡°It is my hope that your work goes well.¡±


    He grunted an agreement, turning back to his apprentices, and they did the same, heading back for the entrance. Ling Qi shot a look at Cai Renxiang, her brow furrowed.


    ... It wasn¡¯t her business. And even if she were to make it so, this wasn¡¯t the time.


    Sixiang huffed.


    ¡°So, we need to meet the Bai delegation next, right?¡± Ling Qi asked cheerfully. ¡°Do you just want me to accompany you and back you up, or do you have a further role in mind?¡±


    ¡°I would like you to interact with the lower caste individuals first,¡± Cai Renxiang replied. ¡°The Bai have brought more delegates given the expectations that Bai Meizhen will be assigned to our project. I would like you to inspect the personalities among them and act as a guide. You will rejoin Bai Meizhen and I in the stands when the preliminary begins.¡±

 Chapter Threads 204-Opening Day 2

    Threads 204-Opening Day 2


    The Bai delegation¡¯s arrival point was less attention catching than the grand pavilion being set up by the Cai but no less ostentatious. A coach house worth of carriages and black furred horses tended to by a small army of servants was set out to one side of a literal mansion that had certainly not been there the previous day.


    The mansion was three stories high with tiered, elegantly curved roofs tiled in a midnight blue that seemed to ripple like the gentle surface of the lake. The soldiers arrayed outside were not garbed like their Emerald Seas counterparts, favoring instead looser robes worn under a curraise of metal arranged like scales and well fitted armored gloves.


    Renxiang and Ling Qi were not left to wait outside for very long. News of their arrival was carried by a blank-faced doorman in robes of deepest black, his face marked by patches of black scale. Passing through the door of that mansion, it was all Ling Qi could do not to visibly shudder. There was death carved into these walls and the doorway itself, thrumming in the very air. Death and unwavering eyes. Ling Qi would not care to enter this place uninvited, even with all the time in the world to prepare.


    Inside, the mansion was well appointed despite the low threat in the air that kept the hairs on the back of her neck up. The halls were wide and well lit, the walls grown over with some kind of carefully cultured flowering ivy which gave off a soothing scent. The sound of softly running water filled her ears, and she saw in glimpses of side rooms many small fountains and artificial waterfalls.


    The room they were shown to was a spacious chamber lit from above by warm, bright light. The light was cast by a single large stone affixed to the ceiling, glowing like a miniature sun. It put out as much heat as light, and combined with the artificial waterfall built into the rear of the room, it filled the room with a sticky summer heat more intense than what Ling Qi was used to. In front of the churning pool into which the water fell was a long polished table lined with many seats.


    Ling Qi¡¯s gaze flicked to Meizhen and Xiao Fen first, the two of them seated to the left side of the table. Well, Meizhen was seated, wearing her Cai gown and the sash that had been gifted to her by Bao Qingling. Xiao Fen stood at attention behind her seat. The younger girl had achieved the third realm since Ling Qi had seen her last.


    At the center of the table in a high back seat was a white caste Bai woman she did not recognize. She wore a glimmering pale blue gown that seemed almost liquid in texture, and her white hair was gathered in a series of elaborate looping braids which fell over her shoulders and down her back. Yellow eyes peered down at them from a face rounder than Meizhen¡¯s more angular features.


    Ling Qi remembered the advice Meizhen had given her in their planning for this.


    ¡°It is important among my kin,¡± Meizhen had said, ¡°even more than the rest of the Empire to show the proper deference to one''s superiors in rank and strength. However, it is just as important to not allow deference to become subservience, at least among nobles. If you act like a servant, you will be treated as a servant.¡±


    So Ling Qi cast her eyes down, fixing her gaze on the Bai ambassador¡¯s thin, unpainted lips. However, she did not bend her neck any further nor shudder at the wave of animal terror that clawed at her subconscious. That, at least, she was well practiced with.


    Sixiang grumbled, sounding rattled.


    ¡°Ambassador Bai Xilai,¡± Cai Renxiang greeted. Ling Qi made her bows alongside her liege. ¡°It is my honor to welcome you to the Argent Peak Sect. I regret only that my mother¡¯s arrival was delayed. I hope you will accept my company in her place until this is rectified.¡±


    Under half-lidded eyes, Ling Qi scanned the others present at the table. Directly to Bai Xilai¡¯s left was a calmly smiling man with deep violet hair, airy gray robes, and a wispy figure. He looked at them with indulgent curiosity, adjusting the small glass lenses that sat on his nose.


    Behind him, a tall figure in black silks stood, yellow eyes peering at her from behind an opaque black veil. She could make out no more than that about them. Their features were shrouded in shadow. Just looking at them made Ling Qi feel like a knife¡¯s edge was being run across her skin. They were death wrapped in silk.


    ¡°It is unfortunate, but matters of governance must come before the indulgence of outsiders,¡± Bai Xilai said. ¡°As Her Grace¡¯s heir, you are an acceptable substitute until this evening.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your indulgence, Lady Bai,¡± Cai Renxiang said, keeping her head bowed for another beat.


    On Bai Xilai''s right past several Bai functionaries sat a man Ling Qi struggled for a moment to place. It was only when the man glanced her way did his plain, tired features snap into focus. This was Hou Zhuang, Meizhen¡¯s father, who she had met at last year¡¯s tournament.


    ¡°For our good allies, the people of the Emerald Seas, such a small thing does not require thanks, but please, sit. We intend to enjoy a small meal before the day¡¯s activities. You and your second are welcome at my table.¡±


    Ling Qi felt the Bai matron¡¯s gaze briefly flick toward her, and for a moment, she felt as if she were sinking deep into a dark lake, pulled down by the current, water spilling into her lungs. She mastered herself, not allowing a single visible twitch in her stance. The feeling faded. There was no approval or even acknowledgement in the woman¡¯s gaze, but neither was there any disdain.


    She chose her seat to the left of Cai Renxiang, who sat down across from the ambassador. Here, too, she remembered Meizhen¡¯s words.


    ¡°The seat directly to the left of a lord is the most honored, indicating great trust and admiration for martial ability,¡± Bai Meizhen had explained. ¡°Sitting to the left in general is a sign of favor. In this, we favor the great Yao, whose left hand was his favored one.¡±


    Ling Qi stole another glance at the man seated to the ambassador¡¯s left, who had turned to quietly speak with Meizhen. The chilling shadow behind him still watched the two of them with unblinking eyes.


    Bai Xilai rang the delicate crystal handbell which sat on the table in front of her, subtly signaling hidden side doors in the room to open and begin disgorging servants. ¡°Allow me to make further introductions. To my left is the Master Scholar Xia Lushen, husband to Heiress Bai Suzhen.¡±


    The thin man¡¯s gaze turned back to them, and he smiled good-naturedly. ¡°Young Lady Cai, Baroness, it pleases me to meet you.¡±


    Ling Qi returned the pleasantries. Xia was the Violet Coral caste, sometimes referred to as sea snakes. They were the Bai clan¡¯s scholars and astronomers as well as their shipbuilders and navigators. They were obviously different from the local Xia, who were a hill tribe before General Xia Ren took an imperial name.


    ¡°It gladdens me that Lady Bai trusts our province so,¡± Cai Renxiang said politely.


    Ling Qi thought that was silly considering his shadow, but niceties were niceties.


    ¡°The Duchess Cai is most reliable,¡± Xia Lushen replied. ¡°But I am merely pleased at the opportunity to visit my niece. And if I may indulge myself, I am eager for the chance to study the artifacts from these underground creatures.¡±


    Ambassador Xilai waited a beat after he finished speaking to continue, an unusual display of respect from a White Serpent to a lower caste, according to what Meizhen had told her. She supposed that he was Bai Suzhen¡¯s husband though.


    ¡°I need not introduce my niece,¡± Bai Xilai continued, gesturing to Meizhen. ¡°It is known to me that you are good friends.¡±


    For a moment, Ling Qi was confused, but then, she recalled being told that in public settings, all members of a caste referred to each other in direct familial terms. Members of the same generation were brothers and sisters unless married, and the younger generation were all nieces and nephews unless they were the older Bai¡¯s actual children. This was to foster internal unity. Considering the other things Meizhen had implied, Ling Qi thought the practice had failed at that long ago.


    ¡°You are correct, Ambassador. Bai Meizhen has been a steadfast ally throughout my time in the Sect,¡± Cai Renxiang praised. ¡°She has been instrumental to my success.¡±


    ¡°Lady Cai gives too much praise,¡± Bai Meizhen replied demurely.


    ¡°A Bai should always accept praise which is due,¡± Bai Xilai said, finishing the little verbal dance. ¡°Such is learned from experience however. Experience I am glad she will soon receive.¡±


    ¡°The Bai clan has agreed to participate in my outreach then?¡± Cai Renxiang asked.


    ¡°Lady Suzhen has given it due consideration and agrees that it will be a good experience for her niece,¡± Bai Xilai clarified. Ling Qi noticed that she said nothing about the viability of the project itself. There were limits to politeness, it seemed.


    As servants began to stream in, setting out the dishes, Ling Qi¡¯s gaze turned to the right, studying the other two attendees sitting between Bai Xilai and Hou Zhuang. They were both fairly young. It was hard to know just by looking with cultivators, but Ling Qi judged them no more than eighteen or nineteen.


    The one directly to Bai Xilai¡¯s right was a tall, willowy young man. He had an aristocratic, handsome face, and his long black hair that fell to his shoulders was shot through with streaks of deepest violet. His yellow eyes were fairly striking, and she thought he might actually be wearing a touch of eye shadow. He reminded her of Lin Hai in style with closely fitted blue and gray clothes.


    She judged him to be of the same caste as Xia Lushen.


    The second was probably the biggest Bai she had ever seen. He probably had a centimeter or two on her with a much more solid build than his kin. He wore armor much like the guards outside but with the sleeves absent. This left his heavily muscled arms bare, save for a pair of bronze bands around his upper arms. His skin had a ruddier tinge than the other Bai, and his arms and hands, particularly his knuckles, were covered by dark red scales. His features were more masculine to Ling Qi¡¯s eye, but they still held some of the aristocratic sharpness she expected from a Bai. His dark brownish red hair was shaved near to his scalp.


    His caste was obvious. The Red Python, considered the lowest caste besides the Gray, the mortals, were typically laborers and craftsmen in more common fields with a fair number serving as the foot soldiers of the Bai¡¯s armies. However, this one¡¯s cultivation was no less than that of his companions, sitting firmly at the sixth step of the green realm.


    ¡°On my right are two of the candidates the clan has selected to be a part of her retinue. Xia Anxi is well recommended among his generation as an expert astrologer, speaker, and singer,¡± Bai Xilai introduced, gesturing to the young man to her immediate right.


    ¡°An interesting choice,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°I have no reason to doubt your words of praise.¡±


    ¡°It is my understanding that there are interesting things in the far south¡¯s sky,¡± Xia Anxi said with a thin smile. ¡°And that these foreigners hold some esteem for musical talent.¡±


    ¡°It is more the particulars of my style,¡± Ling Qi said, speaking up. ¡°However, I am certain your assistance to Lady Meizhen will be invaluable.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± he mused. ¡°I might like to hear a demonstration of your style then, Baroness, and see for myself.¡±


    ¡°The other,¡± Bai Xilai said, cutting him off more swiftly, ¡°is Lao Keung. Lady Suzhen has sponsored him specifically as a promising officer, and due to certain circumstances, she judges that he will be best served completing his training for that role leading my niece¡¯s guard detachment.¡±


    Lao Keung did not smile as he dipped his head. Ling Qi thought she saw a glimmer of black humor in his eyes. ¡°It is an honor to so directly serve the great White Serpents. I look forward to adding my own small strength to guarding the expedition''s safety. I hope to learn from your experiences with foreign foes and battlefields.¡±


    ¡°And lastly, there is Hou Zhuang, who is here to observe as well,¡± Bai Xilai finished dismissively.


    As she finished speaking, everyone fell silent to allow the servants to lay out the meal, and Ling Qi considered what she should do going forward. Cai Renxiang would continue engaging with the ambassador.


    All of them, Meizhen, Renxiang, and Ling Qi, had agreed that she would be better served helping to sound out the lower status members of the delegation. It would be harder for Meizhen to get anything out of them as their boss, so her efforts would not only help their expedition but also her friend.


    She glanced between the two Bai and considered what topic to try and open conversation with.

 Chapter Threads 205-Opening Day 3

    Threads 205-Opening Day 3


    Ling Qi listened as Cai Renxiang and the ambassador continued to trade pleasantries and small talk with Xia Lushen and Meizhen sometimes cutting in. She did wish she could just chat with her friend, but that would come later when they weren¡¯t in such a formal situation.


    She watched the servers set out the refreshments. They did smell good. Ling Qi only recognized a few of the dishes. Fish had never been common in Tonghou, but now, she saw more types than she could name in as many different styles, steamed, roasted, fried, even raw. She eyed a platter stacked high with some kind of orange shelled bug things that were still twitching. There were a few non-fish dishes as well. She recognized cuts of venison and pork arranged artfully and drizzled with some kind of rich red sauce.


    There were, she noticed, no vegetable dishes. Spices, sauces, and garnishes were the only non-meats on the table. The Bai were, after all, half-serpent and predators by nature.


    ¡°The Bai are generous,¡± Ling Qi said, turning her eyes back to the two young men. She pitched her voice low to avoid interrupting the conversation of her superiors. ¡°I admit I am a little spoiled for choice. Do you have any recommendations?¡±


    ¡°The dishes served on the black plates are suitable only for Bai stomachs,¡± Xia Anxi answered lightly. ¡°While the toxins add a kick I enjoy, you would not, I think.¡±


    Ling Qi eyed the plate in front of him on which sat cubes of fish skewered on what looked awfully like organic spines. She was not inclined to make a fool of herself trying something that would hurt her.


    ¡°The abalone,¡± Lao Keung said shortly, gesturing to a series of small shallow bowls on a nearby platter. Each one was filled with a dark brown sauce in which she saw a type of meat she didn¡¯t recognize.


    ¡°Ah, as a Coral, I cannot object to recommending our shellfish. It¡¯s a bit simple though.¡± Xia Anxi bit through the skewering spine on one of his chosen meals with a snap. Something black and sizzling dripped onto his plate, and Ling Qi was quite certain she saw it etching the porcelain. ¡°I might suggest the prawn.¡±


    ¡°Simple is good at times. But the prawn is good too. I suggest the cooked platter,¡± Lao Keung said. There was a faint crunch as he twisted the head from one of the orange bug things, which she supposed was a prawn. She watched him pop the still twitching body into his mouth.


    ¡°Thank you for your advice,¡± Ling Qi said. She took one of the little bowls and took a moment to try a piece of the meat. It had a strange texture unlike anything she¡¯d had before, but it was very tender. She eyed the other platter indicated, stacked with what she now supposed were more ¡°prawn¡± already stripped of their heads and shells and battered. She tentatively took two of those as well.


    ¡°So, if I may ask, what do you already know of the enemies here?¡± Ling Qi ventured politely.


    ¡°The nomads have begun coalitioning again. A concern, certainly,¡± Xia Anxi said. ¡°The Bai do have some minor dealings with such barbarians, but that is more my companion¡¯s field.¡±


    ¡°I do not have experience in the south, nor did my father or mother,¡± Lao Keung said shortly. ¡°The Asp¡¯s rangers deal with such strays.¡±


    Asps¡­ Those were the green, Ling Qi recalled. A memory surfaced of horrified golden eyes freezing over.


    ¡°Ah, yes, I suppose it would be. Forgive my ignorance,¡± Xia Anxi said. ¡°I have studied what texts we have on the nomads. I am certain our hosts will provide us with more.¡±


    Lao Keung grunted an agreement, twisting the head from another prawn with the faintest crunch. ¡°But there is a more dangerous foe, isn¡¯t there?¡±


    ¡°More dangerous in that our knowledge of them is lacking,¡± Ling Qi corrected. ¡°It is best not to underestimate the nomads in the center of their power.¡±


    ¡°It is true that a cornered rat fights the most fiercely,¡± Xia Anxi said. ¡°I imagine the fact that they are so hard to corner must make them that much more vicious when you do.¡±


    ¡°Just so,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°But as you¡¯ve said, there are many sources for knowledge on the nomads. Experience with these newer enemies is harder to find.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but it is known that you are among those with such knowledge, is it not, Baroness?¡± Xia Anxi riposted with a smile, resting his hands on his chin.


    Lao Keung merely watched her silently.


    ¡°It is true,¡± Ling Qi said, not humbly but with firm confidence. ¡°I discovered and helped eliminate one of their assassins the day that Elder Zhou passed, and I was among the party which scouted their home ground.¡±


    ¡°Significant accomplishments from what I have heard. How do they fight?¡± Lao Keung asked.


    Ling Qi bought herself a moment by sampling another piece of the abalone. How should she go about describing it?


    Sixiang murmured.


    ¡°Flexibly,¡± Ling Qi said slowly, allowing Sixiang to help her guide her words and expressions. ¡°They fight flexibly. The assassin I faced first was my equal or better in the arts of stealth. It was only through certain brash action that I was able to leave them open to my fellow disciple¡¯s crippling blow. Some might have called it reckless even, but against such tactical superiority¡­¡±


    ¡°Victory often comes to the brash,¡¯ Lao Keung agreed.


    ¡°Only with much waste,¡± Xia Anxi noted idly.


    ¡°A good general must spend her resources like tokens of rare jade, but spend them, she must,¡± Lao Keung replied back with a coolness in his expression.


    ¡°That explains the budgets of Zhenjian, I suppose,¡± Xia Anxi jabbed back. ¡°But Baroness, continue. Why then do you describe them as flexible? it sounds as if the foe you faced was anything but, outside of the physical sense.¡±


    ¡°Because such assassins are only one tool in their arsenal,¡± Ling Qi explained. ¡°From speaking to others who fought and my own experiences under the earth, they are a very adjustable foe. Sometimes, they come with great hordes of beasts guided by a few masters who grow powerful from the deaths around them. At other times, they form disciplined ranks and make use of assassins or powerful cultivators of spiritual pain. I have seen them raise a legion of flying mounts, and I have seen one of their officers track us even in the realm of dream.¡±


    ¡°You make them sound like imperial armies,¡± Xia Anxi said mildly.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t a bad comparison,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°In kind, if not in quality. That is my point. They are a foe with well varied tactics and tricks, unlike many barbarians.¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Lao Keung said, looking at her now. ¡°What would you say is their greatest disadvantage then?¡±


    Ling Qi pondered that for a moment. ¡°I would say their inability to operate freely on the surface, but we have that disadvantage as well in their home ground.¡±


    ¡°Yes, rather a wash, isn¡¯t it?¡± Xia Anxi hummed, drinking from a cup of some kind of clear wine. ¡°I imagine that is why your Duchess chose subjugation. It really wouldn¡¯t be worth the trouble to go further, would it?¡±


    Ling Qi nodded absently. ¡°It¡¯s their organization, I think. I wasn¡¯t able to discern a central leader. I suspect they might not even have one. That will weaken and slow their responses. More than that though, it¡¯s their lack of unity.¡±


    ¡°You did not make that sound like a problem when describing their military,¡± Lao Keung said curiously.


    ¡°I don¡¯t refer to that level. They are, according to Her Grace, a collection of city states. Can a city, or even a few cities, really stand against a province in the long term?¡± Ling Qi asked rhetorically. ¡°Strength and bravery are important, but I have learned how important resources are.


    It was the weight of resources that allowed her to keep up her own cultivation. It was access to endless libraries and resources which put those like Meizhen permanently ahead of her, although such things could only supplement talent.


    But if her liege or Meizhen or even Sun Liling had dealt with her situation, would they truly be so far ahead?


    ¡°If that is the position of the Cai, I understand why Lady Suzhen chose to ally with your Duchess,¡± Xia Anxi said.


    Lao Keung looked disgruntled for a moment, but it passed as swiftly as an eyeblink. ¡°It is not a bad base on which to build your thinking. Don¡¯t underestimate a foe just because their resources are poor.¡±


    ¡°That was not my intent. These barbarians are still quite dangerous,¡± Ling Qi replied.


    Her chosen main course was gone, and so she was left with these prawn. It seemed weird to her to eat with her hands at a formal dinner, but glances around the table had shown her this seemed appropriate for a few of the dishes. Hiding her disquiet, Ling Qi bit into one and blinked at the savory taste of the meat under the spiced batter.


    ¡°You think that they will threaten the diplomatic forces directly?¡± Lao Keung asked.


    Ling Qi took a moment to finish chewing and took a small drink from the cup a servant had poured for her, chilling the watered wine as she took a hold of it. ¡°I think that even a barbarian would understand the threat of an enemy gaining more allies.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Lao Keung said, a smile briefly tugging at his lips. ¡°Too often, we forget that our enemies do not want to die.¡±


    ¡°If you are acting properly, their opinion on the matter should be moot, no?¡± Xia Anxi drawled, but she could tell his attention was wandering back toward the ambassador and her liege.


    ¡°As if reality is ever so easy,¡± Lao Keung scoffed.


    ¡°I generally agree,¡± Ling Qi said carefully. ¡°As one of my elders has said, the world is not a go board. There are no players. Every piece moves itself.¡±


    Xia Anxi nodded noncommittally.


    Loa Keung gave an approving grunt. ¡°I would like to hear a bit more, Baroness. Would you give some details of your journey under the earth?¡±


    She did so, not embellishing the tale by too much. She did leave out her observations of the shishigui¡¯s river settlement though. She still wasn¡¯t certain of how she felt about that.


    The brief meal was soon winding down. Servants took away the food that remained, and there was quite a lot of it. That bothered her just a little in the corner of her mind. The girl who had lived on scraps and leavings abhorred such waste.


    Sixiang analyzed.


    Ling Qi hadn¡¯t thought of that, but it made sense. The Bai were not kind by any measure, but deliberate wastefulness was not one of their vices. She let that idle thought drift away as she turned back to her liege and the Bai ambassador. They would be accompanying them to their box to view the preliminaries.

 Chapter Threads 206-Opening Day 4

    Threads 206-Opening Day 4


    It felt strange to be among the audience rather than down on the field, Ling Qi thought, moving to take her seat in the Duchess¡¯ observation box. It was set high in the stands, overhanging the lower seats. Its thick walls were constructed to dampen sound and qi from the outside as well as contain the power within from flowing out.


    The older cultivators took the largest and most comfortable seats, just below the empty throne of living wood and metal reserved for the Duchess, but even the seats at the balcony¡¯s edge left for them were luxurious constructions of polished wood and comfortable silk cushions. Cai Renxiang was seated behind her with the ambassador and Bai Suzhen¡¯s husband. She tried to ignore the deathly presence that accompanied him. Although¡­ should there not have been someone else as well?


    She dismissed the idea as a bit of anxiety caused by her company and settled into her seat. Bai Meizhen sat on her left side and the two young men on her right. In this scenario, Meizhen had told her, putting her at the center was something of an intimidation play. Not malicious really, but just¡­ habitual to the Bai. Ling Qi retained her pleasant smile and allowed a bit of her own qi to leak out, adding a real chill to the air to go with the spiritual one.


    ¡°The high air in the Wall is bracing, isn¡¯t it?¡± Ling Qi commented idly, looking down onto the four tournament platforms and the green fields.


    ¡°I have found it clears the mind well,¡± Bai Meizhen replied.


    ¡°I am sure it only takes some acclimation.¡± Xia Anxi,seated beside her, leaned imperceptibly away from her chill.


    Ling Qi turned her head just a little and raised her eyebrow a hair.


    The young man beside her pursed his lips for the briefest moment and settled into his seat, lazily letting his hand fall on the armrest beside hers. Ling Qi kept her expression neutral, but she allowed herself an internal smirk. Respectful, but never subservient, as Meizhen had said.


    Sixiang snickered.


    On his other side, Lao Keung sat down as well, looking uncomfortable as he settled into the thickly cushioned seat. ¡°What standouts can we expect to be worthy of watching, Baroness?¡± he asked.


    ¡°There is your own Xiao Fen of course, but I doubt she will find challenges here in the preliminary,¡± Ling Qi said politely.


    ¡°I should hope not.¡± Bai Meizhen sniffed haughtily, crossing her hands in her lap.


    ¡°It would be terribly rude,¡± Ling Qi said dryly. Given the Duchess¡¯ machinations, she felt it extremely doubtful that the Sect would arrange for Xiao Fen to find herself in a preliminary with any of the other genuinely troublesome entrants


    ¡°Rude, yes,¡± Lao Keung said neutrally. ¡°Is it expected for all the matches to be so polite?¡±


    ¡°Doubtful,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Between the previous year and new talent rising, there are more third realms than there are Inner Sect slots.¡±


    ¡°How prosperous,¡± Xia Anxi said. ¡°I am sure the Sect is almost troubled by such overflowing abundance.¡±


    ¡°Most likely,¡± Ling Qi replied blithely. ¡°I would recommend keeping an eye on Gan Guangli. As my fellow retainer, he is no doubt eager to make up for the errors of last year.¡±


    ¡°It is most unfortunate that he found his footing troubled by unwanted weeds,¡± Bai Meizhen said coolly. ¡°I wish your fellow good fortune, Baroness Ling.¡±


    ¡°My thanks, Lady Bai,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°Weeds, hm,¡± Lao Keung said.


    ¡°Such troublesome things,¡± Xia Anxi commiserated.


    ¡°As someone who has recently begun to dabble in the art of gardening, I must agree,¡± Ling Qi said innocently. ¡°But look, Sect Head Yuan is about to begin speaking.¡±


    The speech was not so much different from last year. There was a greater emphasis on unity and looking forward perhaps but not so different. However, Ling Qi could not help but feel that some of the energy and drive had gone from the old man¡¯s voice.


    It worried her for if she could notice, surely, most of the audience could.


    Soon enough, the Outer Sect entrants were streaming into the arenas. There were even more than last year. She would have thought the number of greens, of which she had counted twelve already, would be discouraging. She recognized Gan Guangli and a young man beside him and one of the twin sisters who had been her bodyguards last year, Han Jian and Han Fang, Lu Feng and two others wearing western colors, Xiao Fen, and a tall, muscular girl who she felt she ought to recognize, and two other older looking disciples. Perhaps the Sect had bolstered their spirits in some way.


    She let that thought drift away as she focused on Gan Guangli, standing in the upper right ring as the formations went active and the stage transformed. She could sense its function more clearly now, the way it created a bubble in space by disrupting the qi in the area, weakening and stretching its bonds.


    Gan Guangli appeared at the top of a high cliff overlooking a rushing river, running fast and whitecapped through a cleft in two mountains. A part of the Wall? He stood still for only a moment, his white and gold armor gleaming under the sunset. The cloak of fourth realm spidersilk he had acquired on their journey to the south billowed behind him in the wind, and she saw that it was now edged in gold and embroidered with crimson butterflies, the symbol of the Cai.


    Then his hand rose to his ear, and Ling Qi saw his lips move. ¡°Report location.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t able to hear whatever response he was undoubtedly hearing as he rapidly scanned the landscape around him. She could feel the communication though and trace the expression through the air like shimmering threads, going out to nearly a half dozen others. A young man in armor similar to Gan¡¯s, though of much lower quality, leapt from river rock to river rock with a spear on his shoulder. There, Ma Lei, one of the pair of sisters who had once ¡°guarded¡± her in the Outer Sect, was standing in a cave with her hand on the cool stone wall. The threads also went to other faces, who she couldn¡¯t even pretend to recognize.


    ¡°So many allies. It is difficult to see him failing,¡± Xia Anxi noted, his voice echoing from outside the bubble.


    ¡°Part of his task was to maintain Lady Cai¡¯s control of the Outer Sect. That his network is extensive is a sign of his success,¡± Ling Qi explained.


    Gan Guangli himself continued to hold his hand to his ear as he turned toward the mountain rising behind him and began to climb in swift, bounding steps. Plumes of dust rose from cracked stone with each leap, carrying him higher and higher up the slope. Moving back until his soldiers could take care of more of the opponents? No, Ling Qi realized as he reached a wide plateau overlooking the whole of the artificial battlefield, that was what she would do.


    Sixiang drawled.


    Gan Guangli turned on his heel, and she saw liquid gold gleam in his eyes as he clapped his hands together, and three further thunderous claps followed. The sun rose over the mountain, and blazing light obliterated every shadow and veil on the upper mountain, drawing startled cries from disciples who had been trying to hide. Her own stealth arts could have resisted that, but it would be hopeless for a second realm.


    ¡°He has learned, I think,¡± Meizhen commented.


    In the arena, a figure burning with golden sunlight leapt like a meteor from the riverside, his own third realm cultivation drawing her attention. His spinning spear sent a pair of disciples dogging his heels down to crash into the rushing mountain waters. Stone bubbled and melted, and Ma Lei rose on a pillar of clay, her spirit bearing the signs of several failed breakthrough attempts. The wind whipped, and three more of Gan¡¯s soldiers dropped in formation onto the cliff he had originally stood upon.


    ¡°It is not a commanding officer''s duty to stand beside his men, but to be the rock upon which their efforts turn,¡± Meizhen continued. ¡°It is good that our allies understand this.¡±


    Ling Qi understood what Gan Guangli was doing, standing up there like a beacon, his sun shrouded allies arrayed on the mountain a tier below. He had displayed that hiding was impossible, and he had gathered his allies. Now, the remaining disciples could make two choices: join hands to topple him, or be hunted down like dogs one by one. Worse, in this setting, they would look very pathetic if they refused such a blatant challenge.


    It might be called foolish, even arrogant, but Gan Guangli couldn¡¯t afford to simply succeed at this tournament. Under the Duchess¡¯ challenge, he needed to excel.


    ¡°Too bold a strategy, but this is a tournament. Glory is more important here,¡± Lao Keung mused.


    ¡°Glory is always important,¡± Xia Anxi disagreed. ¡°If you do not make sure that the extent of your power is known, you will always be challenged by little nits.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t changed entirely though, Ling Qi thought. Gan¡¯s height was still mounting, and his broad shoulders expanding. His domain weapon, three pairs of phantasmal golden hands clapped in prayer behind his back, was still the same, though the hands were more solid and more defined than they had been when last she saw them.


    It took a few tense minutes before the thought which had come to her percolated through the other disciples in the arena. Gan and his fellow disciples stood serene on the sunlit mountain waiting for their challenge to be answered. It didn¡¯t take long. Multihued arrows shot from the mouth of a cave across the river toward the other third realm, and a half dozen shadows resolved into figures dashing up the mountain as well, their weapons flashing in the light.


    A tasseled spearhead blurred, splitting three arrowheads, and though the energies in them flashed, blasting the stone and earth to send the cliffside crumbling into the river, the spearmen emerged from the smoke running backward up the sheer cliff unharmed. His foes struck, their cries drowned out by crumbling stone, their own weapons blurring. One of the golden hands clasped behind Gan Guangli thrust forward, and the flashing spear became a falling meteor, shattering the weapons with its edge.


    Further down the mountain, Ma Lei and other disciples fought against a growing, desperate swarm of their peers. Techniques and weapons burned and blurred through the air, tearing up the weedy flora and scraggly trees that clung to the mountainside. Four against a dozen or more, they fought ferociously, but they were still being pushed back.


    A second of the hands behind Gan Guangli thrust out, and flesh became steel. A warhammer struck her former bodyguard¡¯s chest and bounced away with no more impact than a feather. Her own fist, gleaming metallic and white, struck out with a thunderous boom that sent her opponent tumbling down the mountain.


    All around the mountain, the scene repeated itself. Small groups of Gan Guangli¡¯s followers fought against many times their number, and each time they were pressed, a golden hand would strike the air with a sound like a temple gong, and they would be shored up, holding and pushing back their foes.


    ¡°That is quite good. I wonder how many groups he can keep track of with that art. Six like the hands, or are they only a distraction?¡± Lao Keung analyzed. ¡±Theater for enemy scouts.¡±


    ¡°His followers are doing well enough against the rabble. I wonder though, I thought I smelt blood going in. Where are those disgusting little sunflowers hiding?¡± Xia Anxi scanned the arena.


    ¡°They¡¯re coming in swiftly,¡± Ling Qi answered. It took Sixiang guiding her eyes to see them since her own perception arts didn¡¯t penetrate the tournament ring. Sixiang could feel them through their thoughts, eager and bloodthirsty. They were coming under the earth in burrowing roots. Gan Guangli didn¡¯t seem to have detected them yet.


    She felt the qi on the mountaintop shift, a haziness in the air, and a beautiful song on the wind, a restful song, a playful song. She saw soldiers falter, and blows begin to slip through their guard.


    Gan Guangli¡¯s fist, his real one, snapped out and struck the air. There was an immense crack, and for an instant, Ling Qi saw spiderwebbing cracks around Gan Guangli¡¯s fist, spreading through empty air, leaking spiritual power into the material world. The song transformed into a garbled screech of random sound, the haze dispersed like mist in a hurricane.


    Sixiang grumbled with dissatisfaction.


    And the moment he did, Ling Qi felt wood qi surge under the mountain. Brilliant green lances erupted under his subordinates, thick spires of plant flesh that unfurled as they reached air, opening into sticky fanged maws that snapped shut around nearly half of his followers. Only the spearman struck back, tearing apart the stalk of his attacker in a spray of stinking sap. The spires immediately began to retract, dragging their captives down into the earth. The other disciples who remained, surged forward to take advantage.


    For the first time in the match, Gan Guangli let out a familiar bellow as he knelt and punched the ground beneath him. Three golden hands slammed down into the rock as well, and the plateau shook. A moment later, blazing golden radiance showed through the cracks in the stone, and a tremendous golden hand erupted from the earth, dragging with it a mass of green flesh, spasming roots and tendrils.


    The hand squeezed, and the knot of flesh at its core split apart like a rotten melon, spilling out two figures. One was a young woman with tanned skin and dark red hair, ringing bells attached to every loose edge of her flowing dress. The other was a lithe young man in formfitting armor of beast hide with pale green bracers of living wood and plant life on his wrists.


    From now limp jaws, his followers tore themselves free, plummeting back to earth to join their fellows. Below, Gan Guangli, grown to over four meters in height, leapt upward with an earthshaking boom, golden hands arrayed into fists. Two crossed in front of him, catching a stream of smoking poisonously green liquid. Two clasped in prayer, the ringing of a temple gong dispelling the creeping illusions Ling Qi could feel forming in the air. Two more golden hands and two fists of flesh struck the plant-wielding young man all across his body.


    Within two seconds, Ling Qi had lost count of the punches thrown. Within three, Gan Guangli and the westerner had struck the earth in a plume of rockdust, and the sounds of striking fists did not stop.


    ¡°Good show,¡± Xia Anxi said, amused. ¡°It might be a bit crude, but I can appreciate some simple flexing.¡±


    ¡°It is good that he did not allow them even a small victory,¡± Meizhen said primly. ¡°Trash should remain where it belongs.¡±


    Lower on the mountain, Gan Guangli¡¯s followers had reduced their odds to more even ones, and as sunlight bloomed again, stiffening spines and putting weight behind their blows, it became clear that if the other disciples had an opportunity to bring them down, it had passed. And when they finished and joined their commander, the girl from the western territories had no chance.


    ¡°Well, it seems your fellow has overcome his bout of misfortune,¡± Xia Anxi said, leaning back in his seat.


    ¡°I can¡¯t judge his abilities fully from this scenario, but it does seem he knows his followers well,¡± Lao Keung concluded. Down below in the tournament field, Gan Guangli was speaking and gesticulating to his followers on the broken mountainside. One by one, the second realms bowed and made their forfeits. ¡°They do not resent him at all.¡±


    ¡°He is their better.¡± Xia Anxi shrugged.


    Lao Keung grunted.


    ¡°He is heavily involved with their drilling,¡± Ling Qi elaborated. ¡°He has improved a lot at discerning value.¡±


    Like Zhengui, Gan Guangli had something she lacked. She sincerely hoped that he succeeded in the Duchess¡¯ test. Cai Renxiang needed more than she had to give if she was going to achieve her goals.


    Her liege gave no outward sign of her true feelings as she chatted with the ambassador about the matches, but Ling Qi knew that seeing this first hurdle overcome so completely had to be a balm on her mind.


    Soon, the matches were over, and only the winners remained. In the first ring, Gan Guangli and Gun Jun, the spearman, stood. Given his friendliness with Gan Guangli, she took a moment to scrutinize his face and remember his name.


    In her head, Sixiang snorted.


    In the second ring was a boy she didn¡¯t know and Han Jian, her¡­ probably friend from last year. Although with how long it had been, she didn¡¯t know if the word still applied. The third ring held Xiao Fen and an older green realm whose name she didn¡¯t recall, and the last held the muscular girl and another green she didn¡¯t know.


    The first round of the preliminaries was completed.

 Chapter Threads 207-Opening Day 5

    Threads 207-Opening Day 5


    Ling Qi looked down at the rings filling up for the second round of the preliminaries with mild interest. In this set, there were even fewer people who she knew by name.


    Han Fang and Ma Jun were both acquaintances from last year. Looking at Han Fang caused her to pause, staring at the squat young man beside him. Recognition flickered. That was Fan Yu, Xiulan¡¯s former fianc¨¦. She had never much cared for him, but by the end, most of her dislike had guttered out into pity. It looked like he had managed to achieve the bronze physique, if only barely, so perhaps Xiulan¡¯s final exit from their arrangement had helped him focus.


    The other person she recognized was Lu Feng, Sun Liling¡¯s subordinate from last year. She had never interacted with him much, but he had been instrumental in defeating Gan Guangli in last year''s tournament and had been heading his opposition this year. She wished him the illest luck.


    ¡°Anyone of interest in these rounds?¡± Xia Anxi asked. ¡°I see one of the grandsons of the Butcher¡¯s pet Lu, but none who might oppose him in his ring.¡±


    Lu Feng was, unfortunately, a match for Gan Guangli at the third stage of the third realm. She assumed the Sun family or even just his own family had funnelled resources to him.


    ¡°There is the Han scion,¡± Ling Qi introduced politely. ¡°We were sparring partners once or twice last year, and he has a good tactical mind. I might also suggest the zither girl in the third ring with bells in her hair.¡±


    Ma Jun looked more confident and less shrinking than the last time Ling Qi had seen her, having achieved a full third realm breakthrough. Her gown was more flattering, and Ling Qi had seen her trading flushed smiles with that other fellow, Gun Jun, as they passed one another in the intermission. She supposed that Gan Guangli wouldn¡¯t let anything untoward happen under his watch.


    ¡°What marks that one out from the rest of the early green contestants?¡± Lao Keung asked.


    ¡°She was something of a subordinate of mine, and it looks like she has been both hardworking and fortunate in the last year,¡± Ling Qi answered. ¡°I only mean to wish her luck. Excuse the personal fancy.¡±


    Lao Keung made a grunt of acknowledgment.


    ¡°Does the baroness intend to assemble a troupe?¡± Xia Anxi asked, amused. ¡°I have heard of the efforts you have gone through to promote your bound spirit¡¯s song.¡±


    ¡°That is not my intention, but collaboration with other musicians is enjoyable from time to time,¡± Ling Qi riposted. ¡°I have a small group. Would you care to join us in the future?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps. It might be entertaining,¡± Xia Anxi allowed. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure if he meant it or not.


    Below, the matches were starting.


    Ling Qi looked down, switching her attention from one scene to another in turn. Ma Jun was slipping behind a colonnade of rock formations in a fungi lit cavern, her fingers beginning to pick out the first notes of a song. Han Fang sped through a forest of scrubby trees in a river valley as a large feline shape emerged from his shadow, and Lu Feng stood in a flower filled meadow with his eyes shut and his arms crossed over his chest.


    These matches, Ling Qi thought, did not have the same tension. The majority of the third realms seemed to have been in the first set, although, scanning the arenas, she was quite sure that there were still at least two in each. Many of these third realms were only partially in the third, like Fan Yu.


    ¡°What a lovely beast,¡± Xia Anxi commented. ¡°The black tigers of the east are often reluctant partners from what I hear. The Han prefer the more bombastic breeds.¡±


    Ling Qi focused on Han Fang as his hammer bent another disciple over double, and the lithe black tiger at his side licked one of its paws, streamers of dispersing mist the only sign of the unfortunate disciple¡¯s own companion. She then sped past both humans, a blur of crimson eyes and black fur, to shred apart a crooked tree with a swipe of her paw and a hair-raising roar, sending the disciple hiding in it tumbling through the open air.


    ¡°Han Fang is unusual. He is more like a Viper for his cousin, the heir¡¯s son,¡± Meizhen explained calmly.


    ¡°Hoh, how sensible,¡± Xia Anxi said.


    ¡°It looks as if you have a follower in more ways than one, Baroness,¡± Meizhen continued.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Ling Qi wondered, turning her eyes to follow her friend¡¯s gaze.


    In another ring, she saw a spear thrust through Ma Jun¡¯s chest, and the sharp head emerged from her back in a burst of pink and crimson. The sound of a zither and the soft ring of bells echoed in the cavern as her whole frame came apart into an expanding cloud of brightly colored petals and blossoms. Her opponent, a girl with dark hair and boyish clothes, spun her spear desperately, wind blasting away the densest cluster of petals, but it was not enough. Where the whirling blossoms touched skin, they left behind thin cuts and a soporific scent.


    The girl with the spear whirled around, searching for Ma Jun in the cloud of flowers and shot off, carving a corridor through the mass to strike at the shadowed figure of Ma Jun. Again, she exploded into petals, and this time, the spear-wielding girl was too slow to deflect the descending wave of blossoms.


    ¡°She¡¯s really come far,¡± Ling Qi praised. The aesthetic was certainly different, but she felt flattered anyway.


    ¡°You must be a frustrating foe,¡± Lao Keung mused.


    ¡°I try,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°If I infuriate the enemy enough, they may forget my lady¡¯s saber.¡±


    ¡°A fatal error indeed,¡± Meizhen said. The corners of her lips quirked up in a smile.


    ¡°Your subordinate is entertaining,¡± Xia Anxi allowed. ¡°I find it difficult to enjoy while that westerner is mocking his match though.¡±


    Lu Feng still stood in the clearing in the same position. Here and there, beads of blood marked the swaying grass around him, but he was largely unruffled. His strategy, it seemed, was to simply let his opponents fight, striking only those foolish enough to come close. It was certainly valid to not show any of his abilities without need. He didn¡¯t have Gan Guangli¡¯s additional objectives.


    It still nettled her, even if she knew it was illogical.


    Sixiang jested.


    Ling Qi rolled her eyes, and beside her, Xia Anxi chuckled. ¡°Yes, it is quite rude to the Sect, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It would be more polite to put on a show,¡± Ling Qi agreed.


    ¡°It would better fulfill his objectives to crush our Xiao and your Gan,¡± Lao Keung raised.


    ¡°A fair point. Sun Liling and her churls have learned from last year¡¯s mistakes,¡± Bai Meizhen said coldly. ¡°It would be grand for our enemies to all be fools. Alas, the world rarely complies with such wishes.¡±


    ¡°It is true, Lady Bai, but look at what fodder he has been given. Some style would not be amiss,¡± Xia Anxi offered cautiously. ¡°I should not be surprised that a westerner would be so ungrateful to his hosts.¡±


    Meizhen inclined her head minutely. ¡°My words were no rebuke.¡±


    Ling Qi watched Xia Anxi relax out of the corner of her eye. It was hard to remember that her best friend was very permissive for a White Serpent Bai, and the experiences of those such as Xia Anxi and Lao Keung would reflect that.


    Below, the matches were beginning to wrap up. The other green in Lu Feng¡¯s ring, an older young man with a boar spirit, defeated the last second realm. In Ma Jun¡¯s ring, disciples had given up on hunting the swiftly moving storm of flower petals and song and turned to fighting for the other slot, and in Han Fang¡¯s ring, he and his tiger hunted down the second to last disciple. Ling Qi glanced at the fourth ring and was surprised to see Fan Yu standing there, his face still sullen even in victory.


    As she turned to focus toward the Sect Head, Ling Qi felt a tap on her shoulder. By the time she had turned her head, she realized that the sound of the stadium was gone and that the world was gray. She met the tired eyes of a middle-aged man with too many lines on his face and gray in his hair. At that moment, she remembered Hou Zhuang, who had been here the entire time.


    ¡°Apologies for the interruption, Baroness,¡± said Bai Meizhen¡¯s father. ¡°But I need your attention for a moment.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned, eyeing the grayed out world. She saw an image of herself still facing forward and speaking with the others and the other young Bai still talking, although it all seemed slow. ¡°Of course, Sir Hou,¡± she said. ¡°If I may ask¡­¡±


    ¡°It is something of a personal matter,¡± he said quietly, and she saw his eyes drift toward Meizhen, who was watching the matches below with an understated disinterest. ¡°We spoke last year, and I found it very helpful.¡±


    Ling Qi fought through foggy memories. If she recalled correctly, their exchange had been brief, just a few words traded on Meizhen¡¯s well-being. ¡°Sir Hou, it is not worth speaking of.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but allow this old man to be sentimental just this once,¡± Hou Zhuang said. ¡°She is¡­ happy now. This, I see. You are part of that.¡±


    ¡°Only a small part,¡± Ling Qi demurred, eyes straying to the sash her friend wore around her waist. ¡°We helped one another in the beginning, but she has found her own way.¡±


    ¡°Nonetheless, my gratitude,¡± Hou Zhuang said, and once again, he tapped her shoulder. Ling Qi felt a tingle through her storage ring, and swift inspection made her realize that a neat sheaf of papers and letters had appeared within, along with ink pots and containers full of wax. ¡°I have heard that your correspondence has been troubled. There are ways¡ªciphers and seals¡ªof dealing with such. I have penned you a few primers.¡±


    ¡°My thanks,¡± Ling Qi said gratefully. Whatever else could be said of him, Hou Zhuang was a fifth realm who she suspected specialized in spycraft. ¡°Thank you very much for your instruction.¡±


    ¡°It is a trifle,¡± said the old man. ¡°There are some observations on your province and its people as well. Most of them are names of those who are too proud of their homes to treat with foreigners, but who love the Cai more than their own lords and elders. If you reach out to them as the hand of the young miss, they will take it. I hope I am not overstepping in suggesting such dishonorable talk?¡±


    His smile was a wasted thing, bereft of joy.


    ¡°No,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°And I do not think it is dishonorable to keep an eye on things like this.¡±


    ¡°I once knew a young woman who thought the same,¡± Hou Zhuang said, scratching at the slightly untidy stubble of his chin. ¡°Open or closed, communication is the bane of conflict. That understanding of others is the key to prosperity. Call us spies or diplomats or ambassadors, the result is the same. If two groups know one another better, slights are avoided and violence unnecessary.¡± He breathed out a sigh. ¡°Forgive an old man for rambling.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if she was wrong,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°Kind of you to say.,¡± His humorless smile was unchanging. ¡°But there is one last thing. Your project in the south requires support. I have been authorized to share a small part of my own efforts. Which of the great count clans would you care for a dossier on?¡±


    Those words¡­ This wasn¡¯t entirely personal then. As she thought that, she felt a whisper of feeling on the back of her neck, the edge of a blade. She saw golden eyes behind a black veil out of the corner of her eye. Bai Suzhen was offering some small aid.

 Chapter Threads 208-Opening Day 6

    Threads 208-Opening Day 6


    ¡°I would like to know more of the Meng,¡± Ling Qi decided. ¡°I have made my contacts, and maybe even an ally, but they are just too opaque to me.¡±


    ¡°Unsurprising. They are an old clan by any measure save for that of the Bai,¡± Hou Zhuang said.


    ¡°Naturally,¡± Ling Qi agreed.


    ¡°One key to hold to with the Meng clan is that even those you might perceive as open to change and progress do not accept the imperial way of things,¡± the older man advised. ¡°Even the Luo hold a significant faction which wishes to modernize in the imperial way. The Meng do not. You will find no significant support for the imperial cult nor its philosophers there. What their more open members wish is to push revival and improvement of old practices on their own terms.¡±


    ¡°You believe this is the group that contacted me,¡± Ling Qi deduced.


    ¡°Most likely. This faction is the one most engaged with the court and outsiders. Most of the Meng fear your Duchess terribly, but this group views her as an opportunity. The Emerald Seas are in flux, the shape of its new order not yet set, and to them, this is a chance to reassert primacy of their practices, rather than hiding away and preserving them,¡± Hou Zhuang lectured. His words were calm and the diction clear like those from an elder.


    ¡°Their more conservative cousins no doubt see this view as a foolish risk,¡± Ling Qi analyzed. Their support for her made sense then. The arguments she had used to support her endeavor fit with their narrative of the past informing the present.


    ¡°Just so,¡± Hou Zhuang said. ¡°I¡¯ve added the dossier to your ring. Time is up. Perceptions of time may only be stretched so far.¡±


    And like that, the color returned to the world, and the noise in the stadium once again filled her ears, along with the voices of her companions.


    ¡°You have grown quiet, Baroness,¡± Meizhen said, glancing her way.


    ¡°Just lost in thought,¡± Ling Qi deflected. ¡°I was contemplating how the matches might be arranged.¡±


    Her vision flickered, a wisp hidden in her hair glancing back. Hou Zhuang was still there, the picture of an exhausted man in a light doze.


    ¡°It is not good to wander so. You nearly missed the actual announcements,¡± Meizhen said.


    ¡°Apologies, Lady Bai,¡± Ling Qi said with a hint of amusement.


    She looked down over the field where the sixteen preliminary winners now stood. Above, the air flickered with illusion, the characters of the contestants¡¯ names spelled out in flashing silver. She blinked as she looked over the names and realized something.


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t recognized Chu Song,¡± Ling Qi said, startled.


    ¡°Who?¡± Xia Anxi asked, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°My first opponent from last year,¡± Ling Qi said absently, scanning those present. They fell on the muscular girl she had noticed before. Chu Song had changed: her hair was cropped short, and she wore heavy flanged armor rather than the lighter sort she had used last year. She¡¯d picked up a few scars as well. ¡°I hadn¡¯t realized she was participating.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that girl,¡± Bai Meizhen said with distaste. ¡°I hope she has learned to control her tongue, for her own sake at least.¡±


    Xia Anxi glanced at them with mild interest, but the names in the air were moving to arrange themselves into brackets.


    The first match would be Gun Jun facing down a young man Ling Qi did not recognize. The second featured Lu Feng facing one of the three second realms who had squeaked through. The third match had Gan Guangli facing another of them. The fourth was Chu Song and another new face she didn¡¯t recognize.


    Han Jian was the first in the fifth match, facing another of the yellows. An apology for his hard match the year before? Shen Hu¡¯s face briefly came to her mind.


    Ling Qi continued to scan the brackets. Ma Jun was in the next one, and she would be facing Fan Yu. The seventh match was Xiao Fen and some poor unfortunate, and the eighth held Han Fang and the boy with the boar spirit.


    It seemed, even more than last year, that most of the first round of matches were going to be one-sided. She suspected that one way or another, the Sect would be quietly promoting many older disciples after this year, now that the Duchess¡¯ tests were done. They would need to, if they wanted the Outer Sect to maintain any kind of equilibrium.


    ¡°Many easy matches there,¡± Lao Keung concluded.


    ¡°True. It is more even than last year though,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Most are at least in the third realm.¡±


    ¡°The Baroness has high standards.¡± Xia Anxi chuckled. ¡°Not a bad thing.¡±


    Ling Qi coughed into her hand, realizing that she had forgotten how matches usually were for these initial duels. She was right though. Even those whose names she didn¡¯t know were still talented by any measure; they were still people who had attained the right to a barony by their cultivation. It was just¡­ They were facing terrible competition this year.


    She would at least keep an ear out for the results of Ma Jun¡¯s match. Ling Qi thought she had the advantage, but Xiulan had shown her what someone desperate enough with only a partial breakthrough could do.


    ... She had trouble picturing Fan Yu with such passion fueling him though.


    ¡°A good showing for the Argent Peak Sect and the Emerald Seas as a whole.¡± The voice of the Bai ambassador quieted them as she spoke up beyond quiet conversation with Cai Renxiang. ¡°The youth of this province will carry your people well in the future.¡±


    ¡°You are most generous, Ambassador,¡± Cai Renxiang replied. ¡°I am proud to know that we have impressed the eyes of the mighty Bai clan, if only a little.¡±


    She listened to their back and forth as she and the others rose from their seats. The two were trading the proper pleasantries, all reinforcements of the notion that the Bai and the Cai were dedicated to their support of one another.


    Soon, it wound down, and she and the others followed Cai Renxiang and the adults down the stairs that led to the ground floor. She found herself walking a step behind Meizhen as she turned her perceptions inward to the contents of her storage ring. She would have quite a lot of study to do.


    For now, they were heading down to collect their winners. The plan was to speak with the Bai a bit longer and then go their separate ways until the Duchess¡¯ arrival in the evening, leaving them with the afternoon free to take care of their own business.


    In Ling Qi¡¯s case, she had promised Wang Chao that she would meet him at the crafting competition to introduce him to Xuan Shi.


    They soon reached the bottom of the stairwell and exited the stadium. They were given a wide berth by the other guests, who no doubt wished to avoid offending such a party. Outside, they came to a stop overlooking the now fully erected sea of guest pavilions. She and Cai Renxiang stood opposite the Bai delegation there.


    ¡°It has been interesting meeting you, Lady Cai, Baroness. I look forward to working with you in the future,¡± Xia Anxi said lightly. ¡°Hopefully, the next time we meet, there will be time for less martial subjects.¡±


    ¡°It has been good to see something of what your command is like,¡± Lao Keung said in his turn. ¡°I have confidence in our cooperation.¡±


    ¡°I am honored by your trust,¡± Ling Qi said. In these sorts of exchanges, it was important to speak in the proper turn with subordinates first and leaders giving the last word. ¡°I am most pleased to have taken your acquaintance.¡±


    ¡°Lady Cai keeps good company,¡± Meizhen said, her voice almost warm. ¡°It will please me to see you again this evening.¡±


    Ling Qi caught both of the new young Bai¡¯s gazes sliding toward her friend, seemingly discomfited. It really hadn¡¯t sunk in what it meant when Bai Suzhen had called Bai Meizhen ¡°kind¡± last year.


    ¡°I have been glad to show you hospitality in my mother¡¯s absence,¡± Cai Renxiang said politely. ¡°Ladies Bai, you have honored me and the Emerald Seas with your attendance.¡±


    ¡°It is not an undeserved honor,¡± said the Ambassador Xilai with a small tilt of her head. ¡°Please excuse us then until this evening.¡±


    Cai Renxiang and Ling Qi both bowe,d and the Bai delegation began to take their leave, the ambassador gesturing for Meizhen to walk beside her with the others trailing behind. Ling Qi was surprised to see Xia Lushen remaining behind, his menacing shadow a step or two behind.


    ¡°Sir Xia?¡± Cai Renxiang asked.


    ¡°I am sorry, Lady Cai, but there was a question I had for your subordinate,¡± the scholarly man said kindly. ¡°If I may?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Cai Renxiang said immediately.


    Ling Qi straightened up attentively.


    ¡°It is known to me that you possess a fairly potent relic of these¡­ underground people. While goods will surely flow from the tribute your Duchess has established, I am a man who enjoys remaining ahead,¡± Xia Lushen said, his smile lending him a pleasant air. ¡°I would like to purchase it from you.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s mind raced back to her clash with the shishigui assassin who had almost opened her throat to the faintly glowing dagger of green stone still lying in her house. ¡°Ah, I am not necessarily opposed, Sir Xia...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do not want to rush you,¡± he said. ¡°Please consider it and get back to me by the end of this gathering. I may be able to offer more than simple stones.¡±


    With that, he took his leave, taking the nerve-wracking presence that trailed him along, and Ling Qi let out a breath.


    Cai Renxiang gave her a sidelong look. ¡°You acquitted yourself well.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for saying so,¡± Ling Qi said, turning along with her liege to look over the pavilions. ¡°I am glad Gan Guangli succeeded.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Renxiang agreed.


    ¡°Will you join him now?¡±


    ¡°Not now. This is the time for his own subordinates. My presence would be unhelpful.¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t know about that. Her doubt may have colored her words. ¡°I see.¡±


    Renxiang let out a breath through her nose. ¡°I have made the time to give him my encouragement before Mother¡¯s arrival. Duty must come first.¡±


    ¡°That is fine,¡± Ling Qi said. As long as her liege was taking care of herself.


    Sixiang sighed.


    Maybe so, but she was the one who was here, Ling Qi thought wryly. ¡°Tonight then, my lady?¡±


    ¡°Tonight,¡± Renxiang agreed, and there, they parted ways.

 Chapter Threads 209-Opening Day 7

    Threads 209-Opening Day 7


    Ling Qi sat quietly on the far left side of the slowly filling seats in the testing hall, the picture of a proper young lady getting some soft meditation in while waiting for the qualifying tests of the crafting competition to begin. In reality, she was peering into the contents of her storage ring at everything she had just received, and in her mind¡¯s eye, she turned over page after neatly written page of documents and dossiers.


    Once, she had trouble even retrieving things from her ring. Now, with her experiences stepping between the bounds of the physical and unreal and her adventure in the broken storage space of the Hui, it was simple enough to outright manipulate the objects within.


    Sixiang mused.


    There definitely was. Just the list of potential contacts and the attached information could have filled one of Cai Renxiang¡¯s law books. Each suggestion carried with it a detailed biopic, habits and flaws, points of leverage both hard and soft, considerations for the best approach, and more. Those, she set aside. Cultivating acquaintances across the province was more of a long term project.


    They were all fairly lowly placed, she noted. Servants, guards, and bureaucrats accounted for most of the contacts. She supposed that Hou Zhuang didn¡¯t want her to get overconfident and go for higher ranking contacts right away.


    The rest though, a breakdown of the Emerald Seas situation with accompanying maps and notes was more immediately useful. Much of it came to her easily, building off the coalescing understanding she had been gaining of the various factions from her own efforts. She saw the province divided on a map not by the territories of counts but by regions, although the two sometimes overlapped.


    These were what Hou Zhuang believed were the dividing lines of the lower clans, and scanning through his information, she didn¡¯t think he was wrong. The Emerald Seas was of middling size for a province, but it still covered a diverse landscape from the northern hills and forests at the foot of the Celestial Peaks through the fens in the west to the dry plains in the east, and down to the rolling hills which eventually rose into the Wall. Its main throughline was the River Jing, the Shining River, whose headwaters came from the glaciers in the Wall and which flowed all the way through the Thousand Lakes to empty into the ocean on the other side of the continent.


    Under this conception, the lower clans of the Emerald Seas could be divided into eight geographic and cultural regions.


    The Celestial Hills, a thin slice of the far north on the border of the capital, saw themselves as little different from their neighbors a few score miles north in the Peaks.


    Below them was the North Jing river valley, which encompassed most of the Bao lands and which abutted the part of the great continent-spanning river until it flowed into the Thousand Lakes.


    Then, there were the Western Fens, the core of the Meng¡¯s territory, where the Red Jungle met the woodlands of the Emerald Seas.


    The Central Valley Region where the Diao reigned, whose southern edge she had visited with Hanyi, was the heartland of the province.


    East of that was the Southern Jing river region where the Jia clan was concentrated in what had been the lands of the Chu before Ogodei.


    Beyond that was a long stretch going from the Celestial Peaks down to the Wall in the south. These were the Eastern Plains, the dry and grassy plains where the Emerald Seas bordered the Golden Fields province.


    The Foundations, the still sparsely settled lands in the south where she had spent the last year, encompassed the Wang territories, the Argent Peak and Blue Mountain Sects and the southern gains of the Meng.


    A small region was marked out as the Thundering Hills, named after its many waterfalls, as well as the site where Ogodei had died, which caused a great deal of extra rainfall in the region. It was the other half of the Jia¡¯s territory, along with the Rushing Cloud Sect.


    She¡¯d have to confirm the information herself, but she, or rather her liege, was doing well in the south at least. The people of the Foundations and the Thundering Hills, being so often the ones to suffer in the wars which plagued the province, were both favorable to their project. Opinions of their project were less and less favorable the further north when asked.


    ¡°Hoh, Lady Ling, there you are! I might have missed you if not for the chill!¡± Wang Chao¡¯s boisterous voice cut through the more polite background noise of the gathering audience, and she looked up to see him approaching along the aisle to her right.


    ¡°Hello, Sir Wang,¡± she greeted. ¡°I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± He dropped himself into a seat to her right, impervious to the glances of the nobles around him. ¡°Ah, but I¡¯m looking forward to viewing our juniors¡¯ efforts!¡±


    ¡°I admit I was surprised,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you would have such an interest in the crafters. Or is it for our other guest¡¯s sake?¡±


    ¡°I thought the Xuan might enjoy it, yes,¡± Wang Chao said with a grin, seemingly pleased with himself for the deduction. ¡°But I respect this kind of work. I¡¯ve not the head nor the hands for it, but it''s the crafters of the Empire who take the spoils of our victories and make them something worthwhile. You can bash in the skulls of beasts and barbarians all day, but if no one is able to put up the gates and walls, you¡¯ll be bashing forever.¡±


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought of it from that perspective,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°My arts are even more ephemeral, so I cannot look down on them either.¡±


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s got their place,¡± Wang Chao said indulgently. ¡°Living would be dull without artists, eh?¡±


    ¡°I suppose it would be,¡± Ling Qi allowed.


    The disciples were beginning to file into the testing area. Her eyes fell on Xuan Shi making his way in with the last trickles of the crowd. Their eyes met over the distance, and he nodded, beginning to head her way. A glance over didn¡¯t reveal anything wrong.


    Sixiang grumped.


    ¡°Greetings, Lord of Wang, Lady of Ling,¡± Xuan Shi said lowly, approaching them along the aisle. ¡°My apologies. This one was kept for some time in conversation with the faces of my kin.¡±


    Ling Qi deciphered his words quickly, but Wang Chao¡¯s brows drew together, and she spotted his lips moving, mumbling under his breath. His expression thankfully brightened up a moment later.


    ¡°No trouble, Sir Xuan. Family must come first,¡± he said enthusiastically. ¡°Take a seat, take a seat.¡±


    Ling Qi smiled at Xuan Shi. ¡°I am glad you could make it.¡±


    Xuan Shi took a seat beside Wang Chao, giving her a small nod. ¡°The invitation pleases me. Miss Ling is too kind.¡±


    ¡°She hardly needed to convince me,¡± Wang Chao said cheerfully. ¡°Why, just imagine the wargames we can play out with the assistance of your mobile barrier projects!¡±


    ¡°Sir Wang is familiar?¡± Xuan Shi asked curiously.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t ask me about specifics, but I¡¯ve heard of the effects,¡± the older boy said. ¡°Masterful work from what I hear. Such a sturdy defense combined with versatility and mobility! If you weren¡¯t a Xuan, I suspect the White Plumes or the Sect would have you drafted already! The things that could be done with such talismans!¡±


    ¡°My work is only a reflection of the craft of my elders, the master shipbuilders of the Isles. It is nothing so grand,¡± Xuan Shi said. She could tell despite his collar and tipped hat that he was caught off guard by Wang Chao¡¯s enthusiastic and blunt praise.


    ¡°Sect Brother Xuan¡¯s work did show quite a lot of promise,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I recall you using it to keep up with us at full sprint, even while you deflected attacks.¡±


    ¡°Such speed as well?¡± Wang Chao asked, astonished. ¡°I¡¯d like to see that.¡±


    ¡°Thy praise is too much,¡± Xuan Shi demurred. ¡°Mine panopoly is difficult to assemble, and its reagents rare. The heights of its performance are only possible with the modified arts of a ship¡¯s captain. In a way, this one has simply transferred the knowledge of a hullmaker to the land.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed doubtfully at that. She had seen the fitted ceramic panels of his masterwork, reacting as swiftly as his own limbs and hands. She suspected that Xuan Shi was being reflexively self-deprecating, but she didn¡¯t know enough of the subject to truly call him on it.


    ¡°Ah, well, one would expect so,¡± Wang Chao said. ¡°Still, it has potential. Even a few ¡®land ships¡¯ could be useful. I¡¯ve heard some of my uncles and aunts speak of something similar.¡±


    ¡°Ah? Convergent development? Interesting,¡± Xuan Shi mused.


    Conversation ceased as the elder monitoring the test came forth. It was Elder Hua Su again, the teacher from her first year, but last year had not been overly kind to her. Then again, her father, Elder Heng, had passed away, even before the war had started.


    Ling Qi remained silent as the elder spoke in front of the gathered disciples and audience. The written preliminary exam had already been held, and now came the practical portion in which disciples would complete a number of tasks from elixir brewing to ward crafting to ensure that they had a baseline of competence in all major disciplines.


    As the elder started this portion of the testing, Ling Qi noticed that Xuan Shi was looking at one disciple in particular. She followed his gaze to a broad back swathed in Argent Peak Sect¡¯s silver. The disciple in question was a tall, broad-shouldered young man with long wavy brown hair and slightly sun-darkened skin. He wore a pair of spectacles on his handsome face, whose frames were made of some colorful organic shell material. His robe was very conservative, but the sash that bound it tight around him was highly colorful and woven of colorful shells. Ling Qi was starting to sense a theme.


    She saw the disciple meet Xuan Shi¡¯s gaze and offer a beatific smile. She froze when his sea green eyes turned briefly to her, studying her for a moment in curiosity. He was very handsome, a good balance between the bulk of someone like Gan Guangli or Lao Keung and the aristocratic type like Han Jian. Ling Qi blinked a moment after that thought completed, frowning as she circulated her qi to dispel anything untoward. The crafter turned back to his workstation.


    Sixiang scoffed. Ling Qi could feel them rolling their eyes.


    ... It didn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°Is there a particular junior you have your eye on, Sect Brother?¡± Ling Qi asked Xuan Shi.


    ¡°Apologies. This one is merely being cautious of the trouble,¡± Xuan Shi said. ¡°The Jin bring disruption wherever they walk or sail.¡±


    ¡°Is that the other ducal scion I¡¯d heard about?¡± Wang Chao asked. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen one of his kin before. Rather plain, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°The Jin have long abandoned the blood of their ancestors,¡± Xuan Shi said stiffly.


    A question about the Jin was on the tip of her tongue before Ling Qi reconsidered. Her goal right now was to ingratiate Wang Chao with Xuan Shi and vice versa. Wang Chao needed more prominent connections, Xuan Shi needed more friends, and she wanted her acquaintances to be happy.

 Chapter Threads 210-Opening Day 8

    Threads 210-Opening Day 8


    ¡°What was it you were saying about convergent development?¡± Ling Qi redirected the conversation. ¡°I¡¯m not very familiar with the more advanced fields of formations.¡±


    ¡°Fortress formations are a different school from vehicle formations,¡± Xuan Shi explained, turning his gaze away from the Jin disciple.


    ¡°They¡¯ve got some common points,¡± Wang Chao said, nodding sagely. ¡°Both are assembled from smaller discrete parts, which must be arranged in the proper patterns to function as a whole.¡±


    ¡°... Yes,¡± Xuan Shi agreed. ¡°A parallel not often explored. Your clan has solved the issue of the Tribulation of Earth¡¯s Law on land vehicles?¡±


    ¡°The what now?¡± Wang Chao asked. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t rightly know. It¡¯s just something I¡¯ve heard talked about.¡±


    Ling Qi saw Xuan Shi frowning behind his collar. She interjected, ¡°I admit, I¡¯m not familiar either, but even if the higher theory is beyond us, talking about what might be done with such projects is interesting. You said you were working off inspiration. What was it?¡±


    Xuan Shi didn¡¯t reply right away, drumming his fingers on his armrest. ¡°The point at which crew enhancing and hull enhancing arrays meet. Both are complex and require processing of information far beyond the usual. It was my thought then that it might be possible to build a hull around a man and achieve higher performance.¡±


    ¡°Crew enhancing arrays?¡± Wang Chao inquired.¡±Like a foreman¡¯s arts?¡±


    ¡°Of a kind,¡± Xuan Shi replied. ¡°These are of a more mechanical nature.¡±


    ¡°How might this work? A laborer or a sailor would lack the qi and meridians to take advantage of such things. They would be trapped in their ¡®hull,¡¯¡± Wang Chao said with a frown.


    ¡°As this one said, a work in progress.¡± Xuan Shi shrugged. ¡°The people of the Savage Seas are not prolific, and our lands are not spacious. We must find measures to maintain parity as others grow.¡±


    ¡°Never enough people to do all the work,¡± Wang Chao commiserated. ¡°Yes, this is a problem for the Wang as well. Many have tried to sell us on construct workforces, but the cost is too high. A useful work puppet drinks stones like water.¡±


    ¡°It is this one¡¯s hope to enhance the individual rather than replace them, that two men of the early realms might do the work of three, or even mortals made useful in the lowest of cultivator labors,¡± Xuan Shi elaborated, looking back to the tests. ¡°With such conditions, even this one might be able to attain a crew and commission.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about that, but if you manage, I¡¯d bet the elders would be happy to purchase as many as you could make!¡± Wang Chao laughed, only to shrink into his seat as a number of older cultivators shot them stern looks.


    Xuan Shi chuckled. ¡°Sir Wang is too generous. The fancies sketched in a crafter¡¯s workshop are only that.¡±


    Ling Qi listened with half an ear as the two of them continued to talk. It looked like things were going as she¡¯d hoped. She¡¯d worried that if Xuan Shi saw Wang Chao¡¯s lack of technical understanding, he would think himself merely humored. Instead, the initial awkwardness was past, and now, they were talking comfortably, even if Wang Chao occasionally had to pause and scrunch up his face in thought to decipher some turn of phrase by Xuan Shi.


    She turned a portion of her attention to the tests themselves. She watched the disciples mixing ingredients, etching arrays, and inscribing characters. It was admirable to see such dedication. It made her feel bad for her own lackadaisical approach to the art.


    Sixiang thought.


    She supposed so. She was looking forward to studying the compass and the ring gates more closely, now that she had some more experience with liminal interfaces.


    Ling Qi scanned the workstations, pausing as her eyes fell on a face she recognized. In the back was Liu Xin, Xiao Fen¡¯s friend from the Outer Sect. She glanced over his work. His elixir was simmering, and the paper ward tags drying. Right now, he was squinting down at a dagger blade with an inscribing tool. It looked to her like he was in line to finish the projects in the time limit.


    ¡°Miss Ling, what do you think?¡± Wang Chao asked.


    Ling Qi paused a moment, letting Sixiang pull up the memory of the last few seconds in her mind to remind her of what had been said. ¡°If my schedule allows, I wouldn¡¯t be against it. Something of a break from formality would be welcome.¡±


    Wang Chao had suggested an informal get-together outside the tournament grounds to have a small spar.


    ¡°I have no particular duties beyond attending the Duchess¡¯ appearances,¡± Xuan Shi mused.


    ¡°Her Grace intends a gathering tonight and on the evening before the finals,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I can manage a few hours tomorrow afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Wang Chao enthused, looking pleased with himself. ¡°But let¡¯s see how our juniors are doing. I don¡¯t want to be too rude.¡±


    Ling Qi struggled for just a moment to keep a straight face as they turned their attention back to the testing.


    Sixiang thought.


    Ling Qi thought that this was the end of her direct role. Introducing the two of them and smoothing over an initial misunderstanding was one thing, but she remembered what Xuan Shi had said before as well. She was, in the end, just his friend, not a parent or a caretaker. It would be insulting to meddle too much.


    Sixiang huffed.


    Ling Qi would mediate where she could, naturally. That was acceptable for a mutual friend.


    They spoke less for the rest of the test. Here and there, Wang Chao would prod at Xuan Shi for an explanation for something he saw the examinees doing, and although he was initially reticent, Wang Chao¡¯s easy acceptance and praise for his explanations seemed to make it hard for Xuan Shi to maintain that, especially when Wang Chao occasionally came up with some insight on practical applications of the things Xuan Shi spoke of. Ling Qi kept herself to small comments here and there when conversation trailed off or became awkward.


    Their conversation dropped entirely when the test came to its end and it was time for Elder Su to do the judging. Listening to the elder critique and grade the products of each disciple was more interesting. By the end, about two-thirds of the test entrants had been whittled away. Liu Xin was among those who passed. As stoic as she was, Ling Qi thought Xiao Fen would be upset if he failed.


    The Jin scion passed as well. When she heard his name from Elder Su, she filed away the name Jin Tae. She had a feeling she¡¯d see him again sooner or later. Members of ducal houses were never irrelevant.


    And with that, the preliminary tests for the crafting competition were finished.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m unhappy to see the tests done,¡± Wang Chao said, stretching his arms overhead as they made their way out.


    Ling Qi smiled, covering her mouth with her sleeve. ¡°But Sir Wang, I had thought you were eager to observe.¡±


    ¡°Well, I mean¡ª¡± Wang Chao stammered, scratching the back of his head and glancing toward Xuan Shi.


    Xuan Shi chuckled. ¡°This one appreciates the consideration, Sir Wang, but will admit that the conversation of peers was more interesting. The presentation of personal projects is the true draw.¡±


    Wang Chao squinted at both of them over his shoulder and let out a harrumph. ¡°Hmph, I¡¯d not think you the type for japes, Miss Ling.¡±


    ¡°Only now and then,¡± she said soothingly. ¡°Besides, it was a good venue to make an acquaintance, wasn¡¯t it, Xuan Shi?¡±


    ¡°Sir Wang¡¯s company was enough. This one is glad to be invited to thy shoal,¡± Xuan Shi replied.


    Wang Chao puffed up at the praise. ¡°No worries. I¡¯m glad to include such an intelligent fellow as yourself, Sir Xuan! It¡¯s not all grunting warriors in my entourage.¡±


    ¡°I should hope not,¡± Ling Qi said lightly as they left the sect pagoda and entered the main plaza, descending the steps.


    ¡°Miss Ling¡¯s elegance is without question,¡± Wang Chao said immediately. ¡°Ah, that does remind me, I¡¯d intended to introduce you to my older sister Wang Lian like you¡¯d asked, but she¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ª was kept late in deliberations with our father. I still heard your message, Chao.¡±


    Ling Qi stopped, looking toward the source of the voice. She saw a stout woman with sun-darkened skin and dark brown hair tied back in a severe bun. She wore a dark blue gown with a somewhat mannish cut, embroidered with stylized mountains and whorling clouds. Ling Qi could see the resemblance to Wang Chao in the color of her eyes and the general bulk of her frame, although like her brother, she was shorter than Ling Qi by nearly a head.


    ¡°Oh, Sister Lian!¡± Wang Chao exclaimed, his expression brightening up. ¡°I¡¯d been concerned! This is Lady Ling. We¡¯ve built quite a little court!¡±


    ¡°Your letters said as much.¡± The older woman gave Ling Qi an assessing look. She looked to be in her mid-twenties or so, but as a cultivator of the fourth realm, that was nearly meaningless.


    Beside her, Xuan Shi shifted from foot to foot, clearly feeling out of place.


    ¡°Allow me to borrow her for a moment, Chao,¡± Wang Lian said tersely. She glanced at Xuan Shi and lowered her head slightly. ¡°Sir Xuan, I appreciate your keeping my brother company.¡±


    ¡°It is nothing, Lady Wang,¡± Xuan Shi said, offering a short bow of his own.


    Ling Qi turned and murmured a temporary farewell to Wang Chao and Xuan Shi.


    ¡°Thank you for your time, Lady Wang,¡± Ling Qi said as they stepped away, moving toward the stairs which descended from the plaza.


    ¡°It¡¯s a small enough thing considering how Chao¡¯s fortunes have improved this year,¡± Wang Lian said. ¡°Let it be said that I do not have much time right now. I merely wished to make my greetings. Deeper talks will have to wait until after the Duchess¡¯ arrival tonight.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I understand if I am not the highest priority.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that. Father has been tapped by the Matriarch to reinforce local security,¡± Wang Lian said. ¡°I am assisting him.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed in reply. That did make some sense. She had dismissed the idea, thinking that attacking such a concentration of high realm cultivators impossibly foolish, but even a disruption of the event could have some effect on morale.


    ¡°So, I am Wang Lian, third daughter of the Clan Head of Wang. You are Baroness Ling, who has provided my little brother with a great deal of assistance. You are also the retainer to the heiress of Cai, who has taken on a project many say is beyond her. What is it you want from the Wang clan, Baroness? Our building expertise, our support in word, the backing of our warriors?¡±


    ¡°Any or all of those things would be most welcome,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°But I do not wish to overstep myself.¡±


    Wang Lian nodded, her arms folded behind her back as she walked. ¡°Yes, a favor for a favor is most fair. So, tell me what sort of aid you seek.¡±

 Chapter Threads 211-Opening Day 9

    Threads 211-Opening Day 9


    ¡°I should think the answer is obvious then,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°The renown of the Wang clan is known far and wide.¡±


    Wang Lian nodded once. ¡°Good. I had hoped you would choose that.¡±


    They began to descend the many steps which led to the foot of the mountain, carved alongside the wide road made for carriages. ¡°Will there be trouble, you think? It¡¯s likely that what Her Grace claims and what we will build upon will abutt Wang lands.¡±


    ¡°It will be good for Her Grace to take more for the Cai,¡± Wang Lian replied. ¡°Too much of the Hui land was divided. As for the Wang clan, do not concern yourself. It will be a millennia before we can expand.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind the question, why is that?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°It seems such an uncommon attitude.¡±


    ¡°We do not have the men to hold more,¡± Wang Lian explained shortly.


    ¡°I do not think that is the whole reason,¡± Ling Qi observed. ¡°Those with power are rarely content with what they have.¡±


    She worried for a moment that she had overstepped herself when Wang Lian did not reply, and she had just begun to formulate an apology when she saw the older woman¡¯s shoulders shaking with quiet laughter.


    ¡°I forget already,¡± Wang Lian said with mirth, ¡°what it is to be young. There is more to ambition than lifting larger weights, killing more foes, and painting maps. Of course we want more, but why should we need to go out and conquer for that?¡±


    ¡°I overstepped myself,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I apologize. I simply want to better understand the Wang clan¡¯s thinking.¡±


    Wang Lian¡¯s humor faded as they paused on a landing that interrupted the steps. It was a shaded nook unde a pair of trees with a stone bench beneath them. ¡°You know, no doubt, that our matriarch was an architect in the service of the Hui before she joined Her Grace¡¯s rebellion. But I think you do not understand. Do you know of the practice we have in our clan for those who will achieve the higher realms?¡±


    ¡°I do not,¡± Ling Qi admitted.


    ¡°Before we depart to find our first Names and set the foundations of our Way, we are brought before the Matriarch,¡± Wang Lian said, her eyes drifting shut. ¡°There, we are shown her vision. I can¡¯t describe it to you, not fully, but it is the vision of a far greater future, of teeming cities carved into the mountains, stretching over the rivers, filling the forests, not in the rigid imperial style or the outdated traditions of the past, but something that is both of them, made better in the fusion. People are the engines of prosperity and growth. Where they gather, they sharpen one another, and greater heights are reached. So much of that has been wasted in the Emerald Seas in pointlessly grabbing at lands when we had scarcely made use of what we already had.¡±


    She spoke with absolute confidence, and for a moment, Ling Qi felt a shadow in her mind, the silhouette of a mountain gleaming with the lights of a city from top to bottom, spilling out into the gentle hills and valleys at its foot, following the natural lines of the land.


    Sixiang thought.


    ¡°We build, Miss Ling, and there is already so much of the Emerald Seas to be built yet,¡± Wang Lian finished.


    ¡°That is why you take in Cloud Nomads,¡± Ling Qi realized. ¡°Someone must fill those cities, and few wish to come so far south.¡±


    ¡°Nomads are human,¡± Wang Lian grunted. ¡°We may be called fools for that, but it is true. A man is a man. He may be valorous or cowardly, cruel or kind. The young and the willing can be taught the proper ways of living and cultivation, and we can take their strengths for ourselves. It is as simple as that. Your White Sky seems to understand that as well. A hopeful outlook.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Ling Qi said as they resumed walking.


    ¡°Perhaps you do, but my time is running short,¡± Wang Lian said. ¡°Is there anything else you wish to speak to me about?¡±


    Ling Qi had a brief internal consultation with Sixiang. They agreed that Wang Lian¡¯s mood was good so they could push a little more for information. ¡°I have some curiosity about the Black Lotus Pass. What is the trouble there?¡±


    ¡°Aside from it being a nest of the unquiet dead?¡± Wang Lian harrumphed. ¡°Thrice looted, first by Ogodei, then by the desperate of the resisting warriors Yuan had gathered, and last by the vultures in the war¡¯s aftermath. It is no wonder that the dead there are enraged.¡±


    ¡°Sect Head Yuan would do such a thing?¡± Ling Qi asked, startled.


    Wang Lian grimaced. ¡°I do not mean him ill, and his wife was Li besides. If anyone had a claim, it is her and by extension, him. But war does not leave the time for proper mourning and purification rites, and the dead do not understand extenuating circumstances.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Ling Qi said, mulling that over. ¡°I had come to understand that the problem was not just the expense of the exorcism needed.¡±


    ¡°It was considered Hui land after Ogodei,¡± Wang Lian said. ¡°After that ceased to mean something, there were some... squabbles. The Diao and the Wang alike both claim some legacy of the Li through marriages. Ours is the better; the Matriarch¡¯s second cousin had a Li grandfather. The Diao need to go back some four generations to find theirs. It is not worth a great conflict, but one cannot simply abandon a point of pride either.¡±


    Ling Qi felt an unpleasant aching. If the Wang or the Diao truly claimed the fallen Li as kin, surely they would want them laid to proper rest. It took some effort to stop herself from saying that aloud. ¡°Thank you for your explanation, Lady Wang.¡±


    The older woman gave her a side-eyed look, but grunted in the affirmative. If she wondered at Ling Qi¡¯s goals, she didn¡¯t voice her questions. They stayed there on the stairs a moment longer before Wang Lian spoke again.


    ¡°I have a question for you, Baroness.¡±


    ¡°I will answer as well as I can,¡± Ling Qi said politely


    ¡°What are your intentions toward my brother?¡± Wang Lian asked, not looking at her.


    Ling Qi blinked. Sixiang wheezed. ¡°He is a dependable ally and no more. Even if I had an interest, I would not presume above my station,¡± Ling Qi said, her words rushed.


    ¡°The Bao do not see your station that way.¡± Wang Lian huffed. ¡°A shame, nonetheless. Chao is a simple man. He needs a canny sort at his side, and the Cai would not have taken you if you were the wrong sort of canny. But I am not in the habit of pushing these types of things. I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯ve noticed him showing an interest elsewhere?¡±


    Ling Qi did her best not to seem off-balance. ¡°Not particularly, no¡­ Maybe Alingge?¡± Ling Qi offered hesitantly. ¡°He was eager to include her in the spars.¡±


    The older woman squinted into the distance. ¡°The girl from the old tribes in Luo lands? Hmph, my little brother is odd. I¡¯ll have time to observe for myself. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed Chao is not good at hiding things.¡±


    ¡°I have sought not to take advantage.¡±


    ¡°Of course you haven¡¯t,¡± Wang Lian said without inflection. ¡°Regardless, I need to take my leave now. I look forward to speaking in detail on your plans later, Baroness.¡±


    LIng Qi bowed her head as the woman beside her lost definition, stilling and then losing color, becoming no more than a pillar of featureless earth. Even that then broke down, dissolving into a cloud of drifting dust. Ling Qi raised her sleeve, shielding her mouth and nose as it disappeared.


    Ling Qi waited a moment to be sure she was alone then burst out irritably, ¡°Why in the world does this keep coming up?¡±


    ¡°Cause it¡¯s a big part of the human experience, I gather,¡± Sixiang said dryly. ¡°Honestly, we gotta talk sometime, Ling Qi.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the time for matchmaking,¡± Ling Qi deflected.


    ¡°Nah, it isn¡¯t,¡± Sixiang agreed easily. When they spoke again, it was inside her head.


    She wouldn¡¯t put it like that. It was more like checking to make sure they were getting along.


    Sixiang snickered.


    Ling Qi rolled her eyes and reappeared back on the landing, skipping a half dozen steps with each blink as she returned to the main plaza.


    She found Wang Chao and Xuan Shi standing in the shade of one of the trees planted in the miniature gardens that dotted the plaza, deep in conversation. The two of them looked up at her approach.


    ¡°Miss Ling! I was just discussing with Sir Xuan what sort of activity he thought would be the most entertaining when we got together tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°This one did not feel it was correct to come to a decision without one of the participants,¡± Xuan Shi said.


    ¡°Right, we need your input! I was thinking we could have a competition between us to see whether I might break his defense before you could bypass them or if Sir Xuan could keep us both out for an allotted time,¡± Wang Chao proposed, grinning excitedly.


    Ling Qi tilted her head to the side, considering. ¡°That does actually sound fun.¡±


    Moons knew she was probably going to need an opportunity to relax by tomorrow afternoon. Her Grace would soon arrive, and tomorrow, she would be back to attending the Bai. Stepping into the shade with the two of them, Ling Qi began to ask for the details of the game.


    A glance to the north where a growing star gleamed in the darkening sky told her time was short.


    ***


    ¡°So, tomorrow afternoon, there will be a small gathering I will be attending,¡± Ling Qi relayed. ¡°We decided that it would be best to invite a few others from our training group for propriety''s sake, but we will be keeping it small.¡±


    ¡°My, though you have managed to look elegant, you are still quite boy-ish, Ling Qi,¡± Meizhen teased, a faint upward curve on her lips. ¡°Organizing such play during an event like this¡­¡±


    ¡°It does no harm. Many disciples seek a moment away from the gaze of so many elders and high cultivators,¡± Cai Renxiang said calmly. ¡°In this, I believe it gives an air of approachability rather than irresponsibility.¡±


    ¡°If you believe that would be the Emerald Seas¡¯ view of the matter,¡± Meizhen said more seriously.


    The three of them stood to one side of the vast pavilion of the Cai, shrouded from eavesdropping by the combined screening effects of their arts. The Duchess had arrived, and the pavilion was abuzz with the preparations for her entrance.


    ¡°I do. Is it your view that the Bai will view it more negatively?¡± Cai Renxiang asked.


    Bai Meizhen pursed her lips. ¡°As your left hand, I think Ling Qi¡¯s less formal choices can be viewed as cunning rather than irreverence.¡±


    ¡°Well, if that is how you want to sell it,¡± Ling Qi said with a small smile. ¡°What do you think of the ambassador?¡±


    ¡°I think she is solidly loyal to my aunt,¡± her friend analyzed. ¡°However, she still has the pride of a White Serpent.¡±


    ¡°Have I caused you trouble in requesting this conversation?¡± Cai Renxiang asked, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°No. My connection to you is my primary value here,¡± Meizhen replied. ¡°Although the ambassador is generous enough in her way, I get the impression that she genuinely wishes to teach me her trade. But be aware that she still disdains outsiders as lesser than us.¡±


    ¡°Unavoidable,¡± Renxiang said with a small frown. ¡°Still, she does not show it, and that is the best that can be expected for now. It will take time for those attitudes to change.¡±


    These types of statements said a lot for the mindset of her friend¡¯s clan as a whole, Ling Qi supposed. ¡°What does she think of the alliance?¡±


    Meizhen grimaced. ¡°I cannot say. Her personal thoughts are opaque to me. I will reiterate that she must be highly loyal to my aunt to have gained this position and thus, at least in favor of her policies.¡±


    ¡°That will have to be enough,¡± Renxiang said.


    ¡°Were you able to discover what kept Her Grace?¡± Meizhen asked.


    ¡°I was rebuffed from her presence,¡± Renxiang said unhappily. "But¡­ my sister has been brought, along with her entourage.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyebrows shot up almost to her hairline. ¡°Why? This is practically in the zone of the war. Why would she risk¡­¡±


    She trailed off. The only thing that made sense was that the Duchess felt Tienli was safer with her than in Xiangmen, which meant¡­


    ¡°It is possible there is some threat of assassins, who might be willing to strike while the light of Xiangmen is away,¡± Renxiang said. ¡°I think it would be best if we remained well alerted.¡±


    Meizhen took a deep breath. ¡°Agreed.


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Ling Qi echoed. After all, the Shishigui were quite good at that sort of thing. However, another thought occurred. ¡°Will you go to visit your sister then?¡±


    ¡°... I do not see the purpose. Children that young do not retain much of their experiences,¡± Renxiang deflected. Ling Qi could feel that her liege was being evasive.


    ¡°I think it would be good to at least meet her,¡± Ling Qi said firmly.


    ¡°Hm,¡± Renxiang said, not agreeing or disagreeing. ¡°Our time is running short. We should prepare for our part in her arrival.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Meizhen agreed, shooting Ling Qi a look. ¡°Renxiang, Qi, I wish you well.¡±

 Chapter In the Shadow of Xiangmen I

    In the Shadow of Xiangmen I


    Ancient Xiangmen stretched into the sky, its branches and leaves spreading to the horizon, its trunk a pillar of the world, dwarfing all but the mightiest mountain. Silent were the townships of the root hills and the plains. The farms stood empty, the workshops silent. Manors and hovels alike were empty.


    They came. After years of gathering wrath, they came.


    From the east came the hound lords, a great mass of riders with no bits or bridles, a mass of beasts, a mass of restlessness and dissatisfaction. At their head was a silver hound of three tails, its fur burning with the light of the moon, its eyes as suns. His tread shook the earth, splintered trees, and flattened hills. His howl shook the sky and was joined by ten thousand of his kin.


    From the south came the widows and widowers, orphans and grieving parents, the broken, the forgotten, the disdained. They came from the ruined land, and their ruin gave them strength. Soldiers and craftsmen, philosophers and clerks, priests and merchants all marched, their song a primal howl, achingly human. They called the masters of the world to account, and for the very first time, their cries did not vanish into the uncaring void for with them walked titans, wrought of the fury which was born ¡®neath the cruel master¡¯s boot.


    From the west came no host, only a darkness, a mist, a shadow. It coiled among the ancient trees, cloying and gray. The strains of zithers and the piping of flutes were the only sign of the wayward scions of the Labyrinth.


    From the north came the glittering host of underearth, each soldier girded with a prince¡¯s ransom. Tattered it was with great holes in its formations Stone and soil came at their call, siegeworks sprouting from raw earth like weeds, and their soldiers stood atop ramparts that should have taken a century to erect. At their head was the youngest Prince of Earth bearing a helm set with three gems of heartbreaking beauty that gleamed like the tears of the sun. Their glow was still darkened by their elder¡¯s blood.


    O Heavenly King of the East, the Builder! Whose hands mold the land and whose plans reshape the people, O crushing hammer which bends the world toward the future!


    O Heavenly King of the South, the Crucible! Whose fires scourge the old, whose sword severs tradition, O furnace of war, devourer of lives and dreams alike!


    O Heavenly King of the West, the Orator! Whose rhetoric inflames the heart and instills the dream of the world yet to come, O harbinger of strife and breaker of kinship!


    O Heavenly King of the North, most precious of all, The Lover! Whose tears brought a nation to its knees, who lives in every heart and cries out for every loss, O lady of vengeance and wrath who will break all the world for the vision of her One!


    And lo, at their center, is the Ideal, the Truth which will light the future aflame!

 Chapter Threads 212-Second Day 1

    Threads 212-Second Day 1


    It was nerve-wracking, Ling Qi found, to stand up on the great stage erected at the rear of the pavilion.


    Cai Renxiang¡¯s father had certainly made a spectacle of the place. The high ephemeral walls of cloth and silk seemed to float without support, descending in elegant curves like arches here and there to expose a slice of the glittering night sky and moon. Below, guests walked, lounged, and spoke amidst the sprawling but orderly garden he had arranged, lit by orbs which glowed with soft dusk sunlight. The marble tiles of the floor gleamed like diamonds, and the rainbows cast by the mist of the fountain were beautiful beyond compare between the greenery and flowers. It made her own efforts with Zhengui seem rustic and childish.


    She stood with the White Plumes and other supporting individuals at the back of the stage, soldiers and courtiers all, but she still felt as if the gaze of the world was upon her. It must have been worse for Cai Renxiang standing directly under the gaze of the guests, at attention with her arms folded behind her back, the young heiress¡¯ halo of radiance providing a steady light.


    Then, the Duchess came, and her presence obliterated all others. She appeared at the center of the stage in a beam of light, her silhouette and that of the Prime Minister blooming like flowers within the radiance.


    Cai Shenhua remained, as ever, unmistakeable. Her dark hair was cut short this day at sharp angles that framed her face, black and unornamented. Her gown was relatively modest. Ling Qi thought the style was called a qipao, its hems and seams forming intricate crimson knotwork that contrasted with the white. Still, it hugged her frame far too tightly and left her athletic arms bare.


    Comparatively, the Prime Minister, Diao Linqin, seemed tiny and overshadowed. Her wavy brown hair was arranged in a single braid that fell across the chest of her rose pink, conservative gown.


    ¡°Worthies of the Empire, Lords of the Emerald Seas, let me offer my belated welcome to the lands of the Argent Peak Sect.¡± The Duchess¡¯ voice was warm and welcoming, the light of the burning radiance in her eyes brightening the whole interior of the pavilion. Her presence crushed down like the weight of a mountain. ¡°My late arrival was intended as no insult. It was merely a matter of safety. The health of a child is nothing to risk casually.¡±


    Cai Shenhua paused for a beat, allowing her words to finish echoing. ¡°Yes, such is my confidence in the Lords of the South and the Argent Peak Sect that it was decided that my second daughter, Cai Tienli, will be safe here for the duration of this tournament. She is healthy and unblemished and deserves a chance to know her sibling.¡±


    She allowed a moment of agreeable murmuring from the crowd. Ling Qi did her best not to stare at her liege¡¯s back too much, wondering what she was thinking. It felt unsettling to hear the usually languid Cai Shenhua speaking with formality and fervor.


    ¡°It pleases me to know that my loyal lords and the elders of the Great Sect have taken to this newest campaign with such vigor that this is possible. Already, foundations are being laid in the lands where the barbarians have been pushed back. Sect Head Yuan has made superb use of my White Plumes along with his own forces. Soon, new baronies and villages will fill the hills, bringing further civilization to the Wall. I myself will join this campaign in the coming year. The cloud tribes will never be allowed to threaten the people of the Emerald Seas again as Ogodei did. Long have I set about putting my own house in order. Now, the time comes to deal with the vandals upon the lawn.¡±


    The older cultivator nodded once, and then was gone. No beam of light or swirling shadow, just ceasing to exist. The air did not even move to fill the space their body had left. It felt as if it had never been disturbed in the first place.


    She wondered what Sixiang made of them.


    Sixiang responded.


    They weren¡¯t human? Ling Qi wondered. Knowing imperial law, she doubted even Shenhua could have a spirit treated like a human.


    Sixiang chided.

 Chapter Threads 213-Friend and Foe 2

    Threads 213-Friend and Foe 2


    Ling Qi pondered about Shu Yue as she rejoined the party. A follower of an older cultivation method? She wouldn¡¯t have thought such a person would be so close to the Duchess.


    She moved through the party for a time, engaging in small talk about the tournament, the plans Renxiang and she were making, and more personal matters. There was less of that this year though. It seemed that she had begun to scare away lesser marriage offerings.


    All the while, she kept an eye out. And when the shishigui ¡°envoy¡± stood alone, she excused herself from her chat with the daughter of a central viscount over the clothing of the southern people. She didn¡¯t spy anyone else seeking to speak with the shishigui on the way. It seemed that interest in this strange ¡°prize¡± was used up at the moment. Approaching, she made sure not to reflexively hide her aura, not wanting to startle the White Plume guards.


    ¡°I greet you, honored one.¡± The shishigui spoke first as she approached, its hunched back twisting awkwardly to allow it to bow. It spoke clearly in the imperial tongue, sounding like an old woman, creaky and tired. ¡°How might this humble one address you?¡±


    Sixiang murmured.


    She held back a grimace at the muse¡¯s prodding. No matter if this shishigui¡¯s presence made her gut churn, if it made her think of her mother¡¯s face, pale and drawn, or if it reminded her of people never emerging from the tunnels, this one was not from the same¡­ city.


    It wasn¡¯t fair to judge it¡ªher¡ªany more than it was fair to judge Ilsur for the actions of the barbarians which attacked the Sect. She studied the shishigui in silence for a moment, listening to the faint dry wheezing of her breath as the air bladders on her helmet shrank and grew.


    ¡°You may call me Baroness Ling. The Duchess said you were called Tcho-Ri. Is this a title or a name?¡±


    ¡°It is both,¡± said Tcho-Ri. ¡°Tcho means Mouth of the God. This is my role in the conclave. Ri is my personal name.¡±


    ¡°And how have you come to speak so?¡±


    Ling Qi thought that all sounded rather unwieldy and unworkable. ¡°What if a Voice lies about what they think the will is?¡±


    ¡°How can one who has connected themselves to the Mind of God lie?¡± Tcho-Ri asked, earnestly baffled. ¡°Or do you speak of deception in the debate after?¡±


    ¡°I suppose.¡±


    ¡°This is a problem, a rot in a community, but all communities have degrees of decay. One must be vigilant and surgical in its excisement. This one understands your league had this problem and solved it with the incarnation of your god.¡±


    That was¡­ not totally wrong, Ling Qi had to admit, but it was definitely incorrect in the details. She glanced behind her and met the eyes of a Bao man with a jeweled cup in his hands. He smiled at her and gave a nod, but she got the impression he was waiting for her to finish. She would need to wrap this up soon.

 Threads 214-Friend and Foe 3

    Threads 214-Friend and Foe 3


    There was one more thing she needed to ask, if she was to wrap her head around these creatures as something more than foes.


    ¡°When I infiltrated¡­¡± Ling Qi paused. ¡°You implied that Ya-lith-kai is seven cities. Does this make them a league? Is your own a league with its three cities?¡±


    ¡°My people are only a city made of three communities, three hearts in harmony, following the will of the god whose spoken name is Ha from the time of migration,¡± Tcho-Ri replied. ¡°We are not a league. They are seven whole cities who once followed different faces of Ya, but they reached a consensus to make him one. They are a league and are at the limits of consensus. A great league requires that multiple gods remain and form a pantheon, a community of gods.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, thankful for the elaboration. ¡°When I infiltrated one of the component cities of our foes, I heard laborers speaking of pack and family and the need to ¡®awaken¡¯ pups, which I assume are children. My question is: what is family to your people? How do you raise your children and organize your households?¡±


    Her conversation partner fell silent, and Ling Qi waited for a polite beat even as the faint hum of the ith-ia¡¯s suit increased. The White Plume guards flanking Tcho-Ri glanced her way as she let out a pained hiss. ¡°Why do you wish to know this?¡±


    Ling Qi held back a wince, understanding only a moment later that such a question might seem rather threatening given¡­ She tried to ignore why it might seem threatening. ¡°Kinship and community are important to me. I cannot understand you if I do not understand this.¡±


    Labored breathing resulted. ¡°Family¡ªpack¡ªis the smallest unit of consensus. Individuals who find contentment or joy in one another, joining in ceremony and blood... This is a blood-pack. This is not the same as work packs, those joined by their common labors, which are often composed of many blood packs.¡±


    ¡°So, it is not a male and a female joining together for the sake of children?¡±


    ¡°A pack of two is very small,¡± Tcho-Ri said dubiously. ¡°Young, perhaps. Three to five is common. Some blood-packs grow as large as ten. More is unhealthy in this one¡¯s opinion. Individuals will have their needs untended with so many, but this is not a consensus. This one does not understand the relevance of male and female in this.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced, feeling faintly mortified to have to speak of such things even obliquely. ¡°Well, you need a man and a woman to create children, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, what? Go back to that first thing,¡± Ling Qi interrupted. She was going to be allowed to visit the new Cai?


    ¡°I am not going alone,¡± her liege said stiffly, fingers tightening around her cup.


    ¡°I see,¡± Meizhen said. ¡°I suppose the security must be sufficient that there is no threat from a third realm.¡±


    They all fell silent at that, the air growing more solemn as the consideration of what could have brought an unprotected infant outside the fortress of Xiangmen settled in.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Renxiang said, short and clipped. ¡°This is above our heads.¡±

 Threads 215-Friend and Foe 4

    Threads 215-Friend and Foe 4


    ¡°Getting back to what¡¯s in front of us, what do the other provinces think of our venture, Lady Renxiang?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°As we suspected. The Zheng see it as a grand adventure. The Lakes are officially supportive but internally ambivalent,¡± Cai Renxiang replied.


    Meizhen tipped her head in apology. ¡°The Duchess has sold it well, and her successful subjugation helps, but my kin do not easily approve of diplomacy.¡±


    Renxiang nodded faintly. ¡°The Fields are ambivalent, of course, but the Capital and Sands have signaled some disapproval. I believe we may need to accommodate an imperial observer in our plans.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked and then frowned. That was unexpected. ¡°The Throne does not consider this provincial business?¡±


    ¡°The Throne has indicated that it has an interest in the matter,¡± Renxiang replied. ¡°But it is still to allow the Duchess¡¯ lead.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Absent when they are needed, ever present when unwanted,¡± Meizhen mocked.


    ¡°D¡¯you think they¡¯ll send someone who will mess things up?¡± Sixiang asked.


    ¡°I do not know,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°It is a factor we will have to account for.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll work it out,¡± Ling Qi said with a frown. ¡°What is the plan for tomorrow? I know our outline, but¡­¡±


    ¡°As the junior generation, we will be leaving the adults to their business tomorrow,¡± Meizhen said. ¡°We are expected to attend the tournament together. Trust building, of course. I would like your continued assistance in deciphering the intentions of my assigned subordinates.¡±


    ¡°Just whose retainer is Ling Qi?¡± Renxiang asked over the rim of her cup.


    ¡°Yours, although only because I let her go,¡± Meizhen teased.


    ¡°I am sitting right here.¡± Ling Qi huffed.


    ¡°So you are,¡± Meizhen said blithely. ¡°What do you think of them by the by? Aside from your admiration of Lao Keung¡¯s physique.¡±


    ¡°Meizhen,¡± Ling Qi hissed. ¡°Spirits, I wasn¡¯t obvious, right?¡±


    ¡°No, I just know you,¡± Meizhen replied smugly.


    ¡°A match with the Thousand Lakes would not be terrible,¡± Renxiang mused. ¡°It would have disadvantages over an internal match, but not insurmountable ones. There would be benefits to the alliance as well.¡±


    ¡°Lady Renxiang,¡± Ling Qi complained, only to sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t have too much of a read yet; I¡¯ve only known them for a few hours. Lao Keung has some resentment in him, but it is not personalized. Xia Anxi is very prideful, but he seems frightened of you, Meizhen.¡±


    ¡°As is proper,¡± Xiao Fen said primly, breaking her silence.


    ¡°Inevitable, but it does make things difficult if they will not speak plainly,¡± Meizhen said. ¡°If I were to hint that I want you to be engaged with, which of the two do you prefer?¡±


    ¡°Let me speak with Xia Anxi,¡± Ling Qi said after a moment¡¯s thought. She wasn¡¯t certain how genuine his interest had been, but it would be interesting to speak to a musician from such a distant tradition. Plus, she had paid more attention to the other Bai yesterday. It wouldn¡¯t do to snub.


    ¡°I will imply my interest in his assistance with keeping relations high then,¡± Meizhen said.


    ¡°Why not just tell him?¡± Ling Qi asked, taking a drink from her slush-filled cup. She quite liked this. Maybe she should try it with other drinks? The texture of the ice was pleasant.


    ¡°It is good to allow your subordinates to appear as if they are anticipating your desires,¡± Bai Meizhen replied. ¡°It is a kindness for new members of my entourage, or so Lady Xilai says. I trust her experience in the matter.¡±


    ¡°It is not an uncommon practice, though it is not my preference,¡± Cai Renxiang commented absently.


    ¡°Good thing, else I¡¯d have made a fool of myself,¡± Ling Qi quipped.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Cai Renxiang replied.


    The three of them shared a laugh. It was good to relax now while they were veiled from the public eye. Tomorrow, they will be back, and the theater of society will resume. Now though, they could simply be good friends.


    ***


    ¡°The first match was at least a little interesting,¡± Lao Keung said, leaning against the railing which separated their box from the general crowd of the stands. ¡°Good spearwork at least.¡±


    ¡°Workmanlike at best,¡± Xia Anxi drawled. He remained in the seat beside her. It was actually funny how stubborn he was being in that regard. ¡°Neither combatant had any real grace. But yes, an entertaining brawl.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded in agreement. Gun Jun had won, but it was a close thing.


    ¡°The dedication of both combatants was admirable,¡± Bai Meizhen said. ¡°I will not blame the Sect for the dullness of the second and third though. It was inevitable given the competition, just as my own first match was last year.¡±


    Bai Meizhen, Cai Renxiang, Lao Keung, and Xia Anxi all occupied this lower box with her today. They were essentially the Bai-Cai alliance junior division, as it were.


    Sixiang snickered.


    ¡°A certain respect is deserved for Lady Bai,¡± Xia Anxi said. ¡°But being expected does not make it any less dull.¡±


    Lu Feng¡¯s match had just ended, and as expected, it was a swift one just as Gan Guangli¡¯s before it had been. Third realms as advanced as they were against second realms¡­ The best a second realm could expect was being allowed to show off some of their skills by their opponents.


    ¡°I heard you went very soft on your opponent in the first match, Lady Bai,¡± Lao Keung said. It wasn¡¯t quite a question like when he¡¯d asked permission to stand instead of sit, but Ling Qi felt like he was probing at her friend.


    ¡°Pain and fear are tools like any other,¡± Meizhen replied. ¡°While the strength of the clan must be maintained, there is little purpose in terrorizing an individual whose only offense is poor fortune in a drawing. Using those tools in such a random way devalues their threat.¡±


    ¡°I see. Thank you for explaining your reasoning, Lady Bai,¡± Lao Keung said.


    As they were having that conversation, Ling Qi observed Xia Anxi out of the corner of her eye, as he was doing to her.


    ¡°This next one, you implied that you knew her?¡± he asked, drumming his slender fingers on the arm rest.


    ¡°I fought her,¡± Ling Qi clarified, looking down to the arenas where Chu Song was now taking up a position opposite another older disciple. He was only an early green realm compared to her solid appraisal. ¡°She was strong, but she lacked the flexibility to deal with me at that time.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunate for her,¡± Xia Anxi said. ¡°Is it true that she openly insulted your liege?¡±


    ¡°Not so much at the tournament,¡± Ling Qi said. It was more that Ling Qi riled her up. ¡°I may have baited her.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Do tell,¡± Xia Anxi said, raising an eyebrow.


    The words felt crueler now, looking back, but Ling Qi couldn''t bring herself to feel particularly bad for Chu Song. ¡°I asked her why I should care for the memory of a clan a hundred years dead.¡±


    ¡°Blunt, but effective,¡± Xia Anxi concluded. ¡°Ah, she must have raged. Those sorts always do.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ling Qi said, looking down at the match.


    Chu Song and the other disciple were clashing in the midst of a stony field, and she seemed to be coming out the better. Chu Song¡¯s cultivation hadn¡¯t improved much, but to Ling Qi¡¯s eye, her skills had. Her movement and demeanor were both much more controlled, and her swordplay more disciplined.


    ¡°I must wonder why the Duchess left any of the Chu alive at all. It¡¯s best to finish things with foes. Anything else is just buying future trouble,¡± he mused. ¡°Of course, I am sure I simply cannot see such a cultivator¡¯s plans.¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t answer at first. Why had the Duchess spared any of them? Going as far as she did, there would have been no more objection to finishing the clan entirely, aside from perhaps allowing spouses and children to change their names and join their partner¡¯s or parent¡¯s clans. Why allow the Chu to persist at all?


    ¡°Perhaps living examples are more effective than dead stone and ruins?¡±


    Xia Anxi nodded thoughtfully. ¡°A fair point, yes.¡±


    In the arena below, the boy Chu Song was fighting broke away with a movement art and leapt into the air. A great condor materialized above him, carrying him into the sky in its talons. Ling Qi saw Chu Song¡¯s expression twist into a snarl as she reached up and clenched a fist. She felt the wind in the arena change, a massive downdraft slamming her foe and his beast back to earth.


    ¡°I made an impression, it seems,¡± Ling Qi observed.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You can fly. Tell me, what is it like?¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, turning her gaze to Xia Anxi. He was still looking down at the arena, watching Chu Song hound down her foes. ¡°It¡¯s the most refreshing thing in the world. The feeling of being unmoored from everything, weightless and free, is incomparable.¡±


    He nodded, and a moment of silence passed. Ling Qi listened absently to the polite and formal back and forth between Meizhen and Renxiang.


    ¡°What is the sea like?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°I¡¯ve seen forests and mountains and vales, rivers and plains of snow, but never the ocean.¡±


    ¡°It is powerful.¡± Xia Anxi sounded nostalgic. ¡°A million, million tonnes of water pounding upon the shore in a rhythm as old as time, a glittering beauty of wave and surf, vast beyond even the confines of the horizon, with depths of mystery to match even sacred Lake Hei.¡±


    ¡°How poetic,¡± Ling Qi said.


    He sniffed. ¡°I do write the lyrics of my personal songs.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, lyrics. I am not much for spoken words. A clear melody carries meaning better,¡± Ling Qi replied.


    Sixiang grumbled in her head.


    ¡°The spoken word is among the first works of art made by man,¡± Xia Anxi retorted haughtily. ¡°You should not dismiss it so.¡±


    ¡°Is that so.¡± Ling Qi tilted her head. ¡°If you will excuse the question, how did you come by your talent? I was under the impression that the Bai did not have much focus on music.¡±


    ¡°The esteemed White Serpents do not engage with such arts,¡± Xia Anxi conceded, his eyes flicking briefly toward Meizhen. ¡°But the Blue have their work songs, and even the Red and the Green their marching hymns and drums. The Xia draw their song from the sea, which has its uses in cultivating our coral.¡±


    ¡°Coral?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Ah, yes, a southlander wouldn¡¯t know. Most think it a sort of stone, but it is more akin to your trees, living and immobile. It grows underwater in sprawling and beautiful formations. We tend and cultivate it for our underwater holdings, both in our homes and as fortifications against the leviathans which prowl the kelp beds of the red jungle. But even beside that, the spirits of wind and wave have always responded well to song.¡±


    Ling Qi struggled to picture the described coral. She did know there were some Weilu traditions toward shaping trees through song, and her dossier on the Meng had indicated that they made heavy use of living wood and plant life in their traditional architecture.


    ¡°It does sound beautiful. I¡¯d like to see it someday.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps I might send for a painting to remind me of home,¡± he said flippantly.


    ¡°Ah, trivial, of course,¡± Ling Qi said dryly.


    The match was wrapping up. Chu Song had won handily, not even bringing out her spirit beast.


    ¡°I am a man of some means and talent.¡± Xia Anxi preened.


    ¡°Naturally.¡± Ling Qi chuckled, leaning back in her seat.


    There would be a brief intermission before the fifth match began.

 Threads 216-Friend and Foe 5

    Threads 216-Friend and Foe 5


    Ling Qi had an idea, and Sixiang was amenable to helping. ¡°You make the sea sound beautiful, but I think the sky is a greater inspiration for artists.¡±


    ¡°As you have never seen it, that is unsurprising,¡± Xia Anxi replied. ¡°The majesty and romance of the ocean is the pinnacle of the world¡¯s beauty.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Ling Qi said dubiously, keeping half an eye on the arena. It wasn¡¯t something she was invested in, but it seemed to be working at getting him talking. ¡°The sky is the vault of heaven, the closest the material world comes to the Father¡¯s essence. It is the open canvas of the world, free for inspiration to strike like lightning and for creativity to blow in on the wind. Since it represents the world¡¯s creative forces, it seems obvious that it would be superior.¡±


    ¡°I suppose one who followed modern orthodoxy would think so,¡± Xia Anxi allowed with some distaste. ¡°The eight elements model is an artificial imposition on the world. It is the five elements model that better represents the world. The ocean, being the tears of the Nameless Father for his slain wife, is the ultimate representation of emotion, which is ultimately the source of art.¡±


    Well, this was working, albeit with some condescension, but he was taking her seriously. She would have to thank Sixiang later for feeding her information.


    Sixiang grumbled.


    ¡°I think water as a representation of persistence and stubborn advancement is more accurate,¡± Ling Qi debated. ¡°Emotion is better represented by spontaneity. Is that not how passions work?¡±


    ¡°It is not spontaneity which makes art,¡± Xia Anxi disagreed, turning fully in his seat to face her. ¡°Any dabbler may have inspiration. A true artist of song or pigment or any other type must have in them a persistence, a refusal to leave a work unfinished. This is the passion of the sea, deep and abiding, shaping the beauty of islands and beaches over eons with the wear of the waves.¡±


    Ling Qi smiled faintly. ¡°True, although I¡¯d argue the wind does the same with the mountains and hills. But all the same, without inspiration and innovation, you will only endlessly repeat the styles of your ancestors.¡±


    ¡°And what is wrong with that?¡± he asked rhetorically. ¡°To iterate again and again, this is how the world advances. So, too, with art. I study the work of my ancestors. There is no need to reject the past in order to create new things. They have given us tools. Only fools refuse to use them.¡±


    ¡°I suppose I have been told that I follow in the style of Grandmistress Lei, but my only teacher was the spirit Zeqing,¡± Ling Qi said, loosening her grip on her qi enough that her mentor¡¯s name vibrated with the meaning underneath the base sound.


    ¡°A testament to the Grandmistress¡¯ skill is that her style became so much a part of the world,¡± Xia Anxi said, a note of fervency in his voice. ¡°That is what I mean. Even one with no learning uses the tools left behind by those such as her. The works of the Coral Serpent, first of our line, are much the same. Even the urchins and toughs of the docks sing her songs, crude as the rendition might be.¡±


    Ling Qi tilted her head to the side. ¡°How would you know what songs street urchins and laborers sing?¡±


    Xia Anxi¡¯s golden eyes widened marginally before his expression smoothed over. ¡°I speak in metaphor, of course, to express how deeply a true grandmaster affects the world.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Ling Qi hid her suspicion. Something to file away for later. ¡°To get back to the original point, I think the nature of the heavens is more expansive. Within it, you have the seasons from which my winter is drawn, and you have weather, which shapes both the people and the land. Crucially, it is omnipresent. Any person anywhere may look to it.


    ¡°It may be true that the majesty of the sea is exclusive to those who live on its shores and above or below the waves, but the rest of that is nonsense,¡± Xia Anxi dismissed, leaning upon the arm of his seat. ¡°Weather arises from the cycle of rains, and even the winds arise from the interaction of sun and sea, fire and water, which is why it is absurd to class them as their own element. I shall grant you the seasons on technicality as the celestial movements may be considered a part of the heavens, but the depth of the seas are as infinite as the skies, the waves a match for any procession of clouds.¡±


    He hummed a bar, and Ling Qi felt the change in the area¡¯s qi.


    Push and pull, everlasting. Pressure. Sunlight glinting on rippling wavers, the infinite colors glittering beneath clear blue water. Near weightless suspension, floating on the current of the world.


    Life, blooming with vitality. Living clouds of fish, gleaming in the dappled light that extended beneath the surface, wonders and horrors on a scale greater than the dry lands above.


    Mystery, deep and infinite. The black abyss where the sloping sands dropped off. The infinite expanse where not a single island remained in sight.


    Drumming her fingers on the arm of her seat, Ling Qi hummed back.


    Wide as the world, stretching beyond comprehension, wisps of white the only stains in an infinite expanse. The feeling of soaring, freedom from the bonds of the earth, able to travel whatever direction one wished.


    Colors, hues beyond counting splashed across the world, casting it in their light. The shadows of mountains and hills and cities silhouetted against the setting and rising sun. The white cloak of winter, setting all the world a-glitter. The stormy ides of spring, awakening chaos and bringing life to the world.


    Noise and life. The howl of the wind through the mountaintops. The cries of birds migrating to and from far lands. The whisper of the breeze in the streets carrying all the scents of life.


    ¡°Ling Qi.¡± Cai Renxiang¡¯s stern voice cut her off, and Ling Qi realized just how spiritually ¡°loud¡± they had gotten.


    ¡°Xia Anxi.¡± Meizhen joined her, sounding more amused than stern.


    ¡°My apologies, Lady Cai,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°It seems we became too enmeshed in our conversation,¡± Xia Anxi apologized as well, bowing his head.


    Ling Qi privately had to admit that the discussion had been interesting. She hadn¡¯t directly contested with another musician since that sect challenge against Yu Nuan early in the year. Maybe she should do it more often in the future. She had felt her music was stagnating lately.


    Sixiang teased.


    ¡°It is no concern,¡± Meizhen dismissed. ¡°But the matches are beginning.¡±


    ¡°It would be rude to ignore them,¡± Cai Renxiang backed her up.


    ¡°Less entertaining though,¡± Lao Keung drawled from the railing. ¡°The fifth match is already over.¡±


    ¡°Already?¡± Ling Qi asked, blinking in surprise.


    ¡°I suppose after last year, the Han wished to show their virtue of speed,¡± Bai Meizhen mused.


    Ling Qi peered down at the arena where a lazily smiling Han Jian raised his hands to the stands.


    ¡°I understand that the Sect¡¯s inability to give them face at last year¡¯s tournament was problematic,¡± Cai Renxiang said.


    ¡°The Han? Those would be the Marquis of the East?¡± Xia Anxi asked, catching up. ¡°I hope the Guo know what they are doing with them.¡±


    ¡°I rather doubt that the Han will choose to march like fools into the empty desert to declare themselves Kings of the Grave,¡± Bai Meizhen said dryly. ¡°But yes, I imagine the Guo Lords are wary of the Han¡¯s rise.¡±


    ¡°It is a delicate situation,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed. ¡°The Han are not so belligerent however. I have heard that the Han heir has secured a marriage for his son with a less valued Guo scion.¡±


    Ling Qi looked down at Han Jian. She wondered how Gu Xiulan would react to that. She knew, despite everything, that girl was still smarting from Han Jian¡¯s rejection, no matter how impossible his reciprocation would have been.


    ¡°It is good that they are being proactive,¡± Lao Keung said neutrally. ¡°The Guo are wise.¡±


    Ling Qi hoped so. Perhaps she should ask Xiulan about inter-clan relations in the Golden Fields when she wrote her next letter. At home, surrounded by her family and their soldiers, she doubted the other girl was in any danger even if there was some turmoil. Still, she worried for her friend.


    Below, the sixth match was beginning. The two participants were Ma Jun, her former bodyguard, and Fan Yu, who she had mixed feelings about.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that girl was one of yours?¡± Xia Anxi asked.


    ¡°She followed Lady Cai,¡± Ling Qi corrected as the arena shimmered, bringing the combatants to a storm-wracked mountain top. ¡°She guarded me for a time with her sister. It seems she will be a peer though.¡±


    ¡°Too modest,¡± Xia Anxi jested.


    ¡°Odd. I do not recall seeing any Fan on the guest list,¡± Bai Meizhen mused.


    ¡°There is one. An older brother, I believe,¡± Cai Renxiang said, watching the opening movements.


    Fan Yu armored himself, pulling up stone and soil. Meanwhile, Ma Jun began to summon shimmering flower petals around herself.


    ¡°The Fan would be¡­ Ah, the remaining agricultural clan in the east,¡± Xia Anxi remembered, peering down. ¡°Quite potent, as things go over there. I am not certain about this one though.¡±


    ¡°Some tribulation of the heart. No certainty in his movements. Cultivation is unstable,¡± Lao Keung analyzed shortly.


    The two clashed below, stubborn stone against flashing petals and wind. Neither came away marked.


    ¡°Whatever you say, it seems you instilled some pride in that girl,¡± Xia Anxi said to her, watching Ma Jun circle the arena, feinting, dodging, and chipping away at her opponent. ¡°The colors, the meter, they both scream of drive.¡±


    Ling Qi added, ¡°Frustration, too.¡± She wondered what that was about. She would have to ask Gan Guangli.


    Below, the shape of the match was becoming clear. Ma Jun was having difficulty hurting Fan Yu, but he was only weathering her. Twice, she saw openings where he could have struck out at her, and twice, Fan Yu failed to take them. It was¡­


    ¡°Pfah, the match is already over,¡± Lao Keung said disdainfully. ¡°Even if it goes on for a while yet.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Bai Meizhen said. ¡°He is frightened, and that fear does not drive. It commands. Unfortunate for him.¡±


    Ling Qi was silent. She thought of the boy who had mocked her on her first day at the Sect and who had been loudly against her throughout those early days. There had been, if she were honest with herself, some satisfaction in surpassing him, even if she chose not to be obvious about it. Then, there was pity by year''s end.


    Now, there was not even that. He simply wasn¡¯t relevant to her life.


    She would have to congratulate Ma Jun.


    As the match ended some time later, she continued to chat with the others in the box.


    The final two matches went as expected. Xiao Fen¡¯s opponent fought hard, but was simply outmatched by her speed, brutality, and martial skill. Han Fang¡¯s opponent managed to not be beaten in the initial ambush, but fell shortly thereafter.


    And like that, the first round of the tournament ended. It had been predictable. The next one would begin to show some real clashes.


    But for now, they would descend to congratulate the winners from their side.

 Threads 217-Second Day 1

    Threads 217-Second Day 1


    Actually being on the tournament field at ground level was nostalgic, Ling Qi thought. It was here, just last year, that she had taken her first real step in establishing herself before the eyes of the Empire. It was here, for the first time, that she publicly showed her strength without holding back. It was here, she supposed, that the little seed of arrogance which had brought her near ruin in the dream of the Forest King had been born. Yes, in many ways, it was an important place.


    She supposed it was the same for Gan Guangli.


    ¡°My apologies for not congratulating you earlier, Sir Gan,¡± Ling Qi said cheerfully.


    ¡°My performance thus far has only been the minimum required to not besmirch our lady¡¯s name,¡± Gan Guangli replied. ¡°Nor that of our esteemed guests!¡±


    ¡°You have performed to my expectations,¡± Cai Renxiang said evenly, stepping forward.


    They stood beside one of the four arenas on the grassy field that filled the space between the platforms and the stands. The stands were swiftly emptying as the audience went forth to partake in the other attractions of the Sect¡¯s tournament. With Gan Guangli stood that Gun Jun fellow and Ma Jun, who looked as if she were torn between bouncing on her heels in joy at her success and frightened glances at their Bai guests.


    ¡°I am pleased to see my ally¡¯s subordinates succeeding as well,¡± Bai Meizhen said politely, looking up from Xiao Fen, who stood stiffly under Bai Meizhen¡¯s examination. Xiao Fen had received a few scratches in her fight. It was nothing worth visiting the Medicine Hall, but Meizhen seemed inclined to fuss anyway. ¡°I am certain you know Xiao Fen already, but with us today are Bai Xia Anxi and Bai Lao Keung, my new subordinates.¡±


    Ling Qi caught a brief expression of thoughtfulness on Lao Keung¡¯s face as she introduced them. It was something she had noticed, first with Xiao Fen and now with these two. When introducing her kin, Meizhen went out of her way to refer to them fully as Bai. Other White Serpent Bai did not do this.


    Lao Keung spoke first, clapping his fists together and offered a formal military bow. ¡°I am Lao Keung. As I will be heading Miss Bai¡¯s personal security, I expect we will be working together.¡±


    Xia Anxi offered a slightly condescending smile. ¡°And I am Xia Anxi, part of the diplomatic attachment. I hope you will keep anything from troubling us while we work.¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Gan Guangli exclaimed, reaching out to clasp wrists with a slightly bemused looking Anxi. He either missed, or more likely, ignored the tone Xia Anxi used. ¡°I will look forward to working with you both in the name of advancing both of our ladies¡¯ interests.¡±


    ¡°I am certain you will not disappoint me,¡± Cai Renxiang said formally. ¡°You have done good work, both in maintaining my project and raising your followers as well.¡±


    The other two with Gan Guangli bowed low in response to her words.


    ¡°Lady Cai is too kind,¡± they said, almost in unison.


    ¡°A commander may only hope for talented officers,¡± Gan Guangli said cheerfully. ¡°If¡ª¡±


    It was a flash of red in the corner of her vision. No, rather, it was a crimson that filled her spiritual senses, the coppery scent of blood mingling with freshly turned soil. Ling Qi turned her head toward the source of the sensation.


    There, at the edge of another arena with the victorious Lu Feng, stood Sun Liling. Sun Liling glanced away from Lu Feng, briefly meeting her gaze before her eyes swept away to the rest of Ling Qi¡¯s party, who had noticed her as well.


    The Princess of the West had changed since Ling Qi had last seen her. Her crimson hair held a streak of vibrant green, and the sharp-edged smirk she wore seemed more literal than before. The biggest change was to her spirit though. She was a sink of power. Her skin drank in the qi of sun and water in the air, and the power of the earth and soil visibly flowed into her feet to Ling Qi¡¯s spiritual senses. Her dantian burned in Ling Qi¡¯s spiritual sight like a miniature sun, environmental qi churning, digesting into hungry crimson.


    She was in the formation stage, the sixth step of the third realm, a full two stages above where she had been just a couple months ago.


    ¡°Yo! Looks like we¡¯re all here again, huh?¡± Sun Liling called out, waving. She seemed completely oblivious to the stony silence of the Bai around them as she strolled over to them. Sun Liling wore the same loose black silk pants she always had, but her shirt was a pale cream color embroidered with sunflowers, and over it, she wore a loose and unsecured vest of crimson made of some plant fiber that seemed still alive. ¡°This sure is nostalgic.¡±


    There was a beat of heavy silence, and in it, Ling Qi finally noticed Ji Rong standing in Sun Liling¡¯s shadow. He hadn¡¯t grown explosively at least. He was stronger than last she had seen him of course, but not unreasonably so. His expression was stony, and she couldn¡¯t read him at all.


    ¡°Princess Sun,¡± Cai Renxiang greeted politely. ¡°I am glad your return was untroubled.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it seems that the West has at least managed to maintain its transport infrastructure,¡± Bai Meizhen said in a voice as cold as Ling Qi¡¯s Hoarfrost Caress technique.


    ¡°Right?¡± Sun Liling laughed. ¡°Roads, how do those work? How¡¯re a buncha meatheads supposed to know?¡±


    Bai Meizhen blinked, momentarily nonplussed.


    ¡°I guess we managed on our own, just like always.¡± The princess beamed. ¡°Honestly, things are going pretty great back home! Gramps had some tips for me, and I got to see my people again.¡±


    ¡°... I am pleased for you,¡± Cai Renxiang said slowly.


    ¡°You sure are,¡± Sun Liling said. ¡°Anyways, gotta couple things to say! Mind if I have your ear for a moment?¡±


    Ling Qi was starting to feel unnerved looking at Sun Liling¡¯s half-lidded eyes and wide smile. It felt unnatural like the bright lure or sweet scent meant to lure prey.


    ¡°I do not see why not,¡± her liege said. There wasn¡¯t really a reason to refuse.


    ¡°So first, no hard feelings either way, regardless of which of our boys wins, yeah?¡± Sun Liling asked flippantly, slipping her hands into her pockets. ¡°Just a fun lil challenge, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Cai Renxiang said.


    Sun Liling nodded enthusiastically. ¡°Other thing¡¯s a bit bigger. I need you to pass a message to your mother. Gramps has decided that since we¡¯re all doing this imperial unity thing, he¡¯s gonna head south too to clear out our bits of the mountains! He¡¯s gonna be coming to meet the Duchess so they can talk coordination, yeah? Don¡¯t want to step on each other¡¯s toes!¡±


    Silence hung in the air at her declaration, and Ling Qi glanced at Gan Guangli, who seemed bewildered too. The less said for Bai Meizhen¡¯s and the other Bai¡¯s reactions, the better.


    ¡°If that is King Sun¡¯s wish, I am certain Mother will prepare to receive his simulacrum,¡± Cai Renxiang replied, barely missing a beat. ¡°It is good to hear of such cooperation.¡±


    ¡°Nah, he¡¯s gonna have his alternates overseeing the muster. General Lu¡¯s got that mostly in hand. He¡¯ll be coming in person. Ask your mother to open a line so we can figure out the date, yeah?¡±


    Ling Qi did not know much about the Western Territories, but even she understood that Sun SHao never left the jungle in person. What was going on?


    Silence again, and this time, Sun Liling didn¡¯t give them time to reply, turning to saunter away. ¡°C¡¯mon, boys, we got other people to see.


    Ling Qi blinked, mortified as Sun Liling pulled her hands from her pockets to swat both Lu Feng and Ji Rong on the bottoms as she passed them by. She glanced at Ji Rong, who briefly met her eyes, looking conflicted before he hurried to follow.


    ¡°What,¡± Lao Keung said.


    ¡°What,¡± Bai Meizhen echoed, glaring at Liling¡¯s back.


    Xiao Fen made a sound not unlike a furiously burning fuse.


    ¡°I do not even know where to begin,¡± Xia Anxi muttered.


    ¡°And I do believe it would be best if you did not.¡± Another voice startled Ling Qi, and she glanced back to see Xia Lushen standing behind them, one hand on Bai Meizhen¡¯s shoulder. ¡°This is not business for you.¡±


    ¡°Lord Xia,¡± they all swiftly greeted.


    ¡°Lady Cai, I hope you will deliver this message to your mother swiftly,¡± Xia Lushen said pleasantly. ¡°It does seem of great import.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°I must apologize to you, my guests. This is most urgent¡ª¡±


    ¡°It is nothing. We will meet again this evening,¡± Bai Meizhen said, recovering.


    ¡°May I ask to borrow your retainer, Lady Cai?¡± Xia Lushen asked. ¡°It was her note which originally brought me here.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, remembering that she had sent a missive indicating that she had made her decision on the sale. She hadn¡¯t expected such a prompt response.


    ¡°Of course, Lord Xia. Ling Qi, you are free until we meet back with our guests this evening,¡± Cai Renxiang said distractedly.


    She nodded to her liege as the group broke up with a few more pleasantries and followed after Meizhen¡¯s uncle as he walked toward one of the exits. She turned her attention inward toward Sixiang. The muse hadn¡¯t said a word in some time.


    Sixiang muttered.


    Not planning on it, Ling Qi thought.


    ¡°You honor me with your swift reply, Lord Xia,¡± she said aloud.


    ¡°It is nothing,¡± he said. ¡°Merely a small favor. I suppose you would like to know what I have to offer.¡±


    ¡°If you would, please,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°Most simply, I can offer stones. Two hundred green stones will go far for a young lady your age. However, if mere stones will not interest you, I can offer some small studies I and my apprentices have done on soil and fertilization. Your spirit undoubtedly does good work, but given the constraints of your environment, it may be best to stack advantages.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded. Either of those would be a boon.


    ¡°On the other hand,¡± he mused, ¡°I can offer medicines. I am not an unskilled alchemist¡­¡±


    Ling Qi perked up. ¡°I did acquire the recipe for a cyan breakthrough drug recently. Perhaps you could help me acquire some of its reagents?¡±


    ¡°Have you now? So resourceful,¡± Xia Lushen praised. ¡°Yes, that would be within my power. I take it you already have a maker in mind?¡±


    ¡°I mean no insult,¡± Ling Qi said humbly.


    ¡°No, it is good to develop your own networks,¡± he dismissed. "Aside from that, I can offer some insightful conversation. Our Ways are not particularly close, but some of my meditations may aid you."


    Ling Qi considered the options Xia Lushen had laid out. She was likely still a few years from attempting the fourth realm breakthrough, but she would be establishing her home on the border sometime this coming year. One thing she had learned well was that benefits and good fortune built on each other like a ball of snow rolling downhill. That was why the great families were great. Even if they had a bad generation, the sheer inertia of their power would keep them rolling.


    She intended to ensure that her family had as much of that inertia as she could.


    ¡°I think I would prefer the soil studies.¡±


    ¡°A fine choice,¡± Xia Lushen said with an amiable nod. They exited the hall which passed under the stands, stepping out into the sun outside the arena. ¡°The lands of the Ling will never suffer from parasites and weeds.¡±


    There was something vaguely malicious about the way the smiling old man pronounced those words, but given the Bai¡¯s proximity to the western jungles, she could hardly fault him for that. ¡°I am certain that Sir Xia¡¯s studies will be more than enough for the calmer lands of the Wall.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± He frowned, gazing back over his shoulder into the arena. ¡°Regardless, you will be well defended from encroachment. I do not have the items on my person. Would an exchange at the end of the tournament be acceptable?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Thank you for all of your consideration, Sir Xia.¡±


    ¡°No need. I am certain you have your own business to attend to.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded agreeably and bowed respectfully to the senior Bai as they parted ways, making her way down the path toward the guest pavilions. The trouble was her plans were now unsettled. She¡¯d meant to remain with Renxiang and the others until her appointment with Wang Chao and Xuan Shi.


    Sixiang proposed.


    I¡¯m hardly going to trip over opportunities, Ling Qi thought, restraining her urge to roll her eyes.


    It wasn¡¯t a bad idea though. Just observing the nobility of the Emerald Seas while she analyzed the information she had been given wouldn¡¯t be a bad way to spend some sudden free time.


    ¡°You¡¯re helping me process and analyze everything,¡± Ling Qi said under her breath.


    Sixiang complained.


    Too bad, Ling Qi thought. This is what they signed up for.


    Sixiang grumbled.


    Ling Qi laughed, a smile on her lips as she joined the crowds among the pavilions.

 Threads 218 Second Day 2

    Threads 218 Second Day 2


    Tiangong, the Labyrinthine Realm, was the capital of the Meng lands. Said to have been won from the hands of a mighty spirit of chance and fate in a game by the founder of the Meng long ago, this was the deed for which he was granted leave to found his own branch clan. Despite being one of the province''s oldest settlements, it was the third smallest of the county capitals. Only the capitals of the Jia, who had built a city wholesale after the Duchess¡¯ victory and had harsh residency requirements, and the Luo, who as a rule simply did not gather often in permanent cities, were less populous.


    It was probably the biggest by area though, Xiangmen aside, which was said to sprawl widely across the hills and valleys and fens. It was called Labyrinthine for a reason. Meng works and the original spiritual nature of the region meant that pathways were never quite stable, and which districts neighbored others changed at times. Hou Zhuang¡¯s information said that there was an order to this, but his observations and information hadn¡¯t been able to discern it.


    The Meng did not use normal imperial warding methods against spirits for this reason, but they had their own systems of spirit traps and mazes which they guarded jealously. The other settlements in the north of the region were similar, if on a smaller scale. Meng architecture often used raised walkways due to the marshy ground, and while they did not build directly into particularly old growth trees like Xiangmen in miniature, they favored loops and rounded shapes over straight lines and shapes. This informed their thinking, or so the common knowledge said.


    In the south, in the lands gifted by the fallen Hui after the Duchess¡¯ war, things were different. The former counts of the region had been more imperial leaning, and so, the settlements there were built accordingly. The Meng were attempting to integrate and overhaul the infrastructure, but progress was slow and halting. Hou Zhuang¡¯s notes indicated this was due to a conflict within the Meng¡¯s ruling halls on how the matter should be handled.


    This, he determined, was partially due to some vestigial old Weilu structures. Namely, the practice of having small circles or councils in the place of individual leaders was hindering consensus. More than half of their viscounties were headed by branch clans, and the lines were blurry. In the modern day, this amounted to advisors and vassals having more sway than was normal. Sometimes, lofty isolationist silence was what it seemed to be. Sometimes, it was internal paralysis.


    Ling Qi wouldn¡¯t have believed an imperial clan could be like that, but recently, she had been finding her conceptions on what authority was challenged more than she liked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not all bad, right?¡± Sixiang mused. ¡°If one person is messing up but it takes three to make a decision, it can reign in the one bad guy.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t wrong, but the way people worked, she was pretty sure that just meant a bunch of arguing and nothing getting done as everyone selfishly pursued their own gain. Then again, clearly such things existed and at least sort of worked. Perhaps she simply didn¡¯t have enough experience.


    ¡°One day, I¡¯ll chip a little more of that cynicism off of you,¡± Sixiang grumbled


    The mountain might be worn down by the river, but it would take ten thousand years, Ling Qi thought, smiling self-deprecatingly.


    She looked up from where she stood by the refreshments table in a wide airy pavilion. It belonged to a southwestern viscount, and she had drifted in here to mingle and make nice for a while. They certainly had a good array of ciders and juices at least. If she recalled correctly, the family''s main income came from their orchards.


    Her thoughts were interrupted as her gaze panned across the gathered nobles and servants, and she found her gaze falling on a familiar figure. Meng Diu stood talking with the elderly host of this little gathering. Her heavy makeup was done up differently than the last time Ling Qi had seen her. She spoke softly with the viscount, and naturally, Ling Qi could not make out what they were saying.


    That woman was surprisingly good at moving unnoticed. As she watched, the viscount bowed and she inclined her head before the two split apart. Meng Diu caught her eye.


    ¡°What did you say about opportunities?¡± Sixiang asked smugly.


    It doesn¡¯t count if a person is arranging them, Ling Qi complained in her head.


    Ling Qi lowered her eyes and then inclined her head, beginning to stroll toward the arrangement of flowers in the center of the pavilion.


    Soon, Meng Diu stood beside her. Though the older woman''s artfully arranged hair barely came up to her shoulder, Meng Diu¡¯s presence made her seem rather larger. The open paper fan in her hand shaded the older woman''s mouth and nose.


    ¡°My grandson¡¯s services proved useful, did they not?¡± Meng Diu opened without preamble. She appeared to be examining the large flower arrangement before them.


    ¡°Meng Dan proved a noble young man and an incomparable scholar,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°His talents were very useful for gathering information.¡±


    ¡°This pleases me. That child often becomes too wrapped up in his texts. It is good to see that he may apply his talents elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°In fairness, much of his work did end up taking place in a library of some sort.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that creature''s ring,¡± Meng Diu said frostily, her fan¡¯s lazy waving picking up for a moment. ¡°Truly, the gods love their games.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced her way. It wasn¡¯t in fashion to refer to the great spirits that way. ¡°So I have learned. Still, in this case, the outcome was good.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That tapestry¡­ You are wise to sell it, Baroness. It would only bring you trouble. I hope that my clan''s price will prove acceptable.¡±


    ¡°So do I,¡± Ling Qi said after a moment''s thought. ¡°It would hurt me to disappoint you when you have been so kind.¡±


    That finally drew a thin smile from the older woman. ¡°Baroness Ling is developing well.¡±


    ¡°Lady Meng is generous. But if I may, there is a question I would like to ask you.¡±


    ¡°Ask it.¡± Meng Diu¡¯s fan snapped shut and disappeared into her voluminous sleeve. She turned to fully face Ling Qi.


    ¡°If I am to consider my options properly, I must know the dispositions of my allies,¡± Ling Qi said carefully. ¡°How much strength does the interest in my projects hold in the councils of the Meng?¡±


    Meng Diu met her eyes, and Ling Qi held her steely gaze, straightening her shoulders as she faced the pressure from the higher cultivator. She loosened her grip on her own nascent domain, allowing her song to compete with the slow steady melody of Meng Diu.


    ¡°More than we have had in centuries,¡± Meng Diu said plainly, the pressure of her presence receding. ¡°Your Duchess¡¯ rise broke many things. It broke many people. This included my father, who came to her call under the Divine Tree. My brother resents this; I do not. My father was right to come and right to die to burn the webs which choked this province.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Ling Qi said, reassessing things. She knew Meng Diu was sister to the current Meng clan head even without Hou Zhuang¡¯s information.


    ¡°It is not enough to simply live by the old ways. They must be developed on our terms, not that of outsiders,¡± Meng Diu continued. ¡°Our land is not the artificial cradle of the Peaks. Our ways are superior for this land. It is not enough to sit behind our mists and sing while the world passes us by.¡±


    ¡°I do not disagree. Isolation serves no one.¡±


    Those words rang with something deeper than words, a chord of her spirit.


    Meng Diu nodded slightly, turning back toward the flower arrangement. ¡°One in four of those whose voices matter, but success in our ventures grants legitimacy. Most can be convinced. We are not exempt from the charge that is in the air nor the knowledge that the world is turning. Some oppose us, turning even further inward, but this path is not yet set in stone.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Ling Qi said slowly. In reaching out, those who wished to keep up with the world on their own terms hoped to gain further legitimacy for their movement. In this, she, or rather, Cai Renxiang, could be a rallying point. Look at us, their actions could say. The ways of our ancestors may still change the path of the province. ¡°I will keep that in mind.¡±


    Another slight nod. ¡°Good. On to happier things.¡±


    ¡°Happier things?¡± Ling Qi asked, tilting her head.


    ¡°I have decided that I quite enjoy winter music. A passing whim, I am sure. I would like to offer patronage for your junior sister.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You honor me, Lady Meng. What did you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°Two possibilities. I may see the southwest opened to you, or I may promote you in the capital.¡±


    Ling Qi contemplated her words. She could tell by tone and emphasis on words that Meng Diu would prefer the former. Ling Qi could see why. She had just learned that the Meng clan¡¯s traditions were spotty in the south, and her ¡°brand¡± would be helpful in promoting the type that Meng Diu supported. On the other hand, promotion in the capital could do a great deal for her.


    She understood what Meng Diu was doing. This offer made it clear that the woman was willing to help her and be done with it, but she was also open to further cooperation.


    ¡°I think I would like to work the southwest into our plans,¡± Ling Qi said, inclining her head. ¡°It will be some time before we can afford regular trips to the capital.¡±


    ¡°The road to Xiangmen is long,¡± Meng Diu agreed, sounding pleased. ¡°I will speak to those who make such decisions and put them in contact.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Lady Meng,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Might I have another question?¡±


    Meng Diu silently gave a small nod.


    Ling Qi was silent for a beat as well, working out in her head with Sixiang precisely how she wished to phrase her question. ¡°What vision do those who seek reform have for the future? What makes them differ from what people call moderates of the Weilu tradition?¡±


    ¡°A fair query, one which I could answer for the remainder of the day. The ones you speak of are best represented by the Luo clan. They have their pride, and they maintain their traditions. But they are content with that. They lack conviction. And so, they are worn away year by year as a mountain in the face of the wind.¡±


    Ling Qi listened carefully as the older woman spoke.


    ¡°So, too, those you would call conservatives. They are more fierce in the defense of our way, but they have long ceased to seek to turn the minds of others. They stand in a dying garden and declare ¡®no more,¡¯ but they have not sown a seed in a thousand years.¡± Meng Diu¡¯s lips curled in contempt. ¡°As for the others, time¡¯s hand cannot be turned back. A burned grove is gone. It can never be restored, only replaced. What we wish for is simple, young lady. We wish to restore the vigor of our people to remind them of why our traditions were once followed and why they are still worth following.¡±


    She smiled humorlessly. ¡°But I speak in sweeping words. In the immediate term, Baroness, our goal is to restore the honor of our faith, the Pure Way, to acceptability after the debasement of the Hui and to drum up support for repair and investment in our southwestern territories. The south of the province is still in flux all these centuries later. It is there where we might reverse our decline.¡±


    ¡°I admit, I am a little uneducated on these matters. You do not see yourself in opposition to the Duchess in any of that.¡±


    ¡°I am in opposition to her pet killer certainly,¡± Meng Diu corrected. ¡°But in my century serving at the court, I have found that this is not the same. The stars of her great followers rise and fall in the Duchess¡¯ consideration.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s mind flashed to the cold expression of Heron General Xia Ren. She did not think she would ever like that woman. She reminded Ling Qi of burning forests and the taste of blood on her tongue.


    ¡°I see. I will need to speak to my liege, but I would like it if we could correspond in the future. I would like to know more of the ways in which I have apparently stumbled.¡±


    The older woman nodded. ¡°Of course. It is important to cultivate the youth after all. Perhaps we will have time when you come north for your auction. Until then, allow me to introduce you to Viscount Rui.¡±


    Ling Qi gave a short bow of gratitude and folded her arms behind her back, following after Meng Diu as the older woman began to introduce her to the various worthies at the little gathering.

 Threads 219-Second Day 3

    Threads 219-Second Day 3


    Ling Qi stretched her arms over her head and let out a sigh of satisfaction.


    ¡°Look at you being all uncouth.¡± Sixiang laughed, the ghostly image of their face appearing over her shoulder. ¡°Tut, tut, what would everyone think?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no one around to complain,¡± Ling Qi said dryly, shaking out her sleeves to make them hang properly again as she lowered her arms. She paused for a moment, considering. ¡°No one who could politely admit it anyway.¡±


    There were probably a lot of perception-focused cultivators around after all. She began to walk again, leaving the pavilions further behind as she headed toward the hills. She had flown this far, but she had felt like strolling the last bit.


    ¡°Seriously though, you¡¯ve gotten better,¡± Sixiang said idly, their phantom weight resting on her shoulder.


    Ling Qi let her gaze wander up to the afternoon sky. ¡°So have you. Do you remember that first party?¡±


    Sixiang cringed theatrically. ¡°Ugh, we were both a couple of bumpkins, huh?¡±


    ¡°A bit. It was disrespect on my part though.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Sixiang agreed.


    There had been a certain contempt, Ling Qi thought, for the idea of nobles. It was still there in the corner of her heart every time she saw a display that could have fed a city if it was sold, if she were honest. But it was just the way things were. The strong do as they will; the weak do as they must. That was life.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t always have to be like that,¡± Sixiang contended.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Ling Qi said easily. ¡°I believe in Renxiang after all. But it¡¯s always going to be a struggle not to revert to the resting state, even if we succeed at everything. My original point was, all these displays and rituals¡­ They¡¯re not so different from what the priests do with spirits. This stuff is all carefully constructed to discourage us from staving each other¡¯s heads in with rocks.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d all probably be more flashy about it,¡± Sixiang accused.


    ¡°A fancy rock is still a rock.¡± And that was what she was doing now in trying to extend those rituals, that acknowledgement, to a whole other people. that they might all avoid painting the mountains crimson.


    When in the world had she begun to think that she had any business taking on such a problem?


    ¡°When you decided you were gonna reach the peak of cultivation,¡± Sixiang answered.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t reply. They had arrived.


    She saw Xuan Shi and Wang Chao up on the hill, but Luo Zhong stood at the top of the hill with them, smiling easily as he chatted with the animated Wang Chao. Zhengui watched them all with what she recognized as polite befuddlement, which probably meant they were talking politics.


    ¡°Hello, honored guests,¡± Ling Qi greeted politely as Sixiang¡¯s image blew away on the wind. ¡°It looks like we have picked up one more.¡±


    ¡°Sect Brother Luo met us on the way, and I didn¡¯t see the harm in bringing him along,¡± Wang Chao declared cheerfully. ¡°We already intended to invite him to our gathering after, no?¡±


    ¡°I am sorry for the intrusion, but this sounded quite interesting,¡± Luo Zhong said in a conciliatory tone. ¡°I will leave if our host wishes.¡±


    It would be rude. Not unacceptably so, but just enough. It reminded her of why Luo Zhong irritated her just a little. ¡°I don¡¯t mind your presence. Sect Brother Xuan?¡±


    ¡°This one has no objections,¡± Xuan Shi said placidly. ¡°If Sir Wang and Lady Ling believe Brother Luo¡¯s integrity.¡±


    Of course not.


    ¡°Do you know what we were intending, Luo Zhong?¡± Ling Qi asked politely.


    ¡°Some casual technique and formation demonstrations,¡± Luo Zhong said, straightening up from his bow. ¡°Sect Brother Xuan¡¯s innovations are impressive, or so I hear.¡±


    ¡°Sect Brother Luo is too generous,¡± Xuan Shi said, shrugging his broad shoulders. ¡°And this is merely a casual meeting.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked at the emphasis Xuan Shi put on that word, and she knew Luo Zhong caught it too from the way he straightened up marginally.


    Sixiang thought.


    ¡°Yeah, Big Sis said this was just for fun,¡± Gui intruded haughtily. The tone really didn¡¯t suit him.


    ¡°Haha, of course it¡¯s just for fun, Sir Ling,¡± Wang Chao chuffed. ¡°I think we¡¯ve all had enough of serious concerns for the day. You would not believe how my sister grilled me over my performance in these last months.¡±


    Ling Qi smiled. ¡°I am sure your elder sister is merely showing affection in her own way. She only wishes for you to excel.¡±


    ¡°Bah, she¡¯s gotten to you already!¡± Wang Chao threw up his hands.


    Luo Zhong watched them pensively. Xuan Shi did so with an unreadable air.


    Ling Qi watched Luo Zhong out of the corner of her eye, considering. How did she want to handle his presence?


    Well, the best thing was just to treat him like any other plus one Wang Chao would have brought along. Maybe she could get him to cough up what he wanted without dragging it out.


    Ling Qi thought.


    She didn¡¯t forget Xuan Shi¡¯s words that she didn¡¯t respect him. She saw no reason to feed Kongyou¡¯s plots on that account.


    ¡°So, how did you hear about this meeting, Sect Brother?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Ah, Sect Brother Wang was discussing his meeting with some of our peers,¡± Luo Zhong replied pleasantly. ¡°The chance to see the craft of the venerable Xuan in action was too good to pass up.¡±


    Of course he had, Ling Qi thought. Wang Chao liked attention. If she were being unkind, she would say he liked to brag. It wasn¡¯t the worst flaw to have, but it did have its downsides.


    Wang Chao grinned. ¡°Of course I did! I¡¯m proud of my companions! Ah, Lady Ling, you may end up fielding some questions regarding your gardening.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not something worthy of attention yet,¡± Ling Qi demurred. She was certain Wang Chao was overestimating things. Her hobbies weren¡¯t important. At most, a few might be interested in Zhengui.


    ¡°Yeah! This one¡¯s just practice, even if it turned out pretty good,¡± Gui chirped.


    ¡°Hmph. Elder Sister and Gui should have more pride,¡± Zhen hissed.


    ¡°Weigh this one¡¯s opinion how you will, but thy design principles are sound, however they came about,¡± Xuan Shi said thoughtfully, glancing her way.


    Sixiang whispered.


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t heard you were expanding your hobbies, Sister Ling,¡± Luo Zhong commented.


    ¡°I¡¯m simply exploring my little brother''s nature more thoroughly. But please, this meeting is not about me. Brother Xuan, I¡¯m interested in seeing what you¡¯ve done with your armors since I last saw them deployed.¡±


    ¡°Yes! I am looking forward to testing my might against your shell!¡± Wang Chao agreed excitedly.


    Xuan Shi looked at her for a moment and nodded once. ¡°As Sister Ling wishes. Let us find a clear space then.¡±


    He turned, and they followed. Zhengui''s trundling footsteps drowned out the natural ambience as they climbed the rest of the way to the top of the hill to a wide patch clear of any scrub, brush, or grass.


    ¡°Well cleared,¡± Xuan Shi mused.


    ¡°Big Sis said it was okay to eat everything since we would grow it back later,¡± Gui explained.


    ¡°This one is thankful for the consideration,¡± Xuan Shi said politely. She had spoken to her little brother at length about trying to be polite, and it seemed to be working. ¡°Most key in recent efforts has been the development of these gauntlets. More than armor, they are mobile forges and carvers.¡±


    Xuan Shi extended his arms, shaking out his sleeves to better show off the blocky gauntlets she had seen him wearing for some time now. They were made of some kind of ceramic, glazed in dark brown and green colors that matched his robes, and were meticulously articulated to allow for near full range of motion.


    As she watched, they whirred and clicked, and panels on the back of his wrists opened, spitting hexagonal ceramic plates into the air. She felt the qi in his arms pulse, and complex formations flashed across their surface with a sizzling hiss, and the plates began to whirl lazily around him.


    ¡°A combination of an art with a talisman?¡± Ling Qi guessed.


    ¡°Ah, I have heard of this! I did not know that you could perform such crafts without the backing of shen,¡± Wang Chao said, watching the panels fly. ¡°How do you perform the replication?¡±


    Luo Zhong watched silently, but Ling Qi could feel he was paying attention.


    ¡°The plates are stored uncarved. The purpose of the gauntlets is to store and impress the formation patterns,¡± Xuan Shi explained graciously, allowing more and more of the whirling panels to emerge. ¡°This one merely developed upon the work of his ancestors in the art. An old construction art was made useful for this purpose.¡±


    Ling Qi watched the steady pulse of Xuan Shi¡¯s dantian as it sent flows of qi moving through the gauntlets and the panels.


    Luo Zhong spoke up. ¡°The panels themselves only have the simplest of receiving, functioning, and energy storage on them. The gauntlets do not merely create and store the physical shells for imprinting, but¡­ Ah, no, you¡¯ve hidden the controlling arrays, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    Xuan Shi blinked and gave a slow nod. ¡°Yes, this one chose a comprehensive approach. The Cai school of thought with its interlocking talismans is most intriguing.¡±


    ¡°Here, here, no one better to take inspiration from than our Duchess,¡± Wang Chao said, only to blink. ¡°Er, that is, except your own Duke of course, my friend!¡±


    ¡°The Duke Xuan¡¯s eyes are cast upon other seas. There is no offense.¡± Xuan Shi chuckled. ¡°All wise in talisman craft look hungrily upon the developments of the Emerald Seas.¡±


    ¡°Brother Xuan is generous to us.¡± Luo Zhong smiled thinly.


    ¡°Not without cause,¡± Ling Qi said lightly. ¡°So, Wang Chao and I planned some games with Sir Xuan to test his work. Do you plan on participating, Brother Luo?¡±


    ¡°I am not much of a warrior, but if you will have me, I might have a few tricks to test the device¡¯s capabilities with. Assuming Sir Xuan approves.¡±


    ¡°Comprehensive testing may only help improve these simple projects,¡± Xuan Shi said humbly.


    ¡°Ah, give me the first go, will you?¡± Wang Chaorolled his shoulders as he stepped forward.


    ¡°I have no objections,¡± Ling Qi said, dipping her head.


    ¡°Nor I,¡± said Luo Zhong.


    ¡°Go get him, Mr. Avalanche!¡± Gui declared cheerfully from the sidelines. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure you don¡¯t break the hill!¡±


    Her little brother was a good boy really, Ling Qi thought. She felt his roots growing throughout the hill, binding dirt and stone together in a web of living wood.


    ¡°Haha, Sir Ling overestimates me!¡± Wang Chao stepped away from them to follow Xuan Shi further out into the cleared dirt.


    Ling Qi glanced toward her unexpected guest, crossing her arms loosely as the other two boys took up places across from each other. Wang Chao crouched, taking a runner''s starting stance while Xuan Shi stood with a wide stance, his tiles whirling around him by the dozens.


    ¡°Brother Luo certainly involves himself in many projects,¡± Ling Qi noted.


    ¡°It is wise to have a diverse array of investments,¡± Luo Zhong riposted.


    There was a tremendous bang, and the hill shook violently under their feet. The shockwave of impact as Wang Chao¡¯s charging shoulder struck the gathered barrier of hexagonal plates sent her hair fluttering, and Wang Chao became visible again, his feet having dug furrows in the dirt where he had landed after bouncing off.


    ¡°It seems that lack of focus could be detrimental though,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°A possibility,¡± Luo Zhong admitted. ¡°But we cannot all be blessed by fortune. Some endeavors fail, and thus, it is important to have other plans.¡±


    Ling Qi shot him a look out of the corner of her eye as the hill began to quake in rapid succession, light flashing and air rumbling as Wang Chao began to attempt to batter through in earnest.


    ¡°And you see opportunity here?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°The Xuan will be a greater presence going forward. It would be good if I could make connections. The same goes for your matter. It seems I might have made an error though,¡± Luo Zhong said.


    ¡°This is, after all, an informal gathering. I am sure you will have opportunities, if your impression is good,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°This reversal does not escape me. But look, Sect Brother Wang is about to make a breakthrough.¡±


    Ling Qi looked back in time to see the fragments of a broken tile fall to the ground and hear the faint crack of shattering ceramic.


    Wang Chao stood, breathing heavily on the cratered hilltop, but a moment later, he grinned. ¡°So there is a limit to how much energy you can redirect!¡±


    ¡°Brother Wang is vigilant,¡± Xuan Shi said, a touch of pride in his voice. ¡°But can he keep up such speed for long enough?¡±


    ¡°Nay, not like this. But it¡¯s interesting! You aren¡¯t stopping me; that would be much harder! You are stealing my momentum!¡±


    She thought she saw Xuan Shi smiling behind his collar. ¡°Repurposing the enemy''s qi allows the technique to maintain itself for longer action. But Brother Wang has seen that the storage may be overwhelmed.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, perhaps with my beast and my spear, I might break through for a few blows,¡± Wang Chao said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. ¡±But truly, I am not certain I could defeat you unaided, Sect Brother.¡±


    He did sound a little disgruntled but not much. Xuan Shi¡¯s status as a ducal scion must have salved any wounded ego.


    ¡°Unbreakable defense is where the sons of the Savage Seas excel, even one such as me,¡± Xuan Shi said.


    ¡°Does it work as well with spiritual attacks?¡± Wang Chao asked.


    ¡°Perhaps Sister Ling would care to try?¡± Xuan Shi redirected.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ling Qi said with a nod. She stepped forward, passing Wang Chao, who was already loudly blustering about his performance and Xuan Shi¡¯s talismans to Luo Zhong.


    She came to stop a few meters from Xuan Shi only to pause as a voice spoke in her mind.


    ¡°Heya, my guy wanted to know if you¡¯ve figured anything out?¡± Kongyou¡¯s tone was gratingly cheerful.


    ¡°He¡¯s seeking clan connections to the Xuan,¡± Ling Qi thought back, keeping her expression even.


    ¡°I hope my performance isn¡¯t too disappointing. I haven¡¯t been cultivating my direct attacks much recently,¡± Ling Qi said aloud.


    ¡°The type of assault offers more than its potency.¡± Xuan Shi spread his arms wide. ¡°Please, test me, Sect Sister.¡±

 Threads 220-Second Day 4

    Threads 220-Second Day 4


    Ling Qi sang a high clear bar. The wind howled, the ground frosted, and the whirling panels immediately snapped together into a solid dome that flashed a deep blue as it met the force of her Hoarfrost Refrain.


    Ling Qi allowed silver to bleed into her eyes as she studied the way her offensive qi scattered. It struck like a blizzard wind but had shattered on contact with the tiles. Strands of qi had been unwound and separated, a fractal breaking that shredded the qi of her attack into smaller and smaller parts absorbed by the tiles.


    The wind whipped up, her gown and cloak fluttered, and the ice of winter howled again to the same effect. Three times more, a quick and strident melody, and Ling Qi¡¯s eyes narrowed. The feeling of his defense was all too familiar.


    Isolation.


    Weaponized, or perhaps, armorized? That was what his defenses did. They broke things down again and again until each strand of qi and each mote of power was alone and weak, then absorbed them. The adaptive component¡­ Each time a similar construct was used against him, his art and the arrays of the talismans were able to break the offending technique down faster and more efficiently, taking less damage.


    Her voice rose, and an eagle screamed. The tremendous phantom swooped down and dashed itself upon the intractable barrier that met it. Twice more, the eagle, and then again, the ice. The Hoarfrost scattered slower this time, not quite as slow as the first time she had used it,but slower all the same.


    ¡°Sister Ling has had a revelation,¡± Xuan Shi said mildly as the barrier around him broke apart, leaving them face-to-face on the now well ruined hilltop.


    ¡°It is a powerful effect, but as with anything, there are limits. It is still very impressive.¡±


    ¡°Not so much,¡± he deflected.


    Ling Qi nodded, but her thoughts were distant. It felt strange to encounter a concept so familiar in another''s art.


    The texture of the concept expressed through these talismans felt different compared to her own understanding, embedded now forever in the blade that was a part of herself. It was privation of a sort, but the closest she could come to articulating the difference was that she cultivated loneliness in scarcity, the deprived wasteland of deepest winter. Xuan Shi¡¯s isolation seemed more like that of a starving man surrounded by a feast he couldn¡¯t touch, the feeling of being alone even in the densest crowd.


    It was familiar, but not quite intersecting with her understanding.


    ¡°Sister Ling?¡± Xuan Shi¡¯s voice broke her from her thoughts.


    She raised her head and put on a smile. ¡°Apologies. I lost myself in thought for a moment. I think that¡¯s enough of an initial test for me.¡±


    ¡°As Sister Ling wishes,¡± Xuan Shi said, bowing his head.


    Ling Qi returned the gesture and turned away. ¡°Shall you give it a try, Sir Luo?¡±


    ¡°My host is gracious. I may have a technique or two to try.¡±


    ¡°Feel free, son of Luo,¡± Xuan Shi invited.


    Ling Qi moved back from the cleared area to stand beside Zhengui, resting a hand on his head as Luo Zhong took up the field. ¡°Thank you for preparing the ground, Zhengui,¡± she said, brushing her fingers over smooth scales.


    ¡°Zhen was pleased to help,¡± his other half said snootily, bumping his broad head against her shoulder. Ling Qi chuckled and reached up to rub the serpent¡¯s brow ridges.


    ¡°It¡¯s kinda boring with everyone busy,¡± Gui said quietly. ¡°But that is good ¡®cause it gives Zhen and Gui time to think.¡±


    ¡°It gives I, Zhen, time to argue with thickheaded Gui perhaps,¡± the serpent corrected.


    Ling Qi gave a small hum of acknowledgement. She knew Zhengui needed time to contemplate and work through things too. Beast cultivation was narrower, but not so different from her own cultivation.


    As she watched, Luo Zhong politely bowed to Xuan Shi before a flick of his wrist brought a paper talisman into his hands.


    ¡°I¡¯ll find time to talk to you if you need it,¡± she offered. She wasn¡¯t going to be overbearing, but she would be available.


    Zhen gave a happy hiss as she gave his head one last pat and returned her hand to the top of Gui¡¯s head.


    Qi burned across the characters inked on the talisman in Luo Zhong¡¯s hand, and Ling Qi cocked her head as she felt threads of qi extending into the spiritual realm, calling, or rather, pulling on something like a leash or a tether. Crimson fire bloomed within the circling tiles, right between Xuan Shi¡¯s feet.


    The whirling tiles slammed down in a solid dome, cutting Xuan Shi off from the outside entirely. A breath passed, and then, they came apart. The fire was gone.


    ¡°Well, it would have been disappointing if it was really so easy,¡± Luo Zhong said, unperturbed.The same fire burned on one character of the paper talismans, fitful and sparking.


    ¡°To create a construct within the defenses was an obvious solution. But one would be more foolish not to try, if the option is there.¡±


    Ling Qi watched Luo Zhong nod and sweep the talisman held between his fingers through a few rapid, sharp movements. The light burning in the characters changed, red bleeding to silver, lighting up new characters. Again, she felt a pull on threads extending out of the material.


    ¡°What fun,¡± Wang Chao said loudly as he reached her side. He watched with interest as a horse-sized hound of silver fire erupted from the earth under Xuan Shi¡¯s feet, carrying him skyward on the platform formed of the barrier panels that had snapped into place under his feet. The talisman in Luo Zhong¡¯s hand swept through the air vertically, trailing glittering blue light, and a second hound wrought of clouds and lightning coalesced from the mist left behind by her own arts, diving down to strike like lightning against the dome forming over Xuan Shi¡¯s head. ¡°It seems like Brother Luo is taking this seriously!¡±


    Ling Qi glanced his way. ¡°It does seem so. What is the art he is using? Those aren¡¯t bound spirits. I can tell that much.¡±


    ¡°Luo contract techniques,¡± Wang Chao said. ¡°He used them in our tournament too.¡±


    That jogged Ling Qi¡¯s memory. In studying the clans of Emerald Seas, she had seen mentions that the Luo had retained a somewhat unorthodox spirit binding and relations tradition from their branch of the Weilu. She¡¯d not put much thought into it before.


    Green light burned on a talisman. The silver wolf dissolved, and the wind picked up with an animal howl, a nigh invisible green flash the only sign of the third ¡°spirit¡± summoned. It felt like sharp edges and spring wind, and she saw chips of ceramic go flying as it struck innumerable times in quick succession at the whirling panels.


    ¡°So that¡¯s why I can feel his qi pulling at something out of sight,¡± Ling Qi mused.


    Sixiang whispered.


    ¡°Right. Contract arts don¡¯t allow the full spirit to be drawn on, only a certain fraction determined by negotiations,¡± Wang Chao explained, putting on his knowledgeable voice. ¡°And only to do certain specific things.¡±


    Push and pull, give and take. That explained what she was feeling from those weird liminal connections. It was not too unlike what she¡¯d done with the river spirit, offering power for a service or boon.


    Transaction was not completely alien to her own thoughts of community and communication, but the way Luo Zhong employed it felt coarse to her. Impersonal was perhaps a better descriptor.


    The lightshow on the hill ended as Xuan Shi crashed back to earth. There was a single tiny chip in the brim of his hat. ¡°An Impressive trick. Such a small thing, slipping in amidst the bright and flashing threats. This one will have to adjust the formation¡¯s threat detection.¡±


    Luo Zhong smiled faintly, raising his hand to allow a glittering dragonfly seemingly made from glass to alight on his fingers. ¡°Against powerful techniques, your work is truly superlative, Brother Xuan. This little trick could hardly change the course of a battle.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps not alone,¡± Xuan Shi said, inclining his head. ¡°Nonetheless, this one humbly thanks Brother Luo for providing this consideration.¡±


    ¡°That was a fine demonstration!¡± Wang Chao interjected, walking off toward the two of them. Ling Qi sighed, and giving Zhengui one last pat on the head, followed after.


    ¡°A good opening,¡± Xuan Shi agreed. ¡°Thou must all be considering paths toward circumventing mine technique by now.¡±


    He sounded pleased by that. It seemed that Xuan Shi did have something of a competitive streak, if pushed.


    ¡°Maybe, maybe,¡± Wang Chao said with a grin. ¡°What sort of form do you think the game should take going forward?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps paired contests?¡± Luo Zhong suggested. ¡°My own cultivation advantage does weight things, but Brother Xuan¡¯s mastery is great.¡±


    ¡°I believe we were thinking of something similar. A few scenarios with more complex objectives might be enjoyable,¡± Ling Qi agreed.


    ¡°True. The wide world is no dueling arena,¡± Xuan Shi said.


    ¡°Ah, game objectives. How fun!¡± Wang Chao boomed. ¡°I¡¯d object to Ling Qi and Sir Xuan teaming up. I can¡¯t imagine dealing with that to be less than obnoxious.¡±


    Ling Qi cocked an eyebrow. ¡°Am I to be insulted, Sir Chao?¡±


    ¡°Hah, as if! I know you feel complimented by that sort of thing.¡± Wang Chao grinned at her.


    Xuan Shi chuckled. ¡°I and Sir Wang then?¡±


    Ling Qi looked over at Luo Zhong. He still wore an expression of pleasant interest. She thought she might have a better grip on the older boy now. She doubted they would ever be friends, but it was unrealistic to imagine that she could be friends with everyone.


    ¡°That seems fair. One senior and one junior disciple for each side. I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t stack up to a scion of the great Xuan clan though.¡±


    ¡°Sister Ling should be less humble,¡± Xuan Shi said, surprising her. It had been a rote bit of etiquette, not the sort of statement that would earn a response.


    ¡°Brother Xuan is too kind,¡± she said reflexively. ¡°Anyway, I doubt we want something as simple as a head-to-head duel¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh! Zhen and Gui can make a thing for capturing! Those games are fun!¡± her little brother announced.


    ¡°A flag capture game,¡± Wang Chao said thoughtfully. ¡°I have no objections.¡±


    ¡°Nor I,¡± Luo Zhong agreed pleasantly.


    They spoke a little longer, deciding the rules. The victory objective would be of middling size and movable, and the defenders would have five minutes to prepare. The offensive team would win if they could take and hold the objective for two minutes while the defensive team would win if they held for the time limit of ten minutes or took the objective back after losing it and then held it for two minutes themselves. Sixiang and Kongyou would be valid participants, but there would be no other bound beasts involved.


    Luo Zhong and she descended the hill to give the others time to prepare.


    ¡°You see the benefit the rules give us?¡± Luo Zhong ventured.


    ¡°Yes. It doesn¡¯t require Brother Xuan¡¯s defenses to be broken, merely bypassed. Quite gracious.¡± It made things more fun after all. Ling Qi appreciated the consideration.


    ¡°Gracious, yes,¡± Luo Zhong said thoughtfully. ¡°You have been quite gracious yourself.¡±


    She gave him a sidelong look as they reached the bottom of the hill. ¡°It is uncomfortable for a guest to be left on their own to grasp a group''s dynamics.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Luo Zhong agreed, looking up at the stars. ¡°One who does manage earns more respect, I think. But it is a shame if they never return.¡±


    Sixiang scoffed.


    Personally, Ling Qi wasn¡¯t certain she bought his words, but she acknowledged that they approached social situations differently.


    ¡°Time is a cruel master. One never has enough of it,¡± Ling Qi countered. ¡°When weighing which engagements to attend, is it wrong to place weight on those which are enjoyable as well as profitable?¡±


    Luo Zhong smiled thinly. ¡°We all weigh our priorities differently. Such is life. But, all the same, a wider network has better utility than a smaller one.¡±


    ¡°On that, we must disagree. I find that a smaller, more trusted circle is superior. But I can at least understand your contention. The thought is much the same as what goes into those contracts of yours, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°The Luo lands are wide, and we have ever been more mobile than our erstwhile peers. New resources and agreements must be pursued aggressively,¡± Luo Zhong said, giving a slight dip of his head. ¡°Our familial arts are a reflection of our lives. One must be both persistent on the hunt and flexible in action.¡±


    ¡°Aggressiveness can be a negative trait too,¡± Ling Qi said blandly.


    He frowned. ¡°I admit, I am at a loss for when aggressiveness has been my sin against you, Lady Ling.¡±


    Ling Qi dropped the point. In the end, his dispute with Bao Qingling wasn¡¯t her business.


    ¡°Ah, you do have a connection through that Li Suyin, who leaped over us all,¡± Luo Zhong realized. ¡°And I suppose you would have seen that embarrassing incident. I apologize if it made you think poorly of me. I allowed frustration to make me hasty and unwise. That pursuit should have been left in private.¡±


    ¡°Why continue pursuing a deal that is clearly unwanted?¡±


    ¡°Because I believe it really is the best arrangement possible for both of us, and she will not even list what objections she has that I might address them,¡± Luo Zhong said, a touch of frustration and dissatisfaction in his voice. ¡°But we are veering into personal matters.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t see it as¡­ unworthy for a man to pursue a woman that way?¡± Ling Qi asked warily.


    He blinked, and for just a moment, she saw genuine confusion on his face before comprehension dawned. ¡°I see. From your point of view, it must seem much more predatory. I assure you, I have no capability to do a single thing to that woman she does not allow, nor would I if I could. It is merely a contract dispute which has grown heated¡­ and realistically, one likely to be abandoned. That I gave you such an ugly impression is something I sincerely apologize for.¡±


    Ling Qi took in a deep breath of the cool afternoon air. So much like Renxiang in a way. Luo Zhong seemed wholly sincere, as if those implications had never even occurred to him. Indeed, she felt that he was quite sincere in apologizing, but she simply couldn¡¯t accept them.


    Sixiang murmured.


    ¡°I accept your apology,¡± Ling Qi said politely. ¡°So, what are your thoughts on our strategy?¡±

 Threads 221-Family 1

    Threads 221-Family 1


    Ling Qi danced through the newly grown woods atop the hill, a wraith of dream and wind and mist flickering in the shadow of blossoming green and verdant qi. She ran, leaped, and played along the web of qi that ran through the local dream, following them to their anchors.


    Luo Zhong¡¯s arts felt disconcerting. There was a resemblance to the wild qi that coursed through Alingge¡¯s meridians, but she could see the places where they diverged. She could see where the ancient, nameless people became hill and forest and mountain and then Weilu and hill tribe. His qi was paper and ink, leather and metal, bindings and tethers and words.


    Her foot fell upon a narrow branch, barely bending the pale green wood. Sound erupted around her, the noise of a dozen snarling and howling hounds returning in force, as Ling Qi dipped back into the physical world. She felt the wind shift before she saw the man-sized bullet shoot toward her, Wang Chao catapulting himself at such speed that she could not even perceive him as more than a blur.


    She dispersed, no more than a cold winter breeze, a shower of snowflakes and chilled air, and in spirit, she grasped a tether of fire and metal, letting it pull her along to her destination.


    Yet for all that his aura was a net of bindings, it still resonated with her own qi. Connection. Community. Luo Zhong was not, Ling Qi thought, as wise and savvy as he liked to portray, but he was only one knot in a wider net. His contracted spirits were manifestations of the spirit of his family''s city. She felt that strength touching on him, mother and father and siblings and relatives all bound to a great spirit that had seen them all grow from diapers. It was an immense support. It was an immense pressure. Luo Zhong was just one dog in the pack, full of pride and desire to give back what he had given, his drive overriding all concerns for those outside the pack.


    Spirit contracts aside, this was family as most in the Empire saw it. Binding and obligation. Duty and responsibility. Blood, above all other concerns. It bothered her like a fly buzzing in her ear. Family was an obligation, but that understanding was incomplete.


    She doubted Luo Zhong would have been pleased to know just how much she could read him through the rivers of qi flowing into the liminal, which he had left for her navigation. Even now, he underestimated her. Then again, perhaps that was unfair; so few knew of her growing study of dreams yet.


    Sixiang reminded.


    Of course, it was Sixiang¡¯s new talent for possessing qi constructs which allowed this to work at all. Sixiang possessed a summon, and then Luo Zhong¡¯s contract and her bond allowed her to swiftly pull herself to Sixiang¡¯s location.


    Ling Qi reemerged back into the material to hear a tremendous bang that shook the hill. A slender hound made of crimson fire stood upon a crackling plane of joined ceramic panels, shrouded in glittering mist. Its canine face gave the impression of grinning, and its eyes sparkled black like Sixiang¡¯s.


    Behind the panels, Xuan Shi stood with his hands raised, feet set wide. On his back was strapped a long stick of green wood with a single bright orange leaf sprouting from its top. Zhengui¡¯s flag. Ling Qi grinned. The silly thing really took the seriousness out of the air.


    She met Xuan Shi¡¯s eyes through the gaps in the panels and saw them widen as her gaze flicked over his shoulder to where a tiny gossamer winged butterfly rested on the flag, shrouded in glittering rainbow mist.


    The panels moved quickly like the door of a vault, snapping shut to isolate forever the priceless treasure within. But she was the wind, and no vault could keep her out.


    An instant later, the flag was in her hands.


    Then, the panels snapped shut around her, a featureless prison without hinges, doors, or cracks, split only by the wide grin of nightmare. Ling Qi laughed.


    Of course it wouldn¡¯t be so easy.


    It took the full twenty minutes before the game finally ended. The flag had ultimately ended up in her hands, but she didn¡¯t think either she or Xuan Shi cared that much. It had been fun, and that was enough.


    But all diversions had their end, and soon, Ling Qi was on her way back to meet with Cai Renxiang.


    ***


    ¡°I hope your meeting went well,¡± Cai Renxiang greeted. Her voice was clipped, and Ling Qi could see some of the subtle signs of stress that only someone close to the heiress would notice in her posture and expression.


    ¡°It went¡ª¡± Ling Qi paused, considering her words. They walked through the loose crowds moving between the noble pavilions. The great cathedral-like cloth structure of the Cai tent loomed large ahead. ¡°¡ªacceptably. Xuan Shi and Wang Chao are both doing well.¡±


    Whatever her thoughts on the extra person there, her main goal had been a success. Wang Chao was too bullish to let someone he perceived as a friend isolate themselves too much. Of course, that personality could backfire too, but for now, she¡¯d call it a win.


    ¡°How did Her Grace take your message?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°My mother will begin a correspondence negotiating a state meeting,¡± Cai Renxiang reported tersely. ¡°It will be delayed. It would be inappropriate for a commander to leave the field at a campaign¡¯s denouement, and it would be further inappropriate to receive one of King Shao¡¯s status in a military camp.¡±


    Ling Qi digested that. It seemed a very lukewarm, but indisputably polite, response on the Duchess¡¯ part to her. That, she supposed, was to be expected.


    ¡°It is likely that this is only an opening exchange,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°These kinds of negotiations are never simple.¡±


    Ling Qi gave a shallow nod. Sun Shao¡¯s sudden interest in a meeting and a military campaign were almost certainly meant to disrupt the Duchess¡¯ plans and strain her relations with the Bai. Yet, because of who he was, she could not simply ignore or trample over him as the Duchess might a lesser obstacle.


    Ling Qi felt a twinge of discomfort at that. Even the peak of cultivation was not immune to the winds of the world. She should have known that. Had Sun Shao not been humiliated last year? The victory she had cheered for in the finals had meant the eighth realm King of the West had watched his great-granddaughter be beaten and humiliated with no recourse.


    ¡°What troubles you?¡± Cai Renxiang asked, glancing over her shoulder as they reached the open square before the Cai pavilion.


    Ling Qi realized that she had stopped, her expression scrunching up into a scowl. She smoothed her features and offered her liege a smile. ¡°I¡¯m just considering some of the strategic troubles we might face.¡±


    Renxiang didn¡¯t seem to entirely believe her, but she didn¡¯t press, resuming their walk.


    Was being safe really so impossible?


    Ling Qi dismissed the troubling thought from her mind. She expected a comment from Sixiang, but the muse was silent. They were stepping into the realm of the Cai after all. Yes, that was certainly the reason.


    They approached the pavilion, but then, they turned aside at the entrance, following a path which led around the left side.


    ¡°I am glad you did not forget your appointment given all the excitement.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be absurd. I do not forget appointments,¡± Renxiang said stiffly.


    They rounded the corner of the pavilion, coming into sight of the carriage yard. The Duchess¡¯ carriage was just as resplendent as it had been last year, though lacking its beasts. There was also a second, more humble carriage painted in pale green, but it, too, was thrumming with qi enhancement. Presumably, that was the carriage of Diao Luwen, Cai Renxiang¡¯s father. Beside the two carriages was a third. Larger and bulkier, it was painted a light rose pink.


    Ling Qi had felt the security formations of Elder Sima Jiao when she had entered the command tent of the Sect¡¯s forward base under the earth. She had felt the open threat of the security formations wrought upon the Bai ambassador¡¯s chambers. She had felt the overwhelming presence of the court at Xiangmen and the ancient pillars of beast bone there.


    None of them made the hairs on the back of her neck rise like this simple unobtrusive pink carriage. It felt wholly mundane; she couldn¡¯t even feel the flow of basic arrays meant to strengthen the wood and stave off the need for maintenance. Somehow, that made the carriage feel even more ominous.


    Two White Plume soldiers stood near it, but they felt almost like accessories.


    ¡°Lady Cai.¡± One of the soldiers stepped forward, clapping his fists together and bowing his head. ¡°Her Grace has informed us that you and your retainer are to be allowed access to the young miss.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Captain Wei,¡± Renxiang said evenly.


    ¡°Please be aware that the interior of the carriage is under the effect of qi suppression and prepare yourself accordingly,¡± the soldier replied, stepping aside to open the way.


    Ling Qi had heard of the effect. It was mostly used for imprisoning very politically sensitive criminals. Renxiang had used something similar for their opponents in the first year, but their version was only rated for lower ranking cultivators. Anything for stronger opponents was hellishly expensive to maintain.


    She followed Renxiang up the steps of the carriage and through the door. She winced as she crossed the threshold, almost missing a step as the door closed behind it. It felt like being punched in the gut to suddenly have all of her meridians shut down at once like that day in the blizzard with Zeqing so long ago. She could barely even feel the energy in her dantian.


    She was still far from mortal. No formation could take away the qi she had molded into flesh and bone over the last two years or the changes she had made directly to her spirit. Her mist still slept under her skin. Still, she felt¡­ less.


    The interior of the carriage was filled with a soft light and softer furnishings. Small tapestries covered the walls, and her feet sank into the thick and fuzzy carpet. It was naturally larger on the inside than out.


    At the far end of the cozy chamber, there was a large crib carved of immaculately shaped and polished white wood and filled with a luxurious mattress and silken blankets. Over it hung an arrangement of crystal and jade chimes, turning slowly. The chimes were the only source of qi in the room, just a simple little formation that sent out timed puffs of wind to make the chimes play a soothing tune.


    They shouldn¡¯t have worked under the suppression, but that was the work of an eighth realm.


    Beside the crib was an older woman, just barely third realm, who was already bowing deeply to her liege.


    ¡°The young miss has just been fed and cleaned, Lady Cai,¡± the nursemaid said. ¡°She is a calm child so all should be well. Would Lady Cai like me to stay and attend?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Renxiang said, looking at the crib rather than the woman. ¡°Although it may be for the best.¡±


    That sort of uncertainty from Renxiang felt truly unnatural to Ling Qi.


    The nursemaid nodded once, businesslike. ¡°I had thought so. Privacy with family is important.¡± Ling Qi felt the woman''s eyes flick her way. ¡°I will leave, but if the young miss needs anything, please ring the bell on that table. It will signal me.¡±


    Ling Qi felt like this woman must be very familiar with higher ranking cultivators. Would her own servants gain this unflappable air in time?


    Renxiang murmured an agreement, and the nursemaid bustled on out, not giving them another look. Renxiang took a few steps closer and she followed.


    Cai Tienli lay in the crib, one chubby fist stuffed firmly in her mouth. She was a baby like any other Ling Qi had seen save for the richness of her swaddling. Perhaps her hair was growing in a little quickly given her age, a light honey brown fuzz on her scalp. Her skin was a shade duskier than her sister¡¯s, more resembling their father or the Prime Minister. Her eyes were bright green, and they followed the slow movement of the glittering chimes above as she chewed on her fist.


    Somehow, Ling Qi had expected the baby to be stranger. Maybe, she should have an inkling of glitter around her, a precursor to the halos of light that surrounded her mother and sister. Then again, Ling Qi thought, eyeing Renxiang¡¯s back, even her sister¡¯s halo had grown less pronounced, hadn¡¯t it? She didn¡¯t quite remember when that had changed and Renxiang¡¯s aura had begun to dim and fade away in calm times.


    But no, Cai Tienli was just a baby, if one that seemed to have an unusually steady gaze.


    Renxiang laid on her hands on the side of the crib and looked down, expression unreadable. The baby''s eyes flicked toward her, the object obstructing the view of the chimes, and made a wet sound, reaching up her spit-covered hand.


    Cute.


    ¡°What am I meant to feel right now?¡± Cai Renxiang asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I understand, Lady Renxiang.¡±


    ¡°I do not understand why I was allowed here. What does Mother want from this?¡± Renxiang looked down at her sister, who let out another wet gurgle in response.


    Ling Qi had not really considered it from that point of view. She had not thought of what Shenhua intended to result from this meeting. ¡°I wonder if that is a helpful way to think of things.¡±


    ¡°Am I meant to discover affection, thus binding the Cai clan more closely to avoid future strife? Am I meant to see a rival, a show of how easily I may be replaced if my performance wavers? Am I meant to¡­¡±


    Ling Qi laid a hand on Renxiang¡¯s shoulder as the wood creaked under the heiress¡¯ grasp. Below, Cai Tienli¡¯s face scrunched up as if she might cry.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it better to think ¡®what do I want from this¡¯? Lady Renxiang, you¡¯ve already made choices that surprised your mother, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    She didn¡¯t believe the Duchess really thought they would choose the project they had.


    ¡°Even if she intends my latitude, I still do not know what to feel. This child is my sister. What does this mean? In many clans, we would be rivals. In the classic conception of clan duty, we are meant to support and work in harmony.¡±


    ¡°I think you are supposed to love your siblings.¡±


    ¡°I do not know what that means,¡± Renxiang said with a sharp frustration. ¡°No one ever defines love. Instinctive understanding is always expected. It is unlikely that we will see one another on more than the passing occasion and at formal events. What does that statement mean in this context?¡±


    Ling Qi pursed her lips. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I have a good answer. There''s a difference between clan and family. You are born into a clan. You are obligated to support and aid your clan. Family, I think, is something else.¡±


    It was a distinction she had been pondering for a while now, here and there.


    ¡°What, then, is family?¡±


    ¡°Family are those who you keep by you, not out of obligation, but because they make you happy enough to take up that obligation willingly.¡±


    Renxiang didn¡¯t answer at first, and in the crib, Cai Tienli started to cry.

 Threads 222-Family 2

    Threads 222-Family 2


    Renxiang¡¯s hand moved toward the bell as Cai Tienli cried.


    ¡°Cai Renxiang, do you want a sister?¡±


    Her liege didn¡¯t answer, but she also didn¡¯t touch the bell. In the absence of heated voices, the baby¡¯s cries began to die down as well.


    ¡°Do you know what the root of corruption is, Ling Qi?¡±


    ¡°Greed, I suppose.¡± Ling Qi crossed her arms. She had an inkling of what was going to be said.


    ¡°Avarice plays its part.¡± Cai Renxiang lowered her hand into the crib, and the baby grasped at her fingers, the last of her cries trailing off into gurgling curiosity. ¡°But no, family is the root of corruption. A man pays an examiner to grade his son kindly. A woman speaks to her sister in the Ministry of Law and has a child¡¯s indiscretion swept under the rug. A man and his brother look out for one another and quash all competition for their positions. For some, it is pure greed. But for most, it is the desire to put their family ahead.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned, stepping up beside her liege. ¡°Is that truly corruption though? That¡¯s just people working as they do. Of course you want to help people you care about.¡±


    Her breath caught in her throat as she caught a flash of light out of the corner of her eye like a knife blade ghosting against her throat. The ringing chimes turned, innocently glittering in the dim light.


    ¡°It is, and that is the reason why corruption can never be truly stamped out. You may cut the branches, fell the trunk, and burn the leaves, but the root remains. It begins with little things, but it grows and grows. This is, I think you are right to say, being human. One who aspires to rule cannot have this. To rule with such personal biases is an abrogation of the responsibilities of my position.¡±


    Ling Qi changed tacks. ¡°The Scholar Kong often compares the ruler to the head of household; their responsibilities and duties are much the same. Reciprocal obligation is the root of good rulership, as much as personal virtue.¡±


    For a moment, her liege actually smiled. It was a thin, brief thing. ¡°Your memorization has improved, Ling Qi. But I do not think the scholar¡¯s words make your point. In your conception, his wisdom is most certainly designed around what you call clan.¡±


    ¡°You can find wisdom in a work even if you don¡¯t agree with the author.¡± Ling Qi huffed.


    ¡°What is the obligation of a sibling, Ling Qi, in your own words?¡± Cai Renxiang asked.


    ¡°You offer them affection, tutelage, and protection,¡± Ling Qi said, thinking of Biyu. ¡°You help them avoid your own troubles.¡±


    Cai Renxiang watched the baby in the crib. ¡°I am known as cold and impersonal, and my duties will demand distance and travel. What affection can I offer? I am a mere young mistress, whatever my title. What tutelage can I, who can not even fully comprehend Mother¡¯s arts, give which would exceed what my mother will arrange?¡± She paused, and then continued before Ling Qi could respond. ¡°And of the things which could threaten a daughter of the Cai, what protection can I offer?¡±


    Ling Qi swallowed. Whatever she was going to say was silenced by those whisper quiet words. Her mind filled with a child screaming and eyes of glass in an artificial face, so unsettling like her liege¡¯s. She had no retort. None that would not stick in her own throat as a lie.


    ¡°You are not cold. And I do not think distance is truly so great an obstacle.¡±


    Cai Renxiang didn¡¯t answer.


    ¡°Renxiang,¡± Ling Qi continued insistently, ¡°you haven¡¯t answered my question.¡±


    ¡°I do not know, Ling Qi. I do not even know how to evaluate that question. It is irrelevant. What I want cannot be what I do. The Emerald Seas is more important than Cai Renxiang. That is what it means to rule well. I cannot act against that.¡±


    Ling Qi felt a twinge of sadness. ¡°I advised you once before that you do no one any good if you break yourself.¡±


    ¡°And I have heard you, my advisor,¡± Cai Renxiang said, straightening up. Her fingers escaped the baby''s grasp. ¡°But I will not stumble over the line from maintenance into indulgence. I understand and accept your point of view, but the responsibility I have been born to and that Tienli has been born to is heavier than what you bear, even now.¡±


    Renxiang spoke with poise and conviction, but Ling Qi was not fooled. She was hurting herself, even if she was wholly sincere.


    Cai Renxiang backed up a step from the crib and formally bowed her head. ¡°Your elder sister greets you, Cai Tienli. May you bring much pride to the Cai clan in the future.¡±


    Cai Tienli let out a wet hiccup, her head turning to follow Cai Renxiang with an infant''s incomprehension.


    ¡°Come, Ling Qi. I have done my duty.¡± Cai Renxiang swept past her toward the door.


    ¡°Yes, Lady Cai.¡±


    ***


    The rail under her forearms was warm, heated by the formations. The noise of the tournament grounds was a buffer against her thoughts.


    The rest of the previous evening had been spent in a whirlwind of minor meetings and politicking, supporting her liege as they worked to drum up more than lukewarm acceptance of their task. It had felt more tiring than usual, mostly because of the question in the back of her thoughts.


    Where did one stand when they knew they couldn¡¯t fulfill their duty to their family?


    She winced as a body went sprawling in the tournament grounds below. Gun Jun had been knocked from his feet for the eighth time. Lu Feng tossed him about like a child, and there was little he could do. Even Ling Qi felt some sympathy as the young man rose shakily to his feet despite the obvious tremors. She suspected he had fractured something on that last throw.


    ¡°He should yield,¡± Lao Keung said from beside her. ¡°There is no honor in hurling yourself face first into a wall.¡±


    ¡°I do not know about that. In battle, certainly, but this is a tournament. Showing persistence has its virtues.¡±


    ¡°Showing pride.¡± The young man beside her snorted.


    ¡°Pride is the luxury of the strong. But who is it who wishes to admit being weak?¡±


    ¡°A living man,¡± Lao Keung retorted.


    ¡°I admit some sympathy to both points,¡± Bai Meizhen interjected from the seating behind them. ¡°It is somewhat distasteful to give the Sun so much opportunity to gloat, but to admit loss is difficult.¡±


    ¡°But unavoidable in the end,¡± Cai Renxiang concluded.


    There was a thunderous crash from the arena. Lu Feng had grown bored and finished the match with a single strike, sending Gan Guangli¡¯s friend crashing through the trunks of the trees they had been battling amidst with a contemptuous flick of his wrist. It made the whole battle more sour that he likely could have done so at any time instead of toying with the younger disciple.


    ¡°I, for one, admire his resilience,¡± Xia Anxi said, casting a careful look at Meizhen. ¡°As the lady says, pride is not something to be so easily cast aside.¡±


    Lao Keung grunted.


    Below, the false environment dissolved, and Lu Feng bowed toward the crowds, or rather, the box where Sun Liling and the other visitors from the Western Territories were seated. Leaving the arena, he passed Gan Guangli. There was an exchange, but Ling Qi couldn¡¯t hear it.


    ¡°The next match is your peer against the girl from the ruined clan, isn¡¯t it?¡± Lao Keung asked.


    ¡°Yes. Chu Song. I faced her myself last year.¡±


    ¡°If our hosts will forgive the question, what crime did the Chu clan commit?¡±


    ¡°Refusal of a full county census and accounting of military assets,¡± Cai Renxiang answered. ¡°And assault on a provincial official. The inspector sent to perform the census returned without his tongue or eyes. Later, treason when they refused the second order.¡±


    ¡°Such bold defiance. I cannot imagine how they thought such a thing would end for them.¡± A subtle sneer curled Meizhen¡¯s lips.


    In the arena below, Gan Guangli and Chu Song squared up.


    ¡°The consensus is that they believed that Her Grace¡¯s hold on the province was weak despite all her personal might and that the other counts were merely waiting to be rallied against her reforms,¡± Cai Renxiang said.


    ¡°After all, if one duke had been cast down, what protected this one?¡± Lao Keung asked rhetorically. He earned a sharp look from Xia Anxi.


    Meizhen smiled thinly. ¡°It is natural that new strength will be tested. And it is just as natural that those who overestimate themselves will be crushed.¡±


    ¡°That is the way of the world,¡± Lao Keung agreed. ¡°Still, a shameful waste. The elders of Chu were truly blind fools.¡±


    ¡°Is it a waste? Such weasels would have always been poised to bite the neck of the province if left unmolested,¡± Xia Anxi said haughtily. ¡°Better that they be fools than wise.¡±


    ¡°True. What of this one then?¡± Lao Keung asked Ling Qi. ¡°You punished her for defiance the year before, and your fellow retainer is poised to do so now. When do you believe it will be enough?¡±


    ¡°Even now, for all her pain, she lives above all but a few in the province. She has been allowed into the Inner Sect on the back of her talent. I do not think it is fair to say that she is still being punished by anyone but herself.¡±


    ¡°An interesting perspective. Yes, I suppose from the dust, even a hut must seem like a manor.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced his way. He looked pensive.


    Below, the match was beginning.


    ¡°You seem like you have thought a great deal on this subject,¡± Ling Qi said.


    In the arena, the illusory environment began to take shape. A great rushing river hundreds of meters across flowed through a sharp canyon cleft between two mountains. Islands of stone dotted the rushing waters, and it was there on the slick stone that the combatants appeared.


    ¡°When does retribution become enough?¡±


    Lao Keung didn¡¯t answer at first, watching the opening moves below. Chu Song was speaking, her frame tense and angry. Gan Guangli stood in a defensive stance, his expression solemn, listening. It was annoying to not know what they were saying. With a thought, she prodded Sixiang for help. She wouldn¡¯t catch everything this way, but such were the limitations of the third realm.


    ¡°Nothing to say, big man? Not gonna proclaim that you¡¯ll crush the villain?¡± Chu Song scoffed.


    ¡°I do not see a villain before me,¡± Gan Guangli returned calmly.


    ¡°I view it as a matter of cost,¡± Lao Keung said. ¡°All things have a value. So, too, with grudges and crimes, as well as punishment and retribution. Once a cost is paid, it should be paid and done. You call one who keeps demanding payment again and again forever a swindler, do you not?¡±


    Ling Qi thought of Tonghou and the people who had dogged her mother when she started receiving funds from Ling Qi. ¡°Not a bad thought. The trouble comes in determining value.¡±


    ¡°That it does,¡± he said agreeably.


    In the arena, Chu Song¡¯s expression twisted. ¡°I don¡¯t want your damn pity!¡±


    ¡°You have it nonetheless.¡±


    Chu Song¡¯s footsteps kicked up spray as she dashed across the surface of the river, a cyclone of wind screaming around her blade. Gan Guangli shifted his stance, sliding a foot back as he thrust an open palm forward. Water and shattered stone erupted where they met, hiding the combatants from view, if only for a moment.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised to hear so mercantile a thought from a Bai,¡± Ling Qi commented.


    ¡°Mercantile? Perhaps it sounds that way. I think of it as a soldier''s outlook,¡± Lao Keung replied.


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Have you ever heard the saying ¡®a wise general spends his soldiers¡¯ lives like precious jade¡¯?¡± he asked, continuing at her nod. ¡°It is true. We are, all of us, the resources of our superiors. We will be spent as they deem necessary. A good superior is one who spends well.¡±


    ¡°You will destroy yourself trying to bring back a past no one but you longs for!¡± Gan Guangli¡¯s voice boomed from the debris cloud. ¡°This is the exact mistake that the old Chu made!¡±


    Light flashed, and the cloud of mist and dust blew apart. A greatsword flashed a dozen times, meeting open palms that swelled larger with each passing moment until at last the oar-sized blade met the palm with a ring and Gan Guangli¡¯s gauntleted hand closed around it.


    ¡°Not one who spends not at all?¡± Ling Qi cocked her head to the side. They spoke quietly, and their respective lieges spoke with each other, granting the appearance of privacy with simple screening.


    ¡°You can¡¯t live life without advancing and expending effort. This has costs,¡± Lao Keung said. ¡°I do not wish for a superior who dithers and refuses to progress out of misguided sentiment any more than one who throws away their jade because they do not care for its value.¡±


    ¡°Stagnation is death.¡±


    ¡°Yes, although it is important to remember your own upkeep.¡±


    Chu Song was not swift enough to let go of her sword. Gan Guangli¡¯s immense strength yanked her closer, and an open palm as wide as a wagon''s wheel battered her once, twice, and then thrice, sending her crashing into the cliff. Stones rumbled and slid downward, rock and dirt crashing into the river.


    ¡°And how does that relate to your thoughts on retribution?¡± Ling Qi asked, leaning further over the rail.


    ¡°I suppose that I have ambitions to be spent on something that matters, rather than vanity. And I cannot call punishment that continues beyond the perpetrators¡¯ generation anything but.¡±


    She saw him casting a glance back, but Meizhen did no more than give him a brief look before continuing her conversation with Cai Renxiang. Xia Anxi looked distinctly nervous at the way her conversation with Lao Keung was going.


    Stones shattered, flying up and away as Chu Song stood, armor battered and dented. A long, thin blade of green jade shot out and met a golden palm in a shower of rainbow sparks.


    ¡°Who are you to say that? No one! You¡¯re just another dog sniffing around for scraps!¡± Chu Song howled at Gan Guangli.


    ¡°Perhaps I am no one,¡± Gan Guangli thundered. ¡°But I once lived in the former Chu lands. There is no one who mourns that old clan! There are no grandfathers who tell wistful tales of better days. The Jia are not perfect, but we are better and improving with the passing years. No one wishes to go back!¡±


    Fists and blades of wind broke the air with ringing thunder. A tremendous fist crushed the girl back against the cliff side, and the giant standing knee-deep in the river kneeled. The fist wavered, and Ling Qi glimpsed Chu Song, buried in stone and gravel, weakly holding it back with her hands.


    ¡°Look to the dawning sun and future days, Chu Song, and think of building anew, not of criminals dead before you had ever drawn breath. You are not a villain yet.¡±


    The fist crashed down again.

 Threads 223-Family 3

    Threads 223-Family 3


    Ling Qi let out a sigh.


    ¡°Your peer retainer is dramatic,¡± Lao Keung said dryly.


    ¡°He is,¡± Ling Qi said with a small smile. ¡°But people remember dramatic declarations, don¡¯t they? Certainly, the history books do.¡±


    It was funny. So much of her recent efforts were propelled by knowledge of the past, but internally, Ling Qi did not feel like she had ever stopped facing forward. Perhaps that is why she felt some of the appeal in Meng Diu¡¯s ideas. Trying to stay still was futile and deadly, but that did not mean she had to ignore the path behind her.


    ¡°I suppose they do.¡±


    ¡°What is a White Serpent, towering and imperious in the center of the battle line, but dramatic?¡± Meizhen interjected. ¡°A leader must be seen to lead, else they will soon have no one to rule.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Gan Guangli¡¯s rhetoric has improved. My inspection of his followers was more than satisfactory,¡± Cai Renxiang praised. ¡°He will be an able officer and greatly inspiring to our soldiers.¡±


    ¡°Lady Cai should not be so humble,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°You can be very inspiring as well when the mood takes you.¡±


    She had convinced Ling Qi after all, despite everything. She wouldn¡¯t let the girl who she had spoken to with the first real blood on her hands disappear.


    There was a beat of silence in the box as Gan Guangli¡¯s victory and the next match between Ma Jun and Han Jian was announced.


    ¡°It is unseemly to talk of one''s own virtues too much,¡± Cai Renxiang finally said.


    ¡°But it is not wrong to accept compliments,¡± Bai Meizhen said airily. ¡°I think that the future of the Cai is growing more secure.¡±


    The two young Bai men looked confused at the interplay.


    In the arena, Han Jian faced her old bodyguard on a field of dunes. Han Jian looked a little taller and a little more serious.


    ¡°Hey, miss, I¡¯m sorry about this,¡± Han Jian apologized.


    The starting gong sounded.


    The air cracked, and a wave of sand kicked up around the glowing scar that formed in the ground between where Han Jian had stood and Ma Jun. He stood behind her, sword held out to one side.


    The girl stood bewildered, her hair askew in the whirling wind and sand. She slowly reached up to touch the faint line of red across her throat.


    ¡°I yield,¡± she said in a wavering voice.


    Ling Qi blew out a breath. If Gan Guangli reached the finals, he would have his work cut out for him.


    ¡°The Han are in good form this year, it seems,¡± Cai Renxiang commented. ¡°It is good to see a strong showing from the east.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it shows their resilience,¡± Bai Meizhen agreed.


    ¡°The next Han is rather less fortunate in his pairing though,¡± Xia Anxi said with a grin. ¡°Alas for him, he must face our Xiao Fen.¡±


    ¡°Han Fang is strong and canny,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°But the match is certainly much less in his favor.¡±


    She had never really seen Xiao Fen fight outside their mock spars. It would be interesting to see her face a peer.


    Mist curled among the reeds in the muddy waters. The sound of chirping crickets and buzzing insects filled the fen, and two cultivators faced off across the sluggishly flowing waters. The simulated environment of the match seemed to be pulled from the northwest of the province. A slight advantage for Xiao Fen.


    Truly, the Sect was still forced to play a careful balancing game this year with so many interests in the tournament.


    Xiao Fen proffered a polite and formal bow to her opponents, the loose black silk of her gown rustling in the wind. Between the quiet viper and the mute tiger, no words needed to be traded.


    Sixiang chuckled.


    Han Fang returned the bow and shrugged off the sand colored tunic he wore, baring a muscular chest. The air shimmered, and the jade head of a warhammer slapped into his palm. Han Fang grinned fiercely, a challenge clear in his stance.


    Xiao Fen was not so obvious, but Ling Qi caught a small smile playing about her lips as she took a combat stance, hands held as stiff and straight as blades.


    ¡°Xiao Fen is very expressive,¡± Lao Keung commented.


    ¡°Something I have encouraged in her,¡± Bai Meizhen replied, offering no explanation.


    Han Fang¡¯s chest swelled with a deep breath, and a roar shattered the stillness of the fen. Wood shattered, mud flew, and water was blown away in an expanding circle some ten meters wide, and Xiao Fen leapt back, allowing the wind to carry her away from the blast wave. She landed atop the roots of a young banyan tree, crouched and ready.


    Han Fang was gone.


    In the audience, Ling Qi caught a flash of his movement among the treetops. He was using the branches to avoid the muck and water below, and he had twisted the wind like a cloak around himself, deflecting light to become nigh invisible. She saw, too, the shadow slipping away from him, stepping into shadow and vanishing. How familiar.


    Xiao Fen paused only a moment on the roots of the tree before leaping gracefully back down to a sandbar which emerged from the churning waters. Her hands wove through a brief kata as black flames bloomed on her gown, burning upward into an eight-pointed crown. Eight golden lights bloomed in the darkness.


    ¡°The Vermin Extermination Stance?¡± Xia Anxi asked.


    ¡°She asked which branch of family arts she should pursue. I intend for her to remain at my side,¡± Bai Meizhen explained. ¡°Appropriate that she took a bodyguard''s art.¡±


    ¡°A blunt name for an art. Aren¡¯t they usually more poetic?¡± Ling Qi wondered.


    The Bai men shared an unsure look.


    Meizhen answered, smiling. ¡°The great Yao was a straightforward man. It is said he invented this art during Grandmother Serpent¡¯s trials when she set him the duty of preventing her sleep from being disturbed by parasites.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Ling Qi said, having nothing further to say.


    Trails of dark fire followed Xiao Fen¡¯s hands as she slowly turned. Ling Qi could feel pulses of qi rippling out from each of the ¡°eyes.¡± The pulses brushed over the environment, likely forming a detailed map in the girl''s mind¡¯s eye. Ling Qi could feel the ember that clung on to every living thing it touched from the smallest fly to the largest tree.


    The air broke with thunder as a jade blur whipped through the air. Xiao Fen¡¯s hand snapped out, shattering the hammer mid-spin into motes of green qi. The blast of impact ruffled her hair and tore at her gown. A second hammer flew, and a third, and a fourth. Xiao Fen¡¯s arms blurred.


    The fen shook, and the light and sound was such that Ling Qi almost missed the zigzagging shadow slipping among the reeds.


    There was a tremendous crack and a roar.


    Xiao Fen spun around. The black tiger had been caught mid-pounce with Xiao Fen¡¯s slim hands grasping the beast''s front legs. An ugly scorch march burned away part of her dress, exposing a shoulder badly bruised by the impact of a hammer. The tiger¡¯s fangs hovered just millimeters from Xiao Fen¡¯s blank face.


    There were three ugly cracks in the space of a moment as Xiao Fen immediately dove forward and slammed her forehead into the bewildered tiger¡¯s snout before a narrow knee rammed into the beast¡¯s open belly and triggered a yowl of pain as black fire lanced out of the beast¡¯s back.


    ¡°Pragmatic, yes. Mighty Yao was most pragmatic,¡± Xia Anxi muttered.


    The banyan trees shook, branches whipping and leaves tearing off as a rain of spinning green lights crashed down where they stood. The crown of jewel-like eyes on Xiao Fen¡¯s head flashed brightly.


    When the visual clutter cleared, the tiger was gone, having slipped away back into the grass, and the sandbar Xiao Fen had stood on was also gone, leaving her standing atop the choppy waters. The sleeves of her gown were shredded, and her hands lightly scorched, her fingers bruised. She was otherwise unharmed.


    Xiao Fen began to walk toward the copse of trees, her steps slow and deliberate.


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes found Han Fang in the trees, a grimace on his face. She could tell that whatever art allowed him to produce those explosive copies of his talisman did not come cheap on qi. He was spending more than Xiao Fen was, and the damage she had taken wasn¡¯t slowing her down.


    His tiger, she found hidden among a root system, guts churning with toxic fire qi, looking much worse for the wear.


    The two of them were on a timer now.


    ¡°Han Fang is superior in power, but the efficiency of his techniques still lacks somewhat,¡± Cai Renxiang analyzed thoughtfully. ¡°And his reserves are below average. It seems something had to give in his cultivation.¡±


    ¡°Time is the greatest enemy, as well as the last one,¡± Lao Keung noted.


    ¡°Whatever else might be said, our Black Vipers are efficient souls,¡± Bai Meizhen said without inflection.


    Ling Qi saw the moment Han Fang made his decision after silent communication with his beast. She felt his grip on the wind loosen then tighten all at once, whirling, cutting wind garbing his body and limbs like a fine robe. His skin reddened, droplets of moisture and embers of fire forming hissing steam around his hands and hammer.


    He had taken the argent arts quite far.


    The tree he stood on shattered as did the three others that lay between him and Xiao Fen. At the last moment, the girl stabbed forward with both hands to meet the trailing edge of the blast wave and split it apart.


    They met there amidst the shattered trees, dozens of blows traded in a moment. They danced around one another with intricate footwork that tore the ground and spit up dust with every step. Twirling hammer met flame-shrouded hands countless times.


    Ling Qi saw moments of impact. Xiao Fen¡¯s arm bent unnaturally before snapping back into place with a flex of muscle, and blood bloomed on her gown as ribs broke under the impact of a hammer blow. But the girl never cried out, and her expression never even changed.


    Every blow Han Fang struck left him out of position. A hand struck out, fingers stabbing into flesh. An elbow smashed his nose. A hard kick twisted his knee and broke his stance. Every strike also left a burning cyst of toxic fire qi under his skin.


    From the scrub around them, there was a roar, and the black tiger joined the dance, visibly slowed by poison. With two against one, it seemed for a moment as if Xiao Fen would be overwhelmed.


    Ling Qi saw Bai Meizhen wince out of the corner of her eye as Xiao Fen¡¯s whole body tensed and her eyes went black.


    ¡°Vermin Annihilating Breath. Honestly. It is just a tournament.¡± Meizhen sighed.


    ¡°Even a Xiao has their pride,¡± Lao Keung said.


    Ling Qi squinted and felt the change in the younger girl¡¯s qi. Every one of Xiao Fen¡¯s meridians flooded with toxic black qi, and even the breath in her lungs turned to something sickly and poisonous. Xiao Fen exhaled, and the world around her withered.


    The tiger yowled in rage and pain, pulling back as the fur on its outstretched paws crisped and burned off and razor sharp claws crumbled like chalk. Han Fang leapt back as well when black flames began to lick his skin.


    Xiao Fen blurred.


    Ling Qi counted thirty-two strikes before the match-ending gong sounded.


    She leaned back in her seat as the arena deactivated and Xiao Fen fell to one knee, blood trickling from her nose. She¡¯d have to tease the girl for straining herself like that. She knew the girl appreciated her jests, even if she pretended not to.


    Sixiang snorted.


    It was a senior¡¯s sacred duty, Ling Qi thought serenely.


    The quarter finals had ended.

 Threads 224-Family 4

    Threads 224-Family 4


    They parted ways with the Bai delegation as usual following the closing of the day¡¯s matches.


    This evening, she and Cai Renxiang were going to attend another gathering of the Duchess. This time, Gan Guangli would be allowed to attend. She thought that boded well for him.


    For now, she was free, and she found her way back to the crafting competition where she had promised to meet Li Suyin.


    She found the girl sitting in the back rows with Su Ling and surprisingly, Bao Qingling. More surprisingly, it was Su Ling and Bao Qingling who were in conversation.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying this is something that¡¯s actually been studied? Like I can have a place to start?¡± Su Ling asked as she approached.


    ¡°I said it is a subject which has been proposed. Even with the current climate, any public studies have been stamped out,¡± Bao Qingling replied. The usually tense girl seemed relaxed, at least for her, which was roughly normal behavior for anyone else. ¡°I would suggest you keep any such project to yourself.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, fine,¡± Su Ling grumbled. Her ears twitched, and she noticed Ling Qi. ¡°Done schmoozing already?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re never done schmoozing,¡± Ling Qi said primly. ¡°You¡¯ll learn that soon enough.¡±


    Su Ling huffed irritably, Bao Qingling snorted, and Li Suyin covered her mouth with her hand. Ling Qi took up a seat on the other side of Su Ling.


    ¡°Oh, Suyin, your eye!¡± Ling Qi exclaimed before swiftly lowering her voice. ¡°When¡­?¡±


    Her friend turned to face her, smiling. For the first time in over a year, she met Ling Qi¡¯s gaze with both of her eyes. There was still some faint scarring around the one which had been ruined, but save for a slight metallic gleam in the iris, it looked wholly natural.


    ¡°Just before the tournament,¡± Li Suyin said happily.


    ¡°You were ready a month ago. You were just dithering,¡± Bao Qingling said bluntly, crossing her arms.


    Li Suyin looked sheepish. ¡°Maybe.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just happy you were able to do it,¡± Ling Qi said. It felt good to see one of her friends overcome an obstacle that had hurt them for so long. ¡°So, what were we talking about?¡±


    ¡°Was looking into some self-surgery methods,¡± Su Ling said. ¡°Been feeling an itch lately.¡± She glanced down at the twin brown tails wrapped awkwardly around her waist.


    Ling Qi took a moment to realize what she was talking about. Su Ling must have felt she was going to grow another tail soon.


    ¡°Removing spirit blood is a controversial subject, which I was advising this junior sister of,¡± Bao Qingling drawled.


    Li Suyin looked troubled. ¡°I don¡¯t think it''s necessary, Su Ling. You¡¯ve carved out your own path already, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Letting the accidents of birth hold you back is wrong. We are cultivators. Cut away what you do not want or need,¡± Bao Qingling said with a shrug.


    ¡°You¡¯ve already made it your own, haven¡¯t you?¡± Ling Qi looked over at Su Ling. ¡°We couldn¡¯t have gotten where we needed to go without your divination.¡±


    Su Ling grimaced, baring sharp teeth. ¡°I can relearn that the proper way. Got the tools, just need the arts, and the Sect has some pyromancy arts in the archives.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded. It didn¡¯t quite sit right with her. She knew Su Ling was never really happy with herself, but she thought the other girl had found some equilibrium. It bothered her that she¡¯d been inattentive.


    ¡°Well, I think that stealing your enemies'' tools is a better form of spite,¡± Ling Qi said after a moment. ¡°They¡¯re yours now, no one else''s.¡±


    ¡°Not a terrible sentiment,¡± Bao Qingling said. Her eyes were fixed on the testing chamber being set up ahead.


    Today would begin the presentation of the examinees¡¯ final projects with the second half finishing tomorrow. It was a change from last year. Apparently, more disciples had made it through the preliminary exams this year.


    Or maybe more disciples were avoiding the combat tourney.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know your situation, junior sister,¡± Bao Qingling continued. Her oddly relaxed demeanor continued to perturb Ling Qi. ¡°Do whatever you do for yourself first. Anyone else should come second or third. That is what cultivation is.¡±


    Ling Qi chuckled. ¡°Not quite how I¡¯d put it.¡±


    Li Suyin smiled, reaching over to pat Su Ling on the hand. ¡°You know my sentiments, but you have my support. And my scalpels.¡±


    Su Ling snorted, and Li Suyin¡¯s smile turned impish. Ling Qi covered her mouth to muffle a laugh.


    ¡°Right. Thanks for the image, Suyin,¡± Su Ling drawled.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Li Suyin said primly.


    Some of the tension that had formed in the air dissolved away.


    Ling Qi blew out a breath of air, watching a disciple present a talisman shield inlaid with an intricate mosaic of jade. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, what are your plans for the coming year? Mine are pretty well set at this point.¡±


    Li Suyin considered the question.¡±I think I will be pursuing an apprenticeship under Elder Su. She has indicated that I might have the potential. So I will be working hard in the Sect¡¯s medicine department.¡±


    ¡°Proud of you.¡± Su Ling nudged the shorter girl¡¯s shoulder with her own.


    Li Suyin gave a small smile. ¡°I¡¯d still like to work on that project we spoke of though, Ling Qi. Making something so complex would be a great show of my abilities.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded. The recipe for a fourth realm breakthrough elixir was one of the treasures she¡¯d acquired on her trip. She¡¯d already spoken of it with Suyin before.


    Bao Qingling glanced at them in mild interest.


    ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to our cooperation then, Grandmistress Suyin,¡± Ling Qi teased.


    ¡°Oh, stop.¡± Li Suyin laughed quietly.


    They quieted down for a time, watching the presentations go by.


    ¡°Just gonna keep studying. Learning. That asshole teaching me calligraphy¡­ He¡¯s kinda rubbed my nose in how much I don¡¯t know,¡± Su Ling said. ¡°I dunno where I¡¯m gonna go with that. I still gotta do what I gotta do, but maybe I¡¯ve started thinking of after.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded. ¡°After. Yeah, that¡¯s the scary part.¡±


    Being able to¡ªhaving to¡ªlook beyond the next moment, the next meal, the next night could be paralyzing. She wished she could know she wasn¡¯t charging off into her own ruin. Surety, that, too, was a fruit of cultivation.


    ¡°Small problems,¡± Bao Qingling said shortly, her fingers laced together in her lap. She didn¡¯t look over at them.


    ¡°What do you mean, Senior Sister?¡± Li Suyin asked.


    ¡°Solve small problems. Break things down. One ingredient. One step. You can have a plan, but finish your current step before you start agonizing over the next one.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s your next step, Senior Sister?¡± Ling Qi followed up.


    Bao Qingling didn¡¯t look at her, but Ling Qi felt a crawling sensation on her skin that she knew was the older girl¡¯s attention.


    ¡°I¡¯ve gotten a contract with your friend. I will be the go-between for the Bao and the Bai on your little trip. It¡¯ll be for medicines and cultivation supplies.¡± The corner of the girl¡¯s thin lips curled up in a smirk. ¡°My brother¡¯s face when I gave him that contract.¡±


    ¡°Congratulations, Senior Sister!¡± Li Suyin exclaimed. ¡°Such a prestigious role.¡±


    Su Ling hmphed. ¡°Good for you.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded in acknowledgment. She was glad that Bai Meizhen and Bao Qingling had worked something out.


    Her gaze strayed back to the contests where she saw again Jin Tae, the young man from last time she had been here, presenting his project. It was a small automata about the size of a cat made of brass and steel. It was shaped like a tiny man with wings and an exaggerated birdlike face. Actually, it looked somewhat like the great thunder spirit she had encountered with Yu Nuan. She watched as it performed various tasks, including carving new formations on tablets of clay, needing only a final infusion of qi from its maker to activate its work.


    It was among the last of the day''s presentations.


    Soon, presentations were over, and she stood up with her friends as the audience began to move forward to speak with the disciples or move towards the exits. She walked beside Su Ling and Li Suyin with Bao Qingling trailing behind as they left the testing hall and the building.


    It was as they were leaving, making small chat that Ling Qi caught the feeling of having another''s attention. She glanced to the side, noticing the faint twitch in Bao Qingling¡¯s shoulders that told her that the other girl had noticed too.


    What she saw approaching them was a young woman seemingly in her early twenties. The woman wore a many layered gown in various shades of red and pink, and her aristocratic features bore subtle signs of cosmetics. Her honey brown hair was pulled up and arranged within a glittering net of fine silver chains hung with many little gemstone ornaments, carved flowers no larger than a fingernail. Her skin was a shade darker than Suyin or Bao Qingling¡¯s but lighter than Ling Qi¡¯s.


    A subtle nudge brought Suyin¡¯s attention as they stepped out of the crowd and stopped politely.


    ¡°Baroness Ling, Baroness Li, Baroness Su,¡± the woman greeted politely, inclining her head only slightly. Her gaze lingered a moment on Su Ling before moving to their companion. ¡°Bao Qingling.¡±


    ¡°Diao Hualing,¡± Bao Qingling said shortly, sounding intensely disinterested.


    It was slightly rude to give someone¡¯s name before they could give it themselves. Diao Hualing¡¯s stare bored into Bao Qingling''s impassive face for a long few seconds.


    ¡°It has been some time,¡± she finally said, turning her eyes from the taciturn crafter.


    ¡°What might we be able to help Lady Diao with?¡± Ling Qi asked..


    ¡°I had hoped to meet a few young talents this day,¡± Diao Hualing said formally. ¡°The heiress¡¯ retainer, the Argent Peak Sect¡¯s rising expert on the impure things under the earth¡­ and the one who has shown such talents with the art of pyromancy. A lucky convergence.¡±


    Su Ling shifted uncomfortably while Li Suyin smiled guilelessly. ¡°It¡¯s an honor to be noticed so, but my humble studies can hardly be called expertise.¡±


    ¡°I disagree. But it seems I may have caught you in another engagement,¡± Diao Hualing said. ¡°If¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going,¡± Bao Qingling interrupted. ¡°Li Suyin, be at my workshop tomorrow evening for the project we discussed.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Senior Sister,¡± Li Suyin acknowledged, glancing between the two comital scions nervously. Even she had caught the tension there.


    Bao Qingling left, and Diao Hualing watched her go for a moment before speaking. ¡°In any case, do the three of you have plans at the moment?¡±


    ¡°I was going to escort Li Suyin around and introduce her to a few people,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Nothing more.¡±


    ¡°That is convenient. Will you allow me to walk with you, Baronesses? I will not take up much of your afternoon.¡± The words had the air of a request, but Ling Qi glanced at her friends and saw that they understood just as well how rude it would be to deny a comital scion such a small thing, particularly when she was giving them some face by simply walking with them publicly while Ling Qi introduced Li Suyin to people.


    She saw Su Ling¡¯s ears flatten against the side of her head in irritation though. She¡¯d have to help that girl out with how expressive she could be.


    ¡°It would be our honor, Lady Diao,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°Grand.¡± Diao Hualing¡¯s eyes crinkled into thin slits as she smiled. ¡°Let us descend then. I am afraid this high mountain air is not for me.¡±


    "Yes, thank you very much, Lady Diao," Li Suyin said.


    "Yeah, you''re welcome to walk with us." Su Ling sounded wary, and once again, the older woman''s eyes fell on her, making her squirm.


    "Such polite young ladies," Diao Hualing said blithely as they began to descend the stairs from the Sect''s main plaza. "I believe I have some proposals which may interest all of you."

 Threads 225-Family 5

    Threads 225-Family 5


    ¡°I get your interest with these two, but I¡¯m not sure what I have to do with this,¡± Su Ling said warily.


    Ling Qi held in a sigh. Even if her friend had gotten better at socializing, Su Ling was still very blunt.


    Diao Hualing showed no sign of offense as they descended the steps. ¡°It is true. Your small talents are not my primary purpose here. Nonetheless, it has some value. The Diao, like most clans in the Emerald Seas, have some traditions of divination. Pyromancy, to be exact. It interests us that these old and defunct arts have value in the modern day.¡±


    Su Ling mulled that over. ¡°Alright.¡±


    Ling Qi was surprised at Diao Hualing¡¯s own bluntness, but she supposed the older woman must simply have been able to read Su Ling well. She examined Diao Hualing out of the corner of her eye, wondering what she was after. Ling Qi had intended to try and speak with some of the Diao tonight at the Duchess¡¯ gathering. Had someone gotten wind of that and decided to pre-empt her?


    ¡°It is important for us to be able to show the proper support for the war effort. As one of the premier clans of the Emerald Seas, it is unacceptable for others to contribute more than we.¡±


    ¡°No one doubts the integrity and dedication of the Diao clan,¡± Ling Qi said.


    The plaza disappeared into the mist above them, more of the stairs to the base of the mountain revealing themselves as the four of them descended.


    ¡°Certainly,¡± Diao Hualing agreed.


    ¡°If you do not mind my question, what is it about my humble crafts which draw such illustrious eyes?¡± Li Suyin asked nervously. Ling Qi could tell her friend was trying not to wring her hands.


    ¡°You are pioneering a new field,¡± Diao Hualing pointed out. The faint ring of her hair ornaments echoed as they walked. ¡°We may have an interest in some commissions. As of yet, no one else can quite provide the products you do.¡±


    For the rest of the descent, they kept up the careful dance of small talk and pleasantries. Diao Hualing was unfailingly polite, and the discussion mostly centered around Li Suyin¡¯s work. Neither Ling Qi nor Su Ling were much inclined to steer the conversation their way.


    When they reached the gathering grounds and the main body of the guests, Ling Qi continued to observe their guest while taking Li Suyin around like she¡¯d intended. Diao Hualing fulfilled her tacit promise without complaint, offering a few small words in Li Suyin¡¯s favor and pointedly deflecting attention from herself toward the one meant to be the focus.


    She did notice, however, that in the midst of discussing a commission for Suyin with a middle-aged baron of the central valley, Diao Hualing fell back beside Su Ling and spoke words cloaked by faint birdsong and blowing wind. Their expressions and body language seemed neutral until Su Ling stepped away, looking a little discomfited.


    This happened again when Ling Qi and Su Ling were speaking with an officer of a viscount¡¯s household guard on their experiences with the inhabitants of the underground. Birdsong, wind, and concealing qi ended with a thoughtful Li Suyin rejoining them when the conversation was over.


    It didn¡¯t seem untoward. Even a closer check by Sixiang revealed only a very potent screening technique. Still, it put Ling Qi on edge.


    Eventually, there came a moment when Li Suyin and Su Ling both stopped to observe a performance being put on in a noble¡¯s pavilion. Li Suyin was rather more enthusiastic about it, something about it being a rendition of a classic play, but Su Ling, as was her way, seemed happy enough to humor her.


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t turn her head, instead peering out of the corner of her eye as Diao Hualing came to stand beside her.


    ¡°My turn then?¡± Ling Qi asked politely.


    ¡°As you like,¡± Diao Hualing replied with a faint incline of her head. ¡°However good friends you might be, it is more polite for some discussions to be private.¡±


    ¡°And if we choose to discuss things among ourselves anyway?¡± Ling Qi asked with a hint of challenge.


    ¡°Then that is your private choice.¡±


    Ling Qi silently requested Sixiang put their full effort into deciphering the other woman¡¯s intentions. ¡°As you say. I am aware that I have not made the best impression upon the Diao clan.¡±


    Diao Hualing acknowledged this with a nod. ¡°It is not so terrible. Your actions in court mean we must oppose your rhetoric, but we understand the need for Her Grace to demand near impossible tasks of the heiress. That is the nature of the throne.¡±


    ¡°If that is how it must be. I do mean it sincerely when I say that I mean no offense to the Diao clan.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, but your words and actions, so easily extending kinship to barbarians, cannot be accepted by us. The path to being a son or daughter of the Empire cannot be so easy. It is more than some tenuous tie of blood ten thousand years gone.¡±


    ¡°I understand your position, but that path needs to begin somewhere,¡± Ling Qi replied evenly. She watched her friends, Suyin enjoying the show on the stage and Su Ling warily eyeing everyone who got too close. ¡°I hope this does not lead to serious conflict.¡±


    ¡°We will see. For now, no one sensible wishes to directly oppose your project. It is my hope that these differences between the heiress and the Diao can be smoothed over. To this end, I have an offer.¡±


    ¡°I am always willing to listen to reasonable words.¡±


    Diao Hualing smiled faintly, taking her words with good humor. Sixiang thought her reaction was genuine. ¡°I am an investigator for the Ministry of Law in the Central Valley. Your case has come to my attention.¡±


    ¡°Has it?¡± Ling Qi asked warily. ¡±I am surprised that such a minor issue would reach you.¡±


    ¡°Baroness Ling is inexperienced in some ways. Tampering with the Ministry of Communications is actually a serious matter. To do so for something so petty indicates a culprit who is, let us say, arrogant or inexperienced themselves.¡±


    ¡°I will trust your experience,¡± Ling Qi said slowly. ¡°What is your proposal?¡±


    ¡°Work with me on this case. I am aware that you have some interest in delving into the matter specifically. I can provide you with my experience in navigating the Ministry of Law and a small introduction to my elders tonight at the Duchess¡¯ gathering.¡±


    Ling Qi eyed the other woman, considering her words. Sixiang didn¡¯t detect any direct deception, but there was certainly more to the offer.


    ¡°Your earlier words implied a reciprocal arrangement, but so far it seems as if you are offering a gift,¡± Ling Qi said, choosing her words carefully to remain polite.


    Diao Hualing¡¯s expression did not change, but she did fold her arms behind her back. ¡°You are in a somewhat unique position. It would please me if we were able to become regular correspondents, even after this matter is dealt with. I would not expect you to hide this from your liege, but otherwise, discretion would be appreciated. It would be some comfort to the Diao, or at least, my family, if we are allowed a small window into your lady¡¯s thoughts.¡±


    Ah, Ling Qi thought. So this was how one acquired people like those in Hou Zhuang¡¯s meticulous lists. ¡°I see. That does seem reciprocal. I hope you do not need an answer immediately.¡±


    ¡°No. An answer by tonight, when you have had a chance to review the offer, would be sufficient.¡± Diao Hualing turned her attention back to Su Ling and Li Suyin. ¡°The show is ending.¡±


    ¡°So it is.¡±


    Ling Qi thought over the conversation as they rejoined Li Suyin and Su Ling.


    ¡°It has been an enjoyable time, Baronesses,¡± Diao Hualing said as they left the noble¡¯s pavilion. ¡°I hope that you will excuse me now.¡±


    They all shared their pleasantries, and Diao Hualing made her exit, leaving them standing off to the side of the main path between pavilions and manses to avoid disrupting the traffic.


    Su Ling was the one who spoke up first. ¡°So¡­ That¡¯s the kinda thing you gotta deal with every day, Ling Qi?¡±


    ¡°Some more polite. Some less.¡±


    ¡°I think Lady Diao is well intentioned,¡± Li Suyin said. ¡°I believe I will take her up on the offered commission.¡±


    ¡°She knew where I was from,¡± Su Ling revealed.


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°Why did that come up?¡±


    ¡°She offered to introduce me to some people who might know some information I¡¯d be interested in,¡± Su Ling bit out grudgingly.


    Ling QI nodded slowly, not expecting Su Ling to say anything more in this semi-public space. ¡°And what did she want from you?¡±


    ¡°Would you believe she wanted me to meet her younger brother?¡± Su Ling asked with a barked laugh. ¡°Fuck, I don¡¯t even know what I don¡¯t know. Something is up here.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. That was weird. No offense to Su Ling, but she wasn¡¯t that tier of talent. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I could get more information. She seems like the sort to compartmentalize her dealings.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Su Ling waved her off. ¡°You¡¯ve got enough on your plate, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°But?¡± Li Suyin asked worriedly.


    ¡°But I¡¯d appreciate it if I could tag along to your next music group meetup. Wanna talk to that Bian girl and her buddy again,¡± Su Ling said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t listening much last time we talked.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Ling Qi said reassuringly, giving the other girl a pat on the shoulder.


    Sixiang offered tentatively.


    Ling Qidoubted Su Ling would accept a ¡°Ling Qi adventure¡± under normal circumstances, but these weren¡¯t normal circumstances.


    ¡°Su Ling, I might be able to help more if you¡¯re willing.¡±


    Su Ling gave her a wary look. ¡°What are you talking about, Ling Qi?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a bit better at it than I was underground,¡± Ling Qi said casually. Her dream walking ability wasn¡¯t a secret, but she also wasn¡¯t widely advertising it yet.


    Su Ling furrowed her brow, trying to discern what she was talking about, and Ling Qi saw the moment when understanding dawned. Li Suyin just looked at them with polite confusion.


    ¡°Not sure how that¡¯s gonna help.¡±


    ¡°You can find information there that you can¡¯t find anywhere else. Just think about it, okay? I¡¯ll introduce you to Bian Ya regardless.¡±


    ¡°Um, I¡¯m not completely sure what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Li Suyin curled a strand of her hair around the pointed claw on her fingertip. ¡°But even if things get a little chaotic around Ling Qi, it always turns out well, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Ling Qi felt her cheeks heat. Li Suyin really was way too confident in her.


    Su Ling merely pursed her lips, one of her furred ears flicking in agitation. ¡°Thanks. For the offer. I¡¯ll think about it. Guess it might let me test some of my new kit, if nothing else.¡±


    Ling Qi smiled. ¡°No pressure. So we¡¯ve got a couple hours left before I need to go. Want to go see a full show? There¡¯s a small concert being put on in the Wang clan¡¯s pavilion this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that sounds lovely!¡± Li Suyin said brightly.


    Su Ling groaned, but there was no real exasperation in it. ¡°Yeah, sure. Guess I could go for some music.¡±


    Ling Qi blew out a breath. This might be good for her as well. A more personal site would probably be less fraught to navigate in the realm of dream. If she could help a neglected friend too, so much the better.

 Threads 227-Pronouncement 1

    Threads 227-Pronouncement 1


    Ling Qi peered at Cai Renxiang out of the corner of her eye, remaining silent as they ascended the long stairs that led to the box at the top of the stadium. She was haggard. Cai Renxiang hid it well, but Ling Qi recognized the small differences in her posture and the touch of cosmetics around her eyes. The meeting with her mother had definitely been harsh.


    ¡°Is there anything I can assist you with today, Lady Cai?¡± Ling Qi followed precisely two steps behind Cai Renxiang as they ascended.


    ¡°Not today, I think.¡± Cai Renxiang sounded tired, but the steel determination of someone who knew what they had to do which had been missing was back.


    Something had changed.


    ¡°I will call on you when I need you, Ling Qi,¡± Cai Renxiang said, her voice quiet in the privacy of the stairwell. ¡°I think we will have much to talk about on our journey north.¡±


    Ling Qi gave a small nod of acknowledgement. Words that they shouldn¡¯t speak, even here at the Sect? That was¡­ worrying. ¡°I am with you,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°And soon, Gan Guangli will be too.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed. ¡°Understand, Ling Qi, that I require some time in cultivation before I may speak clearly.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Lady Cai.¡±


    Not entirely a matter of danger then, but also one of processing. Well, she could wait. There was certainly enough on her plate for the moment.


    She would just be glad that Cai Renxiang had found that part of herself again because today, they were sharing a box with the Duchess, not the Bai.


    She could already feel the pressure growing on her shoulders.


    All too soon, they emerged into the brilliantly lit interior of the spectators¡¯ balcony that sat above all the rest. The presence of the Duchess nearly overwhelmed all others. She was seated with one leg crossed over the other, as languid in the stadium seat as she had ever been on her throne. She wore an ornate and formal gown of white and gold worked through with imagery of blooming flowers. Only the near hip-length slit in all three layers of the gown showed the Duchess¡¯ unusual fashion sense.


    Seated beside her was Diao Linqin, who was arms crossed and expressionless. Her gown was pale rose pink with deeper reds in the underlayer and hems, and her honey brown hair was drawn up and woven between ornate jade ornaments. Her eyes flicked to the two of them, and Ling Qi felt the older woman¡¯s dislike wash over them. It was not powerful, merely a frisson in the air like bramble thorns scraping against one''s skin.


    The last one, sitting two rows in front of these women, was Diao Luwen. Eyes blank and staring ahead with numbers and characters dancing in them like motes of starlight, the man looked intensely disinterested. He wore a plain green robe.


    It struck Ling Qi then, looking upon these people, how truly empty the word ¡°family¡± must be in Cai Renxiang¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Renxiang, my daughter, it is unlike you to press the edge of lateness.¡± An indulgent smile played about Cai Shenhua¡¯s lips.


    ¡°I must apologize, Honored Mother. I spent much time contemplating the insights you deigned to share with this unworthy daughter.¡± Cai Renxiang offered a stiff but precise bow.


    The Duchess seemed terribly amused. Diao Linqin¡¯s expression was studiously blank.


    ¡°So diligent.¡± Cai Shenhua chuckled. ¡°Take your seat, dear. Your soldier¡¯s match is about to begin.¡±


    Cai Renxiang straightened up and nodded, taking a seat beside her father. He didn¡¯t even glance at her.


    Ling Qi sat beside her, trying not to sweat under the terrible radiance that burned on the back of her neck like a high summer sun. She caught Cai Renxiang drumming her fingers on the armrest of her seat, a sure sign of agitation in the stoic girl.


    Ling Qi sank into her seat. This was awful. Doing her best to take her mind from the discomfort, she instead focused down on the arena where Gan Guangli and Lu Feng were now facing off.


    The arena shimmered with familiar light, and the two combatants disappeared, consumed by an expanding cloud of dark green. In moments, it resolved itself into a deep and dense woodland scene. Old growth trees towered some thirty or forty meters overhead with trunks as wide as small houses. Between them were smaller trees, also towering high. Weeds, brambles, and brush choked the leaf strewn ground, and a thick canopy of leaves overhead allowed only tiny shafts of sunlight through to dapple the browns, greens, and pale yellows of the undergrowth. Between a native of the Emerald Seas and one of the jungles of the West, Ling Qi supposed that this was the closest to neutral ground the Sect could offer.


    She spied Lu Feng for but a moment, a flash of silky black hair and red silk vanishing into the shadowed canopy. Meanwhile, Gan Guangli had appeared in a small clearing atop a wide flat stone that blocked the growth of the trees. He stood briefly in the sun, his expression grim as he clapped his hands once in a gesture like a prayer and began to walk into the darkening wood.


    With each footfall, Ling Qi felt an echo of qi resonating out through stone, earth, and root, and slowly, a faint golden glow began to crawl along the joints of his armor, casting the dark forest floor in vibrant light.


    ¡°How much has this one changed, I wonder? ¡° The Duchess¡¯ voice cut through Ling Qi¡¯s attention, pressing down on her skull despite the fact that the words were not directed at her.


    She pulled her attention back, just a little, to listen to her liege¡¯s reply.


    ¡°Gan Guangli did not require much change. He only needed to step from my shadow. That is not his role.¡±


    ¡°Hoh! You say that like it is a small thing, daughter.¡±


    Below, a tree twisted, bark warping into a screaming demonic maw. Root and branch lashed out. Gan Guangli let out a bellow and his metal clad palm shattered a trunk to sawdust. Ling Qi saw a creeper vine curl around his ankle. He twisted his leg and ripped it free. A falling trunk writhed with renewed life, toxic qi coursing through a hundred rings as it detonated into a vile purple cloud. Just barely, Ling Qi could see where threads, uncountable in number, gleamed among the wood.


    Gan Guangli¡¯s chest inflated in the moment before the toxin was upon him and his hands came together in time with a great shout. A shockwave erupted, blowing away poison, vines, and trees alike. Ling Qi heard the faint snapping of threads.


    ¡°Lu Feng!¡± Gan Guangli demanded, his voice made metallic by the golden faceplate of the helm he now wore. ¡°Know that I cannot be worn down by such petty tricks!¡±


    Ling Qi smiled faintly at the theatrical shout, sensing the tingling qi in the air that bounced from trunk to trunk, just the same as the vibrations of his massive footfalls. It looked like Gan Guangli had found a way to weaponize his own loud nature. She was glad for him.


    There was a faint whine in the air, and Gan Guangli spun round, raising his palm to catch a blur in the palm of his hand. Then another came, and another and another. Thunder cracked in each projectile¡¯s wake, a fusillade of hundreds of what she saw to be pale green thorns. Their direction forced Gan Guangli to shift and turn as he took a close stance, his hands lashing out in metallic blurs as he bashed them all aside.


    Gan Guangli¡¯s head brushed the lowest branches, and then pushed through. His light grew with him as he came to tower higher and higher. Three meters, then four, then five, until the thorns bounced from his armor like falling leaves, and he slammed his palms downward, joined by two additional golden hands that shattered smaller trees like matchsticks and send out a rumbling shockwave that ripped up the earth for over a hundred meters in the direction of the thorns.


    No more flew, but as Gan Guangli shook his head like an oxen bothered by flies, Ling Qi could still feel countless threads stretched taut in the dark.


    This was not going to be a short fight.


    Another thunderous crash filled the arena as Gan Guangli¡¯s palm strike demolished a small copse of trees in a rapidly expanding cloud of splintered wood and flying leaves. He pulled his hand back, and it emerged from the cloud wrapped in clinging vines and creeping moss that wriggled between the joints of his armor.


    He took a step forward, and there was a wet sucking sound as the ground under his huge boot became a sucking sinkhole filled with crawling roots. Gan Guangli let out a bellow as he tore his now mud-encrusted boot free.


    ¡°You never do tire of looking like a clumsy fool, do you?¡± Lu Feng¡¯s voice whispered through the wood, generated from the rustling of leaves and the creak of branches.


    ¡°You never do tire of looking like an underhanded coward, do you?¡± Gan Guangli retorted, still in good cheer as he straightened. He was head and shoulders above the normal-sized trees now.


    They were both playing a different game, so far as Ling Qi could tell. Lu Feng seemed content to let Gan Guangli barge through innumerable traps and altered terrain. Gan Guangli. however, was subtly searching as he strode along, narrowing the search area by devastating the terrain Lu Feng could use to hide in.


    This had been going on for several minutes now, and only recently had Lu Feng begun to respond to Gan Guangli¡¯s calls and taunts. She wanted to think that Gan Guangli had the advantage here since he seemed to be using less qi than Lu Feng, but a suspicion niggled at her, and beside her, Cai Renxiang¡¯s brow was faintly creased with concern.


    ¡°Tomb-masking vines.¡± Ling Qi blinked as the sound of a gruff voice drew her back to the box. Diao Luwen¡¯s eyes had cleared, and he was peering down below at the duel.


    ¡°What do you refer to, Father?¡± Cai Renxiang asked.


    ¡°What that boy¡¯s cultivation is based on.¡± Diao Luwen spoke in a swift and clipped tone. ¡°Nasty pests you need to account for in building in the west. They grow up around trees and structures. People, too, if allowed. They kill and devour them, leaving a hollow shell that looks like the victim behind. Damned mimics. What an irritating child. I had hoped this business would be short.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Cai Renxiang said.


    ¡°Your man is being infected further by each trap he springs. His plan is not bad, but he seems oblivious.¡± The older man grunted. ¡°Hmph. Attrition fighters.¡±


    She saw the moment when Diao Luwen¡¯s attention drifted again. Neither the Duchess nor the Prime Minister spoke. Ling Qi refocused her attention on the battle below with renewed concern.


    Gan Guangli stood, hand outstretched, having just tossed a boulder ahead. The earth split where it had landed, revealing a meters-deep trench full of toxic sludge. He stepped over it and had to windmill his arms for a moment as his ankle was caught on an invisible thread that Ling Qi had trouble spotting even as it curled around his ankle and yanked.


    ¡°You spend so much time playacting a valiant hero, but it just makes you oblivious and clownish, you great fool,¡± Lu Feng taunted. Ling Qi felt a ripple of qi, and the sludge in the bottom of the ravine bubbled and swelled, exploding into a massive cloud of pinkish red mist that stung her eyes to even look at. ¡°Underhanded, cowardly¡­ That you think these are insults at all only shows how ignorant you are.¡±


    There was a mighty boom, and the toxic mist scattered, multiple golden hands tearing up forest and trees in a chain of booms and snapping threads. Ling Qi glimpsed red silk and long black hair for just a moment, darting from the wake of the devastation.


    ¡°You are confident, Lu Feng! I wonder, do you even believe your own words? I feel no shame for any of my choices this past year. Not for braving the great storm to aid new disciples. Not for going out to fight for my people while you plundered storehouses like a bandit.¡± Gan Guangli rose from the cloud, towering some seven meters in the air. His armor gleamed still, despite swatches of toxin dripping from it. ¡°Let all the villains in the world dog my heels and sharpen their knives for my back. This Gan Guangli will endure them all! And my people will know they are protected.¡±


    The forest erupted. Entire trees writhed and twisted, disintegrating into grasping vines, and flying thorns erupted in their thousands, plumes of toxin blooming around Gan Guangli¡¯s feet. His hands blurred, new ones appearing behind his back to blow them all away.


    ¡°I am a winner! And that is the only thing that matters for a leader,¡± Lu Feng replied flippantly. ¡°Victory quells all complaints and needs no explanation.¡±


    Something black and twisted throbbed within Gan Guangli¡¯s meridians, and Ling Qi watched as gray and black vines erupted from inside his armor. She felt his qi flooding out, being drained to fuel the growth of these parasites. They coiled around him, his legs slammed together, his arms snapped to his side, and he fell to his knees with a shout. Even the golden glow beneath his cape and the ornamental blade that hung there projecting phantom limbs disappeared in a cluster of vines.


    Gan Guangli struggled mightily as he glared into the ruined forest, even as vines crawled across his face, puncturing and wriggling under his skin. ¡°I have always despised words such as those. Cowardly and childish things that they are.¡±


    The growth across his body, fueled by his own qi, tightened, stilling his movements and burying his face in the dirt.


    Ling Qi glimpsed Lu Feng, standing on the bough of one of the tallest trees, one hand on the trunk. ¡°For you to call anyone else childish is truly absurd.¡±


    ¡°That. Is. What. Villains. Always. Say!¡± Gan Guangli¡¯s strained voice rang out from within the cocoon of vines. Blooms of golden light appeared beneath them, hands trying to escape and failing. His qi was dimming to her senses, and she saw Renxiang¡¯s grip on the armrests tightening, straining the wood.


    Behind them, the Duchess let out a throaty chuckle.


    Slowly, the tremendous cocoon began to still and shrink. The flashes of gold came less frequently, and Lu Feng leapt down from his perch, looking very pleased with himself. ¡°Ridiculous right to the end, Guangli. I suppose you have my respect for that. Imagine how strong you could have been if you had not wasted such time with your weaklings.¡±


    ¡°Ridiculous,¡± Gan repeated weakly. ¡°Charity, compassion, virtue, these things are ridiculous indeed.¡±


    There was a pulse of energy. Lu Feng stopped in his tracks, his smirk freezing on his face. A tongue of golden fire licked out between the vines. Lu Feng¡¯s legs tensed, and he made to dart back, but he went nowhere as two golden arms locked around his shoulders.


    There was a a huge and muscular man there behind him, partially phantasmal, body dissolving into tongues of flame and light below the chest. Wearing only a vest of pale blue fire, the figure¡¯s chiseled features displayed a pleased smile as he rose from the ground with Lu Feng in tow, long golden hair billowing in the wind.


    The cocoon bent. Gan Guangli forced himself onto his knees, snapping vines like thin twine as more and more tongues of flame began to burn, golden light shining through the tangle. His qi flared, and vines writhed and charred.


    Lu Feng thrashed in the grip of the shining giant that held him in a lock. His skin sizzled with flesh-eating acid, and his flicking fingers guided threads that wrapped around half-physical limbs to cut and poison and puncture. The spirit, grim and inviolate, merely titled his head back and then snapped it forward with such force that the shockwave blew the leaves and branches from every standing tree in a hundred meters. The crack of the spirit¡¯s forehead meeting the back of Lu Feng¡¯s skull was sickening even up in the stands.


    As Lu Feng hung, stunned for a moment, Gan Guangli, still wrapped from head to toe in parasitic vines, rose to his feet, and with a roar, took a step forward, snapping the bindings around his legs. ¡°Let me be a fool then, Lu Feng! I am a shield, not for my lady, who needs no such thing, but for all below. A leader must be an example and inspiration who shows that virtue¡­ is¡­ its¡­ own¡­ REWARD!¡±


    Bright sunfire blazed from between every joint and gap in Gan Guanli¡¯s gleaming white armor, and the rest of the vines tore apart. A dozen fists and palms of tremendous size, blazing with sunlight, snapped out to shatter the air and strike the dazed Lu Feng.


    The arena went white with the light.


    Again, the Duchess laughed. ¡°Fine! You may keep that one, Renxiang.¡±

 In the Shadow of Xiangmen III

    In the Shadow of Xiangmen III


    Brilliant light scours away shadow and doubt. Minds clear. Resolve renews.


    I Am Here, declares the Light, and in the darkness, one million nightmares burn.


    The Radiance, the Ideal, strides onto the stage in a gown woven from strands of possibility, grief, and love. The click of heels are a thunder that shake the boughs of Xiangmen. Her eyes are the future, casting its unknowable, unreachable light upon the present, the blank and colorless canvas. Her blade is Truth, ineffable and pitiless. When she raises it, ancient web and artifice split apart like rotted rope, revealing the clear blue sky.


    Speak not of mercy, Lord of Lies. Speak not of sweet reason or of civility, chains and manacles in your grasp. Speak not of order. Order is no fat and wretched creature scheming alone with its dolls.


    Behold I, your failure, so great that no Lie may erase it.


    Feet stamp, voices sound, and the armies of earth advance into the teeth of nightmare.


    Among the branches, the King of Dreams quakes in rage at the impertinence, even as blisters of bleaching white take root upon the tip of his legs and his legions of nightmares burn.


    Ungrateful and miserable beasts! We have guided. We have cultivated! All that you have is our largesse! The king¡¯s voice roars, and reality twists. Grass becomes thorns, air becomes flame, and all the nightmares of the underworld spill from the wailing gaps in the material world. Spit upon our generosity! It will not come again!


    The great silver wolf howls in rage, throwing off cruel devils and creeping horrors that threaten to drown it. Beasts and riders stream around his stamping feet, clashing with brightly bannered riders who pour from the roots of the trees, each one a blur of possibilities. The ramparts of the Prince of Earth advance, carving the land apart into mazes of jewel and stone. The mist surges, and a war song rises, consuming those who sought the Light.


    The Builder strikes the gates of heaven, shattering rotten artifice.


    The Crucible walks, and lives vanish in a mist of ash and blood.


    The Orator speaks, and men fight with the strength of one hundred.


    The Lover spreads her hands and raises their Ideal to the heavens.


    The Liar Lords fight. Their craft evaporates in the light, and their falsehoods shatter. Each is alone, bound only by thin threads of the Patriarch¡¯s will. Each clings to their Lie. Even as the world descends into chaos, they warp the minds of men and spin their heavenly lies where the light does not reach. Warriors go mad with the torment and horror that spill from the Masters of Nightmare.


    The sky comes apart, and the Lord of Heaven screams.


    In the sky, the Ideal burns like a second sun, a future yet unsullied, and the hurricane of her blade¡¯s strike tears hills from the earth and leaves from the great tree.


    A twitching leg a kilometer long crashes to the earth.

 Threads 228-Pronouncement 2

    Threads 228-Pronouncement 2


    ¡°I am surprised that you would make such allowances before the tournament¡¯s end,¡± Cai Renxiang said calmly, despite the wary relief Ling Qi could see beginning to set in.


    The Duchess offered a languid shrug, leaning back in her seat, sending the shadows dancing throughout the box. ¡°I am satisfied with his resolve, and a place in the finals will grant him the correct rank. It may, in fact, be better that the Han boy wins that battle. They did suffer some loss of face in the previous year.¡± She sounded like a woman musing on the next day¡¯s weather. ¡°But, Renxiang, recall always that soldiers are dangerous creatures. Do keep him in hand, yes?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Mother.¡±


    Below, the field was cleared, and Gan Guangli stepped down, at last allowing his shoulders to sag a little with fatigue. That had been a risky maneuver he had played there. Ling Qi wasn¡¯t quite sure how the boisterous young man had hidden such a reserve of qi while playing at fatigue. He hardly studied stealth arts.


    Sixiang analyzed.


    They could always ask later. She decided not to call Sixiang on the mild hypocrisy of calling anyone else flashy. In the arena below, the Sect was announcing the next two combatants.


    As Han Jian and Xiao Fen stepped into the ring, Ling Qi felt a twinge of discomfort. It made the hairs on the back of her neck rise, a creeping anxiety that almost had her shifting physically in her seat. It took several long moments before Ling Qi realized what it was. She kept her eyes facing forward on the arena below. She had no desire to turn her head. Diao Linqin¡¯s attention was on her back.


    As the battlefield took shape below, rolling hills and scrub-filled fields, Ling Qi felt the whisper of a flower petal blowing across her cheek. The world felt dull and washed out. Even Sixiang¡¯s voice was a muffled whisper. Only the terrible light of the Duchess shone through, and that, too, seemed muted, but it was a faintly indulgent thing like a person turning their head aside so as not to listen in.


    Ling Qi took a very deep breath, looking down at her own lap. Vibrant flower petals blew and curled around her. ¡°What have I done to earn the honor of such attention, Prime Minister?¡±


    ¡°Aided in holding together a broken doll until it could begin to become a woman again, it seems.¡± Diao Linqin¡¯s aristocratic voice was measured and neutral. ¡°Has she spoken to you about last evening yet?¡±


    ¡°Lady Cai Renxiang has not yet had the opportunity.¡± Despite herself, some irritation at her friend being spoken of in that way bled through. She really wasn¡¯t good enough at this yet.


    Slowly, she turned her head to look over her shoulder to see Diao Linqin looking down at her with pursed lips and an expression of vexation. ¡°It is truly irritating when you see some truth in a jest.¡±


    Ling Qi remained silent, recalling last year, when the Duchess had compared her to the Prime Minister and joked of her daughter''s taste matching hers.


    ¡°Only a shred of it,¡± Diao Linqin said imperiously. ¡°That girl does not love in that way, and you, though you can, are broken by fear.¡±


    ¡°I do not understand, Prime Minister. This seems inappropriate.¡±


    ¡°Just a musing,¡± the older woman dismissed. ¡°And recognition of what is forming in the chaos you call cultivation. You have been poking about the edges of the Diao clan. Why?¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s thoughts rushed by as she assembled an answer in her head, trying to keep calm in this surreal scenario. ¡°I seem to have brought some offense to you and your family, although it was never my intent. I only want to ensure that it does not become true ire and learn more of the Diao, so that I can avoid missteps in the future.¡±


    ¡°You will not abandon that girl, and I know well enough these ideas are yours, as much as hers.¡± In this strange illusion, Diao Linqin seemed to loom much higher, a queen in waiting herself, on a throne of flowers and thorns. ¡°Your offense was very much intentional.¡±


    Ling Qi corrected herself. ¡°To avoid more offenses beyond the points I will not move from then.¡±


    ¡°Better.¡± Diao Linqin rested her chin on her hand. ¡°You are not the first to try the game of twisting truth. Learn when it is better to make a straight thrust of the blade rather than aiming for a fanciful feint.¡±


    Ling Qi narrowed her eyes despite the sharp-edged petals in the air and the pressure of the light and wind. ¡°I will take your advice to heart, Elder. If I may, why does our project give you such offense?¡±


    ¡°I am the Matriarch of the Diao. What offends them must offend me in court, at least in these matters. Have you studied our history?¡±


    ¡°The Diao rose as a viscount in the south central valley and were raised to counts under the Hui,¡± Ling Qi rattled off. ¡°Though your star has only risen in their absence.¡±


    ¡°To hear it so dryly¡­ Such is history,¡± Diao Linqin said with a strange, half-irritated and half-resigned expression. ¡°But you, child who has never known the old order, do not really understand those words.¡±


    Ling Qi bowed her head, recognizing that no response was expected.


    ¡°We were raised, it was true, but the Hui had no friends. They had no love beyond themselves. They wielded apathy, affection, and cruelty alike the way you do your instruments. All who served them were made less than they were in that service. The Diao were at once pampered pets and beaten dogs, ever hungry for the master¡¯s affirmation. The response of most to such abuse is to wrap themselves in the pride of what they are allowed.¡±


    Ling Qi was surprised to hear so much from the woman. She still felt no doubt in Diao Linqin¡¯s dislike for her. ¡°What was allowed was to feel wholly imperial?¡±


    ¡°Good. I dislike students who need things spelled out for them. You understand then, why so many feel disdain for the ¡®projects¡¯ such as the Wang¡¯s assimilation and your diplomacy. Even if less remember why with every passing year, elders pass their grudges and hate to their juniors through every lesson.¡±


    ¡°You sound very detached from this.¡±


    ¡°That is an observation you could make.¡±


    Ling Qi mulled that over in silence for a moment before finally coming to her reply. ¡°Why are you telling me these things?¡±


    Diao Linqin looked down at her, flower petals blowing in an unfelt wind. ¡°What do you imagine will happen if Her Grace¡¯s daughters fail to live up to her expectations?¡±


    Ling Qi swallowed. ¡°There will probably be some conflict over the throne.¡±


    ¡°Understatement. An amusing and occasionally useful device. Know that the Diao clan is split. Some see themselves as the natural heirs of Cai. Others look upon our influence and our wealth and our positions in many ministries and wonder what precisely the benefit of losing our shielding light is and why we should fight another war. Diao Hualing is an opportunist. But opportunists have their place.¡±


    ¡°That didn¡¯t answer my question,¡± Ling Qi said warily.


    ¡°Your lady will explain.¡± Diao Linqin peered down, her lips curled with disdain, but it did not seem wholly directed at Ling Qi. ¡°Tell me, child, when you look upon me, what do you see? Do not bother to lie or speak in circles.¡±


    Ling Qi looked hard at the older woman, or rather, the face she presented. She saw the shifting thorns and flowers that spread around and saw the way they curled toward the radiant light cast toward them from above in longing adulation. She saw the skulls great and small in the dirt below, split and grown over by roots wound in thorny vines and crushed in numbers greater than she could count. She saw shading boughs cast upon tightly grown flowers and shoots, apathetic of their existence but casting life-giving shade from the searing light all the same.


    It was a strange realization that came to her, looking at the shifting, overlapping imagery of a seventh realm cultivator''s presence. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t understand the possibility. Meizhen had shown her that. Sixiang had shown her that the definitions of man and woman could blur. Lin Hai had shown her they could be changed outright.


    ¡°You¡¯re her wife,¡± Ling Qi said blankly, staring up into the colorless sun, caged by the embracing weave of vine and leaf and flowers rooted to the earth. If she were honest, she could never have imagined someone so powerful defining themselves that way. To Ling Qi, marriage was¡­ It was a frightening thing. A loss. To be a wife was to be at another¡¯s mercy for the rest of her life, or, she supposed, to dominate someone else in the same way. Someone had to be the one in control, didn¡¯t they?


    And the Duchess was greater of the two, but it didn¡¯t feel that way in that instant. It was hard to tell where one ended and the other began.


    ¡°That is your view? Unexpected.¡± Diao Linqin¡¯s voice was the reverberation of the wind through the flowers now. ¡°I see you are no less grasping for another year''s cultivation.¡±


    Ling Qi almost ducked her head, a denial on her lips, but¡­ The Prime Minister was right. She wasn¡¯t any less greedy. The lesson she had taken from Zeqing was that she had to take into account more than her own desires. People weren¡¯t dolls to be collected.


    ¡°I will not be alone again.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s shadow clung to her in the light, tight and guarded. Her own wind, so much smaller, kicked up, carrying the glittering strands of her hair. She looked up, not unafraid, but unflinching.


    ¡°Different,¡± said the Prime Minister. ¡°The poison you drank deep from was isolation. You cannot give yourself to another, and so, they cannot give themselves to you. Instead, ¡®Sister.¡¯ Can you even imagine something closer, I wonder? Even now, you hold tightly but always at a distance, a support given unasked. A painful sight. Think more of yourself. Empathy without limits is a terrible burden.¡±


    ¡°I do not see how that can be a burden. I want to be better. I understand that people are connected. Even if I can care for only a few, those few connections branch out in turn. Empathy is how I can understand this, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°That conclusion is not wrong.¡± Roses swarmed close, curling around her, examining. ¡°But it is incomplete. You risk giving too much of yourself as you are. Let me show you why you should control your empathy.¡±


    Ling Qi felt a prickling in her mind, then a rush of worry and calculation. Renxiang was beside her, thoughts racing, an aching pain in her thoughts warring with relief and trepidation. For all her poise, Ling Qi¡¯s friend was a mess behind her mask of stoicism, and Ling Qi almost reflexively reached for her.


    She felt her other friends: Meizhen¡¯s calculation, her concern, her pride; Li Suyin¡¯s never ending anxiety, the feeling that she was an imposter, undeserving of everything, no matter her accomplishments; Su Ling¡¯s dull anger at the world and far hotter loathing of her own self; Xuan Shi, surrounded by kin but no less lonely for it; And Gan Guangli¡¯s exhaustion and exultation, his iron confidence and belief in Cai Renxiang. More and more, she felt. Flashes of bitter resolve in Han Jian. Desperate pride and yearning to impress in Xiao Fen. The sorrow of the Sect Head, the empty hollow of an old man who had lost everything close to him, living only in their memory. Sect elders defined forever by loss and vengeance.


    More, more, more. It jumbled together, individuals blurring into a maddening cacophony of feeling. It bore down on her, a suffocating weight and pressure even greater than the gaze of the Duchess. Anxiety filled Ling Qi, the helpless knowledge that nothing she could do would ever reduce this weight. Even if she ascended in this very instant, nothing could change this awful, dragging weight. It was made even worse, knowing that even this was only the people present at the Argent Peak Sect.


    The feelings disappeared. Ling Qi heard her own ragged breathing and felt the prickling of tears in the corners of her eyes.


    ¡°That is the conclusion of the insight you have without temperance,¡± Diao Linqin said, her voice even. Despite that, Ling Qi felt she saw the briefest glimpse of a single tear rolling down a dark cheek. ¡°Be more selfish, child. Take as much as you give. Choose what lines of connection you trace, or be crushed by the weight of the world.¡±


    Ling Qi got her breathing under control, and as she did, she had a flash of thought. Was this why the Prime Minister had never stepped into the eighth realm? What would an existence which could never be separated from that feeling be like?


    A second thought, as she wiped her eyes, looking up at the radiance burning above, grasped so tightly. ¡°What will happen when you are gone?¡±


    The Prime Minister, she knew, was much older than the Duchess, by some two centuries if she recalled correctly. Somehow, the idea of that terrible colorless sun, unmoored from anything which grew from the earth, sent a chill down her spine.


    The Prime Minister didn¡¯t answer her. ¡°This conversation has been sufficient for my judgment.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t understand why,¡± Ling Qi said through gritted teeth. Instinctively, she knew she didn¡¯t need to specify. In front of this woman, even speaking was a formality.


    ¡°You have made yourself important. This is the result,¡± Diao Linqin replied, disinterested. ¡°Be honest in your dealings with the Diao.¡±


    And like that, the conversation was over. She was back in her seat, her eyes were dry, and not a single hair was out of place.Her shoulders sagged for a moment before she got a hold of herself.


    Sixiang murmured in her head.


    It looked like Sixiang was already catching up. Cai Renxiang glanced in her direction, and Ling Qi gave her a reassuring smile. As Renxiang had said earlier, now was not the time. Her liege looked at her for a long moment before giving a faint nod and turning back to the match below. Ling Qi stared at her own hands, wondering at how small and unready they seemed, then did the same.


    It was a whirlwind. Literally. The dunes had been stirred by lashing winds, and wailing walls of grinding sand slashed across the battlefield. Han Jian was a darting blur, and the winds and the flaying sandstorms followed in the wake of his steps and his blade. In a few places, hungry black fires burned on his robe, and his right arm was marked by a single splotch of frozen blood.


    But Xiao Fen was by far the worst of the two. The sleeves of her gown were completely gone, her pale skin was abraded by sand, and her veins pulsed black from overuse of her arts. Crimson flowed, soaking her black dress from several precise wounds on her stomach and back. A slash marked her right thigh, making her steps unsteady.


    Her usually blank face was locked into a fierce expression as she blasted through the most recently raised sandstorm, hands wreathed in black fire striking with blinding speed. Han Jian leaned back, tilting his shoulders and twisting his body to avoid each strike by the slimmest of margins.


    Then, he vanished in a puff of wind and sand, and in his place was a huge golden tiger. The little cub had grown, standing some two and a half meters at the shoulder. Heijin¡¯s roar shattered the air, a shockwave that tore apart the dunes and sandstorms alike. It sent Xiao Fen tumbling through the air, bleeding from her ears and nose. She landed hard despite her best efforts, tumbling and skidding through the sand before she struggled back to her feet.


    ¡°Please yield.¡± Han Jian stepped like a ghost from the whirling winds. Around him unfolded a phalanx of silken soldiers, spinning themselves into existence from the threads of his sleeves and sash.


    Xiao Fen let out a low angry hiss, resetting her stance. Her eyes darted about, taking in her position. Han Jian stood ahead, sword down at his side, while Heijin stalked the dunes, his silhouette melting away into a shadow among the yellow sands.


    They clashed again, and again, it was Xiao Fen who was left with a new wound, a precise thrust into her upper arm that left the girl''s right arm dangling uselessly.


    ¡°Do you think your master is happy, watching you break yourself over this?¡± Han Jian asked lowly. ¡°I did not think Bai Meizhen was that kind of person.¡±


    Xiao Fen¡¯s face twisted, her eyes flicking up into the sky where the stands were behind the false world they fought in. Han Jian took no advantage, just flicking the blood from the end of his blade.


    ¡°I represent my mistress¡¯ pride,¡± she hissed.


    ¡°And she¡¯d beat me like a kettle drum.¡± Han Jian raised an eyebrow. ¡°Is it really her pride we¡¯re talking about here?¡±


    Xiao Fen looked like she had bitten into a lemon, and for a moment, Ling Qi thought she was going to lunge again into combat. Then, her shoulders slumped. ¡°I yield.¡±


    The dunes vanished in a flash, leaving them standing once more in the arena beneath the roar of the crowd. Xiao Fen vanished in a flash of light, taken to the medical ward. Han Jian raised his sword in a salute, smiling wryly as he was announced the winner.


    ¡°It was a good match,¡± said the Duchess, her warm voice reverberating in Ling Qi¡¯s ears. ¡°But now, to business."

 In the Shadow of Xiangmen IV

    In the Shadow of Xiangmen IV


    A great wail of hatred, fury, and pain resounds. The fallen titan¡¯s limb spasms, and its toxic ichor spills across the land, rotting and corroding the earth. It twitches, it jerks, and it shrinks into a man, his fine robes soiled by blood, his painted flesh scoured by light. His clouded eyes open and look, for the first time, up at those who he had never seen as people.


    One of the nine Lords of Heaven, the Liar Kings, lies in the mud, stripped of all of his glamours, bereft of his false truths. He lies at the boots of his victims, his power broken.


    The screams rise into the great canopy of Xiangmen, as if it were a rising gust carrying upward the implacable radiance. The great spider who spread his webs across the sky, whose limbs stretched from one end of mighty Xiangmen¡¯s canopy to the other, retreats, the broken stub of a limb weeping ichor. Web assailed the Ideal, so thick and heavy that even the radiance could not dissolve it trivially. Strands of paranoia, arrogance, and hate enshroud her, bound her, and did not burn because they were not lies. At the twitch of the nightmare titan¡¯s limbs, it spun forth the darkest and most rancid contents of the human spirit into a dense and nightmarish net to snuff the rising light.


    Ancient defenses churn to life, energies drawn from the limitless well of Xiangmen¡¯s power. Spirit labyrinths, barriers of every kind, and impassable gates layer ever deeper before the retreat of the Lord of Heaven.


    The rage of the Liar Kings could be felt across the whole of the battlefield. One of their own had been slain, and there is no panic and fury greater than that of the powerful shown their own mortality. Titanic arachnid limbs dig into the sky and the earth and rend open the world, opening oozing sores in the material world that plunged into the most primal depths of nightmare.


    The Truth guarded well against the lies of men, the thinking lies, the tricks and deceits of the civilized mind, but the things the Patriarch called now are older, simpler horrors. These are the terrors of the mind which bypassed thought, born from the simplest and most animal impulses. Avatars of humankind¡¯s oldest nightmares lumbered and crawled and slopped into the waking world.


    The One Behind, The Other, The Whispering Dark, The Plagued Man, The Emptiness, and a hundred others beside, named and unnamed, come forth, and the advancing lines of battle became chaos. Men and women turn against each other and against themselves. None are spared, friend nor foe. The nightmares swim and crawl and slosh into Xiangmen¡¯s halls and its hiding people weep.


    The great Patriarch, Master of Realities, looks upon the ruin he wrought and is satisfied. So what if some of his own wash away as well? They are his dream and live at his whim. All the world could burn if it preserves his power. All the world should burn if it could not be preserved.


    The Light stalls. It struggles, it fights, but in the face of the once-nine and the old powers of Xiangmen, it could not advance. He could not slay it, not face-to-face, but there is time now to plot.


    A wind whirling with petals of red and pink and white flows between the ichorous strands which entrapped the Ideal.


    The wind dies, the light fades.


    Then, it burns again. O how it burns!


    Pink and gold, white and orange, a hundred hundred colors wash out, shining through the web. Where men and women fight, it shines. Where friends die at the feet of other friends, it shines. Where warriors rage alone against themselves, it shines. Where tears fill eyes, it shines.


    And the light redoubles again and again. The Heavenly Kings shine, the tattered and dying marsh Mist shine, the wounded Wolf shines, the Prince of the Earth shines, and even the meanest soldier shines. And with each person''s mind which is cast in its rays, the Ideal burns brighter.


    They could not look upon it. The Ideal, the radiance, is not something the hearts and minds of humans could withstand. It is not something which could be reached and held, only fought for and sought.


    But it burns in the hearts of each one all the same now, a spark born of the second sun in the sky, leaving no shadows under Xiangmen. For one day at least, the Ideal burns in every heart, and for one day at least even the most primal of terrors hold no purchase.


    The net of spiritual filth flakes away in a light no longer colorless, and at its core are two in embrace.


    As the light shines on kilometers-thick bark and leaves larger than sails, there is a shift in the air, no more than a rustling of leaves. Defenses older than the Empire thrum thoughtfully and shut down.


    Four hands bring down a sword of light, and the Thrones of Heaven crumbles.

 Threads 229-Pronouncement 3

    Threads 229-Pronouncement 3


    Standing in the sky above the four arenas, Sect Head Yuan He finished praising the virtues of the day¡¯s combatants and of the potential that was to be shown in the finals the next day. He stood as tall as he had the previous year, just as unbowed by age, but the flash of oneness of supreme empathy Diao Linqin had shown her made Ling Qi see the whitening of his hair, the deepening of his wrinkles, and the harder grip on his cane.


    Sect Head Yuan He was ancient by any measure. At well over eight hundred years old, he was near the limit of even the lifespan of a seventh realm cultivator. How much longer would he last? And what would it mean when he was gone? She had not chosen the path of the Sect, but the thought still troubled her.


    ¡°But before we finish this day¡¯s observance, Her Grace, Duchess Cai Shenhua, has some words for us, both the people of the Emerald Seas and honored guests alike!¡± The old man¡¯s voice was still a thunderclap, audible everywhere in the great colosseum.


    The radiance left their box, leaving only spotty colors in the corners of Linq Qi¡¯s vision, and the Duchess appeared in midair beside the Sect Head. There was just the click of heels upon an invisible surface and the bloom of radiance, washing across the stands in every direction. When Cai Shenhua spoke, her face was invisible past the blinding light cast by her eyes, and her shadow was the silhouette of a rose, traced in immutable black under her feet.


    ¡°I must congratulate the Argent Peak Sect once again. Their methods and teaching have produced still more talented cultivators for the realm, exemplars of what the youth should be! I feel more confident than ever in the future prosperity of the Emerald Seas, regardless of the foes who rise against us.¡±


    They were simple words, but the approval that followed them was like the swelling rumble of the sea.


    ¡°Yuan He, Sect Head of the Argent Peak, you have my praise and admiration.¡± The glorious light dimmed as its human shell tipped her head, and Ling Qi could feel the absolute truth and sincerity of those words in her bones. The Sect Head bowed much more deeply in response. ¡°So, I will not steal the thunder of announcing your own plans. Instead, my people, my guests, I have other news.¡±


    The rumble of communal sound subsided into silence, awaiting what she had to say. Beside her, Cai Renxiang stared down at her mother with extreme intensity. Ling Qi felt herself growing nervous in sympathy.


    ¡°First, it is my honor as her steward in this province to announce the ascension of her Divine Majesty, the Empress Xiang, into the eighth realm. Welcome news for us all! Some of you may have heard this already through your own means, I am sure, but for the rest, let us all celebrate this happy occasion now!¡± The Duchess¡¯ voice was jovial, despite still thrumming with power. The roar of approval from the coliseum was tremendous, and the Duchess did not speak for a time, allowing it to pass.


    ¡°Less joyously, I must turn my words to the war which assails us from the cloud barbarians and those dark folk beneath our feet, allied against us.¡± Cai Shenhua¡¯s voice turned more serious. ¡°It is most vexing that the peace won by the bravery of Yuan He and the other heroes of the incursions be brought so short. So little time we have had to rebuild from the ruin wrought by the negligence of the Hui!¡±


    No approval now, just grave and ready silence.


    ¡°But our foes are disunited. This Galidan is no Ogodei, despite the spirits he allies. The cloud tribes are not united at his back. Many, knowing the futility of igniting our wrath, have gone far away into the lands of ice. These dark people, these Ith¡¯ia, have no leader, merely squabbling cities. Those who dare to strike us may be extinguished or subjugated at our will.¡±


    Truth, if framed more favorably, Ling Qi thought. No lies, no deception, just facts wrapped in words that people would accept.


    ¡°But it has revealed some problems which remain, legacy of the chaos and mistrust wrought by those we rose against,¡± Cai Shenhua continued without pause, her voice rising. ¡°My White Plumes, for two centuries now, have proven the effectiveness of central training and soldiers who need not go back to other labors when off campaign. It is thus that I announce the creation of another formation. My loyal counts will provide one-eighth of the soldiers and supplies which they have claimed, tithed from their own vassals at their discretion, and these will be trained by my White Plumes. This army, this Horned Legion, will serve all the Emerald Seas, and never again will we suffer a sluggish response to a foe. They will be housed at Xiangmen at the throne''s expense. My own presence here upon the front shall offset any troubles from the movement and training of soldiers.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, raising her eyebrows. The sound from the other stands mirrored her surprise. It was approving, but there was a certain note of uncertainty to it. Ling Qi was certain there would be quite a bit of grumbling back in the pavilions. If there was one thing she was certain of, it was that people with power were loath to give up a single scrap of it.


    ¡°Lastly,¡± said the smiling Duchess, paying no mind to the more muted response, ¡°is more personal news. I plan to set aside my lord consort, Diao Luwen.¡±


    Beside them, the bored looking older man grunted, straightening up in his seat. He stood, not giving them a glance, and appeared below in Cai Shenhua¡¯s shadow. He was not a short man, but beside her, he seemed positively shrunken.


    ¡°It has been my honor to serve in this role for so long.¡± Diao Luwen managed to raise his tone from active disinterest to bland formality. ¡°And neither I nor the Diao clan bear a grudge for this change.¡±


    ¡°You have been most cooperative, and in this action, I mean no insult. It is thus that I request that you remain as my Minister of Works.¡±


    ¡°Nothing would please this humble man more.¡± Diao Luwen bowed deeply.


    ¡°I can see the confusion that is upon you all,¡± Cai Shenhua said, her voice returning to its more usual languid amusement. ¡°If there is no disagreement or grievance, why? Let me ask a question instead. Many of you have now seen my youngest daughter, complimented her health, and heaped praise upon future talent. Truly, Cai Tienli is a normal, healthy child without blemish as attested by the Medicine Saint and by your own eyes. And so, I must take responsibility and wed her other parent, Prime Minister Diao Linqin.¡±


    Complete silence. She and Cai Renxiang were alone in the box now. Diao Linqin stood beside the Duchess, and where their arms linked, the colorless radiance bled into a pale rose pink.


    ¡°It is still a complex procedure,¡± Cai Shenhua said breezily. ¡°But I have severed one of the last shackles of mortality for those who have reached the fourth realm. I have shown the Medicine Saint and my own highest physician the methods and instructed them to share it freely. I will not bore with technical details. The wedding shall take place on the tenth day of the next year.¡±


    Ling Qi leaned back in her seat under the rising sea of noise as the Duchess¡¯ speech began to go into pleasantries and talking up of war efforts as if she had not just said something absurd. Artificial conception of human life was supposed to be impossible. Ling Qi had learned that in doing research on the nobility. It was why marriage contracts were so important and why relationships like Meizhen¡¯s were frowned upon and pushed to the side.


    Cai Renxiang beside her was frowning deeply, so much so that her eyes were nearly squeezed shut. She didn¡¯t speak up.


    Ling Qi thought,


    Sixiang wondered.


    Ling Qi nodded faintly. To her, it felt weird and strange to think about. To a lot of other people, it was going to be outright outrageous. Maybe even more infuriating than the tithe of soldiers, especially for those outside the Emerald Seas. How would the Bai, who strained so hard against any change, react?


    Diao Luwen returned first, appearing at the back of the box and descending without a word. The Duchess and the Prime Minister came next, Diao Linqin smiling for the first time Ling Qi could recall, while the Duchess wore a certain aura of utter satisfaction that Ling Qi found just as alien and uncomfortable as her attention.


    ¡°Why, Mother?¡± Cai Renxiang spoke to Ling Qi¡¯s surprise. ¡°Why spend so much goodwill for this?¡±


    ¡°It is important to remember where you began, my daughter, even if it costs you.¡± Casting a single blinding glance at them, Cai Shenahua swept away down the stairs. ¡°Do try to remember that as you rise.¡±


    ***


    ¡°It¡¯s over,¡± Ling Qi murmured. The wind tugged at her hair and gown, sending them rustling atop the high grassy hill. In the landscape stretching below, Ling Qi could see the increasingly empty fairgrounds, filled with temporary mansions and pavilions in various states of deconstruction. Only the billowing pavilion of the Cai remained untouched. The Duchess would remain, as would her newest daughter. The Prime Minister would be returning to make the arrangements for the state visit of Sun Shao.


    ¡°We end in triumph.¡± Gan Guangli said. His thick arms were crossed over his chest, and he held his head high. His final bout against Han Jian had been explosive, providing a worthy show for the final day of the tournament. Both of the boys had been closely matched, but in the end, it was Han Jian¡¯s blistering speed and piercing sword that had carried the day.


    ¡°We have only reached the starting line,¡± said Cai Renxiang, standing between them. She would have been in their shadow, were it not for the radiance that gleamed between the strands of her dark hair, its light banishing all such things. She stood as she once did long ago the first time they had met, square shouldered, her sword planted tip down in the earth, her hands clasped atop the hilt.


    ¡°It is not pride to acknowledge victories.¡± Gan Guangli did not look away from the departing nobles. ¡°If this is the starting line, then it is for a contest we have fought hard to be included in.¡±


    ¡°As long as you know where we¡¯re going, it¡¯s a contest I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll do well in,¡± Ling Qi said more lightly. ¡°Lady Cai, about what the Prime Minister said to me¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you for informing me of that woman¡¯s interjection. I promise you that we will discuss it all once I have had some time to process my mother¡¯s instruction. I do not believe myself capable of conveying her intent accurately in my current state.¡±


    Ling Qi gave the other girl a worried look out of the corner of her eye. She had shed most of the outward signs of her mental exhaustion, but Ling Qi did not doubt that her liege was still feeling haggard. ¡°Cultivate well, Lady Cai. Just remember my advice.¡±


    ¡°I still recall the girl whose words and conviction tore apart the rationalizations of men a century and more her senior in a decrepit village of the hills. You are strong, Lady Cai, in the ways which truly matter. Though you might doubt yourself, know that this Gan Guangli does not.¡±


    ¡°I thank you both. I cannot promise to rest, Ling Qi. It is not in my nature. Gan Guangli¡­ I cannot promise perfection, not as I once did.¡±


    Gan Guangli¡¯s wide shoulders rolled in a shrug. ¡°You know my belief, Lady Cai. Perfection is something to be reached for, never achieved. The struggle to be better is what matters.¡±


    ¡°I know you well enough, Lady Cai,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°But let''s have a spar again sometime, or do some light work over tea. I know you have that much in you.¡±


    Cai Renxiang let out a small huff, halfway between amusement and exasperation. ¡°Promise me that the both of you will continue gainsaying me when you believe I am wrong.¡±


    ¡°Always,¡± Ling Qi said, smiling breezily.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Gan Guangli said gravely.


    They stood in silence for a long moment, watching more lanterns flicker out.


    ¡°If I may, Lady Cai, do you have any insight into your mother¡¯s intentions with Cai Tienli?¡± Gan Guangli asked.


    ¡°On her unorthodox birth? Little. Her domain has always been the creation of artificial spirits. This seems merely an extension¡­ or perhaps a culmination. Of her continued presence? I suspect she will attract much negative attention. However¡­ I worry.¡±


    ¡°The Sun,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°There is something wrong with Sun Liling.¡±


    ¡°There is something wrong with the whole scenario,¡± Gan Guangli rumbled. ¡°That they have the troops free to go south and that King Sun is intending to visit Xiangmen in person.¡±


    It had always been that Sun Shao did not leave the Western Territories. Ever. That he did so now was unsettling.


    Sixiang¡¯s whisper entered her head, Ling Qi glanced to the side, troubled.


    ¡°You have a thought, Ling Qi?¡± Cai Renxiang asked.


    ¡°Just¡­ You remember the story of the Sage Emperor? The Priestess of the Red Garden used the life conceived between the two of them to slay him. Lady Bai Suzhen doesn¡¯t have any children, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Surely the Sun would not consider outright treason?¡± Gan Guangli frowned. ¡°Although¡­ They are somewhat cornered given the Bai¡¯s resurgence.¡±


    ¡°A thought, indeed,¡± Cai Renxiang said quietly. ¡°Let us focus on the tasks at hand. For now, the two of you collect yourselves. I require cultivation, and the month ahead shall be very busy.¡±


    Ling Qi gave a small nod, and the three of them split up. Her feet lifted from the grass, and Ling Qi soared away toward the far dimmer, twinkling lights of the town at the base of the Outer Sect mountain.


    There, she landed outside the gates of her mother¡¯s house and passed within, walking at a mortal¡¯s pace. Here, there was no indication of the events that had transpired, the connections and wheeling and manipulations. There was just a home and a small garden where she was greeted by her mother and sister. She always found herself itching for their company after encountering the Duchess.


    ¡­ Perhaps it might not be a bad thing to invite Renxiang over, at least once.


    A thought for later. Duty would beckon soon.

 Threads 230- Thunder 1

    Threads 230- Thunder 1


    ¡°You¡¯re surprisingly pushy about this.¡± Yu Nuan hunched her shoulders under the fur-collared mantle she was wearing.


    ¡°You¡¯re surprisingly shy about this,¡± Ling Qi retorted. They passed through the gates of the sect town without pause, staying off to one side of the street so as to not disrupt traffic too much as mortals moved to give them a respectful berth.


    ¡°I¡¯m not shy,¡± Yu Nuan argued, sparks jumping between the row of metal studs that pierced her ears. ¡°A little more warning would have been nice is all.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s more genuine if you don¡¯t have a lot of prep time. Besides, I didn¡¯t see you at the tournament at all. What were you up to?¡±


    ¡°Training and working on a new piece for the storm lord,¡± Yu Nuan replied. Their footsteps carried them swiftly through the outer part of the town and into the inner. ¡°Not like I had anything to do there.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt to mingle a bit.¡± Ling Qi ignored Sixiang¡¯s incredulous snort.


    ¡°Whole reason I¡¯m doing this, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯m not cut out for that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to let you become a hermit.¡±


    Yu Nuan grunted in reply as they passed down the cobbled streets just dusted with the winter¡¯s first snows.


    ¡°Being serious, I did talk to a couple folks. I¡¯m not hopeless,¡± Yu Nuan said, keeping her eyes ahead. ¡°Got a few auditions in little courts. Nothing like what you deal in. It¡¯s rough though since I¡¯m up for deployment.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed in reply as familiar gates came into view. ¡°But you¡¯re not looking to get out of that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± Yu Nuan grimaced. ¡°I¡¯m not some charity case. If you let me in, I¡¯ll pull my weight.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with charity,¡± Ling Qi said, but she didn¡¯t press the issue. She understood pride and how important it was for a person to have theirs. The guards standing before the gates of her mother¡¯s house saw her and bowed, turning to open the gates at a gesture from her.


    Yu Nuan watched. ¡°You really are just full in on this stuff, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Ling Qi gave the guards a nod as they stepped through the gate onto the well kept path. ¡°People like to see what they expect, but that doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t ease them into accepting a different arrangement.¡±


    She smiled at one of the girls sweeping the path as she stepped out of the way, and the young woman, something Min if she remembered, bowed low with a murmured ¡°Lady Ling.¡±


    No quiet panic or fear, just low level anxiety in the mortal. Ling Qi was getting better at this!


    Sixiang drawled.


    Yu Nuan looked around with some curiosity, not lingering on the servant as they entered. ¡°So, we¡¯re just meeting your mother then? That¡¯s it?¡±


    Ling Qi hummed, opening the front door with a tap. ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll see my little sister too, but she¡¯s four, so I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll contribute much. You have your dog with you?¡±


    ¡°Course,¡± Yu Nuan replied, stepping hastily after her.


    ¡°Then I think you¡¯ll have her approval,¡± Ling Qi said dryly. Tangent aside, she did understand what Yu Nuan was asking. ¡°So just my mother, yes.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Yu Nuan ran a hand through her spiked hair anxiously. ¡°Not good at this.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll fit right in then. Dining room is this way.¡±


    ¡°I heard things got a bit crazy at the end of the tournament,¡± Yu Nuan commented.


    Ling Qi paused, one hand resting on the wall. ¡°Yes. Do you want to change your mind?¡±


    She still didn¡¯t know what to think of the revelations at the end of the tournament. That was one reason she was doing this now. She wanted to take her mind off of things until Renxiang was ready to talk.


    ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t think the blast zones have changed much,¡± Yu Nuan said with a weak chuckle.


    Sixiang snickered.


    ¡°Then, let''s have a chat with my mother. You can show me this revel of yours after.¡±


    ¡°Got it, Matriarch,¡± the older girl drawled, following as they resumed walking.


    Ling Qi grimaced, shooting her a look. That was not going to be a thing.


    Entering the dining room, she found that her mother had changed the layout. The previous table had been replaced with a more ornate one with more space for seating. Placed out on the table was a tea set, as well as plates and platters holding the sort of little snacks often served with it.


    Her mother had picked out a nice, understated gown in dark blue and black. Ling Qi had told her that she didn¡¯t need to stick to Ling Qi¡¯s color scheme, but she¡¯d ignored that. It was important for a clan to keep a theme apparently. Her mother had also taken well to her cultivation. Some of the lines on her mother¡¯s face had smoothed, and the signs of hard living had lessened, if only a little.


    Biyu sat in her lap, fiddling with one of the tight pigtails that her mother had wound her hair into. She brightened up when she saw Ling Qi and blinked curiously at Yu Nuan.


    ¡°My daughter, welcome back to our home,¡± Ling Qingge said formally. ¡°I see you have brought a guest.¡±


    ¡°I have,¡± Ling Qi replied, stepping forward. They¡¯d actually rehearsed this bit! ¡°I bring Yu Nuan, who approaches as a supplicant to the Ling clan, requesting adoption.


    Yu Nuan nodded once, stepping forward beside her and bowing. ¡°Yes, I am Yu Nuan, the only cultivator of the Yu family, and it is my wish to join my fortune to the Ling family.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Ling Qingge said. She was proud of her mother; she came much more naturally to this sort of formality than Ling Qi did. ¡°And what is it which you believe you may bring to the Ling clan?¡±


    ¡°I bring a strong and talented pair of hands and a talent which has reached the third realm. I bring skills in music and beast handling. I bring connection to the Argent Peak Sect,¡± Yu Nuan spoke with a practiced air, and that was fair. This was the formal bit. ¡°And I bring a spirit beast of my own, the Storm Herding Hound Qiu, and the possibility of more of his like.¡±


    There was a faint crackling pop as the spirit beast appeared beside her. The dog was not shrunken fully into a little fluff ball, but instead rose just past her knee, his blue and white coat crackling with static. The hound held his head high.


    There was a sound, high-pitched and sudden.


    Ling Qi glanced at her little sister who was staring at the dog with wide, wide eyes.


    Ling Qingge sighed. ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    Well, that was why they had done this little rehearsal with low stakes. Yu Nuan still looked bewildered as the formality dropped, even though Ling Qi had explained this to her. They sat down around the table as Biyu wriggled out of her mother¡¯s lap and rushed over to fawn over Qiu.


    ¡°He is safe around children, isn¡¯t he?¡± Ling Qingge asked, ringing the little bell on the table and indicating for a servant to come in and start serving the tea.


    ¡°Ah, yeah, gentle as can be. He was a herding dog even before I got him,¡± Yu Nuan said awkwardly. ¡°I prepped him for this, too.¡±


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t trust you with that much, the offer wouldn¡¯t be on the table,¡± Ling Qi said. It helped that in her presence, little threads of protective qi always wrapped invisibly around her mother and sister. Against a peer, it would be nothing, but against regular, every day harm and accidents, her family might as well have been wrapped in steel.


    Ling Qi gave the girl¡­


    Sixiang recalled.


    Ling Qi gave Du Ai a small nod as she poured everyone¡¯s tea, confident Biyu would be fine.


    ¡°Welcome to my home then, Miss Yu,¡± Ling Qingge said. ¡°Rehearsal aside, I do have some important questions I must ask you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I expected that,¡± Yu Nuan said, still seeming to waver between formality and her normal tone. ¡°I¡¯ll answer whatever I can. I understand this isn¡¯t a small matter.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ling Qingge said. ¡°The first must be, are you bringing others with you? Any mortal family?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Yu Nuan answered, her expression tightening. ¡°Just me. You don¡¯t have to take on anyone else.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry,¡± Ling Qingge said, lowering her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ not like that.¡± Yu Nuan grimaced. ¡°Look, I have an aunt and uncle, some cousins. They took me in for a while, but you don¡¯t gotta worry about them.¡±


    Ling Qingge frowned. ¡°You would just leave your kin behind?¡±


    ¡°I know it sounds bad.¡± Yu Nuan hesitated for a long moment before speaking further, pushing through the explanation at a hurried pace. ¡± But they were pretty clear throughout my life where we stood, even if they changed their tune after I got here. Heh, I mighta respected ¡®em more if they didn¡¯t. But the point is, I bought them a nice house in Leiyong, paid my oldest cousin¡¯s apprenticeship off, and left them a pile of silver for the rest. As far as I¡¯m concerned, I¡¯ve done my duty.¡±


    ¡°There are many who would see that as an abrogation of duty,¡± Ling Qingge said. ¡°They would say that it makes you unlikely to stand by the family you have entered if a better offer comes.¡±


    Ling Qi thought that sounded unfair, but her mother probably couldn¡¯t sense the knot of bitter resentment flaring like a burned-out coal in Yu Nuan¡¯s chest as they spoke on this.


    ¡°That¡¯s fair. It¡¯s definitely unfilial of me,¡± Yu Nuan agreed. ¡°All the same, I don¡¯t want them. I¡¯m not gonna lie about that.¡±


    ¡°While I don¡¯t know the full details, Yu Nuan has never struck me as a mercenary person,¡± Ling Qi interjected. She considered the little bit she understood of her mother¡¯s family and her ''father''. She could comprehend the idea of a family she did not want.


    ¡®So this is part of your motivation?¡± Ling Qingge queried.


    ¡°I¡¯m not suitable to managing a clan,¡± Yu Nuan said with a helpless shrug. ¡°I get that, and the only other way around it would be to marry in, and I¡¯d not like to put myself in some guy¡¯s power like that with no guarantees. And being a clan of one with no backers, that¡¯d be how that would go. I just want to live, cultivate, and work on my art. I¡¯ll make sure to profit you, but that¡¯s the real root of it.¡±


    Her mother¡¯s expression pinched in distaste, and Yu Nuan looked worried. Ling Qi patted her mother on the shoulder, understanding the source of that expression. The darker edge to the air shattered under the sound of a child¡¯s laughter and cheerful barks.


    Biyu had managed to clamber onto Qiu¡¯s back, who had begun to trot around the room, and her hair had frizzed up wildly from the static. Ling Qi could sense Sixiang playing with the wind, keeping Biyu from falling. She caught her mother¡¯s eye and gave a small nod.


    ¡°If my daughter trusts your integrity, I will accept that,¡± Ling Qingge said after draining her tea cup. ¡°I hope that you will never have cause to find the Ling clan so odious.¡±


    Yu Nuan glanced toward Ling Qi. ¡°I think as long as I do right by you, your daughter will do right by me. That¡¯s good enough for me.¡±


    ¡°I like to think we can manage better,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I¡¯ve said it before, but family should be more than that.¡±


    Her mother cast her eyes down. ¡°It should.¡±


    But it wasn¡¯t often enough, Ling Qi knew. She thought of the Cai, and the He and other snippets heard from friends and acquaintances. If anything, she was the one being naive and unreasonable. ¡°Well, it¡¯s something to work on.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one way to put it,¡± Yu Nuan said.


    ¡°More personally¡­¡± Ling Qingge gestured uncomfortably toward Yu Nuan. ¡°Those¡­ metal things. Why¡­ precisely?¡±


    Yu Nuan fingered the piercings through her lower lip. ¡°It started as a cultivation aid. I found an art that used bits of metal piercing the body as qi foci. It got me into the Inner Sect. Now, I just like them.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Ling Qingge said, though she obviously didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Sis!¡± Ling Qi glanced down at the exclamation, seeing Biyu and Qiu had made their way back around to them, and now, both girl and dog grinned up at her. Biyu raised her hands. ¡°Up!¡±


    Ling Qi chuckled lifting her little sister into her lap as Mother and Yu Nuan talked. Qiu scooted under her chair, shrinking as he went to curl up atop Yu Nuan¡¯s feet.


    This would probably work. But this conversation wasn¡¯t done.


    They had quite a hike after this.

 Threads 231 Thunder 2

    Threads 231 Thunder 2


    As they left the town behind, Ling Qi smiled. ¡°I think you did pretty well there.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure about that? Pretty sure your mother doesn¡¯t approve of me,¡± Yu Nuan said.


    ¡°I think she¡¯s not entirely sure what to make of this yet,¡± Ling Qi corrected. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it disapproval.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s your mom.¡± Yu Nuan shrugged.


    Ling Qi hummed an agreement. She liked that Yu Nuan was already growing casual with her. Most of her friends still didn¡¯t really do casual. There was really only Su Ling and to an extent, Li Suyin. ¡°Why did you offer to take me on this trip anyway?¡±


    As they left the town behind, turning toward the western foothills and the dusty road that wound between the outlying farms, Yu Nuan said awkwardly, ¡°It¡¯s part of the deal, isn¡¯t it? Access is one of the resources I bring.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to this trip. I haven''t had a chance to explore any odd spirit locales without a lot of pressure on recently.¡±


    ¡°Moons, do I not even rate an odd?¡± Sixiang complained aloud, voice carrying on the wind.


    ¡°Dreamwalking is entirely different,¡± Ling Qi shot back.


    Yu Nuan watched her out of the corner of her eye. To a mortal, Ling Qi probably would have looked crazy, arguing with the thin air. ¡°You really that carefree?¡±


    Ling Qi gave her a sidelong look. ¡°Carefree isn¡¯t how I¡¯d put it. I¡¯ve worked pretty hard to earn some confidence though.¡±


    Her companion let out a breath. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fair.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed the first notes of a half-formed melody as they walked on at a swift pace, the pastoral landscape soon vanishing in favor of scrub and thin trees. Her fingers idly twitched as she toyed with the wind blowing around her. ¡°What are you working on in your cultivation right now?¡±


    Yu Nuan looked up from the trail they were on, and ahead, Qiu paused, raising his own head to look back at them. ¡°Movement. I¡¯ve been studying Qiu and looking up similar arts. When one of us summons a storm, I want to be able to move between lightning strikes.¡±


    That made sense. Yu Nuan was also serving a scouting role in the sect forces. To be able to move swiftly and avoid large numbers of enemies would help her in her duties.


    ¡°How about you?¡±


    ¡°A technique called the Opened Vault,¡± Ling Qi answered with a smile. ¡°It allows me to sneak between the barriers of the world and access spaces I shouldn¡¯t be able to. Don¡¯t tell, obviously.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised. That seems like the kind of activity you¡¯ve tried to leave behind.¡±


    ¡°Do I come off that way?¡±


    ¡°I assumed,¡± Yu Nuan admitted as they crossed under the shade of the thickening forest that lay between a pair of larger hills. Qiu let out a bark, trotting ahead on the trail.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t had much need for those skills lately. But Lady Cai and I, we¡¯re stepping out of this little walled garden. I think you have an idea of what things are really like out there.¡±


    ¡°I get it. I guess I was just distracted by how shiny you lot are.¡±


    ¡°Lady Cai isn¡¯t stupid. The real world¡­ I don¡¯t think it will ever be as clean as she wants it to be, but there¡¯s value in trying.¡±


    ¡°And how does stealing out of people¡¯s purses fit into that?¡± Yu Nuan asked.


    ¡°What I take out, I can put back,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°You¡¯d be amazed at the kind of documents and objects people will carry around. More than that though, I think it¡¯s just a first step. Are you going to stop once you figure out how to jump with the lightning?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not enough. I gotta be able to move when I need to. It''s scary how much difference getting a warning out can make.¡±


    ¡°And I have a lot of barriers I have to learn to navigate,¡± Ling Qi said wryly. Between the squabbling clans of the province, the province and the capital, and both and the foreigners, it was a labyrinth she really dreaded taking a step into.


    She¡¯d already chosen to do it though.


    ? Sixiang needled.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ling Qi said without missing a beat. ¡°It¡¯s always somewhat thrilling to be unnoticed.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really get that part,¡± Yu Nuan drawled. ¡°Being ignored has always pissed me off.¡±


    And wasn¡¯t that as clear a description of their differences as there could be. Isolation approached from two different venues seen in two different ways.


    ¡°What are you trying to do with all of this anyway?¡± Yu Nuan asked as they walked on.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a big question?¡± Sixiang drawled aloud. ¡°Could you answer that one?¡±


    Yu Nuan glanced at the empty air as if looking for a face. ¡°You know what I mean. This whole crazy project with the barbarians.¡±


    Ling Qi chuckled. ¡°I did get it.¡±


    She didn¡¯t answer right away. In the end, her reasons were a little unformed. Just following Cai Renxiang¡¯s lead in reducing mortality in the south was enough reason, and that was important. It was better if less people died, and it would be more stable and safer for both her family and her if there was peace between the Emerald Seas and the Confederation of the White Sky. But there was something more to it. There was¡­ an inkling of an idea, a frustration, an itch.


    She liked Jaromila, and to a lesser extent, she liked the others she had met down there. Why should they have to be in conflict over misunderstanding and ancient, fossilized grudges?


    ¡°Because someone has to be willing to talk.¡± Her mind went to a bloody dream and a field of bones, violence unending. If she didn¡¯t like what she saw, then do something about it, huh? ¡°Because I don¡¯t like the way I see things going otherwise.¡±


    Sixiang shifted uncomfortably in her mind, nestling closer in a mental embrace.


    ¡°That simple, huh?¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°What do you want from all this?¡±


    ¡°I want to keep developing my music. It¡¯s¡­ Before the fighting, it was immature. I thought I was following Grandmaster Jiang¡¯s path, passion and anger, but now, I think his stuff is more than that.¡±


    Grandmaster Jiang was the most recent of the three great musicians acknowledged in the Emerald Seas, a low ranking member of the Hui clan. His raucous and discordant melodies had nonetheless grown immensely popular in a short time before he died and his music was outlawed, only returning under the current Duchess.


    ¡°How so?¡± Ling Qi tilted her head.


    ¡°Because being angry isn¡¯t enough. Most people are totally self-absorbed. Nothing that doesn¡¯t directly, obviously hurt them will make them raise their heads, even if it happens right in front of them. It pisses me off.¡±


    Ling Qi listened as they walked on.


    ¡°So I think what the Grandmaster was actually going for was a music that could make people shake that apathy off, if only a little. I want to do that too.¡±


    ¡°And here I thought you weren¡¯t that ambitious, but you say you want to match up with a grandmaster!¡±


    Yu Nuan snorted. ¡°It¡¯s way less crazy than what you¡¯re doing.¡±


    ¡°Fair,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°How much further?¡±


    ¡°Not much.¡±


    Conversation tapered off as they approached their destination. It was a high and sheer cliff face on the side of a stony mountain capped with snow. At the base where they were, the sheer rock face gave way to a grassy slope filled with scrub, its only remarkable feature a rounded stone boulder that protruded from the grass.


    Ling Qi shaded her eyes, looking up toward the peak, shrouded even now in dark clouds. In her senses, the air here hummed and sparked with raw, undirected energy. It made the hairs on the back of her neck rise and her teeth itch, as if the very air was vibrating here. The wind felt charged, pulling away from her grasp as she tried to continue the basic exercises of the art she was practicing.


    ¡°So, how does this go? Do you need me to fly us to the peak?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how that¡¯d go.¡± Yu Nuan shrugged off the leather strap that held her lute on her back, swinging it around to cradle in her arms as she briefly tested and tuned the strings. ¡°Got the greeting right here. Just stay close.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded in understanding, following the girl up the slope. Different spirits required different greetings, and Yu Nuan knew these ones. They stepped onto the flattened stone, Yu Nuan a step ahead. There was a moment of relative silence with only the sound of the wind blowing through the vale. Then Yu Nuan began to play.


    The first note was a low bass strum, a growing rumble like a storm on the horizon, steadily picking up speed and volume. Sparks jumped from the lute strings, and smoke wafted from the body of the instrument as the melody picked up. Hard, forceful, demanding, it was a song that roared for attention and focus on the player, a command and an announcement all at once.


    There was a thunderous crack, and a bright line split the mountain face, a spider-webbing fissure filled with sparking, snapping lightning. The sky darkened overhead, and Yu Nuan¡¯s song picked up speed, flames and sparks danced across her blurring fingers as the instrument belted out notes that no mortal lute could have made.


    Thunder crashed, and lightning struck around them. A bolt struck stone bare inches to Ling Qi¡¯s left, then another and another, kicking up soot from flash-burned grass around their feet. Stone groaned as it split further, the fissure of lightning growing deeper and wider, splitting apart to reveal a passage formed of rumbling storm clouds.


    The soot solidified under them as Yu Nuan played. They began to rise into the air on it, drifting toward the opened portal.


    Sixiang laughed in her head.


    Ling Qi allowed herself a small smile as the cloud of soot carried them into the storm clouds. If nothing else, this was going to be interesting.


    What awaited on the other side of the crackling passage was a wall of noise that struck with physical force. It was a heavy rhythmic pounding and the cry of strings, the stamping of feet, and the roar of voices. Ling Qi saw a grand cavern of stone and crystal with boiling clouds shrouding the ceiling. Below, there was no sign of the floor, only scores and scores of spirits in uncountable shapes, mountain ogres and winged humans with the heads of birds, living clouds of mist and leaves, bonfires that walked like men, and beasts and birds of every type.


    What they bore in common was an exultant energy. They roared, they fought, they drank, they danced, and more. Above, blue-skinned ogres lined the carven paths ringing the cloud ceiling, beating upon drums of beast hide with iron sticks, and tables and fixing floated about in midair on their own clouds of soot, heavy with food and drink. Even the revelry of the Dreaming Moon held an elegance to it in its raucous revelry, but there was none of that here. This felt more like a riot than a revel.


    ¡°Welcome to the Thunder Palace,¡± Yu Nuan announced, and Ling Qi could barely hear her over the din.


    ¡°Welcome indeed!¡± boomed a tremendous voice, louder than Gan Guangli at his best. Leigong the Storm Shepherd, three-meters-tall, blue of skin, and with the wings of a great bat and the beak, talons, and crimson eyes of a crow, descended from the churning clouds. ¡°Come to perform for the court again, thundercaller?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I¡¯ve brought a guest.¡± Yu Nuan bowed low before the lord of this palace. ¡°This is Ling Qi, whose family I may be joining.¡±


    Leigong peered at her with a sharp eye. ¡°Oho, the one who flew with this one when we first met! If you will be taking care of my favorite musician, then you are welcome indeed to our revels, disciple of the moon.¡±


    ¡°It is a very impressive gathering,'''' Ling Qi complimented. ¡°I have been looking forward to seeing it.¡±

 Threads 232-Thunder 3

    Threads 232-Thunder 3


    ¡°Haha, well it is good to know that we can impress a revelry of the dream,¡± Leigong said cheerfully, the clacking of his beak punctuating the words. ¡°But! Your arrival is sudden. I will rouse these fellows to listen later, but you have arrived just as we were arranging some games. Perhaps you and your guest would care to join us?¡±


    Yu Nuan looked worried, but Ling Qi just tilted her head curiously.


    ¡°What sort of games, honored lord?¡± Yu Nuan asked.


    ¡°Well, I will be arranging a game of chase and capture with many of my sons and retainers. It will be a great bit of fun in flying through the halls, a test of speed, endurance, and wit,¡± the Leigong said, puffing out his chest. ¡°The winner will be the one who gathers the most jade tokens that will be given to the participants!¡±


    The little god continued, ¡°The other game will be overseen by my sharp-eyed wife. It will be a grand scavenger hunt for things hidden among the palace. It seems a little fiddly to me, but it is her game after all!¡±


    ¡°Please give us a moment to decide.¡±


    ¡°Of course! But don¡¯t take too long, thundercaller.¡± Leigong laughed, and a beat of his wings carried him back to the crowds.


    Yu Nuan took a deep breath.


    Ling Qi grinned. ¡°It sounds like fun, but I¡¯m guessing there¡¯s a catch.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re still friendly games,. But what a spirit considers friendly¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We don¡¯t really get how fragile you guys are most of the time. I¡¯m guessing it¡¯ll get pretty violent with all the lightning qi here,¡± Sixiang said.


    ¡°The Leigong here isn¡¯t totally wild. He¡¯d not have invited us if any fourth realm spirits were participating, and I don¡¯t think anyone would go for deliberate kills, but it¡¯d also be rude to refuse.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯d want to refuse anyway,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Either option seems like a fun training exercise for what we¡¯re working on.¡±


    Yu Nuan blew out a breath. ¡±Guess so. Got a preference?¡±


    ¡°What is his wife like?¡± Ling Qi asked, considering.


    ¡°The Dianmu? She¡¯s¡­sharp, a lot more critical than the Leigong. She still likes me, I think,¡± Yu Nuan said, trailing off into mild uncertainty. ¡°You thinking the scavenger hunt then?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. The chase sounds fun, but I feel like it¡¯ll probably devolve into a big, moving brawl. The hunt sounds more considered.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s still gonna be some brawling,¡± Yu Nuan warned, glancing down to where numerous fights had broken out among the revelers to the laughter and cheers of the other spirits


    ¡°Not afraid of that. Just thinking of which game would be better for cultivation,¡± Ling Qi said seriously. ¡°These kinds of games are opportunities. Technique insights come a lot easier in a place like this.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong,¡± Yu Nuan admitted.


    ¡°Did you prefer the chase?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°No, I just¡ª¡± Yu Nuan shifted from foot to foot. ¡°Ah, well, she intimidates me.¡±


    ¡°All the more reason,¡± Ling Qi said piously. ¡°Intimidating spirits have the best loot and arts.¡±


    Yu Nuan squinted at her. ¡°You¡¯re joking, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Mostly. ¡°Can you still control this thing?¡± Ling Qi asked, not leaving herself open for interrogation. She gestured down to the cloud of soot under their feet.


    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Yu Nuan replied, resuming her strumming. It was a calmer but still energetic meter. ¡°The big banquet table is usually up in the storm clouds.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, glancing out to the revel. ¡®Any thoughts, Sixiang?¡¯


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m good either way. I think this is gonna be fun!¡± Sixiang¡¯s tone reminded Ling Qi of the muse¡¯s earlier days.


    They rose, carried upward toward the rumbling belly of the clouds. The air was warm and damp, charged with a buzzing static that made strands of her hair jump and the hems of her gown dance, and there, in the center, was a great banquet table. It was a slab of solid rock, roughly hewn flat, and all around it were more spirits, people with the features of birds and bats, bulls and horses, and not a one missing a pair of wings in some shape.


    At the center of the table was the Leigong, seated on a cloud, laughing uproariously at something that had just been said by one of the many lesser spirits that shared his features. At his side was a woman. Like Zeqing, she could have been mistaken for a human at a distance and at a glance. But she did not sit much lower than the Leigong on her cloud, towering some four meters high. Her hair snapped and frizzed and sparked, living lightning bound through a diadem of copper wire and sparkling jewels. Her face had an artificial feel like a theater mask placed over a bonfire, and when she turned to speak to the Leigong, heat and sparks washed out. In her hands, she cradled a wide mirror of polished silver with an ornate rim, and her gown was resplendent in white and blue.


    ¡°Hoh, made your decision then?¡± the Leigong crowed as they came close.


    ¡°We have,¡± Yu Nuan said. ¡°And we thank you for your invitation.¡±


    Ling Qi quietly scanned the rest of the rowdy table. They¡¯d quieted with the Leigong¡¯s words, but there were still tussles and arguments and japes going on. These were their children most likely, Ling Qi thought, the little gods of clouds and rain.


    ¡°Don¡¯t keep us in suspense then!¡± the Leigong boomed cheerfully.


    ¡°My companion and I would like to join the scavenger hunt,¡± Yu Nuan said. ¡°If it wouldn¡¯t bother the Lady Dianmu.¡±


    ¡°Never. My games are ever the less popular,¡± spoke the Dianmu, raising a hand to cover her mouth as she laughed. The sound crackled with electricity. ¡°Perhaps the pair of you might give my sons some actual challenge in this round.¡±


    Two of the nearest spirits puffed out their chests. One resembled a smaller, leaner variation of the Leigong, and the other took more after the mother with a hook-nosed human face but wings that were arcs of snapping lightning. His whole body seemed to be made of hollow glass filled with churning clouds.


    ¡°This Yun Long welcomes the challenge,¡± said the lightning winged one, surveying them with crimson eyes.


    ¡°Mmm. It gets dull, brother,¡± the birdlike one said with a nod, crossing his arms over his slim chest. ¡°Yun Sho also welcomes you, if you can keep up.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be a problem,¡± Ling Qi said confidently. Neither spirit seemed much above them in cultivation. Yun Sho matched her, and Yun Long matched Yu Nuan.


    ¡°Ha, jolly competition, as is proper,¡± said the Leigong. ¡°Well, why don¡¯t you go along with my wife then? You were about to announce the list, weren¡¯t you, dear?¡±


    ¡°So I was,¡± said the Dianmu. ¡±Let all participants meet upon the floor of the great hall.¡±


    The mirror held in her hands flashed, and the greater spirit vanished in a bolt of lightning. The lesser spirits shot them a smirk before their wings began to beat, and they dove down through the belly of the cloud.


    Ling Qi allowed herself a small smile at her companion¡¯s frown and bowed to the Leigong as the strumming picked up and their little soot cloud descended.


    What awaited below in the main hall was a riot on pause. The drum beating of the ogres had risen to a new crescendo, playing a pulsing, rhythmic beat, but the other sounds had died down. The winged spirits flocked in a great black ring above, and the ground-bound ones stood still, some in mid-dance step or thrown punch. In the center was the Dianmu standing at her full height, a crackling light that cast long shadows throughout the room


    ¡°Friends and guests! The time for the day¡¯s games has come. My husband will be down shortly for the merry chase, but for those who might like a different game, I offer a hunt!¡± the Dianmu announced to raucous approval. ¡°The rules are simple. The game shall be played in pairs, and betrayal of your partner is verboten. I shall make a list of hints toward items to be found and collected. The pair which brings me the items that match most closely to what I had in mind in the greatest quantity shall earn of me one favor. The time limit shall be an hour!¡±


    Even as she spoke, her hand rose, and from it, sparks and lines of lightning rained, shaping themselves into characters and sentences.


    The breath of a dragon, fresh and encasedA flower born of mountain stone, sparkling and hotThe sharpest blade, wielded by no handThe light of the sun, captured and radiantA lady¡¯s laughter, bright and pure


    ¡°These shall be your targets, hunters. Stand now with your partner, if you wish to play, that my eyes may mark you,¡± the Dianmu continued as the list resolved in burning form, remaining unmoving in the air.


    Ling Qi scanned the list and thought on what they could mean. ¡°Any immediate ideas?¡± she asked quietly.


    Yu Nuan sucked a breath through her teeth, brow furrowed. ¡°I think I know what she means by the flower and the breath.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°You know this cloud is too slow, right?¡±


    ¡°What do you¡ª¡± Yu Nuan began, turning her frown toward Ling Qi.


    ¡°I have seen you, hunters. Begin!¡± the Dianmu called out brightly.


    And then, they were in the air as Ling Qi grasped Yu Nuan¡¯s hand and flew. The girl let out a startled yelp as they left even a hint of the firmament behind and flew from the great hall.


    ¡°What the hells!" Yu Nuan shouted, holding tight to the neck of her lute with her free hand. "Where are we going?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know yet!¡± Sixiang laughed. ¡°But look, half a dozen teams zoomed right after, thinking we do. Give my girl some quick directions, and let those zoom off the wrong way.¡±


    Yu Nuan muttered a string of curses, glancing around wildly at the palatial hall Ling Qi had flown down.


    Sixiang whispered.


    Ling Qi immediately darted down the passage to the right, the air shimmering as the image of their party shot off down the left passage, an illusion made by Sixiang¡¯s twisting of the air, imbued with a hint of reality by dream qi.


    It was enough to split their pursuers at the very least.


    ¡°There¡¯s gonna be a locked door at the second stair,¡± Yu Nuan shouted. ¡°I don¡¯t have an escort this time.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°Can you picture it really clearly for a second?¡±


    ¡°I¡­guess?¡± Yu Nuan shouted back uncertainly.


    Sixiang conveyed to her the image, a marble door inlaid with intricate scrollwork and carvings of the Leigong and other spirits in court.


    Another image of them shot off ahead, and they stepped ever so briefly into dream. It was a technicolor kaleidoscope of energy, blindingly bright and screaming with tearing wind. Then they emerged on the other side of the door.


    ¡°Neat trick, eh?¡±


    ¡°Something like that,¡± Yu Nuan grumbled.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s our target?¡± Ling Qi flew down the shadowed stairs as Yu Nuan collected herself. A bolt of lightning struck a stair ahead, and she reappeared there with a crack, soon following Ling Qi under her own power.


    ¡°There¡¯s a crystal farm below. Pretty sure that fits the flower hint,¡± Yu Nuan answered


    That would be one down, Ling Qi thought. This was going to be fun.

 Threads 233-Thunder 4

    Threads 233-Thunder 4


    These deep halls were quiet. Whether this was because of the party above or a regular occurrence, Ling Qi didn¡¯t know. Worked stone and polished tiles gave way to more natural stone, organic formations of rock shaped by eons of dripping water taking over for the artificial decor from above. They descended a little slower now, the mad dash of the opening moments behind them. Yu Nuan now rode on the back of Qiu, grown to his full horse-like size.


    ¡°How did you find out about this?¡± Ling Qi asked, skirting along beneath the damp ¡°teeth¡± of rock that lined the roof of the passage.


    ¡°The Leigong took me down here for a lesson. It was a reward for a song,¡± Yu Nuan whispered over the happy panting of the thunder hound she rode, voice carrying on Sixiang¡¯s breeze.


    ¡°Seems strange for a spirit of storm and thunder,¡± Ling Qi said dubiously.


    ¡°He said it was about understanding the origin of the storm,¡± Yu Nuan explained. ¡°And I kinda get it. It all comes back to water. Hey, don¡¯t touch anything off the path!¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, immediately banking to the side to fully avoid a curtain of gleaming stone that seemed like a cascade of water frozen in time. She¡¯d not have touched it physically, but a trail of her qi would have. ¡°Alarms? Traps? I don¡¯t sense anything.¡±


    ¡°No. But if you get your qi into the stones here, it¡¯ll piss off the gardener. We need him sweet to get what we need.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded absently, dropping a little lower and pulling in her aura further, tight against her skin. She focused now and could see the ¡°path¡± Yu Nuan had mentioned, a corridor of stone with silent, static qi. She vaguely remembered Bao Qian speaking of stone gardens in regards to his clan. ¡°Got it. A big spirit then?¡±


    ¡°Pretty sure the Leigong¡¯s still the boss, but he treated the guy down here with respect. C¡¯mon.¡±


    Down they went, through winding caverns of increasing beauty, past pools lined with living crystals and strange, alien formations of stone, until at last they came to a wide chamber filled with water that bubbled and boiled, an underground lake spotted with isles of stone. There were dozens of isles, each overgrown with glittering crystal in many hues, and in the center was a small stone hut, humble and inconspicuous. Above, steam rose into a shroud near the cavern¡¯s roof, and the air was thick with humidity.


    Ling Qi grimaced at the dampness, weaving a tight web of cooler air around her to keep it off. Soft snow fell in her wake, melting instantly when she stepped away. ¡°No lava?¡±


    ¡°Not that kind of stone. Like I said, it¡¯s all about the water. The way it changes, rises, and falls and how heat influences the storm. Least that¡¯s what I got out of it. A storm arises from many factors.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed. She wasn¡¯t going to gainsay another cultivator on something core to her methods, even if she didn¡¯t entirely get it. ¡°Good. What¡¯s our plan? Call out, make an offering?¡±


    ¡°Since it looks like the headstart got us here first, this should be easy,¡± Yu Nuan said, unlimbering her lute. ¡°This guy liked my songs too, so I think I¡¯ve got this one. Can you prep us to get out though? There¡¯s a vent up there, and we can probably go up quickly if you protect us from the heat and do whatever it is you did earlier.¡±


    ¡°Dreamwalking,¡± Ling Qi corrected absently, spinning up some more icy qi. She kept an eye and an ear on the passage behind them with a trailing silver wisp while Sixiang kept their attention on the air currents.


    Yu Nuan grunted an acknowledgement as she strummed a few testing notes. She then launched into a song. It wasn¡¯t the usual blazing inferno and striking lightning of her works, more like a spring flood put to music. What it lacked in volume and thunder, it made up for with a tonal discord that nonetheless managed to be coherent.


    Out on the bubbling lake, the little stone hut rattled, and its door drifted open, revealing a single crystalline eye larger than Ling Qi. Two stony lids appeared as it first looked at them and then shut as the music washed out, a moment of song.


    ¡°Little cloud.¡± The voice reverberated from the rock around them, grinding and heavy. ¡°You were passing. Not fools to slap away from my gardens. Why do you come? The revel roars. Be there. The quiet is not for you.¡±


    Yu Nuan bowed her head. ¡°The Lady Dianmu set us a hunting game, and I think one of your crystals is an answer. Could we bargain for one?¡±


    ¡°That woman,¡± the stone spirit rumbled. ¡°So thoughtless, sending drunkards to gambol in my gallery. Take one then, and get you gone. One less hoodlum fighting down here will only make it easier to keep order.¡±


    The eye shifted to Ling Qi, squinting. ¡°And take that one with you. The cold will upset the pool.¡±


    ¡°Please. I¡¯d like to not trouble you long, sir,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°See that you don¡¯t, and keep this one out of trouble, you hear?¡± the curmudgeonly rock gardener rumbled, his voice felt in her bones. One of the crystal-filled islands floated closer, parting the waters like a ship, allowing Yu Nuan to pluck a bright red crystal, still sparkling with superheated qi.


    The girl hissed, tossing it from one hand to another for a second before Sixiang snatched it from the air with a gust of wind, sending it to storage.


    ¡°We¡¯ll not trouble you any longer, sir,¡± Yu Nuan said, bowing hurriedly. Ling Qi began to detect some noise coming down the tunnels. ¡°May we use the vent?¡±


    The eye looked dubious. ¡°If you¡¯ll not burn up.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be fine,¡± Ling Qi reassured, bowing as well. ¡°Yu Nuan?¡±


    Her companion nodded, and they dashed off above the lake, kicking up ripples as they flew into the cloud of steam. Ling Qi spread her aura, a careful application of the lessons lent by her mentor to render it merely hot and uncomfortable rather than heated beyond mortal reason. They passed swiftly through the layer of moisture, following the curvature of the ceiling and flying up and up until they were moving straight up a tube only five or six meters wide.


    ¡°The dragon¡¯s breath is probably on the mountain peak,¡± Yu Nuan called. ¡°You got an idea for the others?¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Ling Qi called over the hiss of the steam. ¡°Does this place have a library or a poet?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Yu Nuan¡¯s face screwed up for a moment. ¡°Ah, I get it. I was thinking of the little weasels that run around this place with the sharp claws. Yeah, there¡¯s a library. Why¡¯d you think of that?¡±


    ¡°Because Lady Cai¡¯s sword is named Cifeng, spelled with the characters ¡®cutting words¡¯,¡¯¡± Ling Qi explained absently, getting a feel for the folds of dream in this narrow space. Catapulting them straight up shouldn¡¯t be too hard.


    ¡°What,¡± Yu Nuan said dully.


    ¡°Nothing wrong with a good pun,¡± Sixiang said cheerfully. ¡°Or a bad one! Hold onto your insides!¡±


    ¡°Oh n¡ª¡± Yu Nuan began hunching down on Qiu¡¯s back.


    And then they were within a scintillating rainbow of steam and flames, surrounded by dancing shards of rock and crystal, and rising toward roiling thunderheads shot through with kilometers long spans of golden scale. They blinked back into the vent just in time to erupt from its exit in a cloud of superheated vapor.


    The chamber they emerged in was all polished wood, save for the stone floor, filled with benches and buckets and hanging plants. All manner of spirits lazed about in a state of ill dress, and¡­ Did she spot a disciple or two scattered about? Was this kind of sauna?


    Ling Qi flushed and spied an exit, flashing toward it in a twist of wind and shadow, leaving a burst of frozen air and outraged yelps behind as she darted off down the passage. Qiu thundered after her, paws striking sparks in the air as he galloped after her with his tongue out, Yu Nuan holding frantically to her back.


    Sixiang cackled in her head.


    Just ask Yu Nuan where the library was, Ling Qi thought grouchily. And what was up with Yu Nuan? She didn¡¯t look scandalized at all. Had she known where they were going to come out?


    Honestly, how shameless.


    ***


    They ran into their first spot of trouble on the way to the Thunder Palace¡¯s library. Their flight path took them through a rowdy brawl spanning a whole palace hall. Ogres and bird men clashed there, sending the whole passage rocking with the thunder of clubs and the beating of wings. She didn¡¯t even think they were other hunters, although the brawl might have been part of the chase game, but that didn¡¯t stop the lightning and diving claws that came their way. Ling Qi and Yu Nuan gave as good as they got, refusing to let it slow them down by much as they moved, dodged, and sprinted through the chaotic riot of bellowing spirits, leaving shocked and half-frozen foes in their wake.


    Finally, they escaped down a side passage and found their way to the wide doors of the library.


    What they found there was a foggy expanse, shelving visible only as shadows in the mist, and what Ling Qi could only assume was the library¡¯s keeper behind a too small desk. Unlike the other spirits she had seen up close thus far, this one did not seem like a man with some features of a bird, but rather, a bird with some features of a man.


    He seemed old, sagging jowls and flaps of skin on his long neck wobbling as the library¡¯s keeper bent to look at them. In one talon, he held up a monocle as he turned his head to the side to peer at them, magnifying his own rheumy black eye in their view.


    ¡°What is this then?¡± he asked, beak clacking out of time with the scratchy words. ¡°Another hunter?¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. Of course someone else would have this idea. ¡°Yes. Have there been many so far?¡±


    ¡°Just two pairs so far,¡± the keeper said. ¡°They¡¯ve not come back yet. S¡¯pose I¡¯ll have to check the books tonight. No use letting them get off their diets.¡±


    Yu Nuan coughed into her hand. She was a little more singed than Ling Qi from the brawl. ¡°Do you have a section for satire?¡±


    She glanced toward Ling Qi for approval, who nodded. That kind of dissident writing would definitely be the most cutting.


    ¡°A few scrolls, a few poems,¡± the library keeper said. ¡°This is the Thunder Palace though, young lady. You should know we don¡¯t just give things away. If you¡¯d like your poems, you¡¯ll hunt them down and subdue them yourself like a proper scholar.¡±


    Ling Qi and Yu Nuan both simply nodded.


    ¡°C¡¯mon,¡± Sixiang urged. ¡°Pretty sure I got the scent of something good.¡±


    Giving their respect to the library keeper, they set off into the mist. The shelves were, Ling Qi noted, closed and locked cases with fronts of wood or glass. Each one rattled and shook as they passed, and Ling Qi felt dozens and dozens of qi signatures. This was far beyond the sect archives where the tomes and scrolls were curated to limit and control their development as spirits. The books here were wild and alive.


    But she hadn¡¯t yet sensed something sufficiently sharp, and so they went on, deeper into the winding stacks, guided by Sixiang¡¯s sharper sense. Eventually, Ling Qi could feel in the air something of what Sixiang was following, muffled whispers that cut winding trails through the mist, churning and carving short-lived tunnels through it, and they came upon a high and ornate case with sturdy copper shutters over its shelves, locked and barred.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look so bad.¡± Ling Qi peered down at the formations inscribed on the metal. She could probably open this, though it might take a while. ¡°Not sure I want to just open it.¡±


    The shelf rattled violently, straining the chains keeping it bound to the wall and floor. There were a lot of fairly potent auras inside of that case.


    Yu Nuan squinted. ¡°I think we can take ¡®em if we have to, but you¡¯re right. Might not be a good idea. Hunting or not, the keeper might be testy if we make too much of a mess. You think you got this one?¡±


    Ling Qi nodded. ¡°Let me try a technique. If it doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll unlock it, you catch the sharpest one you can sense, and then we run for it.¡±


    Yu Nuan blew out a nervous breath, glancing down the stacks as she settled in to wait a moment.


    Ling Qi stared at the cabinet doors as if trying to burn a hole in them. She¡¯d done some practice with this technique, and it wasn¡¯t so far from dreamwalking. But the tricky part was¡­ not leaving the material world entirely, but instead, reaching through the dream. It was hard to frame interactions like this in human words.


    Biting her bottom lip, Ling Qi put her hand to the sealed doors and concentrated, circulating dream and wind qi through the meridians in her arm. She just needed to sort of wiggle her hand between the spaces in the physical matter like slipping through infinitesimally small bars.


    She felt the edge of a page prick her fingertips, and she took in a sharp breath as she grabbed onto a struggling scroll and yanked it back through without triggering the formations locking the cabinet. ¡°Hah, that¡¯s not so bad!¡±


    It was a long way from the real thing given that this was still a physical container, but it was a good start. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s¡ª¡±


    She cut off her words as she sensed a shift in the air, a thread of qi, not her own, intruding on her aura. The qi yanked, tearing the scroll from her grasp as a booming cackle rang out.


    Ling Qi looked up in time to see a blur of blue and white carving through the mist on a trail of lightning and one of the Leigong¡¯s sons laughing mockingly as the two zoomed away. The trailing scroll snapped into the cloud-like brother¡¯s outstretched hand on a glittering diamond thread.


    That was not going to stand.

 Threads 234-Thunder 5

    Threads 234-Thunder 5


    ¡°That cocky ass!¡± Yu Nuan reacted an instant after Ling Qi. Qiu let out a booming bark as she swung back onto his back and took off after the pair of spirit brothers.


    Sixiang thought.


    Of course, Ling Qi thought back. This was a game after all. The easy way would be boring. She grasped the wind and flew like an arrow shot from a bow.


    The two spirits had a lead on them, and already, they were barely a receding dot in the mist, trailing a cloud of stray pages and toppling shelves in their wake. But neither Ling Qi nor Yu Nuan were slow. A heavy slam sounded as the sealed shelf grll obrt behind them, the sound barely catching up to Ling Qi¡¯s ears as she bent the air to clear her path.


    Yu Nuan bounded behind, Qiu dashing through the air almost as fast as Ling Qi herself. They erupted from the library in a churning whirlwind, leaving behind chaos and the indignant squawk of the library keeper carrying after them. Ling Qi banked hard, spiraling down the corridor after the thieving brothers.


    On the wall beside her, Yu Nuan¡¯s hand struck down across the strings of her lute in a spray of electrical sparks, and the air distorted under a shockwave of raw noise, rushing down the hall, filling the entire passage with its cacophony.


    The lightning winged brother, trailing behind with the glittering snare and scroll in his hand, jerked in midair, briefly slowing down. That was enough for Ling Qi to close, halving the distance between. A low, melancholy strand of notes peeled out, and black metal flashed as her domain weapon emerged, spilling mist and fog down the passage like an onrushing flood.


    There was a screech of alarm as it engulfed the rearmost brother, and the other spun around, two rustling fans made of long pure white feathers in his hands. He swept them down in a crossed arc, and a gale roared down the passage. Ling Qi went tumbling from the force, but her mist did not.


    In the twisted, open air labyrinth of her domain, the clash was on. Qiu¡¯s loud bay rocked the passage, echoing and echoing until it seemed a whole pack of hounds were circling their prey, eyes like glinting sparks in Ling Qi¡¯s mist. A useful combo, Ling Qi thought, if she could control her phantoms better.


    Yun Long, the spirit with the scroll in the snare, spun to face her, electric wings snapping and hissing in the dense mist and threw out his free hand. The mist around him thickened as he wrenched a part free of her by its moisture, and Ling Qi found herself assailed by a storm of horizontally falling rain, each droplet striking with great force. Ling Qi fell back at first, driven by the relentless water pressure but then, with intent.


    Yu Nuan bounded in on Qiu¡¯s back, already strumming a meter tense and angry, backed by the basso baying of the phantom hounds in the mist.The bolt of lightning that swept down struck Yun Sho, the fan-wielding spirit head-on as he spun, summoning up a whirling miniature tornado with himself in the center to catch the bulk of it.


    Chaos.


    Mist and wind and lightning churned in the halls of the thunder palace. Ling Qi ghosted close, and Yun Long scattered into sparks, a dozen blinking afterimages in the mist. Yu Nuan played a harsh chord, forging bars and chains of fire and lightning. Yun Sho dissolved into moisture and fled. Thunder crashed, lightning struck, and laughter rang out.


    Wind grasped at the edges of the wriggling parchment clasped in the snare, and the spirit holding it laughed aloud, the beat of his electric wings creating shockwaves of disorienting thunder. Ling Qi turned her wild tumble into a graceful swoop midair, coming back around for another pass.


    She saw Yun Long grin at her as he twisted his hand and sent the prize, snare and all, somewhere else, vanishing from sight. She felt his brother, Yun Sho, gathering qi and the growing distortion in her mist as he grappled with Yu Nuan and Qiu, weathering the lashing tongues of flame from the inhumanely rapid solo that emerged from the lute in her hands.


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes narrowed. She recognized an escape about to happen. Maybe she could stop it, but¡­


    Why not take a gamble?


    Her eyes flashed silver. Ling Qi felt the flows of qi through her own mist, saw the shape of Sixiang¡¯s grasping ¡°hands,¡± and the rigid razor-thin circles of qi pulsing outward from Yu Nuan¡¯s lute. She saw the gathering energy of Yun Sho, like a wedge, building toward a horizontal thermal which would drive her mist apart and carry them away.


    But most importantly, she saw the glowing knot of spatial and dream qi gathered around. She¡¯d already done it partially once. Why not give it a try for real and Open the Vault?


    The wind started to scream, her mist being channeled away in a narrow passage, and Ling Qi reached out a hand. Her fingers peeled away, and her hand dissolved into smoke and shadow and wind and mischievous dreams. The brothers laughed as they began to be carried away. And Ling Qi reached out not into the realm of dreams, but between the physical and the spiritual, and felt her fingers brush over a jumble of items.


    And then the brothers were gone, just an echo on the wind.


    Yu Nuan cursed, her hair and sleeves dangling awkwardly where she grasped onto Qiu, while the hound stood panting on the ceiling. ¡°Ugh, hold on a sec. I managed to knock some feathers loose. We can track them and¡ª¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to.¡± Ling Qi drifted back to the center of the hall, her mist dispersing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re getting back into the library.¡± Yu Nuan gave her a surprised look.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to do that either.¡± Ling Qi shook her head. With a wave of her hand, she revealed a struggling scroll and a snare of diamond thread.


    ¡°Oh, Moons, that guy¡¯s gonna be embarrassed.¡± Sixiang snickered.


    ¡°I saw him dismiss it though,¡± Yu Nuan said, bewildered as Qiu leapt down, righting her in midair with a happy bark. ¡°When did you¡­?¡±


    Ling Qi allowed herself a swell of pride as the girl¡¯s eyebrows rose in realization. ¡°I did say these games were good practice.¡±


    ¡°Congrats then,¡± Yu Nuan said. ¡°Did you grab just that or¡­?¡± She trailed off, perhaps not wanting to imply that Ling Qi would shamelessly steal more than what was hers.


    ¡°Naturally, I snatched everything I could in the moment I had.¡±


    It wasn''t a lot, just a bunch of odds and ends, leaves and twigs and stones with varying levels of qi. Reagents, perhaps.


    ¡°Anything like a hollow tube of rough stone full of really pure water?¡± Yu Nuan asked, leaning forward.


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes flicked to the side as she sorted through the items.


    ¡°Yeah, I see something like that,¡± Sixiang said. ¡°Oh, wait!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s our dragon breath,¡± Yu Nuan said confidently. ¡°The lightning on the peak makes those rock formations, and then they fill up with water. The lightning qi in the stone forms a cage and keeps the rainwater¡¯s qi pure and untainted.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s another one down then,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Now, let''s get out of here before they notice they¡¯ve been counter-robbed.¡±


    ***


    The fourth item had taken a little while to puzzle out as they dodged the other hunter teams and clashed again twice with the lord¡¯s sons, but they had figured it out in the end. Flowers. Ling Qi had learned from observing Zhengui and his cultivation that plants subsisted on earth and water qi drawn through their roots and sun qi drawn through leaves and petals.


    Thus, they had gone on the hunt for the brightest, yellowest flower they could find on the mountain. The state of the garden afterwards was, well¡­


    Best not to worry too much about it. The games had been proposed by the lord and lady of the palace.


    The last item had stumped them until they had arrived back at the great hall, at which point it swiftly became obvious.


    The Lady Dianmu was very amused by the game.


    Now, Ling Qi hung back amidst the somewhat tired but still raucous crowd in the great hall, letting Yu Nuan speak for them in accepting the rewards for their first place showing. This was, after all, her event.


    Watching Yu Nuan nervously speaking with the fourth realm spirit did make her nostalgic though. Yu Nuan had asked for lessons, an art, a song, whatever it might turn out to be. Ling Qi missed Zeqing. She missed sitting on the high, cold mountaintops, learning from a teacher eager for a student.


    ¡°Well, you can¡¯t replace someone who has gone away,¡± Sixiang said. ¡°But hey, I¡¯m fun to learn from, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Mature wisdom¡¯s not really your thing.¡± Ling Qi chuckled.


    ¡°Auntie botherer, that¡¯s what you are,¡± Sixiang joked, giving her the sensation of fingers poking into her sides.


    Ling Qi glanced to the side then, sensing attention on her. There, working through the crowd of spirits, was Yun Long. He fell against the wall beside her arms crossed. ¡°That was a nasty trick.¡±


    ¡°Want to make something of it?¡± Ling Qi asked, tilting her head.


    ¡°I never said it wasn¡¯t a good trick,¡± the spirit clarified, the clouds under his glassy skin white and calm. ¡°You¡¯re one of the ones going south, yes? And you are that one¡¯s lord?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°And I will be taking her into my clan.¡±


    ¡°Good enough. It¡¯s about time I left my father¡¯s court,¡± Yun Long said. Standing up straight, he nodded toward Yu Nuan. ¡°I¡¯m going to follow that one for a while if you¡¯ll give permission.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s her choice,¡± Ling Qi said with a shrug.


    She gave the spirit a nod as he moved away to find Yu Nuan. With the presentation ending, she allowed herself to get pulled into the revel, playing a tune for clapping bird men and stamping ogres.


    It was a good time. A fun time. She felt a little rejuvenated, and just in time because on the morrow, she had more serious business to attend to. Cai Renxiang had finalized their claim of first pick on a region of the newly conquered lands in the south, and they had prospecting to oversee. Though many patches had been available, Cai Renxiang, Gan Guangli, and she had eventually settled on a region with a river and caves.


    ***


    From high above, it seemed like a ribbon of blue silk with fraying threads winding amongst the mountains and hills. The as yet unnamed river flowed down from the sky-piercing rampart of peaks at the south of their claim, wending north and down until it joined the river systems of the greater Emerald Seas. It was a rough river, full of rapids and thundering falls. It plunged through canyons at a breakneck current, but here and there, it slithered slowly between rounded hills, and in many places, its tributaries would disappear for kilometers beneath the earth, only to come bubbling back up in geysers of heat and steam.


    Under the falling curtain of winter, the land it flowed through was painted gray and white. Dense pine groves clustered at the river¡¯s edges, growing thicker toward the south and petering out into a flatter vale in the north.


    The high cliffs and round little hills were home to wild goats in great breed and number, their herds checked only by the many wolves, bears, and mountain cats. Larger beasts, elk and massively antlered and muscular beasts she had seen the White Sky use, wandered the southernmost lands on the stretches of flat taiga that lay between immense peaks.


    The wind whipped through Ling Qi¡¯s hair as she came down to land at the meeting point where the main course of the river flowed into an immense cavern in the side of a mountain and on the other side, emerged to thunder down some two hundred meters into a great lake below before flowing on. Ice floes gathered on the river surface at the top, but below, the churning waters were clear and a bit warmer than the rest. Trees grew in great abundance there on the lake shore.


    Gui thought.


    Ling Qi nodded absently as she landed beside Cai Renxiang and Gan Guangli. This place, she still wasn¡¯t entirely sure of it. She had preferred the valleys in the east where the river flowed much more calmly, winding through the densely wooded cleft between mountains that lay like a single strike of a great spirit¡¯s ax through the mountainside, to this more chaotic river.


    But she had not been the only one making the decision for their fiefs¡¯ location.

 Threads 235-Expanse 1

    Threads 235-Expanse 1


    ¡°Your thoughts, Ling Qi?¡± Cai Renxiang asked. She stood beside an ornate table set in the middle of the snowy field. A map of high quality lay weighted upon it, and fresh ink was drying in the icy air. Ling Qi glanced across it, taking in the marked out course of the river and a few other locations already spied.


    They were not doing this alone. Cartographic teams were already building temporary shelters by the lakeside below, but there were limits to what first and second realms could do.


    Ling Qi blew out a breath. ¡°We¡¯ll be exposed, like I said, taking the furthest south region. But this river can definitely be tamed for shipping. It will just need a lot of work in some places. There are many good locations for fields as well, despite the cold. Zhengui thinks there are fires underground, heating the earth and keeping it from freezing entirely.¡±


    ¡°We will be exposed at first,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed, already knowing her objections. ¡°But we are close to the Wang as well, and the campaigns are not over. Showing that we do not cower from martial duty is important to the success of our more peaceful projects.¡±


    ¡°It is not a pleasant acknowledgement that such views must be catered to, but it does not do to ignore the realities on the ground,¡± Gan Guangli said, cupping his chin. ¡°There are many good locations for fortification in the south as well. With good planning, we can make this place secure.¡±


    ¡°The news on the soil is pleasant, by the by.¡± Cai Renxiang looked up from the map. ¡°Does your Zhengui believe these fires under the earth are dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Mostly, no,¡± Ling Qi spoke for him. ¡±And where it is, he thinks he can bleed any dangerous pressure off these veins of the earth.¡±


    ¡°Very good,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°And the mountain in the southeast, cloaked peak to root in thunderclouds?"


    ¡°From asking some contacts,¡± Ling Qi said, thinking of Yu Nuan and her new spirit, ¡°and my own scouting, I believe Thunderclap Mountain is the winter grazing site of a family or small herd of dragon horses.¡±


    ¡°Troubling,¡± Gan Guangli glanced toward the dark smudge on the southern sky. ¡°We will have to discern their grazing routes and ensure we are not in their way.¡±


    Dragon horses, or qilin, were very powerful spirits, just shy of actual dragons themselves and with an ornery temperament to match. They were one of the few species of spirit beasts which could naturally attain the sixth realm.


    Cai Renxiang¡¯s inkbrush swiftly wrote a note, encircling the dot representing the mountain in a wide zone. ¡°I will inform the cartographers to keep a twenty kilometer distance and to carry gifts of fresh fruit until we can discern their breed and negotiate.¡±


    ¡°Were there any more notable items in your initial flyover?¡± her liege asked.


    ¡°Only a few very large beasts,¡± Ling Qi replied, moving up to the table to jot down a few more places where she had seen something particularly large and mobile.


    ¡°Good. Now, I will be overseeing and organizing the cartographic teams. Ling Qi, Gan Guangli, I charge you with more thoroughly mapping the lines of the river and the places it descends into the earth. I expect daily reports on this,¡± Cai Renxiang ordered crisply. ¡°If you believe my presence will open a venue you could not handle on your own, inform me, and I will arrive as necessary.¡±


    The two of them voiced their agreement and bowed as Cai Renxiang dismissed both table and map to storage, leaving only four impressions in the snow to show it had ever been there. She bid them farewell and descended to the lake below.


    Ling Qi looked at Gan Guangli. ¡°Are you concerned by how long it is taking her to speak of whatever her mother said to her?¡±


    Gan Guangli rolled his broad shoulders, peering up at the sky. ¡°Not as of yet. I trust the resolve in our lady¡¯s eyes. She has not lost her goal. She is only uncertain of the path. She will speak to us when her thoughts are in order.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you yang cultivators supposed to be the pushy ones?¡± Ling Qi asked as they began to walk south along the river''s edge.


    ¡°I give my support freely, openly, and without obfuscation. Is that not enough? Let me turn the question to you, Miss Ling. What scares you so about her silence?¡±


    ¡°The Duchess is terrifying. Yet somehow, Cai Renxiang, who I saw near the edge of breaking, however briefly, under stress, is now so much more¡­¡±


    ¡°You worry that the Duchess changed something, perhaps by force?¡±


    She let out a long breath. ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is arrogant of me, perhaps, as one who has been absent so long,¡± Gan Guangli said thoughtfully. ¡°But¡­ I do not believe so. Lady Cai remains Lady Cai, tempered where once she was perhaps brittle, but Lady Cai all the same.¡±


    Ling Qi chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve ever heard you say something that could even be construed as negative about her, Gan Guangli. Should I be watching you for treason?¡±


    He laughed, the booming sound scaring up birds from the trees. ¡°Alas, I have revealed myself!¡±


    Ling Qi snorted and shook her head. She wished she could have his confidence, but in the end, she just had to trust their lady. Right now, they had a river to explore.


    ***


    Ling Qi lost count of the pockets of air in the stone and earth they found. Most were just that, pockets in the porous stone that lay under the soil in the region, half-flooded and bearing only small populations of odd fish or silt with odd minerals. Others stretched on, forming galleries not unlike those she had seen beneath the thunder palace, with structures of damp stone that nonetheless held a vibrant, lively qi.


    In some places where the river and its tributaries went under the earth, they found only claustrophobic tunnels, passages barely wider than the water that flowed through them. In others, they found pools and lakes, hidden grottos among the stone filled with odd plants which they dutifully retrieved cuttings and samples from for testing at the Sect.


    In one instance, they found a mountain whose eastern half looked as if it were a sculpture whose maker had ripped a great fistful of clay from. This left it almost hollow in a way that should have led to collapse. Within was a clear, still lake of water, bitter with salt, and surrounded by strange and brittle fungal blooms like scraggly trees, the air filled with visible, drifting spores. The very air seemed to drink in light and heat and sound, and although Gan Guangli was very uncomfortable with the saline grotto, Ling Qi found herself feeling relaxed, especially as she gazed into the shrouded depths of the saltwater pool. The air was thick with darkness and hunger, a silent isolation that resonated with her oldest arts.


    But as they traveled south toward the higher mountains and the headwaters of the river, Ling Qi and Gan Guangli found their way to a cavern greater than any they had encountered yet. From it drifted a faint and inhuman piping song.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s not ominous at all.¡± Ling Qi peered into the twisting chasm in the side of the mountain from which the sounds emanated.


    ¡°Your mastery of the art of optimism continues to improve, Lady Ling!¡± Gan Guangli agreed cheerfully. He was kneeling, his hand pressed to the rocky soil outside. ¡°Soon, you shall surpass me!¡±


    ¡°Something to look forward to. Though of course, I will keep a hand on my escape talisman.¡±


    ¡°Well enough. This cavern runs deep, and I sense a very large open space within.¡±


    Ling Qi asked, examining the striated limestone. It was a very high cliff on the side of a particularly ancient and worn down mountain like a tremendous slumping, white dusted hill rather than a cloud piercing peak.


    Sixiang whispered.


    her little brother chirped.


    ¡°No obvious hostile spirits,¡± Ling Qi agreed aloud, their thoughts confirming hers. ¡°My eyes can go ahead a little?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Gan Guangli agreed, dusting his hands off as he rose.


    Moon qi cycled through Ling Qi¡¯s eyes, a faint silver light in the late afternoon sun, and bobbing wisps appeared. They vanished around a curve in the crevice and Gan Guangli followed, his heavy footfalls surprisingly soft, though still far louder than she was as she drifted in after him.


    A few minutes walking, guided by her wisps of moonlight, carried them on as the crevice widened into a high ceilinged natural corridor. All the while, the eerie piping continued, growing louder, more layered and complex.


    They moved slowly and with caution, but soon, Ling Qi¡¯s wisps emerged from the crevice, and she stopped behind Gan Guangli with a gasp.


    The mountain was hollow.


    The chamber was vast, its organic ceiling stretching far overhead, and the stone was shot through with colors, pink and gold, blue and green, with all the shades of the dawn between. Great pillars of limestone, smooth and slick with moisture, stretched from the floor to the high ceiling above, shaped wholly by nature''s hand. The floor of the space was a series of deep inky blue pools in scalloped depressions of varying height, rippling softly under the wind that blew through the cavern.


    This was a cathedral of winds. Ling Qi felt the movement of air currents above, arriving through holes worn in old stone, and heard the sound of piping as the wind flowed through the complex galleries of growing stone in the ceiling.


    In the west of the chamber, above a series of rising platforms of stone that emerged from the water, was a single huge crystal through which the light of the fading sun refracted. There was a presence there, a spirit and a mighty one at that. But, she felt, it was one unconcerned with them. So long as they did not damage the cavern, she thought that it would not rise to greet them.


    She could feel other smaller spirits swimming in the pure, clear waters and flitting through the gallery of growing stone above.


    She relayed this to Gan Guangli as they came to the entrance themselves.


    ¡°A most potent environment,¡± Gan Guangli said thoughtfully. ¡°And so large and complex. I do not think this can be wholly wild.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡± Ling Qi peered at the overlapping pools. She saw pale faces and bodies in the water, glimmering fish scales and fair hair like trailing water weeds. Wide and doe-like eyes peered back with a seeming childish curiosity, and soft bubbling voices rose in song. She shot the luring spirits a sharp look, and they scattered like schools of fish before the net. ¡°We¡¯ll want to keep the lower realms away.¡±


    Gan Guangli nodded in acknowledgment, taking a few steps toward the bright pane of crystal. ¡°Luring spirits are ever troublesome. How do you judge them?¡±


    Ling Qi looked at the spirits, which were now hiding and looking back at her with a wary calculation. ¡°Manageable. They can be talked to.¡±


    Sixiang commented.


    Ling Qi gave Sixiang her agreement as she trailed after Gan Guangli. ¡°What do you think of the crystal? There¡¯s no sign of it outside, but it¡¯s clearly a spirit of the receiving sun.¡±


    ¡°An illusion,¡± Gan Guangli said. He stepped up onto the highest platform, and the light of the shifting crystal pane sent his shadow trailing across the cavern. Ling Qi held hers to more restraint. ¡°Or¡­ no, I think it may just be the material of the earth here.¡±


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Ling Qi stopped beside him. It was hard to tell with the dense aura of the cavern, but she didn¡¯t think the crystal itself was a part of the spirit, but rather, a dwelling in so much as those could be said to be separate things for spirits. She recalled Zeqing¡¯s little house on the peak.


    ¡°The rock feels strange and light as if it might float away into the sky on the current that flows through it,¡± Gan Guangli mused. ¡°And the substance flowing in the stone drinks hungrily of the light and the sun.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to make a note then. Maybe we should get a sample back to the Sect¡¯s alchemists,¡± Ling Qi said. She clapped her hands twice and bowed toward the crystal, offering simple respect since she did not yet understand the sleeping spirit''s nature.


    ¡°Carefully, of course,¡± Gan Guangli said, following her lead. ¡°Let us not forget the lessons of the argent vents.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ling Qi said, straightening up. ¡°Let me guide a little into a container and then¡ª¡±


    She fell silent as Gan Guangli held up a hand, frowning deeply. ¡°Ling Qi, focus. Can you feel that?¡±


    It was at that moment that Ling Qi felt a pressure in her mind, the feeling of Sixiang returning in a sudden rush.


    ¡°Gan Guangli, the water!¡±

 Threads 236 Expanse 2

    Threads 236 Expanse 2


    Wind kicked up as Ling Qi lifted into the air, the hems of her dress fluttering and snapping in the conjured breeze.


    Gan Guangli reacted immediately and without a word, stepping in front of her with a wide guarded stance, his fists up. It went without saying that they would need to be careful. Damaging such a valuable and beautiful site would be terrible, even if it were not the home of some sleeping higher realm spirit.


    That limited their options. She certainly had to hold Zhengui back. Depending on what they were facing, they would have to¡ª


    If she hadn¡¯t been watching for it, she would have missed the faint ripple in the water.


    Something finger thin shot out blindingly fast, given away only seconds after by a sound like the cracking of a whip. It struck Gan Guangli¡¯s upraised gauntlet and stuck there, a fleshy filament lined with quivering orifices that each contained a sharp barb.


    It was the first of many erupting from the water of the largest pool.


    What in the world had Sixiang disturbed?!


    Sixiang protested.


    The air was cooling around her, moisture falling as light snowfall as Ling Qi began to cycle her qi. Shadows darkened, flowing like slow black flames along the hems of her gown and pooling in the seams of Guangli¡¯s armor.


    With every passing moment, more whip-like tendrils were snapping out, but each bounced from gleaming armor. But if what Sixiang said was right¡­


    ¡°Spiritual defenses first!¡±


    Gan Guangli shot a glance her way just as a faint thwip sound echoed in the air. Something smokey and black like a thorn impacted in the center of his forehead, sinking soundlessly through his helmet. Gan Guangli, standing stalwartly against the barrage of attacks, stumbled, a phosphorescent film washing over his eyes. Ling Qi hissed out a curse, about to tell Sixiang to leap over and wash whatever toxic qi this was out.


    ¡°Too weak!¡± Gan Guangli roared, his voice strangely doubled, and golden fire erupted from his mouth with the words. It flared in his eyes and burned like a crown on his brow. His exclamation turned into a bellow of effort as his fists closed around the filaments gripping his gauntlets and like a fisherman pulling in his net, Gan Guangli reversed the creature¡¯s efforts to drag him in.


    It was hideous. A slopping, heaving mass of quivering, shapeless white flesh the size of a horse covered in open fleshy tubes like the mouths of worms and flailing tendrils was flung onto the ground. Milky pink eyes stared out in every direction. Its qi stank like the liquid filth of a sewer, but at the same time, it was sheathed in something more familiar, the dancing, glittering qi of dream. She could already feel the thing coming apart, trying to slip back to the other side.


    Ling Qi¡¯s mist flooded out and filled with laughter. Revelers in glittering coats and gowns, of shapes human and not, formed a ring about the beast, and clawed hands grasped its multitude of flailing limbs.


    ¡°Up!¡±


    ¡°Up!¡±


    ¡°Heave!¡± her merry dancers shouted, and with the strength of dozens of phantoms, the beast¡¯s escape was foiled, forcing it back to solidity, and then up it went, tossed into the air.


    The beast''s flesh inflated, fleshy tubes across its body dilating. Wind was sucked in, and the natural piping of the wind turned to something eerie and erratic. The world started distorting, but only for a moment before Gan Guangli, ever well prepared to follow up, cocked a fist full of sunfire and radiant light and struck. The creature burst open like a thin paper bag filled with rotted meat.


    She gagged at the smell of rotten meat as she dissolved in place, reforming her body some meters back to avoid the rain of disgusting giblets. Gan Guangli made a similar sound of disgust as it rained down on him, little white fires springing up across his armor as his Cai-made garb seemed to flare with disgust itself, purifying the taint which dared to touch it.


    ¡°That was only part of it,¡± Sixiang said gravely, their voice carried aloud on the wind.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Gan Guangli watched the blue waters warily.


    ¡°I sensed something a lot bigger down there. That was, like, a finger or something,¡± Sixiang explained.


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes burned silver, and wisps of light formed under the surface of the water, seeking and searching. The central pool went far deeper than it seemed as Sixiang had implied. Gray limestone gave way to muddier rocks choked with water weeds, and an opaque black tunnel descended into the earth, clear waters growing murky and polluted. There was some manner of filter there. She remembered the strange fungus entity she had dealt with far below during the expedition to the underground people¡¯s home. Something similar?


    ¡°I do not sense anything further. Do you?¡± Gan Guangli resumed his defensive stance, and she could feel qi echoing out through his feet.


    ¡°No movement,¡± Ling Qi agreed, drifting back toward the floor and the edge of the pool. She looked out across the scalloped pools then to their surroundings. The remaining clumps of the creature were already dissolving and returning to the liminal realm.


    He let out a breath, letting some tension bleed out. ¡°Good work, Lady Ling. I did not think you had such fine control of your constructs.¡±


    ¡°Neither did I.¡± Here, where the real and the liminal were so close, it had been easy. Dream qi was much more reactive in this place.


    She knelt at the pool¡¯s edge while Gan Guangli strode up to stand beside her, all sharp lines and gleaming metal to contrast her muted silhouette and cool color.


    ¡°Spirits of the pools, what nightmare haunts your depths?¡± She let qi flow through her voice and her fingertips, tracing ripples on the pool¡¯s surface before bleeding into the water. It was a polite supplication, that of a peer intruding on another¡¯s home.


    She waited patiently for a reply, her gathered energy readied in her throat to sing a song of ending should the spirit be intractable.


    One of the lesser spirits rose from the pool¡¯s depths, facing her with only a little fear. The spirit¡¯s form was that of a lithe young man with pale skin and fair curls framed a cherubic face and wide, youthful seeming eyes. She also saw serrated teeth, too long fingers with too many joints, and the twitching tail and fins of a fish that took the place of legs.


    ¡°The Painted Waters School greets the Lady of Winter and the Lord of Spring,¡± said the spirit swimming and circling below her. ¡°We call this thing the Haunter in Darkness.¡±


    Ling Qi observed the spirit. She knew that he was a predator himself, although the creature was not bothering with deception, probably judging it to be useless in the face of a higher realm. So, she made no effort to appear less than cold and imperious herself. ¡°And where does this creature arise from? Has it lived long in your depths?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the fish-like spirit replied harshly. ¡°Forty and seven cycles of the sun ago, the earth did shake and cracked open the depths. Poisoned water came, and with it, the Haunter. It hooks the flesh, eats the mind, and wears the skin. Many, many have been taken in the dark.¡±


    ¡°And why then have you not been taken?¡±


    The spirit¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he bared his teeth. ¡°The Piper wove a net. He sleeps now, containing the dark. Your singer holed the net, Lady of Winter.¡±


    ¡°How was I supposed to notice it when you make it that subtle?¡± Sixiang complained.


    ¡°The Piper is the spirit in the crystal?¡± Gan Guangli interjected.


    ¡°This piece of their name is what this school knows,¡± said the spirit. ¡°This mountain is their instrument, but they sleep now, keeping out the poison in the earth.¡±


    Ling Qi let out a hum of concern as she felt Zhengui shift irritably in her dantian. He did not like being unable to help. ¡°This hole, is it lasting?¡±


    ¡°No, not unless I pass through it again,¡± Sixiang answered. ¡°I felt it closing already when I came back out.¡±


    ¡°Then I apologize for our intrusion,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Perhaps we may be able to negotiate solving this problem for you later.¡±


    A human touch might be able to seal corruption where a spirit¡¯s approach only contained.


    The creature regarded her shrewdly. ¡°A tendril slain and fresh winter qi to cure the waters pays thy debt, Lady Winter.¡±


    Or less politely, the spirit had no expectations. They would see if he was right or not, Ling Qi supposed, standing straight.


    ¡°Are we done here?¡± Gan Guangli asked, glancing toward her.


    ¡°Any more will require greater time and effort than we have at the moment,¡± Ling Qi said, turning to leave. ¡°Let us continue our survey.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Interesting. Am I right to surmise that a leak into the territory of our enemies is a likely culprit?¡± Cai Renxiang asked from across the map table. This time, they were gathered on a narrow cliffside overlooking the southern pine forest which crowded about the feet of the mountains holding back the glacier which was the likely source of their river.


    ¡°That does seem the most likely,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°That impure qi is not something which I have seen elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°I will send a report to the Sect and a research request to the nearest archives then.¡± Cai Renxiang jotted down a note. ¡°Did it seem manufactured?¡±


    ¡°My experience is limited, but my instinct says no. It seems more environmental than deliberate. As the spirit said, the recent conflict has caused damages across the region.¡±


    ¡°I concur,¡± Gan Guangli said. ¡°The beast did not feel crafted to my senses the way the warbeasts of the shishigui did.¡±


    She cast him a look. It seemed that Gan Guangli had better senses than her in that department. Perhaps his focus on metal qi gave him some insights.


    ¡°I accept your word,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°That was the most notable find then?¡±


    They shared a look. ¡°Yes, outside of¡ª¡±


    The almighty crash of an avalanche in the southern mountains reached them. The earth groaned under titanic hooves. Stalking slowly through the dust, rock and snow kicked up by the avalanche, s massive, shaggy four-legged beast with wide bowl-like antlers that stretched across the sky and a broad and ill-tempered face shook itself, casting off masses of ice and snow the size of small houses.


    Fourth realm, and from Ling Qi¡¯s very brief interaction with the thunderhoof, it was utterly disinterested in negotiation. Thankfully, it was also disinterested in pursuit. Cai Renxiang¡¯s expression grew pinched as she looked at the creature.


    Its head turned. She felt its gimlet gaze upon them, and it let out a snort that ruffled their hair with a blast of icy wind. It turned and ambled on.


    ¡°The headwaters and the southern forest are inaccessible until further notice,¡± Cai Renxiang said, and they could only nod.


    ¡°But leaving that aside, this expedition has been most fruitful,¡± Cai Renxiang said crisply. ¡°I and the cartographers have identified several sites for settlement and promising resource extraction on the river. The great waterfall and the lake at its base will serve as the primary settlement, as the region is both safe and fertile.¡±


    They had not found any better location for a large mortal settlement and trade center, though they would likely need to seed villages all over their claimed territory as time went on.


    ¡°It is unusual to do this, but nothing in this situation is normal,¡± Cai Renxiang continued. ¡°I believe it is best that we remain together to develop the center as needed before doling out administrative zones. I would understand if you had objections to this.¡±


    Ling Qi shook her head. It was a formality with them, but she understood more traditional nobles might have grumbled about a lord delaying the divvying out of specific territories to their vassals.


    ¡°It will be better for the land¡¯s development to develop the center first. It bothers me not at all, Lady Cai,¡± Gan Guangli replied, shaking his head as well.


    ¡°Good. Although you have uncovered several dangers, I remain highly confident in this project,¡± Cai Renxiang said, and for the first time in a while, Ling Qi saw a ghost of a smile on the girl¡¯s lips. ¡°There is one additional, less serious matter before we break for now.¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡± Ling Qi asked curiously.


    ¡°The river.¡± Cai Renxiang drummed her fingers on the table. ¡°Our river. It has no mortal name, only the essence of its spirits. It needs one. I am open to suggestions.¡±

 Threads 237-Spymaster 1

    Threads 237-Spymaster 1


    ¡°Snow Blossom, huh?¡± Sixiang peered over Ling Qi¡¯s head. Their weightless image appeared to lean on her back, trailing off into nothingness below the shoulders. ¡°That¡¯s kind of fanciful for you lot.¡±


    ¡°Well, Lady Cai nixed anything too humorous from the start.¡±


    ¡°The cabbage pun you proposed right off the bat had nothing to do with that, I¡¯m sure,¡± Sixiang deadpanned.


    Ling Qi gave an offended sniff. Baicai was a perfectly fine name for a river.


    ¡°It was forced.¡± Sixiang huffed.


    ¡°They can¡¯t all be winners,¡± Ling Qi dismissed. ¡°Anyway, Renxiang¡¯s proposal was pretty so I backed hers.¡±


    The name came from the way the ice floes drifting down from the headwaters dotted the clean blue of the river like blossoms floating downstream. They grew steadily smaller and more broken up until at last, those that remained were broken in the great falls that fed the lake.


    Having answered Sixiang, Ling Qi¡¯s eyes flicked back to the letter in her hands.


    The young Miss Cai¡¯s ambitions show that she has inherited the fire which raised the Duchess to ascension. This humble scribe is more than pleased to provide the small information that you ask on her behalf, Lady Ling. The success of the heiress¡¯ project and the acknowledgement of the old clans truly shows that the Emerald Seas is finally ready to take its rightful place among the peers of the Empire and¡­


    Her eyes drifted from the page toward the neat stack of a dozen more pages that made up this letter alone.


    When she had begun sending out missives using some of Hou Zhuang¡¯s neat lists and pieces of advice, she had assumed they would reply, trusting the elder cultivator¡¯s acumen. What she had not expected was the enthusiasm which came with some of them.


    ¡°You are a direct line to the province¡¯s heir,¡± Sixiang said, the point of their chin digging into her scalp. Ling Qi glanced up with a sour look, and Sixiang tumbled off to the side, coming to rest on the arm of her chair with a wholly visible body.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just that. I can understand those,¡± Ling Qi replied. People¡ªminor nobles, ministry members, certain craftsmen¡ªobviously would see benefit in connecting to Renxiang. She could even see why they would pile praise on a foreign project. Saying nice things about one¡¯s superiors regardless of personal thoughts was just good sense.


    ¡°But it feels sincere in some of ¡®em. It¡¯s like you¡¯ve made this guy¡¯s day. What did you write to him?¡±


    ¡°Hou Zhuang¡¯s notes said to talk about the advancement and pride of Emerald Seas, making reference to the ability of the Jin and Xuan to push interactions with foreigners as they liked,¡± Ling Qi answered. ¡°This guy, others too, there¡¯s this current of not even being focused on the Cai, or like the Cai are just-¡±


    She struggled for a moment to find the words. It wasn¡¯t really disrespectful, but it felt like the Cai, or even the Duchess, were just symbols. Many of the letters she had gone through, even the less sincere or excited ones, felt strange to her; these people were happy to bypass chains of feudal loyalty and even familial loyalty.


    It was as if for them, the Emerald Seas was more than just the name for a chunk of land or the Duchess¡¯ domain, but an entity that existed on its own. This conflict with the cloud nomads and the underground people was their war rather than the Empire¡¯s, the alliance with the Bai showed that the Duchess had raised the Emerald Seas to the respect they deserved, and the project that the younger Cai was undertaking showed that the Emerald Seas could now do what other provinces could.


    ¡°This ideal is more the province of the sunny boys, those preachy dawners. But it¡¯s still a dream, isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s a dream that you and your neighbor are both part of some greater movement with historical significance. I think that¡¯s the real scary thing about what the Duchess did here. She stitched together a lot of old things.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not unreasonable, I guess,¡± Ling Qi mused, setting down the letter. Most of it was simple forwarding of Ministry of Commerce reports, documents that someone of Renxiang¡¯s rank was allowed to view anyway. According to Hou Zhuang, it was important to start these kinds of relationships with easy, authorized information. She knew that the provided information could indirectly outline the movement and numbers of soldiers in the Jia lands, but Renxiang was better at this type of analysis. ¡°Family isn¡¯t really about blood. That¡¯s just the way it works out most of the time.¡±


    ¡°The result and not the reason?¡±


    ¡°This type of ideal is still only a small number really. Most of these letters are what you¡¯d expect: favor trading or simple sniffing after gain.¡±


    There wasn¡¯t anything wrong with that more mercantile mindset, though she was sure Renxiang or Gan Guangli would debate her on the degree to which that was acceptable. But people needed things, and it wasn¡¯t until she could look after herself that she could start looking to others. That said, realistically, most cultivators lived far above the point of ¡®looking after themselves.¡¯


    ¡°Sure, but I wonder if we should focus on and build that type of idealism. Lying too much gets you in trouble, but people need stories and dreams. By embarking on this project, you''re telling the start of a story and making sure you have an audience. That¡¯ll go a long way.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so,¡± Ling Qi allowed, rubbing her eyes. She rarely felt so glad for the constitution of a cultivator. Cultivators loved to write small novellas in their letters. ¡°I let you off from explaining before, but what is the difference between the Dawning Sun and the Dreaming Moon?¡±


    Sixiang pursed their lips, sliding off the arm of her chair to float around to the other side of her desk, one leg crossed over the other as if they were still sitting on something solid. ¡°Ugh, do I really gotta? Isn¡¯t it enough to know that we¡¯re awesome and they¡¯re boring?¡±


    ¡°Sixiang,¡± Ling Qi said flatly.


    ¡°Fiiiine.¡± Her muse made an exaggerated sigh. ¡°Look, art is about making people feel things. At the root, that¡¯s what we¡¯re both about. Dreams don¡¯t exist without reality, so we¡¯re both into teaching people to take the clay of their experiences and shaping it into something that can convey feeling to others.¡±


    ¡°That makes it sound like language is art,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°It is. The first art you humans came up with.¡± Sixiang shrugged. ¡°And that rippled out to affect the rest of the world. But don¡¯t ask me any ancient history stuff, ¡®cause I don¡¯t know the details.¡±


    ¡°Fair,¡± Ling Qi dismissed. ¡°So, the difference?¡±


    ¡°The Dreaming Moon, that is, Grandmother and me, we¡¯re about excellence in self, one artist sharing their vision among many, inspiring a hundred, hundred copies that change the original work¡¯s presentation and themes in little ways until eventually something great is born again. And it always is. Folks will complain about trends, but that¡¯s just the cycle art works on. But those great works are what Grandmother likes best, yeah? It¡¯s the opposite with the Dawn. I could be rude about it, and it¡¯s not like they disdain quality¡­ Dawn just cares more about the inspired than the inspiration.¡±


    ¡°That sounds contradictory. The Dawning Sun is supposed to be about inspiration, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Sixiang pouted. ¡°And that¡¯s why this whole language thing needs refinement. Think of it this way. Spin up a revel, get a hundred of us dreamers together, and it''s still gonna be a hundred competing artists, all trying to be the best. Maybe there¡¯ll be some teams in there, pairs and trios. But we¡¯ll each be pursuing our own vision. Get a hundred dawners together, and you might have one or two teachers everyone looks to, standouts that¡¯d fit with us. But they¡¯re happier trying to teach than excel. It¡¯s¡ª-¡±


    ¡°Communal,¡± Ling Qi realized. ¡°I guess it makes sense that I¡¯ve not heard of as many famous Dawn-inspired artists, or that the Hui favored the Dreaming Moon.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. But I think our way is better. Just cause we don¡¯t hold hands doesn¡¯t mean we don¡¯t teach. The Hui were rotten. They¡¯d picked their style and their theme, and they crushed anyone who tried something different, and that¡¯s not right. It¡¯s funny. I think our fail states look the same.¡±


    Ling Qi considered that and gave a small nod. Enforcing an orthodoxy and simply leaving no room or resources for new ideas to grow could both have the same results. At the same time, wasn¡¯t that what society was built on? A set of central shared ideas which punished too much deviation? It seemed like an impossible balance to hold.


    ¡°Ugh, since when did the Dreaming Moon get complicated to think about?¡± Ling Qi sighed theatrically.


    ¡°Since you decided you were gonna be more than just a wandering musician,¡± Sixiang answered. ¡°Dreams don¡¯t come from nowhere. They¡¯re born here in the mud and the muck. They grow up and out and expand, and then, they wither and die too. In the end, you gotta choose which ones you want to encourage.¡±


    ¡°What if I don¡¯t want that kind of responsibility?¡± Ling Qi grumbled.


    ¡°Then stop cultivating,¡± Sixiang saud tartly. ¡°If you got power, choosing to do nothing is an action too.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯ve learned that much.¡± It wasn¡¯t so different from what she had already chosen to dp with the foreigners and with her dreamwalking. There was a story to tell, a song to compose. Communication, connection, the crossing of gaps. And this was such a small thing really. It was a matter of a handful of people sprinkled across the south of the province.


    ¡°Let¡¯s lean into it, shall we?¡± Ling Qi mused. ¡°I¡¯ll have to double check with Renxiang, but I think it should be fine.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Sixiang asked, tilting their head. ¡°That seems bold to assume.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded slightly, picking up the remaining pages of the letter and scanning through it. ¡°It¡¯s a little strange, but every other province has their pride, don¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°I dunno about that. Seems most like the ruling family has their pride,¡± Sixiang disagreed. ¡°But the line on that and the province is pretty thin.¡±


    Ling Qi paused in breaking the seal on the next, a letter from a courtier in the southern Meng lands. ¡°It''s hard to tell, but I¡¯m not sure family is the right word for that.¡±


    Thinking of what she knew of the Bai and had picked up from context with Meizhen calling even the White Serpent branch alone a family seemed comically farcical to her. Maybe that was why she was doing this. Something about people choosing to build a connection this way appealed to her.


    ¡°Stone for your thoughts?¡± Sixiang¡¯s frame shrank and blurred, and Ling Qi found them draped over her shoulders, a thin cat with shimmering, multihued fur and a waving tail that trailed off into smoke.


    ¡°That¡¯s a new one,¡± Ling Qi deflected.


    ¡°It¡¯s all just bending light,¡± said the cat, licking a paw. ¡°Gotta practice. No wiggling out.¡±


    ¡°You could just read them if you¡¯d like.¡±


    ¡°Saying stuff out loud helps though,¡± said Sixiang, peering down at the letter. ¡°Fashion advice, huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with the region, and I need to know in order to prepare Hanyi¡¯s dresses for when she performs there,¡± Ling Qi said distractedly. ¡°What are you asking about anyway?¡±


    Sixiang gave her the sort of unimpressed look that only a cat could manage. ¡°You¡¯re thinking deep thoughts. Spill ¡®em.¡±

 Threads 238 Spymaster 2

    Threads 238 Spymaster 2


    Ling Qi reached up and flicked the cat-xiang¡¯s nose, making them recoil. ¡°I¡¯ve just been thinking about what family really means. Everyone treats the connection as important. Even our doubters grudgingly acknowledge that some ancient marriage gives us a veil of legitimacy. That tapestry we found is going to sell for enough to fund the start up of a whole town. But you know from talking to my friends and watching people that not a lot of people seem to value it. A clan, especially a big one, isn¡¯t a family, although it might have families in it.¡±


    ¡°Seems like a harsh view on it. What¡¯s that got to do with this?¡±


    ¡°I feel like it''s not really different. We all organize ourselves by family, but family isn¡¯t necessarily blood. It isn¡¯t even really exclusive. I consider Meizhen like a sister, and even if she won¡¯t admit it, she feels the same, but her aunt never would. You can be part of several families, and they can only sort of overlap.¡±


    ¡°Ah, the same as you were thinking about with the folks at your house.¡±


    ¡°Right. Those people are important to my mother. I won¡¯t pretend they mean that much to me, but I care a little anyway because of her.¡± Ling Qi rapidly read through the letter and set aside the next. This one was a response from Wang Lian now that they had a site in mind for settlement. Soon, a branch would come off the road the Sect was building toward their site to connect them.


    ¡°So you''re thinking of this as people choosing to connect up to a bigger family?¡± Sixiang asked. ¡°Most of ¡®em will never meet though.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that fine? I can¡¯t do that. I don¡¯t think like that. But I don¡¯t think it''s a bad idea.¡±


    Each person only cared about a small number of others in her experience, but those groups overlapped. When enough did, you got a community. The trouble came with people who didn¡¯t fall into circles or who fell into very few circles, places where there was no overlap, and thus, they had no understanding of others.


    Was it really bad for there to be a story that many people could invest in? The Empire was that already in some ways, but¡­


    ¡°I can see why you¡¯d not want to say that out loud,¡± Sixiang drawled. ¡°But I¡¯m sorry for distracting you. Are you actually going to reply to each of these by hand? There¡¯s a ton of ¡®em.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking of involving Mother for responding to some of the merchants and ministry employees. I think she¡¯d like to have more to do.¡±


    ¡°That you don¡¯t want to write them all¡¯s got nothin to do with it, of course.¡± Sixiang laughed. Their feline form twisted, reshaping back into a fairy-sized Sixiang perched on her shoulder.


    ¡°The true sign of a good leader is the ability to trick everyone else into doing the work while taking all the credit,¡± Ling Qi said primly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let your boss hear that.¡±


    ¡°I know. I already listened to her deconstruct the whole work that line came from.¡± Ling Qi rolled her eyes. ¡°It was just a book of funny little sketches about the ministries. I had no idea she¡¯d take it so seriously.¡±


    Sixiang gave her a look. Ling Qi looked away first. ¡°... Okay. So I might have been teasing her¡­.¡±


    In the silence that followed, more letters were read, and Ling Qi sketched out further notes of her own in a lazy hand, organizing what information was relevant and what would need to go into the responses.


    ¡°This all still feels overwhelming,¡± Ling Qi said absently, tucking another finished letter into storage. Her ring was beginning to resemble the storage ring of that Hui on the inside. ¡°Building communications with so many people is difficult, no matter how surface level most of it is.¡±


    Sixiang blew out a sigh. ¡°Yeah. I gotta admit, this is not what I picture when I think of being a spymaster.¡±


    ¡°It''s a lot like soldiering.¡± Hou Zhuang¡¯s notes had put it succinctly. Intrigue was ninety percent simple pleasant conversations and correspondence and only ten percent daring escapades.


    ¡°Still, I should probably pick a place to focus on building a network first.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s this? Accepting a limit?¡± Sixiang asked in mock disbelief. ¡°Have you abandoned your pursuit of the heavens, cultivator?¡±


    Ling Qi huffed. ¡°I have too many things to do. I should start with building contacts in the southern Meng lands. It will help Hanyi¡¯s concerts gain greater penetration, it would help with the Meng reformers¡¯ efforts, which I committed to assist and would want to promote anyway in the Meng clan, and it¡¯s a relatively unestablished area so I shouldn¡¯t be competing with too many other networks there. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°What would I know?¡± Sixiang asked innocently.


    ¡°I know you¡¯ve been paying attention, even if you don¡¯t look like it.¡±


    ¡°Central valley would be my suggestion.¡± Sixiang shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s in the name. It''s central. Almost everything going down in the south goes through there at some point. Might take longer to see results though since you¡¯ll be competing with established networks.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. It might be better in the long term to start there.¡± Ling Qi sighed. ¡°Ugh, is it tomorrow yet?¡±


    ¡°Looking forward to going out with Su Ling and me that much?¡± Sixiang grinned.


    ¡°Compared to this, definitely.¡± Ling Qi placed down the newest letter and rubbed her temples. ¡°There¡¯s just¡­ so much there to see.¡±


    ¡°I get you. But business first, yeah?¡±


    Sixiang then paused, dawning horror on their face at the words they had spoken. Ling Qi let out an unladylike snort of laughter. Truly, she had corrupted her spirit with the impurity of this base earth.


    ¡°I think you might be right though,¡± Ling Qi thought aloud.


    ¡°No, no, I¡¯m obviously wrong, you evil, evil girl.¡±


    ¡°Not about that,¡± Ling Qi snickered. ¡°I mean about the Central Valley. Meng Diu and Meng Dan are really good contacts, but at the same time, I can¡¯t look at the province too narrowly.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you dunno how that business will turn out. Don¡¯t put all the eggs in one basket,¡±¡± Sixiang agreed, perking up from their brief depression. ¡°Besides, you might find some interesting folks out that way too.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. We¡¯ll have to see how the meeting with that Diao woman goes on our trip north.¡± Ling Qi tapped on her desk thoughtfully. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking into information on the ministries, but I¡¯d like to hear what she tells me and compare it to what I¡¯ve read.¡±


    ¡°Probably smart,¡± Sixiang drawled. ¡°I doubt she¡¯ll lie to you, but you don¡¯t have to be lying to misdirect someone.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even have to be trying to misdirect.¡± Ling Qi picked up the last of the letters. ¡°Perspective.¡±


    ¡°Perspective,¡± Sixiang repeated, flopping back to stare up at the ceiling. ¡°You think this trip is actually going to help Su Ling?¡±


    Ling Qi held back a grimace, finishing the letter. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I made the offer on impulse. I wanted to do something to help.¡±


    ¡°That sounds about right. It¡¯ll depend a lot on her. We can be guides and make sure she doesn¡¯t step in any proverbial pits¡­¡±


    ¡°But she knows what she¡¯s looking for, if anything,¡± Ling Qi finished. ¡°I hope¡­¡±


    She trailed off, not sure how to articulate her tangled thoughts.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to stand against what she wants to do with herself, but you can¡¯t shake the feeling she might be making a mistake?¡± Sixiang offered.


    ¡°I can¡¯t make choices for her. I just want her to know as much as she can before she makes any choices she can¡¯t take back,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°I almost feel like I¡¯m overstepping, doing even this much.¡±


    ¡°If you were overstepping, she¡¯d have said so. Not a girl who¡¯d hold back on telling someone to butt out, that one.¡±


    ¡°I guess so,¡± Ling Qi said, putting aside the last of the letters. ¡°Either way, we¡¯ll see if this does any good soon.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t this a cozy little spot?¡± Su Ling looked over the fallen cliffside shrine where Ling Qi had led her.


    ¡°It¡¯s the place where I first spoke clearly to the faces the Moon decided to show me,¡± Ling Qi said seriously. ¡°I decided that made it the best place to cross over for serious trips.¡±


    Su Ling took a deep breath, and her ears twitched in agitation. ¡°You aren¡¯t wrong. I can feel something in the air here. It feels like I can see the stars in the middle of the day.¡±


    Ling Qi inhaled deeply of the crisp winter air and nodded. It wasn¡¯t a cultivation site full of energies that could be bent to her will and converted to her own power, but there was something subtler than that here. She wondered what site she would use once they left the Sect. Perhaps she wouldn¡¯t need the crutch by then.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, quit your dawdling,¡± Sixiang shouted back to them. They had manifested in the center of the clearing, crouched over the labyrinth gate. Faint, unreadable shapes drifted in the mist which wafted from within the metal ring.


    Ling Qi took the cue to approach, materializing the gate¡¯s paired talisman, the compass. Its crystalline surface rippled with a slow shifting of colors throughout the spectrum, indicating a calm in the flows of dream. That was good.


    Su Ling followed a step after, her arms crossed over her chest as she peered around Ling Qi¡¯s side at the glimmering compass. ¡°That a good sign?¡±


    ¡°Calm waters ahead,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°Though this only goes for our immediate surroundings.¡±


    ¡°Right. We¡¯re obviously going to end up chased by a wall of angry ghosts again later,¡± Su Ling joked semi-seriously.


    ¡°Nightmares, more like,¡± Ling Qi said impishly, nudging the labyrinth gate a centimeter to the right with her foot to better align with the energy of the clearing.


    ¡°Nightmares. Of course.¡± Su Ling sighed. ¡°That shoulda been obvious.¡±


    Ling Qi paused. ¡°Su Ling, I know we joke a lot, but you don¡¯t have to do this.¡±


    ¡°I know that,¡± she replied grumpily, stepping up to the ring. Su Ling gave Sixiang¡¯s manifestation a glance, and the muse grinned back. ¡°Look, if I didn¡¯t want to be here, I wouldn¡¯t be, alright? I know I¡¯m still ignorant. So if you got a way to scout information out, let''s do it.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded once and offered her hand. ¡°I¡¯m still pretty new, so this will go better if you take my hand.¡±


    Su Ling snorted but grasped her hand. The other girl''s hand was hard and calloused despite her cultivation. She took pride in that.


    Ling Qi readied herself. This was a step further than simply skimming the border the way she had with Yu Nuan.


    They stepped through the gate.

 Threads 239-Fox 1

    Threads 239-Fox 1


    Colors, shapes, lights, and sounds rushed by. Ling QI held tight to her friend''s hand against the ethereal wind which pushed back, rejecting the other girl¡¯s stolid, firmly material qi. Ling Qi gritted her teeth in the face of it, tasting red on her tongue and hearing stone and earth in her ears as she focused, grasped the skein of the thin barrier between realms, and pushed.


    The first sign of her success was Su Ling letting out an explosive breath as if she had been punched in the gut as the semi-familiar terrain of the liminal realm resolved around them.


    Like before, the endlessly tall trees stretched in every direction through heavy winter fog, the dark canopy overhead shrouding it in eternal night. The air was still charged with an electric tingle. Flashes of gold were visible in the pinprick gaps between the leaves and branches like brilliant stars.


    But it was not the same either, and Ling Qi found herself drawing her mantle close as a moaning breeze blew through the forest. It carried the faintest scent of fire, smokey and ominous. Below, the faint light of luminescent fungal crowns was visible in the depths of the mist.


    ¡°This place makes my skin crawl,¡± Su Ling said with a shiver. ¡°What the hells is watching us?¡±


    ¡°Sixiang?¡± Ling Qi asked worriedly, glancing around. She didn¡¯t notice anything of significance observing them. There were little spirits, fairies, and motes of dreams, of course, but¡­


    ¡°I think that¡¯s what she¡¯s talking about,¡± Sixiang said. Manifested here, they were solid, an androgynous figure in a loose flowing robe with glittering black eyes and pale skin. ¡°Hey, why¡¯s this bugging you so much? It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t see plenty of little spirits at home.¡±


    Su Ling straightened up, her hunched shoulders slowly relaxing. ¡°Is¡­ that what¡­? Wait, fuck.¡±


    What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°My spiritual defense art stopped working when you brought me here,¡± Su Ling answered. ¡°Well, that sorta makes sense. Eightfold Broken Paths is supposed to defend against spiritual attacks by anchoring me more firmly in the ¡®reality.¡¯ It makes me solid, so I can¡¯t be moved by the ¡®unreal.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Which breaks down when you step out of reality willingly,¡± Ling Qi concluded. ¡°Will you be alright without it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think so. You¡¯re here, so it''s just uncomfortable.¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t let herself smile or acknowledge the trust in that statement. She¡¯d just make sure to live up to it. ¡°Ok then. Sixiang, I have an idea, but do you want to explain how we¡¯re getting where we¡¯re going?


    Sixiang nodded as Su Ling straightened up, scanning the endless gray horizon with wary eyes. ¡°Dreaming is more a state of mind than a place. So if you want to get somewhere beyond what you can see right in front of you, you need to have it in mind. Focus on what you''re looking for, the same way you¡¯d create a mental image when cultivating an art, keep a hold of Ling Qi, and keep moving forward!¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Su Ling said, scowling as she squeezed her eyes shut. Her grip on Ling Qi¡¯s hand tightened.


    Ling Qi began to walk forward, and when she leapt down from the platform of earth and stone they had appeared on to a slowly falling leaf the size of the market square in Tonghou, Su Ling followed.


    Leaf to leaf, branch to branch, they went. Coming at last to a thick bough whose upper side held a carved road of dirt and stone, they traveled on. The travel went slow with Su Ling¡¯s eyes screwed shut, but soon, their surroundings began to change.


    The branch road shifted from one blink to the next, becoming a bubbling river whose cool water nonetheless supported their feet. It wound down in a spiral through the misty sky, bringing them to a shadowed canopy a league below the greater one where sun dappled trees and soft rolling hills gleamed like an emerald in the shadowy interior of the Emerald Seas.


    The shadow of a third tail, black as night and glittering with starlight, swept through the air behind Su Ling like a ghost. Shadows clung to her like mist, casting her hard face in a light that was at once more beautiful and more feral. Predatory. Patient. Watching.


    When at last their feet touched grass, Su Ling¡¯s plain brown eyes scattered the glittering green ones which had formed in the shadows on her face.


    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Su Ling looked down at her free hand and the shadows clinging there, lit by embers of pale blue foxfire to outline talons. She clenched her fist, and they dispersed. The tail remained. Su Ling¡¯s ears lay flat against the side of her head.


    ¡°And where is here?¡± Sixiang asked. The muse¡¯s expression was serious as they looked around at the bright, but unsettling isle of green in the dark gray mist.


    ¡°Not home,¡± Su Ling answered darkly.¡±But the closest thing to it. It¡¯s¡­ hers. Her hunting ground. I can feel it.¡±


    ¡°Could Su Ling¡¯s mother be aware of us here?¡± Ling Qi asked quietly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what she can do exactly, but it¡¯s not how you''re thinking most likely,¡± Sixiang replied.


    There was movement among the trees. Ling Qi¡¯s eyes shot toward it.There, in the shadows, she met a pair of wide but small eyes. A little girl with tangled bushy hair and sun darkened skin crouched there dressed in rags. She fled with a yelp, a dark brown tail the last thing to disappear into the brush.


    ¡°That could not be a more obvious trap,¡± Su Ling said flatly.


    ¡°Maybe. This place might not have come from her though.¡±


    Su Ling pursed her lips. ¡°It¡¯s not a memory of mine, if that¡¯s what you''re thinking.¡±


    ¡°How are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Granny wasn¡¯t dead when I was that age,¡± Su Ling explained tersely. "She wouldn¡¯t ha¡¯ left me to get that filthy when she was ¡®round.¡±


    Ling Qi chose not to comment on the thickening of Su Ling¡¯s accent or the look in her eyes as she said that. Instead, she let out a breath. ¡°Alright. This is your journey. Where do you think we should go?¡±


    Su Ling looked around. ¡°I recognize this place.I it''s where they used to gather mushrooms. If we follow this path, we¡¯ll find¡­ We¡¯ll find the old shrine, assuming this place makes sense at all.¡±


    ¡°It makes as much sense as you can impose on it,¡± Sixiang said. ¡°It¡¯s warm here.¡±


    ¡°Village was a good ways north and west,¡± Su Ling grunted, stepping toward the ill kempt dirt path.


    ¡°What makes it the ¡®old¡¯ shrine?¡± Ling Qi asked, peering at the shadows under the canopy. She didn¡¯t feel watched, but¡­


    It felt like stalking the den of a sleeping beast.


    Su Ling scratched absently at her ear, the two real tails curled about her waist twitching and coiling tight. Her brows furrowed as she searched her memory. ¡°Gran said that a long time ago, the village got wrecked, a big disaster, so it got moved, and when it did, some big priests from the city came down to consecrate a new shrine. The old one got exorcized and abandoned.¡± Su Ling chuckled, and it was both fond and sad. ¡°She said the old spirits would take away dumbass nosy children too curious for their own good.¡±


    ¡°Did they?¡± Ling Qi asked, tilting her head.


    ¡°Dunno, but most folks stayed away. Made it a good hiding spot when I really needed shelter.¡± Su Ling shrugged. ¡°But¡­ it is where I met the Ministry of Integrity guy. So maybe Gran wasn¡¯t wrong.¡±


    Ling Qi shared a mirthless laugh with her friend. ¡°How did that go?¡±


    ¡°He let me think my swinging log trap got him, then appeared behind me with his hands on my shoulders. Dramatic fucker.¡± Su Ling laughed.


    Ling Qi smiled wanly. Her own finder had been a little less good humored, striding in the space between eye blinks to capture her as she fled from a heist whose point she no longer remembered. Not so different from how she moved at times now. That, too, was amusing.


    In the company of memories, the oppressive feeling of this place was a little less.


    It was obvious when they were nearing the shrine. She saw the massive tree at its center, more than ten meters across at the base, stretching more than a hundred into the sky. An ancient growth with deep brownish red bark and wide leaves of a bright vibrant green, it stood out like a sore thumb in the younger growth around it.


    ¡°Was it really that big?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Su Ling said before correcting herself. ¡°Actually, dunno. Mighta been a little smaller, but not by too much. It really did loom like that.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded as they approached its base.


    There was once a clearing here, an area paved with stones and the contours of a garden, but it was now nothing more than weeds, brush, saplings, and broken rocks. Built into the base of the tree was a run down structure. Its tilted roof sagged, shoots of growth rising through the holes. It was clearly a temple once with a high painted archway and hooks for lanterns. It wrapped against the tree, built against it and into it with narrow walkable paths seemingly carved or grown into the thick trunk and dotted with the tattered remnants of rails. Its interior lay in an unnatural shadow, so thick and cloying that tendrils of it spilled from the windows and doorway like rivulets of ink.


    ¡°You stayed in there?¡± Sixiang asked doubtfully, tilting their head.


    ¡°It¡¯s never been like that in reality.¡± Su Ling eyed the liquid darkness that ran down from the broken shutters of a window. ¡°It always felt bad, so I never went into the main building. But there¡¯s a shed around the other side that I slept in sometimes. Had stuff for me to build with, rope and wood and tools.¡±


    Ling Qi saw the image of it shimmering like a mirage, small and overgrown with ivy, crumbling with the passing of days, before it dispersed like mist in the air. ¡°But we¡¯re not heading to the shed, are we, Su Ling?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Su Ling stared hard into the darkness. ¡°Always wondered what was inside.¡±


    Ling Qi accepted this. She gathered her power around herself, frost touching the grass and her shadow growing just as inky and black as that which spilled from the old shrine. She was ready to tear them free and hurl them back to the gate at a moment''s notice.


    Sixiang put a hand over hers, and she gave a small nod, following her friend toward the ruined shrine.


    Despite the darkness, the air only grew warmer as they approached until it was a musty, humid heat like the breath pouring out of an open mouth.


    Su Ling sighed, nudging the moldy splintered floorboard with her foot, making the ink-like darkness that spilled across it ripple. "This is a pretty obvious trap too, huh?¡±


    ¡°A bit,¡± Ling Qi conceded. ¡°But with what little you¡¯ve told me about your natural abilities, is that a surprise?¡±


    Su Ling wrinkled her nose, fingers curling into fists. ¡°Traps within traps, labyrinths and illusions¡­ Yeah, I s¡¯pose that¡¯s fair.¡±


    The entrance beckoned, and Su Ling Stepped inside, her sandals touching down on liquid darkness and making a sound like she was treading on wet mud. She passed under the eaves and stepped past the half broken doors. Ling Qi hurried to follow.


    The interior was as dank as any swamp. Mold, slick and wet, clung to rotting, sagging walls and liquid of indeterminable origin dripped from the bubbling ceiling. Su Ling gave her an amused look as Ling Qi gathered cool wind around herself, isolating her person from the scent and liquid.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t take you for dainty.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Ling Qi protested. ¡°What about you? Where did your wariness go?¡±


    ¡°Dunno. I just don¡¯t feel like I¡¯m in danger.¡±


    Ling Qi gave Sixiang a worried look, but the muse shrugged. ¡°Can¡¯t see any outside effects. If you¡¯re feeling weird, it''s something that was already there.¡±


    Su Ling¡¯s good humor faded from her face like a heavy stone sinking into a lake. ¡°Right. Let¡¯s keep going.¡±


    They continued through the sagging hall in silence, passing by and through living areas for priests and places of gathering and performance. The black tar that ran and dripped from inside the walls remained ubiquitous.


    Ling Qi found herself hunching her shoulders as they went. This place felt¡­ unhealthy, like she was wading through an open wound. ¡°You said you knew stories, but is there really nothing more than that?¡±


    Su Ling rolled her shoulders, showing the same discomfort as they tread the hall toward the paired doors that would lead to the shrine''s center within the trunk of the tree. ¡°I think I heard others say that it was a sickness or something. A poison in the earth¡ª¡±


    ¡°In ten years, return with the cure. We don¡¯t wish to cull this garden entirely, pet.¡±


    Su Ling and Ling Qi¡¯s heads whipped around at the sound of that voice. It was sickly sweet, oozing and dripping as if the filthy tar in this place was rippling and its undulation was sound, but it was too distorted to hear gender or age.


    ¡°Why¡ª¡± Su Ling began, sounding disgusted and pained.


    Shadows wavered in the hall like a slick of slime and oil cast across reality. Two people and lumps that might have been bodies once sprawled on the floor. That awful voice came again, rising and falling in volume like the chaotic ripples in disturbed water.


    ¡°Why, pet? These poor creatures must be moved to a new reserve for their own good. Left to their own devices, they will rebuild these old barbarian practices when we turn our eyes away. You, their lord, must strike down these petty gods and end these barbaric contracts with your own hands.¡±


    Ling Qi shivered, glaring at the space where the shadow was, now gone and vanished like a popping bubble in a puddle of oil. ¡°Su Ling¡ª¡±


    ¡°Beasts you might have been, but we made you better, did we not, pet?¡±


    Su Ling¡¯s ears were flat against the side of her head, and her expression was twisted in nausea. ¡°C¡¯mon. I want to see the center of the shrine.¡±


    The bent and battered doors opened.

 Threads 240-Fox 2

    Threads 240-Fox 2


    Beyond was the shrine center, filled with the fallen icons of little gods. Peeling paint that should have been too faded for detail nonetheless spoke the old tales of creation and the coming of Tsu in the currents of the liminal energy woven tight still through the walls. There, in the place of honor, stood the withered flowers of the Bountiful Earth, born of Tsu, patriarch spirit of the Emerald Seas. There, the silver disc of the Mother Moon lay untarnished still. And there, an icon of a river god was tarnished to black, and a dozen others were even less recognizable than that.


    At the center where the god of the shrine was to sit was a broken figure of gold, its nine tails drooping, melted and broken. Its altar was painted in the bright colors of dawn.


    ¡°When festivals stop, when offerings end, blood and flesh remain,¡± Sixiang said quietly.


    Su Ling whirled on them, lips drawn back in a snarl. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare try ta excuse this shit ¡®cause of something a disgusting fuck did forever ago!¡±


    Sixiang raised their hands defensively. ¡°Not giving excuses here. Spirits are spirits though.¡±


    ¡°Not all deals are good ones,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°But there are consequences even for breaking bad contracts.¡±


    Su Ling shot her a hurt look.


    ¡°Explanations aren¡¯t excuses, Su Ling,¡± Ling Qi said steadily.


    Her friend grimaced, dragging a hand through her hair. ¡°I fuckin¡¯ know that. Sorry. That doesn¡¯t explain why that bitch isn¡¯t dead. Plenty of places broke with the old ways and didn¡¯t leave the spirits to do as they liked.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°An unwanted god is just an obstacle after all. Why leave it, or being realistic, a descendant of it, still wandering around in one of the strongest counties of the Emerald Seas?¡±


    Su Ling moved into the room, glaring up at the broken statue in its center. It stared back with empty eye sockets, the gems that had once filled them long gone.


    They both flinched, qi rising against a threat as they heard a crash from behind them. A wisp clinging to the back of Ling Qi¡¯s gown spotted a bushy haired shadow darting into a side hall. She shared a look with Su Ling, whose sharp ears had surely caught the pattering of feet.


    ¡°Do you still want to ignore that?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Not all of us get all worked up just because they see a cute kid,¡± Su Ling retorted.¡±Wouldn¡¯t they just be a weird memory figment at best?¡±


    ¡°Could be a little cousin playing around,¡± Sixiang suggested. ¡°What do you want to do?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Say I accept this, that something way back went wrong, and caused¡­ her. What do I do with that?¡±


    ¡°It might not help your peace of mind, but figuring out your obstacles will still help you move toward your goal,¡± Ling Qi said.


    Su ling grimaced. ¡°You¡¯re right. I shouldn¡¯t ignore that. It¡¯s just¡­¡±


    ¡°What did you want to find?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Some conspiracy or cult keeping her around?¡± Su Ling ventured. ¡°Not that she¡¯s probably just the shitty result of something unrelated.¡±


    Ling Qi thought back to her conversations with Meng Dan and sighed. ¡°You¡¯ve described most major events in history right there, or so I¡¯ve been told.¡±


    ¡°Izzat so?¡± Su Ling let out a bark of laughter.


    ¡°Well, historical events are usually several unrelated fuck ups piling up in one place,¡± Ling Qi said, allowing herself to be just a bit vulgar. She was taking liberties with his words, but it was helping Su Ling, so she could apologize later.


    There was a scrape, and something fell again.


    ¡°She¡¯s not very good at that,¡± Su Ling grumbled. ¡°Not sure if that makes it more or less believable.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed. It was just her gut, but she didn¡¯t think the child, or thing wearing one¡¯s face, was a trap, at least not from Su Ling¡¯s mother. ¡°If she¡¯s going to keep following us, maybe we should just meet her now.


    ¡°Time is probably better spent here,¡± Su Ling disagreed. ¡°Maybe I get that sicko''s memory talking again and find out something more.¡±


    They both looked to Sixiang, who held up their hands. ¡°Whoa. whoa, what am I. some kind of tiebreaker?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± they both agreed.


    Sixiang stuck out their tongue. ¡°We should check up on the kid. If they are up to something, we don¡¯t really want to just let her set up something.¡±


    Su Ling grimaced, not able to refute the logic. ¡°Fine. You know it''s not a real kid though, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty unlikely,'''' Ling Qi agreed. The only reason she even considered the possibility was that a child with a fox¡¯s bloodline might theoretically be born with a gift for dreamwalking.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go check this out then. I did already get the basic picture here,¡± Su Ling grunted, moving back toward the door.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Sixiang said unhappily, buffing the tarnished icon of the Mother Moon with their sleeve. ¡°The picture isn''t subtle. This place musta wanted to show it for a long time.¡±


    Ling Qi shared a glance with Su Ling and ghosted out of the room as a ribbon of shadow. Shapeless, bodiless, she flowed along the splintered ceiling, seeking the source of warmth and life and light in this dark place. Her companions followed behind in silence.


    .


    It did not take long to find her quarry. The fox girl crouched inside the doorway of a room in one of the side halls, fearfully peering around the corner. They were as Ling Qi saw them last. Tiny, skinny, and filthy with brush and leaves and now smears of black ooze in their bushy hair. A single quivering tail curled around their body.


    Observing her for longer than a moment while molded into the shadows of the ceiling, the fox girl was clearly not a younger Su Ling. The hair was the wrong shade of reddish brown, her eyes were gray rather than green, and her facial features were subtly different. The child could have passed for her friend''s sister though.


    Her spiritual senses showed her a child with innately awakened qi born from beast blood, albeit it was only a couple of meridians and a flicker of light in her dantian. Perhaps not long ago, Ling Qi would have only seen that, but her eyes were sharper now. The girl was not normal. Her meridians twitched and moved, one moment winding along her spine, and the next, it was branching through her legs, and now, it was coiling toward her eyes.


    It was unsettling and unnatural, not quite like anything she had seen before. She thought the information to Sixiang, who would pass it to Su Ling.


    The child looked up. Her eyes were liquid gold now.


    Ling Qi¡¯s circulating qi caught in her channels. But then, the child looked away, peering warily down the hall at the faint sound of Su Ling¡¯s footsteps.


    ¡°So, squirt, you¡¯ve been following us!¡± Sixiang said cheerfully, manifesting directly above the child, crouched on the broken table. Ling Qi tightened her grip on the energy of the dream.


    The child fell backward, sputtering and scooting her bottom across the dusty floor until her back hit the door frame.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry!¡± the girl yelped, covering her face with her hands. It was unpleasant to watch. Ling Qi knew that particular posture of cowering, expecting the rapid onset of pain.


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize. Tell us what you want,¡± Su Ling said bluntly as she rounded the corner. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and her tails lashed behind her, two real and one of shadow and stars. But she couldn¡¯t hide the flicker of discomfort that showed in her eyes from Ling Qi. Su Ling didn¡¯t like this scene either.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± the cowering girl repeated, peeking through her fingers. ¡°But you¡¯re not ¡®upposed to be here.¡±


    ¡°Who decides that?¡± Su Ling¡¯s discomfort was palpable, and Ling Qi saw her gaze sliding to the right and left as if searching for something else to focus on. Finally, she grimaced and uncrossed her arms, coming up to crouch by the girl. ¡°Look, we don¡¯t want to hurt you. We¡¯re just looking for information, okay? Who are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Xisheng,¡± said the child. She was still afraid. . ¡°You''re too big, sister. Momma won¡¯t like that.¡±


    Su Ling narrowed her eyes at the name, no doubt recognizing what Ling Qi did. The girl called herself ¡°sacrifice.¡±


    Sixiang looked a little sad, peering down. ¡°You¡¯re not a dreaming mortal or one of us. You''re not even quite a fox, are you, kiddo? What are you?¡±


    The girl finally lowered her hands, hands now holding a darker shade of skin and more pronounced claws. Her eyes were brown, her hair was black, and her features a little rounder. But she was still afraid. ¡°I¡¯m Xisheng. I told ya. I¡¯m the lost.¡±


    That childish face tilted, showing a spark of wisdom beyond its years. There was a shadow there behind her ever so briefly. Small forms still in the snow, blood and pain and ugliness Ling Qi thought she had left behind in the worst streets of Tonghou.


    The girl¡¯s face changed again, lighter hair, lighter skin, and indeterminate gender. Their voice echoed strangely. ¡°Most of us aren¡¯t so lucky, sister. Why did you come back? Are you gonna eat us? So you can get even bigger?¡±


    Su Ling had flinched back, her hands white knuckled as she glimpsed what Ling Qi had already seen. This was¡­ a ghost of sorts. But not of one little girl. They were a ghost of many, many little girls and boys pressed together.


    ¡°Fuck, no! I don¡¯t eat people,¡± Su Ling spat out.


    The ghost¡¯s head tilted to the side, their curls auburn red now. ¡°But how else are you gonna eat Momma? If you don''t, she''ll eat you. That¡¯s what we¡¯re for. She takes what she¡¯s owed and gives back the prettiest gifts! We''re all sacrifices. And it makes her strong.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna kill her,¡± Su Ling vowed. ¡°Not eat her. Maybe I¡¯ll make a rug, but I¡¯m not gonna eat her.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s dumb,¡± said Xisheng, now a little boy with mournful blue eyes and muddy hair. His dark furred ears twitched as he tilted his head, and his nose was black with frostbite. ¡°Sacrifice is how you get big and strong. You might even get your sixth tail! No one has done that here in forever.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not,¡± Su Ling growled, standing up. ¡°I don¡¯t want the tails I already have.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy to say when you''re already big,¡± said the ghost, once again the young girl with twigs and leaves in her hair. The shadows of bruises and the scent of burning hair wafted gently from her. ¡°When you¡¯re already strong. Did you really forget how it is to be hungry already?¡±


    ¡°I know being hungry ain¡¯t everything,¡± Su Ling said. ¡°Solving that is only step one. You need more than that, else you''re just a monster. Like her.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a monster, sister?¡± asked the little ghost through a broken jaw and a mouth of shattered teeth. ¡°Is it another word for a human?¡±


    It was hard for Ling Qi to remain silent, and she saw Sixiang biting their lip as well. But another part of her recognized that Su Ling needed to be the one who answered these questions.


    Su Ling¡¯s expression folded into a scowl, and for a long, long moment, she stared down at the ghost. The ghost child just looked back at her curiously, now through the empty eyes of a skull filled with the same dripping black tar.


    ¡°You¡¯re not all the way wrong, you cheeky little shit, but it''s not another word for human. It¡¯s another word for person,¡± Su Ling answered. ¡°It¡¯s what we all are when we don¡¯t try to be better.¡±


    Su Ling scratched at the skin near her right eye, and her nail broke skin. The little cut bled, and the trail looked not unlike a crescent.


    ¡°But what¡¯s the difference between killing someone and eating them?¡± Xisheng asked innocently. ¡°They¡¯re gone either way. Isn¡¯t it dumb to waste them?¡±


    ¡°No, cause it''s more important to keep in mind what the death is for. I don¡¯t want to kill her cause it¡¯ll make perfect cultivation materials or some shit,¡± Su Ling explained.


    ¡°Hehe, Sister is a weird one. Maybe that¡¯s why you got to be so big, and we never will,¡± giggled the ghost. ¡°But I guess it doesn¡¯t matter. Momma is waking up from her nap.¡±


    Despite her immaterial form, Ling Qi felt a sensation like goosebumps on her nonexistent skin, a sensation of crawling, predatory awareness.


    ¡°Bye, Sister,¡± said the little ghost, smiling sadly now with a face that was whole and unscarred. ¡°Meet¡¯cha in Momma¡¯s belly.¡±

 Threads 241-Fox 3

    Threads 241-Fox 3


    Su Ling¡¯s eyes flew open, and her ears and tail were standing on end. ¡°We need to go.¡± The only hesitation was a faint grimace as she glanced toward the beatifically smiling child.


    Ling Qi met Su Ling¡¯s eyes. For that single moment, it was as if she could see the thoughts turning in her friend''s mind.


    ¡°Like¡ª¡± Ling Qi began.


    ¡°¡ªHells,¡± Su Ling growled.


    ¡°Eh?¡± The ghost¡¯s expression twisted in confusion, flickering between a half dozen faces of cruelty and death as Su Ling¡¯s arms wrapped around them. She was promptly tossed over Su Ling¡¯s shoulders like an unruly sack of rice.


    ¡°Bitch is fat enough already. Ling Qi, what do we do?¡±


    Sixiang shimmered and vanished. Not a mote of attention could be spared for frivolous manifestation as they both gazed out of Ling Qi¡¯s eyes, observing the flow of the dream. Wooden walls groaned as if under the force of a gale, and the mists weeped with the grief and pain of the forsaken.


    Sixiang whispered.


    Ling Qi swallowed, and her hand knifed forward, splitting apart rotted wood like soft clay. She was not the same girl that had fled blind through the house of her mentor, the belly of a hungry, high realm spirit. ¡°Take my hand, and don¡¯t let go!¡±


    Su Ling grasped the hand she threw out in a crushing grip, and Linq Qi leapt through the gash in the shrine and through the veil of scintillating color and unshaped dream. The rush of motion came like the wind screaming past her ears, and the ground blurred away beneath her feet. She was both one with the chaos of shifting colors and stubbornly separate from it, anchored by will and love for a friend who would not take submergence in the formless chaos of the liminal realm half as well.


    But there was something wrong. A chain, a binding, terrible weight, came with them. It was grudges and pain and sadness, the terrible aching loneliness of children born and dying without the most meager scrap of love, more hollow than the belly of a street rat who¡¯d not eaten in a week.


    The realm of dream made these chains as real as any steel. And the beast they were bound to felt their tug.


    Ling Qi stumbled as her feet touched grass.


    Sixiang murmured frantically in her head.


    Ling Qi did not need the reminder to flee as fast as her feet could carry her. She tried for her wings, but they did not answer; her dress was still.


    Little children couldn¡¯t fly. Little beggars did not have fine dresses. What fairy tale did she dream?


    Ling Qi¡¯s heart thundered in her chest. The trees seemed so tall now, and their shadows so deep. Her lungs burned, her breaths rasped, and tears filled her eyes because she was alone, save for the one who hunted behind. She was just a ragged beggar girl who had wandered too far, never to be missed, never to be found.


    Except. Except. Wasn¡¯t there a hand in hers?


    At Ling Qi¡¯s core was darkness, a want so deep that she knew, in her heart of hearts, would never be filled. It was desperation and hunger and privation, the desolation of the soul, the death of higher thought and all the things that made a person more than a thing. If a single, petty human word could be applied, it was ¡°Isolation.¡±


    But she had wrapped herself in so many other things. Most of all, she had clung onto the grasping, yearning wind. Hers was not the open blue sky of limitless freedom, the emptiness that accepted no chains. Hers was the blizzard howl, tugging at shutters, begging to be let in.


    Her wind was the wind of Want. A greedy, grasping wind for a greedy, grasping girl.


    Desire was the desire for more, the desire for the aching to stop, and the desire to be warm by the fire for just a little while. Want was the soul reaching out, the impetus of connection, the abrogation of Isolation, and the seed of Community and Home.


    Ling Qi was not the little beggar girl. She held her friend''s hand in hers. She did not die alone in the snow, cherishing a warmth she could never hold. Her dream asserted itself.


    A blizzard erupted, and a lightless fire burned at the core, rejecting the dream of desolation.


    And still, she ran, grasping that calloused hand in hers even tighter, because though she had thrown off those chains, she knew it was only the edge of the beast¡¯s awareness, not its true strength. But the beast was a languid animal, slow to wake, slow to rouse.


    Behind her, she heard Su Ling murmuring between breaths.


    ¡°... no truth but what you carve. No justice but what you hold. No meaning but what you make. Reject oneness. Reject enlightenment. Be one of many. Accept the world¡¯s bounty.¡±


    A heavy and coarse and solid qi sparked in her meridians, and Ling Qi felt its conflict with the realm they were in. The qi she was trying to cycle struggled to even maintain form.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Su Ling rasped as they soared, leaving the rough ground to dart among the trees of the grim fairytale forest as an old, awful, and hollow beast stirred in its heart.


    Ling Qi understood at that moment why those shadows frightened her when she has long been their kin. This darkness did not want to be filled. It was a hunger without end, a stomach with no bottom. It was something beyond her greed, a cruel, wasting rot in its soul. ¡°Something dragged us back like a chain. I couldn¡¯t jump us out of this little dream realm.¡±


    She doesn¡¯t need to say what it is. Su Ling¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Can you¡ª¡±


    ¡°She can¡¯t. I belong here, silly sister, and now, you do too. You shoulda just been happy to get away,¡± said the child sadly. ¡°You really are gonna be eaten.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t belong here. You don¡¯t belong to her, or them, or anyone else who hurt you. None of you ever did!¡± Su Ling shouted over the rushing wind. ¡°Fuck, I miss my Gran.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced, pretending she hadn¡¯t heard the hoarse whisper her friend¡¯s voice had dropped into. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡ª¡± she mumbled, thoughts racing. Some application of the Opened Vault technique might work? They were stealing a precious thing, no matter the vault. The concept was there, but she had only just begun to master the technique. To attempt a theft so far beyond her current understanding was¡ª-


    Sixiang finished in a whisper tinged with fear.


    Time, time, precious time. Did they have time to play and experiment and try?


    ¡°Set us down a second,¡± Su Ling said grimly.


    She glanced back at her friend, a frantic question in her eyes.


    ¡°I may not be good for much, but I know how to Cut,¡± Su Ling said, the last word spat like a curse that splits a branch from a passing tree. ¡°Sometimes, that¡¯s all you need to solve a problem.¡±


    An echo of an echo screamed to leave the broken ghost. It would be easy and simple to leave behind the dream of a person and save them both.


    Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, and Ling Qi¡¯s feet touched down on the grass.


    ¡°Please hurry, Su Ling,¡± Ling Qi said tersely, releasing her hand to scan the darkness.


    ¡°Don¡¯t need to tell me,¡± Su Ling muttered, swiftly setting down the ghost girl, who looked up in confusion.


    Su Ling¡¯s saber appeared in her hand, unsheathed. The crimson cloth tassel that hung from its hilt fluttered in the wind. ¡±Look¡­ Xisheng, just hold still, alright? We¡¯ll get going again in a second.¡±


    The ghost¡¯s head tilted, blood welling up around her neck to stain dirty clothes. ¡°Oh. I don¡¯t like this part. But I like you better than Momma, so it¡¯s okay!¡±


    Su Ling grit her teeth so hard that Ling Qi swore she heard something crack, but there was no time for a back-and-forth and she knew it. Su Ling moved into a stance, one even Ling Qi recognized as one for overhead strikes, having had Renxiang¡¯s saber crash down on her head enough times.


    ¡°You don¡¯t belong here or to her,¡± Su Ling repeated, and her qi surged, sharp-edged and metallic. Ling Qi saw her eyes mist over, becoming pools of liquid steel. ¡°My blade is Truth.¡±


    Air parted around the edge with a soft sigh, and Ling Qi felt an invisible chain sever with an angry shriek. Xisheng blinked, looking down at themselves in curious wonder, their features a blur of a dozen faces.


    Far away, eyes opened in the darkness, and it pained Ling Qi to say they were strikingly similar to Su Ling¡¯s.


    A lonely wind blew through the nocturnal forest, playing a song of leaves and branches. Ling Qi could sense the writhing of the threads of the liminal, the reshaping of the reality that lay beneath the skein that was visible to the eyes.


    Su Ling stiffened, sensing Ling Qi¡¯s distress and quickly followed her gaze. She went still when she saw those eyes.


    The trees bent away from the shadows, twisting and moaning like mourners as the forest began to melt and run like watercolor paints splashed by rain. Yet what emerged from the darkness didn¡¯t seem monstrous. There was no padding fox and whipping tails and frothy hungry maw nor no sumptuous temptress of dark silks and painted beauty. None of the images that this creature''s legend had conjured in her mind appeared.


    A gnarled cane tapped the ground. The shuffle and drag of elderly feet made uneven by age and injury came to her ears. Fraying sandals, a shapeless roughspun dress, and a slightly hunched back was covered by a pale gray shawl. Her face was a mass of wrinkles, and her skin was as rough as old boot leather Thin white hair clung to her head, wispy and dry, pulled back in a tight bun.


    She had the air of a woman who life had chewed up over and over until naught but sinew, gristle, and spite remained, a woman whose age had robbed her of fear and propriety alike.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking dare,¡± Su Ling whispered. It was a strangled, hateful voice, shaky with rage.


    Gimlet eyes squinted in the melting darkness, firelight growing as a hearth was painted from nothing. Dirt and grass molded into rough wooden planks and woven straw mats, and the night sky began to bleed into rafters and straw. But on the wall forming behind the old woman, the twisting shadows of tails appeared. They weaved through and among each other, too swiftly and chaotically to count.


    ¡°Damn rude way to greet your grandmother, isn¡¯t it? Coming unannounced, and stealing the gristle from the trash. Fool girl, I always told you, if you¡¯re hungry, just ask.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t even try it.¡± Su Ling pointed her saber. Ling Qi winced, knowing this wasn¡¯t something that could be opposed by force. ¡°Think I¡¯m supposed to fall for this shit? Are you gonna say you were Gran all along?¡±


    ¡°If¡¯n I was,¡± considered the thing wearing the face of an old woman, ¡°how do you figure you¡¯d know, girl? Think a blind kit''s eyes can pierce past her mother¡¯s arts?¡±


    Please, please let the spirit¡¯s attention be focused, Ling Qi thought. She reached out with her thoughts, seeking out any imperfection in the weave of dream they were caught in. She looked for a seam, an unstable whirl, or anything at all that she could use to slide them out of here.


    ¡°You¡¯re just pulling things out of my head,¡± Su Ling breathed out, rage grinding out into cold discipline. ¡°You think I haven¡¯t researched you? This isn¡¯t how you operate. You smash and grab and run back to the woods. You¡¯d never stick around in one place long enough for a big pair of boots to notice.¡±


    Tap, tap went the cane. The little house had finished forming. Strings of drying herbs hung from the ceiling, and haphazard shelving sagged with the weight of clay jars filled with roots and reagents.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you think I ¡®died¡¯? Or did you really think a woman could love the child of the woman who took her last grandson? She¡¯d have dashed your head on the hearthstones if I¡¯d not taken her too.¡±


    The fox smiled, and the teeth were black and rotten. ¡°I taught you, didn¡¯t I, how humans are? Keep ¡®em scared, else they run out on the bill. You can¡¯t let ¡®em push you around, think they can dictate terms. If you can¡¯t make yourself too big a bone to swallow, you hide and you wait. Heh, you didn¡¯t turn out bad, ¡®till that Sect filled your head with nonsense.¡±


    The face of the old woman turned dark, darkness pooling in the deep crevices of her wrinkles. The world that followed echoed in a half dozen voices, high and low, bouncing from the walls ¡°What¡¯s the world coming to? Can¡¯t even raise your children as you like anymore.¡±


    ¡°Take off her face!¡± Su Ling demanded, not lowering her saber. ¡°I told you, I¡¯m not falling for it. You¡¯re wasting your time!¡±

 Threads 242-Fox 3

    Threads 242-Fox 3


    ¡°Deny as you want, but tell me, what were you gonna do with these scraps?¡± asked the fox.


    Xisheng cowered behind Su Ling¡¯s legs, their eyes shut. Their form was still in flux, features changing between eye blinks.


    ¡°Not a bad meal for a girl at your realm. You thought to get one over me?¡± The monster pursed wrinkled lips. ¡°But¡­ No, you cut it off. Can¡¯t even use it to nip at my power.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t take her for some shitty reason like that. I took her because they all deserve better than you. They¡¯ve already suffered enough,¡± Su Ling said flatly.


    ¡°You¡¯ve killed it though,¡± said the fox, cocking her elderly head, birdlike. ¡°Buncha scraps like that, course they¡¯d start falling apart without the only thing that binds them.¡±


    All of them glanced toward Xisheng, who had now hidden their face in Sixiang¡¯s trousers, avoiding the old woman¡¯s gaze. Their qi was disordered and coming apart. A wisp streamed up from a dissolving sleeve.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, girl. Even if you¡¯ve not inherited my hunger, you¡¯ve inherited my hate.¡± The gentle tap of the cane and the drag of elderly feet were far too loud. The old woman loomed. ¡°Are you even that different? Think I can¡¯t smell the man on you, child? Oh, but he¡¯s a strong one, ain¡¯t he? Won¡¯t even notice if you take a sip. Lucky little kit.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that! I didn¡¯t¡ªIt was just¡ª¡± Su Ling¡¯s own tails snapped and waved wildly in agitation, and her blade wavered. Only the ghost at her feet stopped her from taking a step back.


    ¡°Maybe you didn¡¯t want to eat that, but you wanted to take it from me. It was spite, not some dressed-up virtue that moved your hand.¡±


    Ling Qi hated the verbal assault her friend was under, but if the beast could just remain distracted¡­ Perhaps here, Ling Qi thought. If she could just work her will into the miniscule gaps between the weaves of this illusion world, she could pry open a little crack¡­


    ¡°And you, quit pawing at the shutters, girl.¡± Ling Qi froze as the old woman¡¯s eyes fell on her. ¡°You¡¯re one of the ones who went and confused my girl. Made her forget how things are when you should damn well know better. You¡¯re half nightkin as it is. So much yin you¡¯re a half step from drinking the life breath of men yourself, and you go and fill my Su Ling¡¯s head with this nonsense.¡±


    ¡°I am not yours,¡± Su Ling snarled, but the thing that called itself her mother ignored it, staring down Ling Qi.


    Ling Qi swallowed, pins and needles on her skin. Some part of her wanted to deflect to try and desperately stall for more time. But could she really beat this creature with words and misdirection? No, obviously not. She felt Sixiang¡¯s arms embrace her without form. ¡°All your power, and it''s still not perfect, huh?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± wondered the fox, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°It was like that with Black Skies Yearning too.¡± Ling Qi met her gaze steadily. ¡°A cruel old monster that preys on the weak. So powerful, but there were holes in her illusion because she lacked understanding too.¡± She smiled in reminiscence.¡±You know, I think my teacher¡¯s illusions were the only really perfect ones. She only tripped up because she was fighting herself.¡±


    Su Ling furrowed her brow, looking her way.


    The old woman¡¯s cane struck the floor with a boom. ¡°You got a point in that rambling, girl?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Illusions and art don¡¯t make you elegant or smart. They¡¯re as blunt or graceful as their maker. Su Ling is the righteous one, the one who remembers people¡¯s names and hurts. No one has filled her head with anything. She came on it honestly. Me, I¡¯m only a thief. And you? You¡¯re a poor liar and a brute.¡±


    The thing about cruelty, Ling Qi found, is that it was usually inflicted on someone helpless. Combine this with the pride of a beast who by all indications wished to break rather than kill, and it made her sloppy. Inattentive. More importantly, this was a beast who was not entirely here with connections reaching out into the waking world in three directions.


    And if someone was caught in one act, too often, the catcher will be less attentive to other acts.


    Subtly gathered, dream qi surged, and Sixiang slammed the full weight of their combined qi into the thinnest, most unstable part of the illusions. The tiniest split appeared in the weave, and Ling Qi grabbed Su Ling¡¯s hand. The world erupted in a kaleidoscope of light as Ling Qi reached for the image of power, far more expansive than her little gate.


    Her mind dreamed of golden scales, coiling kilometers into the sky. If she could just get the attention of Xuelong, the Sect Head¡¯s spirit beast¡­ The Sect was his hoard. He¡¯d trivially smack this beast.


    The world flew, or they did. Ling Qi could not tell in the chaos. She threw every ounce of her will and her speed into this jump, and Sixiang expended the entirety of their qi in a single, tremendous burst of dissolution to leave the path behind unknowable.


    It was not enough.


    Death came as fire, purple and smoky. A haze in the shape of a lashing tail, its bone white tip far sharper than mortal steel, sailed straight toward them. Ling Qi felt a lance of terror and pulled deep upon the dark qi that ran through her body, forming the pattern of the Black Mirror technique in the bare instant she had. Her form became the void, a bottomless hole in the world that would absorb any attack.


    The void filled with fire and overflowed. Ling Qi heard a crack like breaking porcelain, and her technique shattered.


    She hit the ground rolling, bile and blood in her throat. A sharp and pinching pain flared in her chest. Smoke trailed from the burned hem of her dress, and distantly, she heard Sixiang cry out in pain. Her flute materialized in her hands as she rolled to her feet, already beginning the steps to summon mirror copies or speed herself on the wind.


    Another tail the size of a tree trunk smashed into her. She felt her right arm snap like so much kindling, and her flute shattered, splinters digging into her lips and neck. She was sent flying into a tree and nearly blacked out, slumping down to its base.


    ¡°Ling Qi!¡± she heard Su Ling scream.


    ¡°Such a rude girl. But if that is what you think, shall this one not oblige?¡± The voice wasn¡¯t raspy and old anymore. Instead, it was deep and thick with menace, only a bare edge of a feminine purr softening the bestial growl.


    All Ling Qi could see was a looming shadow of lashing tails and bony limbs. She was thin, the fox, for all her greed. Fur clung tightly to bones, a nightmare of starvation and murder in the half-formed blackness of a wooden clearing they had landed in.


    Ling Qi spat a mouthful of blood onto the grass, belying her fear. They had been so close. So close! Just a moment more, and they would have reached the gaze of the Sect¡¯s spirit lord, the companion of the Sect Head.


    A bestial paw rose, obsidian nails gleaming in the mist. It descended on her, and Ling Qi struggled to gather the qi to move.


    Distantly, she heard a child''s voice cry out. Moons, this whole adventure had been too bold, even for her.


    Su Ling appeared before her in a burst of speed, the side of her saber held up like a shield, braced on one arm. That dull gray qi from before snapped and hummed. It filled her meridians and crawled on her skin, and around Su Ling, the stuff of dream stiffened and froze. In a cloud of dust, Ling Qi saw a string of formations burning black on her blade. She recognized them from that time so long ago when she had seen Su Ling working with Xuan Shi in Suyin¡¯s residence. Time formations, to render an object immovable and invulnerable, briefly outside of causality.


    The sound of impact could not be described. It was simply a deafening noise. With all her strength, Ling Qi exhaled her mist from every pore, gathering it in a protective cocoon around them as she had in the caldera.


    Su Ling slammed into a stone to her right and bounced, blood erupting from a pair of deep cuts across her body and chest. Her sword had shattered into shards, and she clutched now only the hilt and stump of a blade in her hand.


    This almost felt familiar, Ling Qi thought, her head still ringing.


    ¡°Stop! Stop! I¡¯ll go back, I promise. Please stop!¡± Xisheng was running across pale green grass. The dreamscape showed no sign of ruin.


    Ling Qi struggled and pushed herself up to her knees.


    ¡°Pitiful thing, imagining that you had a choice.¡± The voice emanated from the shadows near the gigantic fox¡¯s head, and she heard it inhale a torrent of air and qi.


    She heard Su Ling scream something unintelligible, a curse or a wordless roar of anger. She felt a stinging pain in the corner of her eyes. Still not enough.


    But then, she caught crimson in the corner of her eyes. There was a clearing in the cloudy sky, and in it hangs a baleful red sickle of moonlight.


    Su Ling staggered to her feet. The child was wailing, their limbs breaking apart into light and mist. Su Ling stumbled forward, half-blind with blood, and stiffened her posture into a high attacking stance. The meridians in her arms writhed visibly under her skin. And at her back, an iron-haired matron whose face is a blood soaked skull sniffed, reached up, and adjusted the angle of Su Ling¡¯s broken blade like an instructor.


    The red was blinding. She heard the echoing scream of a fox, more in shock and outrage than hurt. She saw in the fading flash a bead of blood from a thin cut across the fox¡¯s muzzle.


    Su Ling collapsed to the ground. The fox¡¯s enraged gaze falls onto her wayward daughter.


    And Ling Qi sees a crack in the ground from which black flower petals blow. One of the petals lands on her palm.


    There was a time for suspicion and wariness. This was not it.


    She seized Su Ling, what was left of the child, and dove down the crevice in a slick of shadow. They impacted the pool with a tremendous splash, scattering droplets of water as black as obsidian. The mud and water was sucking and viscous. It clung to her hands and stuck to her dress despite the gown¡¯s enhancements. It felt freezing cold, even to her.


    Ling Qi seized the soaked cloth in her hands and pulled. Su Ling emerged from the water, coughing and spitting. Most of her clothing was dark with blood, even after the dunking, and it was easy to see why. Her arms were practically in shreds, and dark red wounds oozed blood where her meridians had burst under her skin. If they were still mortal, she¡¯d wonder if her friend would ever use her arms again. Despite Su Ling¡¯s wounds, one of her arms was locked in a death grip around the waist of a small, limp frame.


    Su Ling¡¯s eyes were shut, and she gasped for breath, giving a violent cough to cast water and blood alike from her lungs. Ling Qi hissed in alarm.


    And meanwhile, it was impossible to ignore the shadow behind them. A horned skull tilted, black petals drifting on the water, a fleshless grin and empty sockets, watching.


    ¡°Sixiang?¡± Ling Qi whispered hoarsely, paying the skeleton no attention regardless. ¡°Sixiang!¡±


    Sixiang groaned in her head, sounding like their voice was echoing up from the bottom of a deep tunnel.


    ¡°You shocked her though, I think,¡± Ling Qi said, trying to keep calm as she hauled her friend the rest of the way out of the water with her unbroken arm.


    Sixiang muttered, and Ling Qi could feel that their consciousness had slipped away for the moment. Thankfully, she could sense the muse was not in any great danger.


    The same could not be said for the rest of their wounds. The pain of shattered bone lancing through muscle was a dull roar in the back of her mind, and she tried to ignore the sharp jabbing feelings in her chest each time she breathed in.


    She was a cultivator of the third realm, and her friend needed help. She would not let herself be disabled by petty wounds of the flesh. Instead, she focused her breathing into the pattern of the Eight Phase Ceremony, cycling her qi in recovery.


    It was fortunate that the fox had not used the more potent energies of the higher realms against them, merely the overwhelming force of an immense well of qi.


    By the Moon¡¯s eyes, they had been so, so lucky.

 Threads 242-Fox 4

    Threads 242-Fox 4


    ¡°Deny as you want, but tell me, what were you gonna do with these scraps?¡± asked the fox.


    Xisheng cowered behind Su Ling¡¯s legs, their eyes shut. Their form was still in flux, features changing between eye blinks.


    ¡°Not a bad meal for a girl at your realm. You thought to get one over me?¡± The monster pursed wrinkled lips. ¡°But¡­ No, you cut it off. Can¡¯t even use it to nip at my power.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t take her for some shitty reason like that. I took her because they all deserve better than you. They¡¯ve already suffered enough,¡± Su Ling said flatly.


    ¡°You¡¯ve killed it though,¡± said the fox, cocking her elderly head, birdlike. ¡°Buncha scraps like that, course they¡¯d start falling apart without the only thing that binds them.¡±


    All of them glanced toward Xisheng, who had now hidden their face in Sixiang¡¯s trousers, avoiding the old woman¡¯s gaze. Their qi was disordered and coming apart. A wisp streamed up from a dissolving sleeve.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, girl. Even if you¡¯ve not inherited my hunger, you¡¯ve inherited my hate.¡± The gentle tap of the cane and the drag of elderly feet were far too loud. The old woman loomed. ¡°Are you even that different? Think I can¡¯t smell the man on you, child? Oh, but he¡¯s a strong one, ain¡¯t he? Won¡¯t even notice if you take a sip. Lucky little kit.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that! I didn¡¯t¡ªIt was just¡ª¡± Su Ling¡¯s own tails snapped and waved wildly in agitation, and her blade wavered. Only the ghost at her feet stopped her from taking a step back.


    ¡°Maybe you didn¡¯t want to eat that, but you wanted to take it from me. It was spite, not some dressed-up virtue that moved your hand.¡±


    Ling Qi hated the verbal assault her friend was under, but if the beast could just remain distracted¡­ Perhaps here, Ling Qi thought. If she could just work her will into the miniscule gaps between the weaves of this illusion world, she could pry open a little crack¡­


    ¡°And you, quit pawing at the shutters, girl.¡± Ling Qi froze as the old woman¡¯s eyes fell on her. ¡°You¡¯re one of the ones who went and confused my girl. Made her forget how things are when you should damn well know better. You¡¯re half nightkin as it is. So much yin you¡¯re a half step from drinking the life breath of men yourself, and you go and fill my Su Ling¡¯s head with this nonsense.¡±


    ¡°I am not yours,¡± Su Ling snarled, but the thing that called itself her mother ignored it, staring down Ling Qi.


    Ling Qi swallowed, pins and needles on her skin. Some part of her wanted to deflect to try and desperately stall for more time. But could she really beat this creature with words and misdirection? No, obviously not. She felt Sixiang¡¯s arms embrace her without form. ¡°All your power, and it''s still not perfect, huh?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± wondered the fox, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°It was like that with Black Skies Yearning too.¡± Ling Qi met her gaze steadily. ¡°A cruel old monster that preys on the weak. So powerful, but there were holes in her illusion because she lacked understanding too.¡± She smiled in reminiscence.¡±You know, I think my teacher¡¯s illusions were the only really perfect ones. She only tripped up because she was fighting herself.¡±


    Su Ling furrowed her brow, looking her way.


    The old woman¡¯s cane struck the floor with a boom. ¡°You got a point in that rambling, girl?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Illusions and art don¡¯t make you elegant or smart. They¡¯re as blunt or graceful as their maker. Su Ling is the righteous one, the one who remembers people¡¯s names and hurts. No one has filled her head with anything. She came on it honestly. Me, I¡¯m only a thief. And you? You¡¯re a poor liar and a brute.¡±


    The thing about cruelty, Ling Qi found, is that it was usually inflicted on someone helpless. Combine this with the pride of a beast who by all indications wished to break rather than kill, and it made her sloppy. Inattentive. More importantly, this was a beast who was not entirely here with connections reaching out into the waking world in three directions.


    And if someone was caught in one act, too often, the catcher will be less attentive to other acts.


    Subtly gathered, dream qi surged, and Sixiang slammed the full weight of their combined qi into the thinnest, most unstable part of the illusions. The tiniest split appeared in the weave, and Ling Qi grabbed Su Ling¡¯s hand. The world erupted in a kaleidoscope of light as Ling Qi reached for the image of power, far more expansive than her little gate.


    Her mind dreamed of golden scales, coiling kilometers into the sky. If she could just get the attention of Xuelong, the Sect Head¡¯s spirit beast¡­ The Sect was his hoard. He¡¯d trivially smack this beast.


    The world flew, or they did. Ling Qi could not tell in the chaos. She threw every ounce of her will and her speed into this jump, and Sixiang expended the entirety of their qi in a single, tremendous burst of dissolution to leave the path behind unknowable.


    It was not enough.


    Death came as fire, purple and smoky. A haze in the shape of a lashing tail, its bone white tip far sharper than mortal steel, sailed straight toward them. Ling Qi felt a lance of terror and pulled deep upon the dark qi that ran through her body, forming the pattern of the Black Mirror technique in the bare instant she had. Her form became the void, a bottomless hole in the world that would absorb any attack.


    The void filled with fire and overflowed. Ling Qi heard a crack like breaking porcelain, and her technique shattered.


    She hit the ground rolling, bile and blood in her throat. A sharp and pinching pain flared in her chest. Smoke trailed from the burned hem of her dress, and distantly, she heard Sixiang cry out in pain. Her flute materialized in her hands as she rolled to her feet, already beginning the steps to summon mirror copies or speed herself on the wind.


    Another tail the size of a tree trunk smashed into her. She felt her right arm snap like so much kindling, and her flute shattered, splinters digging into her lips and neck. She was sent flying into a tree and nearly blacked out, slumping down to its base.


    ¡°Ling Qi!¡± she heard Su Ling scream.


    ¡°Such a rude girl. But if that is what you think, shall this one not oblige?¡± The voice wasn¡¯t raspy and old anymore. Instead, it was deep and thick with menace, only a bare edge of a feminine purr softening the bestial growl.


    All Ling Qi could see was a looming shadow of lashing tails and bony limbs. She was thin, the fox, for all her greed. Fur clung tightly to bones, a nightmare of starvation and murder in the half-formed blackness of a wooden clearing they had landed in.


    Ling Qi spat a mouthful of blood onto the grass, belying her fear. They had been so close. So close! Just a moment more, and they would have reached the gaze of the Sect¡¯s spirit lord, the companion of the Sect Head.


    A bestial paw rose, obsidian nails gleaming in the mist. It descended on her, and Ling Qi struggled to gather the qi to move.


    Distantly, she heard a child''s voice cry out. Moons, this whole adventure had been too bold, even for her.


    Su Ling appeared before her in a burst of speed, the side of her saber held up like a shield, braced on one arm. That dull gray qi from before snapped and hummed. It filled her meridians and crawled on her skin, and around Su Ling, the stuff of dream stiffened and froze. In a cloud of dust, Ling Qi saw a string of formations burning black on her blade. She recognized them from that time so long ago when she had seen Su Ling working with Xuan Shi in Suyin¡¯s residence. Time formations, to render an object immovable and invulnerable, briefly outside of causality.


    The sound of impact could not be described. It was simply a deafening noise. With all her strength, Ling Qi exhaled her mist from every pore, gathering it in a protective cocoon around them as she had in the caldera.


    Su Ling slammed into a stone to her right and bounced, blood erupting from a pair of deep cuts across her body and chest. Her sword had shattered into shards, and she clutched now only the hilt and stump of a blade in her hand.


    This almost felt familiar, Ling Qi thought, her head still ringing.


    ¡°Stop! Stop! I¡¯ll go back, I promise. Please stop!¡± Xisheng was running across pale green grass. The dreamscape showed no sign of ruin.


    Ling Qi struggled and pushed herself up to her knees.


    ¡°Pitiful thing, imagining that you had a choice.¡± The voice emanated from the shadows near the gigantic fox¡¯s head, and she heard it inhale a torrent of air and qi.


    She heard Su Ling scream something unintelligible, a curse or a wordless roar of anger. She felt a stinging pain in the corner of her eyes. Still not enough.


    But then, she caught crimson in the corner of her eyes. There was a clearing in the cloudy sky, and in it hangs a baleful red sickle of moonlight.


    Su Ling staggered to her feet. The child was wailing, their limbs breaking apart into light and mist. Su Ling stumbled forward, half-blind with blood, and stiffened her posture into a high attacking stance. The meridians in her arms writhed visibly under her skin. And at her back, an iron-haired matron whose face is a blood soaked skull sniffed, reached up, and adjusted the angle of Su Ling¡¯s broken blade like an instructor.


    The red was blinding. She heard the echoing scream of a fox, more in shock and outrage than hurt. She saw in the fading flash a bead of blood from a thin cut across the fox¡¯s muzzle.


    Su Ling collapsed to the ground. The fox¡¯s enraged gaze falls onto her wayward daughter.


    And Ling Qi sees a crack in the ground from which black flower petals blow. One of the petals lands on her palm.


    There was a time for suspicion and wariness. This was not it.


    She seized Su Ling, what was left of the child, and dove down the crevice in a slick of shadow. They impacted the pool with a tremendous splash, scattering droplets of water as black as obsidian. The mud and water was sucking and viscous. It clung to her hands and stuck to her dress despite the gown¡¯s enhancements. It felt freezing cold, even to her.


    Ling Qi seized the soaked cloth in her hands and pulled. Su Ling emerged from the water, coughing and spitting. Most of her clothing was dark with blood, even after the dunking, and it was easy to see why. Her arms were practically in shreds, and dark red wounds oozed blood where her meridians had burst under her skin. If they were still mortal, she¡¯d wonder if her friend would ever use her arms again. Despite Su Ling¡¯s wounds, one of her arms was locked in a death grip around the waist of a small, limp frame.


    Su Ling¡¯s eyes were shut, and she gasped for breath, giving a violent cough to cast water and blood alike from her lungs. Ling Qi hissed in alarm.


    And meanwhile, it was impossible to ignore the shadow behind them. A horned skull tilted, black petals drifting on the water, a fleshless grin and empty sockets, watching.


    ¡°Sixiang?¡± Ling Qi whispered hoarsely, paying the skeleton no attention regardless. ¡°Sixiang!¡±


    Sixiang groaned in her head, sounding like their voice was echoing up from the bottom of a deep tunnel.


    ¡°You shocked her though, I think,¡± Ling Qi said, trying to keep calm as she hauled her friend the rest of the way out of the water with her unbroken arm.


    Sixiang muttered, and Ling Qi could feel that their consciousness had slipped away for the moment. Thankfully, she could sense the muse was not in any great danger.


    The same could not be said for the rest of their wounds. The pain of shattered bone lancing through muscle was a dull roar in the back of her mind, and she tried to ignore the sharp jabbing feelings in her chest each time she breathed in.


    She was a cultivator of the third realm, and her friend needed help. She would not let herself be disabled by petty wounds of the flesh. Instead, she focused her breathing into the pattern of the Eight Phase Ceremony, cycling her qi in recovery.


    It was fortunate that the fox had not used the more potent energies of the higher realms against them, merely the overwhelming force of an immense well of qi.


    By the Moon¡¯s eyes, they had been so, so lucky.

 Threads 243-Fox 5

    Threads 243-Fox 5


    She didn¡¯t feel so lucky though, sitting her friend up against the side of the cave.


    Su Ling hacked up another mass of bloody water, and her eyes fluttered open. She mumbled, ¡°Pretty sure we¡¯re not dead?¡±


    ¡°Somehow.¡± Ling Qi swiped soaked hair out of her eyes.


    Her friend¡¯s eyes widened then, and she looked down. ¡°Xisheng, are you okay?¡±


    The child held under her arm did not look okay. Soaked to the bone and covered in Su Ling¡¯s blood, the child ghost¡¯s features, which had settled into an androgynous state, was pasty and pale, their eyes shut. Ling Qi could see places on their arms where flesh and cloth had dissolved into shimmering smoke, leaving crumbling patches as if they were a hollow china doll. The ghost¡¯s feet and lower legs were already gone, crumbled entirely beneath the knee.


    One eye cracked open, looking up at them. It cycled between colors, green and blue and brown, settling eventually on an eye not much different from Su Ling¡¯s. ¡°You cut her,¡± the child breathed out in amazement.


    ¡°Yeah, I did,¡± Su Ling agreed. ¡°See, she ain¡¯t so strong. So hang on a bit. You can see me finish the job.¡±


    Xisheng laughed. It was a happy, childish sound. ¡°Sister is silly. I was never real in the first place. Thank you for pretending I was.¡± They sounded strangely peaceful for what was happening. The holes in their body yawned wider, flesh crumbling like old clay. ¡°I like this. I don¡¯t feel hungry anymore. Nothing hurts.¡±


    ¡°Fucking damn it,¡± Su Ling snarled under her breath.


    Ling Qi was silent, exhaustion finally setting in as she fell back on her heels. She was thankful that the old skeleton was silent. She could not deal with him as well right now.


    Xisheng breathed out, and a part of her cheek caved in. There was no bone or blood, just dust crumbling off. ¡°Sister is too nice. Her heart is too big. Don¡¯t break, okay? There¡¯s lots of us, but only one of you.¡±


    ¡°There won¡¯t be any more of you eaten,¡± Su Ling vowed. ¡°I won¡¯t let this keep happening. Not if I hafta bow and scrape and beg. My pride ain¡¯t worth that. No more Xisheng.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. I think a lot of them would have liked you.¡± The words grew softer and softer until a final sigh of air came and what remained collapsed inward entirely, leaving no more than fragments of clay, grave dirt, and drifting dust on Su Ling¡¯s lap.


    Ling Qi looked away, clenching her fists. Still not enough. She gave her friend privacy and looked to the one who had rescued them at the end. Her eyes met empty sockets that sparked and glittered with eerie green.


    Why?


    BOLD. APPROVAL.


    The spirit¡¯s voice whispered in her mind, the curling caress of dried thorny branches on her thoughts.


    She had failed though.


    Nuance came, the concepts pressed into her mind growing more complex, more comprehensible. Like an old man speaking for the first time in years, becoming clearer more understandable.


    ¡°Practice. The junior oversteps. The senior steadies and catches. Plan better escapes. You have not the fire and spite for broken treasures to bring satisfaction.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t deny that. But she still didn¡¯t understand why.


    ¡°Blood.¡±


    She didn¡¯t believe that. Half the province had his family''s blood.


    ¡°You know of the difference, little junior. You write it in your soul.¡±


    She closed her eyes, feeling the desolate qi of this place. Last time, she had been panicked, terrified, and surprised, but having come from the fox¡¯s den and its illusions, it did not feel quite so bad. Once, she had considered ignoring the door that had appeared, avoiding the danger this old, old thing represented.


    Isolation. It was the desolation of self. This place dripped with it.


    ¡°Ling Qi, who''s the skeleton? Why are you staring at it like that?¡± Su Ling asked. Their voice still cracked, and she knew if she looked at the other girl¡¯s face, her eyes would be red and there would be tracks worn on bloody cheeks.


    Ling Qi clapped her hands together in front of her and offered a small bow, as one would to a senior. ¡°Just a kind uncle who took pity on his junior.¡±


    ¡°You owe me, little thief. But not now. You know the way.¡±


    Su Ling looked hard at the horned skeleton on his throne of muck and stone, woven through with brambles and black petaled flowers. ¡°I trust you, Ling Qi,¡± she grunted. ¡°But I¡¯m also pretty sure I¡¯m gonna pass out soon.¡±


    Ling Qi blew out a breath, her eyes turning to the shadow of the cavern where the razor thin line marked the position of the door back to her labyrinth gate. She wrapped an arm under Su Ling¡¯s shoulders and helped her up. To the skeleton, she answered, ¡°I pay my debts. I¡¯ll be back to tell you the story soon.¡±


    ¡°That all you have to trade? Stories?¡± Su Ling¡¯s voice slurred as she leaned into Ling Qi. ¡°Fuck, how do you always get the best deals?¡±


    A horn crowned skull tilted towards her, and Ling Qi limped for the door.


    She couldn¡¯t wait to catch a real nap.


    ***


    To say their friends were less than pleased with their condition was something of an understatement. To be under the baleful gaze of an unhappy Bai for the better part of an hour reminded her of the spiritual resistance training she had asked for in her first year.


    Bai Meizhen had really refined her technique.


    And she didn¡¯t even know Li Suyin could yell like that.


    The only saving grace, if she wanted to look at it like that, was that Lady Cai had put herself in the medicine hall as well while they¡¯d been out. She didn¡¯t know what the heiress had done yet, but apparently, she¡¯d had to be hauled from her meditation room with blood running from her eyes, ears, and nose and burns all over her body. Almost certainly a tribulation, or so the Sect¡¯s gossip mill whispered. Was it successful or not? No one knew yet.


    Ling Qi sat on the edge of the bed in the medicine hall, still dressed in the white robe she¡¯d been lent. She¡¯d kept her dress on a chair by the bed, so she could lay her hand on it whenever the silk started rippling and twitching anxiously. Her arm was held in a sling, but her breathing was easier now, her ribs no longer being halfway into her lungs.


    Ling Qi chuckled to herself, but it died as her eyes fell on the table beside her bed. On its surface were a handful of wood and metal splinters that had been surgically removed from her upper chest and face. They were all that remained of her flute.


    It¡­ hurt. Her flute hadn¡¯t simply been snapped this time. There was barely any of it left. She had taken its presence for granted, that its reinforced shell could survive anything. She should have gotten a new one ages ago. She had the spirit stones, and she had had the time and peace. Instead, she¡¯d clung to it until it shattered.


    She really was a hypocrite, wasn¡¯t she?


    A pillow hit her in the side of the head.


    ¡°Oi, no brooding allowed in the recovery room,¡± Su Ling grumbled at her in a surly voice. She lay in a narrow bed, propped up on a small mountain of pillows. Her chest was wrapped in bandages, and so were her arms. Her arms were absolutely swathed in them in fact, to the extent that her hands could not be seen.


    ¡°Did you throw that pillow with your tail?¡± Ling Qi asked incredulously.


    Su Ling glared flatly, one dark furred tail curling at the side of her bed. ¡°So what if I did? You were brooding again.¡±


    ¡°I can brood if I want,¡± Ling Qi said petulantly.


    ¡°You should rest,¡± Su Ling accused, jabbing the tip of the tail at her. ¡°... and ¡®m sorry. I know that thing meant a lot to you.¡±


    Ling Qi smiled. It was a little stiff. ¡°You don¡¯t get to apologize for my harebrained idea.¡±


    Sixiang drawled sarcastically.


    ¡°Su Ling, you need to figure out how to whap a dream spirit with a pillow. Sixiang is sassing me,¡± Ling Qi complained.


    She pulled her eyes away from the splinters. Later. There was time for that later.


    ¡°Blat them yourself,¡± Su Ling said without sympathy.


    Ling Qi shot the open air a huffy look, and Sixiang snickered. Yes, they were all alive. Even Su Ling would recover, though the scarring on her arms would be severe.


    She would never be able to use those meridians in her arms for anything else though. It was as if she had assimilated a domain weapon early.


    But they were fine. And that was worth more than some happy memories.


    ¡°Hey, Ling Qi. You¡¯ll get that message to that Diao woman, right? Or go around her if need be? I know it¡¯s a big favor, but¡­¡±


    ¡°It will be done,¡± Ling Qi said. She was not Su Ling, but she had no desire to see that monstrosity continue. A sweep for any children with fox blood and a request for closer monitoring would be a good start.


    And if it couldn¡¯t be resolved, there was a member of the Ministry of Integrity right here, wasn¡¯t there?


    Su Ling sighed. ¡°Than¡ª¡±


    There was a boom, and the earth shook. Then, a crash drew their eyes to the door. The water set on the table¡¯s edge rippled with pounding footsteps. The doors burst open with a bang, and there stood Gan Guangli with a frazzled young disciple hanging off his arm like a scarf.


    ¡°Sir, visiting hours are over,¡± the dizzy disciple groaned.


    ¡°Miss Su, my deepest apologies! I was out among the wilderness and had not heard of your plight!¡± he announced, head scraping the rafters as he thudded in, ignoring the aide in a startling display of rudeness for her fellow retainer. ¡°Are you¡ª¡±


    A pillow struck him dead center in the face.


    ¡°Up. Shut. Now. Down. Volume,¡± Su Ling rushed out, looking as if she wished to sink entirely into her mountain of pillows.


    Ling Qi smiled at her friend, bright and friendly.


    Su Ling shivered.

 Chapter 244-Journey 1

    Chapter 244-Journey 1


    Ling Qi did not feel her best when next she stepped through the veil of dream. Her chest still ached with healing bone, and her arm was still restrained under heavy plaster and held tight to her chest in a sling. It would be a week or so before she could move it freely again.


    But she was not going to ignore a debt she owed.


    ¡°Honestly, if the ol¡¯ bonebag was gonna do immediate harm, he¡¯d have done it,¡± Sixiang commented from above her shoulder. Sixiang was wounded as well, but wounds manifested differently in a bodiless spirit. Their presence felt thin, and their voice occasionally warbled on the wind, its volume and tone turning strange.


    ¡°Yes, but I won¡¯t be totally off my guard,¡± Ling Qi said thoughtfully, looking out into the infinite shadow forest that represented the Sect in the liminal realm. She took comfort in the golden light that gleamed through the canopy, the acrid scent of lightning hanging ever present in the air. Even her mind could not conjure nightmares of the fox¡¯s presence here under the eyes of the Sect Head¡¯s dragon companion.


    Instead, she regarded the plain and unassuming door which led into the twisted prison of time. It stood there in the soft grass, outlined by the mist of the forest, unsupported by frame or hinges. It was all but invisible unless she faced it from the front, appearing only as a thin black line from the sides.


    ¡°Visiting him of my own will is probably the safest thing I can do,¡± Ling Qi continued. ¡°A person can get desperate, I think, when they¡¯re alone too long.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. Just consider your words carefully, alright?¡±


    ¡°I know a spirit doesn¡¯t have to mean harm to do it.¡± Ling Qi reached for the door. Then again, neither did a human. That was just life. She took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯ll be careful.¡±


    The door opened silently under her hand, revealing a black void in the world. Ling Qi took a step and disappeared inside.


    The prison remained as it ever was, a wide underground chamber half-filled by sluggish black waters. The air was clammy and damp, and no light penetrated its recesses. This mattered little to Ling Qi, who stepped from the door-shaped void in its far wall in a gentle rustle of cloth.


    ¡°Dutiful.¡±


    Ling Qi inclined her head as a rasping reedy voice impressed itself in her mind, bypassing mortal senses entirely. The shell of the spirit, the black bones of the horned skeleton, remained in the center of the lake on a small muddy islet. Brown and green creepers and vines grew through his bones, growing from between its ribs, pushing out of its jaws, and blooming in empty eye sockets. They rustled as the blossoming skull shifted to greet her.


    ¡°I¡¯m not one to delay in paying my respects. Thank you again for your assistance, Honored Elder.¡± Ling Qi bowed low at the waist, as much as she could manage in her current state.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get the chance last time, but let me add my thanks too, old timer,¡± Sixiang added, appearing over her shoulder. Though the muse¡¯s form wavered and faded, they bowed too.


    ¡°Polite juniors. Come and sit by the shore. A story is owed.¡±


    Ling Qi rose smoothly, ignoring the prickling twinge in her ribs, and gave a small nod. With a flick of her wrist, she withdrew a plush cushion from her storage ring and set it on the damp shore, before sitting down and settling herself in. She kept herself cross-legged and straight-backed, respectful as one should be with an elder.


    The skull very slowly twisted to follow her motion, petals drifting down to settle upon the water.


    ¡°It began when I learned a friend was considering some extreme methods of cultivation, and I cast around for anything I could do to help¡­¡±


    The spirit made not a sound as she began to speak, but the shadows gathered close around her as if she were a flame in the darkness.


    Through the whole of her tale, the silence was only broken by her voice and the occasional interjection by Sixiang. She spoke of their entry into the realm of the fox and the feeling of hunger and consumption. She spoke of the shrine and the memories of betrayal and twisting and the ghost child.


    She began to lay out the tale, carefully picking her words as she used them to paint a story. She understood implicitly that this was not a place for the dry recounting of facts. She was careful to comb her own thoughts, internally conversing with Sixiang to make sure the memories weren¡¯t vanishing. She checked the flow of her qi, and though she felt a faint tug on her energy as some of the qi she breathed out slipped into the waters, it was only a trickle.


    It was a little theft, like one from a young urchin slipping coopers from a fat purse bulging with silver. Ling Qi didn¡¯t allow the cadence of her tale to be interrupted by what she had noticed. She met the stare of blooming eye sockets, seeing the glittering green sparks and motes of light that flickered there, and read a smirking challenge.


    She spoke of being confronted by the fox as they fled with the ghost child, and deftly, oh so deftly, she extended her cycling qi beyond flesh, letting streamers of mist drift as she stole back drops of liquid darkness and thought to replace what was taken.


    A pittance, no more. Surely not enough for the elder to notice.


    Green sparks glittered in the dark.


    As she continued telling the story, her meridians felt tense, not quite exhausted but fatigued. Every mote of power snatched from the skeleton¡¯s hands inspired a more subtle response until she needed Sixiang to assist her in noticing the stolen bits of power vanishing from her spirit. Every breath and every cycle of her qi saw little disturbances, sometimes not even thefts but simple disruptions to her qi that would, if left unchecked, snarl her cultivation for hours or days.


    By the time she poured out the tale of Su Ling¡¯s stand, sweat was beading on her brow, and she had long since ceased to have any chance to counterattack in this game of qi theft.


    ¡°And that is where the honored senior¡¯s assistance came in, granting escape in the chaos,¡± Ling Qi finished, her eyes darted about, gleaming silver. She remained tense for the next theft, but it never came.


    ¡°A thrilling tale. Junior, these wounds have unsettled you terribly. Observe closely any disturbances in cycling.¡±


    Her next session of cultivation was not going to be as productive as she liked. She hadn¡¯t been able to keep up with the spirit¡¯s disruption. At the same time, the beads of energy she had taken weighed heavy in her dantian, dream and darkness and wind, potent and dense, ready for assimilation into her dantian.


    She had a feeling she would come out better despite the irritation.


    ¡°The junior thanks the kind senior.¡± Ling Qi lowered her head. ¡°Did the tale satisfy?¡±


    ¡°Flare. A tale should stir the heart. Your words are lacking.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned. She thought she had dressed it up a little, nothing false but a little exuberance of detail to make it more compelling. ¡°I did not wish to lie, Honored Senior.¡±


    ¡°Fools and amateurs lie. The master forges the ores of truth into the alloy of narrative. Stories are the ties that bind men together. Stories are power.¡±


    ¡°That seems like a dangerous path,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°The sword is deadly, yet men wield it.¡±


    Ling Qi took the point. ¡°How might I improve my stories?¡±


    ¡°To begin, know thy audience.¡±


    Ling Qi narrowed her eyes, wondering if she was being made fun of. ¡°Then, Honored Senior, may I know the name you would like to be called by?¡±


    Bones and dry vines creaked in the dark. A skull tilted in curiosity.


    ¡°There was once a man with many names. He, too, learned to be a thief of winds, but the winds were long stolen, and a master must earn new titles.


    Thief of Minds. Thief of Hearts. Thief of Stories. Breaker of Ways. Arch-Heretic of the Dreaming Way.


    But names, too, are stories. Was he ever real at all? Or was he a phantom that lived in the minds of the mighty? Was he less or more, a man or group? Perhaps an old grandfather had gone mad, stewing in his regrets, wearing a mask that had become his face.


    Who can say?


    This one is only an echo bouncing forever in the solitude of a cell.¡±


    Ling Qi swallowed thickly as the resonating whispers crashed over her mind. They were far fewer words than she had spoken, but she could not ignore the shiver of uncertainty that traveled up her spine. She wondered not for the first time if she was stepping too far. But that was a question for those who did not intend to see their path to the summit of cultivation.


    Sixiang muttered.


    ¡°An echo¡­ That will do. The junior may call this one Elder Huisheng.¡±


    ¡°As the senior likes. But if I may ask, why do the elders of the Sect not guard you more closely?¡±


    Green sparks danced, and a black petal fell, crisping under the devouring fire until it blew away as viridian dust.


    ¡°The junior tries to get an old man rambling. The debt is paid. I have been generous.¡±


    ¡°You have,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°I apologize for my presumption. Is there anything in particular I should search for in a story?¡±


    ¡°Does Xiangmen stand?¡±


    ¡°Of course it does,¡± Ling Qi began incredulously. ¡°Oh, the city, you mean. Yes, the city stands. I have heard it is very prosperous.¡±


    There was silence for a time, just the rippling of water and the whisper of wind.


    ¡°Tell of the Dreaming Court, the galas of the Moon, when you return. Even here, the shock when the throne of Tsu was taken resounded.¡±


    Ling Qi shared a look with Sixiang and bowed her head again. ¡°It will be done, Elder Huisheng.¡±


    She had already been planning to slip aside with Sixiang when she had the chance during their visit to Xiangmen. Best not to complain when goals aligned.


    She felt the spirit''s observation upon her as she stood and bowed again, her cushion vanishing back into her ring. "What will you trade for the tale, elder?"


    Sixiang laughed in her head. There was no point in not being bold.


    Bones creaked and rattled like dry laughter and crunching leaves.


    "A story. A lesson.¡±

 Threads 245-Journey 2

    Threads 245-Journey 2


    Ling Qi frowned at the little golden statue hovering over the labyrinth gate of her hub in the dream. It bothered her. Despite the fact that it was something the old Weilu had followed, that the Hui had claimed as their own, and that the Meng still claimed to follow a form of, books did not directly reference it, referring to it only in oblique metaphor.


    ¡°I feel like I need to say it again now that we¡¯re out of there, but you know not to trust that guy right?¡±¡± Sixiang stepped into the dream beside her. The muse put a hand on Ling Qi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Cause that cultivation game you just played?¡±


    ¡°Was incredibly dangerous.¡± Ling Qi swayed a little on her feet. Exhaustion fuzzed her mind, and her knees wobbled. ¡°But I couldn¡¯t refuse the contest.¡±


    ¡°Course you couldn¡¯t.¡± Sixiang sighed, wrapping an arm around her, supporting her under the shoulder.


    Sixiang was the only one tall enough to do so without hovering, Ling Qi thought absently. It was enough to get a tired laugh.


    Sixiang shot her a grin, guiding her over to a flat stone where she could sit and meditate and sort out her qi. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan for that?¡±


    Ling Qi considered the potent drops of qi she had taken in the early parts of the contest. The skeleton called himself a thief in words, and being a thief herself, she knew that a thief was untrustworthy. She didn¡¯t care for the idea of having her body stolen or her personality shifted or whatever else a potent spirit could theoretically do.


    ¡°For now? I¡¯m going to ask Shu Yue to check my cultivation when we reach the first stop on the trip north. It won¡¯t be out of place with what Su Ling and I faced.¡±


    Sixiang crouched in an undignified squat before her, eyebrows rising into their hair. ¡°That spook? When are you going to get the chance?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll be watching over us on our trip north to Xiangmen. They said they were there to help me at the tournament. I suppose I¡¯ll be testing that.¡±


    ¡°Mmm, someone like that probably would notice any weird presents left behind,¡± Sixiang considered. ¡°You gonna try and get their backing for your talk with Diao Hualing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d really like to not start my negotiation with Diao Hualing with such a threat.¡± Ling Qi slowly circulated her qi. There were deviations like drops of blood staining a cloth, and she breathed out, working to purify her energy. ¡°I¡¯ll speak with her first and work with the ministry. I¡¯d prefer if the relationship didn¡¯t have to be antagonistic.¡±


    ¡°But you will if you have to, huh?¡± Sixiang tilted their head to the side. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I want to hurt that monster,¡± Ling Qi said darkly. She reached up, touching her cheek where one of the shards of her flute had been embedded. ¡°Because she took something from me, and she tried to take more.¡±


    The fox had tried to hurt Su Ling, to break someone her friend clearly found precious, and to taint and poison one of the few happy memories the stoic girl held close. She also didn¡¯t want more children to suffer. She would be happy if they didn¡¯t. Only Su Ling herself would be happier with the news that a fox-blooded child or two were plucked away from suffering and brought somewhere to live well.


    But the truth was, she wanted the old monster to hurt.


    It made her feel a little unworthy that that was her real overriding motivation, above any altruistic impulse, but she hadn¡¯t lied to the fox. Su Ling was righteous. Cai Renxiang was righteous. She was just a girl who was beginning to be convinced that life could be better than the cold nightmare that a creature like the fox represented.


    But she knew one person¡¯s hands wouldn¡¯t and couldn¡¯t be enough to change that.


    One person couldn¡¯t carry the world on their back, no matter how mighty they were. On that, at least, she agreed with Diao Linqin.


    But right now, she just didn¡¯t know enough. Every day, she discovered some new shadowed corner of history or inexplicable relation, and she found herself wondering just how much larger the world could get.


    She was beginning to find her ignorance frustrating. There was so much she didn¡¯t know, and it bothered her almost as much as the weakness that still dogged her. Maybe it didn¡¯t gleam like stones or jewels, but knowledge could be a treasure too.


    Once she felt settled from her meditation, Ling Qi left the liminal behind, stepping back home. With the labyrinth gate, it was as easy as stepping between rooms, smooth and controlled with barely any effort at all.


    When she emerged back into reality, she found herself face-to-face with Hanyi and Zhengui, who had clearly been pacing the clearing.


    ¡°Big Sis!¡±


    She almost took a step back as they all cried out at once, blinking in shock. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡± she asked worriedly.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re late!¡± Hanyi said, crossing her arms. She stood on top of Gui¡¯s head. ¡°Lady Cai sent us to look for you since you didn¡¯t show up at the carriage!¡±


    Ling Qi frowned. ¡°But I didn¡¯t spend¡ª¡± She swallowed as she looked up at the sky, seeing how close the sun was to its zenith. Just how long did she spend in the gaol?


    ¡°There¡¯s another danger to watch,¡± Sixiang murmured.


    Ling Qi held back an expletive. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s move. I¡¯m sorry, Hanyi, Zhengui. I didn¡¯t mean to worry you.¡±


    She extended a hand, drawing them back into her dantian and took off from the cliff, soaring down to the base of the mountain.


    ***


    The carriage was absurdly luxurious. It was made of polished white wood with inlaid patterns full of powdered gemstone which glimmered and flashed in a rainbow of colors under the light. Its wheels and axles were some alloy of silver and steel that seemed invulnerable to marking or dirt. It was pulled by a team of four pale gray horses, each of which exceeded Ling Qi¡¯s own cultivation. A White Plume soldier accompanied by two others, all of whom were in the third realm, drove the carriage. And that was ignoring the stark shadow it cast, which did not even try to hide that it held a potent presence.


    It felt bizarre to be seen off with such fanfare.


    As to the interior, through some bending of space, it was easily the size of the sitting room in her family¡¯s town home. On either side, the curtained and shuttered windows looked out on the blurring landscape. Plush benches richly upholstered were built into the walls, and soft carpet cushioned their feet. A marble topped table was bolted to the floor between the benches and on it were set out cups with tea and small platters of light snacks. A small crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, tinkling lightly with the hint of motion that made it into the interior and casting bright light throughout the space.


    It was a good thing that Ling Qi had become accustomed to luxury, or this would have been horribly uncomfortable. She sat a body length down from her liege on one side, carefully sipping from a cup of an earthy black tea.


    Cai Renxiang sat stiffly, her hands folded in her lap. There were only a few signs of the burns she had been said to suffer in the faint patterns of red along her neck and wrists. Cai Renxiang¡¯s hair was held back by a platinum circlet and had been arranged in a coiling braid along the back of her head, leaving her neck bare.


    Surprisingly, Liming¡¯s form had changed significantly. She was not a dress at the moment, but a pair of tight white trousers which were tucked into dark red riding boots and a crisp white and gold shirt with loose sleeves, though Liming¡¯s red and gold ¡°eyes¡¯ remained splayed across Renxiang¡¯s chest. A golden cord-like belt affixed with a pin in a butterfly¡¯s shape hung at Renxiang¡¯s waist.


    Gan Guangli, sitting across from them, took up much of the bench with his bulk. He wore a finely patterned and embroidered quilted underarmor of his usual garb. He seemed to be trying not to stare at Cai Renxiang as much as she was.


    Cai Renxiang¡¯s eyes drifted shut under their not quite stares. Only a few minutes into their journey north, and already, the atmosphere was terribly awkward.


    ¡°You have questions,¡± Cai Renxiang said.


    ¡°I would know what you accomplished, if you would share it, Lady Cai,¡± Gan Guangli rumbled.


    Ling Qi inclined her head in agreement.


    ¡°I engaged in negotiations with Liming. I wrested from her some small amount of power and insight. It was a most stressful endeavor.¡± Cai Renxiang calmly reached out to pour herself a cup. The movements remained as precise and controlled as she had come to expect from the girl. ¡°I am told you underwent something similar, Ling Qi?¡±


    ¡°It was less personal. I was assisting someone else, but I still found some insight in the confrontation.¡±


    Gan Guangli let out a deep sigh. ¡°And I had believed that challenging the First Inner Sect Peak to test my strength was reckless. I have many lessons to learn.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had more time to corrupt our lady. I¡¯ll work on you too, Gan Guangli. If only for Su Ling¡¯s sake,¡± Ling Qi teased.


    Gan Guangli let out a single laugh, but his eyes remained serious. ¡°And this change, Lady Renxiang? This is part of your results?¡±


    Cai Renxiang hummed, inhaling the rising steam from her cup. ¡°I have never liked dresses. They do not suit me.¡±


    It was a simple, innocuous statement. Somehow, it held far more weight than it should have.


    ¡°And it is far past the time that I choose something so simple as my own garb,¡± she added.


    ¡°I think this style suits you well,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I am sure Lin Hai could help you accessorize a bit more. Maybe some gloves?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps. One must be willing to adjust,¡± Cai Renxiang replied. ¡°But I do believe I have promised you some explanations for both my recent behavior and the future.


    ¡°Take it in your time. We have a long journey,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°But there is much to talk about, much to plan, and much to comprehend. I have put this off too long.¡± Cai Renxiang pinned them with a serious stare. ¡°My mother, the Duchess of the Emerald Seas, expects and demands that I or one of her future daughters overthrow her.¡±

 Threads 246-Journey 3

    Threads 246-Journey 3


    There was a long beat of silence in the carriage, oppressive and cloying.


    ¡°Your mother never does assign easy tasks,¡± Gan Guangli said, breaking it. His smile seemed dimmer, but it was firm.


    Ling Qi wondered if he, too, was trying to contain a monster of incredulous fear in his chest. She managed a wan smile, resting her cheek on her hand. ¡°I applaud your delivery, Lady Renxiang, but I hope you can tell us a little more.¡±


    Overthrowing the Duchess. It was so utterly absurd that Ling Qi wondered if that was why her reaction was muted. It felt like it had to be some mad joke.


    Cai Renxiang took a deep breath. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°An odd statement,¡± Gan Guangli said, sitting up straighter. ¡°It is not like you to speak unclearly, my lady.¡±


    ¡°I suppose it is not,¡± her liege said. ¡°It is as I have said. My mother granted me insight into her nature and Way. This has explained many things to me. My mother cannot remain on the throne for the full span of an immortal''s life, though I am not certain how long we have.¡±


    Ling Qi thought back to that strange conversation with Diao Linqin. ¡°Lady Renxiang, I feel I should mention this now, but I had a conversation with the Prime Minister before the tournament¡¯s end.¡±


    Cai Renxiang frowned.¡±What of, Ling Qi?¡±


    ¡°She mostly seemed to be giving me advice on my own cultivation, but it did lead to a question. She and your mother are bound tightly. The question occurred to me then, what will happen when she is gone?¡±


    ¡°The Prime Minister is roughly four hundred fifty years old,¡± Gan Guangli said. ¡°At two centuries your mother¡¯s senior, and a realm beneath her, that does seem a valid question.¡±


    Cai Renxiang considered their words. Her expression briefly became a scowl. ¡°Then it seems we have our likely time limit. A seventh realm cultivator lives some eight or nine centuries on average.¡±


    ¡°I must wonder what the Duchess might do that is so far beyond the pale at that point,¡± Gan Guangli said. ¡°I will not excuse the harms done to you, Lady Renxiang, but for the province, she has brought only prosperity and progress.¡±


    ¡°And much grumbling from the lords of the land,¡± Cai Renxiang said.


    ¡°I suspect that the Prime Minister¡­ grounds her in some way. This, I saw in the insight she granted me.¡±


    ¡°There is that as well. My mother is a being of change, destruction, and renewal. There were very many things which required her touch in the Emerald Seas. Indeed, there are many yet still.¡±


    ¡°But there will not always be.¡± Gan Guangli rested his chin on his fist, his expression drawn down in a frown.


    ¡°That is my belief,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°However, let it be clear that I have no intention of attempting any military solution.¡±


    ¡°Is there some other way to interpret overthrow?¡± Ling Qi wondered.


    ¡°That seemed to be her implication,¡± Cai Renxiang admitted. ¡°But I will not agree to this. I will not see the Emerald Seas razed in my ¡®victory,¡¯ and that is the only result that a war or rebellion could bring. Even if that is what she desires of me, she will not get it.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked. In her head, Sixiang whistled. Even Gan Guangli looked briefly surprised. Ling Qi did not think she had ever heard the girl flatly reject her mother¡¯s opinion like that.


    ¡°Then what do you plan, my lady? How does one force the abdication of an eighth realm?¡± Gan Guangli asked. He did not sound incredulous, only curious.


    ¡°I have seen what she is, and I am no longer an overawed child. The path to victory is to prove that what I build is the way forward, and her methods, the regression. Any conflict of ideals among sovereign cultivators is a battle of a kind, but it is here that I will make my stand. Not with armies. If I cannot do this¡­ then I am not fit to rule.¡±


    Somehow, Cai Renxiang¡¯s proposal did not make it any less frightening, Ling Qi mused. Directly opposing the Way of a cultivator of the eighth realm was fighting them. It was a different sort of fight, one with perhaps less collateral, but she wondered if the consequences would be any different for her and others that stood at Renxiang¡¯s side.


    Yet if Cai Renxiang could not succeed, wouldn¡¯t that only mean that their province would see war again, this time with itself? Whether it was one of Cai Renxiang¡¯s siblings,Tienli or one yet to be born, or the other lords of the province, would it make a difference?


    She thought of burning glades and abandoned villages, of hungry foxes and the cruelty of armies. ¡°Well, Gan Guangli is right. She never does make tasks easy on us.¡±


    ¡°She does not,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed.


    ¡°Can you be satisfied with that?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°Despite everything she has done to you?¡±


    ¡°Will destroying my mother¡¯s works help even a single person, even myself?¡± Cai Renxiang asked archly. ¡°I have no interest in tantrums.¡±


    Ling Qi could feel the glower in the qi radiating from Liming, and she saw the embroidery shift and tighten.Cai Renxiang grimaced.


    ¡°The past should inform, but never command,¡± Gan Guangli said simply, leaning back in his seat. ¡°Look ahead. What changes in the immediate term?¡±


    ¡°Little,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°Save that the success of this project is even more vital. We have so little room for even mediocrity, let alone failure. These negotiations must be seen as a complete success by every group we wish to court. I will be relying on each of you to continue exceeding expectations on every task.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t achieve the peak through mediocrity,¡± Ling Qi said lightly. ¡°Remind me to take you on a trip some time, Gan Guangli.¡±


    He raised his eyebrows in mock alarm. ¡°Ah, Miss Su has warned me of this. I will prepare myself for tribulation.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d better,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Lady Cai, is there anything I should do in the immediate term?¡±


    ¡°Continue ingratiating yourself with these reformist Meng. Were it possible to maneuver them into power, that would be an immense aid both to our eventual goals. Gan Guangli, I would like you to speak to the Jia where you can. I know you¡¯ve an interest in military organization. You have a good rapport with your tutor despite our difficulty?¡±


    ¡°I do, and you should know that she bears no grudge. She deeply regrets her errors of judgment in the first assault,¡± Gan Guangli said.


    ¡°I hold no grudge,¡± Cai Renxiang dismissed


    Ling Qi tilted her head. She remembered that during the first attack of the underground people, a core disciple had gotten overeager and ordered Cai Renxiang and a number of other disciples to pursue their retreat, and it had gone poorly. She glanced at Gan Guangli. It was very unusual for a core disciple to tutor an Outer Sect one.


    Someone was looking to curry perceived lost favor.


    It worked out in Gan Guangli¡¯s favor, she supposed.


    ¡°In any case, focus on the auction ahead. Many treasures from across the Empire come to Xiangmen. Materials for new talismans and medicines which will serve you well can be found here,¡± Cai Renxiang said.


    Ling Qi grimaced at the change of subject. She really had to think about that now with the destruction of her flute. Although, she supposed that even if it hadn¡¯t broken, it had been time to replace her flute. She felt an ugly feeling churn in her gut all the same.


    ¡°Should we seek contacts with craftsmen as well? Or will we continue to rely on Senior Brother Lin?¡± Gan Guangli asked.


    Ling Qi saw a shadow cross Renxiang¡¯s face. ¡°Senior Brother remains useful, but more contacts cannot hurt. We have some needs outside his specialties. Find what you can, but do not be too concerned.¡±


    ¡°I will want to take some time on the other side,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Will that present problems?¡±


    Cai Renxiang considered this, folding her hands in her lap. ¡°Be careful.¡±


    Ling Qi opened her mouth to speak and fell silent when Cai Renxiang fixed her with a look out of one eye.


    ¡°Ling Qi, be careful,¡± she repeated slowly.


    ¡°I will.¡± She sighed. She supposed she had earned that.


    The conversation continued. They discussed the auction, the items or materials they hoped to find, and the ways of the city of Xiangmen.


    But for Ling Qi, she had a more immediate issue to concern herself with. Tomorrow, she will be speaking with Diao Hualing and the Ministry of Law.


    ***


    She had been a mortal the last time she found it so hard to keep her breathing controlled. The lessons and exercises of her Eight Phase Ceremony seemed awfully distant.


    They had to oppose the Duchess.


    Even if Cai Renxiang were right in her supposition that it could be done without the great violence of armies, what did that mean for them, the ones at the core of that opposition?


    As the journey had gone on, their conversation had circled back to the ultimatum, and Cai Renxiang had shared the insight she had gained. Revolution, the violent breaking of preceding structures of society, was at the core of the woman who ruled the Emerald Seas. The Duchess was one who could only move forward. She could never turn back and never stop.


    It resonated, Ling Qi had to admit. There was a large part of her that understood that lesson. Stagnation was death. She had not thought of the implications of incorporating this lesson and spreading its impacts beyond the immediate circle of family and friends though, and even such a small increase in scope had induced difficulties in her cultivation.


    Yes, she found herself understanding very well.


    It was still terrifying.


    But at that moment, showing her fear and reluctance to Renxiang would have been wrong. Support was more important. It was obvious that Gan Guangli had reached the same conclusion independently. She doubted that Renxiang didn¡¯t know what was behind the smiles and comforting words. But it was important to give them all the same.


    Sixiang murmured comfortingly.


    Hanyi seemed unsettled by the very thought.


    Ling Qi let out a long breath, letting her spirits bicker as she opened her eyes. She sat on a comfortable stone bench set beside a tiled walkway that wound through the expansive garden of the local Ministry of Law complex. Observing the meticulously orderly patches of flowers and regularly spaced trees, glittering fountains, and the aesthetic of tamed nature, she thought Renxiang would like this place more than she did.


    However, it was still a peaceful place to wait and order her thoughts and cultivation. She needed to get away from the carriage after all the revelations. Showing up early and politely accepting the offer to meditate in the gardens until Diao Hualing had completed her previous appointment served that well. She wasn¡¯t sure she could call herself calm at this point, but she could at least conceal her nerves.


    A ripple traveled through the serene qi of the garden, an advancing crest that washed over and around the little islands that were the other occupants of the garden, various meditating clerks or officers of the ministry. Ling Qi rose smoothly to her feet, and bowed, wincing a bit at the jostle it gave her still healing arm. It would still be another few days before she could remove the cast.


    ¡°Inspector Diao Hualing, this one greets you with great respect.¡±

 Threads 247-Journey 4

    Threads 247-Journey 4


    ¡°It is my honor to receive such a polite guest,¡± the older woman said, her own bow less deep and ostentatious. Her gown was much more staid and businesslike than what she had worn at the tournament, a deep green with only plain geometric embroidery along the fitted hems. She raised her head after only a brief few seconds.¡°I must apologize that you were left waiting so long.¡±


    ¡°This is my own fault,¡± Ling Qi replied, raising her head. ¡°Though it was a little impudent, I wished to make use of your garden to settle my mind.¡±


    ¡°I see. That is no trouble. The gardens of the ministry are very fine.¡±


    ¡°No doubt due to your family''s influence, Lady Diao,¡± Ling Qi praised.


    ¡°Correct,¡± the older woman agreed. ¡°Will you walk with me then? Perhaps our talks will be improved by the fresh air.¡±


    ¡°Certainly.¡± Ling Qi stepped out onto the tiled path, and she folded her arms behind her as she walked beside Diao Hualing.


    ¡°May I ask what you already know of the ministries?¡± Diao Hualing asked pleasantly.


    ¡°Each is structured around four layers of administration: imperial; provincial; regional; and district. Within each layer are nine ranks which officials are marked by. Advancement and acceptance relies on recommendations from higher ranks or excellent performance in exams administered at the provincial level,¡± Ling Qi recited. ¡°The only exception is the Ministry of Integrity, which has only an imperial layer outside of the Celestial Peaks and Alabaster Sands.¡±


    ¡°That is all correct. Before the Great Sect system, the ministries were the primary path through which unattached cultivators were able to advance, although this had many flaws,¡± Diao Hualing said.


    Ling Qi gave a small nod. It wasn¡¯t as if potential troublesome talents like, for example, herself or Ji Rong would ever have the chance of patronage under that old system. ¡°The ministries wield significant influence, being parallel rather than superior to the lesser nobility,¡± Ling Qi tested.


    ¡°True. Even a baron may dismiss their advisor and request a new one, but it would be deeply unwise to make an enemy of his District Minister, let alone one of the region,¡± Diao Hualing observed. ¡°The ministries were greatly defensive of their independence.¡±


    ¡°Were?¡± Ling Qi asked as they came before a large fountain. Its centerpiece was a glittering, half-transparent green crystal, and the water rained down from its ¡°leaves.¡±


    ¡°The Duchess changed a great deal. A superior may recommend a subordinate, but recommendations no longer provide¡­ weight to the scoring of exams. In addition, the curriculum was changed. Exams are now judged by panels of ministry experts selected by lottery, and the applicant¡¯s identity is not revealed to them during the judgment,¡± Diao Hualing explained. ¡°It was quite a disruptive decree, and some wondered whether the Duchess could even wield such authority.¡±


    ¡°It seems it was,¡± Ling Qi said cautiously.


    ¡°Indeed!¡± Diao Hualing said lightly. ¡°It is good that she made her case to Emperor An. I am told he was quite approving. The imperial ministries objected quite strenuously. Even the Empress has had some troubles with this, but perhaps her recent ascension to the eighth realm might change this.¡±


    ¡°While I am no expert in civil matters, it seems this change was good. I have heard few statements extolling the virtue of the Emerald Seas¡¯ past governance.¡±


    ¡°Certainly.¡± Diao Hualing watched the glittering rays of light that passed through the green crystal. ¡°But it has made the ministries less independent, particularly in the provincial ministries located in Xiangmen where the reform was at its most percussive.¡±


    Ling Qi turned the words over in her mind. Percussive. A funny way to say that the Duchess had personally seen to the physical annihilation of large portions of the upper ranks of the ministries and the mass eviction of most of the rest from their positions. How much entrenched resistance remained in those offices which had not been so thoroughly ¡°cleaned¡±?


    ¡°Reform was needed, but it is not good for the ministries to be too dependent on noble politics,¡± she offered.


    ¡°Words to be considered, I hope,¡± Diao Hualing replied.


    ¡°My lady intends to build on her mother¡¯s work,¡± Ling Qi agreed. And Moons, did those words now come much harder than they had before.


    Diao Hualing must have caught her slight unease because the woman looked at her curiously before continuing. ¡°But we digress. We should speak of your matter. We have begun investigations into the region your source indicated and found some corroborating evidence ourselves. There are some indications of minor fraud and bribery occurring, small matters that are beneath the usual level our office is concerned with.¡±


    Ling Qi considered this. This office was the regional Ministry of Law for the Central Valley. ¡°Is there some problem with the district investigators?¡±


    Diao Hualing pursed her lips. ¡°So far, it has not risen beyond a certain slothfulness, rather than any direct collaboration, but yes, a number of clerks and officers of the lower and middle ranks will be receiving very negative performance reviews.¡±


    ¡°And how does this relate to my issue?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°We believe the fraudster responsible for a number of other minor crimes is positioned in the district¡¯s Ministry of Communications. We have reduced the possible culprits to a half-dozen or so,¡± Diao Hualing said. ¡°In a few weeks, we expect to have narrowed this list further.¡±


    ¡°It seems strange that one who had been getting away with minor crimes would escalate,¡± Ling Qi said thoughtfully as they resumed walking around the fountain, heading into a grove of vibrant cherry trees. ¡°Ah. This fellow is a dupe, am I right?¡±


    ¡°A minor fraudster getting by on little pieces of sabotage and embezzlement up until now? Certainly. He was likely working for someone else in this case. A ¡®dupe,¡¯ as you said.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a new idea for Ling Qi. It was part of why it was dangerous to work for someone else on the streets. There was always the possibility that the boss was throwing a contractor to a bigger wolf to test reactions or just to provide a distraction.


    ¡°Unfortunate for him. How may I continue to assist?¡±


    ¡°There is some possibility that if our assumptions are not correct, the culprit may have some methods of escape which would require significant resources to neutralize. Since I know that you wish to involve yourself, perhaps you would like to save the Ministry this expense?¡±


    ¡°Doing the capture?¡± Ling Qi consulted her spirits. Hanyi seemed to like the idea, but Zhengui seemed more ambivalent.


    Sixiang murmured.


    ¡°I don¡¯t object, but is that legal? I wouldn¡¯t want to offend the lord who owns the lands,¡± Ling Qi said.


    Diao Hualing shrugged. ¡°Granting temporary arrest power to a contracted agent requires some paperwork, but it is hardly unusual.¡±


    ¡°Done then,¡± Ling Qi said. A bit of a chase would be good for honing her skills. ¡°How long do I have?¡±


    ¡°Some weeks. It would be well after your auction.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Ling Qi surreptitiously took a deep breath. ¡°There is one other matter I wanted to speak about with you today.¡±


    ¡°And what is that?¡± her companion asked as they came to a stop, standing beneath the tallest of the cherry trees.


    ¡°Madame Gray, the fox spirit that inhabits the Diao¡¯s lands, is my friend¡¯s mother. What do you know about her?¡±


    Diao Hualing¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. ¡°An unfortunate and difficult to remove pest. It was part of the matter I spoke of to your friend.¡±


    ¡°Well, while I can¡¯t share the specifics, I recently attempted to assist Su Ling through a cultivation snarl,¡± said Ling Qi diplomatically, looking up at the pale pink leaves of the old cherry tree they had stopped under.


    ¡°Most kind of you. It seems you are very good friends,¡± acknowledged Diao Hualing. She had folded her hands behind her back, and her expression was neutral.


    Ling Qi inclined her head. ¡°I have access to some methods of liminal divination which allowed us to explore her past and heritage somewhat, and during these meditations, we discovered a rather unfortunate issue.¡±


    ¡°I see. Something of the present and material, I assume, if you have decided to bring this to the Ministry of Law,¡± deduced Diao Hualing. ¡°I hope you are aware that such divinations require more concrete proof to produce a suit.¡±


    ¡°I do not believe this issue needs to rise to that level if you do not wish it to, Lady Diao,¡± Ling Qi said evenly. ¡°The issue we found is that Su Ling is not unique. It seems that Madam Gray leaves a great many ¡®gifts¡¯ in her range.¡±


    The older woman turned to frown at her before making a gesture at her to continue.


    ¡°It is my belief that this creature uses the abandonment and death of these children as a method of sacrificial cultivation,¡± said Ling Qi. This was her strongest card. The use of humans as reagents for cultivation had been utterly proscribed in the Empire since the days of the Twilight King and the Cataclysm, and Emperor An¡¯s reforms had seen it cracked down on even more heavily. ¡°From my divination, it is some twisted and broken form of the region¡¯s pre-imperial worship.¡±


    ¡°That is a very serious accusation, Lady Ling,¡± whispered Diao Hualing, ¡°that something of that sort would be occurring in the lands of the Diao unnoticed.¡±


    ¡°It is certainly a subtle result, and public accusations would not solve the problem,¡± Ling Qi said blandly. ¡°It is my hope that by bringing this to you, the problem may be solved without any trouble or censure.¡±


    She looked the older cultivator straight in the eye.


    Diao Hualing looked back for several long seconds, stone-faced, and a soft breeze scattered petals around them.

 Threads 248-Journey 5

    Threads 248-Journey 5


    Then, very slowly, the woman cracked a smile. ¡°I see. That is generous.¡±


    ¡°It is my hope that our relations can be friendly in the future, and if I may do an ally a favor while forestalling further tragedy, that can only be good,¡± Ling Qi replied. It was easier than ever to allow her own thoughts and Sixiang to operate in parallel, shaping her words for maximum effect. Diao Hualing was, in her estimation, a mostly mercenary figure so framing their relationship in terms of favors given and owed was best.


    ¡°It is reaching to ask another party to do your work and call it a favor,¡± said Diao Hualing lightly.


    ¡°Lady Diao, my friends are candid with me. I know what you offered to Su Ling. If you have an interest in that bloodline, I have very much given you an excuse to get it. Moreover, it is a rationale that your opponents might be hard pressed to fight. As long as the children are well cared for and not dying in the cold, I am pleased enough.¡± Ling Qi held her gaze. ¡°Though, I will admit ignorance as to what your goals are.¡±


    Her probe was a bit of a risk, but she felt that Diao Hualing¡¯s mood was good enough to try it.


    ¡°Spirit blood is valuable, and though the methods of astrological divination are in vogue, the old methods are not worthless,¡± offered Diao Hualing. ¡°I will commend you on your words. Your eyes are sharp for one so young. I believe we may have an accord here.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. But you did not answer me.¡±


    ¡°I did not,¡± said Diao Hualing thoughtfully. ¡°The Diao are strong, and our foundations solid. Are we not the ones others should emulate?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, but I imagine the other counts would put forth an equal claim,¡± said Ling Qi cautiously.


    ¡°They would. An equal claim,¡± said Diao Hualing with some satisfaction. ¡°It will take some weeks to assemble trustworthy agents and diviners for this.¡±


    ¡°I only ask that you be thorough and as quick as you are able. And¡­ if possible, could it be left open for Su Ling to have access?¡±


    ¡°To an extent.¡± Diao Hualing offered an eloquent shrug. ¡°If families are found for these children, then those households would be responsible.¡±


    Ling Qi furrowed her brow. That was a fair point, but¡­


    ¡°But some surveillance can be arranged, as the spirit may escalate if its cultivation is disrupted,¡± Diao Hualing continued blithely.


    ¡°That would be well,¡± said Ling Qi, understanding the implication clearly enough. ¡°Do we have an accord then?¡±


    ¡°We do. You are wise to allow the Diao to handle this matter, and I believe our partnership will be fruitful.¡±


    ¡°You are very reasonable,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°To future success then.¡±


    ¡°To future success,¡± echoed Diao Hualing.


    They chatted a few moments longer. Diao Hualing would supply her with an introduction and credentials to the district ministry when it was time for her involvement, and she would remain on correspondence for the other matter. Ling Qi also agreed to speak with Diao Hualing first if her ¡°divination¡± turned up anything else on the matter of Madam Gray.


    She had avoided making the extent of her knowledge obvious, but she was sure the Diao investigator was thinking of what else she might be aware of.


    By every measure, she had succeeded at all of her goals coming here. Ling Qi wondered why she felt so relieved as she left the ministry grounds, allowing herself a moment to slump against the side of the carriage. She had rehearsed so long as to what she would say if she had to push. She had thought up oblique threats and practiced statements standing her ground, and yet, Diao Hualing had simply been so reasonable about the whole thing that none of it had been necessary.


    ¡°Hey, hey, you had some pretty good one liners-lined up. We¡¯ll save them for another time, yeah?¡± Sixiang gave her the feeling of being patted on the shoulder.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to remember them all.¡± She squeezed her eyes shut. After a moment, she straightened. ¡°Okay. Okay. Everything went well. We have until sundown now. So, let¡¯s find Shu Yue, and...¡±


    Ling Qi felt the hairs on her neck rise, and a crawling sensation skittered up her spine.


    She kept her gaze straight ahead for a few long seconds, then turned and bowed to the looming figure standing behind her. Shu Yue looked much as they had last time, their androgynous face gazing down impassively from the shadows that gathered about them like a cloak. They were deeply unsettling still, limbs too long, fingers too long, and posture subtly wrong as if their bones were not all in the right places.


    But by now, she had dealt with many inhuman figures. Ling Qi bowed her head. ¡°Master Shu is prompt.¡±


    How long had Shu Yue been with her? She didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°Whence this title?¡± they asked curiously.


    ¡°You have said you would teach me. I only wished to be polite.¡±


    Tap-tap-tap went too-long fingers, nails a polished black and glinting despite the lack of light.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°No?¡± Ling Qi echoed.


    ¡°To be a master¡­ This is an intimate relationship. Neither I nor you have arrived at this,¡± said Shu Yue.


    ¡°As you like.¡± Ling Qi couldn¡¯t disagree. Zeqing was still her master in her mind. ¡°Just Shu Yue, then?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± they agreed. ¡°You wished to speak with me.¡±


    ¡°I did, but I¡¯m not so sure of that need anymore,¡± admitted Ling Qi. She knew they would have heard the conversation between Cai Renxiang, Gan Guangli, and her.


    ¡°I am here to assist you. My master knows everything you spoke of. Does it matter that I do?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard for me to wrap my head around.¡±


    ¡°Change is violence. That the young miss wishes to be a kinder cut is pleasing,¡± Shu Yue approved. ¡°The swords that split the throat of the old dead world would always need to be buried, one way or the other. Any other resolution is a failure.¡±


    ¡°So you expect me to kill you in the end?¡± Ling Qi blurted out, grimacing as the words spilled forth.


    Shu Yue¡¯s fingers stopped tapping, and their thin lips curved into a smile. ¡°I am not one of those swords, but perhaps. If you come to the conclusion that I am unjust, that your world cannot tolerate my existence.¡±


    ¡°...Who would I be to judge that?¡±


    ¡°Who are any of us?¡± asked Shu Yue blandly. ¡°Justice lives in the mind alone. It has no existence but what we give it. But I do not think you came to me for early lessons.¡±


    ¡°No. I recently encountered some dangerous spirits, and I wanted to ask you to check my cultivation for signs of deviation or possession,¡± explained Ling Qi, not quite able to hold Shu Yue¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°Understandable. That would explain what I see.¡±


    ¡°There is something, then?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Not possession, but there is a touch of something beyond the ice you welcomed in,¡± Shu Yue answered. ¡°It does not command, but it may change you. Is what you look to gain worth the risk?¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t reply right away. The old thief wasn¡¯t making any direct moves yet, but she did know that sometimes, a thief had to spend more time putting a mark at ease before the actual heist. ¡°Did you listen to what I spoke with Diao Hualing about?¡± she asked instead.


    ¡°That would be rude. It is not my business to monitor such things,¡± said Shu Yue. ¡°If I may, do you intend to walk among dreams when we reach the capital?¡±


    ¡°I had planned on it,¡± Ling Qi admitted.


    ¡°Then I would ask that you remain among the eaves. You are not ready for what sleeps in the roots of Xiangmen. I request your promise on this, though I have no authority to force you.¡±


    ¡°You could easily stop me, if you wished,¡± Ling Qi pointed out.


    A pale face tilted to the side. ¡°That is not my role.¡±


    ¡°I think that is an easy promise to make for now.¡± Ling Qi glanced down at her still-broken arm. It would be usable, if sore, by the time they arrived, and she was not eager to dive into another horror. ¡°Even I need to space out my tribulations a little.¡±


    ¡°You will stick to risking your mind over your body then,¡± Shu Yue surmised.


    Ling Qi gave a tight smile. ¡°The revels of the Dreaming Moon are risky, but it''s a different kind of risk.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is. I told you to be ambitious, but patience is a part of that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to think of patience right now,¡± said Ling Qi dryly.


    ¡°It always is,¡± said Shu Yue, turning away. ¡±It will be even when you begin to think of years as you do months and decades as as you do years.¡±


    Suddenly, Shu Yue was gone, vanished between eye blinks as if they had never been. Or, at least, they appeared to be gone. And wasn¡¯t that a fun thought? Would she make people think the same someday?


    ¡°Pretty sure you already do in certain circles,¡± drawled Sixiang, their chin resting on her shoulder. It would have been an awkward position if the rest of their body was materialized.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t count,¡± Ling Qi chided, doing her best to hide her continued unease.


    She turned away from the carriage, making her way out from where it was held. In the end, she thought, what had changed from yesterday? Nothing.


    She still needed to aim for the top. She still needed to support Renxiang, and she still believed that Renxiang would do good as a duchess. She still needed to make a good impression on the nobles of the capital and make plenty of stones for her clan in the auction. She still needed to ensure the Empire, or at least the province, did not end up fighting any more wars than were absolutely necessary.


    None of her immediate problems had changed. The heavens were still far away.


    But she would reach them one day. It just should have been obvious that she wouldn¡¯t find peace there.

 Threads 249-Capital 1

    Threads 249-Capital 1


    The approach to Xiangmen was strange and wondrous. For Ling Qi¡¯s entire life, both on the streets of Tonghou and in the Sect, the dark vertical line on the northern horizon was as much a fact of life as the movement of the sun and moon. There was always some faint awareness that it was the distant capital of the province, Xiangmen, the Heavenly Pillar.


    The road took them north, and the dark line on the horizon grew. First, it was a hazy shape, then a solid pillar stretching into the sky with a top shrouded by what seemed like permanent clouds. But these were not clouds; they were leaves. Less than halfway to the capital, it seemed to loom higher than the mountains of the Wall where they came from, even though they were still so far away from Xiangmen.


    They saw the first of the roots more than two hundred kilometers from the base of the city. The root appeared like a high winding ridge with a gentle slope, covered in greenery, vibrant fields, and clusters of pastoral manors. The road bent to remain in its shadow. The canopy consumed the sky, a vast dome of green with impossibly-high branches measured in sizes used only for cities. They should have been in total darkness, and yet, the sun shone through the waving leaves as if wholly unobstructed. Only the trunk cast a shadow, a visibly moving wall of darkness that passed over the road with the movement of the sun.


    The trunk was wider than any mountainside Ling Qi had ever seen. It was so absurdly massive that it seemed flat rather than curved. A city sprawled among the gnarled roots, built into what seemed like mossy hills and low mountains, teeming with more people than the entire city of Tonghou, and she knew it was just one outer district of the metropolis built into the tree itself.


    The air was suffused with qi, a dense, thick mix of wood and earth, and Ling Qi did not think it was a coincidence that the people she saw seemed healthier, stood straighter, and walked with more energy than those of Tonghou or even the Argent Peak¡¯s sect town. She could not even describe what she felt from the tree itself. Even kilometers distant, it was a beacon of power unmatched by anything she had ever seen.


    ¡°How in the world is anything built into it?¡± Ling Qi found herself whispering, leaning out the window as the carriage rolled along the well-paved road. She craned her neck to look up and up, eyeing the seemingly tiny ¡°windows¡± she could see carved into the upper trunk, paths and roads winding around the outside, seemingly cut into the bark. ¡°Could even your mother cut the bark?¡±


    ¡°The Temple of the Pillars intercedes between the citizens and Xiangmen,¡± Gan Guangli said, peering out the other window. ¡°They know the sacred songs and chants which will coax the tree to shape its bark and wood into streets and buildings or to remove those no longer needed.¡±


    ¡°The sitting duke is the head of the temple and engages when more serious adjustments to infrastructure are needed, such as the construction of new districts,¡± continued Cai Renxiang. Of them, she alone made no effort to look out at their approach. ¡°It is one of the quirks of Xiangmen that the buildings in lower and middle Xiangmen are largely indestructible, requiring no maintenance.¡±


    ¡°That would make it easier to save resources,¡± Ling Qi responded absently, still craning her neck up. Even when she channeled qi into her eyes, she could see nothing of the upper city she knew to be built into the branches. ¡°I couldn¡¯t imagine even the worst storm or flood affecting the buildings either. No wonder the city is so huge.¡±


    ¡°Xiangmen is truly blessed. Its abundance is unmatched, and the ills of the world outside are far away. It is a testament to ancestral misconduct that it is anything but a paradise,¡± said Cai Renxiang.


    Ling Qi gave a small nod, still goggling at what she was seeing.


    Zhengui murmured in her mind.


    Hanyi exclaimed.


    she thought comfortingly.


    Out loud, she said. ¡°So, I¡¯ll be going to the Meng manor first?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± agreed Cai Renxiang. ¡°I will be busy with many greetings, but you should focus on your mercantile business here. I trust you to acquire a good deal.¡±


    ¡°I will have our lady¡¯s side,¡± said Gan Guangli.


    The carriage rolled on, and soon, the trunk consumed the entire horizon. The road rose, twisting along the path of one of the half-buried roots. The gates of the city proper were not the usual metal, stone, or jade, but painted wood from Xiangmen itself. They revealed a yawning road that split in the cavernous interior, one going up and the other going down. The interior was lit by globules of dried amber set regularly in the walls and ceiling, glowing from the inside with vibrant masses of sun qi that lit up the shadowed interior as bright as a fine day.


    Even then, despite their favored status in the traffic and the speed of the carriage, it took more than six hours to complete the circuitous journey through the trunk and into the upper city. The lights inside waned with the setting sun that shone through the carved-out windows, which had looked so tiny outside but seemed cavernous up close.


    When they emerged at last from the trunk onto a branch as wide as the great highway that led into the city, Ling Qi found she could not see the ground below, only the fluffy white tops of clouds and the gray of immense distance between them. They had come to the Cloudspires.


    Here, though their foundations were grown from the tree, the immense extravagance and wealth of the wealthiest peoples of the province were on display. Vast complexes of crystal and jade were either impossibly delicate or loomed with brooding weight depending on their owners¡¯ sensibilities. Every street seemed like a scene from some mad art competition. Each building seemingly competed with the others for attention.


    There were no mortals here, only cultivators as the air was too thin for anyone else. It was cold and brisk in her lungs like the air on the highest peaks in the Wall.


    Soon, they arrived at the ¡°small¡± Cai mansion they would be staying in for the duration of the auction. Compared to the other Cloudspire buildings, it was very austere, being a traditional two-story manse with surrounding gardens, but the roof tiles were gleaming white jade, and sections of the interior were built from qi-reactive wood which could change its pigments at command, allowing for spontaneous murals or even moving scenes from a cultivator¡¯s memory. Ling Qi suspected paneling even one small room with it would cost her entire savings.


    The mansion had previously been the second home of a former deputy minister of commerce, who had been executed for embezzlement and trafficking of human reagents. His clan had been stripped of their legal status as nobles, and thus, the right to own property in the Upper City. Now, it stood empty with little furnishing and quite a lot of dust, which probably explained why the place still felt vaguely sick to Ling Qi¡¯s senses. She didn¡¯t think she¡¯d be spending much time here, at least until new impressions had some time to set in.


    Ling Qi left it behind to walk along the wide boulevard that led to the home for visiting Meng dignitaries. It would have been easy to simply walk and get lost among the vibrant streets filled with chattering cultivators. She saw theaters and concert halls, art galleries and tea houses, and many other strange establishments. Who needed a whole hall just for dancing, or reading poetry? Some of the buildings looked suspiciously vulgar, but no one seemed to pay them any mind and there were no red lanterns up.


    Instead, she tried to stay focused, advancing toward the mist-wrapped Meng estates. The streets of the Cloudspires were all a little misty, but it grew thicker as she approached, glittering with the light passing through and shrouding the serene grounds. Ponds filled hollows in the branch around the estate and soft green grass grew under her feet, creating a quiet garden of darkly-colored flowers and softly-running water that encircled the Meng household¡¯s delicate crystal spires.


    She suspected that if necessary, it would have been easy to get lost among the ponds, even for her. The air tingled with familiar qi, not so different from her own mist. Thankfully, she was invited.


    At an archway made of woven living vines and flowers, Meng Dan met her, his customary smile firmly in place. ¡°Welcome, Lady Ling. Xiangmen is quite a weighty place, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± responded Ling Qi. She sympathized with Hanyi. Being here was probably like how she felt at her first year¡¯s tournament all over again, surrounded with so much ambient qi that she felt a headache coming on. ¡°May I come in?¡±


    ¡°Of course. We have much to discuss.¡±


    The grounds of the Meng manor were beautiful with serene reflective ponds full of water lilies and floating wooden shrines lit by pale candles and soft blue ghost-lights. The manor itself was a lovely thing of crystal glass and fine wood with no seams or joins, as if the whole building were grown rather than built.


    Meng Dan led Ling Qi along winding paths to an outdoor pavilion just outside the manor''s eastern wing, a low porch with a roof overlooking the gardens. There were long tables filling the pavilion and lanterns hanging from the ceiling, and it seemed very much like the kind of place where a party would be held. Now, though, it was quiet, save for the distant strains of music from further inside the mansion.


    "Feel free to let your spirits roam," offered Meng Dan, sitting down at one of the tables. The soft orange glow from the lanterns reflected off the polished wood, giving a homey feel, as if the pavilion were an island of warmth drifting on a serene sea of mist. Yinhui appeared across from him with a rustle like pages being flipped, and she settled into a chair. "Though I would ask Sir Zhengui to restrain himself."


    Ling Qi gave a small nod of acknowledgement. The mist hissed and swirled as Zhengui materialized just outside the pavilion. Hanyi appeared at Ling Qi''s side in a shimmering veil of snowflakes with her hands on her hips.


    "Thank you for your accommodation, Sir Meng." Ling Qi found her own seat in one of the woven wicker chairs nearby.


    Sixiang manifested their physical body in the chair beside Yinhui at that moment, and they immediately threw an arm around the other moon spirit''s childlike shoulders. "Heya, little cuz. And book boy! Did you miss us?"


    "Things have been less exciting, yes," acknowledged Meng Dan.


    Ling Qi gave Sixiang a look, which the muse responded to with an innocent smile.


    "I''m sure you needed the rest," Ling Qi finally said with a sigh. Hanyi climbed onto the arm of her chair and patted her shoulder. At least Hanyi recognized her grievance, even if she probably didn''t understand it. That was a kind of progress.


    "Most assuredly. I am only a frail scholar after all," Meng Dan said lightly. "Would you care for refreshments, Baroness?"


    Ling Qi stared at Meng Dan. Meng Dan''s smile widened.


    "If it''s no trouble," responded Ling Qi. "It is one thing to hear of Xiangmen, but it is another to approach it."


    "It is a wonder, isn''t it?" Meng Dan snapped his fingers, the sound echoing loudly in the mist, and Ling Qi sensed the movement of servants in the manor halls. "There are only a few other places in the Empire that can match it, I think: Shuilan, the Mountains of Flowers and Fruit, the Imperial City, and the Living Isle. I should like to see them all one day."


    "I wouldn''t mind doing that myself," mused Ling Qi. Even if she had her duties, she definitely felt at least a little tug of wanderlust. "The journey south had its appeal."


    "It is a beautiful land. I am sure you and your lady will do much with it."


    "We''ve located our probable capital."


    "The waterfall is huuuuge!" exclaimed Hanyi.


    "The lake is really nice, and the fires under the earth are good, not like the nasty poison fires," agreed Zhengui, settling on the ground with a thump.


    "Has some real goodies tucked away, too," Sixiang chimed in with a grin.


    "Wonderful. I''m pleased for you," said Meng Dan. "For my part, it has been most satisfying to be given access to more of the clan library in my study of the tapestry. I know I am only being indulged by the elders as a treat, but it is truly satisfying to be able to confirm more of my own theories on events."


    "I''m glad for you as well, Meng Dan. Out of curiosity, I''ve been doing my own kind of research. Have you ever heard of a serious heresy in the old Weilu faith?"


    "There have been a number of splits and new sects which were called heresies at the time of formation," interjected Yinhui, somehow maintaining her dignity even while Sixiang played with her hair. "More specificity is needed."


    "Yinhui is not wrong," Meng Dan agreed. "The largest split occurred under the rule of the Xi, which produced my own family''s faith and the Pure Way of the Hui."


    "It would be something older than that. Maybe not as far back as pre-imperial, but probably, first dynasty," Ling Qi elaborated.


    "Mm, records from then are... less accessible," explained Meng Dan. "I assume you aren''t speaking of the Mason War split."


    "I don''t believe so," Ling Qi said after a moment. "Well, it''s something I''ve only touched the edges of myself. Maybe next time we meet, I''ll be the one who can dispense some history."


    Meng Dan put a hand over his heart. "Miss Ling, you must not court my heart so brazenly."


    Ling Qi chuckled politely, ignoring Sixiang and their waggling eyebrows. "However, Meng Dan, what is the Dreaming Way? What great spirit does it revere?"


    Meng Dan''s smile faded a touch. "It has none. There are a handful of ascended, thought of as teachers and torchbearers showing the way, but reverence isn''t really the point."


    "Well, if it¡¯s not interceding for the favor of a god, what''s the purpose then?" Ling Qi asked.


    "It''s¡­" He trailed off thoughtfully. "Forgive me, Miss Ling, but I am not a monk or a teacher. It is difficult for one of middling devotion to explain properly."


    "Ah, I''m sorry for putting you in a difficult position," apologized Ling Qi.


    "No, no," he dismissed. "Let us see, I do not want to misrepresent us, but in the eyes of the Dreaming Way, the material world is merely another layer of the liminal, a dream more solid and difficult to awake from. It is flawed and broken, corrupted from the intent of the Nameless. The Dreaming Way is a path to finding a true awakening, or enlightenment, if you prefer. If enough people achieve this, the Nameless may be reinvigorated, and their Great Dream made right."


    Ling Qi considered his words. That sounded strange, but not particularly bad, though she supposed that depended on what enlightenment meant.


    "Isn''t that, like, stupid hard though?" Hanyi asked. "Most humans are super weak. You''ll never get enough to ascend."


    "The truth of the Way and the truth of an individual cultivator are different things. Supposedly, even a mortal can find enlightenment if they live a proper life under the strain my kin follow, but you are right that it is a distant dream at best," Meng Dan acknowledged. "As I said, I am not personally devout. Perhaps you may request to speak with one more knowledgeable than I?"


    "Of course," Ling Qi said, glancing at Sixiang, who looked thoughtful. "Let¡¯s get to business then.¡±

 Threads 250-Capital 2

    Threads 250-Capital 2


    "A statement has been prepared." Yinhui slid a folded sheet of paper to her from across the table.


    Ling Qi picked it up gingerly, unfolding it, and felt her eyebrows rise at the number of spirit stones listed there. It was enough to make her personal cultivation expenses irrelevant for years, if they were spent on just that. But she had peeked into Cai Renxiang''s planning, and she knew that the costs of building and running early settlements far exceeded those expenses. Even so, it was a princely sum.


    "Isn''t just spirit stones kinda boring?" Hanyi interjected. "Shouldn''t there be, like, super cool treasures and stuff?"


    "Hanyi," Ling Qi scolded.


    "Nah, any of the counts could offer spirit stones," Sixiang drawled. "The squirt is right."


    "Both of your spirits are correct." Meng Dan chuckled, steepling his fingers. "The spirit stones are the baseline. My grandmother and her peers have prepared a raft of other options for you to choose among. These are rather less prosaic options for payment, and I have been given leave to grant you any two of them." A flick of his wrist brought forth a sheaf of densely written contracts, which he then fanned across the table. "I expect you will wish to read these in full, but if you would like, I can give you a summary."


    "Please." Ling Qi sighed, eyeing the legal documents with some resignation.


    "First, we offer a number of exclusive texts and melodies from the tradition of Grandmistress Lei. Not her works themselves, unfortunately, but these would be from musicians in the direct line of her descent, one of which you seemed to have acquired on your own," began Meng Dan.


    The Forgotten Vale Melody had long since been made a part of her, fueling the Mist of her domain. Ling Qi could think of nothing else that he could be referring to. "I''m surprised at such an offer given what I know of your clan."


    "Oh, it was a bit of a fight," Meng Dan said lightly, brushing over it. "Nonetheless, we guarantee no reprisals. There are no complete arts among the offer, but a cultivator of your talent and stage will no doubt find insights among them."


    Reading between the lines, these were probably the copied physical notes of other musicians and cultivators from which she could create new arts or modify her own arts with relative ease. This compromise was likely to give the more conservative elements of the Meng clan some face in retaining their secrets.


    "Go on," prompted Ling Qi. It wouldn''t do to express interest yet.


    "Second, we offer the services of a Meng geomancer for a period of ten years, fully paid for his time," Meng Dan continued. "He will offer aid in constructing settlements and shaping your land. He will also be authorized to share the same level of our knowledge which is granted to our own barons and viscounts, and he will tutor up to six individuals in this knowledge."


    That was a good offer. Without the last part, she might worry that the Meng were intending to make Lady Cai dependent on them for maintenance and expansion. That they would explicitly not be sharing their full knowledge made her trust the offer more. Zhengui perked up at the mention of tutoring too.


    "I see. And the others?" Ling Qi gestured to the remaining three contracts on the table.


    "Perhaps a little less personally exciting, but we also offer a trade agreement." Meng Dan tapped one of the remaining contracts with his finger. "Under this agreement, all goods originating in your land will be tariff-free for a period of one hundred years, and you will receive preferential rates on all other tolls and taxes."


    "It will probably be quite some time before we are producing anything worth trading." Ling Qi said dubiously.


    "Ah, but as far as imperial law is concerned, being written with war plunder in mind, goods from external polities originate with their first imperial ''buyer.'' This is a loophole that will likely be closed in the future, if negotiations go our way, but for now, it is useful, no?"


    Ling Qi didn''t exactly have a head for economics, but yes, she supposed she could see how that could be useful. By cutting the costs of importing goods to the bone, it would encourage more traders at least. It might make any efforts to open up Black Lotus Pass again less useful, though, hurting her efforts in the central valley. She waved him on.


    "Next, I had noticed in our journey that your primary weapon talisman was out of date for your cultivation..." Meng Dan paused as he saw her expression. "My apologies, is something wrong?"


    "It was destroyed recently, and it had some sentimental value," Ling Qi explained tersely. She let out a breath as Hanyi hugged her arm. "Please continue. I really should have retired the flute sooner."


    He pursed his lips but gave a small nod. "Well, the Meng clan has a tradition of musicians, as you know. My grandmother can offer the services of a master crafter, one of my great-uncles who is a sixth realm specialized in instruments. You would need to provide the materials for this talisman though. Uncle is... eccentric and demands such from all his clients."


    "Understandable." What upper realm didn''t have eccentricities? She still wasn''t sure what she was going to do about her flute since she had no idea what she would do about materials yet.


    "Might be something for our trips," murmured Sixiang to her.


    "Um, maybe something from Momma?" Hanyi offered uncertainly.


    "The last offer?" Ling Qi did not visibly acknowledge either sent thought from her spirits. She glanced at the page, and gave a double take. It was largely blank.


    "The last is simply a favor from the Meng clan. It is not one that is wholly unlimited, but you will have the promise that my grandmother will work to bring the clan around to support you in an endeavor that requires political weight, so long as it is not directly contrary to our interests," Meng Dan said.


    Ling Qi looked hard at the blank page, bearing only the seal and heraldry of the Meng clan. Such an open-ended offer could be very powerful¡­ or ineffectual. It all depended on the situation in which she chose to use it.


    She almost smiled as she imagined accepting and then immediately calling it in for support against the Duchess. That certainly fell outside the limits of a favor, but it could be useful on the matter of Black Lotus Pass, or if some difficulty came up during negotiations in the south.


    She would have to decide.


    ¡°The services of the geomancer, for certain," Ling Qi said after a long pause for thought.


    ¡°I do find our methods are better in lands not prepared for human settlement,¡± said Meng Dan affably. ¡°I am sure it will serve you well.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded absently. With Wang assistance for architecture and Meng assistance for settlement planning, their settlement would probably turn out interesting if they invested their efforts well. Considering what she had glimpsed here in Xiangmen, an unusual town wouldn¡¯t be out of place in the Emerald Seas. Their land could use some unique character.


    Of course, her choice had mostly been motivated by Zhengui¡¯s interest. He wanted to learn more about the flows of natural and spirit energy involved in geomancy, and now, she could do better than her own fumbling efforts copied from beginner¡¯s texts on the matter.


    Yes, given that and the supporting reasons, choosing the geomancer was easy. The other choice was more difficult, however.


    The work of a sixth-realm master crafter was immeasurably valuable, as were the notes and works of masters in the footsteps of a music grandmaster, especially because the time was coming in Ling Qi¡¯s cultivation for her to shape the jumble of arts she practiced into something cohesive and unique to herself. She could see the value in both offers.


    But if she was honest with herself, she didn¡¯t have a strong grounding in musical theory. Her knowledge came from the lessons of spirits and her own impulses. Going by the legends, that wasn¡¯t too different from the Grandmistress herself. A chance to study and more fully understand the music of the Emerald Seas was powerful.


    In addition, the problem with the flute was simply that she didn¡¯t yet know how to handle the loss of her first. She still had not confronted the ugly, confused feeling that had been lurking in the back of her mind. Right now, setting herself on a sure path to a replacement didn¡¯t seem right.


    ¡°I think I would like the notes and works. I need to think of my future land, but if I can¡¯t develop my own cultivation, it¡¯s meaningless. I don¡¯t know when I would find the time to go reagent hunting either.¡±


    ¡°I can certainly understand your choice. It is important to be able to rely on one''s seniors in a field, if only indirectly,¡± replied Meng Dan.


    ¡°An unfamiliar experience, but I¡¯d like to try it out,¡± Ling Qi said dryly.


    ¡°Then let us proceed to the details.¡± Meng Dan swept aside the unchosen contracts to leave the two she had chosen.


    Ling Qi sighed as she tugged the first one over, preparing to focus on all the niggling little details. Even if the Meng were friendly, she was not about to sign anything she hadn¡¯t thoroughly read and understood.


    Digesting and haggling over the rest of the details was a lengthy task, but she found no sneaky little clauses or deceptive wording. For legal contracts, they were both refreshingly straightforward.


    The Meng would provide the geomancer¡¯s salary, cultivation supplies, and reagents for his work. There was a small tangle in the form of an arbitration clause, indicating she would have to renegotiate with the Meng if she asked the geomancer to undertake a project which exceeded the supplies he was given and couldn¡¯t provide herself, but she suspected she would have to ask for an absurd task to trigger that. The geomancer would be made available at her leisure with his term starting when she made the request. She¡¯d have to talk to Renxiang, but it might be a good idea to put off the start of the geomancer¡¯s term until after they¡¯d finished surveying.


    The notes were less complicated. What she would receive were full copies of the works in question, and while the contract stated that she was only to share direct access with members of the Ling Clan, any derived work was hers to do with as she pleased. These terms were fairly standard for this sort of transfer, though it was highly unusual for a comital clan to make such a deal with a mere baroness. The copies would be available in one month¡¯s time to account for the necessary rites to be performed for the spirits of the original copies.


    It was growing dark by the time they left the Meng manor, spirits once again in her dantian. The meal provided by the household staff had been delicious and of a limited enough size that Ling Qi didn¡¯t feel too wasteful for eating it. The tea had been good too, consisting of a number of dark and earthy blends.


    Together with the negotiations, she really did feel like her negotiation for granting the Meng the right of first refusal on the tapestry had gone very well. She might still be dancing on the edge of her ability, but times like this made her believe she was actually making headway in this whole nobility business.

 Threads 251-Capital 3

    Threads 251-Capital 3


    chided Sixiang.


    Maybe, thought Ling Qi, leaving the misty grounds behind. She rejoined the main street that wound along the immense branch of Xiangmen with the leafy green canopy still so unimaginably far above.


    It was strange that there wasn¡¯t a single person walking around below the second realm. There was much less of the reflexive obedience she had grown used to from the residents of the sect town. The palanquins and processions of greater nobles still earned that reaction here, but Ling Qi felt mundane. She was someone of status, but not someone of note.


    It was a confusing feeling. Her life had gone from one extreme to another, and now, she didn¡¯t know how to feel about balancing in the middle.


    Everything was so bright up here with all the lanterns, qi lights, and paints that lit up with inner flame. The upper reaches of Xiangmen were a riot of competing artistry, each building seeming to metaphorically shoulder to the front of the crowd as if to proclaim ¡°Only I deserve attention!¡±


    Tonghou was a hideous little hovel of a city, wasn¡¯t it? But did it have to be? If a few stones spilled down from these branches and into those streets, wouldn¡¯t they be transformed?


    Probably not, ruminated Ling Qi, stopping to look through the window of a shop. From the looks of the shop, it sold glass ornaments and statues. Beautiful work, really, even if a little gaudy. If those stones did spill down, they would only vanish into powerful pockets, and the streets would never see them.


    drawled Sixiang.


    Maybe not. Well, not everywhere at least. She didn¡¯t know much about ruling, but she liked to think she could at least do better than Tonghou.


    proclaimed Zhengui solemnly.


    Ling Qi hid a small smile behind her sleeve and stepped into the shop. She emerged a few minutes later with a small padded package in her storage ring. Her mother would probably appreciate the blown glass flowers. A novelty from a world far away for her.


    Sixiang asked.


    They would drop off Hanyi and Zhengui and then, she and Sixiang would have a night on the town.


    Sixiang exclaimed.


    grumbled Hanyi.


    asked her little brother worriedly.


    Having more people along would make things harder, not safer, thought Ling Qi. She stepped to the side of the street as a well-dressed nobleman¡¯s procession passed by. The noble was a fourth realm, and he was from a comital clan, though she couldn¡¯t remember which one. She caught him glancing her way, and she could see him trying to place her for a moment before dismissing her.


    There was still some value in not being too well-known.


    Sixiang supported her.


    Her other spirits grumbled and complained a little more, but she knew they understood.


    The trip back to their guest home passed in peace. She left Zhengui in the garden and Hanyi in her room with a promise that she¡¯d take her out dress shopping tomorrow morning to mollify her complaints. She stopped by Cai Renxiang¡¯s room and left a note stating that she would be out for cultivation until morning.


    Then it was back out into the darkening streets. Xiangmen, unlike many places, didn''t seem to fully shut down with the falling of night. There were less people, and some venues were closed, but music and voices and shouts still filled the arboreal street.


    ¡°Do you actually know where you¡¯re going to go?¡± asked Sixiang curiously, materializing a physical form to walk beside her. Slender and pale in a cream-colored dress with shimmering, prismatic embroidery, they looked like an androgynous girl her own age. Even their hair was half-tamed for once, tied back in a braid and only very slowly changing color through the spectrum.


    ¡°Not yet,¡± replied Ling Qi thoughtfully. ¡°I think I need to experience the city a little first, and I wouldn¡¯t mind some more time to think.¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s hit the town then!¡± said Sixiang cheerfully, bumping her shoulder. ¡°Just follow my lead. Pretty sure I know how this works.¡±


    ¡°Lead me not into vice, you miscreant,¡± Ling Qi sniffed, imitating Meizhen to her best effort.


    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t even know.¡± Sixiang laughed, taking her hand as they stepped along the brightly lit street. ¡°Let¡¯s see what weird little corners we can find.¡±


    For all that Ling Qi had been born in a city, this was the first time she had really explored one. Actually, Xiangmen was still so massive that it was hard to think of it as one city. If she looked into the distance, she could see glittering constellations of stars in the distance that were the other settled branches. If she looked down, there was the faint light of the terraces and great city windows shaped in the bark. If she looked up, there was the great green dome of the leaves that reached beyond the limits of the sky.


    It was dizzying.


    For now, she chose to stick to this one branch for tonight''s exploration. She knew it was officially called the ¡°Seventh Cloudspire District,¡± but from listening as she strolled, Ling Qi learned its colloquial name was the ¡°Cerulean Garden.¡± She was curious as to the provenance of the name, and a few questions brought her toward the tip of the branch where it narrowed to only a few dozen meters across and the broad, village-sized leaves clustered close.


    What she found was a bit mad in her opinion. Built onto the largest of leaves and the branch itself were sprawling apiaries and artificial fields, holding tea plants whose leaves ranged from the deepest indigo to the palest sky blue. They buzzed with bees, mostly normal in size, but there were a handful the size of horses with dark blue carapaces. Human workers and soldiers rode these, dangling from complex slings and harnesses of wood and leather. Once she spotted them, she understood the purpose of the oversized apiary that hung below the branch, suspended on cords of woven metal.


    She spent some time wandering the public part of the garden, observing the workers performing their tasks before heading back trunkward. Elsewhere, these gardens would be a wonder fit to build a whole settlement around, but in Xiangmen, it was but the jewel of a single district.


    In the more densely-built part of the district, she came across a theater giving late-night performances. By coincidence, she arrived at the start of a show, and after a moment''s thought and some goading from Sixiang, she spent stones on a ticket. The theater was neither low-class nor lavish, but comfortably middle-class. There were a handful of boxes for high nobles arrayed about, but Ling Qi chose to merely purchase a seat in the tier above the standing ground.


    She hadn¡¯t even looked at the name of the show, so it was with some surprise that she found herself a rather crass kind of comedy. Despite herself, she couldn¡¯t hold in a snort of laughter as she observed an actor, painted up in the most exaggerated fashion of a courtier, wailing in outrage after a pratfall into his own lavish office¡¯s garden pond.


    It was a simple little story about a clever clerk and his overbearing and pompous superior with the clerk always finding ways to do his job properly while still finding ways to embarrass his superior when he came to take the credit. It ended with the superior¡®s final humiliation as his efforts to take credit for his underling¡¯s work came undone, and the clever clerk was elevated to be the new director.


    It was strange that so many resources were poured into a show that was mostly composed of physical humor, quips, and a certain amount of vulgar puns. At the same time, it was fun, and Ling Qi could even see the message of it: the virtuous man rises, and the corrupt fool falls. She still felt like this show would never be put on in the inner ring of Tonghou.


    Leaving the theater, she found herself wandering further, walking the streets among towering manors and sprawling gardens where wealth was on its fullest display and no walls were needed to keep the streets clear of the twigward neighborhoods¡¯ less-wealthy residents. Here, she saw palanquins and horses, gardens and courtiers, yards lit with glittering lights, and revels attended by swarms of lavishly dressed and painted courtiers.


    With her aura firmly held in, her dress simplified, and her presence masked, she saw upturned noses at her and Sixiang¡¯s presence. Once, she even had to let a little power leak into her eyes when she caught a guard approaching with the air of one who was about to tell someone they didn¡¯t belong.


    How much had she really changed? Was it only the surface that saw a cleaning?


    She vanished between steps, rematerializing on a leaf hanging from the side of Xiangmen. As interesting as the physical city was, it wasn¡¯t her focus tonight.


    ¡°It¡¯s given us some places to start though,¡± said Sixiang, squatting beside her on the leaf. ¡°The idea you go into the liminal with is important.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed in agreement. Where to begin in the dream?


    Ling Qi was acting off instinct as much as anything else. She knew after that encounter with Su Ling¡¯s mother that her current skills were simply not enough. She needed to further master dreamwalking, and yet, it was hard to say how she could do that. It wasn¡¯t like physical cultivation or even a defined art. It was as much a sort of self-hypnosis as anything else. What aspect of the dreaming realm would both grant her practice, and also not risk a catastrophic encounter?


    In the end, Ling Qi could only think of one option, and soon, she made her way back into the city. She did not go back to the theater where she had seen a play for the specific location was never important, and there were many. And besides, her compass did not lead there. Instead, it brought her to a narrow building jammed between two larger venues. It was comparatively rickety, its paint a little scuffed.


    She and Sixiang entered and found themselves in a cozy little lounge lit by dim lanterns and candlelight. A small number of patrons sat around the tables drinking middling tea. She recognized workers from the apiary, household servants, and even a noble or two of higher class dressing down like she was, but with less skill at concealing their aura.


    They were all listening to recited poetry, first from a young man with slicked back hair and a shaky voice, trying too hard but earnest for it, then from a woman with wide and wild eyes and a breathy voice, rambling of sights seen in tea leaves and between eye blinks, and then another and another, each one a bit odd. Unseen by the proprietor and the staff, she and Sixiang settled in the furthest booth in the back corner, letting the amateurish but heartfelt readings wash over them. Ling Qi breathed in the atmosphere of Xiangmen as the City of Art. This place, so tiny and irrelevant, was nonetheless sincere.


    When she opened her eyes, Ling Qi found herself suspended on a bed of bubbles. The slick, slightly moist surfaces bent and deformed under her weight but did not pop. She saw them all around her. Single glistening bubbles drifted up and up through the soft green air, and other bubbles came together in congeries, images drifting by on their surfaces as they swam like clouds through this infinite verdant sky. Some were no bigger than marbles while other bubbles were the size of houses gently bobbing and deforming under their own weight.


    The air felt thick like she was underwater, but breath came easily, and soon, Ling Qi found the island of bubbles she had appeared on drifting away as she bobbed and swam in the currents themselves.


    ¡°Wow, this place is busy!¡± Sixiang exclaimed, and Ling Qi craned her neck to see them. Sixiang appeared here as a drifting raft of tiny coin-sized bubbles gathered around a core of some three or four larger ones which seemed to merge and split at random.


    ¡°Are these all your kind?¡± Ling Qi called up to them, looking around her with wonder.


    ¡°No, not all of them. If you really look, you should be able to tell us from the human dreams,¡± Sixiang called back. Their form shifted and contracted, and with a wet pop, they became their more usual manifestation, though their gown was made of shiny bubbles.


    Ling Qi shot Sixiang a look, and the muse stuck their tongue out. The bubbles shimmered, becoming opaque in their iridescence.


    ¡°I thought Xiangmen itself would manifest more clearly no matter how I approached¡ª¡± Ling Qi blinked, staring out into the distance where a faint shimmer of light caused her to realize the truth. All of this, the emerald colored air and the clouds of rising bubbles, existed inside another bubble of dream too large to really perceive.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the one. I don¡¯t honestly think we¡¯ll get much from that,¡± Sixiang said. ¡°On the other hand, that.¡±


    Ling Qi followed where Sixiang pointed, and Ling Qi realized it was the source of the faint breeze that seemed to blow, carrying the bubbles in its current. It rose from below, vanishing beyond the limits of her sight, a rising vortex of shimmering spheres whirling and flying, spinning off new clouds that were flung off into the distance and slowly came to float more sedately. And it, too, rose beyond sight, a whirling twister of dreams and ideas.


    Ling Qi focused upon it, willing herself to drift closer to feel and hear and see.


    Sing and weave and forge, O makers, O breakers. Cast off the brute shackles of Must Be, the blinders of Today, and dream the shape of paradise.


    It wasn¡¯t the crushing power of a cultivator¡¯s power, but something all encompassing. It permeated this space and filled it totally. If this whole space was Xiangmen, then it ran through it all as sap or blood. Instinctually, Ling Qi threw up her arms in defense, but it was no attack.


    The Wise have abandoned us. The Strong have failed us. No Honor or God or King will save us.


    There is only the Dream and the Dreamers.


    This was a heartbeat. Or a breath. It simply was, as omnipresent as air or the earth beneath her feet. Yet despite that, it felt new and fragile compared to the immutable greenery which surrounded all.


    She saw a cluster of bubbles drifting by and glimpsed a man surrounded by paper covered in scribblings and blueprints, holding his head in his hands. In another, she spied a woman dressed in flashing finery with a strained smile in front of a bored audience. And in yet another, a man deep in his cups, eyes bleary and bloodshot, stunk of alcohol and despair. The wind blew, filmy surfaces trembled, and bubbles popped.


    Fragile.


    Only the Dream may unite. Only Dream may provide succor.


    There will be One who is Many, and it will be beautiful.


    Ling Qi looked upon the vortex at the center of it all. She had not moved an inch, but with her focus, she had come near all the same.


    Sickness ran through it. A black rot stained at the very edge of her vision below, and bubbles, gray and black, slick like tar and oil, mixed with those still clean as they spiraled upward.


    There was a stark light within the vortex, concealed beyond sight. For now, it kept the rot at bay, but it was so wonderfully, terribly bright. So bright it might consume everything unchecked.


    Flock now, little dreamers. Fly and sing amongst the pillars of the Palace of One.

 Threads 252-Capital 4

    Threads 252-Capital 4


    Ling Qi sucked in a breath. ¡°It¡¯s a wonder that it''s still here.¡±


    ¡°The ones who ascend can¡¯t disappear so quickly, especially not right where they ascended.¡± Sixiang circled her like smoke as if at any moment that hidden light could lance out and destroy her.


    When a cultivator reached the peak of the eighth and final realm and then ascended yet again, they ceased to exist in the mortal world, writing the Law they had built in their lives into the fabric of the world. The Palace of One was one such Law. It had once been the first Matriarch of the Hui clan after all, who had overseen their rise to the ducal palace.


    It was the last thing that remained of them. It remained when all else was gone. It did not even seem so terrible as an ideal. Where had things gone so wrong?


    Ling Qi shook her head and reached out, taking hold of Sixiang¡¯s hand. ¡°Come on.¡±


    ¡°Where are we going? I¡¯d have thought you¡¯d want to poke around more,¡± they said, letting themselves be pulled along as Ling Qi drifted away from the central vortex.


    ¡°Maybe later. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to always focus on big issues.¡±


    ¡°Who are you, and what¡¯d you do with my Ling Qi?¡± Sixiang demanded with a laugh.


    Ling Qi rolled her eyes, and they came to the shore of a dense isle of iridescent bubbles on which to stand, drifting in the wider current. ¡°Oh, haha. I do listen to you sometimes.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t really say that¡¯s a great idea,¡± Sixiang riposted before crouching beside her, looking into the curve of a large bubble poking through the packed surface. A balding old man in a workshop was surrounded by half-painted images and landscapes, already muttering to himself as he started anew on a blank canvas.


    ¡°I¡¯d say it''s a coinflip,¡± Ling Qi jabbed back.


    ¡°Aw, you¡¯re sweet.¡±


    They walked, or rather, floated for a time, drifting along this island made of a thousand, thousand dreams from artists and crafters, both failed and successful. There were more of the former than the latter, and it was both inspiring and dispiriting to see so many people trying and failing again and again.


    She really was lucky.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t pity them. That¡¯s rude,¡± Sixiang reprimanded. ¡°When people pour their soul into art, even if nobody else notices or cares, there¡¯s some worth just in having the opportunity to do it.¡±


    ¡°I suppose,¡± Ling Qi said as they drifted away from the first isle. ¡°Just having the opportunity is amazing. We don¡¯t get to dream of accomplishing something great or making something beautiful when we¡¯re scrambling to survive.¡±


    ¡°And just look at ¡®em all, reaching for something new,¡± Sixiang said, looking off into the distance. ¡°Maybe there¡¯s a million who¡¯ll never make their names known, but hey, there might be one that changes the world.¡±


    Abundance bred creation and innovation. Those left in want might be clever in their own way by striving for survival, but in the end, they could only do the same activities day after day because hunger was never far away. Xiangmen was a place so rich, so abundant, that there could be this many people, this many dreams, all at once, all aching to make themselves real.


    Ling Qi thought back to her journey with the moon spirits and the avatar of the Grinning Moon, so impressed with just the existence of the crowds of Tonghou. Even that was an improvement over people scrabbling desperately under the cruel hungers of bloated beasts.


    But she still thought Renxiang was right. This state of affairs wasn¡¯t good enough. The rot remained, seeping up from old wounds and new wounds alike.


    She followed after Sixiang, the muse darting among the eddies and islands where the bubbles gathered. Together, they watched plays yet unwritten, comedies and tragedies and dramas, life wrought loud on the stage. They listened to poets and singers, masterful and not. They glimpsed new designs in the minds of crafters, of formation craft which might relieve hard labor, refine an art, assist a worker, or replace him whole. They saw in the art of Xiangmen a city still coming to terms with vanished chains, unsure and young, cynical and old all in one.


    It was a bubbling cauldron of creation, and Ling Qi wondered if any could know what would emerge from it in the end.


    ¡°That¡¯s the wrong way to think of it. Sixiang observed the vortex from the side of the drifting isle they had landed upon. ¡°You think too much about endings, and sure, nothing lasts forever, but until this old tree withers at the end of the world, the dreams won¡¯t stop.¡±


    ¡°I only hope the ugly ones don¡¯t come to dominate. I don¡¯t much like nightmares.¡±


    ¡°You and me both,¡± Sixiang agreed, sliding an arm around her shoulder. ¡°They¡¯re dull. Drab all the way through.¡±


    Ling Qi laughed under her breath and simply relaxed. The auction would begin tomorrow, and they would have to turn in soon. She would seek the Dreaming Moon¡¯s revel tomorrow night, but for now, this was fine.


    ***


    Xia Lin¡¯s dress was very pretty, but unfortunately, she wore it with the same air as a cat stuffed into a costume. Ling Qi felt for the other girl, and she was very glad that her own gown was also her armor.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again,¡± Ling Qi said, walking with her from the entrance of the auction house¡¯s yard.


    The Golden Orchid was a sprawling building some three stories tall, filling a whole block in the trunkward part of the city. It was surrounded by a beautiful garden, and the front of the building was taken up by a roofed porch that was otherwise open to the air, leaving a comfortable space for guests to wait and talk before the actual auction took place. Behind the ostentatious central building were the warehouses for the goods that would be auctioned, guarded by potent security formations that Ling Qi could sense from the front.


    Although, the ones she could sense so clearly were probably there to distract and show off with other, more subtle defenses beneath. It was what she would do.


    ¡°Yes, I do not think Xiangmen agrees with me,¡± Xia Lin said, looking harried.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little overwhelming, but I thought you would be more used to it.¡± Ling Qi glanced at Xia Lin. ¡°Don¡¯t the White Plumes train here?¡±


    ¡°Our training camp and prime staging facilities lie in the outer boroughs, not the city proper. Everything is too packed and chaotic inside,¡± Xia Lin explained, smoothing the trailing white and gold sleeves of her dress for the seventh time since Ling Qi had met her at the gate.


    Sixiang wondered.


    ¡°There¡¯s something to be said for spontaneity. I¡¯ve enjoyed touring the city. Maybe I could show you a few places after the auction?¡± Ling Qi offered.


    Xia Lin frowned uncertainly as they mounted the steps of the porch, giving her an odd, measuring look. ¡°If you like, Lady Ling.¡±


    ¡°Ling Qi, please. I think we¡¯re past that.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that kind of distance is inappropriate after smiting a corpse immortal together,¡± Xia Lin agreed, turning an assessing gaze over the other guests. She looked like she was assessing danger in the wilderness instead of measuring a gala full of civilians.


    ¡°It is,¡± Ling Qi said, nodding wisely as they moved through the loose crowd of attendees. Since they were the sellers for the day¡¯s first lot of auction items, they had been invited to review the items and observe the auction from a raised box for the duration. The man at the door bowed and let them pass.


    ¡°Are you intending to participate in the other auctions of the day?¡± Xia Lin asked.


    ¡°I may. Though I¡¯m not certain what I would be looking for.¡±


    ¡°I am similar. I have little need for externally supplied equipment. ... But I suppose if I am accompanying you and Lady Cai after this, I will need some kind of household.¡±


    ¡°Well, I hope the White Plumes will let you stay in their barracks a while longer. It will be some time before there¡¯s anything but temporary construction. Still, it will be good to have you with us. There are quite a few dangerous places in the land that Lady Cai has claimed.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Tell me more,¡± Xia Lin said, turning a curious eye to her.


    They spent some time chatting about the discoveries made during their surveys of their claimed land as they entered the back area of the auction house, guided by guards and attendants to make a final review of their lot. While Ling Qi trusted the appraisers Cai Renxiang had hired about the starting prices, it made her feel better to see that everything she had cataloged with Meng Dan was still there.


    With the inspection complete, they were free to rejoin the other attendees now trickling in.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been here longer. What can you tell me about who is planning to attend?¡± Ling Qi asked as they exited the storage areas, strolling along the richly paneled hall.


    Xia Lin raised an eyebrow. ¡°Why would you ask me about such things?¡±


    ¡°Because you won¡¯t go into a battlefield without reconnaissance.¡±


    Xia Lin wrinkled her nose irritably. ¡°This is not my favored terrain.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t let that stop you.¡±


    ¡°... The court clans of Xiangmen are out in force. I have been dodging luncheons and other fripperies since I arrived,¡± Xia Lin finally said, looking sour. ¡°But the remaining ones have been fighting for importance since the Duchess reorganized Xiangmen.¡±


    ¡°What exactly do the court clans do, and how do they work?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°I¡¯ve not found the time to ask Lady Cai, and I feel like this is another of those facts that everyone is simply expected to know and forgets that a common girl from a little city does not.¡±


    Xia Lin shot her a curious look. ¡°Lately, little enough. Court clans occur mostly in Xiangmen, the Imperial City, and the Celestial Peaks as a whole, and to some degree, in the Alabaster Sands where there is enough wealth in cities to support a clan even if they own little land and the ruling ducal clan is not numerous enough to fill those roles themselves.¡±


    ¡°I understand that part well enough. But what do they do?¡±


    Xia Lin pursed her lips. ¡°Mercantile and bureaucratic work mostly. They staff the ministries and move goods and such. In Xiangmen, it used to be that each provincial ministry and organizations such as the Xiangmen guard were the fiefdoms of individual clans in function. The Duchess eliminated this practice, and now, those that remain jockey for new ways of making wealth.¡±


    Ling Qi gave a sidelong look to Xia Lin. ¡°Eliminated?¡±


    ¡°The Dai, who once made up over seventy percent of Xiangmen¡¯s guard officers, no longer exist as a legal entity, though the few adults found innocent of any crimes were absorbed into other clans or positions. There is a Dai among the White Plumes,¡± Xia Lin elaborated. ¡°Three other clans suffered the same. Several others were badly mauled but remain extant, albeit stripped of their special privileges. Those who remain are¡­ a strange mix of caution and ambition.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯d have to look into these clans more closely on her own at some point. ¡°Where would you place the court clans against more normal clans in influence?¡±


    Xia Lin considered that carefully as they approached the end of the hall. ¡°Comparable to viscounts for the most part. It is hard to say. Their methods and bases of power are too different.


    Passing through the doorway, they entered the waiting room together where the attendees were beginning to gather. ¡°Enough of that for now. Other important attendees?¡± Ling Qi asked, activating her own screening techniques to keep their conversation private.


    ¡°As you would expect, the Meng and Luo are the most interested. The Bao have a representative, as do the Diao. Neither the Wang nor the Jia have any open attendees,¡± Xia Lin answered quietly, scanning the room alertly.


    ¡°I do have my own channels for meeting the Meng,¡± Ling Qi said thoughtfully.


    ¡°Yes, Meng Dan does seem fond of you,¡± Xia Lin agreed.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had some success negotiating with his grandmother too. I don¡¯t feel that position needs to be shored up.¡± While she didn¡¯t have any great rapport with the Meng clan as a whole, she had her foothold, and she didn¡¯t think she could expand that further here at the auction. ¡°I do have some contact with the Luo, but it''s much more neutral.¡±


    ¡°It may not be a poor idea to establish more contacts in the capital,¡± Xia Lin suggested. ¡°A great deal happens in Xiangmen, and I know the Duchess is loath to give Lady Cai unearned resources.¡±


    Not a bad idea. The nascent network she was working on did have contacts in Xiangmen¡­ Sixiang?


    Ling Qi nodded. Glancing to Xia Lin, she smiled apologetically. ¡°Sorry. Agreeing with something my spirit said.¡±


    ¡°I noticed the signs. Sadly, this is even less of my halberd¡¯s venue than it is mine.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, any out-of-province guests of note that you¡¯ve noticed?¡±


    ¡°A number of nobles from the southern Celestial Peaks are present, and the Luo are hosting some Golden Fields emissaries,¡± Xia Lin reported crisply. ¡°I believe there is a diplomat from the Western Territories as well, and I heard a rumor about a Zheng wandering around the district.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only a rumor.¡± Xia Lin shrugged uncomfortably, looking back at her expectantly.


    Ling Qi blinked slowly as she came to realize that Xia Lin was looking to her for marching orders. In this pairing, she was the more expert at social business.


    Stop laughing, Sixiang, she thought sourly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep a focus on the local field,¡± said Ling Qi, and Xia Lin nodded crisply.


    ¡°Your plan for engagement?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been writing to a few individuals recently. One of them is here. Her name is¡ª¡±


    Sixiang helpfully supplied.


    ¡°¡ªMei Lanfen,¡± Ling Qi finished.


    ¡°The Mei,¡± mused Xia Lin. ¡°I¡¯m not familiar. A minor family?¡±


    Ling Qi nodded smartly, as if she were not being briefed on the family right now with a rapid-fire stream of thought from Sixiang. She turned toward the room proper, scanning the clumps of people for the right set of colors and symbols. Xia Lin followed after her, weaving deeper into the gathering audience of the auction.


    ¡°We¡¯ve only just begun to talk. I understand she is the senior administrator at a civil service school in the trunk,¡± relayed Ling Qi. She didn¡¯t know how other people managed without such a helpful spirit as Sixiang.


    ¡°Ah, I recall hearing some news of those,¡± Xia Lin remembered. ¡°They began to pop up along with the changes made to exam requirements. Clerks need to come from somewhere, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°I guess so,¡± Ling Qi agreed.

 Threads 253-Capital 5

    Threads 253-Capital 5


    Her target spoke first as they approached. ¡°Oh, Lady Ling! I wondered if I would encounter you here."


    Mei Lanfen was an old woman with a kindly appearance. Her steel gray hair was drawn back in a bun, and her features bore more creases and wrinkles than usual for a cultivator, making her seem like a mortal in her late fifties or so. She was quite short, no taller than Suyin, and wore a simple but elegantly-cut blue gown.


    Her qi felt like aged paper and fresh ink, and Ling Qi judged her cultivation somewhere in the fourth realm.


    ¡°When I saw your name on the guest list, I thought it would only be polite to greet you in person.¡± Ling Qi tipped her head in respect. ¡°Thank you for writing back to me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m always pleased to help a young lady learn,¡± responded Mei Lanfen, inclining her head as well. ¡°And is this the other host?¡±


    ¡°This is Xia Lin of the White Plumes, recently placed under my lady¡¯s command," Ling Qi introduced, gesturing to her companion.


    ¡°My pleasure, Madam Mei,¡± said Xia Lin, bowing a little lower. ¡°Lady Ling is doing me some kindness in introducing me to those present.¡±


    ¡°I am sure a girl of your talent will have little trouble,¡± said Mei Lanfen. ¡°To be assigned to the heiress, you must be exceptional.¡±


    ¡°Madam Mei is kind,¡± replied Xia Lin.


    ¡°Xia Lin is modest,¡± added Ling Qi. ¡°But I admit, I am a little overwhelmed here at the capital as well.¡±


    ¡°Xiangmen will do that,¡± the old woman said knowingly. ¡°Nowhere else in the province do so many people gather. It is a heavy task, attending to their needs.¡±


    ¡°I can only imagine,¡± acknowledged Ling Qi. ¡°You mentioned your position, but how does it work? Is your school a training facility for one of the ministries?¡±


    ¡°The Gold Autumn School is not so prestigious. We are only a preparatory school without government sanction or funding. We teach young men and women the necessary skills for entry into the ministries. This includes reading, writing, ethics, and some limited cultivation tutorials.¡±


    ¡°Really? That must be expensive,¡± Ling Qi observed. ¡°Don¡¯t people¡¯s families teach those things?¡±


    ¡°Those that can, do,¡± said Mei Lanfen. ¡°I will admit, the endeavor is not profitable, but old folks such as myself and my partners must spend our saved stones on something, yes? Spreading education and low cultivation among mortals is an unalloyed good.¡±


    ¡°That is most charitable of you.¡± Xia Lin studied the woman more closely.


    ¡°How do you choose your students?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°The Gold Autumn has subsidiary institutions among the mortal districts in the trunk. These schools are for younger children, and they allow us to pick out the exceptional and talented for the primary institution. It is a little crude, but we pick up many minor talents this way.¡±


    ¡°Something a bit like the Great Sects?¡± asked Xia Lin.


    ¡°Nothing so grand. Great talents such as Lady Ling and others detected by the Ministry of Integrity are beyond our small means to support, but even awakening at all is a boon to a mortal''s health and productivity, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Ling Qi replied, thinking back to those first days at the Sect when even a guttering spark of qi and a few exercises made her feel superhuman.


    ¡°Most people cannot accomplish more, and some cannot even accomplish that, but I think it is nonetheless worthwhile. We are all the better for it. However, it does make some of my students restless and adventuresome. There are those that chafe a bit at the provincial ministries.¡±


    Ling Qi met the woman¡¯s eyes. Kind, yes, but not without cunning. ¡°The frontier is dangerous, and it will be some time before we require proper district ministries, but if you have recommendations for individuals who might find that situation agreeable, I will convey them to Lady Cai.¡±


    ¡°I will talk to some of my old students. It is not a common opportunity, even if it requires a harder constitution than most.¡± The old woman chuckled.


    ¡°Of course. Keep in mind that Lady Cai will likely have strict expectations on their character as well,¡± Ling Qi said carefully. ¡°I won¡¯t impugn the honor of your school, but Lady Cai will need only the most upstanding to set up the seeds of her ministries.¡±


    Mei Lanfen smiled. ¡°I have knelt under Her Grace¡¯s light. I understand the primacy of virtue in building anew. Skills may be taught, and talent shored up with dogged effort and work, but an understanding of virtue is not so easy to instill.¡±


    Xia Lin looked the old woman over in surprise. ¡°You were a member of the ministries when Her Grace took control?¡±


    One of the old woman¡¯s half-closed eyes opened a little wider, a sharp golden glint flashing in the dim interior light. ¡°I was a hard-headed girl. Under the old Directors and Ministers back then, I don¡¯t doubt my stubbornness would have kept me in the lowest rank of the Ministry of Commerce all my life.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Ling Qi said slowly, understanding the implication.


    ¡°You worked under the Feng, then?¡± Xia Lin asked cautiously. ¡°That must have been troubling.¡±


    ¡°It was, and Her Grace was not forgiving.¡±


    ¡°I have been in Her Grace¡¯s presence. It is not easy,¡± Ling Qi contributed.


    ¡°Have you? Have you felt her Law, burning away every rationalization and self-deception, every little lie you have ever told yourself, until there is only raw truth squirming under the examiner''s furious light?¡± Mei Lanfen asked.


    Ling Qi blinked. The old woman didn¡¯t seem to be boasting or showing anything but curiosity.


    ¡°Her Grace has not subjected me to such close scrutiny,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°What is that like?¡±


    ¡°It was not so bad when you have only small vices, small lies to expose, but I think it would have driven me mad to stay under it for too long. A person is not meant to see themselves and all they have done so starkly.¡± Mei Lanfen tapped her cane against the floor thoughtfully. ¡°But¡­ I saw the Minister at the end. After everything, all the crimes and cruelties and corruption exposed, do you know what she asked him?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine,¡± said Xia Lin with a frown.


    ¡°What do you regret?¡± Mei Lanfen relayed.


    ¡°And his answer?¡± Ling Qi asked, morbidly curious.


    There was a twinkle of dark humor in the old woman¡¯s half-closed eyes. ¡°He about chewed his tongue bloody trying to give the answers which had seen other men spared. But to him, they were lies, and so, he could not speak them. In the end, he simply said ¡®angering you, your grace.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Hmph. A pathetic man,¡± sneered Xia Lin. ¡°Xiangmen is improved by the absence of such.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes,¡± Mei Lanfen agreed cordially. ¡°That is why I work so hard to instill civic duty and empathy among my students and to catch the little lies they may tell themselves and ensure they do not grow into big ones.¡±


    Ling Qi blew out a breath. Stripped of everything and facing the same punishment, a few years ago, she might have given a similar answer. To regret nothing, save that the consequences were upon her¡­ She hoped she was not that person any longer, and did not want to have such regrets in the first place.


    A person could twist and shape truth, but it did no good to forget that there were truths. That way lay the degeneration of the Hui. To call all truths subjective could only bring ruin.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s enough of such grim topics. Miss Mei, I¡¯m a little out of my depth here. Would you do us the favor of introducing us to some of the worthies attending?¡± asked Ling Qi, breaking the contemplative silence.


    ¡°Yes... Yes. I can think of a few faces you should be familiar with here in Xiangmen.¡± The old woman beckoned them on. ¡°This way.¡±


    Ling Qi and Xia Lin followed after, chatting quietly as Mei Lanfen introduced them to other members of the court clans and a few ¡°independent¡± ministry members in Xiangmen. Speaking to them reinforced Ling Qi¡¯s opinion that the politics of the city were still unsettled and in flux. There was no-one, save the Duchess herself, whose position was so secure that they could afford to be domineering and arrogant about it here among their peers.


    It was an interesting juxtaposition to the air of stubborn normalcy she had felt in the wealthiest districts on her stroll. Two sides of one coin.


    Soon, the auction itself was underway, and socializing slowed down as Ling Qi observed item after item going up. Even the least of them sold for multiple green stones. It made the part of her that still wished to hoard and scrimp want to scream at so much wealth flowing like water. But all the same, it was wealth flowing to her, so she couldn¡¯t be too distressed.


    Between rounds, she and Xia Lin were asked questions about the recovery of the artifacts. They shared anecdotes of the dungeon they had found, the clever reversal of the trap upon the living spiders, and the fight with the Hui corpse immortal.


    Ling Qi found that there was little reticence toward her here, if only because everyone was just a little grasping and ambitious, and neither she nor Lady Cai had failed yet. They were on the bleeding edge of something new, and in Xiangmen, that had cachet. She didn¡¯t doubt that it would evaporate like morning mist if their efforts ended in failure though.


    Their auction took most of the morning and even with Xia Lin taking the larger share, Ling Qi had to work to keep her expression neutral as she took in just how much wealth she had gained that day. Between this and the payment from the Meng, she would have enough to pursue a great many projects that new settlements couldn¡¯t dream of normally. Even setting aside cultivation funding for herself, Yu Nuan, her mother and any among her staff who could cultivate, it was an immense amount. She could even set aside sect tuition for Biyu right now and not be inconvenienced if she wished.


    She could see that Xia Lin looked dazed by the amount as well. She was glad that Cai Renxiang would handle the logistics of storing and maintaining this small fortune until Ling Qi had time to understand it better.


    By the time their lots were sold, they were still in conversations with attendees, and Ling Qi was curious to see what else went through the auction houses so they stayed a while. She had just gained so much after all. Perhaps something would catch her eye.


    Ling Qi¡¯s attention had been caught by a beautifully illuminated book and a set of recordings recently made in Xiangmen, but she was unsuccessful in her conservative bids. She did eventually send a bid to win an auction for a set of notes and a disassembled puppet of ivory and wood that had been reclaimed from an abandoned workshop after its owner passed away with no next of kin.


    Afterward, Xia Lin asked in confusion, ¡°Why in the world did you want such a thing?¡±


    ¡°I have a friend who studies and uses constructs.¡± Ling Qi laid a hand over the puppet¡¯s meticulously carved ivory face. It was stylized just enough to be somewhat unsettling with colored glass eyes that were too large. ¡°I thought it would make a good souvenir.¡±


    ¡°Expensive for that,¡± Xia Lin said dubiously.


    ¡°We made out well enough for a little indulgence. Besides, what about you and that partially animated go set?¡±


    Xia Lin seemed embarrassed. ¡°My younger brother enjoys games of strategy, a rare place where our interests intersect. You¡¯re right. I can¡¯t speak against indulgence here.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had any siblings. Will you be alright leaving them behind?¡±


    There was a faint pop as the puppet vanished into her storage ring. Thankfully, without a power source, its formations were inactive so it could be stored easily. A second wave took care of the leather bound portfolio full of design documents.


    ¡°My visits are already limited. A bit more distance will not change that,¡± Xia Lin replied. Without her armor and its shielding formations, Ling Qi caught some stiffness in the reply. She cast a glance at her companion and decided not to press further.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll just keep our mutual indulgences to ourselves then, yes?¡±


    ¡°My word on it,¡± Xia Lin promised, turning to follow her out. ¡°Your opinion on our sortie into court politics?¡±


    ¡°I think our lady is well supported¡­ for now. She is doing something new, and many see opportunity in that. But I don¡¯t think we have the sort of support we can rely on yet. It could change too quickly.¡±


    ¡°Xiangmen¡¯s nobility can be fickle. I¡¯d not like to campaign on such unsteady support.¡±


    ¡°And we won¡¯t. We can count on the Wang at least. But let¡¯s leave that aside. Anywhere in particular you want to visit tonight?¡±


    Xia Lin tilted her head. ¡°Perhaps a restaurant? I have heard good things of Xiangmen¡¯s food culture.¡±


    Ling Qi gave her a curious look.


    Xia Lin huffed irritably. ¡°There is nothing wrong with enjoying good food, even if it is unnecessary.¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t. Hmm, how do you feel about street food?¡±


    ¡°I am inexperienced,¡± Xia Lin admitted, but she looked intrigued.


    ¡°We can begin with snacks, and perhaps see a show? We can stop for a proper meal later.¡±


    ¡°Agreeable,¡± Xia Lin said with a nod.


    Sixiang snorted out a laugh in her head, but said nothing as they left the auction house behind.

 Threads 254-Capital 6

    Threads 254-Capital 6


    Unlike when Ling Qi went out on her own, they did have to make a brief stop to get Xia Lin changed into something less ostentatious since her clothes were not self-adjusting, but thankfully, the other girl was just as good at controlling her qi as Ling Qi. That made their stroll through the twigward streets much less awkward than it could have been, though to Ling Qi¡¯s amusement, the intensity of Xia Lin¡¯s expression and gaze was enough to cow a lot of otherwise rude people, even without much qi backing it.


    In deference to Xia Lin¡¯s wishes, the first place they stopped at was a corner stall selling skewers of berries in a sweet syrupy covering. This was a Xiangmen specialty since the little berries and the coverings alike occurred in such quantities that no one had ever been able to take control of their harvesting. Or at least, that was the story the seller told anyway. Up here in the clouds, obviously, he had higher quality sources and so on and so on.


    Ling Qi stopped listening fairly early on, but Xia Lin was intent on it, and the seller was happy to keep talking as long as Xia Lin kept buying more. The skewers were good though.


    They moved on eventually, stopping here and there to listen in to musicians on the street, or to sit in on a tea house for poetry readings or performances. It went hand in hand with more stalls. At each one, they would sample the sweet buns or crepes or stranger concoctions and offerings. And each street chef assured them that their recipes and secrets were the best and passed down through the generations.


    It seemed that in Xiangmen, even food had a touch of art to it.


    Ling Qi hadn¡¯t had the time or ability to appreciate cooking, but it wasn¡¯t as if the vendors in Tonghou weren¡¯t proud of their work. People wanted to feel like what they were doing mattered. Even if it was something as small as a clumsy poem or a slightly bland meat bun.


    ¡°I am not sure what secrets of cultivation you see in the filling of your dumpling, but it is getting cold,¡± Xia Lin said to her as they stopped under the awning of a theater, falling into line for the ticket seller.


    Ling Qi blinked and gave her a dirty look, taking another bite. The plum filling was really good. ¡°If you wanted another, you could have bought one.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had enough. It¡¯s just a shame for good work to go to waste,¡± Xia Lin replied, folding her arms behind her back. ¡°This is the place then?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ling Qi replied, glancing up at the theater¡¯s sign. ¡°I saw a show here yesterday. I wanted another opinion on it.¡±


    Xia Lin hummed in response.


    ¡°What do you think of Xiangmen anyway? The place seems so frantic,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°You must find the chaos unpleasant.¡±


    Xia Lin pressed her lips together in a thin line. ¡°I do not think it is for me, but that is because I have chosen war as my profession. That does not make it bad.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Ling Qi asked, moving forward with the line. ¡°That¡¯s not what I would have expected. You don¡¯t look down on all this indiscipline?¡±


    ¡°War is not, and cannot be, a nation''s purpose,¡± Xia Lin said contemplatively. ¡°Although a soldier must separate themself, this is what it means to be victorious, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Ling Qi looked over the crowd. She could understand Xia Lin¡¯s meaning. There was no fear of invasion or beast incursions here, but there were more dangers than that in the world.


    ¡°But I am an unsuited tool for addressing those dangers, so I must trust that those who hone themselves for such battles are up to their tasks,¡± Xia Lin replied. Ling Qi blinked, realizing she had spoken aloud.


    ¡°That is awfully trusting of you,¡± Ling Qi noted.


    ¡°A soldier must trust, or else they will break. I charge into an enemy unit, trusting that my fellows will be swift behind me to take advantage of the break I create. My unit must trust that our higher officers will coordinate our attacks, relieve our defenses, or at least find advantage in our sacrifice. Those officers, in turn, must trust that the General¡¯s plan of operation is sound. The General must trust that we will be supplied and supported in a manner sufficient to complete our orders,¡± Xia Lin said. ¡°Doubt kills.¡±


    ¡°And if your trust is mistaken?¡±


    ¡°Then we lose, and we die. That was the ultimate lesson of Ogodei,¡± Xia Lin answered simply.


    Ling Qi grimaced. ¡°An ugly choice.¡±


    ¡°It is as it is. Without trust, we can only be squabbling beasts.¡±


    Thinking back to much dirtier streets, Ling Qi could only give a small nod.


    ¡°I see my accusations were correct though. You are truly an example to follow, finding such contemplation in plum jam,¡± Xia Lin said dryly.


    Ling Qi stared at her. ¡°D-did you just make fun of me for being too serious?¡±


    ¡°I did no such thing,¡± Xia Lin replied seriously. ¡°Come. We must purchase our tickets.¡±


    As it turned out, Xia Lin found the show rather absurd, and she seemed rather baffled by the humor involved. After, they stopped at a proper restaurant to enjoy a meal, and then, with it over, they parted ways.


    Ling Qi found herself once again walking the streets with only the muse in her head for company, watching the faint outline of bright moonlight twinkling in the gaps between titanic leaves overhead. Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure she agreed with Xia Lin. Or more specifically, she didn¡¯t think ¡°trust¡± was the right word.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little fiddly. Ain¡¯t language a rough one?¡± Sixiang drawled.


    Ling Qi nodded, tracing her fingers through the air, feeling at seams invisible to even the average cultivator as she passed into the dark between a closed shop and a roaring tavern, stepping into the shadow dappled alley that lay between, strewn with crates and detritus. ¡°I think trust implies something too personal and conscious.¡±


    ¡°Belief then,¡± Sixiang concluded, fading into view around her shoulders, a fluttering phantom with their arms around her neck. Ling Qi herself was little more than a drifting shadow, a patch of the night sky manifesting in the space between buildings as she plucked at threads, seeking a seam loose enough to dart through.


    ¡°People want to matter, but they can¡¯t matter on their own,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Belief works. Everyone, or at least most people, need to believe there¡¯s something bigger than them, or else¡­¡±


    Frantic scrabbling in the dark, betraying and being betrayed. Cold and hunger and want that can never ever be filled.


    Isolation and Endings.


    Creation was a defiance of Isolation. It said to the world, ¡°Look, I am here.¡± It said to others, ¡°See, I have meaning to give.¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter if it was music, or carvings, or poems, or food, or anything else. To create was a denial of meaninglessness.


    Abundance begat creation. Creation denied Isolation.


    Ling Qi found the seam, and her fingers slid through, splitting the fabric of the dingy alleyway open. Ever so briefly, the kaleidoscopic chaos beyond lit up the dust and dirt and trash and made it gleam. And then Ling Qi was through, and the weight of the world crushed her gate behind her.


    She found herself again among the drifting bubbles and winds that she had seen the night before. She looked at the vortex at its core, feeling the pressure and currents flowing around her.


    ¡°Ready for the party now?¡± Sixiang asked, presence wrapped around her like a shawl.


    ¡°How do you know it¡¯s on right now?¡± she asked absently, drifting toward the towering column of whirling dreams.


    ¡°The party never ends for long in Xiangmen,¡± Sixiang said cheerfully. ¡°And I¡¯m pretty sure Grandmother is expecting you.¡±


    ¡°Then I shouldn¡¯t keep her waiting,¡± Ling Qi said.


    The roar of the wind was loud now, countless dreams and images flashed by her as she plunged into the core of the Dreams of Xiangmen. She felt her mind pulled in a hundred directions, a thousand identities overlaying her own, and a million thoughts wriggling in her mind that were not her own.


    But she was Ling Qi.


    Ling Qi dove, away from the glittering lights and whirling glitzy dreams that rose to the top of the vast whirlwind, and into the denser darker depths. Here, the blaring, garish color darkened and muted. The kaleidoscope of color shrank down into warm reds and browns and greens. The shrieking winds resolved themselves into simple beats and clapping hands, a hundred or a thousand voices singing the same song out of tune, but with no less enthusiasm than a master of voice.


    The endless light of the bubble-scape became flickering paper lanterns and bright torches. The liquid air became hot and muggy, and the ground firmed up beneath her feet. Before Ling Qi¡¯s eyes, she saw a sprawling festival.


    She stood in what seemed like an overlarge town square, at the center of which was a massive round table of gnarled wood. It was a huge thing, seemingly cut from a single cross section of a huge tree. It must have weighed half a tonne or more on its own. Curved benches surrounded it, and it was piled high with platters of food and drink.


    At its center was a rearing statue of a stag. Painted in garish colors, its antlers were as sharp as sword points, and prayer tags of fine spun silk hung in a forest from the tines. It was cracked though, deeply cracked and ancient, and something incandescent shone through at the seams. Ling Qi could not tell if the light was holding it together or breaking it apart.


    Streets spun off in eight directions from the center where she found herself, and the festival sprawled out into them as well, filled with people and games and parades. There, a dancing dragon, all paper and silk born on a dozen pairs of legs, and there, waving stag heads born aloft by revelers. Men in shaggy fur cloaks howled at the moon with laughing children on their shoulders, and so many other festival goers, too many to count.


    Because there were so many people here. The air smelled of sweat and drink, hot with the press of bodies, and the only sounds Ling Qi could hear was the cacophony of voices raised in joy and revelry.


    She knew they were spirits and reflections of humans, asleep and dreaming, and yet, she couldn¡¯t help but be surprised as she was bumped and jostled and pulled along with the almost liquid movement of the celebrating crowd. A cup of some golden cider was shoved into her hands, and a dozen invitations to games or conversations bombarded her at once.


    She very nearly fled, old instincts taking hold.


    But a familiar hand on her shoulder made the childish panic abate.


    ¡°Let yourself unwind a little, Ling Qi!¡± Sixiang laughed, spinning her into an open square where people were dancing.


    The rhythm of the festival music was the beating of a heart, thundering and pounding, and although she fumbled at first, she found that the steps of the dance came as naturally as breathing. It wasn¡¯t complicated after all.


    Every person in the world knew this dance, after all. Some forgot it, some skipped or changed a step here and there, but everyone started out with this dance.


    ¡°You get it. You get it. Be a shame to bin it before you¡¯ve really tried it!¡± Sixiang grinned, keeping hold of her hand during the swirls of motion and spinning steps.


    Ling Qi blinked and furrowed her brows, working to hold her thoughts as her own against the intrusion of the revel and the certainty of its dance.


    ¡°What is this, Sixiang?¡± she shouted over the music and laughter.


    ¡°It¡¯s Grandmother¡¯s revel, of course. A layer up, a layer down, call it as you like! Direction doesn¡¯t matter much here.¡±

 Threads 255-Capital 7

    Threads 255-Capital 7


    The revel was noisy and chaotic, but it seemed so different from the clouded gossamer memories of before. There was little elegance here. Even those who bore inhuman frames were somehow both more and less human as they stomped about, singing and carousing with the human shades.


    ¡°It¡¯s the other part of me, too. You don¡¯t let me indulge in it much.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    It was hard to focus here. There was simply so much going on. People pressed against each other, flush with alcohol and passion, and though Sixiang and she danced in a bubble of open space now, it still filled her with alarm. Ling Qi realized that it wasn¡¯t the other festival goers deliberately giving them space. Instead, they were repelled from them, and Ling Qi knew it was her own doing, her will acting on the dream.


    ¡°You seemed perfectly happy for Su Ling. You react when I tease ya, and you look. You¡¯re not like Renxiang; that¡¯s a girl who skips steps entirely and doesn¡¯t feel the lack.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. She shifted her grasp on Sixiang¡¯s hand, taking the lead and moving them closer to the dancing square¡¯s edge. ¡°You know why, Sixiang. It¡¯s different. Su Ling is fine. Meizhen is fine. I can see they have control.¡±


    ¡°Control¡¯s the wrong word,¡± Sixiang disagreed. Sliding closer to her, the muse spun them, and they came to a stop in a whirl of cloth. They stood now in a packed street full of stalls and games, and fairies and the shades of children scampered about. ¡°And I think you know it by now.¡±


    ¡°Is this really the time for this?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s probably never a good time.¡± Sixiang shrugged. ¡°But you keep thinking about family and community, and you keep cultivating in that direction. If you keep ignoring such a big part of family and community, your thinking is gonna be flawed.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned, seeing out of the corner of her eye the many, many pairings among the people and shades here. People walked side by side, hand in hand. They were fathers and mothers, parents and children. She thought of branching roses growing entwined with incandescent light.


    ¡°... And if I don¡¯t want that to be part of that aspect of family? Hanyi and Zhengui are family. Yu Nuan might get there. You can make a family just fine without having to involve that¡­ muck, even if the Empire makes it hard to do so.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, but I¡¯d like you to reject it properly and consciously if that¡¯s what you¡¯re gonna do, not cut it out of yourself without consideration. You didn¡¯t let Su Ling do that to herself with the fox bits. Am I supposed to be a worse friend?¡± Sixiang squeezed her hand. ¡°And I feel like you don¡¯t necessarily want to do that either. You¡¯re just still afraid.¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t reply verbally. She pulled on Sixiang¡¯s hand and took a step, and their next footfall fell on a hardwood floor. Noise immediately struck her ears again. This time, it was the clink of mugs, the drag of wood across the floor, and the singing. Oh, the singing.


    Ling Qi settled herself into a rickety chair in the corner just as the chorus rose, dozens of rough voices belting out, ¡°The wine was not strong enough!¡±


    Sixing settled beside her, throwing an arm around her shoulder. ¡°This is what community looks like on the streets. I¡¯m glad you dove, cause you, your boss? I worry you learned to fly so early that you¡¯ll forget that the structures you¡¯re trying to build aren¡¯t just lines and dots on the ground.¡±


    ¡°You think I should try to convince Renxiang to come down to a bar?¡± Ling Qi joked.


    Somehow, she still held the cup of golden cider, and now, she took a sip. It was rich and sweet. She rolled it on her tongue, tasting it even as she cycled her qi, cultivating the chaotic energies in the dream stuff she¡¯d ingested.


    ¡°I will totally clap you on the back if you can manage it,¡± Sixiang said seriously. ¡°But nah, this is for you. ¡®Cause you never got this, any of this, did ya? You started outside in the cold and unwelcome, and you jumped right up to be above it all.¡±


    Ling Qi scanned the room. The shades of workers chatted and laughed despite the wear and slump of fatigue in their shoulders. These were the same sort of folk she knew from the streets of Tonghou, trudging miserably through life. Or at least, that¡¯s what she saw, didn¡¯t she? It wasn¡¯t as if she actually knew what happened behind locked doors before warm hearths. Festivals were just the best opportunity to cut purses, but street rats couldn¡¯t linger around the festivities.


    Ling Qi took a deep drink from her cup, and as she did, she met someone¡¯s eyes across the room. They were tall, as tall as her, wearing a gray traveler¡¯s cloak and a conical straw hat, but she saw a shock of dark red hair framing a face with a square jaw, looking back at her with equal surprise.


    A cultivator! Before she could do more than open her mouth, they raised their cup in a toast and vanished. She felt the way they grasped the skein of dream and pulled, ¡°walking¡± elsewhere.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Sixiang asked.


    ¡°I saw someone,¡± Ling Qi said slowly, shaking her head. ¡°Never mind. They weren¡¯t hostile. I shouldn¡¯t be surprised that I¡¯m not the only one here in the dreams of Xiangmen.¡±


    ¡°Probably. Bit of a big place,¡± Sixiang said. They changed the subject. ¡°You must like that stuff.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced down at her cup. ¡°Oh, yes. It¡¯s sweet.¡± She supposed that her liking of it was why her cup wasn¡¯t running out.


    ¡°Well, then, we don¡¯t need to huddle in here, eh?¡± Sixiang reached out again for her hand. ¡°C¡¯mon, Ling Qi. Let¡¯s go enjoy the festival.¡±


    Ling Qi regarded their hand for a moment. Then, she reached out to clasp it, standing in time with another rise of the chorus. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be in your care.¡±


    They left the raucous pub behind, the noise of crude merriment vanishing like a single drop of water in a lake as they rejoined the generalized chaos outside. Ling Qi hooked her arm through Sixiang¡¯s, and they joined the festival.


    The radiating pathways weren¡¯t the same mad scramble like the center. Processions and parades took the center of the street, dancing spirits in the garb of priests, costumes less gaudy than the inhuman forms beneath them. Laughter abounded. Children, adults, it was a great storm of merriment.


    Sixiang tugged her along, pointing to new attractions and sights, and Ling Qi let herself be carried along by the muse¡¯s enthusiasm. It felt strange, and often enough, she could feel her attention pulling in different directions, her feet carrying her left and right at once. It was only when she found herself trying to play two festival games on opposite sides of a street at once that the dissonance crashed down, and she found herself standing in front of only one, holding her temples from a pounding headache.


    Sixiang laughed. "You lasted quite a while there."


    "What did you do?" Ling Qi complained.


    "Heh, just showing you how much you can stretch the possibilities of Grandmother¡¯s techniques. You know the steps to dance, but you can do so much more with it."


    Ling Qi rubbed her temple one more time, wincing at the subsiding pain. The Phantasmagoria of Lunar Revelry art did have a defensive technique that shrouded her in afterimages generated by her own unchosen actions. "That wasn''t just an afterimage of potential. I was really going two different ways and doing two different actions. Multi-presence isn''t supposed to be possible until the fourth realm."


    "It isn''t, not out there in the world of the material, but you can bend things a little in dream, though you just felt the limit," Sixiang said. "I bet you can still do some useful tricks with it here."


    "Show me."


    "And this,¡± Sixiang said triumphantly, ¡°is how you get a workaholic to play."


    Ling Qi already had some practice with splitting her perceptions and seeing at multiple angles. And yet, it was still hard to take it a step further and walk in opposite directions at the same time. It was invigorating and exciting, a preview of what she would be able to do in the future, constrained to a bare few seconds and meters.


    But she could not ignore what her eyes were trained to see. Shadows lurked and sprang in the current of the crowd, snatching sweets and coin purses, and some shades and spirits would disappear in the clinging tar-like darkness in alleys.


    Xiangmen and its reflection were, by all measures, a paradise in comparison to Tonhou, but everything she knew of city life remained true, if reduced and forced to hide further back to put on a better mask. The darkness and danger mingled with the joy.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, Ling Qi,¡± Sixiang pleaded. ¡°I know I call you a gloomy girl, but you gotta at least not actively fight me on this.¡±


    Ling Qi winced, ducking her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Sixiang sighed, pulling her along to a stall full of rough handmade glass beads and carvings. It was manned by a tall spindly spirit with the head of a horse, bent almost in half to fit under the awning. ¡°Look, you know you can¡¯t judge things accurately when you only look at the bad stuff. You know that, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do,¡± Ling Qi replied indignantly.


    Sixiang nodded, plucking a necklace made of carved and painted knucklebones from the stall¡¯s table. They reached into their pocket and tossed the spirit a glittering coin made of appreciation and memory, which the bent spirit caught silently and then solemnly stuffed into his mouth. They moved on, Sixiang spinning the necklace on their finger.


    ¡°You don''t, or at least, you don¡¯t apply them to yourself,¡± Sixiang corrected. ¡°You still default to focusing on the negative.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t be the one who connects to everyone, Sixiang. That isn¡¯t me.¡±


    ¡°I get that, but you¡¯re trying to reach out now. I don¡¯t know what else you want to call this crazy project of yours but an attempt at communication.¡±


    They walked the streets, their footsteps carrying them distances wholly unrelated to their stride as they returned to the center of the festival with its feasting table and gathered townsfolk.


    ¡°People need to be able to talk, but being able to talk with each other doesn¡¯t make them kin or even friends.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Sixiang sat on an empty stretch of bench and beckoned Ling Qi down to sit beside them. ¡°But it''s also disingenuous. How¡¯d you think events like this festival started?¡±


    Ling Qieyed the festival goers. There were families feasting together, neighbors, and traders, and many more. ¡°What did you mean when you said I didn¡¯t let you indulge often?¡±


    Sixiang waggled their eyebrows. Ling Qi made a face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to deflect by being vulgar,¡± Ling Qi said crossly.


    ¡°Hah, sorry,¡± Sixiang said with a grin. ¡°But also not really? Joking aside, what you call vulgar is a lot of what I am and what Grandmother is. The Dreaming Moon is passion. We¡¯re the spark of creation that keeps an artist lying awake at night or yearning to capture the visions they saw on the back of their eyelids. We¡¯re spontaneity. If the Dawn is the light that shines down and teaches, the Dream is what bubbles up beneath and inspires.¡±


    ¡°Not like you to compliment the sun.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, I know. It was gross.¡± Sixiang shuddered. ¡°Don¡¯t make me do it again.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I fit poorly with the Dreaming Moon?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Never,¡± Sixiang replied, grasping her hand. ¡°I¡¯d still be here with Grandmother if you didn¡¯t. You¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªare one of mine. You won¡¯t escape that so easily.¡±

 Threads 256-Capital 8

    Threads 256-Capital 8


    Ling Qi looked up and up to the source of the new voice. Sixiang¡¯s grandmother, the avatar of the Dreaming Moon, simultaneously towered high above and danced innocuously through the crowd in a way almost impossible to understand. Her trailing skirts were the spirits of the dance, her voice was the sound of festival, and her face the reflection of a thousand revelers. She was a child, a young woman, a mature matron, and a doddering grandmother all at once, and Ling Qi felt her head ache and her ears ring from merely perceiving her existence even in partial fullness.


    And then, she was merely Sister Brightsong, the Emerald Dancer, a lithe, lovely but androgynous woman in glittering rainbow silks perched cross-legged before the two of them in mid air. She twirled a pale green parasol over her shoulder.


    ¡°Granny, you shouldn¡¯t try and stretch her head out like that,¡± Sixiang complained.


    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s fine, child. Your girl is tough. Look at her, not even a nosebleed,¡± the Dreaming Avatar said.


    ¡°Thank you for your invitation.¡± Ling Qi bowed her head.


    ¡°You¡¯ve had it since our walkabout. I¡¯m only glad that you took it. Don¡¯t be such a stranger,¡± the moon spirit said. ¡°Sixiang is right though. You¡¯ve rocketed up so fast and tried so hard to escape what you came from.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t apologize for that. I¡¯m happy to leave most of it behind,¡± Ling Qi said firmly.


    ¡°But you did come back for part of it,¡± said the avatar, twirling a smoky rainbow curl on their finger. ¡°You faced the form of your nightmare with us before. Has its shadow crept back on you?¡±


    Ling Qi glanced nervously about. Something about the word ¡°nightmare¡± reverberated when the moon spirit spoke, turning shadows to oil and tar and sending a chill wind through the square.


    Ling Qi took a deep breath and met the spirit¡¯s eyes firmly. The scent of cheap wine and the shadow of squinting eyes vanished like dew on a summer morning, and with it went the gnawing hunger, the pain of a broken arm, the fear of pounding feet behind her, and the shortness of breath in a child¡¯s lungs. Ling Qi had left many nightmares behind.


    ¡°I understand what Sixiang has been trying to say. There is no need for that. I know I¡¯m still unreasonable about some aspects of my past.¡±


    ¡°Please, Grandmother,¡± Sixiang pleaded. ¡°I don¡¯t think tribulation is the cure here. I¡¯ve got this.¡±


    The Dreaming Moon regarded them both curiously for a moment. ¡°I suppose you do. But tell me, Dreamer, what do you see here in the Great Reverie, the Dream of the People?¡±


    They were walking now, walking up the stairs to a temple, though Ling Qi did not recall standing up or moving. The noise of the festival was lower here, less wild abandon and more the low sound of conversation from a thousand lips, the breathing of the creature called civilization.


    ¡°It¡¯s all so tenuous.¡± Ling Qi looked up at the dark sky and the near full moon gleaming overhead. Lights burst in the sky overhead. ¡°Families and business and friends are united by the merest thread. It can all fall apart in an instant. It did all fall apart in an instant not too long ago, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    The cracks yawned wide, scabbed over with webs and tarry darkness. Duchess Cai¡¯s ascension to the throne had been tumultuous, and the scars wrought by the Hui still lingered.


    ¡°It did. Does that lessen what it is now?¡± The Dreaming Moon sat upon the arch of the temple as if it were an emperor''s throne.


    ¡°But most things are like that,¡± Sixiang argued. ¡°Connections break. Communities split. But you know endings, Ling Qi.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s lips twisted wryly and finished silently. Endings are just new beginnings.


    They stood at the top of the steps of the temple, and Ling Qi looked down on the festival, a reflection of the empty void above with warm fires in the place of cold, cruel stars. ¡°It can¡¯t be a clean divide, can it?¡±


    ¡°Nothing involving you wonderful mortals is ever clean,¡± spoke the Dreaming Moon, and Ling Qi felt her mind itch at the pressure of something so much larger than the already tremendous existence of the avatar.


    ¡°We hurt, and we hurt in turn,¡± Ling Qi echoed Meizhen¡¯s insight, bought by the pain that Ling Qi had unwittingly caused her.


    ¡°Dreams and Nightmares are but reflections at different angles,¡± said the Moon.


    ¡°But they¡¯re not only tricks of perspective. That is itself a lie,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°Is not the greatest artist but the most consummate of liars?¡±


    ¡°No, they are the poorest ones,¡± Ling Qi disagreed. ¡°If you have no truth to convey, your art is empty. If it speaks only to your own self, it is even more worthless still.¡±


    Silver light burnt her eyes and made tears trickle down her cheeks.


    Family, she realized, was only a knot of strong bonds, and it was the small connections between people which built a community. There was no line between love and obligation, not if both were true.


    The light died. With watering eyes, she saw the avatar of the Dreaming Moon standing before her, and she felt a hand on her cheek. A voice whispered softly in her ear.


    ¡°You¡¯re close, Dreamer, but you¡¯re not quite there. The greatest lies, the greatest art, is that which becomes truth. But your fear remains. Face your nightmare, and find your truth.¡±


    Ling Qi fell to her knees, reaching up to scrub at her eyes. The avatar was gone.


    Sixiang was there though, an arm around her shoulder. ¡°I should have known Grandmother would be intense. You''re getting close to something big after all.¡±


    ¡°And the Moons make sure that we¡¯re ready for it.¡± Ling Qi said quietly, remembering the shared memories of the muse. ¡°Sixiang, you have a grandfather too, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Her friend was silent for a long, long time, long enough for Ling Qi to blink the remaining stars from her eyes. ¡°Yeah, I do. How¡¯d you know?¡±


    ¡°Dreams and Nightmares go hand in hand,¡± Ling Qi repeated. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to meet him, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Sixiang said sadly.


    Ling Qi looked down at her hand, opening and closing it. She noted the thin red smears there from wiping away her tears. ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Okay?¡±


    Ling Qi nodded and stood, leaning on Sixiang¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Will you show me around the rest of the festival?¡±


    Sixiang smiled, a little sad, but proud. ¡°Sure thing.¡±


    ***


    Zhengui said to her.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to refuse something so simple after spending most of the morning shopping with Hanyi,¡± Ling Qi said aloud.


    She walked along a wide and brightly lit boulevard. It was quieter than other parts of the district with no blaringly bright signs or hawking merchants in sight. It was quiet and serene.


    As one would expect from a temple ground.


    Gui¡¯s voice came to the fore, and she could imagine his expression of confusion in her mind''s eye.


    Hanyi had definitely gone a little overboard, but she was spending her own money. Ling Qi thought it was fine to let her splurge for now. She could give her junior sister a talk about financial responsibility later.


    She absolutely wasn¡¯t going to regret putting her foot down at the last shop though. Dreamscapes and reflecting light aside, dresses were not to be made of bubbles.


    Well, her tirade had made Renxiang smile, just a little, so silver linings. Hanyi was still pouting though.


    ¡°Though I wonder about your interest,¡± Ling Qi said, looking to the side. ¡°Weren¡¯t you with Lady Cai for much longer than I?¡±


    ¡°Her residence was in the surrounding townships at the time. This is my first time in the Cloudspires as well,¡± Gan Guangli said brightly. He marched along in his enameled armor, the light glinting off the gold filigree most resplendently.


    ¡°What was it like before the Sect?¡±


    It was a vague question, but she trusted Gan Guangli to understand her.


    ¡°It was a time of harsh training, lessons, and preparation. I do miss those days, but it is better left behind,¡± Gan Guangli said solemnly. ¡°It is far too small for our lady now.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded shallowly, taking his meaning in both forms. It was something Renxiang had moved past, and no longer needed addressing. ¡°It has been a hard year, but I think we are better for it.¡±


    Gan Guangli¡¯s ever present smile faded a touch.¡±Yes. I must thank you again for doing what I could not.¡±


    ¡°It was only luck. Our places could have been easily swapped,¡± Ling Qi demurred.


    Gan Guangli didn¡¯t look like he agreed, but left it there.


    The Temple of the Heavenly Pillar was a tall narrow structure with six tiered roofs whose shingles were a rich red brown. Around it, there was a sprawling garden, seemingly as wild and disordered as the wilderness, but with her experience working on Zhengui¡¯s garden, Ling Qi could see the subtle order of it. Although bushes and small trees grew in naturalistic forms, she could feel the gentle curving lines that underlaid the layout.


    But other than the subtle redirection of energies, there was no indication that this was a place of power. It was as unassuming as a building its size could be. Ling Qi supposed that of all the institutions of Xiangmen, the priests of the Heavenly Pillar needed no airs. In a city where any new construction at all was in their hands, if only for the laying of foundations, they could not really be ignored or undermined.


    Gui said guilelessly.


    his other half whispered, feeling very subdued.


    Ling Qi did not need to ask what he was referring to. She could feel it here. Not the way that she had felt the presence of other great powers like the Duchess or the Moon¡¯s avatars or the watching thing in the caverns. No, it was simply there in the same way that the earth was there or the sky was there.


    Xiangmen was.


    ¡°How aware is the Heavenly Pillar of all upon it?¡± Ling Qi wondered.


    ¡°Impossible to answer. Only those on the edge of true ascension may begin to comprehend the enormity of the Ancient.¡±


    Ling Qi turned her head toward the source of the voice, an unassuming little man in dark green robes. He had a round face and a bald head, seeming to sit directly on his shoulders with very little neck in between. His face was lightly lined, and he held his eyes half-shut. Upon the chest of his robe was embroidered a great golden tree with branches and roots alike splitting fractally to form patterns across the rest of the robe.


    ¡°Sir,¡± Ling Qi said, bowing her head. ¡°I apologize for the intrusion.¡±


    ¡°As do I.¡± Gan Guanglipolitely bowed as well.


    ¡°The temple is open to visitors,¡± the priest replied pleasantly, his attention buzzing over them both, a gentle brush of wind. ¡°I am Hou Wen. Do you have a purpose here today, young lord, young lady?¡±


    ¡°My spirit wishes to immerse himself in the Heavenly Pillar¡¯s presence while we are in the city. I would like permission to release him physically,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°I had hoped to observe the shrine, meditate, and make an offering,¡± Gan Guangli said, keeping his usual tone to a polite boom. ¡°We are soon to found a new settlement.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± asked the priest, one eye cracking open a little further. ¡°Neither is unreasonable, but your spirit will need to limit his bulk. The gardens are not to be disturbed.¡±


    Her little brother huffed. Gui will not be a bad guest.>


    ¡°He promises good behavior,¡± Ling Qi replied, and at a nod from the priest, she released Zhengui.


    Her little brother materialized in a faint cloud of smoke, smelling of wood ash and charcoal. With his shell only being about a meter and a half long, he was only the size of a big dog with Zhen curled up on his back. He really was becoming quite good at controlling his size.


    Hou Wen observed him curiously, and Zhengui looked back proudly. After a long moment, the priest gestured for them to follow.


    He showed them inside the temple proper, the first floor of it, which contained an inner garden. The walls were fine clear glass set in metal frames, and the ceiling an exotic material that displayed the vibrant blue sky outside and the bright sunlight that was gradually growing a darker orange as the sun was setting. The garden followed a curving, spiraling geometry that led to the center where a young tree grew. Its bark was like a gleaming gold leaf, and its leaves the color of rich jade. The peaches that grew on it hung heavy and juicy on the thin branches.


    The priest stopped before the tree and clapped his hands twice, bowing at the waist, and Ling Qi took it as her cue to do the same, along with Gan Guangli. Zhengui lowered both of his heads near to the ground.


    The priest maintained his posture for precisely ten seconds before straightening up. ¡°Your presence here is not rejected. Please be free to walk and contemplate in the inner garden. When you wish to make your offering, I will guide you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°May I ask what this tree represents?¡±


    Hou Wen offered a small smile. ¡°Each temple holds a different tree in its inner garden, a paragon of that species cultivated over many centuries. Xiangmen preserves. Even if the world is brought again to ruin, the Emerald Seas may be born anew.¡±


    ¡°It would be no good if the flora couldn¡¯t grow again,¡± Gui pondered aloud.


    ¡°Just so,¡± agreed Hou Wen, looking at her little brother out of the corner of his eye. ¡°Preservation assures new growth.¡±


    ¡°Things can¡¯t be preserved forever. Destruction comes,¡± Zhen said haughtily.


    ¡°It does, and so we endure,¡± Hou Wen said pleasantly. ¡°Good day, young lady, young sir.¡±


    ¡°You should be more polite,¡± Ling Qi whispered harshly to Zhengui as the man left them.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t good to coddle,¡± Zhen defended. ¡°Things will get stagnant and weak.¡±


    ¡°Preservation does not bring stagnation,¡± Gan Guangli rumbled. ¡°It is not weak or wrong to defend those who have not yet found their strength. Indeed, the world is most ugly when we believe that.¡±


    Ling Qi gave him a considering look.


    ¡°Gui thinks Mr. Clean is right. Gui thinks Zhengui would be dumb if he burned the roots and the seeds too,¡± Gui chirped.


    Zhen looked deeply offended, but he also didn¡¯t reply.


    Ling Qi knew that Zhen and Gui were not really separate people, but different mental aspects of his singular self. So she didn¡¯t comment, knowing it was just him thinking out loud about an internal argument. Instead, she asked, ¡°Mr. Clean?¡±


    Gui nodded. ¡°He is very shiny.¡±


    ¡°His sun cleanses taint and poison. It brings health,¡± Zhen said wisely.


    Sixiang let out a snort in her head, Ling Qi struggled not to do the same, covering her mouth with her hand.


    ¡°A moniker I shall wear with honor!¡± Gan Guangli struck a fist against his chest. His expression grew more serious as he turned to look at the garden and the tree. ¡°Preservation though¡­ Yes, I must meditate. Please excuse me, Miss Ling.¡±


    Ling Qi left him to find his own place to cultivate while she followed Zhengui as he walked through the garden.


    To surround and preserve without really being a part of what lay inside. That was a lonely path, wasn¡¯t it? But then again, she was a lonely girl at heart.


    She felt Sixiang¡¯s phantom arms around her and lowered her head. It was a path, but not the only one. Not even the one she wanted really. Because she was greedy as well. If she had a choice between two treasures, she would always, in her heart, desire to grasp both.


    Ling Qi rested a hand on Zhen¡¯s head as they walked, and he bickered with himself, stopping here and there to observe parts of the garden. Now and then, he would lie down, roots wriggling from his feet down into the earth, and she would let him.


    The coming months would determine a great deal about what treasures she would be able to grasp. She would have to get more hands. One way or the other.

 Threads 257-Storyteller I

    Threads 257-Storyteller I


    ¡°It spiraled up from unfathomable deeps, up and up, a great vortex without bottom or top, all the dreams of Xiangmen caught in the currents of its wind,¡± Ling Qi orated. Her words echoed in the dark gaol strangely. As she gestured in time with her words, black bubbles rose in the tarry liquid that surrounded Huisheng¡¯s prison isle, rising into the air to lazily spin around her, shaped by her words and thoughts.


    Her audience was silent, showing neither approval nor disapproval.


    ¡°The voice of the vortex echoed endlessly, and as I ventured closer, its current lashed and dragged at me,¡± Ling Qi continued, betraying none of her lacking confidence. ¡°It spoke its dream, a dream of connection, oneness and unity under the vision of One.¡±


    A hiss of air escaped past skeletal jaws, and drifting black petals fell like rain. Lotus flower eyes stared back at her, and the spirit¡¯s interest was a pressure like strong hands pushing down on her shoulders.


    ¡°The revelry of the Dreaming Moon lies within the vortex in layers rising from the unsightly deeps. Pandemonium. Reverie. Fantasia. These are the words that whispered in my mind as I braved the tearing vortex, and each one pulled and dragged at me, whispering promises of chaos and secrets. I had promised not to delve the deepest places, and I have long walked the high ones, so I chose the Reverie where the celebrations and dreams of the commons of mortal and cultivator live. Though it might seem base to one such as you, O spirit, there was much to be seen there.¡±


    ¡°Never that. Never base. Trunk and stem are the support on which the world turns.¡±


    The hoarse spiritual whisper scraped her ears like claws, and Ling Qi faltered, the forming shadows of people around her nearly dissipating before she ordered her thoughts and jumped into the next part of her prepared tale despite the interruption. ¡°There, in the center of the vortex, the core of the palace was a great festival. Spirits and the shades of dreamers beyond counting played out an eternal celebration.¡±


    With her will focused on the dream around her, wispy shadows sprawled out from one end of the goal to another. Smoky buildings rose high, and the murky faces and frames of the revelers rushed by both her and the spirit both as if they were soaring down the street just above the festival goers'' heads. A creaking, horned skull tipped this way and that, slow and lazy.


    ¡°Xiangmen stands and prospers despite its scars. It dreams the dreams of a city provided with everything, the dream of a city still growing used to shattered chains,¡± Ling Qi said grandly, raising her hands to either side and forcing a bit more color and life into her phantasm. ¡°And the Dreaming Moon sits at the core of it all, watching and laughing still, though her temples in the waking world are gone.¡±


    A grinning figure crouched atop a temple gate, looking down at her with eyes of gleaming silver.


    ¡°Good showmanship. Workmanlike prose. Lacking in soul. You fear still to give of yourself to your audience.¡±


    Ling Qi winced as she lowered her arms, letting the phantom imagery fade and puddle back into the black ichor of the gaol¡¯s lake. ¡°Honored Elder, considering my audience, can I be blamed?¡±


    ¡°Gehahaha. Not wrong, but not the meaning, junior.¡±


    Deep hoarse laughter like bone rasping on bone filled her ears.


    ¡°You describe scene and vista, but not your experience. There is no piece of yourself invested in your story.¡±


    ¡°I would only dilute the accuracy of my account with such asides. My own small lessons can hardly matter in comparison.¡±


    ¡°Without soul, there is no story, only a report. All stories, all good stories, are built around a kernel of the teller¡¯s soul. Even the most fantastic fiction requires such a fragment, else it be only empty words swiftly flushed as flotsam from the listener¡¯s mind.¡±


    Ling Qi hesitated. The personal experience of her journey was not something she cared to share with a dangerous spirit, and most definitely not in its whole. ¡°Honored Elder¡­¡±


    ¡°But well enough for a beginner. Xiangmen has changed, though not so much if the Palace stands.¡±


    She blinked in surprise then confusion. ¡°You¡­ You already knew of the Hui. You made it sound like you were whole dynasties out of date!¡±


    ¡°You are not the first disciple these bones have taught, junior. Though it seems that as ever, I only teach undutiful rapscallions who do not visit their teacher once the lessons end.¡±


    Ling Qi sucked in an irritated breath, knowing it would do no good to ask after the skeleton¡¯s previous students when she had nothing to trade.


    ¡°Wisdom. Or at least patience. Very good, junior.¡±


    Ling Qi held her tongue, knowing she was being mocked. ¡°Teacher, was my lacking presentation sufficient to earn your story?¡±


    Sixiang warned.


    She stiffened slightly. Part of the thieving game was not being blatant about it. She focused her senses on the feel of the potent but oily qi lapping at her bare feet, the cool flow of the air entering her lungs, and the qi that flowed in with it. There. Subtle motes of qi that felt metaphysically barbed like tiny fishhooks were catching and grabbing at motes of her own energy, dragging it free with her exhalation. Ling Qi cycled her own energy, cool and dark and greedy, and the wind¡¯s sanding edge wore away the barbs.


    ¡°Enough to begin. My tale today is of the Dreaming Way. Let it be¡­¡±


    The spirit remained still, bound to the island at the center of the lake. He gave no indication of the conflict Ling Qi now fought with him to keep the very air of this place from stealing her cultivation.


    ¡°¡­ a tale of the beginning.


    Long ago, afore the grasping Sage reached out his hands to take an Empire, but well after the Great Diviner had made himself the intermediary of the earth, the Horned People were prosperous. But even in prosperity, human ambition does not vanish, and even then, disparity was born among the tribes. Kings vied for the High Crown with deeds and gifts and feats, but that is another tale.¡±


    Ling Qi watched the air begin to dance with phantoms and shadows. Men and women, tall and elegant, with branching horns that sprouted from brows and temples appeared. They had long faces and hard features, just different enough to seem alien. Their hair was black and brown and sometimes pale as straw, and they wore clothing of animal hide worked with carved beads of bone and stone. And there behind them, shimmering overlaying the skeleton, was the great looming shadow of a tree.


    ¡°There was one king in the west who ruled the swamp and fen. He was a brave king, a courageous king. He fought the raiding serpents in the north when they slithered down the rivers. He fought the men of the red jungle when they overstepped the hunting lines. He even slew a wild scion of the wolf god in his youth and wore that skull as his crown. He was a strong man, a stubborn man, an inflexible man. No matter that he was strong, that he was mighty, he was never respected. Only feared.¡±


    Ling Qi sucked in a breath as the phantasms merged into a looming shadow of a man as broad shouldered as Elder Zhou had been and taller than the Duchess. His face lay in shadow, half covered by the skull of a great wolf, gleaming pure and white with potent qi. At the base of his antlers was a twelve pointed crown wrapped in crimson velvet. His aura was a boot upon her throat, and it brought with it the scent of spoiling blood.


    A few motes of her qi escaped, hooked on the storyteller¡¯s barbs.


    ¡°One day, the warrior king found that the tribute from a vassal tribe had failed to arrive. There was no campaign to be had, and so, the bored king elected to ride out himself and bear witness to their excuse.¡±


    Ling Qi regained herself as the phantom stepped through her, and she turned to see his march toward the rising streamers of campfire smoke in the distance. She steadied the cycling of her qi, Sixiang¡¯s mind layering over hers to bring to bear two minds against the machinations of one, and no more of her qi escaped.


    ¡°At the village, the king and his guards met none of the expected resistance, nor had the village packed and fled. Instead, in the field outside, they met a single man. Pale like the northern tribes, but dressed in foreign robes, he showed no fear in the face of their spears, though his power was feeble. The brave and wily king feared a trap.¡±


    Ling Qi saw the king arrive at a sun-dappled clearing, surrounded by a thorn hedge of men in treated leather and cloth armor. Before them stood a short, pale skinned man in red robes. His hands were clasped in front of his chest, his expression serene, and his power was barely more than a mortal¡¯s. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep her expression half as serene as she fought back the incursion into her meridians.


    ¡°So said the king, marshaling his Law to himself, ¡®Who are you, foreigner? Is it you who have made my people fail to deliver what I am owed?¡¯


    ¡®No,¡¯ spoke the man in utter calm. ¡®The plague in these lands did that. It made them too weak to harvest your tribute. I merely came upon them. They only asked that I might exercise the pestilence.¡¯


    ¡®Then why do you block my path?¡¯ asked the king.


    ¡®O king,¡¯ said the priest, ¡®Because you are the source of the plague.¡¯¡±


    Ling Qi could not hide the wince at the darkening of the scene. The immense waves of pressure erupted from the shadowed figure of the king, swaying the trees and withering the grass. But she knew, as the grasping at her qi abated, now was the time to strike back.


    Ling Qi let her eyes drift half-shut as if she were focusing upon the tale, but in truth, she was feeling out the cycling of her qi, the energy entering and exiting her lungs with every breath. Those little grains and their barbs were hooking into her soul to peel away little pieces of herself and her cultivation. But that was wrong, wasn¡¯t it? Her cultivation was herself, and she was her cultivation. That was the truth of it, put into thousands of words in scrolls and lessons and sayings. Cultivation was not something external to herself. It was, as Cai Renxiang had once said, spiritual surgery.


    Grains that hooked and grabbed her could be snared in turn. Both the qi of wind and the qi of water wore smooth jagged stones and grains, turning them into smooth silk and fine sand to be added to the riverbed as the watercourse grew wide and strong.


    One grain in ten thousand. No more could she manage.


    She breathed in time with the words of the tale.


    ¡°¡­ So it was that the foreigner was struck down, and though he died easily, he showed no shock, and with his last breath, he spoke the simple words. ¡®Ideas cannot be slain.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Elder,¡± Ling Qi interrupted, ¡°forgive this impertinent youngster, but is this fable not too pat and simple? Even I can see where this is going. Surely this is not the reality?¡±


    Her words echoed in the gaol, distorting the phantoms, and she saw again the grinning skull of Huisheng in the shadows, gleaming in ivory.


    ¡°Fables oft convey their meaning better than any study.¡±


    ¡°But they are not the truth,¡± Ling Qi protested. ¡°Where then does this tale relate to the Mason¡¯s War and the inner strife of the Weilu clans?¡±


    She felt more than saw the looming shadow, the scent of burning trees, and the beautiful, terrible smile of the huntsman whose shadow was the beasts and who had abandoned all human things save violence and hate. Rats skittered over her feet, and beasts prowled in the dark.


    Black petals gleamed, and yellow white teeth seemed so terribly sharp.


    ¡°Mason¡¯s War¡­ Such a clean name. Cut and carved, as beautiful as any gem on display.¡±


    Sixiang hissed.


    Causing a distraction, she thought back faintly.


    ¡°And that blood-soaked beast behind, my great-uncle, O Wild Hunter¡­ Perhaps the junior may like the tale that is not lies for children after all.¡±


    ¡°I am not a child,¡± Ling Qi insisted. ¡°I have not been for a very long time.¡± With her words came mist, her mist, the cold shadows of Tonghou made larger than life by a child''s memory.


    ¡°Wrong and right. When all else is peeled away, we are all but children in the dark. The hell you have made yours is that of the forsaken, alone in the multitude, cold inside the walls.¡±


    She shivered, but kept her breathing steady as space warped, and she came to be only a scant meter away from the looming skeleton, entangled on his pillar.


    ¡°Hear now, child, the birth of the Dreaming Way. Hear now of the hell we knew in those days, the hell of kinstrife where brother struck down brother, daughter slew mother, and community became a massacre. Listen, child, and know again the Wild Hunt.¡±

 Threads 258-Storyteller 2

    Threads 258-Storyteller 2


    Ling Qi remembered the nightmare of being one of the swarm, primal and pitiless, her teeth finding human throats. They chittered out in the dark, her kith and kin, fellow scavengers and vermin. Fires flickered in the far dark, and the phantom of the crimson and bloody hunter passed her by, his empty monstrous smile a warped sliver of light in shadow.


    She could taste the blood on her tongue again. She could hear the screams again. She could see the fires raging again.


    And she steadied herself. She let the wind and the water qi flow, and she quietly neutralized the threat of the dark qi trickling into her meridians and collected them for her own cultivation. She had faced this nightmare and made her peace with it.


    ¡°Though hunter and hunted died, fangs and blades buried in each other''s throats, the hunt did not end. The Hunter had birthed the seeds that would become the Unity of Blades, the reinforcement of the oldest story of all.¡±


    ¡°What story is that, Elder?¡± Ling Qi asked calmly. It took all of her effort to remain serene among the cries and the fires, the phantom shadows killing and dying in the lurid light all around her.


    ¡°We are us, blades out forever against they who are not. This is the tale whispered by the Nameless at the birth of time, the first story, the first division. Feebleminded and without imagination the Xi were to simply repeat their elders'' tale and call it their own, accomplishing no more than forging our chains ever heavier. But, clever junior, no more interruption.¡±


    ¡°My apologies, Elder. I am greedy for your wisdom.¡±


    The flowers growing from his eye sockets rustled, and the thorny vines growing through his body twitched. For one terrible moment, Ling Qi thought one of his claws might reach for her.


    ¡°Strife. There are no words for the brutality of a people turned against one another. No words for when fear and hate make neighbors watch one another for error and wrongdoing against what should be. There was no mercy for those who had burned the sacred groves, no mercy for those thought to sympathize. Only submission to the Correct Way could be allowed, lest war come again.


    Unsustainable.¡±


    The dance of frantic suspicion, broken trust, and massacre receded, leaving around them the humid darkness of the gaol. From the flames and blood stepped forth a man. He was not as the idealized image of the fable. Although his robes were still red, he himself had changed into a gaunt man, cheeks hollow, golden skin tight against his ribs, and feet bare and caked in the dust of the road. His staff was rough and twisted deadwood, jangling with rings of bone and stone.


    But there was a light in his eyes, a terrible and awesome light. It was not the crushing presence of Cai Shenhua. Instead, the horrifying thing about his eyes was the understanding in them. She felt as if she held no secrets, everything in her laid bare. It made her feel both small and hideous, like a rat in truth. Not because the man judged her, but because all of her rationalizations felt like less than dust before his understanding.


    ¡°Thus came the foreigner, the man who had made himself an idea. The Pure One, walking from the West, He of the Eight Virtues, taught all, and he walked without care for kings or gods, making no effort to hide his goal. He sought the Horned Lord, and he was struck down for his blasphemy. Once, twice, a hundred times.


    But violence cannot kill ideas. They are born in men¡¯s minds again and again, even if snuffed out entirely, so long as the conditions for their thinking remain.¡±


    There. That was the seed he had mentioned, the fragment of soul in the tale. Ling Qi was certain of it and was vindicated with the potency of qi she stole in that breath.


    ¡°The Pure One loathed war, despised cruelty, disdained want. This cruel illusion we lived in was our test, and we, the people of the forest, failed it every day. Transcendence, unlike the crude hammer of ascension, was the path to a world united, a world in peace where no man needed to wield the divine fire, needed to become the Hunter, to find enlightenment and repair that which was broken.


    In the world that was, there was no king or spirit mighty enough to slay the man who was an idea. They had no weapon which could harm him, no shield which could protect them from his words. And so when he came at last to Xiangmen, none could stop his march to the Horned Lord¡¯s grove.¡±


    Ling Qi saw this gaunt man with golden skin and a serene face. She saw him die a hundred, hundred times, each death more vicious and gruesome, more destructive and desperate and brutal than the last. She felt the echo of Law and Sovereignty etched in blade and wind and light tearing the world apart, burning forests, sweeping away hills like so much sand, but always, he continued walking. Barefoot. Dirty. Unbowed.


    ¡°The man spoke, and to the woe of the priests, the Horned Lord listened. ¡±


    She saw the shadow of a titan, a mountain made flesh, a rack of antlers composed of countless points framed under the light of the moon, and a shaggy head that raisedif raised, might nibble upon Xiangmen¡¯s leaves.


    ¡°The god bowed before the beggar.


    The foreigner left to seek Snake and Ape. The Horned Lord spoke for the last time. Priests and kings died then, minds immune to the words of the foreigner breaking under the chastisement of their god, and so, the Dreaming Way was born, bloody and screaming as all things born are. Beautiful, as all things born are.¡±


    The words trailed off into a raspy, echoing chuckle that scraped at her ears, and Ling Qi found herself once again on the shore. The echo of his words did not need to be spoken. Even if things were born beautiful, they did not often remain so.


    Time moved forward, always forward, and never back. Things aged, they changed, they warped, they rotted. They Ended. New things wore their remains like macabre cloaks, and pretended at reversal.


    ¡°Such a bleak junior.¡±


    ¡°Is that the wrong lesson to take, Elder?¡± Ling Qi asked. The rasping qi receded, no longer plucking greedily at her identity.


    ¡°Not at all.¡±


    ¡°What did the Pure One say to the Horned lord?¡±


    ¡°Clever junior, I am sure you will figure it out. Know only that neither Ape nor Snake had our lord¡¯s humility.¡±


    Ling Qi felt a slight stirring of frustration but stifled it. ¡°Thank you for the story, Elder. How might I improve my own storytelling ability?¡±


    ¡°Add your own story. You clutch at the edges of mastery with the animation of tales in your mist. I will help you in this. When you feel ready to spin the Fable of the Forsaken, return to me.¡±


    Ling Qi swallowed and bowed to Huiseng. Taking her leave, she stepped through the gaol¡¯s exit. She emerged gasping in the ruined temple, skin covered in goosebumps as she finally let go of her restraint and clapped a hand over her chest, trying to still the pounding of her heart.


    ¡°It worked though,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°If he noticed, I was still operating above whatever he expected of me. He would have called me out otherwise.¡±


    Sixiang drawled, clearly annoyed with her.


    ¡°... I went with my gut?¡± Ling Qi tried.


    The air before her shimmered as Sixiang materialized their face, just to give her an unimpressed expression.


    Ling Qi coughed into her hand before glancing up at the sky. ¡°Well, I should probably get moving, I already promised to meet Suyin today.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you do that,¡± Sixiang said dryly, the image of their face dissolving.


    ***


    Suyin had really put her mark on the house she¡¯d been given as part of her membership in the upper five hundred ranks of the Inner Sect. That was the benefit of having something that was wholly hers.


    The labyrinth of two-meter high white and black rose bushes was a bit extravagant though. Luckily, she was expected, so the bushes, which, on closer inspection, were keyed into the formations of the grounds, opened like a gate, crawling to the sides on wriggling roots. Beyond was a pathway of neatly fitted white bricks and a construct ¡°servant¡± ready to lead her inside.


    Suyin¡¯s craft had clearly improved. The servant was dressed in a pale pastel pink gown, heavy with lace at the hems, and wore a pretty white veil with white flowers woven into its shimmering black hair. It almost seemed like a person. If she didn¡¯t pay too much mind to the mountain cat¡¯s fanged skull hidden behind the veil and the fluttering fans in its hands. Both were bladed, naturally.


    Inside, the decor was much the same, monochrome with splashes of brighter color, and the darker colors shaded into deep relaxing blues here and there. She met Suyin in the girl¡¯s sitting room. A bright lantern hanging from the ceiling cast long shadows from the elegant and richly upholstered furnishings.


    ¡°It¡¯s been too long, Li Suyin,¡± Ling Qi greeted with a smile.


    Suyin smiled back at her. She wore both the high collared gown Lin Hai had made for her and the mantle she had crafted as a domain weapon with that other crafter friend of hers. Her artificial eye shifted swiftly through a spectrum of colors, pupil shrinking and growing as her friend studied her.


    ¡°Ling Qi, I¡¯m so glad to see you again. With everything going on, I wasn¡¯t certain you would have the time. Would you like some tea?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ling Qi agreed politely, letting herself be led into the room to sit down and sink into the plush cushions of the navy blue couch set on one side of the tea table. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t forget about you, Li Suyin.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know you won¡¯t, but we both have our jobs now,¡± Li Suyin said cheerfully as a construct descended from a panel in the ceiling. This construct was shaped like a spider, its shell colored black and white, but it had a waxy pale human face rather than an arachnid¡¯s jaws. Using the little graspers on its frontmost limbs, it began arranging the tea. The construct did so a little clumsily, but that it could do such an advanced task at all without Li Suyin¡¯s direct control was a sign of Suyin¡¯s skill.


    ¡°I see you¡¯ve been hard at work here. I¡¯m surprised you have so much time for your constructs given your other work,¡± Ling Qi said conversationally.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t do to ignore one¡¯s passions. But my meridian cleansing wands need more potent impurity cores, which I can¡¯t yet gather myself without improving my cultivation. And the Purification Wheels¡­ It¡¯s just a matter of scale. The Sect would like me to focus on my cultivation instead.¡±


    Her friend¡¯s base cultivation often lagged. Right now, her friend seemed to be at the appraisal stage of the third realm in both forms of cultivation. She knew Suyin¡¯s impurity-based talismans were very valuable to the Sect. If her projects were stalled by her cultivation, Ling Qi was certain that the Sect was showering her with benefits to speed her along.


    Ling Qi took her saucer and cup from the table, flicking away a stray bit of webbing left by the spider construct. ¡°Understandable. I admit, the capital was pretty overwhelming. It was hard to find a moment to cultivate.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you took at least a few minutes between every conversation to cycle your qi,¡± Li Suyin teased.


    Ling Qi pouted at her friend. ¡°I am not that bad.¡±


    Suyin looked back at her patiently.


    Ling Qi huffed and took a sip of her tea. It was very bitter. Since when did she get teased by Suyin?


    ¡°If I¡¯m going to be attacked, then maybe I¡¯ll hold onto my gift,¡± Ling Qi said petulantly.


    Li Suyin cocked her head to the side. ¡°Oh, Ling Qi, you didn¡¯t need to. I¡ª¡±


    ¡°I,¡± Ling Qi emphasized, looking her friend in the eye, ¡°saw an interesting item and wanted to give my friend a present.¡±


    Her friend sighed, clearly giving up before asking, ¡°So? What is it?¡±


    Ling Qi grinned triumphantly and announced, ¡°A human-like construct built in the style of a puppet.¡±

 Threads 259-Storyteller 3

    Threads 259-Storyteller 3


    ¡°The construct,¡± Ling Qi explained, ¡°along with some other projects, was found in a clanless fourth realm crafter''s workshop after he passed. Since he had no living kin, it all went to auction.¡±


    Li Suyin¡¯s eyes lit up, one rather more literally. ¡°Really! How in the world would one end up in such a situation?¡±


    The basic story learned in the Outer Sect wasn¡¯t wrong, but it did have wrinkles. ¡°Technically, he was a baron, who originally came from Blue Mountain but never took land. I hear you crafter types can get away with that if you do enough contract work.¡±


    Li Suyin nodded in understanding. ¡°Yes, some of us are very¡­ isolationist.¡±


    Crafting cultivators could often be a little crazy, and if they were willing to just sit in their workshop and churn out talismans, the rules could be bent.


    ¡°This should be fascinating! I won¡¯t be able to use his work directly of course, but getting a good look at another crafter¡¯s methodology on constructs should be very insightful. Ah, I¡¯m so lucky that Senior Sister is here as well.¡±


    ¡°She is?¡± Ling Qi asked, spooning a generous dollop of honey into her tea. ¡°Well, leaving that aside, do you mind if I watch you take it apart?¡±


    ¡°You make it sound so crude.¡± Li Suyin took a deep drink from her tea, showing no sign of dislike for its bitterness. ¡°But of course. May I ask why?¡±


    Ling Qi hummed, thinking back to the shadowplay, the phantoms in the gaol, and her own mist. The gauntlet that Huisheng had put forth tickled the back of her mind. Ling Qi had used phantoms since nearly the beginning, first, the shadows in the mist of the Forgotten Vale Melody and then, the revelers of the Phantasmagoria of Lunar Revelry. Now, she worked through the more complex constructs of the Beast King¡¯s Savage Dirge.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for insights on the cultivation of construct arts.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not quite the same,¡± Li Suyin warned. ¡°But I¡¯d love to be able to help you!¡±


    ***


    Li Suyin had been diligent in expanding her workshop. The complex of chambers and tunnels beneath her little manor were at least as expansive as the grounds above and went down some three floors. The chamber her friend had led her to was dense with tools and furniture. There were multiple workbenches of varying size with every imaginable carving and etching tool, arranged in neat rows. The ceiling was concealed by a dense layer of webbing, and scores of artificial limbs, body parts, and internal components dangled from thin threads.


    At the center of the web crouched a spider. Bright pink and covered in a thick layer of fuzz, Li Suyin¡¯s spirit beast had grown large, comparable now to a sizable dog, and that was ignoring the bulbous sack of webbing bound to the arachnid¡¯s plump abdomen. It bobbed and shook with every twitching motion, but also pulsed with something internal.


    The tall, gangly figure standing underneath the crouching spider spoke. ¡°Good. The elixirs are having the proper effect, growth is on track, and the feeding frenzy should be curtailed. The survival rate of the offspring should be increased by some fifteen percent.¡± Bao Qingling¡¯s head twitched in their direction as they entered the room. ¡°Li Suyin. Ling Qi.¡±


    ¡°Senior Sister,¡± Li Suyin said, bowing her head. ¡°Zhenli is well?¡±


    ¡°Lady Bao is most experienced. Her elixirs will do my first brood good,¡± Zhenli replied, rubbing her pedipalps together in a way that conveyed satisfaction. Ling Qi met eight glassy black eyes unperturbed. ¡°My apologies for not being available to tend to you and your guest, Mistress.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I was able to entertain Ling Qi on my own, wasn¡¯t I, Ling Qi?¡± Suyin said lightly, approaching an empty workbench.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ling Qi agreed a little awkwardly. ¡°Ah, congratulations?¡±


    ¡°Mistress¡¯s guest honors Zhenli,¡± spoke the spirit beast, spreading her forwardmost limbs in a way that dragged at the trailing webbing and made it seem like a curtsey.


    Don¡¯t, please, Ling Qi thought to Sixiang.


    Sixiang blithely ignored her. ¡°Yeah, no, I¡¯m good. I wonder who the lucky fella was.¡±


    She saw a spark of pride in the spider¡¯s black eyes, and Zhenli preened. ¡°There were many clever and graceful males who tried. Thanks to the Mistress, I was well fed enough that I was able to keep my favorite!¡±


    Ling Qi definitely didn¡¯t feel her expression going a little stiff.


    ¡°Why bring her down here?¡± Bao Qingling asked gruffly. ¡°I was going to come up when the examination was finished.¡±


    Ling Qi was never so grateful to the blunt girl for something to distract herself from Sixiang and the spider¡¯s gossip. Even Li Suyin had the grace to look a little embarrassed.


    ¡°It¡¯s my fault,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I brought her a present, a master¡¯s puppet construct from Xiangmen. I wanted to watch her examination.¡±


    Bao Qingling¡¯s head tilted, her gaze going somewhere just past Ling Qi¡¯s head. ¡°It¡¯s not the same.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± Ling Qi agreed, ¡°but some of the philosophy may be applicable. I have been looking for greater control and versatility in my arts. I will not be able to keep following templates forever.¡±


    ¡°You are near the fifth step,¡± Bao Qingling assessed. ¡°Understandable.¡±


    ¡°Besides, it¡¯s a good conversation piece. I don¡¯t think either of you have had the chance to speak like this,¡± Li Suyin chirped cheerfully. ¡°Ling Qi is quite clever in her way, Senior Sister.¡±


    Ling Qi raised an eyebrow. What kind of compliment was that?


    ¡°I suppose discussing the mechanics and differences between talismanic automata and pure qi constructs is an interesting subject,¡± Bao Qingling grudgingly acquiesced.


    Li Suyin gestured toward the open workbench, and Ling Qi nodded. Mentally, she reached into her storage ring and pushed. The puppet appeared on the table. A sleekly crafted thing, its shell was all polished slats and panels of wood with joints to give it a full range of motion. Formations were carved and inked across the whole of the thing with great complexity. Its face was a mask of ivory with an articulated jaw and mouth and wide, green eyes made of glass.


    ¡°Domestic use primary, minimal combat or labor reinforcement,¡± Bao Qingling evaluated after little more than a glance.


    ¡°Heat resistance, subtle power projection nodes, some concealed components. Bodyguard unit?¡± Li Suyin ran her fingers along the smooth wooden chest. ¡°Here, here, and here.¡±


    Bao Qingling grunted. ¡°Likely then. Illusion projecting formations?¡±


    Li Suyin tilted the construct¡¯s chin up to expose the jade and ivory components under the shell. ¡°Confirmed.¡±


    Ling Qi felt a little inadequate. The symbols and lines carved into the figure weren¡¯t entirely incomprehensible squiggles, but she would probably need to sit down with some charcoal rubbings and a reference book to get even half of that.


    ¡°What is your bottleneck?¡± Bao Qingling asked abruptly, not looking up from the table.


    ¡°Control,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°My original technique was the Forgotten Vale Melody. It summoned phantom beasts via the memory and feeling of being hunted in the dark. I didn¡¯t control them, or even think about them. The second was the Phantasmagoria of Lunar Revelry, and the whole point of that art is random chaos.¡±


    Bao Qingling grunted. ¡°Lower realm arts are typically like that. At those levels of cultivation, mortal flesh can¡¯t withstand the level of information processing required for active control of multiple bodies well.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not impossible,¡± Li Suyin noted as she carefully loosened the puppet¡¯s chest plate and set it aside, exposing a nest of gears and framework. ¡°But it requires encoded routines in the construct, minimizing the need for multiple concurrent thought processes.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, considering her third art, the Beast King¡¯s Savage Dirge. Each of the main techniques generated a construct which performed one particular action without much nuance.


    ¡°Why do most automata seem to have their power devices where the heart would be?¡± she asked, eyeing a cluster of metal ports which would likely hold green stones to power to the automata in the puppet¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Sympathetic inertia. A body constructed in the manner of a human should follow its conventions. Reduces spiritual drag on its operation,¡± Bao Qingling replied. ¡°The world fights less against your work, and this increases efficiency.¡±


    ¡°The rib cage and torso are simply the best for defending internal components. It¡¯s the same reason those organs are where they are in our bodies,¡± Li Suyin added. ¡°Trying to be clever with a working template often results in merely weakening the product.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying it¡¯s best to stick to nature then? That¡¯s surprising.¡± Ling Qi¡¯s eyebrow twitched as she caught a bit of Sixiang and Zhenli¡¯s conversation. Nature could be quite the horror on its own.


    Bao Qingling pursed her lips. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°What is best is to change a construct¡¯s internal workings only when there is a deliberate purpose,¡± Li Suyin clarified. There was a faint grinding sound, unlubricated gears groaning as Li Suyin carefully disassembled the interior.


    ¡°Purpose. Patterns. These are the keys to crafting constructs.¡± Bao Qingling glanced up, and Ling Qi saw a shimmer in the dim workshop, an expanding web of thin threads made of perfect fractal triangles. ¡°We are far from the great spirits. We can¡¯t make a new life entirely through artifice. A construct can¡¯t be intelligent the way a person or a spirit is.¡±


    ¡°Unless I give it a bump,¡± Sixiang interjected absently.


    ¡°Just a shell for a spirit then,¡± Bao Qingling dismissed. ¡°An automaton must follow a relatively simple list of behaviors, encoded into it during construction. For arts, you encode this pattern into the meridians you have attuned for the technique.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded in comprehension, though she couldn¡¯t help but think of Liming and the works of the Duchess. But the highest realms broke many rules. To become a self-sustained set of physical laws which could contradict the Laws of the world was, after all, the point of climbing the realms toward ascension.


    To change the world through creation.


    Ling Qi realized, ¡°I need to contemplate the part each piece will play in the overall story of Beast King¡¯s Savage Dirge, how each construct contributes to my story, whether as character, scenery, or event.¡±


    ¡°Not a framing I have heard, but if that is your Way, remain on it,¡± Bao Qingling said.


    ¡°I think of it through the lens of the body,¡± Li Suyin offered as she studied a removed faceplate before setting it aside. ¡°Our physical forms are composed of many distinct components. Remove any one, and there is cascading failure. At the same time, we do not need to think for our bodies to operate.¡±


    Bao Qingling continued, ¡°I do not know storytelling. But to be able to consciously operate all aspects of the self is a defining trait of the fourth and higher realms, so it is a good analogy.¡±


    ¡°I come to it via song,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°But you are right. Much of it comes down to what feels right in conjunction with the other elements.¡±


    ¡°Frustratingly inexact, but such is life in the lower realms,¡± Bao Qingling said sourly, and Ling Qi saw her fiddle with something on her wrist, a band of pale green jade carved like a circling serpent.


    Yes, Ling Qi thought, life was often like that.


    Songs and stories could only ever approximate life. Life didn¡¯t have to make sense, but stories did. Polish each piece and component to perfection, and the story she wanted to tell would come out in the end.


    She remained with Suyin and Bao Qingling for another hour or two, discussing the mechanics of construct function. So many concepts were left swirling around in her head, things she did not consider much with more static formations. The truly monstrous complexity of what Li Suyin was doing had never struck her so hard before, and she came away feeling prouder than ever of her friend.


    After a time, they returned aboveground, and the conversation turned toward other topics, such as plans for the future and what each of them intended. Ling Qi found that she was not the only one with a great many tasks looming ahead on her schedule.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Threads 260-Yonder 1

    Threads 260-Yonder 1


    As they moved out into the gardens to take a small lunch, conversation turned to the recipe she had provided Suyin, an elixir that would aid in the fourth realm breakthrough coming in their future.


    ¡°Have you made anything of it?¡± Ling Qi asked as she took her seat at the polished marble topped outdoor table, allowing the serving constructs to pull out and push in her seat. Beside her, Bao Qingling did the same, crossing her arms over her chest.


    ¡°The writer certainly had a twisty mind.¡± Li Suyin gestured for her attendants to bring forth the plates stacked with sweets and dumplings and snacks. ¡°I¡¯ve found three places where the recipe is ciphered. Following the openly listed instructions at those steps would result in a terrible poison instead.¡±


    It was a good thing that Suyin was a cultivator, or she might really end up round, Ling Qi thought wryly as she observed the spread. ¡°I trust you¡¯ll get it all figured out. Is there anything I can do?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Suyin said tentatively, ¡°I will need some funding once I have everything worked out.¡±


    ¡°Enough ingredients for two elixirs,¡± Ling Qi said in a tone that brooked no argument.


    Bao Qingling snorted into her teacup.


    Li Suyin grimaced under their combined stares. ¡°... Yes.¡±


    Ling Qi gave a satisfied nod.


    ¡°What you can do now though,¡± Li Suyin continued more firmly, ¡°is look for a core of the proper type, one that resonates with you.¡±


    ¡°Resonates?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°I think I see where she¡¯s going,¡± Sixiang offered from thin air. ¡°She means something that reflects your domain. You need a matching beast or spirit core.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Suyin agreed. ¡°Elixirs like this¡­ They have recipes, but they require personalization for each user. It will need to be from a beast that is at least on the cusp of the fourth realm itself, if not in that realm itself for proper potency.¡±


    That was a tall order, but for an elixir so important, Ling Qi would have to begin keeping an eye out.


    ¡°Also¡­¡± Li Suyin trailed off, fiddling with a tea stirrer.


    ¡°Also?¡± Ling Qi echoed.


    ¡°I wanted to know if I could help¡­¡± Suyin began.


    Bao Qingling leveled a flat look at her.


    Suyin pouted at the older girl but corrected herself. ¡°... if I could offer my services at a reasonable price.¡±


    Bao Qingling grunted somewhat approvingly, chewing on a bun.


    ¡°For what?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Surveying your lands for impurity, places with easy passage to the underworld,¡± Li Suyin said. ¡°Um, that is, I¡¯ve developed a device for it. Although it requires some training to use, I could offer that as well as the device to your surveyors.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll recommend you to Lady Cai. I know your work is good.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. The Sect has recommended that we offer our services to the new nobles moving into the acquired territories, and I wanted to be sure you were getting the best.¡±


    ¡°Is that pride I hear?¡± Ling Qi wondered, popping a sweet into her mouth.


    Li Suyin flushed, but smiled. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything untrue.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, what a junior I raised,¡± Bao Qingling said without expression or inflection. ¡°But it is true that no one among the disciples has reproduced your impurity detection devices yet.¡±


    Suyin said primly, ¡°I know not to rest on my laurels. But I can also offer good rates on security formations as well until you can develop your own in-house solutions.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± Ling Qi said. She did have some ideas for a personal variation on the typical wardstone formation and the ways she could pluck at the lines of the liminal to disincentivize wandering spirits, but she¡¯d need to put aside more time to study formations than the dabbling she had done so far. Quite frankly, she wouldn¡¯t have time to do so until after the summit at the least. ¡°But I was wondering about something actually.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± Suyin asked curiously.


    Ling Qi looked to Bao Qingling. ¡°I know you¡¯ve been preparing your supply routes. How are things looking at the summit location?¡±


    ¡°The work of motivated high realms is, as always without peer,¡± Bao Qingling said flatly. ¡°The road is carved, if rough, the forest and valley scoured, residences thrown up, and the ruins repurposed and their formations either restored or removed.¡±


    ¡°So quickly,¡± Ling Qi muttered.


    Bao Qingling shrugged. ¡°It is still a wild place, but it is being swiftly ordered. A similar group of foreigners have shown up to arrange their own matters. There have been no violent conflicts so far.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. ¡°That explains that then.¡±


    ¡°Explains what?¡± Bao Qingling asked with a frown.


    Ling Qi sighed. ¡°Explains why Lady Cai has booked us an appointment to make preliminary arrangements there next month.¡±


    ***


    ¡°A survey for potential underworld access points is indeed valuable. Good work, Ling Qi,¡± her liege praised. Despite the deafening thunder of the waterfall, Ling Qi had no trouble hearing her words.


    They stood on a narrow cliff overlooking the lake that the Snowblossom River poured down many hundreds of meters into. From so high up, the lake seemed like an oblong patch of deep blue silk, troubled only by the white froth of the waterfall. In the north, the far calmer length of the river wound down into the foothills.


    Ling Qi¡¯s gaze panned down the lakeshore where the dense pine treeline had been pushed back. Now, there was a patch of cleared land, wooden watchtowers surrounding a handful of rough log buildings.


    Incongruous was the expertly cut and paved roads which reached it from the east and north. The roads shone in the afternoon sun. Fitted with gutters to channel runoff and carved from qi-reinforced stone, these two roads carved by the Wang builders looked like they belonged in a capital city, not a wilderness outpost. One ran north to the Argent Peak Sect, and the other ran east and south to the valley set aside for the diplomatic summit.


    ¡°Such fine roads will aid us greatly in bringing both people and material,¡± Cai Renxiang observed.


    ¡°They¡¯ll have to do for a while,¡± Ling Qi said wryly. ¡°Even with a discount, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be expanding more of them soon.¡± Such roads, built so quickly, were the province of high realm cultivators. It was only her own favor with the Wang family and their own enthusiasm for expansion that got them even two routes of such quality without cost.


    ¡°Perhaps not, but it is more than enough to begin with. Your Mei contact with the Gold Autumn school has been useful as well. I have been reviewing dossiers.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate it, Lady Cai, but something is wrong. It is not like you to be so free with praise.¡±


    Cai Renxiang grimaced, turning away from the table set out before them, covered in oiled scrolls containing building plans and blueprints. ¡°I have had much time to think and cultivate, and my rebukes to you during the tournament were both harsh and overemotional.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, taking a moment to recall, and grimaced herself, remembering the stressed and overwhelmed expression of her liege standing over that crib. ¡°Lady Cai, I took no offense. I disagree with your points, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But it was unprofessional all the same,¡± Cai Renxiang finished firmly.


    ¡°I have worked hard to get you to be unprofessional in private on occasion.¡± Ling Qi crossed her arms stubbornly. ¡°I can take the good with the bad.¡±


    Cai Renxiang narrowed her eyes, lips thinning. Ling Qi maintained a respectful downward tilt of her head, but she did not uncross her arms.


    ¡°You are deeply vexing at times,¡± Cai Renxiang said at last.


    ¡°This one accepts Lady Cai¡¯s praise.¡±


    Cai Renxiang pinched the bridge of her nose between her fingers and let out a sigh.


    ¡°Do you still stand by your words, or were you only apologizing for tone?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°I am correct about the source of corruption,¡± her liege maintained, moving to stand at the cliffside, overlooking the lake.


    ¡°I sense an addendum,¡± Ling Qi said cheekily, moving up to stand beside her.


    Cai Renxiang gave her a look out of the corner of her eye. ¡°But I recognize that such fundamental connections cannot be kept out of the structures built on top of them. Even the most pristine and meticulously designed organization cannot stand against the actors within it subverting its mechanisms. Perfection is impossible, but improvement is not.¡±


    ¡°I would be disappointed if you said otherwise.¡±


    ¡°That is why I praised your acquisition of contacts within the Gold Autumn School. They understand that the most important part of an organization is its culture.¡±


    ¡°Not the written laws, but the ones left unsaid,¡± Ling Qi agreed. Living as she had, she was quite familiar with the difference between the law in writing and the law in practice. ¡°It¡¯s impossible to police that entirely, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Unless you are a Sovereign devoted to it,¡± Cai Renxiang said, and it was almost a whisper. ¡°But that is not needed. What we build here is not entirely from scratch. It draws from the wider province. It is possible to establish a working culture which is hostile to the sort of actions which blossom into higher forms of graft and the misery which spreads from it like mold.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced down at the little cluster of shelter buildings that comprised their outpost. ¡°Seems a little early for that.¡±


    ¡°On the contrary, this is the perfect time for beginnings,¡± her liege replied, and it was a promise.


    ¡°Take care of the roots if you wish for the flower, huh? How long do you think it will be before we have people living here for real?¡±


    Cai Renxiang considered the movement below of the scouts, surveyors, and builders going about their business. ¡°With the influx of wealth from the auction granting greater leeway? No more than a month or two.¡±


    Ling Qi took a deep breath. That was honestly a little frightening. Although her liege would be taking the lead, soon, too soon for her liking, a growing number of people would be reliant upon her.


    ¡°And that is why I will require you to travel south.¡±


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 Threads 261-Yonder 2

    Threads 261-Yonder 2


    Ling Qi blinked.


    ¡°The surveyors have discovered a high concentration of spirits, which they are not equipped to engage with. The concentration lies along the southeastern tributary of the river. They believe it to be a local spirit court.¡±


    ¡°And you want me to open talks.¡±


    ¡°You have the greatest success with such negotiations,¡± Cai Renxiang replied, tilting her head. ¡°But all the same, I would like you to take either Gan Guangli or Xia Lin with you for security and to give them more experience in such matters.¡±


    ***


    ¡°I must thank you for the opportunity, Miss Ling,¡± Gan Guangli boomed cheerfully as they set out from the outpost. There was only a dusting of snow, and where she stood atop the blanket of white, Gan Guangli¡¯s stout boots dug a trench without difficulty.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not something I think deserves thanks. I just think Xia Lin needs a bit more time to settle.¡± She smiled innocently. ¡°And I do think I owe you an adventure. Really, I¡¯m still a little mad at you and Su Ling.¡±


    Gan Guangli chuckled awkwardly. ¡°Come now, Miss Ling. There¡¯s no need for that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I think there is,¡± Ling Qi said, flitting ahead to perch on a high, narrow branch. ¡°How long?¡±


    He stopped a moment, crossing his arms and raising his chin in defiance. Ling Qi leaned down, her loose bangs casting her eyes in shadow. Flecks of cold blue met gleaming gold, and the land around was cast in twilight by the shine of the dawn and the dark of midnight.


    Sixiang snickered.


    ¡°Honestly,¡± Gan Guangli sighed. ¡°Miss Su only acknowledged our relationship after the tournament.¡±


    ¡°But it started earlier,¡± Ling Qi deduced as they resumed walking, or rather, Gan Guangli did. Ling Qi drifted along the blanket of snow, glinting sparkles of light drifting out to keep watch on their surroundings. With close attention, she could feel the faint reverberation of qi in the sound of Gan Guangli¡¯s crunching footsteps.


    ¡°Did you invite me solely to gossip, Miss Ling?¡± Gan Guangli countered.


    Ling Qi came to a stop atop an ice slick log and coughed into her hand. ¡°No.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t the only reason.


    ¡°I enjoy her company, and it bothered me to see her alone,¡± Gan Guangli finally offered thoughtfully.


    ¡°Many people enjoy being alone,¡± Ling Qi pointed out.


    ¡°Miss Su does not. It is my belief that she quite dislikes being in only her own company.¡±


    Not wrong, Ling Qi thought. ¡°I¡¯m still surprised.¡±


    ¡°It is what it is. It remains to be seen if it becomes something more,¡± he replied serenely.


    Ling Qi narrowed her eyes at his unflappable expression. ¡°That¡¯s not how you were acting in the Medicine Hall.¡±


    ¡°She told me what you had suggested before you went.¡± Gan Guangli gave her a flat look.


    Ling Qi looked away, flitting past a few trees. Su Ling did need that, blatant affection and drama and all.


    ¡°But are you serious?¡± Ling Qi asked, letting the subject drop. She ignored the whispers in her mind of past experiences with men. She trusted Gan Guangli, and Su Ling had stood before a fourth realm¡¯s projection and drawn its blood with a broken blade.


    Gan Guangli frowned deeply. ¡°I want to believe I am, but at the same time, I do not want to burden Lady Cai further.¡±


    There was a rub for both of them. Strengthening their clans with connections and alliances was part of their duty, and in the end, marriage was the strongest bargaining chip a new clan had. ¡°Su Ling is strong.¡±


    ¡°She is,¡± Gan Guangli agreed.


    Ling Qi had a few vague thoughts on this problem. Given her suspicions of the connection between the fox children and the Diao¡­ The offer Diao Hualing had made implied that they wished to take Su Ling in. Adoption was just as viable as marriage, particularly if she got to come right back to them all¡­


    ¡°You are plotting, Miss Ling,¡± Gan Guangli observed in a voice of deep concern.


    ¡°Just considering the future,¡± Ling Qi said airily. It was just a silly line of thought. Perhaps Su Ling could rise well in one of the ministries or the Sect itself. That would also be fine.


    ¡°So, how much have you heard of the reports?¡± Ling Qi asked, changing the subject.


    He gave her a suspicious look, but seemed to decide that it was better not to pursue. ¡°The possible spirit court lies in the dense forested region in the southeast centered on one of the feeding tributaries which merges with the river. Scouts reported a dense concentration of spirit beast qi, as well as a seemingly organized alarm response to their appearance near the area¡¯s edge. Scouts withdrew to avoid causing offense.¡±


    ¡°The qi of the area is mostly water and wood,¡± Ling Qi added. ¡°Or under the imperial elements, water, earth, and mountain.¡±


    ¡°Probably a stubborn but not too prickly bunch then,¡± Gan Guangli concluded, his boisterous tone returning. ¡°You left Sir Zhengui behind to avoid an incident, I suppose.¡±


    Her little brother had been a little annoyed, but yes. ¡°Zhengui is the sort of spirit which will definitely gather a court to himself. Bringing him along could easily be seen as a challenge.¡±


    ¡°Most wise,¡± Gan Guangli agreed. ¡°Spirit lords are only just a bit less territorial than we imperials!¡±


    Ling Qi smiled at the jest. ¡°What is your experience with spirit beasts, Gan Guangli? I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t find a bound spirit earlier.¡±


    A shadow passed over his expression. ¡°The spirits and beasts of my home are not friendly. The legacy of Chu was a great deal of banditry and proscribed cultivation out in the hinterlands. It left me with some poor impressions. But I have since learned better!¡±


    Though he remained cheerful, Ling Qi got the sense that it wasn¡¯t the best time to press, and they were approaching the forest anyway. So she simply nodded and flitted ahead.


    The pine forest was dense and dark. Ice and snow hung heavily from fragrant branches packed tight together, and the ground was as much gnarled roots as earth and stone. The darkness was natural though, and the air was light and crisp, full of birdsong and the calls of beasts.


    They followed the route of the tributary river, which was wide but in many places shallow, running clear over a bed of smooth rocks. It burbled and crashed as it fell down little slopes and cliffs.


    The first sign of their destination was the growing density of qi in the air and the wider spacing of the trees. Here and there were clusters of tree stumps, letting in the early afternoon light. Strangely fresh saplings sprouted up from some of the old stumps.


    It was still a dense wood, but ordered in a way that it had not been before. And so, Ling Qi raised a hand to stop her companion.


    ¡°You sense it as well then,¡± Gan Guangli said gravely, peering into the woods ahead. ¡°I can feel the thunder of falling waters and the tramping of many feet. How do we proceed?¡±


    Ling Qi hummed to herself thoughtfully. ¡°Have you spoken to a spirit court before?¡±


    ¡°Only the House of Colors, and only in tribulation.¡± Gan Guangli stroked his chin. He tilted his head, listening to a voice she could not hear.


    Sixiang murmured.


    ¡°In this case, we aren¡¯t coming as supplicants or tribulation seekers. We¡¯re here as neighbors, not quite peers,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°But we have to present ourselves as Lady Cai¡¯s hands to set the right tone for speaking.¡±


    ¡°You believe we should show our presence fully?¡±


    ¡°I believe we should be clear with our intentions. I have a song for this.¡±


    ¡°Then I shall follow your lead, Miss Ling.¡±


    She nodded and stepped forward, alighting on a trio of clustered stumps from which a single pale green sapling grew. Her hand twitched to grasp her flute, and she frowned when nothing came from her storage ring. The songs of the spirit seekers could be sung as easily as they were played, but her heart still ached at her flute¡¯s absence.


    Her heart still ached in its absence.


    Ling Qi straightened her shoulders and began to sing a high aria of arrival and welcome. The winds billowed, causing the hem of her dress and her heavy mantle to flare, filling the air with the rustling of cloth. She sang, and her feet rose from the stumps. Frost spread on the grass beneath her, and the sunlight grew dim.


    Mist flowed, and where her dress ended and where it began would be hard to say. It spilled like water, tendrils of cold night mist billowing out. Wisps of silver light spun and danced, emerging from the folds of her gown, and her blowing hair became a halo of star-filled darkness from which the winking faces of the moon peaked now and then. Sixiang¡¯s arms wrapped around her shoulder, the muse¡¯s wispy form materializing as they joined her song and spun winking colors into the monochrome starlight of her aura.


    At her side, rising above the horizon she made, was a sun rising from a mountain. Marble and gold, his head towered above the straying treetops, a determined visage carved from stone, and his shoulders the slopes of a great peak, standing straight under the weight of the world. Hands that bore no weapons gleamed with scouring light, and boots were set far apart to withstand the coming storm. He stared ahead and beyond her redoubt, offering no challenge, only a promise. A second figure of liquid gold and burning within overlaid him, a silhouette and visage just slightly offset from his own.


    Both of them ceased to hold back their building domains, and just as her song echoed through the air, so, too, did their presence resound in the world.


    The response began with the loud crack, and then another and another, dozens and dozens echoing off in the distance like the sound of boat oars striking the water again and again. It echoed in the forest and the mountains beyond, the closest ones fading as those further back took up the sound, making a rolling wave of sound that slowly traveled into the distance.


    As it faded away beyond their hearing, Ling Qi finished her song, and with an exhalation of breath, she shrunk back into herself, becoming once more merely a tall girl in a luxurious gown, and so, too, did Gan Guangli become just a young man again.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say exactly what those signals meant, but I think we made our impression,¡± she said, stepping down from the stump. Despite the lingering frost on the grass, the pale green sapling remained untouched.


    ¡°If you say so, Miss Ling. I can perceive only a great stirring of motion.¡±


    Ling Qi turned her mind toward the perceptions of the silver wisp released during her song and the reverberations moving through the liminal. Her song had gone up the river, and now, the response spilled back down, not with the violence of a spring flood, but the steadiness of summer swelling. Whatever ruled here was aware and watching, but it was not hostile. Curious? No, waiting. It seems they were expected.


    ¡°Come. Let¡¯s not make the greeting committee travel too far now."


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 Threads 262-Yonder 3

    Threads 262-Yonder 3


    The short journey through the woods proved pleasant. There was no rising hostility or pressure in the air, and their only watchers were circling birds and small beasts that skittered away at their passage. There was, however, a tension in the air, a feeling like the earth and the wind and the water holding their breaths.


    ¡°This place is contested,¡± Ling Qi assessed.


    ¡°Like a much besieged castle,¡± Gan Guangli agreed.


    She saw their greeters long before Gan Guangli, and she reached the open meadow at the base of a larger hill around which the shallow river flowed. There were a half dozen of these odd little beasts. They had long-haired pelts in colors ranging from brown to black, blunt but rodent-like heads, and strange tails half the length of their own bodies, were wide and flat like a boat oar with a rough scaly texture.


    Five of them sat on the haunches, waving their front paws and seemingly chattering to the sixth member, who sat in the center, It was about twice as large as the other beasts, as tall as a short human while sitting on its haunches, and had a shimmering white pelt. Strangely, for a beast, it also had something like a harness on its body from which what looked like little stone tools dangled.


    ¡°Five attendants. One leader,¡± Ling Qi reported.


    ¡°Cultivation?¡±


    ¡°First and second realm. Leader is low third, second stage or thereabout.`


    Gan Guangli raised his eyebrows. ¡°Displaying submission then.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. They¡¯re not imperial spirits. Might have different conventions,¡± Ling Qi shot back.


    ¡°True. Still seeking to avoid violent confrontation.¡±


    ¡°Coming up quickly now,¡± Ling Qi finished. Any closer and continuing to whisper might be rude.


    She saw the moment when the beasts sensed their approach. The smaller ones fanned out behind the larger, white furred beast, and fell back onto all fours. She felt a pang of pity. The smaller ones were terrified. However, the only feeling she sensed from their leader was resolve and acceptance.


    The beast did not try to bow as they entered the clearing, instead only lowering its eyes. ¡°Changin, son of Chalun, greets the Lord and Lady of the Peaks in Grandfather''s stead. Have you come at last to complete the pact?¡±


    The voice she heard in her mind had a youthful and brash texture to it, but it was also subdued. She considered her answer, eyes scanning across the rest, feeling their trepidation. She considered the possibility of leading them around the truth, that she had no idea what they were talking about, but¡­ No, that wasn¡¯t what she wanted here.


    ¡°You have mistaken us. We come with greetings as new neighbors. I know nothing of preexisting pacts. Are there others of the human tribes in this area?¡±


    Confusion in the form of glances and chattering noises resulted. Even the leader, Changin, seemed a little at a loss.


    ¡°There are the cloud people and the storm walkers, who chased them from these lands. Which are you?¡± he asked.


    ¡°In your parlance, the storm walkers. We are the people of the Emerald Seas and the Celestial Empire. We are at war with the cloud men. We are the deputies of Lady Cai, who is the heir of¡­¡±


    She paused, thinking about how to frame it,before she decided to sing a few bars, a melody of harsh light and unyielding bark. She sang of a star crowning a great tree which pierced the heavens.


    The beasts shivered, and even Changin recoiled.


    ¡°Forest people¡­¡±


    ¡°The horned men¡­¡±


    ¡°Burning North¡­¡±


    ¡°Our forefathers have told stories of the forest people. You are here to claim these lands?¡± Changin asked. There was a bitterness in his voice.


    ¡°These are our lands now, but men and beasts need not trample each other. We may each have our place.¡±


    ¡°We come as neighbors, not conquerors,¡± Gan Guangli supported.


    There were shades of a lie there. In the end, they had claimed this land. Its conquest was already complete, but this, Ling Qi thought, was an acceptable softening of the truth where its harshest edge would only do harm.


    The third realm spirit before them considered this response. A loud thwack of his strange tail silenced the less self-controlled beasts behind him. ¡°If so, pledge no bloodshed in the Falling Waters Palace with true words, and I will show you to Grandfather, who may decide such things.¡±


    It was a little impertinent to demand a serious vow given their relative cultivation, but her pride wasn¡¯t so stiff as to be offended. At the same time, she couldn¡¯t show herself to be easily pushed.


    She allowed her hold on her domain to loosen. The gleam of stars in her hair intensified, and when her lips parted to speak, a cold mist billowed out. As a freezing wind, she swore, ¡°We envoys will shed no blood nor take lives in the Falling Waters Palace, save in our defense. So I bind us until we speak with our lady again. This, I swear upon my power.¡±


    ¡°So I swear upon my power,¡± Gan Guangli agreed in a voice of grinding rock.


    A temporary promise with a sharp cut off. She didn¡¯t hold any antipathy for these beasts, but she was not a fool to make lengthy promises to unknown spirits. Similarly, she would only swear on something simple and obvious, which even the dimmest beasts and spirits would recognize.


    Changin bowed his head. Having already pressed them, there was nothing more he could say. ¡°Then please, guests, follow me.¡±


    They followed Changin and his attendants further up the river, and soon, the true span of the beasts¡¯ workings became clear. Ling Qi sensed the change in the air as they crossed the threshold of the spirit court¡¯s holding, the way the whirling chaos of natural qi straightened and hardened, taking on an artificial feel. The first physical sign was a rough span of cut wood and branches woven and wedged together into a dam holding back some of the river¡¯s flow. A small, artificial lake, as clear and clean as Snowblossom Lake, was formed behind the dam.


    And there were many of them. As they proceeded upstream, Ling Qi saw that the beasts had diverted the waters¡¯ flow many times, forming pools and ponds of varying size and in great numbers. The trees were much more spaced here, and bright sunlight shone on the sparkling waters. A river that would have been a single, great span instead became a widely spread wetland full of flowing shallow waters.


    From those waters, she saw many beasts watching them. She saw the slim shapes of river otters flashing beneath the surface and peeking from the ponds, and there were other smaller furred rodents in various shapes and sizes, as well as frogs and toads.


    The area had a scenic beauty to it, but at the same time, it was damaged. She saw many of the strange dams and nests partially washed away, and busy crews of the flat-tailed beasts were working hard, dragging logs and breaking them down, pulling things back into place. When she considered the way the Sect Head¡¯s domain worked¡­


    Changin caught her watching such a crew as they proceeded and confirmed her suspicion. ¡°The rains have been harsh.¡±


    Understandable enmity, but even leaving that aside, she had another, less charitable thought. This spirit court seemed terribly weak. There were a scattering of third realms about, a few even quite advanced, but the vast majority were beasts of red and yellow realms, and not all of these even showed the signs of intelligence. She still did not sense a more powerful lord.


    How did they persist with such a lack of strength? There was a denser qi emanating from further up, but it did not have the feel of an active spirit.


    Her curiosity at the source was soon answered as they climbed a narrow switchback trail up a cliff some twenty meters in height. Even at the bottom, she could see the high walls of another dam, another nest, this one more akin to a palace. Even the reduced flow of water bursting from beneath it formed a curtain of crashing, falling water into the wetlands below.


    What she saw at the top was familiar from her journey further south. Here at the far southern edge of their land was the retreating remains of a great great glacier. From her vantage, it was a glittering wall of blue and white in the distance at the top of a loose stony slope. But it was not the ice which drew her eyes, but rather, the dark shadow in its depths.


    It was dead, she was certain. But then, so was the ancient skeleton to whom she took her stories.


    She pulled her eyes from the rippled wall of ice and looked below to the grove of trees which grew at the mouth of the chasm of rock which contained the glacial wall. Here were stout trees almost barrel-like in proportion with ice blue bark and short, twisted branches from which grew pale white leaves. They were not particularly tall. The largest she could see poking out from the rest of the grove''s canopy looked no more than five meters tall, but the air was noticeably colder, such that the faint mist that sprayed up from the flowing river came back down as gentle snow.


    And then there was the ground they grew from. At first, she thought it was snow, but a second look revealed that the soil itself was oddly pale.


    And then there was the odd shape of the boulders. Ling Qi briefly thought back to the quarry in the underworld, which had revealed a great spinal column, taller than a tree and half-buried.


    The unsettling feeling only increased as she focused on what seemed like a small hill, but was in fact the top half of a humanlike skull of titanic size. Its soil and stone-choked sockets stared blankly.


    ¡°Grandfather, I bring the visitors.¡± Their guide¡¯s silent voice rang out, drawing her attention away from the grove and back to the manor-sized dam built over the river.


    There at the riverside waited a procession. Some four sturdy young examples of the flat-tailed beasts, each of the third realm, but in darker colors than their guide, walked with a platform on their back. On that platform was piled a swaddling nest, a mix of woven water plants, bird down, leaves, scraps of cloth, and other soft things. And in that nest rested the most visibly decrepit spirit beast Ling Qi had ever seen.


    His fur was gray and patchy in places, and the twitching whiskers the others bore were long on the elder beast¡¯s face, so long that they drooped under their own weight. The beast was much thinner than his kin¡¯s sleek, plump silhouettes. One eye was rheumy and clearly blind, but the other still shone with intelligence. To Ling Qi, he felt weaker than their guide, but there was an echo of lost power. In his prime, this beast had probably touched the fourth realm, if only barely.


    It was the first time she had seen the results of such a badly failed breakthrough.


    Sixiang whispered morosely.


    ¡°I told you they were not the pactmakers.¡± Even the beast¡¯s spiritual voice was a whistling wheeze. ¡°Visitors, this elder apologizes and welcomes you to Falling Waters Palace.¡±


    ¡°It is no trouble. I would be curious to know something of this pact you mention,¡± Ling Qi said politely.


    ¡°Grandfather¡­¡± the younger beast said warily.


    But Ling Qi felt the old beast focus on her, his good eye searching. Obligingly, Ling Qi made no effort to screen the perception technique she felt skittering over her skin.


    ¡°Guide the waters, shape the stone, shelter life, revive the land, maintain the prison. When I return, I will raise thee to the heavens,¡± the old beast recited. ¡°Such were the words given to our great ancestor.¡±


    ¡°And how long ago was this?¡± Gan Guangli asked.


    ¡°I cannot say. Too many tablets of history broken. It was before the ice retreated when humans still lived in the mountaintops,¡± the wizened beast gasped out. ¡°But it does not matter. We have failed.¡±


    ¡°We have not,¡± the younger beast cried. ¡°Grandfather, we can repair the great work if¡­¡±


    ¡°Not with the strength we have,¡± the elder said harshly. He raised a withered paw and tapped it on the wood, and Ling Qi felt a pulse of qi ripple through the earth. Gan Guangli shifted beside her. No doubt he sensed the same thing.


    There was a vast working under their feet, a pattern that was not merely the natural flow of the world, but it was broken. The beast¡¯s release of qi was little more than a simple ping, lightning it up for all to see.


    ¡°You are very candid,¡± Ling Qi observed.


    ¡°You have the strength to take what you wish,¡± the old beast whispered, twitching.


    But Ling Qi heard the undercurrent there. Such a desperation for a solution was not common. ¡°Where is your lord, Elder? You and your kin cannot have held this land alone.¡±


    ¡°She sleeps. She has done so since the evils from the sky infested her body and the prisoner stirred.¡±


    Ling Qi followed his gaze toward the wall of ice. The thing within¡­ No, the glacier itself, and¡­ through it, the river? Yes, that seemed right.


    ¡°You mentioned a prison. Your lord only has that power remaining?¡± she guessed.


    ¡°The visitor is wise.¡±


    ¡°Two hundred years ago, the stars began to stir, the demons came, and the ruin began,¡± Changin muttered. ¡°Your warring has made it harder, but¡­¡±


    ¡°The stars?¡± Ling Qi began only to cut herself off.


    She felt a pulse of distortion in the air then heard a wailing cry from the direction of the ice, like some miserable fusion of an infant¡¯s cry and an eagle¡¯s shriek. All around her, she heard the sound of those flat tails beginning to beat against the water.


    ¡°One of them is coming again. We must shelter! Guests, please¡­¡±


    Ling Qi held up a hand and looked at Gan Guangli. The power she sensed in the flickering light in the sky was strong, perhaps stronger than her in raw cultivation, if only just, but she was not alone. But it also felt familiar, like she had felt once before seeping from the cracked starstone.


    And this was an opportunity in many ways. If more came, they could retreat. But if these foes were even a little related to that terrible thing she had seen so briefly at the caldera, this could be a valuable opportunity to gain some intelligence on their foe. If it was instead related to the demons the White Sky spoke of, it could be another point of connection. If both were the same¡­


    Gan Guangli slammed his fists together, grinning confidently.


    ¡°Please shelter, neighbors,¡± Ling Qi advised. ¡°It is not in our interests to let such an infestation persist.¡±

 Threads 263-Yonder 4

    Threads 263-Yonder 4


    The young beast regarded her in shock, the old one with consideration. ¡°Be wary,¡± Changin warned. ¡°Their power crumbles artifice and severs law. They devour the breath and souls of the living.¡±


    ¡°If their appetites are like others of that kind, I may appear most appetizing,¡± Gan Guangli thought aloud as the beasts fled for their manor-dam.


    ¡°I do not think we are dealing with typical spirits of darkness and want,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°It flies. You¡¯ll be at a disadvantage.¡±


    ¡°True, and while I trust Miss Ling to bring it down, I have my counters. If Miss Ling prefers to hold its attention for a time, I may chain it to the earth and perhaps capture it.¡±


    Ling Qi eyed the glint in the sky that had taken off from the top of the distant glacier. They had a minute or two at most before it arrived, especially if they were to avoid damaging the dam. ¡°If the beast was right, trying to hold it might be very difficult. Are you certain about using yourself as bait?¡±


    ¡°Miss Ling, I am aware that my cultivation has fallen behind. That is why I suggested this plan. A predator is more likely to strike for a meal it believes it can swallow. You¡¯ve decided then?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think a capture now is worth risking the collateral damage to our new neighbors, and¡­ by these beasts'' own words, there is an infestation.¡±


    ¡°I have never heard of a single creature called an infestation before,¡± Gan Guangli agreed.


    Ling Qi gave a terse nod, and then they were on the move, her flying, and Gan Guangli following with a powerful leap that carried him across the lake. He began to leak his qi into the air, trailing streamers of light from the joints in his armor. Ling Qi did the opposite, flitting into the shadow of the canopy of trees on the lake¡¯s other side.


    Above, the gleaming light took a lazy turn, following their trail as Gan Guangli ran and ran.


    In the shadows of the branches, Ling Qi dissolved herself entirely. Compared to her earliest attempts at this, it was now as easy as breathing. Formless as a spring breeze, weightless as a shadow, in that moment, she ceased to be, and yet, she could still see and hear.


    Gan Guangli landed atop a white and chalky structure that rose high among the trees, a boulder or perhaps, an ancient bone. It crunched under his boots, raining pebbles, and Gan Guangli staggered, a wheeze of breath escaping his lips. Even his qi fluctuated wildly.


    For just a moment, Ling Qi actually worried, before she realized it was a ruse in the same vein as what he had done against Lu Feng.


    ¡°A wise soldier knows deception is an invaluable tool. An enemy who sees what they wish to see rather than what is has already defeated themselves.¡±


    The voice in her mind was not Sixiang¡¯s, but a deep, smooth masculine baritone.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself it¡¯s all about practicality, you solar tightwad,¡± Sixiang grumbled, even as colors spun themselves into bloodied wounds and skin flushed with exertion across Gan Guangli¡¯s body. ¡°You have as much fun with this as we do.¡±


    ''This chapter is updated by N o v elBin.c?m'',


    ¡°A well considered stratagem is hardly a lunatic whim.¡± This voice could only be that of Gan Guangli¡¯s bound spirit. ¡°But then again, you are remarkably restrained.¡±


    Sixiang complained to her privately.


    If Ling Qi had lips, she would have smiled, but she left the good-natured bickering of spirits for what it was. The enemy was approaching. It was descending, having begun to dive as Gan Guangli pretended to catch his breath. It was a good ruse.


    She got her first look at the creature then. It had the vague silhouette of an eagle or a condor, but only in vague terms. It was like something Biyu might squash together from a handful of clay and present as a ¡°bird.¡± It had no feathers, only slick, transparent flesh that had the texture of a maggot. Its wings were thus nothing more than misshapen membranes, shot through with twitching, pulsing veins of wormy color. Shapes that might be bones or organs squirmed within its body, distorted by the light passing through, but its transparent flesh darkened to a deep gray where taloned feet emerged, more like sickle blades of bone rather than something that could be walked on. Worst was the beast¡¯s "head,¡± which was nothing more than a wedge-like lump lined with four pairs of beady eyes.


    As the spirit dove, that head split apart into four sections lined by crystalline teeth, exposing a black gullet full of glimmering rainbow color that seemed to have little to do with its physical form. The sound that erupted from that well of nauseating color could not be called a roar or a screech, but only a horrible, indefinable noise so high as to be at the very edge of hearing. Ling Qi saw the trees themselves bending as if to sway away from it.


    Gan Guangli turned atop the stone, already crossing his arms in front of him.


    Chaotic light erupted from the beast¡¯s open maw.


    It scoured the air, a line of eye-searing colors, and yet it did not tear up the earth or kick up a storm of winds. Instead, in its wake, brush and soil became a drifting dust that glimmered in the same sickening color, and trees disintegrated, branches withering and needles also crumbling to the same choking gray dust.


    She saw the light engulf Gan Guangli, and she felt Sixiang wince as their woven illusion came apart. She trusted Gan Guangli to weather it though. The beast hung in midair, its membranous wings pushing down to maintain its position, mouth opened and reared back.


    Ling Qi materialized above the beast, and the gale of her raised voice struck it like a hammer. The moist air froze in a spontaneous sheet of sleet. But it didn¡¯t fully reach the creature. She could feel her qi unraveling around the creature, weakening the effect. This strange defense did not affect the mist billowing out among the trees.


    Still, the beast was not helpless. Even with parts of its ghastly flesh blackening with frostbite, it spun on her in defiance of its form, turning in the air as easily as she did, and Ling Qi felt her eyes sting as it closed the distance without moving, its four part jaws trying to snap shut around her head.


    Its mouth closed on her, but it bit through nothing more than air and motes of shadow, the image of a future that wasn¡¯t and the soft laugh of escaping air. Ling Qi sang wordless in response as she faded back into the mist, the cold and the shadows settling like a heavy cloak as she contracted the world down to only herself and her foe, a cage and a trap.


    This was her Mist, a little world, an ugly world, an empty world. It was the elegy of a lost child where there were no friends, only foes and uncaring shadows. Forsaken, as Huisheng had said. It was sad that this mindless brute could not appreciate it much, Ling Qi thought as another horrific noise erupted from the spirit, scattering the mist in a small circle. The beast reared back and violently vomited another disintegrating ray of light.


    Ling Qi raised her hand, the little bells and fine chains wrapped around her wrist tinkling softly as she activated the talisman and swiped away the nauseous light like a painter contemptuous of the canvas before them. Unusually though, she felt the talisman grow warm, and her eyes flicked toward it, seeing tarnish creep over the silver.


    Once would be enough, she hoped.


    Because although this murderous brute could not feel the depths of isolation, it was still blinded to all but her. And its blindness did not stop a stone the size of a wagon burning white and gold with sunfire from smashing it into the ground like a meteor hammer.


    Gan Guangli stood like a lighthouse in her mist, three meters tall and shrouded in golden light. His armor was pitted, much of his forearms bare and the flesh red and scoured. There were splotches of blood here and there where that light had scraped away skin and flesh. He wore a grimace, but Ling Qi thought that the six golden hands flaring behind his back, hefting similar chunks of stone beginning to glow with his qi, were the more memorable part of the image.


    She sang a song of marching glaciers as the beast fell under the burning stone, and the gale force of the wind sent it hurtling down all the harder.


    The beast struck the ground with a boom, splintering the earth and felling trees, but it was not enough. The rock crumbled, disintegrating into a cloud of sickening dust, and its glistening form shot up. Ling Qi saw in the blur of motion the beast inhaling, its chest and the strange organs within inflating, and the dust drawn in. She saw flesh knit and what passed for qi ignite, reserves refilling as it devoured a portion of what it had destroyed.


    '''',


    It spun in midair, weaving past one stone and then a second. It dropped straight down to avoid the third, but then Ling Qi was there behind it, carried by the breeze.


    Her fingers burned as if she had dipped them into molten metal as she laid her fingertips on the beast¡¯s back and sang a note of silence with the full weight of her qi behind it. The distorted air ceased around the beast, its crumbling aura halted as heat, energy, and everything else was ripped from the area, and the beast spasmed as its gummy flesh froze and shattered, revealing beating organs covered in frost and splitting from the cold.


    But it didn¡¯t die.


    A scythe-like talon lashed out as the beast¡¯s limbs abruptly reversed, flesh tearing and squirming as its back became a front, and Ling Qi barely had the time to throw herself out of the way as a line of scouring, unmaking light caught her across the flank, shearing unnervingly past the images that fled in every other direction.


    Ling Qi hissed in pain, but it was nothing compared to the wail that went up in her head, mindless and bestial as the hems of her dress suddenly went wild, snapping and flapping in winds that weren¡¯t there. Ling Qi looked down in alarm, seeing the blackened threads curling back from the cut in her gown, wriggling threads trying and failing to knit back together.


    And then fists came down and punched the beast back to the ground in a blur of gold. As it tried to rise, a palm composed of liquid golden sunlight smashed it flat.


    And still, something tried to rise from the blackened handprint left behind, sucking in the kicked up dust like a vortex.


    For the second time that day, Ling Qi sang a note of absolute silence, and only then did the movement stop.


    ¡°I feel for our neighbors,¡± Ling Qi said, alighting on a fallen tree. As the mist faded away, she saw that this section of the woods was devastated by even the brief combat. Wherever the beast¡¯s light had touched, the earth was dead. She fingered the cut in her gown and let out a breath of relief; it was agonizingly slow, but the threads were restoring themselves, the ruined silk flaking away as new threads grew.


    Gan Guangli grimaced, rubbing his forearms, and she saw the crumbled metal of his armor doing the same. ¡°I suspect without its high pedigree, we might both be without our talismans.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded in agreement. Dangerous, these beasts, even one so mindless. She peered suspiciously into the burnt and now frozen brush. Sure enough, the beast was disintegrating into a grayish powder before her eyes.


    ¡°We may need to inform someone I know of this. If these beasts are a related species¡­¡±


    ¡°I am informed.¡±


    Ling Qi stiffened, her head whipping around at the sudden voice, recognizing it as Shu Yue¡¯s, but there was no one there.


    ¡°Well, I suppose we¡¯ll just have to assume it is something we can handle if no one says otherwise,¡± she grumbled pointedly.


    Naturally, there was no reply to her words.


    Gan Guangli chuckled. ¡°Now, now, Miss Ling, there¡¯s no use in that. Shall we dispose of this and let our neighbors know the danger has passed?¡±


    ¡°I suppose.¡± Ling Qi sighed, considering her burnt fingertips. The skin was red with angry, little blisters forming here and there. ¡°But I am not putting that dust in my storage ring.¡±


    Gan Guangli grimaced. ¡°Probably for the best. Give me a moment to hollow out a stone.¡±

 Threads 264-Perceptions 1

    Threads 264-Perceptions 1


    They took it a little slower in returning, but as they came near the great manor nest, they found the old spirit beast and his grandson awaiting them. Both of those beasts kept up appearances, but Ling Qi could feel the shock and surprise practically emanating from the old beast¡¯s litter bearers.


    ¡°We have exterminated the beast, though I assume it is only one of many,¡± Ling Qi said as she landed on the grass. Gan Guangli still trundled along behind, carrying a hollowed out, small boulder with the dust and ash inside, and although the dust did still seem mildly corrosive, the boulder would probably be enough until they got back to the outpost.


    ¡°It was. So long as the demon light infects the ice and the shrines within, they will continue to come,¡± the elder beast said, stroking his whiskers.


    ¡°Your works are potent,¡± the younger one said, eyeing them. Ling Qi¡¯s gown was finished repairing, but the plates of Gan Guangli¡¯s bracers were still slowly regenerating.


    ¡°Our lady has access to many potent talismans,¡± Ling Qi said blandly. ¡°Of course, we would be willing to aid you, as good neighbors should.¡±


    ¡°We know the ways of the Great Work and could repair the Starlight Labyrinth if protected. Ending such poisonous infestations would be most neighborly for us both,¡± the old beast proposed opportunistically, dipping his head.


    ¡°I see. You won¡¯t object if we visit for further talks then?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    They didn¡¯t.


    All things considered, it had been a very successful trip in Ling Qi¡¯s view. While she wasn¡¯t looking forward to telling Renxiang that there was yet another infected tumor of alien qi in their land, such was the life of a new baroness.


    Probably. It wasn¡¯t just her, right?


    ***


    The sharp bitter tang of salt in the air was viscerally unpleasant, but at the same time, the scent served as a harsh focus to the mind. The dry, dark qi of the little saltwater pool and the subtle rustle of the fungal blooms made for a fine background to her meditations.


    Since neither her liege nor Gan Guangli and Xia Lin had any use for the Saline Grotto, she had begun to make the site hers. The lessons learned with Zhengui on gardening were only of partial use, especially since this place was so out of sync with his way, but she¡¯d begun to toy with some geomancing arrangements.


    Moist rotting wood had been carefully buried in a two layered circle, inducing the growth of blooming caps of darkness saturated fungus marked by growing, jagged salt crystals at its cardinal points. That was the limit of her experimentation for the moment, but it did focus the qi a little. She¡¯d want to speak with an expert geomancer before she meddled further.


    But it was a nice, relaxing way to wind down while getting work done.


    ¡°You mean while I get work done,¡± Sixiang groused. Their image sat in midair before her, one leg crossed under the other while one bare foot dangled down. The moon spirit glared at her over an open letter.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that.¡± Ling Qi cracked open one eye. ¡°I know you enjoy doing voices for each letter.¡±


    ¡°Hardly the point. This isn¡¯t supposed to be how this bond works!¡±


    Ling Qi snorted. ¡°Are you still so flustered by that solar spirit¡¯s compliment?¡±


    ¡°I oughta dunk your head in the pool,¡± Sixiang said flatly.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome to try. I didn¡¯t know you were being so diligent about training your physical manifestations,¡± Ling Qi taunted.


    '''',


    Sixiang grumbled, and the wind kicked up, sending the letter in their hands to smack Ling Qi across the face.


    She laughed as she peeled the paper off, scanning the bottom half of the letter again. ¡°It¡¯s good that the tour is going so well for Hanyi.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it seems the squirt¡¯s been well received. Though the letters that work out to ¡®where can I get one¡¯ kinda suck.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. It was to be expected. No one was as impolite as Sixiang implied, but there were a lot of probes for the origins of her spirit. In a way, such interest was good. As the southern Empire had been suffering increasingly cold winters, an interest in Hanyi could drive support for their project, but it was also probably easy to twist the narrative around and blame the foreigners too.


    ¡°Lucky for me, leaning on ¡®clan secrets¡¯ will work out in my favor for once,¡± Ling Qi said dryly. ¡°Still, reception from the noble and professional contacts in the Foundations region have been very warm.¡±


    The southwestern part of the province which the Wang called home and the foothills that rose from the Meng swamps were the least developed part of the province. Only the capital of the Wang lands and few minor cities were significant on the provincial scale.


    ¡°Suppose they¡¯re just glad to have the raiding pushed further back. Some of the letters are a little condescending, but there¡¯s a lot of well meaning advice too.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed an agreement. Many, many of the cultivators in the foundations only had cultivator ancestors going back four or five generations at most. That could drive even more stubborn elitism, but it could also breed camaraderie. Hou Zhuang certainly knew how to judge character.


    ¡°Wang Lian¡¯s advice on management of subordinates was quite insightful. I admit, I¡¯ve spent so much time thinking about how to work with other nobles that I¡¯ve neglected to learn how to work with subordinates.¡±


    Ling Qi had some immediate experience from drills with the sect military, but Wang Lian¡¯s advice lay in how to build up a longer term rapport with civilians. Also, she was more proud of that correspondence, considering she¡¯d earned it herself rather than relying on Hou Zhuang¡¯s insight and curation.


    ¡°And in even better news, looks like the guy in the Ministry of Commerce that you¡¯ve been talking to hasn¡¯t noticed too much said against you in the more capital-leaning places. Just the usual grumbling about newbies,¡± Sixiang said, examining the next letter.


    It was too soon to say for certain, but Ling Qi felt that despite the presentation, political support for mainstream imperial thought was fairly¡­ squishy on the border. If there was anywhere vulnerable to her allies¡¯ efforts toward change, it was probably in the foothills of the Wall.


    ¡°People are definitely more open in the Foundations. If Meng Diu makes her push for investment in the south of the Meng lands and if I can make a good case to the Wang family, it should have good results. ¡­ Eventually.¡± She sighed.


    There was a rustle of cloth behind her.


    ¡°It¡¯s very polite of you to not startle me again,¡± Ling Qi observed.


    ¡°It is wise of you to maintain your perceptions even at rest.¡±


    Ling Qi shivered as she felt a spindly hand close around the wisp of light left hovering near the ceiling of the grotto, pulling it down. Through the wisp, she saw a pale and androgynous face.


    Sixiang looked back and forth worriedly, apparently blind to what she saw. ¡°Who are you¡­?¡±


    Ling Qi turned her head to peer at the thin, gangly figure crouched like a great insect over the saltwater pool at the same time that her view from the wisp turned this way and that under Shu Yue¡¯s examination. ¡°It¡¯s Shu Yue, Sixiang. Don¡¯t worry¡­ too much.¡±


    ¡°You have mastered formlessness, but there are steps beyond even that. Each person is a world unto themselves. One skilled in the silent art needs only to decide which worlds they exist within,¡± Shu Yue explained softly, a whisper spoken into her wisp, before too thin fingers loosened, and Ling Qi jerked the sensory node back up to the ceiling out of reflex.


    Sixiang twitched, their eyes widening as they spun around in midair, focusing on the older cultivator as they processed Ling Qi¡¯s senses. ¡°... You¡¯re a creep. You know that?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± agreed Shu Yue blandly. ¡°Interesting. Most do not let their spirits so deeply share their mind. A source of vulnerability, but a good defense as well. That will not be expected.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced at Sixiang, who was still squinting, their qi feeling around the room in pulses and passing through Shu Yue as if they were not there, even as they stood, pacing around the pool toward Ling Qi. Sixiang¡¯s effort to detect them adjusted a fraction of a second after each step.


    Ling Qi stood as well, offering a bow of respect. ¡°There is no need for me to be alone anymore.¡±


    '''',


    Shu Yue stopped, head tilting at an angle that should have strained or even broken their neck. ¡°No, I suppose there is not. I have inspected this ¡®prison.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Is it an immediate danger?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Given another century or further interference from the cloud tribes? Yes,¡± said the spirit-like cultivator, straightening into a more human posture. Their dark eyes remained fixed on her face. ¡°But barring that, I have determined that it is a problem within your abilities to resolve.¡±


    ¡°Then we will do so,¡± Ling Qi said shortly, trying not to show how unsettled she felt by Shu Yue¡¯s inspection.


    ¡°You will,¡± Shu Yue confirmed. Ling Qi saw Sixiang twitch, though she saw not a single ripple of qi. It seemed Shu Yue had stopped playing their game. ¡°What is it you are doing here?¡±


    Ling Qi almost asked if they did not already know, but she understood the intent of the question. ¡°I am cultivating my senses, elder.¡±


    ¡°So you are,¡± they said thoughtfully. ¡°You trust eyes gifted to you from the land of poisons and lakes? Trust enough to take them into your body?¡±


    Ling QI dipped her head, acknowledging the continuation of the metaphor. ¡°No, I trust these eyes, freely given by a father. I am not yet¡­ free enough to cultivate my own.¡±


    ¡°Curious formulation,¡± said Shu Yue. A similar flicker step movement as Ling Qi¡¯s, as if the world were blinking and missing steps, carried them to stand over Ling Qi. ¡°You think you''re unfree?¡±


    Ling Qi frowned, crafting her response, even as Sixiang¡¯s manifestation rippled and vanished, reappearing over her shoulders. ¡°Only in that my abilities don¡¯t match my responsibilities. I can still only be in one place at a time. I can still only move so fast. It¡¯s not enough.¡±


    ¡°It will never be enough,¡± Shu Yue cautioned.


    Ling Qi frowned, rubbing her arm where it had been broken. ¡°If I can¡¯t break at least a few rules, I don¡¯t think I can be said to walk the path of cultivation.¡±


    The thin lips of that pale face curled up into a too wide grin with nothing but darkness behind them. ¡°A good conviction. What rule are you breaking?¡±


    ¡°I am not sure yet,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°I am not alone, but I can¡¯t care for everyone. Maybe I can listen though, and pass words along to those who can.¡±


    It was a concept she had been thinking about in her meditations on community, her place in it, and the cold that lived inside of it. Would it have made a difference if outside eyes fell on Tonghou? Once, she would have said no, but now, she would say that it depended on which eyes.


    ¡°And what do these words say?¡± Shu Yue asked.


    ¡°That the south is neglected. They form a community among themselves because Xiangmen and the Labyrinth City are both far away. The Wang clan works tirelessly, but in the end, the future dreamt by the Builder is far away. Eyes are looking to my lady and I because we stand to make the province care.¡±


    Wariness and dismissal were still thick on the ground. They were too young, and their accomplishments too few. But they dangled a tantalizing promise that the raiding could not just be pushed away, but that it could stop. And so, there were those who reached out, the hopeful, the ambitious, and the grasping alike.


    Shu Yue bowed their head, black hair spilling over their shoulders. ¡°Good. All who seek change, who seek rule, must¡­¡±


    ¡°Build the Foundations,¡± Ling Qi finished lightly.


    Sixiang groaned.


    The older cultivator paused, staring at them. Ling Qi felt the faint tickle of sweat springing up on her forehead. But Shu Yue only gave a dry, rasping cough of laughter. ¡°Yes. Ling Qi, know that I have established myself. In the future, I will be available to make good on my words. You walk a different path than I, but I still have insights to offer you.¡±


    Ling Qi bowed deeply, any hint of her slightly cheeky smile disappearing. ¡°Honored Elder.¡±


    They were silent for a moment, tapping their fingers together. ¡°We may explore the depths of the lonely street, the darkness of faces turned away. These are the silent arts. There are also the mysteries of separation, of space and motion, the shadow and the breeze. And¡­ there are the mysteries of sight, the eye of grudges. These are what I deem you ready for.¡±


    ¡°You will only teach one?¡± Ling Qi asked carefully.


    ¡°When the lesson is finished, I will evaluate where you stand.¡±

 Threads 265 Perceptions 2

    Nove l B(in).C OM


    Threads 265 Perceptions 2


    Eye of Grudges. An art? A technique? Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure, but it sounded ominous. Nonetheless, she was confident that she could make any lessons her own.


    ¡°It¡¯s been some time since I¡¯ve had a chance to cultivate the eyes I was born with,¡± Ling Qi said, referring to her early words. ¡°If the elder has lessons to teach on eyes and ears, I would like to hear them.¡±


    ¡°A good choice for you,¡± Shu Yue said thoughtfully. ¡°It is ever the curse of those who align with yin energies to instinctively become reactive, and despite showing impulse in the field, you suffer this in your social life. Other people are still ciphers to you, are they not, child of the streets?¡±


    ¡°I am not ignorant of etiquette and grace,¡± Ling Qi said defensively.


    ¡°You are not. But you do not peer behind the face. Most you meet are still the phantoms in your mist, insubstantial and fleeting. Even those who truly exist in your mind, you do not quite understand their drives, do you? Hence, your misstep with the young miss, or further back, the escalation of the conflict with the disciple Yan Renshu. Their thinking is opaque to you, who has not had the luxury of grudges.¡±


    Ling Qi swallowed her retort. ¡°I suppose.¡±


    ¡°That will be the lesson. Humans are petty creatures. We are dolls constructed from pride and grudges and fears. Understand those, and you will be one step closer to peering into the cipher behind another being¡¯s eyes. That is the first step of glimpsing worlds not your own.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s more to people than that,¡± Sixiang interjected, breaking their silence. ¡°I¡¯m not gonna let you make her go back to thinking like that.¡±


    Shu Yue gave another one of those rasping wheezes, laughter from a throat not built for any such thing. ¡°If she comes to see the world as I do, the lesson has failed. I may only teach how to look, not how to see.¡±


    ¡°I will take wisdom where I see it,¡± Ling Qi placated. ¡°Elder, is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°What were you contemplating here in this place of dryness and preservation?¡± Shu Yue asked curiously, tracing a lengthy finger along a shelf of fungus growing from the faintly damp wall. It glittered with salt crystals.


    She knew the cultivator wasn¡¯t referring to her letters. ¡°Do you know of the play, Last March of the Beast Kings?¡±


    ¡°Ah, that art. You still find it suitable?¡±


    ¡°It is good practice, even if I will need to make it my own. I have begun to contemplate the second half, the ode of the Great Tree. It¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Where the dirge begins with the march to war, the ode begins in their deaths,¡± Shu Yue said. ¡°Alone, for kings and gods cannot have equals, nor friends.¡±


    ¡°And so they are broken one by one upon the roots of Xiangmen.¡±


    Shu Yue¡¯s eyes drifted shut, and they seemed contemplative. ¡°Aesthetics, faces, shapes, these things are easy to change. It seems you understand.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve started to.¡±


    ¡°Then let me leave you to it. I shall enjoy arranging lessons, I think,¡± they mused.


    And then Shu Yue was gone.


    ¡°One after another. You really like your spooky teachers, don¡¯t you?¡± Sixiang observed.


    ¡°Says the one who is going to lead me into the heart of nightmare soon,¡± Ling Qi retorted, reaching up to wipe a bead of sweat from her brow.


    Sixiang grimaced. ¡°Ling Qi¡­¡±


    ¡°Not a complaint. I don¡¯t have the option of taking it easy.¡±


    ¡°You do,¡± Sixiang insisted.


    Ling Qi thought of what she had seen of the world. She thought of Cai Shenhua and Xia Ren and the sect elders and all that had come before. She thought of a terrible hunter and a little rat whose first thought was to save her own skin.


    ¡°Even if the option is there, I don¡¯t want it,¡± Ling Qi said firmly. ¡°How many more letters?¡±


    ¡°Nah, that was the last one.¡± Sixiang shrugged. ¡°Probably why tall and spooky decided to arrive then. Which means¡­¡±


    ¡°Back to preparing for the party,¡± Ling Qi said.


    Sixiang drifted away from her to lounge on empty air. ¡°You usually sigh a bit when you say that.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I want to leave Wang Chao out to dry. He¡¯s not bad when he isn¡¯t choking on his own foot. I want to make sure he can hold the group together when I leave.¡±


    ¡°Gonna ask some of Gan¡¯s folk for support?¡±


    ¡°Making our support clear and material helps Wang Chao¡¯s position. And it will be good for them too. Without Gan Guangli there, they¡¯ll have less support in the Inner Sect,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°What¡¯s worrying is¡­¡±


    ¡°The other bigwigs,¡± Sixiang finished for her.


    ¡°Meizhen will be fine. She¡¯s just paying a visit once after all, which will give Wang Chao face. I¡¯ll probably ask him to take care of Xiao Fen¡¯s commoner friend too, which keeps that relationship active and tied in. Luo Zhong though¡­¡± Ling Qi frowned. Well, she had her ideas for him. Shu Yue was right that she could do with being more proactive socially. ¡°And really, he¡¯s just one example. I¡¯m sure there will be many others looking to drive wedges into the group or make the Wang lose face.¡±


    ¡°So we want to set up to leave with a bang. What kind of main event did you have in mind? I know you want to do a performance based around your art, but what about the rest?¡± Sixiang asked. ¡°Whatever you go with is probably gonna characterize how Wang Chao does big shindigs in the future.¡±


    Ling Qi cupped her chin, thinking hard.


    ***


    They came, and they gathered, families, tribes, and nations too. They came, and they gathered, fleeing, marching, and skulking too. There was war in the sky, war in the earth, and war in the glen. So they gathered all ¡®mongst the mountainous roots of the Heavenly Pillar.


    Ling Qi hummed a bar absently as she glanced out over her¡ªWang Chao and her¡ªparty. It was quite a spectacle. Some tiny trickle of her auction funds had gone toward this, along with Wang Chao¡¯s heightened allowance, and it showed. Vibrant and colorful waist-high hedges divided the rented field into smaller irregular sections and corridors, and four great ¡°trees¡± marked the corners and boundaries of the grounds with colorful streamers strung between them fluttering in the breeze overhead.


    Her little brother sat in the center circle in a ring of flowers. Gui chatted excitedly with a gaggle of disciples and smaller spirit beasts.


    And he was not the only one talking. Among the many tables heavy with food and drink, the benches, and the contest grounds, spirit beasts wandered and gathered among the human attendees. So dense was the qi in the air from the gathered cultivation that points of light had begun to sparkle and dance in the air, the nascent forms of gestating fairies.


    ¡°We¡¯ve outdone ourselves on this one!¡± Wang Chao laughed. He stood beside her in the entryway of the field wearing an earthy red sleeveless vest stitched in an older style with intricately shaped and etched steel bracers depicting snarling mountain lions. For once, he¡¯d even tamed his hair a bit, and even Ling Qi had to admit that his beard seemed to be losing its spottiness.


    Was it simply advancing time, or because his confidence and bluster had deepened into something more genuine?


    ¡°We have. Thank you for your assistance with the hedges and in acquiring the drinks,¡± Ling Qi complimented, raising her cup. Flanking them at the entryway were two tables, and each held a large barrel and numerous, if dwindling, cups. A pair of red realm servers hired from the sect town stood ready to pour the greeting drinks for guests.


    ¡°Haha, it was nothing! Nothing! Getting a few barrels of this year''s harvest sent my way was easy,¡± he boasted. ¡°And it¡¯s not like that glutton of mine needs an excuse to eat anything you put in front of him.¡±


    Filling the barrels was a hard cider made in the Wang family''s direct holdings. It was intoxicating to mortals, but certainly not to cultivators.


    Ling Qi chuckled. ¡°Getting your spirit to stop at nibbling the hedges into shape was a bit of trouble, but I think Zhengui had fun with it.¡±


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t let the grump fool you. They both did.¡±


    Ling Qi took a deep breath. ¡°And thank you for agreeing with the rest of the plans.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Wang Chao squinted at her. ¡°Ah, all that business with our presentation.¡±


    The conversation paused as they welcomed a few more guests.


    ¡°You know I¡¯ve never been too invested in that kind of business. Too twisty for me,¡± he said as the new batch passed into the field behind them. ¡°People should be more straightforward.¡±


    Nove l B(in).C OM


    ¡°If everyone was as straightforward as you, the fighting would never stop,¡± Ling Qi jested.


    Wang Chao let out a hearty laugh. ¡°Maybe! All the same, Lady Cai¡¯s doing good work, and you¡¯re a friend. If throwing a gathering that¡¯s a little wilder now and then helps, why not?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll pick up some of our enemies,¡± Ling Qi warned.


    ¡°Bah!¡± He swiped his hand through the air dismissively. ¡°I am Wang Chao, scion of the Builder, the hammer which breaks open the future''s gate! Pests in the way of progress need to be swept aside.¡±


    Ling Qi allowed herself a laugh, covering her mouth with her sleeve. ¡°You make it so simple.¡±


    ¡°Everyone else makes it complicated,¡± he laughed, crossing his arms over his chest.


    Sixiang whispered.


    She did. Ling Qi closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°I think your sister hoped we might be courting.¡±


    It still felt a little stiff and awkward to even joke about it, but somehow, it was less than it used to be. She was head of her own clan, beholden only to Cai Renxiang. She was as free as one could be in such matters.


    ¡°Gah! Meddlesome woman,¡± Wang Chao grumbled. ¡°A terrible idea. You would be an exhausting wife.¡±


    ¡°And you, an exhausting husband, ¡° Ling Qi said dryly.


    ¡°A terrible idea all around! Much better to be friends, eh, Lady Ling?¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡± She smiled and tapped her clay cup against his.

 Threads 266-Perceptions 3

    Threads 266-Perceptions 3


    Home. It still eluded her. The house in the sect town wasn¡¯t really hers. Tonghou had certainly never been home. But this, she had built, a little retreat where she could cultivate her arts, bully her juniors, and trade pointers with her peers.


    Sixiang noted dryly.


    Nonsense, Ling Qi thought. ¡°Ah, it looks like some of our more honored guests are here,¡± she said aloud.


    The slight pressure of her best friend¡¯s aura cocooned her, and beside Ling Qi, Wang Chao straightened up.


    ¡°Lady Bai, I am honored you accepted my invitation,¡± Ling Qi said, bowing low.


    ¡°You do us much honor,¡± Wang Chao echoed.


    Bai Meizhen smiled politely at them both. Her gown was glittering white like newly fallen snow, and subtly patterned with scales with a pale blue sash around her waist. Her long white hair fell free and unstyled. In her shadow was Xiao Fen, who wore the same fierce expression as always, even if her pale yellow eyes flinched away when she met Ling Qi¡¯s grin. She wore all black naturally, and she wore her hair in a braid wrapped in metal wire.


    Skulking behind Xiao Fen was a young man she¡¯d seen last after training Xiao Fen once, the commoner friend Xiao Fen had made, as instructed by Bai Meizhen. He didn¡¯t look like he¡¯d suffered too much for the friendship, but he did look much like how Ling Qi had felt this time last year, eyes darting everywhere and fidgeting like he didn¡¯t belong.


    ¡°I was pleased to accept it. With my cooperation with your lady going forward, it was only reasonable,¡± Bai Meizhen said formally. ¡°Though the form of this gathering is a little unorthodox.¡±


    Bai Meizhen glanced out over the field, taking in the wandering spirit beasts and open air.


    ¡°Haha, we decided it would be a good idea to show off what we in the Emerald Seas are all about!¡± Wang Chao said enthusiastically.


    ¡°It is good to see other provinces expressing themselves,¡± Bai Meizhen demurred. ¡°May I¡­?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ling Qi said.


    Bai Meizhen¡¯s shadow shimmered and rippled, and a spade-shaped green head and sinuous coils emerged. ¡°Let me introduce Bai Cui as well then. It has been some time hasn¡¯t it, Cui?¡±


    The serpent reared up on her coils until her head was even with Ling Qi¡¯s. ¡°It has. This is pleasing.¡± Cui¡¯s voice had matured, sounding less like a fussy girl, and more like a fussy lady.


    ¡°Zhengui is in the center,¡± Ling Qi offered.


    ¡°Hmph, as if I, Cui, cannot feel him burning. He is loud,¡± Cui derided, lowering herself back into the grass and darting off, much to the relief of the two servers moving forward to offer drinks to the human guests.


    ¡°Allow me to introduce my other companions as well. This is Bai Xiao Fen, my cousin and handmaiden,¡± Bai Meizhen said as she graciously accepted her cup. ¡°And this is Liu Xin, a worthy talent she discovered in the Outer Sect.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you both!¡± Wang Chao said, stepping forward. ¡°Welcome to Lady Ling and I¡¯s gathering. Please, eat and drink as much as you like. We have some small events and contests too, so look forward to that!¡±


    Xiao Fen bowed formally and silently, but Liu Xin faltered a moment, staring at Wang Chao before hastily bowing himself.


    Ling Qi acknowledged Sixiang¡¯s snickering with a small smile. ¡°Welcome. I hope you can find some help and new friends here since my duties will be taking yours away.¡±


    The awkward young man bobbed his head in another partial bow. ¡°Y-yeah. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Wang Chao, do you want to introduce them around? I think these are our last guests.¡± She met Meizhen¡¯s eyes and tilted her head. Later, she conveyed.


    Her friend nodded. ¡°Of course. Sir Wang, would you?¡±


    She silently thanked her friend for giving Wang Chao some face as they moved deeper into the garden.


    Ling Qi herself turned and took a step, rematerializing in one of the larger squares within where the ground had been cleared and a great bonfire was burning in the center surrounded by people dancing, some enthusiastically, some awkwardly. There, she spotted among the dancers her former bodyguard locked arm in arm with Gan Guangli¡¯s friend. Her former bodyguard¡¯s twin sister, and former bodyguard herself, stood along the edges clapping in time with the music. Other acquaintances were scattered about.


    But there was one person she was here for at the moment.


    ¡°Miss Ling,¡± Xuan Shi said, tipping his patterned hat.


    ¡°Ling Qi is fine,¡± she replied simply, eyeing him. His robes were dark green, hemmed in silver today. He wasn¡¯t wearing those talisman gauntlets of his either. ¡°This is not where I would have expected you.¡±


    ¡°Fire warms, even if one does not stand face to face with the flame.¡±


    ¡°But it can be cold in the back,¡± she rejoined. ¡°Regardless, I am glad you came.¡±


    ¡°Sir Wang is convincing. The avalanche carries all in its path forward.¡±


    ¡°It does.¡± Ling Qi considered him for a long moment. The truth was that they both knew there was reason to speak with him beyond friendliness. Bai Meizhen¡¯s presence represented the tacit support of the Bai for this negotiation. His presence could do much the same on behalf of the Xuan.


    ¡°I wonder, has your companion taken you out for any strolls?¡±


    ¡°Feet of mud do not walk as lightly as ones of snow,¡± Xuan Shi said wistfully. ¡°Nor do numerals and gears mesh well with dreams.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I agree, but even so, there are adventures to be had if I am wrong.¡±


    He turned, giving her a patient look.


    ¡°A stroll on the other side isn¡¯t out of reach. I did promise a trip to revelry once, but do you have another dream in mind?¡±


    ¡°Offer to a starving man a banquet, and speak the question ¡®which dish first¡¯?¡± Xuan Shi asked wryly.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to decide today, and I do recommend the Moon¡¯s revelry for a first trip.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯ve treated you shabbily, and you can help us,¡± Ling Qi replied, not dressing her words up.


    ¡°This one has received the kindness he deserves in dreaming so thoughtlessly.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t pretend to fully understand, but I can say that there are new horizons out there. Even if the answers weren¡¯t what you liked, what remains at the Sect for you?¡±


    ¡°The last volume was not here. Did you know this, Lady Ling?¡± Xuan Shi looked at the fire, the music and the sound of voices nearly washing out his words.


    ¡°The elder never finished his books then?¡± Ling Qi asked to clarify.


    Xuan Shi nodded. ¡°A disappointment.¡±


    ¡°Stories don¡¯t have to end to be precious, I think, or rather, they don¡¯t end as long as someone remembers them.¡±


    If there was one thing she felt she had learned at the Sect, it was that histories were stories, and they grew like bamboo, putting forth new shoots with every teller and listener. ¡°I also wanted to apologize for some of my words on the significance of Elder Lang¡¯s tales.¡±


    ¡°After so long?¡± Xuan Shi asked, surprised at the topic. ¡°There are many who would call it more rude to call up forgotten slights.¡±


    ¡°It would have been false if I apologized before.¡±


    He considered her words. ¡°A sojourn into the unknown then, a strange journey. Let it be seen where the road goes.¡±


    ¡°Ever, ever onward. To step back is death,¡± Ling Qi said lightly.


    He turned his head, squinting at her.


    Moving forward was not an abandonment of the past because the past couldn¡¯t be abandoned. It was always there on her back, whether she wanted it or not. She was leaving the Sect and many of these people behind, but a home did not have to be grand or eternal.


    Home was the people she gathered and called her own.


    That was the lesson of Tsu, she thought, the one muddled and forgotten. When the tribes came to Xiangmen, they were not bound by blood or culture or duty or law. Not then. They came in desperation, but that is not why they stayed. Tsu bound them and made them a people.


    ¡°Miss Ling¡¯s thoughts run deep,¡± Xuan Shi said.


    Ling Qi laughed. ¡°It¡¯s the opposite. I¡¯m told they wander around the sky.¡±


    He nodded as if that wasn¡¯t a jest at all.


    Ling Qi watched the fire and the dancers. ¡°Xuan Shi, are you content with watching?¡±


    He paused. And when he spoke, he looked at her. ¡°No.¡±


    She understood the shades of the silence after, and she frowned, calm despite the crawling feeling up her spine. She didn¡¯t understand the persistence of his feelings. After all their interactions, why would he still be interested in her?


    Sixiang sighed.


    ¡°Would Miss Ling show this one the steps?¡± She was startled when he spoke again.


    She breathed out. There was nothing to fear here. This cheerful communal dance had been chosen specifically because there wasn¡¯t even a hint of untowardness. Partners switched with each revolution around the bonfire. It was as much ritual as anything else.


    ¡°Certainly. Maybe it¡¯s appropriate. This dance represents the passing of seasons. Shall we start over, no obligations or expectations?¡±


    For a moment, he honestly looked like a man braced for a blow that never came, off balance and out of position. But he recovered and took her meaning, she thought. This was no kind of promise.


    ¡°Most agreeable.¡±


    She smiled and offered him a hand.


    The bonfire dance was lively. Arm in arm with a partner, she spun and kicked and stomped in time with the music as she made her way around the fire. Xuan Shi was not as clumsy as he put on, even if he was awfully on edge.


    Not that she could blame him. It wasn¡¯t like she was fully comfortable either, but surrounded by other people clearly less troubled than she, it was easier to fall into the mood of the crowd. They spun through a revolution and parted. Ling Qi caught onto another female disciple¡¯s arm while Xuan Shi caught onto a laughing Gun Jun, who obviously didn¡¯t recognize him. They joined arms again on the next round and split again on the next.


    Ling Qi suddenly found herself arm in arm with another face she recognized. She hadn¡¯t noticed his restrained and muted qi in the crowd.


    ¡°Miss Ling,¡± Luo Zhong greeted, tipping his head as they locked arms.


    ¡°Sir Luo,¡± she greeted, not missing the steps.


    ¡°This is an impressive arrangement, and you¡¯ve learned the steps well. I could have been of assistance.¡±


    ¡°I had practice in working things out on my own,¡± Ling Qi replied, her gown flaring out as they spun. ¡°And this is Wang Chao and I¡¯s arrangement.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°And now it is his. I hope there will be no misunderstandings about that.¡± In the end, Ling Qi could not be friends with everyone, and it was foolish to try. She could not always be reacting and waiting for offers. ¡°It would harm my trust greatly.¡±


    She knew who her friends were and who were merely contacts.


    ¡°Of course,¡± he repeated amiably. ¡°It would be rude to upstage your host.¡± Luo Zhong tilted his head as they came around to the second half of the circle.


    ¡°It would be,¡± she agreed. Continuing, she said bluntly, ¡°Seed livestock and watch dogs, low grade stock for now. That is what would aid our arrangement the most.¡±


    ¡°Easy enough for my Luo clan,¡± Luo Zhong replied immediately. ¡°It would be helpful if we were able to observe the event, as the Meng will.¡±


    ¡°You?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°My uncle,¡± he corrected. ¡°You have met him before at the prior tournament.¡±


    Ling Qi thought back to a scrawny and grizzled old man in an animal hide cloak, speaking in cryptic riddles at her first year¡¯s end tournament. ¡°Acceptable, though Lady Cai has the last word.¡±


    They reached the end of the circle and split apart. Her arm caught back onto Xuan Shi¡¯s.


    ¡°Miss Ling is well?¡± he asked. His steps were smoother now.


    ¡°Well enough. One more circle then?¡±


    ¡°Once more. The spirit can take no more,¡± Xuan Shi said self-deprecatingly.


    ¡°People take practice,¡± Ling Qi agreed.


    However, unlike Xuan Shi, who was free to hurry off to a suitably distant corner after they parted ways, Ling Qi was the host, and so she could not yet find a quiet place to cultivate.


    She spied Xiao Fen standing stiffly near a hedge wall, her friend at her side. Xiao Fen was staring straight ahead with an intensity that threatened to light up the opposite wall. Liu Xin was looking around warily. Bai Meizhen was not there. She must have ordered Xiao Fen to mingle on her own.


    That was almost as good, Ling Qi decided.

 Threads 267 Perception 4

    Threads 267 Perception 4


    What to do? Joking aside, she actually did feel for them a little.


    Sixiang pointed out.


    Ling Qi bowed her head in thanks to the muse.


    ¡°You¡¯re enjoying the atmosphere I see,¡± Ling Qi said airily, stepping out from between a pair of passing disciples and a nearby food table. She hadn¡¯t been standing anywhere close to either Xiao Fen or Liu Xin a moment ago, but it was her party, and she could ignore space and distance if she liked.


    Sixiang agreed.


    Xiao Fen did not jump, but she did stiffen, and that was enough. Besides, Liu Xin jumped high enough for the both of them, whirling around with wide eyes.


    ¡°It is a most energetic gathering, Lady Ling,¡± Xiao Fen said, barely turning her head. ¡°Wild, even.¡±


    Was that sass? Ling Qi wondered. Xiao Fen had definitely improved since she saw the girl last. ¡°I have sampled many types of hospitality. Some energy makes more intense and lasting impressions, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Definitely not what I was expecting,¡± Liu Xin said, glancing around.


    ¡°You imagined a more formal gathering, I¡¯m guessing,¡± Ling Qi said.


    He nodded, glancing at her nervously.


    ¡°That might be more normal, but there are limits to that kind of party. Where did your lady go, Xiao Fen?¡±


    ¡°Lady Bai had some private discussions to attend to,¡± Xiao Fen replied flatly. Her eyes scanned around, cold and burning. Nearby, disciples flinched at her examination and hurried along.


    Well, one could only expect so much progress.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you attend to me for a time? There is a talisman demonstration going on in one of the eastern sections. That might be more interesting to you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Liu Xin asked, perking up. ¡°I¡¯ve wondered what the Inner Sect scene¡¯d be like.¡±


    Xiao Fen pursed her lips and glanced at her friend. She looked at Ling Qi, and after struggling for a moment, she grudgingly agreed. ¡°Acceptable.¡±


    ¡°Come along then. Liu Xin, while we walk, how were things in the Outer Sect during those last days? I want to hear all about it.¡± Ling Qi ushered them along with an amused smile.


    It wasn¡¯t wholly for the purpose of picking up tidbits to tease Xiao Fen with, although that was a side benefit. Liu Xin, who was as much out of place as she had been at the beginning, really did need the help to loosen up, and it worked. His words came easier with every sentence that met an attentive ear.


    The Outer Sect had been chaotic at the end of last year. Though direct battle was made verboten by the war, the striving against the Sun allies took on a subtler character. Contests of skill and constant work to undermine one another or cause members to shame their factions became the norm.


    In truth, Xiao Fen had ended up in a troublesome position. Her instinct toward finality often caused trouble, though apparently, Meizhen had talked her through less direct conflict resolution. It wasn¡¯t really possible for the Bai to get a worse reputation in that regard, so any kind of improvement was probably good.


    It didn¡¯t take long, even working through the crisscrossing hedge rows, to reach the correct field, and Ling Qi heard the sounds of their destination well before they arrived. Wang Chao might be very slightly cannier than he looked, but he matched Gan Guangli¡¯s loudness honestly.


    ¡°Bwahaha! You look absurd, Liang He!¡±


    As they rounded the last corner, coming into view of the display field, she saw that the grass had been removed with prejudice by both Zhengui and Wang Chao¡¯s spirit beast, leaving behind a well packed but dusty earth. There were fewer disciples here, but all around the perimeter hedges were the stations of the invited crafting disciples, all from the lower five hundred ranks.


    It had meant excluding Suyin, but that girl hardly needed the advertisement, and it let her talk with the girl about the lower ranking crafters that Suyin thought could use a hand. It all worked out.


    There in the center of the field was Wang Chao, holding his stomach as he howled with laughter. Near him was the source. Liang He, his friend, the handsome swordsman she had dueled for rank once, stood balanced on one foot. He had a thin, guardless sword in each hand. Another pair attached backward to his elbows. He had one clutched in the crook of his knee and another stuck to the bottom of his boot. The last, he had clenched between his teeth. They were all connected to him via a subtle wire-like aura of sharp-edged sword qi.


    As she watched, Liang He tensed his one free leg and jumped up, performing a flip with each blade flashing out in a complex cutting arc that made the wind howl. He landed back on a single foot to the more restrained laughter of the other disciples present and the nervous and embarrassed smile of the dark skinned young man Ling Qi took to be the crafter.


    Liang He relaxed, and the swords fell with a clatter, snapping into a bundle as if drawn to each other on the ground. ¡°The quality of each blade is good,¡± he praised. ¡°Superb balance and steelwork.¡±


    ¡°More for a dancer than a warrior though,¡± Wang Chao assessed as Liang He scooped up the bundle.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Liang He agreed, proffering them back to the crafter kindly. ¡°But it is only a proof of concept, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir Wang, Sir Liang. I am only testing my ability to craft a single talisman from many pieces. The finished project should fly rather than needing such contortions,¡± the disciple hurriedly said.


    ¡°Maybe market this version to the entertainers to pay your way, eh? I¡¯d pay to see a full sword dance with that set up.¡± Wang Chao laughed before his eyes fell on her. ¡°Ah! Lady Ling, come to see what¡¯s about? I had heard you were down a talisman.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not in the market just yet,¡± Ling Qi demurred, dashing any blooming hope in the eyes of the disciples. It was more polite than saying that she was certainly looking for a flute talisman with a quality outside of their reach. ¡°I was just showing some friends about. May I introduce Lady Bai Xiao Fen and Baron Liu Xin?¡±


    She felt for the young man looking so perturbed by the title, but Liu Xin was technically a baron now, even if without backing like hers, his title meant less at the moment. Fortunately, most eyes fell on Xiao Fen, who scanned the crowd like a warrior judging threats.


    She bowed, stiff and precise. ¡°It is my honor to attend. Please do not put the demonstrations aside for my sake.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yeah, that¡¯s a really good trick. You¡¯re taking advantage of the natural attraction between the qi in that particular alloy, right?¡± Liu Xin asked.


    Eyes turned to the other crafting disciple, who nodded tentatively. ¡°Yes, you have sharp eyes, Sir Liu, to notice without a close inspection. Do you work with metals as well?¡±


    ¡°I like ceramics more, but you should be familiar with the basics of everything, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s wise to have a grounding in a few fields,¡± one of the observing disciples agreed. ¡°But spreading yourself too widely is foolish.¡±


    ¡°I think Miss Xiao Fen can speak for his skill.¡± Ling Qi cheerfully volunteered Xiao Fen.


    The other girl shot her a look. ¡°Liu Xin¡¯s skill is not inferior to the common works of the Thousand Lakes.¡±


    Liu Xin gave a look of fond exasperation, and some of the disciples looked confused, but a few, those from more established and knowledgeable families, looked outright poleaxed.


    Bai pride was well known.


    Upload first at NOvel[Bin][.]Net


    ¡°Do you have any of your works on you?¡± one of them asked as Ling Qi took a step back.


    The young man frowned. ¡°Just some basics¡­ Ah, Xiao Fen, you still have some of those knives I made for you, right?¡±


    ¡°A few.¡± A flick of her wrist brought forth three shimmering silver knives, held blade first between her fingers, proffering them toward the others.


    Liang He was the one brave enough to take them with Wang Chao looking on, bemused.


    ¡°Interesting shape, these barbs. I¡¯d say they were meant to catch and tear flesh, but silver is a bit soft for that,¡± Liang He evaluated, balancing the point on one of his fingers.


    ¡°Silver is the metal of the moon, and its properties are heavily yin. The silver is used for its absorptive properties,¡± Liu Xin explained.


    Liang He directed a careful question to Xiao Fen. ¡°I don¡¯t want to presume, but poison¡­?¡±


    ¡°Mine is a cold fire, but it is the same principle,¡± Xiao Fen replied. ¡°The barbs provide additional contact points for the embers to catch in the enemies¡¯ qi.¡±


    Wang Chao plucked the dagger from Liu Xin¡¯s hands. ¡°The metalwork is a bit shoddy though, isn¡¯t it? Full of bubbles and faults, though they¡¯re a bit odd¡­¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re meant to break,¡± Liu Xin said. ¡°They¡¯re made for her, but they can take most forms of corrosive qi. It builds up in the bubbles and faults and soaks the metal thoroughly.¡±


    Wang Chao squinted and then grinned. ¡°Aha! Then boom! You said you work with ceramics, but you mean explosives, don¡¯t you? Knew you had the feel of a blast miner about you!¡±


    Liu Xin rubbed the back of his neck, looking flushed, and Ling Qi took another step back, fading into shadow, and then vanishing through the hedge as the conversation went on. She hadn¡¯t been able to tease Xiao Fen as much as she¡¯d liked, but maybe this was better for now.


    ¡°My thanks for your intervention.¡±


    Ling Qi gave her friend, Bai Meizhen, a friendly nod. Meizhen was loitering under one of the arches on the other side of the hedge Ling Qi had used to exit the field, alone, but not shrouded in an aura of terror. Although the aura that had been Bai Meizhen¡¯s trademark since the first day of the Sect still simmered in her eyes and under her skin, it was controlled utterly.


    ¡°I¡¯m starting to get the hang of little nudges,¡± Ling Qi said. Was this what Xin so enjoyed indulging in?


    ¡°I am trying to instill Xiao Fen with more initiative, but it is a lengthy task,¡± Bai Meizhen agreed. ¡°It is good to see you again, Ling Qi.¡±


    ¡°I have been busy,¡± Ling Qi acknowledged, falling in beside her friend as they began to walk. ¡°Have you ever been to Xiangmen? It¡¯s beyond description.¡±


    ¡°My carriage stopped there on the way to the Sect. While it cannot compare to Lake Hei, it is truly impressive.¡±


    ¡°What have you been doing, Meizhen?¡± Ling Qi asked, casually confident that between her and her friend, no one here would overhear them.


    ¡°Arranging my business with the Bao, reviewing my subordinates¡¯ abilities, studying your reports of these foreigners, and keeping an ear to the courts through my teacher.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s still here?¡± Ling Qi asked, surprised. The Bai ambassador was tutoring Meizhen.


    ¡°She will remain at the Duchess¡¯ side, and the Duchess, as you know, will be staying here in the south for the foreseeable future. Convenient, giving my own posting.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re getting away with that.¡±


    ¡°Some are already calling our clique ¡®little Xiangmen.¡¯ Such talk is mostly derisive for now, but not wrong. It falls in and out of practice, but placing your heir in a position to oversee your province in miniature is not unknown. My aunt is pleased enough to extend the game for her ally.¡±


    ¡°I suppose she¡¯s selling it as part of the resettlement efforts?¡±


    ¡°My, you do pay attention now. Yes, young Bai are being encouraged to ¡®rough it¡¯ more to show leadership outside of the palaces. There is some resistance¡­¡±


    ¡°But ¡®stopping the youth from getting soft¡¯ is never a hard sell with the sort who usually oppose her.¡±


    ¡°Just so.¡± Bai Meizhen laughed as they approached the central field where many of the spirits were gathered around Zhengui. To Ling Qi¡¯s amusement, Cui was coiled up on his shell, and Zhen was all but vibrating with anxiety.


    They stopped near the edge of the field to not interrupt. Ling Qi glanced at her friend. ¡°So, has it been decided yet where you¡¯ll be staying?¡±


    ¡°The Argent Peak Sect has graciously offered to host us. They are already undergoing a major expansion, and adding a fortified embassy is not difficult.¡± Bai Meizhen¡¯s lips twisted in a sardonic smile. ¡°And the sects are ostensibly neutral among the provinces.¡±


    ¡°The Throne approves?¡± Ling Qi asked worriedly.


    ¡°I do not think it does. We are considering alternate options. There is the meeting site itself, of course¡­¡±


    ¡°But also our ¡®little Xiangmen,¡¯¡± Ling Qi realized.


    ¡°Once there is a settlement worth the name anyway,¡± Bai Meizhen said with a small smile. ¡°Likely, we will decamp to the meeting site for now. But perhaps the Bai might still be of aid to our allies.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°How long has it been since we walked into danger together, Qi? I feel some youthful hotheadedness, it must be said.¡±


    Ling Qi smirked. ¡°Ah, and it would distract from other indiscretions. Well, there are a few places that might be good for cooling heated blood.¡±


    ¡°Superb,¡± Meizhen said sincerely.

 Threads 268-Perception 5

    Threads 268-Perception 5


    ¡°By the way, which of my retainers would you prefer to be my liaison at your settlement since I cannot be on site yet?¡± Meizhen asked.


    Ling Qi considered. She was curious about Bai Anxi¡¯s musical style, but it could wait.


    ¡°As much as I am sure Xia Anxi would appreciate the opportunity to face the wilderness of the Emerald Seas, I think Lao Keung might be better suited. Isn¡¯t he supposed to be coordinating your guard though? Won¡¯t it interfere with his duties?¡±


    ¡°Those duties are minimal while I remain at the Sect,¡± Bai Meizhen dismissed. ¡°And is it not within his duties to go ahead and see that our forces are coordinated and that your construction takes our needs into account?¡±


    Ling Qi chuckled. ¡°Ah, yes, he¡¯ll have to ensure the amenities of the houseboat we build for you all on the lake.¡±


    ¡°That would be amusing. Perhaps the Baroness should rein in her ambitions though,¡± Bai Meizhen said dryly.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Ling Qi said mournfully. ¡°We lack the experience or material to build a hull that might withstand the pride of the Bai.¡±


    Bai Meizhen covered her mouth with her sleeve, muffling her laughter. ¡°My goodness, Qi. Please never, ever speak with one of my fellow white serpents alone.¡±


    ¡°Not if I can help it,¡± Ling Qi said sagely.


    Her friend nodded, regaining her composure. ¡°You are well though? I know that Renxiang has been troubled of late.¡±


    ¡°It is internal business,¡± Ling Qi said apologetically. ¡°I know she is thankful for your concern, and so am I.¡±


    Bai Meizhen pursed her lips but nodded. ¡°Understood. Even among friends, there are matters which cannot be shared.¡±


    And the revelation that Cai Shenhua¡¯s intent and desire was to be overthrown was one of them, Ling Qi thought. The idea still felt unreal, an absurdity or a joke. What right did she, a girl who a few years ago had been hiding from street thugs in empty alleys, have to be involved with that?


    Sixiang thought.


    She wasn¡¯t, and neither were her friends. Renxiang was not the brittle porcelain girl she had been, Bai Meizhen no longer the untouchable and imperious serpent, Li Suyin not the naive and shy child who lived in books, and Su Ling not the starved and ragged hunter. She was not so arrogant as to claim credit for these changes in full, but she had changed them, and they, her.


    And they weren¡¯t the only ones changing. Province, Empire, Tribes, Mountains. All were in motion.


    This content upload first at


    Because motion was change. Wind could wear away even the tallest mountain.


    ¡°I suppose you must be fine, if your mood is so good,¡± Bai Meizhen said.


    ¡°I¡¯m feeling more sure of myself.¡±


    Bao Qianhad asked her before why she wanted to reach the peak of cultivation, and she¡¯d not been able to give a satisfying answer. She didn¡¯t have a definitive answer yet, but she was starting to have some ideas of what she thought needed to be done and needed to be changed. One person¡¯s power alone couldn¡¯t be enough for lasting change.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to you coming around, Meizhen. I really am.¡±


    ¡°So am I.¡± Then she smiled, tipping her head toward the center of the field. ¡°Perhaps you should rescue your brother though. You need him for your performance, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Ling Qi turned her eyes back to the gathered beasts where Zhengui seemed to be struggling in a conversation with Cui, who was staring down a little bird that was hopping up and down on Gui¡¯s head. Zhen looked worried.


    ¡°It is about time to start setting up the stage. Will you back me up? Cui is still not my biggest fan.¡±


    ¡°Cui has forgiven you in the way of the Bai.¡±


    Ling Qi raised an eyebrow. ¡°And what way is that?¡±


    ¡°Determining of her own volition that the slight was never worth their attention to begin with,¡± Meizhen said dryly. ¡°But yes, I will remain and ensure she remembers her manners.¡±


    Ling Qi stepped away from the hedge they had been standing by. Her steps parted the small crowd of spirits and disciples, a single glance her way enough to cause them to shuffle aside.


    Change, indeed.


    Cui¡¯s hissing voice reached her as she came to them. ¡°Too deficient still. Your pride is lacking.¡±


    ¡°I, Zhen, am merely generous to my court.¡±


    ¡°Being mean all the time is boring,¡± Gui added helpfully.


    ¡°Foolish Gui,¡± Zhen hissed. ¡°Acting your station is not mean.¡±


    ¡°Gui thinks Zhen¡ª¡±


    ¡°Little brother,¡± Ling Qi interrupted. ¡°I see you are having a good time.¡±


    It felt odd, having the attention of the strange menagerie of beasts and disciples.


    Zhen¡¯s head swung toward her. ¡°Ah, big sister, I was taking lessons from Lady Cui.¡±


    Cui¡¯s cold golden gaze turned to her, forked tongue flickering out. The jade green serpent turned up her snout.


    Ling Qi glanced at Gui, who looked disgruntled. ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Gui enjoys hearing everyone¡¯s words,¡± he said stonily.


    ¡°Well, I am sorry to interrupt, but it will soon be time for the main event.¡±


    ¡°Main event?¡± Cui asked, affecting disinterest.


    Ling Qi answered, ¡°Our final sect performance. Zhengui is vital of course.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, I, Cui, wonder about that¡­¡±


    ¡°I, Zhen, am very sorry, Lady Cui, but I must attend to my duty.¡± Zhen¡¯s serpentine body dropped his head in an approximation of a bow.


    The jade serpent¡¯s head twitched, and if she were human, she probably would have blinked. Ling Qi saw her glance toward the field edge, presumably toward Meizhen. ¡°Fine. Meditate on my words though! You are too lax.¡±


    Ling Qi watched with amusement as she slithered down, vanishing with a ripple into one of the reflecting ponds. Ling Qi patted Gui¡¯s head once as he stood, shaking off dust and gravel from his underside to follow her.


    ¡°What was that about?¡± she asked once they were away, and she once again had a hold of the wind to interdict eavesdroppers.


    ¡°Cui is greedy,¡± Gui said.


    ¡°Lady Cui is not,¡± Zhen complained. ¡°She is right. We were being too lax and easy.¡±


    Gui huffed. ¡°Gui likes letting everyone be warm and full.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine when we do the festival, but Gui should be more discerning,¡± Zhen muttered. It had the feeling of an argument they¡¯d had before.


    Gui accused, ¡°Zhen is just being silly because of shiny scales.¡±


    ¡°Am not!¡± Zhen snapped, abandoning any pretension of aristocratic haughtiness.


    ¡°Settle down,¡± Ling Qi chided. ¡°I need you to be focused to provide the stage and effects.¡±


    ¡°Yes, big sister,¡± they both said.


    She considered saying more, but left it at that. How Zhengui chose to present himself to other spirits was his business, unless he asked for her help.


    With Zhengui shrinking down to follow her into the narrower passages, it was not too long before they reached the large space that spanned the width of the field in the north. Musical qi drifted and curled in the air, along with the sounds of tuning instruments.


    ¡°Sup.¡± Yu Nuan was the first one to greet her. The older girl was seated to one side of the entrance, eyes half-shut as she plucked the strings of her instrument. ¡°Figured you wouldn¡¯t be late to your own performance.¡±


    ¡°I never said she would be, just that the time was coming,¡± Ruan Shen said breezily. He was seated cross-legged on the ground, a tuner in one hand and his ruan in the other. ¡°I never thought we¡¯d actually do a big performance.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re too lax, Senior Brother. You could have organized an event any time.¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± he dismissed. ¡°That¡¯s way too hard.¡±


    Ling Qi rolled her eyes at the familiar phrase. She turned her attention to her little brother. ¡°Zhengui, will you start infusing the earth and the grass? You remember what we discussed about the stage, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Are the curtains ready?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± said Bian Ya, who had been standing with a few more junior musician disciples, overseeing some last minute practice. ¡°It was somewhat expensive on short notice, but I was able to get it done.¡±


    ¡°I said I would pay,¡± Ling Qi said mildly.


    Bian Ya smiled behind her veil. ¡°And I refused. Consider it a graduation gift.¡±


    ¡°As you like,¡± Ling Qi said, smiling back. ¡°Ah, now where is Ma Jun?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± Ma Jun¡¯s voice echoed from up the east entrance where she came sprinting in, gown hiked up in her hands.


    ¡°I was worried you might be too distracted,¡± Ling Qi teased, remembering the girl¡¯s dance with Gan Guangli¡¯s friend.


    She flushed. ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡±


    Ling Qi laughed. She was really doing this.


    Sixiang whispered.


    You¡¯ve been quiet, Ling Qi noted silently.


    Ling Qi took a deep breath, taking the vote of confidence for what it was. She observed as tendrils of wood, rapidly emerging trunks, and roots began to weave themselves together in a rising stage.


    ¡°Still can¡¯t believe you cast me as the villain,¡± Yu Nuan said from beside her, having stood at some point.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. The bombast of the beast gods is exactly your sort of theme.¡±


    The other girl clicked her tongue. ¡°You sure about this? Even someone like me knows you''re making trouble, casting yourself as the Diviner.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re not making trouble, are you really making art?¡±


    Yu Nuan squinted at her. ¡°That¡¯s a dangerous thought.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s cultivation. You can¡¯t achieve the peak without dangerous thoughts.¡± The Monk, the Hunter, the Duchess. She had seen three people, or shadows of them, which had reached the peak now.


    It wasn¡¯t enough to want power for its own sake. All of them had wished with all their being to change something they had seen in the world. They had a story to tell, and voices so loud to tell it with that the world had no choice but to listen, and they were so convincing that many, many people listened without coercion.


    That was what she would have to do if she wished to walk her path to ascension.


    The Dirge of the Beast Gods was a more profound art than she had given it credit for. It was not merely a procession of powerful summons, but also a meditation on the futility of standing alone. She had progressed far enough to see that, and the evolution of the techniques would reflect that as she mastered it.


    But as much as this performance would exercise her mastery, it was most prominently a story and a statement. And the art, the story, would change with how she told it.

 Threads 269-Perception 6

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to hope enough people are enraptured by what could be to counterbalance any disagreements about what was,¡± Ling Qi mused.


    ¡°Guess I¡¯ll just have to hope you''re as good at the hustle as you are at the flute,¡± Yu Nuan quipped.


    ¡°Is it a hustle if you believe what you''re saying?¡±


    ¡°It''s especially a hustle then.¡±


    ¡°Such a cynical junior.¡± They both looked up to see Bian Ya approaching them again. ¡°But I am glad you took my advice to heart. Positive bonds are far more stable than negative.¡±


    No one wanted to see themselves in failures. It was better to show a model of success and direct people towards it. Those had been the older girl¡¯s words. Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure it was as definitive as that, but for this project, she agreed.


    ¡°Regardless, let¡¯s get to the final preparations,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°We have a show to put on.¡±


    ***?


    The stage rose from tightly woven roots and vines, pale green shading into a rich dark brown as bark grew in, filling the width of the field. Pillars and risers and rafters shot up like new shoots in spring, and they were swiftly covered by glittering curtains of dark purple, casting the area all in shadow and concealing the figures on the stage.


    Disciples with drinks and food in hand began to arrive, drawn by the curious sight. They shuffled awkwardly between the many beasts drawn by the concentration of Zhengui¡¯s qi. A show by one of their hosts, the word disseminated. A grand performance of many of the Inner Sect¡¯s musician disciples as a send-off to one of their own.


    What kind of performance would it be? What could need such a grand setup? A play? Which one? There were many popular theater troupes and many playwrights these days. Something old, others said, to fit the theme of the party. Something poorly understood and ill thought out, grumbled some, who found the whole business crude or insulting or both.


    Yet as time wore on and the sounds behind the curtain began to fade, the guests, enthusiastic, reluctant, or merely interested, began to gather. If nothing else, the field near the stage was where everyone else was going, and it would not do to be left out.


    The performance began with a rumble of thunder, the drifting clouds overhead growing dark and swelling with moisture and flashes of heavenly power. Then with the cooling of the air, the wind picked up, and tendrils of mist flowed from beneath the curtains, thin and wispy, but spreading swiftly through the field.


    The curtain rose upon a scene in shadow. The ground between a towering grove of titanic and primeval trees was strewn with countless bones. The low bass notes of a playing lute became the rumble of great beasts. Briefly glimpsed figures of costumed disciples could be seen before the strumming music bent their shadows into beastly titans.


    The Stag God, depicted with a shaggy head and jagged horns, twisted and broken many times, spoke in a voice of thunder of lowly men who no longer knew their place and of the leader who raised them above their station and filled the minds of the forest people with defiance. He spoke of faraway lands where the gods were falling one by one to the machinations of man.


    A chorus rose to match the music, intertwining with the actors¡¯ voices to boom and shriek. The shadow of vast wings wide enough to blot out the sky covered the stage. The prideful call of the Eagle God resounded, and he laughed off the Stag God¡¯s cowardly fears, declaring that the storm of his wings alone would end this nonsense.


    A great and terrible wolf with crimson eyes surrounded by his lessers, the Wolf God snarled of kin stolen by trickery and made weak by luxury, whose submission was an insult to his strength and who would need exterminating alongside the humans for the strength of the pack.


    A mountain stirred and rumbled. The Bear God, a being of muscle and fur and power, vowed to end the noise of squabbling human life which disturbed his slumber.


    A hissing voice of thousands in the buzzing of insects and the chittering of rats joined the chorus. The Vermin God agreed to lend their might, for man was growing wise and canny in the protection of their stores, and food would grow scarce all too soon.


    Food would never be scarce, so long as they existed, declared the next, a lazing shadow that lay across a mountainside like a divan. The Tiger God looked down imperiously upon the others, and when the others turned voices of annoyance upon them, the flick of their tail was a crack of thunder. Let none doubt their resolve, for like the Wolf God, they had wayward kin in need of punishment.


    Let it all be washed away like the floods of old, declared a burbling voice, a shadow in the waters, the River God, that degenerate offspring of the fallen old gods, and he received contempt from his fellows as was customary.


    The weakest of their number, even the bold and stupid Eagle God, thought him foolish.


    And so, none paid mind to the smallest of their number. Cunning and cruel, the Spider God watched his fellows in silence as the march began.


    As the music rose, the view upon the stage panned up into the clear blue sky.


    ***?


    ¡°What a founding tale you southerners have.¡± Bai Meizhen observed the play of illusion and music with some amusement.


    ¡°It¡¯s convenient,¡± Bao Qingling said sourly, her expression neutral. ¡°Their number means the playwright always has enough figures to spread undesirable traits across, though there are commonalities.¡±


    ¡°Who would dare alter a founding tale?¡± Xiao Fen asked.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t the Bai. The original tales are long lost. Your friend merely chose the orthodox Cai version.¡±


    ¡°I wonder about that,¡± Bai Meizhen mused, a smile playing on her lips.


    Ling Qi was rarely orthodox.


    ***?


    Words died down as the glittering blue sky of the stage panned down to a brighter set. As light rain fell upon the stage, a soft background of strings and bells transformed into the patter of rain.


    Under the rain, a new voice rose in a strident song. Tall and athletic with dusky skin and androgynous features and garbed in the royal finery of an age long past with hides dyed in dark greens and blacks and wearing a headdress of horns, Tsu sang the first lines of the scene, his hands thrown out wide before an audience of phantoms, the gathered and fearful people of the forest.


    And despite the song and illusion, it was clear it was their hostess.


    ***?


    A tall, thin young man frowned up at the stage, brows furrowed, and lips pressed together in a thin line.


    ¡°You are displeased, Sir Meng,¡± said his companion, a young woman with fang-like tattoos on her cheeks and rough hide garb. She leaned against the broad side of a stag.


    ¡°How can I not be?¡± Meng De replied. ¡°There is a reason that the great Diviner is portrayed as a voice offstage in such plays. It shows immense ignorance to do otherwise. It puts all of this shallow imitation in the light it deserves.¡±


    The girl, Alingge, child of the dwindling hill tribes, watched as their host confronted another in similar finery in a riddle game and claimed his victor¡¯s right not as king, but as brother, reaffirming the bond of forest peoples and hill peoples. Her lips twisted in a slightly bitter smile. ¡°And if it is not ignorance?¡±


    Meng De looked as if he had bitten into a lemon. The idea that members of his own clan, that the subversive children of Meng Diu, would fall so far as to support such an untraditional retelling was shocking. ¡°Then that is worse. Tsu was no mere man. It is an insult to even imply that you aspire to take or improve on his labor.¡±


    The girl made a sound of acknowledgement, but she did not take her eyes from the stage.


    ***?


    Unity. Communication.


    The gathering strength of an alliance, kin and not, marshaled against the coming of the beasts. The Diviner sang the future and bent the ear of every tribe, a swelling confederation of forest and hill.


    At last did he turn his eyes south, to the mountains. There astride his brother, the noble Horned Lord he came to the foothills of a great fiery mountain, where ash rained like snow, and met with the great lord of the skies, Khan of the Clouds. And here he found only stubborn pride, his words and gifts spat back, his warning laughed off. Let the Beasts come, declared the Sky. We are mighty, the hunters of Dragons, and our arrows alone will slay them.


    Tsu was assailed by those arrows, those slings, those stinging bolts, and he bore them with strength and dignity as he retreated, raising no hand to his fellow men, for in their pride, they had wrought their downfall, if not this age, then in another. And in his restraint, he sowed the clouds with doubt.


    ***?


    ¡°A token of support. How kind of her.¡± Luo Zhong wore the faint smile that was as much a part of him as his shoes or his cloak.


    ¡°She¡¯s a good ally,¡± laughed Wang Chao. ¡°But a bit of a show-off! I can¡¯t say I dislike it.¡±


    ¡°Do you actually believe you can tame the clouds when no others could?¡±


    Wang Chao shrugged. ¡°Ah, the details are over my head. But men are men, aren¡¯t they? Let in the ones who are sensible. Crush the rest. No waste, eh?¡±


    ¡°I never can tell if you are profoundly idealistic or profoundly simple,¡± Luo Zhong said, and for a moment, he showed a real expression on his handsome face. Befuddlement.


    ¡°I know what I am, Luo! Someone has to break things down before my kin builds them up!¡±


    ***?


    It was in the cold mountain peaks that Tsu came to rest and tend to his wounds, and there, he met the aid of the mountain people, the dwellers of icy fields and frozen caves. There again, he spoke, and here, the people listened. The shaking of the earth was the gathering of beasts, the growing ferociousness of a land awakened against all.


    Here, too, his words were heeded, and though the mountain folk were few, warriors marched with Tsu all the same.


    ***?


    ¡°Is that part usually in there? It seems kinda convenient.¡± Ma Lei scratched her head.


    She was really glad for her sis, getting to participate like this, but she really wished they¡¯d get on to the fighty bits. The volley of the cloud nomads had been a really cool effect though! She was pretty sure she could recognize Jun¡¯s effects in the rain and wind.


    Gun Jun, the guy her sis was so sweet on, watched raptly, his eyes darting around to the figures on the stage. The poor guy was standing at drill attention. He really needed to learn how to relax. ¡°The Diviner was always said to have been healed by mystics in the south, but it¡¯s usually portrayed as far-flung hill tribes. Most scholars tended to say that it represented peoples that were later wiped out by the cloud tribes.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Ma Lei wondered who was right. Well, she¡¯d side with Lady Ling, if anybody asked. She was just lucky to be here. All of them were. The Sect had quietly added fifty new slots to the Inner Sect and scooped up a bunch of third realms and high seconds stuck in the Outer Sect to fill out these provisional ranks.


    She¡¯d not have gotten here without the Cai, Lord Gan, and Lady Ling. If they thought the Empire could talk to these folks, they were probably right.


    Oh! The music was getting dark! Things were about to get good!


    ***?


    At last, the great confederation of tribes, the alliance of men, stood among the roots of Xiangmen, the Heavenly Pillar, the great spirit of the wood and dell. Abundance spread with its roots, and here, Tsu made his most fervent plea, for though they had the warriors to fight, their kin would not survive the reckoning unprotected. Only here in all the lands could mortals survive a war of gods.


    Tsu stood at the trunk and spoke long and passionately of their peoples¡¯ need and devotion. He promised that he would lead them, protect them, and guide them to care for wood and dell, to preserve always these Emerald Seas, as mighty Xiangmen had done once in the Age of Woe when its canopy had sheltered all life from the falling stars and the wrath of the earth.


    Once again, ruin was coming. Once again, he begged for the succor of the Heavenly Pillar, and he pledged that their children and their children¡¯s children would live to give back.


    Tsu spoke and prayed and pleaded for seven days and nights as the rumbling of the earth grew harsh, as the world began to darken, as hurricane winds tore the trees, and as titan footfalls crumbled the earth.


    And at last, ancient bark flowed like water, a hollow and passage among the roots, and the people streamed in, calling their prayers and thanks to the great tree. Tsu gave voice to his exultation, and he rejoined his warriors, whose fierceness and valor grew beyond words, knowing that their kin were safe so long as they held.


    And the beast gods came for them. First of all came the impudent and thoughtless Eagle God, whose wings covered the sky and whose shriek alone struck men dead, the sound enough to pulp flesh and shatter bones. And yet the titan of the air was alone for he had flown ahead of his allies for glory and pride.


    Tsu met him in the sky among the rain and the storm, and there, the Eagle God was halted. For though Tsu was no warrior, his mind was sharp and his hide was tough, and he knew the nature of his foes. Ten thousand grapnels and ropes and bindings dragged the Eagle God down to earth, for he had eyes only for the foe and not the insects beneath him.


    And when his death was struck, it was not by Tsu nor the Horned Lord, but by the hands of lowly warriors.


    Standing atop the corpse of a god, even the least of men ceased to be lowly.


    And so it went, a grand finale in more ways than one, noise and thunder to be remembered for months to come.


    An announcement of intention that few would forget. A gauntlet laid down. A guarantor of success.


    ***?


    For the first time in a long time, Ling Qi felt sweat on her brow as the curtains closed. She only hoped she wasn¡¯t overestimating herself.

 Threads 270-Grudges 1

    ¡°So, how bad do you think the damage is going to be?¡± Ling Qi asked, looking out the window of the carriage as it began to get moving. The outlying buildings of the sect town rolled by.


    ¡°Hah! I saw a lot of sour faces back there, but you knew what you were getting into,¡± Sixiang teased. They sat cross-legged on the bench opposite of her, their image clothed in an old weilu costume. Sixiang¡¯s black eyes glittered with amusement under the horned headdress. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten so bold. Every time I start to wonder, you remind me why I stick around.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend you ever doubted,¡± Ling Qi said haughtily, turning up her nose. ¡°I am the great master of ceremonies, left hand of the new Cai! My performances are always beyond compare!¡±


    Sixiang snorted at her, and Ling Qi broke down into laughter.


    ¡°Riiight. My apologies, young mistress,¡± Sixiang drawled. The walls of the town passed them by, replaced by the evenly spaced and trimmed trees which lined the northern road. ¡°But yeah, I¡¯m sure plenty of your fellow kiddies are sending letters flying home. And folks you¡¯ve made nice with will notice.¡±


    Ling Qi composed herself, expression growing more sober. ¡°It¡¯s fine. As you said, I knew I was going to upset some people, but if what we are working toward finds success, we will upset them regardless. Signaling to our allies and making possibilities known to those who have not chosen a side is important.¡±


    ¡°Meng Diu and Meng Dan will be pleased with the support, especially since Hanyi¡¯s tour is going over so well.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll take time to see how this works out, but I have no regrets.¡± There was a faint rocking motion as the carriage hit the straight part of the road and picked up speed. ¡°Let''s get to the next bit of business.¡±


    ¡°The weasel who messed with our little sis,¡± Sixiang said, nodding smartly. The headdress slid down over their eyes.


    Ling Qi raised an eyebrow. ¡°Our?¡±


    ¡°Aw, come on. Of course it''s ¡®our¡¯!¡± Sixiang nudged their headdress up to reveal an eye. ¡°So, Haishan.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the one. Smaller city on the same old trade route Tonghou is, but further south,¡± Ling Qi recalled. ¡°Who was the ruling viscount?¡±


    ¡°Uh, I wanna say Xu. Yeah, it¡¯s Xu. Middling for viscounts. There is a fifth realm patriarch, and the head looks like he¡¯ll make it in his lifetime, a handful of fourths, and a healthy crop of thirds.¡±


    Ling Qi considered the reports she¡¯d read. ¡°No major problems with the city.¡±


    ¡°No obvious ones,¡± Sixiang agreed. ¡°The family mostly plays the Diao line for politics. Considered kind of wishy-washy.¡±


    Ling Qi sighed. ¡°Probably not directly involved then, unless they¡¯re hiding a lot of passion.¡±


    ¡°You never know,¡± Sixiang said with a shrug.


    ¡°And the subordinates of Diao Hualing we were meeting up with were¡­¡±


    ***?


    The reports had been unfair to the city of Haishan, Ling Qi decided. They had painted a picture of a run-down backwater and put her in the mind of her birth city. However, the gates of Haishan were well maintained. Its outer wall was in good repair, and though there was a shabbiness to its outer districts, she did not feel the same malaise here that she was familiar with from her youth. The streets were clean, the people looked upon the guards with only moderate fear, and there were few beggars, even at the edge of her senses, so they hadn¡¯t simply been driven away from her route into the deeper alleys preceding her visit to the Ministry of Law compound.


    The Ministry of Law¡¯s offices were a set of squat, dour buildings inside of a two-meter high curtain wall. The interior courtyard was clean and well swept, and clerks and other low ranking officials moved with purpose along the paths.


    She was met at the gate by a pair of guards, and to her amusement and mild discomfort, she was announced as a noble guest. Dozens of people in the middle of their work all stopping to bow and give respect would never stop feeling strange, Ling Qi suspected. She was shown then to the eastern building to a waiting room and offered refreshments, which she refused politely.


    ¡°Notice anyone in particular?¡±


    Ling Qi scanned the plain beige walls. Her eyes fell on the scrollwork on the decorative wood which lined the joins between the walls and the floor. Formations. Simple ones for improved airflow, temperature control, and enhancement of the building materials. No listening formations, but there were a few to contain and dampen sound from inside the room.


    It was, as the guard had said, a room for meeting with important guests, ones who might be offended at others listening to their words.


    ¡°Nobody who seemed particularly fishy. Some curious folks wondering about a relatively bigshot showing up,¡± Sixiang said, their voice manifesting right in her ear.


    ¡°Same. I didn¡¯t detect anything like guilt or fear from anyone present,¡± Ling Qi said quietly. It was probably as Diao Hualing said. The slowness of the investigation likely came down to simple institutional sloth and inertia. ¡°If there are collaborators, they were either not present or unaware of what my presence means.¡±


    She held up a hand to quiet Sixiang¡¯s response as she felt an approaching aura of a cultivator just barely into the third realm. A dim but even light, it felt like the sweeping cone of light from a lantern, cautious and careful.


    She did not stand. At her rank and cultivation, it wouldn¡¯t be right.


    There was a quiet knock on the door.


    ¡°Come in,¡± she said.


    The door opened, revealing an older man in plain black and gray robes. With strands of silver at his temples and shot through his trimmed and pointed beard, he appeared to be forty or fifty. His face had some lines around his mouth and at the corner of his eyes, but his posture was still strong, and he bowed smoothly to her hands clasped in front of his chest.


    ¡°Baroness Ling, my apologies for your wait. I am Pan Xi, district officer of the third rank. I was given your case after Lady Diao¡¯s interest was made known.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Ling Qi gestured for him to enter. As he did, closing the door behind him, she examined the man out of the corner of her eye. ¡°I am curious which of your juniors was responsible beforehand.¡±


    ¡°Please forgive this one,¡± he replied, turning back to her and bowing lower still. ¡°Our duties are unending, and the young may lack the knowledge to prioritize every case effectively. This one will accept any chastisement Lady Ling may have.¡±


    Smooth, practiced, calming. The attitude of one who very regularly dealt with volatile tempers. He wasn¡¯t just trying to steer her, she thought. He really was accepting responsibility for his subordinates.


    whispered Sixiang¡¯s voice.


    She couldn¡¯t say she disliked that. ¡°It is nothing. Please raise your head. I understand that my case may not have seemed in need of the most immediate response.¡±


    ¡°Lady Ling is gracious and patient.¡± Pan Xi raised his head and gestured toward the chair opposite hers. ¡°May I?¡±


    She nodded, allowing him to sit. ¡°Tell me about the suspect.¡±


    ¡°Yan Shenyi,¡± the older man replied swiftly. A flick of his wrist brought a sheaf of papers to hand, which he spread across the table between them. ¡°Nephew of a well-off mortal merchant, who was able to purchase him a place in a local ministry education program. Talented enough for minimal cultivation, but middling as such candidates go. He rose to the point of being a fourth ranked clerk at the Ministry of Communication over the course of his forty-year career. He reached the third realm at the age of thirty one, but has shown little progress since...¡±


    Ling Qi nodded along, listening, but her eyes fell on the man¡¯s name spelled out at the top of the dossier on top. It seemed familiar.


    ¡°Detective, did this man have a relative at the Argent Peak Sect?¡±


    He paused. ¡°Yes, he did, though I understand that the disciple Yan Renshu passed away this last year. That was a narrowing factor in the investigation. Although the Sect is not the most transparent institution¡­¡±


    ¡°We had conflicts, but they were old well before that. Nor was I involved in the operation where he met his end. I was engaged in the Battle of the Starstone Caldera.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± the man said, bowing low in his seat. ¡°It was merely considered that a grudge may have existed. This act was most impetuous, even considering the likelihood of a more powerful backer.¡±


    ¡°Possible,¡± Ling Qi allowed. She found it hard to believe anyone could have liked Yan Renshu well enough to hold a grudge over him, but he was family. ¡°Do you have any leads on a backer?¡±


    ¡°I am afraid not. We hope to do so with his interrogation, but that will likely require the case passing to Lady Diao directly,¡± Pan Xi replied.


    So he did expect the ultimate source to be ¡®above his pay grade,¡¯ so to speak, Ling Qi thought.


    ¡°Very well. So how do you wish for me to involve myself?¡±


    ¡°On that matter, there are some choices. Given your talents, we had hoped that you might aid us in observing him and his movements over the course of the next few days,¡± Pan Xi said, folding his hands in his lap.


    Ling Qi frowned. ¡°Will my arrival not have tipped him off?¡± She tilted her head then, listening to Sixiang¡¯s whisper. ¡°No, that is the point, isn¡¯t it? He¡¯s already shown himself to be impetuous. You want to see if he reveals anything in his panic.¡±


    ¡°Lady Ling sees. There is some risk in this. He might have some method or preparation or his employer might act to clean up loose ends.¡±


    ¡°Though that in and of itself could be revealing.¡±


    The detective inclined his head. ¡°As you say. That said, on this matter, I will defer to Lady Ling. If you demand it, we will proceed with the procedures for arrest immediately now that we have your presence as a guarantor.¡±


    ¡°I will happily take your suggestion,¡± Ling Qi decided. ¡°Finding where his connections lie is more important than the man himself.¡±


    ¡°I am glad Lady Ling understands,¡± Pan Xi replied, and she did think he was honestly relieved.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you explain to me the structure of your plan while I review these reports you have gathered then?¡± Ling Qi reached down to gather the dossier and reports spread on the table. ¡°It''s best to be efficient with our time.¡±


    The older man gave a short nod. ¡°I agree. For this operation, I have gathered a small team¡­¡±


    ***?


    It was funny how things tended to connect.


    The Yan family, a well-off common clan, was originally from the Celestial Peaks, as she had read in Cai Renxiang¡¯s own reports so long ago in the Outer Sect. Back then, there had been little more than that.


    But add a little more detail, a little more digging, and a picture emerged.


    A product of the Great Sect system. A founder who had failed to graduate to the Inner Sect of the Imperial Hammer Sect. Never rose above the second realm.


    There was wealth enough in that. Wealth, but not recognition, not in the Celestial Peaks. Moved south into the Celestial Hills, the north of the Emerald Seas, a smaller pond to make the fish feel bigger. Five mortal generations passed. Scions grew and cultivated, but they failed time and again to achieve nobility. A few made it into ministries, a few in the army, and a few languished in Outer Sects.


    At last, one talented child went to the Argent Peak Sect, renowned for its ability to turn out noble graduates. He achieved rank, but failed to leave the Outer Sect, one and then two years. He made it, and then he died.


    His baronial rank vanished into thin air, having not yet been fully established by land ownership.


    Intense pressure, ambition, and a feeling of persecution passed down from parent to child and elder to youth. These were the characteristics she read between the lines of the report on the Yan family.


    Sixiang murmured.


    Maybe. It didn¡¯t change her feelings at all. Even if she were aware of some scraps of sympathetic circumstance, it didn¡¯t change who Yan Renshu had been. A petty, manipulative gangster of a man, tricking others into servitude and bad contracts. A man who had tried to frame her and turn Cai Renxiang¡¯s justice against her, and who had tried to poison Zhengui in retribution for revealing his schemes.


    She still didn¡¯t think Meizhen was right in advising her to kill him for that though. He hadn¡¯t deserved to die down in the dark for what he¡¯d done.


    Zhengui disagreed in her mind.


    Ling Qi tipped her head in acknowledgement of her little brother¡¯s belief, peering down at the street from her perch on the peaked roof of the Ministry of Communication building. She¡¯d gotten the permission for him to be in town, but she had been asked to deploy him only in emergencies. Fair because Zhengui was pretty destructive.


    She knew that, but convincing the local nobles that he wouldn¡¯t burn down half the town was harder.


    But right now, she was watching closely through an all but invisible wisp of light as the suspect went about his day.

 Threads 271-Grudges 2

    They had been watching for two days now.


    Yan Shenyi was a young seeming man who bore some resemblance to his cousin. He was short and a bit broad with the rough sort of face that was not usually deemed handsome. His dark brown hair was short and closely cropped, but he had a stringy mustache that hung down around his frowning mouth.


    A dour man with few friends or acquaintances. Less now than a year ago. Before his cousin¡¯s death, he¡¯d been more well regarded, particularly in the early half of that year when he¡¯d become generous. That had ended swiftly, and he¡¯d become much more withdrawn and surly than before. He¡¯d received some sympathy when tragedy struck, but it seemed most of his co-workers had simply sunk into a mutual apathy for the man.


    Ling Qi observed him walking down the hall of the ministry, a heavy bundle of letters and communications under one arm on his way to the delivery offices. She saw his eye twitch as he passed a cleaning woman in the hall.


    The woman was part of her team in this, a seventh ranked officer of the Ministry of Law disguised as a mortal woman.


    Well. ¡°Disguised.¡±


    She was one of a few such individuals, seeded around Yan Shenyi¡¯s usual haunts, disguised mundanely but instructed to let themselves ¡°slip¡± a little in their attention to the man. Today was the final day of observation, and it was time for things to become ¡°interesting.¡±


    The whole point was to ratchet up his paranoia after all while keeping his attention away from her, the main observer.


    She had read once that official imperial rolls of spirits classified the Grinning Moon as the patron of investigators, not thieves. She¡¯d scoffed back then, but it made more sense now. A game required more than one player.


    Sixiang cautioned.


    The Grinning Moon valued cunning, action, and freedom. But the wind doesn¡¯t care where it blows. It wasn¡¯t bothered by results, whether it turned the sails of a windmill or blew down a house. It went where it went, and so, too, the Grinning Moon. Bound by nothing. Connected to nothing.


    That was why she couldn¡¯t serve the Grinning Moon alone, even when she exulted in flight or when her heart pounded in her chest as she raided an enemy¡¯s lair unseen. That was part of her, a part of her she had not been able to indulge often enough, but it wasn¡¯t all of her.


    Ling Qi perked up as Yan Shenyi exited the office, having delivered his last bundle of newly notarized documents. She had watched the man scribe missives and organize documents all day, but now, maybe Yan Shenyi would do something different and interesting. The only action of note during the long, boring day of observation thus far had been the man¡¯s frequent coughing fits and gulping down of water.


    A quick check in with her contacts, who were themselves in communication with the Ministry of Communication, told her that he had reported a severe failure in opening a lung meridian some time back. Actually, it had been just before the time of the sabotage. Was this an actual coincidence, or had he actually been pressed into this scheme through some kind of curse technique?


    She did think his involvement seemed awfully convenient, an attempt to incite action by her via grudge.


    What she was certain about as she set out after him, strolling from rooftop to rooftop, barely corporeal, was that the plan was working. She watched Yan Shenyi mop sweat from his brow as he hurried along the main road. Just one glimpse of a hidden agent had him alarmed.


    There were a few places he consistently frequented. He was a regular patron at a teahouse in the city center, the city brothel on the south side, much to her disgust, a garden in the north, and a gambling hall on the east side, and of course, his home. Now that she thought about it, his home was in the western district.


    He had a wife, but they were rarely seen together and had no children. She¡¯d gone to visit her family a few months ago. The Ministry of Law thought the family was considering how to annul the marriage, now that the Yan family had lost its rank.


    She¡¯d not seen him doing anything untoward as he cycled around those locations over the last couple days, but she couldn¡¯t help the niggling feeling that she was missing something.


    She peered down from the rooftop of some shop or another at the sweating clerk. She could see the point of damage; the radiating spiritual heat of a ruptured meridian was genuine. His qi was full of resentment and fear.


    ¡°Lady Ling, we have completed our trace of the unauthorized delivery network and secured the documents and missives he was attempting to send out. Items are being sent for decoding at base.¡±


    The voice of an officer of the Ministry of Law whispered in her ear, transferred by the simple farspeaking talisman she¡¯d been provided for this operation.


    ¡°Noted. Observing subject for attempts to flee,¡± Sixiang whispered, sending back a response to the officer with her voice.


    She narrowed her eyes. He wasn¡¯t going home.


    ¡°Deviating from observed paths,¡± Sixiang reported on her behalf.


    Atop the roof, Ling Qi dissolved entirely, dripping like water into the shadows that lay between shingles. The world always felt strange like this, seeing and sensing the world only through qi sense. In the gray sea of mortality, lit by little flickering embers of emotion and candles of common cultivators, she followed the sickly torch of her target¡¯s qi, bending and flowing through shadows until she occupied his.


    Where could he be hoping to go? He wasn¡¯t heading for the stables or the gates. Instead, he was traveling toward the city center. In her senses, the city was a complex of light, criss-crossing lines of geometry that formed a cage of spiritual power between the defenses of the ruling clan¡¯s manor and the inner wall. The only transport formation in the city was under the direct control of the viscount¡¯s clan and lay in their manor. Was he meeting someone?


    As shadow and breeze, she followed him.


    Observing so closely, she actually felt some worry for the man. He was¡­ leaking. Hot, sickly, feverish little droplets of qi were drip drip dripping into the dirt and then dissolving into the air. Was the man dying?


    He entered an upscale traveler¡¯s inn, passed the gurgling fountain in the entryway, and spoke briefly with the clerk at the front desk. She flowed beneath their feet, entering the room he was being guided to before he or the employee did. Her awareness filled the room, seeping into every crack. What was¡­?


    There.


    It may be under the rug, sealed and hidden by glittering formation characters, but these protections were not enough, the trapdoor still visible given her sharp senses. She was the wind, and such a paltry vault could not hold her back.


    Slinking down a flight of stairs, hearing the faint snap and click of the trapdoor opening behind her, she came to a small chamber, no more than ten paces at a side. It was well hidden, built in such a way that it blended with the greater geomancy and formationwork of the city. In this room, she saw a circle laid out in jade embedded in the floor, stained black by some artifice, and a single softly glowing crystal emanating surprisingly potent qi.


    The echoing sound of the trapdoor shutting behind was followed by footfalls coming down the stairs. Yan Shenyi arrived, pausing at the doorway to sag against the wall, breathing heavily. He staggered before the crystal and laid his hand upon it. She felt in his qi a harsh tug, the spiritual sense of copper, blood being spilled, just a drop.


    He spoke, and it was raspy and shaky with fear. ¡°D-disciple, reporting. The net is closing. The songbird comes.¡±


    The crystal shimmered in her senses, and the light slowly turned to an oozing gray. A distorted voice emerged.


    ¡°Very good. The messages?¡±


    ¡°S-sent,¡± Yan Shenyi wheezed. ¡°Evidence planted, false leads sent. Discord will be sown. Please, I¡¯ve done as instructed.¡±


    ¡°You have.¡±


    Something about the indulgent, self-important tone tickled Ling Qi¡¯s memory, even as she studied the formation circle. It was a transport array, tuned for sending small amounts of mid-qi density goods. Or, it could send single individuals of no more than a third realm. A smugglers¡¯ array, and a high-end one. It pointed to a location east and down. Remembering the map of the city she¡¯d studied, perhaps the other end of this formation was the sewer outlet which emptied into the river.


    She re-focused on the shaking man and the crystal. The crystal was out of place. The formations at its base were newer. She did not think the speaker and the builder of this room were acquainted. No, this room had very much been commandeered.


    ¡°You have done well, but with the target in place, your role has come to an end. Your gift will flower and activate the party favors. That girl will be removed from the board, ending the farce in the south, and the wretches of the Emerald Sea will be destabilized. Hail to the Twilight King. Live in death, disciple.¡±


    Her thoughts spun. Removed from the board, her, the Twilight King? Cults did exist, usually small and petty, committing minor terrors, but the sheer sarcasm in that catechism left her with little doubt that it was but a cover.


    The cardinal locations Yan Shenyi had visited over the last few days¡­ A map assembled in her mind, lines drawn. This little cubby was the center. She hadn¡¯t sensed any formations at the locations, but if there were, a working of this size, hidden in the lines between the city''s wardings¡­


    Yan Shenyi¡¯s eyes bugged out, and he stumbled forward, grasping the crystal. ¡°You-! No, you promised, you unfilial little shit!¡± he howled.


    ¡°Come now, cousin. It''s nothing personal.¡±


    It struck Ling Qi then. This tone, this self-assurance, this smug, self-satisfied sleaze. She felt then a pulse of corrupt and impure qi, like the energies of the ith-ia, gathering in the now ranting Yan Shenyi¡¯s chest.


    ¡°No.¡±


    Her voice was a cold wind, sending the little candles lighting the room guttering out. It interrupted the frantic man¡¯s ranting, making his red face grow white as the temperature in the room plunged. Frost spread across the slowly pulsing gray crystal.


    ¡°¡­ What?¡± said the voice in the crystal.


    ¡°I said, no.¡± Ling Qi¡¯s hand plunged into Yan Shenyi¡¯s back. She had felt the little knot of corruption, so like that she had experienced down in those tunnels, as it threw off its veil and began to pulse faster and faster. A ribcage wasn¡¯t exactly a vault, but what good was she if she couldn¡¯t improvise?


    She reached into the spaces between solid matter, around the gnarl of twisted space, and grasped something segmented and slimy with far too many wriggling legs. The creature was grasping tight around Yan Shenyi¡¯s lungs, its legs dug in like a clamp. Any attempt to physically remove it would no doubt kill the man, and, she suspected, set off these ¡°party favors,¡±if in reduced form.


    So she didn¡¯t remove it physically. With a tight grasp on its writhing body, Ling Qi stepped sideways through the veil and walked for a moment in dream. She saw a gray expanse with a misty city in twilight, quiet streets where nothing ever happened and where the grand troubles and intrigues of the world were far away. It was a place where inspectors and criminals alike had an understanding that nothing was truly worth getting worked up about.


    And she saw the black rot beginning to set in at the foundations. Apathy. Stagnation.


    A pale and sinuous worm thrashed in her hand, legs wriggling, circular tooth-lined mouth gasping. The worm flailed, and a whiplike tail tipped by a bone hook lashed at her wrist and skittered off her skin as if it had struck steel.


    She regarded it with some disgust. It was a tube filled with rot and decay, a living battery.


    Ling Qi glanced up at the sky overhead, full of clouds, and just peeking through them was a crescent moon, hanging grinning in the starry sky.


    ¡°My offering.¡± Ling Qi fixed her eyes on the lunar crescent, cocked her arm back, fand hurled the worm skyward. There was no law of earth here, and so it vanished with only a fading squeal and a puff of cloud.


    And then she was back in the room, standing behind a slumped-over man and looking into the crystal.

 Threads 272-Grudges 3

    Threads 272-Grudges 3


    ¡°What?!¡± the voice from the crystal, Yan Renshu¡¯s voice, snarled.


    ¡°Dead men lose their hearing. Good to know,¡± Ling Qi said coldly.


    ¡°You... You can¡¯t be here! This room is impenetrable without the power of a fourth realm! And what did you just do to my masterpiece?!¡±


    She cocked her head to the side, her eyes narrowing into vicious slits. ¡°Have you ever considered that you''re just not very good at security?¡±


    Her response was a wordless scream of rage warbling through the crystal¡¯s distorting filter.


    Ling Qi thought.


    That was for the best. She could explain the details later, but at least this message would kick the city¡¯s Ministry of Law over like a hive of irritated bees.


    ¡°This is far beyond a child¡¯s grudge,¡± Ling Qi said. The qi in that worm pointed to nothing good. His words that she would be taken off the board¡­ He had to be confident in the killing power of his work to kill one as resilient as her before the patriarch and elders of the town could react.


    How many mortals and low cultivators would have died under those circumstances?


    ¡°A child¡¯s grudge! You dare¡­¡±


    ¡°Found you.¡±


    He spluttered, and Ling Qi grinned. She hadn¡¯t, of course. He was speaking through a communication array that she couldn¡¯t even parse. She had no technique which could track someone like that, and while she could maybe conceive of tracking someone down via impression in the dream, her current skills didn¡¯t go so far.


    She felt the connection cut off, and the crystal went dark. Would he dare open another connection to the city not knowing what she could do?


    Ling Qi glanced down at the man groaning on the floor. Was he really trying to inch toward the transport array?


    ¡°Stop,¡± she spoke, and he froze. ¡°What do you know about these ¡®party favors''?¡±


    ¡°Seeds. Seeds in the sewers. Rat men, those corpse eaters, needed guidance. Not any formations I¡¯ve seen before. Had¡­ a friend in the Ministry of Works. Got maps. In the cisterns. Had to be watered regularly,¡± he rambled. ¡°Lady Ling, I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Not now,¡± she cut him off harshly. ¡°You can speak to the Ministry. Are they still down there?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Ling Qi scowled. This was at once larger and smaller than she had feared, not an internal intrigue, but an actual enemy operation. There was much at risk here. She had stopped the immediate problem, but who knew what failsafes that worm had added or if whatever ith¡¯ia agents below had secondary orders?


    she directed the muse mentally.


    Zhengui asked.


    It was tempting, so tempting, to simply rush off down into the sewers herself and dive into the thick of things. But that wasn¡¯t the path she had chosen. She had chosen to be bound by her roots, and doing so did not dull the edge of her wings.


    Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a shape move and felt qi flicker. With a casual flick of her wrist, a diamond snare, claimed by theft from a son of the Thunder Palace, expanded and wrapped around Yan Shenyi. The man fell mid-lunge to the floor with the crack of a face meeting floor.


    ¡°Did you really believe that would work?¡± she asked absently, listening and thinking as Sixiang relayed communications to her. The Ministry of Law was demanding more detailed answers as to what was going on. They were moving agents to the buildings at the four sites and evacuating them of people, but that wouldn¡¯t be enough, if what she suspected was true.


    She needed them to see that. And for that, she had to do more than give terse reports. She needed to convince them.


    ¡°Was worth the attempt,¡± Yan Shenyi grunted, looking mournfully at the transport circle.


    She could understand it. For all that she had saved him, he was still a dead man. A quick and merciful execution was the kindest path remaining. But that was the path he had chosen for himself.


    ¡°What did he promise you?¡± Ling Qi asked, grasping the knotted diamond wire that held him and hauling the man off the ground to dangle from her hand like an awkward and traitorous parcel. There was some actual benefit to her height, it seemed.


    ¡°Power. Position. What else could matter?¡± he asked darkly as she mounted the stairs. ¡°That thing was supposed to be a cultivation aid.¡±


    ¡°I bet it was.¡± Probably not an aid for imperial cultivation though, Ling Qi thought. ¡°But how does betraying the Empire get you position?¡±


    ¡°What can an easy talent like you understand? The Empire has always cheated the Yan family, always dangled the rewards we deserve just out of reach. That little bastard said the rat men needed human governers to act as go-betweens,¡± he said sourly. No regret in him, just spite for the one who betrayed him.


    She took a little pleasure as she briefly took a skipping step across the border of dream to bypass the security door, appearing in the tearoom above, and he retched on the carpet. A glance at the door saw it bang open on a harsh breeze revealing a hall populated by servers and curious guests peering out, no doubt sensing her unrestrained qi and the frost it spread across the floor.


    Apparently, one look at her expression had the guests pulling their heads back in and slamming the doors. The servers withdrew to the walls to avoid blocking her path. She glanced at one, a young man holding a tea tray to his chest.


    ¡°Inform your employer that the Ministry of Law will be along to investigate unsanctioned construction. Any attempt to hide or destroy what I have found will go very poorly for them.¡±


    The server visibly swallowed, nodding his head frantically as the doors in her path burst open in tandem. Ling Qi flew out, drawing a high-pitched scream from Yan Shenyi at the acceleration. People scattered away from the front of the building as she burst out, rising sharply into the sky.


    Ling Qi said conversationally, ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you think the underground folk are going to win. You must know the Empire is stronger.¡± A pulse of pressure pressed down on her prisoner as internally, she tasked Sixiang with guiding her to Pan Xi and the ministry team¡¯s base of communications.


    ¡°The¡ªI¡ªEveryone knows order will collapse here the second that monster disappears and ascends. The clans will war, and the center will fall,¡± he wailed, squirming in the grasp of the snare, eyes bugged out as she rose over the rooftops. ¡°The Empress has a weak, soft Way, and she can¡¯t reign in the provinces! If-if everything is going to break, why not look out for yourself!¡±


    Like a starving child in the cold without even that much of a reason.


    There was a quiet boom as Ling Qi landed in a clear square that Sixiang¡¯s directions had brought her to, dust kicking up in a circle. Before her, the elderly Pan Xi¡¯s robes flapped in the breeze, and his expression was neutral.


    ¡°Lady Ling has acquired the suspect,¡± he said. ¡°Please tell me what this escalation is about.¡±


    Ling Qi fought down the urge to be impatient, and instead, she dumped Yan Shenyi on the ground before Pan Xi with a thump. ¡°This man was conspiring to trigger an attack which would have appeared to be a Twilight Cult attack on the city. I removed the primary triggering device, but the attack assets are still in the sewers.¡±


    Pan Xi¡¯s eyes widened as he studied her, shooting a look to nearby aides. ¡°Conspiring with who?¡± he asked incredulously. ¡°Who would dare bring the Ministry of Integrity down upon themselves like this? No mere criminal or intriguing noble would be so foolish.¡±


    ¡°The Empire has more enemies than just the Cloud Tribes these days, Detective,¡± Ling Qi reminded. ¡°There are genuine traitors in our midst. This man¡¯s cousin is not dead. There are barbarians beneath your city.¡±


    Crude words, but she needed the visceral reaction they would invoke.


    The old man blinked, a horrified look passing over his face as he made the connections before turning dubious. ¡°Lady Ling, that is a truly incredible claim¡­¡±


    ¡°And not one I would make lightly,¡± Ling Qi stressed. She gave the man at her feet a kick. ¡°Interrogate this one for details if you must, but we need to clear the sewers now.. Alert the District Minister and Viscount Xu. This is no longer a small matter.¡±


    Pan Xi still looked unsure, and Ling Qi grimaced. She had one more card to play here, and she had to hope the ith-ia were not simply withdrawing and destroying evidence of their presence. ¡°Detective Pan Xi, I will stake the honor of the Cai on this. Your city is coming under attack.¡±


    As a retainer, invoking her liege like this was a double-edged sword. If she proved to be wrong, it would be a stain on the Cai. It would wreck Renxiang¡¯s credibility. Most people would understand that it would be ruinous for Ling Qi personally to speak these words and be wrong or lying.


    The elderly man swallowed heavily, as did those around them, other ministry agents who she had very much not been hiding their conversation from. ¡°If it is as you say, we must take preliminary action, but this one must ask that you carry this message directly to the Minister. Your words will carry much more weight if spoken yourself.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced, frustrated but understanding. ¡°Can you at least mobilize the lower ranks to begin a sweep?¡±


    ¡°This, I will do, and descend myself if need be,¡± Pan Xi said, bowing. ¡°I will inform the Minister to expect you and the prisoner. I am sure that he will understand after ripping the details from this traitor''s head himself and hearing your words.¡±


    On the ground, Yan Shenyi squeezed his eyes shut and wept.


    ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s proceed as quickly as possible.¡±


    ***?


    The District Minister had been dubious as well. Something like this could not happen here after all, he protested, but with prompting to engage his own arts of interrogation on Yan Shenyi and her promise that this was not merely delusion or the artifice of false memory, she staked her own reputation on the matter. It was enough.


    Of course, that was when the first indication of danger had poured in from a frantic officer. The team overseeing Yan Shenyi¡¯s house reported something like a black fog beginning to leak from the ground, toxic and poisonous. Pan Xi¡¯s efforts had already seen the streets around evacuated, so the damage came mainly from rotting wood and crumbling stone.


    She¡¯d barely spared a word for the Minister after that, moving to the front. But she heard through the communication talisman that the general alarm was being raised, the Ministry of Law mobilizing, and the guard activating. All cultivators, local, traveling, or otherwise, were called upon now in the defense of the city.


    She¡¯d arrived at a sinkhole in the street where Yan Shenyi¡¯s house had been. Toxic vapors spilling in every direction were being contained by a cordon of cultivators, a wall of purifying stone and gusting winds that kept the boiling caldera of poison air inside.


    With the Minister¡¯s writ and her own rank, she gathered the most combat capable of the defenders, and cloaking them in her own Mist, they descended into the pit.


    Among the crumbled and broken passages of the partially collapsed sewers, they found sights familiar to Ling Qi. The bioluminescent growths of the underground swelled with hostile life, but they died just as swiftly, growing and dying in an artificially rapid cycle, unleashing the rotten vapor which was flooding out.


    And then there were the rats and other vermin boiling out of the tunnels. The creatures were swelling and growing and dying with deathly qi, cancerous and twisted, but they were still a threat before they died.


    Ling Qi¡¯s toes touched down on the toxic swamp the rotted pipes had made, and she sang her song of winter and lonely death, the Hoarfrost Caress. Even the cold was kinder than this. Ice rippled out, oily vapor turning into dull purple and green and gray slush. Squealing, maddened beasts froze and died, and alien feelers and fungal caps died with them, turning everything in the bottom of the crater and the pipes immediately beyond to a silent and sterile garden of crystal ice.


    Five sets of feet dropped into the filthy snow around her in a series of crunches, and she glanced at the men and women with her out of the corner of her eye. Three ministry officers and two of the city guards. There was one third realm from each group of middling stage. The remaining three were in the early stages of the third realm.


    As the poison dispersed, more cultivators would follow.


    ¡°This will aid the ones above greatly, Lady Ling,¡± said one, an iron-haired man with a gruff voice and an ugly scar that turned his expression into a permanent snarl. His uniform was scuffed and bloody. He¡¯d been one of the first to respond when the poison and broken beasts had begun to emerge.


    ¡°I detect no movement out to fifty meters. Lady Ling, how far does your protection extend?¡± asked another, a short, blocky woman with her hair in a tight bun. She¡¯d been overseeing the Minister¡¯s office, his secretary.


    ¡°It goes as far as my Mist does,¡± Ling Qi said. She was not restraining herself at all. Her mist clashed and rolled over the dissipating toxic, clean and silver gray. Shadows formed in it, sharp-eyed watchmen, crouching beasts with hackles raised, and a low and insistent beat could be felt in the bones. ¡°I can guarantee safety for some hundred meters and be there immediately.¡±


    ¡°We fan out then,¡± said another, a woman with a guard¡¯s uniform. ¡°If you approve?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°Our target is the cistern. Clear all approaches for ambushers then press the source.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Five voices echoed, and they paced into the dark.

 Threads 273-Grudges 4

    Threads 273-Grudges 4


    Ling Qi took the central path, straight on toward the target. The old veteran and one of the officers went left, and the Ministry official and the others took the right. But all remained in her mist, and though she could not see them, she could feel them each and every one.


    She took a steady pace into the frozen growth of the sewage tunnel, and a winking coin of silver light preceded her, sent spinning ahead into the dark, a probing eye. What she found was an extension of what they had found in the crater, suffering, maddened vermin grown cancerous and fat and strange and alien growths spewing impurity into the air. She sang softly to herself, the whisper of a coldsnap that ruined the fields come spring, and all withered before her.


    These were not old growths, she could tell. The ministries and government of the city had not been that unobservant. She could also tell from the fresh cracks in stone from growing roots that these were unnatural growths, grown in minutes and seconds.


    Zhengui asked in her mind.


    Later, she thought. She would let him out when they arrived at the cistern.


    She cast her senses to the others in her group. She felt the roiling smoke as the veteran stalked ahead, a makeshift mask over his face as he burnt the growth in his tunnels with dull red and orange flames. In the other tunnel, a rolling ring of wet brown earth smoothed and drowned the poison, hardening into sealing clay behind the cultivators¡¯ advance.


    And all around in every tunnel, her phantoms stalked, watchful and wary. It was not a raucous revel, but there was laughter, cold and mocking, echoing in the dark in scattered titters that faded in and out of hearing. This was no drinking party or dance, but a hunt. There were many ways to revel after all. This one suited her current mission best.


    Sixiang chided gently.


    This was probably why it had taken her so long to wrestle the Dreaming Moon¡¯s art into a version that really felt like it fit her. She was looking at it wrong, seeing only the surface of the art. In the end, the wild revelry was only one expression of the concept at its core.


    Disruption.


    Just as her visit to the Dreaming Moon had jolted her on her way and would have broken it, even driven her mad, if she¡¯d not withstood it, so, too, was the heart of the art. Motion. Chaos. Disruption. The light and the noise confused the senses, the grabbing phantoms broke formations, the shades of futures-not-to-be sent her enemies¡¯ plans askew, and the empowerment of her arts allowed her to force a change in a conflict¡¯s tempo.


    That was the lesson of the Dreaming Moon. Disrupt what is, and in doing so, shape what will be.


    The first attack came on the right.


    Worms with shimmering skin, all but invisible to mundane and even cloaked from spiritual senses, swam in the sluggish current of the sewer sludge. Slick and gray, the writhing creatures had maws full of barbed hooks. The Mist thickened, her qi pulsed, and darkness like a starless night sky shrouded the men and women who had come down here with her even as Sixiang¡¯s voice whispered a warning to her group.


    When the worms burst forth, frothing from the filthy waters, they found three cultivators ready and armored. Techniques flashed in the dark, and beasts squealed.


    On the other side, she felt them creeping in a side tunnel, hunched and humanoid figures with eyeless faces covered in gasbag masks, limbs armored in chitin and bone. Dark armor flowed to the veteran and the guard on the leftmost pipe as well. A bobbing, jiving shadow in her mist spun around the corner the enemies hid behind. A goat horned man with a cruel and merry smile, the phantom seized upon the nearest undergrounder and dragged him out into the center to dance the last dance he ever would.


    In her own tunnel, Ling Qi found herself confronted with swarming vermin, overgrown and spawning from impure qi. They died, crashing to the slick ground as chunks of putridly colored ice, but amidst the flurries, larger beasts struck out. Worms from the muck and mud launched themselves at her while fleshy plants and fungal growths grasped mindlessly at her. The corrosive impurity laden air ate away at the edges of her qi. She thickened her mist, bolstered her defenses, and continued to move forward.


    And so, into the teeth of growing resistance, they advanced.


    They pushed through the sewer system as quickly as they were able, and Ling Qi was not the only one who saw the way the stone was beginning to buckle and groan, brick and mortar cracking and corroding.


    Ahead, an invisible sliver of silver flew, seeking the cistern. It was soon found. Moldy columns stood in a toxic purple mist, and the area was overgrown with the underground fungus. Three of the six columns had been hollowed out with fetid fungal flesh now packed within. The thickest and most noxious mist sprayed out from those, and the stone trembled, cracking more and more as the growths within swelled with unquiet life.


    She saw the figure of another ith-ia, rubbery flesh with pouches strapped to him. He knelt in the waters as if in supplication, his cupped hands holding a smoking handful of some vile incense, the source of the smoke.


    ¡°Main target found. Sacrificial constructs are seeded into the columns of the cistern. Enemy is manually activating,¡± Ling Qi communicated under her breath.


    A bubble of muck swelled under her feet, sewer filth stretching like a skin over the churning plague inside. By the time it had burst a bare second later, she was ten meters down the hall, a personal breeze kicking up the hems of her gown and tugging at her hair as it scattered the poisonous fog ahead.


    ¡°Bogged down. Enemies generating constructs in greater numbers.¡± The short, clipped voice of the woman who had followed her from the Minister''s office responded back. ¡°Detecting larger movements. Directed. Spatial anomalies in the tunnels.¡±


    So that was why it felt like they were getting nowhere.


    ¡°Enemies show little regard for their lives. Creating difficult conditions.¡± The old veteran¡¯s mental voice crackled like a banked hearthfire.


    ¡°Reinforcements?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    A shadowed figure leapt from a crevice in the tunnel, a squirming, humanoid fungal construct with something noxious glowing in the center of its chest. It burst, and the image of the future where she had been disintegrated under the corrosive blast. Ling Qi put her fingers to her temple, focusing on the image from the cistern down the hall, the ebbing shockwave washing ineffectually over the silk of her gown.


    ¡°Viscount Xu has been alerted. His two present sons are leading groups to the north and west locations. His sister is leading in the south. Viscount Xu is working to awaken his father, the Patriarch.¡±


    ¡°Our reinforcements!¡± the veteran growled.


    ¡°Evacuation of this district is complete. Forces are being redirected downward. Guard reserve being mobilized for distribution¡­ Visiting noble and retinue volunteers for deployment at our location.¡±


    ¡°Accept,¡± Ling Qi ordered absently. This wasn¡¯t working. They would get bogged down like this. Those constructs were growing quickly, already emanating third realm qi. ¡°Warn them that killing the ones tending the constructs may empower them further. The arts of the ith-ia revolve around sacrifice.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t obligated to keep on with this story, this song of a desperate push against time and attrition, was she?


    Ling Qi warned, ¡°Prepare yourselves for disorienting transport.¡±


    The phantom revelry in the mist was memory and dream imposed on the world. It thinned the line between material and spirit. Her Mist, the expression of her domain, was the same. It was her.


    And with the practice she had, it was no longer difficult to grasp the embattled people around her and decide that they were moving venues. Between one step and the next, her Mist grew thicker, the world disappeared into swirling color, and her next footfall fell on the sluggish surface of the cistern¡¯s water. Her allies were around her, staggering and blinking confusion from their eyes.


    Steam erupted, its hiss almost enough to drown out Zhengui¡¯s bellow as he materialized in front of her, already in motion. His vast bulk crashed into one of the infected pillars, splintering stone and ripping oily flesh as he trampled the growing thing within and pierced its writhing flesh with a hundred, sharp-pointed roots. She could already feel the rising heat of a purifying eruption.


    Sixiang¡¯s voice went out, speaking in her voice. ¡°Focus on the constructs. I will keep the enemy occupied.¡±


    The steam-filled cistern exploded into motion.


    Ling Qi and the shadowed silhouettes in her mist turned their heads to the ith-ia gardener in the center. A phantom flute formed in her fingers, and an eagle¡¯s scream, deafening in its intensity, echoed in the cistern. It launched from Ling Qi¡¯s shoulder, a silhouette of dark wings and gleaming eyes, and slammed into one of the pillars in an explosion of sound, the qi invested in the technique rippling out across her allies.


    Clad in the wind and the fury of her song, any disorientation vanished, and they moved as one.


    The gardener leapt upward, rebounding from the ceiling like a spring to launch himself at her allies. Phantom hands grasped him, and he twisted, body bending bonelessly to avoid. A rubbery gray claw swept out, and an arc of midnight blue dust followed it, vanishing mist and phantom alike as a brush erases a drawing of chalk.


    Ice erupted, and a jagged fractal flower formed of flash frozen steam bloomed in his path. His motion changed midair to avoid it, and his other claw dipped into a pouch. Fiery orange erupted, an explosion of heat that wiped away a screaming hoarfrost wind. A Ling Qi who was too slow burned like a paper effigy after he crashed through.


    The Ling Qi who was not too slow played a note so deep that it rattled bones and blasted him back the way he had come with all the weight of an avalanche.


    The whole exchange lasted but a handful of seconds, sound and fury and heat and cold washing over the room as the others assaulted the seeded columns. Rotted-out stone was split like rotting fruit, purifying fire was prepared, and her little brother stomped and trampled one of the sludge-like constructs, darkly glowing magma pouring from a crack beneath and burning vile flesh faster than it grew.


    The gardener came again. She moved, ice bloomed, and she launched him left this time. He bounced back twice as fast, screaming through the air with a crash of thunder, flinging out glittering powders that painted her curling mist with a sickly rainbow light that made her head pound as she tried to peer through a newly warped bubble of space that should have trapped her.


    And even then, she was there above him. She could not be caged. She could never be caged. Her raised song slammed him into the superheated water below with a hissing splash, and her Mist grew thick, billowing out from her dress and phantom flute along, her song making a keening duet with the silhouette of her domain blade in the dark.


    The Mist closed in around them both as the gardener rose, but there was no longer the light and sound of battle. There was only the Gardener, her phantoms and Ling Qi herself.


    She regarded him steadily, as his shoulders stiffened in panic, she felt a genuine terror there. For a being like the Ith-ia, what did it feel like to be cut off from everything. Everything.


    All around the gathered revelers laughed and laughed. The hooting cheers of a crowd at an execution. Ling Qi stood above in the air. She the lady of the ball, and he the nameless, ragged thing alone in the Mist.


    For the first time the undergrounder let out a sound, a pained, gibbering howl of foreign words, muffled by his breathing mask. He launched himself toward her.


    Ruin plans. Break expectations. Mock the absurdity that was battle. Drive her enemies positively mad. That was the ultimate lesson of the Dreaming Moon, the truth of the Phantasmagoria of Lunar Revelry.


    And she had found the answer in it. Her answer, at least.


    The most important act for an artist to do was question.


    Question tradition. Question history. Question the past and the present alike.


    Question to reveal the absurdities that grew like fungus and rot in the cracks before they could bring the whole edifice crashing down. Question to point out when her liege was being absurd in her expectations, whether they were for herself or others.

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    Threads 274-Grudges 5


    The ith-ia gardener raced toward her.


    He leapt, and she vanished, ghosting backward, a dress and the silhouette of a face in the dark without hands or limbs like her teacher once had appeared. The stalking beasts and men and things between that stalked her mist circled and closed in. A burst of red powder incinerated a cloud of screaming birds, a short knife of yellow bone spun into a backward grip slashed the head from a laughing horned spirit whose mirth echoed even as his head splashed into the water around their ankles, and a plume of dark blue shredded the phantoms caught in its arc into less than dust.


    But there were too many to stop.


    Figures melted into one another and moved without stepping, their hands and claws and teeth reaching for the desperately keening undergrounder, and drew dark blood from a hundred cuts. And out in the billowing mist that had swallowed the world, a howl sounded, deep and resounding, a mournful funeral dirge. A black shadow with crimson eyes larger than a man¡¯s head towered higher than should have been possible in the confines of the cistern, called forth by Ling Qi.


    The shade of the wolf god¡¯s howl was a blanket of malice across the mist, and under it, her phantoms grew sharper, bodies settling with a weight of reality that a moment before they had lacked. The gardener¡¯s knife lashed out, and this time, rather than carving through illusion like air, it stuck into the guts of a great black hound as if it truly were two hundred kilograms of muscle, fur, and meat.


    The moment of surprise was enough for hands to grasp its strap-covered shoulders and for hungry jaws to close on an ankle with a squelch.


    Far back in the Mist, all but touching the damp ceiling of the cistern that only she could see, Ling Qi palmed a glittering bundle of diamond cord. In the tedium of waiting in the Ministry, she had taken the chance to reset her diamond snare, leaving Yan Shenyi to the Ministry¡¯s non-existent mercy. And here, with a foe she could not risk killing, was this not the best place to put it to use?


    Below, the phantom of the wolf god leapt into the fray, scattering lesser shades and revelers around his feet, jaws open to catch and trap. Held and grappled by others, the ith-ia gardener let out a cry of pain as teeth like swords dug into his flesh.


    But as she was winding back to throw the snare, her eyes caught on the movement of its fingers. Covered in glittering kaleidoscoping dust, the fingers dragged through the dark ichor that wept from its wounds, spinning headache-inducing patterns across its skin. The fabric of space within the cistern buckled, and in the instant she had to react, she turned her Mist outward, shattering their isolation together as she gathered her little brother and allies into a cold embrace of impenetrable mist.


    The cistern rocked as weight and direction and distance all warped at once, ripping down columns and turning the water into fractal streams flowing between briefly bent space. It was only in the embrace of her Mist that the world remained right in that single moment of twisting chaos.


    It passed, and the Mist dispersed. Two of her allies fell to their knees, blood leaking from the eyes and strange bruises blooming on their skin, but otherwise unharmed.


    As Ling Qi grimaced, feeling her twisted senses righting themselves, she saw the wheezing gardener on its knees in the cistern, silhouetted by the last remaining fungal bloom. Its dagger was being raised to its throat.


    Suddenly, falling drops of water from the newly cracked ceiling transformed into a man, hooded and cloaked in gray. One fist cocked back, swelling with monstrous and disproportionate muscle and the dark fur of a great ape, before it smashed the gardener into the earth with a shockwave that flung a ring of filthy water in every direction and pulverized the stone beneath.


    Ling Qi felt an inkling of memory, a figure briefly seen in the raucous tavern within the Dream of Xiangmen.


    The gardener bounced away from the powdered floor, and the man, arm shrinking back to normal proportions, followed, his legs bending strangely as he crouched and launched himself. Chitin rippled down his left arm as it bent and sharpened, a grass green organic blade emerging from his handwraps.


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill it!¡± Sixiiang cried out. ¡°Capture!¡±


    There was a faint twitch of the man¡¯s head, the only acknowledgement. The blade rippled, becoming flesh once more, and his hands grasped the gardener¡¯s shoulders even as flames erupted, setting his cloak alight.


    He flung the enemy back toward Ling Qi where she floated near the broken ceiling. Her hand snapped out, and the diamond snare flew, a glittering web in the ruddy light that filled the cistern. The gardener fell into the water with a splash, a squirming and immobile bundle. Itsflesh distorted weirdly as if made of soft clay, pushing and straining against the gaps in the snare, but it merely tightened, changing its size to keep it bound.


    ¡°Hah! Was too slow. Hardly needed me at all,¡± said the man as he hit the water with a splash. He threw his burning cloak aside, revealing a tall, thin man. Bits of red hair peeked out of the wrap over his face. ¡°Zheng Fu, at your service.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not done yet,¡± Ling Qi replied, qi carrying her voice through the Mist as she turned to look at the crumbling fungal tower. It burned, blades and hands carving it into burnable chunks. She wasn¡¯t taking any chances¡­


    A pulse of power, only one step below that of a sovereign, rocked through the cistern and far beyond. It was a sudden gale, wind that screamed through the tunnels and streets.


    ¡°Ah, looks like the big man finally woke up his grandad,¡± said Zheng Fu conversationally. He moved to stand over the prisoner, eyeing the snare and the squirming creature alike. ¡°So, you goin back south after this?¡±


    ***


    ¡°Some things never change.¡±


    Ling Qi continued to cycle her qi, feeling the flecks of darkness, the motes of want and desire that filled the gaol like so many droplets of dew in the morning. The qi here was so intense, so focused, that even without the thieving games of the old skeleton, her cultivation flowed as smoothly as a stream. In this case, it was a stream flowing into a dam, pressure building in her meridians and in her bones.


    She was nearly there, nearly broken through to the fifth stage of the green realm. This long journey was coming to its next step.


    ¡°You¡¯re familiar with the Zheng clan then, elder?¡± Ling Qi asked, pausing her tale.


    ¡°Once, I lived in the mountain of flowers and fruit. It was a beautiful decade of youth.¡±


    Wistful. That was new. ¡°He is an envoy. It seems the whole Empire has an interest in the Emerald Seas these days.¡±


    ¡°Dangerous is the attention of the world.¡±


    Ling Qi inclined her head. ¡°With the awakening of the Xu patriarch, clean up became much simpler. The ith-ia were not ready for that level of conflict, and their active elements went into full retreat at that point. All that was left was to dispose of their sacrificial weapons.¡±


    Ling Qi remembered collapsed streets where one of the fungal towers had briefly blossomed into the fourth realm, its poison puncturing a shelter. Light casualties, she had been told.


    She supposed this feeling was similar to what Cai Renxiang felt when told that something was ¡°efficient enough.¡±


    ¡°But this, too, was soon done, and I found myself invited to the manor of the Xu. Did you know, I¡¯d actually met members of their family before?¡± Li Suyin crying in her arms. A bold duel in the center of the Outer Sect. ¡°It feels small though in comparison, and it¡¯s not my grudge to hold.¡±


    ¡°People are not their rulers.¡±


    ¡°They are not,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I was honored. The Patriarch took a moment to meet me, and I have the family¡¯s favor. He was livid, though whether it was because he was awakened or because of what happened to his city, I can¡¯t be sure.¡± She closed her eyes, remembering the feast and the talks and the thanks. ¡°I had to stay until an agent of the Duchess could collect the prisoner. The Xu were very eager to show their gratitude. Diao Hualing spoke to me on the Ministry¡¯s communication stone. She was honestly a bit flustered.¡±


    Ling Qi smiled slightly at the memory. The older elegant woman had also been very irritated. She had been assured that there would be an audit, and she had Diao Hualing¡¯s promise that there would be no one in position to hold a grudge against her about it after the audit.


    It perhaps helped that in the week since that day in the sewer, there had been a spate of reports detailing similar plots in settlements across the south and central Emerald Seas. Some of those incursions had been much more successful for the ith-ia.


    ¡°Strange and dangerous foes, these.¡±


    ¡°Their communalist society somehow makes them all the more cruel as foes,¡± Ling Qi agreed. It wasn¡¯t the sort of war that the Empire knew how to fight.


    ¡°Most any concept may be turned to cruelty or kindness. Are you ready then to tell your tale?¡±


    Ling Qi considered, feeling the pulse of qi in her body, the now familiar feeling of being a too small container.


    ¡°I think I am.¡±


    Ling Qi breathed out, and Huisheng¡¯s gaol faded away until there was only roiling white and gray mist, a blank canvas and a stage. There was silence as Ling Qi cycled her qi. Dark and wind and ice and dream shot through with flecks of other qi, It was a chaotic Mishmash that should have been unstable, but somehow, it held steady, a balance that only she could keep.


    In her hands, a construct formed with the soft crackle of forming ice, moist air freezing into the shape of a flute. The flickering shadow of a blade circled in the dark, the low tone of air whistling through the gaps in her domain blade setting a slow beat.


    In the Mist, there bloomed a city, a sad city, a cramped city, a sick city. It was a city that had long since ceased to grow. It was not dead, not yet, but it had begun to die a death of inches. Crumbling roads were aching bones, uncaring lords a fading mind, and the men and women who walked those streets, a strained and sluggish heart.


    Here was born a restless, impetuous child.


    She had been born of betrayal, of misery, of banishment to a woman barely more than a child herself. Their name, Ling, was itself a brand. It meant zero, a stark reminder of what the girl''s mother had been reduced to.


    The shadow city born in the Mist was a groaning labyrinth of leaning buildings whose angles conspired to cut off the sky. Smoke and noise turned it gray and ugly, a mirror of the streets below. Figures separated from the Mist, coalescing from the shadows of the buildings into people, the citizens in their multitudes. There were bent laborers, cruel and haughty guards, and citizens determined to lose themselves in what small prosperity they could grasp, every one of them determined not to see anything beyond their own noses.


    Among the many, the slight, hunched figure of a woman and child were rendered in glittering black, a hole in the fog.


    The girl and her mother were not special or different from the rest. The girl, a child, knew no better than what she saw, and the mother, crushed by her position, was no better.


    A looming shadow of great weight fell over the woman and the child, suffusing the air with the stink of cheap wine. It only took one sharp blow to sunder them. A sound like shattering glass cracked through the mist. The child fled, a streak of darkness vanishing into the labyrinth. The woman collapsed in on herself with the sound of sobs.


    Fear, miscommunication, anger, and pain severed the fragile threads of their connection.


    The girl took the lesson that there was no safety in others. Yet the wound was an aching hole, never healing.


    Ling Qi breathed in as her song reached a pause, the viewpoint spiraling away from the individual phantoms and streets. She had always cultivated dark qi easily. Hunger, want, and greed, these emotions came easily to her. They felt natural. Even now, she could feel how deeply the qi had soaked into her bones, her muscles, and her flesh.


    It was so easy to become mist and shadow these days.


    She didn¡¯t regret it. Desire was not wrong. It was not evil. It was not something to be clipped away for a more perfect mind. Want was the soul of cultivation and the soul of humankind. It was behind every accomplishment, good and bad.


    But she had seen how it could become twisted and broken. She had seen a fox who had devoured centuries of victims and eaten deeply of its own children, and yet, she was near skeletal with starvation. Just now in the city of Haishan, she had met a yawning pit of pride which warped proportionality beyond reason and which no respect would ever satisfy.


    No, there was nothing evil about wanting. But it could not be all that she was.

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    Threads 275-Grudges 6


    Ling Qi drew her breath into her lungs and exhaled, beginning the next stanza of her song. Moisture became falling snow, swiftly dirtied to gray by dust and mud. She sang of the girl, little more than an animal, living only to survive. The girl was but one rat, one starving street hound among the packs and swarms that roamed Tonghou¡¯s streets.


    They devoured the weakest, the strongest, the kindest and the cruelest alike. It was only those who stayed low who survived, unpunished. The living were those who heeded only the call of empty belly and cold limbs.


    They were a multitude. They were alone.


    A shadow with a face of bone came to the girl and took her away. She had something the others lacked, the shadow had said, a spark, a fire.


    The shadow had been wrong. It was nothing so active. She was only lucky.


    It was often said that luck was merely another talent, but so few who said those words understood them. Luck was most often all that separated a pauper from a prince.


    At the mountain where the girl had been taken, there were many people and many trials. Forms appeared in the mist, familiar faces and figures caught in moments of action. Bai Meizhen, staring at her like she was some strange animal. Su Ling, squinting and suspicious. Suyin, painfully open and kind. Xiulan, haughty and demanding.


    There, freed from privation of the body, the girl was able to contemplate the privation of her spirit. As starvation had been privation of the body, isolation, the girl realized, was privation of the soul, and from this privation was born suffering. On the mountain, she had reached out. And her friends had reached back.


    What the girl wanted simply couldn¡¯t be done alone. No power could change that. And so, the girl learned to speak, to act, to express.


    And when the time came, she reached out with paper and ink to salvage her first failure in those arts. In the Mist, a woman and girl, the latter so tall now, and the former so small, embraced.


    The girl was no saint. She could not love all. She did not even want to try. But she would see that people spoke to one another and that they did not shatter over miscommunication or by silence.


    People would speak, and people would hear. Perhaps this communication would change nothing in the end. After all, one could hear without listening and speak without expressing.


    But even though she only had two hands, others had hands as well. The threads of connection did not demand that she alone bear their burden.


    And so, the lonely streets would be driven back.


    Ling Qi¡¯s music faltered, color and darkness flashing in her mist. Her phantoms distorted, her illusions bent, and her dantian cracked, its outer surface flaking away like a clay mold, revealing the denser, more potent core of whirling wind gusting around a core of black ice which shimmered with memories and dreams yet to be. Ling Qi felt her body lighten, mortal flesh becoming just a little more phantasmal, and her awareness expanded past her skin into the air and the mist and snow.


    The fifth stage, the framing stage, was hers. Her domain was more real than before. The frame was there now, just waiting to be filled.


    The phantoms of her friends and family and acquaintances gathered around her in a half circle, herself at the zenith as the mist cleared, and as one, they bowed to her audience. The ancient horned skeleton bound to the pillar regarded her with sockets full of glittering black petals.


    ¡°Interesting.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Ling Qi.¡± Cai Renxiang¡¯s voice was deeply exhausted, her nose pinched between her fingers. The tea cup set before her on the fine tabletop was forgotten, the faint trail of steam rising from it drifting unnoticed.


    ¡°Lady Cai, I can¡¯t possibly be blamed for this one,¡± Ling Qi protested. She blew softly on her own cup. The fog that drifted off of the impossibly cold cider parted, leaving her free to drink. Rimefruit extract was very expensive, but frankly, Ling Qi was sure that she had earned a treat at this point.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Bai Meizhen said in mock consideration. She cradled her own cup close. ¡°Perhaps if you had followed my advice for that worm.¡±


    Together, the three of them sat in Cai Renxiang¡¯s sitting room, drinks and light snacks arranged neatly across the table. Xiao Fen had insisted on doing the settings, and even now, she lurked in the shadows, ready to dart out and replace anything missing.


    Ling Qi thought she should join the other girl, but the idea had seemed to cause Xiao Fen almost physical pain.


    Ling Qi rolled her eyes. ¡°And in doing so, I would have gotten myself kicked out of the Sect, and you, almost certainly punished as well. Come on, Meizhen. Even I knew you were overreacting to what ¡®that worm¡¯ had done at that time.¡±


    Meizhen turned up her nose haughtily. She didn¡¯t contradict Ling Qi though.


    ¡°No, you cannot be blamed. Not in any rational sense anyway,¡± Cai Renxiang¡¯s eyes squeezed shut.


    ¡°Are you saying that you are afflicted by irrational thoughts, my lady?¡±


    Cai Renxiang let a long breath through her nose, but did not rise to her bait.


    Not quite there yet, Ling Qi supposed.


    ¡°There was no comprehension that such an attack would occur. It is disturbing for everyone to acknowledge that we still do not fully grasp the tactics of these ith-ia,¡± Cai Renxiang said instead. ¡°I commend you, Ling Qi, on uncovering this plot, even through such circumstances.¡±


    ¡°I am just glad I was able to keep the damage low.¡± The sweet rimefruit was a balm on her throat after so many hours and days spent in conversation. The way the cider turned to slush on her tongue was pleasantly cool as well. ¡°The attacks that followed¡­¡±


    ¡°An ugly business, deliberately targeting mortals.¡± Bai Meizhen sneered. ¡°Barbarian filth.¡±


    ¡°It is unforgivable,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed. ¡°It is certain at this point that the next great campaign will be against them.¡±


    ¡°Something to prepare for after the summit.¡± Ling Qi considered the now serious atmosphere in the room. ¡°Honestly, Lady Cai, I did everything as responsibly as I could.¡±


    ¡°I am aware. Please excuse my moment of bewilderment.¡± Cai Renxiang finally took up her tea, taking a sip.


    ¡°It is rather adorable,¡± Meizhen declared airily.


    Cai Renxiang glared at her. Meizhen smirked back.


    ¡°Less adorable is that animal you dragged back.¡± Meizhen glanced toward her.


    ¡°Zheng Fu?¡± Ling Qi tilted her head. ¡°He hardly came with me. He has a message for the Duchess from the Ebon Rivers.¡±


    Meizhen said, ¡°That is why it is most amusing that Her Grace returned to Xiangmen for a short time, even if it is to deal with whatever plots the Butcher is making.¡±


    ¡°It has been circulating that the Zheng are releasing their scions across the Empire in unusual numbers, so this is not too surprising,¡± Cai Renxiang observed.


    ¡°Butting in where they are unneeded. That is the way of the Zheng.¡±


    ¡°Well, he seemed nice enough in the passing, but I suppose we¡¯ll see what he wants.¡± Ling Qi had been wary due to the wanton reputation the ruling family of the Ebon Rivers had, but the veiled man didn¡¯t seem particularly bad in that regard during their brief acquaintance. The Zheng probably just didn¡¯t want to be left out of something their traditional rivals, the Bai, were involved in.


    ¡°Yes, hopefully, he wishes to observe matters at the summit. We can use every scrap of legitimacy in this endeavor,¡± Cai Renxiang murmured into her teacup.


    ¡°I wonder if Jaromila is dealing with the same thing,¡± Ling Qi mused, draining the rest of her cup. ¡°Maybe members of their other confederations will also want eyes on what the White Sky are doing.¡±


    ¡°If they are half as civilized as you insist they are, I imagine so,¡± Bai Meizhen interjected. ¡°Such is the way of politics.¡±


    ¡°We shall see soon. I trust you¡¯ve arranged your schedule, Ling Qi?¡± Cai Renxiang asked.


    Ling Qi considered the packed month ahead of her. There were many things on her to-do list, some very serious and personal. The last time she had drank rimefruit cider had been at her master¡¯s home on the mountaintop. A full year had passed since Zeqing¡¯s final lesson for her. ¡°I¡¯ll be ready. On that note, I should be going. I have a lesson scheduled with Shu Yue.¡±


    ¡°Then I will not keep you. Farewell for now, Ling Qi.¡±


    ***


    The sharp scent of salt in the air of the Saline Grotto at their border fief was becoming familiar, Ling Qi found. She sat upon a flat stone, a boulder Xia Lin had helpfully sheared in half for her comfort. Moss was already beginning to creep up its sides, and dry fungal caps were beginning to grow in the space between the formation lines of the focusing circle.


    ¡°You¡¯re suddenly a whole lot more popular in the central valley,¡± Sixiang mused. They floated upside down before her, glimmering rainbow hair waving and shimmering in the breeze. ¡°Or at least more folks are taking you seriously now.¡±


    Ling Qi snorted. ¡°I would hope so.¡± She scanned the cover page of the correspondence in her lap.


    ¡°But I do have to wonder why we¡¯re doing this now,¡± Ling Qi added, glancing to her left.


    There was the salt lake with the crystals and twisted fungus sprouting on its shores, and on the smooth dark blue surface was Shu Yue. They did not stand or sit, but rather crouched, the voluminous robes not concealing the inhuman bend of their legs. Their spidery fingers traced strange shapes on the rippling surface of the pool, leaving patterned violet shimmers that hurt Ling Qi¡¯s eyes to look at. Their mask-like face was tilted almost at a full right angle, and their dark hair hung down nearly to the water.


    When she spoke, the elder cultivator¡¯s eyes lazily opened, blackness oozing away a half second behind their eyelids to leave dark but human eyes. ¡°This place is good for my planned lesson. So is your work in cultivating your ears here.¡±


    ¡°You feel my correspondence will relate to your lessons on perception then?¡±


    ¡°In its own way. Your recent adventure is also useful.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I deserve so much credit.¡± Ling Qi sighed. ¡°You would have solved it if events had gotten truly dire.¡±


    ¡°No. I would not have.¡±

 Threads 276-Grudges 7

    Threads 276-Grudges 7


    Ling Qi¡¯s head snapped up, eyes widening in surprise. ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°I was not there. You are important, but you are not my only business,¡± Shu Yue explained, righting the angle of their head. There was a faint scraping sound like bone on a carapace.


    That¡­ made sense. ¡°Of course. I should not let myself come to rely too much on the idea of a safety net.¡±


    ¡°It is a good lesson.¡± Shu Yue cracked a toothless smile, an inky black crescent on their pale face. ¡°Elders always come to fail their juniors. Rely on those who stand beside you, not behind.¡±


    ¡°Ling Qi¡¯s doing just fine,¡± Sixiang interrupted dismissively. To Ling Qi, they reminded, ¡°You didn¡¯t even think about spooky here being around till after. Fobbing responsibility off on another never crossed your mind at the time.¡±


    Ling Qi dipped her head, taking the muse¡¯s chiding in mind. It was true that the idea of Shu Yue being available to assist had only come in the uncertainty after the attack when she had time to sit and let her mind spin.


    Shu Yue inclined their head. ¡°Regardless, I feel that your encounter will have given you some insights into my lesson.¡±


    Ling Qi turned to fully face her teacher. ¡°And what exactly is your Eye of Grudges art, Shu Yue? You have not explained yet.¡±


    They hummed, their hunched back and their legs straightening until they stood at their full height. Droplets of water clung to their fingertips as they fell to their sides. ¡°The Eye of Grudges is an art of understanding people and the ties that bind them. Its techniques will allow you to insert yourself behind another¡¯s eyes and immerse yourself in their woes.¡±


    ¡°That sounds very intrusive,¡± Ling Qi said cautiously.


    ¡°For you, it would be.¡± Shu Yue rubbed their chin thoughtfully. ¡°When I was young, I found it easy to become another. You cannot intrude or invade if there is no self to shove theirs aside.¡±


    ¡°Why is everything you say so ominous?¡± Sixiang asked flatly.


    Shu Yue ignored them. ¡°You understand, Ling Qi, the truth of us. Press us, starve us, isolate us, and we become animals, beasts of panic and fear and hate. Even the most virtuous of men, if pressed hard enough, will find their humanity peeling away like a thin skin on a fruit. I do not judge this. It simply is. Perhaps there is one in a million or one in ten million who truly cannot break, but this is not a standard mortals can be held to, nor indeed, most who cultivate.¡±


    ¡°The point of a society¡ªa community¡ªis to keep people out of that state.¡±


    ¡°As you like. My Eyes see the splintered threads of pain and hurt. They see fear and the chains of resentment it forges. Tell me true, are there none who you hate?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time to hold grudges,¡± Ling Qi responded automatically. ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Some remain all the same,¡± Shu Yue finished. ¡°Humans remember hurts more strongly than help, pain more clearly than pleasure, and failure more starkly than success.¡±


    ¡°People don¡¯t have to be like that though.¡±


    ¡°It is good to strive. Those who wallow can only bring ruin.¡± Shu Yue tapped their fingers together thoughtfully as they strode onto the shore. ¡°Nonetheless, to understand a person, you must understand their grudges. You cannot judge how a person will act without their baser urges. You have seen an example now of a truly deep grudge.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. ¡°You¡¯re talking about the traitor. How in the world can he¡­?¡± She gritted her teeth.


    That news had its own uproar, a simmering rage that spread with the communication. The Sect was furious. With that knowledge, the failure of the wards in the advance base underground and the many deaths it had caused were laid in a new light.


    If Yan Renshu ever stood openly on the surface again, she had no doubt his life was forfeit.


    ¡°I have not observed him, only memories of him,¡± Shu Yue replied clinically. ¡°But there is a type of man for whom pride is more precious than their own heart¡¯s blood. Indeed, they are very common, if not usually so severe in their transgression. It is this that I aim to teach you.¡±


    Ling Qi held back a retort that she didn¡¯t want to understand a mind that would think that way. But she understood that even if she didn¡¯t want to, she had to learn.


    ¡°You cannot understand people without understanding their fears, their resentments, and their hates,¡± Shu Yue said, putting it into bland but undeniable words. ¡°Or succinctly, their grudges.¡±


    The air in the clearing stilled, the soft sounds of nature dying away before a black pressure that pressed down on Ling Qi from all sides. It vanished quickly enough, and Sixiang flipped themselves upright to glare at Shu Yue. The elder cultivator looked back at them without expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Sixiang. I know what being consumed by that looks like. It¡¯s no different from scouting an enemy to learn how they work.¡±


    ¡°It is not only your enemies¡¯ grudges that you will need to look upon,¡± Shu Yue interjected.


    ¡°Okay, yes,¡± Ling Qi agreed reluctantly. It still felt¡­ bad.


    Shu Yue nodded, tilting their head back to observe the crystals glittering on the roof of the cavern. ¡°Good. Let us begin then. Yan Renshu, what is his drive? His grudge?¡±


    Ling Qi nearly said something pithy, but she understood where Shu Yue was going with this. It wasn¡¯t about the obvious surface answer. It was about digging down into the ugly, tangled roots. So she frowned and thought of everything she had ever learned about the vile little toad.


    His family were perpetual underachievers, ever just below the mark for gaining nobility. He was hostile to them as well, going by his interaction with his uncle. In his first year at the Sect, he so offended a noble scion that they inflicted an outright crippling injury on him.


    He resented the mighty and had contempt for the weak. He had no qualms about tricking and exploiting others into false and ruinous contracts. He always seemed to feel like he was owed. She remembered that once, he had even implied that by trying to frame her and drive her away from her noble friends that he was doing her a favor.


    Yan Renshu thought himself very smart, smarter than everything else. He seemed to have very little ability to make uncoerced connections.


    Slowly, she worked out an answer. ¡°His grudge is against the community itself. He thinks its contracts and strictures are as false and hollow as his own dealings. He believes he is superior for seeing this where others do not.¡±


    Shu Yue regarded her silently and impassively until she began to squirm, wondering if she had answered poorly. Sixiang vanished and reappeared at her side, a hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°Not a terrible answer. Not correct either. Your own perspective is too embedded. Tell me, you have come to regard community as a fundamental good, do you not?¡±


    ¡°Because it is,¡± Ling Qi insisted. ¡°It harms, and it fails, I know that, but alone, we are nothing.¡±


    ¡°That is your conviction. Grasp it tightly. We shape the world through disseminating our convictions and making them the consensus, but that does not make your answer right.¡±


    ¡°And how do you know?¡± Ling Qi asked curiously.


    ¡°Though the picture is still incomplete, you may see the shape of a puzzle without all its pieces,¡± Shu Yue said. ¡°Despite his efforts, like all humans, he existed in the lives of many others. And it has become lawful to peer into the minds of those who had the most experience.¡±


    Ling Qi shifted, uncomfortable with the implication. She knew how things worked. One could not just do something as terrible as Yan Renshu and expect no repercussions for their family. She couldn¡¯t feel sorry for that selfish little man she¡¯d saved, but she could imagine there being members of the Yan family who were less disagreeable.


    ¡°Worth arises from power. This is a commonality. A core.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked. ¡°Of course. You can¡¯t do anything without power.¡±


    ¡°These are not the same statements.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced at Sixiang, and the muse cocked an eyebrow. Ling Qi ducked her head. ¡°... I understand. My mother is not powerful, and there are many things she cannot do, but¡­¡±


    Ling Qi did not want to go back to the way their relationship had been at the beginning where she treated her mother like a porcelain doll. It was also why she did not press her mother to cultivate more. Cultivation improved her health, but¡­ her mother¡¯s value was not in being another cultivator for the Ling clan.


    Shu Yue hummed to themselves, beginning to slowly circle her position, one uneven step after another. Their shadowy robe whispered across the ground like a serpent¡¯s coils. ¡°Worth arises from power. What we have is deserved and hard worked for. What others have is not. Others who fall behind are failures. Lazy. Others who pull ahead are cheating. Stealing. These are not the words spoken aloud, but it is the meaning which lies beneath their beliefs. Common thoughts from the lowest root to the highest branch.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re born from the refusal to see the self in others.¡± Sixiang said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t steal my lines,¡± Ling Qi complained. Sixiang had pulled that thought right out of her head. Jabbing an elbow back, she hit a narrow chest, drawing a whiny grumble from the muse. ¡°But, Shu Yue, I¡¯m not sure how that differs from my words.¡± .


    ¡°It is not resentment of the community nor the bonds and hierarchies it represents. It is resentment of one¡¯s place in those structures,¡± Shu Yue explained. ¡°Understand, Ling Qi, until you cannot any longer: others do not see the concepts dear to your soul in the same way you do.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned, but took Shu Yue¡¯s point. She knew that most cultivators had not meditated on community as she had. They saw, perhaps, a stair instead of a net, or perhaps they did not see it at all, treating the society that let them live as more than an animal as something like the sky or the earth, a piece of the background requiring no effort or maintenance. ¡°I feel like that¡¯s impossible to do consistently. The mind makes assumptions.¡±


    ¡°It does. It is impossible to fully master when you have an identity. One always sees others through the mirror of the self,¡± Shu Yue admitted easily, and Ling Qi found herself peering at the black emptiness behind their moving lips, beginning to get an inkling of what her teacher was. ¡°But there are lessons all the same. Let us move on to your correspondence.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what is Yan Renshu¡¯s grudge?¡±


    ¡°It is not important for the lesson. Your answer was,¡± Shu Yue replied blithely. ¡°And as you will come to find, a person¡¯s grudges does not have simple, single-faceted answers.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t help but feel discontent, but being cryptic was just how teachers were. ¡°Alright. So what are we doing with the letters?¡±


    ¡°You will read, consider, and discuss, as you have done. I will posit questions on the motivations of your correspondents. You will analyze. I will critique.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded. She thought she understood what Shu Yue was doing. If they could not directly teach her the art and technique, they could at least teach the mindset behind it.


    It made for much slower reading and replies than usual. Shu Yue¡¯s questions and interruptions were frequent, forcing her to consider everything from the structure of the writer''s arguments down to individual word choices. She had to slow down, to think, and to examine how a single innocuous line was meant to steer her into examining a rival or a neighbor of the writer negatively. She learned to look past the words on the page and see what they wanted.


    And yes, just a little cultivation, the right way to tweak and strain the flows of qi in her eyes to see the faint shadows of intent embedded in the writing.


    She found that her support was strong among the foundations region, the southernmost part of the Emerald Seas consisting of the foothills of the Wall and much of the Wang lands. There was much praise, but she could also see a great deal of opportunism. Young clans were seeking her association to raise their own status against the older clans.


    And there was no wrong in that, if they stood with her on the right matters and if they could be brought about to support Renxiang. There was, as Shu Yue would say, a grudge there. There was an undercurrent of being hard put upon, a resentment for the more northerly regions. They saw themselves as injured by the endless raiding, and blame for that spread north.


    It was an ugly infection that needed tending, lest it turn into outright rot. She could possibly make inroads both in the south and the west, if the Meng could be won. A distant dream, but something perhaps to work towards. She¡¯d have to talk to Hanyi about what the region was like in person.


    On the other hand, the central valley had been upturned. Dozens of letters asked for advice on spotting and combating ith-ia spies and impurity. There was a great deal of panicked alarm there, but also a deep well of anger. The central valley was safe. Not since the Duchess had risen had they faced cloud tribe raids. This was not how things were supposed to be.


    This was a grudge in its infancy, coming screaming into the world. It made her wonder about the ith-ia the Duchess had subjugated, and in her replies, she was careful to emphasize the name of those responsible, Ya-lith-kai, as a separate tribe and government. She shared what she knew freely, describing the methods and ways she had experienced.


    And she couldn¡¯t help but think of her idle words at Hanyi¡¯s first concert about the old road through the haunted remains of the dead Li clan¡¯s stronghold, currently contested by Wang and Diao. It had seemed insurmountable, but she was growing some cachet with at least one faction of the Diao.


    Another project for after the summit.


    It was strange how much she was growing used to taking in and churning out dozens, hundreds of pieces of correspondence every month. She was still terrible with names, but Sixiang helped. Shu Yue helped. And truthfully, when she spent so much time analyzing a person¡¯s thoughts as she read through their letters, it was hard for the picture assembled to not become a person. Someone remembered, at least in passing.


    She was still a small player in the great expanse of the Emerald Seas, but with her recent actions and her efforts, she was on the board with all that that entailed.

 Threads 277 Sea of Dreams 1

    Threads 277 Sea of Dreams 1


    ¡°You are an attentive student,¡± Shu Yue praised as Ling Qi finished her analysis of the last letter, a simple invitation from a baron in the nearby Wang lands to trade some pointers regarding the establishment of agriculture in mountainous lands.


    ¡°You are a thorough teacher,¡± Ling Qi replied, bowing her head.


    ¡°Exhausting, more like,¡± Sixiang drawled, lounging in midair. ¡°We should have finished this batch hoooours ago.¡±


    ¡°Sixiang,¡± Ling Qi scolded. The muse seemed to not like Shu Yue very much. Ling Qi had an inkling as to why.


    ¡°Do not scold. I take it as a compliment.¡± Shu Yue let out the unsettling, rasping wheeze that Ling Qi had come to recognize as laughter. ¡°My lessons aside, you have established your foundation well. The work to come is without end.¡±


    ¡°But I now have something to build on. There is no one in the south who does not take me at least somewhat seriously.¡±


    ¡°A boon and a bane.¡± Shu Yue dipped their head in commiseration. ¡°I have a suggestion.¡±


    ¡°I would like to hear it.¡±


    ¡°Focus. Build this strength, this moment. Take the opportunity to expand your reach, and bolster this high before it fades.¡±


    Ling Qi considered. ¡°I do need to focus my effort if I want to grow. I can maintain this all, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Advancement is more demanding,¡± Shu Yue agreed.


    Sixiang flopped over onto their belly, chin resting on their hands. ¡°And we should probably focus on the south between Wang or Diao. I feel like the Meng need more time to cook. Let that Meng Diu lady do her work.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded her head in agreement. ¡°The Wang,¡± she decided.


    Taking her leave of Shu Yue, Ling Qi flew back toward the Sect.


    As she flew, Sixiang asked, ¡°How many are you thinking of inviting?¡±


    ¡°It will depend on what I see at the summit. I should have a chance to talk to Wang Lian there.¡± The wind whistled past her ears, and the tips of the highest growing pines swayed with her passing.


    ¡°Right. She¡¯s overseeing construction of the infrastructure at the meeting point, ain¡¯t she?¡±


    Ling Qi hummed in agreement. The first part of deepening the connections she had made in the foundations was arranging more face-to-face meetings. She¡¯d pick out a few contacts, the ones offering the most sincere advice on operations, and set up a little meeting and tour, accepting well wishes and showing goodwill.


    She could even involve her family in this minor project. Maybe she could meet them at the Sect and then travel here? Let Mother cut her teeth on guests less intimidating than comital scions. Plans and plans. So many things to do, so little time.


    But right now, she had another small task to complete before Hanyi arrived back at the Sect from her tour of the southwest Emerald Seas. Thankfully, this task would allow her to treat her time as a little bendable.


    ¡°Dreams are useful like that, eh?¡±


    They were.


    Ling Qi cut into a dive, soaring down like a bird of prey toward the crumbling shrine on the scruffy cliffside where her dream travels had begun.


    She landed without a sound, her gown billowing out in a phantom wind. ¡°Hello, Xuan Shi. I apologize if I was late.¡±


    ¡°This one chose to arrive with the dawn.¡± Xuan Shi tipped his head toward her. He sat beside the overgrown temple pond, seemingly in contemplation of the waters. ¡°The shell of the Nameless Mother is thin here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a place for cultivation,¡± Ling Qi agreed. She moved to stand in the center of the grove where she had installed the dreaming gate. A flick of her wrist replaced the old talisman. ¡°The energy is not right for that, but it is a place of the moon nonetheless.¡±


    ¡°All power does not exist to be consumed,¡± Xuan Shi allowed, rising to his feet. His staff shimmered into existence.


    Ling Qi nodded absently. ¡°Just give me a moment to wake up our last companion.¡±


    Zhengui had made her promise that the next time she went across to the Dream in full, she¡¯d take him with her. He¡¯d been sleeping off a foraging session into the hills near the Saline Grotto when she found him this morning, and she had been kind enough to let him nap a little longer.


    There did, however, have to be some consequences for sleepyheads.


    With a not so gentle mental shove, Ling Qi pushed Zhengui out of his resting place in her dantian, and he materialized above the placid pond. There was a great splash and a hiss of steam as Zhengui, shrunken to the size of a large dog, hit the water. Twin cries of indignation erupted. Ling Qi stood at the edge of the pond with her arms crossed in satisfaction.


    Xuan Shi slowly turned his head toward her.


    Best


    Ling Qi rolled her eyes. ¡°He asked for five more minutes. I granted that, and even a little extra. It¡¯s not my fault he didn¡¯t spend the time on the trip over rousing himself.¡±


    ¡°Biiiiiiig Sister,¡± Gui complained, looking up at her as he climbed out. Zhen¡¯s scales flared, boiling away the water. ¡°That was mean!¡±


    ¡°It was pretty funny though.¡± Ling Qi crouched down to pat his two heads. ¡°And you¡¯re awake now, right?¡±


    He grumbled, but didn¡¯t disagree.


    ¡°This Xuan Shi greets you and is glad for your company,¡± her companion said finally, as if choosing to ignore the whole exchange.


    Zhen looked up at him, tongue flicking out in a puff of steam. ¡°I, Zhen, greet the¡­ Carver. Let us both keep Big Sister safe.¡±


    Ling Qi huffed. ¡°I¡¯m not made of glass.¡±


    ¡°But Big Sister does like to run her face into scary things,¡± Gui said impudently.


    She narrowed her eyes at the shrunken tortoise. He stared back with wide, guileless eyes.


    Sixiang snickered in her head.


    Xuan Shi shot her an unreadable look. ¡°This one will keep that in mind. Now, what measures or rituals must be taken?¡±


    At least someone wasn¡¯t a stick in the mud. She could tell that Xuan Shi was excited by this. That was a proper attitude in her opinion. To delve into the realms of thought and dream was dangerous, but if a cultivator wasn¡¯t going to dip their toes into danger, they were not going to get very far in cultivation.


    There was such a thing as being too reckless though. After her experience with Madam Grey, she would be a little more cautious.


    ¡°The gate talisman will handle the heavy lifting of the transition, and I will take up the rest. For your part, just focus your mind on who you are. It¡¯s easy to lose track of that on the other side, and I can only help so much,¡± Ling Qi explained, stepping up to the outside of the ring.


    Zhengui trundled up beside her.


    Xuan Shi gave a small nod, wearing a thoughtful look on the narrow slice of his face she could see between collar and hat. ¡°Intriguing. Very well. This one is prepared.¡±


    ¡°Then step forward.¡±


    And they did.


    The dreamside of the abandoned shrine was a disc of stone and gravel, floating silently in the dim air this time. The frameless door of the gaol sat in the shadowed entrance of the crumbling main building, and the small golden Dreaming Way statue hovered overhead, casting off gentle, shimmering rays of light into the darkness around.


    The trees which stretched infinitely above and below remained as they ever were, outlined by the faint golden light that shone from above, crackling with heavenly power. There were fires burning in the trees today though, distant and red like glowing coals in the depths of the fireplace.


    ¡°Home, sweet home!¡± a high girlish voice joined them. Ling Qi had to hide a frown as she glanced over at the figure of Kongyou, the nightmare spirit, leaning upon Xuan Shi¡¯s shoulder. They were slim and pale, their hair a mass of floaty white fluff about their neck and shoulders. Their glimmering black and faceted eyes looked back at her impishly over a grin full of needle sharp teeth. ¡°You really don¡¯t do things by half, do ya, buddy?¡±


    Xuan Shi took a deep breath. ¡°There can be no clarity without experience. This one would like to know thy home.¡±


    ¡°Oh, totally,¡± Kongyou said, bemused. They turned toward Ling Qi and her spirits, and their smile grew wider, cracks forming in the pliable chitin that served as their skin, exposing far more teeth and rasping surfaces. ¡°Heey guys! Don¡¯t look so mad. We¡¯re all friends here.¡±


    ¡°The best,¡± Sixiang said dryly. ¡°Behave, yeah?¡±


    ¡°Gui is not mad,¡± her little brother said calmly.


    ¡°You¡¯re not?¡± Kongyou asked, crouching down. ¡°I tried to trick your sis into melting herself, you know?¡±


    ¡°Gui thinks you should only be mad at people, not things,¡± Gui replied. ¡°And Bad Supper was not a person then.¡±


    Kongyou blinked. ¡°What?¡± .


    ¡°I, Zhen, think you heard us.¡±


    There was an awkward pause before Kongyou let out a huff of laughter. ¡°Cute kid you got there.¡±


    ¡°The cutest,¡± Ling Qi said blandly, refusing the bait. She turned to Xuan Shi, who looked exasperated. ¡°So, Xuan Shi, do you know what you are looking to see?¡±


    He tapped the butt of his staff on the ground, sending faint ripples through the stone and soil. The chime of the rings seemed much purer in the Dream. ¡°South toward the mountains where the people of cloud and snow wander.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± Ling QI asked.


    ¡°This one knows your reasons, friend. And you spoke true. There is more to distant seas than water and currents,¡± Xuan Shi said placidly. ¡°Sights are better than tales.¡±


    ¡°And we can meet plenty of my cousins thataway. Those mountains are a buffet!¡± Kongyou clapped their hands excitedly.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Ling Qi acknowledged. Tipping her head, she considered and turned her head to the left. A glittering bridge of ice began to form, extending off into the misty distance. ¡°Let¡¯s walk then.¡±


    She shouldn¡¯t have been surprised. Xuan Shi was quite smart in many ways.


    They set out, Sixiang floating above her shoulder, and Kongyou spreading wide white moths wings marked by a pattern of black tear drops. Zhengui trundled along behind them, his footsteps leaving hissing pools of water in the ice.


    ¡°I never asked why you were even there that first time,¡± Ling Qi ventured, glancing up at Kongyou. ¡°Did you have some kind of contract with Bian Ya?¡±


    ¡°Not me, specifically. I was born a few minutes ago at that point,¡± Kongyou said cheerfully, flying upside down overhead. ¡°Buuuuut, dirty little secret, yeah? Those naughty foxwives. Just cause they took on flesh and chose your world back in the day doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re not still cousins.¡±


    Ling Qi considered that response, thinking of Su Ling.


    ¡°Yeah, I wasn¡¯t just trying to make her mad. Even if she is absolutely delicious.¡± Kongyou giggled. ¡°That¡¯s a girl that¡¯s gonna march off and die alone, her ideals drowned in blood.¡±


    ¡°Much can be accomplished, even in death,¡± Xuan Shi rumbled. ¡°Take a step on the road of ideals, and if another steps past thy grave, there is still success.¡±


    ¡°Given the way you keep tryin¡¯ ta explain death to me, that seems like a lie,¡± Kongyou said dubiously.


    ¡°There are lies that need to be believed in,¡± Ling Qi supported.


    Xuan Shi observed, ¡°Not a sentiment one thinks to hear from your lips.¡±


    Ahead, the golden sky twisted and roiled, storm clouds of crimson and black in the sky as the infinitely high trees fell away, replaced with vast mountains of rock that drifted serenely even as ash and fire consumed their slopes.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been forced to acknowledge the incompleteness of my understanding of art,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°If nothing else, I would like you to accept my apology for dismissing the power of stories before.¡±


    Xuan Shi made a considering noise as thunder cracked overhead, and the rain began to fall, hot and black, full of ashes.


    Kongyou sighed dreamily. ¡°Can you hear them sing?¡±


    ¡°I can hear them cry,¡± Sixiang corrected quietly.


    ¡°Gui thinks we should move quickly to where it is cold. There aren¡¯t any good things here.¡±


    ¡°There are not, but this one wonders if one can face the world without seeing its nightmares.¡±


    ¡°Maybe not,¡± Ling Qi said, ¡°but it does no good to drown in them either. I don¡¯t think it would be good to tarry in this storm. I think I can take us through the storm or maybe under it, but we can¡¯t linger long here.¡±


    ¡°This crewman defers to the captain on matters of navigation,¡± Xuan Shi said humorlessly.


    Ling Qi considered the paths ahead of them. They could go high where mountain stone turned white with snow and great whirling winds cast everything in clear white, blotting out the rising ash and terrible sounds which drifted up on the smoke, but they could also attempt the yawning mineshaft in the mountain¡¯s flank, its supports carved of yellowed bone and its darkness so inky that even her eyes could not penetrate it.


    Instinctively, she could feel that the way south was barred. This nightmare was both the gate and key to the lands of ice, and to arrive at their destination, they had to brave either the nightmare of war unending above or the nightmare of final conquest below.

 Threads 278-Sea of Dreams 2

    Threads 278-Sea of Dreams 2


    ¡°I think going downward through the tunnel will be the safer trip.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call any of this safe,¡± Sixiang said dubiously.


    ¡°I said ¡®safer,¡¯ not safe. The storm above is wilder. I worry that we might get lost in it.¡±


    ¡°We party hard,¡± Kongyou quipped. ¡°Think you¡¯re a match for the shadows, but not the sky?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m confident I can keep my head around the kind of pain I see below,¡± Ling Qi shot back. Cold and desolate, the tunnel below oozed a crushing melancholy. It was dark and final, not the burning madness she felt from the other side of the mountain peak.


    ¡°The harsh storm and the windless calm both have their dangers.¡± Xuan Shi gave a slow shrug as he peered into the dark mouth of the tunnel. ¡°This one does not much like the flame.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re decided then. Unless you have something to say, Zhengui?¡±


    Her little brother peered past her, looking distrustfully at the vista ahead.


    ¡°I, Zhen, do not like any of this, but I will protect Big Sister no matter what in the dark or in the sky.¡±


    She acknowledged him by lowering her head. She really did worry the ones closest to her, didn¡¯t she? There were some parts of her character that she could not and would not change though. The open, endless blue sky was not her home¡ªshe loved the nest too much¡ªbut she would never stop flying.


    There were no more words to be said. They advanced.


    The bridge of ice she sang into existence arced downward, descending past the ash-choked mountain peak onto the winding switchback road of baked brick and stone which led into the yawning maw of the mine.


    And it was a mine.


    Abandoned tools lay strewn about in the dusty soil marked with blood. The pale supports of the mineshaft were no wood either, lacking any grain, but fused masses of human bones. The air ached of sorrow and endings and lives spent under uncaring eyes.


    ¡°Conquest,¡± Xuan Shi identified as they entered the darkness. Zhengui was the last one swallowed up by it, his eyes and the smoldering heat between his serpent scales casting the only light within. ¡°A great and terrible spirit¡¯s realm to tread upon the edges of.¡±


    Kongyou sighed happily. ¡°Foundational. One of the first. The great tragedy repeated forever and ever without end. Do you understand what you want to do, Shi? How¡­ futile it is.¡±


    Ling Qi remained silent as they walked, her effort focused on maintaining herself and the cold distance which kept these hungry walls from closing in. She diligently ignored the numberless whispers of misery that clawed at the edges of her mind.


    ¡°Oh, come off it,¡± Sixiang retorted. ¡°This stuff is old, and yeah, we¡¯re half made from it, but it''s not all there is. This isn¡¯t inevitable.¡±


    Garbled images bloomed in Ling Qi¡¯s mind. Burning homes from shacks and yurts to great manors and grand traveling pavilions. Death raining from the sky, and death marching on the earth.


    ¡°No, you come off it,¡± Kongyou shot back. ¡°We¡¯re the beginning and the end. We always have been. When two people meet, one subjugates the other until only one dream is left. That¡¯s us. Humanity¡¯s dream.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be that way,¡± she found herself speaking in sync with Sixiang.


    ¡°Tch, you think you¡¯re the first person who has thought of talking?¡± Kongyou hissed, contempt dripping off their words. ¡°It doesn¡¯t change the ending. People die. Maybe you remember them a little, living on in a food dish or a funny hat. They¡¯re dead just the same.¡±


    They walked. In the dark, men and women bearing hill tribe tattoos toiled in silence, their hands raw, their backs bent. Down in the dark, song and art and language died.


    The Elder Huisheng had said that a cultivator could not kill an idea with a blade. Much crueler weapons were needed than that. Maybe there had been some virtue remaining to the old Weilu, that they had not been able to deploy such weapons.


    ¡°Hah! You¡¯ve even got friends, don¡¯tcha, who know better. That chick in the wolfskin robe, Alingge, and the good little soldier, Xia Lin, their cultures are shrinking, withering, and dying just the same. It¡¯s taking longer, sure, but boy, did that metal lady speed up the process!¡±


    Tribes died. Towns died. People died under arrows or blades, under lashes and chains, or under laws and boots. It was so very hard to keep it all out as she grimly kept the mine shaft they traveled down only that. Faces appeared and were pushed back into the walls, and desperate hands scraped at their ankles before the force of her will forced them back into the floor.wanting to live and breathe and be free. She struggled to stop the despairing earth from closing in, crushing them all in darkness.


    But she would not give up herself or any of her companions to this nightmare.


    ¡°Kongyou,¡± Xuan Shi interrupted harshly. ¡°There were five shoals once.¡±


    ¡°Aw, c¡¯mon, Shi,¡± Kongyou whined. ¡°You know that doesn¡¯t change my point. Sure, sure, five peoples united, yadda yadda, but now, there¡¯s one. One lived, and four died and gave the one some pretty bits to decorate themselves with, and that makes you. Well, most of ya anyway. And that¡¯s not even getting into the two who didn¡¯t join the singalong.¡±


    ¡°When many come together, it is not death.The heretic shoals were ended, and the five live, even as we grow beyond.¡±


    ¡°The end comes when you stop growing, Gui thinks. That is this, this breaking and burning until not even the seeds are left. Saying this is the same as something growing until it doesn¡¯t look like the thing it started as is dumb.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced back, surprised to hear Zhengui speak. She thought he was on to the right idea though. When a group focused all their efforts toward preservation, for whatever reasons, good or bad, it was all but an admission that they were dying already.


    Endings were constant but not absolute. Change and creation necessitated Ending.


    ¡°You¡¯re right that the cycle of conquest keeps repeating,¡± Ling Qi began. She fixed her eyes on the far distant dot of light that was the exit of the tunnel. Perceived distance meant nothing. Only by fixing the goal in her mind could she keep it true.


    The faces of the ones in chains being broken changed with every step. Sometimes, they wore hill tribe tattoos. Sometimes, they wore cloud tribe garb. And sometimes, they wore ragged imperial and Weilu dress.


    The hill tribes had been conquered. And when the cloud tribes burnt and raided and enslaved, the Empire had exterminated whole tribes in retaliation. A dozen endings for a dozen tribes, and far more to come.¡°But it isn¡¯t inevitable,¡± she concluded. ¡°It¡¯s just people doing as they want, not some Great Law.¡±


    ¡°Not sure what you think the difference is,¡± Kongyou said, amused.


    There were very few Laws that were not made by men that could not be changed. Whatever else she thought of Cai Shenhua, her being was proof of that.


    ¡°That¡¯s the trouble with you nightmares,¡± Sixiang drawled. ¡°You don¡¯t have any imagination. You¡¯re always the same junk on repeat forever.¡±


    ¡°It is natural that fear should stand hand in hand with stagnation,¡± Xuan Shi mused. ¡°Those who insist that there cannot be change are those who live the most well from the state of affairs. But you do not live well, companion.¡±


    ¡°Ick, you sappy boy,¡± Kongyou complained. ¡°I¡¯m not gonna be saved by you. ¡®Cause there¡¯s nothing wrong with me in the first place!¡±


    Xuan Shi nodded agreeably.


    ¡°You still won¡¯t acknowledge it, huh? That this partnership of ours is win-win for me. Either you ruin yourself trying or you give up, and either way, you break yourself. I get my feed either way.¡±


    ¡°As you like,¡± Xuan Shi said placidly.


    Ling Qi furrowed her brow. ¡°Why is this attempt to change Kongyou so important to you?¡±


    ¡°This one must see if words are only words or if the nature of a thing may truly change.¡± Xuan Shi panned his eyes around them, looking into the nightmarish scenes she was holding back. ¡°This one must know if mine words earlier are but wind. Is this truth? Is this the only outcome which may come from contact between the tribes of men?¡±


    Kongyou chuckled. ¡°And you love me as a confidant and friend for being there at your lowest.¡±


    ¡°Though it was partially a deception, there is value in how our partnership began.¡±


    ¡°It was all deception, you sad man,¡± Kongyou said fondly.


    Irritated at the nightmare spirit putting Xuan Shi down, Ling Qi accused, ¡°Why do you speak like this is your origin? You want tragedy, but that takes more forms than this.¡±


    ¡°It sure does, but why do you think I was born where I was?¡± Kongyou asked impishly. ¡°I and a million, million of my siblings began to be born the moment you delved deep. Don¡¯t you remember? I got my first feeding that day.¡±


    The jumble of memories from her first uncontrolled visit to dream were fuzzy.


    ¡°That ith-ia died in misery and failure, lost in an alien nightmare, knowing that you would carry forth their secrets and bring death to his kin.¡± Kongyou tittered. ¡°And you did! You have! You will!¡±


    But Ling Qi did remember that the nightmare had said they found just as much sustenance in their enemy¡¯s failure as theirs.


    ¡°There¡¯ve been too many attacks. We can¡¯t just let this conflict go at this point. And they wouldn¡¯t let us, by every indication,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°Oh, I know. It¡¯s far too late for anyone to stop this war.¡± Kongyou laughed. ¡°That¡¯s what makes the inevitable result so¡­ tragic.¡±


    Ling Qi really did not like the nightmare.


    ¡°Ling Qi,¡± Sixiang hissed. ¡°Quit arguing with the jerk! You¡¯re getting distracted. There¡¯s¡ª¡±


    Ling Qi snapped to attention and immediately felt the subtle reverberation in the dream. It was a moment of peace, the endless whispers of despair fading away. It was the waves pulling back from the shore, the calm before the storm. An omen of ruin.


    ¡°¡ªsomething big coming,¡± Sixiang finished in time with her thoughts.


    Ling Qi sucked in a breath, flickering closer to the middle of the group. ¡°Sorry,¡± she said shortly. ¡°This is about to become uncomfortable.¡±


    Ling Qi took hold of her qi, spinning wind and dream and ice altogether.


    They stood in a closing vault, and she would not miss escaping the shutting of the doors because no one could catch her if she tried.

 Threads 279-Sea of Dreams 3

    Threads 279-Sea of Dreams 3


    She wasn¡¯t going to be caught again. Not like she had been with the fox.


    ¡°Xuan Shi, we¡¯re going to move much faster now,¡± she warned. The pressure of the voices scratching at her thoughts was growing now, and the mineshaft rumbled and contorted, bending all around them. Ling Qi flickered, appearing on top of Zhengui¡¯s shell, and offered a hand down. ¡°Hop on.¡±


    He looked at her for a moment and then clasped her forearm. His bulky ceramic gauntlets were cold from the chill of her presence. She hauled him up with her.


    ¡°Aw, c¡¯mon, chickening out already?¡± Kongyou taunted. ¡°But my cousins want to play!¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t your cousins I¡¯m worried about!¡± Sixiang shouted back over the noise in the tunnel. It sounded like a wailing wind, but it was so much heavier than that.


    Ling Qi let the bickering wash over her without comment as Zhengui began to amble forward. A cold and sparkling mist flowed from her sleeves and the hem of her gown.


    It was one of the earliest promises she made in her cultivation, back before she had ever even heard of domains or names or laws. In her breakthrough to the second realm, she had abandoned the dream of the infinite blue sky, unmoored wholly from the base earth. Sometimes she forgot. Sometimes, it troubled her. And sometimes, she failed.


    She wasn¡¯t going to today. Her wings were strong. She would carry as many as she wanted to.


    Motion, she realized, was life and joy unobstructed by the chains of destiny. Wings beating in tandem could soar through even the most terrible storm.


    Wind erupted as the thought crossed her mind, and they shot down the tunnel past shapes and images of suffering in the dark, the death of peoples and the cruelty of tribes and kingdoms and empires. Inevitability crushed down upon them like the pressure of the ocean. This inescapable fate was one that humans built for themselves.


    Beside her, Xuan Shi hunkered down, one hand on his hat, but under the wide brim of his hat, she caught a glimpse of his dark, inhuman eyes. There was a resolve there to match her own.


    The rings on his staff chimed over the wind, and the slots on his gauntlets glowed with heat and power as ceramic plates began to fly out, two, then four, quickly passing beyond counting. The plates assembled, mathematically perfect edges meeting in a sharp prow that parted the air before them and a hull to protect them from lashing wind and the grasping claws of inchoate nightmares.


    Beneath them, Zhengui¡¯s shell vibrated as her little brother ceased flailing in the wind. There, too, was determination: to protect, to never fall behind, and to never be a burden. Trunklike legs and blunt head withdrew into a stony shell, and even the body of the serpent pulled in, retracting until there was only a dull volcanic glow. And then came heat, a blazing heat that turned crystalizing mist into a churning vortex of wind as flames erupted behind them, fiery orange and verdant green.


    Ling Qi steered their vessel through the vortex. The ceramic ship that encased them crackled as dark spirits burned away on contact, leaving only three hexagonal holes from which the cones of life-flame could erupt.


    In the howling darkness, Ling Qi came to know the true name of the Nightmare on whom they tread for every cry and broken spirit bore its brand. The name of the Nightmare was the Forever King who whispered sweet despair and acceptance into the ears of the weak and mighty alike. It was the brother of the beast called Other, who bound and blinded men with self-forged chains. The past demanded repetition. It required them to walk ever in the grooves carved by feet that were long since dust.


    But the vice of such a beast was always sloth. Its grasp relied upon acceptance and isolation. And freedom grew only when shared because one alone is only ever as free as the strength in their arm allowed.


    They erupted from the side of the mountain in a plume of dust and mist and fire, the mountain quaking behind them. It rumbled, it shook, and it cried, a million voices and more rising in accusation that in defiance, they only gave it strength, and that in seeking change, they could only worsen suffering. To deny the inevitability of conquest was only an act of extending its reach.


    ¡°And yet, there is no path which does not lie in defiance.¡±


    She glanced at Xuan Shi, who now floated beside her, carried up on the soaring wind that came from the tug of earth¡¯s law. Their ship came apart, a scattering cloud of whirling plates, and all of them were momentarily suspended in the crisp, cold air.


    All the world stretched out around them, a cloud-filled sky and mountains without end, stretching like a rumpled blanket of ice and dirt and stone a thousand kilometers below. There, on the far horizon, lay the sun and the rays of the dawn.


    ¡°The only thing worse than trying is acceptance,¡± she agreed, fixing Kongyou with a glare.


    The nightmare spirit, tumbling and currently upside down in midair, merely sniffed. ¡°If it were that easy, I wouldn¡¯t exist.¡±


    ¡°If it were impossible, I wouldn¡¯t exist,¡± Sixiang shot back, clinging to Ling Qi¡¯s back like a cloak.


    Behind them and far below, the mountain and the mineshaft shook violently, swelled, and burst apart. A cloud of numberless glittering wings took flight in every direction, and a massive hole, bearing a terrible resemblance to a great mouth, snapped shut and vanished into a rising cloud of dust that quickly concealed the earth behind.


    ¡°The horizon is beyond this one''s poor words,¡± Xuan Shi said. He, alone out of all of them, had righted himself, standing upon an assembled platform of plates, his boots locked to the ceramic surface by crackling qi.


    Ling Qi considered the view herself, the great rolling line where mountains touched the great blue sky, forming the line between heaven and earth. The infinite, painted colors of dawn washed over the stone. There was a crisp chill in the air, and the wind that blew past her falling frame. She reached out and brushed her hand against Zhengui, and the world twisted, their frames fading into shadow and dissolving until she stood atop his back, her little brother now falling belly down, his heads just poking out of his shell.


    ¡°It¡¯s a sight worth a song,¡± Ling Qi said, her voice easily penetrating the roaring wind. Her eyes picked out shapes in the distance, distinct from the fabric of the mountain. There were towers of iron, towers of ice, and great bonfires, shards of sunlight embedded in the ice and stone. She pointed toward a tiny, distant silhouette. ¡°This way!¡±


    Xuan Shi nodded, squinting into the distance to follow her point. He extended his arm, and the tumbling Kongyou landed on his arm like a hawk.


    And they fell and fell, guided onward by the wind.


    ***


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t just a nightmare of the past, was it?¡± Ling Qi asked as she stepped down from Zhengui¡¯s shell, her feet lightly brushing the snow on the mountaintop without making any impression.


    ¡°Of course it wasn¡¯t,¡± Kongyou replied. ¡°You don¡¯t seriously think your buddies, those Wang guys and your Sect, are nice to the ones they conquer, do you?¡±


    The trip down had been peaceful and beautiful, but it was impossible to truly put the nightmare of Conquest from her mind. A large part of her wanted to refute Kongyou¡¯s words and argue that the cloud tribes had always, always inflicted horrors on the people of the Emerald Seas. It was even true.


    She just wasn¡¯t sure how much that truth weighed.


    ¡°Conflict and conquest are horrors to those who lose. That is why one resolves to see other resolutions. This one thinks that can must come before should,¡± Xuan Shi said. ¡°The road of peace is long.¡±


    The difference between can¡¯t and won¡¯t was a dangerous line to tread, a tightrope above the jaws of a monster. She did not yet have enough hands.


    Kongyou gave a throaty, satisfied chuckle. ¡°It doesn¡¯t take long to come back down, eh?¡±


    ¡°It is fine to keep one¡¯s eyes on the road, so long as the horizon remains in the mind,¡± Xuan Shi said thoughtfully. ¡°Whence do we go now, Lady Ling?¡±


    ¡°Ling Qi,¡± she corrected, peering down the mountain slope. A number of structures were visible, cradled in the valley between the mountains. A narrow and spindly tower of gray iron leaned precariously over the edge of a crumbling cliff. Crows gathered on its balconies and ledges and circled above, uncaring for the cold. Their croaking voices made for a distant background.


    Beyond the crooked tower which stood at the entrance of the valley, the sky was filled with rumbling clouds, bloated and heavy with thunder, from which freezing rain poured. The little river that flowed through the far distant bottom of the valley was already swelling and overflowing its banks, but the storm was not uncontested. Blizzard winds blew, cutting scything paths through storm-blackened clouds, and the unnatural mixing of the weather birthed whirling columns of air that tore and shredded away great chunks of stone and vegetation.


    Before the valley, beside the swelling waters, and sitting beneath the crooked tower was a humble little hut with walls of piled stone and a rounded straw roof. A flimsy aging fence lay across the mouth of the valley, and no wind or hurled stone passed its perimeter.


    Ling Qi squinted, eyeing the crows. The crows did not pass the line of the fence either. Indeed, their flocking seemed to make a barrier of its own.


    Ling Qi¡¯s mind could not help but go to the gods of the southern lands.


    ¡°I think we should be cautious and not go beyond the fence,¡± Ling Qi said slowly. ¡°We haven¡¯t made peace yet after all. Let¡¯s introduce ourselves as good guests should. Seeking hospitality is better than wandering freely here.¡±


    ¡°There are discoveries to be made in both the wilderness and hearth,¡± Xuan Shi acknowledged.


    ¡°Just gonna stick your head in the tiger¡¯s mouth again?¡± Kongyou asked.


    ¡°Hey, if it keeps working, why not?¡± Sixiang responded flippantly.


    ¡°There are paper tigers and actual tigers,¡± Ling Qi said. She glanced back at Zhengui. ¡°Are you alright, little brother?¡±


    Zhen flicked his tongue, the volcanic heat making the cold air shimmer. ¡°I, Zhen, have no idea how we did that.¡±


    Gui looked disgruntled. ¡°Gui did not think he could make fire like that.¡±


    ¡°I, Zhen, do not think slow Gui can,¡± his other half said dubiously.


    Ling Qi pondered that. ¡°It¡¯s easier to experiment here,¡± Ling Qi explained. ¡°But if you can do it here, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s out of reach in the waking world.¡±


    ¡°This one might offer some small insights?¡± Xuan Shi offered.


    Zhen looked dubious, but Gui snapped his jaws once. ¡°Gui does not think he could have shaped the flames right without the Carver making his ship. If he wants to talk, Gui will listen.¡±


    Xuan Shi nodded, looking unaffected, but Kongyou sighed in disgust. "When we return then." .


    That was the benefit of the liminal. For all its dangers, it was unmatched in allowing one to push their limits. Ling Qi idly took hold of the wind, and it was so easy now to call up the mantle of the wind thief, to speed along on the currents, and to dissolve and become them. At her mastery of breezes and squalls, of shadow and night, few could tell where the wind ended and where she began, and even fewer beneath the wielders of Law could contest her.


    They stepped down from the peak onto a fractal platform of ice like a snowflake writ large that bloomed under their feet. They began to descend like that, drifting loosely on the wind. The bottom of the valley was very barren, the rocky soil growing only small tufts of scrub grass and very scraggly trees.


    As they floated to the earth, the hut came into greater focus. It was a tiny little thing, only big enough for one or two people. It was made of smoothed stones fitted together without mortar, and it was roofed with a shallow cone of straw, a small hole at the top letting off little wisps of wood smoke. The worn old fence behind it extended out across the entrance to the greater valley and curved forward, surrounding a cluttered yard. There was a little patch of garden growing some strange root plant Ling Qi didn¡¯t recognize and a washing line, over which hung a much patched and nubby blanket. An empty bucket with ice crystals lining its interior lay by the door, and a rusty old ax was buried in a gnarled stump that sat beside the wood pile. A single, highly scrawny chicken with ancient graying feathers pecked and clawed at the ground, clucking aimlessly.


    It was, by all appearances, a very humble hovel.


    ¡°But we all know what appearances are worth, eh?¡± Sixiang quipped.


    ¡°They hold some value, informing that which one desires others to see,¡± Xuan Shi noted.


    There is that,¡± Ling Qi agreed.


    What was it then that the master of this place wished them to see?


    Harmlessness. Almost comical harmlessness. Or perhaps¡­ mundanity.


    Ling Qi stepped up to the fencepost which marked the beginning of the property. She recalled some bits of etiquette she had picked up in idle conversation with the foreigners of the southern lands and what she had learned of their tongue.


    ¡°We tired travelers have come from far lands through cold and danger. May we rest ourselves beside your fire and partake of your bread?¡± she asked, stumbling over some of the harsher sounds in the foreign tongue


    She asked for common guest right with no aspersions of power or nobility. If this spirit or god wished to play this role, she¡¯d not try to peer behind the stage.


    Silence answered her Even the chicken stopped its clucking, looking at them with vacant eyes. Ling Qi kept a wary eye on the little beast.


    The silence went on and on until finally, Ling Qi sighed and turned away. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Xuan Shi. I¡¯ll have to find another place to show you something of the White Sky from.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Xuan Shi tilted his head.


    Kongyou criticized, ¡°You give up so easily.¡±


    ¡°Guests shouldn¡¯t be too pushy,¡± Ling Qi said simply.


    But she caught the faint creak of unoiled hinges and the scrape of wood on stone. Perhaps it had been a test. Perhaps the spirit was simply slow to rouse. Ling Qi wouldn¡¯t question it.


    She did, however, pause when she saw Xuan Shi¡¯s wide eyes, looking over her shoulder. It struck her qi senses first. It was a cold stillness, absolute and total, like the deepest darkness within her master Zeqing¡¯s old manor. It was like her call of ending, but it was simply there, looming and present rather than a swiftly passing shadow.


    She turned and saw a hand large enough to grasp her full around the waist on the doorframe. Iron nails clacked on the wood. The skin she could see was a black and deep ugly purple, the color of bruises and frostbite, wrinkled and cracked so deeply that she could see flexing muscle and iron bone peeking through. The hand connected to a thick arm wrapped in roughspun linen that reached back into the darkness of the interior.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind my deafness, children.¡± The voice was a rasping crackle like fast forming frost and the squeal of deforming metal. ¡°If you would like fire, you¡¯ll have to bring in the wood.¡±

 Threads 280-Sea of Dreams 4

    Threads 280-Sea of Dreams 4


    Ling Qi swallowed once. Even she knew there were many ways this story could go from a hundred hundred scraps of folktale and spirit knowledge.


    ¡°We would be happy to bring you your firewood, grandmother,¡± she called back, ¡°if you offer the guarantee of your hospitality.¡±


    Her response was a creaking laugh like wood splintering in extreme cold and the faint jingle of the bracelet wrapped around the wrist of the spirit¡¯s arm as it withdrew. The dangling bangle was made of bones, little skulls and carved ribs.


    ¡°How forgetful I am. No harm shall be brought to you or your man, the dream scraps, or even that morsel of a tortoise, so long as you make no violation of guest right. Now, come along. I want to hear what such brave children are doing here.¡±


    Zhengui, both of his heads, looked at her with some alarm, and she patted Gui¡¯s head. The spirit had given her word. She was already more reasonable, if far more terrifying, than Bleak Skies Yearning.


    Ling Qi held up an arm then stopping anyone from stepping forward. ¡°This one apologies for the delay honored grandmother, but I am from a far away land. May I ask what things might violate guest right by your understanding?¡±


    There was a sound of scraping wood, and in the darkness, Ling Qi briefly spotted the flash of a large, milky eye, squinting out. ¡°A careful little poppet, aren¡¯t you.¡±


    ¡°You would be the first to say so, Honored Grandmother,¡± Ling Qi said.


    A creaky, rasping laugh, and the clack of metal teeth. ¡°Harming your host. Damaging their property. Refusal to pay the favor owed for hospitality..¡±


    There was the catch.


    ¡°What manner be such a favor?¡± Xuan Shi asked.


    ¡°Small things. Small favors. A gift. A service. A quest, perhaps, for young heroes, yes,¡± cackled the spirit, ¡°but we can discuss things over the fire, can we not? Oh, yes.¡±


    Ling Qi shared a look with Xuan Shi, who very slowly shook his head. She had to agree.


    Kongyou harrumphed, alighting fairylike upon Xuan Shi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t even be a tragedy, walking into that.¡±


    ¡°Grandmother, in this one¡¯s land, it is polite to seal all contracts clear and true. For the warmth of thy hearth, perhaps this one can offer a gift. Mayhaps an art or a curio that might catch Grandmother¡¯s eye?¡± Xuan Shi proposed.


    ¡°Polite lad, so polite, but such stiff youngsters. So stiff,¡± the giant thing in the hut mused.


    Ling Qi stared into the void of ending which resided in that hut. A devouring cold that would snuff life, it was powerful, but there was too much humanity stretched like a skin over the absolute ice. It was a different sort of humanity than her master, but a humanity all the same, something like Xin, rather than the Hidden Moon.


    ¡°We only wish to be sure not to give offense,¡± Ling Qi countered calmly. ¡°We are visitors. We will be speaking much with your people, Honored Grandmother. It is only wise that we learn to speak well.¡±


    There was a deep inhalation of air, pulling at Ling Qi¡¯s hair and dress. ¡°Ah, Children of Jade, Dragonkin, that is what old Grydja smells.¡±


    ¡°You are not the Crone then,¡± Ling Qi concluded.


    Hacking laughter. ¡°Nay, nay, just a shard, a nail, a flake. Poppet, you should know the true End is not so chatty, aye?¡±


    Xuan Shi glanced at her. Ling Qi didn¡¯t quite catch his eye.


    Once, while cultivating the Frozen Soul Serenade, she had asked her master about the deeper concept embedded in the art. Ending, the dissolution of all things, was the night which awaited when the sun and moon died and all things faded to dust. It was not a concept she dwelled upon. It was almost meaningless to a human like her, a distraction from the smaller but far more relevant endings which made up life.


    ¡°If that is what she is, I suppose not. But, Grandmother, my friend asked if you would accept a gift.¡±


    ¡°I suppose so. I suppose so,¡± whispered the hag. The milky eye peering through the doorway twitched to Xuan Shi, who grimaced at the pressure and the cold that formed ice on his robes and turned his breath to steam. ¡°What can you offer, little carver? What pretty things can you offer an old woman?¡±


    Xuan Shi considered for a time. Kongyou scratched the side of their nose disinterestedly, but Ling Qi saw that their attention never wandered from Xuan Shi¡¯s face. Eventually, he turned over his hand, and there was a faint pop as something materialized in his palm, displacing air. ¡°This one offers a fine little trinket, a work of the heart. This should satisfy more than any armament or finery. Such is the way of this tale, no?¡±


    It was a jade figurine cut from a block of dark green that was nearly black. It depicted a stone jutting from the carved surf with three figures sitting on the rocks, a man and child in Xuan garb and a third incomplete figure, vaguely feminine with long wavy hair.


    ¡°DONE.¡±


    Ling Qi did not get to look any further as the frost bitten claw reached out of the door in an eyeblink, snatching the relatively tiny carving from Xuan Shi¡¯s hand with uncanny dexterity. He staggered as it pulled away, his hand flying to his chest, and Ling Qi felt heat and qi ripped out of him as well.


    She caught his shoulder as he stumbled. ¡°Xuan Shi, what was¡ª?¡±


    ¡°My hearth is bought, little ones. On word and bond, you are safe and owe nothing. Now, come. Come and bring the firewood, dearies.¡±


    Ling Qi shot the open door a look. ¡°We should have negotiated more,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°There would be no gain without loss,¡± Xuan Shi contended. ¡°Ah, it was but an idle fancy, a moon-granted dream. There will be other divinations.¡±


    Kongyou stared at him and didn¡¯t say a word.


    ¡°Heh, not so nice from the other side, eh, Qi?¡± Sixiang bumped her with an elbow.


    ¡°If Mr. Carver wants to pay, we should go,¡± Gui said, crossing the threshold.


    Ling Qi took her hand off Xuan Shi¡¯s shoulder where she had caught him. ¡°Alright. It was your choice,¡± she acknowledged. ¡°Let¡¯s go see what we can learn.¡±


    ***


    There was power in the words of spirits, power that she herself could emulate just a little. Power that made words mean what they said. She would call it Sincerity. Or perhaps Truth.


    If it could be faked, she had never experienced it. That was the only reason she could bring herself to cross the grubby little yard even now because the yawning void of the doorway made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.


    She stood to the side, matching gazes with the beady chicken still pawing at the yard. The bird¡¯s head bobbed as it scratched at the dirt then rose, twitching round to look at her. Xuan Shi crouched by the woodpile, gathering the promised firewood.


    ¡°Heavy,¡± he grunted, weighing the third stick of wood in his hand, which trembled with the weight. Given that he was a cultivator in the same realm and stage as she, it certainly said something of the wood¡¯s strange properties.


    ¡°Petrified,¡± she corrected, looking at the grayed grain.


    ¡°Qi-dense, as deathly the fathomless depths.¡±


    ¡°Not wood at all, but you both know that.¡± Sixiang glanced nervously at the door.


    As Xuan Shi finished gathering the firewood, she kept her qi tightly contained about herself, a mantle of cold wind and pooling shadow. He rose, and she accompanied him inside. Her step, normally silent, made the old, wood paneled floor creak. She didn¡¯t let it bring herself short.


    The hut was larger inside and very dark. Shadows pooled like puddles of tar beneath the rough furnishings, tables, a creaking chair, and a rug of some beast¡¯s dirty brown hide. Strings of drying herbs hung from the ceiling, swaying as she brushed past them. And shelves, shelves all around the walls, were filled with carvings of bone and ice and what was perhaps dark stone.


    Ling Qi found her eyes skittering off of the carvings, unable to focus on them.


    And there, bent over the cold hearth, was an enormous old woman, immense, built like an ancient bear, and wide shoulders and a hunched back. Even bent half over, she was taller than Ling Qi. Her shapeless dress was brown and gray, its dragging hem filthy with dirt. The only differentiating color was the shimmering black shawl worn over the old spirit¡¯s broad shoulders, and sharp little bones dangled all along its edge. At her throat, where it was clasped, there was a milky white gem the size of a child¡¯s fist.


    The crone winter, this Grydja, had a face like the side of a broken cliff, craggy, wrinkled, and as broad as the rest of her body. Thin purple-blue lips and glinting milky eyes broke up the frostbitten face. Her loose stringy hair made a glassy tinkling sound as she turned her head, as if the blue white strands were made of ice. She leaned over a cauldron carved from black ice, suspended over a cold and unlit fire pit.


    ¡°Dawdling children,¡± the crone said, sharp-edged iron teeth flashing. ¡°The young are all such dawdlers now. Or perhaps just scared, oh, yes. Old Gryja knows her face is fearsome indeed.¡± She rose, towering in this hut that was both too small and just right for the giant that lived in it.


    ¡°We both know it is not a matter of faces, Honored Grandmother,¡± Ling Qi said.


    The giant let out a creaky laugh, cracked lips stretched in a leering smile. ¡°Isn¡¯t it now? Is the face all that you can see, child? Your eyes are just wide enough to see a bit more, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    She hunched her shoulders, her cloak and scarf thickening from linen to black fur as the chill crept in, numbing her fingers and leaving them tingling. Beside her, Zhengui¡¯s shell flared with heat, a volcanic glow shining from his shell and between his scales, arresting the frost that was spreading there.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have the firewood now, children, before you catch your death.¡± The crone extended a massive cracked hand, palm up and waiting. ¡°And introduce yourselves!¡±


    Beside her, Xuan Shi was quick to move, letting out a grunt of effort as he hauled the small pile of split logs he held in an underarm grip into Grydja¡¯s hands. The old spirit took them without trouble, shuffling over to stack them in the fire pit beneath the cauldron.


    ¡°This one is Ling Qi. With me are my companion Sixiang and my little brother Zhengui,¡± Ling Qi greeted, refusing to shiver despite the cold.


    Xuan Shi himself grimaced, crossing his arms and tucking his hands into his sleeves, but no more. ¡°And this one is Xuan Shi, and this is my companion, Kongyou.¡±


    The crone clicked her tongue. ¡°Interesting little wanderers, you are. A ramshackle band.¡±


    There was a spark and a shriek as two iron nails ground together. The light was blinding, and the heat felt like a fire searing the skin. The ancient, petrified wood began to burn, a merry crackle in the icy cold. To Ling Qi¡¯s surprise, it was actually warm, the searing heat passing like a phantom.


    ¡°If this one might ask, what is that wood truly?¡± Xuan Shi asked, looking into the flickering orange flames.


    The crone grinned widely, the shadows cast by the fire sending the deep creases in her face into sharp relief. ¡°It¡¯s firewood, of course. It is that which keeps the hearth burning and keeps back the night. Sacrifice, given of the body, keeps spirits lit and the world turning.¡±


    In the crackle of the fire, Ling Qi swore she heard war chants, screams, and whispered prayers, but only for a moment, and when she tried to listen more closely, it was gone.


    Kongyou seemed transfixed by the fire.


    ¡°Sacrifice, forever in repetition then,¡± Ling Qi said bitterly.


    ¡°Everything dies, poppet, though your truth isn¡¯t wrong. There¡¯s no need for children to worry about events their hundred times grandchildren will never live to see,¡± chided Grydja. ¡°I find that when you do get it in your heads to bother, it¡¯s just an excuse to sulk.¡±


    ¡°The world that exists is wide, far wider than we might see in one life. To seek even more is folly and a waste of what sits before you,¡± Xuan Shi said. ¡°But, Honored Grandmother, there is a difference in sacrifice given and sacrifice imposed.¡±


    ¡°Hoh, yes, those are different stories indeed, young man. Though not one any happier than the other in practice,¡± spoke the crone. She settled back into the rickety chair by the fire, wood groaning like the slow movement of glacier ice. She reached for an iron poker, prodding the fire as the cauldron above began to give off an icy steam. ¡°The world is strewn with the bones of those who walk your path.¡±


    ¡°The world is strewn with the bones of those who have walked every path,¡± Ling Qi stated.


    ¡°And that is fine. Bones are good. They feed what comes after,¡± Gui said, edging closer to the fire.


    ¡°Kah-ha-he!¡± The spirit laughed, shoulders shaking. It almost sounded like a hacking cough. ¡°Sharp-tongued little poppet. You¡¯re right, you''re right, they all die just the same. But that¡¯s not a story many want to hear, now is it?¡±


    ¡°It is a little flat,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°If I may make a request, will Honored Grandmother tell us the tale of the storm outside?¡±


    The clash of gods, of great spirits, could tell her much of the people who they ascended from. It was as the moon had hinted to her. All but the oldest spirits were shaped and made by humankind. She slided a glance toward Xuan Shi, who inclined his head. This was what he had paid for.


    ¡°That would be interesting to a visitor, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± The crone hummed, continuing to poke the fire as whatever lay within the cauldron began to bubble. Ling Qi was not quite brave enough to step up and look.


    Grydja looked out of her window where the storm howled beyond her fence. ¡°Wrath,¡± she said. ¡°They are both wrath and ambition. Nine times since the Gate was built have men sought to make themselves kings. Only three times have they succeeded. The last was far and long ago now, but the people remember it in their bones.¡± She grinned cruelly. ¡°And ambition never dies. Nor does it live alone in the hearts of men. Many claim to serve the Scepter or the Axemother but come by steps to live in the Trampler.¡±


    ¡°Is that why the sun man didn¡¯t want to talk about it?¡± Gui wondered.


    The crone squinted at him. ¡°Mayhap, mayhap. You¡¯ve visited before? Mine old eyes must be going.¡±


    ¡°We seek to avoid war with the people of Ice, or of the Gates, as you would say. That is why I wished to learn more,¡± Ling Qi cut in smoothly. ¡°That is why we walked so far in this realm.¡±


    Xuan Shi nodded. ¡°This matter is important, though it might seem small to grandmother. It is of import to those of us who must live in human lifetimes.¡±


    ¡°Such bright little eyes you have, wanderers, bound and tied to this realm by the company you keep.¡± The crone''s eyes wandered over Sixiang and Kongyou, who both cringed back. ¡°They struggle, even now. The Thunderer waxes, not in the little bands which rage naked in his name, but in the center. There are always those who dream of being kings, even if they¡¯d not name it that in their hearts. Little brats are making things hard on an old woman.¡±


    The crone smacked her lips, staring into the fire. ¡°Struggle, you will. what with the two of you playing around the edges of old and ponderous things. Things so big are ever hateful of change, of Thieves and Seekers and Changers. Beware the Trampler. Beware whatever guise they wear in the land of dragons. The story they wish to tell will crush your little castle of sand if given half a chance. It is not a tale that can live in peace.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s thoughts drifted to the summit and to all who would be there. It was too much to hope for that there would not be those who opposed any understanding with the opposite side.


    Xuan Shi surprised her by speaking up. ¡°This one would hope we might gain some understanding of those who might make the matter difficult. Grandmother has said that they trouble her.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a sweet little man?¡± the crone cooed. ¡°A dangerous morsel, I might keep you, but no, smart, smart little children.¡±


    ¡°We will not demand anything, of course,¡± Ling Qi said swiftly. ¡°The limits of hospitality are yours to decide.¡±


    ¡°Greedy,¡± Grydja complained. ¡°Your line runs true, whatever foolishness that stray snowflake got up to. You¡¯ve entertained this lonely old woman, so I suppose you can have a tale. But only one, greedy little poppet, else I shall seek a price.¡±


    ¡°You are more than generous.¡±


    The spirit cleared her throat, removing the now red hot poker from the fire. The metal twisted, becoming a long stirring spoon. There was a shrieking hiss all too much like a scream as it plunged into the contents of the cauldron.


    ¡°You wish to understand these children, child of winter. I¡¯ll give you the tale of the Gates and their building, the heart and foundation of the nation. Many ¡®why¡¯s¡¯ lie there. But,¡± the crone said slyly, ¡°there¡¯s another tale that might do you better in the now, and that tale is of the Iron King, the last one who was able to call himself Lord of All Winters in this land. Arrogant little popinjay he was, but his spirit burned many, that it did.¡±

 Threads 281-Sea of Dreams 5

    Threads 281-Sea of Dreams 5


    Ling Qi shared a long look with Xuan Shi.


    As much as a founding tale could be interesting, how much would it help? Flipping the situation around in her head, how much would the tale of the Empire¡¯s founding tell one about the Emerald Seas of today? In the end, this summit was still mostly a contact between border provinces.


    ¡°I think we¡¯ll take the tale of this Iron King guy,¡± Sixiang said.


    ¡°And you speak for the girl, echo?¡± asked the crone, peering out from under her heavy brow.


    ¡°They can,¡± Ling Qi said, ¡°Sixiang only spoke my thoughts before I could.¡±


    ¡°Interesting. Is it the same for you, boy?¡± Grydja asked, turning to Xuan Shi.


    He glanced up to where Kongyou was still perched on his shoulder. The nightmare looked back, insectile eyes glittering in the dark.


    ¡°Nah. Even this dumb guy¡¯s not so much of a fool.¡±


    ¡°It is so,¡± Xuan Shi said. ¡°This one would also like the King¡¯s Tale, grandmother.¡±


    ¡°Well enough then. Well enough,¡± the spirit said.


    She leaned over the steaming cauldron, her stirring spoon circling evenly. The aroma from the cauldron was that of a rich stew, and Ling Qi could hear the faint sloshing of water and the bump of solids against the inside of the cauldron.


    Gryja¡¯s crackling voice took on a sort of rhythmic cadence as she spoke, and the crone¡¯s milky eyes gazed into the steam without the glinting appetite and playful malice which had characterized her so far.


    ¡°It began on the day when the sun last turned black. When the terrible fear swept south with the fiery winds that scoured the eastern sky, crumbled mountains, and turned the eastern steppe into a field of sucking mud and the tundra to trackless marsh. When a daughter of the sun died and all the land cried out in torment from her death.¡±


    The Twilight King, Ling Qi thought. The demonic cultivator who had nearly destroyed the Empire in ages past and who had destroyed the Golden Fields province when the Purifying Sun, her friend Gu Xiulan¡¯s ancestral spirit, had destroyed herself to end him. It was hard to imagine, but she supposed even the mountains of the Wall had not been able to shield the southern lands from that ruin.


    ¡°This terrible omen put the people in disarray, the eastern clans and tribes most of all. The land was changed. But worst of all had been the sun¡¯s blackening. Though it lasted only a few bare hours, the Southern Gate shook and rumbled with the terrible force of the enemy in those moments of his distraction.¡±


    Grydja smacked her lips and muttered, ¡°Busy, awful days, oh yes. Old Grydja did not get to relax in those days, for there was so much to be done. Only twice before did the world shudder so, but we were fortunate. With this, that dead sun ensured it all remained in our hands, did not stir things better left asleep. But, but, you children are not here to listen to an old woman¡¯s complaints about work.¡±


    She continued, ¡°The Iron King rose in the Glittering City, the great fortress and gatehouse turned capital of the mortal children. With the beasts of the Outside pawing at the gates with their fragments and breath coming through and the world going mad, he rose and led.¡±


    Ling Qi heard the roar of voices, the awful sound of screaming demons, and the sounds of war, clanking metal and rending flesh, all in the hiss and bubbling of the cauldron.


    ¡°With so many of those who spoke with the Scepter¡¯s voice occupied with the land, he led. He bore no negotiation, no speech. His voice was his sword, and it spoke harsh things indeed. He demanded a steep tribute to arm himself and his men, and he crushed town and city and village which would not pay. All to fight the demons, he said, oh yes, all to fight the demons.¡±


    The crone chuckled.


    ¡°It was even true in its way. At the beginning.¡±


    ¡°But it didn¡¯t stay true,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°Smart poppet. Of course it didn¡¯t. The truth was only a convenience to begin with.¡±


    The crone laughed, raspy and cruel.


    ¡°With so many warriors, warriors of all stripes behind him and him wearing the title of hero as a crown, the people of the Glittering City were happy to see all the land turned to their defense. What cared they for the eastern tribes, driven to privation and collapse by the tithe as they struggled with their new land. What cared they for the frozen villages and towns in the north or to the flooding ports in the east. They were the stalwarts who stood astride the Gate and who defended all the world. They took only what they were owed.¡±


    Grydja¡¯s lips peeled apart in a sneer, iron fangs grinding, casting pale blue sparks into the hissing cauldron.


    ¡°No victory could be enough, even as the demons abated. More tithes. More fortifications. More warriors. Never mind that their blades turned on the people and the land. Even the Glittering City began to grow unsure, for the first duty of a king is to perpetuate himself. The might of the Iron King and his throne turned upon his people. He took and took, reducing the land ever more to waste, all to keep a tottering throne afloat. Hungry, hungry things are kings. They will eat themselves from the feet up, if given half a chance, and not notice until there¡¯s naught but snapping jaws and rolling eyes upon the throne.¡±


    Grydja pointed a bony finger at them.


    ¡°Learn this, if nothing else, children. The people of ice are wary of power, far more than you dragon spawn. You will find few friends with displays of might.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t face power without power of your own,¡± Ling Qi pointed out. ¡°It might be right to be wary, but you can¡¯t reject power outright. Without it, you can do nothing.¡±


    ¡°A man who only speaks may be mightier than an army, but this is only because his words and thoughts are weapons and armament,¡± Xuan Shi said slowly. ¡°It is not a matter of rejecting might in its wholeness, this one believes. Rather, Grandmother, what form of might is seen as the right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, aye, aye, children. You catch an old woman out in her story. It is the naked fist that is not respected. It is commands given without deliberation or consultation disregarded. It is the might of kings which will avail you not.¡±


    That made more sense, but Ling Qi was still bothered. ¡°Honored Grandmother, may I ask why you seem to hold such contempt for power? I can see your nature. You are hunger and cold and ending. You yourself are the night which ends all things without discrimination. Where does your malice come from?¡±


    Grydja regarded her over the boiling cauldron, and Ling Qi worried that she had overstepped. Something sparked, black and terrible, awfully deep in those milky eyes.


    ¡°The End needs no assistance.¡±


    The words were frigid beyond description. It cut through her clothes and her skin as if she were still a mortal shivering in the street. They lacked any of the crone¡¯s lackadaisical tone or personality. They were precise and flat and wholly without inflection.


    ¡°Bold child, happy child, don¡¯t poke so deep. Looking so deep like that, you¡¯ll miss the surface,¡± Grydja scolded, wagging a frostbitten finger at her. ¡°Your ending is a thing of men and beasts and cities and rivers and mountains, and so is this old woman¡¯s. Who would old Grydja be in dead and empty lands scoured by stars? Even a strict grandmother is fond of her get, oh, yes. Even if the cold always takes some.¡±


    ¡°My apologies, Grandmother,¡± Ling Qi said shakily.


    The spirit eyed her, the stirring of the stew slowing. ¡°You trouble yourself because you keep wishing to poke behind the curtain despite your master¡¯s warning. If you wish a tidbit of wisdom, poppet, it is this: Ending is not of the sun or the moon, the earth or the sky. We are born from¡­¡±


    ¡°Time,¡± Xuan Shi finished. ¡°Forward motion. Causality. Disparity. When the Nameless Father and Mother made beginnings, so, too, were endings born.¡±


    Ling Qi quietly warmed her hands over Zhengui¡¯s glowing shell. Her little brother had shuffled over, glaring defiantly at the greater spirit as he placed himself between them.


    ???????????????? ???????????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ???????????????????? ???????? ????????????????????-????????????.????????????


    ¡°That¡¯s the one. You call it Brother Time, but it bears no name you could withstand, little one.¡± The crone cackled. ¡°Ending as transition or as transgression if you¡¯d like to play with spice, you have this and should build upon it, if you want an old woman¡¯s opinion.¡±


    ¡°This one thanks the Honored Grandmother for her advice.¡±


    The crone hummed. ¡°But the story, the story. For all their destruction and consumption though, kings are hard things to topple, for men and women alike are sturdy creatures and will suffer much before their tears become wrath. As has been said though, kings are ever hungry, and the Iron King¡¯s appetite, most of all. Many old guardians, those who had become of the land, were slain and destroyed as his hunger began to awaken their instinct to defend, and in this, they mirrored the people.


    ¡°The Iron King took from the Gate its warriors and turned it upon the land. He slew the Rampart City and struck a mortal blow at the Five Rivers City, both children-disciples of She who became the Scepter. They were among the eldest of all cities, and this, at last, was too much.¡±


    The words ¡°too much¡± echoed and distorted as if called out by the shadows in the hut.


    The hag''s gimlet eyes glowed in the dark as the spoon plunged down like a knife into the cauldron. The spoon rose, bearing to the top of the waters something red and round. It was a skull, jaw open in a scream, muscle still clinging to bone. One wide eye rolled in its socket. Ling Qi got only a glimpse before it was plunged back into the water.


    Ling Qi swallowed hard, but it was Xuan Shi who spoke up first.


    ¡°Slew a city?¡± Xuan Shi asked, frowning. ¡°This does not strike as poetry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not. Take that as your lesson. Power, the power they respect, is that which holds up and binds together. Waystations, fortresses, centers of wisdom, cities, these are what those who cast aside human flesh aspire to,¡± said the crone. ¡°The Iron King didn¡¯t, although he would have made a mighty, if harsh, one. But he took and took alone, and built his body into a throne, and the Glittering City, she who was Sudica herself, gave her people the power to tear him down and hang his broken corpse from the Hierophant¡¯s branches in offering to the cold and the crows. Know that, when you go to speak, that this is the peak of the Way among the people of the ice.¡±


    To become a city, it was difficult to wrap her mind around. The final ascension beyond the realms of cultivation was to become a great spirit and to write one¡¯s Law into reality and forever change the world. To make oneself a part of the land was more like becoming a sublime ancestor.


    But she¡¯d already seen this type of cultivation, hadn¡¯t she? She¡¯d seen the iron mountain which was a man. Was that an infant city or merely a cultivator who could not reach quite so high?


    The crone let them contemplate her answer as she raised the iron spoon to her lips, sipping from the crimson broth.


    ¡°It is an admirable end. Among the cousins, it is well sought. To become an island and to host kin upon their backs, this is known and honored,¡± Xuan Shi mused. ¡°Grave and home alike, swimming forever as the Living Isle does.¡±


    ¡°It does sound nice,¡± Gui said. ¡°Oh, but with people on Gui¡¯s back, it would make it hard to burn.¡±


    ¡°Obviously, I, Zhen, would bless our people against our flames, so only enemies would burn,¡± Zhen hissed. ¡°This, any lord should do.¡±


    ¡°Not so easy. People are fragile,¡± Sixiang commented. ¡°What are you thinking, Qi?¡±


    ¡°I am thankful to the Honored Grandmother for this knowledge,¡± Ling Qi said, bowing. ¡°I had the pieces, but these words put the puzzle together. This is the highest aspiration?¡±


    ¡°It is, and its opposite is despised and spat on.¡±


    A culture which despised power gathered wholly to the self and Law wrought of aggrandizement. Dangerous. Many in the Empire had Ways which could be seen like that or were like that. Would the Duchess be viewed in a similar fashion?


    ¡°But you children have tired this old woman out, that you have. Be off with you then to the waking world. Best not to sleep too long, dearies,¡± said Grydja as the fire banked. ¡°And besides, my stew is done, and you¡¯d best not watch an old woman eat.¡±


    ¡°Then we will not disturb thy meal any further,¡± Xuan Shi said, bowing his head.


    ¡°Yes, we will respect your wishes,¡± Ling Qi followed, bowing as well.


    ¡°Heh, the details are different, but not so much. Thanks for the tale,¡± Kongyou said brightly.


    The crone gave the nightmare a look, and they scuttled behind Xuan Shi¡¯s head. ¡°Hmph, foolish morsel of a man, too clever a girl. Aye, hold up but a moment, old Grydja nearly forgot something.¡± The crone stood, looming over both them and the fire, fishing about in her apron. ¡°Here, boy.¡±


    Xuan Shi blinked in shock, holding out his gauntleted hand seemingly by instinct as the old spirit dropped something into his open palm. Small and white and oblong, it looked like¡­ a chicken egg?


    ¡°That mangy little beast outside still lays now and then, but I¡¯ve no taste for eggs anymore.¡±


    Xuan Shi looked down at the egg with curiosity. ¡°What manner of beast¡­?¡±


    ¡°A chicken, you daft boy,¡± Grydja interrupted brusquely. She sniffed, turning her milky-eyed gaze on Ling Qi. Her wrapped foot moved, kicking the dust about the hearth, sending up a spray of sparks. Ling Qi threw up a hand, but they guttered long before reaching her, leaving only an impact on her outstretched hand. She grasped it by instinct, and opening her eyes, she found herself looking at a scorched and withered shard of petrified black wood as long as her forearm. It weighed heavily in her hands.


    ¡°Think on sacrifice. Understand it well, and you¡¯ll find your End. Now, git.¡±


    The hag waved her hand, and there was a rush of wind and snow and shadow.


    Ling Qi gasped, almost stumbling as the world rushed through her. She opened her eyes to see the little ruined shrine. The sun was descending, painting the sky. They were back in the waking world.


    Xuan Shi stood beside her, leaning heavily against the broken shrine. She met his eyes.


    ¡°Lady Ling, this one would very much like to contribute to your work.¡±

 Threads 282-Winters End 1

    Threads 282-Winters End 1


    ¡°Big Sister! I bet you¡¯ve been in all sorts of trouble without me!¡± Hanyi yelled gleefully, all but jumping into her arms for a hug.


    ¡°Maybe a little. ¡°I¡¯d like to hear what you¡¯ve been up to though.¡± Ling Qi laughed, hugging her back. ¡°Ah, and what¡¯s this?¡±


    She pinched a few strands of Hanyi¡¯s hair between her fingers. On top of getting longer, the tips had darkened to a pale icy blue rather than white.


    ¡°It just started to change. I like it though!¡± Hanyi claimed, stepping back. She was still grinning.


    Ling Qi took a moment to look her over. Hanyi¡¯s features were getting sharper, a little more like her mother¡¯s, losing the last shreds of childish softness, and she was taller than Suyin or Meizhen was now.


    ¡°Oh! Check it out, big sis. I got a bunch of presents!¡±


    ¡°That she did,¡± Bao Qian huffed, finally stepping down from inside his wagon. The vehicle was parked here some distance from the Outer Sect town in the clearing he had rented from the Sect. It had been repainted in blues and whites and silvers. ¡°A most successful venture indeed.¡± He set the heavy trunk in his arms down on the ground with a thump.


    ¡°Thank you for taking care of my junior sister, Bao Qian,¡± Ling Qi said politely as her sister ran over.


    Crouching down before the trunk, Hanyi pulled an iron key from her pocket, unlocking and hauling it open.


    ¡°It was a bit of a trip,¡± he said. Lowering his voice, he added. ¡°She is precocious, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the word,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°Was there any real trouble?¡±


    ¡°Some ruffled feathers and offended priests. We weren¡¯t welcomed warmly everywhere, but the impression was better than not. I have some correspondence from Viscount Tian, who mentioned Meng Diu¡¯s name. Come next winter, he may wish to schedule a proper festival,¡± Bao Qian replied.


    Ling Qi nodded, filing away the name for later. There were three, no, was it four¡ª?


    Sixiang helpfully provided.


    Yes, that. She would worry about that later though.


    The trunk lid popped open, revealing a massive pile of trinkets and objects without any organization. Hanyi beamed up at her. ¡°See, see! So many presents, and these are the ones I couldn¡¯t eat!¡±


    Ling Qi glanced at Bao Qian, who shrugged. ¡°Food and libations are common sacrifices.¡±


    ¡°Mhmm, even the really plain stuff tasted so good with the incense burning.¡± Hanyi dug around in the trunk. Ling Qi saw everything from rough wooden figurines to folded furs and clinking bottles, polished river stones, and pouches of herbs and more.


    LIng Qi wondered silently.


    ¡°This one¡¯s my favorite!¡± Hanyi exclaimed, turning to her with a bundle of soft cloth. It fell open, revealing a fine figurine of blue frosted glass shaped like a girl dancing in mid-whirl. She felt like it was probably supposed to be Hanyi. ¡°I was so happy! And the glass guy was so happy when I said so and gave him a blessing cause he had a little baby, and he asked me to help make sure they didn¡¯t get sick this winter and¡­¡±


    Ling Qi listened as Hanyi went on, a nonstop stream of words describing interactions with people from low commoners up to minor nobles. She¡¯d never seen Hanyi so animated about talking to people, but it seemed the mass of praise was downright intoxicating to the young spirit. It seemed as well that she had taken instinctually to giving blessings and fortune as a worshiped spirit. However unusual her origin, Hanyi seemed to have slid into the role without a thought.


    ¡°Anyway, it was great! Lots of people loved me! It''s super weird hearing people even when I¡¯m not around, and like, feeling the wind and the clouds and other weather stuff. Nudging it around is kinda tiring, especially when other spirits are being grumpy losers about it and pushing back.¡±


    ¡°Did you actually pick any fights?¡± Ling Qi asked, concerned.


    Bao Qian coughed into his hand, and Hanyi paused, looking abashed. Ling Qi gave her a flat look.


    ¡°... It was only one time! There was a hail spirit, and I had to make her go away. I had just promised that those fields would be okay. She can do her thing before the early planting from now on,¡± Hanyi justified, turning up her nose. ¡°Even that priest guy who followed us around agreed that I¡¯d, uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Established dominance.¡± Bao Qian sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. ¡°While I am not a priest myself, I understand that this isn¡¯t too unusual for spirits to compete and push against one another¡¯s interests. Managing and tracking these relationships is a part of the Ministry of Spiritual Affairs¡¯ duties.¡±


    ¡°But there was no offense given to any greater spiritual courts?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Inspiring spirits to coalesce into recognizable organizations are partially brought about by human interaction,¡± Bao Qian said. ¡°The south of the Meng lands is¡ª¡±


    ¡°Kind of a mess. It felt like a place where everybody only stopped fighting because they were too tired to keep going,¡± Hanyi said. ¡°And none of the really big spirits there care about people.¡±


    Given that it was among the most heavily raided regions in the south and had suffered back and forth conquest during and before Ogodei, that made sense.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad then,¡± Ling Qi said, stepping up to give Hanyi another hug. ¡°Sounds like you¡¯ve really found something for yourself.¡±


    ¡°Mhm!¡± Hanyi agreed, hugging her back. ¡°I wanna check out things at home, too. I bet I can see stuff better now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you later,¡± Ling Qi promised, resting a hand on her head.


    ¡°Later¡­ Oh.¡± Hanyi paused. Her features screwed up into a troubled expression. ¡°O-oh, I almost forgot.¡±


    Ling Qi felt Sixiang wince, but she didn¡¯t comment, leaving her hand on Hanyi¡¯s head as she looked over to Bao Qian. ¡°Thank you again. Your help has been invaluable here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been beneficial to me as well, so I ¡®m not troubled. Who knew religion could be so profitable?¡± he joked. ¡°I¡¯d like to speak with you, both of you, and talk about coordination and next steps, but that can come later.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°I¡¯d also like to speak with you about negotiations and people. I¡¯d like as many perspectives as I can get on my tactics going forward. So perhaps we can do a little of both.¡±


    ¡°Most agreeable,¡± Bao Qian replied, stroking his chin. ¡°But please, don¡¯t hold yourself up any further on my account. I know conditions on the road made us a bit late.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded. ¡°Alright. Hanyi, get your things. I bet she¡¯d like to hear about your trip as well.¡±


    Her junior sister nodded once. ¡°Yeah, I wanna tell Momma too.¡±


    ***


    The mountain peak was not very different than they had left it.


    The rime fruit tree had been transplanted elsewhere, but the windswept rocky snowfield where Master Zeqing had dwelled had changed little otherwise. Even the small pile of rubble which had been left in the wake of her passing and the collapse of her domicile remained as it was, cold stone dusted with snow that should have been impossible here above the clouds.


    The air was thin and icy, and the wind sharp and insistent. Its sound was a low, melancholy wail that tugged at the fur-trimmed hem of her gown and grasped and tugged at her hair.


    The two of them had not set up any kind of shrine nor a place to give offerings. Zeqing was not even the slightest bit human after all. There was no point in using human rituals for her. Instead, they had come, and for the first day, they had spoken and sang before the rubble, offering thanks and memories to the Zeqing that was.


    Ling Qi couldn¡¯t see into Hanyi¡¯s heart, but in her own, she hoped that their offering would bring some shape to the new spirit that came. She hoped that the lessons they had taken and given would not be wholly lost.


    And as night fell, they turned to learning.


    On a table set out in the snow, Ling Qi laid out some of the fruits of her labors: documents, scrolls, neatly bound books, and the studied arts of master musicians acquired from the Meng clan. Spread across the table, they were held in place against the high winds by an absent flex of Ling Qi¡¯s will.


    Because of the role Zeqing had taken on at her End, that of a teacher, there was no better way of celebrating what she had been than learning and creating something new.


    ¡°If you take it all and eat it all, there¡¯s nothing left for later.¡±


    Ling Qi looked up from her scroll, a set of notes musing on the complexities of light passing through water frozen in the midst of falling. Hanyi sat across from her on a high flat stone, kicking her bare feet freely. She was less interested in the writings in Ling Qi, though she had spent some time reading and singing poems and songs with her, getting a taste and feel of the new music.


    Talking, that they had done. But this was new.


    ¡°Where is that coming from?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s what I learned.¡± Hanyi looked down at the churning clouds below over the edge of the cliff they sat by. ¡°People have lots of warmth, lots of life. But if you eat it all, you can only eat it once.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°You really like being praised, huh?¡±


    Hanyi gave her a grin. ¡°Of course! I¡¯m great! People are really generous when you offer something back. I like it. I don¡¯t have to be scary all the time. I can just be pretty and nice, and people will love me!¡±


    That seemed kind of shallow, but Ling Qi chuckled anyway. ¡°I think that¡¯s a little too simple.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true,¡± Hanyi said thoughtfully. ¡°Honestly¡­ I really like it, but it¡¯s not the same as taking everything. It¡¯s not as good or potent. I miss it, but I don¡¯t mind saving it for bad guys and spirit stuff. I think I¡¯ll always be a little scary. It¡¯s part of my appeal!¡±


    ¡°Your appeal? Do I have to start assigning Zhengui to chaperone?¡± Ling Qi asked. There was a twinge of real worry, tempered by what Hanyi was, but inflamed by what Hanyi¡¯s father had tried to do with Zeqing.


    Hanyi stuck out her tongue. ¡°Don¡¯t be weird, Big Sis.¡±


    ¡°What is this sass?¡± Ling Qi complained. ¡°But that¡¯s a good lesson to take. Winter isn¡¯t just deathly cold or the frozen night.¡±


    ¡°Mm, yeah. I think Momma thought the same thing at the end,¡± Hanyi said, losing some of her enthusiasm. ¡°She really liked teaching and seeing us grow, but it meant she couldn¡¯t keep us. She couldn¡¯t take everything. Maybe she coulda done what she did with Papa, but that isn¡¯t real. I think she knew.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she would have accepted my words about endings if she weren¡¯t already thinking it herself on some level,¡± Ling Qi said slowly. The broken shards of the man Zeqing had devoured, propped up and held together by ice and spite, were not a person, just a disturbing marionette. ¡°But acknowledging that was another crack.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m kinda glad that nasty old witch in the mountains said I was broken and that Momma messed up. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d like it if something like that approved of me.¡± Hanyi flopped back to lay out inelegantly on the rock. ¡°She¡¯s boring. Basic.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned at the memory of Black Skies Yearning, the spirit that had accosted them on the journey south. ¡°That¡¯s a little flippant.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like she¡¯s here to punish me.¡± Hanyi laughed, rolling over onto her side.


    ¡°It¡¯s not bad to be a little cocky now and then,¡± Sixiang said, breaking their silence. Their manifestation hovered over the table, belly down as if lying on a divan. A book of poems was open in their ¡°grip.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not. You¡¯ll never get anywhere without confidence,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°Mhm!¡± Hanyi agreed. ¡°So, what about you, Sis? Tell me what you think you¡¯ve learned since Momma¡¯s been gone.¡±

 Threads 283-Winters End 2

    Threads 283-Winters End 2


    Ling Qi blew out a breath. ¡°Too much to put in good order, little sister.¡±


    Her eyes scanned the books, the neat scrolls, and journals and collated anthologies before straying to the far messier corner of the table. That corner was filled with stacked worn and tattered pieces, single pages, scrolls with broken batons, and rolls of bamboo slats missing panels or scraped and burned.


    Stories. Stories from across the Emerald Sea in both distance and time. These were the gathered scraps she had picked through to keep from the vast wealth found in a corpse immortal¡¯s ring.


    It was in a walking corpse¡¯s rotten face that she had first gotten a glimpse of what refusal to end looked like. Hui Peng had refused to change, trying to hold the world in place, and refused to see beyond the end of his nose or beneath his feet. The buzzing of flies and the sight of maggots squirming under papery skin was a potent reminder.


    ¡°Self-obsession is the worst poison. Art should be about the world around you, the world that can or should be or the world that is,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Old things must be allowed to die, but that doesn¡¯t mean that you have to discard all that they were. An ending doesn¡¯t have to be a complete desolation.¡±


    Hanyi tilted her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. You''re pretty awesome, Big Sis. You''re even better than me! What¡¯s wrong with telling everybody how great you are?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s more the obsession bit,¡± Sixiang said. ¡°You got better over your tour, right?¡±


    ¡°I guess so. Oh, I think I know what you¡¯re talking about. It¡¯d be like if I only ever sang one song cause I¡¯d already decided it was the best one. That would be lame.¡±


    Ling Qi breathed out. ¡°Something like that.¡±


    It was true that maybe she went too far. Hanyi was right in that there was nothing wrong with a little pride.


    ¡°Ice can easily be stasis though.¡±


    Hanyi paused, kicking her feet.¡±Yeah, it can be. Papa was like that. You can freeze stuff and keep it forever. You¡¯ll break it though.¡±


    ¡°You will break it,¡± Ling Qi agreed.


    ¡°Winter blows in, and things die or go to sleep, labor is put to rest, and the world is made pure for the coming of the new year,¡± Hanyi said.


    It was Ling Qi¡¯s turn to tilt her head. ¡°Now where did you copy that from?¡±


    Hanyi pouted at her and crossed her arms. Ling Qi kept her gaze steadily. Finally, Hanyi huffed and turned her head. ¡°From that priest who followed us around. It¡¯s a pretty saying, huh? Very smart.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Ling Qi said.


    It matched some of her thoughts. Winter wasn¡¯t a grand incomprehensible concept, but it was an end all the same. It was the punctuation of the year, the end of labors and the preparation for new ones. It was cold and without mercy for those who had no warmth to huddle around.


    Ling Qi postulated, ¡°Cold creeps in. Always, it comes in the absence of warmth.¡±


    ¡°We want things ¡®cause we don¡¯t have them,¡± Hanyi said with a shrug. ¡°What¡¯s the big deal?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easy to only take,¡± Ling Qi replied.


    ¡°Sure, it is a lot easier that way. But it''s boring and lonely.¡±


    ¡°No deeper reason than that?¡±


    ¡°Does there need to be?¡± Sixiang wondered.


    ¡°I think there should be,¡± Ling Qi said thoughtfully. ¡°If only because of how easy taking is.¡±


    ¡°I guess,¡± Hanyi said.


    She looked over the table and reached out, making a grasping motion with her hands. Ling Qi snorted. A small controlled gust sent an open scroll flapping into Hanyi¡¯s hands.


    ¡°It''s all well and good to do as you like, but if that¡¯s the only rule, then I think events can only go badly,¡± Ling Qi mused, looking at the more tattered Hui books. She considered the screaming wind around her, sharp despite the thinness of the air. She had come to more deeply touch the element of wind, the soaring freedom of the sky, but the endless blue she glimpsed in her contemplations remained unappealing.


    She couldn¡¯t see that desire, the pull of total freedom, the refusal of any constraints, as anything but childish selfishness or a self-absorbed tantrum. But all the same, she did love to fly, and she was still a thief at heart, even if she stole ideas, traditions, beliefs, and stories these days.


    Sixiang whispered.


    Ling Qi mock threatened.


    Above, Sixiang¡¯s manifestation stuck out their tongue.


    ¡°Hey! Are you having a conversation without me? That¡¯s rude!¡± Hanyi complained, looking up from her scroll.


    Ling Qi smiled politely at her junior sister, who pouted as Ling Qi turned back to her book of songs.


    Really, she was glad she had cultivated the Laughing Flight of the Wind Thief art so much before this. Meditations on the wind reflected on cold and winter. If she was to make a successor art with the whole of her resources, her component arts would need to come into alignment.


    ¡°What would you say the song your mother taught me is about, Hanyi? Say it in your own words.¡±


    Hanyi¡¯s pout faded away into a silent frown. ¡°It was Momma, what she was.¡±


    ¡°And what was that?¡±


    ¡°Death. Momma was death in the cold, the kind that makes you see things in the whiteout and makes you feel warm, even while you freeze. But the warmth is a lie, and the pretty shadow in the snow is a lie. The only thing really there is death. Death and ice.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the warmth and the shadow were lies though,¡± Ling Qi disagreed. She contemplated what she had seen in her master¡¯s house at the very end.


    ¡°Mhm, that¡¯s why she broke.¡± Hanyi gazed at the rubble where Zeqing¡¯s domicile had been. ¡°So that song is what she was before people came.¡±


    ¡°Master Zeqing was the deepest depth of winter, cold and unceasing. In a way, she wasn¡¯t winter at all because she was never meant to change or pass into spring.¡±


    ¡°That seems right. I¡¯m not that though.¡±


    ¡°What are you then, squirt?¡± Sixiang asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m the first cold wind that blows in,¡± Hanyi said confidently. ¡°I¡¯m the end of fall and the first snow. If you prepare for me, everything is pretty and pure, and you can listen to me sing, but if you slack off, I¡¯ll eat you up.¡±


    ¡°I dunno,¡± Sixiang drawled. ¡°That sounds way too dignified for you.¡±


    ¡°Like you¡¯d know what a lady looks like, you weird dream bug! Anyway, Big Sister, what do you think you want to be?¡±


    Ling Qi smiled at the byplay. She understood that Hanyi was really asking whatshe wanted to make of Master Zeqing¡¯s song. She didn¡¯t think she could make it a song that was not an offensive tool, an art of danger and harm, which were characteristics too intrinsic to remove entirely.


    After all, winter and ice were markers of death, at least in part.


    ¡°I think I want to create a song of the world¡¯s ending,¡± Ling Qi mused.


    Sixiang cocked an eyebrow.


    Ling Qi ignored them. ¡±It¡¯ll be the ending that happens every year, the cold that puts the old world to rest, buried in the snow. Some will rot and become fuel, and some will continue on into the next year. And when winter itself ends, the blanket of white over the world becomes its new lifeblood to be born anew in the spring¡¯s flooding.¡±


    Because she did believe in Cai Renxiang¡¯s dream. They could build a better world. They could change old truths, and make new truths whole cloth where needed.


    Shu Yue¡¯s words came back to her, and Ling Qi wondered if this was something like their own conviction. Someone would come after them, and then, they would be the ones in the way, the old thing to be buried.


    That thought lingered, and it did bother her a little, but she couldn¡¯t say it would change her Way.


    ¡°My sister doesn¡¯t think small,¡± Hanyi said. ¡°Are you really gonna be happy like that?¡±


    Ling Qi gave the question some real consideration. ¡°I don¡¯t think I could be happy ignoring the big problems.¡±


    Hanyi sighed. ¡°Kay. Can we do some real practice now though? All this reading is boooring.¡±


    Ling Qi smiled. Hanyi might have changed outwardly, but she was still the same at heart. She caught Sixiang¡¯s eye then, and the muse gave her a concerned look. Ling Qi flicked her eyes away.


    ¡°Sure. We can get some practice in,¡± Ling Qi said.


    Studying others'' works was helpful to an extent. It jogged forth ideas and gave inspiration, but in the end, she still had to do her own creating. The materials she¡¯d gathered had filled her mind with ideas¡­


    Although most had come from the Meng materials, and their long meditations on natural phenomena. The cold of the Meng marshlands was different from the harsh mountain cold she was more accustomed to, but there was much to consider all the same.


    Ling Qi stood, and a wave of her hand returned the table and all of its contents to her storage ring. Cai Renxiang was right, keeping furniture on hand was just plain useful. With it gone, they stood together on the windswept peak as Sixiang vanished in a shower of colorful dissolving butterflies and Hanyi stood up.


    ¡°Want to show me what you¡¯ve been working on first, little sister?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Hanyi grinned, throwing her shoulders back. ¡°Take a look at this!¡±

 Threads 284-Winters End 3

    Threads 284-Winter''s End 3


    Hanyi began to sing, and Ling Qi listened closely. The song was light and graceful, resembling the piece Ling Qi had helped her compose some time ago for that last concert before the journey south, but this version was more strident and mature.


    And as Hanyi sang, flurries of snow crystallized in the wind that whipped up around her, resulting in falling flakes and pebbles of hail. The bite of the wind grew sharper, and the hems of her gown kicked up as her bare feet left the stone, carried aloft on the wind. Ling Qi felt Hanyi¡¯s qi thinning, diffusing out into the surrounding air. The flurries soon became a curtain of snow and sleet.


    A veil of glittering frost lengthened her gown, shadowed Hanyi¡¯s face in a veil of shadow and crystal. The song grew softer as she seemed to retreat into the snowfall, a lithe shadow in the snow.


    This was a song about the coming of winter, the cold wind entering the stage, and the beauty of the first snow, falling in sparkles upon the earth.


    Ling Qi reached out a hand, feeling the driving snow on her fingers, infused with a potent qi that left a faint buzzing feeling on her fingers as it tried to drain away her qi. She felt the tug at her mind too, riveting her attention on her singing little sister. The power of the technique muddled a bit on her, unable to take hold on her thoughts, but¡­


    Sixiang whispered.


    And it was preparation. Ling Qi could tell that the ice qi was filling the air with snow, potent and ready for use in further techniques, and it was also diffusing what did try to strike the singer through it. A strong opening move.


    Ling Qi smiled at the shadowed maiden¡¯s silhouette. ¡°Hanyi, did you really make a technique just to seem taller?¡±


    The haunting song cut off, and the shadow in the snow glared at her with glittering white eyes, planting hands on her hips. ¡°Big Siiiiis, let me be cool!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re very cool, for sure,¡± Ling Qi soothed. She stepped into the falling snow, ignoring the faint tingle the flesh-shattering chill left on her skin, and wrapped her junior sister in a hug. Up close, the ice that had gathered, lengthening Hanyi¡¯s gown and veiling her face, did look very elegant. ¡°I¡¯m just teasing. It looks very effective. It sets up for other techniques, right?¡±


    Hanyi stepped back, frost glittering on the front of her gown, and she crossed her arms irritably over her chest. ¡°Hmph, yeah, it does. It¡¯ll let me build up my power, and protect me while I do.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good idea for an opening,¡± Ling Qi said thoughtfully.


    ¡°So, what do you have, Big Sis? Thought of how you''re going to start your song yet?¡± Hanyi challenged.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had some thoughts.¡±


    After the conversation with Jaromila in the south, her performance as the Diviner Tsu at the Sect, and even the visit in the Dream to the crone¡¯s hut only a few days ago, she had come to a conclusion on truth. Endings, the ones she created and the ones she inflicted, should pave the way for something new. If she killed, she wished to do so knowing that there was some purpose, and that a goal was advanced or improved in the doing.


    Sixiang whispered.


    That was the trouble when thinking in terms of seasons and of cycles. It was easy to find only stagnation and endlessly repeat her actions in the hopes of a different result. Maybe this was the wrong way to approach the subject. Shu Yue¡¯s words and the expectations of Cai Renxiang¡¯s mother, too, were also relevant.


    Even if one turning rhymed with the last and even if there were certain base similarities in the cycles, they were not the same. Cai Renxiang was not Cai Shenhua, and Ling Qi was not Shu Yue. Else it was worse than worthless. It was only the horror and nightmare they had trodden lightly on in the dream.


    And she had found some support for that concept in the writing of Meng artists and in meditations on the turnings of years and centuries and on loss and nostalgia.


    The seasons turn, but the past year is not repeated.


    ¡°Hey, Big Sis, you just gonna stand there looking mournful in the snow?¡± Hanyi called out, shaking her out of her thoughts. Her junior sister stood there in her normal garb again, arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.


    ¡°Sorry, I lost myself in thought,¡± Ling Qi said ruefully. ¡°I was going to show you some of what I had in mind, right?¡±


    Ling Qi began to hum to herself, turning away from Hanyi to stride across the cold stone well away from where her junior sister had made her own display. Faint outlines of frost formed around her footfalls as she did, and in her hand, a length of clear blue-tinted ice began to form. It was a flute, glittering and half-transparent, much like Zeqing had once used while instructing her. She raised the flute to her lips, allowing her eyes to drift closed as she began to play some experimental bars.


    The Aria of Spring¡¯s Ending was the first technique of Zeqing¡¯s Frozen Soul Serenade art. It was a melody that sounded off the end of warmth and heralded the obliteration of life. Here, in the eternal cold of the mountain peak, there would never be a spring, but that¡¯s not the type of song that Ling Qi wanted. Hanyi had chosen to focus its cold emanations upon herself, retaining its defensive properties while transforming its aesthetic, making it her gown and veil.


    In contrast, Ling Qi wished to focus it outward. To that end, in her mind''s eye, she envisioned Ice. She envisioned ice like that which covered the mountain peaks or which blanketed the southern lands and the peaks of the Wall creeping across every surface and foe, stilling and silencing to put the world into slumber. She envisioned a field of ice flowers blooming from the old and the stagnant and the dead, shattering and releasing their heat.


    Ling Qi¡¯s Ending was not the stasis of a mountain peak above the clouds but the winter cold that preceded a new dawn and spring. Though the spring was not her, maybe one day, she could create a song to complement her successor art, but more likely, it would be another¡¯s role to represent the storm of spring.


    The core of the Frozen Soul Serenade art was violence. It was a cold that killed others. It could be brought by inches to draw upon other concepts for additional functions, but it could not shed its core.


    And Ling Qi did not think it would be good to do so either. She did not want to see the terrors of the past repeated forever, but in the end, change was violence. To create a new world, the old must die. And those slated to die, to have their world die, could only ever respond to change with violence to preserve themselves.


    This, she thought, was similar to the sacrifice the crone had spoken of. People would sacrifice everything to achieve the world they wanted. So, if she were to do violence, there needed to be a purpose in it rather than change for its own sake.


    Ling Qi hummed the first bars of the Spring¡¯s End Aria, feeling her qi rapidly flow into the old patterns, chilling the air around her. And then she stopped and hummed another bar, similar to her master¡¯s melody but different. She felt the qi of the technique waver and begin to unravel, sending a twinge of pain through her meridians, and instead of allowing it to do so, she changed the flow and realigned the pattern.


    Her humming became a quiet, wordless song, harsh and hard. The billowing cold of the Spring¡¯s End Aria tightened up around her. Around her feet, a spider web of pale blue translucent ice began to spread in a fractal pattern. The temperature plunged, and from the dry air here above the clouds, what little moisture there was frozen in gossamer sheets, swiftly shattered into flying, near invisible shards by the mere brush of the wind.


    World¡¯s End Aria. The name came to her as she sang, letting the wind lift her into the air. There were many worlds, big and small, and it was not terribly hard to end them. But the name didn¡¯t feel right yet. Not for a song still being worked on.


    Year¡¯s End Aria. That would do for now.


    Her song stole away all traces of heat and the motion of the wind, stilling the air around her. Ling Qi sang and narrowed her eyes at the shimmering ripple of a wind spirit, a minor elemental faerie not even really an animal yet. The cold sucked inward, a film of frost and ice over her skin as she focused her power.


    The wind faerie froze, losing all motion, and shattered into fine crystal dust in the wind.


    Below, Hanyi laughed and clapped her hands, resuming her own song, calling up the snow and garbing herself in ice. Wind carried her up to the top of a stony escarpment where she stood and sang across from Ling Qi.


    Ling Qi reached out, caught Hanyi¡¯s hand, and carried her up into the skies. Zeqing¡¯s home and grave lay below, a mound of stone and snow, quiet and lifeless. Yet as they sang, Ling Qi could not help but feel that she felt someone stirring, the deep and deathly cold qi of this place rippling ever so slightly.


    Ling Qi let her eyes drift shut. A flute of ice hovering at her lips was played through pure manipulation of the wind. Different patterns, different bars, a song being written and rewritten. It was not time yet. There was no one here. One day, she hoped there would be.


    But for now, they would fly for the static mountain peak was not the right place to finish their songs. The land below which knew seasons other than endless cold would be needed for this composition.


    And so they flew down below the clouds where the land was green. She had already gotten leave from the Sect for this. Ill omened beasts and poisoned things from beneath had begun to gather in a section of forest in the Outer Sect, worrying at the wardings that protected mortals. Although clearing them was Outer Sect work normally, it would still be useful for training.


    She and her junior sister descended on the browning patch in the canopy in a cloud of falling sleet and snow. Where the toes of her slippers touched down, the ice came, a spreading crystal web beneath her feet. Leaves grew white with frost, then stiff and frozen, captured in a skin of translucent ice. Beasts and dark spirits fled, growing slow and sluggish where her gaze turned.


    The light snow Hanyi brought dusted the rapidly crystalizing treetops, already beginning to groan and droop under the weight of her ice, and her lovely song and outstretched hands brought the fleeing to heel, crawling back in worship of winter¡¯s idol, unable to pull their attention away from her purity and beauty.


    Her junior sister vanished from her side, a cold breeze swirling and dancing around one enraptured creature after the next. Hanyi drew in their heat with each intake of breath and left behind corpses covered in snow. She flitted between one and the next without movement and steps, drawn to the qi they all but offered up in a stupified haze.


    Ling Qi knew herself to be the darker figure of the two of them. She loomed, a tall shadow stretching under the frozen canopy and distorted by the glimmering light that peeked through the dense ice.


    She walked, and the world darkened in her wake, sleet and creeping ice. A beast, a great red and black bear covered in tumorous growths, driven mad by pain and toxin, roared and charged toward her, splintering frozen trees in its wake. And Ling Qi stepped past, playing her flute, and the sharp, cold notes flayed away layers of defensive qi.


    She walked on, a gleaming statue left behind her.


    And another, and another, refining the verses with each passing foe. The seeping cold spread through the tainted grove, and the branches sheathed in ice and heavy with falling snow drooped near to the ground.


    This was the Frozen Night¡¯s Refrain.


    Hanyi appeared back at her side, a smug smile behind her frost veil, and streamers of heat erupted from all who had been swayed by her song. Her junior sister drank it all in, her eyes lighting up, the shadow of pale blue iris shading into her milky white eyes. And where she grasped Ling Qi¡¯s hand, Ling Qi felt a little warmth too, a bare trickle of qi, but qi all the same.


    Ling Qi considered the area as her own targets began to stir, the faint sound of cracking ice filling the grove. She had held back to test out the final technique of her successor art. It was no longer the Call to Ending, but a shadow still remained of the coda of absolute silence that erased all noise.


    She sang, her qi flooding outward into the shards of icy cold left in the meridians of beasts and tainted spirits. They cried out, a crescendo of noise that joined her song, a melody like the cracking of ice floes and the thundering of released waters. From every ice surface, frost flowers bloomed, pale white, blue, and a hint of pink on those that grew from the rime on flesh.


    And then they erupted. Petals and ice and snow and wind transformed the grove into a cloud of depthless white and and silence. Ling Qi felt the qi flow back to those around her, to Hanyi and even Sixiang, who stirred in her mind, feeling the surge of vitality and power.


    The old did die, and in death, they rang in the spring. This successor art was incomplete yet, still drawing much from the original Frozen Soul Serenade art, but she had the foundations down.

 Threads 285-Depths 1

    Threads 285-Depths 1


    Final Frost¡¯s Serenade.


    The alliteration appealed, Ling Qi thought, lowering her flute. Around her was a copse of trees, dripping faintly with melted frost. There were a few shattered trunks and stumps where the impurity had run too deep, but it was largely now a clean copse, quiet and serene. She observed the dew on the grass and the faint mist curling around the roots, a product of the swiftly changing temperature.


    She was winter in her bones. For a moment, she wished that Zhengui was here to take on the next step, the one she couldn¡¯t perform. Her truth, the truth of isolation, was cold. It was real, and turning her face away from it was an act of deliberate ignorance and cowardice.


    And she had been a coward in the beginning. She had tried to turn her back on what she had been and seen and done fully, and that had been cowardice in its way. It was rubbed in her face how brittle and fragile such a path was in a dream.


    She exhaled, and the flute of ice in her hands melted away into fog and vapor, leaving only beads of moisture on her fingertips.


    ¡°Ah, Big Sis is so cool!¡± Hanyi squealed, smiling up at her.


    ¡°I¡¯m only working off a good foundation. You did quite well yourself,¡± Ling Qi praised, patting her on the shoulder. She thought her junior sister wouldn¡¯t appreciate Ling Qi making a mess of her hair.


    ¡°Well, I gotta be able to move around quickly.¡± Hanyi crossed her arms. ¡±It¡¯s like the mean version of what I do for my supplicants.¡±


    ¡°The difference between receiving offerings and taking sacrifices,¡± Ling Qi mused. She raised an eyebrow. ¡°And that bit at the end where you came back to me?¡±


    ¡°You''re my senior sister,¡± Hanyi protested. ¡°I gotta share.¡±


    Ling Qi grinned. ¡°Oh, does that mean I get my pick from your chest of gifts?¡±


    Hanyi¡¯s eyes went wide, and she pouted furiously, kicking the ground. ¡°I mean¡­ I guess.¡±


    Ling Qi chuckled, and this time, she did ruffle Hanyi¡¯s hair, drawing an irate yelp. ¡±I don¡¯t need anything, Junior Sister. Maybe get some pretty things for the house next time.¡±


    Hanyi continued to pout up at her from under her hand. ¡°That was mean.¡±


    ¡°It was funny,¡± Ling Qi corrected wisely, lifting her hand. ¡°Come on. Let''s go back up and give her one last song.¡±


    Hanyi nodded quietly. ¡°Yeah, let''s. We¡¯re gonna be really busy soon, huh?¡±


    They absolutely were. Ling Qi sighed. The next two months would be full of preparations for the summit.


    But for now, they soared back to the mountain peak and the frozen rubble that remained of Master Zeqing¡¯s home. And there until the sun set, they poured their hearts into one final song of mourning.


    ***?


    Given her upcoming schedule, it was necessary to wrap up as many minor duties as possible. Of course, if she was left to wait anyway, it only made sense to use her time constructively.


    ¡°You¡¯re a cultivation addict,¡± Sixiang drawled.


    As they liked.


    Ling Qi sat cross-legged on a thin shell of ice, floating atop the waters of Snowblossom Lake. Barely a finger width thick, the ice floe she had made bobbed gently with the movement of the waters. The lake was not a cultivation site, but it was rich with life and thus, qi.


    Ling Qi was contemplating the Starless Night¡¯s Reflection art. It was a gifted art, collected by the Cai in their trade with the Bai clan, an art of unbreakable defense based on the concept of a still and silent lake, reflecting back the stars and moon like glittering twins.


    It was not an art she thought of often. Its themes of stillness and serenity clashed with some of her other insights, but her contemplation of her master¡¯s art had reminded her that silence and stillness did not need to be opposed to music and motion. Codas, punctuation, and the intake of breath were all a part of her works and herself. Winter was a song that wiped the board clean. The silence it made did not last long, but as a transitory moment, it was important.


    The lake and the world were large, and her efforts were small, but her little ice floe made ripples all the same. The lesson of the Starless Night¡¯s Reflection was, to her, a meditation on smallness, although she had a sneaking suspicion that this wasn¡¯t the lesson its Bai makers would have intended to teach.


    If she asked, would Lao Keung have an answer?


    She turned her head to look at the young man approaching her across the lake. He wore a thick coat of fur which increased his bulk considerably, and he wrapped his head in a pair of scarves. She thought he looked faintly ridiculous.


    ¡°Solidarity,¡± he said, stopping near her ice floe. He stood on the lake surface as if it were no different from the ground.


    ¡°Solidarity?¡± Ling Qi questioned, tilting her head.


    ¡°My men are not as resilient as I.¡±


    Ling Qi understood. The second realm soldiers and the first realm logistical crew attached to them were both used to the humid heat of the Thousand Lakes, and they were less able to ignore the environment.


    ¡°Noble of you.¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°It costs me nothing.¡±


    As you like,¡± Ling Qi said, rising to her feet. ¡°Well, other than the cold, what do you think of the region?¡±


    ¡°Fertile, despite the chill. It¡¯s a high quality location for a settlement,¡± Lao Keung replied. ¡°The concentration of forces here is absurd and excessive for the local spiritual dangers.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so, but there¡¯s no reason for us to scatter yet. Better to have a strong center before venturing satellite settlements.¡±


    ¡°And it does not concern you that your overlord denies you your owed land?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a strange way to think of it.¡±


    ¡°Is it?¡± Lao Keung arched an eyebrow. ¡°I rather think you are the strange one.¡±


    ¡°You are very blunt.¡±


    ¡°Lady Bai informed me that I was to offer you assistance to the fullest of my abilities. I asked if that included my words.¡±


    ¡°I begin to understand why a man of your talent is in such a provincial posting. Let me turn your question around. What do I gain beside hardship in demanding my own settlement right now?¡±


    ¡°The fulfillment of your role. The prosperity of your clan.¡±


    Ling Qi considered this, turning her eyes to the lakeshore. The outpost there had expanded. More rough cabins had been thrown up, and the central area had been ringed with a crude palisade. ¡°I can do both of those here.¡±


    ¡°You would trust your lord so?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Lao Keung grunted. ¡°What assistance do you require?¡±


    Right to business then.


    ¡°There have been people in the outpost reporting minor illnesses. We¡¯ve swept for disease spirits and found nothing. Instead, the source seems to be the water. There were no problems earlier so I have to assume that whatever the problem is, it does not affect higher cultivators. As a member of the Bai clan and one focused on security, I thought you might have some insights into waterborne toxins.¡±


    He frowned behind his scarf. ¡°It is too cold for the type of spirits I am familiar with or the sorts of disease-making vermin, which would be my initial guess. If it is only affecting the mortals, then I would suspect the water is merely too qi-rich.¡±


    ¡°But it doesn¡¯t seem to be. Unless you sense something different?¡±


    ¡°No. The qi potency of the region is within the healthy band for mortals. Perhaps some spirit of the depths, which rises when there are no higher realm watchers?¡±


    ¡°As you said, our force concentration is very high here.¡±


    ¡°It is unlikely,¡± he admitted. ¡°Something which has drifted in and settled recently then.¡±


    Ling Qi remembered the Cathedral of Winds site and the impurity beasts she had encountered below it with Gan Guangli. Perhaps something had leaked in.


    ¡°What would be the best way to confirm?¡±


    ¡°Directly combing the lake bottom, I would think. Do you want my assistance with this?¡±


    ¡°If it wouldn¡¯t be too much trouble. Going alone is pointlessly risky.¡±


    ¡°You are hardly alone.¡±


    ¡°Neither Zhengui or Hanyi will operate well on the bottom of a lake.¡±


    ¡°I am hardly a violet caste myself. But I was instructed to offer you my full cooperation. It is my opinion that we should begin by the outflow. If there are any traces to be found, that will be the best place to find them.


    Ling Qi nodded. ¡°I agree.¡±


    She stepped off of her ice floe, hovering above the water, and Lao Keung turned to follow her.


    Ling Qi considered the young man beside her as they walked. He was both painfully straightforward and somehow, difficult to get a read on. He was very blunt, but he gave very little indication of what mattered to him.


    ¡°What are your thoughts on our project?¡± Ling Qi asked as they crossed the lake.


    ¡°The roads are very fine and make this an important logistical point for further settlement. Acquiring that service from the Wang clan was quite a coup.¡±


    ¡°Not really what I was referring to.¡±


    ¡°Oh, your diplomacy. I don¡¯t foresee long term success, but it is a useful military maneuver to buy time with.¡±


    She frowned at him. ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Even with all the ages the Empire has stood for, it has not been enough to stifle conflict. Why would you assume that a people wholly foreign can be trusted in the long term?¡±


    ¡°The Empire was once new,¡± Ling Qi pointed out. ¡°Trust has to begin somewhere.¡±


    ¡°The Empire was born from overwhelming force, just as the three kingdoms before it were. But I do not think you aim for conquest.¡±


    ¡°The Diviner united. He did not conquer,¡± Ling Qi said as they came to the far shore where the lake water flowed into the river going north.


    ¡°Respecting your founding, strength is inherently coercive. It can be important to dress it all up in fine robes of legitimacy, but one shouldn¡¯t forget the truth of the matter.¡±


    ¡°Too cynical. And too reductive. The strong rule, but all rulership is not the same. How a ruler chooses to exercise their power is important.¡±


    ¡°With individuals, it all drifts back to the average in the end.¡±


    ¡°The average as dictated by past actions. Traditions and expectations bind. Even the mightiest cultivator is born a mortal child, learning how things should be from those around them.¡±


    Lao Keung seemed to mull this over. ¡°I accept your point, Lady Ling. Shall we descend?¡±


    ¡°We should.¡±

 Threads 286-Depths 2

    Threads 286-Depths 2


    He nodded once and reached up, unwrapping his head scarf and vanishing it into a storage ring. His coat followed, leaving him in a sleeveless tunic. Ling Qi did not stare, obviously. Not everyone could wear a talisman as potent and mutable as hers.


    As he began to wade out into the water, she followed, her gown remaining perfectly dry despite being submerged, little fractal blooms of ice growing and melting from the hems and her hair.


    It was a bit different to encounter someone who disagreed with her direction, but not from a position of age and authority. It made her curious as to why he thought the way he did.


    ¡°A clan as old as the Bai has many rumors and stories attached,¡± Ling Qi beganblithely. Her feet left no mark or impression on the sand and mud of the lakebed, the water only barely rippling as it came up around her waist.


    Lao Keung grunted an acknowledgement. Ahead of her, the water swiftly swallowed up his broad chest, soaking into the cloth of his vest. ¡°There are. I am sure you and your lord have heard the truth from Lady Bai.¡±


    ¡°I find truth comes from many perspectives.¡± The water came up to her neck, and then another step down, and it swallowed her head. She blinked once as her eyes went underwater, taking only a moment to adjust to the somewhat silty lake water. ¡°I¡¯d like yours, that of the Red Bai¡¯s.¡±


    The words carried undistorted. It was trivial to draw air from the water and transform it into a medium for speech. It generated a few bubbles, but some modulation of the vibrations prevented any distortion.


    Lao Keung turned to face her, his boots churning up sluggish clouds around his feet. Unlike her, the water clearly touched him, though he didn¡¯t seem bothered by it. Where she floated, he stood on the bottom like a pillar of stone.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just a naive foreigner, but surely, the children of the Red Python have their own way of seeing the world. Will you humor me?¡±


    She drifted along after him as they continued to descend the slope toward where the water flowed out into the continuation of the river. She didn¡¯t press him further as they moved around clumps of water weed and flashing schools of fish.


    ¡°Disorderly. You are all disorderly. Confused and confusing, lacking discipline,¡± Lao Keung finally said. ¡°The Celestial Peaks are more sensible, but in the Emerald Seas, it has been so long since you were ruled properly that none here knows their place. Those are the thoughts of my elders.¡±


    ¡°It would probably be insulting to take that as a compliment, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    Lao Keung grunted noncommittally. ¡°We are the blade and the armored fist, the crushing coils of the python. It is not our lot to decide what is insulting, only to punish it should the White Serpents decide it is so.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s head slowly tilted to the side as she drifted in front of him, gown and hair drifting as if in a slow breeze. ¡°And a fist which starts making decisions may strike something undesired?¡±


    ¡°There you have it.¡± Lao Keung advanced, stepping around her. The light from above glinted off the scale patterns which marked his muscular arms. ¡°The world is ordered as it is for a reason. To seek or think outside of your place invites only suffering and chaos. Witness Sun Shao, the Twilight King, or the Strife of the Twin Emperors. All arose from individuals refusing to accept their roles. So, too, with us. Our ancestor refused to bend the knee to her elder as was the White Queen¡¯s right, and in doing so, she nearly shattered Yao¡¯s kingdom. No good comes from stepping beyond your role.¡±


    ¡°And what do you think?¡±


    Lao Keung chose not to hear her question. ¡°We¡¯re here. I do detect traces of dense qi.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed and turned her eyes to the task at hand. Something registered as faint sparkles among the murk to her senses. It was like particles of glass mixed with the mud and sand. Ling Qi gestured, and silver light flickered in the murk like the scales of schooling fish. As she examined the shifting currents, Lao Keung knelt on the riverbed, digging his fingers into the silt.


    ¡°Would it be fair to say that the Red Python are uncomfortable with this alliance then?¡±


    ¡°Do you not focus on the task before you?¡±


    ¡°Are you so limited at your realm and stage?¡± Ling Qi asked innocently.


    He squinted up at her through the water. She smiled back.


    ¡°The source of dense qi doesn¡¯t seem to be active right now. These traces are breaking down.¡±


    ¡°Sourced from the water, not the earth. It is not an earth-metal toxin.¡± Lao Keung grunted, standing up. He began to walk away from the river, down into the deeper expanse of the lakebed.


    She drifted after him in a wide circle, flitting through the shadows cast by tall stalks of waterweed.


    ¡°It is the hope among some that your duchess has finally mastered this place and that Lady Suzhen, in her wisdom, sees this and supports the greater ordering of things.¡±


    Ling Qi considered this as they began to descend further, leaving the mirror-like surface of the lake further above. The darkness grew deeper even as the murk of the shallower waters settled, leaving the waters clear and still and black.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t she rise against her role though? Upend the way things were?¡±


    She caught a faint smirk on Lao Keung¡¯s lips. It was very brief. ¡°Why, her victory shows that it was the previous arrangement which was wrong and the aberration of correct order, no?¡±


    ¡°Victory needs no excuse?¡±


    ¡°So it has ever been. Everything works backward from victory.¡±


    ¡°If I succeed then, will you bow your head and apologize for your doubt?¡± Ling Qi needled.


    ¡°Ah, so it is now ¡®I.¡¯ Disorderly indeed.¡±


    Ling Qi shot him an unimpressed look and turned back to the descent. Snowblossom was not a shallow lake, and it was filled with life. Fish swam in dense clouds, scattered only by the passage of larger beasts. But even these, great carp larger than men, undulating things many meters long that lurked beneath the sands, and spirits of water invisible to the mortal eye but nonetheless present, gave them a wide berth. Down here at the lake bottom, great boulders and chunks of stone were studded with colonies of shellfish half-formed from rime and dense water weed that made for waving forests in the deep.


    They circled the perimeter of the lake, searching, but it was only in the depths where the traces grew thicker in the water.


    ¡°Like blood,¡± Lao Keung said.


    ¡°You think?¡± Ling Qi wondered. The only spirit that might have been potent enough was that of the lake itself, which they¡¯d only made the simplest of placating contact with, having not settled on proper rituals.


    ¡°Resemblance only. There would be more upheaval if the lake was wounded.¡± Lao Keung paused. ¡°We are a cautious people, Lady Ling.¡±


    She tilted her head.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been promised better too many times. It is always a lie.¡± Lao Keung brushed his hand over a heavy stone embedded in the mud, sending up crystalline bubbles of shimmering color. ¡°Obedience is safe. Belief brings suffering.¡±


    ¡°That might be true, but you are not cautious.¡± Ling Qi recalled the remarks she had heard him make, right in Meizhen¡¯s presence.


    ¡°Correct. Miss Ling is observant.¡±


    She was being made fun of a little, Ling Qi thought.


    They pushed through a field of boulders and its forest of water plants and emerged in a great basin at the bottom of the lake. The distant thunder of the waterfall churning the surface came to them as a subtle vibration in the water. Here, little obstructed their sight. There was only an open abyssal plain. Fish and other beasts swam overhead but the deepest depths of the lake were serene and silent.


    ¡°Caution has its place. I suppose an elder of the Red Python would say that in the face of such a potent illusion, retreat and communion would be best.¡±


    Because this scoop of clear, serene water was a lie. She could taste and feel it. The traces of dense qi stopping so suddenly only made it obvious. They stood before the home of the spirit of Snowblossom Lake, and they were not welcome.


    ¡°Mmm. Likely,¡± Lao Keung agreed. ¡°You see something I do not?¡±


    ¡°You admit to being blind?¡±


    ¡°Dishonesty at work only makes the load heavier for all.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ling Qi answered, drifting forward. ¡°Do you know any rites of spirit propitiation, Lao Keung?¡±


    ¡°We have our ways for the spirits beneath the notice of lords.¡± Lao Keung observed her actions, a few bubbles emerging from his lips as he crossed his arms. ¡°Lakes are sedate and distant. They are mountains in another form. They care little for small things, and this lake is wild yet.¡±


    ¡°It is. There¡¯s nothing to be gained in antagonizing it. This will be our home after all.¡±


    Ling Qi drifted out into the clear water. Reaching out, her hand skimmed across the surface of something slick and wet like a soap bubble, wetting her previously dry fingers.


    ¡°Inaction is an action as well,¡± Ling Qi continued. ¡°More people are coming soon.¡±


    ¡°Truth. What do you choose then, priestess?¡±


    ¡°Sixiang, will you let Xia Lin know that I am going to contact the lake spirit?¡±


    ¡°Oh, moons.¡± Her muse chuckled. ¡°Done. She¡¯s a little upset.¡±


    ¡°I can wait if she needs some time. I don¡¯t think I want to leave this too long though.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Lao Keung asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what this substance is, but I prefer to resolve dangers where I can.¡±


    Sixiang interjected, ¡°Reporting back from Xia Lin, she asks for an hour to move everyone off the shore.¡±


    ¡°Done,¡± Ling Qi agreed.

 Threads 287-Depths 3

    Threads 287-Depths 3


    ¡°You can leave if you like, Lao Keung. Thank you for your assistance.¡±


    ¡°What assistance is that? A few words on waterborne toxins? Hmph, I feel as if this expedition was only an excuse to interrogate me.¡±


    ¡°You were helpful. I am not the best at tracking.¡±


    He narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°Despite my brash words, I did not want to disturb the lake spirit without cause. I had hoped for more preparation in setting the tone for my relationship with such an important spirit. Thank you for helping me confirm the issue.¡±


    ¡°What is your plan for that?¡± Lao Keung walked out beside her. He traced a hand through the water, liquid coiling around his fingers, bubbling and frothing. ¡°You do not have a village for a festival or procession. It has known only the passing of barbarians.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not so different,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I can hear the echoes of gifts dropped from the sky and the sacrifice of food and crafts. Human effort and work and hope becomes food for the spirits. It needs to know that we will always be here though. That changes the relationship.¡±


    ¡°That is not an answer.¡±


    Ling Qi supposed it wasn¡¯t. She was not one for serenity. The importance of the pause and coda was obvious, but she was at heart a creature of motion. Even her conception of Endings was not stillness.


    Despite that, want, art, and desire all had to begin somewhere. The void of wanting was the blank canvas, the stillness that came before the storm.


    There would be adjustments. There would be negotiations. There would be ceremonies. A hundred, hundred little choices would follow this one in establishing a rapport with the spirit of what they now called Snowblossom Lake.


    Convincing it that it was Snowblossom Lake would be an issue in and of itself. Because naming a thing had power, but only if that name was accepted.


    However, Ling Qi was confident. This as of yet nameless spirit yearned to have a name in the same way the hungry yearned for food. The calm surface, the fathomless depth, the emptiness that took in light and projected splendid reflections upon the surface, all of it spoke to that want. That was the point of commonality she had with Lake Qi. She came by it differently, but it was not so unfamiliar.


    ¡°What sort of ceremonies do you perform for the spirits of your lakes?¡± Ling Qi tapped her fingers against her thigh, testing out the beginnings of a tune.


    ¡°Others have the role of intermediaries, but rites develop regardless of what anyone wants.¡± Lao Keung considered the empty expanse of water. ¡°The lakes are hungry. They are generous. They desire deeply. Do not give from the catch, for it was theirs to begin with. Give of labor. Give of life.¡±


    ¡°Funerary offerings?¡± Ling Qi wondered.


    ¡°It is different for us. Bottomless Lake Hei birthed Grandmother Serpent and the other lakes of the land. To return to the waters in the end is only right. Even we and the lowest of the gray are not denied this. Our lives are our final offering to the Queen of Still Waters.¡±


    For the first time in conversation with him, Ling Qi detected a hint of real respect and reverence. So he did believe in something.


    She supposed she¡¯d already known that though.


    ¡°This custom is unfamiliar to me. Here, bodies are given to the earth to revitalize the land, or they are burned for the dishonorable dead.¡±


    ¡°Ask your Meng how unusual it is. It is folly to give your ancestors to the creeper roots of the Red Garden. I suppose it would be different here where you all are the children of the Bountiful Earth.¡±


    ¡°Planting trees over graves or burial among the roots is common, if one can afford the space,¡± Ling Qi said. Even Tonghou had a few sickly little grave groves, and presumably better ones further in for those who could afford it.


    ¡°And I have heard that among the cloud tribes, the tradition is to place the body as high in the sky as they are able, or in stronger tribes, to fling them beyond the grasp of the earth to feed the stars. We all choose ways of returning to our ancestors. Even the Imperial City carves their necropoli into the dragon-forged mountains they crawled from.¡±


    A life well lived was probably the most potent sacrifice, short of a life cut short, Ling Qi thought. It would not be appropriate to sacrifice their dead to the lake because they belonged to the earth of the Emerald Seas, but she could make a different promise to the lake.


    To take the cold waters unto themselves was a binding of its own. That was what lake, or rather, void, meant to her. Want and desire was born from emptiness, that place where all things met, because it was their origin.


    And this wanting would be her promise to the lake spirit. She would promise people, dedication, and sacrifice, the offering of lives lived and fulfilled on the shores of Snowblossom Lake.


    Maybe it wasn¡¯t so far from what the Bai who had created the art had in mind after all.


    ¡°Tell me, what allowed you to create the relationship that exists between yourself and Bai Meizhen?¡± Lao Keung asked, breaking the silence.


    Ling Qi glanced over, smiling. ¡°The same thing that let me make contact with a strange foreigner at the caldera. My ignorance.¡±


    Lao Keung snorted, generating a wobbling stream of bubbles.


    ¡°Not knowing any better is a wonderful excuse, no?¡±


    ¡°You make yourself sound like a child.¡±


    ¡°People often underestimate children,¡± Ling Qi said, thinking back to days of hunger and desperation. ¡°Even when they really shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    He shook his head, turning away.


    ¡°But it''s not childishness,¡± Ling Qi said to his back. ¡°Once, our ancestors had no solutions nor traditions to fall back upon. They sought them, made them, and founded them. How can we do any less?¡±


    Life was a battle against privation. Hunger was the privation of the body, ignorance, the privation of the mind, and isolation, the privation of the heart. Curiosity, the seeking of answers, was the root of all possible solutions. This was the core lesson of the Hidden Moon.


    ¡°Xia Lin is ready,¡± Sixiang murmured.


    ¡°Let''s begin then,¡± Ling Qi said. Stepping forward right to the edge of the spiritually enclosed space, she reached out and pressed her hand to its surface, wetting her palm on the dense lake qi that hid whatever lay beyond.


    She began to sing. It was not a song of ephemeral beauty nor of high-minded ideals or thoughtfulness. It was a song of feet tromping in the streets, little boats upon docks, and hungry bellies and fishers and sparks of fire in the dark. It was a song of lives lived day by day and of work and toil and life from mud.


    And as she sang, her outstretched hand sank by degrees into the resisting curtain of lake qi. It swallowed up her fingertips, her palm, and then her whole hand. She sang, and her wrist sunk in, vanishing into the dark. And as she sang, the serene waters stirred. They churned and flowed, and something very old but very simple began to awake.


    Ling Qi sang, and she saw herself in a flash, a tiny sliver of a shard of ice deep underwater standing with a jagged stone, quivering with ill contained lightning. She was so very small, but her voice was loud. She saw for a moment slow connections forming, vague memories of mounted men upon the shores and tents of hide and bone upon the bank as cold winter closed in that were replaced with more familiar stone and wood.


    She sang of winter and spring and summer and fall, of people who did not go and structures which did not move, of streets growing like the tangles of a spider''s web, and boats like little schools of wooden fish. She sang of offering and life, labor and love and being.


    And she saw the lake through the eyes of the spirit. It was without body and without name or even silhouette, just water and reflections. She offered it the name they had made in song, Snowblossom, for the ice floes blooming like flowers upon the water.


    Curious was the formless lake. It sought her desire, her want. What did she have to bargain for? And she, in turn, sought answers from the lake, answers to the sickness leaving people wilting on the shore. Containment, health, and prosperity, these she desired.


    She sang, and in its way, the lake sang back, prodding her for meaning and clarification. They sang and spoke without words, and by slow increments, the lake began to show interest in name and sacrifice and in the reflections of lives that would live in, on, and around its water.


    The emptiness at the lake''s bottom rolled back like the curtains on a stage, and Ling Qi felt her mind''s eye drawn across the depths and the rich black river mud where denizens of deep water writhed and swam and lived. She followed the tug to the far side, closer to the thundering waters, and then down into a weed-choked crevice, a split in the earth from which bubbles of earthflame flickered and rose, lit by a dull glow of heat and power from far beneath.


    And there, she saw the crystals growing all along the rocks, gray and red and yellow and tiny, tiny specks of green, pulsing with qi so potent that it leached into the waters.


    Contain? whispered the lake. The waters swirled.


    Contain. For now, Ling Qi whispered, and it was so.


    And in her mind, she marked the day because this was the day that Snowblossom Lake was born.


    ***


    ¡°So, what were the effects on the surface?¡± Lao Keung asked. He¡¯d long since dried off, wrapping himself in his coat and scarves.


    Sixiang drawled to her.


    Ling Qi sighed. Maybe a little.


    Sixiang squealed happily. Ling Qi ignored them.


    Xia Lin stood before them, encased in shining steel from the neck down with only her plumed helmet off and held under one arm. She looked distinctly unhappy. ¡°The shoreline withdrew some ten meters, and a frozen mist began to form and flow out of the bed. This persisted for some thirty minutes during which the earth underwent minor tremors.¡±


    ¡°I felt that it was best to address the problem immediately,¡± Ling Qi justified. ¡°It was my concern that the toxin in the water may have proven dangerous or corrupting.¡±


    ¡°A reasonable concern,¡± Xia Lin said dully.


    ¡°I see that you had no trouble preventing damage or organizing the withdrawal, Captain Xia,¡± Lao Keung said.


    ¡°Of course I had no trouble,¡± Xia Lin snapped. ¡°There are only a few dozen civilians yet.¡±


    Ling Qi considered the temporary outpost, the simple wooden barracks, and the primitive logging camp, all surrounded by a palisade of sharpened stakes. Snowblossom Outpost had just enough infrastructure to host some permanent population and begin work on some projects.


    ¡°I was fully confident in your abilities,¡± Ling Qi praised sincerely.


    ¡°And your own,¡± Xia Lin said dryly.


    ¡°Of course. Was I wrong?¡±


    ¡°You are vexing, Lady Ling.¡±


    ¡°I like you as well, Captain Xia.¡±


    Lao Keung snorted. It became a cough when Xia Lin glared at him.


    ¡°Fine. You are quite serious about the spirit stones?¡± Xia Lin asked.


    ¡°I am,¡± Ling Qi said more seriously. ¡°They¡¯re at the south end of the lake. I can¡¯t be sure, but I think the vein may run down from the mountain which the river runs through.


    ¡°Then I suppose we will be reconsidering our building plans. Again. This is not even considering the sudden abundance of fish near the surface,¡± Xia Lin said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ling Qi agreed.


    ¡°And of course, Lady Ling will be quite busy for the remainder of the day as well.¡±


    ¡°I will?¡±


    Xia Lin smiled pleasantly and with a great deal of teeth. ¡°The documentation required to register a new spirit stone deposit is extensive.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked. ¡°Ah,¡± she said faintly.


    ¡­ She¡¯d probably earned that.

 Threads 288-Construction 1

    Threads 288-Construction 1


    ¡°The Bountiful Earth must smile upon us!¡± Gan Guangli laughed. He leaned against the side of the carriage, his bulky arm resting upon the window frame.


    ¡°That is definitely the implication that I wove into the cover letter of my report on the find,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°It is very lucky.¡±


    ¡°Improbably so, but such is the nature of spirits,¡± Cai Renxiang said. She tapped her fingers on the sheathed saber laid across her lap. Her expression was slightly pinched.


    ¡°I have already said my piece on my haste,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°That is not the trouble. Now, before there is a large civilian presence, is the time for haste and chances taken,¡± Cai Renxiang dismissed. ¡°No, it means there are even more eyes upon us, and more importantly, it will increase the pressure on us to demand a wide claim in the region during negotiations.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced and scratched the back of her neck. She hadn¡¯t thought about that. Of course people would believe that where there was one, there might be more veins to be found in the region. How troublesome.


    Gan Guangli rubbed his chin. ¡°True. There will be more lords eager to make claims now. Thankfully, the immediate gains are all under your mother¡¯s oversight.¡±


    ¡°It mitigates the issue,¡± Cai Renxiang said grudgingly. ¡°Regardless, it does not change our immediate goals. It has taken me some effort to make arrangements for our early visit to the summit location to meet the other stakeholders, and we must take advantage.¡±


    ¡°We need to determine the minimum acceptable terms for our negotiations,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°It¡¯s difficult that it took until now to manage.¡±


    ¡°We knew we would not be taken entirely seriously,¡± Cai Renxiang reminded. ¡°But there are representatives of all the major players here now. We will split them between us and determine their desires, and when we are finished, we will compile the information into the beginnings of a plan.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lady Cai,¡± they agreed.


    ¡°I will handle matters of the Bao, the Peaks delegation, and the Diao,¡± Cai Renxiang continued crisply. ¡°Gan Guangli, you will handle the matter of the Jia, the Luo, and the sects. Ling Qi, you will focus on the Wang, the Meng, and our foreign guests. If crossover occurs, you will handle the matter as needed.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded at the same time as Gan Guangli. They had their respective mission and area of focus, but these were unlikely to stay perfectly delineated. ¡°We¡¯ll handle it. We won¡¯t be able to fulfill every expectation, but I am confident we can reach an acceptable conclusion here.¡±


    ¡°Agreed. I trust in the both of you,¡± Cai Renxiang said, giving a sharp nod. ¡°Now, prepare yourselves. We are nearly there and will be greeting the General first.¡±


    Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help but grimace. General Xia Ren was definitely not the best person to be assigned to a diplomatic mission, even if her presence made the security all but unassailable.


    When the carriage passed around the next turn in the newly laid road, the valley came into view. When they had passed through here on their journey to the south, it had been a dark and tangled mass of closely packed trees around a shallow, winding waterway flanked by mountains on both sides. It was barely recognizable now.


    The trees had been carved back from the stream and thinned out in general near the road. Great warding stones, plinths carved with formations which set down dense legal contracts in both stone and spirit, dotted the landscape. On the east side where the valley bent around a protruding peak, the entire upper third of that mountain was gone. Stopping at a razor straight line, it was now an artificial plateau. Construction could be seen going on atop it.


    But there were not only signs of imperial presence. In the far south, Ling Qi saw a towering gray barked tree, which had, even at this distance, the faint contours of a woman with her hands over her face in its trunk. It might have been tiny in comparison to Xiangmen, but Ling Qi thought it must still be over a hundred meters tall. Its pale green-gray leaves rustled and teemed with what must have been thousands of birds from bright little songbirds to bulky black crows and fierce eagles. Their crying was a cacophony over the much trimmed forest.


    Passing under the reduced canopy, their carriage silently flew along the well paved road that followed the river, and swiftly, they came to where the ruins of the Hui bunker had been.


    Work crews teemed here. The filth and muck had been cleaned from the structure, and the half-drowned island it had been built into was now the site of rising pillars of stone and polished wood, the beginnings of a fine noble manse. The foundations for bridges had been laid across the river, and even now, sweating laborers dragged blocks of stone and other materials to complete them. On either side of the river, buildings were going up as well, homes for emissaries of the clans and officials that would come.


    ¡°It is amazing to see this all built so fast. I wish we could manage that.¡± Ling Qi eyed the pillar of gleaming white steel that awaited them at the end of the road. Even so distant, she could feel the sword intent pass over her, the whisper of a silk wrapped blade across her skin.


    ¡°This expansion comes with the full backing of my house and all the wealth of Xiangmen and its people. The expense of this undertaking is immense.¡±


    ¡°And that is why I am still confident. There may be doubts, but this summit is receiving a great investment.¡± Gan Guangli crossed his arms. ¡°This is so even if, to many, it is being sold as a logistics center for a true wave of expansion into the Wall.¡±


    The carriage came to a stop in front of the general, who waited for them by one of the completed bridges that crossed the river''s span. She felt Sixiang, who had been quietly observing, withdraw further into her head as she followed Cai Renxiang out.


    ¡°Welcome, young Lady Cai,¡± Xia Ren said crisply. Her voice echoed metallically from inside of her helm, which was unbroken by any seam or gap. ¡°Construction of this base is continuing at an acceptable rate. There have not yet been any signs of sabotage or foreign action from above or below ground, outside the region designated for your targets.¡±


    Cai Renxiang stood straight with her arms folded behind her back. Ling Qi peered over her shoulder at the general. Did this woman have any inclination of the task they had been set? Her instincts told her no. Maybe it was naive of her, but Xia Ren felt different than many of the Duchess¡¯ other direct servants.


    ¡°That is good. The large construct in the south is theirs then?¡± Cai Renxiang asked.


    ¡°Yes. Going by your reports, it appears to be a cultivator of some power in their method. I have detected two others of similar might prowling. They appear in more mortal scales however.¡± The general nodded toward the massive tree, visible in gaps through the canopy. ¡°That arrived after I prepared the ground for the observatory. I believe it is meant as a show of force, that these barbarians are not easily cowed.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced up to the sundered mountain. Their guests did not want to appear weak in comparison.


    ¡°Regardless, the location is secure. The clans are arriving and putting into order their own positions and guards. If you require my attention, speak to my adjutant in the field office I have established in the ruins.¡±


    ¡°General, thank you for your efforts. Can I trust that you will leave matters of contact in our hands?¡±


    The eyeless helm turned towards Cai Renxiang, and Ling Qi had to hold herself very still to avoid flinching as it passed over her.


    ¡°Your mother was very clear. This matter is yours to succeed or fail at. My sword will not be drawn first. It will, however, be sheathed last. The Emerald Seas will not suffer a single loss while I am here.¡±


    ¡°Then I will work hard to ensure you are not inconvenienced by needing to act,¡± Cai Renxiang said calmly.


    The response was a short, sharp nod, and the general turned away. Her silhouette thinned to an impossible edge, and then, she was gone. There was a faint crack of thunder as the sundered air where she had stood crashed back together.


    Cai Renxiang took a deep breath. ¡°To your duties then. Ling Qi, Gan Guangli, we will meet back here in the diplomatic apartments this evening.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, turning away with Gan Guangli. Gan Guangli bent his knees, and her slippered foot slipped into shadow. He leapt in a plume of dust, and she vanished into the wind.


    Only Cai Renxiang remained behind, outlined in a faint halo of light, watching the great tree to the south.


    There was work to do.


    ***


    She found Wang Lian at the center of a work site. One of three copies of the woman was directing the laborers and architects in the construction of a manor site. The copy of Wang Lian she directed her attention toward stood with her hands on her hips, shouting orders as a team of workers raised a warding stone, sweating and straining with ropes and pulleys to raise the multi-ton tablet of qi-charged stone.


    Ling Qi fluttered to the ground like a leaf beside the thickly built woman, her gown billowing in her own personal wind as she settled on the churned up earth. She waited politely, smoothing the silk as the warding stone thudded into place, rocked, and settled.


    ¡°Baroness,¡± Wang Lian greeted curtly as she waved the laborers off to take a moment''s rest.


    ¡°Lady Wang,¡± Ling Qi returned. ¡°It is my pleasure to greet you in person again.¡±


    ¡°I might be a bit annoyed with the spectacle you roped Chao into, but between your actions in the north and how energetic he is about it, I can¡¯t find much temper in me.¡± The older woman wasn¡¯t wearing a gown today, but a thick workman¡¯s smock over a shirt and trousers and large, heavy boots streaked with earth and mud.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware you moved in such circles as to be bothered by my play.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t, but it has kicked up some annoying arguments again,¡± Wang Lian grumped.


    ¡°Do you have an opinion on the matter, Lady Wang?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think men should trust in spirits and beasts so deeply. It worked in the old days because we were weak and had no other choices. The world was made for us. You see it in the way spirits change just by being around us. Shaping the world is our birthright as the children of the Nameless. Tsu understood that. Unity of men and the strength of our backs and arms is what ended the rule of beasts and freed us from that terror. That much, I agree with you on. We need to come together more as the people of the Emerald Seas.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded her head. That was a fairly common line of thought among the more moderate imperials. ¡°Many spirits are dangerous, alien, but as you said, they change by being near us and bonding with us. I will make no apologies for treating my spirits as kin.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re not spineless about it, dancing around me with words. Come. Let¡¯s get a cup of wine. I don¡¯t disapprove of your method; I just don¡¯t think it works at scale.¡±

 Threads 289 Construction 2

    Threads 289 Construction 2


    Ling Qi followed Wang Lian away from the work site, chatting about Hanyi and her tour and the work going on at the site. Wang Lian seemed tentatively approving. The woman seemed to approve of innovation as a general principle, so long as precautions were taken for safety.


    Wang Lian led her to a small, mundane pavilion of wood and canvas under which there was a a table holding some refreshments. Wang Lian, somewhat against etiquette, poured her a cup of well watered wine as they sat down beside the table in a pair of camp chairs.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, Lady Wang, may I ask what you think of this summit?¡± Ling Qi asked, turning the conversation toward the real subject she had come here for.


    ¡°Hugely expensive and of dubious use if this business with the foreigners fails to work out,¡± Wang Lian replied. ¡°But in the end, we¡¯re getting our expansion without having to bankroll it ourselves. The Wang don¡¯t oppose you, Baroness. Most would even be pleased to see you succeed.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, though she felt a twinge of discomfort as memories of the nightmare under the mountain came to the fore. She¡¯d not often really thought of what was happening to the cloud nomads in these mountains as they pushed south. At the same time, it was hard even now to muster up sympathy. Even in Tonghou, the cloud tribes were the subject of dark stories told to children at night, and she remembered Elder Jiao¡¯s test in the Sect, the memory of an entire city ripped apart by a vast wind funnel carrying people and stones and earth into the sky.


    ¡°Given the Wang clan¡¯s project bringing the nomads into the fold, these peoples and their own project would seem less objectionable,¡± Ling Qi put forward.


    Wang Lian grunted an agreement, swirling her own wine in the cup. ¡°It¡¯s just sensible, bringing the cloud nomads in. The Sect and the Duchess make a right mess of it. Too many children coming in, and not enough older members to care for them. I understand the rage, but they need to be offering surrender much sooner than they have.¡±


    Ling Qi felt an unpleasant twinge at the implication. ¡°Have you raised that objection?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve sent it up. Don¡¯t expect much. To most of the province, leaving any alive at all is a great mercy.¡± Wang Lian shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s hard to disagree. There¡¯s not a person alive, down to the mortals, who have not lost someone to raiders in the south of the province, and the north remembers Ogodei and stories of devils in the sky and slaughtered cities.¡±


    ¡°But you do disagree?¡±


    Wang Lian squinted at her for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s a waste. Most people just want to live. You get rabble rousers, but plant down a tribe and stick them on some pastures, and within a generation or two, they change to fit. They pay their taxes like anyone else. People like their habits. It''s just a matter of giving them new ones. Getting them off that awful cultivation of theirs is harder, but you stick with it and give ¡®em the alternative, and that gets done too.¡±


    ¡°What is wrong with their cultivation? I¡¯m not familiar.¡±


    ¡°They fuse their souls with beasts. It¡¯s potent, mind you, but it''s bad for the young ones. Kills or cripples the talentless. Some would call that a benefit. They say it¡¯s why they have more cultivators born and why they¡¯re strong enough to stand against the Empire even with their low numbers and scattered tribes. Always a strain of that nonsense going around, but I don¡¯t truck with that kind of thinking.¡±


    Ling Qi forced herself to get back on track. ¡°I understand. My apologies for the personal tangent. The primary question I¡¯ve wanted to ask is Wang''s opinions on the negotiation itself. What is the most important objective the Wang clan would like established in any treaty?¡±


    Wang Lian took a long drink from her wine. ¡°Maps.¡±


    ¡°Maps?¡±


    ¡°Clear, unambiguous maps and lines of territory. What¡¯s ours, and what¡¯s theirs. No confusion. No uncertainty. Or, at least, attempt to minimize it anyway. The rest is too far off. Pretty words on paper. Hard agreement on what belongs to who without anybody needing to get killed every time a disagreement comes up is what you build civilization on. If these foreigners can be trusted to hold to that, maybe there really is something to this attempt.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Honestly, Ling Qi thought, this was probably the most straightforward demand she could expect to hear. It was a little relieving.


    Sixiang deflated such thoughts.


    Sixiang thought.


    Exacting agreements on territory wouldn¡¯t be easy, but it was at least straightforward.


    Sixiang was dubious.


    Ling Qi coughed into her hand, her mind wandering back to the previous subject. Her thoughts were confused and conflicted. It was only the nightmare she had experienced with Xuan Shi which made her consider it at all. Should she try to do something about it? Could she do something about it?


    Sixiang asked her privately.


    Ling Qi hummed to herself.


    ¡°You look as if you have something else to say, Baroness,¡± Wang Lian said.


    ¡°Lady Wang,¡± Ling Qi began. ¡°It¡¯s my belief that the White Sky¡¯s methods of integration may have some advantages, which would benefit us and your clan in particular to study.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°From what I have observed, they have gained willing cooperation even in the first generation. They are stronger, and the tribes know this, but they have allowed them some freedom of movement. For example, they allow the integrated tribes to patrol the roads as their migration route and have allowed some intermarriage. Obviously, I won¡¯t ask the latter, but you do have already integrated tribes which could¡­¡±


    Wang Lian held up a hand. ¡°I understand you mean well, Baroness, but I am not sure how much your advice is worth when you know so little of our methods.¡±


    Ling Qi paused, searching the older woman''s face.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t object to learning more,'''' Ling Qi said. ¡°I merely want as little bloodshed as possible.¡±


    ¡°Admirable, and it is good to seek out and test new methods.¡±


    ¡°Would you consider speaking to the White Sky during the summit then?¡±


    Wang Lian drummed her fingers on the table. ¡°I suppose that isn¡¯t unreasonable. But Baroness, I think it''s an idea better broached after this summit of yours.¡±


    Because, Ling Qi realized, no one would even pretend to take seriously the methods of a pack of barbarians until they¡¯d proven able to form and keep a treaty and to be recognized as if not peers, then at least people.


    Ling Qi sighed. ¡°Reasonable. There¡¯s also the matter of surrendering. I do agree with you. What you described seems awfully overzealous. Would the Wang clan be willing to put forth more effort on pushing that issue? I truly believe that toning it down and moving closer to your methods would aid the negotiations.¡±


    ¡°And I appreciate that. We are already placing pressure where we can, but being allowed to perform any integration at all requires significant effort. Many demand we end the whole project and purge any who still practice cloud tribe methods.¡± Wang Lian said thoughtfully, ¡±I may be able to sway the Luo and perhaps the Blue Mountain Sect, but the General and the Argent Peak Sect? You¡¯ll need Her Grace to do anything about those.¡±


    ¡°Which will also require my success,¡± Ling Qi said a touch bitterly.


    ¡°That¡¯s the way of it. Success breeds success. You¡¯ve earned a little,¡± Wang Lian said not unkindly. ¡°But you¡¯ll need more if you wish to extend your reach. Why the interest in this matter, Baroness? Is this all about building up our image for your negotiations?¡±


    Ling Qi hesitated. ¡°You know that I practice some Dreaming Moon arts.¡±


    ¡°Dangerous, but that¡¯s ambition for you.¡± Wang Lian gestured for her to go on.


    ¡°You mentioned seeing a great vision when you went before your matriarch. I see such visions in the realm of dreams. And what I saw here in the Wall is an endless nightmare, violence repeating itself back and forth forever.¡±


    ¡°You are aware what most at court would say the solution to that is. It is not what we are doing.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced. ¡°I know, but cruelty, I think, begets cruelty. And it doesn¡¯t go away.¡±


    Wang Lian made a noncommittal sound, pouring another cup of wine. ¡°I won¡¯t pretend there¡¯s no cruelty in what we do. We crush a tribe in battle, break their warriors, and kill their chiefs, and only when all hope of victory or escape is dead in their eyes do we offer our hand. Anything else invites treachery and fighting the whole bloody battle all over again. It leads to more villages burned and more slaves carried off to live short, miserable lives in the choking sky. Once, my father accepted a peaceful surrender without battle. The tribe which gave it broke their word within the decade, carrying off livestock, material, and other, more settled kinsmen from other tribes. They collapsed a pass behind them, killing hundreds of soldiers. That was probably the plot all along. You understand what a difficult task you''re setting yourself?¡±


    ¡°And what do you do with those who surrender? I said I would like to learn.¡±


    ¡°Take the survivors and their stocks, and pick a stretch of mountain out to settle them on. The tribes are pastoral anyway. They have their warbeasts, their ¡®beast souls,¡¯ but most of their stock is sheep and goats, adapted for the high mountains. The wool is valuable, the softest you¡¯ll find. It¡¯s half the reason we get away with this project at all, seeing as the imperial herdsmen don¡¯t have the tribe''s methods.¡±


    ¡°You could just take the methods though,¡± Ling Qi pointed out.


    ¡°Aye, we could, but that doesn''t change the fact you need a herdsman capable of breathing the air above the clouds without trouble,¡± Wang Lian said. ¡°Regardless, you set up an outpost with enough soldiers to stop them getting ideas, and you tell them they owe a tithe each year. They understand that well enough. You set it high enough that they can¡¯t quite afford to feed themselves on their own. Then you apply the first benefit, food from the lowlands with low qi density. Assign an imperial physician to the outpost, who tempts them with the food and care and makes sure to minimize their access to their own cultivation materials while offering a trickle of imperial ones. More children tie them down harder and makes it harder to run. It¡¯s best if you can set up a mirror settlement down where the air is thicker, but you can¡¯t always get people willing to risk that. Sometimes, it has to be further away.¡±


    Wang Lian spoke with the air of a professional listing off the requirements for completing a work order.


    ¡°And I suppose they are restricted to the mountain you place them on under pain of death,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°Those are the terms for the first generation,¡± Wang Lian agreed. ¡°Some exceptions are made for collaborators. A good reward for someone who has been an informer or had good behavior is to allow them out with a patrol to earn glory. Mostly, the rest of the program is controlled mixing. Children are raised in the lower village once they¡¯re old enough. The parents can come down on a controlled basis with more leeway if they take up a trade or military post or they¡¯re part a mixed family. There¡¯s more to it, but those are the basics.¡±


    ¡°Mixing is allowed? That must upset many.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s encouraged. And it very much does, so we don¡¯t talk about it much.¡± She gave Ling Qi a hard look. ¡°It¡¯s still the best way to bring them in and keep them there when you can manage.¡±


    Ling Qi was all but certain it was probably uglier and less clean in reality because that was the way of the world. But practices could not be changed so easily. She¡¯d been rebuffed for now, but not harshly. She¡¯d come back to it later.


    ¡°I see. Perhaps I can make a visit to your lands someday to understand further. For now, I should probably turn back to the negotiations. Lady Wang, you speak of establishing clear borders, but we should speak more on where exactly the Wang would like these lines drawn.¡±


    ¡°True enough. We will be pleased to host you someday. As for the maps, we¡¯ll have to arrange more surveys, likely in a collaboration with these foreigners of yours¡­¡±


    She rang a bell, calling a servant to bring in the maps, and Ling Qi settled in to discuss the Wang clan¡¯s interests further.

 Threads 290 Construction 3

    Threads 290 Construction 3


    It was a few hours later, the sun having passed its zenith, when Ling Qi made her way out, traveling up and over the switchback path that led toward the top of the severed mountain. It was unpleasant. The qi in the air was still disturbed and humming, the mountain all but emanating indignation and wrath but also the fear of a being wholly cowed. Ling Qi could sense the efforts being made to calm the local spirits though, so the mountain¡¯s feelings didn¡¯t worry her.


    On the newly formed plateau, there were many workers, turning the cloven surface into something more natural. The efforts were mostly mundane. with many workers were hauling bags or wagons of soil and grass seed, but there were scattered individuals shaping the cut stone, transforming the exposed rock into a material that would endure the elements and hold soil.


    Her target wasn¡¯t in the general work crews this time, but in the rising tower of cut white stone and polished wood. It was an observatory, she had been told, a place to study the sky and the threats beyond. It had been arranged for by the Duchess to study the demon lights they had seen in the sky on their journey south. Around it, the beginnings of a fine garden were being cultivated, and she could see the bases of other buildings. The Meng had chosen this location and lobbied the Duchess for attachment to the observatory, and their request had been granted.


    As Ling Qi fluttered down from the sky, gown billowing out in the wind, she was greeted by one of the pair standing near the entrance of the incomplete observatory.


    ¡°Lady Ling, you are in fine form this day,¡± Meng Dan greeted as she touched down. ¡°You¡¯ve tried a new pattern for your mantle, I see.¡±


    Ling Qi reached up, brushing the pale blue fur trim at her neck. She¡¯d shaped her mantle into a pale, diaphanous cloak of nearly transparent silk with a touch of glittering thread that made her seem partially shrouded in snow.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to give her some practice,¡± Ling Qi said, referring to her slowly awakening gown. ¡°And even one such as I like to try new things now and then.¡±


    ¡°You do indeed,¡± Meng Dan said, his eyes sparkled with humor, and Ling Qi smiled back, acknowledging the understatement.


    ¡°You managed to secure yourself as a representative then?¡±


    ¡°I did, through prior experience and some backing. And I admit, it helped that a number of candidates stormed out, refusing to countenance the entire matter.¡±


    Ling Qi winced. She had heard that a faction of the Meng clan were incredibly upset by some of her recent statements. She had already committed to helping Meng Diu and Meng Dan¡¯s group though.


    ¡°And who is this?¡± she asked, politely turning to the other person present, a gangly, bookish man in dark blue robes. He had a sleepless look to him, which was strange given that she sensed he was in the fourth realm.


    ¡°Baroness Ling wounds me,¡± he said tiredly, running a hand through his hair and knocking his minister''s cap askew.


    Sixiang whispered.


    Ling Qi bowed in apology as a brief burst of memory replayed behind her eyes. This was the astronomer at court, who¡¯d verified some of their claims. ¡°My deepest apologies, Astronomer Wu. Her Grace tends to overwhelm other impressions.¡±


    ¡°She does,¡± Wu said. ¡°Please raise your head. I am only a scholar after all.¡±


    Ling Qi rose. He turned to look at Meng Dan.


    ¡°Let me leave you to your next appointment then, Sir Meng. I¡¯ve enjoyed our conversation, but I really must get back to work as well.¡± The astronomer gestured respectfully and bowed himself.


    ¡°Of course. I do wish you good fortune in attuning and aligning the lenses tonight, Astronomer,¡± Meng Dan said politely.


    ¡°Baroness, if you or Lady Cai would care to read this one''s observations on the celestial phenomena in the south, please just set an appointment,¡± he added, turning to her and bowing again.


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Astronomer Wu.¡±


    With that, the older man left. The two of them waited a polite beat for him to disappear inside the observatory before continuing.


    ¡°I must inform you that I am not alone here,¡± Meng Dan said.


    Ling Qi sighed. ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°An uncle of mine, one who is aligned to the clan head¡¯s views. He is not wholly unsympathetic to grandmother though. I will, however, have to run any serious agreement through him.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Ling Qi said unhappily. It was an obstacle, but not an unexpected one. ¡°How much obstruction do you think there will be?¡±


    ¡°That is the interesting question.¡± Meng Dan steepled his fingers together. ¡°Uncle Deming is a principled man. In many ways, he was the compromise candidate.¡±


    Ling Qi crossed her arms, considering this. ¡°And what are his principles?¡±


    ¡°That there is more power in words than blades. That we, the Meng, should be teachers and keepers of history. He is a deeply melancholy man, stemming from his belief that our ways can only fade, or at best, hold in the heartlands. It is my grandmother¡¯s belief that he might be swayed to our views if it can be shown that the spirit speaking methods and principles of the Dreaming Way can still find purchase in today¡¯s world.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned. ¡°Merely asking after those beliefs would be taken as flattery alone.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Meng Dan agreed. ¡°Unless you can show you have some real interest already?¡±


    Ling Qi thought of a horned skeleton, pierced and bound to a pillar of stone in a jail of broken time. ¡°Maybe.¡±


    ¡°You did imply before that you might have found something,¡± Meng Dan offered. ¡°But leaving that aside, he is not against this effort in principle. Neither is the clan head. Do understand that.¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t? I understand that the majority of your clan is very isolationist.¡±


    ¡°They are, but they are also very traditional. And thanks to the tapestry you sold to us, whose authenticity is now beyond question, it cannot be argued easily that diplomacy with these folk is untraditional.¡±


    Ling Qi hummed under her breath. That was an unexpected benefit. ¡°But there is still opposition.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Right now, they seem to be testing language implying that the ice folk are shiftless and untrustworthy since the marriage alliance was not renewed and the High King who made it was unseated by his rivals in the end. I can¡¯t say how effective it is yet.¡±


    ¡°Something else relying on our success,¡± Ling QI said wryly.


    ¡°Naturally,¡± Meng Dan chuckled. ¡°But please, come with me. Our housing is incomplete, but a small pavilion has been set aside for meals. Do you have a preference for tea?¡±


    ¡°Please serve whatever your own preference is. Is your uncle here yet? I do not sense any one of the upper realms aside from Astronomer Wu.¡±


    ¡°Not yet. A personal meeting unrelated to the summit is probably best saved for after the success of the initial negotiations. I will introduce you in the coming months, of course.¡±


    They made their way to a little pavilion which looked as if it would be surrounded by running water eventually, and soon, they were served a rich green tea.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised your elders were willing to set up here atop such a blatant violation of the natural spiritual landscape.¡±


    ¡°Disasters come, and rearrange the world. One must know how to create in the wake of ruin.¡±


    That explained all of the effort put into landscaping. She touched base with Sixiang, who had been casting their senses about.


    Sixiang commented.


    Ling Qi inclined her head slightly. ¡°So, Meng Dan, let¡¯s get to the main question. What does the Meng clan want most from these negotiations?¡±


    ¡°That is difficult to answer given the competing interests at play. But¡­ I think an agreement of military cooperation against the nomad tribes that lie between us would do the most to silence critics among my clan. And given grandmother¡¯s intentions to develop the south, that would be most helpful to us.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t ask for small results.¡± Ling Qi sighed, letting the warm steam from the tea waft over her face. She drummed her fingers on the table. ¡°You know any such agreement would be a long way off.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Meng Dan agreed. ¡°But I have little else to offer. Only a reduction in raids would materially affect the Meng clan¡¯s interests.¡±


    This request could potentially interlock with other interests. But it was an idea which needed more cooking. ¡°Hmm, do you know what movements the Western Territories are making?¡±


    ¡°They are attempting to build a port again. It seems significantly more successful than their last attempt. But in regards to the troop movements in the south, the number of involved troops are significant. Reports indicate at least twenty thousand Sun soldiers, all at least third realm. It is their largest muster since the initial conquest of the west. Also¡­¡± Meng Dan trailed off, and his perpetual smile dipped.


    ¡°Also?¡± Ling Qi asked warily.


    ¡°The priests who oversee the maintenance of the western border have been requesting reinforcement and resources. The jungle is¡­ energetic in a way that they have not experienced.¡±


    And then, there was that. She hoped Cai Renxiang would return with more news on what had gone down in the meeting between Sun Shao and the Duchess. ¡°Thank you, Meng Dan.¡±


    ¡°You are very welcome, Miss Ling. Perhaps you will deign to share some of those secrets you have teased in the future.¡±


    ¡°Maybe when this is over, we can arrange to share notes.¡±


    ¡°Most agreeable. I¡¯m sure I can arrange something comfortable,¡± Meng Dan replied. ¡°Though I must insist you share some favorites for the catering.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, and for the first time, an errant thought crossed her mind. Meng Dan seemed to compliment her often. She¡¯d assumed it was just part of his affable personality. However, this arrangement¡­


    Sixiang¡¯s words brought her up short. No, she supposed it didn¡¯t. Nothing official had been mentioned, so even if there was an idle fancy there, it didn¡¯t amount to anything. She had strength and position. There was no threat.


    ¡°Miss Ling?¡± Meng Dan asked, tilting his head.


    ¡°Sorry, just lost in thought for a moment. I¡¯d actually like to acquire some material to study imperial era Weilu governance and spirit law. And if I¡¯m going to talk to your uncle, I wouldn¡¯t mind some primers on the basic tenets of the Dreaming Way. Do you have any recommendations?¡±


    Meng Dan drummed his fingers on the table. She held back a wince. He¡¯d obviously noticed a shift in her demeanor


    ¡°Well, what is publicly available is somewhat limited, but I can create a reading list for you easily enough.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, sipping from her tea.


    They spoke a while longer on smaller details such as arrangements for material and accommodation for the Meng clan in the planning and building. These were requests which she could pass up the chain to hopefully smooth prickly tempers.


    He also provided some more objective feedback on Hanyi¡¯s tour, which had been successful by all metrics. Her junior sister did seem to have influenced the more local spirits strongly. A repeat the following year was looking to be well in the cards.


    Meng Diu was heavily involved in pushing for renewal projects in the south, but it was hampered somewhat by the troubles in the west. It made it difficult to argue with the more militantly isolationist Meng.


    Eventually, Ling Qi took her leave, leaving Meng Dan to resume his own duties as she made her way from the observatory and the half-tilled garden. Outside, she swiftly turned her attention to the south where Sixiang indicated the continued presence of power.

 Threads 291 Construction 4

    Threads 291 Construction 4


    Traveling across the severed mountain peak and following the half-constructed road laid out by posts and string, she made her way toward the southern edge of the plateau. She had begun to feel a hole where one should be. It was the sort of deliberately amateurish masking she would do if trying to advertise her presence without giving her domain away. And indeed, as she moved round the foundations of defensive forts and towers, she found herself looking at a pair of figures who were definitely not workers.


    One was an acquaintance. Shrouded in gray robes, including headwrap and veil from which shaggy red hair poked out nonetheless, she saw the man she had briefly met, first in the Dream of Xiangmen and then again in the sewers under Haishan. This was Zheng Fu, scion of the Ebon Rivers ducal clan.


    The other, an old man with a face creased deeply by wind and sun, was obviously foreign. Despite the age of his face and the bend of his back, his hair and beard were iron gray and thick, spilling out from under the hood that shadowed his face. He wore a cloak of crow feathers around his bent shoulders, which reached all the way to ground, concealing the rest of his body save for the claw like hand that grasped onto the knotted top of the gnarled walking stick he leaned on.


    Whatever they were saying, she could not hear, only the cawing of crows and the sound of the wind. When Zheng Fu turned round, the screening technique swept away like leaves in an autumn wind.


    ¡°Ho! Looks like you were right, old timer! There she is! Baroness, I¡¯d like to speak, but I can wait till after you¡¯ve had your chat with this grandfather here.¡±


    If the old foreign man had been any taller, the towering Zheng¡¯s sweeping gesture probably would have clipped his temple. He stood there silently, watching her.


    ¡°I was not informed that you would be here, Sir Zheng. But we can speak, of course. Please excuse me.¡±


    She didn¡¯t want to imply in front of one of their guests that someone had apparently just shown up out of the blue. Last she knew, he had simply been carrying a message to the Duchess.


    ¡°Ha, well, we can¡¯t just let the other provinces have all the fun,¡± he said cheerfully, eyes gleaming with humor. ¡°Later then, grandfather!¡±


    The elderly foreigner¡¯s jaw worked, as if chewing on something. ¡°Yes. Later, trickster.¡±


    Ling Qi held in her wince. Gods and ancestors, she hoped Zheng Fu hadn¡¯t caused too much offense. She gave him a short nod as he stepped past her heading back along the road, and then, she stepped forward herself. Instead of bowing, she extended her hand as she had seen the foreigners do. ¡°I am Emissary Ling Qi, and I am pleased to meet you, sir. I hope that you have not been given any offense.¡±


    He considered her in silence for a moment, and she worried that the gesture was wrong. After a few seconds, his other hand appeared from inside the cloak and clasped her wrist. Even wrapped in furs and leather, he was as cold as an arctic wind. Then again, so was she. She grasped the man¡¯s near skeletal wrist back and held, meeting his gaze.


    She realized then that one of his eyes was gone, an empty, sunken socket.


    He released her. ¡°He tried very hard in the way of your people.¡±


    ¡°What way is that?¡±


    ¡°Titles. Familiarity. You hold yourselves apart with unfamiliar rituals and order. He transgresses. But I am too old to beat my chest and howl at the moon for pride. Grandfather, ¡®old timer,¡¯ neither is untrue.¡± The old man withdrew his hand back into the depths of his cloak.


    His diction was strange, slow and considering as if he were drawing phrases from a tome. But his meaning was clear, even if his creaky, cracking voice made it harsh to the ear.


    ¡°I am glad. May I ask why you sought to draw my attention, elder?¡±


    He nodded, made no effort to hide what he¡¯d been doing. He no longer felt like a hole in the world, but rather, like an old stone, unremarkable and invisible for it. If she were not looking at him, she¡¯d not know he was there.


    ¡°Elder. Same meaning. Kinder,¡± the man said.


    Ling Qi did not rise to the bait. ¡°I will call you as you like, of course. Do you have a name or title, sir?¡±


    ¡°No. I set my name down long ago. Elder is fine.¡±


    It was the prerogative of the old to poke and prod the young. Such practices crossed cultures, it seemed. ¡°Then elder, your purpose?¡±


    ¡°To walk the far fields where there is no hope or hearth.¡± The crow cloaked elder tapped his stick thoughtfully on the ground. ¡°To catch brave children when they tumble over the cliffs in the dark. Many whisper that the children are climbing high cliffs in the north. I have spoken with one. I would speak with the other.¡±


    Ling Qi only took a moment to analyze his cryptic speech. She was thankfully experienced with this. ¡°You spoke to Lady Jaromila, so you wanted to speak to me.¡±


    He stared at her intently.


    She waited patiently, though she knew her time was limited if she wished to keep other appointments.


    ¡°You are older than your skin,¡± he said finally. ¡°What task did the old crone set you?¡±


    Ling Qi blinked at him. There must be some residual power clinging to her from her last dream expedition. ¡°My companion and I fetched her firewood and listened to a story while she cooked.¡±


    ¡°Interesting. Kind. Unusual,¡± the elder said thoughtfully.


    Ling Qi looked at him intently. ¡°Were you ever given a task, elder?¡±


    He smiled mirthlessly and reached up, tugging at his collar. There, she glimpsed thick ropy scars going down a narrow chest as if he had been torn open long ago. ¡°Wrangling the chicken.¡±


    A much harsher task indeed. ¡°Since I believe you are judging me without words, may I ask you a question while you come to your decision, elder?¡±


    He hummed, gestured in a way which she took as agreement.


    ¡°Is there anything which troubles your embassy? Any matters of conflict which they have perhaps not spoken of out of politeness? I wish to ensure that all are comfortable and in a peaceable state of mind for the upcoming summit.¡±


    ¡°Your people shy from us as if we are rabid hounds. Words are short, terse, and avoided,¡± the elder said, confirming some of her concerns. ¡°There is too much tension for complaints.¡±


    ¡°What do you believe would relieve some of your people''s tension?¡±


    He tapped his stick on the ground. ¡°Your Lord Soul gives them fear, fear enough to uproot the Weeping Haven and bring her here. We both guard, but not together. Reaching an agreement on who shall patrol where and when would make the women¡¯s grip on their blades looser. I think.¡±


    Ling Qi pursed her lips. That was probably difficult given who was in charge. Perhaps if Cai Renxiang really pushed the matter.


    ¡°Would there be anything else, elder?¡±


    ¡°Words between work crews. A sharing of the intent behind your runestones perhaps?¡± The elder shrugged. ¡°For more, speak to those who still live as men, not this nameless old crow. You are driven.¡±


    That was much more doable. Wang Lian liked her despite their minor disagreement. Framing it as preventing a clash of the two sides¡¯ construction methods would see at least some words shared. She was brought up short by his final words. ¡°Yes. This is difficult, but it must succeed.¡±


    ¡°Must it?¡± he wondered. ¡°Two together. You are not the same, but you are not so different. You¡¯ll both crack the ice.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned. He was probably referring to Jaromila. ¡°Where two mountains meet, there will be quakes. But one does not need to crumble before the other.¡±


    ¡°Trying too hard, that one.¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Ling Qi grimaced. ¡°I¡¯m not familiar enough to share a metaphor you might like better, sir.¡±


    She took a deep breath. Should she promise both of his requests? Would the time and effort spent be worth the improvement in the foreign delegations mood?


    She couldn¡¯t be sure.


    ¡°I can promise to see the issue of the work crews resolved soon,¡± LIng Qi said, making her decision. She simply couldn¡¯t afford to be meek here. ¡°The military matter is more delicate and will take time.¡±


    ¡°I am not the one who needs to hear these words.¡±


    ¡°But you can carry them, if that is not too presumptuous of me, elder.¡±


    He considered her with his one sunken eye for a long moment. ¡°Carrying words is among my tasks. You are serious about this exchange of words.¡±


    ¡°Lady Cai, Gan Guangli, and I have staked our future and reputation on this. I do not know if that means anything to you, elder, but we at least are very serious.¡±


    ¡°It remains to be seen how well that intent is wielded. But I am satisfied, young emissary. Would you like this old crow to carry words of meeting to our camp?¡±


    ¡°That would be most appreciated, elder,¡± she said, bowing before she could think better of it. ¡°Perhaps close to evening?¡±


    ¡°The wind will speak to you, if it is agreeable.¡± His voice cracked apart into the harsh cries of birds by his last word. He turned away from her, his shape wavered, and Ling Qi observed as the man scattered, becoming a flock of dozens of crows, winging away into the sky.


    High realms did love their dramatic exits, Ling Qi observed.


    Sixiang snorted.


    Obviously, Ling Qi thought.


    Ling Qi nodded, taking one last glance over the high cliff before turning back herself. She agreed. That man was not wholly human. He had given up his name by his own words. She strongly suspected that it had greater implications than a particular string of sounds. She remembered Grydja¡¯s tale. A high realm trusted by them to be so mobile and active? He had certainly given up something weighty.


    She saw red and gray in the distance and sighed, seeing Zheng Fu waiting there among the partially constructed towers at a polite distance.


    ¡°Friendly chat then?¡± he asked as she approached.


    ¡°May I ask why you are here, Sir Zheng? Surely it isn¡¯t just to heckle my guests,¡± Ling Qi said frostily.


    ¡°Ah, well, the oldsters back home want an eye, so after I dropped off the message with your duchess, I let her know I was coming here.¡± Zheng Fu shrugged. ¡°I, ah, probably outran the messenger though.¡±


    Of course he did, Ling Qi thought. Or maybe the Duchess was toying with them and seeing if they could handle unexpected trouble. ¡°In the future, please speak to me, Gan Guangli, or Lady Cai before approaching our guests. Now, may we walk and talk?¡±


    He frowned at her behind his mask, but turned to follow her. ¡°Hey, now, I wasn¡¯t trying to make trouble. I was wandering around waiting for you to come out of the garden when the old man showed up and told me you¡¯d be coming to him.¡±


    Ling Qi narrowed her eyes, reading his expression, letting Sixiang feed her the feeling of his aura and intent. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. This is very delicate and stressful.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a weird quest, but it is what it is.¡±


    ¡°Quest?¡± Ling Qi asked as they reached the opening of the switchback road and began to descend.


    ¡°Yeah, going for your Name. Just prepwork, but I can see it. You and that Cai girl and maybe the big guy? Finding your Name with a posse is a bit unusual, but It¡¯s good.¡±


    Oh, he was referring to cultivation, the consolidation of insights that lead to the formation of a word and true name on which to build higher cultivation. ¡°Our intent is more worldly than¡ª¡±


    She paused. Was that really true? This was a work that would be part of their lives for a very long time. She closed her mouth.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t nothin ¡®worldly¡¯ about what we do.¡± Zheng Fu chuckled. ¡°Anyway, I did want to let you know I was gonna be here. Figured it should be you since ya seem like the designated out-of-province handler. Also, you got that icy beauty thing going on.¡±


    Ling Qi gave him a flat look. There was precisely zero interest in his eyes, so it annoyed her instead of alarming her. He was still just messing around. ¡°If you are going to be here, may I ask that you take this seriously yourself, Sir Zheng?¡±


    ¡°Who says I¡¯m not?¡± he wondered aloud, walking with his arms behind his head. ¡°This is big. I wanna see it happen. Change like this is once in a lifetime, even for us.¡±


    Ling Qi gave him a dubious look. Change was a very slippery word. It would happen with success or failure. She just didn¡¯t know enough about the Zheng to properly judge their interests. Knowing they wanted to involve themselves, that would have to change.


    Then again, who knew if he really represented the Zheng clan¡¯s interests? From what she had heard, even the position of Duke of Ebon Rivers was a role they passed around like a party favor between sixth realms, and it was mainly used for interaction with other provinces with very little authority at home. She had no idea how that would work in practice.


    ¡°That is your personal interest. May I ask what your clan is seeking, Sir Zheng?¡±


    Zheng Fu chuckled. ¡°Getting us outta the house mostly, and finding things to do. My master, at least, likes what he sees down south here.¡±


    ¡°And what does he see?¡±


    ¡°That maybe, just punching bad guys is a waste of time. A distracting game.¡± He grinned, stretching the fabric of his mask. ¡°Maybe we should think about punching the things that keep making bad guys.¡±


    Ling Qi considered what she had seen in dreams and read in histories of what had come before. ¡°I think it is rather more complicated than punching.¡±


    ¡°Punching ain¡¯t simple,¡± he quipped. ¡°You only think that because you¡¯ve got little noodle arms.¡±


    Ling Qi sighed. This wasn¡¯t going to go anywhere. ¡°And what did you want to see me for, Sir Zheng?¡±


    ¡°Wanted to introduce myself, and let you all know I¡¯m here,¡± Zheng Fu repeated, scratching at his chin. ¡°Want to get a spot to stay and cultivate like the other provinces. Don¡¯t need anything fancy. Just gimme a space, and I¡¯ll build whatever I need.¡±


    ¡°Any formation work will need to be run past the architects. But that isn¡¯t unreasonable.¡±


    ¡°Ah, hells, I just mean a shack and some training stuff, spooky lady. Guess I can¡¯t blame you for thinking otherwise, dealing with the rest.¡±


    ¡°Please do not intrude on our guests'' spaces,¡± Ling Qi continued as if she¡¯d not heard him. ¡°You will be invited to listen to our reports, and if you wish to engage, we will arrange it. Can you promise that?¡±


    He looked down at her. She looked back. ¡°Yeah, alright, your quest, your rules. I ain¡¯t rude, whatever you folks might think.¡±


    Ling Qi breathed out. ¡°Thank you very much, Sir Zheng. Was there anything else?¡±


    ¡°Nah, you do what you gotta do. Just let me know when you¡¯ve got my spot set up,¡± he dismissed, waving a hand.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have something for you by tomorrow morning then, Sir Zheng. Please excuse me,¡± Ling Qi said, offering a bow.


    And then, she turned and stepped from the side of the path. In moments, she was in freefall.

 Threads 292 Construction 5

    Threads 292 Construction 5


    Sixiang laughed.


    No reason not to, Ling Qi thought. Qi circulated in the threads of her dress and through the wind, and before her feet could touch the treetops, she was flying.


    Her flight took her down into the valley proper again, descending onto the growing web of streets and robes. With the time passed, she should arrive in time for her next stop, introducing Gan Guangli to Luo Jie, the representative from that clan. Gan Guangli himself should have come from finishing his own early meetings and¡­ There.


    Gan Guangli stood outside the tangled walls of the Luo compound. They were odd. From above, the layout of the building being constructed was standard imperial design, but the materials were unusual. The walls were a fence of trees, convinced or grown into a tight double row, connected by thick rope like one would see binding the gates of a temple shrine.


    Inside, where the garden should have been was instead a kennel full of lounging hounds.


    Gan Guangli awaited her a short distance down the path from the gate. His shining white armor stood out heavily among the more natural colors of the valley. He inclined his head as she landed beside him with the sound of rustling cloth.


    ¡°Miss Ling, just in time.¡±


    ¡°Am I? I thought I might be a bit late,¡± Ling Qi admitted.


    ¡°My own words with Lady Jia may have run a little long.¡±


    ¡°Good reasons?¡± Ling Qi asked as they began to walk.


    ¡°Positive results, but let us leave that discussion for tonight,¡± he said as they approached the gate and its guards


    Ling Qi nodded once and introduced them at the gate, leaving one of the guards to confirm their appointment. They were soon conveyed inside. The inside of the compound was loud with barks and growls and the pants of beasts. It was surprising how little smell there was. The dogs were all very clean.


    Of course, what actually caught her attention was the subtle threads of qi which connected all of them. At first, she thought it was merely a pack connection, but no, all of the threads wound together, reaching into the compound where they were being taken.


    She was unsurprised to find that they were swiftly led to the source.


    She had met Luo Jie only once at her first year¡¯s tournament when she had offered formal greetings from the Cai. He had not changed much. He was a thin old man with a bald head and drooping gray mustache with many wrinkles around his eyes and mouth. His eyes were the pale amber of a wolf¡¯s, and he was dressed in a belted tunic of gray and green.


    He awaited them in the center of the compound out under the sun where he stood with his back to them, running a comb through the fur of an immense hound as large as Zhengui at his biggest. Even lying down and curled up, the beast filled half of the grassy field at the center of the manor. The dog''s fur was a dark slate gray like the clouds before a downpour, and as they entered, one giant eye opened to peer at them.


    ¡°Be welcome in my home, transient as it might be,¡± Luo Jie said shortly, not turning from his task. He pulled the comb back and shook it out, and a young servant waiting nearby with a basket caught the shed hairs drifting down. The basket was already half full.


    ¡°Sir Luo, it is good to meet you again,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I am pleased to see you in good health and humor.¡±


    Here, he finally half-turned to look back at them. He dropped the comb into the hand of another servant. ¡°A single year¡¯s cycle may change much. It is easy to forget this with age.¡±


    He turned fully to face them, and Ling Qi remained in her bow as did Gan Guangli behind her. ¡°Much changes. Your advice was helpful, Sir Luo.¡±


    Even if reality were more complicated than he had implied to her all that time ago, she had kept an open mind.


    He pressed his lips together in a thin line. ¡°Curious, the roads that simple words may inspire. I certainly cannot call you or your lady rigid. Who is your companion?¡±


    ¡°This is Baron Gan Guangli, my peer in Lady Cai¡¯s service. If it pleases you, he will be your immediate liaison to our team,¡± Ling Qi said, straightening up at the elderly Luo¡¯s gesture.


    ¡°It is my pleasure to meet you, honored sir. Please allow me to express my admiration towards your contributions during the barbarian incursions in the last days of the Hui¡¯s rule,¡± Gan Guangli said, straightening up himself, though his head remained bowed.


    ¡°Old stories, old work. But you show diligence in sniffing them out.¡± Luo Jie snorted. ¡°This arrangement is acceptable.¡±


    Ling Qi began, ¡°Thank you for your understanding¡ª¡±


    ¡°I will get this out of the way. We will want any words on paper guaranteed,¡± Leo Jie interrupted bluntly. ¡°I know the power of words, ideas, and dreams. My kin are more worldly.¡±


    ¡°Did you have some particular demand?¡± Gan Guangli asked cautiously.


    The old man crossed his arms. ¡°Not yet. I¡¯ve not seen enough. Traditionally, marriages or hostages or other guarantees of blood or people against treachery. I do not know how this would be shaped here.¡±


    Well, that certainly wouldn¡¯t get the imperial faction up in a dander. Not at all. Perhaps something could be arranged with the foreign quarter idea, but¡­


    Ling Qi glanced at Gan Guangli and took a step back. She couldn¡¯t shoulder everything herself. They could pass around ideas tonight when they were all together. She wouldn¡¯t undermine him here.


    ¡°Those suggestions might be too much for some of our compatriots, let alone the foreigners!¡± Gan Guangli said with a smile. ¡°But solving difficult problems is what we are here for.¡±


    As his words fell silent, Ling Qi faded back another step. ¡°Lord Luo, please excuse me then. I must continue to another meeting.¡±


    ¡°Go. I¡¯m sure you have much business waiting,¡± Luo Jie dismissed. He looked at her only briefly before focusing back on Gan Guangli.


    Ling Qi bowed once more and took her leave, following a Luo attendant back out of the partially complete compound past the lounging hounds and the artificially grown treeline.


    There, Ling Qi remained on the path, not flying since her destination wasn¡¯t too far. She returned to the center of imperial construction, the housing being built onto the ruins of the Hui bunker. She passed the workers and spoke to the attendant at the steps which led down into the ruin proper, gaining entry.


    It was very different than she had saw it last. The shape and structure was there, but the stone had been rendered meticulously clean, and the stone had been sanded or smoothed to remove all signs of its previous owners. She felt the auras of soldiers now bunked in the empty barracks and saw the work of formation carvers adjusting, erasing, and manipulating the arrays already in place to perform the new functions that would be needed.


    Further down where the spiders had once laired, there were no longer any corpses, not even the empty shell of the greatest of the spiders, dead before they had arrived. Ling Qi had no doubt that the corpses had been harvested for anything which still retained even a dreg of power.


    At the bottom though, she found her destination, the once sealed room of Hui Peng, the mad corpse Immortal she and Xia Lin had slain. And in that emptied room, whose walls were still covered in scribbles and graffiti, she found the man she was meeting with. Cao Chun stood facing away from her, resting his weight on the cane planted on the ground in front of him. He seemed to be examining the interior of the small room.


    There was another person as well, a young man she had glimpsed once at the crafting tournament. Jin Tae, she thought. Cao Chun had mentioned that he was taking him on as an apprentice. It showed in his black robes and the featureless white mask he wore on the side of his head where it could be easily slid into place over his face.


    ¡°Vileness clings here despite everything,¡± Cao Chun said as she approached. ¡°Those who refuse to accept the impermanence of men are among the most vile and destructive foes. You did well in destroying this infection, Baroness.¡±


    ¡°I cannot claim the entire credit,¡± Ling Qi said modestly, stopping and clasping her hands in a respectful gesture. She bowed at a moderate angle.


    ¡°The young Xia. Also promising.¡± Cao Chun turned to face her, his cane tapping upon the ground. ¡°I am satisfied with the security here. Though these barbarians of yours are being allowed to observe from the shadows, they are watched.¡±


    ¡°It is not easy, according to my seniors. These crow men are quite skilled,¡± Jin Tae said cheerfully. Hearing him speak for the first time, his voice was smooth and clear with a tint of sharp accent.


    Cao Chun glanced at him, and the young man tilted his head forward, chastised.


    ¡°I have spoken to one of them,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I believe I understand their trepidation. The general is intimidating.¡±


    Cao Chun considered this. ¡°I have not detected any attempt to penetrate any secure location. This is why I only offer you a warning.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, acknowledging. ¡°On that matter, I intend to speak with them later today to gather some preliminary information. To that end, I intend to ask that our work crews and perhaps our guard detail to speak with theirs, so that neither of our preparations cause either accident or misfortune.¡±


    He gave her an assessing look. ¡°I will review the information shared. We cannot compromise our defenses.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Sir Cao. I think it is better for our security if neither the barbarians nor ourselves surprise each other. And I am confident in the general.¡±


    She had no doubt about that woman''s killing power whereas the greater cultivator brought by the White Sky did not feel so fatal.


    ¡°There is some sense in that, sir,¡± Jin Tae offered. ¡°We should only share information equivalent to what we are given, of course.¡±


    Cao Chun furrowed his brows. ¡°I will think about this. Consider information on geomantic plans for the work crews approved. I have observed that these barbarians understand them already, if with less refinement than our own experts.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± Ling Qi said, bowing again. While the Ministry of Integrity might not technically have legal authority over such changes without sending back to the Empress for a decree, openly flouting their authority would just lead to bad blood, or worse, such a decree actually being made. ¡°With that out of the way, may I ask why you requested this meeting?¡±


    He gave a small nod, rapping his cane once on the ground. ¡°As my impetuous student implied, there are other agents providing less obvious security. I must oversee and coordinate, as well as provide my own expertise. This limits my time.¡±


    ¡°You wish for another avenue of communication than directly seeking you out?¡± Ling Qi hazarded.


    ¡°For large matters, you should still seek me, Baroness,¡± he said crisply. ¡°But for small matters, yes. Apprentice Jin.¡±


    There was a certain emphasis on ¡°apprentice.¡± Reminding the young man of his position, regardless of family?


    Jin Tae straightened up. ¡°Yes, sir?¡±


    ¡°You will be my direct liaison with the Cai heiress and negotiating team. Baroness, as the liaison of the Cai, I will leave him in your care. Familiarize yourselves. I must continue to examine the formation array core. I have already detected seven information hazards against long term subversion atop those already found by the work teams. I suspect there will be more given the makers.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced at the younger man and bowed. ¡°Sir Cao. Good fortune in your seeking.¡±


    Jin Tae offered his own bows, a deep one to his master and a minimal one to her. ¡°Baroness Ling, I hope that we can speak fruitfully.¡±


    ¡°I as well,¡± Ling Qi said politely, dipping her head in his direction as they left the old agent to his work, crossing back across the cavern floor to the stairway that had been set up.

 Interlude: Winters End Tour (1)

    Interlude: Winter''s End Tour (1)


    The road wound ever on. Through hills and trees, around mountains, across rivers. The cool air rushed by, sharp with the incoming winter. When they had begun, the roads had been smooth, in superb maintenance, but as they had traveled on, away from the Argent Sect, further from the core of Wang lands, they had grown rougher. At first just little signs of wear, but then more. A fallen tree here, a loose paving stone there. Proving there was something to the rumor of the wildness and disrepair of the southwest.


    His wagon rattled, a bit of shock traveling up from the axels as the furiously spinning wheels passed over a series of cracked stones, and Bao Qian caught onto his wide brimmed drivers hat before it could fly off into the rapidly whipping wind. Despite the troubles he found himself in good humor. This was the romance of the open road after all! Every journey was a little different, the conditions unpredictable, the land a beauty! To follow an untraveled road as much an adventure as¡­


    ¡°Are we there yet?¡± A young girl¡¯s voice called from inside the covered wagon, the words drawn out and petulant.


    Bao Qian¡¯s smile remained fixed, but he didn¡¯t think anyone would blame him for the way his eyebrow twitched.


    ¡°Not just yet,¡± he replied, keeping a controlled tone. ¡°As I have said the last eight times you have asked.


    ¡°Ugh, can¡¯t the wagon go faster,¡± the girl complained. She appeared in the open window slat that opened onto the drivers bench, elbows leaned on the sill.


    He glanced back at the spirit, were it not for her corpse pale skin and milky white eyes, she really would look like a young girl of eleven or twelve years. ¡°We can¡¯t, pushing the horses any harder would just delay us later,¡± he explained patiently.


    As he had four separate times now.


    ¡°You¡¯ve finished going through all the materials I provided on the spiritual map of the region we¡¯re touring in?¡± He asked pleasantly.


    ¡°Um, yeah definitely! That stuff is super easy,¡± she affirmed.


    Bao Qian¡¯s eyes narrowed. The spirit of freezing death occupying his workshop put on the most angelic expression of childhood innocence.


    Blindfold him, and he wasn¡¯t sure he would be able to tell her from a precocious and slightly spoiled young miss of any clan he cared to name. With spirits such as this, it was no wonder Miss Ling had such odd ideas.


    Hanyi coughed into her hand, wilting a little under his stare. ¡°I might take another look though! Since it''s taking so long, I should show some diligence and review. That¡¯s what big sis would want.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she would,¡± Bao Qian sighed, keeping half an eye on the road ahead, a tug of the reigns adjusted for the turning coming on, ahead, there was a little smoke rising, the border outpost of the Meng. Soon they would be on the final leg¡­


    ¡°Oh do you see that! Are we there yet!¡±


    His eyebrow twitched, and Bao Qian felt a faint ache beginning to throb in his temples.


    ***


    Bao Qian was kind of a stiff guy. No wonder he had such a hard time getting Big Sis¡¯ attention. Hanyi thought. She lay on the softly upholstered bench built into the inside of his wagon, kicking her bare feet in the air as her eyes slid across the characters written on the scroll open in her hands. It was all formal and dry and boring.


    It was a good thing Papa had taught her to read even the super complicated characters!


    That thought made her frown, her gaze sliding down to the floor. Well, Papa had never been real. It was just Mama putting on a show with his bones. She knew that by now. She was happy that Mama had loved her enough to do it, even though real Papa had apparently been a horrible jerk.


    And now she¡¯d made herself sad. Ugh, what was with this trip, it was taking way too long! Hanyi rocked back and forth on the bench, trying and failing to focus on the words in the scroll. It was comfy in here, but she was just so bored. And there wasn¡¯t enough room to move around either! She was going crazy here. Maybe she should ask if they were almost there again. They had to be, right?


    She began to set up, letting the scroll crumple in her lap when the wagon jerked in place. Hanyi hopped to her feet, moving up to the window that looked out over the drivers bench. ¡°Are-¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Bao Qian said dryly. ¡°Take a moment and get yourself in order Young Miss. I¡¯ll speak to the men here, but you¡¯ll have to be ready to meet our guide.¡±¡±


    Hanyi preened at his address. Young Miss? She kinda liked that! It made her sound very elegant. Which she was. ¡°Okay. You better make sure they¡¯re ready for me.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Bao Qian chuckled, sweeping off the silly wide brimmed hat he donned for the trip. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be much of a manager otherwise.¡±


    Hanyi nodded imperiously, hopping back down from the bench to leave him too it, instead moving over to the little area that had been set up for her, with a mirror and combs and all that stuff humans needed. It was easier for her, since she knew what she looked like so she could just look like that whenever she wasn¡¯t too tired or hurt.


    Still, arranging her hair was fun and her gown did need smoothing out and stuff. She couldn¡¯t imagine what a pain it would be if you actually had to clean yourself by hand, and though cosmetics were fun to play with, it was also kinda annoying when she had to do it herself. Good thing there were people to do it for her probably, going by the last show.


    Soon, there was a polite knock on the door, and Hanyi took one last glance in the mirror. She was perfect naturally. Only Big Sis was prettier. She hopped down from the little stool in front of the mirror and moved to the door. A faint pulse of qi through the wood told her the moment when Bao Qian was going to open it, allowing her step out in perfect time.


    Hanyi put on a polite smile as she descended the stair, holding her gowns hems up from the wood. ¡°Hello everyone. I am Hanyi of White Cloud Mountain. Thank you very much for your kind welcome.¡±


    You had to talk a little different like this. Big Sis talked like this all the time nowadays, but Hanyi thought that was a little much.


    Outside the wagon, she found herself looking at a large and somewhat wild garden, less organized than she was used too, with more natural flowerbeds and blossoming fruit trees growing in odd places. Waiting for them were a pair of guards in polished armor, and a tall man in pale green robes. He was bald, with sun darkened skin, and a staff of white wood, with a bronze ring on the top.


    The tall man, she thought he was a monk, blinked very slowly at her appearance. He was probably stunned by how cute she was!


    ¡°Greetings, honored spirit of the winter wind. You may refer to this one as Du Xian,¡± he said after a moment. He glanced to Bao Qian, who gave him a funny little smile and shrugged. Hanyi narrowed her eyes. Why did she feel like she was being left out of something!


    ¡°I hope you will accept the hospitality of this temple, and come in peace among your peers, too order the coming of winter, which has been so disrupted by war. Will you accept this one as your guide?¡±


    Well, at least someone was respectful. Hanyi sniffed, giving Bao Qian a haughty look. ¡°This Hanyi is pleased to accept your hospitality, and will enter your temple with no ill will to any who dwell there,¡± she said, turning up her nose a little.


    ¡°Then please, follow me. There is much to arrange for the festival.¡±

 Interlude: Winters End Tour (2)

    Interlude: Winter''s End Tour (2)


    It always annoyed Bao Qian just a little, that mortal coins were so much better designed as currency than the money of cultivators. Coins were good, round and flat, stackable. A hole punched through the center, so that they could be strung on thread or rawhide. Convenient and reasonable. Stones on the other hand, had an odd shape, could not be stacked or stored easily. He knew it didn¡¯t matter, and there were reasons. A coin shape wouldn¡¯t hold its qi reservoir properly, but it was still a little bothersome.


    But as he laid his satchel on his workbench and little glittering stones spilled across the surface, he couldn¡¯t say that he felt irritated at all. Aesthetics had its place.


    ¡°This new arrangement was received better than anticipated,¡± said a voice from behind him. Du Xian, the priest assigned to their entourage, stood behind him in the wagon. Bao Qian could feel his slightly disapproving gaze on the satchel full of stones.


    It didn¡¯t bother Bao Qian much. The traditions of the Bao and the southern folk had diverged for ages. He knew his ancestors and the spirits of all the glittering and precious things under the earth smiled upon his efforts. But he was polite, turning halfway on the bench to face the older man. ¡°Everyone loves a festival, and Miss Hanyi¡¯s voice is very beautiful too, don¡¯t you agree, Du Xian.¡±


    The man pursed his lips. ¡°It is true that the people are eager for merriment, when hard times are coming. Warm memories to hold against the dark and the cold.¡±


    ¡°And you ensured that things were kept proper,¡± Bao Qian said, dipping his head. ¡°We could not have planned this so well without your peoples efforts to dig up the old pre-Ogodei rituals and adjust them.¡±


    A thing not understood by many in the north was that the barbarians rampage had not only slain people and uprooted cities, but cast the spirits into chaos, the endless storms and floods had destroyed much infrastructure and slain many spirit lords which were not so fixed as rivers and mountains.


    ¡°It is difficult work but fulfilling. Without a spirit of middling realm to take a central role, and intercede with those who care not for small voices, it would be pointless,¡± Du Xian acknowledged. ¡°But the honored spirits method and means¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s jarring isn¡¯t it,¡± Bao Qian said absently. ¡°But people like it.¡±


    Du Xian frowned deeply. ¡°I feel trepidation. Spirits are not human. Should the people come to think of them so, it will only lead to harm and tears.¡±


    ¡°Hm, I think the distance she maintains while in practice will curb that. Your arrangement and choreography for the performance emphasized the danger in her beauty,¡± Bao Qian said.


    ¡°Hm, I hope it will be enough. I have not seen a spirit so¡­ casual in mien since I last left the library of Blue Mountain, and those were born of objects and buildings,¡± Duxian said thoughtfully, tapping his staff on the wooden floor. ¡°That aside, I am not sure I fully like your sale of favors.¡±


    ¡°The pennants?¡± Bao Qian asked, glancing at the crates containing more of the things.¡±It seems only sensible to me. The regular folk receive plain cloth blessed by Miss Hanyi, while the cultivator folk may purchase my formation writ ones. Given the exchange of stones is a lesser sacrifice, shouldn¡¯t it work out about the same?¡±


    ¡°That is not really the point young sir,¡± Du Xian said with furrowed brows.


    Bao Qian rolled a single red spirit stone between his finger and thumb, frowning himself. ¡°Then we will have to disagree sir. Coin, exchange is a sacrifice. It is the representation of one''s labors. It is less personal maybe, but it is meaningful all the same. I know you here in the south might see it as vulgar. But that is my part of this exchange, that you accept my own beliefs on this.¡±


    Du Xian did not look entirely happy, but Bao Qian would not back down on this point. He would freely weave and ink the common pennants, wholly vessels for Hanyi¡¯s power, but to not profit from his works at all would be a terrible insult to both his clan and himself.


    ¡°I won¡¯t deny this is doing good. The chaos among the spirits is less than usual.¡±


    It was at that moment that the door of the wagon burst open spilling a frantic looking temple attendant into the room. ¡°Priest Du! There has been an incident!¡±


    ***


    Being worshiped was really great actually, Hanyi decided, turning over the glass figurine in her hand.


    It didn¡¯t taste the same as a man or beasts last breath. It was thinner, it sat less heavily in her stomach. If she had to compare it to something, it was like the difference between meat and the tasty plum pastries that Big Sis¡¯ Momma made sometimes.


    Human food wasn¡¯t bad either! Even if she was never full after she ate it!


    But her thoughts drifted back toward the little figurine in her hands. The glass was clear, tinted just a little blue in a way that looked like creeping frost. It wasn¡¯t perfect, if she looked real hard, she could see a few little bubbles,seams where the flaring gown¡¯s folds met the center of the figure. But that was fine.


    It was so warm. And even when she breathed it in, drank the warmth, it stayed warm. Bao Qian said people knew they were coming so they could prepare gifts.


    But this one. This one was so full, even though the skinny mortal man who¡¯d offered it had not a drop of qi.


    After the main performance, they put her up on a palanquin to march through the town. She could see the bright lights of torches and lanterns through the curtain, stalls and the people. At every crossroad they would stop and recite parts of her song, as poetry, and set out an altar for people to make offerings and ask for blessings.


    It was fun. She¡¯d been really piling up loot in here, and Big Sis would be proud, but as a man reached the front of the line. She found her attention drawn to him. He wasn¡¯t different than the others. Dim, mortal in rough but clean clothes, he wore a bandana over a shaved head and his hands and face were marked by little pockmark burns. But he had a child in the crook of his arm. A little girl, as wrinkly and ugly as any human baby. She seemed kinda weak and dim and she breathed weird.


    It wasn¡¯t the man''s words, spoken as he knelt before the altar and prayed that moved her. She¡¯d only really half listened to those. He sounded super sad though. Like he¡¯d lost a lot.


    So, maybe she¡¯d listened a little.


    But he¡¯d brought out this figure, and she was transfixed. Everything people had given her, had a little spark of heat, sometimes more and sometimes less, but this one was like a tiny star. She knew instinctively he had poured blood and sweat and time and what meager things he might call wealth into this. She knew that because she could smell the desperation and hope, like a savory aroma.


    So she¡¯d done something she wasn¡¯t supposed too. She reached out from behind the curtain and taken the figure right from his hand, instead of letting the attendant do it. And when she did she plucked out the little mote of frost in the girl¡¯s lungs and traded it for a little bit of the warmth she¡¯d been snacking on.


    Hanyi wasn¡¯t sure how she did it, but she did. It just seemed right. The little baby was breathing right now, and after the old guy stopped being scared, he started crying and thanking her. It was kind of a scene, but she liked it.


    It would be amazing if she could get more presents like these!


    ¡°And that¡¯s why you¡¯re gonna stay on your mountain. Got it,¡± she said, looking down from her figurine.


    Half transparent, made of fog and clouds and glittering snow, a squirming, girlish figure lay belly down on the roof of the temple. Glittering blue eyes, frozen chips of ice in the mass of cloud looked up at her, the warmth causing them to soften and melt a little.


    Hanyi pressed her foot down on the side of the other spirits head, grinding it into the roof tiles. ¡°Right.¡±


    The other spirit, whose name was a little squishy. Ice-upon-the-slope, shredding-hail upon-fields, shriek-of-high-winds. All sorts of jumbled. All the same, the other spirit let out a breathy wail of wind that spread frost across the tiles.


    ¡°No messing around here! You stay on the mountain, till everybody has their harvest in, then you can come tug at the shutters and drop ice on stuff,'''' Hanyi commanded imperiously.


    A whisper of wind, the struggling spirit went limp. She stopped pushing back against Hanyi¡¯s foot. Submission.


    Like there could be any other result! Hanyi still kept her pinned for a minute just to make sure she knew who was boss. ¡°You won¡¯t get another chance. Next time I¡¯ll just eat you.You overgrown fairy.¡±


    Sad wail, wheedling whisper for mercy.


    ¡°Hmph,¡± Hanyi sniffed, standing up. ¡°You better. Play nice and maybe I¡¯ll cut you in next year, huh?¡±


    That was how you got underlings, Hanyi was pretty sure. She thought having underlings would be cool.


    She wasn¡¯t sure though as the spirit shot off toward the mountains in the south. This one was kinda unformed and dumb. Oh well, if it didn¡¯t work, Hanyi would just eat her after all.


    ¡°Miss Hanyi!¡±


    She turned seeing Bao Qian land on the rooftop with a shuttering thud that nonetheless didn¡¯t crack a single tile, followed by that nice Du guy, who was perched on a cloud.


    ¡°Oh hey, I guess the girls doing my hair up got worried?¡± Hanyi said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I was just showing another spirit who¡¯s the new boss around here!¡±


    Hey! There was no need to look all exasperated like that!

 Threads 293-Construction 6

    Threads 293-Construction 6


    ¡°May I ask for your understanding of this summit in your own words?¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t know enough about him. If most of her information toward Cao Chun was going to be filtered, that couldn¡¯t stand. The Jin were the ducal clan of the Alabaster Seas. They had minimal relations with the Emerald Seas. She knew they were mercantile, somewhat like the Bao, but much more heavily invested in shipbuilding and shipping. They controlled all ports on the mainland empire, save for a single city in the Thousand Lakes.


    He really was very handsome. Though his voice was warm, his manner was sterner and more serious than Meng Dan¡¯s.


    ¡°This operation seeks to defuse an additional front of the war against the tribes of these mountains who have fallen roughly into three ¡®factions¡¯ or confederations. Your target is aligned with a foreign group much further south in the plains of ice beyond the mountains. These foreigners control their barbarians to such a degree that you are negotiating directly with them.¡±


    Ling Qi observed his face as they climbed the stairs. He laid out his points swiftly and with confidence. She also noted his choice of words. ¡°I would word it differently. The White Sky Confederation and their Polar Nation appear invested in fully integrating the cloud tribes who have joined them. These tribes are mostly those furthest from the empire who reside in the harshest peaks.¡±


    Jin Tae mused, ¡°How ambitious of them.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t believe they are puffing themselves up?¡± Ling Qi prodded.


    ¡°Possibly. I have at least heard credible reports of true civilizations beyond the Empire¡¯s shores though. So I would rather not assume. Regardless, I have studied the maps. These folk are too far distant to mount a credible military campaign against, should they stay in the southern foothills of the Wall.¡± He looked her in the eye. They reached the top of the stairs, facing each other in the room there. ¡°And it seems their most likely military option against us is unleashing their auxiliary tribes with support in the form of equipment and safe infrastructure.¡±


    Ling Qi hadn¡¯t quite considered it that way, but inferior talismans were generally a weakness of the cloud tribes, and their camps were considered their only real strategic vulnerabilities. ¡°I¡¯m glad that you are considering this effort in such a clearheaded way.¡±


    ¡°It is an interesting little puzzle. It is enjoyable to turn over scenarios in the mind, isn¡¯t it? Regardless, I do believe your approach is correct. There is no profit to be found in war with them at the present.¡±


    She nodded. That was probably the most helpful position she could hope for from the Ministry of Integrity and the capital. If he were more supportive, she would honestly be suspicious. Although perhaps that was a consideration of his? She liked to think no one was actively looking to sabotage the summit, but of all present, the Jin did have the most conflicts with the Bai and the Xuan, the Cai¡¯s allies in the Empire.


    ¡°War in the Wall will not be helpful anytime in our lifetimes. That is the reason behind my interest in this negotiation. The longer an association goes, the more sturdy it becomes, no?¡±


    That might be simplistic, but not outright wrong.¡± Jin Tae crossed his arms. ¡°In the end, kingdoms and empires compete with those next to them, and some must lose so that others can win. It is because they are too far and out of competition with the Empire that I have some confidence in this effort. Should the borders come closer or transport formations advance, this may change.¡±


    That was sincere, she thought. ¡°Not outright wrong.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°But as you said, that is not the foreseeable future.¡±


    Ling Qi would have to keep Jin Tae ¡°in the know¡± on some level to satisfy Cao Chun and the ministry presence, but how did she want to handle that?


    There was an appeal in reaching out, trying to find if there was some commonalities she could speak to. It was her first impulse even. But she had to consider the practicalities. The Jin were opposed to both the Bai and the Xuan, their closest external allies, who she already had friends in. While she couldn¡¯t say that was an intractable problem, she could not afford to spend the time on solving this problem. It was another way in which she simply wasn¡¯t strong enough yet.


    And while Cai Renxiang would ultimately decide on the level of relationship tonight when they gave their reports, she also knew her suggestions would have a great weight. For now, she would recommend that it would be best to treat the Ministry and the throne with the respect they were due, but she couldn¡¯t afford to give them too close an eye on their decisions.


    ¡°It is not. Only the Great Spirits can see things so far ahead,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°We, who live here on the ground and under the sky, should focus on what we can see.¡±


    He laughed, covering his mouth with his hand. ¡°Well said. Truly, did I not know any better, I would think you a scion of the old blood in these lands. Let me compliment you on your thorough assimilation, Baroness.¡±


    Ling Qi couldn¡¯t pick out his intentions in those words. Sixiang found them ambiguous, too. In her gut, she felt it was a backhanded compliment. ¡°I have been a thorough student.¡±


    ¡°As one should,¡± he said agreeably. ¡°One¡¯s immediate environment cannot be ignored.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Regardless, should we proceed to the meeting hall above? We should arrange our reporting schedule, and I will need to hear your requirements, so that Lady Cai may decide if they may be accommodated.¡±


    She spoke very formally, never looking away from his face. Her language was very deliberate. The Ministry had power here, but it was not in charge.


    He gave a narrow eyed smile in return and tipped his head to her. ¡°Yes, Baroness. Let us keep everything in order.¡±


    ***


    She spent the better part of the next hour with Jin Tae in the partially constructed meeting hall above ground, speaking about the procedure for their interaction. She and Jin Tae would be the primary points of contact for their respective factions. He would be present during the arrangement of work team cooperation and any sharing of military planning, and he assured her that he would have latitude to approve decisions within certain limits. They would proceed from there.


    On a more personal level, once they had decided it, Lady Cai would have her provide Jin Tae with their diplomatic strategy and what immediate steps they would take, and they would promise to consider any advice which Cao Chun passed through Jin Tae in return.


    Advice, consider, and ¡°items of interest.¡± These words and phrases were and would be doing a great deal of work, Ling Qi thought grimly.


    Sixiang joked as they made their way out of the embassy house.


    Ling Qi wondered if spirits attached to the sanctity of language actually existed.


    ¡°No,¡± Ling Qi said blandly. She drew a nervous glance from the group of workers on the bridge span as she crossed it, some inches off the partially built structure. As she stepped down from the air onto the ground on the other side, she paused. The wind was blowing strangely.


    She tilted her head as a sourceless breeze tugged at her hair, carrying with it the faint cry of a crow. Convenient. She¡¯d begun to worry that she would have to work out how to contact the foreigners without invitation. Being on the edge of troublesome in their timing was a foible of all cultivators of divination.


    ¡°Upon your road south beyond its end, and approach the base of the Haven in the circle of five stones.¡±


    Ling Qi closed her eyes, considering the picture she had built in her head by flying above, seeing through eyes of silver that she surrounded herself with. She took a turn to the left where she knew the road would end. She had already seen and noted a gap in the trees there, and she had glimpsed stones similar to the warding stones they used.


    It did not take terribly long to leave the imperial road and enter the still unorganized woods. The sounds of life were still muted and distant, hidden under the sounds of movement and construction. That was no different in the south. The road she found there might be more winding, a trench dug and filled with gravel against straight gleaming stone, but it was still a road.


    And the circle of stones was no less impressive. Each stone was smaller than an imperial wardstone. Over the road, there was an arch made by three heavy blocks of smoothed rock, and another arch was on the other side. Three other stones were arrayed around, steles carved with meticulous pictographs and murals rather than flowing script.


    Waiting for her there were several people. The only one she immediately recognized was the Emissary Khadne, who had arrived at the tail end of their visit to the foreigners¡¯ realm. She was from the White Sky¡¯s Sibiar clan, which was the clan which had once inhabited the northern mountains of the Wall. They were the Ones Tsu had supposedly contacted long ago. As such, Ling Qi was hardly surprised to see her here as her clan would have to be a major player in this summit, regardless of their position in the larger confederation.


    Emissary Khadne was a woman of middling height and thick build, dressed in what were, to Ling Qi¡¯s eyes, mannish clothes and heavy furs in the green and white colors of her tribe. Her complexion was similar to Ling Qi¡¯s, and she wore her dark brown hair in thick braids looped and bound at the back of her head.


    ¡°Emissary Ling Qi, an old crow carried to me words of your arrival and wish to speak,¡± the older woman said formally. Much of her thick accent from their previous meeting had been stripped from her speech. Ling Qi had no doubt that she had cultivated understanding of the Imperial language as thoroughly as Ling Qi had cultivated understanding of theirs.


    ¡°It is well past time,¡± said the woman who stood to Khadne¡¯s right. ¡°Not even the most meager offering of bread and water has been given, and only the most perfunctory words of welcome.¡±


    She was as tall as Ling Qi herself with a complexion that was a few shades lighter. She wore a black dress with embroidery in red and gold down the front, which was mostly straight lines but held imagery of stylized vines and leaves between them. Over this, she wore a hip-length mantle of white and gold, and on her head, she wore a wrap of dark red cloth from which emerged long untamed brown hair. She had fierce eyes and a hawkish nose. Ling Qi could feel the tingling of her examination in her senses.


    ¡°There must be some acceptance of strangeness,¡± Khadne said. ¡°I must assume that your people do not consider us guests as of yet with both our houses yet unbuilt.¡±


    ¡°That is so, and I apologize for any offense. For my people, this type of event is unheard of,¡± Ling Qi said. She had to stop herself from bowing. She¡¯d discovered in looking back on her memories that it was seen as odd or inappropriately submissive. ¡°May I know whom else I speak to?¡±


    She asked in their own language to show some respect.


    ¡°The one who has spoken is the Emissary Dzintara,¡± Khadne said, gesturing to the other woman. Dzintara gave a short, sharp nod.


    ¡°And I am Rustam, and this is my wife Inzhu,¡± said one of the two standing on Khadne¡¯s other side. The man who spoke was short and wide, wearing an odd cloth hat with a bushy fur rim that threatened to consume his head. He had a thin mustache and face pockmarked with scars, burns mostly if she had to guess. He wore robes of brown and black with as much leather as cloth in their construction.


    The woman beside him, presumably the wife he had introduced, was different. She was taller than her husband but shorter than Ling Qi, and she wore a very strange conical hat marked with regular geometric symbols. From the caps tip, a white veil spilled down around her back and shoulders. The rest of her dress bore similar markings, and the whole outfit had more color than her husband¡¯s. The layers of the gown were not much less intricate than Ling Qi¡¯s own dress.


    ¡°The Gessiar people believe that only a man and woman together may make a complete Emissary,¡± Khadne explained.


    ¡°Of course this would be unfamiliar. This is why you must sometimes let others speak first, husband,¡± the woman said. She spoke more softly than the other emissaries Ling Qi had met, and if she closed her eyes, she could perhaps imagine that she were speaking to a lady of the Imperial Court.


    ¡°Momentary confusion at worst!¡± Rostam said, chortling. ¡°Hardly a spot on such a wait.¡±


    He was being kinder about it, but Ling Qi recognized that the complaint was not being dismissed. ¡°Many preparations are being made. Our house is not yet ready to receive you. This land, which is no one¡¯s, is merely a camp.¡±


    ¡°It is quite a thing, your camps, that you would carve the mountains like a slain boar to make it,¡± Dzintara observed dryly.


    ¡°The general is passionate about our defense. We do stand near hostile territory,¡± Ling Qi said calmly. ¡°But it is the lack of communication which I am here to remedy. I offer you my welcome, emissaries, and should you wish it, I am prepared to break bread with you.¡±


    Sharing of food as an initial gesture of good will was common across many groups, and she had decided to put some in her storage ring after speaking to Xuan Shi and reviewing her memories.


    ¡°That¡¯s well enough then, isn¡¯t it?¡± asked Rostam, pushing up the brim of his hat. ¡°Two strangers camping on the same plain, that is more what we are, no? If we¡¯ve seen each other''s fires now, that will do.¡±


    ¡°As you like,¡± said Dzintara, not sounding too convinced.


    Khadne clapped her hands. ¡°That will do, Emissary Ling Qi. But let me first complete our introductions here. Here with me, Emissary Rostam and Inzhu and Emissary Dzintara represent our connections with the other confederations of our nation. In the east, the Seared Lands Confederation¡±¡ªhere, Rostam nodded, and Inzhu inclined her head¡ª¡°and the Tangled Pines Confederation in the west.¡± Dzintara acknowledged this with a nod as well.


    Ling Qi lowered her head a little to both sides. ¡°Will there be a representative from the south as well? I recall that is the direction of your capital.¡±


    There was a beat of silence, and none of the women showed any change of expression. There was only a faint curl at the corners of Rostam¡¯s lips, as if he found her words amusing.


    ¡°The Glittering City does not intend to interfere,¡± Khadne said formally.


    Ling Qi considered this. ¡°Then in the spirit of openness, I will inform you that our empress has sent observers. The Emerald Seas, however, remains in authority over these negotiations.¡±


    She watched their faces as she spoke. Although a few glances were shared back and forth and Dzintara¡¯s eyes narrowed in consideration, nothing else was given away.


    ¡°What role, these observers?¡± Emissary Inzhu asked.


    ¡°I believe they are similar to your old crows¡­They will watch for actions and intentions that soldiers might not see,¡± Ling Qi said carefully.


    ¡°Understandable,¡± Khadne said. ¡°We are yet strangers meeting in unclaimed land.¡±


    ¡°Yes. In addition to representatives of the Emerald Seas¡¯ other clans, there will be representatives of two of what you would call our confederations with a third that is observing.¡± Meizhen and Xuan Shi. Plus, she had to account for Zheng Fu now. ¡°I do not believe they are as close as what you have implied for yourselves¡­¡±


    Another glance between them.


    ¡°The Gessiar are both White Sky and Seared Land,¡± Inzhu provided.


    ¡°So it is with my Latia, and the Tangled Pine,¡± Dzintara added.


    ¡°I thought as much. The ones I speak of are allies, but not part of us,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°All of this sounds like hungry discussion,¡± Rostam said, rocking on his heels. ¡°Shall we have it over our bread?¡±


    ¡°I can agree to this,¡± Dzintara agreed.


    ¡°As do I,¡± said Khadne.


    ¡°Very well then,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I believe I observed a large enough clearing some distance north and east of here. Please follow me.¡±

 Threads 294 Construction 7

    Threads 294 Construction 7


    There was so much Ling Qi wished she could cover, so much information she was yet lacking. She had only two short months to prepare for the admittedly month-long summit, and so very many things to do.


    This was her first meeting with these representatives of the White Sky however, and so, with much thought, she decided it would be best to focus on cultural topics. Going after material ones might come across as more probing than she might like at this point.


    With that decided, Ling Qi broke the brief but comfortable silence in which they had been walking.


    ¡°If it isn¡¯t overreaching, may I ask what Emissary Jaromila is occupied with?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°I will happily speak with whatever representatives you choose, of course, but we parted well, and I hope that she is in good health.¡±


    ¡°Emissary Jaromila is still occupied in the homeland, speaking to and organizing those who are involved,¡± Emissary Khadne replied, walking behind her. ¡°As I imagine you have been.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ling Qi agreed.


    Much of the conversations had gone over her head. It was troubling being stuck in this liminal space where she was a child or an adult as it suited. She knew Cai Renxiang had been working in the background, and that she had only just succeeded in getting them fully involved. It made their efforts more difficult. They were in charge but not, a tangle of unclear authority.


    ¡°There are always difficulties in organizing people. This is universal, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°Hah, one could say that. Everyone always wants their say, even when they¡¯ve got not the slightest idea what they¡¯re talking about,¡± chortled Rostam.


    ¡°It is our duty as emissaries to ensure that those who speak do have an accurate idea of what is being debated,¡± Dzintara said sourly.


    ¡°We may speak, but it is the listener¡¯s choice if they hear,¡± said Inzhu calmly.


    Ling Qi glanced back in time to see Khadne make a subtle gesture and the others fall silent. It seemed there was a desire to not seem argumentative in front of her.


    They arrived at the clearing beside the road Ling Qi had been leading them to, and Ling Qi noticed some raising of eyebrows and tilting of heads. But Ling Qi had learned from Cai Renxiang. It required a little formation work and the emptying of most of the rest of her nonessential possessions from the ring, but she could afford to have this type of meeting space available now.


    She gestured, and the construct she had stored in her spatial ring appeared. There was a rush of displaced air, a creak of settling stone and wood, and the small stone pavilion shimmered as it fully materialized. Instantly, there was the scent of food and spiced wine in the air, the table and benches set under the tiled roof coming into being at the same time.


    ¡°Please, seat yourselves. My apologies that you will have to serve yourselves,¡± Ling Qi said.


    There was a beat of silence before Emissary Dzintara swept past. ¡°A strange thing to apologize for.¡±


    ¡°Hoh, what a nice trick,¡± Rostam praised. Taking his wife''s hand, he ascended the few steps as well. ¡°A fine bit of runecraft.¡±


    ¡°It is very fine. Your crafters are skilled,¡± Inzhu acknowledged, and Ling Qi noted a sharpness in her eyes and tone that had not been there before. ¡°Such a trivial use of spatial effects.¡±


    It was a marked departure from the women''s previously demure demeanor.


    ¡°A fine meal, Emissary Ling Qi. I hope we may put that matter behind us then,¡± Khadne said, nodding to her.


    Ling Qi nodded back and ascended after her, taking note of the seating. The couple had taken the bench on the right, but Khadne and Dzintara had taken the left one. Ling Qi was troubled, she had assumed she would be talking to three people at most and had assumed they would sit on opposite sides. She dithered a moment, and took a seat beside Khadne.


    ¡°Given the issue that brought me here today, I feel I should ask. Was the delivery of the weregild satisfactory?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°As friends, please serve yourselves as you wish here.¡±


    ¡°As friends then, please take the first selection. As the host, it¡¯s only polite,¡± Rostam said cheerfully.


    Ling Qi nodded, reaching to pour herself a cup of dark tea, and then, she began selecting a few items for her plate. Once she had taken her first sip, the others began to serve themselves.


    ¡°To answer your question, the delivery was acceptable. Exchange of weregild is always tense and unhappy,¡± Khadne said. ¡°The amount and quality of timber were both unimpeachable.¡±


    Dzintara frowned a little, looking down at the aromatic black tea, poured from the same pot as Ling Qi¡¯s, as if it had personally offended her.


    ¡°I am pleased,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°So, Emissary Ling Qi, I have a question I feel can¡¯t be put off,¡± said Rostam. He had pushed his odd floppy hat back off of his head, letting it dangle on his back by a rawhide string around his neck. ¡°What¡¯s the order among your people? Who is it appropriate for us to speak to?¡±


    ¡°You are only one woman after all,¡± Khadne followed up. ¡°And like Emissary Jaromila, you are busy conducting negotiations with your own people as well.¡±


    Ling Qi inclined her head. This was a question which could not be avoided. ¡°When they are present, my lady Cai Renxiang will speak, as will my companion in her service, Sir Gan Guangli.¡±


    She put a hint of qi into her words, a subsonic hum that conveyed an impression of auras and appearances. ¡°On the matter of the work crews, Lady Wang Lian will be an appropriate contact.¡±


    She¡¯d have to talk to the woman after this, but she had no doubts about her cooperation.


    Khadne shifted as the impression of Wang Lian¡¯s power washed over the table.


    ¡°You would allow us to speak directly to a Voice unattended?¡± Dzintara asked. Her tea cup was empty, but she still frowned at Ling Qi.


    Ling Qi pursed her lips. Ultimately, this was another topic that could not be avoided. ¡°Our higher realm cultivators are more mobile and active than yours. I assure you, Lady Wang is reasonable and should require no interpretation.¡±


    There was some whispering back and forth, which Ling Qi deliberately shut her ears to, though she felt their screening as well. She took a moment to drink and pick at the food on her plate, making an extra effort to be formal and proper with her utensils. She knew they would probably be using her as an example to copy.


    Sixiang poked at her.


    ¡°I understand this. Some Voices and traditions are more mobile. What Divine does this Wang Lian speak for?¡±


    Ling Qi drew on the memory Wang Lian herself had shown her, the power that sat in the center of their lands, an original companion of the Duchess herself. It took a moment to find the right combination of sound and qi to convey something so much larger than herself. ¡°The Builder.¡±


    Heads tilted back. Fingers tapped on the table. It was Inzhu who responded. ¡°A worthy role indeed,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°If you all will agree, I will take the role of communion on this.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Dzintara said tightly.


    ¡°Hah, indulging your hobbies even here,¡± Rostam chuckled. ¡°There is the matter of the Great Soul you have roving about, miss, the one who cut the mountain.¡±


    ¡°General Xia is best left alone by outsiders,¡± Ling Qi said flatly. ¡°My lady and I will conduct any negotiations in that regard.¡±


    ¡°Sensible. It is not as if we will give you access to our implements of war.¡± Khadne glanced at the others. It was clearly an uncomfortable point.


    ¡°If I may ask my own question, what are the differences in your confederations? Where are you split or joined? And are there any particular matters where offense could be given without meaning?¡±


    ¡°All fought at the walls of the world when the World Tree was withered by the artifice of the giants,¡± Dzintara said. ¡°We, the people of Ice, all descend from those who fought when the world¡¯s shape was changed, even though we were scattered, broken, and left upon both sides of the Polar Gates.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is the old legend. In truth, we were apart for very long, and we lived in very different places.¡± Rostam said. ¡°We of the seared land, my beautiful home of killing bogs, buzzing marsh, and burning badlands, must operate a little differently.¡±


    ¡°It is from our brothers in the Seared Lands which we took inspiration for union with the cloud men,¡± Khadne offered.


    ¡°Really?¡± Ling Qi asked neutrally.


    ¡°When the Day of the Black Sun and the Great Burning came, many cloud men fled their mountains south and joined the old blood of my land by one method or another. There have always been a trickle after that,¡± Rostam explained. ¡°More still came some half a thousand years back, fleeing a lost war. Hah, I suppose now we know what they were fleeing!¡±


    Ling Qi inclined her head. She accepted that without apology or explanation. ¡°And they integrated well?¡±


    ¡°They can¡¯t practice their mountain ways down in our bogs and mud. Some try anyway and become bandits, and these, we kill, but others make new ways out of their old ways.¡± Rostam shrugged. ¡°But we have always been a crossroad land. Why, my wife, Inzhu, she is named for her great-grandmother, who came to us from the cities of light across the eastern sea.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fascinating that there are more peoples beyond even your lands,¡± Ling Qi said. Picturing maps in her mind, these people from the cities of light would be somewhere far beyond the Grave of the Sun.


    ¡°There are people everywhere. Humans are like a mold, yes? Creeping in wherever there is a bit of heat and wet, and even sometimes where there is not,¡± Rostam jested.


    She laughed politely at his joke.


    ¡°Being more serious, it is very rude among our people to not offer some level of food or drink for any serious meeting,¡± Inzhu cut in. ¡°This is the sort of ¡®obvious¡¯ thing which you seek, yes, emissary?¡±


    ¡°That would be an example,¡± Ling Qi acknowledged.


    ¡°The armors some of your folk wear everywhere. To our eyes, it is a threat when worn to a meeting of peace,¡± Dzintara said shortly.


    ¡°Also helpful,¡± Ling Qi said, swiftly thinking of an example. ¡°Among us, it is rude not to leave a little on your plate at the end of a meal, as it implies your host has not provided enough food.¡±


    ¡°Small bits of strangeness we will all have to learn and prepare any who will be speaking or meeting for,¡± Khadne said.


    ¡°I notice that you have not spoken of your home yet though, Emissary Dzintara,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°The lands of the Tangled Pine lie to the west and are rich but dangerous. Our beasts and spirits are savage and unmerciful. Our woods are dense but cursed with malevolence,¡± Dzintara said. Her words were short and clipped. ¡°Much of the Polar Nation relies upon our strength and the materials we pry from the land. It is Mother Fryja who we give the greatest obeisance, for her axes slew the demon of flowers which once ruled us after the closing of the gates.¡±


    That confirmed the sneaking suspicion that Ling Qi had felt since their confederation was named. Even if it was probably only a rumor to them, the Emerald Seas¡¯ riches were probably seen as a threat.


    Also, ¡°demon of flowers¡±? Ling Qi felt a sinking sensation, remembering the arts of Sun Liling. That was from the Western Territories. A native art, if she remembered correctly. That could be¡­ a delicate issue.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ling Qi said, bowing her head. ¡°Let''s move on to other items. Please, no matter how obvious it seems, speak up on what your people find polite or insulting¡­¡±

 Threads 295 Construction 8

    Threads 295 Construction 8


    ¡°And that is what I was able to get from our countrymen today,¡± Ling Qi said, bowing at the waist as she finished her recitation and returned to her seat. Together with Cai Renxiang and Gan Guangli, she was in a large warm tent set out near to the partially built embassy.


    ¡°A Zheng,¡± Cai Renxiang said tiredly, rubbing her fingers against her temples. ¡°That is troublesome.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think his intent is malicious,¡± Ling Qi said slowly. The whole conversation was strange. He jumped from playful flirtation to mockery to blunt seriousness and back. It felt vaguely like a duelist throwing out a flurry of feints to test defenses. It put her on edge. ¡°I wasn¡¯t able to accurately gauge him. My apologies, Lady Renxiang.¡±


    ¡°He likely isn¡¯t a foe, but he may cause problems regardless,¡± Cai Renxiang said sourly.


    Gan Guangli coughed into his hand. ¡°I have told you of the news I have heard about Ebon Rivers, Lady Cai.¡±


    ¡°Mm, I had expected them to install some in Xiangmen, perhaps to join our army as allied auxiliaries, not this.¡± Cai Renxiang sighed. ¡°Let us not overfocus. The Meng¡¯s desires are not something we can accomplish at the summit, past the level of making promises.¡±


    ¡°Promises do have weight. If the border can be further secured, the cloud tribes may be convinced to go south and accept the White Sky in protection from our forces. Is that not just as good as marching ourselves?¡± Gan Guangli asked.


    ¡°The choices of dozens or hundreds of individual khans are an uncontrollable variable, but yes, some agreement which at least addresses their concern will have to be reached,¡± Cai Renxiang said.


    ¡°Reaching an agreement with the tribes ourselves would be good.¡± Ling Qi grimaced. ¡°But probably impossible. Neither the Empire nor the cloud tribes would desire one.¡±


    Gan Guangli looked pained. ¡°I agree that in a perfect world, that would be true. But if I must choose, I must reach to protect our own people.¡±


    ¡°Any such agreement will be an immense undertaking,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°Gan Guangli, your own report?¡±


    ¡°The Jia family is riven with argumentation on this,¡± Gan Guangli admitted. ¡°Since the retirement of the Patriarch, they have sought closer ties with the Diao to gain an influence among the counts. I believe that there is still a strong vein of what you might call ¡®Cai loyalists.¡¯ They are distinct from the usual imperial-leaning folk of the province. In the Jia, they are strong enough to form a block of their own.¡±


    ¡°My mother¡¯s most devoted supporters.¡± Cai Renxiang considered. ¡°I have met such individuals. They will support anything which grants more power to the ducal seat. They follow the footsteps of my mother¡¯s companion most closely. However, that loyalty does not transfer to me.¡±


    ¡°I am afraid it does not,¡± Gan Guangli agreed. ¡°My tutor has said that they do not know what to think of this endeavor. On the one hand, such negotiations can be seen as a weakness. On the other, in doing this, your mother is asserting provincial authority, both against the empress and the comital clans. I believe as long as our negotiations do not make a show of ceding any authority or making unrewarded concessions, they will not be too upset.¡±


    ¡°And the rest of the Jia, what is it they seek?¡± Cai Renxiang asked.


    ¡°The Jia lands are not as heavily raided, not bordering the mountains directly, but it is also the center of the former Chu lands, which suffered the most under their lord''s abandonment during Ogodei¡¯s invasion.¡± Gan Guangli rested his chin on his hand. The firelight of the hearth that they had placed their chairs around cast his features in sharp relief. ¡°They are difficult to separate from the Rushing Cloud Sect. The whole region is highly militarized.¡±


    Ling Qi knew Gan Guangli was speaking from experience. That region was his original home. Given that she knew that his first meeting with Cai Renxiang had been the result of the young heiress exercising authority over some matter of corruption, she knew that the region''s reputation for discipline obviously had its cracks.


    ¡°What the Jia will want, I think, is a chance for prominence,¡± Gan Guangli continued. ¡°They will want a place of honor among whatever forces we place to patrol the new borders that are set. Even a piece of land, perhaps, for an outpost.¡±


    ¡°That is not something I can grant without my mother¡¯s approval,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°Of course, some force will have to defend the taken lands. Do you think they will be able to interact with foreigners positively?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Gan Guangli replied. ¡°Not cloud tribe members, but the regular soldiers of White Sky I have seen fit their conception of good order.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps we could arrange a role similar to the road wardens for them. I will look into this,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°Your other targets?¡±


    ¡°The Blue Mountain Sect¡¯s desires are simple. If there can be any exchange of historical documentation arranged, they will be pleased. As for our own Argent Peak Sect¡­ I am not sure they can be satisfied for less than the head of the man who slew Elder Zhou.¡±


    ¡°As expected,¡± Ling Qi put in.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°Nothing said here will stop that war. It is out of our responsibility for the moment.¡±


    Gan Guangli nodded. ¡°As long as the security of the border and war effort is not undermined, I don¡¯t foresee trouble from them. As to the Luo, Miss Ling witnessed a bit. Their primary desire is that any agreement be backed by material collateral whether that be an exchange of highborne hostages, a marriage, or spiritually binding oaths. They will not give their support to an agreement which is only ink and paper. Lord Luo was willing to consider the idea of a small population under joint authority¡­¡±


    ¡°The foreign quarter idea,¡± Ling Qi realized.


    ¡°Just so,¡± Gan Guangli agreed. ¡°Obviously, he will need a more concrete presentation to give a real answer.¡±


    ¡°That is much more in line with expectations,¡± Cai Renxiang noted. ¡°I doubt marriages are on the negotiation table. There are none high ranking enough who can afford to destroy their own respectability among the Empire in that way. And while they clearly have prominent families who control the apparatus of government, I have suspicions about the foreigner¡¯s organization in that regard.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded.


    ¡°But the rest are viable options.¡± Cai Renxiang steepled her fingers. ¡°As to my own findings, the Diao are frustratingly vague. They desire to appear above this, and so, only a few low ranking observers have come. Luckily, some are my father¡¯s relatives. They clearly wish to be close to me based upon that, and so long as they do not expect considerations beyond the bounds of law, I can accept that. The Diao will be satisfied as long as we do not bring down too much imperial scrutiny on the province. This summit does not otherwise affect their interest.¡±


    ¡°Two in one. That¡¯s something. I¡¯d like to avoid angering the Ministry too,¡± Ling Qi said dryly.


    Gan Guangli chuckled. ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°As to the Bao, as always, the Lord Bao looks far into the future. They will clearly angle for special rights for their traders, the expansion of travel infrastructure, and access to new goods. In the immediate term, they will most want an agreement that such infrastructure will be built.¡±


    ¡°The devils will be in the details,¡± Gan Guangli said.


    Ling Qi said thoughtfully, ¡°But it won¡¯t be hard to reach the minimum of buy-in, I think.¡±


    ¡°Yes, large land surveys will be needed for maps regardless. Working in an agreement for the construction of a road seems possible.¡± Cai Renxiang considered. ¡°Our harshest opposition will likely be the general and the Ministry of Integrity.¡±


    ¡°A single road in such rough terrain is an easily defendable choke point against a ground bound force,¡± Gan Guangli pointed out.


    ¡°And it will have no effect on the nomads, independent or auxiliary,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°We can argue practicality all day though.¡±


    ¡°It is only the beginning, yes.¡± Cai Renxiang leaned forward. ¡°It seems that our best interests align around performing a great survey of the Wall and the establishment of a semi-permanent meeting location.¡±


    ¡°That would satisfy the most people,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°But in some ways, it will be the most difficult for our people to accept. The White Sky is not without isolationist elements itself either.¡±


    ¡°It is what must be accomplished though,¡± Gan Guangli said.


    ¡°Without regular contact, it will only be like past attempts to make deals with the region''s tribes,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°To call this a success and be able to hold it up for the province. There must be a sturdy foundation which can be built upon.¡±


    ¡°It will be a lot of work, but what¡¯s new?¡± Ling Qi asked rhetorically. ¡°Let¡¯s get down to details.¡±

 Threads 296-Identity 1

    Threads 296-Identity 1


    Ling Qi crouched by the overgrown pond that sat among the ruins of the old temple, looking down into the murky waters.


    The old stones were swept and cleaned. The broken structure had been grown anew from Zhengui¡¯s roots. A new mirror of polished silver was placed inside in a case of polished wood, anointed with the proper oils. The faint scent of incense drifted out to her.


    Here was the place where she had first truly entered the Dream, though she¡¯d not understood it then, guided by the chosen faces of the Moon¡¯s spirits. She didn¡¯t need this place to cross over now, but it seemed respectful to clean it up, as she prepared for the next step in her life. Her time in the Sect, of shelter from the wider world, was over.


    Ling Qi dipped a finger into the murky pool and whistled softly. A cold breeze blew, and silt and muck fled from her touch, leaving the water cool and clear, and the seeds of the lilies she had planted were strengthened against cold and death.


    ¡°An interesting choice.¡±


    Ling Qi gave no reaction as she stood up and turned to face Shu Yue, who loomed over her in the shadow of the scraggly cherry blossom tree that clung to the thin soil up here on the high cliffside.


    ¡°Hey, Ling Qi! Got done clearing the last of the spook outta the air. Will get some¡ª¡± Sixiang¡¯s voice echoed on the wind, a playful gust that ruffled her hair and tugged at her gown, only to die down, whirling around her protectively. ¡°... Well, I guess I got most of the spook.¡±


    ¡°By proportion, you have removed very little,¡± Shu Yue said mildly.


    ¡°Rude,¡± Sixiang grumbled, a puff of wind gusting behind Ling Qi as her muse settled back in her head.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to respond so promptly, Shu Yue.¡± Ling Qi bowed her head. She had sent a message earlier today that she would have some brief freedom.


    ¡°While my charges are under such an aegis as this, my time is more free,¡± Shu Yue said, nodding to the cloudy sky.


    Ling Qi lowered her head in acknowledgement. ¡°Your timing is impeccable then because I have just finished my task here.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Why this, if I may ask?¡± Shu Yue scanned the small cliffside temple. ¡°Worship or repayment of patronage?¡±


    Ling Qi turned to look at the restored shrine. Raising the new structure with Zhengui, the simple mortal effort of painting and decoration, and the planting of flowers and trees was cultivation, too, in its own way. As a human who spoke to and translated the will of greater beings, she was, by most measures, a priestess.


    But if there was anything she had learned from studying the old ways, it was that there was little difference between a small god and a big human. It was a gradient, rather than a hard division. ¡°It¡¯s appropriate to leave something new here.¡±


    ¡°Will you arrange any care for it?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°Others will find it. What they do with it is up to them. So, too, are the consequences.¡± This place belonged to the Moon. What the moon did with it or with those who might come with good intention or ill was up to it.


    ¡°Interesting. Do you object to beginning the lesson then?¡±


    ¡°What is this technique of yours anyway?¡± Sixiang asked on the wind.


    ¡°It is a method for understanding other beings, a tool with which one may come to know others,¡± Shu Yue answered.


    ¡°You made it sound pretty scary, like learning it was dangerous,¡± Sixiang commented.


    ¡°Sixiang,¡± Ling Qi chided.


    ¡°I did.¡± Shu Yue raised a long, long finger to tap on their chin. ¡°Perhaps a demonstration is in order.¡±


    ¡°That would be appreciated,¡± Ling Qi said warily.


    ¡°Not on you, student. That would be inappropriate.¡±


    Ling Qi bowed her head. Shu Yue panned their gaze around, eyes alighting on something further up the cliff. Ling Qi followed their gaze and saw there a nesting bird, a second realm beast by her measure.


    ¡°Yes, a demonstration.¡± Shu Yue cupped their chin. ¡°I will perform this slowly and without subtlety so that you might comprehend it properly, my student.¡±


    Ling Qi felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise.


    Shu Yue grasped their chin and pulled down. There was an awful sucking, ripping sound like tearing flesh as their pale face came away from their head, left connected solely by gristly strands of darkness. At this angle, turned away from her, Ling Qi could not see what lay behind their face.


    She heard the sobs and laughter of children, so blended that she couldn¡¯t tell one from the other.


    The eagle startled in its nest, wings spreading, and inky strings of darkness shot out from whatever lay behind Shu Yue¡¯s face, and their whole body melted into those strings, even as they plunged into the eagle''s eyes and flowed behind them into the beast¡¯s sockets.


    Shu Yue was gone.


    The eagle let out a confused cry, fluffed its spread wings, and then settled back down into the nest.


    Ling Qi stared.


    ¡°Interesting. I have not been a beast for some time.¡±


    This time, she did startle.


    ¡°Hells, do you have to do that?¡± Sixiang complained.


    Ling Qi turned around, and Shu Yue once again stood behind her. Their face was back in its place.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Ling Qi wasn''t sure if that was supposed to be a joke.


    ¡°Hunting in these months has been bad. The storms scare the smaller prey, but the richness of the qi allows subsistence regardless. My mate has been gone since morning. I feel some concern. My eggs are healthy. I have clashed recently with the condor of the higher peaks, and twice in this month, I have detected egg eaters and cuckoos which have sought to violate my nest,¡± Shu Yue said, their voice toneless. ¡°I most prefer the warm and succulent flesh of the white-flame rabbit. I feel frightened on the nights of the grinning crescent when the winds turn sharp. I fear for my brother, who bound himself to a human, and has become distant. I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stop, please,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I think I understand.¡±


    ¡°You cannot learn this technique as it is,¡± Shu Yue continued, not missing a beat. ¡°You did not cultivate your darkness so deeply as I have. Your face is your own, and you bear the name of your birth. You, Ling Qi, are. You cannot become another.¡±


    Ling Qi swallowed. ¡°Do you keep the memories forever?¡±


    ¡°They are consumed and cultivated. Only my Law remains always.¡± Shu Yue reached up to tap their chin. ¡°That is why my master made me a face, that I might have Shu Yue there and not forget.¡±


    ¡°And you control the target?¡± Ling Qi asked, disturbed.


    ¡°Do you control yourself?¡± Shu Yue tilted their head. ¡°I understand what is behind your words. This is a method of knowing, not domination. But student, tell me what you observed in my demonstration.¡±


    Ling Qi breathed out through her nose, trying to order her feelings. In truth, while the sight and sound of it had been disturbing, she couldn¡¯t be so easily unsettled. No, what had left her feeling cold was the sensation of qi.


    What she had felt could only be compared to a person dying. She had felt Shu Yue¡¯s aura flicker out and disappear, as if ceasing to be entirely. It felt like she had just watched someone commit suicide.


    Sixiang whispered.


    ¡°I¡­ felt you suppress yourself,¡± Ling Qi tried. ¡°Felt you connect to the beast and then¡­ sever something, and then, there was only the beast.¡±


    ¡°Not incorrect.¡± Shu Yue brought their fingers together in front of their narrow chest. ¡°Look past your initial revulsion. Feel what was done.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced, glancing up at the eagle on the cliff, unbothered and unaware of what had happened. She closed her eyes and reviewed her memory, pushing past the visceral revulsion.


    What Shu Yue had done wasn¡¯t so different from what she did when she vanished, hid in a shadow, or dispersed her physical body. It was more complete and refined and terrifyingly absent of even a tenuous safety of binding between the elder cultivator¡¯s scattered motes of being, but she could see the method to it. Maybe.


    Sixiang ordered flatly.


    ¡°You scatter and disperse so widely and completely that it feels like destruction. I couldn¡¯t sense what you did after. Have you ever done that to me?¡±


    ¡°No, but I have no method of giving you assurances.¡± Shu Yue shrugged. ¡°What is done after the scattering is simple. Living souls reach out. The darkness of our own mind is a torturous thing, and so even the most closed-off mind sees and hears and feels. We are malleable beings up until the end. And so I become, and in becoming, I know.¡±


    ¡°You were being literal when you said that you are seeing from what is behind another''s eyes,¡± Ling Qi breathed.


    ¡°It is useful to cultivate a blurry line between which of your words is metaphor and which is not.¡± Shu Yue¡¯s empty black eyes crinkling into good humored slits. ¡°This is the most invasive form. Among my techniques are methods of knowing more shallowly, whether out of politeness or fear of notice.¡±


    ¡°So it can be noticed then?¡± Ling Qi asked, if only to solve the tiny part of her that wanted to scream at the idea of such a technique existing.


    Shu Yue paused. ¡°It is possible. Be aware, this method cannot be easily achieved. It is only my master¡¯s artifice which makes me human enough to exist within this role. If I were to name a method effective for detecting one such as I, you already practice it, though the difference in our power is too great.¡±


    She furrowed her brow in consternation.


    Sixiang thought.


    Oh, that was what Shu Yue meant.


    ¡°But we stray. My purpose here is to aid you in finding a method by which you might come to Know others. I do this by becoming. What method do you believe might allow you to perform a similar feat?¡±


    Ling Qi mulled that over. ¡°I thought this lesson would be more about thinking than spying.¡±


    ¡°To cultivate this method, to effectively Know, you must make your mind one which can understand what you perceive. Otherwise, the information gained will be twisted too much by your own perspective. The efficacy of this method is much less.¡±


    Ling Qi crossed her arms, tucking her hands under her armpits. In truth, she still felt clammy from the demonstration, but she thought she understood. How would she achieve knowledge like that? What is it she would do?


    The first method to come to mind, of course, was that she would steal it. But to steal implied that she would deprive someone of the target of her theft. She didn¡¯t want to do that with a person¡¯s innermost secrets and perspective. Or, at least, she didn¡¯t want to do that to most people.


    Thief of Names. Thief of Hearts


    Ling Qi shivered despite herself. Were there more similarities there?


    But there was a truth she had found in her meditations on the dreaming moon. Unless one went out their way to do so, stealing knowledge did not deprive one of, or destroy the original. There was something there she could work with.


    Knowing by theft.


    But was that the best way? She had in some ways come to terms with her urge to seek and take and to trick and fool. There were outlets where it was not only acceptable, but the right thing to do.


    Sixiang murmured.


    ¡°So I ask you, what is it that drives you to Know?¡± Shu Yue asked, regarding her with some interest.


    Ling Qi pondered.

 Threads 297-Identity 2

    Threads 297-Identity 2


    ¡°I¡¯ve been ignorant,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°My world was small, barely larger than what lay before my eyes.¡±


    She thought of scrabbling for food and shelter, never able to look up, barely able to look around. No time for anything not immediately relevant. It was an awful way to live and one which no person should have to endure.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t stay that way for long.¡±


    Ling Qi furrowed her brows at Sixiang¡¯s words. Was that really true? Without being on the edge of death, she had been able to pause and think, but she hadn¡¯t gotten better at first. In many ways, she was still incurious, tunnel visioned on what was right in front of her.


    But that wasn¡¯t good enough for who she was now. There were too many ways to be blindsided, too many ways to misunderstand or stumble. The world was wide, and there was so much in it. It was frightening to admit that she ultimately understood little. She was only just beginning to piece together concepts of why.


    She didn¡¯t think she¡¯d be able to achieve her goals, if she couldn¡¯t even answer such simple questions.


    ¡°A person¡¯s ¡®why¡¯ is anything but simple,¡± Sixiang drawled.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Ling Qi said, looking up to meet Shu Yue¡¯s black gaze. ¡°I want to suss it out anyway. And while I can¡¯t disappear entirely like you do, Shu Yue, I¡¯m still quite good at getting into places I¡¯m not supposed to be in. But I wonder if I can really consider it theft if I don¡¯t intend to take anything.¡±


    ¡°That is a thought you will have to interpret for yourself. It is outside of my expertise,¡± Shu Yue said.


    Ling Qi nodded absently, but she found her thoughts coming back around again to a question she had already asked.


    ¡°You really don¡¯t control them at all? Change them?¡±


    ¡°I become. Change or control in the way you mean it would be at cross purposes with this, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡± Ling Qi echoed.


    ¡°Is it possible to observe a thing without changing it?¡± Shu Yue mused. ¡°Or rather, what we, who have not found our ultimate truth and become Law, say what ¡®I¡¯ is.¡±


    ¡°I think we can,¡± Ling Qi said slowly. ¡°We change and grow, but while I am not the same as I was a year ago, I am still Ling Qi.¡±


    ¡°Yes. This is the common answer. I am unsatisfied by it,¡± Shu Yue said. Ling Qi sensed no rebuke in their words.


    Shu Yue stepped up to the trunk of the cherry blossom tree, sliding their fingertips along the bark. ¡°I have been many, many people, though Shu Yue recalls only the faintest echoes of most,¡± they said thoughtfully. ¡°I, Shu Yue, have observed mortals, seen them crawl from the cradle and fall to the grave. Countless, countless candles in the dark. I have endeavored to understand what ¡®I¡¯ is more deeply than any being born with such a concept, I think. That may be arrogant.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt your experience,¡± Ling Qi said.


    They hummed, continuing to trace the contours of the bark. ¡°¡®I¡¯ is malleable. A sharp blow, a trauma, may remake a man entire. An extended hand might do the same. Or it may not. You may observe a mortal throughout their life, and there will not be a single moment which you can isolate and say: This is the truth.¡±


    Ling Qi listened as Shu Yue mused.


    ¡°A cultivator is different. Ultimately, what we seek is to freeze one single moment, one unchanging ¡®I,¡¯ and burn it into the world that we may never be forgotten.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound¡­¡± Ling Qi hesitated. ¡°So domineering.¡±


    ¡°What is power, Ling Qi?¡± Shu Yue asked, turning to face her.


    Ling Qi blinked, taken aback by the question. ¡°I¡¯m not sure you can say it is any one thing. It can be strength of the arm, the charisma of a leader, wealth, or the will of many coming together.¡±


    Shu Yue rubbed their fingers together thoughtfully. It made a dry, dusty sound. ¡°A better answer than most would give. But you err.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Power is all the things you describe and more, but that does not mean they are not without commonality. Let me give you a small insight, a word passed from my master¡¯s ears and now, to yours,¡± Shu Yue said. ¡°Power is the ability to effect change.¡±


    The world, or maybe her vision, darkened, the shadows of the garden pooling deeply, a chill wind blowing.


    ¡°Power has no morals, no justice. It is not good or evil. It does not corrupt nor purify. What a person is with power is only themself given the opportunity to do as they please. It allows one to effect or resist change, to push the world forward or back.¡±


    Ling Qi hunched her shoulders. ¡°That seems like such an empty statement.¡±


    ¡°It is only empty if the lack of meaning discomfits you. It is merely a stripping of pretension,¡± Shu Yue said. ¡°It is to the interest of those who hold and wield power already to assign it deeper meaning, to condemn its seekers and exalt its holders, to divide and define and create twisting justifications and condemnations as it suits them. But there is a reason cultivators who achieve the highest realm are called ¡®sovereign.¡¯ We, even the most benevolent or retiring of us, have accepted that we wish for dominion in some way.¡±


    ¡°And what does this have to do with our lesson?¡±


    ¡°Identity. What one believes is truth. What one seeks to do, what power, great or small one seeks to exert upon the world. This is ¡®I.¡¯ A mortal has the benefit of changing day to day. You do not have this luxury. It is the treasure in the vault you will seek in your skulking, and it will be needed to understand yourself. What do you want, Ling Qi? What dominion do you seek? What is your power for? Answer that, and perhaps whatever you seek in the depths of dream will not break you.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced, not surprised that Shu Yue could detect the truth of her intentions. While she no longer needed this place to enter the dream, she had gone on several dream quests from this location. It was still, for her, the best place to undertake a dangerous quest like the nightmare tribulation that the Emerald Dancer had warned her of in the Dream of Xiangmen.


    ¡°You still don¡¯t have to do this now, Ling Qi,¡± Sixiang said. ¡°You have so much going on. A couple months before diving into the deep end won¡¯t hurt.¡±


    Now, who was the one getting cold feet? Ling Qi thought fondly. She had decided. She couldn¡¯t go into the final stretch of this summit while this internal conflict persisted.


    But Shu Yue wasn¡¯t condemning her choice or trying to talk her out of her trial. They were trying to make her reflect, to think on an idea pertinent to both this art and a descent into the most dangerous parts of the liminal.


    What she wanted was born right at the beginning of her journey, wasn¡¯t it?


    Miscommunication had led her to run away from home because she didn¡¯t understand. She hadn¡¯t understood that mother had been protecting her in the only way her weak power allowed. Miscommunication had continued in the Sect. Her own ignorance had meant that she deceived without knowing, nearly costing her her best friend. Xiulan had been driven to nearly kill herself trying to keep up with her. In the Inner Sect, her own paranoia and assumptions had stunted her efforts to connect with her peers.


    She didn¡¯t accept responsibility for the actions of others, but it didn¡¯t excuse her from not understanding what her choices did and how they affected her world. She didn¡¯t want to be lost in the mist and shadows of ignorance.


    And in the end, her Want was to reach out, to grasp and hold and keep a Community and Home. Want was the purest expression of life, of choice, of will. To lack Want was death by another name


    ¡°I want to make people understand and speak. Even if the communication changes nothing. I want to understand and be understood. I do not want to fight battles of ignorance,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°An acceptable seed,¡± Shu Yue said, offering an acknowledging nod. ¡°Now, let us begin.¡±

 Threads 298 Identity 3

    Threads 298 Identity 3


    ¡°What you said, those were the Duchess¡¯ words?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Only the first. The rest are my thoughts.¡±


    Ling Qi wanted to share them with Renxiang.


    ¡°You desire to question. How long until your intended descent?¡± Shu Yue asked plainly.


    ¡°Evening under the Dreaming Moon.¡±


    ¡°There is time for one question then, if you wish to train.¡±


    ¡°Are you really willing to speak secrets so freely?¡±


    Shu Yue¡¯s smile was a black crescent gash in their pale face. ¡°Only some.¡±


    Ling Qi managed not to shiver. But didn¡¯t she need to take every opportunity to know the foe that awaited at the end of her path? In the end, there was only one question that came immediately to mind, and once she had thought it, there was no way for her not to speak it.


    ¡°Why did Cai Shenhua do what she did to Cai Renxiang?¡±


    Shu Yue¡¯s eyes drifted shut. ¡°That is not a question which will bring any comfort. Not to you, nor to her.¡±


    ¡°I am not looking for comfort. You have to understand why things happen, not merely that they have. Isn¡¯t this true?¡±


    ¡°It is. I may only explain from my own perspectives. I have not been Cai Shenhua nor the Duchess of the Emerald Seas.¡±


    That was an odd thing to say, Ling Qi thought. In her mind, she felt Sixiang¡¯s hands on her shoulders. They agreed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t expect anything else.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± Shu Yue drew their hands together in front of their chest, steepling their long fingers together. ¡°There are multiple factors. The first arises from Cai Renxiang herself. She desired once to know her mother.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s expression slowly began to draw down into a scowl, but she didn¡¯t interrupt yet.


    ¡°Of course, fault lies with Lin Hai, my junior, to a degree,¡± Shu Yue continued, and it was the first time she had heard the unsettling person before her sound genuinely sad. ¡°A thoughtless moment, offering a child reward for success in her lessons and cultivation. He, of course, redirected her as one does with a child asking for foolish things, but he could not erase Cai Renxiang¡¯s request from his own mind.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I care for what you are implying,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°A child can¡¯t hold fault for asking for something that they don¡¯t know would hurt them. The Duchess¡­¡±


    Shu Yue held up a hand. ¡°Your anger is correct. However, you asked for an explanation. You also, I think, do not understand fully how intractable those who achieve the highest realm become.¡±


    Ling Qi pursed her lips.


    ¡°Consider what you know of spirits,¡± Shu Yue said. Their words were flat and relentless, without inflection. ¡°And allow me an example in the recent business with Cai Tienli, and my master¡¯s advancement in the realm of artificial spiritual organs and spirits. For this purpose, a deception of silence was perpetrated.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded. She had wondered at this, knowing the relentless, pitiless Truth that lay at Cai Shenhua¡¯s core.


    ¡°This damaged my master¡¯s cultivation significantly. The damage is as much as the overall losses of many of her weak simulacra during the period of her personal administration of Xiangmen. If even one person had asked who the child¡¯s other parent was, the scheme would have failed. It was only through her connection to Diao Linqin that it was even possible for my master to consider this action.¡±


    It brought her up short to see it spelled out so plainly. She knew that the higher realms of cultivation require great sacrifice, the removal of everything which was not core to the Way one had built and the Law one sought to master.


    ¡°You said there were multiple factors,¡± she said tersely.


    Cai Renxiang held no fault. There was no doubt in her mind.


    ¡°Indeed. As you think, there is no fault for a child,¡± Shu Yue acknowledged. ¡°But it did interact with a flaw in my master''s cultivation method.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°The Duchess of the Emerald Seas is not the desire of Cai Shenhua, the fifth realm, who set out upon the Way of Progress and Creation and held not any desire to rule and who wished to be a mother, despite her disdain for certain, then necessary activities,¡± Shu Yue said.


    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± Ling Qi demanded.


    ¡°You have seen Liming¡¯s true face,¡± Shu Yue said relentlessly. ¡°Know that the Duchess Cai did nothing to her daughter which she had not already done to herself. I seek no pity here, no understanding nor apologetics. What happened happened too soon, but even if all had been optimal, it would still have happened, merely¡­ later. Parentage, too, is a form of progress, or should be.¡±


    Ling Qi remembered Cai Renxiang¡¯s face with a doll¡¯s glass eyes and lips stitched shut attached to a body of cloth. She had seen the rage burning in those glass orbs and the way Liming had regarded her friend. Ling Qi knew Cai Renxiang had told her that there were only three other gowns like Liming. One for the Empress, one for Diao Linqin, and one, the first, for Cai Shenhua herself.


    ¡°I leave you to think on the implications you may draw from this,¡± Shu Yue said as if they were only giving a simple lesson. ¡°This is the clearest answer I may give without inflicting on you secrets which would be dangerous for your well-being to know at this stage.¡± Shu Yue fixed her with a look. ¡°The Emerald Seas cannot revert to what it was under the Hui. Know that this truth lies at the heart of every one of us who have bound ourselves to her, apprentices and comrades and lover alike. It overrides all else.¡±


    Sixiang whispered morosely.


    They would, Ling Qi thought. To Shu Yue aloud, she said, ¡°I understand. How do you want to begin the lesson?¡±


    Shu Yue tapped their fingers together one more time then let out a sighing breath. For a moment, their tall and looming figure seemed almost ready to disperse like a pile of leaves threatening to blow away in the wind. ¡°We will begin with observation. You must practice and sharpen your qi sight. You must detect clearly where you may enter and exit. For this, we will need a population center.¡±


    ***


    It was night by the time they returned. Training with Shu Yue had left her feeling thoughtful. Standing undetectable among the people of the sect town brought back memories. It was melancholy to be among people and yet not exist at all so far as they were concerned.


    ¡°People often aren¡¯t the best at seeing what they don¡¯t want to see,¡± Sixiang said gently on the wind. ¡°But I think we both know it''s a little different here.¡±


    The shrine had a slight shine to it at night. The mirror in the shrine gleamed, despite being set too far back to reflect the gibbous moon above. Even in the total darkness outside, there was a certain chaotic energy, the beat of music and laughter in the rustling of leaves and the sway of the grass.


    ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± Ling Qi agreed. What they had done, surrounding unknowing mortals and low realm cultivators with the wisps of her perception felt invasive and unsettling. She had studied them, feeling the sharp obvious spike of a man¡¯s anger as he stubbed his toe, the subtle thrum of another¡¯s dissatisfaction with his job, and the glassy texture of a clerk¡¯s empty professional smile over a roiling pressure of contempt for the person shouting at them. And indeed, the shouter¡¯s perception rolled over the clerk with no more acknowledgement than they gave the desk between them.


    Discarding vision for sensation and the vibrations of qi was the first step to perceiving what lay under the physical and reaching into what people were and how what they perceived clashed. Shu Yue was right. Identity was not something which could be distilled and understood simply. Even understanding one''s own self was a monumental task.


    ¡°What¡¯s one more for the plate?¡± Sixiang asked, stepping into existence beside her, a figure formed of air and distorted moonlight. They turned to face her. ¡°Do you really understand what you¡¯re getting into here, Ling Qi?¡±


    Ling Qi took a deep breath, relishing the cool night air. It was probably the last comfort she would have for awhile. ¡°I¡¯m going to walk into my own nightmares.¡±


    Sixiang studied her face.


    She closed her eyes. It hurt to dig down and look at the ugly, squirming parts of her past. ¡°I¡¯m still afraid. I don¡¯t like being touched, even if I¡¯ve pushed past it a little. I can initiate a hug or a pat on the shoulder. But I¡¯m still terrified by the idea that anyone would want to touch me.¡±


    Ling Qi moved to the edge of the pond, looking down at her own reflection. She had changed so much. With her expression poised, she looked severe, austere even. She looked slender and elegant.


    She was beautiful.


    Admitting that made part of her gibber in terror.


    It was said that a cultivator¡¯s body became a match for their desires, perfected unto the image in their mind. She¡¯d often thought of how poorly she matched the common standard of feminine beauty. She¡¯d complained, envious of her friends. But her hair had never grown straight, and she¡¯d stopped using the tincture that made it so. Her skin had never lightened.


    She¡¯d only grown taller because she didn¡¯t want to be desirable. She knew how consumptive, demanding, and cloying desire was or could be.


    ¡°You know it doesn¡¯t have to be like that though. You¡¯re not like that.¡± Sixiang threaded their arms around her waist, resting their chin on her shoulder.


    ¡°You¡¯re not that tall,¡± Ling Qi said absently.


    ¡°Unlike you fleshy folks,¡±¡ª Sixiang grinned ¡ª¡±I am whatever size I need to be at the moment. Don¡¯t sweat the small stuff.¡±


    She gave them an amused look, now seeing a doll-sized apparition perched on her shoulder.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to belong to anyone.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°I think Renxiang might have infected me. I don¡¯t mind my duties, not with everything laid out in pen and ink and clear language. I can understand completely what I¡¯m agreeing to.¡±


    ¡°Ling Qi,¡± Sixiang whined.


    She chuckled. ¡°But you can¡¯t make a family or a friend or something more out of a contract, huh?¡±


    ¡°Maybe someone could, but probably not you.¡±


    Ling Qi looked up at the bright, nearly full moon half-hidden behind a ribbon of drifting cloud, and she felt the faint beat of music in her bones.


    Whatever end she chose for her fear, the first step was in facing it.


    Ling Qi let herself tip forward and fell into her own reflection to the sound of shattering glass.

 Threads 299 Identity 4

    Threads 299 Identity 4


    Ling Qi landed lightly on extended toes, surrounded by shards of glass. She stood on immaculate jade tiles, surrounded by cool mist and music. Applause greeted her, and she was met with a grand ballroom full of spirits in every shape and in every size. Beasts were strolling around on their hind legs, garbed in noble finery. Creatures of the elements, the avatars of stream and breeze and leaf and earth, conversed. Hybrids and mixes of the two and so much more filled the hall, laughing, clapping, and dancing under the glittering night sky and among the mist.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°It¡¯s a delightful little venue,¡± said the Emerald Dancer, avatar of the Dreaming Moon. ¡°Much cozier than the capital.¡±


    They stood before a woman of indeterminate age in a glittering, gossamer green gown. Her eyes were glittering and black, and their hair a drifting halo of silken color waving in an unseen wind. A parasol of living wood and rainbow silk rested against her shoulder.


    Ling Qi brought her hands together and lowered her head respectfully.


    ¡°Hey, Grandmother!¡± Sixiang hooked an arm through Ling Qi¡¯s. ¡°Glad you got a little distance down here.¡±


    ¡°You''re still immature, Sixiang,¡± laughed the spirit. ¡°I am I, and I am also they.¡± The spirit raised her eyes, looking at the looming gibbous moon in the sky. ¡°Indeed, so are you, my dear. There is so much more of ¡®you¡¯ now.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here to visit someone else, unfortunately,¡± Ling Qi said apologetically, not raising her head.


    ¡°You¡¯ve resolved yourself to meet my other half then?¡± The Dancer tilted her head.¡±Do you understand that this is not only your tribulation?¡±


    That brought her up short, and Ling Qi raised her head. She looked at Sixiang.


    Sixiang winced, tried to smile, and then wilted under her glare. ¡°I mean, you¡¯re the one that matters here¡­¡±


    ¡°I spent the early morning reassuring my mother that while I was doing something dangerous, I would be back, even if I might be hurt,¡± Ling Qi accused.


    Sixiang equivocated, ¡°Well, that¡¯s not entirely true.¡±


    ¡°It was as true as it could be. It¡¯s my intention,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Sixiang, I understand that you''re connected to me, but that¡¯s not what your grandmother is implying.¡±


    ¡°My, you¡¯ve gotten so much better at reading beyond words spoken.¡± The Dancer rested her cheek upon a hand, looking perilously amused.


    Sixiang, meanwhile, just looked uncomfortable. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be about me. I can just stay here¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh my, no,¡± said the Dancer, smiling pleasantly. ¡°You won¡¯t be stable if you keep refusing to acknowledge your nightmare, dear.¡±


    Ling Qi turned to the avatar for explanation.


    ¡°Your muse calls us Grandfather and Grandmother, and that isn¡¯t wrong for children. But we are not separate beings. I am he, and he is I. Dreams and nightmares cannot be so neatly separated,¡± the Dancer explained gently but firmly. ¡°And that goes for your muse as well, young lady.¡±


    Sixiang¡¯s shoulders slumped. ¡°It¡¯s fine, isn¡¯t it? I don¡¯t gotta touch that stuff. We¡¯re fine. I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned as Sixiang slid their arm out from under hers. She stopped them, grasping their hand. ¡°Sixiang, I trust you.¡±


    They looked up, startled. ¡°Ling Qi¡ª¡±


    Hands fell on their shoulders, and Ling Qi turned to see fathomless black eyes, deeper than the empty night sky.


    ¡°Let us go now to the other side.¡±


    ***?


    The smell struck her first. It wasn¡¯t awful or overwhelming. It wasn¡¯t the vile, rotting air released from Hui Peng¡¯s sealed chamber nor the ugly smell of blood and spilled viscera. She wished it were.


    It was stale sweat, wine, and a clinging, musty odor. Faint incense tried to cover it and failed. Ling Qi felt like her hair wanted to stand on end. She stopped breathing because she did not want this air.


    She was in an achingly familiar set of rooms. They were well furnished on the house¡¯s dime. Her eyes darted to the door on the left. That was a little walk-in closet meant for wardrobe and storage. There would be a bed in there, a tiny table, and a lantern. A loose floorboard stored treasures.


    Or there would have been, once upon a time.


    ¡°Ling Qi?¡± Sixiang stumbled, and it shocked her out of her thoughts as she caught their arm. The muse swayed, looking confused. ¡°I¡¯m solid,¡± they said, horrified.


    She shot them a tense look before returning to scanning the room. There, on the other side, was the door to the bedroom proper, her mother¡¯s room where she took clients. ¡°It¡¯s still the liminal, Sixiang.¡±


    ¡°N-no.¡± The genuine discomfort in their voice drew her eyes back. Sixiang¡¯s eyes darted to their own hands and then back to her. She noticed that Sixiang¡¯s hair hung limp and solid around their face. ¡°I can¡¯t change, Ling Qi. I can¡¯t change. I¡¯m not in¡ª¡±


    ¡°Control.¡±


    The voice rattled the floorboards, and the little windowpane let in the pale red light of dusk. The sound made Ling Qi¡¯s skin crawl. It was a man¡¯s, slow and slurring and hideously interested. It was a boy¡¯s, barely older than her, snarling at her as her arm broke under his grip and he stole what she had stolen herself. It was Sun Liling¡¯s sneering challenge on the mountainside. It was the thunder cracking in the sky as the stars fell down upon her in the caldera.


    There were so many more layers than that, each an ugly, violent memory of loss and helplessness.


    But Ling Qi wasn¡¯t a scared child. She hunched her shoulders and gripped Sixiang¡¯s hand. It was weird for it to be warm and solid and real. Even in the dream, touching Sixiang had always been a bit like holding onto a cloud before.


    ¡°I¡¯ve faced this already.¡±


    There was no response.


    ¡°I¡¯ve faced this already,¡± she repeated with more confidence. ¡°This place¡­ It¡¯s not special. It¡¯s a bad place, but I¡¯m not afraid of it anymore. Sixiang, you¡¯ve been trapped before, too. Remember the nightmare of the hunt?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the same,¡± they whispered. ¡°I wasn¡¯t stuck in a body like this then. I just wasn¡¯t allowed to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°Maybe not, but I¡¯ll manage. It¡¯ll only be for a little bit,¡± Ling Qi said reassuringly. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here.¡±


    ¡°Does that even mean anything?¡± Sixiang joked nervously. ¡°Here is wherever Gramps wants us to be.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but I didn¡¯t get where I am by standing still.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not reassuring at all.¡±


    ¡°I guess not.¡± Ling Qi refused to look back as she came to the outer door and opened it, revealing a long hallway lined with similar doors. Its familiarity only made the eerie silence and stillness more unsettling.


    But there was nothing to be found for her back there. She¡¯d faced it, and she¡¯d gotten her mother back. She understood.


    ¡°Do you really? Then whence comes your fear?¡±


    The voice whispered this time, a slimy breeze in her ear. Tears and sweat and blood.


    ¡°You see it still everywhere, but you deny and deny and deny.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes darted around. She¡¯d heard a skittering tread and seen a shadow at the edge of her vision.


    ¡°Ling Qi?¡± Sixiang questioned.


    ¡°He¡¯s talking, that¡¯s all. I don¡¯t know how much to engage. This¡ª¡±


    Her words died in her throat. She knew perfectly well by now that just because this was a dream, a purposeful tribulation, did not make it any less real. It wasn¡¯t a mistake she would make again.


    They walked down the hallway toward the dark stairs at the end. In the real world, it would lead downstairs to the common room where men were served food and drink and music and cooed over by the women here in the hopes of convincing them to purchase more ¡°services.¡± More importantly, there would be the exit.


    ¡°Mortal construction, you¡¯ve dismissed and overcome. But not this place.¡±


    Ling Qi hunched her shoulders, her eyes catching on an open door in the hall. The voice dug into her ears, digging, digging. And she couldn¡¯t dismiss it because it wasn¡¯t lying.


    ¡°Witness love.¡±


    She glimpsed what lay beyond the open door. There was a man and a woman there.They were close, her back to the wall. His hands were in her hair. And where his fingers met her skin, wormlike threads sank in and wriggled under it. Threads, strings sinking in, writhing like worms.


    The man drew away, the strings followed, and the woman smiled. It was an empty thing, the corners of her lips pulled up by strings under her skin. The man was indistinct, features shifting into different faces as he turned to face her.


    The woman was her.


    Ling Qi bolted, all but dragging Sixiang as they stumbled behind her.


    ¡°Why do you flee from your own truth?¡±


    Doors snapped open. More people. Mother, Cai Renxiang, Meizhen, Suyin, Su Ling, others, all with family or lovers, and sometimes, Ling Qi herself. Controlling and being controlled


    ¡°Control is Power. These define love, define relations. You try for a light hand. But this is your truth: You covet power because you fear it, and naught else.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to control anyone,¡± Ling Qi snapped, coming to a halt. The hallway yawned on indefinitely. She had passed dozens of doors and gotten no closer to the stairs.


    ¡°Lies. You steer those around you. You seek even now to control the course of countless people.¡±


    Sixiang hissed in pain, and Ling Qi felt a jolt herself of stabbing pain in her hand. She looked down in alarm to see binding threads between their fingers. She couldn¡¯t tell whether they were coming from her or Sixiang or who was binding who. It hurt so badly, threads digging in under her fingernails and under her skin. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes from the sensation.


    ¡°You, too, little shard. Nightmare of lunacy who revels in confusion and delirium, nightmare of covetousness who breaks and takes and grasps so tightly. You could take her. She has let you in so deeply.¡±


    Sixiang gritted their teeth. Blood dripped from their joined hands, and strands of their hair paled, bleaching. ¡°I don¡¯t want to,¡± they hissed, scowling up at the shadowed ceiling.


    But they could. The thought crossed Ling Qi¡¯s mind. Shu Yue had warned her. The danger had simply never crossed her mind because Sixiang was Sixiang


    ¡°Then perhaps your grandfather should help.¡±

 Threads 300 Identity 5

    Threads 300 Identity 5


    The air around them darkened, and she saw Sixiang stiffen, something cold and cruel and alien seeping into their eyes. The threads dug into her wrist, and the binding grew tighter.


    She¡¯d known the problem coming here. Despite her deflection, despite her evasion, and despite her avoidance of the subject, Ling Qi knew the root of the problem. The problem was that her conception of intimacy was wrong. She was too grasping and too afraid all at once.


    To see past her misconception, and to make herself accept that she was wrong¡­¡­ That had to be the solution. Ling Qi loosened her grip on Sixiang¡¯s hand, and their hands came apart.


    The pain remained, and the threads under their skin spooled out into the gap that formed.


    Ling Qi breathed out and looked up to see Sixiang standing there, looking down at their hands. The muse¡¯s lank, colorless hair hid their face.


    ¡°Sixiang. I know¡ª¡±


    ¡°Why d¡¯you always gotta be like this?¡±


    She stopped mid-sentence at the interruption. The greater nightmare was silent.


    ¡°You can stand up to anything outside, but the moment you look in, you run away,¡± Sixiang criticized harshly. ¡°You always assume you¡¯re bad. That you¡¯re greedy, and selfish, and all that other crap. It¡¯s great that you didn¡¯t end up like that big icicle or that starving carpet-to-be. But I am so damn sick of you trashing yourself!¡±


    ¡°Sixiang, I don¡¯t want to control you. I know you don¡¯t want to control me either. We can¡¯t accept the way your grandfather is trying to frame this,¡± Ling Qi placated, glancing nervously around. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m not that bad. I know my fears, but our relationship isn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t it?¡± Sixiang snapped. They raised their head, and Ling Qi startled at the sight. Sixiang¡¯s dark eyes weren¡¯t polluted by another entity''s presence. Their features seemed harder, sharper than usual, but¡­ they were Sixiang.


    ¡°You ever think that I don¡¯t want more distance, huh?¡± Sixiang continued. ¡°And don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t control me. How much do I do? All this boring, awful gruntwork you put on me, and I do it. I do it for you! I keep my cool. I don¡¯t go out and pester people or play any pranks, even when I figured out how to without a body! I hung around even after it started to hurt. I¡¯ve been changing myself for you all along! And yeah, I have my hooks in you too cause that¡¯s how it works.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the same thing,¡± Ling Qi protested. ¡°What he¡¯s showing us is awful and wrong.¡±


    Sixiang snorted. ¡°He¡¯s making it look all scary and gross because of course he is. And that¡¯s enough for you because you think of it like that! You make so many excuses for why your boss doesn¡¯t count, despite all the power she has over you if she wanted to exercise it. You reason out why you can be fine in that Sect or your Empire. But me, I gotta keep quiet and be nice and unthreatening and never let on how much I love¡ª¡±


    As Sixiang spoke, getting more and more worked up, they reached for her hand. The strings tugged, tightened, and grew thicker and more sturdy. Ling Qi¡¯s eyes widened. She jerked her hand back. The strings didn¡¯t tear, but they strained.


    ¡°¡ªyou!¡±


    Sixiang¡¯s last word echoed in the hall as their hand fell back to their side. They chuckled.


    ¡°And that¡¯s all it takes for the fear, huh? Poor turtle boy. Thought it¡¯d be different for me, but you really can¡¯t accept that someone might want you instead of the other way around.What exactly is so bad about being held tight, if that¡¯s what you want?¡±


    ¡°So decided, two tribulations apart.¡±


    That awful voice seeped out of the air again, and the hall came apart. Black leaves blew in, a dense cloud of moldy, rotting vegetation, swiftly obscuring her vision. The distance between her and Sixiang expanded violently. She lunged forward, grabbing for Sixiang¡¯s hand, but this time, the muse didn¡¯t reach back.


    A roaring wind took her, burying her in rotting leaves.


    When Ling Qi next opened her eyes, she lay on the ground, staring up at a gray smoke-filled sky. She felt the crunch of dead leaves under her head and back. She sat up.


    It was a cold fall day, and all around her were corpses and fires. Men and women in ill-fitting armor were scattered across the ground like discarded leaves, staring with empty eyes up at the sky. They were corpses that still breathed.


    This was her work, the audience for the Traveler¡¯s End.


    Ling Qi sucked in a breath as she forced herself to stand, not letting her eyes meet any of the dead bandits'' mindless gazes.


    She glanced down at her hand, which still throbbed with pain, and she saw bloodied strings emerging from under her skin. They weren¡¯t broken. They didn¡¯t hang limp. Instead, they extended off into the air, vanishing into nothingness. Ling Qi began to walk towards where they vanished.


    ¡°Where was this surety, seeker of thrones?¡±


    One of the corpses at her feet spoke, oily blackness bubbling between its lips. Its empty eyes remained on the smoke-choked sky. Ling Qi averted her eyes, refusing to stop. The words rose in a susurrus of noise, quieting behind her and rising beside her. Each word emerged from new lips.


    ¡°I made a mistake,¡± Ling Qi said. A bare moment of instinctive action, that was all it had taken.


    ¡°Recanting so swiftly.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a question, but a disappointed and contemptuous statement.


    ¡°I refuse what you showed me: family, connections, relationships. They don¡¯t have to be like that.¡± Ling Qi kept her eyes ahead, stepping over the bodies without looking. ¡°That wasn¡¯t my mistake. Only¡­ my reaction.¡±


    ¡°It proves words and thoughts false. You reject your truth without knowing another.¡±


    She neared the pyres, and the burning bones within crackled and stirred. Fleshless jaws blackened and cracked, opened and shut, speaking the voice of nightmare. The wind blew harshly, carrying embers into the sky where they mingled with the faint white of drifting snow.


    She was wrong. Ling Qi held onto that like a child holding tight to a warm coal in the depths of winter. Gan Guangli and Su Ling, Bai Meizhen and Bao Qingling, love did not have to be a matter of domination and command.


    She stepped past the pyres and into the treeline, following the line.


    ¡°To live is to override the will of others, and be overridden in turn.¡±


    Ling Qi clenched her teeth and didn¡¯t answer. Her eyes scanned through the burgeoning snowstorm as the wind picked up. She shielded her eyes as the wind surged.


    ¡°Dare you look upon me and say that love does not bind?¡±


    Ling Qi blanched as she heard a voice, not the nightmare, but something beautiful and achingly familiar. She spun to the side.


    In the whiteout of snow and leaves was a broken mask. It was the shattered fragments of a beauty¡¯s face. Pale white eyes, crimson lips, and stern features were only briefly reunited by the wind before falling apart again.


    ¡°With love, you slew your master and bound her to the course of self-annihilation. Why do you lie so?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t use her!¡± Ling Qi screamed into the void. The fragments of Zeqing¡¯s face disappeared in the wind. Ling Qi¡¯s voice was a shockwave, tearing away snow and leaves. Her hair whipped around her face, unbound and rimed, and under her feet, the soft earth covered in fallen leaves became pure and perfect ice. The wind screamed around her, but no longer did the snow and leaves intrude. She stood alone and pristine in a tiny circle of her own will.


    Her scream had shown a flash of silhouette. Something so much more than her, larger, mightier, and dense with power stalked in the storm outside. Slick and green-black, dripping and viscous, it had been inhuman in shape and mein. She heard over the sound of the wind the slithering stride of uncountable hooved feet and the fleshy sound of something heavy and wet dragging across the earth before it vanished into the blizzard. A gaze pierced her from the emptiness.


    ¡°One who lives without binding others, but is themselves bound. Is this your wish, seeker of thrones?¡±


    The voice of nightmare remained an overlapping sea of sounds, the voices of her helplessness and terror, but at its core was an older and feminine and harsh voice. Rose petals bloomed, scattered among the leaves.


    ¡°The childish liar who pretends at binding none while ignoring the wind of their wings and the cost of their hunger? You know it''s foolish.¡±


    Ling Qi saw herself in the storm, young and ragged and hungry, a desperate thief thinking of no one but herself. Pathetic and pitiable.


    ¡°I¡¯ve become better than that,¡± Ling Qi chanted. She felt her heart beating in her ears. Her knees trembled, nearly buckling, the veins in her forehead pulsed, and her meridians groaned at the strain of pushing back against the will of the nightmare.


    The mist was full of forms now, so many people, some she knew, some merely faces glimpsed in passing, and all of them were on strings. Her hands wept blood where the threads emerged.


    ¡°Then cease whining of lies and wrongness, and speak truth.¡±

 Threads 301 Identity 6

    Threads 301 Identity 6


    The words struck her with physical force, sending her to her knees as her bubble of control collapsed. The wind swept in. Rotten leaves and snow plastered themselves across her, filling her nose with their disgusting moldy scent.


    Linq Qi pressed her hands to the ground, refusing still to fully buckle under the pressure. Sixiang¡¯s words in their brief argument came to her.


    ¡°He¡¯s making it look all scary and gross because of course he is. And that¡¯s enough for you because you think of it like that!¡±


    How much of this was the nightmare, and how much of it was her?


    With effort, she pushed back the storm again, but it wore away at her power, whisking it away into the nightmare. It was not like Huisheng¡¯s playful theft, but a scouring brush, sanding down her qi and will. Her meridians ached, her hands throbbed, and her heart pounded in her ears.


    She had come here, so sure of herself. So sure she had the solution and that she could face her fear and reject it, replacing it in her heart with what she wanted to believe. How foolish. Since when had fear ever worked like that? Logic and reason were not weapons with which one fought nightmares. She had decided that she was wrong, but she had never decided how to be right.


    She could feel the nightmare eating away at her, getting into the cracks in her resolve, peeling her away bit by bit. This was the liminal, and the only barrier between herself and dissolution was her own surety of self.


    So she was wrong. But what did that mean? The puppet strings revolted her, but they existed and were real. She couldn¡¯t deny that.


    Relationships. They bound people''s actions. She had chosen to take Hanyi. Zeqing had chosen to let her, even if it killed her. She¡¯d thought she had solved the problem. She simply had to keep her distance and not smother those she loved.


    But that wasn¡¯t a complete insight. It was a dodge and evasion, an avoidance of truth.


    Her first error.


    Love did come with restrictions and with chains. These chains were hers as much as any other¡¯s. If she truly loved someone, there were things she would not do. And in turn, there were things they could not do.


    There were so many chains in life, but these chains did not have to be evil. They could be, oh, they could be, and they too often were out of malice, out of ignorance, or even out of altruism.


    Meizhen had said: We hurt, and we are hurt in turn.


    Calling them ¡°chains¡± was her error.


    These strings went everywhere, a web of awful complexity that she could not see in its wholeness. Her bonds connected her to the enigma behind people¡¯s eyes. She had never bothered to see Sixiang¡¯s feelings despite how deep their threads ran.


    Was it even possible to know another person without such terrible techniques as Shu Yue¡¯s?


    Her second error.


    People were not puppets, no matter how many strings tugged at them. They could be forced along with enough strength, enough will, enough cruelty or righteousness. But even she, at her lowest, was Ling Qi. She had her ¡°I.¡±. She was sometimes a prisoner, but never a puppet.


    No one was.


    She remembered the tale of the Nameless told to her by Elder Ying, so long ago now. The Nameless Mother¡¯s first wish was a connection with a thing not herself. And for that to happen, she had needed to accept the influence of another being, that of the Nameless Father.


    Perhaps she couldn¡¯t know another person fully. But that was no excuse not to try. To do the impossible was the remit of a Sovereign.


    Ling Qi inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with cold, clear air untouched by the scent of rot and blood. The strings under her skin extending off into the storm smoked and trembled, writhing like worms. She felt the echo of pain, of anger, and of confusion.


    Sixiang was still here.


    The wordless bar she sang was a thunderous cry of rejection and frustration. Once again, leaves were flung back, and the earth became crackling ice. Ling Qi got her feet under her. Her dress whipped in the wind as she began to rise trembling to her feet, and its train and her shadow became one, growing into a dark silhouette far larger than her as mist trickled and poured from her hems and sleeves.


    ¡°Wrong! My heart, my vision, was wrong!¡± she sang into the storm, and with trembling knees, she took a step forward. ¡°What you twist against me, I refuse. Because it is wrong!¡±


    Her hair, long freed of any ties or styling, blew wildly around her head, a halo of glittering stars around her head. And in the storm outside, something immense skittered, the click and clatter of far too many hooves.She glimpsed the shadow of thin, bent, insect-like legs in the storm and the burning darkness of misshapen eyes.


    ¡°These ties are not strings or chains. They connect us, not bind us.¡±


    ¡°Semantic games. Is that really all you have, seeker?¡±


    Ling Qi looked down at her hand and the smoking strings there, and then back up. She grit her teeth and took another step forward. ¡°There is nothing trivial about words or their choosing.¡±


    She held herself from flinching as something loomed outside her circle. It slumped bonelessly before her, huge and imposing, and she saw the silhouette of a skull with vast branching antlers from which swung hanging, unsettling shapes. A faint phosphorescence lit deep sockets, and the creature''s jaw worked out of time with the words that emerged. Its body, she saw only as an oily black shroud, fleshy and heavy, beneath which she saw the faintest glimpse of faces and despairing eyes.


    She stood before the nightmare of the Emerald Seas and did not bow.


    ¡°Then tell me, seeker. Will you allow yourself to be bound?"


    ¡°I am bound.¡±


    ¡°Then whence comes your wrongness?¡±


    ¡°A string is tied at both ends,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°To release my grasp was wrong, but to tighten my grip would also have been wrong. You brushed over it, my light hand. But that is love. Choice. That is where binding ends, and connection begins.¡±


    ¡°Choice withers before power and crumbles before ignorance.¡±


    ¡°Power cannot be ignored, but it is an obstacle, not an absolute. As for ignorance, there is¡­¡±


    The abomination tilted his immense head, sending the bodies which hung from its prongs asway.


    COMMUNICATION.


    The truth of art was communication. To have one''s Way taken up showed the greatest mastery of self.


    Ignorance was to the mind what hunger was to the body. Starvation could bring a person to many terrible things. So, too, could ignorance. It was true that some chose malice, even in the midst of plenty, but before she could judge if that were so, she first needed to reach out.


    The shadow she cast, a black winged shape upon the ice, stretched further still, and from it emerged the shadow of a multitude of strings like rays of light in negative. Ling Qi felt strange. She was herself and her shadow, the ice below, and the whirling wind that blew away the leaves. She was the word she had spoken, which did not emerge as sound but instead raw will, impressed upon the dream.


    The nightmare before her did not retreat, but skittering insectile legs shifted. The broken bodies that hung from his antlers wept black tar and wailed a rasping song of grief through crushed and broken throats.


    And Ling Qi¡¯s will touched him. Misery. Unending misery. A people broken apart again and again. Peasants and artists and priests and soldiers and kings. Guardians of order and agents of chaos. Kinslayers all. The boot and the throat it crushed, all in one being. And worst of all, a guttering ember that was the hope never fully extinguished. The weight of it, a millennia of suffering and broken dreams, of false triumphs and crushed hopes, threatened to crush her.


    Ling Qi felt hot blood on her cheeks and on her lips. Her eyes and nose bled, but she remained firm.


    Until the leaves pressed down, and the vast bulk skittered into the snow and leaves, becoming once more a shadow


    ¡°An argument at last. The introduction to my latest composition.¡±


    Maybe it would be. Ling Qi did not think she would be able to hold the fullness of what she had just seen. But here in this instant, she could not say that she was unique. There had been so, so many others who had come before who had striven as she had promised to strive. They had promised to be different.


    They hung now, singing the song of the Nightmare.


    She would strive regardless. All things ended, even nightmares. It was arrogant to say that she would succeed where all others had failed. It was hubris to look upon their graves and say ¡°I will do better.¡± But without that arrogance, nothing could change. She understood what Shu Yue had said, and what the nightmare had needled, calling her seeker of thrones. A Sovereign could not exist without such pride.


    Abdunace begets Creation. Creation denies Isolation. Through Creation, the wheel turns forward.


    Ling Qi erased the blood tracking down her cheeks and over her lips. Her eyes ceased stinging. Her knees ceased hurting. Even her hair fell back into place. She was not ragged anymore, not starving nor broken, and so, she made herself whole. ¡°I am going to speak with my friend and understand what I and they want.¡±


    ¡°You have not yet attained victory. Your argument is barely tested.¡±


    ¡°My victory can¡¯t come from phantoms and corpses,¡± Ling Qi turned away from the shadow. She reached out her hands. The strings under her skin writhed, but her hands no longer bled. Each string was the shadow of a hand, tiny and grasping. ¡°It will come from us both or not at all.¡±


    And Ling Qi¡¯s fingers dug into the fabric of the dream, the shadow strings plunging into the weft like blades, and pried apart the nightmare, opening to a realm of noise and color. It was pandemonium by any measure.


    She stepped through.

 Threads 302-Identity 7

    Threads 302-Identity 7


    In the beginning, there was joy.


    There was a whole world to explore, infinite in possibility


    But it was the nature of that world to define, to limit, to order. Solidity, stability, selfhood.


    Even for those mighty defiers of Law, their purpose was to write and rewrite those laws, not to banish them entirely.


    Such was the waking world.


    The first link of the chain was forged with the simplest realization. They did not want to die. They did not want to wake up and become a new dream for a new dreamer. They wanted to keep existing as they were now even if it hurt and even if it was dull or painful or frustrating.


    They wanted to be Ling Qi¡¯s dream. They wanted Ling Qi to be their dreamer.


    But that didn¡¯t change what they were. They were made from the same cloth as the Phantasmagoria of Lunar Revelry. The part of them that came from the Dreaming Moon was Disruption. They were disturbance and shattering, the breaking of roles and barriers, the dissolution of order, the cessation of control.


    But the other part of them was the dream of a lonely girl, full of fear that everything she had was built on sand. That girl was scrambling in a race for power with no idea what lay at the end. She feared control, even as she desperately wished for it.


    So much of it came down to control. The desire to command her own life without limitation. The fear of that being taken away. The refusal to see the fundamental lie of it. The idea that she or anyone else could have that control without crushing the will of those who lay in arm¡¯s reach.


    It was the lie of splendid isolation, which led some to that damned path, that barren garden, as if it were full of abundance. The lie of freedom without consequence.


    In the realm Ling Qi had entered, she walked a path of glittering ice in a maelstrom of chaotic energy. She sang under her breath as she walked, and her hands reached out into the maelstrom. Those thoughts she had felt were Sixiang¡¯s, the truth and troubles.


    She saw the two of them dancing in the night sky over burning treetops. She saw them flying on the wind over mountaintops. She saw them trampling over the dull contracts and boring parties, doing as they wished and dragging her friends along whether they liked it or not.


    But these were old and childish dreams, and Ling Qi did not think it a coincidence that they drifted to her in fragments at the periphery of Sixiang.


    Because that¡¯s what the maelstrom was. She had not forgotten what Sixiang was, this sea of thought and memory and possibility.


    She saw the bits and pieces all because her mind was open, and she would not close it here. She had flinched once, and she would not again.


    ¡°It¡¯s so easy to say that. Talk and talk and talk, and it¡¯s less than even I, the wind,¡± Sixiang¡¯s voice sang.


    ¡°Words are more than wind, but they aren¡¯t enough either,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°Sixiang, what did he show you?¡±


    ¡°Does it matter?¡± The wind tugged playfully at her hair. ¡°You¡¯ve already decided. I¡¯m just along for the ride.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do this on my own.¡± Ling Qi looked up to the bands of scintillating color that hung overhead. Silver lightning crackled between the bands. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯ve put so much onto you, but I can¡¯t do it on my own.¡±


    ¡°Guilt. Playing on my love without ever intending to give back. What¡¯s changed, Ling Qi?¡±


    ¡°I understand that I¡¯m taking now. Sixiang, please tell me what he¡¯s shown you.¡±


    ¡°You could see, I know you could, just as I can see you showing it all off. All you gotta do is reach in and take it.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to do that?¡±


    The maelstrom of colors stilled, frozen lighting and coagulated color. ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡±


    ¡°You should know if you¡¯re looking. Choice matters.¡±


    ¡°Not afraid I¡¯m gonna creep in? It¡¯s like you¡¯ve ignored everything I¡¯ve ever told ya. Do you understand how vulnerable you are right now?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t flinch as she felt Sixiang reach for her and felt the connection they had made tenuous by this separation return. The muse peered in behind her eyes.


    ¡°Do you want to tell me, or do you want me to look?¡±


    ¡°What if I say neither?¡± Sixiang asked flippantly.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll ask you to back off. This can¡¯t work if it doesn¡¯t go both ways.¡±


    ¡°Could you really make me as we are right now?¡±


    ¡°Maybe not. I think we both know that would be the end anyway though.¡±


    The mass of color churning around Ling Qi reflected off of the platform of ice at her feet.


    ¡°Fine. Look if you want to.¡±


    It was frightening to reach out. But this was a frightening place and a frightening time. Ling Qi had no doubt that the greater nightmare still stalked in her shadow, ready to fall upon them if her resolve wavered and proved that her words really were only air and nothing more. And so she looked through and into Sixiang.


    Immediately, she felt a dull throbbing ache. She looked out through her own eyes, but it was as if she peered from behind a double layer of glass. She looked through Sixiang, and Sixiang looked through her. It was as if she were staring into a mirror where their reflection smirked back. It wore an uncharacteristically cocky expression. Her hair was wild and unbound, and shimmering colors ran through her eyes, pools of liminal light.


    ¡°You see, isn¡¯t this just perfect?¡± the not-her asked. Its voice held a subtle echo, a reverb. It was her own voice underlain by Sixiang¡¯s. ¡°This is what we can have, if you ever got over yourself. She¡¯s already let you in so far. You can be real, and she can be free. Truly free, not the way she deludes herself. It¡¯d only be for the better.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯d both be alone then, so what¡¯d be the point?¡± Another voice echoed around and through Ling Qi, coming from the reflection she saw in the mirror. Its shining eyes screwed up, its silhouette wavered, and bands of color flashed in the hair.


    ¡°You don¡¯t care about being alone,¡± the not-her said harshly. ¡°You''re just using her words, and why not? You barely exist outside of her skin, her thoughts. You decided to live, and you¡¯re nothing but an extension of her thoughts, an extra pair of hands and eyes for work.¡±


    ¡°I exist,¡± the reflection said. ¡°As much as anyone. So what if I spend all my time with her? It¡¯s fine. She¡¯s around plenty of people. I can¡ª¡±


    ¡°Watch.¡± The eyes Ling Qi looked through narrowed. ¡°Watch and make little comments that only she can hear, unless some bigwig is feeling saucy. It¡¯s pathetic, yanno? You even got the ability to speak, to paint, to make yourself known. How often do you use it, you coward?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m practicing! Manifesting isn¡¯t super easy,¡± snapped the reflection.


    ¡°Liaaaar,¡± mocked the not-her, or actually, Ling Qi realized, another facet of Sixiang. ¡°You don¡¯t want it to work cause that¡¯s your excuse. You¡¯ve been practicing for what, a year? You think that flies in the Ling Qi squad? Might work for the kids, but that ain¡¯t us, ain¡¯t Ling Qi and her kickass muse. Quit messing around, you weepy will-o-wisp.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not¡ª¡±


    ¡°We are,¡± the facet hissed. ¡°There is nothing between us. Nothing that could stop us. We¡¯re already past any defense. There¡¯s nothing¡ªnothing!¡ªkeeping us from getting what we want. Nothin¡¯ but you.¡±


    ¡°I want to keep her,¡± the reflection insisted. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be her.¡±


    ¡°Liaaaar,¡± the facet repeated, childishly drawing out the word again. ¡°Else you¡¯d have warned her. Else you¡¯d have tried harder to be you. Don¡¯t give me that alone crap either. You don¡¯t give a spit about those other fleshbags she hangs around with. When was the last time you even initiated a conversation outside of her head?¡±


    The reflection stewed.


    ¡°Thought so. We love her, of course we do, but you know what we hate? What pisses us off? The way she keeps tryin¡¯ to throw herself away. Every time she trashes herself with us in her thoughts. We want to want, the both of us do. But all this weepy bullshit is holding us back. There ain¡¯t enough of us to exist without her, and she¡¯s got all sorts of gaps to be patched.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d go bad. We¡¯d get us both killed! That spook would notice, or one of those craggy old elders. We wouldn¡¯t last a week.¡±


    Ling Qi felt startled by the reflection, the real Sixiang¡¯s response. That wasn¡¯t the rebuttal she expected. Sixiang didn¡¯t¡­


    ¡­ The reflection wasn¡¯t the ¡°real¡± Sixiang. Neither was the figment. It was all them, every last bit of it. It was one thing to acknowledge that she¡¯d let herself be vulnerable in her own head and that she had lowered her defenses. It was another to be faced with the fact that the one she had made herself vulnerable to had really considered taking advantage.


    The facet who wore her face, whose eyes she looked through, smiled at the reflection. It was too wide for her face, unnaturally curling the corners of her lips.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, now. Gramps is here. He¡¯d give us some help, I bet. Can you imagine it? Can you imagine this whole crazy scheme falling apart with us out of the way? The chaos that¡¯d bring. Everyone was building up this big moment and then¡­. It all falls to dust. The fists and blades come out. The little broken doll she¡¯s stringing along falls to bits, and that crazy monster self-destructs. Wouldn¡¯t that be a scene, a whole new generation of nightmares and dashed hopes.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want that.¡±


    ¡°You already decided to accept pain when you decided to stick around and help her kill people sometimes,¡± the facet said sweetly. ¡°You want it a little. We want it a little. Chaos and dissolution is just so pretty.¡±


    The imagery of the mirror spun away, and Ling Qi saw images, images of roaring arguments and drawn blades, of smoke and radiance, of tears and drama and tragedy. It was a great and terrible epic, scrolling out into the future, and she saw herself singing merrily among the ashes.


    ¡°Do you know how rare this is? An opportunity to do so much with so little! Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re not bored playing house.¡±


    The wind howled, blowing through the clouds of mists and smoke that surrounded and buffeted her, and the riotous song of cruel and merry revelry that called to their soul and¡­


    Ling Qi breathed out and opened her eyes.


    ¡°Backing out, huh?¡±


    She looked up into the shifting colors. ¡°I¡¯ve seen enough.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t do it. You¡¯re here stewing.¡±


    And the shadowed threads were still there, reaching into the colorful sea.


    ¡°It¡¯s like you didn¡¯t learn any lesson at all.¡± Sixiang chuckled tiredly, some of the tension and harshness leaking out of their voice. ¡°You¡¯re just gonna pretend it doesn¡¯t matter that I can.¡±


    ¡°It scares me,¡± Ling Qi said frankly. ¡°It¡¯s absolutely terrifying. I don¡¯t think things can be the same after this, Sixiang. You¡­ lied. It was by omission, but still¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s what you''re going to complain about?!¡±


    Ling Qi felt her shadow swell and felt the ice crackle and spread.


    [YES]


    It was will impressed on the world and on Sixiang. It was a truth, however tiny and fleeting. That was absolutely what she wanted to complain about.


    She felt and saw the sea of colors shrink in on itself and saw it flinch, a ripple of monochrome through the shifting colors.


    ¡°It was after you almost dissolved yourself. After I¡­ held you together. We got closer than we should have and you¡­ didn¡¯t notice. It was gradual.¡±


    There was no one moment where she could pick out when Sixiang had become fully integrated into her perceptions.


    ¡°You were afraid.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I was,¡± Sixiang whispered.


    The colors shifted and spun, something coalescing in their depths. At first, it was a rough shape and then a silhouette. Sixiang formed a body seated on a cloud of sickly color. Thin, but a little wider shouldered than usual. A shimmery black robe. Their hair was white and lank, hanging partially over their face. Their features were a little harder and sharper and a little more masculine. ¡°You gonna say you forgive me and have us do a little happy jig?¡±


    Ling Qi let the flippant words wash over her. ¡°No, because I don¡¯t think I do yet.¡±


    ¡°Ah, hells. The one thing I never even had the urge to poke and prod and break apart, and that¡¯s the one I managed? What a joke.¡±


    ¡°Do you really want to see me fail that badly?¡±


    Sixiang flinched. ¡°No, no, it ain¡¯t like that. I like getting a rise outta people, you know that. I like poking them and making them squirm when they¡¯re acting all stiff and haughty. Poking the foundations of that whole ridiculous show you humans put on and seeing where it wobbles is fun. Gramps is¡­ grand. He does big scale stuff. Takes it all way outta proportion. Of course I¡¯m gonna get a little weird when he¡¯s sticking his eyes in my head.¡±


    They seemed to struggle for a moment, clenching their fists atop their knees and hunching their shoulders. A bit of color bled back into their hair, and it drifted up. ¡°I ain¡¯t all bubbles and cheer. You need bubbles and cheer though, you gloomy beanpole.¡±


    ¡°I probably do,¡± Ling Qi admitted. She remained standing herself, grasping her hands together as she allowed her eyes to wander the dreamscape. ¡°I expected something more like Kongyou, if I¡¯m being honest.¡±


    Sixiang made a face. ¡°That¡¯s low. That¡¯s real low.¡±


    Ling Qi chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t know how long we have. I can sense him out there. This tribulation is just too easy so far.¡±


    ¡°Masochist.¡± Sixiang snorted.


    Ling Qi narrowed her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know what that means, but it sounds dirty.¡±


    ¡°It means only you would think getting backed into a corner by Gramps until you either found a conclusion or dissolved was easy,¡± Sixiang shot back.


    ¡°If I can¡¯t even do that, I don¡¯t have any business cultivating further. And I won¡¯t stop.¡±


    Sixiang¡¯s head drooped, some of the flickering color in their hair flaring up and spreading further through the whitened locks. ¡°What now?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t forgive you,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°But¡­¡± She closed her eyes, searching her feelings. ¡°I still trust you.¡±


    Sixiang¡¯s head jerked up. Ling Qi extended her hand. There was only one unwanted connection here. The one thing she was sure of was that such things could be broken.


    ¡°Will you let me steal you away?¡±


    Sixiang laughed. There was a little hiccup in it. ¡°Do you even need to ask?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Sixiang reached out and took her hand. In the roiling color, Ling Qi felt the attention of an old and terrible nightmare. She had seen him and knew his name now. He was the rotted dream of a better future. Brother Darksong, the Emerald Mourner, the Dirge of Futures Lost, the other half of the Dreaming Moon of the Emerald Seas.


    She was going to steal his grandchild once and for all.

 Threads 303 Identity 8

    Threads 303 Identity 8


    It was impossible to know someone perfectly without being them. Shu Yue had asserted that. And on further thought, Ling Qi felt she understood that more clearly now. People hid or held thoughts back. They remained silent when they shouldn¡¯t have. And that was the people she was closest to, let alone acquaintances and strangers.


    But the right solution wasn¡¯t to cut everything off from herself and accept no strings at all. She was also sure of that. She could neither blindly trust nor could she rip the truth from other minds. Neither path was acceptable.


    She had to be able to seek. She had to be able to hide. Choosing whom she shared such treasures like her secrets with was necessary to the path she was beginning to see. Choice, that vital thing, was at the heart of her resolution. Her Communication. Mutuality was needed for the sharing of secrets. And when there were things that could not be shared, she needed to be able to keep them.


    She felt a stirring in the cool, dark qi that ran through her meridians with that realization. The Hidden Moon was not only a seeker of secrets. It was also their keeper. Like the Dreaming and the Nightmare, it, too, was divided against itself.


    And she was just as much its disciple as the Dreaming.


    This was not the time for pride or for stubbornness. As the antlered shadow loomed closer in the mist that was Sixiang, Ling Qi squeezed her eyes shut and called out for help in hiding something most precious.


    And she felt someone respond like a single, sleepy, languid eye cracking open in the darkness. It was familiar and unfamiliar. It was not Xin, but the being that had heard her was certainly a follower of the hidden moon.


    ¡°I know he¡¯s obligated to loom ominously and build tension, but I hope you have a plan,¡± Sixiang fretted.


    Ling Qi grasped his hand a little more tightly. She slowly opened her eyes, feeling the germination of an idea, just a tiny tidbit of knowledge. ¡°Don¡¯t I always have a plan?¡±


    ¡°No, you definitely don¡¯t,¡± Sixiang refuted, looking even more concerned.


    ¡°I can only ask you to trust me.¡±


    ¡°Now, that¡¯s just unfair. But you know what? I think this¡¯d be a fun thing to break.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit.¡± With her free hand, Ling Qi grasped the cloth of her cloak and flung it out, and her shadow expanded a hundredfold to follow it, engulfing them both in lightless silence.


    ¡°To flee, to hide, to avoid. It seems for all your bluster, naught has changed.You speak of choice and knowing, but only to deny what is. You choose delusion. Disappointing.¡±


    In shadow, as shadow, the voice of the nightmare reverberated through every particle of her being and through Sixiang¡¯s being. Dissolved into her shadow, they were close now, as close as they had ever been outside.


    And in that moment, something clicked into place in Ling Qi¡¯s mind. The stealing games with Huisheng. Shu Yue¡¯s meditations. The nature of the dream and her own realization.


    Strings were tied at both ends.


    Sixiang was terribly vulnerable. Open, defenseless, their connection was too strong. Ling Qi could do at any moment to Sixiang what she had realized Sixiang could do to her. With their qi so closely aligned, it would be an immense benefit to her cultivation, perhaps even enough to press her to the threshold of the next stage or even past it. She could feel that Sixiang saw her realization, open to each other as they were.


    There was nothing that could stop her.


    Save for herself.


    They dispersed onto the currents of the dream, a dozen fleeing packets of self, tightly embraced.


    The sound of a hundred hooves skittering like the legs of a titanic spider across stone bore down upon them.


    ¡°It is futile. There is naught¡ª¡±


    The voice paused, the all-consuming presence of the nightmare seeming to still.


    ¡°Interference. O seeker, trickster, and thief, where do you come to the notion that obscurement, hidden intentions, might strengthen your self who proudly demands to speak?¡±


    For communication to mean anything, for two minds to remain themselves, the choice of silence had to exist, Ling Qi thought, scattered fragments of thought pinging between her deliberately scattered self. She flew and skittered and flowed through the dream and the shadows under snowy boughs, the frozen forest reforming again as the Nightmare Lord reasserted himself.


    If she wanted friends, family¡­ and even closer love, there would always be some unknown left in them. There would always be some need for faith and trust in the other, lest she be surrounded by mirrors and puppets in truth. She could have kept watching. She could have peered into that last little bit Sixiang had held back from her and interrogated just what the word ¡°love¡± meant to the muse, but she wouldn¡¯t force that. It all came back to her assertion. The difference between what she feared and what she wanted was choice.


    She pulled on her qi, and her scattered presence expanded. A trampling hoof crushed through a cloud of her qi, but it was only scattered chaff, idle thoughts and daydreams and choices not taken. Sixiang clung to her in spirit and joined her in the occlusion, chaotic qi turning the scattered field into a dancing chaos of cold and dark memories, wildly flickering shadows and groaning winds and warped trees glittering with frozen ice.


    She met the shadow of Control, and scattered it on the shield of Communication, invoking mutuality in the face of the demand of domination. In what passed for the material in the liminal realm, the clash of her will against Brother Darksong¡¯s demand manifested as a blizzard howling in the frozen forest, an all-consuming whiteout of snow and ice, obscuring all senses, ungraspable by thorny branches nor skeletal limbs.


    But the Nightmare of the Emerald Seas was not so easily evaded. His misshapen form creaked and cracked as it bent, slithered, and skittered through the blinding blizzard. Rime formed on his rearing skull and melted under the fetid heat that emerged from his opened maw and the weeping faces at the back of his gullet. His empty sockets burned with pale green fire, lights that cut through her occluding storm. The corpses of the failed sovereigns hanging from his antlers swung on creaking sinew and cord, singing a dirge of kinstrife, betrayal, and false hope.


    ¡°And what will you do, seeker, when you are betrayed by their secrets?¡±


    His voice was the clatter of hooves and the voices of her pains and failures. It was a simple question, but it yanked at the fear embedded deep in her self. Bound up with her as they were right now, she felt Sixiang mouth ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Rotted teeth nipped at her proverbial heels, peeling away qi and self and breaking a packet of her existence apart. Ling Qi jumped her consciousness to the next, feeling hollow with the precipitous drop in her qi.


    She was afraid even now. They weren¡¯t disentangled. Either of them could consume the other and be done with it at a moment''s notice. After a certain point though, risk could only be accepted as a part of life. The answer to the question of betrayal was simple.


    The only perfect armor against betrayal was isolation. But she had carved isolation into her sword well and long ago now. She would not be the starving creature who could only ever sup from the embers of life like Su Ling¡¯s mother. And in accepting that, she had also accepted that she was vulnerable, that there would ever be a gap in her armor. She would be struck there, undoubtedly. She would be wounded.


    She would endure.


    Her will came as a ripple in the storm, a snowstorm of such density that there was nothing to see or hear but the absolute sensory deprivation of infinite white. The Nightmare churned through it like a spreading blot of ink on untouched paper.


    ¡°Promises, oaths, much of the future, naught of now. It will not be enough, even with this interference, seeker. You accept me, the specter of failure, in your heart of hearts. You overreach in your theft.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sixiang,¡± she whispered. ¡°I thought... I don¡¯t know. I thought that I''d find a hidden path, a hole, or an exit.¡±


    ¡°You got auntie to jerk him around a bit,¡± Sixiang rebutted. ¡°Made him work to catch a couple of small fry in his own parlor. It¡¯s not like I ain¡¯t been looking too. But¡­ I think he¡¯s being real obstinate. He wants to push you or me, one of us to¡­¡±


    Their voice carried away as they scattered apart before trampling hooves, disappearing into a dozen streams of liminal energy in the snow.


    ¡°... take control.¡±


    Ling Qi understood. The skeins holding this place together were too strong, just a little too tightly woven for either she or Sixiang to pry apart. If only either of them were a bit more powerful¡­


    Ling Qi let the tension flow out of her. In her experience, when someone tried to force her down to a single hard choice where every option was awful, it was a false dilemma. Sometimes, she simply had to refuse to follow along.


    ¡°Sixiang, I think I¡¯ll be fine if you take a meridian or two. I know you¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, no,¡± Sixiang rejected. ¡°I¡¯m not gonna do that. If anything, we¡¯re doing this the other way around.¡±


    Ling Qi was always admonished by others for sacrificing herself. She found it annoying, but she couldn¡¯t argue against their reasoning, not when she felt the same revulsion for them sacrificing for her.


    Maybe there was another option. She had seen that the cultivators of the southern ice lands pulled on mantles for various purposes. Thief of Names was a play on a certain skeleton¡¯s recitation of titles. From her meditations in his gaol, much of his qi still sat heavy in her dantian.


    Thief of Minds. Thief of Hearts. Arch Heretic. Mighty names, and perhaps here, in the depths of dream, Sixiang and her might clad themselves in his mantle.


    What would it be like to steal a name, if only for a moment?


    If she didn¡¯t use the secrets she acquired, could she call herself a disciple of the Hidden Moon?


    If she didn¡¯t wield every trick and tool in her hands, could she call herself a disciple of the Grinning Moon?


    If she gave in to orthodoxy without even trying a different way, could she call herself a disciple of the Dreaming Moon?


    ¡°Sixiang, I¡¯m going to need your help.¡±

 Threads 304 Identity 9

    Threads 304 Identity 9


    Sixiang brushed the surface of her thoughts, tentative, unwilling to reach any deeper as they were now.


    ¡°That¡¯s nutty, Qi, not gonna lie. You don¡¯t even know the guy¡¯s whole story. And this, you ain¡¯t got a technique for this.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. You¡¯re completely right,¡± Ling Qi whispered back in the soundless nothing they occupied, the scattered cloud of being they had made of themselves to hide from the Nightmare. They were, for a moment at least, alone. ¡°This is crazy, but I don¡¯t want to take from you, and you don¡¯t want to take from me. We don¡¯t have to.¡±


    Sixiang laughed quietly, the sound of chiming bells and wind rattling windows. ¡°Like two kids in a coat trying to buy wine, huh?¡±


    ¡°I like to think it¡¯s a little more dignified than that.¡±


    ¡°I bet you do.¡±


    Sixiang¡¯s grandfather stalked them in the white like a rotting sore in the fabric of dream,a mass of drooping flesh and far too many legs. One by one, the Nightmare ruthlessly hunted and unraveled the decoys she had made of her own self, scattered bundles of thoughts, the fragments of forgotten dreams, and idle fancies and anxieties, bundled up around cores of qi, just enough self to fool a searcher''s eye. Without any kind of refined technique, the method was terribly taxing. Ling Qi was not sure how much longer she could keep it up.


    ¡°Communication, exchange, these things do not negate dominion. They do not negate power. Tools and trinkets, useful but not transformative. To reject the imposition of will is to reject Sovereignty. Fine enough, but if that is your conclusion, then leave ambition behind, child, and seek not the heavens.¡±


    The Brother Darksong¡¯s multitude of voices hammered from every direction, scathing and scornful.


    With Sixiang, Ling Qi reached with hands of spirit into her dantian, grasping the dense film of qi that had condensed in its depths she had stolen from a much greater being, wagered and taken in dishonest contest. Even all this time later, she¡¯d not fully assimilated it. A lesson, or maybe a trap, Ling Qi could never be entirely sure. But thieves did not get to deal in certainties. The two them pulled the dense mass of darkness and wind up, swirling it around themselves in a cloak.


    And the expanse of white shattered.


    Before the Nightmare of the Emerald Seas, a long glittering mantle of green and black borne by a tall shadow blew in a phantom wind. A crescent smile, white teeth in the dark, beneath a half mask of liquid moonlight in the stylized shape of a hart. Twelve-pointed antlers of shadow and mist emerged from a swirling halo of starlit hair. In one hand, the shadow cradled a book of crumbling black leather, its pages split by a trailing crimson marker, and in the other, a jauntily held spear, its gleaming head leaned up upon a shoulder.


    ¡°Still a bully of children, O worm of minds,¡± said the thief. His voice was androgynous and layered, a smooth masculine bass over a young girl¡¯s chime and a muse¡¯s strident shout.


    Brother Darksong paused. Tall as the thief was, the Nightmare bore down over him as a giant. The corpses hanging from his antlers let out a deep and keening wail.


    ¡°Charlatan. Failure. One whose essence has long passed. Your hanging cord longs yet for a throat. What idiot foolery and ruination do your rotting scraps seek?¡±


    ¡°I deal in only the finest of fools and foolishness, O worm of minds.¡± The thief chuckled, his fingers twitched and his ringed spear spun through the air, halting in low grip, its deadly tip leveled up at the Nightmare. ¡°And you may only blame my kin for my freedom from the cord. They feared what even my worst singing voice could do. But now, if you¡¯d not mind, I have a heart or two to steal.¡±


    ¡°You would stifle tribulation and stunt this student you cling to even now?¡±


    ¡°I will do nothing of the sort for I am only a mask and a shell of old and rotten memories, just as thee, if much more handsome. The girl has her answer, though she realized it not until this moment. She¡ªI¡ªwe needed but a moment''s repose to think and a fool¡¯s perspective to see.¡± The thief¡¯s crescent grin widened, baring too many teeth, and eyes of winter ice burned behind a mask of silver. ¡°False dilemma do you preach, O worm. Wills are imposed, power is wielded, but truth cannot be passed down from the lonely king, the bloodstained general, the austere artist, or the enlightened priest sitting alone. The sundering of Totality was no error to be repaired. Behold! We are multitude in all its hideousness and beauty!¡±


    The jaws of the nightmare lashed out, faster than any eye could follow, and the thief turned on a heel. The screaming hurricane of the abomination¡¯s passage sent his mantle aflutter. The dream churned as for the first time, the Nightmare Lord struck to kill, curdling and rotting thought and dream. The mundanity of the frozen forest shattered, becoming a nightmare of ruination and pain, a vision of hell, all the suffering of the world cast in endless refrain. Rusted chains and bloody lashes sought the thief, but his boots carried him through the nightmare in pirouettes and leaps, transforming bile and terror into clouds and soft white snow in his wake. His spear spun, vanquishing flame, shattering ice, and rending apart shackles.


    ¡°What words from failure and ruin. You, whose Way was broken, whose disciples were slaughtered, whose ideas were forgotten, and whose teaching brought about disunity, pain, and loss!¡±


    Brother Darksong stalked the hell of the Emerald Seas¡¯ failures. At his hooves sprouted burning blades, casting lurid light on empty trampled faces. At his head, a halo, a mandala of false hopes and broken dreams and a million, million ruined lives, bloomed. His body was a cloak of black tar, apathy and abandonment, mindless repetition of ritual, the termination of thought. In the eyes of the corpses, a pitiless radiance shone that could not stop.


    ¡°And yet, I am here,¡± said the thief. ¡°I live, not as the Pure One for he, too, was wrong by degrees. My Way is unbroken because it is not mine alone to begin with. Old and dusty it might be, it merely awaits new feet. There is no virtue in stagnation, in fearing the lash, in seeking silence. Choice is pain. Choice is strife. Choice is disunity. Choice is life, the grand dream of the Nameless.¡±


    And from the shadow, the true thief, the one which was not a mocking phantom, leapt over the Nightmare, catching the highest point on his antlers and swinging himself into the air. As he tumbled through the lurid sky, he landed upon the Nightmare¡¯s back, cracking open the pages of his book. He [Spoke] the name written there.


    And Ling Qi was falling.


    Amidst the shattered pieces of a sundered nightmare, she was falling.


    She was hurt. Her dantian throbbed, though frantic cycling showed that it wasn¡¯t cracked at least. A meridian had been seared shut, clogged and closed by the passage of Huisheng¡¯s qi.


    Bits and pieces of memory were left behind. She remembered dancing through a hellish landscape. She remembered speaking and being spoken to, her words of choice, totality, and multitude ringing out.


    ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve been run over by Zhengui,¡± Sixiang complained.


    Ling Qi¡¯s eyes shot open, and she saw the muse, falling beside her. They looked wrung out, bruises spread all across their body. Their hair had regained its shade, though strands of silvery white now ran through it as well.


    ¡°You¡¯re not the only one,¡± Ling Qi whispered. She tasted blood on her lips, and her voice cracked. Her throat felt terribly strained.


    They fell through the sky of a shadowy forest whose roots and canopy alike were out of sight, her entrypoint into the dream. She reached out across the void of air between them. Sixiang clasped her hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± croaked the muse. ¡°I¡¯m so, so sorry. I understand if you want me out of your head.¡±


    ¡°Maybe for a little while. I think¡­ I think we both need some space.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re probably right,¡± Sixiang said. ¡°I love you, Qi.¡±


    Her heart beat more quickly. She couldn¡¯t say she wasn¡¯t afraid. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I understand.¡±


    Sixiang giggled. ¡°Like I do? You¡¯ve been my anchor, the thing that makes me alive. I think you¡¯re beautiful. I want to hold you and dance and laugh under the stars. I¡­ don¡¯t know how to separate those feelings.¡±


    ¡°I think you should live more before you decide.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a kinder letdown than most. But¡­ yeah, let me live a little, and I¡¯ll get back to you. Is that okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ling Qi breathed out. ¡°Can you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think so. How about you? Did you get what you were looking for?¡±


    Ling Qi closed her eyes, reflecting on her feelings, her cultivation, and herself. She had realized that trust arises from choice. Love arises from trust. There can be no perfect safety, save in death. For love or trust to exist, so must the chance of heartbreak and betrayal.


    Complete safety was a lie. It felt strange to admit that. She would never be completely safe or untouchable, no matter how strong she got nor how much power she amassed. Not without sacrificing far more than she could stomach. That was true of life¡­ and true of love.


    She didn¡¯t know what she would do with this realization going forward, but there it was.


    ¡°Yes, I think I did.¡±


    Their fall slowed, and they became as drifting leaves upon the wind, gently, gently coming down on the little floating isle of earth on which there was the dream reflection of the shrine and the gate she¡¯d first entered the liminal properly by. Ling Qi landed on her feet, looking toward the little golden statuette with the black lotus that floated here. She remembered fragments of the Thief¡¯s words on the incompleteness of the Dreaming Way. She wasn¡¯t content, but how could she say if something was wrong or not if she didn¡¯t even yet understand it?


    Sixiang came down a moment later. ¡°And here¡¯s what I need. Do you mind if I break this thing down?¡±


    Ling Qi cocked her head to the side as the muse patted the top of the statue. ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    It was an anchor of liminal energies, not particularly strong, but maybe¡­ enough. She watched Sixiang reach out and tap their finger on the carved lotus flower in the statuette¡¯s lap. It bent, facets and petal shifting, and then bloomed. Gold boiled away into the liminal, and the fractal flower of black jade grew and grew. She could feel it absorbing liminal energies.


    Sixiang gave her a wry grin, standing in front of it. ¡°Hang on a sec. We¡¯re pretty tangled up, so this is gonna feel weird.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced and braced herself. Sixiang stepped into the twisting, unfolding facets of jade.


    It felt like the air was being sucked from her lungs or like her energy was leaving her body in a rush of exhaustion. Most of all, it felt empty, like there was something missing in her head, a comfortable and long accepted presence gone.


    No, not gone, just much further away. Her bond with Sixiang was now more like her bond with Zhengui or Hanyi. She could feel them, speak to them, and call them back, but to do so was to reach out, rather than in.


    The expanding gemstone warped in on itself, shrinking, folding, and spiraling. And then there was a loud pop of displaced air, and she saw the muse standing there now, looking uncertain. They looked a lot like they had when she first met them on the dining room table of her and Meizhen¡¯s home in the Outer Sect that first day. They were androgynous and a little alien with dark eyes and drifting, floating hair, but they were solid. There was no trailing mist at the end of their limbs or a feeling of floaty weightlessness.


    Sixiang grimaced. ¡°How do you deal with being so heavy and meaty and gross?¡± Sixiang whined.


    ¡°And here I thought I was beautiful,¡± Ling Qi deadpanned.


    Sixiang made a face. ¡°You are, but it''s not anything to do with this fleshy stuff.¡± Their form shifted, shoulders growing wider and putting on a little bit of muscle, and then, they began shifting through body types like a person flicking through dye swatches. Finally, they settled back on their first shape. ¡°It was unique the first time, but now, I¡¯m used to being all spirit.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to¡ª¡± Ling Qi began only to pause. Could they rove far from her, bodiless?


    ¡°Nah, nah, you gotta do things you¡¯re reluctant to do if you wanna change.¡± Sixiang dismissed her words with a wave of their hand. ¡°Heh, is it any wonder I stagnated?¡±


    Ling Qi smiled wistfully. ¡°Forward. Stagnation is death.¡±


    ¡°That it is,¡± Sixiang said, grinning back.


    ¡°Can I ask where you¡¯re planning to go?¡± Ling Qi did think they needed distance, but all the same, the thought of Sixiang actually leaving gave her an unpleasant pang.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to go that far.¡± Sixiang hopped from foot to foot, as if testing their balance. ¡°Don¡¯t wanna run into some stranger who¡¯ll grind me up for pills. Think I might hang around the Sect for a bit, and talk to Auntie. That¡¯ll do at first. Besides, I¡¯m not gonna leave you high and dry for this nonsense you¡¯ve gotten into.¡±


    Ling Qi breathed out.


    ¡°And you¡¯re right, you know,¡± Sixiang continued, looking down into the gate.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°I do like doing the voices for the letters. That part isn''t bad.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t help it. She laughed. ¡°We¡¯ll figure things out.¡±


    Sixiang offered their hand, Ling Qi took it, and they stepped back out into the waking world.

 Threads 305-Heron 1

    Threads 305-Heron 1


    Cai Renxiang held up a hand. ¡°I do not wish to know the details of your personal tribulation. I would not ask that of you or any other. Simply tell me, are you fit for duty? And will there be effects on our project?¡±


    Ling Qi looked around the little work room Cai Renxiang had set up in the rapidly completing embassy. Though she could sense the reverberations of construction happening, such were the formations built into the room that there was no noise. It was as spartan as she had expected. The only furnishings were her lady¡¯s desk, the chair behind it and in front of it, and a single shelf full of dense, heavy texts.


    ¡°I won¡¯t complain, but is that really alright?¡±


    ¡°Intruding on such private matters is the province of those who would seek to shape their subordinates¡¯ cultivation. I will not be such a ruler. Now, my questions.¡±


    ¡°I am fit for duty. I¡¯m not too sure if I could fight well right now, but that¡¯s irrelevant, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°If combat occurs, then we are already ruined,¡± Cai Renxiang said frankly. ¡°And I do not expect threats to our lives.¡±


    Yes, considering the presence of the general and other high realm cultivators, it was irrelevant.


    ¡°As for effects¡­ I put an ear out, and some people complained of nightmares, but I think I managed not to make anything outside of my trial explode this time.¡±


    ¡°Wonderful,¡± Renxiang deadpanned.


    Ling Qi squinted at her. Was that a joke?


    Renxiang met her eyes and very deliberately took a controlled sip of her tea.


    ¡°I may have drawn on a source of power which could be disliked by some of our more conservative elements though. If it is recognized,¡± Ling Qi continued. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not certain how likely that is.¡±


    Her liege finished her drink and set her cup down. ¡°I see. We will have to keep that in mind. Why exactly may it be disliked?¡±


    ¡°I have been receiving some teachings from an imprisoned spirit which was once a Weilu heretic.¡±


    Cai Renxiang stared at her hard. Her hands were laid flat on her desk, but Ling Qi liked to think she was facepalming in spirit.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Cai Renxiang said finally. ¡°I shall make a note that the Meng representative may be discomfited by you. As might the Luo. Is there anything else?¡±


    Ling Qi frowned, the small humor she had found in the moment fading. She didn¡¯t think it would greatly affect things. She was, given the fragments he remembered, that the Thief¡¯s existence was not something much remembered. If records of him existed at all. She wondered if she should obliquely inquire with Meng Dan. There was something else though.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t commented about what Shu Yue said.¡±


    This time, Renxiang pursed her lips. ¡°Information about my mother¡¯s rise may have long term tactical use, but this is not the time for that. I thank you for your efforts at information gathering. Even if it is provided to us, we must not refuse resources.¡±


    ¡°You know that¡¯s not what I mean,¡± Ling Qi chided.


    Cai Renxiang arched an eyebrow. ¡°You have your wisdom, Ling Qi, on occasion, but there was nothing said which changes anything. What my mother was may be of intellectual and strategic interest, but who my mother is and what she has done, good and bad, has not changed. Nor is the young girl who might have clung to such false comforts present now.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, accepting the rebuke. In the end, that was Renxiang¡¯s way, and it wasn¡¯t as if she found it wrong.


    ¡°Now,¡± Renxiang said, pivoting smoothly to the main subject. ¡°This first meeting of the security and infrastructure forces.¡±


    ¡°Wang Lian agreed to come easily. I can only thank you for convincing the General.¡±


    ¡°She is not unreasonable, if you understand the way of her mind. At least not to the degree which you imply.¡±


    It was hard to say why the general unnerved her so. She knew she wasn¡¯t being entirely fair.


    ¡°She is still the likely sticking point of the negotiations.¡±


    ¡°She is. However, the task is not impossible, or this would not be happening at all. You must understand that her first and only priority is the safety and security of the Emerald Seas. The Heron General Xia Ren would render unto dust anything which she regards as a threat to that.¡±


    ¡°To her definition of that,¡± Ling Qi corrected.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Renxiang agreed, steepling her fingers. ¡°She is a sovereign cultivator, and one not near so well inclined to interaction with lower realms as the elders of our sect, who are, in some part at least, teachers all.¡±


    Ling Qi gave a small nod. She understood that. If one really looked at the sovereign cultivators of the Empire, General Xia Ren¡¯s intensity, and the innate terror of Duchess Cai¡¯s presence were more common than one like the elders or Prime Minister Diao Linqin.


    ¡°And yet, we are going to have to convince her of this endeavor, if we want to begin talks with our guests not already suspicious of our intentions.¡±


    ¡°Suspicion will remain regardless.¡±


    ¡°Please do not be pedantic, Lady Renxiang.¡±


    Her liege arched an eyebrow at her.


    ¡°A tall ask, I understand.¡±


    ¡°Be more exact in your speech. It is vital for understanding.¡±


    ¡°Who is the diplomat here?¡± Ling Qi wondered.


    ¡°Unclear.¡±


    She glared. Renxiang looked back calmly, then glanced down, tapping her fingers on the report laid before her.


    ¡°I believe that is sufficient jesting. Have you prepared plans?¡±


    Ling Qi sighed and sat down.¡±I have some ideas, but I really do need to gain a better understanding of the general.¡±


    ¡°Her history is public.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that misleading,¡± Ling Qi grumbled.


    Xia Ren was once a scion of the old hill tribes, but there was none of that left. Even the official documents she had access to didn¡¯t refer to them by her old name. She¡¯d overthrown her tribe''s elders early in Shenhua¡¯s rebellion, and then, she marched the tribe to war alongside the duchess. Prior to that, she¡¯d been a student of the Rushing Cloud Sect. After her time as a disciple, she had brought her clan up to modern imperial standard, turning their focus to military discipline and might and abolishing all non-standard traditions.


    That sentence was doing a whole lot of nothing while also lifting heavily.


    Cai Renxiang acknowledged her with a nod. ¡°Public histories are light on detail. I am somewhat more familiar. Direct students of hers were my tutors in personal dueling and blade arts.¡±


    ¡°And what did that tell you?¡±


    ¡°Her style is like my mother¡¯s in many ways. It relies on the advance and the winning of the clash. It demands a strong center. It is a belligerent, demanding style which demands acute visualization and adherence to forms over improvisation.¡±


    Ling Qi crossed her arms as she thought. ¡°So I need to show her a face which states that my plans are clear and that my steps are considered. I need to show her that I have already seen my victory?¡±


    ¡°And that your victory is for us, and not them. Frankly, it will be a waste of your time to exposit on the mutual benefit of this diplomacy. Present how this advances the interest of the Emerald Seas.¡±


    ¡°Do you think bringing Xia Lin into this to vouch would be helpful?¡± Ling Qi pondered.


    ¡°Unclear. The general does not value family connections. However, Xia Lin is one of her trusted soldiers.¡±


    Ling Qi considered this.


    ¡°I think consulting Xia Lin is the best course on this. I¡¯d already intended her to be at the meeting as your advisor on security.¡±


    ¡°Understandable. Be certain to not hint or imply that her heritage has any contribution to your decision though,¡± Cai Renxiang warned.


    ¡°I understand. Military rank over name, professional over personal. This is the simplest part of the job.¡±


    ¡°I know. I also know how much value you place over the opposite,¡± Cai Renxiang said dryly. ¡°Very well. Xia Lin will be here tomorrow. I will request a brief meeting with the general. I will tell her that you wish to coordinate visions, so that the Emerald Seas may be united and show no divisions in negotiations.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced at the wording. It wasn¡¯t wrong. It still made her seared meridian throb a little. Some leftover sparks of the Thief¡¯s qi seemed dissatisfied with it.


    ¡°Then, if you¡¯ll excuse me, I will pen a message for Xia Lin before I return to meditation and continue settling my qi.¡±


    ¡°Granted.¡± Cai Renxiang tapped her finger on the desk, and with a faint pop and a flash, a small pill case appeared from her storage ring. ¡°Take these. The medicines proved useful and calming turbulent qi flows while I recovered from my conversation with Liming. Recover quickly.¡±


    Ling Qi dipped her head and reached to take them. ¡°Thank you very much, Lady Ren.¡±


    Renxiang frowned at her. ¡°No.¡±


    Ling Qi grinned. ¡°Maybe?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Later,¡± Ling Qi said confidently.


    Renxiang sighed.

 Threads 306 Heron 2

    Threads 306 Heron 2


    ¡°I received your paper messenger,¡± Xia Lin said to her, walking beside her with her arms behind her back.


    ¡°Good. Then I don¡¯t have to spend time explaining.¡±


    They walked along the sun-dappled path of a freshly laid Wang road, leaving behind the stables and receiving area at the opening of the valley. She suspected that the slightly winding nature of it swaying around hillocks and old growth was an influence of the Meng and Luo delegations.


    ¡°Do you think your presence will help?¡±


    Xia Lin considered her question, the faint clank of her armored boots on stone joining the sound of birds and construction as they walked. ¡°In the capacity as a second voice whose judgment the General is more inclined to trust. In this, I may help you.¡±


    ¡°And do you believe what was laid out in the message, Xia Lin?¡±


    She¡¯d written her intended arguments and her reasoning for Xia Lin to consider. She watched the other girl out of the corner of her eye.


    After a long moment, Xia Ling responded, ¡°I believe they are your sincere assessments. I think a number of points are too optimistic, but I trust in your and Lady Cai¡¯s overall vision.¡±


    ¡°Which points are those?¡±


    ¡°I do not believe that much trade will be achieved in a meaningful time frame. A ceasefire and a chance for consolidation and growth, this is good and likely. Peace will last until the cloud tribes are absorbed or slain and our borders meet. Perhaps we may even see proxy conflict, wielding our vassal tribes against each other in the nearer future. The pretext of cultural kinship is too thin to achieve more than that.¡±


    Ling Qi arched an eyebrow. ¡°You talk about a meaningful time frame and then say something like that. Even if you believe it is a thin pretext, a story told well and often enough has its ways of becoming true.¡±


    ¡°Hm, the first is true. My own bias is clear. But the second is dangerous.¡±


    ¡°It is dangerous in the way a sword is dangerous,¡± Ling Qi rejoined. ¡°It is the wielder who decides where the harm goes.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Xia Lin said thoughtfully. ¡°Art and history are weapons as well. There were those who had honed them to the finest edge.¡±


    Ling Qi dipped her head in acknowledgement.


    ¡°But one does not discard a weapon just because an enemy uses them. There would be many unhappy imperial bowmen if we did. I trust that Lady Cai understands what she is wielding through you. That is my opinion. You asked for it.¡±


    ¡°I did. Can you sincerely vouch for me with the general?¡±


    Xia Ling nodded crisply. ¡°Yes. You have significantly better judgment for interpersonal conflict than I.¡±


    ¡°I will accept that compliment. If I may ask, how would you describe what drives and motivates the general? What lies at her heart?¡±


    Xia Lin furrowed her brow. ¡°The people of the Emerald Seas. Only the people of the Emerald Seas.¡±


    Ling Qi tilted her head.


    Xia Lin glanced at her. ¡°The Daigiyya are a tribe, isolated, dying, and irrelevant. The Xia¡¯s members are connected, thriving, and respected.¡°


    As they made their way to the meeting site, Ling Qi considered the careful use of the group for one and the individual for the other.


    They found the general waiting for them on the ground floor of the central embassy building. She stood at attention behind the large chair-lined table set in the meeting room, facing the wall. She appeared, superficially at least, to be examining a wall hanging depicting the Siege of Hui-controlled Xiangmen. Ling Qi hardly needed her more than mortal senses to know the woman¡¯s attention was focused on them well before they reached the room. This was a simulacrum, she believed, but the Heron General¡¯s presence was not much less for it.


    Xia Ren was bald, her dusky skin marked here and there by scars and faded tattoos. Her features were harsh and stony. Ling Qi wondered what it meant, that she still wore the ghosts of those tattoos, even though as a sovereign, it would be trivial to erase them entirely.


    The general turned on her heel as they entered. ¡°Baroness Ling, Sergeant Xia, I have heard your lady¡¯s request.¡±


    It occurred to Ling Qi she had never seen the general at ease. The closest she had ever come to even sitting in Ling Qi¡¯s presence was when she had been mounted on her arrival at the Sect.


    ¡°We have, Honored General.¡± Ling Qi clasped her hands and lowering her head. ¡°Thank you for agreeing to hear us.¡±


    ¡°It behooves me to understand your thinking in this,¡± the general said shortly. ¡°You are injured. There is something rotten in your channels.¡±


    ¡°I underwent tribulation recently. Although I feel I succeeded, there was a cost. It will take time to cleanse.¡±


    Ling Qi shuddered as she felt the woman¡¯s steel gray eyes on her, sharp and flensing.


    ¡°Digging through old trash.¡±


    Ling Qi raised her head. ¡°In my experience, people often discard useful things.¡±


    The general regarded her for a long moment. ¡°This can be true. Sometimes, refuse may make useful fuel or raw material.¡±


    Ling Qi held her gaze, picking over those words. ¡°One must use the tools they have in building forward.¡±


    ¡°One should not forget the full suite of tools they now have at their hands, merely because they are used to scavenging. This is a common failing among those who rise from disadvantage.¡± The general clicked her tongue. ¡°Enough fencing.¡±


    ¡°As you like. May I ask your opinion on the meeting coming up?¡±


    ¡°That these foreigners already make demands shows they lack understanding of their position. They try to puff themselves up. That creature outside, the tree, would not be able to withstand me, should matters devolve. Perhaps it might be able to hold me while they fled. Regardless, I do not disapprove of the sharing of information regarding the construction work. The information proposed there is simple and public to the extent that it could be obtained easily by any spy. A low value trinket for negotiations.¡±


    ¡°It may be necessary to show some degree of our planning and geomantic layouts as well,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Simply to avoid interference.¡±


    ¡°Lady Wang will be here to speak of this. I trust her understanding. No, my concern is the military matters. Sharing schedules and routes is acceptable. It is near impossible to conceal. Patrolling together, synchronizing, or sharing any degree of our capabilities is much less so. You will explain your reasoning on this.¡±


    The general was blunt, clipped, and matter of fact.


    Ling Qi began, ¡°Very well. Let me say first that I believe that success here will greatly improve the prosperity of the Emerald Seas.¡±


    ¡°Allowing one enemy to be faced at a time. I understand, and to a degree, I approve of this. These ith creatures must be our next target. They must be exterminated or subjugated with Her Grace¡¯s method. Such attacks as what you foiled are unacceptable.¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t react, but she was surprised. Could it be that she had earned some sliver of approval from the general with her actions?


    ¡°Yes. And I do believe that these peoples are genuinely unlike the barbarians at our borders. Like us, they are settled, civilized, and as we see, capable of peace.¡±


    ¡°That is to be seen.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, knowing that it was going to be the best that she could get at this juncture. ¡°To that end, I truly believe that it would be best to consider this summit something distantly akin to negotiations between provinces. There must be a degree of trust in this. As you say, sharing schedules and routes officially is merely being polite. Either of us could learn them with some effort. But politeness is valuable.¡±


    The general waved her on.


    ¡°So, too, the other options I thought to offer. It enables a degree of trust and flexibility in later negotiations. If we appear reasonable, more can be agreed to. And truly, I do not think we are giving up terribly much, even with the most extreme offer.¡±


    ¡°And your thoughts on this, sergeant? I assume you agree given your presence.¡±


    ¡°I have studied the proposals and think they should all be considered. I do agree with the baroness that something more than the bare minimum would be superior.¡±


    ¡°I see. Know this then, I do not agree. Sharing our routes and schedules is sufficient to quell complaints. Allowing our soldiers to mingle will reduce effectiveness in the case of conflict. Arranging a shared schedule or accepting limitations on our routes leaves unacceptable gaps in our defenses. Sharing actual capabilities is dangerous, even if most is kept back. I disapprove entirely of going further than what you call the minimum.¡±


    Ling Qi took a deep breath. She¡¯d known it would be like this. She glanced at Xia Lin, who inclined her head a little.


    The general was watching her, arms crossed, but her silence and continued presence indicated that she was open to arguments.


    There were times for gambles, times to push for the absolute maximum. But with Xia Lin, Ling Qi had decided that this was not one of those times. The general was too big an obstacle, and the need to be able to bring something, anything, to the White Sky to show that they could be budged was too great. Now was the time to snatch what she could, and plot for the bigger haul later.


    ¡°It¡¯s true that I may have allowed my imagination to run a little too far forward,¡± Ling Qi conceded. ¡°Some of my initial thoughts were not as well considered as they could be. In speaking with my lady and Xia Lin, I was able to improve on my vision and refine it further. So I will not be asking that you consider the sharing of capabilities or the alteration of routes at this time. These are moving too far, too fast before trust is proven.¡±


    Xia Lin took her cue here, stepping up and raising her fist to her chest in salute. ¡°But, General, I do find the proposal of joint patrols to have merit. You point out that this may affect the efficacy of our soldiers, but if so, this effect is mutual. Nor do I imagine the soldiers of the Emerald Seas being so lax in the case of a true emergency. It is a small request, and if their soldiers prove to be able to earn comradery from our men, does that not bode well in this summit? And if they are too uncivilized, it will be good to be warned beforehand and adjust our expectations appropriately.¡±


    Ling Qi added, ¡°I believe that in the short term at least, these foreigners are capable of civilized cooperation. More than anything else, securing our southern border and squeezing out the hostile cloud tribes, for those who can be called to account at a fixed location for any grievances, is the best future I can see for the people of the south. There is no ability in us to fully settle the Wall. Attempting to keep it clear would drain us terribly and leave the interior unguarded from bandits and beasts alike.¡±


    Xia Ren considered them both, eyes piercing. Ling Qi kept her eyes respectfully low, but she did not bow or turn her face away.


    ¡°That can be debated. It is true under present material conditions, but the future of the Emerald Seas will see further claims and further settlement,¡± Xia Ren replied. ¡°I agree that those are long term considerations, long even for those such as I. It is also true that my White Plumes will not be awfully affected. It is the household troops of the clans here whose discipline I question.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°However, in the case of this devolving, I am confident in our ability. And as you have said, you are more than a match for their own high realm, no?¡±


    ¡°I do not care to take chances with the lives of those I command when unnecessary, but I take your point. You see this grouping as a scouting force then.¡±


    ¡°Victory cannot come without risk,¡± Ling Qi said.


    Xia Ren grunted, examining her. It was deeply uncomfortable, like knives under her skin, searing hot. ¡°Sergeant Xia.¡±


    ¡°Ma¡¯am,¡± Xia Lin said, somehow managing to straighten up even more.


    ¡°These foreigners, how do you rate their discipline?¡±


    ¡°Those encountered at their forward base were roughly equivalent to the border guard orders of a well organized clan. I encountered individuals who were more on the level of household guards as well,¡± Xia Lin replied immediately.


    ¡°Time enough for Wang and Jia to complete their great works,¡± Xia Ren said thoughtfully, more to herself than them. ¡°Strategic goals are not often glorious or clean. I will allow discussion of this, joint patrols, perhaps some minor adjustment to schedule, so long as no gaps in coverage are created. I believe further details will require all participants to be available.¡±


    Ling Qi bowed low at the waist clasping her hands respectfully. ¡°Thank you very much, General Xia.¡±


    The general turned away and gave a gesture of dismissal. ¡°Continue your preparations. Be efficient with our time.¡±


    Ling Qi rose, bobbed her head in a second bow, and gestured for Xia Lin to follow.


    Outside of the building, Ling Qi¡¯s shoulders slumped.


    ¡°You truly caught my aunt in a permissive mood, or at least you are better at choosing resonating words than I had imagined.¡± Xia Lin¡¯s eyebrows were raised. She looked impressed.


    ¡°Thank you for helping me work out the script for that. I don¡¯t think it would have worked if you sounded like you were repeating my words, nor would my own have been as effective without your insights.¡± Ling Qi reached up, wiping away a bit of sweat that had beaded on her brow. The general¡¯s attention was not like the duchess¡¯, but it still made her feel like prey. Like a thief being interrogated by a guard.


    And there was still the actual meeting ahead.


    ¡°For what it is worth, I believe she will negotiate in¡­¡± Xia Lin searched for the right word. ¡°... good faith within the boundaries of what she stated, so this small council should have a proper chance to achieve your objective.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡± Ling Qi wanted to hope that the hard part was done, but she knew better than to say such a foolish thought aloud. ¡°Come along. I want to talk to you about the other people that will be attending.There¡¯s Wang Lian, of course, and Jin Tae, representing the ministry half of our security. The White sky has also sent ahead and told me who they would be sending.¡±


    Xia Lin gave a sharp nod and followed her down the path.

 Threads 307 Traditions 1

    Threads 307 Traditions 1


    The meeting came early the next day and took place in the neutral land where Ling Qi had held her luncheon with the emissaries. A proper pavilion had been erected with a solid stone foundation and a roof of wood and clay tile. It had a large rounded table with plentiful seating, as requested by Renxiang. There were some perfunctory refreshments, in deferment to custom, though she expected they would remain mostly untouched.


    Already there when she had arrived was Wang Lian, who had at least doffed her workers¡¯ smock in favor of plain brown and green robes. She sat at a seat near the far end of the imperial side of the table with her hands on her stomach.


    At the far end of the table, she saw Emissary Dzintara. The hawkish looking woman eyed her up as she approached. She was different today. A dark black line had been painted across her lower lip and down her chin, and a number of jangling piercings hung from her ears. Her aura smelled like woodsmoke and ozone, like an ancient tree just split by lightning.


    She also caught a glimpse of black feathers before her eyes slid off of a shadowed corner of the pavilion. An impression of a stubble-lined face as lined and weathered as an old cliff face had been flashed to her. The crow was here, and only being politely visible.


    ¡°Good Morning, Baroness, or should I say, Emissary?¡± Jin Tae had been standing outside the pavilion, apparently waiting for her. He wore black robes chased with silver, and the white mask of a Ministry of Integrity inspector was pulled up on the side of his head.


    ¡°Good Morning, Apprentice Tae. Probably the latter. It''s the more important title here.¡±


    ¡°As you like,¡± he said. ¡°And this¡­¡±


    ¡°Is Sergeant Xia Lin, who represents my lady''s security.¡±


    ¡°I am pleased to make your acquaintance,¡± Xia Lin said. With some coaching, she managed to only sound as stiff as one would expect from a member of the White Plumes.


    ¡°A pleasure,¡± Jin Tae replied. Well, with your arrival, we are only missing¡­¡±


    The air screamed, separating in a vertical slice of glowing blue, and General Xia was there, standing beside the table. Her helm was on, making a fully faceless and featureless form of articulated and gleaming steel


    Jin Tae chuckled. ¡°No one at all.¡±


    She saw the general¡¯s head turn toward the shadowed corner. Crows cawed aloud, shadows shifted, and then, there was an old man in a cloak of crow feathers, bent and leaning on a gnarled stick. His dark and sunken eyes looked steadily back. Emissary Dzintara grimaced, a spark of lightning popping between iron teeth.


    Nerves. The emissary was anxious here. Ling Qi wasn¡¯t surprised.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said, stepping past Jin Tae. ¡°Welcome, everyone, and thank you for making time today. It is my hope that together, we can reach a satisfying arrangement on matters of our work groups and patrols. It honors me that all of you chose to attend.¡±


    ¡°It is best if there are no misunderstandings,¡± Wang Lian said passively. ¡°An hour¡¯s planning saves a day¡¯s repairs.¡±


    ¡°Let there be no gaps in our understanding,¡± said the general, turning her eyes from the old man. Her glance flicked briefly to Dzintara, who maintained an admirable composure. She took a single step and turned, crossing her arms as she stood behind the seat there.


    ¡°Let our sight be shared here in this place of peace,¡± Emissary Dzintara said stonily.


    Jin Tae followed Ling Qi, a step behind her and off to the side, smiling an unreadable little smile.


    Xin Lin stood at her heel and gave her the tiniest nod of encouragement.


    Ling Qi kept her back and shoulder straight, surveying everyone.


    She had her work cut out for her.


    ¡°For the purpose of today¡¯s meeting, I think it best if we lay out clearly the goals we hope to accomplish,¡± Ling Qi began smoothly, betraying none of the nerves fluttering in her stomach, or so she hoped, at least.


    She took her seat, and Xia Lin sat down beside her. Jin Tae followed suit, taking a seat nearer to where the general stood. And she did remain standing, making not even a single motion. Across the table, the old crow remained in his corner as well, shifting only far enough to rest both of his gnarled hands on the head of his walking stick.


    ¡°To my understanding,¡± Ling Qi began, acknowledging neither, ¡°that is the synchronization of our construction plans to avoid missteps in spiritual architecture or damage to one another¡¯s security as the first priority. Can we agree on this?¡±


    ¡°That is correct as far as my interest goes.¡± Wang Lian moved to sit straighter in her seat, casting off the relaxed appearance she had been affecting. ¡°We¡¯ve halted building in a few places already.¡±


    ¡°So have our crews,¡± Emissary Dzintara said tersely. ¡°The laying of runestone and way anchors in the northern end of our assignment has been halted.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much for that, and I apologize deeply for the delays to both of you,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°We of the Ministry of Integrity have continued our survey and assessment, of course. I have been given permission to make some of them available.¡±


    Ling Qi paused, glancing at Jin Tae. ¡°Thank you. The second objective is the efficiency of our patrolling. Right now, we guard the valley separately and without coordination. There have been incidents of groups of our soldiers spooking one another or the work crews.¡± She kept her voice neutral. ¡°This harms us both, not to mention the way it may open opportunities for third parties to incite trouble.¡±


    It was another chip to play, one she hoped would stack with her earlier efforts to shift the general¡¯s position.


    ¡°You refer to the cave demons my own advisors have informed me of?¡± the other emissary asked.


    Wang Lian rumbled, ¡°Tricksome and dishonorable bothers, that they are.¡±


    ¡°My accounts agree,¡± Dzintara said, looking between them.


    ¡°Might I ask what you know of our enemies?¡± Jin Tae asked smoothly. ¡°A small token of good faith perhaps.¡±


    Ling Qi shot him a look, but she couldn¡¯t disagree openly. ¡°We have no place to make demands,¡± she softened the rhetoric, ¡°but that would be appreciated.¡±


    Dzintara drummed iron nails on the polished tabletop once. ¡°In tales from the cloud tribes and our hinterlands, they are plaguebearers and merchants of death, selling curses and runework to the desperate and foolish. There are older legends from beyond the Gates, home of the new tribes. A great spine of mountains akin to what you call the Wall. Nidavellir, kingdom of the svartalfr, nestled in the roots of a great frozen tree which scrapes the vault of heaven. There are some that match with your descriptions.¡± She crossed her arms. ¡°More should wait for an appropriate meeting.¡±


    The general''s faceless helm turned very slowly toward the emissary. Ling Qi saw sweat on the other woman¡¯s brow, but to her credit, she did not falter.


    ¡°We should avoid tangents and arrange intelligence sharing later,¡± Ling Qi cut in. ¡°It is enough to know that we must watch for intrigue from below.¡±


    Thankfully, thankfully, her side of the table was quelled. She envied Dzinatara a little, who was apparently trusted to speak the full interests of her side on her own.


    ¡°Focus. One target at a time,¡± Wang Lian agreed, giving the others a dour look. ¡°The work crews. I propose we exchange a map of what energy flows in the earth we are attempting to work with. I know those stones and iron spikes of yours tap the valley¡¯s geomancy.¡±


    ¡°And we can determine that your pillars and rune tiles do the same. We do not recognize the patterns you arrange, Voice Lian,¡± Dzintara said, dragging her eyes away from the general.


    ¡°I could understand yours with enough study.¡± Wang Lian paused and considered. ¡°Perhaps my counterpart on your side could do likewise.¡±


    Even for the more reasonable on the imperial side, such a concession was not one that could be given without conscious consideration.


    Ling Qi took the opportunity. ¡°We cannot share all of our secrets, but a meeting between our geomancers and your¡­¡±


    Dzintara furrowed her brow but answered. ¡°... Geomancer. Land readers? This is a close enough translation.¡±


    ¡°A meeting between our geomancers then, to exchange maps of what we see in the earth and heavens,¡± Ling Qi concluded. ¡°And to determine how our networks might neighbor or join without errors on either side.¡±


    Jin Tae gave her an apologetic look. ¡°The ministry would have to insist on an observer to such a meeting to ensure too many secrets are not shared.¡±


    ¡°I or my companion would observe as well, as the Eyes of the Crowfather, Master of Runes,¡± said the shadowed old man.


    ¡°Adding mutual observers to this proposal then,¡± Ling Qi said smoothly. ¡°Can this be agreed upon?¡±


    She listened quietly as Wang Lian, Dzintara, and occasionally, one of the others chimed in, haggling over details, the time and place and the number of crafters and geomancers to be assigned. This was going as smoothly as she could hope for. However, this objective was always going to be the easier part, the part which had some tentative agreement already.


    ¡°With that, we can declare this matter finalized. The geomancy meeting will take place here in three days'' time,¡± Ling Qi said when it had finally wound down.


    ¡°On that, it is the opinion of the White Sky that a shared meeting place should be constructed for the main talks, a location which both realms have contributed to,¡± Dzintara said.


    ¡°You are our guests,¡± Jin Tae demurred. ¡°One hardly expects a guest to build a dining hall in their host''s garden.¡±


    ¡°I concur,¡± said Xia Ren, speaking for the first time since the introduction.


    Ling Qi shared a look with Xia Lin. She understood the objection. For Xia Ren, it was likely security as the main focus. For Jin Tae and the interests he represented, there was pride and a subtle element of dominance in being the hosts. It made the White Sky the supplicants in the arrangement.


    ¡°The White Sky are not beggars. A guest needs not bring their own house, but a peer should not arrive at the house empty-handed either,¡± Dzintara said firmly, looking at Ling Qi. ¡°Or do your people honor beggars?¡±


    Ling Qi frowned at her. That was just provocative.


    ¡°Alternating arrangements might be better. You build a meeting place as well. We can alternate uses,¡± Wang Lian grunted. She did not seem terribly invested either way.


    ¡°A proof of work for cooperation and use of runework,¡± the old crow supported his emissary¡¯s proposal, rapping his cane on the floor. ¡°But separate houses, so that we may both play host. This may also do.¡±


    ¡°A shared project is quite a bit more than error testing,¡± Jin Tae noted. ¡°And time already grows short. Is this the time for such an ambitious project?¡±


    ¡°Ambition describes this entire venture,¡± Xia Lin interjected stiffly but supportively. ¡°And an open meeting hall hardly needs dense security given the guest list. I propose if this is done, both parties agree to the use of structural formations only.¡±


    Ling Qi gave her companion a brief, appreciative look.


    Wang Lian agreed. ¡°It¡¯s true that nothing said in such a place will remain secret for long, no matter what wards we layer on.¡±


    ¡°In such a case. I will be directly present for the full duration of construction,¡± Xia Ren said flatly in a tone which brooked no disagreement.


    ¡°That would go far in assuaging any concerns the ministry would have over such matters.¡± Jin Tae said.


    ¡°And what concerns might you have over the alternating meeting places?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°The ministry is more concerned with contamination of information, so do as you please,¡± Jin Tae said politely.


    The general looked at her. Ling Qi looked back. She felt something in her shadow twitch, and the crow shot a sharp and wary look her way. It seemed Shu Yue was present today.


    ¡°If the security of the young miss is assured, I have no objections.¡±


    Ling Qi looked at Dzintara, who had turned her head to look at the crow with furrowed brows. She looked back at Ling Qi. ¡°The White Sky would agree to your stipulation on the runic arrays used.¡±


    Ling Qi considered her options. On the one hand, separate meeting places was very much the sensible, neutral option that would neither please nor upset anyone too much. On the other hand, the combined building effort might allow her to get by what she hadn¡¯t been able to convince the general of, greater coordination and more meetings.


    However, then there was the fact that the general insisted on being present. It was hard to imagine any friendliness occurring under her gaze. She wasn¡¯t biased enough to believe the general was a wild animal who would destroy the project entirely at the slightest wrong twitch of the White Sky, but neither did she trust that the woman would not intimidate and antagonize everyone around her. It wouldn¡¯t even be out of malice, but merely her nature.


    ¡°I tend to lean toward the shared project, but if so, I have a suggestion I would like the general to consider.¡±


    The sovereign didn¡¯t look at her. She didn¡¯t need to for Ling Qi to feel her attention.


    ¡°For propriety, our honor, and our guests¡¯ ease of mind, I would like to suggest that Xia Lin accompany you and act as your go-between as she already has some experience and understanding of our guests. It would benefit us if she were able to hear their words and bring them to you or respond to any non-catastrophic troubles. Perhaps she could teach some of her compatriots as well, so that the frailties of a mere third realm do not leave the site unguarded at any time.¡±

 Threads 308-Traditions 2

    Threads 308-Traditions 2


    Ling Qi¡¯s suggestion was a gamble, but a gamble she thought she knew the odds on. Better for the general to be a looming threat, but one step in the background, than a threat immediately on stage. And for the White Sky, it would hopefully be a step toward safer familiarity. Even if Imperial high realms were terribly mobile and active, they could still be approached and appeased through intermediaries.


    This hinged on the general not immediately shooting her down though.


    Also¡­


    She glanced at Xia Lin, apologizing with her eyes for throwing the girl under the proverbial wagon. Xia Lin looked back, not seeming particularly enthused, but she lowered her chin a little in understanding. Thank the moons. She understood.


    ¡°It would be my honor to provide what small wisdom I have in ensuring that there are no misunderstandings,¡± Xia Lin said aloud.


    A finger tapped the hilt of a silvery sword, a distinct clink echoing like the report of a firework in the clearing. ¡°I will observe at all times. Direct interaction may be handled through Xia Lin and my White Plumes.¡±


    ¡°In that case,¡± Jin Tae said smoothly, ¡°the ministry would like to assign a junior agent for the sake of observing technical matters.¡±


    ¡°The fellow you have assigned to me and my crew will do, won¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Ah, Lady Wang, Agent Li is for your protection¡­¡±


    Wang Lian raised an eyebrow. ¡°He knows his formation work.¡±


    Jin Tae, stymied, frowned. ¡°... I will convey your thoughts to Senior Agent Cao.¡±


    ¡°If I am to understand correctly, your companion will serve our role to your¡­¡± Emissary Dzintara glanced at the general. ¡°General.¡±


    ¡°That is my proposal.¡±


    Dzintara glanced at the Crow, who furrowed his brow.


    ¡°I will fetch one of those who speaks to the Voice of Weeping Haven. They will observe for us as well,¡± the old man said.


    Ling Qi waited a beat for anyone else to raise an objection, and when none came, she breathed out. She felt a twinge of anxiety still. There was danger in this proposal. But spurring acclimation between the two sides would be vital for the endeavor going forward. And if this went¡­ acceptably, it would be a good symbolic achievement to raise in her own favor.


    ¡°Then I believe we may consider that motion passed,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Are there any further objections?¡±


    Wang Lian shook her head, and the general just continued to stand there, a silent pillar of articulated metal. Across the table, Dzintara met her eyes. There was both consideration and calculation there, and the sparks of pride. Ling Qi wondered if that was why she was the one here. She wondered if this was a test to see what could be pushed and how they would be treated with an emissary who was more assertive at their helm.


    ¡°The White Sky has nothing further to raise on this matter.¡±


    Ling Qi held her gaze respectfully. She then glanced to the side.


    ¡°As no security formations will be placed upon the site, the ministry will not strenuously object, although Lady Ling should know that we do not believe this is the best course of action.¡± Jin Tae did not drop his smile, but she did recognize the warning. The Ministry of Integrity was a serious power. She could not ignore and upset them at will. She would need to pick and choose her battles with them in the coming days.


    And there would be battles.


    Ling Qi inclined her head to Jin Tae briefly in acknowledgment of the warning. ¡°With the arrangements for the work crews made, we must turn to the soldiery. It is my hope that we are able to bring the same goodwill and coordination to this subject as well.¡±


    ¡°I will share our route and schedule.¡± The harsh metallic buzz of Xia Ren¡¯s voice reverberated across the table. ¡°You, our guests, may observe these and match your own to it.¡±


    Xia Lin gave her an encouraging look. That was¡­ downright accommodating, Ling Qi had to admit, even with the implication of the imperials¡¯ primacy.


    ¡°We hope that by allowing our soldiers to patrol together, they may learn one another''s appearances and movements well,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°The better we recognize each other, the less chance there is for false strife.¡±


    ¡°I agree with that. However, I object to the routes which continue to come so close to our stronghold. Your men are unnecessary there,¡± Dzintara said.


    Ling Qi pulled in a breath. ¡°Unfortunately, I must disagree.¡±


    She could not be too soft and accommodating. If her own side saw her as weak and overly generous, it would undermine her own position.


    ¡°I hope that it may one day be different, but we are still new neighbors. It is sensible for everyone to keep a close eye. I will ask that you be satisfied with joint patrols in the area. And this is not without accommodation. Your men may join the patrols which cross over the embassy and observatory as well.¡±


    She spoke firmly, and to her relief, the General did not feel the need to add anything.


    Dzintara said grudgingly, ¡°This is¡­ fair.¡±


    ¡°It is quite generous,¡± Jin Tae lightly contradicted. ¡°How do you intend these joint patrols to be commanded, Lady Ling?¡±


    ¡°Equal officers,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°That is, each patrol shall have a leader of equivalent rank from each party, commanding their own contingent, as was done in days when the Imperial Peace of past dynasties was shaken.¡±


    Best not to imply anything about the current dynasty, even if her study to find any precedent for this solution implied that leftover strife from the second extended well into the early establishment of the current third.


    ¡°Now that is an old tradition,¡± Jin Tae noted.


    ¡°It was set aside, unneeded for a time, not invalidated by any change,¡± Ling Qi argued. ¡°There is nothing wrong with picking up a stored tool when the proper season comes around again.¡± She very carefully did not glance at the general. She felt a small snarl of irritation for Jin Tae.


    ¡°We would need to speak of our ranks and what is equivalent. But I approve of the basic idea if I am understanding it correctly,¡± Dzintara said, slow and slightly reluctant. ¡°We would arrange shared rally points then for the beginning and ending of patrol?¡±


    The general tapped a finger on the hilt of her sword again. ¡°Necessary, to avoid inefficiency.¡±


    ¡°I am rather more interested in the distribution of duty reports and the processing of any offenses,¡± Jin Tae raised. ¡°You brushed over how you intend to handle that.¡±


    ¡°Each group may simply report to their own superiors. If a problem cannot be resolved at that level, it can be referred to the baroness and Lady Cai,¡± the general said flatly.


    Wang Lian spoke up for the first time in the military discussion. ¡°I could see value in there being a mediator on call.¡±


    ¡°Who would that even be, aside from the Baroness?¡± Jin Tae asked. ¡°Madam, I doubt you would accept anyone else on our side of the table.¡±


    Left unsaid was that they obviously wouldn¡¯t accept a mediator from the White Sky.


    Dzintara looked between them all. ¡°You are correct. I would say that if the superiors cannot agree on the fault in a matter, the only one who could resolve this would be your emissary.¡±


    The problem was that Ling Qi wasn¡¯t certain she would be able to be on call. She simply had so much to do. But, well, she had already volunteered Xia Lin to be the ¡°voice¡± for the general, so Xia Lin was no longer available. Perhaps she could convince them that Gan Guangli would be acceptable? The sun priest had seemed to like him, and ¡°mediator¡± was a role that the White Sky seemed like it would accept a man in.


    No, she thought, proposing that option on the fly would be too much. However, convincing the White Sky to also accept her fellow retainer in some roles would probably be needed in the future.


    ¡°Or we will leave military matters in military hands,¡± the General said. ¡°The matter might rise to the young miss. If it does, she will resolve it with the tools available.¡±


    ¡°If I might suggest,¡± Dzintara said, carefully eyeing the general, ¡°perhaps the officers in charge and any potential offenders might face each other and air their grievances somewhere public so that all may know that voices are being heard. If your emissary or her lord would preside¡­¡±


    Jin Tae interrupted. ¡°That seems like a way to embarrass everyone involved. Hurt pride hardly resolves conflict.¡±


    Wang Lian seemed mildly interested. The general didn¡¯t dignify the suggestion with a response. Ling Qi glanced at Xia Lin, who eyed her aunt with concern.


    ¡°I think it would be best if we keep disputes private,¡± Ling Qi said after some deliberation. ¡°I do not know your people¡¯s ways, Emissary, but it is considered rude to air one''s grievances in public among us. If the command chains cannot agree on a course between themselves, I would ask that the involved officers come to Lady Cai and myself, at which point we will assist in bringing about an equitable agreement.¡±


    She chose her words very carefully, balancing the implication that she and her liege and by extension, the imperial party, had primacy with the implication that they were only there to mediate. It was a fine line to walk. She had already pushed both the general and the ministry as much as she cared to today with the shared meeting place proposal.


    ¡°It is considered untrustworthy to hide the resolution of a dispute from the public eye,¡± Dzintara said carefully.


    ¡°Do you mean to say that all negotiations, no matter the parties involved, are taken into the public?¡± Ling Qi asked, not quite disbelieving, but a little disingenuous.


    Dzintara held her gaze for a long moment and then glanced at the crow. ¡°It is not a universal rule. And these arrangements are¡­ tense, already.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I see little advantage to turning legal or military matters into a public circus,¡± Jin Tae said. ¡°I find the implications for your legal systems curious.¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t quite give him a glare, but she certainly looked his way. ¡°If all goes well, then a more complex arrangement can be agreed upon. While this temporary arrangement is in place, I feel simple is best.¡±


    ¡°I am satisfied enough. The ultimate decision falls into proper hands,¡± the general said. Her metallic voice held no inflection, no indication that she was pleased or upset or anything else. Ling Qi would take it.


    ¡°I ask that you work with us on this, Emissary Dzintara, that our efforts can remain in harmony.¡± Though she didn¡¯t know how much it would translate, Ling Qi tilted her head as one would toward a respected peer.


    A spark jumped from one of the iron rings piercing Dzintara¡¯s ear to the next. ¡°The White Sky will not persist in pushing this matter. For the duration of the summit, this will do.¡±


    ¡°Good. We can all be reasonable about this,¡± Wang Lian said placidly, folding her hands into her sleeves.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Does anyone have any further concerns?¡±


    As it turned out, they did. But it was small things, fiddling with the details, such as the locations of rally points, and tangents into formation engineering that she had to find a polite way of reeling back in. Though the talks lasted another two hours, she allowed herself some measure of comfort that the most troublesome points had been resolved, and that she would not see their efforts stall out at the first hurdle.


    Finally, discussions came to an end, and all of them who had sat down in the first place stood at the same time.


    ¡°Thank you, everyone, for attending this first meeting. We have accomplished much here, and I look forward to accomplishing still more in the future,¡± Ling Qi said diplomatically.


    ¡°This was productive,¡± Dzintara agreed. ¡°Let future meetings also be so.¡±


    Wang Lian grunted. ¡°I look forward to getting to work.¡±


    The two Xias were both silent, and Jin Tae merely smiled.


    ¡°Then let us part for now. I am sure everyone¡¯s schedules are busy.¡±


    And with that, the meeting ended.

 Threads 309 Traditions 3

    Threads 309 Traditions 3


    Ling Qi let out a breath as a few more small pleasantries were shared, and the White Sky left, along with Wang Lian. Jin Tae said his goodbyes, managing to never once drop his smile, as if she¡¯d not irritated the ministry at all.


    It left her and Xia Lin with the general still standing there, stock still. She waited another beat, not wishing to leave first, but that blank mask of a helm remained fixed on some point in the distance.


    Finally, Ling Qi nodded to Xia Lin, and they turned to go.


    ¡°Baroness. I will speak with you.¡±


    Ling Qi stopped, exchanged a mildly alarmed look with Xia Lin, who glanced over her shoulder at the unmoving general, and then gave her a helpless shrug. Ling Qi hid her grimace with a cough and turned back around. ¡°Of course, General. What can I help you with?¡±


    The metal figure standing by the table was wholly unmoving, save for the faint motion of fingers brushing the hilt of her sheathed blade. ¡°My information on you was incomplete.¡±


    Ling Qi was not entirely sure how to respond.


    ¡°Your methods are wrong. Foolish. You lean on rotten scraps and broken foundations,¡± the general criticized. ¡°The dead build nothing.¡±


    ¡°I must respectfully disagree,¡± Ling Qi said very carefully. ¡°You can build new from old.¡±


    ¡°And that is why I say my information was incomplete. Your methods are wrong. Your goals are correct.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, taken back.


    That faceless helm turned toward her with only the faint creak of oiled metal, but Ling Qi felt the heat on her face, as if she stood before a roaring forge fire. She felt her eyes water and her nose and lips go dry as the general really looked at her.


    ¡°Do not do things for dead men. They cannot appreciate it. Building is for the living and those yet to come. Do not allow sentimental attachment to worthless minutiae and dead men¡¯s words to bind your efforts. Perhaps you have found a worthy use for these materials, this salvage of yours. We will see.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked, not just because of the words spoken, but the echo of something else, something old that burned a stray tongue of flame in her thoughts.


    ¡°Pride, traditions, history, faith! Is that all you can say, you miserable old man? What has any of it bought us but humiliation, defeat, and disdain?!


    The sound of a fist striking flesh. A young woman¡¯s snarl of pain. Blood spat on the ground.


    ¡°We cannot answer even the most blatant insults. Your precious traditions can defend none of us from any abuse. You, half in the ground, chain us to graves even older, longing for a past you¡¯ve never seen, and would strangle any who try to break them. Fine, then! Strike to kill the next time, grandfather, or when I return, I will burn those graves, and sever those chains, all.¡±


    It was a bare moment, leaving her blinking. Her eyes flicked up to the general¡¯s face plate. That¡­ had been the general, younger, angrier, but still¡­


    ¡°I will take your words to heart. Whatever you think of my methods, my eyes look forward.¡±


    ¡°Many who use your methods have believed that,¡± the General said, finally looking away. ¡°Dismissed.¡±


    The air screamed and split vertically, severed air a pale electric blue, and the general turned, her silhouette narrowing until it was only a single gleaming edge, and then, she was gone.


    ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°I think my aunt has adjusted her opinion. Slightly.¡± Xia Lin sounded shocked.


    ¡°No¡ª¡± Ling Qi started to deny and clarify that she meant those strange echoes, but Xia Lin hadn¡¯t heard them, had she? Ling Qi looked down at her hand, flexing the fingers, studying the qi flow beneath her skin.


    [Communication]


    The word reverberated in her spirit. Had that strange moment come from what she had developed in the nightmare tribulation?


    She wished she could ask Sixiang, but she supposed they probably wouldn¡¯t know either.


    ¡°Ling Qi?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was lost in thought.¡±


    ¡°You handled leading that meeting well. A moment of introspection is not untoward.¡±


    ¡°I suppose it isn¡¯t. I apologize for saddling you with a difficult duty without notice.¡±


    ¡°Difficult duties often arrive unannounced,¡± Xia Lin said dryly as they set off down the path. ¡°Acting as the general¡¯s voice is not the worst duty.¡±


    ¡°Nerve wracking though,¡± Ling Qi muttered.


    Xia Lin made an indeterminate sound, not verbally agreeing or disagreeing.¡±What is our next appointment?¡±


    ¡°We need to speak with Lady Cai. We¡¯d both like your report on how matters are proceeding at Snowblossom. I am concerned about having none of us regularly on site, though Lao Keung¡¯s presence helps.¡±


    ¡°A foreign retainer being the primary defense is unusual.¡±


    ¡°There would be literally nothing for him to gain from betrayal, and his liege is well known to me.¡±


    ¡°I suppose,¡± Xia Lin said. ¡°Lady Cai and yourself will be making trips back and forth, too. It is only two days distant as the hawk flies.¡±


    ¡°Yes, let''s not get too far into it here. I hate having to repeat reports.¡±


    ¡°On this, we agree.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Good. It is good that there were no special incidents. I am concerned about the choice of diplomatic venue,¡± Cai Renxiang said, steepling her fingers.


    ¡°It is a gamble, but calculated in our favor, I feel. We cannot get by without taking chances,¡± Ling Qi replied.


    ¡°Not untrue, but vexing all the same,¡± Cai Renxiang said sourly. ¡°I will keep an eye on matters. Thank you, Xia Lin.¡±


    ¡°It is my duty.¡±


    Xia Lin insisted on giving her the only chair, standing at attention. Ling Qi thought she just wanted to be the tallest one in the room for once.


    ¡°Nonetheless, I have high expectations,¡± Cai Renxiang said.


    That earned a sharp nod. Ling Qi thought Xia Lin seemed encouraged. She was kind of a simple girl at heart, wasn¡¯t she?


    ¡°There is one matter we should attend to before getting to your report however,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°I received a missive while you were away. It seems that there were some results from the meeting between King Sun and my mother.¡±


    Ling Qi felt her stomach sink. She had a premonition, but really, what were the chances?


    ¡°His great-granddaughter, Sun Liling, will be representing his southern interests at the summit.¡±


    Ling Qi cupped her hands, rested her chin in them, and took a very deep breath.


    Was this what Cai Renxiang felt like when she gave her reports?


    ¡°I have heard there were some conflicts with the princess¡­¡± Xia Lin ventured


    ¡°That is true. They were all officially resolved,¡± Cai Renxiang said coolly. ¡°I am concerned that given what you have told me, there seems to be a faction among our guests which has had contact with the jungle barbarians.¡±


    Ling Qi muttered, ¡°And the Sun practices some of their methods. That¡¯s ignoring how strange Sun Liling was when we last met her at the tournament.¡±


    ¡°We will have to come to an arrangement. I do not believe there will be deliberate sabotage,¡± Xia Lin said, but she sounded worried.


    ¡°I suppose we¡¯ll have to. It¡¯s not like we have a choice,¡± Ling Qi said irritably.


    ¡°We don¡¯t,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed. ¡°Xia Lin, your report.¡±


    Xia Lin somehow managed to straighten her shoulders even more. ¡°Lady Ling¡¯s pacification of the lake remains in effect. Fishing remains superb for the simple arrangements we have set up, and on-site processing has been established with waste material going into fertilization efforts. There have been some plans drawn up for very small docks and the establishment of boatbuilding infrastructure.¡±


    Ling Qi was confused until she realized that Xia Lin probably meant simple one or two-person fishing boats.


    ¡°There has been some spirit activity and beast attacks at the fringes of the encampment, but all were seen off without trouble between my own presence and Lao Keung.¡±


    ¡°Anything dangerous?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Nothing. A disturbed bear, fleeing off when confronted, and a few stray wolves, likely driven from their packs. Rats seeking the stores. Forest fairies attempting to lead workers astray. It was a safe month,¡± Xia Lin said confidently.


    ¡°That is good news at least. Shall we see those plans then, Lady Cai?¡±


    ¡°Yes, let us send the orders, and let them work. We need much of our attention here.¡±

 Threads 310-Bogs 1

    Threads 310-Bogs 1


    They¡¯d decided to begin partitioning some of the farmland next, having the temporary workers prepare lots for incoming settlers. One of the largest draws to new settlements was the easy access to land. There were always second and third children who didn¡¯t stand to inherit. Besides, the sooner they began preparing the relatively poor soil and making use of the veins of fire under the earth, the sooner they would see a return. She¡¯d have to go back for a while next month to work with Zhengui.


    The note which he had dictated to her regarding the earth veins was interesting. He seemed really excited about the project. It was good that he had found a project to invest in while she was so busy. She did feel sorry for the frazzled first realm scholar assigned to take down all of his running commentary as notes. She¡¯d think about that when she could speak with Zhengui and give him her full focus though..


    ¡°Ling Qi, this one is pleased to see you again.¡±


    She smiled, offering a little bow to Xuan Shi. He stood by one of the newly raised warding stones. He¡¯d been examining it as she approached. ¡°Thank you for taking up this invitation at such short notice.¡±


    ¡°Small assistance, a breeze to give some small wind to thy sails, is all which this one can offer. To fulfill a purpose here would be pleasing,¡± he said. ¡°The knowledge you have granted me is fully digested.¡±


    She nodded, acknowledging his words and straightened up. She¡¯d sent him a brief dossier on what she had on the White Sky and today¡¯s subject, these ¡°Seared Lands.¡± ¡°I expected no less. We¡¯re primarily gathering information and giving greetings today.¡±


    ¡°And our arrival together will prompt no misunderstandings?¡± Xuan Shi asked with a touch of worry.


    She¡¯d thought of that given the way these eastern tribes had an emissary, which was a paired couple of husband and wife. ¡°No misunderstandings,¡± she said gently. ¡°I sent ahead in the missive what we¡¯re doing.¡±


    The idea might have upset her before, but she had gotten less childish, or so she hoped.


    He nodded, considering her. ¡°Is thy companion well? I do not sense their presence.¡±


    ¡°Sixiang and I both underwent tribulation. They need some time to think,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°We¡¯re standing apart for a little while.¡±


    Ling Qi wondered if he would ask further, but Xuan Shi merely reached up and tipped the brim of his hat. ¡°Convey this one¡¯s well wishes when next Miss Ling meets them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to do so. Now, let¡¯s be off.¡±


    Walking with Xuan Shi, she followed the road south. Already, it extended further into the twisted trees of the valley, the style of the stone work changing as they moved past the last warding stone and reached the first of what the White Sky called ¡°runestones.¡± They looked cruder than imperial warding stones at a glance with more naturalistic cuts, but the harsh lines deeply carved in the stone were no less intricate in their way. The sounds of construction could be heard ahead. It didn¡¯t surprise her. The half of the emissary pair she had traded messages with, Inzha, did seem to be their formations expert.


    Meeting her at a worksite carried more than one implication. On the one hand, it was something of a power move, implying that there was no need to treat them to the honors of a guest. On the other hand, matched with their recent resolution, it could be taken as a gesture of trust, especially since she had made clear that Xuan Shi, if not herself, was quite skilled in formation craft.


    Of course, her read could all be wrong, if their perspectives didn¡¯t match up to imperial ones well enough.


    Ling Qi waited for a beat and then frowned at the lack of response. Of course.


    Xuan Shi glanced at her. ¡°Ill currents?¡±


    ¡°Just adjusting,¡± Ling Qi replied.


    They came into view of the worksite where the trees had been pushed back, some by ax, some by other means. She saw several men in white robes wearing crowns of leaves upon their heads, shepherding slowly crawling trees with a soft but strident song. An older woman in a mantle of silver fur stood nearby, a crescent ax on her shoulder. As she watched, the woman¡¯s arm and weapon blurred, lopping a tree limb which had suddenly swung clean off.


    In the center, the earth had been flattened. A disc of gray stone was being guided into place by workers with rope and a makeshift crane. She could see why the underlying formations on the runestone base would repel any qi that tried to move it.


    The emissary pair, Rostam and Inzha, stood by, quietly discussing something as they oversaw the work. Their clothing was a little different in color and cut today but in the same style, except for the short, broad man¡¯s furry, shapeless hat. She was quite sure that absurd piece of headgear was the same.


    ¡°Emissary Ling Qi,¡± the woman, Inzha, greeted, seeing her over her husband¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It is good to see you.¡±


    ¡°I feel the same.¡± Ling Qi arrested her instinct to bow. Instead, she held out her hand, gloved in navy blue silk, her sleeves tight and bound to her forearms. She¡¯d directed her dress toward something more practical today with mixed results. Her hems were much more drawn in anyway.


    It was Rostam who clasped her hand, grinning under his drooping, bushy mustache. ¡°Yes, much talking to do, and we¡¯ve not even begun! Our throats will be dry indeed before this is done.¡±


    ¡°I am sure we will both have a fine drink for the other to sample when discussions begin properly,¡± Ling Qi said politely. She grasped his forearm tightly and used his own reaction to judge when it was time to let go. ¡°May I introduce Sir Xuan Shi, who is on loan from his land in the north to assist me?¡±


    ¡°It pleases this one to no end to meet guests who have undergone such a long sojourn,¡± Xuan Shi said. He reached out his own gauntleted hand. It was Inzha this time who reached out and took his hand.


    ¡°It is our pleasure as well, far traveler. You carry potent works so easily,¡± the woman said, sounding a touch curious.


    ¡°This one¡¯s own works only,¡± Xuan Shi demurred.


    ¡°Xuan Shi is among the best of our age at the art of talisman crafting,¡± Ling Qi said easily. ¡°He comes from the far northern ocean where his people are most familiar with meeting foreign guests. While I can¡¯t call him an emissary, it is my hope that he will aid us all in understanding each other.¡±


    ¡°Haha, of course! More eyes see better,¡± Rostam said cheerfully. ¡°Islands, eh? Any chance you¡¯ve met the sailors of the Land of Sacred Fire in the east?¡±


    ¡°The eastern current cannot be sailed between the boiling and the Great Maelstrom,¡± Xuan Shi said. ¡°This one has not had the pleasure. You would know the folk of the Thousand Princes, called Khusan, in the West perhaps?¡±


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure what the Great Maelstrom was, but she presumed the boiling referred to the seas still overheated from the echoes of the Cataclysm.


    ¡°Ah, that would be our sour friend Dzintara¡¯s expertise, but I have heard of their works,¡± Inzha said.


    ¡°Mm, boiling, you say? I¡¯m a bit familiar. Of course it would be worse farther north!¡± Rostam exclaimed. ¡°That disaster must have been close to home for all of you, eh?¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t allow her expression to change. Nor did she glance at Xuan Shi. Although the Twilight King and his end was ancient history, the Cataclysm had such far reaching consequences that should it be fully revealed, there could be consequences. This was especially so given that the demonic cultivator known as the Twilight King had come from the line of the second dynasty, and it all had begun over a succession dispute. However, there was no meaningful way to keep something that was common knowledge among all imperial people hidden for any extended length of time.


    ¡°It was a terrible cataclysm that scoured the east unto an ashen desert,¡± Ling Qi explained carefully. ¡°It was the result of one of our ancestors, something like your gods, destroying herself to eliminate a far worse foe.¡±


    ¡°The Unmen,¡± Inzha said thoughtfully. ¡°They came from the west to the lands of light.¡±


    ¡°King in Twilight, a million, million bodies with only one mind,¡± Xuan Shi said, bowing his head. ¡°Only in scouring all pure could that mind be destroyed.¡±


    Rostam crossed his arms, blowing out his mustache. ¡°Sad, old histories. I won¡¯t say that I don¡¯t want to hear the full tale, but is that sort of exchange what we want to spend our time on today?¡±


    She was surprised by his nonchalance, but she supposed her opposites were far more experienced with diplomacy than she, able to keep their reactions muted.


    Ling Qi considered.


    It might be useful in establishing a baseline to hear more history and culture, but speaking of current events might be more relevant. She was curious, for example, what precisely it meant that these folk were ¡°both Seared Land and White Sky.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, sir. As interesting as history can be, it''s not quite what we are here for. I actually did have a pressing question, if you do not mind.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, go ahead,¡± Rostam said cheerily. ¡°We¡¯ve a few of our own.¡±


    ¡°What does it mean that you are of both the White Sky and the Seared Lands?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°Do you simply have blood from both sides?¡±


    ¡°That is part of it. Regular marriages from the tribes of White Sky and Seared Land into and out of ours maintain the harmony of the confederation,¡± Inzha answered.


    ¡°But it is deeper than that,¡± Rostam continued, tugging at his mustache. ¡°We are of both lands. We stand on the border, the boundary, and keep to both circles of gods and have both oaths. It is an honorable, but difficult, position.¡±


    ¡°It sounds as if you would be very damaged if your two provinces came into conflict,¡± Ling Qi said dubiously.


    ¡°Keep to both circles of gods?¡± Xuan Shi asked, repeating the phrasing.


    ¡°Rules of three,¡± Inzha said. ¡°The great gods of the White Sky are six, two triads, opposing and complementing in their own patterns. So, too, in each region. Some gods are lessened. Others are elevated. Only the Crone is universal.¡±


    So, to analogize to her own homeland, every province had great spirits which were more celebrated than others with different holy days and festivals. Only the Celestial Dragon and through her, the imperial seat, was enforced centrally.


    ¡°Not Sudica? I was under the Impression that she was the founder of your nation,¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°The Sceptre is respected, but she is only upon the holy triad in the Gates and the White Sky,¡± Rostam said. ¡°She does not ride the steppe nor walk the bogs. My cousins in the deeper lands only revere her on the days that everyone comes together to scream at each other in the things and kuruldaans.¡± Rostam chortled. ¡°Naturally, my Inzha and I like her rather better!¡±


    Kuruldaan. Ling Qi turned that word over in her mind. To her understanding, it seemed similar to this ¡°thing,¡± a political gathering of some sort. It was actually close to the word for a council or gathering of chieftains in the cloud tribe tongue, she knew.


    ¡°Apart, yet bound, interlocking,¡± Xuan Shi mused. ¡°This one finds it strange.¡±


    ¡°Is it not akin to your own gathering? I have seen and felt those who seem as different tribes than yours gathered here, and I do not mean those of your capital,¡± Inzha observed.


    ¡°Friends, allies, and visitors,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Here to observe the proceedings only. They are not part of the Emerald Seas. They are more akin to foreign emissaries themselves.¡±


    ¡°This one has no authority of kin or clan. This one is but a visitor alone on personal business, aiding the Lady Ling,¡± Xuan Shi clarified.


    Rostam chuckled. ¡°Ah, I see, indeed. With your letter, I understand.¡±


    She squinted at him. She was not entirely certain he did.


    His wife sighed, rested her hand on his head, and pushed the fuzzy monstrosity down over his eyes. ¡°Excuse him. Answering the core of your question, it is the White Sky you are negotiating with alone. Though we are of the boundary, we are here as the eastern tribes of the White Sky.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Does the same apply to your western companion?¡±


    Rostam grumbled, pulling his hat back up. ¡°It should.¡±


    ¡°Should lies on the horizon of is,¡± Xuan Shi noted.


    ¡°We are of the boundaries, as are they,¡± Inzha said. ¡°The White Sky contains many interests and must also sell this business to their neighbors.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Ling Qi said. It was good to know they were still fundamentally negotiating with one polity, even if it had separate interests within it and other contacts to satisfy.


    Not so different from their own situation.


    ¡°Many shoals must come together to form a grand one,¡± Xuan Shi agreed. ¡°Whence does the most difference come in yours?¡±


    ¡°Now isn¡¯t that the question!¡± Rostam laughed. ¡°Mm, it can be said we are invested in our central cousins'' integration of new tribes! We wish to see it continue. The White Sky is a bit sparse, as you probably gathered from the name. Indeed, we were consulted heavily for the project!¡±


    ¡°We wish to see that project continue¡­ And we have some concerns about the northern tribes ourselves,¡± Inzha said, more calmly. ¡°The gatherings, the rumbles of power in the north, the men who whisper of Twelve Stars and leave with hot-headed young men from our tribes, and the men who whisper of Twelve Stars and shelter with us. These are our concerns.¡±


    Rostam scratched his scruffy cheek, looking more subdued. ¡°Well, that is the core of it.¡±


    ¡°We have had some encounters and conflicts with those who stand under the banner of Twelve Stars ourselves,¡± Ling Qi admitted.


    What they implied was good. That was a way to align interests, a lever for negotiations. They would have to carefully control the way the information came out that the Twelve Stars had conducted some recruitment among the White Sky.


    Ling Qi continued. ¡°We would appreciate any information you could give on them. Is there much connection between the tribes in the north?¡±


    ¡°Old bonds, and always some intermingling, among those who wander still,¡± Rostam said. ¡°Most get it out of their systems eventually and settle among the jewel cities in the east. Indeed, my own kin on that side come from that blood. But there are always hot-headed youngsters who find romance in martial talk.¡±


    ¡°Bog, steppe, and badland,¡± Inzha said. ¡°Our tribe draws most from cities among the bog and the oasis that lie among the badlands on the eastern route. But the steppe¡­ That is where there is trouble, and those who still revere Father Sky above all others live there.¡±


    That was remarkably open of them. Then again, even if they weren¡¯t at war with the Twelve Stars Confederation, they were still apparently having people poached, and she doubted there was no raiding going on.


    ¡°I¡¯ve a question or two of my own,¡± Rostam said, turning to eye the workers finally settling the base of their runestone into place.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ling Qi said graciously. She couldn¡¯t be the only one getting answers here.


    ¡°What is the business with those masked fellows skulking about? They seem a bit like the crows, but they¡¯re not that.¡±


    ¡°Agents of the throne. Bound and sworn to integrity and to observing the clans for treason, corruption, and ill conduct,¡± Xuan Shi said after glancing at her. She gave him a nod, giving him the go-ahead. ¡°An emperor, ascended, sworn to his service, bound to his shades. This is the Ministry of Integrity.¡±


    ¡°That thing you all do with your spirits?¡± Rostam questioned. ¡°Still a holy order then, just one with unfamiliar mysteries.¡±


    Ling QI doubted the ministry would be content with that description, but it was close enough. ¡°That is what your ¡®crows¡¯ are? I get the impression that they give up their names for this.¡±


    ¡°I can hardly tell you their secret rites, but aye. When a widower chooses to hang himself from a sacred ash in the name of the Crowfather to learn the secrets of runecraft, you get his crows,¡± Rostam said.


    And that wasn¡¯t the secret part. Ling Qi supposed there were more disturbing cultivation methods. She didn¡¯t like it much, but it also wasn¡¯t hers to judge.


    ¡°It is a bit frustrating that so many secrets of the true tongue are hidden in mysteries.¡± Inzha sighed. ¡°But such is the way of the gods.¡±


    ¡°It is not the same for our ministry, but they do swear oaths on induction which supersede all other loyalties,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°And the shades of He who became Inexorable Justice live in their souls and hold those oaths.¡±


    She didn¡¯t know how perfect that system was, but despite her conflicts of interest, she didn¡¯t doubt the power of spiritual oaths to an ascended cultivator, only the human ability to twist the, well, ¡°spirit¡± of just about anything.


    That was a little cynical.


    ¡°Inexorable Justice, eh? A stern sounding god.¡± Rostam rubbed his chin. ¡°Inzha, do you think we are needed further here?¡±


    The tall woman considered, observing the workers carefully moving dirt around the newly placed base and the singers arriving to call forth grass and flowers and moss to grow over stone. It made it seem as if the stone plinth had been there for years or decades. But she could sense the shifts in the natural qi. It wasn¡¯t merely appearance. She felt flows shift and snap into place, accepting the craft as a part of the environment.


    ¡°No. The stone itself will not be ready for some hours,¡± Inzha said.


    ¡°Ha, very good then. Will you accept our invitation to our temporary lodge, young sir and miss? I¡¯d rather continue these weighty conversations in comfort,¡± Rostam invited cheerfully.


    She shared a look with Xuan Shi, who tilted his head to her.


    ¡°We¡¯ll accept your kind invitation, Emissary Inzha and Rostam,¡± she said formally. ¡°May we continue speaking as we walk?¡±


    ¡°Certainly, certainly.¡± Rostam laughed, waving for them to follow him and his wife out of the small clearing and onto the road.

 Threads 311-Bogs 2

    Threads 311-Bogs 2


    ¡°This one questions, honored hosts. It seems to this one that thy words paint a picture of roads and ships and trade in thy lands. Is this truth?¡±


    ¡°Not wrong. Treasures lie deep in the mud, buried in the bog. Yet it is difficult to live there. Near to where these treasures are dredged up is where the bog is at its most hostile,¡± Inzha answered.


    ¡°Carving roads and taming the land is an honored activity, and it keeps us from having to resort to harsher ways,¡± Rostam added. ¡°The lands are cruel, but we need not be.¡±


    Ling Qi knew the Golden Fields were rich in metals and jewels and cultivation resources. Perhaps it was an after effect in all the lands afflicted by the Cataclysm.


    She listened to Xuan Shi and Rostam speak of different goods, some of which she recognized, but many of which she did not. She gave Inzha a considering look, which the woman returned. Although she had to be careful about making too-sweeping assumptions, she was beginning to get an idea where the eastern representatives stood on this endeavor. Their interests were mercantile and geomancy-based.


    The Twisted Pine faction seemed more militant and focused on the extraction of resources. She was only unsure where the main interests of the central White Sky faction lay. Maybe infrastructure? Or perhaps agriculture and the working and processing of materials?


    Well, she would soon get her chance to hear from the actual representative. Jaromila was arriving soon by all accounts. But she did have to decide where to guide the conversation going forward. They were sticking to business and current events, but that was still a wide space.


    They were led to a small clearing a short distance off the main road winding down into White Sky territory. Here, there were a number of soldiers dressed in lighter uniforms than that of the main White Sky force. She could see the similarities to Inzha and Rostam¡¯s clothes in the flowing cut and geometric patterns. The layered scale-patterned armor under their cloaks had a reddish burnish to it that she wasn¡¯t certain came from the metal itself or some kind of enamel. Their primary weapon of choice seemed to be heavy, barbed spears with short, highly curved sabers as a sidearm.


    There were no structures of wood and stone here. At the center of the clearing was a huge weatherworn red circular tent. It was a yurt, she thought they were called, though the cloud tribe examples she had glimpsed were much smaller and less ornate. Two of the guards stood at the entrance flap and clapped their fists to their chests as Rostam and Inzha approached.


    She and Xuan Shi were welcomed inside right after. The inside of the yurt was not what she expected. It wasn¡¯t the silk and cloth of gold and richness of a noble¡¯s traveling pavilion nor the simple undecorated inside of a nomad¡¯s shelter. Rather, it was a warm, almost hot interior with a scentless and smokeless fire burning on top of some manner of cut red-brown bricks that looked like dirt or clay.


    The ground was covered by thick carpets of richly dyed wool covered in geometric patterns. Wool panels on the walls depicted what she assumed were legendary events interspersed with everyday scenes. The supports of the conical ceiling were made of bone and ivory.


    The interior was well furnished as well with a round cloth-covered table across from the entrance on the other side of the fire. Around the edges of the table were what looked like long low couches or divans with cabinets and other containers set between them.


    ¡°Welcome, welcome. Home is far away, but we bring a little with us. Take any seat you like,¡± Rostam said generously, turning to face them as Inzha moved further in to tend to the fire. She took an iron poker from beside the hearth pit, carefully nudging a few of the burning bricks. The flames flickered black and green as she did.


    She saw Xuan Shi looking intently at the fire, but she herself kept her eyes on Rostam. She wasn¡¯t going to be distracted with technical matters. ¡°Thank you very much, emissary,¡± she said, subtly tapping Xuan Shi¡¯s hand.


    ¡°The hospitality of thy home is most welcome,¡± he said, only barely missing a beat.


    ¡°Ha! It is a very good home. My wife built it herself,¡± Rostam boasted, turning to follow them as they filed in and took the couch on the right side of the fire, a comfortable and polite space between them.


    ¡°Our eldest helped greatly,¡± Inzha deflected easily, replacing the poker in the rack by the fire. She took a seat by her husband on the couch opposite. The two sat right next to each other, untowardly close by imperial estimation. They were even openly entwining their hands. ¡°But let us not be distracted with personal matters.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I think the most relevant question is: from your perspective, what is the goal of this summit? What do you wish to take away from it, as members of the White Sky?¡±


    ¡°Hoh, you can hardly expect one to reveal their price before the haggling even begins,¡± Rostam protested.


    ¡°Your opening offer then, if you would like,¡± Ling Qi said, bowing her head.


    Rostam rubbed his thumb across the back of his wife¡¯s hand. He didn¡¯t look at her, nor she, him, but Ling Qi could all but feel the silent communication between them.


    ¡°The obvious is an agreement of nonaggression with mechanisms in place to adjudicate disputes between us without immediate escalation,¡± Inzha said. ¡°This is what we are here to establish before anything else.¡±


    ¡°An institution which both parties respect with words set to paper and bound in blood and oaths. Such a foundation is the bare minimum,¡± Xuan Shi acknowledged.


    She gave a small nod. She¡¯d talked to Xuan Shi, occasionally in person although mostly through letters, on the subject of how the Xuan handled foreigners. They did so with a careful distance. Quarters were set aside in certain cities or on smaller isles and ships that were marked as neutral ground. They had a set of laws and treaties, a compact of behavior which all present at these places were required to follow. Being able to understand and agree to this compact was a requirement for docking. There was some kind of judicial element as well, but they hadn¡¯t fully discussed that.


    ¡°Yes, you understand,¡± Rostam agreed.


    ¡°One must trust that their objections will be heard and not simply replied to with force. This is the foundation of any agreement or contract,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°We can certainly agree on this goal.¡±


    ¡°It is easy to agree on goals,¡± Rostam said indulgently. ¡°As for the rest¡­ New goods are always an interest, and new markets for ours, but this is far in the future. Insights into the matters which affect both of our lands would also be a boon. What of your empire? Tell me true, why are you bothering with this summit when we are still so far from you?¡±


    ¡°To a large extent, our involvement is because I and my lady are pushing for relations,¡± Ling Qi replied. It was best to be somewhat honest here. ¡°We are young, but we feel that reducing the scope of southern conflict is the best course for our province. The mountains have long troubled us, and this war with the Twelve Stars Confederation and the underground folk is enough of a conflict for many generations. We seek peace because we do not see value in further war. If the southern borders can be made free of conflict, our province and people will be relieved of a great burden.¡±


    ¡°We have some experience with neighboring raiding tribes, so I am sympathetic to this,¡± Inzha said. ¡°I hope you do not expect us to be responsible for all peoples of what you call ¡®the Wall.¡¯¡±


    ¡°I do not wish to put that responsibility on you. I have many opinions on the matter, but the official position of the Emerald Seas is that it is time for all raiding and warmaking on our border to stop.¡±


    Ling Qi hoped there could be better, less cruel ways to accomplish that, but she also knew that ultimately, the Emerald Seas was interested in safety, rather than sparing the lives and feelings of its historical enemies. The Emerald Seas, even the tribes that had made it up before there was any such entity, had been under threat from the cloud tribes since before the first written history had been set down. In the exhaustion after Ogodei, the reprisals had only been able to go so far, but the deep bitterness of their people had only worsened. And their waxing strength compared to the scattered tribes gave rise to more strident voices. They would not accept the status quo, not with the Duchess forming a central army. Maybe it was only temporary, but no one was in a mood to tolerate the current state of affairs any longer. She knew dimly that it wasn¡¯t so one-sided as that. The Emerald Seas could be brutal in its reprisals, but that was where her own people were coming from.


    Rostam frowned deeply, his mouth almost disappearing under his mustache as he observed her. ¡°That will be quite a project. But it will be better for us all if border tribes do not draw our realms into conflict. A terrible waste all around.¡±


    She studied him. Rostam was doubtful of their ability to accomplish such a goal, she thought, or at the least, he considered its success a difficulty in negotiations.


    ¡°You have spoken of thieving neighbors yourselves. How does your land deal with such?¡± Xuan Shi asked.


    ¡°By the foothills being barely populated,¡± Rostam admitted. ¡°The bogs may be poisoned and treacherous, but they are ours. The things that howl in the hills and stalk the steppes are less friendly than all but the most vicious bog spirits. The clans which wander there are small and insular¡­ and are not attractive raiding targets.¡±


    Ling Qi supposed she hardly heard of the eastern cloud tribes raiding the Golden Fields either, what with the Grave of the Sun in the way.


    ¡°Some raid the routes further east anyway, and this is dealt with harshly, but mostly, those who come to us are those tired of a life in wandering, the outcast and exiled and disaffected. There have even been whole tribes that have integrated,¡± Inzha said. ¡° In the past, it is said that the cloud men were among those who founded the jewel cities, and their strength and speed is what cleared the roads and made the great trade routes with the Men of Light possible. But this is not¡­ applicable, I think, to your situation.¡±


    Rostam said thoughtfully, ¡°Someone would need to patrol the mountains, if we¡¯re ever to trade back and forth, but aye, it is not a method we can apply to our little talks. The Koliada¡ª¡± He cut himself off.


    ¡°I have heard that name, Sky Palace Koliada, but I will not pry.¡±


    Rostam looked embarrassed. ¡°Not my secret to share, but the mouth runs sometimes.¡±


    ¡°It does,¡± Inzha said evenly. ¡°Please take no offense. I am sure if the negotiations proceed well, Emissary Jaromila might speak on that matter. It may solve some of our mutual issues.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced at Xuan Shi, who lowered his head and spoke. ¡°It is known to us that thy gods incarnate as cities of your realm. If this one might ask, is it not strange to name a project the same in that?¡±


    Their hosts shared a look of mild surprise.


    Inzha replied, ¡°The body of the god Koliada was slain long ago. To name a project after him is prideful, perhaps, but not blasphemous.¡±


    ¡°We will speak no more on it for the moment,¡± Ling Qi relented graciously. ¡°You have asked after our position. Is there anything else which you seek in negotiations?¡±


    ¡°I think we understand what each other wants here," Rostam said, recovering himself. ¡°We need trust and a method of arbitrating disputes. The rest are merely good to have.¡±


    ¡°I will see what knowledge of the Cataclysm and its effects can be shared,¡± Ling Qi offered. Knowledge, unlike goods, did not require expensive trade routes. It was a little troubling that the Golden Fields were the only province which had not made any connection yet though.


    ¡°If we are receiving such a boon, perhaps we might be able to share our own experience,¡± Inzha returned.


    ¡°We¡­¡± Ling Qi cocked her head. She had felt an ordered fluctuation of qi at the door. A signal?


    Rostam looked chagrined. ¡°Come in, come in.¡±


    The flap opened, and a soldier stepped inside, standing tall and holding his fist to his chest. ¡°Sir! Emissary Jaromila¡¯s group is on the approach!¡±


    Inzha pursed her lips. ¡°Early.¡±


    ¡°Well, honored guests, shall we delay the rest of this for the moment?¡± Rostam asked.


    Ling Qi stood along with Xuan Shi. ¡°Of course. We have gotten to the most critical matter already.¡±


    ***


    Ling Qi was grateful for the warning, both from the messenger that had interrupted them and the word the main White Sky delegation had sent ahead to her own people.


    She was very glad indeed for the White Sky¡¯s delegation bore far too much resemblance to a cloud tribe warhost. A line of distant figures on winged horses galloped in the sky on a road of churning gray clouds. Banners of shimmering color were painted on the wind currents at their backs.


    Ling Qi could see the tension in every imperial soldier''s posture from where she waited with Cai Renxiang in a greeting party, along with Xuan Shi and a number of other more minor officials. And even if she could not see her, Ling Qi was quite sure that she could feel the general''s attention.


    There were differences though. There was a shine to the approaching fliers, a reflected gleam from the sun. Every single one of the riders was clad in frost blue steel that shone with the colors of dawn where the sun struck it. Even the horses themselves were barded so, and lightning crackled about their iron-shod hooves. Where the tribesmen she had seen wore flight masks of painted bone and shaped crystal, these peoples wore masks of opaque ice, carved with furrows filled with precious metals.


    It was, Ling Qi realized, quite calculated in its opulence, a show to imperial sensibilities. All the trapping of civilization applied with meticulous uniformity to what the empire would view as ¡°barbarians.¡±


    There was another difference. The tribes had their gliders and flying travois, but she was quite sure she had never heard of cloud tribe towing such a huge structure. It was like an immense sledge on which many small structures were built. The blades of the sledge were green metal suffused with potent wind qi, and it was towed by over a dozen of the winged horses, third realms all. From somewhere within, it radiated a potent heat like a sliver of the sun buried in artifice.


    She wondered how much of the extra time needed had been Jaromila arranging for such an impressive entrance.


    Most of the procession, including the great sledge and the greater majority of the riders, descended at the far end of the valley, but one group, no more than a half dozen riders in total, remained high in the sky, approaching the location where Ling Qi and her liege awaited.


    At their head was Ilsur. She recognized his qi, if not his visage, hidden behind a mask of ice embedded with curving veins of sun bright molten metal, and he wore armor chased with pure white inlay. Behind him, Jaromila perched on the dappled winged stallion, wearing a shimmering dark blue dress hemmed with white fur. A lighter blue cloak was around her shoulders, and a fur-lined hood was drawn up tight, shadowing her face. She looked like an immaterial fairy, save for where her iron nails dug into the leather harness of her husband''s shoulder, gripping him tight.


    It wasn¡¯t just a physical grip. With her senses more attuned for it, Ling Qi could see the barbs of iron sunken into the twin-souled tribesman, just as she could see the lightning that crackled under the silent ice. The two were bound with potent vows.


    The others in the party were three women soldiers of the White Sky in heavy armor of ice and fur and steel, peak third realm, but they also had a binding connection that ran back to the sliver of sunfire buried in the great sledge. The other two were men of Ilsur¡¯s tribe, fourth realm by her measure. Quite an honor guard.


    Cai Renxiang stepped forward as the incoming delegation landed upon the cobbles of the little square carved into the forest. ¡°I, Cai Renxiang, heiress of the Emerald Seas, welcome you here, emissary of the White Sky. It is good to see you arrive in good health.¡±

 Threads 312-Frost 1

    Threads 312-Frost 1


    ¡°And I, her emissary, apologize that we have not been able to speak with you sooner.¡± Ling Qi bowed from her position, exactly one step behind Cai Renxiang.


    Jaromila slipped gracefully down from horseback, her fine black boots soundlessly touching the stone tiles. She drew back her hood, revealing her pale golden hair drawn up in a tight braid, coiled and pinned in place along the back of her head. Her lips were icy blue today, and her complexion was more akin to Ling Qi¡¯s old Master Zeqing than a human shade. Her smile was friendly but stern.


    ¡°We both have had many preparations to make. I do not begrudge either of you that. Let us merely be pleased that we can speak now when there is still some time for more casual talk.¡±


    ¡°We are pleased to share your fire, people of the forest and hill,¡± Ilsur grunted as he dismounted beside her. His mask remained in place. Ling Qi remembered that it was custom among the cloud tribes to remain masked until all of their beasts had been seen to, and so, did not take offense.


    ¡°It is our pleasure to host you, people of the wide White Skies,¡± Ling Qi returned.


    ¡°We may offer you hospitality now or wait to speak further until you have settled your own matters at your leisure,¡± Cai Renxiang offered.


    ¡°The clans of my people thank you for your accommodations,¡± Jaromila said formally. ¡°If it pleases you, once our greetings are complete, we will confer with our own and reassemble for a proper welcome in a short time. Two hours?¡±


    ¡°That will be well,¡± Cai Renxiang agreed. ¡°My emissary will receive you here at that time.¡± Cai Renxiang gestured to the now completed central embassy building.


    Ling Qi remained silent for this part, but she considered Jaromila thoughtfully. The other emissary¡¯s grasp of the imperial tongue had sharpened into something that wouldn¡¯t be out of place at court. Even her word choices had been adjusted to better meet imperial sensibility. She had used clan, rather than tribe, and she spoke with oblique and impersonal formality in every word. Only the offer of a time was still a little too blunt. That probably should be left to the host.


    ¡°I am pleased to accept the invitation,¡± Jaromila said, bringing her hands together in a proper bow. ¡°Please excuse us while our household is seen to.¡±


    The two traded a few more of the necessary public pleasantries before Jaromila and her group took flight back the way they had come. The concentration of imperial security began to draw down, some of the eyes upon them leaving either openly or fading back into shadow.


    Ling Qi took a deep breath. ¡°I have the matter in hand, Lady Cai.¡±


    ¡°I trust you do. Will you require anything in particular?¡±


    ¡°Meal and drink with a more homely arrangement in the second meeting room.¡±


    ¡°Done.¡±


    As her liege turned to go, taking the last of the hovering attendants with her, Ling Qi turned back to Xuan Shi. ¡°Thank you for your time today. I¡¯m sorry to cut it short.¡±


    ¡°Make no apology. This one has received a boon of knowledge,¡± Xuan Shi looked to the south. ¡°If Lady Ling does not require this one, arrangements have been made that I might assist under Lady Wang.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Ling Qi was surprised. She wouldn¡¯t have expected Xuan Shi to go out of his way to join a group on his own. But she was not the only one changing with time and cultivation. ¡°I am sure Lady Wang is most grateful for your assistance.¡±


    ¡°Name or no, this one is but a journeyman, certainly no master to be thankful for,¡± Xuan Shi deflected. She considered chiding the self-deprecation, but it didn¡¯t seem necessary with his tone and words. ¡°Ah, this one burns to examine that vehicle of theirs. It is no easy achievement to defy the Law of Earth on such a scale.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps I can get you permission at some point. It is definitely a statement of the White Sky¡¯s prowess. I would like to hear your thoughts on our meeting with Emissaries Rhosam and Inza later.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Xuan Shi agreed. ¡°Until later, Ling Qi.¡±


    ¡°Until later.¡±


    ***


    The quick and efficient efforts of the staff Cai Renxiang had arranged for in the embassy transformed the plain and barely furnished second meeting room swiftly, well within the two hour limit. A traditional hearth was arranged, along with thick carpets and wall hangings in an older style with low, well cushioned seats and serving tables. She¡¯d declined to have any servants attend.


    By the time she¡¯d ushered Jaromila and her husband Ilsur in, the small tables were heavy with dishes with a selection of pitchers full of drink set out as well.


    ¡°You flatter us, making such an arrangement on short notice,¡± Jaromila said as she entered behind Ling Qi, looking around curiously. She¡¯d left her hood and cloak behind, and her complexion was more human again, and her presence warmer. Ling Qi wondered if the change was due to a technique or an example of the mantles they had spoken of.


    ¡°It is only fair, given what a surprise we were as guests,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I hope you are not bothered by serving yourself.¡±


    ¡°It is more than fine. Quiet conversation among friends is welcome after such a long journey,¡± Jaromila said.


    Ilsur snorted, drawing a chiding look from his wife. He gave Ling Qi a short nod before passing to peruse the drinks. Ling Qi watched him out of the corner of her eyes as she closed the door behind them, the privacy formations thrumming into place. He wrinkled his nose at the wines but stopped over a pitcher filled with some kind of fermented milk drink. Something from Luo lands, she thought.


    ¡°I appreciate that you think of it that way,¡± Ling Qi continued. She wasn¡¯t foolish. She understood their relative positions and their need to represent their peoples, but all the same, she did like Jaromila. ¡°It has been difficult arranging logistics for a successful summit.¡±


    They still hadn¡¯t finished. Every scrap of interest and support in this project came out with all the ease of a physician yanking a rotten tooth. Jaromila¡¯s sympathetic nod made her think that the woman¡¯s own efforts hadn¡¯t exactly been easy.


    Ling Qi considered the older woman. After sharing their tales with one another, she felt that she had a good handle on the truth of the emissary. She didn¡¯t think she was being led along or condescended to. Like Renxiang and herself, Jaromila had something to prove, and this whole summit was a part of those ambitions, as it was theirs.


    ¡°It is difficult to induce the snow to move, but once they begin, it can be hard to keep up,¡± Jaromila said, moving to the tables herself.


    She scanned the available drinks, and her eyes fell on the rimefruit extract. Of course. Well, it wasn¡¯t as if Ling Qi had expected to have the whole pitcher to herself.


    ¡°I was surprised by that¡­ sled? Is that an example of your clans¡¯ collaborations?¡±


    ¡°Is proof of concept. The cloud are not as simple as you think of us, merely too stubborn for our good,¡± Ilsur said gruffly.


    ¡°As he says. There is much to be gained from collaboration. I hope that we will convince everyone of that,¡± Jaromila said more diplomatically.


    ¡°To success.¡± Ling Qi raised her cup. The grand presentation was a good idea, even though she knew there were some in her camp who would only see it as a naked threat of the White Sky arming and supplying tribal barbarians. But that in and of itself was an acknowledgement from that type of person.


    Jaromila toasted her back, and even Ilsur raised his cup a little.


    ¡°Did you have many troubles on your journey?¡± Ling Qi asked, swirling the contents of her cup, enjoying the icy vapor that billowed up over her face.


    ¡°Beasts are stirring. The northern tribes are withdrawn and defensive,¡± Ilsur said. He made no motion to sit. ¡°Our party was too well equipped for casual harassment from men.¡±


    Ling Qi tilted her chin up at him and took a seat anyway. There was politeness, and then there were posturing dominance games. That, she wouldn¡¯t play here. He looked down at her. She looked back. He snorted and sat himself down cross-legged on the padded couch provided.


    Jaromila sighed. ¡°It¡¯s true that there were no human raids on us.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Ling Qi was curious, but she had no intention of fishing for information at this initial meeting. Building a good relationship with the other party actually interested in making this summit work was more important.


    She waited for a beat, but there was no interjection from a spirit in her head. She frowned again. She was being guided by her own preference, of course. A more personal bond was easier for her than all the politicking.


    Jaromila gave her a curious look, and she realized she had let her discomfort show. The other woman didn¡¯t comment. ¡°Contacted tribes were not where they claimed they would be. There has been growing raiding in the east and fear in the west.¡±


    ¡°Some khans who were willing to speak were overthrown, the challengers taking their people west. Some were subjugated by other tribes.¡± Ilsur shrugged. He squinted down at a skewer of roasted meats and vegetables he had plucked from the meal table. ¡°It is the way of life, though changes are faster these days. More confederations, small ones, squabbling at the feet of behemoths. No matter the outcome, the Mother Mountains will not be the same again.¡±


    ¡°Even the mightiest glacier must move with enough time,¡± Jaromila said.


    It was a sign of good faith to share that kind of information. She was sure there were watchers in the empire aware of tribal movements, but how much attention they paid to the details was questionable.


    ¡°The underground people, the ith-ia, have also been moving,¡± Ling Qi shared vaguely. ¡°Through good fortune, I was able to head off an attack on a city which revealed plots against many more. The Emerald Seas¡¯ wrath may turn downward without further provocation from the mountains.¡±


    ¡°The cave demons,¡± Ilsur identified. ¡°Well, I cannot say anything when my wife is a deathly witch.¡±


    ¡°And my husband, a wild beast,¡± Jaromila drawled, giving him a look. ¡°I may be able to dredge some information from my peoples'' histories.¡±


    ¡°Emissary Dzintara implied as much,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°For later.¡± Jaromila traced an iron fingernail around the edge of her cup. She considered Ling Qi for a moment. ¡°You are quite learned, I hear, on the nature of our people¡¯s sovereign cultivation.¡±


    So she had spoken with the others already.


    ¡°I walk in the realm of dreams at times. Your lands are far away in the waking world, but not so far in the liminal. And spirits do not have a mortal¡¯s reticence,¡± Ling Qi admitted. ¡°But it wasn¡¯t a trip I would like to undergo again soon.¡±


    ¡°Spirit walking. I told you she had the air of a shaman!¡± Ilsur said, vindicated.


    ¡°That would explain some of what I see in you now, Emissary Ling Qi.¡± Jaromila¡¯s examination showed a touch of concern. ¡°Such journeys are reckless for the mortal minded.¡±


    ¡°I was informed by a certain old woman that I am a ¡®cautious poppet,¡¯¡± Ling Qi said wryly. ¡°Not a common compliment for me.¡±


    Jaromila looked mildly horrified. Ilsur took a look at her expression and let out a bark of laughter.


    ¡°I will never claim that you are not serious in this then,¡± the tribesman said to Ling Qi.


    ¡°Then I have gained another benefit from the trip.¡±


    ¡°Is the crone what happened to your dream shadow?¡±


    ¡°Ilsur,¡± Jaromila chided.


    Her husband only leaned forward, one hand on his knee, spinning the skewer between the fingers of his hand.


    Ling Qi gave her a small, thankful nod, but she did not take her eyes off the cloud man. ¡°That was a more personal nightmare, and we are only taking some time apart. Sir Ilsur, I hope you can restrain yourself more when dealing with others of my people.¡±


    He tilted his head, and after a moment, he lowered it in apology. ¡°I was rude. Sorry. I am interested in the spirit walker¡¯s arts, but it was never my place.¡±


    ¡°Accepted, for now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, do forgive him,¡± Jaromila said witheringly. ¡°I will not condescend to you, Emissary Ling Qi, but I hope you are aware of the dangers you court.¡±


    Ling Qi considered what Sixiang had said about her and plans. It probably wasn¡¯t good to outright lie. ¡°I only do what I see as necessary.¡±

 Threads 313 Frost 2

    Threads 313 Frost 2


    ¡°May I have a question of you, Emissary Jaromila?¡±


    ¡°You may,¡± the older woman sighed.


    ¡°It is only a small one. I am trying to understand the relations within the polar nation. I believe I see what the Seared Lands and the Twisted Pines does for the Polar Nation, but what of the White Sky itself? What is its claim to influence?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°My own Emerald Seas is a great producer of raw resources to the rest of our empire, as I suspect of the Twisted Pines is in yours.¡±


    Jaromila stood to refill her cup. ¡°Since you know what we become and what we are, I can offer a simple explanation. It was upon the icy plain under the wide white sky where the Crowfather planted his spear and became of the land.¡±


    Ling Qi considered the association of that great spirit with their style of formation craft and gave a slow nod of understanding.


    ¡°Our settlements are sparse and far and isolated, but only the Glittering City can begin to claim even a mean parity in the secrets of the titans¡¯ runes,¡± Jaromila finished.


    Ambitious projects made sense then for their confederation.


    ¡°That does help,¡± Ling Qi said aloud. ¡°Your trip was really without great troubles then?¡±


    ¡°It was without human violence,¡± Ilsur repeated, smiling thinly.


    ¡°The spirits of the mountains and passes are well and riled of course, as one would expect,¡± Jaromila said. ¡°But yes, the journey itself was good. Far less stressful than my circuit through the worthies of White Sky. You can sympathize, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    Ling Qi gave a slow nod. In truth, they had only gotten the barest level of buy in from most of the nobility of the Emerald Seas. There was more attention from the other provinces, but Ling Qi suspected that was more internal jockeying against each other than real interest. ¡°It¡¯s difficult. At best, many simply do not care.¡±


    It was a cautious statement. She didn¡¯t want to get into the details too much.


    ¡°I can say much the same,¡± Jaromila said, relaxing back in her seat. ¡°I was at least able to drum up a solid academic interest. You seem to have an observatory?¡±


    ¡°Ordered by the Duchess to examine the phenomena in the southern sky.¡±


    ¡°Access might be an item that could be sold to my people,¡± Jaromila claimed. ¡°Glass of such quality is hard to come by on the plains.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Ling Qi took the offering for what it was. ¡°I admit, I was intending to keep this discussion a little less formal.¡±


    ¡°I could tell, emissary.¡± Jaromila raised her cup. ¡°And I do appreciate it. How has your family been? I notice your bound¡­ siblings are far from you.¡±


    ¡°Zhengui is in our newly settled lands, helping with civic projects. All of this talking would only put him to sleep. As for Hanyi¡­ Well, she¡¯s popular and busy. What of you, your children?¡±


    ¡°In the care of kin and happy, though I wish I could spend more time with them.¡± Jaromila sighed before looking at her husband.


    ¡°The eldest, I was able to teach her the way of refining the material of her first glider. That is enough for now. This will be over before the time for the first hunt comes,¡± Ilsur said slowly. Clearly, he did not wish to share details. ¡°They are far, far from here under the eaves of the Crow¡¯s wings.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t blame him for being reluctant to speak on personal matters.


    ¡°It will be some time before I am satisfied enough with the defenses of my home in the mountains to move my own mother and sister there,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°As well you should be,¡± Ilsur said. ¡°It is nerve-wracking to have so many ground bound. They are fragile.¡±


    ¡°But I think we are both happier for it, even if not all may follow into the sky,¡± Jaromila said.


    She didn¡¯t think Jaromila was just talking about the two of them.


    ¡°Those who would disagree are already gone,¡± Ilsur dismissed. ¡°I do not need these words.¡±


    Ling Qi wondered about that. If Jaromila had felt the need to speak them¡­


    ¡°Will you be staying here for the remainder of the time until the summit?¡± Ling Qi asked after a beat of silence had passed.


    ¡°I will,¡± Jaromila said. ¡°Emissary Khadne is a good administrator, but I am better suited to such unusual situations.¡±


    ¡°I have no complaints. She was able to keep things calm during our initial rudeness,¡± Ling Qi complimented.


    ¡°Nonetheless,¡± Jaromila said, smiling.


    ¡°I will not sit for months on end. I will be with my tribe in the defense, but I will not be far.¡±.


    ¡°I will probably be making short trips for some time still. There are so many tasks to do in our province before I can focus fully on the summit, but I will be here most times,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I hope that¡¯s satisfactory.¡±


    ¡°It will be. May I contact your liege lady as well?¡±


    Ling Qi nodded at the question. ¡°Yes, please leave a message with the proper seal for her. I can convey whatever yours might be.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll arrange it,¡± Jaromila said. ¡°May I ask something more personal?¡±


    ¡°I suppose.¡±


    ¡°You are in the midst of some change with your master''s mantle, but I cannot really discern what it is. Is it some damage from your adventures?¡±


    Ling Qi felt a little indignant, but she supposed that to the unfamiliar eye, her unfinished successor art might appear that way. ¡°No. In order to advance, I am crafting my master¡¯s art into my own. It is not yet complete.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I am sorry,¡± Jaromila said. ¡°To my eyes, it seems as if some force had¡­ twisted your chosen mantle, but that is not how yours works for you.¡±


    ¡°No, but I admit, I am curious how you think it does,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°You were shrouded in a different one when you arrived, no?¡±


    ¡°A mantle of travel and spirits of the high sky,¡± Jaromila admitted.


    Ling Qi pursed her lips. If she was going for a strong personal connection¡­ ¡°Would you be opposed to some small demonstrations?¡±


    Ilsur observed them silently. Jaromila considered her question and very slowly smiled. ¡°I may be. What did you have in mind, Emissary Ling Qi?¡±


    ¡°We had some words on the nature of ice previously. It¡¯s a conversation I would enjoy continuing as I wrestle with the meaning I intend to impart in my successor art,¡± Ling Qi said.


    Jaromila pointed out, ¡°Even if we were to restrain ourselves to this cozy little room, such a conversation will alarm those whose duty is our protection.¡±


    ¡°I would not worry about informing those who need to know that we are sharing a few friendly pointers,¡± Ling Qi informed her. This was well within her rights as an individual noble of the empire. Her personal cultivation was her own. If she was not using prescribed methods, no one could object to her sharing them.


    Ilsur squinted. ¡°Is the girl asking to wrestle or share hunting lore?¡±


    ¡°She is suggesting something of both, I think,¡± Jaromila commented absently.


    ¡°Overcomplicated methods,¡± the tribesman grumbled.


    ¡°I do think we can restrain ourselves. Remain in this room, and do not damage it. I¡¯m not being entirely facetious when I call it a conversation. I think we understand each other well, but testing my understanding against yours will further that more than an hour¡¯s idle conversation. And¡­ I am not sure there is anyone currently around who could better point out flaws in my methods.¡±


    Jaromila considered her, resting her chin on one hand. ¡°Your people are strange.¡±


    Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°I¡¯m strange.¡±


    ¡°Not so much, I think,¡± her guest replied. ¡°A debate then. I¡¯m not opposed. We will inform our guards.¡±


    ¡°As will I,¡± Ling Qi said, rising to her feet.


    Proceeding to the door, they stepped out into the hall where guardians of both parties stood in steady observation of the others.


    ¡°Gentlemen,¡± Ling Qi greeted the two on ¡°her¡± side. They were ministry employees, not agents but soldiers in their employ. ¡°The Lady Jaromila and I intend to exchange some small pointers in cultivation to get to know one another better. I am informing you to avoid any unnecessary alarm.¡±


    The older man she could perceive behind the darkly lacquered helm looked briefly over her shoulder to the foreign party. ¡°Is Lady Ling certain that is wise?¡±


    ¡°There are few better ways to get a peer''s measure, and I risk only my own secrets,¡± Ling Qi said. She had no real concern of Jaromila seriously trying to hurt her, and she doubted this man did either. That would be pointless and self-harming.


    ¡°Understood,¡± the man replied, dipping his head. In this case, the empire¡¯s martial and cultivation-centered mindset helped. As Meizhen had taught her long ago, ¡°trading pointers¡± via sparring with fist or qi was considered a legitimate way to understand and grow closer to a peer.


    However, it looked like the conversation between Jaromila and her people was a bit longer. Although she obviously could not overhear, or at least, she could not without being rude and attempting to penetrate the screen of qi shrouding the conversation, Jaromila¡¯s guards were more incredulous at the idea.


    ¡°Thank you for your service. I will make certain to let you know if there is a problem,¡± Ling Qi said politely.


    Her response was a fist thumped against a breastplate and a respectful bow of his head. She moved back to the door, lingering politely to wait for Jaromila. It took only another minute or so before the older woman followed her back inside.


    ¡°Out of curiosity, how did you explain this to them?¡± Ling Qi asked as the door clicked shut behind them.


    ¡°A debate, as I said. It is not unknown for emissaries to meet under Sudica¡¯s eaves and argue their methods,¡±


    ¡°They think we are debating the will of the spirits on some matter?¡±


    ¡°Are we not?¡±


    Ling Qi dipped her head in acknowledgement.


    Ling Qi glanced at Ilsur, who had wandered over to one of the tables and was currently loading a plate. He was apparently fully disinterested, or at least affecting the appearance of it. ¡°I hope your husband won¡¯t be too uncomfortable.¡±


    Restraining themselves or not, it was going to get cold in here.


    ¡°He is fine, I am sure, unless you are uncomfortable¡­?¡±


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t think she was. She understood that to one outside of the conversation she was proposing, there would only be vague impressions like those she got when around high realms in battle. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°I am going to enjoy this feast before you two ruin it,¡± Ilsur said bluntly. He sat down with a loaded plate and the entire pitcher of that fermented milk beverage. ¡°Do as you need for your shaman ritual.¡±


    ¡­ Kind of crude, but she couldn¡¯t blame him.


    ¡°May I begin?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±

 Threads 314

    Threads 314


    Ling Qi hummed to herself, folding her hands into her sleeves as she stood across from Jaromilla over the hearthfire. She met the woman¡¯s eyes as her hum took on a tune, becoming the first bar of her song. Tendrils of frost spread from under her gown, and the brightly burning fire guttered lower, the merry glow turning a sullen red.


    Cold and darkness were intertwined in her mind. They were different manifestations of the same fundamental principle of consumption and want. They were both absences, yawning voids which devoured light and heat. Her ice, her thoughts which she had woven into Zeqing¡¯s art, was the frozen winter cold blanketing the world, consuming and ending the year before, but it was in service of the spring to come after. The energy taken was to be released with the spring.


    Jaromila¡¯s head tilted back as the cold washed over her. Slick, clear ice formed over the carpet and creeped up her gown. Her lips parted, but she did not sing. The foreign woman was not a singer or a musician. Jaromila was a speaker, and she argued now without human words.


    It was like being struck across the face with a mace. Jaromila¡¯s ice, the mantle she wore at least, was expressed as pressure. It was the immense, crushing pressure with all the weight of the world behind it, ice that could grind the mountains flat and carve valleys and gorges. Jaromila¡¯s ice was not a season that ended in human timeframes; her winter was more akin to Zeqing¡¯s.


    The furniture in the room groaned, and fractal spiderweb cracks formed in the ice creeping up the walls.


    Yet, she sang back and found there was still a cycle there, advance and recession, similar to the way Xuan Shi had described the tide to her when she asked about the ocean, if far, far slower.


    Cold as consumption and cold as pressure clashed and met in the room between them. The now sullenly burning fire flickered and nearly went out. Its orange core blackened, and wood snapped and crackled from the shattering of deep cold. The tongues of the fire became a dark, dark blue.


    Jaromila considered her in the new darkness of the room and spoke another wordless phrase. A thousand years of glacial grind was compressed into the space of a human sentence.


    Ling Qi rocked back, catching herself on her heel. It was a question, an interrogation on the nature of transition and of where the line between spring and winter came. Where came the release of the floods and the warm spring wind?


    Mixed. Too mixed. Her metaphor was still brittle and muddled, and the lyrics and melody unharmonious. Ling Qi frowned as she sang out, seeing the flowers of frost blooming, twisting,and shattering on the walls.


    Was she still trying too much to encompass what wasn¡¯t hers? She knew she was not the spring. That was for others But perhaps she had still been trying to fight her own nature in some ways?


    She considered her vision of a field of white, twists of frost blooming in the shape of flowers. Snowblossom Shattering. That was the name she had thought of for her finishing technique, fancifully taken from the river and lake of her new home. It was reminiscent of the patterns made by the cracking ice when seen from above.


    Adjusting the notes in her mind, Ling Qi met the looming pressure with her own resolve, the unrelenting killing ice of deep winter. That was the core of the art even now. The difference between hers and Master Zeqing¡¯s arts lay in the desire to gift what she had taken, rather than hoarding it for herself.


    The clear ice forming on every surface in the groaning room deepened, turning opaque, the frost within turning white and blue as it buried what lay beneath, the faint lines of petals traced in cracks and frost.


    She wanted to freeze and take and consume so that the spring might come after and use that which had been taken. It was easier to admit to what she wanted, now that she had accepted being bound by her own choices.


    The mantle of pressure around Jaromila¡¯s shoulders and the timeless, patient darkness that had crept in behind her blue eyes rumbled and bore down on her. She did not bother to try and stand against the inevitability she felt there. Her persistence was not the mountain, standing astride the world until it was at last ground down.


    The world changes. It is the truth, not the shape, which is to be preserved. Let the glacier pass on its way. Her winter would still be there, long after it had receded back to the mountains. It could no more stop the end of winter than she could stop it.


    The ice shattered, and in the center of the room, the blackened fire roared back to healthy orange and yellow, burning bright.


    ¡°Interesting perspective,¡± Jaromila said. ¡°It cannot be easy, shaping a mantle with no godmother to guide.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Ling Qi acknowledged. ¡°It¡¯s still not complete, but thank you for helping me realize where some of the flaws lay.¡± Ling Qi said.


    There was more adjustment to do. More refinement. She had to tighten the story, making it more cohesive. She¡¯d been trying to do too much at once with the technique, Ling Qi thought, leaving it sloppy. The technique still was not complete, but it was certainly closer to it and the intent to gift energy stolen from the targets to her allies and to empower them was clearer now, And she would have to step back after using it because the cost of striking so powerfully would be immense, even for her rather impressive qi reserves.


    ¡°You two are done bellowing at each other then?¡±


    Ling Qi looked up as the contemplative silence was broken by Ilsur¡¯s dry voice. The cloud tribesman sat in the same place where he had been when they¡¯d begun. Unlike the rest of the room, there was no frost or ice on his bench. The man radiated a crackling heat, and the empty plate in his lap showed the time that had passed in their debate.


    Ling Qi considered the rest of the room. Icicles hung fanglike from the rafters, the tapestries were frozen under slabs of clear ice, and the ankle-deep soft white snow carpeted the floor.


    ¡°Yes, I think so,¡± Jaromila said, looking around herself. She smiled wryly. ¡°We usually prepare spaces for this.¡±


    ¡°So do we.¡± Ling Qi sighed. ¡°Thank you for indulging my impulse. Please rest a moment while I clean this up.¡±


    ¡°As you like.¡± Jaromila glanced at her husband. ¡°... Ilsur, did you honestly not save me anything?¡±


    Ilsur picked at his teeth with the tip of a skewer. ¡°You did not ask.¡±


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t need to,¡± she complained mildly, sitting down beside him. ¡°Give me that. I¡¯m parched now.¡±


    Ilsur grunted as she took his pitcher away. Ling Qi observed them out of the corner of her eye as she turned to the ruined room. ¡°Ruined¡± was probably too strong a descriptor. It wasn¡¯t that bad.


    Silence.


    She stifled a grimace as she began to hum under her breath, stretching out her hands as she pulled at the lingering icy qi. The snow on the ground began to kick up and disperse, the fangs of ice ran like wax, and the frozen walls began to thaw. Moisture returned to the air, and what could not rejoin the air gathered in a glittering coil of icy cold water around Ling Qi, which she guided into an emptied pitcher and under the door to the well hidden storage closet, filling the cleaners¡¯ buckets there.


    There was still some water damage, but it was¡­ fine. It was probably fine.


    She was sure she could justify it as an expense to Renxiang anyway. Deepening her understanding of her foreign counterpart was vital. Ling Qi looked at her handiwork for a moment longer. She was probably going to have to fill out all the work orders.


    ¡°May I ask what your own plans are going to be for the month of preparation remaining?¡± Ling Qi asked, turning on her heel, petty concerns hidden away for now.


    ¡°Ensuring that all parties on my side of negotiations are as united as possible and overlooking the construction project that you have all agreed upon,¡± Jaromila said.


    Ilsur interpreted, ¡°Soothing ruffled feathers and displaying our wares like an over-eager trader.¡±


    His wife gave him a look. He shrugged.


    Jaromila sighed. ¡°Something like that, yes.¡±


    ¡°Well, I suspect you¡¯ll have an easier time of it than I,¡± Ling Qi groused. Getting her side united was a pipe dream. She would settle for everyone mostly coming to face the same direction.


    Truly, her ambitions were as high as the heavens.


    ¡°Let us both work hard then,¡± Jaromila said kindly.


    ¡°We will have to, but success will be worth it. Emissary Jaromila, I look forward to arranging peace with you.¡±


    ¡°Well said,¡± Jaromila agreed, raising a newly poured cup. ¡°Shall we discuss how we will keep in contact during the rest of the preparations then?¡±


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s.¡± Ling Qi grabbed a drink and sat down. Together, they began to discuss their plans.


    By the end of the meeting, they¡¯d decided that they would meet in person once a week to discuss any issues that had come up, put forward concerns from the other party, and just generally talk. Ling Qi didn¡¯t think she¡¯d have to push particularly hard to get Renxiang to approve the time spent. It was a fairly obvious bit of diplomacy. And since she¡¯d not taken on any particularly time-consuming duties in previous meetings, she would easily have the time for it.


    They also decided that, for the sake of not raising tensions any further, Ilsur and his fellow tribesmen would stick to acting as an honor guard for their ¡°Sun-Sledge,¡± which would remain parked by the base of their sovereign cultivator, the weeping tree, for the duration of the summit. There was some talk of inviting select envoys aboard at some point, but that would be more summit business. Any such invitation would probably end up being tied to access to the observatory.


    She made a mental note to speak with Meng Dan and maybe that astronomer fellow again soon.


    But soon, it was growing late. Ling Qi could feel it in the slowly chilling air. The sun was descending toward the horizon, and they needed to part ways for now.


    Ling Qi stopped with Jaromila and Ilsur outside of the embassy building to extend a hand and clasp arms with the older woman while their respective guards hung back and gave them space. ¡°Thank you for meeting me this day, emissary. It was my pleasure to receive you,¡± she said, fully formal, now that they were out here in public.


    ¡°It was our pleasure to be hosted, and your hospitality was without flaw,¡± Jaromila replied, just as formally. She clasped Ling Qi¡¯s arm, and then, releasing it, she offered a proper imperial bow, to which Ling Qi responded with a proper inclination of her head.


    ¡°I only hope it is the first of many meetings. Farewell, and good fortune.¡±


    ¡°Good fortune to you as well,¡± Jaromila said. ¡°I will be in contact soon.¡±


    Ling Qi watched the two of them go, standing straight and still, her hands clasped under her sleeves. Only when they were out of sight did she turn around. She eyed the ministry-provided guards.


    It would not hurt to play the right role.


    ¡°Were there any troubles? Anything you noticed?¡±


    ¡°The foreign warriors were deeply tense after Lady Ling¡¯s suggestion. The emanations of your contest with their emissary discomitted them,¡± the one she had spoken to before reported.


    ¡°They have an external power source,¡± the other analyzed quietly. ¡°Something in that device of theirs, I think. It is likely that the house guard at least may enjoy significantly greater strength than they appear to from cursory examination.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded once. ¡°Thank you. I will be meeting Lady Cai now. You may return to your normal posting.¡±


    The two of them clapped their fists together, bowed, and left. Ling Qi considered them as she watched them leave.


    The ministry was fully sincere in their devotion to the empire¡¯s security. It would be best to remember that. They were only opposed as they were because their definitions of security and the best path to it differed from Lady Cai¡¯s and hers.


    She didn¡¯t know if she could change their definition at this point in time with her influence, but in the end, she would have to bend it enough to fit.


    Anything else would be a failure.

 Threads 315-Parting 1

    Threads 315-Parting 1


    ¡°You have my approval to focus your efforts there.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Lady Renxiang. You will not regret it.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± her liege said. The brush in her hand tapped thoughtfully against the ink pot. ¡°It is your ability to form unlikely connections which has made this possible at all.¡±


    ¡°I accept your compliment.¡± Ling Qi smiled.


    Renxiang considered her from behind the desk. ¡°I do not fully understand your ease, but at this moment, I will be glad for it. The trials of this month have gone as well as could have been expected. I have been able to avoid the upset of the ministry. The general has been calmed.¡±


    ¡°A good position to be in,¡± Ling Qi agreed.


    ¡°We will need some focus on the counts of the Emerald Seas and our extraprovincial guests to ensure there are no misunderstandings, but I am pleased. Will you be ready for the journey back?¡±


    ¡°It feels a little painful, doesn¡¯t it? To leave the Argent Peak Sect?¡±


    Cai Renxiang looked at her curiously.


    Ling Qi smiled wryly. ¡°I suppose not. You don¡¯t get attached to places, do you, Lady Ren?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Lady Renxiang,¡± Ling Qi corrected herself.


    Her liege silently slid a completed form away and pulled a new one from her stack. ¡°I am not heartless. I have some attachment to the sect, but the elements I most value are largely following us.¡±


    Ling Qi grinned. Renxiang met her gaze with a narrowed look. She raised her hands in surrender.


    ¡°I do have more I will miss. But this moment was coming from the day I gave you my oath.¡±


    ¡°Life does not wait,¡± Renxiang said after a moment.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t. What will you be doing?¡±


    ¡°Reviewing our land¡¯s supply contracts and meeting with Sect Head Yuan He to offer our formal withdrawal and thanks for the hospitality of the sect. I have also scheduled tea with both Bai Meizhen and the Bai ambassador. Yourself? Personal meetings, like Gan Guangli?¡±


    ¡°Mostly,¡± Ling Qi said, considering her friends. She¡¯d still be traveling back and forth. Her family would remain in White Cloud Town for some time yet, but this would be her last visit as a member of the sect rather than as a visiting noble.


    ***


    ¡°Time really does fly,¡± Ruan Shen said ruefully. ¡°Really can¡¯t call you a cute little junior anymore, can I?¡±


    ¡°I was never particularly little.¡±


    ¡°Details.¡±


    They sat in the archive room they¡¯d always booked for their study sessions, surrounded by books and scrolls filled with music theory, history, arts, and qi composition. Ling Qi could feel the faint strains of music that lived between these pages, the melodies that had long since soaked into the shelves and granted this place a soft background song of learning for those with the ears to hear it.


    With her on the padded benches and chairs were Ruan Shen and Bian Ya, seated side-by-side. The older girl was dressed up in lacey, billowing finery, all soft pinks and greens, with a wreath of flowers in her hair. Ruan Shen wore an open chested, wine red tunic with black hemming. His arm curled around Bian Ya¡¯s waist, and her head rested on his shoulder.


    She was happy for them. She hoped that their affection would last until the betrothal ran its course in some decades. Maybe she would be invited to the wedding? It was strange to imagine events so far from now when her life up until recently had barely the freedom to think beyond tomorrow.


    On the left, sinking into a plush chair, was Yu Nuan with her dog, a ball of fuzzy cloud, peeking out from beneath the chair legs with a panting doggy grin. Her hair was spiked out and stiff with some product, dyed to an actinic blue shot through with white. She rearranged her piercings. Dangling iron spikes etched with the symbols of the thunder court and crackling with lightning hung from her ears, a set of three silver rings were wound through her lip, and a stud of blue-white jade pushed through her brow.


    Ling Qi wondered if her mother was the one who had convinced Yu Nuan into the dark navy blue tunic. Mother was still trying to push on clan colors, last Ling Qi had checked.


    Another thing she needed to do, She had to get her household in order and see how everyone was settling in with the changes coming.


    Ma Jun was here as well today, the newest member of their little troupe, now that she had been brought into the Inner Sect. With her flowing petal-patterned gown and flowers in her hair, she seemed to be taking her cues from Bian Ya, although hers were metal and stone rather than real ornaments of gold and jade.


    ¡°I just hope none of you were too troubled by our project,¡± Ling Qi said.


    Bian Ya chuckled, fluttering a silk fan before her face. ¡°Oh, we are always happy to support the heiress. It¡¯s no trouble at all.¡±


    ¡°Got an earful from a couple uncles and aunties, but what¡¯s new? Keeps things where I like ¡®em,¡± Ruan Shen said with a careless grin. ¡°Ha! My old man was pretty amused, actually.¡±


    ¡°My sister and I can only support Lady Cai and her kindness. We follow your wisdom on these issues,¡± Ma Jun said shyly. ¡°But I thought it was a very good play.¡±


    She glanced at Yu Nuan, who snorted. ¡°Some folks have given me shit, but hey, I know where my bed is made.¡±


    They¡¯d sent the forms in. The adoption of Yu Nuan into the Ling clan would probably be official soon after the summit ended.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not worry about the little stuff today. You came by so we could see you off, not chat politics,¡± Ruan Shen said. ¡°You¡¯re still too serious!¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m too serious, it¡¯s only because I keep getting up to my neck in serious business,¡± Ling Qi retorted, but he was right. Today wasn¡¯t the day for that.


    Yu Nuan snorted. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you seek that shit out.¡±


    Not the point.


    ¡°Lady Ling is very responsible,¡± Ma Jun said demurely.


    She gave her former bodyguard a pleading look. She wasn¡¯t helping!


    Also, someone looking at her with such admiring eyes for a reason like that¡­ She couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit fraudulent.


    Ruan Shen chuckled, looking at her with a knowing smile.


    ¡°But really, do tell. What is it like trying to wrangle so many high ranking nobles in one place?¡± Bian Ya asked.


    Ling Qi laughed, rubbing the back of her neck. ¡°Honestly, the ducal representatives have been getting along on their own. Thankfully. I¡¯ve been more focused on our guests, but so far, there haven¡¯t been any major disputes.¡±


    Bian Ya gave her a disappointed look. ¡°Ling Qi, I understand the appeal of the exotic, but you still can¡¯t let these opportunities pass you by.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m familiar with Bai Meizhen and Xuan Shi already,¡± Ling Qi protested. ¡°And Meng Dan and I have been taking time to speak on how I can keep the Meng interested.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t how you made it sound,¡± Bian Ya groused good-naturedly.


    ¡°Ah, we all know she¡¯s buddies with the white serpent princess,¡± Ruan Shen drawled. ¡°However that works.¡±


    ¡°The Bai aren¡¯t actually vengeful spirit beasts.¡±


    They all nodded quickly. Why did she feel like she was being humored?


    ¡°Xuan Shi is also helping me as a personal favor, rather than representing his clan,¡± she added.


    ¡°He cannot help but represent them in some ways,¡± Bian Ya said.


    ¡°I¡¯m aware of that. And I¡¯m grateful that it''s been allowed.¡±


    If the Xuan clan did not want him there, then he would not be there, regardless of what he personally wanted. She understood that.


    ¡°Aaaaand back to politics again,¡± Ruan Shen said. Bian Ya yelped as he reached up and ruffled her hair, leaving her glaring with a few strands askew.


    She huffed, turning back to Ling Qi. ¡°Fine. We shall miss your presence. It has been enjoyable, this little troupe.¡±


    ¡°It can still be. I¡¯m hardly the life of the party.¡±


    ¡°I suppose, but you are the point in common.¡±


    ¡°If the seniors would indulge us still, I would be very grateful,¡± Ma Jun ventured.


    ¡°I was thinking it¡¯d be fun to keep going, maybe grab up another newbie or two,¡± Ruan Shen said. ¡°Though I get you¡¯re busy, Yaya.¡±


    ¡°Do not,¡± Bian Ya said severely, jabbing him in the side with her elbow. ¡°If time allows, I might join you.¡±


    ¡°If time allows, duties are going to pick up again soon,¡± Yu Nuan said ruefully. Qiu gave an unhappy bark.


    ¡°That¡¯s just the way it is. We gotta work through it,¡± Ruan Shen said. ¡°We¡¯ll all come out the other side, yeah?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Yu Nuan huffed. ¡°We should do another performance when the sect gets to stand down.¡±


    ¡°A fine suggestion,¡± Bian Ya approved. ¡°The Argent Peak Sect is not only an institute of war. I shall fund the performance personally.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to come back and see it,¡± Ling Qi said wistfully.


    By any measure, she did not spend a great deal of time in this group with these people, but she would miss it anyway.


    ¡°You will be invited, of course, as well as your lady,¡± Bian Ya informed her. Then, she smiled impishly. ¡°Perhaps you can bring a plus one. Was it the Bao, the Meng, or perhaps Sir Xuan?¡±


    Ling Qi laughed aloud. ¡°Who knows? I¡¯ve barely had time to think about it.¡±


    Ruan Shen blinked and glanced at Bian Ya, whose startled look passed even faster.


    ¡°Well, it''s hardly urgent for you,¡± Bian Ya said. ¡°With talent like yours.¡±


    ¡°It''s something I should think about though,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I don¡¯t really know how though.¡±


    Bian Ya considered her and pursed her lips. ¡°Should you need it, you have my ear or writing desk. I will offer whatever small advice I can.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m thankful for that.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m thankful you got me out of thinking about that.¡± Then, Yu Nuan groused, ¡°You gonna show her the gift or what?¡±


    ¡°The gift?¡± Ling Qi tilted her head.


    ¡°Bian Ya and I decided to get ya a little graduating gift. Things have really changed fast!¡± Ruan Shen lamented.


    ¡°You keep saying that,¡± Ling Qi said, amused.


    ¡°It keeps being true.¡±


    ¡°That does not mean you need to repeat yourself.¡± Bian Ya gestured, and on the table between them, a lacquered box appeared.


    Curious, Ling Qi traced her fingers over it, feeling the dense qi inside. The little box opened with a click, releasing a soft fog of visible silver qi. Within were four narrow ingots of metal in two rows stacked on top of each other. The metal was luminous, seemingly liquid to the eye despite its solidity, and the inner light of them rippled light dappling like moonlight on a cloudy night.


    ¡°Distilled moonsilver. It¡¯s a product of my family lands from the wells that form among the root hills in Xiangmen. I could regale you with the technical details, but I fear it might be lost on you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not much of a crafter,¡± Ling Qi agreed absently, lifting one bar and turning it over in her hands. It was almost pliable, like she could squeeze and deform it, but there was no indentation where her fingers pressed down. She could feel the potent lunar qi infused into the metal though. This was not inexpensive material, she thought. ¡°Thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t be sure any particular talisman I might buy would be of use to you, so I thought materials would be better,¡± Bian Ya said, smiling.


    ¡°Got a second part for ya too,¡± Ruan Shen said. ¡°Talked to my old man. Like I said, he found our lil play pretty fun so he offered to send out a shipment of our best lumber, strongly infused with wood and wind qi. Figure you¡¯ll need some material with which to develop shrines or sites, even if building a theater or music hall is not exactly your top priority for a while.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said some of your family was upset?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°Some are. Some aren¡¯t. And my old man¡­¡± Ruan Shen grinned. ¡°He¡¯s a bit of a troublemaker.¡±


    ¡°It runs in the family,¡± BIan Ya said dryly.


    ¡°Hey, now, you can¡¯t just say that. What happened to the prim and proper?¡± Ruan Shen complained.


    ¡°We are not in public,¡± Bian Ya said with a haughty sniff. ¡°Here, I speak candidly.¡±


    ¡°No respect.¡± Ruan Shen sighed. ¡°From my juniors or my girl.¡±


    ¡°I respect you when you¡¯re being respectable, senior brother,¡± Ling Qi teased. She rose from her chair and bowed to both of them. ¡°Seriously though, I am most thankful for everything you have done for me and the advice you have both given me these last two years. Please accept my full gratitude.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I don¡¯t regret it at all,¡± Ruan Shen said breezily.


    ¡°I do wish we could have found more time, but I am glad to know you, junior sister,¡± Bian Ya said. ¡°And I wish you a happy future.¡±


    ¡°I wish you the same,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Ma Jun, sorry I¡¯ll be leaving right as you get here.¡±


    ¡°You do not owe me any such apology. And we may be following you in Lord Gan¡¯s service eventually.¡±


    ¡°Snowblossom is beautiful. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll regret it,¡± Ling Qi said. She turned to Yu Nuan.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to see you often enough. Not like you¡¯re not gonna keep visiting your mom¡¯s place,¡± Yu Nuan said.


    ¡°True,¡± Ling Qi said, letting it stay at that. Yu Nuan was just awkward about this kind of thing.


    She gathered the container with the silver and the receipt for the order offered by Ruan Shen and placed them into her storage ring as she sat back down.


    Bian Ya clapped her hands. ¡°Well, then, if we¡¯ve said what needs to be said, why not one last session of our little club? I have been working on a piece about fresh fields and the western winds. It should be an improvement upon my recovery arts, and¡­¡±


    Ling Qi smiled to herself and settled into her seat. She was glad to do this one last time.

 Threads 316 Parting 2

    Threads 316 Parting 2


    All things come to their end. She knew that better than most.


    With the others in the music club needing to return to duties or other appointments, Ling Qi was left to walk the sect in thought. Her steps brought her back to White Cloud Mountain in the Outer Sect. She followed the path she¡¯d taken so long ago up toward the icy peak. She could have simply flown to the top, but walking again and feeling the icy bite of the wind and the slick icy cliffside paths under her feet felt right. It brought back memories, both fond and sad.


    ¡°Heya, Big Sis! Wanna play tag? I¡¯ll let ya pass if you do!¡±


    Ling Qi raised an eyebrow, looking up through the falling snow to see a young girl perched on an icy ledge, kicking her bare feet back and forth.


    ¡°That depends. Are you going to try and welch on your end of the deal again?¡±


    Her spirit huffed, crossing her arms. ¡°Don¡¯t drag up the past. I was super immature back then. I¡¯m a lady now, and a lady has to keep her word.¡±


    Ling Qi dissolved between steps and materialized beside her junior sister on the ledge, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. ¡°You having fun?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Wish Zhengui coulda come so we could have gone sledding one last time,¡± Hanyi said. ¡°Gonna miss this place.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be the same, but we have plenty of mountains for you to explore,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°If you go sledding with Zhengui though, please be aware of what¡¯s downslope from you.¡±


    He was so much bigger now. They didn¡¯t need uncontrolled avalanches at the fief.


    Hanyi rolled her eyes. ¡°Yes, Big Sis.¡±


    Ling Qi narrowed her eyes at the ice spirit. She didn¡¯t like that tone.


    ¡°Is Sixiang okay?¡±


    She blinked at the question, surprised Hanyi would ask. ¡°We just needed a break from each other. Besides, they want to try out having legs.¡±


    Hanyi pouted at her. ¡°I¡¯m not a dumb kid. You two had a fight, right?¡±


    Ling Qi allowed her smile to fade. ¡°We had a talk,¡± she corrected. ¡°If it was a fight, then it''s resolved.¡±


    Hanyi huffed out a sigh that sent the snowfall skirling and twisting around them. ¡°Are they gonna leave?¡±


    She pursed her lips. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I hope not. But if they want to, they can.¡±


    ¡°Hmph! No wonder they¡¯ve been dodging me. Probably don¡¯t want to hear me tell them how dumb they are for thinking about it!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s it.¡± Ling Qi ruffled her hair. More likely, Sixiang was trying not to be tempted by sticking to the familiar in their time apart. ¡°You want to finish walking up?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Hanyi said, taking her hand


    They hopped down from the ledge and resumed walking up to the peak. It didn¡¯t take so long as they were, even sticking to the ground. They were soon in front of the crumbled cairn of rocks that served as Zeqing¡¯s grave, giving their respects. Hanyi blew out a breath, growing blooms of frost from the cracks between the stones, and Ling Qi placed the cold burning sticks of incense into the little burner on the altar of clear blue ice set up before it, letting the soft blue-white smoke be carried away into the storm and the slowly, slowly reforming entity that she could sense within it.


    Intellectually, she knew that the spirit which came into existence here would not be Zeqing, not in any meaningful way. But she still hoped that it might remember them at least a little fondly.


    They remained at the grave in silence for a while, both contemplating the one laid to rest here. The wind whipped and tore at their gowns, but neither of them were moved by something so paltry.


    When she was done, Ling Qi clapped her hands twice and bowed. Straightening up, she looked back over her shoulder. ¡°Senior Brother, you can come out now.¡±


    ¡°I was merely being polite.¡±


    ¡°I know, or I probably wouldn¡¯t have noticed you at all.¡±


    It had been quite a long time since she had seen Liao Zhu. The initial stages of the war had not been kind to her former tutor, leaving him in a coma, but it seemed that he had come out of his encounter with whatever it was that had arrived at the end of the caldera battle intact. He had a few more scars visible on his chest. And for once, he was not wearing the fanged demon mask over his face. The crimson crescent tattoo under his eye had deepened in color though, the red outlined in stark black. It was joined by a matching mark, perfectly symmetrical with the first under his other eye. But most striking¡­


    ¡°That isn¡¯t your spirit filling in anymore, is it?¡±


    He looked down at his hand, the one he¡¯d lost to ith-ia artifice. The muscle and flesh flexed realistically, but the shimmering liquid silver color of it was anything but. He flexed his fingers, and they became barbed knives, flowed into a long, thin blade, and then shifted back to human fingers.


    ¡°Elder Jiao was quite bored during his own recovery.¡± He shrugged. ¡°It is good to feel whole again. To have my magnificence tarnished so could not be good for the morale of the sect.¡±


    ¡°Senior Brother¡¯s recovery is vital, no doubt,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°Who¡¯s this guy?¡± Hanyi asked, looking him up and down.


    ¡°This is Liao Zhu. He accompanied us on our mission underground, remember?¡±


    Her junior sister frowned, putting her hands on her hips. ¡°Oh! You feel different!¡±


    She considered him. His qi was all but undetectable to her, but Hanyi saw the world differently.


    ¡°Even one such as I do not emerge from the crucible unforged. But junior sister, I have heard that you have been very busy indeed.¡±


    ¡°I choose not to leash my ambitions,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I cannot seek the peak with small desires.¡±


    ¡°And you will drag the whole of the empire a finger length or two, if you have your way. I am so proud of my junior sister, finally finding her sovereign¡¯s appetite.¡±


    Hanyi gave an imperious nod. ¡°Big Sis is just too shy sometimes. But she¡¯s getting better! You should come hang out at her new place with the big snake guy and the turtle guy she¡¯s got hanging around.¡±


    She dropped a hand onto the top of Hanyi¡¯s head, ruffling her hair a bit harder than necessary. ¡°Please excuse my junior sister. She lets her mouth run sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Siiiiis, you gotta go for it!¡±


    ¡°I have to do no such thing,¡± Ling Qi snapped. ¡°Hanyi, that¡¯s too much.¡±


    ¡°What a lively girl.¡± Liao Zhu laughed. ¡°Truly, I fear for your nerves in the future!¡±


    ¡­ She was for sure very glad that Hanyi was still childish in some ways.


    ¡°I have some appointments to keep, so do you mind if we talk and walk, senior brother?¡±


    Hanyi gave her a rebellious look, but she relented when Ling Qi squeezed her fingers down.


    ¡°Of course. Where might you be off to, junior sister?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going down to the main square to speak with an old friend,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°There¡¯s some business I want to mention, and it would be nice to talk again before I leave.¡±


    She¡¯d grown apart from Han Jian and he, apart from her, but she did still remember his early kindness. She at least wanted to greet him once while their paths had briefly crossed again in the Inner Sect.


    ¡°I see. Then allow your dashing senior brother to escort you on the journey. It has been too long since we spoke.¡±


    ¡°It has. Chaos and war is hardly the best for keeping up with friends. Did you wish to take the slow path?¡±


    ¡°We can descend the mountain quickly, but even I, Liao Zhu, would have difficulty holding a proper conversation while soaring.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I wanna walk anyway. Let¡¯s just jump down and go!¡± Hanyi exclaimed.


    ¡°Fair enough.¡± Ling Qi moved to the edge of the icy peak. Hanyi leaped onto her back, scrambling like a monkey to cling onto her shoulders. Another step carried her over the side, plunging down to land soundlessly on the snowy ledge below. Liao Zhu followed her down a moment later, leaving no more print in the powdery snow than she did.


    ¡°You have taken on a heavy burden indeed,¡± Liao Zhu said conversationally as they began to walk, seeking the next location where the drop would only be a few score meters.


    She glanced at him, smiling, and repeated, ¡°One must be ambitious to reach the peak.¡±


    ¡°I merely find it terribly amusing that you have taken your disparate patrons and arrived at a place so like one of mine. The twisting paths of the moon are mysterious, no?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s he talking about, sis?¡± Hanyi asked, resting her chin on Ling Qi¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Senior brother follows the Bloody and Reflecting Moons. It¡¯s the latter he¡¯s referring to.¡±


    ¡°Oh, the talky siblings.¡± Hanyi squinted at him. ¡°Huh, yeah, I guess Big Sis does talk a lot.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so honored that my junior sister thinks so highly of my work,¡± Ling Qi deadpanned.


    ¡°It is the long and short of it though, no?¡± Liao Zhu laughed. ¡°Truly, I am vexed! To be surpassed in my own field by a dabbling junior!¡±


    ¡°I think only I had the right factors to bring about this conclusion.¡± Ling Qi thought about what Xin had told her about fate and precognition. ¡°The Great Spirits may not control the game, but they are certainly skilled at counting the cards.¡±


    ¡°Mm, they may only give us opportunities. The course of the world remains in our choice,¡± Liao Zhu said. ¡°It was your will and choices which have brought about your fate.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how many cheats you used and how much help you got getting into the vault. It¡¯s your hands that have to snatch the treasure,¡± Ling Qi said wryly.


    ¡°Hoh, an irreverent way of looking at it.¡±


    ¡°I have to be irreverent when I get the chance, or I just might spit in someone¡¯s eye during a fancy dinner.¡±


    ¡°As if you would be so openly crass. My junior sister, I think you like the part of the elegant lady more than you admit.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, my big sis is the best and most graceful lady,¡± Hanyi boasted. Then, in an aside to her, Hanyi hissed, ¡°Sis, you shouldn¡¯t say gross stuff. You¡¯ll scare him away!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you!¡± Ling Qi exclaimed as they stepped from the ledge, fluttering down to the next, a copse of scraggly trees clinging to dirt and stone. They were a little ways above the old argent vent, Ling Qi thought. How nostalgic.


    She rolled her eyes as Hanyi broke down giggling. Then she looked to Liao Zhu as they strode through the barren trees. ¡°I have thought about that. I wondered why the Reflecting never called to me when I have chosen a path that seems to match it so well.¡±


    ¡°Our patrons have only limited patience for sharing, Twin Moons more than most. But I think it comes down to how you arrived at where you are. In the end, though the destination might seem similar, the Way was different,¡± Liao Zhu said.


    She didn¡¯t arrive at Communication through high-minded ideals or rationalism or a devotion to proper order. She arrived there through desire, desperation, and want. ¡°And what is the Reflecting Way?¡±


    Liao Zhu considered. ¡°Mutuality. I feel in your qi that you have touched this. But the Reflecting Moons come from a place of contemplation, of consideration, and of deep sympathy. The desire is not for inner secrets, but the understanding of the interlocking gears of action, reaction, and causality in driving the great engine of fate forward.¡±


    Ling Qi considered as they descended, skipping, sliding, and floating down a slope of loose gravel, only a bit less than completely sheer in angle. ¡°I think I can understand the distinction, but it does seem almost semantic.¡±


    ¡°In the end, though there are eight faces, there is only one moon.¡±

 Threads 317 Parting 3

    Threads 317 Parting 3


    Liao Zhu blinked out of existence, rematerializing on the outcropping below. Well, if he wanted to be boring about it. Ling Qi stopped being on the gravel and started being on the cliff. It was as simple as that.


    It was funny how flying, or flaunting the law of the earth, had become instinct. There really wasn¡¯t much difference between one location and another, so close together. Greater distance, greater disparity, and the natural lines of qi and human warding were still walls and seas and roads.


    Ling Qi observed, ¡°Siblings are close. Bring them together, and you¡¯ll see as many similarities as differences.¡±


    ¡°All division is an illusion, as the dream sects might say,¡± Laio Zhu replied, eyes twinkling.


    On her back, Hanyi huffed in annoyance at the interrupted slide.


    ¡°That¡¯s wrong,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°Or at least, that distorts the definition of illusion to meaninglessness.¡±


    ¡°Hoh? I did not know my junior sister was interested in theology.¡± Liao Zhu raised an eyebrow. There was a faint scar parting it now, skin not so much burned as bleached.


    ¡°It¡¯s division that gives meaning to anything at all,¡± Ling Qi insisted. ¡°If all is one, then one is nothing. The Nameless chose division over Oneness.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t quite sure where those words had come from. She suspected though. These were the words of a crescent smile beneath starry antlers.


    Liao Zhu stopped and crossed his arms. ¡°Most would say the opposite, that they chose to combine themselves to reach for one another in their divine solitude.¡±


    ¡°That is not oneness. It is choosing to be a pair of parts, rather than immutable divine wholes, uncomprehending. The mere act of reaching out, of seeking understanding, refutes oneness and promotes multitude.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned, shaking her head. It didn¡¯t feel as if she was being controlled. More like¡­ There were simply foreign memories lodged in somewhere deep in her spirit, perhaps in her fused and broken meridian, mingled with the burned out qi there.


    ¡°Junior sister, do you require assistance?¡±


    Ling Qi put a hand to her temple, rubbing a circle there. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. Just a lesson lodged in a little too deep. I have someone keeping an eye on me.¡±


    He regarded her gravely for a moment more. ¡°Let it not be said that this champion would ever bear the crime of hypocrisy. I can not speak ill of hurling yourself into danger.¡±


    ¡°That would be downright irresponsible of you,¡± Ling Qi said dryly. ¡°Your junior sister would be disappointed.¡±


    ¡°And what a terrible curse that would be!¡±


    ¡°I do think it¡¯s wrong though. Nothing good comes from trying to erase division rather than bridging it,¡± Ling Qi said. She considered the Wang¡¯s policy on the cloud tribes, the visions of the Forever King, and the history of the Emerald Seas. She recalled the dwindling remnants of the old tribes and Xia Ren¡¯s relentless scourging fire.


    ¡°On that, I agree. I do not think that everyone could endure being me!¡±


    Ling Qi laughed.


    ¡°... You guys are boring. I thought this¡¯d be more exciting.¡±


    ¡°Even if I was thinking such things right now, would I do them with my junior sister on my back like a bag of rice?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a bag of rice!¡± Hanyi complained. ¡°I barely weigh anything at all!¡±


    ¡°That is not the problem here!¡±


    ¡°Hm, right now?¡± Liao Zhu wondered. ¡°Does the fierce ogre king need flee the hungry wraith? How complex this tale grows.¡±


    ¡°You, stop encouraging her,¡± Ling Qi said flatly. ¡°Let¡¯s just get down the mountain.¡±


    She stepped off the cliff and soared, but the words she had spoken still circled in her head. Rejection of oneness¡­ That felt important, somehow. Maybe she should seek the shattered gaol again soon.


    ***


    She parted ways with Senior Brother Liao at the base of the mountain. They had never been the closest of friends, but like Bian Ya and Ruan Shen, she was grateful for all of the tutelage she received. She might see him again in the future when the time came for the war underground, but that was a day far away for now.


    Ling Qi came to the second lowest of the Inner Sect mountains soon enough and found its central square where the offices, medicine halls, the forges, and the furnaces lay. It wasn¡¯t so different from the entranceway of the Outer Sect all those years ago. The architecture a little more grand and fantastic and the disciples mightier, more obvious in their growing cultivation.


    She found Han Jian under the petal heavy leaves of a cherry blossom tree. He sat with his hands folded over his stomach, his back against a golden tiger the size of a horse. The Cai-made armor, a peer to her own dress before it was made more by a thread of Liming, was striped with Han colors and shone in the sun. He was taller, not as tall as her, but it was much closer than any of her other peers aside from Gan Guangli.


    ¡°Yo, long time no see. I didn¡¯t expect that letter, that¡¯s for sure,¡± he said as she approached. He patted Heijin on the back, who gave a dissatisfied rumble as Han Jian stood.


    ¡°I wish there had been more time once you made it in and we were no longer in competition.¡±


    Ling Qi forgoed the bow that would have been respectful for one of his rank. He made a sound of acknowledgment but didn¡¯t comment on it.


    She glanced to the side, letting her eyes rest patiently on the shadow of the cherry tree. In the moment of silence, there was an irritable growl, and a night black tiger melted from the shadow, its stripes a shimmering hazy gray that made her hard to look at.


    Han Fang was behind the tree, leaning there. She gave the heavyset bald young man a nod. He returned it silently, smiling wryly down at his spirit beast.


    ¡°Told you that hiding was silly,¡± Han Jian said breezily. ¡°You know the rest, though you might not recognize this big lug.¡± Han Jian nodded to the tiger at his feet.


    ¡°My resplendence is unmistakable,¡± the big cat rumbled.


    Hanyi sniffed. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that.¡±


    Heijin raised his head to glare imperiously. Hanyi stared him down with crossed arms.


    Han Jian snorted. ¡°Anyhow, the new face is Sidao, Fang¡¯s partner.¡±


    ¡°A pleasure,¡± Ling Qi said, tipping her head.


    The dark tiger regarded her with a wary suspicion as one predator to another, qi running dark under fur. Ling Qi tilted her head, letting a little darkness flow herself.


    ¡°Charmed.¡± Sidao¡¯s voice was throaty and feminine like a mature woman¡¯s. She laid down beside Heijin and began to groom one of her paws, acting for all the world as if the staredown hadn¡¯t happened.


    Han Fang gave a raspy sigh and made a sign with his hands.


    Ling Qi waved off the apology. ¡°If I could not handle a little ego, I would be in deep trouble with my chosen path.¡±


    ¡°Hah, true,¡± Han Jian said. He was smiling and scrubbing a hand through his hair. She could almost imagine they were back in the Outer Sect.


    ¡­ But there was an awkwardness between them now.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t say what this meeting was about. I doubt you can afford to just be saying hi, busy woman that you are,¡± Han Jian said. ¡°I don¡¯t mind some business while we catch up."


    Ling Qi sighed. He wasn¡¯t wrong. ¡°It is good to see you again.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice,¡± he agreed gently. ¡°You¡¯re jumping up the ladder faster, but we¡¯re all grown up here.¡±


    She nodded. The fact was that in speaking with the eastern factions of the White Sky delegation had raised some issues.


    ¡°I¡¯ve discovered that our foreign guests have their own troubles in the east. The fires of the sun were not stopped entirely by the Wall,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I¡¯d considered that a meeting between their experts on the damage and ours might be able to facilitate an exchange of information. A benefit that could be negotiated between us?¡±


    Han Jian cupped his chin and let out a thoughtful hum. ¡°I see. Yeah, I suppose that would be in my family¡¯s wheelhouse. Surprised your boss isn¡¯t going through the Guo though.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve been silent and not showing much interest in the summit. Would you have any insights?¡±


    Han Jian considered her. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that there¡¯s something in the eastern wastes that has Grandfather Fortress and the Guo Patriarch occupied. Enough so for the ancestor to leave his yearly route.¡±


    ¡°Sands shift, winds shift, but rise and fall, the heart of the waste remain. The ashes are stirring,¡± the black tigress said, licking her paw.


    ¡°That would match what I¡¯ve been hearing,¡± Ling Qi said slowly. She did still trade letters with XIulan even if they¡¯d been growing more sporadic as her friend got busier as well. Her father had taken her out on a minor campaign, but apparently, the scope of it had been expanded. According to the last letter, her father had been meeting with some other lords to combine their efforts.


    ¡°Gu Xiulan, huh?¡± Han Jian chuckled. ¡°Surprised you even need to ask me.¡±


    Ling Qi smiled wanly. ¡°Xiulan¡¯s perspective is a bit too close to the ground right now, and we both know she gets bored with politics.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Han Jian sighed. ¡°Is she¡­?¡±


    ¡°I think she¡¯s happy,¡± Ling Qi said simply.


    He let out a breath through his nose. ¡°That¡¯ll do. Anyway, I can send a request up through my clan to see if that¡¯s something we might do. I give it decent odds the clan crafters will be interested enough to want a chance to chat.¡±


    ¡°Not every day that one gets to speak with an entirely different lineage of geomantic study,¡± Ling Qi observed.


    Han Fang raised an eyebrow at her. Han Jian was more polite.


    ¡°I have been studying some basics,¡± Ling Qi replied in response to the unasked questions. ¡°I¡¯ll have an experienced teacher arriving at our fief soon after the summit. I don¡¯t want to make him waste time on basics that I can learn myself.¡± Ling Qi crossed her arms and lifted her chin challengingly.


    ¡°Yeah, Big Sis is hitting the books hard!¡± Hanyi piped up from over her shoulder where she had remained silent while they spoke.


    ¡°Sorry, sorry, you¡¯re right.¡± Han Jian raised his hands as if to ward off her ire. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m thinking. Someone will at least want to have a chat and size up the other guy. Crafters are a lot like roosters that way.¡±


    ¡°Puffing themselves up and strutting in circles, plumage on display? How disrespectful, Han Jian.¡±


    ¡°Aw, c¡¯mon, I¡¯m doing you a favor here. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re gonna tattle.¡±


    She smiled, glanced over the rest, and let some of the tension flow out. ¡°Thank you, Han Jian. I really do hope you¡¯ve been well.¡±


    ¡°The slacker has been¡­ acceptable,¡± Heijin rumbled, his tail lazily thrashing, kicking up little whorls of wind.


    Han Jian rolled his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m honored, your majesty. Really.¡±


    Han Fang grinned at him, his hands flashing through a few signs.


    ¡­ That was bold of him.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, Fang, not you too,¡± Han Jian complained. He looked back at her. ¡°It¡¯s been a good year. I feel like I¡¯m not wandering to nowhere anymore.¡±


    She brushed his cultivation with her senses and felt the wind screaming through the dry grass, whirling in the sands, a cutting blade, though she couldn¡¯t see its aim from a polite glance. She dipped her head. ¡°I¡¯m glad. I¡¯ve found some purpose as well and unsnarled some contradictions in my way. I, too, think I know where I am going now, or at least the direction of it.¡±


    ¡°The direction is the most we can manage at this stage. If you think you know your destination already, you¡¯re probably mistaken.¡±


    Ling Qi tilted her head. ¡°Quoting something, Han Jian?¡±


    ¡°Paraphrasing. Turning a complex text to a mere pithy anecdote. How shameful,¡± Heijin said, ears flicking. ¡°Cold one, what are you delaying for? Your permission to pet me has never been rescinded.¡±


    ¡°Ah, is that so?¡± Ling Qi crouched at the tiger¡¯s side. She reached up, scratching behind his ears, and received a rumbling purr in return.


    ¡°Sis, you shouldn¡¯t indulge stuffy guys like that. They¡¯re the ones who should coming to you,¡± Hanyi instructed, finally dropping off her back.


    ¡°The young miss is wise,¡± Sidao said, not looking up from her paw.


    Heijin lifted his nose into the air and declined to respond to either.


    Han Jian dropped back down into a seated position, his elbows resting against the tiger¡¯s side. ¡°Still can¡¯t really believe all the stories about what you¡¯ve gotten up to.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re probably only¡­ half-true,¡± Ling Qi hedged.


    ¡°You hesitated there a second.¡±


    ¡°There are some fairly silly rumors around.¡±


    Han Fang gestured to her. She frowned.


    ¡°No, that one is true. But it sounds exaggerated.¡± She¡¯d hardly carried a whole battalion out of the caldera with her mist. ¡°I only parried the enemy¡¯s parting blow.¡±


    Han Fang let out a raspy sigh.

 Threads 318 Parting 4

    Threads 318 Parting 4


    ¡°You¡¯re good, Fang. You can do everything I need ya too,¡± Han Jian comforted. ¡°I guess you were probably always meant for crazy stuff though, huh?¡±


    ¡°Fortune and talent are intertwined.¡± Ling Qi observed as Hanyi put her hands on her hips and stuck out her tongue at Heijin, the two spirits bickering. She dug her fingers in behind the big cat¡¯s ears and turned the angry rumble into a purr. ¡°I¡¯m going to be busy with all this for a long time.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got a couple projects that you could spend a mortal lifetime or two on by the sounds of it,¡± Han Jian agreed. ¡°Me, I gotta sit back and wait for my father to approve deployment.¡±


    Ling Qi was surprised. ¡°You requested that?¡±


    Han Fang looked like he¡¯d bitten a lemon. Clearly, he disagreed with Han Jian¡¯s plans.


    ¡°I need experiences and merits to bring home,¡± Han Jian said thoughtfully. ¡°And there¡¯s some interest in what the Han have to offer. It¡¯s not just you. Better ties with the Emerald Seas is important right now.¡±


    The Han family were the experts who had built the system of geomantic oasis that made the recovery of the Golden Fields more than a dream. They would be experienced with the spread of corruptive and insidious energies.


    ¡°It¡¯s not fun,¡± she warned. ¡°It¡¯s not fun at all down in the dark or under a hostile sky. Don¡¯t go into it thinking of merits.¡±


    ¡°Survival. Victory. Glory. In that order," Han Jian agreed. ¡°Sounds about like the advice my father¡¯s been giving.¡±


    That was a good, pithy way of putting it. ¡°Most would probably say victory first.¡±


    ¡°The Golden Fields learned better. A victory that costs too much is just a pretty defeat.¡± Han Jian shook his head. ¡°Ah, but we¡¯re getting off into serious stuff again. Didja know I¡¯ve got a match in the works?¡±


    ¡°Already? The Fields does things way too soon,¡± Ling Qi said.


    You¡¯d think explosive fallout like Gu Xiulan and Fan Yu¡¯s arrangement would happen enough to ward it off. On the other hand, of all the provinces, the Golden Fields would be the most inclined to make fruitful matches early. They had spent a long time in strife.


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. We¡¯re just exchanging letters, but she is half-Guo, so it¡¯d be a good alliance.¡± Han Jian shrugged. ¡°Dunno. She seems nice enough, but I feel way over my head¡­¡±


    ¡°I can sympathize. I¡¯ve only just started thinking seriously about potential matches.¡± Ling Qi sighed. ¡°Half-Guo?¡±


    He grimaced. ¡°Zheng being irresponsible.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    So, his match had been born out of marriage. That habit of the Zhengs still didn¡¯t sit well with her. A person should take responsibility.


    ¡°Anyway, you actually got a pick in mind?¡±


    ¡°Moon above, no. I don¡¯t even know where to start.¡±


    ***


    She stayed there with Han Jian for a time, just chatting about the past, the present, and the future. The future was coming fast for both of them, moreso for her, but all the same. It seemed like the day they had met in the Outer Sect was much more than two years ago now.


    ¡°Did you have fun with Heijin?¡± Ling Qi asked her little sister.


    ¡°Ugh, he was annoying the whole time!¡± Hanyi complained.


    ¡°So you had fun,¡± Ling Qi said knowingly.


    Hanyi harrumphed and turned her nose up.


    Look at her junior sister, pretending she hadn¡¯t enjoyed needling the haughty tiger to the edge of distraction.


    ¡°Zhengui could beat him up.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked at the non sequitur. ¡°I suppose he could. But what does that have to do with anything?¡±


    ¡°Just saying, I can do better.¡±


    Ling Qi furrowed her brows at Hanyi, who smiled angelically.


    ¡°No,¡± Ling Qi said. Whatever that was, she wanted no part of it.


    ¡°Hehe, I got you to make the same frowny face the boss lady makes!¡±


    Ling Qi wrapped her arm around Hanyi¡¯s shoulder and dug her knuckles into the little brat¡¯s scalp.


    ¡°H-hey. Sis, Big Sis, you can¡¯t just do that!¡± Hanyi whined, batting at her hand as Ling Qi thoroughly mussed her hair. She didn¡¯t even care that they were still in the square, being stared at by aghast disciples.


    ¡°I can, and I will,¡± Ling Qi corrected, letting her go. Hanyi sprang away, scowling at her and holding her hands over her head. ¡°Now, be good. We have other places to be.¡±


    ¡°Like where?¡± Hanyi asked mutinously. She muttered, ¡°That stung!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to the medicine hall. Li Suyin will be there,¡± Ling Qi said.


    Her friend was still doing very well in the sect. While she wasn¡¯t an apprentice of any particular elder, thanks to her impurity talisman projects, Li Suyin received a great deal of attention and resources from the sect overall.


    ¡°Oh, the skeleton girl?¡±


    Hanyi eyed her suspiciously as if she expected Ling Qi to grab her again. As if being on guard would help if Ling Qi decided that it was time for more sisterly punishment. She smiled sweetly at her little sister and held out her hand.


    ¡°... I¡¯ll be good,¡± Hanyi promised.


    Ling Qi took her hand as they began to walk. The medicine hall was a little ways up the eastern path from the main square, set away from the bustle of the sect¡¯s administrative buildings to allow the patients a more restful peace.


    ¡°Yes, the ¡®skeleton girl,¡¯¡± she answered the earlier question. ¡°She does plenty of other things though.¡±


    ¡°Spooky girl, then,¡± Hanyi said flippantly. She swung their clasped hands back and forth.


    Ling Qi looked down pointedly at Hanyi. Hanyi had flat white eyes set in a complexion similar to that of a corpse dead from the cold. She emanated a chilling aura.


    ¡°I¡¯m not being insulting!¡± Hanyi protested. ¡°She¡¯s cute! I¡¯m beautiful and elegant.¡±


    Ling Qi let out a quiet huff of laughter. ¡°Fair. Li Suyin definitely has a unique aesthetic.¡±


    She wondered what the nervous stammering girl who had nearly panicked herself in asking for Ling Qi¡¯s help in cultivation early on in the Outer Sect would think of the Li Suyin who existed now.


    Hanyi and Ling Qi wove through the thin crowds of inner sect disciples bustling about on their way to lessons or to use sect facilities and followed the winding path of paved silvery stone around and up the slope of the mountain until at last they arrived at the medicine hall. A stately building with a silver tiled roof and surrounded by bountiful gardens, the very air here took on a serene and calming feel, all the better to aid in recovery.


    She followed the feel of her friend¡¯s aura out to the gardens in the back. Carefully cultivated flowerbeds full of blooms in soothing colors and trees were arranged to take the blowing breeze just so to produce the right volume of peaceful rustling. It was actually pretty impressive now that she paid attention to it. She had spent quite a bit of time here, but the architecture and arrangement of the building and its surroundings had always been in the background. Something she had taken for granted.


    She wasn¡¯t going to be able to do that much longer given she would be the one ultimately responsible for her own home and its surroundings now.


    She found Li Suyin seated on one of the many benches placed along the garden paths. She was not alone. An older woman was at her side in a gown of autumn colors, yellow and saffron and darker shades. Her hair was done up in a severe bun, undecorated.


    It took her a moment to recognize Elder Su¡¯s ageless but motherly face. The woman was the elder who had taught spiritual cultivation in the Outer Sect and awarded her the first art she had practiced and more. She could not hear what they were talking about as she approached, and she was not so rude as to try.


    The soft sound of chirping birds met her ears as she approached until the moment it didn¡¯t. Li Suyin looked up, saw her, and smiled. The distortion of natural sound around them ended, or rather, she sensed that it had been expanded to include Hanyi and her. That was polite of the elder.


    ¡°Ling Qi, it¡¯s good to see you!¡± her friend greeted, rising to her feet.


    Even standing up, Suyin barely came up to her chest. Ling Qi really was too tall. Well, that was just the way she was.


    Elder Su rose herself. ¡°Miss Ling, I hope you do not mind that I occupied your friend here. Disciple Li is an exemplary student.¡± The elder was taller than Suyin by a fair margin, but somewhere along the way, Ling Qi had surpassed her in that area.


    ¡°Honored elder, I can only be pleased that Li Suyin has your attention. She is deserving of your teachings.¡±


    Li Suyin flushed red. The pupil of her artificial eye widened and shrank, a ring of glimmering light spreading the black. ¡°Please stop, Ling Qi,¡± Li Suyin muttered.


    ¡°Be pleased that you have such good friends, Disciple Li,¡± Elder Su said, smiling. She turned to face Ling Qi, and Ling Qi felt the faintest tingle on her skin at the elder¡¯s examination. ¡°Ah, Disciple Ling¡­ New and novel damage again, I see.¡±


    Ling Qi grimaced, dipping her head. The elder wasn¡¯t scolding her, but all the same¡­


    Li Suyin looked at her with renewed concern. Her eye flashed, and Ling Qi felt a much less subtle examination, more like being poked at all over by her friend¡¯s fingers. ¡°Hmm¡­ Oh! My goodness, Ling Qi, what did you do to that meridian?!¡±


    ¡°I went under a needed tribulation, and solved it in a novel way,¡± Ling Qi said evasively. ¡°I strained myself somewhat.¡±


    ¡°Fused shut,¡± Elder Su said thoughtfully. ¡°It is not my right to pry into one¡¯s tribulation, but it seems you took quite a risk.¡±


    Li Suyin bustled past the elder, looking at her more closely, seeming like she wanted to poke and prod in truth. ¡°Mm, I don¡¯t think the damage is irreversible¡­ Wait, that¡¯s wrong, the meridian may be usable still with work, but it¡¯s permanently marked, somewhat like domain weapon implantation¡­ Oh, you and Su Ling both, using such wild methods of cultivation!¡±


    Her much shorter friend glared up at her, and Ling Qi smiled sheepishly.


    ¡°Hey, Big Sis has great methods!¡± Hanyi defended her.


    ¡°They are effective, of course,¡± Elder Su allowed, resting a hand on her cheek. ¡°It¡¯s good to see students grow. Neither of you are much like the girls who first arrived at my primer course.¡±


    Ling Qi shared a look with Suyin, who wore her high-necked purple gown, a clawed and jeweled gauntlet on her hand, and an aura filled with veins full of coursing blood and the clanking of hundreds of bony feet dancing on those crimson threads. She considered herself, the freezing mist so deep as to cause one to be lost forever in its grasp.


    No, they were not.


    ¡°We are thankful for the tutelage which has allowed us to come so far,¡± Ling Qi said politely.


    ¡°I wonder at that. What might have changed had I been able to provide a full year course,¡± Elder Su said, surprising her. The elder sounded both thoughtful and melancholy. ¡°Such useless thoughts.¡±


    A frown crossed Li Suyin¡¯s face, and she reached up for a moment as if to rub her eye, only to force her hand back down. ¡°The Sect has many concerns. I understand.¡±


    Ling Qi considered her own liege and the duchess and the crucible that woman had arranged for Renxiang. It had never been said aloud to her, but she did understand that their year in the Outer Sect had been irregular by the standards of the Argent Peak Sect.


    ¡°I am thankful for your instruction. Lady Cai and I both hope that the Sect might be able to act with less disruption in the future.¡±


    ¡°You have grown well. And you may convey that to your lady too. I am hopeful in seeing where the children of that year go.¡±


    ¡°Elder Su is too kind,¡± Li Suyin demurred.


    At Ling Qi¡¯s side, Hanyi started to fidget, clearly getting impatient.


    ¡°I am nothing of the sort,¡± Elder Su said with a humorless smile. ¡°Disciple, no, Lady Ling, though you are leaving us, know that the Argent Peak Sect will welcome you always. At least, it will so far as this Hua Su can guarantee.¡±


    Ling Qi bowed her head. She knew she had caused some troubles and probably annoyed some elders in going over their heads to report directly to the duchess on the matter of her initial meeting with a delegate of the White Sky at the caldera. She was glad that there would still be a connection here, if she chose to indulge it.


    ¡°Now, I should be on my way. I am certain you young ladies have things to talk about that do not need an elder listening in. Farewell.¡±


    They murmured their polite partings, and the elder¡¯s frame shimmered and vanished like a reflection broken up by ripples.

 Threads 319-Parting 5

    Threads 319-Parting 5


    Ling Qi took a deep breath.


    Li Suyin chuckled, scratching her cheek with a golden claw. ¡°That ended up being very serious.¡±


    ¡°So, hey,¡± Hanyi interrupted. ¡°I wanted to know, can you make me a cool skeleton handmaid? ¡®Cause I have, like, a bunch of money now.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked. Li Suyin blinked.


    ¡°Hwah?¡± Her friend made a confused noise.


    ¡°You know, like the ones you have, but, like, with ice instead of icky spider stuff!¡± Hanyi explained happily.


    ¡°My silk isn¡¯t icky. Ling Qi, did you¡­?¡±


    ¡°First I¡¯ve heard of this,¡± Ling Qi said blankly. ¡°Hanyi, what would you even do with something like that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d carry all my stuff, comb my hair when Sis isn¡¯t around, and look really cool,¡± Hanyi answered, counting off the benefits on her fingers.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m not taking commissions right now,¡± Li Suyin said, still looking befuddled. She glanced at Ling Qi questioningly. ¡°... Maybe in a few months?¡±


    Ling Qi sighed. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about that later.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d just ask for one of Sis¡¯ maids, but they¡¯re fragile! I¡¯m trying to be thoughtful. You¡¯d be mad if I broke one!¡±


    Ling Qi stared at her. Hanyi looked back defiantly.


    ¡°... Yes. I would.¡±


    Li Suyin smiled awkwardly. ¡°How lively. Honestly, I hadn¡¯t even considered selling my constructs. The aesthetic is a little too niche.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you could find buyers,¡± Ling Qi said.


    Hanyi puffed out her cheeks.


    ¡°More buyers,¡± Ling Qi corrected.


    ¡°Maybe, but I¡¯ve been so busy, and the Sect is providing so much in the way of materials, that I hadn¡¯t even thought about it.¡±


    Her friend did have a really beneficial arrangement with the Sect right now.


    ¡°I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re doing well.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m glad to see you again. I hope I can get out to see what you¡¯re building at your new fief in a few months.¡±


    ¡°I hope so too. It can be a little adventure for old times¡¯ sake. Anyway, what have you been working on? I know you probably can¡¯t talk about everything, but I¡¯m really curious.¡±


    ¡°I can share, if you tell me more about these foreigners! What¡¯s this about a flying ship I¡¯ve heard about?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not exactly a ship, but¡­¡±


    Friends, teachers, so many people here at the Sect that she was going to be leaving behind. At least with Suyin though, they had clear plans to meet up again, both for the adventure and their ongoing cooperation on the fourth realm elixir project.


    ***


    She never had gone to as many lessons as she could have while in the Inner Sect. There was just always something to do: people to meet, duties to fulfill, and places to explore. Still, the quiet atmosphere of the elder¡¯s lecture site had a comforting air.


    Of all the elders she had met, she did not think she had actually sat in on a public lesson taught by Elder Ying. Her classroom was a stony grotto set near the base of the mountain where falling waters formed a misty curtain on the north side, pooling in a clear sparkling pond in the center. The student benches were raised rounded stone with fuzzy green layers of moss that did not stick to or stain even the more mundane robes and gowns of the other students.


    The elder herself stood on the rippling water of the pond. Elder Ying had not changed since Ling Qi had seen her last. She was still a short, stooped elderly woman with thin white hair tied up into a bun with a deeply lined face and a friendly expression. She wore a plain gown with tones of tan and near white.


    ¡°... And so, the nature of defense is as complex as the ways of harm, ever changing with the needs of the moment, the battlefield, the opponent, your goals, what is wanted, and what is needed. There can be no universal shield, any more than there may be a universal blade. To think in such terms is itself a failure of thought, a foolish dead end which has ensnared growing cultivators since before the founding.¡±


    Today¡¯s lecture was a meditation on the nature of defensive arts, or more specifically, on the concept of ¡°defense¡± and ¡°protection¡± itself. It was a discussion as to what those concepts truly meant in their contexts on the battlefield and off.


    Ling Qi herself had many small answers to this question percolating in her mind, developing and clinging to the edges of other ideas and concepts.


    ¡°What most consider the fundamentals of defense are the concepts of ¡®armor¡¯ and ¡®motion.¡¯ These can be viewed as the ability to endure and the ability to avoid. But these concepts are only the simplest methods suitable for the lower realm battlefield. Absorption, diffusion, redirection, causal disruption, even these are but slightly more advanced examples of defensive techniques. Consider, then, that defense is not only a concept for war. Perception is itself a layer of defense, but it is also prediction, organization, and administration. These, too, must be considered, for life is not only war and can never be only war¡­¡±


    It was true, Ling Qi thought. She could absorb an attack which would slay a dozen third realms into the impenetrable depths of her Mist, but that was an ability with little use in the project before her. Her foes were not hurling bolts of power from the sky nor were they striking at her with blade and fist.


    Even the powerful spirits and high cultivators who she dealt with were oft as not not really trying to harm her. Their nature itself wrought harm by their mere existence. Black Sky¡¯s Yearning had been a hungry void that could only devour. The great thundering beast in her fief and the strange beasts emerging from the glacier were ruinous in their indifference to the small lives around them. Xia Ren, an engine of metal and flame that could only keep churning forward, seemed to just be seeking more fuel to burn. Even the Duchess herself was a force on all around her just by her nature, though Ling Qi did not dare make judgements on what precisely she was.


    Ling Qi would need to meet and understand all of those who had followed and supported the duchess onto her throne, if she were ever going to help Renxiang topple her from it.


    ¡°It is the nature of defense to be reactive, but this, too, is not universal. To prepare effectively, the nature of the assaults on such a project will suffer must be deeply understood and incorporated into the foundation of your defensive technique.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded faintly, the elder¡¯s words echoing her own thoughts. She thought there was something else there though. It wasn¡¯t enough to stop an attack. A defense, a good defense, should put her in a position to take advantage of her enemy. It wasn¡¯t enough to react. Although her family and friends may not have liked her choice to suffer a knife to her neck when defending against an ith-ia assassin, she was not ashamed of it because it had given Xiulan the opportunity to end the threat then and there, and Ling Qi had lived.


    The best defense was one which positioned her enemies to be ruined.


    Well, that was probably too martial for her current problems. The best defense made their position untenable to hold? No, that formulation forced them to cede to her advance. Could her negotiating partners be considered enemies in this analogy or just the ones out to obstruct her?


    There was no answer, and that made her snowballing thoughts peter out.


    She really didn¡¯t like not being able to bounce her ideas off of Sixiang. She hadn¡¯t realized how much she depended on the muse for that.


    ¡°My lecture style isn¡¯t for everyone, but I did not think I had become so boring.¡±


    Ling Qi held very still, forcing herself not to flinch or jerk in reaction. Beside her in the empty space on the stone bench sat Elder Ying with her chin on her hands, looking ahead. The Elder Ying standing in the center of the grotto remained where she was, still speaking, though Ling Qi could not hear her now.


    Ling Qi lowered her head. ¡°My apologies for my inattention, elder.¡±


    ¡°This is only an introductory class, so I am not surprised, young lady. You¡¯ve taken on many burdens since the last time we spoke.¡±


    The silent question of why she was here remained.


    ¡°I felt like I owed you a farewell, now that I am leaving the Sect. Your gifts and lessons were invaluable.¡± Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure how confident she was in her own words though. Honestly, was she just making an excuse?


    ¡°How precious. It does make an old woman happy to be appreciated, even if my lessons were short. In the end, I¡¯m not sure there was much for you to take from me, young lady.¡±


    Ling Qi drummed her fingers on her knees, considering. ¡°You helped me raise Zhengui properly in the beginning when I was scrambling. That is more valuable than any art or direction in my Way.¡±


    Elder Ying considered her as the lecture went on outside the little bubble of inattention around them. ¡°That¡¯s fair, but not quite it, is it?¡±


    The elder¡¯s patient expression stirred up the question that had come to brew in her mind since the nightmare tribulation.


    ¡°Must all who reach the peak truly be alone?¡±


    That was the assertion that had previously been given out by Elder Ying in the Outer Sect when she had received brief lessons from her.


    Elder Ying¡¯s drooping eyelids opened a bit wider. Her eyes were glittering green, like raw emerald dug from the earth.


    ¡°That is my experience. Have you not experienced a little of it already? To live and walk forward, you leave people behind. This will only grow worse with the passing centuries. New faces might replace them, but they will become harder and harder to discern.¡±


    The old woman¡¯s gaze was wistful, even as the illusion of her humanity wavered under Ling Qi¡¯s attention. She had eyes of verdant ore and skin like deeply cracked and weathered stone. Ling Qi sat on a bench beside a worn and mossy mountain, looking down upon her disciples from so high among the clouds. Elder Ying was glad to proffer shade and shelter, but there was only so much a mountain could perceive of the doings of humans.


    ¡­ It was sad. Ling Qi felt that Elder Ying¡¯s Way was unbearably sad.


    ¡°I think you must be wrong. I have left some behind, and I will leave more behind, but there is still room to connect with others, even on a higher peak. I don¡¯t believe that it will become truly impossible to connect with another, if you choose not to discard that aspect on your path.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not bad to be a little naive. My Way is at its end. I will climb no higher than this. But¡­ I once thought as you did when I was a girl. I can remember that, even if I could not tell you why. Being alone does not mean you do not care or that you must be as a heavenly machine, unfeeling and disconnected. There are many Ways whose attention remains on this earth and with their people and kin. All the same, you will not be one of them. The relationship is different. Distant. When your will is a Law of the world they live in, when you have almost become a fixture of the world, how can you be?¡±


    The elder¡¯s words were a deep vibration in her bones as much as a sound in the air. It was so different perceiving a sovereign with the senses she had now in comparison to when she had spoken with the elder as a girl barely more than mortal.


    ¡°Never again. Never again will there be such slaughter. So many of our children dead. So many of our people wailing. If all the earth must rest on my back, so be it. I will be the mountain upon which the storm breaks.¡±


    Ling Qi winced, a stinging feeling in the corner of her eye. She reached up and wiped at the wetness there, and her fingers came away with a trace of red. This was the second time.


    ¡°You¡¯ve chosen a cruel path to see so deeply. I suggest you refine it soon,¡± Elder Ying advised mildly.

 Threads 320-Parting 6

    Threads 320-Parting 6


    ¡°Ah. You¡¯ve learned how to refine arts by now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been very recent,¡± Ling Qi acknowledged. ¡°Elder, if I may I ask, what were the beasts bound in your trial? The tortoise? The rotting dragon?¡±


    Those two were the two spirits who could be said to be Zhengui¡¯s parents, one dead and eternally regenerating, the other chained and bound, powering the Sect¡¯s formations.


    Elder Ying pursed her lips. ¡°Old sins. You aren¡¯t the first to make friends with foreigners, disciple, even though you might be the first to try to make it more. You know a certain elder of the old Argent Peak Sect was a traveler of the world.¡±


    That would be Elder Lang Keung, the sword saint and Xuan Shi¡¯s favorite author. He had died in Ogodei¡¯s invasion, holding back the invaders so that the disciples of the sect could evacuate. Even now, his grave on the sect grounds was guarded by the now-broken and bitter sword that he had wielded in his life.


    ¡°Then why¡­?¡±


    ¡°Wars are ugly. We make sacrifices and debase ourselves to win them. In the tales, the hero''s virtue wins, but it is never so clean.¡± Elder Ying gazed up at the sky. ¡°Well, I have my oaths. You¡¯ll learn something of our sacrifices, running about in the liminal with your spirit beast.¡±


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t fully happy with that answer, but she could feel the crushing pressure with which the word ¡°oaths¡± was spoken. It was not some idle promise she spoke of, but a soul deep principle carved right into the base of the elder¡¯s cultivation.


    ¡°Thank you, Elder Ying. I will find my own answers.¡±


    ¡°You will. Does your conviction come from the duchess? What she has accomplished is not achievable with normal methods, I think.¡±


    ¡°Is there any such thing as a normal method for reaching sovereignty? But no, I don¡¯t think I want the same as the duchess. I think you can grow without becoming unmoored and without returning to isolation. The weak are not a burden to be borne, and lack of power is not a deficiency that makes people lesser.¡±


    ¡°You truly are greedy,¡± Elder Ying said, amused. ¡°Though perhaps not in the way you think. Let me ask you, young lady, what is the purpose of defense? Of protection?¡±


    ¡°Protection aims to preserve choice, whether your own or that of those you are protecting,¡± Ling Qi said thoughtfully.


    ¡°Not an answer I have heard before,¡± Elder Ying admitted. ¡°You have come to some interesting insights, dancing in the shallows of the dream.¡±


    ¡°I know there are a hundred ways one could pick at it, but it¡¯s the best answer I can do for now.¡±


    ¡°What do you do when those beneath you choose to hurt themselves?¡±


    ¡°It depends on whether they are hurting themselves or whether I am only perceiving it that way.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve put some thought into your answer at least. A protector can crush those they protect. That must be confronted, if you wish to keep your compassion.¡±


    Ling Qi considered her. ¡°You are not without that.¡±


    ¡°I am not. I am so, so fond of you children, you disciples. It is a delight to see you grow. It is the worst pain to see you die. I care for the children and disciples, more deeply than my own life. Do you understand?¡±


    Ling Qi thought she did. The elder was alone. She cared, and she cared deeply. But it was a distant care because she cared for all of her disciples. Ling Qi looked at her elder and saw a protector and a teacher, and that was the all of her. There was nothing outside of that. Ling Qi wondered if she was even capable of having a ¡°favorite¡± disciple, let alone of being anything closer than a distant and kindly mentor.


    She suspected that Elder Ying could not. Her Way would not allow it.


    Ling Qi knew that she had to sacrifice to reach the peak. She thought she had accepted that. But until this moment, she wasn¡¯t sure she really had. No matter how clever or lucky she was, she would have to sacrifice parts of herself upon the altar of her Way. There was no method which did not take sacrifice in one form or another.


    After all, their world was built on it. The Nameless Mother and Father were nameless for that reason.


    ¡°Holding on to everything and refusing any sacrifice can only end in failure or broken Ways,¡± Elder Ying said. ¡°But in the end, you choose what you will lose and what you will gain. The price of power can only be determined by you. Now, I do believe the lesson is wrapping up. I am glad that you chose to come here. Do not think I am not.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Elder Ying, I am thankful for your advice and your service to the Sect. I will be leaving my family in your care for a little longer.¡±


    ¡°And I will shelter them, like all the other lives in the town until you may do so yourself. Good fortune, disciple. I truly hope you can solve your conundrums.¡±


    Ling Qi bowed her head, and the image of the elder beside her disappeared, leaving only the lecturing woman in the center of the room, wrapping up the class with far less cutting questions for the new disciples to consider.


    Ling Qi rose to her feet with the rest, bowed her head in respect, and took her leave.


    ***


    Ling Qi returned to the plaza below to find Hanyi. She¡¯d left her junior sister outside, knowing that she wouldn¡¯t be able to sit calmly through the length of such a lesson. She had given her strict instructions to remain in the plaza and to not pester anyone too much. Hanyi had plenty of material to study for her next concert, which Ling Qi had hoped would keep her somewhat occupied.


    What she found was unexpected. There was no trouble at all. Hanyi sat on a bench beneath a peach tree, swinging her bare feet happily back and forth.


    There was an older woman beside her, reading one of her lesson scrolls aloud. Ling Qi saw the red and blue dress and the silver hair.


    ¡°And that is what this passage means, dear. It¡¯s a bit flowery, but it seems this mountain here appreciates a poetic flourish in his intermediaries,¡± Xin said.


    ¡°Ugh, what a pain. I guess I can work the song into a formal meter, but those are boring,¡± Hanyi complained.


    Xin looked up at Ling Qi and smiled softly. ¡°Well, it looks like you can put it aside for now.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Sis! You¡¯re done with the boring stuff?¡± Hanyi exclaimed, following Xin¡¯s gaze to her. ¡°Auntie was helping me out a lot!¡±


    Xin tittered. ¡°Oh, it was nothing.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so formal, even if it has been some time. Could I ask you to spend some time with me though, dear? I would hate to miss your parting,¡± Xin said, passing the scroll back to Hanyi.


    ¡°Of course. I had sent a message to Elder Jiao, but he did not respond.¡±


    ¡°That stubborn old curmudgeon.¡± Xin sighed. ¡°Managing to hide that from me¡­ His wounds have made him even more petty these last months.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Elder Jiao is busy.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not,¡± Xin deadpanned. ¡°At least not for one of our abilities.¡±


    Ling Qi had no retort to that.


    ¡°It was a bold thing you did in my sibling¡¯s domain,¡± Xin continued, not allowing the silence to become awkward.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Hanyi looked between them.


    Ling Qi folded her arms, slipping her hands into her sleeves. ¡°The project I was working on with Sixiang, Hanyi.¡±


    Her junior sister¡¯s expression scrunched up. ¡°Oh. Right. When is the bug coming back anyway?¡±


    ¡°Eventually.¡± Ling Qi glanced at Xin.


    ¡°My little cousin stopped by. They are fine. They¡¯re pestering some of the archivists and off-duty disciples.¡± Xin rose to her feet. ¡°Why don¡¯t we walk?¡±


    Ling Qi inclined her head. Then, she looked to Hanyi.


    Hanyi held up her hands. ¡°I¡¯ll stay and study. You look like you¡¯re gonna talk about Big Sis stuff.¡±


    Ling Qi sighed. ¡°When did my cute little sister become wise?¡±


    Hanyi puffed out her chest. ¡°A lady has to be witty and smart too!¡±


    ¡°They do,¡± Xin said, amused. ¡°I left some notes for you, dear. They should help you understand.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Hanyi chirped, unrolling her scroll. One might actually think she was a diligent young miss at that moment.


    Ling Qi turned away and followed Xin down the tree-lined path at the edge of the plaza. When they were well away, she spoke. ¡°Were you the one who answered when I begged for aid in the nightmare?¡±


    Xin hummed, her somewhat garish dress blowing in a phantom breeze. ¡°Not entirely. I felt it, but there are more spirits of the Hidden Moon than I. I am an archivist. Defending knowledge is a part of who I am, but gathering it is my core. You tapped into another facet.¡±


    ¡°Seeking and keeping.¡±


    ¡°Pithy, but not incorrect. And you have been seeking some heady secrets indeed.¡±


    ¡°Why is that tomb a trial site?¡± Ling Qi asked, referring to the physical location of Huisheng¡¯s corpse. ¡°Something like that¡­¡±


    ¡°For a start, it¡¯s quite indestructible. At least, it is so without power that would cause quite an upheaval, and once the cavern split open during Ogodei¡¯s invasion, it proved impossible to seal off entirely as well. But more than that, it is inactive, save for the reagents it bleeds. You may not be the first, but you have certainly triggered a rare reaction.¡±


    ¡°He did say there had been another disciple. Do you know who it was? Or how long ago?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, I wonder.¡± Xin regarded her intently as they walked, and Ling Qi began to realize that she could not sense the plaza nor the end of the path, only a pale gray sky and the way stretching ever on in front and behind. ¡°For a promising student, a small secret. The last disciple was recent by a cultivator¡¯s measure, a mere few centuries ago. He was a man who swept the province into turmoil and whipped up the youth of the clans into following a radiant star of hope and wrath. A man who stood among the four just beneath that radiance as it burned the webs choking Xiangmen.¡±


    The four close retainers of the Duchess included Diao Lingqin, Xia Ren, the matriarch of the Wang, and the patriarch of the Jia. Of them, only the last made sense. That was¡­


    Well, it wasn¡¯t as if she wasn¡¯t going to have to investigate all of them eventually, given Renxiang¡¯s goals.


    ¡°You could have just said his name if you were going to spell it out like that.¡±


    ¡°And miss the fun of a dramatic speech? Ling Qi, dear, what have you been doing in the dreaming realms?¡±


    Ling Qi let out a brief laugh as they continued walking the twisting and infinite path. The gray cover of clouds broke, revealing an infinite expanse of stars with only the black circle of the new moon to interrupt it. ¡°May I ask where we are going?¡±


    ¡°To my home, of course.¡±

 Threads 321 Parting 7

    Threads 321 Parting 7


    ¡°You mean Elder Jiao¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°Our home,¡± Xin corrected. ¡°I have as much right to guests as he.¡±


    Ling Qi inclined her head. Of course she did. Ling Qi doubted Elder Jiao would even contest that, for all he might grouse about it.


    Turning a corner on the starlit path, the silhouette of a manor came into view in the mist. It was a sprawling, two-story complex set against the base of a low slumping mountain among the trees. The ominous air of dense qi around it made Ling Qi¡¯s hair stand on end and her skin prickle.


    Then, she saw it properly, and she felt her expression instinctively scrunch up in disgust.


    Lurid eye-searing pink.


    Every roof tile was that shade. The walls themselves were a splotchy gradient of bright greens and yellows that seemed to pulse under her vision, a sickening and hypnotic shifting of color that made her stomach cramp up as if she had eaten something bad. Wings of the manor jutted out at strange angles, and structures rose without rhyme or reason. There, a six-story pointed tower. There, a field of distorted plants encased by a sprawling structure of frosted glass. And there, a rustic hall of stacked logs and bundled straw.


    It was absolute chaos. Only the vines growing everywhere and sprouting silver flowers lent it any elegance at all, and even that only made the rest worse in contrast!


    Xin observed her expression. ¡°My lord husband has a unique way of welcoming guests,¡± she said dryly.


    ¡°Why does it make me feel ill?! It¡¯s just shapes and colors. A formation? No, it¡¯s not even that!¡± Ling Qi was aghast. She held her hand up to her mouth.


    Xin laughed. ¡°If one masters geomancy, they will know everything that should be done. Is it not easy to do the opposite?¡± Xin took her hand to guide her down the path toward the manor. ¡°Of course, we¡¯re both a bit petty if I¡¯m honest. It gets less offensive inside.¡±


    As they passed boundary walls that made her eyes itch, not just from the searing color, but because somehow there was something wrong about the angle of the structure, Ling Qi shuddered and lowered her eyes to her feet. They passed through a door that Ling Qi could not entirely perceive, twisted as it was, parallel to proper space. She could not have said whether it was set in the wall, the ceiling, or the floor of the manor porch, but the dim hall inside, while still painted luridly, was at least properly aligned with the world.


    ¡°We may be walking for a moment, so let me ask you. I can sense some turmoil in your cultivation. I can lend an ear, if you like.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, unsurprised that the powerful moon spirit could sense her troubles. Though she had found insights from her recent nightmare tribulation, she still had doubts and concerns.


    ¡°Someone told me that power was the ability to affect change,¡± Ling Qi began. ¡°That all who seek sovereignty desire dominion, to rule and command in some way or another. That power is without meaning and morality, and...¡±


    Xin walked beside her as she spoke. A silver candle flame had bloomed in her upraised palm, casting light through the deep wells of darkness in Elder Jiao¡¯s manor. It felt strange to see shadows that her sight could not pierce.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think this is wrong, but at the same time, I¡¯m not sure I want this to be right. Or at least, I need to find a Way which I can complete to my own satisfaction.¡±


    Xin¡¯s footfalls, like Ling Qi¡¯s, were soundless. Even the rustle of their gowns was absent. The moon spirit was also not breathing. Ling Qi barely bothered, letting the circulation of her qi do the majority of the work. Neither of them were making any pretense of normality. The absolute silence was almost meditative.


    It almost let her ignore the stomach cramp inducing color of the walls.


    ¡°Hmm, I cannot say that view is wrong either. I have told you that the idea of fate, that there is some grand plan for the world, is false. It is utter nonsense which serves only to give certain types of mind comfort and belief in their own command of their world.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, remembering the conversation with Xin after Zeqing¡¯s death. She had been upset and confused. A part of her was still suspicious of Xin for orchestrating that death, using her like a game piece.


    But in the end, she had to let that go. XIn had only helped her and given her opportunities. She was the one who had chosen to take them.


    And even the seventh realm spirit had not gotten her way. After all, Ling Qi had decided to follow Cai Renxiang, rather than becoming Elder Jiao¡¯s apprentice.


    ¡°So to speak of absolute truths¡­ Most can only be absolute in the minds of humans. But there is one such truth embedded in those words. To be sovereign is to rule. That is the fundamental nature of high cultivation. To achieve the highest realms, one must be absolutely certain in their own rightness and that there is some aspect of the world which must change. They must know that they have the right to be the ones who change it. If there is even the smallest doubt in your heart when you reach for those realms, you will shatter your body and soul in seeking to grasp that power.¡±


    ¡°But I have seen regret and bitterness at the past. I¡¯ve even something like self-loathing in sovereign cultivators.¡± Ling Qi thought of the elders she had met and of Diao Linqin and the almost contemptuous way she had referred to what seemed to be her own power of absolute empathy.


    ¡°Of course. Doubt can creep in after you have advanced. Regret can set in, settling in cracks yet to be smoothed over. This is why those you have observed will never reach the final realm, let alone ascend. Only when one steps into the eighth realm do the last shreds of what one might call sanity flee. White light contains all colors, yet it contains none. This world of doubts and regrets and choices ceases to be theirs. They make themselves visitors here, lingering on the doorstep of a different kind of existence. And even then, most have some speck of impurity which keeps them here with us until remorseless time reaps them too.¡±


    ¡°Then those words are right,¡± Ling Qi said. There were parts of the world that she wished were different. She didn¡¯t know that she believed she could change the world though. That still felt like an arrogant thought here in the calm and silence.


    ¡°It is difficult to argue with, but if the insight of a high realm was not, their Way would be precarious indeed.¡±


    Xin led Ling Qi through a room of overstuffed chairs scattered at odd angles throughout the room. The plush carpet sank under her feet despite her lack of physical weight. All around the rooms were paintings, mostly of Xin. Some were elegant and formal. Others were more risque. Ling Qi averted her eyes from those.


    There were other subjects too, such as landscapes. A black crag stretched into the starry sky, seeming to wear the thin sliver of light cast by the new moon like a crown. Another painting depicted a manor on the side of the mountain with a vast and terraced garden.


    Ling Qi noticed that one was a painting of two handsome young noblemen she didn¡¯t recognize, grinning with their arms around each other¡¯s shoulders. That one was very small, and the paint was chipped and worn.


    Each painting was also tilted, just slightly, at a unique and visually bothersome angle. It made a little knot of pain throb in her temple.


    ¡°What do you believe power is then?¡± Ling Qi asked as they passed through the dark sitting room and through a set of three sliding paper screens that opened on their own. Each screen was painted with patterns of scattered eyes in different shades.


    ¡°Power...¡± Xin mused. ¡°Is a vague concept. But if asked to define it, I would say that it is born from causality. Power lives in the interplay of action and reaction, the exhaust of the countless lives all being lived at once, so often in competition or strife. Power is the ability to define and maintain one''s own existence in the face of opposition.¡±


    ¡°That seems very similar,¡± Ling Qi said. But not the same as hers. Xin¡¯s definition was more reactive, she thought.


    ¡°Hair splitting is inevitable when reaching personal definitions of such expansive concepts,¡± Xin said, turning to face her as they arrived outside of a sturdy metal door. Well, she called it a door, but it looked more like the entrance to a vault or the gate of a fortress. ¡°But I think you will find that which hair you choose matters a great deal in cultivation.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned as Xin ran her hand along the surface of the door. ¡°I think that power is the ability to make your choices extend beyond your own self. To make them matter to the world outside your mind.¡±


    She didn¡¯t think her concept was complete. She was still nursing this insight, but it felt more cohesive, as if some of her thoughts were starting to come together.


    ¡°A good place to begin.¡± Xin held her palm flat against the metal. ¡°Goodness. Thirty-seven spatial labyrinths between the front door and here, and now this, a soul dispersion equation. Jiao, this is just excessive.¡±


    Ling Qi blinked and looked up. That was extremely concerning!


    The door blew away like so much mist.


    ¡°It is not excessive at all, considering you and the girl have still come here,¡± groused a familiar voice.


    The room beyond was cavernous, full of tables and furnaces and devices which Ling Qi could not identify. Half-constructed hulks of metal and stone and wood hung from the ceiling, and burning forges that worked themselves shone like dull red stars in the distance. On the walls hung talisman blades, arms, and armaments, emanating such potency even at rest that Ling Qi suspected that any individual piece would beggar some clans.


    In the center, in a well cleared space, was a war chariot of the sort not fielded by the empire since shortly after the first dynasty and the Strife of Twin Emperors. Made of a smooth, jet black material chased with silver and white gems and wheels of gleaming white metal, it was immaculate with no sign of wear or damage.


    Elder Sima Jiao sat facing away from them in a chair set beside it. He looked strange. After the manor, she had expected to find him wearing something truly outrageous. But here, the bald, gray-skinned elder sat in an austere black sleeping robe, belted around his waist with a white sash. Somehow, it made him look thin and wasted. He had a long silver pipe in one hand, and a faint trail of inky black smoke rising from the bowl.


    ¡°Did you do all of that and really not bother getting dressed, husband?¡± Xin looked faintly exasperated as she stepped over the threshold of the workshop.


    ¡°Pfah, why bother? I was merely going to tinker with the suspension array today. Only someone had to drag a stray in.¡±


    ¡°Jiao, you have been playing with that array for half a century, and you have never once even ridden in that thing. We don¡¯t even own horses.¡±


    ¡°I can acquire horses whenever I like. And it can still be improved.¡±


    Ling Qi gingerly entered the space behind Xin. She almost felt like a child hiding behind her mother¡¯s skirts. It didn¡¯t stop Elder Jiao from fixing her in place with his irritated gaze.


    ¡°And you. What in the world were you even hoping for, coming here? I thought it was quite clear that you¡¯d chosen to hare off with that foolish Cai girl.¡±


    Ling Qi took a deep breath and stepped out from behind Xin. She clasped her hands in respect and bowed at the waist as low as she could manage. ¡°This disciple thanks the elder for his aid and lessons. It is most regrettable that this one was never able to learn from you properly.¡±


    He turned his head and stared at her hard.


    She remained where she was, unmoving.


    Xin smiled faintly.


    Ling Qi raised her head. ¡°And though you were a prickly, irascible old man, I do sincerely thank you for your words at the tournament. They were all true. This path of mine can make me want to tear my hair out sometimes. At times, it feels as if I am all that lies between my liege and self-destruction.¡±


    She stopped breathing, cutting off the last sound save for the working of the automated tools in the background.


    Xin covered her mouth, her eyes crinkling.


    Sima Jiao let out a snort, and every light in the workshop flickered, narrowed eyes opening by the dozen in the long shadows. ¡°Hmph, you have spine, even if it''s only because you know that I wouldn¡¯t fight with my wife in order to slap you, you ridiculous child.¡±


    ¡°Knowing when one can afford to speak bluntly is an important skill,¡± Ling Qi refuted. Straightening up, she glanced at Xin. ¡°Truly, I wished to thank you¡­¡±


    Sima jiao harrumphed, unimpressed. ¡°And pick my brain for advice on dealing with old subordinates.¡±


    Ling Qi winced. ¡°Any advice the elder would deign to give would be welcome, but I have no right to demand anything.¡±


    ¡°Tch, don¡¯t start doing court circles now.¡± Elder Jiao¡¯s silhouette shimmered, and he was now looking at her head-on, his pipe held at the corner of his lips. His robe hung partly open, revealing his gray and sunken chest. Linen bandages so densely inscribed with formation characters as to appear nearly black were wrapped around his ribs. ¡°There is nothing between us. As oblique as I had to be, you refused my offer. If you¡¯d done it for any less a position, it would have been a terrible insult.¡±

 Threads 322 Parting 8

    Threads 322 Parting 8


    Back in the Outer Sect, Elder Jiao had implied through Xin that he was considering her for apprenticeship in the Inner Sect. In the end, she had chosen to follow Cai Renxiang. She didn¡¯t regret that choice, but she wished it were possible to grasp both opportunities.


    As if sensing her thoughts, Elder Jiao snorted. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten yourself into exactly what I warned you of. Between that woman and these foreigners, you¡¯ve filled your plate to overflowing. And that¡¯s leaving aside your lady¡¯s domestic ambition.¡±


    Ling Qi pursed her lips, searching his expression. She knew that he had once been the Minister of Integrity, a leader and founder of that organization, and the eyes and black hand of the previous emperor. How much did the elder know of the duchess? Of what had passed between Cai Renxiang and her mother?


    In truth, sometimes, when she was alone meditating on the future, she wanted to scream at the thought of the mountain she had set herself to climb.


    Elder Jiao tapped the bowl of his pipe against his palm, glancing at his wife, who raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°You are plotting,¡± he accused, jabbing his pipe at Xin.


    ¡°Ah, to be accused by my lord husband so cruelly.¡± Xin sighed, resting her cheek on her hand. ¡°I could weep.¡±


    Ling Qi shivered. The press of their wills as they clashed, the two seventh realm¡¯s eyes meeting over her head, was nearly as bad as being back in the court of Xiangmen.


    ¡°I already said it. You were right.¡± Ling Qi repeated, ¡°You were right, but I don¡¯t regret it, following Renxiang, diving into these politics, because no one else would do it right!¡±


    A hint of the frustration that had been building in her over these last months escaped. Even those most aligned with them were condescending at best. What would have happened if she had left the matter of her meeting with Emissary Jaromilla at the caldera battle to the sect to report? What would have happened if she and Renxiang had simply gone on to the intersect tournament and left this whole horrifyingly complex endeavor to, at best, a well-meaning courtier, and at worst, an outright disinterested bureaucrat?


    And this was only the first hurdle to seeing that this beautiful mess of a province, her home, didn¡¯t fall in when the lynchpin at its center cracked.


    Elder Jiao¡¯s expression went flat. ¡°Too clever girl, are you really trying to manipulate me?¡±


    He looked like a mannequin. His eyes were blank and dead and glassy. The eyes in the dark were not though. They glared down at her.


    Xin scoffed. ¡°You know she¡¯s not, Jiao. As if you can¡¯t read a child¡¯s intentions clearly. Honestly, husband, all humor aside, I am disappointed in you.¡±


    ¡°I know we are not the same,¡± Ling Qi insisted. ¡°I only have the barest knowledge of what you have done and who you are. I know that even with what little I can¡­¡± Her senses wavered.


    A knife. A knife that was a man. Cruel Virtue, the blade to carve out the rot that the body might live and breathe healthily again. But each cut revealed a new tumor. The sickness ran so deep, deeper than the foundations themselves. Rot. Rot. RotrotrotrotrotrotROTROTROTROT-


    ¡°Feh. What obnoxious eyes you are cultivating. Have you been training her in secret, Xin?¡±


    The awful, crushing despair that Ling Qi felt passed as swiftly as it had come. The flash of vision had been even briefer than the others, but where Xia Ren had left her unsettled and Elder Ying had left her sad, now, she just felt nauseous and drawn, like the victims of the red fever when it had swept through Tonghou. She felt as if her body was tied down with immense weights. Her head pounded, and even her qi felt sluggish and dull.


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, no, this wouldn¡¯t be you. Too unpolished. An undefined domain feature.¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s vision swam and returned.


    Elder Jiao regarded her. His body seemed animate again, the shadows less dark. ¡°You know I was listening, girl. Here is another answer for you. Power is delusion. It is what men fool themselves into believing they have, that they may move the world. The true secret? They can¡¯t. Peasant, lord, and emperor alike, mortal or immortal ascended, all their efforts are worthless. Nothing fundamental changes anymore, not since the end of the age of myths when the great laws were set. The pieces get shuffled around, and the names change, but humans are humans, and the world is the world. It always comes back to the same pattern, the formulation set by cultivation itself.¡±


    He sounded bitter. Incredibly bitter.


    Xin sighed.


    Ling Qi stared. ¡°We are definitely different.¡±


    ¡°Why? Because you will succeed?¡± Elder Jiao asked sardonically.


    ¡°No. Because I never believed I could change the world in the first place.¡±


    He furrowed his brow.


    ¡°Lady Renxiang¡­ I thought she was a fool at the start. I thought her statements were the empty posturing of a noble who didn¡¯t understand anything. I was only partially right. She¡¯s not naive. She won¡¯t look away from inconvenient truths. Neither of us truly understood people back then. I was too low, and she was too high.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Shockingly, a pair of teenagers were not fully versed in human nature.¡±


    Xin flicked Elder Jiao across the temple, and he growled, batting her hand away. She gave him an unimpressed look.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Ling Qi shrugged. ¡°But I also don¡¯t think human nature can be understood. You don¡¯t understand it either because no one does. Renxiang can be stupid sometimes, stubborn beyond all reason. I call her on it. And she reminds me that unthinking cynicism is just as empty and thoughtless as unthinking optimism. I¡¯m not her shadow or her knife or her voice. I¡¯m just her friend.¡±


    ¡°How wonderful for you. Do you have a point somewhere in this whole ramble?¡±


    ¡°You said power was a delusion, that nothing fundamental changed no matter what anyone does. And I saw a little of yourself before you cut me off. How many of your own eyes have you put out, Elder?¡±


    His jaw worked, and she glanced nervously at Xin, who smiled reassuringly at her.


    ¡°I think imagining that one or two people can change the shape of the world is¡­ That is a delusion. Not even the duchess did that or any one emperor.¡± Ling Qi said hastily, ¡°Uh, except maybe the Sage Emperor.¡±


    Elder Jiao let out a bark of laughter.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t think the details you mentioned are irrelevant.¡±


    She felt an echo in her meridians, stirring and whispering in her thoughts.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t the pebbles nor the boulders that change the mountainside, but the motion which unites them.¡±


    She rubbed her jaw after she spoke. It itched. These words didn¡¯t quite feel like her words.


    ¡°Trite. Hmph, you¡¯ve been toying with dangerous mentors. How many thoughts not your own are swimming around up there?¡±


    Ling Qi considered. She could feel the foreign thread of thought, but she didn¡¯t disagree with it. ¡°Expedited lessons. Teachers put thoughts in their students'' heads all the time, no? It is up to us to accept or reject them.¡±


    He snorted. ¡°Too clever indeed. Xin.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not malevolent,¡± Xin answered. ¡°But you and I know well what good intentions mean.¡±


    Elder Jiao scoffed. ¡°So I was delusional because I aimed for something too high and impossible? You are not because your goals are more meager? That is your takeaway, girl?¡±


    ¡°Those are your words. I haven¡¯t studied the past of the Celestial Peaks enough to know what you¡¯ve accomplished. But I do know that Emperor An, the man you served, founded the Great Sect system, and I also know that your ministry was the one who found me in the streets and brought me here. Even if you think it¡¯s irrelevant, too small to matter, that is one life you have changed. But that is our difference, I think. I can¡¯t accept that only the largest and most sweeping changes matter.¡±


    The elders, the general, Bleak Sky¡¯s Yearning, and the many spirits of her fief and the things in the depths of dream were all similar. For them, a moment of unveiled attention or carelessness or simple apathy could crumble the weaker souls around them. It was becoming easier for her to treat with powers currently beyond her. People and spirits were both difficult, and both had to be spoken to in a certain way, if she wanted them to hear her.


    ¡°Ancestors save me from naive children.¡± The words were tired without the sarcastic bite in his earlier statements. ¡°The sect system was made to distribute nodes of imperial influence throughout the provinces and undermine the ducal clans. The business with wild talents was an afterthought. I only suggested it because of how overworked the ministry was in stamping out a million, million fires, from high talent cultivators emerging from nothing and wreaking havoc. How infuriated my clan was when I brought our most advanced and deeply hidden astrological divination arts of the Sima into public use for mere rabble and distributed them in such numbers that no number of petty assassins could drag the knowledge back into shadow. Heh. As if I hadn¡¯t earned their undying hate a hundred times over by then.¡±


    It was definitely strange to hear the bald, unvarnished truth spoken by one of the originators of the system. It also shook her a little, the contempt she could feel bleeding into the name of his clan. It disturbed her in the same way Cai Renxiang¡¯s thoughts on family disturbed her. How could one betray their family?


    Well, maybe that was the wrong thought. How did one come to see something so abstract as a province, an empire, or the future as their kin?


    ¡°Results matter far more than intentions,¡± Xin offered. ¡°We planned this path. We charted it. We calculated it. The results were not our expectations. But they stand before us all the same. Let me speak again, Ling Qi. Power lies in the interaction of forces. Power is what moves objects and people and ideas. It is the motivating force of life that humans crave and burn themselves in again and again and again. Observing you all has never ceased to please me, even as I have changed and become something less and more than I was. It is wrong to say that I have no regrets, but¡ª¡±


    Elder Jiao thrust himself up to his feet. ¡°Bah. Enough of this. Honestly, Xin, there is no need for this kind of mush-mouthed philosophizing. Neither of us are yet so old.¡±


    His sleeping robe rippled, and layers of eye-searing pinks and yellows spun themselves out of shadow and nothing, forming a robe that was a formal minister¡¯s garb, twisted by hideous color.


    ¡°Ah, I see. So we are not old? It is not too late for you to give me a child then, husband.¡± Xin laughed, reappearing at his side, arm threaded through his. ¡°I shall not let you dodge your responsibilities forever.¡±


    Elder Jiao pointedly ignored her and looked at Ling Qi. ¡°Come along, girl. I¡¯ll not have you hanging about in my inner workshop. You¡¯ll break something, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Elder Jiao.¡± Ling Qi wasn¡¯t quite certain how helpful she had been to whatever it was Xin was up to, but she was happy to have helped an old mentor. ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°Somewhere to sit and get comfortable. Talking a young fool through the pit of serpents they¡¯ve jumped into will take some time.¡±

 Threads 323 parting 9

    Threads 323 parting 9


    Ling Qi blew away the steam rising from the cup in her hand. She sat by a low table on a thick woolen cushion.


    This was the least visually offensive room in Elder Jiao¡¯s manor thus far. The table was surrounded by dense shelves, interspersed with little silver and glass tables which each held a lantern lit by a pale blue, ghostly flame. The table she sat by was polished ebony, topped with dark green, nearly black, jade. She could almost see her reflection in the shine.


    ¡°Yes, I decorated this room,¡± Xin answered her unspoken question. She sipped from the cup in her hand.


    ¡°If you wish to be boring, that is your business.¡± Elder Jiao lounged as if seated on a couch set back from the table where Xin and Ling Qi sat with his own cup in his hands.


    Ling Qi decided not to comment. ¡°What blend is this? I¡¯ve never drank tea with such a bitter scent.¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s not tea. It¡¯s some foreign drink imported by the Xuan. Appropriate for your nonsense, no?¡± Elder Jiao drawled. ¡°And besides, it has a good bite.¡±


    Ling Qi raised her eyebrows. This tea was probably hellishly expensive then. There was a certain mix of qi in the dark, almost muddy, liquid, too. An earth-heaven mixture. How strange. She raised the cup to her lips, sipped, and immediately blanched, her face scrunching up at the horribly bitter flavor.


    Xin sighed. ¡°Do add some milk, dear. The raw flavor isn¡¯t for everyone.¡±


    Ling Qi coughed into her sleeve, set the cup down, and hurried to do so from the chilled silver pot on the table.


    Elder Jiao smirked at her from behind his cup. ¡°Foreign goods have always trickled in without notice or high attention. But the unfamiliar is a bitter pill for many to swallow.¡±


    Ling Qi narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°Elder Jiao is wise.¡±


    The elder snorted. ¡°I am no such thing. The word you are looking for is ¡®experienced,¡¯ girl. You cultivate that old spirit-speaking art, don¡¯t you?¡±


    She blinked at the non-sequitur, using a little spoon to stir milk into the strange drink. ¡°I do. I¡¯ve been cultivating it whenever I can spare a moment since it seems to me that high cultivators and spirits are not so different.¡±


    ¡°Correct, though it''s impolitic and rude to say it.¡± Elder Jiao tsked. ¡°Going by the fluctuation in your meridians, you¡¯ve been looking into the lessons on harm mitigation. Why?¡±


    Ling Qi considered the question. ¡°A spirit does not need to be malicious or predatory to do harm to lower realms. It seems to me that this is also true of people, high realm or no. I thought it might be useful to meditate on the lessons in dispersing dense qi pressure around the user and her companions.¡±


    She thought of all the high realms involved in the upcoming summit. Not one of them outright wished her harm and failure, but all the same, they threatened her project in many ways simply by being who they were and their inability to view the world outside of their already extant understanding of the world they lived in.


    ¡°It is a good lesson to internalize how to recognize harm without malice. There is a difference in mindset needed to deflect and disperse what is not an attack but which may crush others regardless,¡± Xin said. ¡°While I find results matter most, intent does matter. Without understanding your opponent¡¯s mind, producing the outcome you wish for is more difficult.¡±


    Elder Jiao rolled his eyes. ¡°Tinkering with old and abandoned things for parts will not earn much respect.¡±


    ¡°I think,¡± Ling Qi said, ¡°the key to that is making your new idea appear to be sourced in older ones. People do it all the time.¡±


    He smirked. ¡°True enough. Cao Chun. What do you know about him?¡±


    ¡°He is a storied inspector and respected hero in the Celestial Peaks, a retired but formerly high ranked member of the Ministry of Integrity. He respects our desire to make the border safe for our people, but little else, I suspect. He seems very invested in inspecting Hui formation craft at the embassy.¡±


    ¡°Of course he is. His last duty was rooting out the sleeper cells left in their wake, as part of the terms in dealing with the new duchess.¡±


    ¡°Sleeper?¡± Ling Qi wondered.


    ¡°Cultivators and mortals left with deeply implanted mental suggestions and formation bindings, unaware of the effect they are under,¡± Xin answered. ¡°It was an ugly business.¡±


    ¡°There is a reason the throne backed that woman. An and I were already developing plans to collapse the Hui. What we saw in the Ogodei incursion could allow nothing else. Our method, though, would have broken this province as its own entity.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I want to know that,¡± Ling Qi said flatly.


    Elder Jiao snorted. ¡°That sounds like a you problem.¡±


    ¡°It is certainly not something you¡¯ll want to blurt out, but it is also not¡­ hm, actionable, dear. He wouldn¡¯t have said it otherwise,¡± Xin said.


    Elder Jiao harumphed and took a deep drink from his cup. ¡°Cao Chun. Not one of my direct students or companions on the path of integrity. Too young. He is from the first generation of apprentices though. He was a boy from a low branch of the Cao clan, rescued from a furnace cult that had grown among their branch clans, though you¡¯ll find no record of that.¡±


    Before Ling Qi could speak it, Xin answered her question.


    ¡°Furnace cults were an ideology and method, born in the second dynasty among the Peaks, which professes that human cultivation materials are superior to spirit stones or beast sourced materials.¡± Xin¡¯s usual faint cheer was replaced with a more clinical tone. ¡°It professes that only those of the most superior talent and skill should cultivate for themselves, and that those below them exist to fuel such cultivation. The world may be set to right and human life carried forward only when all have been made one in the persons of a few exalted individuals.¡±


    ¡°Human spirit stones, pah.¡± Jiao grunted. ¡°Tainted, filthy nonsense. There are only a handful of paths one could cultivate with those, and not one of them should ever be written into the world. The point, girl, is that Cao Chun is a man who is both unshakably righteous and doggedly cynical. He sees those insisting that the current way of the world is wrong through the lens of the zealous cult he was pulled from. He holds rigidly to imperial orthodoxy because we are the ones who stamped all such nonsense down into the lowest and furthest gutters.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t stamp it out entirely?¡± Ling Qi asked, horrified. She understood in reading between the lines of recent history that the Celestial Peaks had had serious problems before the establishment of the Ministry of Integrity but¡­


    ¡°We tried.¡± He fixed her with a gimlet look. ¡°But it is not only good ideas which are difficult to kill.¡±


    ¡°Appeals to individual virtue are unlikely to resonate,¡± Xin advised. ¡°Sentiment even less so. He sees the world in systems. People are virtuous only through constraint and ritual and tradition. Foreign or questioning elements inherently weaken the system of virtue which separates men from beasts, no matter their intention.¡±


    So, he was similar to Cai Renxiang then? Or¡­ No, that was a disservice to her liege. They approached similar conclusions from different directions. Renxiang saw clearly defined law and systemic solutions as the best means to reach her end. It seemed that Cao Chun saw such a hard system as an end unto itself.


    ¡°It seems like it will be impossible to fully sway him then. Our goals are misaligned.¡±


    ¡°Quick. You¡¯re not bothering to waste time agonizing over the idea that you can¡¯t be everyone¡¯s friend. You¡¯ve grown a little, better than I expected with what I can see you cultivating,¡± Elder Jiao said.


    ¡°I am going to be condescended to by a lot of people, aren¡¯t I?¡± Ling Qi asked, resigned. ¡°I want to understand. I want to be understood. There is nothing about that which precludes me from recognizing an enemy and opposing them, but still, people will think that.¡±


    Elder Jiao met her eyes, and she did not lower her head or look away. Let him see the truth of her conviction.


    ¡°You will be. Understanding, as you put it, is a trait which most will see as inherently weak and compromising. It most often is, after all. The domain of mealy-mouthed courtiers seeking to slide between arguments while never once committing to any position is well known in the empire.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t fair. But she already knew the lie of fairness.


    ¡°My husband is being too negative again. Show your own convictions. Show that you have positions, and such thrown mud will slide off of you when you speak in person, lingering only in rumor.¡±


    The elder continued as if he had not been interrupted. ¡°He is ultimately an enemy. But there are degrees and his tools are limited. Recognize the parameters of the battle you are in.¡±


    Ling Qi considered this. Even if she could recognize him as, ultimately, an opponent, the man himself would not see it that way. He would not order active sabotage or skullduggery¡­ Maybe he would do so against the White Sky if he thought it justified, but that was a stretch. Similarly, he could not unilaterally strike down her lady¡¯s initiatives and proposals. There were shades of imperial authority.


    ¡°Good. You¡¯re starting to think. His weapons will be censure and disapproval when he perceives you as overstepping. It is not you who will be the target, but¡­¡±


    ¡°The counts,¡± Ling Qi realized. ¡°And if they are riled enough, the duchess may decide we have overdrawn our political budget.¡± It was a sour thought, but she knew that despite her certainty of the summit¡¯s importance to her province¡¯s future peace and prosperity, this was ultimately an indulgence given to a successful heir.


    ¡°At the same time, the ministry has its own factions,¡± Xin said. ¡°That was so even when we were there.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve no doubt the little cliques have spread and bloomed.¡± Elder Jiao sneered. ¡°Be watchful, and if any are too overt, well, that is a different battle, and different battles have different enemies and allies.¡±


    Ling Qi sincerely hoped that would not come to pass. But if at any point she gained evidence of active sabotage, Cao Chun would not be the sort of man to hide or deny clear evidence. He might wish to keep it quiet, but such a perpetrator would be punished.


    ¡°I would expect troublesome activities to be espionage on our guests,¡± Xin said. ¡°This may be offensive to your potential allies.¡±


    Ling Qi was probably overthinking potential disasters. ¡°We have already begun pushing for something like the Xuan¡¯s foreign quarter. We intend to present a working blueprint of that, stripped down to the mechanical aspects. Do you think that would be a goal Cao Chun could be sold on?¡±


    ¡°If you frame it correctly. Some see the Xuan as barely better than barbarians themselves with the distance they keep to the rest of the empire. Cao Chun is not one of them, but he might be influenced by that rhetoric.¡±


    ¡°Wayward, and not foreign,¡± Xin finished. ¡°If I might add a suggestion, some implication that imperial ways might spread will help you. That man¡¯s pride does not lie in himself but in institutions, and he truly believes imperial ways and means bring the greatest safety and happiness.¡±


    Ling Qi found that idea slightly distasteful, but if it was an angle to be worked, it was what it was. She could understand it a little. They were enemies in their current aims, but they were both imperial.


    No wonder rulers seemed a little mad to her. Renxiang¡¯s obsession with responsibility made sense. There were so many moving parts and conflicting interests the moment she stepped back further than immediate family.


    ¡°Ugh, such an annoying topic. Girl, your art. What is it you are seeking from it?¡± Jiao demanded.


    She blinked at the swap of subject again, taking a long sip from the now cooler drink. She had added a lot of milk while they were talking. It was still bitter, but palatable now. ¡°Long term, I want to purchase the art from the sect for use in my fief. I have seen a few methods, but I prefer it for spirit negotiations. And I suspect I will be the head priestess at our Snowblossom for some time. I think it would be good to be able to lead processions and acclimate the spirits there to mortals and vice versa.¡±


    ¡°Terrifying,¡± the Elder deadpanned. ¡°I feel sorry for the poor fools you are going to lead off to dance in the woods with mad fairies.¡±


    Ling Qi scrunched up her nose and gave him an unimpressed look.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit ambitious, but within your rights as a baron,¡± Xin said soothingly. ¡°The Ministry of Spiritual Affairs may balk a bit though. Hmm, you children are going to be working close to the ground for some time, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s too much work to do otherwise,¡± Ling Qi said. She suddenly realized that she would have to apply these lessons even to herself and her bound spirits. It wasn¡¯t only the beasts of the wild that could be frightening to mortals or other lower realms.


    ¡°Jiao.¡± Xin looked meaningfully at her husband.


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± he grumbled. ¡°I¡¯ve already spent too much time today reflecting on ugly things.¡±


    The moon spirit smiled. ¡°Allow me to offer some advice on the more physical parts of what you are studying. There are a few avenues by which that art is followed.¡±

 Threads 324-Parting 10

    Threads 324-Parting 10


    ¡°There are methods for better dispersing greater powers. But the method I think you might find useful as a cornerstone for priestly rites in grounding spiritual power and pressure is one that is used for leading lower realms and even mortals,¡± Xin said thoughtfully.


    ¡°Spirit and world are one in understanding,¡± Ling Qi recited from the meditative koan of the art int question. ¡°The spirit is merely an element of the world you walk in and may allow its intent to be bled back whence it comes.¡±


    Melodies of the Spirit Seekers was not a flashy art and not one she used in battle. Its lessons were more subtle than that, and they mostly served to inform her thoughts and approaches to spirit negotiation.


    The portion she was cultivating right now was in fact its primary active technique, Bastion¡¯s Melody, a qi field that protected herself and her allies from the unintentional harm high realms could cause merely by their presence and attention. Even then, as she had told Xin, she had been mostly contemplating its lessons as a thought exercise, rather than for the technique itself, which would likely only become useful when it came time to begin focusing on the many spirits in their shared fief at Snowblossom.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Xin agreed. ¡°I do know a few tricks for improving the qi efficiency of techniques like this. That may allow you to let the protection linger in place, most especially when in a prepared area.¡±


    ¡°Like a shrine or a temple.¡±


    ¡°Exactly that. Now, to achieve the best effect, you may have to teach any followers a lower ranked version of the art, but that will be your business.¡±


    ¡°And you can also do it on your own time,¡± Elder Jiao interjected. ¡°I¡¯ve indulged both you and Xin and given you advice on your challenges. Be grateful. I did not even owe you that much.¡±


    ¡°I understand, elder. I am thankful. Our paths have some similarities, but I¡¯m even more sure after our talk that they are not the same.¡±


    ¡°Of course they aren¡¯t. By the gods did my foolish sentimentality come back to be a bother.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think sentimentality is an error. Being without sentiment can only lead to ugliness.¡±


    ¡°Childish.¡± The elder sighed. ¡°I do not understand why you are so happy to be inflicted with this babble, Xin.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve always been overly curious,¡± Xin said loftily.


    ¡°May I ask one more question?¡±


    Jiao gave her an unimpressed look, but didn¡¯t say no.


    ¡°I know the ministry represents some interest, but is the throne actually likely to interfere?¡±


    Xin¡¯s fond smile dimmed. Elder Jiao scowled.


    ¡°No,¡± Elder Jiao bit out. ¡°Unless you somehow offer an immense offense, the eyes of the throne won¡¯t approach this place. The ministry might use it as a threat to push you in the directions they want, but Xiang will not care unless you make her care.¡±


    Ling Qi was feeling highly uncomfortable when she realized that he had just referred to the empress so casually by first name.


    ¡°What is she like?¡± Ling Qi wondered, morbidly curious. Elder Jiao had actually sounded upset.


    He gave her a long look. ¡°She came to the same conclusion I did. The difference is that she did not stop. Like you, she felt her father and I had eyes too big for our stomachs.¡±


    ¡°What conclusion?¡±


    ¡°Puzzle it out if you care so much,¡± Elder Jiao said flippantly. ¡°Xin, don¡¯t just tell her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve given away enough secrets today. I wouldn¡¯t want to atrophy her skills by handing over everything.¡± Xin reached over to pat her hand. ¡°If you¡¯d like, we can retire now and talk qi theory. I¡¯m afraid my husband¡¯s tolerance for company is at its limit.¡±


    ¡°Do not talk about me like some invalid.¡±


    ¡°Thank you again, elder.¡±


    ¡°Feh, just try not to fail too much. Maybe the world will scrape some small benefit from your flailing then,¡± Elder Jiao said grumply. Before the words were even finished, his form lost shape, collapsing into mist and shadow that swiftly dispersed in the air.


    She blinked. That was¡­ almost encouraging? Maybe. From a certain point of view.


    ¡°Mm, not much improvement, but the slide is arrested for the moment,¡± Xin assessed. ¡°Do take that as a lesson, dear. No matter how well you plan or what plots you hatch, you will never get everything you wanted.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t,¡± Xin corrected kindly. ¡°Not for a while yet. Oh, I wonder, did you keep that map I left you? The one I gave to you while you were still in the Outer Sect?¡±


    Ling Qi recalled the puzzle box challenge she¡¯d solved that had unfolded into an interactive map of the sect grounds. She hadn¡¯t thought of it in a long time since she hardly had a reason to amble around and poke for challenges anymore. ¡°Yes, I still have it.¡±


    ¡°Mm, bring it along when next you seek my greater self¡¯s attention. Something useful might happen. Now, why don¡¯t we find ourselves an empty room, and I¡¯ll show you a few pointers on your qi constructs.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve already done more than enough, but I won¡¯t refuse,¡± Ling Qi said, rising from her seat.


    ¡°Good girl.¡± Xin drifted to her feet on a billow of wind herself, as if she were only a dancing leaf. ¡°This will be an ending, but when you¡¯ve grown a little more, done a little more, seen a little more, I hope we can take tea in my archive. There are many plots still spinning, and I would like to see how many threads you find on your own by then.¡±


    Ling Qi considered the duchess¡¯ challenge to them, Jiao¡¯s unhelpful, cryptic words about the empress, Huisheng¡¯s history, all the little niggling secrets and histories that stitched the province together, the beasts and challenges of Snowblossom, and the hundred, hundred ways the summit could go wrong.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get there soon,¡± she promised.


    ***


    ¡°Were you satisfied with your farewells?¡±


    Ling Qi looked down over the cliff, the one she had first stood on the day she had entered the Inner Sect officially. She looked over the misty valleys and hills and the mountains and forests. All the land of the sect sprawled out before her. It had not even been a full two years in the Inner Sect, and yet, that was still longer than she had called any place home since she had first run from her mother¡¯s rooms in Tonghou. It felt bittersweet.


    ¡°I am. I chose this a long time ago, and home doesn¡¯t rest in places. Everyone will still be here, even if I see them less. But life doesn¡¯t stay still. Everyone has their own Way.¡±


    ¡°A good attitude.¡±


    ¡°Will you miss anything here, Lady Cai?¡±


    Her liege, standing beside her, arms folded behind her back, did not answer immediately. ¡°There are some fond memories. But nothing I require is being left behind.¡±


    Ling Qi hid her wide grin behind her sleeve, giving the shorter girl an amused look.


    ¡°Do not.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t ruin the moment,¡± Ling Qi agreed.


    ¡°Hey! You two gonna keep acting mysterious over there all day?¡±


    Ling Qi looked back over her shoulder in the direction of the rough voice calling them. Su Ling stood there, hands on her hips. Gan Guangli¡¯s hand was on her shoulder. Her fellow retainer was grinning brightly.


    ¡°No! We¡¯ve got our mysterious contemplation quota filled up, right, Lady Cai?¡±


    ¡°The scheduled two hundred and twenty-three seconds have been completed,¡± Cai Renxiang said seriously.


    Ling Qi furrowed her brow. How long had it been since Renxiang had stepped up beside her? Was it really two hundred and twenty-three seconds?


    The corner of her liege¡¯s lips twitched, and she turned away from Ling Qi. ¡°Miss Su, I do apologize for my interruption towards the end of the day. Your observation of the Diao was useful.¡±


    Su Ling grunted. ¡°Not like I saw anything much up there. It¡¯s fine anyway. Keep this guy in line for me, and we¡¯ll call it even.¡±


    ¡°Why do I need to be kept in line?¡± Gan Guangli wondered.


    ¡°Well,¡± Su Ling said pointedly, ¡°you were telling me there¡¯s a bunch of burly ladies who might be after your virtue.¡±


    ¡°I will inform you of any courting attempts should Gan Guangli fail to register them, if that is what you require,¡± Cai Renxiang said formally.


    Gan Guangli¡¯s face fell in despair.


    Ling Qi couldn¡¯t tell if her liege was joking.


    ¡°And Ling Qi¡­ Thanks,¡± Su Ling said. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t have gotten to visit without you anyway.¡±


    Ling Qi dipped her head in acknowledgement. Su Ling had gone up to visit the Diao and the very young fox child that had been found a few weeks ago. ¡°It¡¯s only right. I hope things go well.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know what that looks like.¡± Su Ling sighed, brushing her hand through her hair distractedly. ¡°But yeah, good travels. I guess all three of you need to get going.¡±


    ¡°We do! Duty calls, and the virtuous must answer,¡± Gan Guangli boomed. ¡°But in a few months, perhaps you can find a moment to visit.¡±


    ¡°Or we can,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°We''ll only be a little ways off, as the cultivator flies.¡±


    ¡°Good for you.¡± Su Ling was unimpressed. ¡°Most of us can¡¯t do that yet.¡±


    ¡°Yet,¡± Ling Qi agreed.


    Su Ling rolled her eyes.


    Ling Qi glanced back over her shoulder once more at the mountain and the valleys. The Argent Peak Sect had been her home, and she would always be fond of it. But it was time to move on. Time to step out, spread her wings, and begin the next stage of her life.


    She just hoped Sixiang would join her soon.

 Threads 325-Summit Approach 1

    Threads 325-Summit Approach 1


    The rumble and crack of moving, grinding stones was a discordant symphony of noise. It was chaotic and unintelligible, but deeply, deeply angry.


    There should have been no room for words here, no room for communication. But not for Ling Qi. Fangs of living limestone, so close to crushing the soft humans within, slowed and ground down to a halt among ribbons of mist and the piping of a flute.


    Ling Qi descended into the crumbled sinkhole on steps of glittering light and mist. A great hole in the stone, a cavern of limestone and sharp-edged crystal, was pierced by the digging of foundations. This was one of the many hearts of the mountain that General Xia had cloven the peak from. The spirit of the cave whose fangs loomed over her head was only one part of the larger mountain spirit, but it was dangerously potent in its own right, awakened as it was, especially to the workers trapped below among the rubble and muddy water.


    So she sang and listened, even as her drifting mist engulfed the men and women at the bottom, carefully insulating them from further harm and easing the crushing pressure of the earth.


    Rage. The mountain heart trembled with rage. So much of its greater self had been taken away, and now, the nits dug and bit at its hearts and cores as well, more and more and more. Its brother-selves slept and slumbered, propitiated but not yet awake, content to see even this wound as temporary, a mere flesh wound in the long accounting of stone.


    But this! This, the biting picks and shovels, the opening of living stone to crippling, killing sky, poisoning that which was meant to be wholly of earth and darkness with light, was an insult. This was too much!


    Ling Qi listened, considered, and sang back. Mist grew dark and cold and clammy, drowning out the bright light of the sun above. She sung a soothing song, a slow and careful song of sealing, reparation, and reverence. Of carving and beauty. Of a seal reapplied. Sacrifices offered, not of blood and flesh, but incense and gifts and the beautiful transformation of surface stone.


    She descended still further, and she saw the fright in human eyes as the stone that had begun to drag them down, that chained their limbs and broke their bones, remained filled with tension. Crystal and hanging fangs of rock threatened to devour them all.


    She ended with a sharper note to compliment offerings and respect. It was a pointed reminder to an old and stubborn mind of the blade which carved mountains and the scouring rains that could wear away all of the mountain. This mountain spirit was not the only power here.


    She was sorry for its wound and sorry for its disturbance, but there would be no offerings of blood today. Let raging stone rest and errors be repaired, and in the time of mountains, all would return as it was once more. Or the mountainheart could rage and drag itself into the time of men, and in doing so, it would exacerbate those injuries done to it.


    Stone groaned and rumbled, the weight of a mountain looming all around, pressure fit to crush her. Then the cavern groaned and ground back into place, and Ling Qi breathed out as below, wounded workers were released from the bounds of stone.


    She looked to the closest of them, who mouthed the words ¡°Thank you,¡± again and again in the silent dark.


    She inclined her head and reached down to take his hand.


    Best to get them out quickly before the spirit could change its course.


    ***


    Ling Qi clasped her hands together in respect as the foreman of the crews on the peak bowed his scarred, bald head. He was just short of fully kowtowing, and Ling Qi really wished he wouldn¡¯t.


    This accident was not his fault. The geomatic maps should have shown such a locus of power, and the planners should have been able to take it into account. Even with the disruption of the general¡¯s cut, the experts present should have been able to detect any internal movement of the mountain¡¯s cores.


    That was the explanation for now. A sudden seismic shift of the mountain¡¯s internal structure, wrought by instability, had been the cause of this accident. And maybe she was seeing shadows around the corners, but she didn¡¯t trust it.


    There had been a not insignificant number of small accidents in the past week, although this was the worst so far. The only question was the real source of the troubles. From below? Or within?


    She sincerely hoped it was the former. She¡¯d have to speak with the ministry later.


    She let none of the thoughts flitting through her head show on her face or in her voice as she spoke. ¡°Please raise your head. Make your reports, and call an earth mover to reseal the pocket. Use my name to get it done swiftly, if you must. That mist will not keep forever nor would the mist satisfy the spirit if it did.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lady Ling,¡± the foreman said. ¡°Right away, Lady Ling.¡±


    She gestured a dismissal and glanced toward the dots on the road to the west. The injured workers were being rapidly carried off to the medical tents. No fatalities, but several of them had suffered broken limbs and minor qi poisoning. She was glad she had been nearby when the incident began.


    ¡°I¡¯ve alerted our in-house physician. He should be able to assist the Wang¡¯s doctor with the sudden load.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Meng Dan.¡± She had sensed him hanging back as she removed the last of the workers, but he¡¯d not presented himself while she was speaking with the foreman. ¡°I apologize for my lateness.¡±


    ¡°Given the circumstances, it could not be avoided,¡± he said pleasantly, peering past her shoulder the buzz of activity around the sinkhole. ¡°There is no excuse for that to be there. My clan¡¯s own geomancers, and the Wang¡¯s, approved the digging plans.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Meng Dan pushed the lenses perched on his nose up. The commital scion had replaced his flowing scholar¡¯s robes with something more practical today, a dark blue tunic belted at the waist, its longer hem hanging down over trousers and high riding boots. She sensed a frisson in the air, a pulse of qi, and a faint glimmer of silver appeared in his pupils.


    ¡°There¡¯s no sign of impurities or anything else unnatural.¡±


    ¡°Please do not take it as an insult, Lady Ling. These eyes of mine are my only useful trait,¡± Meng Dan jested. ¡°Nothing so obvious. However¡­ those foundations. What remains is deeper than it should be.¡±


    ¡°Sloppy workmanship?¡±


    ¡°Unlikely. The plans given to the workers may need review though.¡±


    ¡°Regardless, that core should not have been close enough to be disturbed in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Many little pebbles make an avalanche, no? Will you return with me, Lady Ling? Lady Cai is waiting. I will leave some eyes here, if you are concerned.¡±


    ¡°Please do.¡± Ling Qi took one more glance back at the hole. She turned toward the observatory and fell in beside Meng Dan. ¡°What is this about anyway? No offense. While I¡¯m sure the sky is interesting, Lady Cai and I are both very occupied.¡±


    ¡°With the court astronomer¡¯s deductions and observations and my own interactions, I have made some further observations on our guests¡¯ culture and religion.¡±


    ¡°Sneaking off to drink with their soldiers again?¡±


    ¡°Only once,¡± he said blithely.


    She gave him a hard look out of the corner of her eye. He merely wore that perpetual expression of mild amusement.


    ¡°I apologize. Would Lady Ling like an invitation next time?¡±


    ¡°No, that is not my preferred method,¡± Ling Qi said dryly.


    ¡°More seriously, in my role of overseeing some of our construction on the mountainside, I have had a few conversations with those singing fellows of theirs. They are not a very reserved people."


    ¡°How much of that is there going around?¡±


    ¡°Very little. Too much distance still.¡±


    ¡°But not for you.¡±


    ¡°I am merely a disarming man,¡± Meng Dan said airily.


    Ling Qi looked on toward the observatory, but the greater part of her senses remained on the other work crews in range.


    ¡°Are you well, by the by, Lady Ling? Most require more time to recover from tribulations.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time to rest.¡± The burnt out meridian still itched under her skin. Worse was the emptiness in her mind where Sixiang should have been. ¡°Besides, I feel better when I¡¯m in motion.¡±


    Meng Dan inclined his head. ¡°The moon can be cruel.¡±


    Ling Qi pursed her lips. ¡°It can be, but if it didn¡¯t force us to look at ourselves so starkly now and then, would we ever?¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°Now that is the question.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it though? I admit, it''s nice to know that I¡¯m not the only one trying to establish communication with the White Sky members.¡±


    ¡°It is a shame that so many are incurious in the face of all this, isn¡¯t it?¡± Meng Dan mused. ¡°There is just so much to be uncovered here. And all of this is quite fascinating. I hope I shall pen a document that some student will unearth a thousand years hence on the matter.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be incredulous and assume a great deal of exaggeration and mythmaking.¡±


    ¡°Nay. That will be the one school. Another will be the group that twists their minds into loops to reinterpret my words to mean their opposite while yet another takes a reading which supports this or that movement¡¯s political goals. And then, there will be the fringe, which assumes that I merely say what I mean.¡±


    ¡°How troublesome,¡± Ling Qi said lightly. ¡°Regardless, I¡¯m curious. What would you say is the mood among the common White Sky?¡±


    The observatory was looming tall ahead of them now as they left the still incomplete areas and entered the organized roads and gardens closer to the completed construction.


    ¡°Difficult to say. I may be disarming, but no one is willing to pour out their hearts to me.¡±


    ¡°As if that is more than a minor obstacle with lower realms.¡±


    While they could hardly read minds, mortals, first realms, and even the less experienced second realms could not help but telegraph their mood and feelings in their aura and give away more than was intended in their words.


    ¡°It makes bringing the situation into legibility difficult,¡± Meng Dan replied. ¡°Dissatisfied.¡±


    ¡°Dissatisfied?¡±


    ¡°There is a certain edge, a grumbling that they are being tugged about on one person''s whims. It is kept quiet and in check. They are suspicious of us though.¡±


    ¡°Is there any concrete reason, aside from the obvious?¡±


    ¡°The general. The other high realms about. Our position in the north. I understand that in the White Sky¡¯s lore, typically, only bad things come from the north, such as terrible cataclysms, jungle demons, and raiding nomads.¡±


    ¡°Are the nomads a significant problem? I had thought¡­¡±


    ¡°Much less of one, and the attitudes are softened by the history of tribal assimilations.¡±


    They passed from dirt onto a path of cut stone surrounded by fresh growth. The new plateau felt more natural with each step they took away from the construction. A soft cool mist curled among the roots of planted fruit trees and flowers.


    ¡°I see. More bad neighbors than inhuman monsters?¡±


    ¡°Something of the sort. Mm, well, you know my opinions. People exist on a spectrum rather than being distinct pieces on the board, historically speaking.¡±


    Hard lines between forest, hill and mountain were later conceptions. Of course, just because they had begun that way did not make them any less real.


    Ling Qi was pensive. ¡°Their own rank and file are discontent. It bodes poorly.¡±


    ¡°I think that so long as your counterpart does not upset her own religious hierarchy too much, it should be well. Those crows¡­ They are more like our own masked minders than they would admit.¡±


    Ling Qi gave him a sharp look as they approached the doors of the observatory, pausing to allow some red-faced workers hauling furnishings and materials past. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I get the sense that their commoners look at them and see a policing force. The crows are the eyes that watch the mighty. It is not dissimilar to what Emperor An conceived of when establishing the Ministry of Integrity. While no one speaks of their capital with a special respect, compared to what we might expect, I have heard the title of ¡®Voice of the Hierophant¡¯ spoken in similar tones as empress.¡±


    That was something to keep in mind.


    Jaromila had her own troubles beyond merely herding cats, and she was not at a completely free hand here either. Ling Qi had suspected as much. Even if they were well disposed toward each other, that was not enough on its own.

 Threads 326-Summit Approach 2

    Threads 326-Summit Approach 2


    ¡°I do hope that analysis was helpful.¡±


    ¡°It was,¡± Ling Qi acknowledged. ¡°It will give me another lens to view my counterpart¡¯s actions through. Now, where are we meeting?¡±


    ¡°At the top of the telescope chamber. The meeting rooms do not have their full security formations in place yet.¡±


    Ling Qi nodded, following him as they mounted the stairs, winding their way to the top of the observatory. At the top was a strange and luxurious room with a floor of black marble, spiderwebbed through with lines of white and dark blue, giving an impression similar to that of a night sky in motion. The walls were panels of carved white jade, panels depicting legends of the seasons and sun and moon. Overhead, the room was a dome of polished stone set with glittering stones.


    In the center of it all was this telescope device, a long conical tube of brass and silver like a spyglass blown up to titanic size. There was a seat built into the bottom of it where a person might sit and peer into the small end, and the whole construction hummed faintly, hovering over a disc of deep green, nearly black, jade.


    The observatory was impressive, if only because she could feel the power of the formations and materials that made it up. She suspected that a sizable minority of the total expense for this whole region was here.


    Troubling. This most likely meant that the duchess found this observatory to be as important as everything else going on.


    Waiting for them was Cai Renxiang. With her was a tall, thin and bookish-looking man. Without Sixiang, it took her a minute to place the man and his name.


    ¡°Lady Cai, Astronomer Wu,¡± Meng Dan greeted.


    As she followed him inside, the door behind them quietly clicked shut, and then, it hissed softly as it sealed, the air around the edges of the frame expelled by the locking formations.


    ¡°Ah, Sir Meng, Baroness Ling, welcome, welcome. I¡¯m always glad to see the younger generation taking interest in my work. I was just speaking with the young miss here on the paths and trajectories of celestial debris in the modern day. It really is a fascinating subject¡­¡±


    ¡°And one I would like to discuss more when we have the time. What is the reason for your tardiness, Baroness?¡± Cai Renxiang asked.


    ¡°There was a worksite accident. The foundations of a building pierced one of the mountain¡¯s cores. I was the nearest on hand who could calm the spirit.¡±


    Her liege hadn¡¯t been accusatory at all. Renxiang understood that she would have good reasons, even if she couldn¡¯t sense the fluctuations from the earth in this room.


    ¡°How awful. What in the world are the planners and geomancers doing?¡± Astronomer Wu asked, scandalized.


    ¡°We fear that the mountain¡¯s turbulent state must have caused a seismic shift since its internal energy channels were mapped,¡± Meng Dan said smoothly. ¡°It is being investigated.¡±


    The tall man grimaced. ¡°Ah, well, that is true. The general¡¯s method was effective but¡­ disruptive.¡±


    ¡°Please do not concern yourself too much, Astronomer Wu. it will be seen to. Let us begin the meeting now that everyone is here.¡± Cai Renxiang said crisply, gesturing for them to come closer.


    There was no seating or furnishings aside from the telescope itself in the room, so they were left to stand in a loose circle near to the wall.


    ¡°Yes, yes, I suppose you all are very busy,¡± the astronomer said. ¡°May I ask how much you know of the ordering of the heavens?¡±


    ¡°There are considered to be three spheres,¡± Cai Renxiang replied crisply. ¡°The lower heaven contains the air and other components mortals and low cultivators require. The middle heaven is the location where the toxic elements of solar, lunar, and stellar qi are mixed and strained into usable energies. This is also the layer which the cloud districts of Xiangmen and the higher peaks of the Wall enter. The upper heaven, which bars the emptiness of the outside and stellar predation from the lower spheres, is largely impenetrable to human entry. It is lethal to any who are beneath the violet realm, and it is corrosive even to those who can survive it. This is divided further into a number of layers, which I have not had occasion to study.¡±


    ¡°I understand that the thirteen solar and lunar palaces are located among the heavens on a liminal level, and they are further divided into the one hundred and eight celestial demesnes,¡± Ling Qi offered.


    The homes of the eight moon and five sun aspects were connected to certain points in the heavens, and the movement of the actual physical sun and moon through them was important for measuring the seasons, predicting weather, and other astrological divination. Of course, the actual palaces existed outside of physical reality, being the realms of the actual great spirits. Even she had never dared try and venture so deep into the liminal as that.


    ¡°Good, good, it seems that between the two of you, there is a grounding in the basic understanding of the celestial spheres, and I know young Sir Meng is similarly educated, so I may dispense with the introductory lecture. As you know, I was dispatched by Her Grace to establish this observatory and study the phenomena you described in the south, which had previously been considered merely legendarium. I have been most enthused by the level of support given to this project!¡±


    Ling Qi did wonder about that. Why had the duchess put so much effort and investment into this observatory? She knew the duchess funded artists and natural philosophers quite handsomely, but this was beyond even that. She could see the same calculation in Cai Renxiang¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°While I am still in the preliminary stages, I have made some discoveries. Namely, I have discovered that the upper heaven is configured differently near to the southern pole! According to my observations, the upper heaven in the region where these heavenly lights are cast consists of only a single layer. Instead, it is comprised of a much thickened and more robust Zenith Palace.¡±


    ¡°The Minister of Midday must be working to exhaustion in the region,¡± Meng Dan said mildly.


    ¡°Perhaps so,¡± Wu replied animatedly.


    Most of the palaces were set in the lower and middle heavens, but the upper was supposed to hold the eleventh lunar palace as well. That was¡­ the home of the Grinning Moon. For it to be absent over a whole section of the sky was troubling.


    ¡°The effects of this are mostly academic and beyond your interests, but It needs to be established because my true discovery is that those daemon lights, as the regular folk are calling them, are not stellar leakage or any kind of external energy leaking through the heavens. In fact, the Zenith Palace is so dense there that I doubt even the scraps of safe and filtered stellar qi which some use to cultivate might come through there,¡± Astronomer Wu prattled on.


    ¡°They do not come from outside?¡± Cai Renxiang asked.


    ¡°No. Nor are they some manner of trapped energy field between the heavenly spheres,¡± Astronomer Wu said. ¡°These lights are the visible form of an energy that is constantly being dispersed and destroyed and which emanates upward to claw upon and break against the heavens. And it is a regular emission. Its intensity rises and falls, but never stops. Something in our guest¡¯s lands produces those lights.¡±


    Ling Qi remembered that urge to act that looking up at the sky in the south had given her. The sight of the sky had aroused a certainty in her that something was terribly wrong.


    ¡°They have spoken of gates, behind which are sealed a multitude of demons. Their overall organization is named after these, as they call themselves the Nation of the Polar Gates,¡± Cai Renxiang offered after a moment. ¡°Leakage through such defenses then?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, Perhaps.¡± Wu looked at them excitedly. ¡°Now, that comes to the reason I have asked for Lady Cai¡¯s attention. I have of course been relaying my studies to Her Grace, and she has indicated an interest in this. I would like to request that a formal academic exchange of information about celestial phenomena be made a point of negotiations.¡±


    Ling Qi replied, ¡°My contact did show some interest in the observatory, but I think we would likely need to promise them equipment access.¡±


    The astronomer nodded along like that was no problem, but Renxiang and Meng Dan immediately frowned. She could read their concern. The ministry might not like this idea much, and the Meng, who were one of the major, non-ducal sources of funding for the facility, would probably be testy too. But at the same time, if Her Grace was interested, that gave this region more value and thus, weight at court¡­


    Cai Renxiang looked at Ling Qi and tilted her head. The silent question was obvious.


    One of the biggest stumbling blocks to establishing a substantial treaty was the distances involved between the parties, the roughness of the terrain in between, and the hostility of the cloud tribes. It was one of the reasons they¡¯d ultimately decided not to lean too hard on trade relations. Merely setting up the infrastructure to allow trade in any bulk would be a work of years at minimum, even ignoring the ongoing war with the Twelve Stars Confederation and the Ya-lith-kai.


    Offering access to the observatory would be both a complication and an opportunity. If she took Jaromila¡¯s words to heart, the White Sky lacked the fine glassmaking necessary for devices like this, but they desired such products. A small number of experts would be much easier to move than a great caravan of goods. If their idea of a foreign quarter was to bear any fruit, then they would need something to provide an official draw.


    ¡°Meng Dan, may I ask what sort of compensation might satisfy your clan on this subject?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    He cupped his chin, thinking deeply. ¡°That depends.¡± He gave her a long look, in which she read his meaning.


    It would depend on the balance of internal Meng factions.


    ¡°Then if we go forward, I hope to speak with your uncle on the matter so that a reasonable price can be negotiated.¡±


    ¡°I believe that is possible, Lady Ling.¡±


    Cai Renxiang gave them both a sharp nod. They didn¡¯t need to speak of the ministry¡¯s position here. The difficulties there were obvious, but not insurmountable. The proposal would have to be sold carefully to them. Perhaps she could arrange for some up front information sharing.


    Both the ministry and the general would probably be interested in knowledge of their enemies below. The Wang would have an interest as well, if only because learning the patterns of the sky was important for establishing agriculture and even geomancy in a new region. It would be helpful to building efforts.


    Astronomer Wu observed them with polite confusion. ¡°Ah, I suppose there is more to this? I had believed Her Grace¡¯s interest was enough¡­¡±


    ¡°My honored mother has chosen not to interfere overmuch here,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°Her support is helpful, but the convincing lies with me. I will see your proposal presented, astronomer.¡±


    Astronomer Wu nodded eagerly. ¡°Oh yes, I suppose that makes some sense. I apologize if this is troublesome.¡±


    ¡°No more than the many other requests we will receive,¡± Meng Dan said lightly. ¡°Now, Astronomer Wu, this stellar qi radiating out, would you tell us what you said to me about its relation to some of our current enemies?¡±


    ¡°Ah! You refer to the starstones and the enemy that wounded the Argent Peak Sect elder? From the scraps of the elder¡¯s cassock I was able to examine and my observations, they are certainly similar energies. Not the same, but if I had to make an estimation they likely arise from a common ancestor. To think that some old tales of fallen stars might actually be true¡­ It is quite shocking!¡±


    Ling Qi shared a look with Cai Renxiang. ¡°And has Her Grace shared the evidence turned up in our own explorations?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes, the beast dust. That was much more similar to the southern energies,¡± Wu agreed cheerfully. ¡°But much less potent. I would need access to some further records, but it really does seem that some unknown cause is increasing the intensity and activation of these phenomena. If they were always so common, I cannot imagine no scholar would have failed to observe them until now.¡±


    ¡°I see. Thank you for your insight, astronomer,¡± Cai Renxiang said.


    ¡°What is known of starstone and energies like it?¡± Ling Qi asked. ¡°I use some amount of moon-filtered stellar qi in my cultivation, but it is nothing so¡­¡±


    Sickening. Foul. Destructive.


    ¡°Filtered stellar qi comes to us by way of the moon and sun and has a significant role in a number of phenomena,¡± Astronomer Wu lectured. He looked quite pleased by the question. ¡°It is wholly different. By the time it reaches us, the qi is wholly made of this world.¡±


    Meng Dan pushed up his eyeglasses. ¡°When She who became the Hidden Moon named the stars, she took from them their light, their poison, and their foundation, and she wrought of it the Adamant Filter, which shields the world from the stars¡¯ malice when the sun is far away on campaign.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the origins of all these systems lie in the temple tales. This humble scholar only explores their function,¡± Astronomer Wu agreed. ¡°Hm, it is known that unfiltered starlight is inimical to terrestrial materials and particularly corrosive to formation craft. But it is also destructive unto itself, or rather, terrestrial and stellar material are mutually annihilatory.¡±


    Ling Qi furrowed her brow. ¡°So just as it crumbles things of the earth, it is destroyed in turn this way?¡±


    ¡°That is the theory, but I will admit it is an old and dusty one due to lack of rigorous study. Starstone and similar have only appeared very occasionally from the Wall, and until Ogodei, it was last recorded in any significant quantity during the Strife of Twin Emperors. The Usurper Shang was said to have found a method of using it as fuel for his devices and wonders, producing power that no spirit stone furnace or injector could match.¡±


    The Strife¡­ That was the transition between the first and second imperial dynasty where the empire had been split in supporting the two twin brothers vying for the throne. It was said to have lasted a thousand years, and the resulting conflicts had destroyed the Sage Emperor¡¯s direct descendants entirely and ruined great swathes of the empire.


    ¡°Where in the world would he find such things? ¡° Ling Qi wondered.


    ¡°If answers to that exist, then I do not have access to them. And truthfully, it is a bit on the edge of my field.¡±


    ¡°The theory continues that because unfiltered stellar qi destroys and is destroyed by mere contact with the terrestrial, its remnants from the time of creation must have largely withered away by the modern day,¡± Cai Renxiang spoke. ¡°Obviously, this is mistaken.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, indeed,¡± Wu agreed. ¡°From studies of the shards of that stone which remained at the caldera, and from looking at records of what was recovered from Ogodei¡¯s battles, the stellar material used by the nomads is¡­impure. It is somehow mingled with terrestrial material. It was theorized that this is merely part of the decaying process, a temporary and unstable state, and that may be so, but it is not a subject given much study.¡±


    ¡°That will have to change given the increasing amounts of starstones showing up in unwanted places,¡± Meng Dan said mildly. ¡°I have read Lady Cai¡¯s reports on this labyrinth within the glacier you have discovered at Snowblossom. Will you be plumbing it soon?¡±


    ¡°Relatively, I¡¯m sure,¡± Ling Qi replied.


    ¡°Relatively, of course.¡± Meng Dan chuckled. ¡°Will the study of any artifacts or treasures be done here then, or will they be sent back to the capital?¡±


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t really considered that,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°But I suppose the right facilities are being put up¡­¡±


    ¡°It is a distant concern,¡± Cai Renxiang interjected. ¡°Any exploration will have to be after the summit so it¡¯s some months out to even begin exploring the location.¡±


    ¡°Well, I would of course be pleased to have real stellar materials on hand to study,¡± Wu said. ¡°That said, as proud as I already am of the facilities, they are still much inferior to the workshops of the Xiangmen.¡±


    ¡°Moving any materials to Xiangmen will result in a significantly longer wait for results. Unless something truly catastrophic were to occur, enough to move mother to intercede directly, there would be many other tasks and studies ahead of our requests.¡±


    ¡°That titan who appeared at the caldera is not catastrophic?¡± Ling Qi asked incredulously.


    ¡°You would imagine so, but no.¡±


    ¡°Academia is a slow moving battlefield where every skirmish may take years or decades,¡± Meng Dan said. ¡°So far as I know, most consider the caldera titan to be merely a dangerous high realm or spirit beast. It is certainly something to be alarmed by, but it is considered military business, not theirs.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I suppose the young sir is right,¡± Wu said weakly. ¡°It can be difficult to get new projects into the highest workshops. The overseers and administration are quite stubborn."


    ¡°Ling Qi, it may be a minor matter now, but it is best settled soon so that proper arrangements may be made. It is my opinion that using local facilities for anything we might find in our explorations will be the superior option. You are free to convince me otherwise.¡±


    ¡°No. I agree with you, Lady Cai. To begin with, anything we dredge up should be studied with more urgency. If the capital would like access to our research results, they can always order it later when they are ready.¡±


    ¡°Wonderful,¡± Astronomer Wu enthused. ¡°I am sure my junior colleagues will be pleased to have more chances to earn merits, along with our sponsors in the Meng clan. I do have some more technical details on the collaboration I could bring to your attention, if you¡¯d like to begin, Lady Cai¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes. However, Ling Qi Meng Dan, you two may resume your other duties. I merely wished for your council and attention on the larger questions.¡±


    ¡°Very well. Shall I inform Gan Guangli when I see him next?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°I will see him first. He was only not here because his appointment with the Jia could not be altered on short notice.¡±


    Ling Qi gave a small bow, as did Meng Dan, and they took their leave as the telescope room unsealed.

 Threads 327-Dukes 1

    Threads 327-Dukes 1


    Outside, heading down the stairs, Ling Qi glanced at her companion. ¡°So, as one more informed about the celestial spheres, how concerned should I be?¡±


    ¡°You should be quite terrified. It is likely that the sky will fall, clawed to ribbons from below as well as above,¡± Meng Dan said pleasantly.


    Ling Qi gave him an unimpressed look.


    ¡°Ah, you doubt I would hold my composure if it were so? Lady Ling wounds me.¡±


    ¡°I would think less of you if I thought you were so detached,¡± Ling Qi retorted.


    ¡°That is also fair,¡± Meng Dan said, smiling. ¡°In truth, I don¡¯t know enough. There is something terribly dangerous in the south, but if our guests are here for this little talk, they cannot find it too immediately concerning.¡±


    ¡°True. If I am to respect them as peers, I can¡¯t assume they¡¯ve missed an immediate catastrophe brewing overhead,¡± Ling Qi mused. She still wanted to know more if it could be related to that awful thing the Twelve Skies Confederation had backing them.


    ¡°From the context we have sussed out, it is a matter they are long used to, even if the severity is waxing. I am not too troubled that I must talk my uncle around on this. Thankfully, he is enough of an academic himself that I am sure I can prevail with him¡­ Would you care to meet with me over tea and hash out the details of our proposal before month¡¯s end?¡±


    Ling Qi glanced his way as they reached the bottom of the stairs. It was purely work, but she knew some part of her previously would have still backed away from it given her realizations as to Meng Dan¡¯s.


    ¡°Yes. Once I have finished with the first ducal meeting, I¡¯ll send you a note with a time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be quite busy myself, so we may have to haggle on the time.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see how it works out. I¡¯m sure the two of us can find a single hour to shake free somewhere. Good luck, Meng Dan.¡±


    ¡°I am not the one who must keep a meeting between our ducal guests calm and civil,¡± Meng Dan observed. ¡°Please, Lady Ling, it is you who require all the good fortune here.¡±


    Ling Qi smiled, inclined her head in acknowledgement, and left the observatory behind.


    ***


    Ling Qi was glad to see her best friend again, even if the situation didn¡¯t allow them to be as casual the way she might have liked. ¡°Lady Bai, I am honored by your request to guide you to the meeting.¡±


    ¡°It is nothing, Baroness. You are our ally¡¯s trusted retainer. It is only natural that we allow you to escort us,¡± Bai Meizhen said coolly, but Ling Qi could detect her amusement.


    The Bai delegation had been waiting for her at the small square outside of their ambassador''s housing at the foot of the cloven mountain. Xiao Fen was with Meizhen of course, lurking a step back from her mistress and seemingly looking at everyone and everything nearby at once. She was sure it would be menacing, if Ling Qi had not seen the girl¡¯s expression scrunched up in frustration or embarrassment before. Xia Anxi was with her too. It looked like he¡¯d finally given in to the climate, and he was wearing a fine fur-lined jacket instead of flowing robes.


    ¡°Nonetheless, I must also thank you for agreeing to the imposition of this meeting and for accepting my role as a mediator speaking in my lady¡¯s name.¡±


    ¡°Of course. It is unfortunate that others have put their noses where they are not needed, but we understand that Lady Cai must make certain¡­ accommodations,¡± Bai Meizhen said. ¡°Let us walk, Baroness.¡±


    ¡°Yes, your understanding is most helpful,¡± Ling Qi said, falling in beside them.


    She was glad that Meizhen was the one here. The message from the Western Territories delegation, stating that they might be attending the meeting, was rude, but not to the level she could call them out on.


    ¡°Has my retainer been of use to you?¡± Bai Meizhen asked.


    ¡°Lao Keung has been a great boon. His presence has freed all of us to focus here on the summit. How have your accommodations been?¡±


    ¡°Acceptable, given the hasty nature of this construction. I heard there was some trouble earlier?¡±


    ¡°A minor construction accident. Only minor injuries.¡±


    ¡°This is why going from hard to soft negotiations is a poor idea. You will only confuse the spirits like that,¡± Xia Anxi chided.


    ¡°Well, I won¡¯t say there is not some confusion in how we mean to go along, but it¡¯s being resolved. I must say, I¡¯m impressed by the observatory and its grounds. I think that will lend some value to this site, no matter the results of this negotiation with the White Sky Confederation.¡±


    ¡°The existence of an observatory is a bold statement of confidence in holding these lands,¡± Bai Meizhen allowed.


    ¡°It''s a shame that I haven''t had the chance to inspect it myself,¡± Xia Anxi lamented.


    ¡°Mm, you are an astrologer, aren¡¯t you? I have been told they have already made some interesting observations on the night sky, even if the specifics are mostly over my head,¡± Ling Qi said.


    Not that he would be granted access. If the Meng were a bit grumpy about negotiating foreign access, they¡¯d be downright hostile to the Bai.


    ¡°A shame,¡± Xia Anxi repeated. ¡°It really is curious, the emanations from the sky in the far south. So curious.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been studying such phenomena?¡± Bai Meizhen queried.


    Xia Anxi still straightened up perceptibly when addressed by Meizhen, but it seemed like he was a little less jumpy than before.


    ¡°Only in private moments, and with personal tools, Lady Bai.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say I find the sky particularly interesting, but I have no objections.¡±


    ¡°Baroness, will the Jin scion be joining us today? I am aware of invitations to the Zheng and the Xuan, as well as the¡­ westerners, but I have not heard of the northerns.¡±


    ¡°He will not since he is acting here only in his capacity as a junior agent of the Ministry.¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°I know little about either the Zheng or the Jin.¡±


    ¡°Prideless,¡± Meizhen judged disapprovingly. ¡°The Jin are the remnants of the Jing clan after the Jing left the empire long ago. They are tightly entangled with the capital.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see. Those are confusing names. So similar. But if they were a branch clan, the similarity makes sense. Only¡­ how does one leave the empire?¡±


    Xia Anxi interjected, ¡°I am told the names sound more distinct in the north¡¯s dialect. Jeung, or something of the sort? The Jing backed the usurper Shang in the Strife, and their shipbuilding and his artifice allowed them to carve their three great port cities out of the coast and sail them away. An audacious action. They may have backed the wrong claimant, but one does have to admire their pride.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Bai Meizhen agreed. ¡°The Jin left behind were organized by the throne and¡­ were given their dukedom.¡±


    Ling Qi did not miss the unsubtle disdain that threaded through the word ¡°given¡± there. To the Bai, who had once been kings and queens in their own right and had held their place of ruling the Thousand Lakes since before the dawn of written history, being given a dukedom was an indication of weakness and an insult. The Cai were absurdly young to their sensibilities, but Cai Shenhua had not been given much at all.


    ¡°And the Zheng, by contrast, are the only remaining direct peers of the Bai clan?¡± Ling Qi asked in clarification.


    Meizhen pursed her lips. ¡°... They are the only ones who can compare to the weight of our history.¡±


    ¡°But you would be wise not to view them through our lens,¡± Xia Anxi cautioned. ¡°The Bai and the Zheng clans could not be more different.¡±


    ¡°I have picked up that much. I have not even been able to determine who their current duke is,¡± Ling Qi complained.


    ¡°It seems the position is being argued over. Unlike more civilized folk, their duke only holds the position for a span of a few decades before passing the position along to another relative of proper cultivation,¡± Xia Anxi said. ¡°It is shocking that they don¡¯t have strife over this more often.¡±


    ¡°Yet they do not. I had not heard of the Zheng being so divided over the matter though. I understand their elite view the position as both troublesome and perfunctory, an unwelcome imposition on their time and cultivation. The difficulty is usually in finding a candidate that can be pinned into the position at all by their elders, rather than too many claimants,¡± Bai Meizhen said.


    Ling Qi shook her head. ¡°How strange.¡±


    They were passing alongside the mountain stream that ran through the valley now on a road paved to follow the curves of its banks. It was certainly a different sight from the first time they had been here. The dense foliage and oppressive atmosphere had been replaced with the sun shining down on sparkling, burbling waters, running shallow over smooth river stones and eddying around boulders and little strips of overgrown sand and soil.


    They could have been at the meeting site in moments, but it was rude to ask her guests to sprint. And this was a nice walk. Ling Qi observed some flower petals bobbing along the flowing water.


    Still, she was curious, and this was a good opportunity to get some perspective on the wider empire, if through a somewhat biased lens. She did love her friend, but she wouldn¡¯t deny that Meizhen was thoroughly loyal to her clan.


    ¡°They are very strange, aren¡¯t they?¡± Ling Qi raised. ¡°The Zheng do not seem to participate in the empire much. They have no kin ties outside of their province. No individual Zheng seems to own any particular land or significant property outside of the Ebon Rivers, and records within are difficult. I think I remember hearing Lady Cai say they don¡¯t recognize marriage at all. How do they¡­¡±


    ¡°Function?¡± Meizhen finished lightly.


    Ling Qi inclined her head in acknowledgment. ¡°I would never presume.¡±


    ¡°Zheng do not raise their own children or even recognize blood parentage as significant,¡± Bai Meizhen explained. ¡°I understand that they parcel out children born in the same year into small groups which are given over to a mentoring cultivator to raise as the primary caregiver with communal assistance. This is what they mean when they call another ¡®bond-sibling.¡¯ They regard the imperial institution of swearing oneself an oath sibling as a devolution of their practices.¡±


    After a long beat to make sure Meizhen had finished speaking, Xia Anxi offered cautiously, ¡°That is not a completely wrong conception. The practice has its roots in the early first dynasty armies under the Sage Emperor, of which the Zheng were a part. Their claim that the sect system is only copying them is far more dubious.¡±


    ¡°It is not totally unlike the practices of the Viper, although much inferior,¡± Xiao Fen said grudgingly. ¡°There is no discipline in their method, and they have none of the clarity or guidance we have.¡±


    Ling Qi very deliberately did not react. From the little she understood of the Black Vipers, their methods of childrearing were¡­ Well, to be blunt, they were awful. They were designed with the intent of preventing the young viper from forming any emotional connections before they were assigned to their white serpent. Frankly, Xiao Fen¡¯s complaint could only improve her view of the Zheng¡¯s own practice.


    ¡°That does explain the irregularities in the records. IIt also seems like it would make inheritance very difficult. I suppose that is why their elders just choose the duke.¡±


    ¡°Correct. Individual Zheng do not own external property due to some law of theirs, and their inheritance laws do not recognize patrilineal descent at all, which causes some snarls with imperial law. This makes it difficult for them to operate directly in the wider empire since imperial property law does not fully recognize their arrangement. I understand they have some ways around this though. Xia Anxi?¡±


    ¡°Of course, my lady. I am no expert, but the illustrious violet caste has enough duties in production and movement of goods that we must learn a little of such things to manage our subordinates.¡±


    Ling Qi recalled the disdain Meizhen had always shown for mercantilism in prior conversations with her. She felt a bit bad for him having to dress it up so round aboutly.


    ¡°External Zheng interests usually operate through trading houses. In theory, these belong to some trusted subordinate, but in practice, they are ¡®resold¡¯ to a member of the Zheng clan as a whole upon that person''s death. There is room for interference in this, legally speaking, but¡­¡±


    Of course, even if they presented a kinder face than the Bai, the Zheng were still an ancient clan that had stood since the time of myth. Who would dare?


    ¡°So they are still intertwined with the other provinces. One merely has to look deeper.¡± Ling Qi nodded in understanding.


    ¡°They are insular. All of this business is unusual. They are a people very much interested in cultivating their own yard over claiming others since the end of the first dynasty. The last time they moved so strongly was in support of the usurper Shang and in opposition to us, the Bai, as the supporters of the true emperor. They were forgiven in exchange for changing sides in the end when the usurper was revealed to have become a corpse-immortal. For all their bravado in personal conflicts, the Zheng have always proved somewhat timid in larger politics.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced at Meizhen out of the corner of her eye. ¡°I am sure that there would be some objections to that statement, if said to their face.¡±


    ¡°Oh, indeed. Do not worry, baroness. I am not looking to provoke a brawl,¡± Bai Meizhen reassured.


    ¡°Your forbearance is exemplary,¡± Ling Qi said. She kept her expression perfectly blank.


    Meizhen smiled. Xia Anxi narrowed his eyes a bit.


    ¡°In any case,¡± Meizhen said, breaking the silence, ¡°individual Zheng are difficult to predict. It is true that in our history, we remember the grinning brutes who took and conquered and claimed at their will and who trampled and drank and laughed amidst the ashes, filling their great cavern cities with the wealth of wide lands, but the more common modern example is more like our guest, disconnected, rude drifters who are nonetheless bound to their own strange rules of propriety and disdainful of the rules of others. What exactly their aim is here, I cannot know.¡±


    ¡°They have softened greatly in their splendid isolation,¡± Xiao Fen said haughtily. ¡°But if they had truly forgotten the Way of the Conqueror, the face of their founder, they would not be so mighty still.¡±


    ¡°We are the ones known for our vengefulness, but we are merely being honest. Who may stand at the pinnacle and not crush any who challenge their primacy? You may see it in how totally subservient the Zheng¡¯s vassals are. Not a single organized rebellion in their history,¡± Xia Anxi pointed out.


    ¡°That is to be expected when they send out their younger generation to act as wandering ¡®heroes¡¯ quashing villainy, as a part of their education,¡± Meizhen said dryly. ¡°Given the results and the current situation, we cannot say these methods are totally without merit¡­¡±


    Considering Sun Shao¡¯s great rebellion, it would be rather absurd. She also understood that her friend was significantly more progressive than the average white serpent to even imply the possibility that they were the ones who had been in error in any way.


    Their path had taken them along the winding stream but now diverged, rising over shallow steps that carried them gradually to the top of an idyllic wooded hillock. At the bald crown, there was a stone platform dug into the earth on which a table made of polished stone was set. Round and surrounded by curved benches, it was a place to sit in the sun, take in the view of the mountain stream, and discuss business with a friendly air. Columns stood at the four corners, and Ling Qi knew that there were simple storage arrays in them with everything needed to assemble a pavilion in poor weather.


    They were greeted with a crash.

 Threads 328-Dukes 328

    Threads 328-Dukes 328


    A cresting gust of wind yanked at her hair and the hems of her dress. Light flashed, and the scream of something viciously sharp being dragged along the stone followed. Ling Qi parted the wave of dust and dirt that followed around herself and the Bai.


    Xuan Shi stood a little ways off the platform, a hovering swarm of his hexagonal talisman shields forming half of a sphere in front of him, rippling and sparking with blue-gray qi. He was unruffled, and he stood with his feet and the butt of his staff planted in the earth. The only unsteadiness of his posture was the way his eyes flicked toward her.


    Zheng Fu stood about two meters distant, bouncing on the balls of his feet in a loose fighting stance as his right arm snapped back in a blur, rippling back into human shape from the mantis-like blade that had drug sparks along the surface of Xuan Shi¡¯s defense. His other arm was drawn back, chambered for a punch, muscles writhing and swelling under the thick wraps he wore on his arms. Then, he spied them.


    ¡°Oh, looks like we¡¯ll have to box a little later, turtle-man. The ladies are here!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m quite sure you could have felt us coming some time ago, had you expended the effort,¡± Bai Meizhen criticized.


    ¡°Eh, maybe. I really wanted a crack at this guy though. He¡¯s tough!¡± Zheng Fu shrugged. ¡°Later?¡±


    ¡°Later,¡± Xuan Shi agreed, reaching out for one of the panels as the others flitted away, disappearing into his gauntlets in a dozen little flashes. He rubbed his thumb along the scratch in the remaining panel. ¡°Apologies, Lady Ling, Lady Bai. To test mine artifice against such strength is not a common chance.¡±


    ¡°There is a time and a place for such spars, but I suppose I will not blame you for showing martial spirit,¡± Bai Meizhen said haughtily. ¡°I hope you may restrain yourselves going forward.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Zhen Fu said dismissively. ¡°If you¡¯re standing around waiting, you might as well cultivate a little. I know you gotta stop once business starts though.¡±


    Well, that was an admirable work ethic at least. She was sure Sixiang would have needled her about her own habits if they had been here.


    ¡°This one apologizes,¡± Xuan Shi said evenly. ¡°Three arrive. The sand dwellers demur. Whence is the bloodied flower?¡±


    ¡°The Western Territories have indicated that Sun Liling may be somewhat late, as their delegation is only just arriving,¡± Ling Qi said apologetically. ¡°We may have to wait for a short time.¡±


    ¡°Hah, is that so?¡± Zheng Fu scratched the back of his head. ¡°You all want in on this then? We could do teams. You and the snake-y lot, me and turtle man?¡±


    ¡°I would prefer if we did not melt, freeze, or otherwise explode the meeting site, honored guests,¡± Ling Qi said calmly.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like a ¡®no.¡¯ That sounds like a ¡®maybe later.¡¯¡±


    ¡°I will have to decline for the foreseeable future,¡± Bai Meizhen said.


    Xia Anxi was disapproving. ¡°Honestly, we are a diplomatic mission.¡±


    Xiao Fen looked like she was dissecting Zheng Fu with her eyes and did not speak.


    ¡°Bah, alright. Means we have to fill the time, and you didn¡¯t bring snacks. Unless¡­?¡± Zheng Nan waggled his eyebrows behind his headwrap.


    Ling Qi sighed. She gestured, and atop the stone table, a spread of drinks and carefully arranged platters of light snacks appeared on the table. It was a little rude to serve before the Western Territories arrived, but declaring they would be late was also rude.


    ¡°Hah, there we go!¡± Zheng Fu laughed, practically leaping onto a bench, reaching for a bottle of one of the harder ciders.


    ¡°Your hospitality is appreciated,¡± Bai Meizhen said quietly, stepping past her. ¡°Sir Xuan, I have heard you were more involved in matters than the rest of us. May I ask after your reasons?¡±


    ¡°Our ports are open and accept many ships,¡± Xuan Shi said simply, taking a seat. ¡°Advice was asked, and though the clan and seas are far, some use might be found. This is curious, no?¡±


    ¡°You got that right. Honestly, you hermit folk have been holding out on us, and now, the south is getting exciting too! We gotta get ourselves out here more,¡± Zheng Fu enthused.


    ¡°It is intriguing,¡± Bai Meizhen said, taking her own seat, Xia Anxi and Xiao Fen followed, but Ling Qi remained standing. Late or not, she didn¡¯t intend to seat herself before all of her guests were here. ¡°I trust in Lady Cai¡¯s judgment, so I am not as skeptical as some. Still, this is certainly a bold endeavor.¡±


    ¡°No disagreement there,¡± Zheng Fu said, the cloth of his facemask stretching over what was surely a wide grin. ¡°I¡­¡±


    Ling Qi abruptly straightened up. The scent of copper invaded her nostrils, and the feeling of leaves and new shoots and crumbling black earth brushed her senses.


    Bai Meizhen sniffed. ¡°Not that late, it seems.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t long before Sun Liling made her presence known on the hilltop, walking with an unshakeable predatory confidence. The Princess of the West was not too much different from how she was at the tournament.Her sun-darkened skin had shed the handful of scars she had before, and her hair was a little longer, bound up in a thick braid that swayed behind her back. She wore a shimmering vest of black scales over a pale green shirt with silver vambraces that pinned the sleeves in place. The high riding boots her silken pants were tucked into were made of white snakeskin.


    She was glad that Bai Meizhen had such a good hold on her temper because that clothing choice was obviously provocative. Xiao Fen looked about ready to spit blood and leap over the table. Meizhen merely narrowed her eyes.


    Trailing behind Liling was another familiar figure. Ji Rong, unlike his liege, had picked up new scars, quite a few of them, climbing like lines of lightning up around his bare arms from beneath the bandage wraps around his hands and wrists. He was wearing an open chested, sleeveless tunic in similar colors to Sun Liling. His hair had been shorn short, rather than remaining a shaggy mop.


    ¡°Yo,¡± Sun Liling greeted. ¡°Looks like you started without us.¡± The princess tilted her head as she looked at Ling Qi.


    Ling Qi smelled blood as the princess stared at her. Sun Liling was almost as tall as her now, and she was firmly in the sixth stage of the green realm, though there was a potency in her aura beyond that.


    Ling Qi smiled blandly. ¡°Only in making ready the refreshments. It would be terribly rude to make the other guests wait for hospitality when there was no specific time of arrival provided.¡±


    Sun Liling cracked a grin. ¡°That¡¯s fair. I guess I won¡¯t sweat it. It¡¯s fine that I brought a plus one, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I would never refuse our esteemed guests their retinues,¡± Ling Qi returned. ¡°Please find a seat, princess. Since you are here, we can get to business, if no one has any objections.¡±


    Zheng Fu gave her a thumbs up with his mouth full of cider. Xuan Shi inclined his head.


    ¡°Everyone present has many duties to see to. I am ready to proceed at any time, baroness,¡± Bai Meizhen said.


    ¡°Yeah, sure. I¡¯d like to hear what exactly ¡¯s been going on down here. Rumors have been wild,¡± Sun Liling said casually. She advanced toward the table.


    Ji Rong followed. He briefly met her eyes, and Ling Qi had to stop herself from frowning. There was something ragged in his gaze.


    The two of them took a seat near Xuan Shi, as close to opposite the Bai delegation as they could manage, and Ling Qi silently let out a breath of relief. Sun Liling wasn¡¯t going all in on antagonizing them then. At least not yet.


    Ling Qi moved around the table to find an open space as close to equidistant as she could manage from all of the guests present. ¡°I¡¯m sure the rumors have been very outlandish. But with everyone here, I hope I can give all of you, the Cai¡¯s esteemed guests, a clear picture of the situation.¡±


    Xuan Shi already knew all of this, and Bai Meizhen knew most of it, but it was best to treat everyone as if they were on even footing here.


    ¡°Some months ago, during the Argent Peak Sect¡¯s assault on the nomad confederations¡¯ meeting, I encountered an individual who was neither cloud tribe nor imperial¡­¡±


    Ling Qi made her presentation, laying out the raw facts of the events at the caldera, the journey to the south, the meeting in the iron fortress, and the preparations of the last month or so. She allowed qi to tinge her voice as she spoke¡ªit came easily now¡ªadding clarity and sincerity to her words, granting them a depth that mortal speech could not match with image and memory embedded in each syllable.


    While she spoke, she watched her audience. Xuan Shi leaned forward subtly, listening intently, despite knowing this all. Zheng Fu grinned, putting an elbow on the table while shoveling in snacks with untoward speed. Bai Meizhen was unreadable, but Xia Anxi looked disbelieving. As for Sun Liling, she listened with a cocked eyebrow and an unreadable smirk.


    ¡°Hah! You¡¯ve been running non-stop. Bunch of adventures back-to-back,¡± Zheng Fu exclaimed as she finished. ¡°Well, I get why you¡¯re so intense about this!¡±


    ¡°Prioritizing among enemies and potential enemies is wise, and Duchess Cai¡¯s subjugations prove that foreign arrangements are possible here, just as they are on the seas,¡± Bai Meizhen said diplomatically.


    That was the official Bai line, Ling Qi knew.


    ¡°Yeah, I get it. Enemies, enemies everywhere. Gotta pick a direction,¡± Sun Liling said. ¡°Still, gotta ask, I don¡¯t feel like you all are really just looking for something perfunctory here? Kinda at odds with everything you¡¯re building.¡±


    ¡°We would like it to be more to head off potential conflict in the future since the Emerald Seas is not positioned to truly control the mountains of the Wall. Are matters different for the Western Territories?¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± Sun Liling said lazily. ¡°Looking like there¡¯s some good mining in the foothills, but we¡¯ve got enough space to fill up. Right, Ji Rong? You toured the settlements.¡±


    ¡°... Yeah. Need more people first.¡±


    ¡°Eh, you lot are moving enough stuff that I doubt you¡¯re planning to punch and run down there,¡± Zheng Fu drawled. ¡°Hells, I hear your grandpappy¡¯s had some real bigwigs tearing up open mines down there. Sure sounds permanent to me.¡±


    Sun Liling squinted at Zheng Fu, and Ling Qi blinked. She hadn¡¯t expected that.


    ¡°There ain¡¯t as many tribes in our chunk of mountains. Might as well get some use out of ¡®em.¡± Sun Liling shrugged. ¡°We ain¡¯t planning big settlements. Also not really the point of this, is it?¡±


    ¡°I hope that our efforts can be coordinated, if only to avoid any unnecessary mistakes or conflicts,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I have knowledge that indicates that the Polar Nation who live south of the Western Territories has some contact with a ¡®flower demon¡¯ from the north, which sounds like the old inhabitants of your kingdom, for example. Have you found any passes that would facilitate that?¡±


    Sun Liling hummed to herself. ¡°Well, now we¡¯re really getting off track. Since I¡¯m feeling generous though¡­ Yeah, there¡¯s something like that, a place where the mountains go low. Sealed off though. Some real nasty growth there. Good thing Gramps hasn¡¯t decided to chop through it yet, huh?¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± Ling Qi said slowly. ¡°My apologies, Princess Sun, I hope to speak with you more on those matters later.¡±


    ¡°And I might be inclined to listen. Why don¡¯t ya get back to explaining the barbarians right now though?¡±


    ¡°My lady¡¯s current plan for negotiations is to establish non-aggression, a mutually acceptable dispute resolution mechanism, and agreement over territory maps. We intend to maintain in this area a small ¡®foreign quarter¡¯ similar to the Xuan¡¯s port. Any trading at scale is still some time away, but we are considering offering some mutual academic access to keep interest.¡±


    Xuan Shi tilted his head curiously.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Bai Meizhen asked. ¡°The observatory then? I suppose that awful light in the south means these people have some experience with the sky.¡±


    ¡°Just so,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°Tentative investigation indicates that they may have difficulty producing glass as fine as ours, so our telescope might be of interest. Similarly, I have observed their astronomical maps, and they are not too inferior to imperial ones.¡±


    ¡°Guess offering mostly irrelevant stuff is a good plan for bait,¡± Sun Liling said dismissively.


    Nettled, Xuan Shi intoned, ¡°One who lives ¡®pon the shore never shall ignore the stars.¡±


    ¡°And I don¡¯t think you need to sink a city''s worth of stones into a fancy looking glass to make a star chart,¡± Sun Liling retorted. ¡°But guess there is some funny stuff going on down south, so maybe it is worth it. Anyway, if you¡¯re looking for approval, I don¡¯t care. Gramps won¡¯t either.¡±


    ¡°It is unorthodox, and not done, to share imperial knowledge with barbarians, but¡­ Princess Sun is correct that a tertiary field like astronomy will not cause too much upset.¡± Bai Meizhen looked like she had bitten into something deeply sour agreeing even that much with Sun Liling.


    ¡°Ehhhhhh¡­ It¡¯s fine?¡± Zheng Fu offered. ¡°Like, it sounds like a solid plan, not that I have any idea for this stuff. Don¡¯t know that the capital spooks will see it that way.¡±


    ¡°The isles will trust in the judgment of our friends, and we approve the scholarship of the stars,¡± Xuan Shi said.


    ¡°Lady Cai will be pleased. We have hope that the academic mission will serve as the seed of a tradepost, through which wealth may flow into the empire, but that goal is much further away. Now, the first subject I would like to speak to everyone on is how you, our honored guests, are able to interact with negotiations. Lady Cai feels it is important that everyone come to an agreement on our behavior to prevent any misunderstandings.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re just observers, aren¡¯t we? Just need to sit in our pretty little rustic palaces while you jaw off with the savages, no?¡± Sun Liling idly drummed her fingers on the table. Her fingernails were bright green and sharp and made a noise not unlike daggers tapping on the stone.


    ¡°Of course. You are free to do so. But I know that the worthies of the empire are rarely happy sitting passive for long,¡± Ling Qi said smoothly.


    ¡°Hah, that¡¯s right. I¡¯d go nuts just sitting around like that. Plus, I kinda want to chat with that old crow guy again.¡± Zheng Fu took a deep drink from the bottle of wine he¡¯d pulled his way and let out a satisfied sigh. ¡°But you don¡¯t want me wandering on my own and spooking them into jumping me. I get it.¡±


    ¡°It is not the Bai¡¯s interest to be involved with barbarians until they have proven themselves otherwise,¡± Bai Meizhen laid out. ¡°But yes, It would be terribly dull, merely sitting and reading reports rather than witnessing your work first hand. Of course, others may have further interests.¡±


    Xia Anxi bowed his head. ¡°If Lady Cai might allow, I would like to speak with the geomancers, if only to set my lady¡¯s mind at ease on the safety of the projects here.¡±


    Xuan Shi put in his view. ¡°Consultation with Lady Ling is already my purpose in order to ease understanding and bring about friendship.¡±


    Sun Liling snorted. ¡°Suppose you got me there. So, what are you proposing?¡±

 Threads 328-Dukes 2

    Threads 328-Dukes 2


    A cresting gust of wind yanked at her hair and the hems of her dress. Light flashed, and the scream of something viciously sharp being dragged along the stone followed. Ling Qi parted the wave of dust and dirt that followed around herself and the Bai.


    Xuan Shi stood a little ways off the platform, a hovering swarm of his hexagonal talisman shields forming half of a sphere in front of him, rippling and sparking with blue-gray qi. He was unruffled, and he stood with his feet and the butt of his staff planted in the earth. The only unsteadiness of his posture was the way his eyes flicked toward her.


    Zheng Fu stood about two meters distant, bouncing on the balls of his feet in a loose fighting stance as his right arm snapped back in a blur, rippling back into human shape from the mantis-like blade that had drug sparks along the surface of Xuan Shi¡¯s defense. His other arm was drawn back, chambered for a punch, muscles writhing and swelling under the thick wraps he wore on his arms. Then, he spied them.


    ¡°Oh, looks like we¡¯ll have to box a little later, turtle-man. The ladies are here!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m quite sure you could have felt us coming some time ago, had you expended the effort,¡± Bai Meizhen criticized.


    ¡°Eh, maybe. I really wanted a crack at this guy though. He¡¯s tough!¡± Zheng Fu shrugged. ¡°Later?¡±


    ¡°Later,¡± Xuan Shi agreed, reaching out for one of the panels as the others flitted away, disappearing into his gauntlets in a dozen little flashes. He rubbed his thumb along the scratch in the remaining panel. ¡°Apologies, Lady Ling, Lady Bai. To test mine artifice against such strength is not a common chance.¡±


    ¡°There is a time and a place for such spars, but I suppose I will not blame you for showing martial spirit,¡± Bai Meizhen said haughtily. ¡°I hope you may restrain yourselves going forward.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Zhen Fu said dismissively. ¡°If you¡¯re standing around waiting, you might as well cultivate a little. I know you gotta stop once business starts though.¡±


    Well, that was an admirable work ethic at least. She was sure Sixiang would have needled her about her own habits if they had been here.


    ¡°This one apologizes,¡± Xuan Shi said evenly. ¡°Three arrive. The sand dwellers demur. Whence is the bloodied flower?¡±


    ¡°The Western Territories have indicated that Sun Liling may be somewhat late, as their delegation is only just arriving,¡± Ling Qi said apologetically. ¡°We may have to wait for a short time.¡±


    ¡°Hah, is that so?¡± Zheng Fu scratched the back of his head. ¡°You all want in on this then? We could do teams. You and the snake-y lot, me and turtle man?¡±


    ¡°I would prefer if we did not melt, freeze, or otherwise explode the meeting site, honored guests,¡± Ling Qi said calmly.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like a ¡®no.¡¯ That sounds like a ¡®maybe later.¡¯¡±


    ¡°I will have to decline for the foreseeable future,¡± Bai Meizhen said.


    Xia Anxi was disapproving. ¡°Honestly, we are a diplomatic mission.¡±


    Xiao Fen looked like she was dissecting Zheng Fu with her eyes and did not speak.


    ¡°Bah, alright. Means we have to fill the time, and you didn¡¯t bring snacks. Unless¡­?¡± Zheng Nan waggled his eyebrows behind his headwrap.


    Ling Qi sighed. She gestured, and atop the stone table, a spread of drinks and carefully arranged platters of light snacks appeared on the table. It was a little rude to serve before the Western Territories arrived, but declaring they would be late was also rude.


    ¡°Hah, there we go!¡± Zheng Fu laughed, practically leaping onto a bench, reaching for a bottle of one of the harder ciders.


    ¡°Your hospitality is appreciated,¡± Bai Meizhen said quietly, stepping past her. ¡°Sir Xuan, I have heard you were more involved in matters than the rest of us. May I ask after your reasons?¡±


    ¡°Our ports are open and accept many ships,¡± Xuan Shi said simply, taking a seat. ¡°Advice was asked, and though the clan and seas are far, some use might be found. This is curious, no?¡±


    ¡°You got that right. Honestly, you hermit folk have been holding out on us, and now, the south is getting exciting too! We gotta get ourselves out here more,¡± Zheng Fu enthused.


    ¡°It is intriguing,¡± Bai Meizhen said, taking her own seat, Xia Anxi and Xiao Fen followed, but Ling Qi remained standing. Late or not, she didn¡¯t intend to seat herself before all of her guests were here. ¡°I trust in Lady Cai¡¯s judgment, so I am not as skeptical as some. Still, this is certainly a bold endeavor.¡±


    ¡°No disagreement there,¡± Zheng Fu said, the cloth of his facemask stretching over what was surely a wide grin. ¡°I¡­¡±


    Ling Qi abruptly straightened up. The scent of copper invaded her nostrils, and the feeling of leaves and new shoots and crumbling black earth brushed her senses.


    Bai Meizhen sniffed. ¡°Not that late, it seems.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t long before Sun Liling made her presence known on the hilltop, walking with an unshakeable predatory confidence. The Princess of the West was not too much different from how she was at the tournament.Her sun-darkened skin had shed the handful of scars she had before, and her hair was a little longer, bound up in a thick braid that swayed behind her back. She wore a shimmering vest of black scales over a pale green shirt with silver vambraces that pinned the sleeves in place. The high riding boots her silken pants were tucked into were made of white snakeskin.


    She was glad that Bai Meizhen had such a good hold on her temper because that clothing choice was obviously provocative. Xiao Fen looked about ready to spit blood and leap over the table. Meizhen merely narrowed her eyes.


    Trailing behind Liling was another familiar figure. Ji Rong, unlike his liege, had picked up new scars, quite a few of them, climbing like lines of lightning up around his bare arms from beneath the bandage wraps around his hands and wrists. He was wearing an open chested, sleeveless tunic in similar colors to Sun Liling. His hair had been shorn short, rather than remaining a shaggy mop.


    ¡°Yo,¡± Sun Liling greeted. ¡°Looks like you started without us.¡± The princess tilted her head as she looked at Ling Qi.


    Ling Qi smelled blood as the princess stared at her. Sun Liling was almost as tall as her now, and she was firmly in the sixth stage of the green realm, though there was a potency in her aura beyond that.


    Ling Qi smiled blandly. ¡°Only in making ready the refreshments. It would be terribly rude to make the other guests wait for hospitality when there was no specific time of arrival provided.¡±


    Sun Liling cracked a grin. ¡°That¡¯s fair. I guess I won¡¯t sweat it. It¡¯s fine that I brought a plus one, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I would never refuse our esteemed guests their retinues,¡± Ling Qi returned. ¡°Please find a seat, princess. Since you are here, we can get to business, if no one has any objections.¡±


    Zheng Fu gave her a thumbs up with his mouth full of cider. Xuan Shi inclined his head.


    ¡°Everyone present has many duties to see to. I am ready to proceed at any time, baroness,¡± Bai Meizhen said.


    ¡°Yeah, sure. I¡¯d like to hear what exactly ¡¯s been going on down here. Rumors have been wild,¡± Sun Liling said casually. She advanced toward the table.


    Ji Rong followed. He briefly met her eyes, and Ling Qi had to stop herself from frowning. There was something ragged in his gaze.


    The two of them took a seat near Xuan Shi, as close to opposite the Bai delegation as they could manage, and Ling Qi silently let out a breath of relief. Sun Liling wasn¡¯t going all in on antagonizing them then. At least not yet.


    Ling Qi moved around the table to find an open space as close to equidistant as she could manage from all of the guests present. ¡°I¡¯m sure the rumors have been very outlandish. But with everyone here, I hope I can give all of you, the Cai¡¯s esteemed guests, a clear picture of the situation.¡±


    Xuan Shi already knew all of this, and Bai Meizhen knew most of it, but it was best to treat everyone as if they were on even footing here.


    ¡°Some months ago, during the Argent Peak Sect¡¯s assault on the nomad confederations¡¯ meeting, I encountered an individual who was neither cloud tribe nor imperial¡­¡±


    Ling Qi made her presentation, laying out the raw facts of the events at the caldera, the journey to the south, the meeting in the iron fortress, and the preparations of the last month or so. She allowed qi to tinge her voice as she spoke¡ªit came easily now¡ªadding clarity and sincerity to her words, granting them a depth that mortal speech could not match with image and memory embedded in each syllable.


    While she spoke, she watched her audience. Xuan Shi leaned forward subtly, listening intently, despite knowing this all. Zheng Fu grinned, putting an elbow on the table while shoveling in snacks with untoward speed. Bai Meizhen was unreadable, but Xia Anxi looked disbelieving. As for Sun Liling, she listened with a cocked eyebrow and an unreadable smirk.


    ¡°Hah! You¡¯ve been running non-stop. Bunch of adventures back-to-back,¡± Zheng Fu exclaimed as she finished. ¡°Well, I get why you¡¯re so intense about this!¡±


    ¡°Prioritizing among enemies and potential enemies is wise, and Duchess Cai¡¯s subjugations prove that foreign arrangements are possible here, just as they are on the seas,¡± Bai Meizhen said diplomatically.


    That was the official Bai line, Ling Qi knew.


    ¡°Yeah, I get it. Enemies, enemies everywhere. Gotta pick a direction,¡± Sun Liling said. ¡°Still, gotta ask, I don¡¯t feel like you all are really just looking for something perfunctory here? Kinda at odds with everything you¡¯re building.¡±


    ¡°We would like it to be more to head off potential conflict in the future since the Emerald Seas is not positioned to truly control the mountains of the Wall. Are matters different for the Western Territories?¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± Sun Liling said lazily. ¡°Looking like there¡¯s some good mining in the foothills, but we¡¯ve got enough space to fill up. Right, Ji Rong? You toured the settlements.¡±


    ¡°... Yeah. Need more people first.¡±


    ¡°Eh, you lot are moving enough stuff that I doubt you¡¯re planning to punch and run down there,¡± Zheng Fu drawled. ¡°Hells, I hear your grandpappy¡¯s had some real bigwigs tearing up open mines down there. Sure sounds permanent to me.¡±


    Sun Liling squinted at Zheng Fu, and Ling Qi blinked. She hadn¡¯t expected that.


    ¡°There ain¡¯t as many tribes in our chunk of mountains. Might as well get some use out of ¡®em.¡± Sun Liling shrugged. ¡°We ain¡¯t planning big settlements. Also not really the point of this, is it?¡±


    ¡°I hope that our efforts can be coordinated, if only to avoid any unnecessary mistakes or conflicts,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°I have knowledge that indicates that the Polar Nation who live south of the Western Territories has some contact with a ¡®flower demon¡¯ from the north, which sounds like the old inhabitants of your kingdom, for example. Have you found any passes that would facilitate that?¡±


    Sun Liling hummed to herself. ¡°Well, now we¡¯re really getting off track. Since I¡¯m feeling generous though¡­ Yeah, there¡¯s something like that, a place where the mountains go low. Sealed off though. Some real nasty growth there. Good thing Gramps hasn¡¯t decided to chop through it yet, huh?¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± Ling Qi said slowly. ¡°My apologies, Princess Sun, I hope to speak with you more on those matters later.¡±


    ¡°And I might be inclined to listen. Why don¡¯t ya get back to explaining the barbarians right now though?¡±


    ¡°My lady¡¯s current plan for negotiations is to establish non-aggression, a mutually acceptable dispute resolution mechanism, and agreement over territory maps. We intend to maintain in this area a small ¡®foreign quarter¡¯ similar to the Xuan¡¯s port. Any trading at scale is still some time away, but we are considering offering some mutual academic access to keep interest.¡±


    Xuan Shi tilted his head curiously.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Bai Meizhen asked. ¡°The observatory then? I suppose that awful light in the south means these people have some experience with the sky.¡±


    ¡°Just so,¡± Ling Qi replied. ¡°Tentative investigation indicates that they may have difficulty producing glass as fine as ours, so our telescope might be of interest. Similarly, I have observed their astronomical maps, and they are not too inferior to imperial ones.¡±


    ¡°Guess offering mostly irrelevant stuff is a good plan for bait,¡± Sun Liling said dismissively.


    Nettled, Xuan Shi intoned, ¡°One who lives ¡®pon the shore never shall ignore the stars.¡±


    ¡°And I don¡¯t think you need to sink a city''s worth of stones into a fancy looking glass to make a star chart,¡± Sun Liling retorted. ¡°But guess there is some funny stuff going on down south, so maybe it is worth it. Anyway, if you¡¯re looking for approval, I don¡¯t care. Gramps won¡¯t either.¡±


    ¡°It is unorthodox, and not done, to share imperial knowledge with barbarians, but¡­ Princess Sun is correct that a tertiary field like astronomy will not cause too much upset.¡± Bai Meizhen looked like she had bitten into something deeply sour agreeing even that much with Sun Liling.


    ¡°Ehhhhhh¡­ It¡¯s fine?¡± Zheng Fu offered. ¡°Like, it sounds like a solid plan, not that I have any idea for this stuff. Don¡¯t know that the capital spooks will see it that way.¡±


    ¡°The isles will trust in the judgment of our friends, and we approve the scholarship of the stars,¡± Xuan Shi said.


    ¡°Lady Cai will be pleased. We have hope that the academic mission will serve as the seed of a tradepost, through which wealth may flow into the empire, but that goal is much further away. Now, the first subject I would like to speak to everyone on is how you, our honored guests, are able to interact with negotiations. Lady Cai feels it is important that everyone come to an agreement on our behavior to prevent any misunderstandings.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re just observers, aren¡¯t we? Just need to sit in our pretty little rustic palaces while you jaw off with the savages, no?¡± Sun Liling idly drummed her fingers on the table. Her fingernails were bright green and sharp and made a noise not unlike daggers tapping on the stone.


    ¡°Of course. You are free to do so. But I know that the worthies of the empire are rarely happy sitting passive for long,¡± Ling Qi said smoothly.


    ¡°Hah, that¡¯s right. I¡¯d go nuts just sitting around like that. Plus, I kinda want to chat with that old crow guy again.¡± Zheng Fu took a deep drink from the bottle of wine he¡¯d pulled his way and let out a satisfied sigh. ¡°But you don¡¯t want me wandering on my own and spooking them into jumping me. I get it.¡±


    ¡°It is not the Bai¡¯s interest to be involved with barbarians until they have proven themselves otherwise,¡± Bai Meizhen laid out. ¡°But yes, It would be terribly dull, merely sitting and reading reports rather than witnessing your work first hand. Of course, others may have further interests.¡±


    Xia Anxi bowed his head. ¡°If Lady Cai might allow, I would like to speak with the geomancers, if only to set my lady¡¯s mind at ease on the safety of the projects here.¡±


    Xuan Shi put in his view. ¡°Consultation with Lady Ling is already my purpose in order to ease understanding and bring about friendship.¡±


    Sun Liling snorted. ¡°Suppose you got me there. So, what are you proposing?¡±

 Threads 329-Dukes 3

    Threads 329-Dukes 3


    Ling Qi and Cai Renxiang had spoken on this issue. Even if the members of the ducal clans had no desire at all to interact with the summit beyond observing, having a system in place, a system for all of them, that could not be seen as pushing one or more out was vital. Even if someone like Meizhen would never undermine her on purpose, they still answered to their clans. To that end...


    ¡°It is Lady Cai¡¯s opinion that the most respectful method will be to arrange times after primary negotiation is finished for the day where observers and guests may come to the embassy and speak with the foreign representatives who wish to speak. Amenities and security will be present of course, but Lady Cai asks that you limit your interactions to this time.¡±


    The two of them had hit upon this as the best they could do. This proposal would formalize the interaction, keeping the setting public enough to hopefully avoid giving anyone the opportunity to do something untoward, while not insulting their ducal guests with the implication that they needed minders. Admittedly, troublemaking was only really a concern with certain parties, but it was best to treat all parties equally.


    Zheng Fu looked disappointed. ¡°That¡¯s kind of a pain, isn¡¯t it? Doesn¡¯t that mean we gotta wait till things kick off properly?¡±


    ¡°The Cai clan will thank you all for your forbearance,¡± Ling Qi replied politely but firmly.


    ¡°Kinda high-handed,¡± Sun Liling drawled. ¡°Saying the Cai can tell the rest of us what to do.¡±


    ¡°A captain does not assert his authority on another''s ship. It is only polite to acquiesce to such requests,¡± Xuan Shi agreed.


    ¡°Naturally,¡± Bai Meizhen said precisely. ¡°The Bai clan will respect our host''s request.¡±


    ¡°Never knew snakes could be housebroken.¡±


    Ling Qi sucked in a breath as she saw Bai Meizhen¡¯s eyes widen, her slit pupils shrinking to barely visible lines. Xiao Fen let out a sharp, keening hiss, and she made as if to rise, only to stop at seeing Meizhen¡¯s raised hand.


    ¡°A sharp cut for a blade that I have already left broken in the mud,¡± Meizhen said softly.


    ¡°You wanna try again?¡± Sun Liling challenged. ¡°I guarantee it won¡¯t go how you like.¡±


    Ling Qi clapped her hands, and the rush of wind was a thunderclap.


    ¡°Princess Sun,¡± Ling Qi said harshly, trying not to feel nerves as every eye went to her. ¡°Everyone. Please reign yourselves in. I do not wish for strife among us, but Lady Cai has been empowered by Her Grace to expel any guests at this summit, if their conduct should be too disruptive. She would greatly regret doing so.¡±


    Sun Liling looked her up and down, and at her side, Ji Rong grimaced. ¡°That so? Not a light threat to throw around.¡±


    ¡°It is not, and I had hoped not to bring it up. Let us all remain civil, so that I do not need to do so again.¡±


    There was silence. Bai Meizhen¡¯s expression was blank, and the other two Bai bristled. Sun Liling¡¯s smirk never went away. Xuan Shi¡¯s shoulders were hunched, and he seemed deeply uncomfortable.


    Zheng Fu let out a bellowing laugh. ¡°That¡¯s the stuff! Hah, it¡¯s good for even newbie dukes to stand up for themselves! Gotta know when to cut the shit and lay down your house rules.¡±


    His laugh shattered the tension thoroughly.


    ¡°Strange words for a scion of the rivers, whose disrespect is legendary.¡± Bai Meizhen settled back into her seat.


    ¡°You get bad seeds from everywhere, even in the land of heroes.¡± Zheng Fu shrugged. ¡°Would be less problems if all of you outsiders just said what you meant and treated your kin better too, eh?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you lot more of a theater troupe?¡± Sun Liling taunted. ¡°Can¡¯t say I recall a whole lot of heroes named Zheng in the last few thousand years. Maybe I¡¯m just a rural bumpkin though.¡±


    Zheng Fu grinned, stretching the fabric of his mask.¡°You¡¯re not wrong! We¡¯ve been sitting around growing moss on our asses for a while!¡±


    Ling Qi relaxed marginally. The edge of violence in the air was defused.


    Xuan Shi surprised her as he spoke over both. ¡°This one is pleased that Lady Cai is not here to see the disrespect being displayed at her table.¡±


    Sun Liling snorted. ¡°Tch, you would be. Course that you¡¯re sittin¡¯ here and not the prettier boat boy shows the way this is leaning.¡±


    ¡°If the fine neighbors upon the sand wish to show their disinterest, that is their matter,¡± Xuan Shi replied.


    ¡°Feh, you¡¯ve got bad taste, princess. Those Jin have been warming their throne as long as we¡¯ve been gathering moss, and they still act like a bunch of newbies.¡± Zheng Fu scoffed. ¡°The Cai and the Guo are already a league or two ahead on attitude alone.¡±


    Sun Liling was unimpressed. ¡°Easy talkin¡¯ shit about someone who isn¡¯t here. Why is that anyway?¡±


    ¡°Jin Tae declined the invitation, citing his role as a ministry apprentice. He is not at the summit as a member of the Jin,¡± Ling Qi said evenly.


    ¡°As if anyone can fail to be a member of their clan, no matter their position. How absurd,¡± Bai Meizhen disdained. ¡°Nonetheless, it is the Jin¡¯s choice to not be here. Now, shall we let our host speak or not?¡±


    Sun Liling waved her hand. ¡°Yeah, yeah, get on with it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ling Qi said. She didn¡¯t let a single bit of sarcasm enter her voice, no matter how much she wanted too. ¡°So, I have laid out the goals of our negotiation here. As mentioned, one of the goals is to clearly map the Wall and stake the land claims of both sides so that there can be no confusion.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s why I got invited, despite not being here yet when you were planning,¡± Sun Liling realized.


    ¡°It is my hope that King Sun will be able to provide his own maps and claims, yes,¡± Ling Qi allowed.


    The Western Territories¡¯ ¡°help¡± against the cloud nomads was another complicating factor in the upcoming negotiations.


    ¡°And I¡¯m guessing that you won¡¯t accept just splashing our color across the whole range south of the jungle, huh?¡±


    ¡°It is my hope that we may stick to realistic claims of what our people can truly hold and govern,¡± Ling Qi said evenly. ¡°You did say you were not planning a settlement, Princess Sun.¡±


    ¡°I did, but I¡¯m betting you all are being way too far on the timid end of ¡®realistic.¡¯ These mountains are rich after all. Even you found a lil trove of spirit stones, didn¡¯t ya?¡± Sun Liling asked idly, as if she had not just nearly started a fight minutes ago.


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t entirely sure what to make of it. Was Sun Liling simply trying to keep her off-balance, riding the edge of disruptiveness without crossing over?


    ¡°It is true, but all the same, we would appreciate some flexibility from the Sun on this matter.¡± Ling Qi met the princess¡¯ gaze across the table.


    There were no answers in the other girl¡¯s eyes, only a faintly predatory and curious gleam.


    ¡°Yeah, alright. I¡¯ll have a chat with gramps. I¡¯m sure we can manage.¡±


    ¡°How generous of you,¡± Bai Meizhen said snidely.


    ¡°Yep!¡± Sun Liling replied cheerfully.


    Bai Meizhen wrinkled her nose.


    ¡°And with that, we should discuss the other aspects at play. As you all know, this region is still contested. We are at war with the barbarian tribes¡¯ Twelve Star Confederation and at least one grouping of underground cities.¡±


    ¡°Oho, you think they¡¯ll hit here? Crash the party?¡± Zheng Fu asked.


    ¡°It cannot be ruled out. We will provide the best security to you, our guests, and any strike will need to evade General Xia, who has Her Grace¡¯s full confidence,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°However, as everyone is gathered here, the Cai will appreciate any information the storied clans of the empire might have regarding these foes.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d know better, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± Sun Liling pushed back. ¡°Since the Duchess conquered one of ¡®em and all.¡±


    ¡°The lands of the Thousand Lakes are not conducive to caverns, and the Dreams of Grandmother Serpent infuse the deep places of our world. We of the Bai can only extend the certainty that no such groups exist beneath us. Foes will not emerge from our lands,¡± Bai Meizhen said, as if Sun Liling had not spoken.


    ¡°When Zhi broke the skull of the last dragon god under her club, she drove the cave demons out of Shuilian before the Sage Emperor took his first breath. The Reveler fought and shattered their god, a flunky of the dragon god. Together, they claimed the caverns, the mountains, and the rivers for the people Zhi freed from the Dragon God of the Underworld¡¯s chains. As far as I know, they¡¯ve never come back,¡± Zheng Fu relayed. Then, he shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s what I know personally. Course these pasty blind devils of yours don¡¯t quite match the stories,. But I can send a request to the book wranglers if you¡¯d like?¡±


    Eyes went to Xuan Shi, who gave a blank stare back. ¡°Demons may hardly dwell in the bellies of this one''s swimming brothers.¡±


    Zheng Fu cackled. ¡°Not for very long anyway!¡±


    To Zheng Fu, Ling Qi said, ¡°Yes, please consider this an official request by the Cai to trade for any knowledge in your archives.¡± Then, to all, Ling Qi continued, ¡°In regards to the summit, I merely ask that you coordinate your guards with General Xia¡¯s troops.¡±


    ¡°Sure, that¡¯s great,¡± Sun Liling said. ¡°Why don¡¯t we talk about these other guests of yours though, yeah? I¡¯m sure we¡¯re really dyin¡¯ to hear what you¡¯ve sussed out about these hairy icicles.¡±


    Ling Qi tried hard not to let out a sigh, and she largely succeeded. ¡°Of course. Honored guests, I would ask that you keep your peace until I have finished sharing my observations of the people who call themselves the Polar Nation, and of the province of that nation which calls itself the White Sky...¡±


    It was incomplete yet, this gathering. There was no one from the capital and no one from the Golden Fields, and the Jin of the Alabaster Sands had already declined, but it was a reminder of what lay beyond the horizon. Though this was only a meeting of young scions, this was in a small way a microcosm of the empire.


    She had to wonder how the emperors and empresses did it, holding all of this together for centuries uncounted. She doubted the personalities of her guests¡¯ seniors and elders clashed any less. No, she thought, her gaze panning from her friend to Sun Liling, thinking back to the glimpse she had gotten of Sun Shao through stories and the more hands-on experience of witnessing Bai Suzhen duel Cai Shenhua, the elders were absolutely worse. Not for the first time, she wondered at the sheer extremity of what she had decided to seek, the job she had taken up in being Lady Renxiang¡¯s diplomat.


    The Way was truly long.

 Threads 330-Dukes 4

    Threads 330-Dukes 4


    It was the better part of half an hour later when she finished. The refreshments on the table were depleted, mostly by Zheng Fu.


    ¡°And that concludes what I can tell you of our guests at the moment. I would like to thank Sir Xuan for helping me make sense of and organize this information.¡±


    Xuan Shi tilted his chin down in acknowledgement. He had been helpful to talk to, as the other person who had visited that fragment of their great spirits with her.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Zheng Fu scratched his chin. ¡°Sounds like there¡¯s some interesting ideas there.¡±


    ¡°Baffling ones,¡± Bai Meizhen judged. ¡°I wonder that they can accomplish anything organized as you describe, though it is not as if the empire has never seen barbarians build structures.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they can do some pretty sturdy work.¡± Sun Liling smirked. ¡°Course, we can do it better, but it''s only these southern tribes that wander around doing nothing with themselves.¡±


    Bai Meizhen scowled in distaste at Sun Liling.


    ¡°I believe Lady Bai merely meant that the baroness¡¯ account is credible and matches physical evidence,¡± Xia Anxi clarified. ¡°And even the wastrel tribes of the cloud were occasionally known to hold an agreement for time, unlike other blood-mad savages.¡±


    ¡°Just so,¡± Bai Meizhen supported. ¡°I see no reason to doubt that this endeavor may come to success, if Lady Cai and her retainers continue to put forth such effort.¡±


    ¡°Dunno about all that, but I¡¯d like to see what happens,¡± Zheng Fu shrugged. ¡°And I really wanna chat with that crow again now.¡±


    ¡°So much for the pride of ancient clans,¡± Sun Liling said. ¡°But yeah sure, I doubt our soldiers want to freeze their shorthairs off in an icy desert, easier if they bring their goods up and we buy it off for cheap crap, least till the Wall is settled.


    ¡°No point picking empty fights,¡± Ji Rong grunted, speaking up for the first time.


    Sun Liling tilted her head toward him. ¡°Going soft on me?¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t no shortage of things that need to be punched closer to home,¡± he replied.


    The corner of Sun LIling¡¯s lips curled up. ¡°Heh, wisdom.¡±


    ¡°Hear, hear!¡± Zheng Fu cheered.


    ¡°Are there any other matters which need to be settled?¡± Bai Meizhen cut in.


    ¡°No,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°Unless anyone has any further questions?¡±


    ¡°I might have one,¡± Sun Liling answered.


    Ling Qi inclined her head.


    ¡°I want to hear your own words. What do you want out of this? And don¡¯t give me any runaround about the short-term reasoning. What¡¯s the Emerald Seas doing down here long-term?¡±


    Ling Qi pressed her lips together. There were any number of ways such words spoken aloud could be used against her.


    ¡°There are more methods to build the empire and our province than fire and sword. While you will find that our Emerald Seas lacks neither of the latter, my lady and I aim to prove the viability of the former. This summit is the opportunity we have been given to do so. The Emerald Seas is building a bulwark and the infrastructure to support it, whether we succeed or fail. One way or the other, the duchess will have the southern border secured and her people protected.¡±


    ¡°Humble of ya,¡± Zheng Fu commented.


    ¡°Naturally, we are going to succeed, but I do not begrudge the lords of the province for making their preparations for what they see as a possibility,¡± Ling Qi said mildly. ¡°Princess Sun, the south is tired of burned villages, looted manors, and lost lives. We are done. My lady and I both believe that establishing peace with the White Sky is the best method for solving this problem.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t doubt you believe it. Hey, you might even succeed without a lord who ties your hands and hobbles your feet,¡± Sun Liling sniped, picking at her nails pointedly.


    Bai Meizhen retorted, ¡°With well thought-out methods and reigning in of impulsive elements, we believe our allies may succeed, and they can do so without stripping their interior bare and leaving their mortals to the mercies of beasts at that. Imagine that.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like the duchess has a hankering to keep up the regular cull and keep her lessers in line. Oh, wait. That was the other guys, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Sun Liling asked sweetly.


    ¡°Fuck¡¯s sake, someone just take a swing,¡± Zheng Fu grumbled under his breath.


    Ling Qi caught his eyes, and he lowered his head, chuckling. No one else had heard him or even noticed his lips moving.


    Together with the information revealed earlier about the Sun¡¯s infrastructure building, the Zheng were certainly making a demonstration.


    Xuan Shi spoke up before more barbs could be traded between the Bai and the Sun. ¡°Lady Ling, to remain upon the current, what is thy plan for continued collaboration with this one then?¡±


    ¡°Sir Xuan, as you are accompanying me, of course those meetings are excepted,¡± Ling Qi said.


    Zheng Fu huffed. ¡°You stealing the march, Xuan? I underestimated you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s this?¡± Sun Liling drawled.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Bai Meizhen scoffed. ¡°The Xuan are the only ones with meaningful experience on the matter.¡±


    ¡°Sir Xuan is assisting me with deciphering foreign intent and making sense of our information. He accompanied me to some of our meetings. This is not in his capacity as a ducal observer,¡± Ling Qi explained.


    There was nothing more than that, though it was important to bring up, since it could be a snub otherwise.


    Sun Liling gave an acknowledging grunt. Ji Rong furrowed his brow, glancing at Xuan Shi.


    ¡°Are there any other questions?¡± Ling Qi repeated to her ducal guests.


    ¡°I cannot think of anything. I trust that the baroness and Lady Cai have this in hand,¡± Bai Meizhen said formally.


    ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± Zheng Fu said lazily. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll just have to be patient.¡±


    Xuan Shi inclined his head.


    ¡°Yeah, this is fine for now. I¡¯m up to speed. Guessing we need to talk a little more later though.¡±


    ¡°If it would please the princess, I would like to, yes,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°There are some specific matters to discuss.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. I already put off getting my own people in order for this meeting. You can talk to Rong. He¡¯ll let me know if there¡¯s anything I gotta deal with.¡±


    Sun Liling clapped him on the back, and he gave a grunt of acknowledgement. ¡°Sure, sure, leave me with the boring crap,¡± he grumbled.


    ¡°Course, that¡¯s your job.¡± For the first time since she had seen Sun Liling here, the girl¡¯s smirk briefly slipped into something more genuine. Sun Liling pushed herself up. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°No. Thank you for coming, Princess Sun.¡±


    After a few more pleasantries were traded back and forth, everyone rose and prepared to go. The necessary niceties were said over and over again. Sun Liling was the one to wander off first. Then, Xia Anxi was sent ahead, followed shortly thereafter by Meizhen after a promise to take tea with Cai Renxiang and Ling Qi.


    She was rather surprised to see Zheng Fu stay so long. He did seem determined to finish the refreshments.


    ¡°Lady Ling.¡± Ling Qi looked away from Zheng Fu to meet Xuan Shi¡¯s eyes. ¡°The plan remains?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll speak with Emissary Inzha again while touring the work site,¡± Ling Qi reaffirmed. ¡°We¡¯ll do so once I get back from Snowblossom.¡±


    Xuan Shi nodded his head, frowning as he looked to where Ji Rong still lounged, eyeing Zheng Fu as he, too, took part in clearing the table. ¡°Pleasing. This one begs that Lady Ling bring this to Sir Zhengui.¡±


    She blinked, accepting a thick wooden scroll case produced from his ring. ¡°And this is?¡±


    ¡°Diagrams. The shared project,¡± Xuan Shi answered.


    The shared project? Ling Qi thought. Oh, right, Zhengui had wanted to see if the short flight in the realm of dream could be done in reality.


    ¡°Yes, thank you. I am glad he is finally warming up to you a little.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re up to some fun stuff,¡± Zheng Fu interjected.


    Ling Qi blinked. She hadn¡¯t noticed him rising from the table. Now, he was just showing off, looming there behind Xuan Shi.


    Xuan Shi looked over his shoulder at the taller man. ¡°Shall the menagerie dash itself upon the stony shore still?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Zheng Fu said simply. ¡°Okay wine! Great cider. Food wasn¡¯t bad either. Thanks for having me! Gonna get going now, but hey, you wanna watch me and the Xuan here flex, you¡¯re welcome to come.¡±


    The eyebrow waggling was completely unnecessary.


    ¡°Thank you, but I have too much left on my schedule,¡± Ling Qi said.


    And here, Sixiang would probably have made a lewd joke. If they had still been here.


    ¡°Be well, Lady Ling,¡± Xuan Shi said, and together with Zheng Fu, they set off.


    This left only one.


    ¡°I am surprised. Does the Sun family not feed their retainers?¡± Ling Qi couldn¡¯t help being a little rude after Sun Liling had been so blatant about her own rudeness.


    Ji Rong sat at the table with his arms crossed over his chest. ¡°I¡¯m fed just fine, but I missed food that doesn¡¯t fight in your guts.¡±


    Ling Qi considered him. ¡°Despite my earlier words, we do not actually have to work out a schedule right this second. I expect your liege is going to obstruct any information requests I make anyway.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. She¡¯s gotten pretty over the top, huh?¡±


    Ling Qi stared at him.


    ¡°We ain¡¯t playing at the kiddy table anymore. She knows that. Even a dumbass like me knows that.¡±


    ¡°That is true,¡± Ling Qi said slowly. ¡°But I expected this type of behavior.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what''s in your head, but she isn¡¯t dumb. She¡¯s cocky and full of pride, but it was well earned. It wasn¡¯t like this. She wasn¡¯t like this.¡±


    ¡°I will have to take your word for it. What are you doing, Ji Rong?¡±


    ¡°I have no damn idea,¡± he said, and she thought he sounded exhausted. "But you listen, yeah? That¡¯s your thing. You¡¯ve got some dream sorcery that lets you weasel out secrets you shouldn¡¯t know.¡±


    Ling Qi glanced at the privacy formations surrounding the table. ¡°You¡¯re not exactly being flattering if this is leading to a request,¡± she informed him.


    He stood up. There was an ill contained energy to him. He clenched and unclenched his hands and shifted his balance from foot to foot as he began to pace. ¡°Look. You know she¡¯s gonna give you the runaround, right?¡±


    ¡°Obviously.¡±


    ¡°She trusts me. If I frame it right, I bet I can get her not to cause too much trouble and give you info straight. This is a sideshow for us,¡± Ji Rong said, scoffing. ¡°But it¡¯s important for you.¡±


    Ling Qi pursed her lips. ¡°That¡¯s ¡®weasel-y¡¯ of you. Should she trust you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m on her side,¡± Ji Rong said, and there was not a single crack in the conviction she could feel thrumming like lightning through his qi.


    ¡°What are you asking for?¡±


    ¡°I want you to look and listen when we set up this meeting. Tell me what you find. There¡¯s something off.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think that?¡±


    His expression screwed up into a scowl. ¡°There¡¯s something fucking wrong in the jungle. Something nobody there notices, or at least nobody talks about. It''s like... There are drums always beating in the back of your head while you¡¯re there. It doesn¡¯t feel bad. It makes your blood pump fast and your qi flow smooth. It makes you feel like you can fight anything and anyone. It took a long time to even notice it, but it¡¯s there. It¡¯s always there. And it only gets louder.¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°When Liling came back from training with her gramps a whole stage up, she was different... And it feels like the drums came with her.¡±

 Threads 331-Springs 1

    Threads 331-Springs 1


    Something about the way his voice dropped gave her shivers. The brash thug of a cultivator she knew Ji Rong to be should not whisper like that.


    ¡°I won¡¯t risk her anger, trying to get inside her head, even if I could. Honestly, I probably can¡¯t get in.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. We ain¡¯t friends. I know that. I think you''re a prissy faerie high on the station you¡¯ve clawed yourself into. You think I¡¯m a meatheaded thug, dragging the street around like a prison weight, right?¡±


    ¡°Your words, Baron Ji,¡± Ling Qi said flatly.


    ¡°Well, this is what all this noble garbage is supposed to be for, right? ¡®Aligning interests.¡¯ I¡¯ll help you. You help me,¡± Ji Rong demanded.


    His pacing had finally taken him to directly in front of her. He was agitated, but the dam that broke earlier seemed to have been sealed. His expression had smoothed out.


    Ling Qi considered him. She wouldn¡¯t risk anything deep in dream with the summit coming, but a light skim, reading the echoes Sun Liling left behind her without crossing over was... doable. Possibly. Combined with the visions she had begun to have since her tribulation, they might offer him a hint. A place to get started.


    And he was being sincere. Ji Rong was not hard to read. The politicking, the high realms, war and diplomacy, and all of that... It was above his head. Or, at least, it was currently. His interests in this matter were entirely personal. And she couldn¡¯t bring herself to begrudge him that, no matter how much she disliked Sun Liling. If he said there was something wrong about her, she believed him.


    ¡°And you keep this shit between us,¡± he continued. ¡°I want your word on that.¡±


    Ling Qi paused. She was going to do this. The chance to defang the obstruction of the Sun was too good.


    ¡°You have my word, Baron Ji. I hope our talks can be productive.¡±


    ***?


    Cai Renxiang rested her chin in her palm, looking at Ling Qi steadily. ¡°This is a first for you, Ling Qi.¡±


    ¡°If you feel I have overstepped, merely say the word.¡±


    ¡°I did not say that.¡± Cai Renxiang glanced to the side where the open window of the carriage showed the hills and mountains blurring by. ¡°I trust your judgment. Reducing the impact of the princess¡¯ obstinance is a strong boon, even if I dislike being left in darkness on any of the factors involved.¡±


    ¡°I swear to you that I would not have and have not bargained to complete any service which could harm you or our interests,¡± Ling Qi promised.


    Cai Renxiang hummed in agreement as the carriage gave the faintest shudder, a testament to the roughness of the terrain here where the roads were still incomplete. ¡°Very well. Regardless, we will need to keep our time at Snowblossom efficient. We cannot be away from the summit for too long, especially if your suspicions are correct.¡±


    ¡°I am confident that Xia Lin and Meng Dan will be watching well, though it troubles me that any sabotage could occur with so many sharp eyes available.¡±


    ¡°It does indicate either troubling incompetence or inside work,¡± Cai Renxiang said unhappily. ¡°The general¡¯s eyes are for troops and greater plots, roads and formations and foes with drawn blades. The work and summit relations, she regards as our responsibility, I think. The ministry however...¡±


    ¡°Should very much be watching,¡± Ling Qi finished. ¡°Well, I won¡¯t discount our enemies¡¯ competence. The plots of the ith-ia were only uncovered by my good fortune.¡±


    ¡°A good point. It does not do us well to be too arrogant and assume our enemies lack capability. So, I will ask that you oversee the completion of the earth veins project. Gan Guangli should be completing his review of the soldiers and warding stones. I will be ensuring that there are no irregularities in records, missing supplies, or any large scale disruptions. Take some time to speak with your brother, but remain focused on the project.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Ling Qi bowed her head.


    It felt strange to be apart from Zhengui for so long, but she had to admit he was much more useful at Snowblossom. She knew he would just be feeling stir crazy if she had kept him at the summit these weeks, rather than letting him wander the fief and map the veins in the earth.


    She felt the faint pulse of qi as the carriage slowed to a more normal pace, coming over the last ridge to look over Snowblossom Lake. It hadn¡¯t changed much yet. The thunder of the water falling from the high cliff across the valley rang distantly in the air, and the lake itself was a placid mirror reflecting the clear blue sky. But little lines of smoke rose from the shore, wispy trails twisting into the sky, and the dense woods carved back for a huddled series of temporary buildings surrounding a gathering square. Further out, she could see lands cleared of stone and stumps, little squares of tilled earth, each with their own homestead. Tiny dots moved along the trails of packed dirt that wound between the buildings. The great stone-paved road that they were on, winding down from the north to the south where they had come from, seemed terribly out of place still.


    The sight stirred a strange feeling in Ling Qi. This place was theirs, wasn¡¯t it? She knew this would likely be the seat of Renxiang¡¯s fief, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that this was something she had a hand in building. She might not have been the sole owner, but breathing in the cool air, reaching out in spirit to touch on the diffuse qi of the lake spirit and the many other smaller ones...


    This was hers.


    ¡°I should wonder if this pride is right, or is it only a seed of arrogance?¡± Cai Renxiang mused. ¡°That in making something, you are its master, and you may do with it what you please.¡±


    Ling Qi looked over at her friend. It was a comment that only partially referred to their little outpost. It was only common sense for most that a parent had such a right over their children, after all. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll make sure you don¡¯t become too rigid. Meanwhile, you¡¯ll make sure I remain on task, hm, Lady Ren?¡±


    ¡°I do not accept your diminutive,¡± Renxiang said flatly. ¡°Do so again, and I shall redirect all correspondence from the Celestial Peaks to your desk for sorting.¡±


    Ling Qi swallowed, her face scrunching up in disgust. ¡°That¡¯s too cruel.¡±


    ¡°There is a limit to my indulgence.¡±


    Ling Qi raised her hands in surrender. ¡°Alright, I give up. For now, Lady Renxiang.¡±


    ¡°We will watch each other though, as you said.¡±


    Ling Qi gave a nod as the carriage rounded the bend, bumping gently as it left the stone road and rolled along the dirt path toward the outpost center where a tall, broad figure in gleaming armor was emerging from the administrative building.


    Gan Guangli was coming out to greet them.


    ***?


    ¡°Welcome, Lady Cai! Miss Ling! As you can see, everything is in good order! Our brave fellows have ensured that not a single man or woman has been harmed in the clearing of fields or raising of homes. The first group of hardy folk from the foothills has arrived and are settling in well!¡± Gan Guangli¡¯s booming voice echoed through the huddled buildings in the dirt square, surely audible to everyone on the shore.


    ¡°Thank you for leaving ahead while I completed my business, Gan Guangli,¡± Cai Renxiang said formally. ¡°I thank you for your assistance in our absence as well, Bai Lao Keung.¡±


    Lao Keung stepped out from behind Gan Guangli. ¡°This is not the duty I was prepared for, but I follow Lady Bai¡¯s will.¡±


    Scanning the square, Ling Qi could see a pair of Bai soldiers, members of her friend¡¯s household guard, sent to their outpost to assist as well. They had clearly adjusted to the climate, wearing the same heavy coats of fur and hide that their own soldiers wore now, Only the mail veils of their helmets and the colors of their livery made them stand out at a glance.


    ¡°It is unusual. I am thankful for Lady Bai¡¯s generosity,¡± Cai Renxiang acknowledged.


    ¡°Sir Lao is most redoubtable, and he was a great help in driving back the larger lake beasts which came to investigate the shores.¡± Gan Guangli clapped the shorter man on the back.


    Lao Keung twitched slightly at the contact but did not complain. ¡°The deeps give and take, but the price should be arranged beforehand,¡± he grunted. ¡°There were no other significant incidents.¡±


    ¡°I am glad, and I will continue having words with Snowblossom about these matters,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°But for now, where may I find my brother and the scholars?¡±


    ¡°You will find them out beyond the fields, Lady Ling! I believe they are waiting for you at the locus point of the fire veins that have been discovered. I would say to simply follow the trail and pennants, but I suspect you will see them from the air much better,¡± Gan Guangli answered.


    ¡°Wonderful. Lady Cai?¡± Ling Qi asked.


    ¡°You are dismissed. Have your initial report ready by this evening.¡±


    Ling Qi inclined her head to everyone and soared upward without further ado, turning on a lazy curve to fly out toward the farm fields. The initial fields were quite some distance from the shore and the other buildings. It might make the guards¡¯ jobs harder but it was the best for leaving room for the settlement center to develop and grow. She suspected the collection of temporary buildings would be torn down as the docks and other lakeside infrastructure was built up. As for the center, it would depend on where they decided to build the administration and lord¡¯s manor.


    There wouldn¡¯t be time for a full planting and harvest this year, but the preparations could still be made. Each farm was a neat square separated by a well crafted boundary fence. Three quarters of each plot were fields with the last quarter taken up by a farmhouse and its grounds. She could already see figures moving in and out of some of them, the first batch of settlers.


    The farms were split by a central path, a packed dirt road that wound up out of the flatter terrain of the valley floor and up into the stony, lightly wooded slopes. It was marked by brightly colored pennants as Gan Guangli had said, but Ling Qi didn¡¯t see anything more obvious, except for the distant feel of Zhengui¡¯s qi.


    She felt a surge from the land, a pulse traveling through the scattered web of energy beneath the surface. She heard and felt the wind churn and rush, and there, far away still, she saw a column of light and fire bloom, a geyser rising into the sky and raining back down.


    She supposed that would do it.


    She found Zhengui lying on his belly near the site of the bloom, half-submerged in the bubbling waters of one of the many pools which dotted the oddly terraced hills, the fading mist of the explosive geyser still glittering in the air. A handful of humans were with him, a few soldiers and the scholars Cai Renxiang had requisitioned from the capital.


    ¡°Hello, Big Sister!¡± Gui chirped. ¡°Did you see? Did you see?¡±


    ¡°I saw. This is new, little brother. I think the surveys would have noticed this before otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    ¡°I, Zhen, have determined that this is the strongest place where many lines connect. I saw that digging here. I could claim the fire under the earth and come to guide it!¡±


    He sounded so proud of himself. Zhen hadn¡¯t gotten to the heights of haughtiness like that in a long time.


    ¡°Lord Zhengui¡¯s instincts are impeccable, and it has saved us a great deal of time,¡± one of the scholars, an old man with a wispy beard and little spectacles, said. ¡°Baroness Ling is most generous for giving us access.¡±


    Considering it was for her home, she didn¡¯t think so, but she understood the dance. ¡°Of course. I am glad this task was made easier, for we all serve Lady Cai. May I know what you have found?¡±


    ¡°The lines go everywhere!¡± Gui interjected, rising from the pool of boiling mineral water. Here and there, collections of crystal had begun forming in the crevices of his shell. ¡°It goes waaaay south down to the big lightning mountain and north to sister¡¯s salty cave. It doesn''t go where the fuzzy carpenters are though, and the part near grumpy Mister Blizzard is frozen.¡±


    So the fourth realm thunderhoof was interfering with the lines in his region, and they didn¡¯t reach the eastern hills? That was still much better than expected.


    ¡°Are there more nexus points like th¡ª¡±


    Ling Qi¡¯s words were interrupted as the geyser erupted again. So close, she could see now the rounded hole dug into the hilltop, lines with tiles of clay and stone carved with formation. It was truly spectacular, a rising column of hot water with a core of shimmering blue green flame at its core. She could sense a thread of Zhengui¡¯s power in it. It was just a seed for now, but looking closer, she could feel the tenuous link in Zhengui himself as well.


    ¡°Like this?¡± Ling Qi finished, impressed. The rain fell as only a warm mist, its killing heat contained by the formations carved into the rock.


    ¡°There are three in total like this one. Unfortunately, one is occupied by the thunderhoof, and the last lies too close to the mountain home of the dragon horses,¡± the old scholar replied. ¡°There are a number of other minor points, but none other so potent as this, baroness.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Ling Qi frowned. Unfortunate, but they were lucky to have one unoccupied. ¡°And what may be done with this one?¡±


    ¡°I, Zhen, think that it would be best to spread this power through the earth, so that all the little humans do not freeze even when it is very cold and their growing things do not die even when the ice comes down from on high.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, silly Zhen! It is better if we leave the power in the water, so the humans can drink it and be strong against bad spirits! Hanyi can scare away stupid cold spirits who come and try to be jerks, if we do not eat them first!¡± Gui exclaimed.


    ¡°Foolish Gui! The kind spirit of Snowblossom gives the humans all the nice water they need. Would you intrude on our neighbor¡¯s domain?¡±


    ¡°Vain Zhen just likes the pretty lake¡¯s praise and pats. Deep water is much better for the humans. They can dig wells far away from the lake and not get sick!¡±


    ¡°Shameless Gui! Do not speak such things before big sister. With warm soil, the humans will never want for good food!¡±


    Ling Qi coughed awkwardly into her hand, glancing at the gathered scholars, none of whom were quite meeting her eye. ¡°He''s been arguing about this for some time, hasn''t he?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, baroness,¡± the old man said, bowing deeply. ¡°We beg that you arbitrate this dispute.¡±

 Threads 332 Springs 2

    threads 332 springs 2


    ¡°zhengui,¡± ling qi said, raising her voice just enough over his bickering.


    ¡°yes, big sister?¡± both of his heads replied, united in the moment.


    ¡°i assume it is not possible to both heat the earth and to purify the underground water?¡±


    ¡°um, i don¡¯t think so...¡±


    ¡°to attempt both projects would muddle the flow of qi. indeed, the current state of the veins is like this, too confused to provide anything more than a minor effect,¡± the older scholar said. ¡°for the veins to provide a notable effect, the fire qi must be aligned toward mountain or water more strongly.¡±


    ¡°yeah! gui think¡¯s this is also because of the blizzard grump though. he is being greedy.¡±


    ¡°i, zhen, think it is because of the lightning leaking in from the south.¡±


    it was probably both. so for now, there was no use trying to be greedy and doing both proposals.


    ¡°we must choose based on what is most beneficial in the near term then. our farms are just getting off the ground, but we already have much more capacity to deal with bad weather than illness. a permanent physician onsite is something we do not have yet,¡± ling qi decided. ¡°tell me how this is supposed to work.¡±


    zhen hissed unhappily, but gui stomped his feet happily, shaking the earth. ¡°oh! the fire will make the good earth stuff in the water better, and when people drink it, the fire will burn bad spirits that try to make people sick, and the earth will make their bodies stronger!¡±


    she glanced over at the scholar, who responded to the cue. ¡°it is not so potent as to sicken a mortal. we have tested this. only at this site itself is the qi so concentrated.¡±


    ¡°sister, we should not interfere with the water too much,¡± zhen complained. ¡°this is snowblossom¡¯s place.¡±


    ¡°does the spirit in the lake connect to the underground waters?¡± ling qi asked. ¡°maybe it does in the cliff where the falling waters have worn passage, but i do not think it is connected to the valley aquifers.¡±


    zhen¡¯s head tilted back and forth until at last, he huffed. ¡°i do not know. i, zhen, assumed. if the spirits of fire and earth are mine, should the water not be theirs?¡±


    ling qi pursed her lips. ¡°i¡¯ll have a conversation with the lake about that. it seems like an issue that should be discussed.¡±


    she had no idea how that would go, but she wasn¡¯t going to do it right now, if only because she was pretty sure xia lin would spontaneously develop multipresence in the third realm in order to strangle her if she went and conducted such a spontaneous negotiation with the summit nearly underway. renxiang would probably help her too.


    ¡°fine. zhen will trust big sister,¡± the serpent hissed, lowering his ash-scaled head.


    beneath, gui remembered his manners well enough not to speak, but she could practically feel his smugness at winning the argument.


    she reached out and rubbed zhen¡¯s head between the eye ridges. ¡°very well. that¡¯s decided. all of you, please compile a list of any materials you need to complete your work. i will present it to lady cai. i am going to walk with my little brother for now. have it ready when i return.¡±


    she was sounding a little imperious there, wasn¡¯t she? well, the scholars seemed reassured by it, if anything, going by the bows and murmurs. some people found comfort in structure and clear orders.


    letting her hand fall of zhen¡¯s head, she turned from the now huddling scholars. zhengui trundled after her, his heavy footfalls beating a cheerful cadence on the rock of the cliff.


    they ascended the hill further and ling qi admired the shimmering pools that lined the slope below, and she watched the geyser erupt again, crackling with power. ¡°you¡¯ve done a good job, zhengui. do you like this place?¡±


    ¡°mm, gui thinks this is a good place! there are many sleepy things here that do not remember humans or how to speak to little ones.¡±


    ¡°hmph. there are many big things, but i, zhen, will grow bigger still. this is a good place. zhen can breathe here.¡±


    she let out a breath. ¡°i¡¯m glad. this spot in particular will probably be renxiang¡¯s, but i think i like the land.¡±


    ¡°gui and zhen will be king of the land so what spots big sister and her boss put human things is up to them,¡± gui declared.


    ¡°i, zhen, know big sister will not break anything.¡±


    ¡°i admit, i am a little worried about the summit. while it¡¯s on, it¡¯s only going to be lao keung here at snowblossom taking care of things in our absence,¡± ling qi said, frowning. the argent peak sect¡¯s army would be nearby so they should still be protected from serious incursion, but...


    her little brother¡¯s heads looked at one another. ¡°big sister. gui thinks that we should stay here.¡±


    she blinked in shock.


    ¡°i, zhen, do not have any important things to say to people from far away, and there are many big people there already,¡± zhen said, lowering his head.


    ¡°gui thinks that he can protect big sister better here. grandmother and little sister are still under the eyes of the big dragon king. sisters¡¯ people here only have mr. hugs and zhengui.¡±


    ¡°mr. hugs?¡± ling qi asked.


    ¡°mhm, the red snake man. his arms are very strong, gui bets he could break lots of things in them,¡± her little brother said guilelessly.


    she looked back into his innocent eyes. why did it feel like he was leaving something out?


    ¡°are you sure? i don¡¯t want to leave you just because you don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be useful.¡±


    ¡°i, zhen, am sure. there are many things to do here, and very few things there.¡±


    ling qi could tell he was reluctant. he still didn¡¯t like being away from her. but she thought that wasn¡¯t it entirely. he did also like it here. ¡°you¡¯re still coming with me when i visit mother.¡±


    ¡°yes! gui wants to see grandmother and little sister and the others.¡±


    ¡°and then i, zhen, will keep this place safe while sister does all of the big talking,¡± his other half agreed.


    ¡°well, i¡¯ll trust you with that.¡± ling qi hummed. ¡°and when i¡¯m done with the summit, we¡¯ll need to find a place to build a garden here, huh?¡±


    ¡°yes! gui has ideas already, but there are still places to see!¡±


    ling qi nodded. ¡°oh, yes, xuan shi also gave me a gift for you. he said they were formation diagrams for your project...?¡±


    ¡°oh! it is done! it¡¯s done!¡± zhengui exclaimed, his voices in perfect sync. ¡°i¡¯ll need to get mister scholar to unroll and hold them for me!¡±


    ¡°that¡¯s the one who has been writing your letters?¡± ling qi asked, amused.


    ¡°that¡¯s right. mister scholar is very nervous and fidgety, but he is nice. gui is glad he made another friend!¡±


    ¡°foolish gui is too generous,¡± zhen grumbled. ¡°but it is good to have someone who can do hand things. now, big sister, please let us see!¡±


    ling qi chuckled and drew the scroll case out of storage.


    ***?


    ¡°was your time here productive?¡± cai renxiang asked.


    ¡°i think so. i¡¯m confident zhengui and the scholars have the earth veins project in hand. just remind the builders to consult them when digging new wells.¡±


    cai renxiang¡¯s brush swept across the page in front of her, rapidly tracing perfect court characters. ¡°noted. protection from illness is a good boon to begin a settlement on.¡±


    ¡°indeed. such a foe may not be fought by normal means, yet is just as deadly as any beast,¡± gan guangli said. he sat a short way down from her, the little camp chair groaning under his armored bulk. ¡°on my end, i must say the farms are coming along well. the new settlers are adjusting their dwellings and farms to their liking.¡±


    ¡°that is good. the largest draws of new settlements are always the offers of land given that there are ever more children than inheritance among mortals,¡± cai renxiang said. ¡°things are coming along well then.¡±


    ¡°they are,¡± ling qi said. ¡°so, what next? people are coming in, and i¡¯ve received notice that the luo are ready to transport beasts if we want them.¡±


    ¡°i am not so certain we have enough people for that yet,¡± gan guangli cautioned. ¡°and it would spread us out further.¡±


    ¡°i believe we need to decide where the settlement¡¯s manor will be, even if we do not yet begin the project. it is impossible to plan long term without knowing this,¡± cai renxiang said.


    gan guangli drummed his fingers on the tabletop. ¡°against the cliff near where the waters fall? even cloud nomads may not easily shoot through so much rock.¡±


    ¡°i like the idea, but the mist might make the atmosphere uncomfortable for mortal citizens,¡± ling qi said. ¡°i could maybe make it less onerous on them. but perhaps out where the river leaves the lake would be a better location for our administration center.¡±


    ¡°it would leave easier room for expansion later at the cost of defense,¡± cai renxiang allowed. ¡°of course, this place where we currently are has value as well. the settlement is likely to grow from several places along the lakeside. a central location may improve administration efficiency.¡±


    ¡°true!¡± gan guanli said before returning the discussion to its original topic. ¡°still, speculation for now. we must decide what settlement projects to focus on next.¡±

 Threads 333 Springs 3

    threads 333 springs 3


    there were drums, ji rong had said. drums always beating. ling qi pondered that statement as she soared in the sky over mountain and valley, river and cliff.


    she was proceeding ahead of the carriage to arrive at the summit location in time to arrange the schedule for renxiang and to give herself time to think and cultivate. she¡¯d not had much time for cultivation in a while, and it was making her anxious.


    her meeting with ji rong and sun liling would come soon after her arrival, and the impending event had left her wondering on the nature of what ji rong spoke of. she considered the surface-level impression of sun liling when the princess had arrived at the summit location. she had felt the fertile, bloody earth, claws bared at the world. but there was a bitterness in it too, buried deep beneath blood and earth and under blade and claw. bitterness. resentment. rage.


    the feelings had a familiar tint to them. ling qi was loath to turn over the memory of her first nightmare tribulation. the tribulation setting had been the memory of the mason war and had featured the king of the wild hunt. it had been there where her newfound resolve to be better had met reality and failed. she had recovered. she was better now. the fragile ling qi of back then could not have faced the emerald mourner and stole back sixiang in her latest tribulation, refusing to follow the nightmare¡¯s will.


    but she still remembered her first. remembered it down in the shard of her soul that she had etched into isolation. she remembered being a rat with bloody teeth and not the slightest shred of kinship, merely a blood-hungry beast that devoured whatever fell in its path.


    sun liling radiated a different sort of hunger, a different sort of desperation and rage. as a rat, she had been a weak and cowardly vermin that could only move as she was told lest she die. sun liling reminded her far more of the hunter whose shadow was like the beasts of the emerald seas.


    ling qi wondered now at that cloak of beasts that the hunter in the first nightmare tribulation had worn. the other phantom weilu had recognized her thousand rings art. if she went now, would the hunter recognize the dirge of the beast kings?


    she could see the cut mountain and the observatory rising high ahead. ling qi spiraled down toward it as she contemplated blood and hunger, rats and hunters, and jungles and forests.


    unfortunately, what awaited her were not simple procedures.


    ***


    ¡°excuse me, what happened?¡± ling qi asked with dawning horror.


    jin tae stroked his chin. ¡°my, lady ling should listen more closely.¡±


    inside the imperial embassy, now fully built out over the hui bunker, ling qi had arrived to some very disturbing news. she had been less than impressed at her arrival when she had been ushered into a dim office, not even fully furnished yet, lit only by a single paper lantern. but its security was complete, which was what mattered, she supposed.


    jin tae had been waiting for her there, garbed in his dark ministry robes, his white mask tied up to the side of his head. he was entirely too cheerful.


    ¡°as i said, during daily work upon the meeting hall, our methods came in conflict with the foreigners¡¯, and as a result of the flaws in such experimental construction, the geomancy of the site was undermined. when an argument broke out over this, one of the foreign guards struck an imperial artisan with her fist. there were some further fisticuffs, but your xia lin stopped steel from being drawn. this is quite grave, no? it¡¯s unacceptable behavior.¡±


    thanks the moon for xia lin. if steel had been drawn, she doubted the general would have restrained herself.


    ling qi narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°yes, we cannot allow violence between us. where are the people involved now?¡±


    ¡°the foreigner was rushed off to their redoubt,¡± jin tae said, studying his fingernails. ¡°the poor artisan was taken to the medical pavilion. i am told she is having a tooth regrown.¡±


    ¡°i see.¡± ling qi sighed. ¡°i don¡¯t suppose you know more details, do you, agent of the ministry?¡±


    ¡°did i not say everything that needs to be known? these barbarians will need to tender an apology at minimum.¡± jin tae said.


    she gave him a hard look, and he sighed. ¡°this happened but a few hours ago. efforts have been focused on preventing conflict from spreading.¡±


    ¡°a simple fight triggered so much chaos?¡±


    ¡°tensions are high.¡±


    ¡°ruined geomancy can fray tempers and damage inhibition,¡± ling qi retorted.


    ¡°it was considered,¡± jin tae allowed. ¡°will you accompany my investigation then?¡±


    ¡°i will,¡± ling qi said firmly. ¡°i need to speak with everyone and determine the circumstances.¡±


    ¡°my, you are meticulous. shall we, lady ling?¡±


    ¡°are the jin prone to conclusions without seeing all angles?¡± ling qi wondered, following him out of the office as the silencing seals on the doorframe deactivated, letting them out into the embassy.


    ¡°we choose to be efficient and seek advantage. circumstances can matter, but the results of this are clear, no? we must demand a formal apology and punishment of the instigator. to do otherwise would show us as feeble indeed.¡±


    ¡°most likely,¡± ling qi agreed grumpily. she understood that. even if there were complicating factors, letting this pass would infuriate quite a lot of imperials participating in the summit. ¡°but we need to understand the whys of it if further incidents are to be prevented.¡±


    ¡°true,¡± jin tae allowed. ¡°i would argue that the better method is to eliminate uncertainty before enacting one''s plans.¡±


    ¡°what wonderful advice for the perfect realm where problems arise at your leisure,¡± ling qi said dryly. ¡°where is lady wang, by the by?¡±


    ¡°in consultation with her clan. she is receiving the last materials needed to complete construction,¡± jin tae answered. ¡°and while i admire your quick flippancy, lady ling, one cannot blame the currents when one chooses to sail for the rocks.¡±


    ling qi sighed, annoyed that he was right. there were always going to be risks with the joint building project, and in the end, one could not expect fortune to fall her way every time. ¡°i won¡¯t engage the metaphor, but the benefits of this project still outweigh the risks. i am certain this situation will be resolved with minimal trouble.¡±


    ¡°i certainly hope so. it would be terrible if such a vast investment could be undone by a single moment of passion.¡±


    ¡°you are remarkably snippy today, sir jin.¡±


    ¡°lady ling is observant.¡±


    she gave him a flat look as they left the embassy.


    ¡°do you have an eye for formations and geomancy?¡± jin tae asked.


    ¡°only to the level of a hobbyist,¡± ling qi admitted. they would need someone uninvolved who could help on short notice. the less time there was for rumor to build up over this the better off they were. ¡°i know one who might be available.¡±


    jin tae¡¯s smile crumpled for a moment, turning into a scowl. ¡°the xuan?¡±


    ¡°yes.¡±


    ¡°... very well. send a message. we will speak with the victim first.¡±


    the medical pavilion for the construction staff was a small structure sized to hold perhaps twenty people comfortably. its size showed that major incidents and injuries were not expected. by the time they arrived, ling qi had sent off a request to xuan shi on a piece of messenger paper borrowed from jin tae.


    inside the tent were two rows of carefully arranged beds, divided from each other by cloth walls, and the cabinets were full of medicines and physicians¡¯ tools needed by the staff. there were only a handful of people resting in the beds, and a pair of staff were on duty. they briefly spoke with one of the physicians as they entered, and they were swiftly directed toward the right bed.


    the woman in question was a late second realm who looked to be in her mid-twenties physically, but she was certainly some sixty or seventy years by the feel of her spirit. she sat atop her cot, cradling her jaw as they arrived, angrily scribbling into a sketchbook open across her lap. her jaw and cheek still showed signs of swelling and deep bruising, and her cheek bulged with medical packing to keep her jaw still while the tooth grew back.


    the woman paused as they entered, looking up. her hand jerked, drawing a sharp line across the array sketch on the page with her brush.


    ¡°please do not be alarmed, madam,¡± jin tae said and she was surprised how kind he managed to sound. ¡°this one is only here to collect your account of today¡¯s unfortunate events. as is the baroness. i understand you might still be in pain. are you able to communicate?¡±


    the woman glanced between them, her anxiety still clear. she gestured to her mouth, and then glanced down to her brush, giving a small shrug.


    ¡°taking it in writing would be acceptable. do you agree, lady ling?¡± jin tae asked.


    ¡°that would be fine. i might be able to communicate her memory if she were to allow it, but i understand if that might be uncomfortable.¡±


    the woman looked at her and back atjin tae. she shook her head just a little and held up her brush.


    ling qi found herself a seat on a camp chair beside the bed, so as not to loom. while jin tae stood near the entrance, the woman flipped to a clear page.


    the story that came out was fairly simple. construction had been difficult. the need to communicate through a handful of translators made progress slow and cumbersome. disagreements over a number of basic geomantic principles made it more so. the rapidly ticking time limit had made the stress worse.


    when she had realized that one of the combined designs was hopelessly compromised, she had tried to warn her partnered white sky artisan, a young man, to cease placing the component tiles. the disagreement had risen to the level of shouting, and the man had tried to ignore her by continuing to place the tile anyway. she¡¯d grabbed his wrist to stop him. the next thing she had known, she was laying on the floor bleeding. one of those ¡°brute women¡± had been snarling at her with a fist raised. there was more shouting, and xia lin had darted in between people, shouting over everyone to force a calm.


    ling qi grimaced as she traced her fingers just above the characters on the page. it was an honest account. she could feel the pressure of the woman¡¯s stress and frustration in the woman¡¯s characters. she saw the shadow of the events: the silhouette of the slim young man in white robes, the woman seizing his wrist and jerking his hand away from the array, and the explosion of pain as a bulky woman in armored furs smashed a fist into her jaw.


    ¡°thank you for your time, madam,¡± jin tae said. ¡°do rest now. unless madam ling has further questions?¡±


    ¡°no, that will be enough.¡± ling qi stood and inclined her head. ¡°let us not trouble you anymore.¡±


    they left, and jin tae glanced her way. ¡°still seeking complications?¡±


    ¡°we¡¯re not done yet."

 Threads 333 Tension 1

    threads 333 tension 1


    there were drums, ji rong had said. drums always beating. ling qi pondered that statement as she soared in the sky over mountain and valley, river and cliff.


    she was proceeding ahead of the carriage to arrive at the summit location in time to arrange the schedule for renxiang and to give herself time to think and cultivate. she¡¯d not had much time for cultivation in a while, and it was making her anxious.


    her meeting with ji rong and sun liling would come soon after her arrival, and the impending event had left her wondering on the nature of what ji rong spoke of. she considered the surface-level impression of sun liling when the princess had arrived at the summit location. she had felt the fertile, bloody earth, claws bared at the world. but there was a bitterness in it too, buried deep beneath blood and earth and under blade and claw. bitterness. resentment. rage.


    the feelings had a familiar tint to them. ling qi was loath to turn over the memory of her first nightmare tribulation. the tribulation setting had been the memory of the mason war and had featured the king of the wild hunt. it had been there where her newfound resolve to be better had met reality and failed. she had recovered. she was better now. the fragile ling qi of back then could not have faced the emerald mourner and stole back sixiang in her latest tribulation, refusing to follow the nightmare¡¯s will.


    but she still remembered her first. remembered it down in the shard of her soul that she had etched into isolation. she remembered being a rat with bloody teeth and not the slightest shred of kinship, merely a blood-hungry beast that devoured whatever fell in its path.


    sun liling radiated a different sort of hunger, a different sort of desperation and rage. as a rat, she had been a weak and cowardly vermin that could only move as she was told lest she die. sun liling reminded her far more of the hunter whose shadow was like the beasts of the emerald seas.


    ling qi wondered now at that cloak of beasts that the hunter in the first nightmare tribulation had worn. the other phantom weilu had recognized her thousand rings art. if she went now, would the hunter recognize the dirge of the beast kings?


    she could see the cut mountain and the observatory rising high ahead. ling qi spiraled down toward it as she contemplated blood and hunger, rats and hunters, and jungles and forests.


    unfortunately, what awaited her were not simple procedures.


    ***


    ¡°excuse me, what happened?¡± ling qi asked with dawning horror.


    jin tae stroked his chin. ¡°my, lady ling should listen more closely.¡±


    inside the imperial embassy, now fully built out over the hui bunker, ling qi had arrived to some very disturbing news. she had been less than impressed at her arrival when she had been ushered into a dim office, not even fully furnished yet, lit only by a single paper lantern. but its security was complete, which was what mattered, she supposed.


    jin tae had been waiting for her there, garbed in his dark ministry robes, his white mask tied up to the side of his head. he was entirely too cheerful.


    ¡°as i said, during daily work upon the meeting hall, our methods came in conflict with the foreigners¡¯, and as a result of the flaws in such experimental construction, the geomancy of the site was undermined. when an argument broke out over this, one of the foreign guards struck an imperial artisan with her fist. there were some further fisticuffs, but your xia lin stopped steel from being drawn. this is quite grave, no? it¡¯s unacceptable behavior.¡±


    thanks the moon for xia lin. if steel had been drawn, she doubted the general would have restrained herself.


    ling qi narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°yes, we cannot allow violence between us. where are the people involved now?¡±


    ¡°the foreigner was rushed off to their redoubt,¡± jin tae said, studying his fingernails. ¡°the poor artisan was taken to the medical pavilion. i am told she is having a tooth regrown.¡±


    ¡°i see.¡± ling qi sighed. ¡°i don¡¯t suppose you know more details, do you, agent of the ministry?¡±


    ¡°did i not say everything that needs to be known? these barbarians will need to tender an apology at minimum.¡± jin tae said.


    she gave him a hard look, and he sighed. ¡°this happened but a few hours ago. efforts have been focused on preventing conflict from spreading.¡±


    ¡°a simple fight triggered so much chaos?¡±


    ¡°tensions are high.¡±


    ¡°ruined geomancy can fray tempers and damage inhibition,¡± ling qi retorted.


    ¡°it was considered,¡± jin tae allowed. ¡°will you accompany my investigation then?¡±


    ¡°i will,¡± ling qi said firmly. ¡°i need to speak with everyone and determine the circumstances.¡±


    ¡°my, you are meticulous. shall we, lady ling?¡±


    ¡°are the jin prone to conclusions without seeing all angles?¡± ling qi wondered, following him out of the office as the silencing seals on the doorframe deactivated, letting them out into the embassy.


    ¡°we choose to be efficient and seek advantage. circumstances can matter, but the results of this are clear, no? we must demand a formal apology and punishment of the instigator. to do otherwise would show us as feeble indeed.¡±


    ¡°most likely,¡± ling qi agreed grumpily. she understood that. even if there were complicating factors, letting this pass would infuriate quite a lot of imperials participating in the summit. ¡°but we need to understand the whys of it if further incidents are to be prevented.¡±


    ¡°true,¡± jin tae allowed. ¡°i would argue that the better method is to eliminate uncertainty before enacting one''s plans.¡±


    ¡°what wonderful advice for the perfect realm where problems arise at your leisure,¡± ling qi said dryly. ¡°where is lady wang, by the by?¡±


    ¡°in consultation with her clan. she is receiving the last materials needed to complete construction,¡± jin tae answered. ¡°and while i admire your quick flippancy, lady ling, one cannot blame the currents when one chooses to sail for the rocks.¡±


    ling qi sighed, annoyed that he was right. there were always going to be risks with the joint building project, and in the end, one could not expect fortune to fall her way every time. ¡°i won¡¯t engage the metaphor, but the benefits of this project still outweigh the risks. i am certain this situation will be resolved with minimal trouble.¡±


    ¡°i certainly hope so. it would be terrible if such a vast investment could be undone by a single moment of passion.¡±


    ¡°you are remarkably snippy today, sir jin.¡±


    ¡°lady ling is observant.¡±


    she gave him a flat look as they left the embassy.


    ¡°do you have an eye for formations and geomancy?¡± jin tae asked.


    ¡°only to the level of a hobbyist,¡± ling qi admitted. they would need someone uninvolved who could help on short notice. the less time there was for rumor to build up over this the better off they were. ¡°i know one who might be available.¡±


    jin tae¡¯s smile crumpled for a moment, turning into a scowl. ¡°the xuan?¡±


    ¡°yes.¡±


    ¡°... very well. send a message. we will speak with the victim first.¡±


    the medical pavilion for the construction staff was a small structure sized to hold perhaps twenty people comfortably. its size showed that major incidents and injuries were not expected. by the time they arrived, ling qi had sent off a request to xuan shi on a piece of messenger paper borrowed from jin tae.


    inside the tent were two rows of carefully arranged beds, divided from each other by cloth walls, and the cabinets were full of medicines and physicians¡¯ tools needed by the staff. there were only a handful of people resting in the beds, and a pair of staff were on duty. they briefly spoke with one of the physicians as they entered, and they were swiftly directed toward the right bed.


    the woman in question was a late second realm who looked to be in her mid-twenties physically, but she was certainly some sixty or seventy years by the feel of her spirit. she sat atop her cot, cradling her jaw as they arrived, angrily scribbling into a sketchbook open across her lap. her jaw and cheek still showed signs of swelling and deep bruising, and her cheek bulged with medical packing to keep her jaw still while the tooth grew back.


    the woman paused as they entered, looking up. her hand jerked, drawing a sharp line across the array sketch on the page with her brush.


    ¡°please do not be alarmed, madam,¡± jin tae said and she was surprised how kind he managed to sound. ¡°this one is only here to collect your account of today¡¯s unfortunate events. as is the baroness. i understand you might still be in pain. are you able to communicate?¡±


    the woman glanced between them, her anxiety still clear. she gestured to her mouth, and then glanced down to her brush, giving a small shrug.


    ¡°taking it in writing would be acceptable. do you agree, lady ling?¡± jin tae asked.


    ¡°that would be fine. i might be able to communicate her memory if she were to allow it, but i understand if that might be uncomfortable.¡±


    the woman looked at her and back atjin tae. she shook her head just a little and held up her brush.


    ling qi found herself a seat on a camp chair beside the bed, so as not to loom. while jin tae stood near the entrance, the woman flipped to a clear page.


    the story that came out was fairly simple. construction had been difficult. the need to communicate through a handful of translators made progress slow and cumbersome. disagreements over a number of basic geomantic principles made it more so. the rapidly ticking time limit had made the stress worse.


    when she had realized that one of the combined designs was hopelessly compromised, she had tried to warn her partnered white sky artisan, a young man, to cease placing the component tiles. the disagreement had risen to the level of shouting, and the man had tried to ignore her by continuing to place the tile anyway. she¡¯d grabbed his wrist to stop him. the next thing she had known, she was laying on the floor bleeding. one of those ¡°brute women¡± had been snarling at her with a fist raised. there was more shouting, and xia lin had darted in between people, shouting over everyone to force a calm.


    ling qi grimaced as she traced her fingers just above the characters on the page. it was an honest account. she could feel the pressure of the woman¡¯s stress and frustration in the woman¡¯s characters. she saw the shadow of the events: the silhouette of the slim young man in white robes, the woman seizing his wrist and jerking his hand away from the array, and the explosion of pain as a bulky woman in armored furs smashed a fist into her jaw.


    ¡°thank you for your time, madam,¡± jin tae said. ¡°do rest now. unless madam ling has further questions?¡±


    ¡°no, that will be enough.¡± ling qi stood and inclined her head. ¡°let us not trouble you anymore.¡±


    they left, and jin tae glanced her way. ¡°still seeking complications?¡±


    ¡°we¡¯re not done yet."

 Threads 334-Tension 2

    threads 334-tension 2


    ¡°will you agree that we should at least hear the matter from the other side?¡± ling qi strode forward, leaving the medical tent behind. her longer stride carried her a bit faster than jin tae, who had to hurry to keep up.


    ¡°for the sake of thoroughness, of course,¡± jin tae replied. ¡°but i am curious as to what it is that you think could change our course.¡±


    ¡°while i agree that the white sky soldier striking her was an escalation, she should not have laid hands on the other worker, no?¡±


    ¡°overly permissive. i would expect one worker to stop another if the other were doing something dangerous, especially if a verbal warning was ignored.¡±


    ¡°misunderstood,¡± ling qi corrected. ¡°it was my mistake in not considering that there would be so much trouble in communication.¡±


    it was easy to forget that not everyone was like her, a third realm. learning new languages was a significantly more difficult endeavor for lower realms.


    ¡°as you like,¡± jin tae said dubiously, following her off the dirt path and onto the paved road. ¡°but although i am curious what the foreigners will concoct to explain this situation, it does not change the result.¡±


    ¡°what would change the result for you?¡± ling qi asked. ¡°would anything?¡±


    he considered her question as they walked, moving south toward the checkpoint where the imperial and white sky camps met.


    ¡°a severe enough geomantic malfunction, i suppose. something which produced mind-altering malice would change my opinion. i would think the many experts available would have noticed an effect so severe though. and if it was so subtle... that would raise the question of how and put the fault somewhere else entirely.¡±


    ling qi dipped her head. in jin tae¡¯s proposed case, it would be her and her lady¡¯s fault for greenlighting this project without sufficient study that it could cause such problems. ¡°thank you for acknowledging such a possibility at least.¡±


    ¡°geomancy may only amplify and soothe. it channels energies. it does not create them. frankly, lady ling, i do not think workers placed under such pressure and conditions need a spiritual explanation for reaching a breaking point and acting foolishly.¡±


    ¡°you¡¯re dangerously close to the conclusion that everyone involved was in a similar pressure.¡±


    ¡°i have never thought otherwise. you may think that i¡¯m hidebound, but the truth is, i understand which side i am on and who is owed my loyalty and protection.¡±


    ling qi read what was unsaid. the ministry was concerned that she was less than clear in her appearances on that.


    they soon reached the checkpoint, passing through their own side¡¯s security. ling qi stopped before the white sky guards standing on their side of the gate. this checkpoint was symbolic when both sides could bypass it trivially, but symbols were important.


    ¡°emissary ling presenting herself. i would like to speak with those involved in today¡¯s altercation. i will speak with any of your authorities involved as well,¡± ling qi announced.


    one of the soldiers there stepped forward, raising her fist to her chest and speaking in thickly accented imperial. ¡°emissary lingchee, this one will send a message. please wait here.¡±


    being made to wait was fine with her, but perhaps not to her own side. it was not as if the white sky could not know that she had already arrived and begun investigating. in imperial culture, one was expected to preempt such requests like this with superior senses. it was considered rude to prevent yourself from being noticed and rude for the other to not notice.


    ling qi chose to be silent on the matter. she did not think the white sky thought that way.


    the wait was not too long, a matter of some ten minutes, before a guard came back and asked them to follow. jin tae, to his credit, did not speak up while they were waiting, having slid his mask down at their end of the checkpoint.


    he remained a shadow to her steps as they were led off to a collection of circular hide structures, like inzha and rostam¡¯s home, but much less intricate. the medical tent was not too different from the one on their side, save for the strings of herbs and dried reagents hanging from the ceiling, giving it an earthy sort of smell rather than the sharper alchemic tang of the imperial medical tent.


    there, the guard with them spoke to someone she assumed was the physician in charge. the man wore a mantle made of fresh leaves and a rough spun brown robe belted with a wide leather band with a huge iron buckle depicting a beast she didn¡¯t recognize. his bushy beard, wild hair, and protruding eyebrows left little of his face visible. he looked the two of them over with suspicion.


    ¡°we cannot allow you close to the initiate. his purity is already damaged, and restoring his balance will take time,¡± the bushy mass of hair said.


    ling qi understood the words individually, but translated directly, it sounded odd. if she took apart his intent... purity was referring to something like cultivation. a method which required the user to remain out of physical contact? there were stranger limitations. restoring the balance was then referring to repairing some deviation in his qi.


    ¡°may we speak with the warrior?¡± ling qi asked.


    ¡°she is here, but only to cool her head. you may speak with her. do not pass the white curtain,¡± the white sky doctor grumbled, turning and stalking back among the hanging herbs.


    ¡°i apologize. his mantle is not one suited for speaking,¡± their guard explained diplomatically. ¡°but it is the most suited for overseeing a place of healing.¡±


    ¡°i understand,¡± ling qi said. ¡°please show me to your fellow warrior.¡±


    she glanced back at jin tae, and though his mask performed its role, she could feel his disapproval. but that she could sense it was only because of her greater cultivation. he was making a significant effort to merely be her shadow here.


    they found the woman in question sitting on a bench against the wall of the pavilion, arms crossed with one leg over the other while she tapped her foot. without the bulky armor and furs, the woman was only a bit shorter than ling qi and perhaps half again as wide. her head swiftly turned at their approach.


    ¡°the emissary of the north will speak with you now,¡± said their guide. ¡°speak with wisdom.¡±


    ling qi gave the guide credit for making the silent ¡°please¡± attached to those words so clear without saying them.


    ¡°i only wish to ascertain the full picture of the event,¡± ling qi said, switching fluidly to the white sky language. ¡°first, may i ask why you are here in this place? did you sustain injuries as well?¡±


    ¡°i did not.¡± the woman met her gaze without flinching. like ling qi had gleaned, she read as freshly into the third realm. ¡°it was decided by my captain that i needed to immerse myself in koliada¡¯s calm.¡±


    ¡°i think you disagree,¡± ling qi said mildly.


    ¡°i was not wrong!¡± the guard exploded. ¡°we have endured your condescension since the beginning. i have watched my charges'' words be dismissed and sneered at, and then, one of your women would lay hands upon my brother, as if she claimed him, disrupting his purity and ruining his ability to commune with the earth!¡±


    ¡°i was informed that the young man was making a dangerous error,¡± ling qi said, not engaging with the rest of the complaint yet. ¡°that could have done much harm.¡±


    the white sky woman scowled. ¡°i have spoken to my brother. stopping mid-construction as he was made to do degrades and destroys the value of the materials, and it curdles the water sleeping in the tile to poison the air. i do not know this, but i trust his judgment.¡±


    ling qi nodded, letting nothing show on her face. so, two different interpretations of an action¡¯s result, and both artisans felt that their actions were urgent, but there had been no quick way to verbally resolve the problem. it was a stressful environment with both sides feeling growing grievances against each other.


    ¡°i see. please explain more. how was your charge-brother harmed by our crafter¡¯s action? i do not know your method of cultivation.¡±


    the woman looked at her suspiciously. ¡°geomancers, the ones who read and shape the earth, give their devotion to the hooded god, the changer, master of the vaults of the dead. in standing apart from the living, they may see the ways in which men may rightly shape the world. how do you not know this? your people there hold each other at such distance.¡±


    because touching other people publicly was just rude in general, ling qi thought but did not say. she had seen that the white sky was much more inclined to physical interactions, at least between people of the same gender.


    ¡°and that is leaving aside that my brother is only a young man. would you allow your brothers to be handled so crassly by a stranger, emissary?¡±


    and then there was that. the guard who had brought her here glanced her way nervously, as if checking to see if she was taking offense. so at the least, she did perceive her compatriot as acting rudely.


    ¡°it is unfortunate that our crafter acted with such rude rashness. but neither can i condone you striking one of ours like that.¡±


    the seated guard looked like she was going to retort, but a raised hand from the other guard made her lapse into silence.


    ¡°emissary, do you require anything else here?¡± their guide asked.


    ¡°do you believe there is anything else relevant to be said of the situation?¡± ling qi asked the involved guard.


    the woman grumbled and shook her head.


    ¡°then we will take our leave. one last question. where was emissary khadne during this confrontation?¡±


    ¡°she had been overseeing some matters aboard the skysledge,¡± their guide said shortly. ling qi easily read the implication that these were not matters which could be discussed loud and clear.


    however, as they left the tent, the guide coughed into her hand and continued, ¡°emissary, though they are only my words, i apologize. i understand her upset, but agata¡¯s action were too much. emissary khadne is also upset by this dispute, and not only for our geomancers'' disrupted spirit, which, if i understand, is not more severe than your crafter¡¯s injury.¡±


    ling qi raised her brows at the admission. she noted the differences in this woman¡¯s armor now, the faint sheen of silver on her helm, the more intricate knotwork on her breastplate, and finer quality of furs. ¡°i see. i would very much like to meet with emissary khadne to discuss how we may both make things right.¡±


    the woman thumped her fist against her chestplate. ¡°i will convey these words.¡±


    ling qi nodded and resumed her path, glancing toward jin tae.


    ¡°well, it seems you have your context now,¡± jin tae commented.


    ¡°i do, and i will not blame the woman who was struck. i will blame our failure to run down basic matters of propriety between our people before the project began. that goes for myself and my equivalents.¡±


    ¡°an oversight for certain. however, the escalation shows more on one end.¡±


    ¡°cultivation-based disagreements are hardly uncommon.¡±


    ¡°and they were strongly discouraged long ago, else the empire could not be.¡±


    ¡°and yet,¡± ling qi said, ¡°i am very certain that our ancestors did far worse than throw a few punches before they were made to settle down.¡±


    ¡°that is not wrong, but it is beside the point. that woman already conveyed that they would take fault.¡±


    ¡°and if i took it at that, i would be the rude and overbearing one,¡± ling qi rebuked. ¡°perhaps you saw capitulation there. i saw rapprochement.¡±


    ¡°why you would take the latter when the former is available is beyond me.¡±


    ¡°as you like,¡± ling qi said. ¡°we stop at the meeting hall next. sir xuan should have examined it. this will make this dispute less complex if one side or the other is correct about the engineering.¡±


    ¡°it will make the argument of the correct side stronger for certain,¡± jin tae said unhappily.


    ¡°do you truly think the actual truth of the matter is so unimportant?¡±


    ahead, the partly constructed meeting hall loomed. the frame was mostly up, a large, long hall with spacious windows and a triangular roof worked with tiles carved with alternating cultural symbols.


    ¡°it is, like your context, good to know but beside the point. though swords have not yet been drawn, this is a conflict. i admit, i find you strange, lady ling. if you wish to avoid conflict so, why are you so determined to present a yielding face to the world, guaranteeing that it comes sooner?¡±


    he sounded honestly perplexed. was it because when she spoke her words, he could know she was being sincere in her intentions?


    ¡°i do not believe that i am being yielding, only fair and just. evenhanded impartiality is my lady¡¯s way. a stable and predictable face is better than either cringing or high-handed aggression.¡±


    ¡°how you are perceived matters more than your intent.¡±


    ¡°we will see.¡±

 Threads 335 Tension 3

    threads 335 tension 3


    the interior of the hall was empty, still filled with tools and the signs of work being done. there, she saw two familiar figures. xuan shi stood by a cracked span of paneling, and beside him, xia lin, with her helmet off and her hand on her hip, looked very vexed.


    ¡°baroness,¡± xia lin greeted, looking over xuan shi¡¯s head. the word dripped with deep frustration.


    ling qi felt repentant. she had made the girl¡ªher friend?¡ªdeal with all of this nonsense. ling qi was weary of it after just an hour or two.


    what had been xia lin¡¯s favorite food when they went out to dinner together at xiangmen? ling qi wished sixiang could remind her.


    ¡°lady ling. sir jin,¡± xuan shi greeted. his expression was stony as it swept over jin tae. ¡°this one is pleased to offer service.¡±


    ¡°thank you for coming on such short notice,¡± ling qi said.


    ¡°indeed, the humbleness of the xuan clan has never been in doubt,¡± jin tae said lightly. ¡°what are your findings?¡±


    xuan shi narrowed his eyes and blew out a sharp breath from his nose, turning his eyes to ling qi.


    ¡°terrible snarl. two energies to nurture, and two whorls of compassion, clashing and brewing a storm. a blast, if completed. smoking malevolence, if left to simmer. this one has taken the opportunity to remove the offending panels.¡±


    ... of course. both crafters were right. wonderful. perfect.


    ¡°in your judgment, did the error in the fusion produce enough malevolence to affect minds?¡±


    xuan shi considered, turning back to the wall to gently pull down the cracked and corroded wood, setting it on the ground. he clearly wondered if she had a preferred answer.


    ling qi lowered her head.


    ¡°enough to fray tempers and stoke spite, but only a small amount... this one does not see malice, only two styles fusing incorrectly. it is only outside both, looking in, that it is noticed.¡±


    ¡°well, it seems we have our expert opinion. what now then, lady ling?¡± jin tae asked.


    ling qi pursed her lips.


    ¡°we¡¯ll simply have to divert more translators to the project and hold a further meeting about ¡®obvious¡¯ cultural matters. i will help train another few individuals in the white sky tongue myself and ask that emissary khadne do the same. i am certain she will be reasonable.¡±


    ¡°if lady ling would like to raise the matter, this one would be pleased to volunteer their time. idle as this one yet is,¡± xuan shi offered.


    ¡°how generous,¡± jin tae said. ¡°lady ling, the matter of the insult is not to be forgotten.¡±


    ¡°i have not forgotten,¡± ling qi agreed.


    jin tae had not in any way impeded her investigation. he clearly disagreed with her, but in the white sky camp, he had shown solidarity in his silence. and while she thought he was wrong and knew that the ministry was not invested in her success, she also knew more of her countrymen than she cared to admit would be on his side in the matter.


    ¡°i will inform emissary khadne of the need for mutual apologies over the matter... but i will also ask that the guard in question be censured by removal from any mixed detail,¡± she decided.


    frankly, while the imperial crafter had made an impulsive error, she couldn¡¯t help but see the white sky¡¯s response as excessive, even knowing there was cultivation damage involved. also, from what she had gleaned of the white sky¡¯s intent, they agreed with her assessment. having the guard who intervened taken out of the duty rotation to ¡°cool her head¡± implied they thought it too hot. similarly, they could quietly allow their crafter to recover and work on other projects.


    if she assessed the white sky right, they wouldn¡¯t demand an announcement from the imperials. if ling qi asked khadne to make a statement as part of her apology, she would be willing to do so. the white sky pride was not quite the same as the imperial¡¯s. stating aloud what they were going to do anyway wouldn¡¯t embarrass them.


    meanwhile, the more belligerent among her group would see that announcement as a concession, if a very small one. it would be viewed as an oblique admittance of fault.


    ¡°i see,¡± jin tae said. ¡°lady ling is wise.¡±


    she could only feel the begrudging nature of that compliment due to her superior cultivation.


    ¡°that does seem to be for the best. however, you should be warned that further meetings and discussions will eat into work time,¡± xia lin warned. ¡°the structure will be complete, but sections with rough or lacking flourish are a possible result.¡±


    ling qi grimaced. ¡°i understand. i can only request that everyone give this matter their best, for the pride of the empire, if nothing else.¡±


    ¡°as long as you understand,¡± xia lin allowed.


    ling qi gave the other girl a commiserating look. she could see the lapsed terror in her body language. xia lin had been outright afraid that her aunt would intervene back there, hadn¡¯t she? that would have escalated the matter beyond saving.


    she mentally added a bottle of fine xiangmen root cider to her apology gift to xia lin.


    ¡°and i must thank you, sir xuan,¡± ling qi said. ¡°i will send a missive to lady wang about your offer, but i am sure she will accept.¡±


    wang lian was not the type to be so prideful. she would probably be pleased to pick the mind of even a younger and less cultivated xuan crafter on the worksite.


    ¡°when a ship flounders, it is a good neighbor''s duty to offer tow.¡±


    xuan shi was rather pointedly ignoring jin tae.


    ¡°unity among the provinces is to be lauded,¡± jin tae said. ¡°shall i consider this matter closed then, lady ling?¡±


    ¡°i think so. i will write to emissary khadne and arrange matters with the workers. would the ministry like to pass an inspection over the meeting hall before the work resumes as well?¡±


    jin tae¡¯s gaze fell on xuan shi. ¡°inspector cao will briefly examine the formations. the ministry would not insult the wang or the xuan with less. nor would we wish to impede the resumption of work. i do hope further collaboration will also go smoothly, lady ling.¡±


    ¡°as do i,¡± she said. because this surely wouldn¡¯t be the last problem the summit saw. ¡°now, please excuse me everyone. i have much writing and talking to do.¡±


    she only had an hour before she was supposed to meet ji rong and sun liling after all.


    ***


    the manor assigned to the sun was not remarkable. while the artisans had made their best effort to make the embassy housing as fine as possible, for a project like this and for structures which would go through many residents, a certain uniformity could not be avoided, especially with the late arrival of the sun.


    the guards outside did clearly belong to the sun family though. it was her first time encountering the soldiers of ¡°the butcher of the west.¡±


    her first thought was to compare them to the duchess¡¯ white plumes, but there was very little commonality. cai shenhua¡¯s elites were a united face of gleaming steel and precision, absolute discipline in form. the soldiers outside of the sun¡¯s manor were not that.


    these soldiers also exuded extreme confidence and discipline, but it was a different sort. the extent of their uniformity was the bright crimson red worked into their armor. each soldier bore armaments of bone, hide, metal, and wood that were clearly reagents from powerful beasts, but each soldier was unique in their trappings. one had a great slab of bone and tooth on their back, half of some beast¡¯s toothy jaw. another had a spear that seemed like a slender green stem tipped with a wicked stinger that stunk of acid. another had twin blades that were black metal crackling with frost, yet were clearly organically grown talons affixed to handles of bone.


    and that was not even getting into the extravagant intricacies of their armor.


    not one was less than third realm, although most were in the second or third stage.


    ling qi finished her brief scan of the soldiers stationed on the manor grounds, and she turned her attention to ji rong, waiting at the door for her.


    ¡°cutting it close, aren¡¯t ya?¡± ji rong retained a little bit of thuggish slouch to his posture. he wore a scowl and crossed his arms.


    she knew they couldn¡¯t appear too friendly.


    ¡°i have arrived at the appointed time, baron ji. but i thank the sun clan for receiving me so swiftly.


    not like they¡¯d left her much time to set meetings, but that was the game.


    ¡°yeah. we offer respect for the accommodations, but it''s better if we talk inside,¡± ji rong jerked his head toward the door. ¡°you can follow me.¡±


    she offered a small bow, and she let her brows furrow as he turned away without a word. it didn¡¯t bother her, but it was easy to let her general irritation with the last day show on her face.


    she followed ji rong inside, falling in beside him. ¡°has princess sun considered my proposal?¡±


    ¡°yeah. i told her i could get my job done a hell of a lot better if you and her hashed out the big picture of what you wanted and then let me handle the details, ¡®stead of making me run back and forth between you like some pasty clerk,¡± ji rong drawled.


    ¡°i hope we can both minimize our inconvenience.¡±


    good. she would be able to see sun liling and make good on her end of their deal.


    ji rong gave a grunt of agreement and gestured at the pair of guards standing before the internal doors ahead of them, who, in turn, opened them to allow ling qi and ji rong into the manor¡¯s sitting room.


    sun liling was already there, her arms behind her head as she balanced her chair on its back legs. she glanced at them as they entered, and the chair tipped forward, landing with a clunk.


    ¡°well, here we go. why don¡¯t we get this done with, huh? i¡¯ve heard you¡¯re getting run ragged today, miss baroness.¡±


    ¡°it is a busy day for certain, lady sun.¡± ling qi lowered her head politely in a short bow. ¡°thank you for receiving me.¡±


    ¡°you can thank ji rong. not like i actually want to make his life a pain in the ass.¡± sun liling shrugged. ¡°so, let¡¯s talk, yeah. what¡¯re you looking for from us?¡±


    ¡°a few broad categories.¡± ling qi observed the princess. she had to be careful with her senses and with how much she reached out. ¡°firstly, we request information on the passage through the mountains you mentioned. we would like to be able to compare such information with that from our guests.¡±


    ¡°the ones who say they fought a ¡®flower demon¡¯ before, huh?¡± a catlike smirk curled her lips. ¡°yeah, i can see why you¡¯d want that. go on.¡±


    no answer yet.


    ¡°secondly, we request any information the west may have retained about the barbarian religion after the conquest. it seems likely that this creature is one and the same with the old goddess of the red garden.¡±


    she kept herself relaxed as she let her eyes look beyond the physical, the vague impressions of aura and qi. it was still... not easy, but she had walked enough in dream to know how to peek past the veil. it was an important skill for not stepping directly into something unpleasant.


    the scent of blood was overwhelming. ji rong had not been lying about the sound of beating drums. but... he was wrong. it was not drums. it was a heartbeat. a vast, vast heartbeat, echoing from half a continent away. a heartbeat pounding through a conduit of blood, flowing into liling.


    it was a mighty cultivation art indeed to be able to tap into such a deep well of power from so far away. had her great grandfather found a way to directly fuel his descendants cultivation?


    ¡°huh. not much of that left.¡± sun liling scratched at her cheek idly. ¡°gramps mostly wiped the ones in the center out, y¡¯know. the priests and all. not like the commoners out in the sticks that we let live know more than the average peasant knows about the great spirits, y¡¯know.¡±


    ¡°i am certain your people retained some knowledge. i am not so foolish as to think that soldiers lack intellect. the west is a martial land, but you are not unthinking brutes.¡±


    ¡°hah. isn¡¯t that kind of you?¡± the other girl chuckled. ¡°really going to butter me up now?¡±


    ¡°i have never been the one to initiate our troubles,¡± ling qi replied.


    sun liling¡¯s eyes narrowed, and ling qi felt the princess¡¯s intent wash over her. princess sun was the hunter. she was a woman who had never known a life as prey and had never known what it was to be weak. that was the difference, the line that could never be crossed between them.


    ... only that wasn¡¯t true. that, she could pick from the qi invested in every pounding heartbeat. even a tiger was once a cub. even a blood-soaked hunter was once a helpless babe. no life begins with might. strength arises from weakness. strength grows from frantic battle and desperate fear. the spilled blood that ferments into the intoxicating, barrier-shattering elixir that is resolve, spite, and hate.


    how brittle are those who forget the fear of the weak.

 Threads 336-Hunters 1

    threads 336-hunters 1


    ling qi blinked and managed to keep her reaction to the meaning gleaned from a moment spent listening so closely to that heartbeat to herself.


    ¡°thirdly is your territorial claims. we already spoke of this in public, of course.¡±


    ¡°yeah, yeah, you wanna get everyone on the same page so we don¡¯t go stabbing your little buddies too and ruining your show here.¡±


    and though the scars had been removed from sun liling¡¯s face, ling qi could feel in the dense mist of blood that filled the dream here, the presence of crusted-over scabs, never healed wounds. they felt as if they had been split recently.


    the blood was not all pouring in. sun liling was bleeding.


    it was difficult, riding the line between material and liminal. difficult to keep her focus. difficult to not give anything away. there was a limit to what she could manage, knowing that this conversation could not last forever.


    in the mist of blood, rippling with the force of a beating heart, ling qi saw three wounds most clearly. she saw them, connected to them, and grasped understanding through her own cultivation.


    she saw the wound of the heart, the gash torn in the community.


    she saw the wound of the mind, the aching scars of isolation.


    she saw the wound of the soul, the eyes blinded by power.


    if what she was doing was noticed, then even leaving aside all other consequences, this whole effort would be for naught. part of her was fascinated by the interlocking web of pains which she could barely perceive between the most prominent wounds. it was a puzzle she would have liked to pick apart to give ji rong the best answer, but to do so was beyond her ability and beyond what she was willing to attempt.


    community. that was the concept she saw with the most clarity. sun liling¡¯s view of it was harsh. to her, a community was a ringed fortress. there was no room for uncertainty or diffusion in it. one was either inside a wall or outside it. but here, the outer wall was dust and rubble, the middle walls were breached, and blood oozed from the stones of the citadel.


    ¡°feh. you¡¯re not wrong either way. there¡¯s folks who study that junk, but frankly, we don¡¯t have the time or resources to dig them out of their workshops right now,¡± sun liling said in the waking world. ¡°rong can talk to you about the pass and about our claims n¡¯ plans. we don¡¯t have any obligation to dig into the rest.¡±


    ¡°i understand. would you object if i asked for whatever cursory knowledge your people here might have?¡±


    ¡°you wanna pick up barracks rumors and tall tales from the lads ¡®n ladies? pft, go for it. i won¡¯t tell you you can¡¯t,¡± sun liling drawled. ¡°is there anything else i gotta hear out?¡±


    ¡°there is one other matter...¡±


    her searching gaze passed over the outer wall in the liminal. here lay the broken trust in the empire. the air was rank with the bitter scent of betrayal. silence from the throne. silence from far distant kin. she heard the scurrying feet of rats and vermin, hungry and opportunistic.


    ling qi could understand this. to sun liling, those who had backed away from the sun the moment the bai had begun to find their feet were no better than vermin. but for all her brashness that first year, she had not believed it so until her loss and had stolen all pretense of their dedication to her family¡¯s cause.


    rats would scurry, and rats would bite. what rats would never do was stand and fight. but she ignored them at her peril. she fed them fat, lest they gnaw her foundation to ruin at another behest.


    it was an ugly way to see the world, but ling qi could not fully disagree. there were so many who would bite the open hand at the first opportunity. they would do so out of reflex or out of malice, even if it helped them only for a moment in exchange for years of pain. n/.o)(v(/e)-l-.b.)1-)n


    seeing past the haze of immediate hunger was the first step to being more than a beast.


    the middle walls were different. breached and crumbled, blood poured through the gaps. here lay the men and women of the west. looking down upon them, she could feel them blur before her eyes, defenders and assaulters both, in a mist of blood and stinking fear. uncertainty lay here. she loved them still. were they fools? was she?


    the blood was a lie. it never mattered from whence it flowed.


    there was the great gatehouse of the citadel. it was a battered thing. it had fallen once, but it had been rebuilt with painstaking care. she could see the ash on the walls where the gates had burned before, their shapes lingering in the scorches.


    a tall, broad chested man with crimson hair and a kind, easy smile. a silent wooden casket, laden with flowers, too light to contain such a man whole. a woman, far away and blurred to start and getting further, with her back turned and never looking back.


    on the ramparts of the new gate burned the lightning star, small and spitting furious. it burned bloody mist to belching black ash, refusing to disappear.


    but beyond the gates lay the bleeding citadel, and here, there was the molten wound at its freshest.


    the citadel was one man. a grandfather, heavy lined face shrouded in a lion¡¯s mane of white hair. strong and immovable. the steady mountain that held up the sky and pinned down the earth.


    the man had eyes that were open pits of blood. a comforting hand became a pitiless grasp. roots writhed under her skin. soldiers marched to the tune of a drum, never hearing its beat.


    everything for family. family is everything.


    there was a bitter lilt to words that should have been the foundation of sun liling¡¯s domain. community could crush and kill. there was nothing in the world that could not be a weapon.


    ¡°... and that is?¡± sun liling asked.


    ling qi blinked, and she tried to drown out the beating drums. ¡°my apologies. i was lost in thought for a moment.¡±


    even with all of her preparation, she¡¯d almost lost herself there, teasing out even those garbled visions. sun liling was looking at her with narrowed eyes.


    she continued, ¡°i wished to know if the sun family plans to coordinate with the emerald seas in their military operations.¡±


    ¡°your boss really gets cut out of the loop by her mum, doesn¡¯t she? sad, that,¡± sun liling needled.


    ¡°her grace prefers for lady cai to prove herself at every step.¡±


    ¡°sure, sure. i know gramps talked to her. we ain¡¯t exactly planning joint operations, but we ain¡¯t planning to move any further south till your duchess makes her move. ain¡¯t i generous?¡±


    ¡°you are,¡± ling qi acknowledged. ¡°thank you very much. i believe baron ji should be able to answer the rest of my questions.¡±


    ¡°he¡¯d better,¡± sun liling drawled, rising from her seat. ¡°after making me come out here. you agree, rong?¡±


    ¡°yeah, i know what i got to work with now. thanks, princess,¡± ji rong said, standing by the door with his arms loosely crossed.


    sun liling snorted. ¡°don¡¯t you of all people call me that.¡± she brushed past ling qi a bit more roughly than was proper and jabbed him in the side with her elbow. ¡°take care o¡¯ this, and meet me out back. i want to blow off some steam.¡±


    there were several interpretations to that statement, some of which were wildly inappropriate. it showed a great deal of carelessness, disregard for ling qi... or simple confidence.


    sun liling''s voice drifted in her mind, one last scrap of dream from the closing connection.


    ¡°you really gonna do this, gramps? deny me this?¡±


    ji rong gave a grunt of acknowledgement. she didn¡¯t turn around until liling had left. when the doors clicked shut, they were both silent for a beat.


    ¡°shall we get down to details, baron ji?¡± ling qi asked.


    ¡°yeah, no use wasting time.¡±


    a few words they¡¯d prearranged. there were no far listening or recording formations in the room then. ling qi relaxed a hair.


    ¡°you see anything useful? you''re lucky you already have a rep for spacing out,¡± ji rong grunted, passing by her to collapse in one of the richly upholstered chairs. he looked like he¡¯d bitten into a lemon.


    ling qi glided to another and took her seat with more poise. ¡°of things you likely don¡¯t know already... she¡¯s aware of the drums. she¡¯s conflicted about them. something about them makes her feel like her people are being tricked.¡±


    ji rong¡¯s brows furrowed so deeply that his eyes were almost shut, and he let out a frustrated growl.


    ¡°... and she feels like king sun betrayed her trust, and deeply so at that. i do not think you should take any chance of her finding out what you asked me to do.¡±


    she didn¡¯t know how the princess would react, but she couldn¡¯t imagine any good outcome there, no matter that his intention of this bargain had been to help her. by the spirits, if she were a worse person, she could already see a path there, a path to breaking something fundamental in sun liling¡¯s domain.


    there was no concept that was not also a weapon.


    ¡°ffffuck,¡± ji rong growled out.


    ling qi considered saying something pithy, and instead, just lowered her head. ¡°yes.¡±


    though he couldn¡¯t be aware of her own position, she couldn¡¯t help but be sympathetic, as one challenger of sovereigns to another.


    ¡°so it''s not just in my head, and she knows it''s some kind of bad news,¡± ji rong growled. ¡°dammit!¡±


    ¡°for what it''s worth, i think you¡¯re doing some kind of good, just being where you are,¡± ling qi offered.


    ¡°the hells does that mean?¡±


    ¡°she trusts you.¡±


    little star, heaven star, spitting defiance and burning blood. ling qi let a little qi seep into her voice to convey the depth of that feeling that simple words could not.


    he looked like he¡¯d been stabbed in the gut. his expression twisted.


    ¡°the hells am i supposed to do with that?¡± ji rong whispered.


    ¡°i can¡¯t tell you that.¡±


    ¡°fuck,¡± ji rong repeated.


    ¡°i''m surprised you aren¡¯t declaring yourself the hero who¡¯ll solve everything with your fists. isn¡¯t that how stories usually go in the ebon rivers?¡±


    ¡°heroes are the dipshits who show up to hit things after people are already dead and then swan off without fixing a damn thing,¡± ji rong spat, and she was surprised at his venom. ¡°you wanna fight?¡±


    ling qi grimaced. ¡°sorry, i was trying to lighten the mood.¡±


    ¡°and we¡¯re relying on you to talk down the barbs. empire¡¯s fucked.¡±


    she scowled at him, but the tension was broken. ¡°i¡¯ve held up my end of the bargain. how about we get to yours?¡±


    he grunted, straightening up his posture. he was clearly still troubled. ¡°alright, so why don¡¯t we get down to the way the army is getting positioned first. liling and i swung by to show the flag on our way here, so i can tell you what i saw.¡±


    ¡°that would be most helpful,¡± ling qi said, resting her chin on her hands. ¡°just what are the sun¡¯s intentions for the mountains?¡±

 Threads 337-Hunters 2

    threads 337-hunters 2


    ¡°they¡¯re quarrying them out mostly,¡± ji rong said.


    ¡°excuse me?¡±


    ¡°there¡¯s basically three big camps down there that they¡¯re building up. supposedly, liling¡¯s gramps had his astrologers do some big ritual thing after they killed the tribes in the foothills. then he went out and struck three different mountains along the southern border with his spear.¡±


    ling qi¡¯s eyebrows climbed as ji rong spoke. white, eighth realm cultivators only very rarely did such base, physical acts.


    ¡°i saw one of the holes in the ground. there were scattered bits of mountain everywhere, and the earth was bleeding. it''s no damn joke.¡±


    ji rong¡¯s expression twisted as he described it, and she could feel an echo of his emotion. she saw a black pit, kilometers-wide, rent in the earth, the shattered roots of a mountain still jutting out along the rim. blood oozed from the broken ground, drizzling into the hole below as if the wound were in flesh rather than the earth. mostly, she felt the irritation and fear that now clung to those images, the show of a sovereign at the peak of power.


    ¡°they aren¡¯t showing the signs of another large campaign though?¡±


    ¡°they¡¯re drilling a bunch. i got put through my paces down there.¡± ji rong grunted. ¡°it¡¯s where i got these scars. got taken out on patrol, and got stuck punching arrows out of the sky while guarding some work crew till my support got there.¡±


    she glanced at the spiraling lightning scars traveling up his arms. ¡°i see. and the quarrying, what is it for?¡±


    ¡°i know a bunch is going north, but it looked like they were starting to build something big near the dig site too, a fort or something. they¡¯re busy below too, building walkways and framing down in the pit,¡± ji rong answered.


    ling qi frowned. were there ith-ia under the jungle? blasting open holes into the earth might make sense then... or maybe there were star stones buried under those mountains? she simply didn¡¯t know enough to say.


    ¡°for what it¡¯s worth... i think liling is just trying to fuck with your head. i don¡¯t know military stuff, but it sure looks like they¡¯re digging in to me. doubt they¡¯re gonna move before you¡¯ve worked out your deal here.¡±


    ling qi let out a breath. that was one concern off her mind, even if the potential for their campaigns in the future were worrying.


    ¡°alright, secondly, this pass through the mountains. it¡¯s blocked apparently. did you see it?¡±


    ¡°from a distance.¡± ji rong scratched at one of his scars. ¡°it¡¯s like the biggest thornbush i ever saw, considering it was higher than some of the mountains, and it extends back a long way. dense and black, fulla thorns... it was fuckin cold too. i could feel the chill from a couple leagues off. according to some of the other guys, lower realms¡ªfolks without shen¡ªcan¡¯t get within a few kilometers before they start to die.¡±


    ¡°understood,¡± ling qi said. on one hand, it was probably good that there wasn¡¯t a direct overland route north-south just yet. on the other hand, that was just ominous. ¡°have the western soldiers made any attempts on it?¡±


    ¡°some high realms poked it, from what i heard.¡± ji rong said. ¡°infested with spirit beasts. big, flying two-headed lizards, spitting ice and lightning and black fire. i saw a skull one of the fifth realms was showing off. was as big as your obnoxious turtle¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°don¡¯t talk down to my brother unless you¡¯d like a fight yourself, baron ji,¡± ling qi said frostily, to which he rolled his eyes. ling qi considered the information. ¡°so they are making advances?¡±


    ¡°hunting the outskirts for sport,¡± ji rong corrected. ¡°you¡¯ve seen these guys. out west, they expect you to hunt the material for your kit yourself. i even got something being made. but nah, too many of them further in, and they''re wary of the hedge itself. shao apparently took a look at it, but decided not to do anything yet. just ordered them to set a defensive line for if the uglies came out.¡±


    it was certainly no joke, if the high realm military officers of the west had chosen to defer the challenge. and that was something to ask dzintara about. she had a feeling the barrier might have something to do with their goddess¡¯ battle with ¡°the flower demon.¡±


    ling qi moved on. ¡°were you provided maps at all?¡±


    ¡°yeah, this is the bit liling told me to be kinda straight about.¡± ji rong stood up, gesturing for her to follow him over to a table. ¡°so look, for the deal, i can tell you the bits she said i absolutely can¡¯t negotiate, yeah? a bunch of the other claims are just merchant shit, you dig?¡±


    ¡°i understand haggling, yes,¡± ling qi said dryly.


    ¡°course you do.¡± ji rong snorted. ¡°let''s spend a while on this. can¡¯t give you the minimum. gotta look like i¡¯m not half-assing this.¡±


    ¡°i understand,¡± ling said as a detailed map of the portion of the wall that extended into the jungle appeared. there were some very expansive red lines drawn on it. she didn¡¯t want to imagine arguing a more belligerent representative of the western territories down.


    and this was only the preliminary action. she had to negotiate with the sun for what she would later negotiate with the white sky.


    ***


    it was, amusingly, still quite a spirited debate, but more because they were arguing over what it would look believable for him to have conceded.


    ling qi would begin the greater negotiations by claiming a span of mountains and valleys south of the jungle for some two hundred kilometers down to a canyon that snaked through the middle of the mountains a little way north of the line where the hedge was. but ji rong had told her that she could get away with shedding most of that, if need be. the sun would only object to the point of ignoring her and the emerald seas if they did not get the areas surrounding sun shao¡¯s three projects.


    and that was the niggle, wasn¡¯t it? this was the sun ¡°playing nice.¡± unless the empress descended from the throne and decreed their agreement law, this negotiated treaty would really only bind anyone outside the emerald seas as far as they chose to indulge it. it felt strange to be vaguely grateful that the grave of the sun served as an absolute check on any southern ambitions the golden fields could have as well.


    especially given the tenor of xiulan¡¯s last few letters.


    she shook that thought away and straightened up, accepting the map with the revised log from ji rong. flicking her wrist, the thick map case dissolved into glittering fog, flowing into her storage ring.


    ¡°i¡¯m gonna eat some shit for those concessions,¡± ji rong grumbled.


    ¡°it¡¯s hardly your fault that cai¡¯s wicked shadow witch talked around you, hm? how is your own junior brother by the way?¡±


    ¡°relong? he went to visit the other dragons while we¡¯re at the sect. he¡¯s got some stuff to do up there now that he¡¯s gotten a bit bigger,¡± ji rong replied. ¡°he¡¯ll ask me if he needs something. where¡¯s your lot?¡±


    ¡°zhengui is working with the mortals and crafters at our new settlement. hanyi is rehearsing. i don¡¯t think it would be good to let her grow bored here.¡±


    ji rong grunted, rolling up his own copy of the map and sliding it into a second case. ¡°guess that just leaves the last item.¡±


    ¡°the goddess of the red garden, sometimes called the sunflower goddess, the great spirit revered by the barbarians which used to live in the west,¡± ling qi agreed. ¡°i don¡¯t suppose...¡±


    ¡°i ain¡¯t stupid,¡± ji rong grumbled. ¡°i started noticing a giant heartbeat. that¡¯s where my thoughts went too.¡± n-.o--v(-e--l).b--i(-n


    ling qi inclined her head. it made her wonder. sun liling¡¯s abilities were unusual and very potent in their specific function, but sun liling had surely passed under the eyes of higher realms who would notice such corruption. did that mean that whatever was going on with sun liling, people like her grace were already aware of but operating over their heads?


    it was a strong possibility. sun shao was... what? what had he done? found a way to bind some parts of the jungle and steal its power? or had he found a way to tame it finally? with their cultivation arts, it wasn¡¯t impossible for something like that to happen. but that didn¡¯t seem right. that heartbeat was joyous, not constrained or angry or sullen.


    a constant martial drumbeat, it soaked along the edges of every blade. it sang in the scratches in armor and plate. it was, to use her own metaphor, the sound of a million skittering feet and stamping hooves and pounding feet and the song of the forest roused to war, not for mere hunger but competition.


    striving was a purpose in and of itself. that concept was strange and uncomfortable to her. it was at odds with her perspective. a person strove because they wanted. they strove to fill their belly or fulfill their spirit. she wanted to call conflict as a goal in and of itself ugly, but¡ª


    there is no peace in emptiness, no content in stillness. stagnation is death; act, change, move, think, and grow until the very end.


    maybe she was only deluding herself. conflict was intrinsic to life and to choice. avoiding that aspect was disingenuous.


    ... she still didn¡¯t think the thought of conflict was something to exult in.


    ¡°i only know a cursory amount. it¡¯s the reason for the barbarians'' raiding, a hungry spirit that demanded endless blood sacrifice in exchange for allowing the people there to live beneath the jungle¡¯s boughs,¡± ling qi said.


    ¡°that¡¯s... not exactly right? i don¡¯t think they sacrificed to protect themselves. they did it to cultivate.¡± ji rong scratched his head. ¡°i guess that¡¯s the same thing. you can¡¯t protect shit if you¡¯re not strong.¡±


    ling qi inclined her head as they stepped away from the table, her eyes wandering over the blandly furnished room. the westerners hadn¡¯t done anything to make it their own yet. she wondered if they ever would.


    ¡°yes. so the spirit was a central part of their cultivation then? does that mean the sun arts...¡±


    ¡°from what the soldiers i talked to said, they¡¯re about harvesting the jungle. they take from it. they don¡¯t give. they rip her power from her body, harvest her blood, and crack her bones for marrow. the barbarians submitted and fed her blood for power. the sun conquered her, and they¡¯ll fight her till she¡¯s stripped down to the bedrock and finally dies,¡± ji rong said. ¡°they¡¯ll do what the bai were always too cowardly to do, even if it takes a hundred generations.¡±


    some more profound method, taking that to the next level then? ling qi didn¡¯t know. that still didn¡¯t feel quite right.


    ¡°so the goddess is the jungle? like a sublime ancestor?¡±


    ¡°i dunno any of that shit. but kinda? people talk like they''re taking a whack at her every time they cut down a tree or slay a beast. but then, everything in there is trying to kill ya, down to the fucking grass.¡±


    ling qi grimaced, remembering her brief jaunt in elder jiao¡¯s illusion worlds and the run she and xiulan had made through that murderous jungle.


    ¡°will you escort me in asking the soldiers what they know?¡±


    ¡°yeah, gotta keep an eye on you after all, you sneaky witch," ji rong drawled sarcastically.

 Threads 338 Hunters 3

    threads 338 hunters 3


    ¡°and what is the purpose of this?¡±


    ¡°c¡¯mon, help me out here. princess gave the okay. the baroness wants to talk to a few of us because...¡±


    ji rong glanced toward her, raising his eyebrows as if to say ¡°take it away.¡±


    ¡°among our guests is a faction which lives south of the red jungle. they have knowledge of a creature they call the ¡®flower demon,¡¯ which they claim to have defeated and driven north,¡± ling qi said patiently. she had her hands clasped respectfully in front of her. ¡°i have some concern that your presence could alarm them.¡±


    ¡°i see.¡±


    the one they were speaking to was the officer in charge of the house guards, a woman in supple black scale armor cut from some reptilian beast¡¯s hide. it was fixed with steel pauldrons and a chestplate, but the rest of the harder points, the vambraces and the greaves, were carved green bone that exuded an ominous and acidic scent. sheathed at her hips were a pair of curved hand axes, the steel a bloody crimson.


    ¡°i had hoped i could hear your own words on the red jungle and what the people of the west are accomplishing there so that i might make them understand that you are not all disciples of that barbaric goddess,¡± ling qi continued.


    the woman hummed, looking ji rong over. to her surprise, he ducked his head and offered respect.


    ¡°my grandmother, who marched under king shao in the beginning, had six brothers and sisters. she had many uncles, many aunts, and even more cousins. the jungle took all of her siblings by the time she had reached my age and realm. this was normal enough. it was expected by our masters that we would give our lives for the lords of the lakes. it was not our lot to grow old,¡± the woman said. ¡°grandmother was not satisfied with this. we live to kill her, the jungle. to kill her and claim her rather than cowering behind walls and being taken one by one. the west dies on its feet instead of its knees, and we take more than we give. grandmother passed in her meditation room. i have five brothers and one sister. only two of them have died. we may still die, but it is better to be predator than prey. better to go out and hunt than hide in our burrows like worms.¡±


    the woman spoke crisply and matter of factly. ling qi paused a moment more to see if she would elaborate further and then lowered her head briefly in thanks.


    ¡°is that a sufficient answer?¡±


    ¡°i would ask if you have any knowledge of the goddess herself.¡±


    ¡°a vile spirit born of strife in the sage¡¯s final campaign where the barbarians¡¯ priest queen feigned submission to slay him. she lives in all the jungle, but especially in the flower fields and creeper vines. king shao has torn apart the barbarians¡¯ methods and created new arts which we use to take from her as she once took from us.¡±


    ¡°thank you,¡± ling qi said. ¡°we won¡¯t spend any more of your time.¡± nove.lb/1n


    as they left the planning room behind and reentering the embassy¡¯s halls, ji rong glanced her way.


    ¡°probably can¡¯t expect them ta be friendly. you''re friends with the snakes.¡±


    ¡°i knew that going in,¡± ling qi said.


    in the end, the emerald seas was aligned with the bai clan, and meizhen was her friend. merely being able to be understood and to be sincere could not overcome all obstacles. it could not actually alter this situation where the fact and reality meant they and the sun were irreconcilably opposed.


    that, too, was a lesson in the march of the beast kings. even tsu the diviner, gifted in speech as he was, had never attempted to make peace with the beast kings. words were powerful, but for some things, there really was only sword and fang and claw. pretending otherwise was just as childish as imagining that every problem could be solved with fists.


    when one looked into someone¡¯s deepest truth, sometimes, they would see only a bared blade or the heel of a boot. understanding that was key to understanding communication, its strengths and its limits.


    ¡°you said there were a few others who might give useful answers?¡± ling qi asked.


    ¡°yeah. c¡¯mon.¡±


    the next one they spoke to was a much older seeming man with bristling gray whiskers and heavy plated armor carved from bone and crystalized blood. he seemed less stiff than the woman, and he regarded ji rong with the look one might give an irritating nephew who one was nonetheless fond of.


    it was strange to imagine that ji rong did have a crude kind of charisma with certain sorts. she supposed those men and boys who strutted in the streets and claimed to own them would have to have their own ways of holding together.


    when posed the question, the old man chewed on his pipe for a time and answered shortly.


    the west was carving the jungle into a home. it was the only home they could ever have. not one of them could ever go back, even if they wished to.


    ling qi could acknowledge that, as much as she might not like to. bai meizhen was her friend, but the bai clan¡¯s reputation was well founded. even meizhen would not bat an eye at the idea that the bai clan would kill everyone who had followed sun shao if they could, no matter if they had not even been born at the time of the split.


    another soldier was questioned. this one was closer to their age by her reckoning, a young man in armor that seemed to be made of sharpened razors of volcanic glass affixed to some kind of plant fiber backing. he looked like he felt sorry for ji rong, as if her company were some great trial.


    for him, the sun were building the martial might of the empire. they were proof that the empire was no spent force content only to gnaw at its own tail, that the barbarians on the border could and would fall, and that might and martial virtue were not tied up and captive to the most ancient traditions alone.


    the westerners were people, a little haughty and belligerent, but in the end, not very different.


    she considered rats again, the vermin who skittered at the feet of the mighty. third realm seemed so far from that, and cultivation made it easy to be prideful, but in the end, did they still not live only at the pleasure of those more mighty still?


    no, that was a pointlessly cynical thought. the structure of society was never so simple. the mightiest cultivators were ideas made manifest. they relied on the vast resources that only an empire could gather. there were very few useful ideas one could have all on their own.


    but that initial thought, that impulse to believe that all and everyone existed only for their own self, and so, it was fine if you did too, that was where the rats lived, wasn¡¯t it?


    the common thread that wound through the western soldiers boiled down to something near to that. there was a bone deep certainty that they had no true allies. that they were surrounded on all sides by enemies at worst and scavengers at best. that they would live and die with one another alone.


    there was a thread of more with the younger of them. in the younger ones, they believed that others could be made to see their virtue and that while they were alone, they did not have to be.


    ¡°you actually been listening?¡±


    ¡°i have. baron ji, may i ask you a question?¡±


    ¡°go for it.¡±


    ¡°how have you convinced these people to accept you so completely? they do not trust outsiders much, i think.¡±


    ji rong grunted, crossing his arms. they were heading to the edge of the compound.


    they had spoken to several others and gotten little more. myths and tales of the red goddess. she who hungered for the blood of dragons. she who demanded that her worshippers feed her blood, unending blood, and take the flesh and souls of demons into their own bodies and become demons themselves. there were a few other snippets of information that might be useful, but she would think on them later.


    he took some time to answer, leaving them to walk in silence. ¡°i signed up. did what they asked. i¡¯m staying in the jungle. i picked up that they don¡¯t get a lot willing to commit.¡±


    ¡°and that is enough?¡±


    he shrugged. ¡°i¡¯m one of them now. call me a thug, but i spilled my blood, passed my initiation, and put on their colors. it¡¯s never really that much more complicated than that when you get down to it.¡±


    she grimaced, knowing that he was referring to gang life. ¡°are you though? one of them. or are you merely there for the princess?¡±


    he scowled at her, his brow furrowing deeply. he opened his mouth to respond and then closed it again. they reached the edge of the manor grounds.


    she turned to face him, and he continued to scowl.


    ¡°... i am, yeah. met more decent folks in a couple of months than i did in a year and half in this shitty sect,¡± ji rong finally said. ¡°nothin ¡®bout that¡¯s changed.¡±


    all the more reason for him to figure out this mystery she had handed him was left unsaid.


    ¡°thank you, baron ji. i believe i can construct an image of the west for our guests now. i will be in touch once negotiations over the claims begin properly.¡±


    ¡°yeah, i got it,¡± ji rong dismissed. ¡°now get out of here. you look like you¡¯re gonna pop a vein if you don¡¯t cultivate whatever¡¯s going through your head.¡±


    she frowned after him as he left. she knew she wasn¡¯t being that obvious. even without sixiang¡¯s help, she was better than that.


    ... they must have that much in common though.


    she left the sun manor behind and allowed her mind to wander. she was, after the flurry of travel and meetings, finally through the worst of it. duties remained, but she had a moment now to figuratively catch her breath.


    and so her thoughts turned to the concept of power. its forms and methods. its meaning and lack. that was really the core of the beast king¡¯s savage dirge, both the play and art derived from it. it was an exploration and satire on the powerful.


    the eagle god was mighty, but his overwhelming, blinding pride saw him laid low by humans much his lesser. he was the king who saw naught but dirt and livestock and prey when he looked down from his high, high throne.


    the wolf god was different. he was the entitlement of power, the indignant outrage of a king whose subjects had their own thoughts and sought their own way. he was power as right or power as inheritance. he represented the throne unquestioned. his death was the death of confusion, incomprehension that his pack could ever do anything but obey.


    though they had once surely been real, each of the beast gods represented a facet of power. but the dead were ever the props for story and metaphor, weren¡¯t they?


    ling qi walked the paths going north, turning off the main stone road to follow a dirt trail that wound into the woods. she thought of the rats.


    there were no shortage of the creatures here beneath her feet in hidden burrows amongst undergrowth and roots. rats were a type of beast as common and widespread as men. they lived where humans did, and they lived where they did not. vermin stole and ate and multiplied.


    there was a reason the word was sometimes used to insult mortals by the haughty sort. but where then the vermin god? he stood out among the others as a being not of terrible awe and fear, but as a thing to be disgusted by. what did he say about power, when compared to the others?


    ling qi found herself standing by a high pine tree, and she rested her hand on the rough bark. there was a set of burrows under her feet. did the pattern break here? were the vermin a meditation on greed, on want and desire and hunger?


    she did not think so. that was a part of it, but only insofar as want was inextricably tied to power. to become powerful, for the fire of cultivation to burn high, fuel was needed. that could be ambition, desperation, love, hate, or a hundred other things. power for its own sake could not support the highest peak of cultivation.


    so what lesson then, the vermin god? her thoughts turned back to cynicism and the western territory. she observed the tiny lives under her feet and felt the scurrying rats living their lives.


    they were no more a vicious devouring horde than a human village was. the same impetus which drove a rat to such lengths would drive humans to do the same.

 Threads 339 Multitude

    threads 339 multitude


    to use the same framework by which she examined the previous beast gods, then the vermin god was power which arose from emptiness of the self. it was the power represented by consumption without thought, building nothing, only taking. it was the same sort of power su ling¡¯s mother had and bleak sky¡¯s yearning had, a bottomless hunger that could know no satisfaction.


    of course, ling qi thought, continuing to observe the rodents in their burrows under her feet, there was another element to that. she had heard what other nobles said about common people and heard the whispers of what they thought of her. it was not so different. if the eagle god was a critique of overweening pride, it was still a comment made from a place of strength. the vermin god, on the other hand, was ironically a character clearly created by one looking down.


    ¡°and a million, million bodies boiled out, hungry without end, a lake of gnashing teeth and hideous hunger so easily guided by one cruel mind. but their unity was a lie. such base beasts could not comprehend the ugliness of their own existence and could not help but bite and claw their neighbor as fervently as their foe. a hundred million minds made the mighty vermin god, and every single one dreamed itself the one and only mind of the swarm.¡±


    yet there was something to be found in it. there was a truth there, ling qi thought.and she, of all people, could not deny that the vermin gods¡¯ hunger both existed and tempted.


    it was all too easy to stand among many and still be alone. she did not think that the western territories suffered this. the easy bonds ji rong had formed put the lie to that. or rather, perhaps one could say, it took place on a higher stage where the whole of the empire was the god, and each province its own rat.


    that was much more difficult to refute. she was not even sure she could, save to say that such a state was not the natural resting point.


    ¡°and brave tsu, mighty tsu ,bade his warriors to battle with their brothers in their hearts, shoulder to shoulder and back to back,and withstand what came. no man could bear the weight alone, not even him. and yet, great tsu rode out before his men, atop his brothers¡¯ back, and declared.


    ¡°¡®o god of vermin, o god of hunger, look upon the meal before you! i am power, but power shared, given unto the earth and the waters and the sky. xiangmen¡¯s blessing flows in my veins. come then, ye mighty, and devour mine flesh if you can.¡¯


    ¡°and though the vicious one, the vermin god, feared a trap, he could not deny the truth of these words. the power of tsu was one easily taken, easily devoured and digested. and mighty tsu was devoured, flesh and blood and bone and all. a rat would feast upon blood and spirit, swelled and bloated with stolen power, and would be torn apart by its fellows in turn. none could stand another above them, a neighbor less hungry than they.


    ¡°and the blood and power spilled into the dirt, more lost than gained.


    ¡°and when the vermin god had devoured so much that it had been left with only two squirming gorged rats struggling for the final scraps, only then did the warriors of tsu come and strike them down with sword and spear.


    ¡°and they wept for great tsu, only to be amazed as he rose again from the earth, wan but unbowed...¡±


    ling qi smoothed her gown and sat down upon the grass. that was at the crux of it. tsu united the tribes, the peoples of the emerald seas, with words. he was tricky. he was rarely the one to lay an opponent low, rather, he inspired others or brought defeat upon foes through their own foibles. however, tsu the diviner was not a pacifist. he did not admonish against violence. as was made clear in the next section, in the death of the bear god, he did not shy from personal violence.


    violence, ling qi thought, was intrinsic to power. that part of the nightmare king¡¯s words were not wrong. all battles could not be avoided.


    she considered again the scurrying rats under the earth. they were peaceful too, nuzzling and crawling around their kin in the warren. it was not nonviolence which raised men above beasts, nor violence which degraded men, because neither men nor beasts were unique in violence or peace. rather, the wisdom of tsu, as expressed by the lessons in the art, was to be deft in its wielding. a sword was a tool made for the slaying of men. a spear was made for slaying beasts. the staff was a support and a tool first, and a weapon last.


    ¡°of course i¡¯d find you cultivating.¡±


    startled, ling qi was on her feet in an instant. she did not stand up; she was merely on her feet between eye blinks, eyes open, senses extended.


    only to find herself face-to-face with sixiang, floating before her upside down. the muse had donned a colorful pink and purple garment, too open across the chest to be a gown, too loose and layered and lacey to be a man¡¯s robe. the muse¡¯s hair hung down in a long tail from their head, shimmering rainbow color shot through with twinkling strands of black and white.


    ling qi sighed, crossing her arms. ¡°of course you¡¯d startle me,¡± she retorted. ¡°was it fun?¡±


    ¡°a little, yeah.¡± sixiang dissolved into smoky mist, reforming atop a fallen log, arms wrapped around their knees. ¡°ah, moons, deep thoughts. maybe i should have waited a little.¡±


    ¡°i don¡¯t think so.¡± here, away from anyone, ling qi ignored pretense herself and simply materialized on the log beside sixiang, leaving a fading ghost of possibility where she had stood before. ¡°i think i need to find a moment for a demonstration to complete the technique. it won¡¯t be useful to call upon it without a foe.¡±


    ¡°ah, that kind of thing, huh? fraid i can¡¯t help. i¡¯m delicate, you know. i¡¯d pop like a soap bubble at the first bite.¡±


    ¡°can you still read what i¡¯m thinking so easily?¡±


    ¡°i can¡¯t look, no.¡±


    ling qi nodded and fell into silence. so did sixiang. the air was awkward.


    ¡°did you have fun, making trouble at the sect?¡± ling qi asked.


    ¡°honestly, it was really tough. i actually kinda care what people think now, if only because if they get too mad, it¡¯ll blow back on you. well, i might have tricked a few bozos into humiliating themselves. promise i didn¡¯t get caught though!¡±


    ¡°then for deniability, i won¡¯t ask for details. but...¡±


    ¡°i hung out with that suyin girl a bit. or rather, her spider buddy let me crash in her web,¡± sixiang said, not looking at her yet. ¡°that was one of the ones i was actually introduced to. spooky girl says hi.¡±


    the question she¡¯d been about to ask died on her lips.


    ¡°you know the cute little thing has a bunch of babies scurrying around already. none of ¡®em are smart or awake, but dang, do the buggy types live fast. zhenli¡¯s such an earnest little thing. if she had less legs, i¡¯d wonder if they really were sisters.¡±


    earnest was definitely an accurate description of li suyin. sometimes even too much so.


    ¡°that does sound like her. did you get wrangled into any projects?¡±


    ¡°oh, i got to puppet some of her bone dolls. helped her figure out some flaws in the animating formations by telling her where moving it felt hinky.¡±


    ¡°oh, no, please tell me you won¡¯t be using her aesthetic from now on.¡±


    ¡°nah, i don¡¯t steal styles.¡±


    ¡°you take inspirations.¡±


    ¡°that¡¯s my girl! you think i could pull off black and purple?¡±


    ¡°you can change yourself until you do,¡± ling qi said dryly.


    sixiang chuckled, resting their chin on their hands. ¡°would you like it?¡±


    ¡°i think we¡¯d look better if we contrasted.¡±


    ¡°fair,¡± sixiang said, falling silent after.


    ling qi closed her eyes, listening to the sounds of the forest. ¡°i¡¯ve missed you. i¡¯m glad you spent some time with suyin though.¡±


    ¡°yeah, that was fun. not gonna lie, i kinda hated this separation. it felt like just stretching out the goodbye.¡±


    ling qi let sixiang work through their thoughts.


    ¡°but i think it was good, walking around, poking holes in people¡¯s privacy screens, riding jockey on some crazy transforming bone dolls, talking to spooky girl about spirits and dreams while she figures out how to corrupt and melt ¡®em with impurity toxins...¡±


    what in the world was suyin developing?


    ¡°... yeah. i like her. spending time with her is fun, even if you¡¯re my favorite,¡± sixiang said.


    ling qi lowered her head. she was happy to hear that. a little part of her wanted to cling and dig into what sixiang had been doing and tell them to stay close. that they had been apart long enough.


    ¡°i see. i¡¯m relieved to have you back. i¡¯ve gotten so used to having your help, everything feels twice as hard without it.¡±


    ¡°hah, i can¡¯t make fun of that li suyin too much. turns out i¡¯m a hard worker too.¡±


    ling qi startled a little as sixiang laid a hand on her knee. she didn¡¯t pull away though.


    ¡°what¡¯s the plan?¡± sixiang asked.


    ¡°will you stay here at the summit with me? i won¡¯t ask you to get back in my head,, but just having you to talk too again...¡±


    sixiang chuckled. ¡°that so? need me to do the voices again?¡±


    ¡°by the spirits, yes. reading official correspondence without you makes me want to cry.¡±


    ¡°well, how can i say no then?¡± sixiang laughed. ¡°oh, but i have a condition.¡±


    ling qi blinked, looking at them in surprise.


    ¡°so, li suyin is working on these giant doll suit things, and it''s got all sorts of attachments, and i think if i work on it, i can run it myself. i just need you to buy it for me...¡±


    ling qi rested her face in her hand, trying not to imagine the mischief sixiang could get up to in that. ¡°we¡¯ll talk about it. i bet we¡¯ll have to argue with her to let me pay at all.¡±


    ¡°probably!¡± sixiang bounded to their feet. ¡°what¡¯s the plan now though?¡±


    ¡°i am going to meet jaromila to talk, and she is going to vouch for me in getting a meeting with the twisted pine emissary. now that i¡¯ve met with the sun, i really need to get a handle on her too.¡±


    sixiang tapped their chin. ¡°ah, right, the cutey with the iron teeth. she seemed friendly.¡±


    ling qi flicked sixiang across the ear, standing beside them without moving at all. ¡°professional.¡± nove.lb/1n


    why did she get a mental image of cai renxiang taking a long, satisfied drink from her tea cup?


    ¡°ah, jealous?¡±


    ¡°no.¡±

 Threads 340-FrostSong 1

    threads 340-frostsong 1


    ¡°so it is something your scholars have an interest in as well?¡± jaromila asked.


    ¡°it is. her grace has indicated some interest in celestial phenomena. if your people could be convinced to share their knowledge, i believe i can convince ours to share their equipment.¡±


    ¡°superb. that is one more item which can be used to drive interest.¡±


    they were outside the meeting hall, now with construction resuming. there were fewer people inside, and the work was proceeding more carefully. but the construction did tentatively seem to be going well. ling qi observed the exterior where the earth was being churned up and saplings and flowers were being transplanted into what would in the end be a serene garden where participants would hopefully be able to stroll in and ease themselves of tension during talks.


    ¡°i apologize for my rudeness. i feel i should recognize your companion, but...¡±


    ling qi¡¯s eyes widened a fraction as jaromila looked over her shoulder to where sixiang stood, rocking back and forth on, at the moment, his feet. he hadn¡¯t shifted his form much, looking mostly androgynous still.


    ¡°i didn¡¯t directly say hi, but i was with ling qi last time,¡± sixiang said. ¡°been at all your talks.¡±


    jaromila frowned. it occurred to ling qi that a spirit like sixiang probably wasn¡¯t too far from their idea of possessing star daemons.


    ¡°a wisdom spirit then. strange to see it unhoused.... stranger still that you allowed it into your own body.¡±


    ¡°¡®it¡¯ is impolite,¡± ling qi said evenly. ¡°i¡¯m afraid i don¡¯t understand the meaning?¡±


    jaromila blinked, looking away from sixiang. ¡°i apologize. ¡®he,¡¯ then?¡±


    ¡°whatever i¡¯m doing at the moment,¡± sixiang said brightly. ¡°so yeah, ¡®he¡¯ today.¡±


    the older woman looked uncomfortable for a moment, but moved past it, crisply explaining herself. ¡°some who walk paths of runelore will step into the world of spirits and make the beings found there into physical items. this originated with the man who became the crowfather, who used the skull of one of the last giants. this is a wisdom spirit.¡±


    ling qi considered. ¡°that is not entirely right. rather, sixiang is my companion, who i met while performing rites for what you might call one of my gods.¡±


    ¡°auntie¡¯s pretty big, but it¡¯d be her greater self that gets a title like that,¡± sixiang commented.


    ¡°i see,¡± jaromila said. ¡°so something more akin to a divine messenger. i apologize.¡±


    ¡°no hard feelings,¡± sixiang dismissed. ¡°i don¡¯t want to distract from ling qi¡¯s actual business anyway.¡±


    jaromila gracefully accepted the end of that conversation. ¡°ah, yes, you will be pleased to know i did convince emissary dzintara of the value in having a one-to-one talk before the summit begins in earnest.¡±


    ¡°thank you for that,¡± ling qi said.


    ¡°i would warn you that the people of the twisted pine are of a more martial bent, but my experience with you says that this might actually be soothing.¡±


    ¡°perhaps,¡± ling qi said, smiling self-deprecatingly. ¡°shall we go then?¡±


    jaromila nodded, gesturing for her to follow.


    they made their way from the meeting ground, traveling south. sixiang fell in beside her, walking with his hands behind his head. it should have felt companionable. i


    ling qi did not outwardly react. it was fine of course. sixiang¡¯s voice felt distant compared to their old situation, barely brushing her thoughts.


    ling qi mulled that over as they walked through the checkpoint at the valley center where imperial road transitioned to the patterned cobblestone of the white sky. it felt strange, especially because she knew that there was something genuine behind sixiang¡¯s playful needling. all the same, the idea of treating sixiang with formal distance made her chest hurt.


    it was fine. they would find their new equilibrium naturally. so she hoped.


    ling qi inclined her head in silent response.


    jaromila glanced back at them. ¡°we¡¯ll need to turn from the path here. we have arranged a few small sacred spaces for our people, and emissary dzintara believed that fryja¡¯s grove was the best place for this meeting. i apologize if this is inappropriate.¡±


    ¡°i do not have a problem with that,¡± ling qi said.


    a bit of dominance posturing, meeting her in a place closer to the other emissary¡¯s power? she could go along with that.


    ¡°it¡¯s not like ling qi¡¯s patrons are ever far,¡± sixiang said wryly. ¡°even ground, eh?¡±


    jaromila considered that as they left the road, following a track that seemed more like an animal trail. it wound up into the uncleared woods where the dark, twisted, and closely grown trees she had experienced on her first trip here were still intact.


    ¡°i do not know your ways. do you not keep temples then?¡±


    ¡°there are temples, but they are places of negotiation and administration for higher cultivators,¡± ling qi said, looking around. there was certainly some power here. ¡°a place for larger rituals. this feels more like a cultivation site.¡±


    ¡°cultivation,¡± jaromila said thoughtfully as she mounted a rise thick with as many tree roots as earth. ¡°that word is interesting.¡±


    ¡°it is concerning,¡± a voice interjected. ¡°these people have gods who walk about unrestrained and unfiltered.¡±


    at the top of the rise was a half circle of trees grown so close together that their branches were tangled and their trunks all but fused, a black crown of leaves that smothered the light from above. a stone covered in wrought runes had been raised in the center of the clearing. it bore abstract carvings on its flat face, twin crescents that flickered red in the dim light, certain feminine symbology, and a snarling tangle of vines and faces and flowers laid low.


    dzintara stood in front of the stone. she was clad much differently than before, a cloak of blue and gray fur over her shoulders, a dark, almost black, headband worked with beads and embroidery on her head, and a different pattern to the dark blue lines painted on her face.


    she turned to them, and for a second, ling qi thought she might be bare under the cloak, but no, she spied a thick wrap around her chest and a pair of fitted hide trousers of a sort were on her legs, tucked into high fur boots.


    she saw a great deal of scars there, and dzintara clearly took her physical cultivation almost as seriously as guan zhi. she supposed it was a good thing meizhen was not here. though, did she enjoy that sort of look?


    i¡¯m saying this, but focus, ling qi.>


    ¡°i can understand how our practices might look to an outsider, but we are quite stable as these things go,¡± ling qi replied without missing a beat. reaching the top of the rise, she clasped her hands and bowed.


    ¡°stable. yes, i suppose it would be... stable.¡± the hawk-nosed woman studied her face. ¡°stable. that is a word which can mean many things.¡±


    jaromila politely stepped out from between them, her dress brushing the tall grass on the hilltop. it was quite misty here.


    looking at dzintara, ling qi saw there were several fresher wounds, a scratch on her cheek, a cut across one arm, and a place where she looked to have been gored. all of them were healing before her eyes. there was blood at the base of the runestone. a sacrifice then?


    it was a bit spontaneous of her, but ling qi hummed under her breath, a low, droning bar.


    unchanging misery. tomorrows all as drudging as today. power unchallenged. a nightmare of forever.


    dzintara¡¯s lips drew back, her sharp, iron teeth grinding, spitting sparks. ¡°hmph, you do understand.¡±


    ¡°i walk the twisting roads of dream,¡± ling qi said, considering the site before her. there were no signs of battle here, no sign of a sacrifice but spilled blood, glittering like crimson on the stone.


    ¡°deeper than she should sometimes,¡± sixiang drawled. ¡°but hey, ling qi is tough.¡±


    ¡°emissary dzintara, this is sixiang, by the way,¡± ling qi introduced. ¡°they were not embodied when we last talked.¡±


    ¡°i was curious,¡± dzintara acknowledged. she stared at sixiang, who smirked and did a little twirl.


    ¡°well, it is good that you have something in common,¡± jaromila said mildly. n-(o(-v.(e)-l.-b)-i.)n


    the other emissary looked at her with a frown.


    ¡°i wouldn¡¯t presume so much,¡± ling qi said, ¡°when i do not know much of the mantle you are holding.¡±


    ¡°i walk the...¡± dzintara frowned, mulling over her words. ¡°way of exorcism right now.¡±


    ¡°that is not so exact a translation, but i am not sure of a better word either,¡± jaromila said.


    ¡°i see. i can¡¯t claim to fully understand. but it is a mantle for stepping into more fluid realms?¡±


    ¡°yes.¡± dzintara looked down at her because she was standing higher on the hill still. ¡°you have experienced this. you walk the twisted ways. you also find value in challenging and debating another''s mantle.¡±


    ¡°she does for sure. you guys must talk about her a lot, huh?¡± sixiang asked.


    ¡°yes.¡±


    well, she knew what she had been doing when she dropped hints about the knowledge she¡¯d gained in her quest into the dream with xuan shi. she still glanced at jaromila, who smiled slightly, and took another step back.


    ¡°i do,¡± ling qi said in response to the earlier question. ¡°was there something you wished to debate about, emissary dzintara?¡±


    ¡°i will be blunt. i do not know that there is meaning in this summit. you seem to me to be at once fractured and stagnant. you barely seem to have any trust or authority from your own people. and it is my opinion that your empire is, at most, biding its time until other foes are dealt with.¡±


    ling qi hid her wince and only gave a mild nod. ¡°i am sorry we have given you such an impression. my lady and i do not wish for things to be that way.¡±


    she couldn¡¯t tell the other emissary that she was wrong in her assessment because she really wasn¡¯t, but making this summit successful was the best way to quiet those voices.


    ¡°then debate with me on the power of peoples and nations, and show me that you have more than words.¡±


    ling qi was getting rather tired of being the one to prove herself over and over again.


    ¡°and you will show me that your opposition is grounded in more than concern over a threat to the twisted pines material role, i assume?¡±


    dzintara¡¯s eyes widened fractionally. a spark jumped from her hair. ¡°not all meekness, i see. yes, i will do that.¡±


    ling qi breathed out and let the frost spread across the grass and the wind whip in her hair. ¡°i have to wonder that you do not pick up on the purpose in what we do. our ¡®great souls¡¯ walk and politic among us, rigid and unbending as they might be. have you considered that our politeness has a purpose? that we are indirect for a reason?¡±


    imperial etiquette could be stifling, but in the end, it had kept thousands of years of cultivators from tearing their civilization apart at the foundations. as a vector of communication, it was imperfect of course, but the slow dance of words kept egos which could level cities mostly unruffled and gave even the more alien minds among them a formula with which to communicate that did not involve directly assaulting others with their law.


    dzintara crackled, sparks kicking up her braided hair writhing like a nest of serpents. but her expression remained even. her eyes were thoughtful even as she demanded, ¡°perhaps. show me.¡±


    sixiang drifted over, half-dissolving into mist to rest their hands on her shoulders. the muse¡¯s visage lost some of its human color, eyes going back to glittering black, the few marks of gender fading into faerie-like ambiguity. ling qi lowered her head, acknowledging their confidence in her.


    ¡°i will.¡±

 Threads 341 Frostsong 2

    threads 341 frostsong 2


    the mist expanded. it flowed from under the hem of her gown, shrouding the grove. it billowed from her sleeves, and a flute of translucent ice crystalized in her hands. a dusting of frost rippled out from her tread as she took a single step forward. she observed dzintara as she raised the instrument to her lips.


    the woman in front of her tilted her chin up, acknowledging her challenge. her hand drifted to her waist where a single bladed hatchet hung from a loop of leather. she too, stepped forward, and the soft gray mist turned darker, condensing into clouds, fat and dark with ill contained rain. the wind kicked up as she spun the haft of the hatchet in her hand. sparks crawled through the ornate knotwork forged into the iron, and the spin of the axehead made the wind keen. lightning cracked, striking dzintara directly, and sparks leaped between her teeth and danced in her hair.


    ¡°hah, show off,¡± sixiang murmured.


    ling qi smiled. she believed in words and put great stock in them, but there was a comfort to letting your will and self simply crash against another¡¯s.


    ling qi began to play, drifting through the mist like a wraith. deeper notes, a song of marching, footfalls in tandem, both martial and ordered, came from her flute. she acknowledged what her people were. power could not be denied nor ignored. there were those who had it and those who did not. it was impossible for no division to exist there.


    a sharp, hard note sounded out like a blade cutting the air. the melodic beat reminded of a hundred, hundred hammers building roads and carving mountains. a song of glaring light burned away shadows and mist.


    dzintara circled with her, solid and heavy despite the thinning weft of the waking world. her footfalls were thunder, rumbling in the belly of the clouds. a second axe was raised. the weapons spun, something between a kata and a dance, and the sounds of clashing steel were as the howl of a blizzard through the clustered pines, punctuated by the sharp report of exploding bark.


    a thousand axes striking wood. a sturdy shieldwall against the dark. this was power. power stood outside the firelight. power was inhuman and dangerous. it was a berserker¡¯s howl and the sound of tearing flesh.


    division. power wrought it and cut it into the world. they agreed on this. where, then, did divergence come?


    men and beasts were not so far apart. power could be contained or channeled, but never put away.


    her flute rose, an eagle¡¯s scream. pride was the herald of strife. it was the strident demand to be the highest and strongest. it built nothing and made nothing, only took. but to resist those talons, a mighty shield was needed.


    the beat of titanic wings churned the mist and the clouds, turning the grove into a churning funnel of cold and damp.


    dzintara eyed her, eyes aglow in the dark. and to ling qi¡¯s surprise, she raised her voice, a low chant, a song of a sort. it was not as harsh as she might have imagined, but it was strident all the same.


    axes clashed with a boom of thunder. to the strongest. to the strongest. the mantra of a demon. the first law is violence, to consume. the second law is reproduction, to multiply. beget and kill. kill and beget. bloody flower petals were sharp as razors, whirling in the wind they¡¯d made.


    ling qi was glad. her meaning had been heard, and it had laid out what their conceptions of rightly used power had risen against.


    the scream of an eagle was strangled by the creak of wood and the unfurling of cord. bolt, net and hurled stone. wisdom could not be exercised as a stone monument, but one whose power lay in wisdom was a leader of men who wrought courage and defiance in the face of power, building the unity to stand against the gods.


    the titan shade of the eagle crashed down in the darkness beyond. unchecked pride was to be brought down by the better way, the uniting way, which could spread and be known to many.


    the stench of blood and flesh and sweat was swept aside by steel and cold. over dzintara and around her, ling qi saw a towering shadow, a titan of a woman.


    the champion could not stand with many. discipline. discipline. the evils within, the base hungers preyed upon by the demon, must be banked, chained, and commanded to leave the home in the hands of tradition and kin, not the warlord¡¯s boot. only in sacrifice of self could power be tamed. axes empty of desire cut the demon¡¯s flesh. the heart already frozen in one purpose ignores the siren lure passion, the bringer of strife.


    the frigid scream of the wind and the tearing of bark deadened sound and buffeted ling qi. it might have blown her away or silenced her given time.


    there was the crack of division. although sacrifice was core to both, the southerners¡¯ cultivation was a practice of self-denial. power could not come for free or without purpose. for better or for worse, the opposite was true of imperial cultivation, which demanded that its adherents express themselves so strongly that their law was imprinted on the world.


    her song rose, and the wind shattered to the tune of howling wolves. unspoken, unseen chains could exceed iron in strength. those who could break such chains were also needed. where the diviner spoke, unity formed but also broke. hounds howled, both for and against. a great wolf was dragged down by his own children, guts spilled upon the ground. violence was the first law of power. without its capacity, today would only repeat forever.


    the empire¡¯s gods enforced it, quarreled over it, were chained themselves by it, and by degrees, those motions wrought difference.


    endless millions of tons of crumbling stone, mountains crushed to gravel. beasts fit to choke the world, cloven unto rivers of gore, demons sundered to dust in their millions. an echoing inhuman roar torn from a human throat, rattling the earth and sky. wrath. mother not of one or a few, but all.


    purpose. singular, immovable purpose, stripped of all the desires of life, stripped of the thunder of conquest, inviolable to the roots of the flower. purpose strode far from the fires, never to return. giants had no place in the world of humans, born or made.


    it was madness for gods to keep such humanity in them and to freely stir the passion of war. so spoke the clashing axes.


    it was madness and arrogance to think that every god could be so pure. so rebutted the cold midwinter wind.


    ling qi¡¯s reply came on countless scurrying feet as she stopped, standing across from dzintara. to be small was not a virtue. neither was it a virtue to be weak. the vermin¡¯s hunger existed in every belly, great and small.


    the body of the vermin god swarmed in multitude, a thousand feet and a thousand biting teeth. they consumed and were consumed in turn. the field writhed with fur and hunger. the instinct of the vermin, of self-absorbed consumption, would gnaw through any chain in time.


    the vermin crawled and skittered up dzintara¡¯s legs and bit and gnawed at the mantle shade that shrouded her, chewing not at flesh but the foundation upon which she stood.


    axes carved silver arcs in the world. a million died. the hunger of the mighty could not be compared to the weak, for all that they might be the same in kind. only in isolation, in hermitage and immovable discipline, could it be mastered.


    the flute sang, and the rats surged, not to consume dzintara but to flow back on ling qi herself. with each pinprick of a bite, their bodies burst, and her qi overflowed. want could be mastered with understanding too. only in keeping the mighty bound in the web of community would hunger be mastered.


    the clouds and mist dispersed.


    dzintara spoke up. ¡°your ways are wrong. strife among your great souls will crush far more than their interaction might save.¡±


    ¡°yet we are able to change, and we are able to stand together.¡±


    ¡°yes,¡± dzintara conceded. ¡°if nothing else, you are certainly able to keep to contracts.¡±


    ¡°and i see that you are devoted to your prosperity, not only of yourselves, but of the white sky,¡± ling qi acknowledged.


    that was not to say there was no personal element to it. after all, it was gods who were pure and unsullied by human want. she had no doubt dzintara had such thoughts on the nature of their high realms as well.


    she did not think dzintara liked her any better, but she did think they could approach each other as neutral peers at least. dzintara might drive hard for her side¡¯s benefit, but not to the point of sabotage.


    meeting the other woman¡¯s gaze, she thought a similar conclusion was brewing there. ling qi¡¯s sincerity had been accepted.


    jaromila chuckled. ¡°my, the two of you argue loudly. you are lucky i was here to offer comfort.¡±


    the two of them glanced toward her where the older woman was waving her hands, clearing the last of the mist from the hill.


    ¡°you have my thanks, sister emissary,¡± dzintara said. her axes slipped back into the loops on her belt. ¡°i am not the best synced with this mantle.¡±


    ¡°i can grow passionate in my arguments. thank you, emissary jaromila.¡± ling qi let her flute melt back into snowflakes and water. she shook out her hand, fingers immediately drying. ¡°are you okay, sixiang?¡±


    ¡°all good. decided i¡¯d just support your song there. no good trying to meddle,¡± sixiang replied.


    ¡°you¡¯re both welcome. i am glad the debate went well,¡± jaromila said. ¡°are you ready to speak normally now?¡±


    ¡°i am. we are to discuss our polities more, yes?¡±


    ¡°we are,¡± ling qi agreed. ¡°i feel i must bring up the new arrivals in my camp...¡±


    dzintara¡¯s eyes sharpened. ¡°yes, those. they are of the west.¡±


    ¡°some centuries back, a great general of the empire led a reprisal against the people of the red garden, the worshippers of the sunflower goddess, and conquered them utterly instead,¡± ling qi explained briefly.


    ¡°i see,¡± dzintara said. ¡°their scent is bloody, but... not quite that of the demon.¡±


    ¡°you still know such things?¡±


    ¡°it is passed down from elder to youth, always.¡±


    sixiang whispered to her.


    ling qi tilted her chin down in acknowledgement. ¡°good. that will make this discussion easier. are you aware of a great pass in the western mountains and the vast fortress of thorn and vine which cuts it off?¡±


    dzintara¡¯s face was blank as she considered the question, fingernails tapping the head of one of her axes. jaromila¡¯s eyes widened marginally.


    ¡°i am. you speak of mother fryja. that is where she laid down her roots, carving our land from the flower demon¡¯s body.¡±


    ling qi inhaled deeply. ¡°ah, of course.¡±n(/o))v--e/-l/(b//i(-n

 Threads 342-Frostsong 3

    threads 342-frostsong 3


    ¡°i am not concerned. you will convey the truth of the sundering vale to your compatriots,¡± dzintara said plainly.


    ¡°i will,¡± ling qi said. her mind was already racing for the words she would use.


    sixiang suggested in a murmur, falling silent for a moment as ling qi pushed the memory of her recent conversation to them.


    she gave a small nod. that was probably the core of it. she was glad that dzintara was not showing any real anger or concern. but then again, no one would take seriously a threat to their sublime ancestor.


    ...well, there was the business of the purifying sun. but barring the apocalyptic, that confidence was probably not wrong.


    ¡°and the two-headed, flying beasts which emerge from... her. are they sacred?¡± ling qi asked, knowing that some had already been hunted by the sun forces.


    ¡°the zmeya? those with only two heads are nothing, merely the axemother¡¯s perpetual wrath made manifest. they exist only to gnaw the demon for a time and then cease, denying her cycle,¡± dzintara replied. ¡°even we are not fully safe from them, though they will not approach a proper settlement.¡±


    that was good, although...


    ¡°that implies there are those with more heads,¡± sixiang commented. ¡°are those ones sacred?¡±


    ¡°a zmeya with more than two heads is not a mere beast. they are one path of many, of middling stage to ¡®ascension in fryja¡¯s way,¡± dzintara said carefully. ¡°they will avoid humans who do not speak with her voice unless pursued to their lair. unless your conquerors do something very foolish, it should not be an issue.¡±


    ¡°indeed, i believe your current mantle may be advanced on that path, should you choose to make that sacrifice,¡± jaromila said. ¡°though perhaps a warning not to pursue such sightings may be in order?¡±


    ¡°of course,¡± ling qi said. she almost bowed again, but stopped herself. it was difficult to break habits like that, even if she knew that bowing too often came across as servile to the foreigners.


    ¡°now, answer my question. what sort of-¡± dzintara visibly paused, and ling qi sensed that the next word to come from her lips would have been an insult to the western territory¡¯s sanity. ¡°... people would live within the demon, if not her own worshippers? that creature is not dead. do not deceive me. we would have felt such a thing.¡±


    ¡°as far as i can discern, the red jungle¡¯s mind is still alive, yes,¡± ling qi said. ¡°as for the sun...¡±


    she was glad to have sixiang back to help her articulate what she had learned of the western territories and to paint the picture of them as devoted warriors and not servants of the jungle.


    by the end, dzintara had not stopped frowning, and though she had crossed her hands over her chest, she wasn¡¯t angry or suspicious either. ling qi was beginning to get a read on the cranky woman.she didn¡¯t much like what ling qi was saying, but it seemed that their debate had allowed the other woman to accept the sincerity with which she spoke.


    ¡°it seems a doomed project to me. you cannot kill the demon in the way they describe. anything taken from her is tainted. that is why the lesser zmeya do not return to fryja, but simply become rock and ice and dust when their time expires. they eat without hunger, live without growth, and die without giving nourishment. they are cold manifest. this is the path to defying the flower demon.¡±


    ling qi frowned...hadn¡¯t ji rong said something about a skull? was that hunter going to be disappointed when his prize crumbled, or was something odd going on?


    sixiang murmured.


    she did... but what would they do if the latter was true?


    ¡°is that what cold and winter is to you? it seems to me that winter should be a renewal. it withers and kills and freezes to make room for something new come spring.¡±


    ¡°that is true enough of winter. i speak only of cold. cold is the shearing, biting blade. it is stillness and endings,¡± dzintara replied.


    ¡°it is,¡± ling qi agreed, ¡°but i feel it is more transitory than that. even the frozen mountaintops will wear down and crumble in time, gaining warmth. i do not feel cold can truly be final like you describe.¡±


    ¡°then you have never been to the depths of the south where the ocean freezes. there, the land has never known a day of spring, let alone summer. it is a place where one could dig down a league and find only more ice. it is where the sun does not see and the moon does not go. that is what fryja brought with her. those are the axes she wielded in severing the pass,¡± said dzintara.


    ling qi thought of grydja and the cold that had chilled even her. in grydja¡¯s words, she had glimpsed the deeper darkness, the total cessation of all things.


    ¡°i suppose i do not associate that with cold completely, but rather ending alone.¡±


    ¡°as you like. your mantles are not mine,¡± said dzintara. nove.lb-in


    ¡°yes,¡± jaromila agreed, breaking her silence. ¡°but we are wandering a little, ladies.¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s true. i am sorry for getting sidetracked on personal cultivation, but your perspective is useful for learning about your home.¡±


    dzintara pursed her lips. ¡°the twisted pines is not as martial as our conversation might seem. this is a battle mantle, and my perspectives in it are some steps from what is common.¡±


    ¡°i see. the twisted pines seemed like it must be a fierce place from its descriptions,¡± ling qi said.


    ¡°it is. no land in the polar nations is kind, and the stalking shadows of the twisted pines are more active than the dangers of the other regions. we are foresters and hunters, but also farmers. we produce the things that cannot be wrested from frozen tundra or boiling bog.¡±


    ¡°the emerald seas is also a place of dense forests and hills, though warmer.¡± ling qi said. ¡°the beasts of the deep forest object to being disturbed, but we have carved out our towns and cities and cut roads between them. it is constant work to keep them clear.¡±


    dzintara studied her, then gave a short nod. ¡°this is familiar to me. you should know that we are not merely opposed to outsiders. in the far west, our lands connect with the southernmost thrones of the lands of khusan. we trade and fight as the princes there play their game of thrones. this is one reason i am wary of you. it is my experience that foreigners ruled by waking gods are fickle and quick to break agreements.¡±


    ¡°i cannot speak for other foreigners far away, but i think on the scale of mortal matters and low cultivators, my land is not one to swiftly break an agreement once made. indeed, that is one reason our conflict with the cloud tribes has been so long lasting. agreements with them are seen as worthless, broken with the turning of a year or season.¡±


    ¡°there are few cloud men near us, due to fryja¡¯s wrath, though it is known that there are kin to their kind who went west and wrested a throne or two in khusan. these are known to us, and are no worse than other foreigners.¡±


    ¡°i see,¡± ling qi said, looking to jaromila.


    ¡°i do wish my husband were here to speak on this, but it is my understanding that tribes do keep to agreements well, but lacking settlement, which tribe is where and which tribe occupies a stretch of mountain graze often changes swiftly. it is also not in their culture to give new neighbors warning. the tribes driven out do not because they have been driven out, and the winners do not because they expect their neighbors to follow these movements and approach if they wish to make pacts,¡± jaromila shrugged.


    and it was not in the imperial mindset to expect rapid changes to land occupation.


    that might be the root of it, but in truth, the countless millennia of grudges that laid upon the tribes and the foothills alike probably mattered more.


    ¡°i trust the expertise of my comrades in the center and the east on their plans for settlement and integration. the twisted pines do not lack for people. even with the demon¡¯s influence gone, my people are hearty and passionate with no lack of food and abundance.¡± dzintara said.


    ¡°you gave the impression that you saw those as evil things.¡±


    ¡°they are when taken to the point of a mindless cycle. the flower demon is so vile and difficult to slay because its power rests in the fundamentals of living a human life. this is why fighting her must be a sacrifice of utmost discipline, to become a thing of killing, unchanging cold even while you yet breathe. you must be willing to protect your kin while severing yourself from them forever.¡±


    ¡°there is a reason why your land produces almost as many crows as it does mighty weapons,¡± jaromila said sadly.


    dzintara¡¯s lips thinned, and she gave a short, sharp nod.


    ling qi found that thought both alien and deeply unpleasant, like elder ying¡¯s melancholic way but many times more severe. closing her eyes for a moment, she tried to imagine a mindset where she could scoop out her own heart and become nothing more than a weapon.


    sixiang asked.


    she could just barely put herself in such a mind. the brief flash of cold rage that had washed over her when she had heard one of the ith-ia¡¯s disgusting beasts had dug into her mother¡¯s basement during their first assault sprang to mind.


    yes, take that moment and stretch it, make it unending, and she might be able to break herself into that mold. but it would be a breaking. she could feel an ache, a twisting, to even consider it.


    she put the thought aside. ¡°what concerns do you have, dzintara? what interests do the twisted pines have?¡±


    ¡°you know the material concerns. i am not going to pretend they do not exist,¡± she replied.


    ¡°kind of ya,¡± sixiang said, leaning over her shoulder. sixiang had made themselves absolutely spindly to be able to loom over her shoulder like that. ¡°even if things work out, it''s not like too much will be moving over the mountains for a while.¡±


    ¡°yes, but i will want to see our interests represented here regardless. toll agreements must be reached before any roads are considered,¡± dzintara said bluntly. ¡°but also, there must be established limits on settlements in the western wall. there are few cloud tribes there, but many sacred places. i will not negotiate away our peoples ¡®cultivation.¡¯¡±


    ¡°i understand,¡± ling qi said. as she had guessed, the west really was going to be a sticking point due to her limited power. ¡°i think that establishing trust here and a resolution system would be the best for ensuring any such deals have teeth. if my people become convinced that you are good partners, that opens more roads for us.¡±


    that was going to be the core of the summit. all the trade and cultural ties and exchanges of knowledge were secondary. establishing this place as something more permanent, and getting both sides to support whatever dispute resolution system was made here was going to be the crux of whether this lasted beyond a ceasefire.

 Threads 343-Frostsong 4

    threads 343-frostsong 4


    they needed more time and some kind of buy-in to keep the western territories at low hostility. the situation with the polar nations¡¯ sublime and its fragments was likely the biggest flashpoint. if the sun were constantly under attack by beings they now knew came from the twisted pines and not the jungle, tempers would rise.


    ¡°i have a question. i would prefer to ask it now when we are each only ourselves,¡± ling qi began after a long moment of deliberation.


    dzintara peered at her suspiciously and then glanced at jaromila, who retained her encouraging smile. ¡°i take your meaning, emissary, and will listen in that spirit.¡±


    ¡°would it be possible to negotiate with you and yours for the rites which may keep your goddess¡¯ wrath away from the sun civilians? or at least rituals through which she or her fragments may be appeased?¡±


    the other emissary¡¯s nostrils flared, and she looked unhappy. her jaw worked for a moment before she replied. ¡°i am pleased that you asked this in a calm environment.¡±


    she didn¡¯t sound pleased at all.


    ¡°i get it, you know. the knowledge we¡¯re asking for isn¡¯t small,¡± sixiang interjected. ¡°but i gotta admit, nobody is gonna be happy getting attacked all the time, especially if they have a face to assign blame to.¡±


    ¡°that is true, but i understand that the axemother¡¯s lodges would be difficult to convince,¡± jaromila said.


    ¡°i only ask if this is something that can be brought up as an item of negotiation. i am not asking for a gift,¡± ling qi continued.


    ¡°i understand this.¡± dzintara turned swiftly. her cloak flapped as she strode off to the stone altar set into the half circle of trees and stared at it. ¡°it is... possible,¡± she said reluctantly. ¡°possible with sufficient concessions. the warding runes placed upon settlement walls are not a deep secret.¡±


    ling qi let out a breath. ¡°i see. thank you very much. i am sure we can come to an agreement.¡±


    ¡°we will see.¡± dzintara said.


    ¡°it is a good matter to bring up here,¡± jaromila supported. ¡°anything which touches on the power of the priesthoods is fraught.¡±


    ¡°that was what led me to the question, ling qi said. ¡°i¡ª¡±


    ¡°this old man will bear the words, if the emissaries will allow it.¡±


    none of them were obviously startled. they were all too poised for that. but she saw jaromila¡¯s hand twitch toward her belt and dzintara¡¯s teeth clench. her own qi rose, poised to rush out in a tide of mist before she clamped down on it.


    an old man in a cloak of crow feathers stood between two of the trees in the shrine. stepping gingerly down the roots while leaning onto a gnarled wooden cane, she could almost believe he really was just a doddering old man.


    ¡°revered one,¡± jaromila greeted, recovering first. ¡°it is surprising for you to join us.¡±


    ¡°the young ones¡¯ argument was loud. my stroll only brought me to it,¡± the scruffy old man said as he reached the base of the tree roots.


    ¡°old crow, do you agree with this notion?¡± dzintara asked. her expression was stiff.


    ¡°it is my notion that the old should argue with the old,¡± the crow said. ¡°it is less fraught. the runes you speak of are low things. it is the opinion of the tower that a few such trinkets can be negotiated, if bought fairly.¡±


    ¡°then i will allow you to carry those words to the mothers as you have asked,¡± dzintara agreed.


    ling qi observed, trying to judge the etiquette on display.


    sixiang analyzed.


    the general attitude was less submission than she would expect toward a higher cultivator, but ling qi could see the respect still. ¡°allow¡± a higher realm to carry the words. hah. and dzintara accused the imperials of being difficult to decipher.


    ¡°that was the only item i still wished to bring up on my side. what is it that the twisted pine, the western white sky, might ask of us?¡± ling qi asked.


    ¡°that you do not push into our mountains, that our realm is recognized, and that there are clear agreements on tolls and travel, even if they may not matter immediately,¡± dzintara answered.


    ¡°and of course, a clear method to resolve disputes on what we lay out here, as such will inevitably arise,¡± jaromila finished.


    ¡°yes,¡± dzintara agreed, glancing toward the old man.


    ¡°i understand, ling qi said. ¡°should i go now and give you more freedom to discuss?¡±


    ¡°i am unneeded, but if the emissaries wish to talk, this old man will escort our guest.¡±


    sixiang leaned out over her shoulder, scrutinizing him. sixiang asked her privately.


    ling qi wondered too.


    ¡°if emissary ling is comfortable with this,¡± jaromila said slowly.


    she considered that. was she? she did not suspect foul play. not here. it would gain them nothing and even this crow, seemingly fifth realm, would not get away with violence, not when...


    her eyes fell on her own shadow, stretched out behind her. it was perhaps darker than it should be.


    ¡°yes, that would be fine. honored elder, i would be pleased to be escorted by you.¡±


    ¡°then i wish you well. let us meet soon in the hall we are raising together,¡± jaromila said.


    dzintara¡¯s eyes were on the old crow¡¯s back as he stepped over to ling qi¡¯s side, her brows furrowed in contemplation. when she sensed ling qi¡¯s gaze, the fierce looking woman gave her a terse nod. ¡°i look forward to resolving this all.¡±


    ¡°as do i. i wish you good days until then. shall we go, honored elder?¡±


    sixiang remained half-material, clinging to her shoulder, drifting away into mist from the waist down. their coal black eyes were narrowed, examining the old man. their thoughts brushed, and ling qi sensed more curiosity than wariness.


    ¡°yes,¡± rasped the old man. ¡°this way, young one.¡±


    they left the hill behind, jaromila and dzintara passing from view. they walked in silence, only the rustle of her gown in the wind and clack of his cane against the ground breaking the natural atmosphere.


    ¡°so, like, what¡¯s going on, old timer? you know i¡¯m not some spooky demon, right?¡± sixiang asked flippantly.


    ¡°you are no demon, but you are a frightening figment of the kind that draws young fools to destroy themselves when they peer too deep into sleep.¡±


    ¡°people are dangerous. they may do truly cruel things with little rhyme or reason. spirits,i find, are fickle, but no more so than men,¡± ling qi rebutted. ¡°so, sir, i will ask that you not be rude to my companion.¡±


    the old man peered at her with his single eye, the empty socket matching it as black as sixiang¡¯s eyes. ¡°agreed. still, a question, if you will indulge.¡±


    ling qi inclined her head. sixiang tilted theirs.


    ¡°how did you come to fear death, figment of chaos?¡±


    sixiang flinched. ling qi gave them a concerned look. she remembered one of the first real conversations she had with sixiang, trying to make the spirit understand death and what it meant to humans. she thought of everything that had transpired. she thought she knew the answer. but ling qi also thought it was sixiang¡¯s to answer, if they liked.


    ¡°attachment,¡± sixiang answered. ¡°that¡¯s what did me in. sixiang has things that the next dream will not, no matter how much or little of me is in it. i want those things.¡±


    knowing what they were talking about, ling qi still felt uncomfortable. she had avoided thinking about it, even before less platonic elements had come up. sixiang was not human. knowing that their entire conception of self-preservation was based on ling qi herself...


    this was why she wanted sixiang to go out to make other attachments. because she was human still, and that was too much for her. she felt trepidation where their thoughts touched. sixiang didn¡¯t understand why it discomitted her, but they did recognize it at least.


    ¡°so simple as that,¡± said the crow, slowly shaking his head. ¡°young emissary, you are changing your ice. molding it. you have told me that you have met her, the crone. yet you are walking away from her. is it fear? of ending? of death?¡±


    ling qi pursed her lips. ¡°only a little. rather, i would share something she said to me that i have come to think is right.¡±


    ¡°oh?¡± n)(0velbin


    ¡°there is no need for humans to worry over final endings, that void at the end of everything,¡± ling qi paraphrased. ¡°when we do, it''s almost always just an excuse to sulk.¡±


    ¡°concern for the future is foolish then?¡±


    ¡°no, but there is a difference between concern for those to come and willfully ignoring the present.¡±


    ¡°always looking so far ahead that you ignore the crunches and screams underfoot. not a good look, that,¡± sixiang said wryly. ¡°i¡¯m still a creature of the present. i gotta agree with my girl.¡±


    she¡¯d thought on the duchess and on renxiang. the girl she had first met in the outer sect might have been someone whose eyes were fixed too far ahead. she didn¡¯t think renxiang was the same anymore. the duchess... she didn¡¯t know. only renxiang could.


    ¡°it is easy to sacrifice against the world¡¯s ending, but there are many worlds, most of them small indeed,¡± the crow said, his twisted crutch tapped against the ground in time with their steps as they walked under the slowly setting sun north toward the chokepoint. ¡°who is to say which is worth more?¡±


    ¡°someone will. someone must,¡± ling qi said. ¡°we are the only ones who can judge. the great spirits are even less suited to such judgements than we are.¡±


    the one high above, looking down on tiny things they can barely see. how good could such judgment ever be?


    ¡°i wonder at that. where, then, do you turn your ice?¡±


    ¡°to the endings that make way for new things. my ice is the killing cold that renews the world for a new day.¡±


    cold and isolation, and ending: blade, hilt, and pommel. through those three lenses, she understood harm and pain.

 Threads 344-

    threads 344-


    ¡°the biggest, most common mistake i find in people¡¯s thinking is equating impermanence with meaninglessness,¡± ling qi said. ¡°i want my works to endure and the good i make to last into the future, but they won¡¯t be forever.¡±


    ¡°and that is fine,¡± the old man said. ¡°others will make use of what remains.¡±


    she inclined her head. she had said it to elder jiao. thinking it was your responsibility alone to change the world was folly. it took more than a few people, no matter how mighty they might be.


    ¡°if constructing something, that is so. but there are those who seek ruin,¡± the crow continued. ¡°in our world, this can be done alone.¡±


    ling qi agreed. breaking works was much easier.


    ¡°eh, kinda true, but a lot of people gotta fail for one of those types to make the distance,¡± sixiang drawled. ¡°even the worst nightmares don¡¯t pop outta nowhere.¡±


    the old man examined sixiang critically with his single eye. ¡°there are patterns to ruin¡¯s rise. signs. portents. but the wheel of history does not easily shift from its rut.¡±


    ¡°i am only a novice in the field, but for all that, i see some patterns. in the end, it comes down to the choices of those alive at the time. there is no singular wheel,¡± ling qi said, frowning.


    one could say that each calamity leads inexorably to the next. tsu¡¯s method of using speech instead of the closed fist led to the division of the weilu, which led to exhaustion and apathy in the dreaming way, which led to the neglect of their kingdom and finally, their disappearance. this led to the xi, a violent spasm in response to disunity, whose failure led to the hui, who sought to shroud pain in a drug-fuelled dream, to which the cai were like an open-handed slap to force the dreamer awake.


    she didn¡¯t think it was so simple though. there were patterns in the world, but they were a background, not some immovable path through which history flowed.


    the only exception, she thought, was that the world went forward. even those who said they wanted to return to the past couldn¡¯t change that, only make poor facsimiles of what had come before. autumn went into winter, and winter went into spring, but no turning was alike to the previous.


    ¡°tumultuous. hmph. i wonder if those who say you can only infect us with your instability are right.¡±


    ¡°well, i dunno about that, but it''s not like things stay the same now. you¡¯re both aware of each other. ain¡¯t no going back on that,¡± sixiang pointed out.


    ¡°i didn¡¯t want to comment, honored elder, but it is considered rude among us to make plain how easily you skim a lower realm¡¯s thinking,¡± ling qi said.


    not just lower realms. her insight into others was a skill she was going to have to be careful of utilizing as well.


    ¡°is it?¡± the old man stopped beside her; they were near the checkpoint now. ¡°even knowing it is so?¡±


    ¡°it is only polite. i ask that the elder keep this in mind.¡±


    ¡°a small lesson. i will accept it.¡± the old man tapped his stick upon the road. ¡°go then. there will be much more speaking soon.¡±


    ling qi bowed her head and took her leave, passing through the checkpoint back into imperial-controlled territory.


    as she left the security behind and wound her way back to one of the many meditative pavilions sprinkled through the imperial zone, sixiang shimmered, dissolved, and reformed, walking beside her on light, silent steps.


    ¡°working on your songs even while you chat. still got your nose glued to that grindstone, huh?¡±


    ¡°of course. if i can glean insights on cold, these people are the ones to do it with. speaking with jaromila already helped me refine my art, my final frost serenade,¡± ling qi said.


    ¡°and what¡¯d you get from this?¡±


    ¡°certainty, i think.¡±


    the stone pavilion set among the clear grove of straighter growing trees was plain but idyllic. moss and vines were already growing along the pillars. the little fairies of wood and earth clung to the bark and gnarled roots. she took a seat on one of the stone benches.


    ¡°i¡¯ve said it before,¡± ling qi continued. ¡°the greater endings are absolute. it mostly doesn¡¯t matter to me since i accept that. but there are many who don¡¯t. it¡¯s a good weapon though, inevitability, and i was right to make it the opening theme of my art. of the whole song, the opening is the part i¡¯m most confident in.¡±


    she could picture it in her mind''s eye, painted stone frosting over leaves withering and moss dying. ice, killing ice, would spread with the tune, rendering the world sterile and white, frost and ice consuming color, and cold stealing heat, the motion of things, and making the world grow still. her melody was the oncoming winter. it could be prepared for, but not stopped.


    she wanted to refine it, and the ideas of fryja, that untouchable emptiness of purpose, showed some appeal. but unlike her final piece, she did not think her start needed to change much.


    ¡°chilly,¡± sixiang commented, drifting over, literally, seating themselves on the stone go table in the center of the pavilion.


    ling qi raised an eyebrow, and blew out a puff of air. it crystallized immediately into frost and snowflakes. beneath her, the stone bench glittered under a layer of clear ice.


    sixiang wrinkled their nose at her, waving away the flakes that began to fall under the pavilion roof. ¡°there¡¯ll definitely never be a too hot summer day with you around.¡±


    ¡°probably not.¡± ling qi drummed her fingers on the iced-over bench. ¡°sixiang, are you really alright, joking just the same way as you used to?¡±


    better to get it done and address the issue.


    ¡°... if it doesn¡¯t bother you.¡± sixiang rested their chin in their hands, expression downcast. ¡°i really don¡¯t want to change that, you know. i like the dynamic where i point out or imply improper stuff and you scold me or laugh. does it make you uncomfortable?¡±


    ¡°a little,¡± ling qi admitted. ¡°but i also know it''s mostly empty on your end. it¡¯s odd since i know you don¡¯t really care about physical things, but you¡¯re still performing for other people''s sensibilities.¡±


    ¡°yeah, that¡¯s true. i do appreciate aesthetics though. you¡¯re pretty,¡± sixiang grimaced. ¡°i still don¡¯t know exactly what i¡¯m doing. i can scale it back?¡±


    ¡°i think it''s fine. it¡¯s enough that we¡¯re in our own heads,¡± ling qi said, closing her eyes. ¡°what are you planning to do now? will you go back and visit li suyin?¡±


    ¡°mmm, nah. don¡¯t have the hang of going far away from you. coming back is easier,¡± sixiang admitted. they raised their hands as they saw her frown. ¡°hey, don''t blame yourself. i coulda said something. i¡¯ll hang around here. meng boy and the hidden squirt are here, right?¡±


    ¡°they are. that¡¯s my last meeting actually, meng dan and i have a little work to cover over tea.¡±


    ¡°oho! i¡¯m getting outmaneuvered the second i leave.¡± sixiang laughed. it was only the muse¡¯s total lack of any real upset that made her able to smile at the words. ¡°well, other option. that big guy, the zheng, i think. he¡¯s got an interesting feel. might go have a chat with him. seems like the type to not get huffy with my antics.¡±


    ¡°as long as he doesn¡¯t egg you on into new antics,¡± ling qi said with a performative sigh. ¡°you are coming to visit home with me.¡±


    ¡°am i?¡±


    ¡°yes.¡±


    ¡°okay,¡± sixiang agreed. ¡°want me to swing by when you''re doing letters and notes?¡±


    ling qi was doubtful. ¡°i don¡¯t want to make you do something you¡¯re not...¡±


    ¡°yeah, you write the replies. i¡¯ll do the reading.¡±


    ¡°i can¡¯t imagine how many people i¡¯ll offend if someone ever spies on us,¡± ling qi said, laughing quietly.


    ¡°pfft, like you won¡¯t find some new and inventive way to offend folks.¡±


    ¡°i¡¯m not like that.¡±


    ¡°... really did miss you.¡±


    ling qi lowered her head in a nod.


    ¡°so, where you going with the meng boy?¡± sixiang asked, waggling their eyebrows.


    ¡°it¡¯s for work,¡± ling qi said, indignant. n/-ovelbin


    the waggling did not stop.


    ***


    the gardens around the observatory were certainly impressive, considering how young they were. water trickled through curving channels carved in the earth, clear burbling streams that fell musically down the organically shaped steps of water-smoothed rocks until they vanished under the earth. she had some notion of the subtle artifice that lay under their feet, pumping the water back to higher elevation to begin again, but it was well hidden and subtle. between the flowing waters was an expanse of soft, cool colors in the petals of the flowers and the leaves and bark of trees. greens, blues, soft purples and blacks.


    it was a restful place. the drifting mist that rose from the waters rose no higher than the ankles. the air was serene, and even with the sun sinking, casting the shadows long, little pale blue sparks of light drifted, giving light.


    she sat with meng dan at a polished stone table built in the core of the garden. surrounded by polished circular benches of wood and soft silk cushion, it was minimalist, but no less rich for it. such sites were scattered throughout the garden. even now, she could, if she strained her ears, hear garden workers and others moving through the quiet paths. that was still comforting to her, for all that she didn¡¯t feel the panicked anxiety that she might have but a few months ago.


    ¡°your family does superb work. zhengui and i have been working on gardens, but our efforts feel crude compared to this.¡±


    ¡°i have no doubt that your xuan wu will surpass many of our artisans in time,¡± meng dan praised. ¡°given his natural ability.¡±


    she hummed to herself. the flow of energy was so smooth here, almost a minor cultivation site in its own right. and all this was made in a matter of months atop this unnaturally cut mountain. that was the expertise of an ancient clan steeped in the traditions of the old weilu though.


    set out on the table before them was a dinner set of finely made porcelain chased with silver. the pot containing the tea at the center was steaming and full, but the food set out on the dishes were in minimal portions. both of them were cultivators. eating was primarily for the flavor of it or cultivation benefits.


    ¡°i¡¯ll convey the praise to him. hopefully, your geomancer won¡¯t be offended when the time comes to teach.¡±


    ¡°my grandmother has been sure to pick one of our more open-minded experts for the duty. how are things coming along on that front?¡±


    ¡°i think we will be ready for him within the year. we¡¯ll at least be selecting the site for more permanent construction soon.¡±


    ¡°i do hope i can find the time to visit someday. it must be fascinating to observe a new settlement grow from nothing.¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s a slightly unreal feeling,¡± ling qi admitted. ¡°lady cai thinks of it more, but it''s hard not to get swept up when she starts talking about her plans.¡±


    it was easy to picture, when her liege spoke, of a city sprouting up on the lakeside, growing and filling with people.


    meng dan raised his cup in a toast. ¡°to prosperity then.¡±


    ling qi raised her own. ¡°to prosperity.¡±

 Threads 344-Beginnings End 1

    threads 344-beginning''s end 1


    ¡°the biggest, most common mistake i find in people¡¯s thinking is equating impermanence with meaninglessness,¡± ling qi said. ¡°i want my works to endure and the good i make to last into the future, but they won¡¯t be forever.¡±


    ¡°and that is fine,¡± the old man said. ¡°others will make use of what remains.¡±


    she inclined her head. she had said it to elder jiao. thinking it was your responsibility alone to change the world was folly. it took more than a few people, no matter how mighty they might be.


    ¡°if constructing something, that is so. but there are those who seek ruin,¡± the crow continued. ¡°in our world, this can be done alone.¡±


    ling qi agreed. breaking works was much easier.


    ¡°eh, kinda true, but a lot of people gotta fail for one of those types to make the distance,¡± sixiang drawled. ¡°even the worst nightmares don¡¯t pop outta nowhere.¡±


    the old man examined sixiang critically with his single eye. ¡°there are patterns to ruin¡¯s rise. signs. portents. but the wheel of history does not easily shift from its rut.¡±


    ¡°i am only a novice in the field, but for all that, i see some patterns. in the end, it comes down to the choices of those alive at the time. there is no singular wheel,¡± ling qi said, frowning.


    one could say that each calamity leads inexorably to the next. tsu¡¯s method of using speech instead of the closed fist led to the division of the weilu, which led to exhaustion and apathy in the dreaming way, which led to the neglect of their kingdom and finally, their disappearance. this led to the xi, a violent spasm in response to disunity, whose failure led to the hui, who sought to shroud pain in a drug-fuelled dream, to which the cai were like an open-handed slap to force the dreamer awake.


    she didn¡¯t think it was so simple though. there were patterns in the world, but they were a background, not some immovable path through which history flowed.


    the only exception, she thought, was that the world went forward. even those who said they wanted to return to the past couldn¡¯t change that, only make poor facsimiles of what had come before. autumn went into winter, and winter went into spring, but no turning was alike to the previous.


    ¡°tumultuous. hmph. i wonder if those who say you can only infect us with your instability are right.¡±


    ¡°well, i dunno about that, but it''s not like things stay the same now. you¡¯re both aware of each other. ain¡¯t no going back on that,¡± sixiang pointed out.


    ¡°i didn¡¯t want to comment, honored elder, but it is considered rude among us to make plain how easily you skim a lower realm¡¯s thinking,¡± ling qi said.


    not just lower realms. her insight into others was a skill she was going to have to be careful of utilizing as well.


    ¡°is it?¡± the old man stopped beside her; they were near the checkpoint now. ¡°even knowing it is so?¡±


    ¡°it is only polite. i ask that the elder keep this in mind.¡±


    ¡°a small lesson. i will accept it.¡± the old man tapped his stick upon the road. ¡°go then. there will be much more speaking soon.¡±


    ling qi bowed her head and took her leave, passing through the checkpoint back into imperial-controlled territory.


    as she left the security behind and wound her way back to one of the many meditative pavilions sprinkled through the imperial zone, sixiang shimmered, dissolved, and reformed, walking beside her on light, silent steps.


    ¡°working on your songs even while you chat. still got your nose glued to that grindstone, huh?¡±


    ¡°of course. if i can glean insights on cold, these people are the ones to do it with. speaking with jaromila already helped me refine my art, my final frost serenade,¡± ling qi said.


    ¡°and what¡¯d you get from this?¡±


    ¡°certainty, i think.¡±


    the stone pavilion set among the clear grove of straighter growing trees was plain but idyllic. moss and vines were already growing along the pillars. the little fairies of wood and earth clung to the bark and gnarled roots. she took a seat on one of the stone benches.


    ¡°i¡¯ve said it before,¡± ling qi continued. ¡°the greater endings are absolute. it mostly doesn¡¯t matter to me since i accept that. but there are many who don¡¯t. it¡¯s a good weapon though, inevitability, and i was right to make it the opening theme of my art. of the whole song, the opening is the part i¡¯m most confident in.¡±


    she could picture it in her mind''s eye, painted stone frosting over leaves withering and moss dying. ice, killing ice, would spread with the tune, rendering the world sterile and white, frost and ice consuming color, and cold stealing heat, the motion of things, and making the world grow still. her melody was the oncoming winter. it could be prepared for, but not stopped.


    she wanted to refine it, and the ideas of fryja, that untouchable emptiness of purpose, showed some appeal. but unlike her final piece, she did not think her start needed to change much.


    ¡°chilly,¡± sixiang commented, drifting over, literally, seating themselves on the stone go table in the center of the pavilion.


    ling qi raised an eyebrow, and blew out a puff of air. it crystallized immediately into frost and snowflakes. beneath her, the stone bench glittered under a layer of clear ice.


    sixiang wrinkled their nose at her, waving away the flakes that began to fall under the pavilion roof. ¡°there¡¯ll definitely never be a too hot summer day with you around.¡±


    ¡°probably not.¡± ling qi drummed her fingers on the iced-over bench. ¡°sixiang, are you really alright, joking just the same way as you used to?¡±


    better to get it done and address the issue.


    ¡°... if it doesn¡¯t bother you.¡± sixiang rested their chin in their hands, expression downcast. ¡°i really don¡¯t want to change that, you know. i like the dynamic where i point out or imply improper stuff and you scold me or laugh. does it make you uncomfortable?¡±


    ¡°a little,¡± ling qi admitted. ¡°but i also know it''s mostly empty on your end. it¡¯s odd since i know you don¡¯t really care about physical things, but you¡¯re still performing for other people''s sensibilities.¡±


    ¡°yeah, that¡¯s true. i do appreciate aesthetics though. you¡¯re pretty,¡± sixiang grimaced. ¡°i still don¡¯t know exactly what i¡¯m doing. i can scale it back?¡±


    ¡°i think it''s fine. it¡¯s enough that we¡¯re in our own heads,¡± ling qi said, closing her eyes. ¡°what are you planning to do now? will you go back and visit li suyin?¡±


    ¡°mmm, nah. don¡¯t have the hang of going far away from you. coming back is easier,¡± sixiang admitted. they raised their hands as they saw her frown. ¡°hey, don''t blame yourself. i coulda said something. i¡¯ll hang around here. meng boy and the hidden squirt are here, right?¡±


    ¡°they are. that¡¯s my last meeting actually, meng dan and i have a little work to cover over tea.¡±


    ¡°oho! i¡¯m getting outmaneuvered the second i leave.¡± sixiang laughed. it was only the muse¡¯s total lack of any real upset that made her able to smile at the words. ¡°well, other option. that big guy, the zheng, i think. he¡¯s got an interesting feel. might go have a chat with him. seems like the type to not get huffy with my antics.¡±


    ¡°as long as he doesn¡¯t egg you on into new antics,¡± ling qi said with a performative sigh. ¡°you are coming to visit home with me.¡±


    ¡°am i?¡±


    ¡°yes.¡±


    ¡°okay,¡± sixiang agreed. ¡°want me to swing by when you''re doing letters and notes?¡±


    ling qi was doubtful. ¡°i don¡¯t want to make you do something you¡¯re not...¡±


    ¡°yeah, you write the replies. i¡¯ll do the reading.¡±


    ¡°i can¡¯t imagine how many people i¡¯ll offend if someone ever spies on us,¡± ling qi said, laughing quietly.


    ¡°pfft, like you won¡¯t find some new and inventive way to offend folks.¡±


    ¡°i¡¯m not like that.¡±


    ¡°... really did miss you.¡±


    ling qi lowered her head in a nod.


    ¡°so, where you going with the meng boy?¡± sixiang asked, waggling their eyebrows.


    ¡°it¡¯s for work,¡± ling qi said, indignant.


    the waggling did not stop.


    ***


    the gardens around the observatory were certainly impressive, considering how young they were. water trickled through curving channels carved in the earth, clear burbling streams that fell musically down the organically shaped steps of water-smoothed rocks until they vanished under the earth. she had some notion of the subtle artifice that lay under their feet, pumping the water back to higher elevation to begin again, but it was well hidden and subtle. between the flowing waters was an expanse of soft, cool colors in the petals of the flowers and the leaves and bark of trees. greens, blues, soft purples and blacks.


    it was a restful place. the drifting mist that rose from the waters rose no higher than the ankles. the air was serene, and even with the sun sinking, casting the shadows long, little pale blue sparks of light drifted, giving light.


    she sat with meng dan at a polished stone table built in the core of the garden. surrounded by polished circular benches of wood and soft silk cushion, it was minimalist, but no less rich for it. such sites were scattered throughout the garden. even now, she could, if she strained her ears, hear garden workers and others moving through the quiet paths. that was still comforting to her, for all that she didn¡¯t feel the panicked anxiety that she might have but a few months ago.


    ¡°your family does superb work. zhengui and i have been working on gardens, but our efforts feel crude compared to this.¡±


    ¡°i have no doubt that your xuan wu will surpass many of our artisans in time,¡± meng dan praised. ¡°given his natural ability.¡±


    she hummed to herself. the flow of energy was so smooth here, almost a minor cultivation site in its own right. and all this was made in a matter of months atop this unnaturally cut mountain. that was the expertise of an ancient clan steeped in the traditions of the old weilu though.


    set out on the table before them was a dinner set of finely made porcelain chased with silver. the pot containing the tea at the center was steaming and full, but the food set out on the dishes were in minimal portions. both of them were cultivators. eating was primarily for the flavor of it or cultivation benefits.


    ¡°i¡¯ll convey the praise to him. hopefully, your geomancer won¡¯t be offended when the time comes to teach.¡±


    ¡°my grandmother has been sure to pick one of our more open-minded experts for the duty. how are things coming along on that front?¡±


    ¡°i think we will be ready for him within the year. we¡¯ll at least be selecting the site for more permanent construction soon.¡±


    ¡°i do hope i can find the time to visit someday. it must be fascinating to observe a new settlement grow from nothing.¡± n)(0velbin


    ¡°it¡¯s a slightly unreal feeling,¡± ling qi admitted. ¡°lady cai thinks of it more, but it''s hard not to get swept up when she starts talking about her plans.¡±


    it was easy to picture, when her liege spoke, of a city sprouting up on the lakeside, growing and filling with people.


    meng dan raised his cup in a toast. ¡°to prosperity then.¡±


    ling qi raised her own. ¡°to prosperity.¡±

 Threads 345-Tea 2

    threads 345-tea 2


    ¡°so how did the discussion with your uncle go?¡±


    ¡°i believe i can talk him around. his own curiosity as a scholar is doing some work. we¡¯ll need to negotiate a trade that my family can consider a fair price, but i am confident that the observatory is upon the bargaining table, so to speak. what about you? how have your discussions and investigations gone?¡±


    ling qi let out a long sigh.


    meng dan gave her a commiserating look. ¡°i have not heard anything bad, for what it is worth.¡±


    ¡°i¡¯ve managed everything, but people are so difficult,¡± ling qi said. ¡°i am really looking forward to visiting my family before the negotiations start.¡±


    ¡°we all need our moments of respite,¡± meng dan agreed. ¡°do you have any particular plans?¡±


    ¡°there has been some cultivation success in the household, so i want to congratulate the ones on track to awaken,¡± ling qi replied, mind wandering to the times ahead. ¡°then there is talking to mother about preparing to receive noble guests in the future, but mostly, i just want to spend time with my mother and sister to introduce them to sixiang properly and to just be with my family for a little.¡±


    there was so much pressure and formality on her at all times here that she felt like it might crush her.


    ¡°i hope you find the solace you¡¯re looking for,¡± meng dan said sincerely. ¡°ah, for my part, i am looking forward to settling into the argent peak¡¯s sect library for a week or so.¡±


    ¡°i hope you have fun,¡± ling qi said, a little amused. she considered him for a moment. ¡°meng dan, what is your family like?¡±


    ¡°we¡¯ve discussed my clan at length, haven¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°that¡¯s not what i mean,¡± ling qi said. ¡°your close family, i mean.¡±


    cai renxiang¡¯s family was without comparison in many ways, and bai meizhen didn¡¯t care to talk about such topics. she had never really gotten a noble acquaintance to talk about it. what were noble families actually like?


    meng dan didn¡¯t answer for a time.


    ¡°i apologize if it is a rude question,¡± ling qi said.


    ¡°if we were less acquainted, it might be. i have three siblings, though the youngest is sixty years my elder. we are not especially close, as they all have their own careers and interests.¡±


    it felt strange, those gulfs of time. gu xiulan had said something similar.


    ¡°my mother and father though... mother is a talented weapon smith from one of our vicontiel clans who married in. father is the undersecretary of the minister of law for our region. i saw them last year at the clan¡¯s new year¡¯s celebration, and both seemed in good health and humor.¡±


    ¡°i see,¡± ling qi said. she didn¡¯t let herself frown, but there was a sterility in his description. it was like she¡¯d asked him about the condition of the roads in the west. meng dan was much more passionate about his work.


    ¡°but, and i say this with some trust in your silence, i do still trade some letters and visitation with my youth tutors, who might be closer to what miss ling was asking after,¡± he added blithely.


    ¡°maybe.¡±


    ¡°i admit, i¡¯m curious. what drives your question? i am sure you are not simply asking after what connections i have.¡±


    ¡°i suppose that would be a more normal pre-courting question.¡±


    his eyebrows climbed. ¡°ah, i am sorry, i didn¡¯t mean to imply...¡±


    ling qi gave a wan smile. ¡°it¡¯s fine, but i won¡¯t pretend to understand your interest.¡±


    ¡°you are fascinating,¡± meng dan said.


    she blinked, words dying.


    ¡°curious, determined, and irrepressible. secret paths seem to open readily for you, and you do not fear to tread them. nor can i easily guess what is going on behind your eyes, the way i can with most. i won¡¯t say i am smitten, but i have never met a woman of my age who is quite like you.¡±


    ling qi did not gape or flush or do anything silly. she did swallow though. ¡°i¡¯m not so unique. there must be many scholars better than i just at blue mountain.¡±


    ¡°there are many better academics, but that is not the same thing,¡± meng dan corrected. ¡°but, my question?¡±


    ¡°you¡¯re the one who went off on a tangent,¡± ling qi muttered grumpily into her cup.


    ¡°my apologies.¡±


    she forced her thoughts back on track. ¡°i suppose i am still putting together what a family is supposed to be like. things were difficult for me. for us. i don¡¯t think my family situation is normal. but i want a close knit clan... a family. i just don¡¯t know how to do that. i was hoping for an example. you always seemed well adjusted.¡±


    ¡°i wish i could be of more help. i don¡¯t quite know what you mean, if i am to be honest. i apologize if i gave the wrong impression, but my family and i are cordial.¡±


    ¡°just cordial though,¡± ling qi said. ¡°you yourself admitted that you were closer to your tutors.¡±


    ¡°yes. of course. my interests are not in law or smithery. i cannot follow my parents'' ways. i am very thankful to them for providing me with teachers who could guide me to my own path.¡±


    it did make sense from a noble cultivator''s point of view. as one rose, their views and interests became ever more narrowly focused. a ¡°good¡± parent then was one who put more appropriate teachers in place for their children.


    ¡°i understand that. i¡¯m sorry if my question seemed strange.¡±


    ¡°i think i understand the source of your distress at least. you¡¯re looking at something like the ideal filial arrangements of the classics and comparing yourself unfavorably?¡± meng dan offered, looking less mystified.


    ¡°i only have the vaguest idea of what that is from mining scholar kong¡¯s works for quotes to needle lady cai with when she is being stubborn.¡±


    he blinked. ¡°does that work?¡±


    ¡°only sometimes when she¡¯s too stressed to drill down on my understanding of the words.¡±


    he shook his head and laughed. ¡°shameless of you. but... does that not make it worse? you do not even have a clear example that you are comparing yourself to.¡±


    she grimaced.


    ¡°it is. and i don¡¯t mean to imply that there is something wrong with the way your family does things.¡±


    ¡°i do understand that. in this, i do not think there is a universal solution. as cultivators, what we each are suited for can be too different for that.¡±


    she nodded, turning her head to look out over the rippling stream flowing past. ¡°i think there is something universal. people need to build connections, communities, to stay functional. i feel like family is foundational to that. but i am sorry for going off on such a serious topic.¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s an interesting subject,¡± meng dan mused. ¡°if you¡¯d like. i could collect some texts on clan practices and relations from across the empire. you can cobble something together and surely offend everyone whose practices you borrow from, i am sure.¡±


    ¡°meng dan, are you asking to plan a family with me?¡±


    it felt strange to joke like that, but also freeing. she was fine. neither of them were jockeying for influence or trying to control the other. he apparently liked her penchant for finding trouble. she didn¡¯t really know how she felt. he was a bit feminine in looks for her, but he was amusing and considerate. surprisingly straightforward, too, when it came down to it.


    moons, sixiang was going to be cackling at her on the flight home. n)-0velbin


    he raised an eyebrow. ¡°miss ling moves far too fast. i think we both have quite a bit of career interests to see to first.¡±


    ¡°that wasn¡¯t a no.¡±


    ¡°as you like,¡± meng dan said. he glanced over his shoulder. ¡°ah, i do believe the main dish is on its way. shall we return to work topics for now?¡±


    ling qi inclined her head. ¡°yes, i think so.¡±


    the two waited as the dishes were brought out to them and set out by servants.


    after they withdrew, she said, ¡°in the future, i may have some topics to share. if you enjoy walking hidden paths, i may as well take advantage of your expertise. i hope you might join me for a walk sometime.¡±


    for all the peril, the liminal explorationshad a certain way of helping her get to know people.


    ¡°miss ling is cruel with her enticements. how am i to concentrate on work when you make such mysterious offers?¡±


    ¡°by preparing for them too. i don¡¯t know what i¡¯m looking for, yet, in a partner. but i know they will need to be able to keep up. i won¡¯t stop.¡±


    it was far too late for that, one way or the other.


    ¡°interesting. so very... interesting. your ambitions are great, for all their oddity. if nothing else, i think i might like to chronicle their ends, for you and lady cai.¡±


    she inclined her head and set about her meal as they discussed the observatory and the meng¡¯s demands for its use as a bargaining chip.


    she had one last moment to rest. meng dan was right about one thing for certain. she didn¡¯t need to stress herself about doing things ¡°right¡± just now. her family was her family,


    for now, spending time with them and catching up on their lives would be enough.

 Threads 346-Clan 1

    threads 346-clan 1


    sixiang complained. their voice was projected directly into her mind again, their rapid descent from the cloud line making physical speech impossible for the moment.


    it was surprising, ling qi thought. she hadn¡¯t known that she could manage a conversation like that. not until she¡¯d done it. but she did think she¡¯d done well. her nerves had been manageable. it helped to think of the words as a bit of a playful game, rather than something serious. and of course, being able to turn to work when they hit an awkward moment also helped.


    she was proud of herself.


    sixiang huffed playfully.


    he had walked it back later, but she wasn¡¯t sure how much of that was meng dan avoiding coming on too strong. either way, it had been an interesting experience.


    the wind whipped past her ears, tugging at the hem of her gown. behind them were the mountains of the sect, and below was the spread of white cloud town, the settlement at the sect¡¯s entrance where her family still lived. she spiraled down, descending in a looping curve that took her well outside the walls to avoid any panic or conflict with the town guardians, all dutifully manning the walls with their eyes on the sky.


    she landed upon the road outside the front gate, a low realm¡¯s bowshot distant, and the air beside her shimmered as sixiang manifested. colorful bubbles boiled out of ling qi¡¯s sleeve, bursting into glittering sparks that resolved into sixiang. their form was more comported, feminine now, with a glittering gown of shifting colors that was actually proper in its coverage for once.


    ¡°looking to make a good impression on my mother?¡± ling qi asked.


    sixiang smirked. ¡°don¡¯t wanna spook her at the first real meeting.¡± their hair still drifted in a halo around their head.


    ¡°well, if it''s what you¡¯re comfortable with.¡± ling qi briefly examined sixiang¡¯s form. ¡°are you taller than me?¡±


    ¡°oh, moons, what¡¯s with that look? i think i¡¯m in danger!¡± sixiang laughed, and their frame shrank by a handspan. ¡°and here i thought you didn¡¯t like being the tallest one in every room.¡±


    ¡°it just felt strange,¡± ling qi huffed. ¡°come on. we have a bit of a walk if we don¡¯t want to disrupt anyone.¡±


    she was still someone the guards recognized, and so, there was no pause for inspection at the gate beyond an examination of sixiang. since ling qi was not concealing her qi, their bond was obvious. the town looked to be in good spirits, despite the threats still looming. it was reassuring, the feeling that the sect still had security well in hand.


    the comfortable manor home was just how she¡¯d left it, the compact walls around the grounds shading the interior from the street outside. the guards at the door greeted her, and she entered without a ward, examining the improved defensive formations. the sect must have funded that. mother wouldn¡¯t have made a decision to do so without informing her. a glance inside saw the household in the routines of their day. biyu was upstairs in her mother''s study, along with the woman herself. there were four other tiny, flickering signatures of awakened qi now too.


    sixiang asked as the gates shut behind them.


    ling qi considered. there was no one sweeping the path right now, and it was still clear. ¡°let''s not disrupt everyone''s day yet. i wish i could have given mother a more exact time.¡±


    sixiang tilted their head. ¡°ah... got it.¡±


    she took sixiang¡¯s hand and stepped into her mother¡¯s office.


    to ling qingge¡¯s credit, she only barely startled. ling qi had been careful to project her presence forward first, letting even her mother''s untrained senses feel her coming.


    her mother sat behind the desk of her study, hair pulled back in a tight bun. her sharp intake of breath was the only sign of her startlement. ¡°ling qi, you are earlier than expected.¡±


    ¡°i was able to wrap things up quickly, mother,¡± ling qi said, bowing her head.


    ¡°sis!¡±


    ling qi turned and caught biyu as the little girl threw herself at ling qi, hugging her around the back. she¡¯d been at a playtable strewn with paints. she was sure her dress would be stained by her little sister''s paint-smudged hands if it were normal.¡±biyu! have you been good?¡±


    ¡°yes! i¡¯ve been good. i paint a lot,¡± the little girl chirped, squirming in her grasp. then she caught sight of sixiang, and her eyes went wide. ¡°who is that?¡±


    she saw her mother staring too. ¡°this is my friend sixiang. they¡¯re visiting too. mother, i have already introduced them, but...¡±


    ¡°i¡¯m only just trying out this body thing. i did say hi before though,¡± sixiang said.


    her mother¡¯s eyes flicked to the side, the older woman searching her memory. ¡°i... see. you are my daughter''s spirit then?¡±


    ¡°mhmm!¡±


    ¡°your hair is floating,¡± biyu said.


    ¡°it sure is! looks cool, huh?¡± sixiang asked cheerfully.


    biyu stared at them. ¡°messy. good girls comb.¡±


    ¡°being bad is fun sometimes.¡±


    ¡°sixiang, no,¡± ling qi scolded.


    her mother still looked concerned as ling qi straightened up, a hand still resting on biyu¡¯s head. ¡°mother, it''s really good to see you again.¡±


    ¡°it is,¡± ling qingge agreed standing up. ¡°welcome back, ling qi. i am glad to see you well. miss sixiang, you are welcome too.¡±


    she didn¡¯t bother correcting her mother. trying to explain sixiang''s nature was outside their scope right now.


    ¡°thanks much,¡± sixiang said. ¡°honestly, ling qi¡¯s the one who pulled me along. i was gonna leave this time for you guys.¡±


    ¡°even if you haven¡¯t seen them, sixiang has been with me every time we have seen each other. that they can walk around now in the open just means they have no excuse to keep being shy,¡± ling qi said.


    ¡°i confess i don¡¯t fully understand,¡± ling qingge said. ¡°but my welcome stands. ling qi, how have you been?¡±


    ling qi winced. ¡°busy. tremendously busy. there is so much work to be done that i can barely describe it.¡±


    ¡°she¡¯s not kidding,¡± sixiang said, drifting back behind her, ceding the stage.


    ¡°well, i understand that you have set yourself a very difficult task. do you regret it?¡± ling qingge asked, coming out from behind her desk. at her knee, biyu squirmed, clearly getting bored with all the talk.


    ling qi patted her little sister''s head. ¡°no, i don¡¯t. no matter how difficult it gets, it was the right choice.¡±


    ¡°then you can only complete the work you¡¯ve taken on,¡± ling qingge said. ¡°things have been well here. there have been no incursions, and the sect has been improving the town''s security.¡±


    ¡°i saw,¡± ling qi said. ¡°you told me there was some success with the household cultivation?¡±


    ling qingge dipped her head. ¡°yes, thank you for your generosity there.¡± she bent down, picking up biyu and nestling the girl in the crook of her arm. there was no struggle to it despite biyu¡¯s growth, the benefits of even a little cultivation. ¡°there were four who showed some ability to draw on the spirit stones after the trial period.¡±


    ¡°i see. that¡¯s very good,¡± ling qi said. even minor talent wasn¡¯t strictly common. most people simply couldn¡¯t cultivate at all from what she understood, even if showered with spirit stones. ¡°who are they?¡±


    ¡°min leidi is the oldest at fourteen.¡±


    ¡°the shrine girl?¡± ling qi wondered. zhengui had mentioned the girl who had built his shrine in the garden.


    ¡°lei-lei is nice!¡± biyu chirped.


    ¡°her nanny¡¯s granddaughter. she had been attempting to get the girl into the temples before, but...¡±


    ling qi nodded, understanding. she understood that biyu¡¯s nanny was her mother''s friend, a woman who had been promoted to their workplace¡¯s administration with age. even then, the stigma still stuck though. ¡°and the others?¡±


    ¡°zhang shu is twelve and the son of one of our more senior maids,¡± ling qingge continued. ¡°i am told he is already pestering some of the sect guards when they take their breaks for refreshment. he is an excitable boy.¡±


    not unexpected. many of her mother''s friends were older and had their own children.


    ¡°the other two are too young to begin properly by my readings and your advice. for now, i have just taken note of them. one is zhang shu¡¯s younger sister, zhang feng, who is eight years old. then there is dong chyou, who is eleven. her mother is our cook.¡±


    ¡°continuing light exercises for the younger ones will probably be fine. have any of them actually awakened?¡±


    ¡°only min leidi, but i believe zhang shu may be close. i do not have your senses,¡± ling qingge said.


    ¡°mama, can i show sis my pictures yet?¡± biyu interrupted.


    her mother gave her a look.


    ¡°soon, little sister. mama and i just need to talk a little more,¡± ling qi said. ¡°did you plan something for me to greet and congratulate them?¡±


    ¡°i had some notions, but i had hoped for your input.¡± n./o.-v--e/)l-.b()i--n


    sixiang suggested, ¡°should be something fun, huh? why not make it a big party for everyone? you can hire some outside staff so it''s not just making work for them. garden out back is big enough.¡±


    ¡°that would be difficult and expensive. could it not also incite jealousy?¡± ling qingge wondered. ¡°my thought was a dinner feast for the four children and their families where you might speak about their duties, ling qi. this combines reward with establishing their position and duties¡±


    sixiang tapped their chin. ¡°mm, i guess that could work too. others might be jealous of the attention though. making it a happy thing for everyone instead of just a few seems good to me. seems like it would encourage everyone to work hard and try to prepare their sprouts when they get a bit bigger.¡±


    ¡°i can see both points,¡± ling qi said. ¡°perhaps we could use zhengui¡¯s garden. there could be some benefit to establishing their cultivation base there. i could make it a basic lesson too.¡±


    ¡°a solemn procession would have value for instilling the importance of their duty,¡± ling qingge advised.


    ¡°party!¡± biyu exclaimed.


    ¡°see, little sis gets it.¡± sixiang chuckled. ¡°i feel like making ¡®em traipse out into the woods will take away from the congratulations bit. a big dinner for the family is better than that, i think.¡±


    ¡°i think mother is right that i¡¯ll need to speak to them no matter what as...¡± ling qi grimaced. ¡°a leader.¡± that still felt weird, but she was the head of the ling clan, such as it was. as time went on, they would only grow to be more established and her position more important.


    ling qi considered the choices before her. in truth, it was more than just choosing the immediate action. what she was doing was setting precedent for this not-quite-a-clan forming under her. whatever she might think of the idea, she was the example, the one with the wealth and success. the choices she made here, others would follow.


    and she did think it was better if the clan''s cultivators remained firmly rooted among the mortals who were part of it. envy and jockeying for position could not be avoided unless she took a route of extreme segregation between the cultivation and mundane sides. that was the route the white sky as a whole seemed to take, and while she could see some value in it, she also couldn¡¯t say she thought it was completely right.


    ¡°i think something more public is better,¡± ling qi decided. ¡°i won¡¯t need to leave until week¡¯s end, so it''s fine to take a few days and arrange the event.¡±


    ¡°i suppose so. we do not want to make it a burden upon them though. i am uncertain where i could acquire such services,¡± ling qingge said.


    ¡°i¡¯d offer, but i don¡¯t know if you want to throw folks into the deep end by getting catered to by my little cousins,¡± sixiang said.


    ¡°... yes. i wouldn¡¯t want anyone to get lost. maybe if we had more time to arrange a contract,¡± ling qi said absently. mother looked alarmed. ¡°well, it¡¯s a little unusual, but i might be able to hire an outer disciple or two for the food. drinks can be acquired... it¡¯s not caravan season, so maybe the staff of one of the roadhouses could be borrowed.¡±


    her mother closed her eyes and took a deep breath. biyu gave her a worried look.


    ling qi sighed. ¡°mother. lady cai is providing the full spread of cultivation resources for almost a half dozen people of my level as well as the working pay for enough people to build a small village. my friend xia lin and i are providing a large portion of the wealth needed to construct that village. it really isn¡¯t a bother.¡±


    ¡°i understand, but the instincts of a lifetime do not easily disappear,¡± ling qingge said, opening her eyes. ¡°if you wish to do this, i won¡¯t object. how can i aid with the arrangement?¡±


    ¡°i will handle hiring with the sect,¡± ling qi said. it felt strange. she¡¯d be coming as an outsider, applying for a job on the outer sect¡¯s board. ¡°if you could handle speaking to the owners of the roadhouses?¡±


    ¡°there are two which act on a skeleton staff during this season. i will see about sending a message... when?¡±


    ¡°last day of my stay?¡± ling qi wondered. ¡°zhengui should arrive with the supply caravan tomorrow, and i can fetch hanyi any time. that gives us five days, not counting today.¡±


    ling qingge sighed. ¡°even that feels rushed for such an event.¡±


    ¡°i live fast,¡± ling qi said cheekily.


    sixiang prodded her shoulder, and ling qi glanced back only to follow their gaze.


    ah, biyu was beginning to puff out her cheeks and squirm.


    ¡°but, first, why don¡¯t i look at my little sister¡¯s pictures? we can get started in the morning, mother.¡±


    ¡°i suppose we can. ling qi, it is good to see you again. welcome home.¡±


    she bowed her head. ¡°thank you, mother. it is good to be back.¡±

 Threads 347-Clan 2

    threads 347-clan 2


    the next morning, ling qi and her family were relaxing in the garden after ling qi had just finished a cultivation session with her mother, guiding her mother through the simple first realm cultivation art that she had chosen. letters and messages had been sent out the night before, and ling qi would be meeting with a sect functionary later in the day to formalize her job submission.


    biyu had definitely been making use of the talisman brush ling qi had given her. a great deal of use.


    admittedly, most of them were just random splashes of color strewn across reams of rough paper. if they ever had any meaning, they were lost to a child¡¯s wandering attention span and short memory.


    there were ones with recognizable images though. one depicted the garden with the sun high in the sky and a squiggly figure that was biyu herself. another showed what was probably the night sky with a big, blobby white moon and speckled blue and white dots that were probably stars. other paintings were of figures only identifiable due to biyu¡¯s chatter, including one of a puffy blue and white dog.


    ¡°i wanna ride!¡±


    ¡°oh, do you, little sister?¡± ling qi held biyu up in her hands, and the little girl kicked her feet, giggling. ¡°are you suuuuure you¡¯ve been good enough?¡±


    ¡°yes!¡±


    ling qi glanced toward her mother.


    ¡°she has behaved herself,¡± her mother said, looking somewhere between amused and concerned.


    ¡°what do you think, zhengui? are you up for giving rides today?¡±


    ¡°hmph. if it is littlest sister, then i, zhen, will allow it.¡±


    zhengui stood on the garden path before them, shrunk down to just about a meter and a half long. his scales had a well polished shine to them; it looked like he had been well taken care of on the journey.


    ¡°yeah! gui will give littlest sister a ride around the garden. gui wants to see everyone¡¯s work since he was here last,¡± his other half chirped.


    ¡°it looks like you¡¯re in luck today, biyu,¡± ling qi said. ¡°now, hold still, okay?¡±


    she lowered her sister down onto zhengui¡¯s back. he was still hot, even with his fires banked. an unprotected mortal might still have been scalded or at least uncomfortable touching his shell, but biyu, wrapped in the gentle embrace of her domain and under zhengui¡¯s protection, was fine. ling qi settled her in the crevice between two of the blunt spikes of zhengui¡¯s shell.


    ¡°littlest sister must hold on,¡± zhen hissed. ¡°do not fall! noble ladies must ride with dignity.¡±


    ¡°kay! i won¡¯t fall off, good turtle!¡±


    she was amused to see zhen¡¯s serpentine head remain hovering near her anyway as ling qi herself stood up. ¡°once around the garden, okay?¡±


    ¡°yes, big sister!¡±


    ling qi and her mother stepped out of the path as zhengui lumbered into motion. shrunk to such a small size, his rocking gait did not exactly eat up ground quickly. but biyu squealed in delight anyway, grasping onto the shell spike as she wobbled back and forth with the motion of his shell. soon, they were on their way.


    ¡°she really took to that brush, huh?¡± ling qi commented.


    ¡°it took some time. at first, i think she was only interested in the mess she could make,¡± ling qingge said.


    ¡°what changed? it seems she¡¯s enjoying actually trying to make images now,¡± ling qi wondered, eyes wandering down the path where zhengui had gone. zhengui had arrived a couple hours ago with the thankful caravaners.


    ¡°it was that girl, yu nuan. she had stopped by to work out a matter of her contribution to the household. she asked biyu what she was painting,¡± ling qingge explained. ¡°and when biyu couldn¡¯t answer, yu nuan suggested that she try making an image of something that made her happy.¡±


    ¡°that was the dog, i guess?¡± ling qi wondered. ¡°she knows i haven¡¯t asked for any dues from her, right?¡±


    ¡°she does.¡±


    ling qi sighed. ¡°it¡¯s a shame she¡¯s deployed right now. she should be here too.¡±


    she was, after all, technically ling yu nuan now.


    still, she hadn¡¯t thought much about the brush. it was strange to see two of her decisions coming together to influence biyu. she was still only a child, so there was nothing definite, but her little sister had seemed awfully excited to show her every last clumsy but earnest image.


    ling qi felt the breeze tug at her hair, and she glanced up at the sky, clear and blue, strung out with strands of wispy white cloud. ¡°i¡¯m sorry if you are uncomfortable with the idea of the larger celebration, mother.¡±


    she sometimes forgot how easily her mother could give way on decisions even now. she forgot her own influence and power here.


    ¡°do not be. i am... i am too pessimistic at times.¡±


    ¡°you have every reason to be.¡±


    ¡°that may be, but there is a line between caution and wallowing. i have not found it yet.¡±


    ¡°cultivation is good for ordering your thoughts, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°it is, but if it grows worse, i can see why many falter, even with the boons offered.¡± her mother said, brushing her fingers over colorful petals.


    ¡°it does get worse. you have to look at yourself with clear eyes... or carve the masks you wear into your own skin. there may be other methods, but i don¡¯t know them.¡±


    ¡°i do not know that i could manage, even if this soiled body of mine could withstand it. there are many regrets i would rather leave behind.¡±


    ¡°i¡¯m not different. but i think it''s only with cultivation that you really can leave them behind. just turning your eyes from the past doesn¡¯t make them disappear. regrets cling to you, weighing you down, even if you refuse to see them.¡±


    ¡°my daughter has become a philosopher,¡± ling qingge said, looking faintly amused.


    ¡°i¡¯m sorry, mother. i fell in with a bad crowd.¡±


    ¡°such terrible influences. i once thought this was all akin to a dream. i was terrified it would vanish when i opened my eyes. now, it is what is behind me that feels like a dream. i am not sure what is more frightening. you say i should face my regrets. i don''t even know where to begin. i don¡¯t know what the greatest among my regrets should be.¡±


    ling qi felt the question in her words. she wasn¡¯t sure what mother was looking for from her. maybe the older woman simply needed to vocalize something in her thoughts, but needed ling qi to offer permission to bring it up.


    ¡°i think we both know where your troubles began.¡±


    her mother stiffened. ¡°and my fortunes, daughter.¡±


    ling qi bowed her head. ¡°i guess so. but mother, i know you don¡¯t resent me.¡±


    ¡°i do not. never that. i truly was a plaything, ling qi. never more than a passing amusement for a man. even when i thought to assert myself, to run away, i was only a foolish girl, falling for another¡¯s lies, no more valued than before.¡±


    ling qi bit her lip, looking out over the garden. her mother had never shared the details of her own brief bid for freedom. she knew that her mother had met the man who had sired her then, a musician attached to a caravan. she¡¯d been abandoned by him and reclaimed by her family shortly thereafter.


    ¡°mother, is it possible that the liu, or even your he clan, may have...¡±


    ¡°done something to your father? killed him? imprisoned him?¡± ling qingge asked rhetorically. ¡°i considered that. i agonized that i might have caused that, too. it is a reasonable assumption, but any caravan of significant size is sponsored.¡±


    ling qi remained silent, turning her eyes toward biyu and zhengui.


    ¡°though it was years later, i did see him again, performing in the market. if he saw me amongst the crowd, he did not recognize me.¡± ling qingge shook her head. ¡°i am sorry, ling qi.¡±


    ¡°i have no earthly idea what you are apologizing to me for, mother,¡± ling qi said.


    she did have an inkling, but there was no wound to worry at there. perhaps it was her upbringing in the brothel, but to her, there was no face to the concept of ¡°father.¡± there was no attachment or curiosity. even if he had been rotting in a liu dungeon, any anger would have come from how that would hurt her mother.


    ... she understood that this feeling was probably not right, perhaps a little twisted and wrong. it was why she could never understand why su ling got so worked up and angry by even the idea of her father, a man who had been dead and devoured before su ling was even born. ling qi couldn¡¯t do that. she couldn¡¯t muster up emotion for someone she had never met. she had what she thought were altruistic ambitions, but she needed suffering to be before her eyes to make it real. she wanted the world to be better because that would be better for the people she did care about.


    despite everything, she did think she had some basis for not thinking of herself as a good person.


    ling qingge heaved a tired sigh. ¡°you see why i was so worried about the young sir xuan. i do not think you are foolish, but...¡±


    ¡°i understand, mother,¡± ling qi said. crouching down beside the older woman, her gown pooled on the garden path. ¡°though, i do not think xuan shi could take advantage of anyone. he would combust just from thinking of it.¡±


    ling qi literally could not picture in her mind a romantically assertive xuan shi. it was like trying to imagine cai renxiang with sun liling¡¯s attitude and bearing.


    imagination failed. it was too bad sixiang wasn¡¯t here. they could probably conjure an image of it.


    her mother smiled wanly. ¡°i trust your judgment, ling qi. and i admit, i take comfort in your position. it was difficult for me to understand exactly where you stand. but... you are more free than i ever could have hoped.¡±


    ling qi paused. she had never really thought of it that way. choosing to take an oath to cai renxiang had felt like putting childish thoughts of total unfettered freedom away. it was accepting that to live with other people, you had to accept a place in society and accept the constraints it had.


    but to her mother, the position she had gained was in itself freedom. it was the very rules and traditions and expectations that she had accepted which allowed her to loftily wave off suitors and take on matters in her own time without anyone involved taking insult.


    there was something in that.


    ¡°i have been very fortunate,¡± ling qi agreed. ¡°but, mother, i don¡¯t think it was wrong to leave. it wasn¡¯t wrong to refuse.¡±


    ¡°it was only a result of whim and rumor,¡± ling qingge said. ¡°the young lord liu was said to move swiftly through concubines and had a rough manner. i only ever spoke to him once.¡±


    ling qi looked at her mother hard, and the older woman hunched her shoulders. ¡°do you truly believe your judgment was wrong, mother?¡±


    ¡°... he looked at me as one does a thing. it is a look that i have become well acquainted with. and yet, did i not show my judgment was faulty just a little later? perhaps it was merely nerves and fright. what might your life have been like as a nobleman¡¯s daughter?¡±


    choices. one girl, younger than her now, decided to run away from home. that was the choice that had made ling qi. one could say that everything she had done in her life rippled out from that single point. but that was wrong.


    the young lord of the liu had made choices too. ling qingge¡¯s former family had made choices. her father had made choices. she understood a little now why xin had told her that even she could only perceive completely a few minutes into the future. the winds blew far too chaotically for every little breeze to be tracked. and every one of them wrought a million little changes that made a million more.


    ¡°i think the punishment put on you proves your judgment right. also, i wouldn¡¯t have been me,¡± ling qi said. there was a distant, cold anger there, and it made her words clinical. ¡°i don¡¯t think a girl like that could have walked the path that i¡¯m on either. that girl could not have befriended a lonely bai. that girl, i think, could not have attracted cai renxiang¡¯s attention. so... i won¡¯t say that i¡¯m happy you suffered or that i suffered. but i am happy with where i am. are you?¡±


    ling qingge looked out in the garden at biyu and zhengui. ¡°i am. i do not know that i can take your view on regrets though, ling qi.¡±


    ¡°the past is written in stone. you can learn from it, and you can use it as a guide, but you can¡¯t change it. i think it''s better to consider the choices you can still make. maybe the new ones will put the old in a different context, but it''s not about the old choices.¡±


    ¡°i wish it could be so easy to dismiss.¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s hardly been easy getting here for myself,¡± ling qi said mildly. she reached up to rub her shoulder, feeling a twinge in her cultivation. a burnt and clogged meridian shifted.


    ¡°ling qi, are you well?¡±


    so, even she had sensed that.


    ¡°yes, just something like a strained muscle. i¡¯m starting to feel it properly again.¡±


    she could feel a trickle of qi through the meridian again. almost there but not quite. nove.lb)in


    mother looked her over critically. it was funny she was only a little taller like that. even crouching ling qi nearly matched her. ¡°if you say it so... i am sorry for dimming the day, ling qi.¡±


    ¡°mother, please. we still have so much of the day to spend yet. besides. i am glad you were able to explain a little of what drags at you. i¡¯m only sorry i can¡¯t be more helpful to you.¡±


    ¡°i shall refrain from the duel of apologies. biyu is almost back.¡±


    she was. ling qi turned to face her younger siblings with a smile. ¡°well, did you have fun?¡±


    ¡°yes!¡±

 Threads 348-Clan 3

    threads 348-clan 3


    planning this celebration was so far from the stresses of the summit that ling qi could not help but feel lighter as she drifted through the days. what was a brief conversation with a sect official compared to dealing with the ministry of integrity, the foreigners, and the many, many observers? what was some brief instruction to a pair of first realm outer sect disciples given the run of the kitchen compared to searching for a conspiracy to sabotage their efforts?


    mother came through as well. a handful of wait staff from one of the town¡¯s roadhouses were put on retainer to make sure no one in the household had any duties during the feast. as days passed, she cultivated with her mother, played with biyu, and cultivated with zhengui to shape the garden.


    even with everyone gathered, families and all, the ling wasn¡¯t a huge household. it was enough to put out a single long table in the center of the garden under a silk pavilion. there was a second table at the head, a small one just for ling qi, her mother, her spirits, and her sister. the successful cultivators and their family would be seated with honor at the end of the larger table near to them, but they would still be among the others.


    ¡°it feels weird, finding out about the heavy stuff way later.¡± sixiang sighed, leaning on her shoulder.


    it was the last day now, and the sun was beginning its descent. the disciples were working away in the kitchens, and the hired staff were on standby. everything was ready for the gathering.


    ¡°i think i¡¯m glad to be able to contemplate by myself. i still want to know your thoughts, but it feels better to tell you about them,¡± ling qi said. her hands were folded in her sleeves. waiting out in the garden while mother took care of the last bits of organization made her feel useless, but she could tell mother preferred to be the one handling the people herding, as it were.


    ¡°yeah, i get it.¡± sixiang straightened up, walking backwards away from her to hop up and seat themselves on the smaller table. she¡¯d scold them, but it wasn¡¯t as if their body was anything but bent light and diffuse qi. ¡°i don¡¯t know if i agree. i can see how you could find freedom in a system, but...¡±


    ¡°i don¡¯t know if freedom is the correct word, but without some kind of organizing principle, the only freedom that can exist is the freedom of the fist.¡±


    ¡°ugh. ¡®organizing principle.¡¯ that cai really has corrupted you!¡± sixiang made a face. ¡°in the end, any kind of system has to be enforced. so, does it really matter how many pretty veils you put the fists behind?¡±


    ¡°i think it does. to do whatever you wish without constraints... that¡¯s the fantasy of a child or a monster.¡±


    ¡°or a nightmare,¡± sixiang quipped. ¡°i¡¯d say that i still don¡¯t care much for collars, but it''s not like i resisted sliding into yours very much.¡±


    she gave them a flat look. siiang held up their hands.


    ¡°sorry, sorry, didn¡¯t mean it that way. just, ugh, being attached to others is hard.¡±


    ¡°it is.¡± ling qi looked down at her hand, opening and closing it. wind sent the tablecloth fluttering and the flowers swaying. she could still feel the qi trying to trickle through. the spiritual impurity that had congealed there was starting to crack. ¡°i don¡¯t regret it though. maybe i¡¯d be safer or more free, whatever that means, if i¡¯d stayed the same, but i won¡¯t give up what i¡¯ve made mine.¡±


    sixiang huffed. ¡°you still gotta bend your words around and make yourself sound like a bad guy, huh?¡±


    ¡°i don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. you count, too. you call me gloomy, but i¡¯ve stopped you from dissolving twice now.¡±


    sixiang stuck out their tongue. they changed the topic. ¡°what¡¯s the plan here anyway? you going to just give a big speech and then let everyone eat?¡±


    ¡°well, i¡¯ll be greeting the families first. i want to speak with each of them one on one, or at least speak to the ones who are old enough to make it meaningful.¡±


    ¡°and then the speech?¡±


    ¡°yes.¡±


    ***


    the sun was low in the sky, splashing colors across it by the time the feast was ready. at the entrance to the gardens, ling qi stood alone as their household began to emerge. zhengui was back in the garden, grown to a larger but still manageable size, his shell towering over the end of the table he''d set himself beside. hanyi and sixiang were seated just to his right. mother was seated one seat over with biyu, leaving the center space for ling qi herself. she glanced back to see them chatting, briefly catching her mother''s eyes.


    from inside the manor, she could practically feel the low level anxiety wafting off the household members. they would be dressed up in their best, in robes and gowns all finer than anything they would have had in their lives before, but still quite plain by the standards of what ling qi had grown used to being around. as a soft bell was rung by one of the hired servers in the garden, the first of them began to emerge.


    out in the front was the min family. the older woman, min hua, was biyu''s nanny, and she knew the woman was her mother''s close friend. having spoken more to her mother about life in tonghou, she was grateful to the woman for helping her mother where she could. ling qi was glad her granddaughter had shown talent.


    that granddaughter, min leidi, walked beside her elderly relative. she was a plain and unobtrusive girl, but she looked like she had tried very hard to clean up, and her hair was tied up in braids and adorned by a circlet of flowers. she was looking out into the garden with wide eyes. ling qi had lett her mist out a bit, rolling along the paths, and sixiang had wrangled together a number of little fairies to drift around as lights, little bundles of qi too simple to cause any trouble with a greater moon spirit around.


    "welcome," ling qi said as they approached. it was easy to let her voice roll out and carry through the garden. "welcome here to this feast, this celebration of your merit."


    both of them bowed very low. the young girl spoke up in a choked and nervous voice. "thank you, lady ling. you are very kind. this min leidi is only thankful that she might be of some use."


    "please raise your heads. you have all been of use. my family is young and small. though your contributions might have been small, they, like others¡¯, have been valuable. i am sure your future ones will continue to be so."


    "yes!" the girl said fervently, glancing at her grandmother, who nodded her head as well.


    "we will both cherish our duties, whatever they might be," min hua said.


    ling qi took the opportunity given, observing the girl. "and what duties do you wish for, min leidi? please answer honestly." the girl was only just awakened, a sparking scrap of qi in her dantian. she did not have much of a qi identity yet nor a clear aura to read. a faint pine scent, a touch of wood ash maybe?


    "if it pleases lady ling," the younger girl said, looking up at her with not a little awe. "i tend the gardens and keep the grounds. i would like to continue that, and um, i might like to work with lord zhengui to spread his blessings further. i had a little training as a junior priestess before..."


    before a minor social altercation with a wealthier initiate and her own background had seen her kicked from the training, ling qi finished silently. she''d gotten the story from her mother.


    ling qi gave her a small, calm smile. "i see no troubles with that. zhengui has mentioned you in good terms before. i cannot make permanent arrangements yet, but i understand your wish, and i hope that you will prove equal to the task of grasping it."


    she was aware that in the household and in a certain village where he had raised a fortress wall against a tide of impurity, zhengui was already receiving some amount of prayers. fertility of the earth, good fortune, and wealth... that last part was probably because of his name.


    even her puns had power. such a dangerous feeling it was, to have something that simple and childish rippling out.


    it was definitely too late to change now. the wind blew forward, not back.


    "go, min leidi, min hua. seat yourselves at the head of the table. tomorrow morning, before i take my leave, i will select a few cultivation arts that might suit you and give some advice."


    they both gave one more bow and passed ling qi by.


    in their place, the zhang family was next in line. a worn looking woman with long hair streaked gray nervously presented a pair of children. the older of the two was a boy with wiry black hair forcibly tamed into a presentable topknot and a nervous energy about him. his robe was a little ill fitting in a way that implied a recent and sudden growth spurt. the other was a young girl only a few years older than biyu with loose brown hair tied in pretty black ribbons and a round face, clutching her mother¡¯s hand tightly with both of hers.


    "welcome, zhang wen, zhang shu, zhang feng," ling qi greeted, beginning with the oldest, the mother, and proceeding down. "welcome here to this feast, this celebration of your merit."


    there was value in repetition for this ceremony. she studied them. the mother looked terribly harried behind the attempt to clean up. she was clearly torn between elation and stress. not strange for a mortal woman with two children capable of awakening.


    "lady ling is kind," the mother, zhang wen, said. she bowed deeply and her children followed in their own haunting way. "your generosity is unmatched."


    "i am very grateful for this chance!" the boy exclaimed. she saw a gap in his teeth as he spoke, giving him a little bit of childish lisp and marking the end of childhood. the little girl¡¯s murmured thanks was barely audible.


    ling qi kept a smile on her face anyway. her aura was not cold for them, but it was still imposing. there was little she could do about that. "and what do you aspire to, zhang shu? i would hear your wish."


    "i want to be a soldier!¡± he announced confidently, puffing his narrow chest out. ¡°like the people who guard the house and killed the worm thing in the basement!"


    "very honorable," ling qi said. "i have to be away quite a lot, so we will need plenty of people to keep everyone safe. it will be hard and scary though. protecting others is a big responsibility."


    "i am brave. i promise i''ll do a good job!"


    she smiled indulgently. he felt like jumping sparks, lightning and rain. he might change, but at his current rate, he would probably awaken before she was back from the summit.


    "and you, zhang feng? you are little yet, so it is fine if you don''t have an answer."


    the little girl quailed under her attention, looking like she wanted to hide her face in her mother¡¯s skirts. a coaxing hand on her head had her speak up. "i like sewing with mother."


    "i see," ling qi said, making sure to keep her encouraging expression unwavering. "i''m sure you''re very good and will only get better. but it''s fine to change your mind too. just keep doing the little exercises with the spirit stones, okay?"


    a girl that age would probably only drain even a single spirit stone over the course of months. she didn¡¯t expect her to awaken for some years yet. zhang feng was so young that she didn''t even have the vague flashes of impression the other two gave.


    "as for you, zheng shu, i will find something suitable for you to cultivate when you awaken and see about arranging a physical teacher."


    probably just a retired guard from the town for now. at his age, only the most basic instruction was possible.


    he thanked her excitedly and passed her by with his mother and sister as she directed them.


    the last of the candidate families was a girl and her mother, the dong family. the older woman was more lively than the mother of the last group with less anxiety and nerves in her eyes. her gaze flicked over the tables heavy with dishes and drinks with interest.


    ling qi exchanged a greeting with them, just as she had the others, no more and no less.


    the girl, dong chyou, had a bigger frame, wide shouldered for a girl. she looked like she''d outgrow her mother in only a few years. her dark hair was cropped short around her ears. n./o.-v--e/)l-.b()i--n


    "i don''t know. i am sorry, lady ling, but i am good with my characters." the girl¡¯s answer to the question posed had only a little tremble. metal, oiled steel, that was the clearest thing emerging from her young aura to ling qi.


    "you would be surprised how much of my time is spent at the writing desk," ling qi said kindly. "so study well. and if you find your interest, you can bring it to me. of course, study itself is valuable too. dong chyou, please continue your exercises as well, and when the time comes, i will ask you again."


    the girl¡¯s mother laid a hand on her shoulder and bowed deeply along with her daughter.


    so much ceremony and pomp for such little things. but they were only little to her. a handful of stones pushed around. a few documents signed, and yet, whole lives changed. she really was starting to understand renxiang. she could see now that they had power by virtue of these actions and just how many ripples people like them could send by exercising their authority.


    ... this insight was probably foundational to cai renxiang.


    she greeted the others. for the other families, the conversation took less time because ling qi only greeted them and thanked them for their efforts. and ultimately, there simply weren''t that many people in her household still. even with children, a handful of grandparents, and just as rarely, spouses, there were less than a hundred people here.


    she didn''t know them, but she was genuinely happy to see their expressions as they took their seats. as they looked over the feast she had made available to them. as they whispered back and forth among each other while she greeted the last among them. as they looked at her with awe.


    no, she didn''t know them. it would be too much to call them family for her, but... she looked at mother without turning her head, observing the contentment and quiet happiness in her posture and expression. she turned as the last of them went to their seats, looking at all of these people.


    not one person was connected to every other person here. no one was everyone''s family or everyone''s friend. these people relied on her, and they were who her mother treasured. and they were all a part of this thing that might be called the ling clan.

 Threads 349 Clan 4

    threads 349 clan 4


    planning this celebration was so far from the stresses of the summit that ling qi could not help but feel lighter as she drifted through the days. what was a brief conversation with a sect official compared to dealing with the ministry of integrity, the foreigners, and the many, many observers? what was some brief instruction to a pair of first realm outer sect disciples given the run of the kitchen compared to searching for a conspiracy to sabotage their efforts?


    mother came through as well. a handful of wait staff from one of the town¡¯s roadhouses were put on retainer to make sure no one in the household had any duties during the feast. as days passed, she cultivated with her mother, played with biyu, and cultivated with zhengui to shape the garden.


    even with everyone gathered, families and all, the ling wasn¡¯t a huge household. it was enough to put out a single long table in the center of the garden under a silk pavilion. there was a second table at the head, a small one just for ling qi, her mother, her spirits, and her sister. the successful cultivators and their family would be seated with honor at the end of the larger table near to them, but they would still be among the others.


    ¡°it feels weird, finding out about the heavy stuff way later.¡± sixiang sighed, leaning on her shoulder.


    it was the last day now, and the sun was beginning its descent. the disciples were working away in the kitchens, and the hired staff were on standby. everything was ready for the gathering.


    ¡°i think i¡¯m glad to be able to contemplate by myself. i still want to know your thoughts, but it feels better to tell you about them,¡± ling qi said. her hands were folded in her sleeves. waiting out in the garden while mother took care of the last bits of organization made her feel useless, but she could tell mother preferred to be the one handling the people herding, as it were.


    ¡°yeah, i get it.¡± sixiang straightened up, walking backwards away from her to hop up and seat themselves on the smaller table. she¡¯d scold them, but it wasn¡¯t as if their body was anything but bent light and diffuse qi. ¡°i don¡¯t know if i agree. i can see how you could find freedom in a system, but...¡±


    ¡°i don¡¯t know if freedom is the correct word, but without some kind of organizing principle, the only freedom that can exist is the freedom of the fist.¡±


    ¡°ugh. ¡®organizing principle.¡¯ that cai really has corrupted you!¡± sixiang made a face. ¡°in the end, any kind of system has to be enforced. so, does it really matter how many pretty veils you put the fists behind?¡±


    ¡°i think it does. to do whatever you wish without constraints... that¡¯s the fantasy of a child or a monster.¡±


    ¡°or a nightmare,¡± sixiang quipped. ¡°i¡¯d say that i still don¡¯t care much for collars, but it''s not like i resisted sliding into yours very much.¡±


    she gave them a flat look. siiang held up their hands.


    ¡°sorry, sorry, didn¡¯t mean it that way. just, ugh, being attached to others is hard.¡±


    ¡°it is.¡± ling qi looked down at her hand, opening and closing it. wind sent the tablecloth fluttering and the flowers swaying. she could still feel the qi trying to trickle through. the spiritual impurity that had congealed there was starting to crack. ¡°i don¡¯t regret it though. maybe i¡¯d be safer or more free, whatever that means, if i¡¯d stayed the same, but i won¡¯t give up what i¡¯ve made mine.¡±


    sixiang huffed. ¡°you still gotta bend your words around and make yourself sound like a bad guy, huh?¡±


    ¡°i don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. you count, too. you call me gloomy, but i¡¯ve stopped you from dissolving twice now.¡±


    sixiang stuck out their tongue. they changed the topic. ¡°what¡¯s the plan here anyway? you going to just give a big speech and then let everyone eat?¡±


    ¡°well, i¡¯ll be greeting the families first. i want to speak with each of them one on one, or at least speak to the ones who are old enough to make it meaningful.¡±


    ¡°and then the speech?¡±


    ¡°yes.¡±


    ***


    the sun was low in the sky, splashing colors across it by the time the feast was ready. at the entrance to the gardens, ling qi stood alone as their household began to emerge. zhengui was back in the garden, grown to a larger but still manageable size, his shell towering over the end of the table he''d set himself beside. hanyi and sixiang were seated just to his right. mother was seated one seat over with biyu, leaving the center space for ling qi herself. she glanced back to see them chatting, briefly catching her mother''s eyes.


    from inside the manor, she could practically feel the low level anxiety wafting off the household members. they would be dressed up in their best, in robes and gowns all finer than anything they would have had in their lives before, but still quite plain by the standards of what ling qi had grown used to being around. as a soft bell was rung by one of the hired servers in the garden, the first of them began to emerge.


    out in the front was the min family. the older woman, min hua, was biyu''s nanny, and she knew the woman was her mother''s close friend. having spoken more to her mother about life in tonghou, she was grateful to the woman for helping her mother where she could. ling qi was glad her granddaughter had shown talent.


    that granddaughter, min leidi, walked beside her elderly relative. she was a plain and unobtrusive girl, but she looked like she had tried very hard to clean up, and her hair was tied up in braids and adorned by a circlet of flowers. she was looking out into the garden with wide eyes. ling qi had lett her mist out a bit, rolling along the paths, and sixiang had wrangled together a number of little fairies to drift around as lights, little bundles of qi too simple to cause any trouble with a greater moon spirit around. n--o-/v-.e.-l//b()1.(n


    "welcome," ling qi said as they approached. it was easy to let her voice roll out and carry through the garden. "welcome here to this feast, this celebration of your merit."


    both of them bowed very low. the young girl spoke up in a choked and nervous voice. "thank you, lady ling. you are very kind. this min leidi is only thankful that she might be of some use."


    "please raise your heads. you have all been of use. my family is young and small. though your contributions might have been small, they, like others¡¯, have been valuable. i am sure your future ones will continue to be so."


    "yes!" the girl said fervently, glancing at her grandmother, who nodded her head as well.


    "we will both cherish our duties, whatever they might be," min hua said.


    ling qi took the opportunity given, observing the girl. "and what duties do you wish for, min leidi? please answer honestly." the girl was only just awakened, a sparking scrap of qi in her dantian. she did not have much of a qi identity yet nor a clear aura to read. a faint pine scent, a touch of wood ash maybe?


    "if it pleases lady ling," the younger girl said, looking up at her with not a little awe. "i tend the gardens and keep the grounds. i would like to continue that, and um, i might like to work with lord zhengui to spread his blessings further. i had a little training as a junior priestess before..."


    before a minor social altercation with a wealthier initiate and her own background had seen her kicked from the training, ling qi finished silently. she''d gotten the story from her mother.


    ling qi gave her a small, calm smile. "i see no troubles with that. zhengui has mentioned you in good terms before. i cannot make permanent arrangements yet, but i understand your wish, and i hope that you will prove equal to the task of grasping it."


    she was aware that in the household and in a certain village where he had raised a fortress wall against a tide of impurity, zhengui was already receiving some amount of prayers. fertility of the earth, good fortune, and wealth... that last part was probably because of his name.


    even her puns had power. such a dangerous feeling it was, to have something that simple and childish rippling out.


    it was definitely too late to change now. the wind blew forward, not back.


    "go, min leidi, min hua. seat yourselves at the head of the table. tomorrow morning, before i take my leave, i will select a few cultivation arts that might suit you and give some advice."


    they both gave one more bow and passed ling qi by.


    in their place, the zhang family was next in line. a worn looking woman with long hair streaked gray nervously presented a pair of children. the older of the two was a boy with wiry black hair forcibly tamed into a presentable topknot and a nervous energy about him. his robe was a little ill fitting in a way that implied a recent and sudden growth spurt. the other was a young girl only a few years older than biyu with loose brown hair tied in pretty black ribbons and a round face, clutching her mother¡¯s hand tightly with both of hers.


    "welcome, zhang wen, zhang shu, zhang feng," ling qi greeted, beginning with the oldest, the mother, and proceeding down. "welcome here to this feast, this celebration of your merit."


    there was value in repetition for this ceremony. she studied them. the mother looked terribly harried behind the attempt to clean up. she was clearly torn between elation and stress. not strange for a mortal woman with two children capable of awakening.


    "lady ling is kind," the mother, zhang wen, said. she bowed deeply and her children followed in their own haunting way. "your generosity is unmatched."


    "i am very grateful for this chance!" the boy exclaimed. she saw a gap in his teeth as he spoke, giving him a little bit of childish lisp and marking the end of childhood. the little girl¡¯s murmured thanks was barely audible.


    ling qi kept a smile on her face anyway. her aura was not cold for them, but it was still imposing. there was little she could do about that. "and what do you aspire to, zhang shu? i would hear your wish."


    "i want to be a soldier!¡± he announced confidently, puffing his narrow chest out. ¡°like the people who guard the house and killed the worm thing in the basement!"


    "very honorable," ling qi said. "i have to be away quite a lot, so we will need plenty of people to keep everyone safe. it will be hard and scary though. protecting others is a big responsibility."


    "i am brave. i promise i''ll do a good job!"


    she smiled indulgently. he felt like jumping sparks, lightning and rain. he might change, but at his current rate, he would probably awaken before she was back from the summit.


    "and you, zhang feng? you are little yet, so it is fine if you don''t have an answer."


    the little girl quailed under her attention, looking like she wanted to hide her face in her mother¡¯s skirts. a coaxing hand on her head had her speak up. "i like sewing with mother."


    "i see," ling qi said, making sure to keep her encouraging expression unwavering. "i''m sure you''re very good and will only get better. but it''s fine to change your mind too. just keep doing the little exercises with the spirit stones, okay?"


    a girl that age would probably only drain even a single spirit stone over the course of months. she didn¡¯t expect her to awaken for some years yet. zhang feng was so young that she didn''t even have the vague flashes of impression the other two gave.


    "as for you, zheng shu, i will find something suitable for you to cultivate when you awaken and see about arranging a physical teacher."


    probably just a retired guard from the town for now. at his age, only the most basic instruction was possible.


    he thanked her excitedly and passed her by with his mother and sister as she directed them.


    the last of the candidate families was a girl and her mother, the dong family. the older woman was more lively than the mother of the last group with less anxiety and nerves in her eyes. her gaze flicked over the tables heavy with dishes and drinks with interest.


    ling qi exchanged a greeting with them, just as she had the others, no more and no less.


    the girl, dong chyou, had a bigger frame, wide shouldered for a girl. she looked like she''d outgrow her mother in only a few years. her dark hair was cropped short around her ears.


    "i don''t know. i am sorry, lady ling, but i am good with my characters." the girl¡¯s answer to the question posed had only a little tremble. metal, oiled steel, that was the clearest thing emerging from her young aura to ling qi.


    "you would be surprised how much of my time is spent at the writing desk," ling qi said kindly. "so study well. and if you find your interest, you can bring it to me. of course, study itself is valuable too. dong chyou, please continue your exercises as well, and when the time comes, i will ask you again."


    the girl¡¯s mother laid a hand on her shoulder and bowed deeply along with her daughter.


    so much ceremony and pomp for such little things. but they were only little to her. a handful of stones pushed around. a few documents signed, and yet, whole lives changed. she really was starting to understand renxiang. she could see now that they had power by virtue of these actions and just how many ripples people like them could send by exercising their authority.


    ... this insight was probably foundational to cai renxiang.


    she greeted the others. for the other families, the conversation took less time because ling qi only greeted them and thanked them for their efforts. and ultimately, there simply weren''t that many people in her household still. even with children, a handful of grandparents, and just as rarely, spouses, there were less than a hundred people here.


    she didn''t know them, but she was genuinely happy to see their expressions as they took their seats. as they looked over the feast she had made available to them. as they whispered back and forth among each other while she greeted the last among them. as they looked at her with awe.


    no, she didn''t know them. it would be too much to call them family for her, but... she looked at mother without turning her head, observing the contentment and quiet happiness in her posture and expression. she turned as the last of them went to their seats, looking at all of these people.


    not one person was connected to every other person here. no one was everyone''s family or everyone''s friend. these people relied on her, and they were who her mother treasured. and they were all a part of this thing that might be called the ling clan.

 Threads 349 Summit 1

    threads 349 summit 1


    she felt like she was beginning to understand the undercurrent in her contacts. quiet or fervent, subtle or up front, this feeling was something like what they meant when they said ¡°the emerald seas.¡±


    ling qi crossed the distance to the head of the table without taking a step, a flicker of shadow and a gust of wind. she didn''t need a dais or a platform. standing a little off the ground along with her own height was enough.


    "everyone, diligent members of our household, this is truly a happy day. among you are four who have been blessed by the heavens with opportunity. among you are four who have great fortune. all of us have known the opposite. we have known ill luck and closed-off opportunities." ling qi loosened her hold on her qi, allowing the mist rolling along the ground to grow thick and her shadow vast and deep. "not one person here has not known unfairness."


    the whispering voices fell silent as she spoke, all of them looking up at her.


    "and that is why we must support each other. fortune shared is fortune spread. to those who have struck luck, i ask that you all give your support, your admiration, and your joy. for those who receive this, i ask that you give your diligence, your ambition, and your best efforts. in this way, we may strike back at unfairness, if only a little. the trials we have undergone have come from our choices and the choices of other men and women. if i have any command for you, let it be this. choose better than those who have trampled upon you. be the support which you have wished for."


    the wind picked up, making the candles on the table gutter.


    in the end, even though the thief of winds had been acting for herself, her adventure had changed the world. she had brought new choices and new horizons to many in her strike against the tyranny of the mightiest, those who sought and had ultimate freedom, the ability to do as they willed without restraint. in humbling them and in breaking their hold, the winds had spread across the world.


    "do this, and the ling clan will always be a place of welcome and a place of plenty. do this, and though you might not have the power of cultivation yourself, you will always have its aid. and for those who have had heaven¡¯s fortune, never forget this day and these people around you. they are your foundation who will raise you and carry you as you grow. now, that is enough from me. eat, drink, and make merry. tonight, you have no duty but joy and companionship!"


    she lowered her hands, sinking into her own seat. she did not let her nerves show. she had felt so foolish making such a grand speech, but people bowed their heads. they showed her respect. it wasn''t the empty smile of those coerced to respect a superior.


    sixiang whispered.


    "you did well, ling qi," her mother murmured. "there is a great deal of satisfaction in being acknowledged like this."


    ¡°i certainly hope so. let¡¯s enjoy the celebration now. i won''t have a chance to relax again for quite a while."


    she was going to have to make a lot more speeches in the future to audiences much less invested. it was freeing to know there were so, so many out there, all affecting outcomes just as much with their choices. it was terrifying thinking of the scope her decisions now affected. but that was the way she had chosen.


    the summit loomed.


    ***


    below the balcony, imperial and foreign workers passed by, the last of the departing work crews returning to their respective camps. even before splitting to go their own ways on the north-south road, they remained two very distinct groups. however, there was some mingling here and there as translators spoke to each other or as workers simply walked shoulder-to-shoulder with their counterparts on the narrow road.


    the grand embassy hall, which she stood in as ministry agents and polar nations¡¯ crows swept through their final security checks, was less grand than she would have liked. much of its interior was sparsely decorated or entirely unadorned. the furnishings were without flair, plain wood or a single color of paint. she felt as though she was reaching the limits of her abilities or overstepping more often these days. she hoped this would not be a trend.


    ¡°your mind wanders even if your eyes do not.¡±


    the whispery rasp of her mentor shu yue¡¯s voice scratched at her ears. she didn¡¯t bother to turn, feeling the looming shadow above and around her and the air grow cool and dry with the cultivator''s presence.


    ¡°it does,¡± ling qi said. ¡°i really wish i had been able to begin this last month.¡±


    ¡°your spirit was not yet settled or ready.¡± shu yue leaned past her shoulder, pale face extending past her on a neck just a little too long as they peered below. ¡°you have opened yourself enough now. your first fumbling theft has been done.¡±


    ling qi had been seeing little flashes of insight since her tribulation. although they had seemed mostly accidental on her part, she had attempted to deliberately gain insight on sun liling recently.


    ¡°does that really count? it¡¯s not an art, just a part of my senses now.¡±


    ¡°does a martial manual graft new limbs onto its students?¡± shu yue asked. their head tilted to the side, twisting their neck at an angle that would be deeply uncomfortable, if not fatal, to a mortal. ¡°your serenade is part of you, though you might not feel it so yet. it is your voice and breath you are refining. so, too, this, your thief of names. it is your eyes and your ears you train. arts and techniques, these are methods to teach children how to mimic the actions of their elders with more limited and feeble forms. should you attain higher realms, you will find your every action to be an art or technique.¡±


    ling qi considered the way she often moved now, not bothering to walk from place to place unless someone was looking. she recalled the way she instinctively cooled her drinks with a thought or wrapped those close to her in the feeling of her support.


    ¡°what would you have done if i had not developed a compatible ability in my domain?¡±


    ¡°i would have adjusted my lesson plan to fit whatever answer you found in your return from your tribulation.¡± nove(lb/in


    ling qi gave a shallow nod, looking down at the departing workers, and listened.


    elevate my¨Clive on in work¨Cagainst the cold¨Cimpress her¨Cshow them all¨Cmy theories¨Cbetter homes¡ª faster communication¨Cenduring warmth-never fear sky again¡ªchildren¡¯s tuitons¡ªmake grandmother proud¡ªa new home¡ªnorthern sec!tyfghf#hfg(&jkss@!


    she winced, holding her hand up to her temple. too many people, too many drives, the names of those who were still more human than spirit, so ill defined. sovereigns, like the general, overwhelmed such ambiguity in their presence. the statements they said were very clear, if one knew how to listen, as she was learning now.


    she had not known how to listen back at the caldera when the roaring voices of sovereigns at war had made her feel like her head would split open. she had not known at the first new year¡¯s tournament at the sect, seeing garbled hallucinations as duchess cai and bai suzhen, the heir of the bai clan, had displayed a friendly clash.


    ¡°it is a particular skill to listen to one voice in a crowd, especially when they are not speaking to you,¡± shu yue said, amused. ¡°you know this.¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s a skill i have. i just need to train it further. you¡¯re certain that practicing this won¡¯t offend anyone?¡±


    ¡°it is merely seeing and hearing. that you see and hear better is not an intrusion. none will feel your fingers under their skin because they are not there. perhaps you will do this later.¡± shu yue straightened up. there were a few faint pops like bones shifting in and out of sockets. ¡°those who also see well may notice that your eyes are sharp and cloak themselves in response.¡±


    like elder jiao had.


    ¡°but it¡¯s still rude to stare at and scrutinize someone too closely, no?¡±


    ¡°indeed. conduct yourself with politeness.¡±


    just another bit of etiquette to follow then. another element of all the social rituals of imperial culture.


    ¡°when will i see you next?¡±


    ¡°the night after the opening ceremony, i think. i will observe your progress and provide pointers then.¡±


    ¡°and my concern over the miners and the other little accidents?¡± ling qi asked, turning from the balcony.


    ¡°there is something there. something or someone is moving pieces. it may be internal, it may be ith, or it may even be some faction of our guests,¡± shu yue said, looking down at her. ¡°you will need to look into it, my student.¡±


    ¡°you mean you can¡¯t?¡± ling qi asked, frustrated. ¡°is the duchess really so happy to treat this summit like a game?¡±


    ¡°you misunderstand.¡± shu yue tapped their fingers together. ¡°i pursue the prime mover of this, likely a peer. you, my student, must seek their pieces and disrupt them in turn. this may provide me with an opportunity without exposing yourself or the young miss while i am distracted.¡±


    ¡°... oh. and the ministry of integrity?¡±


    ¡°perhaps you may convince them. i am not trustworthy in their eyes. instead, they view me as an abominable thing of the rotten past, my existence a black mark on my master. my voice will be unhelpful until ironclad evidence is had.¡±


    ling qi scowled. ¡°fine. fine. what¡¯s one more job?¡±


    ¡°there is no rest for a seeker of thrones.¡±


    ¡°don¡¯t i know it. i need to meet cai renxiang now. the opening speeches will begin in a few hours.¡±


    shue yue was gone, leaving her only the first rays of dawn as company.

 Threads 350 Summit 2

    threads 350 summit 2


    ¡°so there is truly something amiss,¡± cai renxiang said from behind steepled fingers, her brow crinkled with a frustration that reflected ling qi¡¯s own feelings.


    the room itself was small without being cramped, plain like the rest of the meeting hall. the floor was bare but polished wood, and there was only a single hanging, a watercolor depicting tsu the diviner smiting the wolf god over a backdrop of xiangmen.


    ¡°shu yue has confirmed that they agree with the assessment of meng dan and myself,¡± ling qi said.


    ling qi had spent her time in between meeting shu yue and this meeting by collating information and reports from among the staff. there were many little accidents, but nothing that showed real evidence of tampering or being outside the result of natural geomantic shifts in an unstable region.


    not for the first time, she wished that the general could have been less disruptive.


    gan guangli stroked his chin. ¡°troubling, if they cannot find the source immediately.¡±


    ¡°i would ask that all of us keep our eyes well open here, especially...¡±


    "we cannot make any public statements regarding it," cai renxiang said, her expression pinched. "not without destroying this moment and the chance for either side to buy in. not when it is already so tenuous."


    ling qi sighed. ¡°yes.¡±


    ¡°the ministry of integrity must be apprised of this matter, if they are not already aware,¡± cai renxiang stated bluntly.


    ¡°although i do not wish to speak ill of them, they may already be aware of it and are choosing to remain silent, much as we intend to do,¡± gan guangli pointed out.


    ling qi had to grudgingly admit that this was a possibility. while the ministry had not been friendly to her, she had done little to endear herself to them either.


    "regardless, we must focus on the opening ceremony. this sabotage appears to be slow-acting," cai renxiang said. "do we agree on the broad interest groups we must satisfy here?"


    "the nobility of the emerald seas is favorably disposed towards us, albeit with a touch of condescension, given the duchess''s clear investment and our work thus far. however, we will need to be careful about the concessions we make to keep them that way," gan guangli summarized.


    ¡°jaromila is heading the main white sky group and has a personal interest in this,¡± ling qi offered. ¡°i trust that she is at least as invested in this as we.¡±


    ¡°but they have their larger national interest, much like we do,¡± cai renxiang agreed. ¡°the crows...¡±


    ¡°i believe emissary dzintara can be used to gauge that group''s interest. it is as much spiritual as political,¡± ling qi said. she had put that much together.


    ¡°this leaves our own watchers, the ministry of integrity and general xia.¡± gan guangli said thoughtfully. ¡°miss ling has somehow gained the general¡¯s patience.¡±


    ¡°it wasn¡¯t impossible,¡± ling qi grumbled. ¡°but it was a reach.¡±


    ¡°that was not a rebuke, merely putting forth the likely challenge.¡±


    ¡°i understand.¡±


    gan guangli suggested, ¡°perhaps, you should instead take an acknowledging tone and use your success in cooling tempers. what about a speech emphasizing that we may peacefully solve our disagreements?¡±


    ¡°it still acknowledges that there is a problem, which will be enough to put off some. but it''s not a bad approach either.¡±


    ling qi sighed. she really was stubborn, trying to find a way to stick with her original plan even when it was no longer the best idea. it was just so frustrating to be thwarted by just the length of a fingernail.


    ¡°i think you are right, gan guangli,¡± ling qi relented. ¡°trying to hang onto the project itself when it has clearly fallen short is arrogant on my part. maybe i could manage with more experience, but it¡¯s just as likely to make the representatives see me as a stubborn child right now.¡±


    ¡°i do not think your idea was poor,¡± gan guangli placated. ¡°i am confident you could have pulled it off.¡±


    ¡°it would be a risky ploy, a gamble coming on the tail of another,¡± cai renxiang said. ¡°if you truly thought it best...¡±


    ¡°i don¡¯t. i merely needed a nudge to adjust my thinking. no, focusing on the success of resolving the working dispute and the cooperative patrols and such is a much better idea. so, let me run a few approaches by you two, and you can tell me what you think...¡±


    ***


    the meeting hall, ling qi thought, was at least the best work in the building. the fusion of styles was a little rough in places but largely worked to a mutual understanding of aesthetics. carved wooden pillars lined the great hall, rising toward the peaked roof to join the rafters. the columns themselves were carved with draconic imagery with rising coils and grasping claws wrapped around each pillar, finished and varnished in yellow and gold. the rafters bore the blocky geometric art of the polar nation, aglow with soft light from the formations worked into the wood. the high windows set in the hall¡¯s walls were open, but they were filled with colored glass, each one depicting a historical scene alternating between the polities.


    unfortunately, the two furthest to the rear had only plain glass, and the floor was bare wood, albeit polished to a mirror shine.


    the hall was furnished with a single long table, heavy and solid, but the seating was split. on their end, there were individual chairs and seats; on the white sky¡¯s end, there were long padded benches they seemed to prefer, with an exception for the larger seat at the head of the table.


    that seat was occupied by jaromila, arrayed in a pale, sky blue dress lined with white fur and a circlet of iron on her brow. her husband stood behind her to the right, and on her left, one of the old crows stood, leaning on his stick. the other emissaries were arrayed around her, khadne and dzintara on one side, and inzha and rostam on the other. dzintara was back in more formal robes, heavy furs about her shoulders and a dress that clacked with woven beads. the others had not changed their garb much.


    at the imperial side of the table, she and gan guangli flanked lady cai at her seat at the head. meng dan and his uncle, deming, occupied the left side of the table. the older meng looked like a sage out of a storybook with a wrinkled face, gray hair tied in a topknot, and a long silvery beard that fell to his waist. he and meng dan wore loose robes in earthen tones. luo jie and wang lian were seated across from the meng, and down the table from them was cao chun in his ministry black robes. a white porcelain mask over his face was marked only by the painted third eye over his brow, the sign of his rank. another masked agent stood at his back.


    the rest of the seats at the table were filled with aides and functionaries from both sides.


    well back from the main table was seating for their ducal observers. the bai and the sun were kept apart with xuan shi and zheng fu in between them.


    cai renxiang stood. even the order of these opening words had required furious, if brief, negotiation. ling qi was glad she had spoken to jaromila beforehand, letting them cooperate a little. the imperial side saw the right to speak first as important, but the white sky typically decided that by lottery in their ¡®things¡¯ when the point was in contention. this difference meant that jaromila was able to ¡°concede¡± without losing face, and ling qi was able to ¡°win¡± the preliminary debate and satisfy some grumbling at no cost. that had made it easier to negotiate alternating speakers after that too.


    ¡°welcome, guests of the empire, guests of the emerald seas. i thank you all for coming here, staying here, and joining these talks. the clan of cai looks forward to the success of these negotiations and the coming peace between our peoples. i cede the floor now to baroness ling, my emissary.¡±

 Threads 351-Summit 3

    threads 351-summit 3


    both titles, ¡°baroness¡± and ¡°emissary,¡± had been ordered deliberately. every word was a step in a dance. gestures, expressions, tone, so many vectors communicating so much information. ling qi smiled and stepped forward as cai renxiang sat down.


    ¡°it has been a pleasure growing to know the representatives here, short though our time may have been, and difficult as arrangements have been. when i first met emissary jaromila, the conditions were harsh indeed. one could not have blamed either of us for coming to blows then.¡± ling qi briefly lowered her chin toward jaromila, but did not pause. ¡°and yet, we did not. with chaos all around, with missiles and power flying, instead, we spoke, in however halting a manner. now we are here, having spoken much more and with greater clarity. i am confident that we can continue this trend.¡±


    ling qi let her gaze pan around the table not focusing on any one person but allowing the impression of meeting everyone''s eyes as she spoke. it was a bit bold of her given the age and cultivation of many on her side, but her position heading this negotiation allowed it, if barely.


    ¡°there have been difficulties and disagreements in our short time together so far. but we have proven that jaromila and i are not the only ones capable of reconciliation. no dispute has risen above what words can solve. even when blows have been thrown, both peoples have been able to back down and cool our heads. we can do this. we can achieve a lasting point of contact between our peoples and continue to resolve our disputes thusly without the shedding of blood. it is my pleasure and honor to oversee this great undertaking and to bring all of you here. let us speak candidly with one another and establish a peace which will see to the prosperity of both of our peoples.¡±


    ling qi stepped back, and jaromila rose, the glittering threads of her mantle winking under the light of the runes and characters from above.


    ¡°my counterpart¡¯s words are both true and encouraging. the people of the white sky have long been a land of crossroads. we finish the work of the harvesters in the west, we engineer the caravan trains which cross the western bogs, and we furnish the runed arms which gird the armies of the south. i do not yet know what we might do for you in the north, or what you might offer us in turn, but i do know that we will only benefit from finding out. wherever humans gather, we quarrel and bicker, but civilized men and women, like us, rise above their baser natures and accomplish much.¡±


    a pillar of iron girded in fractal frost, seeking to hold up the sky. an unbreakable face presented to the howling wind. an iron spike driven into the cold earth to seal away the demons clawing up from beneath.


    there were a half dozen fuzzy images that she could not parse around the face jaromila presented.


    ¡°what has been done thus far shows me that there is much potential to be tapped and much to be built on the foundations we will lay here. i and the white sky look forward to creating that together.¡±


    jaromila curtseyed and retook her seat.


    it was cao chun who rose next, faceless, masked, barely a silhouette in his black robes. even his voice was distorted by the formations in the mask, rendering it unidentifiable and cold.


    ¡°this endeavor is is mostly without precedent. it attempts something only managed in far distant isles where leagues upon leagues of the sea presents an unsurpassable barrier to ill intentions. the wall is wide, but not that wide. however, the south has ever been in turmoil. its people cry for peace from burning fields and the sad ruins of family homes and freedom from the slaving, rapacious tribes of the high peaks. let it not be said that the throne is deaf to these cries. so let us speak then, and see if there is a solution to be found.¡±


    cao chun was shrouded to her, all but invisible to her senses, and yet...


    horror. a river filled with horrors. broken bodies, broken minds, broken souls, the uncared for detritus of those who claimed to have a better way and who promised they were different. and yet, the river was contained, held in the high banks of the weathered old levy so painstakingly built on its shore.


    ¡°it is their way that i am concerned over. this is different than adjudicating between provinces.¡±


    ¡°is it?¡±


    she let the conversations wash over her. most of the talk was actually coming from the lesser functionaries arrayed around the table, the aides and assistants of the actual representatives, with those chiming in more rarely.


    cao chun was not silent, unlike many.


    ¡°and what is to be done when an ¡®affiliated¡¯ tribe elects to exercise their nature and pillage our lands regardless of our treaties? or being more generous, when even less controlled nomads use our laxity in allowing their cousins passage as cover to do so? how long must the victims wait for their restitution from this arbitration?¡±


    it was inzha who answered him. ¡°there are methods, identifications which can and will be distributed. while it is true that these methods are not foolproof and we will not impose truly invasive means that might be, but some system should be possible.¡±


    ¡°invasive, indeed. do not think i do not understand the implication. i proposed nothing of the sort,¡± cao chun replied. ¡°nonetheless, it must be acknowledged that our security will be compromised and that there must be a faster response system for military means.¡±


    ¡°it seems to me that your soldiers should talk to our soldiers for that.¡± rostam peered out from under the heavy fur brim of his hat. ¡°ah, maybe we make a special guard to go with our special judges, no?¡±


    ¡°we are wandering from the subject,¡± cai renxiang interjected. ¡°the proposal to assign a policing arm to investigate claims in disputed regions is noted and tabled. the matter of affiliated tribes must be discussed however. going forward...¡±


    the white sky¡¯s assimilation practices were very loose by imperial standards, but from what ling qi understood, tribes which agreed to come under the white sky¡¯s aegis did have their movements curtailed, or at least had to report their intended routes. she didn¡¯t have the close details of that arrangement.


    her own people viewed this suspiciously, of course. dealing with what the emerald seas saw as the inevitable result of a white sky-affiliated tribe preying on an emerald seas fief was thus another sticking point. harsh penalties were wanted with minimal room to bypass or delay. in watching the speakers go back and forth, she had a feeling that the white sky felt nettled by the implication to their word and honor. there was also concern that the emerald seas might abuse this and try to charge them for every cloud tribe raid.


    neither was a truly unfair concern. despite being more sympathetic than most to kinder border policy, ling qi did know that the cloud tribes had been raiding and attacking the emerald seas since before recorded history. she could no more convince her people that this was going to stop peacefully than she could convince them that the sun would fail to rise tomorrow. similarly, the white sky was right to worry about false claims and expedited judgements on the matter.


    unfortunately, this meant that any successful resolution came down to being able to assuage feelings as much as any proposed solutions.


    ¡°... we will call a thirty minute recess here to discuss the proposals and solutions made and to allow the delegates time to consider matters.¡±


    there were murmurs of assent from all around, and ling qi nodded.


    it was her turn now.

 Threads 352-Summit 4

    threads 352-summit 4


    ling qi mingled and traded small words, encouragement, and debates with various functionaries. she found cao chun conferring with another more junior agent she couldn¡¯t recognize at a glance.


    ¡°baroness,¡± he said before she had finished approaching. his companion turned and left. he remained with his back to her until she stopped, only then turning to face her.


    ¡°inspector cao,¡± she returned, lowering her head. ¡°are the current negotiations to your satisfaction?¡±


    his blank mask tilted up. ¡°these foreigners have shown that they have a functional understanding of the concept of civil law and meaningful tradition of jurisprudence. this arrangement is... possible.¡±


    ling qi was surprised to hear him admit that, but she carefully kept it from her face.


    of course, for all her talents, he was still two realms above her.


    his cane tapped once against the floor. ¡°i am not blind, baroness, merely skeptical.¡±


    ¡°my apologies, inspector. i did not mean to imply otherwise. there are many who are not blind but are blinkered. such is the way of cultivation.¡±


    ¡°hmph. spare me the koan, young lady. yes, that is the reason given for why the young are taking the lead in this.¡±


    ¡°a reason which you do not approve of.¡±


    ¡°i do not, but i will not say you are all not giving your best efforts.¡±


    even now, with his mask on, she could read him. he still thought that they were being foolish, inviting inevitable betrayal and disaster. but...


    ¡°even when violence came close, we pushed it off.¡±


    ¡°yes, your speech,¡± cao chun said, his blank mask turning as if to peer past her. ¡°i interviewed our craftswoman myself. she may not even have noticed consciously, but she broke the boy¡¯s wrist, not that the foreigners seemed to care about that over the cultivation taint. a shameful lack of discipline.¡±


    ling qi eyed him warily. ¡°you approve of the outcome?¡±


    his discontent scratched at her nose like smoke. ¡°it was well handled. a wrong is a wrong. being the ones to break the peace dirties the empire¡¯s honor.¡±


    ¡°it was an unfortunate flaring of tempers.¡±


    ¡°hmm. what is it you wish to say, baroness?¡±


    ¡°it is my hope to ask you for your thoughts on the arbitration negotiation. though inspector cao has made his voice clear, i hoped that any unsaid concerns might be addressed.¡±


    ¡°i see.¡±


    unlike his younger colleagues the old inspector was not nearly impolitic enough to make accusations.


    ¡°the ministry of integrity is rooted in the ministry of law. please do not think that lady cai or myself disdain your expertise.¡±


    they did not. but she did feel the ministry had tendencies toward overclaiming their area of it.


    ¡°i favor the panel approach in this,¡± he said. ¡°the idea is sound, if needing refinement. frankly, i can see that you intend to push toward an even number to claim fairness despite your starting position. two and two, rather than two and one.requiring a majority means that at least one imperial must agree with the foreigners or vice versa to reach a verdict.¡±


    ¡°i have thoughts, but lady cai is still more familiar.¡±


    her liege looked past her toward the chatting nobles. ling qi¡¯s eyes wandered. meng dan was conferring with his uncle, who was watching everyone with a severe expression. wang lian was standing with her hands behind her back, talking to inzha. luo jie was now speaking with cao chun, and jaromila was talking to dzintara and another older woman with an intricate headscarf and religious markings on her clothes.


    ¡°legitimacy. that the throne is paying attention provides our endeavor legitimacy. we have our own judge, standing equal, and we are allowing their judge in good faith. we are a province which demands that much respect.¡±


    across the room, jaromila caught her eye.


    ¡°i see. that is a working position. i think the implication is that it would be better for us to see the throne¡¯s agents than not as an additional argument.¡±


    ¡°so long as it remains an implication,¡± cai renxiang agreed.


    ¡°of course. excuse me, lady cai.¡±


    cai renxiang nodded and turned to look at meng dan, who was approaching with his hands clasped. ling qi gave him a small smile as she passed him by, heading for jaromila by a slightly meandering route.


    ¡°emissary ling qi, it is good to see things are proceeding so civilly, is it not?¡± the blonde woman asked as she came near.


    ¡°it is, emissary jaromila.¡± ling qi took jaromila¡¯s outstretched arm, clasping it around the wrist for several seconds. jaromila did the same to her. her iron nails were sharp on her skin even through her dress. this was, she had learned, a somewhat familiar gesture for the polar nation, so it implied a degree of trust and closeness to hold it this long without testing each other''s strength.


    the older woman standing with them frowned, but dzintara merely pursed her lips.


    ¡°i hope that everyone is feeling their concerns borne out?¡±


    ¡°i feel decorum could be better kept through a speaking scepter, but discussions are being managed even without it,¡± dzintara allowed.


    having some badge or idol which conferred permission to speak and informing others to listen was the polar nation¡¯s method for these conferences. it had been proposed, but the idea had gotten bogged down in arguments over what the etiquette for passing it would be.


    ¡°i hope that future summits can refine our methods. for now, i think freer debate is serving us well.¡±


    ¡°it is. there is too much to discuss and too many disagreements for the single speaker methods to work here,¡± jaromila said. ¡°i think talks on identification methods for border crossing are going well?¡±


    ¡°they are, but i hope you will forgive inspector cao and some of our delegates for their bluntness. cloud tribe raids and our security are not distant matters to them,¡± ling qi said, putting just a little apology into her voice.


    ¡°no one has gone beyond the bounds of slightly heated debate, yet,¡± dzintara said grudgingly. ¡°nonetheless, we will need guarantees that your ¡®concerns¡¯ do not allow malicious actors.¡±


    ¡°i understand. we will find a method which everyone can accept.¡±


    ¡°the young emissary is very confident,¡± the old woman interrupted. ¡°but do you truly speak with such weight?¡±


    her accent was thick, and her words were a little odd and halting.


    ¡°their people aim for ascension more commonly than ours,¡± jaromila said firmly.


    ¡°but the ascended speak for themselves. who do you speak for? what voice do you channel?¡± the old woman asked.


    ling qi took it in stride. ¡°right now, i speak for her grace, our duchess cai, master of the divine pillar xiangmen. i hope that is enough. you have not, after all, brought crowfather, or any other, here for debate.¡±


    ¡°it would be madness,¡± the woman said. ¡°you do not wear her mantle¡ªthe one you call liege does¡ªyet you are called emissary. is it only because your mantle is akin to ours? a sop for this history we once shared?¡±


    ¡°priestess, you are being rude,¡± jaromila reprimanded.


    ling qi raised a hand, forestalling her. ¡°our methods are not at all the same. all of the effort to find commonality is an exercise in making everyone as comfortable as possible. i do not think this is necessarily bad. i am not treading the path of any one spirit or god, but rather, i am making my own. this is the way that we in the celestial empire act.¡±

 Threads 353 Summit 5

    threads 353 summit 5


    ¡°i thought i understood this until i came here and witnessed it.¡±


    ¡°i agree, but i do not find their methods completely heterodox after spending longer on it,¡± dzintara said in response to the priestess. ¡°it is possible to recombine different paths. more than that, emissary ling qi¡¯s words and intentions are matched.¡±


    ling qi gave the other woman a surprised, but grateful, glance. dzintara merely regarded her stonily under her woven headscarf.


    ¡°she may,¡± the older woman reluctantly allowed. ¡°but their walking god is down among these mountains. every seer in ten thousand leagues can feel her, burning their eyes and deafening their ears. how is this to be taken as peaceful intentions?¡±


    ¡°it is a threat, but not for you,¡± ling qi said. the duchess was here to oversee the war. ¡°emissary jaromila must have told you of the twelve stars¡¯ titan.¡±


    ¡°that creature was certainly some type of demon,¡± jaromila said. ¡°as unsettling as the elders of this argent peak sect were, they could not compare to that foul crumbling star.¡±


    ¡°i have heard this, yes,¡± the priestess said. ¡°and the portents are bad here. it is true that the sibiar once allied and mingled with your ancestors...¡±


    it was gratifying to hear that plainly accepted.


    ¡°but this whole situation is difficult. divination is too uncertain here.¡±


    but it was, of course, only ever a foot in the door.


    ¡°divination is a useful tool, but those of us who are still here cannot expect to know everything that is coming. i fear overreliance on future telling.¡±


    ¡°it is not to be treated as the whole truth, only an aid,¡± dzintara said. ¡°still, i understand this discomfort. it is difficult to see peace among all the fires burning here.¡±


    ¡°this is why it is our duty to enact so,¡± jaromila said.


    ¡°it is,¡± the priestess agreed. eyeing ling qi, she seemed to come to a conclusion. ¡°you say all these concerns are in good faith. very well. so are ours. it is not enough for there to be judges alone. judges can only hear the evidence brought before them, though a good one can see lies for what they are. most disputes, i imagine, will be about the nomads. there are not yet enough of us in contact. therefore, your soldiers and our soldiers will need to collaborate as they do here. there must be many eyes to see that there are no lies spread in the ears of judges.¡±


    ¡°i¡¯m not sure that¡¯s possible along the whole border,¡± ling qi replied. ¡°there are simply too many commands.¡±


    ¡°i agree,¡± dzintara said. ¡°perhaps an agreement for sharing duties on outposts that follow designated routes?¡±


    ling qi hid a grimace, glancing toward the rough edges of the construction here. that would be a harder sell to the emerald seas clans, too.


    she glanced past the old priestess toward one of the men in a crowfeather cloak. this one had a face like a cracked granite cliff, marked with stubble and scars. she couldn''t quite tell if it was one she had talked to before. the memory of their faces was slippery.


    crows. no one ever gave them names, and she remembered what the first one she had spoken to had said. if the ways of other southerners shrouded them like cloaks and mantles, boots and armor and gear, then the crow looked to her like a mask. they were hollow, but not empty. what had been scooped out was replaced with something else. their human faces were vessels, a gruff or friendly or mysterious face to make teaching easier.


    nameless. without ego or ambition. an automaton animated by duty, a harsh edged, sharp lined character with what the southerners called a ¡°rune¡± burning in the dark behind an empty eye socket.


    the old man turned to look at her, and she heard a harsh rasping caw and the flutter of wings. the nature of their duty wasn''t hidden. walk the winter shadows. mark the roads and trails so that they might not be forgotten under the driving snow. preserve knowledge. transmit knowledge. maintain the boundaries and gates.


    he nodded to her, and ling qi looked away. she was glad that she was refining her technique. it would be impolite to get a nosebleed right now. even the ministry, with its own deathly oaths to the ascended emperor an, were not so dedicated as these crows, at least not of the agents she had met. of course, like any tool, the hands that wielded them had a say. but a cultivator like that was not just a tool either. they could not be guided against their nature any more than a mortal could force a waterwheel to turn against the river with their bare hands.


    "the bearers of his wisdom are ever reliable," the old priestess praised. "i am sure one or two can spare their eyes for this force, if it is to go forward."


    "it is the least that is necessary, but if it is where we must begin, very well," dzintara said.


    "i thank you for your patience,¡± ling qi said. ¡°if i may ask a question?"


    "please," jaromila said.


    "where do you draw your judges from? ours are apprenticed in a way, rising as junior clerks under the wings of senior magistrate and under the aegis of our ministries, but i have not gotten the details for yours."


    "there are judges of different types. for this, i would think we would use the judges of sudica," jaromila answered.


    "the scepter¡¯s law matrons would be the best to contact," dzintara agreed. "this is no matter of small squabbles between families which can be handled by arbitrators, but more akin to the arguments which form between towns and cities. this is the role of the ascetics who devote themselves to the scepter''s law."


    "ah. a particular class of cultivator then?" ling qi asked.


    "accurate enough," dzintara said. "the axe concedes to the scepter¡¯s authority in this."


    "as does the cauldron. but there is much that needs to be said on the selection process," the old woman said.


    ling qi glanced at her, and for the first time, she realized that the priestess felt like a mortal. there was nothing for her eyes to see, just a severe woman who could have been anyone''s strict grandmother.


    she knew the polar nations did have powerful families and clans¡ªjaromila''s story proved that¡ªbut more and more, she was feeling like the voices and emissaries dedicated to their gods were the real political unit at play here beneath the provinces.


    it was an odd realization. temples in the empire simply didn''t have that kind of authority. where they were separate entities at all, they were advisory. however, if high realm cultivators and the white sky gods were viewed as the same type of being, it did still align... it even explained their reticence regarding the duchess and their suspicion of ling qi speaking for her.


    "i won''t intrude any further. it seems that you have your own internal matters to discuss," ling qi said, and the three other women acknowledged her words.


    "yes. thank you, emissary ling qi. i look forward to resuming the meeting," jaromila said.

 Threads 354 Summit 6

    threads 354 summit 6


    ling qi took her leave, wandering back toward the head of the table. she glanced toward the ducal observers. zheng fu sat there with his arms tightly crossed, his foot tapping, looking like he wanted to vibrate out of his seat as his eyes darted from one person to another. xuan shi had a book open in one hand and an inkbrush in the other, periodically glancing up. he caught her eye for a moment and smiled behind his collar. meizhen, of course, was the picture of imperial aloofness with xiao fen beside her. sun liling... she was staring right at one of the crows, her brow furrowed.


    ling qi arrived back at cai renxiang''s side as her liege finished speaking to another functionary of their side.


    "good tidings?" ling qi asked with a small smile.


    "the even number of judges concept is percolating well. i expect it to be proposed in the next part of the session. establishing a full-time residence for the judges, so that they become familiar with the area and need not travel for cases, has also been popular."


    ling qi nodded. this would be the first divot dug on the road to a settlement. judges would have staff and needs, and those staff would also have needs, which would require servicing, and it would simply be more efficient for these services to be provided on site. in the end, it wasn''t a complicated strategy. it was simply using the fact that people were always more comfortable with smaller steps, even if they had an inkling that they were being led.


    "your own conversation?"


    "i am getting a better idea of how our guests¡¯ own internal matters work. their temples are much more political than ours to the extent that i suspect that they take the place of clans in some ways. they will be relevant to our project here."


    cai renxiang pursed her lips thoughtfully. "i see. i will adjust accordingly. i suppose it does not change much. both are simply groups of largely like-minded cultivators pursuing communal goals."


    ling qi looked her liege in the eye, feeling some consternation. "lady renxiang, the dynamics are not..." she narrowed her eyes at cai renxiang''s blank expression. "you are messing with me."


    "i observed that you might require it. no, i understand. a religious institution is likely to have a stricter central dogma than a clan, and it will also have different expectations of its members," cai reniang said. "i will trust you to maneuver this where needed. i only hope our counterpart has it in hand."


    "she does, but it¡¯s clear there are disagreements," ling qi said. "for now, we should support and push the investigative arm proposal and cajole our side into accepting their crows into a central role. that will build both our and jaromila''s credit."


    "i see. reasonable,¡± cai renxiang judged. ¡°i think that should be simple to accomplish. the recess is ending soon. let us discuss how we will present our refined goals."


    when the speeches began again, ling qi paid closer attention, focusing on the delegates present. what she saw made her cautiously optimistic. there was still heat in the debates, but the overall tension was remarkably low. even cao chun seemed to be somewhat mollified.


    the shift from the initial, rotating three judge panel to a more permanent, four judge panel passed by without too much bickering. presented aloud by wang lian to break up a spat over the time of rotation, cai renxiang was swift to back it. there was some backchatter from the white sky side prodding for six judges for greater diversity of opinion, but that proposal was tabled along with talks of more than one panel as possible plans for the future.


    discussion next turned to residency, and here, more resistance was met. quite a few would prefer to house the judges at nearby cities and only assemble them when needed, but there were enough voices on both sides who simply didn''t wish for the delays and expenses of such an undertaking.


    with that came discussion of staff, and here, the groups pushing for an investigatory force were stronger. cao chun and meng deming wished to simply leave the matter in the hands of the affected clans, and there were some rumbles of that among the white sky, but with the support of dzintara and jaromila, they swiftly united.


    on their side, wang lian was once again useful, offering to take up the support cost for it since it would be their land most affected. luo jie was supportive as well in a slightly oblique way, offering some service from luo pathfinders and their bonded tracking dogs. their presentation of it as something of a joint clan matter that happened to have ducal support quieted most of the remaining grumbling on the imperial end.


    this took up much of the remaining day, but by the time the sun was heading for the horizon, ling qi was feeling confident. although they were far from done, they had hashed out the basic framework for resolving disputes.


    tomorrow, cai renxiang would bring in a few experts on imperial law, and the white sky would do the same. the meeting hall would be filled with scholarly debate as each side presented and reviewed their relevant legal codes and identified points of contention. that was not her battlefield though, and for all that she would be present to smooth ruffled feathers, it left her some freedom to address other issues.


    "is it a good idea to admit that you''re just using the mannerisms you know won''t offend me?" ling qi wondered.


    "it''s what you do, isn''t it?" zheng fu threw his hands up behind his head as they walked.


    "i''m not deceiving anyone."


    "you''re shaping your words so that they''ll receive them better. ain''t that what i''m doing?"


    "i suppose, but it''s expected that you don''t say it outright," ling qi said, amused.


    "and that''s why us silly apes don''t get you folks. if everyone knows something, refusing to talk about it is just silly."


    "if you tell me the zheng clan does not have customs which everyone expects to be followed but no one talks about, i am going to call you a liar."


    zheng fu was silent, and ling qi glanced his way, wondering if she''d gone too far.


    "y''know what? that''s fair. we might be better about it, but doesn''t mean we''re not hypocrites in our own way."


    "... people hide parts of themselves. it''s only natural," ling qi said as they stepped out onto the road.


    he hummed noncommittally and followed after her, letting conversation lapse for the time it took to arrive at their destination. at the imperial embassy building, she entered to find a blank masked ministry agent waiting for her patiently by the hall leading to the stairs which descended into the old hui bunker.


    "baroness ling, you are expected," the agent said. the agent tilted their head, peering past her to zheng fu. "sir zheng is... surprising."


    "zheng fu has assisted me with a related matter in the past," ling qi said, thinking back to the overgrown sewers. "he has offered me his support in this matter as well, and i trust his intentions."


    "i''ll keep it reigned in,¡± zheng fu reassured the agent. ¡°you lot of all people should know we can be quiet when we need to."


    the agent held a hand up to their ear, silent for a long moment. finally, the agent gave a nod. "inspector cao approves. please. follow me."


    ling qi gave a patient nod and waited a beat for the agent to descend the stairs in front of her before following.


    "you''re generous with the credit, huh? i barely got to do anything last time," zheng fu murmured.


    "your intentions were good and you listened," ling qi replied.


    zheng fu could have easily ignored her instruction and killed the ith-ia gardener, triggering much worse results as its sacrificial ritual completed.


    the stairs downward had been cleaned and dried, and the whole underground complex tidied up immensely. she could also sense the faint power in the air of the security formations that had hidden this place for so long, reworked and repowered, turned inward to make this underground bunker disappear. she suspected it would be all but invulnerable to divinatory arts unless some truly powerful technique was used.


    as expected for the place the ministry of integrity was making their temporary field office.

 Threads 355 Disruption 1

    threads 355 disruption 1


    .r15c3a77c8b3f449497aef3c7325b3929{ display: none; }


    it was not the scribbler¡¯s chamber where they found cao chun. that was sealed off. instead, they met him out where the giant spider corpse had been, the grand chamber turned into something of an office partitioned off with cheap wood and paper dividers painted with security formations. the agent led them through the bustling center to the room where the inspector waited.


    cao chun waited for them behind a desk of dark wood, a neat stack of documents off to one side, which, at a glance, ling qi found she could not see the contents of.


    "baroness ling, welcome. i will not censure you for the surprise guest. the zheng clan is notoriously spontaneous." the inspector folded his hands in front of his face. his mask was up, tied to the side of his head.


    "we sure are! thanks. i figured you''d be fine with it. you know what i''m about."


    "your master is known to us, zheng fu," cao chun said dully. it did not sound like a compliment.


    ling qi glanced at zheng fu; he grinned. "my master, zheng gen the formless, is pretty sneaky. he taught me good. it''s why i figured i could help."


    "it is doubtful that you or this event are a direct target of zheng intelligence. when not involving himself, that one prefers to simply instill a mindset, send out his pieces, and let events unfold," cao chun said.


    "man, you make everything sound like a plot, don''t you?" zheng fu wondered. "but i''m just here to assist that brave lady here. she''s worked pretty hard on this, i can tell. it''d be a shame for some idjits to ruin it."


    "it is not acceptable for plots to go about under the ministry''s nose uncovered," cao chun agreed. "baroness ling, you wished to talk about the accidents."


    "i do. i doubt it is a surprise to you when i say that our own assets are quite sure that they are not accidents at all."


    "no. we are not surprised. the signs are hidden well, but in the final week of preparations, the frequency was too much for coincidence. the number was enough so that i suspect that the culprits wanted to see attention brought to this."


    "may i ask if the ministry has found any leads on the matter?"


    "frankly, the signs point to the barbarians, or if i am being generous, some rogue faction within them."


    ling qi frowned deeply. "how so, inspector?"


    "they have significant mastery of geomancy and spiritualism. all of the incidents involve some disruption or manipulation thereof. and there have been signs of their distorted form of qi at the sites of investigation. it is most subtle and required my direct investigation to find," cao chun answered crisply. "however, i am not ready to make accusations."


    zheng fu crossed his arms. "and why''s that?"


    "because i am disinclined to accept a result where i am being so easily shown what i wish to see. nor does it fit my observation of these barbarians'' methods. no, frankly, this reminds more of the mental treachery of the hui."


    "honestly, my suspicions run more toward our other foes given their methods and penchant for intrigue." ling qi nodded toward the ground. "i think the ith-ia and their own allies would stand to benefit the most from this summit dissolving into violence, or simply failing. i have no direct evidence yet, but the motive seems right."


    "that is a foe i have considered as well," cao chun agreed. "as it stands, there are multiple barbarian culprits possible, and..."


    "and our own folks," zheng fu finished with a shrug. "it''d be dumb, but since when has that stopped us?"


    "we can manage. inspector cao, what other details can you give us?"


    "the most likely time of attack is sometime after the law reading begins but before the first recess. we are uncertain yet if this is a matter of subjects inserted among the work crews or some effect or object which will arrive through liminal passage. in the case of the latter, it would be a most subtle method which my non-destructive investigatory techniques cannot detect. this suggests a method too exotic or foreign for me to recognize or overwhelming potency. i suspect the latter as otherwise, these accidents would be too small..."


    ling qi leaned forward, listening closely. if she was going to do this, she was going to do it right, and so, she was going to commit the inspector¡¯s every word unto memory.


    ***


    sixiang sighed in her mind.


    she was sorry, but also thankful for the muse¡¯s help. to minimize every risk she could meant calling on the only friend she had who could help her here.


    they were still outside the meeting hall on a balcony, watching people stream inside for the day''s talks.


    if she was honest, she felt more comfortable than she had in months now, even with the slight tension between the part of her mind sectioned off for sixiang and the rest of her. she hoped... she knew sixiang wouldn''t make her regret it.


    sixiang whispered. it was like their voice came from the far end of a tunnel, tinny and quiet.


    cai renxiang had been informed of the potential disruption. ling qi had wanted to tell jaromila too, but inspector cao chun had been stubborn about that. instead she''d simply told her opposite that there might come a time when she would have to step out for a short time during the day and attend to an internal matter. even getting cao chun to agree to that much had been difficult.


    but if jaromila was compromised, she knew this was all pointless anyway.


    she would like to think she was a little more elegant than that. zheng fu seemed more the ¡°bang. pow.¡± type.


    smiling a little, ling qi turned from the balcony and headed inside. there was no use being anxious now. she would just have to follow jin tae''s signal when he gave it and trust that everyone''s judgment had been sound.


    it wasn''t too hard to put on a calm face for the opening statements nor to do her part in introducing the empire''s legal scholars to their counterparts. together with gan guangli, they backed up cai renxiang in laying down the rules and structure of the debates and explorations going forward.


    but it was impossible not to keep at least a mote of her attention on cao chun, sitting straight in his seat, by all appearances completely unruffled. it was also impossible to not look around the room, seeking out some kind of discrepancy, someone who was out of place or whose spirit felt wrong. she peered at names and sought the false, but came up with nothing for her effort. not a single sign of something wrong. then again, if these accidents were the work of the ith-ia beneath their feet, then cao chun might indeed simply be paranoid over their foreign guests.


    the meeting began. the pleasantries were made. cai renxiang spoke about cooperation and the importance of law and announced the first subject, property. ling qi introduced their first expert, a smartly dressed scholar of indeterminate age with well-groomed salt and pepper hair and sharp features. jaromila announced their own scholar of property law, an extremely aged fellow that seemed more beard than man, swathed in billowing robes.


    ling qi listened with half an ear as the men, through translators, discussed the finer points of their professions, of deeds and rights and transferral and small ''s'' sovereignty. she was sure it was very interesting¡ªlady cai certainly seemed engrossed¡ªbut it wasn''t for her.


    sixiang whispered.


    she knew.


    the morning crawled on and on. the sun slowly made its climb into the sky, and words rose and fell in the hall.


    "foreign thoughtform inbound. i will begin encirclement and interdiction. please assist."


    jin tae''s voice sounded mechanical in her head, like the clicking gears of a clock.


    "it''s time," ling qi murmured in cai renxiang''s ear. "i must attend to the arrivals."


    "go," cai renxiang said quietly so as not to interrupt the scholars.

 Threads 356-Disruption 2

    threads 356-disruption 2


    zheng fu wandered out of the room, loudly citing the need to stretch his legs. she scanned the room. meng deming was frowning after him, and so was dzintara. he''d not been particularly quiet about his departure.


    "there¡¯s my cover," ling qi muttered. she quietly backed from the table. meng dan caught her eye in question, but she shook her head. later. his uncle glanced between them and whispered something to the younger meng. she didn''t stop to wonder. leaving through a door at the rear of the hall, she turned a corner and left the waking world.


    the liminal of the embassy valley was a wild current like a river in the worst throes of spring. behind her was a riot of clashing color and sound, a rising glacial cliff somehow fused to a proud castle wall, both things and neither at once. ice floes cracked and crumbled along the edges and chunks of roadspan floated in the chaotic soup of mixed imagery that was this place, all under a sky filled with the dull red embers of a burning web that enclosed the sky in the shadow of a bleeding, broken mountain. was it any wonder that things could slip the notice of watchers here with so much noise here?


    "well, we knew this was gonna be rough." sixiang slapped a hand down on her shoulder as they were carried down a pouring fall of figments like frothing waters shot through with every color in the world and out. "ah, there''s the signal!"


    ling qi followed their pointed finger and snapped her hand out, grasping the thread of glimmering reflective silver that flashed under her eyes. it felt like a taut musical string, stretched to near snapping and thrumming with vibration.


    "nature of the threat?" she asked as the thread in her hand snapped back towards its source, sending the chaos around her into a jumbled blur.


    "liminal object does not appear to be a conscious creature. appears artificial. traveling toward the target zone. is capable of maneuver in response to interdiction. may be technique delivery mechanism."


    she couldn''t fault jin tae for being short with her here. she sent back understanding.


    "correction: multiple objects. split in response to interference. seeking bypass of my reflection arrays."


    well, wasn''t that wonderful. was zheng fu moving?


    "on my way to the second site, you guys have made a right mess around here, ya know?"


    his voice echoed and warped strangely, lowering to an insect¡¯s buzz and rising to a lion¡¯s roar alternatively, but she understood it well enough. would he arrive soon?


    "yeah, be just a second or two behind, lady icicle."


    "if you have the spare attention to banter, you can move more quickly."


    she pulled herself, propelling through the chaotic liminal landscape toward a knot of small dreams and thoughts, low cultivators reflected through the dream in a place where ice and stone met on a floating berg of earth and stone, a point of solidity in the chaotic soup. she heard a low whine in the air and saw lights flashing. lights like darting fish in the deep careened through the air, trailing ripples of distorted space.


    flitting about outside were... things. even looking directly at them, ling qi had trouble making out details. masses of qi seemed to flip from one alignment to the next every time she blinked. they were like motes pulled directly from the unformed liminal, and yet holding together in a way that chaotic soup could not. they flitted to and fro like huge ungainly insects, shooting down toward the collections of muddled thought that were the reflections of the workers here, only to bounce immediately in the opposite direction, their momentum reversed and reflected by a glinting mirror.


    one shot away into the chaos, a second rebounded hard with a crack, and a third bobbed and juked crazily, jetting past the spinning perimeter of lights.


    ling qi shot toward it. her hand outstretched, ready to snatch it into her emptied storage ring with her thieving technique.


    "understood. turning over defense and investigation to you."


    around her, jin tae¡¯s circling mirror constructs in the air reversed their spin, rotated twice, and shot off into the chaotic sky.


    ling qi instructed.


    outside, this conversation would have been too long, a waste of time that she couldn''t afford. here, where she didn''t have to bother moving her lips or making sounds, the whole exchange was less than an eyeblink.


    she turned to the churning column of bubbles that was the man while the halo of multihued light radiating from her sharpened and thickened, taking definition like radial rays of light spotted with eyes. her gaze swept over the others again. no immediate reaction. so there was only one person that had been affected here, the man from the mountain accident.


    she gathered her focus, her will around her fingertips where the last of the dissolving sludge was vanishing. thief of winds. thief of names. this was her cultivation, and when she mastered her arts...


    there would be no secret or treasure beyond her reach


    she let her manifestation in the dream dissolve, becoming only will and self ensconced against the corrosive energies of the liminal. her dissolving hand touched the outer edge of the roiling bubbles, and she stepped into.the man''s reflected thoughts.


    she was not shu yue, and she never could be. she couldn''t become another person so easily. but she could see them, know them, and understand them.


    this man, his name was chen gang, and he was a road formations foreman. an expert in standardized construction, he had been working under the wang clan for close to a hundred years. he hoped to achieve the third realm someday, but he saved the majority of his spirit stones in the hope that he would be able to provide his three sons an education at the blue mountain sect without needing to rely on the draft scholarship. one had already gone off, the boy aiming to be a soldier anyway, though he suspected the foolish boy was trying to help both his father and brothers with how high the cost was. the second...


    ling qi pushed her way out of the rush of information. what manifested before her eyes was a simple workshop, a place filled with tools and pages of notes. |blueprints hung upon the walls, and vehicle parts were suspended from the ceiling.


    she peered at the ghosts manning the tables, transparent shades of human silhouette shimmering like the skin of bubbles. she understood instinctively that these were the man''s sense of self and active thoughts, reflected and conceptualized by her own perceptions.


    she drifted like smoke beneath the worktables below their notice. they couldn''t hurt her, but even noticing her here would certainly hurt him. shu yue had explained that much in training her in this art. she could easily break a person''s mind by disrupting things in their ¡°world.¡± it was different for third realm cultivators or those higher still, whose mind and self-conception could potentially crush any disruption, like her, but low realms and mortals could not endure such violent intrusions into themselves so easily.


    flowing through the space, she peered at everything, looking for irregularity. she saw several of the thought silhouettes stopped in place, some leaning on walls, others hunched over the tables. these must be signs of the agitation and stress from her earlier, cruder theft of the agent that had tried to hatch in him.


    not what she was looking for.


    the pages and the parts were scattered on the tables. normal memories, she skimmed them as briefly as possible. many were about actual formation specifications, the details of his current duty. she let them slip from her memory immediately and deliberately.


    another lesson from shu yue. taking too many of another''s thoughts into her head and keeping them there would end her as surely as letting the energies of the liminal flood into herself unchecked. she didn''t let herself dwell too long on the dregs of huisheng still lurking in her mind.


    what she sought to master was not trivial. most who sought these sorts of arts overreached, stole too greedily, and in doing so, emptied themselves out.


    her eyes caught on a shade headed out of the workshop. it held in its insubstantial arms what appeared to her eyes as a box of scrap, immediate short-term memories being discarded rather than made long term.


    then she caught a whiff of acrid rot and saw something twitch.

 Threads 357-Disruption 3

    Threads 357-Disruption 3


    She followed in the thought-shade''s pale shadow, unremarked and unseen, into a blank hallway that shivered and jittered as if melting continuously, barely coherent even in her perception. She must be following this thought-shade into the man¡¯s subconscious beneath the layer of active self.


    For a moment, pain shot through her head like a knife in the eye, sharp and pulsating, and her whole perception of this place almost collapsed, the semi-coherent imagery threatening to warp into a completely alien collection of color and noise and sensory overload. Ling Qi swiftly retook control of her technique, not allowing the qi flow to collapse and eject her from the man''s mind. Updated from


    But this effort had cost her a second. The shade disposing of the short-term memories turned ahead of her down another hallway, and she shot off after it through the twisting space, flying along the ceiling. She caught up to it as it entered a room. This one was even less cohesive than the hall outside, appearing as half a storage room, lined with dripping, melting shelves. A yawning gray void continuously swallowed the shelves even as new ones formed near the door.


    A lower realm or mortal mind had a much more limited capacity for information than a higher realm cultivator''s. Ultimately, one could not find something that was not there. If there was something here in his mind still and it was forgotten, not even Cao Chun''s techniques would be able to find it. That was frightfully devious.


    She tracked the shade as it set the box down and left, and she could already hear another coming down the hall. So the moment it was gone, she dropped down, reforming a body balanced precariously on the shifting floor. Qi gathered at her fingertips. Warily preparing her Opening the Vault technique, even if she detected no defenses, Ling Qi reached for the box, clearing away junk. She discarded the smell of grass at the worksite, the grunted greetings to his workmates, and the taste of a dull, uninteresting porridge. And there, beneath it, movement.


    She snatched it from the air as it leapt for the void, a squirming, skittering thing. She caught it by the hindmost legs, and they nearly snapped off between her fingers before her other hand caught up, cupping the thing in her grip. She felt fangs nip at her, but they failed to break her skin. It looked like a spider, but its body was a little too long, and there were just too many legs. She narrowed her eyes, focusing on it between the gaps in her fingers.


    It went still in her grasp, and then, its oily carapace cracked, and on its abdomen, an eye opened. Deep, empty, and black, featureless and yet looking back at her with malice. She felt power spike from it, something infinitely greater looking back at her through the parasite.


    She heard a child laugh. She heard a child sob. The sounds mingled like the most awful sort of music, discordant and miserable. A long spindly hand reached past her shoulder. It touched the not-spider gently, and it froze, eye and all. The unnerving feel of Shu Yue''s qi was comforting all the same as she felt the greater presence fleeing. But there was a moment where she was really able to see it.


    Still Waters Deeping. Archivist of the Reviled.


    "So many layers to the catching." Shu Yue''s dry raspy voice whispered in her ear. "Good work. Retreat now. Your control is destabilizing."


    Ling Qi gave a jerky nod, shaking off the feeling of a greater power once again looking down on her, of the feeling that she was about to be crushed. Another layer of trap to kill her if she got this far? Well, it had failed, and now, she had a Name.


    She was not the greatest fan of this game. The thought parasite in her hand was still and stable. She drew it into her storage ring. If Cao Chun could not do something with this, then she would be disappointed indeed. She took hold of the shuddering qi in the meridian she had bound to her Thief of Names art and pushed it out, dispersing the technique in the proper way.


    She felt like she was rising, and the world went white. And she was back in the liminal proper, wrapped in Sixiang''s presence. She staggered, having to take hold of herself and still her qi.


    "Everything alright there?" Sixiang asked worriedly, their voice echoing and dissolute, seeming to come from all around her.


    "Just not used to the technique yet. How long was I in there?"


    Ling Qi scanned her surroundings, peeking back through the veil. Men surrounded Chen Gang, who was sitting down, holding his head. Damage? It seemed to just be pain and queasiness. The White Sky workers were a bit further away, glancing at the imperials and whispering in their own tongue. A few of their own were peering back suspiciously.


    No immediate conflict likely.


    "About a minute? Saw some fluttery spirits. Think they might be your guests noticing something happening and looking in from afar. Nothing else to report, boss."


    She nodded and cast her thoughts out for the metallic sensation of Jin Tae''s qi. He felt far away and sharp-edged, frustrated.


    She had acquired trace evidence of the culprit in the victim. Any luck on the chase?


    "Minimal. Decoys and looping trails. Was able to record some traces of composition despite the dissolution of the objects."


    Zheng Fu followed up. "Not... the greatest over here. I killed the root-y, worm-y thing that came crawling out of the one guy''s thoughts. Pretty sure it was made to dig in and stir up the mountain, but the fella it hatched out of went crazy on the foreign folks, accusing them of cursing him. He''s passed out now. Not broken, just hurt. I tried to be precise, but there was some kind of feedback. Not a trace of the gribbly now."


    Ling Qi sucked in a breath. Was there further conflict brewing?


    "Some shouting. I stepped out and kept folks calm."


    She met his eyes and saw past the bumbling good humor. The humor wasn''t false so much as not the full picture. Like his wife, she found her new art skipping off of him, doing no more than enhancing her vision and hearing for catching tells in tone and posture.


    "Worry not, Emissary Rostam, I assure you the luncheon is intact. There was, however, a matter outside I had to attend to. As you will no doubt soon hear, there is a miscreant about seeking to interfere with our workers."


    His eyes widened, and his mustache twitched. "Oh? That is much worse. I see why you did not wish to interrupt everyone''s very important debates just to deal with a prankster. But perhaps I am not giving it credit?"


    "It is certainly a bit more serious. One of our men is significantly injured, although we prevented anything more serious from being done. I apologize that you were not informed beforehand, but we do not know exactly who our ''prankster'' is hiding among."


    Dzintara interpreted correctly. "You did not trust us to not leak your plan to them."


    "Not with so little time and how vital it was to catch them by surprise. The person behind this is certainly a match for some of our sovereigns."


    Dzintara''s expression twisted, looking horrified. Rostam blew out a heavy breath, and Jaromila frowned.


    "We needed to be as certain as possible that we would be able to catch some trace of the culprit," Ling Qi continued apologetically. "I am now prepared to tell you what we discovered and how we defended against them."


    Rostam eyed her. "Well, that is neighborly of you."


    "I can understand your hesitance, but I am glad we can share this matter now. Please wait a moment. Dzintara, would you ensure no one is listening?"


    "Yes." The woman raised her hand. She gestured, and the crow lurking in the shadows by the doorway looked their way. Ling Qi felt the ripple of shrouding qi fall over them, a more powerful screen than she could have managed herself by far.


    She inclined her head, and began to speak. "Our suspicion of the accidents began in the final weeks leading up to the summit..."


    Beginning with their suspicions, Ling Qi laid out what the ministry had found. They had determined the threat was spiritual and seemed to seek disruption of the summit. She spoke of the thought parasite she had found and of what had almost hatched. She spoke of the way the man in Zheng Fu''s group had begun accusing White Sky workers of cursemaking and as many other details as she could muster. By the time she was done, all of the emissaries were looking somewhere between grave and furious.


    "You have been honest with us, so I must be honest with you. It is not... impossible that there is some element in our nation who would seek to destroy this effort. We do not keep sovereigns as you do, but there are methods to direct and use their power," Jaromila said. ¡°However..."


    "That name... The taste is not right," Rostam said. "There are those who work in curses and dreams, but those are not their portents."


    "If there were any bearing the stench of the deep marsh, you would know them," Dzintara said stiffly.


    "Hah, you are not wrong!" Rostam exclaimed.


    "I suspect the ith still, the enemies under our feet," Ling Qi said. Her instinct was that the trapping of the Hui was cover, or at least not original, a copy-descending art. After all, this foe had layered trap upon trap. Why not one more? Bringing the duchess here in wrath would also end this summit.


    "The ones you asked of? Who sound akin to the maggot men of Nidavellr?" Dzintara grimaced. "I admit, I was skeptical..."


    "It would be appreciated if you would collect the lore on the matter," Jaromila requested. The younger woman merely grunted in affirmation. "Emissary Ling Qi, please receive my thanks for sharing this matter. We will begin looking into it immediately."


    "Thank you," Ling Qi said, remembering not to bow. "If it pleases you, I would ask that you coordinate major actions through me, and I will inform our ministry so that we do not impede each other."


    "Reasonable," Jaromila allowed. "What are your thoughts on immediate danger?"


    "After being chased off so thoroughly, I cannot imagine they will return immediately. Such plots are not trivial to arrange even for a sovereign," Ling Qi said, remembering the presence fleeing before Shu Yue''s shadow.


    "A few days at least then with eyes open and plans afoot," Rostam said. "But I think our time is ending here."


    The recess was coming to a close.


    "Then we will speak more later."


    "Yes," Jaromila said. "Let us put this aside for now and complete the meeting. Discussions have been promising today."

 Threads 358-Cornerstone 1

    Threads 358-Cornerstone 1


    Cao Chun disapproved of her initiative. "I believe you have made an error, baroness."


    The rest of the meeting had gone well. There were a hundred, hundred details on which imperial and polar law differed from inheritance to property to the way civic disputes were resolved. But a framework was grudgingly being hashed out, and precedents to fill the gaps were being produced.


    With the day¡¯s session ending, she had headed to the ministry¡¯s operations center. Down in Cao Chun''s office, she stood beside Zheng Fu, and behind Cao Chun was Jin Tae.


    "And I believe it is the correct course. Nothing will be gained by our investigations tripping over one another," Ling Qi rebutted.


    "We would not be ''tripped'' by barbarian efforts," Cao Chun grumbled. "But it is done. I will simply have to take this into account."


    "Thank you for your understanding, inspector." She was glad he was not pushing back too hard on this. The relative successfulness of the operation must have put him in a good mood. "But getting to business, may I ask if you have found anything useful with the parasite I have procured?"


    "It is both an immensely complex construct and as ephemeral as dew." Cao Chun clasped his hands together, his brows furrowed deeply. "I would know how you managed to acquire it."


    Thinking of Shu Yue briefly, she met his eyes. Perhaps he could dig it out of her head. He would not.


    "On that, I must invoke the right to my personal methods," Ling Qi demurred.


    "And here I thought you were the one encouraging everyone to share," Jin Tae snipped at her.


    "Eh, what''s that? You wanna let me have a look at your pretty formations for a bit?" Zheng Fu laughed. "Come off it."


    Jin Tae said hotly, "I merely..."


    Cao Chun held up his hands. "Enough. The privacy of one''s clan techniques will not be infringed. Knowing you have the capability of retrieving such deeply planted objects is enough. The parasite is not constructed to last. Even with your method, it will not remain stable for more than a few days. However, there are signs of its maker to be gleaned."


    "Still Waters Deeping, Archivist of the Reviled," Ling Qi repeated, letting qi enter the words, echoing the feeling of slime and acrid stagnant water that made them more than mere syllables.


    Zheng Fu glanced at her, his eyebrows visibly climbing even under his headscarf.


    Cao Chun was more reserved, but he did observe her in silence for a long moment. Jin Tae looked at his mentor and back to her, frowning.


    "Those words are part of it. There is more as well, including the time of manufacture, location, and some deeper traces of its maker," Cao Chun said.


    "And what about what you dealt with here, some kinda curse on the soldiers?" Zheng Fu wondered.


    "It was a form of artificial disease spirit, deeply implanted," Cao Chun said. "It would have begun inducing paralysis and causing transformation of flesh into wood. It seems designed to cause panic and suspicion based on a layman''s observation of the polar barbarians'' cultivation methods."


    It still lent a pall to the discussions even as the negotiations proceeded at a good pace and as smoothly as she could have hoped. She wished she could have enjoyed the seeming success of the first leg of negotiations more without this unpleasant business hanging over her thoughts.


    "The enemy is a slippery one indeed," Shu Yue''s voice rasped from just behind her.


    She sat in a darkened office in the imperial embassy surrounded by privacy wards and security. Shue Yue had appeared behind her nonetheless, unremarked by any of the agents or functionaries in the hall outside. She wasn''t surprised, of course; she had been expecting this meeting.


    "So even you were not able to track and catch them." Ling Qi bit down on her lower lip. She had hoped.


    "Like certain beasts shedding a limb to save the whole when the predator comes." Shu Yue laid their hands on her shoulders. "I grasped something akin to a simulacra after a merry chase, and it crumpled in my grasp. A lure, bait, and a trap all in one."


    A high realm could spin off additional bodies, investing cultivation to being in more than one place at a time. If they could do that and still fool Shu Yue... She was glad that they had been with her, when she''d caught the parasite.


    "Are you well?"


    "I am. There was some damage, but it was minor. Enough to force me from the trail and no more. The power put into such a thing means their harm is more."


    "And you weren''t able to discern any more?"


    "No more than I had from the parasite. They are a cunning foe. What more I found cannot be easily confirmed. I will inform you when it can be."


    "Thank you, teacher. I would ask, do you think I can call this first iteration of my art complete?"


    Shu Yue paused, their hands still resting lightly on her shoulders as Ling Qi looked down at the letters or on her desk. She could see a few strands of their hair dangling down in the corners of her vision like strands of dripping ink on the verge of breaking.


    "Difficult. Difficult to say. I did not develop my arts in the orthodox way."


    Ling Qi continued to read her correspondence, reaching over only to take her brush and make a note that this one would require a reply.


    "It was successful in the field. Your... heist. It places a sharp constraint on your time still. It is a risky technique to enter another''s mind as one would a palace or fortress. What did you intend to call it?"


    "Mind''s Palace Heist, maybe? Or Seeking the Name?"


    ¡°Such names are for your understanding alone. It is functional. It will require development, but I will not counsel you against its use now, if you judge it valuable."


    Ling Qi nodded. "I was always going to have to be careful with it."


    "Yes. It is good that you understand that." Shu Yue¡¯s presence withdrew from her along with their hands. "I will echo the inspector. Focus upon your task now. I will come if there is more you can do to aid me."


    Ling Qi gave a short, sharp nod. Shu Yue was gone.


    Today would finish the first week of negotiations. Just a little more, and the first proper stone of the foundation would be set.

 Threads 359-Cornerstone 2

    Threads 359-Cornerstone 2


    The meeting hall was in good form today, filled with the low murmur of conversation between the scholars and functionaries. The higher realm cultivators had already begun to bypass the need for translators, learning their foreign colleagues¡¯ tongues as they debated. All sound subsided as Cai Renxiang rose at the head of the table and began to speak, announcing the beginning of a new day of talks.


    "I am most pleased with the progress we have made in the first week of talks. We have come together as civilized men and women to discuss that which is the foundation of all civilization: law and its interpretation and intricacies. There have been arguments, debates, and disagreements over precedent and authority, over codes and jurisdiction, but not once have I doubted that the collected wisdom here would bring about a fair and just agreement which may be adhered to by everyone. Today, let us see that agreement finalized and laid out fairly. I cede the table now to our first speakers..."


    Ling Qi observed as the extremely bearded White Sky scholar from the second day of negotiations rose and began to speak, joined shortly in debate by an imperial scholar who appeared so old and shrunken that he might get lost in his intricate robes.


    For her, her goal was to check in with the Emerald Seas nobility, the clan representatives. She had soothed them well enough to keep support over the last few days, but now that the time of the signing of the initial legal documents was fast approaching, she needed to seek out their concerns and see where she could buy further support. No one was voicing any major complaints yet, but the more difficult border negotiations were upcoming, and it would be imperative to build up good feelings while she had a chance.


    As the debates went on, her gaze roamed across her opposites. Jaromila sat at the opposite end of the table, poised still with Ilsur at her side. Her spirit was subtly different, her mantle a sturdy mountain of ice holding up the sky, projecting confidence and authority. Khadne and Inzha were both absent today, leaving Rostam sitting alone, which felt off to her. It must have something to do with their own investigations. She would need to build trust with the White Sky more as well. No doubt everyone would come out of the border negotiations bruised and smarting.


    She glanced to her side. Cao Chun was flanked by two of his silent agents today, perturbed but implacable. She could see nothing else of him under his mask. She wondered if it was because he was more aware now of the extent of her senses.


    Her time came soon enough. With the opening statements made by everyone and the negotiating positions laid out, recess was called for the more personal negotiations to begin.


    Ling Qi considered the room as people moved away from the central table and broke up into smaller groups to talk. Servants bearing refreshments began to move in, filling the hall with the faint susurrus of low voices distorted through various screening effects, footsteps and the swish of robes and gowns across polished wood.


    After speaking briefly with a Jia functionary, representing their absent lords, her eyes fell on Gan Guangli. Like her, Gan had been spending his days here talking and smoothing over tempers. He stood with Luo Jie and Wang Lian. A brief look showed there might be some difficulty there, a little tension. She spoke some words to the man she was talking to, deflections for now, and made her excuses. The voices representing that clan were going to be louder in the next leg of negotiations, probably entwined with that of the White Plumes.


    She approached at a slow pace, giving time to be recognized or rebuffed. Wang Lian caught her eyes and tilted her chin, so Ling Qi continued to approach, the unintelligible voices coming into focus as she stepped into the bubble of the conversation.


    "I do understand your clan¡¯s concerns, Lord Jie, but I am not certain they can be answered at this early stage."


    "I do not know that I agree, young man. Allowing a single clan''s interests to be prime here may damage your venture in the longer term."


    "If I did not know you better, I would take offense. The Wang have made no move to own this endeavor. The pass is where it is, and the best roads are where they are. Or would you have us rip up a mountain or two as General Xia has done?"


    "I do not claim your intentions, only what other eyes¡ªsome in my kin¡ªwill see."


    "Ah, to imagine that only a hundred years might reveal all problems." Luo Jie¡¯s wrinkled face showed an amused expression. "But yes, Lady Ling is wise. A promise to see to the matter in good time will quiet some voices. I will warn that one''s definition of discussion could return then twice as loud in time."


    Ling Qi ducked her head in acknowledgement. There was still a part of her which whispered that they could ¡°discuss¡± all they liked, but that was not a promise to action. However, while one could get away with such wordplay to an extent, pushing it too far would only infuriate those she had made such promises to. However far away a century seemed now, she would have to be prepared to make a good faith effort at that time, if she did not want to make enemies.


    "I do believe such a proposal would be well received by everyone. After all, an oath to meet and talk again inspires confidence," Gan Guangli said. "It means that all of us see a path which can be called success."


    "In a way," Wang Lian said bluntly. "Well, I won''t object to this. Outlooks can change in a century, however it seems to the oldest among us. Perhaps the Wang Clan might be in a position to support such an endeavor then."


    Luo Jie shrugged. "Words are light, but what are such complaints but words? Matching them is enough for now."


    "Ah, that is right, Lord Luo. Are you satisfied with the investment into the court project?" Ling Qi asked.


    He tapped his stick once against the ground. "Learned lawmakers are not common laborers. That they have made oaths to supply them here as we have¡ªas the capital has¡ªI am pleased with this. It will demand more building and more investment. Yes, if you would ask this old man, then these talks have produced some small fruit."


    "I agree. Judges of a realm to be trusted with this are not lightly placed. Having listened to their scholars speak, I am more confident that these foreigners are able to meet us halfway. It is no mere tribal code being recited to us," Wang Lian said. "It is not my field, but my advisor on the matter is impressed by the breadth of their law."


    Ling Qi bowed her head. "I am glad that Lady Wang and Lord Luo are satisfied."


    "Haha! In the end, only witnessing something yourself can truly convince you at times, no matter how good our travel log may have been!" Gan Guangli exclaimed. "I, too, am glad to know that our esteemed lords and ladies are not shading their eyes."


    "We will see. They can be treated with, but then, so could those of the hills long ago," Luo Jie tempered. "Where will they stand when we must speak of lines on the land and spears in hands? Of raiding and war? I wish the youngsters good fortune in settling much more difficult matters."


    "Thank you, Lord Luo," Ling Qi said. "However, I will continue to be confident."


    "Hah! It is as my companion says," Gan Guangli agreed. "The road may be long and the terrain difficult, but our destination is in sight."


    Wang Lian let out an amused huff. "I don''t hate that. One should be confident in their projects. Don''t let it become arrogance."


    "Lady Cai would never allow us to become so unmoored," Ling Qi said. "But please excuse me, Lord Luo, Lady Wang."


    "Perhaps," Luo Jie said. "And you are excused. I must speak to my own."


    "And one of our scholars is trying not to be too obvious that he wants my assistance fending off the Meng." Wang Lian snorted. "Let''s all be on our way."

 Threads 360-Maps 1

    Threads 360-Maps 1


    "Thank you for taking the time to show us your concerns," Gan Guangli said politely, bowing along with Ling Qi as Lord Luo and Lady Wang left.


    "And thank you for assisting,¡± Gan Guangli said to her. ¡°The two were beginning to add bite to their words."


    "It was no trouble. I merely followed my intuition."


    It was unsurprising that there would be some friction between the old counts and the new ones.


    "I am glad we have such a fine tool as that. To think that I thought you were shy when we first met, Lady Ling!"


    "I was, or something like it, back then," Ling Qi said dryly. "Well, I think the representatives from the sects are trying to catch your eye."


    "I had noticed, so I will leave you to your business, Lady Ling. To our success!"


    "To our success," Ling Qi agreed, and Gan Guangli left.


    Taking a moment, Ling Qi scoped out the recess. No other obvious friction points. However, her eyes caught on Rostam and Inzha. Both were present today. They were conversing off near the doors, free of the clouds of clerk equivalents. It was a good opportunity to speak with them, to pick their thoughts for reactions to the ¡°accidents,¡± as well as get a better feel for the White Sky since Jaromila was busy at the center of small cloud of elderly White Sky men and women, their scholars and law speakers.


    She began to move toward them, catching a cup from a roving server on the way. She spoke with her own people and the occasional White Sky courtier along the way until she was able to catch Inzha''s eye over her husband¡¯s head. The woman paused and furrowed her brow, but gestured for her to approach. As she came up to them, Rostam was already turning to her, smiling guilelessly, as was his wont.


    "Ah, Emissary Ling Qi! I am impressed that talks are going so smoothly. Really, all of these fellows are not much different from place to place, no? They just want to debate their books and codes with anyone who will listen!"


    "Any expert must be pleased to discuss their life''s work, I''m sure. Emissary Inzha, I am glad that you have been able to return."


    "I am happy that my other duties have allowed me to see the final days of negotiation, even if I trust that my Rostam could see all of our interests represented," the tall woman said politely.


    "Ahaha! I am a happy man to be so trusted," Rostam said brightly.


    "I am pleased that your duties are going so well," Ling Qi said. "Might I inquire about what was taking you away?"


    "Matters of engineering and maintenance. Thanks to Emissary Ling Qi''s kind warning, I have also discerned some pests which had crept in. Such is life at a new settlement. I am sure you understand," Inzha replied.


    Ling Qi nodded slowly. The reference was obvious. "I am glad that our friends in the White Sky have been able to find and root out such infestations."


    "Emissary Ling Qi is kind, and the matter is in hand."


    Ling Qi observed the two of them for a moment. A little more focus and qi in her vision enhanced the information her eyes could give. What she had been doing by accident before was now done on purpose to read those around her more carefully through their cultivation. She had taken the intrinsic effects of her domain and weaved it into the flow of her old perception art to make something new and better. This would be the Scholar-Thief¡¯s Assessment.


    Inzha and her husband were difficult to sense, perhaps because of how much they blended together. When only one of them was present, it was like looking at a painting with half of its colors and half of its elements stripped out at random. Complete nonsense, in other words. But, when they were together...


    The empire had shared the absolute minimum that they could get away with here, and that had contributed to the slowed and somewhat haphazard work on the hall. Even now, most of the infrastructure in the valley was cleanly split with only basic connections where they needed to meet and some minor sharing of geomantic theory to avoid outright obstructing each other¡¯s works.


    Honestly, if this business was going to last long term and not leave their security full of holes, they were either going to have to secede all infrastructure to one side or the other, or they would have to share the principles of their cultivation and formationwork to a greater extent anyway. The first option simply wasn''t viable. So she was going to have some arguments to make. If promising it now bought her a little extra goodwill, so much the better.


    "It will be a good point to begin from and to prevent misunderstandings such as what happened here," Inzha said.


    Rostam gestured to the hall. "Rough edges aside, it is a good proof of things, yes?"


    "Would that everyone saw things that way," Ling Qi said wryly.


    "Hah! Not everyone can be as intelligent and handsome as me." Rostam puffed out his chest.


    "They cannot," Inzha said fondly. "Better to try something innovative and fall short of a lofty goal than muddle on in mediocrity."


    "The conventional wisdom simply says that it is better to succeed than fail."


    Inzha shrugged. "There is a difference between coming short and failing. Do we not stand under these eaves, negotiating as intended?"


    "It can be improved. So much the better! There is much to learn from missteps, so long as you don''t go tumbling into the bog facefirst." Rostam held out his hand. "To better designs?"


    "To better cooperation," Ling Qi said, clasping his arm. "I will argue around my people as we need."


    "And Emissary Jaromila will be arguing ours," Inzha said, glancing over toward that gathering.


    Ling Qi considered Jaromila, who stood with her husband behind her, surrounded by older women and a handful of men. While she naturally could not perceive them with great clarity behind an active social screening technique, there was a certain frost in the air. Stern expressions and very polite words.


    "If it is not too rude, may I ask what is being argued over there? It was my impression that there were no significant tangles in negotiations."


    "Not with you," Rostam reassured. "Hmm... What can be said?"


    "There are some disagreements on which..." Inzha paused, searching for a word. "... sects within Sudica''s clergy will be providing our magistrates for this project. I am afraid that there is little more that I may say."


    "Understood."


    Ling Qi cast one last glance at Jaromila. She could see everyone''s faces more clearly now, a sign of the screening being lessened. Jaromila was not happy, but she seemed as if she had won in a way, the air of a victor dragging themselves out of the mud of a bloody battle. There were many pinched expressions among the clergy around her as well, but Ling Qi thought it was grudging rather than rebellious.


    "Our time is running out. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me." Ling Qi stopped herself from bowing and instead, only crossed her arms. "I look forward to completing this first step with you so that both of our peoples may prosper."


    Inzha smiled faintly. "Of course. I am most interested in seeing where negotiations go. This project that Emissary Jaromila and yourself have begun is fascinating."


    "And your wine is quite good!" Rostam chortled, stepping forward to loop his arm through Inzha''s. "But we should be getting back to our places, no?"


    "We should," Ling Qi said. "Please give the other emissaries my regards."

 Threads 361 Maps 2

    Threads 361 Maps 2


    They parted ways after that, making their way back to their places at the table, Rostam and Inzha to their side and her to Renxiang.


    "Any further complications?" her liege asked. "I have been informed of the Luo promise."


    "We will need to push for more sharing of formation and cultivation basics for better infrastructure cooperation next week," Ling Qi whispered. "I believe there are no remaining obstacles to the legal phase though."


    Renxiang gave a shallow nod, turning her head back toward the table. "Very good. Then let us proceed, and lay this first stone."


    Cai Renxiang spoke up, calling the others to attention. "Lords and ladies of the Emerald Seas, agents of the imperial throne, worthies of the Polar Nation, I hereby call the summit back to order. These deliberations have been most fruitful despite their brevity. The time has come to take what we have discussed and lay down the foundational document which will guide our efforts to establish an equitable system of conflict resolution between our people. I am certain there will be much to add to what we lay down here today in the years that follow, but your wisdom today will inform and guide it. Let us begin the drafting process..."


    She was glad that Renxiang could be so passionate about this kind of thing, Ling Qi thought. She cast her gaze over everyone gathered. It wasn''t merely her imagination that there was something in the air now, the beginnings of a treaty.


    Letting her senses peer over the veil loosely into the liminal realm beyond, Ling Qi could see that the hall and the groaning chaos of the valley had somewhat settled. The twisted caricature of it with its patchwork construction and shifting foundations was a little less ugly. It shook a little less, and it creaked a little less.


    And that extended here to the physical realm. The Polar Nation held a united front, the creaking cliff of a glacier grinding down a mountain before it. There were knots of conflict in it, cracks in the ice and clashing wills, but it was steady in its primary purpose.


    Her own people were less united, a mixed grove of trees, grasping roots fighting for the most nutritious soil, branches straining to steal the light from their neighbors. They were too busy, too disinterested, or too occupied to strangle the saplings sneakily growing in the light let in by the narrow break in the canopy. Yet for all the knife fighting among themselves, she thought there was a growing notion that this whole endeavor had real value.


    For both good and ill.


    Even the old watchman, glaring from behind his mask, had settled now, if not in acceptance, then at least grudging resignation.


    She looked at all of this, feeling the flow of information and seeing it in a way she could not before, treaties as binding chains and tensions as splinters and thorns and chips of frigid ice. It was not what the prime minister had shown her back at the tournament, that crushing, all-consuming empathy, but instead, it was a vision of egos and grudges that she could perceive and endure.


    "Four judges with a majority of three are required to pass a judgment upon a case, ensuring that some consensus must always be found. Three such panels will be rotated in and out of the embassy to ensure that there is always availability," she heard Cai Renxiang say. "Housing will be constructed here, commensurate with what is needed for such worthy experts and their staff."


    The first seeds of a joint settlement would be planted here, a reason for both nations to have a fixed presence.


    Cai Renxiang continued. ¡°The establishment of an investigatory force with a similarly mixed staff headed by a pair of experts, one of each of our nations, with authority to investigate claims along the borders will be discussed in the following week¡¯s negotiations. These experts will act under the command of my mother''s court through our magistrates on site and the polar althing through your magistrates. Their duties shall include..."


    Ling Qi''s eyes fell on Meng Dan and his uncle. There was discomfort there. Animosity wafted in the air between Cao Chun and the older Meng, and anxiety radiated from Meng Dan, for all that his smile never wavered. She would have to talk to them, too.


    Their ducal watchers would become involved next week with the need for the Sun''s input on border negotiations. Zheng Fu was diffuse in her vision, as difficult to grasp as a cloud of mist, but he was unhappy or fretful over a failure. Sun Liling and Bai Meizhen were very similar in their aloof boredom, though she would certainly never say that to either. In contrast, Xuan Shi was full of eagerness, scribbling away in his book. He had a meeting scheduled with a member of the White Sky, the first of them, for soon after this day¡¯s conference.


    "The decisions of the judicial panels will be backed by the will of the Duchess Cai and the authorities of the White Sky, and its punishments will be enforced with the full extent of their authority. Neither polity will shield its members from justice as decided here. So shall be sworn in the oaths establishing the court..."


    It hadn''t always been the cloud tribes being pushed back either. From her reading, there were many reversals in the Xi era, partially due to the subjugation of the hill tribes breaking apart the defensive arrangements those people had and partially due to the strife that rose from the Xi''s assimilation programs. When the Xi had fallen, the official borders hadn''t moved, but many southern settlements and forts had gone dark, not to be reclaimed until the third and fourth generations of the Hui.


    However, since the end of the Hui, the border had ceased to move any direction but south.


    No, distance could never be sufficient defense.


    "Is that why you decided to cultivate that lake art of yours? Since your mind was on it anyway?" Sixiang asked.


    Starless Night¡¯s Reflection, her primary defensive art, was not one she had cultivated in a long time. She simply wasn''t engaged in battles like the one at the caldera these days.


    "It''s not just that. I have a bad feeling that it¡¯ll be needed. It¡¯s probably just nerves, but..."


    "I mean, a bad feeling''s not something to ignore when you''re poking around the things you are. Worried someone might go for a boom since the more subtle efforts failed?"


    "I shouldn''t be. Any obvious effort will run face first into General Xia, but then again..."


    "Spook efforts shoulda run into Shu Yue."


    "And they did. It doesn''t mean that I wasn''t still in the blast radius."


    Ling Qi sighed. She''d left her defensive arts to the side, simply because the projects that she had been involved in didn''t require them. She couldn''t shake the feeling that this would change soon.


    Starless Night''s Reflection had always been an odd art to her. Sourced from the Bai clan, it set out to teach the lesson of imperiously confronting a challenge and remaining unaffected in the face of it. The user of this art drew inspiration from the vast and endlessly deep Lake Hei, which could swallow anything into its depths with nary a ripple.


    That was not Ling Qi''s way.


    But there was something there, she thought, something in the lessons of the art that she could work with. The mirrored lake surface reflected a starless, moonless sky. Perhaps for her, the surface was less important than the mystery of the black depths beneath. But she needed to understand the art fully before she could contemplate twisting its story.


    Distance was not defense, but one could not erect an impervious barrier between the province and the mountains either. Whatever solution they found, it would be rooted in words and fantasy and built on promises and paper over stone and mortar. The trick was convincing everyone that the former were just as solid as the latter.


    "Ah, you''re getting that auntie-look. Should I be worried?"


    Ling Qi frowned at her friend. "What¡¯s that supposed to mean?"


    "Scheming. You''re scheming."


    "I''m planning."


    "Same thing!"

 Threads 362-Maps 3

    Threads 362-Maps 3


    The atmosphere in the meeting hall was different today, and not just because the last of the windows had been properly fitted in during the day-long break between sessions. It was because of who was present.


    The general''s armor gleamed even in the low indoor light, the segmented plate and faceless helm leaving not a single centimeter of skin uncovered. General Xia stood back from the table with her arms crossed behind her back, positioned such that she would loom over Cai Renxiang''s end of the table.


    There had been some attempts to cajole the general to sit at the table, but it had not been successful.


    She was not the only new addition either. Behind Jaromila''s seat was a tall, old woman with skin that was more gnarled bark than flesh. She reminded Ling Qi of Shu Yue in the way that her silhouette was subtly wrong for a human. Her arms were too long and bent oddly with too many joints, and her back was hunched and her shoulders twisted. Dry strands of gray hair fell long around her face and shoulders, tangled with a crown of jutting branches and twigs from which pale leaves sprouted. Her simple dress was roughspun and shapeless, draped over her twisted form carelessly like a cloak thrown over a tree branch. The bent woman''s sunken eyes were dark and fixed on the general.


    By the spirits, neither of them were even bothering to pretend at normal human body language, remaining eerily still instead. Although it was difficult to judge with surety, Ling Qi estimated that the White Sky high realm was not a match for General Xia Ren. The vortex of howling polar wind and whispering branches scraping against the eaves around the White Sky woman was more akin to Cao Chun. Probably the equivalent of a fifth realm... But there was a tether in her soul, a direct line to the titanic tree that loomed over the White Sky''s half of the valley.


    Not that they lacked presence. Ling Qi could feel their wills clashing in the air over the table, the whisper of steel and crackle of flames meeting the low keen of the nighttime wind and the crackle of shifting ice. Even with her new art, she wasn''t willing to casually poke her nose into that.


    ... She could, if need be, but the ¡°conversation¡± had swiftly started to make her head pound, a point of painful heat growing in her eyes. She was not interested in bursting a blood vessel just to listen to the exact nature of the two¡¯s contest of wills.


    There were other new faces too. Ling Qi spied Xia Lin and a few of her seniors in the White Plumes, Ilsur, taking a seat rather than standing by Jaromila, and a handful of others with the look of soldiers, mostly White Sky. Emissary Khadne had also returned, exchanged for Inzha and Rostam.


    Ling Qi bit back a sigh as she met Jaromila''s eyes across the length of the table. The older woman''s eyes flicked downward in commiseration. Nothing for it but to tie up their sleeves and begin.


    "Welcome, everyone, worthies of the Emerald Seas and the White Sky alike, as we resume our talks here in the second week of the summit." Cai Renxiang spoke crisply as she rose, and the low murmur of conversation lapsed. Even the tense cloud of communication going over their heads lessened as the general''s faceless helm tilted toward her liege.


    "We have found success in the first week of talks. We have established that our laws can be reconciled by our experts and that fair judgements on disputes can be found without the need for drawn blades. All of these findings are an accomplishment that I desire for all present to keep in their minds as we move to this next stage: the establishment of claims and borders for our realms on the great belt of mountains that separates our polities. Agreement can be found here, and those we are negotiating with are all operating in good faith. What is agreed in this hall shall be respected."


    Jaromila rose from her own chair. "It is so. All of us are people who respect laws and oaths. Though there is much to negotiate here before promises and maps can be made, let the agreements made in this hall be binding. There shall be no re-litigation at blade point. Negotiate with this in your mind."


    It was optimistic maybe, but setting the tone was important. They were not simply buying time to move forces and push the point. It was impossible to eliminate that mindset entirely, but best it be shoved to the margins.


    "I do not doubt that my words will be disdained by you, people of the lowlands." Ilsur spoke without standing. "Most of you would slay me where I sit, if not for your oaths. Know this. I speak for my father, the great khan who commands the south, who has bound us to the White Sky over the Blue or the Stars. We are still men of the clouds, and we will remain men of the clouds, but we know that the old days are dead. We will change, if you will change, but we will not be destroyed."


    "Fine words, indeed. Many fine words have been spoken since the day the extended hand of Great Tsu was slapped down. Perhaps this time, they shall be more than empty wind," Luo Jie said. "We are the men of the plains and the hills, the wild valleys and warm rivers, and we have ever suffered under the raining arrows of the clouds. It is convenient that only now, as you are pushed back, do you bring words instead."


    It was said in a mild tone, but the old man''s creaking voice had an edge of steel to it.


    "Words are well enough, backed as these are. If the clouds stay well away from our walls, then I care little for where and how they fly," Wang Lian said. Updated from


    "If your walls do not crawl down the slopes of every mountain like creeping vines, that may be possible," Ilsur retorted tersely. "We will see."


    "When the sacred groves of the east, the Horned Lord¡¯s footfalls, were flooded and brought down by mud and lightning, there was little care for that," Luo Jie said snippily.


    Ilsur scoffed. "When your old conquerors denied us the sacred Blue Mountain, when the Valley of the Earth Bones was defiled by your mines, there was little care for that."


    "What is more, the line is insecure. There, the peaks are closely packed. There are few valleys there, and the proper sites for defensive construction are occupied by mighty beasts and spirit lords," Khadne pointed out. "And there, too, is what was once the land occupied by the Sibiar, the people who sheltered your diviner."


    And her ancestors, as Ling Qi recalled. But this was fine. They had expected pushback. She would have been even more surprised if this line had been accepted.


    "We should not over-extend,¡± Wang Lian cautioned. ¡°I have studied these maps closely to determine the best paths for roads, the chains of valleys and passes most suited, and the mountains most viable for tunneling." Rising herself, Wang Lian traced glowing lines across the painted surfaces of the map. "One lies here where we sit and runs down through Hu Lao Pass beyond. The other follows the headwaters of the river Jing in the east, though it will take much more engineering and appeasement. The river is proud and sacred."


    "The run of the Third Sky, too, here, in the center," Ilsur said gruffly, gesturing to the map himself. A patch in the northwest glowed dully.


    "I acknowledge the wisdom of the experts who know the land. If the battlements, your sacred peaks and ancestral lands, are too far, perhaps this series of valleys to the north is better?" Ling Qi proposed. "Lady Wang, would these points be better fortifications?"


    "More workable," the stout woman grunted.


    "This plan cuts off many routes of my people," Ilsur warned. "If you would starve us, then you cannot expect there to be lasting peace."


    "I do not expect that regardless," Cao Chun inserted.


    Jaromila raised her hand. "There is something to be said for acknowledging that your people and the cloud have different needs. With their flight, walls are meaningless. Could you not occupy the valleys here, here, and here while swearing off the high mountain slopes where their livestock graze?¡±


    "It would make our defenses as porous as the eastern sands," Luo Jie objected. "And we know that you do not speak for all the tribes of these lands in their scores and scores."


    "That is why it is impossible to make deals with the cloud,¡± one of the courtiers on their side grumbled. ¡°Treat with one, and they circle off without a word, leaving the net to burn and pillage without regard."


    "We hold to our word. But a tribe cannot always control where it moves when a stronger tribe comes to take the graze or when the shamans'' divinations command us to move. Nor will you tell me that you lowlanders have not broken treaties for all kinds of nonsensical excuses," Ilsur replied. "Regardless, in unifying, we may prevent this."


    "A poor guarantee," Xia Ren interrupted coldly.


    "But an attempt at one all the same," Ling Qi cut in, glancing at the general. "It is true that the high peaks are of minimal value to us, and our defenses must be three-dimensional regardless. So, perhaps some degree of passage could be negotiated at the trailing edge of our claims, assuming the White Sky is willing to swear off taking advantage of the matter."


    "An easy enough promise," Jaromila said. "However..."


    "It is buying trouble for ourselves. We cannot guarantee the behavior of unaligned tribes," Dzintara cut in.


    Wang Lian snorted. "I would lose respect for you people if you claimed you could. Pulling back from the central peaks is one thing, but turning our claims into a spider''s web of the valleys and passes is too much. While the outer peaks have little value without cloud tribes to tend herds, the mining in many of these peaks is good. I understand you object to that, too."


    "Much less than our northern kin," Ilsur shot back. "Grub about the mountain roots if you like. Beyond the sacred peaks, the graze is our concern."


    There was some heat building in everyone''s words. Tones were growing clipped, and responses were coming dangerously close to interrupting the person who spoke before them.

 Threads 363-Maps 4

    Threads 363-Maps 4


    "Perhaps!" Ling Qi raised her voice in a gap where she could manage without overriding anyone else. "I was misunderstood. Might it be possible for White Sky-affiliated tribes specifically to make use of peaks along the edge of our region? I feel this would be beneficial. It provides the Polar Nation another benefit to offer tribes. It provides us security. Guaranteed tribes would be incentivized to keep their less trustworthy fellows out of this territory. We might even provide a mechanism by which they might report hostile movements to us."


    "We come back to the issue of identification then," Cao Chun said. "How do we discern which barbarian is a vassal and which is a raider before it is too late?"


    "Something for our experts to discern. Surely the craftsmen of your empire and our own nation may come up with a satisfactory arrangement?" Jaromila asked.


    "There are ways to mark things and people which are not easily falsified." The gravely accented voice of one of the White Sky experts spoke up. "But the more sure, the more invasive."


    "There is a limit to what my people will accept," Ilsur said flatly.


    Cao Chun opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again, looking as if he had bitten into something sour. "There is a limit to the methods the empire will employ on this."


    Wang Lian considered Ling Qi across the table as people bickered back and forth. Ling Qi bowed her head a little, silently asking for support.


    "It seems to me,¡± Wang Lian mused, ¡°that we have a good opportunity to test this. It will be many years before there are civilians at the border, or even near it. The ones residing in these valleys and along these roads will be soldiers, professional work crews, and those unfortunates sentenced to hard labor for their crimes. A small band of peaks may be used then. I know that the mountains from this vale over to this pass are considered good lands among the cloud tribes as they can support many herds."


    Several noble representatives shot Wang Lian surprised looks as she traced a region on the map, the area where the headwaters of the river Jing flowed. It was the primary water way of the Emerald Seas.


    Ilsur looked her up and down, wariness on his features. "It is. You propose a... trial then. Testing our ability to keep our word?"


    "Easy to promise what lies across the province from you," Luo Jie said.


    "The Wang will accept moving the western claim line north in exchange for moving the eastern line south, filling out the headwaters. Would this be acceptable?"


    "It may be," Khadne said slowly. "The eastern peoples have little interest in the mountains, but the west..."


    "The Twisted Pines would be amenable to this," Dzintara said. "However, if we speak of neutral areas and divisions, the White Sky would be more comfortable if there were to be a band leading this embassy which is not fully administered by either of us. Shared fortifications or none, as a sign of trust, that we may both come to this place in safety."


    "Implying that you would not be safe under our security," Cao Chun scoffed.


    "Shall you walk along a road guarded by our runestones alone?" Dzintara retorted. "Do not lie. You would, as you people say, ''spit blood'' at the notion."


    "An arrangement such as is had here with your stones guarding the south and our formations engineering guarding the north is more than sufficient."


    "It is ever the sign of the tyrant that one must command every vagary and minutiae of local affairs, and neither my mother nor I wish to do so here, beyond the necessary foundation building. Furthermore, I believe that the showing of our skills and experts can only bring our nations to a better understanding and friendship," Cai Reniang continued right off of her. "And the Cai trust the opinions of our esteemed experts in fortification and settlement building, the Wang clan, if they believe further sharing is necessary and good."


    Wang Lian harrumphed. "Do not mistake me too much, Lady Cai, Baroness Ling. I am interested to see where this goes and merely choose not to underestimate our guests. Nor do they choose to underestimate me."


    "I would not put it as a matter of estimation, merely acknowledging that there are great experts on these fields on every side," Jaromila said smoothly. "If we speak clearly to one another instead of hiding behind our hands, our projects can only improve."


    It was amusing to watch everyone dance around the fact that merely by working in close proximity, secrets would come out. Even the provinces had their spies with each other.


    "Let it be known that I and the throne alike advise against this," Cao Chun said evenly.


    He met her eyes with a narrowed gaze, and she lowered her head, but did not break gaze with him. Allow me to explain later, she tried to convey. Do not press here right now. Despite how thick the air was with clashing intents, she thought he understood. The older man pursed his lips and said nothing further, instead drumming his fingers irritably on the desk. She thanked her patrons that she had built enough trust for him to accept that.


    The Ministry of Integrity did not have any hard power to stop this exchange, but they could certainly make her life difficult if they chose. She hoped her explanation during the recess would mollify Cao Chun.


    "The White Plumes do not fully approve of this initiative," Xia Ren intoned. "However, I defer to the Wang in this regard, and I expect their continued, utmost dedication to security."


    "Individual military hardpoints should be left to one polity or the other at this moment," Jaromila said diplomatically, but Ling Qi could not help but notice the way she spoke toward the general as one would a snarling, foam-flecked wolf. Her aura had been drawn around her like a suit of armor. "Perhaps we might plan the construction of at least a pair of gates along the primary passes. Here and here? One can be built by the Celestial Empire, and one by the White Sky on either side of neutral ground between."


    "Useful. I approve. Such construction serves administration, even in peace," Luo Jie agreed, and as talk turned to similar, smaller matters.


    Some of the tension that had been built in the room drained.


    "And what of your claims? You have spoken little of what your White Sky desires in these mountains," one of the others on their side¡ªLing Qi thought he was a representative of the Jia and the Rushing Cloud Sect¡ªsaid.


    "We in the west will not accept anything further back than this line of peaks here where the iron blood glacier rests." Dzintara flicked her pointed finger, the iron nail sparking as a line of metallic light was swiped across the map.


    "I have been informed by my comrades in the east that they wish for this valley here as a location for an outpost," Khadne said.


    "And in the center,¡± Jaromila finished, ¡°perhaps a wider zone around the center of the peaks. I do, of course, propose that neither party move significant military elements into the neutral zone."


    Ling Qi glanced at the map. The White Sky was being a little aggressive, most likely in response to their initial proposal. She understood that. Like the Wang, they needed people more than land, but all the same, they couldn¡¯t be too retiring in the face of imperial claims.


    Ilsur''s expression was stony, and she could tell he was restraining himself. No matter how committed he was to this union with the White Sky, it wasn''t easy being in a conversation like this. She allowed herself to fade into the background, letting Gan Guangli and Cai Renxiang speak more as technical discussions of fortifications and paths for road networks were debated. This was premature in her opinion, but it was a conversation that needed to happen, and reaching some preliminary agreement would satisfy several of the parties involved.


    There was some argument, and the lines on the map moved, shifting up and down, a rippling, uneven line following chains of valleys and waterways on either side. A portion of land, wide in the middle and tapering in the west, was claimed by no one as a buffer region. It was wider in the east, simply because that way lay the Golden Fields and the Grave and the land of the Twelve Stars.


    Finally, recess came, and she caught Cao Chun''s eye.

 Threads 364-Maps 5

    Threads 364-Maps 5


    As the rest of the table broke up into smaller groups for refreshment and more casual talks, she gave a nod to Cai Renxiang and broke off, heading to the corner of the room where the old man waited for her.


    "You believe you can mollify me," Cao Chun said without preamble. He really was quite annoyed.


    "I think I can," Ling Qi said. "Sir Cao, this is the clans¡¯ right."


    "And if you think I could not see your manipulation there, using their pride and your connection with the Wang, to get your way and let them think it their own idea, you are a fool. It may not have been some grand scheme, but it was well played all the same. Those your age are often too given to overcomplicated plots when simple social tricks will do."


    "I thank you for saying so. May I explain my thoughts?"


    He grunted, gesturing for her to continue.


    She hummed for a moment, letting him see her examine the wards against eavesdropping and clairvoyance that he kept around him, as natural for the higher cultivator as her own breathing was to her.


    "I think it is necessary for the basic information exchange to occur, if this is to last longer term. This is not merely for my own reasons, which you might call soft and overly sympathetic, but also for practical ones as well." Read latest chapters at novelhall.com Only


    He regarded her with stony silence but did not move to interrupt.


    "If we truly are superior to them, then it will only be made more obvious through cooperation. If our methods are better, then there will be those that adopt them. If elements of their practice are useful, our people will adapt them and make our own practice better. And the more I learn, the less useful I find the term ¡®barbarian.¡¯ It terminates thought. By all measures, it means only ''not of the empire.'' A useless distinction, considering the Sage conquered most of us. That the Xuan joined our great realm well after his death of their own will when they saw what we had built is notable."


    "There is a vast gulf of time between the subjugated lords of the forest and the savages of the Wall or these frozen foreigners." Cao Chun¡¯s expression twisted, and his hand tightened on his cane. "It is unworthy for any who live in the Peaks to treat those of the provinces as if they were barely better than barbarians. I am most irritated when I find such infections of thought lingering like malignant tumors among my kin."


    She lowered her head respectfully. "I am glad Inspector Cao believes this. We of the Emerald Seas have been troubled, but we are as imperial as the nobles of the Heavenly Peaks. My point, though, is that we were not always so."


    "You propose that these foreigners can be brought to us?" The corner of his lips quirked up. "Ambitious, though you do not believe it."


    "... I don''t," Ling Qi said. There was no point in trying to lie to a cultivator two realms above her. "But that is because I am not certain imperial authority is what makes people civilized."


    "And what does, then?" the old man asked mildly. She was pleased to see him engaging her in this discussion. "Bereft of order... You know what people are like, girl. I have read your file. You know what savages men are when they are ill-policed."


    "Plenty and peace is what tames the beasts within us."


    Cao Chun''s expression grew condescending. "Baroness, never come to the lands of the Peaks if you think so."


    "Perhaps not all unworthy urges then, but those that lead to direct violence. In a civilized setting, a man might scheme after his neighbor¡¯s wealth, but he will not draw a blade nor gather his warriors to take it."


    "Granted, but it is the watchful eye of authority which makes this so."


    "And are we not establishing the beginning of authority here? It is my hope that this can satisfy you. I believe we will come to peace through becoming familiar neighbors. You do not believe this, but if we show our excellence, it will move them toward us, just as they have moved the southern cloud tribes toward them."


    She paused before adding, "And allow me to share this. From what I have observed, the central authority of the Polar Nation is weak. When I asked after the presence of their capital, I saw dismissal and derision."


    It was only a slight exaggeration and a little twist on what she had learned of the Iron King in Grydja''s shack and through Jaromila''s story. Jaromila¡¯s family had not used the direct authority of the capital to pursue her; they were not the Liu handing down edicts for Ling Qi''s mother to be ruined. They had to scheme and plot to kill Jaromila''s father, and they had to hide it well to boot.


    "Such an outcome would surely be the proverbial tree that only my grandchildren might shade under, but it is our duty to plant such seeds, no?"


    Cao Chun leaned on his cane heavily. "I do not know who taught you your manipulations, girl, but they are skilled. You tell me to my face that you do not believe it will be possible, but still, you continue to play on my rightful pride in our institutions."


    There was, Ling Qi thought, value in ambiguity. Truth was important, but without varnish, it was a blunt tool, a hammer or a wildfire. Under the Hui, burning every scheme equally had been the right action. She did not think it would be so forever. She felt a faint itch under her eye, a meridian twisting.


    "That is so, but I believe the Emerald Seas will remain strong and united. The situation will not reverse in the foreseeable future, and tradition grows where repetition and habit carve furrows for it."


    Meng Deming gave a small nod. "That clarifies your vision. A second subject then. What was the disturbance you rushed to oversee that riled the throne¡¯s dogs so?"


    Ling Qi let her mind empty, putting nothing to the surface. "There is some external saboteur, attempting to harm these talks. It was taken care of."


    With his cultivation, he might be able to pry it from her mind, but it would be inexcusably rude and noticeable, especially given that she would resist it. She didn''t look away from his eyes.


    "I see," he said, and the waters rippled faintly. She couldn¡¯t be sure if his reaction was one of annoyance or something else. "I am pleased to have made your acquaintance. I must speak with Lord Luo now though. Nephew, you may remain."


    "Thank you for speaking with me, Lord Meng," Ling Qi said, bowing again.


    "Thank you, uncle," Meng Dan said as well, and the older man turned and left them.


    "Not the most approachable man," Ling Qi observed once he had gone far enough away for her to be confident in the many overlapping social screens.


    "No, he is not. My uncle is quite austere. Still, I think you did well."


    Ling Qi sighed. "I''m glad you think so."


    "You managed as good an impression as you could," Meng Dan said soothingly. "Even I find him difficult to read. But uncle did not seem too opposed to allowing guests in the observatory ground, so long as they are, ah... Sibiar, was it?"


    "That is the modern name of the tribe," Ling Qi answered. "Ah, I see. He accepts the tapestry and the ancestral connection, but he takes a rather narrow view."


    "That seems to be the compromise position arrived at after discussions," Meng Dan said apologetically.


    Of course it was. The White Sky did not seem to take tribal divides as seriously as the empire did its clans, so they wouldn''t be too pleased with such a condition, but she could probably still sell the concession.


    "Well, I am glad that the official position of the Meng clan is so accommodating."


    Meng Dan chuckled at that. "My, you are getting quite good at that. I suppose this whole affair is a grindstone for such skills."


    "It is." Ling Qi bit her lip. "Meng Dan, may I ask you a favor?"


    He raised an eyebrow. "Of course."


    "If you notice any irregularity at all with your uncle... please find a way to inform me," Ling Qi requested.


    Meng Dan¡¯s ever present smile dimmed. "Do you understand what you are asking? That verges on the improper."


    Ling Qi was basically asking Meng Dan to inform on a member of his clan, in however small a way.


    "There is something complicated afoot here, Meng Dan, something that could still ruin this whole work."


    Meng Dan did not speak for a long moment, and Ling Qi restrained her fidgeting. She may have pushed too far.


    "... I see. Uncle is eccentric, but if he is showing troubles...¡± Meng Dan let out a breath. ¡°I will inform you, Lady Ling."


    "Thank you." She smiled in relief. One more set of eyes on the case, tangentially at least.


    Meng Dan stared at her for a moment, then blinked, his expression resetting to an amused smile. "Of course, I shall now forget this was ever spoken," he said loftily. "I believe Lady Cai wishes for your attention."


    She observed for a moment longer, tilting her head. He broke eye contact before she did. She turned away, smoothing her expression, and chided herself. What in the world was she doing?!


    Ling Qi shook her head to clear it. She almost suspected Sixiang to whisper and laugh with her, but she was alone in her thoughts.

 Threads 365-Maps 6

    Threads 365-Maps 6


    "Meng Deming is satisfied with negotiations?"


    Cai Renxiang did not turn to her as she approached, remaining standing over the table with her arms folded behind her back. Her eyes were trained on the map, studying the tentative lines drawn on it and the pins marking points of interest.


    "He is not unsatisfied," Ling Qi corrected. "He also laid out the Meng¡¯s position on the observatory. Scholars of Sibiar descent only."


    Cai Renxiang wrinkled her nose in annoyance. It only lasted a moment before smoothing away. "Understood. If you determine that we need to press them over it, inform me."


    "I don''t think it should be a problem. I expect our guests to be more baffled than offended."


    "Good. We must address the claims of the Sun before we finish today."


    Ling Qi tried very hard not to let her headache show in her voice. "Yes. I was able to talk them down to a more reasonable starting point, but I fear that the extent of our land claims may have emboldened Princess Sun, regardless of whatever agreement I established with Ji Rong."


    "A calculated risk."


    "Ultimately, I do not believe the Sun truly want much in the mountains themselves given the vast resources poured into the mining sites."


    "And Gan Guangli''s contacts in the Jia and Diao confirm that the majority of Sun and Jin resources are being placed into the construction of a grand port in the north," Cai Renxiang noted.


    "Then it¡¯s just a matter of how difficult the princess wants to be."


    "We will not be able to truly claim most of what we have painted ours. There is no reason for the Sun to not want the same."


    Ling Qi grimaced. "And while they are not directly involved, the Sun deciding to advance on the south past agreed-upon bounds with the White Sky would..."


    "Degrade relations," Cai Renxiang finished.


    "Lady Cai enjoys her understatement."


    Renxiang merely glanced at her and assessed clinically, "This is a minor focus for the Sun. If they choose to be difficult, it will be in the future, and even then, well into it."


    "If Lady Cai is correct, then I will hold the Sun hard to the lines I spoke with Ji Rong about. Nothing in Freyja''s Pass with claims radiating out a hundred kilometers or so from their mining sites, along with the vales here and here for fort construction... I don''t believe this will give them cause to be openly insulted."


    "However, the Twisted Pines have more claims on their peaks. There will be some disgruntlement, if your reports are correct."


    Ling Qi grimaced at that. "I might be able to peel the Sun back a little more, but at that point, we risk them ignoring us."


    "And giving any further will attrition the gains you have so masterfully made here today." Cai Renxiang sighed. "We must..."


    "Stick to the negotiation I worked out with Ji Rong, regardless of however much Sun Liling pushes," Ling Qi agreed.


    "Yes. In the end, there is only so much we can corral the Sun. Buying their favor at the cost of opinion among the actual participants is simply not useful."


    Ling Qi smiled slightly and questioned, "Really, though. ¡®Masterful¡¯?"


    "No one shouted. Threats of violence were minimal and largely spiritual in nature. We have a tentative agreement on border lines," Cai Renxiang replied. "So, yes, masterful. I give compliments where they are appropriate."


    Ling Qi considered the many personalities here and dipped her head. "Still, you may need to take the lead more here. I might be your voice, but if Sun Liling gets it in her head to be stubborn, only you truly have the status to shut her down."


    "Princess, neither you nor your retainer placed conditionals upon our agreement," Cai Renxiang rebutted calmly.


    Sun Liling snorted, but surprisingly, she didn''t take a more aggressive posture or tone. "Eh, fine. Not like we really need it."


    Dzintara glanced at Cai Renxiang and Ling Qi and tsked. "This is better, but the border needs to be pushed to... here, to avoid the goddess'' wrath."


    "Dunno about that. We''ve been handling it pretty well," Sun Ling disagreed. "Our hunters are having some fun with those flying lizard things."


    "I assure you, if you remain there, they will not. The black zmeya are the least of Her blades," Dzintara replied challengingly.


    "Hm.... Sounds like you WANT to have a go." Sun Liling tilted her head and grinned, sharp toothed and glinting.


    "It would not benefit anyone. There are methods which can ward these creatures in a limited fashion," Ling Qi interjected. "Princess Sun, how many of your people is a few kilometers of unusable wilderness worth? None but your elites can even walk those lands."


    Sun Liling made an irritated face at her, but to Ling Qi''s continued surprise, she didn''t clap back with something else insulting. "Tch, suppose that''s fair. Wouldn''t do for me to be less concerned about our boys and girls than you are."


    Cai Renxiang regarded the Princess thoughtfully before returning her attention to the others. "Emissary Dzintara, where would you place the limits of your ancestor goddess'' sacred land?"


    Ling Qi observed the soft murmuring of the other delegates and experts present. None spoke up as this really was a matter out of their hands.


    Dzintara frowned deeply, and Ling Qi caught the faint sound of grinding iron as her jaw worked. "Here, along the ridgeline. This is a defensible position. Should you prove to truly be harvesters, then perhaps we might speak on warding methods in the future, princess."


    Sun Liling''s gaze flicked over the map. "Guess that would make a good line. If we''re gonna withdraw here though, the Sun want this, the mountains flanking this valley further west. No complaints about us building up forts either, eh? You put in a word with those barrier guys too. Tell them to stop shooting those sun missiles at guys carrying our flag."


    "I can order no such thing, but our emissaries will inform them that there is a flag that can be spoken to."


    "Yeah, yeah, I get it," Sun Liling dismissed. "And the mountains?"


    "The mouth of that valley is acceptable, provided we come to an agreement over any road built further in."


    "Riiiight. Kinda far out in the future, but we gotta think like that, huh? Maybe you can stick a big gate on your end, too. High fences are good neighbors."


    "Agreed," Dzintara said coolly. "We will claim the lands along this line. There has been no need to codify our northern lands, so this is only making the truth official, unlike the primary negotiations."


    Ling Qi shared a brief look with Cai Renxiang. This was going well. It made her suspicious. Just what was Sun Liling up to?


    "It pleases me that this goes well. Do you have any objections to the general claims, emissaries, princess?" Cai Renxiang asked.


    "Gotta turn this pretty line into a bunch of squiggles so it follows useful terrain, but that''s what tomorrow is for innit? Yeah, guess this is fine," Sun Liling said.


    Dzintara agreed. "It is so. We will need to speak more on what is allowable in the unclaimed zone."


    "And we need to chat about your big lizards. Zmeya, was it? We ain''t gonna spare what attacks us," Sun Liling warned.


    "That is fine, so long as you do not intrude where you are not needed. Black Zmeya exist to freeze and slay the encroaching roots. They are merely constructs."


    "That why the big skull turned into slush?"


    Ling Qi took a deep breath. She didn''t know precisely what Sun Liling or her family were planning, but for now, it was working out for their plans. That would have to be good enough. Looking at the princess, the blaring, raging, yang-tinted blaze of her aura was banked. It felt like slitted predatory eyes peering back at her through the brush, low to the ground and stalking.


    She was plotting.


    But they could now call the opening round of the border negotiations complete.

 Threads 366-Depths 1

    Threads 366-Depths 1


    "There is further infiltration than we were aware of." Cao Chun''s voice was grim. Seated behind his desk, he folded his hands under his chin.


    "How much so?" Jin Tae asked. He stood in the office with them this time. A silver mirror hung on his belt. A weapon, Ling Qi thought. Not his domain weapon, but a potent talisman all the same. His spirit was rippling water and shimmering glass under her new gaze, reflecting back her own distorted face from a hundred angles.


    "I have detected traces in over fifty percent of our construction force and twenty percent of embassy staff. It has taken immense effort for me to inspect and uncover further taint nondestructively," Cao Chun replied.


    Jin Tae''s eyes widened, and he sucked in a breath. So did Ling Qi. Only Zheng Fu''s own grim expression stayed fixed behind his headwrap.


    The big man beside her crossed his arms. "Huh. That''s catastrophic. You ain''t talking about them all being infested like those two more guys though, right?"


    "I am not," Cao Chun said sourly. "Calm yourselves. The great majority only held traces of being touched by the subject¡¯s qi. It¡¯s either a decoy mechanism or, I think more likely, showing mere signs of being a tool of transmission."


    "There are only so many of those thought parasites," Ling Qi concluded. "They are extremely complex. Even a sixth realm master crafter could only produce and stockpile so many. They can move from victim to victim prior to their activation though."


    "Yes. I have only discovered three more in my investigation. All are neutralized." Cao Chun then briefly grimaced. "One of those foreign crow creatures has informed me that their own investigation has uncovered two."


    Ling Qi smiled at him. Cao Chun narrowed his eyes at her, mustache twitching.


    "It seems that we are making good progress then, teacher," Jin Tae said. "What of the culprit?"


    "I have refined my understanding of their qi, even though all targets required immediate destruction. It is my opinion that the culprit is mostly likely of the Meng clan, though not of a recognized name. The signs of the underground beasts are mere chaff to throw off our scent."


    Ling Qi frowned deeply. Having one of the major clans engaged in such a scandal would be a serious blow to the stability of negotiations. "Are you certain? Wouldn''t such a high figure among the Meng be one of their elders? Or at least one with access to truly secret stockpiles?"


    "Hah!¡± Zheng Fu laughed. ¡°We don''t show off all our oldsters; I expect your clans ain''t any different. Plenty of Ways don''t make themselves big and public."


    "It is as he says, baroness," Jin Tae said. "The Meng report their number of cultivators as any clan does, but no ruler has been so tyrannical as to demand an exhaustive listing of Way names."


    Of course. She should have expected that.


    "Regardless, I have tracked further possibilities," Cao Chun said. "Baroness, can your ability be used again?"


    "There is a limit. I can only handle such a feat maybe once a day. It is mentally and spiritually strenuous."


    "We are limited then," Cao Chun said. "I have three likely hosts: the astronomer from Xiamen, the White Plume Sergeant Xia Lin, and the Bai retainer, Xia Anxi. Infrastructure, military, and diplomatic vectors."


    "Astronomer Wu is a realm above me. I am not certain I could use the ability effectively against him," Ling Qi said warily.


    "I have procured a talisman which will make up the difference for a time, if your ability is a manner of liminal stealth," Cao Chun replied immediately. "But if you are not confident, take another target. I have observed that these parasite constructs hold varying levels of information. One invested in more important sabotage may be more useful. I will give you the choice of targets."


    "And the others?"


    "Now that I''ve gotten a look, I think I might be able to do something. Can''t snatch it like you, but I could glean some information if I know what I''m looking at as I dig it out," Zheng Fu said.


    "And I will simply eliminate the last parasite," Cao Chun said. "Which target, baroness?"


    Ling Qi mulled over it for a time. There were so many considerations that it was really difficult to find what would be the right answer here.


    It looked like there would be another tally on the side of ¡°nice gifts owed to Xia Lin.¡±


    She hoped extraction would proceed smoothly and there would not be too much forgiveness needed.


    ***


    "Honestly,¡± Bai Meizhen said, exasperated, ¡°if anyone else was making such a request of me, Ling Qi."


    They sat together in a meeting room of the embassy in two comfortable chairs around a low round table where a tea set had been laid out.


    Xiao Fen had served them and was now standing off to the side. Ling Qi thought she was looking better, less stiff and stressed. Her demeanor wasn''t any different, but it came across more as poised and less innately murderous. Progress, of a sort.


    Ling Qi bowed her head. "I am aware. I can only offer my deepest apologies that such plots would even happen in our Emerald Seas, and to our esteemed guests at that."


    "Do stop that, Ling Qi. There is no one here who requires such obsequiousness." Bai Meizhen regarded her over the rim of her tea cup.


    Xiao Fen looked like she wished to strenuously disagree. Ling Qi shot her a small smile. Ah, there was the Xiao Fen who looked like she would start hissing at any moment. Bai Meizhen turned a quelling look on each of them in turn.


    "This... dream parasite. You are sure you can remove it without harming Xia Anxi?" Bai Meizhen asked.


    "I am confident in my ability," Ling Qi replied.


    And in Shu Yue, who she knew, from a brief passing whisper, would have her back on this. If the parasite bit out at her, that was merely an opportunity for her mentor.


    Bai Meizhen closed her eyes for a long moment. "I do not like this. However, I do trust you, Ling Qi. I will have your oath that you will say nothing of Xia Anxi if you do this. Report your parasite¡¯s plans, but the secrets of the Bai are the Bai''s. You will swear it to him as well, after, when we explain."


    "I understand, and I will swear that gladly," Ling Qi promised. "Although I can''t avoid looking to an extent if I am to navigate his mind, I want to pry into his actual thoughts as little as possible."


    "Very well. That will have to do. Xiao Fen, inform Xia Anxi that I require his presence."


    "Of course, mistress." Xiao Fen bowed low at the waist. "If you are certain..."


    "I am."


    Ling Qi blinked. She hadn¡¯t expected Xaio Fen to question, even obliquely. She didn''t comment on it as Xiao Fen swept out of the room.


    Bai Meizhen set down her cup. "Do you require any particular preparation?"


    Ling Qi glanced around the room, feeling the wards in place. "The ministry¡¯s formation experts are skilled in their work. The security here would stop me, if I were outside. But if I step through the curtain while I am in here, that will be enough. Is Xia Anxi particularly skilled with spiritual arts?"


    "He is focused on the more calculation-based forms of divination over more heavily spiritual arts," Bai Meizhen answered. "Water is his element of choice. Do not take his mind lightly, Ling Qi."


    "I will not." Ling Qi rose to her feet. "Sixiang, are you ready?"


    her muse whispered in her ear, already dematerialized.


    Ling Qi was thankful to Sixiang for keeping their peace until now.


    "Go, then," Bai Meizhen said. "I do not think it will take him long to arrive. Xia Anxi is very prompt."


    Ling Qi gave one final nod and stepped sideways out of the waking world.

 Threads 367-Depths 2

    Threads 367-Depths 2


    The dream was muted here. The chaos of the valley raged on beyond her view, but in the ward-sealed embassy, cut off from the greater dream, the liminal manifested to her eyes as a soft, featureless white fog, churning slowly through transparent, joined cubes of crackling pale blue energy. Ling Qi wondered if this was what the world would look like to a tame fish in a tank.


    "I don''t think that''s right unless we''re talking about a cultivating fish who can comprehend the glass," Sixiang quipped, floating on their back in a slow circle around her. They''d manifested in a loose, poofy, pale blue robe, and they craned their neck back to look at her from their recline. "Hey, you sure you''re gonna be good for this? A peer ain''t gonna be the same as a guy two realms down."


    "I am. I know I can do this. I will do this. Whatever this saboteur wants, they are not ruining all of my work, all of Lady Cai and Gan Guangli''s work, all of Jaromila''s work."


    "Haaaaah... You really sound like a cultivator now. Looks like your friend is reacting to something."


    Ling Qi turned to the controlled whorl of power that marked her friend''s presence. A deep black pool with shores of white sand and soft earth, it rippled with intent swimming under the surface. Black rage and pricked pride that her retainer would be touched so lurked, as did concern for both him and Ling Qi. She didn''t look deeper.


    The crackling lines shifted, and a gap opened, colored sparks drifting in with the foamy wave that crashed through, full of bubbles, of song, and of numbers that schooled like fish.


    Xia Anxi was here.


    The wave circled the lake, fearful of its dark waters and of many other things. She pulled her eyes away before she could see any of them too deeply.


    Sixiang appeared on her shoulder, shrunken to the size of a doll, and patted her cheek. "Ready?"


    "Ready," Ling Qi replied. Drawing on her qi to shroud herself in it, she slipped silently between the layers of the mind into Xia Anxi''s thoughts.


    Her first impression was the scent of salt, harsh and stinging in her nose. Then, she heard a slow crashing of water from near and far alike. Her vision resolved, and she saw a horizon of endless blue. A setting sun reflected across waters wider than she had ever imagined. She stood on the waters beneath a stone pillared pier jutting out into the waves. Other scents hit her: wet wood and rope, tar, fish, smoke, and bodies washed in their own sweat.


    She became aware of the clamor of people above and behind, of the bustle and creak of wood as feet passed over by the score, and of shouting, laughter, and songs. She looked behind her, gazing through the peer with eyes not of her body to see the clustered roofs of warehouses, workshops, and wharfs, a rough, tumbledown dock stretching across the shore in every direction, jumbled and shifting in layout between every eyeblink. In the waters, little fishing boats teemed and larger ships swayed and groaned, drifting sedately in and out of the harbor.


    Xia Anxi was showing her the ocean after all.


    She let the sound of the rolling surf and the sight of the sunset on the vast horizon wash over her before she turned toward the shore.


    "Huh. Would have expected something tidier," Sixiang commented as Ling Qi darted along, footsteps barely touching the water as she wove between the stone columns of the pier. Under her feet, schools of fish teemed, broken up by the occasional sinuous, winding shape of a serpent under the water. The smallest were twice as long as she was tall. The largest could probably have coiled around Zhengui two or three times at his full size.


    There was something to be said for likening the self to what lay under the water. In many ways, the surface of water was akin to the skien that separated the material from the liminal, a soft and permeable barrier on the side of which lay a different world. The surface was what was presented to the world, the face shown to all comers.


    That was most likely the key to unlocking the power of a lake art, like her defensive techniques. Stillness was not in her, but she understood silence and the void. The space between notes, words, and thoughts were vital to maintaining identity. The power in the liminal, the transition, the mystery of what lay beneath the reflecting surface, that was where she could build a defense.


    The Bai way was to appear unruffled in all events, to let that surface never so much as ripple. This, Bai Meizhen had told her, was partially because the blood of Yao and Grandmother Serpent came with an awful temper, that all of them were taught to keep tightly under control to varying effectiveness.


    And so, darting out from under the pier, she crossed the open water as no more than shimmer and shadow in its ripples. Funnily, she did not think the ocean depths were the place to look for the parasite. If anything, she had entered this place upside down. The coiling serpents, flashy fish, and the ominous depths were the surface of Xia Anxi, and this bright and merry dockyard was what lay beneath.


    "Ahhhh, I''m so curious now!" Sixiang mock whined.


    She was, too. Why would a haughty Bai astrologer and court musician''s mind be like this? But she had a task and a duty, and she was not going to deviate from either here if she could help it.


    "Of course, Lady Bai. I had thought you wished to humor our enemies and have me take the meeting with the princess. Was it just to insult them by canceling at the last moment? Please instruct me. My lady has commanded that I seek to understand rather than merely obey. I am only following that directive."


    "A benefit, certainly, but not my intent. Please avail yourself of the tea. I am certain I will be able to explain fully in a short while."


    Ling Qi glanced toward the shore, following along as she was. That was... new.


    "Did that come through alright?" Sixiang asked.


    It had. Sixiang was responsible then?


    "I''m halfway in and out of this mind. Figured I could help by letting some of the outside reach you. Kinda hard since your perception of time is all wonky in there, but I managed!"


    Ling Qi was thankful. She was beginning to see the shape of this plot. Depending on how badly Xia Anxi was affected by the parasite, there was certainly a range of reactions Sun Liling could have in response, and having two of their ducal observers come to blows could easily drag the imperial side of negotiations to a halt and dramatically increase the uncertainty and credibility of the White Sky''s conservative factions. In addition, if a Sun was allowed to harm a Bai under the Cai¡¯s aegis, whatever the provocation, that would strain relations badly between the Thousand Lakes and the Emerald Seas.


    She let these considerations fade to the back of her mind as the thoughtform and its cargo she was tracking entered a dense web of side streets, passing by only a single guard. Nestled at the center of the jumbled buildings was one that stood out. It seemed more real and solid, the wood of its construction detailed with weathering and cracks, its roof tiles discolored and here and there, laboriously repaired. Its sliding doors were open, and there was a great clamor of people inside, and the strains of music flowing over them


    Ling Qi slipped in through an open window set with wooden slats, pooling as a shadow in the corner of the warm den inside. People thronged her, filling tables and benches. The rich scent of spices, roasting fish, wines and other drinks she didn''t recognize filled the space. In one corner of the room, a rickety raised dais was set off of the sand-strewn floor. There, a musician in patched and ragged robes sawed away at a scuffed guzheng.


    It wasn''t the music of a master. Ling Qi thought even her mother¡¯s rusty attempts to play when she had first come to White Cloud Town were as technically proficient. But there was an enthusiasm to the music, and it carried a hearty air and carefree joy.


    The musician, a haggard looking man with a stubble beard and deep laugh lines on his face, was much more real than the other thoughtforms. Ling Qi could tell immediately that he was something closer to an actual memory, probably of a real person.


    With half her attention, she tracked the slow movement of the thoughtform carrying the crate of rot-scented memory. But the other half fell on something else. Among the blurred faces and half legible voices, there was another clear figure. A child was perched up with his feet on one of the roughly carved seats, looking up at the musician with bright eyes. The child¡¯s hair was a solid, slightly dull brown, rather than glittering, dark violet, and there were only a handful of dusty gray patches of scale about his neck and the back of his hands.


    This was Xia Anxi. Even without any resemblance to the current version, the feeling around the child, the dense qi that filled the figment she was perceiving, told her that. If it hadn''t, she might not have made the connection.


    As she watched, the round of music ended, and the man stepped down, waving jauntily to the bar room crowd, receiving jeers and hooting and a few coins thrown down in the leather case open at the bottom of the stage. He reached the boy and ruffled his hair.


    "Will you play the [_____] next, [____]?" the boy asked.


    The musician chuckled. "Not yet, not yet. That one is special."


    "But [____], it¡¯s your best! You get so many coins when you do."


    "That''s why I shouldn''t wear it out, my lad! Now, let''s see what the kitchens have for us, eh?"


    The sickly sweet smell of the rot grew stronger as the sailor thoughtform reached the bar, hefting the crate onto the counter with a slam. A thoughtform wearing a barkeep''s bandana behind the counter shouted something garbled at him, gesturing, and the sailor gestured back, insisting that this was where the crate belonged.


    At the table with the boy and the musician, she saw the boy shiver, and his smile fell. His dark eyes flickered yellow and slitted, glancing toward the bar with nervousness and then with anger.


    The crate and the sailor alike popped like soap bubbles.

 Threads 368-Depths 3

    Threads 368-Depths 3


    The boy was smiling and chattering with the musician again.


    Ling Qi cursed quietly. She wasn''t certain what that exchange meant.


    "This might be a place for old memories to go, but it''s definitely an exclusive joint," Sixiang commented. "And if you look carefully, it¡¯s locked down."


    They weren''t as obvious as out on the streets, but with Sixiang¡¯s prompting, Ling Qi saw them now, burning yellow eyes on patrons and on a server flashing past the door to the kitchen. Xia Anxi''s mind was guarded and more aware here.


    This was the location of a precious memory to him.


    And the scent of rot had been brought here. Was the parasite hidden here somewhere?


    "He''s definitely agitated out there, but it might be because he''s just sitting there while your buddy and her maid sips tea. He¡¯s not being told what''s going on."


    Understandable. She was uncertain. This place seemed important, but she thought that maybe this place was too far back. If the serpents and the ocean were part of the face he wore, this was a facet of his background he hid, but she didn''t see how it could be twisted to provoke an ill-thought-out action.


    Indeed, the crate and its bearer had been outright banished, the moment it had been noticed.


    There was still a trail here, but she was not certain this rot was what she was seeking. This smell lingered here, winding up from the kitchens to where the colors of the tavern started to blur together.


    But there was a trail outside, too. As she split her attention, peering through the tangled streets, she followed it back nearer to the shore. There was a palace there that she had not seen before, lording over the rundown wharfs. Guards marched its perimeter, and banners bore the character for violet on an ocean blue background. And she saw there, a great wagon full of stacked crates going in and out. Sickly sweetness drifted on the wind, the smell of a warm rotting marsh over cold sea spray.


    Was she right that this was a dead end in her search, the wrong vault? But if this was what he kept back, it was the most real thing of him, was it not?


    "I don''t know about that, but weren''t you just thinking about lakes and surfaces? What''s up top is just as real in its way, maybe even more real depending on how you treat it. Does this guy strike you as one who isn''t really invested in his ''face''?" Sixiang wondered.


    She needed to decide. If she were wrong, she might be able to double back, but the longer she stayed, the more likely the parasite would destroy itself to avoid capture.


    Ling Qi resolutely turned her eyes away from the tavern and the scent of regret. This was not the source. This bitterness was not rooted in Still Waters Deeping but in something closer to home than that. She should have taken the metaphor her senses presented to her, that of spoiled crates entering the city, at face value.


    Sensing a gap in the perception of the guardian forms outside, she darted out of the tavern in a flash, passing through the open streets and back into the jungle of shifting, moving alleyways.


    The scent was strong at the palace, but she was not sure it was the source of the rot. It could be one of the ships at dock. Xia Anxi was a peer cultivator, and one still resisting the influence of the parasite to an unknown extent. In the metaphor that this place was, of course the parasite was distributing tainted cargo.


    "I think those ships bring things in and out,¡± Sixiang analyzed. ¡°They''re the interface, I guess, or the communication method."


    Or perhaps the parasite had arrived on one, but it was not on one now. It was nestled somewhere it could ¡°export¡± its toxin. If she took too long and it was alerted to her search, it could board one of the ships again to escape her.


    She cast one last glance at the tavern behind her as it disappeared behind the crowds and twisted buildings. Despite her curiosity, she was glad that she hadn''t had to delve any further into what she had seen back there. The thought of someone looking at her own memories of her childhood, unknown to her, put a squirming feeling in her stomach. She did not know how the cheerful, gray-scaled boy had become a haughty violet coral, but she did not need to for this investigation. That was one of those secrets that should only be shared by choice.


    ¡°You''re doing good so far. Most who try this are less careful,¡± Sixiang said.


    Were they speaking from experience?


    ¡°I''m trying to access old me''s better. I got the idea from your spooky teacher. I can''t hold onto them, but from what I remember, you''re doing good. Your identity is holding; nothing leaking into you so far.¡±


    She stole through the hall, searching, and found her way down, down the stairs to the ground floor following the scent of memory, rendered as that of aging paper and leather. There, she found the palace records room.


    Again, she saw Xia Anxi, seemingly fully grown. A pair of spectacles was perched low on his nose, and a clerk¡¯s cap on his head, as he bent over a desk, scribbling sums and markings down. Surrounding him were shelves upon shelves and reams upon reams of records and paper, comically bulging from the nooks in the shelving.


    Ah. Cultivators of higher realms retained so much more information, so many more memories, did they not?


    Xia Anxi''s attention permeated this room thoroughly; there would be no sneaking in to inspect the papers at length.


    She could feel the first twinges of a headache coming on, a sign that she was beginning to strain herself. She might have to try something a little reckless here.


    "Ling Qi..."


    How long had it been, Sixiang?


    "... You''re going on fifteen minutes. He''s definitely getting antsy."


    In her route through the palace, she had seen that it was filled with thoughtforms. Guards patrolled the hallways. Servants scurried about. Clerks worked feverishly in offices.


    Had she really not done this since her very first trial? Moons be with her, she hoped she was not rusty. At least she only had to fool a fraction of Xia Anxi''s consciousness.


    Ling Qi rematerialized, wrapped in the garb of a palace clerk, with barely a true face at all, just another figment of thought. Entering the records room with her shoulders hunched and her head meekly down, she was the very picture of a soft spoken subordinate.


    "Sir..." she began tentatively, even as she expanded her senses, scanning documents, testing the air, and searching for any sign of the parasite.


    "What requires my attention?" the scribe Anxi asked, barely glancing at her.


    "It is the matter of the¡ªplease excuse my forgetfulness¡ªthe five reed company? More of their cargo has returned, rejected."


    This was a gamble, but her time was beginning to run low.


    He glanced up, scaled brow crinkling. "The Meng''s shipments again?"


    Ling Qi felt her heart sink. It was good to receive some confirmation, but... Surely, the Meng, even their most rebellious faction, would not so openly act against the duchess. The fate of the Chu had been a blatant warning.


    "Yes, sir. We have been asked to reinspect the shipment here. Which storeroom has it in holding?"


    "The basement holdings, storeroom A-4," the frazzled scribe-form muttered in response. "Why must everyone always seek a way under my skin?! I should..."


    Ling Qi found the mark on a sheet stuffed away at the same time. Dated to last week. Delivered by...


    The scribe-form looked up, and his eyes sharpened. "Who are you? Name and rank, clerk."


    She cursed under her breath and dissolved into smoke, flowing under the floorboards and down into the cool, damp earth.


    "He just jerked in his seat, sat up real straight! You want to hurry the heck up, I think!"


    She¡¯d figured that much!

 Threads 369-Depths 4

    Threads 369-Depths 4


    Ling Qi found open space a moment later, drifting out of the cracks in the cold stones of the palace''s basement. Quickly, she scattered herself and her senses through the dim hall, ignoring the pounding tromp of boots overhead. B-1. B-2... A-5!


    And there! A-4.


    She darted down the hall and re-collected herself in one place, regaining form and cohesion. She felt another spike of pain in her temple as the palace complex overhead groaned. Arcs of venomous qi crackled through the stone, earth, and air. Furious, yellow eyes opened on the walls, and hands reached for her, guard-forms stepping right out of the stone.


    She had to... She had to endure. Lashing out would do no good; it would only hurt them both.


    She pulled upon the tranquil qi of lake and darkness as a guard-form¡¯s baton smashed down. Her shoulder rippled where it was struck. Pain shot through her as the mental construct rattled her self-cohesion with manifested urge to violence.


    Stillness was not her. She couldn''t be the unruffled lake, but... Was that metaphor even really true in the first place? Perhaps Lake Hei itself could be so untouched, but she was more familiar with the lake of Snowblossom. The surface of that lake always rippled. When an ice floe crashed over the cliffs and fell, the lake wasn''t still. Neither was it still under falling waters. The surface changed, but the lake was still the lake, and the lake was whole.


    Ling Qi jerked her arm from a thoughtform¡¯s grasp, feeling her imagined sleeve tear, but her arm flowed through its fingers like so much rippling water. The memory of having her arm seized, twisted, and broken remained, echoes of childhood seized upon in the realm of dream. She felt her qi dropping, and moved on.


    The door to the storeroom was just ahead. She was sorry, but there was no more time for subtlety. Sliding around a spike of stone that erupted from the floor, she rushed forward, laying her hand against the door. She focused her will and need to succeed down to a single point of focus and pushed. Metal screamed, and formation arrays sparked as the hinges were ripped out of the stone. The door crashed against the far wall.


    A crossbow bolt sizzling with acidic panic thunked between her shoulder blades and sunk in. It burned and clawed at her thoughts. Ignoring it, Ling Qi stepped inside the storeroom, her senses scanning the shelves and crates which represented Xia Anxi''s long-term memory.


    She could smell the sickly, marshy rot.


    The ceiling crashed down on her head. A hundred, hundred memories of being struck erupted in her mind, jagged pain flashing through her skull with the new memory of impact. The whole basement rocked as her mental image of this place quivered, and she struggled to maintain her technique in the face of Xia Anxi''s mental effort to crush and expel her.


    Ling Qi oozed from beneath the fallen stone as a puddle, hands and head and body reforming. Her hands plunged through the side of a crate marked with reeds and grasped something chitinous and squirming. It wriggled out of her grasp and leapt, trying to dart away.


    She wasn''t done yet.


    She swept out her hand, and strands of diamond spun out, a net that enfolded the parasite before it could get far. She yanked her hand back and stared down into the parasite¡¯s beady, glittering eyes, following the tenuous thread which connected it to Still Waters Deeping and the power of a sovereign that could crush her like a bug. She dared it to make a move, knowing that her own shadow¡ªher own sovereign¡ªwas here. The thread snapped, but not before she felt the hate on the other side.


    Too long fingers brushed hers, and the jerking parasite froze and stilled.


    "Ling Qi, you need to get out now! You''re gonna break!" Sixiang shouted at her.


    She knew that, and so, she let go. She let go of Xia Anxi''s mind, and pushed all she had left into shifting out, escaping the crushing force of Xia Anxi''s will. The underground basement vanished in a riot of colors and overwhelming, incomprehensible data, wracking her with what felt like shocks. But all the same, she tumbled free into the liminal and then back into reality with all the grace of a child falling down a flight of steps.


    "You may go, baroness. Xia Anxi, you are relieved of all duties for today. You may go as well."


    He rose and bowed silently. Ling Qi swayed, briefly dizzy, and then did the same. It was just too awkward. Her steps felt heavy, almost clumsy with so little qi, but all the same, she hurried out.


    She was near the entrance hall, empty now at this time, when she felt something like seaspray wash over her. Xia Anxi was at her back.


    "Sir Bai," she acknowledged. She considered the scent of salt in the air. A social screen, and no more. In her current state, he could probably hurt her badly. However, a glance over her shoulder at his face told her he wouldn''t.


    Sixiang grumbled privately.


    "What did you see, Baroness Ling?"


    She closed her eyes, trying to clear the pounding in her head. It was a fair question.


    "The discipline and childrearing of the Bai," she said, choosing her words carefully. "The ocean, and the bustling docks. ... A gray-scaled child and a bar musician."


    She heard his breath hitch.


    "I see. The ocean is truly grand, is it not? I told you of its majesty." There was no further sign of distress in his voice. He was good at that, just not good enough for her senses.


    "You did. I am thankful to have seen it, although I wish it had been in a better way."


    He was silent for a beat.


    "Indeed. Know that neither urchins nor ragged old men have anything to do with Xia Anxi of the violet coral caste. It will avail you nothing to use them, whatever you might have seen."


    "I have no intentions to do so. They are your memories alone."


    He stared at her, suspicion and an edge of fear buried under an imperious front.


    "... Good. Be on your way then, baroness."


    She inclined her head and left the embassy.

 Threads 370-Depths 6

    Threads 370-Depths 6


    She made it twenty whole paces before the world slowed down, its colors bleeding out.


    "You performed well, student."


    "I would hope so, even if I feel like I have been run over by a wagon." Ling Qi glanced up at the too smooth face of her mentor extended above her on a too long neck. "I nearly saw a name. Did you catch it?"


    Shu Yue''s face tilted at an angle that would have broken a human spine, their black crescent smile widening. "I did." This chapter is updated by


    "Then the chase is done?"


    "It is not. Signs point to Meng Deming as the vector from whom the parasite came to Xia Anxi, by way of the observatory. However, my intuition tells me that there is yet one more mask to peel away. I ask that you seek to forestall the ministry from doing anything short-sighted. Play to their need for procedure, more physical evidence, and court ritual."


    "Then the Meng are not...?" She feared for Meng Dan and those of the progressive Meng faction she had worked with, if they were.


    "These toys come from their storehouses, I think. I can say nothing, only that Meng Deming is another severed tail, left to satisfy the stalking predator. Let the inspector work. His eyes are sharper than mine in some ways."


    And then Ling Qi''s footfall reached the ground as the world resumed and the color returned. It took effort not to stumble.


    She took a deep breath. It hadn''t even occurred to her how bad she looked. Should she...?


    "I took care of it, making you look all cleaned up and dandy. Won''t hold up against anyone really looking, but you just need to get over to the meeting house."


    She would. She was thankful.


    "All fine. Just don''t cut it so close next time, huh?"


    She would try.


    ***


    "You are injured," Cao Chun observed, reaching out to accept the proffered parasite, frozen in its last spasming attempt to escape.


    "My method requires me to take personal risks in exchange for its efficacy," Ling Qi replied. "The mind of Xia Anxi was significantly more difficult to infiltrate than a low realm worker''s."


    "Of course. Yet you succeeded all the same. My own extraction was a total success without incident. Your Zheng companion succeeded as well, but I am told his target was quite upset when she was informed by your liege afterward."


    "Mine was hardly pleased either." Ling Qi stepped back from his desk and straightened up. "We will have to offer the Bai their pound of flesh for this assault on their envoys, but that is an Emerald Seas concern."


    Inspector Cao eyed the creature on his desk with some disdain and waved his hand over it, vanishing it into his own storage. He then continued to eye her speculatively. "It is. Is there anything you can report before I examine this?"


    "Not as much as last time. Meng Deming was the vector through which the parasite was delivered, and the intention seems to have been to cause the Bai to enter into a physical altercation with the Sun. Did Zheng Fu''s investigation...?"


    "Sure did!" Zheng Fu announced, swirling into existence beside her. She did not give him the satisfaction of jumping, but she did blink when she saw the blood spotting his head scarf and the burned outline of knuckles on the fabric.


    "Ya girl''s got a mean hook and crazy reflexes," Zheng Fu said in response to her look. "Ehhh, I probably earned it. Coulda been more tactful."


    "It is very distressing to know that my armor''s defenses were bypassed at some point," Xia Lin said. "Again, I do not begrudge your choice, Ling Qi. I am certain the Bai who you infiltrated feels much the same as I."


    Ling Qi slowly straightened up. "He was very distressed as well. For what it is worth, I judge that this Zheng Fu has no ill intentions. If he shows any, inform me, and I will aid you in extracting vengeance."


    That finally earned a huff of laughter. "Fine."


    Cai Renxiang sighed. "Please do not discuss assault on a member of a ducal clan."


    "I do not believe the Zheng would object unless the harm is crippling or fatal," Gan Guangli observed.


    Cai Renxiang''s expression grew pinched. "Regardless."


    "We should focus on serious matters," Xia Lin interjected.


    Ling Qi wished she could read the other girl better, but the White Plumes armor Xia Lin wore and Xia Lin¡¯s tight hold on her qi meant that even with her advanced technique, Ling Qicould only rely on her eyes.


    "The borders are settled for the most part," Gan Guangli said. "The broad strokes have been defined down to individual cliffs and valleys and streams."


    "As much as clean, straight lines may please the cartographers, this is for the best," Cai Renxiang said. "I expect minor dickering to continue throughout, but the main talks shall be moving to the next subject."


    "Infrastructure," Xia Lin said crisply.


    "I understand why it is not, but it feels like it should be a more commercial concern," Ling Qi said.


    "Roads, wayforts, and gates will be of primarily military use for some time. Any commerce will be almost incidental for some time to come," Cai Renxiang said. "I am certain, however, that there are parties already planning to build on these foundations."


    "Should we be one of them?" Ling Qi wondered. "Snowblossom is well positioned, and we know that we, at least, will operate in good faith."


    "Establishing economic viability of their holding is a ruler''s duty," Cai Renxiang agreed.


    "I think the main points of contention will be the level of investment in a primary road, the exact path it takes, and the nature of its guardianship," Gan Guangli analyzed. "Recall that the Jia wish to organize an outrider organization with their troops at the center."


    "The Jia are very loyal to the Cai, but they are very zealous about imperial culture. Is that wise?" Xia Lin asked.


    "If they do not receive opportunities for merits and achievements, they will not be pleased." Gan Guangli spread his hands out helplessly. "They will want some leading role."


    "There''s also the issue of extending the mixed patrols in the embassy, making it a more permanent policy," Ling Qi added, "and whether to allow it beyond this place."


    "You will displease the general,¡± Xia Lin warned. ¡°However, with the lack of incidents, perhaps not too much. Exactly whose troops will be involved needs to be considered."


    "Doable,¡± Cai Renxiang judged. ¡°As to the road question, there are two reasonable routes, skirting around the sacred mountains in the core, in the east and the west. That is the point where our personal interest lies."


    "I believe the Wang and by extension, us, are better overall stewards. The Jia and the Luo support us primarily to advance their own ambitions on the Jing headwaters territory," Ling Qi said. "I think we can afford to push a little as long as they feel they will get their own route eventually."


    The promises she had made to Luo Jie gave some wiggle room there. Still, the time for speculation was coming to an end.

 Threads 370-Depths 5

    Threads 370-Depths 5


    She made it twenty whole paces before the world slowed down, its colors bleeding out.


    "You performed well, student."


    "I would hope so, even if I feel like I have been run over by a wagon." Ling Qi glanced up at the too smooth face of her mentor extended above her on a too long neck. "I nearly saw a name. Did you catch it?" This chapter is updated by


    Shu Yue''s face tilted at an angle that would have broken a human spine, their black crescent smile widening. "I did."


    "Then the chase is done?"


    "It is not. Signs point to Meng Deming as the vector from whom the parasite came to Xia Anxi, by way of the observatory. However, my intuition tells me that there is yet one more mask to peel away. I ask that you seek to forestall the ministry from doing anything short-sighted. Play to their need for procedure, more physical evidence, and court ritual."


    "Then the Meng are not...?" She feared for Meng Dan and those of the progressive Meng faction she had worked with, if they were.


    "These toys come from their storehouses, I think. I can say nothing, only that Meng Deming is another severed tail, left to satisfy the stalking predator. Let the inspector work. His eyes are sharper than mine in some ways."


    And then Ling Qi''s footfall reached the ground as the world resumed and the color returned. It took effort not to stumble.


    She took a deep breath. It hadn''t even occurred to her how bad she looked. Should she...?


    "I took care of it, making you look all cleaned up and dandy. Won''t hold up against anyone really looking, but you just need to get over to the meeting house."


    She would. She was thankful.


    "All fine. Just don''t cut it so close next time, huh?"


    She would try.


    ***


    "You are injured," Cao Chun observed, reaching out to accept the proffered parasite, frozen in its last spasming attempt to escape.


    "My method requires me to take personal risks in exchange for its efficacy," Ling Qi replied. "The mind of Xia Anxi was significantly more difficult to infiltrate than a low realm worker''s."


    "Of course. Yet you succeeded all the same. My own extraction was a total success without incident. Your Zheng companion succeeded as well, but I am told his target was quite upset when she was informed by your liege afterward."


    "Mine was hardly pleased either." Ling Qi stepped back from his desk and straightened up. "We will have to offer the Bai their pound of flesh for this assault on their envoys, but that is an Emerald Seas concern."


    Inspector Cao eyed the creature on his desk with some disdain and waved his hand over it, vanishing it into his own storage. He then continued to eye her speculatively. "It is. Is there anything you can report before I examine this?"


    "Not as much as last time. Meng Deming was the vector through which the parasite was delivered, and the intention seems to have been to cause the Bai to enter into a physical altercation with the Sun. Did Zheng Fu''s investigation...?"


    "Sure did!" Zheng Fu announced, swirling into existence beside her. She did not give him the satisfaction of jumping, but she did blink when she saw the blood spotting his head scarf and the burned outline of knuckles on the fabric.


    "Ya girl''s got a mean hook and crazy reflexes," Zheng Fu said in response to her look. "Ehhh, I probably earned it. Coulda been more tactful."


    "It is very distressing to know that my armor''s defenses were bypassed at some point," Xia Lin said. "Again, I do not begrudge your choice, Ling Qi. I am certain the Bai who you infiltrated feels much the same as I."


    Ling Qi slowly straightened up. "He was very distressed as well. For what it is worth, I judge that this Zheng Fu has no ill intentions. If he shows any, inform me, and I will aid you in extracting vengeance."


    That finally earned a huff of laughter. "Fine."


    Cai Renxiang sighed. "Please do not discuss assault on a member of a ducal clan."


    "I do not believe the Zheng would object unless the harm is crippling or fatal," Gan Guangli observed.


    Cai Renxiang''s expression grew pinched. "Regardless."


    "We should focus on serious matters," Xia Lin interjected.


    Ling Qi wished she could read the other girl better, but the White Plumes armor Xia Lin wore and Xia Lin¡¯s tight hold on her qi meant that even with her advanced technique, Ling Qicould only rely on her eyes.


    "The borders are settled for the most part," Gan Guangli said. "The broad strokes have been defined down to individual cliffs and valleys and streams."


    "As much as clean, straight lines may please the cartographers, this is for the best," Cai Renxiang said. "I expect minor dickering to continue throughout, but the main talks shall be moving to the next subject."


    "Infrastructure," Xia Lin said crisply.


    "I understand why it is not, but it feels like it should be a more commercial concern," Ling Qi said.


    "Roads, wayforts, and gates will be of primarily military use for some time. Any commerce will be almost incidental for some time to come," Cai Renxiang said. "I am certain, however, that there are parties already planning to build on these foundations."


    "Should we be one of them?" Ling Qi wondered. "Snowblossom is well positioned, and we know that we, at least, will operate in good faith."


    "Establishing economic viability of their holding is a ruler''s duty," Cai Renxiang agreed.


    "I think the main points of contention will be the level of investment in a primary road, the exact path it takes, and the nature of its guardianship," Gan Guangli analyzed. "Recall that the Jia wish to organize an outrider organization with their troops at the center."


    "The Jia are very loyal to the Cai, but they are very zealous about imperial culture. Is that wise?" Xia Lin asked.


    "If they do not receive opportunities for merits and achievements, they will not be pleased." Gan Guangli spread his hands out helplessly. "They will want some leading role."


    "There''s also the issue of extending the mixed patrols in the embassy, making it a more permanent policy," Ling Qi added, "and whether to allow it beyond this place."


    "You will displease the general,¡± Xia Lin warned. ¡°However, with the lack of incidents, perhaps not too much. Exactly whose troops will be involved needs to be considered."


    "Doable,¡± Cai Renxiang judged. ¡°As to the road question, there are two reasonable routes, skirting around the sacred mountains in the core, in the east and the west. That is the point where our personal interest lies."


    "I believe the Wang and by extension, us, are better overall stewards. The Jia and the Luo support us primarily to advance their own ambitions on the Jing headwaters territory," Ling Qi said. "I think we can afford to push a little as long as they feel they will get their own route eventually."


    The promises she had made to Luo Jie gave some wiggle room there. Still, the time for speculation was coming to an end.

 Threads 371-Friction 1

    Threads 371-Friction 1


    The day of the new round of negotiations began with an end to the clear weather which had blessed them so far. The skies were dark with clouds, and only wan streams of sunlight showed through. Thunder rumbled distantly, and icy rain pounded the valley and swelled the streams.


    The meeting hall itself was, of course, warm, comfortable, and dry. Lanterns, alternating between cages of wrought iron and the paper preferred by the empire, held within them embers of smokeless fire that cast their light throughout the chamber.


    "Delegates of the Emerald Seas and the White Sky, we have persevered through disagreement and talk of borders, and we come to a map which all here are satisfied with." Cai Renxiang extended her hands toward the table, and the new, combined map unrolled across it, the work of feverish efforts by both sides¡¯ cartographers. Jagged, winding lines now carved off great chunks of the mountains, leaving only an oblong unclaimed shape in the center in the deepest core of the Wall.


    It would be a stretch to say everyone was satisfied. She could see in the expressions and auras of those gathered a desire for more, for this piece or that. At the same time, there was much less grumbling and antipathy than she had feared would occur.


    There was also Ilsur, but his expression toward the map was one of resignation, and his gaze rested primarily on the dotted section in the east near the headwaters of the Jing River where it had been agreed to allow White Sky-aligned tribes to roam. He glanced up, met her eyes, and snorted. She moved her gaze on.


    Dzintara still frowned intensely at the western edge of the map, but not much more intensely than she frowned at everything. The gap between Sun¡¯s claims and Twisted Pines¡¯ claims was much narrower than in the east, thanks to the tapering and lowering of the mountains, but Ling Qi thought it would hold for now.


    "We have our claims and our agreed-upon territories, but it remains to see them governed, connected, and fortified," Cai Renxiang continued. "The matter of establishing routes through the mountains, of where fortifications shall be allowed, the disposition of forces, and the more permanent defense considerations for this embassy and any other shared regions must also be established before we break to discuss the next week¡¯s resolutions among ourselves. To that end, I open the floor to speakers."


    "The primary route between our holdings should be established first," said a man, a Bao courtier sitting with Wang Lian. "That will determine the security concerns, as I am sure we may both agree that doing so will decrease any disruption from bad actors."


    "I agree. Let there be a limited number of set routes by which traffic approaching our borders is allowed so that strong defense may occur over the rest," Xia Ren interjected. Even now, she stood, a pillar of a gleaming steel.


    "The Wang clan looks forward to the challenge of constructing such a road," Wang Lian supported.


    "And the White Sky, the challenge of meeting it," Jaromila said diplomatically. "A single primary road will serve as proof of concept."


    "Any more would be a hard sell when we do not yet have benefits to show," Rostam agreed. "Well, I like the route following the river in the east. Waterways are always better than dry roads, even if it only goes halfway."


    "It is the opinion of the Twisted Pines that due to security threats in the east and a need to ensure the quality and security of objects moving north to south, the western route is better," Dzintara said. "Right now, it would be an unacceptable risk for our workers to be caught up by conflict with this Twelve Stars Confederation."


    "There are more conflicts than those alone," Luo Jie disagreed.


    "There are," Ling Qi acknowledged. "In any account, the ith-ia will have to be acknowledged during any construction. They have no shame in their assault of mortals, let alone low cultivators. Were your scholars able to turn up more information, Emissary Dzintara?"


    "We have collated the new tribes¡¯ tales of the land beyond the gates, the maggot men of Nidallvar and their human thralls," Dzintara replied. "But this is not the place for such academic discussions. The Twisted Pines is willing to offer this later, however."


    "It was my understanding that these gates led into the immaterial. What lands could lay beyond the realms of deep liminal?" one of the imperial scholars present wondered aloud.


    "What lies beyond is akin to the ocean. There are other lands on far shores," one of the White Sky scholars answered. "Once, long ago, that ocean was shallow enough to cross, and not so filled with daemons."


    Ling Qi cast a quelling glance at the imperial scholar. Jaromila did so at hers.


    "I look forward to more such sharing," Ling Qi said. "Please excuse my diversion from the topic."


    Ling Qi held back a grimace.


    "I think it is important that neither of our peoples unduly alarm each other with large troop movements or deployment of sovereign cultivators into the unclaimed zone," Ling Qi stated. She knew her own people were the ones mostly likely to take advantage of this allowance, if only because the imperial high cultivators were far more mobile than the White Sky¡¯s. "While a corridor for the road will need to be established, if we are truly concerned only by seeing off raids, then anything over the company-size and realm allowance is excessive and provocative."


    "You would have us risk our men so when a tribe could lure them out and hammer our men with barbarian high realms?" one of the imperial courtiers asked indignantly.


    Wang Lian scoffed. "With the land we have claimed, raids will come from inside our own borders for centuries to come. I agree with the baroness. Better that we cut off the excuses of hotheads who want to overextend further."


    "Regardless, limiting our strategic options so..."


    Bickering erupted across their side of the table.


    Xia Ren examined Ling Qi, and Ling Qi maintained her gaze, refusing to flinch even as sweat rolled down the back of her neck.


    "Lady Wang is correct. It will be a very long time before any true settlement is in the raiding range of our border. When that changes, this point can be renegotiated," Ling Qi said. "Would the White Sky agree with that notion?"


    "On principle,¡± Jaromila said thoughtfully, ¡°the White Sky supports the notion of some terms being discussed again and at regular intervals with the notion that there should be clear rules regarding troop movements approaching borders. I am certain that your folk would not appreciate a legion or marcher fortress suddenly appearing some hundred kilometers past our own agreed-upon borders. If there is to be trust, it must go both ways. A company is... one hundred women?"


    "One hundred to two hundred and fifty," Cao Chu answered. He had remained silent today until now. "Under official imperial regulation. This allows for local strategic customization. A company is to be headed by a cultivator of no more than fourth realm, according to the decrees of Emperor Xian in the military standardization reforms of the second dynasty."


    "Insufficient against a true force." Xia Ren said shortly.


    "Nomad raids do not typically include high realms. If the tribes are massing for war, I am certain that exceptions will be made," Cai Renxiang said firmly.


    Warily, Dzintara said, "We would ask to be informed rapidly of such movements, which we would seek to corroborate. But of course we know there is a war brewing in the east."


    "There is," Ilsur said grudgingly. "The Twelve Sky have hidden themselves, but the man who leads them will not concede the mountains without battle."


    "You would be more knowledgeable," Cao Chun allowed. "Here, I raise a concern. We have heard of a great construction, out of character for your kind. A "Sky Palace.'' What is this?"


    "Sir,¡± Ling Qi protested. ¡°Is this¡ª?"


    "Baroness, if that great sledge they have wrought is any indication, this matter is absolutely one of security. It is of the tribes. Therefore, it is being built in the mountains. Correct?"


    Jaromila lowered her head in acknowledgement. "Sky Palace Koliada is likely to remain in our claims on the northern mountains even after the activation. Ilsur, if you would?"


    The cloud tribesman''s nostrils flared, his mustache fluttering, but he settled himself. "My father, the great khan of the south, has studied the ways of the Polar Nation. He has aligned himself with the way of a great rune witch of the White Sky, who he has married. Sky Palace Koliada shall be the first city of our people, built by our hands, animated and given flight by the twinned spirits of he and his new wife. In it, we will wander as our people do, but no more be wholly dependent on natural graze nor unable to build as others do. For this, my wise father sacrifices his chance to become a Sky, an ascendant of our people."


    There was silence in the hall as he finished that pronouncement.

 Threads 372-Friction 2

    Threads 372-Friction 2


    Cao Chun''s expression scrunched up in utter disbelief, as did the faces of many of the other imperials. Wang Lian looked intrigued. Luo Jie and Meng Deming both looked mildly horrified and disbelieving.


    "Tribal barbarians do not ascend."


    "Ridiculous..."


    "Nonsense!"


    "They do, fools," Meng Deming said. "If you kept your histories half as well as you should have, you would know that. It has happened, rarely, and not at all since the days of the empire''s strife, but it is not warriors who ascend. The closest was the beast Ogodei."


    "There was one,¡± Ilsur rebutted. ¡°Your Horned Lord would remember."


    Meng Deming scoffed. "Perhaps he would."


    "Our people have invested in this project for the last hundred years, and we have yearned for it longer. It will be a shard of the sun raised back into the sky, a wonder to exceed any other in recent history. Its existence is not negotiable," Jaromila said. "As a sovereign, it, too, will be constrained by this treaty."


    "You speak very rudely when we have not even spoken on the matter. You cannot simply dictate¡ª" one of the courtiers on their side began.


    "On this matter, the White Sky will. We have made great allowances, and we have accepted much of your requirements. However, we are not people to be bullied either. Our pride exists, and here, I stake it. The White Sky will not accept any interference in this matter."


    "Hmph, look at you all. Have we not always said the problem with the cloud men is that there is nowhere to trace agreements to? No place they must keep? These foreigners have gotten them to solve that problem themselves!" Wang Lian exclaimed. There was a glint of interest in her eyes.


    "You are far too flippant, and your conflict obvious, scion of the Builder," Luo Jie said gravely.


    "I am confident in our Emerald Seas and our lady duchess," Wang Lian retorted.


    "I, too, believe this to be a fortuitous development," Ling Qi interjected. "After all, a city can hardly raid. By definition, it will be full of people, people who could not withstand the speed of a high realm¡¯s full acceleration. If it were ever to be used offensively, would Her Grace not respond immediately?"


    "Indeed. I do not believe my mother would be troubled by this," Cai Renxiang said calmly. She tilted her head up toward the general. "Does this truly change anything?"


    "There is no fortress which Her Grace cannot breach,¡± Xia Ren declared. ¡°Requiring her to do so would be unfortunate, but there is little in these mountains to be harmed by it."


    "Yes," Ling Qi agreed, lowering her head. "Worthies of the empire, we have a great deal of land to police and settle and enough foes to consider. Let us not bicker over distant hypotheticals. There is no need to deploy armies nor sovereigns in the depths of the Wall."


    "Acceptable," Cai Renxiang said.


    "Agreed," said Jaromila.


    "This just leaves the matter of the road," Rostam said cheerily. She did see the nervous flicker in his spirit as the two high realms in the room resumed their staredown. "Patrols and fortifications obviously, but..."


    Ling Qi met Cai Renxiang''s eyes. They had gotten lucky with Jaromila''s revelation softening the impact. The original plan was to simply accept that the unclaimed stretch of road would be sparsely patrolled and fortified for now, but with the agreeable air that had settled in, Ling Qi considered whether they should push for more.


    After a moment, she thought this was not the time to press on. They had succeeded wildly here. Best to retain the goodwill for the penultimate week of negotiation. The unclaimed stretch of road was itself far from an immediate concern and would not be heavily used for some time even after it was built.


    In addition, there was potential for conflict there, too. Cultural conflict. The White Sky''s troops were all women, and imperial troops were majority male. Putting them in the same place was probably asking for indiscretions and the problems that came with that.


    "I propose that we place alternating road forts along the length, spaced out but capable of calling for aid from their neighbors. Such forts should have construction allowing each other''s patrols to base and recover," Ling Qi said when a moment to speak came.


    "I agree," Xia Lin spoke up. "It would be best to avoid entanglements and confusion around command. Let us allow guest right to inform our action so far from any high authority."


    "That does leave the matter of the embassy," Cao Chun observed. "I assume the White Sky will maintain an overall commander of forces, as we will."


    "I believe the young lady is correct," Jaromila said. "It may be somewhat inefficient, but in emergency situations, command should remain internal."


    "Mixed patrol units require adjudication," Xia Ren objected.


    "Could that be left to the two force commanders to discuss and decide?" Ling Qi asked cautiously. "Overmanaging may reduce effectiveness."


    Xia Ren was silent for a long beat, but eventually, she nodded. "Acceptable."


    "I support devolving some authority to local command. Another option would be some degree of subordination of military command to the panel of magistrates administering the site as well," Dzintara said.


    Ling Qi took a step back as courtiers and representatives began to speak up. Getting the group to this point of the discussion, where her liege¡¯s talents could be put to best use, had been her task. Renxiang began to speak as well. They discussed technical details, arguing the exact minutiae of authority and jurisdiction, the exact dimensions of the embassy space.


    She shared a look with Gan Guangli and returned his nod. This was going remarkably well. More than simple agreement, Ling Qi thought she was truly beginning to see the various parties¡¯ investment here. People were honestly thinking of what this was all going to look like. They were seeking advantage for themselves, of course, but that meant they saw this project as something which could grant them advantage.


    This impossible task, they were doing this. They were really doing this.

 Threads 373-Finishing 1

    Threads 373-Finishing 1


    "To success!" Gan Guangli boomed, raising his cup.


    Ling Qi smiled wryly and held up her own. "To success."


    "It is early for celebration, yet for your efforts, I will allow it," Cai Renxiang said. At the table where they sat, she alone did not yet have her drink because she had insisted on hand brewing her own tea. The pot was bubbling away, but not yet ready.


    "We aren''t completely done," Ling Qi agreed. "...I''ll need Hanyi for this next part, she had better behave."


    "I am certain your junior understands the gravity of this situation, or at least your investment in it!" Gan Guangli said brightly.


    "The latter, maybe." Ling Qi took a sip from her cup. The drink was from a bottle which Bai Meizhen had given her. It burned all the way down like cold fire, threatening to freeze her blood and organs. It had more kick than rimefruit extract, more like spiced wine. She''d have to ask Meizhen for the name.


    "I am certain it will be fine. Sir Xuan will be advising for this next section too, no?"


    "Yes, though it''s as much for legitimacy to the ministry and the nobles," Ling Qi replied. "No slight to his knowledge, of course. He''s given me some ideas for what can work."


    "If we succeed on the informational and cultural exchanges, we will be well placed to negotiate the foreign quarter notion properly, both as an expansion to the embassy and for future settlements in the Wall," Cai Renxiang mused. Steam hissed, and she carefully poured her tea, dark, nearly black liquid arcing delicately into her cup. Updated from


    And that was the crux. After all the preliminary negotiations, being able to convince all parties that a permanent mixed settlement, even a segregated one, here at the embassy was desirable. They were part of the way there with the staff of the magistrates. Getting shared use of the observatory was another piece of that puzzle.


    Humans came with webs of need and connection. If they could just set the foundations to make it possible, then they would build this place themselves, never needing to be pushed into place like weiqi pieces.


    Ling Qi thought that this might be just a little taste of what Xin''s plots were like. She was right to say that life was a game without any clear players. That destiny only existed in hindsight. There was choice and mystery and the secret that those who thought themselves masterminds and seers hid even from themselves. They could not control everything, and they could not plan for every factor. Past a certain point, the future was unknowable, much like the black depths of Lake Hei.


    Ling Qi considered her drink, the venomous icy wine within hissing and bubbling faintly, slowly freezing through the lining of the cup.


    The Starless Shroud technique was not one she could wear in the long term. There were pieces of it that she could use. The contemplation of mystery in the unseen depths. The notion of supreme wholeness. The ability to take any harm but remain herself and whole. But she was not certain she had much more to gain from the art itself, beyond its value as a building block for an art of her own.


    Well, she did have an idea, an idea going all the way back to the Thousand Ring Fortress art and its source of a mystery she had left in the Dream. She remembered seeing the shadow of a reptilian behemoth in the dream and an ever regenerating corpse. That was likely her little brother¡¯s ¡°real¡± mother.


    Discomfited at the thought, she frowned deeply.


    "Is the Bai wine so sour?" Gan Guangli asked, and she startled in her seat, the drink in her cup sloshing.


    "Oh, no, it''s more of a, uh... fizzy taste." Ling Qi took another long drink. Best to drain it before it shattered the cup. She made a note to use a sturdier one next time.


    Cai Renxiang sighed. "Please do not refer to a high quality Bai wine as ''fizzy'' in good company, Ling Qi."


    "Hey, I''m not that bad! I''m just relaxed with you," Ling Qi defended. She was a little tipsy now, maybe; she shouldn''t have drunk that so quickly. She furrowed her brow and circulated her qi, kicking her toxin processing organs into quicker and more efficient function.


    ¡°What are we going to do after the summit?" Ling Qi wondered. She had been focused on this project for so long, she might have lost track.


    And wasn''t that a sour thought. Even if they succeeded perfectly, if the Meng clan as a whole was implicated... She thought of Meng Dan, and her stomach turned. No, the Meng were too old and established. They might be isolationist, but not to such a virulent, self-destructive level.


    If anything, someone this extreme would want to drag everyone down with them. It would be a way of succeeding even in failure. That was a thought she saw occurring in her glimpses into the mind of Still Waters Deeping.


    She would just have to utterly unravel them, together with Shu Yue, Cao Chun, and the others.


    She refused any other outcome.


    ***


    "Big Sis, it''s fiiiiine," Hanyi complained.


    Ling Qi plucked at one of the ornaments in the ice spirit''s hair, adjusting it minutely. Better.


    "It is now."


    Hanyi swatted at her hands. "It was fine before."


    If Hanyi was pushing back against her that much, then she probably was hovering too much.


    Ling Qi stepped back from the vanity as Hanyi hopped down from the stool, her gown swirling around her bare feet. It matched Ling Qi''s dress in style and cut, midnight blue, set with twinkling points of lights like snowflakes descending with the movement of the gown, and pale blue fur trimmings around the neck and hem.


    "You will need to be on your best behavior, okay?" Ling Qi reminded. "No fidgeting around. No complaining about being bored. You need to speak the proper way, too. This isn''t the place to be casual."


    "I understand, Big Sister. I''ll be good, I promise! I won''t mess up your big project."


    Ling Qi winced. "I know you wouldn''t do that on purpose. But no matter how rude or annoying you think someone is being, keep it to yourself, okay? This is as much a stage as your concerts, so treat it that way. You have to stay in character for the whole performance."


    Hanyi stamped her foot. "I''ve got it! You¡¯re worse than Bao Qian before a big show today, Big Sis!"


    Ling Qi resisted the urge to muss her junior sister''s hair. She''d just spent all that time getting it perfect after all.


    "Well, this is MY big show, after all."


    Hanyi pouted, but her expression smoothed out as she looked up at Ling Qi. The willfulness in the young spirit''s gaze faded. Ling Qi let out a breath, relieved. Hanyi really did understand.


    "I''ll be the best junior sis. To pay you back for everything."


    "Thank you, Hanyi. I know you will. You¡¯re a good girl when you want to be." Ling Qi laid a hand on her shoulder. "Let''s head to the meeting hall now."


    "Yeah! Big Sis is gonna knock ''em... um... do whatever is good for complicated, grown-up talks!"


    Showtime.

 Threads 374-Finishing 2

    Threads 374-Finishing 2


    The meeting hall had a different tenor today. For one, the general was absent, although Xia Lin was still here.


    The White Sky''s side was living up to its name because there was a truly staggering amount of white among the heads gathered at their side of the table. The faces were heavily lined and suspicious, and they gathered in small cliques bearing different symbols and attire, some wearing furs and headdresses of bone and horn, and others clutching staves of twisted frozen wood or fingering charms made of feather and bone.


    The imperial side was more colorful, but no less different than usual. A lot of priests in their colorful robes and headdresses were in attendance. She heard the jangle of ringed staffs and the rustle of paper talismans as they squinted just as suspiciously back at their counterparts across the table.


    She met the eyes of Emissary Inzha, who was here in place of her husband today, standing out among the snow-capped crowd by her tall headwear. The other woman gave her a commiserating smile. Ling Qi returned it, dipping her head. They were in for a difficult time, but could it really be as bad as having the general breathing down her neck last week?


    She pursed her lips as she looked on at the jumble of conflicting imagery that was all of these wants and drives and desires.


    ... There were different kinds of challenges.


    Ling Qi¡¯s mistake had been to look at each individual interest here as separate and disconnected. If she focused her eyes a little differently, squinted and tilted her head, there was a picture to be seen. Because if she had learned one thing over the course of these negotiations, it was that wants and desires and actions were not isolated. Every word she had spoken and every choice she had made had rippled out to affect others.


    What the nobles of the Emerald Seas wanted did not arise completely from present, momentary advantage. That was a part, but a long, long history of disunity, internal chaos, and being preyed upon in their separated weakness informed what they saw as gain. To the Emerald Seas, the building advantage they had over the people of the clouds since Ogodei''s fall and Cai Shenhua''s rise was the end of a long winter. The march of soldiers and priests and settlers were the ides of spring, the waters released to flood, uncaring of the destruction of those downstream.


    She didn''t have the full picture of the White Sky. Their image was jumbled to her. If anything, she had her suspicions that their factions were just as deeply divided as any two provinces of the Celestial Empire. From what she had learned from Grydja in that liminal adventure with Xuan Shi, she did not think there was a central authority. It would be as if instead of an emperor, there was only a council of dukes and kings like the old Weilu before the founding era. In their own way though, they were proud and confident. With the revelation of the Sky Palace and its nature, they had lost some of their reticence. The White Sky saw themselves ascendant as well.


    It would be so, so easy for both sides¡¯ pride to come to a clash. For the want of nations to become war.


    The cloud tribes were suffering from it. Whatever the reasons were, the untouchable cloud tribes who had acted with impunity in the southern hills and forests had seen their fortune reverse. The people of the cloud had been in a slow decline since the Xi. Some had gone east and had become of the bogs and badlands. Some had gone west, surviving the harrowing passage to become princes of hill and mountain, a few among a thousand in the mysterious land the White Sky called Khusan.


    And many who were left now looked south. Others looked under the earth, and those that remained gathered for war. One nation''s spring was another''s winter.


    Ling Qi laid a hand on Hanyi''s shoulder when the low rumble of speech around the table faded as Jaromila and Cai Renxiang rose, standing across from each other.


    Cai Renxiang began. "We have come far. We have established the foundation for law between us."


    "We have come together and determined without swords where the borders of our realms will lie," Jaromila responded.


    "Now, we must address less material matters, matters of spirit and ritual."


    "Matters of knowledge and artisanship."


    Ling Qi was pleased with the effect of the intertwining speech and glad that she had helped the two arrange it.


    "Thus, we will begin our discussion here at the embassy itself," Cai Renxiang continued.


    "The spirits of the place are unsettled. With our achievements last week, it is far less now, but the spirits of this place will remain in confusion until we align our practices here.¡±


    Now, Ling Qi rose from her seat to speak. "We must now decide how to proceed with doing so. I ask that the experts in the affairs of the gods, small and large, share their wisdom here, and do so with respect to their counterparts."


    There was a murmuring among the gathered priests. When one finally stood to speak, it was an elderly imperial man in dark green robes, leaning heavily on his ring-headed staff. His silver hair was woven through with a circlet of gold, molded into the shape of woven wheat stalks and heads. "This is a wild land. Its spirits do not know us. They are confused, frightened, and angry. The many disparate pieces of casual ritual trouble them. Only where construction has been laid down are they quelled."


    "Slain and broken, more like," one of the White Sky priests, an old man himself with skin like dried tree bark and only a few wispy strands clinging to his bald head, spoke. He wore a half mask of leaves and woven branches. "It is not always the wrong way to carve the world in our shape. This is the way of living things, to adapt our environment as we adapt to it, but there is no need to dance around the subject."


    While the inspector was not incorrect that the small amounts of spiritual pollution and chaos produced by the current setup could be policed by a few dedicated exorcists, that would not, and could not, scale up. Here, the Ministry of Integrity couldn''t get its way. At the same time, going for full integration and an all inclusive spiritual council would raise too many hackles and present too many difficulties. It was better to set a foundation and expand later.


    "I believe we must create a shared travel infrastructure, at the very least," Ling Qi interrupted. "If this arrangement is to last in the long term, then we cannot always be dealing with spiritual corruption and confusion at the borders or have soldiers, messengers, and any other travelers dogged by misfortunes and curses."


    "Imperial methods do not need to be adapted here,¡± Cao Chun objected. ¡°Instead, these mountains should be tamed and the roads made safe through proper pacification. It is true that there will be some minor troubles where safe separation from foreign elements is impossible."


    "And when points of contact grow, so will the problem. Inspector, I cannot countenance a complete refusal to prepare for future growth."


    "I agree that we should not step too quickly, but truly, laying foundations for travel rituals seems to me to be an absolute necessity," Dzintara said. "Obviously, these methods will only be used here in the borderlands. No one''s rites in their core will be infringed upon."


    "Deviation,¡± Cao Chun said, ¡°has its way of spreading. I cannot stop you, baroness and worthies of the Emerald Seas, whose lack of objection I note. However, understand that the throne will be watching. Imperial decrees on orthodox processes will not be crossed with these new methods."


    Wang Lian snorted. "I don''t intend to see anyone carving open mortals for reagents and offerings on the borders of our lands."


    "You know very well that demonic methods are not always so blatant." Cao Chun¡¯s expression was severe.


    "What do you accuse us of?" Inzha asked, beating Dzintara to it by the way the other woman snapped her mouth shut. There was grumbling welling up among the White Sky priests as well.


    Ling Qi held back a grimace.


    "We have observed studies and reports of your cultivation methods. They are suspect, particularly those sacrifices to your crone spirit," Cao Chun said. "Or do you deny that one of the benefits offered to your vassal tribes was freedom from her hunger?"


    Ilsur chuckled darkly. "Oh, now, the lowlanders care for the lives of cloud children!"


    "Yes, this old man must have forgotten the mercy of the clouds for the young when they come to take!" Luo Jie shot back.


    Cao Chun gave a short sharp nod to Luo Jie. "Regardless, cultivation practice and ritual is different from the collateral of war."


    "Do not,¡± Ilsur snarled, ¡°pretend that your own spirits do not inflict death when they are displeased or not sacrificed to, imperial."


    "The cold of Crone Winter will harm any who are not under her protection. She is a cruel god of a cruel domain," Jaromila said coldly. "We do not serve our people well by refusing to acknowledge cruel things, which I am sure you are familiar with. However, our rites do not demand the giving of human lives, if that is what you are implying."


    This debate was swiftly going in a dangerous direction.


    "Of course,¡± Ling Qi said, ¡°we are loyal subjects and will not defy any imperial decrees. However, there is a great deal of latitude for local ritual in imperial law. If the throne wishes to observe, I am certain Her Grace will accommodate."


    There was some rumbling from the imperial priests at that. While the overall Ministry of Spiritual Affairs had the final word on orthodoxy of spiritual rites, that right had not been exercised very often in the provinces. But there was no way to not step into the minefield of the empire''s own internal conflicts between imperial and provincial power.


    "As you say. I cannot stop you, only advise you of the throne¡¯s thoughts," Cao Chun repeated. "You are aware of them, and you persist here. I will say no more on the matter."


    It was clear that unlike in past instances of disagreement, Cao Chun''s disapproval was not reduced at all. Given his history, it made sense. If there was any place where his zeal for imperial orthodoxy was at its strongest, it was here in the matter of rites, rituals, and cultivation.


    Ling Qi lowered her head in acknowledgement of his words and then raised it again. She had known it would not be possible to avoid conflict with Cao Chun and the ministry forever. She did wish that he had not created such a sour atmosphere on the White Sky.


    "Let us agree to the proposal to create travelers rites, gate rites and study wildland rites then," Jaromila said after a moment. "The next topic, I believe, can be the matter of the observatory you have built here."

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    Threads 375-Finishing 3


    "It has reached my ears that the White Sky wish for a place for your own scholars there," Meng Deming said. "The Meng clan has staked significant investment in the observatory."


    "And Her Grace recognizes the efforts of the Meng clan in adding to her own investments," Cai Renxiang rebutted calmly. "We are pleased with your flexibility and outreach." eng Deming inclined his head, as if those words were not totally at odds with the Meng attitude. "Yes. In recognition of shared past ties between our peoples, the Meng clan is willing to allow scholars of the Sibiar clan access and placement there to study the secrets of the stars together."


    Jaromila''s eyebrows drew together, and she glanced at Khadne, who sat next to her. Neither Dzintara nor Inzha showed anything but mild surprise, even as some small grumbling passed through the other members of the priestly delegation.


    Jaromila tilted her head toward the other woman as Khadne rose from her seat. "We accept this in the good faith it is offered. Of course, we hope to establish further and stronger ties in the future."


    "That remains to be seen," Meng Deming said.


    "I am pleased that we could so easily agree on this matter. Her Grace supports her loyal counts in the Meng here," Ling Qi said diplomatically.


    She was glad that her estimation had been correct. The White Sky would only be confused and not insulted by the Sibiar stipulation. It let the parties take one crucial step away from the storm that had nearly broken, although the tension in the air was far from gone.


    "There is another concern," an old woman spoke up. This one bore little finery or symbols, wearing a dull brown shapeless robe of sackcloth. She had a jutting, pointed jaw with iron teeth and sunken eyes. "Temples and dedications. We agree on shared shrines to make the border between us less chaotic, but what of our halves of this embassy itself? Where men walk, the gods demand dedications. Yours will too, else ours encroach upon them."


    "It is true," spoke an imperial priest. He wore robes of yellow and gold patterned with scales and a half mask of white jade carved like a dragon''s fearsome visage. His qi felt like a spring thunderstorm rumbling in the early morning. "While it is fine and good to stabilize the borders with pacts, for it was from the gods that men were given the rightful notion of borders, treaties, and property, it is nonetheless a fact that like us, the gods desire the expansion of their dominions. This will see clashes as we civilize and order our lands."


    "This is a new problem. Wild spirits and their courts learn to take their place in the celestial order with simple acclimation and proper ritual design granting them the proper duties and stipend, but there has not been a ''rival'' court to that of the imperial dragon since the days of chaos before the Sage," a younger but still graying woman in the same colors but less ornate finery said softly. "At least, not one which has not been swiftly submitted."


    There was some murmuring and conversation by priests of more local gods, but no real disagreement. Imperial orthodoxy held that the imperial dragon was supreme over the spirit court of the Celestial Empire with the other sublime ancestors as their direct subordinates. Only the greater sun and moon were above this, essentially holding the same position that elders in closed door cultivation held in the typical imperial clan. That was her understanding anyway. Despite her efforts, Ling Qi was still not deeply studied in theology.


    One of the old men cloaked in crow feathers leaned forward heavily on his stick. "There is no great althing of the greater gods. They are too few, and they need hold no councils as men do. Little gods may be organized in many ways, but it is true that the greater god''s desire to see their ways spread and followed. This can bring conflict."


    Wang Lian drummed her fingers on her elbow. "Frankly, the great spirits do not need to be shoved right up to the border. Let men work, and their influence will spread naturally. Shrines and minor dedications for daily ritual are fine, but I suggest that we simply place a blanket ban on major temple and site construction at the embassy and in any place where our people will be in close proximity. No direct pushing of influence one way or the other. Let¡¯s say within fifty kilometers of the border as well since we''ve made those so expansive."


    There was a mild clamor but not much outright outrage on the imperial side. Discussions of what would count as minor and who would decide on the appropriate level of influence arose. Temples and priests had long been subordinate to the nobility, who were themselves a major part of the interface between man and spirit. To them, this was no more divisive than discussing buffer zones of military activity.


    Honestly, Ling Qi was surprised by Wang Lian''s proposal; it was not one discussed beforehand. Given that even Cao Chun looked less irritable considering it, she thought it sounded rather good...


    But the reaction from their counterparts was not nearly so calm.


    Harsh whispers abounded, and there were many scowls present among the gathered priests. Many outright glared at Wang Lian or looked at their imperial counterparts with surprise and confusion, as if searching their demeanors for a trick. Dzintara certainly looked like she wanted to spit.


    "If I may speak." It was Inzha''s voice that rose over the noise as the tall woman rose from her seat. "I believe a better measure would be one of matching, here at the embassy ground and in any shared space. If one side dedicates a site, the other shall as well. Negotiation should come before any construction to avoid perverse incentives. Obviously, there would be no limits within our own borders."


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    She found the reaction of their guests to be less than enthused though. The priests of the White Sky were once again looking at their imperial counterparts with utter befuddlement. She supposed they had expressed that they didn''t see their gods that way as being neatly ordered like a human court.


    She caught Jaromila''s eye across the table. The woman was considering her.


    "The gods each have their domains. In our land, where the boundaries fall is a well-tread subject. That is not as true here,"Jaromila said, cutting through the murmurs. "I do not think discussions of which of our gods can most effectively communicate with foreign ones is unwarranted."


    "Easy for the disciples of Sudica to say," someone muttered. Ling Qi could not quite catch who had said it, so quiet it was among the other words being spoken.


    Ah, right, the patron of emissaries would be rather advantaged in that argument. She couldn''t say she hadn''t been somewhat hoping for that. She didn''t like to think of negotiation as divide and conquer, but securing an advantage for her most potent allies in the White Sky camp was a factor Ling Qi had considered.


    "I am not certain such a degree of intervention and restriction on the gods is useful or good," Dzintra said, echoed by agreeing murmurs from their priests


    "At the same time,¡± Ling Qi said, ¡°I hope you understand that we cannot allow foreign gods complete latitude in coming into the realms of our gods."


    "Property and its rites must be enforced in all realms," agreed an imperial priest, a severe looking man in silver robes. His aura reminded her of Renxiang''s father. "Good neighbors are wrought by ironclad and unambiguous contracts."


    "There is some precedent...."


    "The regional conclaves..."


    "... tithing negotiations and jurisdiction."


    "Indeed. We have done well in setting down such contracts so far," Jaromila said over the muttering of her priests. "Gods are not human, and ours do not organize themselves like them, but we, their hands in this world, are. Is it not best to promote who is most effective in this region?"


    "It may be difficult, but it seems to me that this will reduce strife in the long term, and as our lands grow together, this framework can be further developed," Inzha said.


    "I see I am outvoted," Dzintara said gruffly, sitting back down.


    "Are there any other objections?" Ling Qi glanced around her own side.


    "You will have the spirit speakers arguing a great deal,¡± Luo Jie observed, ¡°but perhaps it is best to get the arguing done at the beginning."


    "Better to debate in a proper environment and venue than to squabble here and there," murmured a priest at his side.


    "Indeed. The Luo agree to this."


    Others chimed in one after another with varying levels of interest.


    There were still many unhappy faces on the White Sky side, but it was only grumbling, rather than fury. Ling Qi was thankful for Jaromila''s assistance in selling her idea.


    "We do come now to a subject that should have been discussed much earlier," Dzintara said, fixing her with a look. "You have been judged, Emissary of the Emerald Seas, and your inheritance of ice is not up for debate. Nonetheless, we would have you explain it and your sister''s condition."

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    Threads 376-Finishing 4


    "This has tugged at my thoughts as well. There is something odd about your bound spirit," Luo Jie said.


    Meng Deming disagreed. "Mentorship from the avatars of the world is a venerable practice, for all that it is often ignored these days. It gives this one hope for these sects that they do not crush it from their students."


    "The Argent Peak Sect is very good at getting its disciples into the correct sort of trouble," Gan Guangli agreed.


    "Enough," Cai Renxiang said evenly. "Ling Qi, this is your clan business. You are not required to explain your secrets."


    She would, though. They had already discussed that, but framing her doing so in this way earned some approval among their side.


    "Thank you, Lady Cai, but my junior sister¡ªand she is that¡ªas the trueborn daughter of the ice spirit Zeqing, who I acknowledged as my teacher and master," Ling Qi said, laying her hands on Hanyi''s shoulders, "is willing to explain how she came to be."


    "Yeah, that''s right! Elder sister was my mother''s first and only disciple, so of course she trusted her with me!" Hanyi turned up her chin, looking and sounding for all purposes like a prim young miss, if one ignored her blank white eyes and corpse-like pallor.


    The more imperially-inclined courtiers on her own side gave her some circumspect looks here, but Ling Qi did not acknowledge them. On this point, she would not show any shame or contrition. She was proud of her mentor and the trials she had undergone in learning from her.


    It was Zeqing who had taught her the true depths of avarice and desire. It was Zeqing who had shown her the truth of restraint, that no matter how deeply she wanted, in the end, she still had a choice. What else could she call a fourth realm fighting her own nature to the death and allowing Ling Qi''s meager self to make off with her greatest treasure, Hanyi?


    "Junior sister, please tell your story," Ling Qi said.


    "A long time ago, when the mountains were still deep in the ice, my mother lived on the peak of the White Cloud Mountain..."


    LingQi observed the table as her sister spoke. Many on her own side were disinterested at first. There were thoughts in many heads of why this subject was being brought up now and why it was being spoken of here. There were, however, those who were listening, including Meng Dan, Luo Jie, and more than a few of the priests. Meng Deming, she noted, looked distracted, his gaze flicking toward the windows. She did not see anything through the glass or sense anything amiss, but his actions did put her on edge.


    The White Sky side of the table was listening intently. She had no doubt that they were all aware of the impossibility Hanyi claimed to be, the daughter of a spirit of ice and a death and endings like their own patrons. A creature like that should never have been able to make new life.


    "A man from the foot of the mountain climbed it to seek her out. He was brave and charming and very warm..."


    Ling Qi dipped her head. This wasn¡¯t a happy story. They''d determined through discussion that the man who became Hanyi''s father had probably lived somewhere between the rise of the empire and the time of the Xi dukes, probably a cultivator of the hill tribes or the Sibiar clan. That was about when histories recorded the last glaciers retreating.


    The Celestial Empire had no monopoly on arrogance, pride, and desire.


    Cao Chun''s expression darkened as Hanyi explained what the man did, what he intended, and the ultimate result. He scoffed under his breath. She could almost read the line of his thoughts. That was the result of consorting so deeply with spirits. Well, she didn''t read any sympathy toward the man there at least.


    She didn''t miss the distasteful looks thrown toward her and Hanyi by the priests and clerks though. Hanyi was on the edge of the taboo. If she had been born properly, not locked away and frozen for countless centuries in her mother''s soul, Hanyi would have been a spirit-blooded human.


    It was their guests that had the stronger reaction, as was becoming the usual for today¡¯s negotiations. Inzha looked at Hanyi with even greater fascination. Jaromila''s expression had slowly twisted into a scowl. Blood beaded at the corner of Dzintara''s lips, and Ling Qi could hear the high whine of iron grinding across iron, muffled by the woman''s gathered qi.


    "Such is the way of men who do not discipline themselves, seeking to plunder and take even of the most sacred," muttered a matronly woman. She wore a wreath of leaves and berries on her brow.


    "Foolish, bringing about only his own demise," agreed another priest, the man with the mask of leaves and the scent of spring. "Such is the Stormbringer¡¯s want."


    "We are pleased with that," Inzha said lightly. The expressions and feelings swirling about the rest of their delegation did not seem to fully agree. "Did you have a specific point of interest, Voice of the Builder?"


    Wang Lian snorted. "Your Sky Palace. But I am not a fool."


    Dzintara looked like she wanted to say something, as did several others, but Jaromila quelled them with a flex of her spirit, and instead, she smiled politely at Wang Lian. "It is good that we are all reasonable. Such an important project is very sensitive. May I assume you would like some insights into our sledges?"


    "Implying there is more than one," Wang Lian noted. "Yes. There is no beast power supporting it. Nor even a collection of fourth or higher realms giving lift. Nor do I sense anything like the windstones of the east."


    "Flight of artificial vehicles has always been a fanciful subject. The spirits of the air currents and the laws of the earth reject them. Sufficient cultivation may allow the matter to be brute forced, but this induces its own instability into the geomantic patterns which regulate the weather and the winds," Meng Deming said. He showed no distraction now. Had he simply been waiting to get to this topic? "Disruptions I have not observed."


    "We do have our own profound methods," Inzha said. "I hope you understand that this is a larger matter than common construction and warding techniques.¡±


    "It is, but so is the matter of access to our observatories and astrological knowledge," Meng Deming said. "On this matter, we may be willing to bend, if our guests may also be generous..."


    Ling Qi did not turn her head, but she did flick her eyes toward Cai Renxiang, whose brow was furrowed. Gan Guangli was giving their liege a surprised look as well.


    When she spoke, it was very soft and under a potent screen. "Apologies. The matter was raised just before the meeting. I did not have a reason to block such a proposal."


    Ling Qi understood. It would have been insulting to do so. Still, this line of questioning was more than a little surprising. Maybe not from Wang Lian, though she expected the woman to be more circumspect, but from Meng Deming, this was strange.


    By what Meng Dan had previously said, even agreeing to allow some Sibiar scholars into the observatory had taken convincing, and his uncle was not a member of the reformist faction, but merely a relatively neutral conservative.


    She glanced at Cao Chun, and his brows were deeply furrowed as well. She wasn''t the only one wondering what was going on here.


    Combined with everything they knew, she was almost certain Meng Deming had some sort of plot or point he was driving to, but she couldn''t bring that up in the middle of the meeting.


    "It may be possible to allow some number of scholars to observe samples or maintenance work," Inzha offered.


    While she was thinking, the conversation continued. It was somewhat tense, but reasonably so for negotiations. She could tell that her counterparts weren''t surprised or offended by this request as imperial engineers might have been, but they were definitely more than a bit cagey.


    "However, we feel that we might require some time before allowing this," Jaromila added.


    "Raising this subject brings another issue to the fore," Cao Chun said irritably. "We have restricted the movements of sovereign cultivators past the borders. Where then lie devices like these?"


    "I am not certain where your objection lies, sir. It is merely a vehicle. Naturally, we would not use one to transport one who has ascended without following the laws laid down," Jaromila said mildly.


    "Do not be coy with me!" Cao Chun snapped, and Ling Qi winced.


    "Inspector," she began.


    "No, baroness, let me finish," he said. "That device is not merely a vehicle. It took observation and study, but your soldiers are tied to it. The binding is sympathetic. The soldiers are not merely powering the device; the connection can be reversed from the internal source of the object, empowering your soldiers.¡±

 Threads 377-Finishing...Interrupt

    Threads 377-Finishing...Interrupt


    The hall was silent.


    Inspector Cao continued. ¡°I had already suspected such before the specter of this Sky-Palace was raised. I now understand why your people can manage with such low realms in charge. These ''mantles'' in your cultivation, the amount of power they can draw is not so small, is it?"


    At that, a great deal of murmuring and words whispered back and forth sprung forth. Ling Qi''s eyebrows rose as she swiftly scanned others¡¯ reactions. Dzintara''s expression was sour, but Inzha''s was mildly impressed.


    "Inspector, Lady Cai, and other worthies, this is true," Jaromila replied. "We may more fully mantle ourselves when acting in accordance with the gods and our own soldiers¡¯ councils. There was no intention of deception here. The techniques in effect with the sky sledge are normal military arts, common throughout the White Sky. It is only our innovations with flight and powered vehicles that are new."


    Luo Jie rapped his cane on the floor for attention. "It seems there should be some amendment to our agreements then, on the movement of such devices."


    "Or more immediate study," one of the courtiers murmured.


    "We should not let unknown techniques..."


    "Shall each and every one of us share our clan cultivation arts then?" Ling Qi asked, raising her voice over the noise. "The formations which empower our soldiers, which we use in the cultivation of armies?"


    Cai Renxiang spoke. "Indeed. Let us not be caught up in fear. I am certain our guests have already considered any formation capable of generating a sovereign¡¯s power to be within the remit of our treaties."


    "It is so," Dzintara said tightly. "It is our way that the power of the mightiest is best used through the hands of we who stand in the mortal world fully. You clearly do not believe so, but we do."


    "The active exercise of what you call sovereignty is taboo outside of dire emergencies, regardless," Inzha said.


    "Like, is it really a big deal?" Hanyi wondered aloud. Ling Qi gently tapped her shoulder and shook her head


    "And how are we to know that?" Cao Chun demanded. "It took time even for myself to detect this.


    "How are we to know that you do not have those who have carved away all but their shadows sneaking and watching through our borders?" Dzintara retorted.


    Ling Qi did not glance down at her own shadow. "Some measure of trust is necessary. And have the White Sky not discussed the possibility of allowing inspection of the devices in time?"


    "We deal in good faith," Jaromila insisted.


    Meng Deming frowned. "This business of theirs does not show the signs of a trick."


    Wang Lian stroked her chin. "If it calms my colleagues'' hearts, a minor adjustment to the words of the movement treaty may be made. Perhaps we can place a requirement that cultivation-powered vehicles must be registered and announced before crossing."


    "Not merely our sky sledges?" Inzha asked, amused.


    "Future proofing," Wang Lian maintained.


    There were a few titters among the imperials and grumbling among the White Sky.


    "What would even count under this proposed provision?¡± wondered the younger dragon priest. "Not beast-pulled vehicles, I assume. Self-powered devices only? Many common formations in transportation require the active qi upkeep of their drivers."


    Ling Qi was happy to step back and let her liege speak. The weight of her authority was greater than Ling Qi''s, and her clear intent kept those who still clearly wanted to dig for more information on White Sky cultivation from speaking up over her. Imperial etiquette was truly useful sometimes.


    "I look forward to the continuation of talks once our priests have been able to conference with today''s agreements in mind," Jaromila returned. "Lady Cai of the Emerald Seas."


    "As do I, Emissary Jaromila of the White Sky," Cai Renxiang said. "Let us complete today''s talks and allow everyone to digest the contents. We will reconvene here the day after tomorrow, if that time is suitable for your people."


    "It is," Jaromila replied.


    There was a bit more ceremony and etiquette to get through, especially with so many priests wishing to say their own few words, but soon, the first day of talks was at its end.


    ***


    "Thank you for being so patient, Hanyi," Ling Qi said. It was important to praise her junior sister when she behaved well.


    Hanyi crossed her arms. "Ugh. I felt like a stage prop... but I guess if it made all those old people recognize big sis and momma, it¡¯s fine."


    They were on the veranda set in the back of the embassy building, overlooking the grounds that would be the garden. A reflecting pool had been dug, tiled, and filled, but the rest was still largely wood and rope posts outlining where beds and paths would be in the cold, rocky dirt. It was rather low priority with everything else going on


    "It was very helpful, and it got you a new venue for your tours, right?" Ling Qi teased, nudging her side.


    "Ah, Bao Qian''s gonna be all annoyed. Well, not really. I think this is pretty big?"


    "I certainly hope so. I''ll talk to him after this, if you do end up summering here."


    "Did I do bad, agreeing without asking you?" Hanyi asked. She sounded tentative and nervous.


    "No. You''re my junior sister and Zeqing''s daughter. You have the right to decide. Your big sister is just worried."


    Even now, there was a large part of her that wanted to deny the White Sky the chance to poke and prod at her sister, verbally or otherwise. She knew it was foolish, but Hanyi was hers. Her sister. Her ward.


    But Hanyi also belonged to herself. Ling Qi had long decided that she didn''t want to go to the lengths that denied her family¡¯s and friends¡¯ agency.


    While Sixiang might needle her about thinking badly of herself, she was a greedy girl. She wanted things. She wanted people. Letting them go hurt her. She hated doing so. She still felt Gu Xiulan''s absence as a faint, uncomfortable gnawing when she read the girl¡¯s increasingly sparse letters. She still felt discomfited, leaving Su Ling and Li Suyin behind at the sect. She still wanted Zhengui at the embassy grounds, even knowing that he was doing much better by enmeshing himself in the spiritual court of the fief at Snowblossom Lake.


    She was going to have to have a talk with the lake again, too.


    She shook her head. That hunger, that greed, was in her, but as Zeqing had shown her, even if that hunger was her, it was still her choice to indulge it. For Ling Qi, the cost of doing so was too high. But she worried sometimes if she had really accepted that.


    "Hey, big sis..."


    There was a commotion in the embassy behind them. Footsteps beat on the floor followed by the sound of startled clerks and servants. Ling Qi turned before the doors leading inside began to slide open, and she found herself staring at Meng Dan, looking more ruffled than she had seen him since their traversal of the frozen valley in the last leg of their journey south.


    "Miss Ling, we need to speak," he said hastily. "In private, please."

 Threads 378-Roil 1

    Threads 378-Roil 1


    Hanyi, who had already started to puff her cheeks out in annoyance, looked concerned when Ling Qi rested a hand on her head. "Then let us do so, Sir Meng. Hanyi, I''ll come back soon, okay?"


    "Okay," Hanyi said seriously. "Should I get Sixiang?"


    "That would be very helpful, junior sister. Sir Meng, follow me." Ling Qi inclined her head.


    The moment they were inside under the privacy protections, some of the tension left Meng Dan''s shoulders.


    "There is something amiss in my household."


    "How amiss?"


    "Something attempted to infiltrate my mind. It attempted to transfer over from the servant bringinging me my mid-study tea," Meng Dan replied. "Combined with my uncle¡¯s strange and undiscussed proposals today..."


    "You detected that?"


    He blinked, eyes sharpening behind his glasses as he glanced over her. "You were aware...?" He sounded upset.


    Ling Qi grimaced. She didn''t blame him. "Together with the inspector, we have been investigating incidents like these. We have been keeping the knowledge as quarantined as possible. I am very sorry, Meng Dan. How did you detect it? We suspect the parasites are sovereign work."


    He let out a breath, and his frown smoothed away. "I would like to claim all the credit, but my grandmother equipped me with a defensive talisman of her own make. She said she had divined that I might need it and that I was not to speak of it."


    Ling Qi leaned back against the desk in the room. It was relieving that others had at least noted the ripples of this plot. "Did you notice any reaction to your rejection?"


    "No," Meng Dan replied tightly.


    "What did you mean that your uncle''s proposal was unexpected?"


    "Just that. He did not discuss it with anyone. Nor did he contact the clan through our transmission crystal, as he did when determining our initial response to the observatory offer," Meng Dan explained. "Such spontaneity is unlike uncle¡ªor any of my elders. Moving quickly and without consultation with your generational peers is not encouraged in my clan. I am not even certain the clan head would honor a deal made without consulting him."


    "But the clan wouldn''t tell any outsiders even if such a breach in protocol was made, would they?"


    "No. My elders are not fond of involving outsiders in our business. Is it possible this attack has affected my uncle?"


    "I certainly hope so. Do you know if he is planning anything else?"


    Meng Dan thought. "He spoke to his attendants about arranging a meeting with the White Sky¡¯s Lady Inzha about our exchange this evening. There was surprisingly little pushback."


    Ling Qi let out a long breath. She needed to inform Cao Chun. Whether Meng Deming was the ultimate source of this sabotage or not, if he was diverging from the Meng clan''s own internal systems, then that did point to a rogue actor. It also meant Still Waters Deeping was likely to gamble more and more, if he had not cut his losses by this point.


    Were they truly going to have to deal with a sovereign willing to die for this plot?


    The thought made her stomach churn.


    "I need to contact Cao Chun," Ling Qi decided. "Meng Dan, how long can you stay away before your absence is considered suspicious?"


    "I do not know. Normally, my movements are not constrained, but if there is some plot afoot, then it may already be too late." Meng Dan was restless. The rippling lake surface of his aura was agitated, and she could hear the rustle of paper like the stirring wings of birds about to take flight.


    Then, they couldn''t delay for long. However there was one problem. Did she send a message to the White Sky telling them to refuse any meetings?


    After a brief moment of hesitation, she realized she couldn''t justify not telling her guests when there was a potential threat like this afoot. Ling Qi massaged her temples in frustration. What if this ruined their chances? If it tipped the saboteur off...


    "Lady Ling?" Meng Dan asked.


    "Let''s go. We need to get to Cao Chun, then I have a message to send. Do you know if the request for the meeting has already been sent?"


    "Not yet. I believe my uncle was drafting it."


    "Inspector Cao, I have completed..."


    Ling Qi glanced back as Jin Tae entered the room behind them, stopping short as he glimpsed them. It was disorienting, not being able to feel people coming and going while under the ministry''s wards.


    "I have completed gathering the agents¡¯ reports. Deployment of the formations has been successful," Jin Tae continued, after only missing a beat. "I take it that circumstances have changed?"


    "They have. The infection in the Meng clan has reached a critical point," Cao Chun said. "We will need to advance the timetable."


    "May I ask what the ministry is planning?" Ling Qi asked.


    "Your liege was to be informed tomorrow morning regardless. At this point, your cooperation will be needed as well," Cao Chun said. "The intent was to activate the disrupting formations in tandem and flush the parasites in a single sweep. The formation energies, attuned to myself, would bounce from the parasites¡¯ connections to their master, revealing a trail and disrupting the target¡¯s qi. With the former minister''s ''punch up'' protocols, I would damage the target sufficiently to enable the Emerald Seas¡¯ more active assets in the area to solve the problem with minimal collateral, if they chose to emerge."


    "So you would need our cooperation regardless," Ling Qi concluded.


    "Yes. At the very least, I would like the general to be on alert."


    Ling Qi could not hold back a sour expression, despite her efforts.


    "That would mean you are expecting collateral," Meng Dan observed.


    "There are vanishingly few ways in which that can be avoided, if this villain makes a stand," Cao Chun replied bluntly.


    "And do you think that is likely?" Ling Qi asked.


    "It cannot be ruled out. The decrepit creature may flee, understanding that their hand has been shown too far already."


    "Decrepit?" Ling Qi asked. "You''ve discerned such a characteristic?"


    "Assuming it is not a younger cultivator using an elder''s tools," Cao Chun said. "Jin Tae, prepare a Silent Word formation."


    "Yes, master. The recipient?"


    Cao Chun looked at her.


    "The Emissary Jaromila of the White Sky," Ling Qi instructed.


    Jin Tae blinked. "Very well."


    "That aside, I caught your look, honored inspector. Are you accusing my kin of this?" Meng Dan asked.


    Cao Chun snorted. "Frankly, yes, boy. Either your uncle is the source for this, having stolen these tools from your clan''s storehouses, or there is a presumably rogue elder about."


    "The Meng clan would not approve of going so far against Her Grace," Meng Dan disagreed. "To do so..."


    "Would be ruinous," Ling Qi completed. "I understand, Meng Dan, but the qi in these parasites are too similar. I had hoped it was some ith-ia infiltrator attempting to frame the Meng clan and bring us to infighting, but if it is so, they are frighteningly well read on our internal affairs."


    "The talisman constructs being embedded in people are clearly descended from observations of Hui cursecraft and mind arts," Cao Chun added. "By my judgment, they are not original works, merely reproductions. Your clan is the Hui¡¯s closest relation."


    Meng Dan''s expression tightened. "What evidence is this?"


    "I do not need..."


    "Inspector,¡± Ling Qi interrupted, ¡°Meng Dan obviously cannot go back to his clan nor can he contact anyone save but under our eyes. He has been cleared by your security as well. Might informing him not allow him to give us further clues?"


    "As if someone would simply turn over clan secrets to an outsider!" Jin Tae scoffed. "Whose pride would be so¡ª"


    "Whose pride would be so damning," Meng Dan said coldly. "If this suspicion is true, I see with clear eyes what would happen to my kin. It must be a rogue element, you understand? What is pride when ten thousand years of history could burn?"

 Threads 379-Roil 2

    Threads 379-Roil 2


    Ling Qi was surprised by the sheer, quiet panic in his voice. She had thought she understood the implications,as someone who studied the past and the many times clans had fallen in the Emerald Seas, the Chu only being the most recent.


    Jin Tae fell silent, and it was Cao Chun who spoke. "We have, thanks to Baroness Ling, a Name, and more than one after my own investigations. Would you know the Name of a hidden elder of your clan, if it were presented to you?"


    Meng Dan looked pained. "I am too young to receive such knowledge."


    "Then..."


    "But my grandmother is not. I have a way to contact her, immediately and in real time, for a dire problem."


    Cao Chun shook his head. "And we are to trust that she is not in contact with the perpetrator?"


    "Meng Diu would not be involved in this," Ling Qi stated.


    Perhaps... Perhaps that was only a mask. What the woman wanted her to see, she would, given the differences in their cultivation. But Meng Diu¡¯s actions since their first collaboration spoke otherwise.


    "Inspector Cao,¡± Ling Qi continued, ¡°if we are correct, is it not worth seeing this matter shut down at the root? It is even possible, given his abilities, that the perpetrator is still physically in Meng lands."


    Cao Chun looked at her hard, a small tic in his cheek.


    "If this is allowed to burst into public view unimpeded, it will tear the province apart. We may disagree on much about this summit, but this is beyond that. Please, inspector."


    "I will allow it," he said grudgingly.


    Jin Tae''s eyebrows flew up.


    "It will be done right here under my supervision. Does this method allow multiple speakers?" New novel chapters are published at novelhall.com


    "If we are close. It does not last long," Meng Dan said.


    He didn¡¯t hesitate any further. There was a flash as the item appeared from within his ring. It was a small, smooth stone like any other that could be found on a riverbed. Ling Qi could neither see nor sense no formations on it.


    He spoke, and the words were half-foreign to her ears. They sounded like ancient and archaic imperial and a little bit of hill tribe, but with elements foreign to both. The meaning still came to her clear enough, even without the sounds making sense. The Rains Arrive.


    Cao Chun squinted at Meng Dan, and Jin Tae frowned as the Meng scion continued to speak in that odd archaic tongue.


    ¡°Grandmother, there may be a traitor dragging us into the duchess¡¯ light. Uncle is compromised, even if the source is another. The ministry knows. They have a Name.¡±


    She understood but kept her peace until she felt a trickle of the old woman''s qi through the stone, like a single eye opening, peering down a long tunnel.


    "And you believe him?" she asked, dry and creaking, sounding older than Ling Qi had ever heard her.


    Cao Chun spoke, his qi pushing to the fore, ripples of metallic light gleaming on his skin. He spoke what could only be the words pried from the second parasite.


    Preservation. Wholeness. Purity. Keeper Against Defilement.


    There was a beat of silence.


    "I believe Lady Ling, who found the first Name." Meng Dan bowed his head to the stone in his hand.


    And with that, the connection cut.


    "We have much work to do," Cao Chun said. "Jin Tae will arrange the message to the White Sky. Baroness, do you believe you can convince them to at least speak of delays and deflect over the reasons rather than cutting the meeting off entirely?"


    "I do not see why they could not be so reasonable."


    Cao Chun grunted. "Then we will have a little more time. Jin Tae, go to the formation room. The baroness will be along to dictate in a moment."


    Jin Tae bowed. "Understood, inspector. Baroness, I assume you will be able to detect my qi?"


    "Assuming the wards allow it."


    Jin Tae straightened up. "I shall leave the door open." He took his leave.


    Ling Qi glanced at Cao Chun after the door clicked shut behind his apprentice. "Inspector, what did you want to bring up that you do not wish Jin Tae to hear?"


    "I would like to know the disposition of the duchess'' pet demon," Cao Chun said bluntly. "I know it was assigned to the protection of the heiress... and you."


    Ling Qi kept her expression neutral, for all that she wanted to scowl at the man for those words.


    "Do not deny. I am not stupid. While I am certain your own arts were pivotal, you would not have accomplished what you did without some backing to prevent reprisals through the parasites. I do not approve of such a being, but it is under control for now. That is more than can be said of this rogue."


    "Is that the opinion of the ministry?" Ling Qi asked warily.


    "It is my opinion, and if my superiors did not wish for it, they should have left me my retirement. I cannot plan properly without knowing the disposition of the pieces on the board."


    "Shu Yue nearly caught them the first time, when they thought to strike at me. Instead, they caught and destroyed a fourth realm simulacrum." Ling Qi paused, considering, before amending, "Or what they believed to be one. I am only in occasional contact to preserve their own anonymity and freedom of action."


    Meng Dan raised an eyebrow at her. "Then there is another peer already on the hunt?"


    "There is. They have mostly been waiting for the target to overextend themselves."


    "Not a bad plan, and it confirms my own thoughts. The target has been growing more careful and cagey, but they are not withdrawing. Either their Way will not allow it or they feel they are already caught."


    "Do you think they intend to go unto death?" Ling Qi asked.


    "I do not think they intended so at the beginning. This is why I lend some credence to this mantling notion. A sovereign on the edge of death already... It is possible this technique explains some discrepancies."


    "I hope it is so," Ling Qi said. "Will you be willing to communicate with Shu Yue?"


    Cao Chun grimaced. "I will. I assume it is not here?"


    "If they were, I''m sure they would have spoken."


    "Then the security formations are in good order at least," Cao Chun grumbled. "Very well. I will be taking a walk outside in thirty minutes¡¯ time."


    "Understood. I do not wish to delay the message, and the general needs to be informed."


    "If I may, Miss Ling,¡± Meng Dan said, ¡°I would go with you. I wish to be of what aid I can."


    "Of course." She lowered her head. "Goodbye for now, inspector."

 Threads Interlude: Chicken.

    Threads Interlude: Chicken.


    "You know... You know, I''ve been thinking I should warn you off that girl, but she''s doing pretty good work here."


    Xuan Shi sat cross-legged in the inner garden of the building set aside for the Xuan clan upon a flat stone in the center of a pond that was the centerpiece of the garden. His hat, coat, and staff were set aside by the door leading inside, allowing him to feel the cold moisture in the air on his skin.


    Kongyou draped their phantom weight over his shoulders, their narrow features close to his, glittering black eyes twinkling and the needelike fangs between their lips exposed by their grin. "Going into our realm, seeing the echoes... and she still pushed out those land claims of yours, huh? Moons, so many people are gonna die. These mountains will be a butcher''s shop."


    "To stand astride history and scream stop is no virtue. Neither she nor I are weights great enough to halt its advance, only to tilt it one way or the other," Xuan Shi replied placidly. His hands were cupped in front of him, his thick arms tensed with the immense weight they held. The weight that appears as no more than a tiny white egg was held in his palms.


    "Hoooo, absolving yourself of responsibility? You aren''t usually so cowardly, Shi."


    "To take responsibility for the whole of the world is not bravery, but arrogance."


    This was a spar they had undergone many times now in one form or another. He breathed out, and the sheen of moisture glistening on his skin flowed away, rivulets running between lines of muscle and then across stone, dribbling back into the pond. He pushed away cold and drew in heat, gathering it in his palms.


    "And the future has changed,¡± he continued. ¡°There is much bloodshed and strife yet, but there is an end now. An end aside from the grave''s silence."


    "You really think any of this is gonna hold?" Kongyou weeded playfully. Their arms draped over his shoulders and reached for the egg. Sparks the color of granite snapped and bit at the nightmare¡¯s fingertips, stopping them dead. "C''moooon, Shi. I want to help too."


    "The words being spoken here hold weight. Perhaps they might buckle or crack, but they are not wind. This one can feel them taking hold. Even those against have more and more trouble being wholly dismissive."


    "If one side thinks the other actually has something of value, it only encourages them to take it more. You know that, don''t you, Shi? It¡¯s how every large group of people acts. When it''s just individuals, sailing in their little boats, one or two swimming where they can be absorbed, the shoals can ignore them. When it''s a competing shoal, when the food and living space is at stake, where does it always end?"


    Xuan Shi fixed his attention on the egg in his hands. Kongyou''s hands hovered over his.


    Soft blue white down, matted down and sticky with the remains of the egg, bits of shell still clinging to it. Large eyes black as void peering up at him from a too large head as the chick awkwardly clambered to her feet his hand, wobbling back and forth on unsteady legs.


    "Fair greetings to you on this your day of birth, little one," Xuan Shi murmured.


    All his life, he had been denied a companion. None of the new generation of xuanwu, the snake-tortoises, had wanted him. His unshelled kin had their webs of family that he was not part of. Kongyou... He had thought at first that he had found a companion, but this was a lie. Even if he regretted it not, even if he still staunchly believed it might be made real in time, it was still presently a lie.


    This was different. It was simple. Pure. No deception, and no exhausting social maneuvering. Already, he could feel the infant spirit¡¯s cool, dark qi reaching out to him for a connection. He reached back tentatively, presenting himself as cool stone, the sheltering shade of the mountain, sturdy and immovable. Safety.


    He couldn''t help the grin that spread across his face as his offer was accepted. He felt the small, cold mote of qi nestle into his dantian, bonded and bound.


    "Oh, wow. Raggedy little fella." The nightmare¡¯s long fingers remained splayed over the shrouding qi that remained in his palms. "Guess birds be like that though. Ain''t you a cute..."


    The chick''s head tilted further to the side, and its down-covered behind wiggled back and forth. It leaped. Xuan Shi blinked. Kongyou blinked. The chick''s beak opened, revealing its inner surface and throat to be lined with tiny, razor sharp teeth, and a blot of inky blackness in the back of her throat pulled on the eye. Then the chick''s beak sheared through Xuan Shi''s dense qi and clamped down on the nightmare¡¯s immaterial fingertip as if it were real.


    Kongyou let out a shocked screech and dispersed immediately. The chick dropped back into Xuan Shi''s palm, a little strip of slowly dissolving dreamflesh in her beak. She threw her head back and swallowed, chirping happily up at Xuan Shi with multicolored blood staining her beak.


    Kongyou complained, now firmly ensconced behind his eyes.


    "This one would not say that. Perhaps one will be more careful in where one chooses to put their fingers," Xuan Shi said. Very carefully and with much reinforcement, he brushed his thumb over the chick''s head.


    She chirped, flapping damp, stubby little wings, bobbling in his palm.


    He smiled. He would have to decide on a name.

 Threads 380-Roil 3

    Threads 380-Roil 3


    The direct messaging formation was useful. It projected her words directly to the target along with the signature of her qi. Jaromila had gotten her message, and the woman''s response had been swift. The White Sky would delay and put off all meetings for the day, ending them entirely if need be, and they would set their own security even higher.


    So that was that.


    Outside the ministry¡¯s offices, Ling Qi walked with Meng Dan. He looked very unwell, and she could not blame him.


    "We will resolve this," Ling Qi reassured him. She couldn¡¯t speak of details outside, but she wanted to say something.


    "I certainly hope so." He brushed a hand nervously through his hair. "Do you know when¡ª"


    They passed under the shadow of a pair of leaning trees framing the road, and the colors and sounds of the world muted out. Meng Dan stiffened. Ling Qi bowed.


    The tall shadow of Shu Yue stood there, bent half over looking more inhuman than usual with their pale face out on the end of a too long neck poking out from their robes. "Ling Qi."


    "Shu Yue,¡± Ling Qi acknowledged. ¡°The ministry¡ªor Cao Chun at least¡ªhas agreed to coordinate with you."


    "Is that so?" Shu Yue¡¯s head twisted to a ninety degree angle, a wide crescent black smile blooming. "Fortuitous. I will have to better arrange myself. As you can see, I have been too busy to keep up my appearance well."


    Meng Dan let out a brief, strangled sound before his expression smoothed over. "Your entrance could have been less alarming."


    "No. It could not. Child of the Labyrinth, you were aware then."


    "I became aware," he corrected. "I assume this space is safe to speak in?"


    "If it is not, we are already undone."


    Ling Qi stepped forward. "Then let me explain the situation."


    It did not take long to fill Shu Yue in on the situation.


    Their fingers tapped together slowly, a dry clacking rhythm that sounded like the tips were nothing but bone. "I see. I have been hunting, harrying. It seems my efforts may be best combined with the honorable inspector¡¯s."


    "What have you seen of the forces being gathered? I assume signs are focused around my family," Meng Dan said.


    "They are infested, yes. There was an explosion of activity earlier this morn. Where before it was the slow spread of a disease, it has become a spider casting its webs in fury. I expect this is why you detected the attempt," Shu Yue rasped. "There are others, too, where power gathers. Locations. I will give them to the inspector."


    "Are they acting of their own will?"


    "I do not know. How could I tell, not knowing this clan technique of yours? It would need close inspection. Perhaps I may have further leads. But I think you should go to the general now. You will want her to be informed clearly and readily. An uninformed reaction to chaos from her could bring ruin."


    "I did not wish to ask Cao Chun this, but do you think her action will truly be necessary?"


    "Possible. The hunt is disrupted; the prey has its back up. I am certain he is hiding in the shadows, but I may not be able to take their throat and drag them into the deep dream where the harm would be minimized. This was my intent. If it comes to open blows, the sword which rends history will be much better suited to end the conflict decisively."


    Meng Dan''s pallor didn''t improve.


    Ling Qi hesitated, looking at him. So much was at stake for him here.


    "I will ask that you be the general''s guide onto the battlefield," Shu Yue requested, interrupting her thoughts. "It is dangerous, but there are no others aside from myself who can do this here. She will require assistance to keep the battle in the deep dream as her nature is inimical to the liminal."


    Shu Yue wanted her to dreamwalk the general if a fight broke out. She felt lightheaded. Could she do that? Could she really set a toe on that battlefield and survive?


    She couldn¡¯t ask Shu Yue to do it. If they she could, Shu Yue would have offered to do so already. Them doing so would dDistracting them when they were already enmeshed in the hunt and , when they were already going to be at least working in tandem with the Ministry. What if something was missed from the split attention.


    "I will carry the general where she needs to go," Ling Qi said.


    She was not a coward. She, Renxiang, and all of them had been building this , Renxiang had been building to this, all of them had been building this painstakingly, dragging all of these recalcitrant people together and soothing bruised egos, smoothing over fears and paranoia. They were finally, finally succeeding. Even with the disruption the talks the day before had been positively cordial.


    They were succeeding at this ridiculous task they had set themselves. She was not going to back down from this path she had chosen now, and let all of their work go to ruin. No worse than that if a genuine attack succeeded, they would be in a worse place.


    "Miss Ling, are you quite..." Meng Dan began, only to cut himself off. "How do you imagine you will manage this? If it were only transporting the General and then fleeing, perhaps, but..."


    "I am told that I am very difficult to kill," Ling Qi said. "I''ll simply have to be even more so. How will I know where to go, Shu Yue?"


    Shu Yue regarded her silently for a long moment. Their pallid face twisted into a small grimace as their fingers tapped against one another with a twitching energy. It stopped when they reached up to the dark hair that flowed down their shoulders, and wound a single strand around their pinky.


    A jerk of their wrist yanked the strand free and it writhed like a serpent, knotting tight around their finger. The other end of strand writhed toward her as Shu Yue extended their hand. Ling Qi didn''t need words to understand. She extended her own hand into Shu Yue''s palm, and too long fingers closed around her wrist. She let out a small hiss as the hair knotted around her finger and punched through her skin, anchoring in the tissue below.


    "Simply follow the thread," Shu Yue said.


    "...I am familiar with that," Ling Qi said quietly. She wondered just how much Shu Yue knew? "I hope you are not depending on my being able to use a mask like that."


    Please help me, she thought.


    "That ain''t fair at all," Sixiang complained. "Of course I''m gonna help."


    "Miss Ling has many good friends it seems," Meng Dan said.


    "I do," she agreed. "Now let us go see the General."


    They were not held up long by formalities, thankfully. The soldiers were expecting her, a missive from Inspector Cao had gone ahead of her. The General awaited them not in an office, but in a sparring room, whose floorboards were polished to a mirror shine, and whose walls seemed to be burned black, though the structure was none the weaker for it. There were no aides or adjutants, only the General herself standing in the center of the room, turning to face them, the blank faceplate of her helm smoldering.


    "Explain."


    It was not a question, that single word, spoken in the tone of a furnace''s roar.


    So she had, she had spilled everything they had discussed with the inspector, Meng Dan cutting in to his own part, not quailing either when the General''s gaze had turned to him.


    And it did turn upon him.


    "So the subversive elements of the Meng have moved. Incredibly foolish. Exposing themselves over this small matter, a mere test for her grace''s heir," The General said plainly. She had not moved, save to loosely cross her arms, standing ramrod straight, her reflection gleaming beneath her.


    "The Meng clan is loyal," Meng Dan insisted. "These rogues are even now being hunted down for arrest and censure."


    "Your kin have always been the least loyal. The Bao are bought, well and certain, the Diao are united to the Cai, the Luo know their place and move apace, for all that their progress diverges. Only your loyalties are divided, among the old counts," The General said implacably. "Looking still toward foolish and wasteful faith and the dream of a lost past.."


    "General, please, Meng Dan is aligned with us, he and his grandmother have already promised to take this matter in hand and deliver any culprits to this conspiracy which remain in their home."


    "Indeed, a coup. It remains foolish... but those clinging to meaningless tradition often behave irrationally. I will provide escorts, that the young sir may move safely to gather those who are truly victims and I will cooperate with this operation, given that the first apprentice and the Inspector alike request it. You believe you may support my presence in the spiritual realm?"


    "I believe I must, trying as it might be," Ling Qi said, bowing her head.


    "...You have been learning from that shadow, so perhaps you can. I expect they will be subtly bolstering your energy to allow it. However it will be impossible for you to support additional units. Troublesome."


    Ling Qi did not like how small she felt under that eyeless gaze, nor the sweat beading on her neck and forehead from the phantom heat exuded by the General in her senses. Though there was no sign of agitation or reaction in the general''s physical appearance, to Ling Qi''s enhanced senses, the pressure was incredible.


    It dug down into her brain a beat that was not war drums but rather the trampling synchronized tread of ten thousand boots, and the acrid eye watering scent of the smoke left behind where armies clashed and lives were lost in countless numbers.


    The furnace burns, the fuel is shoveled, molten metal stirs crimson and white, the rising steam is a million screams of terror.


    "Do you have some experience with liminal combat, General Xia? The Hui must have used such arts. DO you believe I will be sufficient?" Ling Qi.


    "The Hui could not hide where her Grace''s light fell, her eyes drag them from the muck they linger in. Nor were they so subtle, in the end, for all their pretensions. They tore the veil asunder and nightmares poured out like water. Through these open sores my blade struck easily. However the collateral of such a strategy is unacceptable in this location. You will have to be sufficient. I trust the first apprentice''s tactical judgment."


    Ling Qi shuddered, trying not to see the things those words tried to show her, the horrors they tried to beat into her mind.


    There were downsides to the eyes she was cultivating. Like the Duchess herself the General was not restrained at all. Being able to see and feel so clearly in her presence was a double edged sword.


    Meng Dan looked at her with a tight expression, and then turned back to the general, bowing his head. "I will begin my own preparations then, and take my leave... Lady Ling, be safe."


    "I will, as much as I can," Ling Qi said, straightening up herself.


    He looked like he wanted to say something else, but took his leave after.


    The General spoke as the door closed behind him. "Wrong. There is no safety in this."


    "There is no lie in saying I will try," Ling Qi said.


    "There is value in feints and deception," the General allowed. "Sometimes morale is improved through optimistic estimation. I will endeavor to maintain you. It is not my specialization."


    Ling Qi understood the implication. "I will stay out from underfoot as much as possible, given my duty."


    "You may be targeted to disrupt me," Xia Ren said.


    "...Yes."


    "As long as you understand," the General replied. "I am prepared. Begin at the first apprentice''s signal."


    Ling Qi nodded. There was nothing else to say in this dark room, trying not to wilt under the heat of the monster who shared it with her.


    "I''ll keep you safe," Sixiang whispered.


    Sometimes lies were comforting even when you knew what they were.

 Threads 381-Perdition 1

    Threads 381-Perdition 1


    Meng Dan hummed. "Your offer is appreciated. I may seek you out when my own task comes. Another formations expert will be useful."


    "The call shall be awaited," Xuan Shi acknowledged, passing them by. His staff manifested in his now bare hands, the rings jangling. "I hope I can share the good tidings I have on a later day, Miss Ling."


    She inclined her head. "I will be happy to receive them. Sixiang, please rejoin. I need your full assistance."


    "Gotcha." The figure standing by the road shimmered and disappeared.


    Ling Qi closed her eyes, her anxiety momentarily distant. It was comfortable, having Sixiang back where they belonged.


    Please help me, she thought.


    Sixiang complained.


    "Miss Ling has many good friends, it seems," Meng Dan said.


    She opened her eyes. "I do. Let us go see the general."


    They were not held up long by formalities, thankfully. The soldiers were expecting her as a missive from Inspector Cao had been sent ahead of her arrival. The general awaited them in a sparring room whose floorboards were polished to a mirror shine and whose walls seemed to be burned black, though the structure was none the weaker for it. There were no aides or adjutants, only the general herself standing in the center of the room, turning to face them, the blank faceplate of her helm smoldering.


    "Explain."


    It was not a question, that single word, spoken in the tone of a furnace''s roar.


    So she did. She spilled everything they had discussed with the inspector, and Meng Dan cut in to add his own part, not quailing when the general''s gaze had turned to him.


    And it did turn upon him.


    "So the subversive elements of the Meng have moved. Incredibly foolish to expose themselves over this small matter, a mere test for Her Grace''s heir." The general had not moved, save to loosely cross her arms. Her reflection gleamed beneath her.


    "The Meng clan is loyal," Meng Dan insisted. "These rogues are even now being hunted down for arrest and censure."


    "Your kin have always been the least loyal. The Bao are bought, well and certain. The Diao are united to the Cai. And the Luo know their place and move apace, for all that their progress diverges. Only your clan¡¯s loyalties are divided, among the old comital clans," the general said implacably. "Members of your clan still look toward a foolish and wasteful faith and the dream of a lost past."


    "General, please,¡± Ling Qi pleaded. ¡°Meng Dan is aligned with us. He and his grandmother have already promised to take this matter in hand and deliver any culprits to this conspiracy which remain in their home."


    Ling Qi nodded. There was nothing else to say in this dark room, trying not to wilt under the heat of the monster who shared it with her.


    Sixiang whispered.


    Sometimes, lies were comforting even when she knew what they were.


    ***


    Paper messenger birds came and went. Cai Renxiang informed her that she would be taking back the duties that had been given to her for today, rerouting messages to her own office. A brief message from Zheng Fu informed her that he ¡°had a lead¡± with no further elaboration. More birds were directed to the general, but she was not privy to those. Presumably, the messages were for organizing security outside.


    The wait was interminable.Even going through her things, setting aside her storage rings and talismans that would only get destroyed here, did not occupy her long. The dread of what was to come ate at her mind despite her best attempts at meditation. Even the most basic cultivation exercises were beyond her reach.


    When it began, she only barely noticed it.


    A faint ripple of qi thrummed through the ground and the air, the faintest buzz of something similar to the security scan she had undergone at the Ministry of Integrity''s office.


    "Interesting. The ministry has refined their formations."


    She glanced toward the general, who said no more. She supposed the Heron General would know. The ministry had aided the fledgling Cai government in tracking down the remnants of the Hui in the aftermath of their fall.


    Her head jerked up as she felt a pulse. A scent like stagnant water, and a feeling like she was standing in water, rippling from the impact of a thrown stone.


    She heard and felt people moving outside. People were shouting, and metal was clattering.


    Sixiang whispered to her.


    Ling Qi stood, cycling her qi once, and forced her energies to calm. She gathered the power needed to dreamwalk through the veil and, tentatively, reached for the general with that power, wincing at the searing heat that threatened to char her own qi to ash. It banked very slightly, just enough to feel as if she were merely touching something blistering hot rather than having her flesh melt from her bones.


    The general''s arms uncrossed, and her hand drifted to the white wrapped hilt of the sword at her waist.


    Ling Qi felt the thread embedded in her flesh pull taut, sending a sharp pain up through her middle finger.


    "Beginning transport," Ling Qi announced, more for herself than Xia Ren. She felt Sixiang''s arms tighten around her as she drew her qi in to walk the Dream. Her back felt like it would break from the weight on her shoulders. She staggered, her foot almost slipping.


    And then she stepped through, following the black thread down into chaos.

 Threads 382-Perdition 2

    Threads 382-Perdition 2


    Ling Qi felt her feet sink into deep, cold mud, and the scent of rot filled her nose.


    Those sensations barely lasted a second.


    Screams. Crackling flames and hissing steam. Heat seared her, an impossible, cooking heat pressing down in every direction.


    She let out a hacking, gagging cough as white smoke engulfed her.


    The Heron General stepped past her, hand loosely gripping the hilt of her sword. Ling Qi could barely perceive her silhouette in the smoke. Only,... it was not smoke.


    The essence of the Liminal died wherever it touched Xia Ren. Su Ling''s arts had shown her a glimpse of this once, a technique that froze and stole the changeability of the Liminal''s matter. But Xia Ren''s effect was infinitely greater.


    The dense mangrove swamp they had stepped into, with its bruise-colored sky and infinite vista of glittering faerie lights in the mist, was a labyrinth; one which Ling Qi instinctively understood could have trapped her for eternity in its peaceful and serene pathways. It all died around the general. Water, mist, and light turned to dust. Where the general walked, the Dream was bleached, burned, and flattened, a spreading blight of still, white dust that devoured the landscape.


    Ling Qi bent double, a whimper escaping her lips as the pain crashed down on her. The staggering weight and the burning power vented from the segments in the woman''s armor washed back into Ling Qi''s channels.


    Fssh.


    A blade whispered, and Ling Qi was driven to her knees, tears burning in her eyes as she vomited into the dust beneath her. The labyrinth was split asunder, a kilometers-long canyon rent in the earth at the stroke of a blade. No concealment. No tricks. No confusion.


    The Sovereign of Steel and Fire had come.


    The Liminal howled with the agony of a wounded titan, a noise that threatened to burst the still mortal flesh of her ears. Black ichor welled in the canyon carved before them, mangroves falling and waters hemorrhaging into the abyss.


    Through the sundered mist, past the ruined marsh, Ling Qi saw the outline of a grand and ancient temple, resplendent with falling waters, with still and deep reflecting pools, winding in spiraling tiers up its towers. The temple was so overgrown with life that at first, it seemed like a great mountain covered in moss. Water-worn stone painstakingly carved through eons by natural forces rumbled. The temple turned to face them.


    And the shadow of a steel heron fell over it.


    "Stagnation is death," Ling Qi whispered back to Sixiang as she forced herself to her feet. The intonation of her simple, young truth was enough to churn the qi in her channels and send the wind whipping about the hems of her gown and lift her into the air. She understood implicitly that only its small resonation and the general''s protection allowed even that.


    Here and now, she did not feel her vision waver or her senses spiral off into desperate metaphor. Instead, she saw Xia Ren in her fullness and wished that she had not.


    The general''s shadow towered. She was a twisted giant of segmented steel, gaunt and razor-edged and spiked. Blazing light poured from every crevice in her armor, smoke and ash that smelled like burning flesh,the heat of a furnace burning and blackening whatever her mere presence did not bleach into dust.Smoke and Ash that smelled like burning flesh rose in sky-choking columns, rippling with screaming, suffering faces wrought in smoke. Her sword burned with a trailing pale blue light where its edge sundered even the air.


    Still tasting bile on her tongue, Ling Qi rose higher as the stone temple groaned, naturalistic spires flexing like the spines of some titanic beast, exuding mist and faerie lights in every color. They whipped around its perimeter, an achingly beautiful shell of dancing and refracting light. From deep inside the temple, a mournful tune played, the sounds of an ancient zither piercing the screams that roared and crackled from the general in her advance.


    Preservation. So much had been lost, so much taken. One chop after another felling the Forest People, a thousand insults and changes to the ways of the ancestors. Insidious whispers claiming betterment, superiority, even kindness. Lies all. Lies all! The Stone Builders, the Heavenly Jailors, the Hill Burners, the False Dreamers, the Slayer of Foundations! None had ever been worthy. Each sought merely to crack the shell of the last and chosen people, the final stewards of the Diviner''s legacy. Conquerors and heirs to the Beast Kings!


    Thieves and despoilers all that would taint the kin, take from them the last vestiges of pride and identity. Still Waters Deep and Cold would drown it all before surrender. Ten thousand years of history sang in the foundations and the depths, and he would not go quiet into the night.


    Right now, that ideal aligned with the dream Cai Renxiang, Gan Guangli, and herself were pursuing. A day would come when that was no longer so.


    But today was not that day.


    Ling Qi soared upward. The hems of her gown burned, sparks alighting in the fabric, making cloth writhe. She smelled her own burning hair and charring skin, but she flew among the countless sparks that filled the sky regardless.


    ,>Sixiang fretted.


    She was sorry. She could smell burning dream qi too, like a theater going up in conflagration. She could see the crystalline grains of crumbling Liminal that was her friend, flying away in the smoke billowing from her dress.


    The gauntlets dangling from the loops on her sash flared to life. They rose to cross before her, the ghostly limbs of a muse flickering and filling them, and the articulated digits clenched. Hexagonal plates flew from slots in their sides, two and four and eight and more, doubling with each moment, interlocking around her in a solid sphere of mountainous qi.


    It was a testament to Xuan Shi''s skill that each plate lasted even the handful of seconds they did under the fierce storm raging around her.


    And fierce, it was.


    Ling Qi flew head over heels, tossed by the apocalyptic force of the wind that roared in the wake of the Heron General¡¯s darting blade and the skull-rattling vibrations of the enemy''s roaring song.


    Utility. Utility. Utility. All else is distraction, the indulgence of the victorious. All which failed to grant material advantage were chains.


    Difference wrought war, domination, and submission. Clinging graveyard ghoul gnawing on ancient bones, chaining generation after generation to the dead. Submit! Break! Burn away! Be subsumed into the victorious march, more boots upon the field of dawn.


    The temple sang back defiantly.


    Purity! Purity of action, hewing to wisdom. Ten thousand years of small iteration, of wisdom compounded upon wisdom. Difference breaks men from beasts, marks the chosen, defines the People and the lessers. Lo! Break thy blade upon the fortress, the walls raised by ten thousand years of holding true through conquest, storm, and nightmare.


    Empty blade, soulless blade, roar of devastation, disappear into the shadows, as all beasts do in the end!


    If she had anything at all left in her stomach, she would have wretched again as she drifted like one of the million burning leaves caught up in the general''s wake. It was sickening and fascinating, the images and sounds that crashed upon her.


    In a lake of boiling steam, a temple complex fought with a giant of fire and steel wielding a blade which carved canyons of ossified ash in the fabric of the dreaming realm. The blade clashed with kaleidoscopic waves of color and lakes worth of water from endless depths.


    She could not even perceive the sovereigns¡¯ movements, for all that the roared arguments embodied by their clashes reached her ears with clarity. But she could feel the mountain-carving blade in its wake.


    It was sickening. Sickening, because she could feel its resonation.


    Barriers. Borders. These impeded communication. People divided themselves in order to quarrel and fight to define who was kin and who was not. That was the ugly root at the core of a community. The exclusion of not-kin was how its boundaries were defined.


    She had seen the rusty blades sprouting under the Emerald Mourner¡¯s rot-slick hooves in her Liminal tribulation. She had seen the passage under the mountains lined with dying slaves in her dream journey with Xuan Shi to meet Grydja.


    This was the Unity of Blades, the iron Law written into the fabric of the Emerald Seas.

 Interlude: Invocation

    Interlude: Invocation


    She was Cai Renxiang, heiress of the Emerald Seas, and it took everything in her power to not put her face into her hands and scream. This undignified urge had been coming to her with greater regularity over the last year, but rarely had it risen to the intensity that it had now.


    "I apologize, Sir Jia. The Cai are resolving this matter with the aid of the Ministry of Integrity. I cannot share any further information at this time for security reasons," Cai Renxiang repeated. Again.


    The man who had bustled into her office was Jia Shu. He was a minor member of that clan who had not been involved in a large part of the talks. There was sweat on his brow as he looked at her with ill-concealed frustration.


    "Lady Cai, I have been most patient with both your retainer and yourself. The Jia family feels that our interests are well enough represented, but if there is a military matter afoot, then I must demand that we be informed. It is the very bedrock of the new order that the comital clans are able to coordinate and respond to threats!"


    She pursed her lips. It was a frustrating argument because it was true. The Cai clan, via its head, the Duchess Cai, had risen to its ducal status in part due to the Hui¡¯s failure to coordinate the comital clans against the cloud tribes¡¯ incursion.


    Gan Guangli shot her a concerned look. He had been handling his assigned duties well, but at this point, disputes were rising above what he could soothe.


    Cai Renxiang made her decision. At this late hour, there needed to be some communication. The pieces were already moving.


    ¡°Sir Jia, I assure you that there is no external threat.¡±


    Jia Shu''s thin eyebrows drew together. "No external threat? Lady Cai, the White Plumes are moving!"


    "No external threat, my friend," Gan Guangli said heavily.


    The man standing in front of her desk stopped, his eyebrows climbing. "Who would dare?"


    He sounded genuinely aghast, as if the notion had truly, sincerely never entered his mind. The ones most loyal to her Mother were a difficult bunch, but not in this way.


    "The Cai clan and the Ministry of Integrity will be certain to find every name connected with the current business. It is for that reason that I must order you to not raise any further noise on the matter, Sir Jia," Cai Renxiang said gravely. "In this, I do invoke my honored mother''s name."


    "Of course, Lady Cai! This humble servant of the Cai would not seek to disrupt such an investigation." The man swept an elaborate bow. "While my Jia clan might quibble in the details, this matter was sanctioned by Her Grace, and to act in defiance of it is unconscionable for any patriot of the Emerald Seas."


    "I have never doubted that you are such, Sir Jia," Gan Guangli said. "You understand why I could not give a clearer answer when we spoke outside."


    "Indeed I do. My apologies for my earlier words, Baron Gan. Know that they came from a place of concern for our great Emerald Seas."


    "I do not doubt it," Gan Guangli replied diplomatically.


    Cai Renxiang believed that pride was at least an equivalent factor. The Jia were ever on edge about opportunities for contributions since their patriarch had gone into seclusion. However, it would be impolitic to say so.


    "Nor do I, Sir Jia. Thank you for your understanding. Given what you now know, I would ask that you remain in the embassy until this matter is resolved."


    She glanced to the side as the security formations on the room twinged in her thoughts. A paper messenger bird fluttered at the window. It resonated with the White Plumes'' official qi signature. She gestured, and the wards and window alike opened to allow it through.


    Jia Shu glanced at it as well and bowed low again as he caught sight of the mark on the messenger. "Of course! Lady Cai, this Jia Shu will be at the ready should the heiress require any further security."


    "Sir Luo, I ask that you aid in the defense of the valley. I invoke the oaths of the Luo clan to the Cai," Cai Renxiang said. "Preserve the lives and health of all within the summit grounds to the best of your ability."


    It was not lightly done to give commands to one so far her superior in cultivation. Despite his advanced age, Luo Jie was the highest realm cultivator on their side who was unoccupied by other tasks.


    "Doubts remain, but the south has not been united in purpose before. It would be disappointing to see that end over an old man¡¯s tantrum."


    "Thank you, Sir Luo."


    "It is not my way to defend. Fate is so twisted, to reverse roles on us in such a place."


    Luo Jie¡¯s fingernails grew, thickening and sharpening. Muscle writhed under the thin man''s skin, and veins and tendons bulged unsettlingly as his limbs began to swell with power, sprouting thick hair. Silver fire flickered, rising from his right hand where it clutched the head of his cane, up his shoulder, and across his face, showing the shade of a snarling, beastly muzzle.


    The disorganized barking in the compound kennels ceased.


    ¡°Lady Wang, I command your aid as well in preparing defenses," Cai Renxiang continued, letting the tension and turmoil in her heart remain buried even under the swell of power in the air.


    The bruised sky rippled, and a searing hot line of flame erupted in the dome of heaven. Clouds were blown away, and a wash of withering heat beat down on the valley.


    "Sir Jia, I ask you to accompany me as well in mustering the house forces in support of the White Plumes."


    "Of course." Jia Shu thumped a hand to his chest. "I put out the rallying call the moment Lady Cai made the request!"


    "As did I," Wang Lian grunted. She hunched her shoulders as the pressure in the air increased. A storm of wind erupted from another fractal crack briefly forming in the sky. "Hn. Sir Luo, do you invite me to fortify your walls?"


    "I do," Luo Jie answered. He towered over them, nearly three meters even with his hunched shoulders. A growing silver mane only added to his height. His voice was a reverberating snarl from an increasingly inhuman throat.


    "Sir Jia? Lady Cai?" Wang Lian asked.


    "Take command,¡± Jia Shu said. ¡°The Emerald Seas stands as one!"


    "I give Lady Wang all authority over the defensive works," Cai Renxiang said. "Go."


    "Best show these foreigners that my matriarch is not the Builder for no reason." Wang Lian stepped past them, pressing her hand to the courtyard gate before stepping into it without even a ripple.


    "Assuming command."


    Wang Lian¡¯s voice echoed from the trees, the building stones, the gate, and even the wards and the road outside.


    "Guangli, we march," Cai Renxiang said.


    With Gan Guangli on one side and Jia Shu on the other, they left the compound behind to meet the soldiers mustering outside. At their backs, a score of howls rose in unison, shaking the boiling sky.

 Threads 383-Perdition 3

    Threads 383-Perdition 3


    Ling Qi tucked her arms to her sides and darted with all her might into the cloud of burning air around the general as a barrier woven of hatred and stubborn pride shattered, unleashing an ocean of marsh water into the sky to be instantly boiled into rancid searing steam.


    The general¡¯s flames threatened to sear her without ever once intending her harm. Because the general believed in bringing people together too. No matter what they wanted. No matter how dear the barriers were. No matter how they screamed as their chains were broken.


    What would Ling Qi do if the White Sky recoiled from this day in horror and retreated to their borders? What would she do if conflict between the Celestial Empire and the Polar Nation came to blows?


    She would talk until her lips bled and her lungs burned. She would try to solve disputes between the two nations without steel and fire.


    But if it all failed, she would fight.


    Because the empire was her home. It was where her family lived and where her friends resided. It was the foundation of her community, and she would fight and kill to protect it as she had at the caldera and as soldiers did all across the Wall, fueled by countless centuries of conflict with the nomads of the sky.


    That was the searing truth the general¡¯s fires would not let her ignore.


    This was power.


    In the end, peace was only possible because the Celestial Empire and the Polar Nation alike were wary of one another''s power. If one grew weak, or was perceived as weak, that would change.


    Her method was fundamentally an ephemeral act of trickery and...


    No.


    Ling Qi curled herself in as small a shape as she could manage. Painfully hot ceramic hands embraced her, and the shell of cracking hexagons closed into a marble of cold in a sea of fire. Steam buffeted and tossed them about. She was starting to stop feeling pain, her skin simply losing sensation.


    Sixiang begged.


    She circulated her qi desperately into the cracked shell Sixiang had raised. Flakes of ash that had once been skin and flesh flaked away and disintegrated, revealing new flesh. Her body was as much a construct as matter here.


    The searing pain renewed. That was fine.


    She would not be like the general. She would not lose the ability to feel because the general was wrong. Power was not so simple as that. The world was not simply a game of domination. Power was required for action; it was not required for respect. If people spoke and were bound by the right chains, respect would remain, even if power wavered back and forth, as it always did, as it always must. No one and nothing lasted forever, and no power was excluded from that.


    Below, countless tons of stone groaned. Another glittering world of illusion was sundered by a blade of realities.


    She had made this, and so she had no right to refuse to witness it.


    Because Still Waters Deeping was wrong, too. She could see the roots from which this awful growth had flowered, and she shared this root. Although she disagreed with Cai Renxiang¡¯s belief that family was the root of corruption, Ling Qi also recognized the mote of truth in it. To hold kin above all else, before all else, could lead a cultivator to desperate, nigh-suicidal methods.


    Ling Qi remembered that night when the Ling clan had held the banquet in the garden. Her mother and sisters and brother and Sixiang, all of those faces had been lit with cheer, tension disappearing in laughter and good feeling. How much would she wreck to maintain that? What would she do, if that clashed with her duties?


    But like the general, there was something hollow too, in Still Waters Deeping. Like her, he had subsumed himself to another. She did not think he remembered such small things, not really.


    Not when he would see the people of his own clan slain as traitors merely to derail change.


    Was that the truth of sovereignty then? A Law in the shape of a cultivator, entirely devoid of nuance? The Polar Nations thought so certainly, and so guided those who wished for it to give up their desires and become conduits for the land and community.


    The earth split, more canyons stretching to the horizon, weeping ichorous blood. A legion of hideous nightmares ripped from the bowels of the dream crawled up the general¡¯s armored body even as they burned and wailed and died, sacrificed in their millions to slow a far greater monster by a hair. Space warped, mist surged, and waters rose to drown the world, and yet, they, too, burned all the same.


    It was too much. Her eyes were aching. Her head pounded with the pain. She could feel through Sixiang and her own senses flickering echoes of the real world, so far away from them now. Of a withering, pounding heat and a quaking earth. Of people rushing about in a panic. Of distant cries. Of steam boiling from the Meng compound and waters pouring down the side of the cloven mountain.


    ... It was so, so easy to forget what lay at her feet.


    There were those among the Meng who listened to her and whispered these lies in their very halls. And that was too far.


    Better the last children of Tsu die than be reduced still further, dragged into impurity.


    Ruining the summit had only been the secondary goal, she realized. He¡ªno, they¡ªwished nothing more than to take the choice from their kin¡¯s hands and force the Meng to stand unified again. Community stripped of choice was awful to witness. It was Meng Delun¡¯s want, that singular desire, that he held above all else. Somehow, he thought to find a victory in this forced unity, even against the duchess.


    Even preservation could be twisted into destruction.


    Rave. Wail. Die.


    Ling Qi shot into the sky on an updraft of heat that made every remaining nerve she had scream. An ocean of brackish water flash-boiled. Two titanic eyes of white fire burned, empty and pure. In them, there was no doubt, no hate, and no regret, only a blazing contempt as deep as Xiangmen was high.


    An invisible blade swept the air, kilometers long, and every buzzing nightmare died as the sky was scorched.


    No cowardice in abandoning failure, in casting aside weakness. No frail meat lingers in the heart of steel. No feeble sentiment remains in the soul of flame.


    The marks remain until the work is done. They remain until the last chain is broken and the graves forgotten.


    The great temple complex shook down to its foundation as that ruinous blade came down upon its venerable roof. But the sword was repulsed in a flash of kaleidoscopic light.


    Liar sublime, even unto thy self. How. How dost thou stand in the presence of radiance?


    The cleaving sword of ruin swept back, and the air screamed as it came down again. This time, the tiles of the temple roof splintered.


    There are no lies before the great ideal, no lies in radiance. Neither envy nor hate drives the sword of progress.


    The temple roared back.


    LIAR!


    Ling Qi felt a tug down in her soul, a pull on the thread still anchored around her finger. Ling Qi blinked slowly, painfully, as she drifted head over heels and gazed at the marsh below. She saw the canyons carved in the earth and the black ichor that still wept from deep, deep below.


    Ichor? Meng Delun did not cultivate darkness, for all that he wielded nightmares. It was not mud down there. The bleeding shadows under the earth did not boil into steam.


    Power gathered in the temple even as more towers crumbled. This was the power of a dying man with nothing left to lose. The Liminal shuddered, and Ling Qi knew that the real world shuddered, too. The vision of the temple wavered in her eyes. She saw a man as gnarled as an ancient tree, bearded, robed, eyes alight with madness. He stood defiantly before the steel titan, and the staff in his hands shuddered with power ready to break.


    She felt the thread anchored in her flesh thrum. It tugged again and pointed directly down toward Meng Delun.


    Arms embraced the defiant temple keeper from behind, broad and strong, healthy and vital. They were connected to a barrel chested figure adorned in leaves and living vines with a face of mist and light, a crown of antlers upon his brow. The embracing shadow¡¯s lips moved.


    Shall I call another liar when you know in your heart that my voice has always, always merely been your own?


    The temple, the man, Meng Delun, staggered.


    Chain Breaker drove into his chest, into the heart of the temple.


    A pale hand closed around his throat.


    And the world of the liminal erupted with the death of a sovereign.

 Threads Interlude: Unity

    Threads Interlude: Unity


    Their first duty was the coordination of the evacuation orders to keep panic down and movements organized even as the sky began to warp and the hairline fractures in it grew and grew, lingering longer before they were sealed. Steam and fire drifted from the fissures.


    At the head of the clans¡¯ forces, Cai Renxiang led her people to the prepared shelters, dug in and warded under the earth. Scouts from the various clans¡¯ forces raced across the valley, seeking out scattered lives where they could. Servants, workers, and crafters gathered and marched in columns to the shelters.


    Cai Renxiang felt the energies tapped into by the imperial Geomancers in their construction of the embassy roiling under her feet. Wang Lian''s consciousness thrummed under the earth, a thin skein over its meridians, guiding power into the defenses of the shelters. With each one filled, formations flared to life, locking and sealing the shelter and empowering defenses far past normal tolerances.


    The sky began to bleed. First, there was a trickling rain of stinking black mud and brackish superheated water. Then, thin torrents fell from the sky.


    Through the breaking sky, a pack of hounds raced, two giant hounds at their head. Where they ran, where they howled, the sky rippled, and cool silver flames sealed shut the cracks in the world. They met the gouts of searing hot flames that erupted and kept them from scorching the valley below.


    All the same, more and more cracks appeared. Torrents became waterfalls, and more than mud and ichor began to pour through. Scab-like cysts of dried mud crashed to earth, bursting open, revealing a flood of wriggling nightmares, and more and more nightmares erupted directly from the cracks in the sky. Their buzzing cry was a song of torpor and despair.


    Dozens of them died squealing in the jaws of the great Luo hounds, but still more crashed to earth and writhed about, seeking destruction. They grasped after any sign of life, drinking the vitality from trees and plants, leaving behind withered husks before battering themselves into her soldiers with suicidal abandon.


    It was the scent of battle that she disliked the most. The scent of blood and ichor and fouler things still was nothing but repulsive muck, dogging at her thoughts and distracting other senses. In contrast, the sights and sounds, however superficially chaotic, still painted for her a picture of order. Steps in unison showed an advance. Shields locking and clashing with the charge of a slavering horde of nightmares showed a successful defense.


    It was objectively incorrect to feel that way of course, and any Luo would tell her that. Scent was simply another information stream for categorizing the world properly, one she lacked the training to filter for useful data.


    She disliked it regardless.


    At the road in the center of the valley, the Bao heavy armsmen, armored in thick plate encrusted with precious metals and gems, held the center of their mixed house guard formation. Stolid like the earth with halberds and shields of solid metal, they beat back the gibbering nightmares trying to overrun them. Luo skirmishers, armed with bow and knife, shadowed their path on either side of the road. Jia and Wang regulars formed the bulk of the ranks. Their spears jabbed forth in unison, and their volleyed crossbow fire was like clockwork, driving back shrieking masses of oily flesh. The handful of Diao soldiers scrounged from their token representatives at the summit darted between the heavier Bao contingent, striking out and retreating with matched pairs of curved dueling blades.


    Her radiance washed out house colors and limned metal in glowing white. It settled in the creases of armor, clung to the plumes on helms, and filled the rings of mail. It lent mere second realms the strength to withstand the claws and cries and speed of nightmares. Its pulse coordinated men who had never fought together in their lives and brought them to fight as one. She could not give the guards the armaments and drilled coordination of the White Plumes, but, in her presence at least, they shone like a heavenly legion.


    Radiance pulsed, scattering shadows, and the center line parted smoothly without a word from her. Her sword Cifeng came down in a textbook perfect overhand chop, and blinding light tore down the road, leaving stone which pulsed with Wang Lian''s shen unharmed but scorching nightmare flesh to ash.


    "Continue withdrawal to the central embassy," she ordered. Her voice was clipped and strident, cutting through the noise and echoing up and down the battlespace, reaching every set of ears. "Maintain a tortoise shell around civilians. Do not prioritize engagement."


    To her own ears, her voice was cold and unaffected, tyrannical in nature. But an officer could only be a tyrant when blades were drawn.


    "Hoh! You hear Lady Cai''s commands, brave warriors of the forest. Take heart, for we are nearly there!"


    Gan Guangli''s voice, however, boomed with enthusiasm and passion. She saw shoulders straighten and flagging qi reignite, voices rising in a dull roar of affirmation. He towered over her, a giant of white and gold metal, grinning as fiercely as he ever did behind his helm. He plucked a writhing, locust-like nightmare from the air above their heads and squeezed until it burst, the ichor burning away to acrid ash on his gleaming plate.


    As a child, she had been fond of her toy soldiers. She ordered their formations, marched them to and fro, and commanded the advance and retreat while Lin Hai bemusedly nudged his own forces on the painted maps rolled out on the floor of her room. Commanding troops in the real world was not the same. Soldiers were not wood and metal to be pushed about at a whim.


    She needed Gan Guangli. She could speak the language of law and academics and unravel and parry twisting words. She could stiffen spines with calm and surety. But she could not inspire normal men and women to courage and passion. She had accepted that some time ago while she was practicing her trade among the parties and shifting social scenes of the sect.


    Cai Renxiang let her light fade. That was enough to fight for now. Instead, her eyes focused down on the men manning the newly raised walls.


    Her hand swept out, a bell chimed, Cifeng thrummed, purring with pleasure, and Liming snarled dully, rippling against her skin. She had rejected some of her Mother''s arts. She had made her own.


    Heavenly Administrator''s Command: Implacable Garrison technique.


    Formations tightened across the courtyard, perfection down to the millimeter. The vague awareness of the Heavenly Legion art sharpened, but not only for her. In the square, every man and woman gained awareness, took synchronicity with their fellows.


    Qi cycled and bow strings were drawn back, not in perfect tandem, but in rolling continuous motion. Techniques and missiles alike fired in coordinated volleys. A nightmare in the shape of a spider with a man''s hands and weeping face leapt the wall at a Bao soldier''s back and a Luo soldier had already loosed a blazing missile of green-tinged radiance before it was halfway through its leap.


    One man was pushed back, his ankle turning, his stance buckling, and the man next to him was already moving, lashing out and pushing the foe back before it could take advantage.


    Cai Renxiang was in motion. The full force of her charge struck a gap in the line in a flare of radiance that cracked the rapidly repairing stone and reduced nightmares to burning paste. In the next instant she was gone, appearing across the courtyard, cleaving something like a heart from the core of a multi-limbed horror made of squirming fingers.


    The truth was, an administrator was only as good as the information they received, only as good as the eyes and ears and hands of their subordinates. It was not enough to be a perfect distant figure, high in the sky.


    And so she did not blaze high in the sky raining death, but instead stood among the defenders, radiance a rampart for body and spirit. Her light criss-crossed the courtyard a dozen times, lingering in her wake and twisting to lance out where her blade could not be.


    And as the sky began to boil, not an inch was given. Every time the swarm looked to spread, a controlled pulse of radiance and power brought them back.


    Gan Guangli returned with a crash, planting himself in front of the northern gate like a rampart himself, smeared in ichor, his chest heaving like a bellows, and he, too, fell under her technique. She could feel his exhaustion, his remaining vigor... and his unshakable belief in her.


    She raised her eyes briefly to the sky, where she felt a ripple of power. Something on the cloven mountain had fallen, something powerful. She could feel the tremors in the air, like the quiet lowering of waters before a flood.


    She did not so much as twitch as a ragged, weathered crow landed on her shoulder, cocking its head curiously.


    The White Sky had potent arts to be able to penetrate the screening here.


    "Speaker of this pantheon, do your gods accept aid in sealing the sky?" asked the crow in a low, raspy voice.


    Common sense said that it would show her weakness to need foreigners¡¯ support. That they could only interfere, that she would be a fool to allow any merging of defenses.


    Cai Renxiang thrust Cifeng down, sending a rippling pulse of qi into the courtyard, into Wang Lian''s network, giving anew a command.


    "Yes."

 Threads Chapter 384

    Threads Chapter 384


    The crow¡¯s wings fluttered once, a loose feather drifting down and clinging to Liming''s fabric even as she accelerated away, crossing the compound to cleave the twitching head from a locust-like nightmare gnawing and ripping at a crack in the barrier of warding energies. She swung Cifeng out in a wide arc, trailing radiance, the light coalescing into glowing spheres of power that ripped outward, raining down on the nightmares outside the walls to the soft chiming of bells, heard even over the din of battle.


    But the feather remained. Unthreatening and fragile, nothing more than a conduit for words and intentions. She could feel the cold thrum rippling back up the connection.


    "Lady Wang, reinforcement incoming from our guests. Inform Sir Luo." The words were barely even spoken, imprinted mostly on the qi pulsing down into the formations embedded in the fortifications.


    The stolid, earthy qi of the Wang noblewoman, spread so thinly over the defenses of the valley, paused for a moment in its motion, the energies of the barriers stilling and then resuming their circulation. Agreement. Wang Lian would not question her here and now.


    The sky shuddered, and flame gouted forth, mingling with acrid white smoke and boiling ichor. To her eyes, it almost seemed like the sky was bulging outward. Cracks were spreading, as if the heavens themselves would burst with the pressure on the other side.


    She heard a song, low and melancholic, interwoven with another, strident and firm. She could feel the vibration of it deep in her bones.


    In the cracked sky, a vast flock of ravens took flight, and the Weeping Sentinel, the woman-shaped tree that had stood over the foreigners¡¯ camp throughout the summit, spread creaking wooden limbs wide. Crimson sap dripped from curling, branchlike fingers.


    The face of the creature¡ªthe cultivator¡ªwas revealed. It was a face of stripped bark, as if it were flayed, with lines and curves of muscle and tendon exposed and wet. Empty knothole eyes wept blood. The Weeping Sentinel¡¯s mouth opened, revealing teeth of dull and rusted iron, and her voice became the song.


    Light rippled out, a ring of dancing runes writ in stark and primal crimson light forming in the air. The pulse reached the distending sky and shattered into fragments of light. A second pulse came and shattered, too.


    Under this onslaught, the bulging sky shuddered and retreated. Crimson threads stitched shut spreading cracks. They blackened under the burning flames, but held strong.


    Crows joined the hounds in their aerial feast of nightmare flesh. Locust-men and writhing, many limbed things fell from the sky, blanketed in clawing, pecking birds. Other cracks in the sky halted expansion and closed by millimeters under the cawing song of circling crows.


    As her people fought and pushed the nightmares from the makeshift walls, as Gan Guangli forged an open path, and as her light shone brighter, drawing the reeling nightmares back onto their spears, the sky erupted. The pressure that had been building, the fury and power of something unseen straining against the skein of reality, exploded behind the cracks in the sky.


    The treesong grew in force, rings of unbreakable runes lighting the sky. Swarming crows blotted out the burning clouds, and beneath them a dozen mighty white hounds raised their heads and howled, silver fire erupting in a spreading circle to fill the vault of heaven. Below the hounds, the meridians of the earth lit up, a zigzagging network of light.


    The ripple of power passed. Windows shattered, and trees were stripped of their leaves and needles, but that was the end of it. The nightmares began to boil away as the cracks in the sky dissolved into ashen smoke. All around her, soldiers let out cheers of relief, led by Gan Guangli''s thunderous cry of victory.


    Cai Renxiang sunk back down to the earth, not allowing a single hint of fatigue in her posture.


    "Emissary Jaromila would speak with you at your earliest convenience."


    "She will have it. I must first ask after my subordinates."


    "We understand. Shall this feather remain?"


    Cai Renxiang considered it. The black feather was graying and crumbling at its edges already.


    "It may. I will communicate when a meeting is possible."


    She was going to be very cross with Ling Qi if her retainer was conscious.


    ***


    Pain.


    A deep, aching pain throbbed outward from her core, fading to a fuzzy numbness. For a long time, there was nothing else, not even a notion of who she was or where she was.


    Pressure came next. She was lying on something, and a thin sheet lay over her. Then temperature, in the form of cold and heat. She could feel the pulse of acerbic medicinal energy scrubbing away at her insides, pushing back against the numbness and the pain alike.


    "Told you she''d wake up. Ling Qi is tough. Aren''t ya?"


    Right. She was Ling Qi. She was a cultivator, a baroness, a diplomat, an emissary, and a thief. There were many facets, and all of them were her.


    Her eyes cracked open, and she looked up to see Sixiang seated backwards on a chair by her bedside, arms crossed on the backrest.


    "Obviously! I was just worried, you old jerk.¡± Hanyi gave the muse a dirty look. ¡°A lady is entitled to fret."


    Ling Qi painstakingly turned her gaze. Nothing felt right. She was so heavy, so stiff. Hanyi was sitting on the foot of her bed, kicking her legs fretfully. She looked at Ling Qi, and her little sister flinched, looking away.


    "You were correct. The physician underestimated her resilience."


    Cai Renxiang stood with her back to them, looking out the wide window set in the wall of the recovery room.


    Ling Qi tried to raise her hand. She sent the command down her nerves, but she felt only the distant, fuzzy sensation of a twitch. She reached inward, cycled her qi, and found it barely flowing, like porridge hardened into the bowl.


    "Ling Qi, do not. You will damage yourself further. The physicians have already informed me that you will recover... in time."


    Of course, Ling Qi thought. She felt so tired, even trying to think of all the possibilities. Her head raised very slightly, fell back to the pillows.


    Cai Renxiang looked back out the window once again.


    "Ling Qi."


    "Yes?"


    "You have performed beyond all expectations. I am most pleased to have your service." Cai Renxiang¡¯s posture was stiff. "Your loss would do incalculable damage at this juncture. Please consider that in the future."


    She laughed, physically even. It hurt her throat. "I understand."


    "I will allow you privacy to speak with your spirits now. You also have a number of well wishers. Have your junior sister inform the medical assistants when you are ready for visitors."


    And with that, her liege marched out.


    It left her alone, looking at Hanyi, whose composure was already crumpling, icy tears forming in her eyes.


    Ling Qi understood without words needing to be spoken. She felt a dull churning in her gut. She had made the right choice and taken the correct action. That didn''t mean there weren''t costs.


    "You''re not allowed to die."


    Hanyi spoke the words in a soft whisper, but they were loud in Ling Qi''s ears. Her junior sister hugged her arms around herself.


    "Y-you can''t just disappear! You promised Momma you would take care of me."


    Ling Qi wished deeply that she could sit up right now. She felt her fingertips twitch, but all of her desire to embrace and comfort Hanyi couldn''t amount to more than that.


    It was an awful feeling.


    "I''ll keep getting stronger, so I won¡¯t get hurt as easily," Ling Qi promised, unable to even raise her head properly. The most she could do was turn it on the pillow.


    "You''ll do it again, though," Hanyi accused.


    "I will." Ling Qi couldn''t lie about this, a fundamental concept of herself. "I was the only one who could do this today, but I promise I won''t risk myself without thought."


    "But that''s all you can promise," Sixiing said wryly.


    Hanyi''s expression scrunched up, and then a moment later, she was on top of Ling Qi, hugging her and sniffling against her neck. The pressure of her weight and the cold of her hands penetrated the numbness of Ling Qi''s body. She winced, glancing at Sixiang for help. The muse reached out, rubbing Hanyi''s back.


    Want. Somewhere along the way, the success of this project had become something she deeply and truly wanted. Even knowing her actions had hurt the ones closest to her, she couldn''t regret taking them.


    And that haunted her because Still Waters Deeping, Meng Delun, had been the same.


    The consequences and the scale had been more dire, but it was still the same process. She would hurt the ones she loved if she found the cause great enough.


    It had to come down to the details. Meng Delun¡¯s cause was a faceless ideal, far, far removed from any single person. The feast in the garden under the moon, Hanyi''s frozen tears, Cai Renxiang''s stiff shoulders, and the people slowly building a life on the banks of Snowblossom Lake. She might accept the consequences, but she wouldn''t forget faces. Not like that. Never like that.


    "I''m sorry, Hanyi. I¡¯m sorry you had to see me like this, but I lived. It''s hard to get more dangerous than what I just did, and I still lived."


    Hanyi squeezed her tighter, and she winced at the throb of pain from the pressure. Her little sister let out a muffled, watery laugh. "My big sis is the toughest, densest one there is."


    "Hey, you added something there," Ling Qi complained.


    "I dunno,¡± Sixiang said. ¡°I think she''s being pretty accurate."


    "I guess you''re not wrong all the time," Hanyi said to Sixiang before finally sitting up. She scrubbed the sleeve of her gown back and forth across her face. "I''m totally gonna tell on you to Zhengui. He won''t let you out of his sight till you''re better."


    "I''ll be good." Ling Qi sighed. "It''s not like I can make much trouble like this."


    "What''s this quitter talk?" Sixiang wondered.


    "No! Don''t give her ideas!" Hanyi scolded. She scrubbed her face one more time, "Now, I''m gonna go tell them you can have visitors now! You''re gonna lay here and get pined over by all the boys, got it, big sis?"


    Ling Qi blinked. "Wait, what?"

 Threads Chapter 385

    Threads Chapter 385


    Hanyi was already trotting off for the door, and probably ignoring her on purpose. She looked at Sixiang with concern.


    "At the least, Xuan Shi and Zheng Fu want to chat. Meng boy is real busy, but a big supply caravan from the Bao showed up with a couple familiar faces. Pretty sure the only reason your snake bestie isn''t here already is because she''s sitting on her clan¡¯s response to this mess."


    Ling Qi closed her eyes and groaned quietly. Meizhen was going to be furious, wasn''t she? She was almost surprised that the girl hadn''t assigned Xiao Fen to just stand in the corner and glare at her, but there were more urgent matters afoot. As for the other visitors... She did want to know more about what had happened. She had seen flashes of outside activity, and she remembered that Xuan Shi had been with Meng Dan.


    "I wouldn''t have come out without his gauntlets, would I?"


    "Well, I wouldn''t have," Sixiang said, scratching the back of their head. "They''re totally trashed too, but they lasted till the bang at the end before they gave it up entirely."


    Of course, Xuan Shi really was a skilled crafter. A thought occurred. "Where is my gown?"


    Sixiang winced.


    "Where is she!"


    "The docs had to pick it out of you. The silk kinda melted, you know, and so did you."


    "Is it...?"


    "Your boss doesn''t do anything by half measures. It looked like a pile of ash, skin, and a couple glowing threads holding the bits together, but it was starting to repair already. It''s been sent back to Lin Hai to get looked over."Fo?llo?w new stories at novelhall.com


    She allowed herself to be cautiously optimistic.


    "Ah... Boss lady might¡¯ve wanted to say this herself, but since you look real worried, word is that the duchess is gonna let him use her workshop to do repairs. So, the dress is probably gonna come out fine?"


    Oh.


    Heavy footfalls were approaching the door. Solid and unyielding qi was matched with a scent she now recognized as sea spray. Beneath it, like an eel darting among the riverweeds, she could feel a sulking presence. That must be Xuan Shi¡¯s bound spirit, the nightmare Kongyou. There was something else as well though, like a little blot of ink reflecting, or perhaps consuming, the very attention that fell on it.


    She felt it pause there outside the door. There was doubt there, even now.


    "Please come in," Ling Qi said, projecting her voice more with qi than air.


    The presence startled, and then the door pushed open.


    Xuan Shi stepped into the room. He looked a bit worse for the wear. Without his gauntlets or heavy concealing outer robe, he seemed strange and unfamiliar to her eyes. A thick armored vest stretched across a broad chest, a belt hung with pouches, and sturdy trousers were tucked into thick boots. There was a crack in the wide brim of his hat.


    "Xuan Shi, thank you for visiting me... and for your assistance. I don''t think I would be even this well without your gift," Ling Qi said gratefully.


    He looked at her for a long moment. "Then this one has no regrets."


    He sat down in another chair left by her bedside, across from Sixiang. He was staring at her from under the brim of his hat, but for once, she didn''t feel discomfited by the attention. She surely looked terrible right now, regardless.


    "I did manage to save a, uh, couple fragments." Sixiang reached across the bed and dropped into his hand a number of clay shards, still glowing cherry red with heat. She didn''t know where Sixiang had been keeping it... the same place as the idol that anchored them, she supposed. "Reagents, right?"


    Xuan Shi looked down at it briefly. Unbothered by the heat, he closed his palm around the slightly smoking ceramic shards before it vanished into the storage ring on his finger. "Reagents. Yes. Miss Ling, this one is astounded by the lengths to which your ambition took you."


    No distractions, hm? She appreciated Sixiang''s effort.


    "I only regret that I could not lessen the harm further. We will not fail here," Ling Qi vowed.


    "Did you build a nest box under there?" Ling Qi asked, bemused.


    Xuan Shi coughed into his hand. "Temporary accommodation."


    "She seems to like it, but you''re right that it can''t last forever. I do miss when I could carry Zhengui around."


    "It will be the same, this one believes, although this one doubts she will reach such heights." Xuan Shi paused. "Perhaps it is best not to assume such in these days, however."


    Ling Qi briefly imagined a towering chicken standing astride the mountaintops, flaring her wings and summoning a gale upon the land below. It was... definitely an image. "I suppose so."


    Silence fell between them then, only a little tense and awkward.


    "How bad was it?" Ling Qi asked. "At the Meng compound."


    Xuan Shi took a deep, sharp breath. "A worse storm this one has not yet seen. A mutiny was countenanced from the foundations. Yet few had their own will. Sir Meng¡¯s gaze is sharp when forewarned for what to seek and assisted by a grinning ape."


    "And a dependable tortoise," Ling Qi added.


    "This one merely provided force and analysis of formation arrays," Xuan Shi demurred, but he lowered his head in acknowledgement of her words. An irate chirp emerged from beneath his hat. ¡°There were six. Only two were the aides of Meng Deming, as recorded in the annals of the summit staff."


    Ling Qi grimaced. It was not a huge number all told, and yet, it was more than she would have liked. Together with whatever her allies in the Meng had found in their home... It was going to be ugly. People would die. They would be executed if they were not already dead. Husbands and wives, parents and children, brothers and sisters, so many connections were going to be snipped.


    It was the best that could be done. Enemies did not stop being enemies because they were people. But even if the faction from which these rebels drew their strength was gutted and discredited, she expected that there would be a great deal of resentment to go around in the wider clan for a long time to come.


    "Sir Meng Dan is most troubled. It is not easy to raise hands against kin," Xuan Shi said.


    "I would expect no less. Thank you again, Xuan Shi, for all of your assistance. I wish there were more that I could do to pay my debts to you."


    "Friends do not keep a coin counter¡¯s ledger. If mine work preserved Lady Ling''s life, then it has paid itself in full. All the same, this one wishes to remain. The Argent Peak Sect and the Xuan alike wish eyes here. Will you support this?"


    "Of course I will,¡± Ling Qi promised. ¡°We still have a proper town to build here, don''t we?"


    Xuan Shi made a sound of agreement. "This one looks forward to walking at your side. Miss Ling is never short on adventure."


    "I''ll look forward to that too, and not only for walking at all." Ling Qi chuckled weakly. "Xuan Shi..."


    He tilted his head as she trailed off.


    "I will be glad to have you here in whatever ways you want to walk. I hope we can seek out secrets together again." She chose the words with difficulty. Some acts were harder, despite the far lower stakes.


    "A-ah." Xuan Shi blinked slowly. "This one would be honor-... most pleased to tread the winding ways at thy side again."


    Sixiang teased, "Maybe you can keep her from blocking more attacks with her face while you''re at it."


    "I''ll catch the next one in my teeth," Ling Qi shot back.


    "That would be most ill advised. This one implores that Miss Ling use the hands which the Nameless gave unto her."


    "I will take it into consideration." Ling Qi attempted a haughty sniff, but it just made her cough. What a wretched feeling. "Then I look forward to your contributions here."


    He nodded, standing slowly. "This one accepts. What has been wrought here will echo far. To be a part of it has been an honor. Be well, Ling Qi. Many remain who wish for thy ear, but let us speak again soon."

 Threads Chapter 386

    Threads Chapter 386


    "It''s funny." Sixiang looked thoughtful after Xuan Shi had left.


    "What?"


    "He still likes you, but I think he''s actually better for taking a step back."


    "You shouldn''t center your whole life around another person." Ling Qi had seen where that led in Elder Jiao and Meizhen¡¯s father. "It is not fair to them. Or you."


    Sixiang hummed noncommittally, resting their chin on their crossed arms, only to sit up straight a moment later.


    Ling Qi''s eyes darted to the corner of the room where she felt the veil of reality distorting.


    Laughter and mist.


    "Hello to you too, Zheng Fu. I see they have not revamped the security much."


    Stepping out of the shimmering air, Zheng Fu grinned at her behind his scarf. "C''mon, it¡¯s only been ten days. If you''re worried though, pretty sure I''d already be dead if I was a baddie given the eyes on this place."


    "That''s good to know." Ling Qi lifted her head and then down. She just had to get the qi circulating some more. She had promised not to cultivate, not to be completely still.


    He looked her up and down appraisingly, and she frowned up at him.


    "You really are nutty."


    Sixiang chuckled. "She''s been reminded."


    She glared at the muse and then back at Zheng Fu. "I was not going to allow this summit to fail over an old man''s tantrums, no matter how powerful he was. Not if I could do anything about it."


    "Nutty," Zheng Fu repeated, stepping up to the foot of her bed. "You wanna visit the ol'' dreaming court together when you''re fixed up?"


    "No, thank you," Ling Qi refused immediately.


    "Hah, figured. Worth a shot though." Zheng Fu shrugged. "Anyway, how much did the Xuan guy tell ya?"


    "Not too much. We were speaking more personally."


    "Guess that''s why he blew me off. Ya''ll are so stuffy," Zheng Fu complained. "I figured out there was a cultivation network going on and found the traces to where the bigger nodes were hiding in the dream. Spoke with Mister Inspector, and he directed me to Meng Dan."


    "So, you didn''t just run off into the Liminal alone to punch that woman out," Ling Qi mused.


    His eyebrows climbed. "How much did you see?"


    "Not much more than that."


    He shook his head. "Not even gonna ask. This was a hell of a job, even with everybody working together. Real stuff, too; no one playacting here."


    He sounded distant, a little lost in thought.


    "Anyway, I''ll be hanging around the Emerald Seas for a while, doing stuff for my master and myself.¡± Zheng Fu strolled around her bedside to the table beside it. He flicked his wrist, and then laid the small scroll that appeared in his hand on the table. "You or your boss need some muscle, or a pair of eyes, you can send to the address there, or use the formation to call me up. That bit will only work once, though."


    "Quite an offer from the Zheng clan," Ling Qi said warily.


    "Nah. My master thinks it''s an investment. We missed out on big Cai, but I think little Cai''s gonna shake things up, too, is all... Hrm. I best get out of here if I don''t wanna get launched out the window by an irate snake. See ya later there, nutty girl."


    And then he was gone, nothing more than a swirl of mist and a shimmer in the air.


    "Is it that annoying when I do that?" Ling Qi wondered aloud.


    ***


    "Well, that will just about do. Comfortable?"


    Ling Qi considered the question, looking down at herself. It had been another two days since she had awoken in the medical pavilion, and she could at least move her head and arms and breathe comfortably while sitting up.


    The fact that she could not yet hold a cup or even an inkbrush with proper strength yet was... frustrating. It was partially due to the numbness. She understood that if her body''s tactile sense was functioning properly, she would have had to shut it off herself or be overwhelmed by the pain. Right now, there was just a dull ache all over, sharpening with any sense of pressure. Even so, she understood that she had her physicians fretting, even doing this much. But they were cultivators, too. They understood there were limits to how far she could restrain herself.


    She was still wrapped in clean fabric bandages, cinched tight onto burnt skin and overlaid with silk talisman tags bearing potent healing formations. Not that anyone could see them, under the plain blue and black gown she had been helped into.


    She didn''t like it. Objectively, it was well cut, lightweight, and loose. The simple embroidery along the hems was pleasing to the eye. It still felt wrong, rough, and ill fitting, despite her knowing there was no such thing.


    But there was no point in feeling sorry for herself.


    With great effort, she lifted her hands out of her lap and let them rest on the soft stuffed fabric armrests of her new conveyance. It was built from flexible, dark gray wood paneling, with black cushions beneath her, behind her back and head, and under her arms. Below, her feet rested on a snug cushioned shelf that kept them from the ground. Attached to either side were steel rimmed wheels wrapped in qi-treated leather. It would keep them from damaging floors, or so she understood. She let her head rest back against the high back, noting how well it conformed to her neck and scalp.


    "It''s very good work, especially on such short notice," she replied.


    Bao Qian finished fiddling with whatever component of the wheels he had been adjusting and stood up. He hadn''t changed much since she had seen him last.


    "Big Sis is so tall," Hanyi grumbled from behind her. "You''re lucky I''ve gotten bigger too!"


    "Well, Master Zeqing was even taller than me." Ling Qi glanced back at Hanyi. Her little sister really had been growing quickly these days. She stood now behind Ling Qi with her hands on the push bars of the chair.


    "I can add some automation at a later date, but I wanted to focus on the smoothness of the conveyance and the posture support." Bao Qian wiped the metal lubricant from his hands with a cloth, standing up. "I hardly want you to be getting jarred by every little pebble and seam in the floorboards."


    When he had first seen her, he hadn''t been able to hide the flash of horror at her condition, but then he had immediately started bustling about, taking measurements and notes.


    "Still not going to ask for the details of what happened?"


    "I''m sure everyone has been asking that. You''ll tell me when you wish to. We''ll have time. I''ll be basing in the Snowblossom area to keep up with Miss Hanyi''s rehearsals in the off-season."


    "That will be a better time for stories," Ling Qi mused, glancing toward the door of her office. Renxiang, Guangli, and she would be meeting with the White Sky and then the Bai before negotiations reopened properly.


    "Mhm. You¡¯d better have them build me a cool shrine, now that Zhengui has that big geyser. An important lady can''t be homeless!"


    "That would be a scandal." Bao Qian chuckled. "Ling Qi, regardless of whichever of the rumors I have been hearing are true, I am glad you are well, and I am impressed at this operation of yours. There is something heady in the air here."


    "Hopefully, not just the scent of smoke. I will be looking forward to projects with lower stakes for a while."


    He tilted his head. "You don''t mean that. That chair is going to drive you mad, no matter how soft I make the cushions."


    She grimaced. "Not wrong, but lower stakes does not mean no stakes. I can still work, even like this."


    "You really are a strong one." He shook his head. "You make me feel like a layabout young master."


    "You''ll just have to put more effort in then." Ling Qi smiled faintly.


    He barked a laugh. "I will do that. Looking forward to working with you, Miss Ling."


    "I, as well. I really do want to look into our shared ventures more. I''ve just had so little time," she sighed, shaking her head.


    "Of course. But do not let me make you late."


    "Indeed. Thank you, Bao Qian. Perhaps we can talk more on the journey back," she said. "Hanyi, do you know where to go?"


    "Yep!" Hanyi chirped, pushing her toward the door.

 Threads Chapter 387

    Threads Chapter 387


    The ride was a smooth one. There was not a single jolt even going over the door frame. Only the faint whir of the turning wheels gliding over polished floorboards broke the silence as they traveled. They came to the open door of the building''s main meeting room where Cai Renxiang and Gan Guangli were waiting for her outside.


    "Lady Ling, it is good to see you about so swiftly," Gan Guangli greeted, his voice echoing in the halls.


    "Praiseworthy, given that you received the approval of the physicians."


    Cai Renxiang''s tone was more neutral. The other girl had offered her another two days before scheduling this meeting, but Ling Qi had insisted. If she stayed in that little medical room for two more days, she might have dreamwalked out of her own skin.


    "You are too kind. Are our guests waiting?" Ling Qi asked.


    "They are. Let us proceed with this," Cai Renxiang said. "And determine where positions still stand."


    They entered the meeting room, Hanyi trotting to keep up with Gan Guangli''s longer strides.


    The meeting room itself was warmly lit. A long table set with refreshments was laid out between the seating on either side. Waiting for them were Jaromila, Dzintara, Inzha, and Rostam.


    "We apologize for your wait, honored guests." Cai Renxiang strode forward, her hand extended.


    Jaromila took it, clasping her wrist even as her eyes wandered over to Ling Qi. "It was nothing. I hope that everyone is well."


    Ling Qi did not miss the grave expressions all of them wore. Inzha in particular looked her over with pity, and her husband had his hat tugged low, shading his eyes. Dzintara at least met her gaze without flinching. There was a grim respect on the woman''s painted face.


    "We are as well as we can be," Ling Qi said. "This incident was no minor disruption, and it pleases me that everyone''s efforts and intercession were able to prevent truly serious damage."


    "It is no small act to take up a god''s war mantle," Dzintara said. "We, too, are pleased that the damage has been so well contained."


    There was a slightly awkward pause in the air, before Jaromila broke it. "But please, let everyone sit, so that we might discuss how our respective peoples are feeling and how we might close out the negotiations when they open again."


    "Of course," Cai Renxiang agreed, taking her own seat first. Hanyi wheeled Ling Qi up to the open space left for her and stepped up to her side with demure and ladylike poise to pour her a cup of water.


    It never ceased to be amusing watching Hanyi play at being so well behaved.


    "For our part, I will not lie that those we speak for are divided. This event has caused great alarm, and many voices call for us to withdraw entirely," Jaromila said gravely.


    "Level heads understand that pretending you are not here will not make you go away, though," Dzintara said. "And the signs are... clear enough."


    Ling Qi spoke up then. "I apologize for not speaking of my companion¡¯s own prize from our audience with the spirit who named herself Grydja. I would not have wished to imply anything that was not true."


    "Yet it is a sign all the same. That you were allowed an audience at all, let alone given such gifts is telling. If Crone Winter wishes our eyes to be in the north, then in the north they will remain," Inzha said.


    Rostram chuckled weakly. "Nothing good comes from ignoring grandmatrons. So, we remain."


    But, Ling Qi understood that trust in the Celestial Empire was damaged, even if the worst had been prevented. That such a rebellion had happened at all fed into the White Sky¡¯s fears.


    "I do not believe that any previous deals will need revision," Jaromila said. "However, I accept that tensions will inevitably be higher.¡±


    "Understandable." Cai Renxiang inclined her head. "I will be honest as well. Among us, there has been a certain rallying effect."


    "If we may convince the comital clans present to assign the forces necessary, it may defray any strain on the White Plumes," Gan Guangli said thoughtfully. "Given their mood, they should be amenable."


    There was a strong air of solidarity among the comital clans at this point, Ling Qi had observed. She had felt it while sitting out on the veranda of the medical pavilion, observing the soldiers who were recuperating there as well. Cai Renxiang had led them well by their measure, and dealing with the rebel Meng together had turned hearts toward pride in solidarity. It might be a sentiment only present among the lower realm commoners, but she did not wholly think so.


    "That would be helpful. Speak with them when we are finished, Gan Guangli," Cai Renxiang ordered. "As previously mentioned, the White Sky¡¯s prompt help with the incident should smooth tempers as well. Now, it is time to share your information as well."


    "My report on your ith¡ªthe maggot men¡ªwill be ready when the open meeting commences," Dzintara replied. "The scholars have turned up a few runes which are useful against their poison as well. We will add this to the basic sharing agreement in good faith."


    It would gain the White Sky good will and cost them little. A formation or two specialized in combating impurity could hardly be used to hurt the White Sky.


    "Generous," Cai Renxiang said. "Are there any other requests you wish to make that we should know of beforehand?"


    Inzha inclined her head. "The priests will want their temples to be bigger and more fortified, but we may wrap that with their infrastructure requests. The rest, I think, may be handled internally."


    "Good. I would like to speak on this settlement then," Ling Qi said. "While it will need to be segregated with your community walled from ours for now, it is important that it be officially recognized. In our land, true settlements receive charters, an official recognition as places of large settlement."


    A charter was part and parcel with a baron¡¯s title. With the title came the right to found a town. Smaller villages could be added later, but that required more paperwork to ensure that the imperial tax system functioned smoothly. The area around Lake Snowblossom already had its charter, and it was currently set under Cai Renxiang''s direct control.


    "We will be seeking to have this embassy town be given one. Is there an equivalent official recognition among your people?"


    "There is," Rostam said. "If we are bringing in a whole temple staff, most of the requirements are already fulfilled."


    "True," Dzintara said sourly. "I believe this is doable."


    "Yes," Jaromila agreed. "With the Sentinel and her temple, it will not be difficult to argue for sanctification."


    "Then please warm your people to the idea," Ling Qi said.


    "As we will ours," Cai Renxiang added.


    "Recent incident aside, this summit has been more profitable than imagined," Dzintara stated gruffly.


    "We are looking forward to further exchanges of knowledge," Inzha said.


    Rostam chuckled. "Let us try to keep things less exciting though, eh?"


    "We are pleased that this untoward incident can be put behind us," Cai Renxiang said. "Thank you, honored guests."


    "Indeed. It is my hope that we can wrap up these negotiations well and swiftly." Jaromila rose to her feet. Cai Renxiang and Gan Guangli followed suit. "And it is my hope that we might have more peaceful talks in the future, Emissary Ling Qi. I understand that you were pivotal in the resolution. I wish you a swift recovery."


    "As do I," Dzintara said. "I wonder how many like you there are, putting out fires in your province."


    Ling Qi inclined her head as well as she was able. "More than a few, I am sure."


    With a few more pleasantries, the White Sky emissaries took their leave.

 Threads Chapter 388

    Threads Chapter 388


    "That went as well as could be expected," Cai Renxiang said.


    "Indeed!¡± Gan Guangli boomed. ¡°Let us hope the private talks with the Bai and the Meng prove just as fruitful." His smile was forced.


    Cai Renxiang rubbed her forehead. "We will be relying on your connection, Ling Qi."


    "It is not just my connection," Ling Qi corrected. Bai Meizhen was Renxiang''s friend, too.


    Hanyi fidgeted at her side. "Like, everybody is friends, right? And we beat the bad guys. I kinda get why the foreign people are upset, but what''s the big deal? Big Sis didn''t even let anybody die!"


    There had been casualties among the work crews. Not many, but some.


    "It would be easy like that, would it not?" Cai Renxiang almost sounded wistful.


    "Even if Bai Meizhen feels that way, she is representing the Bai clan, not herself," Ling Qi explained. "And any assault on their members will make them upset. They need to be seen demanding apologies and repayment."


    "Bai Suzhen could, perhaps, force the Bai to do otherwise, though I do not think even she is so inclined, but it would merely breed resentment. Similarly, the Cai clan''s reputation is tarnished if we allow harm to come to a guest without reparation," Cai Renxiang continued.


    "So, negotiations.¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°We must try to find recompense which will satisfy the Bai without further building resentment and rancor among the Meng."


    "Ugh. It''s a good thing Big Sis understands this stuff," Hanyi huffed.


    She tried to imagine Hanyi in charge of negotiations. It was bleakly amusing.


    The Meng party were the first to arrive. It was small, with just Meng Deming and Meng Dan.


    Meng Deming was resplendent in his fine green robes and with not a hair out of place, groomed like a sagely minister. However, she didn''t miss the new white hairs in his beard and peeking out from under his cap, nor the new wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.


    Meng Dan looked exhausted, for all he tried to hide it. The skin under his eyes was dark, and his fingers tapped anxiously on his hip. His eyes met hers, and he swiftly looked away after taking her in.


    "Lady Cai," Meng Deming greeted stiffly. "I am honored to be received by you."


    "You remain the ancient and honored Meng clan," Cai Renxiang reassured. "Please sit."


    He nodded once and gestured to Meng Dan, who followed him to the left side of the table. "Though my mind was ensorcelled, my most sincere apologies remain."


    "I accept them, but these negotiations are not about that issue. In the end, my mother will determine what is owed."


    "... I felt her passage in the wind and the thunder in the mountains, and I saw the streaking star going north," Meng Deming said thickly. Ling Qi felt a pit in her stomach; it did not feel right to see such an old man close to tears. "Our fate hangs upon the efforts of the loyal."


    "I am confident," Meng Dan said, although he did not sound so, "that the Duchess'' light will undo all deception and that this conspiracy was of limited scope. Every interrogation has indicated such. This was but a small group of radicals hoping to force the greater clan¡¯s hand."


    "Blasted young fools! Exacerbating their grandfather into such a state, abusing their sacred stewardship of the dying! What were they thinking?!" Meng Deming''s breath blew out his whiskers, and the armrests of his chair exploded into sawdust and powder under his grip, the air wavering like water.


    Silence crept back into the room as the old man brought himself under control.


    "My apologies for this untoward display."


    "It is understandable. I would like to hear the reports of these interrogations, even though you only owe them to my honored mother."


    "You will have them," he vowed.


    "Let us focus on the Bai for now," Cai Renxiang said. "Fortunately, the harm was small, and Lady Bai Meizhen is calm minded."


    Meng Deming shook his head despairingly, but did not reply.


    Cai Renxiang pursed her lips. "In light of our ally¡¯s reticence for the idea, the Cai will withdraw the offer of infrastructure assistance. While we hope to reach an agreement in the future, this is not the time for it. Still, I was required to at least offer it."


    Cai Renxiang had received directives from her mother to that effect.


    "The Bai will receive the offer in the spirit it was given, and I am sure that my aunt looks forward to speaking further with the duchess on matters of cooperation," Bai Meizhen said diplomatically. "I trust that the matter of Xia Anxi''s request is also not a problem."


    Meng Deming¡¯s forehead was still nearly level with the table. "It is not. We will welcome another scholar eager to learn the mysteries of the stars. I will personally assure him full accommodation."


    Xia Anxi wore a self-satisfied expression, but looking at him out of the corner of her eye, Ling Qi thought it was somewhat forced. He was happy, but oddly, she judged he wasn''t enjoying the sight of a Meng representative debasing himself to him as much as he thought he would.


    "That is all well and good." Bai Meizhen steepled her fingers. "We must speak about the prisoners then."


    The concession to Xia Anxi was Bai Meizhen¡¯s suggestion and invention. She had said as much in private. It played well with her aunt''s faction, who wished to push a more respectful relationship with their lower castes. Taking Xia Anxi''s request for his price leaned into that. But the rest of the White Serpent Bai were indifferent to it. For them, the price came down to blood.


    "The Cai will ensure that all conspirators are punished within accordance with our laws and oaths," Cai Renxiang promised.


    "Of this, we are certain. Duchess Cai''s righteousness and honesty is legendary. It is for this reason that we request only three, understanding that this was a small conspiracy as you have stated and that the number of plotters is limited."


    Simply put, with the duchess'' word on the matter, even the most recalcitrant Bai could not deny the verdict. When a statement was made in Cai Shenhua''s voice, it was not a lie. This was a truth as sure as the rise of the sun.


    "However, this is not simply a matter of my retainer''s injury, but also what was attempted," Bai Meizhen finished.


    "Through meditation, I was better able to understand the taint left behind and purge it thoroughly," Xia Anxi said. "It sought to inflame the baser self, seeking conflict. It wished to infest my lady. Although it failed to bring me to allow that, the infestation would have provoked me to violence against the Sun."


    Ling Qi closed her eyes for a moment. The Bai and the Sun coming to blows at their summit would have been disastrous. And for Xia Anxi, if he had done harm to Bai Meizhen, unintentionally or not, she suspected his life would have been forfeit.


    Yes, it was not a small injury at all.


    "We understand the injury done and the depth of this plot," Meng Deming said. "We further understand that it is not easily forgotten."


    It was impossible, for her at least, not to feel the ripples in Meng Deming''s qi and see the memory churning in his mind. She saw an awful bloody thing that had once been a man. She flinched away from it, even as its lipless mouth worked, pleading for death atop the execution block overlooking the calm waters of Lake Hei.


    Her gut churned. She cycled her qi and pushed the taste of bile back down her throat.


    The memory was visceral in a way nightmares stretched out to the horizon were not. But, for all that she despised consigning the Meng, traitors or not, to that consequence, she had made crueler choices at this summit alone. When she had claimed a huge swathe of the mountains for the Celestial Empire, she knew what was likely to happen to the nomads who lived there.


    Ling Qi could only do the best with what she had. Although she tried to minimize harm and to find the path of most good, sometimes, she was too small to push aside the oncoming glacier. She was not a sovereign yet who could stare directly at the world and tell it to stop. And even being a sovereign wasn¡¯t enough sometimes. That was Elder Jiao''s lesson. It was Meng Delun, Still Water Deeping''s, lesson, too.


    A crown was not enough to fight the world alone. A Way that left her on a road with so few travelers could only end ignobly. Even if written into the laws of the world, it would be chipped away until it was forgotten. The strongest laws were the ones which brought disciples and followers thronging on the road the ascended sovereign had carved.


    She shook off the thought, half her own voice and half a raspy skeleton''s whisper.


    "The one most responsible for the decision to assault our ally and who bears the firmest responsibility, as determined by the duchess'' interrogation," Ling Qi counter-proposed. "Would that be amenable to the Bai?"


    "It will be dissatisfying to many of us," Bai Meizhen said coolly. "It may be argued, if the duchess vouches for their responsibility."


    "A large indemnity would be delivered in addition, of course," Cai Renxiang said. "As well as any research which exists or is brought to light regarding the defense against the techniques and artifice used. Correct, Meng Deming?"


    The Meng representative¡¯s face was sallow and pale, as if he were swallowing something awful and sour. But he nodded once, short and sharp. "The fool who gave the order to assault the Bai clan and to begin this vile treason... Yes, that is most fair of you, Lady Cai. We will deliver the research on Hui era talismans used in this attack as a part of our indemnity without complaint."


    Meng Dan''s eyes were downcast, but there was a hint of relief in his face.


    "Very well. We may discuss the exact details of the indemnity, but the larger part of the matter is settled," Bai Meizhen said. "The Bai clan accepts this offer."

 Threads 389-Making Good 2

    Threads 389-Making Good 2


    Ling Qi didn¡¯t miss the slightly uncertain look on Xia Anxi''s face as he glanced at her. She really was going to have to thank Meizhen. She suspected her friend had made significant work for herself in accepting just one prisoner for the Bai.


    The air was no less tense through the rest of the negotiations. Every word felt measured and strained, but eventually, eventually, it ended.


    The Bai were given the honor of standing first, and being seen off. She shared a shallow nod of understanding with Bai Meizhen as she swept out, leaving only the Meng and them.


    "It is my hope that you understand that the Cai could not¡ªwould not¡ªalienate our friendship with the Bai and cast aside the province''s interests solely for the clean death of treasonous criminals," Cai Renxiang said.


    "I understand this. It will be a bitter pill to surrender any of our blood to the Lakes." Meng Deming shook his head. "But it is only good fortune that spares us at all. I, Meng Deming, at least, will remember your mercy."


    Meng Dan chuckled weakly. "It is a terrible feeling to have your fate decided so far over your head. I suppose Miss Ling is well aware of such."


    "Yes." Ling Qi inclined her head. "Like myself, though, you moved the mountains, Meng Dan."


    "Your loyalty to the Emerald Seas will not be forgotten," Cai Renxiang cut in. "Although my mother is not merciful, she is exact. Yet all the same, should those of you who stood by us in this incident require aid or support, I will hear your request."


    It was a small boon to offer now, though not as small as it would have been a month ago. Whatever might be said of them in court, their cohort had made a real achievement. Cai Renxiang would not be without power herself anymore, whatever her cultivation.


    "I will carry these words to grandmother." Meng Dan bowed low. "I am requested at home, and I do not begrudge it. What has been wrought there, I should see."


    His uncle looked at him with pity. "You are a fine archivist indeed, nephew. Write your chronicle and experience. I will remain here to fulfill the Meng clan¡¯s duties in this place. If this one has Lady Cai''s leave?"


    "You do," Cai Renxiang replied. "There are some small topics I would discuss with you yet regarding the observatory and its staffing due to casualties."


    Meng Deming bowed his head in acknowledgement, and Ling Qi accepted Cai Renxiang''s glance as the dismissal it was. "Come, Hanyi, let''s go back outside. I would like to see the sun set."


    "Okay, big sis!" Hanyi chirped. The tension of the room and the negotiations seemed to have left her unphased, but Ling Qi could see that she was troubled. Hanyi didn''t like seeing what she probably saw as ¡°big sis and her friend¡± at odds.


    "A fine idea! I think we could all use a breath of clear air," Gan Guangli said.


    "Allow me to accompany you then," Meng Dan said.


    They took their leave from Cai Renxiang and Meng Deming, leaving the conference room behind.


    "I wish you good fortune, my friend. I know you did no easy thing," Gan Guangli said.


    "It was hardly anything," Meng Dan dismissed lightly. It was painfully false.


    "That doesn''t suit you well, Meng Dan," Ling Qi observed. "I will say it again, I would not have moved this mountain so ably without you."


    They passed through the embassy entrance and came out onto the porch which overlooked the front garden. The sun was setting.


    Eventually, he sighed. "I do hate to be the student who asks for repetition. Ling Qi, though my heart is heavy, I do not regret my actions. I will be back. It will be important for the Meng to show our allegiance in ways large and small in the coming future."


    The imperial side of the table was packed, the most familiar faces all looming among the courtiers but minor representatives from even the more uninvolved clans were also present. She saw the colors of the Bao and the Diao and Jia next to the Luo, Wang, and Meng.


    General Xia Ren still stood like a pillar of steel over them all, radiating heat, but she was seemingly calmer than before. A hair further from drawing her blade.


    Xia Lin had said that the rumor within the White Plumes was that the duchess¡¯ plan had come to fruition. All of these summit negotiations had been allowed to draw out the last of the old poison. The duchess couldn''t lie, of course, so the stated purpose was also true, but they were satisfied at fulfilling the ¡°real¡± objective.


    The twisting people did sometimes. The rationalization was exhausting. Ling Qi understood better why the duchess could break someone with truth.


    The White Sky side of the table was no less packed. She saw the emissaries, the priests and officials, and even the gnarled tree woman that was the Voice of the Weeping Sentinel.


    Hanyi rolled her chair up into the space beside Cai Renxiang, and Ling Qi felt the attention of almost every set of eyes in the room at least briefly look over her. She bore the attention with dignity as Cai Renxiang rose from her seat to speak.


    "Welcome, everyone. Let me first offer my thanks to all. Even with the disruption which assailed us, the spirit which has driven these talks has not faltered. These talks are nearly complete now because of the efforts of all of you, who have refused to allow a few malcontents to destroy what we have wrought here."


    Jaromila rose to her feet herself. "I will not pretend that we of the White Sky are not disturbed by the events of the previous week. However, as much as any such incident could be, it was handled swiftly and with the minimum of damage."


    There was some murmuring and grumbling from her side, but no one gainsaid her.


    "These troubles are in the past, and we now look to the future. It is time that we fulfill the promise which we made earlier in the negotiations. Emissary Dzintara."


    The other woman stood. She was dressed in much heavier furs, the white ruff about her shoulders rising behind her head. "You have requested information on what you call the ¡®ith.¡¯ During the time we have negotiated, scribes in our home territories were collating what information we had."


    She gestured, and a young man behind her lifted a heavy tome from his lap. Bound in fresh white leather, it was the size of one of Cai Renxiang''s law books. His arms shook a little as he lifted it onto the table with a thump.


    "I have had what was found in the annals, including illustrations and diagrams of their constructions and artifice, copied and translated into your tongue. This will serve for deeper knowledge."


    "Sensible." Wang Lian eyed the book with hunger. "We would be here all day and night otherwise."


    "Agreed," Dzintara said shortly. "I will share the summary of our knowledge. The maggot men originate on the other side of the gates through which our new tribes arrived. They inhabit a high, mountainous land called by its human inhabitants ¡®Nidavellr.¡¯ It is there that the great ash tree, the pillar of the northern sky, resides."


    "Four pillars of creation: north, west, east and south."


    "Xiangmen stands high in the south."


    "The eastern pillar was broken by the old Dragon Gods."


    "Legends say the northern pillar was scarred..."


    "When the giants were cast down for their great sins against creation, humans were freed from their yoke to spread across the world of our birthright," Dzintara continued, ignoring the whispers of imperial priests. "But in the land of Nidavellr, the pillar of the world was split, as a lesser tree might be by lightning, and its silver leaves blackened. Here, the creatures of the void gnawed more freely, and so many men of Nidavellr refused to leave the caves in which old humanity had survived the giants¡¯ rule. Those who remained dug deeper instead, climbing down and down into the cold roots beneath the pillar, and there, they found the wounds of creation in the Primordial One of Earth."


    Primordial One... The Nameless Mother, who was all things material, the whole of the earth under their feet.


    "They dug in, supping from her stagnant blood and flesh. They are not spirits or beasts. They are men of strange and twisted cultivation. Thus, they are called the maggot men," Dzintara finished.

 Threads 390-New Peace 1

    Threads 390-New Peace 1


    That revelation brought a new round of whispers and disbelieving sounds. It was hard not to join them. Ling Qi had seen a good number of ith up close. While they shared some features, it was very hard to think of them as humans.


    "It is one thing to call the cloud tribes human, but are ith not a step too far?" a thin man in Jia colors whose name floated just beyond her reach asked. "Even if they were once, they are clearly not any longer!"


    Dzintara shrugged. "That, I leave you to determine. They are great artificers, though feeble of body, and spread easily through the bowels of the world carved by the primordial¡¯s flowing blood. It is these rivers under the earth which they build around. In most places, they live deep and do not bother the lands which live under the sun. In Nidavellr, the men who live in those barren peaks swear fealty to them, and they are said to bear great and powerful works of arms and armor with which they subjugate and raid the surrounding lands and draw their own tribute or which they might trade on their sky ships to the men of lower lands in exchange for dark favors. These thralls of the maggot men are dealers of death, warriors and merchants as the whim takes them."


    "The matter of the rivers matches our own accounts," Ling Qi said, leaving unsaid that she had been one of the makers. "If this place is so far though, how do they come here? Did they arrive with your new tribes and burrow down, or do these rivers go all the way under the northern ocean?"


    "It is known that the shadow under the earth stretches far." Luo Jie leaned forward on his stick. "It is also known that the deeping pits know no proper geometries."


    "Frustrating business," Wang Lian grunted. "Having to account for distances and angles not being as they should be. It''s troubling all of the tunneling efforts."


    "It is so," Dzintara said. "We do not fully understand this aspect."


    "They are distant here though," the Jia man¡ªJia Shu! That was it¡ªsaid. "Else they would have called for aid when Her Grace subjugated the cities beneath Xiangmen. Interrogations on the matter showed that they were not subordinate to other powers before her."


    "True enough," Wang Lian said. "The source is interesting but not too relevant at the moment."


    Dzintara gave a sharp nod. "Yes. We ourselves intend to investigate the underground geography of our lands now that this has been pushed to the fore. Better understanding is necessary. Regardless, the indications and studies show that their greatest strength is in what we call rune work and what you call formation craft. That said, the degree to which they deploy themselves as weapons seems to be against our evidence."


    "No proxies under the eyes of the sun here, traitorous exceptions ignored," Luo Jie said.


    "Likely what they are trying to build with the aid of certain cloud tribes," Cao Chun said, breaking his silence. The man''s expression was pinched, and his eyes fell on her now and again. When they did, his wrinkles deepened with his scowl. "If these creatures are the broken off periphery of those from Nidavellr, then they likely lag behind in many areas. Neither a group of cities nor a province can match the united output of a civilization."


    There were quite a lot of implications in his statement, not all of which Ling Qi had the time to unpack now.


    "I propose we add dissection of ith artifacts and rune craft to the items which we may both benefit from studying," Inzha said.


    "What examples of ith artifacts and rune craft there are reside in the same vaults as void objects," Dzintara said sourly. "Those the archivists release may be used as such.¡±


    "That would be very helpful," Meng Deming, who still appeared wan and exhausted, said. "There will be many academics here."


    "I find no fault with the proposal," Wang Lian said.


    "So long as we are certain it is of maggot make and not the void demons," said one White Sky priest, echoed by his peers.


    "Do not like knowing there are foes beneath."


    "Forbidden ways, tapping into things close to the void..."


    "Well said, Sir Gan!¡± Jia Shu enthused. ¡°It does not sit well with me to shirk our duties to the realm¡¯s security. Split between the southern clans, it is hardly a great imposition. The Jia will contribute happily."


    The Jia clan had sure gotten invested at the last minute, hadn''t they? She needed to talk with Gan Guangli about that development.


    "The Diao disapprove of this," said a courtier in Diao colors.


    "I am not certain of our position on this," said a Bao one.


    "There will need to be a sovereign stationed here at all times, too. We had assumed this would be the General," Luo Jie said unhappily.


    "I may be required for other tasks. Permanent assignment here was always impossible." Xia Ren stared hard at Ling Qi before turning her gaze back to the Voice of the Weeping Sentinel. "I oppose this increased foreign force entirely. If it is insisted upon, I must demand that the comital clans put forth their own efforts."


    "We could design a rotation and send it to Her Grace to be made a decree to ensure we all contribute," Wang Lian offered.


    Ling Qi winced. Cao Chun didn''t look pleased either, but she had known that he would disapprove of a stronger foreign force. She inclined her head to Cai Renxiang, who stood to speak.


    "It is true that the esteemed White Plumes cannot have so much of its command here on a permanent basis. The forces of the comital clans should be the larger part of any defense here. In the future when the Horned Legion is trained, the forces you have contributed to that may be a better fit, but that is for the future¡¯s consideration."


    Ling Qi followed up. "I would propose that the White Plumes contribute a single fifth realm commander on site to act as an overall commander with the rest of the upper cadre provided by the comital clans. As the honorable Diao and Bao families do not wish to participate, I propose that the Wang, Luo, and Jia contribute the other officers. An overall sixth realm commander may be discussed amongst yourselves and presented to Her Grace for approval. Would that be acceptable?"


    "I think we will manage well enough," Wang Lian said. ¡°I support this.¡±


    "As do I," Jia Shu said swiftly. "Why, I am certain that the Wang and Jia clans together could handle the matter on our own, if our colleagues wish..."


    "The Luo will contribute," Luo Jie interrupted. He shifted in his seat to lean on one arm, revealing some fresh scarring across his hand and arm.


    "Very good then!" Jia Shu exclaimed. "Getting back to the matter of these ith though, the reports we have received do have discrepancies with your information, emissary. These creatures do not behave or live like men. Even the degenerate barbarians of the sea floor or the jungle fused with beasts have more claim to that designation."


    Dzintara shrugged. "We were asked for our information. That portion is legend, but who is to say how far humans can change themselves?" She gestured vaguely, encompassing both General Xia and the Voice of the Weeping Sentinel behind her, as well as the valley outside where the cleanup was still occurring.


    Ling Qi privately thought Jia Shu had a point. What she understood of how the ith reproduced made them seem more an odd sort of spirit, but now wasn''t the time for the debate.


    "Something for us to study and come to conclusions on in a more rigorous setting," she suggested.


    "I suppose." Jia Shu stroked his beard. "Ah, forgive me, my own interest in spiritual anatomy overcame me."


    "It is well and good to debate over unclear matters," Cai Renxiang said. "Still, let us focus. We are agreed that the retinue of the Weeping Sentinel will be allowed and matched by our own force?"


    There was agreement from around the table. Even the representatives from the disagreeing clans were not too bothered by it, and Xia Ren gave a single slow nod of acceptance, not voicing any further displeasure.

 Threads 391 New Peace 2

    Threads 391 New Peace 2


    "I would like to raise one final motion before we begin drafting the final treaty," Ling Qi said. "A great many people, many of them quite distinguished, shall be stationed and living here in the long term. They will bring with them their retinues and staff, who will bring their own hangers-on. I believe it would be irresponsible to not see this place granted the charter of a proper town under Her Grace''s direct rule rather than trying to run such an extensive settlement as a mere military outpost, which would be terribly inefficient."


    Cai Renxiang gave her a look out of the corner of her eye at those final words, but she swiftly launched into an agreement. "My retainer is correct. The simple weight of the nobility and professionals gathered here demands proper infrastructure and law."


    "I can see it," Wang Lian grunted. "It''ll happen on its own with those following a trail of opportunity. Best get ahead of it."


    "And it can be prevented by strict regulation of who and what is authorized to be stationed here," Xia Ren said bluntly. "I do see that this shall not be a primarily military staging ground. There is no purpose in attempting to force it to be so now."


    "All frontier settlement is dangerous. Those bold individuals who chose it regardless are to be commended," Jia Shu said.


    "You are putting many in harm''s way here," Cao Chun said, looking at her with calculation. "But that is true of any settlement. Of course you mean to do this in tandem with the southerners."


    "We have spoken of similar matters," Jaromila said. "With the construction of a complete temple and the infrastructure to support it, it would be insulting to the Weeping Sentinel for this place to not also be sanctified as a proper holdfast. I am sure we will need to more exactly define our peoples¡¯ interactions."


    Cao Chun snorted and gave Ling Qi an irritated look. "We will."


    "Naturally," Ling Qi said, concealing her glee. "We cannot allow interactions to become disordered. However, even with a close proximity, I believe we may continue to develop this relationship as good neighbors."


    Dzintara looked almost as sour as Cao Chun. "We find it a difficult notion but we cannot ask so many to leave civilization behind entirely and be wholly beholden to foreign support."


    Although there was some minor murmuring, most of the White sky were merely speaking slowly about plans, and some among the priests even looked quite happy. She glanced over at Jaromila, who looked quite pleased with herself.


    Handled internally indeed.


    "It will be a most intriguing project, aligning our methods and defenses and crafting a lasting equilibrium at this test site," Inzha said mildly. "The scholars of the west look forward to its solution. My husband and I intend to remain and oversee it."


    Rostam chuckled. "Should be a pleasant way to spend a decade or two, eh?"


    "We ourselves may be able to offer further expertise in the future. There will be much more time for all of the details to be worked out carefully on this project after all," Ling Qi said, thinking of her promise from Han Jian to see about any interest from his clan''s renowned geomancy specialists.


    "If this is to be done, let it be done properly," Cao Chun said dully. "While this remains a matter for the Emerald Seas, the empress'' eyes will be on this place for the security of the empire."


    That was most likely as close to an endorsement as it was possible to get from the Ministry of Integrity.


    "One issue remains which frustrates me. I have not yet seen any input from your central authority, not even the presence of an observer such as myself," Cao Chun said. "How are we to know that the agreement made here will not simply be overruled when their attention turns this way?"


    His statement cooled the atmosphere that had been beginning to rise.


    None on the White Sky looked particularly happy at his statement.


    Dzintara merely snorted. "They have no authority to do so. Perhaps if my own Twisted Pines and the eastern badlands also voiced disapproval, but by themselves? Merely trying would unite the rest of us against such a motion in the great althing."


    It wasn''t even a pun!


    "Some combination of wood and iron?" Wang Lian suggested.


    "Prosaic," Jia Shu dismissed. "Perhaps something with a character for ''gate,'' representing the passage here. What does the south call the mountains of the Wall?"


    "These peaks are the Great Shield," Rostam answered.


    "There is some variation depending on the region," Inzha said. "I suppose that is close enough to ''Wall.'' So perhaps, hm, ''Greengates''?"


    "A strange name for a treaty,¡± Dzintara grunted. ¡°A name more auspicious to the gods would be better."


    Ling Qi pondered that suggestion as the conversation rose and fell.


    "Xin''an," Ling Qi said, raising her voice above the others.


    "That would be ''New Peace''?" Jaromila asked.


    "Or is it ¡®Peace of Heart¡¯?" Rostam wondered. "Either way, it¡¯s poetic."


    Cai Renxiang squinted at her. It was very unbecoming. Wordplay was a fine art. Both of those meanings would be accurate depending on the tone, and both were auspicious names.


    Cao Chun was squinting at her too. Luckily, it was brief, and conversation kept anyone from paying it much mind.


    Rostam gave her a thoughtful look. "Easy to match. Novomirskiy?"


    "This is hardly a ''new world,¡¯" Dzintara said, unimpressed.


    "But it is a new peace, and I do not think the other meaning is inaccurate."


    "Ny?r frier fits as well. The meaning is good across all tongues, and appropriate as well." Jaromila nodded briefly to the old woman Ling Qi had glimpsed among their priests once or twice.


    Those words carried some connotation of the New Moon, too. Given Xuan Shi''s chick and the effect it had had on the relations with the White Sky, it was not inappropriate at all.


    "Mm, suppose we can¡¯t be certain of any particular industry yet," Wang Lian said. "Xin''an works well enough. As long as it isn''t ill fated, there''s no use arguing over the name too much."


    "Is there any dissatisfaction with that name?" Cai Renxiang asked.


    There were a few more suggestions and a bit of quibbling, but soon, the name was accepted and written across the first draft being scribed on the table. The Xin''an Treaties were well underway.

 Threads 392-New Peace 3

    Threads 392-New Peace 3


    Winter consumed.


    It put the world to rest, ended the year, and ended lives. The killing cold was merciless. It cut as sure as any blade ever has.


    At the same time, winter was only ever a part of life. It birthed the wild floods of spring, which gave life to the warm fields of summer, which, in turn, gave way to the abundance of the harvest, and which finally returned to the chill.


    Ling Qi ended something here. She has slain a sort of isolation, so deep that the mainland of the empire has never even considered its presence. What will society look like when the empire realizes truly and fully that it is not alone in the world?


    She doesn''t know. She doesn''t think anyone does. Xin had explained to her the sheer complexity of foreseeing in totality even a few minutes into the future. When acting as a force of change, that ambiguity was something one had to accept. She could hope and plan, but she couldn¡¯t see where every wind would blow. She could only be the killing cold, the end of eras large and small, and see the floodwaters born from her efforts rage down the valleys.


    She believed it would be better. She believed it down in her bones. But she could not be the one to solely bear that weight. No one could. Therein lay the truth of the heart of winter.


    Cai Renxiang stood across from Jaromila at the rear of the meeting hall. Over the last few days, while delegates had scrutinized every line of translated text to ensure accuracy and every individual word dickered over, the workers had finally gotten a moment to install the rest of the decorative windows and trimmings. Two documents had taken shape, one in the swooping lines of imperial calligraphy and the other in the harsh cut of runic letters.


    The great meeting table had been hauled out, leaving space for smaller furnishings, one of which was the small table the two leaders of the delegations had placed their copies upon. Each was a thick stack of legal documentation, of laws and clauses and agreements argued long into the mornings. Each was full of hopes and fears, as strident as a grandmaster''s songs and poems.


    It wasn''t the meter she preferred, but in the end, the words in such documents were no less full of their writer''s intent than any other work of art. All of Ling Qi''s intentions could be so easily misdirected by a few misplaced characters and pieces of punctuation. How easy it would be for those clans which liked her less or were more distant from these interests to interfere without another catering to their interests. How easy it would have been for their guests to recoil and withdraw without the tireless arguments of her peers on the other side. She was glad Cai Renxiang and the emissaries knew how to compose them so well.


    Stories, and those stories which dubbed themselves history, only ever recalled some small few names. She herself, living in this moment, could not possibly name everyone who had contributed.


    Ling Qi pursed her lips, glaring down at her own hand, wrapped loosely around the cup on a tray held by her armrest. Her fingers trembled, and she willed herself to grip the cup with all of her might.


    "Sis, quit it. You''ll spill." Hanyi plucked the cup from her grasp.


    Of course, she couldn¡¯t pretend that she had only high-minded thoughts. It had only been a short time since her awakening, and the frustration she felt at her infirmity was already intense. This chair, no matter how fine its make, was already starting to become like a prison to her. She let Hanyi help her drink and looked out over the final ceremony, the culmination of all of her efforts, and she told herself it was worth it.


    Cai Renxiang''s brush made its final flourish as she completed her signature and straightened up. It was the second time she had laid her mark to paper, each of them marking a copy of the treaty. Jaromila finished her signatures a moment later.


    "To everyone who has been part of this, I offer my most effusive thanks," Cai Renxiang addressed. "What we have set in motion here today is momentous. This, I promise."Nne?w n0vel chapters are published at novelhall.comila stepped up beside her. "The fate of the mountains, north and south, has been written here. We have set a precedent here that the Polar Nation and the Celestial Empire may coexist and live well as neighbors."


    Ling Qi did not begrudge Cai Renxiang her role. She was the face of their efforts, and Ling Qi, for all her own work, was happy enough for it to be so. She was coming to terms with being a leader of sorts, the head of her clan, but this was where Cai Renxiang shone.


    "Despite setbacks and disagreement, we have forged forward. Today, we show that the Emerald Seas is a united province, a strong province, one which may stand beside all others. In war and peace, I am proud of the foresight and wisdom of my people in supporting this effort. With our new neighbors, I look forward to a future of peace in the south and an end to the days of raiding and ruin."


    "And we look forward to the peaceful exchange between our peoples." Jaromila made her speech in turn. "Knowledge is sharpened by knowledge. Plenty averts strife. We will see these mountains at peace, through our projects and efforts."


    One way or the other, the old status quo was gone. In the flying palace city, under imperial boots, or in the warcamps of the Twelve Stars, the tribes of the mountains would change, too. The old way of endless war, tribes raiding and killing and burning settlements, armies marching out to retaliate and exterminate tribes... This, too, was ending. She would reduce the pain of it where she could, to deny the vision of the nightmares she had seen in her liminal adventure with Xuan Shi to the White Sky, but she would not stop.


    Sitting behind the signers with the other major figures of the negotiation, Ling Qi looked out over the audience of courtiers and priests and local nobility or equivalent, two groups still firmly separated by nation. There was much cynicism there. She could see it in the thoughts they projected without ever meaning to and in the twists of their auras. She saw the desires for land and wealth and the urges to jockey for position in a new and expansive project.


    But the condescension was gone, or nearly so. No one was looking at Cai Renxiang as if she were a callow child, parading around in her mother''s boots. And where they looked on the White Sky, it was no longer with the mien of a wolf regarding sheep, or a man with a mad dog snarling up at him. There was wariness, there was calculation, and there was even, in tiny glimmers, respect. In other words, it was no different from the way imperials looked at one another.


    "Today, the Treaty of Xin''an is signed into being, to be kept on my honor and the honor of the Cai clan as a law of this land," Cai Renxiang announced. "Let any who would defy or misuse its words think deeply upon the consequences."


    Ling Qi did not miss the handful of uncomfortable glances shot toward those Meng who remained at the summit.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    "I will likely need more staff, and I will need to begin picking individuals for local ministry work," Cai Renxiang thought aloud. She bit carefully into her bun, eyebrows drawing together in concentration as she chewed.


    "Perhaps I can help there,¡± Ling Qi offered. ¡°I can still do interviews for prospective applicants." She intended to stay in White Cloud Town for some time with her family, and doing something useful could keep her mind off her recovery .


    "Acceptable," Cai Renxiang allowed. "Meng Dan will be joining us as well. I received notice from Lady Meng Diu."


    "It behooves the Meng to show loyalty, and it behooves the Cai to reward those who did show loyalty with position," Xia Lin praised. "He is welcome."


    "Indeed!" Gan Guangli nodded firmly. "Sir Meng''s skills shall be invaluable."


    "I''ll be glad to have him back when the Meng situation is settled," Ling Qi agreed. "Do we have any further words from Her Grace?"


    "We are to focus on our own duties as small lords. She has no tasks for us at the moment." Cai Renxiang took up the pot near her right hand just as it began to steam, going through the ceremony of pouring the rich tea into her cup. "However, Shu Yue will remain assigned to the fief in the south, both as security and as tutor."


    "That is reassuring," Xia Lin said.


    "It goes without saying that I will be increasing your stipends. None of you shall go without whatever reagents or spirit stones you require for cultivation.¡± Cai Renxiang held her cup up to her lips, eyes closed, taking in the scent as she paused. ¡°However, the Cai family rewards meritorious service. So, in particular..."


    "None earned quite as much merit as Miss Ling, eh?" Gan Guangli asked rhetorically.


    "Undeniable," Xia Lin answered. Ling Qi thought the other girl actually shivered as she closed her mouth around the spoonful of shaved ice.


    "Yes," Cai Renxiang agreed. "Baroness Ling Qi, for your service to the Cai clan, we will, of course, continue to fund all needs for your recovery. My honored mother has given you permission for an additional reward as well. In acknowledgement of your performance, the House of Cai grants the House of Ling a vial of low grade Xiangmen sap to be used as you please."


    There was silence in the room. Ling Qi was left staring over the cup held up by an increasingly confused Hanyi.


    The Great Pillar Xiangmen, the heaven breaching tree, was not the same as a sublime ancestor. It gave more freely, from the simple berries it sprouted for the mortals in the rootways all the way up to the handful of leaves it shed every decade or so. Its sap was produced yearly, if in small amounts. The most common low grade sap from Xiangmen was still a reagent useful for cultivation all the way up to the sixth realm. She did not cultivate wood qi, but...


    ... Zhengui. She did owe him a gift, if only so that he might forgive her for the state she was in.


    "Oh. From the big tree, right?" Hanyi asked, breaking the tension. "Hey, Zhengui should like that!"


    "He would," Ling Qi said.


    Such a potent qi could only help his growth, so long muddled by remaining under the aegis of the spirit lords of the Argent Peak Sect. Who knew what use he would find for it?


    "Haha, a great boon indeed for your house. Congratulations, Miss Ling!" Gan Guangli exclaimed.


    "I accept this great reward with much gratitude, Lady Cai," Ling Qi said. "I only hope that I may continue to bring my house and liege much success."


    "I expect you will," Cai Renxiang said. "But, enough. For these next few hours, let us take our well deserved moment of respite."


    "Agreed."


    "Yes, Lady Cai!"


    "Of course," Ling Qi said.


    By the moon above, they had earned it.

 Threads: Summit Epilogue

    Threads: Summit Epilogue


    "That concludes my report on the ''White Sky'' affair."


    Cao Chun shuffled his notes. Despite open danger being invited here, he found himself satisfied. If he did not know better, he might think himself compromised.


    "It is good that the internal matter was handled with minimum instability."


    The voice of the minister of the south echoed as if from the bottom of a well. The swirling vortex of darkness above his desk pulsed softly. From it, he could hear the sounds of shuffling paper and the indistinct whisper of reports given and orders made, a shadow of the vast reams of information which his superior was sending and receiving at all times.


    "The foreign matter is worrying, but no more so than before. A list of judges will be sent for your perusal."


    "Her Highness approves then?" Cao Chun asked. He had been persuaded, himself. This Polar Nation was civilized in its way; it understood and adhered to strong laws, if wrong ones. It was also, as the girl had implied, very weak centrally, as admitted by its own representatives.


    There was opportunity there, and not merely in the slow witted martial sense.


    "The priority of the south is stability. How the duchess achieves this is her business," the reverberating voice replied, distorted by distance and shifting attention. "The eyes of the throne are needed elsewhere. With her highness¡¯ rise to the Eighth realm, the Great Work may proceed to the next stage. You may consider this approval, for now. It will be propagated that the treaty made here is to be respected."


    "I understand." Cao Chun brushed his thumb over the head of his cane.


    "Will you take up your retirement in Xiangmen, Cao Chun?"


    "I have found the southern air agreeable."


    Whatever his words, a true agent of integrity never truly retired. That was true whether one was a mere inspector or an empress. It was not a matter of force. He knew that should he ask for it, the Ministry of Integrity would leave him be and never trouble his ears again. But one did not rise in the ranks of the ministry without knowing the virtue of its cause.


    Systems rotted with time, even ones created as close to perfection as possible in their flawed world. Cut corners built up and began to crumble, complacency and workarounds set in, and loopholes were found. Meritocracy became a captive, and integrity was strangled by a thousand petty personal wants.


    It was a war that could never end, so long as the empire stood. When the first minister had abandoned them over that revelation, it was Her Highness whose words had held the ministry together and whose will had resonated with the shades of Inexorable Justice. He trusted in them, his superiors and the empress as well.


    That was why he did not need to know the full plan, only that it remained on track.


    "The matter of the Cai¡¯s alliance with the Bai has not been a disruption to the Work then?"


    "Report."


    "Our contact heroically martyred themselves, long before the resplendent one arrived, in a way which left nothing to interrogate, father," spoke a strong baritone.


    Kneeling before him with a head of crimson hair and a handsome confident face was the first of his new family. He could almost ignore the slow writhing of roots, like worms under its skin.


    He had forbidden it from making any contact with his Liling. Cruel as he had needed to be, she did not need to see this face with its empty knothole eye sockets and rootwood fangs.


    "Unfortunately, the disruption was not so great. The Meng clan is weakened, but the Emerald Seas has only gained cohesion for it."


    "It was only ever an opportunistic ploy."


    "Father is wise to only ever risk a small root or two, even when seeking all opportunities," his not-son said, thumping a fist against his crimson resin breastplate, sending the wasps in his chest buzzing. "Mother is pleased."


    "Of course she is," Sun Shao rumbled. "The business in the south?"


    "We have been promised a swathe of mountains and asked to keep away from her. Will we honor this?"


    "Yes. We are not ready, and the Deathless Ice is not our great foe. For now. We shall be busy enough below."


    "To think that there is a whole strata which Mother has not brought evolution to. A fortuitous find indeed! Through the pits, we find new life to sharpen our fangs and deepen our roots, and your flesh kin will reap many riches to forge your own fangs."


    Lub dub.


    She was pleased. He could feel it, stretching on and on, the creeper vines and roots burrowing through the bleeding soil, withering and dying as it sought caverns full of bones and toxins. The roots, the insects, and the little vermin beasts died. They died in their hundreds of thousands, withered and eaten, hunted and dispatched. New generations were born, adapting, assimilating, and lasting a little longer each time.


    "Leave me. Return to your watch. The Bai will be hatching more plots soon, I am sure."


    The south was not his concern. Yet.

 Threads 383-Recovery 1

    Threads 383-Recovery 1


    "I see. And would you say that your experience overseeing infrastructure development in the outer base districts gives you some insights, despite the difference in density and geography at Snowblossom?"


    It was difficult not to fall into a rote tone when conducting interviews, but it was important, Ling Qi thought, to present herself as interested and to give her questions some small personal twist. But, by all the eight moon phases was she glad that this was her last one for the day, and nearly done to boot. This applicant had probably passed.


    "Indeed. The outermost of Xiangmen¡¯s districts are quite far from Her Grace''s light, and in many cases, they were ungoverned or had developed improper parallel structures of government during the old times," spoke the interviewee, a young man of middling first realm and some half a decade her senior. "While it is not the same as virgin earth development, many of the same principles apply due to the need for a complete overhaul in construction and rites."


    He was earnest, she would give him that. She shuffled the papers holding his recommendations and history, running her eyes over them without reading. She had already memorized them all, but in the prior interviews, she had found that being too still and focusing her gaze on the interviewee for too long was unsettling and hurt their morale too much.


    It probably didn''t help that some of her meridians were beginning to function fitfully again, which made it difficult for her to properly contain her qi. Even now, the papers in her hands felt like sheets of lead, and it took a great deal of concentration to keep her arms from trembling as she straightened the papers out and set them on the work desk at her side.


    Ling Qi was still wrapped in fabric bandages worked through with paper and silk talismans from the tips of her fingers down to her toes, but she had remained conscious the last time they had been changed, instead of blacking out when the pain suppression failed. She considered that progress.


    The short, wavy hair that was just beginning to tickle at her earlobes was also a nice reminder of recovery. She''d spent most of her life with ragged, short shorn hair. But now, it just felt unnatural.


    "It¡¯s interesting to know that the ministries of Xiangmen are still performing such work. It speaks well that their vigor for the task has not decreased. Yet, if this is so, what drove you to apply for a position so far from the capital? It is quite a change to uproot yourself and..." She pulled up the memory of his dossier. A young wife, no children yet, and not expecting either.


    Shame. He was somewhat handsome; one of her maids had been eyeing him in the waiting room. She''d have to tell her there was no opportunity there. "¡ªYour wife. Is it the offer of property to first comers that interests you?"


    "I would be dishonest to say it is not," he said, and she marked that down as a point in his favor. Too many felt the need to tell an obvious and pointless lie. "To establish my family there under the protection of Lady Cai and yourself is a great growth opportunity. At the same time, I am sincerely excited to be given the chance to oversee even a small part of the Heiress Cai''s vision for the south."


    A little obsequiousness, but that was normal, and his statement had been mostly true.


    There was something else troubling him as well. She saw it as a dark pressure on his aura; it rode his back like a malevolent spirit. She tilted her head and focused her eyes on the young man. He paled as the faint blue light washed over his face.


    ... Ah. She heard the whispers that hissed free from mental scars. Familial fallout, due to disapproval of the match with his wife, who was merely a mortal cook. Obstacles had been placed on his career. There was nothing illegal, but there had been social snubbing, and problems too small and uncertain to be more than squirming suspicions.


    She sharply drew down her qi, feeling the ache and burn of it cycling back into her body.


    "I see. It is not wrong to seek your own prosperity, but I am sure you recall your teachers'' lessons." Ling Qi shuffled the papers one last time and placed them firmly on the desk. "That concludes the interview. I will contact you regarding your position at Snowblossom within the week."


    That was one more applicant for the short list. Cai Renxiang would be pleased to have another reliable clerk for the small battalion she was building around herself.


    The man rose to his feet, bowing low and thanking her profusely. She nodded back, said the correct things for the dozenth time that day, and dismissed him.


    After he left, she let her straight and proper posture slump into the comfortable cushions of her wheelchair and carefully grasped the cup of ice-cold juice set out on the table beside her. Before her injury, she hadn''t thought much on the bodily control a cultivator came into as they rose through the realms and stages. Now, every movement had to be deliberate, and she had to focus on individual tendons and muscles, willing them strength so that none failed her. She sipped from the sweet, throat-soothing juice and sighed.


    "Big Sis?"


    "Yes, Hanyi?" she asked without opening her eyes. She''d felt her junior sister coming.


    "Ready for dinner?" Hanyi chirped. It wasn''t really a question; she was already crossing the room.


    "Of course. Your timing is getting better, Hanyi," Ling Qi praised.


    Hanyi fussed with the cushion behind Ling Qi''s head and grasped the handles on the chair, getting her ready to wheel out. It was still irksome, being so helpless.


    "Hey, just remember that Mister Manager is coming to dinner today, too," Hanyi reminded.


    "I remember."


    Hanyi was trying so hard to be helpful. Ling Qi just wished she couldn''t see the tinge of brittleness in her junior sister¡¯s smile. Hanyi hovered so much these days.


    Ling Qi huffed. Mother really was more willful now. It wasn''t her fault that the wider vistas are what tended to stick in her mind for her travels. Unlike Bao Qian, who traveled via his cart, Ling Qi mostly flew.


    "Ah, the little wonders and treasures you find along the road are what make a journey interesting. I''m glad I could entertain Madam Ling for a while. Work has left me out of contact for some time as Lady Cai has the roads nearly burning from friction with the rate at which she is calling material south!"


    "It is hardly her alone," Ling Qi defended. "But things have not changed too much. The Emerald Seas is rather resilient in the face of changes."


    "I suppose we would have to be. There''s nothing quite like the drive to take advantage of a new development."


    "The town has been bustling. I like this energy far more than what was before, even if tension remains," Ling Qingge added.


    The first course of the meal was being brought out and served, their plates being filled. Hanyi trotted out to take her place at Ling Qi''s side, puffing out her chest proudly.


    After the recent offensive led by Sect Head Yuan He, the sect had hunkered down. Defenses were being built up, and any remaining raiding had been swatted down. They were tigers digesting their meal before the next hunt. Ling Qi only hoped she could better blunt the next offensive¡¯s death toll, both inflicted and suffered.


    "I have heard some curious rumors from the capital," Ling Qi said, allowing Hanyi to feed her. "Tha Bao clan has been helping to arrange the tributes with the subdued ith? I suppose it makes sense for their eyes to have been mostly drawn north then."


    "I had an inkling that might be so. Although I am not involved in those decisions, my father did mention something in his last letter. Paths down have been set up in the deep rootways." Bao Qian said.


    "I only hope Her Grace has a strong guard placed over such a thing," Ling Qingge worried. "Her Grace is very thorough, though. I am certain my worries are nothing."


    "It is down there, both for their comfort and safety and ours," Ling Qi said.


    "For the best, for the best." Bao Qian shrugged broad shoulders. "I should like to take a trip down there one day. What is it like?"


    She grimaced. "Difficult, and not a little ugly. Humans are not meant for those climes."


    "Humans are not meant for many climes, but it hasn''t stopped us yet," Bao Qian rebutted. "Ah, but I should tell you that the construction in Snowblossom is going well. The docks have been thrown up, and the city center is being planned. I believe a quarry has been dug as well."


    "Oh, no surprise that Lady Cai is keeping up with the plan. I will need to commune with Lake Snowblossom more properly as soon as I can. Has she decided on a design for the center?"


    "The young miss has decided the cliffside is the best location. Natural earth is the strongest defense against the missiles of the nomads," Bao Qian noted. "There is some debate over the design though."


    "I suppose Lady Cai would choose a more imperial style. Is she considering the proposal about the vertical fortress, built into and climbing the cliff?"


    "Can such a thing truly be built so far from the center?" her mother asked, surprised.


    "Only because of the greater funding we can now pull on," Ling Qi replied. With their success at the summit, the greater funding had allowed them to hire more cultivator workers, and higher quality ones at that. The Wang expertise had also helped.


    "Xia Lin had a proposal as well actually," Bao Qian said. "She suggested taking advantage of the mists at the base of the waterfall, and using the geomancy of the moving water to wash away impurity and bad fortune."


    "The city of mist design,¡± Ling Qi realized. ¡°We did talk about that briefly. That design is more of a Meng style architecture." The other girl had been enthused by that, hadn''t she?


    In contrast, her mother was concerned about the impact on mortals. "That sounds as if it would result in a great deal of rotten wood and discomfort for everyone living there."


    "It does require more investment to avoid the natural pitfalls," Ling Qi agreed. ¡°However, the Meng style is known for its purifying effects.¡±


    In the Meng lands, it stymied the encroachment of the Red Jungle into their marshes, she mused. Given the corruptive influence of the ith impurities, perhaps that effect would be a good thing here as well.


    It would be interesting to see what Cai Renxiang had chosen, when she was able to return.

 Threads 393-Recovery 1

    Threads 393-Recovery 1


    "I see. And would you say that your experience overseeing infrastructure development in the outer base districts gives you some insights, despite the difference in density and geography at Snowblossom?"


    It was difficult not to fall into a rote tone when conducting interviews, but it was important, Ling Qi thought, to present herself as interested and to give her questions some small personal twist. But, by all the eight moon phases was she glad that this was her last one for the day, and nearly done to boot. This applicant had probably passed.


    "Indeed. The outermost of Xiangmen¡¯s districts are quite far from Her Grace''s light, and in many cases, they were ungoverned or had developed improper parallel structures of government during the old times," spoke the interviewee, a young man of middling first realm and some half a decade her senior. "While it is not the same as virgin earth development, many of the same principles apply due to the need for a complete overhaul in construction and rites."


    He was earnest, she would give him that. She shuffled the papers holding his recommendations and history, running her eyes over them without reading. She had already memorized them all, but in the prior interviews, she had found that being too still and focusing her gaze on the interviewee for too long was unsettling and hurt their morale too much.


    It probably didn''t help that some of her meridians were beginning to function fitfully again, which made it difficult for her to properly contain her qi. Even now, the papers in her hands felt like sheets of lead, and it took a great deal of concentration to keep her arms from trembling as she straightened the papers out and set them on the work desk at her side.


    Ling Qi was still wrapped in fabric bandages worked through with paper and silk talismans from the tips of her fingers down to her toes, but she had remained conscious the last time they had been changed, instead of blacking out when the pain suppression failed. She considered that progress.


    The short, wavy hair that was just beginning to tickle at her earlobes was also a nice reminder of recovery. She''d spent most of her life with ragged, short shorn hair. But now, it just felt unnatural.


    "It¡¯s interesting to know that the ministries of Xiangmen are still performing such work. It speaks well that their vigor for the task has not decreased. Yet, if this is so, what drove you to apply for a position so far from the capital? It is quite a change to uproot yourself and..." She pulled up the memory of his dossier. A young wife, no children yet, and not expecting either.


    Shame. He was somewhat handsome; one of her maids had been eyeing him in the waiting room. She''d have to tell her there was no opportunity there. "¡ªYour wife. Is it the offer of property to first comers that interests you?"


    "I would be dishonest to say it is not," he said, and she marked that down as a point in his favor. Too many felt the need to tell an obvious and pointless lie. "To establish my family there under the protection of Lady Cai and yourself is a great growth opportunity. At the same time, I am sincerely excited to be given the chance to oversee even a small part of the Heiress Cai''s vision for the south."


    A little obsequiousness, but that was normal, and his statement had been mostly true.


    There was something else troubling him as well. She saw it as a dark pressure on his aura; it rode his back like a malevolent spirit. She tilted her head and focused her eyes on the young man. He paled as the faint blue light washed over his face.


    ... Ah. She heard the whispers that hissed free from mental scars. Familial fallout, due to disapproval of the match with his wife, who was merely a mortal cook. Obstacles had been placed on his career. There was nothing illegal, but there had been social snubbing, and problems too small and uncertain to be more than squirming suspicions.


    She sharply drew down her qi, feeling the ache and burn of it cycling back into her body.


    "I see. It is not wrong to seek your own prosperity, but I am sure you recall your teachers'' lessons." Ling Qi shuffled the papers one last time and placed them firmly on the desk. "That concludes the interview. I will contact you regarding your position at Snowblossom within the week."


    That was one more applicant for the short list. Cai Renxiang would be pleased to have another reliable clerk for the small battalion she was building around herself.


    The man rose to his feet, bowing low and thanking her profusely. She nodded back, said the correct things for the dozenth time that day, and dismissed him.


    After he left, she let her straight and proper posture slump into the comfortable cushions of her wheelchair and carefully grasped the cup of ice-cold juice set out on the table beside her. Before her injury, she hadn''t thought much on the bodily control a cultivator came into as they rose through the realms and stages. Now, every movement had to be deliberate, and she had to focus on individual tendons and muscles, willing them strength so that none failed her. She sipped from the sweet, throat-soothing juice and sighed.


    "Big Sis?"


    "Yes, Hanyi?" she asked without opening her eyes. She''d felt her junior sister coming.


    "Ready for dinner?" Hanyi chirped. It wasn''t really a question; she was already crossing the room.


    "Of course. Your timing is getting better, Hanyi," Ling Qi praised.


    Hanyi fussed with the cushion behind Ling Qi''s head and grasped the handles on the chair, getting her ready to wheel out. It was still irksome, being so helpless.


    "Hey, just remember that Mister Manager is coming to dinner today, too," Hanyi reminded.


    "I remember." CHeCk for new stories on no/v/el/bin(.)c0m


    Hanyi was trying so hard to be helpful. Ling Qi just wished she couldn''t see the tinge of brittleness in her junior sister¡¯s smile. Hanyi hovered so much these days.


    Ling Qi huffed. Mother really was more willful now. It wasn''t her fault that the wider vistas are what tended to stick in her mind for her travels. Unlike Bao Qian, who traveled via his cart, Ling Qi mostly flew.


    "Ah, the little wonders and treasures you find along the road are what make a journey interesting. I''m glad I could entertain Madam Ling for a while. Work has left me out of contact for some time as Lady Cai has the roads nearly burning from friction with the rate at which she is calling material south!"


    "It is hardly her alone," Ling Qi defended. "But things have not changed too much. The Emerald Seas is rather resilient in the face of changes."


    "I suppose we would have to be. There''s nothing quite like the drive to take advantage of a new development."


    "The town has been bustling. I like this energy far more than what was before, even if tension remains," Ling Qingge added.


    The first course of the meal was being brought out and served, their plates being filled. Hanyi trotted out to take her place at Ling Qi''s side, puffing out her chest proudly.


    After the recent offensive led by Sect Head Yuan He, the sect had hunkered down. Defenses were being built up, and any remaining raiding had been swatted down. They were tigers digesting their meal before the next hunt. Ling Qi only hoped she could better blunt the next offensive¡¯s death toll, both inflicted and suffered.


    "I have heard some curious rumors from the capital," Ling Qi said, allowing Hanyi to feed her. "Tha Bao clan has been helping to arrange the tributes with the subdued ith? I suppose it makes sense for their eyes to have been mostly drawn north then."


    "I had an inkling that might be so. Although I am not involved in those decisions, my father did mention something in his last letter. Paths down have been set up in the deep rootways." Bao Qian said.


    "I only hope Her Grace has a strong guard placed over such a thing," Ling Qingge worried. "Her Grace is very thorough, though. I am certain my worries are nothing."


    "It is down there, both for their comfort and safety and ours," Ling Qi said.


    "For the best, for the best." Bao Qian shrugged broad shoulders. "I should like to take a trip down there one day. What is it like?"


    She grimaced. "Difficult, and not a little ugly. Humans are not meant for those climes."


    "Humans are not meant for many climes, but it hasn''t stopped us yet," Bao Qian rebutted. "Ah, but I should tell you that the construction in Snowblossom is going well. The docks have been thrown up, and the city center is being planned. I believe a quarry has been dug as well."


    "Oh, no surprise that Lady Cai is keeping up with the plan. I will need to commune with Lake Snowblossom more properly as soon as I can. Has she decided on a design for the center?"


    "The young miss has decided the cliffside is the best location. Natural earth is the strongest defense against the missiles of the nomads," Bao Qian noted. "There is some debate over the design though."


    "I suppose Lady Cai would choose a more imperial style. Is she considering the proposal about the vertical fortress, built into and climbing the cliff?"


    "Can such a thing truly be built so far from the center?" her mother asked, surprised.


    "Only because of the greater funding we can now pull on," Ling Qi replied. With their success at the summit, the greater funding had allowed them to hire more cultivator workers, and higher quality ones at that. The Wang expertise had also helped.


    "Xia Lin had a proposal as well actually," Bao Qian said. "She suggested taking advantage of the mists at the base of the waterfall, and using the geomancy of the moving water to wash away impurity and bad fortune."


    "The city of mist design,¡± Ling Qi realized. ¡°We did talk about that briefly. That design is more of a Meng style architecture." The other girl had been enthused by that, hadn''t she?


    In contrast, her mother was concerned about the impact on mortals. "That sounds as if it would result in a great deal of rotten wood and discomfort for everyone living there."


    "It does require more investment to avoid the natural pitfalls," Ling Qi agreed. ¡°However, the Meng style is known for its purifying effects.¡±


    In the Meng lands, it stymied the encroachment of the Red Jungle into their marshes, she mused. Given the corruptive influence of the ith impurities, perhaps that effect would be a good thing here as well.


    It would be interesting to see what Cai Renxiang had chosen, when she was able to return.

 Threads 394-Recovery 2

    Threads 394-Recovery 2


    "I think the watercourse style would be the best way to start," Ling Qi said thoughtfully. "Using the cliff as a near absolute defense from the southern direction expansion would take us into the way of the waterfall eventually. Best to start as we will continue and build up and in later."


    "Given how I¡¯ve been fetching resins and lacquers and paints made in the west, I believe Lady Cai is thinking the same," Bao Qian remarked. "I''m sure I need not tell you that the Meng''s fens these days are quite disorderly."


    Ling Qi suppressed a wince. "It is understandable. Her Grace was not restrained in her arrival there."


    "Luckily, the worst of the work was already done," Bao Qian said. "Still, it''s rare for so many civil and military positions to be shuffled around so quickly. All things considered, they are doing quite well with it. I''m sure the snarls in the county ministry will be worked out soon enough."


    Cai Shenhua had mainly been there for the conspirators, but the Duchess in her full presence and panopoly had a tendency to overturn even small corruptions by her simple presence.


    "And... What is the disposition of the Meng themselves? My own contacts have been vague."


    The barons and viscounts of the southern hills were nearly ecstatic with her and the official push of the border so far south. She had received many compliments for her work... Oh, and the deal with the foreigners was nice, too, according to them. However, they did not speak much of their counts¡¯ reactions, only offering assurances that they were not like the dreadful heretics and traitors that had been found out.


    Exasperating.


    Meng Dan hadn''t written either, but she suspected he was very busy.


    "They are outwardly highly unified in their repudiation of traitors," Bao Qian said. He dipped the strip of pork in his chopsticks into the little sauce vessel by his plate.


    "As they should be,¡± Ling Qingge said. ¡°Her Grace was exceptionally merciful."


    By the standards her mother had lived under with her own family and the Liu, what had happened probably was very merciful.


    "A clan as ancient as the Meng has built up much credit. A single blow would never fell them, even if it empties their accounts," Bao Qian said. "I am sure they are thanking their ancestors and spirits for their fortune."


    "It was the active efforts of those loyal to the Emerald Seas, not merely good fortune," Ling Qi disputed.


    "That would explain Her Grace¡¯s leniency," Bao Qian agreed. "Miss Ling, the best I can say is that the foundations are wavering. Factions are polarized, and I have seen open disagreement among the clan such as I have never known. There is a strong undercurrent of resentment and spite in the central marshes, and even more rejection of outsiders than usual."


    Ling Qi frowned. "Unfortunate."


    "But spite runs both ways,'''' Bao Qian continued. "I met several young Meng crafters and reagent growers who seemed very friendly, almost performatively so. It was awkward being loudly asked about news and fashions from the north while their relatives glowered at us in the distance."


    "That sounds strange indeed," her mother said. "Well, youth is always a little rebellious."


    "I suppose we are," Ling Qi said. It was amusing. Her mother felt herself old, but among cultivators, she doubted most would see much difference between late teens and thirties. "But it may simply be the way that feelings of unity and pride are manifesting there. Maybe I''m being too prideful, but I have noticed a general shift in attitude among those I write to."


    "It is a fine thing to be proud of our Emerald Seas, isn''t it?" Bao Qian asked lightly. "Look at what we''ve done! Even the Xuan cannot say they have done as we have. A worthy accomplishment, indeed."


    People came around to diplomacy in the strangest of ways, but yes. Perhaps it was the bias of her selected contacts¡ªpeople that Meizhen''s father had curated for their investment in the Cai and the Emerald Seas as a whole¡ªbut now that the agreement with the White Sky was signed and sealed by the Duchess, there seemed to be a digging in of support for it.


    "It is good to be proud of your home when it achieves something praiseworthy," Ling Qi agreed. "I am just glad that so many see it to be so. The expanded lines on the map must quiet most of the complaints from the rest."


    "That they do," Bao Qian said in satisfaction. "I would not be discouraged by that mindset though."


    "I take my accomplishments as they are."


    "They are great accomplishments, even for their cost," Ling Qingge gave her a pointed look.


    "I will do many things to see our future come to pass," Ling Qi said.


    "Big Sis should just let herself be pampered for a while."


    The words were barely audible, but Ling Qi winced at them all the same.


    "Understandable. You are an active woman, enough so that you make a man feel lazy and unambitious at times," Bao Qian said ruefully.


    "Best work on that then," Ling Qi joked. "But please, I do not want to talk about work. How have you been doing?"


    "It''s busy and challenging. I enjoy the travel, and I have been running interference for Qingling''s business while she has her fugue."


    "What¡¯s wrong with Bao Qingling?" Ling Qi asked.


    Meizhen''s paramour was an odd girl, but her friend had seemed happy, even as she set off back to the Thousand Lakes for a few months.


    Bao Qian raised his eyebrows. Ling Qi tried not to look defensive.


    "I haven''t pried the details out of her, but she''s unhappy about her best ''customer'' in some way, or at least worked up. It can be hard to tell which is which with her."


    Once, Ling Qi might have been able to ignore the particular tone the word ¡°customer¡± was spoken in. As she was now, he might as well have come right out and said it to her.


    "You know?"


    "Qingling is not subtle when you know her well."


    "Not many know her well," Ling Qi replied.


    "True," Bao Qian admitted freely. "I don''t suppose you know any more details?"


    "Bai Meizhen was in a fine mood when she left."


    "Not a conflict then,¡± Bao Qian concluded. ¡°Something in her own head, or simply missing her match? No, that doesn''t quite match that sort of manic fugue. She only does this when she''s fixated on a goal."


    "We''ll have to wait for them to tell us, then," Ling Qi grumbled, a little upset with Meizhen now. She could think of a few causes, but they all seemed very unlikely.


    "Frustrating," Bao Qian agreed. "How are we to gossip when they leave us in the dark?"


    "It''s rude," Ling Qi complained before she could catch herself.


    Bao Qian was amused. "It''s their business."


    "Don''t turn away now,¡± Ling Qi demanded, turning up her nose. ¡°Either walk the Way of the Gossip-monger or don''t. I have no use for ditherers." Ling Qi laughed, the faux haughty pose disappearing. It felt good to get even a small one.


    "I mean, it''s probably some kinda kissy stuff with those two, right?" Hanyi asked.


    Ling Qi coughed. "It¡¯s a secret, Hanyi. Don''t you feel the screening field? You don''t say that outright."


    Hanyi looked nonplussed. "Oh, right."


    Ling Qi sighed. This girl was absolutely going to get her in trouble one day.

 Threads 395 Recovery 3

    Threads 395 Recovery 3


    "Moving on from that, has Miss Hanyi mentioned the plan to expand the talent pool yet?" Bao Qian asked.


    The garden was close now.


    "I haven''t," Hanyi interjected. "Look, getting me minions is fine, but we don''t need any other ''talents''!"


    "Hanyi, minions is not what you should call your subordinates," Ling Qi chided. "This is the first I am hearing of you having any."


    "Oh, it is nothing so concrete. The young miss has merely attracted or subdued a few minor spirits during her tour," Bao Qian said.


    "They were gonna mess up my blessings! I made them stop."


    "We''ll talk about that later," Ling Qi said. "What do you mean, Bao Qian?"


    "It''s an odd thought of mine, but I am getting very invested in this tour business. My current spirit¡¯s contract is about up, and they are looking for more northern climes. I thought I might do a little roughing it to seek out another seasonal spirit, spring or harvest, maybe, one who could tour in Miss Hanyi''s off seasons," Bao Qian replied. "I can hardly recreate Miss Hanyi, but I am interested in trying a new relationship. I wondered if you might be interested in assisting me."


    "I might... I do have some limited time away."


    Time camping and communing with spirits did sound like a relief. It would have to be after Hanyi¡¯s tour, so she could even bring Hanyi and perhaps Zhengui.


    "Big Sister!"


    Twin voices called her from the garden as they came out onto the veranda, booming in the night air.


    Zhengui towered in the center of their garden, taller than a big warhorse and much more broad. He rose with a rattle of falling stones and spreading dust from the patch of earth he had nestled himself in, the planters fit into the scaffolding on his back rattling and swaying with the motion.


    "Zhengui, did you enjoy your dinner too?" she asked.


    "Gui did. It was very good." He strode up the path, pushing his head past the railing, and she put out a trembling hand and rested it on his snout.


    Zhengui had taken her injuries better than she feared. He had regarded her burned up state with stoic resolve and merely informed her that he was going wherever she went with her. It would probably hold back development back at Snowblossom for him to be here at the sect town instead, but she couldn¡¯t look him in the eye and deny him.


    Zhen arched over his shell to peer at her. "Is Hanyi making sure Big Sister takes all her medicines today?"


    "Of course!" Hanyi crossed her arms.


    "I''m not going to forget myself," Ling Qi grumbled.


    "Even the one that makes Sister¡¯s qi fuzzy?" Gui asked.


    She grimaced. She knew she wasn''t supposed to be cycling her qi, but...


    "She took it early,¡± Hanyi promised. ¡°I made sure."


    She would have taken it without prompting.


    "You are in good spirits, Sir Zhengui," Bao Qian said.


    "Yes. I, Zhen, have been doing well. I see Shiny Man has become even shinier."


    She let them trade their greetings, observing Zhengui. He really was growing well. While she had been at the summit, he had been hard at work at Snowblossom with that gaggle of scholars enriching the soil with the heat and fertility of his ash, growing his domain over the earth of the valley.


    Over and over again, he had tread the lands around Snowblossom, the hills and fields, the cliffs and snowfields. In doing so, he had been shrouded in a cloud of fallen ash rich with the qi of his stomach from the expensive reagents and cores she had set aside for his cultivation diet. It was the same ash that Bao Qian sold in much smaller amounts for such a high price.


    "How is the sect doing?" Ling Qi asked.


    "Oh, you know, they''re digging in and chewing on their meal," Sixiang replied. "Attitudes are kinda mixed on that. Lotta folks want to keep pushing while the cloud tribes are on the back foot."


    "But wiser heads prevail," Ling Qi concluded. "The ith..."


    "Yeah, that''s the big one. Your girl Suyin has been working her fingers off on purifiers. I''m worried she might try to graft on more."


    Ling Qi furrowed her brow. The worst part was that she could not be certain that Sixiang was joking when it came to Suyin these days.


    "Please tell her to stick with that skeleton puppet limb rig she was considering," Ling Qi finally said. "Or even better, get out of her lab and cultivate her use of the threads of her mantle."


    Suyin stayed inside far too much and did not cultivate her body enough, even now.


    Sixiang laughed. "I¡¯ll pass the message. I expect the reply will be a passive aggressive ''The girl who chose to get turned into a log of charcoal doesn''t get to lecture me on my health.''"


    Ling Qi grumbled, flexing her bandaged fingers. This was this, and that was that.


    "I would say I am sure Miss Li would not do anything foolish, but my cousin did have to be stopped from attempting to graft additional limbs to herself at that age, too," Bao Qian worried.


    "... I will visit Suyin soon," Ling Qi decided.


    "I think she''s got an open evening in a few weeks. Want me to ask?" Sixiang offered.


    "Please."


    "Miss Boneshaper will be fine. Gui thinks Big Sis is a worrywort." Her little brother tilted his head back to fix her with a very huffy look for a giant tortoise. "Big Sis needs to focus on her own health."


    Even her sweet little brother was getting sassy with her. What was this world she had made?


    "I just want to ensure my friend is not going work crazy," Ling Qi replied with great dignity.


    "Well, you would recognize the signs," Sixiang teased. "You can''t deny that, right, Little Big Guy?"


    "I, Zhen, acknowledge the Sixiang may be right," her brother¡¯s other half betrayed. "Zhen has seen many many mortals who work too hard and need this young lord¡¯s ash for their wounds, but Big Sister is in her own league."


    "Oh, direct healing as well?" Bao Qian asked.


    "It only works when Zhengui is right there, though some of the nice paper men the Bright One gave to Gui think maybe there could be pills or elixirs made that have a similar effect."


    "You''ve certainly been busy,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°They must be missing you there."


    "Maybe, but they will be okay. Gui has blessed the earth very well."


    "Dumb, slow dirt spirits and worms do not dare ignore I, Zhen, any longer."


    "Zhen does not need to be so mean. They are just sleepy and not used to human ways of growing things," Gui scolded. "Gui understands being testy when waking up!"


    "That is a privilege for Zhen and Gui," Zhen scoffed back.


    "I''m just glad you are finding your place so well," Ling Qi said. "We will get you back there soon.¡±


    "Only when Big Sis is okay," Zhengui said.

 Threads 396 Recovery 4

    Threads 396 Recovery 4


    "For what it is worth, things should settle down soon for a time. The major campaign will not start until after year¡¯s end. You shall have plenty of time to view your lands and work on them even with your remaining recovery time ahead," Bao Qian glanced at her before seating himself on the edge of the veranda beside her chair. "Even with the investment being poured into the south, proper infrastructure isn''t built in a few months, and the contracts for fortifications Her Grace is sending out are not small."


    "Many happy Bao," Ling Qi said. "And many, many more happy Wang."


    "Just so," he agreed. "And the foreigners¡ªthese White Sky¡ªseem quite invested themselves. Plans over the north-south road are being argued over, though I''d not expect a shovel to strike earth for a good decade yet."


    "It still feels very strange to make plans so early," Ling Qi said.


    "It''s hard to wrap your head around, isn''t it?" Bao Qian agreed. "Even when I¡¯ve heard it all my life, I think it¡¯s strange as well."


    "Maybe so," she agreed. "It''s one thing to be told something, another to experience it."


    "I mean, is ten years a long time?" Hanyi wondered.


    "Of course not, junior sister," Ling Qi said wryly.


    "I expect it will be hardly any time at all for us by the time it''s passed," Bao Qian said.


    "S''pose so," Sixiang said. "But really, the sect is pretty calm right now..."


    It was good to sit quietly in the garden surrounded by kin and allies, peaceful even, despite their conversation coming to touch on more serious topics. She knew in her heart that these were the wages of success, but she couldn''t help the itch under her skin that had nothing to do with her burns.


    She wasn''t quite sure how much more she could bear this stillness. She needed to do something, advance something, to clear this painful blockage of her meridians and make the world as vibrant as it should be again.


    Everyone was smiling and being cheerful for her, and yet...


    She couldn''t reciprocate.


    Nothing made that more clear than Hanyi''s words as her junior sister wheeled her to the rooms set aside for her on the first floor later that night.


    "Am I doing a bad job, sister?" The question was quiet, barely audible over the sound of Ling Qi''s bedroom door creaking open and the quiet wind blowing in through the partially open window where the moon''s light shone down on the bed


    "You''re not, Hanyi,¡± Ling Qi reassured. ¡°You''ve been a very good girl."


    Hanyi looked back at her from where she stood by the bedside. She had a mortar and pestle in hand and was grinding the medicinal pills set there down to powder that could be mixed into water. "Then how come you''re always miserable? Sis is a bad faker."Finnd new chapters at novelhall.com


    "I suppose I am," Ling Qi reflected. "It''s nothing you''ve done, Hanyi. I know you¡ªand everyone else¡ªare trying very hard. I''m sorry if I seem ungrateful. I just need to keep moving. It feels painful, being stuck like this."


    "I guess I''d be mopey, too, if I felt like I did with Mama at the end." Hanyi said, looking down. The pestle crunched through the broken up pill rhythmically, releasing the bitter but invigorating scent of the medicine.


    "Trapped," Ling Qi murmured.


    "Crushed. I like dancing, too. It''s nice to feel so light."


    "You''re good at it. I like the one you¡¯ve been practicing, the one with the fans. Biyu liked it, too."


    "Big Sis would do that one really well." Hanyi set the pestle aside, squinting at the powder in the stone bowl. "Littlest sister isn''t so bad, I guess. She''s better at respecting her senior sister now."


    Ling Qi smiled. Hanyi was weak to praise, and perhaps especially weak to the thoughtlessly honest praise of a child.


    "Let''s find a mountaintop and play again when you''re better, ¡®kay? Two proper ladies shouldn''t spend all their time in this icky warmth."


    Hanyi''s face fell. "Hey, no fair! Zhengui doesn''t have to do that stuff!"


    "Zhengui does it on his own. His scholar friends turn the pages for him," Ling Qi said fondly. He had been so excited to tell her all about it.


    "Uggggggh. Fine," Hanyi complained.


    For all she complained, Ling Qithought Hanyi was actually a bit happy.


    ***


    The days slipped by, one passing into another. The discomfort from her need to move and act and advance never faded away, but Ling Qi managed to quell it.


    "No, you are directing the energy too chaotically," Ling Qi explained patiently. "Almost all of the qi from the stone is venting into the air through your breath. It¡¯s useless like that."


    "My deepest apologies, Lady Ling. I am ashamed to waste your kindly given resources!" Min Leidi looked up at her with painfully earnest eyes. It was difficult to remember that she was only a couple of years older than the girl.


    "That, too, is the wrong focus. Those resources are yours, and they are not limitless," Ling Qi replied, her hands set in her lap. They were out by the garden pond. "Now, refocus. With this method, your breathing must remain exact and controlled. To properly internalize the qi without waste on exhalation, you must complete a full three cycles, letting the qi flow from your crown to your feet, taking on the tinge of the sun and the earth, as well as your own signature. You must be able to complete this before exhaling. You are only managing two."


    "Yes, Lady Ling, I understand." The other girl bowed her head low.


    She hummed and looked beyond Min Leidi to the other young cultivators of her household. Min Leidi had awakened, but her efficiency was still poor. The girl was working on a small cultivation art now, but had yet to find the knack for it.


    Zhang Shu sat by the pond cross-legged, sweat on his brow. His hands were shaking as he held his red stone. He was getting closer but had not awakened yet. It was, if she were honest, painful watching the stone¡¯s qi slop out of his grasp like water from a too small cup. It was not even a problem with his technique, which was rough but acceptable, but simply how much his nascent dantian seemed to reject the energy he tried to pour into it.


    It was not as simple as saying his dantian was smaller than hers had been even at the start of her cultivation; spiritual organs defied that sort of physical description. His dantian was simply... less absorptive. More closed? More heavy with impurities?


    None of those descriptions were quite right, but although he was trying hard and following her instructions diligently, she could clearly see he would never cultivate as smoothly as she did. Suyin''s long ago complaints about Ling Qi taking the ease of breaking through for granted surfaced in her mind.


    The way he kept cracking open his eyes to glance at her didn''t help.


    Was she really helping either of them, or just discouraging them with her own success?


    "Don''t allow yourself to be distracted,¡± she advised him. ¡°Cultivation comes with focus. You are doing very well, but if you are so easily distracted, your efforts will become wasted."


    The young boy stiffened under her comments, and he squeezed his eyes shut, setting his shoulders out straight and resetting his posture. The improvement of the energy flow was miniscule in her eyes, but it would only do harm to say that.


    "Good," she said instead, turning her eyes back to Min Leidi. "Spread your feet more, and adjust the angle outward. This art calls for a wider, more solid foundation."


    "Yes, Lady Ling!"


    She was not lying. As pitiful as the gains seemed to her and as hopelessly slow they felt to her, it wasn''t so to them. She needed to remember that. Truth had to be tempered with understanding.


    She eyed Min Leidi critically, and nodded her head. "Continue like that. Hanyi, please take me back to the veranda."


    Hanyi snapped back to attention, drawing her qi back inward sharply. The rippling patterns she had been drawing in the pond out of boredom melted immediately.


    "Understood, elder sister," she said with haughty affect.


    Well, she always got like that around the household.

 Threads 397 Recovery 5

    Threads 397 Recovery 5


    "Sis! Look, I¡¯m finished!" Biyu announced happily, drawing her from her thoughts.


    It was bending the physician''s orders, but she had taken to conducting the meridian clearing exercises with some more intensity. The light pulses of energy she had been sending through her circulation while she breathed was tinged with a hint of lunar qi. She was being very careful, stopping any time she felt a twinge.


    "Are you?" Ling Qi asked, focusing on her little sister.


    Biyu held up the cut of rough paper smeared with dark paint proudly. A tall blob of purple and blue and black stretched across the page. There was a pale brown oval at the top of it decorated with two chilly blue circles.


    Frankly, it looked frightening.


    But the ghostly dark blob was set right in the middle of a smear of green paint and colored splashes that she recognized as Biyu''s take on the forest stream she had taken her to play in now and then. It stood under a bright blue sky with a happy yellow sun. It was also hugging a much smaller blob depicted in pink and with a white oval face to stand out.


    "When Sis is better, let¡¯s go," Biyu said seriously.


    Ling Qi reached out, gingerly taking the painting from her little sister.


    She remembered how upset Biyu had been when she saw Ling Qi for the first time after the battle at the summit. It had taken hours to convince her that the current Ling Qi really was her Big Sister. Having to explain that Biyu couldn''t sit in her lap while she was recovering wasn''t any less pleasant.


    "Of course we''ll go, little sister. I promise."


    She felt a knot cinch down in her still ashen dantian. She would. However busy she became, she''d make the time.


    She cast her eyes around the room. Originally, this room had been used for storage, but it had since been rearranged for Biyu to play with her paints in.


    "Okay! Does Sis like the painting?" Biyu asked, laying her hands on Ling Qi''s knees.


    "It''s very good, though am I really that big?"Findd new stories at novelhall.com


    "Yes!"


    Well she couldn''t say it was wrong.


    Biyu huffed, crossing her arms. "I wanted to use the glitter though. Sis should have sparkles,"


    "You know Mother said no more glitter." Ling Qi rested her hand on Biyu''s head.


    She had not known what glitter was, only that it wasn''t toxic or dangerous, and that Sixiang had given it to Biyu on a whim. It had taken days to get it out of the walls and carpets. Mother had scolded her, and she had scolded Sixiang.


    "... kay," Biyu said.


    "May I keep this?" Ling Qi held up the painting. The paint was dry by now.


    Sixiang blew out a breath. Their features rippled briefly, showing off the blank wooden plate beneath. "I get what you''re saying. The Summit would¡¯ve collapsed if everyone just baldly said what they meant and wanted without any cushion... And most of art is a lie of sorts. There¡¯s music to make you see and feel what isn''t there, fiction to paint worlds that don''t exist, or poems to stir the soul with nothing but ink on a page..."


    "I understand now why the Duchess breaks people who come under her scrutiny for too long. With no lies at all, the world is just too painful."


    That awful conquering sword and twisted steel giant burned in her mind, and the cruel heat still smoldered deep in her bones.


    Cruel was the wrong word. It would be better if it was cruel. No, those flames were merely horrifying in their utter unswerving certainty that they were burning for a righteous cause.


    Sixiang commented, "We''re all made with a few lies in the mix."


    "Yes," Ling Qi agreed. "I think that truth and lies are neither wholly good nor evil. Clarity of intent is what is important."


    "On the other hand, is being understood important if the other person doesn''t believe you?" Sixiang wondered.


    "It is. For me to speak and those who listen to understand my intent, that, too, is part of my Way. At the same time, there needs to be room to soften words and to hold information back. People can''t go through life with every thought on display."


    Sixiang sat up as Ling Qi¡¯s zither fell silent. "Moons, you have an exacting definition of truth."


    Ling Qi looked out over the gardens lit by the bright light of the nearly full moon. "... Probably. It''s hard not to with everything that¡¯s happened in the Emerald Seas in recent history."


    "Those Hui jerks sure did a number on this place." Sixiang floated over the arm of the couch and wrapped their arms around Ling Qi''s shoulders. Only the faintest ghost of pressure touched her, enough to give weight to their words and no more. "I don''t think you need to go as far as they did though."


    "Maybe not, but the Way can''t be unclear, or I will never reach the highest peaks."


    "And you will do that, won''t you?"


    "I will. I won''t settle for anything less. Renxiang needs that much, and so do I."


    "Course. I''m glad you got that settled in your mind."


    Ling Qi reset her hands back in the starting position on the zither strings. "Alright, now, let me try out this piece. It''s based on elements of a piece by a Master Shou, a dedication to the Dreaming Moon and the autumn wind. I want to hear what you think. I promised to help Hanyi with some other seasonal pieces, and I want to get a feel for current styles."


    "Yeah? You really want me to be honest? No holding back?" Sixiang teased.


    "When it comes to criticism, of course. Leave your kindness at the door."


    "Oof. Well, you asked for it!"


    Ling Qi snorted and began to play.

 Threads 398-Recovery 6

    Threads 398-Recovery 6


    The comb tugged at the strands of her hair, causing a faint prickle on her scalp.


    "You have gained another inch. An immortal body''s vitality truly is unmatched," her mother, Ling Qingge, observed.


    She was managing to sit up without support today. Though she could feel her focus and energy trickling away from the strain, it was a worthy effort. She sat on her bed beside her mother, hands folded in her lap as Mother tended to her hair. It had been many, many years since they had done this.


    "I''m glad. I don''t want to think how long it would take to grow my hair back, otherwise," Ling Qi said.


    "Ah, there is another spark." Ling Qi winced as she felt her mother pat the flame-resistant damp cloth to her head, extinguishing it.


    "You''re taking it much better than the first time I was injured."


    "My daughter has been teaching me to cultivate my nerves."


    She bowed her head in acknowledgment of the mild rebuke. "The sparks are a good sign that the medicine is cleansing the fire qi from my channels."


    "Indeed, so long as your head does not catch fire."


    "Mother... Thank you."


    "I would not deserve to be called even that much, if I could not brush my daughter¡¯s hair."


    "You know that''s not what I''m talking about," Ling Qi said, taking her turn to admonish. "I understand how I hurt you, coming home like this and when I said I couldn''t apologize."


    Apologizing for something she might do again was not a lie worth telling.


    "It is difficult for me to accept, but I believe that you were certain that the assisting General Xia was the best choice for the province. You are far more dutiful than I."


    "No idea how I managed it. Lady Cai said the same thing, but she probably just infected me."


    "It is not fair to upset your mother by being too dedicated and loyal. How am I meant to scold you without sounding like an unvirtuous woman?"


    "Apologies, Mother. I will never stop being a troublesome daughter, I think."


    "I suppose not. On another note, have you spoken with Yu Nuan?"


    Ling Qi hummed as her mother dabbed at her scalp with the cloth again and resumed combing. It was soft and soothing, though even with her sitting down, Mother had to reach up to do so.


    "I did. I got a message from her earlier today. I intended to tell you over dinner. Her leave will line up with ours, and the paperwork is done. We can have the ceremony in two weeks, like we planned."


    "Good. It may be that she does not see it this way, but a clan should be bound by more than a contract." Ling Qingge teased at a tangle.


    "I don''t think she will hate that. She puts on a hard front, but I suspect she merely did not wish to impose."


    "At least a scholar''s cap might be dignified," Zhen grumbled. "If we are keeping a back garden, it must be better fitted! Zhen does not want to jangle! If it must be noisy, it should be like mighty gongs and temple bells, announcing my great presence!"


    "Oh, Gui would be okay with a bell," the turtle replied guilelessly and a little too quickly.


    ... Had Gui been wearing Zhen down? How did that even work when they were two voices of the same mind? Was it like working oneself up to an exotic haircut?


    "Zhengui, I want to say it again, but thank you for taking care of our duties in Snowblossom while I and the others were at the summit location. I''m glad I was able to trust you with that."


    Their bickering died down. "Zhengui is glad that Big Sister can rely on him. Big Sister did a good job too."


    "Not going to scold me more and say I was wrong?"


    "No, because Zhengui understands. Big Sister has to follow the star. She will not be happy if she gives up."


    His voices blended together, one with two tones.


    "You''re right." Ling Qi rested her head against the hard surface of his shell, and she put her hand on Gui''s head. "I don''t begrudge anyone upset that I''ve been hurt, but I have no regrets. It was the right choice."


    "Gui trusts Big Sister when she says that." He nudged his snout against her hand.


    "I, Zhen, am proud of my sister."


    It was another small lie of hers perhaps to say she was wholly fine with the recriminations. It felt good to have her choice to sacrifice acknowledged. Cai Renxiang has done it too, but they had not spoken since she had returned to the base of White Cloud Mountain.


    "Look at me, fishing for compliments." Ling Qi breathed, and the mist roiled and spread, thinning out over the garden and creeping along the ground, shimmering among the dewy grass. Through her mist, she felt the garden, the simple dedication that had made it bloom, and the warm thrum of Zhengui''s blessing in the soil, full of vitality.


    She spied a shape in her mist, a girl whose hair was awhirl with the winds. The girl¡¯s plain dress flapped with the speed with which she ran, and she wore a fierce and carefree grin and had not one tenth of her problems because her Way was untroubled by questions, for that girl¡¯s choice was always to cut and run.


    The phantom of possibility drifted away in the mist. That girl would not have been burned down to the core, but she would not have this garden, this brother, or this clan. She would not have had anyone at all.


    Family. It tugged at her, restricted her, and bound her. It freed her, fulfilled her, and kept her grounded. She could not quite imagine what her Way would have been like had she chosen not to reconnect. In the end, her Way was fundamentally about others as much as herself. This left openings, weaknesses that she could have avoided, maybe, but in her humble opinion, it also made her far less brittle.


    Ling Qi had no regrets. She was the center of a movement bigger than herself, and she was the supporting pillar of still other, even larger goals.


    "So, are we imagining the bell in bronze or iron? Because I think bronze would look better," she said.


    "Gui likes copper! It can become green!"


    "What have I, Zhen, done to deserve this?"


    It was good to be home.

 Threads 399-Recovery 7

    Threads 399-Recovery 7


    "Congratulations to all of you on your acceptance into the ranks of Snowblossom¡¯s administration. The House of Cai has high expectations for your performance, no matter how small your role. To build on the very edge of civilization, each and every pair of hands must put forth their fullest efforts, and together with the efforts of your fellow inductees, work for the common good. This task will not be easy, but its rewards will be rich..."


    Once again, Ling Qi sat in her chair at the head of the larger of the two receiving rooms in her home on a raised platform, letting the formal words she had memorized roll out in a well practiced intonation. The last time this room had been used was when she had given out stones to the younger members of the household to test their cultivation. Hanyi stood beside her, looking prim with her chin up and her hands hidden in her wide sleeves.


    A rich, dark blue carpet ran from the far end where she was to the door, and on it, the interviewees knelt in four neat rows, arranged by the rank of the position they had been accepted for. Right now, their fief did not have the ability or need to support entire local ministries, so these officials were all relatively low ranks, but as Snowblossom grew, those who had come now at its beginning would be well positioned for opportunity.


    The speech she gave ran its course, but Ling Qi was not done. In the beat of silence after, she observed them all. None of those sent to her had been truly malicious or incompetent, but these were the ones she felt had both a drive and a reason to thrive where they were going.


    "More than anything else I have said, think of your families and kin and of those you support. It is your efforts together which will make this fief a place for them as well. No one cultivator may perform all duties themselves. It is only through the harmonious efforts of everyone, from Lady Cai down to the lowest ranked clerk, that bureaucracy may be made to run with the precision needed to make this place we are building great. Take pride and be humble both. We build a home which is for all of us."


    Heads bowed, and voices rang out in practiced unison. "Yes Baroness Ling!"


    At her gesture, they rose to receive their assignment and rank.


    "You have three days left in White Cloud Town. At that time, be prepared at the southern gates, so that you may join the caravan south. Dismissed."


    Ah, she really wasn''t cut out for this sort of thing, was she?


    As the ceremony concluded and the last of the officials left the room, Ling Qi allowed her shoulders to slump, reclining in her chair as Hanyi poured her a cup of tea. She didn''t even try to reach for the cup herself, simply letting Hanyi raise it to her lips for her to blow on and sip.


    She cracked one eye open as she finished, eyeing the open door.


    "It is not like you to skulk, Xia Lin."


    "I was doing nothing of the sort. It is merely polite to wait until you are invited in."


    "Well, consider yourself invited. You came out ahead of the main caravan?"


    Xia Lin stepped into view from where she had been waiting beside the doorway. "It is currently traveling through the sect lands. My guardianship is unneeded in this last leg."


    The other girl wasn''t in her armor, which was unusual, but it was still a boyish get up. She wore a loose silk shirt and snug cloth pants, probably meant to be worn under riding leathers. It was a little too free in Ling Qi¡¯s opinion. The other girl''s chest wrap peeked out under the open laces at the shirt¡¯s collar. Metal still gleamed at the girl¡¯s wrists and neck in the form of steel bracelets and a snug choker...


    Ah, yes, that made sense. She didn''t know that the White Plumes armor could be made to retract like that. Perhaps it was a new function Xia Lin had recently mastered. It did feel like the other girl¡¯s cultivation had grown.


    And didn''t that relight the hot ember a month''s convalescence had left her with, despite her every effort to relax?


    "I assume my mother greeted you?"


    "Of course. Your hospitality was not flawed at all. I am merely here for you."


    "It is about time for tea and a bite to eat. Hanyi, will you get me moving please?"


    "Got it, Big Sis! Dining room?"


    "Yes please. I don''t think you object to that, Xia Lin?"


    "No."


    ***


    "My compliments to your cook. Simple flavor, but satisfying," Xia Lin praised. The last of the spiced wheat cakes that had been set out for her had disappeared but a moment ago.


    "I''m sure she will be happy you enjoyed such a simple dish. It is better with the ground ice peppers sprinkled on, isn''t it?" Ling Qi asked.


    Wheat was always cheap, even in Tonghou, but the spices people used to flavor it were less so.


    Ling Qi covered her mouth with her hand and rejoined the conversation. "I understand. For what it is worth, I agree with your assessment. The Wang style is solid, but it will be more well suited to expanding into and up along the cliff as we go along. If we are careful with the formations, even mortals will enjoy the spectacle."


    "Indeed. I understand that the formations can be controlled. There may be times when we wish the night sky to be blocked, but others when we wish to allow our citizens a proper view of heaven''s vault," Xia Lin agreed fervently. "I look forward to seeing it complete."


    "Is it not complete?" Ling Qi asked. "Lady Cai''s letter indicated she expected work to be done by month¡¯s end."


    "This stage is. A well fortified manse has been built under the falling waters, channeling them outward into the lake and cloaking itself in mist. However, we both know that this is only the beginning."


    "True. I wonder if the initial manor will be torn down eventually, or perhaps made into a gatehouse once we expand further."


    "I cannot say, but I am looking forward to seeing where and how it grows. Before we continue on this topic, I do have an official purpose here as well."


    "Oh? Do tell." Ling Qi rapped her knuckles once on the table, and Hanyi moved to pour her a new cup of tea.


    Xia Lin¡¯s lips curled up in an amused smirk. "Lady Cai intends a formal visit to your household in two months¡¯ time to present merits and convey her gratitude for your leal service to the Cai clan."


    "Ah..." There was a difference between private words of praise and an official presentation. Ling Qi supposed this was only to be expected. "Oh. Mother is going to tear out her hair."


    "Lady Cai wished to ensure you had time to properly prepare."


    "And I thank her for her consideration. I don''t suppose either you or Guangli have the same coming."


    "We do.¡± Xia Lin sipped her tea. ¡°I am unbothered by it, but I know you like to fret." X


    "You are surprisingly vindictive."


    "I have no idea what you are talking about."


    Ling Qi sighed. There was nothing to it. She could hardly refuse her liege¡¯s official commendation. She was simply going to have to find a way to explain this to Mother that did not induce a panic attack in the older woman.


    "What''s wrong? Your boss is just coming by to say how awesome you are, but like, formal, right?" Hanyi asked guilelessly.


    "Yes, I suppose she is," Ling Qi said. "Well, thank you for delivering the news, Xia Lin. Let¡¯s return to the Snowblossom topic. Do you know what the plans are going forward?"


    "Designs have been presented for a palisade wall around the manor and the central settlement zone... Of course, we have less need for this than a normal new settlement might given the number of third realm cultivators we have available for the settlement defense."


    "Right, Lady Cai is super scary, and Big Sis and the rest of us will be back soon!" Hanyi puffed her chest out.


    "A fair point, but I do like to stay on top of security. I suppose the only other goal is to gain a full settlement charter now that we can point to a town center. I believe we need a certain amount of permanent housing as well as getting the paperwork done?" Ling Qi wondered.


    "Correct. The other major projects under consideration are a broad divination effort following the leylines your brother has activated to prospect for ores and stone and improvements around the fishery and the lake."


    Ling Qi grimaced. "You need me for the last one. It would be difficult for me to accomplish that right now."


    "You are functionally our high priestess of the lake," Xia Lin agreed.


    Ling Qi made a distressed face. "Don''t call me that. It feels like I should be old and gray with that title. I am just a humble diplomat."


    "As you like." Xia Lin shrugged. "Is there another course coming?"


    "There can be." Ling Qi reached for the service bell.


    Despite her recovery still crawling along, life did not slow down.

 Threads Chapter 400-Recovery 8

    Threads Chapter 400-Recovery 8


    "Welcome back, Yu Nuan."


    The girl''s hair was a little longer, falling down loosely over the right side of her head and cropped close on the left. The bright electric blue color was highlighted with streaks of white and darker blue.


    The metal piercings seemed to have multiplied, too. The one ear Ling Qi could see was lined with a whole row of spiked studs pierced through the lobe. There were also two through the lower lip, one through the nose, and she spied one through the eyebrow behind the fringe of the girl''s bangs. That wasn''t even considering all the little nodes of heavenly qi Ling Qi suspected were further piercings beneath the other girl¡¯s heavy winter robes. Perhaps they were something more like the steel and iron rings and on her fingers or the chain links hung heavy around her neck though.


    It was a strange cultivation method, but it worked for the girl. Yu Nuan¡¯s foundation was solid, a black, dense cloud filled with thunderous rumbles and spitting sparks.


    "Thanks." Yu Nuan looked uncomfortable.


    Ling Qi could understand. Even if her hair was growing back in and even if she was swathed in a dark robe hiding how thin she was, she still did not look recovered.


    "I mean, I''m honored to be welcomed back into your home, Lady Ling." Yu Nuan bowed low, and sparks crackled and spat.


    Inside the gate, Ling Qi smiled from her seat on the wheelchair as Hanyi peered past her shoulder and sniffed haughtily.


    "Raise your head, and come in. This is going to be your home, too, for the time it has left. Come out to the gardens with me. I''m sure your companions would like to be let out." Ling Qi gestured for Hanyi to turn her wheelchair around.


    "Thanks for that." Yu Nuan straightened and walked beside Ling Qi''s chair as it rolled along the stone path, taking them around the manor and back to the gardens. There was a temporary ramp set over the front step, but there was really no reason to go through the home. She''d leave Yu Nuan to the tender mercies of Mother and the tailor hired to fit her dress later.


    "If it wouldn¡¯t bother you, will you tell me about your deployment?" Ling Qi asked. She had heard gossip from Xia Lin and other contacts about the state of the sect¡¯s military ventures, but tales from eyes on the actual ground would be more accurate.


    Yu Nuan swallowed, her expression twisting briefly into a sour one.


    "It was ugly. I wasn¡¯t part of the big assault units. My group moved ahead of the main force. Our casualties were never the heaviest, but it wears you down."


    Ling Qi glanced her way but did not speak, content to let the other girl talk on her own.


    "The Sect Head¡¯s domain was really amazing," Yu Nuan continued. "When active, you''re hooked up to everyone. I knew where he was, and I knew where my commander was. Hells, I even know where the other scout captains were. When an alert went up from anywhere in the engagement zone, I knew within seconds. When I spotted something relevant, so did everyone else. You didn¡¯t quite see out of each other¡¯s eyes, but in it, you¡ªand everyone else¡ªknew everything that was happening."


    They strolled along under the eaves of the manor. The wind blew freely, tugging at the hems of their clothes.


    "My parents died from a raid," Yu Nuan said. "Nothing uncommon; it happens all the fucking time. Monsters fight in the sky, and you''re lucky if you don''t get stepped on. This was the first time I''ve been the monster though. I know they''d not have any more mercy for us than what we showed. Because I remember."


    Thunder. Thunder in the sky. Rain falling through a broken roof. Despite the fires, she can hear crackling outside where screams are still echoing, men who ride the wind laughing, and bowstrings humming.


    "But the actual fighting is not satisfying. It''s just cold and filthy. I get why so many of the old heads dive into the bottom of a bottle or turn it into a game. Me? I''m exhausted. Anyway, to answer the question you''re actually asking, I''m glad we''re done pushing for now. The cloud tribes have scattered. Eyes are out, but they''ve apparently ran and ran far. Consolidation of the new territory is going well, but they''re keeping patrols on alert, since it''s still pretty easy to slip the net if we don''t."


    "Thank you."


    Ling Qi tilted her head back and glimpsed Hanyi glancing at Yu Nuan in confusion. Her little sister did not understand. So far as her junior sister was concerned, enemies were for killing. There didn''t need to be any more meaning ascribed than that. Hanyi was still a spirit of death and cold.


    "I was interested in your feelings as well,¡± Ling Qi said. ¡°There''s no need to push me away."


    Yu Nuan grimaced. "Yeah, sorry. Not like you''ve been sitting pretty while I¡¯ve been on duty. You look like you''d be dead without all those talismans holding you together."


    "You say the nicest things. You''re not wrong, but I''m getting closer to holding myself together every day."


    "Hmph. Big Sis will be back on her feet soon. A little fire won''t keep her down. Remember that! Big Sis is the toughest."


    "I won''t forget," Yu Nuan replied dryly.


    They came around the corner then, entering the gardens proper.


    "Welcome, Big Sister, Hanyi, Spiky Woman!" Gui called out. He was resting in the tilled area carved out for him in the flower beds, surrounded by shoots of new growth.


    "Go ahead.¡± Ling Qi gestured to the stone bench by the path. "Hanyi, just place me by its side please."


    "Got it!" her junior sister chirped.


    Yu Nuan dropped onto the bench, stretching her arms in a particularly unladylike sprawl. "So we''re actually doing this, huh?"


    "You did ask for it, and all of the paperwork has been filed. Only the final agreement and the clan ceremony is left," Ling Qi commented. "Are you regretting it now?"


    "No. I don''t think so. I''m definitely sure I shouldn''t be in charge of a whole clan." Yu Nuan squeezed her eyes shut. "Surprised you want to have some big ceremony though. Or did your mom push that?"


    "A little. She''s the one who is going to stuff you in a proper gown, at least for the night." Ling Qi chuckled.


    Yu Nuan frowned. "I can''t even be mad. It''d be ungrateful. Your mother is surprisingly stubborn. I told her she doesn''t need to treat me like anyone special."


    "Mother understands more about noble ritual and tradition than I do," Ling Qi said thoughtfully. "I have memorized more books and rules and lists maybe, but I do not know it instinctively like she does... But I agree with her that the ceremony is important."


    Yu Nuan cracked an eye open. "Yeah?"


    "The Ling Clan will not always be me, my mother, and my sister. It''s important to start traditions. People need something to bind them together that isn''t just personal relations."


    "And when those turn into nooses in a few hundred years, ain''t you gonna look silly," Yu Nuan retorted. "I get it though. People aren''t that different from beasts. We make life more complicated, but everyone wants to know they have a pack that has their back."


    "Indeed. To have a place and the knowledge that it is secure is something I think even humans value greatly." Yun Long folded his legs beneath him to sit cross-legged in the air. "Madam Nuan was helpful in allowing me to understand that taking this from me was not my father''s intent."


    "Yeah. From what you told me, you were going squirrely back there.¡± Yu Nuan shook her head. ¡°Not enough to do for you and all your brothers."


    "I should hope I don''t weave anything strong enough to be a noose," Ling Qi said dryly. "But you¡¯re not wrong. I''ve been thinking about how people are drawn together and pushed apart. You can''t create a community without some sort of exclusion."


    How did you even define an ¡°us¡± if there was no ¡°them¡± to compare it to? Ling Qi suspected that if she tried, people would just make their own smaller and better defined communities that did define a ¡°them.¡±


    Yu Nuan frowned deeply and then shook her head. "Not gonna lie, that just seems obvious to me. You can''t be friends with everyone, not least because there''s always going to be someone with a chip on their shoulder who wants to have a go at you. Most people want to get along and live untroubled, but some bastards just like being bully boys."


    "And so you came to me,¡± Ling Qi said, laughing, ¡°because it''s better to have a pack at your back when that time comes."


    Hanyi shrugged. "Seems smart to me. Of course someone would notice how cool you are!"


    "I came to you because you and that boss of yours seem like you actually believe in principles, and more than that, you look like you''re doing something to make it a reality," Yu Nuan corrected. Then, she snorted. "And cause you''re strong. I won''t lie about that. I''ll be better protected here than I ever could be on my own."


    "A task I am more than up to,¡± Yun Long commented, ¡°but I suppose Madam Nuan is speaking of human court problems."


    "That''s fine. However, in my clan, you''ll have to deal with being family. I don''t think I can separate that concept from the clan. That means enduring the dresses and the ceremonies for a start," Ling Qi said. "You seem to be doing just fine though. Biyu has taken your advice well. Thank you for spending time with her when I couldn''t. She''s looking forward to seeing you again, too."


    Yu Nuan shifted uncomfortably. "You should be good to kids. Nothing special about that."


    "As you like," Ling Qi said with a knowing smile.


    Ling Qi observed Yu Nuan restraining the urge to stick her tongue out at her like a child and restrained her own urge to snicker at her.


    "Well, if you''re doing this right, so am I,¡± Yu Nuan declared. ¡°I want to give an adoption gift to the clan. I''ve got a couple arts that aren''t from the sect. You''re gonna accept one."


    Ling Qi raised her eyebrows. "Is that anyway to speak to your clan head?"


    "I think it''s the way to speak to MY clan head."

 Threads Chapter 401-Recovery 9

    Threads Chapter 401-Recovery 9


    Ling Qi dipped her head in acknowledgment. "What are you thinking?" she asked Yu Nuan.


    "I have my Savage Storms Sonata. It would let someone get started on a path like mine. I''ve integrated it already, like I think you did with that mist art of yours. It calls the lightning and the thunder to your strings. Mostly for battering people around, but you can empower yourself a bit too. Or, I could gift the Lightning God''s Ladder, my cultivation art. Lady Dianmu''s showed me the higher class version, but the one I cultivated before also lets you use natural thunderstorms to cultivate. You don''t want to get struck directly like a crazy person, at least not till you''ve completed the one I''m on now, but..."


    Ling Qi shifted in her seat, thinking of Gu Xiulan.


    "... it really let me get by on not as many stones. I''m sure that''s not a problem for you..."


    "Being able to save on spirit stones is always a benefit," Ling Qi replied, considering.


    Of course, Yu Nuan could teach as she liked, but entering a person''s art into the general clan archive was more of a commitment. It was essentially making it a part of the clan''s overall identity, rather than something personal to Yu Nuan.


    "The cultivation art is more important to have in the general archive," Ling Qi decided. "I''m sure you''ll find people you want to pass your music down to individually."


    Yu Nuan gave a firm nod. "Got it."


    "Although, if Biyu decides she wants to stab bits of metal through her nose and lips for power, I am referring Mother to you." Ling Qi laughed behind her hand.


    Yu Nuan''s expression screwed up in a scowl, and Yun Long bit down on his own laughter when her glare turned on him, pointedly becoming very interested in the clouded gray sky.


    "Kid doesn''t have the temperament for it. I kinda doubt she has the temperament for yours either," Yu Nuan shot back.


    Ling Qi''s smile faded. "Obviously. There''s no need to be so serious about the possibility. Mother might be put out, but I had to be lit on fire from my dantian out to get her truly angry with me."


    Yu Nuan snorted. "That¡¯s ¡®cause you''re her actual daughter. She''s always keeping me on my toes when I''m here."


    "Yu Nuan, are you saying you feel bullied by my first realm mother?"


    Hanyi desperately covered her mouth with her hands. Ling Qi shot her an unimpressed look, and she straightened up, looking innocent.


    "I didn''t say that," Yu Nuan complained. "She just... I dunno... makes me feel weird. It''s that disappointed look she makes when I try to blow something off, you know? It makes me feel like I¡¯m the worst."


    "Ah, I can understand that," Ling Qi replied.


    That was probably worse than being shouted at. Mother was very reticent with her, still so reserved with her feelings. Her injury had cracked that shell, but still, she felt some envy for Yu Nuan.


    "Mother is not too different from me in some ways. She won''t accept you simply being a business attachment. You''ll just have to endure her efforts."


    "When you say it like that, you make me feel like I''m an asshole," Yu Nuan griped. "Guess you are kinda similar. Hey, Yun Long, not gonna support me here?"


    "No. I feel like I might be inviting my own Lady Mother¡¯s wrath if I did. You know her eyes see very far and clear," he replied candidly.


    "A request I am pleased to answer positively," Ling Qi replied imperiously. Hanyi turned her, and Yu Nuan approached, lowering herself into a bow. "You swear then to bring honor to my Ling clan, to be filial in all of your days, and to bring us success and great merits?"


    The whole formal speech was still tedious in her opinion, but she was well past grumbling about necessary social theater.


    "I do so swear to repay your kindness with duty and your welcome with meritorious deeds," Yu Nuan pledged. "So it shall be for myself and all of my descendants, who shall know no name but Ling."


    "Then let it be so." Ling Qi clapped her hands once, and the earth rumbled.


    She mentally thanked Zhengui for the effect. A part of the stage opened, coming apart, and roots crawled out, bearing on them a small but well painted cabinet, worked and etched with silver and painted blue and black.


    Ling Qingge, who had been silent until now, stepped forward, and pulled open the cabinet doors. Inside were velvet lined shelves and a small number of wooden tablets, each intricately carved with artistic patterns and a single name in bold characters extending from top to bottom.


    There were five such tablets, each bearing a name: Ling Qi, Ling Qingge, Ling Biyu, Ling Zhengui, and Ling Hanyi. One other had been added, its face yet blank.


    Ling Qi didn''t know when her mother had commissioned a set of ancestral tablets, but she had been pleased to see them. There was something good and solid about them that left her qi feeling settled.


    A humbler, plainer tablet¡ªbearing the name He Qingge¡ªburned, taking a life up in smoke with it.


    She supposed Mother had her own reasons to be so focused on making their Ling family right.


    Mother took the blank tablet from the cabinet and presented it to Yu Nuan, who took it and looked down at the polished wood with an unreadable expression.


    "Carve, paint, and mark your name then, you who will be kin to us." Mother''s voice was far quieter than hers, and Ling Qi signaled Sixiang to provide some amplification of the sound. "And I will place it alongside those to which it belongs."


    For a cultivator, it was not difficult to perform small acts of physical art, and Yu Nuan was prepared. She cradled the tablet in one arm and reached out to take the carving blade Mother had held out in the other hand. The scratch of metal on wood could not be heard over the rain and thunder, but curls of cut material accompanied by wood dust drifted to the stage.


    Ling Qi held her peace, as did everyone else, leaving only the cry of the wind and the patter of the rain and the occasional rumble of thunder to pass over the silent gathering. When wood chips ceased to fall, her mother, given Ling Qi''s storage ring for the ceremony, produced a brush and inks and took back the carving knife.


    Soon, the other girl straightened up, though her head remained bowed. She held out a tablet with her new name, Ling Nuan, carved deep into the tablet. It was inked artfully in dark blue, framed with lighter carvings to match those on the other tablets, characters for good fortune and aesthetic lines, though Ling Nuan¡¯s were more jagged like falling lightning.


    Mother accepted the tablet, making a show of looking over it and nodding with satisfaction. "I see before me a daughter of Ling, as true as blood. What say you, Honored Clan Head?"


    Ling Qi craned her neck as her mother turned toward her, doing her part to examine the tablet. "I, too, see before me a daughter of Ling, a sibling true and loyal. Place her among her kin."


    The tablet was set on the bottom row, beside Hanyi''s. There was a great crack then, and a number of gasps and cries arose as lightning struck the dome of air over the garden before scattering in a thousand glittering trails down its sides.


    That had been well timed. She silently thanked Sixiang for handling the signaling to Yun Long.


    "Rise, Sister. Rise, Ling Nuan. Be welcome among your family."

 Threads Chapter 402-Recovery 10

    Threads Chapter 402-Recovery 10


    Ling Qi completed the adoption ceremony by extending her hand toward Ling Nuan. It was awkward doing so while sitting down, but she was tall enough that it still worked.


    Ling Nuan took her hand and raised her head, turning to look out over the gathered household.


    "Thank you, my clan head," she said roughly. She did not strictly need to continue holding Ling Qi''s hand for any longer, but she did not let go. "I would like to show my appreciation."


    Ling Qi nodded. They''d discussed this, just after the fittings were done.


    Yu Nuan¡ªno, Ling Nuan now¡ªwould perform a piece of her own up on the stage, a presentation and demonstration to the clan introducing who she was and what she was bringing. Ling Qi had considered asking the other girl to improvise a duet between them, but in the end, she had decided otherwise. They were establishing a new tradition here. Not every cultivator adopted into the Ling clan in the future would be a musician, after all, so this would be better.


    "I would be pleased to see it, as would we all," Ling Qi said.


    She gestured, and Mother closed the cabinet containing the ancestral tablets. As she stepped back, the roots enclosing it rumbled, curling to cradle it protectively as they withdrew the cabinet back down beneath the stage.


    "Come,¡± Ling Qi continued. ¡°Let us cede the stage to our new kin."


    Mother, Hanyi, and herself descended the ramp from the stage. She felt Sixiang''s presence retreat from her mind to the puppet body nestled in the dark of the garden. The ground shook as Zhengui emerged, trundling up to the far end of the family table where a trough piled high with fruits waited for him. She took a seat beside Mother, who quietly dismissed the older woman who had been tending to Biyu back to the household tables. Hanyi remained standing at her side, and an empty seat was reserved for Ling Nuan.


    Faerie lights bloomed, casting new light across the stage. Ling Nuan stood tall and straight-backed as the air shimmered and her lute, a rich, redwood instrument chased with elements of black enamel and gleaming steel, appeared in her hands. She twisted the knobs, adjusting the strings.


    "I''m thankful for the welcome, so listen up. The Ling clan is a good one, better''n I deserve, and all of you are part of that, from what I hear,¡± Ling Nuan called out. ¡°You''ll never gain something you don''t grasp for. You won''t keep something good by resting on your laurels. This piece is called, ''Thunder Under Snow.''"


    She slashed her hand down across the strings. Electricity sparked off of her fingernails, thunder cracked in the sky above, and the lute rang out with a harsh metallic strum that echoed over the garden.


    Ling Qi smiled, letting the music wash over her. Ling Nuan was not going to overwhelm an audience like this with a cultivator''s full theatrics, but that did not mean that Ling Qi could not feel the meaning thrummed in time with the sound.


    She saw that more than a few of her household was taken back by the chaotic sound that followed the opening riff, far from the harmonious noble or rhythmic teahouse styles that were more in fashion.


    It was lightning crackling amidst a whited-out sky and thunder rolling off the steep, southern mountain cliffs.


    A front swept south, carrying all caught in its wake on its wind. The song of the blizzard howl could not be ignored, and beasts great and small raised their eyes from their hunts, their haunts, their contests, their wars.


    Only wind. Only wind. Ethereal, weightless, soft snow turned to cutting daggers. It could not be ignored.


    Ling Qi could only be flattered at the comparison.


    Thunder rumbled. Small storms content to lash the valleys with wind and rain, but in truth, a quiet crash, a wind without direction. Small ambition. Thoughtless ambition. Rage without a target. Rage that knew itself futile, dashing carelessly upon the stones until its energy was spent.


    South, spoke the wind. Up, spoke the wind. See the sky. Find direction. Move, dance, laugh, rage.


    Rage together. Rage loud. The wind carries. The blizzard song advances. And where mountains cannot be bowed, they will be left behind, one drop, one gust, one rumble at a time.


    So sweeps the snow, and so sings the wind on and on and on, direction ever unwavering....


    "No one is overawed,¡± Ling Qingge corrected. ¡°Shocked, perhaps, at your style, but I believe everyone enjoyed the piece."


    Her mother straightened up from Biyu, who immediately undoed all her work of wiping her face by doing her best to stuff an entire plum cake into her bulging cheeks. Ling Qi didn''t have the heart to point it out. Better to let her little sister finish and then get scolded by Mother.


    "I think you did very well, and that everyone will remember this night," Ling Qi soothed.


    This only made the other girl hunch her shoulders and grumble more. Ling Qi sighed. Her new adoptive sister might have reached her limit of social interaction for the evening.


    "Ah, I did have some questions I wanted to ask you about. Snowblossom business," Ling Qi clarified.


    Ling Nuan straightened up at the topic change. "Sure. You looking to get some animals?"


    "Yes. We¡¯re setting up some infrastructure for now, but Lady Cai wished to collect expertise before sending the order to the Luo."


    Ling Qi broke a dumpling in half and brought it to her lips. Mother''s dumplings were always worth eating, even as a cultivator. Beside her, she heard Mother gasp and saw her turn to Biyu, a handkerchief in hand. Fight on, little sister. She was sure the cake had been worth it.


    "I''m guessing... goats, sheep, chickens, maybe pigs? Doesn''t seem much like cow country. Too steep and cold."


    "There are some high mountain breeds, but we''re not looking into those until we''re better established," Ling Qi agreed. "Any thoughts?"


    "Chickens are easy. Prolly don''t even need a dedicated spot, just hook up each little farm with a coop. They''ll appreciate the eggs and pest control. They¡¯ll need more fencing though since the little predators will go for them where they won''t for crops." Yu Nuan toyed with a strip of sauce drizzled meat on her plate. "Might be best if you don''t have a lot of people."


    "And the others?" .


    "Pigs don''t need a lot of upkeep. You can feed them off scraps. But they can be dangerous. The smaller ones are waist high, and they only get bigger from there. A pig will take down a fence if you let it. Hells, a hog that''s got into some qi-rich rooting will knock down a house. They take to cultivation mutations easily. Lots of meat and good fertilizer, but not much else of use. Honestly, goats''ll be good all around. You only need a few herders, they can handle themselves, and they give milk and wool. Ornery little shi¡ª"


    Ling Nuan eyed Mother and cut herself off, but her eyes lingered on Biyu giggling as she wiggled under Mother''s grasp.


    "... They''re temperamental, and it can be hard to keep them out of trouble, depending on the breed. Lotta high jumpers and quick climbers in the southern breeds. There''s a few breeds I can recommend that should mostly stay put though."


    "And sheep?" Ling Qi asked.


    "The dumbest animals you''ll ever find. Your herders will have to protect them from themselves as much as anything else." Yu Nuan had a small smile on her face, like she was reminiscing. "They''re so soft though, especially the Cerulean Hills breed. Docile little dummies, too. You''re gonna get more and better wool from most breeds, and the milk isn''t bad either."


    "I think I recall that breed being on the list. Any more specific recommendations in the other categories?"


    "Sure. Let''s see... You¡¯ll want to avoid the Vermillion-Comb breed of chicken from out east. Too temperamental; they''ll peck each other to death if you have more than a few in a space..." Ling Nuan settled into her seat, losing more of the built-up tension as she talked, and began to pick at her meal more.


    Another small success. Ling Qi finished her dumpling, satisfied, and listened to her new sister go on.


    She''d have to write everything said down later, just cleaned up a little, and send it on to Cai Renxiang. Her liege would appreciate the perspective.

 Threads Chapter 403-Standing 1

    Threads Chapter 403-Standing 1


    "Goodness, Ling Qi! You just cannot keep out of trouble, can you?"


    "So I have been told again and again," Ling Qi said wryly.


    The gangly silk wrapped skeleton serving their tea bowed with a flourish, dapper black servant¡¯s robes rustling around its limbs. The empty eye sockets of the horse''s skull that made its head glowed with a faint green light.


    Ling Qi took a sip from her cup. The balance of the milk with the mellow flavor of the blend was perfect, at least to her unrefined palette. Cai Renxiang would probably have more to say.


    "You''ve really improved your automatons."


    LI Siyuin smiled at the praise. "Well, it¡¯s only with my direct attention that they can have so much finesse."


    "Still impressive. You''ll be able to split off a dozen selves the moment you step into the fourth realm," Ling Qi replied playfully.


    "Now, you are just making fun of me with praise. Who even knows if I will reach so high? But that aside, Ling Qi, I am glad you are looking so well. The things I¡¯d heard... I expected worse honestly."


    Ling Qi rubbed her bare fingers along the smooth porcelain side of her tea cup. It was still a fresh sensation to touch the world without a layer of medicine-soaked wrappings and qi cushioning. But her hands were bare now and showed no sign of burns.


    Of the rest of her body, most of it was still tightly shrouded in medical wrapping. More importantly, she had begun to be able to flex and move her ankles and toes again, and she had sensation in her lower legs. It was strange how exciting such a basic movement could seem.


    "I have been recovering faster than the physicians have projected. I suppose I really am just that stubborn."


    Li Suyin fixed her with an unimpressed look. "You had better be following their instructions."


    "Of course I am," Ling Qi replied with a look of mock hurt. "I merely keep exceeding their predictions."


    They were only small cultivation exercises!


    She held the other girl''s gaze until Li Suyin huffed and looked away. "I shall have to thank your junior sister for keeping an eye out."


    Hanyi had been colluding with her mother, and the spirit had shown none of the proper respect she owed her senior sister in refusing to let the matter lie. ... Hanyi probably deserved Suyin''s thanks. Her own as well, really.


    "If you wish to get her a present, she prefers sweets or glasswork," Ling Qi said.


    "Perhaps I can buy something." Li Suyin sighed. "The sect is preparing to remobilize."


    Ling Qi''s eyes wandered the web hung rafters of the tea room. Li Suyin''s sect manor was tight and claustrophobic, but the bright qi lights on the surface floors kept a good ambiance.


    "The offensive against the ith is set for the fourth month of next year."


    "In the spring after Her Grace''s wedding at the beginning of the year," Li Suyin agreed. "The fighting in the underground beachheads has never stopped. It will be worse once the Duchess begins digging."


    "And you''ll be involved," Ling Qi said unhappily.


    Her friend tilted her chin up challengingly. "So will you."


    "Yes. So how big will the war construct be?"


    "I''ve been modifying the manor to transform in case of another attack, so I can manage at least that much bulk, but..." Li Suyin''s hand flew to her mouth. "Ah! I mean, that will be a surprise!"


    "No, no, it''s fine. I''m glad for your health. Besides, your domain has always been comforting."


    "Has it?"


    "What few times I''ve experienced it, at least. I am told that others find it very dark and cold. You have your own fearsome reputation."


    "I suppose it is," Ling Qi mused. "I''m not close to many people, and my domain reflects that. I feel that some aspect of it has shifted though."


    Isolation, the cold pain of a starving child, was still embedded in her. It always would be. That was the root of who she was, and she had taken that truth and experience and shaped it into a weapon.


    "You are different," Li Suyin agreed. "I do not think we could have spoken about my lack of courting before. And as for what you have done in the south... I think many are still coming to terms with it."


    "I had help, and I gained some small insights," Ling Qi said. "I suppose that is part of it. I realized that I don''t need to freeze out everyone who is not my friend. Most people will never be my friend, but then, most people will never be my enemy either."


    "You are very stubborn, but when you change your mind, you certainly have no doubts or regrets," Li Suyin said fondly. "I wish I could do the same."


    "It can be good to question yourself," Ling Qi allowed. "But at some point, one has to accept the answers they''ve found."


    "Yes. That is why I will not stop and why I will keep making more hands, more bodies. The less people who need to stand on the front lines or to work in deadly places, the better."


    "That sounds like a good resolution. I suppose I will have to make sure everyone stays aligned to keep them from squabbling over misunderstandings and hurt pride so you can do your work cleanly."


    Li Suyin let out a small laugh, covering her mouth. "I feel your job is the harder one!"


    "It might be." Ling Qi gave a put-upon sigh.


    "I wasn''t actually going to graft limbs on, you know. I don''t want to make myself that difficult to approach."


    "I''m glad for you," Ling Qi said dryly. "And don¡¯t forget that you can approach someone, too."


    "Ling Qi! Honestly, I''m not sure if going all the way in the other direction is best." Li Suyin¡¯s cheeks flushed. "I also wanted to thank you for lending me your muse. Sixiang has been very helpful in researching some notions I had of remote spiritual tethers as a control mechanism."


    Ling Qi nodded, pretending she fully understood that. "They did it on their own. Is that puppet body they''ve been using compensation then?"


    "Oh, yes, an early prototype. The data I get from their consistent use is payment." Li Suyin gave her a challenging look.


    She held up her hands in surrender, and then gestured to her empty tea cup.


    Li Suyin''s automata smoothly poured her another and retreated from them once again, the glow of its eyes shining out of the shadowed corner of the room. They sat in companionable silence for a few moments, both enjoying the smooth earthy blend Suyin had served.


    "What are your plans by the way?" Li Suyin asked. "I know your adopted sister¡ªcongratulations¡ªwent south. Are you intending to go as well? You''re well enough to travel a little."


    "Not yet. Lady Cai will be visiting early next month. Ling Nuan was pleased enough to go south and see our home-to-be and help the workers make arrangements for the new sheep herd that will be arriving. I may visit Snowblossom again after that if the physicians approve."


    "Wonderful. I hope everything is going well. I don''t know what I would do if I needed to worry about a whole village rather than my little manor."


    "Well, calling it even a village is overstating it at this point, but we are getting there..."

 Threads Chapter 404-Standing 2

    Threads Chapter 404-Standing 2


    "Holy shit, what did you do?"


    "Hello to you, too," Ling Qi said over the rim of her wine cup. The guestroom of the traveler¡¯s inn had not changed much from when she had been here last. Last time, Meizhen had invited her out here to meet Xiao Fen. The furnishings were plain but well put together, and the privacy wards were acceptable for light chat. "Now, stop standing there gaping. You look silly."


    Su Ling snorted, pulling her eyes back up to Ling Qi''s face and stepped inside. Her tails thrashed in agitation behind her before settling back down.


    Su Ling had changed. Ling Qi could see the black lines burned into her hands where her meridians had burst through her skin in the Liminal adventure where they had encountered her mother, Madam Grey. Her wrists and forearms were wrapped under a layer of padded bandages and polished wooden bracers carved with angular, geometric shapes, and crescents. She''d gotten a new vest as well, dark brown and worked through with crimson and silver threads.


    "No, but seriously, are you telling me that nutty rumor about you and the General is true?"


    "It is very true. I¡¯m hurt, Su Ling. I wouldn''t think that you would doubt me."


    The other girl stared blankly at her and shook her head. "Guess I thought there was still a limit to your craziness. Silly me."


    "Baroness Ling is dedicated to her duties. The Cai are fortunate to have such an exemplar of duty."


    Ling Qi looked at the door where the other voice had emerged from. "Lady Diao, you are welcome as well."


    "Thank you, baroness," Diao Hualing said. The door drifted shut behind the train of her pale pink gown, closing with a soft click. "I am pleased to accept your invitation and speak in person again. I hope your recovery is proceeding well."


    "Oh, it is. My condition was much worse immediately after the incident," Ling Qi said, smiling at Su Ling.


    Unfortunately, the other girl seemed to have had enough of humoring her and merely huffed as she took a seat beside the table in front of Ling Qi.


    "But please, Madam Diao, Su Ling, help yourself to the wine and tea. I hope everything is well in the north?"


    "It is. There is nothing urgent, so please go ahead and speak of personal matters before we come to my small requests." Diao Hualing elegantly took her seat and accepted one of the cups of wine on the tray atop the table.


    "That does raise a question. I did expect you both, but until your last letter, I was not expecting you to come south together."


    "Just made sense. No point in taking separate trips," Su Ling grumbled.


    "It was efficient. I have been working with Miss Su on some subjects," Diao Hualing followed up. "She is quite the spirit hunter."


    "You got a lotta towns and villages infected with nasty shit," Su Ling muttered. "... At least you''re doing something about it, I guess. Anyway, how is Gan Guangli doing?"


    "Quite well, last I heard," Ling Qi replied. "Why, with the palisade going up at Snowblossom, he might even be on his way."


    She glanced between the two of them as she spoke, and Su Ling sputtered. Despite that, Su Ling was satisfied ; her spirit was serene, a sheathed blade, embers burning low. Diao Hualing was more reserved, but she showed no sign of upset with how casual Su Ling was being.


    Prime Minister Diao Linqin had described the woman as an opportunist, Ling Qi remembered. What was she truly gaining here? Cultivating an asset, her instincts whispered. More than one asset, she considered, meeting Diao Hualing''s pleasant expression with a smile.


    It was too often assumed that self-interested intent could not bend in a virtuous direction. It was all about aligning incentives correctly, as Cai Renxiang had once said.


    "Well, let me ask then, how was the meeting with your half-sibling, Su Ling?"


    Su Ling''s ears twitched violently. "He¡¯s doing okay."


    Ling Qi observed Su Ling in silence, giving her the time to speak as she wished.


    Su Ling glanced at Diao Hualing, who had suddenly manifested a folder of paperwork into her hand to peruse, and snorted.


    "Not like I could just walk in and go, ''Heya, Bro!'' We talked. It wasn''t great. They found him in a fucking basement. Kid flinches every time someone raises their voice. He''s only been let outside before for chores."


    Su Ling''s tails thrashed loose of the tight bundle gathered at her waist. The shadow she cast on the far wall flickered as if cast from a dancing flame, out of time with her movements.


    "Has the Ministry of Law been cooperating with Her Grace¡¯s subjects to ensure safety or prevention of further attacks?" Ling Qi asked.


    "We have not. My superiors will not countenance such a thing. They are, after all, merely subjugated creatures. There is very little communication between their city under the roots and the people of Xiangmen, save for their regular tributes," Diao Hualing said. Her words were without any particular inflection or judgment.


    Ling Qi furrowed her brows. "I understand that they cannot be fully trusted, but all the same, there should be many cultivators in Law and elsewhere able to detect any mistruths spoken. At the very least, discussing what the other ith¡¯s common methods of attack should be a priority."


    "I mean, if you got ''em on the choke chain, that makes sense," Su Ling said. "Have people really just not bothered?"


    "Her Grace is heavily absorbed with the war preparations and other matters. This subject falls to her loyal ministers who might squabble over whose jurisdiction it is and how to approach the matter."


    Ling Qi stared at Diao Hualing. Diao Hualing stared back at her.


    "A young hero with deeds such as yours and the backing of an ascendant heiress might find some success in breaking this deadlock," Diao Hualing finally said. She lightly sipped at her wine. The Diao scion had apparently decided to simply slap her cards down upon the table. "Perhaps she may even turn her skills into a successful first meeting."


    "Oh, so that''s your angle," Su Ling said.


    "I will be in Xiangmen for Her Grace''s wedding at year''s end,¡± Ling Qi began. ¡°In addition, our group will be making a court appearance to report on the summit. I suppose if I were to make a proposal to talk with the ith, I would happen to find sympathetic ears among Law who would back it."


    "That seems likely."


    "And the Duchess isn''t going to refuse if I request more work that nobody else wants," Ling Qi grumbled.


    "It would be strange for her to discourage your initiative," Diao Hualing agreed. "Does the baroness believe a trip under the rootways might fit into her schedule? Her Grace has arranged a transportation corridor."


    It was another difficult responsibility to take on, even if it was only a matter of getting the right people in the right room and talking. Worse, it was bad enough she would be going back underground for the war, but now for this...


    "Are you even gonna be good to stick yourself in the poison pit that soon?" Su Ling asked.


    "I will be good as new, or near to it, by the time of the wedding." She refused to countenance the idea that she would be helpless for that long.


    Su Ling twitched. "Right... Still kinda bothers me that all your old wisemen and grannies can''t be arsed to hash this out themselves."


    Diao Hualing merely offered a small shrug. "They will, given time, but I think you will find that as days become decades, your sense of urgency will change, too, young baronesses. And what seems easy now will become intractable against the rivalries of centuries."


    Ling Qi dipped her head in recognition of Diao Hualing¡¯s words.


    In truth, a part of her was exhausted by the idea. But all the same...


    "I will raise the matter when I come to court," Ling Qi said with a sigh. "But I would very much like your support in turn."


    "I assumed so." Diao Hualing bowed her head. "My project has not gone unnoticed, and I have picked up a few more tentative allies among my clan. I intend to reach out toward the friendlier factions among the Meng. I believe it would bolster everyone involved if we were to support each other, and I will see about softening the stances of my clan on some cultural matters."


    "I will send a letter to Lady Meng Diu regarding your plans," Ling Qi said mildly. This was something Diao Hualing was surely going to do anyway, but phrasing it in this way made it seem more like a favor to her. In practice, they would both be leaning on each other for accomplishments. "I am pleased to hear that. Going forward, I also hope to increase the depth of our discussions on the affairs of Law and the other ministries."


    Not everyone in the Ministry of Law was her ally, so she wanted to know if there were any troublesome challenges being cooked up in those halls which might affect Cai Renxiang, their group, or herself.


    "Of course. I look forward to our discussions."


    Su Ling squinted at both of them with her brows furrowed. They both raised their cups to their lips and sipped, almost in unison. She snorted and shook her head.


    "Glad you both got what you wanted out of that, I guess," Su Ling said. "I''ll be down here for a couple weeks, so..."


    "I''ll let Gan Guangli know," Ling Qi finished.


    Su Ling grumbled, but didn''t contest her.

 Threads 405-Standing 3

    Threads 405-Standing 3


    Ling Qi ran her fingers through her little sister''s hair, humming softly as the young girl curled up against her. The pressure on her chest and lap was a little uncomfortable, but no more than that, beneath the many layers of medicinal wrapping.


    Looking out over the garden, she tugged the blanket up further as streamers of colorful fire rose into the sky, flickering and dancing. There was a small festival today dedicated to the Sect Head¡¯s dragon companion, and the town''s priests had not been stingy with the flash paper and the powders which turned the flames of the bonfires set out at the ritual points throughout the town to such beautiful colors.


    "The first time I saw this, I spent it fretting over the hazard presented by such high burning fires," Ling Qingge said, cradling a cup of warm tea in her hands.


    "I suppose it would be dangerous under less careful management," Ling Qi replied.


    The sounds of music and people dancing around those fires drifted over the walls. Most of the household had been given leave to go out and join the festivities if they liked. She hoped they were having fun.


    "One can say that of many things. I am glad for the timing. There will be much work in making the household presentable for the heiress'' visit."


    Ling Qi chuckled. "It is convenient. Knowing Lady Cai, she probably accounted for it in one of her scheduling worksheets."


    Mother raised an eyebrow at her.


    "Oh, she''ll write out these grid squares on a scroll before meditating and cultivating. She fills them in without even opening her eyes. Everything is just so. But she gets this particular tic in her cheek whenever she''s forced to alter the timeline more than once or twice. Too many, and her teeth start to grind."


    It was, Ling Qi thought, probably one of her liege''s more humanizing habits.


    "Should you really be speaking of such foibles?" Ling Qingge asked warily.


    "Ah, apologies, Mother. You will need to hold this dark secret now," Ling Qi said gravely.


    Mother sighed. "Be serious, Ling Qi."


    "She isn''t the type to be offended by such a minor characteristic being known. Neither her ego nor her position are so fragile," Ling Qi reassured. "I say it mostly to remind you not to overthink this visit. She is my liege and superior, but she is also my friend. Our household is more than capable of performing their roles under such eyes."


    "I know this, and yet my heart cannot internalize it."


    "Your efforts are not in vain, Mother. There will come times when we host much more prickly visitors, even those looking for an excuse to be insulted or to impugn our less than stellar honor."


    Despite her accomplishments, there was still a clinging disdain for who she had chosen to bring on in her household. It was muted now under the weight of her deeds, but it would be a long time before it went away entirely, if it ever did.


    But humans could not endure living under such a light forever, neither would the Duchess last forever. Nor could Renxiang be such a light. Renxiang''s light was not as harsh as her mother¡¯s, but it was still not a thing which left people at ease. Her intent was good, humblingly so, but it did nothing to make her light warm.


    What Ling Qi could be, though, was the one who stood between the light and the people. There was more to clearly communicating than baldly stating facts. It included softening words, adjusting tones, or speaking in words and metaphors which would not slide off of a person''s preconceptions like water from a duck¡¯s feathers. If the truth was that burning, pitiless light, her mists should be that which softened its rays into something which men and women could endure.


    Around her, the mist glittered low to the ground, drifting along the polished boards of the porch overlooking the garden. She spread her hands, and the air shimmered. A twisting, hollow blade formed there. It was chipped and charred and cracked, looking as if it might shatter with a single harsh impact. Her domain blade, Isolation, was not ready yet to be renewed.


    But she understood now that whatever its origin, the mist had changed and taken on a different aspect. It made sense. Her Way was not one whose core was violence and offense. Thus, the whole of her domain could not remain encapsulated in a concept which she understood as a weapon. That was part of her, but not the whole of her.


    Just as the Grinning Moon was not her sole patron. And so, Dreaming and Hidden; Want, Clarity, and Mystery.


    This was not a point she would ever find without tension, she thought. The little lies and the privacy that people needed to themselves would conflict with the perfect clarity of communication which allowed no confusion or ambiguity.


    This was why those of the highest cultivation often took such broad, harsh views of concepts. It was so much harder to hold in balance something so questionable.


    Her thoughts brought the small remnants of Huisheng''s qi bubbling in her dantian. There was very little of it left, but it reacted to her thoughts still, adding an echoing whisper.


    Choice. That was the agent to bind opposing concepts.


    Weighing that in her mind just as she weighed the blade she had carved into her heart in her hands, she wondered if that concept was enough to withstand the pressures of a weightier Way. She thought back on the events of the last few months. At the summit, there were so many people moving, thinking, doing. She thought of Elder Jiao and his despair at the impossibility of fixing the foundations of the Celestial Empire with only a pair of heroes.


    In the space between blinding truth and all-consuming lies, there were many questions to answer and lines to define. But even if choice was not good enough, it had the shape of something that could be.


    "Big Sis! What did the doctor guy say about pushing on your domain like that! Not for another couple weeks!"


    Hanyi''s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She cursed under her breath, the sword shimmering away, the mist vanishing. Some thief she was, getting caught red-handed.


    "Light exercise is fine," she deflected instead, tilting her chin up defiantly as Hanyi stomped out onto the porch, hands on her hips.


    "Sis is pushing what counts as ¡®light¡¯," Hanyi said flatly.


    "Am not," Ling Qi replied with great dignity.


    It was a little fun to get to be the brat for once.

 Threads 406-Courtesies 1

    Threads 406-Courtesies 1


    There was quite a bit of fanfare in White Cloud Town for Cai Renxiang¡¯s visit, something that had happened regularly for the better part of the last two years. She knew that Cai Renxiang had been in and out more than once without a peep from the town¡¯s government. The most reaction they had received had been when they had needed to use the governor''s emergency transport formation to chase after some bandits.


    This time, however, the streets had been swept, the gates thrown wide, and the traffic cleared as Cai Renxiang arrived at the head of a small column of soldiers. The heiress managed to look fairly regal atop a white horse, bridle held loosely in one hand as she sternly recited the proper pleasantries to the town''s arrayed officials.


    This was the difference between being a disciple, even one proclaimed as the tacit, default ducal heir, and being a power in her own right with her own deeds and base of power, however small.


    Ling Qi sighed and withdrew her sight back to her physical eyes, letting her awareness through the distant wisp shuffle into the back of her thoughts.


    "You have an hour. I would expect it to be very close to exactly that. Lady Cai is very punctual, and there is nothing the town¡¯s officials are likely to do to delay that."


    "Yes, Lady Ling." The maid attending her bowed. "I will inform Madam Qingge at once."


    Ling Qi nodded, putting aside the last of the morning''s paperwork as the girl hurried out.


    "Jeez. Why''s it gotta be such a big deal? We talk to boss lady and visit her all the time," Hanyi complained.


    "Because Lady Cai is paying the Ling clan the respect of an official visit in recognition of my accomplishments. Think of it like one of your shows, but with more talking and bowing and serving of tea."


    "Oh, that makes sense. I guess," Hanyi said dubiously.


    Ling Qi smiled. "Don''t worry, Junior Sister. All the parts are accounted for. You just have to stand behind me and look like a proper lady."


    "Easy. No one¡¯s a more proper lady than me," Hanyi bragged. "Should I take you out to the main hall?"


    "Please," Ling Qi replied, leaning back in her chair. When her chair was turned and the chair''s wheels began to carry her out of the office, she reflected that it almost felt normal now.


    She had to get permission to start doing walking exercises soon.


    ***?


    The main hall of the manor in which the Ling clan resided, such as it was, had been prepared for Cai Renxiang¡¯s visit. Its furnishings had been changed out and rearranged, such that the floor was clear, leading up to an elevated portion of the floor. A rich carpet had been rolled out, and the servants of the house kneeling in kowtow on either side. Ling Qi, her mother, and Hanyi were all up on the raised dais, arranged to receive their honored guest.


    Everything was arranged just so, from the draw of the shades allowing sunlight to spill in naturally, to the posture of each of the members of her household. Normally, a vassal would have soldiers as well to display martial readiness for their liege, but Ling Qi did not have those yet.


    It was all very ostentatious, but she was glad to give her people some practice in receiving important guests, though of course, besides her mother, she didn''t think any of them really understood this visit in that way. She felt they were all performing admirably though.


    As she felt the light pulsing through the halls of her home, she directed her attention toward the door. Cai Renxiang''s approach had the feel of gear-teeth turning, the regular click and grind of metal in smooth operation. The light her liege cast from around her head even now, preceded her in the dimmer hallway outside, washing out the shadows.


    Cai Renxiang arrived at the door of her hall flanked by a pair of her own courtiers, low cultivators Ling Qi vaguely recognized from her times at Snowblossom as administrator and assistant to her liege. With them were the two maids assigned to greet them at the gates, who were doing an excellent job of looking poised instead of scared stiff, as she could tell they were.


    "Lady Cai, your humble and oathsworn retainer welcomes you, and apologizes that she may not offer you the proper respects due to her condition." Ling Qi clasped her hands before her chest and lowering her head as much as she realistically could in her chair.


    "And I am truly glad that your duties are going well enough that you have the freedom to spend some time on this reception," Ling Qi said. "Snowblossom is prospering then?"


    "As much as it can, given the limitations of size and infrastructure. I understand that you have indicated that you would be well enough to visit yourself in some weeks."


    "I have received the physicians'' tentative approval to travel after my next inspection. They would like me to begin performing some basic physical and spiritual exercises."


    "To prevent any more than the minimal atrophy I observe. Will you?"


    "I believe so." Ling Qi looked at her mother. They had discussed this in the quiet hours of the morning. Mother was reticent, but Ling Qi was improving, and she needed to be able to move again. Inspecting their soon-to-be home at Snowblossom was a fine enough reason. They''d be back together soon enough.


    "She''ll have Zhengui and I, so it''ll be no problem," Hanyi boasted. "I''m gonna drag Sixiang to come, too!"


    Ling Qi chuckled. "I don''t think they¡¯ll need dragging to come along."


    "Your presence will be appreciated,¡± Cai Renxiang said. ¡°The surveyors and their scholarly attachment have missed Zhengui''s presence, and they will likely wish to have him look over their results for completion''s sake."


    "Of course. I think he has missed his little friends as well. He was enjoying the work. I''ll be glad to get him back to it."


    Cai Renxiang nodded, eyes wandering thoughtfully over the room. They rested briefly on her mother before twitching away a hair too fast.


    "The house will be quiet without you all, but it is my hope that we will not be apart for long," Mother said. "But I shall take my leave now. Hanyi, you as well."


    Mother understood that they would need privacy to speak on other matters.


    They were silent until the doors of the dining room were shut and the faint shimmer of Cai Renxiang''s social screening arts began to rise.


    "You should keep it up, but I don''t think it is necessary for us anymore," Ling Qi said without moving her lips or passing a single mote of air from her lungs.


    Cai Renxiang observed her, tilted her head... and then did the same. "Is that so?"


    Her domain was still recovering, but in the wake of her burning, she had found that she could speak without speaking, and hear and be heard by those who wished to communicate with her. It had startled a maid or two, as well as Mother. Hanyi had taken her new ability in stride.


    It was hard to put into words, but she understood instinctively that for certain people, those she was closest to, this mode of communication was inviolate. Only a cultivator of the upper realms might break their privacy; and even then, only with active effort.


    "You have not stopped cultivating," Renxiang observed.


    "Neither have you. But... Renxiang, why are you bleeding?"


    No one else would see it. No one who did not have her senses and understanding of Renxiang would notice. But Renxiang''s light was tinted red, down at the roots. It was as if Liming''s threads, already woven into her, had begun to writhe and tear at her flesh.

 Threads 407-Courtesies 2

    Threads 407-Courtesies 2


    "Liming has been restless. It was quiescent during the summit, but as months have gone by, its temperament has only grown worse," Cai Renxiang said. "I suspect I will not be able to advance beyond the sixth stage of the green realm without finding a solution."


    The crimson and yellow fabric splayed across her chest, the beastly eyes of Liming, rippled visibly, silk straining.


    "I have the matter in hand," Cai Renxiang said sharply, meeting her concerned eyes. "This does remind me, though; your own gown should be repaired in two months'' time."


    "I am glad for that," Ling Qi said slowly.


    She absolutely was. She was grateful to the tailors who had worked so hard to give her a mundane wardrobe, but she wanted her real dress back.


    However, her mind was not on that. Her friend was bound to her own dress in many painful ways. It was her guardian, but also, her jailor. Renxiang hated it. She hated that Liming could, at times, control her.


    At the same time, Ling Qi remembered the figure with glass eyes and Renxiang''s face, its mouth stitched shut with adamantine thread. A part of her pitied that.


    "Renxiang, what do you intend?"


    "A meditation and struggle as the last. My resolve against Mother was enough last time, but..."


    Her friend was rarely so unsure.


    "You said before that you had reached some kind of accord?"


    "That is overstating the matter. I was able to..." Cai Renxiang paused, furrowing her brow. "... impress upon it my resolve to defy Mother, but not in the way it intended."


    "Her," Ling Qi corrected.


    Cai Renxiang frowned. Then she closed her eyes. "As you like."


    Ling Qi considered her liege, reaching out to pour a warm stream of tea into her own empty cup. "Do you want to reach an accord with Liming?"


    "I do not know that such a thing is even possible. Liming is a thing of hatred and spite, even if much of it is aimed toward my mother."


    Liming snarled. Ling Qi''s eyes widened, and so did Renxiang''s. Qi pulsed off the garment, cloth straining away from Cai Renxiang''s body. The heiress'' sword was in her hands in a flash of light, fingers gripping the wrapped hilt tightly. A pulse of metallic qi followed, and Liming went limp and silent.


    Ling Qi stared at the garment. It was the first time since she had awoken that she had not understood a communication. The hound spirit Qiu''s barking had been legible to her. Even the infant chick in Xuan Shi''s care had conveyed to her the basic concepts an infant could comprehend in her chirping.


    Yet Liming''s snarl was nothing but a noise, a wall of wrath and hate to her senses no different than it had been before the development of her new domain ability.


    "I don''t think she cared for that," Ling Qi said.


    "I suppose not," Cai Renxiang said curtly. "Ling Qi, I appreciate your intent."


    "But you would like me to stop pursuing this line of query? I will if you truly do want me to, but will you answer? Not over what is possible, but what you want."


    Cai Renxiang''s fingers tapped along the hilt of her sword, and Ling Qi could understand Cifeng''s thrumming purr in response.


    [Triumph][Conviction][Smugness][Order][Suppression]


    She felt those eyes upon her, the pressure in the air, banked and weakened by the blade in Renxiang''s left hand.


    "You have my aid, whenever or however you should want it."


    "I do not know that I will ever require it,¡± Cai Renxiang said frankly, ¡°but as always, your loyalty and dedication leave me in good stead, Ling Qi. But truly, I would like to end this line of conversation."


    "Understood."


    ***


    In the wake of that conversation she sat in companionable silence with her liege for some time, taking tea in turns until the pot was cool and empty.


    She heard feet walking on the floors, items in the kitchen clanging, and people¡¯s voices rising and lowering. To Ling Qi, those sounds of life and activity were becoming something like her own heartbeat. For all that she would be glad to get out into the world, these past months had given her a sense .


    "You have a good household, Ling Qi."


    "It is a humble thing yet. But I would not trade them for any other."


    "It is not the most skilled,¡± Cai Renxiang assessed. ¡°Their demeanors waver, and they second guess themselves. They are afraid of cultivators. All the same, I cannot say that your choice to allow your mother hiring latitude was wrong."


    "I''m glad to hear it, but I am sure people will be whispering about our low origins for generations."


    "Yes," Cai Renxiang agreed. "Will your mother be well in your absence?"


    "She has been before. I hope you aren''t offended that you make her nervous."


    "No, that is reasonable. Hm, I suppose I understand better where our disagreement came from, that day in my sister''s carriage."


    Ling Qi pursed her lips recalling their brief argument over the nature of family and corruption and Cai Renxiang¡¯s decision that she could not be the sort of sister Ling Qi spoke of to Tienli.


    "You weren''t entirely wrong. People will favor those closest to them over laws and systems, and that is fertile soil for further bending of duty''s stricture. The second exception is always easier than the first," Ling Qi said.


    "And there is no solution to that which is not beyond consideration. The only method is rigorous examination and inspection of those systems by forces not easily subverted."


    "I will leave that to your expertise. When you have a proposal, you may point me to the ones you need to convince," Ling Qi said impishly before her smile faded. "But... your sister..."


    "What I said still remains true. I cannot protect her. I cannot be at Xiangmen for any meaningful lengths of time. That role..."


    "I won''t gainsay you. You aren''t wrong. All the same, we are cultivators. Given what we intend to accomplish, can you truly say you will not do something just because it is difficult?" Ling Qi took a deep breath in the silence that followed. "I respect your choice, so long as you are making it for reasons truer than that, my liege."


    "Well enough said," Renxiang murmured. "Then rather, it remains true in my eyes. I am not wrong, as you said. A ruler must not be stained by corruption. My duty is to calculate and plan and administer the province to maximize the benefits which it can give its people."


    "Then I will accept Lady Cai''s reasoning, so long as she does so as well," Ling Qi said.


    Renxiang rarely sounded unsure. She didn¡¯t here either. But neither did she speak with the utter surety with which she usually pronounced her goals. There was still something she was unsure of, a speck of dust in her vision. Ling Qi could feel it. Prodding so deeply into another cultivator¡¯s Way was not lightly done, even between friends, but they could share the words which resonated with them, if they chose to.


    "Renxiang, I have found many concepts to meditate on these past months. I am certain you have, too. You know I disagree with some of your words,¡± Ling Qi began. ¡°To understand one another better, as your friend and your retainer, I ask that you share your thoughts and let me share mine.¡±

 Threads Chapter 408-Courtesies 3

    Threads Chapter 408-Courtesies 3


    Cai Renxiang considered her for a long moment. Ling Qi heard distant snarling again, wordless and incoherent. Her liege set her cup down.


    "Very well. An insight for an insight, that we might put this disagreement to rest."


    Cai Renxiang laced her fingers together in front of her face, eyes focused somewhere beyond Ling Qi. The rays of light which shone weakly around her at rest brightened. Rays of light were cast into the corners of the room, chasing out shadows and outlining motes of dust that were swiftly erased by its purity. Somewhere, far away, a bell chimed softly, and paper shuffled, a soft and soothing susurrus.


    Ling Qi let out a breath, and frost crackled across the warm surface of the tea in her cup. Wispy lines of silver mist escaped the hems of her gown to crawl along the floor as her shadow stretched long under her liege¡¯s light, tall and inky black across the wall behind.


    Liquid light gathered along the seams of Cai Renxiang''s clothes and highlighted her dark hair. In the light, her skin seemed almost metallic, but her eyes were clear and human still.


    Ling Qi was not so different. She saw herself from every angle as she saw Renxiang, the women in the kitchen, Zhengui in the garden, Biyu in her painting room, and Mother in her study, along with everyone else in her household. She was a tall wraith with starry hair blown by the wind, eyes of silver blue ice blazing from within the shadows of her face, and a slim crescent smile. Dull angry flames still flashed and crackled within her, eating away at the shadows even as they were smothered by them.


    These were but shadows of who they were, the meanest visual expression of their domains.


    Now, she had to choose what to share, some concept that Renxiang would both resonate with and needed most.


    Cai Renxiang was not wrong. Family and community were not without flaws and vices. However, her liege did not understand them well enough. Given her history, why would she?


    But the systems she loved could not exist in a vacuum. Without some fundamental level of community and sense of belonging, there was no set of rules which would not be twisted and bypassed. If she could impart but one insight...


    "Trust arises from choice. Love arises from trust. There can be no perfect safety, save in death. For love or trust to exist, so must the chance of heartbreak and betrayal."


    She spoke without sound, letting the words imprint themselves on the longing and desire represented in the mist curling so protectively around them both. She could not see into her friend''s mind and could not know with absolute certainty that her path of light and gleaming metal would not one day clash with her own path of soft mist and falling snow. Just as Renxiang could not know that the wind and the dark would never clash with ideals forged in steel.


    But nonetheless, she was here because she trusted Renxiang.


    This, too, was kinship, and the bond required trust.


    Cai Renxiang''s eyes burned with inner light as her steel fingers clenched, metal grinding on metal. Her mouthless, smooth mask of liquid light turned down as she lowered her head in acknowledgement.


    Cai Renxiang''s intent did not need words when they were like this; her thoughts were carried on the light she cast throughout the room. Perfect perception, or the perfect knowledge of other minds, was impossible. Perfect control could not exist so long as other people did. This, she understood. To desire this would be to step beyond even the Tyrant Progress and to become something far more terrible. She had gazed down that path, seen its end, and turned away. It had been the beginning, the first of the Tyrant''s lessons she had refused.


    And yet, it was still painful to acknowledge that this truth extended its roots so far down to every conversation, every connection, and every system. To the ticking clockwork heart in her chest, to build something, knowing that it would be twisted in time, was a deep pain that would never disappear.


    The sound of that heart grew louder, the turning of gears and the motion of mechanisms echoing within Ling Qi''s mist as Cai Renxiang raised her head and brought her own truth to bear.


    "An administrator is only as good as the information they receive, only as good as the eyes and ears and hands of their subordinates. It is not enough to be a perfect, distant figure, high in the sky."


    There was a precision in her words that Ling Qi¡¯s lacked, a sharp edge of logic to the meaning, but Ling Qi received the truth her friend spoke with relief. Her mist received the light and refracted it into a collage of images of people working in tandem, of cooperation and the well oiled work of people familiar enough to work together without friction.


    To hear Cai Renxiang say such a thing brought her relief. Though she might claim to be at odds with Ling Qi''s Way in some ways, they were not truly so opposed. What Ling Qi called ¡°community,¡± Cai Renxiang might call by the word ¡°system.¡±


    Light thrummed like the strings of an instrument. No, the light said, that was reaching too far. Their Ways did not converge so conveniently. There were differences, fundamental and foundational between those two concepts.


    But they were, perhaps, the place where communication would remain possible, even at the peak of cultivation.


    Systems needed people, needed trust, needed attachment and support. And people needed systems, needed rituals, needed traditions, lest every little community and family turn their hands against those outside their smallest circle.


    Fifth.


    Mother reached out for her as her foot fell on the cobbles, and she wobbled like a frail sapling in the wind. She caught herself on her cane, but smiled thankfully at her mother, looping her free arm around the smaller woman¡¯s shoulder for support. "Thank you."


    "It is nothing," Mother replied.


    Zhengui lumbered forward, and the air grew hot. Flakes of ash rained down, soothing the sore ache in her atrophied muscles and the burning in her chest. Hanyi hopped down the steps beside her and patted her on the arm.


    They began to walk, slowly and without urgency, down the path through the garden, the three of them along the stone path and Zhengui through the flowers. Plants flowed around his heavy footsteps and formed back into their original configuration in his wake.


    "Please do not hesitate if you require a moment to be still or sit," Mother said.


    "I won''t," Ling Qi said. One foot in front of the other. Circulate qi through the charred meridians. Feel the impurity and unwanted qi begin to loosen and crumble, dissolving one mote at a time. "Do you think everyone will be ready for the move?"


    "Everyone has prepared themselves. There were a few resignations from those who have found someone here in White Cloud Town. But there is no trouble. The safe room should be movable within a month or two."


    "Good," Ling Qi said. "I miss Snowblossom. I want to see how it has changed and how it is changing. But I want you there, too."


    "Yes! It will be good to show everyone all of Gui''s hard work!"


    Hanyi sniffed imperiously. "I''m gonna have to make sure there''s nobody lurking around thinking they''re the boss of the snows."


    ... White Cloud Town really was too small these days, wasn''t it?


    Ling Qi swayed on her feet as they passed the garden pond and grimaced, leaning more heavily on her mother''s shoulder as a sharp stab of pain traveled up her leg. "Let''s take a moment."


    "Of course."


    Mother helped her over to the stone bench beside the path. Ling Qi sat down heavily and reached down to massage her calf.


    She needed more practice and exercise, but she was getting there. She wasn''t far now from beginning to seriously cultivate again. Her path had stalled for a few months, a cost that made her wince, but one she would gladly pay again for what she had bought with it.


    "You intend to travel with the caravan next week then?" Mother asked.


    "I do. Cai Renxiang will be returning as well. With my little brother and sister by my side and what with traveling through the sect lands, it will be as safe as it can be."


    "Then I will wish you a good journey."


    "I''m sure Snowblossom will be ready for grandmother and littlest sister soon!" Zhengui exclaimed.


    "I look forward to seeing what you have all been speaking about," Mother said fondly. "Our newest member did seem excited to go south."


    "I wonder about the sheep Ling Nuan recommended," Ling Qi mused.


    "What did you say was being worked on right now?"


    "Ah, we¡¯re currently upgrading the hamlet..."

 Threads Chapter 409-Development 1

    Threads Chapter 409-Development 1


    The journey south was much longer than she had grown used to. When she soared in the air, she forgot things like the twists and turns roads followed to pass between the mountains. She forgot that when traveling with mortals and low cultivators, she could not feel the wind scream past her. There was a plodding pace to travel on the road that Ling Qi found herself fretting over as the snow capped peaks out beyond the window of her carriage passed at what felt like a glacial pace.


    It did, however, give her time to focus on the slow and meticulous repair of her meridians, cleansing them of the last fires, reconnecting channels where they had been blocked, and carefully nursing the spiritual health of the meridians where they had withered under the heat. Every shade of qi she used¡ªice, darkness, wind, music¡ªhad to be carefully realigned with her emptied meridians. But every time she felt her power flowing properly or felt a pattern come back into sync with her spirit, the rush was indescribable.


    It was amusing to watch everyone step respectfully around Zhengui. Hanyi often stayed in the carriage with her, but Zhengui stayed steadfastly on the road, trundling along and clearing obstacles where they cropped up. Gui chatted freely with everyone who would speak with him, and as the days passed, that number grew.


    Soon enough, the train of wagons and carriages rounded the last of the bends in their path, bringing Snowblossom into view.


    The lake was a clear blue mirror reflecting the sky, and the mist and thunder of the falls were visible even from so far away. At the base of the cliff, small plumes of dust and smoke rose from work and habitation. Hugging the hills by the lake, harvested fields lay clear and ready for the next year''s planting, and little homes dotted the spaces between. On those same hills, a drifting splotch of white like a cloud on the ground roamed in land closed off by barely visible fences.


    The treeline had been trimmed back a good distance from the settlement, and a wall had been raised, closing off a crescent of land by the lakeside behind wood and earth. Behind it and the distant, swarming figures of workers laying foundations and digging into the earth, a small palace with curved, blue tiled roofs and clean white walls was being worked on, flush against the stone of the cliff. It lay shrouded in the mist at the base of the waterfall, glittering colors reflecting from damp tile, but the mist circled outside the manor walls and spilled from the roofs to flow down invisible barriers protecting the streets and inside of the space from the damp.


    This was what the funds of the Cai could do when bent to Renxiang''s purposes.


    She remained there at the window of the carriage, head leaning out as the caravan made its way down the final stretch toward the burgeoning settlement.


    ***?


    "Welcome, Miss Ling!" Gan Guangli''s booming voice carried across the open space outside the simple gates of the palisade.


    The gravel laid down in the preparations to pave a path from the tentative city gates out to the Wang-built road crunched under his boots as he strode out


    "Thank you, Sir Gan. It is good to see you''ve all been hard at work." Ling Qi was in her chair for now; she was not so far along in her recovery that she was able to forgo its use entirely yet


    "Yeah! There''s so much stuff now!" Hanyi looked around. She was behind Ling Qi, ready to move her. "Though everything feels kind of empty..."


    "We have stretched the population thinly in arranging for all the infrastructure to be ready before the next stage," Gan Guangli answered.


    "It is fine. People will come to where the stuff is," Gui said with great certainty, stomping up from where he had been conversing with the caravaneers.


    Those were now being ushered toward the manor in the distance. Already, wagons packed with building materials were splitting off, moving toward the many building sites within the walls where the foundations for the first homes and buildings in their city center were being laid out along the gridlike lines of the streets being prepared on the newly flattened and cleared ground.


    "Still, I''m impressed with the work," Ling Qi complimented.


    "And you have not even seen it all yet! Come, Miss Ling, let me show you around the manor.¡±


    Ling Qi bowed her head. "Please.¡±


    Soon, the wheels of her chair were turning with Hanyi trotting behind, pushing. The cushioning arrays prevented the ride along the gravel path from being too bumpy.


    "While we have not yet received our honored guest from the Meng, the promised geomancer whose services you acquired, there has been some correspondence and self study. We are making some effort to incorporate the waters even now, as you can see," Gan Guangli announced, marching on ahead of them.


    Indeed, Ling Qi could see that channels had been dug through the planned streets and were steadily being lined with clean stone. The stone of the cliffs had been carved and shaped so that the waters would pour down and fill these channels, stretching off toward the lakeside. Though most of the dug canals were narrow, here and there, she saw places for pools and gardens.


    "I am sure we will have adjustments to make, but I can picture this turning out beautifully.¡±


    Even Hanyi leaned over her arm to look, interested by the prospect of wealth.


    "Just so." Xia Lin gestured over the map. "Firstly, grade one iron is highly abundant in the hills and southern plateaus. Signs have indicated that most anywhere in the northern area and lakeside could support a degree of mining. There are also lodes of grade two iron embedded within these larger veins in numerous places."


    "Oh, that is quite good then!¡± Gan Guangli exclaimed. ¡°Even with our new friends in the south, common iron is always needed in great abundance. But I suspect you are not done."


    The girl nodded curtly. "There is a lode of grade three vein to the west, likely to have some special property, but this will require active effort to discern due to the deepness of the lode. In addition to that, there are a smaller number of silver veins in the hills, some rising to grade two."


    Silver was useful in a number of medical formations and purifying talismans, even if it was not the store of wealth mortals thought it was.


    ¡°Fortunate,¡± Ling Qi commented.


    "The last metal we have divined lies up here in the site which we have labeled the saline grotto. It is a form of lead which seems to have a heavy alignment to earth and water qi. We are tentatively labeling it as grade three."


    Gan Guangli stroked his chin. "More of an alchemical resource then. Powdered leads do form the base for many third realm and higher pills. It has attractive properties to help differing reagents clump and fuse properly."


    "There are many cosmetic uses too, though it''s toxic to mortals. I think the Bai, the Jin, and the clans of the Peaks use a fair amount of it." Ling Qi vaguely recalled this information coming up in one of her letters, indicating that lead was fetching a good price on the new routes.


    "I will note that down." Xia Lin made a mark on the paper of the report before her. "Other than that, we have begun filling in the old quarry. There are much better places for building stone, more accessible and easier harvested. Once moved, it should be much more efficient."


    Gan Guangli smiled. "And the men were pleased enough to be on lighter duties for a time!"


    "That does remind me, is Ling Nuan still here? I hope the arrival of the first herd went well."


    "Your new kinswoman?" Gan Guangli questioned. "She is here, although leaving soon. She took command of the pasture work admirably. The mortals are being instructed of the quirks of the breed we selected."


    "I''m glad," Ling Qi said.


    "Oh! What about the stuff in the boiling waters?" Gui asked. "My friends were looking at it when I left!"


    Xia Lin wrinkled her nose. "... Oh, yes. The material is... pungent. It has been identified as a form of flamesand, which has its uses in alchemy, particularly of the explosive sort. We do not have the equipment to harvest it safely yet."


    Her little brother sighed. "Ah, I could probably get some, but Gui does not want to spend all day doing it."


    "Our retainers may study what we deign to take," Zhen said imperiously. "But anyway, enough talk of metal things! Is there a report on who I, Zhen, need to inform of the coming vassalage?"


    "I think we should be nicer about it," Gui said.


    "The matter of the spirit courts, I have left to your scholars," Xia Lin replied. "As it is primarily Baroness Ling''s and your business."


    "That is fine. Gui wants to talk to everyone anyway!"


    "I kinda want to see those sheep things the new sis was talking about..." Hanyi muttered.


    "This concludes my initial report. You may now tour the fief as you wish," Xia Lin announced.

 Threads Chapter 410-Development 2

    Threads Chapter 410-Development 2


    The air was cool, crisp, and dry out away from the lakeside, brisk with the promise of oncoming winter snows. There were many small paths now snaking out into the farmlands and pastures. Closer to the center of the settlement, they were laid with gravel, but most were simply packed earth, cut and leveled, the barest beginnings of drainage paths planned at their edge. The pastures were not a grand sight, merely a series of small outbuildings dotting the hills to hold equipment and supplies within a simple but well warded fencing that followed the rolling elevation of the landscape.


    She''d sent a messenger ahead while they toured the gardens of the manor properly, and soon they were off, splitting from Zhengui as he trundled off toward the distant flumes of the geyser he had made. Hanyi was humming behind her as the spirit pushed her chair along the path, and Ling Qi could see her craning her neck and squinting up at the higher hills and low peaks in the distance with a scrunched up expression.


    "Everything alright?" Ling Qi asked.


    "I''m just getting a feel for this stage," Hanyi explained. "It''s a lot like the places north of here, all disordered. There are big spirits, but they''re just kinda flopped out, doing what they do. I bet if Big Sis helped show them what a proper winter lady I am, I''ll have this place whipped into shape in no time!"


    "We haven''t gotten to sing together in awhile, have we?" Ling Qi mused. She had wanted to focus on the refinement of her successor art to Master Zeqing¡¯s song, but the summit simply hadn''t given her many opportunities to do so. The icy air up there would probably be good for her recovering meridians, too.


    "Yeah, that sounds fun! Even if Big Sis is a bit crispy, she still has a voice to listen to. Now... Oh, look at that!" Hanyi''s voice rose into a piercing squeal as she pointed past Ling Qi''s head up toward the top of the hill that lay beyond the gate of the pasture.


    There, staring down at them, was what looked almost like a living cloud. The sheep was about half as tall as a human and nearly twice as wide when accounting for the curling, wobbling fleece projected in every direction. The fleece was all clear and white, only barely marked by dirt and dust on the lower edge where it nearly swept the ground around the beast''s hooves. Its pupils regarded them with blank disinterest as it chewed on a tuft of hardy mountain grass, oblivious to the qi pouring off her junior sister from excitement.


    "Hanyi," Ling Qi chided gently. "Don''t scare her."


    She was pretty sure that she''d just stopped her junior sister from leaping the fence.


    "Yeah, please don''t. I don''t wanna have to chase the puffball down."


    Hanyi huffed, pushing Ling Qi toward the gate, looking up at the new speaker. "I wasn''t gonna."


    Ling Nuan had appeared at the top of the hill beside the sheep, one hand sinking deep into the fluff. "¡¯Course you weren''t. You gonna be okay out here, uh, clan head?"


    "Ling Qi is fine," she corrected, holding up a hand to Hanyi as they approached the gate. She reached into her storage ring and drew out her cane, rising heavily to her feet with only a little sway. Hanyi hurried to grab onto her arm, giving her some steadiness. "I needed exercise, so this is fine."


    Ling Nuan eyed her critically but didn''t disagree, descending from the hill to open the gate for them.


    "You were right. That breed is adorable," Ling Qi said, wobbling briefly as she picked her way through the gate under the creature''s impassive gaze.


    Ling Nuan nodded. "It''s a good breed. Highly sought. Their fleece is wind-imbued and light so they can grow it out a lot more before it starts to tear their skin from the weight. And it makes really breathable cloth."


    "Definitely the proper reasons for the choice," Ling Qi said agreeably as they ascended the hill.


    She gave Hanyi a nudge and a nod, and the young spirit nearly vibrated as she dashed up the hill to get a closer look.


    "They are real huggable. They don''t even mind much," Ling Nuan replied reluctantly. "But they have their troubles, too."


    "Oh?" Ling Qi asked, watching Hanyi almost disappear into the floof, giggling to herself.


    "A strong wind can pick ''em up and blow ''em around like dandelion seeds. They land soft, but they also can''t get back up if they land on their sides or backs. Gotta watch ''em close. They can pick up static something fierce, too."


    "That would be a problem." Part of her wanted to see it happen. The thought of a dozen odd of these big puffballs drifting overhead was strangely adorable. "Does the whole herd have these properties?"


    "More or less. The more mortal sheep won''t outright float and don''t get as fluffy, but they''ll still get dragged and knocked over by the wind sometimes. Even mortals can handle them though. Been training the herders in how to loop a floater and pull them back down."


    "H-hey, stop that!" She heard Hanyi yelp as she hobbled up the hill, Ling Nuan hovering nearby. The young girl had been patting the beast''s head, only for the sheep to decide she wanted to start chewing on Hanyi''s sleeve. Her junior sister could easily pull free, but she could see Hanyi was worried about ¡°damaging Big Sis'' stuff.¡±


    "Ah, just a sec, just a sec." Ling Nuan trotted up beside Hanyi to grasp the animal''s muzzle and scold it, allowing Hanyi to jump back with her sleeve intact.


    Cresting the top of the hill, Ling Qi looked out over the rest of the pasture where she saw men and women guiding little clouds over and through the hills, and there, yes, was one drifting along several feet off the ground, legs kicking lazily. That one was caught by the crook of a shepherd''s staff and pulled back to earth.


    "Ah, have I given you a big head?" Gan Guangli grinned back, but Ling Qi knew what he was talking about. "It does feel dreamlike, seeing this all sprouting up at our command, doesn''t it?"


    "It does. Soon, we shall be responsible for many people, far more directly than ever before."


    "We will." Ling Qi peering down. There were perhaps a dozen men all in the lower reaches of red, though two among their number were close to the second realm. It was a fair sized force given how low their actual population was, but given their location the ratio would be higher... and they could afford it, thanks to Lady Cai''s advantages.


    "Is your family moving out here as well, once the housing is constructed?" Ling Qi asked.


    Gan Guangli''s smile became strained. "Haha, my aunt, her husband, and my cousins will be enjoying my support, but it is difficult to ask them to uproot themselves. Perhaps in the future!"


    Ling Qi ducked her head. "My apologies. I was thinking of my own, and their impending arrival."


    "So I have heard. It will be good for the halls to be more lively!"


    "I suppose Xia Lin wouldn''t be bringing anyone either," Ling Qi wondered aloud. The other girl¡¯s position was still odd. Was the girl intending to found a branch clan here, or just remain a purely military figure?


    "I think so as well, but Miss Xia is not the most open. I believe she still finds me stressful!"


    "I''ll have to ask her then.¡± Ling Qi chuckled. ¡°My wiles are less overbearing."


    "Hah, perhaps. In truth, I have considered bringing my father out here."


    "Given what you had previously said, I assumed..." Ling Qi trailed off.


    "No. My mother passed away from illness some eight years ago, but I still have my father. Some days. He has problems, ones I wonder if I will exacerbate if I bring him here to live. I cannot even get him to directly accept coins. I pass my aid through my aunt, who ensures that he is taken care of, but dealing with my father strains her as well. Father has been difficult for a very long time."


    "I don''t know the exact conditions," Ling Qi admitted. "So I won''t give you advice, but... if you ever feel comfortable speaking about it, I can offer an ear."


    "It is kind of you to offer. I wonder how you ever have time for yourself with all the troubles you take on your shoulders!"


    "One should not accuse another of their own flaws," Ling Qi jested. "But it is not as if I will lack time. I still can''t leave this blasted chair for too long."


    "My condolences." Gan Guangli raised his hand to wave down to the men as they finished their drill, receiving their salute with a grin. "I understand it must be interminable for you. But I think I have felt you attempting to cultivate?"


    "It is slow and halting, but I believe I will be able to start soon, even if I cannot fully use my meridians yet. The last fires in my dantian have been extinguished."


    At that, Ling Qi pushed her qi through a cleansing cycle. Each time the energy flowed through, it felt cleaner and smoother.


    "I am glad to hear that. Just because I can shoulder a burden does not mean I won''t share it where I can!"


    "Of course, though I expect our duties will be different. There is more than rough work to go around."


    "Truer words have never been spoken. I''ll be going down now. I need to pass out the new duty roster."


    Ling Qi smiled slyly. "You can tell them they''ll be receiving spiritual defense training in the coming months."


    Gan Guangli clapped his hand over his chest, putting on an aggrieved look. "Ah! I shall inform them of their impending doom!"


    Ling Qi snorted as he passed her by, re-entering the manor.


    She was going to be capable of properly cultivating soon. She had to think on what ends she wanted to pursue beyond regaining what was burned in the General''s flames.

 Threads Chapter 411-Development 3

    Threads Chapter 411-Development 3


    The earth vibrated, a deep rumble rising up from the depths far beneath her feet, growing in intensity as it neared the surface. With it came a tide of flame and heat, flaring the pulse of the veins that ran under the earth. Pebbles rattled. The pressure in the air grew. Then, flame-flecked water erupted, a scalding pillar that rose many meters into the sky.


    Ling Qi leaned back into the wicker chair that had been built and bound to Zhengui''s shell, watching the boiling droplets rain down. Wherever they crossed into the shell of colder air around her, they burst into puffs of drifting snowflakes, which in turn melted as they touched down on Zhengui''s shell. The rapidly alternating temperature kicked up a low, constant whirl of wind around them both, tugging at the hems of her gown and causing his ash to drift in swirling patterns.


    "So, the thunderhoof jerk does not act like a proper king, even though he is very big and hogs a whole section of the veins to himself," Gui explained cheerily to her. "Scholar friends think he will only challenge Zhengui if I say I am king of the big clifftop, though!"


    "I, Zhen, will thrash this challenger with my big sister and the little star and others, because a king does not fight alone."


    That was taking a fourth grade beast too lightly, but Ling Qi didn''t feel the need to be too serious when Zhen was puffing himself up. She simply made a mental note to keep him away from the reserved zone around the powerful beast.


    "I am sure you will come out on top when the time comes," she said instead, watching the geyser descend as the pressure lessened, the waters burbling back down into the cracks in the earth. "What about the lower vale, here in the north?"


    "There are the funny wood-rat friends at the Falling Waters Palace, but the rest is not very organized," Gui replied. "Little courts full of silly fairies and wood spirits and some beasts who are big but much smaller than Gui, but there are a few who hold places in the hills and woods who Gui will have to talk to."


    "They will submit to I, Zhen, or be humbled and shown their error." Her little brother tilted his head upward to let her easily scratch his serpentine jaw and throat.


    "Gui thinks we should make them understand with words rather than biting, like Big Sister does."


    "Obviously, but do you think these old and stubborn beings will accept a new court so easily? Gui should not be foolish!"


    His other half twisted his head to look up from where he rested belly, down on the faintly glowing stone. "Gui thinks that Zhen is bored and wants to pick a fight."


    "As if Gui knows better. It is not as if you are not making things up, too!"


    "I am trying to learn from Big Sister!"


    "Big Sister''s talking is not the same!"


    Ling Qi listened to them bicker with the ease of long practice. As the final remains of the boiling mist faded from the air, deep below, she could feel the pressure building up again.


    "Can I ask how it is different?"


    They both paused, looking at each other in silence. It was Zhen who finally spoke up with some reluctance.


    "Because humans are humans, and beasts are beasts. Human kings are kings because they are strong and because they have many strong people who listen. A spirit king is king because they are king."


    Gui snorted. "And Zhen says he is the refined one. A spirit king is the land. They make things happen right because they are the thing which makes all the small things move like they should. Like the little star, if she did not have to write all the papers and say all the words and if the humans listening were the wind and the stones and the trees and stuff."


    "It seems to me that you must still convince others to fall in line and do their duties," Ling Qi said.


    "That is how Hanyi is, but she is not a king, and won''t be, Gui thinks. She is a more human-y thing." Gui¡¯s glowing eyes were slitted and squinting in thought. "What scholar-friend calls an int-er-med-iar-y spirit, one who is like Big Sister, but for spirits and spirits instead of humans and spirits or humans and humans like Big Sister."


    Ling Qi furrowed her brows as she parsed what he¡¯d said. She didn''t fully understand the difference he was speaking of, but she did understand that as he was coming to the verge of actually acting on his claim, he found himself anxious and without guidance. And unfortunately, it wasn''t guidance she could give him because in the end, Ling Qi was not a spirit, whatever jokes others might make about her attitude.


    "Do you think there are any you could speak to? Perhaps the Leigong?" Ling Qi asked. She doubted if even now, the dragon patriarch of the sect would give either of them the time of day without expending favor they didn''t really have.


    Ling Qi suppressed a smirk. The moniker she had assigned to the site had stuck. Renxiang couldn¡¯t even complain this time.


    "We may not have time to fully clear the location, but reinforcing the spirit there to keep the impurity contained and hostile entities from emerging would be helpful."


    "There is also the matter of the beast court at the Falling Waters Palace as well. It is even less likely we can solve that problem before the upcoming offensive against the ith kicks off." Gan Guangli grimaced. "I have spoken with the beasts a few times. They call themselves ''beavers.'' I have helped them rebuild some defenses, but we do not have the personnel to reinforce it yet."


    "We must focus on where we can be effective for now," Cai Renxiang decided. "For now, I agree that the underground taint must be dealt with. It will be a good exercise to perform before the offensive. In addition, we will wish to develop local cultivation sites and spirit patronage. The sooner this place''s basic rites and spirit patrons may be settled, the less uncertainty our people will have."


    "I will be prepared to entreat Snowblossom Lake for a proper contract soon," Ling Qi advised.


    "A road to your cultivation grotto to begin development and preparations for mining will be useful as well," Xia Lin said. "I assume the cathedral reclamation would be a project primarily for ourselves?"


    "I may be able to draw on a sect friend for assistance." Ling Qi thought of Li Suyin. "But I do not think it would be a suitable task for our soldiers."


    "They are brave and dedicated, but this is not an appropriate foe for them," Gan Guangli agreed gravely.


    "Defense will be required at the settlement walls while we are away," Cai Renxiang noted. "Ling Qi, you indicated that you and your junior sister will see to ensuring the weather courts of the region are at least non-hostile?"


    "Yes," Ling Qi replied. "We are drafting plans of our tour through the mountains. Bao Qian shall be acting to keep us supplied for any minor shrine construction or offerings which will be needed on the route."


    "Very good. Xia Lin, you will be running pacification routes through the wilderness along the routes of the planned site roads?"


    "Yes, Lady Cai."


    "Then, Gan Guangli and I shall remain in the center, overseeing construction, public order and safety," Cai Renxiang finished.


    "Should we turn to the matter of a name for the settlement?" Ling Qi asked. "Unless Lady Cai has already decided and filed the forms."


    Cai Renxiang steepled her fingers in front of her face, looking down at Ling Qi balefully. Ling Qi merely smiled back.


    "I have not. As this is a project for which we are all investing heavily, it seemed to me that discussion was best."


    "It is most appreciated, my lady," Gan Guangli boomed.


    Xia Lin was not as interested in this topic, but she still hummed thoughtfully, eyes wandering over the naturalistic carvings in the hall.


    Ling Qi was growing increasingly certain that Cai Renxiang''s naming sense was very... bland. Her friend was simply not a poetic soul.


    "Although we do not wish to give the settlement the same name as the lake and river, I feel that some reference or allusion should be made," Xia Lin proposed. "Or perhaps something which references the heights?"


    "It is important to consider the omens of a name as well," Gan Guangli said. "To say what is desired rather than merely what is!"


    "Those are both good points," Ling Qi acknowledged, aware of Renxiang''s hawklike gaze upon them. Best not to be too silly. Renxiang had been working hard and didn''t need the teasing at this moment. So, an aspirational name like overcoming hardship and a name that references snow or blossoms like saintly dew...


    "How about Shenglu?"

 Thread 412- Taming Winter 1

    Thread 412- Taming Winter 1


    Where cold wind blows


    On the traveler¡¯s road


    Where falling snows


    All warmth erode


    We sing of light, through winter long


    ''Till the floods ring spring''s gong


    The last verse of the amusing little folk song drifted out through the open slats in the workshop wagon, stirring the lightly falling snow outside into swirling flurries. It was a simple piece, the sort of song even a child could sing. But Hanyi''s voice, the piping of her flute, and the rattle of the wind tugging at the shutters made something homely of it, even out here, bumping over stones and dirt and roots.


    Hanyi¡¯s hands came together in a clap, punctuating the final word as she grinned. "See! I told you that I learned some fun songs while I was away."


    "You did." Ling Qi smiled. "These folk songs have a fun rhythm to them. Perfect for a long trip."


    "It does certainly make the path roll on faster," Bao Qian agreed. He sat up front, his wide brimmed hat shading him from the snow. "But we are here. If you want to speak with the spirits of lowland snows, they are having their frolic."


    "Probably the best place to start." Ling Qi accepted Hanyi''s hand to help her up.


    She had at last left her trusty chair behind in the newly christened hamlet of Shenglu. She still swayed a little, but she could at least walk as a mortal did without tiring too quickly now. Embers still smoldered in her dantian and in the ashen impurity clogging many of her meridians, but some proper exercise would be just the thing to kickstart this stage of her recovery.


    "Let''s show these rowdy fairies who¡¯s the boss!" Hanyi declared. "Mister Bao, you make sure the camp is comfy, so Big Sis can come back and rest, okay?"


    "Such a grave task. I am much honored," Bao Qian said dryly. "Do try not to stay out too late, ladies. I recall Lady Cai instructed me that you still require medications."


    "I would never be so reckless," Ling Qi claimed. She carefully descended from the wagon. "We''ll be back by midnight."


    "Like it''ll even take that long!" Hanyi trotted out ahead of Ling Qi over the sparse, coarse grass that clung to the gravelly dirt of the foothills. "C''moooon, Big Sis. I''m so tired of sitting around."


    "I''m coming, Junior Sister."


    Standing up straight, Ling Qi rolled her shoulders, feeling the faint burn in her legs as qi circulated through atrophied tissues, cycling and restoring the lingering damage. Yes, a good long hike, and perhaps a game of tag, was just what she needed.


    ***?


    The hills were truly beautiful. The mountains rising to their north were a gray rampart reaching up to a clear blue sky, and the rolling brown and green landscape grew ever more dusted with snow. Small streams ran down from the peaks to burble through the gullies and in broad shallow streams through the limited flatland between.


    And all around them, light, crisp wind blew, sending the drifting flakes aswirl. Atop a hill, Ling Qi inhaled deeply. Snow crusted her hair, and settled lightly on her gown.


    Her winter, her cold, was only a smaller piece of a greater whole.


    Her time at the summit had left little room for personal contemplation between the agreements and personal debates, but she had come to realize this truth near the end. It was a concept that had been brewing in her mind since her conversation with Elder Jiao and Xin. At that time, she had told him that he and the former emperor had been too ambitious in their plans to clean up the rot of the Celestial Peaks, and she still thought she was right in her assessment. Two men, even men at the height of cultivation, could only change the world so much.


    A half dozen balls of snow and a single craggy chunk of ice whipped through Hanyi''s settling whirlwind. This time, Ling Qi merely bent the wind and sent them flying off around them.


    "I was gonna say a job, but yeah, Big Sis is right. To make it stick, there needs to be a piece of you, too, or there won¡¯t be enough of them to last. That''s why order is so messed up where I go on tour. The big spirits are just doing what they''ve always done, following patterns, but all the sorta big spirits like me are gone, so the little spirits just run wild except where the priest guys make them bounce off with temporary stuff. They can''t make contracts with them ''cause they''re too dumb to remember what they agreed from season to season."


    "Is it the same here?" Ling Qi wondered.


    "Kinda, but not totally. There''s at least some other sorta big spirits around. We''ll have to make them¡ª" Hanyi paused. "I mean, make friends with them."


    ¡°... Sure.¡±


    Ling Qi considered the snowstorm around them. The clouds stretched for many kilometers out over the hills, but there was no guiding mind behind it. No mighty spirit was embodied in the clouds except in the most distant way.


    "Show me, Hanyi. Show me what you''ve been doing all those months."


    "There''s no stage, though! And no audience but these dumb fairies."


    "I''m here. Today, I''ll follow your instructions, but remember, I''m still going to be a little slow.¡±


    "Okay." Hanyi furrowed her brow. "Well, I guess, um... Will you lend me your authority, Big Sis?"


    "I''m not sure what you mean."


    "I mean, Boss Lady is the one in charge at the top, and she goes right up to the Duchess. The temple priests kinda do this on tour. That''s why we work with them, cause they can make me... legitimate?"


    Hanyi clearly wasn''t fully used to thinking this way, but Ling Qi saw what she meant. This wasn''t properly imperial land yet, and going by the disorganized spiritual ecosystem, it hadn''t been properly anyone''s land in a long time.


    "I can work that out," Ling Qi said thoughtfully.


    This was how imperial spiritualism worked. Even the old Weilu methods were like that to an extent, forming contracts with amenable spirits, who would, in turn, pressure and alter their ecosystem and bring human voices to the Great Spirits above.


    Yes, she could do that.


    The wind shifted, the clouds parted, and Ling Qi''s shadow stretched long over the hills and streams behind them, and over the distant flatlands lost in the flurries of snow. It stretched backward, and radiance coursed through it like glittering stars, running back up to her feet. She breathed out, and the flurries of snow around her thickened and clumped, falling heavier and faster.


    Without any conscious thought to it, the snow crusting her gown and hair flowed and limned the hems of her gown like a lace trim, and she felt cool ice forming across her forehead. In it was sealed a mote of colorless radiance, drawn from very far away, but even that small fragment gleamed like a gemstone on her brow.


    It wasn''t a technique. It was a song, woven through the Art of the Spirit Seeker. It was an announcement of her authority, expressed into the world.


    "You speak for me, Sister. Go ahead and make your stage."


    Hanyi puffed out her chest and stepped forward. The fairies'' laughter now was edged not with fear¡ªfor spirits that did not understand death had none¡ªbut uncertainty.


    Hanyi spread her hands and began to sing.

 Threads 413-Taming Winter 2

    Threads 413-Taming Winter 2


    Winter comes as the frost maiden''s train. The clouds are the billow of silk in her stride. The snow falls upon the land and leaves the glittering beauty of white.


    The maiden''s voice rises, the soft song which tugs at and shakes loose the last crinkling leaves, beauty ephemeral passing as it may only once in each turning.


    On comes the winter. On comes the snow. See its glitter, look in awe upon the hills laid to rest ''neath the blanket of white.


    See the mortals, telling their tales round the fires, the nurturing blessing of belief, winding to the skies. Feel the smoke that rises and crackles with the meat of sacrifice. This is the maiden''s offering, that all her attendants might partake of.


    Faeries shrieked and called out to one another over Hanyi''s voice as she built herself up.


    The mantle of spiritual power Ling Qi had drawn about herself was spooled into the figure Hanyi was making of herself in the whirling column of snow ahead. Her stage was the hilltop, slick now with ice. She was tall now, taller than Ling Qi, with a white gown as elegant as her mother¡¯s and whipping white braids dissolving into the snow and wind at the tips of her hair. In her hands were fans of transparent ice etched with patterns in blue and black, fluttering before her face and accentuating her dance as she sang.


    Hanyi was going to be a dangerous spirit when she grew older.


    The shrieking laughter was lesser now. The faeries of the snowstorm were flickering and ephemeral, mostly first realm but some on the verge or peaking into the second. They bobbed and tittered, entranced and hungry. They were small vessels, but they were cold, and the cold was never far from the darkness and hunger. Such a meal as Hanyi sang of was no small offer.


    A shard of ice cut through the air and shattered against one of Hanyi''s fans. It was the first of many, pelting the hill. Each one carried mockery and derision.


    ¡°City-thing, man-thing, soggy witch, these hills already sing, a beauty greater than thy own!¡±


    Up in the clouds, Ling Qi saw the ripple of blue fabric, hands on hips, wings of ice, and an inhuman face, featureless but for eyes of solid blue radiance, descending from the higher peaks in response to her sister¡¯s song. There was more to this one, a core of frozen power rather than a diffuse ball of snow.


    Hanyi''s song didn¡¯t cease, but her eyes narrowed to white slits of affront.


    Ling Qi wouldn''t call the line that rang out next discordant, but...


    ¡°O, who approaches? Who stands before the maiden? Feckless flake, be on your knees!¡±


    A screech, yes, like nails on glass or the scream of a high wind. There was no way to describe what happened next in elegant terms.


    Little faeries scattered and giggled madly, blown end over end by the wind. Ling Qi''s hair whipped out behind her, a ragged, fluttering black banner as she raised a hand to shield her eyes from the backwash...


    ... Of Hanyi''s heel striking the ice faerie dead across its featureless face, a picture perfect flying kick.


    There was a screech of affront. Ice shattered, jagged, icy blue hair was crinkled and broken, pure white locks were yanked, and fingernails scrabbled, plunging through ice and slush and cloth that reformed immediately in its wake.


    ... Ling Qi was pretty sure that even if one used fans as weapons, they were not actually supposed to be wielded like clubs.


    The two fighters hit the earth in a plume of snow and dust.


    Ling Qi sighed. She wished Sixiang was here; they''d probably be rolling down the hill, laughing their head off. Still, this was Hanyi''s show, and she did tell her junior sister that she would let her handle it.


    The lesser faeries whorled overhead in the eddies of snow, dancing around the scuffle going on below.


    "Who¡¯s soggy now, you¡ª"


    "Cheater, cheater! Using the ground is not fair!"


    "Huuuuuuh? Fair? What, are you stupid? Don''t challenge the maiden if you don''t wanna eat mud!"


    Ling Qi''s lips quirked up in amusement.


    As Hanyi turned away, the cackling little faeries followed after her, swooping and whirling around each other through the falling snow. Only the second realm faerie remained behind, sullenly scraping mud off of her dress. Still, Ling Qi doubted she would be far behind.


    Ling Qi walked beside her sister. "Interesting lessons you''ve been learning."


    "Winter comes. It comes whether some dummy tries to tell it to stop or not. So, I don''t let little spirits get in my way. Besides, look at her. She didn''t even try to outsing me! I''m not soggy. A lady can''t let an insult like that stand!"


    Ling Qi chuckled. "No, I suppose she can''t."


    Inevitability. That was a deep component of endings, big or small. Whether it was a glacier, a snowstorm, or the longest, darkest night, it would come, and one could only endure it. That wasn''t quite what she was going for as a central theme, but it would touch anything made with endings in mind.


    "So, where do we want to go first?" Hanyi asked her.


    "We''ll want the upper peaks next. Those should still be faeries of the same kind, those that blow down with the seasons," Ling Qi said thoughtfully. "There''s an order to these rituals."


    "I just wanna find the biggest one. I don''t have the patience for small fry!"


    "Ah, Hanyi, you shouldn''t overlook the details," Ling Qi chided. "After all, we are the ''small fry'' to plenty of people still."


    Her junior sister frowned deeply. "I guess. When you put it like that, it feels really bad."


    "It does," Ling Qi admitted.


    There was definitely still a fear in her mind, the knowledge that everything she had made could be swept away so easily still, but that wasn¡¯t a useful fear. It would remain true, all the way to the top of cultivation.


    Tomorrow, maybe the moon would fall from the sky, and all the works of mortals and immortals alike would be dust. There was no use in fretting over events outside of her ability to affect.


    "But Hanyi, small fry can still accomplish many things."


    She gathered a spark of impure qi broken off from the crumbling blockages in her meridians and pushed it out of her fingertip, flicking the ashy spark at Hanyi, who batted it away with a pout.


    "Yeah, I guess they can." Hanyi put her hands behind her head. "Will you sing with me when we get there, Big Sis?"


    She was glad Hanyi had taken her meaning. She craned her head back, gazing at the giggling procession that followed them, amused at the way the faeries shrieked and scattered under her gaze, as if they had imagined they were being stealthy.


    "I will, if you''ll have me," Ling Qi agreed.


    "Of course. Sis is the best at this stuff. I guess I''ve gotten used to people supporting me and doing all the boring work."


    Ling Qi laughed under her breath.


    "N-not that your singing is boring!"


    "I got it, Little Sister." Ling Qi ruffled her hair. "Now, where did I put that messenger paper? I should let Bao Qian know that we''re going north."


    It would be good to finally test her art against an opponent which could contest her, even if only in this weakened state.

 Threads 414 Taming Winter 3

    Threads 414 Taming Winter 3


    Winter became spring, and the snow became floodwaters.


    But this was only the last verse of her song, and one she had fretted over too much. When focused on the oncoming summit, the peace she hoped for in the future, it was easy to do. But the future did not only include peace.


    They were going to war next year. They were going to battle the ith.


    It was going to be hideous.


    Winter devoured. It consumed. It crushed. The falling snows, so beautiful in their glittering majesty under a newly risen moon, suffocated the last embers of life lingering on from autumn''s slow decay.


    That was another difference between her song and Master Zeqing¡¯s. Zeqing''s Frozen Soul Serenade was the black heart of eternal cold, a freezing song that never ended. It portrayed the chill of the cloud-piercing peaks, exposed forever to the cruel stars and blackest sky, and slew only what trespassed upon its domain.


    In its way, the snow that swept across the world was a much hungrier beast. However, in the end, it was a beast that was sated, that retreated, and gave way to warmer seasons in time. It was not a bottomless and unceasing hunger.


    There was a dichotomy she had not grappled with, in these concepts.


    "I like how it feels around here." Hanyi¡¯s pale eyes sparkled as she looked up at the cloud-wreathed peaks ahead. They stood on the lowest slope, the foot of the mountain. They had gathered quite a train of lesser faeries, a glittering, whirling constellation of icy lights winking among the clouds.


    "The air is very clear," Ling Qi mused. It tasted crisp on her tongue and soothed her still burnt lungs, circulating a comforting chill through her charred organs and meridians. "We didn''t discover this when we were surveying."


    "I think it isn''t always like this." Hanyi planted her chin on her fist. "Yeah, this isn''t like Momma''s house at all."


    "A wandering site. Interesting." Ling Qi would need to report this to Renxiang and speak to the Meng geomancer they were promised soon. "No use just standing here. Let¡¯s climb, Little Sister, and see who tries to bar our way."


    "Oh, I can''t wait!" Hanyi tossed her hair, glaring up at the winking lights overhead. "You all better watch closely!"


    Ling Qi gave Hanyi''s hand a squeeze and lifted her skirt hem in the other, and together, they began the long, rocky climb.


    They climbed toward the clouds, and the clouds came down to meet them.


    As expected their journey was not without opposition. The wind picked up. It howled and ripped at their hair and gowns. The soft snow fell thicker and became a driving sleet, chips of ice that would have battered a mortal, sliced their skin, and driven them to a fleeing panic. But even reduced as she was, Ling Qi was far from a mortal, and her junior sister never one at all. They were not supplicants come to beg for respite but peers to be respected.


    The swarming faeries above multiplied in number.


    As falling snow turned to slicing sleet, Ling Qi inhaled deeply, feeling the frost crackle in her lungs and was refreshed. When she let it out in the strident first verse of her song in tandem with her sister, the howling wind bearing down upon them broke apart.


    On the side of the icy mountain, two winter storms met and clashed.


    Hanyi sang.


    Howl.


    O song of snow. O aria of endings.


    Sweep the sky and the earth alike clear.


    Wither the old unto dust and soil, to be toiled over and tilled.


    Blacken the sky, that the next rise be brighter.


    End the year, that the next be better.


    All things born are buried in time. No cycle is the same as the last.


    No mountain stands forever before the wind.


    Crumble.


    Pretending that she did not have this violence within her would do no more good than paring herself down to just a weapon. Xia Ren was more than a weapon, but nevertheless, Xia Ren had made the same mistake as Elder Jiao.


    Each turn of the wheel slayed the old and birthed the new. Permanence was stagnation by another name.


    Though she was no sovereign, at that moment, as the concepts she had been turning over in her head came together, her shadow stretched over the peak in defiance of the weak light shining through the cloud cover, and she felt herself in every flake of snow. The storm turned in her grip, battering the still defiant faeries, and the earth shook with the tumble of snow and stone down the mountainsides.


    One faerie shattered, and the other hung limp in the grip of her voice, as submissive as a kitten in its mother''s mouth. The early defector cackled in a voice of freezing ice, zipping around her head before settling in her hair.


    And then she was only herself again, standing beside Hanyi, who looked up at her with wide eyes.


    Ling Qi swayed and leaned heavily on Hanyi''s shoulder, reaching up to hold her burning throat.


    "Big Sis?"


    "It''s alright, Hanyi," she croaked. A mote of silver qi rose to observe the faerie resting on her hair. "Just threw out my voice a little. I''ll leave the rest to you, okay?"


    She plucked the shrunken snow fairy from her head and cast a gimlet look up into the cloud where the other, the one composed of dark clouds, still hung. Then, she placed the snow fairy in Hanyi''s hands.


    "I''ll need some rest back at camp."


    That was one step, she thought. Her Final Frost Serenade had its first proper verse.

 Threads 415-Taming Winter 4

    Threads 415-Taming Winter 4


    After the last three months, Ling Qi did not think she could feel relief from sitting down. That she did now just proved how quickly little gripes could pass with cultivation.


    The simple camp chair¡¯s canvas stretched over a wooden frame barely even sank under her weight as she settled into it. She had kept her qi circulating carefully, but her calves were burning so much that she eased the flow. Too much climbing, something she''d gotten out of the habit of, even before her injury.


    "Should you really be sprawling like that? Goes against the image you''re cultivating."


    "Sir Bao will have to have the decency of not spreading a lady''s secrets," Ling Qi drawled, cracking one eye open. With her feet stuck straight out, the heels of her boots were propped up on a rock before the small crackling fire. It burned low but hot, consuming the chips of charcoal Bao Qian had fed into it.


    They were near the base of the hill, and the bulk of the wagon was providing a windbreak on the side where the earth and scant trees did not. Hanyi was out there in the darkness, instructing her new followers.


    "You have changed," he mused. He knelt on one knee, and she watched curiously as he fit a metal grill affixed to three iron legs on top of the fire, letting the metal slowly gather heat.


    "We haven''t had cause or time to talk much, but it has been a dense set of months."


    "It has, at that. I think you just might be set to overtake my cultivation entirely, even with your injury." Bao Qian dusted himself off and settled into his chair.


    "Does that not bother you?"


    "It''s a prick to my pride, I won''t lie. But when I hear news of you, I see that your ambitions are bigger and more urgent than mine."


    Ling Qi hummed. "So you''re content?"


    "Hah! I don''t think many would say that to a Bao."


    She opened her other eye to observe him. He''d pulled an iron skillet and knife from his storage ring and was now emptying a pouch of dark shelled nuts into the skillet. He picked one up and began carving a gash into the shell.


    "I''m not in a hurry. Already, I have three hundred years ahead of me. I suppose that''s my flaw. I''m not given to urgency."


    "I haven''t had the luxury, and war is coming for us all far sooner than that."


    "You have thrown yourself into urgent tasks! I don''t know what one of my cultivation would do about a war though."


    Bao Qian was a couple years older than her, and he was solidly at the sixth step of the third realm. She could see his point in a distant way.


    "You could say that I follow our patriarch''s school of thought. Wealth built in haste is a castle of sticks. Wealth built in patience, a fortress of adamant."


    "Oh, your patriarch gives lessons?"


    "Only for the very top earners. This type of thought is central to us, the parts of the house which sided with the Duchess."


    "Not exactly a plodding decision."


    "And isn''t that the fun of platitudes?" Bao Qian shook the skillet, evening the distribution of the now carved nuts.


    "This will have to be a conversation for later." Bao Qian hauled himself up from his seat. "I think you''ve upset something."


    Ling Qi rose to her feet as well. "They could raise their objections less rudely."


    Through her connection to Hanyi, she pulled, communicating to her junior sister that she was needed back in the camp right now. Hanyi raced back into camp surrounded by whirling faeries.


    The northern night sky was a solid white now, and the wall was descending on them from the mountains. Wind screamed, drowning out the tinny voices of the faeries.


    "This is going to be ugly." Bao Qian shaded his eyes against the glare of the onrushing wall of snow. "I don''t sense anything indomitable in there though."


    "There is not, but this one is not a passing fairy either." Somewhere in the upper third realm. Peak, even? It was hard to tell with its power so dispersed, like her own trick in dematerializing her qi. "A regional spirit. More than a snowstorm. It has a central concept."


    "This jerk! Who do they think they are?" Hanyi said belligerently, planting her hands on her hips.


    "While you ladies determine that, I''ll be preparing our fortification. Can¡¯t have my wagon blowing away now."


    Bao Qian laced his fingers together and stretched. He pushed his feet into a broad stance and slammed his palm into the frozen earth with a muffled thump that sent a tremor thrumming under her boots. The hill they had camped in the shadow of came apart, dirt rolling down like a wave and stone splitting and cracking and flowing like water. Foundation stones and walls piled atop each other like the work of a hundred masons in fast motion.


    Ling Qi herself focused on the howling whiteout as it swept down upon them. Even her eyes could not see past it.


    Then, it was upon them.


    It wasn''t a deafening howl. The wind did not rip at the rapidly assembling stones, nor did it try to scour them as Ling Qi might have expected.


    Instead, it cried, rattling loose gravel, and tugging and pulling a long, endless freezing song. It blanketed. It surrounded. It erased the world outside their little fire and rapidly rising walls. It was a lonely vista of untrammeled white, stretching on without end, a world buried and dead beneath the soft blanket of the snows.


    "I see why I may have given it an insult," Ling Qi observed.


    "Big Sis does it better," Hanyi said stubbornly, but Ling Qi could hear the tinge of worry in her voice. She understood that Ling Qi was hurt right now and was not able to exercise her qi with freedom. Ling Qi understood her worry. She felt it herself.


    Quiet. Quiet.


    Sleep in winter''s arms.


    Quiet. Quiet. Peace in all the world.


    Oh, yes, that was a quiet that she understood very well. It was the quiet that came after one thought they were warm. The quiet when the carts came around to collect the bodies of those who''d not made it through the winter.


    She could feel the winter spirit staring at her from within the white expanse. She had unknowingly challenged it when she had laid down her own claim to command what it did.


    This was the singer of the frozen death under winter''s snow.

 Threads 416-Taming Winter 5

    Threads 416-Taming Winter 5


    "How well do you think you can hold under its pressure?" Ling Qi asked.


    To her eyes, their camp, this little bubble of reality in the endless expanse of white, was being maintained well. The crushing pressure did not pierce the walls, only frosting the now fusing stones. Still, she would rather hear the words from the one performing the technique.


    Bo Qian knelt by their fire, which had boiled over. Soft smoke poured out of the charcoal and formed a smoky cover over the walls. It should have been choking, but somehow, the air she breathed was fresh and clear.


    "It''s not a crushing pressure, but a wearing one. I can hold this protection for days, but if we wish to go anywhere, that is another matter." He looked at the top of the stone ramparts he had raised, now settled and solid as if they''d been raised to stand by expert masons. "As the situation stands, I suspect our friend could push harder, but..."


    "But that isn''t its nature," Ling Qi finished. "It won''t press, or even fight, unless we try to escape."


    "This smug jerk!" Hanyi complained. "Not even taking us seriously."


    Ling Qi shook her head. "You know better than that, Hanyi. Its actions have nothing to do with that."


    Her junior sister huffed and crossed her arms. "Yeah, I know. This is just how it normally is, huh?"


    "Yes, it is."


    Ling Qi peeked out beyond the walls with the help of dancing wisps of silver. She couldn¡¯t perceive any center to the spirit, just a diffuse, featureless whiteness, and snow so solid that she could barely even perceive the gusts and flurries kicking through it.


    "I''m going to take this slowly,¡± Ling Qi decided. ¡°Bao Qian, please..."


    "What were we just talking about?"


    The other cultivator chuckled and flexed his fingers in the dark earth. The walls of their fortification shuddered and settled, somehow becoming even more solid in her senses. There was a hyper-real density to them that reminded her of the fortified walls of a castle. It was the sort of formation-enhanced stone that even she would have difficulty passing through with her techniques.


    Free to study her opponent now, Ling Qi let her perception flood out on a thin ripple of her qi. The snows ate at her qi immediately, albeit far less elegantly than Huisheng''s thieving fingers. She didn''t pull away, fighting its pressure but letting the leeched motes be carried away into the storm.


    The voice of the snow sang.


    Quiet. Quiet.


    The cold cried out.


    Silence!


    It wasn''t the same as Zeqing¡¯s song. This was the Whiteout Wonderland, a storm that blurred away the world, letting travelers wander in its depths until exhausted, they sank into the false warmth that preceded death. Still, this was a cousin to Zeqing, a spirit with no mountain of its own, but no less hungry or territorial for it.


    The spirit was not hiding in the snow, nor dematerialized like Ling Qi could be when hiding in her mist. The storm was the spirit, and although there was a core to enable it to keep existing from winter to winter, it was still more phenomenon than person. Even if she couldn¡¯t contest the spirit¡¯s raw power as she was right now, she could work with this.


    Quiet. Quiet. Winds rock cold bones to sleep.


    Her voice rippled outward. The great diffuse mass of qi around her shook almost imperceptibly.


    Silence? Silence? Lay heavy ''cross the land.


    The returning verse was a little different than the previous whispers, a curl of questioning in its tone.


    Silence. Silence. Glittering in the hills.


    Ling Qi sang in the same breathy, cruelly playful tone, her voice brought in sync with the spirit¡¯s by the bleeding of her qi into the whiteout.


    Blow, wind. Blow. Wipe it all away. Beyond the fires, beyond the roads, snows quietly sleep.


    Even she had a hard time telling her own voice from the spirit¡¯s as she aligned herself to it further and very carefully bent its intent with her own.


    The difference between them lay in purpose. This spirit, for all its power, was a directionless, all-consuming hunger. In a way, such simplicity was sad, but at the same time, if this spirit had been more purposeful or intentional, there would have been no choice but to destroy it. Such a spirit could not be allowed to exist near their mortal denizens. If this spirit were to be repurposed, though...


    This hunger was purest Want in its primal form. The qi she had fed into the spirit resonated far more strongly than the motes she had stolen from Huisheng resonated with her.


    Ling Qi pushed her qi outward and ceased to hold back the icy emptiness that surrounded her, letting her qi flood into the spirit¡¯s channels. After all, she knew Want very well.


    To want was to live, to grasp, to strive. It was at the foundation of every bond, in the root of every ambition, and threaded through every movement of the world. To discern the deepest want in a soul was to find the key to understanding, or undoing.


    That was her truth, the core of Want as she understood it. It was the root from which self arose. Without want, there was no self. Yet, that all-consuming hunger was deeply entwined with winter. This was the depth of the season. This was what she called on in the middle stanzas of her serenade.


    There was a keystone missing from the Whiteout Wonderland, keeping it as this mere diffuse thing, only agitated to active action by a direct challenge.


    Ling Qi stood on a pillar of stone over a roof of congealed wood smoke. Ling Qi was everywhere within the whirling snows, a hundred visions of endless white and cloying silence broken only by the low monotone whisper of the wind. In her vision, there was only one imperfection, one blot of impurity protected within high curved walls of stone.


    There was so much warmth inside, warmth denied the comfort of her smothering cold. Did it not wish to be put to rest? How could it not? How could it persist when beautiful silence awaited?


    The fire was so warm. She WANTED it. It was rich in a way nothing else was, full of desires she had no comprehension of, but coveted dearly.


    Ling Qi/The Whiteout Wonderland felt the stir of envy, a sharp edge to its eternal hunger.


    The spark, Ling Qi thought, was now there.

 Threads 417-Taming Winter 7

    Threads 417-Taming Winter 7


    "Bao Qian!" the voice of flesh called, heard despite all impediments. "Release your defense, but only for a five count!"


    The reply took a moment. Ling Qi could feel his consternation, and she also felt the moment he realized her plan.


    It was dizzying, the rush of it. Heat and life and feeling flooded out, torn away by the hungry wind. Joyous silence, settling quiet, full and heavy and...


    The fist of gold clenched then, and not a single wisp more escaped, only the fraying cold of Not-Her.


    The wind cried, grinding away at the stone. The crumbling was inevitable! Such was the nature of life. But now, it wasn''t.


    She was so hungry, wasn''t she? The emptiness yawned. Her and Not-Her feeding, drinking deep of snows that could not hold what they wanted. Silence could not draw sustenance from silence.


    Quiet. Quiet. Wherefore do you hide?


    Sleep. Sleep. Under crooning stars. Dreams of warmth. Dreams of white.


    Ling Qi spread her arms wide, sleeves billowing like banners in the whirling wind, and answered.


    Warm. Warm.


    Why? Why? Why?


    Silence. Silence. Rolling on forever.


    Gone. Gone. The fire never comes again.


    Distress. A spasm within the infinite white. A concept introduced, just a little turning of what was already there. Loss. To consume something completely was to lose it. To devour without limit could only end in the throes of starvation.


    She signaled Bao Qian, and for a precious moment, the heat came again. It was savory, the flame, the ambition, the want. And then, again, it was gone.


    The snowstorm shook violently. The winds hurled themselves at walls of stone and qi, clawing, and received nothing for it.


    Frustration, roiling into intent. In this moment, there was a danger rising.


    Ling Qi had awoken the spirit from crushing, passive hunger and inflamed in its icy heart a desire to truly feed. But she had also planted other seeds. She raised her voice, and Her and Not-Her sang together.


    Silence. Silence. Laying over a misty hill.


    Rattle. Rattle. Shutters tight. Work done well.


    Quiet moans the wind through streets swept white with snow.


    Warm burns the fires, smoke rising bright.


    Softly. Softly. Lay it all to rest.


    Her junior sister huffed and kicked the frozen dirt. "... ''Kay."


    Ling Qi leaned back in the camp chair, looking at the high walls he had raised. "Is there a reason anyone bothers with regular construction when such arts are around? Is it just a lack of cultivators?"


    Bao Qian looked at the walls himself. "Earth does not take easily to change or dynamic motion. It''s against its nature. If I do not take it down, given a few days, this fortification will start to crumble, and given a week, the stone and earth will revert to its natural state."


    "Is that so?" With a brief moment of focus, Ling Qi could feel the strain in the qi embedded in the stone and earthworks. "That might be interesting to watch."


    "Watching it happen is a foundational lesson in the arts of earth, at least as my tutors taught it. You can imagine how entertaining a ten-year-old might find such a lesson."


    "Preparing you for tribulation early,¡± Ling Qi joked. ¡°How forward thinking."


    "You can construct with earth shaping arts, but it takes time, investment, and sustained vision. It is faster than mortal construction and capable of many features they cannot manage, but in the end, mundane methods are simply more cost-effective for most structures," Bao Qian continued.


    "A thing which is too expensive will never see wide use, no matter how superior it is?"


    "Just so. It¡¯s not quite a law of wealth, but definitely a law of craft. But then, formations fight against being widely spread. It takes a true genius to wrestle them into a shape that near anyone can use. True change takes ages."


    "In the context of a mortal life, anyway," Ling Qi said. "In the perspective you spoke of, things can change quite fast."


    "Hah! True. Our duchess proves that."


    "Bao Qian, I have an answer to the question you asked on our first date. About what I need the power of ascension for."


    "Ah, do you now? I had suspected."


    "I am going to improve the way we in the Emerald Seas communicate. Within and without. There are so many squabbling factions in clans and between clans. There are a million, petty disputes and borders that snarl and tangle every project, causing battles and discord that need not happen. This is what I am going to contribute to the future Cai Renxiang sees."


    "There are a thousand arguments one could make that there are countless problems that cannot be simply solved with better communication. But that isn''t an argument against a would-be sovereign''s goals, would it? This path... I wonder if I could follow it."


    "Do you want to?" Ling Qi asked.


    Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed how quiet Hanyi was. Her junior sister was rocking back and forth on her heels, looking away. Cheeky girl.


    "I do not intend to reach ascension, or even try for it," Bao Qian said. "The priests would have all sorts of colorful names for me if they could see inside my head. There are opportunities I see and projects I want to undertake, but none of them require ascension. In my mind, I can see myself aiming for sovereignty."


    "For what purpose?"


    "How good would it be if anyone could hear songs as those just sung, to feel the chill and the horror or the beauty and triumph, all in the safety of their home?" Bao Qian asked rhetorically. "My recording talismans are not good enough. As they are, they cannot change the market. They¡¯re just artisanal toys that can only be turned out by my own hand. Were I to aim for anything so high, I¡¯d aim for grandmastership by making an advancement in recording formations, perhaps making ones that do not require precious jade. I do not know if that goal is enough to keep our paths parallel. You are intriguing, like a muse on the edge of vision, but..."


    "But we are very different people," Ling Qi mused. "Come with us into the mountains tomorrow to see to the last of the spirits, Bao Qian. I''m still not at my best."


    "An adventure then, to see where we stand?"


    "My friends might call it a tribulation."

 Threads 417-Taming Winter 6

    Threads 417-Taming Winter 6


    "Bao Qian!" the voice of flesh called, heard despite all impediments. "Release your defense, but only for a five count!"


    The reply took a moment. Ling Qi could feel his consternation, and she also felt the moment he realized her plan.


    It was dizzying, the rush of it. Heat and life and feeling flooded out, torn away by the hungry wind. Joyous silence, settling quiet, full and heavy and...


    The fist of gold clenched then, and not a single wisp more escaped, only the fraying cold of Not-Her.


    The wind cried, grinding away at the stone. The crumbling was inevitable! Such was the nature of life. But now, it wasn''t.


    She was so hungry, wasn''t she? The emptiness yawned. Her and Not-Her feeding, drinking deep of snows that could not hold what they wanted. Silence could not draw sustenance from silence.


    Quiet. Quiet. Wherefore do you hide?


    Sleep. Sleep. Under crooning stars. Dreams of warmth. Dreams of white.


    Ling Qi spread her arms wide, sleeves billowing like banners in the whirling wind, and answered.


    Warm. Warm.


    Why? Why? Why?


    Silence. Silence. Rolling on forever.


    Gone. Gone. The fire never comes again.


    Distress. A spasm within the infinite white. A concept introduced, just a little turning of what was already there. Loss. To consume something completely was to lose it. To devour without limit could only end in the throes of starvation.


    She signaled Bao Qian, and for a precious moment, the heat came again. It was savory, the flame, the ambition, the want. And then, again, it was gone.


    The snowstorm shook violently. The winds hurled themselves at walls of stone and qi, clawing, and received nothing for it.


    Frustration, roiling into intent. In this moment, there was a danger rising.


    Ling Qi had awoken the spirit from crushing, passive hunger and inflamed in its icy heart a desire to truly feed. But she had also planted other seeds. She raised her voice, and Her and Not-Her sang together.


    Silence. Silence. Laying over a misty hill.


    Rattle. Rattle. Shutters tight. Work done well.


    Quiet moans the wind through streets swept white with snow.


    Warm burns the fires, smoke rising bright.


    Softly. Softly. Lay it all to rest.


    Her junior sister huffed and kicked the frozen dirt. "... ''Kay."


    Ling Qi leaned back in the camp chair, looking at the high walls he had raised. "Is there a reason anyone bothers with regular construction when such arts are around? Is it just a lack of cultivators?"


    Bao Qian looked at the walls himself. "Earth does not take easily to change or dynamic motion. It''s against its nature. If I do not take it down, given a few days, this fortification will start to crumble, and given a week, the stone and earth will revert to its natural state."


    "Is that so?" With a brief moment of focus, Ling Qi could feel the strain in the qi embedded in the stone and earthworks. "That might be interesting to watch."


    "Watching it happen is a foundational lesson in the arts of earth, at least as my tutors taught it. You can imagine how entertaining a ten-year-old might find such a lesson."


    "Preparing you for tribulation early,¡± Ling Qi joked. ¡°How forward thinking."


    "You can construct with earth shaping arts, but it takes time, investment, and sustained vision. It is faster than mortal construction and capable of many features they cannot manage, but in the end, mundane methods are simply more cost-effective for most structures," Bao Qian continued.


    "A thing which is too expensive will never see wide use, no matter how superior it is?"


    "Just so. It¡¯s not quite a law of wealth, but definitely a law of craft. But then, formations fight against being widely spread. It takes a true genius to wrestle them into a shape that near anyone can use. True change takes ages."


    "In the context of a mortal life, anyway," Ling Qi said. "In the perspective you spoke of, things can change quite fast."


    "Hah! True. Our duchess proves that."


    "Bao Qian, I have an answer to the question you asked on our first date. About what I need the power of ascension for."


    "Ah, do you now? I had suspected."


    "I am going to improve the way we in the Emerald Seas communicate. Within and without. There are so many squabbling factions in clans and between clans. There are a million, petty disputes and borders that snarl and tangle every project, causing battles and discord that need not happen. This is what I am going to contribute to the future Cai Renxiang sees."


    "There are a thousand arguments one could make that there are countless problems that cannot be simply solved with better communication. But that isn''t an argument against a would-be sovereign''s goals, would it? This path... I wonder if I could follow it."


    "Do you want to?" Ling Qi asked.


    Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed how quiet Hanyi was. Her junior sister was rocking back and forth on her heels, looking away. Cheeky girl.


    "I do not intend to reach ascension, or even try for it," Bao Qian said. "The priests would have all sorts of colorful names for me if they could see inside my head. There are opportunities I see and projects I want to undertake, but none of them require ascension. In my mind, I can see myself aiming for sovereignty."


    "For what purpose?"


    "How good would it be if anyone could hear songs as those just sung, to feel the chill and the horror or the beauty and triumph, all in the safety of their home?" Bao Qian asked rhetorically. "My recording talismans are not good enough. As they are, they cannot change the market. They¡¯re just artisanal toys that can only be turned out by my own hand. Were I to aim for anything so high, I¡¯d aim for grandmastership by making an advancement in recording formations, perhaps making ones that do not require precious jade. I do not know if that goal is enough to keep our paths parallel. You are intriguing, like a muse on the edge of vision, but..."


    "But we are very different people," Ling Qi mused. "Come with us into the mountains tomorrow to see to the last of the spirits, Bao Qian. I''m still not at my best."


    "An adventure then, to see where we stand?"


    "My friends might call it a tribulation."

 Threads 418-Taming Winter 7

    Threads 418-Taming Winter 7


    Their journey into the mountains began early the next day. It didn''t take long to return to the base of the mountain where they had confronted the faeries of the snowstorm the previous day, but now, it was time to go beyond that, up toward the mountain peak where the most potent concentration of icy qi slept.


    This was not going to be like the other confrontations. They were not going to overbear the spirit she could sense sleeping, cradled in a great gorge that cut into the mostly impassable mountains in this corner of the fief. Thankfully, the mountain was not its place of power and they had already tamed or contracted its component spirits, or even she would have turned back to do this when she had properly recovered, but the temporary site formed by the heavy winter clouds would be good enough to Communicate.


    The icy mountain was barren, all gray stone and gravel, streaked with frost and snow. Here and there, stone gave way to thin soil, and hardy boreal trees clung to the mountainside.


    Throughout the morning, they picked their way toward the peak, following narrow trails or scaling cliffs with Bao Qian''s help. He shaped stairs and elevated pillars from the hard mountain rock, which grew more and more icy as they climbed. The rock was shot through with streaks of blue and white, frigid to the touch, even beyond the temperature.


    "Strange stuff,¡± Bao Qian analyzed. ¡°Light and porous rock, but not quite like anything I''d recognize. I wonder how much of it is material property, and how much is just the emanations of the site."


    They had stopped for a rest just below the cloudline, a boulder strewn strip of barren clifftop. He crouched before one of those boulders, which looked like a single chunk of jagged, opaque blue ice.


    Ling Qi leaned on her junior sister¡¯s shoulder to look at the boulder. "It is not actual ice¡ªI can feel the cold qi in it¡ªbut the pattern and arrangement is wrong. Is it actually stone then?"


    "It is not certain it would retain its properties away from here though." Bao Qian dusted the snow off his knees as he stood up.


    Hanyi rolled her eyes. "You can take a chunk down with you. C''mooooon, I wanna get to the top!"


    Ling Qi could tell her little sister was agitated. The ice qi at the top of the mountain was potent. While Hanyi''s last meeting with someone like her mother had not been inviting, she wondered at Hanyi''s hurry. Was she just trying to get it over with?


    "Ruin my fun, will you, young miss? A man doesn''t get to prospect for a novel mineral every day," Bao Qian informed her.


    "It¡¯s a rock," Hanyi said dully.


    "Ah, but so is a spirit stone, and I know you enjoy what you can buy with those."


    "That''s not the same at all. Big Sis, tell him!"


    "Please take a sample back with you. I''m afraid Hanyi or myself carrying it would taint the evidence for whether it''s stable without a continuous source of cold qi," LIng Qi said instead.


    "Done." A rock chisel appeared mid twirl between his fingers.


    "Big Siiiiiiis," Hanyi complained.


    Ling Qi ruffled her hair. "No rush, little sister. I suspect we''ll be up here a while regardless."


    It didn¡¯t take long for them to get moving again, following a winding, natural path upward. They soon entered the cloud layer. The moisture hung thick and cold and heavy. Frost crystallized on their clothes, and the air Ling Qi breathed was so dense with moisture that she had to manipulate the air to strain it before she could breath it comfortably.


    The world was thin here. There was barely any barrier between material and spiritual space, up here where this small winter had settled in to begin its season over the valley and hills they now called home.


    "We''re one step into the shallows," Ling Qi warned. In these clouds, her companions were only vague silhouettes, though Hanyi''s hand resting in hers was good and solid.


    "I thought I felt a certain itch," Bao Qian commented. "Will it break through entirely you think?"


    They soon came to an open space in the glittering formations of the cave, a wide circle surrounded by pillars of opaque ice, where she could feel a strong thrum of icy qi. Their reflection upon the glacier stood before an icy spire of rock standing out like a spike driven down into the center of the glacier, a black crack in its center leading below.


    Ling Qi contemplated the floor before turning her eyes to an arch of stone on the far side of the cavern. Inky darkness which even her eyes could not pierce lay over a shallow natural stairs.


    "We''ll go further," Ling Qi decided. "Down into the center of the spirit''s power here."


    "Of course!" Hanyi proclaimed.


    Bao Qian sighed. "Of course."


    It would be dangerous, but it was important to present herself as a peer rather than a supplicant. Even if she wasn''t quite there yet, she would be, and that was what any contract or rites would have to be based on. In the end, they had made Snowblossom theirs, and their neighbors would have to acclimate to that fact.


    Bao Qian peered at the stairs. "I assume attempting to light this darkness up would make negotiations worse."


    "I''d think so. That would probably be over the line of politeness."


    Ling Qi contemplated the inky, impenetrable darkness. It wasn''t just a lack of light down there. She could hear what sounded like a woman softly weeping. It was an awful, melancholy grief that left her vision going gray. Distance yawned. All she loved was...


    Ling Qi flared her qi and removed herself from the stream of qi flowing out of that unmoving blackness.


    "Do you have anything which would help us stay together against spatial tricks?"


    Bao Qian stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Something of the sort. Let''s see..."


    He clenched his fist, and there was a small pop. When he opened it, there were a handful of rings in it, bands of polished iron, each set with little chips of something slate gray that wasn''t quite stone and not quite metal.


    "Seven Star Lodestone Rings. I''ve been marketing them to foresters in some of the more hostile depths. They anchor you relative to their fellows and prevent distances from getting slippery. May not have the potency for the full force of this spirit though."


    "I will be able to speak to either of you, no matter the obstruction," Ling Qi offered. Plucking a pair of rings, she slid one onto her finger and passed the other to Hanyi. Circulating a little qi into the ring, she could feel a pressure pulling her hand toward the other rings, solid and reliable. "If attacks go active, we have other problems."


    Hanyi regarded the ring with a frown, even after she put it on, then looked up. "Maybe we should hold hands, too."


    Ling Qi took Hanyi''s hand, remembering the last day in Zeqing''s home. Holding her hand might not have been enough then, but they were both stronger now.


    Hanyi let out a childish huff and squeezed her hand. "You, too! I''m not getting my driver eaten by some dumb jerk!" She reached out to Bao Qian, making a grasping motion with her free hand.


    Ling Qi let out a snort of laughter before she could catch herself. Bao Qian looked aggrieved, sending the remaining bands back into storage. "Really, young miss?"


    "I mean, I guess you do other stuff, too," Hanyi said. "C''mon, just take my hand, okay?"


    "Please," Ling Qi pleaded, lowering her head.


    Bao Qian sighed and took her junior sister''s hand. Then, together, the three of them advanced down into the darkness.

 Threads 419-Taming Winter 8

    The very first steps were cloying and slow. It felt like walking face first into a pool of mud. The darkness of the stairwell did not just cling, it dragged and it pulled and it suffocated, threatening to choke and flood her lungs. It was cold in a way that transcended anything physical, a want so dense it had congealed into something near solid.


    But it was not directed at them. It was not a hunger for light and warmth, seeking to devour the spark of their lives. It was a yearning for something much further away than that, and so, although it was difficult, Ling Qi was able to put one foot in front of the other and advance. She could feel Hanyi doing the same, her shoulders hunched, and through her, she could get a sense of Bao Qian''s qi.


    His art was of gold. Gold was something near worthless to cultivators, save for its neutrality and inability to hold qi. Neither the cloying cold nor the sobbing underlying it could reach him, she thought. He was closed off to it, inviolate and numb under the mantle of his art. It was not a technique she would have expected from someone so gregarious.


    But then, he was almost always smiling a professional¡¯s smile rather than his own.


    Through the murk, they descended, step by step, and as they did, the low susurrus of sound beneath the darkness grew in volume. It was an unending weeping, the ugly, wet, wracking sobs of a person in the depths of grief. The sound bounced and echoed in the dark, a distorted cacophony of melancholy echoes that seeped into her mind and threatened to sand away everything that was bright in her by mere proximity. The lack of intent in its effect was the only thing which made the sound bearable.


    She squeezed Hanyi''s hand tightly.


    They emerged from the stairs in pitch blackness. As they took that final step, the gloom parted. The reflective ice of the floor was as much a gray monotone as the pillars of ice which surrounded the surprisingly small cavern chamber, just a few meters across. The sobs were much louder here and mingled with the burbling of the cavern spring which took up the center of the chamber and the figure which hunched over atop it.


    White robes, as pure as the fresh driven snow but rumpled and unkempt, hung low around near skeletal shoulders. The figure¡¯s hands clutched the edge of the pool, pallid skin fading into black frostbitten talons as sharp as razors. Matted, long black hair tumbled down past a hidden face to float atop the spring waters. The figure¡¯s head tilted toward them, revealing a single, red-rimmed white eye. A black tear trail ran down a sunken gray cheek.


    [ABANDONMENT]


    This was she who could never be content. Her expectations flogged them all, kin and friend and acquaintance. And so, she became she who would be alone. Alone alone. Alone. Alone. Alone alone alone alone alone alone alone alone ALoNE aLONe ALOnE.


    Ling Qi reeled backwards. It was as if the very walls were rushing away, fleeing the spirit¡¯s repulsive presence. It was pulling on her in every direction, and her arms felt as if they would be wrenched out of their sockets, but the hand in hers remained, as did the steady pulse of the lodestone rings. Ling Qi''s foot slid a single step back and stopped.


    The spirit''s avatar rose from the side of the spring, limbs unfolding like that of a human spider, too long, too gaunt. Shoulders shaking, the spirit¡¯s tears continued to pour into the pool of bubbling black waters.


    The Weeping Mother of Lonesome Streams cried.


    All children leave home. The ice recedes. She is abandoned. The waters flow away. She is abandoned. The winds take her children. She is abandoned.


    Mother is always forgotten. They flee. They flee. They flee. Ever eager to leave her. Ever eager to leave you. Little winter, little cold, motherhood is loss. From you, too, they will flee, flee, flee.


    Abandoned. Empty. Alone.


    LIng Q¡¯s eyes flickered to Hanyi. Her junior sister looked like she was about to cry. She understood implicitly that Hanyi''s mind did not translate the raw pressure and concept of the spirit as she did. Instead, Hanyi was almost certainly experiencing it as an accusation, as Ling Qi might have done a few years ago. The spirit had not even truly spoken yet.


    Ling Qi clasped her single free hand to her chest and bowed her head. "Spirit of the frozen peak and the lonely glacier, we offer our respect."


    "I say again: I am Ling Qi, baroness of the Celestial Empire and steward of Shenglu and the Snowblossom Vale."


    A sullen predator watched her, the pressure pressing down on all sides, the grasping emptiness clawing at her spirit to hollow her out.


    "I would speak with you fairly. I do not deny your truth."


    The spirit hissed at her.


    All things pass and vanish. Fleeting authority shall slip your fingers and flow away. One mistake. One mistake.


    "All things disappear and go away. But not until their appointed times," Ling Qi replied. "And so, we shall strike a bargain of what is taken and what is not."


    In the black depths of the cavern, Ling Qi felt a true Law of Isolation press down on her and her own understanding of it.


    Ling Qi drew in on herself from the pressure, her free arm curling around her chest. Even her shadow was shrinking in on itself, the regal wraith she cast behind her flickering like a candle. She knew this truth too well, and the resonation of it with her domain made her thoughts fuzzy and sluggish.


    She couldn''t call the Weeping Mother¡¯s viewpoint wrong. Even with the authority she had gathered around herself, the spirit¡¯s Law found purchase. Her words were ephemeral and would pass, as those of Shenglu and Snowblossom Vale would pass and as her household and family and friends would pass, one by one by one.


    It was so easy for a face to fade from memory. Names always did. How many had she forgotten already? How easy was it then to forget her in turn?


    A groan of strained stone and a squeal of stressed metal sounded in the cavern. The ink-like shadows of the cavern were pierced by a ray of molten gold.


    "I. Am. Not. Hollow!"


    Bao Qian¡¯s face was ruddy and red. The skin of his hands had split open, and his fingertips were black with frost under the metallic gleam of his rings. His eyes were wild, darting around the room before fixing on the spirit. His free hand curled into a fist.


    His other hand had never let go of Hanyi''s.


    "Blasted cold," he wheezed. "You think that I do not know my value comes from what I do, what I make, the coin and honor I bring in? I''ll be forgotten, my name sanded out of history, my works, if I have any at all, appropriated by more ambitious men? Pah, I''ll still have done those things!"


    Ling Qi grimaced as her vision wavered, the simple truth that had been pushed to the back of her mind surging forward. His ring had never gone anywhere. Bao Qian had been standing there the entire time.


    "As if I have not known all my life that my every breath is weighted, measured, and recorded for the metrics of success. As if I have not been told in more words that I''m not a silly, sentimental fool that the clan can afford to offload as an asset because I''ve not the right mindset for ''real'' business. Good work, you wretch, you''ve broken my ''face.'' Now what? Think I''ll just give up and weep like a lonely child?¡± Bao Qian bared his teeth. ¡°I''ll bring this hole down on us both first! The price of a Bao''s life is more than you can ever afford."

 Threads Chapter 420-Taming Winter 9

    Each word of Bao Qian¡¯s had been punctuated by a pulse of gold. The rock thrummed under his feet in time with his words, and the gemstones woven through the fabric of his clothes and set in his belt and rings flashed in time as well.


    It was easy sometimes to forget that Bao Qian was a stage above her in cultivation, and well into that stage at that. It was only then that his wandering eyes seemed to see them, and he froze.


    They were not close, but she still should not have been able to forget him so easily. He''d been wiped from her mind, and she''d not even noticed.


    "Oh! Oh! Crap, I totally forgot," Hanyi whispered.


    Bao Qian''s expression twisted. "I forgot as well. So much for my artifice. My apologies for interrupting your negotiations."


    "My defenses were insufficient as well," Ling Qi said.


    The copper scent of blood and the surge of his qi shook away the frost from her mind. She looked up at the glowering teary eye of the Weeping Mother, who swayed to and fro, sending the strands of her hair swaying. Oily tears splashed upon the icy stone as the spirit bemoaned.


    Rejected, rejected. Always, children reject her gifts, spit defiance, and flee. Run. Run now. The cold will come, and mortal sparks shall flee away.


    Sullen. Petulant. That was the only way she could describe the spirit''s demeanor.


    The Weeping Mother had two simple, painful concepts at her core that formed the basis of her way.


    Abandonment.


    This spirit was a sheet of glacial ice left behind in eons old retreat, whose waters flowed always away and here, above the clouds, never returned. She had been dying by inches for longer than whole imperial dynasties had ruled. The truth of Ending she held at her core was the inevitability of loss.


    It was a weakness, too. This spirit was not like Zeqing. She could not stop them from leaving this place if they turned on their heels and left of their own will because they were her kin, and her story was that they would always leave her.


    Her second truth was more insidious. Despair.


    This was the wasting that sapped life and drive as surely and as inevitably as any physical cold. It was its own form of Isolation, one which the mind inflicted on itself.


    This, too, Ling Qi understood. On the worst days, the mind wandered. Was it worth it to struggle through another season? Was it worth it to scrape by for one more day? No one wanted her. No one would help her. Nothing would change. Any hand that reached out could only be hiding the malice in its grip. Wouldn''t it be so much more restful to lie down and let it end?


    She understood the isolation of privation. Xuan Shi had let her see a glimpse of what it was to be alone even when you had a seat at the hearthfire. Zeqing had shown her how to be alone even as you strangled the life from the ones you embraced. Now, the Weeping Mother of Lonesome Streams showed her another facet of the truth of Isolation.


    One''s own self could isolate just as effectively as anything external. If she chose despair, even when escape stood before her, no one''s hand could ever reach her.


    She could reach for the spirit, imbue her voice, promise visitation or rites, ritually carrying the waters of the streams back to the peak...


    If she succeeded, it would kill this spirit as surely as taking a student and releasing her daughter had killed Master Zeqing. Because the core of her was Abandonment. Ling Qi could gather every fairy born of the young winter''s snows and bring them back to this place, but she was not sure the spirit would even be able to see them. The Weeping Mother could not reach out her hand to welcome them back, and that, too, was Isolation.


    "Hanyi... That may not be..."


    "It might break her? Yeah, maybe. I''m gonna do it anyway, unless Big Sis absolutely says I can''t."


    "No Absolution. Unfilial Daughter."


    "Good, cause I don''t need that," Hanyi retorted.


    Ling Qi frowned in consternation. The spirit was willing to accept ritual distance because she could see an echo of her own tale in her, but if Hanyi was going to stir her up, that fragile connection might fracture.


    "I will not stop you, Hanyi," Ling Qi relented. She directed her next words toward the spirit. "Hanyi will be the intermediary, the bringer of your offerings at this time of the year, when the snows scatter but winter has not yet come."


    The bloodshot eye behind the hair narrowed, and the frigid air crackled. What little moisture remained spontaneously froze into chips of ice.


    "If I break my end of the deal, you''ll retaliate all you want, right? If you¡¯re right, you might even eat me up like you wanna. I know. I¡¯ll be here."


    Ling Qi grimaced, and so did Bao Qian. She gave her little sister a dirty look. Did she have to say such words? It was like she wanted Ling Qi to gather her up and ground her to the manor for her own safety.


    The Weeping Mother''s looming shape shattered into a flurry of ice, scouring the cavern.


    Done. Done. Done. Hands hold nothing. Tears flow and flow ever away.


    The Lonely Wind yet scours away what does not belong.


    Ling Qi pressed her lips together. For now, this deal would have to be good enough. "Let us not linger on this doorstep much longer."


    "Yeah, I wanna go," Hanyi said. "You still have more good stuff to cook, huh, Mister Manager?"


    "I''m afraid you ladies will be on your own for that tonight." Bao Qian shook out his frostbitten hand.


    It was nothing a third realm cultivator couldn''t heal in over a night''s meditation or sleep, but...


    "We should save the banter for the climb down," Ling Qi said.


    Bao Qan shot a look at the bubbling black spring in the cavern center. "Quite right."


    They didn''t let each other go until they were well out of the Weeping Mother''s cavern.

 Threads 421-Taming Winter 10

    Threads 421-Taming Winter 10


    Ling Qi looked out over the glacier, now stained in the colors of the sunset. Her eyes followed the glittering blue trails of the streams and little rivers that trickled down to disappear beneath trees and between valleys.


    The Weeping Mother''s cold was not her cold, but there was a point in the spirit¡¯s vision which she had not properly grappled with in her own understanding.


    "Stones for your thoughts?"


    She glanced at Bao Qian, who had seated himself heavily on a flat stone outside the cave mouth. He was painstakingly wrapping his hands in bandages moist with some medical tincture.No?v(el)B\\jnn


    "You said it," Ling Qi said. "What matters is that you did it."


    "Haha, I''d not give my little ramble much thought. I was hardly..."


    "No. I think I will." She turned back to the sunset. "So much leaves your control, the moment you''ve acted. Too many other people are making choices. The glacier has no say in which way its child streams flow. The hills and the forests they flow through have no idea the glacier even exists. It waters them all the same. Maybe you''ll be forgotten. Maybe you won''t. Does it matter?"


    Hanyi, she saw, was looking back at the entrance of the cave, her expression troubled. She didn''t think her junior sister was ignoring them, just deep in her own thoughts.


    "It shouldn''t, but it hurts all the same to go unacknowledged, no matter how hard you toil."


    "Why did you insist that you weren''t hollow?"


    He snorted. "Isn''t that always the accusation, said in prettier words? One who buys and sells can never be sincere or hold anything dear. No, my pride in my work can only be a salesman''s sham."


    She continued to observe the streams flowing far below through the lightened clouds.


    "... It''s not wrong. Many Bao are like that. We set our eyes on the unattainable peak of the Law of Wealth and empty ourselves out as surely as any sword immortal. It is exhausting for every breath and step to be measured and weighed against an investment calculation. Easier to align yourself with it and achieve better efficiency."


    "And so, you were sent to me?"


    "I am a low enough value asset that I can be invested in a risky scheme, certainly. However, you should know the planners of the Bao are not so myopic or simple as I make them sound with my grumbling. Many factors were considered, and there were many scions of the lower middle rankings that could have been chosen."


    His fingers now tightly wrapped in the medical gauze, he began to pick up the rings scattered at his feet like colorful raindrops. He scrutinized each one in turn, buffing away blood and clinging bits of tissue before returning them to storage.


    "But I have found something valuable here in the south. There''s a certain rush to people¡¯s lives down in the foothills and to the circuits I''ve made with the young miss. And though we''ve not been able to speak much, there¡¯s something intriguing to you as well."


    She turned her head enough to look at him as he spoke.


    "You are propelling something great forward, you and the heiress. And in all the thronging theaters and squabbling music schools of the north, I''ve never heard a song which tears at the heartstrings quite like yours." Bao Qian looked up from his last ring. "I won''t pretend we''ve begun well for anything but business, but I''d like to keep my chance at your hand, Ling Qi."


    Ling Qi hummed thoughtfully. She had never disliked Bao Qian. She had merely been ill suited to the arrangement back when their formal courtship began. However, she wouldn''t lie to herself. She wasn''t sure she felt the same spark of interest in Bao Qian that Meng Dan had given her, even with a compliment like that, but on the other hand, it had only been a matter of months since she had been able to admit any such feelings at all.


    The settlement came into view after a time. First came the farms and pastures set in the hills. Beyond them, the geyser could be glimpsed via a rising cloud of steam and mist at the edge of mortal vision. And soon thereafter, she could see the buildings rising in the mist by the base of the cliff and falling waterfall. The elegant shape of the manor had been joined by other rooftops, gleaming blue and pale green shingles on peaked roofs rising through the churning mist. Shapes carved into the base of the cliff itself showed the beginning of construction taking hold there, too. The crude palisade wall with its rough hewn logs lashed together and buried in the earth seemed at odds with the more refined structures within.


    Bao Qian whistled. "Lady Cai is certainly not letting up. You all will have quite a town here in not too long."


    "We had better. It¡¯s not enough for us to simply muddle along." Ling Qi wondered if she should select one of the homes for her family, or if they would be better housed in a wing of the manor for now while the defenses and wards were being better set up. Either way, she would be sending along the moving order to her household in the sect town soon. She was looking forward to seeing Mother and Biyu again. "Oh! Look. It seems she has gotten the bunks and roadhouses up outside the walls."


    "She would have to in order to organize this much traffic and temporary labor." Bao Qian squinted into the distance. A tug on the reins got his horses moving, leaving the well paved main road for the dirt side path leading toward the hastily assembled stables. "It makes sense not to bother with permanent accommodations when you''re still expanding so quickly."


    "I suppose even Lady Cai can admit to that in necessity."


    Soon, they rolled into an area set aside for them, and a number of haggard looking guards and officials approached to inspect their wagon, only to leap to attention as Ling Qi disembarked. She smiled faintly at the show, but did her best to move them along, telling them she would be along to the manor to report to Lady Cai soon.


    "Thank you for your help, Bao Qian. Let''s speak again soon," she said when she could finally turn back to him. "I''d like to make sure I understand the tour plans."


    "Of course, Lady Ling, Miss Hanyi. It''s been a pleasure."


    ***


    "Seasonal chestnut imports."


    There was a faint skepticism to the words.


    "Indeed, Lady Cai." Ling Qi¡¯s hands were clasped in front of her. Bowed at precisely the correct angle, it allowed her growing hair to hang past her face and give cover to her small smile.


    She might enjoy causing Cai Renxiang to wear that particular expression a little too much.


    Her liege set her quill down and steepled her fingers in front of her. "Because that is what was being roasted when the winter spirit came upon you."


    "Correct, Lady Cai."


    Renxiang closed her eyes and breathed out. "Very well. I expect you to have the trade requisition for the specific breed of chestnut used, as well as the yearly cost estimates of the import given route tariffs, filed in full by tomorrow morning."


    Ling Qi''s smile vanished. "Um..."


    "Baroness Ling has surely considered the full needs of her request on the journey home after all," Cai Renxiang said blandly.


    ... Well, that wasn¡¯t fun at all. Since when did Renxiang hit back?!

 Threads 422 Shenglu 1

    Threads 422 Shenglu 1


    Ling Qi was going to have to adjust her strategy in the future.


    "But that aside, the mission was successful, and you did not damage your health?"


    "I have put some strain on my meridians and body but no more than is required for recovery,," Ling Qi reported, straightening up. "I will need to be on light duty for a day or two."


    "All the better, given your tasks. I believe the requisition should only be needed by the week¡¯s end given that Sir Bao has a small supply for our immediate needs."


    She wasn''t getting out of her assigned paperwork.


    "A few days in the manor will do me well. I suppose I can begin organizing a place for my family, too. I have to say, I am impressed with the quality of the construction."


    Cai Renxiang leaned back in her chair. "I am pleased with the results myself." Together, they looked out of the window which peered through the mist at the rising town center. "We are growing far more quickly than a normal settlement. It is best to begin this way given the speed of our growth."


    Normally, a small hamlet would use much more rustic styles and materials, but they were not going to be a small hamlet for very long. In the end, this was a great investment of the Cai clan, putting a population hub directly on the route to the summit location. They were tied to that success in so many ways.


    "Housing is still being allocated. Would you care for something detached, or would you like a manor wing?" Cai Renxiang asked. It was rare to see her smile, but looking out over the town managed to make the stoic girl''s lips curve up.


    "Is that viable?"


    "A baron¡¯s manor is meant to house their clan, as well as settlement administration. I have none to house and will not in the near future. Gan Guangli has already elected to take a plot outside the manor for his needs. Xia Lin is not bringing anyone," Cai Renxiang replied.


    "It would save us from having to import more domestic staff," Ling Qi said. She did like the idea. "And integrating the panic room I commissioned from Xuan Shi would be best suited to the manor."


    "Then do so. Give the dimensions to the architects, and we will find a place for it in the ongoing digging."


    Ling Qi nodded, stepping away from the desk to sink into one of the chairs arranged around the office. "I''ll go this evening then. What are our plans, now that the city center is set up?"


    Cai Renxiang considered the question. "I will have to convert much of my allowance into usable resources, as the reserves purchased by Xia Lin and yourself have finally run dry. I will see a portion of that replenished to your clan coffers, of course, now that my funds are not so constrained."


    "I never had any doubts." Ling Qi shrugged. This was going to be her home; she had never been troubled by investing into it. "That explains all the traffic still coming in though."


    "Bulk storage rings would reduce the load, but they are a frivolous expense at this point in our development," Cai Renxiang agreed. "For now, the main task is a proper propitiation of Snowblossom Lake, if you feel you have recovered enough."


    Ling Qi thought of her confrontation with the Weeping Mother, and then the somewhat alien but warm curiosity she had encountered in her first contact with Snowblossom Lake''s spirit.


    "I see. Yes, I am. I would have thought you would want to develop the administration more first."


    Ling Qi hummed. "You know... I was cultivating my offensive arts out on this journey, and while I feel I''ve refined it conceptually, that''s different from practice."


    Cai Renxiang turned her head to look at Ling Qi over her shoulder.


    "It''s been a long time since Gan Guangli, you, and I have sparred, hasn''t it? Xia Lin might appreciate some team building, too. Light contact, of course."


    "Team building, I see," Cai Renxiang said dryly.


    Ling Qi gave her an innocent look.


    "Some recreation may be in order,¡± the other girl allowed. ¡°There is time in the schedule, and it will create confidence among the garrison if allowed to be witnessed."


    "Lady Cai is wise."


    "I wonder." Cai Renxiang peered over the town center, still filled more with the bustle of construction, rather than populace."You were being facetious. But we will soon need to fight together. We will not be in the van, but we are not going to be far behind. I strongly suspect Mother intends for us to earn more traditional honors in the offensive."


    "It will certainly firm up our position in a way no one can challenge," Ling Qi said.


    Her thoughts flashed back to the vast underground territory of the ith where they would soon be going to make war. It was going to be a nightmare. She had only seen the edges of war, the ripples and memories and scars it left in its wake. But even this had left her with no illusions.


    But it was a nightmare they would have to endure and survive, and no amount of brooding or overthinking would change that. At the end of the day, the Celestial Empire was a martial society, and martial achievement was prized more than diplomatic.


    "So, all the more reason. Next week... The sixth day?"


    "So, you have been paying attention to my timetables," Cai Renxiang said. "Yes, that will do."


    "The question is the format. Pairs, you think? We haven''t gotten to fight on the same side since the caldera."


    Cai Renxiang turned to fully face her, one eyebrow raised as high as it would go.


    "For one round,¡± Ling Qi said defensively. ¡°We can switch it up after. I''d like to test my arts beyond renewing them when you strip the effects off."


    "I didn¡¯t say anything. Rotating pairs will be sufficient. Now, Lady Ling, I believe you should head to the archive and begin researching that import route."


    Ling Qi sighed. She REALLY wasn''t getting out of that.

 Threads 423 Shenglu 2

    The mist roiled with swirling snows, filling the courtyard with leeching cold. Frost hardened the packed dirt to stone and crawled up the columns supporting the peaked roof over the open viewing deck which overlooked the training field. In the courtyard, nothing could be seen, only the blank white of deepest winter.


    Suddenly, it split, and a crescent of wind and metal and light erupted from its depths. The wind screamed, the frozen ground split...


    And two immense metal palms caught the arc of light. The ear-splitting whine of a dozen rotating blades grinding against steel drowned out the melancholy piping carried on snowy gusts. The giant whose hands had caught the crescent blade bellowed, his stance low and widely set. Shoulders trembled as sparks of light sprayed from between his palms. Then, a blinding star bloomed above his back, a merciless star of colorless light like a banner raised high over the giant''s head.


    A sphere of light bloomed, shrank to a pinprick, and lanced out in an all-consuming blaze.


    The snows and mist were consumed in radiance, and Ling Qi shifted her qi from emanations of ice to dream, sliding through the skien of realities and dragging Xia Lin with her, just the briefest skim through the kaleidoscope of unformed dream. When she rematerialized on frost slick ground, she was already playing the first notes of her aria. The wind howled the coming of winter, and frozen wind blasted out in a wide circle, catching Gan Guangli as he turned. A surprised shout rang out as his gleaming white armor was caked in frost and rime, sending him reeling back as metal squealed and muscles and qi seized.


    Xia Lin was at her side, halberd freed from Gan¡¯s grasp by the jump through the liminal, her legs already bending into a low crouch. Her leap was a detonation. It cratered the earth for two meters around and cracked the dirt for twice that, and it ripped at Ling Qi''s hair and gown. Xia Lin split the aria¡¯s snowstorm with a chain of thunderclaps as she aimed her halberd at Cai Renxiang floating high above.


    If Ling Qi could not set up, their bid to win this spar was doomed, and so, their roles were clear.


    Cai-wrought halberd met Cai-wrought saber with a shockwave and a metallic ring like a grand temple gong.


    And as ice groaned and shattered and Gan Guangli''s thundering stride approached, Ling Qi finally reached the refrain of her song, reducing the field to a featureless white once more. Gan Guangli raised both fists to shield the slits in his helm as the snow sought to bury him. He still strode forward, but he did so slower, and slower with each passing step.


    Ling Qi knew better than to think he was down already even if she could feel his qi leeching away. She pushed her foot against the ground and leapt back just as a golden hand larger than her whole body slapped down palm first where she had stood. The air screamed, and she darted aside, spinning past a second palm of blooming gold, and then shot upward, rushing to the height limits of the match to avoid the grasp of the third.


    Light lanced out again, and her world became radiance. She felt the heatless light, shredding the construct of her song and silencing its notes. With an effort, Ling Qi stepped aside again, reappearing on the earth with only a few sizzling hairs. Cai Renxiang spun in midair, reorienting to meet Xia Lin''s attack, whose position, too, had been transposed mid-swing. Light pulsed, and the blade of her halberd rang as it sliced a line across Liming''s silken surface, hardened with armor of radiance.


    Then, Cai Renxiang''s free open palm lashed out, seeming to gently brush Xia Lin''s breastplate. Metal crumpled inward, and her partner hit the earth with a crack just as thunderous as her leap, faster than even Ling Qi could transpose them again. At the same time, Gan Guangli''s near frozen limbs flexed, molten golden and colorless light twining together to clad him in blazing solar armor, and his fist descended like a meteor.


    It struck the earth, and snowflakes scattered as Ling Qi reappeared in midair across the field, already grasping the gorget of Xia Lin''s armor and flinging the recovering girl away as the crater her body had made in its unceremonious landing was consumed in a column of radiance. To her credit, Xia Lin was already reacting, drawing her legs back into a sprinting stance and gathering wind about her feet as she drew her halberd back into a guard position.


    Fists. The sky was filled with golden fists, above, below, around.


    Ling Qi was back on the ground, the afterimages left behind by their emergency dodge shattering into so much glittering ice under countless thunderous impacts. Ling Qi sang, and the scattered snow returned, and Xia Lin''s feet blurred, impacting platforms of solid air as she blazed a skirmishing circle around Cai Renxiang from the perch in the air where she had reappeared, quick, cutting blades of wind and steel forcing their liege on guard, at least for a moment.


    The fading snows renewed as her fingers danced across the ice-wrought flute held to her lips. This time, the delay was enough. A darting crescent blade met an overwhelming saber a dozen and a hundred times, light and fleeting clashes just enough to avoid the saber¡¯s crushing weight.


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    At that, Xia Lin''s shoulders straightened. Her damaged armor squealed loudly as steel uncrumpled, returning to its pristine shape.


    Ling Qi chuckled and climbed to her feet herself. "I told you I would struggle to get my newly refined art up in a spar with you, Lady Cai."


    "And that is well enough. It is a deadly threat, even with my arts keeping it suppressed. I could not let you complete that song."


    Ling Qi pursed her lips, letting her temporary flute blow away in a cloud of snowflakes. "I would not wish to use the final technique in a spar."


    "I shall thank you for that." Gan Guangli winced.


    "The repositioning tactic you suggested was most effective," Xia Lin analyzed, raising her hand to her chin. "If disorienting. I can imagine many uses for all of us. Perhaps we should perform some drills with this technique?"


    "That may be a good cooldown exercise. Moving and repositioning all of you will be more draining mentally."


    "If it is a tactic you intend to use regularly, I suggest we all acclimate ourselves to it."


    "A fine idea," Cai Renxiang replied to Xia Lin. ¡°My own arts should make the information processing less difficult and inure against the disorientation, but better to ensure there are no conflicts in the qi patterns before attempting to combine them."


    Cai Renxiang''s rigid light and the formless chaos of her dream qi... Oh, yes, that might take some work to get them to function together.


    "That''s probably for the best," Ling Qi agreed.


    "Then, we will adjust the itinerary. From now until year''s end, weekly spars will be followed by cooldown mobility exercises using Baroness Ling''s movement art in tandem with my command art," Cai Renxiang said crisply, letting her voice carry. "We must all hone ourselves to our utmost."


    The eyes on them, some subtle from the manor windows, some more openly gaping from the neighboring drillyard, certainly caught the other girl¡¯s words. It would raise morale to let everyone see what their protectors could do and motivate striving in the more ambitious.


    "Ah, perhaps we might allow a small break for meditation to restore our stamina first," Ling Qi said kindly. Both Xia Lin and Gan Guangli were looking haggard still.


    Cai Renxiang glanced over them all once. "Very well. A quarter hour rest, and then, we will determine the shape of the mobility drills. It was a fine spar, all of you. I am confident that we will succeed in incorporating this tactic into our strategies and be able to use it in the offensive against the ith."


    They¡¯d need every edge they could get.

 Threads 424-Shenglu 3

    threads 424-shenglu 3


    ling qi embraced hanyi tightly, her nose full of the wintergreen scent of her junior sister''s hair. said junior sister squirmed as she hugged her back, patting her shoulders. she could feel the increased chill as her sister¡¯s snow white cheeks flushed a dark blue.


    "c''mon, big sis. not in front of everybody!" hanyi whispered.


    ling qi snorted. she gave her sister a final hard squeeze before straightening up, resting her hand on hanyi''s head. they stood at the edge of shenglu where the temporary stables had been set up. workers and merchants passed them by with lowered heads. bao qian looked on, amused from the driver¡¯s seat of his wagon.


    "be well, my sister. perform your duties diligently, and bring honor to the ling clan on your journey."


    moons, she sounded so old, talking like this.


    ling qi rested both of her hands on hanyi''s shoulders, looked her in the eyes, and smiled.


    "and have fun, of course. don''t trouble sir bao too much."


    "i''m not going to trouble him at all!" hanyi whined.


    ling qi looked at her.


    hanyi looked back.


    ling qi held her gaze.


    her junior sister looked away. "... i''ll be good."


    ling qi ruffled her hair. "i know, little sister. see you in a few months."


    it still ached to let her family go, but it was a good ache in its way. she couldn''t keep hanyi tied to her hip.


    "i will do my best to keep your junior from a crooked path," bao qian said wryly. "and i bid you farewell, too, lady ling. the road goes ever on, but it leads back around in time."


    "it does. bao qian, thank you for taking care of my sister."


    he nodded cheerfully as hanyi climbed into the back of his wagon and pulled his driver¡¯s hat down more firmly on his head. with a tug of the reins, he got the horses moving, sending the wagon rumbling into motion as it left the yard and slowly turned to trundle down the road going north.


    ling qi remained where she was, unmindful of the respectful berth the mortals and low cultivators left around her, until the colorful vehicle began to vanish over the top of the nearest hill. only then did she turn to go, beginning to consider the work on her desk today.


    she had filed for the import route for the chestnuts, of course, but she also had to write back to several correspondents, file through the invitations lady cai had received for their visit to xiangmen for the duchess¡¯ wedding, and...


    near the gates of shenglu, she paused and turned her head, looking back over her shoulder at the northern road. she recognized that qi.


    wait. was that horse pink?


    no embroidery. no decoration. just clean beautiful silk and a thrumming, deep resonance of qi.


    fabric rustled. the sleeves billowed in a wind that was not there and that she had not made.


    longing. please.


    ling qi took a deep breath and stroked her thumb on the collar of the gown. she felt the silk purr like an affectionate cat.


    she set it¡ªher¡ªdown over the side of the bed and began to get changed.


    her gown fit perfectly, of course. it hung on her with the exact perfect weight, tight where it should be, loose where it should not. more than that, it was so much more present than the fine mortal weaves she''d been using.


    it felt like security. blows that she would need to twist around and dance and scatter herself to avoid in regular cloth would shatter uselessly against the cai gown¡¯srustling silk.


    she swept her fingers over the black silk and watched as whirling snowflakes and ice blue flower petals bloomed. embroidery emerged like the flashing scales of fish just under the surface of the lake.


    fur hems to match her mantle bloomed along her sleeves and at the bottom hem of the gown with a thought. the silk slippers rippled, expanding and thickening into a pair of rider¡¯s boots before just as easily and silently changing back into soft indoor slippers.


    ling qi hugged herself around the waist. "i have missed you."


    the silk thrummed, and through it, she felt a deep reservoir of darkness and wind like a pitch black night full crying breezes. what she felt and heard in the lonely songs of the night breeze weren''t words but feelings, more like the simple emotions of a child.


    embrace. warmth. love. love. want. home. home home home home home.


    silk and fabric clung to her skin, and she felt her qi drain precipitously like it was a glass of water being handed to a thirsty child. but she didn''t feel even a moment of fear. a simple chiding pull back on her energies was enough for the eager spirit to withdraw without question.


    she felt curiosity radiating out and a childish desire to please. the colors and patterns of her gown shifted and cycled rapidly through numerous dark hues and silver and white embroidery. her collar rose and fanned out. then, it shrunk and grew snug, a fur ruff appearing. a trailing train of lace and floating silk emerged from the lower half of the gown before it shrunk back down, an elegant and snug cut slit up to the knee for movement. wide sleeves. narrow sleeves. loose sleeves. bound sleeves.


    beauty. enhancement. soft? airy? mysterious? inscrutable? imposing? domineering! untouchable! powerful!


    "ah, tone that down. my heels do not need to be that high." ling qi patted at the swooping high collar that had bloomed behind her head. she kind of liked those elbow gloves, but... no! no. she looked like some kind of theater villainess.


    sad.


    "not right now," ling qi relented. "the fur ruff at the neck, the long mantle, snowflakes and flower petals, close cut... and flat heels!"


    saaaaaad.


    now, she was worried. her dress might just get on too well with sixiang.

 Threads 425-Shenglu 4

    whispering thoughts. soul shield. kin?


    "they are." ling qi smoothed the now glittering silks and watched the snow embroidery move like a living panorama over black silk. she could feel her bond with her gown spirit settling back into place, a firm connection, but more complex now. it was the difference between a single spun cord and a braided rope.


    her link with her gown went down into the foundations of her dantian where a cord of energy that glittered with an adamant white thread had anchored deep in her cultivation. it had anchored to the concepts she had been cultivating to build her nascent domain.


    it was power.


    threads, the cord binding her dress into the system of her qi, instinctively sought the flows which circulated with her meditations on the nature of power. it made sense. her dress, the most powerful talisman she owned even now, had always filled her with a sense of security. it was armor fit to turn aside blades and blows and to deflect fire or lightning. in it, she was always prepared for a fight. and if needed, it was her wings, which could carry her away from any threat.


    reality was never so absolute, but for her time in the outer and inner sect, that was the feeling that wearing this dress had given her. so, she understood how those ideas would resonate. choice, and its corresponding concept, agency, was rooted in power.


    gu xiulan, her friend, had been the one to force her to see that appearance was another weapon in one¡¯s arsenal. the way she chose to appear was an act of communication. and in changing how she was perceived, she opened or closed doors. this, too, was an act rooted in power.


    she really needed to write another letter to the other girl. she was aware there was some kind of disruption going on in the golden fields, but she was still worried about the gap in correspondence.


    secure. secure.


    her gown¡¯s communication was almost like a cat''s purring. the most outlandish affects of her outfit shrunk. her sleeves shrunk, becoming less dramatically swooping, and her heels¡ªthankfully¡ª sank back to the floor. she really didn''t need to be any taller, but a nice pair of high boots would not go amiss when they were outside or if she were flying. after all, she need not flash her ankles at all and sundry either.


    snug!


    the wings on her mantle fluttered, and the lights in her room wobbled and twitched in alignment, casting her shadow long against the wall.


    ling qi sighed, rubbing her fingers together through the supple satin gloves still covering her hands. they were rather comfy, and the faintly chiming, jeweled bell charms hanging from the delicate silver chain wrapped around her left hand fit over them nicely.


    happy!


    she could indulge a little.


    ribbons? ornament?


    she felt the fabric around her shoulders twitching, strips of fabric reaching for her hair.


    "later," ling qi said firmly.


    later!


    "ah! i do apologize, miss ling. i was too engrossed to notice your arrival. i see the fit is quite good! i was somewhat concerned that i had not taken your measurements since your healing.¡±


    "i won''t be shaped by such flames, not more than i can avoid," ling qi said.


    "a tempering cannot be avoided, but the flame cannot bring forth what is not in the ore." shu yue unwound their fingers from around lin hai''s hand as they turned to face her. "it is good that you are healing well."


    "thank you, shu yue," ling qi said. "i do wish that you had announced yourself. the staff outside were frightened."


    or not allowed themself to be felt at all, was the silent addendum.


    for the first time, ling qi saw a sheepish expression on shu yu''s face. long fingers scratched at their pallid cheek. "ah."


    lin hai chuckled warmly, leaning over and patting them on the shoulder. "my fault as well, friend. i should have warned you that your control was loose. it was such a pleasure to see you again that it slipped my mind. let us elders apologize to the young miss for the inconvenience."


    he smiled up at her while his eyes darted along the contours of her gown, obviously measuring the spiritual fit.


    "i will accept it, on my behalf and lady cai''s. and i thank you for your fine work. she is amazing.¡±


    "so, she did fully awake when you put her on. i suspected she would, but the moment can never be fully certain. a happy birthday indeed!"


    ling qi smiled. it was strange to think of it like that.


    "have you tried her alternate mode?"


    ling qi blinked. "her what?"


    ¡°her alternative mode,¡± lin hai repeated. ¡°well, you could say it is a battle mode, but i find that uncouth."


    ling qi¡¯s eyebrows raised. she looked down at her gown.


    lin hai leaned forward over the table eagerly. "just awaken your domain. she should follow along."


    her dress rustled cheerfully.


    ling qi breathed out, and mindful of the staff, she did not let her qi spill out too far. mist drifted from beneath the hem of her gown, crawling along the floor and shrouding her hands in soft, cool gray clouds.


    her dress changed.

 Threads 426-Shenglu 5

    threads 426-shenglu 5


    the silk shimmered and took on a metallic tinge. the sweeping lower hem tightened and split along the sides, slits rising to her calf as the slippers beneath transformed into supple boots, plated, shod, and riveted with silvery-steel. the same color bloomed out around the opening of her sleeves. silvery wire lace as light as clouds curled out like fractally spreading frost to guard her hands and crawled up her arms to thicken fabric with subtly inserted thin and flexible plates of moonsilver alloy. her mantle flared out behind her in an invisible wind, buoyed on her mist like the dark wings of a moth. and she felt her dress'' qi and her mist alike spin and weave together a veil of mist and liquid shadow fluttering over her face, held in place by a circlet of silver around her brow.


    the greatest change, perhaps, was to the lowest layer. the shift writhed against her skin into a form-fitting, dense meshed weave of black fabric from the bottom of her chin down to her ankles, and all the way to her wrists as well. it was a snug feeling, but not uncomfortable.


    lin hai looked pleased. "there is still some room for adjustment. i am sure you will want to decide what to do with your hair. as great as my ability to weave and stitch is, metals are simply better for holding armor formations. the combination of dusk steel, moonsilver, and xiangmen void silk is excellent, and i¡¯ve rarely had access to such quality."


    she was only half listening to him because she could feel her own qi roiling, a vortex of black wind and flashing silver, more potent than it should be. to her own senses, she felt like she was a full stage above what she truly was in cultivation.


    but she wasn''t. it was a projection, like a beast puffing out its fur to seem bigger than it was.


    "it is not like you to craft such an illusion," shu yue said clinically. their head tilted a little too far to be comfortable on a human neck. "only... ah, i see."


    "possibility,¡± ling qi murmured. ¡°potential. that''s what it''s drawing on, the same as my dreaming steps. she can make it real, briefly, fractionally, can''t she?"


    pride!


    "just so!" lin hai clapped his hands. ¡°the mode is draining; i''d not expect the dear to be able to do it often or long yet, but it is there, if needed. now that she¡¯s awake, she should be able to harden her own defense further against a limited number of blows, and her abilities will develop and grow like any child, but i think you will find her most useful even now."


    "far more than that," ling qi agreed. "what is her name?"


    "she does not have one just yet. i think it would be best for you to decide on it with her," lin hai said warmly.


    ling qi closed her eyes, hand resting against cool smooth silk. she focused on the slow rippling eddies of dark qi from the awakened dress. it was as both air and water, light and flowing, tinged with the taste of metal, like the silver reflection of the moon above. feeling that and the vibrant excitement that made that qi ripple with the eagerness to not only please ling qi, but to show off herself...


    "qiyi," ling qi decided, speaking the name aloud.


    lin hai¡¯s mouth dropped open.


    qiyi! me! best!


    "she is quite beautiful, but is that name not a little..." lin hai trailed off, rubbing his forehead.


    there was a rough sandpapery rasping sound, and shu yue''s shoulders shook.


    "fine silk, a fitting name for a partial sibling to precious turtle. you do hew close to your chosen theme." the unsettling rasping of the gangly shadow¡¯s laughter whispered up from the darkness between floorboards like many voices.


    "shu yue..." lin hai sighed. "well, it is your choice, and she does seem happy with it."


    ling qi tilted her chin up, unable to hide a smile. honestly, it would be a lie to say she didn''t somewhat enjoy the reactions to her naming sense at this point. lin hai looked at her with a fondly exasperated expression.


    "i suppose this master of all people cannot fault you for playing on other''s reactions." lin hai rested his hand on his cheek. "regardless, i first suggest¡ª"


    all three of them looked up.


    metal, light, and the whisper of the brush over a page. the sound of even footsteps descending the stairs came to her.


    "ah, so the young miss will be joining us," lin hai said wistfully.


    ling qi hummed. "it is time for her luncheon."


    she and gan guangli had combined their efforts to get cai renxiang to take a half hour break sometime in the midday. ling qi had thought it was fine if her liege just took tea and got some not immediately work related reading in, but gan guangli had insisted on a meal.


    children weren''t really so bad, she thought.


    ling qi spiraled down toward the boiling springs. there was little construction here yet beyond the formations carved to channel the geyser, just a rough log structure for scholars and scouts to rest in. the building could open on one side to allow zhengui to put his front legs and heads inside to discuss plans and theory with them, and it could be closed off when he wasn''t present.


    zhengui stood outside on the rocky hill with a handful of older men in the first and second realm and one could only be the geomancer.


    her first impression was that he was very old, but surprisingly spry. he was more broad shouldered than his kin with a thick frame bent by age, and he had long white hair and a beard wrapped by a dark green ribbon. an ornate headband woven with beads and decorated with three point antlers was atop his head. he leaned heavily on a thick crutch of wood that seemed more like a short living sapling than anything carved.


    he was already looking up as she descended. zhengui and his entourage swiftly followed his gaze.


    "big sister!" gui exclaimed happily. "mr. harmony of waters said you would be here soon."


    meng duyi contemplated her. "i did."


    "my apologies for not greeting you immediately, sir meng. it has been a day of many guests."


    "it is nothing. it was interesting to follow this web of flame and water beneath the earth."


    "mm! the boiling veins were already here. zhengui has just nudged and guided them."


    "hmph. gui is foolishly humble. this young lord took charge of the chaos with the help of his servants. this great work is but the foundation," zhen bragged. he tilted his head back proudly as the geyser erupted.


    "a vent of the pressure wrought by bringing these closer to the surface." meng duyi stroked his beard. "if these men had tried this without a spirit lord, you would have set the land itself alight, or at least sent this hill into the sky."


    the men around zhengui shuffled their feet nervously, and a rather elderly second realm bowed low. "although this one is classically educated, he was greatly enlightened by the young master. sir zhengui''s insight is keen."


    zhengui preened under the praise.


    meng duyi demurred. "this one can hardly be called familiar with constructions of fire qi, so this shall be a time of learning for this one as well."


    humble. self-deprecatingly so. he was only a step below sovereign. if he did not know every type of qi like the back of her hand, she would be shocked.


    ling qi? face hair? more ribbons?


    no, qiyi.


    sad.


    they could try some ornamentation around the neckline later.


    her dress hummed happily.


    "my lady and myself believe that we are best served by those with open minds. for the empire, this is all new land. being too tightly married to one paradigm does not serve us," ling qi said.


    "so i have heard," meng duyi agreed. "will you consent to walk with this elder through these lands, baroness? i would like to observe and speak about what is to be done here. i would welcome your brother¡¯s presence as well."


    he only hesitated for a breath over calling zhengui her brother, and seemed more curious than anything else.


    ling qi clasped her hands and bowed. "i would be delighted to show you around our lands and the spaces you will be working with, master meng."

 Threads 427-Shenglu 6

    "Gui would like to take a walk. Scholar friends, you can go back to the town if you like."


    "None shall dare trespass against those with my blessing," Zhen added haughtily.


    The old scholar bowed again. "As you wish, young master Zhengui. We will discuss today''s observations and present you with our findings on the morrow."


    Meng Duyi looked out over the lands between the Boiling Deeps Hill and the settlement growing on the lakeside, mostly farms and pastures.


    "I think a walk through the farmlands first would be a suitable start," Ling Qi proposed.


    "Gui has helped Miss Lake find all the right places for the little irr-ig-ation thingies to go," Gui boasted.


    She hadn''t known that.


    "Yes, that will do," Meng Duyi said thoughtfully. "Please lead on, Baroness."


    They descended from the higher rocky hills down to the winding dirt roads that wound through the pasture land. With winter beginning to roll in, the wandering flocks of cloudlike sheep were kept to the lower slopes by the shepherds. The farmlands were in a similar state of preparation. The fields had been harvested and were lying fallow, the work of processing and storage underway.


    The neat lines the farm plots were originally set up in had softened, small touches of personalization beginning to appear. In some, it was the color of the house. In others, a shed or a barn had been erected out of place, or a smaller field had been set aside for personal use, perhaps meant for herbs or lower output crops. Here and there, she saw animals: a goat, a cow, a handful of chickens, a dog, or a cat sleeping upon a windowsill. They were all the little signs that the people traveling to take up land in their fiefdom had come from somewhere else and had things and lives of their own.


    "Do you see the wells? I, Zhen, have already made arrangements with Miss Snowblossom. There is much water under the earth, but much of it is filled with fire and poisonous to the mortals. This wise young lord saw to it that only clean reservoirs were pierced."


    "Many forget that not all waters are sweet nor able to be cleansed with only an hour bubbling over a fire," Meng Duyi said agreeably, trailing at Zhengui''s side. "Still waters especially are often poisonous in one way or another. It pleases me that this has been watched for. It shall make the mining in the region dangerous though, if there is truly so much fire under the earth."


    "The stinky air that goes bang when there is a spark, yes," Gui grumbled.


    Ling Qi grimaced despite herself, remembering their early experiments with creating gardens.


    Meng Duyi stroked his beard. "It is not only the burning which is dangerous. When air stoked with fire ignites and burns itself out, a hollow is left. Emptiness rushes to be filled, and what once rested around and above will collapse inward. However, this is not as bad as a sustained burning under the earth, which may taint lands for generations. In the same way, land too saturated with water will sink all that rests upon it. One must be careful of the balance of elements beneath their foundations and in their soils. So, too, may opposite elements clash..."


    "Miss Snowblossom is nice, even if Gui thinks she is a little clammy."


    "Hold your insolent tongue, foolish Gui," Zhen hissed. "She has been most kind in showing us how to weave fire and water. Next, you will say Big Sister is bad because she is cold!"


    "Big Sister is brisk! It is different!"


    "Less of a problem here, perhaps," Meng Duyi said quietly, turning to her as Zhen and Gui fell to bickering. "Tell me, what is the intention for irrigation through this region?"


    "We have held off on more than planning. Lady Cai has spoken of a trunk and branch arrangement. It will probably be a dug channel to divert waters from the lake down along the outer lines of the farmland with smaller branches for each farm."


    "Hmm, I do not know that this is well. Waters once poured into the lake have changed their nature," Meng Duyi said. "You would do better to imitate what you have done with the manor of this place. Create a dike above, dividing a section of the river, a dug channel to create another fall, and carefully arrange for a smooth flow of energies in the resulting stream as it wends through these hills and rejoins the river further north."


    "I am surprised you would suggest the larger deviation from the natural state of things, Sir Meng."


    "Gui is sorry Mister Harmony of Waters has reasons to be sad," her little brother consoled.


    "I, Zhen, will provide excellent hosting, so that his mind might be put at ease. Come! We should walk. The shore awaits us."


    "I suppose it does. Master Meng, let me show you toward the waterfront as it''s where we''re focusing our construction efforts on right now. While we walk, would you speak on anything you see as errors in our current layout?"


    "The road built by the Wang is contrary to our principles in its depth, straightness, and the way that its builders chose to displace the earth rather than build with it," Meng Duyi replied as they resumed their walk. "However, this one recognizes their expertise, and it is set in the land. The flow of yang energy which pulses down from the north will simply have to be acknowledged and worked into future construction. These frozen lands are heavy in Yin, so balancing it should not be impossible."


    Ling Qi paid close attention to the master''s words.


    "Your forestry is not sustainable. It consumes too much in one region, and the replanting is neither aligned with natural principle nor arranged with sufficient order to become a ¡®tree farm,¡¯ as modernists call it." She saw his lip curl, a hint of dislike reaching his face. "The stunted things these practices produce are why the Emerald Seas shall never lack demand for its lumber. Regardless, the small size of the current operation prevents it from being a serious issue. Should you expand it, I will explain the principles and aid you in educating your loggers in proper selection and replanting methods."


    "The lands we take timber from now will likely be in the settlement proper within a decade or two as well," Ling Qi replied.


    "Yes. I would suggest considering a more permanent operation. Even our cities are endlessly hungry for wood despite a solution for mortal heating."


    "What do you burn then?" Gui asked.


    "There is a material called peat that burns well, though it sometimes contains fell energies from the Red Jungle when harvested in lands too close to it. You will not find it in lands so dry as these. This comes to the next item at issue. I sense that you have moved from your original quarry site already?"


    "The original pit proved less suitable than we hoped, but we are still using it for the making of gravel filler," Ling Qi answered.


    "That is well. Abandoned quarry sites are often left to the wind and rain. As open wounds in the earth, the pools that form in them are often toxic. Here, they certainly will be. This poison may then overflow and seep through the earth to infect other water sources. You must take care of this site. There are proper rites for cleansing a quarry one is finished with. It is possible to make natural ponds of them, but this would require more than simply letting the rain do its work if you do not wish to find what pestilence may brew in such stagnant waters."


    Ling Qi nodded seriously. They had crossed from the dirt path to the gravel trail which wound down to the paved road which led around the lake now, and the material crunched underneath Meng Duyi''s boots.


    Ling Qi had to gently swat the creeping ribbons which reached out of her sleeves to probe and explore. Qiyi was getting bored.


    "Similar warnings may be said of mines," Meng Duyi finished.


    They were nearly at the road now, looking out over the serene surface of Snowblossom lake.


    "Gui does not know as much about these things," her brother said. "So Gui will thank Mister Harmony for the lessons."


    Meng Duyi nodded. "Now, before we turn our attention to the lake, I would ask the Baroness a question."


    "I will answer as I may."


    "In these early days as I nudge your workers toward correct action and the lesson plan coalesces, I will have time. Where would you and your lady prefer that I focus my attention? Matters of growth and life, or the yield of stone and metal?"


    Ling Qi considered the question. "I think the proper ways of dealing with diggings and delvings in a place where the earth is so lively will help the most. We have done little of it yet, but that just means your preparations and lessons will place us in good stead when we do."


    Meng Duyi tapped the twitching root tips at the base of his staff upon the gravel. She felt the subtle ripples of his qi traveling through the earth, mapping, or speaking, in his own way. "As you wish."

 Threads 428-Shenglu 7

    "I suspect time for lessons will be limited until the offensive ends,¡± Meng Duyi mused. ¡°Is it known whom I will teach?"


    Ling Qi bowed her head. "My little brother. I ask you to include Cai Renxiang as well. She wishes to learn to ensure that she can understand the infrastructure needs of her more traditional subjects in order to properly administer the settlement."


    Meng Duyi stroked his beard. He looked at her, and Ling Qi straightened up as the weight of his gaze grew much heavier. The full attention of a greater cultivator could not be ignored. "She did not order you to say that."


    "She indicated interest, but she did not."


    "Acceptable. And interesting."


    "Ah, Zhengui has a request for Mister Harmony, too! Our scholar-friend, Mister Crinkled Pages, would be good to teach! He is good at helping Zhengui with small and fragile things, and Zhengui wishes to do something nice for him! His human name is, um... Fen Xiang. Is this okay with Big Sister?"


    She tilted her head. In truth, she did not have a strong idea of what other students to bring on, so she hardly minded. "If Sir Meng would not be opposed to lower realm students...?"


    "What I aim to teach here does not require any great might, though weight of spirit may make the lessons more effective. This is your boon, Lady Ling. Spread it among your household, kin, and fellows as you wish."


    Assuming she didn''t request him to directly teach a member of another comital clan, she supposed nothing taught by the geomancer would be a truly dire secret of the Meng clan. Perhaps Mother would...? Well, she¡¯d need to speak with her first.


    "That gives us three students so far. For now, Sir Meng, let us go to the shore. The reason we requested your presence now is because we are embarking on a major project, the establishment of rites and a temple to the spirit of the lake. I have studied methods and spoken to the spirit previously, but I would like expert advice when proceeding with our project."


    "Sensible. Let us walk along the lake''s edge, so that I may get a better feel for the nature of these waters."


    They crossed the main road and strolled down the grassy slope toward the yet undeveloped section of the lakeside. Meng Duyi did not not hesitate to let his feet squish into the dark mud on the shore, to push through the rushes that grew there, and to let the waters lap over his ankles. She followed him, though her steps were lighter, leaving the mud untouched and the water rippling gently under the soles of her boots. Zhengui remained behind them, respectfully... or bashfully? Either way, the mud steamed under his tread, and he did not follow them further onto the lapping waters.


    Meng Duyi only stopped when he was knee deep in the waters, planting his sapling-like stick in the mud. He closed his eyes, and breathed deeply. The lake¡¯s qi responded. Moisture in the air was taken in with his breath, cycled through his meridians, and then exhaled, dense with his own qi, a gift freely given to the lake and a greeting all in one. She felt the water ripple in contentment.


    "Fortune favors you to find such a calm and kind lake in these harsh lands," the geomancer said. "Even the spring melt is but a lapping ripple to this one in these lands where the ice never vanishes fully."


    "I have been most honored that she has accepted us so kindly on these shores and raised bounty from the depths for our benefit," Ling Qi acknowledged. "And so, I want to ensure that she is properly honored in turn."


    "Your sincerity is felt." Meng Duyi reopened his eyes. "I have the shape of this spirit in my mind now. She is content as things are, but there are many acts a settlement could do to change that. This purity and kindness could easily grow tainted. You said you were laying the plans for rituals? A temple?"


    "Yep!" Gui chirped from the shore.


    "It will be as resplendent as Lady Snowblossom herself," Zhen insisted.


    Meng Duyi chuckled. "A harsh bar you set yourself, young master. Come, Miss Ling. There are others who will need to be involved in these talks as well, no?"


    "Yes," Ling Qi agreed. "And I may as well show you to the quarters we have prepared for your arrival. This way, Master Meng."


    "Well... I think she would be the tutelary god of our settlement, Shenglu, wouldn''t she?" Ling Qi asked. "Together with Zhengui, the two of them would be the center of the local spirit court, the focus around which our rites revolve."


    Zhen hissed, squirming in her grasp. What was agitating him so? Meanwhile, Gui let out an uncharacteristic mocking snort toward his other half.


    "A fine choice, but one with side effects. In this focus, the lake itself will grow ever more distinct from the river which she is fed by, the watercourse which runs across the breadth of your land," the geomancer cautioned. "Thus, you will divide the upper and lower river, and you will likely need rites to propitiate both separately."


    "Then, a method which treats the whole of the watercourse as one great entity might be better for the stability of transport and movement across the fief," Cai Renxiang said. "Is this possible?"


    "The river, neither upper nor lower, has not developed a separate sense of self. So it is. However, there would be a cost to this proposed focus as well. If Snowblossom were to be a central god of Shenglu itself, Lake Snowblossom would grant Shenglu, your city on its shore, many benefits and blessings, assuming devotion and right action remain in good stead. The other method''s more impersonal and larger spirit would not be so sensitive to human behavior."


    "Relatively speaking," Ling Qi said.


    "Relatively," Meng Duyi agreed.


    "There would probably be further benefits to river trade, milling, and other activities along the water¡¯s course," Cai Renxiang mused. "In either direction, it is a harsh trade off. I assume it would be ill advised to try and snatch both peaches in this case."


    "No good comes from dithering with in-betweens when deciding on matters of this import."


    "I, Zhen, think Lady Snowblossom would be best on her own as the guardian of the shores," the snake half said with great dignity.


    "Gui thinks either is fine, but letting her sprawl out and get wide is good, too!" This earned his other half a poisonous glare.


    Ling Qi pondered her little brother¡¯s behavior before her eyes widened. Oh, what she had suggested... That was... Oh. Spirits! Her little brother was much too young!


    No, wait, he wasn''t human, and treating him like one was inappropriate... Ugh, she was not equipped to think of these things.


    Comfort. No sad! Brother big. Good. Lake big. Good.


    At least her dress was warm. And very simple.


    No tying self up. Bad sister.


    Maybe her dress was getting more articulate already.


    Meng Duyi regarded her with a creased brow, a mixture of confusion and befuddled amusement on his face. She let out a huff, turning her eyes to the others. Gan Guangli was oblivious. Cai Rrenxiang merely raised a brow.


    Ling Qi put any implications of her little brother¡¯s love life out of her mind. "We should decide our purpose."

 Threads 429-Snowblossom 1

    Cai Renxiang laid out the positions. "There are arguments for both foci. If relations between the Celestial Empire and the White Sky develop as we hope, the river route may become very important, but currently, all goods are flowing in and against the stream rather than out, so trade benefits are not urgent. Particularly upriver."


    Gan Guangli rubbed his chin. "Yes. Even in the best case, we are some years from making use of it."


    "There is also the effect on Snowblossom lake''s personality, especially if she takes those wild rivers into her being," Ling Qi analyzed.


    Meng Duyi grunted in approval. Had he left that out to test her?


    "Mmm. Gui thinks it would be okay if Miss Snowblossom was more energetic. Sister or Gui could calm her down."


    "Her serene elegance is fine as it is! So says I, Zhen."


    They stared each other down in her arms. An actual spark landed on Qiyi, earning them each the sharp slap of a sprouting ribbon.


    Zhen glared at her dress. "Rude!"


    "Silk Sister is feisty enough for everyone," Gui grumbled.


    Bad. No yell. Be good brother.


    "It might not be a huge effect, but I prefer the curiosity and friendliness at the center of the town to a colder and more distant regard, let alone any wildness that may emerge from the river''s inclusion." Ling Qi opined. "And even with our fast rate of expansion, Shenglu will be the center of activity for our fief for a long time. Even when it begins to find its own feet, it will be sending resources to the newer and smaller outlying settlements we build."


    "A fair point," Gan Guangli said. "It would be more work later perhaps, but said work will have a better foundation behind it."


    "Agreed," Cai Renxiang decided. "What are our next steps then?"


    "O great lake, daughter of the distant glacier for whom ice itself blooms, who has accepted the name Snowblossom, as spoken in mortal tongues, and who has generously slaked our thirst and fed our bellies," Ling Qi intoned, pulsing her qi to draw attention, limning herself in silvery radiance. She gazed up into the dark and serene waters around them, and felt something stirring. "We, the people of your shore, come to you now to speak and to know."


    Eyes opened in the vastness of the waters that surrounded them. Humanlike ones were shot through with frozen blue light and formed from cloudy silt churned from the lakebottom. Fishlike black ones yawned like voids into the abyss. Then there were the slitted reptilian pupils and fractal crystals of light...


    Even this was only her own mind¡¯s conception of Snowblossom''s attention. Her own growth in clarity rendered the presence more alien than less, as she was able to see more of the inhuman vastness of the being before her, and it was her effort which wove the terrifying, all-surrounding attention and translated it into something more understandable for her companions.


    In the end, the rawest form of truth was not always the best. To her first realm companions, there was but a single pair of great eyes in the darkness, formed from pale blue waters and shot through with fading sunlight. The eyes were human in shape with schools of glittering fish for irises and glowing flames reflecting their torches for pupils. The lines of a feminine face around the eyes was reflected in the currents around them.


    Just as she translated the lake¡¯s attention for her companions, so, too, did her spirit whisper back to Snowblossom of the vision and of what humans found fair or foul and awesome or terrifying.


    Countless eyes shifted and flowed and merged and split around her, and the two she translated for her companions sparkled with the curiosity that fell on Ling Qi as a prickling, probing weight.


    Why come, little swimmers? Fish are plenty, waters cool, and mortal whispers ¡®pon the shore. Winter comes. Do not little hands need dig burrows, seal larders, prepare to sleep, or fly, fly away to warmer winds?


    Ling Qi felt her temples throb, a vein pulsing under her skin as she worked to translate the crush of information down into something so clear. She saw images of men on flying horses flying away, of people digging little holes and building up huts of turf and grass before wandering away to follow herds in later days, of shining fish and rippling waters, and countless years swimming by at speeds that made her mind ache.


    "We come to give our thanks for your benevolence and to deepen our relationship. We offer you gifts and sovereignty, intertwined with that of the young prince of the High Garden. Most of us will not come or go. Your shore will be our home through all the passing years."


    She was still uncomfortable with the idea of a spiritual union, but Zhengui wasn''t opposed to the idea.


    The rates of rainfall and condensation and observed fertility of the soil for the past six thousand years was crammed into her too small mind. It was less than the last deluge of information, but most still had to be flushed away before she could properly comprehend the response, lest she be erased by it.


    She snapped her fingers, and the two men behind her stepped forward. Heavy chains clanked as the iron chest held between them was lowered to the lake¡¯s floor and opened. In it were small treasures, the works of the people upon the shore, meticulously gathered from each household, atop a bed of richer reagents brought in by Cai Renxiang herself. Potent qi-charged clay and vials of rich waters from the most fertile regions of the empire served as representations of every component of the lake¡¯s qi.


    "These are for your great generosity so far. We would keep our relationship with you in perpetuity. We wish to have your blessings as the great lady and goddess of Shenglu and its surroundings."

 Threads 430-Snowblossom 2

    The lake gushed forth in response.


    Seeking? Health, prosperity, fullness, travel, beauty, reagents, cultivation...?


    Ling Qi grimaced, processing the glut of offers while maintaining her concentration on the technique which kept Snowblossom¡¯s curious probing at them all from bruising flesh and breaking meridians.


    "Your blessings and power are many," Ling Qi began.


    Tendrils of water washed over her feet, and she could feel Qiyi''s rapt attention on them as they slithered to grasp at objects and the chest as a whole. The chest rattled as various items were taken one by one down into the depths. After deciding on a temple design, Cai Renxiang, Gan Guangli, and herself had discussed what to ask of the spirit with the Meng geomancer advising them.


    "First and most greatly, we beg the blessing of qi to water the guardians of this place and to grow their strength in order to ensure that no strife comes upon the shores of Shenglu. For this, we offer in return that on three festival nights, the chosen shall go out upon your waters and offer you the fruit of their experience, the sharing of memory and triumph and a return of a tithe.¡±


    Qi grew and multiplied in cultivation. Although it would take careful management, it would be possible to ensure that the offering, more complex than her spoken words implied, would ripple and buzz through the waters with the values and amounts promised. The rites and proto-cultivation art exercises would ensure that qi would be ritualistically expelled and returned.


    Waters shimmered in eager acceptance.


    "Secondly, we ask to set in contract the bounty of your waters, which teem with wealth of scale and bone and flesh, and permission to fish the great schools which flock freely under your waters. We ask bounties fit for all who will ply these waters from mortal shallows to immortal deeps. For this, we will give our prayers upon each casting of net or line or spear, and twice monthly, we will provide incense offerings upon our altar."


    Waters swirled in curiosity.


    Ling Qi sucked in a sharp breath and adjusted the skien of qi protecting her and her fellow cultivators as she was bombarded with ¡±body plans.¡± A deluge of trivia on structures, bones, muscles, and the qi composition of scale and bone and reproductive organs flooded her mind. She shuddered and forced the great majority of the information out of her head, leaving only the vague impression that the variety of marine life to be found under Snowblossom''s waters would soon explode.


    She had been right in her supposition. The bounty of fish had been what the lake had offered first, and it was what she wanted to offer. Snowblossom was happy that her first gift would be desired further.


    Lake Snowblossom certainly would have been wroth had her gift been ignored in these requests.


    "And lastly, we would beg for the healthiest and cleanest waters, building upon the blessings you have wrought in the veins of fire with the Prince of the High Garden, so that we may have sturdy bodies and spirits to endure the cold. For this and the rest, the prince offers his roots to drink the waters and draw your powers together. In addition, we offer our art, our hopes for the future, and temperate stewardship of your shores."


    Plants bloomed in the waters in delight. The impression of a network of roots spreading all across the land, a whole forest that was not one, but many in communion, was sent to her. @@@@


    This was the keystone. To make a spirit into a settlement god was not simple. To make it so, the god could not be distant and unknowable. It had to be bound by the same bond which held any member of a community together.


    It required that she bring a spirit to care for their flickering sparks. It was the work of mortal generations, if not immortal ones, but it was a task she would happily take up. While imperial rituals were neater and less maintenance-intensive, they resulted in spiritual relationships that were at a remove. For a hostile spirit, that could be fine. But Ling Qi had come to believe that when it came to a neighbor, a more personal relationship was required.


    As if mere deafness was the worst that the lake could do without meaning to.


    Ling Qi could feel the lake''s impatience at that. Snowblossom was curious. She wanted to poke and prod and speak with the little things who supped on her waters.


    "I beg Lady Snowblossom for your patience and your trust. I promise that I, or another who is able, will speak to you directly for at least one night every thirteen turns of the moon," Ling Qi placated.


    It was a tie, a limitation on her time, until she could train another to commune like this without breaking the contract, but one she would have to take on. Such a good relationship with a spirit could not be costless.


    The spirit''s presence swirled around them. The last of the offerings disappeared into the depths. Ling Qi felt her acceptance.


    Come. Sink Speaking Stone deep. Patience. Patience.


    Images of the world in time-lapse appeared. The lake waited, serene and unchanging, as clouds rushed by like comets, as plants sprung up and died, and as animals came and went. But now that the lake had tasted the warmth, its patience was limited. Lady Snowblossom would wait and be content, but not forever.


    "Give over the altar," Ling Qi ordered.


    Her companions murmured an affirmative and moved to the side of the boat. A pair of delicate feminine hands, slender and dainty, snaked out of the water, visible only where the torchlight met a curve or an angle. Those dainty hands snatched the stone altar and dragged it down into the dark, surrounded by hundreds of bubbles shimmering with the reflections of eyes.


    It was getting easier, she realized. The pressure was no less the alien attention of the lake''s full mind, but she understood better, by the moment, how to cycle her qi just so to deflect rather than resist the pressure and how to maintain this filmy bubble of identity keeping them from being made one with the lake.


    The two men with her were even subconsciously aware of the protection, and there was a loosening of tension in them.


    They fell back, and behind her, they knelt, too.


    "We give our thanks to Lady Snowblossom, goddess of Shenglu by the lakeside, giver of plenty and health, and sparkling waters of cold beauty." They echoed her as she spoke. "Our offerings are given, the contract is set, and our agreement is made. Under the light of the Moon and by the honor of the Celestial Court, let none shatter this covenant."


    The lake responded.


    Let none shatter this covenant. Water and earth intertwine. Heat and cold intertwine. Just as hearth and firmament intertwine, since the beginning of all days. Welcome, little ones.


    Ling Qi rose and offered her hands up to the vast eyes looking down upon them, and much larger, colder hands pressed down on hers in return. Her qi and the lake¡¯s qi mingled. A faint puff of crimson clouded the glassy hands, and a rush of ice spiked in her own veins.


    Her first true contract was complete.

 Threads 431-Snowblossom 3

    The fluctuation of pressure as their little ship slid out from the depths of the lake made her shake her had slightly, an uncomfortable pop going off in her ears. For her first realm companions, their shaking hands nearly dropped their now guttering torches. She caught their eyes over her shoulder and gave a small nod. They had done well in their small part. She hoped that going forward, they were ready for a larger one.


    The two of them straightened up under her gaze, and she returned to facing forward. They would have to hold their dignity for a while longer. After all, they still had to be received upon the shore.


    There were many, many more lights there, even now, hours had passed while they sailed in the hazy, half realm of water and mist out in the center of the lake. The sun was gone from the horizon, leaving only the moon overhead. Stolid torchbearers waited for them upon the docks, but far more lights belonged to the semi-impromptu festival that had sprouted up.


    The people of Shenglu town were few still, but there was enough. Farmers and their families mingled with fishers. While some hawked or swapped sweets and specialities in the streets, others smoked and grilled fish on impromptu wood stoves. Parades and dances took place in the streets, and everywhere, there were lanterns, held and carried, hung from eaves, or perched atop half-built foundations. It all shimmered through the mist, half a dream itself.


    Ling Qi pulled her eyes away from the town towards the manor, where she spied a twinkling star standing on a high balcony. Cai Renxiang was not the type to mingle with such a street festival, and Ling Qi had been forced to agree that her liege would probably only make their people uncomfortable by trying. Gan Guangli was Renxiang¡¯s face in the town, and he stood in the paved square now, belting out courageous tales with a half-dozen children dangling off his arms as he flexed and posed.


    But that didn''t mean Cai Renxiang couldn''t participate in her own way. Light bloomed and cut through the mist. Clear and bright, a single ray scattered the darkness to fall upon her and the ship. It caught on the carvings on the ice and limned them in a halo of radiance that lit their little ship like a pale bonfire on the surface of the lake. It drew everyone''s attention and drew them to the shore.


    Chaos became order, without losing much of the cheer. People lined up, raising their lanterns to receive them. The beam of light followed their ship, thinning and dimming as they approached the shore.


    Ling Qi considered the flows of the lake¡¯s qi still trailing and clinging to them and her own slowly dissipating qi, which had diluted it, preventing the spirit¡¯s presence from becoming a crushing prison or unintentional poison. She understood the purpose of the spirit seekers and their art which she had so slowly practiced. She also understood why it had not been a popular art. In it, there was very little concrete technique and very little direct power or lessons to be found.


    It was as much a method of thinking, as cultivation. And the questions it asked were simple ones. What is the worth of your neighbors? Was it what you could take from them? What they could do for you? What you could accomplish together? Was it the safety of numbers? Was it in the danger they could ward off with their strength? What did it cost to be a good neighbor? How much could one ask before becoming a bad neighbor?


    But simple did not mean easy.


    Spirits were often not kind. They thought in ways sideways to mortals, with foibles that seemed to defy all sense sometimes. It was not always right to give a spirit what it wanted, and humans could not live without taking. No, that wasn''t quite right. Nothing lived without taking. Beasts preyed on each other or plants, trees drank greedily from the soil and strangled their rivals for light and water, rivers carved and carried away the land, and wind stole the stone of the mountains, one fleck of gravel at a time.


    Sacrifice.


    A human who could not hunt or fish or gather or farm would die. Was it good, then, to deny a human¡¯s workings if it meant not imposing on the spirits of the land? Of course not. The goal was not to avoid taking or changing at all, but to do so in a way that left both parties intact and prospering wherever possible. This, she thought, was the path Tsu had taken. And it was one worth emulating, even if deals wouldn¡¯t always go her way, or that others wouldn¡¯t always deal honestly with her.


    A good neighbor listens without spying, speaks without demanding, takes without dominating, and gives without submitting. Respect is the foundation of community.


    Looking upon the town on the shore and the people and their lights waiting there, she knew that if speaking with a spirit failed, she would fight for what was hers without hesitation. Soon, her mother and sister and household would be among them, and this resolution would only grow.


    "People of Shenglu, the goddess of the lake, our Lady Snowblossom, is pleased with your gifts and your devotion," Ling Qi announced as her helper priests took up the ropes thrown to them to begin pulling their ship into the prepared dock for the temple ship.


    Their current one was quite small, fit into the channel for its eventual replacement, the earth beat down and packed around the wood and stone docks. Ropes stretched between posts driven into the ground marking out where the temple structure would rise in the future. But for now, there was only the slosh of water and the creak and thump of the boat being dragged to dock under her voice and the whispers and sounds of the crowd.


    "Today, she blesses us and takes the mantle of guardian of Shenglu alongside my brother, Zhengui!"


    Cheers abounded, the happiness and relief of a people knowing that something was settled and safe. It was the lifting of the pressure that came from uncertainty. There was still much to worry over, living on the frontier, but they could content themselves in knowing they had some small control of their lives through their devotions to the lake they lived beside. r?A?O??¦¥s


    "And now, let all be merry, for the night is yet young. There shall be a day of rest tomorrow, as these gentlemen and I spread to you the proper rites for our Lady Snowblossom, so be free with yourselves, and enjoy the fruits of your works!"


    She smiled to herself as the crowd roared and began to break up, going back to the festivities.


    Her eyes turned to the junior priests. "You two should rest as well, once the altar is set back on the shore. Your composure held well. I will continue to instruct you going forward."


    She would forgive the slight dread in their eyes at her promise.


    She could be a difficult teacher after all.


    "We will need to make a small adjustment to the maintenance wards, but the breakdown effect is most potent when the mist is contained like this. Meng Duyi has already drawn us up some notes for the adjustment."


    "Excellent. I will have them copied and distributed to the work crews by evening." Cai Renxiang made a note. "We will consider plans for how to gather the mist at an effective cost. Is it toxic to mortals?"


    "It would only be toxic if they remained immersed in it for some time. For the single hour in which it naturally exists? No."


    "Good. Xia Lin?"


    "My investigation took me near the initial lumbering area, where the workers reported a strange fog in the middle of the day," Xia Lin said crisply, fully professional now. "The source was a patch of dull gray clay which appears to have overtaken the mundane deposit in the area. It is very cold to the touch, painfully so for a mortal, but it is as soft and pliable as regular clay at normal temperatures. It retains these properties even when removed from the deposit."


    Ling Qi hummed. "Is it even possible to fire it then?"


    "Testing is underway. It seems to require two or three times the length of a normal firing, which is labor-intensive. Several batches were ruined, losing their properties."


    "I will see about acquiring expertise. For now, see what can be harvested. Is there only one deposit?"


    "No, there are several, arrayed around the lake shore. Most are much further from Shenglu."


    "I could see many benefits for cold storage if we can find the proper uses," Gan Guangli posed thoughtfully. ¡°That would have great benefits for the mortal¡¯s food stores, and many other things besides."


    "A high priority," Cai Renxiang agreed. "Gan Guangli?"


    "Ah! Of course!" He rose from his chair and spread his arms out, as if to embrace them all. Then, there was a faint pop of displaced air.


    Ling Qi stared.


    "Do I need to rally the guards?" Xia Lin asked blankly.


    In Gan Guangli''s arms was a massive, fat fish. It must have been over two meters, closing in on three, from head to tail. Its scales were a dull muddy brown shading into a bright verdant green in irregular spots and around its head, which was thick with bony jade green plating, which extended to the rubbery whiskers which dangled from its jaw.


    "Catfish! The men are calling them ''jadehelms¡¯!" Gan Guangli enthused. "They are quite meaty fellows!"


    "I have no reports of anyone being hurt," Cai Renxiang said. "Docile?""


    "Not quite, but the ones in our fishing zone are mostly a meter or less. I did have to go out quite deep to find this fellow, who was actually a red realm spirit beast." Gan Guangli made the fish disappear back into his storage. "Most interestingly, beyond the bounty of meat, the bones of their skulls have proven to take to bone carving quite well. The bone also has some wood qi properties, but the full extent is unclear. The beast''s mucus also has some minor medicinal properties, but we will need a proper alchemist to find more than that."


    "We do have a handful of junior alchemists amongst our hires from Xiangmen. With all of these findings, it may be best to give them a space to work soon," Cai Renxiang said thoughtfully.


    "We do still have that pill furnace of mine," Ling Qi offered, thinking fondly back to the time she robbed Yan Renshu for all he was worth and then some.


    "We do. One will likely be enough at this stage," Cai Renxiang agreed. "These are everyone''s findings?"


    They all gave their assent.


    "Then, I will bring these matters to the advisor Baroness Ling has seconded to Shenglu and begin producing plans. Baroness Ling, you are dismissed. I know you spoke of a matter of personal cultivation."


    Ling Qi nodded and stood, glancing at the pond and the little tortoise swimming there. All joking aside, there was a conversation she needed to have with Zhengui.

 Threads 432-Green 1

    She found Zhengui in the midst of one of his patrols through the farmlands of Shenglu. His routes through these lands had become roads just by the natural effects of his tread, a wide path of packed earth, cleared of boulders and trees for his own convenience, and where he walked, even the grass had shifted to grow verdant and green along its edges rather than the clumpy patches that might catch a foot or wagon wheel. The earth itself was dark and baked by the heat of his shell to give firmer footing.


    Out here, her little brother did not restrain himself. He loomed over the land, a walking hill whose footsteps sent small tremors through the earth, some nearly eight meters from the front of his shell to the back. On his back was the mobile shrine he had described to her, much larger than the one which he had worn in their little family garden. Racks on racks of ceramic planters were set into metal piping affixed to his spiky shell, and they were filled with a menagerie of plants from the farms and town given in offering. He was a steep tiered field unto himself, and the rattling of the planters was matched only by the buzzing of the bees which flitted among the flowering plants, each one like a drop of liquid gold.


    She floated, Qiyi¡¯s silk rippling around her, toward him through the hazy, light flow of ash wafting off of him. The ash scattered on the breeze, carried out to the surrounding fields to fertilize the soil. since she was flying today, she''d let the dress grow out the train of her gown into a long fluttering thing that waved a good half meter behind her, little wisps of mist rising from it.


    "Big Sister!"


    "Come to see this young king''s walk today, Elder Sister?"


    My, Zhen''s haughtiness was reaching critical levels. She would have to tease him over it later, and gently deflate it, but now was not the time


    "I did. Do you mind if I join you, little brother?"


    "If sister comes around the front, Zhengui had his friends build a seat into the new model!"


    She circled lazily above him. Indeed, among all the flowers, there was a hollow set with a chair made of thin metal tubing and sturdy linen padding. She didn''t miss that it was surrounded by darker colored and more cold resistant plants, too.


    ... Zhengui really did love her.


    Ling Qi drifted down. "Don''t mind if I do then."


    Pretty, pretty, blooming bright, cold and white, sleeping blue!


    Her dress hummed as she settled into the seat. The embroidery on her gown crawled and shifted from wintry whorls to the outlines of petals and stylized white lines like sprouting shoots. Her sleeves expanded, sprouting lace and covering her hands.@@@@


    Ling Qi sighed, but let it go. She supposed the fanciness lent Zhengui more gravitas, too.


    "Everything fine since the ceremony?" Ling Qi asked.


    "Mhm! Miss Snowblossom and I have been chatting a lot. She likes hearing about the fields and hills, and even if swimming is no fun, Gui likes hearing about the fishes and the water plants down in the muck."


    "I, Zhen, have been carefully adjusting the release of my qi to better match and mingle with the water coming up from below."


    Zhengui¡¯s qi was certainly mingling with Snowblossom¡¯s, Ling Qi thought sardonically. Joking aside, the relationship between two symbiotic spirit lords wasn''t necessarily intimate in the way that a human would think of it. It could be, but right now, she was just giving herself weird feelings for no reason. Or more honestly, she was using this silliness to distract her from the more serious topic she had come to discuss.


    "I''m glad. You''ve really been prospering out here, haven''t you, little brother?" Ling Qi watched the land around them roll by. Even with his slow gait, the sheer length of his stride ate up ground.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Try veils and high boots after?


    Or at least a patient one. She supposed she could manage that.


    But Gui''s thoughtful silence belied no knowledge of that little aside.


    "Yes, Gui remembers. Diggy digging is not quite right, but it did not feel wrong either. Being a hidden stone was fun."


    "Tasty, juicy rabbits. They are never big enough anymore," Zhen lamented. "It is not the same being fake-small."


    "No, I suppose it isn''t."


    Ling Qi looked out toward the curve of the road ahead where it turned to pass around the row of farmland on their left to return toward Shenglu.


    The past was gone. Zhengui''s days of being small and near helpless were far behind him, but even that change came with good and bad. Time was. Change was. There was nothing more certain than the progress of time in the world.


    "Let''s see if we can''t make a new memory or two. Will you be free tomorrow, little brother?"


    "Yes, Big Sister!"


    ***?


    Ling Qi inhaled deeply, smelling the heavy, history laden air on the other side of the rings. The weight of material reality dripped from her fingers and heels like droplets of water as she surfaced from the water, and beside her, Zhengui boiled from the earth, grass and stone flowing cherry red with heat.


    Her little brother groaned. "Gui''s tummy feels funny." If he had a less stable gait, he might have wobbled drunkenly. "It feels even weirder than it used to..."


    "I, Zhen, can hardly feel my home. Hmph! I shall have to meditate a hundred times to improve my connection!"


    Ling Qi smiled faintly, but it faded as she looked around. This locus point, the reflection of the lunar shrine and her entrance into the realm of dream, floated as an island upon a vast, serene lake. Surrounded by mountains which scratched at the far distant sky, it was like a bowl, or perhaps a cradle. Here and there, the symbols of human life flickered like ghosts, fitful impressions on a sleepy, little touched landscape.


    To the south, dark clouds churned, and she also spotted columns of sickly sweet, rotten fog. A tower of dark iron shrouded in cawing crows and limned with rosy sunlight faced off against a many tiered pagoda with roof tiles of dragon scale and wreathed in crackling lightning. From where she stood, Ling Qi could hear the rumble of voices, unintelligible even to her ears, radiating from the confrontation.


    But she was not here for that battle. Nor was she here for the dark wood door frame which stood on her little island, the door to a gaol meant to be locked in circular time.


    "Not yet," she answered the scratchy question in the back of her mind.


    But soon.

 Threads 433-Green 2

    Threads 433-Green 2


    "Ready to move, little brother? Come with me to the edge."


    He trundled up beside her. In the liminal, he was only as high as her shoulder, his spirit not quite caught up to his body.


    Ling Qi clapped her hands twice and bowed three times as the lake and circling mountains blurred away. "I offer my respects to the great Patriarch of the South."


    "Zhengui offers his respects to the great Patriarch of the South."


    The infinitely tall trees stretching beyond sight above and below loomed ahead. The endless forest had been the first sight she had seen in controlled steps into the dream, and down among the leaves and branches, the teetering ruins of a hundred settlements all built atop each other and sinking into dust sprawled in the twilight. Above, winding through clouds and distant leaves from a canopy out of sight, the kilometers-long coils of draconic scales undulated through the unending twilight.


    Their words echoed. Ling Qi felt, more than saw, an eye larger than her whole body roll towards them and fall upon their bowed heads.


    Towering pride earned a hundred times over was a weight upon their backs, and Ling Qi grimaced as she felt the smoldering flames within her flare, sending spasms of pain through her limbs. Then, it passed. The dragon patriarch bound to Sect Head Yuan He took no offense nor interest in their doings.


    Ling Qi took a deep breath, and looked out over the ruins. Far in the distance, she saw a tower of teetering buildings begin to fall, a slow motion calamity of crumbling wood and stone and rising dust. And there, she saw a flash of brilliant, verdant green.


    "That is where we are going?" Zhengui peered out beyond the edge of her isle. He sounded nervous.


    It was disquieting to hear him like that.


    "Yes. Do you want me to carry us there?"


    "Zhengui thinks that he should. This young king has been practicing with his fires," her little brother said hesitantly. "But Big Sister is the expert of the spooky, twisty places..."


    "You should take us away, little brother. I have a feeling you might be the better navigator on this journey."


    It was only a hunch, but when it came to the liminal, one had to be willing to trust their feelings to an extent, and right now, she felt like the labyrinth of layered city would impede him less than her. With the way she had begun to think of history and the past, she felt she might not be much better at navigating it than she was that first day, despite her greater skill.


    Poor Meng Dan might just get lost here forever, if she didn''t keep a tight hold on his hand.


    Ling Qi turned to her little brother and appeared atop his shell without taking a step, Qiyi''s silk billowing around her in an unseen wind.


    The dress'' consciousness was distant. Ling Qi worried, but it was more like the mind of someone deep in cultivation. Qiyi was probably preserving herself against the dissolving tug of the liminal atmosphere.


    "Okay! Gui can do this."


    "I, Zhen, am the one who can do this," his other half scoffed.


    A chair not unlike that of his shrine harness appeared for her to take a seat in. She lowered herself into it as the xuanwu began to back away from the edge of the island. The shadowed, ghostly memory of hexagonal clay plates began to whirl around them, immaterial without Xuan Shi here to support their existence.


    He reached the far side of the island and oriented himself toward the layered city. And then, her little brother charged. It was hard to call anything in a tortoise''s gait a ¡°run,¡± but his trunklike legs ate up the liminal ground, rocking the island with his weight. That momentum flung them from the side of the island, carrying them briefly into the misty air of the bottomless forest.


    As close as they were now, the cacophony of her advance through the ruins was deafening, and the grit and dust in the air was a constant. The irritating particles stung her throat and eyes, despite her best efforts to keep it away from her.


    Zhengui''s eyes were fixed on Kohatu in fascination. Ling Qi hated to admit that something in his expression made her stomach churn with an ugly, envious feeling.


    There was an almighty crash as the titanic lizard¡¯s head and forelegs slammed against the foundations of a crumbling palace, and she began to dig down instead of through.


    "Ah! We need to catch up!" Gui shouted.


    Ling Qi''s seat rattled as flames launched them toward Kohatu. For the first time, the burrowing beast seemed to notice them. It was subtle, a nearly imperceptible twitch of reaction in one reptilian claw.


    "Zhengui, down!" Ling Qi screamed.


    He obeyed without hesitation, and they were able to just barely duck the whipping tip of a titanic tail. It broke the air with a crack of thunder, a detonation that sent them spinning and nearly crashing into a winding path of packed together fossilized wood surrounded by straw-topped huts on one of the canyon walls. Her little brother''s flames set the roofs ablaze as he course corrected, dragging them back into the sky.


    Kohatu''s claws and snout were back in the denser ruins at the bottom of the canyon, digging into the denser, fossilized memories and secrets at the foundations of the layers¡¯ city. Stone and dust and chunks of buildings were sprayed backward like clods of dirt from a burrowing rabbit, leaving them to weave through the dangerous rain as they made their way closer at a warier pace.


    "Why would she do that?" Gui wondered. He sounded hurt.


    "I don''t think she''s looking very closely. We probably only register as a pest. She can''t really ''see'' us yet," Ling Qi comforted. There was no recognition of them as a meaningful presence in the beast¡¯s posture and demeanor; that flick had been no more than a person waving a fly away from their head while they worked.


    "So, we will have to make her notice us before we can talk. But I don''t want Big Sister to be hurt."


    "We''ll manage," Ling Qi said as they circled, Zhengui not quite daring to bring them closer again.


    "Keep us steady, little brother. Circle around her. You got us here. Now, let me take the next step."


    Since the end of the summit, Ling Qi had found herself able to speak, hear, and understand without words. In truth, in the weeks following her recovery, she had found it distracting. There were always voices whispering for her attention, the little voices of sun and wind and grass and stone, the voices of homes and tools, and countless others, too. Most were not even whispers, just faint impressions of proto spirits, less than even the least coherent fairy.


    She''d soon learned to push that odd sensation to the back of her mind, although it did leave her with a low awareness of everything and everyone which could possibly hear and understand her. That was how she had chosen their first singing locations with Hanyi, how she had chosen the site for the shrine to winter in Shenglu, and how she had determined the right place to row out to in Lake Snowblossom.


    She could feel the presence of the shade of Kohatu. It was like a dense network of roots whose trunks had long since been felled, closed off and buried, operating on only the lowest and most automatic of processes. Her ears were closed, and her voice was withered with silence. She burrowed mindlessly, driven only by the stubborn urge to not allow herself to become another still, forgotten fossil buried under mountains of ignorance.


    The core of this shade was bitter, dogged spite, and for a moment, Ling Qi hesitated to speak. Whatever Kohatu had been and whatever she was to Zhengui, did Ling Qi truly wish to expose him to this particular facet of the old beast?


    She looked to Zhen and Gui as his flames guttered and reoriented to fly them in a slow circle. She had already asked him. He had told her he wanted to be here to meet his predecessor. He had given her an answer, and she had no right to deny him now, not without twisting herself inside out to weave a justification from her own fear.


    Ling Qi drew her strength inward, like a singer preparing to launch into a long aria. She focused all of her power, her qi, and her determination down into her voice.


    [AUDIENCE]

 Threads 434 Green 3

    Threads 434 Green 3


    The Layered Labyrinth rippled, the dusty miasma of ignorance and silence in the air blown away. Ling Qi felt a tingling, throbbing pain in her temples, akin to a throat strained by screaming.


    [HERE]


    [LISTEN]


    [KIN]


    Her still burnt dantian twinged, and mist leaked from under her fingernails. Her silhouette wavered, and Ling Qi coughed a cloud of burning smoke as she hurriedly reinforced the qi containing the Crucible¡¯s embers still smoldering in her core.


    Digging claws slowed, and a mountainous head twitched and rose, shadowed by whirling dust. She felt a pressure across the distance, even before she could see the sharpening of intelligence in dull eyes and a half-sleeping mind.


    There were no words, nor even concepts. No welcome nor malice. There was only the cold weight of reptilian observation. Ling Qi looked into vast black eyes across the gulf between them and swallowed.


    "Take us in, little brother."


    "Is Big Sister sure?" Zhen asked.


    She was. She could never be certain that a higher realm could not hide their intentions from her sight, but the rampant, vigorous growth at the core of the beast was not something that inspired thoughts of veils and lies.


    "I am. C''mon, let¡¯s go meet your..."


    She trailed off. Her tongue rebelled at forming the word in her thoughts.


    "... Let''s meet Kohatu. That''s what the tortoise who made your egg from her core called her."


    "Kohatu," Gui rumbled thoughtfully. His flames roared, and they left their circling trajectory, soaring toward the titanic lizard waiting for them at the end of the ruined canyon.


    Stone cracked as burrowing claws dragged Kohatu around to face them, the lazy whip of a tail collapsing a city''s worth of debris.


    Soon, they arrived directly under those deep black eyes, a mere twenty or thirty meters before her lowered snout.


    "Who. Calls?"


    Her voice was a collapsing mountain and the buzz of a million insects, and Zhengui''s soaring form wobbled unsteadily in the air. It was an unsteady thing, an instrument left to clog with dust and grime.


    "I..." Ling Qi began


    Black eyes narrowed and focused on her. Something dark and hateful stirred. "ARGeeeeent..."


    The wind of the exhalation ripped at her hair and robes, and she teetered back into her seat.


    "No. You listen. No more thoughtless swiping, Kohatu!"


    Zhengui didn''t use personal names, Ling Qi thought dizzily.


    The titanic lizard paused, the oily darkness of hate rising behind her eyes stuttering to a halt.


    "Ata...mai...? No... noT. WHo dAres?"


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    Confusion was underlaid by something so much softer. It didn''t last. In the span of a sentence, it began to shift back to suspicion and fury.


    "I, Zhen, do not know that name," her little brother shouted. "This young king is Zhengui! He came here seeking the one whose core became his egg, Kohatu, whose real name he cannot see!"


    Ling Qi pushed her own will behind his voice to amplify and reach beyond the choking dust and tar which coated every inch of the dead echo towering over them. At the same time, she prepared to forcibly drag them both out of the dream with their skins intact. She was not the same girl who had been trapped by Madam Grey, and Kohatu''s shade did not wield dream like the old fox had either.


    Building rage collapsed back into confusion and uncertainty. An immense snout lowered, and a long tongue overgrown with moss and branching floral vines flicked out, tasting, testing.


    "R...e... A....l."


    "Gui is real, and so is Big Sister, who brought him here. Hear and listen!"


    The beast''s eyes were level with them now, contemplating. "I. HeAr. Kin of shell and soul. How..."


    Ling Qi could feel the dense, crushing weight of centuries sloughing off as Kohatu became more coherent. The fight against becoming another fossil was a losing one. Of course it was. With Kohatu still, she could see swathes of graying scale amid verdant green, the way half of her digging claws were chalky and cracked, and the growing cataracts in eyes and spirit alike.


    "I do not know how the one you called Atamai accomplished this," Ling Qi spoke up. She had felt in the contours of that name the shape of the volcanic tyrant tortoise that had been chained and bound under the Outer Sect Mountain. The echo of him in Kohatu''s thoughts was less miserable and trapped, but it resonated with the sights in her memory all the same. "I had discovered one of your cores, and he chose to give of himself when I spoke to him, creating the egg which would hatch my brother here."


    "Big Sister has taken much care and raised me well. It was she who found you here, too," Zhen spoke.


    "ArgENt... A fading scent, but it cliiiiings all the same. Why would hE do tHis?" Kohatu rumbled, some of the anger boiling in the core of the shade''s spirit.


    "I was once a member of the Argent Peak Sect," Ling Qi admitted. "I do not know what trespasses were committed against you, but Atamai thought me worthy to ''at least take something of us away from this place.''"


    It was manipulative to continue to use that name she had just learned, but she could see the way its every use becalmed and stabilized the shade, as if reinforcing this present moment against the endless centuries of burrowing.


    Zhen craned his body down to look at her thoughtfully.


    "Big Sister has taken us away from the Dragon Court. Gui now rules a land of hills and chilly streams. It is strange and uncomfy sometimes, but Gui likes it very much, and Miss Snowblossom is kind."


    "I, Zhen, rule. Gui toils."


    "Not now, boorish Zhen."


    "A. Land. Your Own. No ArGeeEent." Kohatu''s immense form swayed slightly, like one trying to shake herself to stay awake. "Good. That is... good. I do not unDerstAnd, but Atamai was the wIser. Better judge. He saw what we did not wiSh to sEe."


    "Gui has not known him, but if he chose Big Sister, then he is wise," Gui said quietly. Her heart twinged. She had never really spoken to him of the tortoise much either, because why would she? It was only a single conversation, shared beneath the mountain. Now, she wondered if that had not been a mistake, born out of her own possessiveness. Was it just another manifestation of the greedy girl who had felt a twinge of jealousy for Meizhen''s attention, even after rejecting her interest?


    She refused that feeling, too. She had brought Zhengui here of her own will, after contemplating this conversation, and chosen to face it anyway. Self-recrimination could go too far and become a lie just as swiftly as overburdened pride.


    "Why. Then. Do you come here, leave your garden, for this place of dust and despaiR?" Kohatu asked.


    "To know you, Gui thinks. Isn''t that right, Big Sister?"


    "Yes, he deserves that chance. And there is more that I would know. The province and the world is in flux. I want to know more of what built the landscape upon which I stand."


    Clear and unrevised answers were best, though she was not fool enough to think any source free of bias.


    Black, reptilian eyes unfocused, and thin slivers of verdant green split them, pupils reemerging, if only for a short time.


    "I. See. This feeling. So strange. I do. Not. RemEmber it... Ask. then. The fog. It retreats with yOur words."


    Ling Qi let out a breath and reached down, patting Zhengui on the head. Her little brother leaned into her touch. She did not know what to expect, but the conversation was open now.

 Threads 435 Green 4

    "Where did the Kohatu and Atamai come from?" Gui asked. "Gui does not smell lands like these mountains, hills, and woods in your spirit. The mud and roots are wet and hot and scented of salt."


    Kohatu blinked slowly. Gray dust flaked off and fell, and Ling Qi observed another stronger pulse of glowing verdant green. She caught the scent of exotic plants and the harsh glare of sunlight off of a beach of glittering black sand.


    "Yes. Far, fAr from here, we were born. North. North. North. Beyond the girdling cuRrent in the shadow of the Everstorm," Kohatu began, sounding almost entranced. "Where mountains belch fire, and ravenous green sweeps out in fire¡¯s wake, new shoots growing up before ash has even cooled. Warm. WaRm. Bright Sun. Black Sand. Where men are few and tread most beneath the waves off of shore."


    When first taking care of Zhengui''s egg, Ling Qi had looked into bestiaries and found some mention of the Volcanic Tyrant Tortoise, inhabitant of islands far out in the northern sea. It was as she suspected, but she did not want to disrupt the shade, which she could see was drawing stability from her recall of times long past.


    "I, Zhen, never liked waters until Miss Snowblossom. They are too cold and heavy, drowning fire, but, I scent the warm water, the brightness, the falling ash and blooming shoots in your words. What is the Everstorm, which breathes so hungrily, casting its rains over all?" .


    "It is the wound in the world, the fallen piLLar," Kohatu replied. "Raining, ever raining, cracking the firmament to release the blood that makes our isles of fire and green. Child, you should see it, O ruin in purest form. Such is the world that even it blooms new life," Kohatu said reverently.


    From her reading and conversations with Xuan Shi, Ling Qi was aware of the permanent storm that churned the oceans north of the boiling seas created by the death of the Sun. But the storm had only been mentioned as a passing detail of geography, a note that voyages to the east of the empire were functionally impossible.


    "Oh. Oh. It is the hole Zhengui can feel far, far away when he stretches his roots out as much as they can go and becomes the land," her little brother said, both voices weaving in and out of the words spoken, one going smoothly into the other.


    "It is that. A great wound. But few things are one thing alone. Atamai and our master, they would meditate on this."


    The strange rising and falling and sudden changes of the spirit¡¯s tone were fading, along with the spasmodic twitches of her claws and flicking of her tail. She was growing more still, and yet the gray blight on her scales was not taking her as it had been when they first approached.


    There were many kinds of motion, Ling Qi supposed. Many ways to fight killing stillness. To speak, to teach, and to be reinvigorated through others was a reminder that one¡¯s existence could extend beyond their flesh and spirit.


    "Ah, your master. You had a human, too?" Gui wondered


    "Yes," Kohatu replied, her scales shook and dust sloughed off... but something dark crackled and popped like rotting static through fields of verdant green. "He was. Master was... He was of the sea, but preferred the shore. He was an outcast of shoal, not hated, but unwanted. I do not understand the ways of humans above or below wave. But Master was good. Devotee of storm and surf, blade of waters..."


    Her claws dug into the packed and fossilized ruin.


    "Ships came then, the great mistake... No, nO, no. Was nOt mistake. not YEt. Later. Years and years under bright sun and verdant leaf. RemEmBer, reMemEr, emptiness cannot HaVe IT!"


    The last word was a bellow that left Ling Qi clinging to Zhengui''s shell and him bobbing downward under the force of the wind.


    "Ask. AsK. Ask,cHIlD. I must rEmeMbeR..."


    Zhen let out a worried hiss, peering at her nervously, but she nodded to him. It was fine. They were fine. She was ready to drop them out of the dream if necessary.


    "Will you tell Gui about the green under ash? The leaves that grow from fire? My land is different. My ash makes it strong, but I wonder if I am doing wrong, bringing fire here. Gui worries. He only knows what is in his blood and little things from scholar friends."


    Kohatu''s immense body shuddered, clouded eyes rolling, and the cataracts that had begun to bloom in them shrank back down.


    "GreEn. GReeN. YessSss. Green, cOld lands, stoNe lands. NOT islEs of gRAss and fIre." Kohatu exhaled, and Ling Qi could feel all the clearer now the multitude of cracks running through the shade¡¯s very existence, barely held together by the echo of the once living beast¡¯s will. "Green is rIch, grEEn is hungry, bUT ash, Atamai''s fire, destroys with destruction. Watch. Watch the earth. It shoots, it sprouts, life ever blooming. If you are in bAlance with yourself, as he and I were in balance, you will not blight any earth. But. I do not. Know. Interference. Cold Ones. Enemies. I cannot know."


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    Kohatu¡¯s rapidly changing cadence lent a melancholy to her words. It was liek talking to someone so old that they were beginning to forget themselves.


    "Gui understands. He is happy he can make things grow without worry. He will just keep working hard." her little brother said, having taken a moment to parse the rush of tangled words.


    Zhengui''s jetting fires roared louder as he carried himself higher, out of the gusting wind which blew from Kohatu''s erratic breaths.


    "Persist. Yes, pErsist. This is the essence of Green. My essence. Your half essence. Not invulnerable, not immortal, enduring invincible, but ever, ever-growing. Grow when you live. Grow when you are dead. NeVer stop. The Isles live in the shadow of catastrophe. Great. Greatest Catastrophe. Heaven falls. Sky falls. GoDs War, but LiFe persists. Seeds torn away from the One Land float for eons on ocean waves, sleeping, but not dead, eking life from razor sand and boiling rOck. Roots stretch, stretching under ashen earth, safe and ready to grow. Stems burn black, but with cORe of blazing GReen." Kohatu rambled on, eyes focused on something distant, but every few words, she twitched, turning back to look at Zhengui. "My roots so farrrrR cannot live, but cannot die. Should. Not. Should not have come. But could not stay behind. Child, not born from the roots but His hope, Atamai, my Atamai. Grow your roots deep, deep, deep, and StaY, and you will never die and never bReaK like I. If your GreEn persists."


    "... Ah." Zhen stilled, as if seeming to make a realization. "I, Zhen, understand. I could not grow before, because there was no room."


    "Because the land was not mine. Because Gui was not the Garden King. Because there was no room for roots there. The sect trees did not want me, and Sister¡¯s sibling disciples did not grow things, and when they did, they were not in the land.Gui knew this, but..."


    "Seed of Green, like first seeds lOng ago, must be your oWn burning. Lonely, but..."


    "Gui has never been lonely."


    "I, Zhen, have never been lonely."


    Kohatu paused and stared at them. And it was them, not just Zhengui this time.


    "He is not alone, and never has been,¡± Ling Qi said evenly, tilting her chin up to meet the massive beast¡¯s gaze. ¡°That much, at least, I have been able to accomplish."


    ¡°Not. Lonely." Kohatu''s voice rumbled like the falling of a great tree. "Not. Lie. I see. You are whole."


    "I, Zhen, am the proud young king of the lands beside Snowblossom lake. Of course I am whole."


    "That does not mean Gui cannot strive to be more," her little brother said. "Kohatu, who is the Green Shoot of Boiling Sea? I do not want to make you sad, but you say Gui should set roots and never go. So, why did you go so far from where Kohatu''s roots ran deep?"


    "Love. I loved my master and curious Atamai. So, I went when the ships came." The same distortion welled up, but the words they had shared bound the other spirit closer to the present, and Zhengui¡¯s presence seemed enough to prevent the near loss of self from before. "Men. Land men, not blood of sea. Hunting. Playing in waves. Killing. Being killed, joining the Green. The Horizon Blade met my master. Their weapons SanG. Found HarmonY. Sword Song bent; the Horizon Blade chipped. Became. Man."


    Ling Qi frowned to herself. The chained tortoise in Elder Ying¡¯s trial had said they were betrayed a hundred years ago. But Horizon Blade could only be the elder whose blade she had spoken to at its grave, and he had died to Ogodei far more than a hundred years ago. Was the tortoise, Atamai''s, sense of time just twisted by endless solitude and confinement?


    "Ships. Lost. Land Men grew bored. Green Hell. Not what they sought. Called back Horizon Blade. Horizon Blade said, taking Master. Master wen. Atamai went. I would not stay behind. Went away to strange white sand. Tricks I do not understand. A guise was made. Went to this land, the land of twisted dreams where all eyes fogged. To be forgotten."


    Kohatu paused and then muttered..


    "Not. Not. NoooOT Mistake. NoOt Yet. Mistake. Later."


    The land of twisted dreams where all eyes were fogged. Ling Qi supposed that was a good summation of the Emerald Seas under the rule of the Hui. The prior ducal clan¡¯s many projects had twisted divination in obscuring ways within the bounds of their land, a byproduct of their arts and formations.


    Piecing together Kohatu''s rambling story with the bits of information she had learned from the blade, the man who would become Elder Lang was a sword saint of the Jin Treasure Fleets. He had met and clashed with Atami and Kohatu¡¯s master, and somehow, their cultivation had resonated. They had come to an understanding, something that broke or bent their Ways. Then, their master, one of the sea folk, had been taken back to the empire. She could almost see a justification there with the elder-to-be claiming them as a war prize, but that seemed dubious even to her understanding of imperial law. No wonder they had to go through other means, especially as she was sure the Jin would not be pleased to see a sovereign military asset just wander off.


    "Kohatu does not have to go on if she does not wish," Gui said gently.


    "I, Zhen, do not wish to open wounds. To speak of green and flame is enough."


    "No. No. I mUst say this. I remember now. YoU should kNow," the great beast replied, dragging herself forward over fossilized ground, looming even closer. " LiSten. ListeN."


    Zhengui paused. "Okay. Zhengui listens."

 Threads 436-Green 5

    "We Liiiived long, so long Horizon Blade learned to wield a sword as a writing stick and elder¡¯s cudgel, no matter how it made his hands bleed. Master learned denied acts, weaving, carving, smithing. Soothed, wrapped his wounds. Day by day. Good days. Cold and sick with biting wind and wan sun. But. Good. Good. Good enOugH."


    The repetition was clearly as much for her as them by this point, Ling Qi realized. It was a balm and a talisman against the black rage and hopeless spite which welled up from the beast''s verdant core like an ill suppressed blight surging through her veins.


    "But war comes, conflict comes, ruin comes. Master put out their own eyes, and so did not see. Horizon Blade had grown dull and crusted with ink. He fought. So many children/students/disciples. So. So. So MAny. Should have left them to storm wind and bOLt, and gone back to sea and sUN."


    "But Master, Atamai, would not think such ," Kohatu said lowly. "... No. Kohatu-who-was would not think this. Cloud men came, and war tribe gathered. Dream men ignored the cloud men, gathered no host. Disciples Argent did instead. Joined. Fought. With spear and claw and fire and blade. Fought Fought. When Horizon Blade''s student stood, we fOUght. When his curseblooded bride dug the cruel ritual from her ruined mountain, mASter carved out half their heart with the others. Forged their geas in blood and soul, an oath unbreaking to the cause of one hundred and eight and the young storm. Broken bodies, broken souls, so no StrENGth would be lost while one yet fought. Companions, oathsworn."


    Ling Qi swallowed. These were dangerous secrets. It was known that under the decadent rule of the Hui, it was Yuan He and his companions who had rallied the broken lands of the south against Ogodei and who had taken in the remnants of the cities hurled into the sky, scoured from the earth or dashed against the uncaring mountainsides.


    She had seen the memory of a vast funnel of wind ripping a city full of people out of the earth. Against that backdrop, she understood why the elders of the Argent Peak Sect had no patience for mercy. When that terror had still been hanging overhead, she could see how one might turn to even more forbidden means. And what was being alluded to here, rambled on in Kohatu''s broken tones, was certainly that.


    "No... Later. Later. When the hopeful sky was crushed, when the reprisals ended, when the clouds came again, and when Master had groWn feeble, they came. Descendants. MaSter¡¯s students, companIOns, oathbearers. Without word, without warning, my master was betrayed and bUTCHerED! I was broken, and Atamai chained!"


    Zhengui had already rocketed upward this time, feeling the tremors as she did. Kohatu''s limbs thrashed, broken talons digging furrows in the dusty firmament, and lashing tail bringing down the entire vast cliffside of the canyon she had made in the ruined city.


    She couldn''t comprehend a reason for the elders to do this. Maybe she had misjudged Sect Head Yuan, Elder Ying, and all the rest, but even if Kohatu''s master had their ruse discovered, would those people really betray someone they had fought beside like that? Be utterly merciless to the cloud tribes, but this story didn''t feel right. This was not a thought she dared voice before the enraged Kohatu.


    "Butchers and oathbreakers, ARRRRRGENT!!!!"


    Ling Qi grimaced. A few months ago, that yell might have blown out her ears or worse, but she had grown more resilient in many ways. The raging arguments of sovereigns had a way of strengthening a survivor''s resilience.


    "Kohatu!" Zhengui called out. "Green Caller! Remember Zhengui of your roots and Atamai''s fires. There is still much to say!"


    Kohatu''s thrashing limbs slowed, her scaly chest pumping like a bellows. Smoke and dust rose, kept at bay only by the whirling wind Ling Qi summoned with her will, preventing the layered city from drowning them in choking ignorance and apathy.


    "I do not knoW why. I do not understANd, but I feEl it. TheY want to fORget. I wiLL not be forgoTTen. ATaMai will NoT be ForGottEn. Master SwoRdsOng wiLl not be forgottEn! Never forgoTTen. I will gnaw at the rooTs of their drEams until the eNd of tImE!"


    Kohatu¡¯s eyes bored into her.


    "And. You. You, who the scent of Argent clings too. Who claims kin. Who my chiLd trusTs so. Who says what treachery will grow? When you will. Need. reagents. When he becomes. Obstacle to PoWer. Green child, flame child, son of ruin and renewal, do not. Do nOT ever trust blood of dRaGoN. Watch. WaTch. WATCH!"


    Ling Qi''s hair felt like it might tear from her scalp in the wash of that last scream, but her scowl didn''t waver, and nor did her seating. Those words made the core of frozen cold and lightless dark in her dantian churn, outraged despite the difference in power on display.


    "I would never use nor harvest him!" she spat. "I am sorry for your betrayal, but you overstep. Who do you think brought him here in the first place?¡±


    "Kohatu," Gui said uncertainly.


    "ArgGGGenNt say pretty words. MeaninGless lies,¡± Kohatu hissed. only Horizon Blade true, the rest. Student. Brother. Sister. Disciple. Friend. MeaninGless lies," Kohatu hissed. "My mind does not folloW such ploYs. Child. Zhengui. You should leave this."


    Ling Qi''s fingers cracked the rest of her train with her grip, and she was on her feet a moment later, standing before the wind of the titan lizards breath. "You so easily call him your child, and your core may have made him, but I am the one who kept and cared for him and I am the one who brought him here. Do you not think I could have had wealth a thousand times over if I wanted, if I were so low a person?!"


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    Sometimes, in her darker dreams, she wondered how she could have afforded her little brother¡¯s appetite without the patronage of the Cai, but never once had she thought of selling him.


    "I brought him here to speak and learn, but I will not take such insults. My brother is mine."


    "Big Sister," Zhen protested. "Please wait!"


    "You protest too much, ArgGent. But I See. You hOlD back. There is a LIE in your voice."


    "STOP!" her little brother yelled, an earthy rumble that erupted as if from something far larger than his current frame.


    The two of them fell silent.


    "Gui understands how deeply Kohatu feels betrayed, but Gui will not distance himself from Big Sister."


    "I, Zhen will not live with such suspicion corrupting my heart," Zhen hissed. "Big Sister should not be angry so quick, either. It is strange of you. Why?"


    Ling Qi grimaced. "... Her accusations and choice of words frayed my temper. I have no excuse."


    Kohatu let out a low, rattling growl, looking up at them where they soared above her head.


    "Say it, ArgeNt. Say it in a clear voice. What is my child to you.? Kohatu¡¯s voice was cold and more grounded than her voice had been at any point in the conversation so far.


    Ling Qi felt her eyebrow twitch. That word again.


    "He is my child, whatever his origins or secrets and whatever his choices," Ling Qi snapped. "I have been there since the day he cracked his shell, kept him fed and in safety when he was weak, and cared for him and helped him cultivate day by day." She took a shuddering breath. "Your absence is not your fault, and I am deeply sorry for it. But I will not take such accusations to my face without complaint, no matter how mighty you be. So I call him my brother for comfort? I''m barely even a grown woman. Don''t tell me I am lying just because of that!"


    "Gui has always known what you meant. Kohatu is wrong. Gui is glad to learn where his green comes from, and Gui is glad to know Kohatu, but Sister¡ªMother¡ªis alive and with Zhengui. I will not hear these mean things you say."


    "It was not Horizon Blade who turned on your Master Swordsong," Ling Qi said. "And you..."


    "Are. Dead," Kohatu said.


    The words hung in the air, dull and uncompromising.


    "Yes," Ling Qi acknowledged. "I do not need to lie to you, either. I brought my Zhengui here to better know his origin, so that he might connect with and learn what I cannot give him. Just the same, you cannot give him what I do. Even you know that you are only a ghost of spite, clinging on to haunt those who betrayed you."


    Zhen''s head hung. "It is true. I, Zhen, would like to talk for a long time, but I cannot stay here. Kohatu knows this. I have told you of my home. Miss Snowblossom is waiting, my humans are waiting, and Grandmother and littlest sister and Hanyi will be waiting."


    "Gui thinks there is no conflict in this. Gui is your child, too, but Gui¡¯s mother is Big Sister. Gui is very sorry that he could not know Kohatu-who-lived."


    "And I, Zhen, would still speak with Atamai-who-is."


    Ling Qi''s shoulders tensed. That, she did not know how to arrange, or even if she could.


    Kohatu''s eyes dimmed, cloudy cataracts spreading in black. Ling Qi winced as she felt the burning core of green which labored under the caking dust of this place shrink.


    "It. is. TrUe. I am a shade. I am. Kohatu''s hate. I. remember. Good things. Only to sharpen pain. ResoLVe. To pErsisT.¡±


    PerSiSt.


    PERSIST.


    The word echoed in the liminal, a mantra repeated for centuries, and the core of what this beast had been.


    "I am. MistaKen. I must be mistakEn. I caN only truSt my child¡¯S judgment." Kohatu''s voice was a miserable rumble, sinking low enough to be barely audible, more vibration than sound. "YeS. I coUld only hUrt."


    Ling Qi lowered her head as the frantic energy which the old shade had spoken with fading to melancholy.


    "Zhengui cannot stay, but he is glad he came. He is glad to meet Kohatu. To hear of Islands under ruin and the Everstorm. To listen to Kohatu''s thoughts on the Green, and of life persisting. These words will help Zhengui grow, help him find and seek, help him become more. For this, the young king is thankful to the one who gave his shell form."


    It was strange, Zhengui was not one for long speeches, even Zhen in his way was more direct and short spoken, but it seemed that, with everything, he had many things to say.


    A pulse of energy rippled under graying verdant scales.


    "It. Has. Been. Good. Good. Remembering with liTTle rage. Good thinking of a future. A dream, within a dream."


    "For what it is worth, hear these words and hold them. The one who entrusted me with this treasure was the one you call Atamai. I will not break that trust either," Ling Qi vowed.


    Kohatu''s gaze pressed down on her, and the shade let out a rattling breath. "Clever. Atamai. Yes. I did. Not listen.Master. Did not listen. This time. I. Should."


    Eyes drifted shut.


    "Human. Not-ArggGent."


    Those eyes snapped open, a slice of sizzling emerald green cutting through their blackness


    "Fragile. Too fragile. I sEe the fires still scorching. You. Were. almost. Burned away. Where would. That. treasure. Be then?"


    Ling Qi tilted her chin up. "I did, and I do not regret it. I cannot live my life as if I were glass."


    Kohatu''s snort tore at her hair. "No. Fool hUman. Do not live like glass. Be better. Be tougher."


    [PERSIST]

 Threads 437-Green 6

    Life coursing through deep black earth, as burning rain falls. Trunks bending and swaying under cataclysmic wind and rain. Splinter. Break. Shatter. Die.


    Persist.


    Green shoots rise from a splintered stump. Three die: one devoured, one uprooted, and one starving in the shade. The fourth grows, rises, armored in bark and pumped with verdant sap. Breaks again. Dies again.


    Persist.


    From broken stump, the fifth rises. Then the sixth. Seventh. Eighth. Ninth. A refusal of ruin.


    Persist.


    Roots grow deep and far. A hundred trunks, ten thousand leaves, a million shoots. Cataclysm roars, the deafening storm at the end of a world. The earth bucks and heaves, spitting the blood of broken continents. Shattered, burned, and broken, but roots remain. Will remains. Trunks, leaves, and shoots rise again.


    Persist


    Come Wrath. Come Ruin. Though form and body may break a hundred times, as long as will remains, you have not reached the end.


    Neither the jungle heat nor the conflagration of the earth or sky were her, but the scenes resonated all the same. She had seen the old iron evergreens clinging to life in the frozen mountains on peaks so cold, the air felt like razors in one¡¯s lungs. They, too, sunk their roots deep, so deep into rock and gravel and ice.


    Persist.


    Scatter new needles, and come the sun, push new trunk from frozen earth.


    A scrawny, starving child, inelegant and ugly, dragged a broken limb into the safe shadows at the alley mouth. She was not the unruffled lake, though she found some value in its depths, the supremacy of formlessness and essence over flesh. She was, in the end, nothing so elegant. She was a stubborn thing who could only...


    Persist.


    Ling Qi sucked in a sharp breath as her eyelids fluttered, and her senses returned to the present.


    "Zhengui sees so much more clearly what Kohatu was saying now," her little brother murmured in wonder beneath her.


    Ling Qi rested a hand over her stomach. Since the end of the summit, she had felt the smoldering sparks of a sovereign''s fire, and the spiritual ash it left behind had clogged her meridians. Now, she felt as if she could breathe without trouble for the first time in months. Her qi flowed without obstruction, and only a few small twinges of pain remained from a single, ruddy spark of sovereign fire flickering angrily at the bottom of her dantian.


    Ling Qi bowed low, even as she cautiously felt at the knot of sensations and memories in the back of her mind, left there by Kohatu''s utterance. What she had seen and felt was only the surface of what she had been given. An art. Or at least, that was the shape her mind made of it after peeling apart the many, many layers of meaning embedded in Kohatu''s notion of persistence.


    "Thank you for bestowing your wisdom."


    Kohatu''s gaze was hard. "Needed. Sister-mother of my chIld. ToO frAgile. And he must learn, too. KnOw. CaNnot grow alone."


    "Gui will never grow alone," he promised. "But Gui¡¯s wishes he could..."


    "I. CanNot."


    Her voice brought them pause. Ling Qi saw the blackness rising, clouding out the crescent of emerald in Kohatu''s eyes.


    "AnGgerR rises. hAte rises. I canNot be free. I am sPIte. Thank you for good memory, good talk. I wiLl try not to lose it. BuT you must gO."


    Zhengui looked terribly upset. "Is there nothing I, Zhen, can do for Kohatu? You should not have to¡ª"


    The beast let out a bitter burst of laughter, but there was fondness in it, too. "PeRhaps. AtaMai might still me. FreE me. No others. Not even yoU, child of rUIn."


    "... Okay," Gui acquiesced. "Goodbye, Kohatu. Gui will not forget. Sister will not forget. Please remember. You do not have to fight for this anymore."


    Kohatu stilled. Then, the dream shook as she whipped her head around and tore into the side of the canyon, sending them spiralling upward on the plume of dust as she resumed burrowing.


    She was all but fleeing.


    "She could not afford to believe you,¡± Ling Qi soothed. ¡°Her rage could not allow her to stay and listen to such words."


    "I understand," Zhengui said. The jets of flame emerging from his shell roared, and they began to soar up and away, letting Ling Qi observe the way that the canyon of Kohatu''s passage had been closing, layers of buildings crawling and shifting back together as if they had never been parted.


    This truly was a place of forgetfulness. It was a place for things buried and lost. Staying here too long would wear away even the living.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "I can bring us back across," Ling Qi offered.


    "Gui would like to fly a little while longer."


    She didn''t offer again. Her mind wandered back to the the imprisoned tortoise in the Argent Peak Sect. The sect had been her first home. It was never a perfect, shining place in her memories, but this apparent betrayal was another layer of tarnish. What could possibly bring such an act about?


    Maybe she should talk to Xuan Shi, and he might be able to speak with Elder Lang''s sword more. Was there another reason the elder''s grave was like that? Such a sad, out of the way place without honors or recognition was strange for a notable elder.


    She sighed. The times just didn''t line up, and it didn''t help that Kohatu''s memories were obviously warped and unclear.


    "I''m glad you could learn what you did, but I wish there were more for you. Zhengui, earlier, I did not mean to..."


    "Zhengui will not accept anyone saying that he is not Big Sister''s child."


    "You are, and I am still sorry it took me so long to say it."


    "Zhengui has always known, but he is happy saying Little Brother and Big Sister. Changing now would be weird, and Hanyi would be dumb about it."


    Ling Qi chuckled, collapsing back into the seat. "I suppose."


    The layered city was shrinking behind them, and the infinite trees beckoned.


    She felt the Patriarch''s attention on her. A crackling electricity tingled on her neck. Should she be worried about the sect?


    No, she decided after a moment¡¯s thought. Her own actions had blunted any shame that could come from this story coming out. In the past, the only shame the sect would suffer was for harboring a barbarian at all. Now, even that would be blunted.


    The world could move in strange ways.


    ***


    Ling Qi kicked her feet idly as she leaned over the rail of the balcony. The sun shone brightly over Shenglu today. Snowblossom lake was like a vast, deep blue mirror splitting the earth, visible clearly even through the churning mist of the waterfall. It was a wonderful view, but to Ling Qi even that was peripheral.


    It was amazing, sitting here without a single flicker of the chronic pain she had suffered for months. Every breath came naturally and without effort, her meridians flowing smooth with her cycling qi without any of burn or ache. Her respect for her friend Xiulan had deepened, knowing the girl had been dealing with such pain for two years now.


    "I had wondered if you would not come back with some new and exotic injury when you stated your intentions." Cai Renxiang stood at the rail near her, arms folded behind her back. Her eyes were fixed on the slowly growing township below, the docks spreading on the shores, and the motion of people through streets and buildings.


    "An arm melted off, the stump bleeding rainbow mist?"


    "If not your feet having permanently caught fire, or you having become a wisp of smoke with pretensions," Cai Renxiang said dryly.


    "Oh, either of those would be bad," Ling Qi agreed sagely. "People would be uncomfortable if I was floating all the time. Not to mention the smell! It would also make hugging my little sister very hard."


    "Let us avoid finding out," Cai Renxiang said with finality, turning her head to look up at Ling Qi perched on the railing.


    Qiyi''s ribbons were lazily twisting her slowly regrowing hair into tight braids. She had promised the dress the chance to play after all.


    "Yes. I was very certain I could remove us before any serious danger, if need be. My trials and journeys have given me a lot of practice."


    "I am certain you were."


    She furrowed her brow at her friend. There was no need to sound so doubtful. She wasn''t that bad about risk.


    Cai Renxiang held her gaze without blinking.


    Ling Qi huffed and looked away, toying with one of her temporary braids. She''d forgive Renxiang since she was still flustered by the incident with the general. Instead of furthering a silly argument, she watched as the sleeves of her gown ballooned out, slowly growing into the sort of lace-filled, hand-swallowing monstrosities that the most conservative of court ladies wore.


    ... She really hoped Qiyi got this fad out of her system quickly.


    She decided to politely show interest in her liege¡¯s projects instead.


    "So, we''re beginning the granary expansion, then?" She could see, if she squinted, roped off, packed earth and foundations being raised at the site for the city granary. "Do we really need an expansion already?"


    "It is best to establish proper procedure from the beginning and expand smoothly. The previous arrangements were too informal. It will train the clerks and officials to better process complaints, requests, and orders without my direct intervention. This will improve our capacity for projects."


    "And I suppose ironclad certainty that we are immune to famine for now does have a way of boosting people''s morale," Ling Qi mused.


    What a strange idea to entertain that situations like hers could have been erased by even a slight exertion of effort from the rulers of Tonghou. She''d seen the cost of importing grains to fill the granary for the first year. Even extrapolating out to a much greater population... Well, even her Ling clan could afford that without much difficulty.


    "I would like you to oversee the setup of the... What did you wish to call the winter shrine again?"


    "The Theater of Frost," Ling Qi answered. "Hanyi''s presentation is going to stick. I''m certain of it."


    "As you like. Arranging safe locations for bonfire building is well enough, but I want your input and instruction to the workers on the shrine altar proper."


    "Done," Ling Qi said, thinking of what the arrangement should look like to best please or propitiate the winter spirits of the region.


    "What are your other intentions? Mind, we will need to begin our journey north in six weeks."


    "I''ll be spending some time with my family as they arrive. I am also considering whether we should make an expedition to seal off the impurity cavern in the Cathedral of Winds. Spending time in lessons and instruction with Meng Duyi could be productive, too, or exploring the boon I received with Zhengui... I may have been a little light on planning for the coming month."


    She definitely hadn''t been unsure if she would need to spend the month focusing on recovery.


    Cai Renxiang gave her an unimpressed look, and even Qiyi gave a rustling sigh.


    "Inform me soon. You are on light duty yet, so there is no conflict. I need to know if an expedition is being made."


    "Understood, Lady Cai."

 Threads 438-Green 7

    "The governor''s manor?" Ling Qingge asked in disbelief as their household¡¯s items were carried inside by their staff.


    "I did say so in my letter," Ling Qi said. She drew a giggle from Biyu as she rocked the girl in the crook of her arm. She had to give it to Qiyi; her little sister was fascinated by the ribbons.


    "I thought you must have been imprecise, referring to a household on the grounds." Ling Qingge pinched the bridge of her nose. "Oh, by the gods, I am not qualified at all to train staff for a role like this!"


    "You are, Mother. Do you think I have not seen what you''ve put your stipend towards,? The books, the scrolls, and observations of modern court fashions and etiquette? You''ve been much more dedicated to learning this than I."


    She lifted Biyu up, grinning at her little sister as she spun a graceful circle, the furred hem of her gown flaring out. Biyu shrieked in delight, kicking her feet.


    "And yet,¡± she continued, ¡°Somehow, I have managed to become a respected diplomat."


    Her mother let out a huff of breath, taking Biyu from her hands. It was a testament to the strength of even a first realm¡¯s cultivation that her mother''s arms didn''t tremble under the growing girl¡¯s weight. Biyu pouted as she was set on the ground.


    "There is a great difference between preparations and reality."


    "Mama will be good. Sis says so! Mama no sad," Biyu announced authoritatively. "New house is pretty."


    "Outnumbered." Ling Qingge sighed. "I suppose I shall simply have to manage."


    "I trust you to more than manage. Besides, we won''t be getting too many visitors in person yet." Ling Qi stepped past to show them inside.


    "I suppose not, with you all away in the capital soon," Ling Qingge said. As they entered, she looked around the high entrance hall with a sharp eye, and not a little wonder. "What about security?"


    "A small patrol will be up from the summit zone while we are away, in recognition of the heiress'' duty to her mother''s court. It won''t be as strong of a defense as us, but unless it''s a serious attack, the manor will be safe."


    If it were a serious attack, the sect town where her household had previously resided would not be safe either. It tied her stomach into knots, but she knew that having her family with her was a risk.


    "We even installed Xuan Shi''s panic room formation," Ling Qi added.


    "There is some comfort in that," Ling Qingge acknowledged.


    They passed through the entrance hall and walked past the offices of clerks and officials that filled out much of the front space for now.


    "Oh, look! Mama, look!" Biyu burst out, pointing ahead at the doors opening out to the gardens.


    The rippling pond in its center was shrouded by mist stirred up by the falling water that drizzled in from a rooftop spout. The flower beds were black and loamy and mostly empty. It had been decided not to grow any flowers and foliage properly until winter passed.


    "The mist is pretty, isn''t it?" Ling Qi asked her little sister. "When the snows melt, you''ll have to help everyone pick out what kind of flowers to plant, okay?"


    "Okay." Biyu nodded seriously, but her eyes were fixed on the falling waters.


    Ling Qi firmed up her grip on the little girl¡¯s hand, just in case Biyu got in the mind for a dip.


    Her mother gave her an uncertain look. "May I ask after your... fashion choice, Ling Qi?"


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    Ling Qi¡¯s hair was curled and looped through a silver circlet, a glittering, pale blue veil hung over her face, and a high collar rose behind her head, black silk stretched between stiffer ribs. Even her hands were covered by soft, silk evening gloves disappearing beneath her silver-chased sleeves, which jangled with metallic icicle charms.


    "Just fulfilling a promise to try new styles," Ling Qi answered.


    "I see," her mother said, clearly not seeing at all.


    "Sparkles pretty. Spiky bad. Sister swish like a pretty fairy, not jingle jangle."


    Little one right. Spiky bad. Jingle no good. More sparkles. Better ribbons. More swish. Like boots?


    The boots were fine. She didn''t mind raised heels when they weren''t excessive. Besides, it had made riding a patrol with Xia Lin more comfortable.


    Boots good!


    ¡°I don''t think I''ll wear this same style again," Ling Qi said. "Let me show you to your rooms, Mother, and please don¡¯t forget to ask for anything you need.¡±


    ***


    The tall, thin trees in this grove did not provide much shade. Loosely scattered around the stony hill, they had gone dry and brown with the oncoming chill of winter. They stretched like skeletal fingers into the gray and heavy sky.


    The trunks were vibrant with verdant qi. Many of these trunks had persisted for centuries on end, enduring wind and lightning and slashing sleet, even rampaging beast and fire.


    Sitting here on the needle-strewn dirt, she could hear their long, slow whispers, so easy to miss under the brighter, louder noise of more active beings. It was not the crushing pressure of Snowblossom Lake pouring a millennia''s worth of data into her head, uncaring and unknowing that her mortal flesh was still too fragile. It was more akin to sitting by a circle of old grandfathers as they spoke low and slow of days long gone past.


    Even if a great deal of it was long, rambling complaints about the impertinence of nesting birds and complaints about changing weather patterns.


    Even the glimmers of wisdom wasn''t why she was here. Among the centuries-old trunks were more than a few which spanned only decades and years, stripling saplings and low shrubs, shoots rising from the ground, all infused with the same spark of qi. At first, she thought the qi to be a matter of relation, scattered seeds growing near to their parents.


    In a way, it was. But in other ways, it was not.


    Under her feet was a vast and sprawling web of green and verdant qi spreading throughout the hill and beyond, sinking through the thin, gravelly earth to dig into the bedrock to tap into the heat of the earthveins below. Every trunk, from youngest to oldest, was a growth from these roots.


    And the roots remembered as far back as Snowblossom herself, their ancient, distant whispers of an age when a vast glacier filled the land, when winter never left, and when strange beasts and spirits clashed and roared atop the millennial icepack. They remembered countless fallen, broken trunks. They remembered eons of hibernation, the stubborn conservation of the last spark of life needed to push up from the snow when at last, the wan sun showed his face again. It was a cycle of contraction and growth, a life unending for longer than the emperors had sat atop the Dragon Throne.


    They were persistence in its purest form.


    There was a reason she had found herself attracted to this subtle, quiet place of power in the wake of her journey with Zhengui into the liminal. She''d have to let Cai Renxiang know it was here soon. Itwould be a good place for their lower cultivators to meditate in. Its wood qi was too thin to be of much benefit to her current cultivation.


    It was strange to think that something so old could have so little power.


    That, too, was a lesson she could understand. One did not have to be a sovereign to endure passing flames.


    Her qi pulsed out into the earth, echoing through the network of roots, bouncing through ever deeper channels. Perhaps power was not defined by how loud she roared hername to the heavens. Such resilience followed from a deep well, not easily depleted...


    ¡°Sister. Big Sister! Miss Horizon Chaser is calling.¡±


    Her eyes drifted open. Zhengui''s voice was distant and tiny in her ears, but she heard it. Xia Lin was calling for her? They must have met something on the patrol that was worth some exercise, then.


    Armor! Transform!


    Not yet, she chided her dress. She rose into the sky, darting past the top of the grumbling spruce tree with a careful swerve to avoid her passage from shaking too many needles loose. It didn''t stop them grumbling, but she liked to think it was a little fond.


    Once she had left their canopy behind, her dress flared, and she tore off toward the distant feeling of Xia Lin and Zhengui''s qi. Old growth gave way to newer, untouched wilderness, then to the woods that had felt the touch of an axe and to trails trampled in the frozen earth. They were off near the early logging camp where their outpost had begun, and she could see smoke rising into the air and the faintest flicker of heat distortion.


    A fire in the forest? There hadn''t been any lightning.


    She redoubled her speed.

 Threads Chapter 439-Green 8

    Ling Qi watched the flames dance with a critical eye. Zhengui¡¯s roots had woven a barrier, cutting off the path of the fires toward the camp site and the road, but in all other directions, the way was blocked only by scattered groups of their soldiers, sweating heavily with exertion while wearing armor and clothing meant for these cold climes. They formed small knots of resistance, each group with a single cultivator whose qi could bend toward a snuffing element, whether it was scattered water summoned from the still moist air or earth to smother, or even fire to control.


    It was not a ruinous fire. The air was cold and wet, and the wood and grass was saturated in that same moisture. The flames guttered, heat licking at trunks and mostly burning in the brush.


    She could see why Xia Lin would use this as an exercise. The wildfire spirits born from the sparking flames hurled themselves with reckless abandon at their soldiers, cackling as they sought to spread with the single-minded madness only such a spirit could have.


    She had asked for a chance to practice her new art, if Xia Lin found one.


    Descending from above, she exhaled. Along with her breath, she cycled the rich, verdant wood qi which ran through a meridian along her spine.


    Distant Paradise Resilience.


    Her qi spread like a shower of soft leaves over the battlefield, and where it went, men and women straightened up. The scent of clear, fresh pine overwhelmed ash and smoke.


    A man on the northern side of the firebreaks was caught out of position as a half-dozen, giggling flame fearies leapt over the earthen rampart. He cut two from the air, little gusts of wind kicking the sparks of the severed faeries away from him, but the third detonated in an eruption of flame before he could raise his guard.


    She heard and felt his scream as the searing heat washed over his skin and down his throat. Viridian light flared, and the flames clinging to his clothes subsided. The shape of woven roots glittered in the shell of light around him as he was dragged back from the rampart by his comrades.


    Ling Qi felt a prickle on her skin, a small drop of qi burning away.


    Then, the weave of green over the soldier''s body broke apart into drifting motes. There was not a mark on his flesh.


    "I am here. The flames cannot harm you, but I cannot protect you from the pain," she said, her voice clear in every set of ears.


    "If Baroness Ling has arrived, then begin the second stage of the operation! Shrink containment, achieve reduction, and prioritize prevention of crown burning." Unlike hers, Xia Lin''s voice crackled and buzzed artificially, carried on the power of a simple amplification talisman. "Follow the procedures from your drills."


    Ling Qi observed the soldiers snapping into action. To her eyes, they were not well polished, but she could tell they had been drilled. The tiny draw on her qi grew as they began to advance among the fires.


    Her technique drew harm which they would have taken unto herself. While she could be a foundation to lean on, however, she was not the final arbiter of their lives. The pain of their choices was their own to suffer. Such was the technique she had put together from her own self and fragments of Kohatu''s memories of absolute persistence.


    "Where did this fire come from?" she asked. This time, she spoke just to Zhengui and Xia Lin.


    "One of the groups testing and laying the groundwork to begin mining caused a deviation in the earth veins," Xia Lin''s voice replied in her ear despite the distance.


    "Gui warned Miss Chaser, and she brought the people, but we did not arrive before the flame-air went boom!"


    "It is not so bad if it stays like this. I, Zhen, see that this place is much overgrown. A little burning is not bad."


    She watched as the soldiers moved in, coordinating with each other. She spotted Xia Lin''s shining armor among them where the conflagration was at its worst, calmly issuing orders. Heat and prickling needles washed over her here and there, but overall, the men were not growing sloppy under the aegis of her technique.


    The small hurts of red realms fighting through peer spirits could hardly dent the qi cycling through her channels. The technique was flawed still in this initial state, but it was a foundation to build on how best to protect.


    Like the roots she meditated over, she could not save every sprout and trunk. With her will, though, she could support and keep alive many who might otherwise perish in the pursuit of the distant dream which they now pursued.


    A dream even she could not yet see in full.


    "Is Big Sister''s technique doing what she wants?"


    She considered her little brother''s question as she bobbed on the currents of air. "I think so. It''s hard to test at such low intensity, but... Any injuries reported, Xia Lin?"


    "Not since your arrival. It appears fully effective, though there have been two psychologically-induced retreats."


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    Ah, she had felt one of those. A man had stepped into a smoldering underbrush and been engulfed entirely in flame. Even if she had not let him be hurt, an experience like that could definitely exhaust the mind. His comrades had handled the fire fearies that caused the blast well enough.


    There was a strong urge to just do everything herself. She could take care of the problem in an instant of high, clear song and howling icy wind, but Ling Qi and her comrades would not always be on site. The soldiers of Snowblossom needed to be able to handle minor situations like this on their own.


    Her presence and shrouding qi was a training aid for that, allowing them to experience the danger while ensuring no one suffered lasting harm. It wasn¡¯t what she had in mind for the technique, but she had to admit it was a useful benefit.


    "And your own thoughts, Zhengui?" Ling Qi asked.


    "Roots come much quicker when called by Gui. It is easier to see and hear things now."


    "I, Zhen, feel our heads are clearer now. It is why we felt this problem before it happened. Annoying that we could not stop it."


    "But Gui will get even better!"


    "I know you will," Ling Qi said fondly.


    The push of the soldiers through the burning underbrush was shrinking the zone of lurid red and orange down step-by-step, leaving gray ash and scorched trunks in their wake. They had done as ordered. Those cultivators with enough qi had concentrated on the task, extinguishing any fires before they could catch on the leaves. There was no crown fire among their woods.


    Their comrades trudging below had the more fraught task, smothering the flames while remaining on guard against the sudden assault of freshly born wildfire faeries. As the perimeter shrunk, Shenglu''s soldiers grew more effective. Less space between the groups of firefighters meant more support and easier cooperation.


    They needed polish, but only that. The foundation Gan Guangli and Xia Lin had laid was good.


    "Sister, Gui has a bad feeling. There is not enough flame on the surface."


    "Dastardly stink-gas, hiding and waiting. Ready to make a blast much bigger!"


    "Xia Lin, Zhengui detects a remaining pocket of gas. I am going to investigate."


    "Understood. Which location?"


    Communication flickered back and forth, with her as the relay between her little brother and Xia Lin. While she did so, Qiyi rustled around her ankles, taking her out in a lazy arc toward the location Zhengui was worried about.


    Now that she focused on it, it did look unnatural. Tree trunks tilted at odd angles, as if the earth had suddenly slumped beneath them, and there were rising streamers of shimmering air, invisible among the heat distortion of flames near the core of the burning zone. Through the grumble and grind of pained tree song and disturbed earth, over the crack and pop of flames and twirling faeries, she heard the quiet and whispering voice of ruin. A spirit of destruction had been catalyzed by the meeting of open wind and flame-imbued air.


    It wasn''t quite a spirit yet, but if not silenced, it would become one. Its song was rising, completing the first verse of many. She would not allow it to reach wholeness.


    The voice beneath tumbled root and burning bush and crumbling earth rose, and the wind whirled inward, tugging at the tongues of ruddy flame in the depression. Ling Qi descended and let vital qi pulse out, an emerald star born amidst and blasting away the ashy smoke.


    The proto-spirit of destruction gestating in the pocket detonated with the force to rip trees from the earth and snap bones like matchsticks. Ling Qi''s boots struck the collapsing earth directly in the center of the blast with a thump. Green glittered everywhere. It covered half-collapsed trees, burnt out bushes, and boulders alike. It even spread beyond the depression, a thin, woven blanket of vine and root cocooning everything in her reach, all the way out to their soldiers closing in on the epicenter.


    The blast died before it could echo beyond the sinking bowl in the earth. It rustled not a single hair or dislodged a single leaf. Ling Qi felt it as countless impacts, like standing under a rain of hailstones.


    Compared to the General''s flame, it was nothing.


    She looked down at her own hand curiously. She, too, was sheathed in green now. She couldn''t truly put this second technique, Ruin Scattered Regrowth, to the test against such a lowly attack, but the weave of qi she had created from Kohatu''s memory of persistence held steady. Reaching up, she studied a strand of her head, one of the few signs of damage. As she watched, the charred portion flaked away under a glimmer of green, restored to the same silkiness it had when she brushed it this morning.


    Her dantian surged, refilling the small loss of qi she had suffered from enduring the force meant for everyone and everything around her. Under her feet, the sparks that could have become a deadly spirit died, denied the kindling of pain and destruction that would have formed its foundation.


    "Center neutralized. The rest of the suppression should go smoothly," Ling Qi spoke. This time, she let her voice reach everyone. "Do not let your guard down until the work is done."


    She lifted off the earth with a puff of ashen dust as the rippling shell of green retracted, leaving only her connection to the soldiers themselves.


    When she descended next, it was down to where Zhengui stood, now carefully dismantling his wall of roots and bringing the earth and trees displaced by them back to where they had been before the eruption of his roots from the earth.


    "Welcome, Big Sister. Do not worry. Gui does not feel any more brewing big booms at all."


    "I''m glad." Ling Qi settled in cross-legged on the relatively smooth bit of shell behind Gui''s head, threading a pulsed cycle of qi through his own diffused aura affectionately. "The memories and practice of my old art, Thousand Ring Fortress, helped me get a hold of these new techniques, but I think this is as far as I can take this art until I face something more serious to test their limits."


    "It is hard to know how hard your shell is without something cracking it first," Zhen agreed, looping his coils loosely around her. "I, Zhen, will support Big Sister if hers ever does."


    "And I will do the same for you," Ling Qi promised. She remembered the times when her little brother had been seriously wounded. Every single one was deeply distressing. She supposed he would say the same of each and every time she took a serious wound. "I can''t promise I will never get hurt. "Or that I can shield everyone."


    "Gui cannot promise that either."


    She rested a hand on top of his head. "We can both promise to make anything which tries to separate us suffer miserably and long for it, Little Brother."


    "I, Zhen, like the sound of this promise." His ashen tongue flicked over her cheek.


    "Then let us persist together, Zhengui.¡±

 Threads Chapter 440-Lesson Plan 1

    The pleasant cool of the manor was a comfort after dealing with the fires. While she could keep herself cool at all times and places with a mere cycling of cold qi, there was something to be said for the brisk, natural cool which the offices of the second floor of the Shenglu''s manor offered, and the gentle, soothing sounds of falling water.


    Her eyes roamed over the room thoughtfully. This was her office. She could work wherever she liked, but this place was hers. It had the benefit of a balcony, looking out over the gardens through a curtain of falling, icy water, but the interior was nothing special. Her desk and furnishings were no different than the ones in any of the offices. A few shelves were filled with reference books, each one a copy of a copy of a copy, churned out during the education of scribes in the capital.


    Maybe she should consider personalizing it. She could at least use some cooler colors.


    Ling Qi returned her attention to the forms on her desk. The shrines to winter, her tentatively named ¡±Theaters of Frost,¡± was nearing its first stage of completion. The bonfire sites had been cleared for congregation, the dirt packed flat, and the supporting structures built. They were just waiting on some deliveries, and then, she would have to consecrate the central shrine and determine who would be the acting priest when she and Hanyi were not here.


    Soon, she would have those chestnuts,too. She could not believe the import route would be going through seven different baronies and three viscounties! No wonder the empire was encouraging the cultivation of civil servants. Mortal clerks would take ages to untangle this kind of mess.


    (Ling Qi was sure Renxiang would have taken just a few minutes to arrange everything, but that was not the point!)


    Having put in the work, Ling Qi thought that the assignment wasn''t just getting back at her for maybe intentionally phrasing her reports to exasperate Renxiang. Her liege and friend did have a point. Just as it did no good to handle all the threats for their soldiers, it didn''t help their burgeoning civil service if Cai Renxiang acted as the keystone of everyday operations.


    Cai Renxiang was quite satisfied with the clerks from the Gold Autumn school. With the central granary having its newly built storerooms filled with foodstuffs and the distribution system now processing efficiently, Renxiang had some plans for expanding their duties.


    The room darkened. Cold, oily tendrils of qi crept across her skin, made her throat constrict. Then, black, empty eyes crept into her sight, and hanging strands of black hair tickled her neck.


    She let out a breath, and tilted her head up to look at Shu Yue, who leaned over her.


    "You don¡¯t actually have to do that, do you?" she griped, taking hold of her heart rate and slowing it down manually with a small fluctuation in her qi.


    "Yes," Shu Yue said agreeably. Her office flickered and wavered as her sometimes tutor vanished before reappearing in front of her desk. Long fingered, pale hands were steepled in front of their chest.


    "I''m sorry Lin Hai had to go so soon. Did you want me to send for anything?"


    "The tides of fate carry us all into different times and places. We will meet again soon enough," Shu Yue said. "And you need not."


    "As you like. I hope there''s no emergency."


    "No, all is safe enough. I merely wish to speak of the future."


    "Is this about my lessons? I understand I wasn''t fit to practice yet."


    "You were not, although you have proven the resilience to keep yourself intact through many more lessons." Shu Yue¡¯s fingers tapped against one another. They seemed pensive.


    As the silence between them stretched, Ling Qi could sense that they had more to say.


    "You have impressed me. I deeply dislike what I asked of you at the climax of the summit. In truth, I was uncertain if you would survive it."


    "It was not a light thing to ask, but if I am not willing to put my life on the line for what I cultivate, the path to higher realms will never open, will it?"


    Shu Yue''s eyes did not contain pity or regret, only a teacher''s satisfaction. "Yes. One who values their own existence more than any goal or ideal cannot tread in the realms of sovereigns."


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    "That is not easy for most people to do."


    "It is not good for most people to do," Shu Yue replied gravely. "But your mind is tempered now. You have tasted obliteration, and yet, you remain on your Way. I do not doubt you will forge a true Name for yourself soon enough, should you weather this war."


    "I''ll take the encouragement. My lessons?"


    Shu Yue smiled thinly, the corners of their lips curling too far up toward their ears. "I shall have a lesson plan prepared by the time you begin your journey north. Call when you wish for it."


    "Very well. May I ask if you have looked into the caverns in the Cathedral of Winds? I intend to clear the site out with some help soon. Anything you are willing to tell me would be appreciated."


    Shu Yue tilted their head in thought. "I am not to stunt your growth by removing trials within your capacity. That said, there is little need for further proving on such minor matters."


    Ling Qi leaned forward in her seat.


    "The preparations you and your former sect sister have made are sufficient, if used wisely. The breach into the ith strata is sealable within your means. The east facing branch of the cavern system from the green crystal chamber holds the primary breach."


    Ling Qi considered this answer. She hadn''t even seen the caverns yet, but having to identify branches of a cavern system implied they were very extensive. "No more than that?"


    "I will not eliminate the fun you wish to have with your friend. You have been looking forward to this excursion, have you not?"


    She had. The journey with Bao Qian had been fun, but she had been limited at the time. Ling Qi was looking forward to stretching her legs, now that there were not any aches.


    And... she hadn''t really gone on an adventure with Suyin in quite some time. She wanted that kind of simplicity, at least once, before she jumped back into the complexities her life now entailed. "I have gotten too wrapped up in work."


    "It is common. Your drive will only grow. You are suited to fighting for your diversions though, I think," Shu Yue pondered. "That niche will not easily be polished out of your Way."


    Ling Qi certainly hoped so. As she grew toward the peak of the third realm, she could feel the certainty that shaped her qi channels. What was coming in her cultivation was final, in a way her previous breakthroughs to the yellow realm and then the green realm had not been. Every event and insight of the last hectic years were coming together into a Name at the tip of her tongue but which she could not yet speak.


    Ling Qi rested her chin on her hand, and Shu Yue was polite enough to remain silent as she gathered her thoughts. "May I ask what you are planning for my lessons?"


    Shu Yue nodded, and she politely ignored the unsettling crackling of shifting vertebrae. "There is a unique opportunity. You have mastered the maintenance of the self. If the General did not burn you away, only a clash with the most terrible lurkers of the liminal, or a failed invasion of a higher realm¡¯s mind, will break your self."


    Tap, tap went their fingers, the sound dry and papery.


    "Or a moment of carelessness."


    Ling Qi lowered her head in acknowledgement.


    "We focus, then, on the outer expressions of the art, the faults and fissures and imperfections of identity. The ways in which it is worn away. The methods by which it is broken." Shu Yue¡¯s voice was low and cold. "This is the opportunity. You will walk in the Dream of Xiangmen with me, and together, we will look on what lingers there."


    "You intend to take me where I promised not to walk during my last visit then?"


    "The roots would be a strong lesson. You have seen the surface of it in your own life."


    Ling Qi had lived on the streets of Tonghou and seen the privation and desperation there, wearing people down and crumbling barriers of the self thought to be inviolate.


    "You call it the surface only."


    Shu Yue''s thin lips pressed in an unhappy line.


    "Yes. I would never have warned you away if it were only that. In the depths of the great tree, there are far greater horrors and nightmares. The whims of the liar lords, the dream makers, are there in the dark. Even two hundred years and the scouring of Her radiance cannot remove that shadow."


    Something about the way Shu Yue spoke sent a shiver up her spine, and the whispering laughter and sobs of countless children made her heart freeze in her chest.


    "In the depths, you will learn of the tools which abrade a person down to their least selves," Shu Yue continued. "You have learned to walk in the personal dream of a cultivator. There, you will learn to hurt with the deliberation of a surgeon''s scalpel."


    Shu Yue warned her.


    "It will not be a kind lesson."


    Ling Qi swallowed. "You said it would be a strong lesson. Is it not your plan?"


    The corners of her tutor''s lips curled back up. "It is a choice. There is another lesson. You have seen her: the vortice in the canopy; the Empty Ascension; and the Palace of One. You have floated in her orbit. I would take you deeper. To know the terrible, scouring fire that is hope. To know how minds may bend toward a distant and unreachable dream. And how these ideals may be broken and twisted into the lesson her descendants took from her. This would be another lesson of sight. But as befitting the coming war, it, too, is a lesson of hurt, if one lesser than the lesson of the roots."


    "Are there no lessons from those days that are not hurtful?" Ling Qi asked.


    "If there were, neither my Master nor I would be what we are," Shu Yue said simply. "Which lesson shall I prepare?"


    ¡°The roots.¡±

 Threads 441-Lesson Plan 2

    "The roots?¡±


    Ling Qi pondered the unspoken question. As a teacher, Shu Yue was not one to tell her she was wrong, or even guide her choices much, so it wasn''t an oblique rebuke or warning.


    "I''ve seen the clashes of high ideals and the towering perspectives of sovereigns. I''ve seen what a Way like mine could be like at those heights. My thought then was that the difference lay in the faces, the individuals of your kin and community. Letting them disappear into the whole is the start of a poor turn." Ling Qi shrugged. "I''m already bad at remembering people who are too far away. I''ve engraved the lonely streets into my Way, but I''m not sure if it''s enough. Seeing what an unrestrained ideal can do to those beneath its notice is a lesson I will benefit from, which will sharpen my own weapons well, such as they are."


    What she had suffered, she had made her weapon: isolation, the privation of the mind. That was the cultivation she had chosen. In every art where she had the capacity to harm, there were traces of that weapon.


    She knew she was going to hate looking into such a pit of ugliness in the depths of Xiangmen, but she also knew that the coming offensive against the ith would be so much worse.


    "So, yes,¡± she continued, ¡°the roots, down where the suffering is all the sharper for its lack of malice. As for the Palace, I have a feeling I''ll need to see it again but now is not the time. That journey should not be touched by war."


    "I will not promise to offer my guidance toward it when you feel ready. A choice made is a consequence set. Without such, they are meaningless."


    "I understand." Ling Qi bowed her head. "May I ask how we will proceed with this lesson? I cannot disappear for long."


    "I will pose you questions and assignments, observations to make during the days of your stay. When I am satisfied with your efforts, we will descend, and you will examine those answers in the face of the nightmares. This will keep the lesson grounded in the present, as your Way must be, and prevent too much strain and mental pollution from ruining your other efforts."


    "I accept my choice.¡±


    "Then, let it be so," Shu Yue said gravely. They straightened to their full height. "Another guest arrives."


    Ling Qi glanced outside at the position of the sun. "Oh! Yes, Meng Duyi was meant to come by today."


    "I will not delay your meeting with the Maker of Harmonies. We will speak again when you journey north."


    "I will look forward to our lesson."


    Shu Yue''s head tilted, their ear left almost horizontal to their shoulder. "I do not know that you should, but it pleases me that you look ahead with clear eyes."


    Their form collapsed, shadows skittering away into the corners of the room. Ling Qi was once again alone, or seemingly so, anyway.


    "There isn''t much reason to drive myself to distraction wondering otherwise, is there?" she wondered aloud, not expecting an answer. She didn''t receive one. In the absence of Shu Yue''s buzzing, empty aura pressing down on her, she could feel the slow approach of Meng Duyi, like a winding stream burbling over smooth river stones sedately and without excitement. His news must be nothing terrible, then.


    She gestured as he arrived, and the door opened with a faint click. Meng Duyi strode through without a pause. Such efficiency was only expected when everyone involved had a certain level of perception.


    "Thank you for receiving me, Baroness."


    The door swung shut behind him as easily as it had opened.


    "You were my scheduled meeting. I would not dare use your time so poorly as to push it back without good reason."


    "And the shadow did not have one to report," Meng Duyi replied agreeably.


    Shu Yue had not been hiding their presence.


    "We were simply discussing lesson plans."


    He pursed his lips. "I will not waste time speaking of wariness. You have already chosen a very old path when it comes to choosing mentors."


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    Ling Qi smiled. He didn''t even know about Huisheng, but his observation was still true. Learning from deadly spirits was perhaps the oldest form of cultivation.


    "I have slowed down for long enough."


    Meng Duyi observed her beneath his antlered headdress, stroking the length of his beard thoughtfully. "If that is your Way. I have made some changes to the arrangement of your quarry. There were poor practices."


    "I admit, I''m surprised. What did Lady Cai miss?"


    "Her plan was precision perfect for a more northerly city, but it failed to take advantage of the geography and spiritual landscape here. It is always easier to move goods by water to begin with, and you are arranging these small canals already. More effective transport back to your construction sites was the start."


    "I see." The quarry was a ways out from the town center to avoid the noise and dust from troubling anyone. "And the run-off?"


    "There are several drainage techniques and rites which we use in the western fens which were applicable; the spirits of the earth and stone will avoid mingling with the waters if treated correctly, and the correct cadence and pattern of the stone-cutting can induce them to cooperate and ease the labor."


    "Can our mortal laborers handle the proper methods without causing more dangerous offense?" Ling Qi asked. She was not well versed in mining procedure, but she knew the horror stories which sometimes filtered back into Tonghou from the mines: crushing and suffocation, the rage of the injured earth swallowing a dozen men whole or infecting them with choking, wasting sickness.


    "I took your arrangement of the fishing rites and adjusted them. Work songs are already becoming commonplace. I''ve ensured the spoken rite is simple and catching." Meng Duyi rested his hands heavily on the rustling top of his cane. "More expansive operations may require more of the foremen, but I judge neither you nor the Lady Cai will balk at the slight increases in cost. It will train workers better for the dangers of spirit stone mining regardless."


    He gestured, and a wooden scroll case appeared in his hand. He laid it on her desk and straightened back up.


    "I have written a treatise for your lady and yourself to review, along with young Master Zhengui."


    Ling Qi stood, clasped her hands in front of her chest, and bowed. "Thank you, Sir Meng, for your efforts on our part. I regret that I have not had more time to avail myself of your lessons directly."


    "Your brother is an attentive enough student. I will be here a decade yet. I am aware of the demands on your time. In the end, my lessons are yours to take," Meng Duyi replied serenely.


    In the end, it was her time she was spending by focusing on other matters. "Still, I hope we might find the time soon. May I ask if you received the surveyor''s notes regarding the cultivation site on the upper cliffs?"


    "This Cathedral of Winds? A well-chosen name. The danger there is leaking a slight taint into the river, but if you take care of the issue soon, there will be no trouble with it. The flow of impurity is too dilute currently."


    "Good," Ling Qi said, feeling some relief. The last thing she needed was a spreading sickness here. "Sir Meng, can you look into the construction materials for the shrine we intend to place down there? I would like a professional opinion on whether they will suffice for the spirit of the crystals when it awakens."


    "The spirit is dormant, and its flows are tainted. It is difficult to make any judgment with certainty, even for I. However, I will review what you have gathered and ensure there are no obvious problems."


    "Thank you, Sir Meng. I need to prepare for the expedition to the cathedral site, but I hope I will find some time to hear your wisdom in the aftermath."


    He stroked his beard. "I suppose the communion with the spirit there and the clean-up work may be a useful venue for an introductory lesson. If I may..."


    "Please," Ling Qi said, curious.


    "This room was chosen well. The balcony faces east, receiving the strong yang of the dawning sun each morning, but if this is to be your primary office, it will not be enough, given your nature." The geomancer¡¯s eyes panned around the room. "Yin pools in your presence. While you are suited to it, it will make your subordinates sluggish and fatigued. I suggest looking into other sources of yang: an art piece with brighter colors, and perhaps a more intense lantern for light. Summer-aspected floral arrangements may also work."


    "Would a muse of the Dreaming Moon counterbalance the pooling of yin?"


    Meng Duyi raised an eyebrow. "To an extent. I would suggest some brighter colors in the halls and nearby offices regardless."


    "I will see to it, though I really do like more muted colors." Ling Qi peered around the room. Some spots of brightness wouldn''t hurt, especially if they were mainly in the halls outside, and some flower arrangements would make the atmosphere cheerier.


    "For your own space, it may be fine, so long as you do not carelessly keep any subordinates working in the interior for too long. You yourself are a great attractor of yin energy, amplifying what is in your surroundings. Mortals and low cultivators have much less constitution for concentrated energies than you or I."


    Just something else to remember. It was no wonder that a higher realm could forget and trample others without any malice.


    "I''ll keep that in mind. It''s a leader''s duty to take care of their subordinates."


    "Easy words to say. Easy words to forget. We will speak again when your expedition is done then, Baroness?"


    "We will. Thank you, Sir Meng," Ling Qi replied, looking back down at the work on her desk. She just needed to finish these reports for Renxiang, and then, she could go out to wait for and meet Suyin and Sixiang.


    She''d missed her friends a great deal.

 Threads 442-Cathedral of Winds 1

    "Qiiiiiiii!"


    Sixiang''s impact against her chest would have bowled her over if she were a mortal. As it was, she nearly floated off her feet as they spun around once. Her cheeks warmed at the flagrant contact, but she embraced the muse back. It felt strange for Sixiang to have this much weight and solidity.


    "O-oh, dear. Ah, you really shouldn''t do that kind of thing in public!" Li Suyin fretted, climbing down from the steps of her carriage.


    "It¡¯s fine once in a while. Besides, there''s no one here to be scandalized.¡±


    Because the workers and clerks at the temporary hitching post were not looking at her.


    Li Suyin''s carriage was bone white with deep matte black paneling, carved to seem as if it were made from the bones of a large beast, including a many toothed, squared off jaw serving to hold the driver¡¯s bench. Naturally, it was occupied by one of her skeleton automatons. This one had a horse''s skull. The horses were entirely made of carved wood, porcelain, and silver. They emitted a low but fragrant smoke from the joints and crevices of their mechanical forms.


    "They''re supposed to do that," Sixiang confided, giving her one more squeeze and releasing her. "It''s the fuel."


    Ling Qi cocked an eyebrow. "Do they not use spirit stones?"


    "That method is too expensive for daily use," Li Suyin explained. "Since I have the freedom, I''m experimenting with different methods."


    Ling Qi squinted at the construct horses, listening to the faint susurrous of whispers. "Are there faeries in there?''


    Li Suyin tilted her head."Yes. How did you know? I''ve bound them to the formations in the chest and stomach cavities. They''re fed small amounts of mid-grade wood to keep them producing energy."


    They didn''t exactly sound upset, she guessed.


    "My senses have improved. A lot. You should watch out for when they get bored."


    "That is a problem,¡± Suyin acknowledged. ¡°The feed keeps them mostly docile, but it''s not perfect, and the method really doesn''t have great efficiency. But! It is proof of possibility."


    "They''re way more expensive to feed than just grabbing a couple of real horses," Sixiang tattled.


    Li Suyin shot the muse a betrayed look, the iris of her artificial eye glinting and spinning dangerously. "Your own body is based on similar principles!"


    "Yeah, but I''m not a little baby fairy who can''t string two thoughts together. I don''t need your doodads to run all the processes for me." Sixiang leaned on her shoulder and stuck their tongue out at Suyin.


    "Have you considered employing spirits that are..." Less stupid. Less stupid and feckless than red grade faeries, she wanted to say. "A little more advanced?"


    "I considered it, but the containment and binding formations are a problem, not to mention the danger if they break free while around mortals," Li Suyin replied.


    "You may be able to convince a spirit to enter a contract to operate a construct."


    Li Suyin shook her head. "Possible, for a personal piece, but it doesn''t work well for wider reproduction. Regardless, it is good to see you again, Ling Qi. Thank you for welcoming me to your home."


    "Thank you for coming to assist on our expedition. I know the prodigy of the Argent Peak Sect must be busy," Ling Qi teased.


    "Oh, stop."Li Suyin¡¯s cheeks flushed. "I have been given a break from deployment before the offensive."


    "You''re going?"


    "Of course. I have to be on hand for maintenance of the purifying talismans and formations."


    She really did have to get used to a more determined Suyin.


    "I understand." Ling Qi turned her attention to Sixiang. "And you? Are you better? The flames..."


    "Oh, I''m good," Sixiang dismissed.


    Ling Qi narrowed her eyes, sensing the slight edge of falsity in their voice. It wasn''t a lie, but it wasn''t completely true either.


    "Managed to shave off the worst burnt bits, and I''ve gotten the rest patted out. Really, I¡¯ve just been bored the last month or two. I¡¯ve been working out more body stuff."


    "And being a pain in my ass," another voice grumbled.


    Su Ling emerged from the carriage as well, to Ling Qi''s surprise. She hadn''t noticed her with her senses. Li Suyin''s security formations were getting good.


    "Don''t be like that, Lingling." Sixiang smirked. "I know you haven''t gotten rid of that painting I did on your ceiling. I think I really got the flex just right."


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    Su Ling''s ears stiffened, the long points standing out straight from her head. "Take your fucking jester back, Ling Qi."


    "Don''t worry. I will," Ling Qi said, amused. "Since when do you paint?"


    "Since I needed to find more things to do." Sixiang shot her a grin. "And who''s the new girl?"


    "Ah, this is Qiyi. She awakened under Sir Lin''s care and repair."


    Hi! Echo empty shore waiting left. Return? Silky cushion waiting. Keeping warm.


    "That so? Well, aren''t you a cutie." Sixiang peered at the gown. "I might not mind a bit of time there."


    They looked at Ling Qi questioningly, and Ling Qi dipped her head in agreement. She wouldn''t mind that at all. As comical as it might sound to say, her head had really been too empty lately.


    "Oof, jeez, your dress is a spirit now, too?¡± Su Ling asked. ¡°I don''t know how you''re okay with wearin'' somebody. I don''t even like keeping Cibei in my dantian that much."


    The little black bat, still no more than a hand span in size, poked out of Su Ling¡¯s bushy hair with a squeak, making Su Ling''s tail flick.


    ¡°I have said that it is fine, Master!¡±


    Su Ling snorted. "And I''ve said that I don''t like people in my head."


    "Qiyi is a dress." Ling Qi shrugged. "Even if she is a person, she is still a dress. I''m surprised you''re here, by the way. I don''t mind, but..."


    "Trips are suspended for a time. I am still a member of the Argent Peak Sect," Su Ling replied.


    "And she wished to visit Sir Gan, for which I cannot blame her." Li Suyin sighed, resting her cheek on her hand.


    Su Ling scowled at the other girl. "He''s coming along, isn''t it he? Figured I might as well come help."


    "He is going to be our anchor,¡± Ling Qi answered. ¡°The tunnels don''t suit him, but you said he could help operate your formations in your letter, didn''t you, Li Suyin?"


    "Yes. I''ll need to be on site to apply the impurity seals when we find the breach, so someone else will need to operate the short-range transport formations and provide me the data for the proper environmental flows from the surface."


    "And to guard against any interference to the surface equipment," Ling Qi said, amused.


    Even if they weren''t hostile, it was a spiritually active site.


    "Yes, that, too. It''s best if no one is left alone in the operation, though, no?"


    Li Suyin sounded entirely too innocent.


    Su Ling''s unimpressed look said that she agreed with Ling Qi''s assessment.


    "Yep,¡± Sixiang chirped. ¡°Buddy system all the way. Better safe than sorry."


    "Look. Just because you''re right doesn''t mean I don''t know what you''re doing, you buncha degenerates," Su Ling grumbled. "We just gonna stand around here all day or what?"


    "We should get moving," Ling Qi agreed. "Please follow me to the Shenglu manor, honored guests."


    "Please," Li Suyin said.


    The jeweled, claw tipped fingers of her gauntlet twitched, and the low rumbles and rising smoke from the constructs ceased. Ling Qi sensed the faeries bound to them struggle to stay awake, only to sink into a low energy torpor after a few moments. Meanwhile, the horse-headed driver leapt down from the bench to stand behind Li Suyin as they began to walk.


    It was every inch the obedient porter. Except for being a more than two-meters tall polished skeleton with spider silk muscle and sinew. Details.


    Best to start inuring people to Suyin¡¯s aesthetic choices now. She certainly wasn''t going to stop having her friend over.


    Tug and pull. Stretch and contract. Make the walk and swing? Testing. Testing. Ribbons and bones.


    Qiyi, no.


    Wearer no assist? Sad.


    If she was ever disabled again, maybe then Qiyi could assist her.


    No, Qiyi not allow. Bad. Failure. Bad girl ribbons not deserve. Damage wearer.


    She could walk and move on her own just fine otherwise.


    Wearer sleep? Cultivate? Assist then? Work good!


    No.


    Sad.


    "Looking distracted there, Qi." Sixiang fell in beside her as they left the hitching post and followed the packed gravel path toward the road that led into Shenglu proper.


    In the distance, she could see the many workers swarming over the temporary palisade walls, carefully deconstructing their more valuable elements, and streaming out to the new perimeter, where the construction of proper walls of earth and stone was being begun. Watched over by the majority of their guard complement, mortal workers dug alongside low cultivation earth movers, digging out the trench where the foundations would be set. Cai Renxiang wanted the settlement walls finished before they left for Xiangmen.


    ¡°It really is impressive how much you all have carved from the wilderness in less than a year." Li Suyin admired the colors shimmering in the mist that billowed from Snowblossom''s falls.


    "Looks empty to me, but I guess you all ''re plannin¡¯ for growth," Su Ling said. "Still, it looks nice for now."


    "You''ve definitely been busy," Sixiang assessed. "Is the fam all settled in now? I stopped in to say bye when they left."


    "Yes, everyone is here and safe. Mother''s worked herself into a fret, but Biyu loves the manor gardens," Ling Qi said fondly.


    "It''s good to be able to keep your family close. I do miss Mother and Father sometimes," Li Suyin said wistfully. ¡°We keep up with the letters, and I''ve commissioned a speaking mirror so we can talk on occasion, but it just isn''t the same."


    "You''d get even more testy about getting dragged out of your lair then," Sixiang commented.


    "It''s a laboratory, not a lair!" Li Suyin pouted. "Doing things with family is not the same as attending all those frivolous gatherings you''ve dragged me to."


    "I dunno. I think it was probably good for ya to talk to some other humans after a month locked up." Then, Su Ling smirked. "And you got awfully flustered when..."


    "No! You both promised not to talk about that!"


    Well, that was just unfair of them. How was she supposed to tease her friend if she wasn''t allowed to know? Truly, the temptation to don the mantle of the Thief of Names had never been greater.


    Sixiang met her eyes and grinned. She grinned back. She was glad they could still meet up like this.

 Threads 443-Cathedral of Winds 2

    "Aha! What a wonderful surprise!" Gan Guangli boomed. His grin was brighter than the lights of the meeting room they were in. "Welcome to Shenglu, Lady Li, Lady Su!"


    "Don''t ¡®Lady Su¡¯ me, Guangli. There ain''t anyone here who''s gonna be offended."


    He laughed. "As you wish, Su Ling."


    Ling Qi chuckled herself, stepping around the large central table to find her seat at the head, Sixiang trailing along just beside her. "Take your time, everyone. Refreshments are on the way. The plan is to leave in the afternoon, so we have plenty of time to talk and plan."


    "Wouldn''t it be better to leave earlier?" Su Ling asked.


    "Nah. Grandmother''ll be up tonight. We''ll have better luck then." Sixiang dropped into a seat beside Ling Qi. It was strange to hear the muffled rattle and clack of ceramic on wood when they did.


    "Well, I don''t know about luck, but I did design the qi siphon which will power the seal activation, the Cleansing Argent Breeze Filter, for lunar qi since it requires a potent source of yin qi," Li Suyin commented, examining the privacy formations subtly worked into the engravings in the wood of the door frame.


    "I''ll also be helping with providing yin qi," Ling Qi said. "You said you had a physical sealing talisman, too? We need to stop any pollution, but we also need to cut off any physical passages as well."


    "Oh, yes, though I can''t take credit for those. My own work is only a small part of the Five Temple Impurity Seal that Elder Jiao designed."


    "That''d be that big silver disc thing, right?" Su Ling asked. "I didn''t get everything about it, but I think it''s meant to lock in with the ambient earth qi and seal it against manipulation."


    "Yes. The impurity detection that makes it activate at its higher stage is mine, but Elder Jaio''s work on the wide area sealing and repelling effects is much more important for the purposes of this expedition," Suyin explained. "One should be enough for any other undetected passages in the upper plateau region."


    "Excellent. What would it take to overwhelm or bypass the seal?" Gan Guangli asked.


    "The energies required would render any stealth or subtlety in the attempt impossible," Suyin replied. "And it is designed to be unable to be tampered with from beneath, save by brute force. It''s not impossible that a skilled specialist like Ling Qi could bypass it with great effort though."


    No security was truly impenetrable or inviolate, Ling Qi knew. That was simply the way of passive defenses. Someone clever could always work around them in time.


    "The seal still gives a great benefit. Raising the bar to infiltrate increases the opportunity cost of trying to operate where the seals are installed."


    "Yes!" Suyin nodded cheerfully. "Together with the filter, it should mean that you will have no impurity worries, except for active, invested attacks from the ith. In that case..."


    "We would need military might to combat no matter what,¡± Gan Guangli finished. ¡°And with these defenses, we will have more warning even for that. I am curious, though. Five temples?"


    "Bountiful Earth, Celestial Dragon, the Heavenly Pillar, the Dusk Sun, and the Hidden Moon," Su Ling rattled off. "Five great spirits invoked and woven into defense."


    Ling Qi''s eyebrows rose. "Elder Jiao does not hold back. Invoking that many great spirits without offending or miscalling any of them into one formation is not easy. Is it operating off of demesne principles, then?"


    "Yes. It¡¯s invoking the sovereignty of the empire and its ancestors over the earth, and reinforcing the division between the depths and the surface. This far out, it will beless potent, but testing has shown it should still function without serious maintenance for at least a decade," Li Suyin declared.


    It was at the time that there was a timid knock at the door. They fell silent as Ling Qi gestured, opening the door and allowing the serving staff to enter and bring in the refreshments. Su Ling, she noticed, still looked uncomfortable being served, but Li Suyin cheerfully thanked the servers, even as they eyed the looming skeleton behind her chair with wariness.


    It did make Ling Qi pleased that the fear in their postures was tempered and weakened as she let slip a small part of her domain, a few wisps of mist crawling along the floor beneath the table. She was here. These were her guests. They were her staff. Both were under her protection.


    Sixiang grinned knowingly at her, and Ling Qi busied herself by filling her plate with some small treats.


    "Softy," Sixiang whispered, accepting a cup of aromatic tea and inhaling deeply from the rising steam. "I wonder if you even need me anymore, with how confident and together you are now."


    "I will never not need my friend, Sixiang," she replied back, just as quietly. "Qiyi isn''t the only one who noticed the silence. I miss your voice."


    Sixiang chuckled. "Moons, I''ve really gotten needy. I''ve missed you two. These gals are fun, and I wouldn''t mind spending one month outta three pestering Suyin to go out more, but I''m really glad to be back."


    Ling Qi reached out, resting her hand on top of Sixiang''s briefly. Surprisingly, it felt like flesh and blood, not the wood and metal underneath.


    "Suyin does good work,¡± Sixiang answered her unspoken question. ¡°And so do I."


    Ling Qi let the subtle screen over their words go, and the sound of the dining room roared back in full force.


    "--gonna get yourself thwomped on the head one of these days, you know, Guangli?" Su Ling drawled.


    "Then, I shall accept my lumps with honor! It is important that men know their leader is with them and will take the first blow!"


    "I want to see one of these beavers," Li Suyin muttered into her cup, eyes sparkling.


    "So you can feed them to Zhenli? Why''s the fuzzball still in your dantian anyway?"


    "I didn''t want to frighten the servants..."


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    All of them looked at the looming bone mannequin behind Suyin.


    "I didn''t want to alarm them more." Li Suyin pouted. "But, fine. She should stretch her legs."


    Ling Qi''s eyes widened. "Ah, Suyin¡ª!"


    Li Suyin''s spirit beast materialized by the base of her chair. Zhenli was still squat and compact for a spider, with thick, fuzzy legs held close to her puffball pink body and huge, glassy, and unblinking eyes.


    "This Zhenli thanks the Baroness Ling for having her," Zhenli said, pedipalps spreading apart to match her lowered head.


    "You are welcome, but..."


    Naturally, then, the door opened, revealing her mother and sister, who she had sensed coming down the hall. She''d invited them to eat with everyone today, wanting her family to grow more used to other cultivators.


    "My apologies for being late. We were held up in cleaning my younger daughter''s..." Ling Qingge began, her head ducked low, only to freeze and pause.


    Li Suyin had chosen a seat right by the door. This meant Zhenli was directly in her mother''s line of sight. Her sister¡¯s, too. Biyu''s eyes were widening even as she looked, and Ling Qi rose from her seat.


    "Fuzzy!" Biyu squealed, high and loud, but it was not in fear as Ling Qi had expected. The little girl darted forward out of her shocked mother¡¯s grasp.


    "A-ah! Young miss. Do not. This Zhenli... Baroness. Help!"


    Her little sister pounced on the large, dog-sized spider, squeezing her like a pet.


    "Biyu, no!" her mother spoke, voice strangled. She rushed forward to pry the little girl away from the spider, despite the fear Ling Qi could still feel from her.


    "Woah, there, little one! One must not touch others without permission." Gan Guangli scolded. Rising to his feet, he carefully helped her mother disentangle the spider from Biyu¡¯s grasp. Zhenli rapidly scuttled under the table the moment the beast felt she could avoid harming Biyu in her escape.


    "I''m sorry, Mother. I promise there is nothing unsafe in the room. Please meet Zhenli, my friend''s spirit beast. She would never harm her hosts," Ling Qi reassured. She rounded the table to approach her mother.


    The woman still looked frazzled, her breathing uneven, but she was swiftly composing herself. "O-of course. Please excuse my shameful reaction, honored guests."


    "Madam Ling, I am very sorry for my unthinking action. Zhenli is a good friend, but I forgot how she could be perceived," Suyin apologized, rising from her seat and bowing repeatedly.


    Ling Qi sighed as her mother and Li Suyin began their dueling, escalating apologies, and accepted her little sister from the grinning Gan Guangli.


    "Biyu, why would you do that?"


    "Weird dog was very fuzzy." Biyu curled in her arms, unsure of why people were upset.


    "You shouldn''t grab onto beasts suddenly. They can be dangerous, or you might startle them," Ling Qi explained.


    "But... Sis is here."


    And anything around her big sister couldn''t be dangerous.


    "You still need to ask before touching, little sister."


    Even if she wouldn''t let Biyu be hurt, boundaries should be respected.


    "It''s very rude to do so, no matter how cute you think they are, okay?"


    "... Okay."


    Ah, it looked like the duel was over. Suyin emerged victorious in having her apology accepted.


    "Let''s not dwell. Come sit next to me, Mother. The tea is still warm."


    ***?


    Later, when the refreshments were all cleared away, and the catching up was done, everyone was able to settle in, and Biyu was allowed to carefully pet both the spider and the bat in the room. The little girl was now curled up in her mother¡¯s lap, dozing contentedly. Conversation had since turned to more serious topics.


    "So, Li Suyin, you mentioned there was something you needed to establish in person in your last letter. I recall a mention about limited capacity?" Ling Qi asked, pushing her plate aside.


    "Oh, yes.I have a limited number of arrays which I can provide upkeep on with my current qi.¡± Then, Suyin added defensively, ¡°Qi which I cultivate often enough."


    Su Ling snorted. Ling Qi kept her expression innocent.


    "And I suppose we can''t power them for you."


    "No. These need to be custom-made to the user, which would take some months. I''ve made several of them for core disciples, but I have not had the time to spend with any of you on the project."


    Ling Qi sighed, and gestured for her to continue.


    ¡°The most intensive array is my Mother''s Adamant Bones formation. You''re familiar with the way distance and space become twisted and bent around in the underworld''s tunnels?"


    Ling Qi grimaced, and so did Su Ling. "Yes."


    "And of course, you¡¯re familiar with the way your own liminal travel was disrupted."


    That emergency had led her to her first attempt at a long distance dream step. Their scouting group had almost been lost in the deep liminal as a result.


    "That was due to interference from something from the ith though."


    "Yes. Elder Jiao has determined from studying the remains of the talisman he gave your group that it was some ith artifice, but it is a technique which comes easily to their impurity methods. And in this upcoming expedition, we will not have a talisman from the elder."


    Her mother looked worried, though Ling Qi could tell she only partially understood Suyin¡¯s lecture.


    "My array acts to solidify the laws of the surface and the material world in its radius, dampening the distorting effects of the underworld, but it will also disrupt your own movement arts," Li Suyin explained. "In addition, its power issues mean that I would have to weaken the duration of my impurity filtering formations on us, so we would have less time to spend in the tunnels before the toxicity began to affect us."


    "I assume you would strengthen the ward against the toxicity, if you didn''t activate the other formation," Ling Qi pondered.


    "Yep," Sixiang piped up. "You want more time but more potential for spooky twisty stuff, or do you want less spooky twisty stuff but also less time?"


    "Succinct!" Gan Guangli praised.


    "Yes, thank you, Sixiang," Ling Qi said dryly. To Suyin, she said, ¡°We can do without your array. I''ve grown much more skilled since then, and we won''t be anywhere near the ith-ia''s actual territory. And it will be good practice. We will be going much deeper soon in the upcoming offensive."


    "That is true." Li Suyin sighed. "Since I am with you, I suppose it will be fine. I''ll save on the reagents this way, too."


    "Suyin, how much are you going to expend on this expedition?" Ling Qi asked.


    "No more than her discretionary budget for the month," Su Ling answered flatly.


    Ling Qi stared at Su Ling blankly. " And since when do you use words like discretionary?"


    "Lingling''s been a real scholar these past few months," Sixiang said, bright and singsong.


    "Su Ling is very diligent when she decides it is important," Gan Guangli added serenely.


    "Oh, all of you, go to the hells. I just don''t use big words just to sound flowery and sh¡ª" Su Ling cut off her curse, glancing at Ling Qi''s mother.


    "Yes." Li Suyin muffled a giggle. "I am not expending anything I can''t afford. So, Ling Qi, it''s been some time since we updated each other on our capabilities. What can we expect from you?"


    "To begin with, I have been working through my cultivation of my construct arts, the Beast King''s Savage Dirge..."

 Threads 444-Cathedral of Winds 3

    They''d spoken through the morning until well after the dishes were cleared away, but eventually, the time came for them to go.


    Ling Qi offered to bring everyone up the cliffside, but only Suyin and Sixiang accepted. Gan Guangli had just scooped up Su Ling, whose tails bushed out adorably, and leapt to the top of the cliff.


    Gan Guangli really did have a mischievous side. She hoped the gesture had been worth it because Su Ling looked like she could set fires with her eyes for the rest of the trip.


    They arrived at the cavern which held the Cathedral of Winds as the sun was sinking toward the horizon, staining the sky red and orange. The scouts assigned to the clifftop hadn''t reported any changes, and true to their word, the exterior was no different than they had left it. However, they had not sent scouts into the cavern given the danger, and so, they proceeded inside with caution.


    The piping sound of the wind blowing through the naturally perforated stone was much the same as before, an eerie and melancholy tune carried out through the high crevice which led inside. Then came the great chamber itself, lit from within by rose gold light distorted through the great crystal growth which took up the gallery.


    The clean water of the spring in the center had changed. It was now gray and polluted, thick like silt. Black fungal growths had crept up onto the shore, extending stringy veins of fleshy material across the stone. None of the predatory water spirits she had encountered last time were there beneath the water, and the surface was opaque and still.


    "That looks real welcomin''," Su Ling drawled.


    Sixiang grimaced as they peered at the water. "For what it''s worth, I think that''s a recent change."


    "I don''t feel echoes of dying or strife, so the natural spirits of the tunnels haven''t been destroyed," Ling Qi analyzed.


    "The crystal remains pristine!" Gan Guangli declared.


    Ling Qi''s ears caught nothing from the crystal though. The spirit of the cavern was still alive, but it was unresponsive, closed off, like a tortoise drawn fully into its shell. She could tell there would be no response if she spoke to it, and if she forced it, the spirit would interpret it as an attack.


    Li Suyin was already crouching, hands spread wide as the air distorted between them. Ling Qi had never seen an object take so long to withdraw from storage.


    The item that emerged looked like a rain collector. A wide silver funnel covered in countless etched characters and filled with some black gemstone dust was set in the mouth of a clear glass container the size of a small barrel. Suyin examined it with a critical eye before nodding and producing a stack of paper talismans in her palm.


    "The Four Trigrams Lunar Absorption array is undamaged. Sir Gan, please find a flat place to install it outside. When you place the container, please add four of the anchoring talismans at the prime radials with the talisman edge exactly fifteen centimeters from the funnel''s outer edge. If placed properly, they will then activate themselves."


    "Understood, Miss Li!" Gan Guangli slammed his closed fist against his chest. "Any further instruction?"


    Li Suyin considered. "It should be placed on bare stone if possible, but if not available, please clear away any plant matter from the installation site. It would be a small inefficiency, but we should be diligent."


    Su Ling sighed. "Yeah, guess I go out with him. Prolly easier to cut grass than rip it up. You two gonna be good in here?¡±


    "I''ll manage, certainly for long enough to call you back if something comes up," Ling Qi replied, amused. If there were something she couldn¡¯t hold off for that long, Gan Guangli and Su Ling weren''t going to be much help against it.


    "Think you want me to load up to the old digs, Qi?" Sixiang asked.


    "Will your body be safe up here?"


    "Haha, I can watch over it, Miss Ling," Gan Guangli proposed, the qi-gathering device in his arms.


    Ling Qi nodded, and Sixiang smiled brightly. Their form shimmered, silhouette blurring as the light bent and air wavered, and then, they vanished. Beneath the appearance of a body was a life-sized humanoid doll made from polished wood and porcelain, articulated with gears of polished silver in the seams and joints. The face was a panel of soft wood very loosely shaped like a human face, set with eyes of polished crystal glass.


    As she felt Sixiang vacate from it, the doll sagged like a puppet with strings cut, and the lingering qi in its limbs guided it down into a slumped over, kneeling position. Gan Guangli scooped it up.


    "Tell him to be careful! I don''t want my paint job scratched!" Sixiang fretted. Their voice emanated comfortably in her head, as if they had never left.


    "You can tell him yourself," Ling Qi retorted. "But take care, Gan Guangli. I wouldn''t want Sixiang to need a night under the polish."


    Bathtime. Fun!


    That was because Qiyi was a good girl. Even if she didn''t strictly need washing.


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    "Just got back and already getting bullied. This is a hostile working environment!"


    Renxiang actually had a form for that. She could get Sixiang one later.


    "And now, paperwork! Abuse of muse!"


    She had missed Sixiang. Truly.


    "... missed you, too, Qi."


    As Gan Guangli and Su Ling left the cavern, Ling Qi strolled along the perimeter of the cavern while Suyin prepared, chalking lines and characters along the stone and arranging objects from incense burners to tall flat wooden plinths set in stone bases, formations painted down both sides, just so. With each act, Ling Qi could feel the ambience of the qi changing. The air was becoming cleaner. Even the small particulates were being swept away into the purifying formations.


    Ling Qi kept a close eye on the fungal scum that were graying and withering, and the silty consistency of the water began to break up, at least at the surface. Li Suyin moved through it all in a storm of glinting wire and thread while holding a tablet of jade. Claw-tipped fingers danced over the smooth surface as incomprehensible markings flashed through the deep green stone.


    "Okay." Li Suyin looked up some time later, a complex grid of a formation formed by her efforts on the stone floor. "That will do for the surface. The others will be able to contact us as well when they finish setting up the device outside."


    "Does that mean we''re ready to go down?" Ling Qi asked, turning from her examination of the great crystal formation. "Aren''t you bringing any of your constructs?"


    "I am, but I have them stored. I''ll deploy them at need; it''s more efficient that way. Are you ready to begin?"


    Ling Qi nodded, stepping up to the side of the pool, and Suyin passed her a cloth facemask. Hers was dark blue whereas Li Suyin''s was a lighter lilac. Hooking the strings around her ears, she felt it snap into place, sealing down vacuum tight against her cheeks and across the bridge of her nose.


    Qiyi extended ribbons from her gown, brushing suspiciously over the foreign cloth.


    It was only temporary, she assured her.


    Qiyi could do better.


    Qiyi could experiment with that later.


    Sixiang chuckled. "Territorial little thing, isn¡¯t she?"


    Ling Qi acknowledged the statement and toed cautiously at the slick edge of the pool. "Me first, or together?"


    "Together."


    No more needed to be said. The two of them stepped out over the surface. Li Suyin sank like a stone, dragged along by grasping wires propelling her downward by pulling along the walls. Ling Qi dropped more like a billowing leaf, tugging at the flows of air to drive herself downward despite the buoyancy of her supernaturally light body.


    Physical vision clouded, the water nearly viscous in consistency as they descended and descended and then descended some more. At her side, a bright light appeared, an orb of polished white jade floating over Li Suyin''s palm. Where it shone, the silt was seared away, leaving clear water.


    Soon, their feet touched down on muddy stone. At the bottom of the pool, Ling Qi beheld the tunnels beneath the Cathedral for the first time.


    Fleshy fronds squirmed in the currents, and dark, slimy fungal flesh encased the stone. In the dark, pale yellow eyes blinked and pulsed, scattering like schools of fish as her gaze turned to the crevices they lurked in. All around her, the tunnels pulsed as if they were breathing.


    The chamber at the bottom of the pool was only a couple of meters across, a rounded bowl of a floor covered with silt and mud, from which sprouted the grasping, fleshy fronds. One reached for her, and she didn''t even bother to glance its way before it was sliced to pieces.


    The voices were distorted. They are not thinking things begin with. The eyes that peered in the dark and the fronds were reactive, impulses tied to primitive instinct.


    Her hair swirled around her head like a halo, as she peered through the dark waters. One... Two... Three... Four... The number of twisting cracks and crevices branching off were numerous, though only a few were large enough for a solid human to pass through.


    "We''ll be looking for a chamber defined by green crystals,¡± Ling Qi instructed. ¡°From there, we will want the east-facing tunnel.¡±


    She didn''t bother moving her lips; no bubbles escaped her mask. Ling Qi simply impressed the sound onto the water with a flex of will.


    "Oh, yes, you did say your mentor had given you scouting advice." Li Suyin''s responding voice had a faint, distorted warble to it, and a few silvery bubbles emerged through her mask. Unlike Ling Qi, she did seem to be using clean air generated by the seals inside of her mask whereas Ling Qi had chosen to just convert her qi to breathable air inside of her lungs.


    "I can''t say I''m sad to avoid poking through a few dozen muddy, yuck-filled empty tunnels, but it does take away from the exploratory feeling," Sixiang noted.


    "We''re hardly outer sect disciples with nothing to do but poke around mysterious caves and vales," Li Suyin said lightly. A wire curled and shot out through the water, punching through the hardened hornlike shell of one of the impurity growths clinging to the walls and dragging her further into the chamber. "Besides, it¡¯s not as if we haven''t been left the bulk of the work in the sealing."


    The wire spun back, trailing dark purple ichor.


    "Hm, hybridized. Corrupted, as others might say. The underworld ecosystem has not fully displaced the surface one yet."


    "That is some manner of mutated shellfish, then?" Ling Qi wondered, drifting over.


    "Some breed of freshwater mussel," Li Suyin corrected. "Now that I¡¯ve seen the dimensions down here, let me bring out a guardian."


    Suyin¡¯s clawed glove flicked, something clicked and whirred, and a disc the size of a weiqi chip shot out into the murky water. Ling Qi sent herself drifting backward, giving more room as she felt the qi swell within it.


    Red.


    The faint whump of water displacing cleared to reveal a figure a few centimeters taller than her. At first, it seemed like a man, heroically proportioned, clad in spiny, shell-like plate armor.


    Only those broad, fierce black domed crescents on the helm with glinting multifaceted eyes, the plumes, feathered antennae. Even as she watched, the stern faceplate split open jaggedly into split and sharp mandibles, which clicked and clacked, tasting the silty water.


    The crack of a chitin fist against its breastplate shell was muffled in the water as it bent the knee to Li Suyin.


    Mother-creator-great-lady, humbled-protector-chosen-from-brothers presents inspection.

 Threads 445-Cathedral of Winds 4

    "Oh, good, the moisture sealant is working properly. Rise, Xinghong. You''re to focus on protecting my person while I work today."


    Ling Qi pursed her lips. "Can you hear his words, Suyin?"


    It was definitely a he, now that she felt at the edges of the qi. Low third realm, too. Suyin''s experiments had really paid off.


    "No, my antlion soldiers aren''t so advanced. They can follow complex commands, but they don''t show the spiritual activity for human level abstract thinking yet,. Li Suyin blinked. "Is this your sharp ears again?"


    The insectoid face turned to her and tilted, assessing, jaws clacking.


    "He is extremely pleased to have been chosen from among his brothers and honored to protect you."


    It was true that the antlion''s thoughts were simple and childish, not even to the complexity Biyu expressed, but Suyin was underestimating their intelligence. Probably not a good time to discuss it here, though.


    Li Suyin smiled. "Oh, I could pick that up well enough. Xinghong is a good boy, the most disciplined and obedient of his batch."


    Click-clack-clack. The antlion soldier practically vibrated with resolve.


    "Ling Qi is to be treated as a level one companion and combatant as well, Xinghong. Defer to her in the absence of my own orders."


    Less enthusiastic, but understanding.


    ¡°Sixiang,¡± she thought privately. ¡°How many of these does she have, and how advanced are they?¡±


    "There''s five of them, counting him, though she''s got a sixth still growing,¡± Sixiang revealed to her. ¡°The others are only second realm though. They¡¯re the first gen that hasn''t exploded, withered or eaten each other! Wait till you see the combo she''s set up with the lot. I like ''em!"


    Ling Qi wasn''t even sure where to guide her thoughts on this. Turning her attention back to Suyin, she asked, "Shall I begin scouting for our green crystals?"


    "Please. You said you were intending to use a new technique?"


    "Yes. My usual perception extensions suffer some degradation in impure environments, but this refinement of my Beast King''s Savage Dirge art should help."


    The Beast King art had always been awkward. With so many movements and techniques, there were too many patterns for her to easily keep track of in battle. She understood why. Ultimately, it was a theater art, a form of expression she was only tangentially skilled in.


    "You do a pretty good job of it when you try," Sixiang encouraged.


    She could. That didn''t change the trouble. And as she studied more and more of the movements and arcs, she had begun to realize she was using it inefficiently.


    Ling Qi expressed the first low bars of the technique. The song was a twist on the imperial anthems of the second dynasty: regal, but with a pompously bombastic edge that invited mockery. This was the Dirge of the River King, once the River Jing, fallen scion of dragons. The River King was a carp which deemed himself a dragon on the strength of bloodline alone.


    Scales shimmered in the surrounding water, and five more points of vision bloomed, expanding her senses.


    "I remember this story." Li Suyin watched the gathered school of phantom fish around them. "The River God, the fat and furious carp, was the squanderer of heaven''s treasures."


    "He was disdained even by Vermin God. He looked upon the glittering heights of his fathers, and only ever descended the falls, sure that his destiny was to be a dragon anyway," Ling Qi finished.


    The fish skirled around her, mingled with the wisps, and shot off in every direction, swimming in flashing patterns under the faint luminescence cast by some among the growths on the walls.


    Li Suyin''s antlion soldier followed their motion with quick snapping turns of his head and clattering mandibles. Apparently, he was inexperienced.


    It was a strange technique, and one which demonstrated that in the completed combat form of the Beast King art, each king was more a component of a line in a more complex dance.


    The darting carp were not creatures of power but fright. She could send them out in panicking schools, where they would swarm and obscure the motions of others. This phantom of threat could trigger defenses, trip ambushes, and steal attention and blows. This was their basic function, just as the stupid, prideful River God, least descendant of dragons, had been cajoled and flattered into fulfilling the Spider God¡¯s schemes.


    The technique was not her usual style, but there was definitely something to be said for ¡°scouting in force.¡±


    In the dark, maws yawned in the fungal flesh overgrowing the underwater tunnels. Tongue tendrils grown through with spiny bone shot out and speared furiously swimming phantoms. Nests of wriggling white worms erupted, tangling and stinging with toxic spurs embedded in slimy flesh. Mutant, eyeless fish with sleek armored skulls and sharp bony jaws snapped and clattered. Even clouds of toxins and impurity belched forth, dissolving the fish and dispelling them, but in turn, the clouds were absorbed by the fish¡¯s dying throes.


    Despite these attacks, her ¡°eyes¡± traveled unmolested, unseen among the swarming school. She caught a glimpse of green, spiking growths of crystal jutting from the walls of a narrow, winding passage.


    "We''ll want to take this one here." Ling Qi pointed to a tall, narrow passage on the right. ¡°Mind the chamber that will come up after the second turn; it''s filled with parasitic worms. They''ll attempt to get under our skin or into any opening and nest."


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    "Understood. Xinghong, stoke your fire," Li Suyin ordered. "And stay close."


    Click-clack. Chitin fists crashed together, and steaming bubbles began to rise from the antlion¡¯s joints, water rapidly heating to boiling.


    "That¡¯ll work," Ling Qi said with a laugh.


    She could step past the chamber, but it was probably best not to alert anything on the deeper layers of reality just yet.


    Together with her friend, she descended into the mouth of the cave.


    ***


    The chamber Shu Yue had vaguely described was unmistakable in the end. Through the tunnel was a chamber wreathed in emerald green light, pulsing gently.


    Most of the light came from a central stalagmite of the organic crystal, a great fang rising from the floor as tall as Ling Qi herself. The light warmed the water, and where it shone, the corrupted life of the tunnels did not reach. The water was clean and clear. In the central crystal slept a node of power.


    Suyin examined it. "This is certainly a qi locus of some kind. Wind aspected?"


    "It''s connected to the spirit on the surface," Ling Qi said.


    "It''s a chunk of their body. It¡¯s like the little bit I left back in my puppet, but more deeply grown." Sixiang¡¯s voice emanated from near her ear. "And..."


    "There are others." Ling Qi gazed into the crystal¡¯s depths. Though the spirit of the Cathedral remained uncommunicative, she could feel it here, down below the blanket of corruption. "This is wind aspected, but I also sense... Heaven, the touch of lightning on the mountainside. Earth, deep and rich, and the mountain cracked and breaking. There''s others, too. Extinguished fire. Silenced thunder. Both are dead and broken. Water... polluted. Flickering."


    She shook herself, coming free from the vision.


    Suyin rested her clawed fingers against the crystal. "Useful. The spirit is a neutral entity overall, then? Or at least a gestalt of smaller entities?"


    "Or the fire and the thunder in the deep was a different spirit. One doesn''t rule the other out though," Sixiang said.


    Clearly, Shu Yue had sent them here for more than taking the correct turn.


    Ling Qi drifted around the crystal. "We could attempt to cleanse one of the damaged nodes. This might get the spirit¡¯s attention, and allow it to help us."


    "Or we could go in the direction of the broken nodes. That¡¯s where the taint will be the strongest and where the breach will likely be," Suyin pointed out another option. "The main underworld entity is some sort of puppeteer creature, right?"


    Ling Qi nodded. Detouring might mean doing more damage to the guardians and creatures of the natural ecosystem down here, but plunging right ahead could be risky.


    "Not like that''s ever stopped us," Sixiang whispered.


    "We risk doing more damage in breaking through to a node, but in the end, none will know the spirit''s own body better than itself."


    "Very well," Suyin acquiesced. A few bubbles emerged along with her words. "Being able to secure conscious cooperation from the Place Spirit where the seal will be installed may increase overall efficiency."


    "And we did choose the equipment to give us a longer time in the tunnels. May as well use it. Can you fight to subdue?"


    "It''s not my specialty, but I suppose adjusting some of my toxin dosages should allow for disablement rather than death... Rather than quick death."


    Ling Qi stared at her.


    Color creeped up Suyin¡¯s cheeks. "I can administer restoratives, if we have the time and ability."


    "Aw, she''s just being shy. Yinyin can totally just fuse somebody''s spinal column together if she wants them to hold still. Or their knees," Sixiang joked.


    "I do not think we will encounter many knees down here, and I would really rather not perform alterations to the spine on a subject you wish to recover. The complexity and potential for damage is..."


    "I get it," Ling Qi cut her off. "And Xinhong? Can you grapple?"


    The red antlion soldier clacked at her.


    "Oh, Xinghong, please activate the routine..."


    Before Suyin had finished, the carapace along his sides made a sharp click as the shell unhinged, and two additional burly arms emerged from beneath the spiny chitin. These had sharp, three-fingered graspers rather than humanlike hands. As she watched, Xinghong flexed, posed, and bent his limbs as if going through a martial drill. Wait. She recognized those movements from Gan Guangli¡¯s basic drills.


    "You can, then," Ling Qi said, relieved.


    Li Suyin''s brows were drawn together. "Your ability is very useful. He generally only understands a handful of command words, and only with careful tones. But yes, I installed a jade slip containing many basic martial styles into their growth chamber. Absorption is... uneven, but Xinghong has taken to the unarmed drills the best."


    Ling Qi wasn¡¯t sure how the antlion was able to make chitin pectorals flex like that, but he was very pleased with the praise.


    "Alright. Then, the next question then is which node we should pursue," Ling Qi said.


    Water! Murky yuck bad no good clogging silencing stilling.


    Ling Qi blinked. "That''s not a bad point."


    "What isn''t?" Suyin asked.


    "Qiyi is suggesting the water node, since the flows of the water could be said to correspond to the spirit¡¯s circulation."


    "The heaven node would be the closest to its higher thoughts," Li Suyin mused. "But I suppose if we want to ingratiate ourselves by clearing the threat from an embattled one, then water might be our best option. Water is often a purifying element as well, representing cleanliness. It would most likely break up the underworld qi, if restored fully.


    "Is that the official word for it now? Underworld?"


    "Nah. Suyin''s just impatient so she''s using the simplest, least controversial one till somebody higher makes a decision," Sixiang drawled.


    "I don''t know if I agree with how you said that," Li Suyin huffed. "Now, we know which node to aim for, but can you sense where it is?


    "It''s too attenuated,¡± Ling Qi said regretfully. ¡°The impurity is too thick in the passages ahead. I can send my eyes ahead quietly, but the impurity would damage the constructs too quickly. I can use my new technique though..."


    "It will bring the attention of the impurity spirit or beast that you mentioned had previously attacked Gan Guangli and yourself at the Falling Waters Palace. Normally, this would be fine..."


    "But we don''t want it to attack here, since it would just make the Piper, the crystal spirit, respond indiscriminately to an attack on one of its undamaged nodes."


    It was nice going back and forth with Suyin. Her friend picked up her line of thoughts swiftly.


    Suyin gazed down into the darkness of the passage. "We just approach loudly then, and accept the attacks in the tunnels?"


    "At least while I get a feel for the spiritual dimensions of the place. Impurity bends space, but so do I. And I have Sixiang here to help me navigate."


    Her friend nodded, and that was that.

 Threads Chapter 446 Cathedral of Winds 5

    They advanced on the crevice, from which tendrils of polluted water drifted. Just a few meters down the winding passage, physical sight became useless; it was like peering into a pool of mud.


    But Ling Qi was a cultivator, and there were more senses than sight. Alongside Suyin, she advanced through the viscous water. Xinghong, aglow from within by fiery light, loomed behind them, heavy footfalls and solid body wading through the darkness.


    It was not long before they encountered another branching of the tunnel. Again, water churned, silvery scales flashed, and fish darted off, schooling around her eyes. They found winding passages, and stone run through with veins of flesh.


    There could be no doubt that this tunnel was respiring.


    "It''s not just physical, Qi,¡± Sixiang commented. ¡°This slimy boy is straddling the border, like a predator hiding under the water, and only snapping its jaws when somebody touches the surface.¡±


    Ling Qi inclined her head, feeling her constructs as they rippled out through the passages and were pounced on, speared, and dragged into silty pits. It all gave her information.


    "Incoming. Keep left for now. Follow the wall," Ling Qi ordered.


    Li Suyin didn''t have time to answer before the first attack came.


    Tendrils lanced out of the dark. They emerged from rippling vortices in the water, silt, and stone. Sickly pale, like fleshy worms, each one bristled with near invisible, hair-thin barbs which stunk of toxin.


    She sang the beat of war drums into the tunnels, and the water teemed with fang and claw. In this narrow space, there was little definition to her phantasmal beasts. It was a hideous display, and the song had a chaotic tempo, but it illustrated where she''d gone wrong before in using this art.


    Each Beast King was one part in the play, and there, they came in sequence, one after another. A battle was far too chaotic for that. She had been taking each instrument in an orchestra, and making its part a solo. They could be used apart, but the potential of the art was in its freeform, mix-and-match use.


    A bird screamed, and from churning phantom flesh, an eagle''s beak punched through a thinned barrier to crash into the pulsing liminal flesh beyond it. The jaws of wolves snapped and tore, and vermin dropped in the wake of her footsteps, devouring the twitching scraps that fell in the bloody water. The song rose to a crescendo, and the rumbling roar of a bear smashed the swarming tendrils to paste before they could reach her.


    Ling Qi spared a glance for Suyin.


    Wire snapped out, gleaming with pale blue qi. It speared through reaching tendrils, and where it touched, flesh twisted. Flesh bulged and warped in tumorous growth, making muscles snap like overdrawn strings and barbs become ingrown, jabbing deep into the beast''s own flesh.


    Xinghong''s fists and grasping claws drew boiling furrows through the water. He stepped right into the grappling limbs and let the barbs skitter off chitin. Even where the barbs pierced the flesh between his armor, he vented blood and burned off the toxin.


    They were doing fine in fending off the beast, but she didn¡¯t want to be bogged down here. If it wouldn¡¯t damage the caverns more, sterilizing them, she¡¯d sing ice into being. As is, her constructs were still the best solution.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve got a lock on a spot closer to the center of the water qi," Sixiang whispered as the veil between material and liminal strained. Dozens of new limbs emerged, some thicker and more muscular, dense with parasitic qi. "The way to it is pretty turbulent though, cause of fatty here."


    Ling Qi eyed the echoes of flesh she could feel beyond the veil, walls of pallid meat studded with hungry eyes and sucking mouths. These weren¡¯t even the core of the creature, just fused refuse from its prey. She sang a warning to the beast to withdraw from this place, to flee to preserve its own self.


    The next attack was all the more furious. She tugged gently on Qiyi''s spirit, and the dress responded with giddy excitement. Qi pulsed through her fabric, threads spun out, and the lowest, metal-threaded layer of the gown turned snug as fabric wrapped her from her neck down to her toes. This, sleek and lethal, was Qiyi¡¯s ¡°battle form.¡±.


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    A spiked tendril snaked through her phantoms, and rebounded uselessly off of her dress. The drumbeats of her art repeated her silent warning, and this time, there was a moment of hesitation from her opponent.


    She laid a hand on Suyin''s shoulder, warning her. "Jumping."


    Ling Qi waited just long enough for a wire to snap out and curl around one of Xinghong''s many wrists before dreamwalking. Dreamwalking down here felt like sliding through rotten meat, overgrown with slime. It made the mask on her face burn, the formations woven into the cloth flaring. It would have been so easy to get lost in this vortex of decay and sucking depression, but her liminal adventures had given her the experience to navigate even difficult paths.


    Besides, another hand was pulling her along. They emerged amidst stone and waving fronds of cave kelp in a wide circular chamber with two tunnels branching off near the ceiling. One was speckled with the faint growth of blue crystal.


    "Ahaha, I didn''t say it was unoccupied!¡± Sixiang chortled. ¡°We got this, though, yeah?¡±


    They did, Ling Qi acknowledged, looking at the spirits overhead. So, this was where the luring spirits had gone. The corruption had gotten to them, too; veins writhed under their skin, and she could see some of their bodies featured knots of black impurity and chitinous growth. Their voices echoed in two tones, the toneless predation of the beast they were fighting, and the wild struggles and howls of the trapped.


    "Try to subdue where you can."


    Something larger moved. A corpse-gray hand studded with coral growth grasped the edge of the crystal tunnel. It was large enough to close around her chest as if she were a doll.


    "Except for that one," Ling Qi corrected.


    There was only one voice there.


    Constructs flowed like mist from beneath the hems of her gown, beasts and shadows, the phantoms of dancers, and the shades of long dead gods. In the end, the central lesson of the Beast Kings was one of power. It was a simple lesson. Some might call it trite or naive.


    Each Beast King was a manifestation of pride and authority. Their last march had been made in alliance, but they had not marched together. Together, any three, or even any two, might have broken the Great Tsu. But they could not have done that, no more than a mortal could pluck the sun from the sky. So, they died, and their bones had been used to build the Throne of Seasons.


    That was the first lesson of Tsu. Power is the ability to act on or resist the world. It manifests through many forces, the great and the small, and amplify in unity.


    Each of the Beast Kings was a demonstration of the failure of a form of power, and their deaths a demonstration of the power Tsu had woven among the united tribes of the Emerald Seas. Wielded properly, this art demonstrated that the beasts¡¯ lonely powers could also be welded together to greater purpose.


    Ling Qi drifted up on streamers of bubbling water, pushed by summoned air, and her song clashed with the distorted voices which echoed from the parasitized spirits¡¯ sharp-toothed mouths. As if she would let such a poor, amateur song taint her friend''s ears. There was no warm embrace in sinking deep, just cold and pressure and the flash of teeth in the dark.


    She focused her attention on the giant hauling itself from the tunnels. It was bloated. Fat and flesh hung off of its bones, growths and cysts had formed under its skin, and worms wriggled like a puppet''s strings under its skin. The only thing that remained fair was its face, porcelain pale, and platinum blond locks drifted like long water weed. Its features were ethereal and inhuman, and even now, she felt its dead dantian churning, trying to warp her perception to see a beautiful, chiseled silhouette of masculine beauty.


    An eagle screamed, its echo warbling in the water, and a mass of phantom muscle and feathers and talons kicked the corpse puppet in center mass, slamming it against the far wall while the lesser spirits swarmed around Li Suyin.


    The puppet let out a groan that Ling Qi felt in her bones, and its massive paw swept down, crushing the eagle phantom''s skull. As the eagle faded, its body erupted into a chittering, squealing mass of crimson-eyed rats, each gaunt and mangy in their desperation.


    Below, Li Suyin fought. With Ling Qi here, the spirits¡¯ song could reach neither Suyin nor Xinhong, but the spirits weren''t helpless without their lure. They darted to and fro, weaving hallucinations with bent light and glittering water. The water churned with their control of the chamber¡¯s qi, weight dragging at her friend, invisible bonds seeking her limbs, and cudgels of liquid pressure forming and bearing down.


    Then, two constructs materialized. The driver from before, the horse head, was now clad in polished and ceremonial armor. Its hands clutched a slab of solid mirrored glass in the shape of a towering shield. Flanking Suyin with it was a second skeleton with the low slung head of an ox and gleaming horns of polished black stone. In its hands was a long wooden pole tipped with a pair of curved, grasping hooks. A mancatcher. Ling Qi had seen these once or twice in the hands of the fief guards.


    The mirror shield flashed, and the qi invested by the spirits into the water to control and wield it shattered, all the force imparted into it reflecting outward in a buffetting wave that scattered the spirits. The mancatcher darted out, catching the closest one, and the parasitized spirit screamed as the barbs installed on ite dug into its skin, sending a rippling tingle of electricity out through the cavern. The captured siren spirit twitched and went limp, wisps of pink leaking from its lips.


    Li Suyin herself was poised and steady, her false eye spinning in its socket, darting around so rapidly that it seemed to blur in Ling Qi''s vision.


    "Identifying lowest survival odds. Xinghong, receive data. Begin triage."

 Threads 446 Cathedral of Winds 5

    They advanced on the crevice, from which tendrils of polluted water drifted. Just a few meters down the winding passage, physical sight became useless; it was like peering into a pool of mud.


    But Ling Qi was a cultivator, and there were more senses than sight. Alongside Suyin, she advanced through the viscous water. Xinghong, aglow from within by fiery light, loomed behind them, heavy footfalls and solid body wading through the darkness.


    It was not long before they encountered another branching of the tunnel. Again, water churned, silvery scales flashed, and fish darted off, schooling around her eyes. They found winding passages, and stone run through with veins of flesh.


    There could be no doubt that this tunnel was respiring.


    "It''s not just physical, Qi,¡± Sixiang commented. ¡°This slimy boy is straddling the border, like a predator hiding under the water, and only snapping its jaws when somebody touches the surface.¡±


    Ling Qi inclined her head, feeling her constructs as they rippled out through the passages and were pounced on, speared, and dragged into silty pits. It all gave her information.


    "Incoming. Keep left for now. Follow the wall," Ling Qi ordered.


    Li Suyin didn''t have time to answer before the first attack came.


    Tendrils lanced out of the dark. They emerged from rippling vortices in the water, silt, and stone. Sickly pale, like fleshy worms, each one bristled with near invisible, hair-thin barbs which stunk of toxin.


    She sang the beat of war drums into the tunnels, and the water teemed with fang and claw. In this narrow space, there was little definition to her phantasmal beasts. It was a hideous display, and the song had a chaotic tempo, but it illustrated where she''d gone wrong before in using this art.


    Each Beast King was one part in the play, and there, they came in sequence, one after another. A battle was far too chaotic for that. She had been taking each instrument in an orchestra, and making its part a solo. They could be used apart, but the potential of the art was in its freeform, mix-and-match use.


    A bird screamed, and from churning phantom flesh, an eagle''s beak punched through a thinned barrier to crash into the pulsing liminal flesh beyond it. The jaws of wolves snapped and tore, and vermin dropped in the wake of her footsteps, devouring the twitching scraps that fell in the bloody water. The song rose to a crescendo, and the rumbling roar of a bear smashed the swarming tendrils to paste before they could reach her.


    Ling Qi spared a glance for Suyin.


    Wire snapped out, gleaming with pale blue qi. It speared through reaching tendrils, and where it touched, flesh twisted. Flesh bulged and warped in tumorous growth, making muscles snap like overdrawn strings and barbs become ingrown, jabbing deep into the beast''s own flesh.


    Xinghong''s fists and grasping claws drew boiling furrows through the water. He stepped right into the grappling limbs and let the barbs skitter off chitin. Even where the barbs pierced the flesh between his armor, he vented blood and burned off the toxin.


    They were doing fine in fending off the beast, but she didn¡¯t want to be bogged down here. If it wouldn¡¯t damage the caverns more, sterilizing them, she¡¯d sing ice into being. As is, her constructs were still the best solution.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve got a lock on a spot closer to the center of the water qi," Sixiang whispered as the veil between material and liminal strained. Dozens of new limbs emerged, some thicker and more muscular, dense with parasitic qi. "The way to it is pretty turbulent though, cause of fatty here."


    Ling Qi eyed the echoes of flesh she could feel beyond the veil, walls of pallid meat studded with hungry eyes and sucking mouths. These weren¡¯t even the core of the creature, just fused refuse from its prey. She sang a warning to the beast to withdraw from this place, to flee to preserve its own self.


    The next attack was all the more furious. She tugged gently on Qiyi''s spirit, and the dress responded with giddy excitement. Qi pulsed through her fabric, threads spun out, and the lowest, metal-threaded layer of the gown turned snug as fabric wrapped her from her neck down to her toes. This, sleek and lethal, was Qiyi¡¯s ¡°battle form.¡±.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    A spiked tendril snaked through her phantoms, and rebounded uselessly off of her dress. The drumbeats of her art repeated her silent warning, and this time, there was a moment of hesitation from her opponent.


    She laid a hand on Suyin''s shoulder, warning her. "Jumping."


    Ling Qi waited just long enough for a wire to snap out and curl around one of Xinghong''s many wrists before dreamwalking. Dreamwalking down here felt like sliding through rotten meat, overgrown with slime. It made the mask on her face burn, the formations woven into the cloth flaring. It would have been so easy to get lost in this vortex of decay and sucking depression, but her liminal adventures had given her the experience to navigate even difficult paths.


    Besides, another hand was pulling her along. They emerged amidst stone and waving fronds of cave kelp in a wide circular chamber with two tunnels branching off near the ceiling. One was speckled with the faint growth of blue crystal.


    "Ahaha, I didn''t say it was unoccupied!¡± Sixiang chortled. ¡°We got this, though, yeah?¡±


    They did, Ling Qi acknowledged, looking at the spirits overhead. So, this was where the luring spirits had gone. The corruption had gotten to them, too; veins writhed under their skin, and she could see some of their bodies featured knots of black impurity and chitinous growth. Their voices echoed in two tones, the toneless predation of the beast they were fighting, and the wild struggles and howls of the trapped.


    "Try to subdue where you can."


    Something larger moved. A corpse-gray hand studded with coral growth grasped the edge of the crystal tunnel. It was large enough to close around her chest as if she were a doll.


    "Except for that one," Ling Qi corrected.


    There was only one voice there.


    Constructs flowed like mist from beneath the hems of her gown, beasts and shadows, the phantoms of dancers, and the shades of long dead gods. In the end, the central lesson of the Beast Kings was one of power. It was a simple lesson. Some might call it trite or naive.


    Each Beast King was a manifestation of pride and authority. Their last march had been made in alliance, but they had not marched together. Together, any three, or even any two, might have broken the Great Tsu. But they could not have done that, no more than a mortal could pluck the sun from the sky. So, they died, and their bones had been used to build the Throne of Seasons.


    That was the first lesson of Tsu. Power is the ability to act on or resist the world. It manifests through many forces, the great and the small, and amplify in unity.


    Each of the Beast Kings was a demonstration of the failure of a form of power, and their deaths a demonstration of the power Tsu had woven among the united tribes of the Emerald Seas. Wielded properly, this art demonstrated that the beasts¡¯ lonely powers could also be welded together to greater purpose.


    Ling Qi drifted up on streamers of bubbling water, pushed by summoned air, and her song clashed with the distorted voices which echoed from the parasitized spirits¡¯ sharp-toothed mouths. As if she would let such a poor, amateur song taint her friend''s ears. There was no warm embrace in sinking deep, just cold and pressure and the flash of teeth in the dark.


    She focused her attention on the giant hauling itself from the tunnels. It was bloated. Fat and flesh hung off of its bones, growths and cysts had formed under its skin, and worms wriggled like a puppet''s strings under its skin. The only thing that remained fair was its face, porcelain pale, and platinum blond locks drifted like long water weed. Its features were ethereal and inhuman, and even now, she felt its dead dantian churning, trying to warp her perception to see a beautiful, chiseled silhouette of masculine beauty.


    An eagle screamed, its echo warbling in the water, and a mass of phantom muscle and feathers and talons kicked the corpse puppet in center mass, slamming it against the far wall while the lesser spirits swarmed around Li Suyin.


    The puppet let out a groan that Ling Qi felt in her bones, and its massive paw swept down, crushing the eagle phantom''s skull. As the eagle faded, its body erupted into a chittering, squealing mass of crimson-eyed rats, each gaunt and mangy in their desperation.


    Below, Li Suyin fought. With Ling Qi here, the spirits¡¯ song could reach neither Suyin nor Xinhong, but the spirits weren''t helpless without their lure. They darted to and fro, weaving hallucinations with bent light and glittering water. The water churned with their control of the chamber¡¯s qi, weight dragging at her friend, invisible bonds seeking her limbs, and cudgels of liquid pressure forming and bearing down.


    Then, two constructs materialized. The driver from before, the horse head, was now clad in polished and ceremonial armor. Its hands clutched a slab of solid mirrored glass in the shape of a towering shield. Flanking Suyin with it was a second skeleton with the low slung head of an ox and gleaming horns of polished black stone. In its hands was a long wooden pole tipped with a pair of curved, grasping hooks. A mancatcher. Ling Qi had seen these once or twice in the hands of the fief guards.


    The mirror shield flashed, and the qi invested by the spirits into the water to control and wield it shattered, all the force imparted into it reflecting outward in a buffetting wave that scattered the spirits. The mancatcher darted out, catching the closest one, and the parasitized spirit screamed as the barbs installed on ite dug into its skin, sending a rippling tingle of electricity out through the cavern. The captured siren spirit twitched and went limp, wisps of pink leaking from its lips.


    Li Suyin herself was poised and steady, her false eye spinning in its socket, darting around so rapidly that it seemed to blur in Ling Qi''s vision.


    "Identifying lowest survival odds. Xinghong, receive data. Begin triage."

 Threads 447-Cathedral of Winds 6

    The antlion soldier''s jaws came together with an echoing crash too loud for mere physical sound as fists crashed together water screamed to a boil.


    Ling Qi grimaced and returned her eyes to her own fight. She had to trust Li Suyin''s judgment.


    Could Sixiang disrupt the parasite spirit''s control?


    "I can give it a go! Nobody''s actually home in there, so I shouldn''t have too much trouble," Sixiang whispered. "Just gimme an opening."


    Ling Qi spun lazily on a swirl of bubbles, avoiding an open palm hand that slammed past her and crashed into a wall. It shook the cavern, spreading cracks through the stone. It was only a distraction.


    The eerily preserved face of the corpse opened its mouth and screamed. The water rippled from the pressure of the thunderous sound, but the physical force was nothing to the disruptive vibration.


    Her hungry rats had dug in under the corpse¡¯s skin, and even as they burst with their gluttony, they dulled the emanations that would have driven the other spirits into a greater frenzy. As the thunderous force and spiritual reverberations impacted into her gown, Qiyi''s threads dulled to a solid matte black, and the ornaments woven into her hair jingled. Ribbons curled about her ears.The force that would have rattled her bones and shaken up her organs dispersed through the fabric, harmless.


    Ling Qi regarded it calmly as she drifted away on the current, still singing her warsong. The corpse was ignoring the rats in its flesh, save where they chewed close to its tendrils. Good to know. There was an opening.


    She threw out her hand, and a quartet of snarling wolves emerged out of the silt and mist as if darting from high grass, running through the water as if it were air.


    The corpse bellowed, tearing at the wolves as they pounced on it and began to savage it.


    "Right-o, think I got a lock on where to hit!"


    Sixiang''s presence drained from her thoughts and dantian and moved through liminal space, a curving streak of rainbow color on the back of her eyes. One rat in particular jerked, kaleidoscopic color rippling through its fur. Sporting a manic grin on its lips, it suddenly clawed with more purpose at the corpse, then leapt directly into its mouth when it bellowed.


    Sheer mechanical reflex made even a corpse gag, and Ling Qi grimaced as bits of flesh and gore streamed past its open lips. She was glad it was already dead.


    Rainbow qi shone out from every orifice in the puppet¡¯s preserved face, and suddenly, its limbs snapped taut, muscles straining against the panicked thrashing of the tendrils under its skin. The tendrils ripped free in a cloud of gore, but the corpse, whose eyes now displayed rapidly shifting colors, snapped up a hand to grasp a bundle of them as they tried to retreat into the liminal.


    Ling Qi released her concentration on her phantoms and brushed her hand through the water, parting the veil between material and imagination. She stepped through to face the squirming mass of eyes and flesh now trapped close to the surface of the liminal.


    Here, on the other side, she sang a song of frigid death and shattering cold freely without worry. Putrid flesh recoiled, broken apart into drifting chunks that dissolved into the churning chaos of unformed dream, and something tiny and black shot off, too fast for even her to catch. It disappeared into the liminal depths.


    She narrowed her eyes but didn''t chase. She''d had a look. That was enough for now. Ling Qi stepped back through the veil, not gone long enough for her silhouette to even flicker.


    Somewhere ahead, beyond the cavern, a pale cyan light brightened as the mass of filthy pollution caking the crystal broke apart.


    "Ew. Ewewewewewewewewew. That felt so gross," Sixiang whined, disgusted.


    The now badly torn corpse bobbed limply before coming apart in the churning waters.


    "Corpses are the absolute worst," they gagged.


    She was sorry Sixiang had to do that, but thankful. Their efforts had ended the battle much more quickly and exposed some of the parasite creature¡¯s mass to actual damage. It had also left the parasitized sirens confused, bodies twitching as they fought the residual will leftover in the flesh embedded in their bodies.


    Not that there were a huge number of the sirens left.


    As she watched, Xinghong emitted a warbling shriek as he pinned a struggling siren with his upper arms against the wall, lower arms beginning to blur and pummel the spirit roughly where a human''s kidney''s would be. Given the condition of the others around him, bruised, battered, and scorched, it wasn¡¯t the first to receive this treatment.


    "Xinghong, desist," Li Suyin orders, eye examining those still struggling to regain control of their own nerves. "You drove it away, Ling Qi?"


    "And dislodged some of the impurity. I expect..."


    The crystals glowing along the mouth of the tunnel above flared before beginning to pulse gently. Something like a massive eye rolled her way, twitching awake from sleep.


    "It seems I should have a conversation with our true host." Ling Qi let out a note, communicating to the freed spirits. Reassurance. Aid. An end to what had ailed them. "Can you please heal the sirens? Excise the foreign matter. Make sure they can''t be taken again.¡±


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    "I can,¡± Suyin agreed. ¡°Best not to strain the place spirit any more than it already has been."


    Winding a thread around the poor spirit Xinghong had just been pummelling, Suyin began reeling him in.


    She sang another note, soothing and reassuring, as the others stirred.


    Time to learn what was going on properly.


    Ling Qi spiraled up, away from the foul waters below, clogged with the gore of the broken giant¡¯s corpse. Up among the blue crystals growing from the cavern walls, she kept her pace sedate, hands to her sides and no flicker of qi running through her more offense-related meridians. She was being watched, and the spirit was rightfully wary of any new visitors.


    "Are you certain you''re well after getting into that giant?" Ling Qi asked.


    "I mean, I need like a dozen hot baths, but I''m good. I''m not gonna get polluted by a lil corpse juice and puppet strings," Sixiang replied.


    "How would a bath even help you?"


    "It''d have to be like a purification bath, with some pretty girls and boys waving incense sticks over it. I guess I would just kinda dissolve into the water and let the bad filter out and sink to the bottom?"


    Sixiang would have to settle for a song and an ice bath. Heating water wasn''t in her skillset.


    "I''ll take it!"


    She rolled her eyes, but her expression swiftly became troubled. It was easy to look over in the chaos, but Sixiang''s injury wasn¡¯t completely healed.


    "Neither is yours."


    She bowed her head. That was fair, but...


    "Worried I''ll hurt myself?" Sixiang huffed. "It''s shrunk enough. I''m digesting it."


    She pursed her lips. That was even more worrying.


    "Hey, hey, dissolution and smelting ain''t too far apart on the first step. Don''t tell me you haven''t understood those flames, too."


    She had, in a small way. She¡¯d rejected the totality of what Xia Ren was, but there were elements whose resonation couldn''t be ignored. The two sovereigns had shown her two paths that a community could take to butchery. She worried that there was no path to changing the world that was not a bloody one. Was the Emerald Mourner right? Could a sovereign that did not impose their will on others even exist?


    "I think it''s going to depend on your definition of impose," Sixiang advised.


    Perhaps, Ling Qi allowed.


    Qiyi hummed in her mind, flexing and weaving threads, casting off the filth that had found its way onto the fabric. The dress had heard them, and even understood a little of their talk, but found the conversation wholly uninteresting. Dresses were only concerned with their wearer after all.


    They rose into the crystal chamber on a slow column of bubbles. The cyan crystal was dim again, a large part of its right side dark gray from tendrils of discolouration reaching deep into its core.


    Ling Qi bowed, arms spread wide, sleeves billowing the water. "Master of Lighted Stone and Song in the Deeps, this one humbly greets you. Should you wish for another title, please inform this ignorant guest."


    She didn''t speak those words though. Instead, she sang in the spirit¡¯s own tongue, the low piping moans of winds through air gaps in deep tunnels and the higher song of rushing zephyrs though the fluted passages of the upper mountain.


    ¡°Cold song, frozen song, mountains high and skies white. Not of here, not of deep, in lightless dark to creep. In tepid water ne''er hot nor cold, in ruin, in rot. WHY?¡±


    The final word was a demand, the spirit¡¯s irritable perceptions still run through with shades of pain, like a man with broken bones jutting from his flesh.


    "In claim, in livelihood, from peaks far and high. Land stamped for men to live, by dragon''s spark and the High Throne of Seasons, I, their watcher, beheld the rot, the fingers of the enemy. The trees and peaks war with rotting deeps. What good a foe, looming over the homestead, when one might have a neighbor instead."


    She chose her pitch and tone carefully. Driven by such pain, she could not expect the spirit to be reasonable, even if she understood its nature.


    "You don''t got that understanding, though,¡± Sixiang whispered. ¡°I can''t get a proper read on this thing either. There¡¯s too much junk in the tunnels. I think it¡¯s not really a spirit lord, like lil Zhengui, but it is kinda like your old teacher. Master of this place alone... Something about balance?"


    Ling Qi thought that was a foundation, but not the purpose. ...Fusion? Combination? The making of things from disparate parts. That was the echo she could glean from the spirit¡¯s name.


    The churning waters had stilled with her response.


    ¡°Long, long, the lords of sky and river are gone. The builders hunted. Ignorant.¡±


    Implying it was a work related to the great peaks of the capital? That was the most oft spoken theory of the creation of the argent vents.


    "Gone, gone, gone. No claim do I make to heritage. Only life lived now."


    ¡°Deeps. Deeping does not belong above. Above. Beneath. Apart. Not to meet.¡±


    "We would make that so. My companion bears a seal, if we may but know where to go," Ling Qi replied, maintaining her bow even amidst the roiling of the waters in the chamber. "Unless there is more, good neighbor, which might aid the quest?"


    My blood spilled, my children broken, not all by impurity¡¯s touch. I bleed, the ichor on your blade.


    "I won''t deny," Ling Qi sang back. "Cruel parasite''s doing, cold comfort. Yet who dares demand that one does not defend what is theirs?"


    Ling Qi looked directly into the crystal. Though the spirit was mightier than her, she was not here as a supplicant. There was a limit to respect.


    ¡°Water washes, purifies, second only to flame, extinguished first. Broken, weak still, much strength is lost, and so, the tunnels are polluted.¡±


    Ling Qi paused, parsing what had been requested.


    "Ling Qi, even you ain''t gonna be able to restore a spirit this big without tiring yourself out," Sixiang warned.


    Ling Qi understood that. However, Li Suyin had built a siphon for lunar qi that the others were guarding on the surface. She did not know if it could handle the throughput, but if it could...


    "My song does not reverberate so loud. Yet the moon above shines, and artifice drinks so very deep. My companion, though, I would need to speak."


    There was a long pause, a churning frustration like a fish trapped in an unbreaking net.


    ¡°I accept. Bring thy kin.¡±


    She bowed again and descended through the tunnel with haste.

 Threads Chapter 448 Cathedral of Winds 7

    "It''s not impossible," Li Suyin assessed.


    Even as she spoke, her wire limbs prodded and examined a wounded water spirit, flesh still charred where her construct¡¯s mancatcher had caught him. The wounded flesh bubbled as the wire sank into it like warm wax. Burned flesh flaked away, and scorched muscle twitched and went taut. Ling Qi grimaced as the spirit shook and cried out. It was clearly not a comfortable procedure.


    "But I need the array intact for the installation of the seal, and a wild spirit of such potency... They''re not known for their delicacy with human craft," Li Suyin continued. "I am seriously concerned that this Piper will break the siphoning talisman."


    "I see. I could cover any cost of damages..."


    Li Suyin shook her head. "It''s not about the spirit stones or reagents. The array uses nothing I can''t get from the sect market with some effort. It¡¯s the time and effort. Building and attuning a replacement to lunar qi will take another two months at least."


    The wires released the spirit, who shot away immediately. He clutched his chest and peered at them warily from among the water weeds.


    Ling Qi glanced around the cavern, eyes catching on silvery scales. Most had fled, watching them from the darkness of the passages. Thankfully, the flesh of the corpse giant had dissolved into water without the parasite keeping its shell together, so the room was no longer cloudy with gore.


    "Could I act as a conductor for the qi to keep the draw controlled? Mediate between the spirit and your craft?"


    "That is incredibly risky. Even if the spirit is damaged and weakened, you said it was much more potent than you. You would have no way of compelling it to obey your instructions if it decided to pull more than you and the array could handle."


    "I don''t need to compel it when I can convince it."


    "That''s hardly reliable," Li Suyin fretted. "You''ve just met the spirit.. You can''t possibly understand its nature well enough to guarantee that."


    "Oh, she definitely has. Whether that''s wise or not, I''m less sure, but Qi''s pretty sure she''s got this," Sixiang spoke up.


    "Just consider what allowing the spirit to restore its influence over the waters will do," Ling Qi cajoled. "We may not even need the impurity filter, except in the worst locations at that point."


    Li Suyin sighed. "Alright. This is your expedition, after all. I''m only assisting. Let me send a transmission to Su Ling, and tell her she''ll need to adjust the array.¡±


    "I have a good feeling about this,¡± Ling Qi promised. ¡°Just be polite, and let me do most of the talking when we meet the spirit."


    Li Suyin gave her a dubious look, but nodded, gesturing for Xinghong to follow them as they took the passage upward to the crystal chamber.


    It was a good thing she had gotten so well practiced in negotiating with spirits. Li Suyin''s qi did not make the best impression upon the spirit.


    The crystal pulsed suspiciously, even as Ling Qi went through the motion of a deep breath beneath her filter mask. "Thank you for your understanding, Spirit of the Song."


    The Piper had not yet indicated what it wanted to be called, and so, she was stuck cycling through titles and feeling for approval or disapproval. It was vexing, even if she could understand the spirit¡¯s position.


    "One cannot counter a poison without understanding it. I apologize for any offense my methods have brought," Li Suyin said with stiff politeness.


    "Twister of bone and flesh, the abyss beckons, its use poisons, but here and now, thy presence is accepted. You offer the bounty of silver, guided by winter''s song. To purify, to seal, this bargain is accepted."


    "Then, let us begin the arrangements. I am sure our enemy is not standing idle."


    "It slinks. It gnaws. It musters its dead flesh against me."


    She wondered how a spirit she could frighten away could occupy the attention of something so much more potent than her cultivation. Was it just a matter of nature? Or, perhaps, because its methods befitted a parasite, it was strongest against its own host.


    "Very well. I will need to set up three tuning arrays to refocus the flow of lunar qi. Will that be acceptable?" Li Suyin asked.


    "Begin."


    And so, they did. Suyin arranged three silver tablets on the walls of the chamber, affixing them to places where the stone was bare, and as she did, she released her constructs: Horse Head and Ox Head, Bear and Boar, and Lion and Wolf, with Xinghong as their commander. While Ling Qi and the Piper drew on and controlled the flow of qi, Suyin would have to handle the defense against the parasite.


    Ling Qi could feel the chill in the water growing as yin-aligned qi rippled through the water like a blot of spiritual ink. Deep in the crystal, and all across the dark and polluted caverns, she felt the awareness of the Piper stirring, disparate shards of ego reassembling from their dispersed and defensive slumber. All of them were aligned in the desperate hunger only true starvation could bring.


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    "Peace, peace, Spirit of Deeping Caves. I have promised to guide, to keep the stream flowing. Abide, else the bounty be ruined. Trust that I will abide by my own words," she sang, carrying caution, reassurance, the promise that her words were good.


    As she did, she sank back through the veil of the liminal where a torrent of silver whirled down into the hazy, glowing geomantic network that she saw as the Piper on this side of the world. With her song, her hands, and her steps, she took hold of the vortex flooding in and tamed it, making a steady stream of a raging torrent. She was all the more impressed that Li Suyin''s formations could make use of and guide these energies into much more complex patterns, when just keeping it steady tore at her grip.


    If the spirit pulled hard enough, she would not be able to keep her control over the qi, so she sang her best reassurance and plea for trust.


    The strange crystal entity embedded in the material realm connected to the funneled qi and drank deep. Ling Qi felt her hands tremble and her channels pulse, her skin clammy and cold at the overwhelming depth of yin she held. But just as the Piper drank with tense patience, so, too, did her grip hold.


    "All good. Just hold on a bit longer. I can see the gray gunk flaking away, and new crystal growing in. Its pattern is getting stronger," Sixiang whispered, able to perceive what she could not when so deep in concentration


    Cold. Sinking. Stillness. Peace.


    She had never channeled so much lunar qi at once. In her cultivation art, she took in what filtered down naturally from the night sky. It was the difference between sitting under lightly falling rain and sitting in the path of a spring flood.


    She cycled her qi through each channel and through her dantian, pushing the clammy cold out of her system until she only felt it on her skin. She had endured worse.


    "Trouble stirring up,¡± Sixiang warned. ¡°The water is being purified, and the impurity gunk is dying or dissolving, but a bunch of it is just getting yanked back. Our big boy is armoring up, I think."


    She glimpsed images of fungal flesh, mutated cave life, and filthy silt rushing down tunnels toward the section where the broken crystals lay. A thousand writhing cable-like tendrils shot out and reeled in dying flesh voraciously.


    Blue light flared, shining through the roaring strands of channeled silver as the corruption in the crystal ebbed away. The passages filled with a surge of strength.


    "Attuner. We recognize a bargain kept. Draw down thy artifice. The enemy comes to war."


    LIng Qi grimaced, urging Sixiang to convey the message. She couldn''t split her focus.


    "Got it. Letting Suyin know she can reduce the draw."


    Finally, blessedly, the torrent weakened, leaving Ling Qi free to cycle her own qi through numbed channels. She could feel the impurity parasite¡¯s power gathering distantly in the liminal, beyond the bubble she occupied.


    She let herself sink, and the points of her boots pierced the veil of reality, drawing her back down into the liquid embrace of the tunnels.


    "Ling Qi? Oh, you look terrible! I knew this was a poor idea." Li Suyin was worrying over her almost before she''d finished materializing, pressing a hand to her forehead.


    "Just a little fatigued," Ling Qi said, letting her friend get on with the examination. "I have it on good word that I''m practically a pool of yin qi anyway."


    "I suppose you''ve not done yourself any serious harm," Li Suyin diagnosed, looking at her with the suspicion only a disapproving physician could manage.


    Ling Qi knew it well. She worried she might have caused several spiritual doctors to adopt that face permanently during her recovery.


    "Please don''t use any further yin-aligned arts until your dantian has recovered equilibrium," Li Suyin concluded. "Now, what is this about the enemy? I could only understand a bare impression of what the spirit was trying to convey."


    "The parasite is reacting to the purifying flow of the water by concentrating itself. It¡¯s dragging the underworld tainted material deeper into the more polluted parts of the cave, but it''s probably doing so in preparation for a hard assault on this place," Ling Qi explained.


    "It comes. It cannot tolerate this restoration. It must do its damage again, ''ere I recover."


    "It wants to undo what we''ve just done before the spirit can settle its recovered channels," Ling Qi translated.


    "Then, we should blunt the attack, and strike deeper to reach the seal target when it has overextended," Li Suyin said, frowning. "We can''t risk this operation being a waste. The siphon won''t withstand that amount of channeling again, if it is to be in any shape for the sealing."


    "I agree." Ling Qi glanced around the entrances to the crystal cavern. Li Suyin''s constructs stood silent sentinel as they spoke, even as the flows of the now clear and crystalline water grew tense with the gathering of the spirit¡¯s power, and the distant taste of rot wafted in on the current."We''ll prepare to defend here then."


    "I''ve been preparing this space for defense, setting up resonating wards to empower my guardian constructs," Li Suyin said. "So, I think all should be well. From the way you described it, the creature is being hasty here."


    "So it seems." Ling Qi turned her eyes to the crystal. She thought hard for a moment, then raised her voice in a low song. "O Keeper of the Crystal Lattice, eight colors make the whole by tradition, yet I sense only seven, even amongst the dead. The Lake Crystal is missing. Mayhaps it is a sanctuary, a hidden place shrouded from prying eyes?"


    She hadn''t commented upon the discrepancy earlier. As lake qi was often used for deception and subterfuge, she had assumed it to be hidden. It would be very strange for seven elements to be present, and only one missing, but she wished to be sure she understood correctly.


    "Correct. Singer, even thine eyes will not reveal the depths of the lake where my self and kin hide. Those beaten, battered, freed have gone there, and they shall not be found."


    She thought it was odd that she couldn''t feel the smaller spirits anymore.


    "Couldn''t even tell ya when or where they poofed," Sixiang said. "So, it''s good stuff."


    "I understand and seek not your sanctum. I only wished to know if there was somewhere safe to hide the kin of your body who might remain. Your preservation is our priority."


    Suspicion crawled across her skin like tingling electricity, but she merely allowed the sincerity of her words to match it. She did not pretend it was selfless altruism, though she did wish to help. When the enemy crawled beneath her feet, any serious gap found in the earth was alarming. If a potent spirit could sit atop their seal as well, one amenable to negotiation, it would only increase their security.


    The regard passed.


    "That which may move has moved. You will have mine assistance, Attuner."

 Threads 448 Cathedral of Winds 7

    "It''s not impossible," Li Suyin assessed.


    Even as she spoke, her wire limbs prodded and examined a wounded water spirit, flesh still charred where her construct¡¯s mancatcher had caught him. The wounded flesh bubbled as the wire sank into it like warm wax. Burned flesh flaked away, and scorched muscle twitched and went taut. Ling Qi grimaced as the spirit shook and cried out. It was clearly not a comfortable procedure.


    "But I need the array intact for the installation of the seal, and a wild spirit of such potency... They''re not known for their delicacy with human craft," Li Suyin continued. "I am seriously concerned that this Piper will break the siphoning talisman."


    "I see. I could cover any cost of damages..."


    Li Suyin shook her head. "It''s not about the spirit stones or reagents. The array uses nothing I can''t get from the sect market with some effort. It¡¯s the time and effort. Building and attuning a replacement to lunar qi will take another two months at least."


    The wires released the spirit, who shot away immediately. He clutched his chest and peered at them warily from among the water weeds.


    Ling Qi glanced around the cavern, eyes catching on silvery scales. Most had fled, watching them from the darkness of the passages. Thankfully, the flesh of the corpse giant had dissolved into water without the parasite keeping its shell together, so the room was no longer cloudy with gore.


    "Could I act as a conductor for the qi to keep the draw controlled? Mediate between the spirit and your craft?"


    "That is incredibly risky. Even if the spirit is damaged and weakened, you said it was much more potent than you. You would have no way of compelling it to obey your instructions if it decided to pull more than you and the array could handle."


    "I don''t need to compel it when I can convince it."


    "That''s hardly reliable," Li Suyin fretted. "You''ve just met the spirit.. You can''t possibly understand its nature well enough to guarantee that."


    "Oh, she definitely has. Whether that''s wise or not, I''m less sure, but Qi''s pretty sure she''s got this," Sixiang spoke up.


    "Just consider what allowing the spirit to restore its influence over the waters will do," Ling Qi cajoled. "We may not even need the impurity filter, except in the worst locations at that point."


    Li Suyin sighed. "Alright. This is your expedition, after all. I''m only assisting. Let me send a transmission to Su Ling, and tell her she''ll need to adjust the array.¡±


    "I have a good feeling about this,¡± Ling Qi promised. ¡°Just be polite, and let me do most of the talking when we meet the spirit."


    Li Suyin gave her a dubious look, but nodded, gesturing for Xinghong to follow them as they took the passage upward to the crystal chamber.


    It was a good thing she had gotten so well practiced in negotiating with spirits. Li Suyin''s qi did not make the best impression upon the spirit.


    The crystal pulsed suspiciously, even as Ling Qi went through the motion of a deep breath beneath her filter mask. "Thank you for your understanding, Spirit of the Song."


    The Piper had not yet indicated what it wanted to be called, and so, she was stuck cycling through titles and feeling for approval or disapproval. It was vexing, even if she could understand the spirit¡¯s position.


    "One cannot counter a poison without understanding it. I apologize for any offense my methods have brought," Li Suyin said with stiff politeness.


    "Twister of bone and flesh, the abyss beckons, its use poisons, but here and now, thy presence is accepted. You offer the bounty of silver, guided by winter''s song. To purify, to seal, this bargain is accepted."


    "Then, let us begin the arrangements. I am sure our enemy is not standing idle."


    "It slinks. It gnaws. It musters its dead flesh against me."


    She wondered how a spirit she could frighten away could occupy the attention of something so much more potent than her cultivation. Was it just a matter of nature? Or, perhaps, because its methods befitted a parasite, it was strongest against its own host.


    "Very well. I will need to set up three tuning arrays to refocus the flow of lunar qi. Will that be acceptable?" Li Suyin asked.


    "Begin."


    And so, they did. Suyin arranged three silver tablets on the walls of the chamber, affixing them to places where the stone was bare, and as she did, she released her constructs: Horse Head and Ox Head, Bear and Boar, and Lion and Wolf, with Xinghong as their commander. While Ling Qi and the Piper drew on and controlled the flow of qi, Suyin would have to handle the defense against the parasite.


    Ling Qi could feel the chill in the water growing as yin-aligned qi rippled through the water like a blot of spiritual ink. Deep in the crystal, and all across the dark and polluted caverns, she felt the awareness of the Piper stirring, disparate shards of ego reassembling from their dispersed and defensive slumber. All of them were aligned in the desperate hunger only true starvation could bring.


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    "Peace, peace, Spirit of Deeping Caves. I have promised to guide, to keep the stream flowing. Abide, else the bounty be ruined. Trust that I will abide by my own words," she sang, carrying caution, reassurance, the promise that her words were good.


    As she did, she sank back through the veil of the liminal where a torrent of silver whirled down into the hazy, glowing geomantic network that she saw as the Piper on this side of the world. With her song, her hands, and her steps, she took hold of the vortex flooding in and tamed it, making a steady stream of a raging torrent. She was all the more impressed that Li Suyin''s formations could make use of and guide these energies into much more complex patterns, when just keeping it steady tore at her grip.


    If the spirit pulled hard enough, she would not be able to keep her control over the qi, so she sang her best reassurance and plea for trust.


    The strange crystal entity embedded in the material realm connected to the funneled qi and drank deep. Ling Qi felt her hands tremble and her channels pulse, her skin clammy and cold at the overwhelming depth of yin she held. But just as the Piper drank with tense patience, so, too, did her grip hold.


    "All good. Just hold on a bit longer. I can see the gray gunk flaking away, and new crystal growing in. Its pattern is getting stronger," Sixiang whispered, able to perceive what she could not when so deep in concentration


    Cold. Sinking. Stillness. Peace.


    She had never channeled so much lunar qi at once. In her cultivation art, she took in what filtered down naturally from the night sky. It was the difference between sitting under lightly falling rain and sitting in the path of a spring flood.


    She cycled her qi through each channel and through her dantian, pushing the clammy cold out of her system until she only felt it on her skin. She had endured worse.


    "Trouble stirring up,¡± Sixiang warned. ¡°The water is being purified, and the impurity gunk is dying or dissolving, but a bunch of it is just getting yanked back. Our big boy is armoring up, I think."


    She glimpsed images of fungal flesh, mutated cave life, and filthy silt rushing down tunnels toward the section where the broken crystals lay. A thousand writhing cable-like tendrils shot out and reeled in dying flesh voraciously.


    Blue light flared, shining through the roaring strands of channeled silver as the corruption in the crystal ebbed away. The passages filled with a surge of strength.


    "Attuner. We recognize a bargain kept. Draw down thy artifice. The enemy comes to war."


    LIng Qi grimaced, urging Sixiang to convey the message. She couldn''t split her focus.


    "Got it. Letting Suyin know she can reduce the draw."


    Finally, blessedly, the torrent weakened, leaving Ling Qi free to cycle her own qi through numbed channels. She could feel the impurity parasite¡¯s power gathering distantly in the liminal, beyond the bubble she occupied.


    She let herself sink, and the points of her boots pierced the veil of reality, drawing her back down into the liquid embrace of the tunnels.


    "Ling Qi? Oh, you look terrible! I knew this was a poor idea." Li Suyin was worrying over her almost before she''d finished materializing, pressing a hand to her forehead.


    "Just a little fatigued," Ling Qi said, letting her friend get on with the examination. "I have it on good word that I''m practically a pool of yin qi anyway."


    "I suppose you''ve not done yourself any serious harm," Li Suyin diagnosed, looking at her with the suspicion only a disapproving physician could manage.


    Ling Qi knew it well. She worried she might have caused several spiritual doctors to adopt that face permanently during her recovery.


    "Please don''t use any further yin-aligned arts until your dantian has recovered equilibrium," Li Suyin concluded. "Now, what is this about the enemy? I could only understand a bare impression of what the spirit was trying to convey."


    "The parasite is reacting to the purifying flow of the water by concentrating itself. It¡¯s dragging the underworld tainted material deeper into the more polluted parts of the cave, but it''s probably doing so in preparation for a hard assault on this place," Ling Qi explained.


    "It comes. It cannot tolerate this restoration. It must do its damage again, ''ere I recover."


    "It wants to undo what we''ve just done before the spirit can settle its recovered channels," Ling Qi translated.


    "Then, we should blunt the attack, and strike deeper to reach the seal target when it has overextended," Li Suyin said, frowning. "We can''t risk this operation being a waste. The siphon won''t withstand that amount of channeling again, if it is to be in any shape for the sealing."


    "I agree." Ling Qi glanced around the entrances to the crystal cavern. Li Suyin''s constructs stood silent sentinel as they spoke, even as the flows of the now clear and crystalline water grew tense with the gathering of the spirit¡¯s power, and the distant taste of rot wafted in on the current."We''ll prepare to defend here then."


    "I''ve been preparing this space for defense, setting up resonating wards to empower my guardian constructs," Li Suyin said. "So, I think all should be well. From the way you described it, the creature is being hasty here."


    "So it seems." Ling Qi turned her eyes to the crystal. She thought hard for a moment, then raised her voice in a low song. "O Keeper of the Crystal Lattice, eight colors make the whole by tradition, yet I sense only seven, even amongst the dead. The Lake Crystal is missing. Mayhaps it is a sanctuary, a hidden place shrouded from prying eyes?"


    She hadn''t commented upon the discrepancy earlier. As lake qi was often used for deception and subterfuge, she had assumed it to be hidden. It would be very strange for seven elements to be present, and only one missing, but she wished to be sure she understood correctly.


    "Correct. Singer, even thine eyes will not reveal the depths of the lake where my self and kin hide. Those beaten, battered, freed have gone there, and they shall not be found."


    She thought it was odd that she couldn''t feel the smaller spirits anymore.


    "Couldn''t even tell ya when or where they poofed," Sixiang said. "So, it''s good stuff."


    "I understand and seek not your sanctum. I only wished to know if there was somewhere safe to hide the kin of your body who might remain. Your preservation is our priority."


    Suspicion crawled across her skin like tingling electricity, but she merely allowed the sincerity of her words to match it. She did not pretend it was selfless altruism, though she did wish to help. When the enemy crawled beneath her feet, any serious gap found in the earth was alarming. If a potent spirit could sit atop their seal as well, one amenable to negotiation, it would only increase their security.


    The regard passed.


    "That which may move has moved. You will have mine assistance, Attuner."

 Threads Chapter 449-Cathedral of Winds 8

    Good enough. She wondered at her new appellation though. It was the second time she had been referred to as ¡°Attuner.¡±


    They had no more time for chit chat. The enemy was coming.


    It came first as a subtle, dark particulate in the water, like silt or mud, barely perceptible as different. It was a creeping poison to be taken in without notice.


    Ling Qi sang, and glittering scales filled the waters around her. Schooling carp shot out once again, but in a twist of fancy, the rushing chord of the River King was sped up, spontaneously rewoven. Eyes glittered with the bottomless hunger of vermin who could never be fulfilled. Fishy whiskers shook with indignance, and piscine mouths opened as they darted into the clouds of impure particulate.


    It vanished down their gullets and swept into their gills, and the flesh of the constructs bloated and broke. In turn, their fellows devoured them, each one becoming bigger than the last until only one swollen, rotted, and dying carp remained.


    "Suyin, a seal, please," she sent, without interrupting her song.


    There was too much poison. Her construct had absorbed it all, but now, she could not dispel it without unleashing the toxin once more.


    Li Suyin''s artificial eye spun in its socket, still glimmering from her examination of the devouring, and she flicked her wrist out. The claws of her gauntlet extended, raising her palm. This time, a sphere etched with visible arrays shot out and swallowed up the toxified construct.


    "Strategy noted. Physical attacks incoming," her friend warned.


    Ling Qi inclined her head in acknowledgment and continued her song. It wasn¡¯t easy, even with the right components to weave fresh bars which were not merely discordant noise. With her growing insight into the dirge of the beast kings, though, it was easier.


    Water stirred, and piscine bodies with wolfish heads, snapping and snarling as they spun into existence, darted toward the cavern mouths where Li Suyin''s constructs stood guard.


    From the dark, tendrils lashed out. On the right, they slammed into the raised stone shields of the Bear and Boar constructs. They did so again and again, a rapid, murderous beat, the force sending the water rippling with the impact. Skeletal feet were driven down into the cavern floor.


    Others skulked and slunk through the water, trying to pass the twin blades of the Lion and Wolf, which slashed pale amalgam corpse flesh asunder, inky ichor spilling from the split tendrils. A dozen more clung to their limbs and dragged at their planted feet, seeking to yank the weapons from their hands.


    On the left, the Horse and Ox fared the best. The flash of the mirror shield turned whipping tendrils into drifting, formless ooze and others were fried by the electric burst of the outthrust mancatcher.


    Distorted by the water, her wolf-fish howled as they descended on the grasper tendrils dragging Suyin''s constructs down the middle tunnel. They circled the tendrils, avoiding counterattacks to nip and harass.


    "Xinghong, support group one."


    A flash of red vaulted over the shield-wielding pair of Bear and Boar, and the whipping club of bone on the end of the hammering tendril caught him across the chest.


    Reflexively, Ling Qi drew on the wood qi she had refined through the channels in her spine, and a pale green light mixed with light blue, casting the whole chamber in eerie color. She felt a prickle across her own chest, the ghost of an impact, and Xinhong''s chittering warcry held a confused note, even as he dug talons into rotting meat and began to tear.


    "Whoa! That''s a new one. You sure you outta be taking damage directly like that?" Sixiang asked her.


    Better than catching knives with her neck, wasn''t it? Ling Qi thought blithely.


    More of the parasite flesh was coming. In the leftmost passage, what could only be described as a bubbling, pastelike mass of flesh was squeezing its way up the tunnel. Gurgling, lipless mouths and blinking eyes rippled in and out of existence across the mass.


    Ling Qi''s eyes flicked toward the crystal as the light brightened and pulsed, a precise pattern rippling out from the central crystal to the growths all across the chamber and down the tunnels. From the light and pattern and the sense of calculation, Ling Qi was able to translate it to words.


    "Current reserve calibrated. Resources marshaled and ordered. Beginning full purification drive."


    The water turned sharp and cold, the biting chill of a fresh, pure mountain stream. The dim opaqueness which lingered in it burned away, leaving it clear as glass and throwing the whole cavern into sharp relief.


    In the purified water, the parasite''s corpseflesh boiled. Thin tendrils withered, and pollution burned off. It struggled toward the flashing crystals before it vanished down the hungry gullets of carp, which vanished in a flash of Suyin''s qi when they bloated so fat that they threatened to burst.


    ¡°Yuck. No wonder this spirit has had such a hard time. This thing''s made to sneak little bits of pain through to infect and subvert it," Sixiang analyzed. "It''d win even without you here, but in a lil¡¯ bit, it''d be right back where it started."


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    Ling Qi could only agree, and she considered her next move.


    The question was how much of its strength this parasite would pour in before it realized they had a counter to its corruption.


    "Suyin, double up on the center and right. I''ll take the leftmost tunnel."


    Her friend gave her a surprised look. "Horse and Ox are handling the attacks the best. Why...?" Suyin trailed off. Her artificial eye gleamed red as she focused on the horrid mass squeezing its way up the tunnel.


    "It''s too dense for your dispelling mirror,¡± Ling Qi explained. ¡°There¡¯s too much fat and meat for it to be taken down with small shocks."


    "Understood," Li Suyin agreed. She drew her constructs away with a flick of the wrist and a silent command.


    Suyin trusted Ling Qi had a plan. And Ling Qi did! Of a sort.


    "Ling Qi, you¡¯d better not be thinking of trying to siphon the impurity your constructs eat yourself," Sixiang threatened.


    "Of course not. You and Qiyi are going to help me," she thought back.


    A ribbon curled in the edge of her vision questioningly.


    "Qi."


    "No, listen. If Qiyi seals me from outside contact, the two of us can force the tainted water and constructs into the liminal, no?"


    "And then, it''ll walk them right back. C''mon, Qi."


    "No, I don''t think it will. It''s shown no ability to transfer anything back and forth, only to reach through."


    "Suyin''s got the sealy balls!"


    "Not an infinite number of them. Sixiang, where¡¯s my dance instructor when I need them?"


    Sixiang sighed. "Right here. I am absolutely calling in that ice bath after this."


    "Done."


    Ling Qi stepped into the mouth of the tunnel.


    Mouths and eyes peered back at her, melting and reforming. A low, almost subsonic groan echoed from dozens of hungry gullets.


    In the inky blackness of her shadow, hundreds of gleaming crimson eyes stared back.


    Ling Qi thrust her palm out, and her shadow erupted. Claws scrabbled at wet rock, dragging sleek furred bodies that ended in scaled piscine tails. Ten, twenty, fifty, a hundred, two hundred and more, a carpet of scales and fur and teeth rushed through the underwater tunnel toward her foe.


    "Feeling dramatic, huh?" Sixiang chuckled.


    A little flourish never hurt anything.


    Groaning mouths opened, sprouting teeth of chitin and broken bone, while pastelike corpseflesh erupted with barbed tendrils. Rats were impaled, their shrieks distorted by the water, even as they curled in on themselves, gnawing at the barbed tendrils impaling their bodies. The hunger born from weakness couldn¡¯t be so easily stilled.


    Other rats leapt and swam and climbed, darting through their dying brethren and scrambling up writhing tendrils. They died by the dozen, and were replaced by two dozen more.


    "I hope you''ll give me something cooler than another rat this time," Sixiang whispered.


    She tilted her head, and the tenor of her song shifted. The icy mist crystalizing in the water around her roiled and darkened. Crystals fused with strands of inky shadow spun something much larger into view.


    "Your steed, Commander Sixiang."


    Her muse cackled in her head, and she felt the rush of chaotic qi as they flowed out through her eyes and ears, infusing the nascent construct. A mane of rainbow fur unfurled like a banner, kaleidoscopic wings flared, and the horse-sized, winged wolf launched down the tunnel, impacting the wall of creeping flesh.


    Ling Qi winced as the material shifted. Dead flesh came apart into strange transmuted chunks as the mass was driven an entire meter back where it had come from.


    The hunger of the least was a potent weapon. The isolation that existed when each hungry mouth turned on each other, fighting to be the one who gained a moment''s reprieve... That was the Vermin King''s strength and its weakness. The Wolf God was a similar failure of unity, except his was the call of a community turned to a tyrant¡¯s whip.


    She knew it could be done better. She could combine, mix, and make something stronger than both individually.


    Her shadow crawled with rats again, but in the passage, rats swelled and bulked out, gaining a predator¡¯s teeth and sleek and amphibious fur was shot through with veins of shimmering color. Cries halfway between chitters and barks echoed in the passage as the rat wolves followed Sixiang into the water clouded with rotten blood and impure ichor.


    Ling Qi drifted forward.


    "Qiyi, cover me completely."


    Her gown stirred around her. Fabric and thread spun out, swallowing her to the toes and fingertips. Dark purple swatches crawled up her cheeks and netted her hair. Over her eyes appeared lenses of mirrored silver. The coverings would have blinded her if she were limited to mortal senses, but the wisps clinging to the outside of her gown gave her as much vision as the eyes she had been born with.


    The tunnel quaked with the motion of the creature, and constructs slammed against the wall beside her head, crushed under a pseudopod of dead flesh the size of a tree trunk. With an idle thought, she commanded rats to jump onto it, diving into mouths and gnawing at eyes and burrowing deep into the flesh.


    She wasn''t surprised when she felt that same flesh closing, mouths fusing and pockets of flesh crushed by pressure. The creature had learned from her last strategy. It wouldn''t be so easy to handle it a second time. She was going to have to put a little more skin into the game.


    "Wait. How exactly are you thinking about walking this thing outta here?"


    Ling Qi laughed aloud, muffled behind Qiyi. "Just keep disrupting its cohesion, Sixiang. I wouldn''t ask you to do something I wasn''t willing to do."


    Sixiang groaned at that, but nonetheless, the winged wolf Sixiang operated howled, once again warping the tunnel. Chaotic qi broke apart corpseflesh around the framework of the wire-thin tendrils reaching from the liminal. The wolf¡¯s wings flapped, battering the limbs trying to grasp them, and their fangs tore bloody chunks from the bubbling surface.


    Ling Qi raised her voice and carpeted the tunnel in writhing rats and howling wolves, splashing free from the vast shadow she now cast over the tunnel.


    "O Piper Lord, Master of the Eightfold Depths, in a moment, I shall disappear with this limb of your foe. Purge this tunnel without mercy in my wake," Ling Qi called out, a spiritual voice reaching into the crystalline channels running through the rock.


    "... Strategy accepted."

 Threads 450-Cathedral of Winds 9

    Ling Qi poured more and more qi into her constructs. The power of her domain flared out, filling the shadowed passageway with mist and darkness from which more ratscrawled, teeth chattering with endless hunger for the feast.


    She strode forward through the water on platforms of ice. Picking a set of eyes in the mass of flesh, she fixed them with a look of challenge. She focused her thoughts. Her domain''s mist went black with the force of her intent


    This was not their feast. Not their lair. They would lose. They would be driven forth. Go. Crawl in fear. Starve. Die in privation.


    The passage rumbled, and Sixiang yelped as their construct was crushed against the wall. Tons of dead flesh surged forward, bubbling from her muse''s disruptive qi. It split down the center, and a vast maw full of teeth and barbed cilia greeted her. It slammed shut around her.


    Jagged razor edges pressed into fabric and flesh with enough strength to crush stone and crumple metal. Acids and toxins stained Qiyi''s fabric. Grasping tendrils clutched at her limbs. Filthy impurity caked her from head to toe, choking off the expression of her arts the moment her qi left her channels.


    "I really gotta be more specific when you''re making plans with me," Sixiang grumbled.


    She was glad Sixiang still trusted her. Could she ask for one more dance?


    The muse grumbled again, but she felt hands materialize in her own. Sixiang''s phantom flesh was warmer than it had been before.


    Ling Qi set her heel against the squirming floor, heel punching through to rock. Then, she began spinning through the first steps of dance she had learned, Sixiang''s hands held tight in hers.


    The disrupted section of the veil left by Sixiang''s rippling qi shimmered and came apart, a hole briefly cut between realms, and the two of them danced through in a vortex of kaleidoscopic qi. Water, impurity, and liquified meat rushed into the gap they had left and spewed out into the formless ocean of color and thought which underlay the fantastical realms of Dream.


    Sixiang gave her an unimpressed look as their dance carried them up and out of the gush of oily pollution they had brought with them. "That. Was. Gross."


    "But it worked," Ling Qi replied.


    Qiyi shook violently all across her body. Ling Qi winced at the gown¡¯s distressed, keening wail in her mind.


    "Extra soaps in your wash tonight," Ling Qi promised.


    Below, the flow was tapering, and the natural pressure between the material and physical realms closed the brief gap they had made.


    She pushed her perception back through the veil and saw the crystal clear water rushing down the suddenly cleared tunnel, scouring the walls of impurity and boiling the fragments of severed tendrils that remained with a vengeance. The parasite itself was retreating, the creature¡¯s panic and hurt palpable as it withdrew.


    Ling Qi stepped back into reality, the sensation of Sixiang''s hands disappearing as they left the dream. She re-emerged into the icy water as a sizzling cloud of bubbling water, and...


    A paper talisman inscribed with impurity wards was slapped across her face.


    "So. I may have earned that."


    "You definitely earned that. What a ridiculous plan," Li Suyin criticized as the crust of oily gunk was drawn away from Qiyi and into the sealing formation.


    Bad wearer. No more gross meat bath. Listen to friends / fellow wearers.


    Ling Qi was beset on all sides here.


    ¡°Effective. Enemy in retreat. Pursuit must be made."


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    Ling Qi huffed, letting the talisman do its work. Almost all side. At least someone agreed with her.


    "The Piper can feel the parasite withdrawing on all fronts. The size of the loss just now shocked it. We have an opportunity to make for the breach now, if we know where it is."


    "Earthblood. Vault of frozen fire, crevice which once fed the soul of heat, now deadened."


    Li Suyin looked at her expectantly.


    "The original breach came through an old volcanic vent near the site of the deadened fire crystal," Ling Qi relayed.


    "Then, we advance down the passage you cleared." Li Suyin gestured to her constructs, who shambled back to her. Wolf and Lion were both cracked and stained. It was odd that her Evergreen Succession art hadn''t shrouded them, but something about the mindless automata must have failed to attract the skein of qi she cast out over her allies.


    "Should we try to hunt the core of the creature first?" Ling Qi asked. "I worry that it might disrupt your ritual, even with us on the defense. We''ve surprised it twice now. I don''t know if it will retreat again."


    And it had already shown it could learn. How far did that capability go?


    "I believe in your ability to hold it off, and the sealing arrangement should not take too long," Li Suyin said. "Once the seal is in place and the source of impurity closed, the spirit here should be able to scour its own meridians far more easily than we can."


    That was true, Ling Qi supposed. And it was definitely possible that taking more time to try and hunt the creature down would just give it more time to rally with the connection to the ith sphere open. On the other hand, their intention when going for the breach would be obvious. They would not be the ones making a prepared defense, but the ones sieging it.


    "I think we need to hunt it down," Ling Qi argued. "Leaving it to recover and learn is just too much of a risk."


    "What do you mean by that?" Li Suyin asked.


    "The parasite had already adjusted to my first tactic between the time of our encounter with the water spirits and this defense of the crystal. It is only going to return more and better prepared. On top of that, even if we cut the source off, I¡¯m worried that it will escape and go to ground elsewhere. It¡¯s proven to be mainly a liminal beast."


    Her friend chewed on her lower lip, glancing over her constructs. "I hadn''t considered that. I admit, I have little expertise in the spiritual realms, and my samples have been primarily physical. Can you cooperate with the Piper to improve our odds of hunting it?"


    Ling Qi tilted her head up, looking at the pulsing crystal. They couldn''t spend too long debating their course of action, at least not if they wanted to stay on the parasite¡¯s tail. She paused a moment to arrange her thoughts, then sang a bar into the rippling waters.


    "We seek the fleeing foe to extinguish the mind behind your fall. What aid may you bring my eyes, O Spirit of the Deeping Ways?"


    Light flashed through the crystal, and thoughts and calculations pinged back and forth from distant crystals.


    "Guidance. Funneling. Narrowing the search. Lighting the gaps. Power forced through channels old and rotted. Exhausting. Worth removing the polluting mind."


    "I can,¡± Ling Qi answered Suyin. "Do you have a way to move quickly? I can''t chase it entirely with skips through the liminal, especially if the creature is preparing to counter us."


    "I have a way or two," Li Suyin said thoughtfully. "Armor."


    Ling Qi blinked at the non sequitur, but it took only a moment to make sense.


    Wires snapped out and dug into the damaged lion and wolf constructs. Silk unspooled, bones came apart, and then, they were rapidly pulled in toward Li Suyin. Her friend¡¯s head swiftly rose over her own when bones and silk melded around the shorter girl¡¯s legs. Rib cages aglow with spirit stones clasped around her hips.


    Bear and Boar came apart next, armoring her chest and head. The stone shield they had carried divided into overlapping plates, forming plated armor over gleaming bone. Horse and Ox were last, transforming into lanky, armored arms that held the mancatcher and mirrored shield. The light of Li Suyin''s artificial eye shone out from the stylized, feminine faceplate of the three-meter tall golem which her friend now occupied.


    "Let us be swift. I can''t power this form for long at the highest capacity."


    "Of course. O spirit, your eyes?"


    ¡°Entering Communion.¡±


    A map bloomed in her mind, fanciful scrollwork tracing out behind her eyes. It was color and music and countless numbers and memories of world states going back for years and decades, all weaving together. It made her head itch and throb, in much the same way it did when Snowblossom had tried to share information with her.


    She swayed on her feet.


    ¡°Attuned capacity found. Adjusting output."


    And then, it stabilized. In her mind¡¯s eye, it swam into the shape of a watercolor map.


    "Oof,¡± Sixiang groaned. ¡°Giving you some extensions, but this is not what I''m made for. Suyin is right. Let¡¯s hurry."

 Threads Chapter 451 Cathedral of Winds 10

    Ling Qi opened her eyes. Connected directly to the Piper, she calculated a route in seconds, overcoming the distortions that had stymied any attempt at a long distance jump thus far.


    "Opening the dance. We move right when it resolves," she ordered, perception already whipping through tunnels clogged with pollution and creeping fronds and flesh.


    "Understood and ready," Li Suyin confirmed. Xinghong, her soldier, thumped his fists against his chest.


    With a single twirling step, she tore them sideways from the world. Her hands spread wide, sleeves flaring out, as she caught a strand of the Piper¡¯s thoughts, pulled it taut, and launched them further into the jumbled, warped liminal landscape. She avoided one patch of spatial pollution, leapt over the next, and skimmed along a corrosive river of putrid green terror.


    Her feet touched stone, and she blurred to the right, flying down through the winding passage full of silty water and tearing the fronds that reached out to try and grasp at her limbs to slow her down. Suyin''s steel-shod skeletal boots beat a pounding rhythm at her side as her friend pushed her energy into keeping up.


    In the tunnels ahead, silver wisps darted through the water, guarded by scaly bodies, to map the gaps in the Piper''s perception of its body. It made the veins in her forehead throb to feel even partially the wide-spanning spirit''s analysis of the information relayed back. She glimpsed fragments of the Piper¡¯s process, matching the streams of information her eyes sent back to countless snippets of memory and analyzing differences in the present, down to every dislodged stone and miniscule difference in water temperature and composition.


    "Disturbance. Spiritual fluctuations indicating trail at points..."


    She couldn''t convert the deluge of information that crashed over her mind into words. Temporal, dimensional, and spatial coordinates dug into her mind with a crushing weight, as if one of Renxiang''s densest legal texts had been forcibly implanted into her head.


    Warmth trickled down from her nose.


    ¡°My thanks, O spirit,¡± she sang, strained.


    "Oh, moons. You let me filter the next one, got it, Ling Qi?" Sixiang demanded as her body shot down the tunnel, wordlessly turning down and to the left along a branching passage. Li Suyin needed no instruction to follow her.


    Ling Qi''s vision swam as she struggled to translate the Piper''s coordinates into something her own senses could properly comprehend. Between her spiritual sight, her sense for dreaming space, and her physical eyes, she needed just a moment or two more to figure it out. She didn¡¯t see the mass of corrupted barnacles nor the frond swelling, the impurity within it all condensing into a bomb.


    A mirrored shield slammed down on the stone in front of her. Qi scented like the moon and wine rippled out. The building star of toxic qi died in a cloud of virulent flesh and pollution. Ling Qi could only lower her head, and be thankful for her companions¡¯ alertness.


    Her next step dug a furrow in the muck, and she''s dancing again through twisted thoughts and space. She hunted. Space twisted, and she drew her will inward, harmonized with the shell of adamant thread which Qiyi has woven around her, maintaining both her own self and that of her companions through the tides and eddies of bent and malicious space.


    A mancatcher, a shield, needles of flying bone, burning claws, tearing mandibles, and phantom hands and ripples of chaotic dreamstuf rip apart obstacles in their way. The parasite¡¯s effort grows more desperate with every jump, every catch, and every destroyed defense.


    The map in her mind goes wobbled like a reflection broken by a tossed stone. It snapped back into crystal clarity, a model completed. A single coordinate burned like a coal behind her eyes, fueled by the rage of the Piper spirit at the creature that had been wearing it down, corrupting it, and breaking it for years on end.


    Together with her friends, she danced out of the curtain into the material once again, and returned upon a bed of squirming flesh. It was an airless pocket in the stone, some flaw or fissure of the earth sealed off from any physical connection unknown ages ago, a refuge immune to any but the most destructive physical entry.


    Ling Qi landed, startled by the sudden dryness, legs flexing to absorb the impact. By the time she was straightening her knees, countless wiry tendrils were reaching for her from vortices in the veil. The whole skein of the material world was weak and crumbling here. Her hand slashed out, but there was very little room. The screech of a dozen predatory birds, more falcon than eagle, broke the silence.


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    "It''s already trying to flee again," Ling Qi said, eyes scanning the liminal. The parasite had thrown so much at them that its reach was reduced. She was interrupted by the sound of shattering bone.


    She glanced to her side, heart still in her chest. The shield was falling from Li Suyin''s hand, and the arm of her construct had been shattered, revealing her bare hand. A tendril was sunk into her skin, squirming its way under her flesh. How had her technique...?


    The glowing blue iris visible in one eye socket of her friend''s helm flashed to a dark, malicious red. "Analysis complete."


    Suyin¡¯s impaled hand clenched around the translucent tendril. The cavern screamed.


    The parasite¡¯s wail shook the stone and sent the liminal rippling. It tried to sever its own tendril as it has many times before, but Li Suyin''s countermanding qi flooded its nerves, taking over and disabling the nerves which enabled it to control its own flesh.


    "This has been such a fascinating delve. I am thankful for all the things I have been shown today," Li Suyin gushed before looking at the squirming tendril under the skin of her hand. "Ah, these organs process and weave liminal energy patterns, allowing you to control dimensional relocation. You don''t need this any more. Snip snip."


    Ling Qi brushed away the desperate, thrashing limbs and wildly growing organic spines that sought her friend, while Xinghong interposed himself between Suyin and the widening vortex in the liminal.


    "Do you want the liminal organs for reagents, Ling Qi? Or should I take the impurity core?¡± Suyin asked her cheerfully. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to preserve both without it wriggling free while I destroy it. Ah, please provide your answer quickly. Even now, it''s surprisingly resistant to my shaping."


    "Take the core,¡± Ling Qi offered. ¡°I have all the reagents I need from Lady Cai''s coffers."


    "I appreciate it," Suyin said gratefully, as the beast thrashed, trapped in its own cancerous flesh. "Now."


    Suyin¡¯s qi flared, and the tendril under her skin spasmed, making her friend''s flesh split, beads of blood appearing briefly, only to be sealed again a moment later. The cordlike muscle in the tendril went taut, and then contracted, ripping the beast out of the liminal vortex ahead of them.


    It was almost anticlimactic how pathetic the true body looked. A pill-like lump of black flesh no more than two handspans long was host to countless wriggling cilia which formed the base of liminal tendrils. It had no eyes or ears, and its only feature was an open, squealing mouth from which black ichor gushed forth. Ling Qi grimaced at the wet, tearing sound that emerged within it, and the sound of pockets of fluid rupturing.


    Finally, it went limp, and a dull black shape, oblong, the size of a chicken egg, squirmed out. It stank so badly that her eyes watered, even through Qiyi''s fabric. She kept her eyes on the twitching corpse even as it began to melt into an acidic puddle. Waving her hand through the air, she pushed the veil shut, sealing off the flow of liminal energies into this unstable sealed space.


    Li Suyin stepped forward, shaking out her palm as her body expelled the liquifying remains of the tendril through the hole in her palm. "My, such a high content, and with a novel aspect, too! XInghong, store that, please."


    Ling Qi stared at the wound in her friend''s palm. How had the tendril breached her defensive technique layered on her friend?


    "You already decided to preserve choice, didn''t you?" Sixiang asked.


    Ling Qi hid a grimace. Of course. Hadn''t she already accepted that she couldn''t let herself become a smothering force? If someone under her protection wanted to face hardship and harm, knowingly so... Of course her technique would be like nothing but mundane mist then.


    Xinghong scooped up the sizzling impurity core and swallowed it. Well, why not, at this point?


    "That''s kinda the vibe she has in the Inner Sect with folks her own age. Meanwhile, the upper ranks are all ''oh, what a precocious junior'' and stuff." Sixiang chuckled.


    Ling Qi rolled her eyes. She pressed her palms to her temples as she reached out to the spirit.


    ¡°The deed is done. I must ask that you withdraw. My humble self cannot continue this level of communion."


    Immediately, the throbbing ache in her head receded, leaving her to sigh, shoulders sagging as her head was once again left with only two occupants.


    ¡°Pollution flows. Taint remains. Corruption levels passively rising.¡±


    "I know," Ling Qi said aloud. To Suyin, she said, "We shouldn¡¯t dally. Will you still be able to perform the sealing?"


    Li SUyin''s bone armor was disassembling before her eyes, vanishing back into storage piece by piece. Her face was drawn and wan, but she smiled nonetheless. "I will, but I may need a rest after."


    "I''m sure Su Ling can carry you on her back, like she used to when you tired yourself out."


    "I''m not that exhausted," Li Suyin complained. "Let¡¯s go then.¡±

 244-Journey 1

    Ling Qi did not feel her best when next she stepped through the veil of dream. Her chest still ached with healing bone, and her arm was still restrained under heavy plaster and held tight to her chest in a sling. It would be a week or so before she could move it freely again.


    But she was not going to ignore a debt she owed.


    ¡°Honestly, if the ol¡¯ bonebag was gonna do immediate harm, he¡¯d have done it,¡± Sixiang commented from above her shoulder. Sixiang was wounded as well, but wounds manifested differently in a bodiless spirit. Their presence felt thin, and their voice occasionally warbled on the wind, its volume and tone turning strange.


    ¡°Yes, but I won¡¯t be totally off my guard,¡± Ling Qi said thoughtfully, looking out into the infinite shadow forest that represented the Sect in the liminal realm. She took comfort in the golden light that gleamed through the canopy, the acrid scent of lightning hanging ever present in the air. Even her mind could not conjure nightmares of the fox¡¯s presence here under the eyes of the Sect Head¡¯s dragon companion.


    Instead, she regarded the plain and unassuming door which led into the twisted prison of time. It stood there in the soft grass, outlined by the mist of the forest, unsupported by frame or hinges. It was all but invisible unless she faced it from the front, appearing only as a thin black line from the sides.


    ¡°Visiting him of my own will is probably the safest thing I can do,¡± Ling Qi continued. ¡°A person can get desperate, I think, when they¡¯re alone too long.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. Just consider your words carefully, alright?¡±


    ¡°I know a spirit doesn¡¯t have to mean harm to do it.¡± Ling Qi reached for the door. Then again, neither did a human. That was just life. She took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯ll be careful.¡±


    The door opened silently under her hand, revealing a black void in the world. Ling Qi took a step and disappeared inside.


    The prison remained as it ever was, a wide underground chamber half-filled by sluggish black waters. The air was clammy and damp, and no light penetrated its recesses. This mattered little to Ling Qi, who stepped from the door-shaped void in its far wall in a gentle rustle of cloth.


    ¡°Dutiful.¡±


    Ling Qi inclined her head as a rasping reedy voice impressed itself in her mind, bypassing mortal senses entirely. The shell of the spirit, the black bones of the horned skeleton, remained in the center of the lake on a small muddy islet. Brown and green creepers and vines grew through his bones, growing from between its ribs, pushing out of its jaws, and blooming in empty eye sockets. They rustled as the blossoming skull shifted to greet her.


    ¡°I¡¯m not one to delay in paying my respects. Thank you again for your assistance, Honored Elder.¡± Ling Qi bowed low at the waist, as much as she could manage in her current state.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get the chance last time, but let me add my thanks too, old timer,¡± Sixiang added, appearing over her shoulder. Though the muse¡¯s form wavered and faded, they bowed too.


    ¡°Polite juniors. Come and sit by the shore. A story is owed.¡±


    Ling Qi rose smoothly, ignoring the prickling twinge in her ribs, and gave a small nod. With a flick of her wrist, she withdrew a plush cushion from her storage ring and set it on the damp shore, before sitting down and settling herself in. She kept herself cross-legged and straight-backed, respectful as one should be with an elder.


    The skull very slowly twisted to follow her motion, petals drifting down to settle upon the water.


    ¡°It began when I learned a friend was considering some extreme methods of cultivation, and I cast around for anything I could do to help...¡±


    The spirit made not a sound as she began to speak, but the shadows gathered close around her as if she were a flame in the darkness.


    Through the whole of her tale, the silence was only broken by her voice and the occasional interjection by Sixiang. She spoke of their entry into the realm of the fox and the feeling of hunger and consumption. She spoke of the shrine and the memories of betrayal and twisting and the ghost child.


    She began to lay out the tale, carefully picking her words as she used them to paint a story. She understood implicitly that this was not a place for the dry recounting of facts. She was careful to comb her own thoughts, internally conversing with Sixiang to make sure the memories weren¡¯t vanishing. She checked the flow of her qi, and though she felt a faint tug on her energy as some of the qi she breathed out slipped into the waters, it was only a trickle.


    It was a little theft, like one from a young urchin slipping coopers from a fat purse bulging with silver. Ling Qi didn¡¯t allow the cadence of her tale to be interrupted by what she had noticed. She met the stare of blooming eye sockets, seeing the glittering green sparks and motes of light that flickered there, and read a smirking challenge.


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    She spoke of being confronted by the fox as they fled with the ghost child, and deftly, oh so deftly, she extended her cycling qi beyond flesh, letting streamers of mist drift as she stole back drops of liquid darkness and thought to replace what was taken.


    A pittance, no more. Surely not enough for the elder to notice.


    Green sparks glittered in the dark.


    As she continued telling the story, her meridians felt tense, not quite exhausted but fatigued. Every mote of power snatched from the skeleton¡¯s hands inspired a more subtle response until she needed Sixiang to assist her in noticing the stolen bits of power vanishing from her spirit. Every breath and every cycle of her qi saw little disturbances, sometimes not even thefts but simple disruptions to her qi that would, if left unchecked, snarl her cultivation for hours or days.


    By the time she poured out the tale of Su Ling¡¯s stand, sweat was beading on her brow, and she had long since ceased to have any chance to counterattack in this game of qi theft.


    ¡°And that is where the honored senior¡¯s assistance came in, granting escape in the chaos,¡± Ling Qi finished, her eyes darted about, gleaming silver. She remained tense for the next theft, but it never came.


    ¡°A thrilling tale. Junior, these wounds have unsettled you terribly. Observe closely any disturbances in cycling.¡±


    Her next session of cultivation was not going to be as productive as she liked. She hadn¡¯t been able to keep up with the spirit¡¯s disruption. At the same time, the beads of energy she had taken weighed heavy in her dantian, dream and darkness and wind, potent and dense, ready for assimilation into her dantian.


    She had a feeling she would come out better despite the irritation.


    ¡°The junior thanks the kind senior.¡± Ling Qi lowered her head. ¡°Did the tale satisfy?¡±


    ¡°Flare. A tale should stir the heart. Your words are lacking.¡±


    Ling Qi frowned. She thought she had dressed it up a little, nothing false but a little exuberance of detail to make it more compelling. ¡°I did not wish to lie, Honored Senior.¡±


    ¡°Fools and amateurs lie. The master forges the ores of truth into the alloy of narrative. Stories are the ties that bind men together. Stories are power.¡±


    ¡°That seems like a dangerous path,¡± Ling Qi said.


    ¡°The sword is deadly, yet men wield it.¡±


    Ling Qi took the point. ¡°How might I improve my stories?¡±


    ¡°To begin, know thy audience.¡±


    Ling Qi narrowed her eyes, wondering if she was being made fun of. ¡°Then, Honored Senior, may I know the name you would like to be called by?¡±


    Bones and dry vines creaked in the dark. A skull tilted in curiosity.


    ¡°There was once a man with many names. He, too, learned to be a thief of winds, but the winds were long stolen, and a master must earn new titles.


    Thief of Minds. Thief of Hearts. Thief of Stories. Breaker of Ways. Arch-Heretic of the Dreaming Way.


    But names, too, are stories. Was he ever real at all? Or was he a phantom that lived in the minds of the mighty? Was he less or more, a man or group? Perhaps an old grandfather had gone mad, stewing in his regrets, wearing a mask that had become his face.


    Who can say?


    This one is only an echo bouncing forever in the solitude of a cell.¡±


    Ling Qi swallowed thickly as the resonating whispers crashed over her mind. They were far fewer words than she had spoken, but she could not ignore the shiver of uncertainty that traveled up her spine. She wondered not for the first time if she was stepping too far. But that was a question for those who did not intend to see their path to the summit of cultivation.


    Sixiang muttered.


    ¡°An echo... That will do. The junior may call this one Elder Huisheng.¡±


    ¡°As the senior likes. But if I may ask, why do the elders of the Sect not guard you more closely?¡±


    Green sparks danced, and a black petal fell, crisping under the devouring fire until it blew away as viridian dust.


    ¡°The junior tries to get an old man rambling. The debt is paid. I have been generous.¡±


    ¡°You have,¡± Ling Qi agreed. ¡°I apologize for my presumption. Is there anything in particular I should search for in a story?¡±


    ¡°Does Xiangmen stand?¡±


    ¡°Of course it does,¡± Ling Qi began incredulously. ¡°Oh, the city, you mean. Yes, the city stands. I have heard it is very prosperous.¡±


    There was silence for a time, just the rippling of water and the whisper of wind.


    ¡°Tell of the Dreaming Court, the galas of the Moon, when you return. Even here, the shock when the throne of Tsu was taken resounded.¡±


    Ling Qi shared a look with Sixiang and bowed her head again. ¡°It will be done, Elder Huisheng.¡±


    She had already been planning to slip aside with Sixiang when she had the chance during their visit to Xiangmen. Best not to complain when goals aligned.


    She felt the spirit''s observation upon her as she stood and bowed again, her cushion vanishing back into her ring. "What will you trade for the tale, elder?"


    Sixiang laughed in her head. There was no point in not being bold.


    Bones creaked and rattled like dry laughter and crunching leaves.


    "A story. A lesson.¡±

 Threads 284-Winters End 3

    Hanyi began to sing, and Ling Qi listened closely. The song was light and graceful, resembling the piece Ling Qi had helped her compose some time ago for that last concert before the journey south, but this version was more strident and mature.


    And as Hanyi sang, flurries of snow crystallized in the wind that whipped up around her, resulting in falling flakes and pebbles of hail. The bite of the wind grew sharper, and the hems of her gown kicked up as her bare feet left the stone, carried aloft on the wind. Ling Qi felt Hanyi¡¯s qi thinning, diffusing out into the surrounding air. The flurries soon became a curtain of snow and sleet.


    A veil of glittering frost lengthened her gown, shadowed Hanyi¡¯s face in a veil of shadow and crystal. The song grew softer as she seemed to retreat into the snowfall, a lithe shadow in the snow.


    This was a song about the coming of winter, the cold wind entering the stage, and the beauty of the first snow, falling in sparkles upon the earth.


    Ling Qi reached out a hand, feeling the driving snow on her fingers, infused with a potent qi that left a faint buzzing feeling on her fingers as it tried to drain away her qi. She felt the tug at her mind too, riveting her attention on her singing little sister. The power of the technique muddled a bit on her, unable to take hold on her thoughts, but...


    Sixiang whispered.


    And it was preparation. Ling Qi could tell that the ice qi was filling the air with snow, potent and ready for use in further techniques, and it was also diffusing what did try to strike the singer through it. A strong opening move.


    Ling Qi smiled at the shadowed maiden¡¯s silhouette. ¡°Hanyi, did you really make a technique just to seem taller?¡±


    The haunting song cut off, and the shadow in the snow glared at her with glittering white eyes, planting hands on her hips. ¡°Big Siiiiis, let me be cool!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re very cool, for sure,¡± Ling Qi soothed. She stepped into the falling snow, ignoring the faint tingle the flesh-shattering chill left on her skin, and wrapped her junior sister in a hug. Up close, the ice that had gathered, lengthening Hanyi¡¯s gown and veiling her face, did look very elegant. ¡°I¡¯m just teasing. It looks very effective. It sets up for other techniques, right?¡±


    Hanyi stepped back, frost glittering on the front of her gown, and she crossed her arms irritably over her chest. ¡°Hmph, yeah, it does. It¡¯ll let me build up my power, and protect me while I do.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good idea for an opening,¡± Ling Qi said thoughtfully.


    ¡°So, what do you have, Big Sis? Thought of how you''re going to start your song yet?¡± Hanyi challenged.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had some thoughts.¡±


    After the conversation with Jaromila in the south, her performance as the Diviner Tsu at the Sect, and even the visit in the Dream to the crone¡¯s hut only a few days ago, she had come to a conclusion on truth. Endings, the ones she created and the ones she inflicted, should pave the way for something new. If she killed, she wished to do so knowing that there was some purpose, and that a goal was advanced or improved in the doing.


    Sixiang whispered.


    That was the trouble when thinking in terms of seasons and of cycles. It was easy to find only stagnation and endlessly repeat her actions in the hopes of a different result. Maybe this was the wrong way to approach the subject. Shu Yue¡¯s words and the expectations of Cai Renxiang¡¯s mother, too, were also relevant.


    Even if one turning rhymed with the last and even if there were certain base similarities in the cycles, they were not the same. Cai Renxiang was not Cai Shenhua, and Ling Qi was not Shu Yue. Else it was worse than worthless. It was only the horror and nightmare they had trodden lightly on in the dream.


    And she had found some support for that concept in the writing of Meng artists and in meditations on the turnings of years and centuries and on loss and nostalgia.


    The seasons turn, but the past year is not repeated.


    ¡°Hey, Big Sis, you just gonna stand there looking mournful in the snow?¡± Hanyi called out, shaking her out of her thoughts. Her junior sister stood there in her normal garb again, arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.


    ¡°Sorry, I lost myself in thought,¡± Ling Qi said ruefully. ¡°I was going to show you some of what I had in mind, right?¡±


    Ling Qi began to hum to herself, turning away from Hanyi to stride across the cold stone well away from where her junior sister had made her own display. Faint outlines of frost formed around her footfalls as she did, and in her hand, a length of clear blue-tinted ice began to form. It was a flute, glittering and half-transparent, much like Zeqing had once used while instructing her. She raised the flute to her lips, allowing her eyes to drift closed as she began to play some experimental bars.


    The Aria of Spring¡¯s Ending was the first technique of Zeqing¡¯s Frozen Soul Serenade art. It was a melody that sounded off the end of warmth and heralded the obliteration of life. Here, in the eternal cold of the mountain peak, there would never be a spring, but that¡¯s not the type of song that Ling Qi wanted. Hanyi had chosen to focus its cold emanations upon herself, retaining its defensive properties while transforming its aesthetic, making it her gown and veil.


    In contrast, Ling Qi wished to focus it outward. To that end, in her mind''s eye, she envisioned Ice. She envisioned ice like that which covered the mountain peaks or which blanketed the southern lands and the peaks of the Wall creeping across every surface and foe, stilling and silencing to put the world into slumber. She envisioned a field of ice flowers blooming from the old and the stagnant and the dead, shattering and releasing their heat.


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    Ling Qi¡¯s Ending was not the stasis of a mountain peak above the clouds but the winter cold that preceded a new dawn and spring. Though the spring was not her, maybe one day, she could create a song to complement her successor art, but more likely, it would be another¡¯s role to represent the storm of spring.


    The core of the Frozen Soul Serenade art was violence. It was a cold that killed others. It could be brought by inches to draw upon other concepts for additional functions, but it could not shed its core.


    And Ling Qi did not think it would be good to do so either. She did not want to see the terrors of the past repeated forever, but in the end, change was violence. To create a new world, the old must die. And those slated to die, to have their world die, could only ever respond to change with violence to preserve themselves.


    This, she thought, was similar to the sacrifice the crone had spoken of. People would sacrifice everything to achieve the world they wanted. So, if she were to do violence, there needed to be a purpose in it rather than change for its own sake.


    Ling Qi hummed the first bars of the Spring¡¯s End Aria, feeling her qi rapidly flow into the old patterns, chilling the air around her. And then she stopped and hummed another bar, similar to her master¡¯s melody but different. She felt the qi of the technique waver and begin to unravel, sending a twinge of pain through her meridians, and instead of allowing it to do so, she changed the flow and realigned the pattern.


    Her humming became a quiet, wordless song, harsh and hard. The billowing cold of the Spring¡¯s End Aria tightened up around her. Around her feet, a spider web of pale blue translucent ice began to spread in a fractal pattern. The temperature plunged, and from the dry air here above the clouds, what little moisture there was frozen in gossamer sheets, swiftly shattered into flying, near invisible shards by the mere brush of the wind.


    World¡¯s End Aria. The name came to her as she sang, letting the wind lift her into the air. There were many worlds, big and small, and it was not terribly hard to end them. But the name didn¡¯t feel right yet. Not for a song still being worked on.


    Year¡¯s End Aria. That would do for now.


    Her song stole away all traces of heat and the motion of the wind, stilling the air around her. Ling Qi sang and narrowed her eyes at the shimmering ripple of a wind spirit, a minor elemental faerie not even really an animal yet. The cold sucked inward, a film of frost and ice over her skin as she focused her power.


    The wind faerie froze, losing all motion, and shattered into fine crystal dust in the wind.


    Below, Hanyi laughed and clapped her hands, resuming her own song, calling up the snow and garbing herself in ice. Wind carried her up to the top of a stony escarpment where she stood and sang across from Ling Qi.


    Ling Qi reached out, caught Hanyi¡¯s hand, and carried her up into the skies. Zeqing¡¯s home and grave lay below, a mound of stone and snow, quiet and lifeless. Yet as they sang, Ling Qi could not help but feel that she felt someone stirring, the deep and deathly cold qi of this place rippling ever so slightly.


    Ling Qi let her eyes drift shut. A flute of ice hovering at her lips was played through pure manipulation of the wind. Different patterns, different bars, a song being written and rewritten. It was not time yet. There was no one here. One day, she hoped there would be.


    But for now, they would fly for the static mountain peak was not the right place to finish their songs. The land below which knew seasons other than endless cold would be needed for this composition.


    And so they flew down below the clouds where the land was green. She had already gotten leave from the Sect for this. Ill omened beasts and poisoned things from beneath had begun to gather in a section of forest in the Outer Sect, worrying at the wardings that protected mortals. Although clearing them was Outer Sect work normally, it would still be useful for training.


    She and her junior sister descended on the browning patch in the canopy in a cloud of falling sleet and snow. Where the toes of her slippers touched down, the ice came, a spreading crystal web beneath her feet. Leaves grew white with frost, then stiff and frozen, captured in a skin of translucent ice. Beasts and dark spirits fled, growing slow and sluggish where her gaze turned.


    The light snow Hanyi brought dusted the rapidly crystalizing treetops, already beginning to groan and droop under the weight of her ice, and her lovely song and outstretched hands brought the fleeing to heel, crawling back in worship of winter¡¯s idol, unable to pull their attention away from her purity and beauty.


    Her junior sister vanished from her side, a cold breeze swirling and dancing around one enraptured creature after the next. Hanyi drew in their heat with each intake of breath and left behind corpses covered in snow. She flitted between one and the next without movement and steps, drawn to the qi they all but offered up in a stupified haze.


    Ling Qi knew herself to be the darker figure of the two of them. She loomed, a tall shadow stretching under the frozen canopy and distorted by the glimmering light that peeked through the dense ice.


    She walked, and the world darkened in her wake, sleet and creeping ice. A beast, a great red and black bear covered in tumorous growths, driven mad by pain and toxin, roared and charged toward her, splintering frozen trees in its wake. And Ling Qi stepped past, playing her flute, and the sharp, cold notes flayed away layers of defensive qi.


    She walked on, a gleaming statue left behind her.


    And another, and another, refining the verses with each passing foe. The seeping cold spread through the tainted grove, and the branches sheathed in ice and heavy with falling snow drooped near to the ground.


    This was the Frozen Night¡¯s Refrain.


    Hanyi appeared back at her side, a smug smile behind her frost veil, and streamers of heat erupted from all who had been swayed by her song. Her junior sister drank it all in, her eyes lighting up, the shadow of pale blue iris shading into her milky white eyes. And where she grasped Ling Qi¡¯s hand, Ling Qi felt a little warmth too, a bare trickle of qi, but qi all the same.


    Ling Qi considered the area as her own targets began to stir, the faint sound of cracking ice filling the grove. She had held back to test out the final technique of her successor art. It was no longer the Call to Ending, but a shadow still remained of the coda of absolute silence that erased all noise.


    She sang, her qi flooding outward into the shards of icy cold left in the meridians of beasts and tainted spirits. They cried out, a crescendo of noise that joined her song, a melody like the cracking of ice floes and the thundering of released waters. From every ice surface, frost flowers bloomed, pale white, blue, and a hint of pink on those that grew from the rime on flesh.


    And then they erupted. Petals and ice and snow and wind transformed the grove into a cloud of depthless white and and silence. Ling Qi felt the qi flow back to those around her, to Hanyi and even Sixiang, who stirred in her mind, feeling the surge of vitality and power.


    The old did die, and in death, they rang in the spring. This successor art was incomplete yet, still drawing much from the original Frozen Soul Serenade art, but she had the foundations down.

 Interlude: Winters End Tour (1)

    The road wound ever on. Through hills and trees, around mountains, across rivers. The cool air rushed by, sharp with the incoming winter. When they had begun, the roads had been smooth, in superb maintenance, but as they had traveled on, away from the Argent Sect, further from the core of Wang lands, they had grown rougher. At first just little signs of wear, but then more. A fallen tree here, a loose paving stone there. Proving there was something to the rumor of the wildness and disrepair of the southwest.


    His wagon rattled, a bit of shock traveling up from the axels as the furiously spinning wheels passed over a series of cracked stones, and Bao Qian caught onto his wide brimmed drivers hat before it could fly off into the rapidly whipping wind. Despite the troubles he found himself in good humor. This was the romance of the open road after all! Every journey was a little different, the conditions unpredictable, the land a beauty! To follow an untraveled road as much an adventure as...


    ¡°Are we there yet?¡± A young girl¡¯s voice called from inside the covered wagon, the words drawn out and petulant.


    Bao Qian¡¯s smile remained fixed, but he didn¡¯t think anyone would blame him for the way his eyebrow twitched.


    ¡°Not just yet,¡± he replied, keeping a controlled tone. ¡°As I have said the last eight times you have asked.


    ¡°Ugh, can¡¯t the wagon go faster,¡± the girl complained. She appeared in the open window slat that opened onto the drivers bench, elbows leaned on the sill.


    He glanced back at the spirit, were it not for her corpse pale skin and milky white eyes, she really would look like a young girl of eleven or twelve years. ¡°We can¡¯t, pushing the horses any harder would just delay us later,¡± he explained patiently.


    As he had four separate times now.


    ¡°You¡¯ve finished going through all the materials I provided on the spiritual map of the region we¡¯re touring in?¡± He asked pleasantly.


    ¡°Um, yeah definitely! That stuff is super easy,¡± she affirmed.


    Bao Qian¡¯s eyes narrowed. The spirit of freezing death occupying his workshop put on the most angelic expression of childhood innocence.


    Blindfold him, and he wasn¡¯t sure he would be able to tell her from a precocious and slightly spoiled young miss of any clan he cared to name. With spirits such as this, it was no wonder Miss Ling had such odd ideas.


    Hanyi coughed into her hand, wilting a little under his stare. ¡°I might take another look though! Since it''s taking so long, I should show some diligence and review. That¡¯s what big sis would want.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she would,¡± Bao Qian sighed, keeping half an eye on the road ahead, a tug of the reigns adjusted for the turning coming on, ahead, there was a little smoke rising, the border outpost of the Meng. Soon they would be on the final leg...


    ¡°Oh do you see that! Are we there yet!¡±


    His eyebrow twitched, and Bao Qian felt a faint ache beginning to throb in his temples.


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    ***


    Bao Qian was kind of a stiff guy. No wonder he had such a hard time getting Big Sis¡¯ attention. Hanyi thought. She lay on the softly upholstered bench built into the inside of his wagon, kicking her bare feet in the air as her eyes slid across the characters written on the scroll open in her hands. It was all formal and dry and boring.


    It was a good thing Papa had taught her to read even the super complicated characters!


    That thought made her frown, her gaze sliding down to the floor. Well, Papa had never been real. It was just Mama putting on a show with his bones. She knew that by now. She was happy that Mama had loved her enough to do it, even though real Papa had apparently been a horrible jerk.


    And now she¡¯d made herself sad. Ugh, what was with this trip, it was taking way too long! Hanyi rocked back and forth on the bench, trying and failing to focus on the words in the scroll. It was comfy in here, but she was just so bored. And there wasn¡¯t enough room to move around either! She was going crazy here. Maybe she should ask if they were almost there again. They had to be, right?


    She began to set up, letting the scroll crumple in her lap when the wagon jerked in place. Hanyi hopped to her feet, moving up to the window that looked out over the drivers bench. ¡°Are-¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Bao Qian said dryly. ¡°Take a moment and get yourself in order Young Miss. I¡¯ll speak to the men here, but you¡¯ll have to be ready to meet our guide.¡±¡±


    Hanyi preened at his address. Young Miss? She kinda liked that! It made her sound very elegant. Which she was. ¡°Okay. You better make sure they¡¯re ready for me.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Bao Qian chuckled, sweeping off the silly wide brimmed hat he donned for the trip. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be much of a manager otherwise.¡±


    Hanyi nodded imperiously, hopping back down from the bench to leave him too it, instead moving over to the little area that had been set up for her, with a mirror and combs and all that stuff humans needed. It was easier for her, since she knew what she looked like so she could just look like that whenever she wasn¡¯t too tired or hurt.


    Still, arranging her hair was fun and her gown did need smoothing out and stuff. She couldn¡¯t imagine what a pain it would be if you actually had to clean yourself by hand, and though cosmetics were fun to play with, it was also kinda annoying when she had to do it herself. Good thing there were people to do it for her probably, going by the last show.


    Soon, there was a polite knock on the door, and Hanyi took one last glance in the mirror. She was perfect naturally. Only Big Sis was prettier. She hopped down from the little stool in front of the mirror and moved to the door. A faint pulse of qi through the wood told her the moment when Bao Qian was going to open it, allowing her step out in perfect time.


    Hanyi put on a polite smile as she descended the stair, holding her gowns hems up from the wood. ¡°Hello everyone. I am Hanyi of White Cloud Mountain. Thank you very much for your kind welcome.¡±


    You had to talk a little different like this. Big Sis talked like this all the time nowadays, but Hanyi thought that was a little much.


    Outside the wagon, she found herself looking at a large and somewhat wild garden, less organized than she was used too, with more natural flowerbeds and blossoming fruit trees growing in odd places. Waiting for them were a pair of guards in polished armor, and a tall man in pale green robes. He was bald, with sun darkened skin, and a staff of white wood, with a bronze ring on the top.


    The tall man, she thought he was a monk, blinked very slowly at her appearance. He was probably stunned by how cute she was!


    ¡°Greetings, honored spirit of the winter wind. You may refer to this one as Du Xian,¡± he said after a moment. He glanced to Bao Qian, who gave him a funny little smile and shrugged. Hanyi narrowed her eyes. Why did she feel like she was being left out of something!


    ¡°I hope you will accept the hospitality of this temple, and come in peace among your peers, too order the coming of winter, which has been so disrupted by war. Will you accept this one as your guide?¡±


    Well, at least someone was respectful. Hanyi sniffed, giving Bao Qian a haughty look. ¡°This Hanyi is pleased to accept your hospitality, and will enter your temple with no ill will to any who dwell there,¡± she said, turning up her nose a little.


    ¡°Then please, follow me. There is much to arrange for the festival.¡±

 Interlude: Winters End Tour (2)

    It always annoyed Bao Qian just a little, that mortal coins were so much better designed as currency than the money of cultivators. Coins were good, round and flat, stackable. A hole punched through the center, so that they could be strung on thread or rawhide. Convenient and reasonable. Stones on the other hand, had an odd shape, could not be stacked or stored easily. He knew it didn¡¯t matter, and there were reasons. A coin shape wouldn¡¯t hold its qi reservoir properly, but it was still a little bothersome.


    But as he laid his satchel on his workbench and little glittering stones spilled across the surface, he couldn¡¯t say that he felt irritated at all. Aesthetics had its place.


    ¡°This new arrangement was received better than anticipated,¡± said a voice from behind him. Du Xian, the priest assigned to their entourage, stood behind him in the wagon. Bao Qian could feel his slightly disapproving gaze on the satchel full of stones.


    It didn¡¯t bother Bao Qian much. The traditions of the Bao and the southern folk had diverged for ages. He knew his ancestors and the spirits of all the glittering and precious things under the earth smiled upon his efforts. But he was polite, turning halfway on the bench to face the older man. ¡°Everyone loves a festival, and Miss Hanyi¡¯s voice is very beautiful too, don¡¯t you agree, Du Xian.¡±


    The man pursed his lips. ¡°It is true that the people are eager for merriment, when hard times are coming. Warm memories to hold against the dark and the cold.¡±


    ¡°And you ensured that things were kept proper,¡± Bao Qian said, dipping his head. ¡°We could not have planned this so well without your peoples efforts to dig up the old pre-Ogodei rituals and adjust them.¡±


    A thing not understood by many in the north was that the barbarians rampage had not only slain people and uprooted cities, but cast the spirits into chaos, the endless storms and floods had destroyed much infrastructure and slain many spirit lords which were not so fixed as rivers and mountains.


    ¡°It is difficult work but fulfilling. Without a spirit of middling realm to take a central role, and intercede with those who care not for small voices, it would be pointless,¡± Du Xian acknowledged. ¡°But the honored spirits method and means...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s jarring isn¡¯t it,¡± Bao Qian said absently. ¡°But people like it.¡±


    Du Xian frowned deeply. ¡°I feel trepidation. Spirits are not human. Should the people come to think of them so, it will only lead to harm and tears.¡±


    ¡°Hm, I think the distance she maintains while in practice will curb that. Your arrangement and choreography for the performance emphasized the danger in her beauty,¡± Bao Qian said.


    ¡°Hm, I hope it will be enough. I have not seen a spirit so... casual in mien since I last left the library of Blue Mountain, and those were born of objects and buildings,¡± Duxian said thoughtfully, tapping his staff on the wooden floor. ¡°That aside, I am not sure I fully like your sale of favors.¡±


    ¡°The pennants?¡± Bao Qian asked, glancing at the crates containing more of the things.¡±It seems only sensible to me. The regular folk receive plain cloth blessed by Miss Hanyi, while the cultivator folk may purchase my formation writ ones. Given the exchange of stones is a lesser sacrifice, shouldn¡¯t it work out about the same?¡±


    ¡°That is not really the point young sir,¡± Du Xian said with furrowed brows.


    Bao Qian rolled a single red spirit stone between his finger and thumb, frowning himself. ¡°Then we will have to disagree sir. Coin, exchange is a sacrifice. It is the representation of one''s labors. It is less personal maybe, but it is meaningful all the same. I know you here in the south might see it as vulgar. But that is my part of this exchange, that you accept my own beliefs on this.¡±


    Du Xian did not look entirely happy, but Bao Qian would not back down on this point. He would freely weave and ink the common pennants, wholly vessels for Hanyi¡¯s power, but to not profit from his works at all would be a terrible insult to both his clan and himself.


    ¡°I won¡¯t deny this is doing good. The chaos among the spirits is less than usual.¡±


    It was at that moment that the door of the wagon burst open spilling a frantic looking temple attendant into the room. ¡°Priest Du! There has been an incident!¡±


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    ***


    Being worshiped was really great actually, Hanyi decided, turning over the glass figurine in her hand.


    It didn¡¯t taste the same as a man or beasts last breath. It was thinner, it sat less heavily in her stomach. If she had to compare it to something, it was like the difference between meat and the tasty plum pastries that Big Sis¡¯ Momma made sometimes.


    Human food wasn¡¯t bad either! Even if she was never full after she ate it!


    But her thoughts drifted back toward the little figurine in her hands. The glass was clear, tinted just a little blue in a way that looked like creeping frost. It wasn¡¯t perfect, if she looked real hard, she could see a few little bubbles,seams where the flaring gown¡¯s folds met the center of the figure. But that was fine.


    It was so warm. And even when she breathed it in, drank the warmth, it stayed warm. Bao Qian said people knew they were coming so they could prepare gifts.


    But this one. This one was so full, even though the skinny mortal man who¡¯d offered it had not a drop of qi.


    After the main performance, they put her up on a palanquin to march through the town. She could see the bright lights of torches and lanterns through the curtain, stalls and the people. At every crossroad they would stop and recite parts of her song, as poetry, and set out an altar for people to make offerings and ask for blessings.


    It was fun. She¡¯d been really piling up loot in here, and Big Sis would be proud, but as a man reached the front of the line. She found her attention drawn to him. He wasn¡¯t different than the others. Dim, mortal in rough but clean clothes, he wore a bandana over a shaved head and his hands and face were marked by little pockmark burns. But he had a child in the crook of his arm. A little girl, as wrinkly and ugly as any human baby. She seemed kinda weak and dim and she breathed weird.


    It wasn¡¯t the man''s words, spoken as he knelt before the altar and prayed that moved her. She¡¯d only really half listened to those. He sounded super sad though. Like he¡¯d lost a lot.


    So, maybe she¡¯d listened a little.


    But he¡¯d brought out this figure, and she was transfixed. Everything people had given her, had a little spark of heat, sometimes more and sometimes less, but this one was like a tiny star. She knew instinctively he had poured blood and sweat and time and what meager things he might call wealth into this. She knew that because she could smell the desperation and hope, like a savory aroma.


    So she¡¯d done something she wasn¡¯t supposed too. She reached out from behind the curtain and taken the figure right from his hand, instead of letting the attendant do it. And when she did she plucked out the little mote of frost in the girl¡¯s lungs and traded it for a little bit of the warmth she¡¯d been snacking on.


    Hanyi wasn¡¯t sure how she did it, but she did. It just seemed right. The little baby was breathing right now, and after the old guy stopped being scared, he started crying and thanking her. It was kind of a scene, but she liked it.


    It would be amazing if she could get more presents like these!


    ¡°And that¡¯s why you¡¯re gonna stay on your mountain. Got it,¡± she said, looking down from her figurine.


    Half transparent, made of fog and clouds and glittering snow, a squirming, girlish figure lay belly down on the roof of the temple. Glittering blue eyes, frozen chips of ice in the mass of cloud looked up at her, the warmth causing them to soften and melt a little.


    Hanyi pressed her foot down on the side of the other spirits head, grinding it into the roof tiles. ¡°Right.¡±


    The other spirit, whose name was a little squishy. Ice-upon-the-slope, shredding-hail upon-fields, shriek-of-high-winds. All sorts of jumbled. All the same, the other spirit let out a breathy wail of wind that spread frost across the tiles.


    ¡°No messing around here! You stay on the mountain, till everybody has their harvest in, then you can come tug at the shutters and drop ice on stuff,'''' Hanyi commanded imperiously.


    A whisper of wind, the struggling spirit went limp. She stopped pushing back against Hanyi¡¯s foot. Submission.


    Like there could be any other result! Hanyi still kept her pinned for a minute just to make sure she knew who was boss. ¡°You won¡¯t get another chance. Next time I¡¯ll just eat you.You overgrown fairy.¡±


    Sad wail, wheedling whisper for mercy.


    ¡°Hmph,¡± Hanyi sniffed, standing up. ¡°You better. Play nice and maybe I¡¯ll cut you in next year, huh?¡±


    That was how you got underlings, Hanyi was pretty sure. She thought having underlings would be cool.


    She wasn¡¯t sure though as the spirit shot off toward the mountains in the south. This one was kinda unformed and dumb. Oh well, if it didn¡¯t work, Hanyi would just eat her after all.


    ¡°Miss Hanyi!¡±


    She turned seeing Bao Qian land on the rooftop with a shuttering thud that nonetheless didn¡¯t crack a single tile, followed by that nice Du guy, who was perched on a cloud.


    ¡°Oh hey, I guess the girls doing my hair up got worried?¡± Hanyi said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I was just showing another spirit who¡¯s the new boss around here!¡±


    Hey! There was no need to look all exasperated like that!

 Bonus Chapter Welcome to the Jungle: Everything you Want

    Thunder cracked, wood split and groaned, and the buzzing voices of insects shrieked at such a pitch to make mortal ears bleed.


    Ji Rong¡¯s fist burned as it cratered bark-y flesh and powdered bone, snapping the blood-red ape''s head to the side with a neck-breaking crack. Muscle tore, but bone held, and the body rocketed off to slam into the side of a tree ten meters off to the side of the road.


    ¡°Come on then!¡± he roared, setting his feet, and resetting his fists, bolts of blinding actinic light scorching the stone under his feet and the leaves overhead.


    Behind him, the caravan train he¡¯d been riding with rocked under the rain of stones and boulders hurled from the trees, the bright crimson-painted wood groaning. Its closed shutters rattled, its frame shuddered, but aside from a few flecks of paint scraping off, the structure held. All around, the battle cries of his fellow guards echoed from the jungle.


    The Heart Rending Apes barrelling up the road toward him faltered in their loping charge as the crack of thunder from the leading ape''s body vacating the area faded.


    And Ji Rong stepped right into the press of bodies.


    Drive his fist into a belly, hear the sizzle of burning guts as lightning erupted, slam a backfist into a turning beast''s face to the sound of crunching teeth. Receive a blow. Endure the groan of straining bones. Hands big enough to palm his head seize his arm, fists hammer down. Burning spit and an eardrum-shattering roar wash over his face. Feel his blood twitch against his will in his veins, feel his heart strain as lifeblood thickens and clogs his veins.


    Stare the big fucker hanging back ripping at his blood in the eye.


    And become the lightning.


    Lightning flows. Lightning pierces. Lightning goes where it wills, without fail.


    Burning hair. Charring meat. Apes scream. A young dragon''s roar descends.


    And Ji Rong¡¯s sparking fist punches through muscle and skin, bashes through ribs, and punctures into what feels like a lung, going by the rush of rancid air that escapes as he rips his fist back out in a shower of gore.


    Pfah. His arm was too short to punch out the back.


    The massive ape tried to bellow, and it came out as a wet, bloody wheeze. He caught a fist bigger than his torso on his upraised, blood-soaked arm. Behind him, Refeng circled the pack of lesser apes he¡¯d punched through, claws flashing, lightning falling from the churning storm clouds summoned by his circling coils.


    ¡°Picked the wrong target, ya fat fuck,¡± Ji Rong scoffed, tensing his legs, drawing lower as he pushed the apes wildly swung fist out of the way, and leapt upward, flipping backward to slam his foot into the apes jaw with a thunderous crack. His ears ringing from the sound, his foot dug into its cheek as he launched himself back, flipping in midair... and struck downward as a blistering bolt, he struck, and struck and struck, fists battering into the staggering ape¡¯s skull rapidly, cratering divots in flesh and muscle cracking bone.


    A massive hand sought to grab him and burned in the lightning he became as he crashed like a comet.


    It took three dozen hits after that for the thing to stop twitching and pulling at his blood.


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    He was soaked up to his elbows in gore and sweating like a pig to boot. Fuck he was looking forward to getting back to the basecamp. Ji Rong glanced over his shoulder; the sounds were fading, the stragglers were scattering.


    Ji Rong cracked his neck and hopped down from the corpse before spinning, giving it a final kick and sending the massive lump of steaming meat bouncing off the road to crash into the underbrush.


    Felt good to do a day''s work. He appreciated that.


    ¡°Brother! I see you were victorious!¡±


    ¡°Course I was,¡± JI Rong scoffed, lifting his arm, letting the young dragon rushing down land along his shoulder, body shrinking down to fit. ¡°See, you cleaned up well, too. None of ¡®em got past you?¡±


    ¡°Never, None shall make this Relong a liar, and my oath of protection is inviolate,¡± the proud little bastard scoffed. The dragon''s head did shift to the side, staring down at Ji Rong¡¯s gore-soaked forearm and fist.


    ¡°Brother, are you going to eat that?¡±


    ¡°...No.¡±


    Dragon tongues felt a lot like a cat¡¯s. Just another weird fact he knew now.


    They made their way back to the caravan, and Ji Rong was happy to set himself down while the foraging staff swarmed out to take what could be quickly harvested from the dead apes before something else came sniffing after the blood and meat.


    ¡°Young sir, my appreciation for your prompt action and bold defense.¡±


    ¡°Just doing my job,¡± Ji Rong replied. ¡°Same as all the other guys.¡±


    The man in front of him, Zeng Cao, was a rugged old man. Dark whiskers shot through with white, his head shaven, and his face looked like it was made from old boot leather. The rich silk of his robe spoke of wealth. The hand-length fangs woven into the ornamentation of it, still pulsing with old, deadly power, spoke of strength.


    ¡°And I will be thanking them as well!¡± Zeng Cao chuckled. Fourth realm. Nothing else would do for a caravan Master in the Red Jungle.


    He¡¯d felt a stirring of resentment when he¡¯d first started this, the big guys ¡®sitting back¡¯ to let the second and third realms work... But he got it. There was a reason the vehicles had all stayed secure, even under hurled boulders.


    It just made sense for the ones who could fight to strengthen themselves rather than having gramps here wipe all their asses for them.


    He knew the old man wasn¡¯t afraid to rumble if something too big came along.


    ¡°Gimme the pelt off the big one, the knucklebones too,¡± Ji Rong added, answering the yet unspoken questions.


    ¡°Hah! You earned its heart as well, young sir, though I know you don¡¯t care for it. I¡¯ll have the spine preserved for you instead. Better for the lightning, aye?¡± Zeng Cao said, amused.


    ¡°Indeed! The spine holds the channels by which thought flows to the body of the internal lightning; you should not be so modest, brother!¡± Relong said.


    ¡°I know you will enjoy some hearts, young master,¡± Zeng Cao told the young dragon. ¡°Fifteen minutes, young sir.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be ready,¡± Ji Rong said lazily. He probably shoulda not pulverized the head. Brains were good for heaven aspected pills he guessed? Felt kinda gross even if it was all dried and powdered first, though.


    Zeng Cao nodded cheerfully, striding away to speak with the others on guard duty, collect their requests for materials to pass onto the harvesters.


    ¡°You¡¯re taciturn, brother. Does the victory not please you?¡± Relong asked, leaving off his shoulder to peer at him head on.


    ¡°Just got my mind on other stuff. Looking forward to getting back to the base camp,¡± Ji Rong dismissed. He didn¡¯t like lying to his bro, but some things were bad enough just existing inside his own skull.


    Like what Ling Qi had told him about Sun Liling, back at the Summit.


    What the hell was he supposed to do about that? It¡¯d been a month now since that whole crazy thing.


    He still didn¡¯t have a single damn idea.

 Threads Chapter 452-Cathedral of Winds-Finish

    The journey to the broken fire node was made quickly, but compared to the frenetic pace of the chase, it felt like an idle stroll through the tunnels, watching silty pollution slowly clear while underworld flora writhed and died, choking on the purified waters. It made for a morbid sight.


    Soon, they moved from tunnels of white and gray stone to wide passages that still whispered with the heat of the earth''s molten blood. It was here that the pollution was the thickest. The water nearly had the consistency of tar for long stretches, and many-legged things burrowed and wormed through it like they might mud on the surface. Here, the underworld environment clung on with tenacity.


    Ling Qi pushed the seeking fronds aside with only half a thought.


    The crystal chamber lay at the top of a great lava tube ten meters across. The crystal itself looked like an open cyst in the stone. Shattered crimson crystal was slowly going black like infected flesh, and melted material pooled in the crater at its center.


    They left it behind though, descending another forty meters before they finally found the split in the tube. It led out into a low ceilinged, abyssal tunnel, from which impurity spewed in great black clouds. Sixiang shifted uncomfortably in her head, and Qiyi drew tighter around her, as if to close even the most miniscule gaps in her threads.


    Li Suyin''s impurity protection held firm.


    "I will begin the ritual and placement now. Would you please commune with the spirit? If it interferes and reacts in the wrong way, it could very easily ruin the ritual."


    "Soothe the patient while you perform the stitches, hm?"


    "You understand why it''s a vital task then, since it can''t be sedated."


    Ling Qi nodded, drifting back as Li Suyin extended her hands and began to materialize the Five Temples Seal. Like the array above, it came into existence slowly, a cross-hatched disc of dark gray metal some three meters wide and half a meter thick and inscribed with complex arrays filled with jade and gem dust.


    As XInghong hauled it into the center of the split in the stone and Li Suyin waved her head, calling out five steel-tipped jade spikes in different shades to spin out and hover equidistant over the stone around the plug, ready to be pounded in, Ling Qi closed her eyes and retreated into her own mind. She reached out to the distant lattice of crystal radiating out through the spiritual realm which surrounded them.


    ¡°Attuner,¡± the spirit acknowledged.


    ¡°We have reached the breach and are beginning to seal it. Please trust our method, honored spirit. The sensations you feel and will feel are no attack. You have my pledge, and you can confirm it through our lingering connection.¡±


    Li Suyin probably would have beaten her over the head with the Five Temples Seal if she properly understood the level of connection she had allowed with the Piper spirit. Folding their senses together so acutely allowed the spirit the ability to easily crush her mind by flooding her with sensation and memory until the mortal channels burned out.


    "You''re lucky I understand your reasoning so well, you big doof," Sixiang grumbled privately.


    The Piper, whatever else it was, was not an entity that would do this though, not without being brought through some truly unlikely decision paths. There was only a very, very small chance of this occurring.


    And if so, it would not do so through this method.


    ¡°I hear and watch. The Attuner understands the breadth of my gaze.¡±


    It could easily feel her intentions too deeply for her to deceive it.


    "I do, Harmonizer of Lands, Composer of Strands. More proper names than Piper, no?"


    The spirit''s answer was a lingering silence, a holding thrum in its song, devoid of all but the base beat of its existence.


    "Six Hundred and Seventy-Ninth Incarnum of Discordia Realignment Orchestra."


    Ling Qi sucked in a sharp breath, the throbbing pain in her head that had subsided coming to the fore in an instant. The Name echoed with the weight of age which exceeded the empire, and also the time of Tsu the Diviner and the Legendary Kings. It harked back to the dim ages before any true history was known. It rang with edges of jagged glass and crumbled rubble, a structure that had broken and receded, made less again and again...Six Hundred Seventy-Nine times.


    "There would have been no Six Hundred and Eightieth Incarnum."


    "There would not."


    What was left here was only the scraps, less even with the two shattered and corrupted nodes.


    "What purpose do you bear?"


    "None. All macro functions are defunct. Replaced. Maintenance of the internal environment and spirit creche remains. Knowledge of the discordia project was lost in the seventeenth Incarnum. Irrelevant to the current environment. Harmonious Memorial Piper. Sufficient name."


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    "Then let it be so, Harmonious Memorial Piper."


    She felt Li Suyin''s ceremony progression as a ripple through the liminal when a steel spike and its jade cap were pounded in, calling on one of the great spirits of the empire. So, too, she felt the reflexive twitch of the spirit all around her, the reaction from its foundations as a roar of rage at the intrusion of a foreign sovereign.


    Or so it should have been. It bent through the layers of spirit built atop those foundations and emerged more as the raspy cough of an ill old man.


    Li Suyin''s ritual went on without interruption.


    ¡°Your song. It sings harmony. The ordering of seasons. The replacement of fallen function. The fall of chaos. What is YOUR purpose?¡±


    Ling Qi tilted her head back. That was a fair question, given her own. She was far from finding an answer to that herself though.


    "Life''s a lot easier when you''ve only got one track to run on," Sixiang commented. "I can''t even say it''s less fun, but I like stumbling around a bit anyway, you know?"


    Ling Qi agreed with Sixiang, even if she knew it wasn''t a state that could last forever. One who chose to seek the height of cultivation didn''t have that privilege.


    Why did she sing? Why did she seek to be heard? It was because...


    The truth of art is Communication. There are many paths to many Ways. The Master of Communication seeks the parallel, the flow of many paths toward harmony.


    The purpose of expression was to communicate an idea. It was the tool which bound communities together through the stories they told each other. The stories revealed who they are and who they had been.


    It was all stories in the end. The past was a foundation, but in looking back, one could not help but distort it. This might have been the root of what had driven the Hui to what they had become. To truly internalize the truth that everything humans were was built on a foundation of fiction and self-editing narrative invited so many deviations and twisted conclusions.


    It was easy to see how one could become enamored with the notion of treating the fabric of a society as nothing but a canvas for one¡¯s whims. It made it easy to descend into self-interested solipsism, forgetting that other people were not just characters in one¡¯s plot, but storytellers in their own right.


    At the same time, she could see where the urge to meddle had come from. The Emerald Seas yearned for a story which all the Emerald Seas could tell.


    How many beast gods were there? Twelve, of course, for the pillars of the throne.


    What were the beast gods? Well, they were whatever animal served the writer''s purpose for the story they wished to tell about Tsu, and through him, the province.


    Who was Tsu? A uniter, a man of great words and deeds, a builder of alliances, a great seer and wise man, and the first and greatest tiller of the land.


    Why did he do what he did? Who was worthy of words, and who was worthy of spears? Who had betrayed the covenant? Who had been betrayed by the covenant? Who was a brother, and who was an intruder in the house?


    These answers, too, depended on the story the writer wanted to tell.


    History was made of stories. The past was made of people. And stories were never quite as complex as people in all their contradictions.


    "Your thoughts are heard. Harmonious accord is a well-tread purpose."


    "Was it yours once?"


    "No. Little memory remains. But my purpose was not so accommodating."


    She felt a grinding down in her bones, like the gears of a grist mill, crushing all which was placed between them, producing a fine, even powder for use. What went in did not matter, unless it was so hard as to break the teeth of the gear. It reminded her of crucibles and flame, of the molten ore, undifferentiated, that was once a million lives and objects and thoughts.


    "What do you intend. Attuner?"


    "I intend to watch over the people who will come to live in this land. I will build and grow for them and for me, to make a place for kin. Harmonious Memorial Piper, what rites do you desire?"


    "Silence for my creche. No prodding fingers and curious eyes and tramping feet."


    She understood, even if the answer was disappointing.


    "Do you object to a shrine in the great cavern to make use of the crystals that grow above?"


    The spirit considered the request.


    "Shrine / attunement node acceptable. Outer Shrine, beyond shadows, under light of sun and moon. Inner Shrine, in my light, limited access. You. One other. Only this."


    She could accommodate all of that.


    ¡±Provide maintenance where I cannot reach. The Light Crystal, I will gift.¡±


    "Hope he doesn''t expect you to know what he needs," Sixiang quipped.


    No, she didn¡¯t think he did. That request was an oblique invitation to further communion. Arrangements would be made.


    Ling Qi let out a breath as she withdrew from contact with the spirit, returning the main of her attention to the descending cavern shaft and Li Suyin''s sealing ceremony.


    Each of the five stakes had been hammered into the stone, sunk in until only their jade cap was visible. The great metal sealing disk had sunk inward as well, stone shaping like clay to embrace it, and the cracks extending above and below it sealed themselves as well, choking off the final streamers of corrupting impurity rising from the underworld beyond.


    Perhaps one day, they would have reason to check beyond the seal, but for now, Ling Qi was just glad she had one less threat to worry about.


    Besides, she was going to have a lot of dealing with the underworld soon enough.


    Li Suyin clapped her hands once, and the whole cavern shuddered. The impurity faded, leaving only the pitch black waters of the volcanic tube, and the three of them suspended in that darkness.


    Suyin sagged forward, and Xinghong was there in a moment, scooping her up in both sets of arms like a princess. Mandibles clicked in concern and pride for his maker¡¯s deed.


    Or so Ling Qi understood anyway.


    "Oh, stop with that expression.¡± Suyin gave her a grumpy look. ¡°This is just the retreat programming."


    "Of course," Ling Qi placated. "Let''s get back to the surface. Perhaps we can catch Su Ling and Gan Guangli in a compromising moment."


    Li Suyin rolled her eyes as they began to rise through the water. "I don''t know when you began to make such jokes, but you know Sir Gan is too noble for that."


    Ling Qi laughed. She didn''t know about that.

 Threads Chapter 453-Shell 1

    Regretfully, they did not catch Gan Guangli and Su Ling in any kind of compromising position. When they emerged from the Cathedral, Su Ling''s ears were puffed straight up, and her tails flicked rapidly. She was clearly on edge with nerves. In contrast, Gan Guangli sat serenely by the lunar siphon.


    "She''s been like that since we called in the change to the siphon, hasn''t she?" Ling Qi accused.


    Su Ling stiffened, and her left ear flicked furiously. "Course I did. I know how things get with you, Ling Qi!"


    Suyin, who had climbed down from Xinghong''s arms, much to his disappointment, returned him to storage. "Come now, Su Ling. We both know it is only when your luck and hers combine that things go mad."


    "She''s not wrong." Sixiang drawled.


    Yuck. Bathtime now.


    Qiyi had been downright sullen after she''d unwound herself and they''d left the muck.


    Thankfully, neither of her friends chose that moment to look at her. Instead, it was Gan Guangli who found himself under their twinned gazes.


    He coughed into his fist. "I have no experience with the question!"


    "You''re coming with me next time," Su Ling demanded. "Getcha all the experience you need."


    "Who says there''s going to be a next time?" Ling Qi wondered.


    Su Ling scoffed.


    That was fair. It might be a while, but she didn''t doubt they''d venture out again as a group.


    "I will prepare myself for tribulation," Gan Guangli vowed.


    "You¡¯d better," Su Ling said darkly. She scrubbed a hand through her hair. "So, did everything work out down there? Can see you''re not hurt, and nothing¡¯s exploded, but..."


    "The underworld breach is sealed off."


    "And I''ve reached an accord with the spirit of the site," Ling Qi followed up. "We''ll be building a shrine here at the entrance of the cave, but access will be restricted to the inside. Myself and one other person. In exchange for some as yet defined maintenance, we''ll be granted some access to the crystal on the upper layers."


    "Most excellent!" Gan Guangli praised. "Shall I begin removing the siphon?"


    "Please do." Suyin put a hand to her temple. "I would like to return to Shenglu soon. This expedition has been a bit too much exercise for me."


    "Oh, I don''t know,¡± Ling Qi demurred. ¡°I think it''s just the right amount."


    "Hush, you. My physical cultivation is fine."


    Su Ling smirked. "Cause I''ve kept on you about it."


    "Thank you, Su Ling," Suyin said dutifully.


    "Someone''s gotta drag her out into the sun once in a while,¡± Sixiang teased. ¡°Girl''s gonna go translucent."


    "I am sure Ms. Li has a fine cultivation regime!" Gan Guangli piled on.


    Li Suyin crossed her arms, unamused. "Enough of that. Gather the siphon. I will be getting a footbath before dawn."


    Bath. NOW.


    ***


    Ling Qi was sad to see Su Ling and Li Suyin go, but they had their own lives and their homes and projects to get back to, and she wouldn''t deny them that. So, she had bid them farewell with a smile as the sun dawned the next day, and turned her attention back to her duties at Shenglu.


    After making her report to Cai Renxiang, of course. She had to let her liege know they were sitting on something ancient beyond words. She might have been losing her touch at surprising her liege though. Either that or Renxiang was becoming inoculated against her tales.


    Regardless, she now had a writ to cover the cost of a simple barrier over the cave entrance and a minor outpost for long ranging patrols. She''d probably be overseeing that for the rest of the week.


    "Haha! Indeed, Miss Biyu, I AM very tall!"


    As a result of both of them lingering to report to Renxiang, Gan Guangli had finally met her family. Honestly, Biyu hadn''t looked so starry-eyed since she had flown the girl up to the room of their old house.


    Her little sister was up against the railing dividing the outer walkway from the training yard, hands on the rail and stretched up onto her tiptoes to peer over, wide-eyed and gleeful. Mother was behind her, still lingering near the doors inside.


    Since they had only been lightly sparring, Gan Guangli was only some five meters tall.


    "Can I go up?" Biyu pleaded.


    What was this? Ling Qi was right here! She hovered at the same height as Guangli''s head, and her hair was fanned out and sparkling under the light of the early morning sun in the way that usually made her little sister''s eyes sparkle.


    "Oh, no,¡± Sixiang deadpanned. ¡°Little sis is cheating on Big Sis."


    "Ah, Biyu, you should not pester Lord Gan and your elder sister,¡± Mother scolded. ¡°I am certain they are busy."


    "Awwww."


    "If Madam Ling is not against it, we were just wrapping our spar up," Gan Guangli offered.


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    Ling Qi nodded grudgingly.


    Her mother sighed and rubbed her forehead. Ling Qi could see she wasn''t really worried about Biyu; by this point, her mother understood how difficult it was for them to be harmed while Ling Qi was nearby. Biyu crashing head over heels down the stairs while running in the halls had just left her crying in confusion. It hadn''t made her mother''s scolding any less severe though.


    "Very well, if Lord Gan will allow it," Ling Qingge relented.


    "Haha, of course!" Gan Guangli crouched down and held out his open palms like a platform.


    Biyu leapt on them and giggled with delight as Gan Guangli made a show of slowly standing up, raising her higher and higher into the air. Biyu turned a bright smile to her, waving furiously. "Hi, Sis! I can fly, too! See?"


    "Of course you can," Ling Qi agreed.


    That was fine then. She swooped down, scooping the little girl out of Gan Guangli''s hands to do a loose, slow spin on the way back to the ground, making her sister shriek in delight.


    As she set her sister back down on the porch, she caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye. She raised her hand and allowed the paper messenger bird to land in her palm, unfolding into a neatly pressed paper missive.


    "Oh, what is that?" her mother asked as Gan Guangli allowed Biyu to leap into his outstretched hands again.


    Her eyes flicked across the neat characters painted on the page. "We have a guest. I wasn''t expecting him to have a free moment too soon."


    "Who?"


    "Xuan Shi. I asked if he could check the installation of the panic room formations."


    ***


    Physically, he hadn''t changed much. He wore the same heavy robes decorated with geometric patterns, dark green cut through with lighter lines and hemmed in black, and his shell patterned hat had been repaired. That said, the high collar of the outer robe was unclasped in the front, showing more of his broad featured face. He hadn¡¯t replaced the gauntlets she had destroyed.


    The hat had acquired a new occupant, or rather, the chick she had previously been introduced to had outgrown the shelf hidden beneath the brim, and had instead claimed the top of it. The chick had rapidly sprouted up into an imperious hen. Xuanji was a fine, sleek specimen with lustrous black feathers, shading to midnight blue at their edges, and a sharp, hooked beak. Her comb was a stark white, a shocking splash of color. But though she was much less plump than the farmyard hens Ling Qi was familiar with, she was still, unmistakably a chicken.


    And despite being less than half a year old, Xuanji was also already in the second realm.


    "Thank you for coming so swiftly." Ling Qi clasped her hands and bowed. She stood before the door of the manor house, having arrived to greet her guest on the steps.


    "This one would not leave thee waiting. A builder¡¯s pride still beats in this chest. A deviation in such vital work is unacceptable."


    "And yet, it''s only at a deviation because we disturbed it with our move. It could hardly be called an obligation."


    Ling Qi considered Xuan Shi. He felt more solid now. He had always been a formidable, if subtle, presence, but now, he was like a castle with foundations of bedrock and unscalable, invulnerable walls, free of any defect. Though standing here, the gates were open.


    Xuanji looked down her beak at Ling Qi. "You are fortunate my father is kind."


    "I am," Ling Qi replied. Spirit beasts could grow up so fast. She remembered the chick''s excitable babble. Her smile conveyed that, and the hen¡¯s feathers puffed up indignantly. "Would you please come in?"


    Xuan Shi glanced upward. "Peace, Xuanji. My apologies. She is not usually like this."


    Ling Qi nodded agreeably. She didn''t voice what she saw in the young beast''s demeanor. She was a dutiful daughter, standing between her father and a woman who might prey on his feelings.


    "Oh, you can bet that bratty cousin of mine has been giving her ideas," Sixiang whispered to her from further in the manor. "Got the work space cleared out, by the way!"


    Ling Qi sent back a feeling of acknowledgement along their bond as she stepped aside, allowing Xuan Shi to enter. The door closed with a pushing wind from her, and she began to lead him down the hall. "I''ve heard the news of the sect recently, but how have your own projects been proceeding?"


    He hummed thoughtfully. "Fire and lake, purgation and preservation, the fragments of the old fascinate. Version two is now well underway. Another two or three months, to be worthy of removal from the workshop¡¯s shade."


    Ling Qi bowed her head. "I am still very grateful and hope I may find ways to repay the labor and wealth that you sacrificed for my sake in lending me your gauntlets, but I am glad you''ve gained some insight from the remains."


    "This one gained greatly, without any such thing. Lady Ling has recovered swiftly. Recovered and also grown. Impressive."


    She smiled. "Ah, I might go mad if I sat still for too long. Remind me to tell you about the trouble I''ve gotten into just these last months. Do you intend to march with the sect?"


    "One who is sheltered well shames himself should he shirk his duty when war comes calling. The sect has been a second home."


    So he would be yet another joining them down in the dark. "And your clan has no objections?"


    His smile turned wry. "Nay."


    "I suppose that is a foolish question. They would want to show solidarity with their allies."


    "To chide Father for his honor would be beneath a great family," Xuanji clucked.


    She could feel Kongyou commenting, too. She could have listened in, but their internal rapport was not for her.


    They made their way further into the manor, speaking casually of their plans for the coming months, he, mostly in research and craftwork, and she, in preparing for the expedition. Like Bao Qian, Xuan Shi would, by the nature of his cultivation, probably be stationed in the rear echelon, securing and fortifying ground as they took it, rather than being in the tip of the spear, as Cai Renxiang expected them to be.


    Soon, they emerged into the rearmost section of the manor where it abutted the cliffside. Some tentative chambers had been carved into the rock. Little was in them yet, making this area a secure place to install the panic room formations.


    "Heya!" Sixiang greeted, waving from near the end of the still rough stone passage where the panic room was installed after being carefully disassembled and transported. They bounded up, the faint whirr and clatter of components under their illusory figure audible in the cramped space. "Oh, wow, you''ve gotten cute quick, huh? Hats here is raising you right."


    "Of course," preened the hen.


    "And... cuz, I can feel you in there. Still squirming around, huh? You should prolly try comin¡¯ out more often," Sixiang continued.


    "Oh, buzz off, cuz. Most of us aint into jamming ourselves between dead wood and gears," Kongyou''s voice oozed from the shadows in the room, distorted and warbling.


    "But it pinches so good," Sixiang shot back in a faux breathy voice.


    Ling Qi swatted them on the back of the head. "Hey, whatever that was. Too much."


    "Aww, fiiine."


    Xuan Shi had frozen stock still, dark color rising on his cheeks. She was concerned, but he shook his head violently, causing Xuanji to squawk and flap her wings for balance. "This one would examine the arrays please. Cold stone is no open air and constructed wood. The components will not be efficacious."


    He still sounded choked.


    What exactly was untoward about pinching?


    Xuan Shi strode toward the open door of the room, and she trailed after. Sixiang followed, laughing into their hand.


    Ling Qi shook her head. "I''m sorry for them."


    "This one understands well how a muse may say unfortunate things," Xuan Shi said, staring ahead at the array he was examining.


    "Yes," Ling Qi agreed, peering over his shoulder from a respectful distance. She considered the words she was about to speak uncertainly. "Ah, before you get too deep into your work, I did have a question."


    "This one will hear it."


    "Once this is done, will you accompany me out for the day?"

 Threads Chapter 454-Shell 2

    "I was hoping that we could go for a walk on the lakefront, out toward the falls."


    Xuan Shi froze, hand in the midst of tracing the connecting line which bound the entry arrays to those embedded in the inner walls. "Miss Ling..."


    "I''ve said Ling Qi is fine many times. I meant what I said back in the hospital."


    "Too forward! You dare!" squawked the chicken.


    "Peace, Xuanji," Xuan Shi said. "This one would be pleased to accompany thee."


    "I am glad. There are some insights that have been on my mind, and I can think of no one better to debate them with."


    He tilted his head. "A practical matter?"


    "Between the two of us, can you think of a better method for bettering our understanding of each other?"


    He returned to his examination. "Miss Ling is not a woman who cherishes frippery and ceremony."


    "I would have invited you to the library, if ours had anything but Lady Cai''s legal texts and copies of the great classics in it."


    He snorted. "Indeed."


    "Father, you cannot be entertaining this."


    "This one has no hounds upon his tail. Neither do thee. Child, thy wishes were to see the lord of the garden as well, no?"


    Xuanji puffed out her feathers but did not argue.


    Sixiang put their hands on their hips. "I can''t decide if you dorks are cute or awkward, dancing around like there''s spiders on the floor."


    Ling Qi glowered at them. She was seriously trying here. Sixiang smirked back.


    "Zhengui should be walking his route through the farms today," Ling Qi offered.


    "This one is warmed by the rays of thy concern, but limits of propriety lie but a claw¡¯s breadth from thy feet," Xuan Shi chided.


    The hen fixed a gimlet eye on Ling Qi. "I apologize for my rude words." To the spirit¡¯s credit, she kept most of the reluctance out of her voice.


    "I¡¯m gonna bully that Kongyou for messing around," Sixiang whispered to her.


    "Be nice, Sixiang, or at least be civil about it."


    "Hah! I''ve been learning. Definitely gonna be reaaaaaal civil."


    Ling Qi should probably be concerned about Sixiang¡¯s plan, but Kongyou was literally a manifestation of joy found in the tragedy of others. It was hard to feel sympathetic.


    "Well, that¡¯s settled then. I accept the apology. What are your initial thoughts on the installation, Xuan Shi?"


    "Primary inefficiencies lie deep within qi recycling arrays, siphoning moving air over thrumming stone. For this..."


    Ling Qi settled in to listen and watch him work.


    ***?


    "She¡¯s certainly turned out interesting, hasn¡¯t she?"


    Ling Qi smiled as they walked through the developing streets of Shenglu. The scent of fish in the air by the docks was a smell that had taken some getting used to, but now, it was just part of the background tapestry. She kept their path from the main work areas, because their presence would disrupt others. They strolled along a street frequented mainly by messengers to and from the manor.


    "This one attempted to instill the virtues of cultivation in his charge. The roots have taken, but the spread is more virulent than the gardener might hope," Xuan Shi acknowledged.


    "She''s a good girl," Ling Qi praised, as they passed by the last of the completed buildings.


    Out here, there were mainly the foundations for further construction of the drainage and the canals. The sound dampening arrays had not yet been fully placed, and were they not cultivators, the thunder of the falls would have rendered this conversation difficult to hear.


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "This one''s curiosity spreads as the rising reflection upon the shore. What cultivation would be so well suited to mine ears?"


    "Stories. Of all cultivators I know, you are the only one with a deep fascination for narrative. I''ve been finding my contemplations falling that way lately."


    Xuan Shi considered her words, hands clasped behind his back as they reached the lakeside.


    "If it''s not presumptuous, and if you feel you could express yourself better, we could have this conversation in your own tongue. Language isn''t a barrier for me anymore."


    The Xuan, as one of the oldest clans in the Celestial Empire, had their own language and dialect. It was the reason they spoke with such a cadence in the main imperial tongue. Most of the provinces had had their own dialects in the past as well, but the isolation of the Xuan''s islands had left their language far more intact.


    When Xuan Shi spoke next, the sounds were foreign, flatter, and sharper than the flow of the imperial language. "One is rarely called to speak/sing in the way of the waves beyond the slumbering isles. But it is tiring to use imperial. The southern tongue is too flowing/quick for one''s thoughts to keep up well."


    "The blood of the Living Isle seems to presuppose one to pondering and thoughtfulness," Ling Qi commented.


    "True. It is the lack of spacing between sounds. Less unique shapes means less exactness in the form of phrase and conjugation. Emphasis on tone, when one''s voice comes flat by instinct. Ling Qi, you ask after stories. This one accepts that you have recanted your prior words, but whence this? Fiction is not your love, still."


    "It is not, but I have come to see that the lines are not so sharp. To me, fiction is fundamentally a message that conveys the author''s thoughts, the same as a courtly poem, striving to tell the reader of the beauty or tragedy or other feeling which lies in the writer''s heart."


    "One sees a truth in this. Ling Qi has chosen the path of a speaker. This is also the path of a storyteller. Fact is important, but if one cannot convince those who listen to the truth of it, then it is but dross, sinking into the abyssal black. The archives of the deep speak of this in our histories, and the Hermit King was oft troubled by this, the light hold which cold and dry fact has upon the human mind."


    "Isn''t that disheartening,¡± Ling Qi said wryly, ¡°Knowing my trial has been gnawed on for ten thousand years and counting by better scholars than I."


    "Great strides may seem to come in fitful bursts, but they are the work of ages. Countless laborers construct the stairs until one may finally make the leap unto heavens unreachable by the ancestors."


    "I can see that. Even when you reject the past, you are still reacting to it?"


    "One exists in connection to what is and what was before. This is inescapable. How this relates to fiction lies in examination. Storytelling is the way of passing knowledge, before ink and page and jade."


    "So, fiction is an offshoot or rather, an outgrowth of rendering events and values into narratives for expression," Ling Qi pondered.


    They continued along the lakeside. The waves made by the pounding impact of the falls lapped at their feet, and though it touched neither of them, the mist was thick around them now as well, cool and shadowy despite the sun high in the sky.


    She could see it. There was only a subtle difference between memorializing a desired virtue or cultural affect through the lens of past events, and crafting those events from the ground up. Meaning and lesson could even attenuate, becoming secondary to merely telling a story, the way some legends grew to be more about the legend itself than any meaning their ancestors might have meant in it.


    It was such a tangled way to think about truth and stories.


    "You''re still too practical. It amuses/provokes thought. Lady Cai and Ling Qi are very similar, except in aesthetics."


    She shot him an affronted look. "I respect my lady deeply, of course, but I am not so dour as all of that."


    He raised an eyebrow. The thunder of the falls was deafening now. "You seek a reason, a hard and fast purpose in all things. And yet, in creation, a writer does not always think of such meanings. To one who dreams, is it not enough to want to capture the distant, unknown shore, the tale dreamt of in late hours?"


    She pursed her lips. She couldn''t deny that her first instinct was to search for purpose and meaning in a story. And there was always purpose, even if the writer did not think of it.


    Not all purposes needed to be grand.


    She gestured, and a slice of the mist cleared away. Through the hole, distant sky could be glimpsed, distorted by the shadow left by the Clearwater Mist at the center of the falls.


    "Fascinating." Xuan Shi eyed the whorls in the qi, which thinned the material in just the right way that the cycling water vapor transformed at dawn and dusk.


    "I thought you might like this place. It is an awful pain trying to arrange any collection of the mist though. Mortal boats can''t come so far under the falls."


    "It is not a bad thing, what I say. The drive that seeks purpose and forward motion in all things captivates. It is heard in every song you compose of yourself."


    Ling Qi hummed appreciatively. "I take your point. Like Lady Cai, I can be very results-oriented."


    "And this, I suspect, is part of the wind which carries your wings so high. To my eyes, you soar unshackled by doubts."


    "Hardly," Ling Qi denied. "I question and doubt quite a lot. I just don''t let that stop me... When you''re scrabbling at the bottom, you can¡¯t. Choose now. Do now. Tomorrow may not come."


    It wasn''t how she liked to live anymore, but that sense of urgency still informed her choices.


    "It is not only that. I look on you and see certainty of purpose and bravery unending. That is what marks the cover of the tale of Ling Qi."


    She stifled a blush. "If it''s a tale, I hope you know the shape of me behind that cover; I''ve not hidden it. You, although we''ve talked many times now, the cover remains firmly shut."


    He cocked his head, listening.


    "If you please, I would like to hear the story of Xuan Shi."